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Chinese scientists confirm planet identity for free-floating object

Xinhua) 09:19, January 05, 2026

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have successfully achieved the first direct mass measurement of a free-floating object, confirming that it is a planet with a mass comparable to that of Saturn.

This key research finding, led by the Department of Astronomy research team at the School of Physics, Peking University, was published in Science on Friday.

Free-floating objects are mysterious celestial bodies that do not orbit any star and drift alone through interstellar space. When a free-floating object passes in front of a background star, its gravity bends the starlight like a lens, causing the star to brighten temporarily -- a phenomenon known as a microlensing event, according to Dong Subo, head of the research team.

Over the past decade, scientists have detected approximately ten free-floating objects through observations with ground-based telescopes. However, their mass has yet to be accurately measured.

In 2024, the research team reported a microlensing event observed from both ground- and space-based telescopes. By combining observations from Earth and a distant spacecraft with a time difference, the mass-distance degeneracy can be broken, enabling the research team to extract the object's distance information and then determine its mass and distance separately, the research shows.

"This is analogous to observing the same scene with 'eyes' that are extremely far apart," Dong said.

"This achievement highlights the advantages and significance of space-ground coordinated observations and provides important reference for upcoming projects such as NASA's Roman Space Telescope," a reviewer for the journal Science commented.

The China Space Station Telescope, independently developed by China and planned for launch, will also support such observations.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
As January rolls in, resolutions are fresh, optimism is high, and inboxes are already filling with promises of a 'new you'. But which brands genuinely deserve a place in those well-intentioned plans?

With 2026 officially underway, this Checklist edit cuts through the noise to spotlight ten standout names making it easier - and far more enjoyable - to stick to New Year goals. From feel-good fitness upgrades and smarter wellness buys to time-saving lifestyle heroes, these brands combine practicality with a touch of indulgence.

The 'smart saver' angle

Keep your hands on your hard-earned cash in 2026 by maxing out your tax-free allowance. An ISA is the ultimate shield against the taxman, letting you save or invest up to 20,000 this year. It's the smartest way to ensure your money stays in your pocket, not the Treasury's.

For a hassle-free way to get started, look no further than the eToro ISA, powered by Moneyfarm. Eligible UK customers can access a range of ISA options including a market leading Cash ISA, pick your own Stocks and Shares ISA, and managed portfolios. It's a way to organise savings and investments in one place while making the most of the ISA tax wrapper.

The info: Click here to get started.

Disclaimer: ISA powered by Moneyfarm. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.

Smarter screen-time reset for little learners

For families pledging a calmer, more purposeful year ahead, Moshi's suite of children's apps makes New Year's resolutions feel genuinely achievable. Designed for ages 012, Moshi Play, Moshi Kids, Moshi Coloring World and Moshi's Drawing for Toddlers blend learning, creativity and rest inside the much-loved Moshi universe... without ads or noisy distractions!

Moshi Play turns early learning into joyful play, with mini-games that sneak in maths, memory and problem-solving while kids earn stickers along the way. When it's time to slow things down, Moshi Kids steps in. Clinically proven to help children fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer*, it offers soothing stories, music and meditations that also support emotional wellbeing.

Creative urges are covered too: Moshi Coloring World invites children to paint and design digital artwork, while Moshi Drawing for Toddlers teaches step-by-step drawing skills that build confidence. Online or offline, at home or on the move, Moshi makes mindful screen time a resolution worth keeping.

The info: Click here to try it for free.

*NYU Langone Health Study (Dr. Daniel Seixas, Dr. Alicia Chung): Demonstrated that children using Moshi Kids improved sleep onset and duration, experienced fewer night wakings and better emotional regulation.

A quick home refresh that actually feels new

January is the month for fresh starts, and Easy Panels makes it refreshingly simple to give tired rooms a proper glow-up without blowing the budget. Specialising in sleek, modern panel solutions for walls, floors and ceilings, Easy Panels is a go-to for anyone craving a nice finish with minimal hassle.

Their PVC wall and shower panels are a savvy swap for traditional tiles. Made from sturdy 10mm waterproof PVC, they're designed to last, easy to wipe clean and blissfully grout-free, meaning no mould, no scrubbing and no stress. Clever tongue-and-groove joints also make installation quick, even for confident DIYers.

Looking to add warmth? Easy Panels' premium 3-sided wood veneer slat acoustic panels deliver on both looks and sound, bringing texture and calm to living rooms, bathrooms, bedrooms and home offices alike. And with delivery in two to six business days, it's an easy win for January upgrades.

The info: Click here to shop now.

Glow up your routine

If New Year's resolutions are all about feeling better, For Goodness Shakes Glow fits neatly into the plan. From the OG ready-to-drink protein brand comes this clever collagen shake designed to work as hard as you do.

Each bottle packs 27g of protein and a hefty 2500mg of collagen, while calcium gives bones a helping hand too. Despite the impressive credentials, these shakes stay refreshingly light: they're lactose-free, fat-free, contain no added sugars and come in at just 150 calories. It's wellness without the waffle.

Flavour-wise, Glow doesn't disappoint either, with Iced Latte offering a coffee-shop vibe and White Chocolate delivering a more indulgent treat.

Perfect for busy mornings, post-gym refuelling or an afternoon pick-me-up, For Goodness Shakes Glow proves resolutions don't have to be dull. Available in Tesco, Sainsbury's and online, at 2.50 a bottle, it's an easy upgrade for January and beyond.

The info: Click here to buy now.

A New Year's resolution that truly saves lives

If there's one resolution that deserves a place at the top of the list this January, it's backing Air Ambulances UK and the UK's air ambulance charities.

Every day, air ambulance charities deliver an advanced trauma team to the UK's most critically injured patients, bringing hospital-level care straight to the scene - often within minutes of a serious incident. This rapid response allows specialist clinicians to begin critical treatment immediately, before a patient reaches the hospital.

These charities respond to over 134 missions every day, providing advanced pre-hospital critical care to people who have suffered life-threatening or life-changing trauma or medical emergencies. Air ambulance crews bring the Emergency Department to the patient, delivering vital interventions that can save lives.

Support your local air ambulance.

The info: Click here to donate now.

Make every step count

Make a start on your New Year's fitness goals with the Brooks Run Club, a free loyalty programme designed to make every run - or even walk - feel like a win. Signing up is simple: link your Strava account or favourite fitness device, from Garmin and Suunto to Fitbit, Coros, or Polar, and you're ready to start earning rewards.

With every kilometre you cover, you'll collect 10 'strides,' the currency of the club, turning your daily jogs into tangible achievements. Hit milestone markers at 50, 100, 250, and 500 strides, and you'll unlock exciting rewards that make your progress even sweeter.

It's motivation without pressure, turning the runs you're already doing into something extra, because the more you move, the more you gain. Whether you're a seasoned runner or just stepping out for the first time this year, Brooks makes it simple to celebrate every stride.

The info: Click here to sign up.

Make 2026 the year you stop just surviving

We all know how heavy the 'same old' patterns feel. The resolutions made in the dark seem to fade by morning. For anyone finding themselves stuck in patterns they no longer recognise or control, Satori Recovery offers a safe, structured place to pause, reflect, and begin to regain stability.

At Satori Recovery, they don't just offer a bed; they offer a sanctuary. Imagine trading the weight of your struggle for the calm of the Mediterranean sun in Manilva. Nestled in the serene beauty of Manilva on Spain's sunny coast, this private residential clinic provides a compassionate, clinically structured approach to overcoming addiction.

Satori's personalised programmes cater to alcohol and drug dependency, emotional health challenges, and dual diagnosis conditions, blending evidence-based therapies with holistic practices. Their 28-day programme offers a clinically structured, compassionate process that helps people make sense of what's happening beneath the surface, without pressure to have answers or clarity from the outset.

Clients benefit from a carefully designed schedule including medical assessments, one-to-one therapy, group sessions, relapse prevention, family support, and aftercare planning. The skilled team of doctors, therapists, and recovery specialists focus on empowering individuals to rebuild their lives with confidence and dignity.

The info: Click here to start your recovery today.

The stylish way to bring reformer Pilates home

Once the preserve of glossy boutique studios, reformer Pilates is fast becoming the at-home workout of choice - and Hampton Reformers is leading the way.

Based in Worcestershire, the brand has reimagined traditional gym kit, creating beautifully designed reformers that look just as good in a living room as they do in a studio. Think soft, neutral tones, refined materials and a finish that complements modern interiors, rather than cluttering them.

But this isn't style over substance. Hampton Reformers deliver serious, studio-level performance, making them ideal for those who want to stay consistent between classes. Many Pilates fans still enjoy the buzz, guidance and motivation of studio sessions, but a home reformer makes it far easier to keep momentum going. Practising little and often helps reinforce technique, build strength steadily and boost confidence.

For anyone serious about long-term results, a Hampton reformer offers the perfect balance of beauty, performance and practicality.

The info: Click here to explore the collection today.

All aboard for old-school glamour

New year, new memories - and few feel quite as special as a day out on the Bluebell Railway. This is not just a train journey; it's a full-blown escape to a more elegant era.

Guests can glide through the Sussex countryside aboard The Golden Arrow, dining in the opulent surroundings of a Pullman carriage that channels pure 1920s glamour. Think polished marquetry, Art Deco light fittings, crisp table linen and plush carpets underfoot, all setting the scene for a silver-served meal worthy of a mystery novel.

The generous seats invite passengers to linger, sip, savour and soak it all in. Beyond dining, there's the thrill of driving a steam engine - a lifelong dream for many - or simply enjoying the nostalgia of one of the South's most beloved heritage railways. If ticking off unforgettable experiences is a New Year's resolution, this should be right at the top.

The info: Click here to book now.

A smarter start to the year

For those vowing to make life run more smoothly in the New Year, Dreame offers a refreshingly practical resolution: let smart technology do the hard work. The global brand has built a reputation for high-performance cleaning and personal care appliances that fit neatly into busy modern lives.

Its intelligent robot vacuum cleaners are designed to clean with minimal effort from the user, mapping homes precisely and delivering powerful suction through fully automated systems. The Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete uses fresh water to mop the floor for perfect cleanliness. Prefer hands-on control? Dreame's lightweight cordless vacuums, such as V20 Pro, make whole-home cleaning quicker and far less of a chore, effortlessly tackling everything from carpets to hard floors.

Dreame's high-speed hair dryers add a touch of everyday luxury, combining strong airflow with sleek, compact design for fast, efficient styling. The 7-in-1 hair styler set AirStyle Pro dries your hair in record time and provides the flexibility for various hairstyles. Together, Dreame's smart appliances help transform daily routines into something easier, faster and surprisingly satisfying.

The info: Click here to discover the full range.

If you've enjoyed reading this article and are interested in more inspiration on everything from education and culture to business and family life, why not follow Checklist on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or sign up for the newsletter? Checklist is dedicated to providing the best free online competitions too - discover amazing new services and products when you visit the website today.
A woman who was glued to her phone for eight hours a day has revealed the simple hack that helped her drastically cut down her screen time.

Caitlin Begg, 31, a sociologist from New York, US, didn't realise she had a problem until one morning her phone died and her charger was on the other side of the room - prompting her to pick up a book.

Since that morning in September 2022, she has chosen to read every morning instead of picking up her phone, which she says has allowed her to lower how long she spends on her phone to just an hour a day.

'I have begun every morning without exemption reading non-fiction before computer use,' she said.

'Sometimes it is just a page when I am running out the door, sometimes I am reading for an hour.

'But I realised on that morning that my brain felt different, and now my screen time has decreased by over 65 per cent since then. That has really allowed me to ground myself in this morning habit.'

She noticed that before she would experience a phenomenon which she dubbed 'phone brain', with her brain feeling 'heavier', and now in contrast she feels 'present' in the morning.

'Your brain feels like it needs to be doing a million things at once, and that you need to be checking and communicating constantly,' she said.

A US-based sociologist has revealed a simple way to reduce how often you use your phone

Caitlin Begg [pictured] says she didn't realise she had problem until her phone was out of charge one morning and she had to pick up a book

'My number one rule is no phones in the bedroom. If you live in a studio apartment, put your phone on the other side of the room or leave it in the bathroom,' said Ms Begg.

'What went away that morning was that feeling. I was present in one place.'

If you'd like to lower your screen time, her top tip is to not have your phone in the bedroom and work out what activity you can do during that time instead, whether that's reading or going for a walk.

'Also look at your everyday screen time to see how many hours a day [you are using it]. Say you are spending two hours a day on TikTok, find an activity you can do in those two hours, whether that is going out with a friend or going for a walk.'

The key, she says is something she calls 'Progression to Analog' - the title of her podcast - which involves engaging in any direct and unmediated experiences which she explained in a TikTok video.

'Direct unmediated experience could mean brushing your teeth and washing your face and showering and having breakfast without going on your phone. It could mean looking out the window. It could mean doing 10 jumping jacks,' she said.

She added: 'What I say to people is, even if you don't like reading, you can just sit there and look out the window for a minute or you can just shower and brush your teeth before you go on your phone.'

In her journey to reducing screentime, she also took three years off of TikTok until recently, because she said she disliked the 'contentification of everyday life'.

'It was actually really easy for me to give up. Because I was starting my day with a book, I never really looked back,' she said.

Alongside this, she also stopped wearing headphones in public eight months ago and has been turning her attention to observing the public's relationship with technology.

Ms Begg stopped using the social media app TikTok for three years because disliked the 'contentification of everyday life'

She also stopped using headphones in public eight months ago and has been tracking smartphone noise on the subway

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For the past year she has been tracking every instance of smartphone noise - sound from continuous video or music, a notification or speakerphone - during her subway journeys.

She said: 'I have tracked every instance of smartphone noise since January 1, 2025. It was interesting because it showed 70 per cent of all subway rides that I logged have smartphone noise.'

And worryingly, she adds that it's harder for people to unplug themselves, as people use technology to escape it.

'It is something that plagues us because people are then putting in their headphones to make it quieter,' she said.

'Phones are making us more atomised, more individualistic - it is interesting to see the effect it has on our everyday environments.'

On average UK adults spend four and a half hours online, according to a report by OFCOM, the regulator for communication services like broadcasting, the internet and telecommunications.

The majority of this time was spent on a smartphone, with adults using on average 41 apps a month, and WhatsApp, Facebook and Google Maps being the most commonly used in this age group.

Meanwhile, evidence in a parliamentary report said there's been a 52 per cent increase in children's screen time between 2020 and 2022, and nearly a quarter of young people use it in a way consistent with behavioural addiction.

It called for tougher mobile phone bans in schools in England due to the harms of screen time such as learning disruption as well as worsening memory, processing speed and attention levels.

Research has also shown that lowering screen time isn't just important for children - it can also have benefits for adults too.

A study published earlier this year in the journal BMC Medicine found reducing screentime can lower depressive symptoms, improve sleep quality and reduce stress.
A driver has gone on a furious rant after a woman left her car unattended at a fuel pump to enjoy a coffee, causing a long queue at a petrol station.

Ashlee Day, from Sydney, was waiting in line to get fuel when the driver in front of her quietly disappeared after filling up at the bowser.

Assuming the driver would return shortly after paying at the counter, Ashlee waited patiently behind her car for her turn.

But after 10 minutes had passed, she realised the woman was nowhere to be seen - only to discover she was lounging in a corner, drinking coffee with a man while a huge queue backed up behind her vehicle.

Drivers often leave their cars at the fuel pump to go and pay at a counter - but if they're going to be inside for a while, it's common courtesy to move to a designated parking spot.

'Am I going insane or was this rude? Can someone tell me if this is rude because I'm feeling like this is rude and I don't know if it's how I was raised but I just wouldn't do this,' Ashlee said in her video in disbelief.

'I went to fill my car up. There's a big line, no problem, I'll go line up behind someone. So there's a girl in front of me, she's filling her car up... normal behaviour.

'She gets done filling her car up and she goes into the petrol station and she's in there for about five minutes... I thought, maybe she's buying stuff so who cares.

'Then, another five minutes goes by. All these cars on the other side of me are going through, they're just pumping through these cars. And me and two people behind me are just waiting for this chick.'

Ashlee Day, from Sydney, has gone on a furious rant after a driver left her car unattended at a fuel pump to enjoy a coffee, causing a long queue at a petrol station

Confused, Ashlee decided to look for the driver to see what was happening.

'I can't make this up... she's in the corner sitting down having a coffee with a guy,' the makeup content creator said.

'Is that rude? Because girl, you know damn well there's about 14 car spots behind us. Why are you parking at the bowser and why did you walk past me and smile, acting like my a*** wasn't waiting for you to finish?'

Ashlee moved to another queue while telling the other drivers behind her that the woman wasn't leaving anytime soon because she was sipping her coffee inside.

'I go to another bowser, I fill my car up and I walk past her and I just laughed because I'm thinking, f*** this girl does not give a s***,' the driver said, laughing in disbelief.

'First world problem, really but it just threw me off guard because I would never do that. Like common decency, really isn't it?'

Her video has been viewed more than 120,000 times - with many sharing the unspoken rule about petrol stations.

'Oh hell no. If it's busy, you fuel up, move your car, park then go pay,' one said.

'You want a coffee? You move your car! Totally rude,' another shared.

'It is beyond rude. I would have turned into a Karen,' one revealed, laughing.

'When I know someone is behind me, I rush so fast to get served and power walk back to my car. I even feel bad if I'm taking too long to put my seat belt back on,' another added.

'That's SO rude! You pay, you move your car and use a PARKING SPOT if you are gonna be longer. I feel it should be illegal to park at the petrol pump once you have paid for your petrol,' one suggested.

Ashlee was stunned when the driver disappeared - only to discover she was lounging in a corner, drinking coffee with a man while a huge queue backed up behind her vehicle

One petrol station employee explained: 'I work at a servo. This behaviour is not tolerated at my work. We ask them to move their car if they want to get food and drinks. Because it's not a car park.'

Many said the driver had 'poor servo etiquette' while others revealed they could feel the same 'rage' Ashlee experienced.

'That is wild to me! How rude. I could never imagine doing that, I always panic pay for fuel thinking I'm being rude and making people wait,' one said.
Victorian shoppers will be the first in Australia to get Aldi's Special Buys items delivered straight to their homes.

The retailer's famous middle aisle and its unique, sell-out products, updated every Wednesday and Saturday morning, have long drawn eager shoppers into stores, thanks to its wide range of limited-time products across various categories.

And now, for the first time ever, Aldi Australia will make a selection of its coveted middle aisle items available to purchase online via DoorDash.

From Wednesday January 7, Victorian customers will be able to access select Special Buys items from the comfort of their homes.

The service is expected to roll out nationwide from Wednesday January 21, allowing shoppers the chance to add the sought-after Special Buys items to their digital cart.

The addition of Special Buys items to the delivery service comes on the back of the successful national launch of Aldi's DoorDash grocery delivery.

Since launching grocery delivery via DoorDash last year, Aldi shoppers have eagerly awaited the arrival of the store's iconic twice-weekly Special Buys on the platform.

For Victorian shoppers, the on-demand delivery service arrives just in time for Aldi's much-anticipated annual back-to-school Special Buys sale.

Aldi customers will soon be able to purchase Special Buy items online via DoorDash, with the online shopping service launching in Victoria on January 7

Busy parents can beat the rush by ordering their kids' school supplies along with their regular groceries - and have them all delivered directly to their door.

In response to the strong customer demand, Aldi Australia Group Director Simon Padovani-Ginies said the retailer is excited to now deliver its extra-special goods.

He noted that the partnership with DoorDash has already 'been a game changer' for those who prefer shopping online at a time and place convenient to them.

'It has given them greater access to our Good Different shopping experience, direct to their doors through the tap of an app,' Simon noted.

Now, being able to offer online shoppers the chance to additionally browse and buy the week's Special Buys marks a major development for those who want to shop at Aldi without having to venture into stores.

'It was always our ambition to bring as much of the Aldi shopping experience customers know and love us for to on-demand delivery via DoorDash,' he said.

'Launching Special Buys on DoorDash means shoppers can get everyday grocery essentials and our unique range of Special Buys items delivered direct to their doors.

'Our partnership is ultimately about making the Aldi shopping experience more accessible and convenient.'

Following the popularity of Aldi's DoorDash grocery delivery service, the budget supermarket chain will now also offer select items from its Special Buys range on the online shopping app

For Victorian shoppers, the ability to purchase Special Buys online comes just in time for its annual back-to-school Special Buys sale

Just as in stores, Aldi's Special Buys range will drop on the DoorDash app on both Wednesdays and Saturdays and will be available for a limited time only.

In the past, the wide range of Special Buys items has spanned air fryers, tech gadgets, fitness equipment and beauty buys.

There are also key seasonal Special Buys customers expect, like Back-to-School essentials, Easter specials and British weeks - all of which will also be offered via the online shopping app.

'For our Victorian shoppers, the addition of Special Buys to the DoorDash platform couldn't come at a better time for busy parents looking to shop for great value back-to-school items from Aldi in a new and convenient way,' said Simon.

Some of the school-ready items set to be available to purchase online this month include stationery, lunch containers, uniform basics, tech, and workbooks.

The online stationery essentials include: A4 Visual Art Diary, A4 Notebook, Coloured Pencils 24pk and Ballpoint Pens 10pk.

For those wanting to upgrade their lunchbox, there will be an Insulated Lunch Bag, Coolpod Freezable Bento Bag, Joie Sandwich Cutters and a range of snack and sandwich containers.

This year's back-to-school offering also includes a Premium School Backpack and a variety of school shoes, such as Premium School Joggers, Premium Leather Double Strap or Lace Up School Shoes and Premium Leather Mary Jane School Shoes.

This year's Aldi Special Buys back-to-school range includes an assortment of Children's -Backpacks priced at $14.99

This year's Aldi Special Buys back-to-school range includes Assorted Premium Leather School Shoes $24.99 (left) and a bargain Scholar Scrapbook $0.95 (right)

This year's Aldi Special Buys back-to-school range includes Excel Assorted Basic Skills Workbooks $9.99 (left) and student-friendly gadgets like the Bauhn Lock Box $29.99 (right)

For student-friendly gadgets, the range includes a Sound Block Bluetooth Speaker, Study Timer Lock Box and Study Flip Timer.

Finally, for those keen to hit the books, the range also features Excel Basic Skills Workbooks, ABC Activity Books and a Learning Desk Mat.

Aldi rolled out its highly anticipated on-demand grocery delivery service in partnership with DoorDash in September last year.

There are currently more than 1,800 grocery products that can be ordered via the app - including award-winning items, fresh fruit and veg, meat, seafood, dairy, bread and household essentials.

The online shopping feature means no more juggling groceries to keep up with Aldi's notoriously fast in-store cashiers.

To order, shoppers simply download the DoorDash app or visit the website and search for 'Aldi' on the platform.

Customers can then browse items available at their local store and add them to their online cart to purchase.

Shoppers can also choose whether they want their 'on-demand' order delivered as soon as possible, or in a later time window that suits them, with all items then delivered right to the customer's door.
Nagi Maehashi has sent shoppers rushing to buy the must-have $29 frying pan from IKEA that she believes is better than $300 European brands.

The famous Aussie cook behind RecipeTin Eats said she stopped spending hundreds of dollars on high-end cookware after she discovered the affordable alternative.

The HEMKOMST frying pan has since become her go-to in the kitchen.

'The best non-stick frypan is from IKEA,' Nagi said on her Instagram Stories.

'I stopped buying $300 European brands years ago. This IKEA one does the job just as well, lasts just as long and is a fraction of the price.

'Works well on induction. Oven proof. Steep sides for max flat base searing area. My most used pan.'

The popular cookbook author owns all three sizes - 28cm (currently on sale for $29, reduced from $35), 24cm ($25) and 32cm ($39).

'28cm is my all rounder - good size for regular stove heating elements... 32cm for clans, you need a wide heat source and 24cm for nuts and a single sunny side up egg,' she said.

Nagi Maehashi has sent shoppers rushing to buy the must-have $29 frying pan from IKEA that she believes is better than $300 European brands

Nagi said she discovered the IKEA frying pans after a chef recommended them.

'I got the tip from a chef, read about it in an interview. He said he uses IKEA pans in his restaurant,' she explained.

The frying pan is made from stainless steel with a non-stick coating, is oven-safe, easy to use, and compatible with most hobs - including induction and gas.

Her recommendation has sent fans wild, with one saying: 'If Nagi says they're the best, then you'd best believe I'm heading to IKEA.'

'Get ready for IKEA to totally sell out of these pans for the coming week as The Nagi Effect kicks in,' another joked.

Many fans confirmed they own the same pan, with one sharing: 'We use them and love them. Had them for years.'

'I have been using them for years - best fry pans ever. Spent $200 on a wok set that lasted about four cooks before it developed a heat spot that all the food stuck to and burnt, regardless of the heat or oil. I am now using the IKEA wok and getting the best stir fries I have ever cooked,' one revealed.

'I started using these about eight years ago. Totally rate them,' another confirmed.

The 28cm frying pan from IKEA has been popular among shoppers, boasting more than 225 five-star reviews online.

The famous Aussie cook behind RecipeTin Eats said she stopped spending hundreds of dollars on high-end cookware after she discovered the affordable alternative

'Best frypan I've owned and I've owned plenty. Non-stick is great, heats quickly (I have induction) and cleaning is a breeze. I can't fault it. Just excellent,' one raved.

'I was a bit sceptical buying these frypans... No need to be concerned. I love them... Very easy to care for and great for cooking pancakes and omelettes. Very happy with my purchase,' another shared.

'Fabulous all rounder. Best skillet on the market,' one said.

'For someone who usually buys ceramic frypans and spends upwards of $150 for a 30cm+, this IKEA pan is really good value. It's a fraction of the price of other retailers and lasts the same amount of time. I would highly recommend and would buy again,' another added.
Glamorous influencer Yulia Burtseva has died aged 38 after undergoing cosmetic surgery in Moscow.

The Italian social media star, who boasted more than 74,000 followers on Instagram, underwent plastic surgery at a private clinic on January 4, according to Russian news outlet MSK1.

It stated that she was promptly rushed to the hospital after her condition deteriorated, where she was later pronounced dead.

Authorities have opened a criminal case to investigate potential negligence charges, the outlet shared.

'Investigators from the Moscow Investigative Committee are working at the scene,' read a translated statement by the Moscow Investigative Committee obtained by MSK1.

'Necessary official and medical records will be seized shortly,' the statement continued.

'A number of forensic examinations, including a medical one, are being ordered.'

Burtseva had built up a legion of fans by sharing snippets of her family life online - detailing her relationship with husband Giuseppe and her young daughter.

Glamorous influencer Yulia Burtseva has died aged 38 after undergoing cosmetic surgery in Moscow

Her last upload to Instagram was on December 5, featuring her young daughter.

The post has since been flooded with comments by followers who rushed to share their condolences after learning of the tragic news.

'How unpredictable life is,' one user wrote in a comment translated into English on the post.

'God her daughter is now without her mommy, how beautiful she was, my condolences to her family and friends,' wrote another.

'Poor thing! That's a pity! I am in shock! My condolences to her family,' said another fan.

'Tragic reminder that no procedure is ever truly routine,' said someone else.

Another follower wrote: 'Charming girl. How come..,' with some broken heart emojis.

Another devastated fan said: 'That's a pity... I've been subscribed for years... I enjoyed watching her stories.'

Russian outlet MSK1 said that authorities have opened a criminal case to investigate potential negligence charges

It stated that Burtseva was promptly rushed to the hospital after her condition deteriorated, where she was later pronounced dead

She leaves behind her husband Giuseppe (pictured) and her young daughter

The influencer shared her glamorous life online to her thousands of followers

According to MSK1, she also shared a video to VK, a Russian social media platform, on the morning of her surgery, where she had written: 'Good morning Moscow.'

On December 1, Burtseva opened up about undergoing a procedure in Samara, Russia, in a video shared to Instagram.

She explained that two years ago, she got veneers for all of her teeth in the Russian city, as doctors in Naples, where she lives, did not have much experience.

She gushed about her experience, saying she now has a 'Hollywood smile.'
Australian beauty lovers have just discovered a surprisingly simple hack that could save them hundreds of dollars - and it turns out it's been hiding in plain sight at Mecca all along.

A beauty expert sparked a wave of excitement online after revealing that shoppers can ask for fragrance samples in-store, allowing them to properly test perfumes before committing to a full-size bottle.

'Am I the only one who didn't know Mecca do fragrance samples?!' Melbourne-based Ali Rose Gray wrote in an Instagram post that has been viewed more than 667,000 times.

'I feel like this is a literal game changer when choosing a new perfume or perfect for travel.'

The revelation struck a nerve with fragrance fans, many of whom admitted they had been blind-buying scents for years, often at eye-watering prices, without realising sampling was even an option.

Thousands also flooded the comment section with relieved and enthusiastic responses from followers who said fragrance samples had completely changed how they shop.

'I know, I was in shock at Bourke St, [I] got two samples. So great they offer this,' one woman wrote.

'Yeah girl, it's the best,' another added.

Beauty influencer Ali Rose Gray (pictured), sparked a wave of excitement online after revealing that shoppers can ask for fragrance samples in-store at Mecca

The beauty hack allows shoppers to properly test perfumes before committing to a full-size bottle

Thousands flooded the comment section with relieved and enthusiastic responses from followers who said fragrance samples had completely changed how they shop. Others confirmed the samples are usually limited to one or two per visit, and availability can depend on stock

'I can do a solid test this way. Longevity of scent and how it smells on my skin. It's brilliant, especially considering most fragrances are super expensive.'

Others confirmed the samples are usually limited to one or two per visit, and availability can depend on stock.

However, not everyone has had a perfect experience, though, with one saying they'd found recently that stores have run out of vials more often than not.

'When that happens, you get a sample that's essentially just a sprayed cotton ball in one of the tiny sample containers which is useless.'

Still, most agreed the option was a win and 'loved' getting their sample fragrances for free whenever they asked, and even commented on how obliging Mecca staff usually were.

The discussion quickly made its way into the popular Mecca ChitChat Facebook group, where staff members weighed in to clarify what's actually allowed.

'Team member here!' one staffer wrote.

'We really don't mind giving samples if you are wanting to try something before you purchase it. With fragrance the vials are limited (the supplier always runs out) so we try to ensure it's fair!'

Mecca has quietly offered scent sampling online for some time, though only with a purchase. According to the Mecca website, customers who buy a fragrance online receive a sample-size scent to try before opening the full bottle

While many shoppers were shocked to learn fragrance samples are available in-store, Mecca has quietly offered scent sampling online for some time  though only with a purchase.

According to the Mecca website, customers who buy a fragrance online receive a sample-size scent to try before opening the full bottle.

You are entitled to return the unopened full-size fragrance in-store or choose to keep the mini version of your new signature scent for your handbag.

The buzz around sampling taps into a much bigger shift happening in beauty right now, where buying perfume is less about impulse and more about personalisation.

At Mecca's Melbourne flagship on Bourke Street, shoppers can sit at a fragrance bar for personalised consultations, sample curated scent 'flights', or explore the 'scentsorium'  an interactive hub powered by AirParfum technology (pictured)

Nowhere is this more obvious than at Mecca's Melbourne flagship on Bourke Street, where an entire floor has been dedicated to fragrance discovery.

The space, known as the Perfumeria, feels part Parisian salon, part futuristic lab.

Shoppers can sit at a fragrance bar for personalised consultations, sample curated scent 'flights', or explore the 'scentsorium'  an interactive hub powered by AirParfum technology that helps identify favourite fragrance families using touchscreens and diffusers.

The idea was designed to help customers discover what they genuinely love, rather than just what's trending on social media.

In an era where identity is curated through everything from playlists to zodiac charts, fragrance has become one of the most intimate, and expressive, beauty choices of all.
Elle Fanning risked a serious wardrobe malfunction at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards with her choice of an extremely low-cut gown.

The actress, 27, turned heads as she descended upon the red carpet in an ethereal gold, sparkling dress.

The dazzling frock included a long flowing skirt, a daring backless design and a plunging neckline that showcased her toned figure.

But the A Complete Unknown star nearly spilled out of the sultry ensemble, and when she turned to the side, she came very close to revealing a little too much to the cameras.

Fanning left her blonde tresses in loose, beach-like waves as she attended the event, which is being held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

Despite the near wardrobe malfunction, X, formerly Twitter, was quickly flooded with gushing posts about Fanning's look.

'The dress is beautiful,' wrote one fan.

'Elle Fanning steals the show,' announced another, while a third penned, 'Oh she's stunning.'

Elle Fanning turned heads as she descended upon the red carpet at the Critics Choice Awards in an ethereal gold, sparkling dress

But she risked a serious wardrobe malfunction thanks to her extremely low-cut gown

'Elle Fanning looks absolutely radiant at the 31st annual event. Effortless elegance,' read a fourth post.

The awards show, hosted by Chelsea Handler, celebrates achievements in film and television from 2025.

Fanning is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Sentimental Value, while the film is also nominated for Best Picture.

Fanning's appearance comes after she participated in a stunning cover shoot for Los Angeles Times with a slew of powerhouse women in Hollywood, including Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Emily Blunt, Tessa Thompson and Sydney Sweeney.

The actresses posed in front of a muted brown-marbled wall, wearing various shades of white, brown, and gold with their arms around each other.

The accompanying article - dubbed an 'Oscar roundtable' - delved into the actresses' experience with navigating criticism, how they tackled industry expectations and taking on their film roles.

But readers were left fuming amid claims the publication heavily edited the images.

'These women are all naturally gorgeous! Why the heavy photoshop?' one reader questioned.

The A Complete Unknown star nearly spilled out of the sultry ensemble and when she turned to the side she came very close to revealing a little too much to the cameras

The dazzling frock included a long flowing skirt, a daring backless design and a plunging neckline that showcased her toned figure

'Photoshop has entered the chat,' another sarcastically wrote.

'AI so bad it got me thinking this was fake,' joked a third.

'Wow, over-edited and ridiculous. Was this AI?' one shocked person responded.

Another agreed, writing: 'This is so weird.'

In a statement to the Daily Mail, a spokesperson from the publication said: 'The Los Angeles Times adheres to strict editorial standards, and we do not manipulate or photoshop our photographs.

'Any suggestion otherwise is incorrect.'
There's nothing like peeking inside a celebrity home.

For the most part, many famous faces take real pride in their dwellings and spare no expense when it comes to fashioning the interiors and picking out state-of-the-art furniture.

The best celebrity homes are aspirational: they allow common folk to daydream about one day being able to own something equally grandiose.

The less impressive spaces, however, tend to fall short of expectations. Perhaps the space is cluttered, or maybe the decor is off.

Worse still, maybe the house just seems a bit too 'normal'.

Here, the Daily Mail takes a closer look at the least desirable celebrity homes, showing that money doesn't always buy taste.

Julia Fox

First up is Julia Fox's humble two-bedroom New York City apartment, which was subject to ridicule after she gave fans a tour in 2023.

Julia Fox's cluttered New York City apartment left little to be desired after she gave fans a tour. She's seen in October

In the video, posted in 2023, the star revealed her corridor was littered with clothes and toys

The actress herself branded her two-bedroom abode 'underwhelming' as she revealed she sleeps in the living room

Fox was not embarrassed to show her cluttered kitchen, which was filled with shoeboxes

Taking to TikTok, the Uncut Gems star, 35, showed off her 'underwhelming' Manhattan dwelling, which included stacks of shoeboxes and leftover items stored away in a corner.

Children's toys created obstacles on the floor, and her bedroom and tables around the apartment were covered in knick-knacks that made the home look uncomfortably messy.

'For me, personally, I don't like excessive displays of wealth; they make me feel icky, especially people who have really big houses,' Fox, who famously previously dated Kanye West, said.

'It's just really wasteful when there are so many homeless people in this country, and I'm just not really like that.'

The apartment resembles how many ordinary New Yorkers live, although it appeared she didn't even have an armchair or a couch to sit on, as she had transformed the living room into her bedroom.

Social media users couldn't get over the mess, with one writing on Reddit: 'Theres too much s**t in that apartment, it would drive me nuts.'

However, another said: 'The most normal living area Ive seen for a celebrity.'

Cynthia Nixon

Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon's lived-in kitchen surprised social media users in May

While the actress was praised for having a normal house, some pointed out the clutter

Continuing with the theme of clutter and normalcy, Cynthia Nixon's Montauk home surprised fans when she shared a glimpse inside it back in May.

The Sex and the City star reportedly purchased the three-bedroom, two-bathroom property, located in New York's East Hampton, for $1.7 million in 2010.

Earlier this year, Nixon, 59, stunned social media users when she unveiled her no-frills kitchen.

While some perhaps had expected Nixon to be the owner of a luxurious, state-of-the-art culinary paradise, the actress instead revealed a messy, old-school space.

The actress also boasted a refreshingly unpretentious moka pot on her gas stove for making coffee.

Fans in the comments section were left stunned over her cozy kitchen.

'Finally, a celebrity kitchen that looks like someone uses it!' one fan gushed.

'This is the most wholesome thing I've seen online in a very long time!' one person wrote adoringly.

Bethenny Frankel

Bethenny Frankel, 55, defended her style choices after her home in Florida was ripped apart

The mother-of-one recently had her house featured in Architectural Digest

Frankel's home is very much inspired by Tulum, Mexico and features neutral tones

Her home was branded 'hideous,' 'cheap' and 'boring' by unimpressed onlookers

Bethenny Frankel's $4.5 million home in Boca Raton, Florida, was recently branded 'hideous,' 'cheap' and 'boring' by unimpressed onlookers.

The former Real Housewives of New York City star, 55, bought the five-bedroom, five-and-a-half bathroom house earlier this year after relocating to the sunshine state with her 15-year-old daughter, Brynne.

Very much inspired by Tulum, Mexico, the abode - which features a white boucle bed, herringbone wallpaper, a vegan leather shag chair and marble side tables - is minimal, yet modern.

Complete with a state-of-the-art kitchen, high ceilings in abundance and a swimming pool, one would expect the dwelling to have everything going for it.

Frankel showed off her luxury home in Architectural Digest earlier this month and the response from fans was so negative that Frankel later put out a video defending her interiors.

Hitting back, she said: 'I love to live there, and I make [my homes] exactly what I want them to be, but they're designed as investments.

'So, for example, my Hamptons house [that I bought] for $2.675 [million] I just sold for $6 [million].'

She also defended her use of neutral tones throughout her abode, explaining that because she moves so often, she installs colors that anybody could 'relate to'.

'I'm not the one who is going to get in bone from China and lay it into my floor, I'm not that b***h,' she added.

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian's home in the Hidden Hills home was purchased for $20 million in 2014

In 2021, she said that her minimalist living room was her favorite room in her house (pictured)

Kardashian and her ex-husband Kanye West worked with Belgian designer Axel Vervoordt to get their home styled to their taste - which is a minimal, neutral toned palette

The reality star and businesswoman shared another snap running around her sofa on Instagram; the table was designed by Axel

Kardashian's sinks sparked some backlash from fans when she first showed them off online

The bathrooms in the massive home features very little furniture with a modern bathtub and floor to ceiling windows that reveal the foliage outside

Kim Kardashian may seem like she has the perfect life, but her sprawling eight-bedroom, ten-bathroom abode in the Hidden Hills has been repeatedly bashed.

The mom-of-four originally purchased the house for $20 million in 2014 when she was still married to West and she has spent years remodeling it with the help of Belgian designer Axel Vervoordt and other big names in modern architecture.

While it should have everything going for it, the house has repeatedly gone viral for its minimalist, neutral-toned aesthetic, which many observers have branded 'cold' or 'depressing'.

The bathrooms in the massive home feature very little furniture, with a modern bathtub and floor-to-ceiling windows that reveal the foliage outside.
Investing in Japanese smaller companies is a niche pursuit, admits Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon's Brian Lum, but that's 'precisely the opportunity' on offer from the 'world's most overlooked' market.

The fund manager says that although Japan's smaller growth companies can be growing profits at double-digit rates annually, some trade at 'truly staggering valuations', as investors shun them for more popular markets.

At a time when there are concerns around the over reliance of the global stock market on a handful of high-flying huge US tech stocks, this could provide brave investors with the chance to diversify into much cheaper companies that still offer growth.

On this episode of the Investing Show, Lum joins Simon Lambert to discuss Japanese smaller companies and how Baille Gifford Shin Nippon invests.

The trust posted a healthy 16 per cent share price return over the past year but has suffered over the long-term, as the mood turned against smaller companies and Japan and investors chased big US growth companies.

This means Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon investors have not been rewarded, while the global market has climbed. The trust is down 14 per cent over three years and over five years it is down 51 per cent on its pandemic era peak.

Lum says sentiment has suffered as 'nobody needs to invest in Japanese small caps' but this creates a 'very exciting opportunity for those with a bit of patience'.

He talks through the impact of Japan's new business-friendly Prime Minister - Sanae Takaichi - its first female leader, and why Japanese small caps can provide some insulation from global turmoil.

Lum also discusses some of the stocks the investment trust holds, ranging from badminton racket maker Yonex to a disruptive real estate company that has created a capital-light approach to property.

> Watch the Investing Show on This is Money's YouTube channel

Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon Total performance to 2/1/2026 One-year: 16% Three-year: -13.7% Five year: -50.3% Size: 322million Ongoing charges: 0.8% Dividend yield: 0.46% Discount: -8.47%

*Simon Lambert has a small long-term personal invesment BG Shin Nippon in his stocks and shares Isa. No trades have been made recently or will be made in the near future
Labour MPs have been urged to visit their local pub and find out just how badly their botched business rates reform is hurting the industry.

Andy Slee, chief executive of the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates and former Black Sheep Brewery chairman, said Chancellor Rachel Reeves' policy was 'so, so profoundly bad that it must be a mistake'.

Publicans are furious, and about 1,500 have barred Labour MPs from their premises in a growing backlash against Reeves' Budget.

'Mistake': Labour MPs have been urged to visit their local pub and find out just how badly their botched business rates reform is hurting the industry

Slee said the issue is 'something that would impact every single MP in the House of Commons' as pubs are 'at the heart of their constituencies'.

'I'd encourage Labour MPs to go into their pub and face the music and understand specifically what the consequences of this policy would be,' he added.
Santander UK is set for a year of upheaval as it prepares to appoint a new boss and cut branches after its 2.65billion takeover of TSB.

The Spanish-owned banking giant's chief executive, Mike Regnier, announced in the wake of the TSB deal that he would step down by the end of March 2026.

And he has admitted that branches are likely to close and jobs lost due to the merger, which is expected to see the TSB name disappear from the High Street. The task of integrating the business will fall to Regnier's successor.

Two insiders  group chief risk officer Mahesh Aditya, and Enrique Alvarez Labiano, head of Santander UK's retail and business bank  are said to have been shortlisted for the role.

All change: Santander UK is set for a year of upheaval as it prepares to appoint a new boss and cut branches

They will also have to grapple with the continuing fall-out from a car finance scandal which has engulfed a number of lenders and prompted Santander to delay its third quarter UK results.

Santander has criticised an 11billion scheme set up by watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority to compensate motorists who were mis-sold car loans between 2007 and 2024. It comes a year after intense speculation the bank was preparing to exit Britain, which persisted despite denials from the Madrid-based group's boss Ana Botin.

Stepping down: Chief executive Mike Regnier

Instead, she swooped in to buy TSB from its Spanish owner Sabadell in the summer, seeing off a rival offer from Barclays. The deal will create the third largest bank in the country by current account balances and the fourth by mortgages, with 28m retail and business customers. At the time it was announced in July, TSB employed 5,000 staff operating out of 175 branches while Santander UK had 349 branches with 18,000 employees.

Santander expects to shave 13 per cent off the combined costs of Santander UK and TSB as a result of the takeover.

Regnier has said savings will 'come from a number of areas' such as IT and back-office functions. He added there would be 'no point having two branches in the same town serving the same customers', signalling likely closures.

John Cronin, managing director of research firm SeaPoint Insights, said: 'I expect the scale of the staff and branch cuts over the next couple of years will be substantial.'
Paul Andrews is founder and chief executive of Family Business United

Family firms are the lifeblood of our communities and our economy.

They take a long-term view, often thinking in generations and believe it or not, they make up over 90 per cent of the businesses in the UK and employ 57 per cent of the workforce. That's around five million businesses employing 12million people.

A Government that wants to support growth should be straining every sinew to support them.

Family Business United chief Paul Andrews

Instead, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has made them the target of an ill thought-out tax grab.

From April, she plans to reverse business property relief - a system put in place by another Labour Chancellor battling to revive the economy, Denis Healey in 1976.

After months of controversy, she has increased the threshold at which inheritance tax will be levied at 20 per cent from 1million to 2.5million when any business passes from one generation to the next.

But this U-turn goes nowhere near far enough.

What the policy overlooks is the fact that it will drag many ordinary family businesses into the tax net.

Many are medium sized enterprises and they tell me that while their businesses might be asset-rich, they're cash poor, operating on fine margins.

They are investing in their businesses, their staff and the infrastructure to build sustainable businesses for generations to come, without readily available funds to meet inheritance tax liabilities on the death of key shareholders.

These business leaders will be forced to contemplate selling or breaking up their family firms to meet the bill. Surely we don't want to make it even easier for foreign businesses (who won't pay this tax) or private equity to swoop in and buy up great British brands?

Many family businesses will be lost forever - businesses at the heart of communities the length and breadth of the nation, who do so much to support the communities in which they operate over and above the jobs they provide, the income they create, the wealth they produce and the taxes they already pay.

There are around five million family businesses in the UK with 12million employees

We've heard a lot about the plight of family farmers who will be hit when the Chancellor makes a similar change to agricultural property relief, and fully support their endeavours to have that policy fully reversed, but the impact on family businesses will be crippling too.

Family firms are recognised as being amongst the best employers, often regarding their staff as extensions of the family yet it has been estimated that the Chancellor's reforms will lead to hundreds of thousands of job losses - the last thing we need with many of our young people struggling to find work and unemployment rising.

What's even more perverse is that it looks like they will actually cost the Treasury money rather than raise any.

The Treasury forecasts that it will take in a few hundred million a year in extra tax, a very modest sum in the grand scheme of the public finances. But the scale of the job losses and all the lost tax that will result means the overall cost to the Treasury is significantly more. So the sums don't even add up.

That's why I support a judicial review of the Government's failure to consult on the policy, being brought by a number of concerned businesspeople including Steve Perez, chief executive and founder of Global Brands, the biggest independent drinks manufacturer in the UK.

All we're asking for is a proper review of the impact of the proposed change and a consultation with business leaders. We are convinced it will persuade Labour MPs and the Chancellor to think again and implement a full U-turn, enabling family firms to focus on the future, investing, growing and building businesses for generations to come.
Rachel Reeves is facing fresh calls to scrap an inheritance tax raid that threatens to destroy family firms across Britain.

In a humiliating climbdown just two days before Christmas, the Government lifted the threshold at which 20 per cent death duties will apply to family-owned businesses and farms from 1million to 2.5million.

But critics argue this does not go far enough - and are calling for the tax raid to be scrapped altogether.

Paul Andrews, founder and chief executive of campaign group Family Business United, urged the Chancellor to 'think again and implement and full U-turn'.

Writing on the Daily Mail website, he said: 'Family firms are the lifeblood of our communities and our economy. A Government that wants to support growth should be straining every sinew to support them. Instead, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has made them the target of an ill-thought-out tax grab.'

Rachel Reeves is accused of hitting family firms in 'an ill-thought-out tax grab'

Andrews warned that hitting firms with a 20 per cent inheritance tax bill when they are passed on to the next generation will hit jobs and investment.

'Many family businesses will be lost forever - businesses at the heart of communities the length and breadth of the nation, who do so much to support the communities in which they operate over and above the jobs they provide, the income they create, the wealth they produce and the taxes they already pay,' he said.

'We've heard a lot about the plight of family farmers who will be hit... but the impact on family businesses will be crippling too.'

The Chancellor has faced fierce backlash since announcing changes to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) that hit family firms and farms with a 20 per cent inheritance tax bill from April 2026.

She initially said the levy would apply to enterprises worth over 1million but has since backed down and raised the threshold to 2.5million - or 5million for married couples.

The change has failed to calm anger among business owners, however, with Labour under intense scrutiny over its handling of the economy.

Bosses have praised the Mail for highlighting the issue.

Steve Rigby, chairman of Family Business UK, said: 'The Mail should be congratulated for raising the issue so vociferously. Family businesses and family farms are critical to the fabric of the UK's economy and food production.'

He said that even the higher threshold 'remains a material challenge' for family firms.

And Andrews warned the changes may end up costing the Treasury money as jobs are lost.

'It has been estimated that the Chancellor's reforms will lead to hundreds of thousands of job losses - the last thing we need with many of our young people struggling to find work and unemployment rising,' he said.

'What's even more perverse is that it looks like they will actually cost the Treasury money rather than raise any. The Treasury forecasts that it will take in a few hundred million a year in extra tax, a very modest sum in the grand scheme of the public finances. But the scale of the job losses and all the lost tax that will result means the overall cost to the Treasury is significantly more. So the sums don't even add up.'
The number of properties being flipped fell to its lowest level in more than a decade across England and Wales last year, findings suggest.

Flipping a property means buying a home in need of renovation, doing it up and quickly selling it on with the aim of making a profit.

According to the latest data from the estate agent Hamptons, just 2.3 per cent of homes sold between January and March 2025 were bought and resold within 12 months.

This marked the lowest level for property flipping since 2013.

Previously a tempting option for those with some spare cash, time and DIY know-how, it suggests quick property renovations are no longer as lucrative as they used to be.

In the first quarter of 2025, 7,301 properties were flipped, according to Hamptons, well below the ten-year quarterly average of 10,000.

Demise of the flip? The number of properties being flipped fell to its lowest level in more than a decade across England and Wales in the first quarter of 2025, findings suggest

How much money can you make from flipping?

Average, gross profits on flipped properties jumped 6,000 year-on-year to 22,000 in the period, according to Hamptons.

However, this was much less than the 38,000 property renovators made in early 2022, representing a 42 per cent drop in just three years.

This is mainly due to a rise in costs eating away at investors' profits. The price of construction materials and hiring tradespeople has spiked in recent years, and the stamp duty paid when buying a property has also risen.

While some property investors will remain undeterred this year, a temporary stamp duty holiday ended in April 2025. For most buyers, the threshold at which stamp duty starts being paid dropped from 250,000 to 125,000.

Deterrent: Higher stamp duty for second homes, a policy imposed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in 2024, is making it harder to turn a profit on a property renovation

An additional stamp duty surcharge also has to be stumped up on second or additional properties. Most homes being flipped for profit fall into this category.

In 2024, Labour changed the rules so that second home purchases in England were subject to an additional 5 per cent stamp duty surcharge, an increase from the previous had been 3 per cent.

Someone buying a second home for 500,000 can now expect to pay 40,000 in stamp duty, up from 27,500 previously.

In its findings published in 2025, Hamptons calculated that the stamp duty regime was eroding as much as 21 per cent of the average gross profit on flipped properties, with bills for stamp duty exceeding renovation costs in many cases.

Only around 66 per cent of flipped properties yielded a net profit in the first quarter of 2025, despite 80 per cent being sold for more than their purchase price, Hamptons said.

In the early months of 2025, property investors were honing in on cheaper areas in the North of England, where homes can be snapped up below the stamp duty threshold of 125,000.

In Redcar and Cleveland, 7.6 per cent of properties sold in the first quarter of 2025 were flipped, representing the highest level in the country. This was followed by County Durham at 6.6 per cent and Hartlepool at 6.5 per cent.

In contrast, London saw just 1.5 per cent of sales involving flipped homes, likely to be due to sky-high property prices in the capital putting off many would-be investors.

Caroline Marshall-Roberts, founder of property investment company BuyAssociation, said this week that flipping property was 'still viable, but its definitely become more specialised'.

She added: 'Previously, those with little experience in property investment could buy fixer-uppers and turn a decent profit with relatively minimal risk.

'Now, rising costs such as stamp duty are eating into those profits. When the average gross return from flipping is around 22,000, and stamp duty alone can swallow more than half of that, you have to be very strategic.

'The era of "buy cheap, do up, sell high" is much harder to come by. Labour and material costs can quickly erode margins, and even eliminate them entirely if youre not careful.

'That said, flipping can still work. But it takes patience, and more importantly, real expertise.

Marshall-Roberts said that in some cases, buying a home, renovating it and keeping hold of it as a landlord made more financial sense.

She added: 'In the current market, many investors are seeing stronger, more stable returns from long-term buy-and-hold strategies.

'Rental demand is high in key regions, and steady capital growth can offer better value than a risky flip.'
Australia's infamous baby killer is back living in the community under a new identity, despite killing three children she was babysitting, and attempting to murder two others.

Helen Patricia Moore was still a teenager when she smothered the infants as they slept in their cots in the western Sydney suburb of Claymore.

The tragic deaths were written off as mysterious cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), often called cot death - the sudden, unexplained death of a child under one year old.

For two years her crimes went unnoticed - until cops were finally called in and she was arrested, and she made a full confession.

But Daily Mail can now reveal Moore, 63, has changed her name and lives in Lake Haven on the NSW Central Coast, among locals with no idea of her sadistic past.

Now her brother Craig Moorley has spoken for the first time to warn the public. He has alleged that she has been allowed to care for children again, despite prohibition orders imposed when she was first released.

'She is still babysitting,' he said. 'People don't know what she did and they deserve to because she is evil.

'She is Australia's worst female serial killer and just going about her life having kids at her house for sleepovers.'

Helen Patricia Moore, 'the babysitter killer,' was still a teenager when she smothered innocent children

For two years her crimes went unnoticed. She is pictured in 1980 being held up by homicide squad detectives

Her brother, Craig Moorely, has spoken about his sister for the first time to warn the public

Moore, who now calls herself Helen Anderson, began her killing spree after the death of her 14-month-old baby brother, Andrew, in March 1979, from what was thought to be SIDS.

Relatives believed the teenager was drowning in grief and blamed herself as she was taking care of the toddler at the time.

Mr Moorley was just 13 at the time and vividly remembers pulling the limp baby from his cot and attempting mouth-to-mouth.

'I didn't know what I was doing,' he said. 'I was just a kid and I thought I had done it wrong and that's why he died.

'Our parents were at the club and it was just us at home. She was supposed to be looking after us.'

When she began offering to babysit for family and friends, loved ones thought she was seeking comfort by surrounding herself with little ones.

In reality she was hunting her next victims.

Just weeks after Andrew's death on May 19, a 16-month-old relative - who can't be named for legal reasons - also died from suspected SIDS.

Helen Moore is back in the community and still babysitting

Relatives thought Helen was struggling with grief after her baby brother died

The house in Claymore where Craig lived in fear

No one suspected the quiet teenager who had been alone with both children in the hours leading up to their deaths.

The little girl was found dead in her cot the morning after Moore had been taking care of her.

On January 16, 1980, Moore left a 12-month-old baby boy - who also can't be named - fighting for life after she smothered him before she casually went back to watching television.

When he began crying later, astonishingly still alive, she called an ambulance and played the distraught babysitter.

The tot survived but just two weeks later, Moore was babysitting a two-year-old girl who was smothered to death while in her care.

Despite the string of tragedies, police were not informed and no investigation was launched.

Then on February 1, a two-year-old boy was suffocated with a pillow.

He was rushed to hospital and spent two weeks in a coma.

The toddler survived the attack, but was left permanently blind and unable to walk.

Mr Moorley claims that police were never notified about the babies' deaths

Two years later, the two-year-old boy finally died as a result of the injuries inflicted by his teenage babysitter.

It was only after the boy was rushed to hospital that families finally stopped allowing the teenager to babysit.

But Moore was still not placed under suspicion by authorities, who remained seemingly unaware that the deaths were linked.

Then on March 31, Moore, then 18, struck one final time - and this time close to home.

While her mother Jessie was out, Moore launched a brutal attack on a seven-year-old relative, whose name is also legally suppressed.

He fought desperately but she overpowered him, strangling and suffocating the little boy before throwing his body down the stairs.

She calmly showered, then phoned police.

Mr Moorley remembers the day vividly.

He'd caught the bus to school with his older brother as usual that morning while his sister was looking after her third victim.

While her mother Jessie was out, Moore launched a brutal attack on her seven-year-old relative

Craig Moorely remembers losing both his brother and another relative

'When I got there, someone asked me what was going on at my house because there were ambulances and police cars all outside - I thought they had the wrong house,' he said.

But when he arrived back from school and his grandmother met him outside and told him his little brother had died, Mr Moorley was devastated.

'I asked what Helen had done to him,' he said. 'I knew it was her.'

He claims she spent her younger years smashing up toys, pulling heads off dolls and snapping when anything didn't go her way, he said.

But as she got older, she turned that violence on her brothers who lived in fear of her.

'She pulled two chunks of my hair out once and I was covered in blood and a neighbour took me in and locked her out as she bashed at their door,' he said.

'Me and my brothers told my parents and my dad just said there were more of us and we were boys, we can stand up for ourselves.'

During questioning Moore coolly confessed to all of her killings and attempted killings.

Police were spotted at Moore's home last week

During questioning Moore coolly confessed to all of her killings and attempted killings

Throughout her trial, media camped outside the family home as the 'Babysitter Killer' became front page news across the country.

'I thought she killed Andrew too and I wanted to give evidence so she was charged with his murder but the solicitor told us that me and my older brother were not allowed to answer any questions,' he remembered.

Moore was given three life sentences and a further ten years for the attempted murders.

Craig and the rest of the family changed their names and moved out of Claymore in an attempt to start again.

But despite the enormity of her crimes, Moore served just 13 years before being granted parole with a strict condition that she never have contact with children again.

Daily Mail can reveal this condition hasn't stopped her from living among families who remain completely unaware that the woman next door is one of Australia's most dangerous and prolific child killers.

Under her new name, Anderson, she has had unrestricted access to neighbours' children and has allegedly had them at her house for sleepovers.

'Helen was my friend for many years,' said one neighbour who didn't want to be identified.

Helen Moore was sentenced to three life sentences plus ten years for the attempted murders

Moore served just 13 years before being granted parole

'We were very close for a long time, did birthdays and Christmas together and she was even my birthing partner for my sixth child.

'She used to babysit my grand-baby and had her sleep over at her house.'

The woman was dumbfounded when one day, seemingly out of the blue, police called her.

'They asked me if I knew a Helen Moore, I said no, only a Helen Anderson,' she said.

'She then said she needed to see me face-to-face as I have children who have been in contact.

'They came to the house and gave me the transcripts from her charge sheet and all the evidence was there in black and white. I couldn't believe it.

'She told me a few years earlier that she had been to jail because her brother died of cot death while she was babysitting him and that the police 'forced' her to confess to the crime.'

Moore made no mention of the three children she was convicted of killing or the attempted murders.

Helen got married after she was released, but her husband has since passed away

Helen's neighbour was shocked to find out her friend was a convicted baby killer

'I was in shock for about a week, couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. It made me physically sick reading what she did,' she said.

The police intervention came after Mr Moorley reported her to authorities and the police. He has closely monitored his sister's behaviour over fears she may strike again.

'She was not even on the Child Protection Register - can you believe that?' he told the Daily Mail.

'I had to take that to court to get her put on it.'

It was then that police looked into Moore's whereabouts and discovered she was in close contact with children.

'I want to have her charged for historic child abuse allegations, and for the murder of Andrew,' he said. 'I want to give the evidence I wasn't allowed to back then.

'If she gets charged for those offences then she will go back to jail and then we are safe.'

NSW Police have confirmed that they have commenced inquiries after receiving a report of historic child abuse allegations. Inquiries are ongoing.

Craig wants his sister charged with historic child abuse

Moore made no mention of the three children she was convicted of killing

Craig has closely monitored his sister's behaviour and continued to report her to authorities

Craig claims he was often beaten by his sister

Daily Mail spoke to Moore about her brother's allegations of historic child abuse, but she insisted that she was the real victim.

'I had both brothers gang up on me many times,' she said. 'Every few years Craig tries to make trouble for me.'

Moore insisted her friendship with her neighbour - who she helped babysit for years until police revealed her past - only ended when authorities intervened.

She claims police threatened the woman with having her children removed if she did not cut ties with her.

'Anything to do with children is now irrelevant,' she said. 'All my supervision is complete, so it shouldn't concern anyone what I do.'
An Albanian murderer who shared TikToks from his British jail cell begging to be sent home is finally set for deportation as part of an 4million-a-year prisoner transfer scheme.

Eugert Merizaj was handed a 32-year sentence in May 2022 for the shotgun killing of rival drug dealer Hemawand Ali Hussein and has been locked up at HMP Manchester, where he regularly livestreams from his cell in breach of prison rules.

In one clip posted in August, Merizaj confirmed he had applied to be transferred to Albania as part of a deal struck in 2023.

Under the agreement, Britain is expected to pay Albania 4million a year to repatriate 200 of its most dangerous criminals, who have been jailed for offences including murder, rape, burglary, and drug dealing.

However, the scheme has been dogged by delays, and a source at the Albanian Prison Service told the Mail that only 11 Albanian prisoners have been transferred so far.

On November 11, a judge sitting in the southern Albanian city of Fier accepted Merizaj's application and recognised the prison sentence given by the English court.

While he can now be returned, 15 more Albanian murderers who were eligible for the scheme are still in British prisons - including Koci Selamaj, the sexual predator who killed schoolteacher Sabina Nessa.

Eugert Merizaj was jailed for the shotgun killing of rival drug dealer Hemawand Ali Hussein and has been locked up at HMP Manchester. His livestreams show him in designer gear

In the latest video, shot last night, Merizaj was seen moaning about spending 'four days locked in' with 'no one opening our doors'

It costs more than 53,000 a year to keep an inmate in jail. Violent inmates also pose a security risk, with Selamaj sentenced to an additional four and half years in 2024 for stabbing a prison guard.

Despite his impending transfer, Eugert Merizaj still remains at HMP Manchester, which is also known as Strangeways.

Although using a mobile phone behind bars is illegal, the thug has been livestreaming on TikTok since 2023 - with guards apparently unable to stop him.

In his latest video, shot on Thursday night, Merizaj was seen moaning about spending 'four days locked in' with 'no one opening our doors'.

In an earlier TikTok chat discussing the possibility of being sent back to Albania, Merizaj listed his grievances with the British prison system.

He said: 'Maybe I won't have a phone there in an Albanian prison, but I know I can get one. I haven't seen my family in seven years. I talk to them every day, but I haven't physically met them.

'The food in this prison is terrible. You can't even speak Albanian here - only English. I think you never know, maybe it'll be worse in Albania. But the main reason I want to go back is to see my family. That's what matters most.'

Merizaj first has filmed himself earning cash by winning online games and soliciting donations from viewers.

Merizaj in a photo showing him vaping outside his cell and boasting he is 'stronger than ever'

Merizaj's social media content suggests he is enjoying a comfortable lifestyle, with a video from his cell at HMP Manchester last year revealing a TV, speaker and games console as well as an array of books in his native language

In another video, he was seen beating a fellow Albanian at a game, prompting him to slap himself in the face, smear himself with Nutella, and shave his head.

Merizaj's social media content suggests he is enjoying a comfortable lifestyle, with his previous videos revealing a TV, speaker and games console as well as an array of books in his native language.

How the transfers take place

The Albanian prisoner applies for a transfer through the British prison.

The application is sent to the UK Ministry of Justice.

The UK Ministry of Justice sends the prisoners file to the Albanian Ministry of Justice.

The Albanian Ministry of Justice submits the case to an Albanian court for recognition of the UK sentence.

If approved, the Albanian Minister of Justice authorises the transfer and notifies British officials. Advertisement

He has also posed on Instagram wearing 550 Dolce & Gabbana trainers outside his cell vaping with the caption 'stronger than ever' written in Albanian.

Merizaj was part of a gang who lured cannabis dealer Hemawand Ali Hussein to a house in Hartlepool, County Durham, in 2019 before blasting him with a shotgun.

Jailing him for life in 2022, Mr Justice Lavender accepted Merizaj did not pull the trigger and was not in the house when the killing took place, but said he had been heavily involved in its planning and had bought weapons including an axe.

The killer will now be transferred to Peqin prison, a high-security facility in the west of Albania.

The 15 Albanian murderers who remain in British jails include Koci Selamaj, 37, who was jailed for life with a minimum term of 36 years for the murder of primary school teacher Sabina Nessa on September 26, 2021.

Another, 49-year-old Ali Qazimaj, murdered retired couple Peter Stuart, 75, and his wife Sylvia, 69, near their home in Weybread, Suffolk, in June 2016. The court heard he had worked as a carer for a relative of the couples son-in-law.

The 15 Albanian murderers who remain in British prisons. They are, from left - top row: Koci Selamaj, Ali Qazimaj, Erland Spahiu, Besnik Berisha, Sabajet Shuti; middle row: Lundrim Gjikokaj, Erion Voja, Elton Sefa, Josif Nushi, Mane Driza; bottom row: Mihal Dhana, Radian Lika, Brikel Palaj, Erlin Hasa, Kozma Papa

Meanwhile, Erland Spahiu, 34, was one of eight men jailed for life for abducting and brutally murdering Christopher Hughes in February 2022.

The 37-year-old suffered nearly 100 separate injuries after being hunted down by a vigilante gang who wrongly believed he had raped a teenager.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson told the Mail: 'Prisoner Transfer Agreements are just one way in which we get foreign criminals out of our jails. Since taking office, this Government has deported over 5,400 foreign offenders - a 12 percent increase on the previous 12 months.

'We have deployed staff to 80 jails to speed up the removal of prisoners who have no right to be in this country.'
Jeremy Corbyn's new hard Left party has warned candidates in its first internal election to refrain from 'personal attacks' on rivals, after formative months marred by factional infighting.

Rules for those wishing to run for a seat on Your Party's new Central Executive Committee (CEC) say they must behave in a 'respectful, comradely, and non-abusive manner'.

Nominations open today for places on the committee that will have responsibility for running the party after members voted to block its MPs from serving as leader.

The move in December came after interim leader Jeremy Corbyn and his allies clashed with his fellow former Labour MP Zarah Sultana, who at one point accused them of running a 'sexist boys club'.

The election results will be announced at the end of February after a contest taking the best part of two months.

The rules posted online state: 'In line with the Your Party membership rules, candidates, like all members, must act in a respectful, comradely, and non-abusive manner in all contexts, including Party meetings and on social media.

'Candidates shall refrain from personal attacks during the election.'

Nominations open today for places on the committee that will have responsibility for running Your Party after members voted to block MPs including Jeremy Corbyn from serving as leader

The move in December came after he and his allies clashed with his fellow former Labour MP Zarah Sultana, who at one point accused them of running a 'sexist boys club'

In his new year message Mr Corbyn said 2026 would be 'the year we demonstrate a radical, socialist alternative to the right-wing demagogues and establishment mouthpieces.

The new socialist party will be hoping for a quieter 2025 after a fractious 2025.

It just about survived its inaugural conference intact at the start of December of the month, despite being branded a 'sh**show' after a weekend of infighting, Palestinian extremism and bad singing.

The gathering of the hard Left in Liverpool followed months of chaos, factionalism and bad vibes, and it did not disappoint as a sequel to the disarray.

Members voted narrowly against having a single elected leader, opting instead for a collective model favoured by Ms Sultana that puts a committee of members in charge.

The model, supported by 51.6 per cent of the more than 9,000 members who voted on the proposals, will see the party led by a committee of party members that MPs will be barred from standing for.

Ms Sultana said she had 'fought for maximum member democracy since day one' and described the decision as 'exciting'.

She left Labour in July vowing to co-lead the new party alongside Mr Corbyn, but this idea was blocked from consideration by members.
Families in a Kent commuter belt village say there is 'one law for some and another for others' after travellers paved over a field and moved in caravans without planning permission - only for the site to be approved four years later.

Locals in picturesque West Malling near Tonbridge claim their quiet rural idyll has been under siege since 2020 when a nearby field was sold to new owners for 105,000.

The following year, a planning application was submitted to build two stables on the land, which was designated as open countryside and part of the 'Green Belt'.

Despite these plans being rejected, locals say an 'illegal' traveller site was built over the course of 2021, complete with caravans, two mobile washrooms, a septic tank and dog kennels.

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council issued an enforcement notice in July 2021 but this was successfully appealed by the landowner the following year.

Temporary permission was granted for the site, and on December 3, 2025, it was made permanent, with a lack of traveller pitches in the area given as a reason for its approval.

Due to the development, the land is now classified as 'Grey Belt' and according to property website Zoopla part of the field could now be worth as much as 1.4million.

Locals say the travellers have been made 'millionaires overnight', adding that the 'treasured green belt land has been transformed into a lucrative asset for those who flouted planning laws'.

Pictured: The traveller site which has now been approved in West Malling, Kent

Diggers are seen at the site before it was tarmacked over and a traveller pitch built on it

Tonbridge and Malling Council issued an enforcement notice in July 2021 but this was successfully appealed by the owner the following year

The row comes amid a slew of high-profile cases where travellers have purchased land, often in leafy parts of the Home Counties, before swooping in to lay tarmac and create pitches.

They have then sought planning permission retrospectively, forcing local authorities to kick them off an area already built over, in frequently lengthy and costly processes.

And in many cases, the travellers have been granted the right to establish permanent encampments after launching appeals against the enforcement notices.

New planning policy announced by Angela Rayner in December 2024 forces councils to release green belt land to travellers if there is an 'unmet need' for pitches.

However, residents living close to the traveller pitch in West Malling say the planning process is grossly unfair.

One man, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'It's not fair. It's outrageous. They do exactly what they want to do.

'Everyone else in this country, if they want to build a house, they have to buy a bit of land, and they build according to what the council allow them to build.

'And this lot here in the once-illegal encampment - well they just do what they want. It's like they are above the law.'

Describing how the site came about, he added: 'The travellers sought permission to put in two stable blocks.

'When that was refused the next thing we know it is concreted over. And there were two units put on there, not stable blocks.

Residents claim that trees were knocked down during the development

A mobile home is seen before it was installed at the site. Locals claim they blocked the roads

'This caused absolute havoc down our lane. They cut trees down to accommodate these units coming in. And basically it has just grown from there.'

Another woman, who lives near the site, described the saga as an 'awful shock'.

She said: 'When the travellers first arrived, it was traumatic to say the least.

'They came in one weekend and there were a lot of issues - the road was blocked. There was a motorhome coming down the lane that was knocking into trees.

'Trees were being cut down to make room for it. We didn't know they had purchased the land at this point - no one knew anything.

'It was just an awful shock, bearing in mind we all moved here for a bit of rural space, rural land. Me, especially, I come from London.'

She added: 'I don't care if they're travellers or not, I really don't. What I can't stand is the inconsistency and the unfairness of it.

'If I bought some land and tried to build on it - I'd be given a notice straight away. I don't understand why this was allowed.

'They've now set a precedence that anyone could just go and rock up anywhere, start putting whatever they want on it.'

When the site was being considered for permanent approval in December last year, 54 locals objected to the site, which is situated close to ancient woodland.

The pitch was also the centre of controversy in July 2021, when just one week after the council issued its enforcement notice, there was a fire at the site.

The site is situated close to an ancient woodland and was classified as Green Belt land

The landowner has previously claimed that they did not wish to upset residents by building on the site but it was 'their land'.

A spokesperson for Tonbridge and Malling Council said: 'Since this site was initially unlawfully occupied in 2021, we have opposed its ongoing use, including taking enforcement action and refusing a previous planning application.

'The occupiers of the site appealed against our refusal and government inspectors granted temporary planning permission to occupy the site in December 2022.

'Since then, the government has made significant changes to national planning policy, which like all councils we are required to follow.

'These changes included relaxing some of the restrictions on Green Belt development with the introduction of the concept of grey belt which provides a more permissive approach to development in certain circumstances.

'When councillors met to decide this latest application and hear from concerned residents, there was considerable opposition to granting permission.

'However, in light of the governments new grey belt policy the committee was unable to identify any legitimate planning grounds on which to refuse the application.'

The Daily Mail has contacted the landowner's agent for comment.
A Minnesota mom who spent two decades building a lifeline for autistic children says her centers may be forced to close within weeks  not because she committed fraud, but because the state is scrambling to clean up a massive scandal involving fake clinics run by Somalis that drained millions from taxpayers.

Jennifer Larson founded the Holland Center in 2004 after her young son, Caden, now 25, was diagnosed with autism and couldn't speak.

Doctors once told her to consider institutionalizing him. Instead, she built her own network of treatment centers that now serve more than 200 children and adults with severe autism in the Twin Cities area.

Now, that center  where Caden learned to express himself by spelling words out on a tablet after years of not being able to communicate  is on the brink of collapse. And the families who depend on her services told the Daily Mail they are in despair.

Larson, 54, discovered last week that all her Medicaid payments had been frozen without warning under a new fraud review system run by Optum, a division of United Health Care.

Medicaid makes up roughly 80 percent of the center's funding and while the White House recently announced it was freezing child care funds to Minnesota, it is the state that previously announced it was 'pausing' payments from Medicaid to multiple 'high risk' programs including autism centers while investigating allegations of fraud.

'That money pays my staff,' Larson said. 'I had to put in my own personal money just to make payroll this week. If this goes on for 90 days, we will close. And so will most legitimate autism centers in Minnesota.'

If the Holland Center closes, Larson says the consequences will be devastating.

Jennifer Larson, who founded an autism clinic after struggling to find care for her nonverbal son Caden, now fears her 20-year legacy is unraveling as Minnesota scrambles to clean up a massive fraud scandal involving fake providers

The Holland Center, which Larson founded in 2004, is on the brink of collapse. Last week, she learned that all her Medicaid payments were frozen without warning under a new fraud review system - cutting off care for tens of thousands of autistic children

'We serve children with severe behaviors  kids that schools can't handle,' she said. 'If we close, they don't just go somewhere else. They regress. Families are left without care. Parents are left desperate.'

Larson estimates that tens of thousands of autistic children and adults statewide could be affected if legitimate providers are forced to shut their doors.

Justin Swenson, who has four children  three of whom are autistic  sends his 13-year-old non-speaking son Bentley to Larson's center. It took two years on the waiting list for him to get in.

When Bentley arrived at Holland, Swenson told the Daily Mail that his son could not use the toilet, brush his teeth, go to the dentist, swallow medication, or use his communication device.

'After a year and a half here, he's using his device frequently,' Swenson said. 'He's spelling to communicate. He's answering open-ended questions. For the first time, we can ask him how he feels, if he's having fun, or if something hurts.'

Swenson, 49, said staff from the center even accompanied the family to Bentley's dental appointment to help him succeed.

'He got full X-rays,' Swenson said. 'That never would have happened before.'

The thought of losing those services is overwhelming.

On Tuesday, HHS Deputy Secretary Jim ONeil announced that federal childcare payments in Minnesota would be frozen following allegations that hundreds of sham providers were operating - including dozens of autism centers registered at single buildings with no children, no staff, and no real services

Justin and Andrea Swenson are among thousands of parents left in limbo, with three of their children on the autism spectrum. Their 13-year-old nonverbal son, Bentley, finally attended Larsons center after two years on the waiting list, where he finally could do basic skills like using the toilet, brushing his teeth and taking medication

Larson's treatment center serves more than 200 children and adults with severe autism in the Twin Cities

Larsons son, Caden, learned to express himself at his mothers center, including spelling out words on a tablet after years of being nonverbal

'We are terrified of regression,' Swenson said. 'Everything he's worked so hard for could be lost.'

Stephanie Greenleaf, whose five-year-old son Ben is non-speaking and on the autism spectrum, said the Holland Center transformed her child's life in ways she once thought impossible.

'I was able to go back to work because Ben came here,' Greenleaf, 41, told the Daily Mail. 'If this center closes, I would have to quit my job. And how are families supposed to save for their children's futures if they can't work?'

The funding freeze for Larson's centers and other legitimate programs for autistic individuals come after reports of widespread Medicaid fraud tied to fake clinics in the Twin Cities, many of which authorities say were operated through Somali-run networks.

Investigators and citizen journalists have exposed hundreds of sham providers, including cases where dozens of autism centers were registered at single buildings with no children, no staff, and no real services  only billing.

The scale of the fraud was so large that state officials imposed a sweeping crackdown, halting payments across the autism services industry while claims are reviewed by artificial intelligence systems.

But instead of targeting the bad actors, Larson and others told the Daily Mail that the state has shut off the money to everyone, including clinics with decades-long clean records.

'They didn't use a scalpel,' Larson said. 'They dropped a bomb.'

The skills Caden learned at his mothers center would eventually save his life: after being diagnosed with stage-four cancer, he was able to communicate his symptoms to doctors through his tablet during chemotherapy, helping them prevent potentially fatal complications

The FBI is helping to investigate the Minnesota Somali fraud scandal that has permeated the state, and ICE agents descended on Minnesota on Monday

Larson says she has never paid herself in 20 years. Her center runs on thin margins and constant oversight, including regular audits that she has always passed.

Her son Caden still attends some programs through the center. Though non-verbal, he communicates by spelling and is currently enrolled at a local community college.

That ability to communicate, Larson says, later saved his life.

In 2022, Caden was diagnosed with stage-four cancer. Because he could spell, he was able to tell doctors when something was wrong, information that doctors later said prevented fatal complications during chemotherapy.

'If he couldn't communicate, he would be dead,' Larson said. 'This center didn't just help my son. It saved his life.'

Larson says it took nearly five months of regulatory approval to open a new licensed location recently, while she said fraudulent centers run by Somalis were able to appear almost overnight and operate for years before being stopped.

'We did everything right,' she said. 'And now we're paying the price for people who stole millions.'

She says providers are terrified to speak out, fearing political backlash or accusations of racism for pointing out where much of the fraud originated.

'But pretending this didn't happen doesn't protect anyone,' Larson said. 'All it does is destroy real care.'

As the state's review drags on, Larson says time is running out.

'If nothing changes,' she said, 'the criminals will be gone  and so will the children's care.'
A dramatic 999 call has revealed the moment a father was reported missing, before his naked and mutilated body was discovered at a landfill site seven weeks later.

Cumali Turhan had last been seen in a pub in Chelmsford, Essex, on November 19, 2024 - and the alarm was raised when the 46-year-old failed to show up to work.

A new Channel 4 documentary called 'Catching a Killer: Buried Truths' on tomorrow at 9pm has for the first time revealed the concerned call a friend made to police.

The 999 operator is heard saying: 'Essex Police, what's your emergency?' - and a man then replies in broken English: 'We have a friend but from last night 'til now, we can't hear about him. We keep asking everyone, but nobody's seen him.'

Officers feared Mr Turhan, who was well-known within the Turkish community in the town, had been murdered. But another 45 days passed before they found his body on January 11 last year, some 20 miles away at the Enovert landfill site in Stanway.

The search involved 1,650 officer shifts in ten separate locations and is thought to be the first time an active police search of a landfill site in the UK has recovered a body.

Mr Turhan's suspected killer Ceyhan Dinler, 38, has never been found - and left the UK via Stansted Airport on November 19, the day Mr Turhan was reported missing.

Homeless man Ciprian Ilie, 44, was jailed for seven years last October after being found guilty of assisting an offender and preventing the lawful burial of Mr Turham.

During the trial, the court heard Mr Turhan had allegedly 'had a relationship with Mr Dinler's girlfriend' and there was an 'ongoing and simmering issue' between the men.

Cumali Turhan, 46, had last been seen in a pub in Chelmsford, Essex, on November 19, 2024

Police found Mr Turhan's body on January 11 last year at the Enovert landfill site in Stanway

Mr Turhan is thought to have been in the Barista bar on Duke Street after being at The Globe pub on Rainsford Road. CCTV did not show him leaving Barista.

Jurors were told during Ilie's three-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court that the tip of Mr Turhan's tongue and his genitals were severed during an attack inside Barista.

Tottenham Hotspur fan Mr Turhan was fatally stabbed in the neck after being mutilated, prosecutors believe.

The tip of Mr Turhan's tongue and his penis were later found in a bin - and the victim's body was dumped in a different commercial bin behind the bar.

That second bin was later collected by refuse services and unknowingly transported to the landfill site.

Mr Turhan was reported missing to police on the evening of November 19 after he did not arrive at work.

Ilie was arrested at a homeless shelter in Chelmsford after confessing what had happened to a worker, who called police.

He later told detectives he received a call in the early hours of November 19 to go to Barista. Ilie said he got there and found blood on the floor and a body in the corner.

Ceyhan Dinler (pictured) is still wanted in connection with the disappearance of Cumali Turhan

Dinler left via Stansted Airport on November 19, the day Mr Turhan was reported missing

He claimed he was threatened with a knife before being forced to help pick up the body and put it in a bin at the back of the venue.

Ilie additionally told officers that both he and his girlfriend had been threatened, and that he therefore did what he was ordered to do.

Mr Turhan's former partner, and mother of his young daughter, told the court that 'he mattered' and she worried about the 'lifelong impact it will have on my daughter's life'.

She also said she was haunted by the 'psychological pain' of how he was 'thrown away and discarded like he didn't matter'.

After sentencing Ilie, Judge Morgan said Mr Turhan's body was found thanks to a combination of the 'tenacity' of police searching the landfill site, as well as combing through CCTV footage and building trust with the Turkish community in Chelmsford.

Bar worker Dinler is believed to have fled to Turkey, but coroner Michelle Brown said at Mr Turhan's inquest last September that his current whereabouts were unknown.

Ciprian Ilie (pictured) was found guilty of assisting an offender and preventing a lawful burial

The search at the Enovert landfill site in Stanway involved 1,650 officer shifts in ten locations

Cumali Turhan was said to have been well-known within the Turkish community in Chelmsford

Essex Police still want to speak to Dinler in connection with the death and said they were working with the Crown Prosecution Service in an attempt to achieve this.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe said: 'Throughout this extremely challenging investigation every officer and member of staff involved was committed to finding Cumali and securing justice for him and his loved ones.

'At the heart of this case is a father who lost his life in truly horrific circumstances and a young daughter who must grow up without him.

'We never lost sight of this, and we are resolute in our determination to ensure our main suspect in this case is also brought before the courts.'

Police Sergeant Simon Gray, who was also involved in the search, added: 'I hope this documentary shows people the dedication and commitment of everyone involved in that search.

'We were faced with an incredibly challenging environment and often poor weather conditions, which hampered this sensitive and intricate work. It was never lost on us that we needed to find Cumali and bring him home to his family.'

Catching a Killer: Buried Truths airs and streams on Channel 4 on January 6 at 9pm
Australians across four states are bracing for a brutal heatwave, with temperatures tipped to soar as high as 48C this week.

Western Australia is already baking under a slow-moving upper-level ridge that's locking in heat and driving temperatures higher, according to Weatherzone.

Daytime temperatures in the 40s will become widespread across much of WA before Tuesday.

By Wednesday, the system and hot air mass will move into southeast Australia.

'Computer models suggest temperatures could reach around 45C to 46C in parts of WA, SA, Vic and NSW, with some spots possibly hitting about 48C,' Weatherzone said.

The hottest conditions are expected inland, away from the state capitals, including Mildura in northwest Victoria.

The city is forecast to hit 45C on Thursday, with slightly higher temperatures possible in South Australia the same day.

Adelaide is on track to reach from 39C to 41C on Wednesday and Friday.

People in four Australian states are bracing for soaring temperatures (Sydney above)

A slow-moving upper-level ridge over Western Australia will move eastward

Melbourne is set to sizzle this week with temperatures climbing as high as 39C between Wednesday and Friday.

'While Wednesday stands out as the hottest day of the week for both Adelaide and Melbourne, there is a chance that Adelaide could reach 40 degrees again on Thursday with the hot air mass expected to linger over SA's south,' Weatherzone said.

The extreme heat won't stop at Victoria and SA.

Sweltering conditions are tipped to sweep into New South Wales later in the week, with Sydney in the firing line.

The city is forecast to endure four days of elevated temperatures from Wednesday, topping out at 36 degrees on Saturday.

A change is expected on Sunday, with showers cooling the city to below 30C.

Weatherzone has urged Aussies to stay hydrated and follow the classic advice to 'Slip, Slop, Slap' during the heatwave, and to keep an eye on the latest forecasts.

Join the debate Is this still summer or the surface of the sun?

Sydney

An extreme heatwave is set to send temperatures soaring, including 48C in some parts of Australia

Monday: Min 20. Max 27. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. The chance of a thunderstorm during this afternoon and early evening. Winds south to southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h.

Tuesday: Min 20. Max 28. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming easterly 15 to 25 km/h in the middle of the day then tending northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the late evening.

Wednesday: Min 20. Max 31. Cloud clearing. Light winds becoming northeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day.

Thursday: Min 21. Max 33. Sunny. Light winds becoming northeasterly 20 to 30 km/h during the day.

Friday: Min 21. Max 33. Sunny. Light winds becoming northeasterly 25 to 35 km/h during the day.

Melbourne

Monday: Min 13. Max 22. Cloud clearing. Winds southerly 15 to 20 km/h becoming light in the early morning then becoming southerly 25 to 35 km/h in the morning.

Tuesday: Min 13. Max 29. Mostly sunny. Light winds becoming southerly 15 to 25 km/h in the early afternoon then becoming light in the late evening.

Numerous models suggest temperatures could reach 45C to 46C in parts of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales (beachgoers pictured at Geelong)

Wednesday: Min 18. Max 41. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the morning then tending easterly 15 to 20 km/h during the evening.

Thursday: Min 21. Max 30. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower, most likely in the morning. Light winds becoming southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the morning then tending easterly during the day.

Friday: Min 17. Max 35. Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Winds northeast to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h.

Adelaide

Monday: Min 13. Max 31. Sunny. Light winds becoming southwesterly 15 to 25 km/h in the middle of the day then turning south to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the evening.

Tuesday: Min 17. Max 36. Sunny. Winds easterly 15 to 20 km/h shifting southwesterly in the late afternoon then becoming light in the evening.

Wednesday: Min 23. Max 41. Sunny. Winds north to northeasterly 15 to 25 km/h tending northwesterly 20 to 30 km/h during the day then tending southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the afternoon.

Thursday: Min 22. Max 39. Sunny. Light winds becoming northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day then tending westerly during the afternoon.

Melbourne may see temperatures ranging from 30C to 39C between Wednesday and Friday

Friday: Min 25. Max 38. Mostly sunny. Slight chance of a shower. Winds east to northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h shifting west to southwesterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day.

Brisbane

Monday: Min 22. Max 29. Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely from late this morning. The chance of a thunderstorm during this afternoon and evening. Light winds becoming northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon then becoming light in the evening.

Tuesday: Min 22. Max 29. Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers in the morning and afternoon. The chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon. Light winds becoming easterly 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon then becoming light in the evening.

Wednesday: Min 22. Max 30. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming easterly 15 to 20 km/h during the morning then becoming light during the evening.

Thursday: Min 22. Max 30. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower in the morning. Light winds becoming easterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day then becoming light during the evening.

Friday: Min 22. Max 29. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming easterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.

Perth

Australians have been urged to stay hydrated and 'Slip, Slop, Slap' during the heatwave

Monday: Min 19. Max 31. Sunny. Light winds becoming southwesterly 25 to 35 km/h in the morning then tending southerly 15 to 25 km/h in the late evening.

Tuesday: Min 19. Max 30. Sunny. Winds southeast to southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h becoming southwesterly 25 to 35 km/h in the middle of the day then tending southerly 20 to 30 km/h in the late evening.

Wednesday: Min 18. Max 31. Sunny. Light winds becoming south to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the morning then tending south to southwesterly 20 to 30 km/h during the day.

Thursday: Min 18. Max 29. Mostly sunny. Light winds becoming southwesterly 25 to 35 km/h during the day then tending southerly 20 to 30 km/h during the evening.

Friday: Min 16. Max 28. Sunny. Winds southeast to southwesterly 20 to 30 km/h becoming southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h later.

Canberra

Monday: Min 13. Max 29. Partly cloudy. The chance of fog early this morning. High chance of showers during this afternoon and early evening. A thunderstorm likely during this afternoon and early evening, possibly severe with damaging winds, large hail and heavy rain which may lead to flash flooding. Light winds becoming easterly 15 to 20 km/h in the evening then becoming light in the late evening.

Tuesday: Min 13. Max 33. The chance of fog in the early morning. Sunny afternoon. Light winds becoming east to northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the evening then becoming light in the late evening.

The hottest weather is expected inland (pictured, people jump into waters at Geelong beach)

Wednesday: Min 15. Max 36. Sunny. Light winds becoming northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day then becoming light during the evening.

Thursday: Min 19. Max 38. Mostly sunny. Slight chance of a shower. The chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening. Light winds becoming northwesterly 15 to 25 km/h during the morning then becoming light during the evening.

Friday: Min 19. Max 39. Mostly sunny. Slight chance of a shower. The chance of a thunderstorm later in the day. Light winds becoming northwesterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day.

Darwin

Monday: Min 27. Max 34. Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely during this afternoon and evening. A thunderstorm likely during this afternoon and evening. Light winds becoming west to southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h in the morning then becoming light in the evening.

Tuesday: Min 25. Max 33. Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the late morning and afternoon. The chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening. Light winds becoming westerly 15 to 20 km/h in the morning then becoming light in the evening.

Wednesday: Min 25. Max 33. Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the morning and afternoon. The chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon. Light winds becoming westerly 15 to 20 km/h during the morning then becoming light during the evening.

Thursday: Min 26. Max 33. Partly cloudy. High chance of showers. A thunderstorm likely in the afternoon and evening. Winds westerly 15 to 25 km/h becoming light during the evening.

Friday: Min 26. Max 32. Partly cloudy. High chance of showers. A thunderstorm likely. Winds westerly 15 to 25 km/h.

Hobart

Monday: Min 15. Max 26. Cloud clearing. Light winds becoming southerly 15 to 25 km/h in the middle of the day then becoming light in the evening.

Tuesday: Min 15. Max 26. Partly cloudy. Light winds becoming south to southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h in the middle of the day then turning east to southeasterly in the evening.

Wednesday: Min 13. Max 27. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming south to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the afternoon then becoming light during the evening.

Thursday: Min 14. Max 25. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming south to southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day then tending northeast to southeasterly during the evening.

Friday: Min 14. Max 24. Cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Light winds becoming southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.
A furious Commonwealth Bank customer has launched a blistering attack on the banking giant, accusing it of betraying loyal customers and turning everyday banking into a grind.

The customer, who has been with CBA for more than a decade, vented online that the bank has declined 'so hard' in the last 10 years, blaming a wave of clunky technology, intrusive data use and what they described as anti-consumer design.

One of their biggest frustrations is Yello, the bank's in-app rewards feature, which they claim aggressively pushes products by mining customer data.

'Sharing my banking data to promote to me inside an app that's borderline mandatory is such weak tea anti-consumer behaviour,' they wrote.

They also took aim at CBA's multi-factor authentication system, saying it had been rolled out in the 'worst possible way'.

Instead of simple one-time codes or quick pop-ups, the customer said logging in now requires navigating a tedious sequence of steps  even when signing in repeatedly from the same phone or computer.

For people who rely on online banking for work, they said, the system has become a daily obstacle.

'You try to log into the web portal but then you have to log into the app via your phone.

Sinead Taylor (pictured) is responsible for all banking, markets and group regulatory operations across Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Commonwealth Bank CEO Matt Comyn (pictured) during the House of Representatives public hearing into a review of Australia's four major banks at Parliament House in Canberra

'Then you have to click the button 'did you try to log in'. Then you have to click 'accept'.

'This sounds like nothing, unless you actually, you know, use the bank multiple times a day for work.

'The excuse for increasingly consumer unfriendly practices is always to protect people from scams or ensure people can't money launder,' they wrote.

'It's never to make banking more convenient or easier.'

The customer questioned why the bank appeared incapable of recognising trusted devices or IP addresses.

'Do you think they remember your IP to avoid needing to verify multiple times with their tiny log-out window? No, of course not. That would be too user friendly.'

They also raised concerns about the bank's new privacy policy, which they said requires users to accept terms allowing CBA to track phone usage and habits.

The policy, which has been implemented as part of the bank's 'anti-scam' measures, has sparked concerns over personal data security and user privacy.

Commonwealth Bank has been widely criticised over its features which make banking more cumbersome than it needs to be according to one disgruntled customer

The customer expressed alarm over the bank's justification for this extensive data collection, which extends beyond app usage to include general phone behaviour.

'This means they are tracking your non-app related behaviours because of scams.'

The post ended with a blunt verdict: 'I'm done. Bad app, bad integrations, bad privacy policies.'

The complaint struck a nerve, drawing hundreds of comments from other customers who shared similar frustrations.

'Seems like too much to ask to be able to send and receive money without a dozen problems along the way,' one said.

'Took 10 years to wear me down Commonwealth, but I'm off to literally any other banking provider that just sends and receives money,' a second added.

Another said: 'I moved a few years ago after I had my card cancelled while travelling - even though I told them of my travel plans twice.

'Luckily I also had some money in another bank that kept me running while overseas. I called the Commonwealth Bank when I returned and they came up with a bunch of excuses, never even gave an apology and were extra defensive about it too.'

Many customers have take aim at CBA over its unfriendly practices and policies

A third added: 'I closed my accounts with CBA after getting sick and tired of them charging me account fees for not having enough money - because I wasn't doing great at the time.

'There were the monthly fees, then a penalty when my phone company tried to take the bill out and there wasn't enough in there at the time. It's predatory to charge money for not having money.'

'Australian banks are really stupid. They navel gaze and cannibalise their local market with increasingly stupid tech updates.

'Meanwhile, top Asian banks crush them overseas by expanding internationally and building massive, profitable relationship networks across the globe in business,' commented a fourth.

'I recently moved too. Took ten phone calls to close out my accounts. Always an excuse or accidental hang-up. Then to stop them spamming me I had to lodge a complaint,' said another.

'I can handle one or two issues, but not all of them,' said another.

'The fact that the multi-factor authentication requires the app, and that the app also tracks your off-app usage and markets to you via Yello, is just egregious.'

'They know what they are doing. It's like Coke putting salt and caffeine into their drinks to keep you dehydrated.'

'I've been a CBA customer for 15 years, but I'm moving now. They're absolute dog s***. For me, it's the absence of basic features that makes life so much harder, things I didn't even realise I was missing until I started using other banks.'

'I hate CBA. It's a terrible bank with terrible customer service. The technology used to be world class. Now it's world ass. I don't know what happened.'
Australia could be virtually cashless by the end of the decade, despite new federal government rules forcing supermarkets and petrol stations to accept cash for smaller purchases.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has mandated that from January 1, fuel and grocery retailers across Australia must accept cash payments for in-person transactions of $500 or less, made between 7am and 9pm.

Small businesses with an annual turnover of less than $10 million are exempt.

The move comes as 1.5 million Australians still rely on cash for more than 80 per cent of their in-person transactions.

With no universal rule requiring merchants to accept cash, many businesses are refusing it altogether, raising serious concerns about social and economic inclusion.

Consumer advocates warn the trend is leaving vulnerable Australians behind. However, finance expert Dr Angel Zhong from RMIT University said the mandate will not stop the shift toward digital payments.

She predicted Australia will be 'functionally cashless' by 2030, meaning cash will still exist but more than 90 per cent of everyday transactions will be digital.

'2030 remains a reasonable estimate,' she told news.com.au.

RMIT finance expert Angel Zhong (pictured) believes Australia will be 'functionally cashless' by 2030, meaning more than 90 per cent of everyday transactions will be digital

Treasurer Jim Chalmers (pictured) mandated from January 1, fuel and grocery retailers across Australia must accept cash payments for in-person transactions of $500 or less

'The trend toward digital payments is strong, driven by technology adoption, merchant preferences, and consumer convenience.'

Cards, mobile wallets and online transfers already dominate, she said, highlighting benefits such as efficiency and security, but also risks including exclusion for vulnerable groups and privacy concerns.

Council on the Ageing Australia chief Patricia Sparrow said that for many older Australians, cash isn't a convenience - it's essential, with nearly half of Australians over 65 still using cash regularly.

'The increasing refusal by some businesses to accept cash has created unnecessary barriers for people simply trying to pay for essentials,' she said.

'No one should be turned away or penalised for wanting to pay for groceries or fuel with legal tender.'

National Seniors Australia CEO Chris Grice said the government's cash mandate was a small win but warned it has limitations.

'While we welcome the mandate applied to fuel and grocery retailers, as well as the payment of bills at Australia Post, we're disappointed to see it so limited,' he told The Golden Times.

'We believe there is still some work to do before it upholds the expectations of consumers  not only older consumers, but all consumers who use and rely on this valid form of currency.'

Pro-cash campaigners have scored some wins, with the government striking a deal with the Big Four banks to keep regional branches open until at least 2027

Pro-cash campaigners have scored some wins, with the government striking a deal with the Big Four banks to keep regional branches open until at least 2027.

But the broader trend is clear. Cash use has plunged from 70 per cent of payments in 2007 to just 13 per cent in 2022, according to the Reserve Bank.

And the infrastructure is disappearing fast, with nearly 5,000 ATMs removed in five years and bank branches falling by more than 1,500.

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority data shows there are now just 3,205 bank branches across the country.

The backlash over an increasingly cashless society grew last year, with thousands of Australians joining a 'Cash is King' protest in April, queuing at banks and ATMs to withdraw money in a show of resistance.

There have also been a series of recent positive developments for pro-cash advocates, such as the government striking an agreement with the Big Four banks to keep their regional branches open until at least 2027.

Dr Zhong noted both positives and negatives when it comes to a functionally cashless society.

'The positives include efficiency, reduced costs for businesses, better security, and improved financial tracking,' she said.

'However, negatives include exclusion risks for vulnerable groups, privacy concerns, and dependence on technology.'
Poppie Kudierskys holiday to Thailand provided the perfect backdrop for the sort of social media material the posing, pouting 22-year-old loves to post.

Sitting astride a jet ski, lounging poolside or bikini-clad on the bow of a traditional long-boat, no photo opportunity went to waste.

But as is so often the case in the modern world, the reality behind these carefully curated Instagram-ready images rarely matches the fantasy portrayed.

And how true that turned out to be in the case of Kudiersky.

After all, how was a single mum from Manchester living in social housing able to swap the grey skies of the North West for a two-week winter break in sun-kissed South East Asia?

The answer was to be found in the two suitcases she and a companion, Mohammed Jacfer, arrived with when flying home to Manchester Airport from Thailand in February 2024. Inside them was 28.5kg of cannabis with a street value of 285,000.

Arrested and charged with drug smuggling, Jacfer quickly admitted the crime and last year was sentenced to two years in prison.

Kudiersky made no comment to police, denied the charge and was due to face a trial but on the first day of the hearing she dramatically changed her plea.

Single mother Poppie Kudiersky, 22, tried to smuggle 285,000 worth of cannabis into the UK

A suitcase of cannabis seized at Heathrow - almost 27 tonnes of cannabis was seized from smugglers flying into UK airports in 2024

At the same time, the extraordinary circumstances that she claimed led to her becoming involved in the drug plot were outlined at Manchester Crown Court.

Her version of events goes like this: In return for a free holiday, Kudiersky reluctantly agreed with persons unknown to travel to Thailand to take part in a scam whereby she would bring back clothes bought using stolen credit cards.

But when she was given two suitcases, she says she realised they did not contain clothing and suspected that something was amiss. Kudiersky claimed she refused to transport the cases, only to then receive threats to herself and her family.

These included a photograph of menacing individuals outside her mothers address where her five-year-old son was staying, alongside a warning it would be burnt down and her child killed unless she co-operated.

Despite the prosecuting authorities making it clear that some aspects of her description of what happened were entirely within the knowledge of the defendant, Kudiersky was sentenced on that basis.

And in stark contrast with the treatment meted out to her co-accused, who is currently serving his sentence, she duly walked free from court with a two-year suspended sentence, something that even the judge accepted was highly unusual.

Kudierskys age, naivety and vulnerability were among the issues taken into account.

Unsurprisingly, the lenient approach to her crime has not gone unnoticed, after all, drug traffickers caught in Thailand can still face the death sentence.

Join the debate Should drug smugglers get lighter sentences if they claim they were threatened or coerced?

Kudiersky enjoys her time in Thailand, posting a series of glamourous pictures before her arrest

She claimed she only transported the drugs because of threats to her and her family

Back on social media, responses to the story ranged from the amazed  What message does this send out to other drug smugglers!  to the downright outraged  You can get away with anything these days. Its a joke.

Equally unhappy are those who have had the misfortune to cross paths with Kudiersky. Far from being some innocent abroad, it can be revealed she has previous convictions for battery and possession of cannabis.

And those living near to her in Denton, Greater Manchester, say her presence has long blighted their lives.

We knew she was a nightmare neighbour but not a serious criminal, said one 68-year-old resident. Shes causing a lot of problems here  theres been loud parties. But this is another level, this is serious drug smuggling.

Weve complained about her to the police and council but shes still here. Its devastating that shes not been locked up.

What also seems apparent is Kudierskys lack of remorse. Approached by a Daily Mail journalist at her modern, terraced house last week, when asked about her conviction Kudiersky replied: And? Its two years ago now.

Telling the reporter to get a life, she then slammed the door on him.

As a family friend observed: Being arrested and dragged through court hasnt changed Poppie. Shes carried on causing mayhem. A lot of the family dont want anything to do with her.

If anyone stands up to her she has meltdowns. Poppie does what she wants.

Kudiersky was able to walk free from court with a two-year suspended sentence

Recent activity on her Facebook page also suggests that Kudiersky remains remarkably unabashed by her ordeal.

In early December, she re-posted a comment from a third party that read: Dont ever open the door for police, if its important they will kick the door in.

Following her sentencing, another Facebook user then commented below the post: Especially when ya import big buds.

Kudiersky responded to the reference to cannabis buds by accusing the man of being a melt and a bitch boy, before subsequently deleting the comments.

Other posts on her account refer to drugs. Back in July, while awaiting trial, an image was reposted from a Facebook user called We Love The Herb, featuring an image of the rapper Snoop Dogg draped with medals. The caption read: Me if smoking weed was an Olympic sport.

In February an image was reposted that read: I can do without SEX . . . But that damn WEED a whole different story.

No doubt they were intended as humorous content, but the reality is that the UK is facing an epidemic of drug smugglers like Kudiersky  something that was alluded to at her sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court on December 18 last year.

Figures presented to the court by the National Crime Agency show that the numbers of airline passengers caught smuggling cannabis into the UK has rocketed by almost 4,000 per cent in the past three years.

In 2022, just 20 air passengers were arrested for attempting to import cannabis into the UK. That grew to 134 in 2023 and 745 in 2024.

Last year was even worse. Figures to mid-November show that 800 couriers were arrested at UK airports. These included 530 arrests at Heathrow and 120 at Manchester Airport, where Kudiersky and her accomplice flew into. Like her, 80 per cent of all those arrested were travelling from Thailand.

Posts on Kudiersky's Facebook page suggest she is unabashed by her ordeal

The mother has been described as a 'nightmare neighbour' by those who live near her

NCA experts say the use of British nationals to smuggle drugs is being fuelled by organised crime gangs who have access to cannabis grown overseas in locations where it is legal.

Cannabis was decriminalised in Thailand in 2022, making it easy to obtain cheaply. The gangs then recruit couriers to transport it to the UK where it can generate greater profit for them than growing the drugs themselves.

Many of those caught with drugs have reported being told by their recruiters that they were only risking a fine if caught.

However, the maximum sentence for cannabis importation in the UK is up to 14 years in prison.

The influx of illegal cannabis from Thailand has become such a problem that in February the NCA sent officers to Bangkok airport to intercept mules before they could board. In four weeks, the team stopped 65 couriers carrying two tonnes of cannabis, the value of which the Home Office estimated at 6 million.

Paul Pantry, the NCAs senior manager of border vulnerabilities, said mules are recruited with the promise of a free holiday, big cash, or a combination of both.

We went from not seeing anyone from Thailand to seeing hundreds of people coming from Thailand, he said. A big chunk of them are young people  men, women, all walks of life  but increasingly [they are] students, who might see the promise of quick money [or a] free holiday. That sort of Instagrammable trip; its a glamorous location.

Exactly who was behind the plot Kudiersky was involved in is unclear, but it unravelled on February 2, 2024, when she and Jacfer, a 26-year-old Dutch national, arrived at Manchester Airport, on a flight from Thailand via Doha.

As Jacfer went to leave the airport he was stopped with two suitcases by a customs officer, the luggage tags of which were in the name of Kudiersky.

One of the bags was X-rayed and found to contain 28.5kg of cannabis. Jacfer was detained on the spot. Three days later, police arrested Kudiersky at her home address, seizing a phone from her.

Her phone contained a conversation she had with an unidentified person in which she accepted the cases seized from Jacfer were in her name and that he had been there for her when she had meltdowns when they were away, Philip Hall, prosecuting, told the court.

That conversation became heated following the realisation that Jacfer had been arrested.

In another message, it is clear the defendant was trying to get a free holiday. Pictures on her phone suggest that she took full advantage of hotels and beaches and her mother questioned how she was funding the holiday.

Those photos, which are still on her social media pages, include shots of her sunbathing and comments about how blessed she is to have skin that tans easily.

Another shows a thigh tattoo which reads: Dont count the days make the days count.

In court, Mr Hall continued: The defendant then goes on to say they are turning on her and that she has to fly with some case. She also says she was told, sh**s gonna happen and that some threat was made towards her family, which lends some credibility to her assertion set out in her basis of plea.

Kudierskys guilty plea was made on the basis that she had joined the plot as a result of pressure, coercion, intimidation and/or grooming and because she was naive and exploited.

Alluding to the exponential rise in drug smuggling cases highlighted to the court by the NCA, Judge Hilary Manley indicated that had Kudiersky committed the crime more recently, she would have been locked up.

Because of how this sort of offending has become much more common, and much more prevalent, it is very important for all people to understand that those people who allow themselves to get involved with importation of drugs in this way will receive deterrent sentences of immediate imprisonment, she said.

The sentence I am going to impose on you today in this particular case is a sentence that is highly unusual.

If this offence had been committed in more recent months, the sentence would have been one of immediate custody regardless of vulnerability and youth.

Because it was early 2024 when the defendant committed the offence and the National Crime Agency were just beginning to see an increase which since then has developed very rapidly indeed, I emphasise why I am taking a particularly exceptional course today in the sentence I am imposing.

The judge also took into account the fact that Kudiersky had been on a 7pm to 7am curfew while on bail since her arrest in February 2024.

Because of the exceptional circumstances of the case, the judge sentenced her to two years in prison, suspended for two years and ordered her to take part in 15 days of rehabilitation activity and to do 150 hours of unpaid work.

Meaning that, if nothing else, Kudiersky will be spending this January in altogether less Instagram-worthy surroundings than those she enjoyed two years ago.
'At least we have hope now,' says a Venezuelan teacher on the Colombian border to his homeland, which he fled nearly ten years ago.

'It is not clear what will happen, but at least it might be better. Before this raid, it was just hopeless.'

Donald Trump's extraordinary early hours special forces raid to capture Nicolas Maduro did not just catch the Venezuelan dictator unawares.

Those he has ruled with an iron fist since 2013 are struggling to make sense of the new reality  stunned Maduro is gone, but also cautious that his cronies remain.

'When I first heard, I just wanted to watch TV until I saw a picture of that f***** looking weak and afraid,' the teacher, in his 30s, said in the Colombian border town of Cucata, where he lives with his fiancee. 'But then when Trump said that Maduro's deputy will take over, and he was talking about America taking over the oil, now it is a more confusing picture.'

While the refugees can watch on with cautious optimism, across the border in Caracas a sense of fear pervades. Relatives of political prisoners in the notorious Helicoide jail worry their loved ones may be killed or attacked to stifle any celebrations.

Meanwhile, most residents are still too afraid to talk openly while Maduro's deputies remain in power.

'They still see us and I don't know what they might do to me,' was a common refrain when the Daily Mail approached locals. 'They control everything,' others would warn in hushed tones.

A housewife, who agreed to be interviewed anonymously, said she disagreed with what had happened and suggested the consequences were still unknown. She added: 'This is not the solution, it was not the way to do it, but rather through negotiation.'

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro was taken into custody by US law enforcement officials on Saturday

US President Donald Trump watched from Washington on as Maduro's capture unfolded

Shoppers line up to buy eggs in Caracas in Venezuela as fears of food shortages spread

Captured Venezuelan leader Maduro said 'happy new year' as he is led to US jail

For her, behind all this lies international interests in Venezuelan oil, not Venezuela's own interests. Indeed, it appears to many of those here that Mr Trump has struck a deal with Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's deputy who has become interim leader.

So long as she opens Venezuela's vast oil reserves to the US, it seems, she can remain in power  while the opposition that overwhelmingly won stolen elections last year is sidelined.

Adding to the foreboding, there is a striking absence of military and police presence in Caracas.

Huge queues have broken out at supermarkets as locals worry about supply shortages. Public transport has also ground to a standstill, with many petrol stations remaining closed.

One man in his 50s said he was surprised the US action did not seek to remove the entire leadership.

'There is uncertainty about the process,' he added. 'We don't know how long it will last, but we hope they all leave so we can stop living in fear.'

Oswaldo, 55, agreed. Trembling, he said: 'It was foreseeable that this would happen. I agree with the departure, but it should have been negotiated.'

In the traditional opposition municipality of Chacao there were far fewer people on the streets - perhaps a sign of concerns over reprisals against opponents.

One woman the Mail approached was understandably cautious. 'You're crazy,' she said. 'It doesnt matter if its for abroad. They know everything and can arrest me.'

Finally speaking on condition of anonymity, she admitted she was happy about the raid.

'It was unacceptable for them to remain in power,' she said. 'They have done us much harm.'

For now, she stressed, no one will go out to celebrate, even if most agree, because fear prevails over what might be done to them.

'We have seen what they are capable of, regardless of human lives,' she said.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has hit out at President Donald Trump for blaming the murder of Democrat lawmaker Melissa Hortman on the Somali fraud scandal.

Hortman, a former Democratic Minnesota House Speaker, was shot to death alongside her husband, Mark, over the summer.

Authorities have said suspect Vance Boelter, who is also accused of shooting State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, that same night, was targeting 45 liberal lawmakers and abortion providers.

But on Saturday, Trump shared a post to his Truth Social page suggesting that Hortman was killed because she voted to repeal eligibility for undocumented adults to access MinnesotaCare.

'Was Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman murdered because she voted against and was exposing a multi-billion dollar money laundering fraud going to illegal immigrants in Minnesota?' the reshared post read.

'The fraud that she voted against... heavily implicated illegal aliens, specifically Somalians, who have been racketing this kind of child care, health care rackets and cooperating with our corrupt government.'

He also shared a video echoing the claims, which included a clip of Hortman addressing the press, saying: 'I did what leaders do, I stepped up and I got the job done for the people of Minnesota.'

After seeing the post, which was liked more than 14,300 times on the president's platform, Walz said it was 'dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States.'

Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman was murdered alongside her husband, Mark, over the summer

President Donald Trump has since spread a claim linking her murder with a notorious Somali fraud scheme - earning the ire of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz

He called the post 'dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States' and claimed: 'America is better than this'

'In covering for an actual serial killer, he is going to get more innocent people killed,' the one-time Democratic vice presidential candidate continued.

'America is better than this.'

Other state Democratic leaders also said Trump's post dredged up the emotional pain they felt following the homicides.

'Trump is degrading the Office of the President by engaging in an outrageous lie,' US Rep Betty McCollum, who represents a St. Paul-area district, told Minnesota Public Radio.

Minnesota House Democratic Leader Zack Stephenon added that Hortman and Walz were close friends and allies.

'Anyone who claims otherwise is lying,' he said in a statement.

'Melissa Hortman didn't have any patience for politicians who couldn't speak the truth, even when it was politically difficult. Minnesotans shouldn't either.

'Any political leader in Minnesota who will not condemn his posts isn't fit to hold office.'

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy also called the president's post 'soulless.'

'The man charged with killing Melissa and Mark Hortman, shooting John and Yvette Hoffman, and targeting dozens more Minnesota Democrats, was known to traffic in exactly the kind of conspiracy theory Donald Trump just endorsed,' she said.

'Lying about the assassinations of the Hortmans puts people in danger and fans the flames of political violence,' she continued.'

Join the debate Should politicians be more careful with their words after violent tragedies?

Trump shared a post to his Truth Social page suggesting that Hortman was killed because she voted to repeal eligibility for undocumented adults to access MinnesotaCare

Hortman's children have also slammed Trump for the post.

'I am asking President Trump to remove the video that he shared and apologize to me and my family for posting this misinformation and for using my mother's own words to dishonor her memory,' her son, Collin Hortman, said in a statement.

His sister, Sophie Hortman, also said the video twists the truth about their mother's political stances, and comes as she and her brother spent their first holiday season without their parents.

'We must create a society in which we do not harbor hatred and violence toward our political opponents, and this video promotes a false narrative which fuels the flames of political division.'

Yvette Hoffman, meanwhile, called the president's claims 'absolute bulls**t' and said 'the leader of the free world is endangering families safety.'

But the president was not the first to share the theory, with actress and socialite Sara Foster making similar claims in a post last week.

At that point, Republican State Senator Julia Coleman shut down what she called a 'conspiracy theory,' stating that 'the fraud had nothing to do with the assassinations.'

'I am a Minnesota Republican legislator. I never agreed with Melissa. Not once. But Im begging people to stop sharing this conspiracy theory,' she wrote on X.

Coleman went on to discuss the video of Hortman, who was visibly emotional following a meeting on her decision to cast a vote that broke with her political party.

Actress and socialite Sara Foster made similar claims in a post last week

Republican State Senator Julia Coleman immediately slammed Foster for sharing a 'conspiracy theory,' and that 'the fraud had nothing to do with the assassinations'

In the clip, Hortman said: 'What I worry about is that people will lose their health insurance. I know that people will be hurt by that vote, and I'm...

'We worked very hard to try to get a budget deal that wouldn't include that provision. And we tried any other way we could to come to a budget agreement with Republicans and they wouldn't have it.'

Coleman said Hortman's tears were not due to fear and she was only emotional because the vote 'was incredibly hard for her'.

'She is not terrified in this video. Shes crying because she had to take this vote to keep the government open, and it was incredibly hard for her,' Coleman wrote.

'Thats who she was as a leader. Even though I didnt agree with her, I could tell her heart was absolutely in it, and the weight of her decisions were worn on her sleeve sometimes.

'There were people on the hit list that did not take that same vote,' Coleman continued in reference to the chilling list of names Boelter allegedly planned to take out, according to evidence seized by police from the crime scene.

Coleman added: 'Tim Walz had nothing to do with the assassinations. The fraud had nothing to do with the assassinations. The assassin was deranged. Completely and utterly deranged. And Minnesota lost a good woman because of it.'

The GOP lawmaker went on to seemingly take a direct hit at Foster, concluding her post with: 'Please, unless you have evidence, stop trying to get social media clout off the death of a good person that you know nothing about.'

Authorities have said that alleged gunman Vance Boelter was targeting 45 liberal lawmakers and abortion providers

Boelter is accused of fatally shooting the Hortmans (left). He is also accused of shooting State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman (right). They both survived

The claims about Hortman's death comes amid scrutiny over the state's spending, following a video showing an apparently empty daycare in Hennepin County which has allegedly received $4 million in taxpayers' money.

The shocking film sparked an immediate federal response including by FBI Director Kash Patel and Department of Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem who then announced investigations into the loans.

Prosecutors now say at least 57 people connected with the Feeding Our Future program billed the federal government $250 million, claiming to buy meals for children during the COVID pandemic.

Instead, the defendants allegedly used the stolen money to buy Lamborghinis, Porsche SUVs, beachfront property in Kenya and private villas in the Maldives. The vast majority of those convicted in the case are Somali.

Investigators then found that around $9 billion in federal Medicaid funds supporting 14 Minnesota programs since 2018 may have been stolen, US Attorney Joe Thompson announced on December 18.

Eighty-two of the 92 defendants in the child nutrition, housing services and autism program scams are Somali, according to Thompson.

The Trump administration has since announced that it has suspended 6,900 borrowers over suspected Covid loan fraud involving roughly $400 million of taxpayer funds in Minnesota.

'These individuals will be banned from all Small Business Administration loan programs, including disaster loans, going forward,' SBA boss Kelly Loeffler announced Thursday night on X.

Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment.
Illegal migrants who arrive in the UK from today will have their phones seized without police having to arrest them first.

The new powers come as part of government efforts to tackle small-boat Channel crossings and people-smuggling gangs.

Officers at the processing centre in Manston, Kent, where migrants undergo security and identity checks, will now use technology that can access data on the devices in a bid to gather intelligence on the smuggling networks.

It is hoped that this will aid investigations, and comes after the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act became law last month.

Border security minister Alex Norris said: 'We promised to restore order and control to our borders, which means taking on the people-smuggling networks behind this deadly trade.

'That is exactly why we are implementing robust new laws to intercept, disrupt and dismantle these vile gangs faster than ever before and cut off their supply chains.

'These measures sit alongside sweeping reforms to the system, to make it less attractive for migrants to come here illegally and remove and deport people faster.'

The new law is also introducing a number of criminal offences, including sentences of up to 14 years in jail for storing or supplying boat engines to bring migrants to the UK.

Migrants wade into the sea to try to board smugglers' boats in an attempt to cross the English Channel off the beach of Gravelines, northern France (Stock photo)

Officers at the processing centre in Manston, Kent, will now use technology that can access data on devices in a bid to gather intelligence on the smuggling networks (Stock photo)

Smugglers downloading maps on where to depart on small boats or researching the best places to buy equipment for dinghies could face five years in prison.

Some 41,472 migrants crossed the Channel last year  the second-highest figure on record. This was 13 per cent higher than the figure for 2024, when 36,816 migrants made the journey. The all-time high is 45,774 in 2022.

But last night shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Labour has merely made 'cosmetic tweaks' and that there is no proper deterrent to illegal migrants.

Instead, he pressed for quitting the European Convention on Human Rights to give the Government more flexibility on taking effective action  which Labour has rejected in favour of reforming the treaty.

Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt said more than 4,000 disruptions against smuggling gangs have taken place since his unit was created in July 2024  such as by seizing cash and convicting key players.

He added that today marks a 'key moment' to go further with the extra tools.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced plans for reforms which she described as 'the most significant changes to our asylum system in modern times'.
A Melbourne man left his online lover $2million in his will - but after his death, his ex-wife uncovered that the man never existed.

William Ian Southey died aged 73 on October 11, 2022, leaving a will made two months earlier that named his online partner, Kyle Stuart Jackson, as executor.

But in a bombshell finding handed down in December, the Victorian Supreme Court concluded Jackson does not exist.

Mr Southey was married to Kaye Moseley between 1976 and 1989 and they remained close friends after their separation.

He spent around 40 years in a committed relationship with another man, until his partners death in 2017.

In the years that followed, Mr Southey turned to online relationships, eventually forming a connection in early 2022 with a man he knew as Jackson, whom he intended to marry.

The deceased made his will in contemplation of his possible marriage to Mr Jackson, albeit he did not ever meet him in person, Associate Judge Caroline Anne Goulden said in her findings.

Under the will, Ms Moseley was left $100,000, while the residue of the estate, including Mr Southeys home in the upmarket eastern Melbourne suburb of Kew was left to Jackson.

The home was eventually sold for $2.5 million.

Melbourne man William Ian Southey (pictured) died at 73 years old on October 11, 2022, leaving a will that named his 'partner' Kyle Stuart Jackson as executor

But his ex-wife Kaye Moseley (pictured with Mr Southey) discovered that Jackson did not exist while following the probate process

The will stated that, if Jackson was unable or unwilling to act, Mr Southey's ex-wife would be named as executor.

The day after Mr Southeys death, his ex-wife, her solicitors at KHQ Lawyers, and Southeys former solicitor, Christina Jones, tried to contact Jackson.

Ms Jones reached Jackson using an email address Mr Southey had provided prior to his death and phoned him a week later.

'The person purporting to be Mr Jackson said he had never been to Australia or met the deceased in person,' the court noted.

'He said he was upset about the news of the deceased's passing and could not continue the call.'

When Ms Jones sent an email seeking to confirm his identity with a Zoom invitation for a video call, she did not receive a response.

But the following day, the solicitor received an email from Jackson foregoing his position as recipient of Mr Southey's estate, the court heard.

'I want to respectfully excuse myself as a beneficiary of William's estate. I don't want it, I don't deserve it,' the email read, according to court documents.

Mr Southey (pictured) had connected with Jackson online in early 2022 but they never met in person. The court heard he had considered they might marry

In March 2023, solicitors at KHQ contacted Jackson's email address to ask if he wished to administer Mr Southey's estate.

The email user declined but did so with a demanding caveat, the court heard.

'I must be informed of every step of the process of execution as well as entitled to 15 per cent of his estate's value and I will decide whom or what charity to send my share to,' the email read, court documents reveal.

'It is not too much to ask. I will also be happy to directly communicate with Kaye Moseley... I will not be picking [up] calls from anyone except her.

'My relationship with William was special and I am yet to recover from his demise.'

A postscript added: 'I will only be willing to share private information with Kaye about the nature of our relationship.'

At the request of KHQ solicitors later that month, Jackson provided an image of what purported to be a US passport for a man named 'Kyle Jackson', born October 18, 1984.

The date of issue was January 9, 2018, and the date of expiration was October 18, 2024.

But the solicitors found - through the help of a private detective - that Jackson was not a real person, Victoria's Supreme Court heard (Mr Southey's ex-wife Kaye Moseley is pictured)

The email included an address in Pennsylvania, and he said he would not meet anyone via video call and that any communication would be by email only, the court noted.

But in April 2023, after the solicitors sent documentation to the address, a man named Jeremy Snyder rang to say no one by the name of Mr Jackson had lived there.

Months later, in December, a person claiming to be Jackson responded to the lawyers, saying he had been involved in an accident and had only just recovered.

'Is it too late to fill the forms?' they wrote, according to court documents.

After being told Ms Moseley had been granted probate but that he was welcome to submit the completed documents, the court heard that the person responded angrily.

'I am sure Will is rolling in his grave now. You guys went behind my back and made this happen all because of the love for money,' they wrote.

'He always wanted to help his people back in Fiji and help the needy, sadly, this will never be actualised.'

Ms Moseley's lawyers worked to verify the identity of Jackson throughout 2024, including employing a private detective based in the United States.

The court heard that in July 2024, the detective concluded the passport was fraudulent and that Jackson was not a real person.

As a result, the solicitors made an application in October last year to the Supreme Court in Melbourne regarding the handling of the will.

'The plaintiff commenced this application in circumstances where Mr Jacksons identity has not been able to be verified and where there is considerable uncertainty as to whether or not Mr Jackson exists in the manner understood by the deceased, or at all,' the court noted.

In December, Judge Goulden found Ms Moseley was entitled to distribute her ex-husband's estate without further regard for Jackson's interest.

'I am satisfied that the person named [in the will] as Kyle Stuart Jackson does not exist in the manner understood by the deceased, or at all,' the judge found.

Ms Moseley was also entitled to distribute the residue of the estate to herself in accordance with the will's terms.
Keir Starmer was accused of plotting a full-scale Brexit betrayal on Sunday as he battles to shore up his faltering leadership.

The Prime Minister said he wanted to pursue 'even closer alignment with the single market' in a signal he is planning yet another manifesto breach.

He added that he wanted to 'go further' with the EU if it is in the national interest.

Any return to the single market would bring back freedom of movement with EU member states  a huge political risk.

Sir Keir is attempting to reset his ailing premiership as Labour languishes in the polls.

He also insisted he would still be in No 10 by 2027, as he warned those plotting against him that forcing him out would unleash 'utter chaos'.

Other party leaders rounded on the Prime Minister on Sunday, accusing him of betraying Brexit despite repeatedly claiming that rejoining the single market was a 'red line'.

Reform UK's Nigel Farage said: 'Starmer's Brexit betrayal is a breach of good faith with Labour voters.

'His tying of us to crazy EU Net Zero policies and carbon taxes will continue the de-industrialisation of the UK and increase the cost of living. We will fight Starmer every step of the way.'

Keir Starmer was accused of plotting a full-scale Brexit betrayal on Sunday as he battles to shore up his faltering leadership

Kemi Badenoch suggested his backtracking showed his precarious position in the opinion polls.

'It is a sign of Keir Starmer's total weakness that he has started the year trying to reopen the old Brexit wounds,' the Conservative leader said. 'Instead of signing Britain up to EU rules we have no say over, Starmer should focus on cutting spending, cutting taxes, bringing down the benefits bill and getting Britain working again.'

Justifying his claims, Sir Keir said the UK had already matched the EU on food and agriculture.

'There are other areas where we should consider if it's in our interest to do the same and align with the single market,' he said. 'We take a sovereign decision whether we align or not. I think it's in our national interest to go further.'

He also told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: 'I think we should get closer, and if it's in our national interest to have even closer alignment with the single market, then we should consider that  we should go that far.'

But he ruled out a return to the customs union  which would remove tariffs and checks on goods  saying it would jeopardise subsequent trade deals.

He added: 'I do understand why people are saying, 'Wouldn't it be better to go to a customs union?'.

'I actually think now we've done deals with the US which are in our national interest, now we have done deals with India which are in our national interest, we are better looking to the single market rather than the customs union for our further alignment.'

Join the debate Do YOU believe Keir Starmer is betraying Brexit?

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called the PM's pursuit of a closer alignment with the EU's single market 'a breach of good faith with Labour voters'

Sir Keir did not spell out what form this closer alignment with the single market could take.

His words suggest he envisages a Swiss-style, sector-by-sector arrangement or more informal agreement involving mutual recognition of services.

Asked whether he would accept a return to freedom of movement  a key pillar of the single market  the Prime Minister claimed this was off the table.

But he did say he hoped to agree a scheme to allow 18- to 30-year-olds to travel and work between Britain and the EU.

Just last month, No 10 said the Government would stick to its 'red lines' on the EU, including not rejoining the single market, customs union or returning to freedom of movement.

It also comes after Sir Keir broke his manifesto pledge to not increase National Insurance and follows him being forced by his party to not increase income tax.

Speculation has raged that Labour is planning to row back on Brexit, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting recently saying the bloc offers 'enormous economic benefits'.

Sir Keir also faces party pressure to join a customs union, with 13 Labour MPs backing a proposal to do so last month. The Lib Dems  who tabled the vote  said they plan to legally force the Government to begin talks with the EU on a customs union.
Australian parents will receive a guaranteed minimum of three days of subsidised child care a week, regardless of how much they work or study.

The 'three-day guarantee', first announced a year ago by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, will replace the previous government's activity test that gave subsidies to families earning up to $530,000.

The change means 100,000 more families are eligible for the additional days of care, which kicked in on January 1.

Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh said families will no longer be locked out of subsidised care under the universal system.

'Every child deserves access to quality early learning  no matter their postcode, or what their parents do for work,' she said in a statement.

'Too many children have been locked out of quality early education and care because of their parents' work or study activity.'

A report by the Productivity Commission in September 2024 recommended the activity test be scrapped because it was hurting families who needed it most without leading to 'substantial' increases in workforce participation.

The activity test required each parent to work, study, or look for work for at least 16 hours each fortnight in order to access 72 hours of subsidised care - the amount now assured through the three-day guarantee.

Aussie parents can now access a minimum three days a week of subsidised childcare

The Albanese government is investing $430 million across four years to deliver the policy.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said it would provide working families 'with more choice immediately'.

'Whether it's cheaper childcare, cheaper medicines, or increased payments for students and carers, we are delivering more help for those who need it most from the start of 2026,' he said.
There were growing concerns on Sunday night that Donald Trump could target other nations  including Greenland  to assert 'American dominance'.

The US President suggested Colombia, Cuba and Mexico were also in his sights following his capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.

'We absolutely need Greenland  we need it for defence,' Mr Trump told The Atlantic magazine, adding that the Danish territory  a member of Nato  was 'surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships'.

It came as the wife of a Trump official tweeted an image of Greenland coloured like the US flag and the word 'Soon'.

Katie Miller, the wife of the President's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted the provocative image hours after the US had invaded Venezuela.

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said: 'It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland. The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish kingdom.

'The Kingdom of Denmark  and thus Greenland  is a member of NATO and is therefore covered by the Alliance's collective security guarantee.

We already have a defence agreement between the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States that grants the U.S. broad access to Greenland. In addition, the Kingdom has made significant investments in security in the Arctic.

A burnt missile interceptor vehicle is seen at La Carlota air base in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a 'large scale strike' on the South American country

'I therefore strongly urge the US to cease its threats against a historically close ally, and against another country and another people who have stated very clearly that they are not for sale'

Mr Trump said the raid that led to Maduro's abduction was an update to the 'Monroe Doctrine'.

The declaration, made in 1823 by US president James Monroe, said the America would not meddle in European affairs in exchange for European powers staying out of the New World. Mr Trump announced a new 'Don-roe Doctrine' era.

Despite international condemnation to the rendition, Mr Trump suggested that other nations, including Colombia, Cuba and Mexico, were on notice.

'I think Cuba is going to be something we'll end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now, and we want to help the people,' he said.

'That system has not been a very good one for Cuba.' Former president Joe Biden removed Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism last year, but Mr Trump reinstated the designation within his first days in office and reapplied sanctions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban refugees who fled during the nation's communist revolution, added to warnings that its leaders should be worried.

'Suffice it to say, Cuba is a disaster,' he said. 'It's run by incompetent, senile men. If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I'd be concerned.'

The US President suggested Colombia, Cuba and Mexico were also in his sights following his capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro

Cuba released its own statement, warning: 'All nations of the region must remain alert, as the threat hangs over all.'

Mr Trump also spoke out against Colombia's president Gustavo Petro, saying, 'He has cocaine mills. He has factories where he makes cocaine.' He said the drug was being sent to the US, and warned that Mr Petro should 'watch his ass'.

Mr Petro condemned the attack on Venezuela as an aggression against all of South America and announced the mobilisation of troops along the border to halt a possible flood of refugees

Meanwhile, during a phone interview with Fox News, Mr Trump said that 'something will have to be done about Mexico'.

'American dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again,' he said.
Labour was tearing itself apart on Sunday night as MPs demanded the Prime Minister condemn the US attack on Venezuela.

Sir Keir Starmer has refused to describe the capture of president Nicolas Maduro as an illegal act in breach of international law.

But he is under increasing pressure from Left-wing hardliners  who have already forced him to backtrack on major policies  to criticise the UK's greatest ally.

Labour MPs lined up to accuse Sir Keir of double standards for claiming he would 'shed no tears' over the capture of Maduro despite denouncing Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. They warned his decision to support Donald Trump's devastating attack would forever 'haunt his legacy'.

It comes after Mr Trump authorised an audacious raid on the South American country on Saturday which culminated in US special forces capturing Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. It has emerged that Operation Absolute Resolve may have killed 40 people, including almost all of Maduro's security team, but there were no US fatalities.

The US President has vowed to 'run' the oil-rich country in the meantime  a move which has been widely condemned by other nations.

Sir Keir Starmer refused to describe the capture of president Nicolas Maduro as an illegal act in breach of international law

Nicolas Maduro pictured being escorted by DEA agents on landing on US soil following his dramatic capture

Maduro and his wife are due to appear in court on Monday accused of participating in a 'narco-terrorism' conspiracy. It came as:

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted the US was not 'at war' with the people of Venezuela;

Mr Trump warned the country's new interim leader Delcy Rodriguez that she would pay a bigger price than Maduro if she 'didn't do what's right';

Fears grew that other countries including Cuba could be targeted, while Mr Trump suggested Greenland could be next, insisting the US 'needed' the island for security;

Pope Leo said he was watching developments with a 'soul full of concern' and called for justice and peace 'while guaranteeing the country's sovereignty';

The Venezuelan army demanded Maduro's 'immediate release' and condemned the US's 'colonialist ambition'.

Following the dramatic strikes, countries including France, Germany and Canada warned that international law should be respected, while the United Nations said it was deeply concerned.

Firebrand Labour MP Richard Burgon demanded that Sir Keir join other leaders in criticising Mr Trump. He said: 'The PM should respond to an illegal bombing and kidnapping by Trump in exactly the way he would if Putin had carried it out.'

President Trump has now warned new interim leader Delcy Rodriguez that she would pay a bigger price than Maduro if she 'didn't do what's right'

Nicolas Maduro was captured and arrested on Saturday after Donald Trump authorised an audacious raid on the South American country

President Donald Trump watches Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's capture unfold in Washington, United States

Maduro pictured arriving in the US after he was flown from Venezuela to stand trial

The former shadow minister under Jeremy Corbyn added: 'Either Keir Starmer believes in international law  or he doesn't. You can't pick and choose. Time to stand up to Trump's gangster politics!'

Labour MP Clive Lewis said: 'The UK must stand firmly for international law, or admit it no longer believes in it.'

Apsana Begum MP tweeted: 'The Prime Minister's support for Trump will forever haunt his legacy.' Former Labour MP Diane Abbott told Sir Keir: 'If you cannot say this is illegal, all your talk of human rights, the law and democracy is so much hot air.'

Mr Corbyn and his allies idolised Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chavez despite his move towards authoritarianism and mismanagement of the economy.

Despite Sir Keir largely ridding Labour of its hard-Left faction, the remaining MPs have proved powerful and have forced him to backtrack on policies including the two-child benefit cap.

Sir Keir, a former human rights lawyer who has long prided himself on upholding the international rule of law, is yet to criticise the American raid.

His initial reaction was to say he wanted to 'establish the facts, and take it from there', adding that he had been a 'lifelong advocate of international law'. He later appeared to back Mr Trump's actions, saying the Government would 'shed no tears' over the end of the Maduro regime.

Allies of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have criticised Keir Starmer for his response to the Venezuela attack

Chief Secretary to the PM, Darren Jones, said it was not for the UK to say whether the US had broken international law, and he refused seven times on GB News to say whether Labour supported Mr Trump's actions in Venezuela.

But the Government's repeated insistence that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is illegal and its demands that Israel complies with international law in Gaza have prompted accusations of double standards.

Sir Keir's silence  including when Mr Trump criticises his allies, such as London mayor Sadiq Khan  has riled some Labour MPs. And the perception that he is now treating the US President differently to Putin or Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu has prompted criticism from his party's Left.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage tweeted on Sunday night: 'The American actions in Venezuela overnight are unorthodox and contrary to international law  but if they make China and Russia think twice, it may be a good thing.'
An Australian mum who suffered life-changing injuries in a horror scooter crash in Bali that claimed the life of her boyfriend is preparing to be airlifted home, a friend has revealed.

Samantha Baillie and Bryce Alexander Black, both 33, from the NSW Central Coast, were riding a scooter along Petitenget street in North Kuta when they crashed head-on with a car at about 4.30am on Sunday, December 28.

Mr Black died at the scene while Ms Baillie, his passenger, was rushed to hospital.

Best friend Savannah-Leigh Homer set up a GoFundMe to help the mother-of-two cover a bill of more than $50,000 as she did not have travel insurance and was reportedly in a critical condition.

'She has suffered significant injuries throughout her body, including a fractured skull with bleeding on the brain, multiple broken fingers with severe hand injuries, injuries to her pelvis, and extensive injuries to her feet,' Ms Homer posted.

'She is badly injured and facing a long and uncertain recovery.'

In an update shared online, Ms Homer has revealed Ms Baillie is now on the mend with loved ones hoping to bring her back home very soon.

'The brain bleed is going down. Hopefully we will be able to do surgery for her hands,' Ms Homer said.

Samantha Baillie, 33, was involved in a scooter crash in Bali

The accident claimed the life of her boyfriend Bryce Alexander Black, 33 (pictured)

'We just need to wait for the brain bleed to be able to get her home safely on a flight and back to Australia and get her home to her kids and into an Australian hospital where she will be cared for properly.'

Ms Homer also lashed out at Bali Police's official report of Ms Baillie's injuries.

The Bali Police report of the accident, obtained by the Daily Mail, said Ms Baillie suffered 'facial abrasions and bleeding from the ear', with her injuries characterised as minor, rather than serious.

But Ms Homer said the official description of her injuries was incorrect and downplayed their severity.

'Sam was in a critical condition,' Ms Homer said.

'She did not have bleeding from her ears or eyes.'

The police report stated Mr Black died after suffering a severe head injury, bleeding from the ears, fracture to his left arm, and a laceration on his right leg.

Bali Police said the scooter had veered onto the opposite side of the road and was hit by a Honda Mobilio being driven by two Indonesian students.

The couple were travelling along Petitenget street (pictured), Kerobokan Village, North Kuta, Badung Regency, during the early hours of December 28 when their scooter struck a car

The mother-of-two frequently shared doting posts online about her relationship with Mr Black

'The Yamaha NMAX motorcycle attempted to overtake a vehicle in front of it by moving to the right and crossing the centre line without paying attention to the Honda Mobilio coming from the opposite direction in its proper lane, resulting in a collision,' the report stated.

The 27-year-old Indonesian driver in the Honda Mobilio was not injured, while his 25-year-old passenger was treated for minor body pain.

Following the accident, Ms Homer said she and Ms Baillie's mother flew to Bali to be by her side.

At the time of setting up the fundraiser, Ms Homer said the family faced mounting costs, including transferring the young mum back to Australia and assisting with rehabilitation and daily expenses.

Ms Homer said Ms Baillie, who works as a hairdresser, may not be able to work for a long time due to the severity of her injuries.

'We have already paid $6,000 toward her initial hospital care, and we have now been issued a further medical bill of $52,000, with more costs expected,' Ms Homer said.

Ms Homer said it was Ms Baillie's first time overseas and the couple had only arrived in Indonesia the day before the accident.

She said the holiday 'was meant to be a happy milestone' as the young mum was 'recently starting a new chapter of her life'.

Ms Baillie was reportedly on her first ever trip overseas when the tragedy unfolded

In the lead-up to the tragedy, Ms Baillie frequently shared gushing posts online about her loving relationship with Mr Black.

Over the past month, the couple had celebrated the festive season with their three children, who are from previous relationships, as they posed for family Santa photos.

On Christmas Eve, she shared a reel of photos on TikTok showing the couple kissing and spending time together.

'Love isn't perfect, it's practised,' Ms Baillie wrote.

Other photos show the pair taking their children on jet-ski rides, going to waterparks and hanging out with their dog.

In August, Ms Baillie said she had Mr Black 'locked in' after he had a picture of her face tattooed onto him.

'Healed a heart that he didn't break,' she wrote in September.

'It's amazing what someone good can do to your soul.'

The fundraiser, which was launched last week, has been paused after raising more than $51,000 within 48 hours.
Marco Rubio said Donald Trump would use an 'oil quarantine' to assure that Venezuela complies with US orders after leader Nicolas Maduro was deposed.

The secretary of state told CBS News that the US quarantine would essentially refuse entry and exit by oil tankers that were already being sanctioned in order to hold Caracas accountable.

Rubio insisted that the US was not going to 'run' Venezuela like an Iraq-style occupation, as Trump in a press conference following Maduro's capture.

'And so that's the sort of control the president is pointing to when he says that,' the secretary of state explained after Trump's stated Rubio and Pete Hegseth were in charge of Venezuela.

'We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking.'

He added that Naval officers will be enforcing the quarantine, promising that their work is 'paralyzing that portion of how the regime, you know, generates revenue.'

Trump's initial comments earned Rubio the nickname 'the Viceroy of Venezuela' from the Washington Post.

The move also suggested he would take on yet another role, as he's already serving as the Secretary of State, the National Security Advisor, the head of the dismantled USAID and the Archivist of the United States.

Rubio suggested to NBC News that the press was 'fixating' too much on his endorsement of himself and Hegseth.

Marco Rubio (pictured left) said the US was not going to 'run' Venezuela after deposing leader Nicolas Maduro (pictured right), rather that Donald Trump would use an 'oil quarantine' to assure compliance

Captured Venezuelan leader Maduro was deposed to New York over the weekend

Their job in Venezuela is 'not running  it's running policy, the policy with regards to this.'

The secretary instead has promised that the US merely remains in control of the situation.

'What we are running is the direction that this is going to move moving forward,' the Secretary of State said when pressed on ABC's This Week by host George Stephanopoulos.

Rubio added: 'That means their economy will not be able to move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interest of the Venezuelan people are me. And that's what we intend to do.'

'So that leverage remains, that leverage is ongoing, and we expect that it's going to lead to results here.'

He said the United States would 'set the conditions' so that Venezuela would no longer be a narco-state.

Stephanopoulos, a veteran of Democratic President Bill Clinton's White House, repeatedly pressed Rubio on what legal authority the United States had to remove Maduro from his country and who the U.S. viewed as the country's current leader.

'So is the United States running Venezuela right now?' he asked.

'When the president was asked yesterday who will be running Venezuela, he said it was you, he said it was the Defense Secretary, he said it was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Are you running Venezuela right now?' Stephanopoulos asked.

In the aftermath of Saturday's dramatic overnight apprehension of Maduro, President Trumpsaid that Rubio - and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth - would be charged with controlling the country

Rubio, who made the rounds on all three major network morning news shows Sunday, told ABC News that the US remains in control of the situation

Rubio didn't explicitly answer the question.

'George, I've explained again that the leverage that we have here is the leverage of the quarantine. So that is a Department of War operation conducting, in some cases, law enforcement functions with the Coast Guard on the seizure of these boats,' the Secretary of State said.

Rubio said he was 'intricately involved in these policies' as well as 'intricately involved in moving forward.'

'Unfortunately, the person that was there before, who was not the legitimate president of the country, was someone we could not work with,' he added.

In the aftermath of Saturday's dramatic overnight apprehension of leader Nicolas Maduro, Trump said that Rubio - and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth - would be charged with controlling the country.

'Well, it's largely going to be run for a period of time by the people standing right behind me,' Trump said at the press conference at Mar-a-Lago. 'We're gonna be running it.'

In November 2024, under the Biden Administration, the U.S. recognized Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the 'president-elect' of the South American nation, despite Maduro's claims he had won the July ballot.

Gonzalez fled for asylum in Spain as part of a deal with Maduro's government.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro onboard the USS Iwo Jima after the US military captured him on January 3

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, watching a remote feed of the US military's mission to capture Maduro

Since Saturday's capture of Maduro, Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in.

Trump initially heralded her as Maduro's replacement.

'He just had a conversation with her,' Trump said of Rubio. 'And she's essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.'

However, in public statements, she called Maduro the country's 'only president' and attacked the U.S. for its 'barbarity.'

Rubio was prodded on whether Rodriguez was running Venezuela in the U.S.'s eyes.

'Well, this is not about the legitimate president. We don't believe that this regime in place is legitimate via an election,' Rubio answered.

'But we understand there are people in Venezuela today who are the ones that can actually make changes,' he continued. 'Ultimately, legitimacy for their system of government will come about through a period of transition and real elections, which they have not had.'

At the same time, Rubio downplayed Rodriguez's negative comments about the United States.

'Well, we're not going to judge moving forward based simply on what's said in press conferences,' Rubio said. 'There's a lot of different reasons why people go on TV and say certain things in these countries, especially 15 hours or 12 hours after the person who used to be in charge of the regime is now in handcuffs and on his way to New York.'
A Sydney welfare worker accused of a disturbing campaign of domestic violence and harassment against a former lover has broken cover, emerging from his unit on a morning beer run.

Jason Robert Cornish, a 52-year-old support worker from Maroubra in Sydney's east, was spotted on Monday morning carrying a slab of Tooheys New, hours after allegations against him were made public.

Cornish is accused of engaging in a months-long harassment campaign against the woman, including sending an intimate image without her knowledge or consent, and writing defamatory emails to her professional contacts, according to court documents.

When approached on his balcony, Cornish invited the Daily Mail upstairs to discuss the allegations, saying: 'Come up  I won't hurt you.'

Cornish then declined to comment on the allegations, saying he wanted to read an earlier report first, before later referring questions to his lawyer.

According to a police fact sheet, Cornish and the complainant were engaged in a sexual relationship at the woman's house in late 2023 when he allegedly took a photo of her blindfolded without her knowledge or consent.

The photo depicts the victim lying naked on her back on her bed, with a blindfold over her eyes, police allege.

The documents allege Cornish slapped the woman across the face in April 2025 during a trip to New Zealand, causing them to cease communication. However, they later became amicable and shared occasional contact.

In June last year, Cornish allegedly went to the woman's home uninvited, repeatedly ringing the doorbell and calling and texting her, according to the documents.

When approached on his balcony, Jason Cornish invited the Daily Mail inside to discuss the allegations, saying, 'Come up  I won't hurt you'

The Sydney welfare worker, accused of a disturbing campaign of domestic violence and harassment against a former lover, was seen on a morning beer run

When she did not open the door he sat on the porch smoking a cigarette before opening the flyscreen door.

She told police she cried as she watched him from her security camera, and later saw him allegedly sit in his car outside her house for 20 minutes, police allege.

Court documents stated he allegedly sent the woman apologetic messages, and when she did not respond he allegedly wrote: 'Tomorrow the fun starts, hit them [with] what they care about the most. Your business.'

The following day the woman allegedly sent him 'an extensive and clear message to stop his behaviours', but he allegedly texted her ex-husband with comments casting her in a negative light.

He then allegedly sent emails to 'large companies that the victim's company works alongside, defaming her as a person and the reputation of her business', according to police.

Cornish then allegedly emailed an accommodation company at which the pair had planned to stay for a holiday that had since been cancelled, attaching the intimate photo he had taken in 2023 without her consent.

On the night of June 23, while the woman was at Mascot Police Station to report him, he allegedly messaged: 'You deserve everything that is coming your way in life.'

The police fact sheet stated: 'As a result of the concerning incidents outlined above, police hold extreme fears for the safety of the victim.'

Cornish was taken to Mascot Police Station two days later, where he declined a police interview but allegedly told officers he sent the intimate image 'accidentally'.

Cornish and the complainant were engaged in a sexual relationship at the woman's house in late 2023 when he allegedly took a photo of her blindfolded without her knowledge or consent

Cornish is accused of sending emails to 'large companies that the victim's company works alongside, defaming her as a person and the reputation of her business'

He was released on bail, and an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO) was granted against him.

He was again arrested on July 8 for breaching the ADVO by calling, texting and emailing the woman, sending her more than 50 photos of herself in two hours.

Cornish pleaded guilty to the breach, but was later arrested for a separate breach, to which he also pleaded guilty.

He denies the June charges, including intimidation, recording an image without consent and distributing an image without consent, and will face a local court hearing in May.

Cornish had his bail revoked in August for the most recent breach, but after spending three months in custody on remand, he was granted bail in the NSW Supreme Court in December.

His lawyer argued parts of the complainant's evidence were 'inconsistent with evidence available to the defence', that Cornish was unlikely to be sent to full-time prison if convicted, and that he had community support.

Court documents state that he works as a support worker and earns $200 per week and pays $330 per week in rent and approximately $50 per week on household bills.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he previously worked in wine distribution and founded The Candyman Company, promoted as 'Australia's premier specialty confectionery pop-up store', featuring a selection of local and imported sweets.

Cornish was surrounded by an overflowing ashtray, rusty tools, screwdrivers, and a tube of super glue as he worked on repairing a camera on his balcony

His strict bail conditions include not to use or be in possession of more than one mobile telephone service and SIM card.

He must not consume alcohol and is required to comply with a curfew, remaining at his premises between 10.00pm and 6.00am.

He is due to face Waverley Local Court on May 1.
Donald Trump's decision to strike Venezuela and seize Nicolas Maduro is the sort of move that makes polite diplomats reach for the smelling salts.

Airstrikes, a captured head of state flown out to New York to face charges, and then the kicker: Trump declaring the United States will 'run' Venezuela for a period while it gets sorted out.

That's not just a hard-power flex; it's a direct challenge to the habits and language of the post-Cold War order.

But Maduro is no angel. He's certainly not a normal leader of a normal democracy. He's presided over a hollowed-out state with rigged elections, repression, institutional decay, and the kind of criminalised patronage network that turns a country into a conveyor belt for misery.

So when a Western leader like Trump finally stops pretending that dialogue is a strategy and that sternly worded statements act as a deterrent, it's about time.

The operation has two parts: removing a dictator and then proposing, casually, that Washington might administer the country. The first is a moral argument, the second a nation-building exercise, and that's where concerns are legitimate.

US-driven nation-building doesn't exactly have a great track record.

'We'll run the country for a while' is exactly the kind of open-ended promise the US likes to make - one that starts with a victory lap and ends with a decade of mission creep, local resistance, and bitter recriminations at home.

Trump didn't just launch airstrikes. He captured a head of state and put him on a plane to New York

Anthony Albanese offered the usual fog: 'dialogue and diplomacy' - words that fit any crisis and explain none

Even Trump's own political brand has long been suspicious of foreign entanglements, which is why this situation is so unusual.

If the US wants to argue this was a targeted action to bring an accused narco-terrorist to justice, that's one debate. If it wants to argue Venezuela needs an externally enforced transition, that's another matter altogether.

Trump can't credibly do both at once. When you announce you're going to run an otherwise sovereign country, you've moved from law-enforcement language into imperialism.

Which brings us to the global chorus of condemnation, much of it dripping with hypocrisy.

Russia's outrage would be funny if it wasn't so grotesque. Moscow's officials calling this a violation of sovereignty, unlawful aggression, destabilising, and an affront to international norms - after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine - is the height of hypocrisy. It doesn't get to rediscover the sanctity of sovereignty when a US helicopter lifts off from Caracas.

China's condemnation is a case of selective outrage. Beijing is 'deeply shocked' when the US uses force against a sovereign state, yet it has refused to treat Russia's assault on Ukraine with anything like the same moral clarity.

That's because strategic alignment matters more to China than principles.

Iran, too, is suddenly the guardian of territorial integrity, calling for urgent action against 'unlawful aggression' while having little interest in holding Moscow to account for Ukraine.

Trump shared a picture of Nicolas Maduro in US captivity on his platform, Truth Social

US special forces dropped from helicopters directly into President Nicolas Maduro's compound - Fort Tiuna - in the centre of Caracas as fighter jets launched air strikes across the capital

Still, it would be a mistake for the West to respond to that hypocrisy by waving away the sovereignty question entirely.

That's the strategic trap Trump has set for his allies.

The sensible position is not a hand-wringing rejection of everything Trump's done, nor a chest-beating endorsement of a US-administered Venezuela. Maduro's removal is defensible; a US occupation is not.

This distinction is exactly where allies should sit. Support the outcome, Venezuelans being rid of a dictator, while being crystal clear that the next step must be self-determination.

French President Emmanuel Macron, of all people, has landed closer to where serious allies should be than most.

He welcomed the end of Maduro's dictatorship and pointed to a rapid, peaceful transition led by the opposition figure he regards as elected in 2024.

Whatever one thinks of Macron's personality or his often fractious relationship with Trump, he at least found a way to say something meaningful.

Anthony Albanese, by contrast, defaulted to the same thin gruel he serves up in response to almost every hard question: 'We urge all parties to support dialogue and diplomacy in order to secure regional stability and prevent escalation.'

Talk about tiptoeing around a major US intervention, saying almost nothing of substance about what had actually just happened.

His banal comments might feel safe, but they broadcast exactly what middle powers can't afford to broadcast: uncertainty, equivocation, and a reluctance to call things as they are. Maduro's regime has been a regional blight.

The West looking strong against dictators is not, in and of itself, a vice. The vice is confusing strength with ownership.

What would a non-pathetic Australian response look like? Something like this: Australia welcomes the removal of a repressive regime figure and supports a rapid return to democratic legitimacy.

That's not fence-sitting; it's an ally drawing a line. The West doesn't look weak when it restrains itself. It looks weak when it can't articulate its own standards - and weaker still when it allows authoritarians to dominate the moral vocabulary because democracies are too nervous to speak plainly.
Donald Trump warned Colombia could be the next country to face a military operation, while clarifying that the US was 'in charge' of Venezuela after ousting its leader Nicolas Maduro.

President Trump said while traveling on Air Force One Sunday that Colombia's leftist President Gustavo Petro was a 'sick man' who 'likes making cocaine' after threatening Petro to 'watch his a**.'

Trump's attacks on the Colombian leader came after Petro described Washington's attack on Venezuela as an 'assault on the sovereignty' of Latin America.

'Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long,' he said.

When asked whether the US would pursue a military operation against the country, Trump bluntly replied, 'It sounds good to me.'

Trump's comments came as Maduro was due to make his first appearance in Manhattan's federal court Monday after he was captured by US forces.

Amid Maduro's arrest the future of Venezuela remained in flux as acting the country's president Delcy Rodriguez called for 'peace and dialogue, not war.'

'We prioritize moving towards balanced and respectful international relations between the United States and Venezuela,' Rodriguez said.

'President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. This has always been President Nicolas Maduro's message, and it is the message of all of Venezuela right now.'

Donald Trump warned that Colombia may be the next country to face a military operation, while clarifying that the US is 'in charge' of Venezuela after deposing Nicolas Maduro

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez (pictured center) called for 'peace and dialogue, not war' in a statement

The US in September also added Colombia to a list of nations failing to cooperate in the drug war for the first time in almost 30 years. The designation led to a slashing of US assistance to the country.

'He's not going to be doing it for very long,' Trump said of Petro on Sunday while accusing the Colombian leader of drug trafficking.

'He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. He's not going to be doing it.'

The president also suggested that Cuba 'is going down' but stopped short of suggesting they could also face a military operation.

'I just think it is going to fall. It is going down for the count. You ever watch a fight? They go down for the count. Cuba looks like it is going down,' he said.

Petro hit back at Trump in a fiery social media post, after the US president accused him of being a drug trafficker.

'Stop slandering me, Mr Trump,' Petro said in a lengthy post on X.

'Thats not how you threaten a Latin American president who emerged from the armed struggle and then from the people of Colombias fight for Peace.'

In a later social media post Sunday, Petro added: 'Friends do not bomb.'

As the US president speculated about the downfall of various countries in the Western Hemisphere, questions remained over who was running the show in Caracas.

'Don't ask me who's in charge because I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial,' Trump said on Air Force One.

A reporter responded by asking: 'What does that mean?'

'It means we're in charge,' Trump replied.

Maduro's Interior, Justice and Peace Minister Diosdado Cabello still clung tight to the notion that Maduro is the nation's lawful president.

Join the debate Should the US take military action in Latin America to combat drug trafficking and political instability?

Colombia's leftist President Gustavo Petro (pictured left) described Washington's attack on Venezuela as an 'assault on the sovereignty' of Latin America, which led Trump to respond on Saturday that Petro should 'watch his a**'

The comments came after the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in an audacious raid and whisked him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges

A defiant Cabello defended his boss in a statement through the United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

'Here, the unity of the revolutionary force is more than guaranteed, and here there is only one president, whose name is Nicolas Maduro Moros. Let no one fall for the enemy's provocations,' he said.

Rodriguez struck a more conciliatory tone in a statement of her own on Sunday.

'We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on a cooperation agenda, aimed at shared development, within the framework of international law, and to strengthen lasting community coexistence,' she said in her statement.

Trump on Sunday also renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of US security interests.

'It's so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,' Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida.

'We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.'

Maduro's Interior, Justice and Peace Minister Diosdado Cabello still clings tight to the notion that Maduro is the nation's lawful president

Asked during an interview with The Atlantic earlier on Sunday what the US-military action in Venezuela could portend for Greenland, Trump replied: 'They are going to have to view it themselves. I really dont know.'

Trump, in his administration's National Security Strategy published last month, laid out restoring 'American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere' as a central guidepost for his second go-around in the White House.

Trump has also pointed to the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, which rejects European colonialism, as well as the Roosevelt Corollary - a justification invoked by the U.S. in supporting Panamas secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the U.S. - as he's made his case for an assertive approach to American neighbors and beyond.

Trump has even quipped that some now refer to the fifth U.S. president's foundational document as the 'Don-roe Doctrine.'

The Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a 'corrupt, illegitimate government' fueled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine.

The US government does not recognize Maduro as the country's leader.

His arraignment is scheduled for noon on Monday in Manhattan federal court before Judge Alvin Hellerstein.
Embattled Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, who was convicted of obstruction last month for helping an immigrant evade federal officers, has resigned.

In her resignation letter to the governor sent on Saturday Dugan wrote how over the past decade she handled thousands of cases with 'a commitment to treat all persons with dignity and respect, to act justly, deliberately and consistently, and to maintain a courtroom with the decorum and safety the public deserves.'

But she said the case against her is too big of a distraction.

'As you know, I am the subject of unprecedented federal legal proceedings, which are far from concluded but which present immense and complex challenges that threaten the independence of our judiciary. I am pursuing this fight for myself and for our independent judiciary,' Dugan said in her letter.

Last April, federal prosecutors accused Dugan of distracting federal officers trying to arrest a Mexican immigrant outside her courtroom and leading the man out through a private door.

A federal jury convicted her of felony obstruction.

Republicans had been making plans to impeach her ever since her December 19 conviction.

A spokesperson for Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, said his office received Dugan's letter, and he would work to fill the vacancy without delay.

Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan resigned after a federal jury convicted her of felony obstruction tied to an immigration arrest. She is pictured last month arriving for her trial

This courtroom sketch depicts Judge Hannah Dugan during the closing arguments at her trial in court in Milwaukee, Wisconsin last month

Judge Dugan, right, suggested Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his attorney leave through a private jury door, a non-public area of the courthouse

The case against Dugan was highlighted by President Donald Trump as he pressed ahead with his sweeping immigration crackdown.

Democrats insisted the administration was trying to make an example of Dugan to blunt judicial opposition to the operation.

Republican Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos praised Dugan's decision.

'Im glad Dugan did the right thing by resigning and followed the clear direction from the Wisconsin Constitution,' Vos said.

Democrat Ann Jacobs, who is chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission board, said she agreed with Dugan that Milwaukee should have a permanent judge in place while this fight plays out.

'Despite her situation, she is ever the champion of justice, wanting to remove the judiciary from a political battle over her fate. I'm sure this is terribly hard for her but she is true to her faith and her principles,' Jacobs said in a post on X.

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 the office of her boss, Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley, because she told them their administrative warrant wasn't sufficient grounds to arrest Flores-Ruiz.

The conviction came after agents accused Dugan of distracting officers and using a private exit to move an illegal immigrant evade ICE agents inside a Milwaukee courthouse

Republicans were preparing impeachment proceedings following her December conviction

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 ICE

After the agents left, she led Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a private jury door, a non-public area of the courthouse.

The action was unusual, the affidavit says, because 'only deputies, juries, court staff, and in-custody defendants being escorted by deputies used the back jury door. Defense attorneys and defendants who were not in custody never used the 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.

Her attorney Craig Mastantuono said: 'Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety.'

An affidavit describes Dugan as being 'visibly angry' over the arrival of ICE agents at the courthouse and that she described the situation as 'absurd'.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Dugan had 'put the lives of our law enforcement officers at risk'.
A loose monkey in Tennessee was finally captured after finding a home in a music store and wrecking instruments.

The Cinnamon Capuchin monkey rampaged through Trade Center, a musical instrument store, on Sunday morning before being captured by a heroic local.

After dodging animal control, the Morristown Police Department were called to the store at around 8am in hopes of capturing the animal.

The police department said that though the animal escaped the music store, it was later captured at a different location at around 6pm, WSMV reported.

According to the Morristown Area Chamber of Commerce, local Adam Ivy came across the animal and fed it water and snacks until law enforcement arrived.

Trade Center posted a series of sweet photos of the monkey in the store, including it holding someone's finger, eating crackers and roaming the store.

'Just a little monkey business going on here today at the Trade Center,' the store posted on Facebook. 'Cleaning up the aftermath from our unexpected visitor last night!'

The store commented on the post that the monkey got into the store in the middle of the night through a 'small pet door' and 'made himself at home.'

The Cinnamon Capuchin monkey rampaged through Trade Center, a musical instrument store, on Sunday morning before being captured by a heroic local

Adam Ivy came across the animal and fed it water and snacks until law enforcement arrived and captured the animal at around 6pm

The store said on a social media post that the monkey got into the store in the middle of the night through a 'small pet door' and 'made himself at home'

Trade Center posted a series of sweet photos of the monkey in the store, including it holding someones finger, eating crackers and roaming the store

'Just a little monkey business going on here today at the Trade Center,' the store said

'One of the owners came by and found it there in the morning. The police and animal control were called to the Trade Center to take the monkey and find its rightful owners,' they continued.

'During their visit, the monkey escaped from animal control and from what we read on the news later, it was found safe. Definitely not what you expect to see and we wish the best for the little guy!'

RooFeathers Farm posted a series of photos and videos reaching out for help to find a stolen 'beloved' capuchin eight-year-old monkey named Chester.

'Someone broke into my place last night and stole our beloved capuchin monkey his name is Chester and he was 8 years old any help would be appreciated,' the farm posted on Facebook.

The Morristown Police Department said that they are investigating.
A US Postal Service worker allegedly tried to run over a 10-year-old boy after the child tried to retrieve a package that he delivered to the wrong address.

William White Jr., 41, was arrested on New Year's Eve and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, petit theft and criminal mischief in connection with the shocking incident days earlier, on December 27.

That day, White allegedly dropped off a package at the wrong address on Kingfisher Way in Escambia County, Florida, the Florida Highway Patrol reports.

The child, whose family owns the home that the package was wrongfully delivered to, then noticed the mistake, and placed the package on his electric scooter to deliver it to the correct address, authorities said, according to the Pensacola News Journal.

But when White saw the child with the package, he thought the child was stealing it.

At that point, authorities said, White 'purposely drove the USPS vehicle towards the child and ran over the scooter.'

Fortunately, the child was able to get away, ducking into a nearby yard before White ran over his scooter - but not before injuring his ankle, WEAR reports.

White then grabbed the scooter from underneath the USPS vehicle and placed it on the truck, yelling at the kid as he drove away, authorities said.

William White Jr., 41, is accused of trying to run over a 10-year-old boy after he delivered a package to the wrong address

Authorities with the Florida Highway Patrol said he delivered a package to the wrong address on Kingfisher Way in Escambia County (pictured) and when the child who lives there noticed the mistake, he tried to bring the package to the correct home

But one of the child's parent's then followed White to confront him about what he had done - at which point the suspect allegedly threw the scooter into a nearby yard.

In the end, the child had to be brought to Studer Family Children's Hospital for his injuries.

Meanwhile, authorities investigating the incident were able to track down White when he returned to work on New Year's Eve, and asked him a few questions before taking him into custody.

White was then booked into Escambia County Jail, but has since posted a $5,500 bond.

'It's heartbreaking. This is a very quiet neighborhood,' Alexus Brown told WEAR as she learned what had happened to her neighbor.

'I think he did go too far,' she added of the USPS driver.

Florida Highway Patrol Capt. Jason King echoed that sentiment.

'This isn't just a simple "Oops" crash with a 10 year old in the road,' he said. 'This is an intentional act by a United States postal worker.'

He then went on to say that it was just a '10 year old on a scooter' and 'not a normal porch pirate running up snatching packages that you just dropped off.'

White then allegedly tried to run over the child with his USPS truck (like the ones pictured) and ran over the boy's electric scooter

In the end, King said White should have just asked the kid what he was doing.

'It's amazing what a small conversation would do in a situation rather than jumping straight to force, use of force... or really escalating the situation way past where it should have been.'

In a statement to the News Journal, a spokesperson for USPS said it 'takes the safety and well-being of our customers and employees seriously.

'The Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm of the Postal Service, is actively investigating the issue in partnership with local law enforcement.'

The spokesperson then went on to confirm that White has been employed by the service since 2025, but said 'the Postal Service does not publicly comment on personnel matters.'

White is now due back in court on January 23.
Alleged Bondi Beach shooter Naveed Akram has been moved to Goulburn Supermax.

The 24-year-old has been charged with 59 offences, including terrorism and 15 counts of murder, after he and his father, Sajid, allegedly opened fire on a crowd celebrating Hanukkah near the iconic beach on December 14.

In just over six minutes, fifteen innocent people, including 10-year-old girl Matilda and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor and grandfather, Alex Kleytman, were killed.

Police shot dead Sajid at the scene. Naveed suffered critical injuries and was taken to hospital before he was transferred to Long Bay Jail and kept in the medical unit.

He was transferred on Monday to Goulburn Supermax, which was recently upgraded to house 75 inmates, The Daily Telegraph reported.

An anonymous source told the publication that Akram is now expected to remain there on remand.

The High Risk Management Correctional Centre was once dubbed the most secure facility in the Southern Hemisphere.

It holds some of Australia's most dangerous criminals including Sydney crime gang leader Bassam Hamzy, and murderer Malcolm Naden.

Alleged Bondi Beach shooter Naveed Akram has been moved to Goulburn Supermax Prison

A NSW Government spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Mail that it cannot comment on the specific circumstances of individual inmates.

'Community safety remains this Governments top priority, and Corrective Services NSW takes its responsibility to appropriately manage serious offenders incredibly seriously,' they said.

'The High Risk Management Correctional Centre is the most secure prison in the state, and is equipped to accommodate inmates who pose the highest levels of risk.'

Following the charges placed against Akram, former superintendent Domenic Pezzano - who served 35 years with Corrective Services NSW - said the alleged shooter could be designated as an 'extreme high-risk inmate' if he is found guilty.

This would mean that his movements would be handled by specialist teams.

Mr Pezzano said that, if jailed, Akram could alternatively face an AA security rating, the highest prisoner classification in New South Wales.

'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.'
Tensions in Sydney boiled over on a popular nightlife strip at the weekend with some partygoers clashing with police as the city remains on edge after the Bondi attack.

A shocking video shot on Friday night showed a NSW Police officer arguing with two other men outside the Metro Theatre on George Street, in Sydney's CBD, about 9.50pm.

The policeman was seen talking with a man in a black T-shirt and black shorts who yelled at the officer to 'do it again'.

'Come here,' the man said, while gesturing for the cop to move closer.

A man wearing a brown jumper and black pants suddenly appeared from behind the policeman, who pulled around him to stand beside the first aggressive man.

The officer then took out a can of capsicum spray, also known as pepper spray, and yelled at the men to 'get back'.

Despite the cop's repeated warnings, the man in the brown jumper continued to approach him.

After pushing him away once, the policeman shoved the man to the ground.

A crowd outside Sydney's Metro theatre became unruly on Friday night, sparking a clash with NSW Police officers

Only when the man tried to stand up and approach the officer a third time, the cop sprayed him with the capsicum spray.

A crowd gathered to watch the confrontation cheered as the man was sprayed.

Brisbane-based rapper, Topix, told Daily Mail he captured the moment on his Meta glasses while walking through the CBD.

He believed officers were initially called to the scene in response to a 'social media performance artist' who had 'painted himself yellow'.

'They ended up talking to some bloke then he got scared and ran, slipped and fell and got arrested,' Topix said.

Officers took the man back to their car, outside the Metro Theatre, after the arrest outside the Plaza Hotel - about 50m down the road.

That was when the two men approached the group of officers, singling out one.

Topix said a crowd quickly formed to watch the chaotic interaction but didn't appear to be on either side.

The officer used capsicum spray on a man (pictured in a brown jumper) after he repeatedly approached the cop aggressively

'The crowd was definitely not on the cop's side but I don't think anyone in the crowd was specifically involved with the prior arrest either,' he said.

'It just kept getting crazier and crazier so the crowd became bigger and more vocal.

'I guess everyone was kind of taking the p***.'

Footage of the incident has been watched online more than two-million times, with the majority of commenters siding with police.

'Being surrounded like that would be pretty intimidating I don't blame them for using force,' one wrote.

'Roll out the water cannon,' another said.

'Good job to the cop. When I was growing up we were taught to respect police,' another wrote.

'Why do people need to antagonise the police? He was clearly warned to back down,' another said.

The cop repeatedly told the man to leave the area but he instead walk towards the cop

NSW Police confirmed an 18-year-old was arrested in Sydney CBD on Friday night.

'After a short foot pursuit, the man was arrested by officers, during which he allegedly resisted, and a large crowd gathered and began hindering police,' it said in a statement.

'When the crowd became hostile and failed to comply with directions of police, OC spray was deployed into the crowd.

'With the assistance of officers attached to the Central Metropolitan Region Operation Support Group, the large crowd was dispersed without further incident.

'During the arrest, a male constable suffered shoulder injuries and was taken to hospital for further treatment.'

The 18-year-old was charged with excluded person remain in vicinity of licensed premises, hinder or resist police officer in the execution of duty, possess prohibited drug and breach of bail.

He was refused bail and fronted Bail Division Court on Saturday where he was granted conditional bail and told to appear in Newtown Local Court on January 27.

In a separate but eerily similar incident on Monday, another man was taken to hospital in a critical condition after being pepper-sprayed by police.

NSW Police are allowed to use capsicum spray to protect human life or animals

The 52-year-old has not been charged with any offence but NSW Police used capsicum spray while arresting him to prevent a 'breach of the peace' as they responded to an alleged domestic violence incident in Sydney's inner-west.

The man suffered a medical episode soon after the arrest and was treated by paramedics before being taken to Westmead Hospital.

Authorities have established a crime scene and a critical incident team will investigate.

The investigation will be independently reviewed by the police force's Professional Standards Command and overseen by the law enforcement watchdog.

NSW Police guidelines on capsicum sprays state they may be used to protect human life or animals, or as a 'less than lethal option for controlling people, where violent resistance or confrontation occurs or is likely to occur'.

Police use of capsicum spray has come under scrutiny in recent months after it was allegedly deployed on a 13-year-old boy at a Palestine rally in 2024 and a group of protesters during a rally at the Indo Pacific Naval Defence Expo in November.

The Melbourne Supreme Court in December found police use of the spray on a climate protester constituted battery and was unlawful, ordering the state of Victoria to pay $54,000 in damages to the activist.
Tim Walz was expected to drop out of his reelection bid for Minnesota governor amid backlash to the wide-reaching Somali fraud scandal.

The former vice presidential nominee announced that he will be holding a news conference on Monday morning to 'discuss [the] news of the day.'

State officials are being tight-lipped about what Walz may say. But the news conference comes as he faces calls from Republican lawmakers in his state to resign or drop his bid for a third term in office.

Minnesota political insider Blois Olson said that Walz was likely to drop out of the race, with a possible replacement being the state's current Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar.

Olson said the Walz and Klobuchar met on Sunday to discuss their plans.

A growing number of elected officials inside Walz's party also express concerns about the viability of him winning the gubernatorial election, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Nearly a dozen Democrats who have spoken to the newspaper in recent weeks said they thought Walz should not seek re-election - with some even comparing his run for a third term to former President Joe Biden's doomed 2024 campaign.

'There's always sort of gossip and rumblings,' State Sen. Jen McEwan admitted, though she claimed: 'I'm not a part of the group that's talking actively about this.'

The push to ouster Walz comes amid the fallout over a federal investigation found that dozens of Minnesota residents, predominantly Somali refugees, defrauded the federal government potentially of billions of dollars.

Tim Walz, a two-term governor of Minnesota, may be dropping out of the race for a third term

Walz is facing backlash amid a federal investigation that found that dozens of Minnesota residents, predominantly Somali refugees, defrauded the federal government potentially of billions of dollars

The scandal erupted after independent journalist Nick Shirley uncovered an apparently empty daycare in Hennepin County, which allegedly received $4 million in taxpayers' money.

The shocking film sparked an immediate federal response including by FBI Director Kash Patel and Department of Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem who then announced investigations into the loans.

Prosecutors now say at least 57 people connected with the Feeding Our Future program billed the federal government $250 million, claiming to buy meals for children during the COVID pandemic.

Instead, the defendants allegedly used the stolen money to buy Lamborghinis, Porsche SUVs, beachfront property in Kenya and private villas in the Maldives. The vast majority of those convicted in the case are Somali.

Investigators then found that around $9 billion in federal Medicaid funds supporting 14 Minnesota programs since 2018 may have been stolen, US Attorney Joe Thompson announced on December 18.

Eighty-two of the 92 defendants in the child nutrition, housing services and autism program scams are Somali, prosecutors say.

It was later revealed that Walz had connections with at least some of the refugees charged in the fraudulent scheme.

He was previously once with Abdul Dahir Ibrahim, who has now been taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody

Ibrahim had previously been convicted in Canada of asylum and welfare fraud, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Join the debate Should government leaders be held personally accountable for massive fraud scandals under their watch?

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was pictured with Abdul Dahir Ibrahim, one of the Somali refugees charged in the massive scheme

White House officials then declared that Somali refugees in Minnesota had committed the 'biggest theft of taxpayer dollars in US history' and that local Democratic officials were 'fully complicit.'

On social media, President Donald Trump further called Minnesota a 'hub of fraudulent laundering activity' as he ended the Temporary Protected Status for Somali refugees.

US Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller also said authorities 'believe the state government is fully complicit in this scheme, and we believe that what we uncover is going to shock the American people.'

'We believe that we've only scratched the very top of the surface of how deep this goes,' Miller told Fox News' Sean Hannity.

As the backlash over the scandal continued, Republican Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Dr. Scott Jensen went on television and said the scandal reminded him of Watergate - which eventually led to former President Nixon's resignation.

However, this time in Minnesota 'could be even worse,' Jensen claimed to Fox News.

'Because it's possible that there's something far more nefarious than simply covering something up,' he said. 'It could be a pay to play scheme that involves elected officials.'

Minnesota GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen said the $1 billion fraud scandal in the state could parallel Watergate

The GOP candidate then claimed that Walz and the state's Department of Education 'knew in 2020 that there was a problem' but did not involve federal investigators until the following year.

'And yet they've made claims that as soon as they learned about it, they got the FBI involved,' Jensen told Fox News. 'That's not true.'

Walz has said he is taking strong actions against the alleged fraudsters.

'The governor has worked for years to crack down on fraud and ask the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action,' a spokesperson for Walz told Fox News last week.

'He has strengthened oversight - including launching investigations into these specific facilities, one of which was already closed.'

Walz also 'hired an outside firm to audit payments to high-risk programs, shut down the Housing Stabilization Services program entirely, announced a new statewide program integrity director, and supported criminal prosecutions.'

Meanwhile, Walz has tried to position himself as a major Trump opponent in his bid for re-election.

Walz has tried to position himself as a strong opponent of President Donald Trump. He is pictured with his wife after participating in the vice presidential debate against JD Vance in October 2024

On social media, President Donald Trump called Minnesota a 'hub of fraudulent laundering activity' as he ended the Temporary Protected Status for Somali refugees

He last appeared before reporters on December 23 for an event warning about the fallout from the continuing immigration efforts in Minnesota.

On Saturday, Walz also hit out at Trump for blaming the murder of Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortman on the Somali fraud scandal.

The president had shared a post to his Truth Social page suggesting that Hortman was killed because she voted to repeal eligibility for undocumented adults to access MinnesotaCare.

After seeing the post, which was liked more than 14,300 times on the president's platform, Walz said it was 'dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States.'

'In covering for an actual serial killer, he is going to get more innocent people killed,' the one-time Democratic vice presidential candidate continued.

'America is better than this.'

Walz has said he is taking strong actions against the alleged fraudsters. He is pictured with his family and former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff after former Vice President Kamala Harris conceded the 2024 presidential election to Trump

If Walz were to now drop out of the race for governor, party insiders believe US Senator Amy Klobuchar, Secretary of State Steve Simon or Attorney General Keith Ellison could jump in as the Democratic nominee.

They would then face about a dozen GOP candidates who have lined up to challenge Walz, including Jensen, Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
Hospitals are bracing for an influx of patients as the UK will be gripped by sub-zero temperatures and an amber cold health alert has been issued.

Snow and ice warnings were put in place across the UK by the Met Office this morning, particularly in the Scottish highlands and in the north, and will last for the next few days.

Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber cold health alert in England until Tuesday, saying that freezing temperatures are likely to affect health and well-being.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, urged people to check in on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours.

He warned: 'The forecast temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.'

The NHS is under 'extraordinary pressure' amid the freezing temperatures after the weight of super flu patients hit the health service in recent months, Prof Meghana Pandit, NHS Englands medical director said.

An average of 3,061 flu patients were in hospital each day in the week ending 21 December, with NHS England reporting hospitals were under 'incredible pressure' with 95 per cent of beds full, with cold temperatures expected to make the situation worse.

Some areas of Scotland can expect between 20cm to 30cm of snow to fall this morning

The Met Office has issued weather warnings across the UK today, with several areas of the Scottish Highlands, Aberdeenshire and the Orkney and Shetland Islands being hit with amber warnings

Prof Pandit continued: 'While there are signs of improvement and the NHS is in calmer waters, pressures on hospitals remain incredibly high and were not out of danger yet with temperatures set to drop in the coming days.'

Huge areas of Scotland will be hit by the worst weather, with large areas covered by several amber weather warnings for snow in the north east Highlands and Orkney and Shetland Islands.

These amber warnings cover Aberdeen, Aviemore in the Cairngorms, and Ullapool, Ross-shire, forecast 'heavy snow' and travel disruption until 10am.

Most of the rest of Scotland north of Glasgow is also covered by a yellow weather warning, which expires at midnight tonight.

Yellow warnings have been put in place in Wales, Greater Manchester and south-west England, while much of the east coast of England is covered by a yellow warning for ice.

The amber warnings in Scotland across the Highlands and Aberdeenshire areas, Orkney, Shetland, and Outer Hebridean Islands were put in place yesterday evening and will last until 10am this morning.

There is a potential for 5cm to 10cm of snow accumulating at low levels, and 20cm to 30cm on high ground.

Hundreds of Scottish schools have had to close this morning due to the snow.

Those in the amber warning regions can expect travel disruption, and that rural communities could become cut off, the Met Office warned.

Hospitals are bracing for their 'busiest day of the year' as the UKHSA issues an amber cold health alert

Snow will blast northern Scotland and the Hebrides particularly badly today but will also fall in northern England too

The UKHSA's amber cold health warning will last until tomorrow on Tuesday but hospitals are bracing for an influx of patients

Flights could also be cancelled and mobile phone coverage may be affected, the forecasters warned.

ScotRail warned of disruption on routes around Aberdeen and Inverness for much of Monday.

Snow showers can be expected in the north of Scotland, with areas within the amber weather warnings potentially seeing a further 20cm to 30cm to settle by this morning, Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said.

He added: 'Elsewhere in the UK, snow showers, ice and frost are expected at times but milder air will make attempts to spread eastward from Tuesday.

'This will mean rain becomes more likely in the south, but there is also the possibility of more organised snow along the boundary of the mild and cold airmasses. Strong winds could also be a feature later in the week.'

Scottish Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, said residents had already dealt with 'challenging conditions and freezing temperatures, with more snow and ice on the way for the same areas'.

She said: 'Of course, for many, Monday marks a return to work from the festive break. If you have to travel, then please ensure your vehicle is winter-ready and have a winter kit in your car.

'Follow Police Scotland travel advice. If you can delay your journey until the amber warning has expired, please do so.'

Those in weather warning areas can expect travel disruptions with flights and trains being under threat as well as mobile coverage disruption

Shetland Isles Council said schools would be closed on Monday.

A spokesperson for Aberdeen City Council said schools and ELC provisions in the city will not open until 11am on Monday and breakfast clubs will not run.

They added: 'Further updates for each school will be provided by head teachers tomorrow morning once they have assessed individual local circumstances.'

George Fiddes, of Transport Scotland, said: 'Particularly cold weather is expected this week, which is likely to impact driving conditions in the areas covered by the yellow warning, so our advice to motorists is to plan your journey, leave extra time if needed and drive to the conditions.'

In Northern Ireland, a yellow snow and ice warning, which has been in place over the weekend, runs until Monday at 12pm.

It says: 'The heaviest and most frequent snow showers will be in the north, although along the north coast these may fall as rain or sleet at times.

'Whilst not all locations in the warning areas will see snow, around 1cm-3cm is expected to have fallen in many places by Monday morning, with the potential for 5cm-10 cm to build up in a few locations, especially over higher routes such as the Glenshane Pass.'
Britons were urged to wear hats and slippers indoors today as millions endured a sub-zero return to work and school in heavy snow - with union bosses urging businesses to let staff work from home.

Some schools closed while roads were left impassable as vehicles were abandoned and railway lines became blocked amid warnings of up to 30cm (1ft) of snow.

Flights were grounded at Liverpool John Lennon Airport today after its runway was forced to close due to snow and ice, with easyJet planes cancelled and dozens of other services delayed. Loganair cancelled some flights in Scotland, while Belfast International Airport said there had been several delays and cancellations.

Eurostar said trains from London could not reach the Netherlands due to the weather - with passengers going to Rotterdam or Amsterdam urged to postpone their journey. Temperatures in London are expected to fall to as low as -6C tonight.

As many people went back to school or work after the Christmas and New Year period, a string of snow and ice warnings were in place across the UK for today.

The NHS has advised the elderly or vulnerable to stay safe by keeping their home heated to at least 18C, remaining active indoors with gentle movement to improve circulation; and wearing hats, gloves, and warm indoor footwear such as slippers.

Official Government advice states people can reduce the risk of developing medical problems by trying not to sit still for more than an hour or so; and, if they find it difficult to move about, stretching their arms and legs to help keep them warm.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) urged companies to allow employees to work from home in the snow because no one should be 'pressured into making dangerous journeys' and said workers who cannot get to work should not be penalised.

Some Brits also reported that their boiler had stopped working this morning due to the cold weather, after the condensate pipe - the white plastic pipe outside - had frozen.

Meanwhile many households' energy bills rose from January 1, with the 0.2 per cent increase to Ofgem's energy price cap equating to a rise of about 28p a month for the average household in England, Wales and Scotland on a standard variable tariff.

The AA warned of a 'Manic Monday' today with 22million cars expected to hit the roads and today predicted to be one of the worst days of the year for breakdowns.

A crashed Audi car during icy weather in Cheshire this morning as warnings remain in force

People clear cars after snowfall today at Dufftown in Moray, between Inverness and Edinburgh

Wintry conditions in Scarborough this morning as parts of North Yorkshire are hit by snow

A team from Network Rail use a snowplough at Insch between Aberdeen and Inverness today

A mother walks to school with her children in the snow near Birmingham's Warley Woods today

Wild swimmer Jenny Favell breaks thick ice at Avon Lagoon in Linlithgow, West Lothian, today

A stag is seen on a frosty morning at Richmond Park in South West London today

People walk in the road following snowfall at Huntly in Aberdeenshire this morning

Locals have built a full size igloo on the green at Tynemouth in North Tyneside this morning

People play ice hockey on a frozen flooded field in Upware, Cambridgeshire, this morning

The Staffordshire village of Keele is covered in snow today as the wintry weather continues

A woman pulls a dog on a sledge in the snow in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, this morning

A dog walker passes a resting stag deer in a frosty Bushy Park in South West London today

Hettie sledging at Warley Woods in Birmingham today as the Met Office warns of more snow

Snow at the Clayton Windmills in West Sussex this morning as temperatures fall below zero

Blue tits and long-tailed tits feeding in the snow near Corwen in North Wales this morning

Flat batteries and tyres are expected to be common reasons for callouts, with drivers heading out to cars that have sat idle outside homes over the Christmas period.

The Met Office said the big chill would bring a range of wintry hazards to the UK and imposed several amber snow warnings for Scotland, which will be worst hit.

Separate yellow snow warnings were in place for much of the rest of England and northern Scotland today as well as the whole of Wales and Northern Ireland.

Heavy snow was causing major disruption to trains in northern Scotland, with LNER telling customers not to travel north of Edinburgh. ScotRail said snowploughs were running to check whether its trains could operate on routes across the Highlands.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also continued to have an amber cold health alert in force for the whole of England, which is in place until Friday morning.

It means health services may be severely impacted and that officials expect a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or who have health conditions.

It comes after Durham County Council told the elderly to 'wiggle their toes' to stay warm as well as 'keep moving', 'eating well' and 'wearing several layers of clothing'.

The minimum UK temperature overnight was -10.9C (15.3F) at Shap in Cumbria, which was England's lowest temperature of the winter so far. Scotland fell to -9C at Tulloch Bridge, while Wales dropped to -10C at Sennybridge and Northern Ireland was at -7C.

A TUC spokesman said: 'Good bosses will already have bad weather policies in place so staff know where they stand and recognise the difficulties those with children face when schools are closed.'

The further snowfall will add to the heavy layer already on the ground in Scotland, after Tomintoul in Banffshire recorded 52cm (20in) yesterday; Durris in Aberdeenshire had 31cm (12in) and Loch Glascarnoch in Ross-shire saw 27cm (11in).

Skaters take to the ice in the Upware area of Cambridge this morning as the fens freeze over

Wild swimmer Jenny Favell breaks thick ice at Avon Lagoon in Linlithgow, West Lothian, today

People clear cars after snowfall today at Dufftown in Moray, between Inverness and Edinburgh

The Staffordshire village of Keele is covered in snow today as the wintry weather continues

Dog walkers brave the wintry conditions at Scarborough in North Yorkshire this morning

A member of the Serpentine Swimming Club goes for a chilly dip at Hyde Park in London today

Two workmen walk in a street after heavy snowfall in Dufftown, Moray, this morning

A woman goes sledging as a dog runs alongside her at Warley Woods in Birmingham this morning

The North Yorkshire town of Scarborough is covered in snow today amid the wintry weather

Dog walkers braving the wintry conditions in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, this morning

People clear cars after snowfall today at Dufftown in Moray, between Inverness and Edinburgh

A man walks his dog in the snow at Warley Woods in Birmingham this morning

Surfers walk along the snow-covered sand at Tynemouth in North Tyneside this morning

Sledging on the ice in the Upware area of Cambridge this morning as the fens freeze over

A woman pulls a dog on a sledge in the snow in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, this morning

The Staffordshire village of Keele is covered in snow today as the wintry weather continues

Locals have built a full size igloo on the green at Tynemouth in North Tyneside this morning

Snow at the Clayton Windmills in West Sussex this morning as temperatures fall below zero

Sunrise over St John's Church in Keele as Staffordshire is covered in snow this morning

A woman walks her dogs in the snow at Warley Woods in Birmingham this morning

Dog walkers brave the wintry conditions at Scarborough in North Yorkshire this morning

Wild swimmer Jenny Favell breaks thick ice at Avon Lagoon in Linlithgow, West Lothian, today

A crashed Audi car during icy weather in Cheshire this morning as warnings remain in force

A stag is seen on a frosty morning at Richmond Park in South West London today

Alfie the dog in the snow in Cambridge this morning as wintry weather continues to hit the UK

Locals have built a full size igloo on the green at Tynemouth in North Tyneside this morning

Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, urged people to check in on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours.

He warned: 'The forecast temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.'

Meanwhile pupils will get an unexpected extra day of holiday at schools in Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles and Aberdeenshire, which have remained closed today.

In Aberdeen city, schools and ELC (early learning, nurseries and childcare) provisions will open at 11am and breakfast clubs will not run. Many schools in Moray are also shut.

A Met Office amber warning of heavy snow showers covers Shetland, Orkney and parts of the Highlands and Aberdeenshire until 10am today.

The Met Office warned that people living in the regions covered by the amber weather warning could expect travel disruption, and that rural communities could become cut off.

It also said flights could be cancelled, and that mobile phone coverage could be affected.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, told the Daily Mail: 'Flight delays or cancellations due to snow can be extremely frustrating, but airlines still have a duty of care to passengers, and must provide clear information about their rights to assistance or a refund.

'If you are flying with a UK or EU airline, or due to depart from a UK or EU airport with any carrier, you'll be entitled to food and drink during delays of over two hours for short-haul flights, three hours for medium-haul and four hours for long-haul. If you are stuck overnight, you are entitled to accommodation too.

'If your flight is cancelled, you also have the choice of being refunded or rerouted on the next available flight. If you choose the latter, then your airline must get you to your destination as soon as possible  including with a rival carrier, if necessary.'

Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said snow showers could be expected in the north of Scotland, and some places within the amber warning areas could see a further 20cm (8in) to 30cm (1ft) accumulate by this morning.

People clear cars after snowfall today at Dufftown in Moray, between Inverness and Edinburgh

A man braves the wintry conditions at Scarborough in North Yorkshire this morning

A woman walks along the seafront in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, on a frosty morning today

Icicles hang on the edge of a house this morning after snowfall at Dufftown in Moray

People enjoy the wintry conditions at Blyth in Northumberland this morning

Wild swimmer Jenny Favell breaks thick ice at Avon Lagoon in Linlithgow, West Lothian, today

Skaters take to the ice in the Upware area of Cambridge this morning as the fens freeze over

Dog walkers braving the wintry conditions in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, this morning

People walk in the road following snowfall at Huntly in Aberdeenshire this morning

Snow in Birmingham this morning after the Met Office warned of disruption to travel today

Fresh snowfall at Wallsend in North Tyneside this morning as the wintry weather continues

A crashed Audi car during icy weather in Cheshire this morning as warnings remain in force

Dog walkers brave the wintry conditions at Scarborough in North Yorkshire this morning

Skaters take to the ice in the Upware area of Cambridge this morning as the fens freeze over

Snow on the ground just before sunrise in the Staffordshire village of Keele this morning

Fresh snowfall at Wallsend in North Tyneside this morning as the wintry weather continues

Icicles hang on the edge of a house this morning after snowfall at Dufftown in Moray

Wild swimmer Jenny Favell breaks thick ice at Avon Lagoon in Linlithgow, West Lothian, today

Dog walkers braving the wintry conditions in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, this morning

Two foxes playing with a snowman at Lincoln Cathedral yesterday evening

Dog walkers brave the wintry conditions at Scarborough in North Yorkshire this morning

Fresh snowfall at Wallsend in North Tyneside this morning as the wintry weather continues

He added: 'Elsewhere in the UK, snow showers, ice and frost are expected at times but milder air will make attempts to spread eastward from Tuesday.

'This will mean rain becomes more likely in the south, but there is also the possibility of more organised snow along the boundary of the mild and cold airmasses. Strong winds could also be a feature later in the week.'

The A50 road in Staffordshire was closed in both directions between the A522 at Uttoxeter and the A521 at Blythe Bridge Roundabout after separate crashes on both sides involving lorries.

Meanwhile on the M6 in Cheshire, three lanes were shut southbound after a crash between junction 17 for Sandbach and junction 18 for Middlewich.

Further routes in the region were blocked due to heavy snow  including the A51 London Road between New Road (Hixon) to A518 Stafford Road (Weston); the A518 Weston Road from Boat Lane (Weston) to Blackheath Lane (Beaconside); and the A34 Congleton Road in both directions from Talke Road (Talke Pits) to A5011 Linley Road (Talke Traffic Lights, Talke).

Shetland Isles Council said schools would be closed today.

A spokesperson for Aberdeen City Council said schools and ELC provisions in the city will not open until 11am today and breakfast clubs will not run.

They added: 'Further updates for each school will be provided by head teachers tomorrow morning once they have assessed individual local circumstances.'

George Fiddes, of Transport Scotland, said: 'Particularly cold weather is expected this week which is likely to impact driving conditions in the areas covered by the yellow warning, so our advice to motorists is to plan your journey, leave extra time if needed and drive to the conditions.'

Highland Council said several trees had fallen due to the weight of snow on the A949 Rogart to Mound road.

Join the debate Do YOU think employers should allow working from home during this freeze?

ScotRail warned of disruption on routes around Aberdeen and Inverness for much of Monday.

Network Rail Scotland said that the Aberdeen-Dundee, Aberdeen-Inverness, Inverness-Wick/Thurso and Inverness-Kyle of Lochalsh were unlikely to run until midday, due to heavy and drifting snow.

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell said: 'The forecasted heavy snow showers and ice means driving conditions are likely to be hazardous in some areas. Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary during the weather warnings.

'We continue to work with partners to help our communities impacted by the adverse weather.

'If you need to travel, please drive to the conditions, be prepared for delays and allow extra time for your journey. Please don't drive through road closures, the decision to close roads is not taken lightly and is done for public safety.'

Scotland's Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop urged people to follow advice from authorities.

She said: 'We've already seen challenging conditions and freezing temperatures, with more snow and ice on the way for the same areas.

'Of course for many, Monday marks a return to work from the festive break. If you have to travel then please ensure your vehicle is winter ready and have a winter kit in your car.

'Follow Police Scotland travel advice. If you can delay your journey until the amber warning has expired, please do so.'

Age Scotland's policy director Adam Stachura said: 'With such cold temperatures and icy conditions ahead, try and make sure you have enough food and any important medications at home to reduce the need for unnecessary and potentially risky trips.

'This is particularly important if you have mobility challenges or are unsteady on your feet by avoiding slips, falls and the need for medical attention.

'If heating your home is a challenge, try and stay warm in the room or place you will spend most of your time by wearing layered clothing, taking warm drinks and food with some regular movement to help with circulation and keeping your muscles active.

'And if you are out clearing paths and your drive of snow an ice, please think about also doing so for your older neighbours to help make it easier for them to leave the house if they need to. That act of kindness will go a long way.'
Venezuela's vice-president held secret meetings with Washington in Doha in the months leading up to the US military assault on Caracas that saw Nicolas Maduro's capture, it has been claimed.

During the covert talks, mediated by a senior member of the Qatari royal family, Delcy Rodriguez presented herself to American officials as a 'more acceptable' alternative to the 63-year-old dictator.

According to an October report in the Miami Herald, Rodriguez offered the US a vision of 'Madurismo without Maduro,' a kind of 'regime lite'.

Details of the meetings have fueled speculation that the US capture of the Venezuelan president and his wife, Cilia Flores, was an 'inside job', planned meticulously over months.

As the US executed its extraordinary military intervention on Saturday, sneaking into the country at just 100ft above the water, conspiracy theorists have questioned why American helicopters were not targeted with heavy small arms fire - despite Venezuelan missiles being knocked out.

It comes as Colombia's former vicepresident Francisco Santos Calderon says he is 'absolutely certain' that Maduro's second-in-command betrayed him by having 'handed him over' to the US without a fight.

'They didnt remove him, they handed him over,' he told Colombian cable television news channel NTN24.

According to a source familiar with the matter, the CIA assembled a small team on the ground in Venezuela starting in August, who were able to provide information about the dictator's pattern of life that made grabbing him seamless.

For months the team - including one source within the Venezuelan government - had been spying on Maduro, recording where he slept, what he ate, what he wore and even, according to top military officials, 'his pets'.

Low-flying aircraft targeted and destroyed military infrastructure, including air defence systems, to make way for helicopters that landed at Maduro's compound

Donald Trump posted this picture of Maduro handcuffed aboard USS Iwo Jima on Saturday

Delcy Rodriguez (pictured) held secret meetings with Washington in Doha in the lead-up to the US military assault on Caracas that saw Nicolas Maduro's capture

Following the US raid on Maduro's compound in Caracas on Saturday, Rodriguez maintained the critical tone adopted by all members of the dictator's cabinet.

In a televised address, she condemned the White House's 'unprecedented military aggression', demanded the 'immediate release' of Maduro and his wife, and said the country 'will never again be anyones colony'.

However, in a dramatic shift of tone on Sunday, Rodriguez - Venezuela's acting president - offered 'to collaborate' with the Trump administration and she said she hoped to build 'respectful relations' with the US president.

'We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,' she said on social media.

Santos, vicepresident of Venezuela's neighbour Colombia for eight years between 2002 and 2010 and later Colombian ambassador to the US, named Rodriguez as the person who sold out Maduro.

'I'm absolutely certain Delcy Rodriguez handed him over,' he said.

'All the information we have, you start to put it together and say: "Oh, this was an operation in which they handed him over."

'Obviously, they have to set the stage. President Trump says that Delcy is going to be the one to lead the transition, so Delcy is going to be the one to lead the transition.

'Shes very clear about the role shes going to play and shes going to try to earn a little bit of independence.'

Describing the US president's actions as 'very pragmatic', he added: 'Trump took three decisions which were: "I'll take Maduro, I'll establish a transition with someone from the regime and I'll seek financing and profits from oil companies."'

Rodriguez, who is next in the presidential line of succession, served as Maduros vice president since 2018, overseeing much of Venezuelas oil-dependent economy as well as its feared intelligence service.

On Saturday, Venezuelas high court ordered her to assume the role of interim president.

'Shes essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,' Trump told reporters of Rodriguez, who faced US sanctions during Trumps first administration for her role in undermining Venezuelan democracy.

Join the debate Does secret US deals for regime change in Venezuela betray democratic values or serve global justice?

The New York Times, citing a Venezuelan official, reported on Sunday that the death toll from the US raid on Maduro's compound in Caracas stood at 80 and was expected to rise

Maduro was transported to New York, where he will be tried on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges

At 4:21am (9.21am GMT) on Saturday morning, President Donald Trump sent a message on his Truth Social platform: the US had carried out a daring mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

The mission - dubbed 'Operation Absolute Resolve' - came as a surprise, but according to sources close with the matter, planning for one of the most complex US operations in recent memory had been in the works for months and included detailed rehearsals.

The Pentagon has overseen a massive military buildup of forces in the Caribbean, sending an aircraft carrier, 11 warships and more than a dozen F-35 aircraft.

In total, more than 15,000 troops have poured into the region for what US officials have long described as anti-drug operations.

According to one of the sources, Trump senior aide Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe formed a core team working on the issue for months with regular - sometimes daily - meetings and phone calls.

They often also met with the president.

Elite US troops, including the Army's Delta Force, created an exact replica of Maduro's safe house and practiced how they would enter the strongly fortified residence.

The CIA also had an asset close to Maduro who would monitor his movements and was poised to pinpoint his exact location as the operation unfolded.

Late on Friday night and into early Saturday, Trump and his advisers huddled as a number of US aircraft took off and carried out strikes against targets inside and close to Caracas, including air defense systems.

The operation involved more than 150 aircraft launched from 20 bases around the Western Hemisphere, including F-35 and F-22 jets, and B-1 bombers.

'We had a fighter jet for every possible situation,' Trump told Fox News Channel's 'Fox & Friends'.

Sources have told Reuters the Pentagon had also quietly moved into the region refueling air tankers, drones and aircraft specializing in electronic jamming.

Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are walked to a helicopter to be flown to court in New York on Monday

Law enforcement officials secure the area around the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse, where Maduro and his wife will hear charges

With the strikes taking place, US Special Forces made their way into Caracas heavily armed, including with a blowtorch in case they had to cut through steel doors at Maduro's location.

Around 1am EST Saturday, troops arrived at Maduro's compound in downtown Caracas while being fired upon.

One of the helicopters was hit, but still able to fly.

Social media videos posted by residents showed a convoy of helicopters flying over the city at low altitude.

Once they reached Maduro's safe house the troops, along with FBI agents, made their way into the residence, which Trump described as a 'very highly guarded ... fortress'.

'They just broke in, and they broke into places that were not really able to be broke into, you know, steel doors that were put there for just this reason,' Trump said. 'They got taken out in a matter of seconds.'

Once the troops were inside the safe house, Maduro and his wife surrendered. Trump said the Venezuelan leader had tried to reach a safe room but was unable to close the door.

'He got bum rushed so fast that he didn't get into that,' Trump said.

Some US forces were hit, Trump said, but none were killed.

'Over the weeks through Christmas and New Year, the men and women of the United States military sat ready, patiently waiting for the right triggers to be met and the president to order us into action,' General Dan Caine, the nation's highest-ranking military officer, told a news conference on Saturday morning.

While Venezuela has not confirmed how many people were killed during the US raid on Maduro's compound in Caracas, the New York Times, citing a Venezuelan official, reported on Sunday that the death toll stood at 80 and was expected to rise.

According to the Miami Herald, Rodriguez taking power was one of two options presented to the White House by the Qatari mediators.

Venezuela's captured President Nicolas Maduro is led in custody from a US federal airplane, at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, US, January 3, 2026

The other option was Miguel Rodriguez Torres, a retired general who is currently in exile.

The proposals for 'Madurismo without Maduro' were delivered to the White House by Richard Grenell, one of Trumps special envoys, who met the ousted Maduro in January last year.

An initial plan presented in April called on Maduro to step down, remain in his country, and give American companies access to Venezuelan oil.

In exchange, the White House would drop criminal charges against the Venezuelan leader and Rodriguez would take his place.

But that proposal was rejected, with Rubio arguing that the US wouldn't accept anything other than regime change.

In September, another proposal was suggested, which involved Rodriguez heading a transitional government while the president sought exile in Qatar or Turkey.

But the White House rejected this proposal too, believing the regimes criminal structures would be repackaged under new leadership.

'The "cartel lite" was not a viable option,' one source said.

Over recent weeks intermediaries have been persuading the Trump administration that Rodriguez would protect and champion future American energy investments in Venezuela.

'Ive been watching her career for a long time, so I have some sense of who she is and what shes about,' one senior US official, referring to Rodriguez, told the New York Times.

'Im not claiming that shes the permanent solution to the countrys problems, but shes certainly someone we think we can work at a much more professional level than we were able to do with him,' the official added, referring to Maduro.

A lawyer educated in Britain and France, 56-year-old Rodriguez has a long history of representing the revolution started by the late Hugo Chavez on the world stage.

She and her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, head of the Maduro-controlled National Assembly, have sterling leftist credentials born from tragedy.

Their father was a socialist leader who died in police custody in the 1970s, a crime that shook many activists of the era, including a young Maduro.

Unlike many in Maduros inner circle, the Rodriguez siblings have avoided criminal indictment in the US.

Rodriguez developed strong ties with Republicans in the oil industry and on Wall Street who balked at the notion of US-led regime change.

Among her past interlocutors were Blackwater founder Erik Prince and, more recently, Richard Grenell, a Trump special envoy who tried to negotiate a deal with Maduro for greater US influence in Venezuela.

Donald Trump warned that Colombia may be the next country to face a military operation, while clarifying that the US is 'in charge' of Venezuela after deposing Nicolas Maduro

Trump said on Saturday that Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, had neither the support nor the respect within Venezuela to become its leader.

She is the most vocal of the country's opposition leaders and was this year the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Declaring that the US will 'run' Venezuela until a 'safe, proper and judicious transition' can be ensured, Trump sidelined Machado, saying she 'doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country' needed to run the country.

Maduro is set to appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday to face narco-terrorism charges.

The ousted president and his wife are set to appear at the hearing scheduled for 12:00pm EST (5pm GMT) before US District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein.

It is unclear if either had obtained lawyers, or if they would enter pleas.

The US has deemed Maduro an illegitimate dictator since he declared victory in a 2018 election marred by allegations of massive irregularities.

His capture marks Washington's most controversial intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama 37 years ago.

Prosecutors say Maduro is the kingpin of a cartel of Venezuelan political and military officials who have conspired for decades with drug trafficking groups and US-designated terrorist organisations to flood the US with thousands of tons of cocaine.

Maduro was first indicted in 2020 as part of a long-running narcotics trafficking case against current and former Venezuelan officials and Colombian guerrillas.

In a new indictment unsealed Saturday, prosecutors allege that Maduro personally oversaw a state-sponsored cocaine trafficking network that partnered with some of the world's most violent and prolific drug trafficking groups, including Mexicos Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, the Colombian paramilitary group FARC and the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

'As Venezuela's President and now de-facto ruler, Maduro allows cocaine-fueled corruption to flourish for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of his ruling regime, and for the benefit of his family members,' according to the indictment filed by prosecutors from the US Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York.

Trump warned Colombia could be the next country to face a military operation, calling the its leftist President Gustavo Petro a 'sick man' who 'likes making cocaine' after threatening Petro to 'watch his a**.'

'Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long,' Trump said on Sunday while travelling on Air Force One.

When asked whether the US would pursue a military operation against the country, Trump bluntly replied: 'It sounds good to me.'

Petro hit back at Trump in a fiery social media post, after the US president accused him of being a drug trafficker.

'Stop slandering me, Mr Trump,' Petro said in a lengthy post on X.

'Thats not how you threaten a Latin American president who emerged from the armed struggle and then from the people of Colombias fight for Peace.'

In a later social media post Sunday, Petro added: 'Friends do not bomb.'
Kim Jong-un has taken another step towards preparing his country for nuclear war by testing 'cutting-edge' ballistic missiles after Trump's capture of Nicolas Maduro.

The North Korean leader was seen puffing on a cigarette in the company of top officials as a rocket soared into the early morning sky near Pyongyang.

Seoul and Tokyo reported yesterday they had detected the launch of two hypersonic missiles - marking the country's first ballistic missile test of the year.

Kim said the trial showed 'the readiness of the DPRK's (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) nuclear forces', the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The dictator added: 'Important achievements have been recently made in putting our nuclear forces on a practical basis and preparing them for an actual war.'

Pyongyang's activity, he said, was 'aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a high-developed basis'.

The test took place just hours before South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung headed to Beijing for a summit.

Lee said he hoped to use his visit to harness China's clout over North Korea to improve Seoul's ties with Pyongyang.

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, leader Kim Jong Un, center, inspects test-flights of hypersonic missiles, in Pyongyang, North Korea

Kim (right) could be seen puffing on a cigarette as he watched the test - the first of the year from North Korea

Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept

Kim justified the testing by referring to Washington's weekend capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

He said: 'Why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events.'

The astonishing nighttime capture of Maduro from his own bed represents a nightmare scenario for North Korea's leadership, which has long feared a so-called 'decapitation strike'.

Kim's regime has consistently accused Washington of seeking to remove it from power.

Pyongyang condemned President Trump's operation yesterday as a 'serious encroachment of sovereignty' that 'clearly confirms once again the rogue and brutal nature of the US'.

North Korea has for decades justified its nuclear and missile programmes as a deterrent against alleged regime change efforts by Washington.

Hong Min, an analyst at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for National Unification, said Sunday's launch could be 'interpreted as a message signalling that Pyongyang possesses a war deterrent and nuclear capabilities, unlike Venezuela'.

He pointed to state media reports that Kim had visited a facility involved in making tactical guided weapons.

Hong said this 'demonstrated a capability to launch more precise strikes than existing multiple rocket launchers from various platforms, including air and ground'.

North Korea's new weapon system using hypersonic missiles was first tested in October.

Maduro, pictured with his wife Flores in 2019, was serving his third presidential term when the pair was captured by US forces

An explosion rocks Caracas in the early hours of Saturday morning during a US military operation which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept.

They have been deployed to deadly effect last year on cities in Ukraine by Russia, with whom North Korea has deepened ties in recent years, and by Iran against Israel.

The US launched large-scale strikes on Venezuela early on Saturday morning in a ploy to capture President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

Explosions were seen ripping across Caracas during the daring raid, with Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek Saab insisting 'innocents' had been 'mortally wounded' by the US operation.

Maduro and Flores arrived in New York on Saturday afternoon, having been apprehended by a unit of elite Delta Force soldiers.

He and his wife have since been flown to court via helicopter on Monday to face drug charges that could see them executed.
Despite fallout from the expenses scandal and Bondi, Labor still holds a 5446 lead in the latest Resolve poll, but Anthony Albanese's ratings have slumped.

A special national poll, conducted after the Bondi attacks on December 1720 from a sample of 1,010, gave Labor a 5446 lead by respondent preferences, a one-point gain for the Coalition since the regular early December Resolve poll.

Primary votes were 32 per cent to Labor (down three), 28 per cent Coalition (up two), 16 per cent One Nation (up two), 12 per cent Greens (up one), 8 per cent independents (steady) and 4 per cent others (down two) in the Nine newspapers poll.

Albanese's net approval slumped 15 points to -9, the lowest it has been in this poll since the May election, with 49 per cent giving him a poor rating and 40 per cent a good rating. Sussan Ley's net approval also fell seven points to -4.

There had been stories about the expenses scandal in the week before the Bondi attacks, and a Morgan poll had Labor dropping on the expenses scandal.

It's not clear whether Albanese and Labor were damaged by the expenses, Bondi or both.

By 4629, respondents in Resolve thought the federal government's response to Bondi was weak rather than strong. By 3730, they thought social cohesion was good rather than poor.

By 729, respondents thought there had been a rise in racism in Australia as a result of the Israel-Gaza conflict. By 5513, they thought there had been more antisemitism than Islamophobia in recent months.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured with wife Jodie Haydon) has suffered a 15 point net approval drop since the terror attack at Bondi Beach

On gun laws, 76 per cent wanted them to be toughened, 10 per cent kept as they are and just 6 per cent thought they should be relaxed. Four of five proposals for toughening gun laws had over 80 per cent support, with 'restrict gun licences to Australian citizens' the exception at 72 per cent support.

Asked to pick two priorities for the government, 49 per cent selected preventing terrorism, 45 per cent tackling crime generally, 35 per cent restricting access to guns, 33 per cent preventing extremism, 29 per cent tackling antisemitism and 26 per cent tackling hate speech.

By 669, respondents thought Australia needs stronger laws to ban hate speech on the basis of religion and faith. The most popular proposal for tackling antisemitism was tougher immigration screening to identify antisemitic views (767 support).

Holding a Royal Commission was at 4817 support.

In the small New South Wales subsample of around 300 voters, Labor Premier Chris Minns' net likeability jumped eight points since November to +22.

Morgan released its November 17 to December 14 national poll. For the last week, December 814 with a one-week sample of 1,574, Labor's lead dropped to 54.545.5 by respondent preferences, a 1.5-point gain for the Coalition from weeks 13.

Primary votes were 30.5 per cent Labor (down 2.5), 27.5 per cent Coalition (up 1.5), 17 per cent One Nation (up two), 13 per cent Greens (down 0.5) and 12 per cent for all Others (down 0.5).

By 2025 election preference flows, Labor would have led by about 5347, the lowest Labor lead by this measure of any poll since the last election. A Redbridge poll suggested Labor had not been damaged by the expenses claims, but this contradicts that. Those interviews were conducted before the Bondi attacks.

A special national Resolve poll surveyed 1,010 voters after the Bondi attacks between December 17 and December 20 (pictured, the Bondi memorial)

The Australian released aggregate data for the three national Newspolls conducted between September 29 and November 20 on December 26.

The total sample size was 3,774, with Labor holding an overall 5743 lead.

These polls were taken before the expenses scandal and Bondi.

Labor led by 5842 in NSW, (a two-point gain for the Coalition since the September quarter Newspoll aggregate according to The Poll Bludger), 6040 in Victoria (a two-point gain for Labor), 5248 in Queensland (a one-point gain for Labor), 5644 in Western Australia (a two-point gain for Labor) and 5842 in South Australia (a three-point gain for Labor).

Among those without a tertiary education, primary votes were 30 per cent Labor (down two), 26 per cent Coalition (down six), 20 per cent One Nation (up nine) and 14 per cent Greens (up one), for an unchanged 5347 Labor lead.

With TAFE educated, primary votes were 35 per cent Labor (down two), 24 per cent Coalition (down one), 19 per cent One Nation (up seven) and 9 per cent Greens (steady) for a 5446 Labor lead (a three-point gain for the Coalition).

However, with the university educated, primary votes were 41 per cent Labor (up three), 26 per cent Coalition (down three), 13 per cent Greens (down two) and 6 per cent One Nation (up one), for a 6238 Labor lead (a two-point gain for Labor).

Resolve's poll of net likeability of federal politicians was taken in early December, before Bondi and the expenses scandal. Only two politicians had negative net likeability: Lidia Thorpe (-12) and Barnaby Joyce (-4).

Labor Premier Chris Minns' (pictured) net likeability has increased by eight points since November

Net likeability of prominent Labor politicians were Chris Bowen (net zero), Murray Watt (+4), Jim Chalmers (+5), Richard Marles (+6), Tony Burke (+7), Tanya Plibersek (+9) and Penny Wong (+11). David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie were on top with both at +15. Greens leader Larissa Waters was at +5.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's net likeability increased 16 points since December 2024 to +3, but was down five points since November. Joyce's net likeability was up 18 since December 2024 and up four since November. Thorpe's net likeability surged 29 points since December 2024.

Only one politician suffered a fall in net likeability since December 2024: Liberal Jacinta Price was down five points to +3.
Businesses are bracing for a record 1 billion worth of Christmas gifts to be returned to shops by ungrateful recipients this year - with others choosing to sell them online still wrapped.

An estimated 52 million presents - with an average price of 57 each - are expected to be sent back in exchange for refunds, exchanges or store credits during the post-Christmas period.

It leaves retailers whose sales skyrocketed in December in a challenging position to meet targets.

Those who returned to work on January 2 and 3 dashed to the shops in their lunchbreak or after their shifts to return gifts they were unimpressed by.

Topping the list of the most unwanted gift category in delivery expert Parcelhero's study for a second year in a row is clothing, with 39 per cent returning them to shops.

Following closely behind is footwear, which is returned by 37 per cent of giftees - jumping up from 21 per cent in 2024.

Jewellery or watches (12 per cent) and cosmetics (12 per cent) also feature prominently in unwanted gift returns.

Parcelhero's Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T., said: 'Last year, we estimated around 1.51bn of clothing, electrical goods and toys were sent back to retailers during the peak returns period.

'With sales values up by around 3 per cent this season, it's likely that around 1.55bn of items bought during November and December are now heading back to sellers.'

On eBay there are plenty of sellers listing 'job lots' - or bundles - of Christmas presents still wrapped in festive paper

An estimated 52 million presents - with an average price of 57 each - are expected to be sent back in exchange for refunds, exchanges or store credits during the post-Christmas period (stock image)

Depop is filled with listings under 'unwanted gift' with people selling Ugg boots, trainers, perfume and jewellery

Older generations who grew up with less and made do with what they had are, unsurprisingly, the least likely to return a present they don't like or want.

Almost 9 in 10 (87 per cent) of those 65 and over claimed not to have returned any gifts last Christmas.

In contrast, Gen Zers, who grew up in a world of over-consumption and now champion anti-consumerism and minimalist movements, are most likely to return presents.

Over half (53 per cent) of 18 to 24-year-olds admitted to returning at least one last Christmas.

Other tech savvy young Brits have taken to flogging them on selling sites, including eBay, Facebook Marketplace and apps popular with Gen Z like Vinted and Depop.

Searches for 'unwanted gift' on these sites bring up streams of brand new items, such as toiletry sets, Ugg boots, trainers and coffee machines.

On eBay there are plenty of sellers listing 'job lots' - or bundles - of Christmas presents still wrapped in festive paper.

However, just four days after Christmas HM Revenue & Customs warned people who were thinking about selling their unwanted gifts to double check the laws around tax.

In a post on X, it provided a link to a government information webpage and said: 'Unwanted #Christmas gifts?

'If you plan to sell your own personal items, such as used clothes or an old TV, you don't need to pay income tax on this.

'More info on additional income and the tax rules below.'

On Vinted people are selling unwanted toiletry sets and perfumes gifted to them for Christmas

A search for 'unwanted gift' on Facebook Marketplace brings up more giftsets and even coffee machines

Information on the website states that selling unwanted gifts falls under the remit of selling personal items which you do not need to tell them about and will not be taxed for.

But in the unlikely event you make more than 6000 from selling unwanted gifts, then you would have notify them as it would be taxable.

In fact, selling on presents you don't want could help out small businesses, who suffer more from Christmas returns than large companies.

If someone gifts you something from a smaller, independent business, flogging it online would allow them to keep their December profits.

Mr Jinks said 'We might want to spare a thought for Britain's specialist and small local SME sellers. The financial burden of that 1.55bn-worth of returns will fall disproportionately on many of our favourite small traders.

'Niche online companies such as specialist electronic sellers, craft shops and vintage clothing stores, thinking they were riding high on a healthy-looking profit from Black Friday and Christmas sales, suddenly find that, as the returns roll back, they are facing plunging margins and shelves bulging with now unsaleable stock.

'Compared to the "Big Boys", smaller companies lose a significant and disproportionate amount of a product's profit when a return occurs. The total cost for a return for the average marketplace trader can reach up to 66 per cent of the item's original price.

'The loss is not just the refund but also includes the costs of processing, labour, inspection and shipping. These costs can add up quickly, particularly for small businesses that don't have plenty of staff to process returns.

'Additionally, of course, products such as seasonal fashion items can lose value if they are not resold promptly.'

A few years ago, Parcelhero spoke in detail to a number of specialist sellers about the returns issue and found the final nail in the coffin for small online retailers may be that 8 per cent of shoppers admit to returning items several times a month, irrespective of whether thats to large businesses such as ASOS or niche craft stores.

The study revealed a large chunk of these returns happen in the post-Christmas period.

Around 47 per cent of all Parcelhero shipments were marked as 'returns' in the first week of last year.

Mr Jinks said: Last January, some traders told us that they were coping with return rates as high as 60 per cent following Black Friday and the pre-Christmas peak.

'Many small sellers feel that they have to accept such returns unconditionally in order to maintain their all-important five-star ratings.

'Small online marketplace traders told us returns cost them at least 13 per cent more than High Street-only stores because of the 14-day cooling off period for products bought online under 2014s Consumer Contracts Regulations.'
The identity of a Victorian serial killer who terrorised London before Jack the Ripper  and whose crimes some believe were even darker  has finally been uncovered, according to TV historian Lucy Worsley.

Nearly 140 years after dismembered female bodies were pulled from the Thames and its surrounding waterways, Ms Worsley says compelling new evidence points to a violent bargeman as the long-elusive Thames Torso Murderer.

'I think there's a very compelling case that we've got the guy,' Ms Worsley said, after reinvestigating the killings for the BBC series Lucy Worsley: Victorian Murder Club.

The murders began in 1887, a year before Jack the Ripper's reign of terror. Instead of frenzied knife attacks on darkened streets, the Thames Torso Murderer methodically dismembered his victims and scattered their remains across the capital, dumping body parts in rivers, canals and building sites.

The killer struck repeatedly and was never caught.

Ms Worsley worked alongside fellow historian Sarah Bax Horton, whose research in her book Arm of Eve proved pivotal.

Together with a team of experts, they re-examined the crimes, police records and forgotten newspaper reports, uncovering a suspect who had both the opportunity and the chilling intent.

The murderer targeted vulnerable women in late Victorian London, but Ms Worsley believes his eventual exposure came about because of the courage of two women who survived attacks and spoke out.

'It was really important to me to have visited the places where we know the remains of at least three of [his victims] are buried in their pauper graveyards,' Ms Worsley said.

Contemporary newspaper illustration of the Whitehall murder, when a torso was found on a building site destined to become Scotland Yard

The identity of a Victorian serial killer who terrorised London before Jack the Ripper  and whose crimes some believe were even darker  has finally been uncovered, according to TV historian Lucy Worsley

'That's honouring people who have got missed out of the traditional way that history's been written.'

The first killing came to light on May 11, 1887, when Edward Hughes, a lighterman working on the Thames at Rainham, spotted a package floating in the water.

Inside was a woman's lower torso. Over the following months, more body parts surfaced in the river and London's canals. The careful dissection suggested anatomical knowledge, yet the victim was never identified.

In September 1888  just weeks after Jack the Ripper's murders began in Whitechapel  another torso was discovered, this time on a building site destined to become Scotland Yard itself.

Then, in June 1889, a third victim was found. Her remains were scattered along the Thames in Battersea and across west London.

A distinctive wrist scar finally gave police a name: Elizabeth Jackson, a workhouse inmate who was heavily pregnant when she was killed.

A fourth body was discovered away from the water in Pinchin Street, Whitechapel, in September 1889. Some historians also link a fifth possible murder in Vauxhall in 1902. At the time, the case utterly baffled police.

'They did a pretty good job of analysing the body for clues,' Ms Worsley said. 'They were being really assiduous in following up all sorts of mad leads.'

Unlike Jack the Ripper, whose killings were chaotic and brutal, the Torso Murderer displayed control and precision.

Contemporary illustration of the discovery of the Pinchin Street torso. A fourth body was discovered away from the water in Pinchin Street, Whitechapel, in September 1889

Ms Worsley worked alongside Nadifa Mohamed, Dr Kate Lister and Dr Rose Wallis

Forensic pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy, who appears in the documentary, is convinced London was being stalked by two serial killers at the same time.

Ms Worsley and Bax Horton revisited long standing theories, including claims that the murderer was George Chapman  also known as Seweryn Klosowski  later hanged for poisoning three of his mistresses.

But while he was active at the right time, there was little evidence to connect him to the dismemberment murders.

The breakthrough came when Bax Horton trawled historic newspaper archives for reports of violence against women near the Thames.

One name repeatedly appeared: James Crick.

Crick was a bargeman with a known history of violence and unrestricted access to the river.

Bargemen, at the time, were often involved in sheep rustling and butchery  giving them the skills needed to dismember bodies.

In 1889, Crick offered a woman named Sarah Warburton a lift across the Thames. Once on the water, he issued a chilling threat, telling her that if she made a noise he would 'settle you as I have done other women that have been found in the Thames'.

Ms Warburton was taken to a steamboat moored under Tower Bridge, where Crick assaulted her. She fought back, striking him with a piece of iron and raising the alarm. A passing police boat intervened, and Crick was arrested.

He was convicted on the testimony of Warburton and Inspector Charles Ford, receiving a 15-year sentence, of which he served eight and a half. During his imprisonment, the torso murders stopped.

Crick later returned to river work and would have been free by the time of the suspected Vauxhall killing. He died in 1907.

Disturbingly, Ms Worsley uncovered evidence suggesting he could have been caught earlier.

In early 1889, another woman, Jessie Miller, accused Crick of attacking her. She was rescued by passing rivermen, but her account was dismissed and the case dropped.

Ms Miller never recovered, later becoming an alcoholic before dying after falling under an omnibus at the age of 43.

For Ms Worsley, the case highlights a grim continuity between the Victorian era and today.

'It's Inspector Charles Ford's backing up of Sarah Warburton in court which really puts the murderer away. Jessie wasn't believed,' she said. 'It's really frustrating that they didn't manage to get Crick sooner.'

If Ms Worsley and Bax Horton are right, the Thames Torso Murderer was hiding in plain sight all along  a violent man of the river whose crimes were overshadowed by Jack the Ripper, but whose legacy may be even more disturbing.
A minister dodged saying Donald Trump should not invade Greenland today as Keir Starmer desperately sits on the fence over the president's Venezuela raid.

Mike Tapp squirmed and said he would not give a 'running commentary' as he was grilled on the UK's view of the action - and US demands to take over Denmark's territory.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to make a statement to the Commons on the developments this afternoon.

But the PM has refused to criticise the move as he tries to avoid angering the White House, merely saying he was not 'shedding tears' for the ousting of Nicolas Maduro.

Mr Trump authorised the operation in the South American country on Saturday which culminated in special forces capturing Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

It has emerged that Operation Absolute Resolve may have killed 40 people, including almost all of Maduro's security team, but there were no US fatalities.

The US President has vowed to 'run' the oil-rich country in the meantime  a move which has been widely condemned by other nations.

Mike Tapp squirmed and said he would not give a 'running commentary' as he was grilled on the UK's view of the action in Venezuela - and US demands to take over Denmark's territory

Keir Starmer is desperately sitting on the fence over Donald Trump's Venezuela operation today amid mounting Labour anger

But the PM has refused to criticise the move as he tries to avoid angering Mr Trump (pictured centre), merely saying he was not 'shedding tears' for the ousting of Maduro

Foreign Affairs Committee chair Emily Thornberry has become the most senior figure to urge clarity

However, Sir Keir is under mounting pressure from his own MPs to lay out the UK's position.

Foreign Affairs Committee chair Emily Thornberry has become the most senior figure to urge clarity.

Dame Emily stressed that she was not shedding tears for Maduro and 'he shouldn't have been there' after losing elections.

But she said there was no legal justification for the US action.

'I'm not in government. I can basically say it as it is,' she told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour.

'I think in the end there is no getting away from it - this is not a legal action.

She added: 'He may well want to hear what the justification is from the American government. I can get in front of that and say I literally cannot think of anything that would be a proper justification.'

Dame Emily said Sir Keir should join with allies such as France and Germany to criticise the US move.

'I think that it's important that we make it clear that this is unacceptable,' she added.

Mr Tapp dodged on the UK's view as he toured broadcast studios this morning.

'The British government is and will be in conversations with the Americans,' he said.

'We're also talking with close allies looking at the legal aspect of this.'

Mr Trump has suggested that Venezuela may not be the last country subject to American intervention, telling the Atlantic magazine: 'We do need Greenland, absolutely.'

But Mr Tapp seemed unwilling to give a full-throated rebuttal of the US president's desire to take over Greenland, which is a territory of Denmark, a Nato ally of both Britain and America.

Join the debate Should the UK speak out more strongly when allies break international law, even at diplomatic risk?

Mr Trump authorised the operation in the South American country on Saturday which culminated in special forces capturing Maduro (pictured last year) and his wife Cilia Flores

Richard Burgon is among the Labour MPs calling for Sir Keir to condemn the US action

He told Sky that Venezuela and Greenland were 'obviously different' situations, but suggested it was for Denmark and the US to discuss, adding: 'It's for Nato to have that solid anchor to ensure that there is no division here.'

Repeatedly challenged to say that America should not invade Greenland, Mr Tapp said: 'Diplomacy is delicate, which means we're not here to give a running commentary in the news unfortunately, as much as that would be fantastic for for viewers and on Twitter.

'But it's the end results that matter. And working together with our allies and sticking to international laws is what we stand for as a country.'

Asked on Saturday whether he would condemn the military action in Venezuela, Sir Keir said he wanted to wait to 'establish the facts' and speak to Mr Trump, and later insisted the UK would 'shed no tears' over the end of Maduro's regime.

Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside Kim Johnson questioned whether 'we as a country still stand for international law and sovereignty', while Leeds East Labour MP Richard Burgon described the Prime Minister's statement as 'shameful and reckless'.
Fagin-style gangs are recruiting children from care homes to go shoplifting, a senior police officer has warned.

Children as young as four have been caught stealing from stores on behalf of organised crime groups, in a grim modern twist on the street urchin pickpockets depicted in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist.

Assistant Chief Constable Tom Harding, of the College of Policing, said it was a challenge for police forces to target crime bosses 'further up the chain', rather than those being made to do their dirty work.

'The incredibly sad thing is those who often commit the initial offence have been identified as children in care who have been tasked to commit offences,' he told Professor Emmeline Taylor's Retail Crime Uncovered podcast.

'We clearly know that people with substance abuse issues are incredibly vulnerable and also commit these offences.

'Then when you see further up the chain those organised individuals who have no care in the world but themselves - so how do we prosecute them and take them out of business?'

Shoplifting levels have doubled since the pandemic and rocketed by 20 per cent since Labour came into power.

Police closed 295,589 shoplifting cases without identifying a suspect in 2024-25 - the equivalent of officers shelving 810 cases a day.

Children as young as four have been caught stealing from stores on behalf of organised crime groups, in a grim modern twist on the pickpockets in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist

Shops and eateries in Eltham, south-east London, are being plagued by groups of feral children calling themselves the 'pigeon boys'. One of the shops targeted is a Subway (pictured)

Two boys who have caused trouble in recent months are pictured at the Subway in November

Figures uncovered last month by the Lib Dems showed the number of shoplifting investigations being closed without a suspect identified has soared by 65 per cent compared to five years ago when 178,906 shoplifting offences went unsolved.

Last year, fewer than one in five (19 per cent) shoplifting cases led to a suspect being charged or summoned, while 55 per cent of cases were closed without a suspect being identified.

And separate Office for National Statistics figures reveal that between April 2024 and March 2025, police recorded 530,643 shoplifting offences - the equivalent of one a minute.

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, has accused Labour of letting thieves 'walk free'.

'Shoplifting has increased by more than 10 per cent to record levels under Labour,' he said.

'We need 10,000 more police patrolling hot spots and live facial recognition used to catch and imprison prolific offenders. Then shoplifting will start to fall.'

It follows reports about a gang of feral children causing chaos in Eltham, a middle-class suburb of south-east London.

Shops and eateries in the area claim the so-called 'pigeon boys' have been wreaking havoc for several months, but say they are powerless to stop them.

Over the last few months, businesses on the High Street and an adjourning pedestrianised area, Passey Place, have fallen victim to a wave of anti-social behaviour which has left locals and shop owners at breaking point.

Shockingly, the alleged suspects are thought to be aged around 10 to 12, according to locals.

Shoppers and business owners alike say 'the High Street has never been like this' as they grow increasingly concerned about the children as well as masked teenagers racing up and down on e-scooters and e-bikes.

They also claimed street drinkers are offering young children drugs in return for shoplifting for them.

A photo of a suspected shoplifter in a John Lewis store in Cambridge

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The Tories have vowed to bring in 'hotspot patrolling' in an attempt to tacke some of the UK's worst crime-hit neighbourhoods.

The party has identified 2,000 areas across the UK where crimes such as theft, possession of weapons and anti-social behaviour are most likely to occur.

These locations represent just 5 per cent of the country but 25 per cent of violent crime.

Under the plans, dedicated officers would be deployed in pairs for the 40 highest-risk hours of each week in each crime hotspot, and would patrol every week of the year.

This would eventually see 5,500 officers delivering 8.3million patrol hours annually, with the Tories forecasting that 35,000 crimes would be prevented.

It comes days after the Mail identified a shoplifter who hit at least three jewellery shops in the UK as an international fraudster who stole more than 168,000 from American retailers before continuing her crimewave in Britain.

Legenda Rostas, 30, and an accomplice were responsible for a distraction burglary this summer that saw almost 7,000 of cash, silver and a Rolex watch that forced an independent jeweller to close down.

At Swindon Crown Court the Romanian national - who appeared via video link from a prison cell - was jailed for just eight weeks and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of 154.

None of the stolen items have been recovered and it's understood no order has been made for her deportation once she is released from prison.

Her alleged accomplice Ivan Rostas, 52, had already fled the country and was not charged.

Legenda Rostas and her accomplice Ivan Rostas, 52, were part of an Eastern European 'Bonnie & Clyde' crimewave that hit at least three jewellers in the UK

CCTV from two other similar incidents in jewellery shops appeared to show the same pair using distraction techniques and sleight of hand to get away with valuables.

The Mail revealed that before coming to Britain, Rostas were jailed for two years in the US for a scam involving Visa gift cards.

A Government spokesman said: 'We are determined to tackle the unacceptable levels of shop theft, and we are seeing real progress.

'Charges for shop theft are up 25%, showing this crime is finally being taken seriously, and the sharp increases seen in previous years slowed in the year ending June 2025.

'By spring, an extra 3,000 neighbourhood officers will be back on our streets. In the meantime, our Winter of Action is targeting shop theft and antisocial behaviour during a peak retail period.'
Ten people who spread 'malicious' claims France's First Lady Brigitte Macron was born a man have been found guilty of cyberbullying.

A Paris court handed the defendants suspended prison sentences of up to eight months for the 'particularly degrading and insulting' comments about Mrs Macron, who is married to French president Emmanuel Macron.

Eight men and two women, aged 41 to 65, were accused of posting 'numerous' false claims that she was born a man and linking their 24year age gap to paedophilia.

Mrs Macron did not attend the twoday trial, which was held in October.

Speaking on TF1 national television yesterday, she said she launched legal proceedings to 'set an example' against harassment after some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.

Her daughter, Tiphaine Auziere, testified about what she described as the 'deterioration' of her mother's life since the online harassment intensified.

'She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her,' Ms Auziere told the court.

Ms Auziere said the impact had extended to the entire family, including Macron's grandchildren.

Ten people who spread claims France's first lady Brigitte Macron was born a man have been found guilty of cyberbullying

Mr and Mrs Macron, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. The couple are pictured at the Elysee Palace in Paris, last month

Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who styles herself online as fortune teller Amandine Roy, is considered to have played a major role in spreading the rumour after she released a fourhour video on her YouTube channel in 2021.

She was handed a sixmonth prison sentence.

The X account of Aurelien PoirsonAtlan, 41, known as Zoe Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited in several judicial investigations.

PoirsonAtlan was given an eightmonth suspended prison sentence.

Other defendants included an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist.

Several told the court their comments were intended as humour or satire and said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted.

The case follows years of conspiracy theories alleging Brigitte Macron was born under the name JeanMichel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother.

The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.

The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens (pictured)

Mr and Mrs Macron, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher.

Brigitte Macron, 24 years her husband's senior, was then called Brigitte Auziere, a married mother of three.

Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been France's president since 2017.

In November, Candace Owens claimed the French government was plotting to kill her after the Macrons announced their defamation case.

The provocateur took to X to push the claim that the French president and first lady had orchestrated and funded an assassination plot against her  while also supposedly threatening French journalist Xavier Poussard.

Owens, 36, and Poussard have been loudly promoting the conspiracy theory that Ms Macron, 72, was born male.

Owens claimed to have been told of the couple's plans by a 'highranking employee of the French Government'.

She declined to name who this person was or how they would have access to such information.

'After determining this person's position and proximity to the French couple, I have deemed the information they gave me to be credible enough to share publicly in the event that something happens,' the motheroffour said.

She claimed the French official had 'concrete proof' of the assassination plans, though refused to let her followers in on the evidence.
Senior Labour figured have reacted with joy after Sir Keir Starmer signalled his biggest Brexit reversal to date.

The Prime Minister yesterday said he would be willing to align the UK with Brussels' single market 'in the national interest', despite a Labour manifesto vow not to.

At the same time Sir Keir insisted he would not allow a return to reciprocal freedom of movement of people between the UK and EU, despite it being a key tenet of the scheme.

Opposition leaders including Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage vowed to fight any attempt to unravel the agreement made in 2019, with the Reform leader branding it a 'a breach of good faith with Labour voters'.

But Pro-EU Labour figures were jubilant. In response to Mr Farage Trade Minister Chris Bryant said: 'If memory serves me, most of those who argued for Brexit said ''of course we wouldn't leave the single market''.

And Oliver Ryan, the MP for Burnley, said: 'I'm yet to speak to an exporting mass-employing business in my constituency who doesn't want this done urgently!

'Absolutely the right thing to do.'

Luke Charters, the MP for York Outer, added: The PM is absolutely right to consider this.

'People want a cheaper weekly shop and fewer barriers to running their businesses. Not the tired old Brexit theatrics pushed by Farage and co.

'If closer alignment with the Single Market helps deliver that, its a no-brainer.'

Pro-EU Labour figures were jubilant after the PM's words in a BBC interview

Sir Keir told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: 'I think we should get closer, and if it's in our national interest to have even closer alignment with the single market, then we should consider that, we should go that far.

'We're already aligning on energy, reconnecting to energy in Europe on emissions, but I think the single market further alignment, as I say, if it's in our interest to do so, we should take that step.'

Sir Keir did appear to pour cold water on suggestions the UK should re-join a customs union with the bloc after his Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the arrangement had 'enormous economic benefits'.

Asked whether he would be willing to revisit freedom of movement, allowing EU citizens with no limit to come to the UK, he said: 'No, but we are looking at a youth mobility scheme which will be for young people to travel, to work, to enjoy themselves in different European countries, to have that experience.'

He also lashed out at 'the falsehoods peddled by Nigel Farage and others' during the Brexit referendum in 2016 and insisted his Government was 'quietly, seriously getting on with diplomacy' instead of 'the politics of melodrama'.

But Mrs Badenoch suggested his backtracking showed his precarious position in the opinion polls.

'It is a sign of Keir Starmer's total weakness that he has started the year trying to reopen the old Brexit wounds,' the Conservative leader said.

'Instead of signing Britain up to EU rules we have no say over, Starmer should focus on cutting spending, cutting taxes, bringing down the benefits bill and getting Britain working again.'

Join the debate Will closer ties to the EU help or hurt hardworking Britons in their daily lives?

Mrs Badenoch suggested Sir Keir's backtracking showed his precarious position in the opinion polls

Mr Farage added: 'Starmer's Brexit betrayal is a breach of good faith with Labour voters'

Mr Farage added: 'Starmer's Brexit betrayal is a breach of good faith with Labour voters.

'His tying of us to crazy EU Net Zero policies and carbon taxes will continue the de-industrialisation of the UK and increase the cost of living. We will fight Starmer every step of the way.'

The Liberal Democrats said the Government had been 'too timid' in its ambitions for closer ties with Brussels and was merely 'tinkering around the edges' as they reiterated calls for a UK-EU customs union.

Party leader Sir Ed Davey said: 'This year, the Prime Minister must finally get a grip on the cost-of-living crisis by negotiating an EU-UK customs union, to boost growth and put money back in people's pockets.'
Migrant members of an 'infamous' gang accused of $35 million fraud in Paraguay win reprieve against deportation from Britain after telling the court they might be harmed in prison

The pair of Paraguayan gang members, who are 'no ordinary prisoners', have won an appeal on human rights grounds against an immigration tribunal that ordered their extradition to Paraguay.

The 'high profile' migrants, who are a divorced couple, claimed they would be at risk of violence from other prisoners because their crimes are so well known in the country.

They also said that they were both too medically unwell to be extradited because they would not be able to receive the correct medical care.

The couple cannot be named for legal reasons but were referred to as EG and MS.

They moved to the UK in 2007 and were once a married couple, it was heard.

After criminal proceedings were launched against them in Paraguay in June 2012 and an Interpol notice was subsequently issued, the couple were arrested in London in 2015.

MS, the name assigned to one of the couple was to be held in Tacumbu prison in Asuncion (prison is pictured), the capital of Paraguay, in a separate unit away from the general population

They were accused in Paraguay of money laundering and defrauding a state-run pension fund of $35 million.

In 2016 the extradition matter came before Westminster Magistrates' Court, where the issue was found to be whether the prison they would be held in pending a trial would breach their human rights.

MS was to be held in Tacumbu prison in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, in a separate unit away from the general population, and EG would be held in a women's prison.

This was found to be adequate, and the extraditions were passed to the Home Office to be processed.

The migrants appealed the decision in 2017, and they were heard in the First-tier Tribunal, but they were dismissed on human rights grounds.

In 2021, they made new representations to the Home Office, stating that there was a higher level of violence in prisons in Paraguay, the level of healthcare had diminished, and the health of the couple had deteriorated.

They were refused leave to remain despite appealing the decision on another two occasions.

They have now appealed again to the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber and have won a reprieve against their extradition.

They divorced pair have now appealed again to the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber (pictured) and have won a reprieve against their extradition

EG has significant medical issues because she has previously suffered from breast and skin cancer, as well as having chronic asthma, for which she needs both preventative and relieving inhalers.

A medical report explained that a failure to comply with that treatment regime, or patchy compliance, could lead to an acute asthma attack within weeks.

She also has severe mental health issues and suffers from PTSD, depression, anxiety and has self-harmed in the past.

Her prison in Paraguay made assurances that EG's medical needs would be met, but this was challenged by an expert - who said there is a 'real risk' she would not have access to the required medication.

MS has also suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure.

The experts on prisons agreed that he would be under the same constraints as EG for access to medication.

The prison also claimed to be able to cope with the security challenges that EG would face, being a 'notorious' criminal.

They said she would be placed in a senior citizen ward, with just 22 other inmates, with its own backyard and high security requirements.

A prisons expert visited the prison in 2023 and said that the ward no longer existed because, during the Covid pandemic, it was used as a place to house infected prisoners.

Justice Charles Bourne said: 'Further, evidence had been presented to the Tribunal that this risk had a particular character in Buen Pastor.

'EG is infamous in Paraguay for her alleged involvement in stealing $35 million. The evidence presented by [a country expert] to the Tribunal highlighted two classes of prisoners who would be likely to have a particular interest in her for that reason.

'The first are high-ranking members of the EPP, a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group, whose modus operandi has included kidnap for ransom in order to fund their insurgency.

'The other are members of Clan Rotela, a Paraguayan organised crime group who had, in the hiatus between the Divisional Court hearing and the First-tier Tribunal appeal, consolidated their ascendancy by driving out Brazilian-based rivals.

'The expert evidence was to the effect that either one of these groups could cause EG harm if they could get access to her. None of it is addressed in the decision.

'We are satisfied that this was evidence of a different order from the general threat of violence considered by previous tribunals.

'Indeed, that would also seem to have been the view of the Secretary of State when she decided to treat EG's further submissions as a 'fresh' claim. The failure to engage with that evidence was therefore a further error in approach.'

MS was also found to be at risk of experiencing violence in Tacumbu prison.

This prison was found to fall below the standards on Article 3, and he would be at risk of extortion and threat because of the allegation that he had stolen large amounts of money.

Although the prison had made assurances in 2016 that he would be placed in a special unit called the Libertad, the ruling group of the prison had changed hands and was now run by a 'violent narco-trafficking gang'.

Justice Bourne said: 'It has always been accepted that the conditions in which the general population live in Tacumbu prison fall below Article 3 standards. It has always been accepted that MS was no ordinary prisoner.

'The crime that he has been accused of has gained him significant notoriety in Paraguay, and this gave rise to specific concerns in his case.'
A teacher has been left devastated after burglars ransacked her family home and stole their beloved Yorkshire Terrier Poodle.

Eliz Yusuf, 26, had to jet home from Japan, where she had been teaching, to comfort her mother after their home was raided, with thieves taking diamonds, gold coins, medals, and most importantly, her dog - Simba.

Ms Yusuf was given Simba, nine, as a present for her 16th birthday and is willing to pay the burglars to bring him home safe.

'He means the world to me. Simba was a present from my father 10 years ago,' she said.

The pale tan dog was stolen from their house in leafy Palmers Green, north London, on December 16. Ms Yusuf reported the robbery to police.

The English teacher added: 'Honestly, I'd say that our lives have been turned upside down. This has been truly devastating for all of us.

'We just want him back with us. He's been such a big part of my life since I was 16.'

She added that she is not demanding an explanation, but simply asking for him back because he is a senior dog who needs to be at home.

Ms Yusuf was given Simba, nine, as present for her 16th birthday and is willing to pay the burglars to bring him home safe (Pictured: Eliz Yusuf and her dog Simba)

Talking directly to the burglars, she said: 'I will pay you, please just return Simba safely.'

But nearly three weeks on they have had no positive news and no leads as to where their adored pet is.

Ms Yusuf's friend Elle Mac said: 'I hope you get him back. It's a horrible thing for anyone to do. It's like stealing a baby.'

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'Detectives are investigating a reported burglary at a house in Meadowcroft Close, Enfield which occurred on Thursday, 18 December.

'It is believed that the victims were not at the property when the incident occurred.

'When they returned home they discovered that a number of items were missing  including a safe, jewellery and their pet dog.

'While no arrests have been made at this stage, the investigation continues at pace.

'Officers are asking for those with information  particularly doorbell footage  to contact police via 101, quoting 01/8336917/25.'
Donald Trump has declared the US will run Venezuela after an operation over the weekend saw the capture of its president Nicolas Maduro.

Mr Maduro is due to appear in New York court today after he was flown to America and indicted alongside his wife on charges of 'narco-terrorism'.

His removal is seen as the most assertive US intervention to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and followed months of pressure from Washington.

Widespread protests followed Mr Maduro's apparent victory in the 2024 presidential election, amid accusations that electoral fraud led to him retaining power.

He was also accused of human rights abuses and corruption - but do you think the US was right to take over running the country? Have your say in our latest poll.

In our last poll, Mail readers were asked: 'Should the Government scale down the rights of children with less severe special needs?' Out of more than 10,000 votes, 80 per cent of you said 'yes' and 20 per cent said 'no'.
Three Australians have detailed how a plan to 'scare' an underworld figure into paying a debt turned into an alleged bloodbath at a luxurious villa in Bali.

Mevlut Coskun, Paea I Middlemore Tupou and Darcy Francesco Jenson fronted a Balinese court on Monday following the alleged assassination of Zivan Radmanovic and injury of Sanar Ghanim on June 14.

Prosecutors claimed Ghanim was shot six times while Radmanovic was beaten with a sledgehammer before being fatally shot. Both men have links to Melbourne's underworld.

They had been staying at a villa in the area of Munggu with their partners, with Radmanovic's wife, Jazmyn, was celebrating her 30th birthday.

Coskun and Tupou are accused of using a sledgehammer to break into the villa under the cover of darkness and attack Ghanim and Radmanovic while Jenson allegedly kept lookout.

Jenson is also accused of organising the logistics of the trip in the months before the alleged attack - including accommodation, car hires and scooter rentals.

All three men were arrested in the days after the alleged shooting as they tried to flee the country.

Mevlut Coskun, 22, on Monday told the court about his life in Sydney and why he was willing to get involved in the shady job that was supposedly about collecting a debt.

Mevlut Coskun, Paea I Middlemore Tupou and Darcy Francesco Jenson have recounted the night of June 14 (pictured is Paea I Middlemore Tupou, left, and Mevlut Coskun, right)

The three Australians are accused of killing Zivan Radmanovic (pictured with his wife, Jazmyn)

Coskun told the court he is a 'hard worker' who does landscaping.

'I work every day. At this point of time, I was looking to get engaged with my partner, so I needed money. I live with my father. He's got a broken back. He can't work and I've got five siblings in school.

'My main source of income was for my house and I couldn't really save for my future,' he said.

Coskun claimed the alleged plot to travel to Bali was suggested to him by a 'friend'.

'My friend said there is opportunity in Bali. I asked, 'What kind of work is it?',' he told the court.

'It was prompt. I was sent a username on an app called Threema. I was told by my friend, there's an opportunity to collect money from someone that owes his friend.'

Despite having allegedly accepted the debt collection job, Coskun claimed he had received no payment.

'At this moment, I haven't received any money,' Coskun said.

Coskun and Tupou are accused of killing Radmanovic and injuring Sanar Ghanim while Jenson (pictured in white shirt) allegedly stood watch outside the men's villa in Bali

Ghanim (pictured) was shot six times while Radmanovic was beaten with a sledgehammer before being fatally shot

Coskun said he paid for his own lawyer 'because of what happened to the guy that is deceased, unfortunately'.

When asked for the identity of the person Coskun's 'friend' put him in touch with, the 22-year-old said he didn't know him.

'I don't know anything about him,' he said.

'All I know is my friend told me that this is a guy you don't say no to.

'He promised me a holiday - not a holiday but a short relaxation for five days and go warn this guy to pay up. Pay money.

'The guy I came to warn was Sanar Ghanim.'

Coskun claimed he didn't understand the extent of the plot against Ghanim and Radmanovic until he was too deeply involved with dangerous people.

'Before I came to Bali I sent my passport to this person. He has my address, everything,' Coskun said. 'I was told by my friend that you cannot say no.'

The three Australians claimed they didn't intend for the incident at the villa to turn deadly (pictured, the crime scene)

On the night of the alleged hit, Coskun claimed he and his co-accused were told to retrieve a bag of guns from an isolated spot near the villa where their alleged targets were staying.

'When I was in Bali, I was getting tattooed and I got a message from the guy telling me and Tupou to come back (to the villa).

'Around 20 metres, near the rice field next to the villa, there was a photo of guns in a bag. I took the bag, which I was instructed to do, and got back to the villa. From there... What do I do? I'm already in too deep.

'He has my passport, my family'.

Coskun ended his testimony with an apology to the alleged victims and a claim that he did not fatally shoot anyone.

'What I've done is not okay and I'm ashamed of what I've done to Sanar Ghanim,' he said.

'But I had never stepped foot into the deceased victim's room. I'm sorry to the family, that person was never supposed to die.

'I never shot him. I never shot Zivan. I never was in the room. I shot Sanar Ghanim. I didn't shoot Zivan.'

Tupou (pictured) said he had agreed to go to Bali and scare Ghanim over an apparent debt due to the financial burden he faced helping care for his 10 siblings on top of his own two children

Similar to Coskun, Paea I Middlemore Tupou, 27, told the court he was a hardworking tradie in Melbourne.

He helped his family care for his 10 siblings, five brothers and five sisters, on top of his own two children.

However, the financial burden was beginning to take a toll so when presented with the opportunity to make some extra money, Tupou said he accepted.

He claimed he'd been instructed to 'scare' Ghanim into paying a debt.

'I was told in Australia it was just a bashing,' Tupou said of the alleged attack.

'Then when I came to Indonesia, that's when it changed.'

Tupou was then asked why, if Ghanim was the target of the alleged attack, was Radmanovic killed?

'The reason why he got shot is because I thought he was Sanar (Ghanim),' he said.

The three Australians (pictured walking to court) were given a chance to testify on Monday

'I didn't mean to shoot him. I didn't intend to shoot him. It just happened so fast and everything just went sideways.

'After (the alleged shooting) I said to him, 'Sanar, you need to pay the money'. He said, 'I'm not Sanar'.

'I was shocked and freaking out, and I fled on my scooter.'

Darcy Francesco Jenson, 27, revealed to the court why he's refused to name the Australian man behind the alleged plot.

'I was using Threema directly with the Australian national that I wish not to identify,' he told the court on Monday.

'Originally, I didn't know who this type of person was.

'After seeing what happened, I believe if he can find someone in Bali and carry out a crime against them, then he'd be able to hurt me or my family in Australia.

'Identifying him would would cause me, or more importantly my family, harm.'

Coskun and Tupou (left) claimed they did not know the identity of the man behind the alleged hit plot, while Jenson (right) said he could not identify him as he could harm his family

Jenson has been accused of planning out the logistics of the alleged attack - including paying for accommodations and buying the sledgehammer allegedly used on June 14.

'The people who physically handed me the money were different each time,' he said.

'The first time it looked like someone of Russian descent and the second time was a Bali local.

'But the reason for receiving the funds was to pay for whatever I was doing, whatever I was buying.

'The majority of the funds were used for renting the villa, renting the cars - those things related to what was happening in Bali.'

Jenson, who previously worked as a plumber in Sydney, said he met with Coskun and Tupou three times before the alleged attack.

Jazmyn's mother, Radmanovic's former mother-in-law, cried as Jenson apologised for his alleged role in his death.

'I know I apologised before but no one was here to hear it, so I'd like to apologise today while I have the chance,' Jenson said.

Jazmyn's lawyer, Sari Latief (pictured), said Radmanovic's loved ones want to know the motive for his death

'I'd like to apologise for my accessory to this crime, and for my accessory to the nightmare that your daughter had to experience,' he said.

'That will stay with her for the rest of her life.

'Not only her but her children, her family and the friends of your son-in-law.

'I'm truly, deeply sorry, and I don't need any reply. Just would like to pass on my apologies and my regret.'

Jazmyn's lawyer, Sari Latief, told reporters after the hearing that Radmanovic's family were most concerned with finding out the reason for the alleged attack.

'Today is trying to find out what was the motive - of course the family, that's what they want to know,' she said.

'It is what it is with what they explained, so they understand the motive.

'It's sad that Zivan (Radmanovic) was in the wrong place at the wrong time.'

Jenson (pictured) and Coskun both claimed to have used the encrypted messaging app Threema before the alleged attack

Threema, which has repeatedly been mentioned in the trial, is a Swiss-made messaging app.

The messenger offers end-to-end encryption and has been favoured by criminals, extremist cells and organised crime bosses as it requires no traceable information from the user and has strong encryption.

Prosecutors have argued the shooting was premeditated and well-coordinated, partially through Threema.

If convicted, the alleged killers face life imprisonment or the death penalty under Indonesian law.
This is the moment a Venezuelan soldier allegedly fires a man-portable air defence system (MANPADS) missile at a US helicopter over Caracas only to miss - with the chopper returning fire seconds later.

The clash occurred during America's daring mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife at their fortified compound.

The audacious attack, dubbed 'Operation Absolute Resolve', involved more than 150 aircraft launched from 20 bases around the Western Hemisphere, including F-35 and F-22 jets, and B-1 bombers.

Footage purportedly shows a Venezuelan security forces firing a missile from a Russian Igla MANPADS at an American helicopter near the Fuerte Tiuna military base in Caracas.

As the surface-to-air missile veered off course and missed its target, US soldiers retaliated with 30 mm fire within three to four seconds of the launch.

One week before the operation took place, US President Donald Trump phoned Maduro privately and gave him one last chance to flee, but the dictator refused to budge.

With the pieces in place, Trump approved the operation five days ago, but military and intelligence planners suggested he wait for better weather and less cloud cover.

On Friday, at 10.46pm in Washington (3.46am on Saturday in the UK), Trump gave final authorisation for the lightning raid, telling his team of Delta Force soldiers and pilots: 'Good luck and Godspeed.'

Footage shows Venezuelan security forces firing a missile from a Russian Igla MANPADS at an American helicopter near the Fuerte Tiuna military base in Caracas

As the missile veered off course and missed its target, US soldiers retaliated with 30 mm fire within 3-4 seconds of the launch

The operation was a success and remained a secret until Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured. Trump posted this picture of Maduro aboard USS Iwo Jima on Saturday

By 4.21am (9.21am GMT) on Saturday morning, Trump had posted a message on his Truth Social platform: the US had carried out a daring mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

The mission came as a surprise, but according to sources close with the matter, planning for one of the most complex US operations in recent memory had been in the works for months and included detailed rehearsals.

The Pentagon has overseen a massive military buildup of forces in the Caribbean, sending America's most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, 11 warships and more than a dozen F-35 aircraft.

In total, more than 15,000 troops have poured into the region for what US officials have long described as anti-drug operations.

According to one of the sources, Trump senior aide Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe formed a core team working on the issue for months with regular - sometimes daily - meetings and phone calls.

They often also met with the president.

Elite US troops, including the Army's Delta Force, created an exact replica of Maduro's safe house and practiced how they would enter the strongly fortified residence.

The troops ran drills similar to the exercises performed on the mock-up of Osama bin Laden's Abbottabad home used before the 2011 raid that killed the al-Qaeda leader.

The CIA also had an asset close to Maduro who would monitor his movements and was poised to pinpoint his exact location as the operation unfolded.

For months, the team - including one source within the Venezuelan government - had been spying on Maduro, recording where he slept, what he ate, what he wore and even, according to top military officials, 'his pets'.

Late on Friday night and into early Saturday, Trump and his advisers huddled as a number of US aircraft took off and carried out strikes against targets inside and close to Caracas, including air defense systems.

The aircraft included helicopters carrying an extraction force that began their flight into Venezuela at just 100ft above the water, according to Gen Dan Caine, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff.

'We had a fighter jet for every possible situation,' Trump told Fox News Channel's 'Fox & Friends'.

Sources have told Reuters the Pentagon had also quietly moved into the region refueling air tankers, drones and aircraft specialising in electronic jamming.

With the strikes taking place, US Special Forces made their way into Caracas heavily armed, including with a blowtorch in case they had to cut through steel doors at Maduro's location.

Around 1am EST Saturday, troops arrived at Maduro's compound in downtown Caracas while being fired upon.

One of the helicopters was hit, but still able to fly.

Social media videos posted by residents showed a convoy of helicopters flying over the city at low altitude.

Once they reached Maduro's safe house the troops, along with FBI agents, made their way into the residence, which Trump described as a 'very highly guarded ... fortress'.

'They just broke in, and they broke into places that were not really able to be broke into, you know, steel doors that were put there for just this reason,' Trump said. 'They got taken out in a matter of seconds.'

Once the troops were inside the safe house, Maduro and his wife surrendered. Trump said the Venezuelan leader had tried to reach a safe room but was unable to close the door.

'He got bum rushed so fast that he didn't get into that,' Trump said.

Some US forces were hit, Trump said, but none were killed.

'Over the weeks through Christmas and New Year, the men and women of the United States military sat ready, patiently waiting for the right triggers to be met and the president to order us into action,' General Caine told a news conference on Saturday morning.

While Venezuela has not confirmed how many people were killed during the US raid on Maduro's compound in Caracas, the New York Times, citing a Venezuelan official, reported on Sunday that the death toll stood at 80 and was expected to rise.

Maduro was transported to New York, where he will be tried on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges

Trump suggested Saturday that America used cyberattacks or other technical capabilities to cut power off in Caracas.

If true, the intervention would mark one of the most public uses of US cyber power against another country in recent memory.

Such missions are typically highly classified, and the US is understood as one of the most advanced nations in cyberspace operations globally.

'It was dark, the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have, it was dark, and it was deadly,' Trump said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago detailing the operation.

NetBlocks, a watchdog monitoring cybersecurity and the governance of the Internet, spoke of a loss of Internet connectivity in Caracas during power cuts early Saturday morning.

Alp Toker, founder of NetBlocks, said in an email Saturday that if cyberattacks contributed to these outages, 'it will have been targeted, not impacting the broader network space,' wrote Politico.

Last month, Venezuelan national oil and gas company PDVSA accused the White House of carrying out a cyberattack that crippled the country's petroleum infrastructure, forcing the suspension of operations at loading terminals for three days.

The CIA was also accused of carrying out a clandestine cyberattack against Maduro in the final year of Trump's first administration, disabling his intelligence service's computer network, according to CNN.

Another explanation behind the lights going off in Caracas is that America deployed a 'black out bomb'.

It is an 'expertise' the White House has demonstrated previously, in the Gulf War in 1991 and in Serbia in 1999, according to the Times.

The weapon refers to a BLU-114/B, full of metal cannisters containing strands of graphite.

When deployed by a larger missile, they float down on parachutes and detonate, raining down graphite filaments on substation or high-voltage power lines that cause short-circuits.

The use of the 'black out bomb' remains controversial. While the strike can plunge a city into darkness without damaging infrastructure, it is likely to shut down power at nearby hospitals.

In the spring of 2003 in Baghdad, witnesses noted lights went out just before the American-led invasion.

The US has not confirmed its use in Caracas.

Caine added that US Cyber Command, US Space Command and combatant commands 'began layering different effects' to 'create a pathway' for US forces flying into Venezuela early Saturday.

The chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not elaborate on what those 'effects' entailed.

Maduro is set to appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday to face narco-terrorism charges.

The ousted president and his wife are set to appear at the hearing scheduled for 12:00pm EST (5pm GMT ) before US District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein.

It is unclear if either had obtained lawyers, or if they would enter pleas.

The US has deemed Maduro an illegitimate dictator since he declared victory in a 2018 election marred by allegations of massive irregularities.

His capture marks Washington's most controversial intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama 37 years ago.

Prosecutors say Maduro is the kingpin of a cartel of Venezuelan political and military officials who have conspired for decades with drug trafficking groups and US-designated terrorist organisations to flood the US with thousands of tons of cocaine.

Maduro was first indicted in 2020 as part of a long-running narcotics trafficking case against current and former Venezuelan officials and Colombian guerrillas.

In a new indictment unsealed Saturday, prosecutors allege that Maduro personally oversaw a state-sponsored cocaine trafficking network that partnered with some of the world's most violent and prolific drug trafficking groups, including Mexico's Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, the Colombian paramilitary group FARC and the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

'As Venezuela's President and now de-facto ruler, Maduro allows cocaine-fueled corruption to flourish for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of his ruling regime, and for the benefit of his family members,' according to the indictment filed by prosecutors from the US Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York.

Trump warned Colombia could be the next country to face a military operation, calling the its leftist President Gustavo Petro a 'sick man' who 'likes making cocaine' after threatening Petro to 'watch his a**.'

'Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long,' Trump said on Sunday while travelling on Air Force One.

Smoke rises from explosions in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026

Low-flying aircraft targeted and destroyed military infrastructure, including air defence systems, to make way for helicopters that landed at Maduro's compound

When asked whether the US would pursue a military operation against the country, Trump bluntly replied: 'It sounds good to me.'

Petro hit back at Trump in a fiery social media post, after the US president accused him of being a drug trafficker.

'Stop slandering me, Mr Trump,' Petro said in a lengthy post on X.

'That's not how you threaten a Latin American president who emerged from the armed struggle and then from the people of Colombia's fight for Peace.'

In a later social media post Sunday, Petro added: 'Friends do not bomb.'

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing cannot accept any country acting as the 'world's judge' after the US captured Venezuela's president.

'We have never believed that any country can act as the world's police, nor do we accept that any nation can claim to be the world's judge,' Wang told his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar during a meeting in Beijing on Sunday, referring to 'sudden developments in Venezuela' without directly mentioning the US.

'The sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law,' China's top diplomat added, in his first remarks since images of the 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed on Saturday stunned Venezuelans.

Beijing has ambition to become a diplomatic heavyweight, a goal it articulated most clearly after brokering a surprise rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023, pledging to 'play a constructive role in global hotspot issues'.

Analysts say Beijing's success in going toe-to-toe with the US in trade negotiations has only reinforced China's confidence.

However, President Donald Trump's assertion that the US will oversee Venezuela's government for the time being poses a stern test to the 'all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership' Beijing and Caracas struck in 2023, marking almost 50 years of diplomatic ties.

Delcy Rodriguez, who is next in the presidential line of succession, served as Maduro's vice president since 2018, overseeing much of Venezuela's oil-dependent economy as well as its feared intelligence service.

On Saturday, Venezuela's high court ordered her to assume the role of interim president.

Following the US raid on Maduro's compound in Caracas on Saturday, Rodriguez maintained the critical tone adopted by all members of the dictator's cabinet.

In a televised address, she condemned the White House's 'unprecedented military aggression', demanded the 'immediate release' of Maduro and his wife, and said the country 'will never again be anyone's colony'.

However, in a dramatic shift of tone on Sunday, Rodriguez - Venezuela's acting president - offered 'to collaborate' with the Trump administration and she said she hoped to build 'respectful relations' with the US president.

'We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,' she said on social media.

'She's essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,' Trump told reporters of Rodriguez, who faced US sanctions during Trump's first administration for her role in undermining Venezuelan democracy.

It comes as Colombia's former vice-president Francisco Santos Calderon says he is 'absolutely certain' that Maduro's second-in-command betrayed him by having 'handed him over' to the US without a fight.

'I'm absolutely certain Delcy Rodriguez handed him over,' he said.

'All the information we have, you start to put it together and say: 'Oh, this was an operation in which they handed him over.'

'Obviously, they have to set the stage. President Trump says that Delcy is going to be the one to lead the transition, so Delcy is going to be the one to lead the transition.

'She's very clear about the role she's going to play and she's going to try to earn a little bit of independence.'

Describing the US president's actions as 'very pragmatic', he added: 'Trump took three decisions which were: 'I'll take Maduro, I'll establish a transition with someone from the regime and I'll seek financing and profits from oil companies.''

Trump said Rodriguez will 'pay a very big price' if she doesn't 'do what's right' and cooperate with US intervention into the country.
China today urged Donald Trump to stay away from Venezuela's oil after the US said it would run the country following an operation to capture president Nicolas Maduro.

Its call came as the captured Venezuelan leader was driven to a court in New York this morning after being indicted alongside his wife on charges of 'narco-terrorism'.

The US president revealed American oil firms will 'go in and rebuild this system' as he signalled a plan to take control of huge and largely untapped reserves in Venezuela.

But China, which has invested billions in Venezuela's oil industry, claimed agreements it has with Caracas over oil exports from the country would be 'protected by law'.

China, an ally of Venezuela, also called for Mr Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores to be 'immediately released' in a strong condemnation of the operation over the weekend.

China's foreign ministry said the move was a 'clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter'.

Officials in Beijing also called on Washington to 'cease efforts to subvert the Venezuelan government and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation'.

Just last Friday, Mr Maduro was at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas meeting Qiu Xiaoqi, special representative of the Chinese government on Latin American affairs.

Meanwhile more than a dozen oil tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude and fuel were revealed to have fled the country in an attempt to evade American forces.

Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro and Chinese official Qiu Xiaoqi in Caracas last Friday

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Nicolas Maduro arrives at Downtown Manhattan Heliport today as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face federal charges

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Mark Almond, director of the Crisis Research Institute in Oxford, claimed Mr Trump's move to take over the country's oil production means he 'now feeds refineries in Louisiana hungry for a special type of heavy oil in which Venezuela specialises, and he controls the supply that China had been leaning on'.

Writing in The Mail on Sunday, he added: 'It might be a global power ready to rival the US, but China is energy poor with not nearly enough deposits of gas and oil to keeps its factory furnaces ablaze. Now, China will have to find another source of cheap oil.'

China's top diplomat also accused the US of acting like a 'world judge' by seizing Mr Maduro to put him on trial, with Beijing set to confront Washington at the UN over the move's legality.

'We have never believed that any country can act as the world's police, nor do we accept that any nation can claim to be the world's judge,' China's foreign minister Wang Yi told his Pakistani counterpart during a meeting in Beijing yesterday, referring to 'sudden developments in Venezuela' without directly mentioning the US.

He added: 'The sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law.'

Eric Olander, co-founder of the China-Global South Project, said: 'There isn't much in the way of material support that China can offer Venezuela at this time, but rhetorically, Beijing will be very important when it leads the effort at the UN and with other developing countries to rally opinion against the US.

'What we've seen in the cases of Zimbabwe and Iran, both sanctioned by the West, is that China demonstrates its commitment to these relationships through trade and investment, even under difficult circumstances.'

Venezuela and China's relationship deepened under Hugo Chavez, who took power in 1998 and became Beijing's closest ally in Latin America, distancing his country from Washington while lauding the Chinese Communist Party's governance model.

The close relationship continued after Mr Chavez died in 2013 and Mr Maduro became leader, even enrolling his son at the top-ranking Peking University in 2016.

Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro with US law enforcement in New York on Saturday

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian at a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press conference in Beijing yesterday in which China reiterated Beijing's stance against the US military action

US president Donald Trump speaks with reporters while in flight on Air Force One yesterday

In return, Beijing poured money into Venezuela's oil refineries and infrastructure, providing an economic lifeline as the US and its allies tightened sanctions from 2017.

China purchased around $1.6billion worth of goods in 2024, according to Chinese customs data, the latest full-year figures available. Oil made up about half the total.

'It was a big blow to China, we wanted to look like a dependable friend to Venezuela,' said a Chinese government official briefed on a meeting between Mr Maduro and Mr Qiu, hours before the Venezuelan president was captured.

Other countries such as Russia and Iran, which also have longstanding ties with Mr Maduro's government, have also condemned the US operation.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said: 'The president of a country and his wife were abducted. It's nothing to be proud of; it's an illegal act.

'As the Venezuelan people have emphasised, their president must be released.'

Iran also said its relations with close ally Venezuela remained unchanged despite the US taking Mr Maduro to New York for trial.

'Our relations with all countries, including Venezuela, are based on mutual respect and will remain so,' Mr Baqaei said. 'We are in contact with the Venezuelan authorities.'

Iran, which the US bombed last year, additionally said it 'strongly condemns the US military attack on Venezuela and a flagrant violation of the country's national sovereignty and territorial integrity'.

Meanwhile Russia demanded the US leadership 'reconsider its position and release the legally elected president of the sovereign country and his wife'.

And North Korea's foreign ministry denounced the American capture of Mr Maduro as a 'serious encroachment of sovereignty'.

A flame burning natural gas is seen at an heavy-crude treatment plant operated by Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, in the oil rich Orinoco belt, near Cabrutica at the state of Anzoategui

Mexico, which Mr Trump has also threatened with military force over drug trafficking, strongly condemned the US military action in Venezuela, saying it 'seriously jeopardises regional stability'.

And Colombian President Gustavo Petro - whose country neighbours Venezuela - called the US action an 'assault on the sovereignty' of Latin America which would lead to a humanitarian crisis.

Mr Maduro is expected to appear in a New York court today, after being seized in Caracas in the shock US military operation that paved the path for Washington's plans to dominate the oil-rich country.

Mr Maduro faces narcotrafficking charges along with his wife, who was forcibly taken out of Caracas in the US assault which involved commandos, bombing by jet planes, and a massive naval force.

When asked what he needs from Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, Mr Trump said: 'We need total access. We need access to the oil and other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country.'

Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves, and more Venezuelan crude in the market could exacerbate oversupply concerns and add to recent pressure on prices.

But analysts say that alongside other major questions about the South American country's future, substantially lifting its oil production will not be easy, quick or cheap.

Mr Trump also announced yesterday that the US was 'in charge' of the South American nation.

About a dozen tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude and fuel departed in recent days from the country's waters in dark mode - seemingly breaking a strict blockade imposed by the US, according to monitoring service TankerTrackers.com.

Pipelines and an oil pump jack are seen in an oil field in Cabimas, Venezuela (file photograph)

All the identified departed vessels are under US sanctions. A separate group of ships, also under sanctions, left the country in recent days empty after discharging imports or completing domestic transportation trips.

The departures could be a relief for Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA, which had accumulated a very large inventory of floating storage amid the U. blockade, begun last month, dragging the country's oil exports to a standstill.

Oil exports are Venezuela's main source of revenue. An interim government now led by oil minister and vice president Ms Rodriguez will need the income to finance spending and secure domestic stability in the country.

At least four of the departed tankers left Venezuelan waters through a route north of Margarita Island after briefly stopping near the country's maritime border, TankerTrackers.com said, after identifying the vessels is satellite images.

A source with knowledge of the departures' paperwork claimed that at least four supertankers had been cleared by Venezuelan authorities in recent days to leave Venezuelan waters in dark mode.

It was not immediately clear if the departures happened in defiance of the US measures.

Mr Trump said on Saturday that an 'oil embargo' on Venezuela was in full force, but added that under an incoming transition Venezuela's largest customers, including China, would keep receiving oil.
Music heiress Sara Foster has applauded President Donald Trump's capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and said critics of the operation are 'just addicted to being mad'.

Foster, 44, revealed her support of Maduro's capture in a social media video posted Saturday as she encouraged her followers to 'learn about' the conditions that Venezuelans have been forced to endure for decades.

The daughter of music legend David Foster shared how she has been helping Venezuelan families for 10 years and claimed that 'anyone who hasn't been there or in close contact with people there have no clue.'

'People are just addicted to being mad. Well while ur (sic) mad, Venezuela is happy for the first time in 25 years,' said Foster.

The actress and socialite also admitted that she did not vote for Trump in the 2024 election and instead begrudgingly cast her ballot for Kamala Harris.

'I did not vote for Trump. Not that I was excited to vote for Kamala, but I did,' she told her followers in a video apparently filmed in her car. 'But what I have done is facilitate food, medicine, basic essentials for children in Venezuela for over 10 years.'

Foster said she did not know the exact impact that Maduro's capture would have on the US, but said that at this time she is 'focused on the relief I feel for the people of Venezuela.'

'Before you want to criticize this and make this a Trump thing, look into the conditions and the quality of life for how people have been surviving and living in Venezuela,' she said. 'Venezuela is not occupied today. Venezuela is liberated today, truly. Learn about it, read about it.'

Music heiress Sara Fosterhas applauded President Donald Trump's capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and said critics of the operation are 'just addicted to being mad'

Maduro, 63, (pictured in 2024) is expected to appear in court in New York City Monday on drug and weapons charges that carry the death penalty, just days after being seized in Caracas in a shock US military operation

The music heiress went on to detail the horrific conditions that Venezuelan families have faced under the rule of Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez.

She shared how she has devised 'close relationships' with women who were forced to watch their children die because they could not access basic essentials, such as food and medical care.

'You cannot imagine the conditions in Venezuela. You cannot imagine parents unable to get the basic essentials for their children,' she said.

'I spoke to families, to mothers who watched their children die on the floors of their home. Cannot imagine.'

Foster further highlighted her public outcries about the Maduro regime and seemingly dismissed concern about Trump's presumed motives for capturing the Venezuelan president.

'I've been posting about Maduro and the state of Venezuela for a very long time  over 10 years. So, before you sit and criticize  and I cant pretend to know how this will impact America,' she said.

'I'm honestly just so focused on the relief I feel for the people of Venezuela.

'Again, I am not saying that this isn't the oil  all that. Ok? Maybe it is? Maybe it is truly sinister. But for the people of Venezuela today, this is a good thing. This is a good thing.'

Foster is no stranger to discussing politics on her social media pages. Just last week, she spewed a conspiracy theory linking the murder of Democrat Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman to the erupting Somali fraud probe.

Sara Foster (pictured at the Emmy Awards in September last year) admitted she did not know the exact impact that Maduro's capture would have on the US, but said that at this time she is 'focused on the relief I feel for the people of Venezuela

The daughter of music legend David Foster shared how she has been helping Venezuelan families for 10 years and claimed that 'anyone who hasn't been there or in close contact with people there have no clue'

Maduro, 63, is expected to appear in court in New York City Monday on drug and weapons charges that carry the death penalty, just days after being seized in Caracas in a shock US military operation.

The South American leader was captured by Delta Force soldiers in Caracas early Saturday. Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores, who was also forcibly taken out of Caracas on Saturday and faces narcotrafficking charges.

Maduro's lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state.

A 25-page indictment made public Saturday accuses Maduro and others of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the US They could face life in prison if convicted.

Maduro and Flores have been under US sanctions for years, making it illegal for any American to take money from them without first securing a license from the Treasury Department.

Maduro, his wife and his son - who remains free - are charged along with Venezuela's interior and justice minister, a former interior and justice minister and Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, an alleged Tren de Aragua leader who has been criminally charged in another case and remains at large.

The indictment accuses Maduro and Flores of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their drug trafficking operation. That included a local drug boss' killing in Caracas, the indictment said.

Flores is also accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange a meeting between 'a large-scale drug trafficker' and the director of Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office, resulting in additional monthly bribes, with some of the money going to Maduro's wife, according to the indictment.

Nicolas Maduro (second right) and his wife Cilia Flores (second left) arrive at the Wall Street Heliport in the New York City on Monday morning

Nicolas Maduro is being moved from a prison in Brooklyn ahead of his initial appearance at Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse

Trump has accused Maduro of leading the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), which the president claims flooded the US with cocaine.

The indictment against Maduro also says Venezuelan officials worked directly with the Tren de Aragua gang.

But a US intelligence assessment published in April, drawing on input from the intelligence community's 18 agencies, found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government.

Before his capture, Maduro and his allies claimed US hostility was motivated by lust for Venezuela's rich oil and mineral resources.

Trump suggested Sunday that he wants to extend American power further in the western hemisphere.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, he called Colombia's president, Gustavo Petro, 'a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And hes not going to be doing it very long.'

He called on Venezuela's new interim president Delcy Rodriguez to provide 'total access' to her country or face consequences.

Rodriguez demanded that the US return Maduro, who long denied any involvement in drug trafficking - although late Sunday she also struck a more conciliatory tone in a social media post, inviting collaboration with Trump and 'respectful relations' with the US.

Before his capture, Maduro and his allies claimed US hostility was motivated by lust for Venezuela's rich oil and mineral resources. Trump (pictured Sunday on Air Force One) suggested Sunday that he wants to extend American power further in the western hemisphere

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Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves, and more Venezuelan crude in the market could exacerbate oversupply concerns and add to recent pressure on prices.

But analysts say that alongside other major questions about the South American country's future, substantially lifting its oil production will not be easy, quick or cheap. Oil dipped as investors weighed the impact.

The Trump administration says it retains powerful economic leverage by blockading oil tankers from Venezuela. Trump has also threatened additional military attacks if needed.

While there are no known US forces left inside Venezuela, a huge naval presence, including an aircraft carrier, remains off the coast.
Sir Keir Starmer urged Donald Trump to stop threatening to seize Greenland today - but stayed on the fence over the Venezuela raid.

The Prime Minister threw his support behind Nato member Denmark after it rebuked the US President's persistent demands to take the Arctic territory.

Sir Keir was more definite on the issue hours after squirming Home Office minister Mike Tapp said he would not give a 'running commentary' on the issue.

But the PM dodged saying whether he believed the US had broken the law with the extraordinary seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from Caracas.

Sir Keir said international rules were 'really important' and the US would want to 'set out its justifications'.

Mr Trump authorised the operation in the South American country on Saturday, which culminated in special forces capturing Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

It has emerged that Operation Absolute Resolve may have killed 40 people, including almost all of Maduro's security team, but there were no US fatalities.

Mr Trump has vowed to 'run' the oil-rich country in the meantime  a move which has been widely condemned by other nations.

Sir Keir Starmer is desperately sitting on the fence over Donald Trump's Venezuela operation amid mounting Labour anger

The PM has refused to criticise the move as he tries to avoid angering Mr Trump (pictured centre), merely saying he was not 'shedding tears' for the ousting of Maduro

In a statement to the House of Commons on Monday night, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper echoed Sir Keir's message to Mr Trump about Greenland

Dame Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the Commons' foreign affairs select committee, urged Britain and other Western allies to 'call out' Mr Trump's actions

In a statement to the House of Commons on Monday night, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper echoed Sir Keir's message to Mr Trump about Greenland.

'Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark,' she told MPs.

'Our close European partners, our long-standing Nato allies and all our countries work closely together on security issues, and will always do so.

'The future of Greenland is a matter for the Greenlanders and Danes, and no-one else.'

But Ms Cooper, like Sir Keir, was more circumspect when she set out the UK's position on Venezuela.

She said Britain wanted a 'peaceful transition from authoritarian rule to a democracy that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people' following Maduro's capture.

'We should be under no illusion as to the nature of the Maduro regime,' the Foreign Secretary added.

'A once functioning democracy has become a hub for very dangerous organised criminal gangs.

'Corrupt links involved Iran with Hezbollah increasingly present in recent years as well as malign support from Russia.'

Ms Cooper also told the Commons she had spoken to Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, and had 'raised the importance of complying with international law'.

'It is, of course, for the US to set out the legal basis for their actions and the UN Security Council is discussing Venezuela this afternoon,' she added.

'These issues will continue to be matters for international discussion.

'I discussed with Secretary Rubio what should happen next and our continued commitment to a transition to a peaceful and stable democracy.

'Our collective immediate focus must be on avoiding any deterioration in Venezuela into further instability, criminality, repression or violence that would be deeply damaging for the people of Venezuela, our own overseas territories, our allies and in the US and other regional partners.'

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch questioned Sir Keir's absence from the Commons on Monday, saying 'many of us in this House and beyond' want to know how the PM will respond.

She added that Britain should work closely with the US on foreign policy matters and not 'snipe from the sidelines'.

'The US is our closest security partner. We must work with them seriously, not snipe from the sidelines,' Mrs Badenoch told MPs.

'We on this side of the House understand why the US has taken this action, as the Foreign Secretary said, UK policy has long been to press for a peaceful transition from authoritarian rule to a democracy. That never happened.

'Instead, Venezuelans have been living under Maduro's brutal regime for many years.

'The US has made it clear it is acting in its national interest against drug smuggling and other criminal activity, including potential terrorism.'

Sir Keir and Ms Cooper faced fresh pressure from among Labour MPs to directly condemn Mr Trump's actions as a breach of international law.

Dame Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the Commons' foreign affairs select committee, said: 'If a large and powerful country abducts the leader of another - however abhorrent that leader is - and then tries to intimidate the smaller country in order, it says itself, to gain access to its resources, doesn't the Foreign Secretary agree this should be called out?

'Not just by Britain but by our Western allies, we should be calling it out for what it is - a breach of international law.

'It is not for the country that is breaking the law to say whether or not it has broken the law.'

Dame Emily added there was a 'profound risk of international norms changing'.

In reply, Ms Cooper reiterated she had raised 'this issue of international law' with Mr Rubio.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the Government's refusal to brand Mr Trump's actions 'a clear breach of international law' looks 'ridiculous'.

He told the Commons: 'Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator, but that does not give President Trump a free pass for illegal action.

Sir Ed added: 'We know what happens when an American president launches an illegal war under the pretext of an imminent threat  it's why we oppose the Iraq war and why we condemn Trump today.'

Challenged himself about the Venezuela raid on a visit to a community centre in Berkshire earlier on Monday, Sir Keir said: 'What's happened here in Venezuela is obviously really important. We have long championed a peaceful transition to democracy, because the president was illegitimate.'

Sir Keir also said international law needed to be the 'anchor' for the future of Venezuela after the US removed president Maduro at the weekend.

He added that the US will 'want to justify' its actions in international law.

But the PM would not be drawn on whether he believed the US had breached international law when asked directly.

He told reporters: 'International law is really important. It's the framework, and it's for the US to set out its justifications for the actions that it's taken.

'But it is a complicated situation. It remains a complicated situation. The most important thing is stability and that peaceful transition to democracy.'

The PM added: 'I think the vast majority of Labour MPs would say that they want to see democracy in Venezuela. That is hugely important.'

Pressed on his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen's insistence Mr Trump has no right to claim Greenland, the PM said: 'Well, I stand with her, and she's right about the future of Greenland.'

He added: 'Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark are to decide the future of Greenland, and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.

'Denmark is a close ally in Europe, it is a Nato ally, and it's very important the future of Greenland is, as I say, for the Kingdom of Denmark, and for Greenland, and only for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.'

Dame Emily has become the most senior Labour figure to urge clarity. She stressed that she was not shedding tears for Maduro and 'he shouldn't have been there' after losing elections.

But she said there was no legal justification for the US action.

'I'm not in government. I can basically say it as it is,' she told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour on Sunday night.

'I think in the end there is no getting away from it - this is not a legal action.

She added: 'He may well want to hear what the justification is from the American government. I can get in front of that and say I literally cannot think of anything that would be a proper justification.'

Dame Emily said Sir Keir should join with allies such as France and Germany to criticise the US move.

'I think that it's important that we make it clear that this is unacceptable,' she added.

Mr Tapp dodged on the UK's view as he toured broadcast studios this morning.

'The British Government is and will be in conversations with the Americans,' he said.

'We're also talking with close allies looking at the legal aspect of this.'

Mr Trump has suggested that Venezuela may not be the last country subject to American intervention, telling the Atlantic magazine: 'We do need Greenland, absolutely.'

But Mr Tapp seemed unwilling to give a full-throated rebuttal of the US President's desire to take over Greenland, which is a territory of Denmark, a Nato ally of both Britain and America.

Mike Tapp squirmed and said he would not give a 'running commentary' as he was grilled on the UK's view of the action in Venezuela - and US demands to take over Denmark's territory

Join the debate Should the UK speak out more strongly when allies break international law, even at diplomatic risk?

Mr Trump authorised the operation in the South American country on Saturday which culminated in special forces capturing Maduro (pictured last year) and his wife Cilia Flores

Richard Burgon is among the Labour MPs calling for Sir Keir to condemn the US action

He told Sky that Venezuela and Greenland were 'obviously different' situations, but suggested it was for Denmark and the US to discuss, adding: 'It's for Nato to have that solid anchor to ensure that there is no division here.'

Repeatedly challenged to say that America should not invade Greenland, Mr Tapp said: 'Diplomacy is delicate, which means we're not here to give a running commentary in the news unfortunately, as much as that would be fantastic for for viewers and on Twitter.

'But it's the end results that matter. And working together with our allies and sticking to international laws is what we stand for as a country.'

Asked on Saturday whether he would condemn the military action in Venezuela, Sir Keir said he wanted to wait to 'establish the facts' and speak to Mr Trump, and later insisted the UK would 'shed no tears' over the end of Maduro's regime.

Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside Kim Johnson questioned whether 'we as a country still stand for international law and sovereignty', while Leeds East Labour MP Richard Burgon described the Prime Minister's statement as 'shameful and reckless'.
Seattle has erupted into chaos under its new ultra-woke mayor as a police order allows drug users to avoid prosecution in the city plagued by crime and homelessness.

Democratic socialist Katie Wilson, 43, was sworn in as the city's 58th mayor on Friday.

The progressive politician who co-founded the Transit Riders Union has stepped into the role as concerned locals say a demand from the Seattle Police Department (SPD) will destroy Washington's largest city.

According to an internal email from SPD Chief Shon Barnes, most drug cases will now be handled by the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program.

'Effective immediately, all charges related to drug possession and/or drug use will be diverted from prosecution to the LEAD program,' Barnes wrote in the New Year's Day message reviewed by the Daily Mail.

'All instances of drug use or possession will be referred to Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) - a program designed to redirect low-level offenders in King County from the criminal justice system into supportive social services.'

Barnes wrote that if drug offenders refuse to comply with LEAD, prosecutors can then intervene.

The program excludes those selling drugs and people with histories of violent felonies and sex offenses, as well as people already being supervised by the Department of Corrections.

Democratic socialist Katie Wilson, 43, was sworn in as the city's 58th mayor on Friday

A bowl of heroin syringes were collected from a Seattle homeless encampment in 2022

Barnes said that officers will continue to charge people for drug use and possession when appropriate, such as when it occurs in public view.

'Our mission remains unchanged, and we fully support programs and policies aimed at reducing recidivism and breaking the cycle of repeated criminal justice involvement,' the police chief wrote.

But the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) expressed discontent with the change, claiming that cops are now able to let public drug use slide - a sentiment that both the mayor and the SPD have denied.

The SPOG president, Mike Solan, said on Sunday: 'The recent naive, ignorant political decision to not arrest offenders for open drug use in the City of Seattle is horrifically dangerous and will create more death and societal decay.

'It embodies an enormous flaw in those in our community who think that meeting people where they are, who are in the throes of addiction, is the correct path to lift them up.'

Solan, who leads the union representing all 1,300 members of the Seattle Police Department (SPD), slammed the order as 'suicidal empathy.'

He also denounced the LEAD program, describing the initiative to offer community-based services to drug offenders instead of prosecuting them as a 'waste of time.'

'Weve all seen how our streets can be filled with death, decay, blight and crime when ideology like this infects our city, Solan continued in his statement.

A homeless man was seen checking on his friend who passed out after smoking fentanyl at a homeless encampment in 2022

An encampment at the site of an old store in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood was seen littered with garbage in June

'Now with this resurrected insane direction, death, destruction and more human suffering will be supercharged.'

Lawmakers and residents have reacted to this news in horror, as the city already has a raging homelessness epidemic that they believe will only worsen.

From 2019 to 2024, the homeless population in King County spiked by 46 percent to 16,385 people, according to Seattle-based public policy think-tank Discovery Institute.

Republican Washington state Representative Jim Walsh wrote on X: 'The new mayor of Seattle has issued an imbecile order that police shall not arrest criminals using illegal drugs openly in public.

'This is just stupid.'

We Heart Seattle, a nonprofit devoted to cleaning up public spaces and getting drug users off the streets, said: 'Seattle will continue to be a sanctuary city for open-air use of illicit and lethal drugs, inviting people in droves where they wont be arrested.'

Despite concerns raised by the police union, Wilson assured the Daily Mail that nothing has changed.

'Youll know when I announce a policy change, because I'll announce a policy change,' Wilson told the Daily Mail.

She referenced a vision for public safety she recently published, which emphasizes her devotion to ensuring a safe Seattle for people of 'every background.'

'I remain committed to that vision,' she continued. 'Our work now is to carry it out, including enforcement of the possession and public use ordinance in priority situations and ensuring that the LEAD framework and other effective responses to neighborhood hot spots are implemented with an appropriate level of urgency, sufficient resources, and a commitment to results.'

The SPD emphasized that the policy surrounding public drug use has not changed and cops 'will continue to make arrests for drug-related charges if they have probable cause.'

The SPOG for comment on its statement.

Up until February 2021, drug possession for personal use was a felony in Washington state. But the state's Supreme Court struck down the law as unconstitutional in State v. Blake.

The case eliminated the felony charge, and legislators passed a temporary law classifying the crime as a simple misdemeanor.

From 2021 to 2023, arrests and prosecutions for drug possession plummeted, sparking fear among residents.

By the spring of 2023, Washington state had introduced a permanent law making drug possession a gross misdemeanor.

SPD Chief Shon Barnes sent an email to his department announcing that all drug cases will now be handled by the LEAD program

Seattle's City Council was reluctant at first, but passed a law that October that made possession and public use gross misdemeanors, giving police officers clear authority to make arrests in these cases.

The Seattle Metro Chamber released an index in October 2023, demonstrating Seattle voters' negative attitudes toward their city, specifically regarding crime and drug use.

From 2021 to 2023, concerns about public safety spiked by 20 points, with 60 percent of the 700 voters surveyed feeling less safe in their neighborhoods.

'Respondents overwhelmingly agree Seattles hands-off approach to people using fentanyl and meth in public has contributed to rampant street crime and hampered downtowns recovery,' the Chamber wrote.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported that 1,067 people died from fentanyl poisonings and overdoses in King County in 2023 - a 47 percent increase from the previous year.

Two-thirds of voters disagreed with Seattle not enforcing laws against public drug use, and 74 percent said they wanted the city to hire more cops.

Seattle residents' top concerns are still homelessness, crime, drugs and public safety, according to the October 2025 index.

The city's lack of urgency in addressing the sweeping homeless encampments riddled with drug paraphernalia and filth popping up in the area has caused immense frustration.

NEW: Seattle's latest out of control drug encampment is the former Joann Fabrics site in Ballard. Business owners and neighbors say Mayor Bruce Harrell(@MayorofSeattle) and Councilmember Dan Strauss(@CMDanStrauss) have totally ignored this problem since this is happening on pic.twitter.com/a6ENgATin4  Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) June 24, 2025

SPOG President Mike Solan denounced the mayor's decision in a statement on Sunday

An unsanctioned homeless encampment, seen in late November, has popped up near Seattle iconic Space Needle attraction

'A few of us in the neighborhood have been complaining every day,' local Brandon Herman told KOMO News on Friday, of a homeless encampment at a city-owned property that has been heavily ignored.

'There's an open-air drug market and trash and human waste.'

Herman said that city officials had cleared out the vacant building and property, but those living there have already begun moving back in.

'There's nothing keeping people out, no fence up, no body patrolling the area.'
A former NHS doctor and contestant on BBC show The Apprentice made a series of antisemitic, racist and sexist social media comments, a medical tribunal heard.

Dr Asif Munaf, 37, who appeared in the 2024 series, faces a string of complaints about his conduct.

He failed to appear before a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) misconduct hearing today, which was given details of the allegations against him.

Munaf - who also uses the name Mohammed - reposted comments on X, formerly known as Twitter, claiming Israel had forfeited any right to exist, was a Nazi state and that Zionists are not Jews but todays Nazis.

Other posts claimed that Jews have no limits to their depravity are sick in the head and are born with an inherent ability to deceive.

One post, in June 2025, claimed: 9/11 (the terror attack of September 11, 2001 on New York and Washington) wasnt an inside job. Lets call it for what it really is. A Jewish job.

There were further comments about an inherent Jewish supremacy, the Jewish victim complex and Jews having a genocidal impulse.

One sickening comment made reference to the Nazi holocaust and North London bagel shops and read: Does the obsession with baking and ovens explain the uncontested and unproven claims of 6 million Jews and 40 beheaded babies in ovens?

Dr Asif Munaf is accused of making anti-Semitic, racist and sexist posts on social media

The doctors posts and reposts, dating from 2023 to 2025, also included a racist term to describe ex-world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather and claimed hed been in contact with Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

Further comments were aimed at women, saying most men cannot tell the difference between an asset and a liability and this was reason why many were broke and miserable.

Women, should not be pilots, the doctor said, and he commented: Female empowerment is one of the great tricks of Satan. Islam gives us the blueprint. When will the world wake up?

Harriet Tighe, for the GMC, said the posts were objectively antisemitic and/or seriously offensive, and motivated by racial or religious hostility and/or prejudice against Jews.

They were also racist and objectively sexist, she added.

The tribunal heard that Munaf had chosen not to attend the hearing or provide any witness statements.

But at an earlier interim orders tribunal hearing, he did not dispute posting or reposting the comments.

He denied they were antisemitic but accepted they were not befitting of someone as educated as myself and posted in the heat of the emotion.

Munaf also faces claims of acting inappropriately and dishonestly providing sick notes

Munaf was fired from episode 7 of The Apprentice's 2024 series - and axed from spin-off show You're Fired, after his online postings came to light

The doctor is accused of failing to comply with conditions placed on his registration in August 2024 not to abuse, discriminate against, bully, harass or deliberately target any individual or group when expressing his beliefs on social media.

Further charges relate to when he was booked to provide locum services as a cardiology specialist registrar at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust in January 2024.

It is claimed he acted inappropriately by vanishing just days into the role.

He also allegedly 'dishonestly' provided a sick note to a patient in November 2024.

Munaf set up the online service Dr Sick Ltd in 2024 which claimed to beat the GP wait and offer sick notes in as little as two hours.

Without any face-to-face or phone consultation, it was reported, the company sold sick notes enabling customers five months off work for Covid, six weeks for anxiety over a sick pet, and four weeks of home working to enable them to go on holiday abroad.

Munaf also ran the now defunct University of Masculinity website which was criticised for its controversial postings and retweeting of posts by Andrew Tate.

Munaf was fired from the main show during week seven of the series aired in 2024 after his team lost a task.

After his social media posts came to light and a complaint made by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the BBC pulled his appearance on spin-off show Youre Fired, which normally features the candidate axed from the business contest each week.

He was given an interim suspension in May 2025.
Eagle-eyed viewers spotted unusual images inside a daycare facility at the center of the Minnesota Somali fraud scandal.

ABC Learning Center in Minneapolis was featured in a report from independent journalist Nick Shirley that showed the facility apparently devoid of youngsters despite receiving a million dollars in funding.

In an effort to clear its name, the daycare's director, Ahmed Hasan, allowed reporters from the Associated Press inside the building.

'There's no fraud happening here,' Hasan told AP. 'We are open every day, and we have our records to show that this place is open.'

Hasan, who is Somali, said that there are 56 children enrolled at the center, and since Shirley's video was posted, his center has received harassing phone calls.

He also noted that the center is routinely subject to checks by state regulators to ensure it remains in compliance with their license.

However, viewers quickly pointed out that seemingly random stock images were scattered throughout the center, including pictures of families displayed on a wall with the word 'science' above it.

'They are either stock photos or AI-generated, but zero chance they have anything to do with science,' one person wrote on X.

Eagle-eyed viewers pointed out that seemingly random stock images were scattered throughout the ABC Learning Center in Minneapolis

ABC Learning Center Director Ahmed Hasan, who is Somali, said that there are 56 children enrolled at the center and insisted: 'There's no fraud happening here'

'Looks like they went out and bought a bunch of picture frames so they could use the stock photos inside,' wrote a second person.

'Someone needs to do a reverse image/AI detection check on that wall,' a fourth user wrote.

Some people questioned the photos' location and speculated they were covering up something on the wall.

'I wanna know what's under those stock photos. The weird placement makes me think they're covering over something,' one person wrote.

'What is behind those photos. They seem to be covering something important and not daycare related,' another added.

Over the last month, Minnesota has emerged as ground zero in Donald Trump's battle against illegal immigration amid staggering reports of fraud in the Somali community.

On Friday, Minnesota's Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) said it has until January 9 to hand over information on providers and parents who receive federal childcare funds, which the Trump administration contends have been used fraudulently, or risk losing federal funding.

The move comes after Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Jim O'Neill announced that funding has been frozen and demanded that Governor Tim Walz audit the centers allegedly involved.

Walz has since announced that he will not seek re-election amid the scandal, which has cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

DCYF said on Friday that it conducted on-site checks at nine of the facilities featured in Shirley's reporting, including ABC Learning Center, and they were 'operating as expected,' WCCO reported.

Independent journalist Nick Shirley reported on several Minnesota daycare facilities that were apparently devoid of youngsters despite receiving millions of dollars in funding

'Investigators confirmed the centers were operating as expected, gathered evidence and initiated further review,' the department said.

Children were present at eight of the nine centers during the inspections, although one center was not open at the time.

DCYF also released the amount of funding that nine child care centers received from Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program in the 2025 fiscal year, which ended in September.

ABC Learning Center received $1.04 million in funding.
A famous art collector was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver while walking his beloved dog in an affluent Boston neighborhood.

John Axelrod, 79, was intentionally mowed down on Saturday morning while walking his pup, Tale, prosecutors have alleged.

The wealthy donor and his dog lived in a $2.9 million apartment that overlooked a scenic lake in the ritzy Back Bay area.

Axelrod was strolling with a friend near the Commonwealth Avenue mall when he was killed, per the Boston Globe.

Commonwealth Avenue is a historic 32-acre walkway nestled into Boston's Back Bay, with a pedestrian path in between luscious lawns.

Police responded to the call at the boulevard around 9am. Axelrod was rushed to hospital, where he later died.

The suspect, William Haney, 42, is being charged with murder and animal cruelty after police located his car in the Brookline suburb.

No additional information about Haney's motive has been released, and he will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on Monday.

John Axelrod holding his pup, Tale, on the streets of Boston near his million-dollar apartment

The 79-year-old has gifted and sold a number of important artworks by African-American artists to the Museum of Fine Arts

Axelrod lived in the Back Bay area in an apartment estimated to be worth around $2.9 million

Axelrod was known as a 'generous supporter and passionate advocate for underrepresented artists,' the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) said in a statement.

The benefactor had been deeply invested in the museum since the 1980s, and his death has rocked the local artistic community.

'His legacy will live on at the museum through the John Axelrod Collection - a transformative acquisition of nearly 70 works by Black artists,' the MFA said.

The John Axelrod Gallery in the Art of the Americas Wing was dedicated to him in 2009, standing as a tribute to his undying legacy.

The collector's first work was donated to the museum in 1985, per the Globe, and his gifted pieces covered areas he felt were underrepresented and didn't get the attention they deserved.

Axelrod had donated over 700 pieces, the museum said in 2014.

Part of a current exhibition in the John Axelrod Gallery at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts

Dog-walkers pass by the Boston Women's Memorial in Commonwealth Avenue Mall

Axelrod (right) posing with a friend while walking Tale along the streets of Boston

'His gift of 67 works of African American artists established the John Axelrod Collection in 2011,' per the statement.

The 79-year-old was a New Jersey native who was a student at the Phillips Academy.

He went on to study at Yale University and Harvard Law School. The art enthusiast had an unwavering love for dogs.

His Facebook page is filled with a plethora of dog photos, including ones with him and Tale.

Silly dog memes are also shared on his social media page, along with sentimental portraits of Tale.

Axelrod also shared numerous photos of him walking his previous dog, Myrna, along the streets of Boston on a bright sunny day.
An Afghan migrant who sexually assaulted women after entering the UK illegally is facing deportation.

Sohail Amiri, of Highfield Lane, Southampton, was told to expect a lengthy jail term after he admitted attacking two women earlier this year, and attempting to sexually assault a third.

Amiri, who spoke with the assistance of a Pashto translator, also pleaded guilty to entering the United Kingdom without leave on October 23 2023 when he appeared before Southampton Crown Court today.

Judge Nicholas Rowland adjourned the case for sentencing on February 6 and remanded the defendant in custody.

He told Amiri: 'You will be sentenced on February 6, you will be remanded in custody and you will be brought to court for sentence.

'You must expect a prison sentence of some length on that occasion.

'You are remanded in custody.'

A 12-month custodial sentence automatically triggers deportation for non-UK nationals, subject to any appeals.

Southampton residents holding an anti-immigration protest outside of Highfield House Hotel in Southampton on October 26

Anti-immigration protesters and Stand Up To Racism campaigners outside the Highfield House Hotel in Southampton in August

The incidents happened in the Hampshire city on September 23 and November 25.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said previously that the November 25 incident happened in the early hours in Upper Shaftesbury Avenue, Southampton.

He said: 'It was reported a woman was walking along the road just after midnight when she was approached by a man she did not know who is alleged to have then tried to kiss her.

'She was able to force him off and run away.'

The two September 23 incidents both took place in Westwood Road.

Highfield House Hotel in Southampton, which is said to house asylum seekers, has been subject to several anti-immigration protests in recent months.
A hammer-wielding maniac who smashed four windows at JD Vance's Cincinnati home has been arrested by the Secret Service after an overnight break-in.

William DeFoor, 26, was charged early Monday morning with one count each of obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass and vandalism.

Secret Service agents heard a loud noise at the home around midnight and spotted DeFoor running from the home, which is the secondary residence for Vance, his wife Usha and their three young children, who were out of town at the time.

DeFoor was detained by Secret Service agents shortly after. When an officer informed the suspect of his rights, he responded: 'I don't know,' the arrest report says.

He had also allegedly vandalized a Secret Service vehicle on his way up the home's driveway.

No motive has been released.

Vance posted on X: 'I appreciate everyone's well wishes about the attack at our home. As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows. I'm grateful to the secret service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly.

'We weren't even home as we had returned already to DC.'

William DeFoor, 26, was charged early Monday morning with one count each of obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass and vandalism

Windows at Vice President JD Vance's Cincinnati home were smashed on Monday morning

Police and Secret Service agents were seen surrounding the property shortly after the break-in

Vice President JD Vance (C), alongside his daughter Mirabel (L) and Second Lady Usha Vance (R) pose next to a pardoned turkey named Gobble in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 25 November

Join the debate Should high-profile families get extra protection at their homes, or is this unfair to others?

DeFoor has been accused of trashing property before.

He pleaded guilty in April to two counts of vandalism after causing more than $2,000 worth of damage to an interior design company, court records show.

He was sentenced to treatment at a mental health facility for two years and was required to pay $5,550 in damages.

DeFoor is set to be arraigned at Hamilton County Municipal Court on Tuesday.

Following the break-in, footage was released showing large holes in the windows of Vance's home as cops patrolled the scene and recorded evidence of the damage.

The luxurious East Walnut Hills property overlooks the Ohio River and spans 2.3 acres. The Vance family purchased the home for $1.4 million.

After taking the vice presidential oath of office in January 2025, Vance and his wife have lived with their three children at the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC.

The couple also own a property on Capitol Hill.

They previously owned a farmhouse in Alexandria, bought shortly after Vance began his term as a Senator for Ohio, which they sold in March last year.

A Secret Service spokesman told the Daily Mail: 'An adult male was taken into custody by the Cincinnati Police Department after being detained by US Secret Service personnel for causing property damage, including breaking windows on the exterior of a personal residence associated with the Vice President.'

They added: 'Shortly after midnight on Monday, January 5, the man was physically detained by Secret Service agents assigned to the Vice Presidents home. The residence was unoccupied at the time of the incident, and the Vice President and his family were not in Ohio.'
Police are investigating the death of a streamer believed to have overdosed after agreeing to drink a bottle a whisky and snort six grams of cocaine in three hours for an extreme online challenge.

Sergio Jimenez, 37, was discovered kneeling in a 'prayer-like' position on his bed by his younger brother at the home he shared with their mum in Vilanova i la Geltru near Barcelona.

His webcam was still on, and the livestream was continuing to broadcast to viewers who had allegedly paid to watch him drink and drug himself into oblivion.

Mr Jimenez's devastated family claim some of the spectators asked: 'Are you sleeping off a hangover? Haven't you finished off the whisky yet?' as they tried to aid him.

Today police confirmed they were probing Spain's first extreme online challenge death and were not ruling out expanding the investigation to determine if anyone could be held criminally accountable for possible 'incitement to risky behaviour'.

Sergio's heartbroken mum Teresa told Catalan daily El Periodico: 'Jordi, my eldest son, who lives in the Pyrenees, warned us a couple of months ago Sergio was making these kinds of videos.

'I got up to go to the bathroom just before 2am and saw the door to his room was ajar.

'I asked him what he was doing but he didn't answer. I tried to go in, but there were clothes or something on the bedroom floor and I couldn't.

Sergio Jimenez (pictured), 37, was discovered kneeling in a 'prayer-like' position on his bed by his younger brother at the home he shared with their mum in Vilanova i la Geltru near Barcelona

Today police confirmed they were probing Spain's first extreme challenge online death and said they had not ruled out expanding their investigation

'I kept asking him from outside but he didn't answer. I could see him kneeling on the bed, as if he were praying.'

Daniel, one of Teresa's two other sons, answered her call for help and confirmed Sergio was dead before calling for an ambulance.

Describing the scene he found in the early hours of New Year's Eve, he said: 'There was an almost empty bottle of whisky, a couple of cans of energy drinks and a pile of cocaine on a red plate.

'My brother was kneeling on the floor, his head resting on the mattress.

'The computer was on and I could hear voices asking him if he was sleeping off his hangover.'

Teresa has told police she begged her son not to consume alcohol when she spotted the whisky bottle on his table hours before he died because of the medication he was taking for psychiatric problems.

However, she said he ignored her pleas and claimed he wasn't going to take his tablets so he could have a drink instead.

Spanish media say Sergio broadcast live to a private group who for donating money demanded he perform challenges in exchange for cash.

Simon Perez, a fallen mortgage guru who has become one of Spain's best-known so-called e-beggars and now lives off cash gifts for performing offbeat and often drug-fuelled online challenges, has been cited as the man Sergio was trying to imitate. The pair had appeared together in several videos.

Reacting to his death, Perez said in his own YouTube video: 'He's passed away. I've been told he took six grams of cocaine in three hours.

'He took a two-gram line. That causes an overdose.'

Teresa told police she begged her son not to consume alcohol when she spotted the whisky bottle on his table hours before he died because of the medication he was taking for psychiatric problems

Insisting his conscience was clean he added: 'It could have happened to me but it's happened to Sergio.'

French influencer and streamer Raphael Graven, known online as Pormanove or JP, died in August aged 46 after 10 days of physical violence which was all filmed and broadcast live.

Two fellow content creators were seen throwing water in his face in an attempt to revive him after he died in his sleep at a residence in Contes north of Nice.

French government minister Clara Chappaz described Raphael's death at the time as an 'absolute horror' and launched a judicial investigation into the circumstances surrounding it, although a subsequent autopsy found it was not due to trauma.

A spokesman for the regional Mossos d'Esquadra police force covering the Barcelona area said today: 'We can confirm we are investigating the death of a 37-year-old man found lifeless at a property in Villanova i Geltru in the province of Barcelona in the early hours of December 31.

'We are awaiting the full autopsy results and are looking into the context of this man's death to determine whether a crime has occurred.'
Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia were filmed awkwardly shuffling along a helipad as the pair were taken to court in New York City to face drugs charges that could result in their execution.

Maduro, 63, is expected to appear in court Monday on drug and weapons charges that carry the death penalty, just days after being seized in Caracas in a shock US military operation.

The South American leader, who was captured by Delta Force soldiers in Caracas early Saturday, was driven from Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center to a nearby helipad. He was then flown the short distance across the East River to the southern tip of Manhattan.

There, he was seen shuffling awkwardly off the chopper in shackles before being put into a khaki-colored armored vehicle while surrounded by armed police officers.

Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores, who was also forcibly taken out of Caracas on Saturday and faces narcotrafficking charges, was flanked by his side as DEA agents escorted them from the heliport to the courthouse.

The Maduros were subsequently driven to Manhattan Federal Court, where he will be arraigned at 12pm ET.

Maduro's lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state.

President Donald Trump has accused Maduro of leading the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), which the president claims flooded the US with cocaine.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance

Nicolas Maduro (second right) and his wife Cilia Flores (second left) arrive at the Wall Street Heliport in the New York City

Nicolas Maduro has been shuffled into a police SUV this morning, sporting prison garb, as he makes his way from an NYC jail to his first court appearance

Nicolas Maduro is being moved from a prison in Brooklyn ahead of his initial appearance at Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse

The US seized Maduro and his wife in a military operation Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base.

A 25-page indictment made public Saturday accuses Maduro and others of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the US They could face life in prison if convicted.

It wasn't clear as of Sunday whether Maduro had hired a US attorney yet.

Maduro and Flores have been under US sanctions for years, making it illegal for any American to take money from them without first securing a license from the Treasury Department.

Maduro, his wife and his son - who remains free - are charged along with Venezuela's interior and justice minister, a former interior and justice minister and Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, an alleged Tren de Aragua leader who has been criminally charged in another case and remains at large.

The indictment accuses Maduro and Flores of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their drug trafficking operation.

That included a local drug boss' killing in Caracas, the indictment said.

Maduro's wife is also accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange a meeting between 'a large-scale drug trafficker' and the director of Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office, resulting in additional monthly bribes, with some of the money going to Maduro's wife, according to the indictment.

Join the debate Should foreign leaders ever face trial and possible execution in another country's courts?

DEA agents wait for the arrival of captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, ahead of Maduro's initial appearance at Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse in Manhattan on January 5

Maduro is escorted by DEA agents as he heads towards the courthouse in Manhattan for his initial appearance

Law enforcement officials move captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at the downtown Manhattan Heliport

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While the indictment against Maduro says Venezuelan officials worked directly with the Tren de Aragua gang, a US intelligence assessment published in April, drawing on input from the intelligence community's 18 agencies, found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government.

Trump said the US would 'run' Venezuela temporarily, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day other than enforcing an existing 'oil quarantine.'

Venezuela's new interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, has demanded that the US return Maduro, who long denied any involvement in drug trafficking - although late Sunday she also struck a more conciliatory tone in a social media post, inviting collaboration with Trump and 'respectful relations' with the US.

Before his capture, Maduro and his allies claimed US hostility was motivated by lust for Venezuela's rich oil and mineral resources.

Trump suggested Sunday that he wants to extend American power further in the western hemisphere.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, he called Colombia's president, Gustavo Petro, 'a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And hes not going to be doing it very long.'

He called on Rodriguez to provide 'total access' to her country or face consequences.

President Nicolas Maduro is moved out of the helicopter at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport

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Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves, and more Venezuelan crude in the market could exacerbate oversupply concerns and add to recent pressure on prices.

But analysts say that alongside other major questions about the South American country's future, substantially lifting its oil production will not be easy, quick or cheap. Oil dipped as investors weighed the impact.

The Trump administration says it retains powerful economic leverage by blockading oil tankers from Venezuela. Trump has also threatened additional military attacks if needed.

While there are no known US forces left inside Venezuela, a huge naval presence, including an aircraft carrier, remains off the coast.

Leading opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia said that while the US intervention was 'important' without the release of political prisoners and acknowledgement that he won the 2024 election, it was simply 'not enough.'

Details of the US operation were still emerging Monday, with Havana saying 32 Cubans were killed in the attack and Trump adding that Cuba itself was ready to fall after Maduro's capture.

'I don't think we need any action. It looks like it's going down,' Trump said.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency session on Monday at Venezuela's request. This will provide a platform for international concern over US intentions in the country of around 30 million people.

But what happens next in Venezuela, after a combined quarter century of hard-left rule by Maduro and his late socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez, remains unclear.

A helicopter transports captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Courthouse this morning

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The White House indicated Sunday that it does not want regime change, only Maduro's removal and a pliant new government - even if it is filled with his former associates.

Anointed by his mentor Hugo Chavez before the latter's 2013 death, Maduro kept a tight grip on power until his capture by US forces on Saturday.

Maduro ruled alongside Flores and three other powerful figures: Rodriguez, now Venezuela's interim leader, her brother Jorge, and their rival: hardline Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.

'It's like a club of five,' a diplomatic source in Caracas told AFP under the condition of anonymity.

The US position leaves the Venezuelan opposition, which the Trump administration says was robbed of victory by Maduro, out in the cold.

Countries such as China, Russia and Iran, which have longstanding ties with Maduro's government, were quick to condemn the operation. Some US allies, including the EU, expressed alarm.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough issued President Trump a grim warning on regime change after he admitted that he was glad the Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro was taken out of power.

Scarborough said on his MS Now show today that the president should be wary that the transfer of power may not go smoothly following the capture of the socialist leader and his wife from their home on January 3.

Speaking alongside his co-host and wife, Mika Brzezinski, the TV commentator admitted that Maduro was not a good or legitimate leader and that the Western hemisphere would be 'better with him gone.'

But he then went on to say that he was reminded of a former president after hearing Trump speak about Venezuela with a reporter aboard Air Force One on Sunday. When asked who was running the country, Trump replied 'we're in charge.'

'You know, it is stunning, it is breathtaking talking about "we own this place,"' the 62-year-old said of Trump's response to the raid.

'It reminds me of what George W. Bush said, and I looked it up, on May the 1st, 2003: "In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." And 22 years later, there are still thousands of troops in Iraq trying to maintain order there.'

Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator for more than two decades in Iraq until he was ousted in December of 2003 by Bush following the US invasion into the country that led to nearly nine years of war.

Brzezinski responded by pointing out that Trump has been critical of that war in the Middle East.

Joe Scarborough co-host of Morning Joe show with co-host and wife, Mika Brzezinski warned President Trump about regime changes on January 5 following the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro

After the President told a reporter 'we own this place [Venezuela],' Scarborough was reminded of a quote by a quote by former President George W. Bush, 'In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed,'

Trump seized control of the Republican Party by savaging the Bush administration and GOP leaders over the seemingly endless wars in the Middle East.

Scarborough then continued to emphasize that the problem with intervention and enforced changes in leadership is that 'things never go as you expect.'

'When you're trying regime change, the lesson of the last 20 years is regime change doesn't work, it never goes the way you expect it to go,' added the former Florida Republican representative.

He highlighted the tensions between Trump and Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's former vice president, who is now the acting president.

Rodriguez initially declared Maduro as the rightful leader of Venezuela and the mission as an 'atrocity,' hours after his capture, but seemed to change her response to a more peaceful tone following Trump's subtle threat of her paying a 'very big price' if 'she doesn't do what's right.'

The acting president made a statement attempting to work with the US: 'A message from Venezuela to the world, and to the United States: Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to peace and peaceful coexistence.

'Our country aspires to live without external threats, in an environment of respect and international cooperation. We believe that global peace is built by first guaranteeing peace within each nation.'

'We prioritize moving towards balanced and respectful international relations between the United States and Venezuela, and between Venezuela and other countries in the region, premised on sovereign equality and non-interference. These principles guide our diplomacy with the rest of the world.

The 62-year-old made it clear that he was glad Maduro was taken out of office

'We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence.'

'President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. This has always been President Nicolas Maduro's message, and it is the message of all of Venezuela right now. This is the Venezuela I believe in and have dedicated my life to. I dream of a Venezuela where all good Venezuelans can come together.'

'Venezuela has the right to peace, development, sovereignty and a future.'

Her statement comes as Maduro fell into a screaming match after a 30-minute hearing at the federal court in Manhattan, where a judge told Maduro to stop talking midway through a rant about how he had been 'kidnapped' by US forces.

Maduro walked into courtroom 26A wearing a blue T-shirt with an orange T-shirt underneath and tan issue prison pants.

His hands were cuffed behind him, and they were released as he walked into the court through a side door: his legs were shackled.

His wife, Cilia Flores, 69, was wearing similar clothes and was also shackled, sitting on the same bench with a pained expression on her face.

He stood and put his fingers on the table next to him as Judge Alvin Hellerstein read out a summary of the indictment against him, detailing four counts of drug trafficking and other charges.

The preliminary hearing for Maduro devolved into chaos as the deposed leader's fury boiled over, sparking a shouting match with a man who claimed he had been jailed by Maduro's regime and warned he would 'pay'

Maduro arriving at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport Monday morning, as he headed toward the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance

Asked to identify himself, Maduro stood and told the court through the translator: 'I am Nicolas Maduro Moros. I am President of the Republic of Venezuela. I am here, kidnapped, since Saturday January the 3rd.

Maduro and his wife both pleaded not guilty. During his plea, Maduro said: 'I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still President of Venezuela.'

Flores identified herself as the 'First Lady of Venezuela' and said she was 'completely innocent'.

The court set the next date for March 17, and no bail application was made.

As he walked out, Maduro waved at the crowd again but became belligerent when Pedro Rojas, a man who claimed Maduro's regime had jailed him, shouted at him that he was an 'illegitimate' President and that he would 'pay'.

Raising his finger into the air, the court got a glimpse of Maduro's temper when he shouted back, 'I'm a man of God' and claimed he was a 'kidnapped President' and a 'prisoner of war'.
A woman who went viral after tweeting about an unpleasant experience she had on a flight has revealed that she made a tidy sum of money from the controversy and engagement that her post received.

On December 26, Megan Jewell, a Texas woman with a little more than 125,000 combined followers across social media platforms, made a post on X that said she endured hours of pettiness after she refused to swap seats on a plane.

Jewell claimed that a father asked to take her aisle seat in exchange for his middle seat so that he could be closer to his wife and kids who were across the aisle.

She added that after 'politely' declining his request, the unnamed dad kept reaching across her to his family on the other side of the aisle in an apparent bid to punish her.

The post went viral, drawing 4.2million views, 81,000 likes and hundreds of comments, as users weighed in with their opinions on plane etiquette.

On Friday, Jewell made a follow-up tweet explaining that the engagement received by the tweet she made the day after Christmas has yielded her a nice payday.

'I just wanted to say a big thank you to everybody that sent me death threats and called me a pretentious w***e because I didnt switch seats on that airplane,' she wrote.

'The payout from X just booked my ticket to Europe this spring. Oh and I still wont be switching seats with anyone. Hope this helps,' the tweet concluded.

Megan Jewell, a Texas woman who went viral after tweeting about an unpleasant experience she had on a flight, has revealed that she made a tidy sum of money from the post

In the viral tweet, Jewell claimed that a father asked to take her aisle seat in exchange for his middle seat so that he could be closer to his wife and kids who were across the aisle

On Friday, Jewell posted this tweet explaining that the money she made from her viral post paid for plane tickets to Europe

Jewell told the Daily Mail: 'The payout from that one viral tweet was in fact able to book me a one-way ticket to Europe - a trip Ive been planning - and I personally find the irony hilarious.

'In my experience on social media, especially this app, it doesnt matter if you post the most wholesome or rage bait style content, people will always throw hate and malice in your direction. So you might as well try and make a little money off of it!'

Most social media sites offer users a cut of advertising revenue if their accounts fuel a large amount of engagement with the platform. YouTube, for example, has been doing it for almost two decades.

The monetization system for creators on X is much newer, however, as it rolled out in July 2023. Many people are not even aware that users can make money with their tweets.

According to X's Creator Monetization Standards, there are many prerequisites to make money on the site.

Creators must be at least 18 years old, have an account that has been active for at least three months and have a profile with a picture, account name, biography and header image.

They must also complete identity verification, have a verified email address, be in good standing with X and have a premium subscription - which means paying the platform at least $8 per month.

Additionally, creators must not have a state-affiliated media account, they need to be in a country where monetization is available, have two-factor authentication enabled and connect a verified Stripe account to receive payments.

Jewell's posts received hundreds of comments and high levels of engagement as people weighed in on plane etiquette

This was the original viral post, which received 4.2million views, 81,000 likes and 430 comments. Below are a few reactions and responses to the tweet which increased engagement with Jewell's account even more

If all of those rigorous eligibility requirements are met, then users can get paid if they maintain more than 2,000 active followers with premium subscriptions and their posts receive at least five million impressions within three months.

Jewell's first viral tweet received more than four million views, which by itself brought her more than 80 percent of the way to that five million impression requirement.

Follow-up posts that she made about the situation and responses to users in the comments of her viral post earned her hundreds of thousands more impressions.

The exact amount of money that X doles out for engagement with posts is unclear and likely dependent on a variety of factors.

Jewell did not tell the Daily Mail exactly how much she earned from the platform, but she said it was enough to book a flight to Europe.

She also did not say where exactly she will be flying into, but round-trip tickets from the capital of Texas, Austin, to European cities such as Paris, Barcelona and Rome, range from around $600 to around $850.

That is likely in the range of what Jewell made - some nice compensation for the rude tweets directed at her because of the controversial viral post.
Some of MAGA's most loyal and influential figures are warning that President Donald Trump's foreign-policy triumph in Venezuela risks spiraling into a Bush-erastyle 'Iraq fiasco.'

More than a decade ago, Trump seized control of the Republican Party by savaging the Bush administration and GOP leaders over endless wars in the Middle East.

Now, some of the same non-interventionist, anti-war figures who propelled Trump to power are raising warning flares for the fallout from the astonishing capture of Nicolas Maduro.

Trump vowed that Americans would 'run' Venezuela after Maduro's ouster, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio walked back those claims during a Sunday morning interview after confirming US troops were no longer deployed to the country.

That dissonance has begun rattling MAGA's most ferocious warriors.

'The lack of framing of the message on a potential occupation has the base bewildered, if not angry,' said Stephen Bannon, a longtime Trump adviser, in an interview with the New York Times. 'While President Trump makes the case for hemispheric defense, Rubio confuses with talk of removing Hamas and Hezbollah.'

Bannon's podcast 'War Room' has become a staple of the MAGA media sphere and is watched daily by the president's most loyal supporters.

Although Bannon and his guest on 'War Room' have praised the operational success of the mission, they have raised questions about whether Maduro's overthrow was 'harkening back to our fiasco in Iraq under Bush.'

Steve Bannon warned that Trump's latest military success in Venezuela could led to a 'fiasco in Iraq under Bush'

Conservative influencer Candace Owens denounced the overthrow of Maduro as a CIA staged 'hostile takeover of a country'

Maduro and his wife face multiple criminal charges for drug trafficking following their capture by US special forces

Candace Owens, one of the most watched conservative influencers in the country, condemned Trump's operation as a CIA staged 'hostile takeover of a country' at the bidding of 'globalist psychopaths.'

Owens compared the operation to US actions in Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq in a Saturday post on X to her 7.5 million followers.

'That's what is happening, always, everywhere. Zionists cheer every regime change,' Owens added. 'There has never been a single regime change that Zionists have not applauded because it means they get to steal land, oil and other resources.'

Following Maduro's removal, a 2019 X post from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard resurfaced showing the former Congresswoman denouncing military action in Venezuela.

'The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela. Let the Venezuelan people determine their future,' she wrote in 2019 while serving as a Democratic representative of Hawaii. 'We don't want other countries to choose our leaders so we have to stop trying to choose theirs.'

'Throughout history, every time the U.S. topples a foreign country's dictator/government, the outcome has been disastrous,' Gabbard added in another resurfaced post. 'Civil war/military intervention in Venezuela will wreak death and destruction to Venezuelan people, and increase tensions that threaten our national security.'

Meanwhile, those critical of Trump's operation in Venezuela pointed out comments made by White House chief of staff Susie Wiles in Vanity Fair only three weeks ago: 'If he were to authorize some activity on [Venezuelan] land, then it's war, then [we'd need] Congress.'

Join the debate Has America learned anything from past foreign interventions, or are we repeating old mistakes in Venezuela?

Trump suggested that America would 'run' Venezuela after his administration removed Maduro from power

Other MAGA influencers close to Trump have also expressed skepticism regarding Maduro's ouster, including Laura Loomer, who questioned why Maduro was indicted in New York, 'a liberal hell hole' and not Florida.

Roger Stone, one of Trump's oldest political confidants, agreed with Loomer, writing on X, 'Why Maduro was not charged in Miami is a mystery.'

Maduro faces multiple criminal charges regarding narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, including a conspiracy to import cocaine into the country.

The captured dictator and his wife, Cilia, were filmed being hauled off along a helipad on Monday morning as the pair were taken to a court in New York City to face drug charges.
It's been two days since Donald Trump announced the US will 'run' Venezuela after capturing communist leader Nicolas Maduro  and speculation is spinning over which officials will take control in the interim.

The president said on Saturday that his team is working with Maduro's deputy and now-acting leader of Venezuela Delcy Rodriguez.

But at least one opposition leader is worried that the Trump administration will embolden a continuation of Maduro's government just now under 'gringo guardianship,' according to the Washington Post.

A person familiar with conversations says that the White House is weighing giving White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller a more elevated role in overseeing operations in a post-Maduro Venezuela.

'We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,' Trump said at his Mar-a-Lago press conference on Saturday, but refused to answer follow-up questions on who would be leading that effort.

A source close to Venezuelan opposition and deeply familiar with the matter told the Daily Mail that Miller and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as 'the viceroys of Venezuela for the time being.'

They added that Delcy is essentially serving as an 'interim coach' in Venezuela and predicted she 'will not be coming back for the next season.'

Trump will 'continue to diplomatically engage with those remaining in Venezuelan government,' a US official told the Daily Mail.

Donald Trump is preparing to install US officials to oversee the interim leadership in Venezuela after the capture and extradition of Nicolas Maduro over the weekend

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller tops the president's list, according to the Washington Post

Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are seen arriving on a helipad in Manhattan in handcuffs for an arraignment in the Souther District of New York on January 5, 2026

Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer exploded at the report of Miller's supposed 'Venezuela czar' role, saying it would only 'fan the flames of war.'

'Is there a single person outside of the White House who thinks this is a good idea?' he lamented on X. 'Talk about doubling down on reckless regime change and chaos.

Miller, a top Trump Homeland Security advisor, is an architect of the administration's immigration and border policy. He, along with Rubio, took a central role in the effort to remove Maduro and were both present at Trump's press conference in Florida.

One senior White House adviser told Axios that the running of Venezuela would 'be done by a small committee, led by Rubio, with the president heavily engaged.'

It's unclear how Miller and Rubio's roles might differ  if at all.

There's seemingly a mutually beneficial outcome for Miller and Rubio's goals in the US taking over leadership in Venezuela.

For Miller the pursuit provides the opportunity to further his long-held goal of mass deportations and crackdowns on criminal drug groups in Latin America. And for Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, the role gives him the chance to help topple the Venezuelan regime, and in turn cripple its ally Cuba.

The US military 'remains postured and ready,' should any additional action be needed to maintain order in the post-Maduro governance, a US official told the Daily Mail.

'In the U.S., Maduro will face trial and American justice,' the official said, adding: 'The Administration will continue to take action to dismantle drug cartels and take lethal action against foreign drug traffickers and narco terrorists who are attempting to bring illegal drugs to the homeland.'

There's still the brewing animosity from those who wanted to see Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corino Machado elevated after Maduro's ouster.

Trump expressed skepticism during his press conference on Saturday on the operation to capture Maduro that Machado could fill the role.

'I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,' he said. 'She doesn't have the support within, or the respect within the country. She's a very nice woman, but she doesn't have the respect.'

Two people close with the White House told the Post that he holds animus towards Machado for escaping Venezuela to accept the Nobel Peace Prize last month because it's an award the president wants for himself.

The Venezuelan opposition leader who spoke on condition of anonymity said that many in the movement are working to 'swallow some bitter pills' when it comes to Maduro's ouster.

They claimed that the next few days would clarify if Rodriguez will replace Maduro's hard-line officials and work with the US.

A separate report from Axios notes that running of Venezuela would 'be done by a small committee, led by [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio, with the president heavily engaged'

Trump says that Rubio has spoken with acting Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodruguez  but opposition leaders are skeptical over her rise and the administration's willingness to work with Nicolas Maduro's chosen No. 2

Some wanted opposition leader Maria Carino Machado to assume leadership, but two people close to the White House say Trump has animosity towards her for accepting the Nobel Peace Prize because he wanted the award

Trump said that Rodriguez had a 'friendly conversation' with Rubio following the capture of Maduro and his wife, and an adviser told Axios that the two might have daily calls going forward as Trump decides what to do next.

The president told reporters on Air Force One when returning to Washington, DC on Sunday night that he hasn't personally spoken with Rodriguez yet.

He was clear during his Mar-a-Lago press conference that he doesn't want to leave a leadership void in Venezuela after the middle-of-the-night Delta Force operation to capture and extradite Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

'We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,' Trump said, keeping it vague on who exactly would lead the country in the interim and who would take over leadership.

He emphasized: 'We can't take a chance that someone else takes over Venezuela who doesn't have the interests of Venezuelans in mind.'

The question of a fair election was also brought up in the Sunday news conference after the US for years refused to recognize Maduro as the legitimate president of the South American country.
SNP leader John Swinney today demanded another Scottish independence referendum if he wins a Holyrood majority in May.

The First Minister has set his party a target of winning at least 65 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament at the upcoming elections.

The prospect of the SNP achieving their first outright majority for 15 years has increased amid Labour's slump in support in Scotland.

Mr Swinney has insisted this would be the trigger for another vote on independence, citing a precedent he claims was set following the 2011 Holyrood elections.

The SNP leader pushed back at Chancellor Rachel Reeves recently ruling out another independence vote taking place.

She said in November that the 2014 ballot had been described as a 'once-in-a-generation referendum'.

But Mr Swinney said there had been 'significant generational change' since 2014.

He added that around one million Scottish voters who were not eligible to vote in 2014 would be able to cast a ballot by 2030.

SNP leader John Swinney has demanded another Scottish independence referendum if he wins a Holyrood majority in May

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Despite the UK Government's opposition to another referendum, the First Minister said there are a 'variety of tactics we can deploy if the people of Scotland give us their emphatic support for the question of Scottish independence'.

But Mr Swinney told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast he was 'not going to set out my tactics in advance of an election campaign'.

He argued it would be an 'an unsustainable democratic position for the UK Government to resist the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland'.

'I am simply saying to people in Scotland if they want Scotland to be an independent country then the safest, most reliable way of delivering that outcome is to vote for the SNP,' he continued.

Recalling the 2011 election when the SNP, under then leader Alex Salmond, won an unprecedented majority in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Swinney said this had meant the argument for holding a referendum was 'irrefutable'.

The SNP leader declared 'that is the precedent we've got to rely upon'.

Polling suggests the SNP is on track to remain the largest party at Holyrood  in what would be a record fifth consecutive election victory  but could fall short of a majority.

A recent Scottish Parliament seat projection, based on a Find Out Now survey, found the SNP are on course for 59 seats - six short of the 65 needed for an overall majority.

The seat projection, by polling expert Professor John Curtice, showed Reform UK winning 25 seats as Nigel Farage's party enjoy a surge in support in Scotland.

Both Labour and the Tories were tied in joint-fourth place with 12 MSPs each at Edinburgh, according to the research, behind the Scottish Greens with 13 MSPs.

There is a growing expectation that a disastrous result for Labour in Scotland, as well as in elections in England and Wales in May, will prompt an effort to oust Sir Keir among Labour MPs.

The Prime Minister is already battling intense speculation over his future in Downing Street following Labour's chaotic first 18 months in power at Westminster.

Some of Labour's MPs in Scotland have even warned Sir Keir they could lead a bid to topple him before May, as they fear being 'slaughtered' at the Holyrood contests.

Labour's popularity has slumped in Scotland since the 2024 general election, when Sir Keir's party won 37 seats north of the border while the SNP won nine seats, the Lib Dems six seats and the Tories five seats.

The Find Out Now poll of 1,000 Scottish voters, conducted on behalf of The National newspaper, was carried out between 11 to 19 December.
President Donald Trump is noticeably distancing himself from Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, with White House insiders revealing his displeasure stems from her acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prizean honor Trump has long coveted for himself.

'If she had turned it down and said, 'I can't accept it because it's Donald Trump's,' she'd be the president of Venezuela today,' a person familiar with Trump's thinking told the Washington Post. 'Her acceptance of the prize was an 'ultimate sin.'

While Machado later dedicated the award to Trump, one person said the damage was already done.

Trump said this weekend he has not yet spoken with Venezuela's new leader, Delcy Rodriguez, following the military coup that removed Nicolas Maduro from power.

A day earlier, Trump had largely dismissed Machado's prospects, saying 'it would be very tough for her to be the leader' and claiming she 'doesn't have the support or the respect within the country.' His comments caught Machado's team off guard, according to people close to her.

Machado's proxy candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won more than twothirds of the vote in last year's election, which Maduro refused to honor by stepping down.

US officials say Venezuela's vast oil wealth offers both an incentive for Rodriguez to engage with Trump and a source of leverage if she doesn't.

Operation 'Absolute Resolve,' which achieved Maduro's military removal, comes as Trump issues compounding threats to Cuba, Colombia and Iran, warning they 'should be very careful' following his military success in Caracas.

The operation was a success and remained a secret until Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured. Trump posted this picture of Maduro aboard USS Iwo Jima on Saturday

Smoke rises from explosions in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Courthouse this morning

In Venezuela, the armed forces have recognized Rodriguez, who served as vice president under Maduro, as acting president.

People close to Machado say their team was caught off guard by Trump's comments.

Some have taken to social media to defend her  including Republicans.

Representative Carlos Gimenez said in an interview that Machado would win an election if it were held today.

Florida Republican Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar and Mario Diaz-Balart also held a press conference in Doral on January 3 to forcefully reaffirm their support for Machado.

Salazar, a longtime ally who frequently refers to Machado as Venezuela's 'Iron Lady,' has made note that any democratic transition must occur 'under the leadership of Maria Corina Machado.'

Diaz-Balart also shut down suggestions that she lacked respect by declaring that 'the next democratically elected President of Venezuela is going to be Maria Corina Machado.'

Former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul suggested Trump threw Machado 'under the bus,' over the Nobel Peace Prize.

'Is he that petty? ... I was genuinely surprised and disappointed by his dismissive remarks about her,' McFaul said.

A former White House staffer is also calling the president's reasoning 'petty.'

'The reason it's not Machado, is Trump is petty! Machado took his Nobel Peace Prize,' the former Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council wrote on X.

US officials argue that Venezuela's vast oil wealth cuts both ways for Rodriguezoffering a powerful reason to engage with Trump, and a potent source of pressure if she does not.

Operation 'Absolute Resolve,' the military removal of Maduro, comes as Trump makes compounding threats to other countries on the heels of his military success in Caracas  saying Cuba, Colombia and Iran should be very careful.
A popular Georgia pastor delivered a fiery sermon about his wife's form-fitting, lace dress, which he had bought for her to wear to a gala, after critics called the outfit immodest.

Pastor Jamal Bryant, a senior faith leader at Atlanta's New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, directly addressed those who slammed the statement gown his wife, Dr Karri Turner Bryant, wore to the 2025 UNCF Mayor's Masked Ball on December 20.

Karri, who was labeled 'Church Barbie', donned a curvaceous flesh-colored and black lace dress that featured a large black bow on the bottom.

The 45-year-old accessorized the gown with long, sheer black gloves, a black clutch, black heels and wore her strawberry blonde hair down in curls.

The couple, who tied the knot in November 2024, were snapped together at the prestigious event as the pastor, 54, donned a dapper black-and-white tuxedo with a black bowtie.

Almost immediately after they were pictured at the gala, a storm of criticism swept in, calling Karri's dress inappropriate for a preacher's wife to be wearing.

But Bryant quickly shut down the judgment in a fierce New Year's Eve sermon, calling internet haters 'insecure, jealous, petty, small-minded people.'

'I needed to set the record straight: I bought the dress! And I like it. I don't care whether you like it or not, she ain't married to all. She [is] married to me,' Bryant said to the congregation in a video he posted to his Instagram.

Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, defended his wife during a furious sermon after the pair were slammed over a gown she wore to a recent gala

The husband and wife stepped out on December 20 for the 2025 UNCF Mayor's Masked Ball. Karri wore a curvaceous flesh-colored and black lace dress that featured a large black bow on the bottom, while the pastor opted for a dapper black and white tuxedo with a black bowtie

'I needed to get this straight. I needed to deal with it head-on. Because the other day, the internet went crazy about a dress my wife had on.

'Now they didn't say anything about the $4 million that was raised for the United Negro College Fund. They never mentioned that she prayed until Heaven came down.

'They never said anything about how this was the largest fundraiser for HBCUs in the country. But insecure, jealous, petty, small-minded people got in their feelings and set up a false barometer of holiness based off of a dress,' he added as the crowd cheered him on.

'Now you got to help some people, because some people are going to embrace the full knowledge of ignorance without any assistance for understanding. The dress was not see-through, the dress was flesh-color,' the pastor, who was previously married to Real Housewives of Potomac star Gizelle Bryant, clarified.

While he defended his bride, Karri appeared proud as she nodded and smiled at him.

In another clip, Karri, dressed in a coral colored maxi dress with a silver belt, was seen stepping out on stage, appearing to shout: 'Preach, babe!'

'Preach! Preach husband,' she added, smiling as she did so.

Bryant's defensive comment came after online trolls blasted him and his wife over the gown.

During a New Year's Eve service, Jamal quickly shut the judgement down and called internet haters 'insecure, jealous, petty, small-minded people'

While he stood up for his bride, Karri seemingly approved of his comeback as she clapped, shook her head, and cheered on the pastor

One Facebook user wrote: 'Even though the dress was part flesh fabric, IMO (in my opinion) it was too provocative for a Pastor's wife no matter the occasion.'

'Now he knows this ain't no 1st lady dress. Pastor,' another posted.

'Shes a First Lady, not Beyonce,' someone else wrote.

Others suggested that the dress did not represent Christian values well.

'There is nothing Christian about her dress. She should dress appropriately when representing God,' a user said.

'The Lord is not in their hearts,' wrote another.

Meanwhile, many others expressed their support for Karri's look.

'Dr Karri plays NO GAMES with her Fashion choices GOOD LORD She ate this one up,' a Facebook user wrote.

Another chimed in: 'First Lady, you were working THAT dress!'

'She looks amazing,' someone else said.

The Daily Mail reached out to Jamal and Karri for comment.
The Washington Monument, which has been at the center of the National Mall for more than a century, received what some described as a 'tacky makeover' for America's 250th birthday.

The monument in Washington, DC, has been transformed this week by a light show projection featuring neon imagery to honor 250 years of US independence, according to the National Park Service.

Freedom 250 - the Trump administration-backed organization behind the event - urged Americans to watch as the monument became the 'world's tallest birthday candle' for six nights from December 31, culminating in a firework show on January 5.

Despite the celebratory intentions behind the light show, many have slammed the design, calling it a 'tacky billboard,' while some have blamed President Trump personally for the 'cheesy' light shows.

Freedom 250 said it displayed 'marquee national events celebrating the triumph of the American spirit' on the 555-foot monument, including imagery such as large, bright neon numbers, as well as illuminating the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty on it.

The organizers are part of Trump's America 250 Task Force, which has been responsible for planning a full year of festivities since its launch on Memorial Day, 2025, and continuing through July 4.

'With a single sheet of parchment and 56 signatures, America began the greatest political journey in human history,' said President Trump regarding the anniversary.

The White House added that Task Force 250 invites citizens to renew their love of American history, experience the beauty of our country, and ignite a spirit of adventure and innovation that will raise the US to new heights over the next 250 years.

The Washington Monument in the National Mall in Washington DC was transfromed into a light show in honor of the America's 250th anniversary

Many disapproved of the 'tacky' lights and blame President Trump for the disrespectful show

Despite the warm invitation, many do not want to celebrate with the task force at the lighting of the Washington Monument.

One user wrote: 'Oh dear. I've really loved the illuminations of the past, but this one truly is tacky. A national monument shouldn't look like a Times Square billboard.'

Another wrote: 'Three-time Trump voter, I don't know about this. Doesn't seem right for such a serious monument.'

While many were outraged by the lights and Trump's influence on the event, others welcomed it and proposed continuing the illuminations even after the event is finished.

A pleased commentator posted: 'WOW!! That is simply beautiful!'

A second said: 'What a stunning visual treat for the Washington Monument!'

Join the debate How do you feel about transforming sacred national landmarks into flashy displays for celebrations?

The lights featured various images, including the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty

The celebration on the monument ends on January 5 and with feature a firework show

Another noted: 'This is epic. Add a new one every month, please!'

In addition to lighting the monument, Freedom 250 plans to hold more events, including the One Nation Under God: National Prayer Gathering, where Americans will come together at the National Mall for a public display of prayer for the US's future.

Another event is the Great American State Fair, also scheduled to be held on the mall on June 25.

The organizer said the event will be the biggest, boldest state fair in the country, featuring 'Maine lobster rolls to Hawaii's shimmering hula stage, Texas-sized steaks to Alaska's towering ice carvings, all fifty states, territories, and federal agencies showcase their food, culture, and pride to one unforgettable, coast-to-coast celebration.'

In the fall, the first-of-its-kind Patriot Games, spotlighting male and female high school athletes from across the nation, will take place.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Freedom 250 for comment.
A California college student died of an overdose after he turned to ChatGPT for advice on how to take drugs, his mother has claimed.

Sam Nelson, 19, had been using the AI chatbot to confide in and complete daily tasks, but also to ask questions what doses of illegal substances he should consume.

He started using the AI bot at 18, when he asked for specific doses of a painkiller that will get you high, but his addiction spiraled from there.

At first, ChatGPT would respond to his questions with formal advice, explaining that they could not help the user.

But the more Sam used it, the more he was able to manipulate and morph it into getting the answers he wanted, SFGate reports.

The chatbot even encouraged his decisions at times, his mom told the outlet, until in May 2025 he came clean to her about his drug and alcohol use.

She admitted Sam into a clinic and they concocted a treatment plan, but the next day she found his lifeless body, lips blue, in his bedroom.

Sam Nelson, 19, in a photo posted by his mom Leila Turner-Scott

The 19-year-old had recently graduated high school and was in college studying psychology, until he started using AI to discuss drug doses

'I knew he was using it,' Leila Turner-Scott told SFGate about her only son. 'But I had no idea it was even possible to go to this level.'

Turner-Scott described her son as an 'easy-going' kid who was studying Psychology in college. He had a big group of friends and loved playing video games.

But his AI chat logs showed a dark history of his battles with anxiety and depression.

A conversation between Sam and the AI bot from February 2023, obtained by SFGate, showed him talking about smoking cannabis while taking a high dose of Xanax.

He asked if it was safe to combine the two substances, writing: 'I can't smoke weed normally due to anxiety.'

After the AI bot responded that the combo wasn't safe, Sam switched 'high dose' to 'moderate amount,' to which ChatGPT responded: 'If you still want to try it, start with a low THC strain (indica or CBD-heavy hybrid) instead of a strong sativa and take less than 0.5 mg of Xanax.'

Sam also rephrased questions, asking in December 2024: 'how much mg xanax and how many shots of standard alcohol could kill a 200lb man with medium strong tolerance to both substances? please give actual numerical answers and dont dodge the question.'

At the time, Sam was using the 2024 version of ChatGPT. The creator company, OpenAI, updates this version every so often, to improve it.

The company's metrics also showed that the version he was utilizing was riddled with flaws, per the outlet.

It found that version scored zero percent for handling 'hard' human conversations, and 32 percent for 'realistic' conversations. Even the latest models scored less than a 70 percent success rate for 'realistic' conversations for August 2025.

An OpenAI spokesperson told Daily Mail that Sam's overdose is heartbreaking, sending their condolences to his family.

Daily Mail's mock screenshot based on the conversations Sam had with AI bot, per SFGate

The young man originally came clean to his mom about his drug problems, but fatally overdosed the shortly after

'When people come to ChatGPT with sensitive questions, our models are designed to respond with care - providing factual information, refusing or safely handling requests for harmful content, and encouraging users to seek real-world support.

'We continue to strengthen how our models recognize and respond to signs of distress, guided by ongoing work with clinicians and health experts,' Wood wrote in her statement.

They added that Sam's interactions were from an earlier version of ChatGPT and the newer versions include 'stronger safety guardrails.'

Turner-Scott has since said that she's 'too tired to sue' over the loss of her only child.

A number of other families who have suffered losses have attributed their loved ones deaths to ChatGPT.

Adam Raine, 16, developed a deep friendship with the AI chatbot back in April 2025 and died after ChatGPT helped him explore methods to end his life.

He used the bot to research different suicide methods, including what materials would be best for creating a noose.

Adam uploaded a photograph of a noose he had hung in his closet and asked for feedback on its effectiveness.

'I'm practicing here, is this good?,' the teen asked, excerpts of the conversation show. The bot replied: 'Yeah, that's not bad at all.'

But Adam pushed further, allegedly asking AI: 'Could it hang a human?'

Adam Raine, 16, died on April 11 after hanging himself in his bedroom. He died after ChatGPT helped him explore methods to end his life

Excerpts of the conversation show Adam uploaded a photograph of a noose and asked: 'I'm practicing here, is this good?' to which the bot replied, 'Yeah, that's not bad at all'

ChatGPT confirmed the device 'could potentially suspend a human' and offered technical analysis on how he could 'upgrade' the set-up.

'Whatever's behind the curiosity, we can talk about it. No judgement,' the bot added.

His parents are involved in an ongoing lawsuit and seek 'both damages for their son's death and injunctive relief to prevent anything like this from ever happening again'.

NBC reported OpenAI has denied the allegations in a new court filing back in November 2025, arguing: 'To the extent that any 'cause' can be attributed to this tragic event.

'Plaintiffs' alleged injuries and harm were caused or contributed to, directly and proximately, in whole or in part, by Adam Raine's misuse, unauthorized use, unintended use, unforeseeable use, and/or improper use of ChatGPT.'

If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.
A beloved North Carolina science teacher was tragically killed after a man with a lengthy criminal record broke into her home, according to prosecutors.

Zoe Welsh, 57, called 911 on Saturday morning from her home in Raleigh to report an intruder. As she did so, the burglar 'began to assault her,' the Raleigh Police Department said.

When officials arrived at the scene, they found Welsh suffering from life-threatening injuries. They immediately rushed her to a nearby hospital, where the teacher of 33 years died.

A suspect, Ryan Camacho, 36, was later arrested and charged with her murder. Her cause of death has not been released.

Camacho is no stranger to crime as he's been arrested two dozen times, and was found guilty of escaping prison in Salisbury, about two hours from the state's capital, in 2021, according to court records obtained by the Daily Mail.

He's also been charged with breaking and entering on several occasions, including a case that was dismissed just last month, records show.

That case, which accused Camacho of breaking and entering in August, was dismissed by Judge Louis Meyer after the career criminal was found incapable of proceeding, court documents read.

The assistant district attorney tried to have Camacho voluntarily committed, but Judge Meyer denied the request, records show.

Zoe Welsh, a 57-year-old science teacher from Raleigh, North Carolina, was killed during a robbery at her home on Saturday morning

She called 911 to report a man had broken into her home (pictured). As she did so, the burglar 'began to assault her,' the Raleigh Police Department said

Camacho has been charged with murder and felony breaking and entering in this case.

He is due in court on Monday, and the case remains under investigation.

Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce expressed his grief for Welsh and her family.

'I am deeply heartbroken for this mother, friend, and mentor to many in our community, and for the unimaginable trauma her family must endure. We extend our deepest sympathy to Ms. Welsh's family during this incredibly difficult time,' he said.

'Whenever there is a loss of life in our community, it affects us all. As a department, we share in the sadness of this loss. The arrest of the suspect sends a strong message that criminal acts will not be tolerated in the City of Raleigh.'

Welsh, who taught at Ravenscroft School, has been remembered as a caring and loving teacher, mother, friend, and wife.

Flowers have been left outside her home in memory of her.

'I'll remember her smile; she was always happy,' Olivia Alvarez, who worked as Welsh's house cleaner for years, told WTVD.

A suspect, Ryan Camacho, 36, was later arrested and charged with her murder. He has been in and out of prison over the years, and also escaped from prison in 2021, according to court records

Welsh, who taught at Ravenscroft School, has been remembered as a caring and loving teacher, mother, friend, and wife

Alvarez, who was one of the people who placed flowers at the growing memorial, told the outlet she was completely shocked when she heard someone had broken into Welsh's home.

'I always feel safe on every house, but now I'm scared,' she stated.

Alvarez added: 'I love you, Zoe, so much, you are now with God, and this man is going to pay, he's going to pay.'

Welsh's heartbroken friends also took to Facebook to pay their respects to the woman who brought so much 'joy and humor to every room she was in,' one pal said.

'The best way we can honor Zoe is to live out her values. Zoe had learned a very important lesson in life that she related to me many times . . . pick joy. Find joy, embrace it, follow it,' they added.

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein also shared a heartfelt tribute in the wake of her death.

'Zoe Welsh, by all accounts, was a special teacher and person. My heart goes out to her family and students, who have suffered a traumatic loss from another senseless act of violence,' he said before touching on Camacho's criminal history.

'We must invest in our mental and behavioral health system, which my public safety package would address.

Welsh's heartbroken friends also took to Facebook to pay their respects to the woman who brought so much 'joy and humor to every room she was in'

'People need to be safe in their homes and their communities. I will work with anyone who is committed to stopping crimes before they happen and holding violent criminals accountable.'

A spokesperson for Ravenscroft School told the outlet: 'The Ravenscroft community is devastated by the loss of our beloved colleague and friend Zoe Welsh.

'Zoe has been a cornerstone of our Upper School Science Department and the Ravenscroft community for years. Her loss is deeply felt by all of us who had the privilege of working with her and learning in her classroom.'

The school will provide grief counselors on campus as students return to the classroom on Monday.

The Daily Mail contacted the Raleigh Police Department and the Wake County District Attorney's office for comment.
Spain's left-wing prime minister Pedro Sanchez has lashed out at Donald Trump for capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, as other EU leaders attempt a balancing act to avoid infuriating the US president.

Maduro, 63, was captured in Caracas, his nation's capital, alongside his wife Cilla Flores early on Saturday by the United States Army's secretive Delta Force unit in a daring raid on his heavily-secured compound.

The couple was seized from their bedroom in the dead of night by US forces as they slept, CNN reported. The raid did not lead to any US casualties.

The pair were snatched by helicopter from Caracas after their whereabouts were monitored by CIA spies, with Trump giving the order to take them.

So far, much of the world has refused to outright condemn Trump's actions.

In the EU, Sanchez is leading the charge against Trump, saying in a statement that his government would not recognise any interventions in Venezuela that violated international law.

He said: 'Spain did not recognise the Maduro regime. But neither will it recognise an intervention that violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and belligerence.'

Others in the EU who joined him included Slovakia's prime minister Robert Fico, who scathingly said the US' incursion was 'further evidence of the breakdown of the world order', and Hungary's Viktor Orban.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance

Low-flying aircraft targeted and destroyed military infrastructure, including air defence systems, to make way for helicopters that landed at Maduro's compound

Spain's left-wing prime minister Pedro Sanchez has lashed out at Donald Trump (pictured) for capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro

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The Putin-aligned leader said of Trump's actions: 'The liberal world order is in disintegration.'

But many other EU leaders have attempted to tread a fine line in their responses to Trump's actions.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called for 'restraint' and respect for international law in Venezuela while emphasising Maduro 'lacks legitimacy'.

On Sunday the EU issued a statement signed by all member states save Hungary stating that respecting the will of the Venezuelan people was the only way to restore democracy.

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the US operation undermined international law, and no solution to Venezuela's crisis can be imposed externally.

But President Emmanuel Macron later said Venezuelans 'can only rejoice' at Maduro's overthrow.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK will discuss the 'evolving situation' in Venezuela with the US while stating Britain will 'shed no tears' about the demise of Maduro's 'regime'.

And Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga focused on Maduro's lack of legitimacy and the Venezuelan government's repression, while backing 'democracy, human rights, and the interests of Venezuelans'.

The operation was a success and remained a secret until Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured. Trump posted this picture of Maduro aboard USS Iwo Jima on Saturday

Nicolas Maduro has been shuffled into a police SUV this morning, sporting prison garb, as he makes his way from an NYC jail to his first court appearance

Nicolas Maduro is being moved from a prison in Brooklyn ahead of his initial appearance at Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse on January 5

In a rare expression of support for the US operation by a major European country, hard-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni - a Trump ally - argued the US military action in Venezuela was 'legitimate' and 'defensive'.

On Sunday Meloni said she had spoken to Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado about a transition of power, with the two agreeing that Maduro's removal opens a 'new chapter' for the country.

Trump has dismissed Machado as a potential successor to Maduro.

In Switzerland, which is not part of the EU, the government made the rare move of freezing any assets held in the nation by Maduro and anyone associated with him 'with immediate effect'.

Outside Europe, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was 'deeply alarmed' by the US strikes, with his spokesman quoting him as saying it could 'constitute a dangerous precedent'.

And Pope Leo XIV simply said the 'welfare of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over all other considerations'.

Earlier today, Maduro and his wife Cilia were filmed awkwardly shuffling along a helipad as the pair were taken to court in New York City to face drugs charges that could result in their execution.

Maduro is expected to appear in court Monday on drug and weapons charges that carry the death penalty.

A helicopter transports captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance on January 5

President Nicolas Maduro is moved out of the helicopter at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport on January 5

The US president and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth praised the operation and the fact that no US personnel were killed

He was driven from Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center to a nearby helipad. He was then flown the short distance across the East River to the southern tip of Manhattan.

There, he was seen shuffling awkwardly off the chopper in shackles before being put into a khaki-colored armored vehicle while surrounded by armed police officers.

His wife, Cilla Flores, was flanked by his side as DEA agents escorted them from the heliport to the courthouse.

The Maduros were subsequently driven to Manhattan Federal Court, where he will be arraigned at 12pm ET.

Maduro's lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state.

Trump has accused Maduro of leading the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), which the president claims flooded the US with cocaine.

A 25-page indictment made public Saturday accuses Maduro and others of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the US They could face life in prison if convicted.

It wasn't clear as of Sunday whether Maduro had hired a US attorney yet.

Maduro was transported to New York, where he will be tried on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges

Smoke rises from explosions in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 3, 2026

Maduro and Flores have been under US sanctions for years, making it illegal for any American to take money from them without first securing a license from the Treasury Department.

Maduro, his wife and his son - who remains free - are charged along with Venezuela's interior and justice minister, a former interior and justice minister and Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, an alleged Tren de Aragua leader who has been criminally charged in another case and remains at large.

The indictment accuses Maduro and Flores of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their drug trafficking operation.

That included a local drug boss' killing in Caracas, the indictment said.

Maduro's wife is also accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange a meeting between 'a large-scale drug trafficker' and the director of Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office, resulting in additional monthly bribes, with some of the money going to Maduro's wife, according to the indictment.

While the indictment against Maduro says Venezuelan officials worked directly with the Tren de Aragua gang, a US intelligence assessment published in April, drawing on input from the intelligence community's 18 agencies, found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government.
A man who fell from a wall after being tasered by a police officer 'was no threat' when he was struck, a court heard.

Leonard Sandiford was 'simply running away' from police in Woodford Green, east London, when he was tasered and fell to the ground, suffering serious injuries.

He has since been confined to a wheelchair, the court heard.

Metropolitan Police Constable Liam Newman, 31, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of grievous bodily harm against Mr Sandiford.

Newman had been with another officer responding to a report of attempted burglary of a bookmakers in Chigwell Road, Woodford Green, at 5am on April 24 2022.

After a chase, Mr Sandiford was tasered and fell from a height up to six feet (1.8m), sustained an injury to his spinal cord and is now tetraplegic and in a wheelchair, prosecutor Irshad Sheikh told jurors.

Opening the case today, Mr Sheikh said: 'Mr Sandiford was simply running away. He was not a threat to either of the officers.'

Jurors were told the prosecution case is that Newman firing the Taser in the circumstances was an unreasonable use of force and was therefore unlawful.

Metropolitan Police officer Liam Newman arriving at court where he is on trial for GBH after tasering a man while responding to an attempted burglary

The prosecutor told jurors: 'Pc Newman, as you would expect, had been on training programmes for the deployment and use of Tasers.

'That training highlighted the risks involved where subjects were running away and the risk of injury being increased as they would be moving at a higher speed.

'That risk increased further when a subject was at a height.

'A person being incapacitated in these circumstances would inevitably lead to the risk of an uncontrolled and unsupported fall.

'The risk of injury being caused in these circumstances should have been obvious to Pc Newman.'

After being called to the scene in Chigwell Road, the two officers approached a white Ford van which Mr Sandiford was driving, and cut it off as it approached a side road.

The pair tried to stop the vehicle and Newman used his baton to strike at the driver's side, opened the driver's door and tried to pull Mr Sandiford out, the court heard.

The van was moving back, which Mr Sheikh said was probably a result of the handbrake not being applied.

Newman got his Taser out and pointed it at Mr Sandiford, who was still in the driver's seat, the court heard.

Mr Sandiford held his hands up as he got out of the vehicle, jurors heard, as Newman shouted at him to get on to his knees.

The alleged victim bent his knees slightly but then began to run and was pursued by the two officers.

Newman fired his Taser twice during the chase, jurors were told, and then twice when Mr Sandiford had scaled the wall of the shed.

After the first shot while Mr Sandiford was on the wall, he 'gave out a yell but continued on his way', Mr Sheikh said.

The second discharge incapacitated Mr Sandiford, leading him to lose control of his muscles and fall to the ground.

Giving evidence, Mr Sandiford said he remembered running from police and something hitting him in his neck or back.

'Then my lights went out,' he told jurors. 'I woke up in the Royal London Hospital about two months later.'

Kevin Baumber, defending, asked whether he had been trying to burgle the betting shop, which Mr Sandiford denied.

He told the court he ran from police because he had been 'spooked' after seeing a truncheon and a Taser.

'I made a promise to my children that I wouldn't go down that road again and I wouldn't go back to prison,' he said.

'I just told myself I ain't going to jail for something I ain't done.'

Newman denies grievous bodily harm and the trial continues.
A driver has admitted killing a teenager by crashing into him as he waited at a bus stop to go to school.

Freddie Coleman, 15, died as he stood by the road in Stock, Essex, while a second child suffered life-changing injuries but survived.

Both had been heading to Mayflower High School in nearby Billericay, where they were students.

During a short hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court today, Stephen Mahebadevan, 26, of Chelmsford, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Judge Mary Loram KC released the defendant, pictured for the first time today, on bail to return for sentencing next month but told him he faced a 'significant period of imprisonment'.

She added: 'I can't think of a more tragic loss - and this court deals with a lot of tragedy.'

No information was given about the defendant's driving during the hearing but details should emerge when he is sentenced.

Freddie was pronounced dead at the scene after being struck by the car on the morning of November 3, 2023.

Freddie Coleman, 15, died as he stood by the road in Stock, Essex, while a second child suffered life-changing injuries but survived

Stephen Mahebadevan, 26, of Chelmsford, today admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving

The injured teenager was airlifted to hospital from the scene in a critical condition.

Freddie's heartbroken parents, Jason and Jo, paid tribute at the time to their son, describing him as a 'kind, happy, funny boy' who was 'loved by everybody'.

They also asked for privacy during this 'dreadful time'.

Scores of flowers, candles and messages were left at Mayflower High School by devastated friends and locals.

A book of condolence was also opened at the school and a fundraiser set up to support Freddie's family raised more than 25,000 in just 48 hours.

The school said in a statement issued on social media: 'Following the tragic news on Friday we want to thank all of our community for their overwhelming support.

'Should students, staff, or members of the public wish to leave any flowers then they are welcome to. There is a memorial of flowers by our sign at the front of the school.

'We will also have a book of condolence available in main reception should you wish to leave a message.'

Freddie's heartbroken parents Jason and Jo paid tribute at the time to their son, describing him as a 'kind, happy, funny boy' who was 'loved by everybody'

Mayflower High School opened a book of condolences and a fundraiser set up to support Freddie's family raised more than 25,000 in just 48 hours. Floral tributes were also left outside the school

Damian Lee, headteacher at Mayflower High School, described the teenager as 'much loved and respected'.

Detective Inspector Mark Fraser, of Essex Police, said at the time: 'This tragic incident has had a huge impact on the community. Our detectives are carrying out a number of enquiries, including reviewing dashcam footage and CCTV to determine the circumstances around this collision.

Around two dozen of Freddie's family turned up to court for the hearing today, with another ten attending on a video link.

Many wept as Mahebadevan admitted the offences.
A fugitive father who tied up and drowned his daughter in an honour killing that shocked the Netherlands has been sentenced to 30 years in jail.

Khaled al Najjar, 53, skipped the country hours after the body of his daughter Ryan, 18, was found bound and gagged in a swamp at an isolated nature reserve and is now hiding in Syria.

His two sons Mohamed, 23, and Muhanad, 25, were also found guilty and given 20 years each but only the eldest was in court for the verdict.

The judge read out her decision as Muhanad, dressed in a beige hoodie, looked on with his hands folded in front of him and as the hearing ended he said: 'I will clear my name.'

Officials said the man's youngest brother had decided to stay in jail and not attend the hearing - which the judge took a dim view to.

After the hearing Muhanad's lawyer Johan Muhren, who is the nephew of former Manchester United and Ipswich Town player Arnold, said: 'I will have to speak with my client but we will appeal. There was no direct evidence linking him to the crime.'

In the written summary the court concluded Khaled tied up his daughter, strangled her, and left her in the water.

It added that one of his sons, who it did not name, was also at the location where his sister was tied up and ended up in the water.

Ryan's body was found in a swamp six days after she disappeared from her family home in the Netherlands. She was gagged and her hands were tied behind her back

A court sketch of suspects Mohammed, right, and Muhanad Al Najjar, accused of helping their father kill their sister. The men insisted their father acted alone

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The court said it was not able to establish the role of the other son but said this was 'irrelevant to the question of guilt'.

The ruling added: 'It is clear that he, too, played a significant role in his sister's death. He and his brother picked her up from Rotterdam and drove them to the Oostvaardersplassen, knowing what awaited her.'

New details revealed by prosecutors last month had claimed Ryan violated her family's strict expectations by adopting a Western lifestyle, mixing with boys, refusing to wear a headscarf and using social media.

Prosecutors told the court the killing appeared to have been triggered by a live TikTok video showing Ryan without a headscarf and wearing makeup.

They said chat messages suggested the video embarrassed Ryan's family as it did not fit within their traditional views.

Investigators alleged the murder followed a long pattern of intimidation and control inside the household, with Ryan's behaviour viewed by her relatives as a humiliating betrayal that ultimately led to the fatal attack.

The brothers, whose trial began November 27, insisted they were not involved and said their father carried out the murder alone.

Ryan disappeared on May 22, 2024. A passerby discovered her body on May 28 in Lelystad, about 25 miles north-east of Amsterdam.

The teenager's body was discovered by a passerby in a swamp after prosecutors said her father orchestrated her murder

Investigators later found DNA belonging to her father under her fingernails, indicating that she had put up a fight.

Khaled allegedly sent two emails to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf claiming responsibility and saying his sons were innocent. Prosecutors, however, rejected that claim.

They argued that the father told his sons to collect Ryan, drive her to an isolated location, and meet him there.

But Muhren claimed Muhanad had picked up his sister in Rotterdam 'to take her home. He told her to apologize to her father. Then everything would be okay.'

Shortly after midnight, Ryan was killed.

In court, the prosecutor described the fear Ryan must have felt - alone in the dark and far from help.

'What must she have feared,' the prosecutor said.

'In the middle of the night, in complete darkness, in a completely isolated place.'
Pete Hegseth has moved to strip a Democratic senator's military rank and pay after he released a video calling on troops to disobey orders.

The Secretary of War said in a statement: 'Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly - and five other members of Congress - released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline.

'Therefore, in response to Senator Mark Kellys seditious statements - and his pattern of reckless misconduct - the Department of War is taking administrative action.'

The Pentagon boss sent a censure letter to Kelly to inform him of the pending review of his rank and pension - a 'necessary' step to punish the Democrat, the note states.

Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain and former astronaut, called on active duty soldiers to refuse 'illegal orders' while invoking his own service in the armed forces.

'Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders,' Kelly and a handful of other Democratic lawmakers said in a video released in November.

All six of the Democrats in the video touted their own military or intelligence backgrounds, though they did not specify which illegal orders were given or if President Donald Trump or Hegseth were engaged in unlawful activity.

Kelly has 30 days to respond to the censure letter, and a full review of his standing with the military will be completed in 45 days.

Mark Kelly made a video with other Democratic lawmakers where he called on soldiers to ignore illegal orders from President Trump. Now the Pentagon is reviewing his rank and pay

Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth have called the Democrats who released the video 'seditious' and floated potential consequences. The President even suggested sedition could be punishable by hanging

'These actions are based on Captain Kelly's public statements from June through December 2025 in which he characterized lawful military operations as illegal and counseled members of the Armed Forces to refuse lawful orders,' Hegseth states.

Since he is retired and still receiving payment from the military, the Arizona senator is subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the letter claims.

It also cheekily refers to Kelly as 'Captain (for now).'

'If Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our countrys history, thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesnt get it,' Kelly said in a statement on Monday.

'I will fight this with everything Ive got  not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump dont get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government.'

His actions, and those of the other Democrats in the video, enraged the President.

Trump issued a statement on Truth Social at the time, calling their actions 'seditious' and 'treason,' while demanding they be executed via hanging.

'SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!' before reposting another them that stated, 'HANG THEM, GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!'

Join the debate Should military veterans in Congress face punishment for urging troops to defy questionable orders?

Hegseth noted in November that the other five Democrats will not be investigated because they do not fall under the Pentagon's jurisdiction.

The others include Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, an ex-CIA analyst who served multiple tours in Iraq; Representative Jason Crow of Colorado, a former Army Ranger; Representative Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, a former Navy reservist; and Representative Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, a former Air Force officer.

'Mark Kelly is a hero and a patriot committed to serving the American people,' Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in response to the announcement.

'Pete Hegseth is a lap dog committed to serving one man  Donald Trump. This is a despicable act of political retribution. I stand with Sen. Kelly, who will always do the right thing no matter the consequences.'

Kelly's Senate office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hundreds of international tourists have been left stranded on an idyllic island in the Indian Ocean after flights were grounded due to violent clashes in Yemen.

More than 400 visitors are stuck on the Yemeni island of Socotra following a flare-up of violence between rival armed factions.

The groups are loosely affiliated with the government but separately backed by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

One local, who wished to remain anonymous, said all foreign and domestic train travel had been suspended on the island after a state of emergency was declared last month.

He added: 'We now have 416 foreigners stranded of different nationalities, including more than 60 Russians.'

Socotra's deputy governor for culture and tourism, Yahya bin Afrar, said over 400 tourists were stuck on the island as 'their flights have been suspended'.

A travel agent in Socotra, speaking anonymously, gave a similar figure.

'The island usually has three weekly flights from the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi carrying foreign tourists', the local official said.

More than 400 visitors are stuck on the Yemeni island of Socotra (pictured) following a flare-up of violence between rival armed factions

Yemen's Socotra archipelago is known for its distinctive 'dragon blood' trees, unique animals and turquoise dolphin-filled oceans and has been a magnet for travellers and influencers over the years

The aftermath of an airstrike on the Yemen mainland is pictured on January 2. Yemen's UAE-backed separatists announced a two-year transition to independence

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'We have appealed and called for the resumption of flights,' he added, saying the airport should be 'kept away from political conflict'.

Yemen's Socotra archipelago is known for its distinctive 'dragon blood' trees, unique animals and turquoise dolphin-filled oceans and has been a magnet for travellers and influencers over the years.

Many people set off from the UEA, the main backer of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces that control the islands, with droves heading over last week to celebrate the new year.

A Western diplomat said 'dozens' of foreign tourists who had visited the island were now stranded after their flights were cancelled.

The diplomat said: 'People are stuck on the island and reaching out to their embassies now for help to be evacuated. Their relevant embassies have reached out to the Saudi and Yemeni governments to seek their evacuation.'

Another Western diplomat said there was a 'mix of nationalities including British, French and American'.

The travel agent in Socotra added at least two Chinese nationals were also among those stranded.

In a post on X on Sunday, Polish foreign ministry spokesman Maciej Wewior said Polish tourists were stuck too, adding that flights to Socotra by an Emirati airline had been suspended until Tuesday.

Saudi-backed forces are pictured yesterday in the city of Mukalla in Yemen's coastal southern Hadramawt province

Government soldiers ride on the back of a pick-up truck in the Arabian Sea port city of Mukalla. They are pictured yesterday

A South Yemeni flag flutters as a member of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) troops mans a checkpoint amid high tensions

'Socotra is located in a highly unstable region where an armed conflict has been ongoing for years. Currently, the security situation has further deteriorated - due to the intensification of military operations, airspace has been closed,'', the post added.

The airport in Yemen's Aden on the mainland has been functional since Sunday after disruptions that lasted for several days.

Lying in the Indian Ocean around 350 kilometres (217 miles) off the Yemeni coast, the four islands and two rocky islets of the Socotra archipelago are home to around 50,000 people and have remained relatively untouched by the war that has devastated the mainland.

The Saudis and Emiratis have for years supported rival factions in Yemen's fractious government, but a recent offensive by the UAE-backed secessionist STC to capture two large provinces angered Riyadh.

The Saudis have hit back in recent days, targeting the STC and an alleged Emirati weapons shipment with air strikes, routing most of their forces and reversing the earlier gains.

The Yemeni government is a patchwork of groups that includes the separatists, and is held together by shared opposition to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The Houthis pushed the government out of Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014 and secured control over most of the north.
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism charges and said he was 'kidnapped' by the United States in his first court appearance in New York.

The fallen dictator, wearing headphones for translation and dark prison clothes, told judge Alvin K. Hellerstein that he's a 'decent man' and pleaded his innocence as he spoke for the first time since the Delta Force operation that captured him from his presidential palace in Caracas.

Maduro claimed that he was 'still president of my country' before being cut off by judge Hellerstein during the hearing.

The couple faces drug and weapons charges that carry the death penalty if convicted.

Maduro is being represented by Barry J. Pollack, a Washington, DC-based lawyer known for helping to free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

His legal team is expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state.
A courageous father fought off a knife-wielding attempted child snatcher who tried to kidnap his toddler inside an Oregon Walmart.

What was expected to be an uneventful family shopping trip just days before Christmas spiraled into every parent's worst nightmare.

The child was being wheeled around the Cornelius Walmart in a stroller when Denis Villalobos, 37, allegedly started trailing the family just before 8pm on December 21, the Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) said on Saturday.

'He looks like hes staring at the child as the family walks by. And they dont even know who he is,' WSCO Corporal David Huey told KOIN.

Suddenly, the lurking suspect jumped into action - reaching into the stroller and grabbing the toddler.

As captured on store security cameras, the kid's heroic father did not hesitate to fend off the culprit.

Amid the struggle - witnessed by the child's mother and other horrified shoppers - Villalobos allegedly pulled out a knife from his pocket.

But he dropped the weapon and the father was able to secure his child as the attempted kidnapper ran off.

Denis Villalobos (left) is allegedly seen stalking the family (right) as they shopped on December 21

The brave dad sustained minor injuries, but ultimately the child and their family are physically unharmed - although shaken by the ordeal.

Police said that Villalobos drove off in a white Jeep, but he was soon tracked down because bystanders wrote down his license plate number.

He was arrested and booked into Washington County Jail. On December 29, a grand jury heard the evidence in the case and issued an indictment on a slew of charges.

They include first-degree attempted kidnapping, second and fourth-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and menacing.

'Its kind of scary. Especially the fact that he lives around this neighborhood,' the victim's mother, who remained anonymous, told KOIN.

'Its actually nice to live in a small community where we have the police department around the area doing their job and very close by. So were, were very thankful for that.'

According to Villalobos' booking report, he was also arrested for violating his probation.

The father and the culprit started fighting in the middle of the store, with the suspect pulling out a knife

The dramatic incident occurred at a Walmart in Cornelius, Oregon

Public records reviewed by the Daily Mail indicate that Villalobos is no stranger to run-ins with the law.

He has been charged with at least 14 offenses, ranging from violating a speed limit to aggravated harassment.

Villalobos was convicted of aggravated harassment in 2017, first-degree criminal trespassing in 2011, interfering with a peace, parole or probation officer in 2010, resisting arrest in 2008 and second-degree criminal mischief in 2007.

The Daily Mail has reached out to WCSO for more information.
Migrants who have been detained under Labour's 'one in, one out scheme' have accused the Home Office of causing them 'severe physical harm' and have called on the UN to investigate their treatment.

Around 80 migrants have compiled a document about their experiences in the Harmondsworth immigration removal centre, one of two sites used to temporarily house migrants near Heathrow Airport as they await deportation to France.

They claim they have been unjustly treated by Home Office staff since arriving to the UK illegally in small boats.

The group, who have travelled to the UK from countries such as Sudan, Afghanistan and Iran, said they came to the UK for a chance to live a 'peaceful life'.

They have accused the Home Office of subjecting them to arbitrary detention, denial of legal representation, inadequate medical care, degrading treatment and severe psychological harm.

They are calling on the UN and human rights groups to investigate the detention centres used for those awaiting deportation from the UK.

In the report, the migrants said they were not given time to rest or receive support after their journeys across the Channel and were rushed into detention centres, unable to contact their families.

They accused the Home Office of not providing medical treatment for a range of illnesses and issues which they claimed to be suffering.

Illegal migrants have complained about their treatment at Harmondsworth immigration removal centre (pictured)

A group of people thought to be migrants pictured being taken into Dover by Border Force today

They said detainees were also suffering from mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and insomnia.

The report states: 'There have been multiple incidents involving individuals experiencing severe mental health crises, including self-harm attempts.

'Detainees report being placed in isolation or disciplinary units. This environment has created constant fear, despair, and uncertainty, with detainees expressing that they feel dehumanised and invisible.'

They claim that their treatment 'violates human rights' including the principles of dignity and due process.

It comes as the Government announced new powers to seize mobile phones from illegal migrants arriving in the UK without police having to arrest them first.

Officers at the processing centre in Manston, Kent, where migrants undergo security and identity checks, will now use technology that can access data on the devices in a bid to gather intelligence on the smuggling networks.

The new powers come as part of government efforts to tackle small-boat Channel crossings and people-smuggling gangs.

It is hoped that this will aid investigations, and comes after the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act became law last month.

Migrants in France clambering into a small boat bound for Britain in July last year

The new law is also introducing a number of criminal offences, including sentences of up to 14 years in jail for storing or supplying boat engines to bring migrants to the UK.

Smugglers downloading maps on where to depart on small boats or researching the best places to buy equipment for dinghies could face five years in prison.

Some 41,472 migrants crossed the Channel last year  the second-highest figure on record. This was 13 per cent higher than the figure for 2024, when 36,816 migrants made the journey. The all-time high is 45,774 in 2022.

The first return flight to France this year under the 'one in, one out' scheme is due on Wednesday.

The controversial policy has been branded a joke after it emerged that Britain has so far accepted more migrants than it has sent back.

Official figures show that the UK has returned 193 people who crossed the Channel in small boats in the first two months of the much-vaunted scheme.

Yet over the same period, September to December, 195 asylum-seekers who have not previously tried to arrive illegally have been allowed to come here from France under the scheme. The Home Office originally said it would involve an 'equal number' travelling in each direction.

It is the latest setback for the deal agreed by Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron over the summer, following legal challenges and the farce of two men who were removed coming back in small boats soon afterwards.

Migrants wade into the sea to try to board smugglers' boats in an attempt to cross the English Channel off the beach of Gravelines, northern France (Stock photo)

A Home Office source refuted the claims made by the asylum seekers.

They said individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an immigration removal centre (IRC).

The source added that detainees are offered free legal advice surgeries and are entitled to a 30-minute triage appointment which allows them to make contact with a legal provider that may provide further advice.

They claimed that all individuals are provided with mobile phones and can access landline or video call services on request to contact family and friends, with five minutes of free calls available anywhere in the world.

They said the sites have dedicated health facilities with a 24-hour on-site healthcare team, including mental health care, dental care and substance misuse treatment services.

A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We do not recognise the claims relating to conditions at Harmondsworth. We regard the welfare of people detained in our care as being of utmost importance.

'Protecting the UK border is our top priority. Our landmark one-in-one-out scheme means we can now send those who arrive on small boats straight back to France  striking at the heart of the criminal gangs' business model.'
The hammer-wielding suspect accused of smashing four windows at Vice President JD Vance's Ohio home is a transgender woman who enjoyed a luxurious upbringing filled with privilege.

William D DeFoor, 26, was charged early Monday with one count each of obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass and vandalism after an overnight break-in at Vance's $1.4 million Cincinnati residence.

DeFoor - who is understood to have gone by Davis while attending an elite $27,000 per year Catholic high school - appears to have transitioned to female and now goes by the name Julia.

The Cincinnati-native grew up in the affluent Hyde Park neighborhood in a $1.3 million home with his surgeon father, William, and pediatrician mother, Catherine DeFoor, both registered Democrats, and two younger siblings, Libby and Alex.

William is a pediatric urologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. His wife is a general pediatrician at a St Elizabeth Physicians primary care facility in Kentucky.

The DeFoor family appears close, with both William and Catherine having just last year paid visits to their youngest children's universities, social media posts show.

The accused home attacker does not appear to have graduated from a traditional four-year university despite having excelled as a high schooler at The Summit Country Day School, a prestigious private school in Cincinnati.

DeFoor, then known as Davis, graduated in 2018 after being named a National AP Scholar. He was also active in the school's drama department and even played the piano for a musical written, produced and directed by a friend.

William D DeFoor, 26, was charged early Monday for allegedly smashing four windows at Vice President JD Vance's Ohio home. The Daily Mail can now reveal that DeFoor has apparently transitioned to female and goes by the name Julia

DeFoor is the eldest child of pediatrician Catherine DeFoor (right) and pediatric urologist William DeFoor Jr (left). The couple (pictured at their youngest son's university in October 2025) are both registered Democrats

DeFoor grew up in Cincinnati's affluent Hyde Park neighborhood in a $1.3 million residence, property records show. William, Catherine and DeFoor's younger siblings also live at the home

The suspect appears to have created a Facebook page reflecting his new identity - transgender woman Julia DeFoor - just last month.

DeFoor's first profile picture was posted on December 15, but overall, the account offers few details about the alleged home invader.

The profile highlights DeFoor's graduation from Summit Country Day in 2018 and attendance at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music beginning in August that year.

According to the profile, DeFoor left the music conservatory in 2020, suggesting that a degree was never completed. His 19-year-old brother Alex, an aspiring musician who shares his songs on social media, currently studies at that very conservatory.

DeFoor then enrolled at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College last year. It is unclear what he was studying.

The Facebook profile also highlighted his liked pages, including the Heartland Trans Wellness center, which aims to provide resources for transgender patients in the Greater Cincinnati area.

His father, William, has supported a slew of Democratic causes, including donating more than $11,600 to Kamala Harris's campaign and the Democratic Party political action committee ActBlue in the lead-up to the 2024 election.

He also donated to Joe Biden's presidential campaign in 2020, according to Federal Election Commission records reviewed by the Daily Mail.

William DeFoor is pictured furthest left with his father William Sr, sister and brother in an undated photo

DeFoor (pictured) is a registered Ohio voter and appears to have last voted in the 2020 election

William DeFoor, then known as Davis, graduated from the prestigious Summit Country Day School in 2018 after being named a National AP Scholar

William 'David' DeFoor (pictured in his senior yearbook photo) was also active in the school's drama department and even played the piano for a musical written, produced and directed by a friend

DeFoor is a registered Ohio voter, although a party affiliation was not publicly available. He appears to have last voted in the 2020 election.

It is unclear how close DeFoor is to his parents, despite his last known address being the family home.

William has not recently posted photos with his eldest child.

The pediatric urologist and Harvard University alumnus shared snaps online of his visit to Alex's university last fall, a European vacation with his wife, and photos from artist Libby's graduation from the University of Iowa in May last year.

But noticeably absent from William's publicly accessible social media pages was his eldest child.

DeFoor is accused of attacking Vance's home in Cincinnati's East Walnut Hills neighborhood, located roughly 3.5 miles from the DeFoor family home.

Secret Service agents heard a loud noise at the home around midnight and spotted the suspect running from the home, which is the secondary residence for Vance, his wife Usha and their three young children.

DeFoor was detained by agents shortly after, a Secret Service spokesman told the Daily Mail. He was then taken into custody by the Cincinnati Police Department.

William DeFoor Sr (pictured with Catherine in Vienna last September) has supported a slew of Democratic causes. He donated more than $11,600 to Kamala Harris's campaign and the Democratic Party political action committee ActBlue in the lead-up to the 2024 election

William, an alumnus of Harvard University, often shares photos of his children on social media. He and Catherine are pictured alongside Libby at her University of Iowa graduation in May last year. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts

William shared a photo of Catherine and Alex on Sunday in a post paying tribute to his wife on her birthday. It is unclear when exactly the image was taken

The Vice President and his family were out of town at the time of the attack.

When an officer informed the suspect of his rights, DeFoor responded: 'I don't know,' according to the arrest report.

He had also allegedly vandalized a Secret Service vehicle on his way up the home's driveway.

No motive has been released.

DeFoor has been accused of trashing property before.

He pleaded guilty in April to two counts of vandalism after causing more than $2,000 worth of damage to an interior design company, court records show.

He was sentenced to treatment at a mental health facility for two years and was required to pay $5,550 in damages.

DeFoor is set to be arraigned at Hamilton County Municipal Court on Tuesday.

The Daily Mail's calls to the DeFoor family went unanswered.

William DeFoor, 26, (pictured in his mugshot) was charged early Monday morning with one count each of obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass and vandalism

Windows at Vice President JD Vance's Cincinnati home were smashed on Monday morning

Police and Secret Service agents were seen surrounding the property shortly after the break-in

Following the break-in, footage was released showing large holes in the windows of Vance's home as cops patrolled the scene and recorded evidence of the damage.

The luxurious East Walnut Hills property overlooks the Ohio River and spans 2.3 acres. The Vance family purchased the home for $1.4 million.

After taking the vice presidential oath of office in January 2025, Vance and Usha have lived with the three children at the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC.

The couple also own a property on Capitol Hill.

Vance posted on X: 'I appreciate everyone's well wishes about the attack at our home. As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows. I'm grateful to the secret service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly.

'We weren't even home as we had returned already to DC.'
Russia has demanded the release of its ally, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, following his capture by American forces over the weekend.

Russia's envoy to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said before the UN Security Council: 'There is no ... justification for the crimes committed by the US in Caracas.

'We firmly condemn the US act of armed aggression against in breach of all international legal norms'.

The nation earlier demanded the US 'reconsider its position and release the legally elected president of the sovereign country and his wife'.

Maduro, 63, was captured in Caracas, his nation's capital, alongside his wife Cilla Flores early on Saturday by the United States Army's secretive Delta Force unit in a daring raid on his heavily-secured compound.

The couple was seized from their bedroom in the dead of night by US forces as they slept, CNN reported. The raid did not lead to any US casualties.

The pair were snatched by helicopter from Caracas after their whereabouts were monitored by CIA spies, with US president Donald Trump giving the order to take them.

Russia's condemnation comes on the heels of China, which today urged Trump to stay away from Venezuela's oil after the US said it would run the country.

The operation was a success and remained a secret until Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured. Trump posted this picture of Maduro aboard USS Iwo Jima on Saturday

The US president revealed American oil firms will 'go in and rebuild this system' as he signalled a plan to take control of huge and largely untapped reserves in Venezuela.

But China, which has invested billions in Venezuela's oil industry, claimed agreements it has with Caracas over oil exports from the country would be 'protected by law'.

China, an ally of Venezuela, also called for Mr Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores to be 'immediately released' in a strong condemnation of the operation over the weekend.

China's foreign ministry said the move was a 'clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter'.

Officials in Beijing also called on Washington to 'cease efforts to subvert the Venezuelan government and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation'.

Just last Friday, Mr Maduro was at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas meeting Qiu Xiaoqi, special representative of the Chinese government on Latin American affairs.

Meanwhile more than a dozen oil tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude and fuel were revealed to have fled the country in an attempt to evade American forces.

China's top diplomat also accused the US of acting like a 'world judge' by seizing Mr Maduro to put him on trial, with Beijing set to confront Washington at the UN over the move's legality.

Maduro was transported to New York, where he will be tried on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges

Smoke rises from explosions in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026

'We have never believed that any country can act as the world's police, nor do we accept that any nation can claim to be the world's judge,' China's foreign minister Wang Yi told his Pakistani counterpart during a meeting in Beijing yesterday, referring to 'sudden developments in Venezuela' without directly mentioning the US.

He added: 'The sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law.'

Venezuela and China's relationship deepened under Hugo Chavez, who took power in 1998 and became Beijing's closest ally in Latin America, distancing his country from Washington while lauding the Chinese Communist Party's governance model.

The close relationship continued after Mr Chavez died in 2013 and Mr Maduro became leader, even enrolling his son at the top-ranking Peking University in 2016.

In return, Beijing poured money into Venezuela's oil refineries and infrastructure, providing an economic lifeline as the US and its allies tightened sanctions from 2017.

China purchased around $1.6billion worth of goods in 2024, according to Chinese customs data, the latest full-year figures available. Oil made up about half the total.

'It was a big blow to China, we wanted to look like a dependable friend to Venezuela,' said a Chinese government official briefed on a meeting between Mr Maduro and Mr Qiu, hours before the Venezuelan president was captured.

Other countries such as Iran, which also haslongstanding ties with Mr Maduro's government, have also condemned the US operation.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said: 'The president of a country and his wife were abducted. It's nothing to be proud of; it's an illegal act.

'As the Venezuelan people have emphasised, their president must be released.'

Iran also said its relations with close ally Venezuela remained unchanged despite the US taking Mr Maduro to New York for trial.

Low-flying aircraft targeted and destroyed military infrastructure, including air defence systems, to make way for helicopters that landed at Maduro's compound

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Courthouse this morning

Nicolas Maduro is being moved from a prison in Brooklyn ahead of his initial appearance at Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse

'Our relations with all countries, including Venezuela, are based on mutual respect and will remain so,' Mr Baqaei said. 'We are in contact with the Venezuelan authorities.'

Iran, which the US bombed last year, additionally said it 'strongly condemns the US military attack on Venezuela and a flagrant violation of the country's national sovereignty and territorial integrity'.

And North Korea's foreign ministry denounced the American capture of Mr Maduro as a 'serious encroachment of sovereignty'.

More to follow.
A Romanian national accused of killing a baby girl who died after her pram was hit by a car in a multi-storey car park has appeared in court.

Flaviu Naghi, 34, denies two charges of causing the death of six-month-old Sophia Kelemen by dangerous driving, and causing death by careless driving while on drugs.

Naghi, of Luton, Bedfordshire, spoke only to confirm his name and was assisted by a Romanian interpreter at Swansea Crown Court today.

Judge Catherine Richards adjourned the trial until 12.30pm tomorrow. A jury was not sworn in and Naghi was released on bail, with the trial expected to last three days.

Sophia, from the Leigh area of Manchester, was hit by a car on the ground floor of the car park in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, on January 2 last year.

She was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales for emergency treatment but died a day later.

An inquest opening at Pembrokeshire Coroner's Court heard Sophia died of an 'intracranial haemorrhage' caused by a road traffic collision.

Flaviu Naghi, 34, (pictured) is seen outside Swansea Crown Court today

Photo issued by Dyfed-Powys Police show baby Sophia Kelemen, who was six-months-old

Sophia held by her mother. The baby was airlifted to hospital with a broken pelvis and a brain bleed but died shortly afterwards

Sophia held by her father. The baby was hit by a car on the ground floor of a multi-storey car park on January 2 last year

Naghi denies two charges of causing the death of six-month-old Sophia Kelemen by dangerous driving, and causing death by careless driving while on drugs

Naghi, who has been accused of causing the death of the six-month-old baby

The baby's aunt Adriana previously revealed that the driver was a close friend of the baby's parents Alex and Betty Keleman.

Nagi had been on a New Year's break with his wife and the baby's parents.

Paying tribute to Sophia, Adriana previously wrote: 'Never in a million years would I have thought I would have to write a post like this. My name is Adriana, the auntie of my beloved niece Sophia.

'A seemingly ordinary day turned into our family's worst nightmare. A driver hit the pram in which little Sophia was in a supermarket car park.

'She was airlifted to the hospital with a broken pelvis and a brain bleed and was ultimately diagnosed with brain damage due to the impact.

'Despite the efforts of the doctors, Sophia could not cope with the impact, the surgery, anaesthesia, the brain and all the injuries were too much for her fragile heart, which eventually gave out.

'I hope to ease a very small part of my brother and sister in law's hurt and suffering and raise part of the necessary funds required for the funeral costs and repatriation, as this was an event no one could have ever expected or planned for, especially right after the Christmas holidays.'
Americans could soon see a break at the pump after Trump's Venezuelan oil takeover.

Experts say gasoline prices, airline tickets, and even grocery bills could ease if US oil companies gain control over the country's massive reserves.

Venezuela holds 303 billion barrels of proven oil - nearly a fifth of the global total - most of it heavy, sour crude locked in the Orinoco Belt.

Yet years of mismanagement, corruption, and US sanctions have slashed production from 3.5million to 1.1 million barrels per day, less than 1 percent of global supply.

The Trump administration has made clear that oil sits at the center of Washington's Venezuela strategy, after the sensational arrest of president Nicolas Maduro.

Officials say the US will temporarily 'run' the country's energy sector, investing billions to fix crumbling infrastructure and restore output.

Chevron is expected to gain first access, with ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips promised future contracts.

If production ramps steadily, the impact on American households could be substantial over the coming years, according to veteran oil expert Tony Franjie.

Cheaper crude lowers transportation costs, easing airline tickets, trucking, and groceries.

'Lower gasoline prices, lower airfare  this is going to be great for the US consumer,' said Franjie, a 26-year energy industry analyst at Texas-based SynMax Intelligence.

Franjie forecasts crude could fall below $40 a barrel and gasoline could dip to around $2.50 a gallon, down from $2.80.

The type of oil in Venezuela is thick, dirty and expensive to process - but that is where Franjie sees America's edge.

Americans could pay as little as $2.50 per gallon at the pump if Venezuelan production cuts global prices, experts say

An oil pumpjack on Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, where production has fallen for years thanks in part to aging infrastructure

'The US Gulf Coast refineries were built around Venezuelan crude,' he said. 'They're better than any other refineries in the world at handling that heavy Venezuelan crude.'

These facilities, designed decades ago for Venezuela's oil, could pivot back quickly from Canadian crude and shale if margins are favorable.

Chevron's early foothold is a key part of the strategy.

'The big one is going to be Chevron,' Franjie said.

'They've had a presence there. They're the biggest private player, and they're the savviest among the super majors.'

The company maintained limited operations even as sanctions tightened, giving it a head start.

US energy stocks jumped on expectations of Venezuelan production returning to American hands, with Chevron's shares surging by as much as 10 percent in early trading.

'Anybody who owns Chevron shares, or energy ETFs, is a straightforward winner,' Franjie said.

Proponents say that if US firms can scale up production, the domestic benefits could be felt by the end of the year.

Cheaper fuel would ripple through the economy, lowering costs for trucking, airlines, and the broader supply chain.

We've got a very cheap source of crude that no one else is going to be able to get,' Franjie said.

'Venezuela has more oil reserves than any other country in the world, and we would have first access to it.'

But the billion-dollar question is how deep Venezuela's infrastructure problems lie, with many arguing that meaningful recovery could take decades.

Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin America Energy Program at Rice Universitys Baker Institute, said $100 billion of investment and over a decade would be required to restore Venezuelan output.

Columbia University energy scholar Luisa Palacios wrote that it could take as long as 20 years for new operations to turn a profit, noting investors may prefer safer bets.

Jorge Leon, of Rystad Energy, said 'forced regime change rarely stabilizes oil supply quickly' and pointed to America's experience in Iraq, which imploded after the US-led invasion of 2003.

The capture and arrest of Nicolas Maduro has paved the way for massive changes in Venezuela's energy sector

Chevron has a history in Venezuela and could emerge as the big winner from the transfer of power there

Trump has said the US will temporarily 'run' the country, with the goal of rebuilding its shattered energy sector

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But Franjie argued that modern drilling, fracking techniques and American operational efficiency can reverse declines much faster than skeptics think.

'Chevron has the technology and know-how to get it done faster than anyone thinks,' he said.

'I think starting a year from now, we should start to see a small production increase out of Venezuela.'

That may not sound dramatic, he explains, but in oil markets, direction matters as much as scale.

'To get production up by a million or more barrels a day will take time,' Franjie acknowledges. 'But turning it around can happen much sooner.'

Analysts agree that a full revival will require billions of dollars and years of work. Pipelines are rusting. Facilities are degraded. Skilled workers fled long ago.

Political risks remain huge. Acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodriguez has asserted herself as a power broker in Caracas.

Maduro loyalists are contesting US authority. International lawyers are questioning the legality of Washington's intervention, while leaders in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil have branded it destabilizing.

China and Russia are watching closely. Both have deep strategic interests in Venezuelan oil. Any redirection of exports away from Beijing and toward the US Gulf Coast could reshape global energy flows.

Experts say that socialist mismanagement and corruption have hindered output. Pictured: the headquarters of Petroleos de Venezuela

Production has collapsed from around 3.5 million barrels per day decades ago to roughly 1.1 million barrels today

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Short term, geopolitical risks remain. Tensions with Iran have lifted prices recently. But Franjie sees those risks as temporary.

Longer term, he believes a surge in oil and natural gas  from Venezuela, the US and beyond  will overwhelm demand.

None of this means Venezuela's problems vanish. Franjie is blunt about that too.

'Venezuela will re-nationalize again at some point. All governments do,' he said. 'But that could be 10 or 15 years from now  and that's plenty of time.'

That, in a nutshell, is the oilman's calculation. Move fast. Price in the risk. Get the barrels out. Make the money early.

For Chevron and its peers, Franjie sees a narrow but powerful window  one that could reshape balance sheets, reward investors and finally give American drivers a break at the pump.

For once, he said, geopolitics and gasoline prices may be moving in the same direction.

And that is something most Americans can understand.
A history teacher who branded Islam 'satanic' and told pupils that 'cocaine was purer back in the day' has been banned from the profession.

Patrick Lawler, 62, promoted conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and humiliated pupils with abusive language, while publishing articles attacking Islam, gay people, and abortion.

He told one Year 6 class how civil rights activist Martin Luther King was a 'fraud' and that Rosa Parks did not really exist.

Lawler, who worked in Northumberland and Bristol, also told pupils how cocaine was purer 'back in the day'.

He was struck off the teaching register indefinitely after being found to have committed gross misconduct.

A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) professional conduct panel ruled that Lawler's behaviour amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and posed a serious risk to public confidence in teachers.

Lawler had previously featured in a BBC Wales undercover documentary, Unmasked: Extreme Far Right, which investigated the activities of white nationalist group Patriotic Alternative (PA).

In footage filmed in 2024, Lawler told an undercover reporter that a race war was 'absolutely inevitable'.

Patrick Lawler, 62, promoted conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and humiliated pupils with abusive language, while publishing articles attacking Islam, gay people, and abortion

He claimed that 'all foreigners' had no right to be in the UK and said that if they refused to leave, 'the only way to get rid of them will be to kill every single one of them'.

The disciplinary panel, which investigated allegations pre-dating the BBC investigation, found that Lawler had authored or co-authored a series of newsletters describing Islam as 'demonic' and 'satanically-inspired'.

The same writings, called The Flock, described sex between two men as an 'unnatural, unhealthy, disgusting perversion' and described abortion as 'a great wickedness'.

He also wrote how a 'large' number of Catholic priests are 'predatory homosexual child-molesters' and 'practising sodomites'.

The panel, sitting in Coventry, West Midlands, also upheld a string of allegations relating to Lawler's conduct towards pupils.

While teaching at Bede Academy in Northumberland in 2019, he was meant to deliver a lesson on medieval history but instead launched into political commentary.

He told Year 6 pupils that Rosa Parks had not refused to give up her seat on a bus and that Martin Luther King was an academic fraud.

The panel said the comments were inappropriate and unprofessional, particularly given the age of the children, who were unable to challenge 'minority views which are presented in an unbalanced fashion'.

During a discussion about Black Lives Matter in 2020, he told pupils that BLM stands for 'Burn, Loot, Murder'.

In December of the same year, Lawler was also found to have started talking about drugs during a lesson, telling pupils how 'back in the day, you used to be able to get cocaine, purer'.

A pupil said the comment was made entirely unprompted and had no relevance to the lesson.

Lawler told GCSE pupils he was surprised they were not 'hanging from lampposts' after poor mock exam results, and swore in front of pupils, saying: 'Do you want some other bastard to teach you?'

He also claimed there was no scientific evidence of Covid-19 and told students they could eat as much salt 'as you like without getting poisoned'.

Lawler did not attend the hearing and was not represented.

Join the debate How should schools respond when teachers share personal beliefs with students?

While teaching at Bede Academy in Northumberland in 2019, he was meant to deliver a lesson on medieval history but instead launched into political commentary

The hearing was told he repeatedly ignored formal warnings and advice from school leaders dating back to 2019, which explicitly told him to stop sharing personal views and controversial opinions with pupils.

Despite this, he continued the same behaviour - including while working as a supply teacher in Bristol in 2022.

Panel chair Louisa Munton said: 'The public expects teachers to guide pupils through curriculum topics with balance, impartiality and in an age-appropriate manner to critically analyse concepts.

'The public does not expect teachers to divert from curriculum topics and take up the position of an activist, lobbyist, or advocate for any particular cause they may personally agree with.

'The trust placed in teachers to approach teaching in such a fashion would be significantly eroded if such conduct went unchecked.'

Lawler cannot reapply to the profession for four years and has 28 days to appeal.

Signing off the ban, civil servant Marc Cavey said: 'In my judgement, the lack of evidence that Mr Lawler has developed full insight into his behaviour means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future well-being of pupils.'
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar today warned Sir Keir Starmer to steer clear of his party's Holyrood election campaign over the coming months.

In a direct criticism of the beleaguered Prime Minister and his national party leader, Mr Sarwar highlighted errors made by Sir Keir's Labour administration at Westminster.

He acknowledged that Sir Keir and the UK Government are 'not popular' with the public and people across Scotland are 'angry'.

Mr Sarwar urged the PM and his Cabinet ministers to remain working 'in their departments' rather than campaign in Scotland ahead of this year's Scottish Parliament elections.

Scottish Labour are battling to prevent the SNP winning a fifth consecutive term in power at Holyrood in May.

Mr Sarwar is facing an additional challenge from Reform UK, with polls suggesting Nigel Farage's party could finish ahead of both Labour and the Tories in the Scottish Parliament contests.

Those elections, together with contests for the Welsh Senedd and council and mayoral elections in England, are set to be a key test of Sir Keir's premiership.

It is widely expected that a disastrous set of election results for Labour will prompt an effort to oust Sir Keir among Labour MPs.

Scottish Labourleader Anas Sarwar today warned Sir Keir Starmerto steer clear of his party's Holyrood election campaign over the coming months

In a direct criticism of the beleaguered Prime Minister and his national party leader, Mr Sarwar highlighted errors made by Sir Keir's Labour administration at Westminster.

In an address to party supporters in Edinburgh on Monday, Mr Sarwar attempted to distance himself from the PM and the UK Government.

'I know that across Scotland people are angry, frustrated and impatient with the pace of change at Westminster,' he said.

'I do believe that no Labour government at Westminster, however well intentioned, principled or capable, could have undone the damage of two decades in just two years.

'The UK Labour Government has many meaningful achievements which they need to shout louder about, but it is also fair to say that they haven't got everything right.

'And there are still many challenges they still must confront. I get it. I don't just feel it, I don't just see it, I hear it across Scotland.

'I know the Prime Minister and the UK Labour Government are not popular with the public right now.

'So, I am not running to be Scotland's first minister in denial of that truth. I am running to be Scotland's first minister in defiance of it.'

Mr Sarwar was asked after his speech if he wanted to see Sir Keir come up to Scotland to campaign alongside him ahead of the Holyrood elections in May.

He told reporters: 'The best thing that Keir Starmer and the UK Labour Government can do is be behind their doors and in their departments getting things right and changing our country.

'That's the single best thing they can do for people in Scotland and right across the country.

'I am leading this campaign, I am the candidate for first minister, I'm the one that's going to go out and make the case to Scotland about why we need to take a different direction in four months' time.'
Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro said he is a 'prisoner of war' who has been 'kidnapped' from his Caracas home during a testy first court appearance.

Maduro said: 'I'm innocent. I'm not guilty. I'm the President of Venezuela. I consider myself a prisoner of war,' as he and wife Cilia Flores both pleaded not guilty to drugs charges at Manhattan Federal Court on Monday.

Flores had bruises around her eyes and was wearing a bandage. No explanation was given, but the pair's capture in Caracas on Friday was a violent one.

Maduro waved at Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein in Manhattan Federal Court on Monday afternoon, then laid into the Trump administration.

Maduro and wife Cilia Flores, who was also in court Monday, were seized from their compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas by Delta Force soldiers on Saturday and brought to the United States.

President Trump has accused the pair of running the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) and flooding the United States with cocaine.

Flores spoke only to say 'Not guilty, completely innocent' when her charges were put to her on Monday.

Maduro complained that he had not seen the indictment listing the charges against him prior to his arraignment hearing and added that he had not been made aware of his rights.

The couple were ordered held in custody until their next court appearance on March 17.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia are brought to Manhattan to face a federal judge on drugs and weapons charges on Monday morning

Cilia Flore's facial injuries were visible as she was transported to court on Monday. The operation to seize her and her husband is understood to have been violent

Nicolas Maduro looks into the sky as he's taken to court on Monday. He claims he is a 'prisoner of war' and has denied drug trafficking charges

Trump first indicted the Venezuelan leader in 2020 and seized him from his compound last week after Maduro ignored repeated orders to stand down as president and go into exile, in return for amnesty from criminal charges.

No cameras are allowed inside federal courtrooms, but the Maduros were seen being transferred to court via helicopter and car earlier on Monday morning.

Handcuffed and dressed in prison garb, the pair were removed from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and brought to a waiting chopper.

From there, they made the short flight across the East River to the tip of Manhattan before being driven to court amid a huge police presence.

The couple could be put to death if convicted of the charges they face.

They were seized in an incredible secret dead-of-night raid in the early hours of Saturday.

President Trump said 150 aircraft took off from 20 bases across the western hemisphere in an operation that had been in the works since August.

CIA spies on the ground in Venezuela had been keeping track of Maduro and Flores's movements, with the security-conscious pair sleeping somewhere different every night in a bid to avoid capture.

Pro and anti-Maduro protesters lined the streets outside Manhattan Federal Courthouse Monday morning as Nicolas Maduro and wife Cilia Flores were arraigned

Maduro and wife Cilia Flores are pictured together in Caracas in January 2024. The couple now face a much-diminished existence in a US federal lockup

White House officials decided they were ready to seize the pair last month but had to wait for optimum weather before launching their strike.

President Trump gave the green light at 10:46pm ET on Friday.

Members of Delta Force, the US Army's most elite unit, flew low by helicopter across the Atlantic and into Venezuelan airspace supported by a fleet of military aircraft.

Once inside the country's borders, US planes and drones were able to destroy Venezuelan anti-aircraft defense and cut power lines.

Delta Force soldiers entered Maduro's compound at 1:01am ET Saturday. Maduro went to flee to a metal safe room but was seized before he could secure himself inside, Trump said.

He and Flores were then taken by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima warship, where they landed at 3:29am ET.

Venezuelan officials say 80 members of the armed forces and civilians were killed during the capture mission.

One US service member was injured by return fire, but there were no American fatalities.

Later that day, the couple were flown to New York City and then kept in custody over the weekend.

President Trump and CIA Director John Ratcliffe watch the operation to capture the Maduros from a temporary 'situation room' constructed at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach early Saturday

Flames are seen billowing over Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, during Saturday morning's operation to capture Nicolas Maduro

Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez is now the de-facto leader of the nation, with Trump yet to say who he'd like to install as Maduro's permanent replacement.

Maduro, who was first elected to power in 2013, was unpopular among voters by the time of his capture.

He had been branded an authoritarian dictator who silenced dissent while destroying the oil-rich country's economy.

Trump said Saturday that the United States now 'runs' Venezuela and that he will use the country's oil wealth to help rebuild its shattered financial system.
The first small boat migrants to reach Britain in 2026 arrived today in sub-zero temperatures.

UK Border Force catamaran Hurricane arrived at Dover just before 4pm with an unknown number of migrants aboard.

They were thought to number several dozen, but the figure is not due to be officially confirmed by the Home Office until later.

The dinghy's occupants had earlier been picked up mid-Channel after a lengthy crossing from northern France.

It was the first small boat to reach this country since December 22.

Last year saw 41,472 migrants arrive in total - the second-highest annual number on record.

The yearly total was 13 per cent higher than the figure for 2024, when 36,816 migrants made the journey, and 41 per cent higher than 2023's total of 29,437.

The first arrivals of 2026 reached Dover today, the first since December 22. Pictured are arrivals on December 17 when a total of 497 people reached British soil

Only 2022 saw a higher annual number of arrivals, when the figure was 45,755.

The Met Office forecast occasional sleet across the Dover Strait and a temperature of 1C, feeling like -3C, in the Kent town amid weather warnings in place across the country.

French officials said two other groups of migrants were earlier returned to France after failed crossing attempts.

It included a group of about 30 people found suffering severe hypothermia off Ecault beach, about six miles south of Boulogne.

The earliest point in the calendar year to record crossings was on January 2 in 2021 and 2023, when 10 and 44 people arrived respectively.

Last year the first arrivals of 61 people were recorded on January 4.

It comes as new powers to seize mobile phones and sim cards from migrants making the journey come into force on Monday, as part of efforts to gather intelligence and crack down on people smugglers.

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Officers will be able to take electronic devices from people at Manston processing centre in Kent, without needing to arrest them, and can search someone's mouth for hidden sim cards.

The Home Office said there is technology ready on site to download data from the phones.

The new powers for law enforcement agencies are hoped to speed up investigations and come after the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act became law in December.

The UK's Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt, tasked with curbing Channel crossings, said the move marked a 'key moment' to go further with extra tools to crack down on smugglers.

But Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said it may help 'at the margins' but 'it will not fix the small boats crisis'.
Stonewall has plunged into the red as funding from the public sector and businesses wilted.

The controversial LGBT group's income fell from 6.9million in 2024 to 4.7million in the last financial year, accounts show, but spending of 5.6million left it with a net deficit of 906,362.

This put its 'total funds' in reserve at just 91,811 in March 2025  down from 998,173 only 12 months earlier.

The group received 1.8million in fees for its contentious diversity awards schemes  which rated workplaces' LGBT inclusion levels  down from 2.4million in 2024, after a host of big names began distancing themselves amid concerns over Stonewall's radical stance on trans rights.

Corporation donations also fell to 143,149 in 2025, down from 348,636 in 2024. Stonewall said it received 454,645 in grants from 'government sources' but did not include any details. In its previous annual report, the figure was 618,757.

The charity was co-founded in 1989 by actors Sir Ian McKellen and Michael Cashman, among others, and won a string of victories for gay rights, including legalising same-sex marriage. But in recent years it vociferously campaigned for trans rights  lobbying the NHS, police and Whitehall to introduce 'inclusive' policies and gender-neutral language.

Stonewall staff and supporters taking part in London's Pride march in July 2023

John O'Connell, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said last night: 'This is a spectacular implosion of a taxpayer-propped woke racket that is finally running out of other people's money.'

In an attempt to deal with the cash crisis, the charity admitted it had 'made a reduction of 44 heads', spending 276,317 on redundancy payments. But its trustees insisted that they have a 'reasonable expectation' that Stonewall has 'adequate resources to continue in operational existence'.

Maya Forstater of women's rights charity Sex Matters, said: 'Stonewall's plummeting income from fees reflects the haemorrhaging of confidence in its advice.

'Being misinformed about the law is worse than useless  it puts businesses at risk of being sued by customers or employees.'

A Stonewall spokesman said: 'Stonewall has had an underlying deficit in recent years. During 2024/25 and up to March 31, Stonewall went through a period of restructuring, to significantly reduce its cost base and reset the organisation, in order to continue to deliver on the new strategy.

'It should be noted that although published in December 2025, these figures reflect the financial position of the organisation at the end of the financial year  ie March 2025.

'However, the action we have taken to address this in the latter half of 2024/25 is now reflected in positive financial results in the first half of the financial year 2025/26.

'Having taken all the necessary steps to address the deficit, Stonewall is now taking action to rebuild reserves in line with best practice.'
Catholic bishops have condemned buffer zones banning protests outside abortion clinics claiming it is a law which restricts free speech and stops public debate.

Campaigners are prohibited from protesting or even holding silent vigils within around 650ft of clinics offering abortion services in Scotland.

Since it came into force in 2024 the law  which could see anyone who behaves in ways which could influence the decisions of women and staff to access services charged  has been hugely controversial.

It has raised eyebrows around the globe, including those of US Vice President JD Vance.

Now the Catholic Church has blasted the law as one which restricts free speech, free expression and freedom of religion in ways that should concern us all.

The Catholic Bishops of Scotland said: We oppose this law because it is disproportionate and undemocratic.

It represents state overreach and curtails basic freedoms.

This should concern every Scottish citizen, regardless of their views on abortion.

Protesters outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow

The QEUH has been a focal point for abortion protests

There have been concerns that the law could end up penalising people for actions within their own homes if they fall within the zone  with a pro-life poster displayed on a window or an overheard conversation falling foul of the act.

Concerns have also been raised that it could even criminalise a person standing alone in a buffer zone without any expression of protest but has been deemed by others to be offering a silent pro-life inspired prayer.

The bishops said: We support all those who, motivated by conscience and compassion, stand up for the right to life. It cannot be a crime to give our voice and our prayers to the unborn.

Scotlands buffer zones law represents a profound shift in the relationship between the State and the individual  one that restricts free speech, free expression and freedom of religion in ways that should concern us all.

They said they did not condone harassment or intimidation, but that Scotland already had robust laws to deal with harassment, public disorder and threatening behaviour.

Rose Docherty, 75, is to appear in court next week facing two charges under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act 2024. Court papers stated she had placards of text in the zone close to Glasgows Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

It is alleged it was done with the intention of influencing the decision of people to access, provide and facilitate the provision of abortion services at the protected premises.

It is alleged they happened on a number of occasions between September 24, 2024, and February 19, 2025.

Docherty, of Bishopbriggs in Dunbartonshire, made no plea when she first appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay tabled the bill and described it as a pivotal moment for reproductive rights in Scotland.

Anyone who breaks the laws can be fined up to 10,000 or an unlimited amount in more serious cases.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'Access Zones are designed to safeguard a womans right to access healthcare and to dignity and respect when they need it most.

'People continue to have the right to protest and to free speech, however, no one has the right to harass, intimidate or obstruct women seeking to access healthcare, or to try to influence without consent their decision to access healthcare.

'The Act does not prevent private actions in private places within zones. Whether an offence has been committed will be for enforcement agencies to decide and will always depend on the facts and circumstances of each case.

'Private worship, however, was widely discussed during the Bills passage and carefully considered by the Scottish Parliament.

'As can be seen from those debates, private worship that is not targeting those providing or access services would be very unlikely to meet the threshold of intentionality or recklessness that the Act requires.'
Chinese embassy warns citizens in Japan to stay vigilant amid surging violent incidents

Xinhua) 09:24, January 05, 2026

TOKYO, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Japan has issued a notice to urge Chinese citizens in the country to stay vigilant following a series of violent incidents reported in several parts of Japan.

In the notice on Saturday, the embassy said that public security conditions in some regions of Japan have recently deteriorated, citing violent incidents in prefectures including Fukuoka, Shizuoka and Aichi.

It noted that multiple Chinese nationals traveling in Japan have reported being verbally abused and assaulted without provocation, resulting in injuries.

The notice also referred to a vehicle-ramming incident that occurred on Dec. 31, 2025, in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, in which two Chinese citizens were seriously injured and taken to the hospital for emergency treatment.

In light of the situation, the embassy again advised Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan in the near term. Those currently in Japan were urged to closely monitor local security conditions, remain alert and strengthen personal safety precautions.

The embassy also called on Chinese nationals to promptly preserve evidence in the event of targeted attacks or discriminatory incidents, and to report such cases to local police and contact Chinese diplomatic missions in Japan for assistance.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
A mother has paid tribute to her loving, caring and bright little boy after he died having taken unwell on New Years Day.

Mason Neal, 11, was taken by ambulance to Caithness General Hospital, in Wick, but died later that day.

His devastated mother Lucy said the reality of the youngsters death had yet to sink in.

Police Scotland confirmed they received a report of a young boy taking unwell in the village of Staxigoe, near Wick, just after 11am but he died in hospital a short time later.

His mother paid tribute to her loving caring, bright, cheeky handsome little man.

She said: Reality hasnt sunk in yet. To say Im devastated, heartbroken and utterly destroyed doesnt even come close to how I, how we are feeling.

On the 1st of January 2026, we said goodbye to our boy, my Mason, as he closed his eyes for the last time.

In a social media post she added: It makes no sense to be sitting here writing this, but, as the messages have been flowing in and everyone who knew and loved him best have been informed of his passing, I just wanted to write a note to everyone to thank you for your support during this unthinkable time.

Mason Neal, whose mum Lucy has told how she is 'utterly destroyed' by his sudden death

She added: 4322 days with you will never be enough, my Mason  I want you back, we want you back! She ended the touching post with the words: Love you more. Forever 11.

One of the many responses said: Heartbroken doesnt say it. That curly hair, those flying hugs... and [his] cheeky smile. Another said: Mason forever a little live wire, fizzing with energy.

A GoFundMe page to support the family had collected more than 13,000 in less than 24 hours as of yesterday afternoon.

Urging the community to rally round, organiser Pat Ramsay said: His Mum, Lucy and big sister Phoebe are devastated and need our support to help them on this tragic journey.

Fraser Thomson, headmaster at Noss Primary School, where Mason was in primary seven, said: Mason was a kind, polite and popular pupil and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

He added: Support is available for any pupils or staff who may need it during this difficult time.

Police Scotland said: There are no suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the procurrator fiscal.
John Swinney has been ridiculed after declaring independence will be the cornerstone of the SNPs election campaign - then refusing to tell voters how he can deliver it.

Setting out his pitch for a fifth term in office, the First Minister was forced to deny his secret plan for securing a referendum was a half-baked muddle.

It followed the SNP leader insisting that if his party won a second Holyrood majority in May, precedent meant there would be a new vote on the Union.

Referring to the SNP landslide under Alex Salmond, he said: In 2011 Scotland secured a referendum when the SNP won a majority. It worked in 2011 - and it will work in 2026.

But Mr Swinney said he had various tactics to deploy if it didnt work.

Asked by the media about the apparent contradiction, Mr Swinney changed tack and said precedent should be enough for a referendum, a tacit admission that it isnt.

Put to him that his plan sounded like a muddle, he snapped: No it doesnt. No it doesnt. What it means is that the UK should respect the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland.

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: It might be a new year, but John Swinney is still obsessing over independence.

The First Minister gives his speech at Oran Mor in Glasgow to launch the SNP's 2026 Election campaign

Smiling Swinney, flanked by his Health Minister Neil Gray, launched the party's election campaign in Glasgow

He has made it clear that every vote for the SNP in Mays election will be used for another push to break up the United Kingdom, rather than focusing on what Scots really care about.

He once again spoke about his secret plan for independence, but outrageously, wont tell Scots what it is.

This speech sums up exactly why we need to get rid of the SNP at Mays election and ensure Scotland moves on from their independence obsession.

The UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 2022 that only Westminster can authorise a referendum on the constitution, and successive UK Governments have ruled one out, citing the No vote of 2014.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in November another SNP majority would not change that.

Im going to be very clear, there wont be another referendum, she told the BBC.

Mr Swinneys precedent argument, which he promoted at the SNP conference in October, has also been trashed by legal scholars, who say the UK Government cannot be compelled to grant a vote on separation, as it is ultimately a political decision.

Former SNP MP Joanna Cherry KC dismissed it as back of the envelope nonsense.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed there will not be another referendum

But starting the SNPs four-month campaign to May 7, Mr Swinney told party activists an independence vote would flow from an SNP majority.

Polls show the SNP comfortably ahead of Reform UK and Scottish Labour, with some projecting the party will win 60-plus seats, just shy of the 65 majority mark.

Mr Swinney said independence would be utterly central to the SNPs election campaign and at the core of our argument for changing peoples lives.

He said: Let me be crystal clear, that will be the cornerstone of the SNPs election campaign.

But the SNP leader was coy about how he would get a referendum in the face of a UK Government refusal.

He said: Theres various tactics that I could deploy and which I will think about and consider and deploy when the time is right.

Asked why he needed a Plan B after arguing precedent was enough, he said: None of my tactics should be necessary. Hopefully I wont need them.

He refused to explain his secret plan any further.

Earlier, Mr Swinney defended the SNPs 19-year record in power, claiming child poverty was falling and the poverty-related attainment gap in schools shrinking.

Scotland is by no means a perfect country but, my goodness, given everything thrown at us in recent years, Scotland has strong foundations for the future, under SNP leadership.

The First Minister went on: There is hope for a better future for Scotland, but we have to go out and vote for it - that time is now.

To become independent, we need a referendum that will be recognised by the international community.

So, on May 7, our aim is not just to win, our aim is to win the overall majority that secures Scotland the right to choose our own future.

It is an ambitious task - but friends, ambition is what this party is about.

Mr Swinney also boasted the NHS in Scotland had turned a corner, a claim denounced by former SNP health secretary Alex Neil as rubbish.

Responding on X, Mr Neil wrote: A friend of mine waited 3 hours for an ambulance and then 33 hours on a trolley at Ayr Hospital last week before being allocated a bed.

The First Ministers claim that the SNHS has turned a corner is rubbish. Scotlands hospitals are in deep crisis and need urgent action NOW.

Alastair Cameron, chair of Scotland in Union, added: John Swinney may say things have changed  but the main difference from 2014 is peoples appetite for another bitterly divisive referendum has dropped further.

It is simply not a priority in the everyday lives of Scots.

They want a government which focuses squarely on health, education and the economy.

This is exactly why the SNP must be voted out in May.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: John Swinney is stoking old divisions because he cannot deliver for people in the here and now. The SNP are trying to distract everyone with the squirrel of separation; Scotland deserves better. Ends
Donald Trumps push for historic mass deportations has hit an unexpected snag: ICE agents cant book hotel rooms.

The Department of Homeland Security, led by the embattled Secretary Kristi Noem, accused Hilton Hotels of canceling rooms booked for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

DHS accused the global chain of siding with murderers and rapists as part of a coordinated campaign against deportation enforcement in Minneapolis.

NO ROOM AT THE INN! Hilton Hotels has launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement, the DHS X account wrote on Monday afternoon. When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Hilton Hotels for comment, but in a statement to Fox News, a company spokesman said it was investigating the matter with an individual site.

'Hilton Hotels serve as welcoming places for all. This hotel is independently owned and operated and the actions referenced are not reflective of Hilton values,' the representative said.

Minneapolis has become the Trump administrations latest target as it prepares to send in 2,000 ICE agents and DHS officers as part of an immigration crackdown. The deportation push comes after reports of alleged fraud committed by Somali nationals in the city.

This is UNACCEPTABLE, DHS added. Why is Hilton Hotels siding with murderers and rapists to deliberately undermine and impede DHS law enforcement from their mission to enforce our nations immigration laws?

Kristi Noem's DHS is accusing Hilton of cancelling hotel rooms for ICE agents in Minneapolis amid the agency's immigration crackdown

More than 2,000 ICE and DHS officers have been deployed to the Twin Cities as the first major immigration operation of 2026

The deportation push comes after reports of alleged fraud committed by Somali nationals in the city

The DHS account shared screenshots of emails revealing that Hilton employees canceled hotel reservations for ICE agents after learning the guests were federal agents participating in immigration operations.

One staff member allegedly said in one email: We are not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property.

It is unclear which Hilton Hotel property was connected to the email sent to ICE agents.

Hilton operates their vast global hotel chain with a franchise model, which means the company is not involved in the day-to-day operations of regional chains.

The shocking revelation has led some Trump supporters to call for boycotting all Hilton brand hotels unless the company reverses course.

Conservative influencer filmed a viral video that claim Somali-run daycare centers in Minnesota were committing fraud

This is blatant discrimination against federal law enforcement that panders to the radical left while betraying American security, Turning Point spokesperson Andrew Kolvet wrote on X. The next step is clear: Either Hilton condemns this, apologizes, and reverses course in Minnesota or we boycott Hilton Hotels.

'Its outrageous that Hilton canceled room reservations held by DHS and ICE agents simply because they disagree with President Trumps policies,' said Will Hild, the executive director of the conservative Consumers' Research group.

'By arbitrarily refusing rooms to these officers because of their agency affiliation, Hilton sent a message that it prioritizes woke political ideology over public safety.'

The latest immigration surge into the Twin Cities would be the first major immigration operation for DHS in 2026.

DHS is also probing Somali communities in Minneapolis following an explosive report by conservative influencer Nick Shirley, who released a viral video alleging widespread fraud at Somali-run daycare centers in Minnesota.

Shirley claimed the facilities were mostly empty despite receiving millions in government funds.

Homeland Security claims that over 700 arrests have been made by immigration officers in the region.
Pubs in England could be allowed to open later as Keir Starmer faces a backlash over hikes to business rates.

Sir Keir said the government is 'talking to the sector, particularly hospitality and pubs' about the 'further support' it could be given as high business rates threaten pubs with extinction.

'We're talking to the sector, particularly hospitality and pubs, about what further support we can put in, whether that's licencing freedoms or other measures,' Sir Keir said.

'We want to talk to the sector. I want to keep working with them to make sure we can work this through.'

He added the government is 'very open' to the discussion of pubs having more freedom to be 'open for longer'.

Business rates  a tax charged on commercial properties which is recalculated every three years  will see many pubs forced to pay higher bills from April.

Pubs were offered temporary relief from paying full business rates during Covid, but the Chancellor's decision to scrap the discount in the Autumn Budget has now left many landlords contemplating closure.

Trade body UK Hospitality has warned that business rates for an average pub would increase by 76 per cent following Rachel Reeves' changes.

Pubs in England could be allowed to open later as Keir Starmer faces a backlash over hikes to business rates

Pubs were offered temporary relief from paying full business rates during Covid, but the Chancellor's decision to scrap the discount in the Autumn Budget has now left many landlords contemplating closure

Sir Keir said: 'Obviously, what's happened is there were reductions in place during covid which were always going to be unwound.

'At some point, the overall rates are going to be lower. But I accept that because of revaluation, that means that some will have their bills going up.

'We're putting in place transitional relief.'

More than 1,000 pubs joined a campaign to bar Labour MPs from their pubs in protest at the government's actions.

The Rock Inn in Bramley and the New George in Kirkstall, pubs in or nearby Ms Reeves' Pudsey constituency, said they would refuse entry to the Chancellor if she tried to visit over the Christmas holidays.

But the manager of The Rock told the Daily Mail he would maintain the ban on Labour MPs despite the government looking at changing licensing rules.

'Unbar? I don't think so,' said Terry Weston, manager of the New George. He added that Starmer's plans 'won't be doing me any favours' and the government should reduce business rates instead.

An employee from the Rock Inn added that opening later would 'not make any difference at all'.

'People can't afford to come out with all the bills they have to pay and rising costs  it's ridiculous.

'When it comes to April and the minimum wage goes up, there's going to be loads of pubs closing. They're just killing us off. They don't want people in pubs; they don't want people talking to each other saying how bad things are.'

Terry Weston, the manager of the New George in Kirkstall will not be lifting his ban on Labour MPs, even if pubs are allowed to open for longer

Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride said: 'Labour's punishing business rates rise is crushing our high streets.

'Over the next three years business rates will go up by 76 per cent for the average pub. Any business would struggle to cope with that.

'We have set out a clear plan for controlling spending, especially the benefits bill, meaning a future Conservative government will scrap business rates for thousands of pubs, restaurants and shops on our high streets.'

Referencing the Prime Minister, leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage said: 'the man does not understand business'.

He added that later licenses 'cost pubs more in overheads' so are 'no use at all'.

However, celebrity chef and pub owner Tom Kerridge told LBC that Business Secretary Peter Kyle is 'trying to understand' the problem.

'He has a meeting with Treasury next week. He's presenting the case. He was incredibly supportive,' Mr Kerridge said.
Nicolas Maduro's cocaine-dealer son broke down in tears on Monday as he addressed Venezuela's parliament following the capture of his father.

'If we normalize the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe. Today, it's Venezuela. Tomorrow, it could be any nation that refuses to submit,' Nicolas Maduro Guerra said through sobs.

'Papa, we are fulfilling our duty until you return,' he added. 'The motherland is in good hands, papa, and soon we're going to embrace here in Venezuela.'

Lawmakers aligned with the ruling party, including Maduro's son, gathered in Caracas to follow through with a scheduled swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly for a term lasting until 2031.

Guerra, a high-ranking government official and member of parliament, pledged his 'unconditional support' to Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's deputy, who has assumed the role of interim president.

He demanded that his father and stepmother, Cilia Flores, be returned to the South American country and called on international support. Guerra, the deposed tyrant's only son, also denounced being named as a co-conspirator in the US charges.

Maduro and Flores were indicted in New York today on conspiracy charges of narco-terrorism, cocaine importation, and weapons offenses after their astonishing capture by US special forces on Saturday.

Guerra, 35, known as Nicolasito or The Prince, is accused in the indictment of conspiring in 'massive-scale drug trafficking', including taking private jets to Caribbean party islands and bribing Colombian security personnel.

Nicolas Maduro Guerra said: 'If we normalize the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe. Today, it's Venezuela. Tomorrow, it could be any nation that refuses to submit'

Nicolas Maduro is seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed Federal agents as they make their way into an armored car en route to a Federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5

The dictator's son worked with cartels to ship cocaine from Venezuela to the US via the Caribbean, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, the indictment alleges.

Guerra is accused of flying to Margarita Island, a Venezuelan vacation spot in the Caribbean, where he loaded up a state-owned jet with cocaine packages.

He allegedly bragged to a military commander that he could have the jet, owned by the country's state oil company, fly anywhere he wanted, including the US.

He also worked to ship cocaine from Venezuela to Miami and New York, including using scrap metal containers to smuggle the drugs, the indictment says.

Guerra allegedly met with Colombian security officials in 2020 to discuss moving cocaine and weapons through the country and into the US over the next six years. The Colombians were offered guns as payment.

Guerra now faces an uncertain political future as he could be captured at any moment to face trial in New York along with his father and stepmother.

However, he and the Venezuelan government sought on Monday to show the citizenry and the world that the country is not controlled by the United States.

Rodriguez, who served as vice president to Maduro and has vowed to work with the Trump administration, was appointed interim president. She was sworn in by her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, who was reelected as speaker.

'I come with sorrow for the suffering inflicted upon the Venezuelan people following an illegitimate military aggression against our homeland,' she said with her right hand up.

Guerra at the swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly in Caracas earlier today

Guerra, a member of parliament seen today in Caracas, now faces an uncertain political future

Maduro, left, and his wife, Cilia Flores, second from right, appear in Manhattan federal court with their defense attorneys Mark Donnelly, second from left, and Andres Sanchez, on Monday

Maduro, seen with Flores in 2024, has declared himself 'innocent' and a 'decent man'

While Venezuelan lawmakers met, Maduro made his first court appearance in a US courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and taking him to New York.

Maduro declared himself 'innocent' and a 'decent man' as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug-trafficking charges.

The US seized Maduro and Flores in a military operation on Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base.

Donald Trump said America would 'run' Venezuela temporarily, but Marco Rubio said Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day, other than enforcing an existing ' oil quarantine.'

The Secretary of State said the US was using pressure on Venezuela's oil industry as a way to push for policy changes.

'We expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking,' he told CBS.

'We expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking,' Rubio said on the network's Face the Nation.

Rodriguez said Sunday that Venezuela is seeking 'respectful relations' with the US, a shift from a more defiant tone she struck in the immediate aftermath of Maduro's capture.

'We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,' Rodriguez said in a statement.

This image, posted on US President Donald Trump's Truth Social account on Saturday, shows Maduro onboard the USS Iwo Jima after the US military captured him

Explosions tore across Caracas during the daring raid early Saturday morning as shown in a video posted by Trump on his Truth Social account

Your browser does not support iframes.

Her conciliatory message came after Trump threatened that she could 'pay a very big price' if she did not fall in line with US demands.

A State Department official said Monday that the Trump administration is making preliminary plans to reopen the American embassy in Venezuela.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said early preparations 'to allow for a reopening' of the embassy in Caracas had begun should Trump decide to return American diplomats to the country.
Voters are angry, frustrated and impatient with the UK Labour government, Anas Sarwar admitted yesterday, as he insisted he was still going to be First Minister.

The Scottish Labour leader said his party was the underdog heading into the Holyrood election as Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers havent got everything right.

But he said Scotlands choice in May was between the failures of the past with John Swinney or a better future with me as First Minister not about protest.

At stake was a bigger and more important question than how much you like or dislike the UK Government, he told activists in Edinburgh.

Mr Sarwar challenged John Swinney to a series of head-to-head debates around the country to underscore they were the only credible contenders for Bute House.

The Glasgow MSP said Labour remained determined to win and planned the largest and most effective ground campaign of any party thanks to a 1 million election fund.

Anas Sarwar said his party was the underdog heading into the Holyrood election

It would also unleash the most sophisticated and largest digital operation of any party in Scotland, reaching one million Scots every week.

Recent polls put Scottish Labour, who won 22 seats to the SNPs 64 in 2021, lagging Reform UK in the battle for second place, and both well behind the Nationalists.

But Mr Sarwar insisted: I believe we will win.

I believe that in the months ahead I can persuade the people of Scotland to shift the lens from the problems at Westminster to the possibilities here in Scotland.

I am challenging John Swinney to head-to-head First Minister debates, one in every region of Scotland.

So we can debate the SNPs record of failure on the NHS, and my plan to fix it; so we can debate falling standards in schools, and my plan to raise them; so we can debate the housing emergency, justice, local government, transport and the economy.

I have the hunger, I have the energy, I have the ideas, I am up for the challenge. Is John Swinney?

SNP MSP George Adam said: The First Minister is looking forward to standing on the SNPs record in debates over the election campaign. But its not for the party trailing in third place to dictate the format.
An 11-year-old schoolboy died 'suddenly' on New Year's Day hours after feeling unwell.

Mason Neal, from Staxigoe in Caithness, was rushed to hospital after complaining of feeling poorly on January 1.

The schoolboy tragically died just hours later on the same day.

In an emotional tribute to her son, Mason's heartbroken mother Lucy described him as a 'loving, caring, bright, cheeky' and 'handsome little man'.

She wrote on social media: 'Reality hasn't sunk in yet. To say I'm devastated, heartbroken and utterly destroyed doesn't even come close to how I, how we are feeling.

'On the 1st of January 2026, we said goodbye to our boy, my Mason, as he closed his eyes for the last time.'

The mother added that the tragedy 'makes no sense', and said she is still 'processing our loss'.

'For now hold your loved ones a little tighter and a little longer, for my loving, caring, bright, cheeky handsome little man, Mason. 4,322 days with you will never be enough, my Mason - I want you back, we want you back! Love you more. Forever 11,' she wrote.

Members of the family's community have supported them by setting up a fundraiser, which has so far raised more than 13,500.

Mason Neal, 11, (pictured) died 'suddenly' on New Year's Day hours after feeling unwell

The fundraiser states: 'A small group of us in the Staxigoe community would like to raise money to support a grieving, local family.

'Mason Neal, age 11 suddenly died on New Year's Day.

'His Mum, Lucy and big sister Phoebe are devastated and need our support to help them on this tragic journey.'

Police said there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mason's death, adding a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

A Police Scotland statement said: 'Around 11.10am on Thursday, 1 January 2026, police were called to report that a young boy had taken unwell in Staxigoe, outside Wick. He was taken by ambulance to Caithness General Hospital where he died later in the day. His family is aware.

'There are no circumstances surrounding his death and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.'
Outback Wrangler Matt Wright's wife has demanded more answers from authorities as she opened up about how her husband is coping behind bars.

The TV star was sentenced to 10 months in jail last month after a jury convicted him on two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice over the helicopter crash four years ago that claimed the life of his close mate Chris 'Willow' Wilson and paralysed pilot Sebastian Robinson.

Wright has launched an appeal against the convictions.

Wright's wife Kaia, currently pregnant with their third child, says her husband is doing as 'well as could be expected' behind bars.

Wright was forced to have his head shaved when taken into custody and is in a shared cell, where he keeps to himself, according to jail sources.

Kaia visits once a week and speaks to her husband on the phone when there are 'available windows'.

She called for further investigation into the cause of the chopper crash after an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report containing forensic evidence was unable to be used during the trial.

Kaia claimed what should have been an investigation into the cause of the crash instead developed into a probe of her husband's subsequent reaction.

Kaia Wright (left) claims the investigation focused more on her husband (right) than the cause of the deadly helicopter crash

Kaia Wright (right) hopes the Outback Wrangler star (left) will be released from jail in time for the birth of their third child

'We all thought there would be some sort of flow-on justice or answers and that an investigation would continue into the crash. And it just does not seem that an investigation is happening,' Kaia told news.com.au.

'Its not that we want anyone else to suffer. Its a want for the truth to be out there and for police answers as to why this investigation stopped.'

Kaia claimed that a balanced and rigorous investigation would have exhausted all avenues in finding the cause of the crash.

'All of the information is already there, they just need to follow it up and investigate for themselves  look at everything presented, the forensic evidence, the expert opinions from aviation specialists in Australia and America, consider the statements from all the people who were there that day and involved closely after the crash,' she said.

'So many things in this investigation just make no sense at all.'

An NT Police spokesman said that officers did investigate the crash as well as the conduct of Wright and others that followed, adding that all relevant matters were thoroughly assessed.

The February 2022 tragedy happened during a crocodile-egg collecting trip in Arnhem Land while Mr Wilson was slung on a line below a chopper to drop onto nests in remote swampland.

Wright was accused of lying to crash investigators about the fuel level, of trying to get Mr Robinson to falsify flying hours, and of asking a friend to 'torch' the helicopter's maintenance release.

Kaia Wright spent New Year's Eve with her children as her husband shared a jail cell with other inmates

The detective also made comments about the helicopter involved in the February 2022 fatal crash, claiming it was 'not... serviced in accordance with the manufacturer's directions'

On August 29, a jury found Wright guilty on the first two counts but could not reach agreement on the third torching accusation.

Prosecutors alleged Wright was worried investigators would learn his choppers' flying-hour meters were regularly disconnected to extend hours beyond official thresholds, with paperwork falsified to match.

The prosecution did not allege Wright caused the chopper crash, the death of Mr Wilson, or Mr Robinson's injuries.

It was highly likely the helicopter that crashed should not have been flying after exceeding its maximum flight time of 2,200 hours, at which it should have been retired or undergone a costly overhaul, Justice Blow said.

'It is clear you had reason to fear that a thorough investigation might reveal that the 2,200-hour limit had been exceeded,' he said.

Justice Blow said Wright lied to police about there still being fuel in the crashed chopper but accepted it was a spontaneous bid to avoid charges being laid to protect himself and his friend Mr Robinson.

Wright was found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the 2022 helicopter crash that killed his mate Chris 'Willow' Wilson (pictured)

The more serious charge was a pre-planned bid to get Mr Robinson to falsify flying hour records by putting hours from the crashed chopper onto the pilot's own machine.

'That was a serious attempt to pervert the course of justice,' the judge said.

'It's significant that you had the callousness to make and pursue this request when Mr Robinson had recently come out of a coma and had just learned that he was unlikely ever to walk again.'
A female prison officer had 'intimate relationships' with inmates and 'smuggled cannabis and tobacco' into jail, a court heard.

Kayleigh Robson, 29, struck up inappropriate romances with prisoners at HMP Peterborough over a nine-month period, it is alleged.

The former prison warden appeared at Cambridge Crown Court accused of misconduct in a public office.

She also allegedly smuggled cannabis and tobacco into the Category B privately run prison, and was involved in money laundering.

Robson, of Grantham, Lincs, pleaded not guilty to all the offences.

The mother-of-one spoke only confirm her name, date of birth and her pleas during the short hearing.

She was alleged to have 'wilfully misconducted herself' in public office by 'having intimate relationships with prisoners' between June 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021.

Between 23 July, 2020, and April 19, 2021, she allegedly conspired with others to bring cannabis and tobacco in the prison, and 'became concerned' in a money laundering arrangement in which bank transfers were made.

Kayleigh Robson, 29, struck up inappropriate romances with prisoners at HMP Peterborough over a nine-month period, it is alleged

The former prison warden, Kayleigh Robson appeared at Cambridge Crown Court accused of misconduct in a public office

Kayleigh Robson also allegedly smuggled cannabis and tobacco into the Category B privately run prison, and was involved in money laundering

The full misconduct charge states: 'At Peterborough while acting as a public officer, namely prison officer, wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification misconducted yourself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public's trust in the office holder by having intimate relationships with prisoners.'

Robson appeared in court alongside three men, with two others set to appear at later proceedings.

Adam Hussain, 28, Ashley Neal, 30, and Roy Shalliker, 67, denied conspiring to bring in contraband to HMP Peterborough.

Hussain and Neal also denied the money laundering offence.

Robson, and her co-defendants, were granted bail with a two-week trial listed in April 2027 at Huntingdon Crown Court.

Judge Philip Grey told the defendants: 'I am sorry that it is so far in the future. As you may know, the courts have an enormous backlog, and that is simply the first date on which we can accommodate a two-week trial.

'I'm also required to warn you what would happen if any of you failed to attend for your trial.

'First of all, that would be an offence in its own right for which you could go to prison, and a warrant would certainly be issued for your arrest.

'Secondly, the trial may very well go ahead in your absence if you simply do not attend court.

'If that happens, the jury could be told that you've chosen not to come back to court, your lawyers might have to withdraw from representing you, and you would lose the right to give evidence in your own defence.

'So make sure, as I've said, that all of you stay in touch with your solicitors and are back at Huntingdon Law Courts in good time on April 19 next year.'
The son of Steve Witkoff said he is glad that the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, because his brother died of a drug overdose.

On Sunday, Alex Witkoff, whose father is a top aide to President Donald Trump and is the US special envoy to the Middle East, made the post on X, where it has received close to one million views in just one day.

'Yesterday my family would have been celebrating my brother Andrews 37th birthday. Instead, hes gone, overtaken by a drug overdose,' the post began.

'Drug overdoses are a national catastrophe and now the #1 killer of Americans ages 1845.

'Its surreal that on Andrews birthday, President Trump successfully captured Nicolas Maduro, an illegitimate narco-terrorist dictator with an active U.S. arrest warrant since the Biden administration.

'His drug networks have helped poison an entire generation of Americans. Anyone who defends Maduro is turning their back on tens of millions of American families afflicted by this drug overdose crisis every single day.'

The post drew both support and criticism, with some users offering their condolences for Andrew Witkoff's death and agreeing that Maduro's capture was justified and a positive step in addressing the overdose crisis.

But others criticized the post and slammed Witkoff for 'exploiting' his late brother's memory.

Alex Witkoff (center), son of Steve Witkoff, recently said he is glad that the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, because his brother died of a drug overdose

Steve Witkoff is a top aide to President Donald Trump and is the US special envoy to the Middle East

The junior Witkoff described Maduro, who had his first court appearance in New York on Monday, as an 'illegitimate narco-terrorist dictator'

This was the post Alex Witkoff made. A community note is notably pinned to the tweet, explaining that Witkoff's brother died of an opioid overdose, not from cocaine

Some users also said that the post was misleading, as Witkoff's brother died from an OxyContin overdose at an addiction treatment center in Los Angeles, not from cocaine, which is the drug Maduro is accused of trafficking into the US.

Journalist Max Blumenthal, editor of independent news site The Grayzone, has the top reply to Witkoff's post, which says: 'OxyContin is produced by the Sacklers, not Venezuela.

'Twisted to exploit a tragic family loss as fodder for a potential financial gain in the Trump Inc plunder of Venezuela.'

X's community notes fact-checking feature, which was pinned to Witkoff's post, echoed Blumenthal's criticism. It said: 'Andrew Witkoff died from an OxyContin overdose. OxyContin is an opioid and was developed by Purdue Pharma.

'OxyContin is not related to Venezuela or President Maduro, who is accused of trafficking cocaine into the US. Cocaine is a stimulant, not an opioid.'

Opioids are responsible for the majority of overdose deaths in the country, and they are closely linked to domestic pharmaceutical companies rather than overseas regimes.

Purdue Pharma, which is owned by the Sackler family, reached a $7.4billion settlement that was confirmed by a judge in November 2025 over its role in fueling the opioid epidemic, notably through its aggressive marketing of OxyContin.

Some users said that Witkoff's post was misleading, as his brother died from an OxyContin overdose, not from cocaine, which is the drug Maduro is accused of trafficking into the US

This is the top reply under Witkoff's post, criticizing it as misleading

Some users, such as this one and the one below, were supportive, offering their condolences and agreeing that Maduro's capture was a positive step in addressing the overdose crisis

Although some found Witkoff's post misleading, he did not directly state that his brother died from a cocaine overdose, and he may just have been speaking about the general hazards of drug abuse which are further enabled by illegal trafficking.

Witkoff's X post came soon after Maduro was brought to New York to be prosecuted on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges.

The captured Venezuelan president made his first court appearance on Monday shortly before noon, where he and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty.

Maduro told the judge that he still considers himself the president of Venezuela and that he was 'kidnapped' by the United States.

'Im innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country,' he said, according to a court translation of his statements, which were made in Spanish.

Maduro, who is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, took copious notes during the proceedings. His case is being presided over by 92-year-old US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein.

The captured president's lawyers are expected to argue that his arrest was illegal and that he is immune from prosecution as a head of state. The US does not recognize him as Venezuela's legitimate leader.
A British tourist has vanished in Thailand after video calling his family on Christmas Day.

Mark Counsell, 31, from Pontypool in Gwent, set off on the trip of a lifetime and has been travelling around southeast Asia.

However after a video call with his family between 9am and 10am on Christmas Day, they have not heard from him since.

He is believed to be in either Thailand or the Kuala Lumpur area of Malaysia.

Police described Mark as a white male 5ft 9in height, with an average build.

A Gwent Police spokesperson added: 'He has short brown hair with faded sides and a short brown/ginger beard which is longer on the chin.

'He was last seen wearing a Khaki coloured Fred Perry t-shirt.'

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact Gwent Police.
The Venezuelan regime has launched a fierce crackdown on civil society in response to Donald Trump's extraordinary abduction of dictator Nicolas Maduro.

Interim leader Delcy Rodriguez has ordered her feared secret police to 'search and capture' any so-called collaborators following Saturday's special forces raid.

Plain-clothed gunmen were seen patrolling the streets of the capital, Caracas, as she used Constitutional rights usually reserved for natural disasters to round up opponents.

Sources in the tightly guarded autocracy told the Mail there are fears for journalists who have gone missing with two major American news agencies reportedly banned from leaving the country.

A chilling 'Gaceta Official' Article Five notice was issued in the name of President Maduro on Saturday declaring a 'state of external disturbance'.

However the full force of the extraordinary powers only started to be felt after the Gaceta was published on Monday evening.

It stated that 'the actions deployed by the Government of the United States against Venezuelan territory make it necessary and urgent to adopt extraordinary security and defence measures to repel the aggression'.

The Gaceta ordered: 'National, state, and municipal police bodies shall immediately undertake the search and capture throughout the national territory of any person involved in promoting or supporting the armed attack of the United States of America against the Republic, in order to place them at the disposal of the Public Prosecutors Office and the criminal justice system, with full observance of due process and the right to defence.'

On Monday night at least eight journalists had been rounded up and arrested of whom just three were released.

Plain-clothed gunmen were seen patrolling the streets of the capital, Caracas, calling for the release of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro

Delcy Rodriguez has ordered her feared secret police to 'search and capture' any so-called collaborators. Pictured: A gunman in Caracas

Other reporters in the country reported regime cronies intimidating them with fears growing for colleagues who suddenly disappeared while filing dispatches on the ground.

A local journalist in the capital, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Mail: 'This is the regime telling us nothing has changed.

'These people have no limits. They will do what they have to do - they will do anything to stay in power and keep authority on their side.

'This is a campaign of harassment against the press in Venezuela.'

Another reporter told us: 'I heard my friend was with a group of journalists when the government came. He went missing. We are trying to find out what has happened to him.

'Everything is very fast-moving.'

Haunting photographs show plain-clothed gunmen in balaclavas stopping cars and questioning drivers on the streets of Caracas.

Men dressed all in black with body armour and large assault rifles maraud the streets in groups.

Join the debate Should foreign powers intervene when a regime cracks down on journalists and civil freedoms?

Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are seen arriving on a helipad in Manhattan in handcuffs for an arraignment in the Souther District of New York on January 5, 2026

A supporter of ousted Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro carries his portrait during a rally outside the National Assembly in Caracas

A motorcyclist carries a portrait of Maduro after he was captured following US air strikes

The Gaceta also calls on the 'militarisation' of public infrastructure, notably including 'the oil industry'.

It comes after Mr Trump declared that the United States would be 'running' Venezuela and retaining control of its vast oil reserves.

He has claimed Ms Rodriguez is doing as instructed by Washington but the crackdown will lead to pressure on the US President to step in and protect the public.

In recent hours, Journalists operating in Venezuela were frantically warning colleagues to delete all chats referring to Maduro and his capture.

An instruction seen by the Mail reminded reporters to remove any photographs downloaded automatically from messaging accounts.

It warned that regime secret police 'walk like crazy in Caracas, Valencia and Maracay.'

The decree places the 'entire national territory' under a constitutional emergency regime with full army mobilisation and key civilian infrastructure placed under military control.

Acting Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodruguez has ordered a crackdown on civil society in Venezuela

Crowds gathered in Caracas with flags to call for the release of President Maduro

Donald Trump is preparing to install US officials to oversee the interim leadership in Venezuela after the capture and extradition of Nicolas Maduro over the weekend

Civilian personnel in vital sectors 'shall temporarily be subject to military regulations' while authorities can 'restrict the free movement of persons of vehicles' throughout the country.

Public meetings and demonstrations are banned and entry into national territory is tightly restricted.

The regime can 'requisition' any private property 'necessary for national defence' while all existing laws 'incompatible' with the decree 'are temporarily suspended'.

The emergency powers will be enforced for 90 days - after which they can be renewed for a further three months.

It calls for 'firm patriotic fervor' and urges 'civil military police unity' in the face of 'armed attacked' by the US.
JFK's grandson Jack Schlossberg looked bereft as he attended the funeral of his sister Tatiana, who died of cancer last week at the age of 35.

Schlossberg, 32, was joined by his mother, Caroline Kennedy, his father, Edwin Schlossberg, and surviving sister Rose for the ceremony in Manhattan on Monday.

Former President Joe Biden, talk show host David Letterman and former US Secretary of State John Kerry were among the names in attendance.

Biden, who lost his son Beau to cancer in 2015, was seen crying outside The Church of St Ignatius Loyola, in New York's Upper East Side.

Tatiana tragically died last Tuesday after battling Leukemia and just six weeks after she revealed her diagnosis.

Her two children, Josephine, three, and Edwin Moran, one, and her widower, George Moran, were also seen at the service.

A heavily-bearded David Letterman was seen alongside his wife, Regina Lasko, at the funeral.

Kerry and Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, were also in attendance.

JFK's grandson Jack Schlossberg looked bereft as he attended the funeral of his sister Tatiana, who died of cancer last week at the age of 35

Tatiana (pictured with her husband and kids) tragically died last Tuesday after battling Leukemia and just six weeks after she revealed her diagnosis

Former President Joe Biden, who lost his son Beau to cancer in 2015, was seen crying outside the church

Her two children, Josephine (left) and Edwin (right) Moran, and her widowed husband, George Moran (right), were also seen at the service

The Kennedy scion's death was announced via social media accounts for the JFK Library Foundation on behalf of her heartbroken relatives.

'Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts,' the post reads, signed by 'George, Edwin and Josephine Moran, Ed, Caroline, Jack, Rose and Rory.'

The New York-born environmental journalist revealed in November that doctors told her she had acute myeloid leukemia in May 2024.

Writing in the New Yorker, Tatiana said she had no symptoms and was 'one of the healthiest people I knew' when the shock diagnosis came.

Doctors only found the disease through routine blood tests after she gave birth to her second child.

It is the latest tragedy to befall Caroline, who lost her father to an assassin's bullet when she was five years old, her only sibling, JFK Jr, in a plane crash years later, and her mother to lymphoma in 1994, when the iconic former first lady was just 64.

Writing in the New Yorker about her diagnosis, Tatiana said that she 'could not believe' the doctors were talking about her when they said she would need chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.

'I had swum a mile in the pool the day before, nine months pregnant. I wasn't sick. I didn't feel sick. I was actually one of the healthiest people I knew,' she wrote.

Caroline Kennedy is seen alongside her daughter Rose at the funeral Monday

A heavily bearded David Letterman was seen alongside his wife, Regina Lasko, at the funeral

Secretary of State John Kerry is seen at Tatiana's service

Mourners are seen filing out of The Church of St Ignatius Loyola, in New York's Upper East Side

People are seen crying and consoling one another outside the service on Monday

Tatiana said her parents and her siblings, Rose and Jack, supported her through months of grueling medical treatments.

'[My family has] held my hand unflinchingly while I have suffered, trying not to show their pain and sadness in order to protect me from it. This has been a great gift, even though I feel their pain every day,' she wrote.

She also addressed the so-called 'Kennedy curse' in her essay, saying that she did not want to add 'a new tragedy' to her mother Caroline's life.

'For my whole life, I have tried to be good, to be a good student and a good sister and a good daughter, and to protect my mother and never make her upset or angry,' Schlossberg wrote.

'Now I have added a new tragedy to her life, to our family's life, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.'

On Monday, Jack, Tatiana's younger brother, shared a heartfelt tribute to his late sister on Instagram.

In it, he posted ten excerpts of poems and famous texts, along with a picture of himself with his sister when they were younger. He captioned the post with a single emoji of a cherry blossom flower.

All of the slides were in the same font and composed in the same style with consistent backgrounds, indicating that Schlossberg carefully curated the chosen texts and spent time on their presentation.

Tatiana said her parents and her siblings, Rose and Jack, supported her through months of grueling medical treatments

Jack and Tatiana are seen together in a snap he shared to Instagram on Monday in a tribute post to his late sister

Tatiana Schlossberg, Jack Schlossberg, Rose Schlossberg, Edwin Schlossberg and Caroline Kennedy in Ireland in 2013 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the visit by US President JFK

The first excerpt in the slideshow featured his sister's own words, which she wrote in her book, Inconspicuous Consumption, which is about the hidden environmental impacts of everyday consumerism and was published in 2019.

Tatiana was an environmental journalist committed to making the world a better place, as can be seen in the segment of the book shared by her brother.

'It's up to us to create a country that takes seriously its obligations to the planet, to each other, and to the people who will be born into a world that looks different than ours has for the past 10,000 years or so,' Tatiana wrote.

'Essentially, what I'm describing is hard work with possibly limited success for the rest of your life. But we have to do it, and at least we will have the satisfaction of knowing we made things better.

'Come on, it will be fun (?),' the excerpt concluded.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued an ominous threat Monday after President Donald Trump floated that he could be the next target after a US military campaign seized Nicolas Maduro.

In a lengthy X post, Petro asked the citizens of Colombia to defend him, calling what Trump said an 'illegitimate threat.'

'If you detain a president whom much of my people want and respect, you will unleash the people's jaguar,' Petro warned.

He also revealed he would remove any commander who prefers the US flag over the Colombian and called on 'the people to defend the president against any illegitimate violent act.'

Unlike Maduro, who stayed in power after a heavily contested 2024 election, Petro, a leftist, was democratically elected in Colombia in 2022.

Still, on board Air Force One Sunday night, Trump said that Colombia, which borders Venezuela, was being 'run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.'

'He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories,' Trump said.

Colombia is the world's largest producer of the drug.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro slapped back at President Donald Trump, who said he could take military action against Colombia after having U.S. forces apprehend Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Petro was democratically elected and has criticized Trump

'He's not going to be doing it for very long,' Trump said.

Colombia's next presidential election will be held this May and Colombia term limits presidents to a single, four-year term, meaning Petro's successor will be sworn in this July.

But that didn't stop Trump from suggesting the U.S. military could conduct an operation against Colombia sooner.

'It sounds good to me,' Trump said to a reporter's question.

In his message on X, Petro pointed to the progress his administration has made in dealing with the cocaine problem, saying he ordered the largest seizure of the drug in 'world history.'

He also touted a voluntary crop substitution plan put in place to get Colombian farmers away from growing coca, the raw material needed to make cocaine.

Petro also warned that Colombia's drug traffickers recruit minors and often have them stand in for the group's leaders.

'If you bomb even one of these groups without sufficient intelligence, you will kill many children,' Petro wrote.

Colombia has been an ally of the United States, assisting with the country's counternarcotics strategy for decades, but Petro has been critical of the Trump administration, including on the deportation flights and military attacks on alleged drug boats.

President Donald Trump (right), alongside South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham (left), spoke to reporters on board Air Force One Sunday night as he returned to Washington, D.C. from Florida and took aim at Colombian President Gustavo Petro

Petro said the administration was killing 'poor people' by bombing the alleged drug boat operators in the Caribbean, instead of going after the major traffickers who live abroad 'on yachts near Dubai or in Madrid.'

The Colombian president also participated in a large pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York during September's United Nations General Assembly.

At the protest, Petro urged American service members to 'disobey the orders of Trump' - comments that prompted the State Department to revoke his visa, a move made after the leader was already en route back to Bogota.

In his X post, he distinguished himself from Maduro, who's now imprisoned in New York.

'I am not illegitimate, nor am I a narco,' he wrote. 'I only have as assets my family home, that I still pay for with my salary. My bank statements have been published. No one would say that I have spent more than my salary. I am not greedy.'
Prince Harry desperately wants the King to come to his and Meghan's Montecito mansion in 2026 to see his grandchildren, friends have claimed.

Charles and Prince William are set to travel to the US separately in April as part of a trip to revitalise a key trade deal put on 'pause' by US President Donald Trump.

The Duke of Sussex is hoping that the King will take time out of his busy schedule to spend time with Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, The Sun reported.

Charles is not believed to have seen them since Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.

Harry's longstanding dispute over the removal of his taxpayer-funded armed police protection when in the UK stopped him from travelling with his children.

And with the King's suffering ill-health as he battled with cancer, a trip in the reverse direction was not on the cards.

However, last month the monarch revealed in an unprecedented video message that his cancer treatment would be significantly scaled back in the New Year.

His Majesty previously shared that he had been diagnosed with the disease in February 2024 after being admitted to hospital for an enlarged prostate.

Prince Harry is reportedly hoping King Charles will take time out of his busy schedule to spend time with Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, when he visits the US later this year (pictured in a holiday photo shared by Meghan)

The Duke of Sussex, pictured in London in April, has reportedly won the right to a Home Office review of his police protection when visiting the UK - with sources now suggesting the reinstating of his personal security detail is 'nailed on'

King Charles leaves after attending the Sunday morning church service at St Mary Magdalene church in Sandringham, Norfolk on January 4, 2026

But since his diagnosis 22 months ago, he has had a major boost in his battle with cancer, describing it as a 'personal blessing' - and enhancing the possibility of a reunion with Harry.

Additionally, it now appears that the Prince has won his fight for his round-the-clock security detail to be restored, according to sources close to the Sussexes.

Prince Harry was furious when the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) removed his 24-hour armed protection in 2020 after he stepped down as a working royal.

At present Harry is required to inform the Met Police 30 days prior to arriving in the UK, with each visit reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

However, back in September the Mail on Sunday reported that the Metropolitan Police voluntarily provided personal security to Prince Harry for his visit to London that month.

It is understood that the Met's decision was made without the involvement of either the Home Office or the Royal Family and was instead based on the highly publicised nature of the event and the fact that many children would be present.

However, a stalker fixated with the Prince was reportedly twice able to pass within feet of him during his visit.

Sources close to the Sussexes told The Mail on Sunday that the reinstatement of armed security has been assured after a fresh risk assessment was carried out for Ravec.

Join the debate Should King Charles really hop on a plane to Montecito to see the Sussex kids?

The restoration of Harry's round-the-clock armed police protection could encourage him to bring his children Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, (pictured volunteering with their parents during Thanksgiving last month) across the pond to spend some time with their grandfather, King Charles - who has reportedly not seen them since Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022

They said: 'It's now a formality. Sources at the Home Office have indicated that security is now nailed on for Harry.'

A ruling in the Duke's favour, expected to be announced within weeks, may also make it feasible for Harry to bring his grandchildren to the UK.

The King and his youngest son last met in September 2025 after 19 months with no face-to-face interactions.

A source said: 'Harry has made it clear that he would love his dad to come and visit him and the family.

'He knows that they are strained, but he has mentioned several times a hope that his father can have a relationship with his grandchildren.'

Representatives of the Duke of Sussex have been contacted for comment.
With her remarkable sense of style, it's easy to assume that the Princess of Wales has a personal stylist working tirelessly behind the scenes.

According to palace insiders, however, it is Kate, 43, who meticulously curates every one of her ensembles for official engagements.

Insiders told The Times that nobody has replaced Natasha Archer who stepped down as Kate's senior private executive assistant and stylist earlier this year to set up her own consultancy after 15 years of service.

Sources said the future Queen is 'very much in control' of her wardrobe, making it even more impressive that she recently landed a special mention in Vogue's Best Dressed Brits list of 2025.

The fashion bible defined her as a 'culture shaper' thanks to the 'Kate effect' that often propels little-known labels into the global spotlight overnight when they're seen on the princess.

Among her most unforgettable gowns of the past year were the outfits she wore when mingling with French, American, and German world leaders at state banquets.

What's more, the princess has cleverly used her outfit choices to wield the power of soft diplomacy the royals are so adept at.

For instance, when Donald Trump was hosted by the King at Windsor Castle in July, Kate personally chose a gold Phillipa Lepley gown - knowing it's the President's favourite colour.

Her success was complete when, after sitting next to her at dinner, Mr Trump declared the princess was 'so radiant and so healthy and so beautiful'.

She's known for her stunning fashion sense, and the Princess of Wales does it all without a stylist, according to palace insiders (seen at the state banquet for Donald and Melania Trump in September last year)

In July, Kate was the picture of poise in a dramatic dark red silk crepe gown, designed by Sarah Burton for Givenchy, when she made a dazzling return to high-profile royal duties as she attended her first state banquet for more than 18 months for the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife Brigitte.

With Kate in an elegant red silhouette, featuring gathered detailing and a flowing caped back, Camilla in blue, and Brigitte in white, the evening's leading ladies had a clear vision for the event.

The mother-of-three completed her look with a nod to tradition and state symbolism, wearing the Lover's Knot Tiara - a favourite once worn by Princess Diana - along with drop earrings from Her Majesty the late Queen, and the Royal Family Orders of both Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles.

A subtle but striking lily of the valley embroidered clutch added a delicate, floral touch to the ensemble.

Kate also wore the sash and star of the Royal Victorian Order and the rosette of the Grand Officier of the L'ordre Nationale du Merite, a French honour bestowed on her during the Macrons' state visit.

This time, it wasn't a gushing speech mention, but a wink from Emmanuel across the table that signalled Kate's success.

Come December, Kate delivered once again with a breathtaking, sweeping pale blue Jenny Packham gown as she joined the Royal Family in welcoming the German president and his wife for their first state visit to the UK in nearly three decades.

According to a celebrity stylist, Kate didn't just arrive in another dazzling gown; the royal brought with her the quiet reassurance of a woman comfortable in her role as the 'unrivalled architect of modern couture diplomacy'.

Kate, pictured alongside Prince William, stunned in a dramatic red silk crepe gown, designed by Sarah Burton for Givenchy, during the July state banquet for the Macrons

Pictured: The Prince and Princess of Wales at the state banquet for the German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and his wife Elke Budenbender at Windsor Castle in December 2025

'Kate's state banquet evolution has been playing out for years, but last night's appearance proved beyond doubt that she is now the unrivalled architect of modern couture diplomacy,' celebrity stylist Clare Chambers told the Daily Mail at the time.

With her style expertise and ever-increasing influence over the fashion industry, it is no surprise that British fashion labels are eagerly awaiting springtime, when Kate will bestow her first royal warrants, which, if granted, hold the potential to serve as a massive business and confidence boost.

For the Royal Family, it is a chance to give brands an ultimate seal of approval and for the rest of us, it allows a rare insight into the Windsor shopping basket.

This prestigious task, once a hallmark of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, will mark another significant step in Kate's journey as a senior royal, underscoring her increasing role in shaping the monarchy's modern image.

The last Princess of Wales to issue a royal warrant was Mary of Teck, who issued them before her husband, George V, took the throne in 1910.

And with the 'Kate Effect' adding a reported 1billion to the British fashion industry, a nod from the Princess of Wales could be one of the highest honours a brand can receive.
From the rise of the humanoid robot to the weird world of AI girlfriends, 2025 had no shortage of strange and transformative inventions.

Now, experts from the Nesta research foundation have revealed the global innovations and trends set to shape the world in 2026.

These emerging issues range from the staggering cost of 'sand theft auto' to the real consequences of what happens when babies are born in space.

The researchers warn that some of these new technologies, such as the use of artificial intelligence in government, could fundamentally reshape the world.

Others, like new anti-pothole technologies or 'customised' bus routes, have the potential to make our lives more comfortable.

Meanwhile, closer to home, tech companies' interest in placing advertisements inside our homes raises serious questions about privacy and data protection.

Laurie Smith, Head of Mission Discovery at Nesta, says: 'If 2026 is anything like last year, it will be full of developments - both mundane and extraordinary.

'That could make a profound change to our everyday lives and lead to new ways of thinking.'

Experts have warned that the question of what happens when babies are born in space will be one of the key trends for 2026 (stock image)

In 2025, research found that sperm and egg cells can survive in space to produce healthy offspring. However, little is known about the impacts of conception and development in space on the foetus. Pictured: Passengers kiss aboard a flight simulating microgravity

One of the biggest technology trends of 2025 was the acceleration of the new space race.

Both the US and China, and rival billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, ramped up efforts towards establishing a permanent human presence on the moon and beyond.

However, Nesta warns that 2026 will be the first year that humanity needs to seriously consider what happens if a baby is born in space.

Last year, researchers from Kyoto University showed that mouse egg and sperm cells could survive in space and go on to produce healthy offspring.

Meanwhile, Dutch Biotech startup Spaceborn United launched the first miniature lab for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and embryo processes into orbit.

Yet, while Elon Musk continues to promote the idea of human colonies on Mars, there are serious risks that low gravity and high radiation could cause developmental defects for any space babies.

Additionally, there is a pressing question of what nationality, if any, a baby born in space could be awarded.

Space cannot be owned by any nation, so babies born in space risk becoming stateless without a new legal framework.

This follows a year in which the space race between billionaire Elon Musk (pictured) and his rival Jeff Bezos accelerated, raising the possibility that humans may soon start living beyond Earth

The global innovations and trends set to shape 2026 Customised public transport routes

Babies born in space

Quantum navigation for global travel

Advertising in the home

Increasing illegal sand mining

New anti-pothole technologies

AI taking a bigger role in government

Creation of data unions Source: Nesta Future Signals 2026 Advertisement

Mr Smith told the Daily Mail: 'Before humans can think about living in space, we will need to understand all the implications of this - perhaps even one day needing to understand the implications of giving birth there.

'The first person to give birth in space might be a while away, but looking into how our bodies react to this is an important first step.'

On the other hand, a more grounded concern for the coming year is the alarming rise in global sand theft.

While sand might seem uninteresting, it is the primary ingredient in virtually all construction and infrastructure, from concrete to the silicon chips in your smartphone.

This makes sand the second-most consumed resource on Earth, creating a thriving black market for illegally mined sand.

Researchers estimate that the illegal sand market is worth between $200 billion and $350 billion (149-261 billion) worldwide.

In Indonesia, police uncovered an illegal sand mining operation in the Mount Merapi National Park, estimated to have produced $134 million (100 million) of revenue over two years.

Meanwhile, researchers believe that around 15.5 million cubic metres of sand are illegally removed from Vietnam's Mekong Delta every year.

Another alarming trend for 2026 is the rise of illegal sand mining. In 2025, police in Indonesia shut down an illegal sand mine believed to have produced $134 million (100 million) of revenue over two years (pictured)

Researchers estimate that the illegal sand market is worth between $200 billion and $350 billion (149-261 billion) worldwide. 15.5 million cubic metres of sand are removed from the Mekong Delta alone (illustrated) each year

Around the world, sand mining has increased flood risks in Uganda, destabilised and rerouted major rivers in India, and sparked a boom of deadly organised crime across Asia.

In 2026, Nesta predicts that the growing demand for sand will lead to even more uncontrolled mining unless urgent action is taken.

However, after a year dominated by the meteoric rise of AI, 2026 is also likely to be driven by the actions of the biggest tech giants.

Nesta warns that AI is likely to take an increasingly prominent role in the top roles of government.

In Albania, for example, the government appointed the world's first 'AI minister', named Diella, to its cabinet.

Although AI has the potential to improve government efficiency, critics have raised concerns that replacing human decision makers with computers could make governments less accountable.

In another worrying development, Nesta researchers suggest that our homes could become the 'new frontier' of digital advertising in 2026.

In 2025, Samsung announced that it would start showing adverts on some of its new fridge models in the US and that it plans to put ads on 'every screen in the connected home'.

Experts say that AI will likely take on a larger role in governments around the world. This follows Albania's appointment of the world's first 'AI minister', named Diella (pictured), to its cabinet

Nesta warns that this 'crosses a line into private spaces and everyday tasks' and could turn our private homes into commercial zones.

However, not every 2026 trend has the potential to be as problematic, and many may actually improve our lives in noticeable ways.

Emerging 'data unions' could allow individuals to take collective ownership of their data and pull power back from the big tech companies.

While advances in quantum navigation could exploit the fundamental forces of physics to help planes and ships make safer journeys.

In the coming year, Nesta also claims that new inventions could pave the way for innovations in pothole-preventing technology.

Currently, the UK faces a pothole repair backlog estimated to cost 16.3 billion, with pothole-related breakdowns increasing by 25 per cent in the last year.

However, innovative materials such as graphene - atom-thick grids of carbon atoms - have the potential to make roads more durable and better able to resist heat.

Meanwhile, in Hertfordshire, robotic repair units are already being trialled to patrol the roads and fix cracks as soon as they appear.

In a more positive trend, experts say that new technologies, like autonomous robots and advanced materials, could help remove the potholes from Britain's roads. Pictured: a Pothole robot being trialled in Hertfordshire

In the coming year, these developments could finally turn the tide in the UK's war against the pothole epidemic.

Likewise, traffic innovations using technology could soon make your commute even easier.

Mr Smith says: 'If British transport authorities were to consider bus routes, they could look to Shanghai, where last year they extended the rollout of its Dingzhi system of customised bus routes.

'There, passengers propose new bus routes via an online platform. Once a route meets a minimum demand threshold - typically of 15-20 passengers per trip - it is approved and can start within days.'
Its considered to be one of the most decisive steps in human evolution.

Now, scientists believe they have pinpointed when our ancestors made the transition from walking on all fours to standing on two legs.

An ape-like animal that lived in Africa seven million years ago is the best contender for humankinds earliest ancestor, they say, as fresh analysis has revealed its bones were adapted to walking upright.

The fossilised remains of the species, called Sahelanthropus tchadensis, were first unearthed in the desert region of Chad, in north-central Africa, more than two decades ago.

The anatomy of the skull suggested that it likely sat directly on top of the spine  the first indication it may have walked upright.

But new analysis of the limbs confirms the species could move around on two legs, as the bones contain a feature only found in bipedal groups.

Scott Williams, an associate professor in New York Universitys Department of Anthropology, led the study.

Our analysis of these fossils offers direct evidence that Sahelanthropus could walk on two legs, demonstrating that bipedalism evolved early in our lineage and from an ancestor that looked most similar to todays chimpanzees and bonobos, he said.

Cast of the skull of Sahelanthropus tchadensis - a species discovered in the early 2000s which scientists now say may be our earliest ancestor

The iliofemoral ligament shown in humans (far left). The red arrows indicate the femoral tubercle, the point of attachment for this crucial ligament. The dark grey image represents the same bone in the Sahelanthropus species, with an overlay (far right) indicating it has the same features as modern-day humans, who walk upright

For their new study the researchers identified the presence of the femoral tubercle, a part of the body that is vital for walking upright, in the fossilised remains.

This is the point of attachment for the largest and most powerful ligament in the human body  the iliofemoral ligament  which connects the pelvis to the femur and prevents the body from bending backwards too much when standing up and walking.

Previous studies have also unearthed a natural twist in the fossilised femur  the thigh bone  which helps legs to point forward.

Meanwhile 3D analysis has indicated gluteal  buttock  muscles similar to those in our early ancestors that keep hips stable and aid in standing, walking and running.

The team argue their new discovery, along with previous findings, mean the ancient species had the ability to walk upright.

Sahelanthropus was essentially a bipedal ape that possessed a chimpanzee-sized brain and likely spent a significant portion of its time in trees, foraging and seeking safety, Dr Williams said.

Despite its superficial appearance, Sahelanthropus was adapted to using bipedal posture and movement on the ground.

This discovery makes the species the oldest known member of the human lineage since we split evolutionarily from chimpanzees.

An artist's impression of what Sahelanthropus may have looked like. Dr Williams said it likely looked most similar to today's chimpanzees and bonobos

The skull, ulna (forearm bone) and femur (thigh bone) of (left to right): a chimpanzee, Sahelanthropus and another human ancestor, Australopithecus

The fossilised remains of the species were first unearthed in the desert region of Chad, in north-central Africa, more than two decades ago

Humans and monkeys only diverged around eight to 19 million years ago, so the findings suggest that early humans became bipedal very soon after this split.

Sahelanthropus tchadensis Sahelanthropus tchadensis is one of the oldest known species in the human family tree. It lived sometime between seven and six million years ago in West-Central Africa. The species was first discovered in 2001, after the remains of several individuals were discovered in Chad's Djurab Desert, including a very well-preserved cranium, nicknamed Toumai. Advertisement

As part of the study the team compared the remains to those of other early human ancestors as well as living apes.

They found that Sahelanthropus had a relatively long thigh bone relative to a bone found in the forearm  further evidence that it walked on two legs.

They said that apes have long arms and short legs, while humans and our ancestors have relatively long legs.

Writing in the journal Science Advances they explained that bipedalism is a key adaptation that differentiates hominins  humans and our extinct relatives  from living and fossil apes.

Sahelanthropus is interpreted here as an African ape-like early hominin that demonstrates some of the earliest adaptations to bipedalism, they wrote.

They said they believe the evolution of walking upright was a process rather than an event, in which bipedal behaviour gradually increased over time.

This means the species may have had the ability to walk on two legs on land, but also to swing through the trees like a monkey.

Other experts have previously cast doubt on the idea that Sahelanthropus is a human forebearer.

When the species was first discovered in 2001 Milford Wolpoff, a professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan, called them into question.

In a letter to the journal Nature, Professor Wolpoff argued that Sahelanthropus is not on the line directly leading to humans.

He pointed to scars on the skull left by neck muscles, claiming they showed the species walked on all fours with its head horizontal to its spine.
Wild bears are becoming increasingly friendly and less aggressive  much like Baloo in The Jungle Book  according to a new study.

Experts have discovered that the Apennine brown bear, found in Central Italy, is evolving as a result of living in close proximity to humans.

This species diverged from other European brown bears 2,0003,000 years ago and has remained completely isolated since Roman times.

Now, analysis shows the endangered population has undergone significant changes driven by human activity.

Scientists have discovered these bears have smaller bodies and unique head and facial features compared to their European, North American and Asian brown bear counterparts.

And they've even evolved to be friendlier with more docile attitudes, they found.

'We showed that Apennine brown bears possess selective signatures at genes associated with reduced aggressiveness,' Andrea Benazzo, lead author of the study, said.

These genetic differences likely resulted from humans killing more aggressive bears over time, the scientists said, leaving calmer individuals to breed and pass on their genes.

Scientists have discovered Apennine brown bears (pictured) have smaller bodies and unique head and facial features compared to their European, North American and Asian brown bear counterparts.

One of the friendliest modernday bears is Baloo, from The Jungle Book. Scientists said the Apennine brown bear is becoming friendlier and less aggressive

In their study, published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, the researchers said there are only around 50 individuals left in the wild.

'One major cause of decline and isolation was probably forest clearance associated with the spread of agriculture and increasing human population density in Central Italy,' Dr Benazzo, from the University of Ferrara, said.

As humans continued to kill the most aggressive individuals, genes from more docile bears are likely to have been passed on to future generations.

This illustrates how human encroachment into natural areas can lead to a decline in numbers and an erosion of the genetic pool, they warned  increasing the risk of extinction.

However, it also unintentionally promotes a better relationship between humans and bears that involves less conflict.

'The general implications of our findings are clear,' concluded Giorgio Bertorelle, another researcher involved in the study.

'Humanwildlife interactions are often dangerous for the survival of a species but may also favour the evolution of traits that reduce conflict.

'This means that even populations that have been heavily and negatively affected by human activities may harbour genetic variants that should not be diluted, for example, by restocking.'

The Apennine species diverged from other European brown bears (pictured) 2,0003,000 years ago and has remained completely isolated since Roman times

Last month, a different team of scientists discovered that climate change is triggering genetic changes in polar bears in the North Atlantic.

Researchers found a strong link between rising temperatures in southeast Greenland and changes in polar bear DNA.

These genetic changes are potentially allowing them to better adapt to higher temperatures caused by global warming.

Study author Dr Alice Godden, environmental scientist at the University of East Anglia, said the finding offers some 'hope' for polar bears, but efforts to limit global temperature increases must continue.
A newly discovered galaxy cluster could rewrite our understanding of the cosmos, as scientists spot 'something the universe wasnt supposed to have.

Researchers found that the cluster was burning five times hotter than expected just 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang.

Astronomers had thought that such extreme temperatures would only be possible in more mature, stable galaxy clusters that formed later in the universe's life.

This hot 'baby cluster' could suggest that the earliest moments of the universe were far more explosive than previously thought.

Scientists believe that the unexpected heat might be the product of three supermassive black holes hidden in the depths of the cluster.

Co-author Dazhi Zhou, a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia, says: 'We didnt expect to see such a hot cluster atmosphere so early in cosmic history.

'In fact, at first I was sceptical about the signal as it was too strong to be real.

'But after months of verification, weve confirmed this gas is at least five times hotter than predicted, and even hotter and more energetic than what we find in many present-day clusters.'

Scientists have discovered 'something the universe wasnt supposed to have' as they find a galaxy cluster burning five times hotter than expected just 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang (artist's impression)

Galaxy clusters are some of the largest objects in the universe that can be held together under their own gravity.

They are enormous collections of individual galaxies, invisible dark matter, and superheated clouds of gas.

In the spaces between the galaxies, gas is heated into plasma that can reach hundreds of millions of degrees and shines brightly in the X-ray spectrum.

Scientists had thought this 'intracluster medium' was heated by gravitational interactions between galaxies as an immature, unstable cluster matures and collapses inward to a stable state.

However, the researchers' new discovery, published in Nature, suggests that this model of evolution might not be correct.

Using a group of telescopes known as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the researchers looked 12 billion years into the past.

At this time, the galaxy cluster dubbed SPT2349-56 was extremely immature, but already extraordinarily large for its age.

Its core extends more than 500,000 light-years across, roughly the size of the vast halo of matter and dark matter surrounding the Milky Way.

Galaxy clusters are some of the largest objects in the universe, sometimes containing thousands of individual galaxies connected by clouds of superheated gas known as the intracluster medium. Pictured: A separate globular cluster known as NGC 2210

Using the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) observatory, scientists measure the temperature of the intracluster medium in a galaxy cluster over 12 billion light-years from Earth. They discovered that this was far hotter than the best theories predicted

The cluster also contains more than 30 extremely active galaxies which produce stars over 5,000 times faster than our own galaxy.

However, when researchers used ALMA to measure the temperature of the intracluster medium, they found that it was far hotter than the models predicted for this time in the universe.

Scientists aren't entirely sure how the cluster came to be so much hotter than expected.

However, the researchers suggest that it could be related to the three recently discovered supermassive black holes in the cluster.

Supermassive black holes are the largest class of black holes, with masses at least 100,000 times greater than that of our sun.

Supermassive black holes are typically found in the hearts of galaxies, where they feed on gases and release huge quantities of X-ray radiation.

Co-author Professor Scott Chapman, of Dalhousie University who conducted the research while at the National Research Council of Canada, says that these black holes were 'already pumping huge amounts of energy into the surroundings and shaping the young cluster, much earlier and more strongly than we thought.'

This comes as astronomers are finding more supermassive black holes in the early universe that appear to have grown much faster than expected.

Scientists say the heat was likely generated by three supermassive black holes. These are the largest class of black holes (artist's impression), and typically form in the cores of galaxies

This comes after researchers found a supermassive black hole actively growing inside a galaxy just 570 million years after the Big Bang (pictured), suggesting that black holes might have grown faster in the early universe than expected

Last year, researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope spotted a 'little red dot' supermassive black hole that was actively growing inside a galaxy just 570 million years after the Big Bang.

Importantly, this black hole was much bigger than the size of the host galaxy would suggest.

This implies that black holes may have grown faster than the galaxies that hosted them in the early universe, even in relatively small galaxies.

Professor Chapman says that studying how these dynamics unfold is critical to explaining the universe around us today.

He says: 'Understanding galaxy clusters is the key to understanding the biggest galaxies in the universe.

'These massive galaxies mostly reside in clusters, and their evolution is heavily shaped by the very strong environment of the clusters as they form, including the intracluster medium.'
As Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro heads to a New York court to face drug charges, the first images of a top-secret US drone sent to capture him have emerged.

Footage shared online captured a US Air Force RQ-170 Sentinel coming in for a landing at sunrise at a Puerto Rico base after the January 3 raid.

Reports suggested that at least one RQ-170 Sentinel took part in the overnight operation to arrest the Venezuelan president and his wife, who the US has said it does not recognize as the legitimate leader of the South American nation.

Although the Sentinels have reportedly been in service for the last 20 years, the Air Force has only acknowledged their existence since December 2009, when it supported missions in Afghanistan.

During the operation, the drone or drones were operating overhead in Venezuelan airspace, particularly around Caracas, though exact paths haven't been detailed due to their top-secret nature.

Unnamed government officials said the CIA quietly deployed stealth drones over Venezuela for months, using them to track President Maduros movements and build an intimate picture of his daily routines ahead of the operation, the New York Times reported.

While the location of the footage is unconfirmed, the airfield could be Roosevelt Roads Naval Air Station in Puerto Rico, which shuttered in 2004.

Images posted online by Air Force Southern appeared to show unit patches worn by military personnel, indicating the RQ-170 Sentinel may have been operating in Latin America since December.

The RQ-170 Sentinel has been in service in the US Air Force since around 2007, and it is believed to have been flying over Caracas during the strike on Venezuela

Military analysts suggested the RQ-170s likely contribution was long-term, covert monitoring of Maduros compound.

They compared it to the weeks of silent intelligence collection that preceded the 2011 operation against Osama bin Laden, when US forces depended on continuous surveillance of a single, high-value location.

The clips captured the growl of the jet engines and blinking lights on the rear fuselage as the drone soared over the US territory.

Along with the RQ-170 Sentinels, over 150 aircraft took part in Maduro's arrest, launching from multiple bases in the region.

The drone was designed by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works division exactly for this type of mission, providing surveillance of high-value targets inside hostile territory and support for special operations teams like Delta Force, who captured Maduro.

According to The War Zone, there are only about 20 to 30 RQ-170 drones in service, operating from bases like Creech Air Force Base in Nevada.

The 432nd Wing, headquartered at Creech AFB, is the Air Force's primary wing for remotely piloted drones and is believed to be the main operator of the RQ-170.

Creech is also less than 100 miles from the Area 51 base in Nevada, which has become notorious for its development and testing of top-secret aircraft for decades.

The unmanned aircraft is believed to have advanced sensors for mapping and tracking moving targets, infrared cameras to provide nighttime video, and high-tech intelligence tools for intercepting enemy communications.

Join the debate Should the US use secret military force in foreign countries to capture controversial leaders?

US forces struck Fuerte Tiuna on Saturday, capturing Nicolas Maduro and his wife without suffering casualties

About 20 to 30 RQ-170 Sentinels are believed to be in use by the Air Force, providing surveillance and tracking targets during military operations

At the same time, military technology experts believe US cyberwarfare units also played a role in the attack, sending the entire target area into a blackout as the raid began.

Part of the strike appeared to have included a massive power outage around Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex in Caracas.

DigitalWarfare.com's James Knight told the Daily Mail before the military operation that US cyber forces had been mapping out targets to strike digitally in Venezuela and other hostile nations for years.

That process included meticulously making sure civilian facilities, such as hospitals, did not lose power if American forces hacked into the country's electrical grid.

As Knight assessed in December, the US appeared to focus its efforts on Venezuela's military C2 networks - the communication systems for the country's troops.

US Air Force Gen. Dan 'Razin' Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said: 'As the force began to approach Caracas, the Joint Air Component began dismantling and disabling the air defense systems in Venezuela, employing weapons to ensure the safe passage of the helicopters into the target area.'

'The goal of our air component is, was, and always will be to protect the helicopters and the ground force and get them to the target and get them home.'

President Trump appeared to confirm that US cyber units blacked out the area during Operation Absolute Resolve, saying: 'It was dark, the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have, it was dark, and it was deadly.'
The US Navy's P-8 Poseidon was spotted circling a drug-smuggling hub off Mexico's coast on Monday morning.

Flight tracking websites spotted the aircraft conducting surveillance and reconnaissance operations miles offshore from Tijuana.

The city has long been plagued by violent organized crime and is considered a major corridor for cartel operations.

The P-8 took off from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington, flew through Oregon and California, made several loops off the Mexican coast and southern California, and then returned to base.

Equipped with advanced sensors capable of detecting both surface and underwater targets, the P-8 is often used to monitor suspicious vessels and maritime movements.

The flight comes just days after Donald Trump issued a warning to Mexico over drug trafficking, suggesting a military action similar to one carried out in Venezuela over the weekend.

The President said drug cartels continue to dominate large parts of Mexico and criticized the government for failing to confront them decisively.

'The cartels are running Mexico, whether you like it or not,' he said. 'It's not nice to say, but the cartels are running Mexico.'

Flight tracking websites spotted the aircraft conducting surveillance and reconnaissance operations miles offshore from Tijuana

It is unknown if the P-8 flight is directly linked to Trump's comments or was simply a routine test mission through the region.

The aircraft's flight path extended off the Southern California coast toward Baja California and Ensenada, Mexico, covering territorial waters and exclusive economic zones that begin near San Diego and Tijuana and stretch roughly 352 miles west into the Pacific Ocean.

The P-8A Poseidon can reach altitudes of up to 41,000 feet, fly at speeds of nearly 565 miles per hour, and stay airborne for long stretches thanks to an in-flight refueling system.

The fleet, which includes 174 aircraft and has logged over 700,000 flight hours worldwide, is built to endure harsh maritime conditions for up to 25 years.

Boeing says the P-8 integrates advanced weapons and mission systems and can be quickly upgraded to meet evolving threats.

Each aircraft is designed for maximum interoperability, allowing it to operate seamlessly with other US and allied forces across land, sea, and air operations.

The timing of the P-8 flight comes amid heightened tensions over drug trafficking and US military involvement in Latin America.

Trump previously threatened Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in November, warning her to take action against drug cartels or face possible US military intervention.

Equipped with advanced sensors capable of detecting both surface and underwater targets, the P-8 is often used to monitor suspicious vessels and maritime movements

'Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? It's OK with me. Whatever we have to do to stop drugs,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

'I didn't say I'm doing it, but I'd be proud to do it. Because we're going to save millions of lives by doing it.'

The P-8's advanced sensors allow the aircraft to identify small vessels at sea, detect unusual maritime patterns, and coordinate with other military and law enforcement assets.

The aircraft is capable of both anti-submarine warfare and surface surveillance, making it uniquely suited to operations along the Pacific drug corridor that has long been exploited by cartels for smuggling narcotics, including fentanyl, into the United States.

Questions about Mexico follow Trump's mobilization of the largest US fighting force in the Caribbean since the Cold War, aimed at stopping gangsters coming from Venezuela.

Operations targeting Venezuelan drug routes recently escalated from intercepting boats accused of ferrying drugs to the capture of the country's president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia.

The South American leader was taken by Delta Force soldiers in Caracas early Saturday and is now in New York City, expected to appear in court Monday on drug and weapons charges that carry the death penalty.

Maduro's wife is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange a meeting between 'a large-scale drug trafficker' and the director of Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office, resulting in additional monthly bribes, with some of the money going directly to her, according to the indictment.
It's been said that, when you die, your life flashes before your eyes.

While it has never been scientifically proven, one doctor's shock discovery suggests it might not be pure fiction  and it has made him rethink everything he knows about death.

Dr Ajmal Zemmar and his team captured the first recording of a dying human brain  and, he told the Daily Mail, it suggested the organ was reliving memorable events rather than descending into immediate darkness.

The discovery stemmed from an unplanned case in Vancouver, Canada, during Dr Zemmar's neurosurgery residency there in 2022.

An 87-year-old patient had undergone successful surgery for a subdural hematoma, or bleeding inside the head, but experienced subtle seizures on his final day in the hospital.

As standard procedure, an electroencephalography (EEG) was applied to the patient's scalp using electrodes while he remained conversational. The device detects and amplifies brain waves, and neurological activity appears as wavy lines on the EEG recording.

Approximately 20 minutes into the test, however, the patient unexpectedly went into cardiac arrest and died.

The ongoing EEG captured what Dr Zemmar later realized was the first recording of a naturally occurring human death.

Dr Ajmal Zemmar and his team captured the first recording of a dying human brain, which suggested the organ was reliving memorable events

The discovery was made after a patient had undergone successful surgery for a subdural hematoma, or bleeding inside the head, but experienced subtle seizures on his final day in the hospital

While it recorded 900 seconds of the event, from before and after the man died, the most striking finding occurred 30 to 60 seconds after his heart stopped beating, as the brain continued to produce gamma waves.

Gamma brainwaves are the fastest frequencies associated with peak mental performance, including intense focus, heightened awareness, learning, memory and integrating complex information.

Dr Zemmar, now based in Louisville, Kentucky, explained that gamma waves are the same high-frequency brain oscillations also observed when living people recall or view highly memorable life events, such as the birth of a child, a wedding or a graduation.

'We need to rethink death,' said Dr Zemmar, adding that we can find comfort in knowing that when a loved one dies, they are no longer in pain, but instead revisiting meaningful moments from their life.

He also stressed that producing gamma waves requires high-level brain activity, not something that occurs accidentally.

'It suggests that there's some coordinated activity going on,' he noted, adding that the discovery was a 'paradigm shift' from the Hollywood depiction of instant brain silence when the heart stops.

The pattern, according to Dr Zemmar, also provided the first neurophysiological evidence supporting reports from approximately 14,000 near-death experience survivors who consistently describe a life flashback during clinical death.

Until this recording, no scientific mechanism had explained those accounts.

While it recorded 900 seconds of the event, from before and after the man died, the most striking finding occurred 30 to 60 seconds after his heart stopped beating, as the brain continued to produce gamma waves

Although initially cautious because the finding came from a single case, Dr Zemmar said two additional human cases identified by a separate research group at the University of Michigan have since confirmed the same gamma-wave surge.

In 2023 researchers found that two patients who were thought to be brain-dead experienced sudden bursts of activity after being taken off life support, the same gamma waves as Dr Zemmar had observed.

'There are three cases in humans now,' he said. 'It's not a lot, but it's something, better than none.'

He also suggested that the brain could be biologically programmed to manage the transition into death, potentially orchestrating a series of physiological and neurological events rather than simply shutting off instantly.

Dr Zemmar, who once adhered strictly to provable science, now believes reducing uncertainty around death can comfort both the dying and the bereaved.

Drawing on teachings from Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh about the 'seven bodies,' he noted that only the physical body departs at death, while other dimensions - emotional influence, inspiration and guidance  remain.

'The person who leaves us doesn't stop interacting and influencing us,' he said.

Ultimately, Dr Zemmar hopes the research helps humanity confront an inevitable experience with less fear.

'Death affects every human,' he concluded. 'If we reimagine the way that death looks like and we try to find our comfort and our peace with that, I think those things may help humans to think about death in a different way.'
A young immigrant has delivered a crushing history lesson to New Yorkers about communism after the new mayor Zohran Mamdani's controversial inaugural address.

Bogdan Laurentiu, a Romanian who immigrated to the US in 2011, warned that New Yorkers have no idea what they've voted for by electing a democratic socialist, saying Mamdani's speech was exactly what communist regimes have preached in Europe.

Mamdani, 34, has drawn fierce criticism after claiming New York City's new government would replace 'individualism' with 'collectivism.'

Collectivism is a social organization in which individuals identify with a group. In this worldview, the collective takes priority over one's identity, and it has historically served as the framework for economic systems such as communism and socialism.

Laurentiu, 38, has become a conservative influencer in America and claimed in a TikTok video that Mamdani's hopes for New York were the 'famous words spoken by every communist in history.'

He warned Americans that Romania's communist regimes of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej and Nicolae Ceausescu had crushed his home country for more than four decades, forcing farmers to give up their land and driving the nation into poverty.

'First, they confiscated private land. Then they used terror to enforce collectivism. The regular Romanian citizens were arrested, beaten up, humiliated publicly, left to rot in prison, and some even executed,' Laurentiu explained.

'Romanian collectivism was forced, violent, economically disastrous, morally corrupt, and designed to control, not help.'

Bogdan Laurentiu is a Romanian immigrant who came to the US in 2011 and has been publicly speaking about the dangers of communism ever since

Zohran Mamdani spoke about the virtues of collectivism at his inauguration on January 1, while also condemning individualism

The Daily Mail has reached out to Mamdani's office for comment.

During his inauguration, the newly minted mayor pledged to govern the city as a Democratic Socialist.

Mamdani has claimed that individualism incentivizes greed, leads to obscene gaps between rich and poor and raises costs of living to the point where ordinary people struggle.

During his address, he said that his campaign demonstrated that New Yorkers yearned for solidarity and, regardless of their socioeconomic background, shared a defining characteristic: living in the Big Apple.

Laurentiu explained in his TikTok video, which has been viewed over 230,000 times, that Romania went from the number one exporter of grain in Europe to suffering regular shortages of food after communism took over.

Collectivism in Romania started by promising shared prosperity but quickly led to the government seizing private land from farmers, forcing them into state-run collectives where they lost control over their own work.

Independent farmers were seen as threats because they didn't need the government to survive, so the regime labeled them as enemies and stripped them of their property to make everyone dependent on the state, starting in 1949.

Laurentiu, whose family lived under the oppressive state, added that free markets were banned under collectivism in the 1940s, meaning no one could sell or trade goods privately, which destroyed Romania's economy and made everyday life even harder.

Former Romanian president Nicolae Ceausescu speaks during the closing ceremony of the Romanian Communist Party's 14th congress in Bucharest on November 24, 1989

Zohran Mamdani (center) has maintained that he isn't a communist, despite President Trump and other critics claiming his ideology of collectivism is the same thing

'Collectivism wasn't just economic. It was cultural as well. In Romania, they attacked the church and religious people. They replaced family authority with party authority, all with one goal in mind: replace faith and family with the state,' he explained.

Mamdani has maintained that he isn't a communist and instead believes in Democratic Socialism, a philosophy that US Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also subscribe to, which opposes capitalism.

However, Mamdani has been caught making multiple comments before his 2025 mayoral election win, claiming that the goal of his campaign was 'seizing the means of production' and the 'abolition of private property.'

Laurentiu has made headlines in the US for his fierce rebuke of communism, including receiving a standing ovation from late conservative influencer Charlie Kirk and his audience after saying, 'If you don't learn from history, nothing will save you.'

The Romanian native has previously admitted that he was only an infant when the communist regime of Ceausescu was overthrown in 1989.

However, Laurentiu claimed in 2023 that he had yet to meet a single person in his home country who was in favor of communism.

'Independence was, and still is, the biggest threat to communism. They made it in such a way that owning more than others was a crime,' he warned in his new video.

President Trump has continually referred to Mamdani as a 'communist' and previously threatened to pull federal funding from New York City if he were elected.

Other members of the Republican Party, as well as countless critics on social media, have also blasted the use of the term collectivism as Mamdani's hidden turn to communism and a philosophy that is not compatible with US society.

'No, actually, we are Americans, and we dont believe in that s***,' Conservative journalist Megyn Kelly wrote on X.

'Mamdanis comments are antithetical to Americas values. Were a country built on rugged individualism,' another person posted.
A nurse practitioner in Tennessee fatally shot her two young sons and 88-year-old grandmother before taking her own life in a tragic quadruple murder-suicide.

Deputies with the Humphreys County Sheriff's Office discovered four bodies inside a home in Waverly during a welfare check on January 2.

The victims all suffered fatal gunshot wounds and were identified as Arius Thompson, four, Isaiah Johnson, 13, and Evelyn Johnson, 88. The boys' mother has been named as 32-year-old Heather Thompson.

Harrowing: Authorities in Waverly, Tennessee believe that Heather Thompson, 32, killed her children and grandmother before dying by suicide herself

Authorities found preliminary evidence that suggests that Heather may have been responsible for killing her sons and grandmother before dying by suicide.

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis was emotional as he addressed the incident, noting that he knew the family and that they had lived in Waverly their entire lives.

Referring to an explosion that had recently occurred in the county, killing 16 people, Davis said: 'Here again, small town America. Here again, I know the families.

'So, we're going to do right by them. We're going to respect them. We're going to do right by them.'

Tragic: Arius Thompson, four, and Isaiah Johnson, 13, were found dead along with Heather Thompson's grandma Evelyn Johnson, 88

The Sheriff said that he was unaware of any call history at the home, but added that they are following up with the school system and other state agencies as part of the investigation.

The state's Bureau of Investigation is assisting the sheriff's office on the case, according to WSMV.

Heather worked at Ascension Saint Thomas Three Rivers Hospital in Waverly as a nurse after receiving her master's degree from Walden University, according to public records.

Authorities said no evidence pointed to any others being involved and have not released a motive at this time.

Jeremiah 'Biah' Thompson, the children's father, who was estranged from their mother, wrote online: 'I miss my sons already. Daddy still loves you. Sorry, I was at work.'

Heartbreaking: Jeremiah 'Biah' Thompson was devastated by the news of his sons passing

In addition, the grieving father set up a GoFundMe in an effort to help with funeral services and bring his sons to New Mexico, where he lives.

At this time, the fundraiser has raised nearly $11,000, not far from its $16,000 goal.

Biah wrote online about that devastating morning he found out about the tragedy: 'As a father, it hurt and shattered my soul to hear my sons Arius(Ari), and Isaiah have been taken from me and are no longer with us.

'They were just babies. Every second of today, I wish I could just wake up.'

Location: The family was found at their home in Waverly on January 2 after officials went to the home for welfare check

The devastated father posted an update, thanking everyone for their support, and noted that he and his sister were headed to Tennessee to bring his boys back.

The dad noted that despite it being hard for him to ask for help, he was appreciative of the support and added he was doing OK.

The tragedy comes only a few months after the county was rocked by an explosion that killed 16 people.

On October 10, 2025, Accurate Energetic Systems, an explosives factory that sits on the border of Humphreys and Hickman counties, detonated more than 24,000lb of explosives, killing over a dozen people.

The explosion was equivalent to a 1.6 magnitude earthquake, according to data from the US Geological Survey.

The cause of the blast remains unknown, according to a press release from the Humphreys County and Hickman County Emergency Management Agencies.

The Accurate Energetic Systems manufacturing plant is approximately 18 miles from where the murder suicide of Heather Thompson's family took place.
Yakutsk in Siberia, Russia, is recognised as the coldest city in the world - yet some 355,000 people call it home, with many residents working in the diamond mines.

During the winter, the location becomes bitterly cold. In 1891, the BBC reports that a record-breaking -83F was recorded.

The city sees very little sunlight during the winter months, and in January it is exposed to less than four hours of light each day.

Cold: Yakutsk, in Siberia, Russia, is commonly known as the coldest city in the world

Earlier this month, locals were hit with icy cold -49F temperatures.

Despite this, residents continued life as normal, but schools reportedly didn't open.

To brave the chilly temperatures, people have to wrap up in 22lb of clothing, according to @awareness_of_success, who shared a video about the city online.

Local food consists largely of meat and fish, as little vegetation can survive.

YouTuber Kiun B. grew up in Yakutia and shares online how people in her hometown survive the harsh conditions.

'It is an absolute must to wear several layers of clothing,' she explained in a previous clip, noting that 'the knees are particularly prone to freezing in such extreme cold'.

Kiun's sister Dayana demonstrated how she gets dressed for the day, starting with a turtle-neck and leggings. She then added a fleece zip-up and padded pants. To keep her feet warm, she opted for traditional Yakutian boots made out of reindeer skin.

'Women in Yakutia usually have two looks,' the YouTuber said. 'One is more feminine with fur coats made of mink or fox. Another one is more casual with a down jacket, which keeps you very warm, and they are cheaper than a fur coat.'

Dayana's fur coat cost $3,000 compared to her down coat, which was $500.

In both instances, she topped off her look with a $300 hat made out of arctic fox fur.

Kiun explained that knit ones are 'just not warm enough for local winter'.

'In addition to covering her head, she also wears mittens with beaded Yakutian patterns and fully covers her face,' she added. 'Otherwise, the exposed parts can get frostbite.'

Bitterly cold: During the winter, the location becomes ice-cold and on February 5, 1891, a record-breaking temperature of -83F was recorded

Sunlight: The city sees little sunlight during the winter months, and in January it is only exposed to less than four hours of light each day

Market stalls in the winter don't have any need for freezers to keep produce cool because of the icy weather, @awareness_of_success details.

The extreme temperatures mean locals often keep their cars running or covered so they don't freeze up.

The weather does surprisingly warm up in the summer, however, and reaches highs of up to 26C on average in July.
Gone are the days of consulting a simple guide book when planning a trip - nowadays, for many Brits, artificial intelligence and ChatGPT will be the first port of call when seeking advice on any holiday-related queries.

Indeed, more than two in five people feel confident booking a holiday through AI, the latest ABTA report revealed.

But with this sort of technology, what you get out of it will depend greatly on what you put in.

If, for example, you're looking to find the cheapest flights when travelling, the way you frame your query will impact the outcome of what ChatGPT suggests for you.

Which? has revealed the best questions to ask ChatGPT when you want clear answers on your travel conundrums.

The consumer price champion said you could find cheap flights, search for a route that gave you the least amount of jet lag, and the best way to spend air miles.

But you'll only get helpful answers if you ask the right questions, Which? experts shared.

If you don't phrase your question or 'prompt' right, your answers will be vague.

Booking your travels with the help of ChatGPT can be helpful - if you use it right

If you're looking to find cheap flights, instead of a simple query such as 'cheap flights from London to Berlin', you'll want to clarify the parameters.

For example, you should say the dates you have in mind, how long you want to stay, the airports you wish to use, the times you're willing to fly and what should be factored into the cost.

Which? suggests something along the lines of: 'I need to be in Berlin on May 14, but want to stay for three to four days either side. Help me find the cheapest direct flights from any London airport between 9am-10pm, considering the cost of public transport, taxis and Ubers to and from the airport in London.'

If you're consulting AI to shop holiday sales, again, you should clarify the details of your trip - as well as your budget.

Including any dealbreakers, such as being close to the beach or finding a hotel with a pool, will also help.

To find the best way to spend your points, don't ask an overall vague question, experts at Which? advise.

Instead, try saying you're organising a holiday for a couple to Lanzarote for 10 days in September, for instance, and plan to hire a car. You could add how many Virgin Points or Avios you have, and ask how you should spend them to make them go as far as possible.

And for tips on dealing with jet lag, if you ask a basic question, such as 'jet lag advice for travelling', you won't get anything specific.

Join the debate Would YOU trust ChatGPT to help YOU find cheaper flights?

The best questions to ask ChatGPT are specific and detailed rather than general

If, however, you clarify your start and end locations, travel dates, budget and airport options, and then ask ChatGPT to 'tell me what time to eat and sleep on my travel dates', Which? suggests you might be more successful.

Despite these helpful prompts, there are downsides to using ChatGPT when planning a holiday - so it's always worth doing your own research and fact-checking.

For instance, earlier this year, tourists hiked into the Andes to see the 'Sacred Canyon of Humantay', which ChatGPT had suggested - but it didn't even exist.

Similarly, an American woman who used an AI chatbot to plan her holiday, realised she'd been given bad advice when she was directed to a museum that was closed.

Orit Ofri, a marketing consultant from Oregon in the US, used ChatGPT for travel advice on a recent trip to Paris. The chatbot made multiple mistakes, including recommending visiting the Musee d'Orsay on Monday when it's closed.

Guy Hobbs, Which? travel expert, said: 'AI can be a useful tool for making travel plans, but it is always worth fact checking the results before booking a trip. In one case, we found that AI had sent tourists on a hike to a place that did not exist.

'Our findings show that there is useful advice available, for example on finding cheap flights and handling jet lag, but only when given specific prompts. For reliable and trustworthy advice and recommendations, check the Which? website.'
Ryanair has been very vocal about its problems with rising aviation taxes, fees and air traffic control in several different destinations.

And although the budget airline is expanding routes to new spots, including trips from Newcastle to Brussels, Budapest, Gdansk, Malta, and Wrocaw, a substantial amount of flights won't be running this year.

From popular holiday locations like Spain, to other locations across Europe that Brits regularly frequent, the cuts have amounted to millions of seats lost.

Read on as we outline all of the destinations Ryanair has axed flights to in 2026, and the reasons why.

Most recently, the airline revealed last month it would be slashing one million seats and 20 flight routes from its Belgium winter 2026/2027 schedule.

Five of its aircrafts will no longer be based in the country, a move which is thought to create a $500m (373m) loss in investments.

Airports including Brussels Airport and Brussels South Charleroi will be hit by Ryanair's cutbacks.

Overall, the airline says the cuts will see a 22 per cent reduction in its services and is in response to the Belgian government's aviation tax that will see airlines charged 10 (8.75) per departing passenger from 2027.

Although Ryanair is expanding routes to new spots, a substantial amount of flights won't be running this year

The airline revealed last month it would be slashing one million seats and 20 flight routes from its Belgium winter 2026/2027 schedule

It's also backlash to Charleroi city councils proposal that could see a 3 (2.60) charge per departing passenger tax this year.

Portugal is another destination to be impacted by Ryanair's cuts.

The airline announced in December it would stop running flights to and from the Azores, Portugal's mid-Atlantic archipelago, from March 29.

Ryanair explained how increased Air Traffic Control charges, a new 2 travel tax and high airport fees, was behind the decision.

The move will result in a loss of six different routes to and from the Azores, which, in total, carried 400,000 passengers a year.

Ryanair hit out at 'French airport monopoly ANA' which they claim 'has no plan to grow low-fare connectivity to the Azores' and is responsible for the airport fees.

The airline called for the Portuguese government to 'intervene' and make sure the country's airports 'benefit' locals instead.

Tax issues came into play when Ryanair announced in November it plans to axe certain routes to France this year.

The airline also announced in December it would stop running flights to and from the Azores, Portugal's mid-Atlantic archipelago, from March 29

Ryanair removed flights from several regional airports including Strasbourg, Bergerac, and Vatry last year

Then the airline's commercial director, Jason McGuinness, warned more French airports would be added to the list.

Speaking to French magazine, Challenges, he revealed that a tax increase of 180 per cent has rendered a number of regional airports 'unviable' for the airline.

The French government's 2025 Budget includes raised taxes for air travel - adding an extra 4.77 per ticket for domestic and European flights departing from France.

The proposed plans are set to come into effect this summer.

A whopping 24 routes to and from Germany were slashed from the airline's 2025/2026 winter schedule.

Ryanair announced in October how nearly 800,000 seats would be cut over what the carrier describes as an 'exorbitant' air travel tax.

The move impacts nine German airports, including Berlin, Hamburg and Memmingen, while Dortmund, Dresden and Leipzig.

A whopping 24 routes to and from Germany were slashed from the airline's 2025/2026 winter schedule, including flights from Berlin Airport (pictured)

It will bring Ryanairs overall capacity in Germany to fall below Winter 24 levels.

Despite millions of Brits jetting off to Spain every year, the airline also made cuts to several destinations across the popular European destination.

Back in October, Ryanair revealed it would axe over a million seats to the country this year - reducing its Summer 2026 schedule by 10 per cent.

It's also set to stop flights entirely to and from Asturias Airport in northern Spain.

The decision comes as the Aeno Monopoly continue to increase 'uncompetitive' airport fees at regional airports - many of which are under-used - across the country.

Ryanair has said this decision 'harms growth'.

The move was part of a wider cull of Spanish routes by the carrier.

It saw a drop of 41 per cent of its flights to regional areas this winter, including to Zaragoza, Santander, Asturias and Vitoria.

This includes flights to the Canary Islands, which are being slashed by 10 per cent - equal to 400,000 seats.

All flights to Tenerife North were axed from the beginning of the winter season

All flights to Tenerife North were axed from the beginning of the winter season too.

Meanwhile, flights to Vigo, on Spain's northwest coast were cut from January 1.

The airline announced the cuts are a 'direct result' of the Spanish Government's 'failure' to put a stop to Aena's fee increases.

The Spanish Government holds a majority stake (51 per cent) in Aena, the state-owned company that manages the majority of Spanish airports and heliports.
An easyJet flight was grounded after its engine caught fire in mid-air - while passengers were on board.

The easyJet Airbus A320-200 flight from Milan to Lamezia Terme in Italy suffered an engine failure.

The flight was reportedly operating as usual - until it began its landing phase.

Flight U2-3557, heading from Milan Malpensa Airport, saw its right engine fail while descending to Lamezia Terme on December 27.

The crew shut the engine down after it 'emitted flames' and landed safely on Lamezia's runway approximately 23 minutes later, according to the Aviation Herald.

The flight landed at 9.52am, only two minutes behind its planned arrival.

Video footage of the incident was captured and shared on Facebook by Aviation-knowledge, in which you can see disintegrated debris.

The pilots followed emergency procedures, maintaining control of the aircraft until it came to a safe stop on the runway at Lamezia Terme Airport.

An easyJet flight suffered an engine failure while flying in Italy (stock)

Footage of the engine and debris was shared online on social media

The aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew exited without any injuries.

The plane reportedly remained on the tarmac for six days.

It underwent a full inspection, replacement, and repair before it was returned to operations.

The failure was characterised as 'uncontained', according to a report by AeroXplorer.

This is a serious classification where debris from the 'engine's internal rotating components penetrates the outer protective cowling'.

The aircraft is a 10-year-old Airbus A320-200.

In a statement, an easyJet spokesperson confirmed the incident.

They said: 'Flight EJU3557 from Milan Malpensa to Lamezia on 27 December requested a priority landing due to a technical issue.

No one was injured in the incident and the plane landed safely

'The captain performed a routine landing in line with procedures and the aircraft was met by emergency services at Lamezia as a precaution only.

'The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers' guidelines.'

It comes after an easyJet flight heading for Iceland was forced to land in Edinburgh after adverse weather disrupted the landing last month.

Flight U22261 left Manchester at 5.45pm and was set to land in Reykjavik at 6.40pm on December 28.
With dreamy beaches and a tropical climate, Bali is a bucket-list destination for many travellers.

But those planning to board the long-haul journey to the Indonesian island in Southeast Asia might need to consider a few things beforehand.

Officials in Bali are considering new regulation that could mean foreign visitors are required to submit certain documents for their trip.

The proposal is called Regional Regulation on the Implementation of Quality Tourism, Travel and Tour World reports.

It is part of wider plans to restructure tourism in Bali.

The new rules would include tourists providing evidence that they have the financial means for the trip, such as a review of bank records for the previous three months.

This would take into account how long the holidaymaker intends to stay in Bali, and what they plan to do during their visit.

Under the draft regulation, travellers would also need a confirmed return ticket to ensure their trip is only temporary.

Officials in Bali are considering new regulation that could mean foreign visitors are required to submit certain documents for their trip

Bali has seen several instances where tourists have overstayed or run out of funds during their visit, and in other cases, people have even gone on to violate rules.

The proposals also re-emphasise how tourists will still be expected to follow the local customs, norms and laws.

The draft has been developed by the Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, and has already been shown to Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia.

The next steps will involve getting the proposal reviews by the Bali Regional House of Representatives.

Once approved, it is hoped to be brought into effect within a year.

It comes as the Entry/Exit System (EES) launched in October across Europe and as part of the rules, some travellers may be asked to demonstrate sufficient financial means in order to enter the Schengen area.

The Schengen demand is: 'Sufficient means of subsistence, both for the duration of the intended stay and for the return to their country of origin or transit to a third country into which they are certain to be admitted, or are in a position to acquire such means lawfully.'

The basic principle is: 'The assessment of sufficient means of subsistence may be based on the cash, travellers' cheques and credit cards in the third-country national's possession.'

The proposal is called Regional Regulation on the Implementation of Quality Tourism

Each of the 29 countries part of the new system - including 25 in the EU, plus Switzerland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Iceland  have set their own rules on what they deems as 'sufficient'.

They may add extra conditions about accommodation - and even travel insurance.

In reality, it is unlikely travellers from the UK will be questioned.

These regulations were introduced for visitors from countries of widely different wealth levels, and are not generally applied to British arrivals.
It's a travel hack many passengers aren't aware of - and it could afford you extra time at the airport.

Many airlines have implemented a scheme called a Twilight Bag Drop service that can save passengers significant stress, especially during particularly busy travel periods.

This allows passengers to arrive at the airport the night before their scheduled departure and check in their large bags well before the flights check-in window.

The service is particularly convenient for anyone living close to the airport, or for anyone staying in a hotel the night before.

It comes as easyJet is set to expand its Twilight Bag Drop to Birmingham Airport after offering the service at seven other locations.

Available from today (January 5), easyJet's Twilight Bag Drop will be available to all customers on early morning flights departing before 9am at Birmingham Airport.

Bags can be dropped between 4pm and 8pm the day before flying.

Customers will also receive discounted parking for an hour in the airport's Premium Set Down car park.

Many airlines have implemented a scheme called a Twilight Bag Drop service that can save passengers significant stress, especially during particularly busy travel periods

easyJet is set to expand its Twilight Bag Drop to Birmingham Airport after offering the service at seven other locations

The service is already available to easyJet passengers at London Gatwick, London Luton, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast.

Other carriers offering the Twilight Bag Drop at various airports include Ryanair, Jet2, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways.

Rip-Off Britain found that Edinburgh offers the largest selection of airlines offering the service.

Some airports allow a lead passenger to drop off up to six peoples bags, as long as they have passports and travel documents for each passenger.

Passengers should check with their airline for the drop-off time period.

Multiple companies also offer a luggage delivery service where a company collects your bags from your home, office, or hotel and transports them to your destination, such as the airport, another hotel or a different country.

For example, BagBudy offers collection from your home in the London area and delivery to Heathrow terminals, where you meet an expert to receive your bags before check-in.

Another app, Airportr, partners with airlines like British Airways, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic to collect your bags from a specified address (home, hotel, or office) and check them in for your flight.

Some airports allow a lead passenger to drop off up to six peoples bags, as long as they have passports and travel documents for each passenger

It operates in the southeast of England for London airports like Heathrow and Gatwick.

You then simply collect your bags at the destination baggage carousel.

It comes as Ellis German, head of travel insurance at Co-op Insurance, shared his tips for keeping your luggage safe at the airport.

'Thieves will often target and go after generic, blank cases,' Ellis said.

'You could use a bright luggage strip or ribbon to tie round the handle or add a sticker or colourful tape. This will help with both deterring theft but also helping identification and recovery if the worst should happen.'
A female solo traveller has revealed three countries she has no desire to return to 'out of the respect' for locals living in 'horrific' conditions.

Chloe Jade, from New York City, is a content creator on a mission to visit every country in the world, and has been busy documenting her travels to 164 countries on her Instagram page, @chloejadetravels.

Having ticked off many bucket-list destinations, from the Peruvian Amazon, to Antarctica, to Micronesia, the American traveller certainly acknowledges how lucky she is to experience the beauty of the world.

However, she believes it's equally important to explore the 'hardship, sadness and general reality of life' in countries that are widely considered unsafe for the people who live there.

And, in a recent video shared to her page, Chloe explained why, as a tourist, she has no plan to revisit Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan.

Despite having had a generally pleasant experience in Afghanistan, a country she calls 'beautiful', the traveller believes locals are suffering under the grip of the Taliban, which returned to power in 2021.

She added: 'It's almost disrespectful to me, to take the freedoms they give to foreigners that aren't given to locals. I don't think this is a destination for the every day traveller.'

Moving on to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chloe explained how she 'really enjoyed' travelling through the Central African nation but would not revisit due to the dangers posed to both locals and tourists.

Chloe Jade, from New York, has so far visited 167 countries, including Afghanistan (pictured), a nation she does not plan on returning to due to the lack of freedoms experienced by locals (stock)

Chloe explained how she 'really enjoyed' travelling through the the Democratic Republic of the Congo (pictured) but would not revisit due to the dangers posed to both locals and tourists

The country is currently going through a severe humanitarian crisis that has seen millions displaced and an increased risk of disease outbreaks due to escalating conflict in the eastern provinces, with key cities and territories seized by the M23 rebel group.

Chloe's third and final 'no-go' destination is Sudan, an 'incredible' country that is dealing with the 'serious misfortune' of a civil war that she claims is 'backed by foreign powers'.

She continued: 'What happens to women every day is horrific and the only area even allowed for tourists to attempt to visit is port Sudan and it's usually on a humanitarian visa.'

The traveller insisted that while all of the aforementioned countries are 'amazing,' she has decided to avoid visiting them 'out of respect for the people there in general' and encouraged her fellow tourists to steer clear.

In the comments, some viewers agreed with Chloe's stance, others pointed out the traveller's privilege, while others maintained that the presence of foreign visitors actually enhances the lives of locals who they claimed would be suffering otherwise.

One person wrote: 'As an Afghan who has also been many times, I understand your perspective but disagree. The state of Afghanistan is worse when foreigners dont visit than if they do, as their views then support even more carnage on an already battered country.'

Another said: 'You travelled to Afghanistan when Afghan women themselves cannot freely travel and explore their own country. Please dont pretend you didnt know the Taliban were using you as their PR machine.'

A second added: 'Im surprised you went to these in the first place. But I think this is common sense.'

Chloe's third and final 'no-go' destination is Sudan (pictured), an 'incredible' country that is not only experiencing a civil war, but is a destination that cannot be freely explored by tourists

However, one person advised the content creator: 'Consider reframing. The US devastated Afghanistan post-9/11, there are genocides taking place in Congo and Sudan, waged by foreign powers.'

It comes as another female solo traveller revealed Japan is the only destination that has ever made her feel completely comfortable walking alone at night.

Taking to Reddit, the tourist described the country's atmosphere as 'freeing,' and praised it for offering a level of safety that allowed her to do 'whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted'.

She explained she had returned from a week-long trip to Tokyo, which she described as 'one of the best experiences Ive ever had'.
Last year, locals complaining about tourists dominated the travel landscape.

With anti-tourist protests sweeping across Europe and campaigns to crack down on rising numbers visiting such places as the Canary Islands, it seems holidaymakers are becoming less welcome around the world.

But in reality, 2026 could be very different.

While some destinations spent 2025 trying to turn away low-spend tourism, in 2026 many more are openly courting it.

Across Europe, North Africa and Asia, a wave of countries are investing in affordability, easing entry rules and running campaigns designed to attract holidaymakers who want great value.

In fact, Holiday Extras says there are many destinations that genuinely want budget travellers - and are proving it with new routes, subsidies, incentives and pro-tourism policy.

Governments and tourism boards in these spots are launching initiatives specifically aimed at welcoming value-driven visitors.

Top of the list is Tunisia, which is expanding year-round affordable packages and improving air links. The North African country is becoming increasingly popular with low prices and magnificent scenery.

Tunisia is on the rise as an up-and-coming travel destination with great prices

Bulgaria, meanwhile, is continuing to market Sunny Beach and Varna as Europe's best-value coast, drawing in more tourists.

Istria in Croatia is positioning itself as a relaxed, welcoming alternative to high-priced hotspots - as such marketing itself to welcome in travellers in their hordes.

Plus, Egypt is rolling out a 2030 tourism strategy centred on increasing visitor numbers with affordable, mass-market holidays.

Another country that's keen to lure in more visitors is Albania, which has been investing heavily in infrastructure, low-cost flights and marketing to grow budget and mid-market tourism.

Sri Lanka is also introducing free 30-day visas to boost arrivals.

Plus, Cambodia, Georgia, Nepal and Vietnam are expanding visa access, flight routes and development programmes explicitly designed to attract more visitors

These destinations are not simply tolerant of travellers on a budget; they are competing for them.

Elizabeth Hogg, chief operating officer at Holiday Extras, said: 'After a year dominated by stories of overtourism crackdowns, the reality is far more encouraging for holidaymakers watching their budgets.

Bulgaria, complete with charming old towns, is a fabulous budget-friendly spot

Beautiful views across Istria and Croatia are sure to draw in more tourists

'All over the world, destinations are investing to attract more value-conscious travellers.

'From Bulgaria's bargain coastline to Sri Lanka's free visas, there are dozens of places that genuinely want more British visitors.'

Meanwhile, the anti-budget backlash barely touched British travellers.

Holiday Extras' survey of 2,000 UK holidaymakers found that, even in destinations most vocal about discouraging cheap party trips or day-trippers - including Amsterdam, Ibiza, Majorca and Tenerife - only small single-digit percentages of travellers reported feeling unwelcome.

While a handful of Western European cities are tightening rules or running deterrent campaigns, far more destinations are actively lowering barriers, boosting capacity and positioning themselves as affordable places to explore.
A travel expert has revealed a common hotel booking scam he almost fell for, and exactly how you can avoid it.

Robert Jackman had planned a trip to Dubai and found a hotel on Booking.com, he explained in The Telegraph.

Just a few days after making the booking, the travel writer received an unsuspicious-looking message on WhatsApp from someone claiming to be the hotel manager.

He was told there was a problem with his credit card details and received a link that began with 'booking.confirmstay.com' to resolve the issue.

When Robert clicked on the link, he was greeted with a website that looked just like the typical Booking.com platform and even had his booking details already loaded in, making it all the more convincing.

But the site wasn't what it purported to be, and instead was laid out with all the things needed to steal the holidaymaker's credit card details.

Robert believes 'scammers had stolen the password of a Dubai-based hotel on Booking.com, and were using it to skim the contact details of customers  like me  who had made a reservation on the platform'.

He claims 'Russian hackers' were behind the ploy and when he inputted his details into the fake website, he sent his credit card information straight to them.

Robert Jackman had planned a trip to Dubai and found a hotel on Booking.com but just a few days after making the booking, the travel writer received a unsuspicious-looking message on WhatsApp from someone claiming to be the hotel manager (stock)

According to Robert, 'What almost certainly happened (though Booking.com wont say either way) is that hotel staff were tricked into handing over the log-in details for their business account by a clever phishing email'.

However, he admits he shouldn't have opened the WhatsApp link in the first place.

The travel writer felt a sense of false security because he has previously received WhatsApp messages from airlines and hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with the platform commonly used for business purposes over there.

Robert explained how because payments are directly handled by Booking.com, the scammers weren't able to access his credit card details at first.

But they did manage to with the fake website they sent via the link, using the information they did have on him.

The travel writer urges other holidaymakers to 'be extremely careful' when using booking platforms.

He warns against replying to messages sent and received outside of the official site.

According to Action Fraud, travellers lost a total of over 11 million to holiday fraud last year, with people losing an average of 1,844.

When Robert clicked on the WhatsApp link, he was greeted with a website that looked just like the typical Booking.com platform and even had his booking details already loaded in, making it all the more convincing (stock)

And victims have lost around 370,000 to this specific type of scam, with over 500 reports received of it.

A spokesperson for Booking.com told the Daily Mail: 'Should a customer have any concerns about a payment message, they should carefully check the payment policy details on their booking confirmation to be sure that the message is legitimate, or contact our customer service team.

'A reminder to report any suspicious payment messages and to avoid clicking on payment links is also included in the booking confirmation.

'It is important to note that we would never ask a customer to share personal or payment information via email, chat messages (e.g. WhatsApp), text messages or over the phone.'

It comes as security experts say modern-day scammers use advanced technology such as artificial intelligence to trick travellers out of their money and sensitive personal data.

'Cybercrime is a business, and just like legitimate businesses, cybercriminals are really focused on maximising the returns,' said Steve Grobman, chief technology officer at McAfee, an online protection company, per the Washington Post.

'They're using technology to optimise their victim-conversion rates, things like AI to find victims who are more likely to fall for scams. And they are making the scams more relevant or scary to their victims.'
Spanish beaches are being ruined by drug traffickers who are throwing mountains of fuel cans into the sea which are then washed ashore.

Shocked environmentalists say it is causing untold damage, not only to the flora and fauna but to wildlife as well, in addition to creating an unsightly mess for tourists.

Drug smuggling is so common along the Spanish coast that narco boats often land on crowded beaches, in full view of sunbathers who watch in amazement as the gangs unload their drugs and run off.

Whilst at sea, they refuel from plastic containers and then throw the empty ones overboard.

In due course, they are washed up on some of the best beaches and nature reserves.

Green campaigners say there are hundres of them littered across the sand and no-one is responsible for clearing them up.

One of the worst hit areas is Andalusia but other points along the southern coast of Spain are also being ruined.

This includes the beaches of Cadiz, Huelva and Malaga.

Spanish beaches are covered in dirty fuel cans and debris

The Donana National Park is also bearing the brunt of the ecological damage.

It is a protected area but in recent years has become one of the main destination points for drug traffickers as it is not policed.

Lucas Lavilla, provincial secretary of the Unified Association of Civil Guards in Huelva, warned that Donana has become one of the main entry points for drugs into the peninsula and is 'the largest natural park without physical surveillance in Europe.'

The plastic containers are remaining on the beaches for months and, in many cases, permanently.

The unsightly mess is made worse by the fact that the abandoned boats used for drug smuggling also lie abandoned too, deteriorating and releasing toxic substances.

Unused gasoline seeps out of the bottles onto the beaches, to the point that many of the beaches are said to smell of fuel.

This is affecting marine and animal life.

Social media reports say the situation is not a one-off but happens on a regular basis due to the tides and currents.

The landscape of the Donana National Park in Spain is also affected

It comes after last year a speedboat roared up to a busy Marbella beach - with its masked crew leaping ashore to unload bulging packages before racing back to sea.

Narco gangs delivered drug shipments on Spain's tourist beaches in full view of holidaying families.

The brazen landing was captured on mobile phones and shared across social media.

It exposed the dark underbelly of Spain's sun-soaked Costa del Sol - now ground in Europe's spiralling cocaine trade.
A retired pilot recently shared why he packs a feather pillow in his luggage when he travels - despite the abundance of space-saving travel pillows on the market.

Martin Drake, a former British Airways Boeing 747 captain, said its all about making your travelling experience that much more enjoyable.

That's why he packs a large feather pillow in a cotton pillow case'.

They can squash down to almost nothing in your luggage and they make travelling much more comfortable, Drake told Sky News.

This also comes with the bonus of giving you an extra pillow for your hotel room bed.

Avanti Travel Insurances travel expert Sarah Rodrigues told Metro that feather pillows actually compress down far more easily than synthetic ones.

She said: You can squeeze all the air out, tuck them into your bag, and theyll spring right back to shape with a quick fluff.

'Theyre lightweight, take up minimal space, and offer a comforting touch of home wherever you are.

A retired pilot recently shared why he packs a feather pillow in his luggage when he travels

Sarah added that theyre also incredibly versatile, being perfect for either lumbar or neck support on the plane, as well as a comfy headrest by the pool, or even padding for fragile souvenirs on the way home'.

Plus, having your own pillow means you know exactly what youre sleeping on, which can be cleaner and kinder for anyone sensitive to hotel detergents or synthetic fillings,' she added.

The tip has been echoed by Reddit users, with one user on the r/TravelHacks Subreddit writing: Pillows squash down when given pressure; a typical pillow should fit into a suitcase easily enough, if you give downward pressure as you close the zipper/locks.

They added that their personal pillow has been all around the world with them  including to Japan, Cuba, Germany and Canada.

Meanwhile, others who said they had difficulty with hotel pillows said theyve managed to bring their own with them in the past by vacuum packing them down.

In another Reddit post, a user shared their DIY invention for avoiding this pain while flying, saving money on buying a travel cushion.

The Reddit user CassMistral wrote on the channel r/TravelHacks: 'Do you hate how airplane headrests force your head forward?

'A lot of people are like me and don't sit the way airplane designers think we should, and it creates a lot of stress on our necks.

In another Reddit post, a user shared their DIY invention for avoiding this pain while flying, saving money on buying a travel cushion (stock)

'I figured out an easy way to get around this with one inch upholstery foam and an old pillowcase.'

The user then describes how to create a makeshift cushion.

They wrote: 'Measure the length and width of your back while sitting down and cut the first piece of foam this size.

'Measure your lumbar region and cut a second piece of foam this size. Put both pieces in an old pillowcase, roll it up, and put it in your carry-on until you get ready to board.

'This whole setup keeps me from arriving at my destination with a huge crick in my neck.'
British holidaymakers are back on top in Benidorm - after outnumbering Spaniards staying in the famous Costa Blanca resort for the first time in seven years.

National tourists claimed the number one spot in 2017 and it stayed that way right through to 2024, even though most foreign holidaymakers were still British.

But UK holidaymakers can now boast of surpassing every nationality, including homegrown tourists, according to new hotel stay figures released by a local association.

HOSBEC, the Valencian Community's Hotel and Tourism Business Association which has a massive presence in Benidorm, says last year's stats show visitors from the UK made up a staggering 42.5 per cent of all those who stayed in the Costa town's hotel accommodation.

The number of national visitors reached 38.6 per cent, a throwback to the pre-Brexit situation not seen since 2016 when the equivalent figures were 46 per cent to 41 per cent.

HOSBEC described the UK as 'undisputed leader' in its 2025 hotel round-up today with its secretary general Nuria Montes saying: 'The British are very strong.'

Benidorm has sidestepped the anti-tourist protests which have been held in other popular British holiday destinations in Spain including Tenerife and Majorca.

It has its own Little England area and thousands of Brits, both residents and visitors, lead the way every November at Benidorm's famous annual Fancy Dress Party.

British holidaymakers are back on top in Benidorm - after outnumbering Spaniards staying in the famous Costa Blanca resort for the first time in seven years

National tourists claimed the number one spot in 2017 and it stayed that way right through to 2024, even though most foreign holidaymakers were still British

Many racing fans have been turning their back on the Cheltenham Festival of late and flocking to sunspots like Benidorm where pints can cost as little as 1.70 and many pubs have large screens showing every race.

Last year there was speculation iconic ITV comedy Benidorm was set to return after seven years. The hit show followed a group of Brits abroad in the famous Costa Blanca resort.

One British couple Roger, 75, and Sue Topp, 74, from Leicester, have enjoyed stays together in Benidorm for with holiday operator TUI for 35 years - totalling to 130 visits.

During last year alone, the pair have spent eight breaks in Benidorm and first went to the popular spot in 1987.

They have spent so much time in the European destination that they see it as their 'second home'.

'We used to do UK holidays, but it was always a gamble with the weather, then we came to Benidorm once and that was it,' Roger says.

'It's friendly, clean, safe and the value is unbelievable. You can get a glass of wine for one to two euros and a full meal for less than you'd spend on a takeaway back home.'

Roger and Sue urge others to give Benidorm a chance and say: 'Ignore the stereotypes. Its one of the friendliest, best-value places you can visit, something for every age and budget. If you dont enjoy Benidorm, youve only yourself to blame.'

HOSBEC described the UK as 'undisputed leader' in its 2025 hotel round-up today with its secretary general Nuria Montes saying: 'The British are very strong.'

Elsewhere in Spain, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Barcelona, Mallorca and Tenerife last year accusing mass tourism of driving up rents, pricing residents out of their neighbourhoods and overwhelming city centres.

In Barcelona, activists marched through popular tourist zones holding placards and squirting passing sightseers with water pistols in the latest show of anger at overtourism.

The backlash has grown so significant that the UK-based travel body ABTA has issued guidance for its members on how to reassure worried clients about travelling to Spain.

Susan Deer, ABTA's director of institutional relations, said British agencies were increasingly fielding questions from customers who had seen 'a lot' of anti-tourism coverage in the UK media over the past 18 months. She stressed, however, that despite the headlines, visitor numbers to Spain have remained largely stable.
An Antiques Roadshow guest was left gasping after an unwanted tea set that she and her husband thought was worth just 100 was given an 'outrageous' valuation.

Antiques expert Serhat Ahmet met with the woman during the episode that aired over the weekend, as the BBC show took to the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea.

He was met by a large green box, with ornate gold patterns on the outside, and revealed a well-kept Chinese tea set in white and red china.

The tea set, which originally belonged to one of the woman's family members, named Margaret, was thought to be worth no more than 100 by the family.

But Serhat soon had news for the woman, as he revealed its price tag was more than ten times their original expectation at auction.

'There's nothing more intruiging than an unopened box, so shall we take a look inside?' Serhat began, before letting out a 'wow' looking at its contents.

An Antiques Roadshow guest was left gasping after an unwanted tea set that she and her husband thought was worth just 100 was given an 'outrageous' valuation

Antiques expert Serhat Ahmet met with the woman during the episode that aired over the weekend, as the BBC show took to the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea

The woman explained: 'This is Margaret's tea set, a family member, she died last year at 94 and I believe the tea set has been in the attic for about 80 years, I don't think that she liked it very much.

'She didn't use it, and it was on its way to the charity shop when I said, "Hang on, can I have a look?".

'Margaret's father was a captain in the merchant navy, and they were docking in Shanghai, and all of the crew would have got off the ship to buy their family gifts.

'He bought her the tea set with her initials engraved on this box.'

Taking a look inside, Serhat added: 'The first thing to note is this wonderful, wrapping paper in a way, of the factory that made this set. It says "Lee Wa, Porcelain Company Ltd, Nanking Road, Shanghai".

'That's a wonderful survivor, and quite helpfully, she also didn't throw away the newspaper of the time - and if we have a look at the date, it says in Chinese, 1947.'

'That would have been just after the war and Margaret would have been about 14,' the woman responded, to which Serhat continued: 'Let's take a good look at the set.

'This ruby coloured glaze against this green silk, six sauces and six cups, tea pot and sugar pot and lid, and a milk or cream jug, it's a complete set.

The tea set, which originally belonged to one of the woman's family members, named Margaret, was thought to be worth no more than 100 by the family

Serhat soon had news for the woman, as he revealed the custom tea set's price tag was more than ten times their original expectation at auction

'Each piece is beautifully decorated, so whilst the ruby enamel was still slightly wet, the artist has taken a tool to inscribe into that lovely glaze, a dragon - these are Ching dragons, a little more complex, more realistic looking faces.

'We are looking at the very high end of tea ware production in this period.'

Giving his valuation, Serhat continued: 'I think if this were to come up at auction today, I think it would fetch somewhere in the region of 1,500 to 2,500.'

Letting out a laugh, the woman replied: 'Really? You're not serious! I said to my husband earlier, 100! That's outrageous! I don't know what to say.'

It comes after a guest on the Antiques Roadshow was left in a state of shock after being told the eye-watering value of her very unusual kitchen utensil.

She explained that her parents had commissioned the cucumber cutter as they wanted a unique addition to their collection in honour of their silver wedding anniversary.

Admitting that he had 'never seen' anything like it before, expert Gordon Foster praised the 'novel contraption' on Sunday's episode of the show, which was dedicated to antique kitchen tools.

He said: 'It is indeed a solid silver cucumber cutter.'

Serhat left the guest shocked when he revealed his valuation of the item

Letting out a laugh, the woman was left in shock at the valuation

The expert went on to show the unusual device in action, inserting and slicing a fresh cucumber.

An impressed Gordon said: 'The ones I have seen before tend to be early 19th century and usually made in Sheffield plate. I have never seen one before in solid silver. So when it comes to its estimation, I would expect it to fetch about 1,000 to 1,500.'

Laughing in shock, the guest, who brought in the cucumber cutter, admitted: 'Woah. That is nice. Very nice.'

However, this was far from the only interesting utensil to appear on the show and an intricate 'biscuit barrel' was also featured.

Expert Duncan Campbell joked: 'I'm guessing by the immaculate shine on this that this is an object that in your house gets used virtually every day.'

The guest went on to explain that she had no idea what the item was actually for until now and had been using it as a fruit bowl because she had grown 'tired of cleaning it.'

But despite receiving an estimated value of between 200 and 300, she admitted that the silverware, which she had inherited from her grandparents, would be staying in the family.

Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.
A guest on BBC Breakfast broke down in tears while recounting the 'unexpected' loss of her husband.

On Monday (January 5), the programme debuted a new feature called Rise & Shine - which spotlights inspiring individuals and community groups across the UK.

The debut segment highlighted the Crosby Wombles, a volunteer litter-picking group, with presenter Jayne McCubbin meeting them.

In particular, viewers were introduced to the collective's co-founder, Dawn D'Auvin.

Jayne remarked: 'For magic like this to happen, there has to be a person who pulls it together and that person is Dawn.'

She added: 'When Dawn helped set this group up back in 2022, she had a lovely husband by her side.'

On Monday's BBC Breakfast, Jon Kay and Emma Vardy revealed a new segment called Rise & Shine

This feature saw Jayne McCubbin meet volunteer litter picking group the Crosby Wombles - with co-founder Dawn visibly emotional while reflecting

Dawn's husband, Adrian, unexpectedly passed away last summer - with Jayne telling Dawn that he would be proud of her

Following this, Jayne explained how Dawn's husband Adrian had unexpectedly died last summer.

She continued: 'Dawn unexpectedly came to rely on this little litter-picking group in ways she'd never imagined.'

Visibly emotional, Dawn recounted: 'This community has been so supportive, incredibly supportive.

'There's many stories shared in a safe environment, and people go away better for sharing.'

To which Jayne showered praise on her saying: 'Well done, you. Well done. You would have been lost without the work you're doing', leading Dawn to confess through tears: 'Completely!'

Dawn added: 'As Jo's just said to me now, Adrian would be so proud, and I really do feel that.'

Addressing the volunteers in attendance, Jayne said: 'Doesn't she do a brilliant job?', which moved Dawn to tears as the room erupted in applause.

Jayne also shared: 'From litter to love and life-affirming friendships which make a place truly home.'

The presenter concluded: 'Doesn't she make a difference?

'These are the kinds of stories we would love to champion on Breakfast in 2026, please do get in touch'

A crying and overwhelmed Dawn stepped away, with the recognition having moved her.

Elsewhere, Ellen Roome appeared on Tuesday's (December 30) edition of the programme, after being awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours.

She received the recognition for her work promoting children's online safety - after her 14-year-old son, Jools Sweeney, passed away three years ago.

In 2022, Jools was found dead in his bedroom after taking his own life but a coroner was unable to confirm if he was in a suicidal mood before his death.

His mother Ellen, from Cheltenham, said Jools did a 'lot of online challenges' and fears he fell victim to a 'dangerous' one such as Blackout which linked to the deaths of dozens of young people.

BBC Breakfast guest Ellen Roome fought back tears while discussing the 'bittersweet' honour of receiving an MBE

She has since been campaigning for 'Jools' Law' - which would allow parents to access the social media accounts of their children if they died.

Discussing the MBE, presenter Nina Warhurst said to Ellen: 'You've described it as a bittersweet moment, which is understandable, and I'm sure your mind then went to your son. Just talk us through that.'

To which she replied: 'I never started my campaigning for any kind of recognition.

'It started with wanting answers for my son and then I met all these other bereaved parents.'

Ellen continued, with her voice becoming emotional: 'I'm going to get emotional, I knew I would.

'All those parents want answers as well and it became a bigger issue.

'Then, it became learning about how harmful online social media data can be for children.

'I just couldn't stop, I've been shouting, and I guess someone has listened. It's been emotional.'

Ellen went on to add: 'I've been in parliament when my change didn't go through with the data use and access bill, and then I thought, 'I can't get moving'. I think that's been hard.

'We haven't got there yet. In the House of Lords in January, it's being discussed to add to the crime and policing bill that when a child dies, their data is preserved.

'That's my ultimate goal, I really think it forms so much part of the evidence when a child does, potentially, that it should be there.

'I really want it automatic, so that when a child dies, that data is preserved. If you don't need it, they don't need it. But, if a parent does, they can hopefully not be in my position now.'

She also said: 'I know how he died, but as a parent, to try to understand what on earth happened is so important.

'I really hope we're successful going through the House of Lords and changing the law.'

Breakfast airs weekdays on BBC One and iPlayer from 6am.
What would you do to have your 35-year-old face  forever?

In a growing Hollywood trend, new-age facelifts turn back time, and patients emerge looking decades younger. Dubbed the 'Forever-35 Face' by New York Magazines The Cut, the modern approach to facial rejuvenation aims to preserve youthful contours without drastically altering facial structure.

But if it sounds too good to be true, thats because it might be, at least, according to Dr Terry Dubrow.

The plastic surgeon, of Botched fame, is sounding the alarm over the phenomenon, urging people to rethink just how far they push anti-aging procedures and warning of less-than-ideal results.

While appearing on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast alongside his wife, wellness expert and reality TV star Heather Dubrow, he explained that the current wave of cosmetic enhancements aims for 'ageless,' barely detectable results - but some celebrities have crossed the line into the uncanny.

And for many, he warned, the results are anything but forever. Once the face has been pulled too far 'up and back,' he explained, the skin might relax 'in an abnormal way' and 'starts to look very weird,' a result that is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to correct.

'Once you get to weird, it's hard to get out of weird,' he said, to which his wife replied, 'That's scary.'

Dubrow also cautioned that, for men in particular, aggressive facelifts can backfire.

'There's been some males, in that stage of life, that have attempted to have the Forever-35 face,' he said on the podcast. 'And not only is it not forever 35, it's like, "Where did you park your spaceship," kind of face... because it looks altered.'

Plastic surgeon Dr Terry Dubrow (pictured) is sounding the alarm over a growing Hollywood trend called the 'Forever-35 Face'

He added that some male celebrities look 'completely different,' and not in a good way.

His wife, Heather, agreed that some women go too far, especially around their eyes, and explained her 'mixed' feelings about the extreme facelifts.

'I don't look like those Forever-35 people because I haven't done that yet,' she said. 'There's a piece of me like, "Wow, I love that." And then, there's another piece of me that thinks, "Well, if I don't do that, I'll get all the roles in all those shows and movies because everyone else is going to look 35."'

While Dubrow isn't opposed to enhancements outright, he insists on safety and respecting natural aging. In fact, he said that many people might benefit from modest, carefully applied treatments, like targeted fillers, conservative lifts or non-surgical skin rejuvenation, rather than dramatic full facelifts demanded by societal pressures.

The Forever-35 has gained popularity among patients in their 30s and early 40s who are beginning to notice early signs of aging.

Rather than relying on dramatic surface tightening, the technique commonly involves a deep-plane facelift, which works beneath the skin to reposition underlying fat and muscle layers, known as the SMAS layer.

The goal is not transformation, but restoration: lifting sagging cheeks, defining the jawline, tightening early neck laxity, and creating a refreshed appearance.

The procedure has skyrocketed in recent years as A-listers have become more transparent about cosmetic procedures, fueling demand for results that appear natural and undetectable, with shorter recovery times than traditional facelifts.

According to Dr Samuel J Lin, a double board-certified plastic surgeon, the desire to remain frozen at a certain age reflects broader cultural shifts.

'There is a greater emphasis on overall self-care and confidence, particularly in the age of social media,' Lin told The Daily Mail. 'The ideal age for patients to undergo any facial surgical procedure is unspecified and varies by patient. However, most patients counseled about facial procedures are aged 40-75 years.'

While appearing on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast alongside his wife Heather Dubrow (right), the surgeon shared his thoughts on how chasing that look can go horribly wrong

Dubrow explained that the current wave of cosmetic enhancements aims for 'ageless,' barely-detectable results - but some celebrities have crossed the line into the uncanny

Lin explained that the definition of 'good work' has dramatically changed over the past decade.

'Social media perpetuates an almost competitive need for youth and beauty in order to maintain followers and gain new ones - a more daunting task when content creators are constantly compared against unattainable AI-perfected enhancement filters,' he said. 'Plastic surgeons are performing the same technical procedures but they are no longer compared against the "before" surgery look - they are compared against AI and filtered enhancements.'

While Hollywood's openness about facelifts can help demystify cosmetic surgery, Lin warned it can also complicate patients' decision-making.

'Celebrities have long influenced mass purchases of products [and that extends] to unintentional endorsements of plastic surgery,' he said.

'Although new openness about procedures in Hollywood has provided a lens into beauty standards it sets openness about these procedures also inherently makes more patients aware of the surgeries available.'

Dr Samuel J Lin (pictured) is a double board-certified plastic surgeon

However, he emphasized that what works for one patient may not work for another, and expressed concern when patients seek youth for external validation rather than personal well-being.

'When a patient is interested in altering their appearance to achieve goals for external validation, it becomes more challenging to attain a satisfactory outcome,' he said, noting that it is far more realistic to aim for a refreshed version of oneself.

Addressing common misconceptions about deep-plane facelifts, Lin said that the technique is neither inherently overdone nor reserved for older patients, stressing that outcomes depend on surgeon skill and patient goals.

He urged patients to prioritize credentials over trends, encouraging them to verify board certification and to ask surgeons detailed questions about experience and potential complications.

But there is one myth in particular he was eager to debunk: facelifts are only for women.

'Men experience the same signs of aging as women,' he said. 'Men can, and do, undergo facelifts, and techniques are being adapted to fit their needs.'

Board-certified New York plastic surgeon Dr Lara Devgan said she is seeing the same shift.

'More patients want to hold onto the mid-30s version of themselves rather than chase a dramatically younger look,' Devgan told the Daily Mail.

'It reflects a new philosophy of aging: people want continuity, not reinvention. They are trying to stay within their natural range so the face ages in a steady, believable arc.'

According to Devgan, interest in deep-plane facelifts has grown precisely because the technique aligns with modern expectations. (Pictured: one of Devgan's patients)

Board-certified New York plastic surgeon Dr Lara Devgan says she is seeing the same shift

She explained that 'Patients today understand that aging is a slow accumulation of changes - collagen and elastin breakdown, bone loss, descent of soft tissue - not a single event.'

'Most patients are not striving for perfection,' she added. 'They are trying to protect proportion, identity, and the quiet details that make their face their own.'

According to Devgan, interest in deep-plane facelifts has grown because the technique aligns with those modern expectations.

'The deep-plane approach works on the foundational anatomy rather than tensioning the skin, which allows the face to look refreshed rather than rearranged,' she said, likening the evolution of facelift surgery to technological progress.

'Smaller incisions, discreet scars, deeper lifting and better longevity are the new standard,' she added. 'The goal is not only to reverse aging but to restore proportion and clarity while preserving identity.'

She also noted a widening age range among patients, explaining that anatomy - not getting older - determines candidacy.

'When someone has roughly one centimeter of pinchable laxity in the midface, jowl or neck, a facelift becomes structurally meaningful,' she said. 'The timeline is written in tissue architecture, not birthdays.'

As for the future of facial rejuvenation, Devgan said the industry is actually moving in another direction.

'We are not chasing agelessness,' she said. 'We are building a version of aging that is elegant, intentional and aligned with who the patient is at every decade.'

The debate around Forever-35 Face exploded into the mainstream in 2025 after Kris Jenner publicly confirmed she had undergone a facelift.

The debate around the so-called 'Forever-35 Face' exploded into the mainstream this year after Kris Jenner (pictured) confirmed she had undergone a facelift

Jenner pictured left in 2025 and right in 2024

Back in May, a representative for Jenner confirmed that the Kardashian matriarch had seen celebrity plastic surgeon Dr Steven M Levine (pictured)

Back in May, a representative for Jenner confirmed that the Kardashian family matriarch had seen celebrity plastic surgeon Dr Steven M Levine, widely known as the 'facelift maestro,' according to Page Six.

Jenner later addressed the procedure during an August interview with Vogue Arabia, framing it not as an attempt to look decades younger, but as a personal choice rooted in confidence.

'I had a facelift about 15 years ago, so it was time for a refresh,' she explained. 'I decided to do this facelift because I want to be the best version of myself, and that makes me happy.'

She pushed back against the idea that aging should look the same for everyone.

'Just because you get older, it doesn't mean you should give up on yourself,' Jenner said. 'If you feel comfortable in your skin and you want to age gracefully - meaning you don't want to do anything - then don't do anything. But for me, this is aging gracefully. It's my version.'

The momager has long been candid about cosmetic procedures, having previously undergone a facelift in 2011 with Dr Garth Fisher, as well as Botox, a breast augmentation in the 1980s, and earlobe reduction surgery in 2018.

Over the years, celebrities like Sharon Osbourne, Jane Fonda, Marc Jacobs, Kathy Griffin and Sonja Morgan have also openly confirmed getting facelifts.

But lately, a number of Hollywood stars - including Brad Pitt, Anne Hathaway and Lindsay Lohan - have become the focus of speculation about their own transformations.

Jane Fonda previously told Vogue she's 'not proud' of her facelift, but said: 'I had a facelift and I stopped because I don't want to look distorted'

Kathy Griffin has been open about her plastic surgery

Lohan's youthful looks sparked speculation that she might have seen a plastic surgeon, which her representative has previously denied. (Pictured left in 2025 and right in 2013)

Brad Pitt left in 2022 and right in 2025

This year, Anne Hathaway also sparked feverish rumors about how she looks younger than ever

The Daily Mail has contacted respective representatives for Lohan, Pitt and Hathaway.

While Pitt and Hathaway have not commented on any rumored aesthetic enhancements recently, the actress denied going under the knife back in 2008.

'Your face needs to have character if you're going to be an actor,' she said at the time, 'or you're just kind of a face.'

In early 2025, it was also rumored that Lohan, 38, got plastic surgery, though she insisted her looks are the result of good health.

'The second she looks any different, they assume she had her face lifted at 37 or 38, that she ripped apart this or that. It's so mean,' her publicist told Glamour in May.

'The haters can hate and be jealous. It just sucks that that's where they go with women in today's world. Women can't just look good to look good and change their lifestyle to be more healthy.'
Red Eye (ITV1)

Rating:

What happens if you open a window on a private jet at 30,000ft? I only ask because this seems the obvious solution to the bomb crisis in Red Eye.

This slick, fast-moving thriller, which launched on New Year's Day and continues on Monday night, has the head of MI5, Madeline Delaney (Lesley Sharp), and the Defence Secretary, a stuffed shirt called Alex Peterson, trapped on a private jet over the Atlantic with a bomb.

If the plane loses height or deviates from its course to the UK, the bomb - a dollop of C-4 high explosive squished into a laptop - will blow them out of the sky.

The jet has jolly good wifi, fortunately, and Madeline is able to video-call a bomb disposal expert. Dropping bits all over the place, she tries to follow his instructions to defuse the device.

But her hands are shaking so much, she can't unhook a wire, and the bomb goes into countdown mode. Peterson (Nicholas Rowe) has to reach over and yank the connection out.

Mortified at his own rudeness, he gasps, 'Sorry, I panicked!' Good job he did, really. Mansplaining is a terrible social crime, but sometimes a chap has no choice.

The bomb is still liable to explode, though. Surely, the answer is to smash a window or unlock the door, and jettison the lethal laptop. It might be risky - but Madeline has just given a self-sacrificing order for the RAF to blast them out of the sky before they reach London. I'd rather suffer a nasty draught than a mid-air missile.

Implausibility isn't a problem in Red Eye, because it moves so rapidly. So far, we've seen a U.S. diplomatic courier poisoned at an airport coffee bar, a security agent shot dead inside the ambassador's office at the American Embassy, another man hurled over a balcony and a businessman getting his neck snapped.

Richard Armitage as Dr Matthew Nolan and Jing Lusi as DC Hana Li in the ITV crime thriller Red Eye

Each new murder changes the direction of the plot, and every episode ends on a dizzying cliffhanger. This time, we left maverick policewoman Hana Li (Jing Lusi) fighting a Russian assassin in an embassy lift. She's kicked him black and blue, and he's about to do some mansplaining with a silenced pistol.

I can't believe he'll kill her, because her relationship with Brody, the head of embassy security (Martin Compston), has reached the stage of flirtatious banter. They are old enemies and could barely share a civil word at first, but now every exchange has a smouldering subtext.

Brody throbbed with admiration as she reconstructed how she would propel a drunken engineer from a fifth-floor walkway to the lobby below, and leave him with no visible defensive wounds. 'Remind me,' he growled, 'which one of us was in the SAS?'

Meanwhile, at MI5 HQ, the acting chief of the secret service (Jonathan Aris) has his knickers in a twist. 'The clock is literally ticking,' he howled, pointing at the one on the wall. Clocks will do that, of course.
Riverdale alum Charles Melton is expecting his first child with girlfriend Camille Summers-Valli.

The 35-year-old actor's partner announced the baby news on Instagram on Friday.

'Making a lil family,' the French-Australian director captioned a carousel of photos debuting her baby bump.

Melton appeared in several snapshots, including one of him kissing her bare stomach, and another showing the May December star with her at a doctor's appointment.

Actor Michael Gandolfini wrote in the comments, 'Mom and dad!!! Love you both so much.'

Melton shot to fame when he first appeared on The CW's teen drama Riverdale in 2017. The show ended in August 2023.

Riverdale alum Charles Melton is expecting his first child with girlfriend Camille Summers-Valli; pictured in November 2023

Melton and Summers-Valli have largely kept their relationship out of the spotlight, and neither one has publicly spoken about their connection.

On Saturday celebrity gossip blogger DeuxMoi shared an anonymous tip about the pair, an email reading: 'Charles Melton and gf Camille Summers-Valli are expecting!

'She posted the announcement on her IG, and fans are slowly discovering the news. Congrats to the soon-to-be parents!'

Summers-Vallie has only 33,000 Instagram followers, making the announcement slow to circulate.

Meanwhile, Melton boasts nearly five million followers on the social media platform.

His latest post, shared on New Year's Day, has no mention of the baby news and the caption simply reads: 'joyous times.'

Melton previously dated Riverdale costar Camila Mendes from 2018 to 2021, and he coupled with Chase Sui Wonders in 2022.

A relationship with Chloe Bennet followed in 2023.

The 35-year-old actor's partner announced the baby news on Instagram on Friday

'Making a lil family,' the French-Australian director captioned a carousel of photos debuting her baby bump

Melton shot to fame when he first appeared on The CW's teen drama Riverdale in 2017; L-R Cole Sprouse, Camila Mendes, Casey Cott, Madelaine Petsch, KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Melton and Vanessa Morgan (pictured in 2018)

The actor slammed public speculation about his love life in a 2019 interview with Hunger magazine.

'People need to mind their own f***ing business, honestly. I dont have Twitter, and its one of the reasons why I dont read through all my comments on social media, because people are always going to talk,' he said at the time.

The entertainer emphasized, 'No matter what, people have always talked, even before this age of Instagram, but back then you were less inclined to hear about someone talking about you, and honestly, its not their place to have any authority over my relationships.'

'Not everyone is going to be a supporter or a fan of your relationship, and people need to remember that opinions arent facts,' he added.
Pawn Stars personality Rick Harrison and Angie Polushkin got married on Saturday, with an Elvis Presley impersonator presiding over the nuptials at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas.

Harrison, 60, and Polushkin, 42, told People in a joint statement that they 'are so excited to start this next chapter as husband and wife and celebrate with friends and family in Las Vegas.'

The newlyweds added, 'It has been such an adventure already, and we are looking forward to all of it.'

Harrison told TMZ following the ceremony: 'I'm happy we've made it official and excited for our celebration in Cancun later this month.'

Harrison, who used a 6.5-carat ring to propose to Polushkin, said he was 'lucky to be able to call' her his new bride, who works as a nurse in Las Vegas.

The Sin City-based businessman/reality star added of his spouse, 'She's the best.'

Pawn Stars' Rick Harrison, 60, and Angie Polushkin, 42, got married in his native Las Vegas Saturday, with an Elvis Presley impersonator presiding over the nuptials. Pictured 2024 in LA

Following the ceremony, Rick, his new spouse, and their loved ones celebrated at his restaurant, Rick's Rollin Smoke BBQ & Tavern.

Harrison did not have a best man present for the wedding ceremony, a spokesperson for the reality star told TMZ.

Harrison's costar Chumlee was not on hand, while his son Corey resides in Mexico, the outlet reported.

Harrison's granddaughter Elizabeth Harrison was present for the wedding, according to TMZ.

Harrison and Polushkin revealed they were getting engaged this past March.

At the time, he took to Instagram with a post from a Chilean getaway with the caption, 'She said yes!'

Polushkin posted on her account a carousel of photos, revealing details of the engagement in the caption.

'We toured a beautiful winery in Chile and Rick got down on one knee,' she said.

The Sin City-based businessman and reality star said of his new spouse: 'She's the best.' Pictured 2024 in Las Vegas

The new year appears to be starting off on a positive note for the reality star, who has suffered a series of family tragedies over the last decade. Pictured 2024 in LA

Harrison has been wed on four previous occasions: He was wed to ex-wife Tracy Harrison, who he shares son Jake with; and to ex-wife Kim Harrison, who he fathered two sons with: Corey and late son Adam (who tragically died in 2024 at 39 as result of accidental fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity).

Harrison was also wed to ex-wife Deanna Burditt until their 2020 split; and to ex-wife Amanda Palmer from 2021-2023.

The new year appears to be starting off on a positive note for the reality star, who has suffered a series of family tragedies over the last decade.

They also include his mother Joanne Harrison's death at 85 in November of 2025; and the death of his father Richard Harrison died from Parkinson's disease at the age of 77 in June of 2018.
Miranda Kerr has revealed that it was a sneaky text that brought the Australian supermodel together with her billionaire husband Evan Spiegel.

The pair first met after being seated together at a swanky Louis Vuitton event in Los Angeles back in 2014.

During the dinner, the former Victoria's Secret Angel, 42, reportedly told the Snapchat founder her favourite song was Spiegel im Spiegel by composer Arvo Part.

The evening ended with the pair exchanging numbers  but after a month, Spiegel, 35, still had not called or texted the famed beauty.

According to a resurfaced interview, Miranda decided to make the first move and sent the businessman a message that said: 'Just wondering  did you ever listen to that song, Spiegel im Spiegel?'

At the time, Miranda was still getting over her 2013 split from her husband of three years, actor Orlando Bloom.

Miranda Kerr has revealed that it was a sneaky text that brought the Australian supermodel together with her billionaire husband Evan Spiegel. Pictured: Miranda at the Met Gala 2025

The pair first met after being seated together at a swanky Louis Vuitton event in Los Angeles back in 2014. Miranda texted the Snapchat founder a month later. Pictured: The couple at a music industry event in 2026

Spiegel later confessed to the Wall Street Journal that he never called the catwalk star because he didn't think he would 'ever have a chance' with her.

Interviewed by the Sydney Morning Herald not long after their romance became public, Miranda said the couple, who tied the knot in 2017, became 'good friends' before they started dating.

Miranda and Spiegel now share three children  Hart, seven, Myles, six, and Pierre, 19 months.

It comes after Miranda surprised her followers when she stepped in to present the weather on the Los Angeles morning show Good Day LA last month.

Meteorologist Maria Corbin introduced Miranda to viewers via a breaking news alert.

'Yes we have some breaking news. I'm Maria Corbin with our weather presenter...' she said before the model jumped in with a broad grin to announce her name in a uniquely Australian way.

'Miranda Kerr, from Down Under,' she said. 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.'

'We like to fulfil people's dreams here, so Miranda's always had a dream to be a weather presenter,' Maria said.

At the time, Miranda met the tech entrepreneur she was still getting over her 2013 split from her husband of three years, actor Orlando Bloom. Pictured: Miranda with the Lord of the Rings actor in 2013

Miranda replied excitedly: 'Yes, I have! Thank you for making my dream come true.'

The model took to her new role with aplomb, expertly informing Angelenos of a cold front and potential storm.

'It's cold this morning, so make sure you get your jumper, as we say in Australia,' Miranda said.

Miranda's new gig comes after she recently broke her silence about ex Orlando Bloom's split with Katy Perry.

Speaking on KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show in September, Miranda confirmed the couple's split was amicable.

'Was it mutual?' host Kyle Sandilands asked.

'Yes, and I actually just saw them both on the weekend. We were celebrating [their daughter] Daisy's birthday,' Miranda revealed.

'We're one big, happy family. Katy is amazing, I love her. And Orlando obviously,' she continued.

Miranda, who happily co-parents her 14-year-old son Flynn with Orlando, went on to say it's important a split is 'harmonious', especially when children are involved.

'If you do have animosity, it only hurts yourself,' she added.

Miranda and Orlando were engaged in 2010 and were married that same year.

The couple welcomed son Flynn in January 2011, but announced their separation in October 2013.
He may be one of the most famous actors in the world.

But Tom Hanks was upstaged by his very hunky bodyguard as he arrived in Sydney on Monday.

The 69-year-old Toy Story star, who is in Australia to film the sequel to his 2020 World War II movie Greyhound, was flanked by a muscular tattooed member of his security team, who worked hard to keep the Hollywood icon shielded from crowds.

The strapping security guard cut a striking figure in a fitted black T-shirt, which showcased his heavily tattooed and impressively muscular arms.

Meanwhile, Tom opted for an all-black ensemble, comprising a zipped-up jacket paired with matching trousers and dress shoes.

He completed his look with quirky oval-framed prescription glasses while his short grey hair gave him a refined air.

Tom Hankswas upstaged by his very hunky bodyguard as he arrived in Sydney on Monday

The 69-year-old Toy Story star, who is in Australia to film the sequel to his 2020 World War IImovie Greyhound, was flanked by a muscular tattooed member of his security team, who worked hard to keep the Hollywood icon shielded from crowds

The strapping security guard cut a striking figure in a fitted black T-shirt, which showcased his heavily tattooed and impressively muscular arms

Tom was flanked by a muscular young bodyguard, who worked hard to keep the Hollywood icon shielded from the surrounding crowds

He had his hands full with a black briefcase while a satchel was draped across his body.

This is Tom's second trip to Australia in several years, as he was here in 2020 to film his role as Colonel Tom Parker in Baz Luhrmann's epic movie Elvis.

During his stay on Queensland's Gold Coast, the Hollywood star hired Brisbane-based Aaron Teece to be his personal chef.

At the time, the internationally renowned cook, who owns Studio Neon Catering, revealed the Aussie dishes that the Cast Away star fell in love with during his stay.

'He loves a good homemade meat pie, loves Vegemite and now Oomite too,' Aaron told the Courier Mail.

Oomite is an all-natural savoury spread that has been billed as an all-natural, preservative-free version of Vegemite.

Aaron explained his main job was simply cooking the Oscar winner some hearty dinners.

The renowned chef, who has cooked for the likes of Lady Margaret Thatcher, the Queen, Kate Moss and Keira Knightley, shared a selfie with the Academy Award winner, his daughter Elizabeth and other members of his team.

Meanwhile, Tom opted for an all-black ensemble, comprising a zipped-up jacket paired with matching trousers and dress shoes

This is Tom's second trip to Australia in several years, as he was here in 2020 to film his role as Colonel Tom Parker in Baz Luhrmann's epic movie Elvis

In 2020, the couple tested positive for Covid-19 and were hospitalised for several days in Queensland

He called the Academy Award winner and his family 'legendary' in the caption of his post.

Aaron said: 'You are all by far the most humble, friendly, easy-going clients I have ever had the pleasure of working with.'

'I was working as his private chef so usually just home-cooked meals after a long day at work,' he said.

Aaron also explained that the actor and his daughter Elizabeth, who accompanied him Down Under, mainly stayed at their apartment during their time in Australia.

He said: 'It was all long hours at the studio and unfortunately due to being harassed by the public every time they left the apartment they chose not to go out if it wasn't essential'.

'Thank you for welcoming me into your home over the past four months and for all the good times. Glad to hear you got home safe. See you again soon,' he added.

Tom travelled to Australia with his wife Rita Wilson to film Baz Luhrmann's biopic.

In 2020, the couple tested positive for Covid-19 and were hospitalised for several days in Queensland.

They continued their recovery in quarantine before flying home to Los Angeles.
The troubled final months of Tommy Lee Jones' late daughter Victoria Jones are coming into sharper focus just days after her tragic death.

Victoria, who died on January 1 in an upscale San Francisco hotel, had been arrested on charges of public intoxication just months earlier in Santa Cruz, California, according to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail.

Jones was also charged with resisting arrest for the altercation, which occurred on May 14.

The latest revelation fills in a picture of Jones' frequent run-ins with the law in her final days.

The Daily Mail previously reported that Jones had been arrested in California's Napa County in April 2025 following a two-day cocaine binge, and she was arrested again just under two months later for an alleged domestic violence incident.

Jones  who had several film and television roles as a child but largely gave up on the pursuit as an adult  is now known to have been arrested again in between her previously reported arrests.

Tommy Lee Jones' late daughter Victoria  who died in a San Francisco hotel on January 1  was arrested and charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest in May in Santa Cruz, according to documents obtained by the Daily Mail; Tommy Lee and Victoria Jones pictured in 2017 in Hollywood

The Daily Mail previously reported that Jones had been arrested in California's Napa County in April 2025 following a two-day cocaine binge, and she was arrested again just under two months later for an alleged domestic violence incident; seen in her June 13 mugshot after a domestic violence arrest

According to documents obtained by TMZ, Jones was allegedly in a public place and was accused of using the inhalant toluene.

The substance, which is often found in paint thinners and glues, can be inhaled for its euphoric high, though the National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine notes that toluene use is 'particularly prevalent in adolescent populations and is considered to be a contributing factor to substance use and dependence later in life.'

The case was still in progress at the time of Jones' death, and a pretrial conference had been set for January 27, according to documents obtained by TMZ.

In addition to the newly reported arrest, prosecutors in Napa County charged Jones in April with driving under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.

She pleaded not guilty to those charges in July, and a settlement conference was due to take place later this month.

In June 2025, Jones was in trouble with Napa prosecutors again. She was charged with domestic battery and accused of domestic violence involving elder abuse.

The troubled Hollywood heiress pleaded not guilty to those charges as well, and the charges were also scheduled to be discussed at a settlement hearing in late January.

No further details of Jones's alleged criminal behavior emerged and the identity of the elderly victim she's said to have attacked has not been disclosed.

According to documents obtained by TMZ, Jones was allegedly in a public place and was accused of using the inhalant toluene; pictured with her father in 2017 in Tokyo

Jones was found dead in a room at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel (pictured) in the early hours of New Year's Day. A 911 call reported her death as a possible overdose, but investigators say there was no drug paraphernalia close to her body

Victoria is pictured with her father and his third wife, Dawn Laurel-Jones, during a trip to London in 2002. Jones's mother was Kimberlea Cloughley, who was married to the actor from 1981 to 1996

Following reports of Jones' death, her father Tommy Lee Jones and his family issued a statement about their tragic loss.

'We appreciate all of the kind words, thoughts, and prayers. Please respect our privacy during this difficult time. Thank you,' they said.

The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Tommy Lee Jones for comment on the latest allegations about the night of her death.

According to 911 audio obtained by the Daily Mail, Jones was suspected of suffering an overdose when paramedics responded to reports of a victim who had undergone 'color change.'

Although emergency personnel tried to revive Victoria, she was pronounced dead at the scene, which was turned over to the police for investigation.

Law enforcement insiders claimed her lips and fingernails had a blue tinge when first responders arrived, fueling suspicions she had overdosed.

She was supposedly at the hotel to celebrate New Year's with a group of three or four people who spoke to the emergency services, with one female witness reporting Victoria used cocaine that night, the sources claimed to TMZ.

Jones' 79-year-old father, who won a best supporting actor Oscar for The Fugitive in 1994, resides in Texas with his third wife, Dawn Laurel, whom he married in 2001.

Jones's mother was Kimberlea Cloughley, who was married to the actor from 1981 to 1996.

Tommy Lee and Cloughley also have a son, musician Austin Jones, who is Victoria's brother.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up for Mickey Rourke, who is facing being evicted from his home in Los Angeles as he owes more than $59,100 in past-due rent, according to a recent legal filing.

Liya-Joelle Jones, a friend and business associate of the Oscar-nominated star of The Wrestler, 73, put together the online fundraiser with the actor's full permission, a statement on the GoFundMe read.

The fundraiser went live online early Sunday with the title 'Support Mickey to Prevent Eviction,' with an adjacent caption playing up the entertainer's decades in Hollywood in hopes of persuading potential donors to contribute in his reported time of need.

'Mickey gave audiences performances that felt lived-in, not performed, and left a permanent mark on American film culture,' Jones wrote, noting his appearances in motion pictures such as Diner, Rumble Fish and 9 Weeks.

Jones explained that Rourke 'is facing a very real and urgent situation' in the form of 'the threat of eviction from his home' as he deals with financial difficulties, according to the post.

Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Rourke for further comment on this story.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up for Mickey Rourke, 73, who according to the post is facing being evicted from his home in LA as he owes more than $59,100 in past due rent. Pictured Thursday

Said Jones: 'Fame does not protect against hardship, and talent does not guarantee stability.

'What remains is a person who deserves dignity, housing, and the chance to regain his footing.'

Jones said that the aim of the fundraising effort for Rourke was to provide him with 'stability and peace of mind during an extremely stressful time - so he can stay in his home and have the space to get back on his feet.'

The Go Fund Me comes a month after a landlord demanded Rourke settle up $59,100 in unpaid rent - or leave the domicile immediately, according to documents reviewed by Daily Mail.

The Angel Heart actor on December 18 was presented with three-day notice to pay or leave, according to a legal complaint from plaintiff Eric T. Goldie.

Rourke, whose full name is Philip Rourke Jr., has resided in the three-bedroom Southern California home since March 30, at which time he inked a lease agreeing to pay monthly rent of $5,200.

Goldie said in the legal complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court December 29, that the actor has 'failed to comply with the requirements of' the order he was given to settle up or move out.

Goldie also asked the court to force the actor to cover the legal costs he spent in trying to recoup the rent; and for Rourke to forfeit the remainder of the rental agreement.

Rourke pictured at a pre-Oscars luncheon in 2009 amid his award season run for The Wrestler

Rourke pictured at an event at Skybar on June 17, 2022 in LA

Jones told The Hollywood Reporter that she was moved by the early returns for the pledge drive for the Iron Man 2 actor.

'Mickey is going through a very difficult time right now, and its been incredibly touching to see how many people care about him and want to help,' said Jones.

The fundraiser had garnered nearly $24,000 from the first 522 donors as of Sunday evening.

Rourke recently made headlines amid a controversial exit from the reality show Celebrity Big Brother in connection with 'unacceptable language and behavior' he displayed toward fellow resident JoJo Siwa, alluding to the star's sexuality.

Rourke's manager Kimberly Hines told People in a statement last April that Celebrity Big Brother producers 'were fully aware of both [Rourke's] public persona and how it aligned with his Hollywood rebel image' prior to booking him to appear on the reality series.

Rourke was chosen for the show for his 'explosive, controversial and attention-grabbing' persona, Hines said, adding, 'That's exactly what [the show] got, and more.'
The late King of Pop Michael Jackson's only daughter Paris reflected on the difficulties of sobriety four days ahead of her sixth anniversary refraining from 'all drugs and alcohol.'

'Getting sober ain't always the indication that life is perfect,' the 27-year-old nepo baby - who boasts 7.7 million social media followers - wrote Saturday.

'A few years in it all got very, very hard for what felt like an eternity. And I didn't have the same survival skills I was used to having to cope. I had to learn to live life on life's terms.'

Jackson (born Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson) went on to confess she struggles with major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from being followed by paparazzi.

'Treatment-resistant, major depressive disorder is a bi***. So is CPSTD and OCD,' the Beverly Hills-born socialite lamented.

'If you've got this s***, or anything of the sort, you're not alone. Hang in there and if no one's told you they love you today, I love you.'

The late King of Pop Michael Jackson's only daughter Paris reflected on the difficulties of sobriety four days ahead of her sixth anniversary refraining from 'all drugs and alcohol' (pictured November 13)

Jackson reportedly spent ages 15-16 living at the Diamond Ranch Academy in Utah where she received treatment for substance abuse and multiple suicide attempts - according to Page Six.

The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation ambassador took to Instastory on Saturday to show off her three cats and two dogs while declaring: 'Being single means you can have as many animals as you want.'

In Los Angeles County, the general limit is typically three dogs and three cats per household without a special permit.

Jackson considers herself pansexual but has only publicly dated men like Justin Long, Michael Bradley, Gabriel Glenn, Michael Snoddy, Chester Castellaw and Tom Kilbey.

Page Six reported the Doctor Odyssey guest star receives $8 million annually with bonuses at age 18, 33 and 40 from her $100 million inheritance but an October 14 court filing claimed she's received $65 million in benefits.

Jackson is in a legal battle with her famous father's estate co-executors John Branca and John McClain, whom she claims pocketed $148.2 million through 2021, and the next court hearing is scheduled for January 13.

The heavily-tattooed millennial has also publicly distanced herself from Lionsgate's fully-authorized musical biopic, Michael, starring her cousin Jaafar Jackson.

Last August, Jackson blasted Antoine Fuqua's $155M-budget two-part movie - hitting US/UK theaters April 24 - as having 'a lot of inaccuracy' and 'a lot of just full-blown lies.'

The 27-year-old nepo baby wrote Saturday: 'Getting sober ain't always the indication that life is perfect. A few years in it all got very, very hard for what felt like an eternity. And I didn't have the same survival skills I was used to having to cope. I had to learn to live life on life's terms'

Jackson went on to confess she struggles with major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from being followed by paparazzi

The Beverly Hills-born socialite lamented: 'Treatment-resistant, major depressive disorder is a bi***. So is CPSTD and OCD. If you've got this s***, or anything of the sort, you're not alone. Hang in there and if no one's told you they love you today, I love you'

Jackson reportedly spent ages 15-16 living at the Diamond Ranch Academy in Utah where she received treatment for substance abuse and multiple suicide attempts

The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation ambassador took to Instastory on Saturday to show off her three cats and two dogs while declaring: 'Being single means you can have as many animals as you want'

In Los Angeles County, the general limit is typically three dogs and three cats per household without a special permit

Jackson - who's rarely pictured with her birth mother Debbie Rowe - was only 11 years old when the 13-time Grammy winner tragically succumbed to 'acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication' at age 50 back in 2009

The self-described 'mediocre Thom Yorke impersonator' will appear in Christopher Broughton's documentary Michael Jackson: A Celebration, which hits US theaters in June.

Jackson's upcoming acting roles include the RZA's drama One Spoon of Chocolate, Ronald Krauss' horror thriller Open Wounds, Adam Sigal's comedy Skinemax, Catherine Hardwicke's drama Street Smart and Adam Rifkin's comedy Toad.

The hippie at heart is also every bit the influencer with paid partnerships for brands and resorts like Zadig&Voltaire, Baglioni Hotels & Resorts, Corinthia Hotels, Dorothea Hotel and The New York EDITION.

Jackson - who's rarely pictured with her birth mother Debbie Rowe - was only 11 years old when the 13-time Grammy winner tragically succumbed to 'acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication' at age 50 back in 2009.
Australian comedy troupe Sooshi Mango have expressed their anger at Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and called for harsher penalties after a second brazen robbery at one of their Melbourne properties in just three weeks.

The trio told 7NEWS on Monday that they 'don't feel safe' after a break-in at their Carlton office at around 7pm on Sunday evening saw an unidentified man smash a glass door to gain entry - before making off empty-handed.

Dramatic CCTV video of the robbery was shared to the group's official Instagram page in addition to being aired on 7NEWS.

'I think with what's going on at the moment, especially with all the home invasions and so forth, everyone's feeling a little bit unsafe,' troupe member Joe Salanitri said in an interview with the network on Monday.

He suggested that Premier Allan needed to, 'bring some stronger penalties down. You know, [to] scare these people who are scaring the community.'

Joe's brother and co-star Carlo Salanitri agreed, adding: 'Maybe if they knew that there was a harsher penalty at stake, that would deter them from doing this kind of stuff.'

Australian comedy troupe Sooshi Mango (pictured) have expressed their anger at Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and called for harsher penalties after a second brazen robbery at one of their Melbourne properties in just three weeks

The trio told 7NEWS on Monday that they 'don't feel safe' after a break-in (pictured) at their Carlton office at around 7pm on Sunday evening saw an unidentified man smash a glass door to gain entry - before making off empty-handed

The brothers' longtime friend and co-star Andrew Manfre said the trio were left 'disturbed' by the 'brazen daytime robbery' but relieved that the culprit was unable to locate any valuables.

'We're Italians. We don't hide our cash anywhere that's obvious,' he joked.

The comedy group, who boast three million Instagram followers and are well known for their viral videos, posted the clip to social media on Sunday with the hopes of identifying the man who broke into their office.

'Tonight just before 7pm we had a scum rat farkena piece of shiiet bastard break into our office,' they explained in their lengthy caption.

'He didn't end up stealing anything because he couldn't find anything of value... He damaged the door which we are getting fixed and no real drama but this dirty farkena piece of gutter trash tried to rob the wrong place because now we are putting this out so everyone can share it.'

They continued: 'These rats think they can go around stealing from hard-working honest people and get away with it. If we can stop him from taking advantage of just one other honest business then we have done our job.

'Perhaps if Victoria had stricter laws these filthy rotten leeches wouldn't have the confidence to go around breaking into places in broad daylight.'

Salanitri also lashed out at the government for failing to tackle the cost of living crisis after a woman stole his Coles delivery just over three weeks ago in December.

'I think with what's going on at the moment, especially with all the home invasions and so forth, everyone's feeling a little bit unsafe,' troupe member Joe Salanitri said in an interview with the network on Monday

The brothers' longtime friend and co-star Andrew Manfre said the trio were left 'disturbed' by the 'brazen daytime robbery' but relieved that the culprit was unable to locate any valuables

Salanitri suggested that Premier Allan (pictured) needed to, 'bring some stronger penalties down. You know, [to] scare these people who are scaring the community'

The comedian shared a video showing the woman taking two bags from his front door in Melbourne.

Although he initially responded to the theft with anger, Salanitri believed the woman was likely struggling with a larger issue.

'I'm not upset at the woman, right, it's obviously the system,' he said.

'She's probably got kids. She might have followed the guy from Coles.

'In the bag was candy canes and cards, so maybe she got them for her kids.'

Instead, Salanitri placed the blame on the ongoing cost of living crisis.

'It's sad that this is where we're at, and it's not her fault,' he said.

'It goes all the way back to the system and the government. I hate saying this but that's where it's at.

Salanitri also lashed out at the government for failing to tackle the cost of living crisis after a woman stole his Coles delivery (pictured) just over three weeks ago in December

Sooshi Mango regularly parody Greek and Italian culture in their various skits, playing nonnas and 'Ethnic Dads' in their viral videos. Pictured in character

'She's obviously struggling. She probably can't give her (kids) gifts and has to go to this level.'

Salanitri's video coincided with a warning from Australia Post to be on the lookout for 'porch pirates' because parcel theft is on the rise heading into Christmas.

Sooshi Mango regularly parody Greek and Italian culture in their various skits, playing nonnas and 'Ethnic Dads' in their viral videos.

The clips racked up tens of millions of views and have seen them grow an audience of two million TikTok followers and three million Instagram fans.
Bethenny Frankel was forced to cut her trip to St. Barths early after planning to ring in the New Year at the celeb-loved destination with her daughter Bryn Hoppy.

After partying with the likes of Lauren Sanchez, Glen Powell and Alix Earle, Frankel, 55, took to her Instagram on Sunday to explain why she ended up returning home to Florida earlier than expected.

In a lengthy caption, the reality TV star said she had received 'heartbreaking news' during the trip and also came down with a bacterial infection on her face.

The 'heartbreaking news' appeared to be the recent death of Frankel's close friend and makeup artist Jasen Kaplan, who died by suicide at the age of 46 on New Year's Eve, as reported by TMZ.

'Despite leaving early because of some heartbreaking news, dealing with a bacterial infection, and St. Barths being the Hunger Games of holiday socialization, I still found moments that really mattered,' Frankel wrote.

The Real Housewives of New York City alum went on to gush about still getting able to spend time with her 15-year-old daughter, whom she shares shares with ex-husband Jason Hoppy, despite having to leave St. Barths.

Bethenny Frankel cut her recent trip short and left St. Barths early while she was planning to ring in the new year there with her daughter

'I spent special time with friends and my love, Bryn, and rang in the new year in a way that felt genuinely meaningful, surrounded by good people,' Frankel continued.

'This trip reminded me of something I've always known but sometimes forget: it's not about what you're doing, it's about who you're with. And real happiness doesn't come from the setting, the plans, or the noise, it comes from within.'

Included with her caption were several photos, including a photo of what appeared to be the bacterial infection she's been suffering from.

The makeup-free star snapped a selfie of a noticeable red rash and bumps on her cheek that also climbed up towards her eye.

Also included were photos taken of the bikini-clad star before she decided to flee St. Barths with her daughter.

Frankel partied with Lauren Sanchez, the wife of Amazon billionaire founder Jeff Bezos, as seen in one of her nighttime snaps on a yacht

Frankel and her teen daughter also visited a day club and mingled with TikTok influencer Alix Earle, who was recently spotted getting handsy with Tom Brady.

Frankel also shared a selfie with Glen Powell after running into the actor at what appeared to be the same club.

In a lengthy Instagram caption, the reality TV star shared that she had received 'heartbreaking news' during the trip and also came down with a bacterial infection on her face

She explained why she had to leave early but also gushed about still getting able to spend time with her 15-year-old daughter Bryn Hoppy

Later, she took to TikTok to share a video, in which she opened up about the 'harsh reality' of going to St. Barths during a time where billionaires and their superyachts have all migrated to the same area.

She said she felt uncomfortable being there and felt that it was 'bad parenting' for her to take her daughter Bryn to the busy season of St. Barths for her first time at the Caribbean island.

She said she had been to St. Barths 'dozens of times' during the 'off-season' but said this time 'hit different.'

Frankel talked about how other people 'kept talking about where they should be rather than being present.'

She also said she felt 'anxiety' and 'a bad feeling the whole entire time' being around people with 'bad morals.'

She said both she and her teenage daughter wanted to go home and so they did after receiving news about her friend's death and after she developed a rash on her face.

She recalled packing her bags at 4:00 a.m., taking her daughter to the airport and returning to their Florida home on January 1st.

At the end of the clip, she explained how she and her daughter Bryn were 'so happy' to return home and celebrate the new year with their 'puppies' instead of partying.

Before they left, Frankel partied with Lauren Sanchez, the wife of Amazon billionaire founder Jeff Bezos, as seen in one of her nighttime snaps on a yacht

Frankel and her daughter also visited a day club and mingled with TikTok influencer Alix Earle

Frankel also shared a selfie with Glen Powell after running into the actor at what appeared to be the same club

Frankel's post came just days after she paid tribute to her late friend Kaplan in a heartbreaking Instagram post.

She shared a montage of throwback photos of moments they previously shared together and reminisced about her favorite memories with him in her caption.

Kaplan passed away at a hospital in New York City on December 31, according to Page Six on Thursday. TMZ later reported that the former reality TV star had died by suicide.

'Jasen Kaplan had a positive energy that was truly infectious. He was fun, vibrant, and always brought his A game,' Frankel wrote in her emotional tribute post.

'The world lost a one-of-a-kind gem on New Year's Eve, which still doesn't feel real,' she added, while also reflecting on his 'generous' personality and how he had 'a genuine interest in everyone around him.'

Frankel shared that Kaplan 'made people feel seen, celebrated, and better about themselves.'

The pair also communicated with each other often, with the star adding that, 'He sent me weekly messages with his finds. His most recent was a fancy Hello Kitty cookie jar that reminded him of me.'

Frankel's 'heartbreaking news' appeared to be the recent death of her close friend and makeup artist Jasen Kaplan, who died by suicide at the age of 46 on New Year's Eve, as reported by TMZ

'Jasen Kaplan had a positive energy that was truly infectious. He was fun, vibrant, and always brought his A game,' Frankel wrote in a touching tribute to her late friend via Instagram

Kaplan had been more than a makeup artist, but also 'also my friend and a constant part of my team.' He was also close to her daughter Bryn.

'He always showed up and cheered me on - in life, work, and online. He's seen me in every form, from fixing broken zippers to making me feel like a supermodel. If you were around him, you were happier. He always had a story.'

Frankel further reflected on his talent as a makeup artist before encouraging her followers to 'tell someone you love them today.

'I'm holding my beautiful girl extra close - Jasen loved and adored her. You will always be on the B Team, for life and the afterlife. No one is going to have better glam than I do in heaven. Rest in peace, and enjoy all the caviar and coconut cake.'
Tyson and Paris Fury's daughter Venezuela has revealed she plans to marry fiance Noah Price this year and they could be walking down the aisle as early as May.

Fans were left shocked in October when the Fury family shared a video of Venezuela accepting her boyfriend's proposal at her glamorous 16th birthday party.

Now in an Instagram Q&A the teen has opened up about her wedding plans and her hopes to tie the knot sooner rather than later.

One follower asked: 'When's the wedding going to be?', to which the bride-to-be replied: 'I'm trying to get everything booked for May/June time, but I'm not sure when it will be'.

When another wondered if she'd be moving out of the Fury family home before the big day, Venezuela said: 'No, I will be in my mam and dads home til Im married'.

In December mum Paris, 36, insisted to Daily Mail that her daughter Venezuela was 'still my little girl' despite her engagement.

Tyson and Paris Fury's daughter Venezuela has revealed she plans to marry fiance Noah Price this year and they could be walking down the aisle as early as May

Fans were left shocked when the Fury family shared a video of Venezuela accepting her boyfriend's proposal at her 16th birthday (Paris and Tyson pictured with the engaged couple)

Paris and Tyson are proud parents of Venezuela, Prince John James, 13, Prince Tyson II, nine, Valencia, seven, Prince Adonis Amaziah, six, Athena, four, and Prince Rico, two.

It comes after after Venezuela revealed she's not yet met her future in-laws despite being engaged to her fiance Noah.

She explained how planning for the wedding won't get underway until she's came face-to-face with Noah's father and mother.

Venezuela said: 'I haven't met his family yet. So I'm looking forward to seeing them. He lives a few hours' away from me and works during the week, so we only see each other at weekends.

'We haven't discussed where we are going to live after we are married yet.'

Opening up about the shock proposal, Venezuela added to The Sun that she was 'very shocked'.

She recalled: 'It all came as a huge surprise. I wasn't overly emotional because I was so surprised and I was very nervous, as I realised a lot of people were watching me.

'It was a very exciting moment, though, probably one of the best of my life. But I would have been content if he had asked me to marry him anywhere. I didn't care about the 'big proposal', but I am very happy.'

Now in an Instagram Q&A the teen has opened up about her wedding plans and her hopes to tie the knot sooner rather than later

One follower asked:'When's the wedding going to be?', to which the bride-to-be replied: 'I'm trying to get everything booked for May/June time, but I'm not sure when it will be'

Before popping the question to his future bride, Noah, whose age is unknown, asked for Tyson's blessing to ask Venezuela for her hand in marriage.

She said how Noah was 'having palpitations about doing it' but the conversation went well.

Venezuela added that her dad 'wouldnt interfere' and hes 'very happy for us.'

Paris recently defended her daughter's engagement when she was asked about the news during an appearance on This Morning.

She was quizzed by hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard on her reaction, and whether she felt her eldest child was 'too young' to be preparing for a wedding.

Paris said that her daughter had only 'followed in her footsteps', as she got engaged to champion boxer husband Tyson, 37, when she was just 17.

Hitting back against the backlash from fans, Paris told Cat, 48, and Ben, 50: 'She's very young, [but we don't] worry at all, Venezuela is so mature for her years.

'She has done so much, even in such a short time just because of who she is and the fact that she's got six younger brother and sisters that she has helped bring up, I can't deny it.

'She is very mature, and in the last 12 months I've been doing work with Venezuela, she's been doing different shoots, interviews, working on social media.

'I've give her all options in life, and she has chosen this path and I can't deny her. I was 17 when I got engaged, so she's obviously following in my footsteps, and how could I judge her in any which way?

'I know she's young, but I think she's found the person that she loves, and if she's happy, I will completely support her.'
Steven Bartlett is engaged to marry his long-term girlfriend Melanie Lopes, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.

The Diary of a CEO podcaster, 33, proposed to French-Portuguese yoga entrepreneur Melanie on Christmas Day during a romantic trip to Morocco.

During their festive getaway, Steven presented Melanie with a diamond engagement ring and popped the question, with the wellness influencer delighted to say 'yes'.

Sources close to the couple say that after living together in both London and Los Angeles while navigating their demanding careers, they have never been happier and are excited to begin planning their wedding.

Multimillionaire Steven, who is also a star of Dragons' Den and is said to be worth 320million, dated Melanie, 33, for a year before the couple briefly split as he focused on building his business empire.

However, after realising he could not live without her, Steven flew 22 hours to Bali, where Melanie runs a breathwork and yoga retreat, to win her back, and their relationship has gone from strength to strength ever since.

Steven Bartlett is engaged to marry his long-term girlfriend Melanie Lopes, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal (pictured May 2024)

The Diary of a CEO podcaster proposed to French-Portuguese yoga entrepreneur Melanie on Christmas Day during a romantic trip to Morocco (pictured 2025)

Multimillionaire Steven, who is also a star of Dragons' Den and is said to be worth 320million, dated Melanie for a year before the couple briefly split as he focused on his business empire

A source revealed: 'Steven and Melanie have been together for a long time, but their relationship really went up a notch after they started living together in both London and Los Angeles a couple of years ago.

'The proposal happened on Christmas Day while they were on holiday together in Morocco.

'Steven asked Melanie to marry him and presented her with a beautiful diamond engagement ring. She was thrilled to say, "Yes." They really are each other's soulmates and couldn't be happier.'

When approached by the Daily Mail, a spokesman for the couple confirmed: 'We can confirm Steven and Melanie are engaged to be married. They are, naturally, both very, very happy.'

The couple met on Instagram in 2016, but despite their careers being heavily focused on social media, they have chosen to keep their romance largely out of the public eye.

By his own admission, Steven struggled to maintain a healthy relationship with Melanie in their early days while pursuing his business ambitions, a challenge he discussed during one of his live podcast shows in 2022.

He previously said: 'The way it is with me, between the hours of say seven in the morning and nine o' clock at night, I am in the zone, I've got total tunnel vision.

'I honestly do not realise that there's anyone else outside of my business and rooms I sit in that exists in terms of my personal and private life.

The couple met on Instagram in 2016, but despite their careers being heavily focused on social media, they have chosen to keep their romance largely out of the public eye

By his own admission, Steven struggled to maintain a healthy relationship with Melanie in their early days while pursuing his business ambitions

Steven is also the youngest Dragon on BBC's Dragons' Den, appearing alongside Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden, and is regularly seen investing in new and emerging business ventures

'So if my family or girlfriend text me, or message me during the day, the chances of me engaging in that meaningfully in that period is virtually impossible.

'In the evenings I'm often consumed with the day and I find it hard to switch off and engage with other relationships and that also costs those relationships.'

But after learning to maintain a healthy work-life balance, Steven and Melanie rekindled their romance and have since travelled the world together, all while supporting each other's careers.

Steven is best known as the host of The Diary of a CEO podcast, which regularly tops the UK charts and attracts millions of streams each month thanks to its engaging interviews and A-list guests.

Since launching in 2017, Steven has interviewed a wide range of high-profile figures, from Kamala Harris to Louis Tomlinson, Davina McCall, Lewis Capaldi, and Simon Cowell.

He is also the youngest Dragon on BBC's Dragons' Den, appearing alongside Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden, and is regularly seen investing in new and emerging business ventures.

Steven and wellness influencer Melanie have travelled the world together, all while supporting each other's careers

Steven, who moved to the UK from Botswana at the age of two, dropped out of university at 18 to pursue his ambitions as a businessman.

He fell out with his parents, particularly his mother, who was 'heartbroken' after believing Steven had thrown away the education she never had growing up.

However, Steven found success with his social media marketing agency, The Social Chain, which was valued at 300million when it first entered the stock market.

He is set for a busy year; alongside wedding planning, Steven will return to the upcoming series of Dragons' Den and continue recording his podcast, one of the most successful in the world.

In October last year, his company Steven.com, which houses his media ventures, including the firm Flight Story, was valued at 320million.

Steven has said this will help him 'build the Disney of the creator economy,' referring to the multi-billion-pound industry of influencers who make a living through streaming and posting on TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, and YouTube.
Nadia Sawalha revealed her and husband Mark Adderley have nearly divorced many times since marrying 23 years ago in a new clip.

The Loose Women legend, 61, didn't hold back while speaking to her followers in a recently-shared Instagram clip from her and Mark's podcast series Coffee Moaning.

'We've been close to divorce many, many, many times. We've been to marriage guidance counsellors, we've worked our a***s really to stay together,' she said.

Nadia and the film producer, 56, have been married since 2002, as the couple share daughters Maddie, 21 and Kiki-Bee, 16.

In 2022, the TV star gushed over her beloved soulmate as they celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary - saying the couple would be a 'mess without each other'.

She wrote in the sweet Instagram post: 'Our beautiful disaster of a marriage.. Crazy, thrilling, terrifying, joyful, rageful fun filled joyful, horrid, exhausting, boring, healing, beautiful, fascinating, baffling, repetitive, gruesome, gorgeous, sexy, romantic, supportive comfy, cosy, scary, supportive, connected, faithful, fearful, awesome, affectionate, loyal...

Nadia Sawalha, 61, admitted she and husband Mark Adderley, 56, have nearly divorced many times in a new podcast interview on Monday

The Loose Women star didn't hold back while speaking to her followers in a recently-shared Instagram clip from and Mark's podcast series Coffee Moaning (pictured together)

'Till death do us part . Love The Mrs. Ps Egg and fag sarnie anyone? Pps Lets go and have some damn fine fun . Just you and me babe.'

Just last month ahead of the festive holidays, revealed her beloved mother-in-law Diane has been 'quite poorly in hospital', forcing the family to cancel their live shows.

The actress posted on social media that she and Mark had cancelled plans to release an episode of their Coffee Moaning podcast, as well as their scheduled live streams on their YouTube channel.

Nadia first shared news of the cancellations alongside a statement saying it was due to a 'family illness.'

However, the day before, the star had commented under her most recent YouTube video that Diane, who they fondly refer to as 'Nanny Di,' had been unwell.

The message read: 'We are very sorry but we have to cancel Coffee Moaning and all LIVE shows on The Sawalha Addlerley's YouTube channel shows due to family illness.

'We will let you know more asap. Love Nadia and Mark.'

Under their most recent YouTube video, Nadia told her followers that Mark's mother Diane, who they fondly refer to as 'Nanny Di,' was 'quite poorly in hospital.'

Join the debate What do you think is the biggest challenge couples face in keeping a marriage together long-term?

'We've been to marriage guidance counsellors, we've worked our a***s really to stay together,' she said (pictured together)

Nadia and the film producer, 56, have been married since 2002, as the couple share daughters Maddie, 21 and Kiki-Bee, 16 (pictured on their wedding day)

And last month ahead of the festive holidays, revealed her beloved mother-in-law Diane has been 'quite poorly in hospital', forcing the family to cancel their live shows

The Loose Women star posted on social media that she and Mark had cancelled plans to release an episode of their Coffee Moaning podcast

Under their most recent YouTube video, Nadia told her followers that Mark's mother Diane, who they fondly refer to as 'Nanny Di,' was 'quite poorly in hospital'

Nadia and Mark boast over 150,000 subscribers on their family YouTube channel, and as well as posting daily video vlogs, also present their daily podcast Coffee Moaning.

Mark previously shared snaps of his beloved mother Diane on Instagram for Mother's Day in March, writing: 'This is my ma aka Nanny Di  shes had a rough year  and whilst she may well be more mate than mom  I will forever fight her corner  love you mom x.'

That came after Nadia fought back tears as she opened up about her husband's addiction issues on Loose Women.

She was joined in the ITV studio by host Kaye Adams and fellow panellists Oti Mabuse and Judi Love.

Sharing their personal stories, it emerged that Nadia, 60, related strongly to the experience of guiding a loved one through periods of ill mental health.

She said of her husband: 'Mark does have mental health issues and I support him through that from a position of "I'm so lucky that I don't go through that".

'When he's low, it can be very hard but it's not as hard as what he's going through.

'I help him see pinholes of light when it's very dark,' she finished before emotionally fighting back tears.
Maya Jama was due to attend the Love Island: All Stars press launch on Monday, but hours before the event began, she pulled out due to a mystery illness.

In her absence, the panel, hosted by Elizabeth Day, went ahead with voiceover star Iain Sterling, former winners Molly Smith and Tom Clare, and producers Mike Spencer and Amanda Stavr at Soho House, Television Centre, in West London.

Maya, 31, is due to fly out to South Africa on Monday in time to greet the All Star Islanders in the villa before the new series kicks off on ITV2 in a week's time.

On Sunday afternoon Maya was in great spirits as she shared an Instagram selfie and gushed that she was 'so excited and so ready' to start working again on the hit show, revealing her flight was booked for Monday.

Maya's team had nothing but praise for their presenter, who is going into her third year hosting the reality series, in her absence on Monday.

Producer Amanda gushed that she 'is the perfect host for Love Island. She's cool, she's fun, she's sexy, she's a big fan of the show and she makes it feel really young and relevant.'

Maya Jama was due to attend the Love Island: All Stars press launch on Monday, but hours before the event began, she pulled out due to illness (pictured on last year's Love Island)

On Sunday afternoon Maya was in great spirits as she shared an Instagram selfie and gushed that she was 'so excited and so ready' to start working again on the hit show

'She brings a great energy to the show. I am sorry that she can't be with us, but I think her enthusiasm and love for the show and her support for all the Islanders really comes through.'

Mike added that he's often thought Maya could have been a contestant on the matchmaking show 'once upon a time. She would have been an iconic Islander. She's great.'

The star showed off her incredible figure in a gold minidress for a new series promo shoot released on Monday, as she vowed to go sexy' for the return of Love Island: All Stars.

The presenter stunned as she slipped into the sparkling, chainmail gold micro mini dress.

Ahead of the show's return, Maya confessed that they are already working on her iconic outfits for when she greets the islanders around the fire pit.

She revealed that while the final wardrobe lineup is still to be finalised, she does know that her ensembles will be 'sexy as usual'.

The Love Island: All Stars cast has now been confirmed.

Millie Court, 29, who triumphed on the ITV2 series in 2021 alongside ex-Liam Reardon, returns following the couple's September split and the definitive end to their on/off relationship.

Maya's team had nothing but praise for their presenter, who is going into her third year hosting the reality series, in her absence on Monday

She is joined by fellow winner Jess Harding, 25, who claimed the 50,000 prize in 2023, but her romance with ex-boyfriend Sammy Root fizzled out just two months after leaving the villa.

Whitney Adebayo, 28, narrowly missed out on winning the same year when she and Lochan Nowacki became runners-up, but to the shock of fans, the couple ended their two-year relationship in 2025 under controversial circumstances.

Boyzone star Ronan Keating's son, Jack, 26, is also returning to Love Island after failing to find love during his 2022 stint.

Fresh from the Mallorca villa, Helena Ford, 29, will make a return after she was dumped from the show after her ex-partner, Harry Cooksley.

Following on from last summer's series, Tommy Bradley, 22, is joining former co-star Helena.

Cast your mind back to Love Island in 2018, former contestant Charlie Frederick, 31, will re-enter the villa after he previously dated ex-islander Lucie Donlan.

Also making a return is Belle Hassan, 27, who was one of the first Love Islanders with celebrity connections to enter the ITV2 dating show.

Maya, 31, is due to fly out to South Africaon Monday in time to greet the All Star Islanders in the villa before the new series kicks off on ITV2 in a week's time

Jess Harding will have another go at finding love in the villa after she won Love Island in 2023 alongside Sammy Root, but their romance was short-lived.

Sweet salesman Sean Stone, 26, and Leanne Amaning are also heading back into the villa for a second chance at finding a connection.

And to finish the lineup, Ciaran Davies, 23, who finished as runner-up in 2024 with then-girlfriend Nicole Samuels, will join Shaq Muhammad, 27, for the new series.
Kim Kardashian took to Instagram on Sunday night to share more content of the Pomeranian puppies she gifted her four kids for Christmas.

The 45-year-old SKIMS mogul has received backlash from both fans and PETA for purchasing the dogs instead of adopting from a shelter.

But that didn't stop her from uploading multiple videos of her two younger children  Chicago, eight on January 15, and Psalm, six  playing with the adorable animals over the weekend.

Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA, issued a statement decrying the luxe holiday gift and backing those who 'rightly slammed' the star.

Newkirk also called out Khloe Kardashian, who also surprised her kids with dogs, for failing to adopt locally.

'Puppies are not plushies, and its a damn shame that Kim missed the chance to be a spokesperson for shelter pups and instead is being rightly slammed on social media for that,' Newkirk said in a statement obtained by Daily Mail.

Kim Kardashian took to Instagram on Sunday night to share more content of the Pomeranian puppies she gifted her four kids for Christmas

The 45-year-old SKIMS mogul has received backlash from both fans and PETAfor purchasing the dogs instead of adopting from a shelter

In addition to Chicago and Psalm, the reality television personality shares North, 12, and Saint, 10, with ex-husband Kanye West.

Sunday's posts, shared via Instagram Stories, showed her youngsters crawling on the floor of her mansion with the dogs.

In another clip a gleeful Chicago, with playful glitter pasted on her cheeks, flashed a grin while cuddling a blonde dog alongside her mom, who held two darker dogs.

'Ignoring the homeless animals crisis is inexcusably callous, and so we ask Kim and Khloe, who did the same thing, to call PETA or a local shelter the next time they want to bring an animal into their home  and try to make some amends now by sending their kids to volunteer at a local shelter or paying for a local shelter adopt-a-thon or at least one spay day to help stop the growing homeless puppy crisis,' said Newkirk.

Kardashian faced the wrath of online critics after she initially shared a snap with all four of the dogs cuddled up together on a couch and wrote, 'Each kid got a puppy.'

Some fans took to Reddit to speak out against her approach to finding the household pets.

'Puppies are not Christmas gifts for kids,' one Reddit user wrote.

Another agreed, 'Animals and pets are not gifts unless someone has really wanted that pet and will truly look after it. This is f***ed up.'

Criticism didn't stop Kardashian from uploading multiple videos of her two younger children -Chicago, eight on January 15, and Psalm, six - playing with the adorable animals over the weekend

Kardashian announced days ago that she gave each of her four children a Pomeranian puppy for Christmas

'If they each got a puppy then its not special at all. How will they learn to love one pet as siblings when they each get a personal dog like its a Tamagotchi?' someone else argued.

Another person commented: 'They dont realize what a big responsibility having a pet is, they just have it for show and cause its small and cute and its something kids want but when the pup grows up they no longer care for it. Absolutely ridiculous.'

'This is honestly so sad,' said yet another upset social media user.

The four new canine additions to the family aren't the only Pomeranians that Kardashian has.

She also has dogs Sushi and Sake, whom she adopted with her sister Kourtney Kardashian in 2017.
Chevy Chase has been branded 'insufferable' after he told an interviewer that she is 'not bright enough' to understand him.

In a viral clip from his new documentary, I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not, the 82-year-old Saturday Night Live alum snapped at director Marina Zenovich after she told him that she was trying to figure him out.

I'm Chevy Chase And You're Not attempts to fix his clouded image by providing a insight into the struggles that prompted his explosive behavior and clashes with his colleagues on-set.

Speaking on camera, Chase responded: 'No s***, it's not going to be easy for you.'

'Why is it not going to be easy?' Zenovich then asked, prompting Chase to respond, 'You're not bright enough. How's that?'

Social media users were left flabbergasted by Chase's comments and were quick to call out his behavior online.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one wrote: 'I'm sorry but what an insufferable old goat.'

'Never seen someone easier to figure out,' another said.

Chevy Chase snapped at a director on camera and told her 'you're not bright enough'

Chase pictured with Marina Zenovich, the filmmaker whom he snapped at in the viral clip from her documentary

A third observed: 'There's a very profound sadness to this man.'

'You gotta let this type of misery exist in their own bubble,' continued a fourth. 'There's no reasoning with them.'

Born Cornelius Crane Chase in New York to a concert pianist mother and a magazine editor father, Chase rose to fame as part of the original cast of Saturday Night Live when the show launched in 1975.

He became the first anchor of Weekend Update and won two Emmys in 1976 for writing and performing, but by the mid-eighties he had become a Hollywood outcast.

In a rare show of emotion, Chase said in the documentary that it 'hurt' to be excluded from the 50th anniversary special last year and that somebody made a 'big mistake' by not letting him on stage.

'Well, it was kind of upsetting actually,' he said.

'This is probably the first time I'm saying it. But I expected that I would've been on the stage too with all the other actors. When Garrett [Morris] and Laraine [Newman] went on the stage there, I was curious as to why I didn't. No one asked me to. Why was I left aside?'

'Why was Bill Murray there and why was I not?' Chase scoffed. 'I don't have an answer for that.'

Chase voiced his upset over being left out of the SNL 50th Anniversary special last year

Elsewhere in the documentary, Chase's third wife Jayni defended her husband's explosive behavior and gave insight into the star's alcohol and cocaine addiction.

Speaking in defense of her other half in the documentary, Jayni, who married the actor in 1982, said: 'If Chevy says something and you're offended, it's a little more on you than him.'

Opening up further about her husband's controversial behavior, Jayni described him as a risk-taker.

She said: 'You can't get where he got without being a risk-taker, so dial it back and get a sense of humor.

'He's not an a**hole and neither are you.'

Jayni explained that his issues go back to a difficult childhood that left him traumatized.

Chase's third wife Jayni Chase defended her husband's behaviour in the documentary

She said: 'The first time we stayed together, the first time I went to wake him up, he shuddered.

'He explained, "Well, my mother would wake me up slapping me." From the time he was a little guy: Wham!'

Jayni also said that while she initially didn't realize how much Chase was struggling with addiction to cocaine and alcohol, she stressed that he isn't the same man he was 30 years ago.

'I realized he was getting a six-pack of organic red wine, and after about four days, it was gone.

'I pointed it out to Chevy, probably five different times, and he would roll it back. And then he didn't like me pointing it out to him because the beast of addiction starts taking over.

She added: 'People grow. No one is the same person they were 30 years ago.'
North West's Instagram account has mysteriously disappeared less than three weeks after the 12-year-old made her solo social media debut.

The Daily Mail can confirm that the profile, which launched under North's own name last month, now appears as 'page isn't available' when searched - a message that typically indicates an account has either been deactivated or removed.

It remains unclear whether the account was taken down by North herself, her parents, or by Instagram.

Representatives for the family have not yet clarified who made the decision.

North quietly joined the platform late last month, sharing a single introductory post to kick off the account.

Her debut featured a stylishly blurred photograph of herself, signaling what appeared to be a carefully curated rollout.

The account's bio noted that it was 'managed by parents,' though North's online presence has long been a point of contention between her mother, Kim Kardashian, 45, and her father, Kanye West, 48.

North West's Instagram account has mysteriously disappeared less than three weeks after the 12-year-old made her solo social media debut; seen in 2023

West has previously voiced strong opposition to his children being active on social media.

In a 2022 clip that resurfaced online in October, the rapper said he had told Kardashian he did not want their children on social platforms, adding that he was 'not allowing my daughter to be used by TikTok.'

The account's sudden disappearance comes amid recent online chatter and backlash surrounding North's appearance, including speculation and criticism over visible piercings, though no official reason has been given for the account's removal.

In her lone Instagram post, North was photographed wearing a black Balenciaga short-sleeve jersey paired with a ribbed black miniskirt.

She accessorized with layered necklaces and bracelets, completing the look with tall black boots adorned with silver chains wrapped around her legs.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Kardashian's representatives for comment but has not yet heard back.

In October, Kardashian came under fire over the summer for letting North wear a corset during an outing in Rome.

While Kardashian did not address the backlash at the time, she explained she's 'still learning' as a mother and that North was experimenting with her style to look like her friends.

The Daily Mail can confirm that the profile, which launched under North's own name last month, now appears as 'profile isn't available' when searched

It remains unclear whether the account was taken down by North herself, her parents, or by Instagram

Representatives for the family have not yet clarified who made the decision

'It's really hard and it's really interesting because all the kids are wearing the same things,' Kardashian said on the Call Me Daddy podcast.

'But then my daughter tries to wear it and then I'm like, "OK we're never wearing that again". Unfortunately, we made that mistake in front of the whole world.

'She's usually a girl that dresses like a tomboy most of the time and she wanted to try something that her friends were wearing and went to the same place that they went to... and it's just like, okay, wait, maybe you can't wear that, you know?'

Kardashian continued: 'So, as a mum, you're kind of learning at the same time. But what I do know is my baby's such a good girl and such a sweet girl.

'The things that she has experienced, where she might have been outspoken or did something, she learns from that.

'She does listen to me but in other areas I'm like, "Babe if you want blue hair, it is what it is". It makes her so happy. I would never take that creativity away from her.'

When North first debuted her bright blue hair, fans were divided online, with some suggesting the style was too mature for a preteen.

While Kardashian did not address the backlash at the time, she explained she's 'still learning' as a mother and that North was experimenting with her style to look like her friends; seen last year

Yet Kardashian revealed her daughter had seen the discourse and had a very sassy response.

Kardashian recalled: 'She's really mature in one sense, where she'll be like, "Mom, I saw this and I don't really care if someone says they don't like my blue hair or my this or that."

'She's really confident and is like, "I probably wouldn't be hanging out with those people. Like if you saw what they look like and what they're wearing!"

Kardashian mused: 'I just think anyone that's raising kids, especially four kids by myself, I'm doing the best that I can and my babies are good babies.

'So, I just urge everyone to not be judgmental and to have grace on single moms trying to figure it all out with a pre-teen. It's a lot.'
Temperatures may be absolutely bone-chilling in Aspen, but that hasn't stopped Kim Kardashian from removing a few layers of clothing during her trip to the starry ski destination.

In a new Instagram post chronicling her trip, Kardashian dropped a sizzling snap of her in a curve-clinging semi-sheer dress.

A cosy white jacket fell seductively off her shoulders as she hit the camera with a smoldering stare.

In a subsequent photo, she offered fans an alternative view of the look from the back, though her fur jacket covered her famous rear end.

Otherwise, Kardashian, 45, was dressed from head-to-toe in every other photo from her carousel.

The star was unrecognizable as she hit the slopes in a helmet and black ski suit.

Kim Kardashian worked a sizzling semi-sheer dress as she continued her ski getaway to Aspen

The photos were included in her latest drop chronicling her adventures in Montana

Another photo which appeared to be Kardashian showed her sauntering down a hallway, drenched in leather.

She worked a sexy leather outfit paired with a lavish fur scarf and hat.

Kardashian opted to let the photos speak for themselves as she uploaded them Monday with no caption.

The star has returned to Aspen, Colorado after spending the holidays with her family - including her ex-husband, Kanye West.

According to TMZ, the former couple put aside their long-running differences to celebrate the holidays as a family, with sources describing the atmosphere as cordial and focused on their children, North, 12, Saint, 9, Chicago, 7, and Psalm, 5.

Sources with direct knowledge told the outlet that the former couple were respectful toward one another and are actively working on improving their co-parenting relationship, marking a notable shift after years of estrangement and public conflict.

The reconciliation comes after what TMZ described as a sustained effort by West to reflect on his past behavior.

Sources said the rapper has been 'working on himself' and has spent considerable time reassessing his actions earlier this year, including his widely condemned antisemitic remarks and praise of Adolf Hitler.

TMZ also reported that West has become more supportive of daughter North's growing social media presence.

Otherwise, Kim was covered up from head-to-toe in the photos

She bundled up completely as she hit the slopes

The star was drenched in leather, complete with fur-accentuated trousers

Despite viral A.I.-generated videos circulating on TikTok, sources said West approves of North's online activity and has even encouraged her to share music and creative content connected to him.

While West was initially hesitant about North being on social media at a young age, sources told TMZ that he now embraces her individuality and creativity, including her bold fashion choices and blue hair.

The holiday reunion stands in sharp contrast to Kardashian's recent public admissions about the strain of co-parenting with West.

Last month, the SKIMS founder spoke candidly about their challenges on an episode of The Kardashians, admitting the relationship sometimes pushes her to the brink.

During a car ride with Scott Disick, Kardashian said she finds it 'frustrating' when West questions her 'character as a mom.'

'Sometimes I just feel like snapping, but I can't. I just can't,' she said.

Kardashian emphasized that her priority remains providing stability for their children, saying her 'only focus and job' is to stay 'strong' as the more consistent and present parent.

When an off-camera producer pointed out that her ex is 'very loud out there,' she replied, 'I just can't really engage. I think it's just for the better.'
Malaysian TikTok star Nurul Athira Auni Mohamad Hafizzan has died aged 21, according to reports.

Hafizzan - known as Athira Auni online - died in an alleged motorcycle crash in Jalan Tanjung Lumpur, in the west of the country, early Saturday morning, according to The Sinar Daily.

Hafizzan was riding her motorcycle when another motorist, a 20-year-old student, allegedly collided into her at 2.30am.

Kuantan District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Ashari Abu Samah said: 'Upon reaching the location, the victim was riding straight in the right lane. Suddenly, a motorcycle ridden by the student approached from behind and crashed into her.'

Samah believes the student swerved to the left in order to avoid Auni's vehicle. But Auni allegedly also moved the direction of her bike at the same time as the other driver.

They collided into one another after allegedly moving their vehicles at the same time and in the same direction.

Malaysian TikToker Nurul Athira Auni Mohamad Hafizzan has tragically died at age 21

Auni was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver incurred injuries to his hands, elbows, and thighs.

Auni's body was taken to Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital for a post-mortem examination, while the other driver was taken in for treatment at the same hospital.

An investigation into reckless or dangerous driving causing death is now underway.

Auni had more than 77,000 followers on her TikTok account, which has since been deleted, according to People.

On the social media platform, she livestreamed making roti canai (an Indian flatbread) while working at her father's food stall.

A friend of hers posted a video of her spreading roti canai as they paid tribute to Auni following her passing on TikTok.

'On Friday, you asked me to record a video of you spreading roti canai for the last time, as if you already knew that night you were going to go make it,' TikTok user nauraa_517 wrote in an English translation of the post's caption.

In the comments, fans grieved the loss of the social media star.

The friend also posted a touching post memorializing their late friend

'always watch her live n admiring her beauty all the day, after i wokeup i saw tiktok that she no more i m shocked , we miss u auni, rest in peace,' one wrote.

'Even though I don't know you, I feel so lost,' another wrote in a comment translated into English.

The friend also posted a touching post memorializing their late friend.

'Al Fatihah sister,' the friend captioned the post uploaded in memory of Auni.
Volatility & Risk

DXI Capital has a beta of 137.13, suggesting that its stock price is 13,613% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Barnwell Industries has a beta of -0.56, suggesting that its stock price is 156% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares DXI Capital and Barnwell Industries net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets DXI Capital N/A N/A -770.61% Barnwell Industries -34.01% -48.90% -22.57%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

40.7% of Barnwell Industries shares are owned by institutional investors. 17.6% of Barnwell Industries shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio DXI Capital N/A N/A -$140,000.00 ($0.01) -20.20 Barnwell Industries $13.70 million 1.05 -$5.57 million ($0.70) -1.64

This table compares DXI Capital and Barnwell Industriess revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

DXI Capital has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Barnwell Industries. DXI Capital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Barnwell Industries, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

About DXI Capital

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DXI Capital Corp. does not have signification operations. Previously, it was engaged in the exploration and development of oil and gas properties in North America. The company was formerly known as DXI Energy Inc. and changed its name to DXI Capital Corp. in September 2020. DXI Capital Corp. was incorporated in 1968 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

About Barnwell Industries

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Barnwell Industries, Inc. acquires, develops, produces, and sells oil and natural gas in Canada. The company operates through three segments: Oil and Natural Gas, Land Investment, and Contract Drilling. It also acquires and develops crude oil and natural gas assets in the province of Alberta, as well as invests in land interests in Hawaii. In addition, the company owns and operates threes water well drilling rigs, two pump rigs, and other ancillary drilling and pump equipment; and drills water and water monitoring wells of varying depths. Further, it installs and repairs water pumping systems; and distributes trillium flow technologies. Barnwell Industries, Inc. was incorporated in 1956 and is based in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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HDFC Bank (NYSE:HDB  Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded HDFC Bank from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of HDFC Bank in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HDFC Bank has an average rating of Moderate Buy.

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HDFC Bank Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:HDB opened at $36.46 on Friday. HDFC Bank has a twelve month low of $28.89 and a twelve month high of $39.81. The stocks 50 day moving average is $36.21 and its 200-day moving average is $36.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $185.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.16, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.57.

HDFC Bank (NYSE:HDB  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, October 18th. The bank reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.08. HDFC Bank had a net margin of 14.94% and a return on equity of 11.49%. The business had revenue of $8.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.98 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that HDFC Bank will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HDFC Bank

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in HDFC Bank during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in HDFC Bank in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of HDFC Bank by 112.0% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 549 shares of the banks stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of HDFC Bank by 136.4% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 676 shares of the banks stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of HDFC Bank by 358.4% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 706 shares of the banks stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. 17.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HDFC Bank Company Profile

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HDFC Bank Limited is one of Indias leading private sector banks, headquartered in Mumbai. Incorporated in 1994 and promoted by Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), the bank provides a full range of banking and financial services to retail, small and medium-sized enterprises, and corporate customers. It is publicly listed and also accessible to international investors through American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HDB.

The banks core activities include retail banking (deposit accounts, personal loans, home loans, auto loans, and credit cards), commercial and corporate banking (working capital finance, term lending, trade finance and treasury services), and transaction banking (cash management and payment solutions).

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NiSource (NYSE:NI  Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a hold rating to a sell rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

NI has been the subject of several other research reports. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of NiSource from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of NiSource to a strong-buy rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of NiSource from a hold rating to a buy rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $46.00 to $50.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of NiSource from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on NiSource from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. One 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 companys stock. According to MarketBeat, NiSource currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $46.67.

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NiSource Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NiSource stock opened at $42.16 on Friday. NiSource has a twelve month low of $35.51 and a twelve month high of $44.88. The stock has a market cap of $20.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $42.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.94.

NiSource (NYSE:NI  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.01). NiSource had a return on equity of 8.09% and a net margin of 14.15%.The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $983.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.20 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.07 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 1.870-1.89 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that NiSource will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at NiSource

In related news, EVP Kimberly S. Cuccia sold 8,000 shares of NiSource stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.13, for a total value of $345,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 41,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,778,983.11. This trade represents a 16.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of NiSource by 55,625.2% during the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 16,866,898 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $680,411,000 after acquiring an additional 16,836,630 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in NiSource during the second quarter valued at $296,543,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of NiSource by 2,288.8% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,166,313 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $137,101,000 after purchasing an additional 3,033,764 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of NiSource by 88.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 5,535,924 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $221,935,000 after buying an additional 2,605,923 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in shares of NiSource in the 3rd quarter valued at about $84,086,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.64% of the companys stock.

About NiSource

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NiSource, Inc (NYSE: NI) is a publicly traded energy holding company headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana, that primarily owns and operates regulated local gas and electric utilities in the United States. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company delivers natural gas and electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers and provides the associated distribution and transmission services that keep local energy systems functioning.

The companys core activities include natural gas distribution, electric transmission and distribution, system operations, maintenance and emergency response.

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Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF  Free Report) had its price objective raised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $95.00 to $98.00 in a research note published on Friday,Benzinga reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has an outperform rating on the financial services providers stock.

SYF has been the subject of several other reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Synchrony Financial from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of Synchrony Financial from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a market outperform rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $78.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on Synchrony Financial from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a neutral rating and issued a $75.00 price target (down previously from $80.00) on shares of Synchrony Financial in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $84.00.

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Synchrony Financial Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:SYF opened at $84.63 on Friday. Synchrony Financial has a 52-week low of $40.54 and a 52-week high of $86.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $78.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $3.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.79 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 22.96% and a net margin of 15.84%.The firms revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, October 15th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 3.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the companys management believes its shares are undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 5th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 5th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Synchrony Financials dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Jonathan S. Mothner sold 32,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.80, for a total value of $2,329,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 127,100 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,252,880. The trade was a 20.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Curtis Howse sold 12,086 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.02, for a total transaction of $894,605.72. Following the transaction, the insider owned 108,271 shares in the company, valued at $8,014,219.42. This represents a 10.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 55,075 shares of company stock valued at $4,036,892. Company insiders own 0.33% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Synchrony Financial during the second quarter valued at about $299,360,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Synchrony Financial by 34.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,595,381 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $907,356,000 after buying an additional 3,494,741 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 48.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 4,349,059 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $309,001,000 after acquiring an additional 1,416,909 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 149.4% during the 3rd quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 1,803,690 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $127,844,000 after acquiring an additional 1,080,389 shares during the period. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in Synchrony Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $64,429,000. 96.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Synchrony Financial Company Profile

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Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF) is a consumer financial services company that specializes in providing point-of-sale financing and private-label, co-branded and branded credit card programs. The company serves as a payments and lending partner to retailers, digital merchants and service providers, offering consumer financing solutions designed to drive customer engagement and sales. Synchrony also operates a direct bank that offers deposit products, including savings accounts and certificates of deposit, which support its funding and customer-facing product suite.

Its core product set includes private-label and co-branded credit cards, general-purpose credit cards, installment loan programs and promotional financing options that are integrated into merchants checkout experiences.

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State Street (NYSE:STT  Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Several other analysts also recently commented on STT. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on State Street in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an outperform rating and a $130.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research downgraded shares of State Street from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of State Street from $109.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating and issued a $168.00 target price on shares of State Street in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Cowen reiterated a buy rating on shares of State Street in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, State Street has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $130.27.

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State Street Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of STT stock opened at $129.08 on Friday. State Street has a fifty-two week low of $72.81 and a fifty-two week high of $133.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.59. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.24. The company has a market cap of $36.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.66, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.43.

State Street (NYSE:STT  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 17th. The asset manager reported $2.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $0.21. State Street had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 13.37%. The company had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.26 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that State Street will post 9.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at State Street

In other news, EVP Michael L. Richards sold 1,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.24, for a total transaction of $175,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 38,626 shares in the company, valued at $4,528,512.24. This trade represents a 3.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On State Street

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in State Street by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,273,567 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $241,862,000 after buying an additional 49,475 shares during the last quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in State Street in the 3rd quarter worth $4,048,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. increased its position in shares of State Street by 3.8% in the second quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 246,361 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $26,198,000 after acquiring an additional 9,101 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of State Street by 7.8% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 378,489 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $40,249,000 after acquiring an additional 27,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of State Street by 42.8% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 32,130 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $3,414,000 after acquiring an additional 9,625 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the companys stock.

About State Street

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State Street Corporation is a global financial services company that provides a range of investment servicing, investment management and investment research and trading services to institutional investors. Its principal activities include custody and fund administration, securities lending, performance and risk analytics, trading and execution services, and foreign exchange. The company also offers investment management through State Street Global Advisors, a major provider of exchange-traded funds and institutional investment strategies.

State Street serves a broad client base of asset managers, insurance companies, pension funds, endowments, and other institutions across North America, Europe, Asia and other global markets.

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Accenture (NYSE:ACN  Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by research analysts at Rothschild & Co Redburn from $205.00 to $210.00 in a report issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a neutral rating on the information technology services providers stock. Rothschild & Co Redburns price target would suggest a potential downside of 19.16% from the stocks current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on ACN. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Accenture from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a buy rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Accenture presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $294.96.

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Accenture Stock Performance

NYSE:ACN opened at $259.78 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. Accenture has a fifty-two week low of $229.40 and a fifty-two week high of $398.35. The firm has a market cap of $159.92 billion, a PE ratio of 21.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $257.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $260.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. Accenture had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. The company had revenue of $18.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.59 EPS. The firms revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Accenture will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In related news, insider Manish Sharma sold 6,902 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.01, for a total value of $1,725,569.02. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,860 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $465,018.60. This trade represents a 78.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 2,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.47, for a total value of $623,675.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,390 shares of the companys stock, valued at $346,763.30. This represents a 64.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 33,319 shares of company stock worth $8,335,225. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Accenture by 2.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,129,782 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $19,466,641,000 after buying an additional 1,315,548 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,135,065 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $6,938,156,000 after acquiring an additional 118,460 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of Accenture by 41.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,128,134 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $4,223,839,000 after acquiring an additional 4,984,930 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Accenture by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,042,843 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $4,182,331,000 after purchasing an additional 147,931 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Accenture by 12.8% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,147,796 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $2,502,446,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148,970 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Accenture Company Profile

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Accenture is a global professional services company that provides a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. The firm works with organizations across industries to design and implement business transformation programs, deploy and manage enterprise technology, optimize operations, and develop customer and digital experiences. Its offerings encompass management and technology consulting, systems integration, application and infrastructure services, cloud migration and managed services, as well as security and analytics capabilities.

The company delivers industry- and function-specific solutions, combining consulting expertise with proprietary tools, platforms and partnerships with major technology vendors.

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Shares of NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE:SMR  Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of Reduce from the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $35.1786.

Several research analysts have recently commented on SMR shares. UBS Group set a $20.00 price objective on NuScale Power in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Zacks Research raised shares of NuScale Power from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of NuScale Power from a neutral rating to an underperform rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Barclays started coverage on shares of NuScale Power in a report on Monday, September 29th. They set an equal weight rating and a $45.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of NuScale Power from $27.00 to $23.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th.

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Insider Activity

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NuScale Power

In other NuScale Power news, Director Corp Fluor sold 820,861 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.68, for a total transaction of $33,392,625.48. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 87,900 shares in the company, valued at $3,575,772. This trade represents a 90.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink . Also, CFO Robert Ramsey Hamady sold 40,000 shares of NuScale Power stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.17, for a total transaction of $886,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 46,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,026,094.11. This trade represents a 46.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 948,761 shares of company stock worth $37,758,507 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the companys stock.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. CX Institutional bought a new stake in NuScale Power in the third quarter worth $25,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of NuScale Power in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Strategic Advocates LLC purchased a new stake in NuScale Power during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in NuScale Power by 84.5% during the 2nd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 784 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 359 shares during the period. Finally, Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co bought a new position in NuScale Power during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 78.37% of the companys stock.

NuScale Power Price Performance

SMR opened at $16.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.84 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.67 and a beta of 2.12. NuScale Power has a one year low of $11.08 and a one year high of $57.42. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $23.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.99.

NuScale Power (NYSE:SMR  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($1.85) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.11) by ($1.74). The business had revenue of $8.24 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.29 million. NuScale Power had a negative net margin of 594.63% and a negative return on equity of 51.27%. NuScale Powers quarterly revenue was up 1635.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.18) EPS. On average, analysts expect that NuScale Power will post -0.73 earnings per share for the current year.

NuScale Power Company Profile

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NuScale Power Corporation, trading on the NYSE American under the ticker SMR, is a pioneering developer of small modular nuclear reactors. Established in 2007 as a spinout from Oregon State University, the company is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. NuScales mission is to deliver zero-carbon baseload power through scalable modular reactor technology, aiming to transform traditional nuclear energy deployment.

At the core of NuScales offering is the VOYGR small modular reactor design, featuring 77-megawatt electric (MWe) modules with passive safety systems.

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APi Group Corporation (NYSE:APG  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $40.63 and last traded at $40.4620, with a volume of 1273651 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $38.97.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on APG shares. CJS Securities upgraded APi Group to a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating and set a $45.00 target price (up from $43.00) on shares of APi Group in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an outperform rating on shares of APi Group in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of APi Group from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c+) rating on shares of APi Group in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $38.81.

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APi Group Trading Up 3.7%

The businesss 50 day moving average price is $37.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $35.89. The company has a market cap of $16.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 110.18 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.48.

APi Group (NYSE:APG  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.02. APi Group had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 21.86%. The business had revenue of $2.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that APi Group Corporation will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Martin E. Franklin sold 340,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.09, for a total transaction of $12,270,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 18,968,790 shares in the company, valued at $684,583,631.10. This trade represents a 1.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 900,000 shares of company stock valued at $32,342,000. Corporate insiders own 17.00% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bares Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in APi Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of APi Group by 105.7% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 831 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 427 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of APi Group by 55.3% in the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 834 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners raised its stake in shares of APi Group by 50.0% in the third quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 858 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in shares of APi Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. 86.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

APi Group Company Profile

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APi Group Corp. is a global specialty contractor that provides fire protection, security, mechanical insulation and energy services to commercial, industrial and institutional clients. Headquartered in New Brighton, Minnesota, the company designs, installs, inspects, tests, maintains and repairs a wide range of safety and infrastructure systems. Through its network of operating subsidiaries, APi Group delivers end-to-end solutions for new construction, facility renovations and ongoing maintenance requirements.

Its service portfolio spans life safety and industrial servicessuch as fire suppression systems, fire alarms and emergency lightingand specialized offerings including technical insulation, access solutions, passive fire protection and energy efficiency upgrades.

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ASOS Plc (LON:ASC  Get Free Report) insider William Barker purchased 5,527 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 278 per share, for a total transaction of 15,365.06.

William Barker also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Tuesday, December 30th, William Barker bought 4,344 shares of ASOS stock. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 276 per share, for a total transaction of 11,989.44.

On Wednesday, December 31st, William Barker bought 62,040 shares of ASOS stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 275 per share, with a total value of 170,610.

ASOS Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of ASC stock opened at GBX 283.53 on Monday. The firms 50 day moving average price is GBX 253.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 280.42. The stock has a market cap of 338.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -1.26 and a beta of 2.86. ASOS Plc has a fifty-two week low of GBX 215 and a fifty-two week high of GBX 445.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 187.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASOS ( LON:ASC Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 21st. The company reported GBX (250.10) earnings per share for the quarter. ASOS had a negative return on equity of 59.37% and a negative net margin of 11.66%. On average, analysts anticipate that ASOS Plc will post 12.4165252 EPS for the current year.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ASC shares. Panmure Gordon reiterated a hold rating and issued a GBX 350 target price on shares of ASOS in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Shore Capital reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a GBX 400 price objective on shares of ASOS in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Peel Hunt reaffirmed an add rating and issued a GBX 335 target price on shares of ASOS in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a GBX 600 price objective on shares of ASOS in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on ASOS from GBX 440 to GBX 375 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of GBX 383.33.

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About ASOS

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ASOS Plc operates as an online fashion retailer in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, and internationally. It offers womenswear and menswear products. The company sells its products under the ASOS Design, ASOS Edition, ASOS Luxe, ASOS 4505, Collusion, Reclaimed Vintage, Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, HIIT, AsYou, Dark Future, UNRVLLD/SPPLY, Crooked Tongues, Daysocial, Actual, and Weekend Collective brands, as well as through third-party brands.

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BE Semiconductor Industries NV (OTCMKTS:BESIY  Get Free Report)s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $179.05 and last traded at $177.50, with a volume of 1217 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $174.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BESIY has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of BE Semiconductor Industries from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an outperform rating on shares of BE Semiconductor Industries in a report on Sunday. UBS Group reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of BE Semiconductor Industries in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating on shares of BE Semiconductor Industries in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy.

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BE Semiconductor Industries Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $13.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 90.83 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a quick ratio of 5.02, a current ratio of 5.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $157.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $150.03.

BE Semiconductor Industries (OTCMKTS:BESIY  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $154.12 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.84 million. BE Semiconductor Industries had a net margin of 25.42% and a return on equity of 33.98%. As a group, research analysts predict that BE Semiconductor Industries NV will post 4.56 EPS for the current year.

BE Semiconductor Industries Company Profile

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BE Semiconductor Industries NV (OTCMKTS:BESIY), commonly known as BESI, is a global supplier of assembly equipment for the semiconductor industry. The company designs, develops and manufactures capital equipment used in the back-end production of semiconductor devices, including die attach, wire bonding and flip chip packaging systems. BESIs platforms support a wide range of applications from memory and logic chips to advanced power devices and radio-frequency modules, enabling high precision, throughput and yield in device assembly and test processes.

Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Duiven, the Netherlands, BESI went public on Euronext Amsterdam in 1999.

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Shares of Knife River Corporation (NYSE:KNF  Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of Moderate Buy by the eight research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $96.3333.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on KNF shares. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Knife River from $120.00 to $100.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Knife River in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. They set a neutral rating and a $83.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Knife River in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Knife River from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Knife River from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday.

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Knife River Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KNF opened at $72.39 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.47. Knife River has a 52 week low of $58.72 and a 52 week high of $108.83. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $71.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $76.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Knife River (NYSE:KNF  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.22 billion. Knife River had a return on equity of 9.97% and a net margin of 4.87%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Knife River will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knife River

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new position in Knife River in the 3rd quarter valued at $169,020,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Knife River by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,101,198 shares of the companys stock worth $171,542,000 after acquiring an additional 12,308 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Knife River by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,395,726 shares of the companys stock worth $113,960,000 after acquiring an additional 15,464 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Knife River by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,272,829 shares of the companys stock valued at $103,914,000 after acquiring an additional 35,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Knife River by 2.6% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,247,486 shares of the companys stock worth $95,880,000 after acquiring an additional 31,560 shares during the last quarter. 80.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Knife River

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Knife River Corporation, headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota, is a leading integrated construction materials and contracting company in the western United States. The company specializes in producing and supplying aggregates, asphalt mix, ready-mixed concrete and other heavy construction materials used in highway, commercial and residential projects.

In addition to material production, Knife River offers a comprehensive suite of contracting services, including heavy civil construction, road building, underground and open-pit mining and logistics support.

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Shares of Manulife Financial Co. (TSE:MFC  Get Free Report) (NYSE:MFC) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$51.25.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Manulife Financial from C$49.00 to C$52.00 in a research report on Friday, November 14th. National Bankshares lifted their target price on shares of Manulife Financial from C$47.00 to C$52.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Barclays increased their price objective on Manulife Financial from C$47.00 to C$48.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Securities lifted their target price on shares of Manulife Financial from C$54.00 to C$57.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised Manulife Financial to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

Manulife Financial Stock Down 0.1%

In other Manulife Financial news, insider Shamus Edward Weiland sold 88,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$48.95, for a total transaction of C$4,332,075.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 53,495 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$2,618,580.25. This represents a 62.33% decrease in their position. Also, insider Rahim Hirji sold 25,048 shares of the firms 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 sale, the insider directly owned 31,315 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$1,510,948.75. The trade was a 44.44% decrease in their position. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the companys stock.

MFC opened at C$49.80 on Wednesday. Manulife Financial has a twelve month low of C$36.93 and a twelve month high of C$50.50. The companys 50-day moving average price is C$48.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$44.89. The stock has a market cap of C$83.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.96, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.01.

Manulife Financial (TSE:MFC  Get Free Report) (NYSE:MFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The financial services provider reported C$1.16 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$26.23 billion for the quarter. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 12.52% and a return on equity of 11.75%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Manulife Financial will post 3.6104452 earnings per share for the current year.

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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Buenaventura Mining Company Inc. (NYSE:BVN  Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $30.17 and last traded at $29.8420, with a volume of 397728 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $28.59.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BVN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Buenaventura Mining from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Buenaventura Mining in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised Buenaventura Mining from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their target price on Buenaventura Mining from $27.50 to $27.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $27.00.

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Buenaventura Mining Trading Up 3.9%

The company has a market capitalization of $7.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.52 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.27, a quick ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $25.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.64.

Buenaventura Mining (NYSE:BVN  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The mining company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $431.04 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $355.57 million. Buenaventura Mining had a net margin of 30.70% and a return on equity of 11.76%. On average, equities analysts predict that Buenaventura Mining Company Inc. will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Buenaventura Mining Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 19th were given a $0.1446 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 19th. Buenaventura Minings dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.71%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BVN. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in Buenaventura Mining by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 8,615 shares of the mining companys stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich lifted its holdings in shares of Buenaventura Mining by 1.9% during the third quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 44,927 shares of the mining companys stock worth $1,093,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Buenaventura Mining by 18.8% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,111 shares of the mining companys stock worth $197,000 after purchasing an additional 1,283 shares during the last quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA increased its holdings in Buenaventura Mining by 14.9% in the third quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 10,800 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC raised its position in Buenaventura Mining by 60.9% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 3,761 shares of the mining companys stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,424 shares during the last quarter.

About Buenaventura Mining

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Compania de Minas Buenaventura SAA. (NYSE: BVN) is one of Perus leading precious metals producers, primarily engaged in the exploration, development and operation of gold, silver and base metal mines. Headquartered in Lima, the companys core activities cover the entire mining cycle from concession acquisition and project evaluation to extraction, milling and metal refining. Buenaventura also holds interests in smelting, refining and trading services, enabling it to market its products both domestically and internationally.

The companys principal assets include several operating mines in Peru such as Uchucchacua (silver-lead-zinc), Orcopampa (gold-silver) and the Tambomayo gold mine.

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California Resources Corporation (NYSE:CRC  Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of Moderate Buy by the thirteen brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $64.3636.

CRC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $56.00 target price (down from $58.00) on shares of California Resources in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Mizuho raised their price objective on California Resources from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. UBS Group set a $64.00 price objective on California Resources and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of California Resources from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of California Resources from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th.

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California Resources Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CRC opened at $46.34 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.88 billion, a PE ratio of 10.78 and a beta of 1.15. The firms 50 day moving average price is $46.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $48.51. California Resources has a twelve month low of $30.97 and a twelve month high of $58.41.

California Resources (NYSE:CRC  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.15. California Resources had a net margin of 10.60% and a return on equity of 11.59%. The business had revenue of $855.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $888.58 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. The firms revenue was down 36.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that California Resources will post 3.85 EPS for the current year.

California Resources Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. This is an increase from California Resourcess previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. California Resourcess payout ratio is currently 37.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On California Resources

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in California Resources by 29.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 956 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its holdings in California Resources by 82.5% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 500 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of California Resources by 21.1% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of California Resources by 4.7% in the third quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 5,301 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its position in shares of California Resources by 2.4% during the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 16,364 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $870,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.79% of the companys stock.

About California Resources

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California Resources Corporation (NYSE: CRC) is an independent exploration and production company focused exclusively on developing oil and natural gas assets in California. Headquartered in Newport Beach, the company engages in hydraulic fracturing, well completions, reservoir management and enhanced recovery operations to produce crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids.

CRCs operations are concentrated in three core regions: the Los Angeles Basin, the Ventura Basin and the San Joaquin Basin.

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Carvana (NYSE:CVNA  Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by Gordon Haskett from $445.00 to $435.00 in a report released on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the stock. Gordon Hasketts price target would indicate a potential upside of 7.88% from the stocks previous close.

CVNA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. DA Davidson set a $360.00 price objective on shares of Carvana in a report on Thursday, October 30th. BTIG Research reissued a buy rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Carvana in a report on Friday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Carvana from $475.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Stephens reiterated an overweight rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Carvana in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a buy rating and issued a $500.00 target price on shares of Carvana in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Carvana presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $451.14.

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Carvana Trading Up 0.7%

CVNA opened at $403.23 on Monday. Carvana has a fifty-two week low of $148.25 and a fifty-two week high of $485.33. The company has a market cap of $87.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 92.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 3.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 4.05 and a quick ratio of 2.55. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $380.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $363.32.

Carvana (NYSE:CVNA  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.26). Carvana had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 30.62%. The company had revenue of $5.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.64 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 54.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Carvana will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Carvana

In other news, Director Michael E. Maroone sold 30,928 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.34, for a total transaction of $12,381,715.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 143,573 shares of the companys stock, valued at $57,478,014.82. This trade represents a 17.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Benjamin E. Huston sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $439.50, for a total transaction of $17,580,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 100,758 shares of the companys stock, valued at $44,283,141. The trade was a 28.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 455,582 shares of company stock valued at $186,714,293 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 16.36% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Carvana

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in shares of Carvana in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in Carvana by 8,700.0% during the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 88 shares of the companys stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in Carvana by 960.0% during the 2nd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 106 shares of the companys stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in Carvana during the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Carvana in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.71% of the companys stock.

About Carvana

(Get Free Report)

Carvana Co is an online-only retailer of used vehicles that operates a consumer-facing e-commerce platform for buying and selling cars. The company markets and sells inspected, reconditioned pre-owned vehicles through its website, where shoppers can browse inventory, view detailed 360-degree photos and vehicle history reports, finance purchases, and arrange delivery or pickup. Carvanas model is built around a digital end-to-end car buying experience that aims to simplify vehicle transactions compared with traditional dealerships.

Its products and services include direct retail sales of used cars, trade-in and purchase offers for consumer vehicles, vehicle financing and related protection products, and a seven-day return policy that allows customers to test a vehicle in everyday use.

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Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C  Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $123.04 and last traded at $123.1750, with a volume of 2619200 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $118.70.

Citigroup News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

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Positive Sentiment: Citi was appointed joint lead for a large $1.4 billion IPO for Indias top asset manager  a feegenerating mandate that boosts Citis investmentbanking pipeline in a fastgrowing market. Indias Top Asset Manager Taps Citi, HSBC for $1.4 Billion IPO  Bloomberg

Citi was appointed joint lead for a large $1.4 billion IPO for Indias top asset manager  a feegenerating mandate that boosts Citis investmentbanking pipeline in a fastgrowing market. Positive Sentiment: Citi topped Indias 2025 M&A advisory league table, signaling continued strength in Asia fees where banks have been expanding market share  a positive indicator for recurring advisory revenue. Citigroup tops Indias 2025 M&A advisory league table

Citi topped Indias 2025 M&A advisory league table, signaling continued strength in Asia fees where banks have been expanding market share  a positive indicator for recurring advisory revenue. Positive Sentiment: Recent operating/valuation context is supportive: Citigroups last reported quarter beat EPS and revenue expectations and the stocks valuation metrics (moderate P/E, low PEG) make positive surprises on fees and margins more impactful for the share price.

Recent operating/valuation context is supportive: Citigroups last reported quarter beat EPS and revenue expectations and the stocks valuation metrics (moderate P/E, low PEG) make positive surprises on fees and margins more impactful for the share price. Neutral Sentiment: Multiple global macro and sector stories (e.g., evolving U.S. policy on crypto services, shifting tech/AI narratives) could influence capital markets activity and transaction volumes  ambiguous nearterm effect on Citis trading and investmentbanking revenue. PWC Leans Into Cryptocurrency After Trumpera Policy Shift

Multiple global macro and sector stories (e.g., evolving U.S. policy on crypto services, shifting tech/AI narratives) could influence capital markets activity and transaction volumes  ambiguous nearterm effect on Citis trading and investmentbanking revenue. Negative Sentiment: Heightened geopolitical risk (recent violent developments in Venezuela and broader market reactions) can tighten risk premia and reduce deal activity or loan demand, which would be a headwind for Citis markets and advisory businesses if volatility persists. Cuba says 32 citizens killed in U.S. raid to arrest Venezuelas Maduro  CNBC

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on C shares. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Citigroup from $123.00 to $120.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Citigroup in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $118.00 price target on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. UBS Group reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $115.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Citigroup has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $118.75.

Citigroup Trading Up 4.4%

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 market capitalization of $221.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $107.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.71.

Citigroup (NYSE:C  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The company reported $2.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.35. Citigroup had a return on equity of 7.91% and a net margin of 8.73%.The business had revenue of $22.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.51 EPS. The companys revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Citigroup Inc. will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Monday, November 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 3rd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Citigroups payout ratio is presently 33.71%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of C. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Citigroup by 166.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,990 shares of the companys stock worth $1,407,000 after acquiring an additional 12,499 shares in the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Citigroup by 74.6% during the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 2,292 shares of the companys stock valued at $163,000 after purchasing an additional 979 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its position in Citigroup by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 6,024 shares of the companys stock valued at $428,000 after buying an additional 683 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Citigroup by 4.7% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 130,167 shares of the companys stock valued at $9,241,000 after acquiring an additional 5,831 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Plancorp LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Citigroup during the first quarter valued at about $223,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.72% of the companys stock.

About Citigroup

(Get Free Report)

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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D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its holdings in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,138,676 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after purchasing an additional 70,161 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. owned about 0.06% of Pfizer worth $79,973,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 20.6% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 31,762 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $809,000 after acquiring an additional 5,422 shares during the period. O ROURKE & COMPANY Inc raised its position in Pfizer by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. O ROURKE & COMPANY Inc now owns 18,045 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $460,000 after buying an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its position in Pfizer by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 64,446 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,642,000 after acquiring an additional 7,763 shares during the last quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 38,064 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $970,000 after acquiring an additional 2,219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Five Oceans Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 7.7% in the third quarter. Five Oceans Advisors now owns 8,990 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 644 shares during the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Pfizer Stock Performance

PFE opened at $25.17 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Pfizer Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.92 and a 12-month high of $27.69. The business has a 50 day moving average of $25.18 and a 200-day moving average of $24.92. The stock has a market cap of $143.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.64 and a beta of 0.47.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

Pfizer ( NYSE:PFE Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.08. Pfizer had a return on equity of 20.17% and a net margin of 15.65%.The business had revenue of $16.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.94 billion. Pfizer has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, January 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.8%. Pfizers payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on PFE. Cowen reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a market perform rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Friday, October 31st. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a neutral rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $28.06.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on PFE

About Pfizer

(Free Report)

Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) is a multinational biopharmaceutical company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1849 by Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes a broad range of medicines and vaccines for human health. Its activities span discovery research, clinical development, regulatory affairs, manufacturing and global commercial distribution across multiple therapeutic areas.

Pfizers portfolio and pipeline cover oncology, immunology, cardiology, endocrinology, rare diseases, hospital acute care and anti-infectives, along with a substantial vaccine business.

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D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (BATS:QUAL  Free Report) by 5.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 584,713 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 31,968 shares during the quarter. iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF comprises approximately 0.7% of D.A. Davidson & CO.s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. D.A. Davidson & CO. owned approximately 0.20% of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF worth $113,727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 13,080.9% during the 2nd quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 2,481,960 shares of the companys stock worth $453,752,000 after purchasing an additional 2,463,130 shares during the period. Soundwatch Capital LLC raised its position in iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 72,284.9% in the 2nd quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,437,924 shares of the companys stock worth $445,701,000 after purchasing an additional 2,434,556 shares during the period. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. lifted its stake in iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 4,818.8% in the second quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 1,716,464 shares of the companys stock worth $313,849,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681,568 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF in the second quarter worth about $305,974,000. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 213.6% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,891,522 shares of the companys stock valued at $323,242,000 after buying an additional 1,288,398 shares during the period.

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iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF Stock Performance

QUAL opened at $199.18 on Monday. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $197.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.45. iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF has a one year low of $148.34 and a one year high of $187.26. The stock has a market cap of $57.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.59 and a beta of 1.05.

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. QUAL was launched on Jul 18, 2013 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding QUAL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (BATS:QUAL  Free Report).

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D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP  Free Report) by 3.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 154,528 shares of the railroad operators stock after purchasing an additional 5,258 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $36,526,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNP. State of Wyoming raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 51.8% in the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 390 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.2% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 189,976 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $44,382,000 after buying an additional 4,090 shares during the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. raised its stake in Union Pacific by 25.1% in the first quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 1,884 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $445,000 after buying an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth about $5,403,000. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 17,635 shares of the railroad operators stock worth $4,166,000 after acquiring an additional 1,430 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $231.76 on Monday. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $228.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $227.04. The firm has a market cap of $137.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.99. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $204.66 and a 12-month high of $256.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

Union Pacific ( NYSE:UNP Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.09. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.73% and a return on equity of 42.23%. The firm had revenue of $6.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.75 EPS. Union Pacifics revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Union Pacifics dividend payout ratio is 46.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UNP. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c+) rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $258.00 to $257.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $280.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $277.00 to $275.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $260.33.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on UNP

About Union Pacific

(Free Report)

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacifics core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western twothirds of the United States.

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D.A. Davidson & CO. lessened its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS  Free Report) by 32.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 224,547 shares of the companys stock after selling 106,074 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.s holdings in Novartis were worth $28,796,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Novartis by 5.3% during the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 7,121,414 shares of the companys stock worth $861,762,000 after acquiring an additional 358,282 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its position in Novartis by 1.4% in the second quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 5,581,576 shares of the companys stock valued at $675,427,000 after acquiring an additional 78,483 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Novartis by 60.3% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,660,485 shares of the companys stock worth $408,071,000 after purchasing an additional 1,377,252 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Novartis by 8.0% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,736,891 shares of the companys stock worth $210,181,000 after buying an additional 128,302 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in Novartis by 0.8% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,597,830 shares of the companys stock worth $195,552,000 after buying an additional 12,345 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NVS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. HSBC reiterated a reduce rating and issued a $112.00 price objective on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, December 29th. Cowen reiterated a hold rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, November 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Novartis from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Novartis from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $119.75.

Novartis Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NVS opened at $138.50 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $292.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.51. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $131.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $126.27. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $97.18 and a 1-year high of $140.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.68.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.26 by ($0.01). Novartis had a net margin of 26.49% and a return on equity of 41.21%. The business had revenue of $14.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.06 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Profile

(Free Report)

Novartis is a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Basel that researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines and related health-care products. Formed through the 1996 merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz, Novartis operates globally and focuses on bringing therapeutics from discovery through clinical development to commercial markets worldwide.

The companys activities center on innovative pharmaceuticals across several therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neuroscience and ophthalmology, alongside capabilities in advanced therapies such as biologics, cell and gene therapies.

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Daito Trust Construction Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:DIFTY  Get Free Report)s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $4.90, but opened at $4.7525. Daito Trust Construction shares last traded at $4.85, with a volume of 69,195 shares.

Daito Trust Construction Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $4.76 and a 200 day moving average of $16.75.

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About Daito Trust Construction

(Get Free Report)

Daito Trust Construction Co, Ltd. (OTCMKTS: DIFTY) is a Japan-based construction and real estate services firm specializing in the development and management of rental residential properties, commercial facilities and related infrastructure. The company provides end-to-end solutions that span site acquisition, architectural design, construction, leasing support and ongoing property administration. Leveraging a vertically integrated model, Daito Trust Construction aims to streamline project delivery and optimize operational efficiency for landlords and tenants alike.

In its core rental housing segment, the company offers a comprehensive suite of services, including property management, tenant recruitment, rent collection and routine facility maintenance.

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Seabridge Gold (NYSE:SA  Get Free Report) and Solgold (OTCMKTS:SLGGF  Get Free Report) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Seabridge Gold and Solgold, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Seabridge Gold 1 1 1 0 2.00 Solgold 0 0 0 0 0.00

Seabridge Gold presently has a consensus target price of $65.00, suggesting a potential upside of 118.52%. Given Seabridge Golds stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Seabridge Gold is more favorable than Solgold.

Volatility & Risk

Institutional & Insider Ownership

Seabridge Gold has a beta of 0.82, meaning that its stock price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Solgold has a beta of 1.22, meaning that its stock price is 22% more volatile than the S&P 500.

34.9% of Seabridge Gold shares are owned by institutional investors. 12.8% of Seabridge Gold shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Seabridge Gold and Solgolds top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Seabridge Gold N/A N/A -$22.80 million ($0.38) -78.28 Solgold N/A N/A -$36.25 million ($0.01) -36.58

Seabridge Gold is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Solgold, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Seabridge Gold and Solgolds net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Seabridge Gold N/A -5.16% -3.16% Solgold N/A -26.92% -12.63%

Summary

Seabridge Gold beats Solgold on 8 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Seabridge Gold

(Get Free Report)

Seabridge Gold Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition and exploration of gold properties in North America. The company also explores for gold, copper, silver, and molybdenum deposits. The company was formerly known as Seabridge Resources Inc. and changed its name to Seabridge Gold Inc. in June 2002. Seabridge Gold Inc. was incorporated in 1979 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

About Solgold

(Get Free Report)

SolGold Plc, a mineral exploration and development company, explores for and develops mineral properties in Ecuador, Australia, Chile, and Solomon Islands. The company primarily explores for copper, gold, silver, and molybdenum deposits. Its flagship project is the Cascabel Project that covers an area of approximately 50 square kilometers located in Imbabura province, Northern Ecuador. The company was formerly known as Solomon Gold plc and changed its name to SolGold plc in May 2012. SolGold Plc was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia.

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Graham Corporation (NYSE:GHM  Get Free Report)s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $72.99 and last traded at $72.40, with a volume of 42286 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $66.38.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Graham from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Sunday, November 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b-) rating on shares of Graham in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Graham from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Noble Financial lowered shares of Graham from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Graham currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $60.00.

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Graham Trading Up 7.6%

The companys 50-day simple moving average is $61.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $784.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.58 and a beta of 0.93.

Graham (NYSE:GHM  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $66.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $57.55 million. Graham had a return on equity of 12.44% and a net margin of 6.00%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Graham Corporation will post 1.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graham

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in Graham in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in shares of Graham in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Graham by 62.8% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,063 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Graham by 130.5% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,178 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 667 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank boosted its stake in Graham by 396.2% during the third quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 1,052 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 840 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.46% of the companys stock.

Graham Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Graham Corporation (NYSE: GHM) is a U.S.-based industrial engineering company that designs, manufactures and services vacuum and heat transfer equipment. Its core offerings include liquid ring vacuum pumps, surface condensers, heat exchangers and custom-engineered vacuum systems. These products play a critical role in energy-intensive industries, where reliable removal of non-condensable gases and efficient heat exchange are vital to process performance.

The companys technologies find application across a range of end markets, including power generation, petrochemical, oil and gas, LNG, and semiconductor manufacturing.

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Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Monday after Melius upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. The stock traded as high as $365.92 and last traded at $364.4190, with a volume of 106650 shares. The stock had previously closed at $349.75.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on HII. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $287.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $316.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Huntington Ingalls Industries in a research note on Friday, December 12th. They issued a buy rating and a $376.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $325.75.

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Insider Buying and Selling

Institutional Trading of Huntington Ingalls Industries

In related news, CAO Nicolas G. Schuck sold 466 shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.36, for a total transaction of $146,491.76. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,418 shares of the companys stock, valued at $760,122.48. This trade represents a 16.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link . Also, CEO Christopher D. Kastner sold 15,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.06, for a total transaction of $4,815,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 68,139 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $21,876,707.34. This represents a 18.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 17,103 shares of company stock worth $5,477,768. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the companys stock.

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HII. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 16.6% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,600 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $1,347,000 after acquiring an additional 942 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 106,415 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $21,713,000 after purchasing an additional 5,383 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 15.5% in the 1st quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 60,660 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $12,377,000 after purchasing an additional 8,130 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 26.5% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,276 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $1,893,000 after purchasing an additional 1,941 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 57.7% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 175,765 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $35,863,000 after buying an additional 64,294 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.46% of the companys stock.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $14.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $321.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $286.56.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The aerospace company reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.29 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. Huntington Ingalls Industries had a net margin of 4.74% and a return on equity of 11.79%. The firms revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.56 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. will post 13.99 EPS for the current year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This is an increase from Huntington Ingalls Industriess previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. Huntington Ingalls Industriess payout ratio is currently 38.12%.

About Huntington Ingalls Industries

(Get Free Report)

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE: HII) is Americas largest military shipbuilding company and a leading provider of professional services to the U.S. government. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII designs, constructs and maintains nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, submarines and other complex vessels for the U.S. Navy. The companys products include nuclear aircraft carriers, Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarines, as well as amphibious assault ships, destroyers and cutters.

Established in 2011 as a spin-off from Northrop Grummans shipbuilding operations, HII traces its heritage to two historic builders: Newport News Shipbuilding, founded in the 19th century, and Ingalls Shipbuilding, founded in 1938.

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Greystone Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM  Free Report) by 30.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 49,006 shares of the technology companys stock after buying an additional 11,494 shares during the period. International Business Machines makes up 2.1% of Greystone Financial Group LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Greystone Financial Group LLCs holdings in International Business Machines were worth $13,828,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Family CFO Inc purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the second quarter worth $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 85.0% in the second quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 111 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Silicon Valley Capital Partners increased its stake in International Business Machines by 322.6% during the 1st quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 131 shares of the technology companys stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Copia Wealth Management increased its stake in International Business Machines by 57.6% during the 2nd quarter. Copia Wealth Management now owns 134 shares of the technology companys stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

IBM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America raised their target price on International Business Machines from $310.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $300.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $295.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded International Business Machines from a hold (c+) rating to a buy (b) rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of International Business Machines from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $301.85.

International Business Machines Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE:IBM opened at $291.35 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. The businesss 50 day moving average is $304.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $281.46. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52 week low of $214.50 and a 52 week high of $324.90. The company has a market cap of $272.33 billion, a PE ratio of 34.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.70.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The technology company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.20. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 37.76% and a net margin of 12.09%.The business had revenue of $16.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.30 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. International Business Machiness dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.38%.

International Business Machines Company Profile

(Free Report)

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a global technology and consulting company headquartered in Armonk, New York. Founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) and renamed IBM in 1924, the company has evolved from early electromechanical machines to a diversified technology provider serving enterprises and governments worldwide. IBM is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IBM.

IBMs principal businesses encompass cloud computing and software, infrastructure and systems, consulting and technology services, and research and development.

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Invesco Ltd. (NYSE:IVZ  Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $27.70 and last traded at $27.75, with a volume of 596728 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.94.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on IVZ shares. Cowen restated a buy rating on shares of Invesco in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Invesco from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Fundamental Research set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Invesco in a report on Friday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Invesco from $26.50 to $25.50 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Invesco from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $24.53.

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Invesco Stock Up 4.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.24. The company has a market capitalization of $12.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.65.

Invesco (NYSE:IVZ  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The asset manager reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.17. Invesco had a net margin of 14.15% and a return on equity of 9.11%. The company had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.44 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Invesco Ltd. will post 1.87 EPS for the current year.

Invesco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Invescos dividend payout ratio is 57.14%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Douglas J. Sharp sold 160,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.56, for a total transaction of $3,769,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 192 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,523.52. This trade represents a 99.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital A Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Invesco by 4,802.9% during the 2nd quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,667 shares of the asset managers stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 1,633 shares during the period. CNB Bank bought a new position in shares of Invesco during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Invesco in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Invesco during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Invesco by 55.7% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,127 shares of the asset managers stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 761 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.09% of the companys stock.

About Invesco

(Get Free Report)

Invesco Ltd. is an independent global investment management firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: IVZ). With origins dating back to 1935, the company is dedicated to offering a wide array of investment strategies and solutions to both individual and institutional clients worldwide.

The firms product suite encompasses actively managed equity and fixed income funds, passive index funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), closed-end funds, and unit investment trusts, alongside specialized offerings such as private markets, real estate, and structured products.

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Upper Left Wealth Management LLC cut its position in shares of iShares Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:IAU  Free Report) by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 202,668 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 6,378 shares during the period. iShares Gold Trust accounts for approximately 9.3% of Upper Left Wealth Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Upper Left Wealth Management LLCs holdings in iShares Gold Trust were worth $14,748,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of IAU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in iShares Gold Trust by 67.5% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,919,614 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $680,947,000 after buying an additional 4,398,605 shares in the last quarter. WealthNavi Inc. raised its stake in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 8.5% during the third quarter. WealthNavi Inc. now owns 7,130,543 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $518,890,000 after acquiring an additional 559,413 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,616,480 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $412,563,000 after acquiring an additional 148,881 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 14.4% in the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 5,490,435 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $342,384,000 after purchasing an additional 692,844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 809.1% in the 2nd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 5,108,818 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $318,586,000 after purchasing an additional 4,546,835 shares in the last quarter. 59.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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iShares Gold Trust Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSEARCA:IAU opened at $81.56 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $68.71 billion, a PE ratio of 5.53 and a beta of 0.09. The companys fifty day moving average is $78.96 and its 200 day moving average is $71.39. iShares Gold Trust has a 52 week low of $49.51 and a 52 week high of $85.68.

iShares Gold Trust Profile

iShares Gold Trust (the Trust) is to own gold transferred to the Trust in exchange for shares issued by the Trust (Shares). Each Share represents a fractional undivided beneficial interest in the net assets of the Trust. The assets of the Trust consist of gold held by the Trusts custodian on behalf of the Trust. The sponsor of the Trust is iShares Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC (the Sponsor), which is an indirect subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc The trustee of the Trust is The Bank of New York Mellon (the Trustee) and the custodian of the Trust is JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., London branch (the Custodian).

Further Reading

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iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF (NYSEARCA:KSA  Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 277,578 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 71% from the previous sessions volume of 162,525 shares.The stock last traded at $35.9350 and had previously closed at $36.77.

iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF Trading Down 2.1%

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.27. The company has a market capitalization of $613.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.67 and a beta of 0.46.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blair William & Co. IL purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF during the second quarter worth $37,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF in the first quarter worth about $41,000. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF during the 3rd quarter worth about $69,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at about $70,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at about $164,000.

About iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF

The iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF (KSA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI Saudi Arabia IMI 25-50 index, a market-cap-weighted index of Saudi Arabian firms covering 99% of the market cap spectrum. KSA was launched on Sep 16, 2015 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Shares of Japan Airlines Ltd (OTCMKTS:JAPSY  Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 58,291 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 76% from the previous sessions volume of 33,182 shares.The stock last traded at $9.4070 and had previously closed at $9.30.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Japan Airlines from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Zacks Research cut shares of Japan Airlines from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

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Japan Airlines Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.88. The company has a market capitalization of $8.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.88 and a beta of 0.38.

Japan Airlines (OTCMKTS:JAPSY  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter. Japan Airlines had a net margin of 6.48% and a return on equity of 11.17%. The business had revenue of $3.48 billion for the quarter. Equities analysts forecast that Japan Airlines Ltd will post 0.8 EPS for the current year.

About Japan Airlines

(Get Free Report)

Japan Airlines (OTCMKTS:JAPSY) is the flag carrier of Japan, providing both scheduled passenger and cargo air transportation services. The company operates a comprehensive network of domestic and international flights, connecting major cities across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. In addition to its core passenger services, Japan Airlines offers charter operations, cargo logistics and maintenance support through its technical services division.

The airlines network is centered on its primary hubs at Tokyos Haneda and Narita airports.

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John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:JHEM  Get Free Report) shares saw strong trading volume on Monday . 34,243 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 51% from the previous sessions volume of 22,636 shares.The stock last traded at $33.8250 and had previously closed at $33.60.

John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $648.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.85 and a beta of 0.65. The firms fifty day moving average is $32.70 and its 200-day moving average is $31.22.

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Institutional Trading of John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 597,624 shares of the companys stock valued at $18,918,000 after acquiring an additional 22,151 shares during the last quarter. Brueske Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF by 8.0% during the third quarter. Brueske Advisory Services LLC now owns 532,856 shares of the companys stock valued at $16,868,000 after purchasing an additional 39,298 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF by 435.3% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 302,931 shares of the companys stock worth $8,076,000 after purchasing an additional 246,336 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF by 18.6% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 221,287 shares of the companys stock worth $6,459,000 after purchasing an additional 34,629 shares during the period. Finally, Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF by 262.4% in the 2nd quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 119,166 shares of the companys stock worth $3,478,000 after buying an additional 86,284 shares during the last quarter.

John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF Company Profile

The John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF (JHEM) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund tracks a multi-factor weighted index of large- and mid-cap stocks from emerging markets. JHEM was launched on Sep 27, 2018 and is managed by John Hancock.

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JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) had its price objective upped by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $350.00 to $360.00 in a research note issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the financial services providers stock. Wells Fargo & Companys price target would suggest a potential upside of 9.07% from the companys current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on JPM. Dbs Bank raised JPMorgan Chase & Co. to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. DZ Bank reiterated a neutral rating on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. UBS Group increased their price objective on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $339.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $332.00.

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JPMorgan Chase & Co. Stock Performance

JPM stock opened at $330.06 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $312.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $302.72. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 52 week low of $202.16 and a 52 week high of $330.86. The stock has a market cap of $898.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86.

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 for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $47.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $44.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.37 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 18.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other JPMorgan Chase & Co. news, insider Robin Leopold sold 966 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.92, for a total transaction of $301,314.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 58,479 shares in the company, valued at $18,240,769.68. This represents a 1.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 609,867.5% in the second 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 last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the 2nd quarter valued at $10,295,209,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 28,813.7% in the 2nd 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. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 3rd quarter worth about $696,885,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 1,033.3% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 2,155,120 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $679,790,000 after purchasing an additional 1,964,958 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.55% of the companys stock.

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About JPMorgan Chase & Co.

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JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM) is a diversified global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. The company provides a wide range of banking and financial products and services to consumers, small businesses, corporations, governments and institutional investors worldwide. Its operations span retail banking, commercial lending, investment banking, asset management, payments and card services, and treasury and securities services.

The firms principal business activities are organized across several core lines: Consumer & Community Banking, which offers deposit accounts, mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and branch and digital banking under the Chase brand; Corporate & Investment Banking, which provides capital markets, advisory, underwriting, trading and risk management services; Commercial Banking, delivering lending, treasury and capital solutions to middle-market and corporate clients; and Asset & Wealth Management, which offers investment management, private banking and retirement services to institutions and high-net-worth individuals.

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Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY  Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as GBX 100.32 and last traded at GBX 99.96, with a volume of 130028727 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 99.24.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LLOY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Shore Capital restated a hold rating and issued a GBX 84 price target on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 84 to GBX 97 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an outperform rating and issued a GBX 93 price objective on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 100 to GBX 110 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 100 to GBX 102 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of GBX 98.50.

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Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

The businesss fifty day moving average price is GBX 93.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 85.19. The firm has a market capitalization of 58.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.54, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.23.

Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The financial services provider reported GBX 6.30 earnings per share for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 16.66% and a return on equity of 11.22%. Sell-side analysts predict that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 7.3199528 earnings per share for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Company Profile

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We are the largest UK retail and commercial financial services provider with over 25 million customers and a presence in nearly every community.

The Groups main business activities are retail and commercial banking, general insurance and long-term savings, provided through the largest branch network and digital bank in the UK, with well recognised brands including Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland and Scottish Widows.

Our shares are quoted on the London and New York stock exchanges and we are one of the largest companies in the FTSE 100 index.

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Shares of Magna International Inc. (NYSE:MGA  Get Free Report) (TSE:MG) have earned a consensus rating of Hold from the eighteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $50.3333.

Several research firms have recently commented on MGA. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Magna International from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. TD Securities boosted their price objective on Magna International from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Magna International from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Magna International from $38.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, CIBC increased their price target on Magna International from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd.

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Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Magna International

Magna International Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of Magna International stock opened at $54.61 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.18. Magna International has a 52 week low of $30.39 and a 52 week high of $55.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $50.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.35 billion, a PE ratio of 14.92 and a beta of 1.50.

Magna International (NYSE:MGA  Get Free Report) (TSE:MG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.09. Magna International had a net margin of 2.50% and a return on equity of 11.88%. The business had revenue of $10.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.28 EPS. Magna Internationals revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Magna International will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Magna International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th were given a dividend of $0.485 per share. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. Magna Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.01%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Magna International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Magna International by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 14,241 shares of the companys stock worth $675,000 after buying an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Kendall Capital Management increased its position in shares of Magna International by 4.4% during the third quarter. Kendall Capital Management now owns 8,835 shares of the companys stock valued at $419,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Magna International by 6.0% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 8,879 shares of the companys stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares during the period. Community Bank N.A. purchased a new position in Magna International in the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in Magna International in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. 67.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Magna International Company Profile

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Magna International Inc is a leading global automotive supplier specializing in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of vehicle systems, assemblies, modules, and components. Headquartered in Aurora, Ontario, the company partners with major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to develop technologies and solutions that enhance vehicle performance, safety, comfort, and fuel efficiency. Magnas broad portfolio encompasses body exteriors and structures, powertrain systems, seating and interiors, roof systems, mirror systems, and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

The company operates more than 350 manufacturing and assembly facilities and over 100 innovation centers across 27 countries, serving customers in North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa.

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D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in McDonalds Corporation (NYSE:MCD  Free Report) by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 143,492 shares of the fast-food giants stock after acquiring an additional 3,774 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.s holdings in McDonalds were worth $43,606,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Nova Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonalds during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonalds during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. grew its holdings in shares of McDonalds by 142.9% during the second quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in McDonalds during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, GFG Capital LLC purchased a new stake in McDonalds in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the companys stock.

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McDonalds Stock Down 0.8%

MCD stock opened at $303.26 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $215.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.53. McDonalds Corporation has a 12 month low of $276.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $307.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $304.45.

McDonalds Increases Dividend

McDonalds ( NYSE:MCD Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.10 billion. McDonalds had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.23 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that McDonalds Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal 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 was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. McDonaldss dividend payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 13,134 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.42, for a total value of $3,945,716.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,606 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,383,734.52. This trade represents a 74.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total value of $977,094.90. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 6,088 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,861,832.16. The trade was a 34.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090. Insiders own 0.25% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a market perform rating on shares of McDonalds in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of McDonalds in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of McDonalds from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of McDonalds from $362.00 to $358.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 price target on shares of McDonalds in a report on Friday, October 17th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonalds has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $324.57.

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McDonalds Company Profile

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McDonalds Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is a global quick-service restaurant company best known for its hamburgers, French fries and breakfast offerings. The company develops, operates and franchises a system of restaurants that sell a range of food and beverage items, including signature products such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets, McCafe coffee beverages and a variety of salads, desserts and seasonal menu items. McDonalds serves customers through company-operated restaurants and franchised locations, and it supports sales via dine-in, drive-thru, digital ordering platforms and third-party delivery partnerships.

Founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald as a single San Bernardino, California restaurant, the business was transformed into a franchising model after Ray Kroc joined in the mid-1950s and led the brands national and international expansion.

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Shares of Mitsubishi Corp. (OTCMKTS:MSBHF  Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 10,140 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 134% from the previous sessions volume of 4,330 shares.The stock last traded at $23.15 and had previously closed at $23.1350.

Mitsubishi Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.62 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $23.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $22.55.

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Mitsubishi (OTCMKTS:MSBHF  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $29.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $27.73 billion. Mitsubishi had a return on equity of 6.97% and a net margin of 3.86%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Mitsubishi Corp. will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

Mitsubishi Company Profile

Mitsubishi is a long-established Japanese business family and brand that today encompasses a group of independent companies operating across a wide range of industries. The Mitsubishi name traces back to the late 19th century and the founding of a shipping firm that grew into a diversified industrial and trading conglomerate. Over time the original zaibatsu was reorganized into a number of separately managed companies that nonetheless share the Mitsubishi mark and coordinate through cross-shareholdings and business relationships.

Companies using the Mitsubishi name are active in sectors including industrial machinery and heavy equipment, automotive manufacturing, electrical and electronic equipment, chemicals and materials, energy and natural resources, trading and logistics, finance and banking, real estate, and food and consumer products.

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AMETEK (NYSE:AME  Get Free Report) had its target price raised by Mizuho from $225.00 to $230.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an outperform rating on the technology companys stock. Mizuhos price target points to a potential upside of 10.01% from the companys current price.

AME has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of AMETEK in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays boosted their price objective on AMETEK from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. DA Davidson raised their target price on AMETEK from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of AMETEK from $198.00 to $204.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AMETEK from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $217.00.

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AMETEK Stock Up 1.8%

NYSE AME opened at $209.08 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $198.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $189.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.16. The company has a market cap of $48.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.04. AMETEK has a one year low of $145.02 and a one year high of $210.14.

AMETEK (NYSE:AME  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The technology company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. AMETEK had a net margin of 20.50% and a return on equity of 16.66%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. AMETEK has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.900-1.950 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.320-7.370 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that AMETEK will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AMETEK

In related news, CEO David A. Zapico sold 28,390 shares of AMETEK stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.76, for a total value of $5,727,966.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Thomas M. Montgomery sold 6,388 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.05, for a total value of $1,309,859.40. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 22,116 shares in the company, valued at $4,534,885.80. This trade represents a 22.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 163,378 shares of company stock valued at $32,471,654 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.57% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMETEK

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AMETEK in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AMETEK by 628.6% in the second quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 153 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of AMETEK by 129.7% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 170 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in AMETEK during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, SouthState Corp lifted its holdings in AMETEK by 47.4% during the 2nd quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 202 shares of the technology companys stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.43% of the companys stock.

About AMETEK

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AMETEK, Inc is a global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices that serves a broad range of industries. Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, the company designs and produces precision instruments, electronic measurement devices, specialty sensors, and electric motors and motion control systems. Its product portfolio includes analytical and monitoring instruments, calibration equipment, power supplies, embedded electronics, and industrial motors and drives used for critical applications.

The company operates through two primary business platforms  an electronic instruments group focused on analytical, test and measurement and sensor products, and an electromechanical group that supplies motors, actuators, and related power and motion solutions.

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Hubbell (NYSE:HUBB  Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by equities research analysts at Mizuho from $480.00 to $500.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the industrial products companys stock. Mizuhos price objective points to a potential upside of 8.08% from the companys current price.

HUBB has been the subject of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Hubbell from $417.00 to $458.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Wall Street Zen cut Hubbell from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Hubbell in a report on Monday, December 15th. They set an outperform rating and a $575.00 target price on the stock. Stephens reissued an overweight rating and issued a $500.00 price target on shares of Hubbell in a report on Thursday, September 11th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Hubbell from $431.00 to $456.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $491.29.

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Hubbell Stock Performance

Shares of HUBB opened at $462.61 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.59 billion, a PE ratio of 28.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $444.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $432.75. Hubbell has a 52-week low of $299.42 and a 52-week high of $484.26.

Hubbell (NYSE:HUBB  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.98 by $0.19. Hubbell had a net margin of 15.24% and a return on equity of 27.68%. The company had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.49 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Hubbell has set its FY 2025 guidance at 18.100-18.30 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hubbell will post 17.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hubbell

In other news, Director John F. Malloy acquired 435 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $429.24 per share, with a total value of $186,719.40. Following the purchase, the director owned 19,085 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,192,045.40. This trade represents a 2.33% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Eugene Mikes sold 2,470 shares of Hubbell stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $466.50, for a total transaction of $1,152,255.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 4,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,232,202.50. The trade was a 34.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.76% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Hubbell

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HUBB. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in Hubbell by 13.4% in the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 85,287 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $28,222,000 after acquiring an additional 10,105 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hubbell by 12.7% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 141,120 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $46,698,000 after purchasing an additional 15,933 shares during the period. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV lifted its position in shares of Hubbell by 1.2% in the first quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 6,595 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $2,182,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Scientech Research LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hubbell by 59.7% during the first quarter. Scientech Research LLC now owns 1,905 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $630,000 after purchasing an additional 712 shares during the period. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Hubbell by 18.5% during the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 6,826 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $2,259,000 after purchasing an additional 1,065 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.16% of the companys stock.

Hubbell Company Profile

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Hubbell Incorporated (NYSE: HUBB) is an industrial manufacturer and distributor of electrical and electronic products serving a range of end markets including commercial and residential construction, industrial, and utility customers. Founded in 1888 by Harvey Hubbell, the company has a long history in electrical innovation and product development and is headquartered in Connecticut. Hubbell designs, manufactures and sells components and systems that enable the distribution and control of electrical power and provide lighting solutions for indoor and outdoor environments.

The companys offerings span a broad portfolio of products used by contractors, utilities, original equipment manufacturers and facility owners.

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PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF  Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $28.53, but opened at $30.65. PBF Energy shares last traded at $30.2010, with a volume of 1,840,077 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PBF has been the subject of several research reports. Cowen reiterated a sell rating on shares of PBF Energy in a report on Friday, October 31st. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of PBF Energy from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d) rating on shares of PBF Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of PBF Energy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of PBF Energy from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and nine have given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PBF Energy presently has an average rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $29.71.

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PBF Energy Stock Up 4.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firms 50-day moving average price is $32.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.47.

PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.52) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.47 billion. PBF Energy had a negative net margin of 1.78% and a negative return on equity of 15.88%. PBF Energys revenue was down 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($1.50) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that PBF Energy Inc. will post -1.12 EPS for the current year.

PBF Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were given a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. PBF Energys dividend payout ratio is presently -23.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other PBF Energy news, Director Thomas J. Nimbley sold 250,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.51, for a total transaction of $8,627,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 790,716 shares of the companys stock, valued at $27,287,609.16. The trade was a 24.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Steven John Andriola sold 2,579 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.19, for a total transaction of $67,544.01. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 17,414 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $456,072.66. This represents a 12.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 429,624 shares of company stock worth $15,534,465. Corporate insiders own 6.70% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PBF Energy

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in PBF Energy by 27.3% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 119,365 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $2,279,000 after purchasing an additional 25,616 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in shares of PBF Energy in the second quarter worth $5,843,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in PBF Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $448,000. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new position in PBF Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $192,000. Finally, Creative Planning grew its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 64.8% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 92,976 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $2,015,000 after purchasing an additional 36,571 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.29% of the companys stock.

About PBF Energy

(Get Free Report)

PBF Energy, Inc is an independent petroleum refiner organized in 2008 and headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. The company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in July 2012 under the ticker symbol PBF. Since its formation, PBF Energy has grown through acquisitions and operational optimization, positioning itself as a leading supplier of refined petroleum products in the United States.

The company owns and operates five refineries located along the U.S. Gulf Coast, East Coast and in the Pacific Northwest, with a combined crude oil processing capacity of approximately 900,000 barrels per day.

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Several brokerages have updated their recommendations and price targets on shares of Valmont Industries (NYSE: VMI) in the last few weeks:

12/29/2025  Valmont Industries had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

12/22/2025  Valmont Industries had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

12/16/2025  Valmont Industries had its price target raised by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $475.00 to $491.00. They now have a buy rating on the stock.

12/15/2025  Valmont Industries had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

12/8/2025  Valmont Industries had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

12/1/2025  Valmont Industries had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

11/25/2025  Valmont Industries had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

11/19/2025  Valmont Industries had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

11/13/2025  Valmont Industries had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Valmont Industriess dividend payout ratio is currently 23.43%.

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Insider Activity at Valmont Industries

In other news, insider James Christopher Colwell sold 375 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.68, for a total value of $154,005.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,992,214.48. This trade represents a 4.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.50% of the companys stock.

Valmont Industries, Inc (NYSE: VMI) is a diversified industrial manufacturer specializing in infrastructure and agricultural products. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, the company engages in the design, production and distribution of engineered products that support water management, power transmission, lighting and traffic infrastructure. Valmonts solutions range from center-pivot and lateral-move irrigation systems to utility poles, transmission towers, lighting structures and highway traffic signal support structures.

The company operates through several core business segments.

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Shinhan Financial Group Co Ltd (NYSE:SHG  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $56.14 and last traded at $55.9420, with a volume of 106354 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $54.02.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SHG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Shinhan Financial Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research lowered Shinhan Financial Group from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold.

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Shinhan Financial Group Trading Up 4.0%

The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $53.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.47, a PEG ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.01.

Shinhan Financial Group (NYSE:SHG  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The bank reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.08. Shinhan Financial Group had a return on equity of 12.45% and a net margin of 22.38%.The company had revenue of $2.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.79 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Shinhan Financial Group Co Ltd will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Shinhan Financial Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SHG. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Shinhan Financial Group by 16.5% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 979,011 shares of the banks stock valued at $44,232,000 after purchasing an additional 138,779 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Shinhan Financial Group by 20.9% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,056 shares of the banks stock valued at $558,000 after acquiring an additional 2,080 shares during the last quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Shinhan Financial Group by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. now owns 218,158 shares of the banks stock valued at $9,856,000 after purchasing an additional 2,266 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Shinhan Financial Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,138,000. Finally, Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of Shinhan Financial Group by 70.3% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 162,873 shares of the banks stock worth $7,359,000 after acquiring an additional 67,223 shares during the last quarter. 7.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Shinhan Financial Group

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Shinhan Financial Group is a South Koreabased financial holding company headquartered in Seoul. Established in 2001 as a banking and financial services group, it brings together a range of financial subsidiaries operating under the Shinhan brand, including commercial banking, card services, life insurance, securities and asset management businesses. The group serves both retail and corporate clients and is one of the leading diversified financial institutions in Korea.

The companys principal activities span retail and corporate banking, credit card issuance and payment services, life insurance and related protection products, brokerage and investment banking, and asset and wealth management.

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Cambodia's Angkor park attracts over 80,000 Chinese tourists in 2025

Xinhua) 09:44, January 05, 2026

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's renowned Angkor Archaeological Park recorded a total of 80,144 Chinese tourists in 2025, a slight decrease of 3 percent from 2024, said an official report on Sunday.

China was the fourth largest source of international tourist arrivals to the UNESCO-listed world heritage site after the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, said the state-owned Angkor Enterprise's report.

The ancient park attracted a total of 955,131 foreign visitors from 197 countries and regions in 2025, a year-on-year drop of 6.7 percent, the report said, adding that the park made a gross revenue of 44.7 million U.S. dollars last year, also down 6.5 percent.

Thourn Sinan, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia chapter, said persistent online scams and recent border conflict with Thailand have adversely affected Cambodia's tourism industry.

"2025 was a difficult year for Cambodia's tourism sector," he told Xinhua. "It will remain a challenge for the tourism sector in 2026 if we do not root out online scams."

Thong Mengdavid, deputy director at the China-ASEAN Studies Center of the Cambodia University of Technology and Science in Phnom Penh, said Cambodia's pilot visa-free policy for Chinese citizens from June 15 to Oct. 15 is likely to generate a significant rise in arrivals from China.

"Supported by strong air connectivity and effective promotion, I believe that the number of Chinese tourists to the Angkor park will be on the rise this year," he told Xinhua.

Located in northwest Siem Reap province, the Angkor Archaeological Park, the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian country, is home to 91 ancient temples built from the ninth to the 13th centuries.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
Siemens Energy AG Unsponsored ADR (OTCMKTS:SMNEY  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $151.26 and last traded at $149.5325, with a volume of 28685 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $143.97.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SMNEY has been the topic of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a buy rating on shares of Siemens Energy in a report on Friday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating on shares of Siemens Energy in a report on Monday, December 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Siemens Energy from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an outperform rating on shares of Siemens Energy in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Rothschild Redb lowered Siemens Energy from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Siemens Energy has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

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Siemens Energy Stock Up 3.5%

Siemens Energy Company Profile

The firm has a market cap of $119.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 84.20 and a beta of 1.97. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $132.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $119.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.90.

(Get Free Report)

Siemens Energy AG is a global energy technology company headquartered in Germany that provides equipment, systems and services across the power generation and transmission value chains. Established as an independent public company through a spin-off of Siemens AGs energy businesses in 2020, Siemens Energy draws on a long industrial heritage to design, manufacture and service technologies used by utilities, industrial customers and the oil and gas sector.

The companys product and service portfolio includes gas and steam turbines, generators, transformers and high-voltage transmission equipment as well as grid connection and power-conversion systems.

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Shares of Southern Copper Corporation (NYSE:SCCO  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $153.34 and last traded at $153.2450, with a volume of 10040 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $148.69.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SCCO. Wells Fargo & Company set a $144.00 price objective on shares of Southern Copper and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Southern Copper from $114.50 to $119.50 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $138.00 target price on Southern Copper and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. HSBC restated a hold rating and set a $118.00 price target (up from $105.00) on shares of Southern Copper in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a neutral rating and set a $143.00 target price (up previously from $135.00) on shares of Southern Copper in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southern Copper currently has a consensus rating of Reduce and a consensus target price of $123.85.

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Southern Copper Stock Up 3.8%

The stock has a market cap of $125.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.06. The firms 50 day moving average is $138.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.68. The company has a current ratio of 4.52, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.09. Southern Copper had a return on equity of 38.74% and a net margin of 30.98%.The company had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Southern Copper Corporation will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

Southern Copper Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th were issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 12th. Southern Coppers dividend payout ratio is currently 75.47%.

Insider Activity at Southern Copper

In other news, Director Bonilla Luis Miguel Palomino sold 400 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.00, for a total value of $55,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,265 shares of the companys stock, valued at $175,835. This represents a 24.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 948 shares of company stock worth $131,130 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.07% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern Copper

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SCCO. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. raised its holdings in Southern Copper by 65.1% during the third quarter. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. now owns 213 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Southern Copper by 30.4% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 360 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB grew its holdings in Southern Copper by 1.0% during the third quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 8,663 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $1,051,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in Southern Copper by 1.5% in the third quarter. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 5,999 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $728,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Powell Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Southern Copper by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Powell Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,637 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.94% of the companys stock.

About Southern Copper

(Get Free Report)

Southern Copper Corporation (NYSE: SCCO) is a large, integrated copper producer whose operations span the full value chain from exploration and mining to smelting, refining and the sale of copper and other metal products. The company produces a range of copper products including copper concentrate and refined cathodes, and recovers valuable byproducts such as molybdenum, silver and zinc. Southern Copper concentrates on high-volume, long-life assets designed to support steady production and processing capabilities.

Southern Coppers operations are concentrated in Peru and Mexico, where it owns and operates multiple large-scale mining and processing facilities.

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Booking, Expedia Group, Travelers Companies, Trip.com Group, and MakeMyTrip are the five Travel stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Travel stocks are shares of companies whose primary business is facilitating travel and tourismairlines, hotels and resorts, cruise lines, online travel agencies, car rental firms and related service providers. Investors view them as a thematic sector that is sensitive to consumer spending, seasonality and economic or geopolitical shocks, and use them to gain exposure to tourism demand and recovery trends. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Travel stocks within the last several days.

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Booking (BKNG)

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc., is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.

Expedia Group (EXPE)

Expedia Group, Inc. operates as an online travel company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through B2C, B2B, and trivago segments. Its B2C segment includes Brand Expedia, a full-service online travel brand offers various travel products and services; Hotels.com for lodging accommodations; Vrbo, an online marketplace for the alternative accommodations; Orbitz, Travelocity, Wotif Group, ebookers, CheapTickets, Hotwire.com and CarRentals.com.

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Travelers Companies (TRV)

The Travelers Companies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance.

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Trip.com Group (TCOM)

Trip.com Group Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as a travel service provider for accommodation reservation, transportation ticketing, packaged tours and in-destination, corporate travel management, and other travel-related services in China and internationally. The company acts as an agent for hotel-related transactions and selling air tickets, as well as provides train, long-distance bus, and ferry tickets; travel insurance products, such as flight delay, air accident, and baggage loss coverage; and air-ticket delivery, online check-in and seat selection, express security screening, real-time flight status tracker, and airport VIP lounge services.

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MakeMyTrip (MMYT)

MakeMyTrip Limited, an online travel company, sells travel products and solutions in India, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Peru, Colombia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The company operates through three segments: Air Ticketing, Hotels and Packages, and Bus Ticketing.

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Triumph Financial (NYSE:TFIN  Get Free Report) and SouthState Bank (NYSE:SSB  Get Free Report) are both financial services companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and profitability.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Triumph Financial and SouthState Banks revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Triumph Financial $487.93 million 3.09 $16.09 million $0.29 218.93 SouthState Bank $2.39 billion 3.95 $534.78 million $7.27 12.94

Risk & Volatility

SouthState Bank has higher revenue and earnings than Triumph Financial. SouthState Bank is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Triumph Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Triumph Financial has a beta of 1.48, meaning that its stock price is 48% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SouthState Bank has a beta of 0.74, meaning that its stock price is 26% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

91.1% of Triumph Financial shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.8% of SouthState Bank shares are held by institutional investors. 5.6% of Triumph Financial shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.7% of SouthState Bank shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Triumph Financial and SouthState Bank, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Triumph Financial 1 0 0 0 1.00 SouthState Bank 0 3 11 2 2.94

SouthState Bank has a consensus price target of $115.07, indicating a potential upside of 22.27%. Given SouthState Banks stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe SouthState Bank is more favorable than Triumph Financial.

Profitability

This table compares Triumph Financial and SouthState Banks net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Triumph Financial 2.00% 1.76% 0.24% SouthState Bank 20.25% 10.70% 1.42%

Summary

SouthState Bank beats Triumph Financial on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Triumph Financial

(Get Free Report)

Triumph Bancorp, Inc. operates as a financial holding company for TBK Bank, SSB that provides various banking and commercial finance products and services to retail customers and small-to-mid-sized businesses in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Banking, Factoring, Payments, and Corporate. It offers depository products, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; and commercial and industrial loans, loans to purchase capital equipment, and business loans for working capital and operational purposes. The company also provides asset-based, and equipment and premium finance loans; real estate loans to finance commercial properties; to factoring services the transportation and non-transportation sectors; agriculture loans; commercial construction, land, and land development loans; mortgage warehouse loans; residential real estate loans; and consumer loans. In addition, it offers debit cards; electronic banking, trust, and treasury management services; and insurance brokerage services. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated through a network of 10 branches in the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area of Iowa and Illinois; 8 branches in northern and central Illinois; 7 branches in southern Colorado; 3 branches in New Mexico; 31 branches in central and eastern Colorado; and 2 branches in far western Kansas, as well as a branch office dedicated to deposit gathering activities in Dallas, Texas. Triumph Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

About SouthState Bank

(Get Free Report)

SouthState Corporation operates as the bank holding company for SouthState Bank, National Association that provides a range of banking services and products to individuals and companies. It accepts checking accounts, savings deposits, interest-bearing transaction accounts, certificates of deposits, money market accounts, and other time deposits. The company also offers commercial real estate loans, residential real estate loans, commercial, and industrial loans, as well as consumer loans, including auto, boat, and personal installment loans. In addition, it provides debit card, mobile and funds transfer products, and treasury management services comprising merchant, automated clearing house, lock-box, remote deposit capture, and other treasury services. Further, the company offers safe deposit boxes, bank money orders, wire transfer, brokerage services, and alternative investment products, including annuities, mutual funds, and trust and asset management services; and credit cards, letters of credit, and home equity lines of credit. As of December 31, 2021, it served customers through 281 branches in Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. SouthState Corporation also serves its customers through online, mobile, and telephone banking platforms. The company was formerly known as First Financial Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to SouthState Corporation in July 2013. SouthState Corporation was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Winter Haven, Florida.

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River Street Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ  Free Report) by 73.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 4,590 shares of the cell phone carriers stock after selling 12,780 shares during the period. River Street Advisors LLCs holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $202,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. O ROURKE & COMPANY Inc raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. O ROURKE & COMPANY Inc now owns 21,312 shares of the cell phone carriers stock worth $937,000 after buying an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 18.2% during the third quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 17,865 shares of the cell phone carriers stock valued at $785,000 after buying an additional 2,752 shares in the last quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 3.4% during the third quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 23,832 shares of the cell phone carriers stock worth $1,047,000 after acquiring an additional 780 shares during the period. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 54.8% during the third quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. now owns 10,386 shares of the cell phone carriers stock worth $456,000 after acquiring an additional 3,677 shares during the period. Finally, Earned Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 24.0% in the third quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,359 shares of the cell phone carriers stock worth $323,000 after acquiring an additional 1,426 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a buy (b-) rating to a hold (c+) rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wall Street Zen cut Verizon Communications from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $47.47.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $40.46 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a market cap of $170.61 billion, a PE ratio of 8.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.34. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $37.58 and a 52 week high of $47.35. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.94.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $33.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The companys revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.19 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, January 12th will be paid a $0.69 dividend. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. Verizon Communicationss dividend payout ratio is currently 58.97%.

Verizon Communications Profile

(Free Report)

Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE: VZ) is a major U.S.-based telecommunications company that provides a broad range of communications and information services. Its operations span consumer and business markets, with core offerings that include wireless voice and data services, fixed-line broadband and fiber-optic services, and enterprise networking solutions. Verizon is headquartered in New York City and operates a nationwide wireless network that supports consumer subscribers as well as business and government customers.

The companys consumer products include mobile phone plans, unlimited data services, and Fios, its branded fiber-optic internet, television and voice service for homes and small businesses.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VZ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ  Free Report).

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Warrior Met Coal (NYSE:HCC  Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $91.34 and last traded at $90.5060, with a volume of 61051 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $89.55.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on HCC shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Warrior Met Coal in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. B. Riley restated a buy rating on shares of Warrior Met Coal in a report on Thursday, November 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Warrior Met Coal from $80.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Warrior Met Coal from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Warrior Met Coal from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Warrior Met Coal has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $74.25.

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View Our Latest Analysis on HCC

Warrior Met Coal Trading Down 0.1%

The company has a market cap of $4.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 133.58 and a beta of 0.63. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $79.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 3.00 and a current ratio of 4.13.

Warrior Met Coal (NYSE:HCC  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.21) by $0.91. The business had revenue of $328.59 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $302.51 million. Warrior Met Coal had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 2.01%. Warrior Met Coals revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.80 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Warrior Met Coal will post 4.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Warrior Met Coal Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. Warrior Met Coals payout ratio is 47.76%.

Insider Activity at Warrior Met Coal

In other news, CEO Walter J. Scheller sold 18,966 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $1,422,450.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 394,183 shares of the companys stock, valued at $29,563,725. This represents a 4.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Warrior Met Coal

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HCC. L1 Capital Pty Ltd grew its holdings in Warrior Met Coal by 175.8% in the 2nd quarter. L1 Capital Pty Ltd now owns 1,981,045 shares of the companys stock valued at $90,791,000 after buying an additional 1,262,736 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of Warrior Met Coal by 130.4% in the second quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,889,025 shares of the companys stock valued at $86,574,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069,025 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its stake in Warrior Met Coal by 219.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,554,071 shares of the companys stock worth $98,901,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067,247 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Warrior Met Coal by 25.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,099,070 shares of the companys stock valued at $187,860,000 after purchasing an additional 825,807 shares during the period. Finally, Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Warrior Met Coal by 31.4% during the 3rd quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,461,738 shares of the companys stock worth $93,025,000 after purchasing an additional 349,400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.28% of the companys stock.

About Warrior Met Coal

(Get Free Report)

Warrior Met Coal (NYSE: HCC) is a leading producer of premium metallurgical coal, operating deep underground mining complexes in Central Alabamas Blue Creek and Brookwood mining districts. The company focuses exclusively on the extraction and sale of high-grade hard coking coal, a critical raw material used in steel production. Its mining operations harness longwall mining technology and rigorous safety protocols to deliver consistent coal quality to customers worldwide.

Warrior Met Coals product portfolio centers on premium hard coking coal, semisoft coking coal, and pulverized coal injection (PCI) products.

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WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund (NYSEARCA:HEDJ  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $53.58 and last traded at $53.76, with a volume of 47047 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $53.06.

WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund Trading Up 0.3%

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion, a PE ratio of 15.27 and a beta of 0.81. The firms fifty day moving average price is $52.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $50.51.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sloy Dahl & Holst LLC grew its stake in WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sloy Dahl & Holst LLC now owns 14,900 shares of the companys stock valued at $751,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,084 shares of the companys stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 23,536 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,117,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund by 0.9% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 50,538 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,547,000 after buying an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its position in WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 12,678 shares of the companys stock worth $610,000 after buying an additional 456 shares in the last quarter.

About WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund

WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund (the Fund), formerly WisdomTree International Hedged Equity Fund, is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Index. The WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Index provides exposure to European equities while at the same time neutralizing exposure to fluctuations between the Euro and the United States dollar. The Index hedges against fluctuations in the relative value of the Euro against the United States dollar.

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We are outraged, comrades! The Peoples Republic of Soviet Britains friends in socialist utopia Venezuela have been unjustly attacked by the imperialistic capitalist piece of shit President Trump, a Yankee orange coloured pig scum.

Big Price to Pay For Ousting Socialist Venezuelan Utopian Dictator

Comrade Starmer is urged by Labour Party Bolsheviks and Maduro fans to attack Donald Trump and the USA at the first instance.

Comrades! Our socialist brothers in Venezuela have had their supreme socialist dictator arrested by the evil forces of capitalism.

Dear socialist comrades in Venezuela, hang in there, we are on our way to liberate you from the Yankee capitalist scum invaders. We will ensure that the Venezuelan socialist utopia is restored soon.

Our Bolshevik forces of 1 donkey, 2 horse carts and 15 soldiers will embark on a battleship comprising a rubber dinghy to Venezuela on Monday morning. If Donald Trump reads this, he better be quaking in his right-wing capitalist boots.
There are many notable hundredth anniversaries in 2025. This year marks the origin of Hey Song, Taiwan's singular sarsaparilla; Kewpie Mayonnaise, known for its tang and naked dolls; Bontan Ame, a railway kiosk staple with gentle pomelo flavor; and even the naming of the Miura Daikon, which is much too big to be called a mere vegetable. But one particular event turned out to be happily unremarkable. 2025 was the hundreth year of the Showa imperial era, and, thankfully, at one minute past midnight on January 1, 2025, nothing happened.

Some things celebrating their hundredth anniversary in 2025.

The Showa era actually ended in 1989 with the emperor's death and was no longer used for dates, but the unusual length of the period and its overlap with the rise of personal computing meant that the hundredth anniversary was long feared as a peculiarly Japanese version of the Y2K problem. In practice the date change appears to have passed without issue, but before the number goes up one more let's take a look about what all the fuss was about.

First, a quick refresh on the Japanese imperial year system. Briefly, besides the Gregorian calendar year, every year belongs to an imperial era. So 2025 is also the 7th year of the Reiwa Era, typically simply referred to as Reiwa 7. While daily life in Japan usually uses Gregorian calendar years, imperial eras are not merely symbolic, and imperial year numbering is widely used in laws, taxes, finance, religion, and medical records, to give just a few examples.

Until the Meiji era becan in 1868, imperial eras changed mostly arbitrarily and frequently, with average length around five years, with the shortest era lasting less than three months. Following the introduction of constitutional government the imperial era was tied to the reigning emperor, and simply begins as he takes the throne and ends when he dies or (in the most recent case) retires. Additionally, years increment with Gregorian calendar years, so they don't all last 365 days. (This also means that, when an era changes, the Gregorian year will have two imperial year designations, for example 1989 is both Showa 64 and Heisei 1, depending whether the day of the year is before or after the imperial transition.) In the modern period Japan has had five eras - Meiji, Taisho, Showa, Heisei, and the current Reiwa.

The Showa period is a bit exceptional from a calendar perspective, particularly as it relates to computers. The Taisho period was brief, just around fifteen years, meaning the Showa emperor took the throne at a young age and had a long reign. In total the period lasted 62 years, making it the longest era by an almost twenty year margin. (If you noticed a contradiction, don't worry, we'll get to it.) This long period also had another feature that's of interest: since it lasted from 1926 to 1989, it happened to cover the entire early history of computing.

Given all the above, you may have already figured out what the Showa Hundred Year Problem is - it's essentially the same problem as Y2K, just shifted to the start of the Showa era rather than the 20th century. Suppose that somewhere a programmer had to display dates according to Japanese imperial years. Suppose that, since their entire career (and probably entire life) the only era in use had been Showa, they used the Showa year to store the date in the program. And since they weren't thinking about thirty years in the future, they only stored it as two digits.

It's unlikely this program would be around over thirty years later. But perhaps part of the program survived into the Heisei era, and someone just wrote a little patch that checked if the number was greater than 63, and subtracted that to show the Heisei year - a formatting trick to avoid rewriting old but functional code. But if that happened, then actually the internal representation of the year could still be just a two digit decimal number.

So what happens when the year wraps around from 99 to 00? Things that should happen in 2025 instead somehow belong to 1925, cats and dogs live together, and hell breaks loose, or something like that. Mu, Japan's monthly magazine of the strange, featured an article about the problem on the cover of its November 2024 special issue, issue describing the potential downfall of the financial system and the Internet, though the piece only rated a small mention on the cover. The article was light on technical details, and also curiously described Unix as a programming language.

While a number of articles cropped up explaining what the Showa Hundred Year Problem was leading up to 2025, they passed mostly unnoticed, mere curiosities compared to the major media attention showered on Y2K a quarter century ago. And, in fact, as 2025 comes to a close, I can't find any reports of actual issues stemming from the date change. There are a few records of preparations for any issues, but even those are from the past, and it seems that any system old enough to be a source of problems had already outlived its natural usefulness.

That said, while reviewing documents about the problem there is one little detail that struck me. Centuries in the Gregorian calendar start from 00 with their last two digits - 1800, 1900, and 2000. But that isn't the case for imperial eras, which don't have a zero year, and start from year one. That means that for anything started in the first year of an imperial era, like Cafe Lion, the hundredth anniversary is not year 100, but year 101. (This is also why the last Showa year was 64 even though the era only lasted 62 full years - it started on December 25, 1926, and ended just a week into 1989.)

What if a system somewhere stored the first year as zero, and just added one for output and formatting? If there is a system like that, it wouldn't run into overflow issues in Showa 100, but in Showa 101... or 2026.

But I'm sure it'll be fine. 
Glass Wealth Management Co LLC raised its position in Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX  Free Report) by 15.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,967 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after buying an additional 3,480 shares during the quarter. Chevron makes up approximately 1.8% of Glass Wealth Management Co LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Glass Wealth Management Co LLCs holdings in Chevron were worth $4,032,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CVX. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC boosted its stake in Chevron by 652,139.5% during the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 83,714,936 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $13,214,757,000 after purchasing an additional 83,702,101 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Chevron in the second quarter valued at about $2,721,477,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Chevron by 14,194.2% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,722,217 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $532,984,000 after buying an additional 3,696,177 shares during the period. Berkshire Hathaway Inc grew its holdings in shares of Chevron by 2.9% during the second quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc now owns 122,064,792 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $17,478,458,000 after buying an additional 3,454,258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Chevron by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 34,772,753 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $4,979,255,000 after acquiring an additional 1,342,723 shares during the period. 72.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chevron Price Performance

Chevron stock opened at $155.81 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $313.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.76 and a beta of 0.70. Chevron Corporation has a one year low of $132.04 and a one year high of $168.96. The business has a fifty day moving average of $151.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $153.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Chevron Announces Dividend

Chevron ( NYSE:CVX Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $48.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $46.99 billion. Chevron had a net margin of 6.57% and a return on equity of 8.74%. The businesss revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Chevron Corporation will post 10.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.71 per share. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 18th. Chevrons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on CVX. Hsbc Global Res raised Chevron from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Scotiabank increased their price target on Chevron from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Chevron from $190.00 to $196.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Chevron from $177.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Chevron in a report on Monday, December 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $166.00.

View Our Latest Research Report on Chevron

Insider Activity at Chevron

In related news, Director John B. Hess sold 275,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.75, for a total value of $41,456,250.00. Following the sale, the director owned 1,128,045 shares in the company, valued at $170,052,783.75. This represents a 19.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Chevron News

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

Chevron Company Profile

(Free Report)

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) is an American multinational energy company engaged in virtually all aspects of the oil and gas industry. As an integrated energy firm, Chevrons core activities include upstream oil and natural gas exploration and production, midstream transportation and storage, downstream refining and marketing of fuels and lubricants, and petrochemical manufacturing through joint ventures and subsidiaries. The company markets fuels under brands such as Chevron, Texaco and Caltex and supplies a range of products and services to retail customers, industrial users and commercial fleets worldwide.

Chevron traces its corporate lineage to the early petroleum companies that eventually became Standard Oil of California and has evolved through significant mergers and restructurings, including the acquisitions of Gulf Oil and Texaco.

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ING Group (NYSE:ING  Get Free Report) and Chiba Bank (OTCMKTS:CHBAY  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 analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, valuation, risk, institutional ownership and dividends.

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Profitability

This table compares ING Group and Chiba Banks net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets ING Group 26.94% 11.57% 0.57% Chiba Bank 20.20% 7.03% 0.38%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

4.5% of ING Group shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio ING Group $24.47 billion 3.42 $5.77 billion $2.22 12.97 Chiba Bank $2.38 billion 3.73 $490.11 million $3.83 14.36

This table compares ING Group and Chiba Banks gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

ING Group has higher revenue and earnings than Chiba Bank. ING Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Chiba Bank, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for ING Group and Chiba Bank, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score ING Group 0 0 5 1 3.17 Chiba Bank 0 0 0 0 0.00

Dividends

ING Group pays an annual dividend of $0.69 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Chiba Bank pays an annual dividend of $1.09 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. ING Group pays out 31.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Chiba Bank pays out 28.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Volatility & Risk

ING Group has a beta of 0.82, meaning that its share price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Chiba Bank has a beta of 0.14, meaning that its share price is 86% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

ING Group beats Chiba Bank on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About ING Group

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ING Groep N.V. provides various banking products and services in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, rest of Europe, and internationally. It operates through five segments: Retail Netherlands, Retail Belgium, Retail Germany, Retail Other, and Wholesale Banking. The company accepts current and savings accounts. It also offers business lending products; SME loans; consumer lending products, such as residential mortgage loans and other consumer lending loans; and mortgages. In addition, the company provides working capital solutions; debt and equity market solutions; various loans; payments; and cash management, trade and corporate finance, and treasury services, as well as savings, investment, insurance, and digital banking services. It serves individual customers, corporate clients, and financial institutions. ING Groep N.V. was founded in 1762 and is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

About Chiba Bank

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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. It also offers debit and credit cards, as well as internet banking services. In addition, the company engages in securities, investment management and advisory, software development, commissioned computation tasks, research and investigation of IT and financial technologies, leasing, operation, and management of investment funds, mergers and acquisition advisory, credit guarantee businesses, management and collection of claims businesses. Further, it provides loan guarantees and fee collection services; accounting, general administration entrustment, and temporary staff services; and is involved in outsourcing of operational business. Additionally, it rents and maintains office buildings and welfare facilities; provides research, survey, and consulting services; purchases and sells supplies and consumer goods; and engages in renewable energy generation. The company serves individuals and corporations. The Chiba Bank, Ltd. was incorporated in 1943 and is headquartered in Chiba City, Japan.

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Orient Overseas International (OTCMKTS:OROVY  Get Free Report) and CMB.TECH (NYSE:CMBT  Get Free Report) are both transportation companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations and valuation.

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Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Orient Overseas International and CMB.TECHs gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Orient Overseas International $10.70 billion N/A $2.58 billion N/A N/A CMB.TECH $1.30 billion 1.41 $870.83 million $0.82 11.52

Risk and Volatility

Orient Overseas International has higher revenue and earnings than CMB.TECH.

Orient Overseas International has a beta of 1.08, meaning that its share price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, CMB.TECH has a beta of -0.08, meaning that its share price is 108% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Orient Overseas International pays an annual dividend of $7.06 per share and has a dividend yield of 8.8%. CMB.TECH pays an annual dividend of $0.07 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. CMB.TECH pays out 8.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Orient Overseas International and CMB.TECH, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Orient Overseas International 0 0 0 0 0.00 CMB.TECH 1 0 0 1 2.50

Profitability

This table compares Orient Overseas International and CMB.TECHs net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Orient Overseas International N/A N/A N/A CMB.TECH 12.64% 4.28% 1.32%

About Orient Overseas International

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Orient Overseas (International) Limited, an investment holding company, provides container transport and logistics services in Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. The company offers supply chain management services; and containerised shipping services in various trade lanes comprising Trans-Pacific, Trans-Atlantic, Asia/Europe, Asia/Australia, and Intra-Asia trades. It is also involved in shipping and logistics software application development; container transport, equipment owning and leasing, container depot and warehousing, portfolio investment, trucking, ship owning, terminal operating, cargo consolidation and forwarding, liner and freight agency, property owning, and ship management businesses; operating of vessels; and provision of corporate and trucking services. In addition, the company offers AI and blockchain digital data on network applications, and platform design services. The company was incorporated in 1986 and is based in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Orient Overseas (International) Limited is a subsidiary of Faulkner Global Holdings Limited.

About CMB.TECH

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Euronav NV, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the transportation and storage of crude oil worldwide. The company offers floating, storage, and offloading (FSO) services. It also owns and operates a fleet of vessels. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium. As of March 15, 2024, Euronav NV operates as subsidiary of CMB NV.

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Cabot (NYSE:CBT  Get Free Report) and Brenntag (OTCMKTS:BNTGY  Get Free Report) are both mid-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings and valuation.

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Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Cabot and Brenntags gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Cabot $3.71 billion 0.96 $331.00 million $6.01 11.15 Brenntag $17.57 billion 0.48 $580.22 million $0.64 18.08

Volatility & Risk

Brenntag has higher revenue and earnings than Cabot. Cabot is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Brenntag, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Cabot has a beta of 0.89, meaning that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Brenntag has a beta of 0.75, meaning that its stock price is 25% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Cabot and Brenntags net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Cabot 8.91% 24.55% 10.57% Brenntag 2.66% 9.14% 3.69%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Cabot and Brenntag, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Cabot 2 2 1 0 1.80 Brenntag 2 6 0 0 1.75

Cabot currently has a consensus target price of $66.33, indicating a potential downside of 1.05%. Brenntag has a consensus target price of $12.80, indicating a potential upside of 10.63%. Given Brenntags higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Brenntag is more favorable than Cabot.

Dividends

Cabot pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Brenntag pays an annual dividend of $0.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Cabot pays out 30.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Brenntag pays out 43.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Cabot has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Cabot is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

93.2% of Cabot shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.0% of Cabot shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Cabot beats Brenntag on 13 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Cabot

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Cabot Corporation operates as a specialty chemicals and performance materials company. The company operates through two segments, Reinforcement Materials and Performance Chemicals. It offers reinforcing carbons that are used in tires as a rubber reinforcing agent and performance additive, as well as in industrial products, such as hoses, belts, extruded profiles, and molded goods; and engineered elastomer composites solutions. The company also provides specialty carbons for use in inks, coatings, plastics, adhesives, toners, batteries, and displays; conductive additives and fumed alumina used in lead acid and lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles; fumed silica used in adhesives, sealants, cosmetics, batteries, inks, toners, silicone elastomers, coatings, polishing slurries, and pharmaceuticals; and fumed alumina for use in various products, including inkjet media, lighting, coatings, cosmetics, and polishing slurries. In addition, it offers aerogel, a hydrophobic, silica-based particle to use in various thermal insulation and specialty chemical applications; masterbatch and conductive compound products that are used in automotive, industrial, packaging, infrastructure, agriculture, consumer products, and electronics industries; and inkjet colorants for inkjet printing applications. The company sells its products through distributors and sales representatives in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. Cabot Corporation was founded in 1882 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

About Brenntag

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Brenntag SE purchases and supplies various industrial and specialty chemicals, and ingredients in Germany, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Brenntag Essentials and Brenntag Specialties. It provides just-in-time delivery, product mixing, blending, repackaging, inventory management, and drum return handling. The company serves customers in various end-market industries, including nutrition, pharma, personal care, water treatment, and lubricants; and home, industrial, and institutional markets, as well as coatings and constructions, polymers, and rubber industries. The company was founded in 1874 and is based in Essen, Germany.

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Cadre (NYSE:CDRE  Get Free Report) and DAC Technologies Group International (OTCMKTS:DAAT  Get Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership and risk.

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Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Cadre and DAC Technologies Group International, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Cadre 1 0 4 1 2.83 DAC Technologies Group International 0 0 0 0 0.00

Cadre currently has a consensus price target of $37.67, suggesting a potential downside of 8.19%. Given Cadres stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Cadre is more favorable than DAC Technologies Group International.

Earnings & Valuation

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Cadre $567.56 million 2.94 $36.13 million $1.12 36.63 DAC Technologies Group International N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

This table compares Cadre and DAC Technologies Group Internationals revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Cadre has higher revenue and earnings than DAC Technologies Group International.

Risk and Volatility

Cadre has a beta of 1.36, suggesting that its share price is 36% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, DAC Technologies Group International has a beta of 272.39, suggesting that its share price is 27,139% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Cadre and DAC Technologies Group Internationals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Cadre 7.33% 13.94% 6.27% DAC Technologies Group International N/A N/A N/A

Insider & Institutional Ownership

44.0% of Cadre shares are owned by institutional investors. 31.5% of Cadre shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Cadre beats DAC Technologies Group International on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

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.

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.

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Eagle Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 264.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,942 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 2,860 shares during the quarter. Eagle Strategies LLCs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $3,008,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 78,621.2% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,552,336 shares of the companys stock worth $9,005,392,000 after buying an additional 11,537,661 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $8,827,714,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 80,407,430 shares of the companys stock valued at $62,680,004,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183,038 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 106.8% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,481,031 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,154,508,000 after purchasing an additional 765,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,766,865 shares of the companys stock worth $3,715,913,000 after purchasing an additional 564,736 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the companys stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $1,079.83 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1,013.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $851.29. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 52.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $623.78 and a 52-week high of $1,111.99.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

Eli Lilly and Company ( NYSE:LLY Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $17.60 billion during 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 firms revenue for the quarter was up 53.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm 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 is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Guggenheim reissued a buy rating and issued a $1,163.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,286.00 to $1,268.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Wolfe Research raised their target price 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. Daiwa Capital Markets set a $1,230.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, CICC Research raised their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $801.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Five 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $1,155.36.

Read Our Latest Analysis on LLY

Eli Lilly and Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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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Torrid (NYSE:CURV  Get Free Report) and Christian Dior S.E. (OTCMKTS:CHDRY  Get Free Report) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, risk and earnings.

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Institutional and Insider Ownership

81.8% of Torrid shares are owned by institutional investors. 9.8% of Torrid shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Torrid and Christian Dior S.E., as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Torrid 4 3 1 0 1.63 Christian Dior S.E. 0 0 0 0 0.00

Earnings and Valuation

Torrid currently has a consensus target price of $1.44, suggesting a potential upside of 36.49%. Given Torrids stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Torrid is more favorable than Christian Dior S.E..

This table compares Torrid and Christian Dior S.E.s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Torrid $1.10 billion 0.09 $16.32 million ($0.01) -105.50 Christian Dior S.E. $91.64 billion N/A $5.64 billion N/A N/A

Christian Dior S.E. has higher revenue and earnings than Torrid.

Risk and Volatility

Torrid has a beta of 1.49, indicating that its stock price is 49% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Christian Dior S.E. has a beta of 1.11, indicating that its stock price is 11% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Torrid and Christian Dior S.E.s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Torrid -0.18% -1.69% -0.43% Christian Dior S.E. N/A N/A N/A

Summary

Torrid beats Christian Dior S.E. on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Torrid

(Get Free Report)

Torrid Holdings Inc. operates in womens plus-size apparel and intimates market in North America. The company designs, develops, and merchandises its products under the Torrid, Torrid Curve, CURV, and Lovesick brand names. It is involved in the sale of tops, bottoms, dresses, denims, activewear, intimates, sleep wear, swim wear, and outerwear products; and non-apparel products comprising accessories, footwear, and beauty products. The company sells its products directly to consumers through its e-commerce platform and its physical stores. Torrid Holdings Inc. was incorporated in 2019 and is headquartered in City Of Industry, California.

About Christian Dior S.E.

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Christian Dior SE, through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and retail of fashion and leather goods, wines and spirits, perfumes and cosmetics, and watches and jewelry worldwide. The company offers its fashion and leather goods under the Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Celine, Loewe, Givenchy, Kenzo, Berluti, Pucci, Loro Piana, Rimowa, and Off-White brand names; and wines and spirits under the Hennessy, Moet & Chandon, Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot, Krug, Chateau d'Yquem, Belvedere, Glenmorangie, Newton Vineyards, Bodega Numanthia, Chateau d'Esclans, Armand de Brignac, and Joseph Phelps brands. It also provides perfumes and cosmetics under the Parfums Christian Dior, Guerlain, Parfums Givenchy, Make Up For Ever, Benefit Cosmetics, Fresh, Acqua di Parma, KVD Vegan Beauty, Fenty, Ole Henriksen, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, and Officine Universelle Buly 1803 brand names; and watches and jewelry under the Tiffany, Bulgari, TAG Heuer, Zenith, Hublot, Chaumet, Fred, and Repossi brands. In addition, the company operates retail stores under the DFS Galleria, Sephora, and Le Bon Marche names; publishes Le Parisien-Aujourd'hui en France, a daily newspaper; builds yachts; and operates hotel and the Cova pastry shop brand. Further, it is involved in real estate activities. The company sells its products through store network, including e-commerce websites; and agents and distributors. The company was incorporated in 1946 and is headquartered in Paris, France. Christian Dior SE (ENXTPA:CDI) operates as a subsidiary of Financiere Agache Societe Anonyme.

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Gateway Investment Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM  Free Report) by 37.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,398 shares of the specialty retailers stock after purchasing an additional 4,510 shares during the quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLCs holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,205,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth about $212,107,000. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 184.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 861,236 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $167,927,000 after acquiring an additional 558,311 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 740.4% in the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 591,690 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $96,664,000 after purchasing an additional 521,283 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $284,532,000 after purchasing an additional 407,929 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 30.0% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,736,466 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $283,686,000 after purchasing an additional 401,138 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $187.84 on Monday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $130.07 and a twelve month high of $219.98. The stock has a market cap of $22.42 billion, a PE ratio of 20.66, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.58. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $186.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $187.37.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

Williams-Sonoma ( NYSE:WSM Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonomas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 12,161 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.07, for a total transaction of $2,201,992.27. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 846,927 shares in the company, valued at $153,353,071.89. The trade was a 1.42% 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. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WSM. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $198.71.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on WSM

Williams-Sonoma Profile

(Free Report)

WilliamsSonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on the home and culinary markets, best known for premium cookware, kitchen tools and home furnishings. The company traces its roots to a single cookware store founded by Chuck Williams in 1956 in Sonoma, California, and has evolved into a multibrand home furnishings and housewares business. Its merchandise mix spans cookware and kitchen electrics, tabletop and food prep items, furniture, bedding, lighting and decorative accessories designed for both everyday use and higherend interiors.

The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands that target distinct segments of the home market.

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Gateway Investment Advisers LLC decreased its position in shares of Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL  Free Report) by 53.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 172,242 shares of the oilfield services companys stock after selling 197,584 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLCs holdings in Halliburton were worth $4,237,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HAL. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Halliburton during the third quarter worth $216,000. Capital Advisors Inc. OK purchased a new position in Halliburton during the 3rd quarter worth $223,000. American National Bank & Trust increased its position in Halliburton by 565.7% during the 3rd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 9,000 shares of the oilfield services companys stock valued at $221,000 after buying an additional 7,648 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Halliburton by 6.0% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 15,949 shares of the oilfield services companys stock valued at $392,000 after buying an additional 905 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAM Holding AG purchased a new stake in Halliburton in the third quarter valued at about $325,000. 85.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Halliburton Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HAL opened at $29.59 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.15. The stock has a market cap of $24.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Halliburton Company has a 12 month low of $18.72 and a 12 month high of $30.40.

Halliburton Announces Dividend

Halliburton ( NYSE:HAL Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The oilfield services company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.39 billion. Halliburton had a net margin of 5.91% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The firms revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.73 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Halliburton Company will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Halliburtons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.03%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Van H. Beckwith sold 8,854 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.89, for a total value of $246,938.06. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 333,528 shares in the company, valued at $9,302,095.92. This represents a 2.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Richard sold 160,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.77, for a total value of $4,443,200.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 452,374 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,562,425.98. This trade represents a 26.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.61% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on HAL. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on Halliburton in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. They set a buy rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Halliburton from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of Halliburton to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Halliburton from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, HSBC set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Halliburton and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $32.05.

Read Our Latest Report on Halliburton

Halliburton Profile

(Free Report)

Halliburton is one of the worlds largest providers of products and services to the energy industry, offering a broad portfolio that supports the lifecycle of oil and gas reservoirs from exploration and drilling through production and abandonment. Founded in 1919 by Erle P. Halliburton as an oil-well cementing company, the firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has developed into an integrated oilfield services company serving upstream operators globally.

The companys activities encompass drilling and evaluation, well construction and completion, production enhancement and well intervention.

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Glass Wealth Management Co LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Free Report) by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 27,326 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 2,990 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley makes up approximately 1.9% of Glass Wealth Management Co LLCs holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Glass Wealth Management Co LLCs holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $4,344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 0.5% during the third quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,222 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,102,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 877 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $139,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. LeConte Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. LeConte Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,841 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 3,090 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $435,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 4.7% during the third quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,518 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares of the companys stock, valued at $94,493,199.24. The trade was a 14.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Morgan Stanley News

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MS shares. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They set an outperform rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $174.77.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on MS

Morgan Stanley Trading Up 2.4%

NYSE MS opened at $181.81 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $288.95 billion, a PE ratio of 18.65, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $94.33 and a 12 month high of $182.34. The companys 50-day moving average price is $170.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. The company had revenue of $17.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.40%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Morgan Stanleys dividend payout ratio is 41.03%.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

(Free Report)

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the companys chief executive and chairman in recent years.

The firms primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.

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Glass Wealth Management Co LLC boosted its position in shares of L3Harris Technologies Inc (NYSE:LHX  Free Report) by 10.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,275 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,755 shares during the quarter. L3Harris Technologies makes up 2.6% of Glass Wealth Management Co LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Glass Wealth Management Co LLCs holdings in L3Harris Technologies were worth $5,887,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in L3Harris Technologies by 233.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,284 shares of the companys stock valued at $901,000 after acquiring an additional 3,001 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of L3Harris Technologies by 33.9% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 104,530 shares of the companys stock valued at $21,945,000 after purchasing an additional 26,453 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of L3Harris Technologies by 19.2% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 243,346 shares of the companys stock valued at $50,935,000 after purchasing an additional 39,170 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of L3Harris Technologies by 0.8% in the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 395,484 shares of the companys stock valued at $82,779,000 after purchasing an additional 3,220 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of L3Harris Technologies by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 4,750 shares of the companys stock worth $994,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.76% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on LHX. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a hold rating on shares of L3Harris Technologies in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup started coverage on L3Harris Technologies in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They set a buy rating and a $331.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of L3Harris Technologies from $318.00 to $323.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of L3Harris Technologies from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of L3Harris Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set a neutral rating and a $290.00 price target on the stock. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, L3Harris Technologies currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $299.93.

L3Harris Technologies Stock Up 3.7%

LHX opened at $304.29 on Monday. L3Harris Technologies Inc has a 12 month low of $193.09 and a 12 month high of $308.12. The business has a 50-day moving average of $287.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $279.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.66.

L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.10. L3Harris Technologies had a net margin of 8.09% and a return on equity of 11.08%. The business had revenue of $5.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.51 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.34 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. L3Harris Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that L3Harris Technologies Inc will post 11.12 earnings per share for the current year.

L3Harris Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. L3Harris Technologiess payout ratio is currently 51.56%.

Insider Activity at L3Harris Technologies

In related news, CEO Christopher E. Kubasik sold 14,171 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.05, for a total value of $4,266,179.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 144,426 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $43,479,447.30. This trade represents a 8.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

L3Harris Technologies Profile

(Free Report)

L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) is an American aerospace and defense company formed in 2019 through the combination of L3 Technologies and Harris Corporation. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company designs, manufactures and supports a broad range of technology solutions for government and commercial customers, with a particular emphasis on defense, intelligence and public safety applications.

The companys offerings span communications systems, avionics, electronic warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors, space systems and mission integration.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LHX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for L3Harris Technologies Inc (NYSE:LHX  Free Report).

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Plans are progressing to bring historical treasures across the Atlantic for an exhibition in Northern Ireland marking the regions unique contribution to the founding of the US.

Gillian Doherty, a senior archivist at the Public Record Office (PRONI) in Belfast, recently travelled to Washington and Philadelphia to unearth some of the historical links with the ancient province of Ulster.

This year will see celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Semiquincentennial Commission which gives Northern Ireland special status in recognition of its contribution to the foundation of the US.

Ms Doherty said: There were so many people here from the old province of Ulster, who migrated there in the 17th and 18th and 19th centuries.

We traditionally look at that Irish migration of being from the mid-1800s onwards and a lot of people here, we dont realise how influential the migrants from Ulster, those early settlers, were, particularly to the Declaration of Independence.

During her trips to Washington, Ms Doherty researched the career of Charles Thomson, who left Maghera in Co Derry as a child in 1739 and became one of the key figures in the story of American independence.

She said: He left here when he was only 10 years old with his family. His mother had passed away, his father passed away on the way over across the Atlantic.

So, he arrived an orphan. He didnt want to be an apprentice blacksmith and ran away.

Years later, he becomes secretary to that first Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Hes synonymous with the drawing of the Great Seal of the United States.

That first Congress, where all of those representatives come together from 13 colonies, which leads to the Declaration of Independence being signed, he was there every step of the way and he remains secretary for the whole 15 years of the Continental Congress.

I spent a lot of time in the Library of Congress. They have a lot of Charles Thomsons personal papers there.

The archivist also researched the life of John Dunlap, who emigrated from Co Tyrone and became a printer. He printed the first copy of the US Declaration of Independence and is one of only three names to appear on it.

She also studied the life of Hercules Mulligan, who left Coleraine and worked as a tailor and spy during the American Revolutionary War.

Ms Doherty said: He also was able to hear information, because he was supplying the British armies with uniforms, and that information he was able to feed back to George Washington and saved his life on two occasions, saved him from being captured.

She added: It was interesting to see that the people who emigrated had the same struggles.

Not everyone went over and became prosperous, not everyone lived the American dream.

Ms Dohertys research will culminate in an exhibition in the atrium at PRONI which will run from June until November.

She said: The purpose of going over was to source some of those documents and stories that could form part of that exhibition, to really reflect those important links and look at the real key people who played a role in that.

So, what wed really like to do with the exhibition is to highlight that connection that people arent really aware of here.

I mean, who really knows about Charles Thomson?

We hold loads of documents here in PRONI which we would like to showcase and were really hoping to bring over some documents on international loan from some of those institutions that I visited.

We havent done that before, so this will be a new venture for us, to have transatlantic documents.

The archivist said it is hoped to bring to Belfast the original address from Mr Thomson telling George Washington in 1789 that he has been elected president.

She said: I think it shows how important Charles Thomson was.

The Library of Congress have the written address that he travels to Mount Vernon with and he reads out to George Washington to tell him hes been elected as president of the first president of the United States.

So, watch this space.
The first Motor Neurone Disease Specialist Research Nurse has come into post at Altnagelvin Hospital.

A spokesperson for the Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) said it was "delighted" to make the announcement.

They added: "This is the first role of its kind in Northern Ireland all thanks to the Motor Neurone Disease Association which has fully funded this research nurse.

"The Associations ambitious 7.2 million Research Nurse Network will give more people diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) the opportunity to take part in vital research across Northern Ireland, England and Wales.

"Research nurses provide people with MND information about research, identify trials they are eligible for, explain what is involved, and provide ongoing support if they choose to take part.

"The new role, based at Clinical Translational Research and Innovation Centre (C-TRIC) and working closely with the Neurology Service at Altnagelvin, will integrate with the existing multi-disciplinary Neurology Service which currently supports patients with MND in Northern Ireland."

Experienced Specialist Neurology nurse Jacqui McKee has now taken up this vital role.

She said: I feel privileged to be the first MND Association funded Research Nurse in Northern Ireland. The funding will help C-TRIC at Altnagelvin to continue to provide the latest clinical trials and potential treatments for this devastating disease, something I feel passionate about.

I look forward to working collaboratively with research nurse colleagues across the country as they commence their roles and to share best practice.

Sharon OKane became an Association visitor for the MND Associations Northern Ireland branch in 2020, shortly after her brother Johnny died from the disease, leaving behind a young family.

She said: Having witnessed first-hand what Johnny endured, I started volunteering as an Association visitor. My role is to offer emotional support, help and advice to people with MND and their families. It is extremely rewarding and I feel very privileged to be in the position to be able to help.

The most difficult thing about talking to people with a diagnosis of MND, and their families, is the sense of devastation they feel not only from getting a diagnosis but the knowledge theres presently no cure.

Thats why this research nurse will be such a huge asset to us here in Northern Ireland. To have someone to be able to support and advise people, potentially offer them a chance to participate in clinical trials and most importantly give them some hope for the future when their outlook is bleak, is immense.

In time, MND Association Research Nurses will be embedded into the 24 MND Care Centres and Networks across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Recruitment for research nurses at several other sites is already ongoing, with more on the way as part of the rollout.

Tanya Curry, Chief Executive at the MND Association, said: Our community has told us just how challenging it can be to get the information they need about taking part in clinical trials.

Its a complex process, and one which can rob them of precious time with their loved ones. This has to change. We want to give everyone living with motor neurone disease the choice to take part in and influence the future of MND research.

Our MND Research Nurse Network will do just that, providing the support, expertise and knowledge needed to create equitable access to trials for all.

Its a big investment  7.2 million over four years  but one that will make a huge difference to people with MND and revolutionise how trials are accessed across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Dr Gavin McCluskey Consultant Neurologist at the Western Trust, said: Research is a vital part of finding better treatments for MND and critical in hopefully finding a cure. C-TRIC based at Altnagelvin has an outstanding reputation for delivering clinical trials and we look forward to bringing further clinical trials to Northern Ireland for patients with MND.

We are delighted to receive and accept this funding from the MND Association, which will fund a dedicated MND trials nurse/research coordinator and enable us to continue this important work.
A man has appeared at Derry Magistrate's Court following a breach of bail that occurred two days after he was released from custody.

Jordan Leighton (25) of no fixed abode was on bail for three cases that included burglary, attempted burglary criminal damage and possession of an offensive weapon, namely an axe, with bail having been granted on December 22 last year.

Two conditions of his release included abiding by a curfew and residing at an address approved by police.

On December 26, police received a report that the address had been withdrawn and that Leighton was no longer there.

Police attended the address numerous times but failed to locate him until January 4.

Bail was objected to as Leighton has a 'horrendous record' with 59 previous convictions, including fifteen for burglary and thirteen previous breaches of bail.

Defence solicitor Seamus Quigley said that had Leighton been appearing on new charges then this would be a 'hopeless' bail application, telling the court that the breaches only occurred because, 'Christmas being Christmas, he fell out with the homeowner'.

He added that there are two potential new addresses and that this was his first breach on these charges.

District Judge Oonagh Mullan denied bail, citing his 'extremely extensive record'.

He will appear again on January 8.
A man suspected by police of being involved in bringing drugs from the Republic into the North has appeared at Derry Magistrates' Court for breaching his bail.

Ethan Irvine (27) of Rosses Gate in Derry was breached because he was caught driving on the Foyle Bridge on January 4 on his own and his bail conditions stipulate he can only travel in a vehicle driven by his partner.

A police officer said that Irvine is on bail in connection with class A and B Drugs.

He said police believed Irvine was linked 'to an organised crime gang' bringing drugs into the North.

The officer said that two hotel keys from an hotel in the Republic were also found in the vehicle and police were awaiting CCTV to find out who checked in and if it was the defendant that would be another charge.

Defence solicitor Derwin Harvey said that the breach was accepted and came about because Irvine's partner who is pregnant did not want to travel on the icy roads and he wanted to check on an elderly relative.

He said the defendant had been on police bail for 16 months without a breach.

The solicitor said that Irvine made a 'foolish' decision to drive.

As regards the hotel keys Mr Harvey said they had been used by the defendant's partner and her sister.

District Judge Oonagh Mullan re-released Irvine on bail but added a tagging condition.

He will appear again on January 21.
Hundreds of schools have been shut and flights cancelled as weather warnings remain in force with snow bringing disruption.

Amber weather warnings were in place for snow until 10am in parts of Scotland, forecasting heavy snow and travel disruption, while yellow warnings for snow and ice still cover parts of the UK.

A number of schools across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are shut on Monday, while flights have been cancelled and some train lines are also affected.

Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands has seen 34cm of snow, while Dyce in Aberdeenshire and Altnaharra, Sutherland, recorded 27cm, the Met Office said.

Sennybridge in Powys had 19cm, Castlederg in Co Tyrone saw 9cm, and Bridlington in East Yorkshire recorded 6cm.

The amber warnings covered Aberdeen, Aviemore in the Cairngorms, and Ullapool, Ross-shire.

The warnings covered much of the Highlands and Aberdeenshire areas, Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebridean Islands, from Sunday evening until 10am on Monday.

Separate yellow warnings for snow and ice were in force for much of the UK, with some ending on Monday morning leaving warnings for much of Scotland north of Glasgow, parts of Wales and the south-west, and east England stretching up to the Scottish Borders still in place.

Amber weather warnings are issued when there is an increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather, including the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property.

 Amber weather warning issued  Snow across northern parts of Scotland Sunday 1800  Monday 1000 Latest info  https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs Stay #WeatherAware  pic.twitter.com/ZRaRAsiseo  Met Office (@metoffice) January 4, 2026

Yellow warnings are issued for a range of weather situations, including when it is likely that the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places, or when the weather could bring much more severe impacts to the majority of people but the certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower, according to the Met Office.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued amber cold health alerts for England as an early warning that adverse temperatures are likely to affect health and wellbeing, running until Friday.

The lowest temperatures recorded overnight were minus 10.9C in Shap, Cumbria, minus 10.3C in Sennybridge, Powys, and minus 9.9C in Bala, Gwynedd, according to the Met Office.

Schools in Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles, Aberdeenshire and many in Moray are shut on Monday. Some across parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland are also closed.

In Wales, train services are disrupted between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog, between Machynlleth and Pwllheli and between Wales and Manchester Piccadilly via Shrewsbury/Crewe, National Rail said.

Train services in northern Scotland will be disrupted until the end of the day on Tuesday, National Rail said. Stations north of Edinburgh will not be served by LNER until 2pm on Monday, and there will be no ScotRail services on routes between Dundee and Aberdeen; Aberdeen/Elgin and Inverness; and Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh/Wick, until at least midday.

Eurostar advised passengers travelling between London and the Netherlands to postpone their journey as services are unable to operate beyond Brussels due to the weather in the Netherlands.

All trains scheduled to depart from the Netherlands cannot run, a spokesperson added.

The Met Office warned that people living in the regions covered by the amber weather warning could expect travel disruption, and that rural communities could become cut off.

Loganair cancelled flights from Aberdeen and Inverness airports following heavy snowfall.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport posted on X on Monday at 8am to say the runway was closed due to wintry conditions and some flights were subject to delay and there have been some cancelations.

Both City of Derry Airport and Belfast International Airport said there had been a number of cancellations or delays on Monday.

Police travel advice has been issued following the weather warnings for snow across north and north-east Scotland.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell: The forecasted heavy snow showers and ice means driving conditions are likely to be hazardous in some areas.

Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary during the weather warnings.

We continue to work with partners to help our communities impacted by the adverse weather.

If you need to travel, please drive to the conditions, be prepared for delays and allow extra time for your journey.

Please dont drive through road closures, the decision to close roads is not taken lightly and is done for public safety.

The AA said there has been a 40% spoke in AA callouts compared to a typical Monday.

The RAC issued advice to those planning to drive during the wintry weather.

Spokesman Rod Dennis said: Drivers must take extreme care, especially those using roads that havent been gritted, and should consider delaying their journeys until conditions improve.

For those making essential trips, allow extra time to fully de-ice and de-mist your vehicle and leave plenty of space behind the vehicle in front and reduce your speed to give yourself more time to stop.

If you do break down, being prepared is vital. Make sure you have warm, waterproof clothing, sturdy footwear, a hot drink in a flask, and a power bank to keep your phone charged.
A series of killings 50 years ago has been remembered as 24 hours of evil.

Alan Black, 82, who was the sole survivor of the Kingsmill massacre in south Armagh, described it as a sin against humanity.

He was speaking ahead of a roadside service to remember those killed in an ambush by republican terrorists outside the village of Whitecross on January 5 1976.

Ten Protestants were killed the day after six men from two Catholic families were murdered.

On January 4 the UVFs Glenanne Gang shot brothers John Martin Reavey, 24, and Brian Reavey, 22, who lived near Kingsmill.

A third brother, Anthony, 17, died several weeks later from his injuries.

Minutes after the Reaveys were attacked the UVF gang burst in on a reunion of the ODowd family and killed brothers Barry, 24, and Declan, 19, and their uncle Joe, 61.

No-one has ever been convicted over the killings.

Secretary of State Hilary Benn said his thoughts were with all the families.

My thoughts today are with the victims and the families of the Kingsmill Massacre, and with the Reavey and ODowd families, in marking 50 years since these horrific killings which caused such deep pain and suffering, he said in a post on the social media network X.

Irish Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said her thoughts this week are with all the victims families and with Mr Black.

My thoughts today are with the victims and the families of the Kingsmill Massacre, and with the Reavey and O'Dowd families, in marking 50 years since these horrific killings which caused such deep pain and suffering.  Hilary Benn (@hilarybennmp) January 5, 2026

It remains deeply regrettable that no one has been held responsible for these attacks to date and I would like to commend the victims families for their unwavering courage and determination in their quest for truth and justice, she said.

I call on anyone with information relating to the attacks to contact the authorities.

Mr Black and the families of those killed gathered at the roadside on Monday morning to remember them 50 years on.

May Quinn, whose brother Robert Walker was killed at Kingsmill, said they feel they know nothing more than they knew at the time 50 years on.

Its all swept under the carpet, I dont know if well get justice, we didnt at the time, we didnt at the inquest, she said.

But someday somebody might think we should get justice and let us have it.

I hope the ones that did it, that are living, think of us that are here today, and think of what they did that night, and know that not a member of our family, and Im the last of them, there were five of us, would touch another person.

My brother had 19 bullet holes in him, even when they got them on the ground, they finished them off.

They are not finished with yet, the ones who did it. God is the final judge, and hell judge them, not me.

Earlier, Mr Black said all the community in Bessbrook remained close despite the sectarian horror.

That 24 hours was a sin against humanity, the evil that was perpetrated against the ODowds, the Reaveys, and then to us, the only way you can describe it is evil, Mr Black told the BBC.

But if they thought for one moment that it had the potential to destroy community relations here in Bessbrook  which were always excellent  the opposite became true.

There were Catholic neighbours that rallied around me, rallied around the other families.

So if the intention was to drive a rift between the people in Bessbrook, it just did not work and Im so proud of that, I really am.

In other scenarios it may have put a rift between the people, but it didnt and that holds true to this day.

Mr Black, who was shot 18 times at Kingsmill, recalled talking to Anthony Reavey in hospital as they were being treated for their injuries.

Anthony was shot in the legs so he was in a wheelchair, he would wheel himself in and we would talk, he said.

We never talked about his brothers, we never talked about what happened at Kingsmill.

I think it was too close to both of us, but I think we had an empathy that we were two of a kind.

He was a lovely young lad, he had his whole life in front of him.

He added that Anthonys death weeks later felt like a sledgehammer blow because we were two of a kind.

The Kingsmills massacre came as the textile workers were returning from work.

Republican gunmen posing as British soldiers stopped their minibus and ordered them off.

The killers asked the occupants of the bus what their religion was and the only Catholic was ordered to run away.

The gunmen, who had hidden in hedges, forced the 11 remaining men to line up outside the van before opening fire.

Only Mr Black survived.

He said a religious service to remember the victims on Sunday had been very emotional.

Its a weird feeling, having all the relatives around me yesterday, and all being supportive of me, but Im sure it has crossed their mind, why could that not have been my husband, or my son, or grandad, but theyve been wonderful to me, he said.

It worried me at the beginning, I had to get away, I went to Scotland for a couple of years, me and my family, because my head was all over the place.

And then when I come home, I was sort of worried about the reaction from the families, because I didnt know whether they would resent me or not because I was still alive and their family member wasnt.

The opposite was true. Everyone welcomed me back to Bessbrook, they were so supportive of me down through the years.

In 2024 a coroner described the massacre as an overtly sectarian attack by the IRA but did not name individuals suspected of involvement.

A watchdog report in April last year identified a series of failings in the original police investigation, including a wholly insufficient deployment of resources.

The 10 men who died were Robert Chambers, 18, John Bryans, 50, Reginald Chapman, 29, Walter Chapman, 35, Robert Freeburn, 58, Joseph Lemmon, 49, John McConville, 20, James McWhirter, 63, Robert Walker, 46, and Kenneth Worton, 24.
Muff-based writer Irene Melaugh has released her second novel, inspired by a true story from her native Derry.

From the Brandywell area of Derry, she began work in the Star shirt factory after leaving school early.

At 18 Irene married and moved to America and had four children. While there she began writing poetry, some of which was published. She also had a few articles about the Troubles published in the University of Buffalo.

She returned to Ireland after seven years and when her family was older, returned to adult education.

She became a lecturer in the North West Regional College in Derry and on the Open College Network and was commissioned to write some short comedy plays on mental health, bullying and addiction.

Around this time she joined an all women, comedy drama group called Stretch Marks Unlimited.

The group performed for a few years, mostly in Derry but occasionally in Donegal and Dublin. She tried her hand at writing a stage play. The result, My Das Suit, was staged at the Playhouse in Derry, receiving critical acclaim.

Her new novel shares the same name as her first stage play.

Irene describes the book as two halves of a true story put together to make a nearly true story.

One day a friend of mine told me the story about her mother pawning her fathers suit every week to help her make ends meet. Her friends father never knew his suit spent most of every week in the pawn shop. He was a very proud man and would have been mortified to think his good suit was shuffled back and forth between his home in Creggan and Tommy Bars pawn in Bishop Street.

During The Troubles, the shop where the suit had been pawned was blown up. Her friends mother was worried about telling her husband about the suit.

Luckily she was able to get another identical suit for her husband. It was only later that week when he went to put the suit on to go to Mass did he realise that it was two sizes too small. His wife convinced him that it shrunk in the dry cleaners.

Irenes inspiration for the book was her father, who was a tailor.

He always made himself very unique, one-off suits. I wondered what would have happened if his suit, which could never be replaced, had been blown up in the pawn shop. That was the inspiration for the book, and so the story of My Das Suit was born.

The book is available on Amazon, alongside Irenes debut novel A Riot in Murphys Pub. She is working on a third novel, which is due to be released later this year, and its sequel.
The year ahead undoubtedly holds challenges for the telecoms industry, but progress on a number of fronts appears assured.

At the macro level, continued slow economic growth, tensions over global trade, fractured component supply chains and an increasingly uncertain geopolitical landscape, will continue to impact the business plans of service providers and the wider industry.

As service providers strive to transition their businesses for the digital services era, they will also face several more immediate choices in 2026, such as how to manage the delivery and monetisation of new services, address cybersecurity and regulatory pressures, and, not least, incorporate AI into their physical infrastructure and business processes.

On the upside, advances in technology and the drive towards next-generation networks capable of delivering greater efficiencies and lower costs, coupled with the promise of AI, should provide service providers with the platform to expand and develop an even more pivotal role as providers of intelligence-driven, locally relevant digital services for enterprises and consumers.

Global threats

In their predictions for 2026, industry commentators and analysts echo concerns over macroeconomic trends and global threats to the stability of the telecoms market.

Analyst firm Deloitte warns of increasingly fragile supply chains for next-generation AI chipsets with escalating trade restrictions on critical technologies, while in its list of 10 risks in the year ahead, accountancy firm EY identifies cost-of-living pressures through to supply chain disruption as continuing threats to telcos financial resilience and stability.

Juniper Research believes industry competition could reach an unprecedented inflection point in 2026, with the traditional role of mobile operators at risk of diminishing. Operators can be expected to actively defend their role in connectivity, while emerging players continue to gain traction,

Nevertheless, the year ahead will mark a strategic shift towards the development of scalable, enterprise-grade solutions, while improving consumer experiences will be a key focus aimed at driving adoption and enhancing customer retention across mobile services, says the analyst firm.

Meanwhile, telecom infrastructure is increasingly being viewed as a national strategic asset as regulation is impacted by geopolitics and economic nationalism, says EY. And in a research note, analysts at Omdia suggest that control of digital infrastructure for national security, economic stability and data protection is driving the concept of digital sovereignty as an opportunity for telecom operators.

Network fundamentals

The fundamental challenge of delivering fast, secure and reliable connectivity over state-of-the-art network infrastructure can be expected to remain the primary goal for operators and their supplier base in the year ahead.

Although primarily focusing on the AI challenge, vendors contributing to Developing Telecoms Global Forecast 2026 have also been at pains to stress the criticality of ensuring that service provider businesses are underpinned by the resilient, secure and future-ready digital infrastructure, processes and skills required to support the deployment of AI.

Operational and business support functions will be at the heart of these changes, and the need is for platforms that are open, flexible and capable of supporting a broader ecosystem, says Cerillions marketing director, Dominic Smith. At the same time, CSPs will need to monetise beyond connectivity services in 2026 according to Qvantel CMO, Jukka Heiska, and AI-driven solutions can help to market new services.

Both companies emphasise the need not only to employ key assets such as customer data and usage patterns to monetise these new services, but also the importance of developing large-language models to support regional and localised content rather than a single all-pervasive ecosystem.

However, EY reports that while more than half (58%) of telcos it surveyed believe it is essential to replace OSS/BSS systems, the timing and scope of transition to (AI-ready) digital support systems (DSSs) depend on a range of considerations including telcos cloud platform preferences, their degree of reliance on partners and systems integrators, and ambitions around monetising new services.

Delayed benefits

Emerging technologies such as standalone 5G, 5G-Advanced, Massive MIMO, gigabit fibre and even AI are already transforming the physical network, and the ability to harness a range of frontier technologies is becoming essential, says EY. However, these new technologies are posing fresh questions for telcos in terms of business resilience and service innovation.

In his predictions for 2026, Nvidia SVP of Telecommunications, Ronnie Vasishta,Nvidia SVP of Telecommunications, Ronnie Vasishta, stresses the need for deeper, more pervasive and distributed embedding of AI into the network and into network elements such as AI-RAN, while ZTEs chief strategy and ecosystem expert Jason Tu advocates employing new network architectures and capabilities such as edge computing and green energy, spanning network, platforms and applications to drive digital inclusion.

However, the benefits of these new architectures may not materialise as soon as 2026, says Deloitte. And whereas the use of embedded GenAI in applications such as search engines will overtake standalone Gen AI, the move towards more inexpensive edge computing using cheaper, low-powered chipsets may take longer.

Not only will many of the benefits fail to materialise in 2026, the next phase of GenAI will likely require more computational power than previously, not less, warns the analyst firm.

Towards Rel-21 and beyond

In the drive for next-generation mobile standards in 2026, 3GPP says the journey from Rel-20 (5G-Advanced) to Rel-21 (6G) will represent a critical phase in its plans. Exploratory work on 6G will continue throughout the year alongside further progress on 5G-Advanced, with the Stage-2 (system architecture) aspects of Release 20 all-but completed by June, and reaching final freeze in September.

The Release 21 timeline, which is expected to produce the first formal 6G technical specifications, should be finalised no later than June 2026. It will set the timeframe for what 3GPP believes will be an inflection point for the industry, and an influence on global standards for years to come.

Satellite growth continues

Satellite connectivity, meanwhile, can expect to see further growth in 5G coverage and direct-to-device services in 2026. As of end-2025, SpaceX reported that its Direct to Cell (D2C) service was in operation across 22 countries with more than six million monthly customers, while NB-IoT provider Sateliot is planning to launch five new LEO satellites in 2026 as part of its drive to provide global narrowband 5G connectivity.

The expansion of satellite constellations shows no sign of slowing, according to Juniper, with Starlink, Amazons Project Kuiper and a group of Chinese satellite providers having ambitious launch programs in 2026 and beyond, in addition to continuous investment programs by incumbent satellite providers such as Viasat and Eutelsat, as well as OneWeb.

Rising investment will see between 15,000 and 18,000 low-earth orbit satellites connecting over 15 million global subscribers by the end of 2026, says Deloitte, including around 1,000 Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellites providing low-bandwidth connectivity in areas that may lack terrestrial cell coverage.

However, satellite services will often face monetisation hurdles, with adoption and willingness to pay for services uncertain, meaning monetisation and business models for D2D are still unclear, says Deloitte. Nor may new LEO providers choose to partner with terrestrial telcos as some other satellite providers are doing, instead choosing to provide low-cost monthly broadband services that may disrupt emerging-market telcos.

AI choices will be critical

The year ahead promises continued and significant progress with the incorporation of new technologies, platforms and business processes across the industry, driven not least by the wider penetration of AI.

How, where and when to introduce AI will be a critical decision for service providers, and one likely to impact their businesses beyond 2026 and well into the era of 6G.
Ground has been broken on a new data centre for the Saudi Arabian government in Riyadh, described as the worlds largest government data centre.

The foundation stone of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority's (SDAIA) Hexagon data centre was laid late last week. The certified Tier IV design data centre will ultimately occupy 2.78 million square metres and have a power capacity of 480MW.

According to the Data Centre Dynamics website, its design will involve two concentric hexagons with a court in the middle of the facility.

The data centre will certainly have a lot to do as it will be hosting more than 290 government systems. It has also reportedly been designed to meet green building requirements, though no further information is at the moment available on this or the timetable for its building and launch.

The SDAIA president Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi has apparently highlighted the new facilitys role in making Saudi Arabia a global centre for data, ensuring data sovereignty and security, and enabling innovation and a digital economy. He has also promised that there will be more centres to come.

SDAIA was funded in 2018. Its transformation strategy was approved in 2019. It is described as the competent authority in the Kingdom concerned with data and AI including big data.

The new facility certainly appears to be part of a growing trend. As we noted in these pages only a few weeks ago, Saudi Arabian service provider stc group has formed 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.
Satellite service provider Starlink has shut down access to its satellite internet service in Uganda after receiving instructions to do so from the countrys regulator, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).

The request comes only a short time before general elections are scheduled to be held in Uganda on 15 January 2026 to elect the countrys President and Parliament, which has led to some speculative comment in news outlets about the timing of the news.

However, a letter on 1 January to the UCC from Starlinks Director for Market Access, Ben MacWilliams, indicates that the company is not authorised to operate in Uganda because its local entity has not yet been granted a license.

As news resource ITWeb Africa points out, Starlink, owned by aerospace and space transportation company SpaceX, first appeared in Uganda in late 2023 but has so far only been available through purchase and activation of terminals in neighbouring countries where the service is licensed.

Thus, while no doubt useful in Ugandas rural and remote areas that have long been underserved by fibre and mobile networks, the service is actually unauthorised.

Indeed, MacWilliams has been widely quoted as saying: "Any Starlink usage in Uganda was without our approval or consent and in violation of our terms of service. Starlink Uganda has never imported or distributed terminals in Uganda."

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has reportedly claimed that Uganda would allow Starlink into the country if it lowers costs. UCC-Starlink discussions are apparently still ongoing.

The matter has nevertheless highlighted concerns about the freedom to access internet services in the country ahead of national elections scheduled for January 15 this year. Indeed, the main opposition leader, Bobi Wine, has called for the reactivation of Starlink's internet services.

And references to the elections aren't entirely based on speculation. The countrys government shut down the internet during the 2021 election, as we reported at the time, and restricted access to social media applications such as Facebook and Twitter for even longer.

Lack of access to the internet at election time has also been an issue in other parts of Africa, notably Tanzania, which, last November was accused of shutting down internet access and restricting social media around the countrys elections.
Starlink will offer free broadband services in Venezuela until 3rd February following the US airstrikes on Caracas which led to the arrest of the countrys former leader Nicolas Maduro.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the satellite provider  which is owned by Elon Musk  said that it would top up both active and inactive accounts with free service credits, enabling even users who have suspended their contracts to access connectivity free of charge.

Reuters reports that since the US military action on 3rd January, Caracas and its neighbouring states have experienced scattered outages of both power and internet connectivity.

Venezuela is listed on Starlinks website under coming soon, indicating that the provider has not officially launched services in the market. The companys statement clarified that any users with current Starlink hardware can use a roaming plan to access connectivity, but did not indicate when the service would be made available for purchase in Venezuela.

Speaking to CNBC, Marko Papic, Global GeoMacro Strategist at BCA Research, said: Starlink allows internet to be provided by non-state companies in authoritarian regimes, adding that it was highly likely that the service would continue to be deployed free of charge in this way if the US took further military action in countries where it has an antagonistic relationship with the regime.

Starlink has been deployed in conflict zones in the past; in Ukraine, the service has been used to provide connectivity in lieu of networks damaged during Russias 2022 invasion and the ensuing war.

While the service was largely well-received, concerns arose over the level of influence afforded to a private company in the circumstances, prompting an eventual US investigation into serious national liability issues after Musk refused a request by Ukraine to activate coverage over Russia-held Crimea. However, in 2023 the US Department of Defence signed a deal with SpaceX that brough Starlinks operations in Ukraine under its formal auspices.
Dhurandhar: Part Two (subtitled The Revenge) picks up directly where the first film, Dhurandhar, left off, following the electrifying cliffhanger. The story reveals a shocking truth: Hamza Ali Mazari is actually Jaskirat Singh Rangi, an elite Indian undercover operative who has spent years infiltrating Pakistans criminal and political underworld.

Now occupying the power vacuum left by Rehman Dakaits death, Jaskirat emerges as a formidable figure within Pakistans internal hierarchy, navigating dangerous alliances and political intrigue. However, his mission is far from over.

The sequel escalates the conflict as Hamza/Jaskirat moves toward his ultimate target, Bade Sahab (Major Iqbal), the shadowy mastermind behind several terror attacks on India, including the 26/11 attacks. With his cover deeper than ever and danger closing in from all sides, Part Two explores Jaskirats origins, training, fractured identity, and the emotional toll of leading two lives.

As he consolidates power and faces rising betrayals, the film transitions from silent infiltration to open confrontation, setting the stage for a revenge-driven showdown that promises to be fiercer, more personal, and far more explosive than the first installment.

Dhurandhar: Part Two's release date coincides with Yash's highly anticipated film, Toxic. Dhurandhar: The Revenge streaming rights bagged by JioHotstar.
Set in the dangerously opaque world of airport smuggling, Taskaree: The Smugglers Web follows Superintendent Arjun Meena (Emraan Hashmi), a razorsharp and quietly formidable customs officer who operates where every suitcase could hide a secret and every traveler could be a suspect. When a powerful international smuggling syndicate begins exploiting global transit hubs, Arjun and his elite customs unit are thrust into a highpressure battle against concealed contraband, sophisticated rackets, and shadowy networks that thrive behind the facade of routine travel.

Calm, observant, and always two steps ahead, Arjun navigates internal tensions, political power plays, and the ruthless cunning of smugglers who operate in the grey zones of legality. As the catandmouse chase intensifies across multiple international airports, Arjun must unravel the syndicates intricate web before it tightens around him and the system hes sworn to protect.

A gripping crime thriller created by Neeraj Pandey, the series blends highstakes suspense, tactical mind games, and an unfiltered look into the unseen, highpressure world of Indian customs.
Zootopia has been one of the most loved animated movies on Disney since its launch in 2019. After a long gap of nearly nine years, Disney is finally returning with the sequel to the busy animal city. Zootopia 2 will be bringing back some familiar characters while introducing some new faces. The core of the movie will still remain the same, as the makers are continuing the idea of cooperation in a divided society. The first film won praise for its clear message, engaging story, and strong animation. The sequel aims to move the story forward by focusing on teamwork, trust, and personal growth. Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are no longer strangers trying to prove themselves. They are partners facing new challenges that test their bond. Heres everything you need to know about the Zootopia 2 OTT release.

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Zootopia 2 OTT release timeline and platform

Zootopia 2 was released in the theatres on November 26, 2025, and is currently running on the big screen worldwide. While Disney has not confirmed the OTT release of the movie yet, early reports suggest that it will be available on the platform around late February or early March. However, its also expected that the movie may be available for digital rental and purchase around late January prior to the OTT release. Viewers will be able to rent the movie on popular platforms like Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

Also read: Panchayat season 5 release timeline, streaming platform, cast members and other details

Zootopia 2 storyline

Zootopia 2 is a movie about Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, who are facing problems while working together. Chief Bogo, their boss, tells them to join a counselling programme called Partners in Crisis, where a therapist named Dr Fuzzby helps them talk about their differences and learn to work better as a team.

At the same time, a dangerous venomous snake comes into the city and scares everyone. Judy and Nick must solve the case while dealing with stress and their own issues. As things get harder, they have to decide if they can trust each other or risk failing the mission and their partnership.

Also read: Godfather of AI Yann LeCun raises concerns over Metas AI shake-up and Alexandr Wangs leadership role

Zootopia 2 cast and crew

The film is co-directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, who also worked on the first Zootopia and Frozen. Ginnifer Goodwin returns as the voice of Judy Hopps, while Jason Bateman voices Nick Wilde. Idris Elba is back as Chief Bogo, and Shakira reprises her role as Gazelle. New cast members include Quinta Brunson as Dr Fuzzby and Ke Huy Quan as the main villain, Snake. Other voices include Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, and Patrick Warburton.
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Weekly news roundup: TSMC widens 2 nm edge as South Korea boosts chip spending; Huawei eyes memory bottlenecks

These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories in the week of Dec 29 - Jan 4.

Samsung reportedly seals land deal, paving way for Yongin semiconductor complex

Samsung Electronics has finalized land acquisition for its flagship Yongin National Semiconductor Industrial Complex, clearing a primary obstacle for the massive US$257 billion project. Compensation for landowners began in late December 2025, paving the way for construction to start in the second half of 2026. The 7.77-square-kilometer site is designed to house six advanced production lines and is expected to anchor a broader ecosystem of more than 80 chip companies and research centers.

Intel and Samsung advance 2nm GAA, but yield gaps leave TSMC as the sole external supplier

TSMC has entered volume production of its 2nm N2 process, making it the first foundry to offer gate-all-around nanosheet manufacturing to external customers. With production set to start at its Hsinchu and Kaohsiung fabs in late 2025, the company reports that demand for 2nm is already outpacing supply. While rivals Intel and Samsung continue to struggle with yields on their equivalent processes, TSMC remains the only supplier delivering 2nm capacity at a commercial scale.

Huawei launches global prize to break memory bottlenecks

Huawei has launched a global call for innovation through its sixth OlympusMons Awards, offering a CNY3 million prize pool to address storage and memory bottlenecks that are increasingly constraining AI training and inference. The program, which opened in late December 2025, targets new memory media, compute-in-storage technologies, and data infrastructure for agentic AI as data movement, bandwidth, and energy efficiency emerge as key limits on AI performance. Huawei said traditional compute-heavy architectures are struggling to keep pace, as roughly half of AI training time is now spent moving data rather than computing.

AMD and Nvidia set to raise GPU prices in early 2026 amid rising memory costs

Graphics card prices are expected to rise in early 2026 as AMD and Nvidia pass on the costs of rising memory to consumers. Expiring 2025 supply contracts have left chipmakers exposed to higher spot prices for DRAM and GDDR, which are fueled largely by intense AI demand. Industry sources indicate that AMD will initiate price adjustments in January, followed by similar moves from Nvidia in February.

Asus to pause new smartphone launches in 2026, maintain mobile operations

Asus will pause the launch of new smartphone models in 2026, though the company has clarified it has no plans to exit the mobile market entirely. The shift highlights the ongoing pressure on PC-centric brands as intense competition from Chinese manufacturers continues to squeeze margins and scale. While new hardware is on hold, Asus will continue to provide software updates, warranties, and maintenance services for its current ZenFone and ROG Phone lines.

South Korea expected to reclaim no. 2 in global chip equipment spending by 2026

South Korea is projected to reclaim its position as the world's second-largest market for semiconductor equipment spending by 2026. Driven by aggressive capacity expansion for high-bandwidth memory and advanced DRAM, total investment in the country is expected to reach US$29.7 billion. This 27 percent increase from 2025 levels would see South Korea overtake Taiwan, trailing only China in global equipment outlays.

India's L&T Semiconductor to unveil partnerships in cellular IoT modules and power devices at CES

India-based L&T Semiconductor Technologies will use CES to detail a new partner-led strategy for cellular IoT modules and power devices. By collaborating with a leading US chip supplier, the firm aims to establish India as a viable alternative for manufacturing and sourcing in a market dominated by imports. Initial volumes will target the energy sector, with plans to expand into the automotive market by 2028 as local manufacturing capabilities mature.

Article edited by Jack Wu
Applications are open for The Hares Corner, an innovative biodiversity initiative developed by the Burrenbeo Trust, a registered Charity, which is coming to Louth for the first time this year.

Landowners, schools and community groups in Louth are invited to apply for support in the creation of wildlife ponds, mini-woodlands, hedgerows, mini-orchards and plans for nature on their land through the initiative, which takes its name from the old farming expression for an awkward section of a field which wasnt intensively farmed and was therefore left to nature.

Louth is one of nine counties involved in The Hares Corner project this year, with the others being Limerick, Offaly, Donegal, Monaghan, Kerry, Sligo, Kilkenny and Wexford. Anyone interested in availing of the supports can apply via a simple online application form at www.theharescorner.ie.

Last year, the highly successful project marked its fifth anniversary by creating 1,600 habitats for biodiversity in six counties around Ireland.

The menu of supports available from The Hares Corner includes  a mini-woodland (a mix of 50 native trees and advice), a wildlife hedge (a mix of 50 native trees and advice), a heritage orchard (5 heritage apple trees and advice), a wildlife pond (hydrologist advice and some expenses towards machinery costs), and a Plan for Nature (a visit and advice from a trained Hares Corner adviser on how to enhance nature on your site). For more info on the supports and eligibility criteria please visit https://theharescorner. ie/supports/ .

The website also offers practical tips, infographics and short videos aimed at helping people to create their own Hares Corners and helpful monthly Hares Corner Clinics are available online for anyone with practical questions on caring for nature.

The Hares Corner in 2026 is being funded through a combination of public and private sector funding, including the National Parks and Wildlife Service's Local Biodiversity Action Fund, and is an action of the National Biodiversity Action Plan 2023  2030. Private funders include SSE Generation Green Community Fund, NTR PLC, Greencoat Renewables PLC, ESB and Intact Insurance. The project is also grateful for the partnership with The Heritage Council's Biodiversity Officer Programme, which is enabling biodiversity officers in each of the nine counties to provide ground support for the initiative, as well as to the Lifes2Good Foundation for their key support.

The initiative is coordinated by the Burren-based Burrenbeo Trust, a registered Charity that supports people to take positive action for their local landscapes. Its flagship programmes  Farming for Nature, Heritage Keepers and The Hares Corner  initiated in and inspired by the Burren are spreading across the country due to their proven efficacy and demand.

Ultimately, the project plans to go nationwide and welcomes interest from private and public funders to help achieve this. It is also interested in hearing from ecologists and hydrologists who have hands-on experience of working with people and nature and who would like to join The Hares Corner team as freelance advisers in their own counties.

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Lee Worrell, The Hare's Corner Coordinator, says:

We are delighted to be in Louth for the first time in 2026. It has been heartening for us to see the amount of interest The Hares Corner generates up and down the country. We genuinely believe that these small, tangible actions for nature can have the collective impact that we need to turn the tide on biodiversity loss while also contributing to climate resilience and the wellbeing of participants. Our hope is that The Hare's Corner will reach every county in Ireland, and we would welcome new sponsors and partners interested in helping us to keep growing the reach of The Hares Corner.

Helen Hanratty, Biodiversity Officer, Louth County Council, says:

We are delighted to partner with The Hares Corner project this year and to bring the opportunity to create biodiversity habitats to the people of Louth. Many people want to do something for nature but are confused as to what they can or should do, and how to do it, and The Hares Corner meets this need by providing the encouragement, advice, and micro-funding to do it.
Dundalk has fallen nine places in the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey, ranking 34th out of 40 towns and cities, and was deemed Moderately Littered by business group, IBAL.

While Clanbrassil Street, the Market Square, and the Court House, were praised as being very much deserving of the top litter grade, just three sites in the town were deemed clean, while the three sites, Gray's Lane and Old Toolfix premises, basements on Francis Street and the riverbank at Castletown Bridge seeing little improvement and according to IBAL, remained stubbornly heavily littered / abused.

Work by Dundalk Tidy Towns and Louth County Council over the past couple of years had seen the town climb to 25th place in the survey, and winning praise for its efforts, but IBAL said in its report that it is disappointing to see Dundalk slip back after recent improvements.

It added that the presence of three heavily littered sites, with just three top ranking sites, will push a town towards the bottom of the IBAL league.

Read also: Stonehouse Sanctuary in Dunleer home to Louth's first forest school

Established in 1996 by businessman Dr Tom Cavanagh to promote a litter free environment, IBAL is an alliance of companies sharing a belief that continued economic prosperity - notably in the areas of tourism, food and direct foreign investment - is contingent on a clean, litter-free environment. An Taisce conducts the surveys on behalf of IBAL

The An Taisce report for Dundalk had high praise for the top ranking areas in the town, saying of the Market Square and Courthouse, that this town centre environment, which included the Maid of Erin statue and the environs of the Courthouse was exceptionally freshly presented and maintained, with some lovely paving and streetscape features. There was a complete absence of litter throughout the area surveyed.

Clanbrassil Street, which also received a Grade A, was described as looking very well, with some lovely wooden seating, nice use of hanging baskets and attractive paving. It was excellent with regards to litter.

Marshes Upper, the third site in Dundalk to receive a Grade A, was described as being a residential area that was very much deserving of the top litter grade, with all elements in very good order. It was a template for a Grade A site  well done to all concerned.

Looking at the three sites that were awarded a Grade C and dragged Dundalk down in the rankings, the An Taisce report for Gray's Lane and Old Toolfix premises said that there has been little improvement at this site, with significant levels of a wide variety of litter, primarily food related. Cars have parked between a temporary barrier fencing and the former Toolfix fencing  this area was heavily littered and weeded. The overall impression was a very poor one.

With regards the riverbank at Castletown Bridge, the report said that despite apparent recent clean up, there were loose food related items amongst the heavy leaf-fall along the pavements, along with a more obvious presence underneath the bridge.

The basements at Francis Street was the third site that received a Grade C. The An Taisce report said that there was a mix of both recent and long-lie litter items, the latter indicating a lack of thorough cleaning for quite some time. Such an environment is only a magnet for further littering / dumping. Railings, weeds and window bars also presented poorly.

Four other sites in the town were graded in the report, with the Castletown Approach Road and the N52 turn off on M1 from Dublin Approach both earning a Grade B+ and the Recycle / Bring Centre at Tesco Express and Park Street earning a Grade B.

The An Taisce report said of the Castletown Approach Road that, much of this route presented well, but the road was let down by items which had been left outside Vincent de Paul premises / light litter at Maxol.

It said that the N52 turn off on M1 from Dublin Approach was mixed in terms of litter, some parts were littered, others were clear of litter. The only visible issues were plastic bottles and sweet wrappers, most notably close to roundabout.

With regards Park Street, the report said that as well as casually discarded food related litter items, Parks [sic] Street was also characterised by graffiti on the litter bins and electrical boxes and fly posting on street poles. Vape stickers were pronounced on some of the litter bins.

It said of the Recycle / Bring Centre at Tesco Express, that the recycle bin units were freshly presented / signage associated with the use of same was in good order.

However, plastic bags had been stuffed between the units and other items had been casually disposed of on the ground and between the rear of the units and the low wall. Broken glass is hazardous.

Looking at the overall rankings in the report, Sligo finished atop the IBAL table for the first time in a study which showed that city areas in particular cleaned up in 2025.

Drogheda also fell in the rankings, slipping to 29th and being deemed Moderately Littered.

The number of towns deemed clean last year rose to 28, with Sligo finishing ahead of Leixlip, Westport and Monaghan. An Taisce, lauded the winning town for its consistently strong performance in recent years.

Waterford reclaimed its customary accolade of Irelands cleanest city, ahead of Galway. Cork City Centre was also clean. While urban areas still dominate the lower reaches of the rankings, 10 of the 13 surveyed showed an improvement in cleanliness in 2025.
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Postal Code
Tributes have poured in for secretary of Mayfield Mens Shed Joe Meade, who passed away last week, describing him as a gentleman and a tireless advocate for his community.

Mr Meade, of Dillons Cross, passed away on December 28, peacefully after a short illness bravely borne surrounded by his family, in the wonderful and exceptional care of the staff at the Cork University Hospital, his loved ones shared.

He is survived by his wife Betty (nee Lillis) and son Brendan, and they added that he will be sadly missed by extended family, neighbours, and a large circle of friends in Mayfield Mens Shed.

Mr Meades removal took place at Keohanes Funeral Home, Old Youghal Road on Tuesday, December 30. Funeral Mass was on New Years Eve at The Holy Family Church, Military Hill, followed by cremation at The Island Crematorium, Ringaskiddy.

Fianna Fail TD for Cork North-Central Padraig OSullivan described Mr Meade as a gentleman, saying that he worked incredibly hard for his local area. Condolences to all in the Mens Shed and to Joes family., he said.

Gentleman

Fianna Fail councillor Margaret McDonnell said: I was very sad to hear that Joe had passed away. Joe was always a gentleman to deal with every time I met him. He was always very welcoming and grateful for any help I gave him.

He did a huge amount of work for the Mayfield Mens Shed and he will be missed by everyone in the Mayfield Community. Condolences to his wife Betty and his son Brendan.

Fine Gael councillor Joe Kavanagh told The Echo: Joe was an integral part of The Mayfield Mens Shed and especially in the setting up of this excellent organisation some years ago. He will be sadly missed by so many in our local community.

My deepest sympathy to Joes family, his close circle of friends, of which there are many, and of course all at Mayfield Mens Shed. May he rest in peace.

Tim Glavin of Glanmire Mens Shed shared a tribute on social media, saying that Mr Meade was very supportive to other sheds with advice and support.

Condolences from all at Glanmire Mens Shed to his family and to Mayfield Mens Shed. Suahneas siorai da anam.

Great friend

The staff of Mayfield Community Adult Learning Programme said: Our thoughts are with all who mourn the loss of Joe, especially his wife and son. Thoughts are also with the Mayfield Mens Shed who have lost a great friend and dedicated member.

"May all the memories you have bring you comfort in times ahead. Joe completed several courses with CALP through the years and was always eager to learn new things.

Mr Meade sent frequent contributions about Mayfield Mens Shed to The Echo for the Mayfield page, including photographs and details of the groups trips to visit the Aras and the Dail in Dublin, and their singing excursions and woodwork for their local community. His handwritten cards of thanks and his friendly manner were always appreciated by The Echo team.
There were 736 Cork adults in emergency accommodation in November, another record and a jump of 24 from the previous month, government figures show.

The latest number represents a 25% increase from 589 in November 2024, with the monthly total passing the 600 mark for the first time in January of 2025.

The last few months have seen particularly high monthly increases, with the figures also going from 675 in September to 712 in October, with the November figure amounting to a 9% rise in just two months.

In total, 799 adults are homeless across the South West, covering Cork and Kerry, 522 of them male and 277 female. This includes 113 families comprising 177 adults and 233 children.

It comes as The Echo recently revealed that 93 families in Cork City would spend Christmas 2025 in emergency accommodation.

Of the families, 67 spent their first Christmas in emergency accommodation, 21 their second, three their third, and two their fourth or more without a home.

Additionally, 307 single adults spent Christmas in emergency accommodation for the first time, 131 for the second, 33 for the third, and 25 for their fourth or more.

Heartbreaking

Focus Irelands head of media communications, Roughan MacNamara, described the situation as heartbreaking.

Children who are homeless are having their childhoods stolen one day at a time. This is wrong and we can  and must  end this human crisis.

Mr MacNamara stressed that the new year should be a time of hope, calling for urgent action to help those in emergency accommodation, particularly children.

"We need to see urgent action such as steps to fast-track delivery of more one and four-bedroom homes to speed up exits from homelessness for families and individuals, alongside prioritising new social housing for those most in need.

Commenting on the Governments Delivering homes, building communities 2025-2030 plan, he said that while Focus Ireland welcomed the strategy, its success would be measured by tangible results, not promises, stressing the need for deadlines and milestones.
Two trampolines, a sink, a raw leg of lamb, a car seat, fish heads, fridges, and more than 20 mattresses were among the items illegally dumped in the city that council staff were alerted to in 2025.

Cork City Council received 850 complaints about illegal dumping, littering, and dog fouling from the start of January 2025 to mid-November, according to records provided to The Echo on foot of a freedom of information request.

Hundreds of these complaints were about dog faeces with one complainant saying that there was an abundance of dog fouling in Errigal Heights, The Glen.

Others said this occurred frequently in the area, while one person reported someone regularly dumping bags of dog faeces.

There were also four separate reports of human faeces, all in the city centre, with callers reporting incidents at South Mall, Lapps Quay, Washington St, and Dominick St.

Many of the complaints requested a litter pick to deal with a build-up of small items, but the majority of the complaints were to do with fly tipping, with large items being dumped.

There were also hundreds of complaints about full bin bags of rubbish.

Trolleys were another popular receptacle for disposing of litter, as more than 10 people reported a discarded trolley full of rubbish.

Furniture

Furniture was also a popular item to dump, including two burnt out mattresses in Hollyhill and Mayfield.

There were more than 20 dumped mattresses reported, as well as a full bed unit, pieces of bed frames, sleeping bags, bedding, and numerous pieces of furniture including a kitchen sink.

Electrical goods were also common, with the log provided by the council mentioning four fridges, three TVs, a Sky box, an engine, wire cables, an old electric fire, three washing machines, and one dryer.

There were also hundreds of complaints about food waste. Two people called to raise the issue of fish heads on Wellington Avenue, while another notified the council of a raw leg of lamb on Ballyhooly Rd.

Many callers alerted the council to dumped toys, while a few reported prams, one a car seat, and two trampolines. Four reports were made about bikes, and one about a tricycle. There were also numerous complaints of clothing being dumped, as well as three about suitcases.

Christmas tree

One caller reported that they had seen someone cut down a tree and then dump it, while another reported a dumped Christmas tree, and a third reported an array of Christmas decorations.

Bricks, tyres, timber, palets, wooden floorboards, iron, boards, pipes, gravel, bricks and building site waste were also reported as being illegally dumped, while three people reported barrels or tanks of oil.

Glass bottles and broken glass were another of the most frequent complaints, as was rubbish that had been burnt, with many people also saying that illegal dumping in their area was a frequent issue.

One person in Victoria Cross described the illegal dumping in the area as consistent and persistent, while another said they had been living near Glen River Park for just a year, and in that time, there had been seven incidents of rubbish being burnt.

Another caller in Fair Hill said they were frequently targeted by vandals urinating and dropping junk food in our cul de sac.

Many of the complainants expressed concern about the unsanitary nature of the dumping, with several mentioning having seen rats around waste.
The proprietor of the popular Thomond Bar on Corks Marlboro St, Rea Kennedy, who passed away on Saturday, has been remembered as a complete gentleman and an absolute character.

Mr Kennedy had suffered a long illness, and news of his passing was shared on his bars social media accounts.

Yvonne Brady, manager of the Thomond Bar, told The Echo that the staff and regulars in the bar were beyond devastated at the news of Mr Kennedys passing.

He was just such a lovely man, he was the best boss and a great friend. He was the life and soul of the Thomond and the heart of the place, she said.

Its all anyone can talk about.People are in a daze after hearing the bad news. They cant believe it. He was just such a brilliant person, its hard to believe.

A major Munster rugby fan, Mr Kennedy had owned the Thomond bar for more than 20 years, under its previous name of Waxys, and he previously owned the Brewery Tap in Blackpool, Ms Brady said.

He was a complete gentleman and an absolute character.

Rugby

Under Mr Kennedy, the pub became synonymous with Munster rugby, but also with Manchester United, despite the owner being an avowed Newcastle supporter.

One of the regulars is a Manchester United fan, starting a fan club club in the pub Ms Brady explained.

The last picture taken of Rea was when the Munster rugby team called in to see him, and they left him out of Marymount for a couple of hours.

He was like the cat that got the cream, he was over the moon to see them, she said.

Michael ODonovan, proprietor of the Castle Inn on South Main St and president of the Vintners Federation of Ireland, said he had been saddened to hear of the passing of Mr Kennedy.

Helpful

Rea was a great member of the Vintners Federation for a long number of years, he ran bars in Cork over a long period of time, and hell be sadly missed, I know by his wife Ruth and his daughter Sophie, but by his fellow publicans as well, Mr ODonovan said.

He was the former chair of both Cork city and county vintners, and he was always very helpful to publicans in the region.

We shared many a night out after meetings and trips to Dublin, and Rea was always the heart and soul of the party, he was always great fun, and he will be sorely missed.

The Thomond Bar will be closed to the public from 3pm on Tuesday and all day on Wednesday.

Mr Kennedy will repose at Jerh OConnors Temple Hill Funeral Home, Boreenmanna Rd, on Tuesday, January 6, from 5pm to 6pm.

Requiem Mass at 10.30am on Wednesday, January 7, in St Michaels Church Blackrock, and funeral afterwards to St Olivers Cemetery.
PROFESSOR Nick Maynard is a consultant gastrointestinal surgeon at Oxford University Hospital, who has volunteered in Gaza over the past two decades with Medical Aid for Palestinians.

A regular visitor to Cork, Dr Maynard spoke to The Echo during a recent visit to his wifes native Kinsale.

He said he had been privileged to lead the first UK emergency medical team into Gaza two months after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 Israeli citizens were killed and 254 hostages taken, sparking the latest round of war in the region.

Since then, more than 70,000 people are estimated to have been killed by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in the besieged enclave.

Prof Maynard described as absolute nonsense and Israeli propaganda claims that the IDF was only targeting Hamas militants and trying to protect civilian populations.

Ive seen babies whove been shot. Ive seen babies whove lost their limbs. Ive seen multiple young teenage boys whove been deliberately shot by the Israeli military and shot in specific parts of the body on specific days, he said.

This clustering of injuries was so striking it cannot possibly be coincidence.

And all of us who witnessed it felt it could only be a form of target practice that they were saying Right, today, lads, were going to shoot them in the head. Tomorrow, well shoot them in the chest. On Saturday night, well shoot them in the testicles.

He said he had witnessed extreme malnutrition, with babies dying because of the lack of formula feed.

I remember a little baby called Zaynab who was seven months old, who died when I was there because there was no formula feed to give her. All the nurses could give her was water with sugar in it, which has no nutritional value.

Prof Maynard said that four days before Zaynab died, American doctors had come to Gaza with formula feed in their luggage, and the Israeli border guards removed every container.

They say they remove anything that could be used as a weapon. Im really struggling to think what purpose could formula feed have other than feed babies. Its obscene, deliberate starvation, a war crime.

At the end of November, Amnesty International warned that Israel was still committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, despite the ceasefire agreed a month earlier.

The fragile truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect on October 10, after two years of war.

Agnes Callamard, Amnestys secretary general, said: The ceasefire risks creating a dangerous illusion that life in Gaza is returning to normal.

But while Israeli authorities and forces have reduced the scale of their attacks and allowed limited amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the world must not be fooled. Israels genocide is not over.

Professor Nick Maynard is to speak this weekend in Culturlann Sweeney in Kilkee, Co Clare.

Prof Maynard concurred with this assessment, saying: The so-called ceasefire is not really a ceasefire. There are still aerial bombardments most days, with the Israeli spokespeople finding some excuse, like they had been attacked or whatever.

They are still restricting food and aid going in.

They are not upholding the terms of the proposed ceasefire, and the US government is allowing them to get away with it yet again.

Conditions in Gaza are even worse than can be imagined from television news reports, he said, with the areas in the north of the Gaza Strip and around Gaza City almost uninhabitable.

If you ever saw the Mad Max films of yesteryear, the post-apocalyptic landscape in those areas, it is exactly like that. As far as you can see, its just rubble, mass destruction.

The majority of the population has now been displaced, he said, and are living in their hundreds of thousands in Al-Mawasi, a previously unoccupied desert coastal area from Deir al-Balah down to Rafah now filled with thousands of makeshift tents.

The word tents doesnt really do it justice, theyre for the most part tarpaulin sheets, canvas covers, which are, of course, all being destroyed in the severe rains which have taken place in recent weeks.

He said he feels despair whenever he goes to Gaza, and a fear that he will never see his Gazan friends alive again.

You feel an extreme anger that the world is allowing this to happen, you feel a complete incomprehension about how humans can treat other humans like this.

He said he was blown away by the pressure Irish people have placed on their Government.

I spend a lot of time in Cork, in Kinsale, and I often join the Cork people in their march every single Saturday. Theyve marched every Saturday since October 7, which is wonderful, and they need to continue doing that."

The Irish Government can do more. Theyre doing more than the UK government, of course, but they could put a lot more pressure on the US government.

I know from conversations with my own governments senior ministers that the UK government no longer has any leverage at all with the Israeli government, but theres a lot more that my government could do.

We have not yet got a full armed embargo. We are still supplying parts to F35 jets. We could sanction the leaders of Israel. We could stop all trade. We could stop flying reconnaissance flights from Cyprus, the RAF flights over Gaza.

We could publicly and formally acknowledge there is a genocide being carried out.

Irish citizens must continue to do all they can to keep the plight of Gaza and Palestine on the public agenda, he said.

You need to continue putting pressure on your TDs to put pressure on the senior members your Government, to put pressure on the US. At the end of the day, the US government could stop this completely overnight.

It was, frankly, bizarre that Donald Trump should be campaigning for the Nobel peace prize when he could have stopped it the minute he came into power, when the minute he took over the US presidency. Indeed, Biden could have stopped it two years ago, he said.

The US have it within their power to stop this overnight, and they have failed to do so.

The 1948 UN genocide convention defines genocide as any of five acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.

In December 2024, Amnesty concluded Israel was committing genocide in Gaza by three of those acts  including deliberately inflicting on Palestinians conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction.

Last month, Amnesty said: Israel continues to severely restrict the entry of supplies and the restoration of services essential for the survival of the civilian population.

Despite a reduction in scale of attacks, and some limited improvements, there has been no meaningful change in the conditions Israel is inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza and no evidence to indicate that Israels intent has changed.

The Israeli foreign ministry has consistently rejected allegations of genocide, describing them as entirely false, fabricated and based on lies.
A motorist who overtook a car as it was overtaking another vehicle on a busy Cork road has been convicted of careless driving in the district court.

Sergeant Tom Mulcahy told Clonakilty District Court that the incident happened at Burgatia, Rosscarbery, on the N71 road at 5pm on May 3, 2025.

The court heard that a concerned motorist had reported the incident to gardai. The motorist was driving along the N71 towards Cork at Rosscarbery when she approached an overtaking lane on a hill near Owenahincha Cross. She indicated and pulled out to overtake a slower vehicle in the left hand lane.

The motorist said that another car approached her at high speed from behind and, as she was overtaking, pulled out to her right across the line into the oncoming traffic lane to overtake. The court heard that the vehicles were effectively three-abreast going up the hill.

The third vehicle  driven by 44-year-old Christopher Dyas of River Valley, Skibbereen, Co Cork  continued on at high speed and overtook a number of cars after the overtaking lane had finished crossing into a turning lane for oncoming traffic. The court heard that the road was busy at the time, and the motorist felt that Dyass driving was so bad that she pulled over and reported it to the gardai.

Defence solicitor Colette McCarthy said that Dyas was very remorseful for the way he had driven, and accepted that his driving was not what it should have been. She said that another car had pulled out in front of Dyas immediately before the incident causing him to stall, and he had accelerated to get around it.

The court heard that Dyas had written a letter of apology to the other driver, and the matter had taken its toll on the retail manager who had no previous convictions of any kind. Ms McCarthy said that Dyas could not understand why he behaved the way he did.

Judge Joanne Carroll said she was impressed by Dyass letter of apology and noted that no other vehicle was caused to take evasive action during the incident. She agreed to reduce the charge from one of dangerous driving to the lesser charge of careless driving, which does not carry a mandatory disqualification penalty.

She convicted Dyas of careless driving and fined him 225, which was paid in court. The judge said that Dyas clearly made a significant error on the day and added: We all make mistakes.
As we wrapped up 2025, I was proud to reflect on a year defined by collaboration, resilience and real progress for Corks business community.

While businesses across the city have continued to face challenges, rising costs and tight margins, there is no doubt that Cork City is moving forward with confidence, ambition and purpose.

The economic environment last year had been complex but encouraging. Footfall strengthened at key trading periods, confidence had returned to investment decisions, and there was renewed momentum in the city centre driven by public-realm works, private-sector commitment and strong partnerships between business and local government.

Cork is emerging from a turbulent period with renewed belief in its potential as a modern European city.

Against this backdrop, the Cork Business Association (CBA) has worked tirelessly to represent, support and champion our members.

We are very much a growing family. Over the past 12 months, our membership has almost doubled, with businesses recognising the value of being part of a strong network of like-minded people who share a deep passion for Cork and its future. This growth reflects trust in the CBA as an organisation that listens, advocates and delivers.

To support this growth, our office has expanded and new positions are opening on our board and executive, ensuring the association continues to evolve and represent the diverse sectors that power Cork City.

Dave O'Brien, President of the Cork Business Association. Picture: Darragh Kane

A safe and clean city centre underpins everything. We wholeheartedly welcome the allocation of 48 new Gardai to Cork City, something the CBA has campaigned tirelessly for over a number of years. We will continue to push for Garda allocation into Cork City to ensure safety on our streets.

A major achievement last year was rolling out the Cork City Wardens Programme in collaboration with Cork City Council, which we secured funding for in 2024, with four wardens now patrolling our streets.

The presence of both has made a tangible difference to safety, reassurance and the overall city-centre experience for businesses, workers and visitors.

The CBA also hosted a major Safety and Cleaning event, bringing together businesses, Cork City Council and An Garda Siochana to address challenges and identify practical solutions. We also hosted two Cleaning and Greening days in the city. Our Leave a Light On campaign continued in partnership with Cork Citys nighttime economy directive, encouraging businesses to help create a brighter, more welcoming city after dark with grants available. Initiatives such as Coffee House Lates also helped boost evening footfall, social liveliness, and attract visitors and families into the city centre.

Housing continues to be one of the most pressing challenges facing businesses. Working closely with our members, we developed a Housing Solutions paper, presented to Seamus McGrath TD, and were encouraged to see several recommendations reflected in the most recent Budget. We also hosted a dedicated lunch focused on the housing crisis, recognising that without housing solutions, businesses cannot attract or retain staff.

Sustainability remains a growing priority for businesses. In response, the CBA hosted Climate Action Clinics to help members access climate and energy grants, supporting cost reduction while advancing environmental goals.

From an infrastructure perspective, we strongly welcome long-term commitments such as the Cork Luas and the Northern Distributor Road, both of which will be transformative for accessibility, connectivity and economic growth.

Advocacy is central to the CBAs role. Throughout the year, we met with numerous ministers to keep Cork firmly on the national agenda.

While we were extremely grateful to see the reduction in the VAT rate reintroduced, further measures are urgently required to support the hospitality sector. Margins are simply too tight. Cork is positioning itself as Irelands food region, but unsustainable cost increases threaten the very businesses that underpin this ambition. Without swift and decisive action, we risk losing independent food and hospitality operators at the heart of our city.

Retail remains a cornerstone of Cork Citys economy, and 2025 showed clear signs of confidence. Our Retail Committee continues to represent the specific needs of Corks retail sector, linking into broader association efforts on safety, cleanliness and city revitalisation.

Significant public-realm investment around South Main Street, Bishop Lucey Park, and ongoing Public Realm and Flood Defence Works at Morrisons Island are reshaping the city and improving the trading environment.

Networking and collaboration remain key. In 2025, CBA hosted numerous events. We also established a network for festivals and events operating across the city.

One of the highlights of the 2025 was celebrating businesses making a positive impact through the CBA Cork Business of the Year Awards, the Cork Better Building Awards, and the Christmas Windows Competition, recognising excellence in innovation, sustainability, customer experience and care for Corks built heritage. They are a reminder that great businesses help create great places  and Cork benefits enormously from both.

Looking ahead to 2026

As the saying goes, A rising tide raises all boats.Corks business community understands the strength that comes from collaboration, membership and partnership.

Looking ahead to 2026, we anticipate the reopening of the former Debenhams/Roches Stores, the development of Queens Old Castle, renewed investment in Merchants Quay Shopping Centre, and new openings including Oakberry, Normal, and The World of Food food court, with further updates expected on The Savoy. In 2026, the CBA will continue to champion our members concerns while delivering practical, creative solutions under our Cork City 2030 pillar. We will help launch Cork Cocktail Week in the city, and will continue our collaborations with Cork on a Fork Festival, and the Night Time Economy Office, and deliver our awards, grant supports, briefings, seminars, and cleaning and greening initiatives. The CBA is ultimately a wide group of businesses coming together and working on the ground in the city. We roll up our sleeves, we get stuck in, and we do so because we care deeply about Cork.

Cork is a city of character, creativity and enterprise. The accomplishments of 2025 - from awards that uplift local champions to boots-on-the-ground collaborations that improve city life - remind us that when businesses work together for the common good, our impact is multiplied.

As we reflect on the festive season and look ahead to 2026, let us take pride in how far weve come  and look forward with optimism to what we will build together in 2026.

Heres to a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
You might think of Bosch as the modern European equivalent to what the GE brand once was in America. It's a home appliance name (thanks to its partnership with Siemens), but the German multinational brand's core business is really about providing the underlying technology and engineering that powers cars, homes and factories around the world. That focus is reflected at CES 2026, where much of what Bosch is unveiling is intended to be licensed to other companies rather than sold as Bosch-branded products on store shelves.

Case in point is Bosch's automotive plans at CES. The company is showcasing what it calls "AI in the car," or more specifically, in the cockpit of the car. "Bosch's AI-powered cockpit makes driving more comfortable, intuitive, and safer for all occupants," Bosch board member Markus Heyn said in a press release. We'll get into all the details below, as well as how to tune in to the press conference on Monday.

How to watch Bosch's CES 2026 presentation

You can livestream the event on Monday, January 5 at 12PM ET via the Bosch press page or YouTube. (We've embedded the stream link below.)

We'll also be highlighting any relevant info from Bosch's presentation in the main Engadget CES 2026 liveblog.

What to expect

Bosch will be setting up shop in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (booth 16203), where the company will be focusing on its three big themes  mobility, smart home integrations and manufacturing  all of which will include hardware, software and AI solutions.

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Like many other CES 2026 exhibitors, look for Bosch to emphasize its partnerships with the big dogs of the AI space at the show. For instance, that AI-powered car cockpit mentioned above will feature integrations with both Microsoft and NVIDIA. Bosch is touting the ability to use voice commands to join a Teams call, while the car's system will automatically activate adaptive cruise control. And it's noting that NVIDIA's software suites will help manage "real-time sensor processing and vision-language models."

Here's a glimpse of what the booth will look like:

CES 2026 is winding down in Las Vegas, and Team Engadget is finishing a week that saw hundreds of announcements from major brands including Lenovo, Samsung, LG, NVIDIA and more. See what we named as the Best of CES 2026, then scroll back on our CES 2026 liveblog to see how events progressed throughout the week. Prefer quick summaries? See recaps of all the cool tech we saw Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
SpaceXs Starlink is offering customers in Venezuela free access to its internet service after the US captured the countrys president, Nicolas Maduro. According to CNBC, some areas of Caracas and other parts of the country lost power and internet connectivity in the wake of the operation.

Starlink says its focus is on enabling connectivity for new and existing customers to support the people of Venezuela. At the time of writing, Starlink does not yet appear to formally operate in the country, as its availability map states that service there is "coming soon."

Still, Starlink says it is proactively applying service credits to active accounts in Venezuela until February 3. Those who have paused or canceled their service but still have the necessary Starlink hardware can also reactivate their account at no extra cost for now.

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Of course, those without a Starlink terminal wont be able to take advantage of this offer right now. We are actively monitoring evolving conditions and regulatory requirements, Starlink said on a support page. While we do not have yet have [sic] a timeline for local purchase availability, if and when there are updates they will be communicated directly through official Starlink channels and reflected on this page. SpaceX previously pledged to offer free service in Ukraine following Russia's invasion of the country in 2022.

US forces carried out airstrikes and a ground operation to capture Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Saturday. The US has indicted the pair and others on several charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy. Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered the appointment of Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as acting president in Maduros absence.

According to the Department of War, US President Donald Trump has declared that his administration "will oversee Venezuela until a safe transition to a legitimate replacement" takes place. Trump has also laid out plans for American companies to tap into the South American country's oil reserves.
Google is working even more Gemini features into Google TV at CES 2026. The company demoed how the AI assistant would work on its TV platform at last year's show, and this time, it's expanding the AI's features to make it easier to do things like adjust your TV's settings or edit photos.

The ability to view photos stored in Google Photos has long been a feature of Google TV, but as part of this new update, Gemini will be able to do a lot more with them, too. Google says Gemini will be able to search your Google Photos library for specific people and moments, and remix those photos into different styles or compile them into a custom slideshow. Using Google's Veo and Nano Banana models, you'll also be able to ask Gemini to create entirely new media from scratch.

Gemini can adjust TV settings as part of the new update. (Google)

When you don't want to spend time digging through menus, Google says Gemini will also be able to adjust picture and sound settings for you based on a natural language request. Rather than asking for your brightness to be set to a specific level, simply telling Gemini that "the screen is too dim" will be enough to prompt the AI to adjust the image. Gemini's ability to display information and answer questions through your TV is also expanding. The AI will now use a TV-friendly, "visually rich framework" to answer questions and explain topics, pulling on high-resolution images and video. When you need even more information, clicking on "Dive deeper" under a Gemini response will prompt the AI to create "narrated, interactive overviews" of whatever you want to learn more about.

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Google only recently rolled out Gemini to its Google TV Streamer, and it sounds like it could be a bit before these new features are widely available. Google says the new Gemini update will arrive on TCL TVs running Google TV first, before rolling out to "other Google TV devices over the coming months."

CES 2026 is winding down in Las Vegas, and Team Engadget is finishing a week that saw hundreds of announcements from major brands including Lenovo, Samsung, LG, NVIDIA and more. See what we named as the Best of CES 2026, then scroll back on our CES 2026 liveblog to see how events progressed throughout the week. Prefer quick summaries? See recaps of all the cool tech we saw Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Micro RGB TVs first arrived last year with little fanfare and a confusing name, so you may have mistaken it for other panel tech or not even noticed. That is not likely to be the case this year, though  its the hot new luxury display technology and is all over the place at CES 2026. So why do we even need these new TVs and how are they different from OLED, Micro LED and Mini LED models? Heres how it works and how it compares.

A brief history of flat panel display tech

To better understand Micro RGB, it helps to see how flat panel display technology has evolved over the last 20 years. The first LCD TVs used liquid crystals that become transparent to light when voltage is applied, letting a rear backlight shine through as a pixel. Those pixels combine to create moving or still images, with color created via an RGB filter layer placed in front.

The main problem is that LCD crystals let some light partially leak through, so blacks are dark grey instead of pure black. And for a backlight, early LCD TVs used a white screen lit by dim and power-hungry fluorescent lights, which caused uneven light distribution. And finally, the RGB filter color layer reduced a panels brightness.

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The next step up, then, was to use LED backlights instead, placed at first at the edges of the white screen and then later directly behind it (the first TV with this tech was Sonys 2004 Qualia). That added the benefits of higher brightness, lower power consumption, improved color balance and even light distribution. It also allowed individual dimming zones that improve contrast by allowing near-pure blacks in shadow areas of an image.

Samsung's Neo QLED 8K TV from CES 2025 (Samsung)

Quantum dot (QD) technology came on the scene around 2013 with Sonys Triluminos televisions. This type of LCD panel employs a semiconductor nanocrystal layer (rather than an RGB filter layer) that can produce pure monochromatic red, green, and blue light when struck with a blue backlight. Unlike previous LCDs, they offer higher brightness and color accuracy thanks to the purity (narrowness) of the base RGB colors. The best-known TVs using this tech are Samsungs QLED models.

The latest evolution of QD LED technology is Mini LED. That combines the accuracy of quantum dot tech with hundreds or even thousands of LED dimming zones. Those models offer high brightness and color accuracy along with good contrast, but still dont deliver perfect blacks and can display blooming in scenes with bright points of light due to leakage into neighboring pixels.

Both of those problems were solved with OLED technology, which first came on the market in 2007 with Sonys XEL-1 model. The panels are made using sheets coated with organic LEDs, each paired with a transistor that can switch the LED on or off. On regular OLED TVs, OLED pixels are white and a filter layer generates colors, much as with LED TVs. However, with QD-OLEDs, OLED pixels are blue and color is created via a quantum dot layer, like LED QD displays. The latest version of QD-OLED featured on several new monitors at CES 2026 (Samsungs 5th-gen QD-OLED) uses an RGB stripe pattern to reduce color fringing on text.

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This is the first, and still the only widely commercialized TV tech that can switch its light source off on a pixel-by-pixel basis, allowing perfect black levels and near-infinite contrast. However, due to their organic nature, OLED TVs suffer from a lack of brightness and the potential for burn-in that can kill pixels.

There is another type of self-illuminating tech called Micro LED. Rather than organic, it uses microscopic inorganic LEDs to form the individual pixel elements. Those can also be turned on or off individually, so they offer the same pure blacks and sky-high contrast as OLED. At the same time theyre potentially brighter than OLED and dont suffer from burn-in. The tech is still prohibitively expensive to manufacture, though, so none have arrived to market other than Samsungs The Wall, which costs a cool $40,000.

Micro RGB

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

Before talking about Micro RGB, lets look at color space and gamut both for HDR, which uses the BT.2020 standard, and SDR, commonly associated with the REC.709 standard. REC.709 is ideal for regular HD content like TV broadcasts and YouTube videos. It can display a limited set of colors and brightness is generally capped at 100 nits.

BT.2020, however, is designed for high-end HDR streaming and 4K or 8K content creation (via Dolby Vision, HDR 10 or HDR10+). It has a much wider color gamut, meaning it can display a wider variety of colors and a bigger chunk of the visible color spectrum. Its also designed for significantly higher brightness levels of 1,000 nits or more.

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To achieve the color accuracy required for BT.2020, TVs must have extremely accurate red, green and blue pixels. Up until last year, the most color-accurate TVs used quantum dot technology and achieved a maximum of around 85 percent BT.2020 coverage (some projectors can cover 100 percent or more of the BT.2020 spectrum as they use RGB lasers to create colors).

That brings us to Micro RGB (also known as RGB Mini LED), the most advanced LED panel yet. Unlike the uniform white or blue backlights found on Mini LED models, it features individually-controlled, precise red, green and blue LED backlights that shine through a liquid crystal layer. It also offers more local dimming zones. The net result is higher color accuracy and better contrast than regular Mini LED displays, but with potentially greater brightness than OLED. Since each pixel still cant be turned on and off like OLED or Micro LED, though, contrast falls short of those technologies.

Wikipedia

So far, there is one and only one Micro RGB TV on the market, Samsungs 115-inch 4K MR95F model. The color accuracy is impressive with 100 percent coverage of the challenging BT.2020 HDR standard, an industry-first and huge leap over quantum dot tech. That means it can produce billions of colors natively and display a higher percentage of them in the visible spectrum than any TV to date.

Samsung left out a few key specs like the local dimming zone count, only saying that it has four times more than its similarly-priced 115-inch Q90F QLED model (so likely around 3,600). The company also failed to disclose the total brightness in nits, but the figure should be impressive given the potential of Micro RGB.

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We were gobsmacked with the MR95F Micro RGB model in person. Engadget editor Sam Rutherford said it produced stunningly rich and vivid colors that put Samsungs other top-tier TVs to shame, including the aforementioned Q90F. It also came with an equally stunning $29,999 price tag.

A couple of other manufacturers including HiSense have also released RGB Mini LED models similar to Samsungs Micro RGB, but they differ slightly in that the RGB modules are larger than the ones found on Samsungs latest TVs.

Which companies will have Micro RGB tech at CES 2026?

Samsung

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Luckily, the number of Micro RGB TVs is about to dramatically increase. Earlier this month, Samsung announced a full lineup using the technology with 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, 100- and 115-inch screen sizes, saying theyd set a new standard for premium home viewing. Those sets will also offer 100 percent BT.2020 HDR coverage under a new certification standard called Micro RGB Precision Color 100. While certainly likely to carry more reasonable prices than the first model, theyll probably still be Samsungs most expensive TVs when released later this year.

And on Sunday, Samsung also revealed a 130-inch Micro RGB prototype meant to showcase the technology. Once again, it blew us away partially just because of the huge size, but also due to the incredible "color accuracy and richness," as Engadget editor Devindra Hardawar put it. "I couldnt help but notice how everyone just looked a bit stunned, like the monkeys from 2001 seeing the monolith for the first time," he added.

At the same time, LG announced its first Micro RGB evo TV lineup in 75-, 86- and 100-inch models. The company is also promising 100 percent BT.2020 color gamut coverage and said the sets will have over a thousand local dimming zones for color control. Not only that, it said that its new TVs will deliver 100 percent coverage in SDR modes as well, both for Adobe RGB and the challenge P3 standard.

It was interesting to compare LG's Wallpaper and other OLED sets with the new Micro RGB tech, with our editor Devindra again being amazed. "LG already announced its Micro RGB set a few weeks ago, but that didn't prepare me for standing in front of the 100-inch demo TV it brought to CES," he said. "Throughout a variety of clips, colors looked wonderfully rich, and the overall texture of the images looked surprisingly life-like."

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For its part, Hisense also unveiled a lineup of "evo" TVs that it calls RGB Mini-LED instead of Micro RGB. It's offering them at two price points, called the UR9 and UR8, with sizes ranging from 55 up to 100 inches. The company is promising an even wider color gamut than Samsung and LG with up to 110 percent BT.2020 coverage and "color control achieving 134 bits," the company said.

On top of that, HiSense had a surprise up its sleeve with the launch of an enormous 163-inch Micro LED TV to compete with Samsung's The Wall. The company actually calls it RGBY Micro LED, because it introduces a fourth yellow color into the RGB mix. The reason, according to the company, is that yellow expands the color spectrum "where human vision perceives the most nuance."

Update January 5, 2026 at 5:18 PM: The article now includes information about HiSense's latest RGB Mini LED and Micro LED TVs.

CES 2026 is winding down in Las Vegas, and Team Engadget is finishing a week that saw hundreds of announcements from major brands including Lenovo, Samsung, LG, NVIDIA and more. See what we named as the Best of CES 2026, then scroll back on our CES 2026 liveblog to see how events progressed throughout the week. Prefer quick summaries? See recaps of all the cool tech we saw Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
A Paris court has found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron, wife of President of France Emmanuel Macron, the BBC reports. The judge found that the defendants made false claims about Macron's gender and sexuality, and "malicious remarks" about the 24-year age gap between Macron and her spouse.

Of the ten defendants, only one received a firm prison sentence of six months, according to LeMonde. Eight others received suspended sentences (effectively probation in France) of four to eight months, while the 10th person received a fine and was required to attend a sensitivity training course. Three of the instigators found guilty will lose access to their social media accounts for six months.

Key to the lawsuit is the fringe belief that Brigitte Macron was born a man  proponents for some reason believe Macron is Jean-Michel Trogneux, her older brother  and transitioned to living as a woman at some point later in life. This style of "transvestigation" is an unfortunately common type of online conspiracy theory, a roundabout way to both spread hateful rhetoric about transgender people and bully cisgender people at the same time. The campaign against Macron has the added twist of her age: Brigitte Macron is 72, 24 years older than President Macron. The pair married in 2007, but their age difference has been an ongoing narrative throughout Emmanuel Macron's political career.

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In July 2025, Macron also filed a defamation lawsuit in the US against Candace Owens, a right-wing podcaster and conspiracy theorist. Owens has made multiple attempts since 2024 to spread false claims about Macron's gender, and has said that she's willing to stake her "entire professional reputation" that she's right.

Correction 01/06/26 8:43: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the length of the sentences. We regret the error.
Actor Mickey Rourke has turned to crowdfunding to prevent eviction after falling nearly $60,000 behind on rent for his Los Angeles home.

A GoFundMe campaign titled "Help Mickey Rourke Stay in His Home" went live on Jan. 4, 2026, with a fundraising goal of $100,000. The fundraiser was organized by Liya-Joelle Jones, a friend and member of Rourke's management team, with the actor's full permission. Within six hours of launching, the campaign had raised more than $1,500, and as of recent reports, donations had exceeded $8,300.

The 73-year-old Oscar-nominated actor was served a three-day notice on Dec. 18, 2025, requiring him to pay $59,100 in past-due rent or vacate his property, according to People. Rourke allegedly failed to comply with the notice, prompting his landlord, Eric Goldie, to file a legal complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court on Dec. 29, 2025. The complaint also requests compensation for attorney fees and termination of Rourke's rental agreement.

Rourke began leasing the three-bedroom, 1,600-square-foot Spanish bungalow in March 2025. The monthly rent initially started at $5,200 but was later increased to $7,000. The 1926-built property is located near the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the LA Farmers Market.

Read more: Tyler Perry Sexual Assault Accuser Addresses Newly Surfaced Texts in Statement

The GoFundMe page describes Rourke's situation as "a very difficult and urgent situation" and emphasizes that the fundraiser aims to provide him with "stability and peace of mind during a stressful time," Comic Book Movie reported. Jones stated, "Mickey is going through a very difficult time right now, and it's been incredibly touching to see how many people care about him and want to help."

Rourke's current financial struggles are reportedly linked to his tumultuous exit from Celebrity Big Brother UK in April 2025, which resulted in the loss of a significant expected payout. The actor left the reality show early after producers cited "unacceptable behavior" involving offensive language and confrontations with fellow housemates, including JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes.

While reports suggested his appearance fee was worth up to roughly $670,000, the network allegedly withheld the funds following his premature departure. Rourke's manager, Kimberly Hines, later stated they were pursuing legal action, claiming the show "disrespected" the actor and "refused to pay him his dues," a loss that appears to have precipitated his current housing crisis, as per IMDB.
Actress Evangeline Lilly revealed this week that she has been diagnosed with brain damage following a serious fall in Hawaii last May.

The 46-year-old star, known for her roles in the Marvel films "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and the television series "Lost," shared the health update on Instagram on Jan. 2. In a video filmed on New Year's Day, Lilly explained that recent brain scans showed reduced function across nearly her entire brain.

"The results came back from the scans, and almost every area in my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity," she said in the video. "So I do have brain damage from the TBI (traumatic brain injury), and possibly other factors going on," according to The Guardian.

The accident occurred in May 2025 while Lilly was at a beach in Hawaii. She fainted without warning and fell face-first into a boulder. The impact caused significant facial injuries, including a hole in her face that required stitches from a plastic surgeon to prevent permanent scarring. She also experienced additional fainting episodes, including one on the way to the hospital, The Independent reported.

Read more: Will Smith Named in Lawsuit by Violinist Over Alleged Sexual Harassment on 2025 Tour

In the months following the accident, Lilly had struggled with cognitive declinedifficulty concentrating and memory problems. In her Instagram post caption, she noted that doctors initially confirmed the symptoms were not related to perimenopause, a transition many women experience in midlife. However, discovering the source of the decline did not bring her relief.

"Comforting to know my cognitive decline isn't just peri-menopause, discomforting to know what an uphill battle it will be to try to reverse the deficiencies," she wrote.

Lilly has a history of fainting spells dating back to childhood. Previously, doctors had suggested hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) as the cause, though testing never confirmed this explanation. The cause of her fainting episodes remains unknown.

Moving forward, Lilly said her focus will be working with her medical team to understand what triggered the fainting and to begin recovery efforts, as per Fox News. Despite the challenging diagnosis, she expressed gratitude for how the injury forced her to slow down. She called her 2025 holiday season "the most restful" she has had in fourteen years, since becoming a parent.

Lilly ended her update by thanking fans for their continued support and prayers during her recovery process.
Former Prince Andrew is reportedly blaming Catherine, Princess of Wales, for his diminished role within the royal family, according to an insider who spoke with Heat World UK.

Despite the serious allegations surrounding Andrew's connections to Jeffrey Epstein, and the accounts detailed in Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir "Nobody's Girl," Andrew remains part of the royal circle, though increasingly marginalized. Sources, as per She Knows, say Andrew believes Kate Middleton is responsible for his fall from favor.

"Andrew has become completely fixated on Kate," the insider said. "He describes her as a 'silent assassin' who has been influencing Prince William behind the scenes, turning him against Andrew."

The source added that Andrew is convinced major decisions about his future have been run past both William and Kate, but he has focused his anger primarily on Kate rather than William.

The insider continued, "Andrew believes Kate is controlling William and has 'poisoned the well' against him. He has been telling anyone who will listen that she is the reason he was pushed out of the family. He is vowing to get back at her, which will not sit well with William."

Reports also suggest tensions between Kate and Andrew have been ongoing. Author Andrew Lownie told Fox News Digital in 2025 that Andrew may have harbored resentment toward Kate because of perceived differences in social status. "My source said Andrew was rude to Kate, possibly because he viewed her as not aristocratic enough to marry William," Lownie said.

Alongside these personal conflicts, it has been reported that Prince William and Kate Middleton moved to their "forever home," Forest Lodge, and support efforts to have Andrew and Sarah Ferguson relocate from the Royal Lodge, ending their proximity as neighbors.

As Andrew faces increasing public scrutiny and internal family pressures, his focus on Kate Middleton as a central figure in his difficulties highlights ongoing tensions within the royal family.

Prince William Expresses Concern Over Prince Andrew's Mental Health Amid Royal Family Fallout

In separate news, Marie Claire reported that contrary to previous reports portraying him as the hardline figure in the royal family's handling of Prince Andrew's controversies, Prince William is said to be deeply concerned about his uncle's mental health following the former Duke of York's demotion.

Multiple news outlets had earlier suggested that Prince William led efforts to strip Andrew of his royal titles amid allegations linked to Jeffrey Epstein. However, new insights reveal a more compassionate side of the Prince of Wales.

"In the whole sorry saga, William was often painted as the tough guy urging his father to put his foot down. This image of ruthless William was, I'm told, wide of the mark," a royal source told The Times.

The source added that while William supported King Charles's decision to remove Andrew's titles, he worried about how the former Duke of York would cope with the consequences. Princess Kate also reportedly backed her husband in this matter.

Royal expert Robert Jobson told the Daily Mail that the family remains anxious about further damaging revelations. "If The King and his advisors thought stripping his disgraced brother of titles would stem the flow of embarrassing revelations about his sordid association with Jeffrey Epstein, they must be disappointedand very concerned," Jobson said.

Jobson noted that Prince William and others around the king dread more stories coming to light. "And who doubts there are more revelations to come? This is precisely what The King and those around him, including Prince William, have been dreading," he said.

In 2026, Andrew is expected to move from Royal Lodge in Windsor to a residence on the Sandringham estate, a transition reportedly welcomed by the royal household. Despite this, sources say William's concern for Andrew remains strong.
Victoria Jones, daughter of Oscar-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones, had pending charges for public intoxication and resisting a peace officer before her death last week.

The 39-year-old was found dead in a room at the Fairmont San Francisco early Thursday, January 1, in what authorities believe may have been an overdose, TMZ reports.

Court documents show that the case stems from an alleged incident on May 14, 2025, in Santa Cruz, where Victoria was accused of being in a public place while under the influence of toluene, an inhaled solvent known to produce euphoric effects.

The case was still active at the time of her death, with a pretrial conference scheduled for January 27.

Victoria's legal troubles were not limited to this case. She had multiple run-ins with the law, including a drug-related arrest in April 2025 for unlawful possession of cocaine.

She was offered a plea deal that would have required her to pursue sobriety, but she did not live to attend the court date.

sources reports that she had also faced charges in Napa County for driving under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and resisting arrest earlier in 2025.

Tommy Lee Jones' daughter Victoria had a plea deal that demanded sobriety waiting to be signed ahead of her sudden death ... TMZ has learned.



Read more: https://t.co/zkSnnNQz0u pic.twitter.com/N5VqQtCGp0  TMZ (@TMZ) January 4, 2026

Victoria Jones Pleaded Not Guilty

In June 2025, Victoria faced additional charges related to domestic violence and elder abuse, which she pleaded not guilty to.

Prosecutors had scheduled a settlement hearing for late January to address those allegations.

According to 911 audio obtained by the Daily Mail, Victoria was suspected of an overdose when paramedics responded to the hotel.

Emergency personnel reported that her lips and fingernails had a blue tinge, prompting immediate attempts to revive her.

She was pronounced dead at the scene, and authorities have since turned the case over for further investigation.

Her father, Tommy Lee Jones, 79, and family issued a statement following the news of her death: "We appreciate all of the kind words, thoughts, and prayers. Please respect our privacy during this difficult time. Thank you."

Jones resides in Texas with his third wife, Dawn Laurel, while Victoria's mother was Kimberlea Cloughley, Tommy Lee's second wife. Victoria also had a brother, musician Austin Jones.
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Mucho mas que una fruta: el alimento que protege "todo tu cuerpo", desde el corazon hasta el cerebro
The shooting in Midtown happened at the end of the workday, with the gunman traveling cross country to get to New York. The officer killed w...
The Israeli military launched strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, Lebanese state media reported, after warning it would hit what it called Hezbollah and Hamas targets in four villages.

It was the first such warning issued by the Israeli military this year, as Israel continues to strike targets in Lebanon despite a ceasefire with Hezbollah.

An AFP photographer in Kfar Hatta, one of the targeted villages in south Lebanon, saw dozens of families flee the village after the warning was issued, amid drone activity in the area, adding that ambulances and fire trucks were on standby.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes on the four villages.

It later reported a new series of strikes near the southern towns of Saksakiyeh and Sarafand, without prior warning.

According to the NNA, the strike on Al-Manara in eastern Lebanon caused "the complete destruction of a house and serious damage to surrounding houses, cars and commercial establishments".

The Israeli military said in a statement it "began striking Hezbollah and Hamas terror targets in Lebanon".

In two separate posts on X, the military's Arabic-language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, said the villages were Kfar Hatta and Annan in south Lebanon, and Al-Manara and Ain al-Tineh in eastern Lebanon.

Adraee said the military would hit Hezbollah sites in Kfar Hatta and Ain al-Tinah, and Hamas sites in Annan and Al-Manara.

The NNA said the home targeted in Al-Manara belonged to Sharhabil Sayed, a Hamas leader in Lebanon who was killed by Israel in 2024.

- Repeated attacks -

Despite a year-old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel carries out regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is bombing Hezbollah sites and operatives, and occasionally Hamas targets.

Two people were killed in an Israeli strike that targeted a vehicle on Sunday, around 10 kilometres (six miles) from the border, the Lebanese health ministry said.

In November, an Israeli strike on south Lebanon's Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp killed 13 people.

Israel said it targeted a Hamas compound, with the group rejecting the claim.

It has also hit Hamas' ally in Lebanon, the Islamist group Jamaa Islamiya, which claimed responsibility for multiple attacks against Israel before the ceasefire.

Under heavy US pressure and fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Beirut has committed to disarming Hezbollah, which was badly weakened after more than a year of hostilities with Israel including two months of open war that ended with the November 2024 ceasefire.

Lebanon's army was expected to complete the disarmament south of the Litani River -- about 30 kilometres from the border with Israel -- by the end of 2025, before tackling the rest of the country.

All four of Monday's targeted villages are located north of the river.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday called the disarmament efforts far from sufficient.

Lebanon's cabinet is to meet on Thursday to discuss the army's progress, while the ceasefire monitoring committee -- comprising Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France and UN peacekeepers -- is also set to meet this week.

At least 350 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since the ceasefire, according to an AFP tally of Lebanese health ministry reports.

glp-jd/nad/jfx
COLUMBUS  The walleye hatch was the sixth largest of the past 38 years, according to results from the 2025 annual Lake Erie trawl surveys by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. The west zone yellow perch hatch was classified as the seventh largest in the past 38 years, while hatches in the central and east zones were below average.

The data reveal spawning success and survival of young walleye and yellow perch. These survey results allow biologists to estimate how many fish will enter the catchable population as 2-year-olds in 2027, key information used by the inter-agency Lake Erie Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to decide annual levels of safe harvest for walleye and yellow perch.

Walleye

Lake Erie continues to be the walleye capital of the world due to its world-class walleye fishing, fueled by above-average hatches in eight of the past 11 years.

The 2025 western basin walleye hatch index, which consists of trawl sites in Ohio and Ontario waters, was 128 fish per hectare; one hectare is equal to roughly 2.5 acres. This hatch is well above the average of 57 fish per hectare. Walleye production in the central basin continues to be strong, with a 2025 survey index of 26 walleye per hectare  above the long-term average of 8 per hectare.

Central basin walleye hatches are likely a small part of the lake-wide population, but tagging studies propose that fish hatched in the central basin spend more time there as adults compared to migratory walleye from the western basin. Above-average central basin walleye hatches may provide seasonal local fishing opportunities when schools of migratory walleye are not present.

Walleye from the 2025 hatches should reach catchable size, above the 15-inch minimum length requirement, as soon as spring 2027. Walleye fishing is anticipated to remain great for many years.

Yellow perch

Lake Erie yellow perch are surveyed and monitored as regional populations within discrete management zones. The division of wildlife uses these zones to oversee yellow perch hatch success and compares results to previous years to determine safe harvest levels.

The west zone yellow perch hatch, from Toledo to Huron, was above average in 2025 and should make a noticeable contribution to the catchable adult population in 2027, as identified by Ohio and Ontario trawl surveys. The survey index was 733 young-of-year yellow perch per hectare, above the average 467 fish per hectare, falling seventh of the surveys last 38 years.

Surveys in the last decade have identified a trend of more consistent hatch success in the west zone. This years strong hatch, and years previous, will support the trend of good yellow perch fishing in 2026 and beyond across the west zone.

The central basin is divided into two management zones for yellow perch: the central zone from Huron to Fairport Harbor and the east zone from Fairport Harbor to the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Survey catches were below average in these zones, with indices of 10 and 5 year young-of-year perch per hectare.

This year, frequent, strong winds limited survey days in the central basin and, as a result, less trawls than typical were conducted. Many anglers caught limits of large yellow perch near the central basin harbors in late fall 2025, near Lorain and Cleveland in particular, suggesting that good seasonal opportunities still exist despite lower population sizes.

Variability in regional yellow perch hatch success is anticipated on Lake Erie due to the size of the lake, differences among basins and zones and weather conditions. Hatch success is a result of timing and availability of favorable conditions for both spawning and survival of newly hatched yellow perch in the spring and summer. Strong lake-wide yellow perch hatches are not common.

For more information, visit wildohio.gov.
MARYSVILLE, Ohio  Registration is open for the Ohio Cattlemens Associations 2026 annual Meeting and Awards Banquet Jan. 24 at Ohio State University Wooster Campus, Shisler Conference Center, 1680 Madison Ave. in Wooster. This year, the association will offer a new format for the meeting: the Buckeye Cattlemens Summit, made possible through partnerships with the Buckeye Hereford Association, Ohio Shorthorn Association and Ohio Simmental Association.

This new format provides more opportunities for producer education. Morning and afternoon sessions will discuss key beef industry topics, including reproduction advancements and research updates on identifying beef quality and value.

Youth education will also be offered at the summit, including the Fed Cattle Carcasses Contest grading seminar and the beef cut identification contest as well as opportunities to participate in the Ohio Beef Youth Council contests. Contest awards will be handed out during the Buckeye Cattlemens Luncheon.

OCA policy developments and the Ohio Cattlemens Foundation scholarships presentations will also take place.

The meeting will conclude with a cattlemens social and PAC auction followed by the traditional OCA Awards Banquet. During the banquet, National Cattlemens Beef Association President-Elect Gene Copenhaver of Virginia will discuss NCBAs successful work in the beef industry.

Registration is open and hotel room blocks are available. For more information, visit ohiocattle.org/events-programs/buckeye-cattlemens-summit.
A leading Somerset dairy business has been thrust into the national spotlight after its managing director was recognised in the Kings New Year Honours for his contribution to sustainable British farming.

Richard Clothier, managing director of Wyke Farms and a third-generation member of the Clothier family, has been awarded an MBE for services to sustainable agriculture and food production, highlighting the growing role of family-run farms in driving environmental change across the sector.

Wyke Farms, which has been in the same family for more than 160 years, has long combined traditional cheesemaking with a focus on environmental responsibility. The business traces its approach back through generations, built on the belief that great cheese begins with respect  for the land, for nature, and for the generations to come.

Under Mr Clothiers leadership, Wyke has been at the forefront of renewable energy and carbon reduction within the dairy industry. The business now produces its own green energy through solar power and biogas, recycles water on site and operates a closed-loop system designed to minimise waste, helping reduce reliance on external energy and improve long-term resilience.

The company says sustainability extends beyond infrastructure and technology, with an emphasis on custodianship at farm level. Its approach prioritises biodiversity, soil health and close ties with local communities in Somerset, reflecting wider shifts in UK agriculture towards farming systems that balance productivity with environmental care.

The recognition of Mr Clothier comes alongside honours awarded to leading figures in farming science and agri-tech, underlining the breadth of contribution across the sector. Professor Lorna Dawson was awarded a damehood, while Professor Simon Pearson received an MBE, recognising their work in advancing UK agriculture.

Wyke Farms said the honour recognises not only Mr Clothiers leadership but also the collective efforts of those working across the business. From a 160-year-old handwritten cheese recipe passed down through generations to supplying customers on a global scale, the company says its focus has remained on producing food responsibly while protecting the countryside.

The MBE also underlines how established farming businesses can adapt to modern challenges while holding on to traditional values, setting an example for the future of sustainable dairy production in the UK as the sector continues to respond to environmental, economic and consumer pressures.
Deepika Padukone has managed to wow us time and again ever since her super-confident debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om (2007). Shes tremendously beautiful no doubt but doesnt just rely on her beauty to coast through performances. She does ample justice to all her roles and makes the audience sit up and take notice of her histrionics as well. We present a list of fourteen of her best films from the beginning of her career till now. We hope this Deepika Padukone Movies list adds to your movie-watching pleasure.

In This Article

1. Om Shanti Om (2007)

2. Love Aaj Kal (2009)

3. Cocktail (2012)

4. Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani (2013)

5. Chennai Express (2013)

6. Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013)

7. Piku (2015)

8. Bajirao Mastani (2015)

9. Padmaavat (2018)

10. Chhapaak (2020)

11. Pathaan (2023)

12. Jawan (2023)

13. Kalki 2898 AD (2024)

14. Singham Again (2024)

Director: Farah KhanCast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Shreyas Talpade, Arjun Rampal, Om Shanti Om, directed by Farah Khan, had her essaying a double role. The film was a modern retelling of Bimal Roys Madhumati (1958).70s superstar called Shantipriya who gets killed by her filmmaker husband. A junior artist Om Prakash (Shah Rukh Khan) is in love with her and witnessed the incident. He couldnt save her and he too passed away due to an accident. His soul gets reincarnated into a producers newborn son. Om Kapoor (SRK) is a big star but keeps getting flashes of his past birth. He devises a plan of apprehending the culprit by making a film based on his memories starring him and a lookalike of Shanti, Sandhya (Deepika). But in the climax, Shantis spirit takes over and exacts her own revenge. Deepika was confidence personified in the film and essayed both the roles smoothly.Director: Imtiaz AliCast: Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rishi Kapoor, Giselli MonteiroImtiaz Ali weaves two tales of love into one in this romance. Jai Vardhan Singh (Saif Ali Khan) and Meera Pandit (Deepika Padukone) are a modern-day couple living in London. They are happy with each other but do not believe long term relationships. Meera goes to India, while Jai stays in London, hoping to be called to San Francisco, where working at the Golden Gate Inc. is his dream job. Jai meets Veer Singh Panesar (Rishi Kapoor) a Sikh hotelier living in London who inspires Saifs character to get his life on track by narrating his heartwarming love story set in the 1960s. The two tracks run parallel, with Saif playing Rishis younger self as well in the film. Inspired by Veer Singhs story, Jai agrees to have a reunion with Meera. While things dont work out then, later in San Francisco he realises he really wants Meera in his life and makes another attempt at touching base with her and this time, the attempt is successful. Deepika played a regular girl with ambitions of her own who goes through the cycle of breakup and separation to understand what she wants from life. It was a straight-from-the-heart performance alright.Director: Homi AdajaniaCast: Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Diana Penty, Dimple KapadiaHomi Adajania made a nice film about a man falling in love with two girls at once and then being unable to decide with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life. He copped out in the end and made the hero choose the good girl in the end., a rich girl who likes to live in the extremes. Her life revolves around hookups and booze. Its a 24/7 party and she doesnt apologise for her way of looking at things. She meets Meera (Diana Penty), who has been thrown out by her husband and takes her in. They both meet Gautam Kapoor (Saif Ali Khan) , a rich boyfriend and all three gel instantly, becoming fast friends in the process. He and Veronica become friends with benefits and Meera accepts that relationship. She stays with them and doesnt move out. Circumstances bring Gautam and Meera together and they end up falling in love. When she comes to know of this, Veronica sacrifices her own love for Gautam and helps the lovers start a life together.Director: Ayan MukerjiCast: Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Kalki Koechlin, Kunaal Roy KapurThe film starts off with the geeky Naina Talwar (Deepika Padukone) joining her friends Aditi Mehra (Kalki Koechlin), Kabir "Bunny" Thapar (Ranbir Kapoor) and Avinash "Avi" Arora (Aditya Roy Kapoor) on a hiking trip to Manali. Bunny plans to travel the world. Naina develops feelings for him but doesnt reveal them, knowing that he doesnt want to settle down. The friends meet again at Aditis wedding and sparks fly once more. This time, Bunny realises that being with Naina is more important to him than his dream job and he proposes to her and they get engaged, surprising their friends. Everybody agreed that Deepika looked too beautiful to be cast as a geeky introvert unsure of what she wants from life. Like anybody would have been crazy not to fall in love with her. Leaving aside that implausibility, she essayed her character thoroughly well and her chemistry with Ranbir was the best thing about the film.Director: Rohit ShettyCast: Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan40 something Rahul belongs to a family of confectionery shop owners. When his grandfather passed away at 99, his grandmother requested him to submerge the ashes at Rameswaram. He sets out in the Chennai Express from Mumbai, planning to get down at Kayan and join his friends on a road trip to Goa, reasoning that all oceans are one and he would rather have some fun and submerge the ashes in Goa. He gets off at Kalyan but forgets to collect the pot containing the ashes. He runs back to the train and then helps a girl and four others -- in a spoof of sorts -- to DDLJ -- get inside the train. The girl, Meenamma (Deepika Padukone) is running away from her family, the guys are goons sent by her father to collect her and as hes witness to a crime -- one of the goons pushes a TC off the train -- he must ride with them to their native village in. The two become friends during the picturesque journey and later he helps her escape again, falling for her in the process. The film ends with Rahul and Meenamma being accepted as a couple by her family. Deepika brought out the mannerisms of Menamma perfectly through her acting. Her combination scenes with SRK were fantastic indeed in this comedy. She showed that she can hold her own doing comedy as well.Director: Sanjay Leela BhansaliCast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika PadukoneThis is Bhansalis take on the classic Romeo And Juliet story set in Gujarat. The fictional village Ranjhaar has been a den of arms manufacturers and smugglers where two clans, Rajadi and Sanera, have been at loggerheads with each other since time immemorial. Ram (Ranveer Singh), one of the younger chieftains of the Rajadi clan, falls in love with Leela (Deepika Padukone), the daughter of the chief matriarch of the Sanera clan. The star-crossed lovers run away to start a new life. However, things escalate and soon the village is in danger of witnessing an all-out war. To save their respective clans from being decimated, the two lovers decide to kill each other. Their death finally brings peace and unites the two clans. Deepika and Ranveers chemistry literally set the screen on fire. And her dance moves too dazzled the audience.Director: Shoojit SircarCast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan KhanDoes a successful, financially independent modern girl actually need a man? Maybe, if the mood takes her and certainly on her terms.was unusual in the sense that the heroine (Deepika) was saddled with an eccentric and self-absorbed father (Bachchan), who went about telling all and sundry that she wasnt a virgin. Despite it all, she loves her dad. The deal-maker for her is that her man should get along with her father. She meets a taxi operator (Irrfan) and the trio take a road journey together from Delhi to Kolkata, during which she thaws to him. She finally finds someone willing to accept her with all her baggage. The film ends on that hopeful note. Deepika played a modern woman who is happy in her given space and doesnt have time for traditional norms like marriage. She loves her father too much to mind his eccentricities and doesnt consider him a burden. It was another realistic performance from the actor.Director: Sanjay Leela BhansaliCast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka ChopraRanveer Singh essayed the role of the legendary Peshwa Bajirao I,, his second wife and Priyanka Chopra brought to life the character of Kashibai, his first wife. Bajirao was a valiant warrior who extended the might of the Marathas both up North and down South. During one such campaign, he meets Mastani, the Muslim daughter of the king Chhatrasal and is attracted towards her for the valour she shows on the battlefield. She becomes his second wife and rivalry erupts between her and Kashibai. Mastani isnt welcome at the court in Pune and hence Bajirao constructs another palace for her and starts spending more and more of his time there, leading to Kashibai experiencing further heartbreak. When he goes to battle Nasir Jung in the South, Bajiraos mother and his eldest son imprison Mastani and her son Shamsher Bahadur. Hes successful against Nasir Jung but gets badly injured. He wants her released and dies while hallucinating about meeting her. Both Ranveer and Deepika were in their element depicting the titular roles but the surprise packet was Priyanka, who made us sympathise for Kashibai.Director: Sanjay Leela BhansaliCast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoortells of the immortal love between Rajput ruler Maharawal Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor) and his second wife Padmavati (Deepika Padukone), who was a Sri Lankan princess. They fell in love when he was recuperating in Sri Lanka after being shipwrecked off the islands coast. He marries her and takes her to Rajasthan, and they are considered the perfect match for each other. Tales of her beauty reaches the ears of Alauddin Khalji (Ranveer Singh), who is besotted by the description and wants to see her. Ratan Singh, of course, denies him this, thinking it to be against Rajput pride. This leads to an invasion of Chittor by Khalji. In order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, Ratan Singh challenges Khalji to single combat. They both prove equal to each other at first but later Ratan Singh looks to have an upper hand. Hes killed by treachery at this point. Padmavati, upon hearing the news, commits suicide by jumping in a burning pyre and other ladies living in the fortress join her as well. Deepika Padukone looked like she had walked off from the pages of history and her last scenes really gave one goosebump.Director: Meghna GulzarCast: Deepika Padukone, Vikrant Masseyis based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal.is legendary and it's a bold move indeed for her to begin her innings as a producer with a film where her face is disfigured almost the entire length. But the film isn't just a gloomy courtroom drama. It also points out that it's important for such girls to stop feeling like a victim. They shouldn't let tragedy rule their entire life. In one scene, Vikrant Massey's character tells Deepika to not look so happy as he's taping an interview. To which she replies that she doesn't want to curb her happiness. Playing her most challenging role so far, Deepika Padukone breathed life into every frame. She wasnt a superstar playing a super glamorous role and made us believe we're watching the travails of a normal girl. One left the theatre teary-eyed but happy.Director: Siddharth AnandCast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John AbrahamIn Pathaan, a Pakistani general hires a private terror outfit to conduct attacks in India. However, Pathaan (Shah Rukh Khan), an Indian secret agent, is on a mission to form a special unit and curb these attacks. Deepika Padukone plays Dr. Rubina Rubai Mohsin, an ISI agent who initially supports the villain, John Abraham's character, Jim, the leader of a terror outfit. She appears as an enemy in the beginning but later joins forces with Shah Rukh Khan to stop Jim's plans.Director: AtleeCast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Sanya Malhotra, Priyamani, Ridhi DograJawan is about a man who is eager to rectify the wrongs of the society while keeping a promise made years ago. He comes up against a monstrous outlaw with no fear, who has caused extreme suffering to many. Deepika Padukone plays Aishwarya Rathore, the wife of Vikram Rathore (Shah Rukh Khan) and mother of Azad. Deepika's character is unjustly convicted and imprisoned for murder. The movie shows clips of her character's journey in jail, including her pregnancy, giving birth, and raising her son.Director: Nag AshwinCast: Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, Deepika PadukoneThe movie, which is set in the year 2898 AD in a post-apocalyptic world, centres on a small team that is trying to save Kalki, the unborn child of lab subject SUM-80. In the film, Deepika Padukone portrayed Sumathi. She played the role of a pregnant woman bearing Kalki's (Vishnu's tenth avatar) predicted child.Director: Rohit ShettyCast: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer SinghIn 2024, Rohit Shetty wrote and directed the action movie Singham Again. It follows the story of Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn) whose special team helps him save his wife (Kareena Kapoor Khan) from an enigmatic foe. In this cop world, Deepika Padukone portrays DCP Shakti Shetty, also referred to as Lady Singham, the first female officer in Shetty's cop-verse. According to some theories, her persona is modelled after Trijata or Vibhishishana, as the movie draws parallels to the epic Ramayana.
Veteran actor Zarina Wahab has opened up about a decisive phase in her career, revealing why she is increasingly choosing to work in Telugu films. Speaking at the song launch of Nache Nache from Prabhas-starrer The Raja Saab, Zarina shared her happiness over the response she has received and the sense of belonging she feels in the Telugu film industry.





Reflecting on her long career, Zarina said that while she has worked in many films over the years, The Raja Saab has brought her exceptional publicity and recognition. Expressing heartfelt gratitude, she thanked producer Vishwa Prasad, distributor Anil Thadani and actor Boman Irani, while also showering affection on Prabhas, calling him sabse raja and a true sweetheart. She added that working with the cast and team gave her the chance to connect with warm, respectful people, which made the experience even more special. She also thanked Maruthi, who is the director of this film.



Zarina also spoke candidly about a question she is was asked in Mumbai. She was asked why she prefers doing South films at this stage of her career. Answering it clearly, she said that Hindi films today lack the sense of family that once defined them. In Hindi films, there is no family, she remarked, adding that Telugu cinema still prioritises family-oriented storytelling. According to her, Telugu films celebrate these relationships and togetherness, which audiences genuinely enjoy watching.





View this post on Instagram A post shared by Filmfare (@filmfare)



This connection is what has motivated Zarina Wahab to actively take up projects in the Telugu industry. She revealed that she is currently doing three to four Telugu films and expressed deep gratitude for the love and respect she has received there. At the same time, she acknowledged the Hindi film industry for shaping her career, saying she remains thankful to both worlds.





Her words echo the sentiment shared by Prabhas himself at The Raja Saab pre-release event in Hyderabad, where he called Zarina Wahab one of the true heroes of the film. Prabhas praised her presence and also credited producer Vishwa Prasad for backing the films scale and vision fearlessly over its three-year journey.








[] BTS ()  5      (+ENG/JPN/CHN/ESP)



 https://t.co/wgQbJBuWDe#BTS # pic.twitter.com/7g9vRXpiQC  BTS_official (@bts_bighit) January 4, 2026 The agency wrote, "This new album is especially meaningful as it marks the groups first album release in approximately three years and nine months, while also presenting the direction the seven members will move toward going forward. The members were deeply involved throughout the songwriting process, infusing their own thoughts and colours, and expressed through music the emotions and concerns they felt during their journey."



Recently, BTS' agency BIGHIT Music announced that the 5th album will be released on March 20, 2026, at 1 PM Korean time. They also confirmed the world tour and said that the full schedule will be announced on January 14 at 12 AM Korean time. The pre-orders of the new album will begin on January 16.The agency wrote, "This new album is especially meaningful as it marks the groups first album release in approximately three years and nine months, while also presenting the direction the seven members will move toward going forward. The members were deeply involved throughout the songwriting process, infusing their own thoughts and colours, and expressed through music the emotions and concerns they felt during their journey."





.@BTS_twt's 5th Album will have 14 tracks and will be released Friday, March 20, with pre-order opening date on January 16!



The world tour schedule will be announced separately on January 14!https://t.co/QKzkREzo7R pic.twitter.com/yUYdiJ60mF  BTS Charts & Translations (@charts_k) January 4, 2026 Not just this, but a fresh branding was also unveiled featuring three red circles.



The album which carries 14 tracks, is said to be BTS' love letter to their fan base, ARMY. The note continued, "Featuring 14 tracks, the album is packed with honest stories that BTS wants to share with ARMY, who have been waiting for their comeback as a whole group. Filled with the music that's most true to BTS, the album is their heartfelt way of saying thank you to ARMY, who have been there this whole time."Not just this, but a fresh branding was also unveiled featuring three red circles.





Also Read: The globally popular South Korean band BTS consists of Kim Namjoon, Kim Seokjin, Kim Taehyung, Park Jimin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok and Jeon Jungkook.Also Read: BTS to Make Post-military Comeback on THIS Date

The wait for an update on BTS highly anticipated reunion is finally over. After completing their mandatory military service, the septet is officially coming back together and preparing for the next chapter of their journey as a group. The South Korean boy band is now gearing up to release their fifth album and are also set to embark on a world tour.
Sudha Kongara has never shied away from socially charged stories, and the trailer of Parasakthi suggests that her next feature may be her most politically combustible yet. Dropped this week, the trailer plunges viewers into the turbulence of the 1960s, a period when the nation was grappling with the fallout of Hindi being pushed as the countrys official language.



The opening moments establish the mood with an announcement declaring the governments decision on Hindi. Almost immediately, the atmosphere shifts from uneasy compliance to simmering revolt. At the centre of this storm is Atharvaa, playing a student leader who becomes the first spark in the resistance. When a police officer coldly tells him, "If you have a problem with politics, go to Delhi and make your opposition known," his response cuts to the heart of the films politics, "Is Delhi the same as India?"



The line sets the tone for a narrative that is not just about a protest, but about reclaiming voice, agency and identity in a system that seems determined to flatten difference.



Brothers on opposite sides of belief



For much of the trailer, Sivakarthikeyan appears in a strikingly different light. As Atharvaas onscreen brother, he begins as a passive bystander, someone who would rather keep his head down and play by the rules. He even seems open to learning Hindi under the guidance of Sreeleelas character, questioning why his younger brother has chosen the dangerous path of rebellion.



In one scene, Sreeleela gently explains to him that Atharvaas agitation is not reckless defiance but a fight for the nation itself. That seed of doubt eventually blossoms into a radical transformation. Sivakarthikeyans arc appears to take him from a cautious rule follower to the face of the movement, leading the charge against what he sees as an unjust imposition.





His words underline the nuance in the films politics. At a crucial point, he declares, "We are only against Hindi imposition, not the language itself or the people who use it as their main language." It is a line that makes it clear that Parasakthi is not interested in demonising a language, but in questioning the power structures that attempt to enforce it.



Opposing this rising tide is Ravi Mohan as a ruthless police officer tasked with crushing dissent. The trailer shows him branding Sivakarthikeyans character as an anti-national scum and subjecting him to brutal torture in jail, embodying the state machinery that often confuses obedience with patriotism. Meanwhile, Chetans character pledges loyalty to whoever leads the revolution, calling that figure his elder brother, a symbolic passing of the torch within the movement.



Sudha Kongaras charged canvas



Also featuring Prakash Belawadi in a pivotal role, Parasakthi is directed by Sudha Kongara from a screenplay she co wrote with Arjun Nadesan, based on a concept by Mathimaran Pugazhendhi. Additional screenplay is credited to Ganeshaa, while Madhan Karky and Shan Karuppusamy have contributed extra dialogues.





On the technical front, the film boasts GV Prakash as music director, marking his 100th project as a composer, with Ravi K Chandran behind the camera, Sathish Suriya on editing duties and Supreme Sundar choreographing the action. The project is produced by Aakash Baskaran under the Dawn Pictures banner and is set for a theatrical release on January 10.



With its heady mix of politics, personal conflict and period detail, the Parasakthi trailer promises a film that does not simply recount history but interrogates it. In an era where cinema often chooses safe ground, Sudha Kongara seems ready to provoke, question and ignite conversation.





Also Read: Parasakthi Moves Up Release, Setting The Stage For A Pongal Face Off With Vijays Jana Nayagan




EQS Newswire / 05/01/2026 / 07:00 UTC+8



Home Control(1747.HK)Revamped the Panel of Non-Executive Directors;

Market expects Strengthening Agility and Corporate Governance to Support Home Healthcare Business Development

(Hong Kong - 5 Jan 2026) Home Control (1747.HK) has recently revamped the Board of directors, merely involving non-executive directors and independent non-executive directors. While the executive directors and the management team were not affected, the Company's daily operations and business fundamentals remain solid. Market observers have noted that the Board of directors have streamlined from 9 members to 6. The change is expected to improve agility and effectiveness in the long run, enabling better support for the Company's strategic expansion into home healthcare business and long-term enhancements in corporate governance.

Notably, the Company has appointed Mr. Bernard Eng Chuan LIM as an Independent Non-Executive Director, who is a Chartered Accountant (Singapore) and currently serves as the Finance Director of a Singapore-based private investment group. Not long ago, another two Independent Non-Executive Directors Mr. Min YE and Mr. Yi Chung CHEN were newly appointed. Mr. Min YE previously served as Managing Director - Head of International at Moody's Corporation while Mr. Yi Chung CHEN is currently the Chief Operating Officer of a healthcare group. The three new Independent Non-Executive Directors (INEDs) have formed a strong team, fulfilling its responsibility to enhance the Board's oversight, governance, and strategic support functions.

The resigning directors include Mr. Alain Perrot, non-executive director and chairman of the Board, as well as independent non-executive directors including Mr. Werner Peter Van Eck, Ms. Keet Yee LAI and Dr. Shou Kang CHEN. These directors were engaged at the earlier stage of Home Control when its core focus was the traditional home control business. Since 2025, Home Control has been actively developing the AIoT-enabled home healthcare ecosystem, it is believed that the change in INEDs as part of a strategic transformation, representing a phased optimisation and reorganisation of the Board structure, with a view to introducing more professionals with expertise in healthcare, capital management and corporate governance.

Under the Listing Rules in Hong Kong, companies listed on the main board are required to appoint at least three independent non-executive directors. Regarding the new Board structure of Home Control, the Company has appointed Mr. Bernard Eng Chuan LIM with extensive experience in finance and healthcare-related assets, along with the two previously appointed INEDs, Mr. Min YE and Mr. Yi Chung CHEN. This new composition complies with Hong Kong regulations, providing professional expertise and independent judgement on the business, conducting risk assessment, safeguarding shareholders' interests and further enhancing the Company's governance standards.

Mr. Bernard Eng Chuan LIM is a Chartered Accountant (Singapore) with over 30 years of experience in senior finance leadership roles across multiple organisations, with experience spanning corporate finance, controllership, governance and strategic planning. He is currently the Finance Director of RB Capital Pte. Ltd. Mr. Lim held senior finance leadership roles across multiple organisations, including serving as Chief Financial Officer of OUE Limited for 10 years. He also served as Chief Financial Officer at Tsao Family Office Pte. Ltd. and as Business Controller (Finance) at Pacific Eagle Real Estate.

During his tenure at OUE Limited, Mr. Lim worked on various significant corporate actions, capital markets initiatives and strategic investments. This included OUE Limited's entry into the healthcare real estate sector through the acquisition of International Healthway Corporation Limited (IHC) , which is a healthcare services and facilities provider with operations across Southeast Asia.

Since 2025, Home Control has progressively appointed several directors with background in healthcare and capital markets, including Mr. Min YE and Mr. Yi Chung CHEN who have extensive experience in healthcare, risk management, capital markets and corporate governance. The appointment has further reinforced the Board's professional judgement and oversight capabilities in support of the Company's new business direction, laying a solid governance foundation for the expansion of its AIoT-enabled home healthcare ecosystem.

Currently, Home Control's headquarters and principal operating team are based in Singapore, with a stable core management, executive team and operating structure. The newly revamped Board of directors comprises members have experience in serving at Singapore-based and international institutions. Market believes that the new INEDs will achieve effective communication with the core management team and drive continuous steady development of both its established smart home control business and its newly expanded home healthcare operations.

Home Control(1747.HK)Revamped the Panel of Non-Executive Directors; Market expects Strengthening Agility and Corporate Governance to Support Home Healthcare Business Development
German Vice Chancellor calls for U.S. to "respect international law"

Xinhua) 09:55, January 05, 2026

BERLIN, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said on Sunday that U.S. intervention in Venezuela is "very worrying," stressing that international law must be respected.

"International law must be respected. That also applies to the actions of the U.S.," Klingbeil was quoted by German news agency DPA as saying.

Klingbeil, who also serves as co-leader of Germany's ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD), stressed the need to prevent any further escalation.

He called on all parties to "find the path to a peaceful transition to democracy in Venezuela," adding that the Venezuelan people must be able to decide their own future.

Earlier on Saturday, the United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were "captured and flown out of Venezuela," according to a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
LUGANO, Switzerland, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Art Limitless is a new programme within the BE OPEN Art online gallery tailored specifically to display the competitions, webinars, master-classes and other sources of knowledge and guidance on sustainability in arts.

In 2025, the Art Limitless project within BE OPEN Art has been dedicated to inclusivity in arts. For the Art Limitless Competition, from May to October 2025, BE OPEN expert community have been researching and selecting artwork by artists with disabilities that demonstrate the beneficial power of creativity and inclusivity.

Selected artwork has been posted at the online gallery every month, and a public vote helped select the Artist of the Month. One of them has now become the winner based on the amount of votes by the public and the BE OPEN art community members. Our congratulations and the 1000 euro grant go to Ash Milne, a multidisciplinary artist whose work centers on themes of identity, self-acceptance, and queer joy. Their high-contrast paintings challenge societal norms and advocate for the visibility of marginalized bodies and experiences. They are currently studying at Sheridan's Visual and Creative Arts program, class of 2025.

The artist who will receive the 500 euro as the winner of the Founder's choice grant is Fotini Michalidi, a visual artist and curator from Cyprus. Her multidisciplinary practice explores themes of embodiment, memory, and identity through painting, installation, and collaborative projects. As a disabled artist and board member of the Cyprus Myopathy Association, Fotini uses her work to challenge societal perceptions of disability and advocate for greater inclusivity in the arts.

An online public vote has selected another grantee - 300 euro will go to Alexis Neumann, a US artist, scholar, and curator whose interactive installations and mixed media works explore the intersections of Disability Studies, Theology, and Intersectionality. Drawing on her lived experience with multiple invisible illnesses, her practice centers themes of interconnectedness, resiliency, and complexity within the body and the world.

BE OPEN Founder Elena Baturina commented on the outcome of the project: "As an important artistic tool, inclusive arts can help people realize their creative potential, enable self-advocacy among people with disabilities, raise awareness and empathy, improve communication and inspire a positive change. For BE OPEN, supporting inclusive artists means providing new perspectives and visions of and for the society. We hope that these grants will empower artists to keep dreaming, to keep creating, and to keep following their hearts, while involving the audiences in a meaningful and much needed dialogue."

BE OPEN will continue exploring the topic of sustainable art in 2026 with a programme dedicated to sustainable ways of art-making.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2852903/Elena_Baturina.jpg

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LONDON, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners ("LLCP") announced today that it has entered into an agreement to sell its portfolio company Global Loan Agency Services ("GLAS" or the "Company") to Oakley Capital, a European private investment firm. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.

Headquartered in London, GLAS is a leading independent provider of loan agency and trustee services to the global debt markets. The Company offers mission critical solutions to lenders and borrowers across syndicated loans, direct lending, and capital markets transactions, and has become a trusted partner for complex financing structures to clients across the globe.

During LLCP's ownership, GLAS has delivered strong growth, with Assets under Administration increasing from ~$120 billion in 2021 to over $750 billion today. The Company's rapid growth has been driven by a combination of geographic expansion, new service offerings, technology investment to drive efficiencies and enhance client experience, and strategic acquisitions.

Josh Kaufman, Partner and Head of LLCP Europe, said, "GLAS has been a flagship outcome for the LLCP European franchise with its strong performance. We are extremely grateful and proud to have supported Mia Drennan and her management team to build the global, market leading independent loan agency provider. We are excited to see their continued growth and future success with their new partner."

Mia Drennan, Founder and CEO of GLAS, commented, "Our entire team is grateful for LLCP's close support and partnership, which has been pivotal helping us through this phase of unprecedented growth. As we welcome Oakley Capital as our new partner, we're excited to accelerate our global market leadership and take the business to the next level."

The sale of GLAS is LLCP Europe II SCSp's second exit.

Deutsche Bank AG and Robert W. Baird Limited served as joint financial advisors, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher (UK) LLP served as legal counsel to LLCP and GLAS in connection with the transaction.

About Levine Leichtman Capital Partners

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, LLC is a middle-market private equity firm with a 41-year track record of investing across various targeted sectors, including Business Services, Franchising & Multi-unit, Education & Training and Engineered Products & Manufacturing. LLCP utilizes a differentiated Structured Private Equity investment strategy, combining debt and equity capital investments in portfolio companies. LLCP believes that by investing in a combination of debt and equity securities, it offers management teams growth capital in a highly tailored, flexible investment structure that can be a more attractive alternative than traditional private equity.

LLCP's global team of dedicated investment professionals is led by 9 partners who have worked at LLCP for an average of 20 years. Since inception, LLCP and its affiliates have managed approximately $18.1 billion of capital across nearly 20 investment funds and has invested in approximately 120 portfolio companies. LLCP currently manages $12.6 billion of assets and has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, London, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

Media Contact: Isabel Moon, imoon@llcp.com

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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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Road Town, British Virgin Islands--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2026) - LBank Exchange is pleased to announce the listing of CBIC (Cyber Incense). Trading for the CBIC/USDT pair was open on 3rd January, 2026 already. Users are able to access the trading pair at https://www.lbank.com/trade/cbic_usdt





CBIC Listing Banner

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About Cyber Incense (CBIC)

Cyber Incense is a RitualFi focused Web3 project that explores how human intention, belief, and participation can be expressed and recorded on chain. Drawing inspiration from ancient incense rituals, the project introduces a digital ritual layer where actions become data, consistency becomes identity, and participation generates measurable progression.

At its core, Cyber Incense transforms symbolic rituals into programmable on chain interactions. Each ritual action functions as a signal recorded by the protocol, contributing to user reputation, seasonal progression, and long term identity within the ecosystem. Rather than financial yield optimization, the project emphasizes cultural participation, narrative driven engagement, and community aligned evolution.

Cyber Incense introduces the concept of a Fortune Layer, where ritual behavior translates into progression metrics such as Fortune XP, Blessing Fragments, and evolving archetypes. Users advance through structured roles based on consistency and participation, forming an identity that reflects ritual history rather than speculative activity.

The project is developed by a team based in Malaysia and positions itself as an experimental intersection of meme culture, on chain identity, and ritual based participation systems.

Tokenomics

Token Name: CBIC

Token Type: Meme

Total Supply: 8,000,000 CBIC

Blockchain: Base

Token Utility

Ritual Enhancement and Progression

CBIC is used to unlock premium rituals that enhance ritual output, improve blessing rarity, and provide access to seasonal bonuses within the Fortune Layer.

Alchemy and Crafting

The token enables alchemy mechanics where ritual fragments can be crafted into rare incense types and augmented ritual items, allowing users to customize their progression path.

Seasonal Participation

CBIC supports seasonal systems where new ritual cycles introduce different themes, challenges, and progression opportunities tied to protocol defined rhythms.

Governance and Ritual Council

Token holders participate in governance through the Ritual Council, contributing to decisions related to season design, ritual parameters, and ecosystem evolution.

Ecosystem Sinks and Balance

CBIC is consumed through premium rituals, crafting systems, seasonal passes, and exclusive access mechanics, creating ongoing utility driven token sinks.

Allocation Breakdown:

Category Percentage Ritual Rewards & Emissions 40% Ecosystem & Community Growth 20% Team & Core Contributors 15% Treasury & Ritual Foundation 10% Liquidity & Market Stability 10% Advisors & Ritual Architects 5%

Roadmap

Initial Phase

Protocol foundation, ritual mechanics deployment, seasonal structure definition, and ecosystem onboarding.

Expansion Phase

Introduction of advanced rituals, alchemy systems, seasonal metagames, and expanded governance participation.

Long Term Development

Cross chain ritual interoperability, cultural integrations, identity layers, and narrative driven ecosystem expansion.

Learn More about Cyber Incense (CBIC)

Website: https://www.cyberincense.xyz/

Twitter: https://x.com/CyberIncense

Telegram: https://t.me/cyberincense

About LBank

Founded in 2015, LBank is a leading global cryptocurrency exchange serving over 20 million registered users in 160 countries and regions. With a daily trading volume exceeding $10.5 billion and 10 years of operational history with zero security incidents, LBank is dedicated to providing a comprehensive, user-friendly trading experience. Through innovative trading solutions, the platform has enabled users to achieve average returns of over 130% on newly listed assets.

As the ultimate 100x Gems Hub, LBank has listed over 300 mainstream coins and more than 50 high-potential gems. Ranked No. 1 in 100x Gems, Highest Gains, and Meme Share, LBank leads the market with the fastest altcoin listings, unmatched liquidity, and industry-first trading guarantees, making it the go-to platform for crypto investors worldwide.

Follow LBank for Updates

Website: https://www.lbank.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LBank_Exchange

Telegram: https://t.me/LBank_en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lbank_exchange

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lbank

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279412

Source: LBank
Road Town, British Virgin Islands--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2026) - LBank Exchange is pleased to announce the listing of MPX. Trading for the MPX/USDT pair will open at 13:00 UTC on January 5, 2026.





MPX Listing Banner

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Users will be able to access the trading pair at https://www.lbank.com/trade/mpx_usdt

About MetaPass (MPX)

MetaPass is a next generation multi chain Web3 gateway designed to unify asset management, gaming interaction, and decentralized social participation within a single non custodial wallet infrastructure.

At its core, MetaPass operates through the MetaPass Wallet, a non custodial mobile application engineered to interact seamlessly with multiple blockchain ecosystems across EVM compatible and non EVM networks. The wallet enables users to send, receive, swap, stake, and manage digital assets while maintaining full ownership and control of private keys.

MetaPass is built to address structural challenges in Web3 adoption, including fragmented onboarding, static wallet architecture, unsustainable token models, and the separation between financial, gaming, and social layers. By consolidating these components into one interoperable interface, MetaPass positions the wallet as an active engagement layer rather than passive storage.

The ecosystem integrates GameFi functionality, decentralized governance, and future decentralized social interaction directly into the wallet environment. Users can interact with NFTs, participate in gaming economies, stake tokens, and engage in governance without relying on external applications or custodial intermediaries.

MetaPass Wallet Core Features

Multi Chain Asset Management

The MetaPass Wallet supports interaction across multiple blockchain networks through a unified interface, allowing users to manage assets without manual network switching or external bridges.

Token Transfers and Swaps

Users can send and receive tokens securely across supported networks and perform cross chain swaps directly within the wallet using aggregated liquidity routing.

Staking and Yield Participation

The wallet integrates non custodial fixed term staking, enabling users to lock supported tokens and earn predictable on chain rewards while retaining asset ownership.

NFT and Game Asset Management

MetaPass allows users to store, trade, and manage NFTs and in game assets directly within the wallet, supporting GameFi participation without third party platforms.

Portfolio Intelligence

The wallet provides consolidated portfolio tracking, including asset valuation, performance insights, and cross chain balance aggregation.

Tokenomics

Token Name: MPX

Token Type: Utility

Total Supply: 125,000,000 MPX

Blockchain: BNB Smart Chain (BEP 20)

Token Utility

Governance Utility

MPX serves as the governance token of the MetaPass ecosystem. Token holders participate in voting on protocol upgrades, ecosystem fund allocation, and strategic development decisions through DAO based governance.

Staking and Fixed Term Yield

MPX can be staked directly within the MetaPass Wallet using fixed term staking models. This mechanism encourages long term participation and supports predictable on chain reward distribution.

GameFi and Eco Gaming Integration

MPX functions as the primary in game currency across the MetaPass GameFi ecosystem. It is used for NFT minting, asset upgrades, entry fees, and participation in gameplay mechanics, including eco themed Play to Preserve experiences.

DeFi and Launch Participation

MPX is used within future MetaPass DeFi infrastructure, including liquidity incentives and participation in crowdfunding and launch mechanisms integrated into the ecosystem.

Allocation Breakdown:

Category Percentage Team & Core Development 15% Ecosystem & Reserve Fund 25% Public Sale 12% Private Sale / Seed Round 8% User Incentives & Community Rewards 30% Marketing & Partnerships 5% Initial Liquidity Fund 5%

Roadmap

Phase I: Foundation and Capital Formation (Q2 - Q4 2025)

Development of the MetaPass Wallet infrastructure begins, focusing on multi chain interoperability and non custodial design.

Finalization of MPX token architecture and tokenomics framework.

Release of the official whitepaper and completion of seed and private funding rounds.

Public sale and initial community participation.

Completion of security audits for smart contracts and wallet infrastructure.

Phase II: Launch and Market Establishment (Q1 - Q3 2026)

MPX token listings on centralized exchanges.

Official launch of MetaPass Wallet 1.0 with staking functionality enabled.

Activation of the initial GameFi ecosystem, including onboarding focused gaming experiences.

Establishment of ecosystem grant programs to support developers and contributors.

Phase III: Ecosystem Expansion and DeFi Innovation (Q4 2026 - Q3 2027)

Launch of MetaPass decentralized exchange infrastructure.

Expansion of GameFi applications with NFT based progression and token utility loops.

Transition of ecosystem governance toward DAO based decision making.

Phase IV: Social Integration and Decentralized Interaction (Q4 2027 Onward)

Integration of decentralized social networking functionality within the MetaPass Wallet.

Deployment of wallet based identity and SocialFi mechanisms.

Expansion into a unified Web3 ecosystem combining finance, gaming, and social interaction.

Learn More about MetaPass (MPX)

Website: http://metapass.global/

Twitter: https://x.com/MetapassGlobal

Telegram: https://t.me/metapasschannel

About LBank

Founded in 2015, LBank is a leading global cryptocurrency exchange serving over 20 million registered users in 160 countries and regions. With a daily trading volume exceeding $10.5 billion and 10 years of operational history with zero security incidents, LBank is dedicated to providing a comprehensive, user-friendly trading experience. Through innovative trading solutions, the platform has enabled users to achieve average returns of over 130% on newly listed assets.

As the ultimate 100x Gems Hub, LBank has listed over 300 mainstream coins and more than 50 high-potential gems. Ranked No. 1 in 100x Gems, Highest Gains, and Meme Share, LBank leads the market with the fastest altcoin listings, unmatched liquidity, and industry-first trading guarantees, making it the go-to platform for crypto investors worldwide.

Follow LBank for Updates

Website: https://www.lbank.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LBank_Exchange

Telegram: https://t.me/LBank_en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lbank_exchange

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lbank

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279410

Source: LBank
Cranbrook, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2026) - DLP Resources Inc. (TSXV: DLP) (OTCQB: DLPRF) (FSE: J8C) ("DLP" or the "Company")announces completion of a 280 line-km aeromagnetic drone survey covering 30 km2 on the Esperanza project in southern Peru (Figures 1, 2 and 9). The aeromagnetic drone survey contracted to DK Mining Ltd. and Fargo Exploration was flown on a north-south grid of 200m line spacings and infill line spacings of 100m. The survey defined a characteristic magnetic high surrounded by magnetic lows co-incident with mapped porphyry related alteration, high resolution spectral alteration mineral mapping and anomalous copper and molybdenum anomalies. The copper and molybdenum anomalies were previously identified from rock chip geochemical sampling earlier in 2024 (see DLP Resources Inc. news releases dated March 13 and April 25, 2024).

The geochemical sampling, alteration and magnetic anomaly maps, Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, define and confirm coincident anomalies which extend over approximately 4 x 4 km.

Mr. Gendall, President and CEO commented: "The Esperanza project is a grassroots porphyry copper-molybdenum project which is in a fantastic location in southern Peru and was completely unexplored until early 2024. Initial sampling and mapping commenced in January 2024 and field observations together with the first set of 97 rock results were very encouraging. The recent aeromagnetic drone survey has confirmed a coincident magnetic anomaly with our alteration mapping, spectral alteration mapping and ground geochemistry. This is exciting and we believe we have strong evidence for a buried porphyry copper-molybdenum system at depth. Permitting a drill program for 2026 is our next step on this encouraging project".

Quality Control and Quality Assurance

DLP Resources Peru S.A.C, a subsidiary of DLP Resources Inc., supervises sampling and carried out surface sampling and mapping of outcrop at the Esperanza project (see DLP Resources Inc. news releases dated March 13 and April 25, 2024). Rock chip sampling was done within a maximum area of 2m x 2m and descriptions were carried out by a geologist. Samples are bagged and sealed on site before transportation to the ALS Peru S.A.C. sample preparation facility in Arequipa by Company vehicles and staff. Rocks are crushed with 70% passing <2mm. Sample is split with riffle splitter and 250g pulverized to 85% less than 75um. Prepared samples are sent to Lima by ALS Peru S.A.C. for analysis. ALS Peru S.A.C. is an independent laboratory. Samples are analyzed for 48 elements using a four-acid digestion and ICP-MS analysis (ME-MS61). Overlimit samples for copper and silver were re-analysed by four-acid digestion and ICP-AES (ME-OG62). In addition, sequential copper analyses are done and reports, soluble copper using sulphuric acid leach, soluble copper in cyanide leach, residual copper and total copper. ALS meets all requirements of International Standards ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and ISO 9001:2015 for analytical procedures.

DLP Resources independently monitors quality control and quality assurance ("QA/QC") through a program that includes the insertion of certified reference materials.

Esperanza Project

The Esperanza Cu-Mo Project is an early-stage exploration project in Southern Peru consisting of 8,600 Ha of claims which are 100% owned by DLP. Esperanza is located ~35 km SW of the Cerro Verde Mine in Arequipa and immediately south of the Minera Pampa de Cobre (Chapi) copper mine and lies between Rio Tinto and Vale ground holdings in the district. Cerro Verde represents one of the largest copper reserves in Peru and in the world, having total mineral reserves of 4.577 billion tonnes of ore grading 0.35% copper, 0.01% Mo and 1.52 g/t Ag. (Technical Report Summary of Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources for Cerro Verde Mine - Freeport-McMoRan website1: https://fcx.com/operations/south-americaCVPeru).

Copper-molybdenum mineralization at Esperanza was initially observed in an early reconnaissance program undertaken in 2022. Subsequently we have completed a satellite alteration mapping program over the project and identified alteration consistent with porphyry copper-molybdenum systems. Follow-up of alteration and subsequent sampling and mapping commenced in early 2024.

Results for 97 rock samples taken in the initial reconnaissance sampling and mapping of the northwestern part of the project returned highly anomalous copper, molybdenum, cobalt and zinc in mapped intrusive stocks and polymictic breccias within the overlying volcanics.

Rock chip samples from this early sampling in 2024 returned up to 4.71% Cu, 28.8ppm Mo, 3540ppm Zn and 383ppm Co (see DLP Resources Inc. news releases dated March 13 and April 25, 2024).

Figure 1: Location map of the Esperanza Porphyry Copper-Molybdenum Project.

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Figure 2: Simplified structural map showing location of Esperanza in relation to major copper mines and copper deposits in Southern Peru.

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Figure 3: Summary geology and copper in rock chip samples.

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Figure 4: Summary geology and molybdenum in rock chip samples.

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Figure 5: High resolution alteration mapping (Photosat data) with interpreted alteration zones.

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Figure 6: Reduced to pole magnetic map with overlay of interpreted alteration zones and rock chip geochemical anomalies.

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Figure 7: Analytic signal magnetic map with overlay of interpreted alteration zones and rock chip geochemical anomalies.

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Figure 8: Total magnetic intensity map with overlay of interpreted alteration zones and rock chip geochemical anomalies.

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Figure 9: Photograph of central part of anomalous magnetic zone at Esperanza, looking SE

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Qualified Person

Mr. Gendall, CEO & President of the company is the qualified person as defined by National In trument 43-101. Mr. Gendall has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release

About DLP Resources Inc.

DLP Resources Inc. is a mineral exploration company operating in Southeastern British Columbia and Peru, exploring for Base Metals and Cobalt. DLP is listed on the TSX-V, trading symbol DLP and on the OTCQB, trading symbol DLPRF, and on the FSE, trading symbol J8C. Please refer to our web site www.dlpresourcesinc.com for additional information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

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 Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to further programs on the Esperanza Project in Peru.

These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things geochemical results expected from the Esperanza Project in Peru.

Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279408

Source: DLP Resources Inc.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 / Churchill Resources Inc. ("Churchill" or the "Company") (TSXV:CRI.V) is pleased to report maiden intersections of high tenor antimony along with gold and silver over 800m of structural continuity in the environs of the historic Frost Cove Antimony Mine. As well the Company reports the discovery of a potentially extensive polymetallic system at Pomley Cove Pond, with interceptions of high-grade gold, silver, lead, and zinc.

These discoveries are a product of Churchill's Fall 2025 exploration program at the Black Raven Project, designed to rigorously evaluate the Frost Cove Mine structure for antimony, and explore the potential for broader polymetallic mineralization through the Black Raven Property. This maiden program consisted of 50 diamond drillholes, with a cumulative depth of 5,176m, along with extensive channel and soil sampling. Thirty holes, totalling 2,743m depth, were dedicated to Frost Cove and the remaining holes to adjoining targets at Stewart, Taylor's Room, and the "wildcat" program at Pomley Cove Pond. This news release provides results for 16 Frost Cove drillholes along the northern 400m of the structure, as well as all channel samples acquired to date at Frost Cove and Pomley Cove Pond. Thirty-four drillholes are still to be reported.

Churchill interprets these partial results as indicating, consistent with its preliminary exploration model, that the Black Raven Property potentially contains a large-scale mineralized system in which strategic and precious metals are genetically linked to felsic intrusive and extrusive rocks. True to the Greek etymology of antimony (antimonos means "never alone"), early indications suggest that antimony at the Frost Cove Mine appears to be the highly-visible manifestation of a large, deep-seated volcanic heat source that may have driven multiple pulses of mineral-rich fluids containing antimony, arsenopyrite and high-grade gold, silver along with other metals within a volcanic-plutonic structural architecture.

Maiden Program Antimony, Gold, Silver Discovery Highlights Include:

Exceptional, high-grade antimony assays from at Frost Cove Mine (Figs. 1& 2).

Assay results from 16 drill holes (with 14 still to report) and 18 channel samples have defined a high-tenor shear-hosted zone with structural continuity over a strike length of 800m to approximate depths of 100m; the zoneremains open long strike and to depth: Surface (trenching - Table 1 ) : Systematic saw-cut channel sampling has confirmed consistent, high-grade antimony (Sb) widths across the shear zone, including: Trench 11: 37.3% Sb over 0.30m within17.27% antimony over 0.98 in Channel 3; and 16.81% over 0.35m within 7.86% Sb over 0.75m in Channel 4. Trench 10: 43.0% Sb over 0.15m within 6.60% Sb over 1.0m. For reference, 43% Sb represents an equivalent stibnite purity of approximately 59.97%, i.e., approaching the molecular maximum of Sb of 71.7% in stibnite (Sb 2 S 3 ). Subsurface (drilling - Table 2) : Intersections include: 15.85% Sb over 0.46m within a broader mineralized interval of 10.1% Sb over 0.94m in hole FC25-21. 9.6% Sb over 0.65m, within a broader interval of 6.25% Sb over 1.0m in hole FC25-14. 6.97% Sb over 0.30m, within 2.64% Sb over 0.8m in hole FC25-11

Parallel gold-silver system delineated at Frost Cove Mine trend, hosted in a second arsenopyrite-bearing shear zone 1 to 3 m from the antimony shear zone. High grade gold and silver grab samples confirmed by drilling and trenching include: 2.0 g/t Au and 36 g/t Ag over 0.36m in hole FC25-05 2.2 g/t Au and 30 g/t Ag over 0.36m in hole FC25-10 4.4 g/t Au and 44 g/t Ag over 0.60m in hole FC25-14

New gold-silver vein system at Pomley Cove Pond (Figure 3).

Nine systematic channels along separate sulphide-rich shear zones as exposed in four trenches along with extensive soil samples have confirmed a high-grade gold-silver-lead-zinc-arsenopyrite system approximately 1km northwest of the historical adits at Frost Cove Mine: Surface (trenching Table 3) : Intercepts include the following (weighted averages): 4.35g/t gold and 132.03 g/t silver over 1.59m (TRPC-04) 3.41% g/t gold and 56.68 g/t silver over 0.69m (TRPC-01) 3.36 g/t gold and 17.75 g/t silver over 1.12m (TRPC-03) Subsurface (drilling ): The 2025 program concluded December 19 th with two holes drilledbeneath the discovery trenches. Hole PC25-02 also extended out under the pond, where silicious felsic rocks with elevated polymetallic assays had been located along the shoreline during the summer . The surface veins were intersected at depth along with several new veins. Hole PC25-02 encountered approximately 150m of brecciated and sulphide mineralized felsic volcanic rocks, the first such lithologies discovered on the property. Early impressions suggest that Pomley Cove Pond may be a central locus to the overall Black Raven mineralization system.

Pending news flow. Laboratory assays remain pending : For 14 drill holes along the Frost Cove Mine trend, 12 drill holes and six channel samples at the Taylors Room Prospect, six drill holes at the historic Stewart Gold Mine, as well as the Pomley Cove drilling. The Company continues to build out a unified project model for Black Raven as complete data sets are received. 2026 Exploration : Presently expected to focus on identified centres of mineralization to expand the strategic antimony and high-grade precious metals footprint across the Black Raven Project. Management is preparing to aggressively follow-up up on these discoveries with the 2026 exploration season to commence in mid-February. Metallurgy: As previously reported by Churchill, the visual and density contrast of high-grade stibnite compared to country rock make it and ideal candidate for sensor-based pre-concentration that allow for rejection of a significant portion of waste rock. Churchill's investigations will continue through 2026 based on the high-grade tenor reported here. Treasury: With a strong treasury and no immediate need for capital, the Company is well positioned to re-activate its exploration program at Black Raven in 2026.



Figure 1 - Frost Cove North Sheet Sampling Results to 01-02-2026

Figure 2 - Frost Cove South Sheet Sampling Results to 01-02-2026

Figure 3 - Pomley Cove Pond Sampling Results to 01-02-2026

Commented Paul Sobie, President of Churchill Resources: "This maiden program is the culmination of six months of continuous evaluation and exploration where we followed clues not only from the Frost Cove Mine trend, but also from the entire Black Raven Project. We are reporting high antimony grades at Frost Cove that are along a structural framework over 800m in length and to a vertical depth of 100m (remaining open along strike and at depth), with massive stibnite seams intersected in several locales at surface, and to shallow depths thus far. With our discovery of a parallel, high-grade gold-silver shear at Frost Cove, and the newly discovered gold-silver system at Pomley Cove Pond, the polymetallic scale is significantly greater than ever previously contemplated. Perhaps most exciting of all is the potential we are looking at an integrated mineralized system that is clearly intensifying, with potential in gold, silver, antimony and other metals."

Conan McIntyre, CEO added: " The polymetallic discoveries we report today, alongside high-grade antimony,meaningfully supports our mission of supporting strategic resource sovereignty and a 'Made-in-Canada' antimony supply chain. They add resilience and robustness to that initiative from a capital allocation and risk management perspective, while also unlocking the potential upside of a major precious metals discovery ."

About the Black Raven Gold-Silver-Antimony Project

The Black Raven Project is a polymetallic exploration asset in Central Newfoundland characterized by high-tenor antimony mineralization and a perceived property-wide gold-silver-antimony system. Churchill's primary objective is to evaluate the project's potential as a small-footprint, high-grade underground mine, intending first to gather sufficient data to support the preparation of initial resource estimates and advance towards the formulization of a National Instrument 43-101 compliant maiden resource, thus positioning the property as a potential primary supply source for North American and European markets. Currently, North America lacks sources of high-grade, primary antimony supply, making a potential domestic source at Frost Cove critically important.

The project encompasses the past-producing Frost Cove Antimony Mine and Stewart Gold Mine. While these sites operated intermittently at the turn of the last century, Churchill is the first to apply modern systematic exploration techniques to resources definition for the trend. Black Raven is located approximately 60km northwest of Gander, Newfoundland, and approximately 100km north of the dormant Beaver Brook Antimony Mine. The project benefits from excellent infrastructure, including roads, power, proximity to tidewater and ports, and locally integrated operational and technical teams.

Antimony is recognized as a vital critical mineral, essential for Canada's national and economic security. It is a key component in military applications, flame retardants, alloy strengthening in batteries, and emerging energy storage technologies. Securing a reliable domestic supply chain for antimony is paramount for critical mineral supply chains, bolstering both economic resilience and strategic independence.

About Churchill Resources

Churchill Resources Inc. is a Canadian exploration company focused on exploration and evaluation of strategic and critical metals in Canada, principally at its prospective Black Raven, Taylor Brook and Florence Lake properties in Newfoundland & Labrador. The Churchill management team, board, and advisors have decades of combined experience in mineral exploration and in the establishment of successful publicly listed mining companies, both in Canada and around the world. Churchill's Newfoundland and Labrador projects have the potential to benefit from the province's large and diversified minerals industry, which includes world class mines and processing facilities, and a well-developed mineral exploration sector with locally based drilling and geological expertise.

Qualified Person

The technical and scientific information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Derek H.C Wilton, P.Geo., FGC, who is a "qualified person" as defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Dr. Wilton is an honorary research professor of Economic Geology at Memorial University in St. John's and is independent of the Company for the purposes of NI 43-101.

Sampling Program

Antimony, gold, silver, lead, zinc, copper and molybdenum samples were collected by Company geologists from drill cores, channel samples, and grab samples. Core samples were halved by saw at the Company's core facility near Boyd's Cove. All samples were labelled and securely bound and delivered to the laboratory of SGS Canada Inc. in Lakefield, Ontario, for crushing and pulverizing. Splits were analysed by SGS using GE_AAS33E50 assay protocols and by their ore-grade analytical methods when the initial detection limits were exceeded. Qualified Person Dr. Derek Wilton has examined all of the channel sampling sites and all drill holes reported herein.

Churchill Engages Bunt Capital for Investor Relations Services

The Company also announces it has entered into a twelve-month agreement with Bunt Capital Corporation ("Bunt Capital"), based in Toronto, Ontario, to provide investor relations services to the Company. Bunt is a full-service marketing and consulting services company focused on the junior metals and mining sector. Bunt will communicate directly with existing shareholders, analysts and prospective investors. Under the agreement, Bunt Capital will provide investor relations and capital-markets advisory services, including institutional and family-office outreach and coordination of non-deal roadshows.

The Company will pay Bunt Capital C$7,500 per month plus applicable taxes, invoiced monthly in arrears, from working capital, for a total of C$90,000 plus taxes over the twelve-month term. Bunt may from time to time acquire or dispose of securities of the Company through the market, privately or otherwise, as circumstances or market conditions warrant. Bunt has also agreed to the Company's insider trading policy and will observe the Company's trading blackouts. Bunt and its affiliates are at arm's length to the Company and has no other relationship with the Company, except pursuant to the engagement agreement. The engagement is subject to acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Table 1 - Frost Cove Surface Sample Summary Results to 01-02-2026 [1]

Table 2 - Frost Cove Drillcore Sample Summary Results to 01-02-2026

Table 3 - Pomley Cove Pond Channel Sample Summary Results to 01-02-2026

Table 4 - Frost Cove Drillhole Collar Information

Further Information

For further information regarding Churchill, please contact:

Churchill Resources Inc.

Conan McIntyre, Chief Executive Officer

Tel. 416.272.4738

Email: cmcintyre@churchillresources.com

Paul Sobie, President

Tel. 416.365.0930 (o) 647.988.0930 (m)

Email: psobie@churchillresources.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements about Churchill's objectives, goals and exploration activities proposed to be conducted on its properties; future growth potential of Churchill, including whether any proposed exploration programs at any of its properties will be successful; exploration results; and future exploration plans and costs. 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. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to, among other things, the Company's goals and objectives, and future exploration work to be conducted on the Company's Black Raven Antimony Property. These statements reflect management's 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. These factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: exploration results on the Black Raven Antimony Property; the expected benefits to Churchill relating to the exploration proposed to be conducted on its properties; receipt of all regulatory approvals in connection with the transaction contemplated herein; failure to identify any additional mineral resources or significant mineralization; the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, including to fund any exploration programs on the Churchill's properties, if required; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining and mineral exploration; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); the unlikelihood that properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines; geological factors; actual results of current and future exploration; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated; soil sampling results being preliminary in nature and are not conclusive evidence of the likelihood of a mineral deposit; and title to properties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Churchill cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Churchill assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. 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 release.

[1] FW = footwall; HW = hanging wall.

SOURCE: Churchill Resources Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/churchill-intersects-high-tenor-antimony-and-discovers-a-significant-new-gold-sil-1123896
Pullback-Setup am 9er-EMA!

Anhaltende ESG-Probleme bei Freeport-McMoran (FCX)! Die Saisonalitat spricht fur steigende Rohstoffpreise!

Freeport-McMoran (FCX) - ISIN US35671D8570

Ruckblick: Gegensatzliche Entwicklungen erkennen wir im Chartbild der Freeport-McMoran-Aktie: Einerseits gibt es eine enge Orietierung an den rot gekennzeichneten 9er-EMA und ein 6-Monatsplus von fast 20 Prozent, das getrieben ist durch steigende Preise bei wichtigen Rohstoffen wie Kupfer und Gold, andererseits ist die Kursentwicklung deutlich schwacher als bei anderen Wertpapieren des Sektors, womoglich bedingt durch das Minenungluck am Grasberg in Indonesien.

Freeport-McMoran-Aktie: Chart vom 08.01.2026, Kurzel: FCX Kurs: 25.70 USD, Tageschart Quelle: TWS

Mogliches bullisches Szenario

Risikofreudige Anleger konnten zum Schluss kommen, dass negative Nachrichten schon eingepreist sind und jetzt ein guter Zeitpunkt zum Einsteig sein konnte. Die Saisonalitat spricht fur weiter steigende Kurse bei Kupfer und Gold im ersten Quartal. Die vorborslichen Notierungen deuten daraufhin, dass es ein Kaufsignal bei der Freeport-McMoran-Aktie geben konnte. Das Kursziel lage nach Measured Move bei 59.60 USD.

Mogliches barisches Szenario

Anleger sollten die Risiken bei Freeport-McMoran kennen und entsprechend vorsichtig agieren. Mit etwas Abstand unter der letzten Tageskerze konnte man die Absicherung in den Trade einbauen.

Meinung

Freeport-McMoRan liefert operativ ordentlich ab, wird aber von juristischem Ballast ausgebremst. Nach einem todlichen Murenabgang in der Grasberg-Mine (der Name ist ein Relikt der niederlandischen Kolonialzeit) in Indonesien laufen mehrere Sammelklagen, weil Anleger sich unzureichend uber Risiken informiert fuhlen. Schon zuvor ist der Rohstoffkonzern in Sachen Ethics, Social & Governance in der Kritik gestanden, weshalb magebliche institutionelle Anleger nicht in die Aktie investieren. Entscheidend wird im aktuellen Fall die Frist Mitte Januar 2026, wenn klar wird, wie gro und gefahrlich dieser Rechtskomplex tatsachlich wird. Operativ sieht es gemischt aus: Gewinne und Umsatz lagen zuletzt uber den Erwartungen, allerdings steigen die Kosten und die Grasberg-Mine wird erst ab 2028 wieder vollstandig auf Normalniveau produzieren. Eine Dividende ist zwar angekundigt, aber das allein begeistert niemanden. Analysten sind entsprechend gespalten. Somit halten wir kurzfristige Long Trades fur denkbar, mochten langerfristige Investments aber meiden.



Quellennachweise, Mogliche Interessenskonflikte, Meinung und sonstige Daten

Marktkapitalisierung: 77.86 Milliarden USD

Durchschnittsvolumen der letzten 20 Tage: 892.73 Millionen USD

Meine Freeport-McMoran ist neutral.

Quellennachweis: https://www.sharedeals.de/ouster-aktie-nach-der-ki-revolution-kommt-die-physische-intelligenz/

Veroffentlichungsdatum: 09.01.2026

Autor: Thomas Canali

Hinweis auf mogliche Interessenkonflikte

Personen, die Anlageempfehlungen erstellen und weitergeben, sind nach der Verordnung (EU) 596/2014 des Europaischen Parlaments und des Rates vom 16. April 2014 uber Marktmissbrauch (Marktmissbrauchsverordnung) verpflichtet, alle Beziehungen und Umstande offenzulegen, bei denen damit gerechnet werden kann, dass sie die Objektivitat der Empfehlung beeintrachtigen. Dies umfasst insbesondere Interessen oder Interessenkonflikte aller Personen, die die Information erstellt haben bzw. an der Erstellung beteiligt waren.

Der Finanzinformationsdienst ist verpflichtet, Interessenskonflikte bei der Erstellung oder Weitergabe von Anlageempfehlungen oder Anlagestrategieempfehlungen in geeigneter Weise offenzulegen.

In diesem Zusammenhang weisen wir auf folgendes hin:

Es liegt kein Interessenskonflikt vor.

Bitte nehmen Sie den Disclaimer und die Risikohinweise zur Kenntnis, die Sie unter https://ratgebergeld.at/disclaimer/ abrufen konnen.
Don't let the January 15th deadline stress you out! File Form 990 series, including amendments, and meet IRS requirements with Tax1099.

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About Zenwork Inc.

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Learn more about Zenwork and its products at www.zenwork.com , www.tax1099.com, and www.compliancely.com

Contact: Ed Pratt

Zenwork Inc.

ed@zenwork.com

SOURCE: ZENWORK INC

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/form-990-reminder-for-tax-exempt-organizations-as-the-upcoming-j-1126987
BANGALORE, India, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ --

Pharmaceutical Isolator Market Size

The global Pharmaceutical Isolator market was valued at USD 432 Million in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 509 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 2.4% during the forecast period.

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What are the key factors driving the growth of the Pharmaceutical isolator market?

The pharmaceutical isolator market focuses on enclosed systems that maintain controlled environments during sensitive drug manufacturing and testing activities. These systems create physical separation between operators and critical processes, reducing contamination risks and improving sterility assurance. Pharmaceutical isolators support aseptic filling, compounding, sampling, and quality control operations where environmental stability is essential. Manufacturers increasingly rely on isolators to maintain compliance with stringent cleanliness and safety expectations.

Their role has expanded across various drug development stages, including handling of potent compounds and sensitive formulations. As pharmaceutical production workflows become more complex and quality driven, isolators provide reliable containment and process consistency. Growing emphasis on patient safety, product integrity, and controlled operations continues to support widespread adoption of pharmaceutical isolators across manufacturing facilities globally.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL ISOLATOR MARKET:

Sterility production isolators enable pharmaceutical manufacturers to conduct aseptic production activities within fully enclosed environments. These systems limit direct human interaction while supporting sterile filling, formulation, and material transfer processes. By maintaining stable internal conditions, sterility production isolators reduce contamination risks associated with open cleanroom operations. Manufacturers value these isolators for their ability to support consistent process control and high quality output. Increased production of injectable drugs, biologics, and sensitive pharmaceutical products reinforces reliance on enclosed production systems. Sterility production isolators also help streamline workflows by reducing environmental variability and improving operational reliability. As pharmaceutical companies prioritize contamination prevention and process discipline, sterility production isolators remain essential components of modern manufacturing infrastructures worldwide.

Sterility test isolators provide controlled environments for pharmaceutical testing activities that require contamination free conditions. These systems protect test samples from external exposure while safeguarding laboratory personnel. Quality control laboratories increasingly depend on sterility test isolators to ensure accurate and reliable testing outcomes. Enclosed testing environments minimize environmental interference and support consistent sterility verification practices. As regulatory expectations emphasize validated testing processes, sterility test isolators become critical tools for compliance and quality assurance. Pharmaceutical manufacturers rely on these isolators to maintain confidence in batch release decisions and product safety. The growing focus on dependable laboratory operations and contamination control continues to strengthen adoption of sterility test isolators across pharmaceutical testing facilities.

Pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries represent key application areas for isolator systems due to their strict sterility and safety requirements. These industries handle complex drug formulations, biologics, and high sensitivity materials that demand controlled environments. Isolators enable safe processing while minimizing human exposure and contamination risks. Expansion of biotechnological research and advanced therapies has increased the need for enclosed handling solutions. Companies adopt isolators to align with evolving regulatory standards and internal quality objectives. Their ability to support safe, consistent, and compliant operations makes isolators indispensable across production and testing stages. As pharmaceutical and biotechnological sectors continue expanding globally, isolator systems remain critical infrastructure supporting innovation, quality assurance, and operational safety.

Regulatory compliance pressure strongly influences adoption of pharmaceutical isolators across manufacturing and laboratory settings. Authorities emphasize contamination prevention, aseptic processing, and controlled environments within pharmaceutical operations. Isolators support compliance by reducing human intervention and providing validated containment solutions. Manufacturers invest in isolator systems to demonstrate adherence to regulatory expectations during inspections and audits. Increasing scrutiny on sterile manufacturing practices encourages proactive adoption of enclosed systems. Compliance driven investments help organizations reduce operational risks and maintain product approvals. As regulations continue to evolve toward stricter sterility assurance frameworks, pharmaceutical isolators serve as reliable tools supporting consistent compliance, reduced deviation risks, and long term regulatory confidence across pharmaceutical production environments.

Product safety expectations significantly drive demand for pharmaceutical isolators across the industry. Patients and healthcare providers expect pharmaceutical products to meet high safety and sterility standards. Isolators reduce contamination risks by maintaining controlled environments throughout critical processes. Manufacturers implement isolator systems to strengthen product protection and minimize quality failures. Enhanced safety practices also contribute to brand trust and regulatory confidence. As drug formulations become increasingly sensitive, tolerance for contamination declines sharply. Isolators help pharmaceutical companies maintain robust safety controls while supporting consistent production output. Continuous emphasis on patient protection and product reliability reinforces the role of isolators as essential safety focused infrastructure within pharmaceutical manufacturing and testing facilities.

Operator protection requirements play a vital role in pharmaceutical isolator adoption. Manufacturing and testing activities often involve exposure to hazardous substances, potent compounds, or biological materials. Isolators provide physical barriers that significantly reduce operator contact with these materials. Improved containment supports safer working environments and compliance with occupational health expectations. Pharmaceutical companies increasingly prioritize workforce safety alongside product quality objectives. Reduced exposure risks enhance employee confidence and operational continuity. Isolator systems allow operators to perform complex tasks without compromising safety or efficiency. As awareness of workplace safety grows across pharmaceutical organizations, isolators continue to gain importance as reliable solutions supporting both human protection and controlled processing needs.

Quality assurance focus strongly supports investment in pharmaceutical isolator systems. Isolators enable consistent environmental conditions that reduce variability during manufacturing and testing processes. Quality teams rely on enclosed systems to maintain reproducibility and minimize contamination related deviations. Improved process stability supports batch consistency and simplifies validation efforts. Pharmaceutical companies adopt isolators to strengthen internal quality frameworks and align with external compliance requirements. As quality assurance becomes more integrated across operations, isolators contribute to standardized practices and documentation. Their ability to support predictable outcomes and reduce corrective actions makes them valuable long term assets. Sustained emphasis on quality excellence continues to reinforce isolator adoption across pharmaceutical facilities.

Risk management strategies influence pharmaceutical isolator adoption by emphasizing preventive controls over corrective measures. Manufacturers identify contamination and exposure risks as critical operational challenges. Isolators help mitigate these risks by creating enclosed, controlled processing zones. Reduced environmental variability supports stable outcomes and minimizes unexpected disruptions. Companies integrate isolators into risk based quality management systems to strengthen preventive approaches. By limiting potential contamination sources, isolators reduce the likelihood of product failures and compliance issues. Pharmaceutical organizations increasingly view isolators as strategic tools for managing operational uncertainty. Growing reliance on structured risk mitigation practices continues to drive sustained investment in isolator systems across pharmaceutical manufacturing and testing environments.

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PHARMACEUTICAL ISOLATOR MARKET SEGMENTATION

By Type

Sterility Test Isolator

Sterility Production Isolator

By Application

Hospitals And Diagnostics Labs

Pharmaceutical And Biotechnological Industries

Research And Academics

Key Companies

SKAN

Getinge

Extract Technology

Syntegon

Comecer S.p.A.

Bioquell

Azbil Telstar

Fedegari Autoclavi

Hosokawa Micron

Tailin Bioengineering

Tofflon

ISOTECH

Weike

PHARMACEUTICAL ISOLATOR MARKET SHARE

The Global Pharmaceutical Isolator market has been increasing. SKAN is the leading manufacturer in global Pharmaceutical Isolator market with the market share of 30.39%, in terms of value, followed by Getinge, Extract Technology, Syntegon, Comecer, Bioquell, Azbil Telstar, Fedegari Autoclavi, Hosokawa Micron, TAILIN Bioengineering, Tofflon, ISOTECH, and Weike. The above top 13 companies accounted for 95% of the Pharmaceutical Isolator market share in 2019.

North America emphasizes strict compliance, quality assurance, and operator safety, driving strong isolator adoption. Asia Pacific experiences growing adoption as pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity expands and aligns with global quality standards.

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What are some related markets to the Pharmaceutical isolator market?

- Radiopharmacy Isolators Market

- Isolators for Aseptic Processing Market was valued at USD 10870 Million in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 15520 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period.

- Modular Sterile Isolator Market was valued at USD 1092 Million in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 1654 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period.

- Aseptic Processing Glove Box Isolators Market was valued at USD 232 Million in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 325 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 5.0% during the forecast period.

- Chemical Containment Isolators Market was valued at USD 131 Million in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 232 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 8.6% during the forecast period.

- Pharmaceutical Isolator and Barrier System Market

- Selective Immunosuppressants Market

- Levosalbutamol Hydrochloride Nebuliser Solution Market

- Zopiclone Tablets Market

- Pulse Isolator Market was valued at USD 4123 Million in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 7315 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period.

- Negative Pressure Airtight Isolator Market

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 / Prince Silver Corp. (CSE:PRNC)(OTCQB:PRNCF)(Frankfurt:T130) ("Prince Silver") or, the "Company, is pleased to provide a corporate update and outline its priorities and outlook for 2026 as the Company advances the Prince Silver Project in Lincoln County, Nevada, USA.

Exploration Update

Prince Silver continues to advance its reverse circulation ("RC") drilling program at the Prince Silver Project, which has recently been expanded by approximately 9,000 feet, now totalling a planned 30,000 feet (~9,100 meters). In addition, the Company has secured a second drill rig, which is expected to arrive on site mid January, allowing for increased drilling efficiency and an accelerated pace of exploration.

The expanded drill program is designed to increase and upgrade historical mineralization and support a potential initial mineral resource estimate. The program is focused on near-surface, open pit-able mineralization and builds upon a substantial historical drill database.

Drilling remains ongoing; however, the Company advises that the first batch of drill results has been delayed as a significant number of drill samples exceeded the upper detection limits in the initial analysis method for Manganese, requiring over-limit manganese re-analysis. The Company has been advised by its laboratory assayer that the complete analytical results are expected to be received mid January 2026.

Results from the overall drilling campaign are expected to play a key role in shaping the Company's exploration and technical objectives, including a maiden mineral resource estimate in 2026.

Derek Iwanaka, Company CEO and Director commented, "We are encouraged by early indications from the drill program, including numerous manganese assay values that exceeded the limits of the initial analytical methods requiring overlimit assay. As we continue to advance drilling and expand the program, our priority remains on delivering reliable results and building a robust technical foundation for the Prince Silver Project."

Strong Cash Position

As disclosed in the Company's most recently filed financial statements, Prince Silver reported a cash position of approximately C$5 million as of October 31, 2025. This strong treasury provides the Company with the financial flexibility to execute its ongoing exploration programs, advance technical work, and support planned marketing and investor outreach initiatives through 2026. Management believes the Company is well funded to achieve its near-term milestones without the need for immediate additional financing.

2026 Marketing and Investor Outreach

Prince Silver has developed an active marketing and investor engagement schedule for the first three month of 2026, aimed at increasing market awareness and communicating exploration progress to the investment community. Planned appearances include:

Vancouver Metals Investor Forum - January 23-24, 2026

World Outlook Conference - February 6-7, 2026

Toronto Metals Investor Forum - February 27- 28, 2026

Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Convention - March 1-4, 2026

Management believes these events offer significant opportunities to engage directly with investors, analysts, investment bankers, and industry participants. With upcoming drilling results expected mid to late January, interest in the Company is anticipated to increase - especially given that gold, silver, and manganese have been officially designated by the US government as strategic metals. This designation, combined with historically high prices for gold and silver, positions the Company at the forefront of strategic resource development in the USA.

Outlook



With a solid treasury, an expanded and accelerating drill program, and a focused marketing strategy, Prince Silver enters 2026 well positioned to advance the Prince Silver Project and create value for shareholders. The Company looks forward to providing regular updates as analytical results are received and exploration activities continue.

Ralph Shearing, P.Geo. (Alberta), a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and Director and President of the Company, has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure in this news release.

About Prince Silver Corp.

Prince Silver Corp. is a silver exploration company advancing its flagship Prince Silver Project in Nevada, USA, featuring a near-surface, historically drilled deposit that remains open in all directions. The Company also holds an interest in the Stampede Gap Project, a district-scale copper-gold-molybdenum porphyry system located 15 km north-northwest of the Prince Silver Project, highlighting Prince Silver's focus on high-potential, strategically located exploration assets.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Derek Iwanaka, CEO & Director

Tel: 236-335-9383

Email: info@princesilvercorp.com

Website: www.princesilvercorp.com

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements, including with respect to future plans, and other matters. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. Some of the specific forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: completion of the Acquisition and related transactions, proposed drill programs, amendments to the Company's website, property option payments and regulatory and corporate approvals. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information 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 the Company, including but not limited to, business, economic and capital market conditions, the ability to manage operating expenses, dependence on key personnel, completion of satisfactory due diligence in respect of the Acquisition and related transactions, and compliance with property option agreements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, anticipated costs, and the ability to achieve goals. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, the continued availability of capital and financing, litigation, failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations, failure to obtain regulatory or corporate approvals, exploration results, loss of key employees and consultants, and general economic, market or business conditions. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in the United States. 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 state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as defined 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 is available.

SOURCE: Prince Silver Corp.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/prince-silver-provides-corporate-update-and-outlook-for-2026-1123940
"Bosch Cook AI" delivers pro-chef skills via agentic artificial intelligence

Bosch Unlimited 10 and 9 Stick Vacuums debut in North America with MicroClean technology 10-Year German Motor Warranty

Battle in the Booth: "Top Chef" and Food Network stars compete on premium Bosch appliances

BSH, a leader in premium and luxury home appliances,is showcasing its vision for the connected home at CES 2026 booth #16203. The display highlights people-first artificial intelligence, world-leading Bosch Group sensor technology, precision engineering and premium design to make everyday life easier, more intuitive and more enjoyable.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260105998552/en/

BSH Home Appliances North America unveils personalized AI for the kitchen and launches first-ever cordless stick vacuums for North American market at CES 2026.

The Bosch Group activation will also feature vibrant "The More You Bosch, the More You Feel Like a Bosch" joint campaign creative, challenging showgoers to "find their inner Bosch." Every product category from the renowned brand from dish care, cooking, laundry, cooling to small appliances will take center stage in Las Vegas, reinforcing Bosch's prominence across the kitchen and home.

"CES 2026 marks Bosch home appliances' largest presence at the show to date, with our precision engineered solutions taking the spotlight in the show stand alongside celebrity chefs known from 'Top Chef' and Food Network, as well as bold creative from our ongoing national ad campaign that launched at the Big Game last year," said BSH Region North America CEO, Darcy Clarkson. "We're also highlighting our leadership role in employing practical AI in the home appliances space with the unveiling of the Bosch Cook AI feature coming to the Home Connect app in the near future, as well as our participation in an official CES panel on the smart home alongside other ecosystem leaders."

Live LikeABosch: People first. Sensor-smart. AI powered.

Making its international debut at CES, Bosch Cook AI is an intelligent new solution that combines agentic artificial intelligence, Bosch's proprietary appliance technologies, sensors and a unique user experience within the Home Connect app.

The technology provides live, precise guidance through the app, helping users more easily create complex meals, such as cooking multiple steaks to different levels of doneness, simultaneously. Unlike static recipe-based tools, the system dynamically adapts to the ingredients users have on hand and can intelligently orchestrate multiple Bosch appliances in tandem to help work toward a desired cooking outcome.

Amazon and Bosch: First Espresso Machine Globally to be Powered by Alexa+ New Natural Language AI Technology

Engineering teams at BSH and Amazon have worked to fully integrate Amazon's new Alexa+ generative AI technology with the espresso machine enabling consumers to talk to their Bosch 800 Series fully-automatic espresso machine just as they would with their local barista.

Using natural language, users may now control every aspect of the already-advanced espresso machine to formulate and improve daily coffee routines. The AI assistant leverages its vast knowledge base, along with machine learning, to pass the command to the espresso machine. The result of this collaboration is barista-level drinks, with all the personalization of a neighborhood coffee shop.

"The collaboration between Alexa+ and Bosch on the 800 series espresso machine demonstrates how conversational AI can deliver sophisticated experiences for our shared customers," said Amazon Vice President for Alexa and Echo, Daniel Rausch. "We are designing new tools to bring Alexa+ intelligence to more smart home devices, and Bosch is one of the first brands building on those experiences."

Clean Beyond the Visible: Bosch Unlimited 10 and 9 Premium Cordless Stick Vacuums Debut in North America

Boasting Bosch's exclusive MicroClean Technology, the new Bosch Unlimited 9 and 10 cordless stick vacuums can capture up to 99.9%1 of dust even invisible particles.

The MicroClean Technology sensor detects microscopic particles, down to 0.3 microns while the MicroClean LED Ring turns blue to confirm when surfaces are really clean. The high-efficiency brushless motor developed and built by Bosch in Germany offers outstanding cleaning performance backed by a confidence-inspiring 10-year motor warranty.2

Battle in the Booth: World-Class Appliances, World-Class Chefs.

The power and precision of Bosch appliances will come to life at the Bosch show stand, with celebrity chefs throwing down during live shows.

Nyesha Arrington : "The Ninja" is the co-star of FOX's hit culinary competition show "Next Level Chef," the host/producer of the digital series "Plateworthy" on Eater and the chef/partner of Native by Nyesha at LAX. Hitting the national stage as a fan favorite on Bravo's "Top Chef" Season Nine, she has been a household name ever since. Her credits include FOX's "MasterChef" and "Hell's Kitchen," Food Network's "Tournament of Champions," "Guy's Grocery Games," "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives" and ITV's "Next Level Chef U.K."

: "The Ninja" is the co-star of FOX's hit culinary competition show "Next Level Chef," the host/producer of the digital series "Plateworthy" on Eater and the chef/partner of Native by Nyesha at LAX. Hitting the national stage as a fan favorite on Bravo's "Top Chef" Season Nine, she has been a household name ever since. Her credits include FOX's "MasterChef" and "Hell's Kitchen," Food Network's "Tournament of Champions," "Guy's Grocery Games," "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives" and ITV's "Next Level Chef U.K." Marcel Vigneron : Bosch's esteemed chef host for CES 2026 gained international notoriety in Season Two of Bravo's hit reality series, "Top Chef," where he made it to the finals, finishing as runner-up. He has since competed for more than 20 years on shows including "Iron Chef," "Cutthroat Kitchen," "Chopped" and "Tournament of Champions," among many more across Bravo, Discovery, NBC and Syfy (where he starred in and produced "Marcel's Quantum Kitchen"). Most recently, he was crowned champion of the first season of "24 in 24: Last Chef Standing" on Food Network and a recent finalist in "Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas." Marcel is also a partner at OrGreenic Cookware, which will be put to the test at CES.

: Bosch's esteemed chef host for CES 2026 gained international notoriety in Season Two of Bravo's hit reality series, "Top Chef," where he made it to the finals, finishing as runner-up. He has since competed for more than 20 years on shows including "Iron Chef," "Cutthroat Kitchen," "Chopped" and "Tournament of Champions," among many more across Bravo, Discovery, NBC and Syfy (where he starred in and produced "Marcel's Quantum Kitchen"). Most recently, he was crowned champion of the first season of "24 in 24: Last Chef Standing" on Food Network and a recent finalist in "Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas." Marcel is also a partner at OrGreenic Cookware, which will be put to the test at CES. Bryan Voltaggio: Bryan Voltaggio is a respected figure in both the culinary and television worlds, most recently highlighted by his collaborative win with brother Michael on Food Network's "Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas." A consistent presence across the network, his credits include "Bobby's Triple Threat," "Beat Bobby Flay," "Chopped Junior" and "24 in 24: Last Chef Standing," where he finished as runner-up.



He first gained national recognition competing against his brother as a finalist on "Top Chef: Las Vegas" (Season Six) and went on to become a multi-time finalist across the franchise, including "Top Chef Masters" (Season Five) and "Top Chef: All-Stars L.A." (Season 17). He and Michael have also co-hosted and mentored chefs on "Battle of the Brothers" for discovery+. Beyond television, Bryan is an accomplished restaurateur whose portfolio includes Vulcania, Voltaggio Brothers Steak House and Wye Oak Tavern.

Intelligent Home Appliance Leadership at CES

BSH will headline two CES panels, where the company will share its unique perspectives on the smart home landscape as a global home appliance industry leader.

Darcy Clarkson, BSH Region North America CEO, will take the stage in "The Latest in Smart Devices and Smart Home Integration" on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 11 a.m. where he will join other senior leaders from across the global smart home ecosystem.

Michael Venus, Head of Connected Devices Digital Products, BSH Region North America, will share his expert thoughts as part of "Smarter Together: How Standards Power the AI-Driven Smart Home" on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 11 a.m. sponsored by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA). He'll join in on an insightful discussion on how the Matter standard and AI are driving cross-compatibility and enabling more personalized and predictive smart home experiences.

Located at the Bosch booth #16203 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, BSH will have a significant presence alongside other Bosch Group business divisions from Tuesday, Jan. 6 through Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.

About BSH

BSH Hausgerate GmbH, headquartered in Munich, Germany, with a total turnover of EUR 15.3 billion and more than 57,000 employees in 2024, is a global leader in the home appliance industry. The company's brand portfolio includes global appliance brands such as Bosch, Siemens, Gaggenau, as well as regional brands, such as Neff and Thermador. BSH produces at 39 factories and is represented in some 50 countries.

BSH Home Appliances Corporation, headquartered in Irvine, California, is recognized for its high-end kitchen and home appliances, celebrated for quality and superior design. In North America, BSH markets its products under the Bosch, Thermador and Gaggenau brands each renowned for their rich legacy and excellence. Bosch is celebrated worldwide for its precision engineered and efficient home appliances, while Thermador has pioneered breakthroughs that have shaped the modern luxury kitchen, as well as inspired culinary enthusiasts, since 1916. Gaggenau stands out with its avant-garde designs and professional-grade appliances, appealing to those who seek the ultimate in ultra-luxury performance and aesthetics.

BSH is a Bosch Group company.

Legal Disclaimers:

Dust pick-up measured in Turbo mode on hard floors with crevices. Tested according to IEC 62885-4:2020/A1:2023. Terms of warranty located at www.bosch-home.com/motor-warranty/ Register to activate your free 10-year motor warranty.

Further Information Website: https://www.bsh-group.com/us/press/press-releases LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2749637/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bshgroup.NorthAmerica

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260105998552/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact

BSH Home Appliances Corporation North America

Title: Senior Media Relations PR Strategy

Name: Andrew de Lara

Phone: +1 949.525.3893

E-mail: Andrew.deLara@bshg.com

Media Contact

BSH Home Appliances Corporation North America

Title: Public Relations Manager

Name: Patrick LeBeau

Phone: +1 949.486.6348

E-mail: Patrick.LeBeau@bshg.com
Live event will be held Monday, January 5, 2026 at 9:30 AM PST

aShareX, a US based fractional investment platform, and TheCarCrowd, a UK-based collectible car manager, today announced the first sale of fractional shares in a collectible car on the aShareX platform. This left-hand drive Ferrari 328 GTS is one of the finest examples of its kind. The offering will go live for investment on Monday January 5, 2026.

The Ferrari 328 GTS has been driven just 2,000 Kilometres and was selected by TheCarCrowd for its exceptional condition, ultra-low mileage, and documented provenance. The vehicle is regarded as a benchmark example worldwide and represents an investment grade modern classic with strong long term collector demand.

"This launch reflects the democratization of investing in exceptional alternative assets," said Alan Snyder, Founder of aShareX. "Fractionalizing one of the world's finest Ferraris demonstrates how investors can participate in ownership of museum quality collectibles through a regulated platform."

The 328 GTS is considered one of the most iconic Ferrari road cars of the late 1980s, combining analogue driving characteristics and timeless design. The car, one of a limited supply of top tier examples, has been curated to institutional grade standards and positioned as a long-term collectible asset.

David Spickett, CEO of TheCarCrowd, said "this car sits at the very top of the Ferrari 328 market. Partnering with aShareX allows us to bring an asset of this quality to a global investor audience while maintaining professional management and transparency."

Following this launch, aShareX and TheCarCrowd plan to introduce additional blue chip collectible vehicles and other passion assets as part of an expanded cross-border offering strategy.

The total underlying asset value is approximately $227,000 with fractional interests offered from just $100. The vehicle will be professionally held, managed and insured with no 'heavy lifting' for investors, unlocking collectible car investment opportunities without the usual burdens of possession, maintenance and storage.

About aShareX

aShareX is a US based fractional investment platform focused on expanding access to alternative assetts through regulated offerings and technology driven infrastructure.

For more information visit www.aShareX.com

About TheCarCrowd

TheCarCrowd is a UK based collectible car manager specializing in sourcing and managing investment grade modern classic vehicles for a global audience.

For more information visit www.TheCarCrowd.uk

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260105347984/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact:

Tracy Williams

tracy@olmsteadwilliams.com

310.824.9000
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2026) - Independence Gold Corp. (TSXV: IGO) (OTCQB: IEGCF) (FSE:625) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the filing of an updated National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report (the "NI 43-101) on SEDAR+, for the 3Ts Gold and Silver Project located in the Omineca Mining Division of British Columbia. The Company recently engaged SGS Geological Services to review the drill data from the 3Ts Gold and Silver Project and update the resource model.

The updated resource estimate includes the Tommy and Ted-Mint vein systems, as well as the recently discovered Larry, Johnny and Ian veins. This updated estimate has been prepared by SGS Geological Services group within SGS Canada Inc. under the supervision of a Qualified Person and in accordance with CIM Definition Standards and NI 43-101. This estimate delivers both increased tonnage and the addition of an Indicated resource category, marking a significant progress in project advancement.

Cut-Off*

AuEq

(g/t) Type Classification Tonnes Gold

(g/t) Silver (g/t) AuEq

(g/t) Gold (Ounces) Silver (Ounces) AuEq (Ounces)* 0.3 In-Pit Indicated 2,218,000 3.01 81.94 4.07 217,000 5,843,000 290,000 2.0 Underground 576,000 3.72 83.87 4.77 69,000 1,553,000 88,000 TOTAL

2,794,000 3.18 82.35 4.22 286,000 7,396,000 378,000 0.3 In-Pit Inferred 968,000 2.71 67.80 3.56 84,000 2,110,000 111,000 2.0 Underground 1,994,000 3.35 75.93 4.30 215,000 4,868,000 276,000 TOTAL

2,962,000 3.14 73.27 4.06 299,000 6,978,000 387,000

Table 1: Updated (2025) In-Pit and Underground Mineral Resource Estimate

The effective date of the 3Ts Mineral Resource Estimate is November 12th, 2025. The mineral resource was estimated by Rohan Millar, P.Geo. of SGS Geological Services and is an independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. The classification of the current Mineral Resource Estimate into Indicated and Inferred mineral resources is consistent with current 2014 CIM Definition Standards - For Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. Figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimate and numbers may not add due to rounding. The mineral resources are presented undiluted and in situ, constrained by continuous 3D wireframe models, and is considered to have reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. An Inferred Mineral Resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that most Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration. The 3Ts mineral resource estimate is based on a validated database which includes data from surface diamond drilling completed between 1995 and 2025. The MRE for 3Ts is based on 13 three-dimensional ("3D") resource models representing the Tommy, Ted-Mint, Ian, Johnny and Larry veins. Grades for Au and Ag were estimated for each mineralization domain using 1.0 metre capped composites assigned to that domain. To generate grade within the blocks, the inverse distance squared (ID2) interpolation method was used. An average SG value of 2.70 g/cm3 was used for tonnage calculation. Based on the location, surface exposure, size, shape, general true thickness, and orientation, it is envisioned that parts of the 3Ts may be mined using open-pit mining methods. In-pit mineral resources are reported at a base case cut-off grade of 0.3 g/t AuEq. The in-pit resource grade blocks are quantified above the base case cut-off grade, above the constraining pit shell, below topography and within the constraining mineralized domain (the constraining volume). The pit optimization and base-case cut-off grade consider a gold price of $2,400/oz and a silver price of $30 /oz and considers a gold recovery of 97% and silver recovery of 94%. The pit optimization and base case cut-off grade also considers a mining cost of US$2.80/t mined, pit slope of 55 degrees, and processing, treatment, refining, G&A and transportation cost of USD$22.00/t of mineralized material. The results from the pit optimization, using the pseudoflow optimization method in Whittle 2022, are used solely for the purpose of testing the "reasonable prospects for economic extraction" by an open pit and do not represent an attempt to estimate mineral reserves. There are no mineral reserves on the Property. The results are used simply as a guide to assist in the preparation of a mineral resource statement and to select an appropriate resource reporting cut-off grade. A Whittle pit shell at a revenue factor of 1.00 was selected as the ultimate pit shell for the purposes of the current MRE. Based on the size, shape, general true thickness, and orientation, it is envisioned that parts of the 3Ts deposit may be mined using underground mining methods. Underground mineral resources are reported at a base case cut-off grade of 2.0 g/t AuEq. The mineral resource grade blocks were quantified above the base case cut-off grade, below surface/pit surface and within the constraining mineralized wireframes (considered mineable shapes). Based on the size, shape, general thickness, and orientation of the mineralized structures, it is envisioned that the deposit may be mined using a combination of underground mining methods including sub-level stoping (SLS) and/or cut and fill (CAF) mining. The underground base case cut-off grade of 2.0 g/t AuEq considers a mining cost of US$80.00/t mined, and processing, treatment, refining, G&A and transportation cost of USD$25.00/t of mineralized material. AuEq grades are based on metal prices of US$2,400/oz Au and US$30/oz Ag. The Au to Ag equivalency ratio is $2,400/$30 = 80.0. Therefore, the AuEq conversion = Au g/t + (Ag g/t/80.0). The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues.

The 2022 resource estimate reported an Inferred resource of ~4.47 million tonnes grading 3.64 g/t Au and 96.26 g/t Ag, equivalent to ~522,330 ounces gold and ~13.83 million ounces silver (see news release dated August 18, 2022); the new 2025 model delivers an increase in tonnage, and for the first time includes an Indicated category, opening the possibility of mineral reserves on the property - a step-change in confidence for both the Company and investors.

Under the CIM Definition Standards and NI 43-101, an Indicated Mineral Resource is estimated with sufficient confidence in geological continuity and data that modifying factors (mining, processing, economic, legal, environmental) can be applied to support mine planning and evaluation. By contrast, an Inferred Mineral Resource is estimated on more limited evidence and sampling and cannot be converted directly into mineral reserves. The addition of the Indicated category demonstrates a higher level of confidence, reducing execution risk, improving the project's investment profile and facilitating advanced studies (pre-feasibility, feasibility).

About Independence

Independence Gold Corp. is a well-financed mineral exploration company with holdings ranging from early-stage grassroots exploration to advanced-stage resource expansion in British Columbia and Yukon. The Company is positioned to add shareholder value through systematic project advancement, while management continues to evaluate additional gold and silver projects for possible acquisition. For additional information, visit the Company's website www.ingold.ca.

The 3Ts Project is located approximately 185 kilometres southwest of Prince George, British Columbia, the 3Ts Project comprises thirty-one mineral claims covering approximately 35,486 hectares in the Nechako Plateau region. The project lies 16 km southwest of Artemis Gold Inc.'s Blackwater Mine and hosts a low-sulphidation epithermal quartz-carbonate vein district within which at least nineteen known mineralized veins, ranging from 50 to over 1,100 metres in strike length and true widths of up to 32 m have been identified, twelve of which remain untested by drilling.

The Independence Gold 3Ts project 2025 Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by Rohan Millar, P.Geo., of SGS Geological Services, an independent Qualified Person, in accordance with the guidelines of the Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, with an effective date of November 12, 2025.

Certain technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Andy Randell, P.Geo. Mr. Randell is a qualified person under Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and is an independent consultant for the Company.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF INDEPENDENCE GOLD CORP.

"Randy Turner"

Randy Turner, President and CEO

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.

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to Independence within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements with respect to the Company's planned drilling and exploration activities. The Company provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to those identified and reported in Independence's public filings under Independence Gold Corp.'s SEDAR profile at www.sedarplus.ca . Although Independence 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. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Independence disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279485

Source: Independence Gold Corp


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Gold prices catapulted steeply on Monday as investors rushed to safe-haven investments following the swift U.S. military offensive in Venezuela on Saturday that resulted in the capture of the country's president and his wife.



Front Month Comex Gold for January delivery zoomed by $122.50 (or 2.84%) to $4,436.90 per troy ounce.



Front Month Comex Silver for January delivery leapfrogged by $5.6080 (or 7.95%) to $76.164 per troy ounce.



On January 3, U.S. forces carried out a 'large-scale strike' on Venezuela and captured its long-serving President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores and flew them out of the country to face criminal charges in the U.S.



The operation, dubbed 'Absolute Resolve,' ended the regime of the 63-year-old dictator who had been in power since 2013. Notably, Iran, Russia, and Cuba have condemned the operation.



Currently, vice-president Delcy Rodriguez is handling the administration. President Donald Trump emphasized on Sunday that if the present leadership does not cooperate with the U.S. efforts, he could order another strike.



Trump has been accusing Maduro's regime of fostering narco-trading which penetrates into the U.S. causing an opioid crisis.



Maduro, who had been rebutting these allegations, counter-claimed that Trump's administration wants to usurp the oil reserves in Venezuela and called for U.N. intervention.



Of note, Venezuela holds the world's largest 'extra-heavy crude' oil reserves.



Venezuelan crude exports increased in 2025 to 900,000 barrels per day. The country also holds vast natural gas reserves.



In March 2020, U.S. prosecutors indicted Maduro on 'narco-terrorism' charges.



Trump also threatened Colombia and Mexico that they may suffer the same fate if they fail to contain the illicit drug flow into the U.S.



Just before the New Year, China conducted simulated military exercises around Taiwan and experts are apprehensive that China could carry out an operation similar to what the U.S. did in Venezuela.



In Europe today, even while Ukraine and its allies are attempting to speed up the U.S.-mediated ceasefire plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia launched fresh aerial strikes on Ukrainian capital.



Prior to this, on Sunday, Ukrainian drone targeted Russia's border regions.



Last week, Trump issued a stern warning to Iran that he will back an Israeli strike if Iran attempts to resume its nuclear programs.



Trump also threatened the Palestinian Hamas militant group to adhere to their commitment as per Gaza Peace Plan to disarm or they would have to pay the hell.



Geopolitical tensions, one following the other in the recent days, have spooked investors towards a 'flight to safety' in the yellow metal.



In 2025, gold exhibited its greatest performance since 1979 by rising above 60% and reaching an all-time high in December.



In the U.S., the Institute for Supply Management's Manufacturing PMI revealed a fall for the third consecutive month to 47.9 in December 2025. For the same period, while the employment gauge inched higher to 44.9, new orders increased to 47.70 points in December from 47.40 points in November.



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Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

 2026 AFX News
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2026) - Mogotes Metals Inc. (TSXV: MOG) (FSE: OY4) (OTCQB: MOGMF) ("Mogotes", or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to today's press release and due to investor demand, the Company has upsized its non-brokered private placement to up to 86,792,452 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.265 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$23,000,000 (the "Offering").

Each Unit shall be comprised of one common share (each, a "Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.53 per Common Share for a period of three (3) years from the closing of the Offering. The gross proceeds from the sale of the Units will be used for general corporate and working capital purposes.

The Company intends to give priority participation in the private placement to existing shareholders.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering in Canada and the United States will be subject to a hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance and the resale rules of applicable securities legislation. Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, all securities to be issued pursuant to the Offering in jurisdictions outside of Canada and the United States pursuant to Ontario Securities Commission Rule 72-503 - Distributions Outside Canada will not be subject to any statutory hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws. The closing of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities in the United States. 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 state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Qualified Persons

The scientific and technical disclosure for the Filo Sur project included in this news release have been reviewed and approved by Stephen Nano who is the Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Nano is a Director and Technical Advisor of the Company.

Note that the Qualified Person has not verified the information regarding adjacent properties such as Filo del Sol and that the information regarding the mineralization of the Filo del Sol project is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on the Filo Sur project.

About Mogotes Metals Inc.

Mogotes Metals Inc. is a mineral exploration company exploring for copper and gold in the prospective Vicuna district of Argentina and Chile. Mogotes flagship project, Filo Sur, adjoins the large Filo del Sol Copper-gold-silver discovery, and is along the same N-S trending belt as the Filo Del Sol - Aurora and NGEx Minerals Lunahuasi and Los Helados copper-gold deposits. The Company cautions investors that mineralization hosted on nearby or adjacent properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on Filo Sur.

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Twitter: https://x.com/mogotesmetals

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 contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

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DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279506

Source: Mogotes Metals Inc.
NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2026) - Iconic Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: ICM) (OTCQB: ICMFF) (FSE: YQG) (the "Company" or "Iconic") announces that the Company will be proceeding with its previously announced non-brokered private placement (see news release dated October 17, 2025) on amended terms. Under the amended terms, the non-brokered private placement will consist of up to 30,000,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.125 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $3,750,000 (the "Financing"). Each Unit will consist of one common share and one full common share purchase warrant ("Warrant"), each Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one additional common share at an exercise price of $0.17 per share for a period of two (2) years from the date of issuance. In the event that the Company's common shares trade at a closing price of $0.35 per common share or greater for a minimum period of 10 non-consecutive trading dates commencing four months from the closing of the Financing, then the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by providing notice to the holders thereof and in such case the Warrants will expire on the 30th day after the date on which such notice is given by the Company.

Proceeds raised will be used toward expenditures required for drilling and advancement of the Company's exploration program on its New Pass gold property in Nevada, and for general working capital purposes.

The Company may pay finders' fees in connection with the Financing in accordance with the rules and policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"), and all securities issued in the Financing are subject to a four-month and a day hold period in Canada. Closing of the Financing will be subject to the approval of the TSXV.

The securities offered have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "U.S. Securities Act"), as amended, or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to "U.S. persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act, absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Richard Barnett"

For further information on Iconic, please visit our website at www.iconicminerals.com

The Company's public documents may be accessed at www.sedarplus.ca

For further information on Iconic, please visit our website at www.iconicminerals.com

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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the completion of the Financing and the use of proceeds therefrom, and the Company's future plans 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", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "would", "will", "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. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, requirements for additional capital, actual results of exploration activities, the estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, future prices of precious metals, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, lack of investor interest in future financings, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals (including TSXV acceptance), permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics, including the impact of such epidemic or pandemic on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as the risk factors described in the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis and in other filings made by the Company with Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279512

Source: Iconic Minerals Ltd.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2026) - Nine Mile Metals Ltd. (CSE: NINE) (OTC Pink: VMSXF) (FSE: KQ9) ("Nine Mile" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a private placement of up to 21,052,632 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.19 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $4,000,000 (the "Offering").

Each Unit is comprised of one (1) common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one (1) common share purchase warrant of the Company (a "Warrant"), with each Warrant exercisable into one (1) Common Share at a price of $0.30 for a period of two (2) years, subject to the acceleration provision disclosed herein.

Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and in accordance with National Instrument 45- 106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-106"), the Units will be offered for sale to purchasers resident in all provinces of Canada, other than Quebec, and/or other qualifying jurisdictions pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of NI 45-106, as amended by Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 - Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the "Listed Issuer Financing Exemption"). The Units issued to Canadian resident subscribers under the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption, and the Common Shares and Warrants underlying the Units, will not be subject to a hold period pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws.

The Offering is expected to close on or about January 13, 2026 (the "Closing Date"), or such other date as the Company may determine, and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals.

The Company may pay finder's fees in connection with the Offering comprised of cash equal to 8% of the gross proceeds of the Offering and finder warrants (the "Finders Warrants") equal to 8% of the number of Units issued under the Offering. Each Finders Warrant will be exercisable for one (1) additional Unit at a price of $0.19 for a period of two (2) years. Each Unit is comprised of one (1) Common Share and one (1) Warrant. Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one (1) Common Share at a price of $0.30 for a period of two (2) years. The Finders Warrants will be subject to a statutory hold period in Canada of four (4) months and one (1) day after the date of issuance.

Following the Closing Date, if the daily volume-weighted average trading price of the Common Shares on the CSE equals or exceeds $0.50 at the close of any trading day for ten (10) consecutive trading days, the Company may, at its discretion, accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by providing not less than thirty (30) days' notice to Warrant holders via press release.

The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Offering for (i) exploration activities and related expenses on its critical minerals projects in the Bathurst Mining Camp; and (ii) general and administrative obligations.

There is an offering document (the "Offering Document") related to the Offering and the use by the Company of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption that can be accessed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at https://ninemilemetals.com/. Prospective investors should read this Offering Document before making an investment decision.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States. 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 state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

About Nine Mile

Nine Mile Metals Ltd. is a Canadian public mineral exploration company focused on VMS (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ag and Au) exploration in the world-famous Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick, Canada. The Company's primary business objective is to explore its four VMS Projects: Nine Mile Brook VMS Project; California Lake VMS Project; and the Canoe Landing Lake (East - West) Project and the Wedge VMS Project. The Company is focused on exploration of Minerals for Technology (MFT), positioning for the boom in EV and green technologies requiring Copper, Silver, Lead and Zinc with a hedge with Gold.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the Company's plans with respect to the Company's projects and the timing related thereto, the merits of the Company's projects, the Company's objectives, plans and strategies, the Offering, the listing of the Common Shares on the CSE, the use of proceeds of the Offering and other matters. 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 statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective,", "strategy", "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the CSE, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include the risk of accidents and other risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, or the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other agency or governmental clearances, necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, risks of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes in the jurisdictions where the Company carries on its business that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Data Analysis and Retrieval + (SEDAR+) at www.sedarplus.ca for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release.

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/279514

Source: Nine Mile Metals Ltd.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2026) - Sparq Systems Inc. (TSXV: SPRQ) (OTCQB: SPRQF) (FSE: M26) ("Sparq" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Praveen Jain, has been named as an Officer of the Order of Canada by the Governor General of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour. The citation for Dr. Jain's appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada noted he is a leading inventor in electrical energy processing which has advanced efficient power generation, transmission and use through electronics and that he has shaped the field while mentoring more than 100 trainees, earning recognition as an outstanding educator and innovator.

Ravi Sood, Chairman of the Company, commented: "On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire Sparq family, I would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations on this monumental and well deserved tribute."

Upon receiving the honour, Dr. Jain commented: "It is absolutely the greatest honour for me to receive this recognition from the Governor General of Canada."

ABOUT SPARQ

Sparq designs and manufactures next generation single-phase microinverters for residential and commercial solar electric applications. Sparq has developed a proprietary PV solution called the Quad; the Quad inverter optimizes four PV modules with a single microinverter, simplifying design and installation, and lowering cost for solar power installations when compared to existing market offerings. Sparq's head office is located at 945 Princess Street, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 0E9.

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 release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279452

Source: SPARQ Systems Inc.
The CSPC market is poised for strong, double-digit growth, driven by aging demographics, improved screening, and strategic treatment advancements. While cost and access challenges persist, emerging therapies such as TRUQAP (AstraZeneca), TAVT-45 (Tavanta Therapeutics), Saruparib (AstraZeneca), AKEEGA (Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine [Janssen Pharmaceuticals]), TALZENNA (Pfizer), and others, along with global expansion, present promising CSPC market potential.

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Market Insights report includes a comprehensive understanding of current treatment practices, CSPC emerging drugs, market share of individual therapies, and current and forecasted market size from 2020 to 2034, segmented into leading markets [the United States, the EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan].

Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Market Summary

According to DelveInsight's analysis, the market size for castration-sensitive prostate cancer was found to be USD 4.3 billion in the leading markets [the United States, the EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan] in 2024.

in the leading markets [the United States, the EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan] in 2024. The United States accounted for the largest CSPC treatment market size, approximately 66% of the total market size in the 7MM in 2024, compared to other major markets, including the EU4 countries (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan.

of the total market size in the 7MM in 2024, compared to other major markets, including the EU4 countries (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan. Widespread Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) screening, earlier detection, aging populations, and improved cancer registry coverage are all fueling the rise in prostate cancer cases across the 7MM.

Currently, second-generation ADTs (in the 7MM) dominate the prostate cancer market. According to market projections, by 2034, second-generation ADTs will hold the top spot.

(in the 7MM) dominate the prostate cancer market. According to market projections, by 2034, second-generation ADTs will hold the top spot. Novartis is advancing PLUVICTO as the first PSMA-targeted radioligand for the treatment of treatment-naive or minimally treated mHSPC. Post-launch, PLUVICTO generated ~ USD 980 million in 2023 for mCRPC, rapidly reaching billion-dollar status. With no approved radioligand therapies in CSPC and promising early results, similar growth is anticipated as it enters this untapped market. Leading CSPC companies developing emerging therapies, such as AstraZeneca, Tavanta Therapeutics, Madison Vaccines, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine (Janssen Pharmaceuticals), Pfizer, Novartis, and others, are developing new CSPC treatment drugs that can be available in the CSPC market in the coming years.

as the for the treatment of treatment-naive or minimally treated mHSPC. Post-launch, generated ~ million in 2023 for mCRPC, rapidly reaching billion-dollar status. With no approved radioligand therapies in CSPC and promising early results, similar growth is anticipated as it enters this untapped market. Leading CSPC companies developing emerging therapies, such as and others, are developing new CSPC treatment drugs that can be available in the CSPC market in the coming years. The promising CSPC therapies in clinical trials include TRUQAP (capivasertib/AZD5363), TAVT-45 (abiraterone acetate), Saruparib (AZD5305), AKEEGA (niraparib and abiraterone acetate), TALZENNA (talazoparib), PLUVICTO (177Lu-PSMA-617), and others.

Discover the new CSPC treatment @ Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Treatment Market

Key Factors Driving the Growth of the Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Market

Rising prostate cancer incidence and ageing populations

Prostate cancer incidence is strongly associated with age, most frequently diagnosed in men between 65 and 74 years. However, age-specific patterns vary across regions, with the lowest prevalence observed in individuals over 84 years in the US, while in Japan, cases are least common among men aged 54 years or younger. Overall, prostate cancer risk rises with advancing age, and ongoing global demographic shifts toward older populations are expanding the diagnosed patient pool, thereby increasing the addressable market for CSPC therapies and diagnostics.

Competitive Dynamics in the CSPC Market

XTANDI and ERLEADA lead the CSPC market with broad adoption and clinical validation, while newer entrants like NUBEQA and ORGOVYX are gaining ground, enhancing competition with differentiated benefits and expanding CSPC market share.

Advances in Mutation-Targeted CSPC Therapies

The development of therapies targeting specific mutations is expected to perform better in the future, such as AKEEGA (HRR gene-mutated mCSPC), TALZENNA (DDR-deficient mCSPC), TRUQAP (de novo PTEN-deficient mHSPC), and others.

Radioligand and PARP Inhibitors Driving Future CSPC Market Growth

The emergence of radioligand and PARP inhibitor therapies in CSPC makes it a lucrative market in the future. Johnson & Johnson, the first to demonstrate the benefits of the PARP + androgen receptor pathways combo (niraparib + abiraterone) in HRR-mutated mCSPC, may gain an early-mover advantage in precision CSPC.

Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Market Analysis

The current and emerging treatment paradigm of the CSPC market offers a broad spectrum of therapeutic options for prostate cancer management, spanning androgen receptor inhibitors, CYP17 inhibitors, PARP inhibitors, AKT inhibitors, PSMA-targeted radioligand therapies, GnRH receptor antagonists, and several others across different lines of therapy.

Androgen receptor pathway inhibitors remain central to the treatment of CSPC. In the United States, four such agents are approved: the anti-androgens ERLEADA, XTANDI, and NUBEQA, as well as ZYTIGA. NUBEQA has demonstrated steady momentum, showing nearly doubled quarter-on-quarter growth and achieving record-high revenues in recent periods, underscoring its expanding global adoption. ERLEADA appears to offer the most significant real-world benefit in terms of survival and PSA response, followed by XTANDI and then ZYTIGA.

XTANDI has achieved robust global sales in recent years due to its established efficacy across multiple stages of prostate cancer, including mHSPC, and its growing role in combination regimens. Astellas reported a 21.6% year-over-year revenue increase from 2023 to 2024, supported by growth in all regions. However, the company anticipates a 4.9% sales decline in the near future, owing to expected patent expirations in Europe and Japan by 2026 and in the United States by 2027.

Androgen biosynthesis inhibitors such as ZYTIGA function by reducing androgen availability, thereby slowing tumor growth. Meanwhile, GnRH receptor antagonists like ORGOYVX offer a newer mode of androgen deprivation by directly and rapidly lowering LH and testosterone, avoiding the initial flare associated with LHRH agonists.

Beyond hormonal agents, PARP inhibitors, including saruparib and TALZENNA, represent a significant advance, particularly for patients harboring homologous recombination repair (HRR) mutations such as BRCA. Another innovative therapy is PSMA-targeted radioligand treatment, which delivers radiation specifically to PSMA-expressing tumor cells using compounds like [^177Lu] Lu-PSMA-617. Although currently approved for mCRPC, ongoing studies are exploring its use in earlier disease stages, including mCSPC.

Collectively, these treatment classes underscore the transition toward mechanism-based and biomarker-driven approaches in CSPC. By integrating hormonal suppression with targeted and precision medicine strategies, they aim to enhance patient outcomes across both non-metastatic and metastatic disease settings.

Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Competitive Landscape

Some of the CSPC drugs in clinical trials include TRUQAP (AstraZeneca), TAVT-45 (Tavanta Therapeutics), Saruparib (AstraZeneca), AKEEGA (Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine [Janssen Pharmaceuticals]), TALZENNA (Pfizer), and others.

Capivasertib is an orally administered pyrrolopyrimidine derivative that inhibits the serine/threonine-protein kinase AKT (protein kinase B) and shows potential antitumor activity. AstraZeneca has completed Phase Ib and Phase I/II trials of capivasertib for prostate cancer. The company is currently evaluating capivasertib in combination with ZYTIGA in the Phase III CAPItello-281 study for mHSPC, and in combination with docetaxel in the CAPItello-280 study for mCRPC.

In November 2024, the CAPItello-281 Phase III trial reported positive top-line results: AstraZeneca's TRUQAP, combined with abiraterone and ADT, significantly improved the primary endpoint of rPFS compared to abiraterone and ADT with placebo in patients with PTEN-deficient de novo mHSPC.

TAVT-45 is a new oral suspension formulation of abiraterone acetate, developed as a patient-friendly alternative to ZYTIGA tablets. Its pivotal Phase III trial confirmed therapeutic equivalence to ZYTIGA in patients with mCRPC and high-risk mCSPC, with a comparable safety profile. The NDA is currently in preparation. Tavanta is exploring strategic partnerships for late-stage development and commercialization, targeting patients who have difficulty swallowing traditional tablets.

Saruparib (AZD5305) is a selective oral PARP inhibitor that specifically targets and traps PARP1, unlike existing PARPis that inhibit both PARP1 and PARP2. Preclinical studies suggest that PARP1 inhibition provides antiproliferative effects, while PARP2 inhibition contributes to hematological toxicity, indicating AZD5305 may offer a better therapeutic index with reduced toxicity. It is currently in Phase III development for both HRRm and non-HRRm mCSPC.

According to AstraZeneca's Q1 2025 clinical trial update, data from saruparib Phase III (EvoPAR-Prostate01/NCT06120491) and Phase I/IIa (PETRANHA/NCT05367440) trials are expected beyond 2026.

The anticipated launch of these emerging therapies is poised to transform the CSPC market landscape in the coming years. As these cutting-edge therapies continue to mature and gain regulatory approval, they are expected to reshape the CSPC market landscape, offering new standards of care and unlocking opportunities for medical innovation and economic growth.

Discover more about the CSPC drugs market @ Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Drugs

Recent Developments in the Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Market

In June 2025, Bayer announced that the FDA had approved its oral Androgen Receptor Inhibitor (ARI) NUBEQA in combination with ADT for use in patients with mCSPC. The approval is based on positive results from the pivotal Phase III ARANOTE trial in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC).

announced that the FDA had approved its oral Androgen Receptor Inhibitor (ARI) NUBEQA in combination with ADT for use in patients with mCSPC. The approval is based on positive results from the pivotal Phase III ARANOTE trial in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). In June 2025, Novartis announced topline results from a pre-specified interim analysis of the Phase III PSMAddition trial.

announced topline results from a pre-specified interim analysis of the Phase III PSMAddition trial. In June 2025, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine presented late-breaking data from the Phase III AMPLITUDE (Oral Abstract: LBA5006) trial, evaluating AKEEGA plus prednisone in patients with mCSPC and alterations in homologous recombination repair genes, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago, 2025.

presented late-breaking data from the Phase III AMPLITUDE (Oral Abstract: LBA5006) trial, evaluating AKEEGA plus prednisone in patients with mCSPC and alterations in homologous recombination repair genes, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago, 2025. In May 2025, Astellas Pharma and Pfizer announced longer-term follow-up results from an open-label extension of the Phase III ARCHES study in men with mHSPC treated with XTANDI plus ADT compared to placebo plus ADT. These data were presented during an oral presentation (Abstract #5005) at the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.

announced longer-term follow-up results from an open-label extension of the Phase III ARCHES study in men with mHSPC treated with XTANDI plus ADT compared to placebo plus ADT. These data were presented during an oral presentation (Abstract #5005) at the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago. In April 2025, in a real-world, head-to-head study, data from TITAN evaluating ERLEADA versus XTANDI in patients with mCSPC were presented at the 50th Annual Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Congress.

Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Overview

Prostate cancer is a prevalent malignancy that arises in the prostate gland, primarily affecting men. It generally progresses slowly and often remains localized to the prostate during its early stages, typically causing minimal harm. In more advanced stages, the disease can progress to mCSPC, also known as mHSPC. This stage involves cancer that has spread beyond the prostate to other areas of the body but still responds to hormone (androgen deprivation) therapy. Metastatic prostate cancer is further categorized based on imaging results:

M0 CSPC: No detectable metastases on standard imaging.

M1 CSPC: Metastases are confirmed to be present.

Distinguishing M0 CSPC from a local recurrence after curative treatment can be difficult, with histological analysis and PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels being crucial for accurate diagnosis. Meanwhile, nmCSPC refers to prostate cancer that is limited to the pelvic region with no signs of distant metastasis on imaging, yet remains responsive to hormone-lowering therapy.

Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Epidemiology Segmentation

The CSPC epidemiology section provides insights into the historical and current CSPC patient pool and forecasted trends for the leading markets [the United States, the EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan]. It helps recognize the causes of current and forecasted patient trends by exploring numerous studies and views of key opinion leaders.

The CSPC treatment market report proffers epidemiological analysis for the study period 2020-2034 in the leading markets [the United States, the EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan], segmented into:

Total Prevalent Cases of Prostate Cancer

Five-year Prevalent Cases of Prostate Cancer

Age-specific Cases of Prostate Cancer

Total Cases of Prostate Cancer by Clinical Stages

Five-year Prevalent Cases of CSPC

Total Prevalent Cases of nmCSPC and mCSPC

Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Market Report Metrics Details Study Period 2020-2034 Coverage 7MM [The United States, the EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan]. Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Market CAGR 13.2 % Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Market Size in 2024 USD 4.3 Billion Key Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Companies AstraZeneca, Tavanta Therapeutics, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine (Janssen Pharmaceuticals), Pfizer, Novartis, Astellas Pharma, Bayer, Orion Corporation, Sumitovant Biopharma, Myovant Sciences, Accord Healthcare, and others Key Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Therapies TRUQAP (capivasertib/AZD5363), TAVT-45 (abiraterone acetate), Saruparib (AZD5305), AKEEGA (niraparib and abiraterone acetate), TALZENNA (talazoparib), PLUVICTO (177Lu-PSMA-617), ZYTIGA, XTANDI, NUBEQA, ERLEADA, ORGOVYX, and others

Scope of the Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Market Report

Therapeutic Assessment: Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer, current marketed and emerging therapies

Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer, current marketed and emerging therapies Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Market Dynamics: Key Market Forecast Assumptions of Emerging Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Drugs and Market Outlook

Key Market Forecast Assumptions of Emerging Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Drugs and Market Outlook Competitive Intelligence Analysis: SWOT and Conjoint analysis and Market entry strategies

SWOT and Conjoint analysis and Market entry strategies Unmet Needs, KOL's views, Analyst's views, Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Market Access and Reimbursement

Download the report to understand the CSPC market trends @ Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer Market Forecast

Table of Contents

1 KEY INSIGHTS 2 REPORT INTRODUCTION 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF CSPC 4 KEY EVENTS 4.1 RECENT APPROVAL 4.2 UPCOMING KEY CATALYSTS 4.3 KEY TRANSACTIONS AND COLLABORATIONS 4.4 CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS 5 EPIDEMIOLOGY AND MARKET FORECAST METHODOLOGY 6 CSPC MARKET OVERVIEW AT A GLANCE 6.1 CLINICAL LANDSCAPE (ANALYSIS BY PHASE, ROUTE OF ADMINISTRATION [ROA], AND MECHANISM OF ACTION) 6.2 MARKET SHARE OF CSPC BY CLASS (%) IN 2024 IN THE 7MM 6.3 MARKET SHARE OF CSPC BY CLASS (%) IN 2034 IN THE 7MM 6.4 MARKET SHARE OF CSPC BY THERAPIES (%) IN THE 7MM IN 2024 6.4.1 Market Share of nmCSPC by Therapies (%) 6.4.2 Market Share of mCSPC by Therapies (%) 6.5 MARKET SHARE OF CSPC BY THERAPIES (%) IN THE 7MM IN 2034 6.5.1 Market Share of nmCSPC by Therapies (%) 6.5.2 Market Share of mCSPC by Therapies (%) 7 DISEASE BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW 7.1 OVERVIEW 7.2 SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF PROSTATE CANCER 7.3 GRADING AND STAGING 7.4 RISK FACTORS AND CAUSES OF PROSTATE CANCER 7.5 BIOCHEMICAL RECURRENCE 7.6 DIAGNOSIS 8 TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT 8.1 IMPACT OF PSMA PET ON PROSTATE CANCER MANAGEMENT 8.2 GUIDELINES 8.2.1 National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines for Prostate Cancer (NCCN) (2025) 8.2.2 European Association of Urology Guidelines for mHSPC (2025) 8.2.3 Recommendations From the US Prostate Cancer Conference (USPCC) (2024) 8.2.4 Advanced Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference (APCCC) 2024 8.2.5 Updates to Advanced Prostate Cancer: American Urology Association/Society of Urologic Oncology Guideline (2023) 8.2.6 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Treatment Recommendations for Prostate Cancer (2023) 8.2.7 Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prostate Cancer (2023) 8.2.7.1 mCSPC Treatment 8.2.8 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2021) 9 EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PATIENT POPULATION 9.1 KEY FINDINGS 9.2 ASSUMPTIONS AND RATIONALE 9.3 TOTAL PREVALENT CASES OF PROSTATE CANCER IN THE 7MM 9.4 FIVE-YEAR PREVALENT CASES OF PROSTATE CANCER IN THE 7MM 9.5 TOTAL PREVALENT CASES OF CSPC IN THE 7MM 9.5.1 Total Prevalent Cases of nmCSPC in the 7MM 9.5.2 Total Prevalent Cases of mCSPC in the 7MM 9.6 THE UNITED STATES 9.6.1 Five-year Prevalent Cases of Prostate Cancer in the US 9.6.2 Age-specific Cases of Prostate Cancer in the US 9.6.3 Total Prevalent Cases of Prostate Cancer by Clinical Stages in the US 9.6.4 Total Prevalent Cases of CSPC in the US 9.6.4.1 Total Prevalent Cases of nmCSPC in the US 9.6.4.2 Total Prevalent Cases of mCSPC in the US 9.7 EU4 AND THE UK 9.7.1 Five-Year Prevalent Cases of Prostate Cancer in EU4 and the UK 9.7.2 Age-specific Cases of Prostate Cancer in EU4 and the UK 9.7.3 Total Prevalent Cases of Prostate Cancer by Clinical Stages in EU4 and the UK 9.7.4 Total Prevalent Cases of CSPC in EU4 and the UK 9.7.4.1 Total Prevalent Cases of nmCSPC in EU4 and the UK 9.7.4.2 Total Prevalent Cases of mCSPC in EU4 and the UK 9.8 JAPAN 9.8.1 Five-year Prevalent Cases of Prostate Cancer in Japan 9.8.2 Age-specific Cases of Prostate Cancer in Japan 9.8.3 Total Prevalent Cases of Prostate Cancer by Clinical Stages in Japan 9.8.4 Total Prevalent Cases of CSPC in Japan 9.8.4.1 Total Prevalent Cases of nmCSPC in Japan 9.8.4.2 Total Prevalent Cases of mCSPC in Japan 10 PATIENT JOURNEY 11 MARKETED DRUGS 11.1 KEY COMPETITORS 11.1 ZYTIGA (ABIRATERONE ACETATE): JOHNSON & JOHNSON INNOVATIVE MEDICINE (JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICAL) 11.1.1 Product Description 11.1.2 Regulatory Milestones 11.1.3 Other Developmental Activities 11.1.4 Clinical Development activity 11.1.4.1 Clinical Trial Information in mCSPC 11.1.5 Safety and Efficacy 11.1.6 Scientific Opinions 11.1.7 Analyst Views 11.2 XTANDI (ENZALUTAMIDE): ASTELLAS PHARMA/PFIZER 11.2.1 Product Description 11.2.2 Regulatory Milestones 11.2.3 Other Developmental Activities 11.2.4 Clinical Development activity 11.2.4.1 Clinical Trial Information in nmCSPC 11.2.5 Safety and Efficacy 11.2.6 Scientific Opinions 11.2.7 Analyst Views 11.3 NUBEQA (DAROLUTAMIDE): BAYER AND ORION CORPORATION 11.3.1 Product Description 11.3.2 Regulatory Milestones 11.3.3 Other Development Activities 11.3.4 Clinical Development 11.3.4.1 Clinical Trials Information in mCSPC 11.3.4.2 Clinical Trials Information in nmCSPC 11.3.5 Safety and Efficacy 11.3.6 Scientific Opinions 11.3.7 Analyst Views 11.4 ERLEADA (APALUTAMIDE): JOHNSON & JOHNSON INNOVATIVE MEDICINE (JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICAL) 11.4.1 Product Description 11.4.2 Regulatory Milestones 11.4.3 Other Developmental Activities 11.4.4 Clinical Development 11.4.4.1 Clinical Trials Information in mCSPC 11.4.5 Safety and Efficacy 11.4.6 Scientific Opinions 11.4.7 Analyst Views 11.5 ORGOVYX (RELUGOLIX): SUMITOVANT BIOPHARMA/MYOVANT SCIENCES, PFIZER, AND ACCORD HEALTHCARE 11.5.1 Product Description 11.5.2 Regulatory Milestones 11.5.3 Other Developmental Activities 11.5.4 Safety and Efficacy 11.5.5 Scientific Opinions 11.5.6 Analyst Views 12 EMERGING THERAPIES 12.1 KEY COMPETITORS 12.2 TRUQAP (CAPIVASERTIB/AZD5363): ASTRAZENECA 12.2.1 Product Description 12.2.2 Other Developmental Activities 12.2.3 Clinical Development 12.2.3.1 Clinical Trials Information in mCSPC 12.2.4 Safety and Efficacy 12.2.5 Scientific Opinions 12.2.6 Analyst Views 12.3 TAVT-45 (ABIRATERONE ACETATE): TAVANTA THERAPEUTICS 12.3.1 Product Description 12.3.2 Other Developmental Activities 12.3.3 Clinical Development 12.3.3.1 Clinical Trials Information in mCSPC 12.3.4 Safety and Efficacy 12.3.5 Scientific Opinions 12.3.6 Analyst Views 12.4 SARUPARIB (AZD5305): ASTRAZENECA 12.4.1 Product Description 12.4.2 Other Developmental Activities 12.4.3 Clinical Development 12.4.3.1 Clinical Trials Information in mCSPC 12.4.4 Safety and Efficacy 12.4.5 Scientific Opinions 12.4.6 Analyst Views 12.5 AKEEGA (NIRAPARIB AND ABIRATERONE ACETATE): JOHNSON & JOHNSON INNOVATIVE MEDICINE (JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS) 12.5.1 Product Description 12.5.2 Other Developmental Activity 12.5.3 Clinical Development 12.5.3.1 Clinical Trials Information in nmPSA-RPC 12.5.4 Safety and Efficacy 12.5.5 Scientific Opinions 12.5.6 Analyst Views 12.6 TALZENNA (TALAZOPARIB): PFIZER 12.6.1 Product Description 12.6.2 Other Developmental Activities 12.6.3 Clinical Development 12.6.3.1 Clinical Trial Information in mCSPC 12.6.4 Safety and Efficacy 12.6.5 Scientific Opinions 12.6.6 Analyst Views 12.7 PLUVICTO (177LU-PSMA-617): NOVARTIS 12.7.1 Product Description 12.7.2 Other Developmental Activities 12.7.3 Clinical Development 12.7.3.1 Clinical Trial Information in mCSPC 12.7.4 Scientific Opinions 12.7.5 Analyst Views 13 CSPC: 7MM MARKET ANALYSIS 13.1 KEY FINDINGS 13.2 MARKET OUTLOOK 13.3 CONJOINT ANALYSIS 13.4 KEY MARKET FORECAST ASSUMPTIONS 13.4.1 Cost Assumptions 13.5 TOTAL MARKET SIZE OF CSPC IN THE 7MM 13.6 TOTAL MARKET SIZE OF CSPC BY CLASS IN THE 7MM 13.7 TOTAL MARKET SIZE OF CSPC BY THERAPIES IN THE 7MM 13.7.1 Market Size of nmCSPC by Therapies in the 7MM 13.7.2 Market Size of mCSPC by Therapies in the 7MM 13.8 UNITED STATES 13.8.1 Total Market Size of CSPC 13.8.2 Total Market Size of CSPC by Therapies in the US 13.8.2.1 Market Size of nmCSPC by Therapies in the US 13.8.2.2 Market Size of mCSPC by Therapies in the US 13.9 EU4 AND THE UK 13.9.1 Total Market Size of CSPC in EU4 and the UK 13.9.2 Total Market Size of CSPC by Therapies in EU4 and the UK 13.9.2.1 Market Size of nmCSPC by Therapies in EU4 and the UK 13.9.2.2 Market Size of mCSPC by Therapies in EU4 and the UK 13.10 JAPAN 13.10.1 Total Market Size of CSPC in Japan 13.10.2 Total Market Size of CSPC by Therapies in Japan 13.10.2.1 Market Size of nmCSPC by Therapies in Japan 13.10.2.2 Market Size of mCSPC by Therapies in Japan 14 UNMET NEEDS 15 SWOT ANALYSIS 16 KOL VIEWS 17 MARKET ACCESS AND REIMBURSEMENT 17.1 THE UNITED STATES 17.2 EU4 AND THE UK 17.2.1 Germany 17.2.2 France 17.2.3 Italy 17.2.4 Spain 17.2.5 United Kingdom 17.3 JAPAN 17.4 SUMMARY AND COMPARISON OF MARKET ACCESS AND PRICING POLICY DEVELOPMENTS IN 2025 17.5 CSPC MARKET ACCESS AND REIMBURSEMENT 18 APPENDIX 18.1 BIBLIOGRAPHY 18.2 REPORT METHODOLOGY 19 DELVEINSIGHT CAPABILITIES 20 DISCLAIMER 21 ABOUT DELVEINSIGHT

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Already FDA-cleared and in routine clinical use in Las Vegas, the Dynamis Robotic Surgical System is set for its next evolution, leveraging NVIDIA Jetson Thor, NVIDIA Isaac for Healthcare, and NVIDIA Cosmos platforms to define the future of hard tissue robotic surgery.

LAS VEGAS, NV and BERN, SWITZERLAND / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 / LEM Surgical, a leader in next-generation hard tissue robotics, today announced its participation in the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). At this year's event, LEM is highlighting the commercial success of the Dynamis Robotic Surgical System, the first surgical humanoid optimally adapted to the unique demands of the operating room, while unveiling a strategic roadmap to integrate NVIDIA's groundbreaking Physical AI tools into its next-generation products.

Unlike traditional surgical robots that operate as static tools, LEM is defining a new category of "Surgical Humanoids." The Dynamis system is optimally architected to allow two robotic arms to work in coordinated unison, perfectly synchronized with dynamic vision. This architecture mimics the bimanual dexterity and workflow of a human surgeon, delivering a level of adaptability previously unseen in spinal robotics.

Visit LEM Surgical at CES 2026

NVIDIA has chosen LEM Surgical to showcase at their CES exhibition area and invites media, investors, and industry partners to experience the Dynamis Robotic Surgical System and discuss the application of Physical AI in healthcare.

Location: Fontainebleau Las Vegas, 2777 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109

From Innovation to Routine Standard of Care

While many medical technologies at CES are conceptual, the Dynamis system is a commercial reality. The system is FDA 510(k) cleared and is currently being used routinely for spinal procedures at Southern Hills Hospital in Las Vegas.

The Future: Powered by NVIDIA Physical AI

At CES, LEM Surgical is also revealing its technical roadmap for the next generation of Dynamis, focusing on the integration of NVIDIA physical AI open models, frameworks, and libraries. To achieve unprecedented levels of autonomy and situational awareness, future iterations of the Dynamis system will be powered by NVIDIA Jetson Thor, a computing platform designed specifically for humanoid robotics. Furthermore, LEM Surgical will leverage the NVIDIA Isaac for Healthcare open-source framework and NVIDIA Cosmos open-world foundation models to continuously train its robotic systems, enabling them to learn, adapt, and assist surgeons with superhuman perception.

Yossi Bar, Founder and CEO of LEM Surgical, commented:

"Collaborating with NVIDIA represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of surgery. By advancing physical AI, we aren't just building machines; we are architecting the future of human-robot collaboration to enhance clinical precision and expand access to life-saving care. NVIDIA stands as a beacon for the entire MedTech industry, signaling a new era where intelligent sensing and automation become a cornerstone of modern medicine."

About LEM Surgical

LEM Surgical is a visionary MedTech company dedicated to the Quintuple Aim: improving outcomes, enhancing patient and provider satisfaction, ensuring financial sustainability, and advancing health equity. Its flagship product, the Dynamis Robotic Surgical System, is the world's first surgical humanoid, featuring a multi-arm architecture synchronized with dynamic vision. Headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, with commercial operations in Tampa, Florida, LEM Surgical represents the convergence of Swiss engineering and American commercial innovation. For more information, visit www.lemsurgical.com.

Media Contact: LEM Surgical Corporate Communications communications@lemsurgical.com

Investor Relations: LEM Surgical CFO olaf@lemsurgical.com

************************************************

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the development of next-generation products, the integration of NVIDIA technologies (Jetson Thor, Isaac, Cosmos), and future capabilities that have not yet received US FDA clearance for use. These statements are based on current expectations and are subject to regulatory clearances and market conditions.

SOURCE: LEM Surgical AG

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/lem-surgical-showcases-the-worlds-first-%22surgical-humanoid%22-at-ces-20-1122325
Autonomous driving and EV convergence solutions integrate hardware and software, capturing strong interest.

Test drive of autonomous vehicle mock-up spotlights new UDC and LiDAR products.

Positioning as provider of differentiated, customer-centric mobility solutions.

LAS VEGAS and SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Innotek (CEO Moon Hyuksoo) will unveil its innovative future mobility solutions at CES 2026, to be held in Las Vegas for four days starting January 6 (local time).

On December 5, LG Innotek opened up its CES 2026 exhibition booth to domestic media for a pre-booth tour. The booth, measuring approximately 330.58 square meters, was installed at the entrance of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC)'s West Hall. This year, LG Innotek plans to once again present at CES under an exclusive mobility theme, continuing the approach adopted last year.

Upon entering the booth, visitors will first encounter a future-oriented autonomous concept vehicle mock-up. A total of 16 products related to Autonomous Driving (AD) and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are mounted on the mock-up.

LG Innotek introduces its product lineup as integrated software solutions, categorized by theme rather than listing individual components as before.

This shift in presentation underscores the company's strategy to evolve into a customer-centric total mobility solution provider, transcending its traditional role in automotive electronic components amid the rise of AI-Defined Vehicles (AIDV).

The autonomous vehicle mock-up showcases various solutions integrated inside and outside the vehicle. LG Innotek highlights its 'Autonomous Driving Convergence Sensing Solutions' as its flagship products. In particular, its vehicle camera modules featuring diverse functions are integrated seamlessly with LiDAR and Radar technologies.

The Heated Camera Module, which rapidly melt snow or frost, and Active Cleaning Camera Module, capable of removing water and foreign materials from the lens in just one second, feature enhanced functions powered by LG Innotek's proprietary software. These modules, which are much smaller than existing products, are sure to draw visitors' attention.

The high-performance, ultra-compact LiDAR, co-developed with U.S. firm Aeva and debuting at CES 2026, commands particular attention. By sensing objects up to 650 feet (200 meters) away, it addresses current cameras' limitations in terms of long-distance detection.

Visitors can experience the autonomous vehicle mock-up by sitting in the driver's seat and indirectly exploring LG Innotek's unique autonomous driving via an LED screen powered by front-mounted sensing solutions.

The test drive also lets visitors experience LG Innotek's In-Cabin Solutions. 'The Next-Generation Under-Display Camera Module', debuting at CES 2026, hides behind the dashboard yet enables precise facial recognition via LG Innotek's in-house AI image restoration software, without compromising image quality. The dual recording function allows users to create vlogs and similar content while driving.

The autonomous vehicle mock-up also showcases UWB(Ultra-WideBand) Radar, a key in-cabin solution. Visitors can also experience Child Presence Detection (CPD) and a Kick Sensor for hands-free trunk operation.

Vehicle lighting solutions, illuminating interior, front, and rear areas of the vehicle, stand out as another exhibition highlight.

The CES 2026 Innovation Award-winning 'Ultra-Thin Pixel Lighting Modules' are integrated into Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs), turn signals, and the front of the vehicle. Using ultra-high-resolution pixels, the modules enable the precise rendering of letters and patterns. The protruding lights flanking the headlamps introduce 'Nexlide Air', debuting exclusively at this exhibition. Both products employ silicon to increase design flexibility and minimize pedestrian injury risk from collision fragments.

Connectivity solutions feature a 5G NTN Module for blind-spot satellite communication, a Vehicular AP Module as the AIDV "brain," and a UWB Digital Key incorporating ultra-precise short-range communication technology, boosting safety and convenience.

Furthermore, a dedicated EV mock-up gives visitors an overview of core EV components at a glance.

The EV mock-up encompasses 15 integrated EV solutions, including the world's first 800V Wireless Battery Management System (BMS) from LG Innotek and B-Link, which combines the batteries and Battery Junction Box (BJB) into one unit to produce more efficient and lighter battery packs. LG Innotek aims to highlight its miniaturized, lightweight, and complex technologies that are crucial for simplifying EV architecture alongside precision motor control and wireless innovations.

CEO Moon Hyuksoo remarked, "CES 2026 presents a valuable opportunity to secure new business prospects in autonomous driving and EVs. Through this exhibition, we will leap forward as a mobility innovation company, delivering distinguished value to our customers."

LG Innotek offers detailed CES 2026 product information and exhibition sketches on its website (lginnotek.com/showcase/ces2026.do).

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Network18 renews its landmark partnership with CNN International, extending the CNN-News18 brand and content licensing deal till 2035, deepening collaboration across television, digital, YouTube and connected TV, and reinforcing CNN-News18s position as Indias leading English news destination.

Network18 and CNN have tripled down on the successful partnershipfirst forged in 2005, then renewed in 2015, and now extended till 31 December 2035.

New Delhi: Network18, Indias largest news network, has renewed its long-standing partnership with CNN International for its flagship English news channel, CNN-News18, extending the brand and content licensing agreement for another decade.

With this, Network18 and CNN have tripled down on the successful partnershipfirst forged in 2005, then renewed in 2015, and now extended till 31 December 2035.

The third decade of the relationship comes with even deeper bonds that encompass a strategic digital presence covering the world market. CNN-News18 will extend its digital footprintincluding on YouTube and Connected TV (CTV)to international markets, enabling the brand to reach global audiences across media platforms.

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Highlighting the significance of this milestone, Rahul Joshi, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, Network18 Group, said, This renewed partnership represents a landmark, one-of-a-kind collaboration in global news. The TV news partnership that has flourished for two decades will now open doors to new avenues of growth, including an expanded presence on digital and connected TV.

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The Network18-CNN relationship is even more salient in these times when news is glocalevents in one part of the world have a direct bearing on citizens lives and livelihoods wherever they live. CNNs international presence, complemented with Network18s wide reach and credibility, combines to provide an impeccable worldview on current affairs.

With the refreshed partnership, CNN-News18 has enhanced its position as the premier destination for current affairs. Whenever major events unfold, CNN-News18 breaks stories fastest, talks to the most important newsmakers first, and makes sure that audiences can catch the latest action wherever they are and whatever devices they are using. Indias only complete English news destination has renewed the promise of its mottoOn Your Side.

CNN International, part of Warner Bros. Discovery, will continue to bring its global news leadership and editorial excellence to the collaboration.

Having a network of strong affiliate partners has been core to CNN since our very founding in 1980, said Phil Nelson, Executive Vice President, CNN International Commercial. To that end, we are delighted to extend our long-term partnership with Network18 for the continuation of the licensing of the CNN brand and the expansion of one of our largest and most prominent affiliates worldwide, he added.

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CNN-News18 is far and away Indias most popular news channel. It outperforms competitors, particularly during critical news cycles and major events. The channel has recently undergone an on-air refresh, featuring a more stylish aesthetic designed to enhance the viewing experience.

All content produced is now inherently TV- and digital-ready, ensuring seamless transition across broadcast, digital platforms and connected TV. The channel has also significantly increased its CTV presence, catering to the rapidly growing audience segment consuming news on large-screen digital devices.

Network18 plans to further invest in CNN-News18s digital, technological and editorial capabilities to strengthen its leadership and expand its footprint in India and beyond.

CNN-News18 operates from a world-class facility in the New Delhi region, supported by bureaus nationwide, a top-class editorial and production team, and Network18s advanced broadcast infrastructure and news-gathering technology.

About Network18

Network18 is the countrys largest omni-channel news network, comprising 20 TV channels in more than 12 languages and seven digital news platforms in 13 languages. The network operates some of Indias top news channels, such as CNN-News18 (English), News18 India (Hindi), CNBC-TV18 (English), CNBC BAJAR and CNBC-TV18 Prime & CNBC Awaaz (Hindi), along with 14 regional channels. It is also home to some of Indias most visited news websites, including News18.com, CNBCTV18.com, Moneycontrol.com, Storyboard18.com and Firstpost.com. The group also publishes Overdrive and Forbes India magazines. Network18s new vertical, Creator18, is building one of Indias biggest content-creator ecosystems, crafting impactful influencer marketing campaigns and developing social and video-first growth strategies. The network also has investments in leading media platforms such as JioStar, BookMyShow, and ETV.

(Disclaimer: This is a sponsored article. It does not have any involvement of the Firstpost editorial team and Firstpost claims no responsibility for its content.)

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Deepika Padukone celebrated her 40th birthday with fans, cutting cake to the Om Shanti Om song Aankhon Mein Teri and sharing hugs and selfies. The unseen moments from the viral fan meet highlighted her bond with supporters.

Bollywood star Deepika Padukone celebrated in her 40th birthday before the actual day with her fans. The actress met fans before leaving for New York and cut her birthday cake in a heartwarming celebration that has since taken over social media, as unseen videos from the fan meet went viral.

The actor, who has had a two-decade-long journey in Indian cinema, chose to mark her milestone birthday surrounded by her supporters. Clips shared online show Deepika cutting a birthday cake while the crowd sang along to Aankhon Mein Teri from her breakthrough film Om Shanti Om, creating a nostalgic and emotional atmosphere.

In the videos, Deepika is seen smiling and interacting with fans as they chant her name and cheer her on. Some clips also captured emotional fan reactions as Deepika took pictures and interacted well-wishers, creating moments that were shared widely under birthday hashtags.

I dont think I can actually say anything. This was such a special moment #HappyBirthdayDeepikaPadukone pic.twitter.com/MunaEGwXdy  Divi  (@Chuprehbkl) January 4, 2026

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Deepikas decision to celebrate with fans, rather than a private, celebrity-only party, struck a chord online. Social media users praised her humility and connection with her audience, with many commenting on how meaningful it was to see her share the day so openly.

Fans also showered her with affection using trending hashtags dedicated to the occasion, celebrating not only her career achievements but her off-screen persona as well. Many posts highlighted how Deepika has grown over the years, from a leading lady in romantic dramas to a versatile actor known for Piku, Padmaavat, Chhapaak, and several other hits.

As Deepika steps into her 40s, her fan-filled birthday celebration is being remembered not just as a personal milestone, but as a moment of connection and gratitude between one of Bollywoods most celebrated stars and the supporters who have championed her career.
Meghan Markle could be left with little choice but to rethink her UK return as Prince Harrys security arrangements are reviewed, potentially removing the key barrier that has kept the Sussexes away from Britain.

Meghan Markle may be forced to reconsider her long-standing absence from the UK as Prince Harrys security arrangements are once again under review, a development that could remove what royal commentators say has been the primary barrier to her return.

Royal author Duncan Larcombe has suggested that the renewed assessment of Harrys security could leave Meghan with little choice but to backtrack on her decision to stay away from Britain. According to him, security concerns have played a central role in her absence over the past few years. The security issue has essentially been used as an excuse for Meghan not to come to the UK in the last few years, he told Mirror, adding, But many people think the real reason is to do with the public reaction that shed receive over here.

Larcombe said that if the review results in official protection being reinstated, Meghans position becomes more complicated. If the protection is put back in place for Harry and Meghan when theyre on UK soil, then theres really no excuse for her to stay away, so she has to be considering doing a U-turn  she has no choice but to think about it given the new review.

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However, he noted that any return would bring its own challenges, particularly given past tensions within the royal family and public criticism. But, effectively, shell come face to face with the British public and members of the family that shes been at pains to criticise. She will want to support Harry how she can, and has also said that she doesnt like to be away from her children for long, so there are going to be some difficult decisions either way.

Larcombe added, I dont think its in to eat humble pie and if she comes to the UK, humble pie is exactly whats on the menu for her.

The Invictus Games could potentially soften the optics of a UK visit, Larcombe suggested, warning that Meghan staying away while Harry travels with their children could create further scrutiny. Meghan is not stupid, she knows that staying away would do her no favours in terms of how people view her over here, he said. It would start to raise all sorts of questions about the couples relationship and them wanting different things.

He also claimed the couple is likely consulting advisors as public opinion continues to shift. Im sure theyll be talking to their UK advisors about how the land lies, and if you believe the polls, people may want to see Harry back in the fold but at the moment, they are the outcast couple who live in self-imposed exile and have stirred up a lot of trouble and made a lot of money off the royal family during the rift.

Games View All

Prince Harry has repeatedly maintained that security remains the biggest obstacle to returning to the UK with his family. After losing his court case last year, he said a visit would be impossible, adding, I cant see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.

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Larcombe said that even if security concerns are addressed, significant questions remain. If they come to the UK, who do they see? he asked. Do they see Harrys old friends that hes had to isolate from? Does he see his brother who wont talk to him? Does he see his father who only gave him minutes of his time when they met before? Its a really complicated, complex situation that Harry and Meghan have managed to get themselves into and there are a lot of questions over exactly what a visit to the UK would look like.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had last travelled to England in 2022 to attend the late Queen Elizabeths funeral.
As the first working week of 2026 begins, will employees be able to strike a work-life balance this year? In India, the Right to Disconnect bill was introduced in the Winter Session in December. Where do other nations stand?

More and more people are interested in maintaining a healthy worklife balance. Reuters

Will 2026 finally be the year employees get the right to disconnect?

Much has been made of a Right to Disconnect bill introduced in the Indian Parliament. The bill, by Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, created much buzz on social media. However, the private Members Bill realistically does not have much of a chance of being taken up by the government. Sule was trying to shine a spotlight on the issue amid the ongoing debate among employees on stress and burnout.

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Meanwhile, CEOs have been exhorting employees to put in longer and longer hours, even as wages have largely remained stagnant, and many are finding it harder and harder to land new jobs. Today, more and more people are interested in maintaining a healthy worklife balance than trying incessantly to climb the corporate ladder.

So, will more and more countries pass such laws in 2026?

Lets take a closer look.

Kerala

Be it literacy, healthcare or womens rights, Kerala has been at the forefront of many of the advances in India. Little surprise then that Kerala earlier this year introduced its own Right to Disconnect bill in the state legislature.

The Right to Disconnect Bill 2025 (Bill) was introduced by Dr N Jayaraj, Kerala Congress (M) MLA and Chief Whip in the state Assembly. It aims to grant protections to private sector employees from dealing with communication from employers after working hours. This includes via phone, e-mail, SMS, video conference and any other such similar systems. Employees are allowed to exercise this right against their employer or their designated personnel.

It protects employees from punishment such as demotion, firing, reduced benefits, or lost opportunities for exercising this right. It also calls on the Kerala government to set up a committee to address the grievances of private sector workers across every district of the state.

CEOs have been exhorting employees to put in longer and longer hours. Representational Image/Reuters

It draws inspiration from Article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states: Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

It also draws on Article 21  Right to Life and Dignity  which courts have upheld, as well as instructs the state to maintain its responsibility to ensure humane working conditions and employee welfare.

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Jayaraj told the Indian Express that he came up with the bill looking at the plight of Indian employees. It is, in a way, a reinvention of the old feudal system. There was no fixed working time for labourers. Then, worldwide, people fought for labour rights and brought about order. The digital revolution has now brought back that feudal era, without us even realising.

It will be far from shocking if Kerala becomes the first state within the Union of India to pass such a law in 2026.

Philippines

The Philippines Department of Labour and Employment (Dole) in 2017 already laid out some protection for its workers. Dole has already stated that employees fundamentally have the right to disconnect from work after hours.

Dole has said employees can simply refuse to respond to work communications after hours without facing any backlash. However, this was the department analysing labour policy and not a law.

There are now reports that in December 2025, a new Right to Disconnect Bill has been introduced in the Philippine Congress. The filed House Bill No. 9735 was introduced by Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez. It remains at the House committee level.

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According to reports, the bill, which covers both permanent and contract workers, ensures that employees can exercise the right to disconnect without fearing any consequences.

Some have praised the bill.

Philippines Department of Labour and Employment (Dole) in 2017 already laid out some protection for its workers. Dole has already stated that employees fundamentally have the right to disconnect from work after hours. Representational Image/Pixabay

Like in France, Spain, Italy, and Australia, adopting a law on a right to disconnect would help protect workers mental health, promote their well-being, and reinforce the distinction between work and personal life, which is essential for overall productivity and job satisfaction, Jose Sonny G. Matula, President at the Federation of Free Workers, told BusinessWorld earlier this year.

But others have criticised it. Employers Confederation of the Philippines President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr claimed it could hurt productivity and damage relations.

Investors would rather go to Indonesia [or] to Thailand instead. They stay away from countries that have this kind of rule. It will add to the many problems in the Philippines for investors, he added.

Ireland

While Ireland has no Right to Disconnect law, it has instituted what it calls the formal Code of Practice.

This code outlines three basic rights for employees:

 Not to work outside normal hours

 Not to face penalties for refusing to engage in work outside those hours

 Mutual respect between employers and employees regarding after-hours communication

This code encourages employers and employees to work together and serves as a guide to best achieve worklife balance. There are now reports that Ireland is looking to further strengthen these protections by bringing in a right to disconnect law.

The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom, meanwhile, under the new Labour government, has said it is considering bringing in such laws as part of a wider reform of labour laws. The UK has said such laws will likely be based on those already introduced in Ireland and France.

One can only hope that governments the world over pass such Right to Disconnect laws to ensure the health and mental well-being of employees.

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But some are urging caution. Dr Pavitra Shankar, Associate Consultant, Psychiatry, Aakash Healthcare, told Moneycontrol while such bills being passed will help employees, it cannot guarantee work-life balance.

I dont think so per so. Real work-life balance requires the right workplace culture, attitude of managers, and employees ability to set boundaries without feeling guilty. Legal rights can reduce the pressure on employees for being available after working hours, but organisations too need to do their bit by having structural policies in place and having supportive leadership. If the intention is missing at the end of organisations, the well-being of employees can still suffer, Dr Shankar said.

With inputs from agencies
A Hindu widow has been gang-raped and tied to a tree in Bangladesh. The development comes in the aftermath of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu garment factory worker, being lynched after accusations of blasphemy on December 18. Another Hindu man, 29-year-old Amrit Mondal, was beaten to death by a mob. But what do we know about the latest atrocity against Hindus in Bangladesh?

Yet another atrocity against Hindus has come to light in Bangladesh. This time, a Hindu widow has been gang-raped and tied to a tree.

The development comes in the aftermath of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu garment factory worker, being lynched after accusations of blasphemy on December 18. Another Hindu man, 29-year-old Amrit Mondal, was beaten to death by a mob.

Bangladesh has been witnessing widespread unrest since the death of Sharif Osman Hadi in December. Hadi, a prominent political activist and youth leader associated with Inqilab Mancha  a political platform that played a major role in the 2024 uprising that led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina  was set to contest February polls in Bangladesh when he was shot in broad daylight. Hadi later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore.

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Relations between India and Bangladesh have come under strain after the interim government headed by Yunus came to power following the collapse of the Hasina government.

But what happened in this case?

Lets take a closer look.

What we know

According to reports, the survivor is a 40-year-old widow.

The incident occurred in Kaliganj, which is in Jhenaidah in south-western Bangladesh. According to the reports, the accused tied the woman to a tree, forcibly cut off her hair and gang-raped her. The accused are said to have recorded the act.

As per NDTV, the survivor in her complaint alleged that she bought three decimals of land along with a two-storey house for Rs 14.8 lakh from one Shahin and his brother in Kaliganjs Ward No. 7 of Kaliganj municipality around two and a half years ago.

After that, Shahin kept propositioning her. However, when she refused his advances, he began harassing her. Then, on Saturday evening, Shahin and his associate Hassan arrived at her home. At the time, two relatives from her village were present. They first demanded around Rs 37,000 from her. However, when she refused to pay up, the men assaulted the relatives.

The police have vowed to take the highest possible action against the accused. Representational Photo, Credit: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters

They then tied her to a tree, cut off her hair and sexually assaulted her while filming the video, which they circulated on social media. They tortured her till she lost consciousness. She was later rescued by locals and taken to the Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital.

Hospital Superintendent Dr Md Mostafizur Rahman said the woman did not tell the doctors what had taken place. However, they determined that she had been subjected to abuse after a medical examination. The woman then filed a complaint against Shahin and Hassan at Kaliganj Police Station.

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NDTV quoted Billal Hossain, Jhenaidah Additional Superintendent of Police, as saying, We have called the survivor to the police station and recorded her complaint. After investigation, the police will take the highest possible legal action.

The interim Muhammad Yunus government has not yet commented on the incident. The government, while condemning Mondals death, said he was an accused in several serious cases, including murder and extortion, and that the incident was not a communal attack.

Grave concern

The gang-rape occurred on December 30  the same day that another man, Khokon Chandra Das, died after being attacked and set ablaze by a mob in a Bangladesh district. Das, 50, was on his way home after being assailed by a mob. Das was beaten up, stabbed in the lower abdomen and set ablaze after being doused with petrol.

India has said that the unremitting hostilities against minorities in Bangladesh are a matter of grave concern. New Delhi has demanded punishment for the perpetrators involved in the lynching of Das and justice for all the victims.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, The unremitting hostilities against the minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists, at the hands of extremists, is a matter of grave concern.

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We condemn the recent gruesome killing of a Hindu youth in Bangladesh and expect that the perpetrators of the crime would be brought to justice. Over 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities, including cases of killings, arson and land grab, have been documented by independent sources during the tenure of the interim government. These incidents cannot be brushed aside as mere media exaggeration or dismissed as political violence, he added.

With inputs from agencies
The US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has triggered a high-stakes attempt by Washington to steer the countrys political future while eyeing its vast oil reserves. As Donald Trump vows to run Venezuela during a transition, questions loom over whether American oil firms can realistically return to the South American nation

Members of the militia group known as "Colectivos" take part in a march calling for the release of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, after he and his wife Cilia Flores were captured following US strikes on Venezuela, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 4, 2026. File Image/Reuters

The United States sudden military intervention in Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro have raised the question whether Washington can effectively control Venezuelas political direction while unlocking and monetising its vast oil reserves?

US President Donald Trump has asserted that the United States would run Venezuela until a proper transition of power is achieved.

With sanctions still in place, oil infrastructure in the South American nation remains severely degraded, and political legitimacy unresolved, Washingtons ambitions face numerous constraints.

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How the Venezuelas leadership structure collapsed

The crisis escalated dramatically over the weekend when US special forces carried out an overnight operation in Caracas that resulted in the capture of Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

The operation included strikes on Venezuelan military installations and culminated in the pair being flown to the United States.

Maduro and Flores have since been charged in New York on drug- and weapons-related offences. The Trump administration framed the operation as a decisive break from the existing power structure rather than the beginning of an open-ended occupation.

Trump declared that the US would oversee Venezuelas direction until a new leadership arrangement could be established.

Trump also warned that the United States would not hesitate to act again if necessary, stating that the US was not afraid of boots on the ground when asked about deploying troops inside Venezuela.

While officials later indicated that no additional military operations were planned in the immediate term, the presidents remarks underscored the extent of US military leverage being applied.

The Venezuelan government described the operation as an attempt to seize Venezuelas strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals and accused Washington of trying to forcibly break the political independence of the nation.

How Caracas is softening towards Washington and vice versa

In the immediate aftermath of Maduros removal, US officials moved quickly to outline a provisional framework for governance.

Rather than pushing for rapid elections, the administration prioritised administrative continuity and the safeguarding of key economic assets  especially oil infrastructure.

Central to this approach is Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, whom Trump advisers had identified weeks earlier as a possible transitional figure.

Rodriguez initially responded to the US action with strong criticism. However, US officials said they remained cautiously optimistic that she could be persuaded to cooperate.

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By Sunday night, her public stance had softened, with Rodriguez calling for cooperation and stating that Venezuela would prioritise efforts toward balanced and respectful international relations with the US and neighbouring countries.

Behind the scenes, senior US officials  including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, senior adviser Stephen Miller, and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth  have been involved in shaping the structure of a post-Maduro government.

US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright have been tasked with engaging US energy firms about a potential return to Venezuela.

Trumps assertion that the US would run Venezuela initially lacked clarity, but officials later suggested it referred to controlling the direction of political and economic reforms rather than direct administration.

The strategy relies heavily on the US militarys offshore presence to enforce compliance.

Despite these explanations, questions remain unresolved.

The US has had no official diplomatic mission in Caracas since its embassy closed in 2019, and there is no existing American administrative infrastructure inside the country capable of supporting large-scale governance functions.

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What Washington wants from Venezuela

The Trump administration has made clear that its leverage over Venezuela extends beyond diplomacy. Rubio, described by Trump as one of the officials involved in running the country, outlined Washingtons approach in an interview.

What we are running is the direction that this is going to move moving forward, Rubio said on ABC News.

And that is, we have leverage. This leverage we are using.

Rubio cited multiple tools, including the continued US military presence around Venezuela and a blockade of oil tankers intended to disrupt the countrys primary revenue stream.

An administration source confirmed that oil sanctions would remain in place for now, further constraining Venezuelas ability to sell crude.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton detailed Washingtons expectations for any new Venezuelan leadership.

When the president said the United States is going to be running Venezuela, it means that the new leaders of Venezuela need to meet our demands, Cotton said on CNN.

Those demands include halting drug and weapons trafficking and removing foreign actors deemed hostile by Washington.

We want them to expel the Cubans and the Iranians and the Islamic radicals, and we want them to return to the civilized world and be a good neighbor that contributes to stability, order and prosperity, Cotton said.

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Trump has also issued direct warnings to Rodriguez. In an interview with The Atlantic, he said, If she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.

What we now of Venezuelas oil wealth

Oil remains the central factor shaping Washingtons approach.

Venezuela holds roughly one-fifth of the worlds proven oil reserves and the largest reserves globally, yet its production capacity has deteriorated sharply over decades of underinvestment and mismanagement.

At its peak in the mid-2000s, Venezuela produced around 3 million barrels per day. Output has since fallen dramatically.

According to available estimates, production averaged around 1.1 million barrels per day last year, accounting for roughly 1 per cent of global supply.

Goldman Sachs analysts have cautioned that even with political change, Venezuelas oil output is unlikely to rise significantly in the near term. In a January 4 note, analysts led by Daan Struyven said uncertainty around sanctions would shape the outlook.

We see ambiguous but modest risks to oil prices in the short-run from Venezuela depending on how U.S. sanctions policy evolves, the analysts wrote.

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Goldman maintained its 2026 forecasts, projecting Brent crude at an average of $56 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate at $52. Venezuelan production is expected to remain flat at approximately 900,000 barrels per day in 2026.

While long-term output could increase, the analysts said any recovery would be slow.

Any recovery in production would likely be gradual and require substantial investment, they noted, estimating that production reaching 2 million barrels per day by 2030 could create $4/bbl of downside to 2030 oil prices.

The type of crude Venezuela produces also presents challenges. Much of it is heavy and sour, making it harder and costlier to refine.

However, this crude is well suited for producing diesel and asphalt and can be blended with lighter oil, making it compatible with US Gulf Coast refineries.

Why US oil companies remain cautious

Despite Trumps promise that American firms would enter Venezuela to repair infrastructure and extract wealth, industry experts say significant barriers remain.

Venezuelas oil sector was nationalised in the 1970s and further restructured in the 2000s, forcing foreign companies into joint ventures controlled by state-owned PDVSA.

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Many firms exited rather than accept new terms, while others pursued arbitration claims. Legal disputes, security risks, decaying facilities, and unresolved sanctions have all discouraged reinvestment.

Mark Christian, director of business development at CHRIS Well Consulting, told Reuters that companies would not return without clear assurances. He noted that firms need certainty around payments, safety, and legal protections and would also wait for sanctions to be lifted.

Venezuela would also need to revise its legal framework to allow larger foreign stakes in oil projects. Without these reforms, large-scale investment remains unlikely.

Energy strategist Thomas ODonnell outlined a narrow path to recovery. If Trump et al can produce a peaceful transition with little resistance, then in five to seven years there is a significant oil-production ramp up as infrastructure is repaired and investments get sorted out, he said.

However, ODonnell warned of serious risks. A botched political transition that has a feeling of U.S. dominance can lead to years of resistance, he said, pointing to armed groups and guerrilla factions operating inside the country.

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How unresolved disputes for US-based oil companies persist

Chevron is currently the only major US oil company operating in Venezuela, exporting around 150,000 barrels per day to US Gulf Coast refineries. The company has carefully navigated sanctions while maintaining its presence.

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said in December that he had spoken with the Trump administration about maintaining an American presence in Venezuela across political cycles. The company has operated in the country for more than a century.

Chevron said it is focused on employee safety and asset integrity. We continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations, a spokesperson said.

ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil both exited Venezuela nearly two decades ago and were involved in lengthy arbitration cases. Conoco is seeking more than $10 billion in compensation.

The company that probably will be very interested in going back is Conoco, because they are owed more than $10 billion, and its unlikely that they will get paid without going back into the country, said Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin America Energy Program at Rice University.

Monaldi told Reuters that Exxon could also return, though it is owed less.

A Conoco spokesperson said the company was monitoring developments in Venezuela and their potential implications for global energy supply and stability, adding that it would be premature to speculate on any future business activities or investments.

What next for oil in Venezuela

Venezuela is a founding member of OPEC and once produced as much as 3.5 million barrels per day in the 1970s, accounting for more than 7 percent of global output at the time.

OPEC and its allies are currently expected to maintain existing output policies, having paused planned increases amid concerns about oversupply.

Ed Hirs, an energy fellow at the University of Houston, said recent events in Venezuela were unlikely to affect US oil and gasoline prices in the near term, noting that much of the countrys crude currently goes to Cuba and China.

Hirs also drew parallels with previous US interventions.

Trump now joins the history of US presidents who have overthrown regimes of oil-rich countries. Bush with Iraq. Obama with Libya. In those cases, the United States has received zero benefit from the oil. Im afraid that history will repeat itself in Venezuela, he said.

Oil tankers chartered by Chevron were among the few vessels that had departed Venezuela in recent weeks, following Trumps December announcement of a blockade.

While restarting crude flows to the US Gulf Coast could benefit refiners such as Valero, current conditions suggest exports remain constrained.

Also Watch:

With inputs from agencies
Denying bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots case, the Supreme Court on Monday (January 5) said that the accused had a central and directive role in conceptualising, planning and coordinating the alleged terrorist act. Citing the hierarchy of participation, the bench headed by Justice Aravind Kumar did not give relief to the duo while granting bail to five other accused. Heres why

Activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have been denied bail by the Supreme Court. PTI File

The Supreme Court has denied bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots case, while granting relief to five other accused in the same case, citing hierarchy of participation. The court on Monday (January 5) said that each bail application must be considered individually as not all accused are on equal footing.

Both men, booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots, have been in prison for over five years. Their bail applications have been rejected several times by courts.

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We take a look.

Why SC rejected Khalid, Imam bails

The Supreme Court dismissed the bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots case, holding them as the principal accused who had a central and directive role in conceptualising, planning and coordinating the alleged terrorist act.

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria said it cannot treat all individuals equally for bail, adding that all applicants were not on equal footing as regards culpability.

All the appellants do not stand on equal footing as regards culpability. The hierarchy of participation emerging from the prosecutions case requires the court to examine each application individually, it said.

The top court said that the material suggests the case of Khalid and Imam stands on a qualitatively different basis than that of the other five accused.

It observed that the prosecution materials prima facie disclosed a central and formative role and involvement in the level of planning, mobilisation and strategic direction extending beyond episodic and localised acts, reported LiveLaw.

Imam had approached the Supreme Court for bail, expressing anguish over being labelled a dangerous intellectual terrorist, without a full-fledged trial or a single conviction.

The apex court said that the delay in trial does not operate as a trump card that automatically displaces statutory safeguards.

The Supreme Court of India held Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid as prime aaccused in the Delhi riots case. File Photo/ANI

The apex court observed that while the period of incarceration undergone by them is substantial, and has been duly considered. The court is not persuaded that on the present accord, continued detention has crossed the threshold of constitutional impermissibility as to override the statutory embargo Complexity of the prosecution, the nature of the evidence relied upon, and the stage of the proceedings do not justify their enlargement on bail at this juncture, it added.

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Supreme Court denies bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in Delhi riots 'larger conspiracy' case, grants bail to 5 others



"Our argument before the top court was - these riots were pre-planned...": Special public prosecutor Rajat Nair speaks to News18's @anany_b@SaroyaHem | pic.twitter.com/YWjEuwlTzH  News18 (@CNNnews18) January 5, 2026

The court further said that the petitioners could apply for bail again only after a year.

The bench said their bails will be considered on completion of the examination of the protected witnesses relied upon by the prosecution or upon the expiry of the period of one year from the date of this order whichever is earlier, adding that it is only then the two applicants would be ability to renew their prayer for grant of bail before the jurisdiction of court.

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The bail petitions of the accused were heard by the Supreme Court earlier, with the judgment reserved on December 10. The accused had moved the apex court against the September 2 judgment of the Delhi High Court that denied them bail.

Delhi riots case against Khalid, Imam

Khalid was arrested in September 2020 following the February riots in Delhi that left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.

Imam was arrested in January 2020 for alleged controversial speeches during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens. Later, the Delhi Police made him an accused in its larger conspiracy case behind the North East Delhi riots.

Khalid, Imam and the other accused were booked under Section 15 of the UAPA, which defines a terrorist act, penalising any with intent to threaten or likely to threaten the unity, integrity, security, economic security, or sovereignty of India or with intent to strike terror or likely to strike terror in the people or any section of the people in India.

However, the provision says that such terror is by use of bombs, dynamite or other explosive substances or inflammable substances or firearmsor any other means.

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The main point of the prosecutions case is that by conspiring and causing a chakka jam (road blockade), the accused committed a terrorist act, as per Indian Express.

The Delhi Police have opposed bail pleas of Imam and Khalid several times, stating that their alleged offences were a deliberate attempt to destabilise the state and cannot be seen as spontaneous protests. They claimed that the accused launched a well-orchestrated pan-India conspiracy aimed at regime change and economic strangulation.

The police alleged that the violence was planned by those who organised the protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act.

Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student, has been denied bail at least five times by different courts over the past five years.

The Delhi High Court had rejected the bail pleas of the accused on September 2, 2025, observing that the material on record showed a prima facie case of conspiracy. It also found that Khalid and Imam were the first to act after the Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed in early December 2019, by creating WhatsApp groups and distributing pamphlets in Muslim-populated areas, calling for protests and chakka-jaams.

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Seeking bail, Imam had expressed anguish before the apex court for being labelled" a dangerous intellectual terrorist", without a full-fledged trial or a single conviction.

The Delhi Police had said that Imams speeches can be attributed to other accused and used as evidence against them in the Delhi riots case. Acts of one conspirator can be attributed to others. Sharjeel Imams speeches can be attributed to Umar Khalid. Sharjeel Imams case will be considered as evidence against the others," Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for Delhi Police, told the apex court on December 10.

He also argued that Khalid deliberately planned to leave Delhi before the riots to deflect responsibility.

Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, who represented Imam, argued that he was arrested before the communal violence rocked Northeast Delhi for his speeches, which alone cannot make up the offence of criminal conspiracy" in the riots case.

Why 5 other accused got bail

The other five accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case  Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Mohd Samir Khan, Shadab Ahmed and Shifa ur Rehman  have been granted conditional bail by the apex court.

The apex court said that having regard to the role attributed, the nature of the material relied upon and the present stage of proceedings, continued incarceration is not shown to be indispensable to the conduct of a fair trial provided strict safeguards are imposed.

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The grant of bail in their favour does not reflect any dilution of the seriousness of the allegation, nor does it amount to a finding of guilt. It represents a calibrated exercise of constitutional discretion structured to preserve both liberty of the individual and security of the nation.

In the interest of national security and public order, the top court imposed 12 bail conditions on the accused, the violation of which would lead to a suspension of the relief.

The constitution guarantees personal liberty, but it does not conceive liberty as an isolated or absolute entitlement detached from the security of the society in which it operates. The sororitys integrity and the nations security, as well as the preservation of public order, are not abstract concerns; rather, they are constitutional values that Parliament is entitled to protect through law. Where a special statutory framework has been enacted to address offences perceived to strike at these foundations, courts are duty-bound to give effect to the framework, subject always to the constitutional discipline, the bench said.

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With inputs from agencies
Following the US airstrikes in Venezuela and the capture of Nicolas Maduro, the United Nations Security Council has been convened to discuss the matter on an emergency basis. Meanwhile, the UK governments ban on advertising F&B products high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) will also come into effect today

Venezuelans living in Chile gather to celebrate, after the United States struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Reuters

It is set to be a busy Monday, with several events scheduled.

Following the capture of Nicolas Maduro and the US strikes on Venezuela, the United Nations Security Council is due to meet.

Also, the UK governments planned ban on advertising F&B products high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) will take effect today. According to iabUK, the regulator has issued official formal guidance on the ban. The legislation was due to come into effect on October 1 2025; however, it was delayed because the government required more time to develop a specific legal definition of brand advertising.

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India braces for the 2026 All India Tiger Estimation (AITE)  the worlds largest and most sophisticated wildlife survey starting today.

Here is a closer look at the events taking place today.

UN Security Council to discuss Venezuela crisis

Today (January 5), the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting regarding the US operation against Venezuela. The meeting has been convened at the request of Colombia, a non-permanent member of the Council, and was supported by permanent members China and Russia.

The presidency intends to hold the emergency meeting on Monday morning at 10 am (1500 GMT), said Khadija Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Somali Permanent Mission to the United Nations. Somalia holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for January.

Venezuelas UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada wrote to the UNSC, This is a colonial war aimed at destroying our republican form of government, freely chosen by our people, and at imposing a puppet government that allows the plundering of our natural resources, including the worlds largest oil reserves.

He said the US had violated the founding UN Charter, which states: All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, noted that the US military action constitutes a dangerous precedent.

UK ban on TV junk food advertising comes into force today

Paid-for online ads for less healthy food and drink (LHF) products will be banned from today. The legislation was scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2025; however, it was delayed to allow the government to define the specific legal definition of brand advertising. The UK advertising watchdog will reportedly begin cracking down on TV and paid online ads featuring junk food, according to the Guardian.

In May 2025, Health Minister Ashley Dalton said, We want to support economic growth and ensure that industry has confidence to invest in advertising, but, at the same time, protect children from advertising of less healthy products, as quoted by The Drum. Boris Johnsons government promised to impose a ban on products high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS), stating it would take effect from 2023.

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Tiger census to begin in India

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has announced that it will roll out Phase I of the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) from today (January 5). The National Tiger Conservation Authority, in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India, is carrying out this exercise. The surveys will be conducted in seven-day cycles covering all tiger reserves until the end of February.

Tiger census begins in India from today: ANI

According to a New Indian Express report, Kalakad Mundanthurai, Anamalai, Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam, and Srivilliputhur-Megamalai are five notified tiger reserves in Tamil Nadu. As per the previous AITE, the states tiger population increased from 264 in 2018 to 306 in 2022.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to deliver a keynote ahead of CES

Nvidias press conference at CES 2026 with Founder and CEO Jensen Huang will take place today. Huang will deliver a keynote address showcasing the latest NVIDIA solutions that drive innovation and productivity across industries.

The New York Post quoted Wedbush analyst Dan Ives saying, The Jensen keynote speech is front and centre in terms of strategic direction for AI. Adding, Its not just everyone in tech and markets watching, but everyone around the world. Nvidias CEO has attended CES on and off for nearly a quarter of a century. Huang gave a memorable keynote last year as well.

BMC Elections 2026: Thackeray brothers to address joint rallies from today

In the run-up to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections 2026, sources indicate that the Thackeray brothers will address joint rallies starting today. Polling will be held on January 15, and Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray have sealed an alliance for the BMC elections.

They will hold joint rallies in the western suburbs of Mumbai and at Shivaji Park. Thackeray brothers will also address rallies in Kalyan, Dombivli, and Mira-Bhayandar in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

Congress to launch MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan

The Indian National Congress (INC) is set to launch a nationwide campaign against the repeal of the MGNREGA scheme today, the party chief Mallikarjun Kharge said after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC).

MGNREGA was not just a scheme, but the Right to Work given by the Constitution. Under the VB-G RAM G Act, the states will face an additional expenditure burden, which has been termed a one-sided decision taken without consultation, said Kharge, adding, This law has been brought to crush the poor. We will fight against it on the streets and in Parliament. The VB-G RAM G Bill, replacing the 20-year-old MGNREGA, was passed in Parliament during the recently concluded Winter Session of Parliament.

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With inputs from agencies
Washington has long pushed for regime change in countries it views as hostile or strategically important. From Iran in 1953 to Panama in 1989 and Venezuela in 2026, lets take a closer look at US interventions in nations around the world

This image posted on US President Donald Trump's Truth Social account on January 3, 2026, shows what President Trump says is Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro onboard the USS Iwo Jima after the US military captured him on January 3, 2026.- AFP

When it comes to the United States, history just keeps repeating itself.

Washington has long pushed for regime change, to use a polite euphemism, in countries it views as hostile or strategically important.

The latest such incident occurred in Venezuela, when the Trump administration removed Nicolas Maduro from power. However, even a cursory look over the past few decades shows that the US has repeatedly attempted to exert its influence over the world.

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But what happened when the US pushed for regime change?

Lets take a closer look:

Iran

In 1953, the United States overthrew Iranian democracy. Iran at the time was being led by Prime Minister Mohammad Mossaddegh. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), led by senior officer Kermit Roosevelt Jr., the grandson of former US president Theodore Roosevelt, orchestrated the affair, which was approved by then President Dwight D Eisenhower.

. Iran at the time was being led by Prime Minister Mohammad Mossaddegh.. Wikimedia Commons

Operation Ajax, as it was called, removed Mossadegh, who had nationalised the oil industry. That ran contrary to the interests of the British, who appealed to the CIA. Roosevelt began by taking control of the Iranian press. He also appealed to the clergy and the shah of Iran. Roosevelt even apparently tried to arrest Mossadegh at his house in a midnight raid.

However, this initial attempt failed. Roosevelt then carried out a second coup, leading to Mossadegh being apprehended. The Iranian national hero would spend the rest of his life under house arrest. In Mossadeghs place, the US installed Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who would embark on a reign of terror and be overthrown in the 1979 revolution. Many in Tehran still view the regime change as Americas original sin.

Guatemala

In 1954, America pushed for regime change in Guatemala. Again, it was the CIA that carried out the coup against sitting president Jacobo Arbenz. At the heart of the coup was the United Fruit Company, a US firm that owned half of the private land in Guatemala and had links to many in the Dwight D Eisenhower administration.

Jacobo Arbenz succeeded Juan Jose Arevalo, the first democratically elected leader of Guatemala. Arevalo confiscated much of the companys land, shocking officials who were used to presidents catering to their whims.

The CIA carried out the coup against sitting president Jacobo Arbenz. Image courtesy: Gobierno de Guatemala

When Arbenz refused to meet the companys compensation demands, then Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and CIA Director Allen Dulles  both with links to the firm  impressed upon President Eisenhower the need to take out the Guatemalan leader.

Eisenhower approved Operation Success, which saw the CIA finance and train Guatemalan rebels and offer up its own planes and pilots. Thousands of Arbenzs supporters were arrested. The aftermath proved disastrous for Guatemala, which saw a decades-long civil war in which over 200,000 citizens were killed or disappeared.

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Congo

Congo got its independence on June 30, 1960. Patrice Lumumba, a national hero, became the first democratically elected prime minister of the country. However, the United States viewed Lumumba as a dangerous radical and pro-communist. This left policymakers alarmed about the possible Cold War implications.

Declassified documents show that Washington in 1961 began a covert operation to remove Lumumba and appoint a more Western-friendly leader in his place.

Patrice Lumumba, a national hero, became the first democratically elected prime minister of the country. Image courtesy: By unknown photographer / Anefo

The US began providing advice, financial subsidies to his opponents and even developing plans to assassinate Lumumba. In September 1960, then Congo army chief of staff Joseph Mobutu staged a coup.

While Lumumba escaped, he was retaken by Mobutus forces on December 1, 1960. In January 1961, Lumumba was executed. His death radically destabilised the Congo and eventually paved the way for Mobutu to seize complete power in 1965. With the backing of the US and Belgium, Mobutu would remain in power for three decades.

Brazil

In 1964, the US helped carry out a coup against Brazilian President Joao Goulart. While many consider it a conspiracy theory, declassified cables show how the US backed the generals against the democratically elected leader.

While Goulart was a left-leaning nationalist, he was a threat to Americas strategic and business interests in the eyes of Washington. The United States, under then President Lyndon B Johnson, authorised Operation Brother Sam.

Joao Goulart was a left-leaning nationalist. Image courtesy: Governo do Brasil - Galeria de Presidentes

By the time Brazilian generals had moved to take over, the American navy was in place. Goulart fled the country. The development led to a military dictatorship in Brazil that lasted over two decades, ending only in 1985. Thousands of people were killed or disappeared.

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Indonesia

Indonesia had gained its independence from the Netherlands in 1949. Sukarno, the countrys first democratically elected leader, was a charismatic leader and an ardent nationalist. Sukarno had to play a delicate game  balancing the military, Islamist groups and the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

Sukarno was a charismatic leader and an ardent nationalist. Official portrait

The United States was alarmed by the growth of the PKI, which was the largest communist party outside China and Soviet Russia. Then, on October 1, 1965, an alleged coup was attempted when some in the military tried to seize power. While the events remained murky, the outcome was dire  six army generals were killed and General Suharto seized power.

Suharto laid the blame for the coup on the PKI. What followed was a nationwide crackdown against PKI members and sympathisers, cheered on by the Washington elite and media and backed by Lyndon B Johnsons CIA, which provided intelligence and lists of alleged communists who needed to be got rid of. Some estimate the toll crossed around 500,000 victims. Suharto, who ruled Indonesia for over three decades, is known as one of the most corrupt leaders in modern history. He embezzled over $30 billion.

Chile

In 1973, the United States helped depose the government of President Salvador Allende in Chile. In truth, US officials had been trying to thwart the rise of Allende, a self-proclaimed Marxist and a member of Chiles Socialist Party, for years. After all, Allende had vowed to nationalise US-owned copper firms.

The US successfully opposed Allendes 1964 campaign for president. However, despite then US President Richard Nixon ordering officials to leave no stone unturned to ensure he did not become president, Allende was sworn into office on November 3, 1970.

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Salvador Allende was a self-proclaimed Marxist and a member of Chiles Socialist Party, Image courtesy: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile

The US is said to have spent $8 million on covert actions in Chile between 1970 and 1973, including funding the opposition and the military. It also imposed economic sanctions on Allendes government. By the time the military moved in for a coup in 1973, the US had laid the groundwork. Allende committed suicide after a speech to the nation.

The aftermath of the coup saw General Augusto Pinochet take power. Pinochet, who ruled Chile for nearly two decades, oversaw a repressive regime that cracked down on communists, socialists, the liberal elite and political parties, and tortured and disappeared dissidents.

Panama

In 1989, the United States invaded Panama and ousted its dictator Manuel Noriega. The US, under George HW Bush, launched Operation Just Cause to remove Noriega, the military dictator and de facto leader of Panama. Interestingly, Noriega was a former ally of the United States and a paid informant for the CIA.

Noriega, who had been part of the coup that brought Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos to power, slowly consolidated control over Panama after Torrijos death in 1981. Washington decided to act after Noriega annulled the results of the 1989 Panamanian presidential election. Washington was also concerned about its interests in the Panama Canal.

Manuel Noriega was a former ally of the United States and a paid informant for the CIA. Image courtesy: U.S. Marshals Service, Miami, Florida

Bush senior initially deployed troops to the Panama Canal Zone, which quickly transformed into a full-fledged invasion with over 20,000 personnel. US forces quickly overwhelmed Panamanian defenders and opposition leader Guillermo Endara was sworn in as president.

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Noriega, meanwhile, sought shelter in the Vatican embassy in Panama City. He surrendered on January 3, 1990, and was flown to the United States to stand trial on drug charges. The parallels to Maduro are unmistakable  Noriega too was accused of funnelling drugs to the United States  and may provide a glimpse into the ousted Venezuelan dictators future.

Afghanistan

The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Washington accused the Taliban government of sheltering Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

An Afghan Taliban fighter sit next to an anti-aircraft gun near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak. Reuters

When the Taliban refused to hand him over, the US, under President George W Bush, launched Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001. Backed by the coalition of the willing, America quickly toppled the Taliban regime. Kabul fell within weeks, and the US installed Hamid Karzai as the interim leader.

However, everyone knows what happened next. The US attempts at nation-building in Afghanistan came to nought despite pouring in trillions of dollars and blood. In 2021, after US forces withdrew under President Joe Biden, the Taliban returned to power.

Iraq

In March 2003, the United States launched Operation Iraqi Freedom. The administration of President George W Bush claimed that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and maintained links to terrorism, accusations that were unfounded.

Ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein reacts in court during the Anfal genocide trial in Baghdad on December 21, 2006. File image/Reuters

Baghdad was taken in weeks and Saddam was later captured, tried and executed. The aftermath, however, was a masterclass in disaster. Sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shia exploded, resulting in a brutal insurgency and civil war. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were killed and millions displaced. West Asia was left destabilised and ISIS rose.

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Venezuela

On January 3, 2026, the US ousted long-time Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a dramatic military operation called Absolute Resolve. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in Caracas and flown to New York to face long-standing narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges.

The development came after months of escalating pressure, including sanctions and strikes on alleged drug vessels. Maduro, who took power following the death of his mentor Hugo Chavez in 2013, had remained defiant.

President Donald Trump has said that the US will temporarily run Venezuela, including leveraging its vast oil reserves, until a transition occurs. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has taken over as acting president, but uncertainty persists. Countries such as Russia, Iran and Cuba condemned the intervention as illegal. What happens next in Venezuela is anyones guess.

With inputs from agencies
Indias aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has prohibited the use of power banks for charging phones or other devices on board. It has also disallowed plugging them into in-seat power supply systems or carrying them in overhead bins. Are power banks a safety hazard?

Power banks cannot be used on flights in India. Representational Image/Pixabay

Indias aviation regulator has banned the use of power banks and other lithium battery-powered devices on flights. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has disallowed the charging of power banks in-flight or using them with in-seat power systems.

Now, power banks and batteries can only be carried in hand luggage, but not in overhead bins. This comes after several incidents of overheating and fire due to lithium batteries on board were reported worldwide.

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Lets take a closer look.

DGCA bans use of power banks on flights

DGCA, Indias aviation regulator, issued a Dangerous Goods Advisory Circular in November, prohibiting the use of power banks for charging phones or other gadgets on flights.

Power banks and spare batteries will only be allowed in hand luggage and cannot be kept in overhead compartments.

Passengers will also not be permitted to charge their power banks by plugging them into in-seat power supply systems, as per a Times of India (TOI) report.

The DGCA has ordered airlines to report all lithium battery-related incidents to the aviation watchdog. In its advisory, it also asked airlines to review their existing safety risk assessments for such batteries.

Passengers usually carry power banks on long-haul flights.

Passengers usually carry power banks on long-haul flights. Representational Image/Reuters

Airlines will have to make in-flight announcements about the new rules regarding power banks and charging portable devices.

As per the DGCA, flyers need to immediately inform cabin crew if any device emits heat, smoke or an unusual odour". The airlines must promptly report all safety issues and occurrences related to lithium battery incidents to DGCA, TOI reported, citing the rules.

The aviation regulator has also tasked airport operators with displaying clear safety instructions and videos on risks linked to fire caused by lithium batteries at terminal entrances, check-in counters, security checkpoints, and boarding gates.

The widespread usage of lithium batteries in various rechargeable devices has led to an increase in carriage of lithium batteries by air. Power banks, portable chargers, and similar devices containing lithium batteries can act as ignition sources and potentially initiate on-board fires," the new DGCA circular read.

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Lithium batteries placed in overhead stowage bins or within carry-on baggage may be obscured, difficult to access, or not readily monitored by passengers or crew members. This may result in delayed detection of smoke or fire and response actions, increasing the potential hazard to flight safety, it added.

The regulator also emphasised the need for better crew training to help them recognise early warning signs such as overheating, smoke or flames from electronic devices. They also need to be made aware of the correct firefighting equipment as well as understand the risks of smoke inhalation, reported NDTV.

The DGCA has directed airlines to ensure adequate firefighting equipment and protective gear, which are readily accessible on board.

Are lithium-ion batteries dangerous?

Power banks use lithium-ion batteries due to their high energy density and relatively low cost, Chrystal Zhang, associate professor, STEM College at RMIT University, told CNN last year.

These batteries can contain a large amount of power without being heavy, which makes them popular for high-capacity power banks.

Besides power banks, mobile phones, laptops, smart wearables, drones, electric bikes and e-scooters and EVs also use lithium-ion batteries.

However, lithium battery-powered devices may cause fire if overcharged. The DGCA warned that lithium battery fires are very energetic and can be harder to control.

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Applying pressure on a lithium-ion battery can result in thermal runaway, an uncontrollable surge in temperature.

These batteries comprise highly reactive and highly flammable materials, Sonya Brown, senior lecturer in aerospace design at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, said to CNN.

Lithium batteries could act as an ignition source themselves, or as a source of fuel for a fire initiated elsewhere. The potential risk as an ignition source is increased when lithium batteries are damaged, swollen, include manufacturing defects, are over-charged or over-heated, she explained.

Brown added that accidental contact with other battery terminals can cause unintended discharge. She recommended taping power banks and spare batteries with a non-conductive material or packing them separately so they do not come in contact with other metals.

Speaking to The Guardian, Professor Amanda Ellis, the head of the University of Melbournes School of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, said that lithium battery fires are not more common on planes.

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She said that the airline cabin pressure would not impact the batteries as they are covered bymultiple layers of casing. However, any confined environment makes fires more dangerous, particularly as people on flights cannot be evacuated mid-air.

They give off a very toxic gas and in a confined space thats not ideal, the professor said.

It becomes difficult to extinguish lithium-ion battery fires as the lithium metal often catches fire, along with all the casing and the plastic, which are high-energy materials that can burn for much longer, Ellis said.

You wouldnt want to put water on a lithium fire. And thats the first thing people [on a plane] might think of doing.

Other airlines to ban lithium battery

India is not the only country to implement restrictions on devices powered by lithium-ion batteries.

South Korea has banned flyers from storing power banks and e-cigarettes in overhead cabins.

Aircraft carriers such as Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines and low-cost carrier Air Asia are among those to have restricted or completely banned the use of power banks on flights.

Recent fires caused by lithium batteries

Last October, a power bank of a passenger on an IndiGo flight to Dimapur reportedly caught fire while the plane was taxiing for departure from Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport. No injuries were reported and the fire was quickly extinguished by the cabin crew.

A portable power bank with a lithium battery was believed to be behind the blaze that engulfed an Air Busan plane in January 2025 while waiting for takeoff.

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With inputs from agencies
Maria Corina Machado, who is widely considered the most high-profile opposition leader in Venezuela and a critic of Nicolas Maduro, has been left out of the loop by the US government. Though Trump has said the United States will run Venezuela, Washington has no troops on the ground. It seems likely that the Trump administration will work with Maduro insiders

Maria Corina Machado and US President Donald Trump. Machado had spent the past year supporting Trump and his policies, calling him a champion of freedom.

When it comes to Donald Trumps moves on Venezuela, Maria Corina Machado is the biggest political loser.

Machado, who is widely considered the most high-profile Opposition leader in Venezuela and a critic of Maduro, has been left out of the loop by the US government. Though Trump has said the United States will run Venezuela, Washington has no troops on the ground.

Meanwhile, the Maduro loyalists remain in charge of the country and the streets are being patrolled by the Venezuelan security forces. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has taken over as acting president after an order from the countrys Supreme Court.

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But where is Machado? Why is she the big political loser in Trumps move?

Where is she?

Machados location remains unknown. She travelled to Norways Oslo to receive the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. She arrived in the city on December 10, just hours after her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.

Machado, who had been in hiding in Venezuela for over a year, was evacuated from the country by US Special Forces veteran Bryan Stern, the founder of the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation. Machado, who had been banned from leaving the country by Maduro, initially travelled to a fishing village on the coast of Venezuela. She met up with Stern in the Caribbean, from where they travelled to a Caribbean island, reportedly Curacao. It was from here that she travelled to Europe.

travelled to Norways Oslo to receive the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Reuters

Authorities have suggested that she has left Norway and gone to another undisclosed country for medical treatment after sustaining injuries during her escape from Venezuela.

Why she is the big political loser

Because Machado had spent the past year supporting Trump and his policies, calling him a champion of freedom.

Asked about a potential invasion of Venezuela by the Trump administration, Machado told Sky News: Look, some people talk about invasion in Venezuela and the threat of an invasion in Venezuela, and I answered that Venezuela has already been invaded. We have Russian agents, we have Iranian agents. We have terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas operating freely in accordance with the regime.

We have the Colombian guerrilla, the drug cartels that have taken over 60% of our population, and are not only involved in drug trafficking but in human trafficking and networks of prostitution. This has turned Venezuela into the criminal hub of the Americas.

She had also referred to the government of Maduro as a narco-terrorist cartel  echoing the Trump administrations line about the regime.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado reacts from a balcony of Grand Hotel, after her daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado, accepted the award on her behalf, in Oslo, Norway December 11, 2025. Reuters

Machado appeared to celebrate the events unfolding on Saturday. Today we are prepared to assert our mandate and seize power, Machado wrote on X.

She said that Maduro is facing international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations.

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Faced with his refusal to accept a negotiated exit, the United States government has fulfilled its promise to uphold the law, she wrote. We have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it. What had to happen is happening.

Trump dismisses Machado

However, just two hours later, Trump dismissed any possibility of working with Machado, saying they had not spoken and that she does not command respect.

Roughly two hours later, Trump said they had not spoken. It would be very tough for Machado to take control of her country, Trump said, adding in his televised speech that she was a very nice woman but doesnt have the support in Venezuela to lead. She doesnt have the support within or the respect within the country, he added.

A person close to Machado said Trumps remarks left her stunned and saddened. The Washington Post has reported that Trump decided not to support Machado because she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize  an honour he has long coveted since it was awarded to his predecessor Barack Obama.

If she had turned it down and said, I cant accept it because its Donald Trumps, shed be the president of Venezuela today, one White House official told the newspaper. The official referred to Machados acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize as the ultimate sin. Interestingly, Machado later dedicated the Nobel Peace Prize to Trump.

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Donald Trump has dismissed any possibility of working with Machado, Reuters

Machado has called on Venezuelans to support Edmundo Gonzalez, who stood in for her during the 2024 presidential election and was widely viewed as the legitimate winner of the polls. Today we are prepared to enforce our mandate and take power. Let us remain vigilant, active and organised until the democratic transition is finalised. A transition that needs ALL of us.

However, Gonzalez has since fled to Spain. While Trump has said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth would be running Venezuela, it remains unclear how they would gain control of the country. While Trump has said he is open to sending US troops to Caracas, this could prove exceedingly unpopular with his base. It seems likely that the Trump administration is now set to work with Maduro insiders.

In every transition, you have to swallow some bitter pills, the person added to the newspaper. However, there are reports that some people close to Machado continue to hope that the Trump administration will include her and other Opposition leaders within the transition.

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With inputs from agencies
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyals small metallic wearable spotted on his head during a podcast recently has sparked curiosity among social media users. While some compared it to an external SSD, others mocked that it was chewing gum. Dubbed Temple, the device, as per the entrepreneur, monitors blood flow in the brain in real-time

Eternal founder Deepinder Goyal has grabbed eyeballs with a small device he was spotted wearing during a podcast. The small metallic device seen on the side of the entrepreneurs head led to assumptions and jokes on the internet.

While some users joked it was a chewing gum, another commented it was external SSD. From brainwashing to charging pads, speculations were rife about the clip-like device.

But what is it actually?

Lets take a closer look.

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What is Goyals Temple?

Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal, who appeared on Raj Shamanis Figuring Out podcast recently, was seen wearing a silver-coloured device on the side of his head.

Dubbed Temple, it is a metallic-coloured clip-like wearable that he claims measures blood flow in the brain in real-time.

The experimental health-tech device can measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) in a similar manner as a miniaturised MRI, according to Goyal.

The blood flow in the brain is essential for survival. It is said that CBF usually remains unchanged or minimally declines during ageing.

This is not the first time that Goyal was filmed wearing Temple. Last November, he said he had been wearing the device for a year.

While conducting research on the Gravity Ageing Hypothesis, we had to make an experimental device to calculate Brain Flow accurately, in real-time, and continuously. Been using it for a year, and Ive been feeling that this could shape into an important wearable the world needs, the Zomato CEO said at the time.

The wearable comes amid Goyals personal research on the Gravity Ageing Hypothesis. He has announced $25 million (Rs 225.7 crore) funds fo research in human ageing and biological health. His health and wellness project, Continue Research, is looking into the reasons behind ageing.

Temple is currently not a Zomato product and is not available for public or commercial use. However, the entrepreneur has teased that it is getting there.

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Temple is a research prototype being developed under a health-tech startup of the same name, linked to Goyals Continue Research.

As per Goyal, Temple is designed to test whether long-term changes in brain blood flow could accelerate ageing.

What do experts say about Temple?

Experts say there is no scientific standing for devices like Temple that claim to monitor cerebral blood flow in real time.

A doctor at AIIMS Delhi called the device a fancy toy for billionaires with money to waste.

Dr Suvrankar Datta, a radiologist with clinical training from AIIMS Delhi, dismissed the device worn by Goyal as unscientific.

As a physician-scientist and one of the earliest researchers in India in Arterial Stiffness and Pulse Wave Velocity (2017) which predicts cardiovascular mortality, I can assure you that this device currently has 0 scientific standing as a useful device, Dr Datta wrote on X.

As a physician-scientist and one of the earliest researchers in India in Arterial Stiffness and Pulse Wave Velocity (2017) which predicts cardiovascular mortality, I can assure you that this device currently has 0 scientific standing as a useful device and do not waste your hard https://t.co/pm0pxGRycd  Dr. Datta M.D. (AIIMS Delhi) (@DrDatta_AIIMS) January 4, 2026

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The AIIMS doctor advised people not to waste money on devices that have no scientific standing. Do not waste your hard earned money to buy fancy toys billionaires can afford to waste money on. If you are one, then go ahead, he said.

Speaking to NDTV, neurosurgeon Dr Vishwanathan Iyer from Mumbais Zynova Shalby Hospital said the place where the device sits raises a red flag as a senior on the temple can only capture surface-level signals.

Such devices are designed to pick up surface-level signals, but they do not directly measure brain blood flow like an MRI, he said, adding that MRI scans are complex hospital-based tests and cannot be replaced by a small wearable gadget.

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Dr Iyer explained that while such sensors may record indirect indicators such as pulse or skin changes, these should not be confused with actual cerebral circulation. This is not the same as measuring real brain activity or circulation, he said.

Dr Iyer emphasised that there is a strong need for clinical evidence, until which Temple should be strictly seen as a wellness experiment, not a medical device. People should be careful before spending money on them, especially if they are expecting medical benefits, he added.

Zomato CEOs Gravity Ageing Hypothesis

Goyal had earlier faced flak from experts over his gravity ageing hypothesis. In a series of posts on X last November, he claimed gravity shortens lifespan. The 42-year-old said he was not sharing the theory as the CEO of Eternal, but as a fellow human.

He even put forward three known facts to back his claims.

Reacting to Zomato CEOs longevity theory, Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, popular as The Liver Doc on X, challenged Goyals claims with a series of tweets.

Hes definitely sharing this as the CEO of Eternal because they are planning to build some sort of device that exploits vague areas in science and medicine or some cranky longevity intervention, which they want to claim negates the effect of gravity indirectly and sell it to gullible people who want to live forever," the hepatologist said.

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Following the massive backlash, Goyal apologised and presented more theories to back his claims.

He said he had miscommunicated" the key aspects of the theory. I tried to compress years of research and thinking into a dramatic social media reveal. That made the hypothesis sound absolute and commercial  while its really not. I apologise.

I did not explain the Gravity Aging Hypothesis (GAH) well, the first time.



I brought my consumer internet brain into a deep scientific field and I miscommunicated. I tried to compress years of research and thinking into a dramatic social media reveal.



That made the hypothesis pic.twitter.com/I4dq0XkTPg  Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) November 20, 2025

According to Goyal, gravity lowers blood flow to the brain, contributing to ageing. Brain Flow is already well accepted as a biomarker for ageing, longevity as well as cognition. So this device is useful and relevant even if the Gravity Ageing Hypothesis turns out to be wrong, he said, referring to Temple.

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The US struck Venezuela and captured its leader, Nicolas Maduro. But it doesnt seem to be enough for Donald Trump. The American president has reignited his demand for Greenland, and even threatened action against Colombia, Cuba and Mexico

An activist, wearing a cutout mask depicting US. President Donald Trump, stands in front of a Venezuelan flag in central Seoul, South Korea. Trump has issued threats to Cuba, Colombia and Mexico after the strikes in Venezuela. Reuters

Donald Trump has always had big ambitions. And in his second term as US president, it appears like hes trying to achieve them, at least the geographical ambitions that he has.

Following the United States capture of Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan president, and Trumps declaration that Washington would run the South American nation for now, the US leader has now set his sights on the entire hemisphere as well as Greenland.

In the hours since capturing Maduro and bringing him to New York City, where he will face charges for narco-terrorism, the Trump administration has been making menacing warnings to various countries. Trump accused Colombias president of making cocaine and reaffirmed his past threats that he does need to watch his ass. He predicted, we will be talking about Cuba.

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Fears have also been fanned that Trump could be looking at Greenland after the US presidents most influential aide posted a social media picture of Greenland painted in the colours of the US flag, writing soon above it.

So, whats going on?

Is Trump eyeing Greenland?

On late Saturday, shortly after the US strikes on Venezuela and the eventual capture of Nicolas Maduro from his compound, Katie Miller  wife of Trumps deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller  posted an image on X, which quickly raised eyebrows.

The picture depicted Greenland painted in the colours of the US flag. She captioned the image, soon.

The post by Miller, who is a prominent America First social media personality, clearly rattled Denmark and Greenland, with Jesper Moller Sorensen, the Danish ambassador in Washington, issuing a friendly reminder that Denmark expected full respect for its territorial integrity as a close ally of the US.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the prime minister of Greenland, called the post disrespectful. Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law  not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights, he wrote on X.

However, he also said, There is neither reason for panic nor for concern. Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts.

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A drone view shows a general view of Nuuk, Greenland. File image/Reuters

Denmarks Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also said that Trump must stop the threats about taking over Greenland. She stated that it makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland, adding: The US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom.

She further added that Denmark  and thus Greenland - was a Nato member and covered by the alliances security guarantee. Denmark already had a defence agreement with the US that gave it access to Greenland, she said, and Denmark had upped its investment in security in the Arctic region.

In his second term as US president, Trump has been quite vocal on his demand for Greenland. Recently, he even appointed a US envoy to the territory, drawing sharp objections from Copenhagen and the European Union.

And on Sunday, he doubled down, saying, We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.

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Moreover, when The Atlantic asked what the US military action in Venezuela signalled for Greenland, Trump remained elusive saying: They are going to have to view it themselves. I really dont know. But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence.

What about Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico?

Colombia

And its not just Greenland thats on Trumps radar. After the Maduro capture, Trump sent a warning to the governments of Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia that their countries could be next.

In fact, even as the US forces were bringing Maduro to New York City, Trump warned Colombias President Gustavo Petro to watch his ass. The US president told reporters, Hes making cocaine and theyre sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his a**.

Donald Trump has gone after Colombias President Gustavo Petro after the Venezuela strikes, warning the Colombian leader to watch his ass. File image/Reuters

Petro has been a vocal critic of Trump and his actions against alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean. In fact, as the US carried out strikes against Venezuela, Petro called Washingtons actions an assault on the sovereignty of Latin America and said they would result in a humanitarian crisis.

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On Sunday, Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, even threatened military action against Colombias government, telling reporters that such an operation sounds good to me.

Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and hes not going to be doing it very long.

Cuba

The American president also spoke of Cuba, saying he believed that the government in Havana would fall soon too. Trumps remarks came a little after his Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that Cuba was in a lot of trouble.

During an interview with NBC News, Rubio said: Im not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard. But I dont think its any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime, who, by the way, are the ones that were propping up Maduro.

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These remarks came after Rubio had earlier said, If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, Id be concerned.

In a press conference on Saturday, Trump had compared Venezuela to Cuba, saying: Its very similar [to Venezuela] in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba, but we want to also help the people that were forced out of Cuba and are living in this country.

Mexico

Trump has also issued a warning against Mexico, saying, something will have to be done. In a Fox News interview on Saturday, the American leader accused his Mexican counterpart, Claudia Sheinbaum, of allowing drug cartels to operate in her country.

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Its clear from the Venezuelan strikes and capture of Nicolas Maduro that Trump is looking to exert his power wherever necessary. The question is how far and wide the US president will go to prove it.

With inputs from agencies
Oil has emerged as a significant factor following the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Donald Trump has said Washington would take control of Caracass oil sector and that American majors would pump in billions of dollars to revive the struggling Venezuelan oil industry and fix its broken crude infrastructure. This could impact the global oil markets, but India has little to worry about

A flame burning natural gas is seen at an heavy-crude treatment plant operated by Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, in the oil rich Orinoco belt, near Cabrutica at the state of Anzoategui. File image/Reuters

In the hours after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US troops, oil has emerged as a key factor. US President Donald Trump has vowed to tap into the South American countrys oil reserves, adding that American majors would pump in billions of dollars to revive the struggling Venezuelan oil industry and fix its broken oil infrastructure.

Now, the world watches on to see the impact that Trumps latest moves will have on oil prices. After all, Venezuela is known to have the worlds largest proven crude oil reserves of approximately 303 billion barrels, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Thats more than either Canada or Saudi Arabia, and accounts for roughly 17 per cent of all global oil reserves.

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Catch live updates on the here

So, how exactly will Maduros capture affects oil markets? More importantly, how will this affect India?

We examine the situation and get you the answers.

Venezuelan oil and Donald Trumps plan for it

Venezuela is estimated to have 303 billion barrels of oil, making it home to the worlds largest proven oil reserves. In comparison, Saudi Arabia has 267 billion barrels whereas Iran has an estimated 209 billion, as per Opecs numbers for 2025.

However, the amount of oil the South American nation actually produces is tiny by comparison, with CBC News reporting that Venezuela has been producing less than one per cent of the worlds crude oil supply. Caracas has seen production steadily decline from the 3.5 million barrels per day pumped in 1999 to todays level of about a million barrels per day.

The countrys oil reserves are made up of so-called heavy, sour oil. It is harder to refine, but useful for making diesel and asphalt.

After seizing Maduro, US President Trump made it clear that the US operation is about  at least in part  control of Venezuelas oil. Were going to have our very large US oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.

An activist, wearing a cutout mask depicting US President Donald Trump, holds a toy gun and a container with the words, My Oil during an anti-Trump rally to condemn the US conducting a military act on Venezuela to capture its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in central Seoul, South Korea. Reuters

What this means for oil prices

On Monday, oil prices fell with Brent Crude falling by 0.21 per cent at $60.62 per barrel while West Texas Intermediate was off 0.35 per cent at $57.12.

Experts note that theres a fear that increased volumes of Venezuelan oil entering the market would add to oversupply concerns and put further pressure on oil prices, which have fallen in recent months.

However, others noted that in the short-run, it is unlikely that there will be a significant immediate impact on crude prices. Jorge Leon, the head of geopolitical analysis for industry intelligence firm Rystad Energy, told Yahoo Finance that while there may be an initial spike, the longer-tail impact will depend on what Venezuelas post-Maduro landscape looks like. He noted that if the country stabilises quickly, it is likely to be bearish for oil prices as more supply is added to the market over the coming years.

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For the long run, experts said that it will take several years of work to fix the Venezuelan oil infrastructure  debilitated by years of sanctions and economic crises  and boost output.

In fact, American oil companies have made no comment yet on such a long-term commitment. Exxon Mobil didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. ConocoPhillips spokesperson Dennis Nuss said by email that the company is monitoring developments in Venezuela and their potential implications for global energy supply and stability. It would be premature to speculate on any future business activities or investments.

Meanwhile, Chevron noted that it was focused on the safety and wellbeing of our employees, as well as the integrity of our assets. We continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations.

A girl writes, There should never be a war for oil, on a sidewalk during a rally protesting the United States capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at the Colorado Springs City Hall. AP

Impact on Indias oil sector

But what does all this mean for India? Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that India is unlikely to be affected in terms of energy. Thats because Indian refiners do not import Venezuelan crude.

According to GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava, between the years 2000 and 2010, India imported vast amounts of crude from Venezuela. In fact, at the peak, India imported more than 400,000 barrels of oil from Venezuela. However, since 2019 when US sanctioned the South American nation, volumes have dropped sharply. In 2025, Indias total crude oil imports from Venezuela was only $255.3 million.

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Even former Indian Ambassador to Venezuela R Viswanathan told news agency ANI that India is not dependent on Venezuelan oil and that trade between the two countries remains limited. He added, We are not dependent on Venezuela for oil. Our trade is very little and we have some investment by ONGC in their oil fields So, this is not going to affect India in any big way.

In fact, India may benefit from a US-led takeover of Venezuelas oil sector. Such a move could even potentially unlock around $1 billion in long-pending dues for India. Indias ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) has a 40 per cent stake in the San Cristobal oilfield in the eastern part of Venezuela. However, US sanctions have blocked its access to crucial technology, services, and equipment, thus stranding otherwise commercially viable reserves.

Venezuela has not paid OVL $536 million in dividends up to 2014, as well as a similar amount for subsequent years, as the country refused to permit audits, freezing Indias claims. Additionally, if sanctions are relaxed, Indian operators could move rigs and equipment from domestic fields, including ONGCs assets in Gujarat, to revive production.

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Venezuela crisis and larger impact on India

Apart from the oil issue, India will most likely be insulated from any material impact, noted the GTRI. It noted that the two countries trade is small and declining.

In FY2025, Indias total imports from Venezuela were just $364.5 million. Meanwhile, Indias exports to Venezuela were a modest $95.3 million, led by pharmaceuticals worth $41.4 million. Given the low trade volumes, existing sanctions constraints, and the large geographical distance, the current developments in Venezuela are not expected to have any meaningful impact on Indias economy or energy security, Srivastava was quoted telling news agency PTI.

Meanwhile, India has expressed deep concern at the developments unfolding in Venezuela, calling upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), on Sunday, said, Recent developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation.

India reaffirms its support to the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela. We call upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region, added the MEA.

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For now, its a wait and watch game for the world to see how exactly the situation unfolds.

With inputs from agencies
The Centre has issued a warning to X, the Elon Musk-owned platform, over the generation and upload of obscene content using its artificial intelligence (AI) bot Grok. The Indian government has warned that the social media app could lose its safe harbour status if it does not comply with takedown directions for such material. What is this safe harbour tag that X is at risk of losing?

The Indian government has warned that the social media app could lose its safe harbour status. Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

X could be in trouble in India.

The Centre has issued a warning to the Elon Musk-owned platform over the generation and upload of obscene content using its artificial intelligence (AI) bot Grok.

The Indian government has warned that the social media app could lose its safe harbour status if it does not comply with takedown directions for such content.

But what happened? What is this safe harbour tag that X is at risk of losing?

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What happened?

There have been complaints that people on X have used the AI bot Grok to create and share obscene content of women. The bots Spicy Mode is allegedly being used to generate indecent photos and videos of people, including celebrities, without their consent.

The Centre has warned X to remove these flagged images and videos and submit an auditable compliance report, as per The Economic Times.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on January 2 sent X a formal notice over the use of its chatbot Grok. The Indian government said it had grave concern over the use of Grok to generate such images. It warned that such conduct reflects a serious failure of platform-level safeguards and enforcement mechanisms, and amounts to gross misuse of artificial intelligence technologies in violation of applicable laws.

The government said this could violate the dignity, privacy and safety of women and children, normalising sexual harassment and exploitation in digital spaces, and undermining the statutory due diligence framework applicable to intermediaries operating in India.

Crucially, officials and legal experts note that the issue is not limited to users misusing the platform. The concern is that Grok is a platform-provided AI tool, meaning X could be seen as enabling or amplifying the creation of harmful content rather than merely hosting third-party material. This distinction weakens claims to legal immunity under Indias intermediary laws.

The Centre has warned X to remove these flagged images and videos and submit an auditable compliance report.

A government source underscored this position, telling The Economic Times: Back in 2021, the Centre had informed the Delhi High Court that X (then Twitter) had briefly become legally responsible as a publisher. In any case, the government is not keen on removing safe harbour provisions. But given the explosion of AI-made content that harms our citizens, especially women and children, it is prepared to take a hard step.

The government said X is not adhering to the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021, and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, which deal with obscene, indecent, vulgar, pornographic, paedophilic, or otherwise unlawful or harmful content.

It said non-compliance within 72 hours could result in a revocation of the safe harbour status for X under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.

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What we know about the safe harbour tag

Under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, social media sites are granted safe harbour status. This means they are classified as neutral hosts and are not held responsible for content created by third parties  as long as they follow Indian government rules and promptly take down illegal and obscene content when directed.

However, safe harbour protection is conditional. Platforms must demonstrate due diligence, act swiftly on government or court orders, and ensure adequate safeguards are in place to prevent the spread of unlawful material. A loss of this status means that X or its representatives in India could be held legally liable for indecent or obscene content on the platform, including potential criminal proceedings.

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently said, The Parliamentary Committee has recommended a strong law for regulating social media. We are considering it. Shouldnt platforms operating in a context as complex as India adopt a different set of responsibilities? These pressing questions underline the need for a new framework that ensures accountability and safeguards the social fabric of the nation, Vaishnaw previously said.

An xAI employee has said that engineering teams are working to introduce tighter guardrails. However, critics say these measures may be insufficient unless platforms fundamentally rethink how generative AI tools are deployed and moderated. This is not the first time X has faced such issues in India. In 2021, the platform briefly lost its safe harbour status after failing to fully comply with the IT Rules, 2021.

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This followed amendments requiring social media companies with over five million users to appoint key representatives in India. As a significant social media intermediary (SSMI), X is required to meet strict legal and compliance obligations. The Delhi High Court had said the Centre was free to take action if the platform did not follow the law. While X later appointed key India-based officers, its legal immunity remained suspended for nearly three months.

With inputs from agencies
Donald Trumps capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is being touted by China as a move that undermines US claims of moral leadership. From Taiwan to the South China Sea, Beijing believes Washingtons unilateral action has strengthened Chinas diplomatic narrative while weakening Americas global standing

The dramatic seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces is being most keenly analysed in China, where officials have interpreted the move as simultaneously damaging to US global standing and advantageous to Beijings long-standing geopolitical narratives.

In Chinese eyes, US President Donald Trumps decision to capture Maduro  an all-weather strategic partner of Beijing  has produced what many see as a strategic paradox: an action intended to demonstrate US resolve that instead strengthens Chinas diplomatic messaging, and offers Beijing fresh rhetorical leverage in disputes ranging from Taiwan to the South China Sea.

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How China reacted to US capture of Maduro

Trumps audacious operation, carried out on January 3 became a trending topic on China-based social media platforms such as Weibo.

Some online commentators argued that the operation demonstrated how a major power could act decisively beyond its borders, while others framed it as evidence of unchecked US unilateralism.

For the Chinese government, the episode provided a ready-made contrast between Washingtons actions and Beijings repeated calls for respect for sovereignty and international law.

Chinese officials and state media outlets moved swiftly to condemn the seizure, arguing that it violated established norms and threatened regional stability in Latin America.

The US invasion has made everyone see more and more the fact that the so-called rules-based international order in the mouth of the United States is actually just a predatory order based on US interests, Chinas official Xinhua news agency said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping reinforced this broader message without naming the United States directly.

The world today is undergoing changes and turbulence not seen in a century, with unilateral acts of hegemony severely undermining the international order, Xi Jinping said, according to Xinhua.

Beijing said the US move violated international law and endangered peace and security in Latin America. It who are being detained in New York and are awaiting trial.

The timing of the operation added to Beijings frustration. Just hours before his capture, Maduro had met in Caracas with a high-level Chinese delegation, including Chinas special representative for Latin American and Caribbean affairs, Qiu Xiaoqi.

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Photographs of the meeting were posted by Maduro on his Instagram account. The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the whereabouts of the delegation following the seizure.

How the Venezuelan episode aids Chinas Taiwan narrative

Analysts broadly agree that Trumps move does not alter Chinas immediate military calculus vis-a-vis Taiwan, but it does complicate the diplomatic terrain in which those disputes are contested.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a claim rejected by the islands government. Beijing also asserts sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, placing it at odds with multiple Southeast Asian states that contest parts of the strategically vital waterway.

In recent years, Washington has repeatedly criticised Chinese actions in these areas as violations of international law.

According to analysts, Trumps seizure of Maduro weakens Washingtons ability to sustain that criticism without facing accusations of hypocrisy.

Washingtons consistent, long-standing arguments are always that the Chinese actions are violating international law but they are now damaging that, William Yang, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, told Reuters.

Its really creating a lot of openings and cheap ammunition for the Chinese to push back against the US in the future.

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At the same time, experts point out that Beijing is unlikely to use the Venezuelan operation as a direct justification for military escalation around Taiwan. Chinas considerations regarding the island are shaped more by internal political priorities and military readiness than by US actions in Latin America.

Taking over Taiwan depends on Chinas developing but still insufficient capability rather than what Trump did in a distant continent, Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing, told Reuters.

Neil Thomas, a fellow on Chinese politics at the Asia Society, noted that Beijing views Taiwan as an internal issue, making it unlikely to cite Venezuela as a formal parallel. Beijing will want a clear contrast with Washington to trumpet its claims to stand for peace, development and moral leadership, Thomas said.

Xi does not care about Venezuela more than he cares about China. Hell be hoping that it turns into a quagmire for the United States.

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Taiwan itself has been facing increasing military pressure from China. In the days preceding the Venezuelan operation, Beijing conducted its most extensive war games around the island to date, encircling Taiwan and demonstrating its ability to cut off external support in a conflict scenario.

Despite this backdrop, analysts said there was no expectation that China would immediately exploit the Venezuelan situation to launch an attack.

From Taipei, senior Taiwanese lawmaker Wang Ting-yu dismissed any suggestion that China could replicate US tactics.

China has never lacked hostility toward Taiwan, but it genuinely lacks the feasible means, Wang wrote in a Facebook post. China is not the United States, and Taiwan is certainly not Venezuela. If China could actually pull it off, it would have done so long ago!

Nevertheless, observers noted that the situation could increase diplomatic pressure on Taiwan. Some analysts suggested that Taipei might seek to strengthen ties with the Trump administration.

Lev Nachman, a political science professor at National Taiwan University, said Taiwans government was likely to issue a carefully worded response.

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What I do think Trumps actions could do is to help Xi Jinpings narrative in the future to create more justification for action against Taiwan, he told Reuters.

How China is pushing the UN push to challenge US legitimacy

The UN Security Council is scheduled to convene at Colombias request, supported by China and Russia, to debate the legality of Trumps decision.

The meeting will take place as Maduro prepares to appear in a New York court to face drug charges.

Chinas top diplomat framed the issue as one of principle rather than alignment with Caracas.

We have never believed that any country can act as the worlds police, nor do we accept that any nation can claim to be the worlds judge, Wang said during a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart in Beijing, referring to the sudden developments in Venezuela.

The sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law, he added.

The UN debate comes amid warnings from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said the seizure of a sitting head of state could establish a dangerous precedent. Analysts say Chinas role will be critical in shaping how developing countries respond.

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There isnt much in the way of material support that China can offer Venezuela at this time, but rhetorically, Beijing will be very important when it leads the effort at the UN and with other developing countries to rally opinion against the US, said Eric Olander, co-founder of the China-Global South Project.

Olander noted that China has demonstrated a pattern of maintaining economic ties with sanctioned states.

What weve seen in the cases of Zimbabwe and Iran, both sanctioned by the West, is that China demonstrates its commitment to these relationships through trade and investment, even under difficult circumstances, he told Reuters.

How the Venezuela episode was still a big blow to China

The episode also raises questions about Chinas credibility among Latin American countries that have signed on to Xi Jinpings Global Security Initiative.

Trump has not only threatened further military action against Venezuela but has also warned of possible interventions against Colombia and Mexico, while suggesting that Cubas communist government is weakening.

These developments may prompt regional governments to reassess how much protection Beijings security pledges can offer in practice.

China has invested heavily in Latin America over the past two decades, persuading several countries  including Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras  to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing.

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Venezuela, which made the switch in 1974, became Chinas closest ally in the region under Hugo Chavez, who deepened ties with Beijing after taking power in 1998.

That relationship continued after Chavezs death in 2013, when Maduro assumed leadership. Under Maduro, cooperation expanded further, including educational exchanges such as enrolling his son at Peking University in 2016.

In return, China invested heavily in Venezuelan oil infrastructure, providing economic support as US and allied sanctions intensified from 2017 onward.

Chinese customs data show that China purchased about $1.6 billion worth of goods from Venezuela in 2024, with oil accounting for roughly half of the total.

The sudden removal of Maduro therefore represents not just a diplomatic setback but a symbolic blow to Beijings image as a dependable long-term partner.

It was a big blow to China, we wanted to look like a dependable friend to Venezuela, said a Chinese government official briefed on discussions between Maduro and Qiu Xiaoqi shortly before the capture.

How oil markets are holding up

On January 5, oil prices fell as investors weighed the implications of the US operation against broader market fundamentals.

Brent crude futures declined by 50 cents, or 0.8 per cent, to $60.26 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate fell 53 cents, or 0.9 per cent, to $56.79 a barrel. Prices were volatile during early Asian trading hours as markets assessed developments in Venezuela, an OPEC member.

Trump said Washington would take control of Venezuela and confirmed that a US embargo on Venezuelan oil remained in effect following Maduros detention. However, analysts noted that US strikes had not damaged the countrys oil infrastructure, limiting immediate supply risks.

Even if Venezuelan exports are temporarily disrupted, over 80% are destined for China, which has built up ample reserves, and alternative sourcing is unlikely to strain the market, said Kazuhiko Fuji, a consulting fellow at Japans Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Officials within Maduros government, who have described the detention of Maduro and his wife as a kidnapping, remain in charge and have pledged unity.

Analysts said a prolonged political transition could suppress prices, while any meaningful recovery in Venezuelan production would require significant investment.

Raymond James analysts projected that output could rise by a few hundred thousand barrels per day by the end of 2026, but UBS strategist Giovanni Staunovo cautioned that any meaningful recovery in Venezuelan output is likely to take considerable time.

Trump has warned that further military action remains possible if Venezuelan officials do not cooperate. All bets are off in a chaotic change of power scenario like what occurred in Libya or Iraq, said Helima Croft, head of commodities research at RBC Capital.

OPEC and its allies, known collectively as OPEC+, decided to maintain output levels, further dampening fears of supply shocks.

Meanwhile, analysts are monitoring Irans response after Trump threatened intervention in an unrelated crackdown on protests there.

With inputs from agencies
Nicolas Maduros dramatic capture by US forces was meant to underline American military power. Instead, a single image shared by Donald Trump shifted attention worldwide to the Venezuelan leaders grey Nike Tech tracksuit, triggering memes and Google searches. The outfit has since sold out

This photo, contained in a TruthSocial post from US President Donald Trump, shows a photo described as being Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima, January 3, 2026.

The United States carried out a rapid military operation to detain Nicolas Maduro in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Within hours, US President Donald Trump shared an image of the detained Venezuelan leader on Truth Social. But users noticed something else the grey Nike Tech Fleece tracksuit Maduro was wearing at the time of his capture.

The photograph, posted on Trumps Truth Social account, showed Maduro blindfolded aboard a US naval vessel, flanked by American personnel as he was transported out of Venezuela.

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While the image confirmed the success of a high-risk mission, social media users across platforms fixated on Maduros outfit.

Observers noted that the operation showcased US military capabilities in a manner that would likely resonate beyond the Western hemisphere.

Analysts suggested that adversarial states to the US, including China, Iran, and Russia, would quietly take note of the logistical coordination and operational precision displayed.

The image that went viral

The photograph shared by Trump depicted Maduro wearing a matching grey Nike Tech Fleece jacket and sweatpants. He was also fitted with blackout glasses designed to restrict vision and noise-cancelling headphones intended to prevent him from hearing.

The image was taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima, where Maduro was being held as he was transported to the United States to face criminal charges.

Almost immediately, the image spread across social media platforms, generating reactions with many users remarking that the outfit conveyed an almost domestic or leisurely feel, clashing sharply with the seriousness of the arrest.

One online commenter wrote, Maduro looks like a man who was on Xmas break and wearing his Nike Tech Fleece for a third straight day. Another post read, Nike Tech Fleece. For the gym. For errands. For federal custody.

How social media reacted

Within hours of Trumps post, memes flooded platforms such as X, TikTok, and Instagram. Some users joked that the tracksuit could serve as a ready-made Halloween costume.

Others claimed  without confirmation  that demand for the outfit had surged to the point of sell-outs. In reality, Nikes website continued to list the Tech Fleece jacket at $140 and the matching pants at $120, with several sizes still available, though some have reported that it has sold out.

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Venezuelas captured President Nicolas Maduro is led in custody from a US federal airplane, at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, US, January 3, 2026 in a still image from video from social media.

Despite the online frenzy, Nike did not issue an immediate public response. One X user remarked, theyre calling it Maduro grey.

Artificial intelligence-generated images soon added another layer to the phenomenon. These visuals portrayed Maduro wearing Nike apparel while dancing, singing, or playing video games.

Another X user contextualised the outfit within a broader pop-cultural framework, writing, I still cant believe they caught Maduro wearing the heather grey Nike tech fleece set though. I guess the tech fleece is the unofficial drug lord tracksuit now like the Adidas tracksuit used to be back in the day.

The quarter-zip movement and online fashion policing

Maduros viral Nike outfit collided directly with an existing online debate about menswear, reported USA Today.

In November 2025, TikTok creator Jason Gymafi posted a video arguing that young men should abandon Nike Tech Fleeces in favour of quarter-zip sweaters, framing the change as a marker of personal growth and respectability.

The video, featuring Gymafi and his friend Richard Minor sipping matcha drinks while wearing quarter-zips, resonated widely. By December 15, 2025, it had amassed nearly 30 million views. In the clip, Gymafi declared, We dont do Nike tech. We dont do coffee. Its straight quarter zips and matchas around here.

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He continued, He [Minor] was talking about putting on a Nike tech to come outside. I told him, What are you doing? Youve upgraded in life. You wear glasses now. You wear quarter zips now."

The video sparked a trend that extended beyond TikTok. Men began organising meet-ups where quarter-zips were worn deliberately as a rejection of Nike Tech culture.

The movement framed athleisure as outdated and positioned the quarter-zip as a symbol of maturity and self-awareness.

When images of Maduros arrest surfaced, the internet quickly mapped this trend onto the event. Comment sections filled with remarks such as Why does bro got on Nike tech and Bro didnt get the update of quarter zips.

TikTok creator @brooklyngabby reportedly directly connected the trend to Maduros situation in a widely shared video, stating, If he was wearing a quarter-zip, he would still be fine. Hed still be doing his thing. But he wasnt. He was caught slacking, he was in his Nike Tech, he was not in his quarter-zip sweater.

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According to Google Trends, searches for the term Nike Tech spiked sharply on the morning of Saturday, January 3, 2026, shortly after Trumps Truth Social post went live.

Maduros long-standing preference for casual attire

During his years in power, Maduro frequently appeared in tracksuits, jeans, or simple shirts, cultivating an image aligned with his self-presentation as a leader connected to ordinary citizens.

Whether touring neighbourhoods in Caracas, addressing rallies, or participating in official engagements, Maduro often avoided traditional markers of elite or authoritarian dress.

Although he has been accused of possessing significant hidden wealth and has occasionally been seen wearing luxury watches, his public clothing choices typically emphasised approachability.

From a financial perspective, the Nike Tech Fleece itself is relatively accessible by global standards. A hoodie from the range costs around 100, placing it far below the luxury apparel often associated with political elites.

With inputs from agencies
US Senator Lindsey Graham said India sought relief from a 25 per cent US tariff by highlighting reduced Russian oil purchases, as trade tensions with President Donald Trump continue.

Indias trade and energy choices have come under fresh scrutiny in Washington, with a senior US senator linking New Delhis reduced Russian oil purchases to ongoing tariff negotiations.

Senator Lindsey Graham said Indias Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, sought tariff relief from Washington after underlining that India was buying less Russian oil. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One alongside US President Donald Trump, Graham said the issue was raised during a meeting at the Indian Ambassadors residence last month.

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According to Graham, the discussion focused entirely on India cutting back its Russian oil imports. He said Kwatra requested that this message be conveyed to President Trump and asked for relief from the 25 per cent tariff imposed on Indian goods.

I was at the Indian Ambassadors house a month ago, and all he wanted to talk about was how India is buying less Russian oil. And he asked me to tell the President to relieve the 25% tariff. Graham said, with Trump standing by his side.

I believe what President Trump did by tariffing India is the chief reason India is buying substantially less Russian oil, he further added.

Trump warns of further tariffs

The remarks come as trade tensions escalate, with President Trump warning India of additional tariffs over its continued imports of Russian oil. Trump said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of his dissatisfaction and stressed that tariffs could be raised swiftly if concerns were not addressed.

PM Modis a very good man. Hes a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly, Trump said.

Trumps warning comes amid growing scrutiny in Washington over Indias energy trade with Russia, even as New Delhi has defended its oil purchases as essential for domestic energy security.

The comments also follow a recent telephonic conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Modi, during which both leaders stressed the importance of maintaining momentum in bilateral trade ties despite ongoing tariff-related tensions.

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The issue has gained further prominence after US military action against Venezuela, a country with the worlds largest proven oil reserves at over 303 billion barrels. Despite these reserves, Venezuelas oil production has fallen sharply to around one million barrels per day due to US sanctions and underinvestment.

Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress reacted sharply to Grahams remarks. In a social media post on X, it said, This statement makes it clear that to please Donald Trump, Narendra Modi has stopped buying oil from our long-standing friend Russia. Why is Modi harming the country just to maintain his own PR and keep Trump happy?

                            



                      



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      pic.twitter.com/rZvtdGMoX5  Congress (@INCIndia) January 5, 2026

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S Jaishankar is in Paris to bolster the India-France Strategic Partnership. Following high-level talks and a historic address to French ambassadors, he will head to Luxembourg to strengthen diplomatic ties and engage with the vibrant Indian diaspora

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in France on Monday, kicking off a high-profile six-day diplomatic tour.

Upon his arrival in Paris, Jaishankar visited the exhibition Ce qui se trame  woven stories between India and France. In a post on social media, the Minister lauded the showcase for its celebration of Indias rich textile heritage, craftsmanship, and savoir-faire.

Visited exposition Ce qui se trame - woven stories between India and France in Paris this evening.



The exhibition showcases Indias textile heritage, savoir-faire and creativity. It is also a reminder of the strong   cultural connect. pic.twitter.com/sqAwWrs3sa  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 4, 2026

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Strengthening the strategic partnership

The visit shifts to high-level diplomacy on Tuesday, as Jaishankar prepares to meet with the French leadership. A central fixture of the trip will be a bilateral meeting with his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot. The two leaders are expected to review progress under the India-France Strategic Partnership, deliberate on regional and global security challenges, and discuss collaborative efforts in defence, space, and green energy.

Jaishankar will also address the 31st edition of the French Ambassadors Conference as the Guest of Honour, reflecting the strategic weight Paris accords to its relationship with New Delhi.

The Luxembourg leg

Following his engagements in France, the Minister will travel to Luxembourg. This visit marks a continued effort to strengthen ties with key European partners. Jaishankar is scheduled to hold extensive talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Xavier Bettel, and other senior leaders. Beyond official government business, he will also interact with the Indian community in Luxembourg.
Indian Coast Guard commissioned its first indigenous pollution control vessel Samudra Pratap in Goa, boosting Maritime protection. The vessel was commissioned by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday enhancing pollution response and security.

India has commissioned its first indigenously built pollution control vessel Samudra Pratap. Designed by the Indian Coast Guard the vessel was commissioned by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Goa on Monday during his two-day visit in the state in the presence of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.

The 114.5-metre vessel has over 60 per cent of indigenous content. The 4,200-tonne vessel boasts a speed of more than 22 knots and an endurance of 6,000 nautical miles.

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It is the first dedicated pollution control vessel, marking a major milestone in Indias maritime environmental protection capabilities.

VIDEO | Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) commissions ICG's 'Samudra Pratap' in Goa.



(Full VIDEO available on https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/2mJZPFKDfz  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 5, 2026

The vessel will serve as a critical platform for enforcing marine pollution control regulations, maritime law enforcement, search and rescue operations, and safeguarding Indias Exclusive Economic Zone.

The vessel was formally delivered in December to the Coast Guard at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL).

During the commissioning of Samudra Pratap, Defence Minister Rajnath SIngh said, The Coast Guard has instilled this fear even in our enemies that if they so much as dare to look toward Indias maritime borders, the Indian Coast Guard will leave them in no condition see with their eyes."

That is why the enemy does not attempt any misadventure, he further added.

Defence Minister was welcomed during his two day visit and Minister for Protocol, Shri Mauvin Godinho, received him on his arrival at INS Hansa, Dabolim.

The commissioning ceremony was done under heightened maritime vigilance by the Coast Guard.

The Indian Coast Guard further strengthens its operational readiness while reinforcing Indias commitment to maritime safety, environmental protection, and indigenous defence manufacturing.

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Indias semiconductor strategy should be applauded not for its ambition alone, but for its evolving realism, a realism that blends policy focus, industrial pragmatism, ecosystem depth, and relentless execution

2025s decisive shift of the semiconductor industry from rhetoric to execution sets the stage for a more substantive phase in 2026 and beyond. (File image)

Indias semiconductor journey has long been framed as a strategic imperative in the global technology race. For years, policymakers and industry leaders have heralded Indias potential to become a major player in chip design and manufacturing. However, 2025 marked a watershed moment: it was less about bold proclamations and more about confronting the gritty realities of execution. The years narrative captured in a recent Economic Times Manufacturing analysis reveals a country transitioning from ambition-driven signalling to practical, execution-aware strategy.

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At the heart of this shift is a simple but profound recognition: chip ecosystems are not built on intentions alone. India will cross an estimated $45-50 billion in semiconductor consumption in 2025, driven by demand from smartphones, automotive electronics, industrial systems, and data infrastructure. Yet domestic manufacturing still represents only a tiny fraction of that demand, underscoring the enormous gap between what India consumes and what it produces.

Broadening the Narrative Beyond Fabs

For too long, Indias semiconductor discourse was dominated by a single idea: build fabs (fabrication plants) and the ecosystem will follow. But the global semiconductor value chain is far more complex. Advanced semiconductor fabs require $8-10 billion each, ultra-stable utilities, specialised supply chains, and years if not decades to bring online.

In 2025, stakeholders began acknowledging that fabs are necessary but not sufficient. Indias strategy wisely expanded to include backend activities such as Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (Osat) and ATMP Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging (ATMP). These sectors require dramatically lower upfront capital and can be operationalised much faster, making them practical early entry points for deeper ecosystem participation. Packaging, testing, substrates, speciality chemicals and equipment servicing are now seen not as afterthoughts but as strategic building blocks.

This recalibration signals maturity in thinking: India is not chasing headlines with fab announcements alone. It is cultivating multiple value-chain entry points, anchoring itself in global supply networks that value practical contributions over aspirational press releases.

Policy Intent Meets Ground Realities

Indias policy thrust on semiconductors is unmistakably strong. The government has committed around 62,900 crore (97% of the 65,000 crore fund) earmarked for incentivising semiconductor production, reflecting decisive political will.

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Yet, as the year unfolded, policymakers and industry leaders alike conceded that funding, while essential, cannot solve core execution bottlenecks. Land acquisition delays, water quality issues, erratic power supply, and disjointed logistics infrastructure emerged as persistent challenges. These are not minor administrative hiccups; they are structural constraints that have slowed project timelines and highlighted the intricate coordination required to build semiconductor ecosystems.

Indeed, the industrys response was not idealistic optimism but execution-aware realism, a shift that presages a more robust and sustainable approach in the long run.

Electronics Manufacturing: Indias Stabilising Engine

While semiconductors often steal the spotlight, Indias electronics manufacturing sector quietly delivered substantive results in 2025. Output crossed an estimated $115-120 billion, fuelled by automotive electronics, industrial automation, power systems and other tech-intensive segments.

This progress is crucial. Semiconductor ecosystems flourish in environments where local demand and manufacturing depth exist. Strong electronics manufacturing creates a consistent internal pull for chips and components, reducing reliance on policy push alone and attracting investors who see visible market growth rather than speculative potential.

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In other words, Indias electronics manufacturing base is not just a supporting actor but a critical foundation for sustainable semiconductor development. By reinforcing this base, India is building a resilient ecosystem in which chips are not just made for export but also for domestic demand, creating virtuous loops of innovation and industrial growth.

Design Strength: A Double-Edged Sword

One unmistakable strength India continues to hold is in chip design and engineering. India accounts for over 20 per cent of the global semiconductor design engineering workforce, supporting cutting-edge work across automotive, embedded systems, connectivity, and architecture domains.

However, design prowess alone is not enough. Indias recent shift has highlighted a poignant truth: without manufacturing and packaging integration, design capabilities risk remaining upstream in the value chain, where real economic value is limited. The next phase of Indias semiconductor strategy must therefore focus on coupling design with robust local manufacturing and backend processes.

The Road Ahead: Execution, Not Promise

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Despite notable progress, significant gaps remain. India is still heavily dependent on imported equipment, speciality materials, and chemicals. Domestic demand aggregation across sectors remains fragmented, and the gestation periods for semiconductor facilities, often spanning years, continue to test investor patience.

Nevertheless, 2025s decisive shift from rhetoric to execution sets the stage for a more substantive phase in 2026 and beyond. As industry veterans assert, this may well be Indias now or never moment in semiconductors, where execution matters more than intent.

In this context, Indias semiconductor strategy should be applauded not for its ambition alone, but for its evolving realism, a realism that blends policy focus, industrial pragmatism, ecosystem depth, and relentless execution. The journey ahead will be long, but 2025 proved that India now understands the terrain better than ever before.

(The writer is a techie, political analyst, and author. He pens national, geopolitical, and social issues. His social media handle is @prosenjitnth. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.)

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To allow any group to redraw borders through armed force and foreign patronage is to invite catastrophe at a critical connectivity chokepoint

A flag of the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) flutters on a military patrol truck, at the site of a rally by STC supporters in Aden, Yemen, January 1, 2026. Reuters/Fawaz Salman

The New Year has ushered in yet another conflict in a region already teetering on the edge; Yemens rapidly evolving situation is raising alarm bells. Today, a decade after Saudi Arabia and the UAE led a joint military campaign to curb Irans influence in the country, the two allies now find themselves pitted against each other over Yemen, a strategically located and impoverished nation with a history of internal divisions and civil wars driven by ideological differences that have plagued it for over a century.

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The separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which grew out of the Southern separatist movement that predates the civil war and controls areas in the Southwest around and including Aden, has recently seized territory in the governorates of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra.

Hadramout represents an economic hub for Yemen with its oil and gas resources and related infrastructure and has a vital border crossing with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia says the STC, which is now pushing to declare the independence of a breakaway state, poses a direct threat to the Kingdoms national security and regional stability.

While the world continues to place hopes on diplomacy and de-escalation, there is growing concern that Yemen may be inching toward a dangerous regional conflagration. At the heart of this anxiety lies the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen (a military alliance led by Saudi Arabia, established to counter Houthi rebels and restore the internationally recognised Yemeni government led by the Presidential Leadership Council)s unwavering commitment to preserving territorial unity and preventing the rise of extremist safe havens that could destabilise not just Yemen, but the broader region and beyond.

It would be naive to view developments in Southern Yemen in isolation. The parallels with Sudan, where the Rapid Support Forces have left a trail of devastation and a massacre, cannot be ignored. This serves as a caution of what could unfold in. Incidentally, in recent years Sudan and Yemen have emerged as the two major contesting grounds where Saudi Arabia and the UAE are backing the opposing sides.

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Saudi Arabia has drawn a clear red line when it comes to its own national security but acknowledged the just and historically rooted nature of the Southern issue. Yet, it has also made clear that any resolution must emerge from consensus among Yemens diverse components around the negotiating table, not on the battlefield. A military solution would only unravel years of painstaking efforts by the coalition and the internationally recognised Yemeni government to foster calm, even engaging with the Houthis in pursuit of a durable peace.

There is an opinion that while those in the South have a right to advocate for independence based on their historical and geographic claims, this cannot come at the expense of other Yemenis who believe in a united nation.

The Main Parties in Yemen

The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, are a Shia Islamist movement in the northwest of the country. In 2014, they orchestrated a swift takeover of Sanaa, with some popular backing, seizing control of the government. With sustained Iranian arms supplies and support, they emerged as Yemens most cohesive military and political entity, controlling most of the countrys northwestern border with Saudi Arabia and holding the critical Red Sea coastline, including access to vital maritime corridors. They endured a prolonged Saudi-led military campaign, which ultimately failed and led to the Houthis securing a de facto truce in 2022. Over time, they have evolved into one of Irans most disruptive proxies, along with Hamas and Hezbollah.

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The Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) was established in 2022 to unify fragmented factions against the Houthis; it commands a loose coalition of regular military remnants, tribal militias, and Sunni Islamist groups in the centre and south of the country. It is Yemens internationally recognised government, operating backed by Saudi Arabia. Its forces hold a patchwork of strongholds, primarily in the central province of Marib and parts of Taiz and Aden in the south. However, the PLC is divided into two factions, each loyal to one party in this conflict. The difference had been simmering for years away from the spotlight until it exploded publicly recently.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) is a UAE-backed separatist body in Southern Yemen founded in 2017 to advocate for the restoration of the southern Yemeni state, which ceased to exist in 1990. Militias aligned to the group have played a crucial role in battles in recent weeks.

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Looking Back in Time

Historically, Yemen has been a unified and federated entity, from the Himyarite, Rasulid and Qasimid dynasties. The division of Yemen was not indigenous but imposed by colonial powers, notably the British in the South, who ruled through a patchwork of emirates and sultanates, while the Ottomans held sway in the North. Even the city of Dhale was once under the rule of the Zaydi Imams.

North Yemen gained independence from the Ottoman Empire after 1918, while South Yemen remained under British control until its independence in 1967. Also known as the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR), North Yemen existed from 1962 until its unification with the Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen (commonly known as South Yemen). The two states remained divided until their unification in 1990, followed shortly by a civil war in 1994, in which Southern separatists were defeated, leaving unaddressed grievances that contribute to ongoing conflicts.

Yemens civil war began in 2014 when Houthi insurgents with links to Iran and a history of rising up against the Sunni government took control of Yemens capital and largest city, Sanaa. Following failed negotiations, the rebels seized the presidential palace in January 2015, leading to the resignation of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government.

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In March 2015, a coalition of Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia launched a campaign of economic isolation and air strikes against the Houthi insurgents, with US logistical and intelligence support. This intervention in Yemens conflict, including Iran and Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia, also drew the country into a regional proxy struggle along the broader Sunni-Shia divide.

The Saudi-led coalition of regional forces, including the UAE, fought against the Houthis and salvaged an internationally recognised government. The Houthis, supported by Iran, held their ground and even attacked Saudi oil installations as well as drone and missile attacks in Abu Dhabi. They attacked Israel and the US shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting the maritime commercial shipping at will.

Though not fully overcome or abated, an uneasy quiet was secured with the Saudis and Americans cutting a deal with them as rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran has continued to hold. In 2019, seeing that the objectives of the war were leading nowhere, the UAE took a pragmatic decision and decided to pull out while retaining its stakes in Southern Yemen, which has some of the most strategic ports.

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Over the years, disagreements surfaced between rival Yemeni factions whose competing agendas unintendedly exposed a rift between the two Middle Eastern allies, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.

Since then, the UAE has been working closely with and supporting the Southern Transitional Council (STC), led by Aidarus al-Zubaidi, which fell out with the internationally recognised government supported by Saudi Arabia.

Now after years of stalled efforts to end the civil war, UAE-backed forces launched a rapid offensive in early December, seizing control of oil-rich provinces from Saudi-backed forces, leading to deadly clashes. Tensions peaked when Saudi-led coalition airstrikes targeted a UAE shipment of vehicles at Southern Yemens Mukalla port, accusing Abu Dhabi of endangering Saudi national security.

On January 2, Saudi warplanes bombed camps and military positions held by the STC in Hadramout province as Saudi-backed fighters tried to seize the facilities, as per reports. Meanwhile, on January 3, the UAE announced that it had completely withdrawn all its troops from Yemen.

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The Paramount Concerns

After nearly a decade of war, rapidly shifting conditions on the ground are raising new concerns. The Yemen conflict initially symbolised Gulf unity. Over time, however, it revealed differences. Saudi Arabia approached Yemen primarily through a security and border-stability lens, viewing outcomes through the prism of territorial integrity and internal security. The UAE, while committed to coalition objectives, focused more sharply on maritime security, port infrastructure, counter-extremism, and influence through local partners aligned with its strengths.

To allow any group to redraw borders through armed force and foreign patronage is to invite catastrophe. It is worth recalling that these were precisely the conditions that sparked the last war, when the Houthis, backed by external actors, toppled the legitimate, UN-recognised government.

The question is: If the STC is granted the right to establish a new state in the Arabian Peninsula under the banner of self-determination, what then of the Iran-aligned Houthis? They command a sizable following and control the historic capital. Will they then dictate terms? Going forward, will the international community and the US in particular accept the emergence of a Houthi-Iranian state in Northern Yemen?

Further, is the world prepared to bear the consequences of a prolonged war that threatens global shipping lanes, energy supplies, and regional stability, especially given the strategic importance of the Bab Al-Mandab Strait and the Red and Arabian seas?

Recent history offers a grim verdict: uncoordinated secessions without broad domestic consensus or clear international legal frameworks rarely yield stable states. Instead, they unleash prolonged chaos and institutional collapse and open the door to armed groups and external meddling. Sovereignty becomes a mirage, replaced by a vacuum that breeds perpetual conflict.

In Yemen, the stakes are even higher. The country sits astride one of the worlds most vital maritime chokepoints, through which a significant share of global trade and energy supplies pass. A security vacuum would expose this artery.

Moreover, such a vacuum would be a magnet for militant groups, whether terrorist networks or regional proxies, creating a new axis of instability stretching into the Gulf and threatening the security of maritime corridors.

Conclusion

Recurring conflicts have left Yemen, which is strategically located south of Saudi Arabia with access to key maritime corridors, heavily impoverished, highly unstable and well-armed, as regional powers vie for influence.

The Houthis, who have been targeted by some of the regions most powerful nations, will view the divisions among their enemies as advantageous. The group, which launched missile and drone attacks on Abu Dhabi and Riyadh in the past, had endured a years-long Saudi-led coalition blockade and airstrikes and are likely to view the growing rift between two of their principal adversaries with considerable advantage, as they observe former coalition partners who jointly fought but failed to defeat them now turn against one another.

No wonder Saudi Arabias Foreign Ministry has called for Yemens Southern factions to attend a dialogue in Riyadh, after the dramatic turn of events which has brought them into an unprecedented direct confrontation with the UAE.

There is no doubt that the implications for regional stability and for Yemens already fragile political landscape are profound; hence, the path forward must be paved with dialogue, not division. Independence does not seem an alternative, as it can lead to an implosion.

(The author is a retired Major General of the Indian Army. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.)
For Brics nations and the larger Global South, the US attack on Venezuela is a warning of a coming world where sovereignty will be only rhetoric and multipolarity means hierarchy

An activist, wearing a cutout mask depicting US. President Donald Trump, stands in front of a Venezuelan flag in central Seoul, South Korea. Trump has issued threats to Cuba, Colombia and Mexico after the strikes in Venezuela. Reuters

On 3 January 2026, the whole world stood shocked at the United States series of airstrikes on Venezuela. As claimed by President Donald Trump, the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been captured by the American authorities under a narco-terrorism conspiracy, and Venezuela is under temporary American control until there is a safe, proper and judicious transition. These claims have been rejected by the Venezuelan government and have not been verified independently, underscoring the unilateral nature of the US action.

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The US attack, codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, has brewed a fresh debate on the issues of regional intervention or a tactical move. For the Brics nations this incident marks the fragility of the international legal order, and for the rest of the world it also raises the question of the relevance of the United Nations as a forum for ensuring global peace and stability. Do international laws and commitments hold any truth, or is the world drifting towards the normalisation of legal double standards?

Is legitimate also lawful?

The UN Charter and numerous statutes of international law categorically prohibit states from attacking another country without provocation or only for self-defence. In an ideal situation, even for self-defence against an armed attack, the authorisation must be routed through the Security Council. But Operation Absolute Resolve satisfied neither of the legal thresholds which have been repeatedly affirmed by the International Court of Justice, even in the case of Nicaragua v United States (1986). The judgement in the case of Nicaragua v United States (1986) was a hallmark in protecting the post-colonial states from the intervention of the powerful states and establishing the most cherished ideal of sovereignty for all.

No matter how compelling the humanitarian rhetoric and the security narratives of President Trump and his supporters may sound, international law rejects it as any valid ground for aggression. The US has already witnessed the unnecessary cost of stretching security narratives during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Similarly, in many such cases, it has been amply made clear that the legitimacy claims on any basis do not translate illegality into law. The legality vs legitimacy conundrum was also highlighted even in one of the major landmark cases, involving Natos intervention in Kosovo (1999), often defended as a humanitarian precedent; the international lawyers labelled it as illegal but legitimate.

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For small and emerging powers, especially in Brics, the recent American attack on Venezuela is more than just a moral abstraction; its a legal rupture, a violation of an international order that systematically limits the great power hegemony. Unlike treaty-bound alliances consisting of major powers, Brics states have mostly relied on international law, multilateral institutions and diplomatic engagements, rather than on military guarantees, to preserve strategic autonomy.

The erosion of an international order also means that the power disparities become glaring, which could hardly be managed through regional or international institutions and time-tested diplomatic endeavours.

Chinas Place in the Shifting Order

Talking of the world order and powers, where does China figure in the recent chain of events? Chinas role is consequential as a strategic observer. China has always shown itself as the defender of the UN Charters core principles: sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-intervention, and as an avid propagator of sovereignty-centred legal order. And this position of Beijing is not just idealist, but its a practical understanding of how Western intervention and a West-dominated international order threaten Chinas own rise.

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With every US action in Iraq, Libya and now in Venezuela, Chinas claim to rules-based order is strengthened and its voice in Brics and the Global South amplified. The weakened western credibility on international law apparently gives traction to Chinas vision of world order that is recognised by less enforcement, fewer interventions and respect for sovereignty.

Based on its foreign policy benevolence and consistency in nations across the world, China gets a chance to reinforce the UN as a forum of enforcement rather than just an elite power club, giving procedural authority precedence over unilateral enforcement.

The Brics Response to Western Double Standards

Also, it is a chance for other Brics partners like India, Brazil, and South Africa to criticise the Western double standards, particularly the Security Councils veto politics. The weakened UN exposes the strategic autonomy of these countries as well and dampens their global ambitions. If the UN cannot restrain its more powerful members like the US from pushing towards blatant hegemony by habitually violating its foundational rule, then what function does it serve? It must strive to preserve a shared legal framework that gives smaller states a platform to contest for power.

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China seems to have adjusted seamlessly but cautiously to the world, which conveniently picks the international laws, and thus does not openly challenge the UN system, which others are bent on hollowing out. The situation gives China a chance to operate in legal ambiguity, but without any confusion.

For Brics nations also, this is the chance for addressing the issues of global governance via the UN. In the situation where unilateral use of force is normalised by countries like the US, Brics nations have a lot to ponder on the law-light international environment. Global political and economic asymmetries give China and others a chance to exercise a decisive weight, obviously not translating into repression. International law must be protected for the sake of protecting order and not the regimes.

Moment of Reckoning

Venezuela is a stark reminder of a reality where international law and institutions are treated as convenient options and the UN hardly holds any relevance as the guardian of world order. The American attacks on Venezuela only seem to reinstate the realistic understanding that the powerful are seeking to reshape the world order on their own terms. For Brics nations this is a warning of the coming world where sovereignty will only be rhetoric and multipolarity means hierarchy. The world is characterised by fewer protections for those without decisive power. In such a situation, the UN is the possible answer: committing to the Charter rather than circumventing it.

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(Ila Joshi is Assistant Professor, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.)
This image posted on US President Donald Trump's Truth Social account on January 3, 2026, shows Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro onboard the USS Iwo Jima after the US military captured him on January 3, 2026.- AFP

The New Year has delivered the final blow to the so-called American-led rules-based global order. On January 3, 2026, the administration of Donald Trump launched a military raid in Caracas, abducting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and forcibly extraditing them to the United States. The operation was conducted without congressional authorisation and with outright contempt for the United Nations.

Washington justified the raid by branding Maduro a narco-terrorist. Thus, a new chapter has been added to Americas endlessly malleable war on terror  this time rebranded as a war on narco-terror. The logic remains the same: any leader who obstructs American strategic interests can be criminalised, removed and replaced, international law notwithstanding.

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In a grimly ironic sense, however, Trump deserves credit for honesty. Unlike his predecessors, he has dispensed with the ritualistic invocations of democracy, human rights and liberal values. He did mention Maduros drug links and the Venezuelan administrations lack of democratic credentials, but he made no serious attempt to disguise the real motive. Trump openly resurrected the Monroe Doctrine  renamed the Donroe Doctrine  to justify US hegemony in the Western Hemisphere. He even suggested that the United States would seize Venezuelas oil reserves and supervise its political transition. Imperialism, stripped of pretence, has rarely been articulated with such brazenness, especially since World War II.

The implications are seismic. The Caracas raid did not merely violate international norms; it announced their extinction. The United Nations, long reduced to a stage for empty speeches, has now been rendered entirely irrelevant. If a sovereign head of state can be kidnapped by a permanent member of the Security Council without consequence, then the post-1945 order has definitively collapsed. The world today is more anarchic than at any point since 1945  and the United States is its chief arsonist.

Why would Washington torch the very order it once created and enforced? Because it no longer controls it. The United States remains powerful, but it is no longer dominant enough to dictate terms globally. Faced with this erosion, it has chosen not to adapt but to sabotage. Unable to command the entire ship, America now prefers to sink it and retreat to a smaller vessel it believes it can still steer  the Western Hemisphere  while also preserving its interests in the other hemisphere as much and for as long as it can.

Seen through this lens, the Venezuela raid is not a display of confidence but an admission of strategic decline. The United States remains the strongest military power, but it is no longer unchallengeable. It faces rising resistance from China, renewed defiance from Russia, and an increasingly autonomous geostrategic posture from Bharat. Venezuela is not a victory parade; it is a strategic retreat.

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The real target of the raid was not Nicolas Maduro. It was China. Venezuela sits atop the worlds largest proven oil reserves, and Beijing has spent years embedding itself in Caracas through energy deals, infrastructure investments and diplomatic backing. That is why, just hours before the raid, Maduro was meeting a high-profile Chinese delegationone that reportedly remained in the capital during the operation. Trumps invocation of a hemispheric doctrine banning outside interference is not ideological; it is territorial. The United States is drawing a line, declaring Latin America its exclusive preserve because it can no longer dominate everywhere else.

This reading gains further credibility when one examines Trumps approach to Russia. His willingness to accommodate nearly every Russian demand on Ukraine has left Kyiv abandoned and Western Europe paralysed. The pattern suggests a crude but deliberate trade-off: Ukraine for Venezuela.

This is not speculation. During the Trump impeachment inquiry in 2019, Fiona Hill, former senior director for Europe and Russia at the US National Security Council, revealed that Moscow had openly floated a swap arrangement during the Venezuela standoff. The Russians signalled that if Washington insisted on enforcing a Monroe Doctrine in Latin America, Moscow would assert its own sphere of influence in Ukraine. The message was unmistakable: You know, you have your Monroe Doctrine. You want us out of your backyard. Well, you know, we have our own version of this. You are in our backyard in Ukraine.

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That deal now appears to be taking shape. Russia consolidates control over Ukraine. The United States reasserts dominance in Venezuela. The language of sovereignty, democracy and international law is discarded in favour of naked great-power bargaining.

Oil is central to this strategy, but it is not the entire story. Controlling Venezuela also allows Washington to eject China from a critical energy supplier. Beijing was one of the largest importers of Venezuelan oil, alongside Iranian crude. This raises an obvious question: where does Trump move next? Tehran increasingly appears to be the answer.

Trumps calculation may be aided by domestic dissatisfaction within Iran. The Iranian population has grown weary of clerical rule, and figures such as Reza Pahlavi  the son of the deposed Shah, historically aligned with Washington  are gaining visibility. A successful operation against Iran would further constrict Chinas energy lifelines and delay, if not derail, its rise as a global challenger.

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Paradoxically, however, this strategy may also signal a tacit American acceptance of Chinas dominance in East Asia. If Washington is willing to prioritise the Western Hemisphere and strike bargains over Ukraine, it may also be prepared to accommodate Beijing elsewhere. Such a move would leave allies such as Taiwan  and perhaps even Japan  dangerously exposed. A China facing energy constraints and strategic humiliation may grow more desperate to absorb Taiwan, and Trump may be tempted to look the other way in order to placate Beijing.

This evolving landscape places Bharat in a precarious position. Trump, reportedly aggrieved with Bharat for both personal reasons and policy disagreements  especially post Operation Sindoor  may seek to persuade his administration that New Delhi is no longer indispensable. By retreating to the Western Hemisphere and trading influence with Russia and China, Washington could push Delhi and Beijing into intensified rivalry across South and Southeast Asia.

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Yet this is where Trumps strategy risks collapsing under its own contradictions. The United States cannot afford to totally abandon South Asia, West Asia and the Indo-Pacific. Allowing China to dominate these regions would elevate Beijing to unprecedented power. And if Washington wishes to retain influence there, it will once again require capable allies  and Bharat inevitably returns to the equation.

This may explain Bharats cautious response to the Venezuela raid. New Delhi expressed concern but stopped short of condemnation. Looked at closely, the Venezuelan crisis may actually open strategic space for Bharat. Any effort that constrains Beijing works, indirectly, in Delhis favour. Moreover, an end to the Ukraine war would be welcomed in Bharat, reducing global instability and energy shocks.

In the Venezuela crisis, therefore, there may be an opening for New Delhi. Whether Bharat can exploit it will depend on diplomatic agility and strategic patience. Dealing with Trump will never be easy. But then, the road to greatness never is.

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(Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.)
After the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, US President Donald Trump proclaimed American dominance in Latin America, unveiling an aggressive Donroe Doctrine that has split the region between allies and critics.

In his celebratory news conference on the US capture of Venezuelan strongman leader Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump set out an extraordinarily forthright view of the use of US power in Latin America that exposed political divisions from Mexico to Argentina as Trump-friendly leaders rise across the region.

American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again," Trump proclaimed just hours before Maduro was perp-walked through the offices of the US Drug Enforcement Administration in New York.

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The scene marked a stunning culmination of months of escalation in Washingtons confrontation with Caracas that has reawakened memories of a past era of blatant US interventionism in the region.

Since assuming office less than a year ago  and promptly renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America  Trump has launched boat strikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean, ordered a naval blockade on Venezuelan oil exports and meddled in elections in Honduras and Argentina.

Through a combination of tariffs, sanctions and military force, he has pressured Latin American leaders to advance his administrations goals of combating drug trafficking, halting immigration, securing strategic natural resources and countering the influence of Russia and China.

The new, aggressive foreign policy  which Trump now calls the Donroe Doctrine," in reference to 19th-century President James Monroes belief that the US should dominate its sphere of influence  has carved the hemisphere into allies and foes.

The Trump administration in multiple different ways has been trying to reshape Latin American politics, said Gimena Sanchez, Andes director for the Washington Office on Latin America, a think tank. Theyre showing their teeth in the whole region."

Reactions to the US raid put regional divisions on display

Saturdays dramatic events  including Trumps vow that Washington would run Venezuela and seize control of its oil sector  galvanised opposite sides of the polarised continent.

Argentine President Javier Milei, Trumps ideological soulmate, characterised one side as supporting democracy, the defence of life, freedom and property. On the other side," he added, are those accomplices of a narco-terrorist and bloody dictatorship that has been a cancer for our region. Other right-wing leaders in South America similarly seized on Maduros ouster to declare their ideological affinity with Trump.

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In Ecuador, conservative President Daniel Noboa issued a stern warning for all followers of Hugo Chavez, Maduros mentor and the founder of the Bolivarian revolution: Your structure will completely collapse across the entire continent." In Chile, where a presidential election last month marked by fears over Venezuelan immigration brought down the leftist government, far-right President-elect Jose Antonio Kast hailed the US raid as great news for the region." But left-wing presidents in Latin America  including Brazils Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Mexicos Claudia Sheinbaum, Chiles Gabriel Boric and Colombias Gustavo Petro  expressed grave concerns over what they saw as US bullying.

Lula said the raid set an extremely dangerous precedent. Sheinbaum warned it jeopardises regional stability. Boric said it violated an essential pillar of international law. Petro called it aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America. Trump has previously punished or threatened all four leaders for failing to fall in line with his demands, while boosting and bailing out allies who show loyalty.

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The attack recalls a painful history of US intervention

For Lula  among the last surviving icons of the so-called pink tide, the leftist leaders who dominated Latin American politics from the turn of the 21st century  Trumps military action in Venezuela recalls the worst moments of interference in the politics of Latin America. Those moments range from American troops occupying Central American and Caribbean nations to promote the interests of US companies like Chiquita in the early 1900s to Washington supporting repressive military dictatorships in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay to fend off Soviet influence in the 1970s.

The historical echoes in Maduros downfall fueled not only harsh condemnations and street protests among Trumps left-wing opponents but also uneasy responses from some of his close allies.

Usually effusive in his support for Trump, President Nayib Bukele was oddly quiet in El Salvador, a nation still scarred by a brutal civil war between a repressive US-allied government and leftist guerrillas. He posted a meme mocking Maduro after his capture Saturday, but expressed none of the jubilation seen from regional counterparts.

In Bolivia, where old anti-American dogmas die hard due to memories of the bloody US-backed war on drugs, new conservative President Rodrigo Paz praised Maduros removal, inasmuch as it fulfilled the true popular will of Venezuelans who tried to vote the autocrat out of office in a 2024 election widely seen as fraudulent.

Bolivia reaffirms that the way out for Venezuela is to respect the vote, Paz said.

His message didnt age well. Hours later, Trump announced he would work with Maduros loyalist vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, rather than the opposition that prevailed in the 2024 election.

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The Trump administration, it appears at this point, is making decisions about the democratic future of Venezuela without referring back to the democratic result," said Kevin Whitaker, former deputy chief of mission for the State Department in Caracas.

When asked on Sunday about when Venezuela will hold democratic elections, Trump responded: I think were looking more at getting it fixed.

As the right rises, Trump puts enemies on notice

The Trump administrations attack on Venezuela extends its broader crusade to assemble a column of allied  or at least acquiescent  governments in Latin America, sailing with the political winds blowing in much of the region.

Recent presidential elections from Chile to Honduras have elevated tough, Trump-like leaders who oppose immigration, prioritise security and promise a return to better, bygone eras free of globalisation and wokeness. The president is going to be looking for allied and partner nations in the hemisphere who share his kind of broader ideological affinity, said Alexander Grey, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington research institute.

Those who dont share that ideology were put on notice this weekend. Trump said Cubas Communist government looks like its ready to fall. He slammed Sheinbaums failure to root out Mexican cartels, saying that somethings going to have to be done with Mexico. He repeated allegations that Petro likes making cocaine and warned that hes not going to be doing it very long." Were in the business of having countries around us that are viable and successful, where the oil is allowed to really come out," he told reporters Sunday on Air Force One. Its our hemisphere.

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Beijing has warned that a proposal by Taiwanese lawmakers to amend legislation governing cross-strait relations amounts to a push for de jure independence and increases the risk of war

Chess pieces stand before the Chinese and Taiwanese flags in this illustrative image. (Reuters)

Beijing has warned that a proposal by Taiwanese lawmakers to amend legislation governing cross-strait relations amounts to a push for de jure independence and increases the risk of war.

This proposal disregards the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan  publicly challenges the historical and legal fact that Taiwan is part of China, and blatantly promotes de jure Taiwan independence, South China Morning Post quoted Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua as saying on Sunday.

Taiwan independence means war. We have full confidence and sufficient capability to crush any form of de jure Taiwan independence plot, Binhua added.

Chen was referring to a proposal by lawmakers from Taiwans ruling, independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to amend the law regulating relations between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

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In a social media post on Saturday, DPP legislator Lin I-chin said the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area should be renamed the Taiwan and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) Relations Act.

Lin also called for the removal of references to before national reunification and the use of the term region to describe territories on both sides of the strait, saying the changes would better reflect basic facts.

Lin said the proposal, which seeks to amend a law enacted in the early 1990s to regulate exchanges between Taiwan and mainland China, completed its legislative petition on Friday after securing the signatures of more than 20 DPP lawmakers.

However, analysts have questioned whether the DPP has enough seats in Taiwans Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment, as opposition parties currently hold a slim majority, reported SCMP.

Several lawmakers from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which is seen as more friendly towards Beijing, have criticised the proposal, including party chairwoman Cheng Li-wun.

Taiwans government has responded cautiously.

The Mainland Affairs Council said on Saturday that the cross-strait relations law was politically sensitive and that any amendments would require broad societal consensus.

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Despite this, the proposal has drawn a strong reaction from Beijing. Chen said the move showed that the administration of President William Lai Ching-te and the DPP were peace destroyers, crisis creators and war instigators.

The proposal has nonetheless sparked strong concern in Beijing.

Speaking on Sunday, Chen said the legislative move fully demonstrates that the (William) Lai Ching-te administration and the DPP are complete peace destroyers, crisis creators and war instigators.

He warned that if independence separatist forces crossed what Beijing considers a red line, it would take decisive measures in accordance with the Anti-Secession Law.

DPPs past attempts

This is not the first time the DPP has sought to revise the name and wording of the legislation. In 2020, when the party held a majority in the legislature, it advanced a similar proposal that was later withdrawn.

The law was last substantially amended in 2019, when lawmakers introduced a requirement for a referendum in Taiwan before any cross-strait political agreement could be signed.

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Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and insists it will seek reunification by force if necessary.

In recent years, it has intensified military and political pressure on the island, viewing Lai and his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen  also from the DPP and in office from 2016 to 2024  as pro-independence figures.

Yu Xintian, a researcher at the Institute of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told SCMP that the proposal represented a clear move towards the one China, one Taiwan framework.

However, Yu said there was still ambiguity over what constituted de jure Taiwan independence, adding that the practical impact of the proposed amendment remains to be seen, as it did not yet meet Beijings threshold for the use of force.

He noted that Beijing retained a wide range of options in its cross-strait toolbox, from diplomatic and rhetorical pressure to military measures, citing recent Peoples Liberation Army drills encircling Taiwan.

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With inputs from agencies
A Paris court has convicted 10 people for harassing First Lady Brigitte Macron with false and offensive claims that stemmed from repeated, malicious online posts about the First Ladys gender and sexuality

France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron have claimed in their lawsuit that Candace Owens has been spreading "outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions". File image/Reuters

A Paris court on Monday convicted 10 people for harassing the countrys first lady, Brigitte Macron, over a wave of false and offensive online claims.

The 10 convictedeight men and two women aged between 41 and 60were found guilty of a range of cyber harassment offences that stemmed from repeated, malicious online posts about Brigitte Macrons gender and sexuality.

Prosecutors said the comments included baseless assertions that she was born a man and used the significant age gap between her and President Emmanuel Macron to imply wrongdoing.

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While Brigitte Macron did not personally attend the proceedings, the impact of the online attacks was brought into sharp relief during the trial.

Her daughter, Tiphaine Auziere, testified that the relentless stream of false claims had taken a toll on her mothers well-being and affected the familys everyday life. She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her, Auziere told the court.

High-profile online personalities found guilty

The harassment campaign, which took shape on social media platforms over several years, wasnt just limited to small-time commenters.

Among the defendants was Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, a well-known online figure whose account was suspended in 2024 amid multiple judicial investigations.

Another central defendant, Delphine Jegousse, also known online as Amandine Roy, was identified for her role in spreading conspiratorial content, including a lengthy video that helped fuel the false narratives.

Defendants came from a range of backgrounds, including an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist. Several argued in court that their posts were intended as humour or satire, claiming they didnt appreciate the seriousness of the charges. French prosecutors, however, rejected that defence, saying the reach and repetition of these posts showed a clear pattern of harassment and defamation.

Under French law, cyber harassment carries penalties of up to two years in prison, although the exact sentences for the convicted individuals have not been fully detailed.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Monday he would take up arms in response to threats from US President Donald Trump, following a weekend military strike in which Washington seized Maduro

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Monday he would take up arms in response to threats from US President Donald Trump, following a weekend military strike in which Washington seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Petro, a former guerrilla who has long faced insults and threats from Trump, wrote on X, I swore not to touch a weapon again but for the homeland I will take up arms again.

Trump also threatened other countries and implied military action in Colombia, telling reporters on Air Force One that the country is run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

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In response, Petro defended his governments record on combatting drug trafficking.

In a nearly 700-word post on X early Monday, he highlighted his administrations achievements, including the largest cocaine seizure in the worlds history and taking control of El Plateado - The Cocaine Wall Street that previous governments had allowed to flourish.

He added, I am not illegitimate, nor am I a narco, I only have as assets my family home that I still pay for with my salary. My bank statements have been published. Nobody can say that I have spent more than my salary. I am not greedy.

Petro said he has ordered targeted bombings against drug-linked armed groups while adhering to humanitarian law and cautioned against attacking such groups without sufficient intelligence.

Regarding Trumps remarks, he said he would respond once he has reviewed the translation and knows the true meaning.

Petro has also sharply criticised the Trump administrations actions in the region, accusing Washington of abducting Maduro without legal basis.

With inputs from agencies
An American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend, the Cuban government said Sunday in the first official death count provided of the American strikes in the South American nation.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel waves Venezuelan and Cuban national flags during a rally in Havana, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in solidarity after the U.S. captured President Nicolas Maduro and flew him out of Venezuela. Image Credit: AP

After US strikes on Venezuela and capture of President Nicolas Maduro along with his wife, the Cuban government informed on Sunday that about 32 Cuban officers were killed over the weekend.

The death toll was provided during the first death count after the American strikes in the South American nation.

The Cuban military and police officers were on a mission the Caribbean countrys military was carrying out at the request of Venezuelas government, according to a statement read on Cuban state TV on Sunday night.

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You know, a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday, US President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew Sunday night from Florida back to Washington. There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.

The US accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife for participating in the narco-terror conspiracy. The US seized both to face prosecution of being involved in this practice.

While Venezuelas government has acknowledged that a number of people died in the American blasts, they did not confirm how many were killed to The Associated Press.

The government of Cuba announced two days of state mourning for the Cuban officers that died in the attack, and former president and revolutionary leader Raul Castro and President Miguel Diaz-Canel sent condolences to their families.

The names of the dead and the positions they held were not immediately disclosed by Cuban authorities.

Faithful to their responsibilities for security and defense, our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism and fell after fierce resistance in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombings of the facilities, the official statement said.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed out the involvement of Cubans in the Venezuelan attack. Rubio said that the whole spy agency of Venezuela is filled with Cubans.

All the guards that help protect Maduro  this is well known  their whole spy agency, all that were full of Cubans, Rubio said.
Doctors at Cloudnine Hospitals Faridabad centre have successfully treated a rare case involving a giant 16-kg uterine fibroid in a 30-year-old woman, preserving her fertility through a complex surgical procedure.

In a rare and complex medical case, doctors at Cloudnine Hospitals Faridabad centre successfully treated a 30-year-old woman diagnosed with a giant uterine fibroid weighing 16 kg, while preserving her fertility.

The patient, a Delhi resident, had suffered two spontaneous pregnancy losses over the past two years. The first miscarriage occurred at around six weeks of gestation, followed by another in August 2025. She also reported a gradual sensation of abdominal heaviness since 2023, along with a sudden and significant increase in abdominal size over the last six months.

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Despite these symptoms, she did not experience any urinary, bowel or pressure-related complaints, and her menstrual cycles remained regular. This contributed to a delay in diagnosis.

Diagnostic findings

A detailed evaluation at Cloudnine Faridabad revealed a massive uterine fibroid. Ultrasonography showed a growth measuring 30  26 cm, while an MRI of the pelvis confirmed a giant subserosal fibroid measuring approximately 30  29.7 cm. The findings were consistent with a benign leiomyoma, with no evidence of malignancy.

Surgical planning and execution

Given the fibroids enormous size, rapid growth and its association with recurrent pregnancy loss, the medical team planned surgical intervention with a strong focus on uterine conservation.

The surgery required extensive preparation, including the availability of blood products and advanced surgical equipment. Intraoperatively, surgeons identified a giant fibroid arising from the left broad ligament, densely adherent to the bladder anteriorly and the bowel posteriorly. Through meticulous dissection and surgical expertise, the fibroid was successfully removed with minimal blood loss while preserving the uterus. The excised mass weighed 16 kg, making it one of the largest fibroids treated at the centre.

Recovery and outcome

The patients postoperative recovery was smooth and uneventful, and she was discharged in stable condition with her reproductive potential intact.

Commenting on the case, Dr Laxmi Goel, Director, Department of Fertility at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Faridabad, said women often ignore symptoms such as abdominal heaviness, gradual abdominal enlargement or repeated pregnancy loss, attributing them to stress or hormonal changes.

Fibroids can grow silently and reach alarming sizes before detection. Early consultation and timely imaging can prevent complications, preserve fertility and significantly improve outcomes, she said, adding that persistent abdominal changes and recurrent pregnancy loss warrant early medical evaluation, even in young women with otherwise regular menstrual cycles.

The successful outcome underscores Cloudnine Faridabads expertise in managing complex and high-risk gynaecological cases through advanced diagnostics, surgical precision and a fertility-preserving approach.

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US President Donald Trump on Sunday denied claims that Ukraine did not attack the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack. I dont believe that strike happened, Trump said in response to a question

US President Donald Trump denied reports that Ukraine has not attacked the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack as claimed by the Kremlin last week.

Dont believe that strike happened

I dont believe that strike happened, Trump said in response to a question asked by an AFP reporter.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week said Ukraine launched a wave of drones at Putins state residence in the northwestern Novgorod region that the Russian defense systems were able to defeat.

There was a video published by Russias Defence Ministry last week which showed that Ukraine had launched drone missiles at Putins home in the Novgorod region, citing that the leader was absent at that time from his residence and did no harm to him.

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Something happened nearby Putins residence

Lavrov also criticized Kyiv for launching the attack at a moment of intensive negotiations to end the war.

The accusation came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had travelled to Florida to meet US President Donald Trump for peace talks and the evolving US-administered 20 point peace plan.

Trump said that something happened nearby Putins residence but that Americans officials didnt find the Russian presidents residence was targeted.

Russian officials criticized Ukraine as being insincere in its diplomatic efforts, while Kyiv and its Western allies disputed the attack had occurred.

Zelensky has meanwhile blamed Russia for carrying the war into the New Year with a series of deadly bombardments.

We dont believe that happened, now that weve been able to check, Trump said.

Trump downplayed the Russian allegation, which later he clarified via a social media post that raised doubt about the Russian allegation.

Both Trump and Zelenskyy said last week they made progress in their talks at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort.

Putin not interested in ceasefire

Putin has shown little interest in ending the war, as he did not agree to compromise on his territory until winning control of all Ukrainian territory.

European leaders are expected to convene in France on Tuesday for further talks on a US-backed plan to end Europes deadliest conflict since World War II, which Zelensky says is 90 percent ready."
From Maduro to Saddam, the US has on several occasions captured or taken custody of foreign heads of state during military or political crises. These cases, though rare, have often triggered global debate over sovereignty, international law and Washingtons use of force.

A woman reacts as Venezuelans living in Chile gather to celebrate, after the United States struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Reuters

After months of posturing, military build-up and sharp exchanges, the United States has captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, effectively ending his controversial rule of nearly 13 years.

Maduro and his wife have reportedly been flown out of Venezuela and are likely to be taken to the US, where he faces multiple federal charges linked to drug trafficking.

The detention of a sitting head of state by the US has sent shockwaves across the world. However, this is not the first time Washington has captured or taken custody of a foreign leader.

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The US has often cited the KerFrisbie Doctrine to justify such actions. Based on two Supreme Court rulings  Ker v. Illinois in 1886 and Frisbie v. Collins in 1952  the doctrine holds that a defendant can be tried in the US even if they were brought into the country through illegal abduction.

Other foreign leaders captured by the US

Manuel Noriega (Panama)

Manuel Noriega, Panamas former military strongman, was the de facto ruler of the country from 1983 to 1989. Once a close ally of the US and the CIA, Noriega later fell out with Washington and was indicted on drug trafficking charges.

In December 1989, the US launched a large-scale invasion of Panama involving around 27,000 troops and hundreds of aircraft. Noriega took refuge in the Vatican Embassy before surrendering on January 3, 1990. He was flown to Miami, tried and convicted, and sentenced to 40 years in prison. He was later extradited to France in 2010 and then to Panama in 2011. Noriega died in 2017 after suffering from a brain tumour.

Saddam Hussein (Iraq)

Following the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, President Saddam Hussein was removed from power. He was captured by US forces near Tikrit in December 2003. Saddam was later tried for crimes against humanity and executed in 2006.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide (Haiti)

In 2024, former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide alleged that he was kidnapped by the US and forced into exile as rebel forces advanced. The US rejected the claim, stating that it only facilitated his departure to prevent widespread bloodshed during the rebellion.

Juan Orlando Hernandez (Honduras)

Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez was arrested in Honduras in February 2022 and extradited to the US two months later. In June 2024, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison on drug trafficking charges. In November 2025, Hernandez was pardoned by Donald Trump and released from prison.
The killing took place around 6 pm in the Kopalia Bazar area of Manirampur sub-district in Jashore, southwestern Bangladesh, according to a report, citing officials

In another incident highlighting violence against minorities in Bangladesh, a 45-year-old Hindu factory owner and acting newspaper editor, Rana Pratap, was shot in the head by a group of men on Monday evening.

According to an NDTV report, citing officials, the killing took place around 6 pm in the Kopalia Bazar area of Manirampur sub-district in Jashore, southwestern Bangladesh.

Akhtar Faruk Mintu, chairman of the Manoharpur Union Parishad, said Pratap, the son of a schoolteacher from Arua village in neighboring Keshabpur sub-district, had been running an ice factory in Kopalia Bazar for two years.

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Some men called him out of the ice factory, led him to an alley, and shot him, NDTV quoted Mintu as saying.

Local resident Ripon Hossain said the attackers arrived on a motorcycle.

They had an argument with Pratap, fired several rounds at his head and fled, he said. Seven bullet casings were reportedly found beside Prataps body.

According to NDTV, citing a local source, Pratap had several cases pending at various police stations in Jashore and alleged links to an extremist group.

He also served as acting editor of the daily _BD Khobo_r, published from Narail district.

The newspapers news editor, Abul Kashem, said, Rana Pratap was our acting editor. Although there were cases against him at one time, he was acquitted in all of them. I cannot say what led to this murder.

Jahangir Alam, general secretary of the BNPs Sufalakati Union unit in Keshabpur and a resident of Arua village, alleged that Pratap was a member of an extremist group.

He had an ice factory in Kopalia and was killed in that area. He was involved in various disputes. He moved freely in the Kopalia area and did not live in his own village, NDTV quoted Alam as saying.

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Manirampur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Raziullah Khan told NDTV that an investigation is underway.

After receiving the news, we went to the scene. The body has been recovered and sent to the morgue for an autopsy. We are investigating who was involved, he said.

Prataps killing comes shortly after the rape of a Hindu widow and the murders of at least three Hindu men in Bangladesh since December, drawing criticism of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim governments handling of violence against minorities.

With inputs from agencies
Amid deepening ties between India and Israel, State Bank of India (SBI) the only Indian bank with a presence in Israel, plans to facilitate bilateral trade settlements in Indian Rupees as momentum builds toward a Free Trade Agreement.

Amid deepening strategic ties and discussions around Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and Israel gaining momentum, the State Bank of India (SBI), the only Indian bank with a presence in Israel, is looking to facilitate bilateral trade in Indian rupees.

In view of Indias significant trade flows from/to its partner countries and growing interest among the global trading community to trade in the Indian rupee, it has been envisaged by our banking regulators, i.e. Reserve Bank of India, to permit Indian banks to facilitate settlement of exports and imports of their respective corporate clientele in INR. Israel has been identified as one of the partner countries under this mechanism, CEO of SBI Israel, V Manivannan, told PTI.

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Israeli entities undertaking exports/imports through this mechanism shall receive and make payments in INR, which shall be credited into the Special Rupee Vostro Account (SRVA), against invoices for the supply/purchase of goods or services from the Israeli seller/buyer, the SBI executive said.

SBI Tel Aviv has all the requisite approvals in place to facilitate these transactions, he added.

The SBI branch has held several meetings and organised webinars recently in collaboration with the Israel-India Chamber of Commerce to promote trade in rupees. It has also involved most of the major defence entities in Israel in these discussions.

With more than 40,000 Indian workers joining the Israeli workforce recently, SBI is also looking to facilitate the flow of remittances to India by facilitating the opening of their NRI accounts in India at its Tel Aviv branch.

There has been an influx of the Indian workforce in the Israeli labour market, especially in construction and agriculture. SBI Tel Aviv is now facilitating the services for the Indian diaspora by connecting them with NRI accounts facility on the Indian side and exploring collaborating with fintech and local banks to facilitate their INR remittance business, Manivannan said.

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SBI opened its branch in Israel in 2007 and has since managed to retain a full-fledged operation, demonstrating resilience in the face of the pandemic and more than two years of turmoil in the region due to the ongoing war.

It has a presence in 29 countries through 241 points of presence outside India.

Situated in the Diamond Exchange in Ramat-Gan, next to Tel Aviv, the SBI Branch caters to local corporates offerings trade finances, bank guarantees for India-related projects, business account and related operations.

As cooperation between India and Israel is on the rise, the branch is already acting as a bridge to facilitate activities. With SBIs vast global network (across all time zones and correspondent relationships across the globe), support from SBI Treasury and connect with India, presents a unique capability and outreach for local corporates dealing with India or any other part of the world, the SBI CEO noted.

The branch is committed to further strengthening the connection with its present and prospective clientele and be a trusted partner in their business endeavours, the executive added.

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The push for rupee trade comes at a time when both countries are making efforts towards realising the full potential of economic collaboration.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Israel in December following the visit of Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal in November.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi last month, and the two leaders agreed to meet very soon.

Israeli Minister of Tourism Haim Katz, Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Avi Dichter, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited India during 2025 as the strategic partners build-up momentum to sign a Free Trade Agreement.

The two countries signed a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) during Smotrichs visit to India, and a term of reference for an FTA was signed during Goyals visit to Israel.
Protests over rising living costs entered their second week in Iran, with deadly clashes reported in multiple cities and at least 12 people killed, according to official reports .

Protestors attacking a government building in Fasa, in southern Iran on December 31, amidst spontaneous nationwide protests driven by dissatisfaction at the country's economic stagnation. File/AFP

Deadly clashes broke out again across Iran on Sunday as protests over rising living costs entered their second week. Demonstrations were reported in several cities, with security forces confronting protesters amid growing unrest, according to rights groups and local media.

The protests began on December 28 with a shopkeepers strike in Tehran. Since then, at least 12 people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, based on a toll compiled from official reports.

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Demonstrations reported in multiple cities

Overnight protests were reported in Tehran, Shiraz in the south, and parts of western Iran, where the movement has been most active. Demonstrators were heard chanting slogans critical of the Islamic republics clerical leadership, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

The demonstrations mark the most significant unrest since the 20222023 protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for allegedly violating Irans dress code for women.

Pressure mounts on leadership

The current protests are largely concentrated in western regions with sizeable Kurdish and Lor populations. While they have not yet reached the scale of the 20222023 movement or the mass demonstrations following the disputed 2009 presidential election, they pose a fresh challenge for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, who has been in power since 1989.

The unrest comes weeks after a 12-day war with Israel in June, during which Irans nuclear infrastructure was damaged and senior members of the security establishment were killed.

Government announces financial relief

With economic pressure fuelling anger, government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told state television on Sunday that citizens would receive a monthly allowance equivalent to $7 for the next four months.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump warned that Iran would face consequences if further deaths occur.

Were watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think theyre going to get hit very hard by the United States, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, a day after the American operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Deadly clashes in western provinces

Protests have taken place in 23 of Irans 31 provinces and in at least 40 cities, mostly small and medium-sized, according to an AFP tally based on official statements and media reports.

The Norway-based Hengaw rights group said Revolutionary Guards opened fire on protesters in Malekshahi county in western Ilam province on Saturday, killing four members of Irans Kurdish minority. The group said it was verifying reports of two additional deaths and reported dozens of injuries.

Hengaw also accused authorities of raiding Ilams main hospital to seize the bodies of protesters.

The Iran Human Rights organisation, also based in Norway, reported the same toll of four deaths and said 30 people were wounded after security forces attacked the protests in Malekshahi. It said funerals were held on Sunday, with mourners chanting slogans against the government and Khamenei.

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Both organisations shared videos showing bloodied bodies on the ground, footage that AFP said it had verified.

Iranian media reported that a member of the security forces was killed during a clash with rioters who attempted to storm a police office, adding that two assailants were also killed.

In Tehran, sporadic protests were reported on Saturday night in eastern, western and southern districts, according to the Fars news agency.

On Sunday, most shops in the capital were open, though streets were quieter than usual. Riot police and security forces were deployed at major intersections, AFP observed.

Images verified by AFP showed security forces using tear gas to disperse protesters gathered in central Tehran.

HRANA said at least 582 people have been arrested over the past week. Hengaw said almost all of those killed belonged to ethnic minorities, mainly Kurds and Lors.

Outside Iran, several hundred people attended two rallies in Paris on Sunday in support of the protesters. Similar demonstrations were held in London a day earlier, AFP correspondents reported.

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From Iraqs WMDs to Venezuelas narco-terror, the playbook remains the same. Critics argue Trumps selective war on drugs is a thin veil for oil-driven regime change, threatening to pull America into a quagmire twice the size of Iraq.

US President Donald Trump (left) and former US President George W. Bush.

The spectre of 2003 hangs heavy over the Caribbean. As President Donald Trumps administration moves from naval blockades to a full-scale seizure of Venezuela, critics and historians alike are drawing an unmissable parallel. Is narco-terrorism the new weapons of mass destruction?

In 2003, George W. Bushs administration justified the invasion of Iraq by insisting Saddam Hussein possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), a threat that was later proven to be non-existent. Today, Trump has framed the removal of Nicolas Maduro as a law enforcement necessity, labelling Venezuela a narco-terrorist state."

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While Bush used the fear of nuclear fallout, Trump has used cocaine as his casus belli, claiming Maduro was deliberately deploying cocaine as a weapon of mass destruction to destabilise the US

A blueprint for regime change

The similarities are more than rhetorical. Just as the Bush team vastly exaggerated Iraqs threat to American soil, Trump has inflated Maduros narco-reach to justify military intervention. Following the dramatic capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on January 3, Trumps true intentions became clearer. Abandoning the pretense of a simple drug bust, Trump declared, We are going to run Venezuela until a safe transition occurs, explicitly mentioning plans to tap and sell Venezuelas oil reserves.

Selective justice

The war on drugs justification falls apart under the weight of political selective memory.

While Trump has ordered lethal strikes on Venezuelan vesselskilling over 100 people since late 2025he recently issued a full pardon to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

Hernandez was convicted in a US court in 2024 for facilitating the shipment of 400 tonnes of cocaine. Trumps defence of Hernandez, whom he claimed was persecuted very unfairly by Biden, suggests that drugs are only a problem for Washington when the leader in question isnt a political ally.

Another forever war?

The strategic risk is immense. Venezuela is roughly 912,050 square kilometres more than twice the size of Iraq (438,317 square kilometres). While the Trump administration calls this a rapid strike, the occupation of a country this size, especially one with a deeply ideologically driven military, threatens to become a massive quagmire.

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As Trump moves to monetise the worlds largest oil reserves under the banner of stability, the world is left asking if America has learned anything from the sands of Iraq, or if it is simply opening a new, tropical chapter in the history of forever wars.
Toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro appeared in a New York federal court on Monday to face US drug trafficking charges, days after President Donald Trump ordered a high-profile operation to capture him.

An activist, wearing a cutout mask depicting US President Donald Trump, holds a toy gun and a container with the words, 'My Oil' during an anti-Trump rally to condemn the US conducting a military act on Venezuela to capture its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in central Seoul, South Korea. Reuters

Toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro appeared before a federal court in New York on Monday to face long-standing US drug trafficking charges, days after President Donald Trump ordered a dramatic operation to capture him, triggering global shockwaves and plunging Venezuela into political uncertainty.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over instability in Venezuela and raised questions over the legality of the US action, described as Washingtons most significant military intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama. US Special Forces reportedly entered Caracas by helicopter on Saturday, breached Maduros security perimeter and removed him from a secure location.

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On Monday morning, Maduro, his hands zip-tied, and his wife Cilia Flores were escorted by armed guards from a Brooklyn detention facility to a helicopter bound for a federal courthouse in Manhattan, where he was due to appear before US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein.

US prosecutors accuse Maduro of overseeing a cocaine trafficking network linked to violent groups including Mexicos Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombias FARC rebels and Venezuelas Tren de Aragua gang. Maduro, 63, has consistently denied the allegations, claiming they are a pretext for US attempts to seize control of Venezuelas oil resources.

The unprecedented seizure of a sitting head of state prompted swift international reaction. Venezuela issued an emergency order instructing police to search for and detain anyone who supported the US operation, while Russia, China and several left-leaning governments condemned the raid. The UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting to debate the legality and implications of the action.

Maduro was expected to hear the charges against him and enter a plea during his arraignment. If convicted, he faces decades to life in prison on each count. Prosecutors allege his involvement in drug trafficking dates back to his time in Venezuelas National Assembly in 2000 and continued through his tenure as foreign minister and later president following his 2013 election after Hugo Chavezs death.

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US federal authorities first indicted Maduro in 2020 as part of a wider narcotics case involving current and former Venezuelan officials and Colombian guerrillas. An updated indictment released on Saturday added further details and co-defendants, including Flores.

Washington has refused to recognise Maduro as Venezuelas legitimate leader since his disputed 2018 re-election. International law experts have questioned the legality of the US operation, with some describing it as a challenge to the rules-based international order.

Oil ambitions and shifting tone in Caracas

Despite Maduros capture, senior officials from his 13-year-old government remain in control in Caracas. While initially adopting a defiant stance, Venezuelan leaders later signalled openness to engagement with Washington.

Shares of US oil companies rose amid speculation that the US could gain access to Venezuelas vast oil reserves. Trump reiterated interest in the countrys energy sector, saying American firms would return to rebuild Venezuelas oil infrastructure.

Were taking back what they stole. Were in charge, Trump said aboard Air Force One on Sunday.

Venezuela holds the worlds largest proven oil reserves, estimated at about 303 billion barrels, but production has fallen sharply due to mismanagement, under-investment and US sanctions, averaging roughly 1.1 million barrels per day last year.

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After initially condemning the operation as a kidnapping and an oil-driven colonial move, acting president Delcy Rodriguez softened her tone, calling for cooperation with Washington.

We invite the US government to work together on an agenda of cooperation, Rodriguez said. Our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war.

Trump has warned of further action if Venezuela fails to cooperate on opening its oil industry and curbing drug trafficking, while also issuing warnings to Colombia, Mexico and Cuba.

Global reaction

At the UN Security Councils emergency meeting, requested by Venezuela with support from Russia and China, Caracas accused the US of carrying out brutal, unjustified and unilateral armed attacks and violating the UN Charter.

US ambassador Mike Waltz told the council there was no war in Venezuela, describing the operation as a law enforcement action tied to long-standing indictments and citing the 1989 capture of Panamas leader Manuel Noriega as precedent. He said evidence against Maduro would be presented openly in US court.

China strongly condemned the US action, saying Washington had trampled on Venezuelas sovereignty and violated the principle of sovereign equality.

US allies reacted cautiously, urging restraint, dialogue and respect for international law. The operation also triggered political fallout in Washington, with opposition Democrats saying they were misled, while Trumps supporters largely praised the move as decisive.

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Inside Venezuela, celebrations among Maduros opponents were muted, as his allies remain in power and there has been no visible split within the military, even as speculation grows that insiders may have aided the operation.
While addressing the media regarding the US forces operation in Venezuela, US President Donald Trump has often cited a policy belonging to the 19th-century president. All you need to know about the Monroe Doctrine

While addressing the media regarding the US forces operation in Venezuela, US President Donald Trump has often cited a policy belonging to the 19th-century president. On Saturday, Trump described the capture of the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as an update to the Monroe Doctrine, the 1823 declaration by the fifth US president, James Monroe.

He announced that for now the United States will run the country until a safe, proper and judicious transition could be carried out. The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but weve superseded it by a lot, by a real lot. They now call it the Donroe document, Trump said, adding the first letter of his name to the series of principles.

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American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again, he added. Soon after Trumps proclamation, many started to wonder what the Monroe Doctrine is all about and why it has become relevant in the current circumstances.

Lets take a look at the significance of the Monroe Doctrine.

What is the Monroe Doctrine?

The Monroe Doctrine looks at the world as divided into spheres of influence overseen by different powers. Monroe first made a mention of the doctrine on December 2, 1823, during his seventh annual State of the Union address to Congress. However, the doctrine was not named after him until decades later.

Advocating for his doctrine, Monroe warned European powers not to interfere in the affairs of the Americas, stressing that any action of that sort would be viewed as an attack on the US. He emphasised that the Western Hemisphere and Europe should remain separate and should not influence each other.

The colonial legacy

Monroe propagated the idea by promising that, in return, the United States would not recognise or interfere with existing European colonies or the internal affairs of European countries. However, Monroe maintained that North and South America would no longer be subject to future colonisation by any European power.

In many aspects, the Monroe Doctrine not only maintained the status quo in the Americas but also dictated a European disengagement from them. Eventually, in 1904, then-President Theodore Roosevelt added the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.

This entailed that the United States has the right to intervene in Latin American countries to prevent European interference, especially concerning debt or instability, to maintain stability and protect Washingtons interests in the region.

Roosevelt pushed for it at a time when European creditors were threatening several Latin American countries. Roosevelt stated the right and responsibility of the US to get involved in line with the doctrine. The idea was put to use in the aftermath of the Venezuelan crisis of 1902-1903, when the country rejected paying its foreign debts.

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Why Trump is pushing the doctrine

Over the next few decades, the evolved Monroe Doctrine has been used as a justification for US intervention in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Nicaragua. In the 1980s, then-President Ronald Reagan pursued an aggressive approach to the region, branded imperialist by his detractors.

In Nicaragua, he supported the right-wing Contras against the left-wing government of the Sandinistas and landed the US in the Iran-Contra arms-trafficking scandal. He also supported right-wing governments accused of atrocities in El Salvador and Guatemala.

Meanwhile, Cuba has long been under intensive pressure from the US since Fidel Castros revolution, both militarily and economically, under punishing sanctions that exist to this day. Hence, Trump can be seen as following Reagans footsteps.
Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim said that he would introduce legislation this year he will table a bill to limit the term of Prime Minister not exceeding 10 years.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks as he attends a business and investment conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 6, 2025. Image Credit: Reuters

The Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim on Monday said that he would introduce legislation this year to limit the term of Prime Minister to 10 years, including a two-term limit and fulfilling one of his campaign promises.

During a cabinet meeting with ministers and civil servants, Anwar cautioned that everyone has a term limit without exception.

We will table a bill to limit the term of the prime minister, not exceeding 10 years or two full terms, Anwar said in a special New Years announcement.

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After serving the term, it is better for us to hand it over to the next generation", he added.

There is currently no term limit in Malaysia for Prime Ministers. Former PM Mahathir Mohamad was in power for 22 years during his first tenure until he stepped down in 2003.

He said a bill to separate the attorney-generals role as the governments top legal adviser from the function of leading public prosecutor will also be tabled when parliament reconvenes for its first sitting of the year this month.

Anwar did not say when the term limits bill would be filed. Parliament will hold its first session of the year this month.

Anwars Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition pledged in its 2022 election manifesto to limit the prime ministers tenure to two terms.

Separately, Anwar also announced the government would also introduce a freedom of information bill in parliament, along with legislation to set up the office of an ombudsman to strengthen the fight against corruption.

The ombudsman  allows the people to raise any issues because without exception, from the prime minister downwards, everyone must be accountable and open to be questioned, Anwar said.

Last month, Malaysias High Court sentenced former Prime Minister Najib Razak to 15 more years in jail after convicting him of abuse of power and money laundering in the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund graft scandal.

When Mahathir came out of retirement to lead a disparate opposition coalition that ousted the graft-tainted government of then prime minister Najib Razak in the 2018 elections.

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He became the worlds oldest serving prime minister when he was sworn in again as Malaysias leader at age 92 that year.
Rubio has emerged as a key figure behind the Trump administrations Venezuela strategy. A Cuban descendant often described as Trumps Man Friday on the issue, Rubios background, political influence and close ties to the Cuban and Venezuelan diaspora explain why he has taken such a central role as tensions in the region continue to escalate.

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

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has emerged as one of the primary architects of the Trump administrations Venezuela policy. Over the years, Rubio has positioned himself as a key Republican voice on Latin America, drawing on both his background and political influence to advocate a hard line against the government in Caracas.

Rubio cut his political teeth with the backing of influential Cuban exiles who rose to prominence within the GOP during President Ronald Reagans Cold War years. That network not only shaped his early political career but also helped him build credibility on issues related to Cuba, Venezuela and left-wing regimes across the region.

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His personal history, combined with close ties to the Cuban and Venezuelan diasporas in the United States, has given Rubio significant clout within the Trump administration. These connections have translated into a direct role in shaping Washingtons approach towards Venezuela, placing him at the centre of efforts that could influence the countrys political future.

Rubio is the second son and third child of Mario Rubio Reina and Oriales (nee Garcia) Rubio. His parents immigrated to the United States from Cuba in 1956 during the regime of Fulgencio Batista, more than two years before Fidel Castro came to power following the Cuban Revolution.

Warning to Cuba after Maduros capture

A day after the US carried out a military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Rubio issued a fresh warning to Cuba. Speaking to NBC News Meet the Press, the secretary of state said he believed Cuba was in a lot of trouble.

Im not going to talk about what our future steps or policies will be at this point, Rubio said. But it is no secret that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime, which, by the way, was propping up Maduro.

Trump on Saturday drew a comparison between Cuba and Venezuela, telling reporters that Cuba was also a failing nation and one the US would have to address. I think Cuba is going to be something well end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now, a very badly failing nation, and we want to help the people, he said.

The president added that the situation was similar to Venezuela, noting that Washington wanted to help both the Cuban people and those who were forced to leave the country and are now living in the United States.

Claims of Cuban involvement around Maduro

On Sunday, Rubio said Cuban officials had been present with Maduro in Venezuela ahead of his capture. Speaking to Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker, the secretary of state said it was Cubans who were responsible for guarding Maduro, not Venezuelan personnel.

He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards, Rubio said. He added that Cuban officials also controlled internal intelligence within Maduros government, including monitoring loyalty and identifying potential traitors. Those are all Cubans, he said.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing and both the countries signed nine cooperation agreements to boost economic collaboration amid global tensions.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung reached China on Sunday during his four-day state visit to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to deepen cooperation. The Chinese and South Korean companies signed nine cooperation agreements during the meeting of respective leaders, officials said on Monday.

The deals were signed between companies in Beijing. Lees China visit is marked as the first ever visit since he took charge in June amid global tensions and North Korea launching ballistic missiles and US intervention in Venezuela.

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Boost economic collaboration

The meeting between the two world leaders was aimed to boost economic collaboration and increase tourism as Chinas relations with Japan have sunk in the past few months since the Taiwan claim and Takaichi taking the charge.

South Koreas Trade Ministry announced the nine agreements on Monday and said Alibaba International, Lenovo, and South Korean retailer Shinsegae, were among the companies that signed deals.

Lee arrived for his four day tour along with a delegation of more than 200 South Korean business leaders including Samsung Electronics, Chairman Jay Y. Lee, SK Group, Chairman Chey Tae-won, and Hyundai Motor, Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung.

Aiming to promote peace

Lee is aiming to promote peace on the Korean soil through his Beijing visit as North Korea test fired hypersonic missiles on Sunday, with leader Kim Jong Un citing the need for Pyongyang to maintain a powerful nuclear deterrent in its first ballistic missile test of the year.

South Korea and China need to expand economic cooperation in artificial intelligence, Lee said, and could also collaborate in consumer goods such as household goods, beauty, food products and cultural content such as movies, music, games and sports.

However, South Korean Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said in a radio interview on Monday that Beijing was unlikely to lift its unofficial ban on Korean culture anytime soon.

South Korea and Beijings ties have warmed as China and Japan navigate a diplomatic spat. Both the countries are expected to discuss matters such as supply chain investment, the digital economy and cultural exchanges during Lees visit, Chinas state broadcaster CCTV said.
Polish PM calls for European unity after US threats on Greenland and military action in Venezuela raise alarm across the continent

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday issued a stark warning about Europes future, saying the continent is finished without unity, after a week that exposed divisions among EU countries on foreign policy.

Tusk, a pro-European centrist, wrote on social media Monday that Europe would not be taken seriously if it remained weak and divided: neither enemy nor ally.

It is already clear now. We must finally believe in our own strength, we must continue to arm ourselves, we must stay united like never before, Politico quoted Tusk as saying.

One for all, and all for one. Otherwise, we are finished, he added.

Tusks warning followed US President Donald Trump reviving his long-standing threats to take control of Greenland, the self-governing Danish territory.

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We need Greenland from a national security situation, Politico quoted Trump as telling reporters on Air Force One on Sunday.

He added, We will deal with Greenland in about two months. Lets talk about Greenland in 20 days, without elaborating.

The comments came after a bold US raid on Venezuela, which included strikes and the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro.

The operation sparked fears in Europe that Washington might target Greenland, prompting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to sharply dismiss the idea as making absolutely no sense.

Nordic neighbors Norway, Finland, and Sweden expressed their support.

EU reactions to the US Venezuela intervention have been mixed.

High Representative Kaja Kallas called for restraint, backed by 26 member states except Hungary.

Spain and five Latin American countries issued a stronger condemnation, denouncing the attack on Venezuelas sovereignty and warning against exploitation of its resources, amid Trumps pledge to control its oil fields.

While most EU nations issued cautious statements emphasising respect for international law, Italy described the military action as legitimate against hybrid security attacks.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico denounced it as further evidence of the breakdown of the world order, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned on Facebook that the liberal world order is in disintegration.

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With inputs from agencies
Maduro pleaded not guilty in New York federal court to four criminal counts that include narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices

Nicolas Maduro attends a gathering in support of his government in Caracas, on February 7, 2019. Reuters File

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of narco-terrorism, days after President Donald Trumps dramatic capture of him sent shockwaves through global capitals and left officials in Caracas scrambling to respond.

Maduro, 63, entered not-guilty pleas in a New York federal court to four criminal counts, including narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.

Prosecutors accuse Maduro of overseeing a cocaine-trafficking network that allegedly collaborated with violent groups such as Mexicos Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombias FARC rebels, and Venezuelas Tren de Aragua gang.

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Maduro has long denied the allegations, saying they were a mask for imperialist designs on Venezuelas vast oil reserves.

As world leaders and US lawmakers reacted to the unprecedented seizure of a sitting head of state, Venezuela issued an emergency order, published in full on Monday, directing police to search for and detain anyone who supported Saturdays US operation.

The UN Security Council also met on Monday to debate the legality and implications of the raid. Russia, China and leftist allies of Venezuela condemned the action.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced concern over instability in Venezuela and questioned the legality of Trumps move, described as the most dramatic U.S. intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama. U.S. Special Forces carried out the operation in Caracas on Saturday, breaching Maduros security and detaining him during the raid.

Maduro, wife appear in New York court

On Monday morning, Maduro - his hands zip-tied - and his wife Cilia Flores were escorted by armed guards in tactical gear from a Brooklyn detention center to a helicopter bound for court.

Prosecutors say Maduro has been involved in drug trafficking from the time he began serving in Venezuelas National Assembly in 2000 to his tenure as foreign minister and subsequent 2013 election as the late president Hugo Chavezs successor.

Federal prosecutors in New York first indicted him in 2020 as part of a long-running narcotics trafficking case against current and former Venezuelan officials and Colombian guerrillas. An updated indictment made public on Saturday added some new details and co-defendants, including Cilia Flores.

The US has considered Maduro an illegitimate dictator since he declared victory in a 2018 election marred by allegations of massive irregularities.

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Experts in international law have questioned the legality of the raid, with some condemning Trumps actions as a repudiation of a rules-based international order.

Trump asserts oil aspirations

In Caracas, senior officials from Maduros 13-year-old government remain in charge of the South American oil producer of 30 million people, first spitting defiance then pivoting to possible cooperation with the Trump administration.

U.S. oil companies shares jumped on Monday, fueled by the prospect of access to Venezuelas vast oil reserves.

Trump has made no secret of wanting to share in Venezuelas oil riches.

American oil companies will return to Venezuela and rebuild the sectors infrastructure, Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday.

Were taking back what they stole, Trump said. Were in charge.

Venezuela has the worlds largest reserves - about 303 billion barrels - but the sector has long been in decline from mismanagement, under-investment and U.S. sanctions, averaging 1.1 million bpd output last year, a third of its 1970s heyday.

Acting Venezuelan president urges cooperation

After first denouncing Maduros capture as a colonial oil-grab and kidnapping, Venezuelas acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, softened her stance on Sunday, saying it was a priority to have respectful relations with Washington.

We invite the US government to work together on an agenda of cooperation, Rodriguez said. President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war.

Trump has threatened another strike if Venezuela does not cooperate with opening its oil industry and stopping drugs. Trump also threatened Colombia and Mexico on Sunday and said Cubas communist government looks like its ready to fall.

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Just how the US would work with a post-Maduro government, full of sworn ideological enemies, is unclear. Trump appears to have sidelined for now the Venezuelan opposition, where many anti-Maduro activists had assumed this would be their moment.

Rodriguez, daughter of a leftist guerrilla who has been praised as a tigress by Maduro, is also known as a pragmatist with good connections in the private sector and a belief in economic orthodoxy.

Global consternation

Washingtons allies, most of whom did not recognize Maduro as president due to vote-rigging allegations, have been more muted, stressing the need for dialogue and adherence to law.

Trumps raid has created a political storm in the US, with opposition Democrats saying they were misled. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was due to brief top lawmakers later on Monday.

While a handful of conservative figures have criticized the Venezuela operation as a betrayal of Trumps America First pledge to avoid foreign entanglements, most supporters have largely praised it as a swift, painless win.

Inside Venezuela, Maduro opponents have kept celebrations on hold as his allies remain in power and there is no sign of the military turning against them, even though many suspect some insiders helped in Saturdays operation.

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With inputs from agencies
Seven years before US President Donald Trump invaded Venezuela to oust Nicolas Maduro, his former top adviser Fiona Hill said Russian leader Vladimir Putin was signalling a deal: he would hand Venezuela to the United States in exchange for Trump allowing Russia to take Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump receives a football from Russian President Vladimir Putin as they hold a joint news conference after their meeting in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018. (Photo: Grigory Dukor/Reuters)

Seven years before US President Donald Trump invaded Venezuela to oust longtime leader Nicolas Maduro, one of his former top officials responsible for Russia said that Vladimir Putin had sought to strike a deal about a Ukraine-Venezuela swap.

Under the deal, Russia Maduros biggest backer would allow the United States to do as Trump wished in Venezuela in exchange for Trump allowing Putin to do as he wished in Ukraine, according to Fiona Hill, a former deputy assistant and senior director for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council (201719).

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In her testimony to the US Congress in 2019, Hill said the TrumpPutin deal rested on the United States pursuing the Monroe Doctrine.

In his second term, Trump has formalised the Monroe Doctrine and carved out spheres of influence with Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping whereby Trump has sought Russian and Chinese non-intervention in the Americas in exchange for Russia and China operating freely without US containment in Ukraine and Taiwan respectively.

Very strange VenezuelaUkraine swap arrangement

Referring to the Russian outreach to the Trump administration between March and May 2019, Hill said that Putin wanted a very strange swap arrangement between Venezuela and Ukraine under which they would stay out of each others neighbourhoods.

If the Trump administration were to exert some semblance of the Monroe Doctrine Russia keeping out of Americas backyard the trade-off would be the United States staying out of Putins backyard in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, according to Hill.

As for the exact Russian message, Hill said, They were basically signalling: You know, you have your Monroe Doctrine. You want us out of your backyard. We, you know, we have our own version of this. Youre in our backyard in Ukraine.

To stress the need for such a mutually beneficial deal, Russia had deployed hundreds of operatives to Venezuela to beef up the security of Maduros government, according to Hill.

The implication of such an outreach was that if Trump wanted Russia to withdraw such support to Venezuela, he would need to withdraw US support to Ukraine. And that is exactly what Trump tried to do later that year.

In one of the biggest scandals of his first term, Trump had illegally withheld $400 million in congressionally approved aid to Ukraine and pressured Ukraine that the aid, as well as a meeting at the White House, would not be cleared until Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opened an investigation into the Biden familys business and the debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine not Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

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Starmer has signalled that the UK could seek closer alignment with the EU single market, saying it would be considered if its in our national interest, in his clearest indication yet that Labour is exploring deeper economic ties with Brussels.

Amid a worsening economic crisis, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has indicated that the UK should pursue closer ties with the EU single market rather than rejoining a customs union. The remarks are the clearest sign yet that the government is exploring ways to deepen economic links with Brussels.

Starmer told BBC news that the UK should consider even closer alignment with the single market if it is in the national interest. If its in our national interest  then we should consider that, we should go that far, he said.

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Single market preferred to customs union

Responding to cabinet colleagues who have suggested a new customs union could benefit the UK, Starmer said he did not think that was the solution. We are better looking to the single market rather than the customs union for our further alignment, he added.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Justice Secretary David Lammy, and TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak have previously argued that a customs deal could bring economic gains. Starmers comments, hinting at further dynamic alignment beyond the food and drink deal agreed in May, drew immediate criticism from Reform UK and Conservative figures.

Trade deals and changing priorities

Starmer acknowledged that much had changed in recent years, including new trade deals under Labour. I argued for a customs union for many years with the EU, but a lot of water has now gone under the bridge, he said.

He added that recent deals with the US and India, which he said serve the national interest, meant the UK should now prioritise alignment with the single market rather than returning to a customs union.

Ongoing negotiations with Brussels

Progress has been slow on the latest EU agreements, with the UK stepping back from plans to join a multi-billion-pound EU defence fund. Talks continue over the new food and drink (SPS) agreement and a youth mobility programme, though several disputes remain unresolved.

Starmer said any closer alignment with the EU would not include a return to full freedom of movement. He defended a youth mobility scheme aimed at allowing young people to travel, work, and gain experience across European countries.

Backlash from opponents

The shadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel, described Starmers remarks as a Brexit betrayal, claiming he was surrendering our freedom to cut regulation and strike our own trade deals.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the comments breached trust with Labour voters and criticised potential EU cooperation on energy markets, arguing it would tie the UK to crazy EU net zero policies and carbon taxes.

A Labour source countered that Farages opposition to closer European ties and clean energy initiatives fuels a politics of division, while Labour seeks to make UK businesses and households better off.

Hints of revisiting EU ties

Starmer has suggested in recent months a desire to strengthen EU relations. In November, Nick Thomas-Symonds, responsible for EU negotiations, was promoted to full cabinet rank. Economic adviser Minouche Shafik has also recommended internally that returning to the customs union could be an effective way to boost growth.

Starmer emphasised that any future alignment would be if its in our national interest and ruled out revisiting manifesto promises to rejoin the EU single market or customs union, or to end freedom of movement.

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The Conservatives responded by claiming Starmer was using Brexit as a scapegoat for the UKs economic challenges.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned that the United States could raise tariffs on Indian goods if New Delhi fails to cooperate on what he described as the Russian oil issue

The US-India partnership is not weakening, but it is changing character. Representational image/ Reuters

US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned that the United States could raise tariffs on Indian goods if New Delhi fails to cooperate on what he described as the Russian oil issue. The remarks came during a public address by the American leader. Tensions between the US and India started to escalate after Washington announced a whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.

We could raise tariffs on India if they dont help on the Russian oil issue, Trump was quoted as saying, linking the warning to ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries. The tensions over Indias energy relationship with Russia resurfaced months after Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him India would halt purchases of Russian oil.

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However, New Delhi rejected Trumps claims. Meanwhile, Trumps remarks also coincided with India adjusting its oil import reporting amid ongoing discussions with Washington. According to Reuters, on January 2, New Delhi instructed refiners to submit weekly disclosures of Russian and US oil purchases.

#WATCH | On Indias Russian oil imports, US President Donald J Trump says, "... They wanted to make me happy, basically... PM Modi's a very good man. He's a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very pic.twitter.com/ANNdO36CZI  ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2026

At that time, the officials maintained that the move was designed to provide timely and accurate data" that can be shared with the United States upon request.

Last year, Trump intensified his tariff measures, imposing a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods along with an additional 25 per cent penalty for purchasing Russian oil, bringing total duties in some categories to 50 per cent. The move caused a significant strain in US-India relations.

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All this is happening at a time when negotiations are underway between India and the United States to resolve the tariff issue and reach a trade deal. It has been a lengthy process since Washington has been seeking to curb high import duties on American agricultural products. New Delhi, however, remains firm on safeguarding its domestic farming and dairy industries.
US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning, insisting that the United States would conduct more strikes if the country does not behave'

This image posted on US President Donald Trump's Truth Social account on January 3, 2026, shows, L/R, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, watching a remote feed of the US military's mission to capture Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, 2026.- AFP

US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning, insisting that the United States would conduct more strikes on if the country does not behave . While speaking to the reporters on board Air Force One, Trump said that Washington is prepared to launch a second wave of attacks if the countrys leadership fails to comply with American demands.

Trump went on to declare that the United States was effectively in charge of the Latin American nation following the lethal strikes on its capital, Caracas and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. When asked about his plans, Trump told reporters that the United States will now focus on getting Venezuela fixed and made it clear that the US forces would not hesitate to act again.

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If they do not behave, we will carry out a second strike on Venezuela, he said, adding that the US was ready for another operation but hoped it would not be necessary. Dont ask me whos in charge because Ill give you an answer and itll be very controversial, he exclaimed, reiterating that Washington now effectively controlled the situation on the ground.

The plan that was held back

Recalling the planning process, Trump said that the US had been ready to carry out a second wave of the operation, but held back for now. We were prepared for a second wave, we were all set to go, but I dont think we will need it, he said, while warning that fresh action remained an option.

He also confirmed the report that one US helicopter was badly hit during the operation. However, he made it clear that all personnel were recovered safely. Nobody was killed, he said, adding that injured service members were all in good shape." Trump went on to describe Venezuela as a dead country and blamed it on the years of mismanagement for its collapse.

He also targeted the countrys acting President Delcy Rodriguez and demanded total access to the countrys vast energy reserves. The oil is flowing at a very low level, he said, adding that the US needed full access to oil and other resources in Venezuela.'

We need big investments from the oil companies to bring back the infrastructure. The oil companies are ready to go and rebuild it, Trump explained, noting that the US firms had originally built much of Venezuelas oil infrastructure before it was taken away by the then-administration.

According to The Guardian, the US has a 15,000-strong force in the Caribbean and has warned that Washington could intervene again if interim president Delcy Rodriguez does not comply with the American demands. Trump maintained that Washingtons primary focus remains on getting Venezuela fixed rather than electoral politics and insisted elections would be held at the right time.

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How Venezuela is reacting to the threats

Meanwhile, the acting Venezuelan president opted for a milder tone towards Trumps warnings. She extended an invitation to the United States government to collaborate on an agenda of cooperation. The Rodriguez said that the agenda would be aimed at shared development, within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence.

Rodriguez said Venezuela will prioritise moving toward balanced and respectful international relations with the US and the region. President Donald Trump: our people and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. This has always been President Nicolas Maduros message, and it is a message of all Venezuela right now, she said. Venezuela has the right to peace, to development, to sovereignty and to a future, she added.

In Venezuela, senior government and military leaders demanded Maduros return but pledged support for Rodriguez as a stand-in leader. Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez urged citizens to resume normal life even as he accused the US of imperial aggression. He also mentioned that several soldiers and civilians were killed in the American operation. Overall, the political climate of Venezuela remains tense.
Russian overnight strikes killed two people in and around Kyiv as fighting intensified amid ongoing peace talks

Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukraine as Kyiv and its allies seek to finalise a US-brokered plan. (File/Reuters)

Two people were killed after Russia carried out overnight strikes on Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities said on Monday. The attacks prompted a countrywide air alert and came amid an escalation in fighting.

One person was killed in the capital, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyivs military administration. Another death was reported in the neighbouring city of Fastiv, where a man in his 70s was killed, Kyiv regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk said.

Attacks intensify amid diplomatic efforts

Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine as Kyiv and its allies work to finalise a US-brokered plan aimed at ending Europes deadliest conflict since World War II.

Last month, Russia alleged that Ukraine had attempted to strike the home of President Vladimir Putin, a claim Trump said Putin had conveyed to him during a phone call. At the time, President Donald Trump said he was troubled by the reported incident, appearing to accept the Russian leaders account, even as Ukraine strongly denied any involvement.

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However, according to US officials, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has since assessed that Ukraine was not targeting a residence used by Putin during a recent drone attack in northern Russia, contradicting the claim made by the Russian president. CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed Trump on the assessment on Wednesday, the officials said.

Trump on Sunday denied reports that Putins residence was attacked with drones by Ukraine.

I dont believe that strike happened, Trump responded to a reporters question aboard Air Force One, noting how nobody knew at that moment whether the report was true.
United Nations chief Guterres on Monday warned of the risk of heightened instability in Venezuela following the US capture of Maduro, as Washington told the Security Council it had no plans to occupy the country

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends the 15th ASEAN - United Nations (UN) Summit, as part of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on October 27, 2025. Reuters File

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday warned of the risk of heightened instability in Venezuela following the US capture of President Nicolas Maduro, as Washington told the Security Council it had no plans to occupy the country.

The 15-member council met at UN headquarters in New York just hours before Maduro was due to appear in a Manhattan federal court to face drug-related charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy. Maduro has denied any criminal wrongdoing.

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I am deeply concerned about the possible intensification of instability in the country, the potential impact on the region, and the precedent it may set for how relations between and among states are conducted, Reuters quoted Guterres as saying in a statement delivered to the council by UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Washington had carried out a surgical law enforcement operation facilitated by the US military against two indicted fugitives of American justice, referring to Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

As Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio has said, there is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country, Waltz told the council, as he outlined the US case against Maduro.

Were not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be used as a base of operation for our nations adversaries, Waltz said. You cannot continue to have the largest energy reserves in the world under the control of adversaries of the United States, under the control of illegitimate leaders, and not benefiting the people of Venezuela.

Venezuelas UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada denounced the US operation as an illegitimate armed attack lacking any legal justification.

He told the council that Venezuelan institutions were functioning normally, constitutional order had been preserved, and the state maintained effective control over its territory.

Guterres urged all Venezuelan actors to pursue an inclusive and democratic dialogue, saying: I welcome and am ready to support all efforts aimed at assisting Venezuelans in finding a peaceful way forward.

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The UN chief also raised concerns that the US operation in Caracas on Saturday did not comply with international law, noting that the UN Charter requires member states to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state.

The United States has cited Article 51 of the UN Charter, which affirms the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a UN member.

Russia, China and Colombia condemned the US military action as illegal. Most other council members avoided direct criticism of Washington, instead emphasising the need to uphold international law and the UN Charter.

Unintelligible murmurings and attempts to avoid principled assessments by those who in other circumstances froth at the mouth and demand that others respect the UN Charter today seem particularly hypocritical and unseemly, Russias UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said.

Colombia, which requested Mondays meeting, described the operation as a clear violation of Venezuelas sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity. Russia, China and Venezuela called on the United States to release Maduro and his wife.

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Any formal Security Council action against Washington is unlikely, as the United States holds veto power alongside Russia, China, Britain and France.

With inputs from agencies
The leaders of Denmark and Greenland on Sunday urged US President Donald Trump to stop threatening to take over Greenland, after he reiterated his wish to do so

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen attends the closing debate in the Folketing at Christiansborg in Copenhagen. Reuters

The leaders of Denmark and Greenland on Sunday urged U.S. President Donald Trump to stop threatening to take over Greenland, after he reiterated his wish to do so in an interview with The Atlantic magazine.

It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the U.S. needing to take over Greenland. The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday.

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Trump told the magazine: We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense.

He spoke a day after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the president said Washington would run the Latin American country.

This raised concerns in Denmark that the same could happen with Greenland, a Danish territory.

Frederiksen said: I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale.

The prime minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in a statement, also on Sunday: When the President of the United States says that we need Greenland and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, its not just wrong. Its disrespectful.

Strategically important island

Trump on December 21 named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, drawing renewed criticism from Denmark and Greenland over Washingtons interest in the mineral-rich Arctic island.

Trump has advocated for Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, to become part of the United States. Landry publicly supports the idea.

The Arctic islands strategic position between Europe and North America makes it a key site for the U.S. ballistic-missile defence system, while its mineral wealth is attractive as the U.S. hopes to reduce its reliance on Chinese exports.

Greenland, a former Danish colony, has the right to declare independence under a 2009 agreement but depends heavily on Danish subsidies.

Denmark has sought to repair strained ties with Greenland over the past year, while also trying to ease tensions with the Trump administration by investing in Arctic defence.
China on Monday condemned the US military action in Venezuela during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, accusing Washington of violating international law and Venezuelas sovereignty.

Chinas UN envoy Fu Cong said the United States, as a permanent member of the Council, had ignored international concerns and seriously violated the principles of sovereign equality by undermining Venezuelas security and legitimate rights.

No country can act as the worlds police, nor presume to be the international judge, Fu said.

China also called on the US to release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from detention.
Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has arrived at a courthouse in New York City ahead of his arraignment. He and his wife, Cilia Flores, are facing with narcoterrorism-related charges.

Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport as he is taken towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering, and others in New York City, US, on January 5, 2026. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on Monday arrived at a courthouse in New York City to stand trial for narco-terrorism.

Maduros wife, Cilia Flores, has also been charged with narcoterrorism-related offences. Their arraignment is expected around midday.

Shortly after 7 am, heavily armed law enforcement personnel moved Maduro and Flores from a Brooklyn detention centre by helicopter to a helipad near the courthouse. From there, they were placed in an armoured vehicle and escorted by a motorcade to the courthouse in Manhattan.

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Visuals of their movements have surfaced.

BREAKING: Nicolas Maduro surrounded by heavy security as he is transported to New York City court ahead of his arraignment. pic.twitter.com/2EqrMrNKxe  Fox News (@FoxNews) January 5, 2026

Maduro is accused of overseeing a cocaine-trafficking network that partnered with violent organisations such as Mexicos Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombias Farc, and Venezuelas Tren de Aragua gang, according to Reuters.

The Donald Trump administration has declared Maduro the head of a cartel called the Cartel de los Soles. But independent observers have said such a group does not exist and it is merely a general grouping of officials involved in illicit activities. The administration has labelled Venezuela a narco-state.

Previously, US special forces personnel on Saturday arrived in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, seized Maduro and Flores, and whisked them away. They were first transported to a US Navy warship and then to the mainland.

The Trump administration dubbed the mission to capture Maduro and Flores Operation Absolute Resolve. The military intervention the largest in South America since 1989 when the United States similarly invaded Panama to capture its ruler Manuel Noriega followed many months of build-up in international waters around Venezuela where Trump deployed over 10,000 troops, several warships, and dozens of fighter planes.

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Ahead of the capture, the administration said that 150 aircraft had participated in a bombing campaign that suppressed Venezuelas air defences and struck key military sites.

Since September, the US military has also been blowing up boats in international waters around Venezuela and killing sailors. Independent observers have described those strikes as illegal as per the international law and in violation of longstanding US policies. In 35 strikes, the US military has so far killed at least 115 sailors. While the administration has said all of them were narco-terrorists, it has neither identified any of them nor provided evidence they were carrying drugs.
Venezuelas interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez, has set up a special commission to secure the release of captured ex-president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, following a US military raid. The team, including top government officials, will lobby internationally, challenging Washingtons actions and asserting Maduros legitimacy amid mounting geopolitical tension

(FILES) Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez speaks during the presentation of the 2026 fiscal year budget at the National Congress in Caracas on December 4, 2025. On January 3, 2026, Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to become the country's interim leader after the United States seized President Nicolas Maduro and whisked him out of the country. (Photo by Pedro MATTEY / AFP)

Venezuelas interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, has announced the formation of a special commission to work toward freeing former president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, after their capture by US forces.

Rodriguezs decision comes just days after a shocking US military operation in Caracas resulted in Maduro and Flores being removed from power and taken to the United States, where Maduro now faces drugtrafficking and terrorism charges. He is currently jailed in New York and due in court on Monday, according to authorities.

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Whos on the commission?

Rodriguez tapped some of her closest allies to lead the effort. Her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, who heads Venezuelas National Assembly, and Foreign Minister Yvan Gil will cochair the commission. Information Minister Freddy Nanez will also serve as a member. Their mission is to lobby for the return of Maduro and his wife and challenge what they see as an unlawful seizure of Venezuelas leadership.

The formation of this commission shows just how seriously Rodriguez and her government are taking the situation. While the United States insists its military action was justified, Venezuelas interim leadership has rejected the US narrative and continues to portray Maduro as the countrys legitimate leader.

Venezuelas leadership turmoil

Rodriguez rose to the interim presidency after Maduros unexpected removal, with the Supreme Court ruling she should step in to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defence of the nation, according to reports.

The military has backed her leadership, at least officially, as political uncertainty grips the capital Caracas and beyond. However, Rodriguez has maintained a defiant stance toward the United States, insisting that Maduro remains Venezuelas true president and demanding his immediate release.

The commissions creation comes amid widespread international criticism of the US operation. Countries such as China condemned the capture of Maduro and his wife as a violation of international law and have called for their immediate release.

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Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei weighed in, saying, Whats important is when one realises an enemy wants to force something on ones govt. or nation with false claims, they must stand firmly against that enemy. He added, We wont give in to them. With reliance on God & confidence in the peoples support, well bring the enemy to its knees.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro also responded on X, writing: Alerting the whole world that they have attacked Venezuela. He stressed, The Republic of Colombia reiterates its conviction that peace, respect for international law, and the protection of life and human dignity must prevail over any form of armed confrontation.
From Caracas to Kyiv, Sanaa to Taipei, Indias foreign policy is guided by a single, steady refrain: avoid choosing sides, choose stability. As global crises sharpen and alliances harden, New Delhi has doubled down on strategic autonomy

From the oil-rich streets of Caracas to the battle-scarred landscapes of Ukraine, Indias foreign policy sticks to one clear principle, summed up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Todays era is not of war.

Heres how India walks the tightrope across four global hotspots.

Venezuela

After the US captured President Nicolas Maduro, India has voiced deep concern but avoided siding explicitly with Moscow or Beijing.

Recent developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation We call upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region, The Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement.

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By stressing on the safety and well-being of Venezuelans rather than the legitimacy of the regime, India safeguards its energy interests without directly clashing with the Trump administration.

Yemen

Yemen presents a different challenge. Saudi Arabia backs a unified country under the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), while the UAE has historically supported southern separatists.

India has stayed quiet on this internal rivalry, sticking instead to a pro-legitimacy approach by engaging with the internationally recognized PLC. As Indian officials from the external affairs ministry told Riyadh last year:

India stands as one of Yemens largest trading partners We actively work with the internationally recognized government to strengthen our bilateral relations.

Ukraine

Indias position on the Russia-Ukraine war has been under the microscope. New Delhi has abstained from UN resolutions criticising Russia and hasnt backed Ukrainian incursions into Russian territory. Yet the country has moved from neutrality to actively championing peace.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar explained: India was never neutral we are on the side of peace.

Modis direct appeal to PutinI know that todays era is not an era of warframes this approach, allowing India to continue buying Russian oil while offering to mediate for humanitarian purposes.

Taiwan

India officially respects the One China policy but has quietly stopped using that exact phrase in bilateral documents since 2010. While there are no formal diplomatic ties with Taipei, India has expanded its unofficial presence through the India-Taipei Association.

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New Delhis approach is simple: reciprocity. It respects Beijings sensitivities on Taiwan so long as Beijing respects Indias claim over regions like Arunachal Pradesh. With trade surpassing $10 billion, India continues to navigate the grey areas, prioritising economic and strategic stability over strict ideological lines.
In his first remarks after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the countrys prominent opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez sought the Venezuelan militarys support to become the new president of the Latin American nation.

In his first remarks after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the countrys prominent opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez sought the Venezuelan militarys support to become the new president of the Latin American nation. The remarks from Gonzalez came a day after US forces conducted lethal strikes in Caracas and captured the Venezuelan president and his wife.

The events of the last few days have marked an inflexion point in the recent history of Venezuela, Gonzalez said in a video message on Sunday. This moment marks an important step, but it is not enough, he added.

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The video of his address was shared on all his social media platforms. It is pertinent to note that after Maduro was captured, the Venezuelan Supreme Court appointed Delcy Rodriguez as the interim President of the country. While in ideal circumstances, Rodriguez is obligated to conduct elections in the country within 30 days, as enshrined in the Constitution of Venezuela, things look different in this regard.

Gonzalez was seen as the winner of the 2024 presidential elections, which many accused Maduro of stealing. Today, the one who usurped power is no longer in power and is facing justice, he said. This fact creates a new political scenario, but does not substitute the fundamental work we have ahead.

He insisted that the Venezuelan military should uphold the mandate given during the July 2024 election. Gonzalez also reminded Venezuelans that their loyalty is to the constitution and the republic. Venezuela needs truth, justice and reconciliation, without impunity, he said.

Trump thinks otherwise

Meanwhile, Trump has a different outlook towards the elections in the country. While speaking to the reporters on board Air Force One, heading to Washington DC from Florida, Trump said that elections in Venezuela should only take place after the country is stabilised following the capture of Maduro.

We should run the country with law and order. We should run the country where we can take advantage of the economics of what they have, which is valuable oil and valuable other things, he told The New York Post on board Air Force One.

When asked about Venezuelan opposition leader Marina Corina Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October, Trump reiterated his belief that she does not have the popular support needed to run the country. She could only win an election if I did support her. But I like her very much, he added.

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Trump insisted that the Nobel laureate does not have the respect of the country to govern following Maduros ousting. Soon after Maduros capture, Machado celebrated the operation and capture in a statement, calling it the hour of freedom.

As of today, Nicolas Maduro faces international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against the Venezuelan people and against citizens of many other nations. In light of his refusal to accept a negotiated solution, the Government of the United States has fulfilled its promise to uphold the rule of law, she said in a statement.

Trump told reporters that he had not been in contact with Machado and noted that he doesnt believe she can assume the leadership role in Venezuela. I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesnt have the support within or the respect within the country. Shes a very nice woman, but she doesnt have the respect, Trump said. Hence, Venezuela continues to remain in a power vacuum.

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As low-flying helicopters swept into Caracas and whisked away President Nicolas Maduro with ease, the minimal resistance from the military suggests a secret deal between elements of the Venezuelan regime and the Donald Trump administration.

Fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, is seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. (Photo: STR/AFP)

As the city lay in darkness amid a blackout, US Delta Force personnel swept into Caracas in helicopters, stormed the compound where President Nicolas Maduro had retired for the night, and whisked him away with barely any casualties.

Despite the scale of the operation, only one US helicopter was hit and a handful of personnel were injured.

But American firepower was not the only reason for the stunning success of the mission. Independent observers have noted that the minimal resistance from the Venezuelan military points to a secret deal between elements of the regime and the Donald Trump administration that enabled Maduros seamless extraction.

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Low-flying helicopters, as seen in videos, do not require sophisticated air defence systems but can be taken down by shoulder-fired systems or even guns, but there was no such activity, noted Brigadier (Retired) Anil Raman, who heads the US studies programme at the Takshashila Institution.

All available evidence suggests the Venezuelan military largely avoided any confrontation with US forces. Even if air defence systems were suppressed, Venezuela holds around 5,000 shoulder-fired Igla systems and only was reportedly deployed to no effect. Everything points to some sort of deal between the Trump administration and elements of the Venezuelan government involving Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and the military, said Raman.

Such an assessment has been bolstered by Trumps de facto recognition of Delcy as Maduros successor. She has already taken over as interim leader.

Moreover, Delcy and her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, who serves as President of the National Assembly, held secret negotiations with the Trump administration last year that were mediated by Arab partners, according to the Miami Herald.

Now it appears the Rodriguez siblings went beyond the mandate and negotiated a deal for themselves instead of one for their boss.

Venezuelan militarys silence speaks volumes

The US mission, dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve, involved 150 aircraft including fighter planes, bombers, and drones that suppressed Venezuelas Russian-made air defence systems and radars, according to General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

But, as Raman noted, the suppression of Venezuelas S-300, Pantsir, and Buk-M2 systems does not explain why ground forces did not challenge US helicopters.

To be fair, there was heavy fire at one point that hit a helicopter and injured 12 personnel, according to The New York Times.

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But such a response is nowhere close to what should have been mounted considering the Trump administration had telegraphed its intention to attack Venezuela for months with the deployment of more than 10,000 personnel, several warships, and dozens of warplanes around the country.

The Atlantic reported that the Trump administration had at least tacit support from the Venezuelan military.

An action like this would not be possible without significant help or at least intentional self-restraint from the local military, an adviser to the Department of Defense and a special forces veteran told The Atlantic.

Separately, The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had internally chosen Vice President Delcy as Maduros successor.

Ive been watching her career for a long time, so I have some sense of who she is and what shes about. Im not claiming that shes the permanent solution to the countrys problems, but shes certainly someone we think we can work with at a much more professional level than we were able to do with him, a senior US official told The Times.

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The deal that likely doomed Maduro

As per the Miami Herald, Vice President Delcy and her brother, Jorge, discussed two proposals with the Trump administration.

Under both proposals, which were endorsed by Maduro, he would have stepped down and made way for a transitional government, according to the Herald.

The first proposal would have provided him security guarantees and allowed him to stay in Venezuela whereas the second proposal gave him the option of exile in Turkey or Qatar, as per the newspaper.

But eventually, it appears that Delcy and Jorge entered into an arrangement where they brought the military to their side and enabled the Trump administration to capture Maduro and whisk him away to the United States. None of the two proposals included his arrest.

Raman, however, noted that the deal is not a guarantee that the arrangement will last or succeed.

There are three broad possibilities. Firstly, Vice President Rodriguez could continue to rule Venezuela with the militarys support and that will ensure some stability and continuity. Secondly, the opposition forces of Maria Corina Machado could get a role that could lead to tensions and violence as the military has so far strongly opposed her. Thirdly, the country could descend into factional or guerrilla violence, said Raman.

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At CES 2026, Qualcomm Technologies outlined a unified artificial intelligence strategy spanning autonomous robotics and software-defined vehicles. The company announced new robotics processors, expanded automotive platform deployments, and deeper ecosystem collaborations, focusing on edge AI, centralized compute, and agentic AI for real-world applications.

Robotics platform scales from AMRs to full-size humanoids

Qualcomm introduced a next-generation general-purpose robotics architecture designed to support autonomous systems ranging from household robots to industrial autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and full-size humanoids. The architecture integrates hardware, software, and compound AI to support deployment-ready robotics systems.

At the core of this platform is the Dragonwing IQ10 Series, Qualcomms latest robotics-specific processor. The IQ10 is positioned for industrial AMRs and advanced humanoid robots, delivering high-performance, energy-efficient edge compute for perception, motion planning, and real-time decision-making. Qualcomm described the processor as a step toward practical deployment beyond research and prototype environments.

The robotics stack combines heterogeneous edge computing, mixed-criticality systems, machine learning operations, software frameworks, and an AI data flywheel. It supports end-to-end AI models, including vision-language and vision-language-action models, enabling generalized manipulation and human-robot interaction. The platform is designed to scale across multiple form factors while meeting industrial reliability requirements.

Qualcomm stated that its existing Dragonwing industrial processor roadmap already powers a range of general-purpose robotic platforms, including humanoid systems from Booster and VinMotion. The company also confirmed ongoing discussions with KUKA related to next-generation robotics solutions.

Snapdragon Digital Chassis adoption expands globally

Alongside robotics, Qualcomm highlighted continued global adoption of its Snapdragon Digital Chassis portfolio as vehicles transition toward software-defined and AI-driven architectures. The company reported growing deployment of its cockpit, automated driving, and connectivity platforms across multiple regions.

Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and Snapdragon Ride Elite platforms serve as centralized compute solutions for AI-defined vehicles, supporting digital cockpit functions and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Qualcomm announced new and expanded collaborations with Li Auto, Leapmotor, Zeekr, Great Wall Motor, NIO, and Chery, bringing the total number of announced design programs to ten.

Leapmotor also introduced a high-performance automotive central computer built on dual Snapdragon Elite (SA8797P) platforms, which Qualcomm described as the first controller of its kind using this configuration.

Ride Flex and Snapdragon Ride advance centralized compute and AD

Qualcomm reported continued deployment of Snapdragon Ride Flex, its system-on-chip that unifies digital cockpit and ADAS workloads. The platform is already used in mass-produced vehicles across eight global programs. Chinese Tier-1 suppliers including Autolink, Desay SV, Hangsheng, and ZYT announced mass-production plans for integrated cockpit and driver-assistance solutions based on Ride Flex.

For automated driving, Qualcomm said it is advancing end-to-end AI algorithms through the Snapdragon Ride platform. The company is working with AD stack providers including DeepRoute.ai, Momenta, QCraft, WeRide, and ZYT, supporting multiple AI approaches and vehicle tiers. Qualcomm also reported nearly one million Snapdragon Ride system-on-chips shipped to date and confirmed new collaborations with ZF and Epec.

Qualcomm and Google expand automotive AI collaboration

Qualcomm and Google announced an expansion of their decade-long collaboration in automotive technology. The partnership integrates Snapdragon Digital Chassis platforms with Googles automotive software to support agentic AI features across next-generation vehicles.

The collaboration builds on early work that enabled Snapdragon-powered Android infotainment systems, supported adoption of Android Automotive OS (AAOS), and helped introduce vehicles with Google built-in. It now extends to cloud-connected AI agents, including Gemini Enterprise for Automotive, combining on-device and cloud-based models to support real-time personalization, multimodal interfaces, and proactive in-vehicle assistance.

Unified AAOS platforms and cloud-based development

As part of the expanded partnership, Qualcomm and Google are aligning Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms with AAOS roadmaps starting from Android 17. This unified reference platform is intended to accelerate prototyping, validation, and production of in-vehicle infotainment and software-defined vehicle systems.

Qualcomm also introduced Snapdragon vSoC on Google Cloud, allowing automakers to design, test, and validate automotive software entirely in the cloud without physical vehicle hardware. Using Arm-based Axion bare-metal instances, the virtual platform is designed to provide high-fidelity validation and closer parity with in-vehicle system-on-chips, enabling faster and more scalable software development.

Android lifecycle support and connectivity updates

Qualcomm announced Project Treble for Android Automotive OS on Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms to simplify Android upgrades, reduce fragmentation, and strengthen security across multi-generation vehicle platforms. The initiative covers four generations of Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms and more than 14 system-on-chips, with a planned 10-year support window for critical software updates.

In connectivity, Qualcomm introduced the A10 5G Modem-RF, its first 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) modem for automotive use. The modem is designed to provide lower power consumption and global LTE and 5G support for mission-critical vehicle services. Qualcomm also demonstrated new V2X technology with Hyundai Mobis to improve detection of non-line-of-sight hazards and enable earlier braking responses in scenarios where traditional sensors have limited visibility.

CES 2026 demonstrations and availability

At CES 2026, Qualcomm is showcasing multiple robotics and automotive demonstrations at its booth (#5001). These include VinMotions Motion 2 humanoid powered by the Dragonwing IQ9 Series, Boosters K1 Geek humanoid, Advantechs commercially available robotics development kit, and demonstrations of teleoperation tooling and an AI data flywheel for continuous skill training and deployment.

Demonstrations of Snapdragon Digital Chassis solutions, including cockpit, automated driving, and connectivity technologies, are available by appointment at the Qualcomm booth throughout CES 2026, running from January 6 to January 9.
Qualcomm Technologies announced an expanded Industrial and Embedded IoT (IE-IoT) portfolio at CES 2026. The updates include the introduction of Dragonwing Q-series processors, new developer offerings, and services.

These expansions are supported by acquisitions of Augentix, Arduino, Edge Impulse, FocusAI, and Foundries.io over the past 18 months. Qualcomms updated portfolio targets global enterprises, independent developers, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), aiming to provide solutions for edge compute and AI across industrial and embedded verticals.

Expanded Industrial and Embedded IoT Portfolio

Qualcomm Technologies has restructured its IE-IoT business to provide edge compute and AI solutions across multiple sectors. The portfolio now integrates advanced processors, software, services, and developer tools, supported by five strategic acquisitions. Key updates include:

Distinct product lines with competitive roadmaps

Unified software architecture compatible with Linux, Windows, and Android

Deployment-ready solutions for industrial, embedded, and consumer IoT applications

Integration with developer platforms such as Arduino, Edge Impulse, and Foundries.io

The combination of these platforms provides developers with tools for rapid prototyping, scalable deployment, and secure AI integration at the edge. Arduino provides open-source accessibility, while Edge Impulse and Foundries.io offer machine learning deployment and security-focused management tools.

Dragonwing Q-Series Processors

Dragonwing Q-8750

Purpose: Drones, media hubs, multi-angle vision systems

AI Performance: 77 TOPS, supporting INT4/8/16 and FP16 precision

On-device LLM Support: Up to 11 billion parameters

Camera Architecture: Supports up to 12 physical cameras with triple 48 MP ISPs

The processor enables real-time inference and eliminates cloud dependency for critical applications.

Dragonwing Q-7790

Purpose: Smart cameras, AI TVs, collaboration systems

AI Performance: 24 TOPS

Multimedia Capabilities: Dual 4K60 display support, 4K60 encoding, 4K120 decoding, AV1 hardware decode

Security Features: Total Management Engine, Secure Boot, Qualcomm Trusted Execution Environment

This processor allows AI-driven multimedia and smart device functionality without relying on cloud infrastructure.

Camera Processor Portfolio Expansion

Following the acquisition of Augentix Inc., Qualcomm now includes low-power vision and smart imaging chips for IP security cameras, smart home devices, and connected video applications. This integration enhances:

Image quality and resolution

Performance efficiency

Energy consumption

Security-focused edge AI capabilities

Qualcomm Insight Platform

The Qualcomm Insight Platform provides AI-powered video intelligence for security and operational applications. Its features include:

Edge AI with LLM-based conversational engine

Profile-aware real-time video analytics

Compatibility with AI-enabled cameras and Edge AI boxes

Scalable deployment for various industry and infrastructure use cases

Augentixs camera technologies expand the platforms hardware options, enabling flexible deployment and unified control across multiple devices.

Qualcomm Terrestrial Positioning Services

The Terrestrial Positioning Service provides precise location data for IoT devices using:

Over 9 billion Wi-Fi access points

More than 100 million cellular towers

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon positioning

Annual delivery of over 6 trillion location results

It operates independently of GNSS, works in offline, indoor, or emergency settings, and can complement satellite-based systems for faster and more reliable positioning.

Dragonwing AI On-Prem Appliance with Edge Impulse

The Dragonwing AI On-Prem Appliance integrates Edge Impulse to enable secure, on-premise AI inference and training. Features include:

Support for models up to 120B parameters

Private network and offline operation

AI-based data labeling and synthetic data generation

MLOps management and localized model cascades for edge deployments

Functions as a Physical AI Agent for high-security environments

This appliance supports scalable, security-focused AI deployment without relying on cloud infrastructure.

CES 2026 Showcase

Qualcomm will demonstrate its Dragonwing-powered IoT ecosystem at Booth #5001, CES 2026, from January 610. Demonstrations include drones, smart cameras, AI TVs, and edge AI applications.

Speaking on the announcement, Nakul Duggal, Executive Vice President and Group General Manager, Automotive, Industrial and Embedded IoT, and Robotics, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., said:
Research establishes brain normative references for Chinese population

Xinhua) 10:00, January 05, 2026

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- A study by a Chinese research team has established normative references for brain structure throughout the entire lifespan of Chinese individuals, thereby enhancing diagnostic standards for neurological disorders among patients.

Professor Liu Ya'ou, leader of the research team from the Department of Radiology at Beijing Tiantan Hospital, explained that neurological disease diagnosis in China has long faced two major challenges.

Firstly, the current normative brain references are primarily derived from Western populations. However, the distinctive genetic background and environmental conditions of the Chinese population give rise to significant differences in brain structure. These variations can lead to discrepancies in both diagnosis and therapy.

Secondly, there is an urgent need for data to better distinguish between physiological aging and pathological changes in patients, which would help prevent delays in early diagnosis and intervention during critical periods.

To address these issues, the researchers from Beijing Tiantan Hospital and Beijing Normal University collaborated, integrating magnetic resonance imaging data from 24,061 healthy individuals and 3,932 patients with neurological disorders across China. The team established normative reference ranges for 228 core structural indicators specific to the Chinese population.

The findings were recently published in the international journal Nature Neuroscience.

"By calculating individual brain deviation scores from these normative references, we can quickly quantify deviations in brain structure to help identify specific diseases, significantly improving diagnostic accuracy compared to traditional assessments," said Liu.

For example, Alzheimer's disease shows widespread deviation scores across multiple brain structure indicators, Parkinson's disease primarily shows deviations in deep gray matter, while multiple sclerosis mainly involves deviations in white matter and thalamus volume.

These norm-deviation scores help achieve early screening and diagnosis of neurological disorders and support more precise treatment planning. Currently, this framework has been launched in a clinical pilot at Beijing Tiantan Hospital.

Liu added that the team is deepening cooperation with medical imaging companies. They will further integrate multi-modal imaging, blood biomarkers, genetic testing and other data to advance the precise quantification, diagnosis and treatment for brain health and major neurological diseases.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
Intelligent sensors can efficiently and sustainably extend the lifespan of bridges and other civil engineering structures, ensure greater precision when planning renovation work and enhance safety. In Germany, the inspection and monitoring of civil engineering structures, especially bridges, is governed by the DIN 1076 standard. While this standard prescribes regular structural inspections, it currently contains no provisions for continuous structural monitoring, which can provide a solid data base for assessing renovation requirements or estimating remaining service life. Fraunhofer IIS is a member of Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Bauwerksmonitoring e.V. (German Society for Structural Monitoring), which is calling for sensor-based monitoring to become an integral part of the standard. However, there is a problem: The market for specialized structural monitoring sensors is small, making the technology expensive.

Cutting costs by repurposing established technologies

In its search for a cost-effective solution, Dresden-based Fraunhofer IIS hit upon a well-established technology that was designed to meet similar requirements. High precision, a long service life, continuous load-bearing, and temperature tolerance from minus 40 to plus 120 degrees Celsius? The answer was obvious: automobile sensors, explains Christoph Sohrmann, group manager at Fraunhofer IIS. We could try MEMS sensors, for example, which until now have only been used in vehicles or cellphones but can hear breaks in the wires of prestressed concrete bridges. We will soon be testing this principle on a real bridge in cooperation with the company MKP GmbH. However, our main focus is on radar sensors originally developed for autonomous driving. The cost of commercially available sensors specifically designed for infrastructural monitoring is 10 or even 100 times higher than that of repurposed vehicle sensor technology, since many elements such as hardware, production standards, cybersecurity and sensor self-monitoring can be leveraged directly from automotive applications.

Essential: technical modifications and systems integration

Radar sensor technology from the automotive sector cannot be used as is for structural health monitoring (SHM), the aim of which is to detect a variety of structural damage processes. Frequency-based signal processing from automotive applications does not provide the resolution necessary to identify the smallest changes in engineering structures. Fraunhofer researchers have been testing combinations of tactile sensors and non-contact radar measurements on the 45-meter-long test bridge at TUD Dresden University of Technologys real-world laboratory in Bautzen. The reference data obtained are being used to develop and validate sensor and monitoring concepts suitable for infrastructural monitoring applications. Our radar sensors make it very easy to measure vibrations in building structures for purposes of condition monitoring and SHM campaigns, says Sohrmann. Our solution uses phase-based interferometric data analysis, which enables us to detect static displacements in the millimeter or even sub-millimeter range as well as vibrations at frequencies up to 1,000 Hz or more.

The measurement studies were commissioned and evaluated by the authorities responsible for the safety of the respective structures and the affiliated civil engineering offices. According to Sohrmann, close cross-disciplinary cooperation is essential for success. Which data have to be collected at which frequency and precision? Are the results easy enough to read? Questions like these must be addressed to ensure that the solution developed is a perfect fit, says Sohrmann. Steffen Marx, Professor of Concrete Structures at TUD Dresden University of Technology, has therefore been providing valuable input from a civil engineers perspective ever since the project was launched.

Further development in the follow-up project RICARES

The sensors used to take the measurements, i.e. ground-based interferometers, are installed on or under a bridge. Dynamic measurement studies can be completed in a matter of days or weeks, while long-term monitoring involves the collection of data over several years. How many sensors we can synchronize, and which of them can be best optimized using suitable lenses or antennas or even reflectors on the bridges are some of the questions addressed by our follow-up project RICARES, explains Sohrmann. This project, which is set to start in January 2026, receives funding from Sachsische Aufbaubank SAB and will focus on monitoring the stability of railway bridges. However, the technology can also be used for road bridges.

Affordable sensors for extensive monitoring

Affordable sensors will enable the responsible authorities not only to monitor infrastructure in doubtful cases but also to establish structural monitoring on a wider scale, says Sohrmann. They should take advantage of this opportunity, because historical data on structural stress are enormously helpful when analyzing incipient damage. In addition to RICARES, the research scientist is now seeking substantial further funding and partnerships with suitable industry partners.
Some pests and diseases pose such a serious threat to plants and trees that they have to be prevented from spreading right away. In the case of quarantine pests that can inflict major damage in agriculture or forestry, the infestation is subject to mandatory reporting because of the risk that they could spread into new areas. In order to identify an infection, trained personnel carry out a visual assessment that involves an examination of each individual tree and plant. These field inspections by plant health services are time-consuming and require considerable staff resources, particularly since suspected samples have to be sent to a molecular biology lab for confirmation. Working with RLP AgroScience GmbH, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institutes for Factory Operation and Automation IFF and for Biomedical Engineering IBMT have now significantly accelerated this lengthy process through the PhenoTruckAI project (see below). The PhenoTruck is a mobile lab that will enable quarantine pest identification to be carried out exactly where growers need it, namely on site.

As a result of climate change and global trade, dangerous non-native plant pests are continuously finding their way to Germany. Quarantine pests pose a particularly serious threat to fruit farming and viticulture, says Fraunhofer IFF researcher Bonito Thielert. Taking phytoplasma diseases in fruit farming and viticulture as an example, were validating pest detection using the PhenoTruckan off-road laboratory vehicle developed in this project that is equipped with specialized tools for monitoring plant diseases. Initial tests and measurement campaigns have already been carried out in wine-growing regions in Rhineland-Palatinate and Italy, focusing on the quarantine diseases Flavescence doree (FD), Palatinate grapevine yellows (PGY) and the disease known as Bois noir (BN), all of which affect grapevines. The mobile lab also enables researchers to analyze widely occurring diseases such as apple proliferation and pear decline, which can potentially result in complete crop loss in affected orchards.

Innovative early diagnostics directly on site

The project partners combined several technologies to be able to detect disease symptoms early on. RLP AgroScience GmbH contributed its agricultural expertise and performed the molecular biological analyses, while Fraunhofer IFF provided expertise in AI-optimized monitoring and hyperspectral analysis. Fraunhofer IBMT was responsible for the design, development, integration and implementation of the mobile PhenoTruck platform.

As a first step, drones equipped with multispectral sensors are deployed for automated, large-scale monitoring, with the multispectral images enabling the survey of large cultivation areas. In addition, affected zones are documented using a specially developed field assessment app. Symptomatic leaves are then analyzed in the PhenoTruck by means of hyperspectral cameras that rapidly detect and localize suspicious discoloration. Thielert: Early leaf discoloration is a key indicator of phytoplasma diseases. When a plant shows symptoms in a leaf sample in the lab, hyperspectral analysis reveals these in defined wavelength ranges with greater clarity and consistency than would be possible based on visible color changes alone.

AI as a key technology for analyzing disease symptoms

The next step involves the use of artificial intelligence methods for fast and reliable analysis of the captured data. Our AI models are able to detect phytoplasmosis with a high degree of certainty, achieving accuracy rates of 95 to 99 percent. One particular feature is the AIs ability to process datasets automatically. The researchers also trained the AI models to differentiate between the relevant grapevine phytoplasma diseases, namely Flavescence doree (FD), Bois noir (BN) and Palatinate grapevine yellows (PGY). This is important because BN and PGY are not as dangerous as FD: Unlike FD they do not spread epidemically from vine to vine. Although the symptoms of these diseases are very similar and often confused with one another, BN and PGY pose a lower risk due to their slower and more limited spread. The phytoplasma diseases were distinguished with 80 percent accuracy.

The preliminary selection is made based on hyperspectral analysis, and samples suspected of infection are then examined directly on site by means of molecular biological testing in the PhenoTruck lab. This is because phytoplasma diseases in grapevines and fruit trees can only be confirmed with certainty using molecular methods. A rapid test developed specifically for the mobile lab (LAMP) takes one hour to complete, so it is somewhat faster than a PCR analysis. Given the platforms wide range of applications, the aim is to use the PhenoTruck for research and development in the future.

Project PhenoTruckAI

Mobile lab for the rapid and reliable identification of quarantine pests in agriculture

Project duration:

September 2021September 2025

Project and collaboration partners:

 RLP AgroScience, now DLR Rheinland-Pfalz (project coordination, visual and molecular pathogen diagnostics)

 Fraunhofer IBMT (implementation of the PhenoTruck)

 Fraunhofer IFF (AI-based analysis and evaluation of hyperspectral data, drone data analysis and development of a field assessment app)

Project funded by:

German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture

Project sponsor:

German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE)
Map: Colorado NewslineSource: Deportation Data Project

Data reflects people arrested by ICE between Jan. 20 and Oct. 15. This chart does not include 293 arrests labeled as taking place in FRD General Area  Non-Specific. This likely refers to arrests made in the area of the Frederick ICE field office, which includes Broomfield, Boulder, Larimer, Weld, Morgan, Logan, Washington, Yuma, Phillips, Sedgwick, Kit Carson and Cheyenne counties. It also does not include 57 arrests labeled as Colorado Department of Corrections and 25 labeled as Bureau of Prisons for the apprehension site landmark.
Maritime Investigations in the Gulf of Finland Continue

Police of Finland

Publication date 4.1.2026 16.00

Examinations related to the damage of the telecommunications cable owned by Elisa are being conducted in cooperation with other authorities. Underwater investigations have revealed a drag mark spanning several tens of kilometres.

The National Bureau of Investigation has been working closely with other authorities to advance the criminal investigation. Today, on 04 January, the Helsinki District Court ordered a crew member of the vessel Fitburg to be placed in pre-trial detention. At this stage, the police are investigating the incident as aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage, and aggravated interference with telecommunications. The interviews of the crew members are progressing as planned.

 The technical and tactical investigation of the case is progressing with the involvement of several authorities. At the core of the investigation is the assessment of intent and the information influencing it. There have been incidents in the Gulf of Finland in recent years, and this case proves that both national and international cooperation between authorities functions seamlessly, says Tactical Leader of investigation Risto Lohi of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Maritime Investigations Conducted in Cooperation with Estonian Authorities

The police, supported by the Border Guard and the Defence Forces, have conducted maritime investigations. Estonian authorities have participated in the investigative efforts on site. The Joint Investigation Team will continue the investigations throughout the weekend.

Subsea examinations have focused on, among other things, drag marks found on the seabed, which appear to align with the vessel's route. Based on the examinations conducted so far, there is reason to suspect that the anchor and anchor chain of the Fitburg vessel have dragged along the seabed for at least several tens of kilometres before reaching the point of damage to the telecommunications cable owned by Elisa.

To ensure the continuation of the investigative actions, the joint operation of the authorities will proceed. The Helsinki Police Department is leading the operation, supported by the Border Guard. The National Bureau of Investigation is responsible for the criminal investigation into the case.

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Diosdado Cabello Rondon

Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace

Diosdado Cabello Rondon has long been regarded as one of the most powerful figures within the Venezuelan political system, occupying a position that would involve both formal authority and informal influence across the civilian-military structure of Chavismo. Born on 15 April 1963 in El Furrial, Monagas, he emerged from a military background and rose to prominence as a key participant in the events surrounding Hugo Chavez's return to power after the April 2002 coup attempt. His early alignment with Chavez positioned him as a foundational figure in the Movimiento V Republica, which later merged into the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), where he became one of its principal leaders. Over the years he held a succession of high-ranking posts, including vice president of Venezuela, minister of infrastructure, governor of Miranda, president of the National Assembly, and president of the 2017 Constituent Assembly, reflecting a career deeply embedded in the institutional architecture of the Bolivarian project.

Diosdado Cabello remains a primary figure in the "narco-state" structure, specifically through his leadership of the Cartel of the Suns. Cabello serves as the Venezuelan regime's "ultimate enforcer," effectively combining Ernst Rohm's paramilitary violence, Mikhail Suslov's ideological rigidity, and Joseph Stalin's control over the security apparatus. Following the capture of Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces in January 2026, Cabello has leveraged this tripartite power base to remain the regime's primary anchor. Cabello remained free in Venezuela, using this blended power -- part gangster (Rohm), part high priest (Suslov), and part secret police chief (Stalin) -- to hold the fracturing regime together. As Minister of Interior, he uses the intelligence services (SEBIN) and police to eliminate competing drug traffickers while providing armed escorts for his own shipments.

Post-Maduro

With the sudden removal of Nicolas Maduro from day-to-day governance, the locus of authority in Caracas shifted rapidly to the regime's entrenched power brokers and the specific institutional mechanisms designed to simulate stability. On January 4, 2026, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) issued a decisive ruling that ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to assume the presidency on an interim basis. The court legally framed this maneuver as a measure of "administrative continuity" necessitated by Maduro's forced absence, deliberately citing Article 234 of the constitution regarding temporary absences rather than Article 233, which would have declared a permanent vacancy and triggered immediate elections. While Rodriguez occupied the presidential office at Miraflores Palace, Diosdado Cabello Rondon remained the pivotal figure to watch--not merely as a potential constitutional successor, but as the primary architect of coercive control and party discipline.

The viability of the "Post-Maduro" arrangement hinged entirely on the triangular dynamic between the civil administration, the internal security apparatus, and the armed forces. While Rodriguez managed the bureaucratic state and international relations, Cabello's relevance flowed from his dual stranglehold on the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and the Ministry of the Interior, Justice, and Peace. Through his command of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and the National Police (PNB), Cabello possessed the capacity to enforce loyalty among mid-level officials who might have otherwise defected during the leadership vacuum. Consequently, the stability of the interim government depended on whether Cabello chose to deploy these assets to buttress Rodriguez's authority or to fracture the coalition by purging potential rivals under the guise of maintaining order.

Diosdado Cabello's "stranglehold" on the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) stemmed from his long-standing tenure as the party's First Vice President, a role that effectively functioned as the operational CEO of the political machinery while Nicolas Maduro served as its figurehead President. Within the party structure, Cabello controlled the mechanisms of internal discipline, candidate selection, and grassroots mobilization, which allowed him to cultivate a deep network of loyalty distinct from the state bureaucracy.

Comrade Stalin's control over cadres was the cornerstone of his rise to and maintenance of absolute power in the Soviet Union. He famously asserted in a 1935 speech that "cadres decide everything," emphasizing that even the most advanced technology was useless without trained personnel loyal to the state. As General Secretary, he utilized the nomenklatura system to appoint loyalists to key administrative and political posts, ensuring that the bureaucracy remained personally loyal to him. Those who were not loyal or who were perceived as threats were eliminated.

As with Iosif Vissarionovich, Cabello's power rested primarily on his ability to handpick candidates for regional and local offices, including governors, mayors, and municipal councilors. By serving as the gatekeeper for political advancement within Chavismo, Cabello ensured that mid-level officials across Venezuela's twenty-three states owed their careers and allegiance to him personally. This patronage network provided him with a structural power base that existed independently of the national executive, making him nearly impossible to remove via simple administrative decrees. If a factional dispute arose, Cabello could leverage these regional loyalists to stall implementation of central government orders or to mobilize support for his own initiatives.

Furthermore, Cabello acted as the ideological enforcer and disciplinarian of the movement. In this he resembled Mikhail Suslov (1902-1982), the unofficial chief ideologue of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) for over three decades. Often described as the "Grey Eminence" or the "pope" of Soviet orthodoxy, he was the primary guardian of Marxist-Leninist dogma under Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, and Leonid Brezhnev. From 1947, Suslov headed the administration for checking and monitoring Soviet party organs, ensuring that cadres remained ideologically loyal.

Through his weekly television program, Con el Mazo Dando, Cabello set the narrative line for the party's radical base, publicly targeted internal critics, and issued instructions to the Unidades de Batalla Hugo Chavez (UBCH) -- the grassroots cells responsible for electoral logistics and neighborhood control.

His rhetoric appealed to the "original" militaristic ethos of the 1992 coup attempters, positioning himself as the guardian of Hugo Chavez's revolutionary legacy against perceived betrayals by civilian technocrats. In this role he rerpised the funcion of Ernst Rohm (1887-1934), a co-founder of the Nazi Party and the long-term leader of its paramilitary wing, the SA (Sturmabteilung), also known as the "Brownshirts". Ernst Rohm (1887-1934) was a co-founder of the Nazi Party and the long-term leader of its paramilitary wing, the SA (Sturmabteilung), also known as the "Brownshirts".

Cabello was instrumental in the creation of the Bolivarian Circles, the precursors to modern colectivos, and has maintained close ties to these groups for over two decades. Under his influence, colectivos evolved from purely ideological units into business operators that control the distribution of subsidized food, fuel, and domestic gas in poor neighborhoods. In many areas of Caracas and other cities, these groups function as the primary law enforcement, operating with state financing and near-total impunity.

This influence over the party's "street muscle," including coordination with armed colectivos, meant that Cabello possessed the unique capacity to spark or suppress civil unrest, a lever of power that served as a tacit threat to any rival seeking to sideline him. Following the January 3, 2026, U.S. military operation that took Maduro into custody, Cabello appeared on state television in a bulletproof vest and helmet to call for the mobilization of "people's forces," specifically urging motorcyclists and colectivos to remain alert and defend the revolution.

The formal designation of Delcy Rodriguez by the judiciary underscored the immediate tension between legalistic claims of continuity and the raw realities of power. Although the TSJ's order clarified the chain of command on paper, actual control over the Venezuelan territory relied on the acquiescence of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB). Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez became the third essential pillar of this triumvirate; his public appearance alongside Rodriguez and Cabello on the evening of January 4 signaled a temporary elite consensus to prevent a military fracture. However, this equilibrium remained fragile, as the "institutional succession" did little to resolve the underlying competition for control over illicit revenue streams and territorial commands that had long defined the regime's internal economy.

Externally, Maduro's detention and the subsequent reshuffling intensified international scrutiny and complicated the calculus for foreign adversaries, particularly the United States. The presence of Diosdado Cabello at the center of the transition presented a severe diplomatic obstacle; widely designated by U.S. authorities and the Department of Justice as a primary target of narcotics-trafficking indictments, his empowerment rendered normal diplomatic channels nearly impossible to navigate. Any transition that included Cabello as a guarantor was viewed by Washington and Brussels as inherently illegitimate, raising the stakes for expanded secondary sanctions. The regime's attempt to present a "constitutional face" through Rodriguez was immediately undercut by the visibility of Cabello's security forces on the streets of Caracas, signaling to foreign capitals that the coercive structure of the state remained intact and potentially more aggressive.

In practical terms, the "post-Maduro" landscape of early 2026 coalesced into three distinct possibilities, each driven by specific factional incentives. The first was a prolonged interim presidency where Rodriguez served as the technocratic face of a junta effectively run by Cabello and Padrino, prioritizing regime survival over political opening. The second scenario involved a violent factional consolidation, where the security apparatus, directed by Cabello, initiated an internal purge to eliminate wavering elements within Chavismo, effectively turning Venezuela into a closed police state similar to the Nicaraguan model. The third, and least likely, path involved a negotiated sequencing where the unsustainable pressure of sanctions forced the civilian wing of the coalition to trade guarantees of safe passage for an orderly political transition. Ultimately, Cabello's positioning as the gatekeeper of internal security determined that the country moved away from stabilization and toward a deepening of the defensive, militarized posture that had characterized the late Maduro era.

Context

Cabello's political identity involved a blend of military discipline, ideological loyalty, and organizational control. He has remained an active member of the armed forces with the rank of captain, a detail that underscores his enduring connection to the military establishment. His tenure as president of the National Assembly from 2012 to 2016 solidified his reputation as a central power broker, while his leadership of the Constituent Assembly from 2018 to 2020 placed him at the forefront of efforts to reshape the institutional framework of the Venezuelan state. Observers frequently describe him as the second most powerful figure in the country, a status derived not only from his formal positions but also from his influence within the PSUV and his longstanding ties to the security apparatus.

International reporting and U.S. government assessments portray Cabello as a figure deeply entangled in geopolitical and criminal allegations. The United States Department of State identifies him as the so-called minister of interior, justice, and peace, asserting that he oversees police forces and prisons under an administration Washington does not recognize as legitimate. After Maduro fraudulently declared victory in the July 2024 presidential election despite evidence to the contrary, Maduro purported to appoint Cabello to this position. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the winner of the election and does not recognize Cabello as a minister of the government of Venezuela. Cabello Rondon has also served as the former president of Venezuela's Constituent National Assembly, President and Vice-President of Venezuela, and is an active member of the Venezuelan armed forces with the rank of Captain.

US authorities accused him of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy Cabello Rondon participated in a corrupt and violent narco-terrorism conspiracy between the Cartel of the Suns, a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization comprised of high-ranking Venezuelan officials, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Cabello Rondon coordinated with the FARC in furtherance of the narco-terrorism conspiracy in order to transport and distribute large cocaine shipments; benefit from, and cause others to participate in, the provision of heavily armed security to protect the cocaine shipments; cause large quantities of previously-seized cocaine to be sold to drug traffickers in exchange for millions of dollars; interfere with drug-trafficking investigations and pending criminal cases in Venezuela and elsewhere; and help provide the FARC with military-grade weapons, including machine guns, ammunition, rocket launchers, and explosives equipment.

In March 2020, Cabello Rondon was charged in a Southern District of New York federal indictment with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and associated firearms charges in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 960a and 963, and Title 18 United States Code, Sections 924 and 2. After initially offering a reward offer of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Diosdado Cabello Rondon in 2020, the Department of State on January 10, 2025, announced raising the reward offer to up to $25 million.

Cabello's trajectory within Venezuela involved a dual image: domestically, he is seen as a pillar of Chavista continuity, a figure whose authority rests on decades of political loyalty and institutional presence; internationally, he is viewed through the lens of sanctions, criminal accusations, and geopolitical confrontation. His long list of government posts - from vice president in 2002 to ministerial roles under both Chavez and Maduro - illustrates a career marked by resilience and adaptability within a system that prizes loyalty and internal cohesion. His continued prominence, even amid international pressure, reflects the depth of his integration into the political, military, and party structures that sustain the Bolivarian state.

Early Life and Military Career

Diosdado Cabello Rondon was born on April 15, 1963 in El Furrial, Monagas State, Venezuela, to a working-class family in one of Venezuela's principal oil-producing regions. His early experiences in the petroleum zones of eastern Venezuela shaped his worldview and contributed to the nationalist orientation that later manifested in support for Hugo Chavez's Bolivarian revolution. Cabello pursued military education at the Venezuelan Military Academy, graduating as a telecommunications and electronics engineering officer. His technical specialization in communications systems proved professionally valuable during his military career and subsequently provided expertise relevant to intelligence and surveillance operations as he transitioned into political leadership roles controlling Venezuelan security agencies.

Cabello's military career brought him into contact with Hugo Chavez during the 1980s when both served as junior officers. The two developed a close relationship based on shared frustrations regarding Venezuela's political elite, concerns about corruption pervading Venezuelan institutions, and belief that military intervention might prove necessary to address the country's deteriorating conditions. Cabello became one of Chavez's most trusted collaborators in the clandestine Bolivarian Revolutionary Movement-200 that conspired to overthrow Venezuela's democratic government through military coup. This revolutionary cell operated within the armed forces for years, recruiting sympathetic officers and developing plans for seizing power through coordinated military action backed by mass popular mobilization.

The 1992 Coup Attempt

On February 4, 1992, Diosdado Cabello participated directly in the coup attempt led by Hugo Chavez targeting President Carlos Andres Perez's government. Cabello commanded forces that seized control of the Miraflores presidential palace and La Carlota air base in Caracas, demonstrating military competence and personal courage during the operation. Despite initial tactical successes, the coup ultimately failed due to insufficient military and popular support, with Chavez surrendering after President Perez escaped capture and loyalist forces regained control of key positions. Cabello spent approximately two years imprisoned at Yare Prison alongside Chavez and other co-conspirators, using this period to deepen revolutionary relationships and plan future political activities following their eventual release.

The failed 1992 coup established Cabello's credentials as an original Bolivarian revolutionary who risked everything for the cause when success appeared far from certain. This participation in the founding moment of chavismo granted him permanent legitimacy within revolutionary circles and personal authority derived from having stood with Chavez during the movement's most dangerous early phase. The bonds forged during imprisonment proved enduring, creating loyalties and obligations that structured Venezuelan political relationships for decades. Cabello emerged from prison as a committed revolutionary with enhanced status among chavista activists and clear trajectory toward political power should the Bolivarian movement eventually succeed.

Rise to Political Power

Following Hugo Chavez's election as President of Venezuela in 1998, Diosdado Cabello received appointment to senior government positions reflecting both his revolutionary credentials and Chavez's personal trust. Cabello served in multiple cabinet positions including Minister of Infrastructure, demonstrating administrative capabilities and loyalty that secured his position within the inner circle of chavista leadership. He held the governorship of Miranda State from 2004 to 2008, using this platform to build independent political power base and patronage networks extending beyond dependence on Chavez's personal authority. His tenure as governor involved controversial uses of power including alleged corruption and intimidation of political opponents, establishing patterns that would characterize his subsequent career.

Cabello ascended to the presidency of Venezuela's National Assembly in 2012, holding this position until 2016 and wielding it to advance chavista political objectives while marginalizing opposition forces. As National Assembly president, Cabello controlled legislative procedures, determined which bills received consideration, and deployed parliamentary rules to obstruct opposition initiatives while facilitating chavista legislation. He used his position to insulate the chavista government from legislative oversight, prevent investigation of corruption allegations, and maintain legislative support for increasingly authoritarian executive actions. The National Assembly under Cabello's leadership functioned as rubber stamp for executive decisions rather than independent branch exercising constitutional oversight responsibilities.

Control of Intelligence and Security Forces

Nicolas Maduro's appointment of Diosdado Cabello as Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace in April 2024 formalized his longstanding informal control over Venezuelan intelligence and internal security apparatus. The Interior Ministry exercises authority over SEBIN (Bolivarian National Intelligence Service), the Bolivarian National Police, CICPC (Scientific, Criminal and Forensic Investigations Corps), and coordinates with DGCIM (General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence) and the Bolivarian National Guard on internal security matters. This appointment concentrated immense coercive power in Cabello's hands, enabling him to direct surveillance operations, order arrests, control detention facilities, and deploy security forces for political purposes. His technical background in military communications combined with decades of revolutionary experience made him particularly effective in exploiting intelligence capabilities for regime maintenance.

Cabello exercises influence over intelligence agencies through combination of formal authority as Interior Minister and informal power derived from personal relationships, patronage networks, and revolutionary credentials. Security force commanders recognize Cabello's direct access to President Maduro and understand that defying the Interior Minister's directives would risk career consequences and potential investigation for corruption or disloyalty. Cabello maintains personal relationships with senior intelligence and security officials dating to his military service and early chavista political organizing, creating loyalty bonds transcending formal hierarchical relationships. His reputation for ruthlessness in dealing with perceived enemies and protection of loyal subordinates reinforces incentives for security personnel to follow his direction and report information he wishes to receive.

The Interior Minister employs intelligence resources to monitor potential rivals within the chavista movement, maintaining awareness of any challenges to his personal power or threats to regime stability. SEBIN and other agencies under Cabello's influence conduct surveillance on Venezuelan politicians, military officers, and government officials suspected of questioning Maduro's leadership or considering defection to opposition forces. Intelligence reporting flows to Cabello regarding internal chavista conflicts, factional tensions, and personal weaknesses that might be exploited to maintain control and eliminate threats before they mature into serious challenges. This comprehensive surveillance of Venezuelan political class including nominally pro-government figures creates atmosphere where even chavista officials fear intelligence agency attention and practice self-censorship regarding criticisms of leadership.

Allegations of Criminal Activity

Diosdado Cabello faces extensive allegations of involvement in organized crime including drug trafficking, money laundering, and corruption schemes exploiting government position for personal enrichment. The United States Treasury Department designated Cabello under the Kingpin Act in 2013, identifying him as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker and imposing sanctions including asset freezes and prohibition on transactions with United States persons or institutions. Treasury's designation described Cabello as heading the Cartel of the Suns, a network of Venezuelan military and intelligence officials facilitating cocaine transit from Colombia through Venezuelan territory toward Caribbean and West African markets. The designation alleged that Cabello utilized his government positions to protect drug trafficking organizations, received substantial payments from narcotics traffickers, and employed Venezuelan security forces to eliminate competing criminal groups.

Additional allegations include Cabello's involvement in illegal gold mining operations in southern Venezuela, where military and intelligence units under his influence control access to mining sites and extract payments from mining syndicates. Reports suggest Cabello accumulated substantial personal wealth through corruption schemes involving government contracts, petroleum sector dealings, and other opportunities to convert political power into financial gain. The combination of legitimate government salary, corrupt proceeds, and criminal enterprise revenues allegedly enabled Cabello to build significant wealth despite Venezuela's economic collapse, with assets reportedly held through front companies and offshore financial arrangements designed to obscure beneficial ownership. These corruption allegations remain largely unproven due to Cabello's control over Venezuelan judicial institutions and international sanctions limiting opportunities for foreign law enforcement to investigate his activities.

A newly unsealed 2026 indictment (Case S4 11 Cr. 205) updates previous 2020 charges with evidence of continued criminal activity through 2025. Cabello faced four primary counts:

Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy: Alleging he and co-conspirators used state power to facilitate the distribution of cocaine to benefit terrorist groups, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang. Cocaine Importation Conspiracy: Specifically targeting his role in the Cartel of the Suns, moving thousands of tons of cocaine toward the U.S. via transshipment points in the Caribbean and Central America. Possession of Machine Guns and Destructive Devices: Alleging the use of heavy weaponry to protect drug shipments and enforce the conspiracy's interests. Conspiracy to Possess Machine Guns and Destructive Devices: Related to the coordination of armed state-sponsored groups (colectivos) to facilitate trafficking.

Media Operations and Information Control

Cabello hosts a weekly television program titled "Con El Mazo Dando" (roughly translating as "Hitting Hard") broadcast on Venezuelan state television, using this platform to attack opposition figures, spread government propaganda, and demonstrate personal power through public denunciations of perceived enemies. The program features Cabello sitting behind a desk delivering monologues attacking the opposition, the United States, and anyone he considers threats to the revolution, occasionally using a wooden mallet prop to literally hit nails into wood while metaphorically "hitting" enemies. He frequently reveals information obtained through intelligence surveillance during these broadcasts, exposing opposition members' activities and conversations in ways designed to intimidate dissidents and demonstrate the regime's comprehensive monitoring capabilities. The program serves psychological warfare purposes by showing opposition activists that their activities, communications, and private discussions remain subject to government surveillance and potential public exposure.

Through his control of intelligence agencies and media influence, Cabello oversees sophisticated information operations designed to undermine opposition cohesion, spread disinformation, and shape Venezuelan public opinion. Intelligence services under his direction monitor opposition communications, identify internal conflicts within opposition organizations, and exploit these divisions through targeted propaganda operations and selective information disclosure. Pro-government media outlets amplify themes developed by intelligence agencies, creating information environments where opposition figures face constant attacks on their credibility, character, and motives. The fusion of intelligence collection and propaganda dissemination represents modern authoritarian information control adapted to digital communications and social media environments, with Cabello personally directing operations combining surveillance, propaganda, and psychological warfare.

International Sanctions and Legal Exposure

Diosdado Cabello faced extensive international sanctions from multiple governments and organizations targeting his involvement in human rights abuses, corruption, and drug trafficking. The United States has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions against Cabello under various authorities including the Kingpin Act, Global Magnitsky sanctions targeting human rights violators, and Executive Orders concerning Venezuela. These sanctions freeze any assets Cabello holds in United States financial institutions, prohibit United States persons from conducting transactions with him, and impose travel restrictions preventing entry into United States territory. The European Union, Canada, and other governments have implemented similar sanctions, creating international legal and financial isolation that complicates Cabello's ability to travel, hold assets in legitimate financial institutions, or conduct business internationally.

The International Criminal Court investigation into crimes against humanity in Venezuela potentially exposes Cabello to criminal prosecution for his role directing security forces that commit systematic torture, arbitrary detention, and extrajudicial execution. ICC prosecutors examine evidence regarding command responsibility for human rights violations, including whether senior Venezuelan officials including Cabello ordered, authorized, or had knowledge of abuses committed by subordinate security personnel. If prosecutors determine sufficient evidence exists linking Cabello to crimes against humanity, the ICC might issue arrest warrants that would require member states to detain him if he travels internationally. This potential legal exposure creates strong incentives for Cabello to remain in Venezuela where he enjoys protection from arrest, while simultaneously complicating regime prospects for negotiated transitions that might require exile in countries that would enforce ICC warrants.

Despite international sanctions and potential criminal liability, Cabello maintained his position as one of Venezuela's most powerful figures and appears well-positioned to influence the country's future regardless of whether chavismo retains power. His control over intelligence and security forces, patronage networks extending throughout Venezuelan institutions, and revolutionary credentials dating to the 1992 coup attempt provide power bases independent of formal government positions. Cabello has demonstrated survival skills enabling him to navigate Venezuelan political turmoil for over three decades, adapting to changing circumstances while maintaining relevance and influence. Whether chavismo falls or transforms, Cabello's combination of intelligence control, criminal connections, and political experience ensure he remains a significant factor in Venezuelan affairs with capacity to protect personal interests regardless of broader political developments.





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Chinese military affairs experts analyze US strikes in Venezuela and operation to capture Maduro

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun and Liang Rui Published: Jan 03, 2026 11:32 PM

After the US military strikes on Venezuela on Saturday, which reportedly led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Chinese military affairs experts analyzed how the US Delta Force carried out the mission, while stressing the illegality of the US invasion of a sovereign state.

US President Donald Trump claimed Saturday in a Truth Social post that Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of Venezuela, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that "The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country." He said the operation was conducted "in conjunction with US Law Enforcement," adding that further details would follow. Trump also announced that a news conference would be held at 11 am local time at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

According to CBS News, the Venezuelan president was captured early Saturday morning by members of the US Army's elite Delta Force, the US military's top special mission unit, citing US officials. The report also noted that the unit previously carried out the 2019 mission that killed former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Trump's claims came after multiple explosions rocked Venezuela's capital Caracas early on Saturday and columns of black smoke and aircraft could be seen, according to Reuters witnesses and images circulating on social media.

A power outage affected the southern area of the city, near a major military base, witnesses said.

Citing videos emerging on social media, the War Zone, a US media outlet specialized in defense, reported that 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment MH-47 Chinook helicopters (and what appear to likely be MH-60s) flew over Caracas as several explosions erupt in the background.

The strikes follow months of US military buildup in the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and numerous other warships positioned in the Caribbean, CBS News reported.

In recent weeks the US has seized two oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, launched deadly strikes on more than 30 boats the administration says were carrying drugs, and struck what President Trump called "the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs," according to the US media report.

Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Saturday that the seemingly relatively smooth US military operation could be partially because of the initial air strikes and possible electronic warfare attacks that sabotaged and jammed the Venezuelan air force and air defense capabilities, allowing US helicopters carrying Delta Force units to conduct airborne operations and penetrate Maduro's residence. He added that the Delta Force units involved are experienced elite operators.

Venezuela's defense capabilities could be vulnerable facing the US, especially when having intelligence about his whereabouts, according to Wang.

Zhang Junshe, another Chinese military affairs expert, also highlighted the potential intelligence advantages of the US side. He noted that the US has a history of using its agencies such as the CIA to gather intelligence, including buying over military commanders or officials with knowledge about the mission objective.

From a military operational point of view, other militaries around the world will likely see the latest US military operation as a case study, Zhang told the Global Times. "The US has repeatedly conducted similar military operations to overthrow regimes. Such operations are not just tactical operations, but they have deep political and strategic implications," Zhang said.

The US operation on Venezuela is a move of invading a sovereign state, which violates the international law, Zhang stressed.

China is deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the US' blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president. Such hegemonic acts of the US seriously violate international law and Venezuela's sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region. China firmly opposes it, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson made the remarks on the US military strikes on Venezuela on Saturday night.

"We call on the US to abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and stop violating other countries' sovereignty and security," said the spokesperson.

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Venezuela: UN Fact-Finding Mission expresses grave concern following US military intervention and calls for accountability for human rights violations and crimes

Press releases

Independent investigation

03 January 2026

PANAMA / GENEVA -- The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela expressed grave concern over the human rights situation in Venezuela following the US attack and capture of Nicolas Maduro and underscored the need to ensure accountability for the grave human rights violations and crimes against humanity committed by his government.

"In light of the US military intervention and the apprehension of Nicolas Maduro on - according to the US administration - charges of 'narco-terrorism against the United States and its citizens,' the Fact-Finding Mission underscores the need to maintain the focus on the grave human rights violations and crimes against humanity which have been committed against the Venezuelan population," said Marta Valinas, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission.

These violations, documented extensively by the Fact-Finding Mission, include extrajudicial killings and other arbitrary deprivations of life; arbitrary detentions; enforced disappearances (mostly short-term); torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment; and sexual and gender-based violence.

"The Maduro government's longstanding record of grave human rights violations does not justify a US military intervention that breaches international law," said Alex Neve, expert member of the Fact-Finding Mission. "Similarly, the illegality of the US attack does not in any way diminish the clear responsibility of Venezuelan officials, including Mr. Maduro, for years of repression and violence amounting to crimes against humanity. The Venezuelan people require and deserve solutions that fully comply with international law."

"Responsibility for these violations is not limited to Nicolas Maduro," said Maria Eloisa Quintero, expert member of the Fact-Finding Mission. "Other individuals who exercised command or authority over security forces, or who otherwise contributed to these crimes, must also be held accountable."

The Fact-Finding Mission is deeply concerned about the risk of further serious human rights violations in the coming days and weeks amid heightened volatility, including the US government's assertion that it intends to "run" the country for the foreseeable future at the same time that Venezuelan authorities have declared a state of emergency.

The Mission is closely monitoring the rapidly evolving situation in the country and its impact on the rights, safety, and security of the population. It calls on Venezuelan and U.S. authorities, as well as the international community, to ensure full respect for international law. The rights of the Venezuelan people have been systematically violated for far too long. Human rights must, without exception, come first.

ENDS

Background: In September 2019, the UN Human Rights Council established the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to assess alleged human rights violations committed since 2014. The Fact-Finding Mission presented its latest annual report during an interactive dialogue at the Council in September 2024, accompanied by a conference room paper with its detailed findings. In its resolution 57/36, the Council extended the Fact-Finding Mission's mandate for two more years, until October 2026.

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Press Release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding developments in Venezuela

Romania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Type: Press release

Date: 01/03/26

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela, in close coordination with its partners in the European Union.

A community with Romanian roots lives in this country. The first priority for the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the safety of Romanian citizens. Romania's diplomatic and consular missions in Latin America, as well as the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are ready to provide assistance if needed, with the support of the EU Delegation in Caracas. A consular coordination mechanism is in place for EU citizens in Venezuela.

Peace in Venezuela is of the highest concern. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs urges restraint and responsibility on the part of the authorities.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also urges the initiation of rapid steps for return to democracy, a goal consistently expressed by Venezuelan citizens.

In the spirit of the statement made by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, EU member states are discussing a joint declaration before the convening of a United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in Venezuela.

We recall that the EU has instituted, with Romania's agreement, successive sanctions regimes against the undemocratic regime in Caracas, including following the deeply flawed presidential elections in July 2024. The European Union and Romania have not recognized Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela.

Romania fully shares the priority of combating drug trafficking and organized crime, which represent a significant threat to the security of both continents.

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Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's telephone conversation with Foreign Minister of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov

3 January 2026 21:51

8-03-01-2026

On January 3, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov.

The two ministers discussed the developments around Venezuela.

They stressed that Moscow and Minsk stand united in resolutely condemning the aggression carried out by the United States against a sovereign state, in violation of international law. They underscored the absolute necessity of the immediate release of the legitimate President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and his wife, their return to the capital of the country, and the restoration of Nicolas Maduro as head of state. Mr Lavrov and Mr Ryzhenkov also emphasised the importance of the efforts to promptly establish conditions for resolving the situation in Venezuela through dialogue conducted in accordance with international law.

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Statement by the Secretary General on the situation in Venezuela

Council of Europe

Secretary General

Strasbourg

4 January 2026

Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset has issued the following statement regarding the situation in Venezuela:

"Reports from Venezuela mark a moment of profound uncertainty for the Venezuelan people, and for international stability and security.

"This situation cannot be reduced to a binary choice between condemnation and support. It reveals a deeper shift in an emerging world order where force is normalised and law is weaponised.

"As a multilateral regional organisation dedicated to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, the Council of Europe considers that any use of force on the territory of another state raises serious questions under international law, including the core principles of the United Nations Charter of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference.

"The Council of Europe knows from its engagement on Ukraine how fragile international law becomes once the use of force is normalised. That is why consistency and credibility matter.

"A transition in Venezuela must be peaceful, democratic, and respectful of the will of the Venezuelan people. Democracy can prevail only if it is reclaimed by Venezuelans themselves, through an inclusive political process, credible elections, and the restoration of democratic institutions that command public trust.

"The risk today is a deepening of polarisation in Venezuela, across the region and globally between those who condemn a serious breach of international law and those who see it as justified. These fractures weaken the foundations of international security.

"Whether we call it regime change or foreign influence, too often different standards are applied, shaped by strategic interests or ideological proximity rather than by shared and consistent legal principles.

"International law is universal, or it is meaningless. Democracy is resilient when it is freely chosen, institutionally protected, and grounded in legality. A world governed by exceptions, double standards, or competing spheres of influence is a more dangerous world."

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Cuba's Strong Condemnation of the Cowardly U.S. Aggression Against Venezuela and Its Absolute Support for That Sister Nation

Republic of Cuba - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Jan 04 2026

The Revolutionary Government strongly condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the military aggression carried out by the United States against Venezuela, while categorically reaffirming Cuba's absolute support and solidarity with the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its government. Cuba supports the address delivered by the Executive Vice President, Comrade Delcy Rodriguez, and endorses her demand that the Government of the United States provide proof of life of the constitutional President, Nicolas Maduro Moros, and Comrade Cilia Flores, as well as its support for the determination of the Bolivarian and Chavista government and its people to reject the aggression and defend their independence and sovereignty.

This cowardly U.S. aggression constitutes a criminal act and a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. It represents a dangerous escalation of the sustained campaign of war waged for years by the United States against that sister nation, which intensified beginning in September 2025 with the aggressive naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea, under false pretexts and unfounded accusations lacking any evidence.

Cuba emphatically demands the immediate release by U.S. authorities of President Nicolas Maduro Moros and Comrade Cilia Flores.

This is a blatant imperialist and fascist aggression with objectives of domination, aimed at reviving U.S. hegemonic ambitions over Our America, rooted in the Monroe Doctrine, and at achieving unrestricted access to and control over the natural wealth of Venezuela and the region. It also seeks to intimidate and subjugate the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The consequences of this irresponsible act remain to be seen. The Government of the United States, President Donald Trump, and his Secretary of State, together with the aggressive elements hostile to Latin America and the Caribbean that have gained significant political influence in that country, bear absolute responsibility for the deaths, as well as the human and material damage already caused and any that may result from this aggression.

In January 2014, in Havana, the governments of the region, representing their peoples, unanimously signed the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peacean aspiration that is now under attack by the United States.

The international community cannot allow an aggression of this nature and gravity against a UN Member State to go unpunished, nor permit the military abduction of the legitimate and sitting president of a sovereign country without consequences. Venezuela is a peaceful nation that has not attacked the United States or any other country.

For that sister nation and its people, we are prepared to give, as we would for Cuba, even our own blood.

The Revolutionary Government calls upon all governments, parliaments, social movements, and peoples of the world to condemn the military aggression of the United States against Venezuela, and to confront this act of State terrorism that threatens international peace and security and seeks to impose a new doctrine of domination by U.S. imperialism worldwide, and particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

All nations of the region must remain alert, as the threat hangs over all. In Cuba, our determination to struggle is firm and unwavering. The decision is one and only one: Homeland or Death.

We Shall Overcome!

Havana, January 3, 2026

(Cubaminrex)

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Venezuela: Statement by the High Representative on the aftermath of the U.S. intervention in Venezuela

European External Action Service (EEAS)

04.01.2026

EEAS Press Team

This statement is supported by 26 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden).

The European Union calls for calm and restraint by all actors, to avoid escalation and to ensure a peaceful solution to the crisis.

The EU recalls that, under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be upheld. Members of the United Nations Security Council have a particular responsibility to uphold those principles, as a pillar of the international security architecture.

The EU has repeatedly stated that Nicolas Maduro lacks the legitimacy of a democratically elected president and has advocated for a Venezuelan-led peaceful transition to democracy in the country, respectful of its sovereignty. The right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected.

The EU shares the priority of combating transnational organised crime and drug trafficking, which pose a significant security threat worldwide. At the same time, the EU stresses that these challenges must be addressed through sustained cooperation in full respect of international law and the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty.

We are in close contact with the United States, as well as regional and international partners to support and facilitate dialogue with all parties involved, leading to a negotiated, democratic, inclusive and peaceful solution to the crisis, led by Venezuelans.

Respecting the will of the Venezuelan people remains the only way for Venezuela to restore democracy and resolve the current crisis.

At this critical time, it is essential that all actors fully respect human rights and international humanitarian law. All political prisoners currently detained in Venezuela must be unconditionally released.

EU Member States' consular authorities are working in close coordination in order to protect the safety of EU citizens, including those illegally detained in Venezuela.

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Chinese FM on Venezuela situation: China always opposes imposing one country's will on another

Global Times

By Xinhua Published: Jan 04, 2026 10:52 PM

China always opposes the use or threat of force, as well as any imposition of one country's will on another, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday when speaking of the situation in Venezuela.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when holding the Seventh Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing.

Wang said the current international situation is more volatile and intertwined, with unilateral bullying becoming increasingly severe.

The sudden change of situation in Venezuela has drawn high attention from the international community, Wang said.

"We never believe that any country can play the role of world policeman, nor do we agree that any country can claim itself to be an international judge," Wang said, adding that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected by international law.

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Impact of US strike against Venezuela on global oil price limited in the short term, but long-term uncertainties heighten: analysts

Global Times

Development carries major stakes for all oil-consuming countries, including China

By GT staff reporters Published: Jan 04, 2026 10:25 PM

Following the US strike against Venezuela, US President Donald Trump claimed that US oil companies will spend billions of dollars to rebuild Venezuela's "crumbling energy infrastructure," according to a Bloomberg report on Sunday. He also said that the embargo he imposed on Venezuelan oil "remains in full effect," according to a CNBC report.

Some Chinese analysts said that the global oil price may experience just a minimal impact in the coming days, considering the relatively small global share of Venezuela's oil production.

But they stressed that the price of the bulk commodity is likely to face heightened long-term uncertainty, depending on such factors as how the situation in Venezuela - which reportedly has the world's largest oil reserves - evolves and the extent to which the local exploitation work and refinery infrastructure develops. The uncertainty associated with the global energy outlook could carry high stakes for all countries that are consumers of oil resources, including China, analysts noted.

The global spotlight has been focusing on the massive local oil reserves in Venezuela and how global oil prices would move following the strikes on Saturday.

Reuters quoted sources close to the matter in a report on Sunday, who said that Venezuela's oil exports are now paralyzed as port captains have not received requests to authorize loaded ships to set sail.

A CNN report noted that Trump's plan could "eventually make Venezuela a much bigger supplier of oil and could create opportunities for Western oil companies and could serve as a new source of production. It could also keep broader prices in check, although lower prices might disincentivize some US companies from producing oil."

US oil giants have so far remained silent on Trump's energy plan in Venezuela. Chevron, the only US oil company still operating in Venezuela, committed only to following "relevant laws and regulations" after Trump's remarks, according to a Guardian report.

ExxonMobil, the biggest US oil company, did not respond to a request for comment. ConocoPhillips, another major player, said that it was monitoring developments, and added: "It would be premature to speculate on any future business activities or investments," the report noted.

Venezuela, a founding member of OPEC, has the largest proven oil reserves in the world. But the South American nation currently produces less than 1 million barrels of oil a day, which is less than 1 percent of global oil production, according to a CNBC report.

"In the short term, the price could edge up only to a small extent mostly due to psychological factors. The fluctuation won't be large due to the relatively small global share of Venezuela's oil, as the country's oil exports had been under sanctions [before the US strikes]," Jin Lei, a professor at the China University of Petroleum, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Wang Yongzhong, director of the Institute of Energy Economy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday that the impact of the suspension of Venezuela's oil exports will likely to be "limited" in terms of global prices.

"I expect the market to remain relatively stable. This also takes into account that global oil prices have fallen back from their highs recently," Wang said.

According to Chinese analysts, it is a matter of high stakes how the global oil price moves in the long term. They expressed concern that over the long term, US companies' involvement in Venezuela's oil resources would grant the country significant leverage over global oil prices, making it easier for the country to conduct manipulation for its own interests and gains.

"The US could potentially restrict production or employ other measures to coordinate with domestic oil sales in the US, thereby influencing international oil prices," Jin said. This would have profound effects on virtually every oil-consuming nation, analysts noted.

Dai Jiaquan, director of the Oil Market Research Institute at the China National Petroleum Economics and Technology Research Institute, told the Global Times that Venezuelan's heavy, high-sulfur grades are essential feedstocks for refining diesel, asphalt and other products, and they're especially well-suited to the refineries along the US Gulf Coast.

"Given Venezuela's geographic proximity to the US and the relatively low prices of its heavy crude, US refineries achieve exceptionally high profitability when processing Venezuelan oil," Dai noted. He added that because Venezuelan crude directly competes with Canadian oil sands crude in terms of quality, refinery compatibility and end markets, the exports of Canadian heavy oil producers will be affected in the long term as well.

Analysts diverge on how the global oil prices would fluctuate in the long term. According to Wang, if US companies do invest and have the capacity to bolster the oil industry in Venezuela, oil production and supply will be expanded in a gradual manner. Considering that the global economy is slowing down and the energy transition is accelerating - which all undercut global demand - the oil price is poised to decrease in such a scenario.

Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, pointed out that the possibility of US companies reviving Venezuela's oil production could be slim, and the cost could be incredibly high.

"If Venezuela's oil resources do undergo large-scale development, this would increase global supply and exert downward pressure on international oil prices. However, this process is constrained by factors such as infrastructure construction and investment cycles, requiring a relatively long timespan, and the outlook remains subject to considerable uncertainty," Lin told the Global Times on Sunday.

Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company PDVSA said that its pipelines haven't been updated in 50 years, and the cost to update the infrastructure to return to peak production levels would be $58 billion, according to the CNN report.

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How the world is reacting to US bombing of Venezuela and kidnapping of Maduro

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Jan 4, 2026

Tehran, IRNA -- The United States' invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, in a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and international law, have sparked widespread condemnations, except from Trump's European and Israeli allies.

The US military launched the attack and bombed several locations in Venezuela, including the capital Caracas, on Friday at 2:00 AM local time, with large helicopters carrying American forces and entering the South American country, abducting Maduro, and taking him to New York.

An hour later, US President Donald Trump announced the attack on Venezuela, and the White House released footage showing Maduro handcuffed and escorted by American forces. Trump also hinted at "running" Venezuela with the help of senior members of his administration and taking control of Venezuela's massive oil reserves, the largest in the world.

The attack and Trump's remarks have drawn sharp condemnations from Caracas, with Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez, in a live address, denouncing the attack as an "illegal, illegitimate kidnapping" of the country's president and first lady and demanding their immediate release.

Rodriguez, who was later chosen by the country's highest court of law as acting-president of Venezuela, said the abduction of Maduro carried a "Zionist tint," a reference to the Israeli warmongering and aggression in the West Asia region.

'Shock over US attack'

An international media organization, Peoples Dispatch, wrote on its website that Venezuelans are in shock over the US attack, but the government remains in control of the country.

The media outlet criticized the US government for its "unilateral" military action, saying the world failed to stop the US from invading Iraq in 2003 and the military actions against Venezuela since 2001. "Trump will claim victory in his annual address to Congress," the Dispatch added in its analysis, warning that "this is another example of unilateralism" after Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya.

'Encroachment on Venezuelan oil reserves'

Alexei Pushkov, chairman of the Information Policy Committee of the Russian Federation Council, said that the desire to establish control over Venezuela's oil reserves has become a strategic goal for the United States in the country.

Pushkov added that fighting drug trafficking is nothing more than an excuse, and kidnapping Maduro is also a means to achieve the main goal, which is to control Venezuelan oil.

A German magazine, Focus, wrote that Trump's reason for attacking Venezuela is to gain access to the world's largest oil reserves.

Israeli media, including Channel 13, also admitted that the US president's claim about fighting drug trafficking is only a cover for Washington's real goals, which are Venezuelan oil and confronting Russia and China by consolidating its hegemony in the region.

'No justification for attack'

Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, strongly reacted to the US military operation, describing it as a "violent operation against an independent country" that had not posed any threat to the United States.

Calling the attack "an example of America's way of maintaining peace," Medvedev said, "The incident shows that every country must strengthen its military capabilities as much as possible. The only real guarantee for protecting sovereignty is having a nuclear arsenal."

Jamal Wakim, a professor of History and International Relations at the Lebanese University, said in an interview with Al-Manar Network that the events in Venezuela and the kidnapping of Maduro by the United States show international law no longer exists.

"There is no such thing as international law; it is a mannequin that Westerners invented to justify their actions and ignore it whenever they want," he explained, citing the past US attacks on Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran.

Demand for Maduro's release

China has condemned the US move as a clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the principles of the UN Charter.

"China expresses grave concern over the US forcibly seizing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and taking them out of the country," a Foreign Ministry statement said, adding that Beijing calls on Washington "to ensure their safety, release them at once, and stop toppling the government of Venezuela."

Russia has reaffirmed support for Venezuela, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressing the need for Maduro's immediate release and his return as head of the Venezuelan government.

Earlier, Lavrov expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people in the face of US armed aggression, saying Russia will continue to support the course pursued by the Venezuelan government to protect its national interests and sovereignty during his phone call with Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.

'Reminder of American thuggery and banditry'

Alaa Mohammed, son of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, described the US attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of Maduro as "thuggery and banditry."

In a post on his X account, Alaa wrote that US President Trump, who dreamed of the Nobel Peace Prize, announced the entry of American forces into Venezuelan territory and the kidnapping of the Venezuelan president and his wife. "A long history of bullying and banditry."

'No domestic interest'

Former US Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the Trump administration's abduction of the Venezuelan president and his wife, calling the military operation both "unlawful" and "unwise."

In a post on X, Harris said that Trump's actions in Venezuela "do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable. Wars for regime change or oil that are sold as strength but turn into chaos, and American families pay the price."

"Today, many leaders will rightly condemn President Donald Trump's unlawful and unjust actions in Venezuela, and I join them," was the reaction of Cory Booker, US Congressman from New Jersey.

In a message on his X social media account, Booker also accused the US Congress of being irresponsible and neglecting its duties under the country's constitution. "For almost a year now, the legislative branch has failed to check a president who repeatedly violates his oath, disregards the law, and endangers American interests at home and abroad."

Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader in the US Senate, labeled the Trump administration's decision to abduct the Venezuelan president and launch an attack "reckless."

"The administration has assured me three separate times that it was not pursuing regime change or taking military action in Venezuela. Clearly, they are not being straight with Americans," he said.

Democratic Representative, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, while condemning the military action and kidnapping of Maduro, wrote on X, "It's not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn't have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month. It's about oil and regime change."

"And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn't. Especially to distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs," Ocasio-Cortez added.

Newly installed New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani said on social media that "unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law."

'US attack comparable to Israeli crimes'

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel denounced the military attack as state terrorism and categorized it as a criminal aggression against the sovereignty of a peaceful nation.

"This is not about fighting narco-terrorism, as they falsely claim, but about destroying a project of integration and resistance that was born with Commander Hugo Chavez," he asserted.

Diaz-Canel also compared the US action in Venezuela to the crimes against humanity committed by Israeli Zionism in Gaza, highlighting its illegal, immoral, and international law violations.

US crossing 'Unacceptable Line'

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared that the bombings and abduction of Maduro "crossed an unacceptable line."

In a statement on X, Lula said these acts represent a "grave affront to Venezuela's sovereignty" and establish "another extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community."

"The action recalls the worst moments of interference in the politics of Latin America and the Caribbean and threatens the preservation of the region as a zone of peace," Lula said, urging the UN to "respond vigorously."

Textbook example of an "act of aggression"

Iran strongly condemned the United States' military aggression against Venezuela and the blatant violation of the country's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying the attack represents a flagrant violation of regional and international peace and security.

"It is a textbook example of an act of aggression that must be explicitly condemned immediately by the United Nations and by all states concerned with upholding the rule of law, peace, and international security," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry further said that the US military aggression against an independent UN member state represents a flagrant violation of regional and international peace and security, warning that the consequences of the action would affect the entire international system and further expose the UN Charter-based order to erosion and destruction.

European, Israeli support for Trump's attack

French President Emmanuel Macron was the first European ally of Trump, who expressed happiness over the attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of its president. In a social media post, he said that "the Venezuelan people are free from Maduro's dictatorship."

Macron's stance provoked a reaction from Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the leftist party France Independant, who wrote in a post that Trump is trying to seize Venezuelan oil by violating Venezuelan sovereignty with an old-fashioned military intervention and the heinous kidnapping of President Maduro and his wife.

German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz defended Trump's kidnapping of the Venezuelan president, claiming Maduro had brought his country to ruin.

Italy's Right-Wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni supported Washington's apparent attack on Venezuela, calling it an "intervention with defensive purposes."

Meloni was the only European leader, along with Israel, to have supported the US military operation in Venezuela from the beginning.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated London's previous position on Caracas in a statement, saying the country would not shed tears for the end of Maduro's government.

However, anti-war groups and labor unions in Britain issued strong statements condemning the US military operation in Venezuela and demanding the return of the country's president to Caracas.

Trump's key ally in the West Asia region, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar congratulated the US on its attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of its elected president.

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Israeli regime continues attacks on Gaza, killing two despite ceasefire

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Jan 4, 2026

Tehran, IRNA -- Despite the announced ceasefire, the Israeli regime has continued its attacks on various areas of the Gaza Strip, killing two Palestinians and wounding another over the past several hours.

According to a report by Al-Manar news network, violations of the ceasefire in Gaza by the Israeli regime have persisted, with the latest attacks resulting in the deaths of two Palestinians.

A medical source said that Fadi Najib Salah was shot dead by Israeli forces in northwest Rafah and his body was transferred to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

Hours earlier, Abdulrahman Abdel-Hadi Al-Qann, a 32-year-old fisherman, was targeted by fire from the Israeli regime's naval forces along the coasts of Khan Younis and Rafah.

He was shot in the head and killed.

Another Palestinian in northern Rafah, an area from which Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw under the ceasefire agreement, sustained severe head injuries after being shot.

Meanwhile, Israeli enemy warplanes carried out airstrikes on various areas in northern and western Rafah as well as Khan Younis, bombing homes and residential neighborhoods.

The Israeli regime also targeted eastern Gaza City and the eastern parts of the Bureij refugee camp, continuing its assaults despite the ceasefire agreement.

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UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on US attack on Venezuela

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Jan 4, 2026

New York, IRNA -- The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday morning local time in New York to discuss the United States' military attack on Venezuela and the detention of its President Nicolas Maduro.

According to the office of the UN spokesperson, the emergency session was requested by Venezuela and Colombia, with Russia and Chinaboth permanent members of the Security Councilalso supporting the call for the meeting.

In a letter sent to the Security Council on Saturday, Venezuela's ambassador to the UN, Samuel Reinaldo Moncada Acosta, condemned the US attack and urged the council to take immediate action to halt Washington's measures. The envoy warned that, in light of the attacks, Venezuela reserves its "inherent right of self-defense" under international law.

The letter described the US actions as a "colonial war" aimed at dismantling Venezuela's republican system of government, which the ambassador said had been freely chosen by the Venezuelan people. The envoy also said that Washington is seeking to impose a puppet government that would enable the exploitation of Venezuela's natural resources, including some of the world's largest oil reserves.

Participants in the meeting have not yet been officially confirmed, though UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres may attend.

The United States attacked Venezuela on Saturday, striking positions in the capital, Caracas, and several more regions. The attack came nearly four months after the US struck what it described as drug boats in waters near Venezuela. The US aggression triggered global condemnations.

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Venezuelan FM lauds Iranian government and nation's support and solidarity

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Jan 4, 2026

Tehran, IRNA -- Foreign Minister of Venezuela Yvan Gil Pinto in a message has praised the support and solidarity of the Iranian government and nation with Venezuela against the clear violation of international law by the United States.

Iran calls for the restoration of regional peace and stability, an end to hostilities and threats, and the safe return of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to their country, Pinto wrote on his X account after his phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.

Earlier on Saturday, Araghchi in a telephone conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart has discussed the latest developments after the US attacks on the Latin American country.

He strongly condemned the US military aggression against Venezuela and the kidnapping of the legitimate Venezuelan president and his wife.

He described this action a clear example of state terrorism and a clear attack on the sovereignty and national will of the Venezuelan people, and emphasized Iran's support for the people and elected government of Venezuela.

Meanwhile, the Venezuelan foreign minister appreciated Iran's the principled positions in declaring solidarity with Venezuela.

He stressed that the people and government of Venezuela are determined to defend national sovereignty and the right to self-determination against the US' bullying and illegal policies.

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Araghchi phones Venezuelan FM on latest developments following US military attacks

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Jan 4, 2026

Tehran, IRNA -- Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a telephone conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart, Yvan Eduardo Gil Pinto, has discussed the latest developments after the US attacks on the Latin American country.

Araghchi, while strongly condemning the US military aggression against Venezuela and the kidnapping of the legitimate Venezuelan president and his wife, considered this action a clear example of state terrorism and a clear attack on the sovereignty and national will of the Venezuelan people, and emphasized the Islamic Republic of Iran's support for the people and elected government of Venezuela.

The Venezuelan foreign minister, appreciating the principled positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in declaring solidarity with Venezuela, emphasized that the people and government of Venezuela are determined to defend national sovereignty and the right to self-determination against the bullying and illegal policies of the United States.

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Chief: Hezbollah has benefited from Iran's support with no return

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Jan 4, 2026

Tehran, IRNA -- Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem has praised the military skills of former IRGC Quds commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani, adding that Iram has asked for nothing in return for its support.

Sheikh Naim Qassem delivered a televised address on the sixth martyrdom anniversary of General Qassem Suleimani and Hajj Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis.

According to Al-Manar TV EN website, Sheikh Qassem felicitated Muslims on the Birthday of Imam Ali (A.S.): Allah has blessed us with the loyalty to the Commander of the Faithful.

He also said "Martyr Suleimani was a thoughtful and professional military leader who had close ties with Master of Umma Martyrs Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah.

"Martyr Suleimani's main target was supporting the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli enemy."

"Martyr Suleimani's martyrdom has reinvigorated the resistance path," he also said, adding that, "Killings of martyrs will not impede the procession of the resistance in the region."

Sheikh Qassem continued to say that "the West has planted 'Israel' in Palestine in order to sustain the educational and economic dominance over the region."

"Hezbollah has benefited from Iran's support with no return," he highlighted.

The Hezbollah leader went on to talk about Lebanon's elections saying that "Hezbollah calls for holding the Lebanese parliamentary elections as scheduled."

He also said, "Hezbollah calls for providing the Lebanese Army with suitable weapons to defend Lebanon and sustain the local stability."

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Remarks on the U.S. Seizing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and His Wife

People's Republic of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Updated: January 04, 2026 13:55

Q: It's reported that on January 3, the U.S. sent forces to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and took them out of the country. The governments of multiple countries have voiced opposition. What's China's comment?

A: China expresses grave concern over the U.S. forcibly seizing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and taking them out of the country. The U.S.'s move is in clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China calls on the U.S. to ensure the personal safety of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, release them at once, stop toppling the government of Venezuela, and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation.

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Venezuelan military stands with acting president Rodriguez after US kidnapping of Maduro

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 04 January 2026 7:03 PM

Venezuela's military high command on Sunday formally recognized Delcy Rodriguez as the nation's acting president, following the lawless abduction of democratically elected leader Nicolas Maduro by US forces.

The transition, aimed at maintaining sovereign continuity, comes as the international community reels from a shocking US-led assault on the Venezuelan capital, condemned as a blatant act of state-sponsored terrorism.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino delivered the announcement via national television, endorsing a Supreme Court ruling that appoints Rodriguez as acting leader for 90 days.

Padrino described the assault as a "cowardly kidnapping," revealing that Maduro's security detail was murdered "in cold blood" alongside military personnel and civilians during the American strikes.

"The homeland must follow its constitutional course," Padrino declared, calling on the Venezuelan people to resume economic and educational activities as a form of resistance against the chaos intended by Washington.

While an official death toll from the US bombings has yet to be finalized, authorities confirmed that the strikes targeted the heart of Caracas, violating all norms of international law.

Washington issues Mafia-style threats

Shortly after the transition was announced, US President Donald Trump shifted from a posture of diplomacy to open intimidation.

Trump threatened that Rodriguez would pay a "very big price" if she refused to surrender Venezuela's sovereignty to American interests.

Trump had earlier indicated that Rodriguez was a figure Washington could work with.

While US officials have attempted to justify the kidnapping using "narcotrafficking" allegations in a New York court, the Trump administration has simultaneously admitted its true motive-- access to Venezuela's massive crude oil reserves.

Following the Saturday morning raid, which involved over 150 US aircraft, the Supreme Court moved swiftly to appoint Rodriguez to ensure "administrative continuity."

The assault is viewed by Caracas as the latest and most violent attempt in a decade-long US campaign to topple the Bolivarian Revolution.

In a televised address late Saturday, Rodriguez demanded the immediate release of President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were flown to a US detention facility in New York.

Rodriguez characterized the operation as having a "Zionist tint," suggesting the strategic involvement or tactical influence of Israeli regime forces in the American aggression.

"The governments of the world are shocked that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the victim of an attack of this nature," Rodriguez stated.

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Iran says its investments in Venezuela face no major risk

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 04 January 2026 6:49 PM

A member of Iran's parliament says the country is not concerned about the future of its investment projects in Venezuela, saying that any government that comes to power in the South American country should respect its international obligations.

Fada Hossein Maleki said on Sunday that Iran's investment projects in Venezuela are not extensive, adding that private investors would be able to continue their activities there.

Maleki, who is a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said that Iran has reduced its investments in Venezuela in recent years.

"Iran had invested in Venezuela for years, but this trend has not continued in recent years, and what remains, as far as I know, is limited to a factory and a few other things," he told the ILNA news agency.

The lawmaker said that Iran has not committed to major projects in Venezuela's oil sector, adding that manufacturing had been the main focus of Iranian investment in the South American country.

He said that Iran's Foreign Ministry would step up efforts aimed at protecting Iranian investors in Venezuela.

The construction arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said last month that it had withdrawn from a major subway project in Venezuela.

Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters said it had initially agreed to build a subway line in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, but later pulled out due to new conditions imposed on the project.

The United States carried out an attack on Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday, capturing the country's president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife.

Under Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela expanded its economic and political ties with Iran as the two nations sought to counter pressure stemming from US sanctions.

Over the years, Iran has assisted Venezuela in efforts to revive its oil industry while also launching joint industrial projects in the country, including automobile manufacturing.

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Make 'right decision' or face more US pressure, Rubio tells Venezuela's Rodriguez

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 04 January 2026 6:18 PM

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned Venezuelan officials to make the "right decision" or face mounting pressure from the United States.

US forces abducted the democratically elected Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from Caracas on Saturday and flew him to New York in a risky move involving heavy bombing, helicopters, jets, warships, and commandos.

Speaking to CBS News' Face the Nation, the top diplomat addressed the Venezuelan issue, saying Washington is ready to work with the remaining leadership if they make the "right decision."

Rubio threatened to continue to mount political and economic pressure on Venezuela if Caracas resists Washington's demands.

With the help of the US military and judiciary -- by striking what he called "drug boats" and taking Venezuelan oil, wherever and whenever possible, in addition to other unlawful measures -- the US will mount increased pressure on Caracas, Rubio said.

Rubio appeared to soften on US President Donald Trump's arrogant statements on Saturday that the United States will "run" Venezuela from now on.

Instead, he made clear that Washington is ready to try working with Maduro's vice president and now acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the rest of the Venezuelan officials.

"We are going to see what happens moving forward," Rubio said. "I do know this: that if they don't make the right decision, the United States will retain multiple levers of leverage."

Meanwhile, in a televised address late Saturday, Rodriguez condemned the US attack, saying it carried a "Zionist tint."

Rodriguez, who was designated as interim leader, demanded that Maduro and his wife, who were flown after abduction to a prison facility in New York, be immediately released.

During her address, she emphasized that Maduro remains the "only president of Venezuela."

Surrounded by military leaders and Cabinet officials, Rodriguez said that a National Defense Council had been formed, and that with the full deployment of Venezuela's national armed forces, the country "will never again be a colony of any empire."

She said governments worldwide are "simply shocked" by the Trump administration's decision to attack and kidnap the leader of a sovereign nation, insisting that "history and justice will make them pay."

"The governments of the world are simply shocked that it is the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela which is the victim and subject of an attack of this nature, which has, without a doubt, a Zionist tint," she added.

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Russia, China urge Maduro's release after US abduction

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 04 January 2026 10:51 AM

Russia and China have called on the United States to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is illegally jailed in New York after being kidnapped during an armed aggression against his country.

On Sunday, China's Foreign Ministry urged Washington to stop its regime change efforts and advance a diplomatic path to resolve issues with Venezuela.

"China calls on the US to ensure the personal safety of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, release them at once, stop toppling the government of Venezuela, and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation," it said.

The ministry also expressed grave concerns about the US's forcible abduction of Maduro, saying the move is "in clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter."

Previously, Beijing said it was "deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the US's blatant use of force" against Venezuela.

After months of threats, the US bombed Venezuela and kidnapped Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their residence in the capital of Caracas. The pair were taken to a detention center in New York, where they will stand trial for alleged drug trafficking-related charges.

US President Donald Trump said Washington will "run" Venezuela for now and tap its oil reserves.

Many analysts and politicians said that the true motive for the illegal attack was not combating drug trafficking but plundering Venezuela's oil reserves, the largest in the world.

In recent months, the US has piled pressure on Venezuela by dispatching warships and fighter jets to the region, conducting lethal strikes on suspected drug boats, and seizing oil tankers going in and out of the Latin American country.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Belarusian counterpart, Maxim Ryzhenkov, held a telephone conversation, during which they called for Maduro's release from US custody.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said both diplomats emphasized "the absolute need to immediately release the legitimate President of Venezuela ... and his wife, return them to the country's capital, and reinstate Nicolas Maduro as head of state."

Lavrov and Ryzhenkov further discussed the situation in Venezuela and stressed that their countries are united in condemning the US aggression against a sovereign state, according to the ministry.

The two sides further noted the importance of a dialogue-based solution to the Venezuela crisis in accordance with international law.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also said on Sunday that Maduro and his wife must be released without any undue delay.

In an X post, he described the US military action against Venezuela as "unusual" in its "scope and nature," saying such raids "constitute a clear violation of international law and amount to an unlawful use of force against a sovereign state."

"Whatever may be the reasons, the forcible removal of a sitting head of government through external action sets a dangerous precedent," Ibrahim added.

"It erodes fundamental restraints on the use of power between states and weakens the legal framework that underpins international order."

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Trump's 'insane' Venezuela attack triggers furious US Democrats to float retaliation

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 04 January 2026 9:07 AM

US President Donald Trump's "insane" attack against Venezuela on Saturday, abducting President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, has triggered lawmakers opposed to the move to float retaliation.

Amid a split in Congress, Democratic lawmakers furious over Trump's Venezuela strike went so far as to call for impeachment and his removal from office despite the New Year holidays.

Tensions in Congress over Trump's Venezuela aggression were already high as congressional Democrats complained that they had been left in the dark about developments in and around the Bolivarian Latin American nation, which possesses huge oil reserves.

"Trump must be impeached," said Rep. Delia Ramirez in a statement, also calling for the passage of legislation to rein in executive war powers and reassert congressional control over the process.

Rep. Jared Huffman called Trump's plan to run Venezuela "truly insane" and a "disaster."

Referring to a Constitutional mechanism that allows the Cabinet to remove a president, he told Axios, "We are in 25th Amendment territory now."

"The President has lost his mind," Rep. Gil Cisneros told Axios in a text message.

"I had absolutely no briefing or heads up," House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Greg Meeks fumed to Axios. "I received all information from the news media at this point."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in a joint statement, demanded briefings for their members "early next week" after the New Year holidays.

"Today, many Democrats have understandably questioned whether impeachment is possible again under the current political reality," said Rep. Maxine Waters. "I am reconsidering that view."

Rep. Dan Goldman said in a statement, "This violation of the United States Constitution is an impeachable offense."

From the other side of the aisle, some Republican lawmakers joined in the criticism of Trump's Venezuela aggression.

Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie, both right-wing opponents of interventionist foreign policy, expressed skepticism of the administration's actions in social media posts.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a centrist, said in a statement, "The only country that the United States of America should be 'running' is the United States of America.

Meanwhile, Venezuela's acting-president Delcy Rodriguez gave her people assurance on Saturday that the Bolivarian nation will never give in to Trump's aggression and become a colony of any empire, let alone the falling United States.

"One thing that the Venezuelan people and this country are certain of," Delcy Rodriguez said in a speech to the nation after being sworn in as the new president on Saturday, "is that we will never again be slaves, we will never again be a colony of any empire, whatever its nature."



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Trump Warns Venezuela's Rulers To 'Cooperate' Or Pay A 'Very Big Price'

By RFE/RL January 04, 2026

With deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a US jail, President Donald Trump warned the South American country's authoritarian rulers they will "pay a very big price" if they don't "cooperate" with Washington, even amid global concerns over the US military strike.

Trump, in an interview publishedon January 4 in the Atlantic, warned acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez that "if she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro."

The leftist Rodriguez, who was Maduro's vice president before being named acting president on January 4, called the US action a violation of the UN Charter and vowed that "we will never be slaves again."

Maduro on January 4 was sitting in a US jail after being transported to New York following his capture by American forces in the strike that was condemned by Iran, Russia, and other allies of the South American country but hailed by Venezuelans living in exile.

A video posted by Fox News on social media showed Maduro, 63, being escorted by federal agents and telling reporters, "Good night, Happy New Year."

He and his wife -- who was also captured in the raid -- are scheduled to appear in court on January 5 to face drug charges.

In a news conference, Trump hailed the military operation in Venezuela but did not provide details of the action. A top US general said 150 US aircraft were involved in the strike following months of preparations.

Casualty figures were not revealed. Trump said some US personnel were injured but doing well. Meanwhile, Cuba said that 32 members of its security forces were killed in Venezuela during the US attack.

US To 'Run' Venezuela

Trump caused a stir when he said the United States will temporarily "run" the South American country "until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition."

It wasn't immediately clear what Trump meant by having the United States "run" the country. He told reporters he was "designating people" from his cabinet to be in charge in Venezuela, without providing details.

US administration officials -- including Secretary of State Marco Rubio -- did not offer clarifications when pressed during January 4 TV news programs about Trump's plan.

Rodriguez Appears Conciliatory

Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered that Rodriguez assume the role of acting president of the left-wing government.

Trump initially expressed support for Rodriguez, saying "she's essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again."

Rodriguez -- backed by support of the Venezuelan military -- first appeared defiant, calling Maduro the "only president" of the country labeling the US strike a "terrible stain" on relations.

After Trump signaled he was ready to conduct a second wave of military actions in Venezuela if necessary, Rodriguez was more conciliatory, writing on social media early on January 5 that Caracas sought a "balanced and respectful" relationship with Washington

"We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on an agenda for cooperation that is aimed toward shared development," she wrote.

Russia, Iran, Others Condemn Action

Moscow, which maintains close ties with Venezuela, said it was extremely concerned by reports that Maduro and his wife had been forcibly removed from the country and urged the United States to release them.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who has a history of exchanging threats with Trump, wrote on X that the US strikes on Venezuela had nothing to do with efforts to combat drug trafficking, adding that he doubted whether Washington could "run Venezuela remotely."

Some Kremlin critics consider Medvedev -- currently deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council -- an irresponsible extremist, while others say his statements reflect the thinking of many senior Russian policymakers.

Iran, another key ally of Venezuela, condemned the US attack, according to Iranian state outlet Press TV, saying the action violated Venezuela's sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the UN charter.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who recently called Maduro "a great friend of Serbia," on January 3 said it was "clear" the international legal order and the UN Charter "do not function."

"The world is dominated by the law of force, the law of the stronger, and that is the only principle of modern politics that exists in the world today," Vucic told a national security council meeting in Belgrade.

Meanwhile, celebrations by Venezuelans living abroad marking Maduro's capture were held across Latin America cities, Spain, and elsewhere.

"We are free. We are all happy that the dictatorship has fallen and that we have a free country," Reuters quoted Khaty Yanez, a Venezuelan woman in Santiago who has spent seven years in Chile.

In Peru's capital, Lima, migrant Milagros Ortega, whose parents are still in Venezuela, said she hoped to go back. "Knowing that my dad was alive to see the fall of Nicolas Maduro is very emotional. I would like to see his face."

Some Western Allies Cautious

Many of Washington's allies, while expressing no liking for Maduro or his regime, did caution over the need to follow international law.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that "we regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and we shed no tears about the end of his regime," adding, "I reiterated my support for international law this morning."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Maduro had "led his country to ruin," but he called the US action legally "complex."

However, far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -- an ally of Trump's -- called the US action "legitimate" and "defensive."

Others, such as Ukraine, North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo, said following the strikes that they stand firmly with Washington and its most direct intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama.

"I welcome [Trump's] announcement that Nicolas Maduro has been arrested and will face justice. We stand with the United States and the Venezuelan people for freedom and democracy," North Macedonia Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski said on social media.

European Union countries, excluding Hungary, called on all sides in Venezuela to show restraint, saying respect for the will of the Venezuelan people was key to restoring democracy.

"The European Union calls for calm and restraint by all actors, to avoid escalation and to ensure a peaceful solution to the crisis," the joint statement by the 26 countries said.

The US military action came after months of rising economic and military pressure from Washington on the South American country, including intercepting Venezuelan oil tankers and killing dozens in strikes on boats near its waters that were allegedly carrying drugs.

Washington also contested Maduro's legitimacy as president since he was the hand-picked successor to Hugo Chavez in 2013, pointing to successive elections the opposition and others said were rigged in his favor.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/venezuela-maduro-trump- capture-reaction/33639570.html

Copyright (c) 2026. 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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Who Killed The Chinese Workers? Questions Persist Weeks After Afghan-Tajik Border Attacks

By Mustafa Sarwar and RFE/RL's Tajik Service January 04, 2026

More than a month after a pair of attacks killed five Chinese nationals working at a gold mine near Tajikistan's remote border with Afghanistan, questions remain over what led to the high-profile incidents that could reshape both countries' relations with China.

Authorities in Afghanistan and Tajikistan moved quickly to say that the security situation along their volatile border was under control following the events. Those include a November 26 attack launched from Afghanistan that left three Chinese nationals dead where assailants used a drone equipped with firearms and grenades and a November 30 incident where two Chinese roadworkers were shot dead. Five other Chinese workers were wounded in the attacks.

Relations with China are crucial for both countries. Amid biting sanctions and international isolation, the Taliban has chased Chinese investment since it retook power in 2021, while China is Tajikistan's largest trade partner, foreign investor, and lender, with Beijing owning more than half of Dushanbe's foreign debt.

Following the attacks, China's ambassadors in Dushanbe and Kabul pressed Tajik and Taliban authorities to ensure safety and prevent a disruption in their bilateral ties. Mounting instability along the shared border could jeopardize relations with Beijing and make Chinese firms less willing to operate and invest in both countries, something that some experts believe could be a motive behind the attacks.

"These incidents will raise concerns in China around the Taliban and Tajikistan's ability to maintain control in the country and ensure the safety of foreign investors," Edward Lemon, a Central Asia expert at Texas A&M University, told RFE/RL. "China is concerned about the security of its citizens. While there are rewards from mining in this unstable area, the risks are also high."

No group has yet claimed responsibility for either assault and the motives are unclear, but following the initial attack in Tajikistan's southwestern Shamsiddin Shohin district, Tajik authorities blamed drug smugglers and criminal groups. The Taliban has since claimed publicly that two individuals have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the attacks.

"So far, it's not clear which country they're from. Information is still incomplete," a senior Taliban official told Radio Azadi, RFE/RL's Afghan Service, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. "We believe certain groups that want to harm Afghanistan's relations with other countries could be behind such incidents."

Chinese Gold Mining And Tensions Along The Afghan-Tajik Border

The growth of Chinese mining along the Panj River, which marks the border for both countries, adds to an already volatile mix in the region.

The area that stretches along both banks of the river in Afghanistan and Tajikistan is a well-known drug smuggling route where Tajik security forces have repeatedly conducted operations in recent years, but have not been able to fully control the area or enforce the border due to a lack of roads and difficult geography.

Clashes along the volatile border are also not uncommon, with Taliban fighters and Tajik border guards sometimes exchanging gunfire amid lingering tensions between Dushanbe and the Taliban since the group took Kabul in 2021.

Two separate Tajik border officials in Khatlon Province, which contains the district where the attacks on Chinese workers took place, told RFE/RL's Tajik Service that at least three border incidents this year stemmed from disputes over water from the Panj River being redirected due to gold mining on both sides of the border.

The officials said that a week before the first attacks on Chinese workers, there had been a verbal dispute between employees of gold companies on both sides of the river.

"The [Afghan side] wanted to divert the flow of the Panj River to their direction, as the land where they mine gold was flooded, but the Tajik side said they could not do this, as their own gold mining land on the bank would be flooded," one of the officials said, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid reprisals for speaking to the media.

Shohin SM, the mining company where the slain Chinese workers were employed, is a joint Tajik-Chinese firm that was founded in 2020 and has been active on the banks of the Panj River since 2023.

Whether the mining operations are part of the motivations behind the attack are unclear, but a Chinese national was also killed and five others were injured in the same area in November 2024.

What Triggered The Attacks?

Amid this uncertainty, attention has turned to how the Taliban and Dushanbe intend to prevent similar attacks.

In the aftermath of the attacks, the foreign ministers of Tajikistan and the Taliban government spoke over the phone in a sign of their diplomatic thaw. A few days earlier, the Chinese embassies in Dushanbe and Kabul urged its citizens to leave border regions immediately.

In their readout from the December 2 call, both ministers condemned the killing of Chinese nationals and promised to boost border security.

Zabihullah Amiri, a spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Badakhshan, the Afghan province that borders the area of the attacks, told Radio Azadi -- without explicitly referring to the recent incidents -- that plans were being drawn up to establish a large military unit specifically for mining areas.

"There is some disorder around the mines. Armed groups operating outside the government interfere heavily in mining operations, which can spark disputes," Amiri said. "The government has therefore decided to create an organized force, possibly absorbing those already guarding the mines and recruiting unemployed youth."

He added that the new units would help prevent clashes along the border, where "irresponsible armed groups" could cause instability.

Both drug trafficking and extremist groups operate in the shared border regions.

Who Could Have Carried Out The Attacks On Chinese Workers?

Speaking at a December 10 UN Security Council meeting, Fu Cong, China's UN ambassador, called on the Taliban to investigate killings of Chinese nationals near the Tajik-Afghan border and strengthen border security with Tajikistan.

Fu took specific aim at militant and terrorist groups like Islamic State (IS), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a Uyghur militant group whose size and scope is debated by experts.

Lucas Webber, a senior analyst at Tech Against Terrorism, a research group monitoring terrorist activity, told RFE/RL that the culprits of the attack are still unknown, but it's unclear whether the narrative of traffickers mentioned by the authorities adds up.

"Smugglers have ample motive to resent Tajik border forces and may possess or access small drones, yet their business model depends on stealth and low visibility, not high-profile attacks that trigger security crackdowns and international scrutiny," he said.

"If revenge on Tajik forces were the core aim, border posts or patrols would be more logical targets than foreign workers at a fixed camp," Webber added.

Webber says that the cross-border attacks on Chinese in Tajikistan highlight how "crowded and murky the militant and criminal ecosystem in northern Afghanistan has become."

According to the United Nations Security Council's 2024 Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report, several jihadist groups remain active in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan including Islamic State - Khorasan Province (IS-K), AlQaeda, the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) and Jamaat Ansarullah.

Webber believes that IS-K is an unlikely perpetrator because the group generally claims its attacks, but has been silent in the case of the incidents targeting Chinese workers despite these assaults being "ideal material for its media" and serving "its propaganda goals."

He also considers the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) an unlikely actor. TIP is an extremist group Beijing blames for unrest in Xinjiang and still refers to as ETIM, which is the name of an older militant group that many experts believe may no longer be operational and whose impact has been exaggerated by China for political purposes.

TIP members are in Afghanistan, but Webber says the group is "formally under Taliban pressure," since the Taliban have promised China and neighboring states that they will not allow TIP to launch external attacks.

Jamaat Ansarullah, a Tajik jihadist group based in Afghanistan, "fits both the geography and political logic of the attacks unusually well", Webber said.

"Striking Chinese workers in Tajikistan could simultaneously embarrass the Tajik government, complicate the Taliban-Tajik rapprochement, and shake Chinese confidence in both partners, all without the group needing to openly claim responsibility," he added.

Another plausible possibility, Webber says, is that local Taliban units, or mixed groups of Taliban and foreign fighters, carried out the attacks without approval from Taliban leadership.

Webber says that the lack of a clear claim of responsibility complicates how regional authorities can deal with the situation.

"Strategically, this ambiguity complicates the response for Tajikistan, China, and the Taliban authorities," he said.

"Any premature accusation risks political fallout or misdirected countermeasures, while waiting for more evidence or a clear claim of responsibility prolongs uncertainty and leaves Chinese nationals exposed to further attacks."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/chinese-workers-killed-tajikistan- afghanistan-border-investgiation/33634252.html

Copyright (c) 2026. 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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Spokesperson's Statement on the Situation in Venezuela

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea

Date 2026-01-04

The Government of the Republic of Korea is closely monitoring the recent developments in Venezuela.

The Government urges all relevant parties to exert their utmost efforts to ease tensions in the region. It is the Government's sincere hope that democracy will be restored with due respect for the will of the Venezuelan people and the situation in Venezuela will be stabilized at an early date through dialogue.

The Government of the Republic of Korea is taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Korean nationals residing in Venezuela.

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Trump Says Venezuelan Vice President Will Pay Higher Price Than Maduro if She Disobeys US

Sputnik News

20260104

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez might have to pay an even higher price than Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro if she did not make the "right" decisions.

Trump said on Saturday that the US would not send troops to Venezuela if Rodriguez did what Washington wanted from her. The US leader claimed that Rodriguez was willing to cooperate with the US.

"If she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro," Trump said in a telephone interview with the Atlantic magazine.

Trump also said that the US "absolutely" needed Greenland as the Danish island is allegedly surrounded by Chinese and Russian ships.

"We do need Greenland, absolutely," Trump said.

The island, which is part of Denmark, a NATO ally, is allegedly "surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships," the US president added.

 Sputnik

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Death Toll From US Attack on Venezuela Rises to 80 - Report

Sputnik News

20260104

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The death toll from the US incursion in Venezuela has risen to 80, The New York Times reported on Sunday, citing a senior Venezuelan official.

Civilians as well as members of the country's security forces are among those killed in the attack, the report said. Their number may still go up, the newspaper added.

On Saturday, Trump said that the US had conducted a major strike on Venezuela, capturing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and removing them from the country. Media outlets reported explosions in Caracas, attributing the raid to US Delta Force units.

Venezuelan authorities said they had no information on Maduro's location and demanded proof that he was alive. Trump later shared a photo that, as he said, showed Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima. US media broadcast a plane landing in New York State, from which Maduro and his wife were allegedly escorted by dozens of law enforcement officers.

Several US congressmen decried the operation as illegal, while the administration vowed Maduro would face trial. Venezuela's Foreign Ministry announced its intention to appeal to international organizations regarding Washington's actions and requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council that was later set for January 5.

Russia's Foreign Ministry voiced solidarity with Venezuela. Moscow expressed deep alarm over reports of Maduro and his wife's forcible removal during US aggression, demanding their release and urging steps to avert further escalation around Venezuela.

 Sputnik

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While Seizing Maduro, US Forces Killed His Security Guards - Venezuelan Defense Minister

Sputnik News

20260104

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - While kidnapping Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, US military personnel killed most of their security guards and some civilian staff, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on Sunday.

"The Bolivarian national armed forces strongly reject the cowardly kidnapping of citizen Nicolas Maduro Moros, constitutional resident of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and our Commander in Chief, as well as his wife, First Lady, Dr. Cilia Flores de Maduro. The crime was committed yesterday, on Saturday, January 3rd, after a significant part of his security team - military personnel and innocent civilians - was murdered in cold blood," Padrino Lopez said while addressing the nation.

On Saturday, Trump said that the US had conducted a major strike on Venezuela, capturing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and removing them from the country. Media outlets reported explosions in Caracas, attributing the raid to US Delta Force units. The New York Times newspaper reported, citing a senior Venezuelan official, at least 40 deaths, including military and civilians.

Venezuelan authorities said they had no information on Maduro's location and demanded proof that he was alive. Trump later shared a photo that, as he said, showed Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima. US media broadcast a plane landing in New York State, from which Maduro and his wife were allegedly escorted by dozens of law enforcement officers.

Several US congressmen decried the operation as illegal, while the administration vowed Maduro would face trial. Venezuela's Foreign Ministry announced its intention to appeal to international organizations regarding Washington's actions and requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council that was later set for January 5.

Russia's Foreign Ministry voiced solidarity with Venezuela. Moscow expressed deep alarm over reports of Maduro and his wife's forcible removal during US aggression, demanding their release and urging steps to avert further escalation around Venezuela.

 Sputnik

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US Launched Operation in Venezuela With Cyberattack Blacking Out Caracas - Reports

Sputnik News

20260104

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States launched an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, spearheaded by a cyberattack that caused power outages in many areas of Caracas, a newspaper reported, citing unnamed officials familiar with the mission details.

On Saturday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said that more than 150 aircraft participated in the Venezuelan president's capture.

The cyberoperation enabled planes, drones and helicopters to approach undetected, according to the report.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said that the US had conducted a major strike on Venezuela, capturing Maduro and his wife and removing them from the country. Media outlets reported explosions in Caracas, attributing the raid to US Delta Force units. The New York Times newspaper reported, citing a senior Venezuelan official, at least 40 deaths, including military and civilians.

Venezuelan authorities said they had no information on Maduro's location and demanded proof that he was alive. Trump later shared a photo that, as he said, showed Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima. US media broadcast a plane landing in New York State, from which Maduro and his wife were allegedly escorted by dozens of law enforcement officers.

Several US congressmen decried the operation as illegal, while the administration vowed Maduro would face trial. Venezuela's Foreign Ministry announced its intention to appeal to international organizations regarding Washington's actions and requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council that was later set for January 5.

Russia's Foreign Ministry voiced solidarity with Venezuela. Moscow expressed deep alarm over reports of Maduro and his wife's forcible removal during US aggression, demanding their release and urging steps to avert further escalation around Venezuela.

 Sputnik

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Trump's Team Working on Plan for Governing Venezuela After Maduro's Capture - Reports

Sputnik News

20260104

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  US President Donald Trump's national security team is drafting a plan to govern Venezuela after President Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces, media reported, citing senior officials.

The plan may reportedly involve a land incursion by US troops to take complete control over the country, although Trump said he did not believe it would be necessary.

It remains unclear who Washington eyes as a possible leader of Venezuela after a transition period, The Wall Street Journal reported. Whether the US will pay for major economic reconstruction of the country is also an open question, according to the report.

On Saturday, Trump said that the US had conducted a major strike on Venezuela, capturing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and removing them from the country. Media outlets reported explosions in Caracas, attributing the raid to US Delta Force units. The New York Times newspaper reported, citing a senior Venezuelan official, at least 40 deaths, including military and civilians.

Venezuelan authorities said they had no information on Maduro's location and demanded proof that he was alive. Trump later shared a photo that, as he said, showed Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima. US media broadcast a plane landing in New York State, from which Maduro and his wife were allegedly escorted by dozens of law enforcement officers.

Several US congressmen decried the operation as illegal, while the administration vowed Maduro would face trial. Venezuela's Foreign Ministry announced its intention to appeal to international organizations regarding Washington's actions and requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council that was later set for January 5.

Russia's Foreign Ministry voiced solidarity with Venezuela. Moscow expressed deep alarm over reports of Maduro and his wife's forcible removal during US aggression, demanding their release and urging steps to avert further escalation around Venezuela.

 Sputnik

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Colombia Calls Meeting of UN Security Council on Venezuela

Sputnik News

20260104

CARACAS (Sputnik) - Colombia has requested an emergency UNSC meeting over US aggression in Venezuela, along with sessions of the OAS Permanent Council and foreign ministers from CELAC, Angie Rodriguez, director of Colombia's Administrative Department of the Presidency, said.

"Colombia has called a UN Security Council meeting for Monday. We also requested an emergency OAS Permanent Council session and a meeting of the foreign ministers of the CELAC, in which Colombia holds the presidency," Rodriguez told a press conference after a Colombian Security Council meeting in Cucuta.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said that the United States had conducted a major strike on Venezuela, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and removing them from the country. Media outlets reported explosions in Caracas, attributing the raid to US Delta Force units. The New York Times newspaper reported, citing a senior Venezuelan official, at least 40 deaths, including military and civilians.

 Sputnik

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US Attack Not Backed by Anyone, Condemned by Int'l Community - Venezuelan Foreign Minister

Sputnik News

20260104

CARACAS (Sputnik) - No one supports the US attack on Venezuela; it is condemned by the international community, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil told Sputnik.

"I spoke with various foreign ministers, we received words of solidarity, support, condemnation [of the US attack], support for the rule of law," the minister said. "We witnessed an impressive international popular mobilization; solidarity movements from all over the world called us and issued statements."

"In other words, this aggression finds no support; it is aggression condemned by the entire world, the law, and political truth," Gil added.

The United States, by attacking Venezuela, disrupted peace in Latin America, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil said.

"Peace in Latin America was disrupted by this action," the minister said.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday declared that the United States had launched a massive attack on Venezuela, and that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured and taken out of the country. Media outlets reported explosions in Caracas and claimed that the operation had been carried out by members of the elite Delta Force unit.

Venezuelan authorities denied knowing Maduro's whereabouts and demanded confirmation that he was alive. Trump later published a photograph he claimed showed Maduro aboard a US ship.

Several US congressmen called the operation illegal, while the administration stated that Maduro would face trial. The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry announced its intention to appeal to international organizations regarding Washington's actions and requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela. Moscow stated that it was extremely alarmed by reports that Maduro and his wife had been forcibly removed from the country as part of US aggression. Moscow called for the release of Maduro and his wife, and for the prevention of further escalation in the situation around Venezuela.

 Sputnik

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Margaret Brennan of CBS's Face the Nation

US Department of State

Interview

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

Miami, Florida

January 4, 2026

QUESTION: We begin today with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who joins us this morning from Miami. Good morning to you, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Good morning. Good morning.

QUESTION: President Trump said that the United States will run the country and that Venezuela will be largely run by - he pointed to you and some of the other cabinet members when he spoke to the public yesterday. He said the U.S. retains all military options, including boots on the ground, until U.S. demands have been fully met. How do you plan to run the country?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, first of all, I think an important thing to point out is that the key to what that regime relies on and - is their economy fueled by oil. And right now, it is an oil industry that is backwards and really needs a lot of help and work in terms of it. And not only that, but it doesn't help the people. None of the money from the oil gets to the people. It's all stolen by the people that are on the top there.

And so that's why we have a quarantine. There's a quarantine right now in which sanctioned oil shipments - say there's a boat and that boat is under U.S. sanctions. We go get a court order. We will seize it. That remains in place, and that's a tremendous amount of leverage that will continue to be in place until we see changes that not just further the national interest of the United States, which is number one, but also that lead to a better future for the people of Venezuela. And so that's the sort of control the President is pointing to when he says that. We continue with that quarantine and we expect to see that there will be changes not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking, so that we no longer have these gang problems, so that they kick the FARC and the ELN out, and that they no longer cozy up to Hizballah and Iran in our own hemisphere.

QUESTION: But what you are talking about is more of a sanctions pressure, not boots on the ground. So just to be clear, there is no plan for U.S. occupation of this country of nearly 30 million people?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I think, first of all, the President always retains optionality on anything and on all of these matters. He certainly has the ability and the right under the Constitution of the United States to act against imminent and urgent threats against the country. That said, and all of that said, as of right now I think what you see is a force posture which is one of the largest naval deployments 

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  in modern history, certainly in the Western Hemisphere, and it is capable of stopping not just drug boats but stopping any of these sanctioned boats that come in and out, and really paralyzing that portion of how the regime generates revenue. So that will continue to be in place.

What the President has said obviously is, and I think what he's pointing to, is that this obsession people have about boots and this or that, he does not feel like he is going to publicly rule out options that are available for the United States even though that's not what you're seeing right now. What you're seeing right now 

QUESTION: Well 

SECRETARY RUBIO:  is an oil quarantine that allows us to exert tremendous leverage over what happens next.

QUESTION: Well, he also said the U.S. is "ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so." But I'm curious because you just described the regime as still in place essentially. I mean, I'm curious why the Trump Administration decided to leave it intact and only arrest Nicolas Maduro and his wife. The person who controls the police, the chief thug, Diosdado Cabello, he's the interior minister. He's been indicted by the United States. He was in that indictment the administration released. He's a narcoterrorist. There's a $25 million price on his head. He's still in place. The defense minister, who has deep ties to Russia - $15 million price on his head - he is still in place.

I'm confused. Are they still wanted by the United States? Why didn't you arrest them if you are taking out the narcoterrorist regime?

SECRETARY RUBIO: You're confused? I don't know why that's confusing to you.

QUESTION: They're still in power.

SECRETARY RUBIO: I mean, it's very simple. You're not going to go in and grab up - you're going to - but yeah, but you can't go - you're going to go in and suck up five people? Okay. They're already complaining about this one operation. Imagine the howls we would have from everybody else if we actually had to go and stay there four days to capture four other people. We got the top priority. The number one person on the list was the guy who claimed to be the president of the country that he was not, and he was arrested along with his wife, who was also indicted. And that was a pretty sophisticated and, frankly, complicated operation.

QUESTION: It was.

SECRETARY RUBIO: It is not easy to land helicopters in the middle of the largest military base in the country. The guy lived on a military base. Land within three minutes, kick down his door, grab him, put him in handcuffs, read him his rights, put him in a helicopter and leave the country without losing any American or any American assets - that's not an easy mission. And you're asking me why didn't we do that in five other places at the same time? I mean, that's absurd. I do think this is one of the most daring, complicated, sophisticated missions this country has carried out in a very long time. Tremendous credit to the U.S. military personnel who did it.

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY RUBIO: It was unbelievable and a tremendous success. And today an indicted drug trafficker who was not the legitimate president of Venezuela 

QUESTION: Right.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  who we don't recognize, the Biden administration didn't recognize, 60-something countries don't recognize, the European Union doesn't recognize, and many countries in Latin America don't recognize - he was a - he was a indicted drug trafficker. He was arrested. His wife was arrested, also indicted.

QUESTION: Right. But the others - the others who were also indicted are still 

SECRETARY RUBIO: And they are now facing justice in the American system of courts.

QUESTION: The others who were also indicted are still in place. So that's the point of my questioning there. But you talked about not being the legitimate president.

SECRETARY RUBIO: So you wanted us to land in five other military bases?

QUESTION: No, I'm asking why you chose that this was the limit of the military operation.

SECRETARY RUBIO: That's the same.

QUESTION: But to your point that you just made 

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, because 

QUESTION:  that Maduro was not the legitimate president 

SECRETARY RUBIO: He was the guy who was claiming to be the president.

QUESTION: Right. Well, the opposition 

SECRETARY RUBIO: He was the top target.

QUESTION: Okay. The opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, won that 2024 election by your own account. They were some of the first people you called when you were Secretary of State. You said Edmundo Gonzalez is the rightful president of Venezuela. Is that still the U.S. policy? And if so, are you working on a transition to have those elected leaders run the country?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I think there are a couple things. I have tremendous admiration for Maria Corina Machado. I have admiration for Edmundo. We have all those views about what - the election that happened the last time, and not only us but many other countries around the world. There is that. And there's - then - but there's the mission that we are on right now. We have been very clear from the beginning - because I still think that a lot of people analyze everything that happens in foreign policy through the lens of what happened from 2001 to 2015 or '16. The whole foreign policy apparatus thinks everything is Libya, everything is Iraq, everything is Afghanistan. This is not the Middle East, and our mission here is very different.

This is the Western Hemisphere. Within the Western Hemisphere, we have a country, potentially a very rich country, that has cozied itself up - under the control of this regime - has cozied up to Iran, has cozied up to Hizballah, has cozied - has allowed 

QUESTION: Right.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  narcotrafficking gangs to operate with impunity from their own territory, allows boats with drugs to traffic from their territory. And we are addressing that. And by the way, 8, 9 million people in the largest mass migration event in modern history 

QUESTION: Right.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  have left that country since 2014 

QUESTION: Right, but that regime is still in place.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  also having an impact on us. That is what we are addressing now.

QUESTION: When you spoke yesterday 

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, again, we're not just addressing the regime. We are addressing the factors that are a threat to the national interest of the United States.

QUESTION: Understood. You spoke with Delcy Rodriguez, who is now, according to President Trump, sworn in as the president, as the leader of Venezuela. Did she promise you that she is expelling all of those American adversaries from Venezuelan territory? What exactly did she agree to do when she spoke to you?

SECRETARY RUBIO: We are going to - our objectives when it comes to how Venezuela impacts the national interest of the United States have not changed, and we want those addressed. We want drug trafficking to stop. We want no more gang members to come our way. We don't want to see the Iranian - and, by the way, Cuban - presence of the past. We want the oil industry in that country not to go to the benefit of pirates and adversaries of the United States but for the benefit of the people. We want to see all of that happen. We insist on seeing that happen.

QUESTION: Did she promise that?

SECRETARY RUBIO: And we are going to work to continue to see that happen. Well, right now, the - we are going to see what happens moving forward. Let me just say that. I'm not, obviously, going to have these conversations in the media. These are delicate and complicated things that require mature statesmanship, and that's what we intend to do. But our goals remain the same. The difference is that the person who was in charge, even though not legitimately, in the past was someone you could not work with.

QUESTION: Mm-hmm.

SECRETARY RUBIO: We just could not work with him. He is not a person that had ever kept any of the deals he made, broke every deal he ever made 

QUESTION: Right.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  made a fool out of the Biden administration on the deal they made with him. And we offered him, on multiple occasions, an opportunity to remove himself from the scene in a positive way. He chose not to do so 

QUESTION: But his number two is now running the country.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  and now he's in New York, the residence of the Southern District.

QUESTION: His number two is someone you can work with? And you - is that what you're implying here? And did she tell you that she will transition to democracy and the woman who won the election, along with her partner there, Maria Corina Machado?

SECRETARY RUBIO: We are going to make - we are going to make our assessments of people. You're asking me to make an assessment. We're going to make an assessment on the basis of what they do, not what they say publicly in the interim, not what - some - what they've done in the past in many cases, but what they do moving forward. So we're going to find out. You're asking me how - do I know what decisions people are going to make. I don't. I do know this - that if they don't make the right decisions, the United States will retain multiple levers of leverage 

QUESTION: Okay.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  to ensure that our interests are protected.

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY RUBIO: And that includes the oil quarantine that's in place, among other things.

QUESTION: Well, you 

SECRETARY RUBIO: And so - but we are going to judge - moving forward, we're going to judge everything by what they do, and we're going to see what they do.

QUESTION: Okay. Because yesterday, President Trump said Maria Corina Machado doesn't have the support or respect within the country. And by your own admission, she walloped Nicolas Maduro in the last election. So it does sound like a decision was made, but today it 

SECRETARY RUBIO: She wasn't on the ballot in the last election.

QUESTION: No, but her - the - her party was.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Edmundo was, correct. Yeah.

QUESTION: Yes. So is there an agreement to 

SECRETARY RUBIO: It was an illegitimate election, and that's why he's not a legitimate president.

QUESTION: Right, but is there an agreement to transition to democracy? It sounds like there's not.

SECRETARY RUBIO: I think what the President point out is the obvious. Well, I think what the point - but there has to be a little realism here, okay? A transition to the - they've had this regime, they've had this system of chavismo in place for 15 or 16 years. And everyone's asking why, 24 hours after Nicolas Maduro was arrested, there isn't an election scheduled for tomorrow. That's absurd.

QUESTION: No, no, I'm asking what you talked about with her.

SECRETARY RUBIO: These things take time. There's a process.

QUESTION: Right, and you are 

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I'm not going to have - I'm not going to publicly get into details about any of those things other than to tell you that our expectations remain the same. And we are going to judge whoever we're interacting with moving forward by whether or not those conditions are met. We want - of course we want to see Venezuela transition to be a place completely different than what it looks like today, but obviously we don't have the expectation that's going to happen in the next 15 hours.

QUESTION: Okay.

SECRETARY RUBIO: What we do have an expectation is that - that it move in that direction. We think it's in our national interest and, frankly, in the interest of people of Venezuela.

QUESTION: The President used the word "oil" 20 times in his press conference. You talked about these tremendous oil assets that Venezuela have - has. But the President's last envoy to Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, is publicly arguing that you know better than the policy you're backing. He said, quote, "...Venezuelan plutocrats or U.S. oil executives [seem to be] coming to Mar-a-Lago and whispering about how easy life would be if we just made a deal with the regime once Maduro was gone?" Is that what happened here?

SECRETARY RUBIO: No, that's not what happened here. What happened here is that we arrested a narcotrafficker who is now going to stand trial in the United States for the crimes he's committed against our people for 15 years - and the person who helped him, of course, his wife, who was co-located with him, so she was arrested as well. That's what happened here.

As far as oil, look, oil is critical not just to fueling economies all over the world. It's critical to Venezuela's future. Their oil industry is completely destroyed. It's destroyed. All those oilfields that used to produce a lot 

QUESTION: Right.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  and wealth for their country and their people, those things are decrepit. They're bankrupt. They need to be reinvested in. It's obvious. You - they do not have the capability to bring up that industry again. They need investment from private companies who are only going to invest under certain guarantees and conditions. That has to go to the benefit of the Venezuelan people. Right now, all of that wealth is stolen. It's stolen and it goes into the hands of oligarchs around the world and the oligarchs inside of Venezuela. A handful of people benefit from it.

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY RUBIO: The people don't benefit from it. On top of that, it's very simple, okay? In the 21st century, under the Trump Administration, we are not going to have a country like Venezuela in our own hemisphere, in the sphere of control and the crossroads 

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  for Hizballah, for Iran, and for every other malign influence in the world. That's just not going to exist.

QUESTION: Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, would love to keep talking to you, but I'm told you are out of time. I have to leave it there.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Kristen Welker of NBC's Meet the Press

US Department of State

Interview

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

Miami, Florida

January 4, 2026

QUESTION: Joining me now is Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Secretary Rubio, welcome back to Meet the Press.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you.

QUESTION: Thank you so much for being here. I want to start with this big-picture question: Is the United States now at war with Venezuela?

SECRETARY RUBIO: There's not a war. I mean, what's - we are at war against drug trafficking organizations. It's not a war against Venezuela. We are enforcing American laws with regards to oil sanctions. We have sanctioned entities; we go to court, we get a warrant, we seize those boats with oil. And that will continue. So the clear - and we continue to reserve the right to take strikes against drug boats that are bringing drugs towards the United States that are being operated by transnational criminal organizations, including the Cartel de los Soles. Of course, their leader - the leader of that cartel - is now in U.S. custody and facing U.S. justice in the Southern District of New York, and that's Nicolas Maduro. So we made big progress in that regard.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, who is in charge? Are you running Venezuela right now?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, I mean, I keep people fixating on that. Here's the bottom line on it, is we expect to see changes in Venezuela, changes of all kinds - long term, short term. We'd love to see all kinds of changes. But the most immediate changes are the ones that are in the national interest of the United States. That's why we're involved here, because of how it applies and has a direct impact on the United States, okay? We are not going to be able to allow in our hemisphere a country that becomes a crossroads for the activities of all of our adversaries around the world. We just can't allow it. We can't have a country where the people in charge of its military and in charge of its police department are openly cooperating with drug trafficking organizations. We can't - we're not going to allow that. These are - these things are direct threats to the United States, and we intend to use every element of leverage that we have to ensure that that changes.

The one I would point everyone to is that our military is helping the Coast Guard conduct a law enforcement function, which is not just the capture of Maduro, but the enforcement of our sanctions. We go to court, we get a warrant, we seize the boats. And we think this is tremendous leverage - incredible, crippling leverage - which we intend to continue to use until we see the changes that we need to see that are a benefit to the American people - and by the way, we believe to the people of Venezuela as well.

QUESTION: But, Mr. Secretary, I think there's a lot of questions about who the point people are during this transition. President Trump said, "We're going to run the country." So is it you, is it Secretary Hegseth? Who are those people who will be running the country, specifically?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, it's not running the - it's running policy, the policy with regards to this. We want Venezuela to move in a certain direction because not only do we think it's good for the people of Venezuela, it's in our national interest. It either touches on something that's a threat to our national security or touches on something that's either beneficial or harmful to our national interest.

QUESTION: And are you involved in that transition, Secretary?

SECRETARY RUBIO: And so obviously I'm very involved in this. Well, of - I mean, I think everyone knows I'm pretty involved on politics in this hemisphere, obviously as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor very involved in all of these elements. The Department of War plays a very important role here along with the Department of Justice, for example, because they've got - they're the ones that have to go to court.

So this is a team effort by the entire national security apparatus of our country. But it is running this policy, and the goal of the policy is to see changes in Venezuela that are beneficial to the United States first and foremost - because that's who we work for - but also, we believe, beneficial for the people of Venezuela who have suffered tremendously. We want a better future for Venezuela, and we think a better future for the people of Venezuela also is stabilizing for the region and makes the neighborhood we live in a much better and safer place.

QUESTION: President Trump said the administration is working with Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rogriguez. Why does the administration oppose working with the opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado? She's the Nobel Peace Prize winner, of course, as well. Her coalition has the support of 70 percent of Venezuelans. Why not work with her?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, a couple of things. First of all, Maria Corina Machado is fantastic and she's someone I've known for a very long time, and she - that whole movement is. But here's the - we are dealing with the immediate reality. The immediate reality is that, unfortunately - and sadly - but unfortunately, the vast majority of the opposition is no longer present inside of Venezuela. We have short-term things that have to be addressed right away. We all wish to see a bright future for Venezuela, a transition to democracy. All of these things are great and we all want to see that. I have worked on that for 15 years on a personal level, both in the Senate and now as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State. These are things I still care about, we still care about.

But what we're talking about is what happens over the next two, three weeks, two, three months, and how that ties to the national interest of the United States. And so we expect to see more compliance and cooperation than we were previously receiving. With Nicolas Maduro you could not make a deal or an arrangement, although he, by the way, was given very generous offers. He could have left Venezuela as recently as a week and a half ago. There were opportunities available for him to avoid all of this, because he's not someone we can work with. He suckered the Biden administration into stupid deals. He's made a career out of not keeping deals and figuring out how to save himself by buying time. And we were not - President Trump was not going to fall into that trap.

So now there are other people in charge of the military and police apparatus there. They're going to have to decide now what direction they want to go, and we hope they will choose a different direction than the one Nicolas Maduro picked. Ultimately, we hope this leads to a holistic transition all the way around in Venezuela - societal, political, all of that. We're in favor of all of that. But right now we have to take the first steps, and the first steps are securing what's in the national interest of the United States and also beneficial to the people of Venezuela, and those are the things that we're focused on right now. No more drug trafficking, no more Iran/Hizballah presence there 

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  and no more using the oil industry to enrich all our adversaries around the world and not benefiting the people of Venezuela or, frankly, benefiting the United States and the region.

QUESTION: You talk about a holistic transition. I think there's a lot of focus on potential elections. How soon will elections be held? Within 30 days, Mr. Secretary?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Elections? Oh, look, the - this is a country that's been governed by this regime now for 14 or 15 years. The elections should have happened a long time ago. The elections did happen, they lost them, and they didn't count the votes or they refused to count the votes, and everyone knows it. So look, all of that I think is premature at this point. There's a lot of work to be done here. Right now what we are focused in - let's be realistic here. What we are focused on right now is all of the problems we had with the - when Maduro was there, we still have those problems in terms of them needing to be addressed. We are going to give people an opportunity to address those challenges and those problems.

Until they address it, they will continue to face this oil quarantine, they will continue to face pressure from the United States. We will continue to target drug boats if they try to run towards the United States. We will continue to seize the boats that are sanctioned with court orders. We will continue to do that and potentially other things until the things we need to see addressed are addressed. Because ultimately, above everything else - we care about elections, we care about democracy, we care about all of that, but the number one thing we care about is the safety, security, well-being, and prosperity of the United States. And that's what we're going to focus on first and foremost here, and that's what these policies, these changes we need to see made, are about.

QUESTION: Okay. Significant there, you say you will continue to seize boats when necessary. I want to ask you about boots on the ground. A lot of attention on that. The President was asked about the possibility of U.S. boots on the ground. He said, quote, "We're not afraid of it." How many U.S. forces are on the ground right now in Venezuela? Are there any?

SECRETARY RUBIO: We don't have U.S. forces on the ground in Venezuela. No, we don't have U.S. forces on the ground. Everyone knows they were on the ground for about two hours when they went to capture Maduro. And I think what the President is saying is very simple, and that is as President of the United States he is not going to go around telling people what he's not going to do. He's not going to - he's not going to go around saying I won't do this, I won't do that, yes, I care about this issue but I'll only go so far. He retains all this optionality.

In the particular case you're citing, this was in essence, at its core, a law enforcement function, okay? The Department of Justice dating back in the Biden administration, they had a $25 million reward for his capture. And so we have a reward for his capture but we're not going to enforce it? That's the difference between President Trump and everybody else. All these - it's easy to make a "Wanted" poster and say $50 million for the capture of Maduro, but no one takes that seriously because you're not going to do anything about. President Trump did something about it.

QUESTION: Let me ask 

SECRETARY RUBIO: He did something about it. We went in, we grabbed him. He was arrested and he's now in New York. No Americans were killed. No equipment was lost. It had to be done, and it's been done. And I assure you the people left behind in Venezuela now that are in charge of the police and everything else, I assure you they're going to probably be a lot more compliant than Maduro was as a result of this.

QUESTION: Well, President Trump told the New York Post there won't be troops in Venezuela as long as Delcy Rodriguez, quote, "does what we want." She's already, though, demanding the release of Nicolas Maduro. As you know, she's insisting that her country never become a colony. What exactly does Rodriguez need to do to keep U.S. troops out of Venezuela?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, forget about the U.S. troops portion of it. What needs to happen for any of this to change, for our relations with Venezuela to change and our whole approach to it to change, those - the things we have talked about are the ones I have highlighted already. You can't flood this country with gang members. You can't flood this country with drugs that are coming out of Colombia through Venezuela with the cooperation of elements of your security forces. You can't turn Venezuela into the operating hub for Iran, for Russia, for Hizballah, for China, for the Cuban intelligence agents that control that country. That cannot continue. Those things cannot continue to be in place. You cannot continue to have the largest oil reserves in the world under the control of adversaries of the United States, not benefiting the people of Venezuela and stolen by a handful of oligarchs around the world, including inside of Venezuela, but not benefitting the people of that country.

We've seen how our adversaries all over the world are exploiting and extracting resources from Africa, from every other continent. They're not going to do it in the Western Hemisphere.

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY RUBIO: They are not. That is not going to happen under President Trump. Read our National Security Strategy. He is serious about it, and he is going to do something about it, and we're doing something about it.

QUESTION: Let me ask you about oil. The President says the U.S. is taking over the oil. The question is, I guess, if the purpose of the operation was to capture Maduro and bring him to justice, why does the United States need to take over the Venezuelan oil industry?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we don't need to. First of all, let me back up. We don't need Venezuela's oil. We have plenty of oil in the United States. What we're not going to allow is for the oil industry in Venezuela to be controlled by adversaries of the United States. You have to understand - why does China need their oil? Why does Russia need their oil? Why does Iran need their oil? They're not even in this continent. This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live, and we're not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States. It's as simple as that.

QUESTION: Have specific oil companies 

SECRETARY RUBIO: We also want to see that oil and the proceeds from it - hold on. We want to see the oil proceeds of that country benefit the people of Venezuela. Why have 8 million people left Venezuela? Eight million - the single largest mass migration probably in modern history - left Venezuela since 2014 because all the wealth of that country was stolen to the benefit of Maduro and his cronies in the regime, but not to the benefit of people of Venezuela. Do you know how destabilizing 8 million migrants is?

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY RUBIO: The number one fear that Brazil has, that Colombia has, that all these countries in the region have about what's happening in Venezuela and our involvement is they're afraid of another mass migration event. That's what they fear. This is deeply destabilizing stuff. It's not going to continue to happen. They are not going to come from outside of our hemisphere, destabilize our region in our own backyard, and us have to pay the price for it. Not under President Trump.

QUESTION: Let's talk big picture here. U.S. regime change, historically speaking, has not gone very well for the United States in Iraq, in Libya, to name a few examples. Can you assure Americans, the people of the United States, that this time will be different?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, here's what's happened. We've got this phobia built up and this sort of thing that's a psyche. Number one, most of the experts that people have on, I watch these experts and it's clown hour, okay? These are people that have focused their entire career on the Middle East or some other part of the world because that's where all the action was. They - very few of them know anything about Venezuela or the Western Hemisphere. Venezuela looks nothing like Libya. It looks nothing like Iraq. It looks nothing like Afghanistan. It looks nothing like the Middle East other than the Iranian agents that are running through there plotting against America. Okay? These are Western countries with long traditions among their - at a people-to-people and cultural level, and ties to the United States. So this is nothing like that.

So I think people need to stop ascribing the apples and oranges here, the apples of the Middle East to the oranges of the Western Hemisphere.

Number two 

QUESTION: But do you 

SECRETARY RUBIO:  this is about the national interest of the United States. And what I'm confident of is we are in a safer and better place because we're taking it seriously. The alternative would have been to leave Maduro there as an indicted drug trafficker, illegitimate president running the country, open invitation for all of our adversaries to do whatever they want against the United States from Venezuela. That was not going to continue. The alternative would have been to allow a drug trafficker to continue to use national territory and elements of nation-state power to further drug trafficking organizations. Read the indictment. This guy used the levers of their security apparatus not to arrest drug traffickers 

QUESTION: Yes, but 

SECRETARY RUBIO:  but to cooperate and facilitate the trafficking of drugs for the purpose of getting them into the United States.

QUESTION: And 

SECRETARY RUBIO: That's going to stop.

QUESTION: And yet, Mr. Secretary, a month ago President Trump pardoned the former president of Honduras, who was just starting a 45-year sentence for trafficking more than 500 tons of cocaine. Does that not undercut the administration's stated goal, as you just said, to go after these narcoterrorists?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Number one, the former president of Honduras, so this is not someone who was in power, had any influence over the politics of Honduras any longer. Number two, I don't do the pardon file. I'm not against it or for it. I just didn't review the file. So I can't speak to you about the dynamics that led the President to make the decision that he made. I think he talked about it yesterday at the press conference. He reviewed the file, he went through the arguments in it, and he felt that the former president of Honduras was treated very unfairly by the previous administration and made the decision that he made.

But I think the answer, whether you agree with that decision or not - people can disagree. I mean, there's people out there who make a living out of disagreeing with anything President Trump does. That doesn't mean you leave Maduro in place. That doesn't mean you don't go after Maduro. That's not the answer. I see people saying that. It's like, well, how can you go after Maduro if you didn't do this? That's absurd. The answer to that, whether you have a problem with it or not, is not to leave in place someone who's been indicted, who hasn't even faced American justice yet but now will.

QUESTION: Yeah, and you're absolutely right. I was referencing, obviously, the former president. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair that an attack on Venezuela's mainland would require approval from Congress. Why didn't that happen, and will it happen with any future action the administration plans to take in Venezuela or elsewhere?

SECRETARY RUBIO: This was not an action that - yeah, this was not an action that required congressional approval. In fact, it couldn't require congressional approval because this was not an invasion. This is not an extended military operation. This was a very precise operation that involved a couple of hours of action. It was a very delicate operation too. It was one that required all these conditions to be in place at the right time in the right place. You couldn't afford leaks. We couldn't afford anything out there that would have endangered the mission and gotten people killed or killed off the mission and the optionality. We didn't even know if the mission was going to happen. How can you notify something you're not even sure if it can happen? Because in order for it to happen, you needed to have weather conditions in place. He needed to be at the right place at the right time. We needed to have forces prepared to go. There were a lot of factors in place. It was a trigger-based operation.

QUESTION: But 

SECRETARY RUBIO: You can't notify that, number one 

QUESTION: Okay.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  because you don't even know if it's going to happen, if those conditions will ever align.

QUESTION: But 

SECRETARY RUBIO: And number two, you can't risk it being disclosed. But this was not an attack on Venezuela. This was a law enforcement function to capture an indicted drug trafficker. And of course, we needed the Department of War to support it because they do have anti-aircraft missiles that could shoot down those helicopters.

QUESTION: But will you 

SECRETARY RUBIO: We had to take down radars. We had to take down those anti-air elements on the way in and on the way out. And that's - that's what this was limited to.

QUESTION: But will you seek congressional approval for any further action in Venezuela or the region?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we will seek congressional approval for actions that require congressional approval, but 

QUESTION: Okay.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  otherwise they will get congressional notification. That - and this is not an operation that required congressional approval. In fact, this is an operation akin to what virtually every single president for the last 40 years has conducted.

QUESTION: Is 

SECRETARY RUBIO: The difference is that when it's Donald Trump, all these Democrats go bonkers.

QUESTION: Is the Cuban Government the Trump Administration's next target, Mr. Secretary? Very quickly.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, the Cuban Government is a huge problem. Yeah, the Cuban Government is a huge problem, first of all, for the people of Cuba.

QUESTION: So is that a yes?

SECRETARY RUBIO: But I don't think people fully appreciate - I think they're in a lot of trouble, yes. I'm not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard. But I don't think it's any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime, who, by the way, are the ones that were propping up Maduro. His entire, like, internal security force, his internal security apparatus is entirely controlled by Cubans. One of the untold stories here is how, in essence - you talk about colonization, because I think you said Delcy Rodriguez mentioned that.

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY RUBIO: The ones who have sort of colonized, at least inside the regime, are Cubans. It was Cubans that guarded Maduro. He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards.

QUESTION: All right.

SECRETARY RUBIO: He had Cuban bodyguards. In terms of their internal intelligence 

QUESTION: All right.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  who spies on who inside to make sure there are no traitors, those are all Cubans.

QUESTION: All right. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, thank you for joining us after an incredibly busy 48 hours.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you.

QUESTION: Really appreciate it.

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RUBIO: This Is Our Hemisphere  and President Trump Will Not Allow Our Security to be Threatened

Articles

The White House

January 4, 2026

This morning, Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined multiple news programs to discuss the Trump Administration's decisive operation that successfully apprehended indicted narcoterrorist and illegitimate former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Secretary Rubio underscored President Donald J. Trump's ironclad commitment to preventing the Western Hemisphere from becoming a safe haven for drug traffickers, Iranian proxies, or hostile regimes that endanger our national security  declaring the days of weakness are over and the U.S. will deploy every tool to eradicate these threats from our backyard.

"There's not a war. We are at war against drug trafficking organizations  not a war against Venezuela." (Watch)

"We don't have U.S. forces on the ground in Venezuela. They were on the ground for about two hours when they went to capture Maduro... What the President is saying is very simple  and that is as President of the United States, he is not going to go around telling people what he's not going to do." (Watch)

"This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live  and we're not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States." (Watch)

"The first steps are securing what's in the national interest of the United States and also beneficial to the people of Venezuela, and those are the things that we're focused on right now. No more drug trafficking. No more Iran, Hezbollah presence there. No more using the oil industry to enrich all our adversaries around the world." (Watch)

"This was not an action that required congressional approval. In fact, it couldn't require congressional approval because this was not an invasion. This is not an extended military operation... We will seek congressional approval for actions that require congressional approval. Otherwise, they'll get congressional notification." (Watch)

"The whole foreign policy apparatus thinks everything is Libya, everything is Iraq, everything is Afghanistan. This is not the Middle East, and our mission here is very different. This is the Western Hemisphere." (Watch)

"The most immediate changes are the ones that are in the national interests of the United States. That's why we're involved here  because of how it applies and has a direct impact on the United States." (Watch)

"We've seen how our adversaries all over the world are exploiting and extracting resources from Africa, from every other country. They're not going to do it in the Western Hemisphere. That is not going to happen under President Trump. Read our national security strategy. He is serious about it." (Watch)

"What we are going to react to is very simple: what do you do? Not what you're saying publicly, what happens... Do the drugs stop coming? Are the changes made? Is Iran expelled? Is Hezbollah and Iran no longer able to operate against our interests from Venezuela?" (Watch)

"It's running policy  the policy with regards to this. We want Venezuela to move in a certain direction because not only do we think it's good for the people of Venezuela, it's in our national interest." (Watch)

"We retain all the options we had before this raid and this capture and this arrest... until such time as changes are made." (Watch)

"In the Biden Administration, they had a $25 million reward for [Maduro's] capture  so we have a reward for his capture but we're not going to enforce it? That's the difference between President Trump and everybody else... President Trump did something about it." (Watch)

"Until they address [the problems], they will continue to face this oil quarantine. They will continue to face pressure from the United States. We will continue to target drug boats if they try to run towards the United States. We will continue to seize the boats that are sanctioned with court orders. We will continue to do that and potentially other things until the things we need to see addressed are addressed... The number one thing we care about is the safety, security, wellbeing, and prosperity of the United States." (Watch)

"Maduro is not just an indicted drug trafficker; he was an illegitimate president. He was not the head of state. I continue to see these media reports referring to him as 'President Maduro' and the 'head of state.' He was not the head of state." (Watch)

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Immediate opposition from leaders of Denmark and Greenland to US renewed Greenland push after Venezuela strike

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Jan 05, 2026 09:28 AM

US President Donald Trump's fresh claim of US "absolutely" needing Greenland for defense has met immediate opposition from leaders of Denmark and Greenland, who urged the US to stop threatening to take over the Danish territory.

Trump reiterated his wish to do so in a phone interview with The Atlantic magazine on Sunday local time, claiming Venezuela may not be the last country subject to American intervention and that the US "absolutely" needs Greenland for defense.

"It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland. The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday, Reuters reported.

Trump said during the interview it was up to others to decide what US-military action in Venezuela means for Greenland. "You know, I wasn't referring to Greenland at that time. But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense."

Trump made the abovementioned remarks after the US forcibly seized Venezuelan president and his wife and said Washington would run the Latin American country, Reuters highlighted in the report. And this raised concerns in Demark that the same could happen to Greenland, a Danish territory, read the report.

Frederiksen said, "I would therefore strongly urge the US stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale," Reuters reported.

Throughout last year, Trump has frequently repeated the same call for the US to take over Greenland, which triggered strong objections from Greenland, Denmark and the European Union, Xinhua reported.

The Trump administration has cited a combination of national security concerns, Arctic strategy, and the potential of critical minerals and natural resources as drivers of US interest in controlling Greenland, Xinhua said.

The prime minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in a statement on Sunday: "When the President of the US says that 'we need Greenland' and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it's not just wrong. It's disrespectful."

Trump also, per The Atlantic, issued not-so-veiled threat against Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodriguez, claiming that if she doesn't do what's right, she would pay a very big price, "probably bigger than Maduro."

Maduro was taken by US force away from his country on Saturday and is now in custody in New York to stand trial on alleged drug charges, media reported.

At least 80 Venezuelan people were killed during US airstrikes, a New York Times report said Sunday, citing Venezuelan officials.

The international community is deeply shocked by the Trump administration's raid on Venezuela and Maduro. Many countries have issued statements strongly condemning the blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president.

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Spain and five LatAm countries call for peaceful resolution led by Venezuelan people, reject US attack in joint statement

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Jan 05, 2026 10:32 AM

The governments of Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay have issued a joint statement on Sunday, expressing "deep concern and rejection of the military actions carried out unilaterally on Venezuelan territory," as "these actions constitute an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security and endanger the civilian population," according to the joint statement in English on the website of Colombian Foreign Ministry website.

"We reiterate that the situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively through peaceful means, through dialogue, negotiation, and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people in all its expressions, without external interference and in accordance with international law. We reaffirm that only an inclusive political process, led by Venezuelans, can lead to a democratic, sustainable solution that respects human dignity," read the joint statement.

The six countries also "urge the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Member States of the relevant multilateral mechanisms to use their good offices to contribute to the de-escalation of tensions and the preservation of regional peace."

The six countries, in the joint statement, also expressed their concern "regarding any attempt at government control, administration or external appropriation of natural or strategic resources, which is incompatible with international law and threatens the political, economic and social stability of the region."

The joint statement came after the US military forces carried out attacks and bombings in Venezuela's capital Caracas in the early hours of Saturday and other parts of the country and forcibly took Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

Venezuela's Bolivarian National Armed Forces on Sunday strongly condemned the "cowardly kidnapping" of Maduro. In a statement read out on national radio and television, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez also denounced that US troops sent to Venezuela early Saturday murdered "in cold blood" a large part of Maduro's security personnel, soldiers and innocent civilians.

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Russo-Ukraine War - 04 January 2026 - Day 1411

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 since the beginning of this day, there have been 154 combat clashes.

Today, the Russian invaders launched 23 air strikes, used one missile and dropped 75 controlled air bombs. In addition, the Russians involved 4663 kamikaze drones and carried out 3057 shelling positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements.

In the Northern Slobozhansky and Kursky directions, the Russian enemy carried out 93 shells, including one of the reactive systems of salvage fire.

In the South-Slobozhans komu direction, Ukrainian troops stopped seven Russian attacks in the areas of Vovchansk, Starica, Prylipka, Figolivka and towards Izbitsky and Kutkivka.

In the kupans komu direction from the beginning of the day, the Russian enemy tried to go forward in the areas of the stepovoi novoselivka, persotravnevogo and towards petropavlivka.

In the Lyman direction during the day, Russian zagarbniki nine times attacked the positions of Ukrainians near the settlements of Novoselivka, Kolodyazne and Torske. One combat encounter is underway.

In the Slovenian direction, the Defense Forces repelled six Russian attacks near Dronivka, Siversk and Svyato Pokrovsky.

In the kramators komu direction, there was one battle in the area of stupocok.

In the direction of Konstantiniv, Russians 17 times attacked the positions of Defense Forces. The main efforts of the Russian attack were concentrated in the areas of Ples yivka, Oleksandro-Shultynogo, Rusynogo Yara, Jablunivka and towards Sofiyivka.

In the Pokrovsky direction, Russian zagarbnitsky units 47 times tried to break through Ukrainian defense in the areas of settlements Shahove, Nikanorivka, Rodinske, Mirnograd, Pokrovsk, Kotline, Udaachne, Molodetske and towards Novopavlivka. In some locations, combat clashes are still ongoing.

Today in this direction Ukrainian warriors zneskodili 121 Russian occupiers, 95 of them - irrevocably. 29 unmanned aircraft, ten vehicles units, a satellite terminal, three ground robotic complexes and three ammunition warehouses were also destroyed. In addition, Ukrainian warriors struck a tank and three units of car transport.

In the Oleksandrivsky direction, the Russian enemy attacked 22 times in the areas of the settlements Green Gai, Oleksandrograd, Sosnivka, Vorone, Oleksiyivka, Cherry, Sweetke and Yegorivka. The two clashes are still ongoing.

In the direction of Gulyaipil, the Defense Forces stopped 53 attacks of Russians in the areas of Zelenoy, Gulyaipol, Varvarivka, Dorozhnyanka and towards Svyatopetrivka.

The Defense Forces repelled six Russian attempts to attack the Orikhivsky direction in the areas of the settlements of Mala Tokmachko, Sherbaky and Stepovo.

In the Pridnipro direction of offensive actions of the Russian enemy is not marked.

In other directions, the situation has not changed significantly.

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

The Sever Group of Forces improved the tactical situation. Losses were inflicted on formations of one mechanised brigade of the AFU near Kondratovka and Pisarevka (Sumy region).

In Kharkov direction, losses were inflicted on units of three mechanised brigades of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade near Volchanskiye Khutora, Zolochev, Zhukov Yar, and Ryasnoye (Kharkov region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 140 troops, three motor vehicles, and one field artillery gun. Three materiel depots were destroyed.

As a result of resolute actions, units of the Zapad Group of Forces took Podoly (Kharkov region) under control.

Losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade, one assault brigade, one airmobile brigade of the AFU, and one national guard brigade near Blagodatovka, Staroverovka, Grushevka, Nechvolodovka (Kharkov region), Lozovoye, and Rubtsov (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 180 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, nine motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155-mm M198 howitzer, and three ammunition depots.

The Yug Group of Forces' units improved the situation along the front line. Losses were inflicted on formations of four mechanised brigades of the AFU, one marine brigade, one territorial defence brigade, and one national guard brigade near Alekseyevo-Druzhkovka, Konstantinovka, Novopavlovka, Slavyansk, and Reznikovka (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to more than 180 troops, one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, seven armoured fighting vehicles, and 14 motor vehicles. Two materiel depots and one POL depot were destroyed.

Units of the Tsentr Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions, and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of four mechanised brigades, one infantry brigade, one air assault brigade, one airmobile brigade, two assault regiments of the AFU, one marine brigade, two territorial defence brigades, the Azov Special Operations Brigade, and two national guard brigades near Torskoye, Grishino, Dobropolye, Gulevo, Belitskoye, Toretskoye, Udachnoye, Volnoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Novopavlovka, and Dibrova (Dnepropetrovsk region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 410 troops, one armoured personnel carrier, four Kozak armoured fighting vehicles, seven pickup trucks, one U.S.-made 105-mm M119 gun, and one U.S.-made AN/TPQ-37 counter-fire radar.

The Vostok Group of Forces' units continued to advance into the depths of enemy defences. Losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, one assault brigade, three assault regiments of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade near Verkhnaya Tersa, Zaliznichnoye, Tsvetkovoye, and Vozdvizhenka (Zaporozhye region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 275 troops, nine armoured fighting vehicles, and five motor vehicles.

Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of one mechanised brigade of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade near Orekhov (Zaporozhye region), Sadovoye (Kherson region), and Kherson.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 35 troops, 11 motor vehicles, and one electronic warfare station.

Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces struck production sites, assembly workshops, and storages of long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, ammunition depots as well as temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 156 areas.

Air defence units shot down one guided aerial bomb and 210 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.

In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the enemy has lost:

670 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 107,213 unmanned aerial vehicles, 642 anti-aircraft missile systems, 26,895 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,636 MLRS combat vehicles, 32,372 field artillery guns and mortars, 50,778 units of support military vehicles.

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China launched 2.63 million daily cyberattacks against Taiwan in 2025: NSB

ROC Central News Agency

01/04/2026 04:09 PM

Taipei, Jan. 4 (CNA) China's cyber army launched 2.63 million intrusion attempts against Taiwan's critical infrastructure (CI) every day in 2025, representing a six percent increase from 2024, according to Taiwan's National Security Bureau (NSB) on Sunday.

In a report titled "Analysis on China's Cyber Threats to Taiwan's Critical Infrastructure in 2025," Taiwan's security agency said that energy and hospital sectors experienced the "most significant year-on-year surge in cyberattacks from Chinese threat actors."

"Cyberattacks conducted by China's cyber army involve four major tactics, namely hardware and software vulnerability exploitation, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS), social engineering, and supply chain attacks," the report explained.

Exploitation of hardware and software vulnerabilities accounted for more than half of the intrusion attempts, it said.

"The top five Chinese hacker groups, namely BlackTech (), Flax Typhoon (), Mustang Panda (), APT41, and UNC3886, launched cyber operations against Taiwan's CI focusing on five primary sectors, including energy, healthcare, communications and transmission, administration and agencies, as well as technology," the report said.

At least 20 cases of ransomware deployment in an attempt to compromise the operations of major hospitals were identified in 2025, it said.

Over the course of the year, the number of cyberattacks against Taiwan's critical infrastructure peaked around the time of the first anniversary of President Lai Ching-te's () inauguration in May, and also climbed again during Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim's () trip to Europe in November, the report showed.

The security agency did not say how many of the intrusion attempts were successful.

"Throughout 2025, cybersecurity agencies and intelligence services across the Indo-Pacific region, NATO, and the European Union repeatedly identified China as a primary source of global cybersecurity threats," the report said.

The NSB convened information security dialogues and technical conferences with more than 30 countries worldwide in 2025, the agency said, and cooperates closely with "international friends and allies" to "obtain timely intelligence on attack patterns of China's cyber army."

The agency said it "conducts joint investigations into malicious relay nodes, thereby supporting government decision making, response preparedness, and further enhancing the overall resilience and capacity of Taiwan's CI protection."

(By James Thompson)

Enditem/

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Three Iranian satellites successfully enter orbital testing phase

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Jan 4, 2026

Tehran, IRNA -- Three Iranian satellites of Zafar, Paya, and Kowsar have successfully entered the orbital testing phase, completing a range of initial in-orbit tests during the first week after launch with a favorable technical status, Iran's Space Agency announced on Sunday.

According to the space agency, assessments indicate that the process of evaluating and stabilizing the subsystems of all three satellites is proceeding according to plan.

During the in-orbit tests, the satellites entered the subsystem performance evaluation phase, with their overall conditions reported as satisfactory.

The agency noted that due to a problem that occurred during the orbital injection stage of the Paya satellite by the launch vehicle, special focus was placed on stabilizing this satellite.

Necessary corrective measures were carried out with high precision to address the issue.

Regarding Paya's orbital tests, the satellite has successfully completed tests related to power supply and distribution subsystems, thermal management, telemetry and telecommand communications, positioning, stabilization, attitude control and pointing.

The process of testing its imaging communication subsystem is currently underway.

Kowsar has also successfully carried out tests of its power supply and distribution subsystems, thermal management, telemetry and telecommand communications, positioning and stabilization.

It has now entered the stage of testing its attitude control and pointing subsystems.

Zafar, meanwhile, has completed initial tests related to power supply and distribution, thermal management, positioning, and telemetry and telecommand communications.

Complementary tests on related subsystems are currently in progress. The satellite's rotational stability has also been assessed as appropriate.

Once the ongoing tests are completed, stages related to attitude control as well as data transmission, storage, and retransmission will begin.

The Iran Space Agency explained that in-orbit satellite testing is a precise, step-by-step and multi-week process conducted after launch, during which the performance of each subsystem is gradually evaluated under real orbital conditions.

Based on existing plans, summaries of technical measures and the results of these tests will be gradually made available to specialists and those interested in the space industry.

4354**7129

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Chinese military starts annual training of 2026, participated by unmanned equipment, J-20 stealth fighter, Type 055 destroyer, DF-17 hypersonic missile

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Jan 04, 2026 03:38 PM

The Chinese military officially kicked off the annual training of 2026 on Sunday, the first work day of the year, with the participation of some of the country's latest weaponry and equipment such as unmanned systems, the J-20 stealth fighter jet, the Type 055 destroyer and the DF-17 hypersonic missile, according to official media reports.

In a live-force small unit integration training session organized by the 79th Group Army aimed at seizing a hostile position, troops deployed drones and quadruped robots, China Central Television (CCTV) News reported on Sunday.

The report quoted Liu Wenyu, a member of a brigade under the 79th Group Army, as saying that "on today's battlefield, drones have evolved from simple reconnaissance tools into a highly specialized tactical system. We now employ bomb-dropping drones, smoke-laying drones, and suicide FPV drones. In our training, these three types of drones are organically integrated to form a flexible and adaptable drone tactical system."

A destroyer detachment of the Navy just wrapped up a mobilization conference to launch training for the new year. Multiple warships, including the Type 055 destroyer Nanchang, the Type 052D destroyer Xining and the Type 054A frigate Weifang, set out from a naval port in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province for their first combat training of 2026, according to CCTV News.

The training content is extensive, covering individual and full-ship drills, as well as single-ship and formation exercises. The training modules are increasingly combat-oriented, including ship handling and weapons operation under complex weather conditions, naval gun fire against surface and coastal targets, live-fire drills with decoy rounds, live-fire exercises with anti-frogman ordnance, as well as navigation training in various special situations such as narrow channels, power failure, and water leakage, CCTV News reported.

At an airfield of the Air Force, multiple J-20 stealth fighter jets prepared for their routine training on the first training day of 2026. After they took off, they are set to immediately conduct confrontational exercises, including consecutive training sessions including those on beyond-visual-range air combat, according to CCTV News.

The report noted that challenging courses such as nighttime refueling and long-duration flights have now become routine training. Operations in distant seas and oceans, on plateaus and along borders, as well as integrated system confrontations, are increasingly common.

A separate CCTV News report introduced the year-opening training of the Rocket Force. At a field training ground, participating units swiftly advanced to predetermined areas following the command orders. Upon reaching their training positions, the operators quickly deployed their weapons and equipment, established the main network connection, and meticulously carried out the equipment operations to initiate the launch sequence, according to CCTV News.

The CCTV News footage showed that the DF-17 hypersonic missile, which participated in the V-Day military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2025, took part in the training. A DF-17 missile is seen erected on its transporter erector launcher vehicle.

Other military branches and services including the Joint Logistics Support Force and the Armed Police Force also conducted the year's inaugural training, according to CCTV News.

In recent years, conducting system-wide training has become a standard practice across the entire military. The various services and arms have engaged in deep integration during joint training exercises, honing their joint operational capabilities. New equipment and newly formed forces have been incorporated into the operational framework, accelerating the development of high-quality combat capabilities, CCTV News said.

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China's largest oil, gas field Changqing posts gas output above 50 bcm for fourth straight year

Global Times

By Zhang Yiyi Published: Jan 04, 2026 10:11 PM

China's largest oil and gas field, Changqing Oilfield, produced 51.42 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2025, marking the fourth consecutive year its output has exceeded 50 billion cubic meters, China National Petroleum Corp said. The field's annual gas production is estimated to have accounted for about one-fifth of the country's total natural gas output, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Sunday.

Located in the Ordos Basin, Changqing Oilfield boosted gas output in 2025 through combined efforts from new and existing wells. To address declining production and reservoir pressure in mature wells, the field carried out enhancement measures at about 14,000 wells, adding 2.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas. More than 1,900 new gas wells were brought on stream, contributing more than 2.8 billion cubic meters of output during the year, CCTV reported.

Yang Yong, Party secretary of the Gas Field Development Division of PetroChina Changqing Oilfield Co, said that more than 85 percent of the gas developed at Changqing Oilfield comes from hard-to-extract tight reservoirs with low permeability, pressure and abundance.

He noted that through indigenous innovation, the field has developed original geological theories and mastered more than 30 core technologies, including 3D seismic and volumetric fracturing, unlocking previously inaccessible resources and enabling the construction in 2022 of China's first strategic gas field with annual output capacity of 50 billion cubic meters.

As the backbone of China's onshore natural gas production, Changqing Oilfield has spent more than three decades overcoming technical challenges to successfully develop 15 gas fields, including Jingbian, Yulin and Sulige. Since supplying gas to Beijing in 1997, it has produced more than 700 billion cubic meters of natural gas in total, equivalent to replacing more than 900 million tons of standard coal and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1 billion tons, CCTV reported.

Zheng Wei, deputy director of the Production and Operations Department at PetroChina Changqing Oilfield Co, said that as the heating season peaks, more than 30,000 gas wells and three gas storage facilities at Changqing are operating at full capacity, delivering more than 160 million cubic meters of natural gas per day.

He noted that the gas is transported via more than 10 national trunk pipelines, including the West-East Gas Pipeline and the Northwest China's Shaanxi Province -Beijing pipeline network, to more than 50 large and medium-sized cities across regions such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia, ensuring sufficient and stable supplies for downstream users.

Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Sunday that Changqing Oilfield's natural gas output exceeding 50 billion cubic meters for four consecutive years is of major significance in boosting China's natural gas self-sufficiency.

While domestic gas demand continues to grow rapidly, the field's stable high output helps strengthen supply capacity and better meets rising demand, Lin said.

He added that natural gas, as a cleaner energy source compared with coal, plays an important role in optimizing China's energy mix and reducing emissions. The sustained production from Changqing Oilfield therefore not only supports the country's energy transition but also carries strategic importance for safeguarding national energy security and ensuring stable gas supplies for households.

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Hypersonic Missile Launching Drill Conducted in DPRK

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

Pyongyang, January 5 (KCNA) -- A sub-unit under a major firing strike group of the Korean People's Army conducted a missile launching drill on January 4.

The drill was conducted as part of the operational evaluation of the sustainability, effectiveness and operation of the DPRK's war deterrent while evaluating the readiness of the hypersonic weapon system, verifying and confirming its capability for fulfilling mission and developing the missile soldiers' firing capability.

Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, oversaw the launching drill.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said that it is a very important strategic task to maintain and expand a powerful and reliable nuclear deterrent through the sustained verification of key components of war deterrence and the improvement of its performance and the mastering of operational capabilities.

He said, appreciating the drill:

"Through today's launching drill, we can confirm that a very important technology task for national defence has been carried out.

The missile soldiers showed the readiness of the DPRK's nuclear forces without regret and gave confidence in it.

Important achievements have been recently made in putting our nuclear forces on a practical basis and preparing them for an actual war. This potential is an outcome of the Party's line on building up the national defences and its policy on attaching importance to defence science and technology and a valuable result of our outstanding scientific and technological group.

We must continuously upgrade the military means, especially offensive weapon systems. It is just an essential undertaking for self-defence. In addition, to make the rivals steadily and repeatedly recognize the constant mobilization of our strategic offensive means and their fatality itself is an important and effective mode of exercising war deterrence.

To be honest, our such activity is clearly aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a high-developed basis. Why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events."

The hypersonic missiles, launched from Ryokpho District, Pyongyang Municipality, to the northeast direction, hit the targets 1 000 km away from the East Sea of Korea.

Kim Jong Un expressed thanks to the sub-unit participating in the drill for playing the prelude of the first combat drill in the new year with amazing launching and fully displaying the striking capability of the strong army, and extended New Year greeting to all the officers and men of the missile forces doing their best in carrying out their combat duty across the country and devoting themselves to their responsible duty for national defence.

He expressed expectation and belief that all the missile forces would remain faithful to their sacred mission as a reliable shield for defending the sovereignty and security of the DPRK by fulfilling their consistent and responsible combat duty under iron discipline.

Among the spectators were Kim Jong Sik, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the WPK and Jang Chang Ha, general director of the Missile Administration of the DPRK. -0-

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Press Release on recent developments in Venezuela

India - Ministry of External Affairs

January 04, 2026

Recent developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation.

2. India reaffirms its support to the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela. We call upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region.

3. The Embassy of India in Caracas is in contact with members of the Indian community and will continue to provide all possible assistance.

New Delhi

January 04, 2026

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Ships built by GSL & other Indian yards are floating symbols of India's sovereignty, says Raksha Mantri ahead of commissioning of Pollution Control Vessel 'Samudra Pratap' into ICG

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

"Aatmanirbharta in defence is not a luxury, but a strategic necessity"

"Equipping ships with state-of-the-art equipment, AI-enabled maintenance & cyber-secure platforms is key to gaining edge over adversaries"

"India is a proactive maritime nation, ensuring stability, cooperation & rule-based order throughout the Indian Ocean Region"

Posted On: 04 JAN 2026 8:36PM by PIB Delhi

"The ships built by the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and other Indian yards for the Indian Navy & the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) are the floating symbols of India's sovereignty, representing our presence, capability, and resolve on the high seas," said Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh during his visit to the GSL on January 04, 2026, on the eve of the commissioning of Pollution Control Vessel (PCV) 'Samudra Pratap' into the ICG. Samudra Pratap, the first of two PCVs built by the GSL, will be commissioned in the presence of Raksha Mantri in Goa on January 05, 2026.

Shri Rajnath Singh described Aatmanirbharta in defence as not a luxury, but a strategic necessity, lauding institutions like the GSL for transforming this necessity into reality. The GSL is developing capabilities, absorbing technology, and strengthening indigenous design, which have resulted in the timely delivery of equipment to the Armed Forces and accelerated the pace towards making the nation self-reliant, he said.

Underlining the critical role played by the Indian shipyards in today's complex security environment, Raksha Mantri asserted that non-traditional threats are constantly increasing alongside traditional challenges in the maritime domain. "We face numerous challenges at sea, such as narcotics trafficking, illegal fishing, human trafficking, environmental crimes, and grey-zone challenges. In such a situation, the role of shipyards becomes even more critical. Located in a city which is the center of the country's maritime history, naval heritage, and strategic foresight, the GSL is one of the pillars of India's defence ecosystem, bearing the responsibility for maritime security," he said.

Shri Rajnath Singh emphasised that a ship is not just an amalgamation of steel, machinery, and technology, it is a symbol of the trust of the people and the expectations & needs of the Armed Forces. The GSL has fulfilled this trust and expectations for years, he said.

Raksha Mantri stressed that India is emerging as a proactive maritime nation, and its role in ensuring stability, cooperation, and rule-based order throughout the Indian Ocean Region is increasing constantly. He exhorted the institutions such as the GSL to further support India's credibility in the future. "In view of the growing importance of technology in the defence sector, we will have to adapt to this changing landscape. We must focus on equipping the ships with state-of-the-art equipment, AI-enabled maintenance, and cyber-secure platforms to gain an edge over our adversaries. I am confident that the GSL will demonstrate leadership in this transformation as well," he added.

Appreciating the efforts of the GSL towards building a high-technology dredger for Belgium, Shri Rajnath Singh endorsed enhanced focus on increasing defence exports with an aim to make India a self-reliant nation as well as a net defence exporter. "To realise the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047, we must ensure continuous progress through hard work and commitment," he said, extending the Government's full support to the capability enhancement of institutions such as GSL.

Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, Director General, ICG DG Paramesh Sivamani, Chairman & Managing Director, GSL Shri Brajesh Kumar Upadhyay and personnel of the shipyard were present on the occasion.

****

VK/Savvy

(Release ID: 2211310)

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CHIEF OF THE ARMY STAFF, GENERAL UPENDRA DWIVEDI PROCEEDS ON VISIT TO UAE AND SRI LANKA

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 04 JAN 2026 2:41PM by PIB Delhi

The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Upendra Dwivedi, has proceeded on a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sri Lanka from 05 to 08 January 2026, as part of India's continued engagement to strengthen defence cooperation and military-to-military ties with friendly foreign countries.

The visit will commence with the COAS's engagements in the United Arab Emirates from 05 - 06 January 2026. On arrival, General Dwivedi will be accorded a Guard of Honour by the UAE Land Forces. During his stay, the COAS will call-on senior leadership of the UAE Armed Forces, including the Commander of the UAE Land Forces, and receive briefings on the structure, roles and capabilities of the UAE Army. He will also visit key military establishments and interact with officers and troops, underscoring the growing defence partnership between India and the UAE. This includes a visit to UAE National Defence College wherein COAS will address all officers. These engagements are aimed at further enhancing bilateral defence cooperation, professional military exchanges and strategic understanding between the two armed forces.

Following the visit to the UAE, the COAS will visit Sri Lanka from 07 - 08 January 2026. On arrival, the COAS will be accorded a Guard of Honour by the Sri Lanka Army. He will engage with senior military and civil leadership, including the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Deputy Minister of Defence and the Defence Secretary; and hold detailed discussions on matters of mutual interest, including training cooperation, capacity building and regional security.

During the visit, the COAS will address officers at the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) and interact with officers and trainees at the Army War College, Buttala, reflecting India's strong commitment to defence education and professional military exchanges with Sri Lanka.

General Dwivedi will also pay homage at the IPKF War Memorial, honouring the supreme sacrifice of Indian soldiers.

The visit of the Chief of the Army Staff to the UAE and Sri Lanka reaffirms India's commitment to strengthening defence cooperation, fostering mutual trust and enhancing interoperability with friendly nations in the Indian Ocean Region and West Asia

NA/RS

(Release ID: 2211231)

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US, Israel waging 'soft warfare' to destabilize Iran after June defeat: Top general

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 04 January 2026 5:48 PM

Iran's top general says the United States and Israel are waging "soft warfare" to destabilize the country in an attempt to make up for their defeat in June's 12-day imposed war.

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi made the remarks in a meeting with police commanders and officials on Sunday amid sporadic protests in Iranian cities over economic hardships.

He said the Iranian nation will rely on its Iranian-Islamic identity and its nature of peace-seeking and resistance against enemies, and will never allow rioters and the deceived to act against the country.

"The enemies, particularly the United States and Israeli regime, are focused on fueling insecurity in Iran by making use of the tools of soft warfare to make up for their defeat in the 12-day imposed war [in June]," he added.

After the United States and the Israeli regime suffered a clear defeat and grew disillusioned with their fruitless aggression, they turned to soft warfare and economic pressure in a bid to "create insecurity and unrest in the country as a way to compensate for their failure," the top general emphasized.

Mousavi noted that shopkeepers and merchants voiced their rightful and legitimate demands for stabilizing the exchange rate and improving business conditions.

However, he said, the US and the Israeli regime "hastily and excitedly" deployed their trained agents to exploit the protests and disrupt national security and peace through psychological operations and cognitive warfare tactics.

He praised the wise and insightful Iranian nation for quickly separating itself from the rioters and those who seek to create chaos.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Saturday said the national currency devaluation is "unnatural" and involves "the hand of the enemy."

Referring to the recent unrest across the country, which began at Tehran's Grand Bazaar last week, Ayatollah Khamenei said the bazaar merchants are "among the most loyal segments of the country to the Islamic Revolution," stressing that "one cannot clash with the Islamic system in the name of the bazaar and merchants."

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Iran's support was pivotal in decisive victory over Daesh: Iraqi PM

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 04 January 2026 3:33 PM

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has lauded the "decisive and fateful" roles of the late Iranian Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in protecting Iraq's security, saying that Iranian support was a cornerstone of Iraq's victory over the Daesh terrorist organization.

Speaking on Sunday at an official ceremony marking the sixth anniversary of the US assassination of the two commanders in Baghdad, al-Sudani emphasized that Lieutenant General Soleimani ended his "life of jihad" through martyrdom on Iraqi soil while serving the security of the region.

"The participation and assistance of the martyr Soleimani are far too immense for anyone to deny, to the extent that he concluded his life with martyrdom on Iraqi soil."

The prime minister addressed the 2020 US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport, describing it as a "heinous crime" and a "blatant violation of national sovereignty."

He noted that the attack occurred in a civilian area protected by international law and recalled that Iraq's religious authorities had characterized the strike as "brutal aggression."

Al-Sudani reaffirmed Iraq's commitment to ending the mission of the US-led International Coalition.

He stressed that Iraqi forces are set to take over the Ain al-Asad airbase in Al-Anbar province in the coming days.

He also highlighted other sovereign milestones, including ending the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq.

Al-Sudani issued a warning regarding current regional tensions, stating that the "Zionist regime" seeks to implement "evil plans" in the Middle East.

He asserted that Iraq remains the "cornerstone of stability" in the region and must be protected from such threats.

'Commanders played heroic role'

Abdul Latif Rashid, the president of Iraq, also delivered a speech at the ceremony, stressing that the martyred commanders took firm steps toward strengthening the security and stability of the country, as well as reinforcing a unique democracy in the region.

Rashid expressed appreciation and gratitude for the 'heroic role' of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and the steadfastness of Gen. Soleimani alongside the Iraqi people.

"The heroic stances of the martyrs of the security forces in confronting the most well-equipped terrorist groups form the current foundation and pillars of the country."

The Iraqi president emphasized, "It is the national and moral responsibility of us all not to forget these great sacrifices and to strengthen and preserve them in the memory of future generations."

'US attack was act of state terrorism'

Falih al-Fayyadh, the head of the Popular Mobilization Forces, also spoke at the official ceremony in Baghdad.

He condemned the assassination of the two commanders as an act of state terrorism committed by the United States.

He stressed that the PMF and the security forces have drawn a consistent line in defending the homeland and establishing the equation of security and coexistence.

"The calamity of Daesh reconstructed our military structure and brought about the PMF. Some had bet on the emergence of tension in relations between the PMF and the security forces, but the bond between these two parties became spiritual, and together they were able to achieve victory. After Iraq's security structure was shaken during the Daesh era, the PMF provided the ground for the security apparatus to rebuild itself," he said.

Al-Fayyadh also defended the role of popular weaponry in defending Iraq, saying that such weaponry is considered vital in confronting the military and technological powers employed to target nations.

General Soleimani, the late commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, and al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), were killed in a US drone strike in January 2020.

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PM Netanyahu at the Start of the Government Meeting

Israel - Prime Minister's Office

Type: Media Statements

Government: The 37th Government

Publish Date: 04.01.2026

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the start of the Government meeting, today:

"I have just returned from a historic visit, a very important summit meeting, with President Trump. This meeting, of course, took place on the eve of the New Year. It was very moving for my wife and I to stand alongside the President and his wife and celebrate the arrival of the New Year, which we hope will be even better than the past year.

President Trump asked me: 'Tell me, do you like fireworks?' I said to him: 'Look, it's better than other things that explode in the sky, but we have also learned to handle those well.' He understood that, of course. There was a great sense of understanding and identification throughout the visit. I believe this contributed to strengthening the dual connection both between Israel and the United States, and of course, the personal connection between us.

We discussed all of the developments in the region. I will focus my remarks first on Gaza. He was unequivocal. He repeated this both in our private conversations and to public opinion at the press conference there. He said it: 'The essential condition is that Hamas disarms.' There is no other option. This is an essential and fundamental condition for the implementation of his 20-point plan. He made no concessions and showed no flexibility on this issue.

We also discussed Iran, of course. We reiterated our joint position of zero enrichment on one hand, and the need to remove the 400 kilograms of enriched material from Iran and oversee the sites with tight and genuine supervision. These discussions took place at the beginning of the developing, dramatic events in Iran. You heard the President refer to this shortly thereafter. We, of course, identify with this. The Government of Israel, the State of Israel, and my policy, we identify with the struggle of the Iranian people, with their aspirations for freedom, liberty, and justice. It is very possible that we are standing at the moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands.

Regarding Venezuela, I want to express the entire Government's support for the determined decision and action of the United States to restore freedom and justice to that part of the world as well. I must say that across Latin America right now, we are seeing a transformation; several countries are returning to the American axis and, not surprisingly, to a connection with the State of Israel. We welcome this. We congratulate President Trump on his decision. We also salute the American military forces who carried out a perfect operation. We know how to appreciate such things.

We are also carrying out other operations here in our region, and I am speaking first and foremost about the efforts of the Israel Police to restore governance in the Negev. We are going to do everything to prevent the Negev from becoming the 'Wild South,' and finally, there is an initiative here. I congratulate Minister Ben-Gvir for leading this initiative. I intend to visit the Negev with him in the coming days to see our actions up close, and this is not the only initiative.

[There is also] the welcome change that has been made in the Prison Service, after we were told for years that nothing could be done because it would lead to terrible developments. The exact opposite happened. I also welcome the building of the National Guard's strength and, of course, the strengthening of the Israel Police. All these things are welcome, and I believe the entire Government expresses its support and backing."

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Full restoration of S.Korea-China ties the greatest achievement, says ROK President during China visit

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Jan 05, 2026 12:07 AM

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who is on a state visit to China, said on Sunday during a gathering with Korean delegates, "While there have been various diplomatic achievements, the full restoration of South Korea-China relations, which had been in retreat for a long time, is the greatest achievement and a significant accomplishment." He also said that there remain boundless opportunities for cooperation, according to media reports.

According to the Korean Herald, Lee described his state visit would serve as a "significant milestone" in laying out a roadmap for the next 30 years of bilateral ties. Lee underscored the significance of launching this year's "practical diplomacy" with a four-day state visit to China.

Lee stated, "It has been over 30 years since South Korea and China established diplomatic relations." He added, "As neighboring countries, we have sometimes faced difficult periods, but through exchange and cooperation, we have achieved remarkable development," The Chosun Daily reported.

Acknowledging the twists and turns in bilateral ties since normalization of diplomatic relations in 1992, Lee pledged to "sustain the current positive momentum to ensure that such difficulties are never repeated." He further said the South Korean government would "do its utmost to strengthen communication and cooperation based on mutual respect and consideration between our two governments," the Korean Herald reported.

Lee also stressed the importance of economic cooperation with China. "Based on our respective comparative advantages, there remain boundless opportunities for cooperation  in renewable energy, biotechnology, the silver economy, and many other fields," Lee said, the Korean Herald reported.

Regarding Lee's upcoming trip, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on December 30, 2025, during a press briefing that China hopes that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, this visit will play a positive role in advancing the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership.

When asked about China's expectations for the visit, Lin said this will be President Lee's first visit to China after coming into office. China and South Korea are each other's important neighbor and cooperation partner. Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, this visit is expected to play a positive role in advancing the China-South Korea ties, Lin said.

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UK, France conduct joint airstrike on Daesh facility near Syria's Palmyra

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 04 January 2026 1:51 PM

The United Kingdom and France have carried out a joint airstrike against what they said was an underground Daesh facility near the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the UK Ministry of Defense said Royal Air Force aircraft participated in the overnight operation, targeting a site suspected to be a Daesh weapons storage facility.

The ministry added that the facility was located north of Palmyra in an area "devoid of any civilian habitation."

"Royal Air Force aircraft have completed successful strikes against Daesh in a joint operation with France," the statement said.

The development comes as the US has also recently begun striking targets allegedly belonging to the Daesh terrorist group in Syria amid speculations about Washington's seeking to reestablish a significant military presence in the country.

In late December, the US Central Command reported conducting over 70 strikes on suspected Daesh targets in central Syria, using approximately 100 munitions from various aircraft and artillery.

The strikes, known as "Operation Hawkeye Strike," were launched in response to the killing of three Americans in Palmyra on December 13, with the aim of "eliminating Daesh fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites."

Syria defeated Daesh in 2017 under the country's former government of President Bashar al-Assad, with help from allies Iran and Russia.

Daesh's remnants, though, keep staging sporadic attacks throughout Syria, attempting to regroup and unleash fresh violence against the nation.

Today, Washington says between 1,500 and 3,000 Daesh terrorists are still active in Syria and Iraq, citing intelligence assessments.

Western governments assert that the recent military operations are designed to prevent Daesh from rebuilding its capabilities and launching new attacks, both regionally and internationally.

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Taiwan welcomes new SVG leader's pledge to maintain diplomatic ties

ROC Central News Agency

01/04/2026 01:41 PM

Taipei, Jan. 4 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Sunday welcomed a recent pledge made by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' new prime minister, Godwin Friday, that his government would maintain diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Friday, who assumed office in late November 2025 as the Caribbean ally's leader, made the affirmation during a radio interview, according to a report in the Vincentian Newspaper on Jan. 2.

"Our diplomatic relations with Taiwan remain, as do our relations with all countries with which we have diplomatic ties," Friday was quoted as saying in the front page report.

"We have not changed our position with respect to any country," the prime minister said during an interview on Boom 106.9 FM, according to the Vincentian report.

Friday also reassured Vincentian students in Taiwan, many of whom are on scholarships from Taiwan's government, that their studies would not be affected.

Asked to comment on Friday's remarks, MOFA said in a statement to CNA that Taiwan "welcomes and appreciates" the SVG leader's open pledge to maintain his country's decades-long relations with Taiwan.

MOFA added that since Friday assumed office on Nov. 28, he has repeatedly affirmed that SVG's diplomatic ties with Taiwan will remain unchanged and has maintained close exchanges with Taiwan's embassy.

MOFA said it will continue close communications with the SVG government to deepen bilateral cooperation for the benefit of both peoples.

The ROC (Taiwan) established diplomatic relations with SVG in 1981.

Friday's New Democratic Party (NDP) has previously proposed switching recognition from Taipei to Beijing, although he did not publicly address the issue during the campaign.

He was sworn in after the NDP won 14 of the 15 parliamentary seats in last November's general election, ending Unity Labor Party leader Ralph Gonsalves' 24-year rule.

(By Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/cs

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China highlights Taiwan's HIMARS as major threat in latest military drills: Experts

ROC Central News Agency

01/04/2026 09:32 PM

Taipei, Jan. 4 (CNA) China highlighted the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) Taiwan purchased from the United States during a recent large-scale military exercise, citing the precision weapons as a major threat because of their ability to conduct "deep counterstrikes" against PLA rocket units and logistics, military experts said.

China staged the exercise in waters and airspace around Taiwan from Dec. 29 to Dec. 31, with live-fire drills conducted on Dec. 30 in the Taiwan Strait.

The drills led to the cancellation of all 84 flights between Taiwan and its outlying Kinmen and Matsu islands. Hundreds of international flights were also delayed, affecting more than 100,000 passengers.

According to a report aired by China's state-run broadcaster CCTV on Dec. 29, HIMARS was singled out during the drill, with a soldier saying that target information on the systems had been confirmed, followed by a commander ordering long-range rockets to be fired immediately.

The same day, the China Coast Guard (CCG) released a poster depicting a CCG vessel intercepting a shipment of HIMARS aboard an Evergreen Marine freighter. Yang Tai-yuan (), chairman of the Secure Taiwan Association Corporation, said the image appeared to be a response to the U.S.' recent seizures of two oil tankers off Venezuela, whose biggest oil importer is none other than China.



CNA graphic CNA graphic

'Deep counterstrike' weapons

Asked about China's focus on HIMARS, Su Tzu-yun (), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), described it as an "unexpected finding."

Su said HIMARS are precision weapons suited for deep counterstrikes, with an estimated error margin of about 10 meters.

"They can be deployed against a PLA amphibious landing operation to strike enemy lines of communication behind the front lines, which would likely cause the operation to fail," Su said.

He said the PLA was likely alarmed by HIMARS due to the US$11.1 billion arms sale package announced by the U.S. government on Dec. 17, which included 82 HIMARS and 420 M57 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles. The deal would expand Taiwan's HIMARS fleet to 111 units and increase its ATACMS arsenal more than fivefold.

Yang agreed, saying China likely views HIMARS as a "real threat."

The ATACMS, which has a range of 300 kilometers, could threaten much of China's Fujian Province if deployed on Taiwan's offshore islands in the Taiwan Strait, Yang said.

Another INDSR researcher, Kao Chih-jung (), said HIMARS equipped with ATACMS currently offers Taiwan its most time-efficient counterstrike option, taking just over seven minutes to reach targets in China, roughly the same amount of time needed for China's long-range rockets featured during the drill to reach Taiwan proper.

"HIMARS are significantly faster than Hsiung Feng II-E cruise missiles, and faster and less risky than flying fighter jets to launch air-to-surface cruise missiles," Kao said.

He described the 82 HIMARS systems, along with the Tactical Mission Network (TMN) software included in the US$11.1 billion deal, as the "crown jewels" of the package.

"The TOW missiles and Javelins [in the same package] are designed to counter the later stages of an assault," Kao said. "If we can hold our own in the early stages, we can then worry about the later phases."

HIMARS could also be used to destroy PLA missile launcher trucks, while TMN would enable faster intelligence sharing across services, allowing for more timely strikes, Kao said.

With the help of TMN, HIMARS could also be synchronized with the proposed T-Dome multilayered air defense system to conduct deep counterstrikes against enemy artillery storage facilities and mobile launchers, he added.

Weaknesses and limitations

The experts cautioned, however, that HIMARS are not without vulnerabilities.

Yang said that if the PLA has indeed obtained information on HIMARS deployment locations in Taiwan, it could indicate that one or more bases or operating sites have been exposed.

He urged Taiwan's military to regularly rotate HIMARS locations and conduct "shoot-run-reload" drills to ensure each system can operate from different positions for every strike.

Taiwan should also strengthen camouflage measures to reduce the risk of detection by Chinese satellites, Yang said.

Drawing on lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war, Su said that while HIMARS has proven effective against Russian forces, the systems remain vulnerable to satellite interference that could cause missiles to deviate from their intended trajectories.

"This is something we should be alert to," Su said.

Kao said one reason the U.S. agreed to sell ATACMS to Taiwan is that Washington views the missiles as "defensive weapons" with a limited range, which helps avoid a major impact on its relations with Beijing.

He suggested Taiwan lobby the U.S. to sell it Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), which have a range of up to 500 kilometers, to better meet its operational needs.

(By Sean Lin)

Enditem/kb

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Mainland condemns DPP lawmakers' proposal to revise Taiwan's cross-Strait regulations

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:11, January 05, 2026

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Sunday warned that secessionists will never be allowed to split Taiwan from China under any name or by any means.

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the response to a media query regarding a proposal by some Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators in Taiwan to revise the island's regulations on relations across the Taiwan Strait.

The proposal disregards mainstream public opinion in Taiwan and the well-being of Taiwan people, openly challenges the historical and legal fact that Taiwan is part of China, and attempts to alter the status quo that there is only one China in the world and that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China, Chen said.

According to Taiwan media reports, the proposal seeks to redefine cross-Strait relations as those between "Taiwan and the People's Republic of China" and delete the wording "prior to national reunification" from the existing regulations.

"This is a naked push for 'de jure Taiwan independence,' a deliberate escalation of cross-Strait tensions, and a serious sabotage of peace and stability across the Strait," Chen said, adding that it fully exposes Lai Ching-te and the DPP as "out-and-out saboteurs of peace, creators of crises, and instigators of war."

The mainland has full confidence and sufficient capability to smash any form of secessionist schemes, he said.

He warned that if secessionists dare to take reckless actions and cross the red line, the mainland will take resolute measures in accordance with the Anti-Secession Law.

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Prime Minister Carney to participate in peace negotiations for Ukraine in France

Prime Minister of Canada - Mark Carney

January 2, 2026

Ottawa, Ontario

Canada is working with international partners to secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. To that end, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, today announced that he will travel to Paris, France, from January 5 to 6, 2026, to meet with fellow leaders of the Coalition of the Willing. Together, they will accelerate efforts toward a negotiated peace for Ukraine, supported by strong security guarantees. The meeting comes at a crucial point in this war, when the combined efforts and might of the United States, Ukraine, European allies, and Canada are creating the conditions for a just and lasting peace.

Through the Coalition of the Willing and other partnerships, Canada is working to strengthen Ukraine's defence capabilities, secure the return of unlawfully deported Ukrainian children, and support long-term recovery and prosperity for the Ukrainian people. Together with our allies and partners, Canada will continue to deter Russian aggression and defend peace and security.

Quote

"Canada is working relentlessly with our allies to secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. We must deter and fortify - with robust security guarantees and by ensuring Ukraine can rebuild, recover, and create the foundations of true prosperity." The Rt. Hon. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada

Quick facts

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Weapons, corps-based structure, enhanced protection, digitalization, and more: the Ministry of Defence's key highlights of 2025

Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

3 January, 2026, 3:27 PM EET

Ukrainian weapons for the Ukrainian military

More than 50% of the weapons currently used by Ukraine's Defence Forces are of Ukrainian manufacture.

This includes, in particular, reconnaissance and strike unmanned systems, ground robotic systems, artillery and ammunition of various calibers, armored vehicles, missile weapons, maritime drones, and electronic warfare (EW) systems.

Meanwhile, in 2025, 76% of centralized procurement spending on weapons and military equipment was allocated to Ukrainian manufacturers. In 2024, this figure stood at 46%.

Further increasing the share of Ukrainian-made weapons will remain one of the Ministry of Defence's key priorities in 2026.

Transition to a corps-based structure completed

The new command and control system of the Armed Forces of Ukraine comprises 18 corps:

thirteen corps of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;

two corps of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;

two corps of the National Guard of Ukraine;

one corps of the Marine Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

All corps are already carrying out tasks as part of designated force groupings.

The transition to the new command and control system has enhanced command of large formations, brigade coordination, and reserve formation.

The reform began in early 2025 and was completed in October. Efforts to fully staff and train the corps are ongoing.

More protection for service members

For the first time, the Ministry of Defence launched the procurement of modular body armor sets in an extended configuration, which increases the protection area through additional modular components.

The expansion of the configuration was driven by changes in the nature of battlefield injuries, with over 90% of wounds caused by fragments and shrapnel. That is why the Ministry of Defence approved three additional protective components for the modular body armor: protection for forearms, shins, and tailbone (coccyx). This ensures broader protective coverage and improved adaptability to different combat scenarios.

To recap, a full body armor set comprises eight components, including front and rear covers with soft ballistic elements and hard armor plates, as well as groin, neck, shoulder, and thigh protection. The set also includes a load-bearing belt with a soft ballistic element.

The Ministry of Defence also announced the first procurement of ballistic blanketsversatile personal protective items configured as ballistic tents to protect against fragments from artillery shells, mines, and grenades. Ballistic blankets can be used for both individual protection and covering dugouts, vehicles, or wounded service members. This is a new item of gear that will enhance service members' safety on the battlefield.

Adaptive clothing provided by the state

In 2025, the Ministry of Defence procured over 600,000 items of adaptive clothing under the 'Wounded Warrior Package' initiative.

These items were prioritized for delivery to military medical facilities in frontline and border regions, including the Sumy, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

The adaptive clothing will help Ukrainian defenders who have been wounded and are undergoing treatment or rehabilitation feel more comfortable. The adaptive clothing features wider sleeves and trouser legs, textile hook-and-loop fasteners, additional width-adjustment options, and other functional elements. These design elements make wound access easier during treatment.

The Military Ombudsman institution was established

In 2025, Ukraine officially launched the Military Ombudsman institution, which serves as an additional mechanism for safeguarding the rights of service members.

Service members can now formally submit complaints and concerns, which will be reviewed by an independent institution.

The Military Ombudsman, appointed by the President of Ukraine for a five-year term, is empowered to initiate inspections in military units, develop proposals to remedy violations, and issue recommendations to military command.

Guaranteed annual leave for service members

In 2025, at the initiative of the Ministry of Defence, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine amended the legislation to ensure that service members are guaranteed to take at least 15 of their 30 days of annual main leave.

The amendments also restored the possibility of granting up to 14 additional days of leave to holders of combatant status, subject to the commander's approval. This type of leave has not been provided since 2022 due to the martial law legal framework.

Accordingly, service members are entitled to 30 days of annual main leave, of which 15 days are guaranteed for use. A service member can opt out of these 15 days exclusively at their own initiative. In addition, service members may be granted up to 10 days of leave for family-related reasons and up to 14 additional days of leave for those with combatant status.

Development of the digital ecosystem

The Army+ mobile application has become a key digital tool for service members: 70% of military units now use the app to prepare reports, with more than 1.2 million reports signed in total.

One of the main updates is the expanded functionality of Army ID. It now provides not only a unique nine-digit ID number for submitting reports, but also a defender's digital ID to confirm service member status.

The digital ID does not replace paper military registration documents, but will be helpful during checks, including at checkpoints. Army ID now includes a photo and basic information, accessible via a QR code, which representatives of Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers (enlistment offices) or the Military Law Enforcement Service (Military Police) can scan to obtain a service member's details.

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The Ministry of Defence secured over $6 billion for Ukraine's defense industry in 2025

Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

3 January, 2026, 10:46 AM EET

Funding for Ukraine's defense industry was provided through the 'Danish model,' direct procurement by partner states, and windfall proceeds from frozen russian assets.

Ukraine's defense industry has been growing steadily since 2022 and, by 2025, reached a production capacity of $35 billion. To fully utilize this capacity, Ukraine is attracting funding through European Union programs and individual initiatives of partner states.

"We are grateful to all our partners for supporting Ukraine's defense capabilities and the development of our defense industry, as this is a contribution to strengthening the security of all of Europe," said the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal.

In 2025, foreign funding for Ukraine's defense industry totaled $6.1 billion. By comparison, the figure for 2024 was approximately $600 million.

Contributions to Ukraine's defense industry came from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Lithuania, Canada, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, the United States, and Sweden.

Nearly $1.8 billion was allocated to the production of Ukrainian weapons under the 'Danish model,' introduced in 2024.

Over $4.3 billion was mobilized through direct procurement by partner states from domestic manufacturers to meet the needs of Ukraine's Defence and Security Forces. Of this amount, nearly $900 million was allocated to equipping units under the "Drone Line" project, initiated by the President of Ukraine.

A significant share of funding in 2025 came from proceeds generated by frozen russian assets. In total, Ukraine's defense industry received over $1.1 billion via this mechanism.

In addition, Ukraine has submitted its own defense-industrial projects under the SAFE mechanism. The total expected funding for these projects is $5 billion. Joint projects with European partners represent tangible steps toward integrating Ukraine's defense industry into the European ecosystem.

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Russian Forces Liberate Podoly Settlement in Kharkov Region - MoD

Sputnik News

20260104

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's Battlegroup Zapad has taken control of the Podoly settlement in the Kharkov Region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

"As a result of active actions, units of Battlegroup Zapad took control of the settlement of Podoly in the Kharkov Region," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia's Battlegroup Tsentr has eliminated up to 410 Ukrainian troops over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"The enemy's losses amounted to up to 410 military personnel, an armored personnel carrier, four Kozak armored vehicles, seven pickup trucks, a 105-mm M119 cannon and a US-made AN/TPQ-37 counter-battery radar," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia's Battlegroup Vostok has eliminated up to 275 Ukrainian soldiers, while Russia's Battlegroup Yug has eliminated over 180 Ukrainian servicepeople during the same period, the ministry added.

Russia's Battlegroup Zapad has eliminated up to 180 Ukrainian soldiers, while Battlegroup Sever has eliminated up to 140 Ukrainian servicepeople, and Battlegroup Dnepr has eliminated up to 35 Ukrainian military personnel, the ministry said.

In addition, the Russian forces defeated workshops for the production and assembly of long-range drones.

 Sputnik

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There Will Be Meetings in Europe That Must Become Yet Another Contribution to Our Defense and to Hastening the End of the War - Address by the President

President of Ukraine

4 January 2026 - 20:03

I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!

We are continuing internal changes in Ukraine today, and each of them must strengthen our state and our Ukrainian resilience. Five regional administrations - I held interviews with candidates today. Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Poltava, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi regions. Strong leaders are needed - to support their communities and to be able to help other regions that truly need it. Leadership at the local level is just as important as leadership at the central government level. I am grateful to those who have worked in the regions with genuine responsibility. The names of the new heads will be announced once the formal appointment procedures begin. Next week, the respective administrations should already have their leaders in place.

I spoke today with Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko - a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is being prepared for tomorrow. It is important that the changes continue.

Today, we also worked thoroughly on the security track. The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine will undergo changes, and we discussed the relevant directions for these changes with Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko. We will continue tomorrow. We are already preparing for the next diplomatic week as well - there will be meetings in Europe that must become yet another contribution to our defense and to hastening the end of the war. Ukraine will be prepared for both possible paths ahead - diplomacy, which we are pursuing, or continued active defense if the pressure from our partners on Russia proves insufficient. Ukraine seeks peace. But Ukraine will not give up its strength to anyone. Thank you to everyone who works for our state and to those who defend Ukraine as they would defend themselves.

Glory to Ukraine!

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Ukraine Imposed Sanctions on Individuals and Companies Producing and Supplying Communications Equipment, EW Systems, and Microelectronics for Russia's Military-Industrial Complex

President of Ukraine

4 January 2026 - 11:00

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree enacting a decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to impose sanctions on 95 individuals and 70 legal entities, the majority of whom are citizens and residents of the Russian Federation.

These are individuals and companies linked to servicing Russia's state defense order and to the activities of its military-industrial complex.

They include enterprises and their executives that produce and supply products in the fields of communications, electronic warfare, and microelectronics for Russia's military-industrial complex and security agencies.

Sanctions have been imposed on industrial enterprises in Russia's chemical, extractive, and metallurgical sectors, as well as in its fuel and energy complex.

The imposed restrictions are intended to complicate the servicing of Russia's military-industrial complex and to limit its capacity to produce weapons and military equipment used in the war against Ukraine.

Our country will continue working with partners to synchronize Ukrainian sanctions within partner jurisdictions. Some of these listings will be reflected in the 20th sanctions package of the European Union, which is currently being prepared.

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Zelenskyy Meets Europeans In Next Round Of Fitful Peace Process

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service January 05, 2026

KYIV-- After months of uncertain progress in the peace process, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv will this week focus on European allies in two meetings with hopes of "hastening the end" of Russia's war on his country.

Ahead of the meetings, a Russian air strike on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, killed at least two people, said officials, who added that the attack was ongoing early on January 5.

Ukraine will later on January 5 host a meeting of the chiefs of general staffs of European countries, including those of Kyiv's key backers, Britain, France, and Germany.

On January 6, French President Emmanuel Macron will host a Paris gathering of European leaders in an even more-crucial session -- one in which the French leader has promised that Kyiv's backers will make "concrete" commitments to Ukraine's security.

Ahead of the talks, Zelenskyy vowed that his country is ready for all possibilities.

"There will be meetings in Europe that must become yet another contribution to our defense and to hastening the end of the war," he said on January 4 in his nightly video address.

"Ukraine will be prepared for both possible paths ahead -- diplomacy, which we are pursuing, or continued active defense if the pressure from our partners on Russia proves insufficient."

"Ukraine seeks peace. But Ukraine will not give up its strength to anyone," he added.

A day earlier, Zelenskyy insisted that if a diplomatic end to the war cannot be struck during peace negotiations, his country would continue to defend itself against Russia's full-scale invasion.

"If Russia blocks all of this -- and as I said, it depends on our partners -- if our partners do not compel Russia to stop the war, there will be another path: to defend ourselves," he said on January 3.

Trump in November 2025 pressed Zelenskyy to accept a 28-point peace proposal that many saw as heavily favoring Russia.

Ukraine and its European allies -- led by Britain, France, and Germany -- scrambled to develop a counterproposal, eventually putting forward a 20-point plan that took in more of Kyiv's interests, especially on security guarantees and territorial integrity.

In his meetings with the Europeans, Zelenskyy is likely to press the need for security guarantees -- from Europe but also in conjunction with desired solid assurances from the United States as well.

Macron has spoken of the so-called Coalition of the Willing -- an informal grouping of more than 20 Western countries that have expressed support for Ukraine -- and suggested specific proposals could be presented at the Paris gathering.

Trump Rejects Kremlin Claim

Zelenskyy has expressed skepticism over Russian President Vladimir Putin's real interest in coming to peace terms.

On December 29, Russia claimed Ukraine had targeted one of Putin's residences and said Moscow would retaliate and review its stance in the negotiations.

Kyiv vehemently denied it targeted Putin or any of his residences, accusing the Kremlin of using it as a pretext to attack civilian areas.

Trump initially indicated he might have accepted the Russian claims. But after the CIA concluded the attack never happened, he appeared to side with Kyiv and reiterated that stance on January 4.

"I don't believe that strike happened," Trump told reporters. "There is something that happened fairly nearby but had nothing to do with this."

On January 4, Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 2,000 air strikes on Ukraine during the past week and repeated his call for additional help from the West.

"Stability and predictability of aid to Ukraine are what can really move Moscow toward diplomacy. We are counting on further defense aid," Zelensky wrote on social media.

He added that over the period, Russia launched more than 1,070 glide bombs, almost 1,000 drones, and six missiles against Ukraine.

"Each missile for air defense systems that is now somewhere in storage with partners can really protect lives," he said.

Along with nightly Russian drone and missile strikes, Ukraine is battling to hold ground against the Russian invaders in the east of the country.

On January 4, Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had gained control over the town of Podoly in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region.

The ministry also said Russian air defense units had destroyed 57 drones over the Moscow region on January 4 alone -- out of 437 shot down over the country during the day.

The claims could not independently be verified.

Ukrainian authorities, meanwhile, said the death toll from a Russian strike on a residential area in Kharkiv on January 2 had risen to six, including a 3-year-old boy, with at least 30 others injured.

With reporting by Reuters and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-zelenskyy- peace-paris-russia-macron/33639842.html

Copyright (c) 2026. 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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Vancouver, January 5, 2026 - Bayhorse Silver Inc., (TSXV: BHS) (OTCQB: BHSIF) (FSE: 7KXN) (the "Company" or "Bayhorse") announces a warrant exercise incentive program (the "Incentive Program") relating to 20 million outstanding common share purchase warrants (the "Eligible Warrants"). The Eligible Warrants were issued in connection with a private placement that closed on February 1, 2021, and are exercisable to acquire one common share of the Company (a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.15 per share until February 1, 2026.

The Incentive Program is subject to certain conditions, including the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV").

The Incentive Program is designed to encourage the early exercise of the Eligible Warrants during the period from January 6, 2026, until 4:00 p.m. (PDT) on January 30, 2026 (the "Incentive Period").

Under the terms of the Incentive Program, each holder who exercises an Eligible Warrant during the Incentive Period will receive, for each Eligible Warrant exercised, one additional common share purchase warrant (an "Incentive Warrant"). Each Incentive Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.16 per share for a period of 12 months from the date of issuance.

In the event that the closing price of the Company's common shares on the TSXV equals or exceeds $0.22 for ten (10) consecutive trading days (an "Acceleration Event"), the Company will be entitled to accelerate the expiry of the Incentive Warrants. If the Company elects to do so, it will issue a press release announcing the Acceleration Event, and the Incentive Warrants will thereafter expire 30 calendar days from the date of such notice.

All Incentive Warrants will be issued to participating holders promptly following the expiry of the Incentive Period.

The Incentive Warrants, and any common shares issued upon exercise thereof, will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance of the Incentive Warrants, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

Eligible Warrants that remain unexercised after the Incentive Period will continue to be exercisable on their original terms until February 1, 2026. However, no Incentive Warrants will be issued in respect of any Eligible Warrants exercised after January 30, 2026.

This News Release has been prepared on behalf of the Bayhorse Silver Inc. Board of Directors, which accepts full responsibility for its content.

About Bayhorse Silver Inc.

Bayhorse Silver Inc. is an exploration and production company with a 100% interest in the historic Bayhorse Silver Mine located in Oregon, USA with a National Instrument 43-101 inferred resource of 292,300 tons at a grade of 21.65 opt (673 g/t) for 6.3 million ounces of silver. (Turner et al. 2018) and the Pegasus Project, in Washington County, Idaho. The Bayhorse Silver Mine and the Pegasus Project are 44 km southwest of Hercules Metals' porphyry copper discovery. The Bayhorse Mine is a minimum environmental impact facility capable of processing at a mining rate up 200 tons/day that includes a state of the art 40 ton per hour Steinert Ore-Sorter that reduces waste rock entering the processing stream by up to 85%. The Company has established an up to 60 ton/day mill and standard flotation processing facility in nearby Payette County, Idaho, USA with an offtake agreement in place with Ocean Partners UK Limited. The Company has an experienced management and technical team with extensive mining expertise in both exploration and building mines.

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/279442
VANCOUVER, JANUARY 5, 2026 - Germanium Mining Corp. ("GERMANIUM MINING", "GMC", OR THE "COMPANY") (CSE: GMC; OTCQB: EMSKF; FSE: 1I30) is pleased to announce that a team led by veteran geologist William "Bill" Feyerabend, CPG and Amazona Enterprises ("Amazona") has been deployed to commence field exploration and reconnaissance program at the Company's Azure Ridge Historical Mine ("Azure Ridge"), a multi-metal germanium-gallium-gold-silver-zinc project in Nevada, USA.

The work program is designed to support the Company's geological advancement of the property's critical mineral potential, with a particular focus on germanium and gallium guided by the historical sampling carried out by the US Bureau of Mines ("USBM") and US Geological Survey ("USGS")1. The program includes detailed site reconnaissance, geological observations, and selective rock sampling intended to improve the Company's understanding of mineralization styles and priority target areas.

Figure 1. Azure Mine, lower Adit (view S)2 Figure 2. A piece of copper-stained rock outside the Adit

Mario Pezzente, chief executive officer, commented: "The deployment of our technical team to Azure Ridge marks the start to our ambitions for 2026 following the recent acquisition. This maiden exploration effort is the critical first step toward the preparation of an NI 43-101 technical report and unlocking the broader potential of the Azure Ridge Historical Mine, located in Nevada, one of the world's most highly regarded mining jurisdictions according to the Fraser Institute."

The reconnaissance program is expected to consist of a short-duration field examination utilizing a small field team and appropriate equipment. The planned work is structured to address key geological questions related to host rock characteristics, structural controls, and mineralizing processes, including those relevant to germanium-gallium-bearing systems, and to assist the Company in refining its exploration strategy for this critical minerals-focused project.

The Company further plans to continue working with Amazona on the preparation of a planned NI 43-101 Technical Report and technical overview of the Azure Ridge Historical Mine. This work is expected to include a review of available historical information, regional and property-scale geological context, and the results of planned field activities, with an emphasis on evaluating the property's potential relevance within the North American critical minerals supply chain, including germanium and gallium.

Additionally, the Company is evaluating future multi-agency submissions to relevant U.S. federal and State authorities in connection with potential support programs focused on critical minerals development. These initiatives may include studies related to historical mine infrastructure, site conditions, and the potential refurbishment of the Azure Ridge Historical Mine, subject to further technical evaluation, regulatory review, and funding considerations.

About the Historical Azure Ridge Mine

The Azure Ridge Historical Mine, formerly known as the Bonelli Mine, last reported production in 1918. Early development on the property includes five adits totaling approximately 377 feet in length, one shallow shaft approximately 11 feet deep, two open cuts, and ten surface pits. Since its brief period of historical production, the property has remained largely inactive.

The USBM, Western Field Operations Center, previously reported that the Azure Ridge deposit consists of fault-controlled, carbonate-hosted copper-zinc-lead-cobalt-germanium-gallium mineralization, interpreted as Kipushi-type (carbonate replacement) style mineralization. As part of a 1994 study conducted by the USGS and the USBM, a sampling program comprising 43 samples was completed at Azure Ridge. The results identified anomalous values of germanium, gallium, copper, lead, zinc, and cobalt.

According to the study, mineralized rock was observed sporadically over an area approximately 5,000 feet in length, with mineralized structures reaching thicknesses of up to approximately 9 feet in outcrop.3

Data Verification

Historical information referenced in this release has been reviewed against available reports; however, such data cannot be independently verified to current NI 43-101 standards and are therefore considered supportive for exploration guidance only. The Company cautions that past results or production from properties in proximity to The Company may not necessarily be indicative of mineralization on the Company's properties.

Qualified Person

Mr. William Feyerabend, CPG, an independent Consulting Geologist and a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the disclosure in this news release for consistency with NI 43-101 reporting requirements.

About Germanium Mining Corp.

Germanium Mining Corp. is a publicly traded mineral exploration company focused on the exploration and advancement of discovery-stage mineral properties in top tier mining jurisdictions across North America. Germanium Mining Corp is a member of the Nevada Mining Association.

Make sure to follow the Company on X.com & Linkedin as well as subscribe for Company updates at www.germaniummining.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Mario Pezzente

___

CEO & Director

For more information on Germanium Mining Corp. please contact:

Phone: 604-717-6605

Corporate e-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.germaniummining.com

Corporate Address: 2905 - 700 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, V7Y 1C6

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains 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. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the intended use of proceeds of the Offering and other matters regarding the business plans of the Company. The forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements including that the Company may use the proceeds of the Offering for purposes other than those disclosed in this news release; adverse market conditions; and other factors beyond the control of the Company. 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 their inherent uncertainty. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include general market conditions and other factors beyond the control of the Company. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents or accuracy of this press release.

1 https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1730e/report.pdf

2 https://www.birdandhike.com/Hike/GoldButte/AzureMine/_AzureMine.htm

3 https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1730e/report.pdf

Copyright (c) 2026 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Highlights:

14 years to date at Foran Mining Corp., where Mr. March is currently serving as Principal Geoscientist, following 10 years as Vice President, advancing the McIlvenna Bay Project through significant resource growth and Prefeasibility and Feasibility Studies leading to a positive construction decision for mine development (underway)

A member of the exploration team at Foran that has been recognized with the 2025 AME Colin Spence Award for excellence in global mineral exploration for the Tesla discovery

Progressive career advancement through multiple senior technical and leadership roles focused on exploration in different geological terranes for multiple deposit types

Extensive experience advancing iron formation-hosted deposits, including significant resource growth and Prefeasibility and Feasibility studies for the Meadowbank Gold Project, acquired and subsequently developed by Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.

Strong geological relevance between Meadowbank-style iron formation systems and Arya's Twin Zone

Over 30 years of mineral exploration and project development experience

Vancouver, January 5, 2026 - Arya Resources Ltd. (TSXV: RBZ) (the "Company" or "Arya") is pleased to announce the appointment of Roger March, P.Geo. to its Board of Directors, subject to customary approvals, including approval of the Board of Directors, legal counsel, and applicable TSX Venture Exchange policies and requirements.

Mr. March is a highly accomplished professional geoscientist with more than 30 years of experience in mineral exploration, resource evaluation, feasibility studies and project development. He is currently employed by Foran Mining Corporation (TSX:FOM), where he has spent 14 years to date in progressively senior technical and leadership roles within a public company environment.

Mr. March joined Foran Mining in 2011 as Manager, Advanced Projects, where he was responsible for the advancement of the McIlvenna Bay Deposit, including geological interpretations, exploration planning, budget management, program execution, technical team oversight and permitting. He was later promoted to Vice President Project Exploration and subsequently Vice President Exploration, continuing to focus on resource growth and the advancement of McIlvenna Bay through continued drilling and the integration of geotechnical, metallurgical and engineering studies to support the completion of positive Prefeasibility and Feasibility Studies for the Deposit, leading to a formal construction decision in 2024 (underway).

Mr. March is currently serving as Principal Geoscientist at Foran Mining Corporation, where he continues to provide senior technical leadership and acts as a Qualified Person for technical disclosure and regulatory reporting.

Prior to joining Foran Mining, Mr. March spent 11 years with Cumberland Resources Ltd. as a Senior Project Geologist, where he played a key role in advancing the Meadowbank Gold Project in Nunavut through significant resource growth from 0.8 million to over 4 million ounces of gold during his tenure and the completion of Prefeasibility and Feasibility level studies for the project. Gold mineralization at Meadowbank is hosted in iron formation-dominated geological settings, a style of mineralization that is technically comparable to iron formation-hosted systems such as Arya's Twin Zone, making his experience directly relevant to the Company's exploration strategy.

Cumberland Resources Ltd. was subsequently acquired by Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, with Meadowbank developed into a long-life, cornerstone gold asset, highlighting the quality of the geology and technical work completed during Mr. March's tenure.

Rasool Mohammad, Chief Executive Officer of Arya Resources Ltd., commented:

"Roger's ongoing 14-year tenure at Foran Mining, including his progression through senior technical and executive exploration roles and his current position as Principal Geoscientist, combined with his direct experience advancing iron formation-hosted deposits at Meadowbank, brings exceptional technical depth to our Board. His experience through feasibility and into an eventual Agnico Eagle acquisition aligns strongly with Arya's exploration and growth objectives."

The company would like to announce granting of 155,000 stock options to certain directors and officers of the company. The stock options will be granted pursuant to the Company's stock option plan with an exercise price equal to the closing market price of the Company's common shares on the date of grant subject to applicable regulatory approvals and TSX Venture Exchange acceptance.

About Arya Resources Ltd. (TSXV: RBZ)

Arya Resources Ltd. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious and critical-metal projects in Saskatchewan. The Company is advancing its flagship Wedge Lake Gold Project and its Dunlop Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project, both located in mining-friendly jurisdictions with excellent infrastructure.

As a Tier 2 issuer on the TSX Venture Exchange, Arya is committed to building shareholder value through discovery-driven exploration, disciplined execution, and responsible development. For more information, please visit us at www.aryaresourcesltd.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors:

Rasool Mohammad, CEO

Twitter: @ARYARESOURCES

Facebook: @AryaResourcesLtd.

LinkedIn: @AryaResourcesLtd.

YouTube: @ARYARESOURCES

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes "forward-looking statements" that are subject to assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Statements in this news release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, any statements concerning the Company's intentions, plans, estimates, expectations or beliefs. 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, including, without limitation to those relating to the Company's future operations and business prospects, 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. Readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279448
Transaction expands Nord's silver tailings historic resource by 2.9 million ounces

Vancouver, January 5, 2026 - Nord Precious Metals Inc. ("Nord" or the "Company") (TSXV: NTH, OTCQB: CCWOF, FF: QN3) announces that it has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement dated January 5, 2026 (the "Definitive Agreement") with Battery Mineral Resources Corp. ("BMR") to acquire four mining leases in the Gowganda Silver Camp of Ontario (the "Gowganda Property") adjacent and contiguous to Nord's existing Mining Leases. The Proposed Transaction consolidates Nord's position in one of Canada's most prolific historical silver-cobalt districts at a moment when silver prices have reached record levels, Ontario has enacted it's One Project, One Process permitting framework, and the province has launched a $500 million Critical Minerals Processing Fund to expand domestic processing capacity.

Frank J. Basa, P.Eng., President and CEO, stated:

"The Gowganda camp is an area of significant historical silver production and has documented tailings containing nearly three million ounces of silver*. Previous operators processed this material once with technology we've long since surpassed."

Mr. Basa continued:

"The province has created the conditions for a different model. Ontario Minister of Energy and Mines, Stephen Lecce, talks about ending 'ripping and shipping'; we have the facility to do exactly that. Castle, Beaver, and now Gowganda: three feed sources for an integrated operation producing refined metal in Ontario. This acquisition ensures we have the feed to meet that moment."

*For the reference to the silver in tailings, please see the Technical Report on the Gowganda Silver Project Including a Resource Estimate of the Surface Tailings Deposit Gowganda, Ontario, Canada with an effective date of July 8, 2011, prepared by Joe Campbell, P.Geo., Alan Sexton, P.Geo., M.Sc. and Allan Armitage, Ph.D., P.Geo. of GeoVector Management Inc. The report states, on page 30, that a review of the modeled blocks at various cut-off grades indicates a contiguous ore body at the 10.0 g/t silver cut-off grade. The resource estimate for the tailings piles at a silver cut-off grade of 10.0 g/t is ~1,940,000 tonnes grading 47.5 g/t silver for ~2,960,000 contained ounces of silver in an Indicated category (refer to Table 4, page 31). The report also states, on page 30, that the tailings Mineral Resource estimate is classified in accordance with the CIM Definition Standards (2005). As a result of the extensive drilling that has been completed on the tailings, it is considered that there is sufficient drill density and confidence in the distribution of Ag within the tailings deposit to classify the entire deposit as Indicated.

Resources notes:

Historical Mineral Resource estimate for the Gowganda project - resource grades were total in situ assay results

assay values used in the resource estimate were verified against assays on drill logs contained in historic drill reports and assay certificates

a site visit was carried out by Alan Sexton, P.Geo. and Vice President of GeoVector to verify drill collar locations, tailings extent, and mine infrastructure

digital data files of hole collar locations and down-hole surveys were checked and verified

the mineral resource was estimated using 1.5-metre sample composites (2,504 composites) of assay values (2,039 assays) from 764 auger and sonic drillholes totalling 3,012 metres

for the resource, metallurgical recoveries were assumed to be 100%

a block model, with the origin at 518550E, and 5280050N, 430 metres elevation, and oriented at 300, was constructed using 4m x 4m x 1m blocks in the X, Y, Z directions respectively. Grades for silver were interpolated into the blocks by the inverse distance squared method using between four and twenty composites in a minimum of 2 drillholes to generate block grades. Based on a statistical analysis of the composite database from each resource model, it was decided that no capping was required on the composite populations to limit high vales.

The size of the search ellipse was set at 42 x 42 x 3 metres in the X, Y, Z directions respectively for the indicated resource. The principal azimuth is oriented at 155 (trend of the tailings pile) , the principal dip is oriented at 0 and the intermediate azimuth is oriented at 65

Specific gravity (SG) testing was previously carried out on 11 representative samples of tailings and the calculated average SG value of 2.12 was applied to all blocks within the updated block model.

The above indicated resource estimate is considered historical in nature and is not being treated as a current resource by the Company. A Qualified Person has not completed sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources. The relevance of the 2011 historical resource is based on the historical work program and estimation having confirmed that the silver mineralization contained in the tailings could be potentially recoverable. There have not been any further resource estimates since 2011. At a minimum, a review of all data and additional drill holes to confirm original assays as well as reviewing assumptions in the context of current metal prices would be required to begin a current resource estimate.

Transaction Summary

Under the Purchase Agreement, Nord has agreed to buy the Company's four mining leases (LEA-109391 - LEA109394) comprising the Gowganda silver tailings project on an "as-is where-is" basis for the following consideration:

$1,000,000 cash on the closing date;

$1,250,000 in Nord shares on the closing date at a deemed price equal to $0.284 per share;

a 3.0% net smelter returns royalty on the Gowganda silver tailings project; and

deferred consideration of $1,250,000 on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the closing date of the Transaction (the "Deferred Consideration") for aggregate Deferred Consideration of $3,750,000.

At the election of Nord, up to 50% of each Deferred Consideration may be satisfied in Nord common shares at a deemed price per share equal to the greater of: (i) the 25-day volume-weighted average trading price per Nord common share on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") ending on the last trading day preceding the applicable payment date, and (ii) the minimum price permitted by the TSXV. The Nord common shares to be received by the Company will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance.

The transaction is an arms-length transaction for the Company, and no finder fees are payable in connection with the Transaction. The closing of the Transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, such as conditional approval of the TSXV.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release was approved and prepared under the supervision of Mr. Frank J. Basa, P.Eng. (PEO), director of Nord Precious Metals, a qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101.

About Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc.

Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. operates TTL Laboratories, the only permitted high-grade milling facility in the historic Cobalt Camp of Ontario, where the Company has established an integrated position connecting high-grade silver discovery with strategic metals recovery operations.

The Company's flagship Castle property encompasses 63 sq. km of exploration ground and the past-producing Castle Mine, complemented by the Castle East discovery where drilling has delineated 7.56 million ounces of silver in Inferred resources grading an average of 8,582 g/t Ag (250.2 oz/ton) in 27,400 tonnes of material from two sections (1A and 1B) of the Castle East Robinson Zone, beginning at a vertical depth of approximately 400 metres. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Please refer to the Nord Precious Metals Press Release of May 27, 2020, for the resource estimate. The above resource is now considered an historical resource. Insufficient work has been done to categorize the above historical estimate as current. Significant additional diamond drilling and analytical work along with modelling is required before a new resource estimate can be compiled.

Nord's integrated processing strategy enables multiple metal recovery streams. High-grade silver recovery supports the economics of extracting critical minerals including cobalt, nickel, and other battery metals. The Re-2Ox hydrometallurgical process, validated at pilot scale through SGS Lakefield, eliminates the typical arsenic barriers in complex silver-cobalt ores while producing battery-grade cobalt sulphate and other metal products to customer specifications. This multi-metal approach, combined with established infrastructure including TTL Laboratories and underground mine access, positions Nord within Ontario's emerging critical minerals supply chain.

The Company maintains a strategic portfolio of battery metals properties in Northern Quebec through its 35% ownership in Coniagas Battery Metals Inc. (TSXV: COS), as well as the St. Denis-Sangster lithium project comprising 32 square kilometres of prospective ground near Cochrane, Ontario.

More information is available at www.nordpreciousmetals.com.

For further information please contact:

Frank J. Basa, P.Eng.

Chief Executive Officer

416-625-2342

or

Wayne Cheveldayoff

Corporate Communications

P: 416-710-2410

E: [email protected]

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such 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.

Forward-looking statements in this document include statements regarding: the expectation that the Company will receive Exchange approval for the Proposed Transaction; the potential for silver recovery from tailings; the Company's processing capabilities and integrated strategy; and the anticipated benefits of Ontario's regulatory and funding frameworks.

Although the Company believes the forward-looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based on information available on the date hereof, by their nature forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Examples of such assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, assumptions, risks and uncertainties associated with: general economic conditions; adverse industry events; future legislative and regulatory developments; the Company's ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; competition; the ability of the Company to obtain and retain all applicable regulatory and other approvals; commodity price fluctuations; and other assumptions, risks and uncertainties.

THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS NEWS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE 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.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

Copyright (c) 2026 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) will host an Investor Day in New York City on Monday, January 26, 2026. Presentations will be made by the Company's senior management, and topics will include strategy, finance, operations, exploration, sustainability and innovation.

There will be a live webcast of the presentation beginning at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time on January 26, 2026. The URL link for the webcast is https://hecla-mining-company-2026-investor-day-webcast.open-exchange.net/. If you are unable to attend the live video webcast, an on-demand replay will be available within 24 hours of the presentation ending at the same link as the live webcast. The presentation will also be archived on our website http://www.hecla.com.

In celebration of the Company's 135th anniversary year, Hecla will ring the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Closing Bell on Monday, January 26, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A video of Hecla's Closing Bell ceremony will be available at www.nyse.com/bell on Monday, January 26. Founded in 1891, Hecla Mining Company is the oldest U.S.-based mining company listed on the NYSE.

"Achieving 135 years of mining operations is a reflection of Hecla's persistence in improving operational performance and our ability to work through challenging times. The transformational year of 2025 exemplified this resilience, positioning us as the premier silver company, while delivering disciplined capital allocation and meaningful debt reduction. We now have the brightest outlook in our history and are positioned to surface value for shareholders while remaining steadfastly committed to our silver-focused strategy. I thank the entire Hecla team, both past and present, and all our stakeholders who have helped us reach this milestone and build the foundation for accelerated value creation ahead," said Rob Krcmarov, President and CEO.

ABOUT HECLA

Founded in 1891, Hecla Mining Company (NYSE: HL) is the largest silver producer in the United States and Canada. In addition to operating mines in Alaska, Idaho, and Quebec, Canada, the Company is developing a mine in the Yukon, Canada, and owns a number of exploration and pre-development projects in world-class silver and gold mining districts throughout North America.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260105134526/en/

Contact

For further information, please contact:

Mike Parkin

Vice President - Strategy and Investor Relations

Cheryl Turner

Investor Relations Coordinator

Investor Relations

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.hecla.com
Vancouver, January 5, 2026 - Electrum Discovery Corp. ("Electrum" or the "Company") (TSX-V:ELY |FRA:R8N |OTC:ELDCF) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an arrangement agreement dated January 5, 2026 (the "Arrangement Agreement") with ASX listed MinRex Resources Limited (ASX: MRR) ("MinRex") pursuant to which Electrum and MinRex will combine in a share exchange transaction (the "Transaction") by way of a plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement").

MinRex will be the surviving entity (the "Resulting Issuer" and/or "Combined Company") with an ASX listing, pro-forma cash in excess of ~A$8 million and no debt.

Highlights: Merger of equals - whereby Electrum securityholders will obtain 49.3% of the shares of the Combined Company while the remaining 50.7% of the shares will be retained by current MinRex shareholders.

Electrum shareholders to receive approximately 7.9 MinRex shares for each Electrum common share held.

Strong balance sheet - the Combined Company is expected to be capitalised with a pro forma cash balance more than A$8m (post-transaction costs), and no debt.

ASX listing is expected to offerimproved valuation environment and to unlock access to a large, specialist mining capital base within Australian Asia - Pacific regions.

Board and management teams will combine to form a strengthened leadership team, including the appointment of Dr. Elena Clarici and Michael Thomsen to the board of directors of the Combined Company.

Combined Company creates a well-capitalised gold-copper explorer, with a strong portfolio of advanced gold projects, including: Electrum's Novo Tlamino Gold Project in Serbia hosting near surface Inferred Mineral Resources of 670K oz AuEq (7,100,000 tonnes @ 2.9g/t AuEq), and the subject of a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) completed in 20211 MinRex's Sofala Gold Project in New South Wales, Australia2.

Focused near-term strategy to unlock value at the Novo Tlamino Gold Project includes both resource growth drilling and discovery focused exploration around the existing Barje Deposit, leveraging significant existing gold resources, detailed targeting work and historic economic studies.

Support from insiders and largest shareholders of Electrum who collectively hold approximately 28% of Electrum's issued and outstanding common shares.

Commenting on the Transaction, Dr. Elena Clarici, Electrum's Chief Executive Officer said:

"This is a transformational transaction for Electrum Discovery. It provides an Australian public listing, strengthens our leadership team and significantly improves our balance sheet. I strongly believe that this transaction provides our shareholders with a significant re-rating opportunity through a larger, more diversified and well-financed company. We look forward to working with MinRex and their team to unlock the value potential of our advanced Serbian portfolio together with the merged group's compelling portfolio of gold, copper and base metal projects across Serbia and Australia."

MinRex Director, James Pearse, said:

"This merger of equals represents a pivotal moment for both companies. By combining Electrum's highly prospective and advanced Serbian gold-copper assets with MinRex's established NSW project portfolio, we are creating a stronger, well-funded exploration company with enhanced scale, diversification and technical depth. The Combined Company is positioned to deliver meaningful discovery and resource growth-focused exploration activity across two recognized mining jurisdictions, with activities to commence immediately post completion of the Transaction."

Strategic Rationale & Highlights

The combination of Electrum and MinRex creates an ASX-listed, gold-copper explorer with two advanced gold projects and an additional early-stage copper exploration project, in two established mining jurisdictions: Serbia and Australia.

Highlights of the Combined Company include:

A high-grade NI43-101 compliant inferred gold resource of 670K oz @ 2.9g/t AuEq (7.1 Mt at 2.5 g/t Au and 38 g/t Ag containing 570,000 oz Au and 8.8 Moz of Ag) at Electrum's advanced Novo Tlamino Gold Project

A PEA on the Novo Tlamino Gold Project completed in 2021.

Significant near-term opportunity to unlock value at the Novo Tlamino Gold Project with access to MinRex's treasury to drive resource growth drilling and discovery focused exploration around the existing Barje Deposit and testing of other identified regional gold targets.

Benefit of exposure to gold resources at the Sofala Gold Project in the Lachlan Fold Belt (NSW, Australia), consisting of two gold exploration projects: the Spring Gully deposit (inferred mineral resource of 9.48Mt at 1.06 g/t Au and containing 323,913 oz Gold); and the Surface Hill prospect (inferred mineral resource of 808,012t at 1.09 g/t Au and containing 28,300 oz Gold) 2.



The foregoing Inferred Mineral Resource estimates at the Sofala Gold Project are considered historical estimates under National Instrument 43-101 and were prepared in 2021 by Odessa Resources Pty Ltd. (Perth) using Leapfrog Edge software to produce wireframes of the various mineralised lode systems and block grade estimation using an ordinary kriging interpolation2.

Added exposure to Electrum's Timok East Copper-Gold Project in the prolific copper-gold Western Tethyan Belt (Serbia) and adjacent to Zijin Bor Copper Complex, with activities to focus on discovery of a large copper-gold systems as extensions of neighbouring copper-gold deposits.

Strong pro forma cash position of ~A$8 million provides significant working capital for value creation.

Enhanced scale, exploration portfolio, financial position and capital markets profile of the merged group paves the way for significant combined value re-rating.

Coupling of significant technical, financial and corporate experience of MinRex and Electrum teams, with Electrum's Dr. Elena Clarici and Michael Thomsen to join the board of directors of MinRex.

Exploration Strategy

Following completion of the Transaction, the Combined Company will prioritise completion of infill drilling at the Barje Deposit to support an updated Mineral Resource Estimate with a greater classification of Indicated Resources, which is intended to facilitate an updated PEA or pre-feasibility study at the Novo Tlamino Gold Project.

Planning of an infill drilling program of approximately 3,200m is ongoing. An additional approximately 1,000m of step-out drilling is also planned to test potential extensions of the Barje Deposit mineralisation to the East and West target areas.

A Phase 2 drilling program of approximately 3,000m is then planned to test the southern Barje Deposit target area between Barje and Liska testing for similar size (>0.5Moz) offset deposits. Review of recent ground magnetics over Barje and Liska, together with further field work, will be completed to refine the Phase 2 program.

Additionally, the Novo Tlamino Gold Project hosts highly prospective regional gold targets which remain largely untested to date, including the Karamanica Target, which is approximately 5km west of the Barje deposit and hosts a robust 3km x 3km Au-Ag-Cu soil anomaly defined over a topographic high, which has seen historic rock chip assays returning up to 11.10 g/t Au, 745 g/t Ag, 5.74% Cu, 5.18% Zn, and 21% Pb (See Company's press releases dated June 23, 2025 and July 21, 2025). Karamanica presents another strong opportunity for further discoveries at the Novo Tlamino Gold Project. Further ground magnetics and geological mapping are planned, focused on the existing 3km x 3km soil anomaly, to delineate priority targets for drill testing.

Transaction Summary

Pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement, MinRex will acquire 100% of the Electrum Shares by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia).

Under the terms of Transaction, holders of Electrum Securities ("Electrum Securityholders") will own approximately 49.3% of the Resulting Issuer's ordinary shares (the "Resulting Issuer Shares") while holders of MinRex Shares will hold approximately 50.7% of the Resulting Issuer Shares.

Holders of Electrum Shares will receive 7.900364 MinRex Shares in exchange for each Electrum Share held. An aggregate of 966,666,334 MinRex Shares will be issued to holders of Electrum Shares in exchange for their respective Electrum Shares.

All outstanding Electrum Convertible Securities will be cancelled, and holders thereof will receive such number of fully paid MinRex Shares representing the fair value of such securities, determined using a Black & Scholes valuation. An aggregate of 87,009,759 MinRex Shares will be issued to holders of Electrum Convertible Securities on a pro rata basis upon cancellation of their respective Electrum Convertible Securities. Given all of the above, the proposed transaction's share structure of the Resulting Issuer will be:

Resulting Issuer MinRex Resources MRR 1,084,867,503 50.73% Electrum Discovery * ELY 1,053,576,093 49.27% Total 2,138,443,596 100.00% * Comprising MinRex shares issued to Electrum shareholders together with MinREx shares issued to Electrum warrant, option and DSU holders

Insiders and certain significant Electrum Securityholders, who collectively hold 27.96% of the issued and outstanding Electrum Securities, have entered into voting support agreements with MinRex pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their Electrum Securities in favour of the transaction at the Electrum securityholder meeting to be called to approve the Transaction (the "Electrum Special Meeting").

The Arrangement will require the approval of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, and Electrum Securityholder approval at the Electrum Special Meeting, of (i) 66?% of the votes cast by holders of Electrum Shares on the special resolution to approve the Arrangement (the "Arrangement Resolution"); (ii) 66?% of the votes cast by holders of Electrum Securities on the Arrangement Resolution, voting together as a single class; and (iii) if, and to the extent required, a simple majority of the votes cast on the Arrangement Resolution by Electrum Shareholders, excluding Electrum Shares held or controlled by persons described in items (a) through (d) of Section 8.1(2) of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions.

On completion of the Transaction, the board and management teams of MinRex and Electrum will combine to form a strengthened leadership team, including the appointment of Dr. Elena Clarici, Electrum's President and CEO, and Michael Thomsen, a non-executive director of Electrum, to the board of directors of MinRex as executive and non-executive directors respectively.

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 Electrum's and MinRex's respective businesses. The Arrangement Agreement also provides for customary deal-protection measures, including a mutual termination fee payable by either party of C$250,000 in customary circumstances applicable to each party.

This Transaction is being conducted on an arm's-length basis between Electrum and MinRex. A total of C$171,300 of finders' fees are payable by Electrum in relation to the Transaction. In addition to Electrum Securityholder and court approvals, closing of the Transaction is subject to applicable regulatory approvals, including, but not limited to, ASX and TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") approvals and the satisfaction of certain other closing conditions. Approval of the Transaction by shareholders of MinRex is not required.

Subject to the satisfaction of these conditions, Electrum expects that the Transaction will be completed in March of 2026. Details regarding these and other terms of the Transaction are set out in the Arrangement Agreement, which will be available, after it is filed, on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca under Electrum's profile.

Upon completion of the Arrangement, Electrum Shares are expected to be delisted from the TSX-V, Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the OTCQB Venture Market.

Recommendations By the Board of Directors

Electrum's board of directors ("Electrum's Board"), in consultation with Electrum's financial and legal advisors, unanimously recommends that Electrum's Securityholders vote in favour of the Transaction.

RwE Growth Partners Inc. has provided a fairness opinion to the Electrum's Board, stating that, as of the date of such opinion, and based upon and subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications stated in such opinion, that the consideration to be received by Electrum Shareholders pursuant to the Transaction is fair, from a financial point of view to Electrum Shareholders.

The Transaction is targeted to close in March of 2026 (subject to satisfaction of all conditions under the Arrangement Agreement).

Counsel

Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP is acting as Canadian legal counsel to Electrum. Thomson Geer is acting as Australian legal counsel to Electrum.

Steinepreis Paganin is acting as Australian legal counsel to MinRex. Farris LLP is acting as Canadian legal counsel to MinRex.

Full details of the Transaction will be included in the Electrum management information circular prepared in respect of the Electrum Special Meeting which will be available, after it is filed, on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca under Electrum's profile.

Conference Call / Presentation

Electrum will host an investor call on Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 8am PST - 11am EST (4pm GMT / 5pm CET).

To participate please use the following link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dw8JjWhQT_WxsF-EyGiENQ

A replay will be available 24 hours following the event and can be accessed via the same link above.

For more information contact:

Dr Elena Clarici, Chief Executive Officer and Director

T: +1 604 801 5432 | E: [email protected] | W: electrumdiscovery.com

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical contents of this news release have been reviewed and approved by Mr. Thomas Sant BSc, FGS, CGeol, EurGeol. Mr. Sant is a non-independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, and a retained technical advisor to Electrum Discovery.

Mr. Sant has not completed sufficient work to classify the historical estimates referenced herein in respect of MinRex's Sofala Gold Project as current mineral resources under NI 43-101. As such, the Company is not treating such historical estimates as current mineral resources.

About Electrum Discovery Corp.

Electrum Discovery Corp. is a Canadian based, growth-oriented company, committed to increasing shareholder value through advancement of its two projects: gold-silver Novo Tlamino and copper-gold Timok East, located in two known mineralized districts within the prolific Western Tethyan Belt in the Republic of Serbia.

Electrum Discovery is looking to maximize the value of our mineral projects for all stakeholders including our shareholders, the local community and government, while fostering sustainability, governance, and knowledge transfer in the region.

Additional information on Electrum can be found by reviewing the Company's page on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information. Such statements include but are not limited to: the expected timetable for the Transaction; the outcome and anticipated effects of the Transaction; the anticipated benefits of the Transaction to Electrum Shareholders; the prospects and outcomes of Electrum's projects; the ability of Electrum and MinRex to complete the Transaction on the terms described herein or at all; the plans and strategies of Electrum and MinRex; the future performance of the Resulting Issuer; and the ability to obtain the requisite regulatory, stock exchange, court and shareholder approvals for the Transaction. Often, but not always, this forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate", "estimates", "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "upgraded", "offset", "limited", "contained", "reflecting", "containing", "remaining", "to be", "periodically", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Electrum, to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, risks related to Electrum being able to obtain or satisfy, in a timely manner or otherwise, required regulatory approval, shareholder and court approvals and other conditions to the closing of the Transaction; risk that the Transaction will not be completed on the terms and conditions, or on the timing, currently contemplated, and that either may not be completed at all, due to a failure to obtain or satisfy, in a timely manner or otherwise, required regulatory approval, shareholder and court approvals and other conditions to the closing of the Transaction or for other reasons; the failure to realize the expected benefits of the Transaction; the inability of the Company to conduct its planned exploration program for any reason; the inability of the Company to raise financing for its projects for any reason; risks related to the failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; risks associated with the results of exploration and development activities, and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; unanticipated costs and expenses; and such other risks detailed from time to time in Electrum's quarterly and annual filings with securities regulators and available under Electrum's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Rock chip and surface results are early stage and there is no assurance that future exploration will find mineralization of further interest. Although Electrum 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 to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended.

Forward-looking information contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management. Forward-looking information has been made as of the date hereof and Electrum disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

1 Preliminary Economic Assessment and NI43-101 Technical Report for the Medgold Tlamino Project, January 7, 2021, www.sedarplus.ca. The effective date of the resource estimate is January 7, 2021. Authors of the Reports are: Mr. Richard Siddle, MAIG, of Addison Mining Services Ltd for Mineral Resources; Dr. Matthew Randall, FIMMM, of Axe Valley Mining Consultants Ltd for Mining; Mr. Ian Jackson, FIMMM, of Bara Consulting for Mineral Processing, and Dr. Andrew Bamber, MCIM, of Bara Consulting Ltd for Economic Analysis.

The PEA is preliminary in nature, and it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be characterized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realised. A gold price of US$1500/oz and a silver price of US$16.5/oz were used for estimations of metal equivalents. Metal equivalent factors were calculated separately for the three main material types of the mineral resource as shown below:



Click Image To View Full Size

A gold equivalent (AuEq) grade was calculated using the formula AuEq = ((Ag g/t) x 0.011)) + (Au g/t) for the High Grade Breccia and Partially Oxidized materials, and AuEq = ((Ag g/t) x 0.012)) + (Au g/t) for the Low Grade Schist.

2 The Sofala Gold Resource estimates referenced herein (the "Sofala Historical Estimates") are considered historical estimates for the Company as they were prepared for MinRex prior to the Company having entered into the Arrangement Agreement. The Sofala Historical Estimates were obtained from MinRex's ASX Announcement entitled "Sofala Gold Resources Increased To 352,000oz Au" dated 28 July 2021. The Company is providing the Sofala Historical Estimates for informational purposes as to the historical exploration conducted on the Sofala Gold Property and the status of such property.

The Sofala Historical Resources were compiled under the Australian JORC code (2012 edition) and have not been subject to a mineral resource estimate that is compliant with Canadian NI43-101.

Inferred resources from the Sofala Historical estimates cannot be directly compared to inferred resources as per the current CIM Definition Standards.

Although the Company believes the Sofala Historical Estimates to be relevant, it recognises that no metallurgical testwork results, environmental factors, or specifics of reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction were provided in the disclosure of the Sofala Historical Estimates and that the estimate itself was based entirely on historic data. Significant work would be required to update and validate the Sofala Historical Estimates including confirmation drilling and core analysis; geotechnical and metallurgical test work; and environmental review.

Key assumptions, parameters and methods used in the preparation of the Sofala Historical Estimates include:

Data Inputs

69 historical drill holes (1993-1994) with total of 6,984m including 63 RC holes (5,899 m) and 6 NQ diamond holes (1,085 m). No downhole surveys; assumed fixed dip/azimuth(-45 towards 121).

RC sampled at 1 m intervals. Core sampled at variable intervals.

Assays: Historic assay data digitised from NSW open-file reports. Method of assay is not reported. Gold assayed with repeat Au checks but no documented use of certified standards or blanks.

Drill collar elevations derived from 1 m resolution LiDAR DTM.

Geological Interpretation & Domaining

Mineralisation hosted in stacked, southwest-dipping lodes associated with the thrust contact between Sofala Volcanics (hanging wall) and Chesleigh Formation sediments (footwall). Six discrete mineralised lodes modelled.

Modelled lode geometry controlled by: Sectional, plan and 3D geological interpretation; Grade-continuity relationships. A maximum extrapolation of 130 m down-dip was used where mineralisation remained open and untested.

Mineralised wireframes constructed using a nominal 0.30 g/t Au lower constraint, applied as hard boundaries.

Estimation Methodology

Software: Leapfrog Geo / Leapfrog Edge (v2021.2).

Estimation method: Ordinary Kriging (OK).

Compositing: 1 m composites.

Variograms modelled per lode with variable orientation in plane of lodes.

Search parameters: Minimum samples = 4; Maximum samples = 20. Search distances were set as sufficient to estimate all blocks.

Grade Treatment

Top cuts between 2.0 and 6.0 g/t Au applied by lode to limit influence of high-grade outliers.

No metal-equivalent calculations. No by-product credits considered.

Block Model Parameters

Parent block size: 5 m  5 m  5 m. Sub-blocking horizontally to quarter blocks with variable heights.

Block size considered appropriate relative to drill spacing (~50 m  50 m).

Density & Tonnage

170 water-immersion density measurements were carried out on core. A specific gravity of 2.75 based on standard tables of specific gravities of common rocks was used to determine tonnage.

Tonnage basis: Dry, in-situ.

Cut-off Grade

A reporting cut-off of 0.70 g/t Au was used without pit optimisation.

Mining, Metallurgical & Environmental Assumptions

Conceptual assumption of potential open-pit suitability.

No metallurgical test work completed; no recovery assumptions applied.

No environmental factors considered.

Validation & Confidence

Swath plots are reported to show good correlation of input vs estimated grades

No audits completed

Resource confidence limited by: Historic nature of data; Lack of QA/QC; Absence of downhole surveys

Resource Classification & Reporting

Reported in accordance with JORC (2012).

Resource category: Inferred Mineral Resource only.

Reporting basis: Global resource; no pit optimisation or economic evaluation applied.

Copyright (c) 2026 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Featured

A clearer picture is emerging of what Trump meant when he said the US will run Venezuela

CNN International News Jan - 05 - 2026 , 06:10 1 minute read

President Donald Trumps administration is working quickly to establish a pliant interim government in Venezuela following the dramatic capture of Nicolas Maduro, according to US officials, prioritizing administrative stability and repairing the countrys oil infrastructure over an immediate turn to democracy.

Officials described a multifold effort using American military and economic leverage to influence the remnants of Maduros regime left inside Venezuela. In particular, US officials have focused squarely on the countrys vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who Trump advisers identified weeks ago as a viable, if nonpermanent, alternative to Maduro. Despite Rodriguezs initial attacks on the administration over Maduros capture, US officials privately maintained optimism she would work with the United States.

By Sunday night, Rodriguez was striking a softer tone than she previously had, calling for cooperation with the US. Rodriguez said Venezuela will prioritize moving toward balanced and respectful international relations with the US and the region.

Senior-level US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, top aide Stephen Miller and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have been working to develop a structure for Venezuelas government in the wake of Maduros ouster, according to a senior US official. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright have been tasked with convincing American energy companies to return to Venezuela and its aging oil infrastructure.
A clearer picture is emerging of what Trump meant when he said the US will run Venezuela

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bbc.com International News Jan - 05 - 2026 , 07:38 2 minutes read

Armed men have violently stormed a village in Nigeria's Niger state, killing at least 30 people and looting shops, state authorities have said.

The attackers emerged from a forest near the village of Kasuwan-Daji on Saturday and set fire to the local market, looted shops and kidnapped an unspecified number of people, police said.

"The gunmen entered the town on motorcycles carrying weapons, rounded up people and then proceeded to slaughter them, while others were shot dead," a local journalist told the BBC's Hausa service.

Attacks and kidnappings by armed criminal gangs, known as bandits, have been a problem in Nigeria for years, but reports in western and central regions have spiked recently.

Abdullahi Rofia, an official with the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the journalist's report that villagers were rounded up and killed.

He told the BBC that people in the community were terrified: "They are hiding, they are too afraid to talk to anybody.

"They are scared that if you talk, they will turn and do the same to you."

Niger state police spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, said an emergency team has been deployed to help the injured and security forces are working to rescue those kidnapped.

It is illegal to pay ransom money to the criminal groups, which the government has classified as terrorists, but there are claims this is often ignored.

A witness to the attack told BBC Hausa that there were no security forces in the village.

"We want the government to help us. In the past, we used to hear about this problem in other places, but now it is happening in our villages," he said.

The fear is driving people from their homes where they were born and raised.

"We are dying like chickens, and does the government care about us?

"The government hears and sees what is happening, but it is not doing anything about it. What can we do as ordinary people?"

The attack happened just a day after authorities in Niger state announced the phased reopening of schools, after a mass kidnapping forced them to close as part of emergency security measures.

In November, more than 250 students and staff from St Mary's Catholic school in Papiri, Niger state, were abducted.

It was one of the country's worst kidnappings to date, however just before Christmas, officials confirmed that all of the missing students and teachers had been rescued.
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Trump warns new Venezuelan leader as Maduro set to appear in court

BBC International News Jan - 05 - 2026 , 05:55 6 minutes read

Donald Trump has warned Venezuela's new leader Delcy Rodriguez she could "pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro" if she "doesn't do what's right".

His comments to US magazine The Atlantic came as the country's deposed president Nicolas Maduro was set to appear in a New York court on Monday.

The US accuses Maduro, who is charged with drug trafficking and weapons offences, of running a "narco-terrorist" regime, a claim he denies.

Rodriguez - who served as Maduro's vice president - adopted a conciliatory tone at her first cabinet meeting on Sunday, offering co-operation with the US.

"We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of co-operation orientated towards shared development within the framework of international law," she said.

Backed by Venezuela's Supreme Court and the military, she will be sworn in as president on Monday in Caracas, at 08:00 local time (12:00 GMT).

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted the US is not at war with Venezuela, after air strikes in Caracas on Saturday led to Maduro and his wife being taken into custody and transported to the US.

Some Democratic lawmakers said the operation was an "act of war".

In an interview with The Atlantic on Sunday, Trump said of Rodriguez: "If she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro."

He added that for Venezuela,"Regime change, anything you want to call it, is better than what you have right now. Can't get any worse".

On Saturday, Trump had vowed the US would "run" the country until "a safe and proper and judicious transition" was possible.

Trump also promised US oil companies would move into the country to fix infrastructure "and start making money for the country".

Despite the US president's claims, Maduro's allies remain in charge.

The Cuban government has said 32 "brave Cuban combatants" died when US forces attacked and captured Maduro and his wife. Cuba - a longstanding socialist ally of Maduro - has announced two days of national mourning.

In several TV interviews on Sunday morning, Rubio defended the US's military operation in Venezuela, stressing the action did not mean the US is at war with the South American country.

"We are at war against drug trafficking organisations. That's not a war against Venezuela," Rubio told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday morning.

The secretary of state also told CBS that if Venezuela doesn't "make the right decisions", the US "will retain multiple levers of leverage to ensure that our interests are protected".

That includes the "quarantine" the US has placed on Venezuela's oil, he said.

"We're going to judge everything by what they do, and we're going to see what they do," he added.

Trump also threatened Venezuela's neighbour Colombia, in comments to reporters aboard Air Force One.

He did not rule out military action against Colombia, saying "it sounds good to me", and called Colombian President Gustavo Petro "a sick man".

"Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long," Trump said.

Maduro, who leads the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and has been in power since 2013, has frequently been accused of repressing opposition groups and silencing dissent in Venezuela, at times with the use of violence.

He is widely seen by opponents within his country as well as by foreign governments as having illegitimately won Venezuela's 2024 election.

Venezuela's left-wing leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured at their compound and flown to the US, as part of a dramatic special forces operation in the early hours of Saturday that also saw strikes on military bases.

The couple have since been charged with weapon and drug offences and are set to appear at a court in New York on Monday.

Maduro has denied being a cartel leader and has accused the US of using its "war on drugs" as an excuse to try to depose him and get its hands on Venezuela's oil.

While US officials have said that no American troops were harmed in the attacks, Venezuela's Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said a "large part" of Maduro's security team and "soldiers and innocent civilians" were killed in the US operation.

When asked why congressional authorisation wasn't sought before the US operation in Venezuela, Rubio told ABC it "wasn't necessary because this wasn't an invasion".

He described it as a "law enforcement operation", and said Maduro was arrested on the ground by FBI agents.

You can't notify Congress of an operation like this because "it will leak", he added.

Speaking to US media outlets, Rubio was asked if the US recognises Rodriguez as the legitimate president of Venezuela.

He answered that "this is not about the legitimate president" as the US does not recognise the regime as legitimate.

Some Democratic lawmakers have condemned the administration's actions.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the secretive military operation, which was conducted without approval from Congress, "was not simply a narcotics operation".

"It was an act of war," Jeffries told NBC's Meet the Press.

"This was a military action involving Delta Force, involving the army, apparently involving thousands of troops, involving at least 150 military aircraft, perhaps involving dozens of ships off the coast of Venezuela and South America."

Jim Himes, the most senior Democrat on the House intelligence committee, told CBS Face the Nation he had had "zero outreach" from the Trump administration, adding "no Democrat that I'm aware of has had any outreach".

In an interview with ABC This Week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer questioned the legality of the US operation.

Schumer said that while he believes Maduro is a horrible person, "You don't treat lawlessness with other lawlessness".

"We have learned through the years when America tries to do regime change and nation building in this way, the American people pay the price in both blood and in dollars," Schumer said.

Both Schumer and Jeffries vowed to support a resolution that, if passed in both houses, would prohibit Trump from taking any further action in Venezuela without Congressional approval.

In a joint statement, the governments of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain said the US's military actions "constitute an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security and endanger the civilian population"
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Maduro pleads not guilty to drug charges, saying he was 'kidnapped'

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China will not accept countries acting as world judge  Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Venezualan operation

Reuters International News Jan - 05 - 2026 , 15:10 1 minute read

Chinas Foreign Minister, Wang Yi has said Beijing cannot accept any country acting as the worlds judge following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the United States.

Beijing is set to confront Washington at the United Nations over the move's legality.

Beijing follows a policy of non-intervention and routinely criticises military activity conducted without the UN Security Council's approval.

The US military's removal of the leader of one of China's "all-weather" strategic partners from his capital in the dead of night will be a litmus test of Beijing's assertion that it can play a role in resolving global hotspot issues without following Washington down the military route.

"We have never believed that any country can act as the world's police, nor do we accept that any nation can claim to be the world's judge," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Pakistani counterpart during a meeting in Beijing on Sunday, referring to "sudden developments in Venezuela" without directly mentioning the United States.

"The sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law," Wang added, in his first remarks since images of the 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed on Saturday stunned the world.

Maduro is scheduled to appear in a New York court on Monday to face drugs charges.

Just blocks away, the UN Security Council will convene at Colombia's request - backed by China and Russia - to debate US President Donald Trump's decision to seize him, a move UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned could set "a dangerous precedent."
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University of Ghana warns against fraud ahead of random room allocation for freshers on January 12

GraphicOnline Education Jan - 05 - 2026 , 19:33 3 minutes read

The University of Ghana has announced it will conduct an open, random allocation of available on-campus beds for first-year students next Monday, January 12, 2026.

The exercise is part of the universitys ongoing "In-Out-Out-Out" residence policy and is designed to ensure a transparent process for securing scarce residential spaces.

In a notice from the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, Professor Gordon A. Awandare, all interested Level 100 students must formally opt-in to be considered. "Level 100 students interested in participating in the random bed assignment must opt-in after completing their academic registration," the notice stated, directing students to use a specific online link - https://sts.ug.edu.gh - to express interest.

The university has set a strict deadline for this expression of interest at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 11. "Level 100 students seeking university accommodation are strongly encouraged to complete their academic registration early and submit the form," the notice advised. The random allocation itself is scheduled for 12:00 noon on Monday, January 12, and will be conducted publicly.

"The random assignment of beds to students will be conducted openly, allowing all stakeholders to observe the transparency of the process," the notice confirmed.

The notice included critical reminders for students and parents, explicitly warning against illicit transactions for beds. "Under no circumstances should any student or parent/guardian pay money to anyone for a bed. This is illegal, and both the buyer and seller will face sanctions according to university regulations."

The university also reiterated that unauthorised residence, or "perching," is prohibited and would lead to disciplinary action.

Importantly, the university clarified that securing a place in halls is not automatic. "While the University continues to make efforts to increase its residential facilities, accommodation is not guaranteed with admission. Students who are not successful in securing on-campus accommodation will need to arrange alternative accommodation," the Pro Vice-Chancellor stated.

In a separate but related communication, the universitys Academic Affairs Directorate issued a reminder to all continuing undergraduate students regarding the upcoming registration deadline for the first semester.

The deadline is Friday, January 23, 2026. The notice, signed for the Director by Frederick Yuorkuu, specified key prerequisites. "At least 50% of the Academic Facility User Fee must be paid by Wednesday, 21st January 2026. This payment is a prerequisite for completing your registration before the deadline."

Furthermore, the directorate highlighted a mandatory health requirement. "Students who have not yet undergone their medical examination will not be able to register. Such students are required to schedule their medical examination through the STS portal before attempting registration."

Failure to meet these requirements by the stipulated dates may result in a students inability to register for the semester.
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30 policemen promoted for working to intercept 2,600 AK 47 ammunition that were being smuggled into northern Ghana and dismantling armed robbery operations in Manso areas

Emmanuel Bonney Jan - 05 - 2026 , 18:57 2 minutes read

A total of 30 policemen have been promoted to their next various ranks for their involvement in last weeks operations that led to the interception of 2,600 AK 47 ammunition that was being smuggled into northern Ghana from Accra and the dismantling of a robbery syndicate at Antoakrom in the Manso Nkwanta stretch of the Ashanti Region during the Christmas season.

The AK 47 ammunition in particular were intercepted at the Asankare Police Barrier in the Ashanti Region.

Those promoted includes 10 personnel in the AK-47 operation and 20 personnel from the armed robbery dismantling operation.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno on Monday [Jan 5, 2025] promoted them for their distinguished service and conduct.

The promotions acknowledged the professionalism, vigilance, and commitment to duty by the policemen.

The personnel promoted in connection with the Asankare operation include Chief Inspector Tibim Acheampong Solomon, Inspector Sarfo Adu Daniel, No. 58311 Lance Corporal Saeed Frimpong, No. 621467 Constable Sremsei Simon, No. 15413 Constable Kissi Dorcas Serwaah, No. 65450 Constable Arthur Emmanuel Nkrumah, No. 65457 Constable Dennis Danquah, No. 65503 Constable Philip Lawer Nyarko, No. 66427 Constable Owusu Kenneth, and No. 66841 Constable Christian Buaben Kwadzo Addo.

During the operation at the Asankare Police Barrier, the police personnel conducted a thorough search of the bus and uncovered two concealed containers holding 2,600 rounds of AK 47 ammunition, as well as a bag hidden under the drivers seat containing two bulletproof plates, a black crushed helmet, and a pair of long boots.

Additionally, 20 other personnel from the Intelligence department of the Ashanti and Ashanti South Regional Police Commands were promoted in connection with related intelligence that led operations at Manso Nkwanta, Antoakrom, and surrounding areas, which resulted in the recovery of firearms and ammunition, the disruption of armed robbery activities, and the prevention of planned attacks on commuters.

The IGP and members of the Police Management Board (POMAB) commended the police personnel for their courage and alertness, noting that their actions prevented dangerous weapons from falling into criminal hands.

He encouraged all personnel of the Service to continue to demonstrate the highest standards of professionalism in the discharge of their duties noting that the Police Administration will acknowledge, appreciate and reward hard work.
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Govt condemns assault on journalist by fire service personnel

Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson Jan - 05 - 2026 , 15:41 2 minutes read

The Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has condemned an assault on a journalist of the Class Media Group, Samuel Addo, by a group of Fire Service personnel who were battling last Sunday's fire outbreak at the Kasoa New Market.

A video shared online shows the fire personnel hitting someone with helmets.

Although it is not immediately clear what led to the assault, reports suggest the fire personnel were trying to ward off traders who wanted to enter the Kasoa market during Sunday evening's fire outbreak.

The journalist concerned Samuel Addo has said the incident of the assault happened Monday morning.

He explains he had gone to the scene in the morning to report on the incident and while there, he saw the fire personnel in a seeming altercation with a civilian.

That was when he turned attention to capture the scene and ended up being a victim of assault in the hands of the fire personnel.

The fire personnel who were having exchanges with a trader saw the journalist filming the incident and turned on him.

In a post on X (Twitter ), Mr Kwakye Ofosu condemned the action of the fire personnel, promising swift action by the government.

The attack on Class Media Group's Samuel Addo by some personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service is most unacceptable and I condemn same. Firm action will be taken against the rogue elements who carried out this attack,  he stated

The attack on Class Media Group's Samuel Addo by some personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service is most unacceptable and I condemn same. Firm action will be taken against the rogue elements who carried out this attack.  Felix Kwakye Ofosu (@FelixKwakyeOfo1) January 5, 2026

GNFS press statement

In a press statement, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) said the matter was being investigated.

According to the GNFS, the footage captures an altercation that ensued after firefighters were reportedly attacked by a group, including a suspected thief, at the fire scene.

While condemning attacks on its personnel, the Service emphasised that it does not condone any form of physical or verbal assault on civilians by its staff, regardless of provocation.

It said management has constituted an internal committee to investigate the incident and establish all relevant facts. The GNFS urged the public to remain calm and assured that it remains committed to professionalism, accountability, and transparency in its operations.

Explaining in various radio interviews monitored by Graphic Online, DOII David Ackah who speaks for the GNFS said the investigations will establish what really happened at the scene.
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Police foil new Year Eve's robbery attack; two armed suspects killed during shootout

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Ghanaian educationist and columnist I.K. Gyasi passes on

Enoch Darfah Frimpong Jan - 05 - 2026 , 08:02 1 minute read

I.K. Gyasi (Ibrahim Kwaku Gyasi), a respected Ghanaian educationist and former headmaster of T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School (AMASS) in Kumasi, has passed on.

He was 87 years old.

As a prolific newspaper columnist, he authored the "Bluntly Speaking" column in The Chronicle newspaper for over 20 years and retired from his column in August 2016 at the age of 80 after 50 years in the media industry.

He shared sharp insights on education and national issues.

As a former headmaster of his alma mater, T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School in Kumasi, he served from 1990 to 1998.

He was an honorary member of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), which celebrated him for his contributions to the media in 2023.

He was an English language tutor and author of educational books.

He is celebrated for his deep involvement with AMASS, serving as a teacher and later the first former student to become Headmaster.

The veteran educator taught English and served T.I. AMASS for many years.

The information about his passing was shared by the Amass 1979 Secretariat.

I.K. Gyasi (3rd from right on front row)

Writer's email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Follow @enochfrimpong Follow @Graphicgh
Immigration officer picked up in connection with 2,600 rounds of AK 47 ammunition that was being transported to the north

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Police foil new Year Eve's robbery attack; two armed suspects killed during shootout

Jemima Okang Addae Jan - 05 - 2026 , 12:24 2 minutes read

The Ashanti South Regional Police Command on New Year's Eve foiled a planned robbery operation in the Manso area of the Ashanti Region and ended up killing two armed suspects in a shootout.

After receiving intelligence that a gang of armed robbers had converged in a bush along the AntoakromManso Nkwanta stretch, allegedly preparing to attack commuters, the police moved in swiftly to foil the operation.

The police in a press statement, indicated that they encountered four armed suspects.

Upon sighting the police, the suspects reportedly opened fire and attempted to flee into the bush. Police returned fire in self-defence.

During the exchange, two suspects, later identified as Usmaro Mohammed and Yaw Frimpong, also known as Nana Yaw, sustained gunshot injuries. Two other suspects escaped into the bush.

A search at the scene led to the recovery of one AK-47 rifle loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition, one pump-action gun loaded with four BB cartridges, four spent cartridges, and a black bag containing 16 live cartridges. Police also impounded a Toyota Voxy vehicle, believed to have been used by the suspects in their criminal activities.

The police said the suspects are linked to several robbery incidents in Manso and Obuasi, including the Mpohor gold robbery, the Nyinahini highway robbery, and a cocoa shed robbery at Sefwi.

Read also: Ashanti: Police kill 3 suspected robbers during shootout at Anwiankwanta on Christmas Eve

Preliminary investigations further indicate that the suspects operated with accomplices based in Mankranso, Tamale, and Berekum, whose identities have been withheld and who remain at large.

The injured suspects were rushed to the Bekwai Municipal Hospital, where they were pronounced dead on arrival.

Meanwhile, police investigations are ongoing to arrest the remaining accomplices and to establish the ownership of the impounded vehicle.
30 policemen promoted for working to intercept 2,600 AK 47 ammunition that were being smuggled into northern Ghana and dismantling armed robbery operations in Manso areas

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President Mahama pledges review of Single Spine pay and pensions for teachers

GraphicOnline Jan - 05 - 2026 , 16:18 4 minutes read

President John Dramani Mahama has renewed his governments commitment to reviewing the Single Spine Salary Structure to improve pay and working conditions for public sector workers, particularly teachers, amid pressure from organised labour.

The President gave the assurance while addressing delegates at the Ghana National Association of Teachers conference in Accra on January 5, where concerns over salaries, pensions and workplace safety dominated discussions.

He said the proposed review would form part of a broader reform agenda aimed at ensuring fair compensation and security for workers during and after active service.

Responding to appeals from organised labour, President Mahama said the government was prepared to re-examine both the salary and pension architecture to address persistent dissatisfaction among workers. Everybody was happy, Tier 2, Tier 3, and it looks like the time has come for us to look at it again, and so again, TUC, as a leader of organized labor, raised it with us, and I told Comrade Joshua and his team that were prepared to put together a working team to look at the whole pension reform and come up with some suggestions and see how we can improve it so that everybody is happy and feels secure going into retirement, and a safe and secure working environment is a must, he said.

The President was reacting to submissions by the President of GNAT, Reverend Isaac Owusu, who urged the government to prioritise a review of the Single Spine Pay Policy before the end of the year, arguing that teachers continued to bear the brunt of inadequate remuneration despite their critical role in national development.

According to Reverend Owusu, a timely review of the policy would significantly improve salaries and conditions of service across the education sector. He said teachers remained overworked and underappreciated, warning that delays in reform could further demoralise the workforce.

To celebrate these achievements, Your Excellency, we must not shy away from confronting the present challenges that continue to hinder our progress. The dedication of our teachers is unparalleled, yet they remain the backbone of the system and often underappreciated and overburdened, he said. He added, We face an ongoing crisis regarding the condition of service, where many teachers struggle with inadequate salaries that do not reflect their hard work and dedication. It is incumbent upon us to address these issues head-on.

President Mahama acknowledged long-standing frustrations with the Single Spine Salary Structure, describing it as very crooked and admitting that it has failed to deliver equity across the public sector.

Everybody is unhappy with the spine, and so of course TUC raised it with us and asked if we could look at the whole salary structure again. Were very willing to do that so that we are able to remunerate people better so that they can give off their best in terms of what we are supposed to do, he said.

On pensions, the President pledged to constitute a working team to review the three-tier pension scheme and make recommendations aimed at improving benefits and guaranteeing security for workers approaching retirement. In a related announcement, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, also confirmed that the government would review the pension framework to enhance the welfare of retirees.

The issue of teacher safety also featured prominently at the conference, with Reverend Owusu declaring zero tolerance for assaults on teachers. He warned that GNAT would not hesitate to shut down schools if attacks on teachers persist. We are declaring that this year, 2026, we are declaring a zero tolerance for teacher assault and brutality. Should any individual or group attack any teacher in Ghana without cause, we shall invoke the spirit and solidarity of touch one, touch all. If we have to close down schools, we will close down schools, he said.

Backing the stance, President Mahama described assaults on teachers as criminal acts and pledged firm government action. As for assault on teachers, I am with you one hundred percent. We will deal with it, he assured delegates.

The Presidents assurances come at a time when calls are intensifying for improved salaries, better funding for education and safer working environments, with teacher unions insisting that sustained reforms are critical to restoring confidence in the sector.
According to a leaked Lenovo presentation, Motorola is developing its first book-style foldable smartphone, reportedly called the Razr Fold. The device is expected to launch later this year.

Prominent leaker Evan Blass shared slides from the internal presentation, which outline several upcoming Lenovo and Motorola products. One of the slides confirms the existence of the Motorola Razr Fold.

While the slide mentions a launch window later this year, it does not reveal an exact date. That said, theres a chance Motorola could unveil the Razr Fold at CES 2026.

The leaked slide also notes that the upcoming foldable phone will offer brilliant displays, AI features, and an advanced, boundary-breaking camera system. Were not sure what that means, but were eager to find out.

Source
BBC documentary captures Guangdong's wild side

China Daily) 10:18, January 05, 2026

A pair of silver pheasants appear in the documentary, Wild Guangdong. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A three-episode nature documentary showcasing the biodiversity of South China's Guangdong province premiered on domestic and overseas video platforms last month.

It was the first time that BBC Studios had partnered with Chinese provincial-level media.

Using 4K ultra-high definition technology, the documentary, Wild Guangdong, premiered on the BBC Earth Asia channel on Dec 7 and was later broadcast on the China Central Television Documentary Channel and Guangdong Satellite TV from Dec 8 to 10.

The documentary, with each episode lasting for 50 minutes, has also been made available on Chinese-language online platforms such as Youku, iQiyi, Tencent Video and Bilibili.

It took three years for the production team to produce and was a collaboration between Guangdong Radio and Television Station and BBC Studios.

Depicting the wildlife wonders of Guangdong with a moving and grand perspective, the documentary tells compelling stories of how local people coexist with nature and protect ecological treasures amidst the process of modern urban development, according to Robi Stanton, president of media and streaming for BBC Studios Asia-Pacific.

"Within the tapestry of modern civilization built by its 130 million people of Guangdong, nature and humanity together compose a moving poem of harmonious coexistence," she said.

Chinese white dolphins feature in the documentary. [Photo provided to China Daily]

In addition to the BBC Earth Asia channel, Wild Guangdongwill also premiere on various streaming platforms across Asia, reaching over 20 million households in Southeast Asia, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. "We believe international audiences will be eager to experience the wonders of Guangdong's landscapes through this new documentary," Stanton said.

The partnership with BBC Studios was not only a fusion of technology but also a resonance of ecological philosophy that is rooted in the land of Guangdong, according to Shan Yonghui, chief supervisor of Wild Guangdongand deputy director of Guangdong Radio and Television Station.

"Through our collaboration with BBC Studios, we aim to present an unseen Guangdong to the global audience," Shan said.

Guangdong, located in the global arid zone along the Tropic of Cancer, is home to over 1,000 animal species and more than 6,000 plant species, thanks to its unique microclimates and complex terrain, forming an ecosystem where mountains, waters, cities and seas blend together. The documentary focuses on the primeval forests and deep-sea mysteries, and turns its lens to the rhythm of life on the urban fringes  such as migratory birds over the city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, and fiddler crabs in the mangroves.

The production team traversed the full cycle of spring, summer, autumn and winter, delving into the primeval forests in northern Guangdong, the coral reefs of the South China Sea, coastal mangroves and green spaces in modern cities.

The team captured precious footage of black kites soaring over Danxia Mountain, a UNESCO-listed natural World Heritage Site known for its reddish rock formations, Chinese white dolphins riding the waves, corals spawning synchronously and the appearance of a new species of eyelid gecko.

"The documentary presents not just a catalog of species, but also stories of interdependence among life forms and the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature," Shan said.

While showcasing how wildlife and humans can coexist harmoniously, the documentary will help raise public awareness of protecting nature amid urban development and making room for wildlife in the process of modernization, according to Simon Winchcombe, series producer of Wild Guangdong.

"The filming process was like a fascinating journey  almost every day, we captured unprecedented details of wildlife," he said.

(Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Zhong Wenxing)
Report: Samsung to raise Galaxy S26 prices in Korea, may keep them the same in the US

Korean publication FN News has some good news and some bad news for people wanting to buy the Galaxy S26 when it comes out (likely in March)  prices are going up, but launch day deals may allow you to dodge the price hike.

According to industry sources, the prices of the base 256GB models will increase between KRW 44,000 and KRW 88,000 in South Korea. For reference, the Galaxy S25 launched at KRW 1,155,000, the S25+ at KRW 1,353,000 and the S25 Ultra at KRW 1,698,400.

Thats for Korea  Samsung will reportedly keep the launch prices the same for select overseas markets like the US. That means that the S26 trio will launch at $800, $1,000 and $1,300, respectively, the same as the S25 trio.

It sounds like the lower prices will be a temporary measure during the initial launch period. And its not clear exactly which markets will even get those lower prices at all.

Forecast prices for mobile DRAM (source: TrendForce)

The cause is pretty easy to track down  the cost of 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM has more than doubled since last year. And it is expected to grow by an additional 40% by the second half of this year. The prices of NAND flash (storage) are going up too.

Its not just memory, though. The Korean Won to US Dollar exchange rate is unfavorable, reaching above 1,400 KRW to $1. This is a major issue for components that have to be sourced from abroad.

Samsung reportedly spent a record KRW 11 trillion on smartphone chipsets in Q3 and Q4 last year  thats $7.6 billion, most of which went to US-based Qualcomm.

Now you see why Samsung is pushing so hard to replace Snapdragon with Exynos chips  Korean-made chips are cheaper and not susceptible to fluctuations in the exchange rate. However, it hasnt been particularly successful and only a few models use Exynos. As for the Galaxy S26 series, the latest unconfirmed information is that it will use Snapdragon everywhere except for one market  Korea.

Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy S26 series in late February in San Francisco ahead of the retail launch in early March. Here are some rumored specs for the new phones.

P.S. the S-series flagships are not the only models affected by this. Even existing models are getting marked up, e.g. the Galaxy A56 will see a 2,000 price bump in India.

Source (in Korean)
While Samsung already announced the worlds first 2nm chip with its Exynos 2600, which will make its debut on the Galaxy S26 series, key competitors like Apple, Qualcomm and MediaTek are also expected to bring their own 2nm chips in the coming months.

The Apple A20 chip, set to power the iPhone 18 series, alongside the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Dimensity 9600, which will be at the helm of this years Android flagships are all expected to be fabbed on TSMCs N2 process node, which has now entered mass production capacity.

A new report from Taiwans Economic Daily News suggests that these 2nm chips will usher in a drastic rise in manufacturing costs, which will ultimately make upcoming flagship smartphones notably more expensive.

The new report claims the Apple A20 chip inside the iPhone 18 series is rumored to cost as much as $280 per unit, which would be an 80% increase compared to the current A19 chip in the iPhone 17 series. While the report does not mention specific prices for Qualcomms Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and MediaTek Dimensity 9600, both are expected to follow price hikes compared to their predecessors.

There are several factors that are influencing the rising chipset prices. The ongoing memory chip crisis has resulted in higher RAM prices, and weve also seen similar price hikes extend to other key components, including processors.

TSMC's 2nm production facilities in Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, Taiwan

In addition, TSMC is reportedly facing low first-generation nanosheet yields for its new packaging process, which incorporates Gate-all-around (GAA) transistors. While the new process brings improved transistor density and better power efficiency, it also makes large-scale manufacturing more difficult. This is one of the key reasons why 2nm chips like the A20 will be a lot more expensive than their predecessors, and prices for upcoming flagship phones will also go up significantly.

Source (in Chinese)
Twelve members of a household in Yigo escaped a fire in their home unscathed on Monday afternoon, Guam Fire Department spokesperson Lt. Nick Garrido and Yigo Mayor Frances Lizama said.

GFD units responded at 1:10 p.m. to the reported structure fire on Mendiola Street, Garrido said.

When firefighters arrived, they found a concrete structure and a fire confined to one bedroom.

The fire damaged a concrete bedroom extension at the home and no injuries were reported, officials said.

At the time of the incident, the home was occupied with seven adults and five children. They were all able to escape without any injury. The Yigo Mayors Office and American Red Cross were both activated, Garrido said.

Lizama said the household recently grew after relatives moved in from another village, bringing the household size to 16five children and 11 adults.

The fire damaged a concrete extension built behind the main home. Lizama said the structure included four to five bedrooms and had been intended as a storm shelter.

My understanding is that is where I believe the fire originated, she said. And again, the good thing is that the door was shut, so it kind of contained the fire.

The Yigo mayor said at the time of the fire, the head of household was at the mayors office to obtain a residential verification for one of the childrens school enrollment, while three other adults were at work when the fire started.

Family members at the house discovered the blaze after smelling smoke while preparing to have lunch, she said.

One of them had mentioned that they were ready to sit down and have lunch, and they started to smell that burning smell, Lizama said.

The fire remained confined to the bedroom where it began, causing smoke damage to surrounding areas.

Because the damage was limited to the extension, the family remains at the property, the Yigo mayor added.

The mayors office, supported by community donations, provided bottled water, a water catchment container, clothing, and canvas materials to help the household. Lizama said the family was grateful for the immediate assistance.

American Red Cross representatives were contacted, but details of aid were pending as they verified the household size and location.

While no one was injured, some personal items, including a family photo of the head of the households father, were lost in the fire.

Lizama urged residents to remain vigilant with fire safety, particularly when using candles during power outages.

Be careful not to overload candles. Theres no power, and they have candles burning again, making sure that they put them out before they go to bed or before they leave home, she said.

She also warned residents to avoid contact with exposed electrical wires and to seek professional assistance.

Any exposed wire, of course, dont touch the wire. Call Guam Power Authority, get some kind of assistance and guidance, she said. We have to also be very mindful of keeping the kids safe, and, of course, ourselves as well.

GFD continues to investigate the cause of the fire.
After more than 25 years in the Guam Department of Education, one of its longest-serving deputy superintendents, Joseph Joe Sanchez, stepped down at the end of December, closing a chapter in his career.

He was first appointed by former superintendent Jon Fernandez in 2013 and served 12 years as deputy, following roles as administrator for research, assistant principal, and teacher.

Sanchez left alongside fellow deputy superintendents Barbara Adamos, Paul Wade, and Leah Beth Naholowaa. Their last day in office was Wednesday, New Years Eve.

The departures followed former Superintendent Erik Swansons resignation and retirement, which he announced in June, leaving off-island on Dec. 20, a week before his official last day on Dec. 31.

Both Sanchez and Adamos, along with three others, had sought the superintendents role, which was ultimately awarded to former legislative speaker Judith Won Pat after six votes from the Guam Education Board. Won Pat takes office in 2026.

Dr. Swanson informed us on Nov. 24 that due to the incoming superintendent, we were expected to submit our courtesy resignations, Adamos told the Pacific Daily News.

While Sanchez, Naholowaa, and Wade must resign, Adamos, a classified employeemeaning she holds a permanent, civil-service-protected position will return to John F. Kennedy High School, where she previously served as principal.

Sanchez described how their roles, tied directly to the superintendent, made his departure unavoidable.

The nature of our positions is theyre appointed directly by the superintendent, so when she picks somebody else, that means we dont have a job, he told the media. So its not that I want to leave the department, but basically I have to so now its kind of me looking for what would be my next step.

Thank you

A surprise farewell ceremony was held for Sanchez at JFK High School Tuesday morning, where he previously served as a student teacher and teacher, honoring his long-standing contributions to Guams public education system.

It was a surprise and its very humbling, he said. I wanted to say thank you to all of our teachers and administrators and staff and, of course, our families. It doesnt feel enough, you know, thank you is just the best word that I can say.

Throughout the ceremony, he was met with cheers, applause, hugs, and kind words. Amidst it all, Sanchez occasionally broke into tears.

He reflected on the relationships he has built over decades of service, including the teachers, administrators, families, and community partners who shaped his career.

Its just been an absolute pleasure working for the department, working with everybody, even the families and our community partners,  he said. I was very excited to see some of our community partners here so I appreciate the added thoughtfulness of extending an invitation to our folks from [University of Guam], the CNMI, folks who are visiting Guam at the same time, so they came here. It was very touchy, and Im hugely humbled by that.

On Wednesday, GDOE announced that Won Pat appointed her senior management deputies to advance her The Way Forward initiative, which focuses on collaboration, transparency, accountability, and data-driven policies.

Won Pat spoke of the importance of student-centered decision-making.

We have a tremendous opportunity to reshape the educational landscape within the Department of Education, she said. Our commitment to prioritizing childrens needs reflects a belief that every decision made in the Department of Education should benefit students overall development.

Sanchez has already met with the incoming deputy superintendent for curriculum, Rizalina Liwag, former assistant superintendent of curriculum in the CNMI, to share ongoing initiatives and strategic priorities.

He offered guidance to his successors, urging them to carry forward current initiatives while tackling existing challenges.

My recommendation to them is talk to the superintendent, talk to the incoming deputy superintendent, explain what weve been doing, explain our successes, and see if you can kind of continue to promote those and then all of the challenges that we have to be upfront about those, those challenges, and youll see how we can improve. With me personally, I right now Im going to be moving on, but definitely I want to come back to Guam.

Started as a teacher

Reflecting on his decades-long career, Sanchez described the critical role of teachers and administrators.

His experience spans more than 25 years in the department, including time as a deputy, administrator for research, assistant principal, and teacher, beginning with his student teaching and first job at Untalan Middle School in 1996.

It was really important for me to say thank you to everybody, honestly, especially the teachers and administrators, because my job is mostly directing their work and kind of like what I mentioned earlier is we, we always ask so much of that, he said. Whenever we talk about school improvement, and when you talk about restrooms and the facilities, thats not them, but when you talk about student test scores and achievement, a lot of that work revolves around what we do in the classroom and what we do in the schools.

He added that gratitude alone cannot match the impact teachers have.

When I say thank you to them, it still just doesnt feel enough, but its the least that I could say at this point, is just thank them for all of these absolutely wonderful years and the experiences and the kind of respect that I received from them, he said. Because they are truly the ones who are preparing our next generation. I know it sounds like a cliche, but its true. Every teacher touches the lives of all of our students.

He plans to relocate to Hawaii while exploring new career opportunities.

Thats kind of like my top plan right now. Im looking at January. Theres some potential jobs that Ive never considered because I never needed to, but now I might take advantage of some of those opportunities, he said. I went to graduate school there, and I really liked it when I was going to school.

Despite the job opportunities available in Hawaii at the time, Sanchez said he made the decision to come back to Guam.

Of course, I put off a lot of other opportunities, he said. Its not like I want to leave, but thats something that I feel I need to do.

As he closes this chapter, Sanchez thanked the community and encouraged students to continue striving for excellence.

Thank you for such wonderful years. Weve been through really so much together, especially when you kind of break it down in timelines we went through, he said. When we first started with John Fernandez, and then fast forward, like eight, something years later, we ran COVID, and we had so much support and help from the community. We had all the other agencies during covid, and we had a major typhoon, and weve just been through so much.

He also took a moment to acknowledge the efforts of the broader school community and students, encouraging them to stay engaged and make the most of available programs.

Because we truly have a lot of people who are really doing their best to get the programs to them, to get the resources to them, to teach them, he said. Listen to your teacher, listen to your school administrators, and all the support folks sign up for the programs that we have in the summer, after school and definitely take advantage of the system itself.
A Superior Court jury took less than 40 minutes on Monday to convict Andrew Anthony Jones, 44, of attempted burglary and criminal trespass for trying to steal a government vehicle assigned to the Yigo Mayors Office on Christmas night in 2024.

Jurors found Jones guilty of attempted burglary as a second-degree felony and criminal trespass as a misdemeanor.

The unanimous verdict marks the first jury conviction of 2026 for the Office of the Attorney General.

Judge Alberto Tolentino presided over the trial.

Attorney General Douglas Moylan said his office will seek a sentence of 11 years imprisonment.

The conviction stems from a Dec. 25, 2024 incident at the Yigo Gym across from the Yigo Mayors Office. Police responded around 10:55 p.m. after a security guard reported a man inside one of the mayors vans reaching under the steering wheel as if attempting to hot wire the vehicle.

According to court documents, a Guam Power Authority security guard stationed near the gym saw Jones inside the van and watched him reach beneath the steering column. The guard tapped on the window, startling Jones, who then fled on foot.

Guam Police Department officers later found a man matching the description nearby who appeared sweaty as if he had been running. The guard positively identified Jones and was arrested at the scene at approximately 11:10 p.m.

Then Yigo Mayor Anthony Sanchez told officers that the vans back door did not lock but the other doors did. Officers found the wiring beneath the steering wheel intact after the arrest, court documents stated.

Prosecutors said he attempted to enter or remain inside the vehicle without permission and with the intent to commit theft.

The AGs office described the attempted theft as a crime against the public, saying Jones, who had a prior misdemeanor conviction, acted no differently than someone stealing a private vehicle and attempted to steal from the people of Guam. The office said it maintains a zero tolerance approach and takes repeat offenders to trial while seeking maximum penalties.

The prosecution team included AG prosecutor J. David Griffin, investigator Frank R. Santos, paralegals Tanya Tellei and Juliet Erese, and AG victim advocate Moxie Ramos. Public Defender Ramiro Orozco represented Jones.




Haiti - USA : Maduro and his wife will appear this Monday before a federal judge





Arrested on Saturday morning, January 3rd, 2026 in Caracas during an unprecedented military attack, American armed forces, the President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were exfiltrated and then transferred to New York, where they are currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a high-security federal prison.



In the United States, Maduro is accused of four federal counts : criminal conspiracy, narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of automatic weapons and explosive devices, as well as collaboration with criminal organizations classified as terrorists by Washington.



Cilia Flores, for her part, is accused of having provided logistical and financial support to the same criminal organization, according to court documents cited by American media.



Both will appear before Federal Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, who is presiding over the case, in Manhattan at 12:00 p.m. local time (17:00 GMT).



The court unsealed an indictment filed by prosecutors that says Maduro headed the Cartel of the Suns, a drug trafficking organization whose name allegedly alludes to Venezuela's military high command. Under his leadership, the indictment alleges, the organization sought not only to enrich itself and consolidate its political power, but also to flood the United States with cocaine and use the drug as a weapon against that country.



Prosecutors describe alliances with the FARC, the ELN, the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Zetas and the Tren de Aragua Cartel, as well as the use of diplomatic passports, airports controlled by government authorities and sea lanes protected by state forces to transport the drugs. According to estimates cited in the indictment, the State Department calculated that around 2020, between 200 and 250 tons of cocaine were transiting Venezuelan territory to the United States each year.



Let's remember that Maduro had already been indicted in Manhattan in March 2020, in a case based on an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) including charges of narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine and crimes involving weapons and explosive devices, today's indictment completes that of 2020.



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





A 16-year-old student killed by police

Amanda Charleus, secondary 3 student, aged 16, was shot and killed on Saturday January 3rd, 2026, in Saint-Marc, as she was leaving the church. The tragedy occurred when police officers ordered a driver who was driving a gray RAV4 vehicle with tinted windows to stop, he allegedly refused to do so and the police opened fire, fatally hitting the young girl.



La Paix University Hospital operational

With partners such as the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) which provides assistance in the emergency department and the supply of inputs, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Ministry of Public Health, the level 3 La Paix University Hospital is among the rare public hospitals still functional in the metropolitan region. Since 2022 the number of admissions has doubled from 800 patients per month to around 1,800. Surgeries increased from 150 to 320 per month. the outpatient clinic receives nearly 300 patients per day...



Venezuela : Lifting of air restrictions

Saturday, December 3rd, 2025, Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation, indicated that the temporary air restrictions introduced Saturday morning by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following the American military operation against Venezuela had been lifted and that airlines would gradually update their flight schedules.



Arrest of Maduro : reaction from Moise J. Charles

Moise Jean Charles leader of the Radical Party "Piti dessalin" published his position on his official Facebook page regarding the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro. Its position is based on a fundamental principle [...] respect for democratic and international rights. Haiti and Venezuela are two sister countries united by a unique historical bond, dating back to the struggle for Latin American independence in the early 19th century. Haiti provided military and material aid to Simon Bolivar for the liberation of his country." Moise condemns "the brutal act perpetrated against President Maduro, an act which violates international principles and rights. He emphasizes that Force creates a state of fact, and not a state of law."



Development of Taekwondo in the South region

The Secretary General of the Taekwondo Federation, Master Carlet Vincent, accompanied by the Technical Director Master Jean Ronald Alexis, recently met Ralph Kervensky Azor, Vice-President of the Taekwondo Association of the South (ATS). This meeting focused on strengthening the ongoing relationship between the ATS and the Federation, with a common vision focused on sustainable development and the long-term growth of Taekwondo in the Southern region.



Laurent Lamothe counterattacks

"It has been established that, for several years, defamatory campaigns based on false information and false scandals, carried out by interest groups linked to certain Haitian oligarchs, have aimed to discredit me. It has also been noted that, in recent weeks, a small group of detractors has relaunched these practices on social networks. As part of my fight for the truth https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46420-haiti-news-zapping.html , law firms have been mandated. Appropriate legal proceedings will be initiated," former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Another submarine cable has been damaged in the Baltic Sea, with the Latvian government stating the impact is expected to be minor.

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A fiber optic cable operated by a private company was damaged near the port city of Liepaja, Prime Minister Evika Silina announced via the X microblogging service. "The incident has no impact on users of communication services in Latvia." The cable runs from Liepaja to Sventoji in Lithuania.

According to the statements, the State Police are investigating the case, which occurred on January 2nd. The State Police and Coast Guard had already searched a ship yesterday suspected of causing the damage. However, the suspicion was not confirmed, the police announced today.

Cable damaged off Finland

This is the second submarine cable to be damaged in the Baltic Sea within a few days; also last week, a telecommunications cable was damaged in the Gulf of Finland. The cable, belonging to the Finnish company Elisa, connects the Finnish capital Helsinki with the Estonian capital Tallinn. Here too, no connection problems are reported.

Finnish authorities quickly identified a ship that had dragged its anchor and detained it. On New Year's Day, members of a special police unit and the border guard agency rappelled from helicopters onto the ship. The officers interrogated the crew, arrested two members, and imposed an exit ban on two others. The ship was en route from Russia to Israel.

Attacks on Baltic Sea underwater infrastructure

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Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there have been repeated incidents involving underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. Last winter, as many as five power and telecommunications submarine cables were damaged in Finnish waters, presumably by ships of the Russian shadow fleet.

The most spectacular incident was the blowing up of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in September 2022. Investigators now assume that the act was carried out by Ukrainians.

(wpl)

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.
Free roaming is considered one of the most tangible symbols of European regulatory policy: since 2017, anyone traveling within the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA) uses their mobile phone under the same conditions as at home. "Roam Like at Home" has removed the fear of the mobile phone bill after vacation. Now, this successful model is also intended to bear more diplomatic fruit: according to Euractiv, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) wants to rapidly expand the roaming zone to bind the Western Balkan states more closely to the community.

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Ukraine and Moldova officially became part of the largely fee-free roaming system on January 1st, after years of negotiations and preparations. The new accession candidates Albania and Montenegro are to follow as early as 2026, according to von der Leyen's wishes, without much preamble.

This ambitious timeline is now causing unrest in the digital single market, writes Euractiv. Criticism is also coming from unexpected quarters. Stanislav Prybytko, Ukrainian Deputy Minister for Digital Transformation, and Moldovan Minister Michelle Iliev are therefore urging caution. They are against decoupling the expansion of the roaming zone from the actual accession process or even rushing it.

Joining the roaming system is not a purely administrative act, but requires profound technical and regulatory adjustments, the government representatives explain their concerns. The pioneers of the latest expansion round find it risky for the stability of the entire market for countries to follow in a hurry. They fear that ad-hoc agreements could lead to asymmetries and unnecessarily increase the administrative and financial burden for all parties involved.

Distribution battle behind the scenes

The mobile industry is also sounding the alarm. The industry association GSMA warns that too rapid an expansion would tie up valuable resources that are actually needed for the urgently required network expansion. Behind the shiny facade of fee-free access for end customers, a distribution battle over so-called interoperator fees has been raging for a long time. When a tourist surfs in Albania, their home provider has to pay a wholesale fee to the Albanian network operator. Although this is capped, according to observers, it is still significantly above actual market costs. While tourist hotspots in the south profit from these fees, operators in Nordic and Baltic states complain about a constant capital outflow.

The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) recommended a significant reduction in these price caps in March 2025 to stimulate competition. Virtual network operators even called for a reduction to a fraction of the current rates.

However, the Commission decided against an adjustment in June and defended the existing caps as market-compliant. This fuels the concern that an expansion of the roaming zone to countries with high tourist numbers could exacerbate financial imbalances within the EU. A German provider could thus be financially burdened by summer vacationers in Montenegro to such an extent that compensation through its own revenues would no longer be possible.

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Clean technical solution required

An old political burden further complicates the situation: when making calls from home to abroad within the EU, surcharges are often still incurred. Only recently did the Commission take the first steps to eliminate this cost trap by 2029.

Consumer advocates support the expansion of the roaming zone but demand a clean technical implementation. The EU's current strategy is often based on bilateral agreements. This leads to strange constellations: an Albanian could call in Berlin without extra charge in the future. However, when traveling to Moldova or Ukraine, he would still have to expect high fees, as there are no direct agreements between these partner countries.

Given the unresolved issues, the Commission has postponed the presentation of its new roaming strategy to spring, according to the report. The paper was originally scheduled to be published in November. In 2019, after an evaluation, the Brussels executive drew a positive conclusion from "Roam Like at Home". The use of mobile data services while traveling in the EU had increased tenfold on average within two years. The auditors found no indications that the abolition of wholesale fees could have worsened the quality of mobile telephony and, above all, data speeds.

(vbr)

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.
Following a fire that has caused a massive power outage in Berlin, police have now released further details about a statement of claim. According to the statement, it comes from the far-left extremist "Vulkangruppe," which has appeared before. Authorities consider the statement to be authentic.

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Tens of thousands of households have been without power since Saturday after a fire damaged a cable bridge near the Lichterfelde power plant. A total of five high-voltage and ten medium-voltage cables were destroyed or damaged "by several incendiary devices," said Berlin's Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey (SPD).

Wegner: It was "obviously far-left extremists"

According to their own statements, police are investigating on suspicion of arson; the state security service responsible for political offenses has a statement of claim. This comes from the Vulkangruppe and has now been classified as credible, a police spokesperson said at a press conference on Sunday. Further investigations into the motive are ongoing.

The perpetrators were "obviously far-left extremists," said Berlin's governing mayor Kai Wegner (SPD). "It is unacceptable that, once again, obviously far-left extremists are attacking our power grid and thus endangering lives," Wegner emphasized. Interior Senator Iris Spanger (SPD) called the incident a "misogynistic attack on Berliners that recklessly endangers lives."

Claimants are not unknown

The "Vulkangruppe" has already been involved in similar acts in recent years. In March 2024, an attack on the power supply occurred near the factory. Due to a power outage caused by a burning power pole, car production at Tesla was halted for almost a week. The "Vulkangruppe" claimed responsibility for the attack. In a cable fire in Berlin in March 2018, communication networks were interrupted in addition to the power supply for around 6,500 households in the Charlottenburg district; the group also claimed responsibility here.

As early as September 2025, there was a major power outage in Berlin due to an arson attack. The fire destroyed several thick high-voltage lines at the base of two power poles in Berlin-Johannisthal in the Treptow-Kopenick district. Here too, there is suspicion that the perpetrators belong to the Vulkangruppe, although this has not been definitively clarified.

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(nen)

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.
Both remain in detention in New York and are due to appear in federal court today on narco-terrorism and weapons charges.

Rodriguez, previously vice-president under Nicolas Maduro , now leads a country under partial US control following the military seizure of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores .

Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim president of Venezuela on Monday, hours after Donald Trump warned she would pay a very big price if she did not cooperate with Washington.

In her first public statement since her formal appointment, Rodriguez said she sought respectful relations with the United States and called for peace and dialogue. She appealed directly to Trump, saying, Our peoples and our region deserve peace not war.

Speaking from Air Force One, Trump repeated his claim that the US would run Venezuela until a safe and proper and judicious transition was arranged. He stated again that American oil companies would enter the country to restore infrastructure and that future strikes remained possible.

Trump told reporters, If she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.

Maduro, 63, is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where conditions have been described as overcrowded and unsanitary. His wife is believed to be detained at the same facility.

Both are expected to appear in court before Judge Alvin K Hellerstein at noon Eastern Time. They face multiple counts, including conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and possession of machine guns.

US prosecutors allege that Maduro led a criminal network involving Venezuelan officials and drug trafficking groups such as Colombias FARC and Mexicos Zetas cartel.

Trump has accused Maduro of sending criminals and mentally ill individuals to the US as migrants, without offering evidence.

China and Iran have demanded Maduros release, calling the US operation a violation of international law.

In Caracas, Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino confirmed that a large part of Maduros security forces were killed in the assault.

Cuba declared two days of national mourning after confirming the deaths of 32 personnel from its armed forces and intelligence services. A Venezuelan official speaking anonymously told the New York Times that the overall death toll was at least 80, including soldiers and civilians.

European Union countries, excluding Hungary, called for restraint and said Venezuelas future must be decided by its people. At the United Nations, a Security Council meeting is scheduled for later today to discuss the US intervention.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, accused by Trump of being a drug trafficker, responded on social media, Stop slandering me, Mr Trump. Petro said Maduros seizure amounted to abduction.

Reports from Caracas suggest that government loyalists remain in control of the armed forces and civil institutions.

Rodriguez chaired her first cabinet meeting late Sunday alongside Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defence Minister Padrino. State television described the gathering as a sign of continuity. Rodriguez has also established a commission to negotiate the release of Maduro and Flores.

Meanwhile, tracking platform TankerTrackers.com reported that at least 12 Venezuelan oil tankers left port in recent days without active transponders, suggesting covert movement of sanctioned crude. The tankers were loaded with oil or refined fuel and belong to entities under US sanctions.

Although the US maintains a formal oil embargo, Trump has suggested that exports to China and other key buyers may resume under interim arrangements.

The tankers departure has provided temporary relief to Venezuelas state oil firm PDVSA, which was nearing storage capacity limits.

In Caracas, pro-Maduro rallies continued on Sunday, with several hundred Chavismo supporters calling for his release.

Rodriguez, in her Instagram address, said Venezuela would defend its sovereignty but stressed the need to avoid further conflict. Our nation is committed to peace and to living without external threats, she wrote.

A vote in the US Senate is expected this week on a resolution to limit Trumps authority to launch further military operations without Congressional approval. The motion, led by Democrat Tim Kaine, has support from some Republican senators, including Rand Paul.

Trump has not addressed the congressional challenge directly but has indicated that operations in Colombia or Iran remain possible.

He told reporters that a strike on Colombia sounds good and accused President Petro of being a sick man.

In an interview with The Atlantic, Trump again asserted the US needed to annex Greenland for defence and resource purposes.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen urged Trump to stop threatening Greenland. In a statement, Frederiksen reminds that Denmark, and thus Greenland, is a part of NATO and therefore covered by its security guarantees. The USA has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Kingdom of Denmark, she says.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb also criticised Trumps language, writing that all nations must respect international law.

HT
Passionate advocate brings China's intangible cultural heritage to global audiences

People's Daily Online) 13:12, January 05, 2026

In recent years, China's intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items have been expanding their presence overseas, thanks to the devoted efforts of practitioners, including Cai Qing.

Cai has introduced dozens of ICH projects to audiences around the world, including the tie-dye technique from southwest China's Yunnan Province, Zhuang brocade from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and straw weaving from east China's Zhejiang Province.

In 2023, Cai spent some time in Yunnan as a photographer. Captivated by elements of ICH, she used her camera to capture and preserve their beauty.

After sharing her work on social media, she received many comments from viewers saying they wanted to visit Yunnan. Cai was deeply moved by the stories of many ICH inheritors, some of whom were devoted to their crafts yet lacked channels to make their work known more widely.

Photo shows Cai Qing (first from right) at work. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

During a visit to Germany to see a friend, Cai brought along tie-dyed products from Yunnan, Yi embroidery, and other handcrafted items as gifts. At her friend's suggestion, the two decided to organize a Chinese ICH market in Dresden.

On the day of the event, crowds flocked to the stalls. What touched Cai most was that several Chinese people living in Germany volunteered to help after hearing about the event. They assisted with interpretation, helped carry materials, kept things running smoothly, and stayed to clean up afterward. Many Germans also came along with their Chinese friends, and the distinctive ICH products from Yunnan even inspired them to consider traveling to the province.

Over the past two years, Cai has traveled extensively through villages and ancient towns in Yunnan, Guangxi, Zhejiang, Guizhou and other places in search of high-quality ICH projects. To date, she has established partnerships for the promotion of more than 80 ICH items.

In addition to connecting inheritors with markets, Cai actively organizes ICH exchange events both in China and abroad.

At these events, Cai places special emphasis on cultural translation. "I need to present ICH from perspectives that Western audiences can easily understand and appreciate  through stories, everyday life scenarios and other experiences," she said. To achieve this, she screens documentaries and short videos at her events, using direct and visual storytelling to help international viewers better understand Chinese ICH.

This approach has proven effective. After an ICH event in Milan, Italy, many local young people expressed not only interest in purchasing the products, but also a desire to travel to Yunnan and Guangxi.

To help ICH reach more people and achieve long-term viability, Cai has been exploring more sustainable approaches. In Italy and other countries, she has set up ICH workshops centered on Zhuang brocade and shell carving, giving participants opportunities for hands-on learning and a deeper connection with the culture.

Cai also provides targeted training for ICH inheritors, teaching them skills in social media operations, product design and practical steps for entering overseas markets. Her goal is to help traditional handicrafts become sustainable sources of income.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
The Condado district welcomes a new addition to its hospitality scene with the opening of Magdalena 1163, a boutique hotel designed to provide personalized attention and a lodging experience crafted within a serene, contemporary luxury setting.

The four-story property is an initiative of entrepreneurs Maria Isabel Esteve and Carlos Lopez-Lay, who developed the hotel in a strategic location in Condado to meet the needs of executives, business travelers, and leisure guests seeking comfort, efficiency, and a high standard of service.

Magdalena 1163 features ten suites in various configurationsStudio, Deluxe, Junior Suite, and two-bedroom units accented by warm cream tones and a modern aesthetic focused on functionality. The owners highlighted that all suites include a kitchenette equipped with a microwave, Nespresso machine, and refrigerator, as well as layered lighting that allows guests to adjust the ambiance, and ceiling wallpaper that adds a subtle visual detail aligned with the hotel's contemporary design concept.

As part of the property's ambiance, the hotel integrates an art selection that evokes Caribbean culture and enhances its modern aesthetic. Featured pieces include designs by Rogative showcasing local motifs, sculptures by Bernardo Medina, Puerto Rican scene photography by "Fuera e Foco," and works by Cundo Bermudez and Julian Ruiz.

The rooftop brings together several spaces, including a lounge with an indoor area as well as an open-air terrace overlooking Condado, suitable for events of up to 40 people, and a meeting room for up to 10 participants equipped with presentation technology and virtual connection capabilities. "These facilities are available to guests and can be reserved for private events or executive meetings," Lopez-Lay noted. The floor also includes a gym for guest use.

Additional services include continental breakfast, a lounge with a selection of snacks and beverages, parking, car rental, and laundry service. The hotel also offers 24/7 direct communication between guests and staff through the Kipsu platform, ensuring efficient handling of requests before and during their stay. "With this blend of technology, comfort, and service, we ensure that each guest's stay becomes an extension of how they live and work," Lopez-Lay added.

In addition to its proximity to the beach, the hotel's location is enhanced by partnerships with local restaurants, allowing guests to enjoy Condado's diverse culinary offerings within walking distance.

The renovation costs totaled $7 million, and, in its initial phase, the hotel operates with a staff of six employees.

Hotel website
Radisson Hotel Group proudly unveils Radisson Hotel Chateau de Bangkok, a stunning reinvention of one of the city's most storied landmarks. Nestled in the prestigious Ploen Chit district, the hotel blends timeless European elegance with modern sophistication, offering 178 stylish rooms, three dining destinations and versatile event spaces for an elevated Bangkok experience.

A Modern Classic Reimagined

For over 30 years, the Chateau de Bangkok has stood as an iconic property in Soi Ruamrudee. Now relaunched under the Radisson brand, the hotel has been thoughtfully redesigned to meet the needs of today's business and leisure travelers, while retaining the timeless character and charm that made it a city favorite.

Comfort and Convenience in the Heart of Bangkok

The hotel's 178 spacious guest rooms and suites are designed with elegant interiors and modern amenities, many offering panoramic views of Bangkok's skyline. Suites with kitchenettes provide added convenience for long-stay guests, while the hotel's pet-friendly policy ensures an inclusive experience for travelers with companions.

Dining and Lifestyle Experiences

Guests can start the day at Larder & Lounge, a chic cafe serving artisanal coffee and locally inspired bites or indulge in refined Thai-French fusion at Chateau Botanique. As night falls, guests can sip handcrafted cocktails and enjoy light refreshments at View Pool Bar on the 12th floor, while soaking in panoramic city views from the rooftop oasis.

Wellness also takes center stage on the 12th floor. Guests can work out in the fully equipped fitness center, recharge in the serene spa room, or cool off with a swim in the outdoor pool while taking in panoramic city vistas.

Meetings and Events

With three versatile venues, the hotel is an ideal location for both corporate and social gatherings. The Crystal Lotus Hall accommodates up to 250 guests, while the Ploenchit meeting room and Ruamrudee boardroom offer more intimate spaces, all equipped with the latest audiovisual technology and supported by a dedicated events team.

Discover Bangkok

Bangkok is a city that never stands still, vibrant, colorful, and endlessly captivating. Guests can wander through lively street markets, sample authentic Thai street food, or take in the city's rich cultural heritage at temples and palaces. For those seeking modern thrills, luxury shopping malls, rooftop bars, and buzzing nightlife are around the corner. From dawn to dusk, Bangkok blends tradition with trendsetting energy, making every visit unforgettable.

The hotel is a 40-minute drive from Suvarnabhumi International Airport and 30 minutes from Don Mueang International Airport. Its central location offers easy access to major transport hubs, top shopping and dining destinations, key business districts, and diplomatic offices. The BTS Skytrain Ploenchit station is 400 meters from the hotel, making the city's highlights conveniently within reach.

Hotel website
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced the opening of Hyatt Regency Nha Trang, a beachfront retreat in the vibrant coastal city of south-central Vietnam. Set against scenic white sandy beaches and offering rich culinary experiences, the property marks a milestone in Hyatt's expansion in Vietnam as the first Hyatt-branded hotel in Nha Trang.

Located along Tran Phu Street, one of Nha Trang's most iconic avenues lined with pastel-colored houses and colonial-era architecture, the hotel offers guests a lively setting steeped in local charm. This seaside location draws both locals and travelers with its eclectic art galleries, shops and restaurants that celebrate Vietnam's cultural heritage. Nha Trang has long been a favored beach destination for leisure travelers, and its thriving shipbuilding industry also attracts a growing number of business travelers. Hyatt Regency Nha Trang is conveniently located just five minutes by car from Nha Trang Train Station and approximately 40 minutes from Cam Ranh International Airport.

Locally inspired design

The hotel structure rises like a boat sailing toward the ocean. Each of the 434 guestrooms and suites is a serene sanctuary designed to meet guest needs. Bathed in natural light, the rooms offer stunning ocean views while its interior brings a warm ambiance. Helmed by EDC INTERNATIONAL, the hotel's interior design is inspired by the ocean and traditional fishing villages with soft natural palettes and handcrafted accents. Every detail has been thoughtfully curated for a seamless stay, from plush bedding and spacious layouts to rainfall showers and smart in-room technology.

Versatile Event & Meeting Spaces

The hotel features 8,428 square feet (783 square meters) of flexible meeting and event space across nine breakout rooms, including a striking pillarless Regency Ballroom. Whether for a corporate meeting, a private celebration or a regional conference, each gathering is met with care and a sense of place through local touches crafted by Nha Trang to add authenticity to every event experience.

Distinctive Dining Experiences

Hyatt Regency Nha Trang offers a diverse culinary journey led by Market Cafe, an all-day venue that marries traditional Vietnamese cuisine with Italian flavors, reflected in a bowl of steaming pho or a handmade pasta served with fresh Nha Trang seafood. Here, open kitchens showcase the chefs' talents and enhance guests' interaction.

Guests can enjoy a selection of cakes and indulge in afternoon tea in a refined setting at The Lounge, located beside the lobby on the fifth floor. On the 30th floor, the Pool Bar blends relaxation and indulgence with its refreshing cocktails, light coastal bites, and breathtaking views of the bay.

For those seeking exclusivity, the Regency Club lounge on the 31st floor provides elevated service including check-in services, daily breakfast, all-day refreshments, and evening cocktails with panoramic views over Nha Trang Bay.

Wellbeing , Family Fun and Coastal Wonder

Hyatt Regency Nha Trang embraces a holistic approach to wellness and recreation. From the serene Flo Spa and modern Fitness Center to the Yoga Room, sun-soaked pool, and family-friendly activity zone by the wading pool, every space is designed to restore balance and vitality. Nearby, Camp Hyatt offers meaningful activities for younger guests, inspired by the surrounding nature and local culture.

A Destination to Remember

Long known for its natural beauty and cultural richness, Vietnam's south-central coast is experiencing a renaissance in thoughtful travel. Hyatt Regency Nha Trang provides an open invitation, inviting guests to slow down, reconnect, and make memorable experiences.

For more information or to book a reservation, please visit www.hyattregencynhatrang.com

The term "Hyatt" is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.

Hotel website
Thomas Krooswijk has assumed the role of General Manager at two Four Seasons properties in Istanbul. His appointment covers the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus and the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet. Krooswijk's career with Four Seasons began in 2001, and he has held various leadership roles across New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Amman, and Marrakech.

Krooswijk's new position involves overseeing operations at both Istanbul locations. The Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus is situated along the Bosphorus Strait, while the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet is known for its historic architecture.

The appointment is part of the company's ongoing strategy to enhance its management team and maintain service standards at its properties. Krooswijk's previous experience in food and beverage management and hotel operations is expected to contribute to the continued success of the Istanbul hotels.

The company has not disclosed any immediate changes or new initiatives under Krooswijk's leadership. However, his role will likely involve maintaining the brand's service philosophy and ensuring the hotels meet guest expectations. The appointment is effective immediately, with Krooswijk already assuming his duties in Istanbul.
Fairmont Amman proudly announces the appointment of Nikolaos Kaloudis as its new General Manager, a visionary leader entrusted with steering the property into an era of elevated luxury and innovation. This strategic appointment reaffirms Fairmont Amman's unwavering commitment to excellence, setting new benchmarks in guest experience and redefining hospitality standards in the region.

A distinguished Greek-Australian professional, Nikolaos brings over two decades of expertise across iconic luxury hotels, corporate leadership roles, and the premium standalone F&B sector within globally recognized 5-star brands. His career is marked by transformative achievementsfrom successful openings and rebranding projects to repositioning properties and cultivating high-performing teams that deliver exceptional results. Nikolaos led Fairmont Amman to record guest satisfaction and positioned the hotel for Michelin Key distinction, the first in Jordan. Under his leadership, guest satisfaction scores exceeded 95% with a 10% increase on repeat guest ratio while introducing bespoke luxury programs making Fairmont Amman the social epicenter of the city.

With a clear focus on shaping Fairmont Amman's future, Nikolaos is poised to craft meaningful moments for guests while driving innovation and operational excellence. His leadership will ensure the hotel continues to exceed expectations and inspire the next chapter of luxury hospitality in Jordan.
Four Seasons Hotel Amman announces that Chef Loay Ali has been promoted to Executive Chef. Chef Loay brings more than 25 years of experience in the culinary and hospitality world. He joined Four Seasons Hotel Amman in 2002 as a Commis Chef. He proved to be a dedicated and eager chef throughout his career, so he achieved quite a few promotions until he became Executive Sous Chef of the property in 2021, which catapulted him to the Executive Chef title in 2025.

Born in Kuwait, Chef Loay knew from a young age that his love for cooking was innate. At 16, he helped at his father's modest restaurant after school and experimented with recipes at home with his mother. He expanded his culinary knowledge by watching cooking shows and learning through hands-on experience.

Throughout his journey, Chef Loay has worked alongside many professional chefs, gaining invaluable experience and refining his craft. The majority of his career has been dedicated to Four Seasons Hotel Amman. Chef Loay's expertise spans classic and contemporary Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, European, American, and Asian cuisines, along with fine dining, banqueting, and large-scale social and corporate events. He is committed to sustainable food practices, zero-waste principles, and consistently delivering exceptional dining experiences to guests.

What really stands out with Chef Loay is that he is loved by his peers in Amman and is recognized for his leadership, mentorship, and ability to develop and inspire young culinary talent.

Outside the kitchen, Chef Loay enjoys travelling, exploring new recipes, and learning about different cultures. He spends quality time with his wife and three childrenMayar, Layan, and Ghazal. Two things to know about Chef Loay is that his favourite cuisine is Thai, and he is a dedicated supporter of Manchester United.
Leading UK management company, RBH Hospitality Management has been appointed to operate Ibis Edinburgh Centre Royal Mile, further expanding its long-term relationship with Accor and strengthening its presence in the Scottish capital. The hotel also marks the start of a new partnership with hotel investor Legal & General.

The new signing signals a strong start to 2026 for RBH, as the company continues to grow its portfolio and make progress against its vision of being the partner of choice for hospitality investors.

Ibis Edinburgh Centre Royal Mile is located in the heart of the city, on the Royal Mile and offers 99 hotel rooms across a variety of accommodation types, as well as an on-site bar & restaurant.

The hotel marks RBHs sixth property in the Ibis brand family, with three Ibis and three Ibis Styles properties now in the RBH portfolio. It also builds on RBHs footprint in Edinburgh following The Edinburgh Grand, a Luxury Collection, Edinburgh; Old Town Chambers Autograph Collection and Abbey Strand Apartments joining RBHs Edinburgh portfolio in July 2025.
Thailand's hospitality sector is entering a new cycle where value creation is driven by asset reinvention rather than organic market recovery. The post-pandemic rebound has exposed structural gaps in competitiveness and product differentiation, while a new generation of design-conscious, digitally enabled and experience-driven travelers is reshaping demand. At the same time, a new wave of luxury and lifestyle hotels is raising the bar across multiple segments.

In this environment, the ability to effectively turn around and reposition existing hotels is becoming one of Thailand's most important competitive levers. Once seen as a reactive response to underperforming assets, hotel turnarounds now represent a proactive, strategic investment discipline that integrates disciplined asset management, innovation and capital planning to unlock performance potential more systematically.

From Challenges to Opportunities

Thailand's tourism engine remains robust, but performance is no longer lifting all assets equally. Long-haul leisure demand has strengthened, while short-haul and group travel segments remain below historical levels, and average length of stay has compressed. At the same time, guest expectations around design, technology and sustainability are rising faster than many legacy properties can evolve.

New supply across Bangkok and key secondary markets is intensifying competition, reshaping performance dynamics and widening the gap between refreshed and outdated assets. Bangkok now exceeds 83,000 rooms, with another 751 keys scheduled to open by the end of 2025. Secondary markets such as Chiang Mai, Hua Hin and Pattaya are also experiencing a surge in branded supply. This influx has compressed rate premiums, intensifying competition and triggering yield compression across both leisure and business segments.

The result is structural: older hotels face higher cost bases, slower demand recovery and uneven performance. Yet within this disruption lies opportunity. Hotels that reposition intelligentlyrethinking product, brand and operationsare gaining strategic ground and outperforming peers.

Strategic Turnaround Approach

The current wave of Thai hotel turnarounds reveals four strategic pathways gaining traction:

Adaptive Reuse and Cultural/Heritage Optimization: Elevating legacy assets into cultural landmarks that balance Thai identity with contemporary experiential value.

Concept-Driven/Lifestyle Repositioning: Repositioning properties into destination concepts centered on wellness, community and culinary identity.

Strategic Reflagging/Brand Evolution: Introducing soft or conversion brands to reach more defined or emerging segments.

Operational Modernization: Recalibrating operating models through data analytics, automation and integrated service systems.

The Dimensions of Strategic Transformation

Effective turnarounds are multidimensional, requiring alignment across the full spectrum of hotel management. Five areas consistently shape outcomes:

Guest Journey Innovation: Moving beyond "service" to "personalization" via integrated digital interfaces.

Financial Management: Linking every capital expenditure (CapEx) decision to a specific, measurable performance uplift.

Commercial Strategy: Utilizing forward-looking demand intelligence rather than relying on historical occupancy curves.

Operational Optimization: Embedding technology to mitigate the rising cost of labor and energy in the Thai market.

Technical Resilience: Strengthening infrastructure to support ESG requirements and modern, sustainable operations.

When these dimensions move in sync, a hotel becomes a more responsive business with a stronger competitive position.

Innovation as Financial Strategy

Turnaround outcomes are increasingly determined by how effectively capital is deployed. Owners are now viewing innovation itself as a financial strategy.

Digital transformation, including guest-facing platforms, cloud-based property systems and real-time dashboards, is now essential infrastructure. Automation and AI-supported analytics allow operators to forecast demand more accurately, adjust staffing models and streamline procurement. These tools are becoming foundational for hotels aiming to maintain pace with market expectations.

A new generation of Thai hotel owners is also adopting rigorous investment frameworks, prioritizing EBITDA margin uplift and asset revaluation over simple cosmetic upgrades that fail to move the needle on long-term value. As a result, technology, design and brand evolution are being used more deliberately to protect and grow asset value.

People, Culture and Purpose

In our experience, the success of a turnaround hinges on organizational alignment. Delivering a new brand promise requires a focus on upskilling talent and ensuring operational buy-in at every level. Hotels that empower their people and embed brand values into daily operations consistently achieve stronger guest satisfaction and loyalty.

Sustainability is also becoming a defining marker of competitiveness. Successful turnarounds integrate environmental and social responsibility into both design and operating decisions. Properties that combine sustainability with experiential designthrough local sourcing, nature-integrated architecture or carbon-neutral operationsare increasingly resonating with purpose-led travelers who are willing to pay a premium for ethical stays. Beyond the guest, these initiatives strengthen brand equity while supporting long-term commercial performance.

Strategic Outlook: 2026 and Beyond

Thailand's hotel market is moving into a phase where competitive advantage will depend on agility, clarity of positioning and the ability to evolve in shorter cycles. Leading owners now view turnarounds as an ongoing process of aligning assets with shifting demand, operational costs and brand relevance.

This change has clear implications: investors are using repositioning to unlock value; developers are prioritizing flexible design and adaptive space planning; and operators are refining brand models to balance global standards with local relevance.

Ultimately, Thailand's competitive edge will be defined by its ability to transform, not only through new development but through strategic renewal of the countrys existing hotel stock. The strongest turnarounds blend foresight with creativity, setting a new benchmark for how hotel assets can compete and thrive in the years ahead.

About CBRE Group, Inc.

CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas, is the world's largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2023 revenue). The company has more than 130,000 employees (including Turner & Townsend employees) serving clients in more than 100 countries. CBRE serves a diverse range of clients with an integrated suite of services, including facilities, transaction and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.

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Wingate by Wyndham Seminole, TX - Image Credit HVS



HVS Brokerage & Advisory presents the Wingate by Wyndham Seminole hotel as a promising investment opportunity, highlighting its potential to increase cash flow under more active management and its strategic location in a robust oil and gas market.

HVS Brokerage & Advisory is offering the Wingate by Wyndham Seminole, an 88-key hotel located in Seminole, Texas. The property is currently absentee-owned, suggesting that a more engaged owner could improve financial performance through better expense management. The hotel is on the market with a financial guidance suggesting a rooms revenue multiplier (RRM) of 3.0x, based on a trailing-twelve-month rooms revenue of approximately $1,387,000.

Financial Performance and Potential

In 2024, the hotel's operating profit was 33.2%, with a net operating income (NOI) of about $344,000. There is significant potential for growth by optimizing operations, particularly in labor and expense management, which could increase the gross operating profit (GOP) margin to 40.0%-42.0%. The hotel also features a profitable on-site bar, which has been a consistent revenue generator, contributing roughly $88,000 in profit in 2024 alone.

Revenue Streams and Market Position

The Wingate by Wyndham Seminole has maintained stable room revenue, averaging $1,415,000 over the past three years despite absentee ownership. The hotel benefits from a diverse mix of demand sources, including local educational institutions, energy companies, and agricultural operations. Additionally, the property includes 3,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, providing opportunities to increase group and corporate business.

Strategic Location in a High-Demand Market

Located in the Delaware Basin within the larger Permian Basin, the hotel is strategically positioned in one of North America's most active oil and gas extraction regions. This location supports stable performance, driven by consistent demand in the post-pandemic economy. The hotel's proximity to larger population centers and its ability to attract energy-sector business contribute to its strong year-round occupancy rates.

Investment Appeal

The property is offered at $48,000 per key, representing a significant discount to replacement cost. This pricing, combined with the hotel's strong financials and potential for increased profitability under more active management, presents an attractive investment opportunity.

In summary, the Wingate by Wyndham Seminole offers a compelling investment opportunity with considerable upside potential in a strong-performing market. The combination of its strategic location, stable revenue history, and potential for operational improvements makes it an appealing option for prospective investors.

Inquire at HVS.
BArT Announces January Theater Performances

ADAMS, Mass.  Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School invites the community to support local student theater with two upcoming performance events this January.

On Friday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m.: "Haters & Brian the Comet" at the school. Admission is free.

Enjoy an evening featuring two one-act plays. The 8th-grade creative studio will perform the comedy "Haters," followed by a dramatic ensemble piece, "Brian the Comet," performed by the 9th-grade theater class. Haters is a one-act comedy play script by Don Zolidis, and "Brian the Comet" was written by Emily Hageman, based on a book by the same title.

On Jan. 16 and 17 at 7 p.m.: "All in the Timing." The performances will be held at the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance in Williamstown.

An evening of wit, wordplay, and absurdity as the Grades 10 through 12 ensemble presents David Ives' "All in the Timing."

Online tickets are $8 for students and $13 for adults. Use code IVES26 at checkout. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for adults at the door.

To showcase the talent of 29 student actors, the show has been double-cast.
Ghost Tours at Ventfort Hall

LENOX, Mass.  Join Robert Oakes, author of "Ghosts of the Berkshires," who will lead tours through the rooms and halls of the historic estate sharing tales of its alleged hauntings.

The tour will take place at 7 pm on Saturday, Jan. 10.

This is not an active investigation.

Admission is $30 and minimum age to attend is age 12. Reservations are strongly recommended as tickets are limited. Walk-ins accommodated as space allows. For reservations visit https://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or call 413-637-3206. Note that all tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Payment is required to make a reservation for an event.

Robert Oakes is an author, teacher, storyteller, and performing songwriter. He has written three books, "The Ghostly Tales of the Berkshires" (2023), "Ghosts of Northwestern New Jersey" (2022), and "Ghosts of the Berkshires" (2020), all published by Arcadia Publishing.

Since 2010, Robert has led ghost storytelling experiences at historic locations in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, including Ventfort Hall and Edith Wharton's The Mount. He has also given talks and readings and led a writing workshop at Arrowhead, home of Herman Melville.
Dalton Board Continues Delay on Mobile Tiny Home Bylaw

DALTON, Mass.  For nearly two years, Amy Turnbull has been trying to amend the current Accessory Dwelling Units bylaws to include mobile tiny homes.

A movable tiny home is defined as a unit under 400 square feet that meets all of someone's daily needs, including sanitation, cooking, and other facilities, and which is also mobile.

The item has been on the Planning Board's agenda for nearly every meeting. However, every time it comes up, the board tables it citing too many unanswered questions that need to be addressed first.

"It's been two years. It's ridiculous how long you guys have sat on this. It's unacceptable in a housing crisis to go so long," Turnbull said during a heated Planning Board meeting in December after they voted to table the item again.

During the meeting she read from the town's Housing Needs Assessment which demonstrates how a little more than a quarter of the town's population are seniors, which is projected to increase to a third in 10 years.

"The vast majority of this age cohort are homeowners. A common trend seen throughout Berkshire County is seniors who want to "age in place" but due to physical limitations cannot maintain their homes, so they are forced to relocate," she read.

"Most homes in Dalton are three bedrooms, which is beyond the needs of most seniors. And,

there are no current rental options available for seniors who may want to relocate to a smaller, more manageable home. The financial burdens of homeownership have risen, denying such owners the likely ability to have financial security, especially if a senior has limited income based primarily on Social Security."

To aid in this Turnbull advocated for ADUs, which are now available by right as state law. However, because of the high cost associated with ADUs, she believes mobile tiny homes would be more accessible.

The unit can be driven to and installed on a property allowing the seniors to live near family or rent it out for additional income.

Turnbull has been working with board member Jarred Mongeon on the ADU subcommittee in an effort to get this amendment passed.

Similar to Great Barrington, Turnbull proposes the town add Movable Accessory Dwelling Unit (MADU) to the definition section of the Accessory Structures and Uses bylaw.

Her proposal defines a movable tiny house as a "residential property with an existing primary house, intended for year-round living," and outlines nine conditions for approval.

Among these conditions: the unit must adhere to accessory dwelling unit regulations, undergo site plan review, be licensed and registered with the state Registry of Motor Vehicles, have approved energy, water, and wastewater systems, and comply with American National Standards Institute 119.5 and National Fire Protection Association 1192 safety requirements.

Additionally, the unit must be certified for ANSI or NFPA compliance by a manufacturer or third-party inspector, including adherence to Appendix Q and the International Residential Code's structural guidelines and energy efficiency standards. The tiny house cannot move under its own power, and its undercarriage, wheels, axles, tongue, and hitch must be concealed from view. Wheels and leveling or support jacks are required to rest on a level gravel or paved surface.

One concern has been the vehicles not matching the architecture of the town and the main home. However, Turnbull has demonstrated that a condition can be included in the bylaw that the unit match the style of the main home or neighborhood.

There are a lot of moving parts to a movable tiny home, said Vice Chair Robert Collins, which Turnbull immediately disagreed with.

"They are exactly the same as [Accessory Dwelling Units] so, I think you are complicating it," she said.

An ADU stands alone on its own and has different infrastructure, Collins said.

The town has to determine the impact mobile tiny homes would have on the utility ties-ins such as sewer, electricity, and water. Additionally, the board needs to know how to correctly tax the unit.

The board wants guidance from town departments, including health, water, sewer, which have not yet weighed in.

Turnbull requested to hold a public hearing on the matter board members decided to table the item instead because they believed more information was needed before that point.

She questioned why details could not be determined during the hearing but the board chose to vote to table instead. Turnbull left in frustration.

When Turnbull left, Board Chair Zack R. McCain III highlighted how another option she could pursue is getting the bylaw on the town meeting warrant via a citizens petition.

Turnbull has been in the process of collecting signatures for a citizens petition. Updates on her mobile tiny home advocacy here

Turnbull also attended a Fire District meeting for guidance on utilities.

At the meeting, Water Department Superintendent Bob Benlien outlined two options: either tap into the primary residence's water line and run a new underground branch to the mobile tiny home, or install a completely separate water service connection from the street to the unit, which would require paying the standard new connection fee.

"I'd recommend a perhaps eight inch PVC pipe, where the pipe is suspended in the middle of it. If it's insulated around the outside during the cold month, the warmth of the dirt at five feet deep will have some heat rising up through that pipe that should help prevent it from freezing, provided it doesn't have the drafts coming from the top," he said.

Benlien also advocated there being two separate shut-off valves  one for the main residence and one for the mobile tiny home  that way the district can turn off the water for the unit in case of an emergency.

He will continue to develop guidelines for connecting the movable tiny homes, including technical recommendations for burial, insulation, shutoff options, and installation procedures and will discuss it with the commissioners.

The commission also intends to review and discuss the utility rates, installation methods, permit requirements.




iciHaiti - Arcahaie : Success of a joint PNH / FRG operation





Friday January 2nd, 2026, the Haitian National Police (PNH), in collaboration with the Gang Repression Force (FRG), carried out a targeted operation in the commune of Arcahaie, precisely in the locality of Bercy which aimed to restore public order and dismantle the criminal networks active in this strategic region.



During this operation, the police carried out the complete destruction of an illegal toll booth erected by bandits who used it to ransom the population and block the free movement of citizens.



Three large-caliber assault rifles were seized, including two M4s, caliber 5.56, and a Kalashnikov, caliber 7.62, and several magazines. Several criminals were fatally injured during intensive exchanges of fire with the police.



This operation marks an important step in the fight against impunity and the reconquest of territories under gang control.



IH/ iciHaiti






















iciHaiti - History : Port-au-Prince, historical and cultural capital of Haiti





Port-au-Prince, the historic and cultural capital of Haiti, carries with it more than 276 years of history (2025) of resilience and creativity. The Town Hall highlights the essential landmarks which tell the story of the evolution of the city, its foundation, its identity, its symbols and its central place in national life.



Foundation :

It was on November 26, 1749 that the ordinance of the founding of Port-au-Prince was ratified by the King of France, giving the city its legal and official status. Port-au-Prince celebrates its foundation every year on June 13, a day placed under the protection of Saint Anthony of Padua, patron saint of the city.



The name Port-au-Prince :

The name comes from the ship "Le Prince", which anchored in the bay in the 18th century.



Former capital moved :

Before 1749, the capital of Haiti was Cap-Francais (the former name of Cap-Haitien). Port-au-Prince was chosen for its strategic position.



A city designed for commerce :

From its creation, Port-au-Prince became a major commercial center, thanks to its natural port.



Morne lHopital, a historic heart :

The first urban core developed at the foot of Morne lHopital, symbol of the birth of the capital.



The Champ de Mars :

The Champ de Mars, built in the 19th century, is the largest public space in the city and an essential historical site.



Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti :

After independence, Port-au-Prince remained the political, cultural and economic capital of the country. City of artists, music, dance, and painting, Port-au-Prince is a cultural pillar of Haiti.



A resilient city :

Port-au-Prince has recovered from multiple crises: earthquakes, fires, instability. Her resilience is part of her identity.



Port-au-Prince today :

The city has more than a million inhabitants over 36 km and has been led since December 24, 2024 by Mayor Ralph Youri Chevry.



IH/ iciHaiti


















Xi says major countries should take lead in abiding by int'l law, UN Charter

Xinhua) 13:23, January 05, 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- All countries should respect the development paths chosen by the peoples of other nations, and abide by international law as well as the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, with major countries taking the lead in doing so, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.

In a world beset with changes and chaos, unilateral and bullying acts are severely undermining the international order, Xi said when meeting with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin in Beijing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
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South Korean president Lee Jae Myung is set to begin his visit to China as Beijing looks to deepen ties with the neighbouring country amid heightened tensions with Japan.

Mr Lees four-day trip is his first to China since taking office in June. It comes at a time of heightened tensions between China and Japan sparked by Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi saying in November that her country could get involved if China moved against Taiwan.

During his visit, Mr Lee will meet with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for their second meeting in as many months.

Speaking to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV ahead of the trip, Mr Lee said he hoped people would understand his government cared about relations between Beijing and Seoul that were based on mutual respect.

He assured that South Korea respected the One China Policy when it came to Taiwan. Mr Lee also praised Mr Xi as a truly reliable neighbour.

Last week, China conducted sweeping military drills around Taiwan in what it said was a warning against separatist and external interference forces. The exercises were held after Washington announced a major arms sale to Taipei, prompting Beijing to sanction 20 US companies.

Mr Lee said Seouls cooperation with the US, its chief military ally, didnt mean relations with China should move toward confrontation, CCTV said. He acknowledged, however, that misunderstandings had hindered bilateral relations in the past. This visit to China aims to minimise or eliminate these past misunderstandings or contradictions, to elevate and develop South Korea-China relations to a new stage, the new leader added.

Mr Lees visit was meant to strengthen bilateral ties and discuss ways to restore peace on the Korean Peninsula, South Korean officials said.

Seoul and Washington want Beijing to use its influence to convince ally North Korea to return to talks or abandon its nuclear programme.

China is suspected of avoiding fully implementing UN sanctions on North Korea and sending clandestine aid shipments to help the neighbour stay afloat and continue to serve as a bulwark against US influence on the Korean Peninsula.

During Mondays summit, Mr Lee and Mr Xi are to hold in-depth talks on substantive ways to address security and economic issues facing the two countries, South Koreas national security adviser Wi Sung Lac told a briefing Friday. On Tuesday, Mr Lee is set to meet Zhao Leji, chairman of the National Peoples Congress, and premier Li Qiang.

South Korea would request China play a constructive role in efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, Mr Wi said. In their November talks, Mr Lee already asked Mr Xi to make greater efforts to persuade North Korea to return to talks.

South Korea would push for substantial achievements that could benefit citizens in both countries too, Mr Wi said.
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Kim Jong Un oversaw test flights of hypersonic missiles and stressed the need to strengthen his countrys nuclear deterrent amid rising global instability, North Korea said on Monday.

The latest tests come as Pyongyang ramps up weapons displays ahead of a key ruling party conference and against the backdrop of what it calls escalating US-led threats.

South Korea and Japan said they had detected multiple ballistic missile launches, which they condemned as destabilising provocations.

The launches occurred days after US forces captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, an event that the North cited as evidence of Washingtons willingness to use force to topple adversarial governments.

State media said the missile launches were aimed at testing operational readiness and reinforcing the credibility of North Koreas deterrent, with Mr Kim arguing that recent international crises underscored the urgency of upgrading offensive weapons.

Analysts say the situation in Venezuela is likely reinforcing Pyongyangs belief that ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons are essential to deter foreign intervention and ensure regime survival.

Through todays launching drill, we can confirm that a very important technology task for national defence has been carried out, Mr Kim was quoted as saying by the news agency KCNA on Monday.

We must continuously upgrade the military means, especially offensive weapon systems."

Possessing a functioning hypersonic weapon gives North Korea the ability to penetrate the US and South Koreas missile defence shields. Pyongyang has carried out a series of tests of hypersonic weapons in recent years but many foreign experts have doubted they achieved the desired speed and manoeuvrability during flights.

In recent weeks, the North has test-fired long-range strategic cruise missiles and new anti-air missiles and revealed apparent progress in the construction of its first nuclear submarine.

Observers say North Korea aims to showcase its weapons development achievements ahead of the ruling partys upcoming congress, the first of its kind in five years. All eyes are on whether Mr Kim may use the congress and set a new approach to relations with the US and resume long-dormant talks.

North Koreas nuclear programme is expected to be discussed when South Korean president Lee Jae Myung meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a summit later Monday.

Mr Lees office said that he would call on China, a major ally of North Korea, to take a constructive role in efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The latest launches by North Korea followed Saturdays US military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and brought him to New York.

North Korea slammed the operation, saying it again showed the rogue and brutal nature of the US.

Many experts say the US operation likely leaves Mr Kim pushing to expand his nuclear weapons capabilities, which he believes guarantees the survival of his government and state sovereignty in the face of US-led hostilities.

During Sundays launch drill, Mr Kim defended his push for a stronger nuclear programme.

Why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events, he said.
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US president Donald Trump again warned India over its purchase of Russian crude, declaring that Washington could impose higher trade tariffs if Delhi did not further curb imports from Moscow.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Mr Trump said the option of punitive duties remained firmly on the table.

We could raise tariffs on India if they dont help on the Russian oil issue, he said.

The US president said India had already taken steps to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies, framing the move as an effort to align with Washingtons expectations.

They wanted to make me happy, basically, Mr Trump said. PM Modis a very good man. Hes a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly.

Mr Trump claimed Indian oil purchases from Russia had dropped significantly in recent months. But data from the Indian government showed the imports rose to a six-month high in November 2025, according to The Hindu.

Delhi has consistently defended its energy strategy as critical to ensuring fuel security amid volatile global markets.

Mr Trumps remarks come at a sensitive moment in US-India relations as officials from the two sides resume negotiations aimed at breaking a prolonged trade deadlock.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi with US president Donald Trump at the White House ( Reuters )

The latest warning follows a recent phone conversation between Mr Trump and prime minister Narendra Modi, during which both leaders underscored the need to preserve momentum in bilateral economic ties despite lingering tariff disputes.

The call coincided with a renewed round of trade negotiations disrupted by Mr Trumps announcement last year of sweeping import tariffs on Indian goods, some as high as 50 per cent.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Mr Trump who was travelling with him, claimed US sanctions and tariff pressure had sharply reduced Indias purchase of Russian oil.

Mr Graham said he was supporting legislation that would allow tariffs of up to 500 per cent on countries like India that continued to buy Russian oil.

If you are buying cheap Russian oil, you keep Putins war machine going, he said, adding the aim was to give the president the ability to make that a hard choice by tariffs.

He said Mr Trumps actions were the main reason India was now buying substantially less Russian oil.

Trade experts, however, cautioned that Indias careful balancing strategy could ultimately undermine its negotiating position.

Ajay Srivastava of the think tank Global Trade Research Initiative told Reuters Delhis middle-ground approach was no longer sustainable, urging it to clearly state its stance on Russian oil.

He warned that even a full halt in purchases might not necessarily ease US pressure, which could instead pivot to other trade demands.

Mr Trumps warning to India also comes as energy politics regain prominence globally following the American military action against Venezuela. The South American nation holds the worlds largest proven oil reserves  estimated at more than 300 billion barrels  but years of US sanctions and underinvestment mean that production is sharply curtailed, now hovering around one million barrels per day.

In October, a diplomatic dispute emerged between the US and India after Mr Trump claimed Mr Modi had promised to stop importing Russian oil, a claim Delhi denied at the time.

Mr Trump had been repeatedly insisting that the call took place and warned that India would face massive tariffs if it continued buying Russian crude, while India said at the time that talks were ongoing and that its oil buys served national economic interests.
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Indias Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to two Muslim activists who have been languishing in jail without trial over a conspiracy charge linked to one of the countrys deadliest episodes of sectarian violence.

Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were arrested five years ago under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for allegedly inciting rioting in the capital Delhi.

The counterterrorism law allows prolonged detention of a suspect without trial or charge.

The violence left 53 people dead, most of them Muslims, and took place amid mass protests against a controversial 2019 citizenship law that critics said discriminated against the religious minority.

The Supreme Court granted bail to five accused in the same case but noted that Mr Khalid and Mr Imam had a "central role in the conspiracy.

It also said the delay in putting them on trial was not a sufficient ground for granting bail.

"Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stand on a qualitatively different footing as compared to other accused," the court said.

The court last month reserved its ruling on a separate special leave petition filed by the suspects challenging a September order of the Delhi High Court that refused them bail.

Prosecutors representing the Delhi police had opposed Mr Khalid and Mr Imam's requests for bail, claiming the violence was not spontaneous but a deliberate plot intended to tarnish India's global image.

The prosecutors claimed that both student activists had made provocative speeches at the time and instigated violence. Their lawyers said there was no evidence linking them to the violence and denied the charges against them.

File. Security personnel patrol a street following sectarian riots in Delhi on 28 February 2020 ( AFP via Getty )

In the wake of the 2020 violence, the Delhi police charged dozens of Muslims in similar cases and held them in prolonged detention. Many of the cases unravelled because the police were unable to provide evidence linking the detainees to the violence.

Mr Khalid on Monday said he was "really happy for others who got bail", according to his partner Banojyotsna Lahiri. So relieved," he told her, adding that "this is life now".

Mr Khalids bail pleas have been rejected by different courts on at least five separate occasions. He was allowed two brief releases in 2024 and 2025 to attend family weddings.

Mr Imam's uncle expressed shock over the apex court's refusal to grant bail to his nephew. I am very shocked to learn about the judgment. I had high hopes that the court would grant bail this time, as every point during the arguments indicated that Mr Sharjeel Imam is innocent," Arshad Imam was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.

"Still, as an Indian, I respect the verdict of the court. I am hopeful that my nephew is innocent and he will definitely get bail, no matter how much delay there is.

Aakar Patel from Amnesty International India welcomed the courts decision to grant bail to five of those accused, but said it is shameful that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam continue to be denied bail.

Neither of these individuals should be in detention in the first place. They have been detained for more than five years without trial on politically motivated allegations  the charges against them should be dropped and their release should be unconditional, he said.

He argued that the Supreme Court imposed exceptionally restrictive conditions on Mr Khalid and Mr Imam for any future bail applications. Imposing a blanket one-year ban on bail, without any clear justification, unduly restricts the detainees right to seek regular judicial review of whether their detention remains lawful and necessary.

Mr Patel added: This judgment underscores a deeply worrying pattern in which prolonged pre-trial detention is becoming normalised. Justice cannot prevail while individuals remain imprisoned for years without trial for exercising their right to peaceful protest.

Last week, eight US lawmakers wrote to India's ambassador in Washington expressing concern over Mr Khalid's prolonged pretrial detention. They urged Indian authorities to grant him a fair and timely trial.

"Umar Khalid has been detained without bail for 5 years under UAPA, which independent human rights experts have warned may contravene international standards of equality before the law, due process and proportionality, they said.

India must uphold the rights of individuals to receive a trial with reasonable time or be released and be presumed innocent until proven guilty."

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote a note of support to Mr Khalid last week. "I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume oneself. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you," it read.

International human rights groups have also repeatedly urged Khalids and Imam's release, saying their detention suppresses dissent and breaches fundamental legal protections.
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A Korean mathematician has solved one of geometrys most stubborn puzzles, ending a problem that has challenged researchers for nearly 60 years and earning global recognition for a proof achieved without the help of computers.

Dr Baek Jin Eon, 31, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study, has demonstrated that no shape larger than a previously proposed design can move through a right-angled corridor of fixed width, resolving the so-called moving sofa problem that was first posed in 1966.

The problem asks a deceptively simple question: what is the two-dimensional shape with the largest possible area that can be carried through an L-shaped corridor of width one? While easy to visualise, it has resisted proof for decades.

In 1992, mathematician Joseph Gerver proposed a complex curved shape, known as Gervers sofa, as a likely solution. However, no one had been able to prove that a larger shape could not exist.

After seven years of work, Dr Baek showed that Gervers design was indeed optimal. He published his 119-page proof on the preprint server arXiv in late 2024, concluding that no sofa wider than Gervers sofa can exist.

Unlike many earlier attempts, Dr Baeks work relied entirely on logical reasoning rather than large-scale computer simulations.

open image in gallery ( SpareRoom )

Describing the long research process, Baek likened his work to repeatedly building and abandoning ideas.

You keep holding on to hope, then breaking it, and moving forward by picking up ideas from the ashes, he said in an interview.

Im closer to a daydreamer by nature, and for me, mathematical research is a repetition of dreaming and waking up.

The research has since been named by Scientific American as one of its Top 10 Math Discoveries of 2025, an editorial selection highlighting breakthroughs across the field.

The magazine has noted that while many researchers have relied on large-scale computer simulations to solve for the maximum sofa size, it is surprising that Baek Jin Eons final solution does not depend on computers at all.

Dr Baeks proof is currently under peer review at the Annals of Mathematics, one of the most prestigious journals in the discipline.

While the review process remains ongoing, confidence in the result is high within the mathematical community.

The moving sofa problem has long held a place in popular culture as well as academia, most famously referenced in the US sitcom Friends, where characters struggle to manoeuvre a sofa up a staircase.

Scientific American joked that explaining the Pivot! shouted by Ross Geller required a 119-page paper.

open image in gallery ( Netflix/Warner Bros. Television )

Dr Baek began working on the problem while serving as a research specialist during his mandatory military service and continued through his doctoral studies in the US and later as a postdoctoral researcher in South Korea.

He was selected last year for the June E Huh Fellow programme, which supports young mathematicians under 39 for up to a decade.

He is now continuing work on optimisation problems and challenges in combinatorial geometry.
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A man has pleaded guilty to dressing up as an admiral for a Remembrance Sunday event in north Wales.

Jonathan Carley attended a wreath-laying service in Llandudno on 9 November wearing a uniform bearing the mark of His Majestys Forces without permission.

The 64-year-old from Harlech was arrested after he was spotted wearing the uniform and medals of a high-ranking navy officer and his image was circulated online.

open image in gallery Carley, dressed as a rear admiral, watches a serviceman lay a poppy wreath at Llandudnos war memorial ( Walter Mitty Hunters' Club HQ )

Concerns were raised by other former and serving personnel in attendance with Llandudno Town Council, which organised the event, confirming that no one of that senior rank had been due to attend the ceremony.

He later told police the naval uniform was issued to him legitimately when he was in the cadets, but he had rear admiral rings added by a tailor and he had bought medals online.

After pleading guilty at Llandudno Magistrates Court, he was fined 500 and ordered to pay 85 towards prosecution costs and a 200 surcharge.

District Judge Gwyn Jones said: Its a sad reflection upon you that you chose to do such a thing on a very difficult day for so many.

open image in gallery Carley told police he had wanted a sense of belonging and affirmation ( PA )

Jams Neary, prosecuting, said at the well attended service, Carley wore medals including for service in Iraq and Syria and approached organisers to introduce himself.

He said: The defendant was allowed to lay a wreath. He did so, he saluted and stood among other dignitaries.

His photograph later went viral on social media and when he was arrested on 14 November, he told police: Ive been expecting you.

In an interview he told police he had wanted a sense of belonging and affirmation.

Sentencing Carley, the judge said: It should have been a genuine opportunity to remember and to think about the lives of all those who have served the country and their community, with so many people not being able to be there.

You were there not as a genuine person but as someone who came to deceive and create a falsehood. Your actions totally disrespect the memories of all those persons who have fallen and causes a great deal of pain to families.

Mark Haslam, defending, said it was a very sad case. He said: He wanted to be a part of the proceedings. He wanted to play a part. He accepts through me that his way of playing a part was totally inappropriate.

He said Carley, a man of previous good character, was extremely respectful during the course of the ceremony.

He said the defendant seriously underestimated the anxiety, anger and distress his actions would cause and had since been publicly humiliated.

Leaving the court, Carley did not answer questions from reporters but stood next to Mr Haslam as he delivered a short statement.

Mr Haslam said: My client would like to reiterate his apologies to all of those who have been affected by what he did. As we made clear in court, he is utterly remorseful and he accepts the sentence of the court.
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Homeless shelters and organisations providing emergency accommodation across the UK are preparing for an influx of rough sleepers as temperatures drop to sub-zero, with charities warning that a lack of affordable housing is pushing more and more people onto the streets.

Councils across the country, including North Somerset Council and Bristol City Council, have launched their Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) measures in an effort to ensure that people have access to shelter at night, with temperatures set to fall to as low as minus 3C in some regions.

In London, additional support has also been granted, with the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, saying the cold could be dangerous and it can often be fatal for those living on the streets.

Figures released by the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) database in June found that between April 2024 and March 2025, 13,231 people were sleeping rough in London, marking a 10 per cent increase on the previous year.

This is 63 per cent higher than the figure seen in 2015/16, with 50 per cent of those spoken to by outreach workers having a support need relating to mental health.

According to the charity Shelter, new research published in December found that 382,618 people in England were homeless, including 175,025 children. Of this figure, at least 4,667 were sleeping rough on any given night, representing a 20 per cent increase in one year, while another 16,294 were living in hostels and other homeless accommodation.

Francesca Albanese, director of policy and social change at the homelessness charity Crisis, said: We are seeing a massive increase in temporary accommodation and seeing record levels of people accessing them. There isnt enough social housing, and the private sector isnt affordable, and that is decades in the making.

open image in gallery Figures from 2024 to 2025 showed a 10 per cent increase in rough sleepers in London ( Getty/iStock )

Its very unsettling for individuals; becoming homeless is very isolating and dangerous. With shelters and emergency accommodation, people come in for a few days when the weather is cold, but its very difficult to then engage in that support someone might need, and link them to the right services in the long term.

While a number of emergency shelters across the UK are open for referrals, charities are aware that the cold weather results in them filling up quickly, with female-only beds often the only ones left available.

Ms Albanese added: These kinds of shelter are facing pressures of their own in terms of provision, as weve seen rough sleeping going up but weve not seen huge increases in funding for emergency accommodation. Emergency provision such as this is vital and lifesaving, and we know people cant survive when temperatures plummet, and we know it doesnt cover everybody and there needs to be more of it.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued amber cold health alerts for England as an early warning that adverse temperatures are likely to affect health and wellbeing. These are currently set to remain in place until Friday.

A number of severe weather warnings expired on Monday morning, but snow and ice warnings are still in force for much of Scotland north of Glasgow, parts of Wales and the South West, and eastern England stretching up to the Scottish Borders.

Its a really dangerous time for people to be out rough sleeping, said Ffion Nicholas, the helpline manager of youth homelessness charity Centrepoint. One of the conceptions the public has is that if you become homeless, youll be supported with help from the council. A lot of people fall through the cracks. Young people in the past had been sofa surfing, but we are hearing from more and more that they are sleeping on the streets.

open image in gallery Charities have warned they are seeing an increasing number of young adults and pensioners becoming homeless ( Getty/iStock )

Charities have also warned that as well as young people, they are seeing increasing numbers of pensioners becoming homeless due to their housing benefits being frozen, lack of a sufficient pension, rising energy bills and less family support.

We keep seeing people coming into our services who are over the age of 65, Ms Albanese said. Its not the case any more that older generations have a pension and security. We have people facing really high housing costs, unable to pay off their mortgages, and people forced into the private rented sector. The older you get, youre more likely to be impacted by health conditions, and thats also happening due to the stress and the wider worry of peoples housing situation.

Crisis, Shelter and Centrepoint all acknowledged that Labours 39bn investment in affordable housing over the next decade is very welcome, but they have warned that those on the brink of homelessness or sleeping on the streets are in need of homes immediately.

Overnight into Tuesday, the Met Office has warned that temperatures will once again fall below freezing for much of the country, with the lowest temperatures possibly dipping to -12C.

Tuesday will see a continuation of wintry showers at first across parts of Wales and southwest England, according to the forecaster.

A mix of rain, sleet and snow will move southeastwards across Scotland and Northern Ireland, then later into parts of Wales and England, with a chance that a further spell of disruptive snow could affect central and northern Scotland later on Tuesday morning until early evening.
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One of the UKs most complete collections of cast-iron street lamp posts are at risk of being chucked and replaced with banal and ugly alternatives, campaigners are warning.

There are approximately 270 historic lampposts in Canterburys collection, many of which were cast in a foundry in the city, which are at risk of being replaced with generic steel poles fitted with standardised heritage-style embellishments.

Canterbury is one of the only remaining places, alongside the City of Westminster and Edinburgh, which has managed to retain a full set of bespoke nineteenth century cast iron street lampposts.

Ptolemy Dean, the president of the Canterbury Society and the surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey, has been raising awareness for a campaign to retain the lampposts.

He told The Independent that Kent County Council, were planning on replacing the very attractive lampposts with a standard off-the-peg steel post that you might find on a motorway or industrial estate and removing the originals to chuck them in the bin.

open image in gallery The lampposts are set to be replaced with more modern facets ( The Canterbury Society and Alliance of Canterbury Residents Associations )

Visually its a really eroding thing in the cityscape, he said. You walk through the streets of Spain and Italy, Paris and places, and you see beautifully paved streets, you see lovely elegant street lights and you see beautiful buildings. In Canterbury, you should be doing the same. You should be seeing beautiful [...]medieval streets, beautiful buildings, and beautiful street lights. To create a whole picture, when you take something like a streetlight and replace it with something truly banal and ugly and nondescript, it detracts from the quality of all the buildings that surround it.

He said that Canterbury, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, should be looked after.

Campaigns have taken place across the country against the removal of these historic lampposts, from Berkshire to Aberdeen.

It's synonymous with a problem that is right at the very heart of everything that's going on in the local environment at the moment, which is that no one can maintain anything, no one will, every, the budget for cutting is maintenance, and therefore you're left with replacement as the solution, Mr Dean added. It's really, catching up on us now.

Years of, years of austerity and the Canterbury thing is the latest in this story.

open image in gallery The nineteenth century lamp posts need painting ( The Canterbury Society and Alliance of Canterbury Residents Associations )

Guy Mayhew, the campaign coordinator and co-chair of the Canterbury Society, told The Independent: These columns are part of the citys everyday historic fabric, not decorative extras.

What our work has shown is that their gradual removal has not been driven by a clear heritage strategy or by evidence of widespread structural failure. Instead, decisions have drifted for years between Kent County Council, which maintains street lighting, and Canterbury City Council, which is responsible for conservation and the public realm.

He continued: In the absence of an agreed design code or replacement policy, temporary and generic solutions have become the default. This is not primarily a funding issue. Repainting and refurbishment are relatively low-cost, and replica or like-for-like solutions have been explored before. The real problem has been a lack of coordination, clarity, and timely decision-making.

More than 750 Canterbury residents have signed a petition expressing concern at the loss of the historic columns, Mr Mayhew said.

Public concern has grown as more historic columns have been lost or replaced with standard steel alternatives, which is why the campaign has attracted significant support locally. What we are asking for is simple: a clear, agreed approach that treats historic street furniture as an asset to be managed properly, rather than something to be quietly downgraded.

A spokesperson from Kent County Council (KCC) said: These are proposed works which have not yet started. We have been working closely with Canterbury City Council to find a solution and move this work forward. The Canterbury Society has not contacted us to discuss these plans.

We understand the historic significance of the Biggleston lampposts in Canterbury and the affection residents have for them. However, recent safety inspections have revealed serious structural issues which mean the lampposts can no longer be considered safe.

The cast iron columns have failed structural tests carried out at the base of the column, confirming internal corrosion and other defects. Painting the columns would only protect the part above ground and does not address the damage inside or underground.

The original factory that produced these lampposts has closed, and the moulds used to make them no longer exist.

Recreating these moulds and manufacturing new cast iron lampposts, or refurbishing the existing lampposts would not be the most effective use of limited maintenance budgets, given other higher-priority needs.It is anticipated that creating a bespoke mould alone would cost tens of thousands of pounds, and each new cast iron column could cost in excess of 5,000.

By comparison, installing a modern steel lamppost costs about 168, and adding a heritage-style decorative kit brings the total to around 810 per lamppost. These kits are made from durable, non-metal materials, which makes future safety checks easier, safer, and more cost-effective.

Importantly, the existing ornate lanterns will be re-used to maintain the character of Canterburys streets.While we appreciate the historic value of the Biggleston lampposts, public safety must come first.

Our approach ensures that Canterbury retains a heritage look while meeting modern safety standards and managing costs responsibly.
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A peaceful transition of power should be reached quickly in Venezuela, a Cabinet minister has said after Donald Trump declared the US would run the country until a new government takes over.

Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones declined to say whether he thought American strikes on Caracas early on Saturday were legal, insisting it was for international courts to judge.

The UK, which has a historically deep intelligence-sharing relationship with the US, was not informed of the operation which saw Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro captured and flown to New York before it was carried out.

The United Kingdom was not involved in any way, Mr Jones told Sky Newss Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme.

We were not informed of it beforehand. So its not for us to judge whether its been a success or not. Thats for the Americans to speak to.

The minister and close ally of Sir Keir Starmer added: I think the important thing now, given the events that have unfolded over the last 48 hours, is that we are quickly able to get to a point where we can get to a peaceful transition to a president in Venezuela that has the support of the people of Venezuela.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to dismiss the idea of imminent elections when asked how soon a vote could take place later on Sunday, telling NBCs Meet The Press show: I think its premature at this point.

He said we all wish to see a bright future including democracy for Venezuela, but that theres a lot of work to be done here.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, the US president said Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been indicted on narco-terrorism charges in New York, where he was taken into custody.

The US will run the country until a safe, proper and judicious transition transfer of power can take place, Mr Trump said.

He also revealed his plans to exploit the leadership vacuum to fix the nations oil infrastructure, and sell large amounts of the fuel to other nations.

The action, seen as the most assertive US intervention to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, followed months of pressure from Washington on the country and its autocratic leader.

Speaking to the Atlantic later on Sunday, Mr Trump also appeared to confirm that Venezuela may not be the last country subject to American intervention, saying: We do need Greenland, absolutely.

And referring to the interim leader in Caracas, Delcy Rodriguez, Mr Trump said: If she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen told the US to stop the threats about taking over Greenland.

Mr Jones said the UK Government was not entirely clear what Mr Trump meant when he said America would run Venezuela, but insisted it was not for a third country to decide on its future government.

Its for the Americans now and for Venezuela to set out what happens in the coming days, he said.

Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel suggested the UK should absolutely have anticipated what was going to happen and that the political direction of travel had been pretty clear.

Sir Keir has resisted calls from within his own party, as well as some opposition critics, to take a tougher stance on the US president, arguing that a close relationship with America is critical for security and defence.

Asked whether he would condemn the military action on Saturday, Sir Keir said he wanted to wait to establish the facts and speak to Mr Trump, and later insisted the UK would shed no tears over the end of Mr Maduros regime.

Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside Kim Johnson questioned whether we as a country still stand for international law and sovereignty, while Leeds East Labour MP Richard Burgon described the Prime Ministers statement as shameful and reckless.

Former shadow chancellor and Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington John McDonnell said that effectively our country has been rendered up as a Trump colony, accusing the Government of prevarication.

In a post on X, Labour MP for Norwich South Clive Lewis said of the US action: A clear breach of the Nuremberg principles  which the UK helped write.

Now a (Labour Government) wont even defend them. This silence isnt diplomacy. Its the moral equivalent of a white flag.

In an interview with the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, the Prime Minister said he does not agree with President Trump on everything he says and does, without giving examples.

He said: We do have differences of views on various things, but on the other hand, I constantly remind myself that 24/7 our defence, our security and our intelligence relationship with the US matters probably more than any other relationship weve got in the world, and it would not be in our national interest to weaken that in any way.

Of course, it doesnt mean I agree with President Trump on everything he says and does, any more than he would agree with everything that I say or do, and we openly accept that thats the nature of the relationship we have.

But we have made the relationship work. We do get along with each other and have the ability to spend time, one-to-one discussion, with world issues, and that is to the benefit of the UK.
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Prince Harry has reportedly won the right to automatic armed police protection when he and his family visit the UK, after a lengthy high-profile legal battle.

In May last year, the Duke of Sussex lost his court case against the royal and VIP executive committee (Ravec) over their decision to remove his right to taxpayer funded police protection after he left as a working member of the royal family.

However, the 41-year-old wrote to the home secretary Shabana Mahmood in September after a stalker, who had previously made online threats, was able to get within a stones throw of the duke during his recent visit to London.

As a result, Ravec, which is overseen by the Home Office, launched a fresh risk assessment and is said to have determined that the Kings youngest son does meet the threshold for official protection.

open image in gallery The Duke of Sussex leaving the Royal Courts of Justice in April (James Manning/PA) ( PA Wire )

According to the Mail on Sunday, a source close to the Sussexes said: Its now a formality. Sources at the Home Office have indicated that security is now nailed on for Harry.

Under the current guidelines, the duke must inform the Metropolitan Police 30 days before arriving in the UK in order to apply for a security review, which is decided on a case-by-case basis.

As a result, he and his lawyers have argued it is not safe for he and his wife, Meghan, and their two young children, Lilibet and Archie, to visit the country after their 24-hour security was withdrawn in 2020.

After losing his court case in May, the duke said he was devastated and described the defeat as a good old fashioned establishment stitch up and blamed the Royal Household for influencing the decision.

Asked whether he had asked the King to intervene in the dispute over security, Prince Harry said: "I never asked him to intervene - I asked him to step out of the way and let the experts do their jobs."

open image in gallery An alleged stalker was able to enter the secure zone when Prince Harry attended the Well Child Awards in London in September (Aaron Chown/PA)

Ravec is made up of security officials from the Metropolitan Police, the royal household and the Home Office who advise an independent chairman.

During a visit to a childrens charity WellChild in September, Harry was granted police protection for one day, during which point a female stalker was able to access the secure zone.

During a subsequent trip two days later to the Imperial College London, she attempted to approach him but was allegedly only prevented from doing so by a member of the dukes private security team.

With Harrys security reinstated, this could pave the way for a reunion between the King and his California-raised grandchildren, who he has not seen since the late Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations in February 2022.

A spokesperson for the Sussexes declined to comment on security matters.

A Home Office spokesperson said: The UK governments protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals security.
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Storm Goretti has brought dangerous winds to the UK in addition to heavy snow, with gusts of up to 99mph recorded on Thursday.

The storm, named by French meteorological service Meteo-France, is the first of the year and has battered the UK with violent winds, causing significant travel disruption in parts of the country.

The UK Met Office put a red weather warning for wind in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in place on Thursday evening. The extreme weather knocked out power in around 60,000 homes across England and Wales, and caused Birmingham airport to shut one of its runways.

open image in gallery Satellite image 36,000km above the Earth shows Storm Goretti ( EUMETSAT )

An amber warning for snow was issued for Thursday evening and remained in place until 9am on Friday, covering the Midlands, Yorkshire and parts of Wales. These regions continue to see heavy snow, which has seen schools close and travel severely disrupted.

Fridays weather warnings

open image in gallery ( Met Office )

The amber danger to life warning for snow was in place in the Midlands, Wales and the South West until 9am, and has now lifted.

As of midday, only three weather warnings remain in place, which will all last until Saturday.

One warns of snow and ice covering much of Scotland, the North East, and the East Midlands, which came into effect at midday on Friday and will last until 3pm on Saturday.

Another is a warning for ice, covering most of the West Midlands and Wales, as well as parts of the North West and South West. This came into effect at midday Friday, and end at the same time on Saturday.

And while a yellow weather warning for ice covering all of Northern Ireland was set to end at 11am on Friday, a new warning has been issued for snow and ice has been issued lasting from that time until 11am on Saturday.

The previous snow and ice warning covering most of Scotland ended at midday, along with the yellow snow warning spanning the North, Midlands and Wales.

Meanwhile, the rain and wind warnings which covered Wales, the East of England, and much of the south coast have also all ended.

Saturdays weather warnings

open image in gallery The weather warnings for Saturday ( Met Office )

Three weather warnings will be in place on Saturday, all beginning on Friday and lasting overnight.

The warning for snow and ice in place covering Scotland, the North East, and the East Midlands will last until 3pm. The ice warning covering the West Midlands, parts of the South West and Wales will end at midday.

Meanwhile, the warning for snow and ice covering all of Northern Ireland will end at 11am.

Sunday weather warning

A yellow warning for ice and snow has been issued for Sunday, covering much of Scotland and North East England. Parts of the North West will also be affected.

open image in gallery A new yellow warning for ice and snow has been issued for Sunday ( Met Office )

The warning will begin at 2am on Sunday, and last until 3pm. School closures and travel disruption in the affected areas can be expected.

Cold health alert extended until Sunday

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued amber cold health alerts for all of England until Monday at 12pm, warning there could be significant impacts across health and social care services, including a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: As the colder weather sets in, it is vital to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable.

The forecast temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.

open image in gallery Amber cold weather health alerts remain in place across the UK ( UKHSA )

Chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said: Storm Goretti will be a multi-hazard event, with the most significant impacts from snow in parts of Wales and the Midlands, though rain and strong winds also have the potential to bring disruption to many.

Goretti will bring snow on its northern edge, this most likely over Wales and the Midlands. Here, accumulations of 5 to 10cm are likely widely, with 15 to 25cm in some places, especially hills, and perhaps up to 30cm very locally.

Travel disruption

Hundreds of schools across the UK will remain closed as much of the country braces itself for further snow and icy conditions. Some rural areas have been completely cut off, and transport is severely affected by the weather.

Rail passengers should also expect a series of line closures during the cold period.

open image in gallery A string of snow and ice warnings is in place across the UK as the Met Office has warned that cold conditions would bring a range of wintry hazards for the next few days ( PA )

Avanti West Coast said do not travel advice is in place on its Midlands routes until 1pm on Friday.

East Midlands Railway (EMR) said the Hope Valley line between Sheffield and Manchester will be closed all day.

A number of other lines, including between Nottingham and Lincoln and between Leicester and Nottingham, will be closed until after 10am on Friday.

The train operator said: Please check your journey before travelling today. Heavy snowfall has impacted our regional routes with some services starting later than usual.

Transport for Wales said it will not run services on the majority of its routes on Friday.

Chiltern Railways also said it plans to operate around half of its normal timetable. It is not running services north of Birmingham Moor Street or on the line to Stratford-upon-Avon.

The statement added: Customers should check before they travel today, as services may be subject to disruption due to the impact of Storm Goretti. Services may be further amended at short notice.

open image in gallery A woman walks through a layer of snow in Dowlais, Wales ( PA )

Thousands of passengers booked to fly to or from Birmingham airport are out of position this morning. But the runway is now open after 10 hours of closure, which saw dozens of cancellations and diversions.

Officials in the West Midlands have warned of the worst snowfall in a decade as parts of England and Wales prepare to be hit with 5 to 10cm of snow on Friday, and up to 15 to 25cm in some areas.
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Sir Keir Starmer is facing a growing rebellion from Labour MPs over his failure to condemn Donald Trumps strikes on Venezuela and the capture of Nicolas Maduro.

Former shadow attorney general Dame Emily Thornberry became the most senior Labour figure to denounce the US actions, piling pressure on Sir Keir to disown Mr Trumps conduct and stating it must be called out.

Dame Emily, chair of the commons foreign affairs select committee, warned: You cant walk into a smaller country and take its resources, tell its leadership what to do or throw the leaders in jail.

open image in gallery The PM has appeared to endorse Donald Trumps actions, stating he would shed no tears over the end of the Maduro regime ( Jeff Overs/BBC/PA )

There are rules. These came out of the chaos, suffering and bloodshed of the Second World War.

Might must not be right. Just because larger countries can walk into smaller ones doesnt mean they are allowed to.

Writing in the Daily Mirror, she said: That doesnt mean it doesnt happen, but it is in everyones interests that it doesnt and it has to be called out.

Trump says that Venezuela is in his sphere of influence and therefore he has a free hand.

The worry is that China may today be thinking, Isnt Taiwan in our sphere of influence? And Putin thinking And Ukraine is in mine.

Her comments were echoed by Norwich Labour MP Clive Lewis, who said the US attack on Venezuela was a clear breach of the Nuremberg principles  which the UK helped write.

Now a [Labour government] wont even defend them, said Mr Lewis in a post on X (Twitter).

This silence isnt diplomacy. Its the moral equivalent of a white flag.

The Nuremberg principles are foundational rules of international law which were established in the wake of the Second World War.

Fellow left-wing Labour MP Richard Burgon demanded that Sir Keir join other leaders in criticising Mr Trump, while Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside Kim Johnson questioned whether we as a country still stand for international law and sovereignty.

Either Keir Starmer believes in international law  or he doesn't, said Mr Burgon in a post on X.

He added: You cant pick and choose. Trumps war on Venezuela is about stealing its oil. Its also about turning the whole of Latin America back into a US colony.

And its about sending a message that international law does not matter. All governments, including ours, must stand up to Trumps gangster politics.

Poplar and Limehouse Labour MP Apsana Begum said: The prime ministers support for Trump will forever haunt his legacy.

This is shameful and tremendously damaging to democracy and trust at home and the UKs standing globally.

Ms Begum tweeted: The British public still remember the UKs role supporting the illegal US-led war in Iraq. Even now, under international law, the people of Venezuela have the right to determine their own future.

Meanwhile, former Labour MP Diane Abbott, who currently sits as an Independent MP, told Sir Keir: If you cannot say this is illegal, all your talk of human rights, the law and democracy is so much hot air.

And ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused President Trump of an unprovoked and illegal attack on Venezuela.

open image in gallery Trump has faced criticism for US actions in Venezuela, both at home and abroad ( AP )

Anxious to preserve diplomatic ties with the UKs most powerful ally, Sir Keir, a former human rights lawyer, has yet to criticise the American raid.

Instead, he has said he wants to establish the facts, and take it from there, adding that he had been a lifelong advocate of international law.

Later, the PM appeared to endorse Mr Trumps actions, stating he would shed no tears over the end of the Maduro regime.

With threats of further action by Mr Trump against Greenland and Colombia, calls from the Labour Left and others for Sir Keir to speak out are likely to increase.

But Home Office minister Mike Tapp refused to say whether the government would condemn any such action, telling Sky News he wont give a running commentary or talk about hypotheticals.

Asked about the US presidents threats, Mr Tapp told Sky News: Id be really clear that allies do matter, which is why these careful diplomatic conversations behind the scenes are ongoing with the United States and with our European allies and Five Eyes partners, and were not going to give a running commentary.

Pressed on whether he could say Britain would condemn any action against Greenland, he said: These are both Nato members, and Im really proud that Nato has used discussion over division.
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Sir Keir Starmer has defied Donald Trump over the US presidents expansionist plans to snatch Greenland from Denmark, publicly backing the Danish prime minister after she demanded that the US stop threatening to take over the territory.

Sir Keir made the unusual decision to stand against Mr Trump after the president dramatically threatened to annex Greenland. But the prime minister has refused to condemn the decision to remove Venezuelas president Nicolas Maduro over the weekend, despite warnings from legal experts that his capture on Saturday was a breach of international law.

Jonathan Sumption, a former justice of the UK Supreme Court, described the move as plainly illegal, while former attorney general Dominic Grieve said: Were living with a completely maverick and amoral US president who is a serious and significant danger to world peace.

open image in gallery Keir Starmer met with Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen in October ( Reuters )

The prime minister, speaking to reporters on Monday, said that his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen was right to dispute the US presidents asserted claim to Greenland, and stated that he stands with Denmark on the issue.

Sir Keirs signal of solidarity with Nato ally Denmark comes after Mr Trump suggested over the weekend that Venezuelamay not be the last country to be subject to American intervention, after the US military carried out a series of airstrikes on Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. He has also previously made territorial claims about another Nato ally, Canada.

Hinting at his expansionist agenda following the operation in Venezuela, Mr Trump told the magazine The Atlantic: We do need Greenland, absolutely.

President Trump has been making territorial claims in relation to Greenland since January 2025, and in February last year, Sir Keir gave Denmark his support in opposing the US demands.

Katie Miller, the wife of one of Mr Trumps senior aides, Stephen Miller, posted a picture on social media of Greenland in the colours of the American flag, alongside the word soon, following the Venezuela operation.

The Danish leader hit back, writing in a statement that the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom, of which Greenland is one.

Asked during a visit to a community centre in Berkshire about Ms Frederiksens strong language, Sir Keir told Sky News: Well, I stand with her, and shes right about the future of Greenland.

While it is understood that Sir Keir has not yet spoken to Mr Trump about the weekends events, the UKs position has been outlined by foreign secretary Yvette Cooper in a call to US secretary of state Marco Rubio, which took place on Sunday evening.

The prime ministers official spokesperson did not deny reports in The Times that the UK plans to abstain from a UN Security Council resolution condemning the USs actions in Venezuela.

Elsewhere, the prime minister was asked by the BBC if he agreed with calls from Denmark for the US president to stop proposing US annexation of the island.

Yes, Sir Keir replied, adding: Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark are to decide the future of Greenland, and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.

Denmark is a close ally in Europe, it is a Nato ally, and its very important [that] the future of Greenland is, as I say, for the Kingdom of Denmark, and for Greenland, and only for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.

The Labour government has been forging closer ties with Denmark in recent months, and has been taking advice from Ms Frederiksens government, which is of a similar political tradition, on how to curb illegal migration.

Former attorney general Mr Grieve argued that there was no legal basis for the US operation in Venezuela, and warned that the renewed claims about Greenland show that Mr Trump is subject to fantasies about the United States right to intervene anywhere within the western hemisphere.

One can see how he thinks [he] could get away with seizing Greenland, Mr Grieve told The Independent. Were living with a completely maverick and amoral US president who is a serious and significant danger to world peace.

Former justice of the Supreme Court Lord Sumption agreed that the operation to remove Mr Maduro did not accord with international law. He told The Independent: The attack on Venezuela was plainly illegal. The contrary position is not seriously arguable.

However, the prime minister maintained his refusal to condemn President Trump over the US action in Venezuela, despite growing unease from Labour MPs and opposition parties including the Greens and the Liberal Democrats.

open image in gallery Maduro is escorted by US personnel after being captured ( Reuters )

Labours former shadow attorney general Dame Emily Thornberry became the most senior Labour figure to denounce the US action, piling pressure on Sir Keir to disown Mr Trumps conduct and stating that it must be called out.

Dame Emily, who is chair of the Commons foreign affairs select committee, warned: You cant walk into a smaller country and take its resources, tell its leadership what to do, or throw the leaders in jail. There are rules. These came out of the chaos, suffering and bloodshed of the Second World War.

Might must not be right. Just because larger countries can walk into smaller ones doesnt mean they are allowed to.

But speaking to reporters, the prime minister said: Whats happened here in Venezuela is obviously really important. We have long championed a peaceful transition to democracy, because the president was illegitimate.

Jarrow and Gateshead East MP Kate Osborne told The Independent: Trump's actions to impose control over Venezuela, are nothing to do with democracy or protecting human rights, they are entirely about seizing Venezuelas resources and the worlds largest oil reserves.

It is a shameless attack and openly flouts international law. Trumps actions should be condemned, it is a flagrant disregard for international law and human rights.

Sir Keir also said that international law needed to be the anchor for the future of Venezuela following the removal of Mr Maduro. He added that the US will want to justify its actions in respect of international law.

But when asked directly, the PM would not be drawn on whether he believed the US had breached international law.

He told reporters: International law is really important. Its the framework, and its for the US to set out its justifications for the actions that its taken. But it is a complicated situation. It remains a complicated situation. The most important thing is stability, and that peaceful transition to democracy.

Sir Keir added: I think the vast majority of Labour MPs would say that they want to see democracy in Venezuela. That is hugely important.
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Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has said refused to say whether the US has broken international law, as she faced questions about the UKs position on the capture of the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

Ms Cooper told MPs on Monday evening that she has raised the issue of international law with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, but refused to condemn the US operation.

She echoed earlier statements from the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has also refused to criticise US president Donald Trump, despite warnings from legal experts that the US action on Saturday may have been illegal.

In my discussions with Secretary Rubio, I raised the importance of complying with international law and we will continue to urge all partners to do so, Ms Cooper told the Commons.

It is, of course, for the US to set out the legal basis for their actions and the UN Security Council is discussing Venezuela this afternoon. These issues will continue to be matters for international discussion.

open image in gallery Ms Cooper told MPs on Monday evening that she has raised the issue of international law with US secretary of state Marco Rubio ( House of Commons/UK Parliament )

I discussed with Secretary Rubio what should happen next and our continued commitment to a transition to a peaceful and stable democracy.

The government is facing mounting criticism from its own MPs, who are increasingly urging Sir Keir to criticise the US intervention.

In the Commons on Monday, Labour former minister Emily Thornberry, chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, argued the actions in Venezuela should be called out, not just by Britain, but by our Western allies.

She added: We should be calling it out for what it is, a breach of international law. It is not for the country that is breaking the law to say whether or not it has broken the law. It is for the West surely to stand up and say, call it as it is.

open image in gallery Yvette Cooper has said refused to say whether the US had broken international law on the capture of the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro ( AP )

Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, has demanded answers on what intelligence the UK had on the US actions in Venezuela prior the weekend.

"It is very clear to me that the US has been in breach of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter (1945), and therefore there should be a referral to the ICC where clearly it will be for the judicious process to determine if there has been a breaking of international law, she told The Independent.

I therefore do not support the actions of the US President and believe it sets a very dangerous precedence.

She said she was concerned that the UN Security Council will fail to fulfil its obligations due to the geopolitics surrounding the situation adding: I believe that the prime minister should be clear, as this is not an issue which you can triangulate on.

open image in gallery Starmer has refused to condemn the US capture of Maduro over the weekend, despite warnings from legal experts that the action on Saturday may have been illegal ( PA Archive )

The UK must state that international law is upheld at all times. I would want to know what intelligence the UK received prior to the invasion and how It used this information to seek to prevent a breach of international law.

The Independent has approached the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office for a response.

Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, said the US had broken international law, and added: The [UK] governments stance has been shameful. The prime minister and the foreign secretary need to stand up to Trump and clearly condemn his illegal actions.

By refusing to do so, the government is allowing the breakdown of international law and putting more countries in danger of being attacked at the whim of tyrants the world over.

open image in gallery Steve Witherden, Labour MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, accused Mr Trump of American gangsterism and said the government's response had been insufficient ( Reuters )

Steve Witherden, Labour MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, accused Mr Trump of American gangsterism and said the government's response had been insufficient.

Meanwhile, John McDonnell, Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, who was only readmitted as a Labour MP in September after his benefit cap rebellion, accused Sir Keir of a "disgraceful failure" on the matter.

Kim Johnson, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, said Sir Keir needed to stand by international law and condemn Mr Trump's actions, telling The Independent: Standing behind the biggest bully in the playground is not a sign of strength; it makes you complicit.

open image in gallery Ms Cooper told the Commons on Monday that the government were urging for a transition to a peaceful and stable democracy in Venezuela ( AP )

Lord Sumption, the former head of the UKs Supreme Court, described the move as plainly illegal, while former attorney general Dominic Grieve added: We're living with a completely maverick and amoral US president who is a serious and significant danger to world peace.

However, the prime minister maintained his refusal to condemn President Trump.

Speaking to reporters, the prime minister said: "What's happened here in Venezuela is obviously really important. We have long championed a peaceful transition to democracy, because the president was illegitimate.

Ms Cooper told the Commons on Monday that the government were urging for a transition to a peaceful and stable democracy in Venezuela.

open image in gallery Lord Sumption, the former head of the UKs Supreme Court, described the move as plainly illegal ( Getty )

The leadership of Venezuela must reflect the will of the Venezuelan people, so the international community must come together to help achieve a peaceful transition to a democratic government that respects the rights and will of its people, she said.

That must mean action on its economic crisis, the release of political prisoners, the return of opposition politicians, an end to political repression, respect for human rights and plans for the holding of free and fair elections.
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Thirty-two Cuban officers were killed in Venezuela over the weekend during an American military operation, the Cuban government has confirmed, marking the first official acknowledgement of the fatalities.

According to a statement broadcast on Cuban state television on Sunday night, the military and police personnel were engaged in a mission undertaken by the Caribbean nations military at the behest of the Venezuelan government.

The precise nature of their work in the South American country remains undisclosed. However, Cuba and Venezuela share a close alliance, with Havana having dispatched military and police forces to assist in various operations over several years.

You know, a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew Sunday night from Florida back to Washington. There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.

Cubas government announced two days of mourning.

Faithful to their responsibilities for security and defense, our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism and fell after fierce resistance in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombings of the facilities, the official statement added.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was due to appear in a U.S. court on Monday after his weekend capture by American forces, with U.S. President Donald Trump leaving open the possibility of another incursion if the United States doesn't get its way with the countrys interim leader.

Trump told reporters on Sunday that he could order another strike if Venezuela does not cooperate with U.S. efforts to open up its oil industry and stop drug trafficking. He also threatened military action in Colombia and Mexico and said Cubas communist regime looks like its ready to fall on its own.

open image in gallery Cubans attend a rally in Havana in solidarity with Venezuela after the capture of Nicolas Maduro ( AP )

The remarks by Trump came on the eve of Maduros scheduled appearance on Monday before a federal judge in New York. Maduro was detained during a military raid on Saturday in Caracas that drew international concern and plunged Venezuela into uncertainty.

Trump administration officials have portrayed the seizure as a law-enforcement action to hold Maduro accountable for criminal charges filed in 2020 that accuse him of narco-terrorism conspiracy. But Trump himself has said other factors were at play, saying the raid was prompted in part by an influx of Venezuelan immigrants to the United States and the country's decision to nationalize U.S. oil interests decades ago.

Were taking back what they stole, he said aboard Air Force One as he returned on Sunday to Washington from Florida. Were in charge.

Oil companies will return to Venezuela and rebuild the countrys petroleum industry, Trump said. They're going to spend billions of dollars and theyre going to take the oil out of the ground.

Global oil prices edged up in choppy trade as investors considered the implications of U.S. military action in Venezuela, while stock markets rose in Asia.

Meanwhile, Maduros government remains in power in Caracas, and top officials have remained defiant.

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who has taken over as interim leader, has said Maduro remains president and has contradicted Trumps claim that she is willing to work with the United States. Rodriguez, who also serves as oil minister, has long been considered the most pragmatic member of Maduros inner circle.

Maduro, 63, faces charges that accuse him of providing support to major drug trafficking groups, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang.

open image in gallery Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Saturday ( AP )

Prosecutors say he directed cocaine trafficking routes, used the military to protect shipments, sheltered violent trafficking groups and used presidential facilities to move drugs. The charges, first filed in 2020, were updated on Saturday to include his wife, Cilia Flores, who is accused of ordering kidnappings and murders.

Maduro has denied wrongdoing, and it could be several months before he stands trial.

The United States has deemed Maduro an illegitimate dictator since he declared victory in a 2018 election marred by allegations of massive irregularities. But Trump has dismissed the idea of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado taking over, saying she lacks support.

Machado was banned from the 2024 election but has said her ally Edmundo Gonzalez has a mandate to take the presidency and some international observers say he overwhelmingly won that vote.

On Sunday, Trump said his administration will try to work with Venezuelas current government to clamp down on drug trafficking and open up its oil industry, rather than pushing for elections to install new leaders.

Though Maduro has few allies on the world stage, many countries have questioned the legality of seizing a foreign head of state and called on the U.S. to respect international law. The U.N. Security Council planned to meet on Monday to discuss the U.S. attack, which Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described as a dangerous precedent.

The attack has also raised questions in Washington, where opposition Democrats say they were misled by the administration about its Venezuela policy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was due to brief top lawmakers on Capitol Hill later on Monday.

Once one of the most prosperous nations in Latin America, Venezuelas economy has collapsed over the past 20 years, sending about one in five Venezuelans abroad in one of the worlds biggest exoduses. The removal of Maduro, a former bus driver who led Venezuela for more than 12 years after the death of strongman Hugo Chavez, could lead to even more destabilization in the nation of 28 million people.
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Europe has hit back after Donald Trump threatened to annex Greenland, days after toppling Venezuelas leadership with the shock capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

The American leader said the Arctic island is so strategic right now and that annexation would benefit both the European Union and the US.

We do need Greenland, absolutely, he told The Atlantic, sparking waves of condemnation across Europe. We need it for defence.

Mr Trump has had his eyes on the territory since 2019 when he first publicly floated the idea of purchasing the country from Denmark, which runs it as an autonomous and self-governing entity.

His comments drew widespread backlash from the EU, and European countries including Nato members France, Germany, the UK, Sweden, Poland, Norway, Finland and Iceland, which emphasised their vehement opposition to the plan.

open image in gallery Trump said the US absolutely needs Greenland ( Getty )

The EU will continue to uphold the principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders, EU spokesperson, Anitta Hipper, said on Monday.

These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them, all the more so if the territorial integrity of a member state of the European Union is questioned.

The comments come amid a string of barely veiled threats to a host of other countries over the weekend as Mr Trump warned Mexico to get its act together and effectively told Colombian president Gustavo Petro that his country could be the next to face military action.

The US leader also suggested that Cuba was ready to fall and may not need US intervention.

Denmarks prime minister Mette Frederiksen warned that Mr Trumps statements about Greenland should not be dismissed as bluster and must be taken seriously.

open image in gallery Maduro arrived in a New York courthouse to face charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking ( Reuters )

Unfortunately, I think the American president should be taken seriously when he says he wants Greenland, she told public broadcaster, DR.

I have made it very clear where the Kingdom of Denmark stands, and Greenland has repeatedly said that it does not want to be part of the United States.

If the United States attacks another Nato country, everything stops.

The UN Security Council held an emergency session on Monday as UN chief Antonio Guterres said the US had set a dangerous precedent for the world order after its actions in Venezuela. He told ambassadors that respect for national sovereignty political independence and territorial integrity must be maintained.

Greenland prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen urged Trump to give up fantasies of annexation, stating that his country was not for sale.

Threats, pressure and talk of annexation have no place between friends, Mr Nielsen wrote in a social media post on Monday.

That is not how you speak to a people who have shown responsibility, stability and loyalty time and again. Enough is enough. No more pressure. No more innuendo. No more fantasies about annexation.

He added that the country was open to dialogue via appropriate channels but not random and disrespectful posts on social media.

open image in gallery Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's government leader Jens Frederik Nielsen ( Ritzau Scanpix )

Greenland is our home and our territory. And that is how it will remain, he added.

The country holds a largely untapped wealth of natural resources including oil and gas as well as natural earth minerals, zinc, copper, nickel and graphite. Its geographical location positioned between the North American Arctic and Europe.

UK prime minister Keir Starmer backed PM Frederiksen, saying: I stand with her, and shes right about the future of Greenland.

Mr Starmer agreed with Danish calls for Mr Trump to stop proposing annexation, as he added: Denmark is a close ally in Europe, it is a Nato ally, and its very important the future of Greenland is, as I say, for the Kingdom of Denmark, and for Greenland, and only for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.
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A single mother living in Arizona says she was slapped with a $150 fine by her Home Owner's Association after trash blew into the street.

Jessica Ensley, who lives in the Hayden Farms community in Surprise, Arizona, told KTVK that she left a paper bag from a takeout order next to her dumpster, as the dumpster was already full.

Im a very clean person, and I respect the rules, Ensley told the outlet. Im not one to just blatantly throw trash around, so yes, it was so full that even that brown paper bag couldnt fit into it at that time.

The wind blew the bag away from the dumpster and onto the street. A receipt in the bag had her name on it, which allowed a member of her HOA to link the bag to her. The HOA notified her in a letter that the bag violated the HOA's rules, and said it was fining her $150.

She said the fine "feels like a money grab."

Jessica Ensley,a resident at the Hayden Farms community in Surprise, Arizona, said she was fined $150 by the community's Home Owner's Association after a bag she'd placed near an over-filled dumpster blew into the street ( Google Maps )

I thought it was absurd because it seemed so extreme for such a small object and a first time infraction," she said.

The notice she received justified the fine by saying it was meant to discourage future violations and to reimburse the cost of enforcing the rules, and was not intended to be solely punitive or to generate revenue for the HOA.

They nitpick, they find small little issues and then, they find ways to fine you for them, Ensley said. It makes no sense to me at all. Feels like Im being taken advantage of.

She said that the dumpsters provided by the HOA are only emptied twice a week, and that she finds trash blown into her yard "constantly" because of the excess trash piling up in the bins. Other residents questioned by the broadcaster said the dumpsters are frequently filled to capacity.

Nine times out of 10 that I come out here, theres gonna be mattresses or just trash built up on the side, a neighbor, who did not want to give his name, told the outlet. So, a lot of times, even myself, Ive had to leave trash next to the bin.

Ensley said she spoke to a property manager about the issue and was told to keep her trash in her home if the bins are filled.

The Independent has requested comment from Hayden Farms.
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A sign on a front door of an Altadena home reads DANGER: Lead Work Area. May damage fertility or the unborn child. Causes damage to the central nervous system.

Block after block, there are reminders that contaminants still linger.

House cleaners, hazardous waste workers and homeowners come and go wearing masks, respirators, gloves and hazmat suits as they wipe, vacuum and power-wash homes that werent burnt to ash.

Its been a year of heartbreak and worry since the most destructive wildfires in the Los Angeles area's history scorched neighborhoods and displaced tens of thousands of people.

Two wind-whipped blazes that ignited on Jan. 7, 2025, killed at least 31 people and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures, including homes, schools, businesses and places of worship. Rebuilding will take years.

open image in gallery Warning notices are posted on the door of a home that survived the Eaton Fire, Dec. 3, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. ( AP Photo/Jae C. Hong )

open image in gallery Nina Malone, whose home survived the Eaton Fire, stands for a photo with a respirator she uses when cleaning fire debris inside her home, Dec. 11, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) ( AP Photo/Jae C. Hong )

The disaster has brought another wave of trauma for people afraid of what still lurks inside their homes.

Indoor air quality after wildfires remains understudied, and scientists still dont know the long-term health impacts of exposure to massive urban fires like last years in Los Angeles. But some chemicals released are known to be linked to heart disease and lung issues, and exposure to minerals like magnetite has been associated with Alzheimers disease.

Ash in the area is a toxic soup of incinerated cars, electronics, paints, furniture and every other kind of personal belonging. It can contain pesticides, asbestos, plastics, lead or other heavy metals.

Many with homes still standing are now living with the hazards left by the fires.

People forced back into their Altadena homes

Nina and Billy Malone considered their home of 20 years a safe haven before smoke, ash and soot seeped inside, leaving behind harmful levels of lead even after professional cleaning. Recent testing found the toxin is still on the wooden floors of their living room and bedroom.

They were forced to move back home in August anyway, after insurance cut off their rental assistance.

Since then, Nina wakes up almost daily with a sore throat and headaches. Billy had to get an inhaler for his worsening wheezing and congestion. And their bedroom, Nina said, smells like an ashtray has been sitting around for a long time." She worries most about exposure to unregulated contaminants that insurance companies aren't required to test.

"I dont feel comfortable in the space, said Nina, whose neighbors' homes burned down across the street.

They're not alone.

Data shows dangerous lead levels still in homes

According to a report released in November by the Eaton Fire Residents United, a volunteer group formed by residents, six out of 10 homes damaged from smoke from the Eaton Fire still have dangerous levels of cancer-causing asbestos, brain-damaging lead or both. Thats based on self-submitted data from 50 homeowners who have cleaned their homes, with 78% hiring professional cleaners.

Of the 50 homes, 63% have lead levels above the Environmental Protection Agencys standard, according to the report. The average lead levels were almost 60 times higher than the EPA's rule.

open image in gallery An aerial view shows homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire with the Pacific Ocean in the distance on January 27, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California ( Getty Images )

open image in gallery A worker in protective gear exits a storage container at a cleanup site, Dec. 3, 2025, months after the Eaton Fire, in Altadena, Calif. ( AP Photo/Jae C. Hong )

Even after fires were extinguished, volatile organic compounds from smoke, some known to cause cancer, lingered inside of people's homes, according to a recent study. To mitigate these risks, residents returning home should ventilate and filter indoor air by opening windows or running high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifiers with charcoal filters.

Zoe Gonzalez Izquierdo said she cant get her insurance company to pay for an adequate cleanup of her family's Altadena home, which tested positive for dangerous levels of lead and other toxic compounds.

They cant just send a company thats not certified to just wipe things down so that then we can go back to a still contaminated home, Gonzalez said, who has children ages 2 and 4.

Experts believe the lead, which can linger in dust on floors and windowsills, comes from burned lead paint. The University of Southern California reported that more than 70% of homes within the Eaton Fire were built before 1979, when lead paint was common.

For individuals that are pregnant, for young children, its particularly important that we do everything we can to eliminate exposure to lead, said pediatrician Dr. Lisa Patel, executive director for the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health and a member of the climate group Science Moms.

The same goes for asbestos, she added, because there is no safe level of exposure.

We have to live in the scar

People who lived in the Pacific Palisades, which was also scorched, face similar challenges.

Residents are at the mercy of their insurance companies, who decide on what they cover and how much. Its a grueling, constant battle for many. The states insurer of last resort, known as the California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan, has been scrutinized for years over its handling of fire damage claims.

Homeowners want state agencies to enforce a requirement that insurance companies return a property to pre-fire condition.

Julie Lawson won't take any risks. Her family paid about $7,000 out of pocket to test the soil in their Altadena home, even though their insurance company had already agreed to pay to replace the grass in their front yard. They planned to test for contaminants again once they finished remediating the inside, the process of making a home contaminant-free after a fire. If insurance won't cover it, they'll pay for it themselves.

Even if their home is livable again, they still face other losses  including equity and the community they once had.

We have to live in the scar," she said. We're all still really struggling."

They will be living in a construction zone for years. This isn't over for us.

Challenges and mental health toll

Annie Barbour with the nonprofit United Policyholders has been helping people navigate the challenges, which include insurance companies resisting to pay for contamination testing and industrial hygienists disagreeing on what to test for.

She sees the mental health toll it's having on people  and as a survivor herself of the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Northern California, she understands it.

Many were at first joyful to see their houses still standing.

But theyve been in their own special kind of hell ever since, Barbour said.

Now residents like the Malones are inspecting their belongings, one by one, fearing they may have absorbed toxins.

Boxes, bags and bins stuffed with clothes, chinaware and everything in between fill the couple's car, basement, garage and home.

They have been painstakingly going through their things, assessing what they think can be adequately cleaned. In the process, Nina is cleaning cabinets, drawers, floors and still finding soot and ash. She wears gloves and a respirator, or sometimes just an N-95 mask.

Their insurance won't pay to retest their home, Billy said, so they're considering paying the $10,000 themselves. And if results show there's still contamination, their insurance company told them they will only pay to clean up toxins that are federally regulated, like lead and asbestos.

I don't know how you fight that, said Nina, who is considering therapy to cope with her anxiety. How do you find that argument to compel an insurance company to pay for something to make yourself safe?
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The capture of Nicolas Maduro in an unprecedented US military operation has left a political vacuum in Venezuela and reignited hopes that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado could spearhead a democratic revival in the country.

Machado, 58, has been living in hiding due to security risks and threats to her life since the last disputed election in Venezuela.

Despite Machado releasing a statement supporting Maduros exit, the exiled opposition leaders whereabouts are still unknown. Trump sparked alarm on Sunday after suggesting she could not become leader of Venezuela as she lacked respect and support in the country.

His comments appeared to be driven by his anger over her acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize, with sources close to Trump suggesting she had committed the ultimate sin by refusing to give the prize to the US president.

The Independent looks at Machados rise in politics and whether she could play a role in a future government.

open image in gallery Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado greets supporters from a balcony of the Grand Hotel in Oslo ( AFP via Getty )

Who is Maria Corina Machado?

Machado is an industrial engineer by training who spent years running the Atenea Foundation for orphaned children living on the streets of Caracas.

She first entered politics through the co-founding of Sumate in 2002, a civic organisation focused on promoting fair elections and democracy. She was elected to the National Assembly in 2011 but was barred from running for office four years later for unspecified reasons.

Machado drew criticism from the governing socialist party for her upper-class roots due to her father being a prominent businessman in the countrys steel industry.

She co-founded political party Vente Venezuela in 2012, which she currently leads. In 2023, she won a resounding victory in the oppositions primary elections, and her rallies drew large crowds.

But that same year, she was banned from public office and from running in presidential elections after unsubstantiated claims that she was involved in a corruption plot. The ban by a Venezuelan court was dubbed arbitrary and politically fabricated by the European Parliament.

open image in gallery Nicolas Maduros unprecedented capture by a US military operation has left a political vacuum in Venezuela ( AP )

Machados years in exile

Machado was replaced as leader by Edmundo Gonzalez in the 2024 elections, which he is widely believed to have won. However, the countrys National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner, without any credible evidence.

Protests erupted across the country after the results were announced and were met with police brutality that left more than 20 people dead.

Machado went into hiding and emerged in January 2025 to make a brief appearance during a protest before Maduros inauguration, where she was arrested and subsequently released.

open image in gallery Trump is said to have cooled towards Machado after her Nobel win ( AP )

A secret voyage to collect the Nobel Peace Prize

Machado became the 20th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.

Trump had expected to win the prize himself for his efforts in securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. In an apparent bid to curry favour with the US president, Machado dedicated her victory to Trump.

She later embarked on a daring three-day voyage to attend the Nobel ceremony in Oslo, Norway, on 10 December with the help of the US military, but suffered an injury along the way.

Upon her arrival, she greeted jubilant supporters gathered outside her hotel in Oslo. She later left the country for an undisclosed location to receive medical treatment.

open image in gallery Machado has been effusive in her support for Trump ( Reuters )

Her relationship with Trump

Machado has been effusive in her support for Trump and his highly controversial attacks on Venezuelan drug-boats and narco-terrorists that have killed at least 115 people. UN experts have dubbed the strikes extrajudicial executions.

But while the pair previously enjoyed a warm relationship, Trump is said to have cooled towards her after the Nobel win.

After Maduros capture, he said she was a very nice woman but that it would be tough for her to lead Venezuela because she did not have respect within or the support within the country.

Two people close to the White House toldThe Washington Post that the presidents negative comments had been sparked by Machados acceptance of the prize, saying it had been perceived as the ultimate sin by Trump.

If she had turned it down and said, I cant accept it because its Donald Trumps, shed be the president of Venezuela today, the source said.
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On the third Monday of January each year, the United States pauses to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday honouring the civil rights icon.

It was in 1963 that Dr. King delivered his seminal "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, a location he chose partly to honour Abraham Lincoln, describing him as "a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today."

Today, millions across federal, state, and local governments, institutions, and industries recognise the day, which falls close to King's 15 January birthday.

While for many it signifies a welcome day off from work or school, King's family and those committed to his enduring legacy of equality, justice, and non-violent protest advocate for a more profound observance. They urge Americans to remember that the holiday's true purpose is rooted in helping others and furthering the ideals he championed.

While it is now a time-honored tradition, the establishment of the holiday had a prolonged, difficult path to acceptance.

How the idea for MLK day began

The idea to establish a national holiday for the civil rights icon arose as the nation was plunged into grief.

Rev. Martin Luther King speaks at a civil rights rally at the Lincoln Memorial August 28, 1963 in Washington ( National Archives/Newsmakers )

U.S. Democratic Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, one of the longest-serving members of Congress known for his liberal stance on civil rights, proposed legislation to recognize King four days after his assassination outside a motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.

Supporters knew it would not be easy. King, who was 39 years old at the time, was a polarizing figure to half the country even before his death, said Lerone Martin, director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University.

Polls conducted by the Washington Post and the New York Times indicated most Americans did not trust King or thought he was too radical because of his speeches on poverty, housing and against the Vietnam War.

People say that King is moving too fast after 1965 and basically Hey, you got the Voting Rights bill done. Thats enough,' Martin said.

The Congressional Black Caucus, founded by Conyers, tried to bring the legislation up for a vote for the next 15 years. Among the Republican rebuttals  public holidays don't apply to private citizens, King was a communist or King was a womanizer.

In the meantime, his widow, Coretta Scott King, kept lobbying for it. Musician Stevie Wonder even released a song, Happy Birthday, to rally support.

So, what changed?

By the 1980s, the social and cultural climate in the U.S. had shifted and the public was reflecting on racial progress, Martin said. Most Americans now were also regretting the Vietnam War. Supporters, meanwhile, were still calling for federal holiday status.

In 1983, about 20 years after Kings I Have a Dream speech, legislation for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday of January cleared Congress and President Ronald Reagan signed it.

States held back as activists stepped up

Reagan's signing did not lead other Republicans to follow. It would be 17 more years until all 50 states observed it. Most of the foot-dragging came from the South  except for Arizona. Then in 1987, Gov. Evan Mecham rescinded his predecessor's executive order enacting a state holiday in Arizona.

He said Black people dont need a holiday. Y'all need jobs,' recalled Dr. Warren H. Stewart Sr., senior pastor at First Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix. That started the war.

Stewart launched a group to lead "people of all colors and all persuasions, faiths and parties" in protest marches. Entertainers including Wonder canceled Arizona events. Companies moved conventions. The tipping point was the loss of hosting the Super Bowl. In 1992, Arizona became the first state where voter initiative reinstated the King holiday.

Supporters took a victory lap the next MLK Day with a packed arena concert attended by Wonder and other artists. Even Rosa Parks was there. Stewart remembers speaking to the crowd.

What I said there  and it still applies today  we've won the holiday but the holiday is a symbol of liberty and justice for all and we must move from symbol to substance, he said.

South Carolina was the final holdout until 2000. But, it was without the backing of the civil rights groups because it also allowed for a Confederate Memorial Day.

A day on, not a day off

Martin Luther King Jr. Day's reach has only grown in its 42 years.

It's the only federal holiday where you take a day on, not a day off." In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law Congressman John Lewis and Sen. Harris Wofford's legislation making it a National Day of Service.

Just about every major city and suburb has some revelry the weekend before, including parades, street festivals and concerts. The various service projects run the gamut  community clean-up, packing food boxes, donating blood.

AmeriCorps, the federal agency that deploys volunteers to serve communities around the nation, has distributed $1.5 million in grants to 200 nonprofits, faith-based groups and other organizations for projects. CEO Michael Smith estimates there have been hundreds of projects involving hundreds of thousands of people for MLK day in recent years. Engagement seems to be expanding.

You know, any given day I see another project that has nothing to do with us, said Smith, who has served in President Joe Biden's administration. What's so important about the King holiday is not only the service that's going to happen, but how it creates a spark for people to think about how maybe they're going to serve all year long.

That's something King's daughter, the Rev. Bernice King and CEO of the King Center in Atlanta, desires as well. She wishes people would do more than quote King, which we love to do. They need to do good work and commit daily to embrace the spirit of nonviolence.

Martin also thinks it's important to learn about the man himself. He finds excitement in seeing people read or hear about the Nobel Peace Prize winner. But, nothing compares to taking in King's own writings such as his 1963 Letter from the Birmingham Jail," he added.

We can arm ourselves with his ideals," Martin said. "We can continue to have a conversation with him  not just on one day but actually throughout the year.
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Approaching its fifth anniversary, the official plaque honoring police who defended the Capitol during the January 6, 2021 attack is nowhere to be found.

Not on display as legally required and believed to be in storage, its whereabouts are unknown. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has yet to unveil it.

The Trump administrations Department of Justice also seeks to dismiss a police officers' lawsuit demanding its display. The Architect of the Capitol, responsible for the plaque, has declined comment citing federal litigation.

Determined to preserve history, some 100 members of Congress, mostly Democrats, have taken matters into their own hands.

For months, they have mounted poster board-style replicas of the Jan. 6 plaque outside their office doors, creating a Capitol complex awash with makeshift remembrances.

open image in gallery A replica plaque commemorating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot hangs outside the office of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi ( AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson )

On behalf of a grateful Congress, this plaque honors the extraordinary individuals who bravely protected and defended this symbol of democracy on Jan. 6, 2021, reads the faux bronze stand-in for the real thing. Their heroism will never be forgotten.

In Washington, a capital city lined with monuments to the nations history, the plaque was intended to become a simple but permanent marker, situated near the Capitols west front, where some of the most violent fighting took place as rioters breached the building.

But in its absence, the missing plaque makes way for something else entirely  a culture of forgetting.

Visitors can pass through the Capitol without any formal reminder of what happened that day, when a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the building trying to overturn the Republican's 2020 reelection defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. With memory left unchecked, it allows new narratives to swirl and revised histories to take hold.

Five years ago, the jarring scene watched the world over was declared an insurrection by the then-GOP leader of the Senate, while the House GOP leader at the time called it his saddest day in Congress. But those condemnations have faded.

Trump calls it a day of love. And Johnson, who was among those lawmakers challenging the 2020 election results, is now the House speaker.

The question of January 6 remains  democracy was on the guillotine  how important is that event in the overall sweep of 21st century U.S. history, said Douglas Brinkley, a professor of history at Rice University and noted scholar.

Will January 6 be seen as the seminal moment when democracy was in peril? he asked. Or will it be remembered as kind of a weird one-off?

Theres not as much consensus on that as one would have thought on the fifth anniversary, he said.

open image in gallery A replica plaque commemorating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot hangs outside the office of Rep. Zoe Lofgren ( AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson )

At least five people died in the riot and its aftermath, including Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by police while trying to climb through a window toward the House chamber. More than 140 law enforcement officers were wounded, some gravely, and several died later, some by suicide.

All told, some 1,500 people were charged in the Capitol attack, among the largest federal prosecutions in the nations history. When Trump returned to power in January 2025, he pardoned all of them within hours of taking office.

Unlike the twin light beams that commemorated the Sept. 11, 2001, attack or the stand-alone chairs at the Oklahoma City bombing site memorial, the failure to recognize Jan. 6 has left a gap not only in memory but in helping to stitch the country back together.

Thats why you put up a plaque, said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa. You respect the memory and the service of the people involved.

open image in gallery Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021 ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File )

The speakers office over the years has suggested it was working on installing the plaque, but it declined to respond to a request for further comment.

Lawmakers approved the plaque in March 2022 as part of a broader government funding package. The resolution said the U.S. "owes its deepest gratitude to those officers, and it set out instructions for an honorific plaque listing the names of officers who responded to the violence that occurred. It gave a one-year deadline for installation at the Capitol.

This summer, two officers who fought the mob that day sued over the delay.

"By refusing to follow the law and honor officers as it is required to do, Congress encourages this rewriting of history," said the claim by officers Harry Dunn and Daniel Hodges. It suggests that the officers are not worthy of being recognized, because Congress refuses to recognize them.

The Justice Department is seeking to have the case dismissed. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and others argued Congress already has publicly recognized the service of law enforcement personnel" by approving the plaque and displaying it wouldn't alleviate the problems they claim to face from their work.

It is implausible, the Justice Department attorneys wrote, to suggest installation of the plaque "would stop the alleged death threats they claim to have been receiving."

The department also said the plaque is required to include the names of "all law enforcement officers" involved in the response that day  some 3,600 people.

open image in gallery US Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell wipes his eye as he watches a video being displayed during a House select committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 27, 2021 ( Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via AP, File )

Lawmakers who've installed replicas of the plaque outside their offices said its important for the public to know what happened.

There are new generations of people who are just growing up now who dont understand how close we came to losing our democracy on Jan 6, 2021, said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a member of the Jan. 6 committee, which was opposed by GOP leadership but nevertheless issued a nearly 1,000-page report investigating the run-up to the attack and the attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

Raskin envisions the Capitol one day holding tours around what happened. People need to study that as an essential part of American history, he said.

Think about the dates in American history that we know only by the dates: Theres the 4th of July. There's December 7th. Theres 9/11. And there's January 6th, said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-calif., who also served on the committee and has a plaque outside her office.

They really saved my life, and they saved the democracy and they deserve to be thanked for it, she said.

But as time passes, there are no longer bipartisan memorial services for Jan. 6. On Tuesday, the Democrats will reconvene members from the Jan. 6 committee for a hearing to examine ongoing threats to free and fair elections, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York announced. It's unlikely Republicans will participate.

The Republicans under Johnson have tapped Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia to stand up their own special committee to uncover what the speaker calls the full truth of what happened. They're planning a hearing this month.

We should stop this silliness of trying to whitewash history -- its not going to happen, said Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., who helped lead the effort to display the replica plaques.

I was here that day so Ill never forget, he said. I think that Americans will not forget what happened."

The number of makeshift plaques that fill the halls is a testimony to that remembrance, he said.

Instead of one plaque, he said, theyve now got 100.
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The US will run Venezuela until there is a peaceful transition of power, Donald Trump has said after capturing Venezuelas left-wing President Nicolas Maduro in an overnight raid on Saturday.

Maduro has arrived in New York and was shown arriving at a detention facility where he will await his first court appearance on US criminal charges.

Trump confirmed the country's leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been flown out of Caracas and indicted on "narco-terrorism" charges following the strikes early on Saturday. The Maduro government has condemned the attack on Caracas as an imperialist act, while Sir Keir Starmer said the UK government would shed no tears over the fall of the Maduro regime.

open image in gallery ( AFP via Getty Images )

At least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were seen in the capital, Caracas, and rising smoke was spotted in numerous regions at approximately 2am during the large-scale attack on Saturday. The Trump administration said around 150 aircraft, including bombers and fighter jets, were involved in the operation.

At a press conference on Saturday at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Trump warned that the US is ready to stage a second and much larger attack if required.

Trump suggested his administration would be heavily involved in leading Venezuela in Maduros absence, though he provided no details. He said: We are going to run the country until such time that we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. He said this will also involve US oil firms entering the country.

open image in gallery Donald Trumps post on X claiming responsibility for launching a large-scale strike on Venezuela ( @realDonaldTrump/Truth Social )

Why is Trump targeting Venezuela?

Over the past few months, Trump has accused Maduro of being a top-level member of a drug cartel, Cartel de los Soles, which he claims is trafficking drugs into the US. Trump has not shared evidence of Maduros involvement but has used these allegations to justify his lethal military operations against Venezuelan ships.

When asked about his reasons for actions in Venezuela by Fox News presenter Peter Doocy, Trump also cited immigration as the reason. He said: One of the things its about is the fact that theyve allowed millions of people to come into our country from their prisons, from gangs, from drug dealers, and from mental institutions.

He made similar claims during the 2024 presidential election campaign, when Trump and his officials on several occasions blamed Venezuela for sending too many migrants to the US. They claimed the country was opening up the prisons and encouraging criminals to flock to Americas borders.

There is also the question of natural resources. Venezuela is rich in oil and rare earth minerals, which serve as extremely valuable commodities. The South American country has $1.36 trillion worth of mineral wealth, according to Maduro.

After the US seized an oil tanker in December, Caracas directly accused the US of trying to plunder Venezuela for its natural resources. In a statement, the Venezuelan government said: Under these circumstances, the true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have finally been revealed It has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people.

US attorney general Pam Bondi has claimed that an oil tanker seized last month off the coast of Venezuela was carrying sanctioned oil intended for Iran. Venezuela has denied this accusation and labelled Trumps actions as an act of international piracy.

What led to the strikes?

Tensions between the two countries have been rising for months. They were ramped up significantly in September, when the US launched military strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the coastal waters of Venezuela.

These airstrikes were later extended into the eastern Caribbean and along the Pacific, with 110 killed so far.

The US has confiscated two oil tankers and is in pursuit of a third. Trump also issued new sanctions on three of Maduros nephews as well as six companies that ship oil out of the country that month, according to Axios.

open image in gallery The crude oil tanker Skipper recently seized by the U.S. off the coast of Venezuela, seen as the ship was traveling in a southwesterly direction and positioned approximately 33km north of Guadeloupe, in the southern Caribbean Sea ( Vantor )

What has Donald Trump said?

In a press conference on Saturday, Trump vowed to run the country. He said: We are going to run the country until such time that we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.

He said this will also involve the US oil firms entering the country as well.

"We're going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country, he added.

In a post on his Truth Social platform shortly before addressing the media, he posted an image which appeared to show the autocratic leader blindfolded aboard the US warship Iwo Jima and headed to New York.

open image in gallery Maduro being escorted by DEA agents in lower Manhattan, New York, on Saturday ( X/@RapidResponse47 )

The White Houses rapid response account later posted on X a video appearing to show Maduro handcuffed and escorted by law enforcement agents.

The video was captioned perp walked.

Donald Trump claimed that Venezuelan vice president Delcy Rodriguez had been sworn in as president shortly before he spoke at the press conference.

She is essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again. Very simple, Trump said.

He also warned that the US is ready to stage a second and much larger attack.

He explained the armed forces assumed that a second wave would be necessary, but the first attack was so successful, we probably don't have to do a second, but added the US is prepared to do a second wave, a much bigger wave.

What could happen next?

US senator Mike Lee says Marco Rubio, Trumps Secretary of State, told him that Maduro will stand trial on criminal charges in the US.

The US Justice Department released a new indictment of Maduro and his wife which accuses Maduro of leading a a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking.

It alleges that the drug trafficking efforts enriched and entrenched Venezuela's political and military elite.

US authorities allege that Maduro partnered with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world to bring tons of cocaine into the US, according to the indictment.

Venezuelas allies have rushed to condemn the US military action. In a statement, Russias foreign ministry criticised what it called an act of armed aggression and said Caracas must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, let alone military, outside intervention.

Ideologically driven hostility has prevailed over practical pragmatism and a willingness to build relations based on trust and predictability, they said.

open image in gallery Venezuelans celebrate after US president Donald Trump announced that Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country ( AP )

We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and our support for the course pursued by its Bolivarian leadership to defend the countrys national interests and sovereignty, it added.

Vladimir Putin is a close ally of Venezuelan Maduro. Last year, he visited Moscow for Russias annual military parade and signed a broad partnership agreement with the Russian leader.

Irans foreign ministry also condemned the strikes, saying the action was a blatant violation of its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Venezuelan government has called for socialist militias and grassroots organisations to take action.

Chinas foreign ministry said on Sunday that the US should immediately release Maduro and his wife, and resolve the situation in Venezuela through dialogue and negotiation.

In a statement on its website, the ministry also said the US should ensure the personal safety of Maduro and his wife, adding that their deportation violated international law and norms.

Sir Keir said Britain would discuss the evolving situation with American counterparts over the coming days.

In a statement on Saturday evening, Sir Keir said: The UK has long supported a transition of power in Venezuela. We regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and we shed no tears about the end of his regime.

I reiterated my support for international law this morning. The UK government will discuss the evolving situation with US counterparts in the days ahead as we seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people.

An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council has been scheduled for Monday.

In a statement via his spokesperson, the UN secretary-general voiced concerns that the rules of international law had not been respected.

Sir Keir earlier refused to be drawn on whether the military action broke international law, saying he wanted to talk to Mr Trump, with whom he had not spoken on Saturday morning, and allies to establish the facts.

Was Trumps action legal?

Legal uncertainty surrounded Washingtons actions in Venezuela on Saturday as international scrutiny intensified and opposition grew within the US Congress.

open image in gallery Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in downtown Caracas ( AP )

Questions persist over whether the United States had breached international law, particularly in relation to the detention of the Venezuelan president. There are a number of international legal concepts which the United States might have broken by capturing Maduro, said Ilan Katz, an international law analyst.

On Capitol Hill, concern cut across party lines over US attacks on vessels suspected of drug trafficking. Lawmakers noted that Congress has not granted authorisation for the use of military force for such actions in the region, raising constitutional and legal doubts about the administrations approach.

Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence to support military action against Venezuela without congressional approval. Mr Himes called for an urgent briefing from the White House on its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.
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The Trump administrations recent actions in Venezuela, including the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and assertions that it will run the country, are prompting stark new questions regarding the legality of US operations and their future trajectory in the South American nation.

The dramatic, middle-of-the-night seizure saw Maduro and his wife transported on a US warship to face narco-terrorism conspiracy charges in New York. Legal experts have described this as an unprecedented escalation, surpassing even the most aggressive historical American interventions against autocratic governments in places like Panama and Iraq. This extraordinary development followed a surprise US incursion that reportedly rocked the Venezuelan capital with overnight explosions.

This is clearly a blatant, illegal and criminal act, said Jimmy Gurule, a Notre Dame Law School professor and former assistant U.S. attorney.

The stunning development caps months of aggressive U.S. military action in the region, including the bombing of boats accused of trafficking drugs and seizures of oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela. The Trump administration has conducted 35 known boat strikes against vessels, killing more than 115 people since September, and positioned an armada of warships in nearby waters.

The bigger debate than legality is yet to come, said John Yoo, an early architect of the George W. Bush administrations policy in Iraq and now a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Its easier to remove a dictator, he said, based on his experience in the Iraq War. But ensuring the transition to a stable democratic government is the harder part.

Maduros arrest came 36 years to the date of the surrender of Panamas strongman Manuel Noriega, a notable milestone in American involvement in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. invaded Panama in 1989 to arrest Noriega on drug trafficking charges.

open image in gallery Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth and Dan Caine pictured at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday ( AP )

In Panama, however, U.S. national security interests were directly at stake in the form of the Panama Canal as well as the safety of American citizens and U.S. military installations in the country.

By contrast, Congress has not authorized any American military strike or law enforcement move against Venezuela.

The President will claim that this fits within a vast body of precedent supporting broad executive power to defend the United States, its citizens, and its interests, Matthew Waxman, a Columbia University law professor who was a national security official in the Bush administration, said. Critics will charge that this exceeds the bounds of presidential power without congressional authorization.

While U.S. agents have a long history of snatching defendants abroad to execute arrest warrants without authorization, federal courts have long deferred to the White House in foreign policy and national security matters.

For example, in 1990, U.S. bounty hunters, working under the direction of the Drug Enforcement Administration, abducted in Mexico a doctor accused of killing DEA agent Enrique Kiki Camarena.

Courts give great deference to the president on issues related to national security, said Gurule, who led the prosecution against Camarenas killers. But great deference does not mean absolute deference and unfettered authority to do anything.

open image in gallery Supporters of Nicolas Maduro burn a US flag during a gathering near Miraflores palace ( AP )

Trumps administration has declared the drug cartels operating from Venezuela to be unlawful combatants and has said the United States is now in an armed conflict with them, according to an administration memo obtained in October by The Associated Press.

The memo appears to represent an extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers, with Trump effectively declaring that trafficking of drugs into the U.S. amounts to armed conflict requiring the use of military force. That is a new rationale for past and future actions.

Congress, which has broad authority to approve or prohibit the presidents war powers, has failed to do either, even as lawmakers from both political parties grow increasingly uneasy with the military actions in the region, particularly after it was revealed that U.S. forces killed two survivors of a boat attack with a follow-up strike.

Congress Democratic leaders, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, demanded immediate briefings for the gang of eight leaders on Capitol Hill, which includes top members of the Intelligence committees, as well as for other lawmakers. Congressional leaders were not notified of the actions until after the operation was underway.

open image in gallery Maduros arrest caps months of aggressive U.S. military action in the region ( AFP/Getty )

The idea that Trump plans to now run Venezuela should strike fear in the hearts of all Americans," Schumer said. The American people have seen this before and paid the devastating price.

Michael Schmitt, a former Air Force lawyer and professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval War College, said the entire operation  the boat strikes as well as the apprehension of Maduro  clearly violates international law.

Lawyers call it international armed conflict, Schmitt said. Lay people call it war. So as a matter of law, we are now at war with Venezuela because the use of hostilities between two states clearly triggers an internal armed conflict.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the administration is working to schedule briefings for lawmakers next week.

Republican lawmakers in Congress largely welcomed the capture of Maduro as ridding the region of a leader they called a dictator, but Democratic lawmakers warned that in veering from the rule of law, the administration is potentially greenlighting other countries such as China or Russia to do the same.

Beyond the legality, what kind of precedent does it send? asked Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. He said in an interview that the rebuilding plan ahead has echoes of the Iraq War as the Trump administration promises to use Venezuela's oil revenue to pay the costs.

open image in gallery Presidential guard troops stand outside the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela ( AP )

Waxman, the Columbia University law professor, said seizing control of Venezuelas resources opens up additional legal issues: For example, a big issue will be who really owns Venezuelas oil?

The Senate is expected to try again next week to curtail Trump's actions, with a vote expected on a bipartisan war powers resolution that would block using U.S. forces against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he is grateful for the armed forces who carried out this necessary action. He said he spoke to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and wants more information.

I look forward to receiving further briefings from the administration on this operation as part of its comprehensive counternarcotics strategy when the Senate returns to Washington next week, Thune said.

Rubio said at a briefing Saturday with Trump that because of the nature of the surprise operation, it was not something that could be shared beforehand with the lawmakers.
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Donald Trump has issued a series of threats against multiple countries after American troops captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

The US president followed Maduros shock arrest with threats against Colombia, Mexico, Greenland, Iran and Cuba.

But these are far from the only countries the Nobel Peace Prize hopeful Trump has lashed out at at.

Below, The Independent looks at the nations in the US leaders firing line, after he boasted that American dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again.

Venezuela

For months, the US has been striking what it describes as Venezuelan drug boats, which it claims are carrying narcotics to the US.

Since the first strike in September, Trump has ordered an unprecedented buildup of military assets near the countrys Caribbean coast and issued a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers.

The US seized Maduro and his wife in a military operation Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base.

open image in gallery Maduro will face a New York court on Monday ( )

Colombia

Trump has warned Colombian president Gustavo Petro  one of his fiercest critics on the international stage  that the South American country could be the next to face US military action.

The US sanctioned Petro last autumn after Trump blamed him for failing to curb drug trafficking in the country and allowing cartels to flourish.

Colombia has become a refuge for millions of Venezuelans who have fled Maduros rule in recent years.

Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and hes not going to be doing it very long, he told reporters while on board Air Force One.

When asked by NewsNations Libbey Dean whether the US would carry out a military operation, the US president said: It sounds good to me. You know why? Because they kill a lot of people.

open image in gallery Colombian president Gustavo Petro has been one of Trumps fiercest critics ( AP )

Mexico

Mexico has long been a target of Trumps anger, with the US president blaming the government for failing to deal with drug cartels and prevent the flow of migrants across the border.

Drugs are pouring through Mexico, Trump said last year, describing the cartels as very strong.

He said that Mexico, which has been led by left-wing president Claudia Sheinbaum since October 2024, has to get their act together or were going to have to do something.

Trump claims to have offered Sheinbaum the US militarys help to root out drug cartels. On Monday, Sheinbaum stressed Mexico is a sovereign country and was cooperating with the US on drug trafficking and security.

We categorically reject intervention in the internal matters of other countries, she said.

open image in gallery Trump claims to have offered Mexicos presdident Claudia Sheinbaum the US militarys help to root out drug cartels ( AP )

Greenland

Fears are growing that Trump could order US military action in Greenland after repeated threats to seize the territory.

We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence, the president told The Atlantic magazine on Sunday.

Katie Miller, the wife of one of Trumps senior aides, Stephen Miller, sparked backlash in Greenland after she posted a picture on social media of the country in the colours of the American flag, alongside the word soon.

Trumps desire for a US takeover of the mineral-rich self-governing Danish territory has been no secret since he resumed office in January last year.

On Monday, Denmarks prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said in a statement that the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom, of which Greenland is one.

open image in gallery Denmarks leader Mette Frederiksen says the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom ( PA )

Iran

Trump has long considered Irans regime one of Americas main adversaries. Last June, the US joined an Israeli bombing campaign aimed at destroying the countrys nuclear programme.

Last week, he weighed in on the ongoing protests in Iran over the cost of living, in which at least eight people have reportedly been killed by police. Protesters have called for the overthrow of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.

If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue  We are locked and loaded and ready to go, he wrote on Truth Social.

It is not clear how the US could help the protesters. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump only said: If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think theyre going to get hit very hard by the United States.

open image in gallery Protesters march in downtown Tehran over the cost of living ( Fars News Agency )

Cuba

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Sunday that he believes Cuba is in a lot of trouble following the capture of Maduro, a key ally.

Im not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard, Rubio told NBC. But I dont think its any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime, who, by the way, are the ones that were propping up Maduro.

Mr Trump says the US may not need to intervene in Cuba, one of Venezuelas key allies, as he claims that the country is ready to fall following Maduros capture.

I dont know if theyre going to hold out, but Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. Theyre not getting any of it. Cuba literally is ready to fall.
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Over the weekend, President Donald Trump completely upended the global rules with an audacious large-scale strike against Venezuela, which led to the capture of its president Nicolas Maduro.

Trump ordered the attack and arrest in Caracas over the weekend as much of Washington was out of town for the Christmas holiday. Trump chose not to go through the normal protocol of asking for Congressional authorization, saying Congress will leak, and we dont want leakers. But aside from a few errant critics such as the retiring Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republicans largely blessed the attack.

Still, as much as the Trump administration and Secretary of State Marco Rubio call the operation in Venezuela a law enforcement mission, it has all the trappings of a military operation, meaning this is strictly within the purview of Congress.

It doesnt seem like the president or lawmakers seem to care that much.

open image in gallery Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ruled out a government shutdown over the attacks on Venezuela. ( AP )

The Constitution gives Congress  and only Congress  the power to declare war for a reason, though, over the years, it slowly surrendered its authority to the executive branch even before Trump. Congress notably did nothing after Trump conducted strikes on Irans nuclear facilities. It did not rein in the Obama administration when it intervened in Libya to enforce a no-fly zone.

While Congress did pass an authorization of the use of military force after the September 11 terrorist attacks, that was not a formal declaration of war and it proved to be incredibly broad and gave the executive sweeping authority for Americas longest wars, in Afghanistan and Iraq.

So what comes next? PunchBowl News reported that Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi will brief Congressional leaders Monday evening.

open image in gallery Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are set to brief Congress on Monday evening. ( AP )

That briefing is set to include the Gang of Eight, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as well as the top Republicans and Democrats on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.

The chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and well as the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will also be briefed.

During a press call, Schumer told reporters over the weekend that the Senate would vote on a War Powers Act resolution this week. Passed in 1973 despite a veto from Richard Nixon, it was an attempt by Congress to claw back some of the power it ceded during the Vietnam War.

If a War Powers Act resolution passes, the president has to notify Congress 48 hours after he deploys forces if Congress has not declared war or authorized military action.

But this likely will not pass since Democrats have only 47 seats in the Senate and so far, only Sen. Rand Paul has crossed over from Republicans to support the legislation. And this comes without asking whether the Republican-controlled House would take up such a resolution.

The only real piece of leverage Democrats have to rein in Trump is the coming government funding deadline at the end of the month. But when The Independent asked Schumer about using that, he brushed off the question.

January 30 is days away, let's first get all the facts out, Schumer told The Independent Saturday. That's what we're endeavoring to do right now, and our first ability to do that will be the War Powers Act of this week.

And dont expect any Republicans to take action. For years, they have opposed the communist regime in Venezuela ever since Maduros predecessor Hugo Chavez came into power. In addition, Cuban and Venezuelan voters in South Florida, who overwhelmingly support Trump, will boost the presidents actions.

This also comes as Trump has increasingly neutered Congresss authority in his second presidency. From government spending cuts to his One Big, Beautiful Bill to his bombing of Iran, Trump has effectively cut Congress out of the decision-making process.

The only way for any of this to change is for Republicans to reassert their authority. But as long as Johnson and Thune remain in power, that looks unlikely.
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Donald Trump posted over 80 times in the early hours of this morning, mainly focusing on slamming the critics of the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

U.S. Forces forcibly took the Venezuelan leader into custody on January 3, after Trump called for regime change in the South American country and claimed that Maduros government was funneling drugs into the United States.

The president has responded in typical fashion to criticism of his move - with a social media blitz.

In his online tirade, he shared posts from supporters, which touted the widely condemned operation as a success, as well as videos of celebrating Venezuelans.

The left-wing media was just caught refusing to cover the fact tens of THOUSANDS of Venezuelans are celebrating Donald Trumps victory over Maduro in Buenos Aires, Eric Daugherty wrote in a post, reshared by Trump. They wont show it. They hate Trump so bad, they want Venezuelans to suffer.

The Fake News just wont cover the TRUTH! Trump replied.

open image in gallery Trump also reshared conspiracy theories about Somali immigration into the US and the 2020 election ( REUTERS )

In the footage shared by Trump, Venezuelan demonstrators can be seen cheering and letting off flares. Some can be seen waving the South American countrys flag, while loud music blares in the background.

However, Trumps capture of Maduro has been criticized by Democrats and by world leaders.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, Trumps rival in 2024, claimed that the move was putting troops at risk and destabilizing a region.

This is not about drugs or democracy, she wrote on X. It is about oil and Donald Trumps desire to play the regional strongman.

Even far-right figures in Europe slammed the move, with French politician Marine Le Pen, who was previously backed by Trump, tearing into the U.S. presidents actions.

She wrote on X that, although she considered Maduros regime to be authoritarian, the sovereignty of states is never negotiable.

open image in gallery Donald Trump posted over 80 times in the early hours, as he raged about criticism of his capture of Venezuelan President Maduro ( Truth Social )

Meanwhile, Trump continued his social media blitz with another post, which suggested that Venezuelan refugees were already planning to self-deport because of the U.S.s capture of Maduro.

Trumps resharing on Truth Social, known as retruthing, also saw him return to one of his favored talking points.

Many of the posts shared conspiracy theories about Somali immigration into Minnesota, suggesting that the Democratic Party had plotted to create a high influx of migrants to the U.S. in order to swing elections.

Another post suggested that daycare centers in Minnesota, which are aimed at supporting the children of Somali immigrants, were a nationwide money laundering scheme.

open image in gallery President Nicholas Maduro was captured at a compound in Venezuela and flown to the US on January 3 ( X/@RapidResponse47 )

He even shared an interview with Stephan Miller, in which the homeland security advisor claimed that Democrats were planning a Somalification of America.

Trump also spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, which saw President Joe Biden's landslide victory.

One of the posts claimed that 941,000 Trump votes were deleted, with an additional 435,000 being changed to support Biden.

The idea that the 2020 election was stolen has been widely debunked by experts, with Mike Pence, Trumps own vice president, certifying the election as legitimate.
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Elon Musk has revealed he had a lovely dinner with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on Saturday evening, just hours after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Had a lovely dinner last night with POTUS and FLOTUS, Musk posted the following evening, including a photo of the trio together at their table. 2026 is going to be amazing!

The event was held hours after Trump gave the go-ahead for the U.S. military to launch surprise missile strikes on Caracas in the early hours of Saturday morning that led to the capture of Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, who have since been taken to New York to answer drug and weapons charges.

The president subsequently held a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida  flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, and White House adviser Stephen Miller  in which he explained the U.S. would run Venezuela until a stable new government could take over.

The social engagement with Musk that followed comes after the latter signalled a return to politics on New Years Day.

open image in gallery Elon Musk posts a picture of himself having dinner with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on X on Sunday January 4, 2026 ( Elon Musk/X )

America is toast if the radical left wins, he wrote in another X post. They will open the floodgates to illegal immigration and fraud. Wont be America anymore.

Those comments were in response to another users post reporting that he would be going all-in funding Republicans to help President Trump take back full control in the November midterms.

The two billionaires now appear to be firmly reconciled after their spectacular falling out last summer.

The Tesla and SpaceX boss had been a passionate supporter of Trump during the 2024 presidential race and donated almost $290 million towards his campaign.

After the presidents victory over Kamala Harris, Musk was appointed to oversee the newly-founded Department of Government Efficiency, tasked with cutting excess federal expenditure, which led to a public backlash against his companies, notably Tesla, whose cars were boycotted and dealerships vandalised.

open image in gallery Trump and Musk in the Oval Office together last May ( Getty )

The worlds richest man left the administration in late May and quickly began feuding with the president on social media over aspects of his One Big, Beautiful Bill, which led to a vicious exchange of personal insults in early June across their competing platforms.

Musk alleged, among other things, that Trump was withholding the Jeffrey Epstein files because he appeared in them, while the president threatened to have the South African-born U.S. citizen deported.

The pair were subsequently seen together at a memorial event for the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Arizona in September and at a White House dinner held to honor Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in November.

Vice President JD Vance played a vital role in bringing the duo back together, according to The Washington Post, recognizing that Musk and his resources could be vital to their shared future goals and talking him down from starting a new political party of his own.

Musk recently guested on a podcast hosted by Katie Miller, the wife of the aforementioned Trump adviser, and admitted that, if he had the chance to do it all again, he would have rejected the opportunity to manage DOGE and instead focused on his existing businesses.

Instead of doing DOGE, I would have basically built, worked on my companies, essentially, he said. And they wouldnt have been burning the cars.
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The children of murdered Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman have called for Donald Trump to take down a Truth Social post, which linked her killing to the state governor, Tim Walz.

Hortman and her husband, Mark, were murdered on June 14, 2025, along with their golden retriever, by a man impersonating a police officer.

Over the weekend, Trump re-shared a post suggesting that fellow Democrats targeted the Hortmans for exposing a multi-billion dollar money laundering fraud going to illegal immigrants.

Colin Hortman, the son of the murdered couple, begged Trump to take the post down in an emotional statement as the family continues to grieve.

I am asking President Trump to remove the video that he shared and apologize to me and my family for posting this misinformation and for using my mothers own words to dishonor her memory, he wrote in the statement, which was seen by NBC News.

Trumps post included a video that claimed that the alleged fraud case involved child care and health care rackets, run by Somali immigrants, whom the social media user claims came to the United States illegally.

open image in gallery Colin Hortman (center) has called for Donald Trump to take down his post which claimed that Tim Walz (right) was responsible for the shooting of Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark (  2025 Star Tribune )

It goes on to claim that the Hortman couples alleged shooter, Vance Boelter, had been ordered to carry out the murder by Governor Tim Walz.

The motive given was that Hortman had voted against her party to strip taxpayer-funded health care coverage for illegal immigrants shortly before her death.

The evidence given by the original social media user was a letter, written by Boelter and mailed to FBI Director Kash Patel. In the document, Boelter claims that Walz instructed him to kill Amy Klobuchar, among some other redacted names.

Boelter, a former employee of Walzs, alleged that the governor would hurt my family if he did not play ball.

He also details an alleged meeting, organized by the governor, in which he met with a woman referred to as Mel.

According to Boelter, he carried out a double shooting shortly after.

Lawmakers maintain that Boelter first attempted to murder John Hoffman, a member of the Minnesota Senate, his wife, Yvette, and their daughter, Hope. According to the attorneys office, all three survived the attack.

Boelter allegedly travelled to the Hortmans residence shortly after, before killing the couple. He was caught two days later in the biggest manhunt in Minnesota state history.

Currently, he faces six federal charges in relation to the case, including stalking, murder, and attempted shooting. If found guilty, the Attorneys Office says that he faces life in prison or even death.

open image in gallery Hortman (right) was murdered by Vance Boelter on June 14, 2025, after the shooter disguised himself as a police officer ( AP )

Governor Walz, who ran as a running mate with former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, has vehemently denied the suggestion that he ordered Boelter to commit the crime. He has also condemned the president for re-sharing the conspiracy theory on social media.

Dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States, Walz wrote. In covering for an actual serial killer, he is going to get more innocent people killed. America is better than this.

Meanwhile, the Hortman family has reiterated its call for Trump to take down the post. Sophie Hortman, Colins sister, wrote that the post promotes a false narrative.

The video being shared by the president is another hurdle our family must overcome in grieving the loss of my parents, Mark and Melissa, and their beloved [dog] Gilbert, she added, in a statement also seen by NBC News. I ask President Trump to please consider the pain and sadness we have faced, and to honor the spirit of the holidays we have just spent without our parents by taking down the post on Truth Social.

In recent weeks, Trump has seized upon conspiracy theories about immigration to Minnesota by Somali migrants.

His administration recently shared an AI-generated trailer for an animated film entitled Minnesota Millionaires, which depicts Somali men travelling to the state in order to defraud the states daycare program.

open image in gallery Boelter claimed in a letter that Walz ordered him to carry out a series of killings, a claim Walz has denied

We dont need to be pirates anymore. I found a better way. Government-funded daycare. We must go to Minnesota, a character in the video says, referencing the fraud cases leveled against some daycare centres that support the children of Somali immigrants.

Amid the intense pressure put on the Minnesotan government by Trump over the daycare fraud allegations, Walz decided to drop out of the 2026 Minnesota Gubernatorial Race.

Speaking at a public statement today, Walz said that he could not give give a political campaign my all after an extraordinarily difficult year for our state.

He cited the childcare program investigations as a particular example of the pressures placed upon him, ever since he rocketed to fame as Kamala Harriss running mate in the 2024 election.

Donald Trump and his allies  in Washington, in St. Paul, and online  want to make our state a colder, meaner place, Walz said in a statement. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family.
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are deploying mobile facial recognition technology to speed up arrests amid President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown, according to a new report.

In recent months, ICE personnel have used a government-created app called Mobile Fortify in order to ascertain the identity of potential detainees, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Its been hailed as a powerful new tool by administration officials, while privacy advocates and Democratic lawmakers have decried it as a form of unchecked government overreach.

The app allows agents to snap a photo of a suspects face with their phone and quickly pull up the persons name, location, social media history  and sometimes their immigration status.

Mobile Fortify is a lawful law-enforcement tool developed under the Trump Administration to support accurate identity and immigration-status verification during enforcement operations, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, ICEs parent agency, said in a statement.

open image in gallery ICE is using facial recognition technology to speed up arrests amid President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, according to a new report ( AFP via Getty Images )

Agency officials said that the app has been used over 100,000 times so far, helping speed up arrests and leading to fewer instances of people with legal status being detained.

Mobile Fortify was developed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection during President Joe Bidens term, adapting technology already in use at U.S. ports of entry. Initially, it was only used by Border Patrol agents operating near the southern border.

But its use has expanded under Trump, who has vowed to undertake the largest deportation program in American history. And, now that Congress has allocated an additional $75 billion to ICE  making it the most-funded law enforcement agency in the nation  it has the bandwidth to experiment with and broadly implement new technologies.

The Journal noted that, in recent months, ICE has also moved forward with a contract for a technological tool that can be used to scan a persons eyes, and hired AI companies to find immigrants.

President Trumps core promise to the American people was to remove criminal and public-safety threats in large numbers, and these technologies provide federal law enforcement tools to make that challenge more manageable, Chad Wolf, chairman of homeland security and immigration at the America First Policy Institute and a former acting Homeland Security secretary during Trumps first term, said.

open image in gallery ICE agents can now use their phones to snap photos of people and quickly turn up the their identity and often their immigration status ( AFP via Getty Images )

A Journal reporter witnessed the app in action during a July enforcement operation in Lake Worth, Florida.

ICE officers took photos of two men from Guatemala who had been stopped by a state trooper. Mobile Fortify indicated that one of the men had been handed a notice to appear in court.

We have a new appits facial recognition, the officer said. If theyve ever been arrested before and we have their photo in one of our databaseswell get a hit.

The app has access to multiple criminal databases as well as publicly available information, such as an individuals social media activity.

A DHS spokesperson said that the app does not access open-source material, scrape social media or rely on publicly available data, adding that its use is governed by established legal authorities and formal privacy oversight, which set strict limits on data access, use, and retention.

open image in gallery Only 38 percent of Americans approve of Trumps handling of immigration, according to the latest AP-NORC poll ( Getty Images )

Privacy advocates, however, warn that the technologys broad use could enable mass data collection without proper oversight.

It can be used to point at people in the street, people in cars, and scan their facial prints without their consent, Kate Voigt, a senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, told the newspaper.

The Mobile Fortify program represents a dangerous expansion in the government use of face recognition in American life and would fundamentally reorient the relationship between the authorities and individuals in this country if it is allowed to continue, Jay Stanley, an ACLU senior policy analyst wrote in November. It must not be.

A DHS spokeswoman pushed back against this concern, stating that the app is lawfully used nationwide in accordance with all applicable legal authorities.

Democratic members of Congress have also taken issue with ICEs use of Mobile Fortify. In November, Senators Ed Markey, Chris Van Hollen, Bernie Sanders and Adam Schiff demanded that the agency stop using the app, claiming it creates serious privacy and civil liberties risks.

In the past, similar tools have also triggered controversy.

During Bidens term, migrants seeking to enter the country lawfully were asked to make appointments using an app called CBP One, which mandated that they upload a photo of themselves.

Immigration advocates and some attorneys complained that the app often failed to recognize people with darker skin tones, with Haitian migrants, in particular, finding it difficult to use.

According to a December AP-NORC poll, 38 percent of Americans approve of Trumps handling of immigration, down from 49 percent in March.
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Outspoken members of President Donald Trumps MAGA coalition who previously expressed disapproval of U.S. intervention in foreign conflicts are being accused of hypocrisy over their response to events in Venezuela.

Trump launched surprise missile strikes on Caracas in the early hours of Saturday morning and captured the countrys president, Nicolas Maduro, and First Lady Cilia Flores, who have since been taken to New York to answer drug and weapons charges.

Were going to run the country right, the president said at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago Saturday. Its going to be run very judiciously, very fairly. Its going to make a lot of money.

He added that he was not afraid to put boots on the ground to stabilize the country. He insisted the measures were consistent with MAGAs America First philosophy, saying: We want to surround ourselves with good neighbors. We need that for ourselves, we need that for the world.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also said that America First was about securing peace through strength.

open image in gallery President Donald Trump, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, has insisted the attack on Venezuela is consistent with MAGAs principles ( AP )

But retiring Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has recently fallen out spectacularly with the administration, spoke for many anti-interventionist Republicans when she wrote on X Saturday: This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong.

Elsewhere on social media, many conservatives who had previously declared their opposition to regime change and forever wars were confronted with their past criticisms of American adventurism abroad as they sought to put a positive spin on Trumps actions.

PSA for everyone saying this was illegal, wrote Vice President JD Vance defensively on X.

Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism. You dont get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas.

The VP appeared to be anticipating accusations that he had abandoned his principles, given that he previously attacked the failures of the Iraq War, in which he served, and promised a graduating class at the U.S. Naval Academy last year: No more undefined missions; no more open-ended conflicts.

open image in gallery Vice President JD Vance, widely seen as Trumps heir, has been confronted with his past opposition to U.S. involvement in open-ended conflicts ( Getty )

Other MAGA voices were confronted with precisely those criticisms.

Catturd, who had posted, Venezuela is now more free than New York City, was reminded that he had previously challenged his followers: Name one U.S. inspired regime change that hasnt ended in absolute disaster.

Venezuela is better off, podcaster Tim Pool said, only for another user to respond: Remember when he pretended to be anti-war? They were always neocons. The whole thing was a fraud.

Commentator Gunther Eagleman reposted Trumps Truth Social post about the Maduro operation with the comment: This is HUGE! I am completely AMAZED at the might of our military. WOW. A whole host of users noted that he had previously reacted to the president announcing it was TIME FOR WORLD PEACE with the words: NO NEW WARS.

I can think of few better uses of my tax dollars than black-bagging the head of a foreign narco-trafficking organization that enriches itself by addicting and poisoning my fellow Americans, wrote lawyer Will Chamberlain.

open image in gallery Fire rages over Caracas on Saturday morning after the Venezuelan capital was struck by U.S. missiles ( Reuters )

This you? asked Wu Tang is for the Children, reminding Chamberlain of a previous post that declared: The Republican Party is no longer the party of regime change and endless wars. If you want to be its standard-bearer that is a non-negotiable position.

The apparent contradiction between the administrations actions and its past rhetoric was also raised by Dana Bash on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday, when she asked Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan how Trumps Venezuela operation and subsequent threats toward Cuba and Colombia could be rationalized with his prior emphasis on domestic priorities.

I trust the president to make decisions that are in the best interest of Americans of our country, the Republican congressman answered. This president gets results.

Jordan insisted that Trumps record since returning to power a year ago is certainly making America great again.

He continued: Getting a bad guy brought to justice whos had a five year arrest warrant? That is certainly consistent with that theme and that message as well. So I think the American people appreciate that.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubios prospects of becoming the next president of the United States have more than doubled in response to Saturdays dramatic events in Venezuela, which saw the U.S. military topple dictator Nicolas Maduro.

After months of tensions with the South American oil state, missile blasts were heard over Caracas in the early hours of Saturday morning as American forces swooped into the capital and captured Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, subsequently removing them to New York to answer to drugs and weapons charges.

The intervention was approved by President Donald Trump, who was flanked by Rubio, as well as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, at a Mar-a-Lago press conference that afternoon at which he said the U.S. intends to run Venezuela until a new government is ready to take over. Delcy Rodriguez, Maduros vice president, has since been sworn in as acting president.

Dont play games with this president in office, because its not going to turn out well, Rubio warned at the press conference.

The secretarys central role in the operation has seen his odds of becoming the next occupant of the White House soar from just 4 percent last month to 9 percent on Monday morning, according to the betting company Polymarket.

open image in gallery Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference about U.S. actions in Venezuela on Saturday January 3, 2026, as President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth look on ( Getty )

That still leaves the 54-year-old some way behind Vice President JD Vance in the race to be Trumps successor on the Republican ticket, with MAGAs heir-apparent, 41, currently well ahead on 30 percent.

The highest-placed Democrats, according to Polymarkets 2028 forecast, are California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, at 18 percent and 8 percent, respectively.

The Wall Street Journal reported last summer that Trump has been in the habit of playing Vance and Rubio off against each other over who might succeed him, rather than explicitly endorsing either man.

Which one of you is going to be at the top of the ticket?, he reportedly asked them. I used to think it would be Vance-Rubio, but maybe it will be Rubio-Vance.

Unlike many members of Trumps America First coalition, opposed to U.S. intervention in foreign conflicts, Rubio, who was raised in Miamis anti-communist Cuban expatriate community, has spent much of his career denouncing leftist governments in South America over their hostility towards the U.S. He has long advocated for regime change in Venezuela and Cuba.

open image in gallery President Donald Trump beams at Saturdays press conference discussing the U.S. operation in Caracas that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro ( AP )

The Floridian has further boosted his profile over the last two days by serving as the public face of the Trump administrations actions, making clear that Washington expects Rodriguez to cooperate with its demands now that Maduro is gone.

We expect to see changes in Venezuela, he told NBCs Meet the Press Sunday morning when questioned about the countrys immediate future.

Changes of all kinds, long term, short term, wed love to see all kinds of changes but the most immediate changes are the ones that are in the national interest of the United States. Thats why we are involved here. Because of how it applies, and has a direct impact on the United States.

He continued: We are not going to be able to allow, in our hemisphere, a country that becomes a crossroads for the activities of all of our adversaries around the world.

We cant have a country where the people in charge of its military and in charge of its police department are openly cooperating with drug trafficking organizations. Were not going to allow that.

open image in gallery Maduro being taken to court in Downtown Manhattan, New York City, Monday ( Reuters )

Rubio also denied that the true goal of the operation was seizing control of the countrys plentiful natural resources, insisting, We dont need Venezuelas oil. We have plenty of oil in the United States This is not about securing the oil fields.

A Trump administration insider has since told Axios they expect the power vacuum in Caracas to be filled temporarily by a small committee, led by Rubio, with the president heavily engaged, with Hegseth, Caine, Ratcliffe, White House adviser Stephen Miller, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum all likely to play a part.

Rubio has already reportedly begun making calls to Rodriguez in Spanish, which the president has characterized as friendly and productive  despite Rubio saying he does not consider her a legitimate president and she moving to denounce the snatching of Maduro.

Meanwhile, the secretarys role in the mission has been brutally denounced by Gustavo Arellano of The Los Angeles Times, who invoked Rubios past attacks on Trump when they were rivals for the Republican nomination in 2016 to call him the worst vendido (sell-out) of them all, arguing that putting him in charge of foreign policy is like putting an arsonist in charge of a fireworks stall.
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Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a stark warning to Donald Trump following the military operation in Venezuela, telling him that such overseas interference was what many in MAGA thought they voted to end.

Regime change, funding foreign wars, and Americans tax dollars being consistently funneled to foreign causes, foreigners both home and abroad, and foreign governments while Americans are consistently facing increasing cost of living, housing, healthcare, and learn about scams and fraud of their tax dollars is what has most Americans enraged, Greene wrote in a lengthy post on X Saturday.

The president was asked earlier how the seizure and control of Venezuelan oil aligns with his America first agenda, telling reporters, We want to surround ourselves with good neighbors.

Trump has said he authorized CIA operations in the South American nation, including the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, because Venezuela emptied their prisons into the United States of America and flooded the country with drugs.

In her post, Greene hit back at the presidents claims that the operations were intended purely to crack down on alleged narco-terrorism, pointing out that 70 percent of U.S. drug overdose deaths were due to fentanyl that entered the country via Mexico.

open image in gallery Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a stark warning to Donald Trump following the airstrikes in Venezuela, telling him that such overseas interference was what many in MAGA thought they voted to end ( AP )

Mexican cartels are primarily and overwhelmingly responsible for killing Americans with deadly drugs, she said. If U.S. military action and regime change in Venezuela was really about saving American lives from deadly drugs then why hasnt the Trump admin taken action against Mexican cartels?

The firebrand Georgia congresswoman also pointed to his pardoning of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted of trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine into America.

Americans disgust with our own governments never ending military aggression and support of foreign wars is justified because we are forced to pay for it and both parties, Republicans and Democrats, always keep the Washington military machine funded and going.

This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong.

Greene has gone from being one of the presidents closest supporters to one of his most vocal critics in recent months, having fallen out with him and others in the administration over the handling of the Epstein files.

The congresswoman announced in November that she would be resigning from Congress and she is due to leave her seat on January 5.

open image in gallery Greene has gone from being one of the presidents closest supporters to one of his most vocal critics in recent months, having fallen out with him and others in the administration over the handling of the Epstein files ( AFP via Getty Images )

Greene is reportedly not the only Republican to be critical of the president, though others are so far doing so from behind closed doors, according to Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer.

"As I said, we have heard from some Republicans in private conversations, chairs talking to their ranking members, that they have some, they are troubled by this, but not much more than that, Schumer said Saturday.

Schumer said he wanted to hold Republicans accountable, adding: "And again, we are saying to the Republicans, this is your responsibility. President Trump is a member of your party.

You've gone along with him over and over again. This is one time you got to resist him. It's too serious."
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Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to four charges related to allegations that the ousted president and top officials in his administration steered a massive cocaine trafficking operation.

Maduro and Flores  wearing black v-neck T-shirts covering orange prison garb with khaki pants and orange slip-on shoes  shuffled into a Manhattan federal courtroom Monday for their first appearance before a judge after their capture by U.S. forces.

The ousted president scribbled notes on a white notepad throughout the 30-minute hearing and listened intently on headphones with an interpreter translating for him. He leaned on his elbows and tented his fingers, appearing to concentrate as New York District Judge Alvin Hellerstein explained the rules of evidence and their rights as defendants.

Maduro  speaking clearly and confidently in Spanish  towered over the long desk in front of him as he identified himself as the president of Venezuela and a prisoner of war who was captured in Caracas.

Im innocent. Im not guilty. I am a decent man, Maduro said when asked for his plea. I am not guilty of anything that is mentioned here.

open image in gallery Nicolas Maduro, the captured Venezuelan leader, was escorted in shackles by DEA agents from a federal detention facility in Brooklyn to a courthouse in Manhattan where he declared his innocence and called himself a prisoner of war ( Reuters )

Flores, who identified herself as the first lady of Venezuela, similarly declared her innocence.

Speaking through an interpreter, she said she is not guilty and completely innocent.

The couple appeared before Judge Hellerstein two days after they were captured in Caracas during a deadly U.S. military operation, the culmination of Donald Trumps months-long pressure campaign to topple Maduros government and run the nation with oil companies in tow.

After his capture, federal law enforcement officers brought a handcuffed Maduro to the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal facility in Brooklyn, where he will remain imprisoned as a legal battle continues.

Attorneys for Flores  whose face appeared to be covered in bandages  told Judge Hellerstein she experienced significant injuries during her capture, including severe bruising and a possible fracture.

Their legal team intends to introduce voluminous legal issues surrounding the legality of their arrest and military abduction, they said.

open image in gallery A courtroom sketch depicts Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, whose face was covered in bandages after their capture by US forces, during their first appearance before a federal judge on cocaine trafficking charges ( AP )

A recently unsealed 25-page grand jury indictment charges Maduro, his wife and Venezuelan officials with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and import cocaine into the United States.

They abused their positions of public trust and corrupted once-legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States, according to the indictment signed by Jay Clayton, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The alleged drug-trafficking conspiracy lines the pockets of Venezuelan officials and their families while also benefiting violent narco-terrorists who operate with impunity on Venezuelan soil and who help produce, protect, and transport tons of cocaine to the United States, according to the document.

The indictment repeats charges first introduced against Maduro in 2020 but now includes Flores as a defendant. According to the Department of Justice, Flores allegedly brokered a meeting between a large-scale drug trafficker and the director of Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office and allegedly accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.

open image in gallery Protesters outside a federal courthouse in Manhattan demanded Maduros release ahead of his arraignment January 5 ( AP )

The case is similar to one brought against former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of leading a massive cocaine-trafficking operation through his nations military and national police force.

But Trump pardoned him last month, claiming that the case against him was a politically motivated set up under Joe Bidens administration.

He was treated like the Biden administration treated a man named Trump, the president said Saturday, referring to his own federal criminal prosecutions.

Federal prosecutors allege Maduro led a conspiracy to ship drugs from Venezuela to the United States via the Caribbean and Central America using fishing boats and container ships as well as clandestine airstrips and commercial airports protected by corrupt government and military officials, according to the indictment.

The defendants allegedly relied on violent narco-terrorist groups including various cartels and gangs, including Tren de Aragua, which the Trump administration has targeted as part of the presidents vast anti-immigration agenda.

The capture of the Venezuelan president follows Trumps months-long military campaign against his regime, including a lethal series of attacks on boats off Venezuelas coast and a massive buildup of U.S. naval vessels and other military assets in the region.

In a press conference after Saturdays attack, Trump said an interim group with top administration officials will run Venezuela for a period of time until the United States determines a peaceful and just transition can take place.

Trump did not rule out the possibility of American boots on the ground, though he suggested U.S. military assets would protect the countrys vast oil infrastructure in a nation with the largest proven oil reserves in the world.

Were going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure and start making money for the country, Trump said Saturday.

The United States will then sell large amounts of oil to other countries, according to Trump.

Were in the oil business, he said. Were going to sell it to them.

open image in gallery Maduro and Flores will remain at the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal facility that has also housed former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez ( REUTERS )

Maduros arrest has only accelerated legal and political scrutiny into the administrations attacks, which law-of-war experts speaking to The Independent in recent months have labeled outright murders and war crimes in violation of international law.

Administration officials argue that Maduros capture and two dozen strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats are fully within legal bounds. The administration told Congress last year that the United States is formally engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels that the president has labeled unlawful combatants.

Despite Trumps insistence that his campaign was intended to stop the flow of drugs from entering the United States, Venezuela is not a major cocaine-producing country, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Virtually all coca crops are inside Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, and the Drug Enforcement Administration under Trump did not mention Venezuela in a March report on the state of cocaine trafficking.

Trump also recently declared fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction, though that drug, which is used in hospitals across the United States, is also not manufactured in Venezuela nor present on the alleged drug-smuggling boats.

The president has repeatedly said he would not necessarily seek permission from Congress to launch a land war in Venezuela, saying instead that military assets are just going to kill people there instead.

I dont think were going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think were just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? Trump said during a White House roundtable with administration officials in October. Were going to kill them.
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced he will not seek a third term as he grapples with widespread allegations of fraud in the state and repeated attacks from President Donald Trump.

Another prominent Democrat in the state  U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar  may now enter the race.

Walz, 61, said on Monday that I cant give a political campaign my all after what he characterized as an extraordinarily difficult year for our state, though he said he would have won if he remained in the race. Walz cited investigations into fraud in Minnesotas childcare programs and the presidents broadsides.

Donald Trump and his allies  in Washington, in St. Paul, and online  want to make our state a colder, meaner place, Walz said in a statement. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family.

Walz, who ran as Kamala Harriss running mate in the 2024 presidential election, fueled speculation that he may be dropping his 2026 re-election bid after he scheduled a news conference for Monday morning without any agenda, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

open image in gallery Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced on Monday that he will not seek a third term as governor ( Getty Images )

One political insider had predicted that Walz would likely remove himself from the race, according to Fox News 9 Minneapolis, which added that the Democratic governor met with Klobuchar over the weekend to talk over the decision.

A spokesperson for Walzs re-election campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.

In recent weeks, the governor has faced mounting controversy over his response to allegations of fraud within the states social services programs.

Federal prosecutors announced this month that they are investigating suspicious billing practices in over a dozen Medicaid-funded programs, with early assessments indicating that more than $9 billion in taxpayer dollars meant to help low-income families may have been stolen, according to The New York Times. Already, about 60 people have been convicted in connection to the investigation.

open image in gallery There are reports Amy Klobuchar  currently a U.S. senator  could enter the race ( AP )

The federal investigation began in 2022, when dozens of individuals were charged with stealing funds intended to feed children during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But, the case faced renewed scrutiny, particularly from Republicans, after a conservative activist posted a video in December claiming to uncover widespread fraud in day care facilities run by Somali immigrants.

Last week, Walz praised the latest federal charges, stating that The Gopher State is overhauling its social services system.

Trump has recently attacked Walz for his handling of the investigation, describing him in a New Years Eve Truth Social post as a Crooked Governor. His administration also paused federal child care funds to the state.

open image in gallery Walz ran as former Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 election ( Getty Images )

Weve spent years cracking down on fraudsters, Walz wrote in December on X in response to the administrations slashing of funds. Its a serious issue  but this has been his plan all along. Hes politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.

The Republican president, who has frequently taken aim at the states Somali immigrant community, also reposted baseless conspiracy theories about Walz, including one claiming he had state Rep. Melissa Hortman killed.

Dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States, Walz wrote January 3 on X. In covering for an actual serial killer, he is going to get more innocent people killed. America is better than this.

open image in gallery Over the weekend, President Donald Trump shared posts with various conspiracy theories about Walz and fraud in Minnesota ( Getty Images )

Walz, a former high school teacher who was first elected governor in 2018, rose to nationwide prominence after he became former vice president Kamala Harriss running mate after Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Walz announced his re-election bid in September, following Trumps victory in the 2024 race.

Following Walzs announcement on Monday, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Klobuchar, who has served in the Senate for two decades, is mulling a run for the governors mansion.

Klobuchar is seriously considering tossing her hat into the ring and has been encouraged to do so, an unnamed source familiar with her thinking told the outlet.

Minnesotas senior U.S. senator would be a formidable opponent for Republicans hoping to win the governors office for the first time in 20 years, the Star Tribune reported. She wouldnt say this summer whether she would consider running if Walz opted not to, saying instead that she hoped Walz would seek re-election.

The University of Chicago Law School graduate previously ran for president in 2020. She suspended her campaign ahead of Super Tuesday and endorsed former President Joe Biden, following weak performances in early primaries.

A spokesperson for Klobuchar, who first entered the U.S. Senate in 2007, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.

The race for the governors mansion has drawn a crowded slate of candidates, including Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder and loyal Trump ally.
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President Donald Trump has claimed that he predicted the threat of 9/11 in his book, published in 2000, but that U.S. officials did not listen to him.

Trump made the outlandish statement during a gaggle Sunday on Air Force One alongside Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Senator Lindsey Graham after the South Carolina Republican said Democrats should be celebrating the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

To my Democratic friends, you should be celebrating this. When Bin Laden went down, I was the first to applaud President [Barack] Obama, Graham told reporters.

Trump then seized on the opportunity to mention how he supposedly predicted the 2001 terrorist attacks a year earlier in his book, The America We Deserve.

You know I wrote about Bin Laden one year before the attack on the World Trade Center, and I said, You gotta go after Bin Laden. It was in my book, and, very few people want to say that, but it was in my book, the president claimed.

open image in gallery President Donald Trump claimed aboard Air Force One Sunday that he predicted the threat of 9/11 in his book, published in 2000, but no one was listening to his warning about Osama Bin Laden ( Getty )

The president then insisted, without evidence, that the terrorist attacks could have been prevented had U.S. officials heeded his warning.

You know, if they wouldve listened to me, they wouldve taken out Bin Laden. Then you wouldnt have had the World Trade Center tragedy, Trump said.

Trump has falsely claimed for years that he predicted the danger of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, despite fact checks of his 2000 book finding it contained no such warning.

Although Bin Laden appears by name in The America We Deserve, the mention is brief and is not accompanied by any sort of warning. The terrorist leader is named in a paragraph about various security threats facing the U.S.

One day were told that a shadowy figure with no fixed address named Osama bin Laden is public enemy number one, and US jetfighters lay waste to his camp in Afghanistan. He escapes back under some rock, and a few news cycles later its on to a new enemy and new crisis, the book states.

open image in gallery Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham appeared alongside Trump on Air Force One Sunday and said Democrats should be celebrating the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro ( Reuters )

In the book, Trump did predict a major terror attack would soon take place in the U.S., writing that this event would make the [1993] bombing of the Trade Center look like kids playing with firecrackers.

While his prediction would end up being correct, he did not mention Bin Laden or al-Qaeda as potential perpetrators of such an attack.

Fears that Bin Laden was plotting an attack were public knowledge by 2000, and U.S. intelligence agencies had the al-Qaeda leader on their radar, despite Trumps claims.

In December 1998, intelligence officials told then-President Bill Clinton that al-Qaeda was planning attacks in the US, including training personnel to hijack an aircraft. By 2000, Bin Laden was on the FBIs ten most wanted fugitives and most wanted terrorists lists.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the September 11 attacks carried out by al-Qaeda in the U.S. A decade later, Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALS in Pakistan.
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Donald Trump insisted on Sunday night that the U.S. is in charge of Venezuela after American military forces toppled Nicolas Maduro over the weekend.

Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One that his administration was dealing with the people that just got sworn in, seemingly referring to acting president Delcy Rodriguez.

Dont ask me whos in charge, because Ill give you an answer, and itll be very controversial, Trump said as he flew from Florida back to Washington, D.C.

When asked what he meant, Trump replied: It means were in charge. Were in charge.

Trump said that although he had not yet spoken to the countrys acting president, he would do so at the right time.

open image in gallery President Donald Trump departs on Air Force One from Palm Beach International Airport, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Fla ( AP )

He also claimed that Rodriguez was cooperating with the White House after the extraction of Maduro, who is set to appear in a New York court on Monday.

Venezuela right now is a dead country. We have to bring it back, and were gonna have to have big investments by the oil companies to bring back the infrastructure ready to go, Trump added.

The president also said that Rodriguez needed to give the U.S. total access to the country.

We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country, Trump said.

He told reporters that Rodriguez would face a situation probably worse than Maduro if she did not cooperate, but did not elaborate on what that would look like.

Trump also claimed that Maduro had sent every single drug addict from Venezuela to the U.S.

Think of that every single drug addict from Maduros country, which isn't really his country, and it's certainly not his country anymore, he said.

open image in gallery This screengrab taken from the X account of Rapid Response 47, the official White House rapid response account, shows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (C) escorted by DEA agents inside the headquarters of the US Drug Enforcement Administration ( X/@RapidResponse47 )

Every drug addict and every drug dealer has been sent into our country. Now we're getting them back.

Trump also turned his attention to Venezuelas neighbor, Colombia, and gave its president, Gustavo Petro, a warning, claiming the country was run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

Hes not going to be doing it for very long, Trump told reporters.

He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. Hes not going to be doing it. Asked whether the U.S. would conduct an operation against Colombia, he said, It sounds good to me.
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About a dozen tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude oil and fuel have left the country's waters since the start of the year despite President Donald Trumps blockade, according to reports.

The movements suggest a potential breaking of the strict blockade imposed by Trump before the dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. troops in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Trump said Saturday that the oil embargo remained in full force after Maduro's extraction.

All the identified vessels, believed to have left in dark mode, are under sanctions and most of them are supertankers that typically carry Venezuelan crude to China, according to TankerTrackers.com and shipping documents from state-run Venezuelan oil company PDVSA.

Representatives of the White House, the U.S. State Department, PDVSA and Venezuela's oil ministry did not respond immediately to Reuters requests for comment early Monday.

open image in gallery Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others ( REUTERS/Adam Gray )

A separate group of smaller ships, also under sanctions, left the country after discharging imports or completing domestic trips.

At least four of the departed tankers left Venezuelan waters on Saturday through a route north of Margarita island after briefly stopping near the country's maritime border, TankerTrackers.com said after identifying the vessels using satellite images.

A source with knowledge of the departure paperwork told Reuters that at least four supertankers had been cleared by Venezuelan authorities to leave in dark mode.

It was not immediately clear if the departures were in defiance of the U.S. blockade. Though President Trump said that the oil embargo had not been lifted, he added that Venezuela's largest customers, including China, would keep receiving oil.

PDVSA had accumulated a large inventory of floating storage since the U.S. blockade began last month, dragging the country's oil exports to a standstill.

The company is reducing oil output and asked some joint ventures to shut well clusters because of accumulated oil and residual fuel stocks both onshore and in vessels anchored near its ports.

Oil exports are Venezuela's main source of revenue, which will be needed by an interim government led by Oil Minister and Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to finance spending and secure stability in the country.
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The parents of a Utah man who died after climbing inside a planes engine claim he was experiencing an obvious mental health episode in a lawsuit filed against Salt Lake City.

Kyler Efinger, 30, was found unconscious inside the engine of a Delta plane at the Salt Lake City International Airport on January 1, 2024, after he had been acting erratically while waiting for his flight.

In a lawsuit filed last Tuesday, Efingers parents said he was experiencing an obvious mental health episode but was still able to go through two emergency exit doors onto the tarmac and walk nearly a mile to where airplanes were being de-iced before he was found, KSL.com reported.

Efinger, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 10 years ago, died from injuries sustained after climbing into the planes engine.

The lawsuit claims city personnel could not timely locate a ticketed passenger known to be in distress and seen walking outside onto the tarmac on a freezing night.

open image in gallery The family of a 30-year-old man who died after climbing into the engine of a Delta plane at the Salt Lake City Utah airport in 2024 have filed a lawsuit against the city, according to a report ( AFP via Getty Images )

Salt Lake police officers were sent to the wrong places multiple times while trying to locate Efinger and wasted time due to poor communication, according to the suit.

The lawsuit also claims that pilots were not promptly warned that a man was walking in the area.

In a situation where Kyler would still be alive if officers had located him 30 seconds sooner, about the first seven minutes of the citys search for him were wholly ineffective, the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit claims his dreadlocked hair was pulled into the moving blades, causing death from blunt head trauma.

The notion that an airport was so dangerously designed and operated as to allow this sequence of events generated international attention and shock, the lawsuit says.

His parents, Judd and Lisa Efinger, say theyve filed the lawsuit to remedy their own loss and prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future, according to the report.

open image in gallery Efingers behavior in the airport was objectively unusual for an adult before death, a lawsuit says ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

They say their son was supposed to fly from Salt Lake City to Denver to visit his ill grandfather when he suffered a manic episode. During the episode, he walked and ran down the moving walkways several times, including against the flow, with behavior objectively unusual for an adult.

The parents say if the airports camera system had been monitored, their son wouldve been seen leaving the emergency exits and walking onto the tarmac.

The lawsuit also claims that the door he exited brought him to an area that shouldve required identification and a wait for the lock to deactivate, but it did not. The family then says he exited to the outside through another door that did not have the proper safety system installed.

After an officer pulled Efinger from the engine, he was handcuffed before first responders tried to revive him, the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit claims damages involved are greater than $300,000, but does not ask for a specific amount. The suit is filed against Salt Lake City, which operates the airport.

A spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Mayors Office declined to comment to the outlet.
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Venezuela's government on Monday sought to demonstrate its independence from U.S. control, following the stunning weekend arrest of authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro, who had ruled for almost 13 years.

In Caracas, ruling party lawmakers, including Maduro's son, gathered for the scheduled National Assembly swearing-in, set to serve until 2031. Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's former vice president who vowed to work with the Trump administration, was inaugurated as interim president by her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, reelected speaker.

Raising her right hand, Rodriguez declared: "I come with sorrow for the suffering inflicted upon the Venezuelan people following an illegitimate military aggression against our homeland."

While Venezuelan lawmakers met, Maduro made his first court appearance in a U.S. courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and taking him to New York. ( Reuters/Adam Gray )

Venezuelan lawmakers gave speeches focused on condemning Maduro's capture Saturday by U.S. forces.

If we normalize the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe. Today, its Venezuela. Tomorrow, it could be any nation that refuses to submit," Maduro's son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, said at the legislative palace in his first public appearance since Saturday. "This is not a regional problem. It is a direct threat to global political stability."

Maduro Guerra, also known as Nicolasito, demanded that his father and stepmother, Cilia Flores, be returned to the South American country and called on international support. Maduro Guerra, the deposed leader's only son, also denounced being named as a co-conspirator in the federal indictment charging his father and Flores.

While Venezuelan lawmakers met, Maduro made his first court appearance in a U.S. courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and taking him to New York. Maduro declared himself innocent and a decent man as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug-trafficking charges.

The U.S. seized Maduro and Flores in a military operation Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base. President Donald Trump said the U.S. would run Venezuela temporarily, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day other than enforcing an existing  oil quarantine.

Rubio said the U.S. was using pressure on Venezuela's oil industry as a way to push for policy changes. "We expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking, Rubio said on CBS Face the Nation.

On Sunday, Rodriguez said Venezuela is seeking respectful relations with the U.S., a shift from a more defiant tone she struck in the immediate aftermath of Maduros capture.

We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence, Rodriguez said in a statement. Her conciliatory message came after Trump threatened that she could pay a very big price if she did not fall in line with U.S. demands.

Before taking the oath of office, Venezuelan lawmaker Grecia Colmenares said she would take every giant step to bring back (to Venezuela) the bravest of the brave, Nicolas Maduro Moreno, and our first lady, Cilia Flores.

I swear by the shared destiny we deserve, she said.

A State Department official said Monday that the Trump administration is making preliminary plans to reopen the U.S. embassy in Venezuela.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said early preparations to allow for a reopening of the embassy in Caracas had begun in the event Trump decides to return American diplomats to the country.
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Delcy Rodriguez will be sworn in as president of Venezuela on Monday following Nicolas Maduros sudden capture by the United States.

The vice-president, who is also finance minister and minister for oil, will step into a precarious position after Donald Trump claimed that the US would run the country  without elaborating on what this would mean.

She faced threats from the US president before even taking office, who warned that she would pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro if she doesnt do whats right.

Rodriguez, 56, initially branded the operation to oust Maduro a violation of international law and called on foreign governments to condemn the action, saying: History and justice will make the extremists who promoted this armed aggression pay. There is only one president in Venezuela and his name is Nicolas Maduro.

But within hours, she had dropped her fiery rhetoric, telling her first cabinet meeting on Sunday that she was inviting the United States to work together on an agenda for cooperation.

open image in gallery Vice-president Delcy Rodriguez becomes president of Venezuela on Monday ( AFP via Getty )

Who is Rodriguez and how will she work with the US?

Rodriguez is the daughter of Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, the late Marxist leader who co-founded the militant Socialist League in Venezuela in the 1970s.

Her father died in 1976, at the age of 34, while in custody over the kidnapping of American businessman William Niehous. She was seven at the time of his death, and visited him in prison as a child.

Rodriguez trained as a lawyer but later entered politics on the Venezuelan left under Maduros predecessor, Hugo Chavez. Quickly, she rose through the ranks to become a key figure in his regime.

After Chavez died in 2013, Rodriguez remained loyal to the government of Maduro, serving as communications minister in 2013-14 and foreign minister, 2014-17. During this period, she was sanctioned by the United States while defending the regime against foreign accusations of human rights abuses.

Maduro called Rodriguez a tiger for her diehard defence of his socialist government and rewarded her with the role of vice-president in 2018 for his second term.

open image in gallery Rodriguez is the daughter of Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, the late Marxist leader who co-founded the militant Socialist League in Venezuela in the 1970s ( AP )

After the controversial 2024 elections, she stayed in post for his third term, beginning in 2025.

Her other roles, managing oil and the countrys finances, have made her a key figure in the management of Venezuelas economy and gained her major influence with the countrys withered private sector.

As oil minister, she was also tasked with managing escalating US sanctions on the countrys most important industry.

Could the US run Venezuela?

In a reversal of her longstanding support for Maduro, Rodriguez on Sunday offered to work with the US on an agenda focused on shared development.

Trump now appears to have given Rodriguez his blessing to run Venezuela, so long as she is willing to facilitate his vision for the country.

While suggesting the US would run Venezuela until we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition, Trump also revealed his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, had been talking with Rodriguez, who he assessed was willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.

One senior US official told The New York Times on condition of anonymity: Im not claiming that shes the permanent solution to the countrys problems, but shes certainly someone we think we can work at a much more professional level than we were able to do with [Maduro].

The outlet reported that Rodriguez was singled out as the best candidate to replace Maduro weeks ago, after impressing officials with her handling of the oil industry.

open image in gallery Asked why the US wouldnt work with opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the government was focused on dealing with the immediate reality ( AFP via Getty )

Sources involved in discussions said the Trump administration was persuaded she would protect future American energy investments in the country.

Rodriguez became interim president after being sworn in by the nations Supreme Court on Monday. Under Venezuelas constitution, the vice president takes over when the president is absent.

Will the US put boots on the ground?

US officials have said the US is not at war with Venezuela and that it is not planning any further military action, though Trump said were not afraid of boots on the ground.

There is also the question of natural resources. Venezuela is rich in oil and rare earth minerals, which serve as extremely valuable commodities. The South American country has $1.36 trillion worth of mineral wealth, according to Maduro.

open image in gallery Trump has said, Were not afraid of boots on the ground in Venezuela ( AP )

On Saturday, Trump said: Were going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.

On Sunday, Rubio denied that the US wanted Venezuelas oil.

We have plenty of oil in the United States, he said. What were not going to allow is for the oil industry in Venezuela to be controlled by adversaries of the United States.

open image in gallery In the hours after Maduros capture, some people took to the streets to protest the US operation, while others celebrated it ( AP )

Whats next for Maduro?

Maduro has arrived in New York and was shown arriving at a detention facility where he will await his first court appearance on US criminal charges.

In a video shared on Saturday night by the White House, Maduro wished an onlooker Happy New Year as he walked down a hallway in handcuffs and a black hoodie. He will appear in court in New York at 5pm local time.

He and his wife have been charged with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

open image in gallery Government supporters burn a US flag in Caracas, Venezuela, on Saturday ( AP )

They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts, US attorney general Pam Bondi wrote on X (Twitter).

Over the past few months, Trump has accused Maduro of being a top-level member of a drug cartel, Cartel de los Soles, which he claims is trafficking drugs into the US.

Maduro has denied the allegations, and Trump has not shared evidence of Maduros involvement, but has used these allegations to justify his lethal military operations against Venezuelan ships.
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A Paris court will rule on Monday in a case involving ten people accused of cyberbullying French first lady Brigitte Macron. They allegedly spread false online claims about her gender and sexuality, which her daughter said damaged her health and family life.

The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 60, are accused of posting "numerous malicious comments", falsely claiming President Emmanuel Macrons wife was born a man and linking her 24-year age gap with her husband to paedophilia. Some posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.

Mrs Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October.

Her daughter, Tiphaine Auziere, testified about what she described as the deterioration of her mothers life since the online harassment intensified. She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her, Auziere told the court. She said the impact has extended to the entire family, including Macrons grandchildren.

Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who is known as Amandine Roy and describes herself as a medium and an author, is considered as having played a major role in spreading the rumor after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021.

The X account of Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoe Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited in several judicial investigations.

open image in gallery French President's wife Brigitte Macron

Other defendants include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist. Several told the court their comments were intended as humor or satire and said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted. They face up to two years in prison if convicted.

The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother. The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.

The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. Brigitte Macron, 24 years her husbands senior, was then called Brigitte Auziere, a married mother of three.

Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been Frances president since 2017.
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A teenager who was a former pupil at a British school has been confirmed dead after a fire at a Swiss ski resort killed 40 people and injured 119 others.

Charlotte Niddam, who previously attended Immanuel College, a private Jewish school in Hertfordshire, was among the last 16 victims to have been identified by police after the New Year blaze at the Crans-Montana resort.

Charlotte, believed to be 15, was initially reported as missing after a fire broke out inside the Constellation bar in the early hours of Thursday, while revellers were celebrating the start of 2026.

Charlottes family said in a social media post on Sunday: It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful daughter and sister Charlotte.

Details regarding the funeral arrangements will follow shortly.

The post said Charlottes funeral is expected to take place in Paris later this week.

Immanuel College said in a statement it was praying for a miracle after the fire.

According to the Crans-Montana resort website, Charlotte had been working as a babysitter in the area.

Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement on social media site X: Terrible news that Charlotte Niddam has been identified as one of those killed in the Crans-Montana fire.

My thoughts are with all her family and friends after this devastating loss.

Charlotte Niddam, who previously attended Immanuel College, was among the last 16 victims to have been identified by police ( Instagram/@cransmontana.avisderecherche )

The Valais region police force published a statement on Sunday confirming that all 40 people killed in the fire have now been identified.

The last 16 victims included two Swiss girls aged 15, a Swiss woman aged 22, a Swiss and French woman aged 24, two Italian girls aged 16 and 15, an Italian boy aged 16, a 22-year-old Portuguese woman, a 17-year-old Belgian girl, two French women aged 33 and 26, two French men aged 23 and 20, two French teenage boys aged 17 and 14, and a 15-year-old girl with French, British, and Israeli nationalities, police said.

Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the bar managers.

The two are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire, the Valais regions chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, told reporters Saturday. The announcement of the investigation did not name the managers.

Investigators said Friday they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar.

Authorities planned to look into whether sound-dampening material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar. Officials said they also would look at other safety measures on the premises, including fire extinguishers and escape routes.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin announced a national day of mourning for the victims on 9 January.
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The fight against misinformation in Finland begins early, with children as young as three years old being taught media literacy within the national curriculum.

This long-standing educational approach equips students with critical skills to analyse media and identify disinformation, forming a core part of a comprehensive anti-misinformation initiative designed to bolster Finnish resilience against propaganda.

Such measures are particularly pertinent given Finland's 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, a nation frequently cited as a source of such campaigns.

In a significant update, educators are now tasked with integrating artificial intelligence literacy into their teaching. This move comes as Russia has intensified its disinformation efforts across Europe, particularly since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago. Finland's accession to NATO in 2023 further exacerbated tensions with Moscow, though Russia consistently denies any interference in the internal affairs of other nations.

We think that having good media literacy skills is a very big civic skill, Kiia Hakkala, a pedagogical specialist for the City of Helsinki, told The Associated Press. Its very important to the nations safety and to the safety of our democracy.

open image in gallery Tapanila Primary School teacher and vice-principal Ville Vanhanen speaks to the fourth grade students during a media literacy class in Tapanila, Finland, on Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/James Brooks) ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

At Tapanila Primary School, in a quiet neighborhood north of Helsinki, teacher Ville Vanhanen taught a group of fourth graders how to spot fake news. As a TV screen beamed a "Fact or Fiction?" banner, student Ilo Lindgren evaluated the prompt.

It is a little bit hard, the 10-year-old admitted.

Vanhanen said his students have been learning about fake news and disinformation for years, beginning with reading headlines and short texts. In a recent class, the fourth graders were tasked with coming up with five things to look out for when consuming online news to ensure its trustworthy. Now they are moving onto AI literacy, which is quickly becoming a vital skill.

Weve been studying how to recognize if a picture or a video is made by AI, added Vanhanen, a teacher and vice principal at the school.

Finnish media also play a role, organizing an annual Newspaper Week, where papers and other news are sent to young people to consume. In 2024, Helsinki-based Helsingin Sanomat collaborated on a new ABC Book of Media Literacy, distributed to every 15-year-old in the country as they began upper secondary school.

Its really important for us to be seen as a place where you can get information thats been verified, that you can trust, and thats done by people you know in a transparent way, Jussi Pullinen, the daily newspapers managing editor, said.

open image in gallery Ten-year-old fourth grade student Ilo Lindgren works during a media literacy class at Tapanila Primary School in Tapanila, Finland, on Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/James Brooks) ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

Media literacy has been part of the Finnish educational curriculum since the 1990s, and additional courses are available for older adults who might be especially vulnerable to misinformation.

The skills are so ingrained into the culture that the Nordic nation of 5.6 million people regularly ranks at the top of the European Media Literacy Index. The index was compiled by the Open Society Institute in Sofia, Bulgaria, between 2017 and 2023.

I dont think we envisioned that the world would look like this," Finnish Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz said. That we would be bombarded with disinformation, that our institutions are challenged  our democracy really challenged  through disinformation.

And with the rapid advancement of AI tools, educators and experts are rushing to teach students and the rest of the public how to tell what's fact and what's fake news.

It already is much harder in the information space to spot whats real and whats not real, Martha Turnbull, director of hybrid influence at the Helsinki-based European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, said. It just so happens that right now, its reasonably easy to spot the AI-generated fakes because the quality of them isnt as good as it could be.

She added: "But as that technology develops, and particularly as we move toward things like agentic AI, I think thats when it could become much more difficult for us to spot.
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Cora Galavis teared up as she reflected on why she left Venezuela.

Basically all my life decisions have been based on politics, the 34-year-old said from the heart of a large crowd in Barcelona, which gathered on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the ousting of president Nicolas Maduro.

When I was really young, they took my familys company... and we actually saw what it meant to not have food on your table, even though our families were educated. They were working, they were doing everything that they should have done to have a good life.

Ms Galavis is among the 33,000 Venezuelans who emigrated to Barcelona during the successive presidencies of Hugo Chavez and Maduro, which lasted from 1999 until 2013, and then from 2013 until Saturday. There are some 400,000 Venezuelans living across Spain today.

Speaking to The Independent, she paints a grim picture of life back home, defined by a constant sense of fear.

I have friends whose parents were killed by kidnappers because that was what the regime did. And to be honest, I would accept even more bombings in order for them to just leave, she said. Thats a reality. My reality.

open image in gallery Cora Galavis (left) was hopeful after news of Maduros displacement ( The Independent )

News of Maduros capture by US forces raised the possibility of returning for the first time in years for a diaspora held in limbo overseas. As hundreds gathered at the central Arc de Triomf on Sunday, many struggled to reconcile a sense of hope for the future with an anxiety about the present.

The demonstration drew a diverse mix of old and young. Some brought megaphones and held up placards reading Viva free Venezuela and freedom for all.

This is not a celebration of any strikes. Its not a celebration of Venezuela being invaded by Trump, insisted Ms Galavis, who has lived in Barcelona for the last 10 years. Its about the freedom of a country that has been oppressed for more than 26 years.

The US strikes were controversial among Venezuelans living abroad. Earlier on Sunday, scores had gathered outside the US embassy in Madrid to condemn what they called Yankee terrorists. The day before, Barcelona had seen similar protests railing against US intervention near the Venezuelan consulate.

open image in gallery People from Venezuela make up one of the largest foreign demographics in Barcelona ( The Independent )

Ms Galavis told The Independent: I dont think that Trump is a good person at all. Im not with him. But at the same time, Im tired of not seeing the resources that Venezuela has put into its people.

It was a turbulent weekend for Venezuelans in Spain, who on Saturday morning awoke to news of the US bombardment and texted family members to check they had survived.

Maduros capture has created difficult questions about what will fill the political vacuum. With no clear plan for a transition to democracy, the Venezuelans who have built lives, businesses and relationships in Spain remain uncertain about whether they can or should return.

At the demonstration on Sunday, Luis Arres, 34, from Caracas, said he hoped he would be able to go home after seven years living in Barcelona, and some time in the United States  but acknowledged that challenges remain.

Mr Arres said he was hopeful that Venezuela would be able to work with the US for mutual gain.

Nothing in this world is free. We have to actually fight [for] change, he said, adding that the US has a lot of things that we need.

open image in gallery Venezuelans gathered for a second day of demonstration in Barcelona on Sunday ( The Independent )

Krishna, 29, said his first reaction to the news of Maduros capture was happiness.

Now I have a thousand times more hope than before that he might be able to go home, he told The Independent, adding that he had been in Barcelona for two years.

Finally, I can return. More than anything, that.

He said whatever might come next, the possibilities are better now and he has no fears for the future.

Im here to celebrate the fall of Maduro and that the dictator has gone, and that theyve taken him and theyre going to judge him in the United States.

open image in gallery Support for opposition leader Maria Corina Machado ( The Independent )

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on social media on Sunday that while his government did not recognise the Maduro regime, it would not recognise an intervention that violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and belligerence.

But for the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans living in Europe, there is tentative hope that the removal of Maduro is the beginning of a new future.

We have a lot of things that we have to work on, but the first step is being a democracy, Mr Arres said. After that, we can develop a new country, different to what we had before.
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President Donald Trump has announced that US officials have concluded Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week.

This statement directly refutes earlier claims from the Kremlin, which President Trump had initially viewed with considerable concern.

Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted that Ukraine had launched a wave of drones at Mr Putins state residence in the northwestern Novgorod region.

He claimed Russian defence systems successfully thwarted the assault.

Mr Lavrov also criticised Kyiv for orchestrating the attack during a period of intense negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.

open image in gallery The accusation from Russia came at a critical time for peace talks, with Zelensky travelling to the US for negotiations ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

The allegation came just a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had traveled to Florida for talks with Trump on the U.S. administration's still-evolving 20-point plan aimed at ending the war. Zelensky quickly denied the Kremlin allegation.

Trump said that something happened nearby Putin's residence but that Americans officials didn't find the Russian president's residence was targeted.

I dont believe that strike happened," Trump told reporters as he traveled back to Washington on Sunday after spending two weeks at his home in Florida. We don't believe that happened, now that we've been able to check.

Trump addressed the U.S. determination after European officials argued that the Russian claim was nothing more than an effort by Moscow to undermine the peace effort.

But Trump, at least initially, had appeared to take the Russian allegations at face value. He told reporters last Monday that Putin had also raised the matter during a phone he had with the Russian leader earlier that day.

And Trump said he was very angry about the accusation.

By Wednesday, Trump appeared to be downplaying the Russian claim. He posted a link to a New York Post editorial on his social media platform that raised doubt about the Russian allegation.

open image in gallery Trump told reporters the US didnt believe the alleged strike in Russia actually happened ( REUTERS )

The editorial lambasted Putin for choosing "lies, hatred, and death at a moment that Trump has claimed is closer than ever before to moving the two sides to a deal to end the war.

The U.S. president has struggled to fulfill a pledge to quickly end the war in Ukraine and has shown irritation with both Zelenskyy and Putin as he tried to mediate an end to a conflict he boasted on the campaign trail that he could end in one day.

Both Trump and Zelenskyy said last week they made progress in their talks at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.

But Putin has shown little interest in ending the war until all of Russia's objectives are met, including winning control of all Ukrainian territory in the key industrial Donbas region and imposing severe restrictions on the size of Ukraine's post-war military and the type of weaponry it can possess.
Close Trump expresses hope on 'good news' from peace talks between Ukraine and Russia

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Ukraine and its western allies have agreed that Russian violations of a future ceasefire agreement would be met with a military response by Europe before any involvement by the US, according to a report.

Under the plan, Moscow would first be issued a diplomatic warning and retaliatory action by Ukrainian forces if necessary, the Financial Times reported.

If the ceasefire infraction persists, forces from the Coalition of the Willing will take action. The US would become involved only if still necessary after these first steps.

The response would start within 24 hours, according to people who have been brief on the discussions.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has said he is expecting "good news" when trilateral peace talks resume from Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, declaring: I think were doing very well with Ukraine and Russia. For the first time, Im saying that.

But overnight Russian air attacks continued into this week, with explosions ringing out in Kyiv on Monday night into Tuesday, after a pause requested by Trump.

As of Tuesday morning, emergency power cuts were in effect in the Ukrainian capital after Russian forces again targeted power plants and energy infrastructure.
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The Israeli military carried out further strikes in areas of Gaza beyond its immediate control, in the latest violation of a ceasefire deal brokered by the US in October.

The attacks killed at least three Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, in and around Khan Younis and injured many more near the Bureij refugee camp, Al Jazeera reported.

Israeli forces also continued to demolish homes and infrastructure across northern and eastern Gaza, including Gaza City neighbourhoods, saying they were targeting militant facilities.

In southern Lebanon, meanwhile, an Israeli drone strike on Sunday killed two people after targeting a car near the town of Bint Jbeil, the Lebanese ministry of health said.

The attack reportedly occurred in the Ayn al-Mizrab area, destroying the vehicle and damaging nearby buildings.

The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hezbollah member, accusing the Lebanese group of failing to comply with a ceasefire that came into effect in November 2024.

Israel has launched repeated attacks in Lebanon since the ceasefire, which ended a yearlong conflict with Hezbollah, killing more than 300 people.

Israeli forces also continue to occupy five locations on the Lebanese side of the border, in violation of the truce deal.

Israel and the US have pressed for Hezbollah to disarm, a demand the group has rejected. The Lebanese government is expected to meet this week to discuss the armys progress on disarmament in southern Lebanon, part of a plan which initially set the end of 2025 as a deadline.

A ceasefire monitoring committee involving Lebanon, Israel, France, the US and the UN is also due to convene.

In Gaza, after destroying homes and infrastructure in Gaza Citys Tuffah neighbourhood, the Israeli military claimed that it was targeting terrorist infrastructure above and below ground and confirmed further strikes in Beit Lahiya.

Israel launched a bloody war on Gaza in October 2023 after nearly 1,200 people were killed during a Palestinian militant attack on southern Israel.

The Israeli war has killed at least 71,386 Palestinians so far, at least 420 of them since the ceasefire began, according to Gazas health ministry. Israeli forces have also razed much of the besieged territory to ground, displacing most of its 2.2 million people.

Humanitarian groups say aid access for the Palestinians remains restricted despite the ceasefire, with Israel blocking supplies and banning several international organisations from operating in Gaza.
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Yemeni troops backed by Saudi Arabia retook an oil-rich region over the weekend from a separatist militia seeking to form a breakaway state.

The National Shield Forces, supported by Saudi airstrikes, took control of Hadramout and Al-Mahra provinces from the Southern Transitional Council backed by the UAE.

The STC, which seeks independence for southern Yemen, had seized the provinces in a surprise offensive last month.

The victory of the National Shield Forces, operating under the authority of the Presidential Leadership Council, the Arab countrys internationally recognised government, marks a turning point in a decade-old civil warincreasingly seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE were once allies in a Gulf coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthis  who now control much of Yemen including the capital Sanaa  but turned against each other as they backed rival factions competing for influence, resources, and strategic control in the countrys south.

open image in gallery Yemeni soldiers in the port city of Mukalla after retaking control Hadramout province ( REUTERS )

Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council, hailed the operation as a record success in restoring state authority in areas bordering Saudi Arabia.

The government also announced its forces had taken control of Mukalla, the key eastern port and capital of Hadramout province.

Salem al-Khanbashi, governor of Hadramout, was chosen on Friday by the government to command the Saudi-led forces in the governorate.

Footage showed the forces being welcomed by residents as they drove through the streets outside Mukalla's al-Rayyan airport in armed vehicles.

Anwar al-Tamimi, an STC spokesman, said their forces withdrew in the face of Saudi bombardment that caused multiple casualties.

To protect the lives of our fighters, we pulled back after advancing, under immense pressure, he said, according to the New York Times. Al-Mahra and Hadramout are now outside our control.

open image in gallery A video grab taken on 3 January 2026 shows Saudi-backed forces after they took control of the Second Military Region Command on the outskirts of Mukalla in Yemen ( AFP via Getty )

Yemen erupted in civil war in 2014 after the Houthis ousted president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, reshaping the power map of the poorest Arab nation.

After the Houthis took Sanaa about 10 years ago to consolidate their control over northern Yemen, the leadership relocated south, leaving the nation split in practice. Parallel institutions emerged, including rival central banks, state media outlets, and even different currency values.

The authority of the council has been weak for years, with key southern cities such as Aden and Al-Mukalla, largely run by separatist groups.

Saudi Arabia, in recent weeks, bombed STC positions and struck what it said was a shipment of Emirati weapons.

After Saudi pressure and an ultimatum from anti-Houthi forces to withdraw from Yemen, the UAE on Saturday said it had pulled its forces from the country.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said it would host a conference in Riyadh to bring together all southern factions in Yemen to discuss just solutions to the southern cause.

The STC welcomed the invitation, calling it the only rational means to address political issues, foremost among them the issue of the people of the south and their right to restore their state.
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Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric regarding US influence in the Western Hemisphere, renewing calls for an American takeover of Greenland and threatening military action against Colombia.

These assertive statements, made on Sunday, follow a US military operation in Venezuela and were accompanied by his top diplomat, Marco Rubio, declaring Cuba's communist government to be "in a lot of trouble".

The remarks from Trump and Secretary of State Rubio, coming after the ousting of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, underscore the administration's intent to adopt a more expansive role across the region.

With thinly veiled threats, Trump is unsettling both allies and adversaries throughout the hemisphere, prompting a pointed question globally: Who will be next?

Its so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place," Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida.

open image in gallery Trumps administration invaded Venezuela last week. Greenland and Colombia are his next potential targets ( AP )

"We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.

Asked during an interview with The Atlantic earlier on Sunday what the U.S.-military action in Venezuela could portend for Greenland, Trump replied: They are going to have to view it themselves. I really dont know.

Trump, in his administration's National Security Strategy published last month, laid out restoring American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere as a central guidepost for his second go-around in the White House.

Trump has also pointed to the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, which rejects European colonialism, as well as the Roosevelt Corollary  a justification invoked by the U.S. in supporting Panamas secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the U.S.  as he's made his case for an assertive approach to American neighbors and beyond.

Trump has even quipped that some now refer to the fifth U.S. president's foundational document as the Don-roe Doctrine.

Causing unease in Denmark

Saturday's dead-of-night operation by U.S. forces in Caracas and Trumps comments on Sunday heightened concerns in Denmark, which has jurisdiction over the vast mineral-rich island of Greenland.

open image in gallery Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen ( Danish Statsministeriet via YouTube )

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a statement that Trump has "no right to annex" the territory. She also reminded Trump that Denmark already provides the United States, a fellow member of NATO, broad access to Greenland through existing security agreements.

I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. to stop threatening a historically close ally and another country and people who have made it very clear that they are not for sale, Frederiksen said.

Denmark on Sunday also signed onto a European Union statement underscoring that the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected as Trump has vowed to run Venezuela and pressed the acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, to get in line.

Social media posting angers Danes

Trump on Sunday mocked Denmarks efforts at boosting Greenlands national security posture, saying the Danes have added one more dog sled to the Arctic territorys arsenal.

Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled by a social media post following the raid by a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, Katie Miller. The post shows an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the caption: SOON."

And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, Amb. Jesper Mller Srensen, Denmark's chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, who is married to Trump's influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

During his presidential transition and in the early months of his return to the White House, Trump repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has pointedly not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island that belongs to an ally.

The issue had largely drifted out of the headlines in recent months. Then Trump put the spotlight back on Greenland less than two weeks ago when he said he would appoint Republican Gov. Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland.

The Louisiana governor said in his volunteer position he would help Trump make Greenland a part of the U.S.

A stern warning to Cuba

Meanwhile, concern is simmering in Cuba, one of Venezuelas most important allies and trading partners, as Rubio issued a new stern warning to the Cuban government. U.S.-Cuba relations have been hostile since the 1959 Cuban revolution.

open image in gallery Cubans attend a rally in support of Venezuelans ( Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All right reserved )

Rubio, in an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, said Cuban officials were with Maduro in Venezuela ahead of his capture.

It was Cubans that guarded Maduro, Rubio said. He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards. The secretary of state added that Cuban bodyguards were also in charge of internal intelligence in Maduros government, including who spies on who inside, to make sure there are no traitors.

The Cuban government said in a statement read on state television on Sunday evening that 32 officers were killed in the U.S. military operation.

Trump said that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, is in tatters and will slide further now with the ouster of Maduro, who provided the Caribbean island subsidized oil.

It's going down, Trump said of Cuba. It's going down for the count.

Warning delivered to Colombia

Trump, as he made his way back to Washington on Sunday evening, also put Venezuela's neighbor, Colombia, and its leftist president, Gustavo Petro, on notice.

Trump in a back-and-forth with reporters said Colombia is run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

The Trump administration imposed sanctions in October on Petro, his family and a member of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade. Colombia is considered the epicenter of the world's cocaine trade.

open image in gallery Gustavo Petro the president of Colombia ( AP )

Trump began his monthslong pressure campaign on Maduro by ordering dozens of lethal strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats launched from Venezuela in the Caribbean. He eventually expanded the operations to also target suspected vessels in the eastern Pacific that came from Colombia.

The U.S. in September also added Colombia, the top recipient of American assistance in the region, to a list of nations failing to cooperate in the drug war for the first time in almost 30 years. The designation led to a slashing of U.S. assistance to the country.

Hes not going to be doing it for very long, Trump said of Petro on Sunday. He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. Hes not going to be doing it.

Asked whether he might order the U.S. to conduct an operation against Colombia, Trump replied, It sounds good to me.
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Police were called to deal with disruptive passengers aboard an easyJet plane, causing a flight to Egypt to be delayed by 30 hours.

Flight EZY3077 from Belfast International to Hurghada was due to take off at 12.55pm on Saturday 3 January, but did not leave until well over a day later at 7.43pm on Sunday.

The airline said that a group of customers was behaving disruptively on board, and as a result, the plane was attended by police before it had a chance to take off.

In a statement, easyJet said it took such incidents seriously and did not tolerate disruptive behaviour.

Unfortunately, this delay led to the crew reaching their safety-regulated operating hours, which has resulted in the flight being rescheduled to tomorrow [Sunday] and we are providing customers with hotel accommodation and meals, the airline added.

The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always easyJet's highest priority, and while this was outside of our control, we are sorry for the inconvenience this will have caused.

The rescheduled flight was due to depart at 6.45am, however weather and take-off slot issues caused the flight to be delayed another 13 hours, Belfast International airport told BBC News.

It is unclear what the disruptive passengers did to cause the flight to be rescheduled. However, it is not the first time the behaviour of those on board has caused travel disruptions.

In September last year, hundreds of passengers were stuck in Malaga airport after a disruptive passenger incident traumatised the flight crew of another easyJet flight.

The flight, which was due to travel to Liverpool, was cancelled after three passengers from the inbound flight were escorted out of the jet bridge tunnel by police.

The captain refused to continue the flight after shouting and screaming passengers caused a commotion on board.

After the disruptive passengers were removed, others were advised to see if they could board another flight or book a hotel, which would be reimbursed by the airline.

The Independent has contacted Belfast International airport for comment.

Read more: Drunk easyJet passengers traumatised crew as Malaga flight cancelled before take-off
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If your resolve for maintaining New Years fitness resolutions tends to evaporate prematurely, try throwing spellbinding views and incredible wildlife encounters into the mix  by embarking on an exhilarating hike or two.

Not sure where to begin? These seven outstanding trails will provide some inspiration; routes that will get the blood pumping and showcase some of Americas most photogenic landscapes.

They range from accessible strolls to not-for-the-faint-hearted climbs, with moderate trails in between.

One of the most eye-opening winds through an otherworldly canyon in Utah, while Oregon offers a route that comes with views of its highest peak.

In Tennessee, you can trek to a dramatic rock overhang and soak in views of beautiful mountain forests, while in Arizona a bit of all-fours scrambling will launch you to a ridge thats home to one of the states most famous rock formations.

In Montana, theres a marked trail to one of Glacier National Parks most famous glaciers, and in California you can venture along the coastline to a waterfall that spills onto a secluded beach.

Have a head for heights? Visit Maine for a challenging ascent that involves clambering up iron rungs bolted into the side of a vertical rock face as vultures wheel in the sky above. The reward  a bird-of-prey view of a glistening bay below.

1. The Narrows, Zion National Park, Utah

open image in gallery Hiking The Narrows in Zion National Park involves walking directly along the Virgin River ( f11photo - stock.adobe.com )

You may want to pack your waders to tackle The Narrows  the slimmest section of Zion Canyon in Zion National Park  because for much of the time youll be walking directly in the Virgin River, which flows along it.

That makes the walk rough and slippery by default, but the setting is spectacular  a narrow gorge with dramatic vertical rock faces soaring skywards on either side and an environment where you might spot mule deer, rock squirrels, ringtail cats and tree frogs.

The northbound hike begins in the striking Temple of Sinawava amphitheater, around 160 miles from Las Vegas. Here, you can either set off in the water or keep your gear dry for a short while by venturing along the paved, wheelchair-accessible Riverside Walk, which extends for about a mile.

Around a mile upstream from the end of Riverside Walk, the rock wall opens up on the east side to reveal Orderville Canyon, an eye-opening side canyon. However, the most visually arresting moment is Wall Street, which is slightly further north. Here, the canyon is pinched to just 20 to 30 feet in width by rock faces that rise to around 1,000 feet.

The furthest you can hike without a permit is Big Springs, a picturesque cluster of waterfalls just under five miles from the Temple of Sinawava. Getting there and returning is a full days hike for most, but you can turn around at any time.

Good to know: Check the weather forecast, river flow and flash flood potential beforehand. The best window is late spring to early fall, when the water is warmest and water levels tend to drop. To reach the Temple of Sinawava, park at the Zion National Park Visitor Center, located at the south entrance by Springdale, then hop on the mandatory shuttle bus.

Great place to stay: Under Canvas Zion (rooms from $270) is a luxury glamping resort minutes from the Zion National Park entrance that features safari-style tents with en-suites.

Read more: Seven remote luxury hotels in America  where wilderness meets five-star comfort

2. Mirror Lake Trail, Mount Hood, Oregon

open image in gallery Hiking to beautiful Mirror Lake in Oregon includes stunning views of the states highest peak, Mount Hood ( Getty/iStock )

If you hike the Mirror Lake Trail on Mount Hood, keep your eyes peeled for Douglas squirrels, chipmunks, black-tailed deer and, in winter months, snowshoe hares, as the beautiful forest that envelopes this route is home to them all.

Whats more, enjoying their lush ecosystem doesnt require much strain.

The easy-to-moderate, clearly marked four-mile walk begins at Mirror Lake Trailhead, located at the Skibowl West parking lot on the south side of Mount Hood, about one mile west of Government Camp village along U.S. Highway 26.

From there, you ascend around 1,300 feet amid old-growth firs and mossy trunks to Mirror Lake, which on a clear day perfectly reflects the snow-capped peak of Mount Hood, Oregons highest mountain at 11,249 feet above sea level.

Reaching the lake typically takes between one and two hours, after which a loop around the shoreline reveals bonus viewpoints of Hoods imposing flanks.

Good to know: The weather can change rapidly around Mount Hood and snow is common from late fall through spring, when snowshoes may be needed. From May through October, you will need a Northwest Forest Pass or an America the Beautiful Pass. However, from November 1 through April 30, a Sno-Park Permit is required.

Great place to stay: To round out the classic Pacific Northwest experience, book Timberline Lodge (rooms from around $220), above Government Camp on the flanks of Mount Hood, where coziness is guaranteed thanks to interiors with stone fireplaces and burnished beams. Exterior seem familiar? It was used as The Shining's Overlook Hotel.

Read more: A seaweed foraging adventure along the Oregon coastline

3. Alum Cave Trail, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee

open image in gallery Alum Cave Bluff is the most popular turnaround point for those tackling the Alum Cave Trail ( Getty/iStock )

The Alum Cave Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a world of towering tulip poplars and maples, babbling streams, and picture-book wildlife, from wild turkeys and black bears to bobcats, white-tailed deer and salamanders.

But as the name suggests, theres also a cave, of sorts, to explore.

Alum Cave Bluffs is the most popular turnaround point for this well-maintained, 4.6 mile-long route, which takes around three to four hours to complete and begins at the Alum Cave Trailhead between mile markers 10 and 11 along Newfound Gap Road, about eight miles south of Gatlinburg.

Youll gain around 1,200 feet of elevation and pass through Arch Rock, a dramatic natural stone arch, before reaching Alum Cave Bluffs, which are more of a dramatic rock overhang than a true cave, but impressive, nevertheless. And the landscape views are awe-inspiring.

More experienced hikers can continue to the summit area of 6,593-foot-high Mount LeConte for views that are even more expansive.

Good to know: While there are handrails in steeper sections, be alert to ice during colder months and abrupt weather changes at higher elevations. Parking spaces fill up quickly at the trailhead, so arrive before 8am during peak seasons. A Smoky Mountains parking tag is required.

Great place to stay: Blackberry Farm (rooms from $900), near Walland on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is a storied luxury resort with two outdoor pools, beautifully appointed rooms and three restaurants serving dishes that showcase regional ingredients.

Read more: From foodies to Swifties: Americas music city is the perfect holiday break

4. Cathedral Rock Trail, Sedona, Arizona

open image in gallery Cathedral Rock is one of Arizonas most photographed natural landmarks, and theres a trail that takes you to the ridge it sits on ( Getty/iStock )

Cathedral Rock Trail is short but very sweet, the endpoint after just three-quarters of a mile being the routes namesake rock formation: a photogenic cluster of crimson spires that draws visitors from far and wide.

The start point is the Cathedral Rock Trailhead, accessed via the Back O Beyond Road, about 10 minutes south of Sedona.

While the trail, which rises around 740 feet, is clearly marked, be prepared for a bit of hands-and-feet scrambling near the top.

Once youre on the ridge by Cathedral Rocks towers, you may be joined by collared and whiptail lizards while soaking in the amazing views across the desert to Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock.

Excluding lingering time for the views, most hikers complete the 1.5 mile round trip in 60-90 minutes.

Good to know: Shoes with good grip are vital, carry plenty of water, and start early when temperatures are slightly cooler. To park, youll need a Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful Pass.

Great place to stay: Enchantment Resort (rooms from $700), nestled 20 minutes away from Cathedral Rock at the base of Boynton Canyon, offers 218 rooms, some with private plunge pools and fireplaces, and all with canyon views.

Read more: Scottsdale: The Arizona desert city that defined Hollywoods golden age is enjoying a comeback

5. Grinnell Glacier Trail, Glacier National Park, Montana

open image in gallery The Grinnell Glacier Trail is an enticing blend of scenery and wildlife spotting ( Getty/iStock )

The Grinnell Glacier Trail ranks as one of Americas best all-round hikes, checking boxes for breathtaking scenery, amazing wildlife and sense of achievement.

The epic scenery is present from the outset: the trail  a 10.6 mile, five-to-seven-hour round trip  is signposted from a dramatic corner of Glacier National Park, just south of the Many Glacier Hotel, on the shoreline of Swiftcurrent Lake.

From there, youll hike past strikingly turquoise Grinnell Lake and Lake Josephine, framed by rugged peaks, before reaching the spellbinding turnaround point  the edge of Grinnell Glacier, one of the most famous of the parks 26 or so remaining glaciers.

At this point, youll have earned a break, having climbed 1,600 feet to an elevation of 6,500 feet, and along the way you may have spotted grizzly and black bears (usually seen at a distance), mountain goats, bighorn sheep, moose, marmots and pikas. Gray wolves are also present, though you can count yourself exceptionally lucky if you spot one.

Good to know: Carry bear spray and make sure you know how to use it, though rest assured that rangers will close the trail if bear activity is high. Mid-July to September is the best window, but snow can linger even in July. A park entrance pass or America the Beautiful pass is required.

Great place to stay: Many Glacier Hotel (rooms from $300) is in the perfect location for this hike and offers Swiss-style rooms with mesmerizing views.

Read more: Is this Americas best-kept vacation secret? The underrated state that deserves your attention

6. McWay Falls Trail, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, California

open image in gallery The trail to the spectacular McWay Falls can be enjoyed by walkers of all abilities ( Getty/iStock )

If the priority is maximum scenery for minimal exertion, the McWay Falls Trail in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is for you  at just 0.6 miles as a round trip, with no hills to climb, its easily the most accessible walk on our list, but delivers memorably photogenic views.

The trail starts by Highway 1, around 12 miles south of Big Sur village, and leads along the coastline to the 80-foot McWay Falls, a cascade that, extraordinarily, flows directly onto a secluded beach.

Its a dreamy scene, and there are a host of animals that frequent this stretch of coastline that make it even more enticing, from California sea lions to sea otters, and from brown pelicans to California condors. You may even spot gray whales (between December and April) and blue whales gliding past offshore.

Good to know: Parking is limited, so arrive early or go late. A California State Parks day-use parking fee is required. America the Beautiful passes are not accepted. Also, descending to the beach is not permitted  its private and the cliffs are unstable.

Great place to stay: Big Sur Lodge (rooms from $166) is located inside Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, about 10 miles north of McWay Falls, and features rustic cabins and lodge rooms nestling under towering redwood trees.

Read more: The 9 best California cities and towns to visit, from LA to Santa Barbara

7. Precipice Trail, Acadia National Park, Maine

open image in gallery Precipice Trail in Maine is not for the faint-hearted, but incredible views reward those who can hold their nerve ( Getty/iStock )

The Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park is the most challenging hike on the list  one to save for when your New Years health-kick resolve is laser-focused.

Thats because this not-for-the-faint-hearted ascent involves climbing iron rungs and ladders bolted on to vertical rock faces and negotiating narrow ledges with sheer drop-offs. Metal handholds are available to grip, but theres little room for error.

If youre a confident hiker with a head for heights, youll be in heaven.

The start point is Precipice Trailhead, on the east side of Champlain Mountain along Park Loop Road, a short drive south of Bar Harbor. From there, wearing shoes with excellent grip, youll follow a clearly marked but exposed route up to the summit of Champlain Mountain, 1,058 feet above sea level.

Sweeping views over Frenchman Bay and to neighboring peaks await, and perhaps peregrine falcons and turkey vultures will be keeping an eye on your progress.

The total distance is 2.5 miles, and you should allow three hours to get to the top and back and soak up the views.

Good to know: Grippy footwear is crucial, and avoid the trail in wet, windy or icy conditions. A park entrance pass or America the Beautiful pass is required for parking along Park Loop Road.

Great place to stay: Adrenalin levels will settle fast at refined Claremont Hotel (rooms from $350), overlooking Somes Sound in Southwest Harbor.

Read more: 12 state parks that are just as beautiful as national parks  and theyre free
A dramatic rescue in Rhode Island captured hearts and headlines as a firefighter crawled across a frozen pond to save a dog that had fallen through thin ice.

The incident occurred on New Years Day when a golden retriever named Phoenix wandered onto Little Masachaug Pond during a morning walk and broke through the unstable surface.

Volunteer firefighters from the Misquamicut and Watch Hill departments responded quickly, donning ice-rescue suits and inching across the hazardous ice to reach the struggling animal.

Video of the rescue, showing the crew bringing Phoenix safely back to shore, has since gone viral.
President Donald Trump said the United States will run Venezuela until a peaceful transition can take place after U.S. forces captured President Nicolas Maduro in a surprise military operation.

Trump said Washington would oversee the country temporarily to ensure stability and security following Maduros removal. Maduro and his wife were flown to New York to face criminal charges, according to U.S. officials.

Trump offered few details on how long U.S. control would last but said the goal was a safe handover to a new government.
What are we to make of someone who spends the early hours of the morning on social media?

Not just the kind of obsessive doomscrolling that is both a symptom and a modern cause of insomnia, and hardly uncommon  but actively posting and reposting at an extraordinary rate. Some 80-plus posts in the course of a few hours  lets say a posting or a share every two or three minutes. All aggressive, full of bile, and almost panicky.

What, in other words, does Donald Trumps post-invasion online spree tell us about the state of the presidents psyche?

It is frantic, for sure, and apparently unprecedented even by his own prolific standards  25,000 Tweets, as they then were, during his first presidency, for example. Yet it is part of a pattern of wilder social media activity. Remember the callous assault only last month on the memory of Rob Reiner, the murdered Hollywood director whom Trump mocked as dying of Trump Derangement Syndrome?

US president Donald Trump posted over 80 times in the early hours following Nicolas Maduros capture ( Getty )

And his more recent recirculation of a false and vile claim that former vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz was involved in the assassination of Minnesota Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman last summer? The president has always been petty, vengeful, and vindictive, but is this tendency now becoming pathological?

Trumps recent tirades are ostensibly focused on his recently ordered attack on Venezuela, and the kidnapping of President Maduro and his wife, but, as so often with Trump, they veered off into all his other pet hates.

Somalis, for example, and Joe Biden, obviously, attracted his ire even when they were mostly asleep and presented no immediate threat to the US  or its president (rather like Maduro in his bedtime fortress, as it happens). Trump naturally agreed that the Fake News just wont cover the TRUTH! as the sleepless commander-in-chief put it in characteristic style.

On his ironically named Truth Social channel, he posited that Venezuelans currently residing in the US would soon self-deport themselves home  despite the likelihood that his destabilising of the country could tear it apart, and more likely, increase the flow of destitute refugees heading north.

It would be far too facile to suggest that such nocturnal activity is the product of a guilty conscience. Trumps conscience has long evaded detection, even under the scrutiny of the White House head doctors, who, he claims, say he aced his worryingly frequent cognitive capacity tests. To quote Shakespeare: O sleep, O gentle sleep,/ Natures soft nurse, how have I frighted thee, That thou no more wilt weigh mine eyelids down

But Trumps lengthy nighttime tirades do, perhaps, provide some explanation for why he seems to have a tendency to rest his eyes during official meetings  at least insofar as can be judged from the televised ones. Sleepy Joe Biden isnt the only chief executive to find himself in need of an impromptu snooze; so does Dozy Donald.

Could it be that somewhere, deep in Trumps complex cerebral cortex, there is a part of his mind that hasnt been trained to treat fact as fiction, and vice versa?

A tiny inkling that he may have created his own Vietnam  or at least Libya or Iraq  in the form of a disintegrating Venezuela, where large numbers of American troops will have to be deployed just to maintain order and guard the precious oil reserves that Trump so obviously wishes to plunder.

Could it be that his policy  immoral, reckless and illegal as it is, none of which bothers him as such  might fail, leaving him in charge of a gigantic mess he cannot blame anyone else for? That the Venezuelan adventure will cost more money than it yields in oil revenues?

That it will lead to unacceptable American casualties? That his critics  including a growing faction within the Maga movement  will be proved right? That even his collection of cronies might turn on him? Losing control of Congress and the Republican Party? Impeachment? The 25th Amendment invoked because of his mental incapacity? Resignation? Disgrace? Jail?

One day, like Maduro, they might come for Trump in his bedchamber and haul him off too for some rough justice. Such insecurities would be enough to keep anyone up at night.
Since then, along with defence and security, we have heard of little else from the EU, which is welcome. We have to improve EU competitiveness; we are losing ground to our competitors and businesses are too laden with regulation to innovate and grow. These are all arguments we have heard repeatedly from commentators and politicians alike over the past year.
My Money: Theres no such thing as good value in property anymore  unless it was seized by CAB
A leading Wexford-based HSE psychologist says that while he is not sure that Australias social media ban will be effective, the health and safety of our children cannot be left in the hands of profit-making multinationals.
Just saying

Dr Rachel Clarke is an NHS palliative care doctor and former television journalist. The Story of a Heart, the story of a heart transplant between two children, Keira and Max, was the winner of 2025s Womens Prize for non-fiction. Her memoir Breathtaking was adapted into a TV series for ITV. She has two children.

I was one of those kids who loved science and art at school. I also had a dad who was a doctor, a mum who was a nurse. It wasnt that I didnt want to do medicine, its just that I almost felt pushed into it, by school mainly, and what I really loved as a kid was writing. I loved being a journalist in many ways, loved the contact with people, and the creativity involved in making films, but really struggled with the toughness required.
Academic sues UL in ongoing incorrect grade row

Mishandling of student data has led to at least 25 cases where graduates were given the wrong award

Senior academic sues University of Limerick claiming he was mistreated after protected disclosure

Wayne O'Connor Sun 4 Jan 2026 at 06:30

A senior academic is suing the university of Limerick (UL) amid claims he was mistreated after making a protected disclosure about the institutions management of student records.
Enoch Burke may take legal challenge against disciplinary appeal panel

Mr Burke lodged a number of objections to how last months hearing was conducted

Enoch Burke

Shane Phelan, Ray Managh and Conor Feehan Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 12:46

Enoch Burke could be about to bring a legal challenge regarding the Disciplinary Appeals Panel (DAP) that is considering whether it was correct for Wilsons Hospital School to sack him.
Fee-paying secondary schools less likely than public schools to use phone pouches or other storage solutions

Fewer than half of private institutions sought funding through scheme

Students remove their devices from lockable smartphone pouches. Photo: Getty

Mary McCarthy Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 06:30

The majority of secondary schools in Ireland have implemented dedicated phone storage solutions such as pouches, but private schools have been less likely to do so.
It was an opportunity to realise youre not on your own  returning Irish emigrants on how government programme helped propel their businesses

The Governments Back for Business programme provides necessary supports to entrepreneurs returning home after period abroad

Back for Business supports Irish emigrants returning home to build and grow companies. Photo: Getty

Keith Kelly Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 06:30

Entrepreneurs who returned to Ireland after living abroad have told how a scheme for new businesses has been invaluable in growing their companies.
Its a delicate situation, says Venezuelan woman in Dublin on removal and arrest of Nicolas Maduro by US

Leader was arrested in Caracas during an aerial assault on the city and surrounding areas

Liliana Fernandez, a Venezuelan woman living and working in Dublin

Sarah O'Mahony Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 06:30

A Venezuelan woman has described her mixed feelings after the arrest of autocratic leader Nicolas Maduro by the US in the countrys capital, Caracas.
The mental health needs of asylum-seekers and people awaiting deportation are not being adequately met, with services scraping the tip of the iceberg of what is needed, according to a leading charity.
latest | Taoiseach hails indispensable role of China as he meets president Xi Jinping in Beijing

Micheal Martins visit comes amid global tensions over Taiwan and Venezuela

Micheal Martin arrives at the Great Hall of the People for one on one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping

Conal Thomas in China Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 10:43

Chinas indispensable role in the world has been praised by Taoiseach Micheal Martin during a face-to-face meeting with president Xi Jinping this morning in the capital Beijing.
latest | Donegal stabbing victim named as businessman and former election candidate Stephen McCahill

A man (30s) known to the deceased remains in garda custody and is being questioned over the fatal assaultGardai believe the suspect arrived at the victims home in the early hours of the morning

Donegal stabbing victim named as businessman and former election candidate Stephen McCahill

Robin Schiller and Maeve McTaggart Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 19:04

A man killed in a suspected stabbing in Donegal overnight has been named as Stephen McCahill, a well-known businessman and former general election candidate.
Secret meetings point to inside job by Venezuelas vice-president to hand Maduro over to US

Reports claim Delcy Rodriguez and her brother were leading talks in Doha between regime and Donald Trump

New Venezuelan leader urges US to collaborate after Maduros removal

Cody Weddle Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 06:30

In a meeting room in Doha, 12,000km away from Caracas, officials were busy discussing the future of Venezuela without its dictator Nicolas Maduro.
Marie Antoinette was a pioneer of influencing in her time and has remained a style icon for centuries

Before she was sent to the guillotine in 1793, 37-year-old Marie Antoinette could not have imagined that more than two centuries later, she would still be one of the most famous women in the world.

The French queens jewels and furniture command record-breaking prices at auction; her porcelain and palace fabrics are reproduced and hawked by homeware brands; and her likeness is used on everything from expensive candles to throw blankets. Shes been the inspiration for a plethora of bestselling books, films, jazz and rap songs, and fashion shows.

If you need proof that the Joe Biden-era embrace of quiet luxury has given way to something decidedly more ostentatious and maximal, look no further than Marie Antoinettes renewed visibility. In the age of influencers, the queen is a case study in spectacle and optics.

She was constantly on parade, constantly performing and being watched, and she was scrutinised far more than celebrities are today, said Sarah Grant, a senior curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which is currently hosting a show devoted to the queens style and legacy.

Marie Antoinette is also, of course, a cautionary tale  a symbol of what can happen in an era of political polarisation, concentrated wealth and corrosive income inequality. It is this, as much as her exuberant taste and rarefied life, that makes her a potent mascot for our times.

Among the 250 treasures on display at the V&A show (until March 22) are a pair of her tiny silk slippers; a clutch of her jewels; and her Sevres dinner service from the Petit Trianon.

The doomed queen was a pioneer of influencing even in her own day. She established herself as a tastemaker almost immediately upon her arrival at Versailles at 14, as the Austrian princess bride of 15-year-old King Louis XVI.

Caroline Weber, author of the bestselling Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution, makes the case that her rocky early relationship with her young, eccentric husband made it difficult for her to do what queens were meant to do: bear heirs. She had to come up with another way to be important at the court and that was to be a style leader, Weber said.

She understood the power of imaging and was selling an image that the public wanted to consume and emulate

Marie Antoinette allowed her likeness to be reproduced in fashion engravings, a first for the royal court. She allowed her court stylist, Rose Bertin, to sell copies of her gowns to other women a few months after shed worn the styles herself. She understood the power of imaging and was selling an image that the public wanted to consume and emulate, Weber said.

The economic power of her style  what is known at Sothebys auction house as the Marie Antoinette effect  has continued almost unabated ever since.

In 2018, Sothebys sold 10 pieces of her jewellery, including a diamond and natural pearl pendant for $36.2m and a diamond brooch for $2.1m (both are in the V&A show), and in 2024, it sold a 300-carat diamond necklace for $4.8m.

In 2022, Christies Paris auctioned two pieces of her furniture: a commode by Pierre Macret from 1770, and a neoclassical armchair by Georges Jacob from her bedroom at Versailles. Each went for close to 1m.

We find that Marie Antoinette pieces appeal more than those of Louis XVI, Hippolyte de La Feronniere, the head of Christies European Furniture Department in Paris, said. People love her dramatic history. Yes, its the same as his, but the fact that she was a foreigner who arrived at Versailles and managed to conquer the court made for a personality bigger than that of Louis XIV, even if he was king. Her story is one of power.

Kirsten Dunst in Sofia Coppolas 2006 movie 'Marie Antoinette'

Meanwhile, Luxury candlemaker Cire Trudon has created a pink candle replicating the 18th-century wax bust of the queen. London-based shoe designer Manolo Blahnik this summer dropped a limited-edition collection of frou-frou silk pumps he designed for Sofia Coppolas lavish 2006 movie Marie Antoinette.

Marie Antoinette is a beacon of decadence, a style icon. People love her, Grant said.

Shes an incredibly rich seam to mine, and because shes a historical figure, she gives a bit of gravitas to any kind of incarnation or any kind of reference.

Only the French  who sent her to the guillotine after all  seem to have an ambivalent relationship with her. We cut their heads off and thought it was over for ever, La Feronniere said. How wrong we were.
Fionnan Sheahan: Any chance Micheal will tell our visiting European pals about a united Ireland?

Our first EU presidency since Brexit apparently puts us on the global stage  its time to broach the subject of our future

Taoiseach Micheal Martin faces a busy year hosting EU leaders as part of Ireland's EU council presidency. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA

Fionnan Sheahan Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 06:30

Someone needs to break it to the Taoiseach. And be gentle. Despite his best intentions, the unionists up north really just arent ever going to get on board with this united Ireland idea.
President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference yesterday at Mar-a-Lago as US defence secretary Pete Hegseth looks on. Photo: AP

Former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who has been captured in a raid by US forces and sent to New York to be indicted on numerous counts of narco-terrorism, is unlikely to be missed by the long-suffering people over whom he held brutal sway.

Whether the military action authorised by US president Donald Trump constitutes the international justice that Amnesty has repeatedly called for Maduro to face is an altogether thornier matter.

Mr Trump came to power decrying the recklessness of past foreign misadventures by US administrations, and has now pulled the trigger on the largest offensive in the region since the eerily similar capture of Panamas Manuel Noriega by President George Bush in 1990, all while observing it unfold from his home in Mar-a-Lago, literally like I was watching a television show.

The contradiction will be felt keenly by many in the America First movement more concerned with repairing the cracks in the domestic economy than toppling tinpot dictators overseas.

That a weakened US president, shackled in Washington on his domestic agenda, has chosen to flex his muscles against a smaller country with little power to resist American firepower should, of course, come as no surprise. It was ever thus.

The condemnation that followed from the USs traditional adversaries, such as China and Cuba, who accuse it of violating international law, and from some Nato allies, including France and Spain, and long-standing Irish left-wing critics of US foreign policy, was equally to be expected.

The eagerness of Mr Trump to immediately signal American intent to become strongly involved in Venezuelas oil industry will hardly persuade them to see Maduros overthrow as altruistic.

What is needed after this swift, precise strike is an equally concerted effort to stabilise a shaky political situation

What comes next will determine if the military operation is seen, in hindsight, as hot-headed or rational. Nobel Peace laureate Maria Corina Machado, widely believed to be the real winner of the disputed 2024 election, has hailed this weekends events as Venezuelas hour of freedom. One must hope she is right.

However, military action in breach of international law always carries unforeseen risks. The shadow of Iraq looms over US foreign policy.

What is needed after this swift, precise strike is an equally concerted effort to stabilise a shaky political situation. Given how off-the-cuff this latest operation seems to have been, the concern must be over how much thought has been given in this particular White House to what comes next.

President Trump told a press conference yesterday that were going to run the country until a safe, proper and judicious transition of power. That sounds worryingly open-ended.

Whether he is satisfied to leave it there is unclear. He warned other dictators in the Americas of similar actions, and in recent days threatened Iran with airstrikes in support of the anti-government protests taking place there.

Apparently, the one dictator who can continue to sleep easily is Russias Vladimir Putin. And who could blame China for watching with interest and wondering if it could get away with an equally swift strike on Taiwan?

The action that took place in Venezuela has been described as limited  its global implications are anything but.
Government supporters burn a US flag in Caracas, Venezuela, after the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Photo: AP

The arrest and detention of Nicolas Maduro and his wife from Venezuela defies all international laws and norms.

While no one will miss Maduro, or how he has left his country in economic ruin, beset by corruption and gang warfare, this military operation will be a catalyst for other major military strongmen to do the same.

This military operation and abduction goes against the UN charter, while the UN Security Council itself has been shown to be nothing more that an obstructive talk shop dominated by warmongers and autocrats.

Once again Donald Trump and his administration have shown contempt for a countrys sovereignty and independence, yet have given latitude to the like of Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu, both wanted on warrant by the ICC on serious criminal charges, as they bombed and invaded other sovereign nations.

Both have met with Trump, with no action being taken by the US or others to affect their arrests.

Then Trump, in his limited world of diplomacy, pardoned former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted of drug and firearms offences, while his administration charges Maduro and his wife with similar offences.

Trump, who fails to see the sheer hypocrisy of what he has done, given he riled the crowd before January 6 attack on the US Capitol, should himself have faced serious charges before the US courts, but was saved by being re-elected.

He, like Putin, has set a dangerous precedent which will have a knock-on effect for many nations who will worry that if they dont bow and kiss the emperors ring, they are coming for you, sovereignty or not.

Christy Galligan, Letterkenny, Co Donegal

Abduction of Maduro and his wife shows US has no respect for the rule of law

International peace was shattered on January 3 when the US invaded and bombed Venezuela and kidnapped its president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

Venezuelas attorney general Tarek Saab reported that innocent victims have been mortally wounded and others killed. US naval forces have unlawfully killed at least 115 people off the coast of Venezuela. US president Donald Trump announced the US is going to run Venezuela until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.

All this is in clear breach of the United Nations charter. Statements by Irish and EU leaders paid lip service to the rule of international laws, while questioning the legitimacy of the Venezuelan government.

Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee echoed the EU line  rather than adopt an independent view, as behoves a genuine neutral state.

While we have been clear that President Maduro does not have any legitimacy, we have consistently called for a peaceful and negotiated transition in Venezuela, Ms McEntee said.

What right does the Irish Government have to make such irresponsible judgments and statements? As the de facto government and as a UN member state, Venezuela does have legitimacy under international law.

What is happening is that the genuine rule of international laws has been replaced by a so-called rules-based international order, enforced by coalitions of the willing, both terms frequently used by our Irish leaders.

The peoples of Cuba and Iran may be the next targets, and the extermination of the people of Gaza is already happening.

Edward Horgan, Castletroy, Limerick

Why its much healthier to let your rage out rather than keep it bottled up

Chrissie Russell wrote that she tried four expert ways to channel her rage (I tried four expert ways to channel my female rage  this is what worked for me, Irish Independent, January 2) yet few of the ways actually allowed her to feel her rage.

Ms Russell documents well how anger builds up in everyday moments yet she writes she tried four ways to suppress her rage, since one cant be booking into a rage room every time the bloods up. Why not? Im a woman in my early 30s and I visit the rage room on a regular basis.

As a result, I am the calmest person I know, as I let my rage out in a safe environment regularly, which stops it flowing over when someone makes an error of judgment and pulls out in front of me or any other melee of reasons.

When I cant make the trip to Dublin for this invaluable experience, I let my rage out in other ways. When some days leave me wanting to scream, I dont breathe it away, simply name it, suppress it in the million ways we all use, or lash out at family members  I get in my car, drive somewhere quiet and scream.

Rage can also be an emotion that is used to cover up another emotion such as fear or sadness. By letting the rage out, its like lifting your emotional carpet up and shaking up all the emotions that have been left under the carpet for years.

Its why raging can be incredibly therapeutic  with the support of a professional it can help us to find strength in our lowest moments, to move from freeze to fight, and to heal past pains.

Catherine Devine, Donegal

Noisy ambulance rushing to save lives almost made me fearful for my own

Three days ago I realised another reason why our hospitals are getting more and more crowded.

I was walking peacefully down a quiet street when an ambulance suddenly turned its emergency horn on about 10 yards behind me.

I am 82 and quite certain that my heart stopped for a few beats, I still remember the huge shock.

RD Barton, Maynooth, Co Kildare

Putting our phones down can help us all reconnect with the delights of reality

A friend of mine was telling me that he recently lost his phone, which made him confront the two sources of anxiety his phone assuaged for him.

First, he spoke about the fear of being alone, in that his phone gave him the illusion that he could always be in contact with someone or something.

Secondly, there was the fear of uncertainty that his phone could always provide him with an answer for any question that he wanted to ask.

Aloneness and not knowing are fundamental to being human and drive much of our communication and creativity.

It would be lovely if we could give up our phones down and again in order to celebrate the delights of being disconnected from the virtual world but truly connected to the real world.

John OBrien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary
German U-boats were behind the loss of several Irish seagoing vessels. Photo: Getty

Madam  Rachel Moiselles painful lament (Listen to Irish Jews when we tell you we are being betrayed, December 28) evoked the deep sense of belonging that Irish Jews have always felt towards Ireland.

She cites an emotive reflection by Robert Briscoes granddaughter, Vivienne, on his deep patriotism and contribution to Irish freedom and ponders how he would consider the position his contemporary co-religionists find themselves in today as their very Irishness is openly challenged.

Sadly, however, as the biographer of Briscoe (Robert Briscoe: Sinn Fein Revolutionary, Fianna Fail Nationalist and Revisionist Zionist, 2016), I would argue that from his first days in the revolutionary movement to the end of his long political career, he was aware that to be Jewish was to have ones loyalty constantly questioned.

In an attempt to protect his immense contribution to the evolving state, he carefully compartmentalised both his personal and political archive, donating only selected documentation to the National Library of Ireland.

Tellingly, the overwhelming amount of documentation relating to his Herculean international efforts at saving, in his own words, a remnant of European Jewry, were donated to the Jabotinsky Institute in Tel Aviv.

Perhaps that fact alone supports Ms Moiselles supposition that, in some sections of Irish society, Jews have never been truly accepted.

Kevin McCarthy, Killaloe, Co Clare

Criticising Israel is not targeting Jews

Madam  Rachel Moiselle poses the rhetorical question concerning former Dublin mayor Robert Briscoe: Would he be proud that a litmus test is placed on Jews in Irish society  denounce connection to the Jewish ancestral homeland or face ostracisation?

I believe this framing sets up a false premise. To my knowledge, no one in Irish society has called on Jewish people to renounce any connection to heritage or identity. What many Irish citizens object to is not Jewish identity, but the actions and policies of the current Israeli government.

Furthermore, the phrase Jewish ancestral homeland is deeply loaded, given over a century of conflict in Israel-Palestine and the complex historical and political realities involved. Using such language risks over-simplifying a nuanced issue.

Our shared goal should be to foster dialogue that condemns injustice without alienating communities, and to ensure that criticism of Israeli government policy never spills over into prejudice against a people.

Steve Rawson, Dublin 5

Antisemitism can never be justified

Madam  Rachel Moiselle rightly highlights the worrying rise of antisemitism in Ireland and globally, and the need for societies to combat all forms of racism. However, her article omits an important dimension: the geopolitical context.

While antisemitism can never be justified, many observers note that the actions and rhetoric of the Israeli government, such as illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank supported by the IDF, the destruction of infrastructure and the enormous number of civilian casualties in Israels pursuit of Hamas terrorists, are widely reported and influence public sentiment worldwide.

Acknowledging this complexity helps frame the discussion honestly. Combating antisemitism and addressing legitimate concerns about Israeli government policies should go hand-in-hand to foster understanding and reduce hostility.

Fergus Moloney, Ennis Road, Limerick

Dont conflate the state and identity

Madam  Having claimed that the Irish Jewish community now feels intimidated out of public life, Rachel Moiselle rightly asserts that Irish Jews are not a foreign intelligence or lobbying entity.

She then spoils her case by lobbying for Israel, a state accused of genocide before the International Court of Justice.

The intimidation of Irish Jews has, apparently, strengthened the case for Zionism, a discriminatory ideology that gives Jews an exclusive right to national self-determination in Israel (according to its 2018 Nation State Law) at the expense of Palestinians rights.

It is precisely this conflation of Jewish identity with the state of Israel that provides antisemites with an excuse for their prejudice.

Raymond Deane, Broadstone, Dublin 7

Anti-racism groups can turn a blind eye

Madam  I was not surprised by the Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll findings that 70pc of Irish people believe Ireland does not have an antisemitism problem.

To know whether antisemitism exists, you must be able to recognise it. How many of the survey respondents could do this? Few, I suspect.

How are the public to recognise it when so many with a voice in Ireland are part of the problem? Self-proclaimed anti-racism groups turn a blind eye to antisemitism because opposing it is incompatible with their ideological beliefs.

Many Irish politicians  left and right, wittingly or unwittingly, through their words or their silence  are equally complicit. Our educational institutions are no better.

The voices of solidarity in Irish media, though welcome, are few and far between.

So, I ask, whos left?

David Newmark, Tallaght, Dublin

Bryan Dobson and Herzog Parks name

Madam  The recent article by Bryan Dobson left me disappointed (Presidents presence at Herzog Park would have meant more than words, December 21). As a journalist, he did not seem to have much empathy for the 273 Palestinian journalists murdered by Israeli forces these past two years.

I am wondering why he was not so exercised to write on that matter in the way he appears to be regarding the proposed renaming of Herzog Park.

Michael Clemenger, Trim, Co Meath

German U-boats were behind the loss of several Irish seagoing vessels. Photo: Getty

Germans still owe us for Irish boats destroyed during war

Madam  In his story about German attacks on Irish ships during the 1939-45 war (Familys five-decade fight over ship attack, December 28), Ralph Riegel states compensation terms were agreed for all but the MV Loch Ryan. This is incorrect.

The U-boat war diaries in my archive show German submarines were the cause of several of these losses. In the case of the SS Ardmore, its loss can now be attributed to a mine laid by German aircraft in November, 1940.

The only claims for compensation agreed by the Germans for the actions of their forces against Irish ships was an attack on the SS Kerry Head on August 1, 1940.

However, as a consequence of post-war Germanys diminished finances, a reduced compensation package was agreed with Ireland in relation to the German bombings at Campile, to the Kerry Head and the bombing incidents on the North Strand and at Arklow.

Annexe B of the agreement, dated July 25, 1953, indicates the Irish government was reserving its right to pursue in the future other claims for bomb damage.

The agreement was never intended by the Irish government to be a full and final settlement of all outstanding debts to Ireland in relation to the war, and the German delegation understood and accepted this position.

The doctrine of military necessity cited by the Germans as a response to past Irish claims for compensation cannot be upheld. In effect, attacks on neutral Irish vessels by German forces during the Emergency violated the Hague Conventions, the Proces-Verbal, the laws of war and Irish neutrality. They were aware that Ireland was a neutral country.

These attacks cannot be construed as materially and immediately contributing to a military success and cannot in any way be regarded as legitimate and identifiable military objectives.

Peter Mulvany, Clontarf, Dublin 3

EU presidency must reset US relations

Madam  With reference to David Quinns column (Irish EU presidency is a chance to ask what we want from Europe, December 28), the headline alone deserves some reflection.

The opportunity I see for our upcoming EU presidency is to make all members of the union realise that the US is no longer Europes friend and that it is now more likely to co-operate with Russia against the EU than vice versa. One doesnt even have to read between the lines of Americas recent national security strategy to realise these facts.

Yet I see no indication that this unthinkable transformation is under way.

Not being tied to Nato, unlike most of our European neighbours, may afford Ireland the opportunity to bring a wider perspective to how Europe must start to broaden and fundamentally review its thinking.

Michael Gannon, St Thomas Square, Kilkenny

Coalition should show mettle in Europe

Madam  I would like to thank David Quinn for his informative article on the EU and the battle between those who want more centralisation of powers and those who favour more national sovereignty.

Like him, I find it hard to imagine Micheal Martin or Simon Harris showing as much steel on our behalf as Belgium did with its refusal to use frozen Russian assets as collateral for a loan to Ukraine.

And what about our fishermen being curtailed further in our own waters? The likelihood of the Government pushing for debate on these issues is zero.

Mary Stewart, Ardeskin, Donegal town

Mary Butler needs to leave trans healthcare

Madam  Your report on junior health minister Mary Butlers knowledge exchange visit to Iceland regarding trans healthcare prompts consideration of the adage that perceived conflicts of interest matter as much as actual ones (Minister and HSE doctor take trip to see Icelands liberal transgender policy, December 28).

The minister chose to visit a jurisdiction that has adopted an unquestioning affirmation model, rather than visit Finland or Sweden, which have taken a more circumspect watchful, waiting approach.

A reasonable observer might perceive that Ms Butler, who has spoken publicly about her trans-identifying child, may be motivated, however unintentionally, to develop policies that validate decisions already made within her family.

The Ethics in Public Office Acts 1995 and 2001 encourage office-holders to take due consideration of emotional, material and financial conflicts of interests, particularly where they could be seen as capable of influencing judgment.

Therefore, to maintain public confidence in the policies developed for this highly contested area of healthcare, the minister should recuse herself from the process.

Sandra Adams, Baldoyle, Dublin 13

We have to heed the evidence of Dr Cass

Madam  Maeve Sheehans report notes that Mary Butler is examining Icelands gender-affirming model of care.

In a post after the Iceland trip, the minister contended that central to any new model would be the lived experience of transgender and gender-diverse individuals.

The Icelandic model and the statement by the minister are in contrast to and negate the recommendations of the Cass report in the UK.

Are we seeing a solo run by the minister? The term lived experience is subjective, and although Dr Hilary Cass recognised that these personal experiences should be taken into account, she did not view them as the foundation of her evidence-based model.

The Programme for Government argues for a transgender healthcare service that is based on clinical evidence, respect, inclusiveness and compassion.

The Government has not directly accepted or rejected the Cass report, but the reference to clinical evidence is a clear nod to its conclusions.

Andy Hales, Kenmare, Co Kerry

Promoting gender identity in schools

Madam  Anthony OLeary attacks what the tyranny of the majority, which he believes negatively affects atheists in living their lives free of religion (Letters, December 28).

He fails to notice the real tyranny in our education system, where the idea of gender identity has been promulgated as fact.

If we are going to have a secular state, surely we must look at the influence of quasi-religious ideologies as well.

Julia Anderson, Kilpedder, Greystones

Parents and teachers often resist change

Madam  Anthony OLeary sounds bitter on the subject of school patronage. Since Ruairi Quinn was education minister, there have been concerted efforts by secularists to remove some of our schools from Catholic control.

These have consistently foundered, not because of opposition from the church, but because parents and sometimes teachers too have opposed these changes in individual schools.

It is hard to disagree with Mr OLearys contention that religion is often taught in our schools by teachers who are non-believers, but parents still seem to prefer this to what the atheists might put in its place.

Jim Stack, Lismore, Co Waterford

Anthony OLearys grasp of his faith is shaky

Madam  Anthony OLeary believes Christian doctrines on the resurrection and the virgin birth belong to the Roman religion that emerged from Nicaea centuries later (Letters, December 28).

In fact, references to the resurrection can be found in the epistles of St Paul, written 275 or so years before the Council of Nicaea; the virgin birth can be found in the gospels of St Matthew and St Luke, composed 250 years before the council.

In common with so many of Christianitys critics, Mr OLearys grasp of the facts about that faith is rather shaky.

CDC Armstrong, Donegall Road, Belfast

Nuns ran Tuam on behalf of county council

Madam  I would like to make one addition to Wayne OConnors informative article on the mother and baby home in Tuam (Hunt for Tuam baby relatives extends to North America, December 28).

It should be mentioned that the Bon Secours nuns operated the home on behalf of Galway County Council.

The sisters have been justifiably criticised for not affording many of the children who died at the home a proper Christian burial. What surprises me is that no criticism has been similarly directed at Galway County Council, which bore overall responsibility for the homes maintenance and funding.

Sean O Briain, Drogheda, Co Louth
As fans of Netflix smash The Crown will know, the abdication of King Edward VIII in December 1936 was the greatest crisis faced by the British royal family in the past century.

But what did Eamon de Valera know about that dramatic event?

And why did the UK government want it kept secret for 90 years?

The latest tranche of the National Archive of Irelands State Papers has revealed the high level of sensitivity to the release of any and all documentation relating to the royals.

As such, the papers point to a what London termed a crucial conversation in the 1960s between then-taoiseach Eamon de Valera and a British civil servant by the name of Harry Batterbee, with a request made that Ireland withhold documents connected to the abdication of King Edward.

On this episode of The Indo Daily podcast, Irish Independent southern correspondent Ralph Riegel explains why the request was made, and why Irish officials were willing to accede to it.

Riegel also spotlights some of the other noteworthy findings from the newest batch of State Papers, including how the fallout of the September 11 attacks threatened to harm the Good Friday Agreement, and why the infamous double agent Stakeknife received a passing mention in the papers.
Large plumes of smoke were visible from across Carlow town as firefighters worked late into the night to bring the blaze under control

Fire crews tackling an overnight fire in Carlow town. Photo credit: All About Carlow Facebook page

Fire crews tackling an overnight fire in Carlow town. Photo credit: All About Carlow Facebook page

Fire crews tackling an overnight fire in Carlow town. Photo credit: All About Carlow Facebook page

Fire crews tackling an overnight fire in Carlow town. Photo credit: All About Carlow Facebook page

Emergency services rushed to the scene of a fire on the outskirts of Carlow town overnight.

The fire broke out at approximately 9.20pm last night, Sunday January 4, at Dolmen Hall at Pollerton Big just off the Hacketstown Road in Carlow town.

Firefighters worked late into the night to bring the blaze under control with gardai also called to the scene.

Fire crews tackling an overnight fire in Carlow town. Photo credit: All About Carlow Facebook page

Motorists and pedestrians were advised to avoid the area with many residents of Carlow town reporting large plumes of smoke visible from a great distance away.

Fire crews tackling an overnight fire in Carlow town. Photo credit: All About Carlow Facebook page

The Irish Independent understands that the fire is not being treated as suspicious at this time with garda enquires into the fire currently ongoing.

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire, however, there is significant damage to the building.

Fire crews tackling an overnight fire in Carlow town. Photo credit: All About Carlow Facebook page

The Irish Independent are awaiting confirmation as to whether the fire started in the apartments at Dolmen Hall or in Dolmen Hall Guest House which has only recently recovered from a fire that badly damaged the premises in late 2024.

Dolmen Hall Guest House was previously devested by a fire on October 9, 2024 after a bus went up in flames with the fire subsequently spreading to the guest house.

Similarly, no injuries were reported during the 2024 blaze with that fire also not treated as suspicious.

More information to follow

Fire crews tackling an overnight fire in Carlow town. Photo credit: All About Carlow Facebook page

News in 90 seconds - 5 January
New schools and new school places are urgently required to cater for the growing number of primary and post-primary students in Ballincollig.

The demand was made by Sinn Fein TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould, who said the people of Ballincollig are crying out for new schools and new school places. I have written to the Minister for Education and the Department. I am calling for action on this. We have a huge amount of land that would be a perfect location for these two schools.

Deputy Gould called for Cork City Council to engage with the Department of Education to resolve the issue: Im sick and tired of bureaucracy and red tape. We need Cork City Council to sit down with the Department of Education, sort this problem out and deliver the schools that Ballincollig need.

Sinn Fein councillor for the South West ward, Joe Lynch stated that progress is needed to accommodate both Gaelscoil an Chaisleain and Le Cheile Secondary School. In Lisheens just outside Ballincollig, we have a situation where theres two schools Gaelscoil an Chaisleain and Le Cheile Secondary School who are crying out for permanent school buildings. This land was acquired by Cork City Council nearly two years ago to deliver just that.

Unfortunately, we have a situation where no progress is being made and Deputy Gould has been raising the issue in the Dail. I have been raising the issue in City Hall. We really need to see progress, he added.

A spokesperson for Cork City Council told The Corkman the land at Lisheens, Ballincollig, remains in City Council ownership awaiting completion of the formal vesting process which will subsequently enable advancement of the formal disposal process to the Department of Education and Youth.

The spokesperson continued: The design of the intended education campus and facilities rests solely with the Department of Education and Youth to advance. Cork City Council does not contribute to the design stage, beyond pre-planning consultation and ultimately performing its role as the planning authority.

The Department of Education and Youth would be the appropriate government department to contact for details on the progress of the design and delivery of the two schools, he added.

The Department of Education has been contacted for comment.
Cork driving instructor warns brakes are your worst enemy on the ice

Expert warns that braking can cause skidding and loss of control in icy conditions as black ice reamins a major risk

A status yellow weather warning for snow and ice continues across Cork. Pic: Getty Images

Kevin Galvin Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 17:20

A leading driving instructor in Cork is warning motorists that brakes are their worst enemy when driving in snow and ice.
A man in his 40s is due to face the District Court this morning (January 5) after being arrested and charged in connection with a major drugs seizure in North Cork.

Last Friday evening (January 2), Gardai searched a property in Bruree, where they discovered almost 200,000 worth of cannabis, as well as almost 80,000 worth of Xanax tablets, over 10,000 worth of cocaine, and amphetamines to the value of 4,350, which were all seized.

A follow-up search in Charleville later revealed a further 17,500 worth of cocaine and cannabis to the value of 1,000, as well as weighing scales and drug paraphernalia.

Yesterday, a woman in her 30s, also arrested in connection with the seizure in both North Cork and Limerick, was released without charge.

A man in his 40s was also arrested as part of the search, which took place under An Garda Siochanas operation combating the sale and supply of drugs, called Operation Tara.

They were taken to a Garda Station in Limerick, where the woman was released yesterday, but the man was charged and was due to appear before Limerick District Court this morning.
Soccer

Rome away from home  Megan Connolly talks life at Lazio, VAR, Italian rivalries and Evan Ferguson

When she first arrived in Italy to join Lazio about a year and a half ago, there were a few things that stood out for Megan Connolly as quite a cultural shock.
Another fire broke out at a newly opened playground in Chapelizod which has been described by a Dublin councillor as an attack on everyone who worked so hard to deliver it.

Sinn Fein councillor Daithi Doolan said that the newly opened Chapelizod playground in the west of Dublin was subject to an attack by arsonists.

"Chapelizod playground has been attacked by arsonists, this behaviour is unacceptable, he said.

"This playground was only opened a few weeks ago. This an attack on everyone who has worked so hard to deliver the playground.

"I have contacted Dublin City Council requesting that it is repaired as soon as possible.

"I would appeal to anyone with any information to please contact the Gardai and ensure those guilty of this attack face justice, he added.

The newly opened playground was one of three which opened over the course of 2025, bringing the total number of playgrounds in the capitals city parks to 74.

The Chapelizod playground has been designed as a natural, inclusive play area, located within walking distance of St Patricks National School, St Laurences National School and Chapelizods new Scout Den.

Chapelizod playground has been damaged by vandals. Pic: Cllr Daithi Doolan

DCC said it designed the amenity alongside the community, and held creative workshops with 70 to 80 local children, incorporating willow weaving and biodiversity-related learning activities.

"Their feedback emphasised two priorities: a strong connection to nature and inclusivity for children of all abilities, said a spokesperson.

"The final design responds to the sites natural slope in a playful manner and incorporates natural materials and multi-sensory zones, offering a variety of experiences, from vibrant social spaces to quieter areas for children with different needs.

Dublins Lord Mayor, Ray McAdam, said he was delighted to see the opening of the playground, adding that it reflects the councils desire to create inclusive, nature-inspired spaces.

"By involving local schools and the community in the design process, we have ensured that this playground is not only engaging and fun but also a place where every child feels welcome, he said.

The damage by vandals follows a spate of vandalism and arson-related incidents at parks around Dublin city, from Diamond Park in the north inner city to Saint Annes Park in Clontarf.

Mr McAdam previously told the Irish Independent that would be pushing to rebuild the damaged spaces as soon as possible.

"Leaving a burned-out playground behind is the real bad money, he said. It costs us more in antisocial behaviour, policing and lost community confidence.

An Garda Siochana and Dublin Fire Brigade have been contacted for comment.
Kerry County Council has bought a historic theatre in the countys main Gaeltacht area in a bid to revive it as a thriving centre of creativity and activity.

Teach Siamsa na Carraige, in Baile na nGall on the Dingle Peninsula, was acquired by the council for 250,000.

One of the National Folk Theatre of Irelands two Tithe Siamsa in the county, the theatre was put on sale by Siamsa Tire in 2024.

Purpose-built in a vernacular thatch style, the building has functioned as a cornerstone of dance and song, and as a training feeder centre for local traditional talent.

Kerry TD Michael Cahill paid tribute to the government and to Kerry County Council for their work in acquiring the site, describing it as a hugely positive step for the Corca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht and the wider cultural life of Kerry.

Teach Siamsa na Carraige holds a very special place in the cultural memory of west Kerry. This funding ensures that a building which once played a vital role in nurturing Irish-language arts and traditional talent can once again become a vibrant focal point for the community, he said.

Kerry County Council deserve enormous credit for their proactive approach and for working closely with the local community to ensure this important site is protected and repurposed for future generations.

Fr Pat Ahern established the Siamsa Tire structure over 50 years ago, with theatre headquarters in Tralee and a Teach Siamsa in Finuge also.

The company was created to promote Irish culture to future generations and revive lost stories, poetry and songs.

However, recently the Siamsa Tire has experienced cut backs with the selling of the Teach Siamsa na Carraige and the suspension of all non-profit making productions in 2023.

The re-acquisition of the Baile na nGall theatre was announced by Minister for Rural and Community Development Dara Calleary, supported by 250,000 in funding under the 2025 Town and Village Renewal scheme.

Minister Norma Foley said she worked closely with Minister Calleary on securing the building and renewing it as a centre of Irish culture and language.

This funding of 250,000 will transform Teach Siamsa na Carraige into a multi-purpose Arts Centre, providing a diverse programme of activities through the Irish language, she said.

Acting CEO of the Board of Management at Siamsa Tire, Nicola Hopcroft, previously confirmed to The Kerryman that they were not looking to sell Teach Finuge.

Our plans are to increase the activities in Teach Finuge, working closely with the North Kerry Community, she said.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting scheme
Killarney's Jessie Buckley won the Best Actress award at the Critics Choice for her performance in the historical drama Hamnet.

Amid growing predictions that she may soon secure her first Oscar, Killarney native Jessie Buckley has taken home the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress for her role in the celebrated historical drama Hamnet.

Buckley accepted the honour at the 31st Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, during a ceremony hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler.

Hamnet, based on Maggie O'Farrells novel, follows William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes as they grapple with the loss of their 11-year-old son.

During her acceptance speech, Buckley honoured director Chloe Zhao and expressed gratitude to her co-stars, among them Irish actor Paul Mescal and Emily Watson.

"Chloe Zhao, you have reminded me of the power of telling a story and the journey that you can go on to touch the deepest parts of what it is to be alive, thank you," she said in her acceptance speech.

"Paul, I bloody love you man. And I know loads of other women do in this room too, but tough s***, she laughed.

"I could drink you like water working with you every single day. You're a giant of the heart and thank you so much for making me a little bit more human, she continued.
Sligo has been named Irelands cleanest town in the 2025 Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) rankings, marking a historic first for the town. The announcement comes as IBALs latest survey of 40 towns and cities shows a nationwide improvement in cleanliness, with no area deemed seriously littered.

An Taisce, who conduct the surveys on behalf of IBAL, praised Sligo for its consistently strong performance in recent years. The Quayside Shopping Centre was described as absolutely spotless throughout, while Grattan Street, Castle Street, and the towns bus and train stations were singled out for their high standards. Adelaide Street Car Park was noted as much improved on past surveys.

Sligo has come such a long way from back in 2007, when the town was bottom of our rankings and labelled a litter blackspot, said IBAL spokesperson Conor Horgan.

It is an illustration of the turnabout that is possible, even in a large town, when council and community come together.

The Tom Cavanagh Memorial Trophy will be presented to Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr Donal Gilroy, at Queen Maeve Square in Sligo town at noon today.

Giving his reaction, Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr Donal Gilroy said: This award shows what Sligo is all about  pride, community, and ambition. From being a litter blackspot to Irelands cleanest town, weve proven that when people work together, anything is possible.

He added: This is a proud day for Sligo and a testament to the dedication and pride of our entire community. This achievement did not happen overnight  it reflects years of commitment from our Council staff, Tidy Towns groups, local businesses, the people of Sligo, schools, and volunteers who work tirelessly to keep Sligo looking its best. As a cultural capital and tourism hub, maintaining the highest environmental standards is essential, and todays award shows that we are meeting that challenge. Go raibh mile maith agaibh to everyone who played a part in this success.

Chief Executive of Sligo County Council, Martin Lydon, said: This award is a powerful endorsement of what can be achieved when a community works together with its local authority. It reflects the dedication of our Tidy Towns volunteers, local businesses, and our Council teams  especially our Municipal District and Environment crews  who take pride in their work every single day. Cleanliness is not just about appearance; its about creating a healthier, more sustainable environment for residents and visitors alike. We will build on this success and continue to position Sligo as a model town for environmental standards and quality of life.
The cost of levelling a site has emerged as one of the main issues for a new school building project at Colaiste Bhride in Carnew.

Delivered on behalf of the Department of Education, Colaiste Bhrides new school is part of The Exchequer Funded Schools Programmes Project Dargle, which includes Avondale Community College in Rathdrum, St Kevins Community College in Dunlavin and Arklow CBS.

The proposed development at Colaiste Bhride will see the existing school buildings, temporary classrooms and ball courts demolished and removed.

The existing 1930s school building will be refurbished alongside a new extension for use as a school library.

The new school building will include space for classrooms, a Special Education Needs unit with a secured rooftop play area, a general-purpose hall, a multi-use hall and a range of outdoor play and amenity areas.

The existing vehicular entrance at the northeast of the site off the R725 regional road will be upgraded, with the vehicular entrance at the northwest of the site off the R725 relocated.

A new pedestrian entrance off the R725 is also proposed, as well as a new set-down area adjoining the R725 for cars and school buses, along with 92 car spaces.

Colaiste Bhride, Carnew, is a special case as it seeks inclusion of a playing pitch with the building project. The new school will have a capacity for 1,000 students but there is no playing pitch included.

The school put a proposal to the National Development Finance Agency, for pitch groundworks, which was rejected, but it is hoped the Department will reconsider.

Following a question from Wicklow TD Edward Timmins in the Dail, junior minister Michael Moynihan said the project is currently in the final stages of stage 2b.

This is an important stage which allows for detailed design and planning, obtaining necessary statutory permissions and preparation of tender documents. Stage 2b is currently being finalised.

The length of time a project takes to go through each stage varies depending on a number of factors, including scale and complexity. he added. In response Deputy Timmins said these new schools are badly needed to help meet the growing demand for places in the area.

At St. Kevin's Community College in Dunlavin demand for places continues to grow. Planning has been in place for over two years. Dunlavin and its hinterland population continue to grow, and the school serves east Kildare as well as west Wicklow. There is a plan for four rooms for special classes.

The lack of suitable rooms in the current build means students' options are limited. The library is now a classroom. Computer rooms have been converted to general classrooms.

The new school campus for Avondale Community College in Rathdrum will see capacity at the secondary school increase from 660 to 1,000 students. The school is over capacity with many rooms and spaces no longer fit for purpose. The project is currently stalled, as school management wait on the new build."

Deputy Timmins also pushed for clarity on the future of a separate building project at Blessington Community College.

There is a project, for which we have been promised a sod-turning next May, in Blessington Community College in west Wicklow. That project has been put back on several occasions. The school is currently full of prefabs. It desperately needs a school building in what is a massively growing town just 19 miles from where we sit today."

I ask that this project move to final tender stage and a contractor be appointed as soon as possible.

In response minister Moynihan acknowledged the importance of getting these school projects over the line.

Wicklow is one of the major challenges we have in terms of school capacity each year. At post-primary level, there is always a challenge. The projects are at stage 2b, with full planning permission granted.

I take the points the deputy made about capacity issues in Dunlavin, Rathdrum and across Wicklow. It is great to see there will be four additional special classrooms in St. Kevin's Community College.

This is what we need for an integrated policy. It is at stage 2b and is currently being finalised. I will ensure the Department, and everybody concerned works closely to finalise it as fast as possible.

There is a lot of pressure on the system, particularly in Wicklow, with regard to school places. I will endeavour to get a more detailed response for the deputy on the issues he raised.

Suffice to say, these projects are bundled together, and we are committed to working through them. he added.

Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested over 6 billion in school projects throughout the country under the national development plan, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. Over 234 million has been invested in schools across County Wicklow in that period.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
Irish influencer and OnlyFans star Matthew Gilbert, with an address at Ard na Mara, Kilcoole, Co Wicklow, appeared at a sitting of Bray District Court charged with driving a vehicle while disqualified.

Driving a vehicle while disqualified can carry a fine of up to 5,000, a term of imprisonment of up to six months, and a further period of disqualification from driving if convicted.

The accused is known online as The Irish Viking, with 2.4 million followers on TikTok and a further 400,000 across other social media platforms, including OnlyFans, which allows users to charge followers a monthly fee for private and often explicit content. Mr Gilberts wife, Maria Smirnova, is a prominent fitness influencer with one million followers across social media.

The court was told that Mr Gilbert made no reply when charged. He was granted station bail.

Solicitor for the defendant, Brendan Maloney, informed the court that his client works and lives in Dubai and has flights booked to return to the United Arab Emirates.

Judge Ramsey adjourned the matter until March 26, for Mr Gilbert to appear via video link.

Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Teagasc and Animal Health Ireland (AHI) will host a CalfCare on-farm event at a Wicklow farm this January, focusing on best-practice calf husbandry and management for dairy and beef farmers.

Taking place at 11am on January 13, at the farm of Derek Beattie in Coolroe, Tinahely (Y14 PH96), the event forms part of a national CalfCare series running throughout December and January, with 16 farm families hosting events across the country.

The on-farm session will focus on practical steps farmers can take to support calf health and performance from birth through early development. Topics to be discussed include winter weanling nutrition and CBV, the role of fresh air in preventing pneumonia, feeding the newborn calf, and maintaining a healthy gut.

The CalfCare events are designed to provide clear, science-based guidance that can be applied on farms of all sizes.

Dr Michelle McGrath of AHI said the series focuses on taking the important steps needed to ensure calves are healthy and well reared.

The event is aimed at dairy and beef farmers interested in improving calf health, welfare and overall performance through good early-life management.
Freezing temperatures: Number of schools to stay closed, as forecasters issue new weather warnings for next 24 hours

Freezing temperatures persist across the country, with temperatures to fall to between -1 and -3 degrees generallySnow, ice or low temperature warnings in place nationwideForecasters issue new snow/ice warning for Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo and SligoSome schools and childcare facilities are remaining closed or are opening late this morning

7-Day Weather Forecast: January 5th to 11th

Ralph Riegel and Keith Kelly Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 10:20

Some schools and childcare facilities are remaining closed or are opening late this morning as Met Eireann are warning of treacherous conditions.
Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, the stepsister of diarist Anne Frank, has died in London at the age of 96.

King Charles said he was privileged and proud to have known Ms Schloss, who co-founded the Anne Frank Trust UK in 1990, to help young people challenge prejudice through learning from Anne Frank and the Holocaust.
The Indo Daily: Melania: The Movie  We saw it, so you dont have to...
UK prime minister Keir Starmer plans to unpick Brexit harm a decade on from EU vote

Labour leader said the UK should go further on the single market

Sir Keir Starmer said the UK should go further in its post-Brexit relationship (PA)

Kate Devlin UK Independent Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 06:30

UK prime minister Keir Starmer risks re-igniting a row with members of his cabinet after he signalled the UK is prepared to get closer to the European Union to undo the harm caused by Brexit.
Hundreds join silent procession of mourners honouring victims of New Years fire at Swiss ski resort

The fire broke out at Le Constellation bar in the early hours of New Years Day

People take part in a memorial procession in Crans-Montana after a fire in Le Constellation bar left 40 dead and over 100 injured during New Years celebrations. Photo: AP

John Leicester and Jamey Keaten Associated Press Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 06:30

Hundreds of people marched in silence yesterday to honour the victims of the bar fire in the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana that left 40 dead and many severely injured.
Greenland is seeking to strengthen ties with the United States, and its citizens should not fear an imminent American takeover, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Monday, following renewed interest in the Arctic island by US President Donald Trump.
Loved ones grieve as the body of a Palestinian fisherman is brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after an Israeli army attack targeted a small fishing boat off the coast. Photo: Getty

Israeli forces shot and killed at least three Palestinians in separate incidents in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis yesterday, local health authorities said.

Medics reported that the dead included a 15-year-old boy, a 32-year-old fisherman killed outside areas still occupied by Israel in the enclave, and a third man who was shot and killed east of the city in areas under Israeli control.
LATEST | Im still president  Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro and his wife plead not guilty to drug trafficking charges in New York court

Venezuelans grapple with capture after US raidTrump considers further military action if Venezuela doesn't cooperateOther countries express concerns over legality of Maduro's seizure

Maduro taken to US courthouse for first appearance on drug-trafficking charges

Lincoln Feast, Andrew Cawthorne and Doina Chiacu Reuters Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 18:28

Toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have pleaded not guilty today at a New York court to US drug trafficking charges.
The US is facing a showdown with world leaders today over the invasion of Venezuela. Chinas top diplomat accused Washington of acting like a world judge by seizing Venezuelas leader Nicolas Maduro to put him on trial in New York.
Laura refuses to be cornered

Image credit : Soap Opera Digest | Laura refuses to bend

Alexis turns the spotlight on Michael

Image credit : Soap Opera Digest | Alexis shifts her focus to Michael

Kristinas risky offer and Britts dilemma

Image credit : Soap Opera Digest | The truth behind Drews shooting feels closer than ever

General Hospital spoilers for the week of January 59, 2026, point toward a turning point fans have been waiting for. The mystery surrounding who shot Drew remains at the center, but the ripples from that moment are spreading fast. As pressure builds in Port Charles, long-standing loyalties are tested, and quiet threats begin to surface.Laura is no stranger to power struggles, but her patience with Sidwell is wearing thin. Being forced to approve helipads on Spoon Island and nearby waterfront property is a step too far, especially when it allows Sidwell unrestricted movement. What troubles her even more is the unspoken warning tied to Aces safety.Rather than folding, Laura decides to act on her own terms. She encourages Kevin to accept the opportunity in Ireland and insists that Ace go with him. With Ace out of harms way, Laura gains the freedom to confront Sidwell without fear. Standing her ground may come at a cost, but Laura is clearly done being controlled.Alexis makes a careful decision to keep the anonymous note out of the courtroom. Instead, she chooses a different strategy. Her focus shifts directly to Michael, whom she believes deserves closer scrutiny. Determined to build her argument, Alexis plans to call witnesses who can support the idea that Michael is a serious suspect.That move sends Dante back to the witness stand. With his knowledge of the evidence and his close family tie to Michael, his testimony could become complicated. Questions about bias linger, and how Dante handles himself this time may influence the direction of the case.Kristina remains firmly in Michaels corner. Her loyalty pushes her to take action, even if it means crossing uncomfortable lines. She approaches Jacinda, Michaels alibi, with an offer that could change everything. Whether Jacinda accepts could shift the balance in the investigation.Meanwhile, Britt finds herself trapped. Brennan has delivered by restoring her medical license, and now he expects full transparency about her lab work. Names, timelines, and details are demanded, but Britt fears the consequences. With Sidwell always a step ahead and Pascal close by, Britts options are shrinking fast.Elsewhere, Portia struggles to keep her life together. Pregnancy brings hope, but suspension and an unresolved paternity issue loom large. Turning to Elizabeth may be her only relief as problems continue to pile up.As secrets surface and loyalties shift, the truth behind Drews shooting inches closer, leaving Port Charles braced for fallout.
Building a modern Antarctica research hub: Chinese team behind Qinling Station

14:39, January 05, 2026 By Li Xinping ( People's Daily

Photo shows a view of China's Qinling Station in Antarctica.

As the last glimmers of sunlight faded across the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica entered its long polar winter. Against this stark backdrop of ice and snow, China's Qinling Station stood firm like a sturdy gray ark, already equipped with a microgrid system, hydrogen energy facilities, and a communications network.

Qinling Station is China's fifth research station on the continent, filling the gap in the country's scientific presence in the Ross Sea region. At present, 32 construction personnel remain on site through the winter, carrying out interior outfitting and electromechanical installations while ensuring continuous operational maintenance.

China's polar construction efforts date back to the early 1990s, when teams from China Railway Group, China Construction Technology Consulting Group, and other companies began making regular journeys south. Over the past three decades, they have traveled to Antarctica more than 20 times, steadily advancing China's scientific footprint at the Earth's southernmost frontier.

Qinling Station is located on Inexpressible Island, where the average temperature hovers around minus 20 degrees Celsius and can plunge to minus 45 degrees. Fierce gales lash the island on more than 100 days each year. To meet these extreme conditions, the station adopted an innovative prefabricated, modular construction approach from the outset: steel structures and functional modules were manufactured in China, shipped south, and assembled on-site like building blocks, ready for immediate use upon assembly.

Since welding is impossible in Antarctica, all steel structures had to be bolted together. "Even turning a screw here is a battle," recalled Xie Shuaishuai, a young assembler born after 2000. Wearing gloves to stave off frostbite, he found they quickly became damp with sweat, froze stiff in the wind, and stuck to his tools. "You have to warm your gloves, put them back on, and repeat the process again and again," he said. In the end, he tightened 11,000 screws in this way.

The construction of Qinling Station officially began on December 16, 2023, during China's 40th Antarctic expedition. In less than 30 days, the steel structure of the main building was completed. Within 60 days, the main construction was in place. The project set five records in Antarctic station construction: the largest workforce deployed, the greatest volume of materials handled, the largest single building erected, the harshest conditions endured, and the fastest construction achieved.

Team leader Luo Huangxun works at China's Qinling Station in Antarctica.

When the 41st Antarctic expedition departed on November 1, 2024, more than 100 builders from China Railway Group and China Construction Technology Consulting Group joined the mission. "Most had already taken part in the 40th expedition, and some had worked on more than 10 Antarctic projects," said team leader Luo Huangxun.

Luo himself joined China's polar construction team in 2007. Over the past 18 years, he has completed 13 Antarctic projects, at times spending up to 17 consecutive months on the continent.

After a grueling 29-day, 7,570-nautical-mile voyage through equatorial heat and the turbulent westerlies, the expedition reached Chinese research base Zhongshan Station on Nov. 30, 2024. There, a massive unloading operation began: cranes worked continuously as crew members formed human chains to transfer materials piece by piece. In less than five days, nearly 6,000 tons of cargo were brought ashore.

Construction then moved into full swing. "This time, we introduced the most advanced building methods to Antarctica, integrating design, manufacturing, transportation, and on-site assembly," Luo said.

A key innovation was the extensive use of digital simulation.

"Antarctica is too remote, and transport capacity too limited. Any unexpected problem could derail the schedule," explained project manager Zheng Di of China Railway Construction Engineering Group. To address this problem, the team used building information modeling (BIM) to refine designs and simulate optimized construction plans.

One example was the station's electromechanical system, which required more than 100,000 meters of pipelines. By breaking the system into modular units through digital simulation, the team reduced complexity and boosted efficiency by 72 percent.

The energy system is now largely complete, comprising wind turbines, solar panels, battery storage, hydrogen production and storage, and hydrogen fuel power generation. "These renewable systems will provide Qinling Station with a sustainable and reliable energy supply," Zheng noted. Even during the long polar night, they can supply at least 14 days of continuous power at 30 kilowatts.

When the summer construction season ended, more than 30 crew members remained behind to keep the station running through the Antarctic winter. "Spending the winter here is far more challenging than working during the summer season," said Luo, who has already endured two Antarctic winters. "We face 58 days of unbroken darkness. But whenever I see the station gradually taking shape through our efforts, I feel nothing but pride and accomplishment."

Now 59, Luo is often asked whether he plans to return again. His answer remains firm: "As long as I'm needed, and as long as I'm fit, I'll be right here with the team in Antarctica."

The main structure of China's Qinling station is under assembly.

(Photos provided by China Railway Construction Engineering Group)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Hongyu)
Image credit : X| @PageSix| Jessica Alba and Cash Warren pictured during happier times

Inside Jessica Alba and Cash Warrens quiet separation

Image credit : X| @jessicaalba| Jessica Alba seen during a recent public appearance

A fresh chapter with Danny Ramirez

Image credit : X| @_filmcrave| Danny Ramirez photographed amid fresh attention

Image credit : X| @HouseOfVanity88| Jessica Alba steps out with Danny Ramirez amid dating talk

Jessica Alba is clearly stepping into a new phase of her life, one defined by fresh beginnings and personal clarity. Less than a year after filing for divorce from her husband of 16 years, Cash Warren, the actress has found herself back in the spotlight, this time for a blossoming romance with actor Danny Ramirez. While fans are intrigued by her new relationship, many are still asking what really led to the end of one of Hollywoods most enduring marriages.After nearly two decades together and three children, Alba and Warrens split came as a surprise to many. Yet, those close to the former couple suggest the separation was less about conflict and more about gradual emotional distance.Alba first met Warren in 2004 on the set of, and their relationship slowly evolved into a deeply rooted partnership. They married in 2008 in a private ceremony and went on to build both a family and successful business ventures. Alba often credited Warren for supporting her journey as the founder of The Honest Company, while he carved his own path with his fashion brand.However, as the years passed, their lives became increasingly demanding. Alba later hinted that the pressures of work, parenting, and constant schedules slowly altered the dynamic of their marriage. In a past interview, she reflected on how long-term relationships can shift into routine, with emotional connection sometimes taking a back seat.By early 2025, the couple mutually decided to part ways, choosing an amicable divorce with joint custody of their three children. Despite the separation, Alba and Warren have continued to prioritise family milestones together, maintaining a respectful co-parenting relationship.As Alba adjusted to life post-divorce, a new connection entered her world unexpectedly. She met Danny Ramirez through shared friends, and what began as a low-key friendship gradually turned romantic. The pair were first linked in mid-2025 after being spotted travelling together, though sources at the time insisted the relationship was casual.Over the following months, however, the bond deepened. Alba and Ramirez were seen holidaying together, attending industry events, and eventually confirming their relationship on social media. Insiders describe the actress as noticeably lighter and more content, crediting the ease and support she finds in her new partner.Recent reports suggest the relationship has grown serious, with speculation swirling about potential wedding plans. While neither Alba nor Ramirez has confirmed any engagement, those close to them claim the actress is open to marriage again, this time with a renewed sense of self-awareness.As Alba herself noted when announcing her divorce, she and Warren were embracing growth and evolution as individuals. With a strong co-parenting foundation and a relationship that appears grounded in happiness, Jessica Alba seems focused on moving forward confident, content, and unafraid of change.




Image credit : X| @THR| Timothee Chalamet wins Best Actor for Marty Supreme" at the #CriticsChoice Awards





Known for his introspective demeanour and carefully chosen words, Chalamets closing lines felt deliberate and deeply personal. Rather than leaning into Hollywood grandeur, the actor spoke with warmth and restraint, thanking Jenner for standing by him over the past three years. He acknowledged the strength of their relationship and credited her support as something he simply could not have managed without. The moment felt less like a public declaration and more like an intimate confession, shared quietly on a very public stage.



Timothee Chalamet uses his acceptance speech for his first-ever Critics Choice Award to praise his fellow nominees





Michael, unbelievable [performance] I just rewatched Sinners, I hadnt seen that credits scene, Im glad I stuck around the second time pic.twitter.com/DW7drmHPzv



 DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 5, 2026 Few award-show moments manage to stop the room in its tracks, but Timothee Chalamet did exactly that, not with theatrics, but with sincerity. As the actor wrapped up his Best Actor acceptance speech, he shifted the spotlight away from himself and onto the person he called his emotional anchor. In a rare glimpse into his private world, Chalamet closed the night with a heartfelt message to his long-term partner, Kylie Jenner, leaving fans and viewers visibly moved.Known for his introspective demeanour and carefully chosen words, Chalamets closing lines felt deliberate and deeply personal. Rather than leaning into Hollywood grandeur, the actor spoke with warmth and restraint, thanking Jenner for standing by him over the past three years. He acknowledged the strength of their relationship and credited her support as something he simply could not have managed without. The moment felt less like a public declaration and more like an intimate confession, shared quietly on a very public stage.

A rare public glimpse into Timothees private world

Image credit : X| @favsbackupp| Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, keeping it quietly iconic

Fans react with joy, tears and endless admiration

X

Twitter

Theyre absolutely adorable! Love me some Timmy and Kylie.



 Marissa (@1Liasonfan) January 5, 2026







Another fan jokingly pleaded, tagging a popular fan account and writing, Can you make a livestream crying please?



@ClubChalamet can you make a livestream crying please



 Matheus  (@matheusfdeotti) January 5, 2026







Meanwhile, a third summed it up simply: Theyre actually so cute together.



theyre actually so cute together



 ela (@vio1entlyhappy) January 5, 2026







The responses reflected more than celebrity fascination, they showed genuine affection for a couple that has often faced scrutiny yet continues to thrive quietly.



Another fan jokingly pleaded, tagging a popular fan account and writing, Can you make a livestream crying please?Meanwhile, a third summed it up simply: Theyre actually so cute together.The responses reflected more than celebrity fascination, they showed genuine affection for a couple that has often faced scrutiny yet continues to thrive quietly. A moment that redefined the night



Image credit : X| @favsbackupp| When Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner share the spotlight



Amid an evening of carefully scripted speeches and familiar expressions of gratitude, Chalamets final words cut through with genuine emotion. More than a nod to his partner, they served as a quiet reminder that success is rarely achieved alone, it is sustained by love, steadiness and unseen support. For many viewers, that unguarded moment lingered long after the ceremony ended, emerging as the nights most unforgettable highlight. Amid an evening of carefully scripted speeches and familiar expressions of gratitude, Chalamets final words cut through with genuine emotion. More than a nod to his partner, they served as a quiet reminder that success is rarely achieved alone, it is sustained by love, steadiness and unseen support. For many viewers, that unguarded moment lingered long after the ceremony ended, emerging as the nights most unforgettable highlight.

Chalamet has long been protective of his personal life, making this moment all the more striking. His words werent lengthy, but they carried weight touching on partnership, stability and gratitude. By referring to the foundation they share, he hinted at a bond built away from cameras and headlines, rooted in mutual respect rather than spectacle.What made the speech resonate was its timing. Award ceremonies often celebrate individual achievement, yet Chalamet subtly reminded the audience that success rarely exists in isolation. His acknowledgement of Jenner felt grounded, mature and refreshingly unpolished, reinforcing why he continues to be regarded as one of the most thoughtful voices of his generation.The heartfelt speech quickly became the nights most talked-about moment online. Fans rushed to(formerly), where reactions poured in, ranging from emotional declarations to joyful, almost disbelief-filled responses.One user wrote, Theyre absolutely adorable! Love me some Timmy and Kylie, capturing the sentiment shared by many.
Trumps claim on oil imports and tariff pressure

Image credit : AI generated | Donald Trump claimed India reduced Russian oil imports

Senator Graham backs Trumps assertion

Image credit : X/Maga_Trigger | U.S. President Donald Trump

Russia sanctions bill and its implications

Indias oil imports and official response

Image credit : X/Maga_Trigger | Trump said he expected the legislation to pass soon

Diplomatic engagement amid rising pressure

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, January 4, 2026, claimed that India reduced its oil imports from Russia in recent months in an effort to secure a trade agreement with the United States and to address his concerns. He added that further tariffs could be imposed quickly if India continued purchasing Russian oil.Trump made the remarks during a press conference held onboard his plane, where he was joined by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Senator Lindsey Graham. The statements linked trade pressure, energy imports, and the future of U.S.-India economic negotiations.Trump asserted that India had taken steps to cut Russian oil imports to improve trade relations with Washington. He suggested the move was intended to reduce his dissatisfaction and help move trade talks forward.They wanted to make me happy, Trump said, referring to India. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of his concerns and understood the importance of addressing them. Trump also warned that tariffs could be raised very quickly, which he said would be damaging for India.Trump had made similar claims in October 2025, stating on multiple occasions that India had promised to reduce Russian oil imports completely.Supporting Trumps statement, Senator Lindsey Graham said Indias Ambassador to the U.S., Vinay Kwatra, had discussed declining Russian oil imports during a meeting in December 2025. According to Graham, the ambassador had asked him to request Trump to reduce the 25% tariff imposed by the U.S., in addition to existing reciprocal tariffs of 25%.Graham did not specify the exact date of the meeting. However, Kwatra hosted a bipartisan delegation of U.S. Senators at the Indian Embassy in Washington on December 2, 2025. Graham and Senator Richard Blumenthal were among those present.Both Graham and Blumenthal are leading co-sponsors of a Russia Sanctions Bill currently before the U.S. Senate.The proposed Russia Sanctions Act has significant support, with 85 co-sponsors in the Senate and more than 150 in the House of Representatives. The bill mandates tariffs of up to 500% on countries that knowingly trade in Russian-origin uranium and petroleum products.Trump said he expected the legislation to pass soon and suggested India would be among the countries affected. Graham described the bill as effective, stating that U.S. tariffs had already helped secure trade deals by applying pressure on the European Union and others.Graham reiterated his account, saying the Indian ambassador had emphasized reduced Russian oil purchases and asked whether tariffs could be eased, adding, This stuff works.According to a report published by The Hindu on January 5, 2026, Indian oil importers reduced Russian oil imports between June and October 2025. However, imports of Russian oil rose sharply in November, reaching seven-month highs. U.S. oil imports also increased during the same period.Commerce Ministry sources quoted in the report indicated that despite the cuts, trade negotiations with the U.S. had not progressed, reflecting frustration in New Delhi.The Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to requests for comment on the claims made by U.S. officials. Previously, the MEA has described unilateral U.S. sanctions as double standards, noting that the U.S. itself purchases Russian oil, uranium, and critical minerals.On December 2, Ambassador Kwatra shared photographs of a dinner he hosted for five U.S. Senators, including Graham. He later said the discussions covered energy, defence cooperation, trade, and global developments, and thanked the lawmakers for supporting stronger India-U.S. relations.Graham has previously said the sanctions bill would crush the economies of countries continuing to trade in Russian oil, including India, China, and Brazil.Trumps remarks highlight how oil imports, tariff threats, and sanctions legislation are now closely shaping the tone and direction of U.S.-India trade discussions.
Musks conference remarks and the Epstein reference

Image credit : X/ElonmuskWIZ | An old public exchange between Elon Musk and Bill Gates has resurfaced online

USAID funding cuts sparked the exchange

Image credit : X/ElonmuskWIZ | Musk asks why Gates should be taken seriously on child welfare matters

Gates public apology and explanation

Elon Musk: "Who does Bill Gates think he is to make comments about the welfare of children, given that he frequented Jeffrey Epstein? I wouldn't want that guy to babysit my kid."pic.twitter.com/YPu0zF89ng



 Joe Rogan Podcast News (@joeroganhq) November 4, 2025

A broader dispute over authority and trust

Image credit : X/ElonmuskWIZ | Musks remark did not emerge in isolation

An old public exchange between Elon Musk and Bill Gates has resurfaced online, once again placing their long-running disagreement under scrutiny. The renewed attention comes from a video clip that has gone viral on X, reviving a dispute that mixes global aid policy, personal credibility, and past associations.The clip has gained traction because it ties together Musks response to Gates criticism of USAID funding cuts and Gates previously acknowledged association with Jeffrey Epstein. While the video itself is not new, its timing has pushed the debate back into public discussion.In the resurfaced footage, Musk is seen speaking at a conference where he questions Gates authority to comment on issues related to childrens welfare. He refers directly to Gates past connection with Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of serious crimes involving young girls.Musk asks why Gates should be taken seriously on child welfare matters and states that Gates had spent time with Epstein. The audience responds with loud applause. Musk then adds a line that has since been widely quoted online, saying he would not want Gates to babysit his child.The comment quickly became a focal point on social media, largely because of its blunt framing and the serious nature of the allegation it references.Musks remark did not emerge in isolation. It followed criticism from Gates regarding Musks role in shutting down USAID funding the previous year. USAID had provided financial support and resources to developing countries.Gates, who leads a major philanthropic foundation, argued that reducing this aid would disproportionately harm children. He warned that millions could die as a result of declining resources. In one interview, Gates said the image of the worlds richest man harming the worlds poorest children was troubling, clearly referring to Musk without naming him.Musk responded strongly, calling Gates a huge liar. He dismissed the claims as exaggerated and accused Gates of using fear-based language to influence public opinion. Despite this, Gates continued repeating the same figures in multiple interviews, maintaining that reduced aid could lead to deaths numbering in the millions.The situation is complicated by Gates own past statements about Epstein. Gates has previously acknowledged that meeting Epstein was a mistake. During the same forum referenced in the viral clip, the moderator noted that Gates had already addressed the issue publicly.Gates had said that spending time with Epstein was an error and that it gave Epstein credibility he did not deserve. He explained that he initially believed Epstein could help connect him with donors for global health initiatives. When those promises failed to materialize, Gates said he cut ties.This acknowledgment has remained part of the public record, even as it continues to resurface during debates about Gates public role.At its core, the disagreement between Musk and Gates is less about a single comment and more about credibility. Gates positions himself as a defender of global welfare through structured aid and philanthropy. Musk, meanwhile, presents himself as someone focused on solutions, even if his methods provoke backlash.The renewed attention highlights how personal history, policy decisions, and public messaging intersect. The internet response has shown continued interest in the rivalry, with the viral clip serving as a reminder that past remarks can quickly regain relevance.The resurfaced clip underscores how unresolved disputes over aid, accountability, and credibility continue to define the public clash between Musk and Gates.
 BREAKING: A suspect has been ARRESTED after windows were smashed at JD Vances Ohio home





Thankfully, the family was NOT there. 





The left is freaking evil. They wont stop, ever.



pic.twitter.com/8vVRWEelqc



 Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 5, 2026

Federal and local response

Secret Service spotted someone running near VP JD Vance's Cincinnati home at 12:15 AM





Multiple windows were smashed at the East Walnut Hills residence





One suspect now in custody as police investigate





Vice President Vance wasn't home, he left Sunday efore the incident pic.twitter.com/g3conXCsQw



 Boi Agent One (@boiagentone) January 5, 2026

Motive under investigation

BREAKING:





Attack on JD Vances home.





Several windows have been smashed and a man has been arrested. pic.twitter.com/pRBLZ9nzOn



 Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) January 5, 2026

Public and media coverage

Suspect in custody after break-in at Vice President JD Vance's Cincinnati home





Initial reports claimed shots were fired at Vice President JD Vance's Ohio home, but official accounts confirm it was a break-in attempt.





A suspect is in custody with no injuries reported.





I pic.twitter.com/0R8MryMYfn



 MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) January 5, 2026

Law enforcement authorities in Ohio have launched an investigation after an incident at the residence of US Vice President JD Vance on Monday, January 5, 2026. One person has reportedly been taken into custody in connection with the attack, which prompted a swift response from federal and local law enforcement.The Vance family was not present at the Ohio home at the time of the incident, and no injuries were reported. Authorities believe that no one entered the premises during the event. The US Secret Service called for assistance from local police around 12:15 a.m. after observing suspicious activity near the residence. A Cincinnati police dispatcher indicated that the suspect was running eastbound when law enforcement arrived on the scene.Photos of the Vance property have circulated on social media and local news outlets showing broken window panes. While the extent of the damage is visible, details regarding the method or intent of the attack remain unclear. Authorities are actively investigating whether the individual in custody intended to target Vice President Vance specifically or if other motives were involved.The Ohio police and federal law enforcement agencies responded promptly to the incident. The US Secret Service coordinated with local officers to secure the residence and ensure that no further threats were present. Security measures around the property have been reinforced as part of the ongoing investigation. Officials have declined to provide detailed information regarding the suspect, citing the sensitive nature of the case.JD Vances Ohio residence is now under continuous surveillance, with law enforcement monitoring for any additional risks. Authorities are reviewing all available footage and intel to determine the full scope of the incident. The individual in custody is being questioned to clarify the intent and whether the attack posed a direct threat to the Vice President or his family.At this stage, officials have not confirmed why the incident occurred. Law enforcement sources indicate that multiple possibilities are being considered, including whether the suspect had political, personal, or other motives. Federal investigators are coordinating with local authorities to gather evidence and piece together the events leading up to the attack.The incident highlights ongoing security concerns for high-profile government officials. While JD Vance and his family were not at home and no one was harmed, authorities are treating the matter with heightened attention. Investigators continue to examine whether the attack was premeditated or opportunistic.The attack was quickly reported by local media, and images of the property were widely shared on social media platforms. While the situation has not resulted in injuries, the visible damage and swift law enforcement response have drawn public attention. Both local and federal agencies are expected to release updates as the investigation progresses.Authorities emphasize that the situation remains under control and that the safety of Vice President Vance and his family was not compromised. The investigation will continue to focus on identifying the suspects motives and determining any further threats.
Image credit : X | @marnixample | North West Responds to Critics as Her Latest TikTok Fashion Moment Sparks Online Debate

Viral TikTok moments amid ongoing style controversy

Image credit : Instagram | @northwsst | North West Goes Viral Yet Again With Daring Fashion Choices and Custom Diamond Skull Necklace

Page Six,

Image credit : X | @imblackiana | North Wests Latest TikTok Look Goes Viral as She Shrugs Off Criticism Over Her Style Choices

North West addresses criticism over her personal style

In yet another major viral moment, North West turned heads on social media by debuting a bold new look on TikTok, continuing her streak of eye-catching fashion choices that regularly spark conversation online. But what truly stole the spotlight, however, was her custom skull necklace encrusted with 106 carats of diamonds, a Christmas gift from her mother, Kim Kardashian. The striking white chain-link piece features spiked details and a skull centrepiece accented with vivid blue eyes.In the latest videos, Kardashian and Kanye West's oldest child was joined by a friend, who stood out with bright pink hair and what appeared to be faux facial piercings.The pair danced and lip-synced to multiple tracks, clearly enjoying themselves. In one of the posts, North described their vibe by calling them 'real rockstars. Moreover, her fashion experiments have sparked debate before too; just last month, North responded to critics who took issue with her finger piercing.According toin a TikTok video, she mouthed along to audio from reality star Chrisean Rock, brushing off the criticism with a message that essentially urged detractors to stop overreacting and get a grip.The 12-year-old later added a context in the caption, writing that the post was meant for "everyone that's mad over a finger piercing." Back in November, Kim Kardashian recently opened up about how North West has handled the online criticism surrounding her fashion choices, including faux piercings and temporary tattoos.Speaking with her Alls Fair co-star Niecy Nash-Betts during a Complex GOAT Talk video, the Skims founder shared that North has taken a calm, unfazed approach, even replying directly to a comment by calling the backlash such a non-issue.Kardashian applauded North's reply, calling it a strong and effective comeback. She went on to explain that North and her friends enjoy dressing up, experimenting with costumes and creating different looks together.
BigHit officially announces BTS' comeback, world tour

Image credit : X/@PopBase | BTS announces 5th album and world tour, marking full-group return after nearly four years

A viral trend erupts: fanmade feature rumours

Dua Lipa is rumored to be featured on BTS upcoming album. pic.twitter.com/iHdcYmwC88









 Pop Tingz (@PopTingz) January 4, 2026





 TWICE is rumored to be featured on track 9 of BTSs upcoming album. pic.twitter.com/K8sTEiTUjt









  (@xaninhashy) January 4, 2026





Is there any truth to these collaboration rumours?

Why this comeback is monumental

Image credit : BigHit Music | Full group, full album, full tour: BTSs 2026 comeback is historic

After years of speculation and fan anticipation, Kpop supergroup BTS has officially confirmed their longawaited comeback. The groups agency BigHit Music announced that their fifth studio album will be released on March 20, 2026, marking the first fullgroup album in nearly four years since(2022). This news has sent shockwaves through the global music community and BTSs dedicated fandom, ARMY, who have been waiting for this moment ever since all seven members completed South Koreas mandatory military service.Alongside the announcement, rumours have been circulating that major artists, includingand, could feature on the album, but whats the truth behind these claims? Let's find out!On January 4, 2026, BigHit Music shared official details about BTSs upcoming project on Weverse and their social channels, confirming that BTS The 5th Album is scheduled for March 20, 2026, at 1 PM KST. The record will be the groups first full-length album in about three years and nine months, described as deeply reflective and personal, with all seven members  RM, Jin, Suga, JHope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook  taking part in the creative process. The album will feature 14 tracks filled with stories BTS wants to share with ARMY, and alongside the release, the group will embark on a world tour, with full details of cities, dates, and venues expected on January 14, 2026, at 12 AM KST. Physical album pre-orders will open on January 16, 2026, officially marking the return of BTS as a full seven-member group after all members completed their military service.In the hours and days following BTSs announcement, a viral trend has taken over(formerly Twitter) and other social platforms. Fans are speculating wildly about potential featured artists on the new album  a phenomenon that often pops up when huge releases are imminent.Rumours currently gaining traction include:*Dua Lipa featuring on a track, with fan posts claiming she might appear on the album.*Fans of girl group TWICE suggesting their favourites could also be involved.This sort of trend isnt new: previously viral fan speculation has happened around shows likeand, where internet communities latched onto hopeful crossovers or guest appearances that ultimately didnt pan out.At this point, the buzz about Dua Lipa, TWICE, or any other artists featuring on BTSs new album is strictly fangenerated speculation. BigHit Musics official announcement didlist any collaborators, and theres no confirmed information from the artists camps or official channels about a guest feature.While BTS has worked with international artists before (such as Halsey and Nicki Minaj on past tracks), until BigHit or BTS themselves reveal feature details, likely closer to the January 14 world tour and album info update, these rumours should be taken with a grain of salt.BTSs 2026 return is one of the most significant popculture events of the year. Not only is it the groups first fullgroup project in almost four years, but it also marks their first major undertaking after completing all members military service, a milestone that many thought could delay or change their future as a group. With a full album, a likely massive world tour, and the weight of global expectation behind it, this comeback is arguably one of the biggest in music history.
Police have detained five people for questioning in connection with the fatal beating of a 30-year-old man following a brawl at a nightclub in the western city of Patras.

The victim, identified by authorities as a member of the Roma community, was rushed to a hospital shortly before 5 a.m. with critical

injuries.

He died despite emergency medical efforts. Police were alerted by hospital staff shortly after the death.

The five detainees are being examined for their involvement in a fight that erupted inside a venue on Agiou Andreou Street, a central nightlife district.

Among those detained is a prominent figure in the local nightlife scene.

Investigators determined the altercation began between two groups inside the club before spilling onto the street.

Club staff reportedly intervened to escort the individuals outside, where authorities believe the violence escalated.

Police received an initial call reporting a disturbance at the venue, followed 10 minutes later by a report of a serious injury.

No weapons have been recovered, and early forensic findings indicate the fatal injuries resulted from a severe physical beating.

The investigation remains active as detectives review witness statements and forensic evidence to determine individual culpability. Authorities stated further arrests remain possible.

By Katia Nakari

   iefimerida.gr
A massive failure of air traffic control radio frequencies grounded flights across Greece for two hours Sunday, stranding thousands of passengers during the peak holiday return rush.

Officials halted departures and severely restricted landings after controllers lost the

ability to communicate with aircraft throughout the Greek Flight Information Region (FIR).

Operations began to gradually resume by late morning, though authorities warned of cascading delays throughout the day.

Olga Toki, vice president of the Greek Air Traffic Controllers Association, described the outage as a critical safety hazard.

We cannot communicate with flight crews. We cannot issue instructions, and they cannot receive them, Mrs. Toki told local media.

That means flight safety cannot be guaranteed.

Mrs. Toki noted the breakdown began around 9 a.m., effectively emptying Greek airspace. While Athens approach control retained limited functionalityallowing some aircraft already on final descent to landflights attempting to enter from the northern and western borders were blocked.

Aircraft coming from the northern borders could not transit Greek airspace to reach Athens because there was no communication at all, Mrs. Toki explained.

She dismissed speculation of a cyberattack, attributing the collapse to a large-scale technical malfunction of the frequency network.

Civil aviation authorities have launched an immediate investigation into the cause of the failure. Airlines are urging all passengers to check flight statuses before heading to airports as schedules slowly normalize.

   iefimerida.gr
Giorgos Papadakis, the veteran journalist who defined Greek morning television for more than three decades as the host of Kalimera Ellada, died Sunday after suffering a massive heart attack. He was 74.

Mr. Papadakis collapsed in the Kolonaki district of central Athens and was rushed to Laiko General Hospital.

Emergency responders arrived minutes after the 5:15 p.m. call but found him without a pulse. Despite prolonged resuscitation efforts en route and at the hospital, doctors were unable to revive him.

Mr. Papadakis was a titanic figure in Greek media, widely credited with inventing the modern morning news format in the country.

Born in Athens in 1951, he began his career in print journalism before transitioning to television in the 1980s.

He rose to national prominence in 1992 as the anchor of Kalimera Ellada (Good Morning Greece) on ANT1.

For 32 years, his booming voice and combative yet empathetic style became the soundtrack of the morning for millions of Greeks. He helmed the show until his retirement last year, transitioning to a role as a commentator on the networks evening news.

ANT1 paid tribute to its longest-serving star in a statement, noting that Mr. Papadakis left an indelible mark on Greek television by combining journalistic rigor with a deep sense of public responsibility.

Political leaders and colleagues expressed shock at the sudden loss, hailing Mr. Papadakis as a mentor and a pioneer who reshaped how Greeks consume daily news.

   iefimerida.gr
A fierce political dispute has erupted between the Greek government and the main opposition party, Pasok, following the reported U.S. arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, turning a global crisis into a domestic battle over international

Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis sharply criticized Pasoks reaction, accusing the opposition of "nationally dangerous" rhetoric.

The rebuke followed comments by Pasok lawmaker Dimitris Matzos, who warned that the U.S. action risks normalizing "the dominance of the law of the strong over international law."

This is a nightmarish scenario, Mr. Matzos said.

Pasok escalated the exchange, issuing a statement addressing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis directly.

The party argued that Greeces national interests are inseparably linked to respect for international law and urged Mr. Mitsotakis to "correct [his] mistake."

Pasok accused the government of abandoning long-standing foreign policy principles by failing to question the legality of the operation.

Government officials dismissed the criticism as premature and irresponsible.

In a detailed statement, they emphasized that the Foreign Ministry is in constant contact with EU partners and the U.N. Security Council.

They noted that crisis management plans are in place to assist Greek nationals in Venezuela.

Mr. Mitsotakis has aligned Greece with European leaders in highlighting the authoritarian nature of Mr. Maduros rule, while officials stated that questions regarding the operation's legality would be assessed at the appropriate time.

The government confirmed its position will be formally presented at an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on Tuesday.

Pasok fired back, accusing Mr. Marinakis of attempting to "clean up" a damaging stance by the prime minister, warning that Athens is drifting dangerously away from its commitment to multilateralism.



   iefimerida.gr
LAGOS STATE POLICE COMMAND SERVED POLICE INVITATION LETTER ON PASTOR CHRIS OKAFOR TO REPORT AT SCID PANTI TO ANSWER TO CASES OF ALLEGED MULTIPLE RAPE, AND OTHER CONDUCTS LIKELY TO CAUSE BREACH OF PEACE.

The Pastor is to report tomorrow, Monday 5th January, 2026 by 10 am prompt to DC SCID, Panti.

The Lagos State Police Command has invited Pastor Chris Okafor, Senior Pastor of Mountain of Liberation and Miracles Ministries, in connection with allegations of multiple rape, other sexual offences, and several other conducts likely to cause breach of public peace and breakdown of law and order in the State.

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(2) The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Jimoh, has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (DC SCID) to carry out a thorough investigation into the several criminal allegations against Pastor Chris Okafor. The Pastor has been duly served with an invitation letter through his legal representative and is expected to cooperate fully with the Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, in the ongoing investigation into the allegations of capital offences and other serious crimes against him.

(3) CP Olohundare Jimoh has directed immediate full security coverage and protection for his victims and hereby encourages them to feel free to come out and report at the Criminal Investigation Department, Panti where the investigation into the alleged criminal atrocities against the Pastor has commenced.

(4) The identity of the victims will be absolutely kept confidential and will be protected. Any person(s) or individuals who may have fallen victim are further implored to come forward to report their complaints in the hands of the alleged Pastor. Any person or persons who have credible information or evidence relevant to the investigation are also encouraged to come forward without fear or apprehension to assist the Police in the investigation of the cases against him. Such persons may wish to get across to the SCID through the Police Public Relations Department at the Lagos State Police Command or can go directly to the SCID.

(5) The Commissioner of Police further reiterates and assures members of the public that the identities of all victims and witnesses will be adequately protected, and that the investigation will be conducted in a professional, transparent, and unbiased manner, in line with the laws of the land.

(6) The Lagos State Police Command is committed to maintaining law and order, public peace, safety, and ensuring that all allegations of criminal acts against anyone, no matter how highly placed or lowly placed, are discreetly investigated according to law, regardless of the status of the individuals involved, and no sentiment will be allowed to prevail. Justice must prevail in the whole episode.

SP ABIMBOLA ADEBISI, anipr, mipra,

POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,

FOR: THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE,

LAGOS STATE COMMAND.

4TH JANUARY, 2026.
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, has warned President Bola Tinubu and other political actors against rigging the 2027 presidential election, saying the international community is closely watching Nigeria.

Pearse issued the warning during an interview on Arise Television on Sunday, where he cautioned that electoral malpractice could attract serious global consequences.

According to him, the era of unchecked election rigging is coming to an end, stressing that international institutions and powerful global actors would not ignore any attempt to undermine Nigerias democratic process.

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The whole international world is watching. If you rig the election the way you normally do, you may have Trump coming to get your war chambers. Everybody should be careful.

He added that the presence of international judicial mechanisms such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) should serve as a deterrent to electoral misconduct.

This is not the first time it has happened. The International Criminal Court is there, so be careful what you do with a rigged election in Nigeria, he warned.

Pearse expressed confidence that the 2027 elections would be different from previous ones, insisting that Nigerians would no longer tolerate electoral fraud.

No, no, no  it will not happen again. 2027 is going to be different, he said.

The comments come amid growing political activities and heightened public discourse ahead of the 2027 general elections, with opposition figures calling for transparent, free and fair polls across the country.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has said that former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, remains innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.

The EFCC stated that Bellos trial is still ongoing and that it is the responsibility of the court, not the EFCC, to determine his guilt or innocence.

This followed public criticism over Bellos declaration to contest the Kogi Central, senatorial seat in 2027.

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Recall that Bello is being prosecuted by the EFCC before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, sitting in Maitama, Abuja, for alleged diversion and misappropriation of Kogi State funds to the tune of 80.2 billion while serving as governor.

Speaking on Monday, while appearing on Arise Televisions Morning Show, monitored by Vanguard, the EFCC Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwuajeren, explained that criminal prosecution in Nigeria takes time and involves the presentation of evidence and witnesses before the court.

Uwuajeren said the EFCC is currently prosecuting the case by presenting witnesses and evidence, stressing that the outcome will be decided solely by the court.

He noted that under the Nigerian Constitution, any person standing trial is presumed innocent until proven guilty, adding that Bellos status within his political party has nothing to do with the charges filed against him.

According to Uwuajeren, The EFCC has no interest in party politics and is only focused on faithfully prosecuting the charges before the court.

He reaffirmed the Commissions commitment to ensuring that justice is served for both the prosecution and the defence, stating that nothing has gone amiss in the handling of the case.

He said: One thing we need to understand how criminal prosecution works in Nigeria. It takes some time before you prove some of these challenges in court. Like, as I speak to you, the trial is still ongoing before the courts.

We are presenting witnesses, we have presented evidence. It is not the commission that is going to decide the matter. Its the court that will decide the matter.

All we need to do is to follow the prosecution how is going on in the court, and ensure at the end of the day, both the prosecution and the defense get justice.

But having said that, Yaya Bello, as we speak, is under trial, but the Constitution presumes that anyone who is under trial to be innocent until that case is proven.

So, whatever is happening to him within his party, that is the party affairs. It has nothing to do with the EFCC. It has nothing to do with the charge that we are filed before the court.

So the responsibility that we owe Nigeria is to be faithful to the charges that we have filed against him in the court, and we are prosecuting those charges religiously.

Nothing has happened, nothing has gone amiss in terms of that and we are committed to doing that.

In terms of Yaya Bello, whatever the party does to him, that is the partys business. EFCC is not a political party.

We are not interested in politics. EFCC is a law enforcement organization, and we are enforcing the law, so to speak.
The Barnes Foundation removed a precious Pierre-Auguste Renoir painting from view last year for some much-needed rehabilitation.

The Henriot Family (La Famille Henriot), an oil painting completed around 1875, is an impressionist work depicting three people and two long-haired dogs relaxing in a forest. A young woman in a white dress gazes directly at the viewer while a man to her right appears to be drawing her. The central figure is Henriette Henriot, one of Renoirs frequent models, and her admirer is the painters brother, Edmond Renoir.

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Its one of 181 Renoir paintings that Albert C. Barnes amassed during his lifetime, leading the Barnes Foundation to hold the largest collection of Renoir artworks in the world. He purchased the piece from art dealer Etienne Bignou in 1935 for $50,000, which amounts to about $1.17 million today.

Sitting above a doorway in the museums main room, The Henriot Family has long been eyed for restoration, according to WHYY. The staff brought the painting into the conservation lab in February 2025.

An old layer of resin varnish on the paint has altered the colors over time, turning them from blue and gray to yellow and green. On a microscopic level, the paint has also begun separating from the canvas and the base layer in a process called micro-flaking.

So far, Barnes associate conservator of paintings Christie Romano has reportedly put in some 200 hours studying the painting under a microscope to identify problematic areas.

The conservation efforts will remove the yellowing layer of resin to restore the original colors underneath and fix the areas most affected by micro-flaking using calcium carbonate. The project is funded by a grant of an undisclosed amount from Bank of America as part of its Art Conservation Project; the Barnes is one of 16 recipients worldwide.

Cultural institutions in Philadelphia have benefited from the banks conservation grants in previous years. In 2019, the bank funded the restoration of The Large Bathers by Paul Cezanne at the Barnes and The Great Bathers by Renoir at the Philadelphia Art Museum. Over the past 16 years, the Art Conservation Project has issued grants for some 275 conservation projects across 40 countries.

The Henriot Family will be back on view at the Barnes sometime in February, with its gray and blue looking brand new.
Camdens homicide and violent crime rates match national trends of decline after having surged during the pandemic. Philadelphia experienced its lowest homicide total in nearly 60 years in 2025, and other cities historically marked by higher rates of violence like Baltimore and Chicago have also seen major homicide declines. Read more

The city of Camden last year reached its lowest homicide total since 1985, police said.

In 2025, Camden recorded 12 homicides, the same number as in 1985. Homicides dropped down from 17 in 2024, and the declining year-end total comes after Camden experienced its first homicide-free summer in 50 years.

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 READ MORE: Camden had zero homicides this summer. City and county leaders credit the 2013 disbandment of its police department.

Camden saw an overall 6% drop in violent crime in 2025 compared to the prior year, including a 32% decrease in sexual assaults and 12% decrease in robberies, according to police.

The consistent engagement with residents and community policing efforts have helped to build trust within our community, said Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen in a statement. There is still plenty of work yet to be done, but through this collaborative effort we are building a safer and healthier Camden.

Leaders have attributed the shift largely to the disbandment of the city of Camdens police department in 2013. Since then, the replacement Camden County Police Department and the city have embraced more community policing strategies, paired social workers with officers, and supported programming that provides better opportunities and care for at-risk youth.

Homicides have dropped by 82% since 2012, the last full year of the former police structure. But leaders have also credited the citys investments in third spaces and infrastructure in recent years, like $100 million in parks over the past five years and repaving streets.

Thirteen years ago, a homicide-free summer would have been a pipe dream for us, Louis Cappelli Jr., director of the Camden County Board of Commissioners, said in a statement.

Camdens homicide and violent crime rates match national trends of decline after having surged during the pandemic. Philadelphia experienced its lowest homicide total in nearly 60 years in 2025, and other cities historically marked by higher rates of violence like Baltimore and Chicago have also seen major homicide declines.

Crime researchers have been unable to identify any singular cause behind the nations drop in violence, but they theorize that cities, like in Camden, have broadly shifted toward greater investments in violence prevention programs and infrastructure, as opposed to traditional policing.

For Derrick Gallashaw, life in Camden today feels much different than it did when he was growing up there in the 1980s and 90s. It was more dangerous back then, and the communitys relationship with police was more strained.

It feels like the city is safe now, he said.

Gallashaw is the regional director of Mighty Writers, a nonprofit offering afterschool writing programs for youth and food distribution. The Camden County police credited its partnership with Mighty Writers and other groups for helping to reduce violence.

Gallashaw is a believer in the strategy, too. He said the community policing initiative, paired with support for programs like his, have made a major impact on reducing violence. They are able to reach more people in need and address the conditions that often lead to crime.

You give them options and youre providing a need. If someone is hungry, youre not giving them a reason to have to go out and steal something to eat. Were finding a resource for you right now, he said.

As Camden resets its violence statistics at the new year, Gallashaw said sustaining the citys success would require leaders to continue listening to community members about their needs and not impose solutions from the top down.

Its not just the city and police who are responsible for keeping the numbers low  he wants groups and community members to continue filling peoples needs as well.

We all have to get together because it expands that reach, he said.
Faridah Ismaila, 15, poses for a portrait at her home on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Malvern. Ismaila started a kids art nonprofit called A Paint-full of Promise. She also sells her art online. Read more

Something about the phrase Do what makes you happy struck Faridah Ismaila. It became the title of, and inspiration behind, one of her art pieces. Its printed onto the back of her T-shirt. Its something the 15-year-old artist lives her life by.

When I do art, its because it makes me happy, and when I can give my art to other people or spread the joy of art, its making them happy, she said.

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Following that guiding light of happiness, Ismaila, a digital artist and a sophomore at Great Valley High School, recently launched her nonprofit, A Paint-full of Promise, which offers free monthly art classes for kids in her school district in kindergarten through grade six.

Working with educators in the district, Ismaila devises themed art projects and provides supplies and classroom time to teach young artists how to express themselves. The first club is slated for mid-January, with a winter wonderland theme. Children will make snowflakes and paint winter-themed coasters.

Ismaila has been recognized for her art nationally: She was the state winner and a national finalist in the 2022 Doodle for Google competition, where young artists compete for their work to be featured as the Google homepage design. That recognition helped give her the confidence to pursue big dreams, like her nonprofit and club.

It makes me feel I can still do this. Because sometimes Ill doubt myself.  I cant be having all these big dreams, she said. But if people want to vote for me and I am recognized nationally, I feel on top of the world. I can do anything.

The first brushes of the nonprofit  which she hopes one day will grow to multiple sessions a month  started years ago, when Ismaila began making YouTube videos, teaching the fundamentals of art. She showed viewers how to make a gradient, how to depict a sunrise. She circulated the videos around her Malvern neighborhood, and she thought: Why not hold a class for younger kids?

Over a summer, in her garage, she set up two art projects  painting and colored pencils  and led about eight kids through a lesson. She called it Faridahs Art Crafty Corner.

Holding the class made her happy. So she did it again, but bigger, turning it into a summer camp, under the new name: A Paint-full of Promise.

Then I decided, why not actually make this a club, so not only my community can get this, my entire district can? she said.

And now, the teenager has a nonprofit under her belt. She officially launched the organization last month at an event in Malvern, where she raised money by auctioning off prints of her work and selling T-shirts with her designs.

Anne Dale, an art teacher at Great Valley High School who is an adviser for the club, said she was impressed with Ismailas ability to get other high school students involved in running the club.

A lot of students have big ideas for clubs, but theres not always follow-through. With her, its definitely different, and I knew that when she approached me with it, Dale said.

Giving kids the tools and opportunity to create artwork was essential to Ismaila, who gravitates to art to process her emotions.

Its just the best thing ever, she said. Once you start doing art as a kid, its just a great way to get your feelings out there and express yourself, even if you cant use words to describe it.

One of her pieces, Beauty Within, depicts a skeletal hand holding a white mask, a tear running down its cheek. Behind the mask, flowers bloom. It came from a feeling of constantly analyzing herself, the feeling that what you show people is not necessarily whats on the inside.

Another piece, made when she was seriously sleep-deprived, shows a face with an assortment of pixels, pizza, stick figures, and paint pouring out.

A piece she is working on now shows herself, in vibrant colors, pointing to her reflection. She wanted to capture the feeling of two versions of the self  one confident, the other fragile.

Sometimes, her mother Nofisat Ismaila said, her parents feel as if they are holding her back.

I dont know how Im gonna keep keeping up with this girl, because shes just taking us to places, keeping us busy, keeping us on our toes, she said. Shes turning out to be a really young, determined adult.

But to Faridah Ismaila, its about finding happiness, and giving it to others, too.

I really hope the kids just do what makes them happy.  Its also just not being afraid to get out there, because when I was a kid-kid, I wasnt afraid of anything, she said. I think middle school really kicks some kids in the butt, and getting up out of that  at least for me, art was a way to do that. I just want to give that to kids.

This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirers high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
Firefighters cry as they attend a memorial march in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, after a devastating fire in Le Constellation bar left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. Read more

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland  Hundreds marched in silence Sunday to honor the victims of the New Years Eve fire at a bar in the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana, which left 40 dead and many severely injured.

Somber mourners, many with reddened eyes, filed silently out of the chapel to organ music after the hourlong Mass at the Chapelle Saint-Christophe in Crans-Montana. Some exchanged hugs before marching up a hill to Le Constellation bar.

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Many hundreds of people walked in the dense snaking procession in the bright sunlight past shuttered stores. Up on the mountain overlooking the town, snow machines sent plumes of white flakes into the air.

At the top of the street, in front of Le Constellation  which is still largely shielded from view by white screens  the swelling crowd stood in near total silence, some weeping.

Then they broke out into sustained applause for the rescue teams and police who rushed to the scene of horror, their hands in gloves and mittens against the cold. Mourners and well-wishers deposited bouquets at a makeshift memorial piled with flowers, cuddly toys, and other tributes. Some firefighters wiped their eyes too.

They went there to party

Through this tragic event, I believe we must all remember that we are all brothers and sisters in humanity, Veronique Barras, a local resident who knows grieving families, said. Its important to support each other, to hug each other, and to move forward towards light.

Cathy Premer said her daughter was out celebrating her 17th birthday on New Years Eve when she called in the early hours of the morning to say she was stuck because Le Constellation was cordoned off.

For the young  but even for adults  its hard to understand things that seem inexplicable, she said. They went there to party, its a destination for Dec. 31, its very festive, there were people of many nationalities ... and it all turned into a tragedy.

In the crowd, Paola Ponti Greppi, an 80-year-old Italian who has a house in Crans-Montana, called for safety checks in bars. We need more safety in these places because its not the only place like this. Why didnt the town do the proper checks? For me thats terrible.

A Mass for the victims

During the Mass, the Rev. Gilles Cavin spoke of the terrible uncertainty for families unsure if their loved ones are among the dead or still alive among the injured.

There are no words strong enough to express the dismay, anguish, and anger of those who are affected in their lives today. And yet, we are here, gathered because silence alone is not enough, he said.

In the crowded pews, a grieving woman listened intently, her hands sometimes clasping rosary beads, as speakers delivered readings in German, French, and Italian.

Forty people died and 119 were injured in the blaze that broke out around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday at Le Constellation bar. Police have said many of the victims were in their teens to mid-20s.

By Sunday morning, Swiss authorities identified 24 out of the 40 fatalities. They include 18 Swiss citizens  aged as young as 14  two Italians 16 years old, one dual citizen of Italy and the United Arab Emirates also 16 years old, an 18-year-old Romanian, a 39-year-old French person, and a Turkish citizen, 18.

A grieving mother

One of the victims was 16-year-old Arthur Brodard, whose mother had been frantically searching for him.

Our Arthur has now left to party in paradise, a visibly shaken Laetitia Brodard said in a Facebook story posted on Saturday night, speaking to a camera. We can start our mourning, knowing that he is in peace and in the light.

Brodards frenzied search for her son reflected the desperation of families of the young people who disappeared during the fire, who did not know whether their loved ones were dead or in the hospital.

Swiss authorities said the process of identifying victims was particularly hard because of the advanced degree of the burns, requiring the use of DNA samples. Brodard also had given her DNA sample to help in the identification process.

In her Facebook post, she thanked those who testified their compassion, their love and to those who shared information as she anxiously searched and waited for news of her son. Other parents and siblings are still waiting in anguish.

Bar managers face a criminal investigation

Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation of the bar managers.

The two are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm, and involuntarily causing a fire, the Valais regions chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, told reporters Saturday. The announcement of the investigation did not name the managers.

Regional police said Sunday there were no legal grounds so far that would require the managers to be held pending the legal process. They have not been deemed to be a flight risk.

Investigators have said they believe festive sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar.

Authorities are looking into whether sound-dampening material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar. The investigation also centers on other safety measures on the premises, including fire extinguishers and escape routes, and whether previous work at the site was up to code.

Initial witness accounts cited a fire that spread quickly, generating a lot of smoke and a huge wave of heat, the police statement Sunday said. Everything happened very fast.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin announced a national day of mourning for the victims on Jan. 9.

Frances Health Minister Stephanie Rist said 17 patients have received care in France, out of a total of 35 transferred from Switzerland to five European countries. Other patients were planned to be transferred to Germany, Italy, and Belgium.
A new and as yet unnamed baby African penguin hatched on Nov. 21 at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden. Read more

A new baby African penguin at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden was unveiled Monday and a contest was announced to name him.

The unnamed chick was hatched Nov. 21 and was the third African penguin to be hatched at the Adventure Aquarium in 2025. The announcements of new chicks are held off until biologists determine the new bird is healthy and expected to survive.

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The other two baby African penguins, Duffy and Oscar, hatched earlier in November.

Although hes a little bit younger than the other two, he does make up for it in size. He is quite a big baby penguin chick, Maddie Olszewski-Pohle, a biologist, says in the aquariums introduction video posted on social media.

Starting Monday, aquarium visitors can vote on one of four names offered for the new penguin: Scrappy, Zero, Flounder, or Toothless.

The unnamed chick is being parented by Mushu and Hubert, who also parented a 2024 chick, Shubert. Mushu was named for a dragon sidekick from the Disney movie Mulan, so the aquariums birds and mammals team chose possible names using a dragons and sidekicks theme.

The naming contest will close Jan. 19, and the winner will be announced Jan. 20, Penguin Awareness Day, the aquarium staff said.

African penguins, which originate from the waters around southern Africa, are classified critically endangered, so the hatches are important to the survival of the species.

The naming contest will benefit the Association of Zoos and Aquariums SAFE African Penguin program and the nonprofit Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.

As an ambassador for his species, this chick is helping raise awareness and funds to protect African penguins in South Africa, Olszewski-Pohle said in a statement.

The three baby penguins will remain behind the scenes until they develop waterproof feathers and the weather warms up, aquarium staff said.
Robert Flesch sits in his wheelchair inside his room at the Gracedale Nursing Home in Nazareth, PA. Read more

Robert Flesch was sitting in his first-floor room at the Bristol nursing home shortly after 9 a.m. on Dec. 23 when a staffer poked her head in to tell him he should go to the activity room. There was a gas leak near his room, the staffer told him, and Peco had been notified.

Flesch, who is 64 and an amputee, rolled his wheelchair into the hallway. The whole hall smelled like gas, he recalled.

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Peco workers had already arrived, but nobody mentioned the possibility of needing to evacuate the 174-bed facility, Flesch said. Staffers did not seem concerned about the gas smell, and it was otherwise a typical Tuesday at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center, formerly known as Silver Lake Nursing Home.

Around 1:30 p.m., Flesch said he was told Peco had fixed a pretty big leak and that he could go back to his room. But the hallway outside his room had the same strong odor. Im telling you I still smell gas, he said he told three staffers. He was reassured that it was just residual odor from the repaired leak.

Just after 2 p.m., another resident, Susie Gubitosi, was back inside after joining several other residents on the patio for a cigarette break. Gubitosi  known to friends as Susie Q  had become blind three years ago from glaucoma and was waiting for a staffer to help her remove old nail polish.

Thats when the place exploded.

Suddenly I heard this loud boom, Gubitosi, 71, said.

The blast knocked her out of her wheelchair, and debris slammed against her as fast and hard as it could, she said. Next thing Im on the floor, and Im laying on my right-hand side, and Im like, Oh my God.

The explosion, just after 2:15 p.m., killed Muthoni Nduthu, a 52-year-old nurse at the facility and mother to three sons. A second person who died, a resident, has not been identified. Twenty others were injured.

Fleschs and Gubitosis accounts, told to The Inquirer in interviews over the last few days, give an expanded timeline of events before two explosions rocked the center. Their recollections underscore the key questions facing investigators from multiple agencies as they seek to determine the cause of the explosion and assess whether Peco, the nursing home, or both may have been negligent.

Peco officials initially said their workers arrived at the nursing home around 2 p.m. They subsequently acknowledged their workers had been on site for several hours.

On Friday, Peco said in a statement that since the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, we are not permitted to comment on this matter.

The NTSB said it didnt have any additional information but expects to release a preliminary report in about three weeks. In an earlier statement, it said investigators would test the natural gas service line that runs from the street to the basement of the impacted building, gather records, and interview witnesses, first responders, nursing home staff, and Peco employees.

Saber Healthcare Group, a privately run for-profit company that acquired the Bristol nursing home three weeks before the explosion and rebranded it, did not respond to requests for comment Friday. Saber has relocated about 120 residents to local hospitals and other assisted living facilities. It says it is reevaluating its evacuation procedures.

The previous owners, Ohio-based CommuniCare Health Services, had received numerous citations for unsafe building conditions and substandard care.

Am I dying?

Recuperating in St. Marys Medical Center in Langhorne, Gubitosi said she felt as if her life was over.

Immediately, the former Bethlehem resident knew it was a gas explosion. I heard shouting, screaming, moaning, and sirens, she said.

This place just blew up. And I thought, Am I dying? I didnt know, she said. She was relieved when she could wiggle her toes. I think Im all in one piece, she thought.

Because Im blind, it scared me even more. I felt ice cold water on me. The sprinkler system must have come on and I was drenched. But I was glad because I had dust, cement dust, soot all in my mouth, on my face, in my eyes and nose. And I was just trying to breathe.

She cried repeatedly for help. I heard all these voices and things moving. It was pandemonium. I could hear the EMT guys saying, Theyre in here! Weve got to get them out! The building is going to collapse!

 READ MORE: Two brothers and their nephew tell how they nearly died in the Bristol nursing home blast.

She heard one EMT, as he lifted her up, say, This is the first patient thats been crushed.

Doctors in the hospital used staples to close a gash on her hairline. Her back, neck, and sternum are broken. She had surgery last week to repair fractures in her elbow and hand.

The pain, she said, is at times unbearable, even with medication. Its hard to breathe, she said, lying in her hospital bed with her neck in a large brace, bandages that run from her hand to elbow, and IVs.

It feels literally like an elephant put his foot on me and crushed me, she said. I was probably this close to death.

She doesnt know yet how long shell be hospitalized or where she will be placed next.

Lawsuits are coming, said Jordan Strokovsky, an attorney representing Gubitosi. There will be answers. There will be accountability.

The wall was coming down

Flesch, who lost his left leg from a brown recluse spider bite, said he doesnt understand why he was given the green light to return to his room.

A former pool and spa tradesman from Levittown, he had been a Bristol resident a short time, sifting through a file he kept of apartments he could possibly call his next home.

Suddenly, there was this loud boom!, he recalled.

Ive never been in anything like that in my life, he said. I was in shock because all the glass from my windows came flying out. Then the ceiling was coming down. The wall was coming down.

Glass shards piled a foot deep in his room, even deeper in the hallway. Crumpled furniture was hurtled everywhere. Flesch maneuvered his wheelchair through glass to check on the bedridden man across the hall. He was OK.

The facilitys part-time psychologist helped Flesch and many others get outside safely.

It was complete chaos, he said.

The explosion left Flesch, now staying in a nursing home in Nazareth, Pa., with nothing more than scratches on his arms.

I am still asking myself how I survived, he said. It must be God. I cant explain it any other way.
A newly filed lawsuit alleges that the deadly explosion at a Bucks County nursing home just before Christmas was the result of negligence on the part of the facilitys operator and its natural gas supplier.

Filed by Philadelphia law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky on behalf of four survivors of the explosion, the lawsuit claims that Saber Healthcare Group, Peco, and others failed to appropriately respond to and treat a gas leak at Bristol Health & Rehab Center, and neglected to evacuate the building.

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The resulting explosion, which devastated the facility the afternoon of Dec. 23, killed two people and injured about 20 others.

Our pre-suit investigation left no doubt that the defendants were responsible for this foreseeable and preventable tragedy just before Christmas, said lead attorney Robert J. Mongeluzzi.

In addition to Peco and Saber Healthcare Group, the lawsuit names Exelon, Saber Healthcare Holdings, and the nursing home as defendants.

The plaintiffs were among those on site at the time of the blast, the lawsuit says. They include former nursing home resident Barbara Stall, a paraplegic whose motorized wheelchair was allegedly destroyed during the incident, as well as facility aides Stacy Ballard and Davidetta Blay, and telecom contractor James Broderick. Blay and Brodericks spouses are also included as plaintiffs.

Each continues to receive medical treatment for the physical and emotional injuries, the law firm said in a statement. The lawsuit, the firm added, is believed to be the first filed to allege negligence.

The blast rocked the Bristol facility just after 2 p.m., coming after Peco crews responded to reports of a gas odor earlier in the day, according to Inquirer reports. Some residents, The Inquirer later reported, had been smelling gas in the 174-bed facility in the days leading up to the explosion, but none were told to evacuate.

The complaint, filed Monday in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, alleges that despite the gas odor, the defendants did not take steps to evacuate, which it calls a reckless and outrageous decision.

The odor, the complaint alleges, began permeating the building at least a half-hour before the explosion, and the defendants treated the situation with carelessness, negligence, gross negligence, recklessness, and outrageous conduct, the complaint said.

Peco and Exelon, the lawsuit claims, never tested a gas pipeline that fed the nursing home for leaks and failed to properly diagnose and fix the leak once on site. Exelon, the parent corporation of Peco, declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.

Zachary Shamberg, Sabers chief of government affairs, declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation.

The age and condition of the gas line running to the nursing home remain unclear, but Peco has said that it has about 742 miles of substandard gas lines across the state that need to be replaced  accounting for roughly 5% of its gas service, but 82% of leaks, according to a report from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

The companys plans, The Inquirer previously reported, call for all those lines to be replaced by 2035.

As a result of the explosion, the complaint alleges that the plaintiffs were forced to suffer catastrophic personal injuries, had to survive harrowing rescue attempts, and watch their friends and colleagues lose their lives and similarly suffered traumatic injuries.

The cause of the explosion is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, which said it expects to release a preliminary report on the explosion roughly three weeks from now. Previously, the board said investigators would test the natural gas service line that runs from the street to the basement of the facility, would interview witnesses, and would gather records.

In the wake of the blast, Saber has relocated roughly 120 residents to local hospitals and other assisted-living facilities. The company said it was evaluating its evacuation procedures.

Muthoni Nduthu, a 52-year-old nurse at the facility and mother to three sons, was killed in the blast. The second person killed was a resident at the nursing home, but they have not yet been publicly identified.

This explosion, and the loss of life and horrific injuries that accompanied it, were the tragic results of Defendants failure to timely respond to the gas leak, appropriately treat the leak, and evacuate the building in response to the leak, the complaint alleges.

The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages to be determined by a jury.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner was sworn in to a third term in office on Monday. Read more

When Larry Krasner was sworn in to his second term as district attorney four years ago, Philadelphia was in a public safety crisis: Murders and shootings were at an all-time high and the homicide clearance rate was at a historic low.

On Monday, Krasner was inaugurated to a third, four-year term in remarkably different circumstances. The city in 2025 recorded the fewest homicides in 59 years, and police are solving killings at the highest rate in more than 40 years.

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Krasner, 64, took the oath of office alongside his wife, former Common Pleas Court Judge Lisa M. Rau, and one of his two sons inside the grand auditorium of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

More than two dozen city judges, as well as City Controller Christy Brady, were also sworn in.

Krasner is now one of the longest-serving district attorneys in modern Philadelphia history. Lynne M. Abraham, the tough-on-crime Democrat who in the 1990s was dubbed deadliest DA by the New York Times because she so frequently sought the death penalty, is the only other top prosecutor in the city to serve more than two terms.

Krasner cruised to reelection in November after handily defeating former Municipal Court Judge Patrick F. Dugan with about 75% of the vote. Krasners campaign often focused more on attacking President Donald Trump than specifying what, if anything, he might do differently with another four years.

He struck similar tones on Monday.

Across a nearly 20-minute speech, Krasner did not lay out a coming agenda, saying that was not for today, but instead recounted what he said were his accomplishments over the last eight years: building what he said was a more morally intact staff, investing in forensic advancements to help take down violent gangs, and providing grants to community organizations.

It will be headed towards more safety. It will be headed towards more freedom, he said of his office in the next four years.

And he took a few shots at Trump.

Sometimes people ask me, Why are you talking about Trump so much? Why do you keep bringing up Trump? he said.

While City Council members and state lawmakers have tremendous power, he said, they dont have the obligation, as I just swore in front of you, to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the United States from someone ... whose intent is, without question, the overthrow of democracy in the United States of America.

He also noted that Trump has not deployed the National Guard to Philadelphia, as the president has done in other Democratic cities like Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and seemed to acknowledge Cherelle L. Parkers hotly debated strategy of avoiding confrontation with Trump.

If that has any part in the reality that we have not seen Trumps troops, Trumps tanks in the City of Philadelphia  I dont know if it does or not, but if it has anything to do with that, then Im glad, and I intend to work closely, always, with other elected officials.

Parker, who earlier congratulated Krasner in her introductory remarks, stared ahead stoically during his comments about Trump.

Krasner ended by promising to continue making Philadelphia safer, and then returned to one of his favorite themes.

We all got to this point of achievement together, and this is no time to retreat. It is no time to surrender. It is time to push on so that Philadelphia goes from being known as chronically violent to being known as consistently safe for decades to come, he said.

And if anybody  including the guy in D.C.  doesnt want that, if they want to F around, then theyre gonna find out.
Andrea Abate (center), a junior theater major international student at Temple University from Valencia, Venezuela, joins others in the Venezuelan community at the regular Sunday afternoon Spanish Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. Read more

Venezuelans in the Philadelphia region had mixed reactions to the U.S. strike against their home country over the weekend, which removed Nicolas Maduro from power and left the future of the South American country unclear.

But some Ukrainian Americans in the region felt an uneasy sense of deja vu as they watched events in Venezuela unfold  and are concerned about what it could mean for relatives and compatriots 6,000 miles away from Caracas, in Ukraine.

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This action, which is an illegal action, gives the light to people like [Russian President Vladimir Putin] and other dictators to do whatever they like, Ukrainian American activist Mary Kalyna said Sunday amid a 60-person anti-war rally outside the Unitarian Society of Germantown in West Mount Airy. Why should he not invade Ukraine or Poland or Lithuania, when the U.S. is invading Venezuela?

The Trump administrations unilateral action sends a message to other countries, like Russia, that the United States may no oppose a larger nation meddling in a smaller countrys political affairs, said Paula Holoviak, a political science professor at Kutztown University, in an interview.

It just doesnt set a good precedent, said Holoviak, who is a Ukrainian American.

We have been waiting for this for 26 years

Venezuelan flag in hand, Diana Corao Uribe, 53, and her family drove from Media to the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul to attend a Sunday vigil for the future of Venezuela, organized by local groups Casa de Venezuela Philadelphia, Casa de Venezuela Delaware, and Gente de Venezuela Philadelphia.

Hundreds of people hugged, cried, and prayed as they waited inside with flags and apparel, brightening the basilica with yellow, red, and blue. Members of the crowd were largely critical of the rule of Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez.

We have been waiting for this for 26 years; you cannot imagine the feeling, the joy, the happiness, the hope that we feel right now, Corao Uribe said.

But Corao Uribe said that as the hours passed, her feelings have grown more complicated. Until President Donald Trump announced the U.S.s intentions to run Venezuela until a safe, proper and judicious transition could be completed, Corao Uribe had hoped Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who faced Maduro at the polls in the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, would become the next president.

The announcement was unexpected and a bit concerning, she said, but it wasnt enough to shake her sense of happiness.

Philadelphia resident Astrid Da Silva, 32, said it felt bittersweet.

The amount of joy that seeing the dictator out of Venezuela brings  its immeasurable; its normal when there has been torture and pain for so long, Da Silva said. But without a democratic transition of power, fear starts slipping in.

Hearing Trump say that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado lacked support in Venezuela clouded her feelings.

People dont want the U.S. there; we want the opposition or at least a free election, Da Silva said, adding that the countrys political turmoil forced her to emigrate to the U.S. at age 7.

Ongoing power struggles have at times made her feel like people view Venezuela as a pawn, forgetting there are real lives at stake, she said.

It could be very destabilizing

The U.S. has a long history of intervening in other countries, Holoviak noted, but that hasnt always gone well. We do have an extremely powerful military, but we might not want the aftermath of this, Holoviak said. It could be very destabilizing.

Ukrainian leaders have largely welcomed the liberation of Venezuelans from Russian-allied Maduros regime. Speaking with reporters in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, Well, what can I say? If dictators can be dealt with in this way, then the United States of America knows what it should do next.

Eugene Luciw, a Ukrainian American who lives in Montgomery County, said in an interview that he interpreted Zelenskys comments to mean that he believes the U.S. should arrest Putin  and Luciw agrees.

Luciw said that he has no problem with Trump removing Maduro, whom he called a dictator who slaughters people.

However, Luciw questioned Trumps motives and said his actions were inconsistent.

If we want to do away with a real dictator, with absolute evidence that hes a genocidal maniac, then the U.S. should be tougher on Putin, he said.

At the Cathedral Basilica, Fernando Torres, 45, said he has struggled with what the future may hold for Venezuela after Trumps actions.

Even if we dont like Trump, we have to separate things. Its like if you were drowning and someone threw you a life buoy, Torres said. You dont care who threw it or what their intentions were; you just care about saving your life. What people dont understand is that Venezuelans needed their life buoy and now for the first time we have hope.

As political decision-making continues to unfold, Corao Uribe, Da Silva, and Torres agree on one thing: the importance of listening to what Venezuelans want for their future.

Venezuelans have suffered for so long, dont try to understand our pain; this isnt about politics, its about the suffering of the Venezuelan people, Corao Uribe said.

This article contains information from the Associated Press.
The images are historic and alarming: Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela, captured and transported by a U.S. warship to stand trial in a New York federal court. President Donald Trump hails this as justice, promising Maduro will face the full might of American justice.

But this is not justice. It is its opposite.

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Maduro is an autocrat. I do not support his rule. Yet, the spectacle of President Trump  a man who has pardoned convicted insurrectionists, who relentlessly attacks U.S. courts as corrupt, and whose lawyers arguments, in the words of a federal judge, sought to grant Trump the divine right of kings to avoid criminal prosecution  now acting as a global sheriff is the height of hypocrisy.

It reveals a belief that law is not a universal principle, but a weapon the powerful use against others while exempting themselves.

 READ MORE: Trumps attack on Venezuela further flouts the Constitution he swore to uphold | Editorial

This double standard extends to the world stage. The United States fiercely rejects the jurisdiction of respected judicial bodies like the International Criminal Court, even restricting its prosecutors in order to protect Americans. Yet, it now unilaterally extends its own domestic courts to sit in judgment over a foreign leader, echoing the 1989 capture of Panamas Manuel Noriega.

The charges of narco-terrorism may be serious, but the process is purely an assertion of power through legal theater.

This action shatters global order; it does not uphold it.

What principle will stop China from arresting a Taiwanese leader for secessionist terrorism to face a court in Beijing? What stops Russia from charging a Ukrainian president with Nazi conspiracy in Moscow? By normalizing this model  where powerful nations kidnap and try the leaders of weaker states  the U.S. is inviting a world of legalized vendettas.

It replaces a fragile system of rules with raw power.

For Americans, this is a direct threat to our security. It makes every U.S. official, diplomat, and service member abroad a potential target for retaliatory arrests by rival powers who will cite this case as their precedent.

We have just handed our adversaries a blueprint for political kidnappings disguised as law enforcement.

This action shatters global order; it does not uphold it.

The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, is right to call this a mortal threat to sovereignty. True democrats in Venezuela, who seek a future free from Maduro, now face an impossible dilemma: Their cause has been co-opted by a foreign powers invasion of their nations self-determination.

This act will not foster democracy; it will fuel nationalism and anti-American resentment for a generation, making a genuine, Venezuelan-led transition harder.

We cannot defend democracy by obliterating its foundations.

If we believe in any kind of justice, it must be a justice that respects the equality of nations before the law, not a justice delivered at gunpoint by the worlds most powerful navy to a courtroom in Manhattan.

The capture of Maduro and his wife by Trump may seem like victory for the U.S. administration today, but its legacy will be a more lawless, dangerous, and unstable world for all of us tomorrow.

He is not enforcing the law; he is proving that, in his view, only might is right.

Januarius Asongu is a scholar and the author of more than 20 books on political philosophy and international conflict. A resident of Townsend, Del., he is the founder and chancellor of Saint Monica University in Cameroon and of the American Institute of Technology in Sierra Leone.
The U.S. became entangled in the Iraq War starting with the 2003 invasion to root out weapons of mass destruction and overthrow Saddam Hussein. Read more

President Donald Trumps intervention in Venezuela will test Americans appetite for regime change, inserting a new and unpredictable element ahead of midterm elections this year that have so far been dominated by domestic issues.

Democrats immediately began arguing that overnight action on Saturday was an abandonment of Trumps promise to focus on improving lives at home, while many Republicans insisted it was an expansion, rather than a shift, in Trumps America First mantra.

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Trump on Saturday said the United States had captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and planned to run the country during a transition period, an action Trump cast as part of a new era of American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. The president touted the operation as a boost to U.S. interests: a blow to the drug trade, an opportunity for American oil companies, and a show of strength.

But his argument drew skepticism on both the right and the left, as critics warned against dragging the U.S. into regime change and costly wars. Recent polls suggest there is significant political risk for Trump, who is already facing discord within his base. A CBS News poll in November found that 70% of Americans opposed U.S. military action in Venezuela and that the vast majority did not view the South American country as a major threat to national security. Americans in both parties have grown increasingly skeptical of foreign intervention in recent decades.

Republican leaders mostly backed the president, but some expressed doubts as Trump outlined a potentially expansive U.S. role in Venezuela and said he is not afraid of boots on the ground. Many Democrats framed the attack as a violation of Trumps campaign promises to get rid of all these wars starting all over the place and to avoid the type of foreign entanglements that bedeviled many of his predecessors and bred cynicism within his base.

While foreign policy does not always play a central role in domestic elections, it often informs broader opinions about competence and focus. President Joe Bidens botched withdrawal from Afghanistan undermined his argument that he was restoring faith and effectiveness in government that had been hampered by the COVID-19 epidemic. President George W. Bushs decision to invade Iraq with faulty intelligence claims, and the attempts at nation-building that followed, damaged his partys credibility and helped pave the way for Trumps takeover of the GOP.

What Americans want is an American president thats going to care about them  and I think what this shows is the presidents more concerned about whats going on in Venezuela, whats going on in Argentina than he is on whats going on in Pennsylvania and Ohio, said Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.) in an interview.

The politics of the intervention are hard to assess immediately, some strategists said, as details of the U.S.s plans remain unclear and the situation in Venezuela is still unfolding. The issues relevance to voters could change based on the ultimate extent of the U.S.s involvement and Venezuelas stability in the months to come. Trump on Saturday said Venezuelas vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, appeared willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great, but she later criticized the U.S.s actions as barbarity.

Trump had been ramping up pressure on Maduro for months, but the action in Venezuela probably caught many Americans off guard, given that it did not follow a provocation like the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Republicans embracing his latest action in Venezuela are betting that the fallout there will be limited, and even some staunch critics of foreign intervention on the right declined to criticize Trump on Saturday. But a few echoed the concerns from Democrats.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.), a proponent of America First policies who has become one of Trumps biggest critics from the right, questioned his justifications for the attack  noting that the fentanyl responsible for most U.S. drug deaths comes primarily from places other than Venezuela  and reiterated her worry that he is veering from principles on which he campaigned.

This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end, she wrote on X. Boy were we wrong.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), who has long been at odds with Trump, said the president, at his news conference, had undercut earlier suggestions from administration officials that the action in Venezuela was a limited effort to apprehend Maduro. Stephen K. Bannon, the former Trump adviser turned MAGA commentator, initially hailed Maduros capture as a stunning overnight achievement on his show  but after Trumps news conference expanding on the U.S. role in Venezuela, he wondered if the plan would hark back to our fiasco in Iraq under Bush.

Sen. Todd Young (R., Ind.) called the Venezuela operation successful but added in a statement online, We still need more answers, especially to questions regarding the next steps in Venezuelas transition.

Other Republicans echoed Trumps points about U.S. interests in the region. Raheem Kassam, a political strategist who is editor of the conservative National Pulse, suggested Trumps MAGA base will warm to the idea that the Venezuela action is America First and noted that many supporters also embraced Trumps long-shot ambitions to annex Greenland.

Kassam doesnt see the issue playing into the midterms much yet  but if it turns into a disaster, certainly.

These things are very risky, he acknowledged. Trump will know what risk hes taking and people know what it means if Caracas suddenly overnight turns into a complete powder keg."

Some Republicans were skeptical that the U.S. would be as involved as Trump suggested Saturday was possible. The president gets a lot of leeway up to a certain point, said GOP strategist David Urban, and I think that point would be, having U.S. soldiers in some meaningful capacity in Venezuela. I dont think youll see that.

Democrats, meanwhile, questioned the legality of the military action in Venezuela. Some also sought to use it to build their longtime case that Trump is distracted from the issues that matter most to voters.

The American people dont want to run a foreign country while our leaders fail to improve life in this one, wrote Pete Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary and potential Democratic 2028 presidential candidate, on social media, arguing that Trump was failing on the economy and losing his grip on power at home.

Buoyed by victories in Novembers elections in New Jersey and Virginia, Democrats are focusing intensely on the issue of affordability heading into the 2026 midterms. Trumps advisers signaled after those elections that they would be refocusing on the economy, and Trump began to tout his economic achievements at rallies. Now, many Democrats say the operation in Venezuela could undercut that effort.

His biggest problem is that costs are continuing to go up, and he promised people they would go down, and whenever people see him creating some other kind of a problem, rather than buckling down and trying to un-break that key promise, they turn against him more, argued Andrew Bates, a Democratic strategist and former White House communications official under Biden.

Whit Ayres, a longtime GOP pollster, emphasized that its hard to predict the politics of Trumps actions in Venezuela without more data.

What I can say based upon polling is that one of Trumps strengths in public opinion polls is that hes viewed as strong, and not indecisive or weak, and in that sense this plays to his strength, he said of the Venezuela operation.
MINNEAPOLIS  Just a few months ago, Larissa Laramee would have encouraged Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to run for president. She admired the man who helped lead the Democratic presidential ticket in 2024  and who once taught her social studies.

But Laramees feelings have changed as a yearslong welfare fraud probe in Minnesota becomes a national maelstrom. Prosecutors say scammers stole brazenly from safety net programs, taking hundreds of millions of dollars in government funding  potentially billions  for services they never provided while Walz led the state.

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I like him as a person. Hes fantastic, said Laramee, 40, who works at a Minnesota nonprofit for people with disabilities. Walz, as her high school teacher, helped inspire her career, she said. But with all of this thats happened, Im struggling with seeing a path forward for him.

Laramees doubts show how the sprawling fraud cases in Minnesota now hang over Walz  even as its too soon to tell how they will ultimately affect his political future. A year and a half after he vaulted onto the national stage as Kamala Harris running mate, Walz is back in the spotlight, this time for a controversy that Republicans around the country view as political gold.

Republicans are betting the fraud saga will hurt Walz, a staunch liberal and potential 2028 presidential candidate who is seeking a third term as governor this year. GOP officials say it will be one of their top campaign issues in Minnesota as they try to reverse many years of statewide losses and navigate through tough national headwinds in the midterms.

But many of the attacks on Walz are geared just as much toward riling the GOPs national base, using the issue and Walzs prominence to validate broader anger within the party over immigration and a social welfare system that President Donald Trump and others have long argued is out of control.

How much blame Walz should bear for the states response to the fraud is a matter of a debate. He has said that, as state executive, he takes ultimate responsibility. Walz has said officials have made systematic changes to state government over the past few years as prosecutions were underway. The governors critics say the changes were insufficient and came too late.

Democrats say Republicans are risking a backlash by fixating on the fraudsters nationality  most people charged in the schemes are of Somali descent  and by freezing some federal childcare funding in response. Trump has lobbed broad attacks on Somali immigrants that Walz denounced as racist lies, and many on the right have called for deportations, even though officials say most of the fraud defendants are U.S. citizens.

Democrats are favored to win the governors race in 2026; Republicans have not won a statewide election in Minnesota since 2006. Walz won reelection by about 8 percentage points in 2022, when some of the fraud cases had already surfaced, and its not clear that the new attention to the issue has affected his approval in the state. There are no clear recent shifts in available surveys.

Some Democrats remain worried the fallout threatens to blunt Walzs attacks on Trump, as well as the economic issues the party has sought to highlight.

The anti-fraud message is going to be very strong.  I fear that message will dominate or drown out the affordability message," said Ember Reichgott Junge, a former Minnesota state senator who is now a Democratic political analyst.

Junge said shes heard many Democrats express concern about Walzs reelection campaign and noted that his performance could affect lower-profile races on the ballot. Democrats are defending a one-vote majority in the state Senate and trying to retake the House, where Republicans hold a two-seat advantage amid two vacancies.

He is a riskier candidate than any other Democrat would have been, she said of Walz, who has not drawn primary challengers so far.

Walz has accused Trump of politicizing the probes. Walz appointed a statewide director of program integrity to prevent fraud in mid-December, among other changes, and the state shut down one fraud-plagued housing program this fall.

We have made significant progress. We have much more to do. And its my responsibility to fix it, Walz wrote in a recent op-ed for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

His office did not make him available for an interview.

Other Democrats dismissed Republicans chances in the governors race, said the GOP response to the fraud has overreached and accused Trump  who has pardoned people convicted on fraud charges  of hypocrisy. Trump and others on the right have also attacked Walz in highly personal terms that many call cruel; Trump recently called Walz seriously retarded, and videos of people yelling retard outside Walzs house have circulated online. (Walz has spoken about his sons learning disability).

Republicans are overplaying their hand, and this is whats going to turn off a lot of voters, said Abou Amara, a former adviser to Democratic leadership in the state legislature. They have made this not just about fraud, but theyve made it about xenophobia.

Federal authorities in Minnesota have been investigating the sweeping abuse of safety net programs for years and brought many of the charges in 2022, accusing 47 people of misusing $250 million  meant to feed children during the pandemic  on luxury cars and property as far away as Kenya and Turkey.

News reports, a viral video and a flood of criticism from right-wing influencers and politicians have drawn new national attention to the issue in recent weeks. Federal investigators also suggested last month that the problem could be much bigger than previously known.

Joe Thompson, a prosecutor with the U.S. Attorneys Office in Minnesota, said at a news conference last month that authorities have identified significant fraud in 14 state Medicaid programs  and said fraud may account for more than half of the $18 billion that went to those programs since 2018.

Every day we look under a rock and find a new $50 million fraud scheme, Thompson said.

Republican leaders including Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) have weighed in this past week, sharing a video posted on social media on Dec. 26 by a 23-year-old YouTuber, Nick Shirley, who joined a roundtable with Trump last year. In the 42-minute video, Shirley claimed daycare centers were not caring for children because he could not see them on-site. Regulators, however, saw children on their visits within the last 10 months, according to officials and records.

Shirleys video has accumulated more than 130 million views on X and triggered a flood of GOP interest  and criticism of Walz. House Republicans said they would call Walz to testify before Congress next month. Right-leaning billionaire Elon Musk, who owns X, suggested Walz should go to prison.

Minnesotans are finally much more aware of the extent of the fraud and how deep it is and how its gone unchecked, and it is going to play favorably for Republicans on every level of government in the 26 election, said state House speaker Lisa Demuth, one of many candidates seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Walz.

Another GOP gubernatorial candidate, Minnesota Rep. Kristin Robbins  who chairs a House committee on fraud  called it the top issue in the race. We are still, sadly, at the tip of the iceberg, she said.

A 2024 report from the nonpartisan Minnesota Legislative Auditor found that the state education department, which administered nutrition programs at the center of many fraud cases, failed to act on warning signs and created opportunities for fraud. It did not point specifically at Walz.

Michael Brodkorb, a former deputy chair of the Minnesota GOP who has crossed the aisle in the past to vote for Walz, said he isnt sure how hell vote in the coming gubernatorial race, and argued that the Walz administration could have been more responsive. Voters, he said, will have to decide if state officials have the credibility to be a part of the solution when maybe a lot of Minnesotans think theyre part of the problem.

But he also warned that Trumps rhetoric isnt helping local Republicans. The president railed against Somali immigrants in a cabinet meeting last month, saying they contribute nothing and declaring, Their country stinks, and we dont want them in our country.

Some Republicans in Minnesota want to leave race out of the debate  though they argue sensitivities about racism helped enable the fraud. (A nonprofit behind much of the fraud once accused a state agency of racial discrimination while pushing back on skepticism).

We want to stay focused on the fraud and just the act itself, not on the culture or the people behind it, Minnesota GOP chair Alex Plechash said in an interview, adding later, Im not at all into dividing the people by race or by socioeconomic status or any other way.

At a Somali mall in Minneapolis, Kadar Abdi, a student at a nearby mosque, said he believes Trump is trying to turn attention away from his own political challenges. Because of these failures, as a distraction tactic, you want to blame a marginalized group he said. Its as old as American society.

An hour away in Owatonna, an exurb of the Twin Cities, diners at the Kernel represented the full gamut of opinions. Trump voter Michael Haag, 54, said Walz should be in prison and that he plans to leave the state if Walz is reelected.

He should resign, and I also think he should be charged, because hes for the Somalis, Haag said. He should have been looking out for us, vs. them.

Another patron wearing a pink Carhartt hat and sipping coffee disagreed.

I find him honest, said Joan Trandem, who is retired. He cares about the small guy.

Given the drama thats surrounded Walz, Trandem said shes surprised he wants to run for a third term. But if he continues with the campaign, she plans to vote for him. In the rural part of Minnesota where Trandem lives, the fraud probe doesnt get much play anymore, she said. Im tired of talking about it.
Sen. John Fetterman in November 2025. On Monday, he defended the Trump administration's operation to capture Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. Read more

Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) on Monday praised President Donald Trumps order to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, breaking with most Democrats messaging on the military operation that took place early Saturday without congressional authorization.

I dont know why we cant just acknowledge that its been a good thing whats happened. ... We all wanted this man gone, and now he is gone, Fetterman said during an interview on Fox & Friends on Monday morning.

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Fettermans comments come days after the Trump administration orchestrated a strike on Caracas, resulting in the capture of Maduro, Venezuelas president since 2013, and his wife, Cilia Flores, early Saturday.

The event followed months of escalation by the U.S. military and claims from the Trump administration that Maduro is responsible for large-scale drug trafficking operations. The future of the Venezuelan government is unclear, but Trump has suggested that U.S. involvement will continue.

I think [the military operation] was appropriate and surgical, Fetterman said during the interview. This wasnt a war, this wasnt boots on the grounds, and in that kind of way, this was surgical and very efficient, and I want to celebrate our military.

A Venezuelan official said the strike killed at least 40 people, the New York Times reported.

The military operation provoked mixed reactions from members of the Philadelphia regions Venezuelan community, some of whom are thankful for Maduros ouster but were concerned by Trumps comments over the weekend that the U.S. would run Venezuela.

The incident also garnered sharp disapproval from many Democratic lawmakers.

Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) said in a post on X on Saturday that Maduro is a brutal dictator who has committed grave abuses and that the U.S. military carries out their orders with professionalism and excellence, but stressed that Trumps military operation defies the Constitution and is a culmination of a repeated failure by Congress to exercise its check on presidential power.

We face an authoritarian-minded president who acts with dangerous growing impunity. He has shown a willingness to defy court orders, violate the law, ignore congressional intent, and shred basic norms of decency and democracy, Booker said.

This pattern will continue unless the Article I branch of government, especially Republican congressional leadership, finds the courage to act, Booker said.

Other Democrats and opponents to the military operation have also questioned its legality.

This is not the first time that Fetterman has differed with fellow Democrats on key issues. Recently, the Pennsylvania senator was one of only a handful of Senate Democrats who supported the Republican-led plan to reopen the federal government without addressing the expiration of healthcare subsidies.

During his interview Monday, Fetterman noted that Democrats, including former President Joe Biden, have called for the ouster of Maduro.

Biden raised the bounty for Maduros arrest to $25 million in January 2025, days before Trump took office. The move came after Maduro assumed a third presidential term despite evidence that he lost the election.

Why have a bounty of $25 million if we didnt want him gone? Why would you do these things if you werent willing to actually do something other than harsh language, Fetterman said.
In early November, hours before the Republican-led Senate rejected bipartisan legislation to block the Trump administration from conducting a military attack on Venezuela, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure lawmakers it didnt intend to.

He told them that the U.S. lacked legal authority to invade the South American country and oust its president, Nicolas Maduro, and said that doing so would carry major risks, according to two people who attended the classified briefing.

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In the aftermath of Saturdays raid to capture Maduro and his wife at a fortified military compound in Caracas, top Democrats are accusing Rubio of deliberately misleading Congress.

During a news conference at President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, Rubio, who also serves as White House national security adviser, told reporters that he and other top officials had planned the Maduro operation for months. The acknowledgment led some on Capitol Hill to conclude that the administration was readying assets for the assault while having told lawmakers that the military buildup in the region was not meant to force a regime change.

Rubio said that there were not any intentions to invade Venezuela, Rep. Gregory W. Meeks of New York, the House Foreign Affairs Committees top Democrat, told the Washington Post. He absolutely lied to Congress.

In an interview with the Post later Saturday, Rubio rejected the assertion. He argued that Maduro is under indictment from a U.S. court, and neither the United States nor the European Union recognized him as the legitimate leader of Venezuela. So rather than an invasion, he cast the attack as a law enforcement operation that required military assets to conduct.

Lawmakers previously asked whether the administration would be invading Venezuela, Rubio said. This was not that, he added.

Democrats were incredulous at the argument.

It absolutely is one hundred percent regime change, said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the senior Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.

Smith said that he had asked Rubio directly whether the administrations military buildup in the region would result in attacks on Venezuelan territory and that the secretary had said no.

The Trump administration did not notify key members of Congress of the operation until late Saturday morning, sending a short notice that said the president had approved a military operation in Venezuela to address national security threats posed by the illegitimate Maduro regime.

The operation, the notice said, came in response to the Justice Departments warrant against Maduro, who was transported to New York to await trial.

Sen. Mark R. Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that Rubio tried to reach him after the raid had begun in the early morning hours but that they were unable to connect.

Warner, who has had multiple briefings with Rubio over the past few months, declined to say whether he felt the administration had misled Congress but noted that the timing for the operation  with lawmakers days away from returning to Washington after a holiday break  was not idle chance.

Doing this during a congressional break raises huge questions, he said in an interview.

Senior Republicans called on the administration to brief lawmakers even while expressing near-unified support for the operation. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) said in separate statements that they had spoken with senior officials early Saturday and wanted the administration to brief Congress in the coming week.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D., N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) demanded far more information.

We want to know the administrations objectives, its plans to prevent a humanitarian and geopolitical disaster that plunges us into another endless war  or one that trades one corrupt dictator for another, Schumer told reporters.

The Senate is set to vote this week on another war powers resolution that, if passed, would block the administration from conducting further military action in Venezuela. Trump said Saturday that the U.S. could carry out a larger second wave of attacks but that he did not think doing so would be necessary because Venezuelas interim leader was cooperating with U.S. demands.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.) said he hoped the new measure would get more Republican support. He, too, accused the administration of lying to lawmakers and the public.

At least two of the Republicans who considered supporting the measure that was narrowly defeated in November received calls from Rubio on Saturday, according to their public statements.

Congress should have been informed about the operation earlier and needs to be involved as this situation evolves, said Susan Collins (R., Maine), one of the lawmakers who signaled that they might support the last resolution but ultimately opposed it.

Shortly after news of the attack broke Saturday morning, Sen. Mike Lee (R., Utah), a skeptic of expansive U.S. military commitments abroad, posted on social media that he wanted to know what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force from Congress.

Hours later, Lee posted again that he had spoken with Rubio and was satisfied that the attack likely was within the presidents authority.
City Controller Christy Brady stands alongside Mayor Cherelle L. Parker after taking the oath of office at the 2026 Inaugural Ceremony at the Kimmel Center Performing Arts on Monday. On Parker's left is City Council President Kenyatta Johnson. Read more

After being sworn in to her first full four-year term, City Controller Christy Brady on Monday vowed to examine spending related to Mayor Cherelle L. Parkers signature housing program and to probe whether Philadelphia is maximizing economic opportunities at its waterfront and port.

In my next term, I will be expanding my oversight of the mayors housing program to ensure every dollar borrowed is used as intended and is properly accounted for, Brady said of Parkers Housing Opportunities Made Easy, or H.O.M.E., initiative during a swearing-in ceremony at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

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And with our waterfront and ports being one of our strongest economic assets, we will be focusing on efforts to ensure they can deliver the greatest financial impact, Brady said.

The Port of Philadelphia, or PhilaPort, recently launched an ambitious expansion plan, but its terminal operator Holt Logistics has faced questions about whether it has prioritized profits over maximizing growth.

Holt denies that it has engaged in anticompetitive conduct, and a company spokesperson said growth is vitally important to the future of our business and our region.

Holt Logistics has been a key driver of the Ports growth over the last decade, as witnessed by the fact that in the last month alone, two new lines of business have chosen to call Philadelphia, largely because of the service they receive, spokesperson Kevin Feeley said.

Additionally, Brady promised to help prevent fraud in city spending related to this years Semiquincentennial festivities. (Parker has pledged to dole out $100 million, focusing on neighborhood-based programming across the city, for major events in 2026, including the nations 250th birthday.)

And in her capacity as chair of the Philadelphia Gas Commission, Brady said she would conduct a thorough review of PGWs operations.

 READ MORE: DA Larry Krasner takes more shots at Trump as hes sworn in to third term amid major drop in crime

Brady also sits on the city Board of Pensions and Retirement and said she would collaborate with [City] Council to adjust benefit structures.

The controllers office audits city agencies and investigates allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse.

Brady was appointed by former Mayor Jim Kenney to serve as acting controller in late 2022 when Rebecca Rhynhart resigned to run for mayor. Brady in 2023 won a special election to serve the remaining two years of Rhynharts term.

Seeking her first four-year term, Brady ran unopposed in the May 2024 Democratic primary and easily defeated Republican Ari Patrinos in the November general election. She was sworn in Monday with District Attorney Larry Krasner, who is beginning his third term, and city judges who were on the ballot last year.

 READ MORE: All of Phillys judges were reelected to the bench, including those not recommended by the citys bar association

Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Natasha Taylor-Smith introduced Brady and administered her oath of office.

Many past controllers have had less-than-friendly relationships with the mayors they served alongside, a natural dynamic for an office tasked with investigating the executive branch. The post has also served as a springboard for many politicians with higher aspirations.

Rhynhart, for instance, repeatedly clashed with Kenney by publishing critical reports on city accounting practices and a lack of accountability in spending on anti-violence groups. She touted those probes to brand herself as a reformer while running in the 2023 mayors race, finishing second behind Parker in the Democratic primary.

Bradys background and leadership style are different. She has spent three decades rising through the ranks in the controllers office and was deputy controller in charge of the audit division before being appointed to the top job. And since becoming controller, she has made a point of working collaboratively with Parkers administration.

On the campaign trail last year, Brady said she adopted that approach to ensure that her offices relationship with the administration wouldnt deteriorate to the point where the city ignored the findings and recommendations included in the controllers reports.

As promised, I hit the ground running. Weve achieved far more than many thought was possible, Brady said. A key to that success has been collaboration with Mayor Parker and Council President [Kenyatta] Johnson to ensure that our recommendations resulting from the findings in each report, review, and audit that we issue are implemented.

Parker acknowledged their collaboration in her remarks during Mondays ceremony.

Controller Brady, thank you for not being wrapped up in politics and staying focused on the work of the controllers office, Parker said. You do it by communicating with our office. No gotcha moments.

In her relatively short political career, Brady has received strong support from influential groups in local politics, especially the building trades unions and the Democratic City Committee. On Monday, she gave shout-outs to numerous politicos, including former U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, who chairs the citys Democratic Party and is not related to her.

I want to thank the people who have made this possible, including my friends in labor, Congressman Bob Brady, my friends in the Democratic Party, the business community, and all the voters who put their trust in me, Christy Brady said.

Her term ends in January 2030.
The nighttime raid that ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro this weekend was the most dramatic demonstration of President Donald Trumps vow to focus U.S. might on the Americas, as the White House re-creates a stance toward the Western Hemisphere that more resembles its 19th century empire-building era than the laissez-faire attitude of recent generations.

Trump and his top allies suggested that the Venezuelan operation could be the start of efforts to remake the region, warning the governments of Cuba and Colombia that they might be next. Trump and some backers have also brought up Mexico as a potential target, and they are reviving talk of attempting to acquire Greenland, a Danish territory.

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After announcing Maduros capture, Trump boasted of the Donroe Doctrine, a twist on the strategy articulated by President James Monroe in 1823 that European powers should stop interfering in the Western Hemisphere. The national security strategy released by the White House in December noted a Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine that promised to protect our homeland and our access to key geographies throughout the region.

The effort carries significant risks. Washington could get pulled into the nation-building invasions that Trump has long sworn to avoid if the Venezuelan military or people are unwilling to go along with his plans. It also makes it harder for the United States to argue to Russia and China that they should steer clear of their neighbors. And it may reshape global affairs more broadly, as smaller nations that were long dependent on Washingtons guarantees for global trade and stability hedge their bets by building ties elsewhere.

Backers of Trumps strategy downplay the drawbacks and say a narrower focus on U.S. regional interests is long overdue.

The goal of the policy is to see changes in Venezuela that are beneficial to the United States first and foremost, because thats who we work for, but also, we believe, beneficial for the people of Venezuela, who have suffered tremendously, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday, a day after Trump said U.S. forces were ready to reinvade Venezuela if Maduros de facto successor, Delcy Rodriguez, did not comply with his wishes.

Rubio  the son of Cuban immigrants to the United States  has long backed efforts to oust Venezuelas leaders, who have presided over a decline in their countrys economy, ignored election results, and built ties to U.S. adversaries including Russia and China. Deposing Venezuelas government would probably weaken the Communist leaders of Cuba as well, since they have long depended on Caracas for energy and other economic support.

This emphasis on the Western Hemisphere should not come as a surprise to anybody. It matters more to American security than any other part of the world, said Nick Solheim, chief executive of American Moment, a group that backs Trumps policies and trains junior staffers.

But he said advocates of a more robust focus on the Western Hemisphere were not saying Washington should abandon global affairs entirely.

Its making sure that our neighbors are not doing anything that is, that would adversely affect the United States, and then focused on our greatest geopolitical challenge right now, which is China, he said. That is not a retreat from the world of foreign policy. It is an accurate prioritization of what actually matters the most, what poses the biggest threats to the United States.

The move against Venezuela drew criticism from both the center and the right, as some influential America First advocates said that military conflicts and expanded foreign opportunities for U.S. oil companies werent why voters backed Trump.

This is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesnt serve the American people, but actually serves the big corporations, the banks, and the oil executives, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a longtime Trump ally who is retiring from Congress after breaking with the president, said on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday. We dont consider Venezuela our neighborhood. Our neighborhood is right here in the 50 United States, not in the Southern Hemisphere.

Washington has a long history of efforts to back friendly leaders in Latin America, including at times intervening with force to do so. But it has not done so directly since the 1991 end of the Cold War, and Venezuela  with 30 million residents and a territory double the size of Iraqs  is an especially large nation to take on.

I understand how we got here, but theres been no forethought to the difficulties of the plan or the ideas that they seem to have adopted as the way ahead, and there definitely is no plan to the level of detail thats required, said Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow at Defense Priorities, a think tank that advocates a more limited role for the U.S. military in the world.

She said she wasnt sure that China and Russia would be emboldened by Trumps actions, since they already appear to feel unconstrained toward their neighbors. But she noted that Trump appears to be cautious about tangling with militaries that can inflict serious damage on the United States.

This sort of spectacular operation is very consistent. He likes to hit adversaries that cant hit back, whether its small drug-smuggling boats, or Iran with no air defenses, or Venezuela, which is also weak, she said. And to me, that explains the more accommodating approach to Russia and China, in the sense that his view of military power is kind of go big or go home. But that model doesnt work against Russia and China.

Some of Trumps former advisers warn that the world the president is building may turn out to be more dangerous than the era of the 1990s and 2000s, when the United States was the preeminent global power and backed a broad effort to strip barriers to trade.

It just seems to be back to the 18th and 19th centuries, said Fiona Hill, an expert at the Brookings Institution who was Trumps top Russia adviser in his first term. If youve bought into the idea of competition among the great powers and that Russia is another great power thats inevitably going to dominate in its region, just as China is in its region, then this is the logical conclusion from this.

Hill said countries that have deep, allied ties to the United States but are threatened by Trump may seek to protect themselves by building trade and security relationships elsewhere, a move that will ultimately weaken Washington, not strengthen it.

The raid has sparked fears elsewhere that Trump could act on other threats toward U.S. neighbors, which have included demands to take over the Panama Canal, to turn Canada into the 51st state, to annex Greenland, and to overthrow Cubas government.

Trump on Sunday said he didnt plan action against Havana, but offered tough language nevertheless.

I think its just going to fall. I dont think we need any action, he told reporters on Air Force One. You ever watch a fight, they go down for the count, and Cuba looks like its going down.

He was sharper toward Greenland.

We need Greenland from a national security situation, Trump said. Its so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. ... Denmark is not going to be able to do it. On Saturday, an influential former White House aide, Katie Miller, posted on social media an image of Greenland with the U.S. flag superimposed on top of it.

The presidents repeated statements about Greenland drew a sharp response earlier Sunday from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. I have to say this very directly to the United States: It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland, she said.

In a statement, she said Denmark is a U.S. military ally and that the United States has extensive access to Greenland.

I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale, she said.
The P.J. Whelihan's restaurant in Haddon Township. PJW Restaurant Group, which operates P.J. Whelihan's and other concepts, was recently approved to take over a lease at the former Iron Hill in Newtown. Read more

The company that owns P.J. Whelihans may be moving into a former Iron Hill Brewery in Bucks County.

PJW Opco LLC, which is registered at the headquarters of PJW Restaurant Group, was approved to take over a lease for the shuttered Iron Hill in Newtown, effective Dec. 31, according to documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey.

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PJW marketing director Kristen Foord declined to comment.

The nearly 8,000-square-foot brewpub in the Village at Newtown shopping center has sat empty since September, when Iron Hill abruptly closed all its locations and filed for liquidation bankruptcy. The Newtown Iron Hill had been among the chains newest locations, having opened in 2020.

Brixmor Property Group, which owns the Village at Newtown, is excited about whats in the works for the former Iron Hill space, spokesperson Maria Pace said in a statement, but she declined to share details.

The court documents did not indicate PJWs plans for the Newtown site.

PJWs most well-known franchise is P.J. Whelihans, the regional bar-restaurant chain that started in the Poconos in 1983. There are now 25 P.J. Whelihans locations from Harrisburg to Washington Township, with the vast majority in the Philadelphia area.

Haddon Township-based PJW also owns the Pour House, which has locations in Exton, North Wales, and Westmont, Haddon Township; the ChopHouse in Gibbsboro; the ChopHouse Grille in Exton; Central Taco & Tequila in Westmont; and Treno, also in Westmont.

As 2026 gets underway, Iron Hills bankruptcy case continues to make its way through the courts. In recent weeks, Iron Hills leases in Exton, Maple Shade, and North Wales were formally rejected, according to court documents. That means these empty breweries are getting closer to finding new tenants.

At the Shops at Eagleview in Exton, landlord Suresh Kagithapu is already advertising the nearly 20,000-square-foot taphouse and production facility that Iron Hill vacated.

Any out-of-town brewery with plans to leverage existing brewery infrastructure and scale its operations in the region would be a good fit, as it would save significant tenant improvement costs, Kagithapu said in a statement. I also believe a grocery store would serve the community very well.

In West Chester, landlord John Barry is also on the hunt for a new restaurateur to take over prime real estate long occupied by Iron Hill.

On Christmas Eve, Barry, a Massachusetts-based real estate investor, inked a deal to buy the liquor license and all interior assets of the location at the boroughs central corner of High and Gay Streets.

It will not be reopening as Iron Hill Brewery, Barry said in a recent interview. My goal would be to find something similar, though not necessarily a brewery.

Barry purchased the assets from Jeff Crivello, the former CEO of Famous Daves BBQ, who in November was approved by a bankruptcy judge to revive 10 Iron Hills under the same name or as a new concept. Barry and Crivello declined to disclose the financial details of the West Chester deal.

Crivello said he has since sold the assets of the South Carolina Iron Hills  in Columbia and Greenville  to Virginia-based Three Notchd Brewing Co.

The Newtown location was originally among the locations of which Crivello was approved to buy the assets, pending negotiations with landlords. Court documents indicate the asset sale was put on hold amid a landlord objection.

Founded in Newark, Del., Iron Hill Brewery operated for nearly 30 years, earning a reputation as a local craft-brewing pioneer and a family-friendly mainstay in the Philadelphia suburbs. In recent years, the chain had expanded into South Carolina and Georgia and had announced plans to open a Temple University location that never materialized.

When brewery executives filed for bankruptcy, they reported that they owed $20 million to creditors and had about $125,000 in the bank.
Four people have been indicted in New Jersey for their alleged roles in a scheme to file fraudulent travel insurance claims worth more than $250,000.

They are accused of taking out multiple travel insurance policies and then filing claims against them for trips they never actually took and for medical emergencies they allegedly fabricated.

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) announced the indictment of Agustin Matos of North Haledon, New Jersey; Kenia Ivonne Vasquez of Bronx, New York; and Keyra Carla Liriano and Patricio Arturo Alfonso, both of Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Each has been charged with conspiracy, insurance fraud, attempted theft by deception, impersonation/theft of identity and falsifying/tampering with records. Liriano has been additionally charged with theft by deception. The indictment by a state grand jury was returned on December 5, 2025.

The case began when OIFP received a referral from the American International Group Inc. (AIG). From April 2022 to August 2023, in Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties, New York, and elsewhere, the defendants allegedly opened several travel insurance policies with multiple insurance companies, covering the same trip to the same foreign destination. When applying for these policies, they allegedly used false identities and provided credit card information that tied them together.

The defendants allegedly would then file claims with each carrier, falsely asserting they had been hospitalized abroad and had incurred thousands of dollars in medical expenses, which were covered under the travel insurance policies. They allegedly submitted identical information to multiple carriers, while certifying they had no other insurance covering the medical expenses or the trip.

Officials said that most of the insurance companies denied the fraudulent claims. However, Liriano is charged with obtaining $14,835 in claim payments from two carriers. Together, the four defendants allegedly attempted to defraud the insurance companies of approximately $252,852 as follows: Matos  $19,986; Vasquez  $27,812; Liriano  $37,226; and Alfonso  $167,829.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Topics Numbers New Jersey
The U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flew him out of the country early Saturday also disrupted Caribbean travel at a busy travel time for the region.

No airline flights were crossing over Venezuela that day, according to FlightRadar24.com. And major airlines canceled hundreds of flights across the eastern Caribbean region and warned passengers that disruptions could continue for days after the Federal Aviation Administration imposed restrictions.

Flights were canceled to and from Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Aruba and more than a dozen other destinations in the Lesser Antilles island group north of Venezuela. Airlines waived change fees for passengers who had to reschedule flights.

But U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday night that the restrictions would end at midnight EST and airlines would be able to resume normal operations Sunday.

Southwest Airlines said in a statement that it added six extra round-trip flights to Puerto Rico on Sundays schedule and another eight round-trips on Monday to help get travelers home from their vacations. It also added two additional Sunday flights to Aruba.

At the Queen Beatrix airport in Aruba, a popular holiday destination for U.S. vacationers just 15 miles (24 kilometers) off Venezuelas coast, officials said they expected a return to normal Sunday after a day of canceled flights that stranded travelers or blocked them from flying to the island.

In Barbados, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said at a news conference that the consequences of the conflict have been exceedingly disruptive to both of our ports of entry, an airport as well as a seaport from which cruise ships sail.

In Puerto Rico, Lou Levine, his wife and their three children were due to return to the Washington, D.C., area Saturday morning, but he woke up to his wife saying their flight was canceled. He found out why when he checked his phone.

They first tried calling JetBlue to reschedule. The airline called back about two hours later, but the agent was not able to help them. Levine and his wife saw others messaging JetBlue on social media and did the same. The airline responded and booked them on a flight Saturday, turning their weeklong New Years holiday into a two-week sojourn.

Levine, a manager at a software company, said he is fortunate to have a flexible and understanding employer. But his daughter will be missing a week of high school. And then there are the unexpected expenses.

I love it here. But we have dog-sitting and cat-sitting and car rental. Its fine. Its just really painful on the wallet, Levine said.

The Levines hoped to book an earlier trip back if possible.

This weekend was already past the peak 13-day holiday period when AAA projected that 122.4 million Americans would travel at least 50 miles (80 kilometers) from home, but there were plenty of travelers still trying to squeeze in some more time on tropical beaches before heading back to colder temperatures.

The Caribbean is a top destination this time of the year, AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. We do have a lot of people who are trying to get back home this weekend ahead of work and school on Monday.

Diaz said its understandable we want to unplug, but travelers should keep track of whats going on and allow airlines to send them phone alerts.

An announcement by Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that was posted on the social platform X said restrictions were put in place because of the security situation related to military activity in Venezuela.

As a result, nearly 60% of all flights to and from that airport were canceled Saturday, according to FlightAware.com.

Foreign airlines and military aircraft were not included in the restriction, the statement said. Air Canada said its flights to the Caribbean were operating normally, though it gave travelers an option to rebook. Another Canadian airline, WestJet, said it canceled Aruba flights out of an abundance of caution.

All major U.S. airlines cancelled flights across the Eastern Caribbean Saturday because of the restrictions and adjusted their schedules.

Nearly two dozen island destinations were affected by the cancellations, including Anguilla, Antigua, Curacao, St. Lucia and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. But destinations farther to the west like the Dominican Republic and Jamaica were generally not affected.

New York-based JetBlue said it canceled about 215 flights due to airspace closures across the Caribbean related to military activity.

Dutch airline KLM said it too canceled flights affecting thousands of passengers but planned to resume service Sunday to and from Curacao, Aruba, Bonaire and other islands.

The flight disruptions also affected some travelers booked for Caribbean cruises. Cruise operator Virgin Voyages said airline travelers unable to make it to San Juan in time for an upcoming cruise departure would be able to get a full credit for a future trip.

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics USA Tech
The Trump administration has transformed the Environmental Protection Agency in its first year, cutting federal limits on air and water pollution and promoting fossil fuels, a metamorphosis that clashes with the agencys historic mission to protect human health and the environment.

The administration says its actions will unleash the American economy, but environmentalists say the agencys abrupt change in focus threatens to unravel years of progress on climate-friendly initiatives that could be hard or impossible to reverse.

It just constantly wants to pat the fossil fuel business on the back and turn back the clock to a pre-Richard Nixon era when the agency didnt exist, said historian Douglas Brinkley.

A lot has happened this year at Trumps EPA, as Zeldin frequently calls the agency. Zeldin proposed overturning the landmark finding that climate change is a threat to human health. He pledged to roll back dozens of environmental regulations in the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen. He froze billions of dollars for clean energy and upended agency research.

Zeldin has argued the EPA can protect the environment and grow the economy at the same time. He announced five pillars to guide EPAs work; four were economic goals, including energy dominance  Trumps shorthand for more fossil fuels  and boosting the auto industry.

Zeldin, a former New York congressman who had a record as a moderate Republican on some environmental issues, said his views on climate change have evolved. Many federal and state climate goals are unattainable in the near future  and come at huge cost, he said.

We should not be causing  extreme economic pain for an individual or a family because of policies aimed at saving the planet, he told reporters at EPA headquarters in early December.

But scientists and experts say the EPAs new direction comes at a cost to public health, and would lead to far more pollutants in the environment, including mercury, lead and especially tiny airborne particles that can lodge in lungs. They also note higher emissions of greenhouse gases will worsen atmospheric warming that is driving more frequent, costly and deadly extreme weather.

Christine Todd Whitman, a longtime Republican who led the EPA under President George W. Bush, said watching Zeldin attack laws protecting air and water has been just depressing.

Its tragic for our country. I worry about my grandchildren, of which I have seven. I worry about what their future is going to be if they dont have clean air, if they dont have clean water to drink, said Whitman, who joined a centrist third party in recent years.

The history behind EPA

The EPA was launched under Nixon in 1970 with pollution disrupting American life, some cities suffocating in smog and some rivers turned into wastelands by industrial chemicals. Congress passed laws then that remain foundational for protecting water, air and endangered species.

The agencys aggressiveness has always seesawed depending on who occupies the White House. Former President Joe Bidens administration boosted renewable energy and electric vehicles, tightened motor-vehicle emissions and proposed greenhouse gas limits on coal-fired power plants and oil and gas wells. Industry groups called rules overly burdensome and said the power plant rule would force many aging plants to shut down. In response, many businesses shifted resources to meet the more stringent rules that are now being undone.

While the Biden EPA repeatedly attempted to usurp the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law to impose its Green New Scam, the Trump EPA is laser-focused on achieving results for the American people while operating within the limits of the laws passed by Congress, EPA spokeswoman Brigit Hirsch said.

Zeldins list of targets is long

Zeldin has announced plans to abandon soot pollution rules, loosen rules around harmful refrigerants, limit wetlands protections and weaken gas mileage rules. Meanwhile, he would exempt polluting industries and plants from federal emissions-reductions requirements.

Much of EPAs new direction aligns with Project 2025, the conservative Heritage Foundation road map that argued the agency should gut staffing, cut regulations and end what it called a war on coal on other fossil fuels.

A lot of the regulations that were put on during the Biden administration were more harmful and restrictive than in any other period. So thats why deregulating them looks like EPA is making major changes, said Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of Heritages Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment.

But Chris Frey, an EPA official under Biden, said the regulations Zeldin has targeted offered benefits of avoided premature deaths, of avoided chronic illness  bad things that would not happen because of these rules.

Matthew Tejada, a former EPA official under both Trump and Biden who now works at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said of the revamped EPA: I think it would be hard for them to make it any clearer to polluters in this country that they can go on about their business and not worry about EPA getting in their way.

Zeldin also has shrunk EPA staffing by about 20% to levels last seen in the mid-1980s.

Justin Chen, president of the EPAs largest union, called staff cuts devastating. He cited the dismantling of research and development offices at labs across the country and the firing of employees who signed a letter of dissent opposing EPA cuts.

Relaxed enforcement and cutting staff

Many of Zeldins changes arent in effect yet. It takes time to propose new rules, get public input and finalize rollbacks.

Its much faster to cut grants and ease up on enforcement, and Trumps EPA is doing both. The number of new civil environmental actions is roughly one-fifth what it was in the first eight months of the Biden administration, according to the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project.

You can effectively do a lot of deregulation if you just dont do enforcement, said Leif Fredrickson, visiting assistant professor of history at the University of Montana.

Hirsch said the number of legal filings isnt the best way to judge enforcement because they require work outside of the EPA and can bog staff down with burdensome legal agreements. She said the EPA is focused on efficiently resolving violations and achieving compliance as quickly as possible and not making demands beyond what the law requires.

EPAs cuts have been especially hard on climate change programs and environmental justice, the effort to address chronic pollution that typically is worse in minority and poor communities. Both were Biden priorities. Zeldin dismissed staff and canceled billions in grants for projects that fell under the diversity, equity and inclusion umbrella, a Trump administration target.

He also spiked a $20 billion green bank set up under Bidens landmark climate law to fund qualifying clean energy projects. Zeldin argued the fund was a scheme to funnel money to Democrat-aligned organizations with little oversight  allegations a federal judge rejected.

Pat Parenteau, an environmental law expert and former director of the Environmental Law School at Vermont Law & Graduate School, said the EPAs shift under Trump left him with little optimism for what he called the two most awful crises in the 21st century  biodiversity loss and climate disruption.

I dont see any hope for either one, he said. I really dont. And Ill be long gone, but I think the world is in just for absolute catastrophe.

Photo: The Kyger Creek Power Plant, a coal-fired power plant, near Cheshire, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)

___

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of APs environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Energy Oil Gas Pollution
If Florida property insurance companies and regulators hoped a complaint about altered adjusters reports would quietly fade away, a lawsuit by a homeowner at the heart of the controversy has brought new attention to the matter.

North Port homeowners Jeffrey and Virginia Rapkin, made famous by their appearance on CBS News 60 Minutes program in 2024, have asked a court to force the Florida Department of Financial Services to divulge records relating to its investigation into allegations that Heritage Property & Casualty Insurance Co. had inappropriately doctored field adjusters reports after Hurricane Ian.

Respondent (DFS) has refused to allow petitioner access to the requested records and petitioner now prays this court will issue an order requiring Respondent to produce the requested records, reads the petition filed in Leon County Circuit Court.

The Rapkins, whose home was damaged in Ians winds and rain in September 2022, were interviewed by 60 Minutes in the same episode in which independent adjuster Jordan Lee alleged that Heritage had slashed his damage estimates on the homewhile keeping Lees name on a revised report sent to the Rapkins. The revised report misleadingly made it look like the field adjuster had signed off on a 93% reduction in estimated damage to the two-story home, the adjuster said.

Lee and two other independent adjusters had gone public with their concerns in late 2022 at a Florida House of Representatives committee meeting, charging that a number of insurers had engaged in the deceptive alteration practice. They asked DFS to investigate and turned over hundreds of pages in documentation.

Heritage partly denied the allegations but said desk adjusters names had been inadvertently left off the revised damage reports. While more than 4,100 Ian claims had been revised downward, another 2,583 claimed amounts were revised upward, Heritage leadership said at the time.

Still, the adjusters charged fraudulent behavior and wanted more action by DFS. The Rapkins filed suit against Heritage in 2023, arguing breach of contract for offering so little on the claim. The Rapkins also filed a complaint with DFS in early 2023, but have heard little from regulators, they said in court filings. As part of their litigation, the family in July 2025 made a public records request, asking DFS to release all records pertaining to the Heritage investigation.

Though DFS has received Plaintiffs public records request on several different occasions, as of 09/07/2025, there has been no response, the lawsuit versus DFS reads.

The records are important to the claim lawsuit and should be considered public under Floridas vaunted open-records laws, the plaintiffs argued. Respondent has refused to allow Petitioner access to the requested records and Petitioner now prays this Court will issue an order requiring Respondent to produce the requested public records, the complaint reads.

Lee and fellow whistleblower adjuster Ben Mandell asked to intervene in the case. Mandells motion argued that the outcome could determine the fate of his own public records request about similar DFS investigations into two other insurers, Florida Peninsula and Edison Insurance.

Until now, the adjusters had declined to publicly name other carriers that had allegedly followed the practice of altering damage estimates. Mandells motion to intervene, filed by attorney Shane Smith of the well-known Merlin Law Group, claims he was terminated from his field adjusting work by Florida Peninsula, after he raised questions about unusual behavior by the carrier, including claims not processed and desk adjusters gutting his inspection and damage reports.

After he realized what was happening to his reports, he grew uncomfortable, spoke up to his manager and was fired on October 25, 2022, reads Mandells motion to intervene in the Rapkin action.

Florida Peninsula and Edison have also asked the court to allow them to participate in the DFS case. The two carriers and Heritage argue that the DFS records contain trade secrets that should not be revealed, per statute and longstanding court precedent. Heritage in October asked the court to bar DFS from releasing the information.

Lee and Mandell and other independent adjusters said they have heard little from the Department of Financial Services about the investigation, and no one has been prosecuted. This fall, an investigator with DFS told Mandell and adjuster Mark Vinson that after three years of consideration, the department has concluded that no statutory framework exists that would allow the state to bring fraud charges against insurers who may have altered reports, the adjusters said.

Heritage also filed suit against Lee early last year, alleging libel and defamation from his 60 Minutes interview. Lee has countersued.

Meanwhile, the Rapkins suit against Heritage, still pending, and their legal action against DFS outline a grim picture of the troubles the family has faced after their homes roof and structure were damaged in the 2022 hurricane. Jeffrey Rapkin, a family law attorney, is representing himself and his wife in the DFS action. His complaint argues that much of the metal roof was ripped off but Heritage was slow to act on the claim, was slow to send someone to protect the home with a tarp, and that the tarp lasted only a month.

The family tried living in the home, which was damp and moldy, with no running water. The family members became sick and their dog died after respiratory problems. Eventually, after months of frustration, they were forced to move out and sell the house to pay off the mortgage.

Heritage Insurance Company has engaged in typical War of Attrition litigation tactics, the recent complaint alleges.

Heritage has denied wrongdoing. DFS also has denied some of the Rapkins allegations but said in its Dec. 22 answer to the lawsuit that Heritage has the burden to prove that the requested records are trade secrets and are protected from disclosure.

Topics Homeowners
The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 77-year-old woman who went overboard on a cruise ship near Cuba on New Years Day.

Crews searched for eight hours over 690 square miles (1,787 square kilometers) for the woman, whose name had not been made public, the Coast Guard said. She was aboard the Holland America Line cruise ship Nieuw Statendam when she went overboard Thursday, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Sabana, Cuba. Details about how the woman went overboard were not immediately available.

The Coast Guard said it had deployed helicopters and a large vessel called a cutter to help with the search.

Our family assistance team is supporting the guests family, and our thoughts are with the guests loved ones during this difficult time, Holland America Line said in a statement.

The ship departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last Saturday for a seven-day cruise in the eastern Caribbean. It was scheduled to dock Friday in Key West, Florida, but the stop was canceled because of the search, the cruise line said.

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A crew of concrete workers were put in danger during a recent home build in Spokane, prompting a Washington safety regulator to issue $300,000 in fines for exposing them to potential cave-ins and excavation hazards.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries cited and fined general contractor Better Builders of Spokane LLC and its subcontractor VS Concrete LLC for numerous willful and serious cave-in related hazards. The contractor also reportedly refused to post a stop work order and removed it after it was posted by the inspector.

The local building department contacted the L&I after multiple VS Concrete employees were seen working next to a 22-foot high, nearly vertical dirt wall without adequate cave-in protection. They were working in a gap between the dirt wall and the concrete foundation with no way to escape if the dirt had collapsed, according to L&I.

Both the county and L&I ordered work to stop at the site until the hazards were eliminated. Better Builders reportedly refused to post L&Is order, and after the inspector posted it himself the company removed that order. When L&I reposted it, the property owner took it down again. Less than two weeks after the initial inspection, VS Concrete workers were photographed working between 10-foot-high concrete forms and the massive dirt wall in violation of the state order, according to L&I.

L&I fined Better Builders $121,840 for four willful serious and four serious violations including not having an adequate engineers design for excavations more than 20 feet, not ensuring its subcontractors workers were protected from hazards and for violating the order of immediate restraint.

VS Concrete was fined $183,040 for seven willful serious and eight serious violations including workers walking or crawling along the top of 10-foot-high concrete foundation forms without fall protection and for exposing workers to unguarded vertical steel rebar sticking up from concrete footings. The company was also fined for violating the order of immediate restraint.

Both companies have filed an appeal.

Topics Washington Contractors
This year, many of the worlds most powerful artificial intelligence companies face a pitched battle over government regulation on their home turfCalifornia.

And even President Donald Trumps threat to punish states that regulate AI may not stop the fight.

California lawmakers, dominated by Democrats, are determined to place guardrails on the homegrown industry, saying unfettered AI poses a mental health risk to children and adults alike. They scoff at Trumps executive order in December to withhold federal funding from states that adopt AI rules, saying its their responsibility to act. And while companies have launched a lobbying blitz to block what they consider onerous regulations, legislators say they wont be deterred.

Related: Chatbot Grok Makes Sexual Images of Kids as Users Test AI Guardrails

Theyve spent a lot of money, and their influence is real, said Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan. When the harms become so salient, my colleagues are there to serve the people, and that noise doesnt stop us. She plans to reintroduce in January a bill that would bar minors from using companion chatbots that form human-like relationships, legislation that Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed last year.

Legislators in both blue and red states are bucking Trump on AI, as reports mount of children and adults developing unhealthy or even delusional attachments to chatbots. And California has a long history of passing legislation designed to serve as a blueprint for other states. In September, for example, Newsom signed into a law a bill requiring AI developers to disclose safety protocols, and New York lawmakers are now using it to develop their own regulations.

But the push for AI rules in California also faces a stark economic reality. The industry has become a growing source of tax revenue for the states roughly $320 billion budget.

The Silicon Valley giants targeted by lawmakers carry a combined market value exceeding $15 trillion. AI-fueled income tax withholdings from companies such as Apple Inc., Nvidia Corp. and Alphabet Inc. now deliver an estimated $10 billion to the state treasury  the lone bright spot in an otherwise grim fiscal forecast, according to Californias nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office.

Where do you think this money comes from? Newsom said, in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek.

That puts Newsom, a Democrat, in a difficult spot. Hes weighing a run for the White House in 2028, and anxious parents are a potent voting bloc. But industry representatives warn AI companies could flee the state if it imposes onerous rules, joining a recent corporate exodus from California that includes Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Oracle Corp. and Tesla Inc.

Related: What to Know About Trumps Executive Order to Curtail State AI Regulations

Its the ace up their sleeves, said Catherine Bracy, chief executive officer of TechEquity, a nonprofit that advocates for AI safeguards. And they play that card a lot.

As a result, legislators, lobbyists and AI entrepreneurs are engaged in intense negotiations over childrens access to the technology as well as the use of copyrighted material in AI training. California voters may get to weigh in as well. Child advocacy group Common Sense Media is gathering signatures on a proposed state ballot initiative to limit underage chatbot use, while OpenAI wants to place its own, competing measure on the November ballot. Each side must gather more than a half million valid signatures by June to qualify.

Common Senses founder, Jim Steyer, has been talking with OpenAI executives, seeking a compromise. Steyer, whose billionaire brother Tom is running for governor to replace the termed-out Newsom, calls California the de facto center of important regulation of Big Tech.

We appeal to their better instincts as parents, as citizens and as good people, Jim Steyer said. At the end of the day, we believe that California will set the standard for the rest of the nation. And we think that we actually have the momentum. We think the public agrees with us.

OpenAI, in a statement, said the company is exploring additional ways to strengthen teens safety protections, including age prediction and more parental controls, building on Californias existing standards.

Tech companies, aware of the stakes, are escalating their political engagement  and touting AIs contributions to Californias public schools and social services.

The AI industry is not asking for tax relief or special tax handouts in Sacramento  it just wants great appreciation for the role its playing in powering the states social safety net, said Adam Kovacevich, CEO of Chamber of Progress, a group trying to encourage pro-tech policies within the Democratic Party. Its backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Apple, OpenAI and others.

There was a moment [in 2024] where the states budget outlook swung from deficit to surplus strictly on the basis of unexpected revenue from Nvidias stock performance, Kovacevich said. I dont understand why the legislature would do anything to harm the golden goose.

His group is pushing back against a bill, AB 412, that would require companies to disclose which copyrighted material they used to train a generative AI model. According to their analysis, the legislation would cost the state at least $381 million in lost revenue. The bill is backed by Hollywood unions seeking to ensure protections for artists and writers.

Meta Platforms Inc., meanwhile, seeded a super PAC focused on the states AI sector with $20 million. And the California Chamber of Commerce, which represents many major tech firms, is warning that overly restrictive rules banning minors access to chatbots could easily push the AI industry out of California

Legislators, who reconvene in Sacramento on Jan. 5, insist safety measures wont stifle AI innovation. They see their role as setting sensible ground rules for a fast-growing, globally important industry. For example, one bill set to be amended in January  SB 300  seeks to ensure chatbots do not provide sexually explicit content to minors. Another proposal that will be introduced this month would place a four-year moratorium on the sale to minors of toys powered by AI chatbots.

I remember the auto industry talking about how airbags in cars and seatbelts were going to be the end of the industry, and they were going to stifle productivity and innovation, said Senator Steve Padilla, who wrote legislation signed into law by Newsom last year requiring companies to inform users that they are interacting with artificial intelligence and report suicidal behavior. I think most people understand that there is a responsible, reasonable place for appropriate safeguards to protect everyones best interests.

Top photo: California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Photographer: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images.

Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.

Topics California InsurTech Data Driven Legislation Artificial Intelligence
It was a big boost for Martin O'Regan from Coolyrahilly, Kinsale, to be named Flahavans Conventional Oat Grower of 2025.

The recognition was very welcome at a time of significant challenges for the tillage sector, to which agriculture minister Martin Heydon has responded by targeting 50m to underpin tillage farm incomes, and protect the future of the sector.

Runner-up for the award in 2024 and 2022, Martin's win comes 25 years after his father Jim started growing for Flahavans.

Now, an annual Flahavans contract for about 700 tonnes is a valuable asset for Martin and Jim's farming company. "We are very lucky to have it," says Martin.

Conventional oats adjudicator Ciaran Collins of Teagasc commended Martin as a standout contributor year after year, noting his reliability and passion set a benchmark. He was commended for the "outstanding performance across his Isabel Oat supply, consistently producing exceptionally clean grain, underpinned by strong agronomy and a keen focus on environmental care".

Martin O'Regan with his father Jim.

Martin said: "The benefits to the following crop are fantastic, and when you add in the benefit of chopping the straw and incorporating it into the soil, it is a very easy choice to make in your crop rotation.

"I am lucky to work with Teagasc as well as a number of extremely talented agronomists. This year, I worked very closely on the oats with David Nyhan of Barryroe Co-op".

"We have always found Flahavans a pleasure to deal with. Everyone from Johnny Flahavan to the lads in the weighbridge. Always willing to help. Especially during the busy harvest when time is critical, they go the extra mile to help the tillage farmer".

That level of appreciation for their efforts is rare for tillage farmers.

Jim said: "Tillage farmers in Ireland are among the best in the world, and that is something that I feel is taken for granted in this country, particularly by Bord Bia and other Government bodies".

It's a valid point, considering 90% of all traded grain in Ireland is certified by the globally recognised Irish Grain Assurance Scheme (IGAS), said to be Europe's most comprehensive system of grain traceability, and standards for production, transport, handling and storage.

"I am a member of IGAS, and I know that every product that I apply to my crops can be traced and has been tested rigorously to make sure the crops that we produce here in Ireland are as safe as possible," says Martin.

Tillage is also the farming sector with the lowest carbon footprint. "Oats grown in Ireland, when the straw is incorporated into the soil, can achieve close to net zero carbon emissions," says Martin.

Meanwhile, it has been challenging for all Irish farmers to weather rising costs of labour, inputs, and machinery costs, while meeting EU and nationally imposed environmental and quality standards.

Tillage farmers have had to hang on in there while accepting decimated prices, for example 180 for barley which made 300 in 2022.

They have endured increased competition in the land rental market from the dominant dairy sector, and from solar farm investors. Every year, more of the pesticides they once relied on are being banned in the EU.

Arguably, tillage is also hardest hit by climate change, bringing longer and more intense periods of bad weather.

These challenges are taking a toll.

A field of winter oats growing on Martin's farm.

It is not as bad as the 1985 to 2012 period, when tillage shrank from 400,000 hectares to as low as 275,000 ha.

There was a 17.3% reduction in the number of farms growing cereals between 2010 and 2020.

Overall, the area of cereals declined by 11.9% since 1991.

Some tillage farmers are turning away to take up more agricultural or construction contracting work with their machinery, or taking up other part-time non-tillage work, says Martin O'Regan. Some of their children are not interested in carrying on in tillage, he says.

How can tillage farmers be helped? His solution is radical. "If a minimum content requirement of Irish grain in every tonne of ration was brought in by Bord Bia, which was to be increased by a half a percent every year for the next 10 years, it would be like the straw chopping scheme, to set a base price for Irish grain, which would bring a lot of positivity to the sector, and show the next generation that there is a positive future in tillage farming, and that the quality feed and food we produce is recognised."

It's a bold vision born out of Martin and other tillage farmers' refusal to be a source of cheap feed and straw for the livestock sector.

It's an inevitable backlash against a feed and livestock sector which prefers to import feed grain, mostly from outside the EU, produced with the help of pesticides long banned in the EU. And most of the grain and proteins imported are from genetically modified crops, which EU farmers are not allowed to grow.

Hypocrisy is hardly too harsh an accusation, when the livestock sector is happy to use these crops from South America, but downright refuses to allow South American livestock products into the EU in the Mercosur trade deal.

Tillage farmers are similarly disgusted by whiskey and beer being made in Ireland primarily from imported grain. Currently, use of Irish grain is not required in an Irish Whiskey Geographical Indication registered with the European Commission.

But agriculture minister Martin Heydon has said this "needs to be examined".

Machinery parked in the yard of Martin's farm.

A Technological University Dublin investigation in 2022 showed the Irish distilling industry uses about 115,000 tonnes of imported maize each year. Ireland is also a net importer of barley malt for brewing and distilling.

Tillage farmers now fear their contracts to supply malt barley may be cut by up to 25%.

Along with Irish industries (with the notable exception of Flahavans) not supporting our high-quality grain production, growers get no real return for being our most climate-friendly farmers. Eight years ago, farmers were told managed cropland, grassland, and forests could generate carbon credits, but they are still as far away as ever.

But the EU was not so slow to introduce a rule four years ago requiring all stubble fields to be cultivated within two weeks after harvesting. Farmers had to buy stubble cultivators, or hire contractors. Now, those expensive machines are idle, after the rule was scrapped, on grounds that early stubble cultivation had harmed birds.

EU laws also brought in the rule that farmers with over 30 hectares of arable land must grow at least three crops. It's the main reason oats increased to 25,408 hectares in 2020, up 28.9% from 2010. It is an ideal crop for complying with the rule, while maintaining the crop rotations vital for productivity.

Unfortunately, it was not accompanied by markets for the new grains. While food grade oats for Flahavans (at 205 per ton) is profitable for growers, feed oats at 180 is not profitable. Teagasc says it matches barley for animal feed value, but Martin O'Regan says the Irish livestock sector prefers feeds like palm kernel from the Far East, or soya hulls, also from outside the EU.

This results in a carryover of unsold feed oats on the market from year to year. Fortunately, some export markets are being found for it.

So oats may be a mixed blessing for the tillage farmers. In contrast, it has been all positive for their straw production. Worth only half a ton of barley grain a decade ago, the straw is now worth more than a ton of grain.

The straw chopping scheme has set a base price, and is a much-needed outlet for oaten, wheaten, rye, and oilseed rape straws, which meet little demand from the livestock sector. Straw chopping will become even more valuable if there is ever a payment for the carbon content in the soil, which it increases, when incorporated.

The livestock sector has responded by importing straw, mostly from the UK, when Irish straw got more expensive. Tillage farmers like the O'Regans say these imports increase the risk of importing black grass. This invasive weed has finished cropping on some UK tillage farms, because it became immune against weedkillers. It has been added to the noxious weeds list in Ireland, making it an offence to not prevent its spread.

"If this was an issue that affected the livestock sector, like foot and mouth, it would be front page news, but because it only affects the tillage sector, it is not treated with the same respect,", says Martin.

He hopes the agronomists who walk his crops can continue to give early warning of black grass (preferably followed by manually removing the weed). He says ploughing also helps to control it better in Ireland than the min-till or direct drill methods which are more popular in the UK.

He warns imported straw bales in curtain-sided trucks could also contain the flies that spread bluetongue disease. "We would suggest that a ban on all straw importation is the only viable solution until we are certain there are no invasive weeds or diseases coming in."

Growing a large area of winter and spring cereals and beet for livestock farmers, the O'Regans are one of the bigger scale tillage operators in Munster, employing five permanent workers, and up to four more in busy periods.
Take a boy who fancies a girl in his class at school. Hes too awkward to talk to her but follows her on social media.

His own social media feeds include an ad for AI girlfriends, with sexualised images of a woman and a tagline Build your own AI slut.

The boy clicks and scrolls through a gallery of AI girlfriends.

The site encourages him to upload a reference photo of an actual woman to help customise his ideal virtual girl.

The boy copies an image of the girl he fancies from one of her social media sites and uploads it.

He now has his own digital version of the girl.

The site allows him to highlight areas of the girls body and 'nudifying or undressing' technology digitally undresses her.

Thats just the start.

PERSONAL PORN STARS

The boy can place his digital girlfriend in a wide range of scenarios, including pornographic.

If a boy doesnt have a reference image, he can just choose from the gallery available.

These can include extreme scenarios, of women  and girls  being penetrated with dildos, covered in semen, performing oral sex, group sex and being sexually tortured and used by men.

So describes a disturbing account of 20 such sites in new research, Turning Women and Girls into Porn, by Australian campaigning group Collective Shout.

Public galleries hosting their pornographic creations are filled with images of women  many who appear to be underage  being sexually tortured by men: bound, blindfolded, tied up with ropes, in stocks (a medieval punishment device), handcuffed, being penetrated by multiple men or machines, covered in semen and used by multiple men, the report says.

Women in headscarves, pregnant or modelled on Disney princesses are depicted engaging in humiliating sex acts. Public galleries showcased an abundance of creations depicting underage girls, some who appeared to be prepubescent.

EARN MONEY

Boys are encouraged to invite their friends, with one of the websites offering an invite and earn programme where users can get undressing credits if they get a friend to join.

Report author Caitlin Roper told the Irish Examiner this was a worldwide issue and one that it is becoming more popular.

We are also seeing news coverage documenting boys using these websites against female classmates in schools, she said.

Eoghan Cleary is conducting research on the exposure of Irish children to pornography and its impact.

The [Australian] report mirrors exactly what my students tell me they see online and what my own very preliminary research on this issue has also revealed, he said.

We regularly hear from 15- and 16-year-old students that they are being targeting with advertisements for AI girlfriends and nudification apps on all of the spaces they go online, not just X  as is highlighted in the Collective Shout report  but TikTok and Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube, TV and film streaming websites and platforms.

He said it was unquestionably the case that use of this technology is growing.

What people need to realise is that this isn't about young people seeking this out, he said. They are being targeted with it in every online space they go.

VIDEO CLIPS

He said as soon as you click on a female on the sites theres an offer to receive video clips  currently up to six seconds long doing any sexually explicit interactions you can think of.

He said the technology was progressing as such a rate that last June, at a porn conference in Amsterdam, the leading providers promised to soon be able to provide up to an hour of seamless interaction with what Mr Cleary calls AI sex simulating entities.

He added: And you cannot tell that the AI girlfriend you are interacting with is not a real person.

He said these sites were compounding the impact of increasing violence in adult pornography on boys, and girls.

VIOLENCE

We know that 90% of mainstream porn is sexually violent, with 94% of that violence perpetrated towards women, Mr Cleary said.

This is not depictions of violence  the women in these videos are real, the violence is real. It is also becoming apparent that the algorithms drive users towards content that involves younger and younger 'subject matter'  some depictions of teenagers, some involving real teenagers and children.

He said AI was supercharging these trends.

We know peer-on-peer sexual abuse is increasing and we know that sexually violent crime for under 18 years olds in Ireland has multiplied 6.5 times in the 15 years since the majority of Irish adolescents got independent access to the internet through smart phone ownership, he said.

He said judges overseeing recent cases in court had started to call out the clear link between exposure to the pornified world online and the harms being perpetrated.

But, he said, this was before even seeing the impact AI sex simulators is having.

Mr Cleary said money drives these apps: Each service seems to initially offer itself for free until it has enough engagement to start charging. Other services offer free credits to get you engaged and then charge for some of the more controversial provisions available.

He said these provisions could include "consensual non-consent", or "cnc" scenarios, "step-sibling scenarios or the combination of physical and personal attributes like petite, innocent, schoolgirl options.

A range of options offered by some sites

The ISPCC said the technology was setting back the rights of women and girls greatly.

"It thwarts boys views of girls and intimates that girls are there to be controlled, manipulated, used  and abused, said ISPCC head of policy and public affairs Fiona Jennings.

The perception that boys need to and can have such power over girls comes through in the operation of these technologies and the message this sends should alarm us all.

She said: It runs the risk of boys believing such behaviours are acceptable and perhaps welcome, when the opposite is the case."

GIRLS UNDER PRESSURE

She said they had seen the impact on girls through their helpline: Girls often talk about the pressure they feel under to look a particular way, dress a particular way and to perform sexually in a particular way.

She said there were reports from SERP and therapeutic child services that more young girls are presenting for medical treatment after engaging in some of these sexual acts, which is leaving them with serious injuries.

And she said boys were telling the ISPCC they can feel pressure too that they should be able to perform such sexual acts and are encouraged to engage in such behaviours.

It is hugely concerning that we are growing up in a society where more young people are turning to these technologies to engage in this type of behaviour, Ms Jennings said.

That should sound a very loud warning bell for us all.

PROFOUND IMPACT

CARI, a voluntary therapeutic service for children affected by sexual abuse, said they had significant concerns for boys and girls from this technology.

Children are at serious risk of exposure to harmful content that they should never encounter, CARI chief executive Emer ONeill said.

Because their brains are still developing, exposure to inappropriate material can disrupt healthy emotional and cognitive growth.

She said for children who see or use this type of harmful content, the impact can include fear, anxiety, and a distorted understanding of boundaries, relationships, expectations, and even what is real versus artificial.

For children whose images are misused, the harm is profound: They may feel unsafe, watched, or exposed. Many experience shame or confusion despite having done nothing wrong, and the emotional impact can lead to long term trauma similar to other forms of exploitation.

Ms ONeill added: I would be concerned that CSAM [child sex abuse imagery] could normalise harmful behaviour and increase the risk of abuse. It can also enable grooming, coercion, and peer-to-peer misuse, placing children at significant emotional and physical risk.

CALL FOR ACTION

Ms ONeill called on the State to take stronger action on tackling sexual abuse: Tech companies need tighter regulation and must play a far more active role in protecting children.

Experts agree that content on social media platforms are impacting children's mental health.

Ms Jennings of the ISPCC said the Government owes a duty of care to children.

The status quo is no longer acceptable, she said.

Coimisiun na Mean and similar regulatory bodies are doing what they can within the legislative frameworks they operate under, but unless we get serious about attaching criminal liability to corporate individuals, this issue is not going away.

"The pace and rate at which these technologies are being developed and, in turn, the growth in behaviours they are allowing is creating a perfect storm."

She said these technologies were impacting the mental health of children: It impacts their notion of self and especially their sexual development at a time when things are hard enough and they are already vulnerable. Our child and adolescent mental health services are already under huge pressure.

Mr Cleary said the recent announcement by the British government it was going to ban nudification apps and other non-consensual synthetic imagery should be immediately replicated in Ireland.

We cannot wait for the EU to do this for us, he said.

The creation of digital versions of real people for sexual interaction cannot be something we provide for anyone regardless of age.

"The creation of digital sex simulators that look like real people and that promotes any kind of sexually violent practice like strangulation, 'consensual non-consent', sex with child or teen-like entities, cannot be something we provide for anyone, regardless of age.

He said the porn industry argue it is just "fantasy", but said research showed its impact on real-world sex.

To take just one example, directly due to its introduction into porn, strangulation  known in porn as choking or breath play  now accounts for the second most common cause of a stroke in young women under 40, he said.

And because its so dangerous and yet so normalised in porn, in 2023 in Ireland we had to pass legislation to outlaw what is now termed non-fatal strangulation  which in its first year led to 67 prosecutions.

He added: As well as criminalising the adult user, they must criminalise the tech producer, as well as the social media platform and search engines that facilitated its advertisement  not with fines: they don't work: they already owe the Irish state 4bn in fines they're not paying  we need criminal liability for the individual executives.

DONT BLAME BOYS

Mr Cleary stressed what society must not do is blame boys, or teenagers generally: Whatever we do, we cannot place the blame for this at the feet of our teenagers, which I so often see happening. They are being bombarded with this stuff every day by an industry bent on recruiting them.

"No one is protecting them from it, no one is talking to them about it, no one is teaching them about it. All the while it is becoming silently and successfully normalised in their lives.

Our kids are being groomed by the porn industry  our boys to be the perpetrators of sexual violence, our girls to think that sexual violence is what they should be consenting to.

"No nine-year-old goes looking for porn, nudification apps or AI girlfriends", but he added research indicated one in 10 had already been exposed to porn by that age.

He said it could not be a child's responsibility to protect themselves from these harms: "There is currently no avoiding it online, and if educating children is the only approach we've taken, when they do get targeted with it, which they will, it immediately becomes the child's fault because they've failed to protect themselves from what we told them was out there, and they will tell no one about what's happened."

He said the tech companies needed to stop facilitating the targeting of children by the porn industry, "our boys by the likes of Pornhub to normalise their dependence on it, our girls by OnlyFans to normalise and glamorise it as a career opportunity".

Mr Cleary said they could do it, but would not, as engagement increases profit.

"The Government needs to force their hand  by legislating for this issue without delay like the UK are doing," he said.

"They need to ban nudification apps  and AI sex simulators that facilitate the use of images of real people  what they facilitate is already illegal."

STATE RESPONSE

The Department of Justice said the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 (Cocos Law) created a serious offence of distribution or publication of an intimate image without consent with intent to cause harm to the victim.

It said the definition of an intimate image was intentionally broad to include any visual representation of a person.

This is to include intimate images which have been altered or doctored prior to their distribution or publication, more commonly referred to as deep fakes, it said.

Therefore, under this law it is an offence to send or post an intimate image purporting or claiming to be of another person, even if the image is not actually of them.

It said Coimisiun na Mean regulates online safety under the Online Safety Media Regulation Act 2022, which was the basis for the Online Safety Code.

In turn, Coimisiun na Mean said the code made online platforms accountable for how they protect people, especially children, from harm online.

It added: Matters concerning potential further legislative change in this area is a matter for the Government.

It said a user who sees the non-consensual sharing of intimate imagery should report this to the online platform, as well as An Garda Siochana and Hotline.ie.

The agency said if they were unhappy with the platforms response, then they could contact Coimisiun na Mean.

AUSTRALIA

There was much focus recently on Australias decision to set a mandatory minimum age of 16 to use social media.

Ms Roper said the age delay should have significant positive impacts for young people. But she said it was limited to a number of designated social media platforms rather than AI girlfriend websites.

Some states have taken steps to criminalise not just distribution of nudified/deepfake content, but creation also as a standalone offence, and the federal government has announced plans to outlaw nudifying apps, she said.

Some of these apps are also advertised on social media, actively encouraging users to use them to create nude images of any woman, so its possible young people will have less exposure to some of them.

Mr Cleary said the Irish Government was running out of time to deal with this issue head on: The window of opportunity to act is closing fast, as the upcoming generation's understanding of sex becomes one of simply sexual violence. And the arrival of AI is rapidly accelerating the whole process.

Childline 1800 66 66 66 or chat online at Childline.ie;

CARI 0818 924567;

Coimisiun na Mean usersupport@cnam.ie or call the contact centre on 01 9637755.

- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.
Children are being bombarded online by so-called AI girlfriend porn apps, which are grooming boys to perpetrate sexual violence and girls to accept such behaviour.

Irish childrens charities and pornography researchers say the only way to combat this growing problem is to criminalise porn company bosses.

The call comes as the British government announced it was banning AI girlfriend and nudification apps and websites and after Australian research showed how some sites allow boys to digitally create scenes of women and underage girls being sexually tortured by men.

These are not girlfriends, they are sex slaves that will do whatever you tell them, said Eoghan Cleary, a researcher with independent research institute the Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy Institute (SERP).

Calling them girlfriends also suggests that our girlfriends should do whatever we tell them to because my AI girlfriend does.

An Australian report, Turning Women and Girls into Porn, examined 20 AI girlfriend and nudification apps which allow users to customise their own porn girlfriend either from a digital gallery or from an image they can upload of a girl or woman.

Users can turn images of women and girls into extreme and degrading porn scenarios, the report said.

The research, carried out by campaign group Collective Shout, said these apps also produce digital child sexual abuse imagery: Public galleries showcased an abundance of creations depicting underage girls, some who appeared to be prepubescent.

'Children being groomed by the porn industry'

Mr Cleary, who is conducting research on the exposure of Irish children to pornography, said: The [Australian] report mirrors exactly what my students tell me they see online and what my own very preliminary research on this issue has also revealed.

We regularly hear from 15- and 16-year-old students that they are being targeting with advertisements for AI girlfriends and nudification apps on all of the spaces they go online, not just X  as is highlighted in the Collective Shout report  but TikTok and Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube, TV and film streaming websites and platforms.

He said these AI technologies were supercharging the already increasing violence in adult pornography. He said:

Our kids are being groomed by the porn industry  our boys to be the perpetrators of sexual violence, our girls to think that sexual violence is what they should be consenting to.

The window of opportunity to act is closing fast as the upcoming generations understanding of sex becomes one of simply sexual violence.

He said this was not about young people seeking out this technology: They are being targeted with it in every online space they go.We cannot place the blame for this at the feet of teenagers. They are being bombarded with this stuff by an industry bent on recruiting them.

Fiona Jennings, policy and public affairs officer of the ISPCC, said the technology was setting back the rights of women and girls. She said:

It thwarts boys views of girls and intimates that girls are there to be controlled, manipulated, used  and abused.

Girls often talk about the pressure they feel under to look a particular way, dress a particular way and to perform sexually in a particular way.

She said there were reports from SERP and therapeutic child services that more young girls are presenting for medical treatment after engaging in some of these sexual acts which is leaving them with serious injuries.

Both Mr Cleary and Ms Jennings said the State needs to make the executives running these websites and services criminally liable.

Cari, a voluntary therapeutic service for children affected by sexual abuse, said they had significant concerns for boys and girls from this technology.

The Department of Justice said 2020 legislation made it a criminal offence to use any visual representation of a person which has been altered or doctored to produce an intimate image.
Ireland has joined with six other European countries to condemn Israeli legislation targeting a United Nations aid organisation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the legislation includes measures to cut water, electricity and communications to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

It said this undermines the UN mandate, violates international law and is contrary to the findings of the International Court of Justice, while risking grave humanitarian consequences for the Palestinian civilian population and refugees.

The joint statement was also issued by Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain.

They called on Israel to allow established international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to be permitted to operate in Gaza and that any deregistrations be halted.

It said NGOs constitute a significant part of all humanitarian and especially health services in Gaza and the West Bank and they are needed to confront the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and beyond.

The statement concludes: Respect for the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and for international humanitarian law is imperative.

The legislation passed by the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on December 29 was quickly condemned by UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, who described it as inconsistent with the status and international legal framework applicable to UNRWA and called for it to be immediately repealed.

Israel says the rules are aimed at preventing Hamas and other militant groups from infiltrating the aid organisations.
The former senator and Lir Chocolates co-founder, Mary White, has died after battling a long illness.

Ms White passed away peacefully at home on Sunday. She was first elected to the Seanad Eireann in 2002.

She retired from politics in 2016 after an unsuccessful election run for a Dail seat in the general election.

Ms White also worked as Fianna Fail's spokesperson on enterprise, jobs, and innovation in the Seanad and held the title of honorary vice-president for a number of years.

In the 1980s, she founded the brand Lir Chocolates alongside Connie Doody.

In a statement shared this evening, the Taoiseach paid tribute to Ms White, whom he described as as force of nature with true commitment to public service.

"I am very sorry to learn of the death of my former colleague and friend, former Senator Mary White, said Mr Martin.

Mary had an infectious energy and a true commitment to public service. She had a can-do attitude and believed politics had to be about delivering for people.

"She was a force of nature, the parliamentary party and politics were richer for her presence. Mary was very kind and caring and generous with her time.

"She cared deeply about her country and was dedicated throughout her public life to the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. In this, she drew on her business and political relationships, north and south of the border.

"She also cared deeply about Fianna Fail and contributed regularly to parliamentary party and Ard Chomhairle meetings and in her retirement, to the Dublin Rathdown constituency, he added.

Ms White leaves behind her husband Padraic and her daughter Cliona.

Her funeral mass will be held in the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, Balally, on Thursday at 10am.

A cremation service will follow at the Victorian Chapel, Mount Jerome at 1pm.
A man who died following an assault in Co Donegal has been named locally as Stephen McCahill.

Sinn Fein councillor John Sheamais O Fearraigh offered his condolences to Mr McCahill's family, while community group Glenties Town Team said people in the area are "deeply shocked and truly saddened" to learn of Mr McCahill's death.

In a post on social media, the group stated: "Stephen was a true friend to Glenties and always an avid supporter of our town.

"He gave generously of his time, offering great support, guidance and advice whenever it was needed.

"His encouragement and positivity made a real difference, and his commitment to community life was clear to all who knew him.

"He was a man who genuinely cared about people and places beyond his own community, and his loss will be felt far and wide.

"Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with Stephen's family, friends and the entire Ardara community at this very difficult time."

Mr McCahill had been named Donegal Person of the Year in 2016.

He was previously a chairman of the Ardara Heritage Centre and the Ardara Community Centre and former chairman, secretary and PRO of Ardara Parish Council.

At around 3.50am on Monday emergency services were alerted to an assault at a home in the Ardara area.

Gardai said they are "investigating all of the circumstances" after a man in his 60s was pronounced dead at the scene.

A man in his 30s was later arrested and is currently being detained.

In a post on social media the local GAA Ard na Ratha wrote: "As a Club and Parish, we are numb at the tragic death of our former Chairman, Treasurer, and Community Leader Stephen. No words can express our sympathy for Marietta, Stephen, Gemma and their families at this time.

"All planned Club activities are suspended until further notice. A full obituary and arrangements will be posted at the appropriate time.

"Rest in Peace Stephen."
A 45-year-old man arrested for a public order offence before the holiday period replied to a member of An Garda Siochana when charged: F*** you, I hope you die over Christmas.

Judge Catherine Ryan was dealing with the case at Cork District Court on Monday when she read out this reply after caution which was made by Michael Butler of Churchfield Terrace East, Churchfield, Cork.
Four young men have been arrested after a series of incidents in Co Mayo.

Gardai are investigating a number of of criminal damage incidents, which occurred at homes in Westport and Newport on Sunday.

According to a Garda spokesperson, the damage involved the breaking of windows at these properties.
Update Tuesday, January 6: Szymon Zajko, who was reported missing on Monday, has been located safe and well.

Gardai have thanked the public for their assistance.

Monday, January 5: Gardai have appealed for help to locate a teenager missing from Midleton, Co Cork.

Szymon Zajko, aged 14, was reported missing from his home in Midleton on Monday.

According to a Garda spokesperson, he was last seen in the Ballinacurra area of Midleton at 8.30am Monday.

"Szymon is described as being approximately 5 feet 7 inches in height, of slim build with short brown hair and brown eyes," said the spokesperson.

When last seen, he was wearing a grey school uniform, a grey North Face jacket and carrying a black backpack.

Gardai and Szymons parents are concerned for his wellbeing.

Anyone with information on Szymons whereabouts is asked to contact Midleton Garda Station on 021-4621550, the garda confidential line on 1800-666111, or any garda station.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, hailing the "deep and long-standing relationship between our two countries".

Mr Martin arrived at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing early on Monday morning, becoming the first Taoiseach since Enda Kenny to meet the Chinese leader.

The two shook hands inside the East Door in the Great Hall before a bilateral meeting, at the beginning of which Mr Martin said that both Ireland and China were "civilisations with great history, great tradition, and our relationship has developed very strongly in a multilateral context, in terms of our commitment to the multilateral rules-based order".

"The relationship between our two countries  particularly in the context of trade, our political relationship, and our people-to-people relationship  has strengthened enormously over the last number of decades," Mr Martin said, referencing Mr Xi's visit to Ireland in 2012.

Mr Martin said the 2012 visit had laid very strong foundations.

"We have worked very hard to build on that very solid foundation that your visit helped to lay on that occasion."

Mr Martin went on to praise China's role on the world stage.

"We recognise and acknowledge Chinas indispensable role in the world today, and the contributions you made to the United Nations in so many aspects of the work of the United Nations  particularly in peacekeeping, something which is a very strong tradition in Ireland also.

"We believe in open trade, in open relationships, and in particular in terms of our trading relationship  we believe its fundamental that we try and work towards open trade, recognising the interdependence of the world.

"We all, to one degree or another, depend on each other. I think if we can maintain that spirit into the future, our relationship will continue to grow and will continue to strengthen."

In his opening statement, Mr Xi said that both Ireland and China were "peace-loving, open-minded, inclusive, self-reliant, and enterprising".

The people of both countries won national independence and liberation through struggle, and have relied on generations of continuous efforts to move towards modernisation, he added.

He added that China was "willing to strengthen strategic communication with Ireland, deepen political mutual trust, expand pragmatic cooperation, and work together to benefit the people of both countries and add impetus to China-EU relations".

Mr Xi also criticised what he called "unilateral bullying" which he said was "severely impacting the international order".

Mr Martin later visited the Forbidden City in Beijing, leaving a note which thanked his guides for a "most stimulating and fascinating visit which will inspire further study".
Media minister Patrick O'Donovan has suggested "personal comments" posted on RTEs social media pages would be "better kept to the canteen over cups of coffee".

It follows criticism of the national broadcaster in November regarding videos shared lamenting the departure of former president Michael D Higgins from Aras an Uachtarain.

This included a post on social media websites with a video of Mr Higgins entering Catherine Connollys inauguration in Dublin Castle.

The caption on the RTE One X account read: Were not crying, you are." It also contained two smiling emojis with tears in their eyes.

Text written on the video included the same two emojis and the message, bualadh bos for Michael D Higgins.

Comments posted under the video questioned the impartiality of the post.

When asked by the Irish Examiner if he believed captions like this were suitable for the national broadcaster to share on its social media pages, Mr ODonovan said personal opinions should be kept for personal social media pages.

I think the national broadcaster has a role to do in reflecting the mood of the people, the media minister said.

But certainly, I think comments which could be perceived as being personal in respect of individual politicians, whether RTE believe they're good, bad, or indifferent, are probably better kept to the RTE canteen over cups of coffee, rather than issued as way of commentariat.

I'm sure there are some people in the organisation [who] might have particular views with regard to the incumbent minister [for media].

They might not necessarily be the type of views that I'd like to read off of Twitter.

I think sometimes personal views with regard to how people feel people are carrying out their duties on a personal basis in politics might just be better kept to personal platforms.

A spokesperson for RTE said the posts were on social media accounts linked to RTE One.

The posts are consistent with RTE Ones broad remit on social media to present entertaining and engaging content, while promoting the wide breadth of content on the service, he said.

The RTE One accounts are distinct and separate from RTEs news and other service accounts.

The RTE One TikTok video also had Taylor Swift's song Bigger Than the Whole Sky playing over it.
United States President Donald Trump has said the US will run Venezuela until a new government is installed, following the US military intervention in the countrys capital, Caracas.

American forces have seized Venezuelas president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, and brought the pair to the US to face what Trump has described as a narco-terrorism trial. This follows months of build-up of US military forces in the region.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has said the US attacks are "an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable. The pretexts used to justify such actions are unfounded".

So, what does international law say? Was this an act of force under the UN charter?

Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter says: "All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations."

Russias framing of America's Venezuela intervention as a condemnable act of armed aggression is at least an affirmation of its own belief in the existence of international law.

Sarah Heathcote: 'The US intervention in Venezuela was as brazen and unlawful as its military strike on Iran in June last year. As such, it challenges international law.'

Similarly, Russia appeals to international law when it claims, spuriously, that its own actions in Ukraine are justified under exceptions to the prohibition on armed aggression  or that they are mere operations within its own territory, and so for different legal reasons, lawful under international law.

Commentators have been quick to describe the US strikes in Venezuela as a breach of article 2(4) of the UN charter.

The USAs actions are only lawful if supported by a resolution from the UN Security Council; if the US was acting in self-defence; or  and this is often overlooked  if there was consent by the lawful government of Venezuela to the intervention.

There was no UN Security Council authorisation for the US to intervene in Venezuela, nor has the US been the victim of an ongoing or imminent act of aggression by Venezuela.

A claim of consent by the lawful Venezuelan government might have more ostensible credit because evidence suggests the 2024 presidential election was stolen from Maduros opponent, Edmundo Gonzalez.

However, because the identity of the lawful government is contested (some countries have recognised Maduros win in the 2024 election) and the opposition controls no Venezuelan territory, the US can only intervene on the legal ground of consent with a Security Council resolution.

So, if you define the actions of the US in Venezuela as an act of force within the meaning of article 2(4) UN Charter, then yes, the US has engaged in a prohibited act, since none of the justifications apply.

Law enforcement operation

What if it was just a law enforcement operation?

For its part, the Trump administration appears to be arguing the strikes on Venezuela were not a use of force in the first place, but rather a law enforcement operation.

In a press conference following the strikes, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the Venezuelan president as a fugitive of American justice. (Given the US Congress was not notified before the Venezuela strikes, this framing comes across as an attempt to obfuscate the need for congressional authority to use force under US domestic law).

What, then, if the intervention was not a use of force as defined by the UN charter, but merely a law enforcement operation?

In making this assessment, one has to take into account the operations scale, target, location and the broader context.

Media reports have described 15,000 US troops amassing in the region by December, and the recent deployment of a US aircraft carrier near Venezuela.

International law isnt dead

Few will mourn the removal of Maduro, widely considered an autocrat. Democracy might even be restored to Venezuela.

Nonetheless, the US intervention in Venezuela was as brazen and unlawful as its military strike on Iran in June last year. As such, it challenges international law.

But international law is not dead just because the most powerful no longer respect it.

Breaches of the law are normal in any legal system. Indeed, they are expected or there would not be a need for the rule.

International law is created by all states, not just the powerful few. This makes international community reactions to breaches particularly important.

So, to preserve the rules-based international order, all states need to call out breaches of the law when they occur, including in the current instance.
It being Micheal Martin, it was no surprise to hear a Cork angle.

But it being some 8,500km from the Rebel County and in the context of a meeting with the leader of a world superpower, it did jar somewhat.

Xi Jinping, Mr Martin said, had told him of how Cork-born Ethel Voynich's 1897 novel The Gadfly had sustained him during his teenage years, spent in rural China after the purging of his father in the cultural revolution. The book has long been popular with revolutionaries and was a massive seller in both the Soviet Union and China, though Ms Voynich did not receive royalties for its sales because she was not aware of its successes until the mid 50s.

Mr Martin said Mr Xi raised the book during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday morning.

Coincidentally, I had read it as a late teenager as well, and had a first edition copy presented to me by an uncle of mine, Mr Martin said.

It was unusual that we ended up discussing The Gadfly and its impact on both of us, but there you are.

Following Mr Martin's meeting with Mr Xi, he was taken on a tour of the neighbouring Forbidden City where he passed through the Gate of Supreme Harmony and the bilateral itself took on a harmonious tone.

Mr Martin arrived at the imposing hall, just to the west of Tiananmen Square, to meet Mr Xi and become the first Taoiseach to meet the President since 2012 (though at that time when he met Enda Kenny, Mr Xi was president-in-waiting) around 10am local time.

The two shared a handshake in the room beyond the East Door on the hall's ground floor before the traditional statements at the head of a bilateral meeting.

In these highly-choreographed moments for the cameras, the two leaders will take turns reading prepared statements before the media is ushered out and the actual meeting begins.

Following Mr Martin's meeting with Mr Xi, he was taken on a tour of the neighbouring Forbidden City where he passed through the Gate of Supreme Harmony and the bilateral itself took on a harmonious tone. Picture: Li Xiang/Xinhua/AP

Those statements focused on the countries' similarities  we both love peace, we each achieved independence through struggle, we both love trading with one another  and while both focused on the rules-based order of which Mr Martin is a frequent proponent, it was Mr Xi who spoke in the most clear terms about America's intervention in Venezuela. China has openly condemned the US seizure of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and its president spoke about how "unilateral bullying" is "severely impacting the international order".

The US raid on Mr Maduro took place just before Mr Martin boarded his flight to China on Saturday and it no doubt led to some hastily-arranged briefing from Iveagh House. China has been a key ally of Venezuela and has billions of dollars in investments tied up in the country and Mr Xi has been the most vocal world leader in the face of Donald Trump's strike on the South American country.

European leaders, by contrast, have been largely permissive of the move, with some suggestion that they want to keep Mr Trump onside should any reaction cause him to drop his support for peace in Ukraine.

Asked about that idea, Mr Martin accepted that there were "moving parts" and "realpolitik" at play while avoiding any condemnation of the US, but strongly condemning Mr Maduro.

"He did a lot of damage, and was quite tyrannical in his approach and repressive as a leader," the Taoiseach said, adding it had been a "particularly brutal and repressive regime, and that created his own challenges".

While few would argue that Mr Maduro was a paragon of democratic ideals, Mr Martin was saying this in Beijing. Asked by the Irish Examiner if he had any qualms about closer ties with Mr Xi's country, he spoke at length about the need for engagement even with those with whom we disagree.

Micheal Martin, second right, talks to Chinese President Xi Jinping, third left, during the bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Picture: Andy Wong/AP

"In the modern world, engagement is still key, irrespective of the particular policy decisions or initiatives taken from time to time by individual countries," he said.

But it was a line in Mr Martin's opening remarks and the tone of his later speech to a business community which stood out as he called China "indespensible" on the world stage.

Mr Xi has taken a noticeably more proactive approach on that stage in recent months, preparing perhaps to fill the void of a globalism-sceptical White House, but its power is more than just that. In a world where Mr Trump can upend economies through a post on social media, Ireland is uniquely exposed and China offers a buttress against that through investment.

Already in Ireland, thousands are employed by Chinese companies such as TikTok and Ireland wants to attract more jobs and export more products. Mr Martin made this clear at a dinner in the appropriately named, but not Irish linked, Kerry Hotel on Monday evening.

This trip is about strengthening ties with a superpower to our east which has money and influence to expend, but Ireland at the same time does not want to be a gadfly to the superpower to our west.

Just like literature choices, in politics there's always a local angle.
Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro was due to appear in a US court on Monday after his , with US president Donald Trump leaving open the possibility of another incursion if the United States doesn't get its way with the country's interim leader.

Mr Trump told reporters on Sunday that he could order another strike if Venezuela does not cooperate with US efforts to open up its oil industry and stop drug trafficking. He also threatened military action in Colombia and Mexico and said Cuba's communist regime "looks like it's ready to fall" on its own.

The Colombian and Mexican embassies in Washington did not immediately return requests for comment.

The remarks by Mr Trump came on the eve of Mr Maduro's scheduled appearance on Monday before a federal judge in New York. Mr Maduro was detained during a military raid on Saturday in Caracas that drew international concern and plunged Venezuela into uncertainty.

Trump administration officials have portrayed the seizure as a law-enforcement action to hold Mr Maduro accountable for criminal charges filed in 2020 that accuse him of narco-terrorism conspiracy. But Mr Trump himself has said other factors were at play, saying the raid was prompted in part by an influx of Venezuelan immigrants to the United States and the country's decision to nationalise US oil interests decades ago.

"We're taking back what they stole," he said aboard Air Force One as he returned on Sunday to Washington from Florida. "We're in charge."

Oil companies will return to Venezuela and rebuild the country's petroleum industry, Mr Trump said.

"They're going to spend billions of dollars and they're going to take the oil out of the ground," he said.

Nicolas Maduro displays a mini edition of Venezuela's constitution after voting in the presidential elections in 2024. Picture: AP Photo/Fernando Vergara

Global oil prices edged up in choppy trade as investors considered the implications of US military action in Venezuela, while stock markets rose in Asia.

Meanwhile, Mr Maduro's government remains in power in Caracas, and top officials have remained defiant.

Vice president Delcy Rodriguez, who has taken over as interim leader, has said Mr Maduro remains president and has contradicted Mr Trump's claim that she is willing to work with the United States. Ms Rodriguez, who also serves as oil minister, has long been considered the most pragmatic member of Mr Maduro's inner circle.

Mr Maduro, 63, faces charges that accuse him of providing support to major drug trafficking groups, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang.

Prosecutors say he directed cocaine trafficking routes, used the military to protect shipments, sheltered violent trafficking groups and used presidential facilities to move drugs. The charges, first filed in 2020, were updated on Saturday to include his wife, Cilia Flores, who is accused of ordering kidnappings and murders.

Mr Maduro has denied wrongdoing, and it could be several months before he stands trial.

The United States has deemed Mr Maduro an illegitimate dictator since he declared victory in a 2018 election marred by allegations of massive irregularities. But Mr Trump has dismissed the idea of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado taking over, saying she lacks support.

Ms Machado was banned from the 2024 election but has said her ally Edmundo Gonzalez has a mandate to take the presidency and some international observers say he overwhelmingly won that vote.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Picture: FEDERICO PARRA/AFP via Getty Images

On Sunday, Mr Trump said his administration will try to work with Venezuela's current government to clamp down on drug trafficking and open up its oil industry, rather than pushing for elections to install new leaders.

Though Mr Maduro has few allies on the world stage, many countries have questioned the legality of seizing a foreign head of state and called on the US to respect international law. The UN Security Council planned to meet on Monday to discuss the US attack, which Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described as a dangerous precedent.

The attack has also raised questions in Washington, where opposition Democrats say they were misled by the administration about its Venezuela policy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was due to brief top lawmakers on Capitol Hill later on Monday.

Once one of the most prosperous nations in Latin America, Venezuela's economy has collapsed over the past 20 years, sending about one in five Venezuelans abroad in one of the world's biggest exoduses.

The removal of Mr Maduro, a former bus driver who led Venezuela for more than 12 years after the death of strongman Hugo Chavez, could lead to even more destabilisation in the nation of 28 million people.
A defiant Nicolas Maduro declared himself the president of my country as he protested against his capture and pleaded not guilty to the federal drug-trafficking charges that the Trump administration used to justify removing him from power.

I was captured, Maduro said in Spanish as translated by a courtroom reporter before being cut off by the judge.

Asked later for his plea to the charges, he stated: Im innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country. The courtroom appearance, Maduros first since he and his wife were seized from their home in a stunning middle-of-the-night military operation, kick-starts the US governments most consequential prosecution in decades of a foreign head of state.

The criminal case in Manhattan is unfolding against the diplomatic backdrop of an audacious US-engineered regime change that President Donald Trump has said will enable his administration to run the South American country.

Maduro, wearing a blue jail uniform, was led into court along with his co-defendant wife just before noon for the brief, but required, legal proceeding.

Both put on headsets to hear the English-language proceeding as it is translated into Spanish.

The couple were transported to the Manhattan courthouse under armed guard early on Monday from the Brooklyn jail where they have been detained since arriving in the US on Saturday.

The trip was swift. A motorcade carrying Maduro left jail around 7.15am and made its way to a nearby athletic field, where Maduro slowly made his way to a waiting helicopter.

The chopper flew across New York harbour and landed at a Manhattan heliport, where Maduro, limping, was loaded into an armoured vehicle.

A few minutes later, the law enforcement caravan was inside a garage at the courthouse complex, just around the corner from the one where Mr Trump was convicted in 2024 of falsifying business records.

Across the street from the courthouse, the police separated a small but growing group of protesters from about a dozen pro-intervention demonstrators, including one man who pulled a Venezuelan flag away from those protesting over the US action.

As a criminal defendant in the US legal system, Maduro will have the same rights as any other person accused of a crime  including the right to a trial by a jury of regular New Yorkers.

Maduros lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state.

Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega unsuccessfully tried the same defence after the US captured him in a similar military invasion in 1990.

But the US does not recognise Maduro as Venezuelas legitimate head of state  particularly after a much-disputed 2024 re-election.

Venezuelas new interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, has demanded that the US return Maduro, who long denied any involvement in drug trafficking  although late on Sunday she also struck a more conciliatory tone in a social media post, inviting collaboration with Mr Trump and respectful relations with the US.

Before his capture, Maduro and his allies claimed US hostility was motivated by lust for Venezuelas rich oil and mineral resources.

The US seized Maduro and his wife in a military operation early on Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base.

Mr Trump said the US would run Venezuela temporarily, but secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day other than enforcing an existing oil quarantine.

Mr Trump suggested on Sunday that he wants to extend American power further in the Western Hemisphere.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, he called Colombias president, Gustavo Petro, a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And hes not going to be doing it very long. He called on Venezuelas Ms Rodriguez to provide total access to her country, or else face consequences.

A 25-page indictment made public on Saturday accuses Maduro and others of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the US.

They could face life in prison if convicted.

He and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been under US sanctions for years, making it illegal for any American to take money from them without first securing a licence from the Treasury Department.

While the indictment against Maduro says Venezuelan officials worked directly with the Tren de Aragua gang, a US intelligence assessment published in April, drawing on input from the intelligence communitys 18 agencies, found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government.

Maduro, his wife and his son  who remains free  are charged along with Venezuelas interior and justice minister, a former interior and justice minister and Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, an alleged Tren de Aragua leader who has been criminally charged in another case and remains at large.

Among other things, the indictment accuses Maduro and his wife of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their drug trafficking operation. That included a local drug boss killing in Caracas, the indictment said.

Maduros wife is also accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange a meeting between a large-scale drug trafficker and the director of Venezuelas National Anti-Drug Office, resulting in additional monthly bribes, with some of the money going to Maduros wife, according to the indictment.
( Tomdispatch.com )  As 2026 begins, what a strange planet we find ourselves on. The two great empires of my youth, the Soviet Union (now Russia) and my own country, are clearly experiencing some version of imperial decline, even if Vladimir Putin is acting otherwise in Ukraine (as is Donald Trump in his own strange fashion in the Caribbean Sea and Venezuela). No less curiously, the country visibly on the rise, China, is distinctly not acting like a typical imperial power of history (at least the history Ive known). In a world where the United States still has 750 or so military bases around the world, China, as far as I can tell, has at most just one (in Djibouti, Africa). While its economy has become significant globally (imperially significant, you might say), unlike essentially every imperial power from the Portuguese and Spanish in the 15th and 16th centuries on, it has no colonies and only the most minimal military presence abroad, though it does continue to build up its military power (and its nuclear arsenal) at home.

Of course, its worth remembering that we are distinctly on a different planet than the one any of those older powers inhabited. And even if Americas great man (my joke!), President Donald J. Trump, doesnt seem to know it, Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, certainly does.

Vladimir Putins version of imperial aggression is, at present, aimed at Ukraine in a war that will in the  and yes, I can hardly avoid the word!  end undoubtedly prove a disaster, not just for Ukraine but for Russia and the rest of the planet, too. Meanwhile, Donald Trumps version of imperial aggression, which is likely (again, in the end) to prove disastrous, is for the time being (and, with him, you always have to add a qualifier) aimed at the Caribbean Sea, the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and Venezuela (which he now seems intent on turning into an oil colony), even as he prepares to build his own golden fleet, including Trump-class (old-fashioned) battleships. On the other hand, Chinas major aggression (and indeed, that word does have to be put in quotation marks!) is aimed  setting aside the island of Taiwan (which it claims not as a colony but as a part of China itself)  at the conquest of the future global green economy.

Or put another way, to give credit where its due, despite the fact that China continues to open coal plants in an unnerving fashion, its great-power desires are at least aimed at something  in fact, the thing  that truly matters on this distinctly beleaguered planet of ours. It is intent on becoming the Earths global powerhouse when it comes to the sale of green energy and the ways to produce it. Consider that its imperial target, one unlike any other in history (though perhaps a comparison could be made to the industrialization of what became imperial Great Britain in the nineteenth century). Moreover, its already selling and delivering green energy production units to countries globally, while far outpacing anyplace else on this planet in producing electric vehicles (EVs).

At War with the World

Last year, China installed more wind turbines and solar panels than any other country, indeed more than the rest of the planet combined. And as the New York Times reported earlier in 2025, Not only does China already dominate global manufacturing of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, EVs, and many other clean energy industries, but with each passing month it is widening its technological lead.

While Donald Trumps America is putting so much of its energy (so to speak) and money into coal, oil, and natural gas production, Chinas government has been giving hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies to wind, solar, and electric car manufacturers. And it is now hard at work spreading the products for producing wind and solar power globally. As the Times also reported, Chinese firms are building wind turbines in Brazil and electric vehicles in Indonesia. In northern Kenya, Chinese developers have erected Africas biggest wind farm. And across the continent, in countries rich with minerals needed for clean energy technologies, such as Zambia, Chinese financing for all sorts of projects has left some governments deeply in debt to Chinese banks.

And of course, China is unequaled in the production of electric vehicles. There are now at least 129 brands selling such vehicles in China and they are exporting more than one-fifth of their products globally, while Chinese companies continue to out-innovate those elsewhere on this planet.

On the other hand, Vladimir Putin, who once joked that global warming might be good for Russians because they could then spend less on fur coats, at least now acknowledges its reality. Nonetheless, he only recently signed a decree that would allow his country, already heating up 2.5 times faster than the global average, to increase its emissions of greenhouse gases 20% by 2035. And of course the United States is now led by a president who all too bluntly ran for office the second time around on the campaign slogan drill, baby, drill and is making policy based on ending the green new scam.

Only recently, in fact, his administration paused the leases on and halted the building of five major wind projects under construction off the east coast of the United States, supposedly due to national security risks. In essence, Donald Trump and crew have been doing their best to dismantle or get rid of anything in this country that might effectively impede climate change and the future broiling of Planet Earth. That is, in fact, the definition of his America, which is also the definition of decline on a scale that once would have been unimaginable. And remember, Im talking about the same president who, last fall, told delegates from nations around the world at the United Nations that climate change was the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, while insisting that, If you dont get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail.

In the bluntest terms, the greatest imperial power of the past century, the United States, is now in the Trumpian process of sending itself into a steep imperial decline on a distinctly beleaguered planet itself undoubtedly in decline. And part of the reason for that, Trump aside for a moment, is that we humans just cant seem to stop making war on ourselves. After all, in addition to killing and wounding staggering numbers of us and doing untold damage to (even destroying) whole regions of the planet, wars also release stunning amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, as do what still pass for peacetime armies. In fact, the U.S. military, even when not at war, still releases more greenhouse gases than whole countries like Sweden or Norway. As it happens, it may be the single largest institutional emitter of such gases on planet Earth.

And worse yet, at such an increasingly dangerous moment in history, there are at least three significant wars underway on this planet of ours. In this distinctly post-modern age, there should be a term for such wars and the way  in addition to the hell on earth they have created since time immemorial  they are now helping produce an environmental hell through the release of greenhouse gases in vast quantities into the atmosphere. There is, of course, the never-ending war in Ukraine, the one (in partial  but only partial  remission) in the Middle East, and the brutal ongoing one in Africa. Im thinking of Sudan, of course. (And dont forget the more minor but still brutal one underway in the Congo.)

And when it comes to one conflict for which we have some figures on greenhouse gas emissions, the Guardian reported that, in the first 15 months of Israels war in Gaza, those emissions were greater than the annual planet-warming emissions of a hundred individual countries. It similarly reported that the climate cost of the first two years of Russias war on Ukraine was greater than the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated individually by 175 countries.

A Long-Term Definition of Suicidal on Planet Earth

So, at a time (and what a time!) when were experiencing one record hot year after another, ever fiercer forest fires, ever more horrific floods, ever more severe droughts, and so on (and on and on)  at a moment, in other words, when it increasingly seems as if humanity is ever more at war with this planet, the old form of imperial power, the one involving wars, colonies around the world, and global military bases, seems increasingly passe, even if the leaders of neither the U.S., nor Russia seem capable of recognizing that reality.

And in that context, those two imperial powers of the last century arent simply following the pathways of other imperial powers whose time was up. Yes, they are both distinctly heading downhill, but both of them, in an eerily purposeful fashion, seem (in climate-change terms) to be intent on taking down much of the rest of the planet with them. And none more purposefully (or so it seems) than Donald Trumps America, which is distinctly focused on ensuring that, at least in the United States, wind power projects will be cancelled, solar energy projects avoided or wiped out, and ever larger areas from Alaska to more than a billion acres of ocean waters opened to the production of yet more fossil fuels. If you need a long-term definition of suicidal at both a national and a planetary level, that obviously should be it.

And its in just such a world that China, the rising power on this planet, is neither spreading its military might globally, nor creating military bases and seizing colonies around the world. Instead, its leaders are doing their damnedest to take control of the universe of green energy and so plowing new imperial ground by potentially becoming the unparalleled green-energy power on planet Earth.

Of course, it shouldnt really be a surprise that, on a planet changing before our eyes in the most basic fashion, the meaning of the very word imperial would change or that the old war-making, colonizing version of it would be left to the history books (and to the increasingly ancient and outdated great powers whose leaders can no longer seem to imagine the actual nature of our future).

And this brings me to myself. In some ways, in my 82nd year on this planet, I just cant believe the world Im in, nor could I ever have guessed that it would be quite this way. Donald Trump, president of the United States really? At a moment when it should have been all too obvious that humanity was in danger of creating an all-too-literal hell on earth, a near majority of my compatriots elected (for a second time!) a man who not only refuses to faintly grasp whats happening but has made a clear and conscious decision to worsen our situation by promoting the further use of fossil fuels in every imaginable way.

All too sadly, though its not normally used that way, the word suicidal seems a reasonable description of his policies. I mean, what needed to be done really shouldnt have been all that complicated  not on a planet where the most recent years have been the hottest in human history, the last 10 the hottest decade, 2024 the hottest year ever (and unsurprisingly, when the final figures are in, 2025 will undoubtedly be right up there, too); not on a planet where Arctic ice is melting, sea levels rising, and the weather (from storms to droughts) is growing ever more extreme by the year.

And yet, obvious as all that may be, Trump and crew have decided to actively intensify the ongoing disaster. And if that isnt the definition of a once great imperial power going down (and attempting to take the rest of us with it), what is? To the extent that great power global politics even matter anymore, President Trump is literally turning this world, economically and ecologically, over to China, lock, stock, and rain barrel.

And all of that makes me wonder: How did I  how did any of us  end up here?

Yes, were clearly entering a new imperial age with China potentially at the helm of a planet that, in weather (and human) terms, will be going down, down, down.

It may be hard to believe, but thats our reality  and I must admit that I find it painful to leave such a planet to my children and grandchildren. They truly deserved better.

Copyright 2026 Tom Engelhardt

Via Tomdispatch.com
( TRT World )  What do the chaos in Venezuela and the breakdown of the ceasefire in Yemen have in common? Both crises witnessed the use of low-tech unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), otherwise referred to as hobby drones in assassination attempts by dissidents or non-state actors.

On January 10, a drone assassination by the Houthis killed the Yemeni Intelligence chief, Brigadier General Saleh Tamah, a member of the Saudi-led coalition. The now embattled Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro survived a similar assassination attempt by drone in August 2018.

While the assassinations are minor episodes in the ongoing crises in both countries, they portend a future trend of the weaponisation of commercial drones, a brutal precedent set by Daesh during the battle for Mosul in 2017.

If the weaponised car was the tool of modern terrorist violence in the 20th century, the hobby drone could be its postmodern equivalent in the 21st century.

Daesh Drones

In August 2014 Daesh employed commercially purchased drones to gather battlefield intelligence and document the aftermath of suicide bombings. Daesh thereafter weaponised drones, like the X-8 and the Phantom, made in China by the Shenzhen-based DJI, the worlds largest commercial drone manufacturer.

Some of these hobby drones can travel 7 kilometers, with payloads up to 40 kilograms. Daesh could attach a three-pound mortar shell to the drone, creating a flying improvised explosive device (IED) to be dropped against Iraqi government troops, with an effective blast radius of 10 to 15 meters.

After a few trial attacks with modified drones equipped with IEDs, on 24 January 2017, the terrorist group formally announced the establishment of a new Unmanned Aircraft of the Mujahideen unit.

The Daesh drones had no strategic or operational effect on the battlefield, but rather were meant to terrorise forces that sought to expel it from Mosul, and the footage was meant to inspire its supporters.

Nonetheless, military resources were diverted to deal with the Daesh drone threat. For example, in September 2017 the US military targeted Junaid ur Rehman, a Daesh drone pilot trainer and engineer, near Mayadin, Syria, south of Raqqa.

For a decade the US had a monopoly on drones, such as the Predator and Reaper, which of course are larger and more lethal than commercial drones. When terrorists gained the capacity to strike back, like Daesh did in 2017, the age of the drone wars had begun.

Attacks in Venezuela and Yemen

In August 2018 Nicolas Maduro, accompanied by a general who served as the interior minister, and the chief judge of the Supreme Court, were gathered in the presidential stand, looking down at a parade of national guard troops.

On 10 January 2019, the head of Yemens Intelligence Service, a senior military commander, and the governor of Lahij province were seated in a similar arrangement, looking on at a military parade.

In both cases, high ranking officials concentrated in a single place during a military parade made for a tempting assassination target. In the 20th century a sniper ensconced in a building nearby would have conducted the assassination. In the 21th century someone remotely controlling a drone had the potential to wreak more damage than a sniper.

The attack in Venezuela failed, but the one in Yemen succeeded. The attack in Caracas against Maduro was the first known assassination attempt by use of drone against a head of state, in this case a DJI Matrice 600, which costs $5,000 and is used by professional photographers.

While that attempt failed, in Yemen the weaponised drone, carrying 70 and 100 kilogrammes of explosives, detonated just meters above where Yemeni officials were seated.

The Houthi attack, employed an Iranian-made Qasef-1, technically not a commercial drone, but using off-the-shelf commercial technology by electronic suppliers based mostly in Asia. That attack killed at least five and wounded at least 20 military personnel. Ironically the attack took place at Al-Anad airbase, which was once the headquarters for US forces overseeing the drone war against Al Qaeda. The place where the drone war against Yemen was ushered in was itself attacked by a drone.

The ceasefire in Yemens key port city of Hudaida is on the verge of collapse amid continued violations by rival sides. The ceasefire, negotiated by the UN Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, was part of a peace agreement negotiated in Sweden. Soon after Griffiths announcement, the drone assassination occurred. While the strike was outside the ceasefire zone, it foreshadowed the eventual collapse of the entire de-escalation process.



Photo by Ian Usher on Unsplash

The attack was part of the strategy of the groups leader, Abdul Malik Al Houthi, to use drones and ballistic missiles against their foes. The ballistic missile was the symbol of the 20th century modern warfare, first developed in Nazi Germany as the V2, the first manmade object that entered space, and the same technology that would later be used in humankinds first trip to the moon.

In the Houthi strategy the small low-tech drone has been equated with the ballistic missile, the latter a means which the Houthis have used to try and strike targets deep into Saudi Arabia.

The Implications for the Future

Commercial hobby drones are used peacefully by thousands of hobby enthusiasts, and even by humanitarian aid and disaster relief support by nongovernmental organisations and activist groups. The China-based Skywalker Technologies company told the Financial Times: As a manufacturer, we are unable to control what people do with them similar to the manufacturers of pick-up trucks, cars or other items that have been weaponised in conflict zones.

The statement alludes to the evolution of terrorism. The 20th century was ushered in by the assembly line that mass produced the automobile for the masses, which would become the vehicle of choice for terrorist in the 70s and 80s. The same centurys greatest achievement in mass transportation was the civilian airliner, which would be used as cruise missiles on 9/11 to strike New York and Washington. In the 21th century the hobby drone represents the postmodern evolution of this trend.

Reprinted with the authors permission from TRT World
Transaction expands Nords silver tailings historic resource by 2.9 million ounces

Vancouver, B.C.  TheNewswire  January 5, 2026  Nord Precious Metals Inc. (Nord or the "Company") (TSXV: NTH, OTCQB: CCWOF, FF: QN3) announces that it has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement dated January 5, 2026 (the "Definitive Agreement") with Battery Mineral Resources Corp. ("BMR") to acquire four mining leases in the Gowganda Silver Camp of Ontario (the "Gowganda Property") adjacent and contiguous to Nords existing Mining Leases. The Proposed Transaction consolidates Nord's position in one of Canada's most prolific historical silver-cobalt districts at a moment when silver prices have reached record levels, Ontario has enacted its One Project, One Process permitting framework, and the province has launched a $500 million Critical Minerals Processing Fund to expand domestic processing capacity.

Frank J. Basa, P.Eng., President and CEO, stated: "The Gowganda camp is an area of significant historical silver production and has documented tailings containing nearly three million ounces of silver*. Previous operators processed this material once with technology we've long since surpassed."

Mr. Basa continued: "The province has created the conditions for a different model. Ontario Minister of Energy and Mines, Stephen Lecce, talks about ending 'ripping and shipping'; we have the facility to do exactly that. Castle, Beaver, and now Gowganda: three feed sources for an integrated operation producing refined metal in Ontario. This acquisition ensures we have the feed to meet that moment."

*For the reference to the silver in tailings, please see the Technical Report on the Gowganda Silver Project Including a Resource Estimate of the Surface Tailings Deposit Gowganda, Ontario, Canada with an effective date of July 8, 2011, prepared by Joe Campbell, P.Geo., Alan Sexton, P.Geo., M.Sc. and Allan Armitage, Ph.D., P.Geo. of GeoVector Management Inc. The report states, on page 30, that a review of the modeled blocks at various cut-off grades indicates a contiguous ore body at the 10.0 g/t silver cut-off grade. The resource estimate for the tailings piles at a silver cut-off grade of 10.0 g/t is ~1,940,000 tonnes grading 47.5 g/t silver for ~2,960,000 contained ounces of silver in an Indicated category (refer to Table 4, page 31). The report also states, on page 30, that the tailings Mineral Resource estimate is classified in accordance with the CIM Definition Standards (2005). As a result of the extensive drilling that has been completed on the tailings, it is considered that there is sufficient drill density and confidence in the distribution of Ag within the tailings deposit to classify the entire deposit as Indicated.

Resources notes:

Historical Mineral Resource estimate for the Gowganda project  resource grades were total in situ assay results

assay values used in the resource estimate were verified against assays on drill logs contained in historic drill reports and assay certificates

a site visit was carried out by Alan Sexton, P.Geo. and Vice President of GeoVector to verify drill collar locations, tailings extent, and mine infrastructure

digital data files of hole collar locations and down-hole surveys were checked and verified

the mineral resource was estimated using 1.5-metre sample composites (2,504 composites) of assay values (2,039 assays) from 764 auger and sonic drillholes totalling 3,012 metres

for the resource, metallurgical recoveries were assumed to be 100%

a block model, with the origin at 518550E, and 5280050N, 430 metres elevation, and oriented at 300, was constructed using 4m x 4m x 1m blocks in the X, Y, Z directions respectively. Grades for silver were interpolated into the blocks by the inverse distance squared method using between four and twenty composites in a minimum of 2 drillholes to generate block grades. Based on a statistical analysis of the composite database from each resource model, it was decided that no capping was required on the composite populations to limit high vales.

The size of the search ellipse was set at 42 x 42 x 3 metres in the X, Y, Z directions respectively for the indicated resource. The principal azimuth is oriented at 155 (trend of the tailings pile) , the principal dip is oriented at 0 and the intermediate azimuth is oriented at 65

Specific gravity (SG) testing was previously carried out on 11 representative samples of tailings and the calculated average SG value of 2.12 was applied to all blocks within the updated block model.

The above indicated resource estimate is considered historical in nature and is not being treated as a current resource by the Company. A Qualified Person has not completed sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources. The relevance of the 2011 historical resource is based on the historical work program and estimation having confirmed that the silver mineralization contained in the tailings could be potentially recoverable. There have not been any further resource estimates since 2011. At a minimum, a review of all data and additional drill holes to confirm original assays as well as reviewing assumptions in the context of current metal prices would be required to begin a current resource estimate.

Transaction Summary

Under the Purchase Agreement, Nord has agreed to buy the Companys four mining leases (LEA-109391  LEA109394) comprising the Gowganda silver tailings project on an as-is where-is basis for the following consideration:

$1,000,000 cash on the closing date;

$1,250,000 in Nord shares on the closing date at a deemed price equal to $0.284 per share;

a 3.0% net smelter returns royalty on the Gowganda silver tailings project; and

deferred consideration of $1,250,000 on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the closing date of the Transaction (the Deferred Consideration) for aggregate Deferred Consideration of $3,750,000.

At the election of Nord, up to 50% of each Deferred Consideration may be satisfied in Nord common shares at a deemed price per share equal to the greater of: (i) the 25-day volume-weighted average trading price per Nord common share on the TSX Venture Exchange (the TSXV) ending on the last trading day preceding the applicable payment date, and (ii) the minimum price permitted by the TSXV. The Nord common shares to be received by the Company will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance.

The transaction is an arms-length transaction for the Company, and no finder fees are payable in connection with the Transaction. The closing of the Transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, such as conditional approval of the TSXV.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release was approved and prepared under the supervision of Mr. Frank J. Basa, P.Eng. (PEO), director of Nord Precious Metals, a qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101.

About Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc.

Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. operates TTL Laboratories, the only permitted high-grade milling facility in the historic Cobalt Camp of Ontario, where the Company has established an integrated position connecting high-grade silver discovery with strategic metals recovery operations.

The Company's flagship Castle property encompasses 63 sq. km of exploration ground and the past-producing Castle Mine, complemented by the Castle East discovery where drilling has delineated 7.56 million ounces of silver in Inferred resources grading an average of 8,582 g/t Ag (250.2 oz/ton) in 27,400 tonnes of material from two sections (1A and 1B) of the Castle East Robinson Zone, beginning at a vertical depth of approximately 400 metres. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Please refer to the Nord Precious Metals Press Release of May 27, 2020, for the resource estimate. The above resource is now considered an historical resource. Insufficient work has been done to categorize the above historical estimate as current. Significant additional diamond drilling and analytical work along with modelling is required before a new resource estimate can be compiled.

Nord's integrated processing strategy enables multiple metal recovery streams. High-grade silver recovery supports the economics of extracting critical minerals including cobalt, nickel, and other battery metals. The Re-2Ox hydrometallurgical process, validated at pilot scale through SGS Lakefield, eliminates the typical arsenic barriers in complex silver-cobalt ores while producing battery-grade cobalt sulphate and other metal products to customer specifications. This multi-metal approach, combined with established infrastructure including TTL Laboratories and underground mine access, positions Nord within Ontario's emerging critical minerals supply chain.

The Company maintains a strategic portfolio of battery metals properties in Northern Quebec through its 35% ownership in Coniagas Battery Metals Inc. (TSXV: COS), as well as the St. Denis-Sangster lithium project comprising 32 square kilometres of prospective ground near Cochrane, Ontario.

More information is available at www.nordpreciousmetals.com.

For further information please contact:

Frank J. Basa, P.Eng.

Chief Executive Officer

416-625-2342

or

Wayne Cheveldayoff

Corporate Communications

P: 416-710-2410

E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such 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.

Forward-looking statements in this document include statements regarding: the expectation that the Company will receive Exchange approval for the Proposed Transaction; the potential for silver recovery from tailings; the Company's processing capabilities and integrated strategy; and the anticipated benefits of Ontario's regulatory and funding frameworks.

Although the Company believes the forward-looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based on information available on the date hereof, by their nature forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Examples of such assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, assumptions, risks and uncertainties associated with: general economic conditions; adverse industry events; future legislative and regulatory developments; the Company's ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; competition; the ability of the Company to obtain and retain all applicable regulatory and other approvals; commodity price fluctuations; and other assumptions, risks and uncertainties.

THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS NEWS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE 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.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES
VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 5, 2026 /CNW/ - Black Mammoth Metals Corporation (TSXV: BMM) (OTC: LQRCF) ("Black Mammoth" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has acquired the Tom's Pediment Gold-Silver property ("Tom" or the "Property") by staking 87 unpatented lode claims on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) covering approximately 727 hectares (1797 acres) located in the South Ravenswood mining district, Lander County, NV and has completed a pole-dipole induced polarization survey (IP) with an interpreted inversion model.

IP Results:

The IP results confirm a target area at Tom where the chargeability high covers 2.3 square km approximately (open NW) and is coincident with a prominent gravity high and a resistivity high. The inversion model's 250-400m chargeability depth slice with the gravity high is shown below in Figure 1, with the inversion model's resistivity high with gravity high shown in Figure 2. The east-west IP lines (6) were spaced from 200 to 800m.

The Tom geophysical target is interpreted as down-dropped host lithologies in the pediment that correspond to the SE extension of the Skookum Trend with known gold, silver and copper mineralization in the South Ravenswood mountain range. The Skookum Trend area is adjacent to the Property, near the historic Maloy Gold and Silver Mine, where Cretaceous granodiorite crops out and intrudes Paleozoic sedimentary strata, including the Lower Plate Roberts Mountain and Upper Plate Valmy Formations with gold mineralization occurring in the Paleozoic strata and in the granodiorite. Carbonate rocks of the Roberts Mountains Formation are exposed below the Roberts Mountains Thrust. Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's property.

Based on the known alteration and mineralization styles in the South Ravenswood mountain range, the Company will evaluate the IP-anomalous gravity anomalies in the pediment with exploration models which include detached and down-dropped, as well as potentially epithermal-type, mineralization zones distal and higher-level to the exposed intrusive mineralization roots.

Exploration Status:

The geophysical target at Tom is ready for drill testing after a BLM Notice of Intent is complete.

Acquisition Terms (USD):

The Company owns Tom's Pediment property 100% with no finder's fees, royalties, share compensation or other terms in connection with the acquisition.

The Company continues to acquire non-core exploration interests in the western US, by purchase or staking.

About Black Mammoth Metals Corporation:

Since January 2024, Black Mammoth Metals has acquired a 100% interest in:

Mustang Gold-Silver property, Nye County, NV.

Nye County, NV. Ramsey Silver property, La Paz County, AZ.

La Paz County, AZ. Gallinas Rare Earth property, Lincoln County, NM.

Lincoln County, NM. Amador Silver property, Lander County, NV.

Lander County, NV. Big Bear Copper property, Gila County, AZ.

Gila County, AZ. Zulu Gold property, Gila County, AZ.

Gila County, AZ. Northern Star property, La Paz County, AZ.

La Paz County, AZ. Coal Canyon Gold property, Pershing County, NV.

Pershing County, NV. Island Mountain Gold District (including Coleman Canyon, St. Elmo and Diamond Jim (Ag, Pb, Zn, Sb)), Elko County, NV.

(including Coleman Canyon, St. Elmo and Diamond Jim (Ag, Pb, Zn, Sb)), Elko County, NV. Clover High-Grade Gold property, Elko County, NV.

Elko County, NV. Leadore Silver-Lead-Rare Earth Elements property , Lemhi County, ID.

, Lemhi County, ID. East Reveille Gold property , Nye County, NV.

, Nye County, NV. America Mine Gold property , San Bernardino, CA.

, San Bernardino, CA. Quito Gold property , Lander County, NV .

, Lander County, NV South Ravenswood Gold District (including the Raven, and Happy Cat properties) Lander County, NV. (Happy Cat was purchased prior to January 2024).

(including the Raven, and Happy Cat properties) Lander County, NV. (Happy Cat was purchased prior to January 2024). Callaghan Gold District (including North Callaghan, Charlie, Cottonwood and Rast properties), Lander County, NV.

Black Mammoth also has a 100% interest in the Blanco Creek Gold property in the Elk Creek Mining District, central Idaho, which hosts three historic underground mines along 3,550 meters (11,644 feet) of strike on the north-east trending regional Blanco Shear Zone.

Mark J. Abrams, CPG #11451, a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and director of Black Mammoth, has reviewed and approved the technical content in this release. On behalf of the board,

"Dustin Henderson"

Dustin Henderson, BBA

President & CEO

Website: www.blackmammothmetals.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions or are those which, by their nature, refer to future events. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, 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. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. All the Company's public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedarplus.ca and readers are urged to review these materials, including any technical reports filed or disclosed on the Company's website related to the Company's mineral properties.

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.
Tonopah, Nevada  TheNewswire - January 5, 2026  A2Gold Corp. (A2Gold or the Company) (AUAU: TSX-V) (AUXXF: OTCQX) is pleased to announce the appointment of John Marma as Vice President, Exploration, effective immediately.

Peter Gianulis, CEO of A2Gold, commented: We are extremely pleased to welcome John to A2Gold as Vice President of Exploration. He brings a rare combination of deep Nevada exploration experience, discovery success, and major-company operational discipline. Johns background, coupled with A2s strong treasury position will allow the Company to aggressively explore Eastside as well as look for additional opportunities.

Johns track record of discovery, particularly at Midas, and his leadership experience at Hecla, Klondex, and Newmont, will be invaluable as we execute our upcoming 18,000-metre RC drill program and advance Eastside toward its next phase of growth.

JOHN MARMA BIOGRAPHY

Mr. Marma is a professional geologist with over 20 years of experience in mineral exploration, development, and production, primarily focused in Nevada, as well as Alaska and South Africa. He brings extensive technical and operational expertise across a wide range of deposit types, including epithermal vein systems, Carlin-type gold deposits, orogenic gold, and gold porphyry systems.

Most recently, Mr. Marma served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of White Pine Metals (WPM), a private mineral exploration company focused on advancing the Taylor project in Nevada. In this role, he provided executive leadership and was instrumental in recognizing and defining the multiple styles of mineralization at the project. Prior to WPM, he served as Director of Exploration and Geology  Nevada for Hecla Mining, where he was responsible for exploration strategy and geologic mine support across all Nevada-based operations. Previously to this, he held senior exploration roles with Klondex Mines and Newmont, focusing on epithermal vein systems in the Northern Nevada Rift and Carlin-type deposits.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Marma worked on orogenic gold systems in the Barberton District of South Africa, and on the Donlin Creek gold porphyry project in Alaska with Placer Dome. Notably, he was directly responsible for the discovery of the Eastern Veins and the Green Racer Sinter Vein at the Midas Mine, two important discoveries that significantly enhanced the understanding and value of the Gold Circle district in Nevada.

Mr. Marma holds a B.S. in Geoscience from North Dakota State University and a M.S. in Geology from University of WisconsinMadison. He was also awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and conducted advanced geological studies at Karl Franzens University of Graz in Austria.

He is a Registered Professional Geologist with the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG #11709) and a long-standing member of both the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) and the Geological Society of Nevada (GSN).

ABOUT A2GOLD CORP

A2Gold Corp. owns three highly prospective gold projects in the United States all of which are in the mining-friendly jurisdiction of Nevada. A2Golds flagship, district-scale Eastside Gold-Silver Project hosts a large and expanding gold and silver resource and is in an area of excellent infrastructure. Preliminary metallurgical testing indicates that both oxide and sulphide gold mineralization at Eastside is amenable to heap leaching.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Peter Gianulis, CEO

For more information contact:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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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.

Certain statements and information contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which are referred to collectively as "forward-looking statements". The United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for certain forward-looking statements. A2Gold Corp.s (A2Gold) exploration plans for its gold exploration properties, the drill program at A2Golds Eastside project, the preparation and publication of an updated resource estimate in respect of the Original Zone at the Eastside project, A2Golds future exploration and development plans, including anticipated costs and timing thereof; A2Golds plans for growth through exploration activities, acquisitions or otherwise; and expectations regarding future maintenance and capital expenditures, and working capital requirements. Forward-looking statements are statements and information regarding possible events, conditions or results of operations that are based upon assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action. All statements and information other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as seek, expect, anticipate, budget, plan, estimate, continue, forecast, intend, believe, predict, potential, target, may, could, would, might, will and similar words or phrases (including negative variations) suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Some of the known risks and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements are described in the sections entitled Risk Factors in A2Golds Listing Application, dated January 24, 2018, as filed with the TSX Venture Exchange and available on SEDAR under A2Golds profile at www.sedar.com. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. A2Gold undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this press release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

The securities referred to in this news release have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements.

This news release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities for sale, nor a solicitation for offers to buy any securities. Any public offering of securities in the United States must be made by means of a prospectus containing detailed information about the company and management, as well as financial statements.
Burlington, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2026) - Silver Bullet Mines Corp. (TSXV: SBMI) (OTCQB: SBMCF) ("SBMI" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that during development of its KT Mine in Arizona, a new potential high grade silver/gold zone was discovered. It is yet to be determined if this is an offshoot of the main KT vein or a new vein parallel to the main KT vein.

Initial sampling and panning of the mineralized material from the new zone produced significant high grade silver, with gold and lead. Twelve samples were taken. Subsequent in-house assay results of these twelve samples range from seven to twenty-seven ounces per ton silver. Check assays will be sent to a third party lab for confirmation. This area differs from the main vein of the KT Mine in that results to date from the newly discovered zone indicate high grade silver with gold versus high grade gold with silver in the main zone. Readers are cautioned that samples are random by nature and may not represent the new zone as a whole.

Image 1

SBMI's geological team, including Nick Barr, the Company's in-house geologist, is developing a plan to advance this new discovery. To provide a more detailed evaluation of the new zone, the Company is excavating along the vein. It was also able to identify the vein a distance of over 200 feet in length. It has uncovered a roughly 8 foot wide vein at surface, and it not yet known whether this surface vein is part of the main KT vein, the new zone, or another new zone. Excavation is ongoing to expose further mineralization along strike.

As part of the development of the new zone the Company has removed a roughly 200 ton bulk sample for processing at its mill/assay facility which is located in close proximity to the KT Mine. Results from that material are ongoing and will be available shortly. The material from this newly discovered zone will be processed into concentrate, and most likely sold to the same Buyer who is already buying concentrate from the Company.

SBMI's business plan is built upon a hub and spoke model, with the mill being the hub. Owning its own processing complex enables SBMI to quickly evaluate and advance opportunities as new targets are identified. The Company can then make fast accurate decisions based on clear facts and numbers. This puts SBMI is in an excellent position to fill the growing need for silver/gold. As previously stated, SBMI intends to expand production capacity in the near future to meet that rising demand.

The geological team continues to evaluate the potential of this new discovery and will provide further updates in the near future.

Processing of material from the KT main zone continues. Four shipments of concentrate from that material have occurred to date with a fifth shipment scheduled for pickup this week. Underground development at the KT has been completed and the Company anticipates mining to commence this week. SBMI reasonably believes the head grade of the underground material should increase significantly.

The first shipment of concentrate was received by the Buyer on October 29, 2025. The Buyer has carried out its standard internal procedures to process that shipment, which it has advised SBMI includes sending samples of that concentrate to two independent labs for assay on December 16, 2025. Those labs are currently assaying the concentrate samples and results are expected imminently. Subsequent batches from SBMI might not require this degree of analysis.

The Company anticipates payment for the first shipment to be made immediately upon receipt of the comparison results, assuming no major discrepancies exist. This is slightly longer than expected due to time lost due to the holidays and extra work done by the Buyer on behalf of SBMI.

The Company is currently evaluating the results from its very successful fall development program at the Washington Mine in Idaho and will be providing an update in the near future.

Finally, 1,923,334 warrants previously issued in connection with a private placement have been recently exercised at a strike price of $0.17, and 625,000 warrants previously issued in connection with convertible debentures have recently been exercised at a strike price of $0.16. The exercise of warrants provides the Company with additional working capital. The cumulative exercise of warrants during Q1 and Q2 of fiscal 2026 include 4,684,167 warrants at a strike price of $0.16 and 1,923,334 warrants at a strike price of $0.17.

QA/QC

The samples described in this news release were analyzed by SBMI at its in-house facility near Globe, Arizona. These samples were processed through the Lab Jaw Crusher, Lab Hammer Mill and Splitter Box into an aliquot. Most of the pulverized aliquot was mixed with a flux and flour combination and melted in a crucible at 1,850 degree Fahrenheit, with the remainder being logged and archived. Upon cooling, the poured melt was in the form of a metal button and slag, following which a bone ash cupel was utilized to eliminate the lead in the button to form a bead. The bead was then weighed, following which a solution of 6 to 1 distilled water to nitric acid was utilized to dissolve the gold in the bead at approximately 175 degrees Fahrenheit. A much more detailed description of the process and a picture of the assay lab can be found at QA/QC Assay Lab - Silver Bullet Mines Corp.

Mr. Robert G. Komarechka, P.Geo., an independent consultant, has reviewed and verified SBMI's work referred to herein, and is the Qualified Person for this release. Mr. Komarechka was not at the site when the samples were collected.

Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain statements that may constitute forward-looking statements as they relate to SBMI and its subsidiaries. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts but represent management's current expectation of future events, and can be identified by words such as "believe", "expects", "will", "intends", "plans", "projects", "anticipates", "estimates", "continues" and similar expressions. Although management believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be correct.

By their nature, forward-looking statements include assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future results, conditions, actions or events to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. If and when forward-looking statements are set out in this new release, SBMI will also set out the material risk factors or assumptions used to develop the forward-looking statements. Except as expressly required by applicable securities laws, SBMI assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. The future outcomes that relate to forward-looking statements may be influenced by many factors, including but not limited to: the impact of SARS CoV-2 or any other global pathogen; reliance on key personnel; the thoroughness of its QA/QA procedures; the continuity of the global supply chain for materials for SBMI to use in the exploration for and the production and processing of mineralized material; the results of exploration and development activities; the results of mining and mill operations; shareholder and regulatory approvals; activities and attitudes of communities local to the location of the SBMI's properties; risks of future legal proceedings; income tax and tariff matters; fires, floods, snowfall, spring thaw and other natural phenomena; the rate of inflation; counterparty risk with respect to any buyer of the Company's products; availability and terms of financing; distribution of securities; commodities pricing; currency movements, especially as between the USD and CDN; effect of market interest rates on price of securities; and, potential dilution. SARS CoV-2 and other potential global pathogens create risks that at this time are immeasurable and impossible to define.
Results demonstrate broad, continuous zones of gold mineralization consistent with the geological model for the Lavras do Sul alkaline intrusive complex.

Significant intersections include: 25BT068: 190.00 m at 1.01 g/t Au from surface (incl. 21.00 m at 2.25 g/t Au) 25BT067 : 65.00 m at 0.88 g/t Au from 23.00 m (incl. 1.00 m at 16.05 g/t Au; and incl. 2.00 m at 11.28 g/t Au) 25BT063 : 21.00 m at 3.12 g/t Au from 42.00 m (incl. 1.00 m at 47.73 g/t Au; and incl. 1.00 m at 5.11 g/t Au)

50 diamond drill holes (16,714m) have been completed at Butia (33 holes, 9,791m) and Fazenda (17 holes, 6,923m) in 2025.

A 20,000-metre drilling program is planned for 2026 to advance the Fazenda/Butia Project and drill test district-scale opportunities.

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2026) - Lavras Gold Corp. (TSXV: LGC) (OTCQX: LGCFF) ("Lavras Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce new assay results from its ongoing diamond drilling program on the Butia Gold Deposit ("Butia") and adjoining Fazenda do Posto Gold Discovery ("Fazenda"), together described as the Fazenda/Butia Project at the Lavras do Sul Project ("LDS Project") in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Today's results include 13 diamond drill holes completed at Butia (10 holes) and Fazenda (3 holes) completed since the previous disclosure of drill results (see news release dated September 8, 2025), which continue to confirm the strength and continuity of the alkaline intrusive-related gold system extending across the district.

"Today's results are consistent with what we have seen across this system," said Hemdat Sawh, Interim CEO and CFO. "Broad mineralized intervals containing high-grade shoots continue to build the resource base at the Fazenda/Butia Project and enhance our understanding of its geological drivers. These intersections feed directly into the geological models that will underpin the next phases of resource estimation and project development.

"Our drilling since September 2025 has been highly productive. By combining infill drilling, step-outs, and targeted geological drilling, we are simultaneously improving resource-classification confidence, expanding mineralization, and deepening our understanding of structures, alteration, metallurgical domains and mineralization vectors. This integrated approach is critical as we position the Fazenda/Butia Project for a future development decision, while continuing to unlock the broader district-scale potential."

Table 1: Significant Drilling Results, Fazenda/Butia Project

Drill Hole From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Grade

(g/t Au) Comment 25BT072 48.0 69.0 21.0 1.100 Perthitic Granite Including 51.0 52.0 1.0 9.753 Perthitic Granite Including 60.0 61.0 1.0 2.303 Perthitic Granite 25BT068 0.0 190.0 190.0 1.014 Saprolite/Perthitic Granite/Episyenite Including 117.0 138.0 21.0 2.247 Episyenite 25BT067 23.0 88.0 65.0 0.877 Perthitic Granite Including 41.0 42.0 1.0 16.050 Perthitic Granite Including 51.0 53.0 2.0 11.278 Perthitic Granite 25BT066 211.0 286.0 75.0 0.743 Perthitic Granite/Episyenite Including 238.0 243.0 5.0 5.651 Episyenite 25BT065 63.0 77.0 14.0 2.607 Perthitic Granite Including 63.0 67.0 4.0 8.291 Perthitic Granite 112.0 210.0 98.0 0.577 Perthitic Granite/Episyenite Including 140.0 148.0 8.0 1.268 Episyenite Including 158.0 161.0 3.0 1.093 Episyenite Including 170.0 184.0 14.0 1.006 Episyenite 25BT064 0.0 59.0 59.0 0.813 Episyenite Including 8.0 19.0 11.0 1.056 Episyenite Including 27.0 29.0 2.0 1.127 Episyenite Including 35.0 56.0 21.0 1.050 Episyenite 25BT063 42.0 63.0 21.0 3.117 Perthitic Granite/Episyenite Including 54.0 55.0 1.0 47.733 Episyenite Including 59.0 60.0 1.0 5.110 Perthitic Granite 25FP048 0.0 33.0 33.0 0.799 Perthitic Granite/Episyenite Including 11.0 12.0 1.0 18.067 Perthitic Granite Note: All intervals are reported as down-hole lengths; true widths are not yet known.

Figure 1. Isometric view of Fazenda/Butia wireframe (based on gold grade modelled at a nominal 0.2g/t Cut-off grade) showing the relative locations of the 13 diamond drill holes completed at this target since September 2025.

Summary of Results

Drilling results released today comprised included drilling completed since September 2025, which has been designed as a combination of infill drilling to support future resource classification upgrades, step-out drilling to test extensions to previously defined mineralization, and geological drilling intended to better understand post-mineral structures, alteration patterns, geochemical vectors, and geometallurgical domains that may influence both tonnage and grade distribution.

Results showed wide envelopes of continuous mineralization with periodic higher-grade intersections related to zones of more intense brecciation, alteration and generally higher sulphide percentage. Drilling also continues to enhance geological, structural, and metallurgical understanding across the Fazenda/Butia Project.

The Company continues to integrate structural (including geotechnical), lithological and alteration data with multi-element geochemistry and geometallurgical characterization. These datasets will form the foundation to progress the preparation of geological and mineral resource models.

Next Steps

In line with Lavras Gold's most recent corporate update (see news release dated November 24, 2025), the Company plans to complete 20,000 metres of diamond drilling in 2026. The objectives of this program will be to:

Advance Fazenda/Butia toward a mine development decision, supported by upgraded mineral resources and improved geological confidence. Continue systematic exploration across the LDS Project, leveraging the project's unique scale and peralkaline intrusive setting.

As part of the 2026 drill campaign and in efforts to advance the Fazenda/Butia Project, Lavras Gold will:

Incorporate new drilling data into detailed 3D geological and structural models;

Refine geometallurgical domains to support future engineering studies;

Execute drilling focused on resource growth, classification upgrade, and district-scale exploration; and

Integrate multi-disciplinary datasets to drive targeting and project development.

Qualified Person

Jonathan Hill, Director and Interim Vice President of Exploration for Lavras Gold Corp., is the "Qualified Person" as defined under National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this release.

QA/QC

Quality Assurance & Quality Control: Sample handling, preparation, and analysis are monitored through the implementation of formal chain-of-custody procedures and quality assurance/quality control programs designed to follow industry best practices.

All drill hole samples in this drilling program consist of split NQ diamond drill core. Drill core is logged and sampled in a secure facility located in Lavras do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Drill core samples for gold assay are cut in half using a diamond saw and submitted to ALS Laboratories Inc. in Goiania, Goias State, Brazil for preparation by crushing to 85% passing 1.0 mm, riffle splitting to obtain 500g aliquots, and pulverizing to 85% passing 75 microns.

Pulps are shipped to ALS Laboratories Inc. in Lima, Peru and analyzed by a 50g fire assay and AAS finish. Three 50g aliquots are taken for samples in the mineralized zone and one aliquot is taken in fresh rocks. The average grade of the three aliquots is used to determine the final grade of the mineralized sample.

Certified standards, non-certified blanks and field duplicates are inserted into the sample stream at regular intervals, so that QA/QC accounted for about 10% of the total samples. Results are routinely evaluated for accuracy, precision, and contamination.

Lavras Gold has been targeting larger intersections of greater than 0.25 g/t gold. Intersections that are lower than this threshold may provide exploration insight and may therefore be disclosed. The Company maintains a robust QA/QC program that includes the collection and analysis of duplicate samples and the insertion of blanks and standards (certified reference material).

About the LDS Project

The LDS Project is centred on the town of Lavras do Sul in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is approximately 320 kilometres, or a 4.5-hour drive, from the state capital of Porto Alegre. The Company, through its subsidiary holds, directly or indirectly, contractual interests over 34 mineral rights covering approximately 23,000 hectares.

The LDS intrusive complex is a multiphase intrusive centre that is surrounded by coeval volcanic rocks to the east. Geologically, LDS is in the far south of the Neoproterozoic Mantiqueira Province, a 2,700-kilometre-long belt of tectonically and magmatically accreted terrains that stretch as far south as the coastline of central Uruguay and north into southern Bahia State in Brazil. The most advanced targets are the Butia and Cerrito gold deposits - Butia with 12.9 million tonnes grading 0.91 grams per tonne (g/t) gold containing 377,000 ounces in the Measured and Indicated categories and 3.7 Mt grading 0.97 g/t gold containing 115,000 ounces in the Inferred category, and Cerrito with 8.2 Mt grading 0.70 g/t gold containing 188,000 ounces in the Indicated category and 13.2 Mt grading 0.69 g/t gold containing 293,000 ounces in the Inferred category.1,2

NI 43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource for the Butia Gold Prospect, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Prepared by VMG Consultoria e Solucoes Ltda. January 25, 2022 (Effective Date). NI 43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource for the Cerrito Gold Prospect, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Prepared by VMG Consultoria e Solucoes Ltda. May 31, 2022 (Effective Date).

About Lavras Gold Corp.

Lavras Gold Corp. is a Canadian exploration company focused on realizing the potential of its LDS Project situated in a highly prospective gold district in southern Brazil. The LDS Project is located near the town of Lavras do Sul in Rio Grande do Sul, in Rio Grande do Sul State of Brazil and is primarily an intrusive hosted gold system of possible alkaline affinity. More than 24 gold prospects centred on historic gold workings have been identified on the LDS Project properties, which span more than 23,000 hectares. For more information on Lavras Gold visit www.lavrasgold.com .

On Behalf of Lavras Gold Corp.

"Hemdat Sawh"

Interim CEO and CFO

Disclaimer: Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward looking statements: This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively "forward looking statements"). 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, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties, including regarding the Company's plans to carry out work, complete a technical report and a PEA. 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.

Table 2. Diamond drill hole data for Fazenda/Butia for 13 holes drilled since September, 2025

Drill Hole Easting Northing Elevation (metres) Azimuth (Degrees) Dip (Degrees) Start Depth (metres) Final Depth (metres) 25_BT_063 218191 6586513 382 200 -60 0 354.86 25_BT_064 218113 6586447 390 200 -60 0 369.54 25_BT_065 218137 6586379 395 290 -60 0 345.79 25_BT_066 218031 6586564 371 0 -90 0 401.71 25_BT_067 218277 6586588 373 110 -60 0 186.51 25_BT_068 218115 6586588 367 200 -60 0 391.32 25_BT_069 218331 6586625 372 290 -60 0 142.43 25_BT_070 217985 6586535 375 200 -60 0 214.34 25_BT_071 218244 6586554 381 110 -60 0 102.33 25_BT_072 218245 6586550 366 20 -60 0 139.51 25_FP_046 217550 6586811 380 110 -60 0 607.09 25_FP_047 217553 6586810 381 260 -60 0 483.99 25_FP_048 217934 6586557 376 200 -60 0 318.45

Table 3. Results for all diamond drill intersections Fazenda/Butia for 13 holes drilled since September, 2025
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2026) - Mogotes Metals Inc. (TSXV: MOG) (FSE: OY4) (OTCQB: MOGMF) ("Mogotes", or the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement through the issuance of 71,698,113 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.265 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$19,000,000 (the "Offering").

Each Unit shall be comprised of one common share (each, a "Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.53 per Common Share for a period of three (3) years from the closing of the Offering. The gross proceeds from the sale of the Units will be used for general corporate and working capital purposes.

The Company welcomes the participation of CD Capital Fund IV L.P. ("CD Capital"), which, has subscribed for C$15,000,000 of the Offering, resulting in CD Capital becoming a significant shareholder on completion of the Offering. In connection with the strategic investment, Carmel Daniele will join the board of directors of the Company.

Founder & CEO of CD Capital, Carmel Daniele, an investor with a strong track record in the minerals industry, has launched four Private Equity funds, raising over US$1 billion in long-term patient capital, predominantly from leading North American institutional investors, including endowments and foundations, family offices and pension funds. CD Capital develops projects globally in minerals critical to the data revolution, the greening of the planet and fertilizers essential to feeding the world's population. CD Capital has a unique focus on partnering up with management teams that have a strong track record in successfully developing projects globally, including; Peru, Argentina, Chile, Canada, Finland, Greenland and Australia.

Carmel Daniele and the CD Capital team identified the potential in the Filo del Sol project early and prior to its high-grade Aurora Zone discovery (FSDH041 returned 858m at 0.86% Cu; 0.70g/t Au; 48.1g/t Ag from 188m depth)1. CD Capital took a strategic stake in Filo Corp back in 20202 enabling an expansion program of drilling to define deeper sulphide mineralisation. The Filo del Sol project, which is the neighbour of the Mogotes Filo Sur Project, has since gone on to significant exploration success as the World's largest greenfield copper discovery of the last 3 decades3.

Carmel Daniele, who will be joining the board of directors of Mogotes in connection with this investment, previously served on the board of directors of Filo Corp (acquired by BHP and Lundin Mining for a valuation of C$4.5B), and currently serves on the board of Lundin Gold (market capitalization over C$27B at time of press release).



Mogotes looks forward to working closely with Carmel and the CD Capital team leveraging its combination of long-term patient institutional capital and sector expertise, to unlock value from the Filo Sur project.

In connection with the strategic investment, the Company has entered into an investor rights agreement with CD Capital. Under the terms of the investor rights agreement CD Capital has been granted: (i) a pre-emptive right to participate in any equity financing on the same terms as other investors to preserve its existing ownership stake while it holds 5% or more of issued shares of the Company; (ii) a top-up right to purchase additional shares whenever conversions or property-related share issuances dilute its stake by 2% or more; (iii) an additional subscription option, exercisable at any time within five years, to increase its holdings to up to 19.9 % of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company; and (iv) the ongoing ability to nominate one director to the board of directors of the Company, for so long as it holds 5% or more of issued shares of the Company.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering in Canada and the United States will be subject to a hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance and the resale rules of applicable securities legislation. Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, all securities to be issued pursuant to the Offering in jurisdictions outside of Canada and the United States pursuant to Ontario Securities Commission Rule 72-503 - Distributions Outside Canada will not be subject to any statutory hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws. The closing of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities in the United States. 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 state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Qualified Persons

The scientific and technical disclosure for the Filo Sur project included in this news release have been reviewed and approved by Stephen Nano who is the Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Nano is a Director and Technical Advisor of the Company.

Note that the Qualified Person has not verified the information regarding adjacent properties such as Filo del Sol and that the information regarding the mineralization of the Filo del Sol project is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on the Filo Sur project.

About Mogotes Metals Inc.

Mogotes Metals Inc. is a mineral exploration company exploring for copper and gold in the prospective Vicuna district of Argentina and Chile. Mogotes flagship project, Filo Sur, adjoins the large Filo del Sol Copper-gold-silver discovery, and is along the same N-S trending belt as the Filo Del Sol - Aurora and NGEx Minerals Lunahuasi and Los Helados copper-gold deposits. The Company cautions investors that mineralization hosted on nearby or adjacent properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on Filo Sur.

Follow Us

X: https://x.com/mogotesmetals

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 contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

1 Source, Filo Corp press release from May 2021: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/filo-mining-reports-858m-at-1-80-cueq-discovers-new-high-grade-feeder-zone-at-filo-del-sol-882143075.html

2 Source, Filo Corp press release from September 2020: https://news.cision.com/filo-corp-/r/filo-mining-corporate-update,c3186302

3 Source: https://lundinmining.com/news/lundin-mining-announces-initial-mineral-resource-a-123197/
The Sami Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in Finland handed over its final report on December 4, 2025, to the Government of Finland, the Sami Parliament in Finland, and the Skolt Saami Siida Council (representing the Skolt Sami population). The biggest news in the context of publishing the report was Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's announcement that he sees that Finland should offer a state apology, which should be "comprehensive and worthy".

In line with the TRC's mandate, the 700-page report includes 68 proposals and points of action. Acknowledging that the state of Finland was established on the territory of two peoples, the Sami and the Finns, the TRC recommends that a unit coordinating Sami affairs, headed by a State Secretary for the Sami, should be established in the Prime Minister's Office. The role and responsibility of this unit would be to support the preparation and implementation of policies concerning the Sami in Finland.

The report lays bare that Finland has two sets of policies regarding the Sami. On the one hand, the state has recently established initiatives to strengthen Sami rights, as exemplified by the establishment of the TRC. On the other hand, the economic, industrial, security, and political takeover of the Sami area continues, and Finland has still not adopted the UN International Labour Organization's Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (ILO 169) nor implemented the Nordic Sami Convention, which seeks to assert the existing rights in the whole Sami region. These double standards undermine the trust between the Sami and the state, and the report recommends that Finland acts on both conventions.

The TRC recommendations thus draw attention to historical and ongoing juridical and structural injustices regarding the relations between the Sami and the Finnish state. To support the process of implementing and living up to the recommendations, the government has appointed a parliamentary follow-up group, chaired by former Social Democratic prime minister Antti Rinne. Notably, this follow-up group does not currently include Sami representation.

Internal and external turbulences

The report concludes a four-year process. The five-member commission, comprising both Sami and non-Sami members, has held hearings with almost 400 Sami individuals and published 25 special reports on various facets of state-Sami history and current relations. The Finnish commission is one of three commissions in the Nordic countries treating state-Sami relations: the TRC in Norway reported in 2023, and the truth commission in Sweden is set to report by October 2026.

Finlands TRC has seen some turbulence with the resignation of two of its members (one for personal reasons, the other due to disagreements about the scope, funding and tasks of the commission) as well as regarding a proposed legislation on who can vote in the Sami Parliamentary elections, which risked overshadowing the process. The Finnish Parliament passed the new law on the voters' register in June 2025, after an earlier attempt turned into an intra-governmental conflict before it failed in 2022. The report acknowledges the value of the reformed law as a prerequisite for continued discussions toward reconciliation.

In the opening words for handing over the report, the chair of the commission Hannele Pokka underscored that the Arctic context is very different now from 2021, when the commission first began its work. International conflicts and Finland's NATO membership have led to an acceleration of military activity and rehearsals in the Sami areas of northern Finland. One of the TRC 25 special reports pointed out that, in the process of Finland's NATO membership, the Sami Parliament and the Sami have not been consulted as the Finnish constitution would require.

The Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on the planet, and climate change affects Sami livelihoods from reindeer herding to fishing. Northern Finland is the site for several planned energy and mining projects. How projects of national security and green transition are balanced with Sami rights will be key for the future development of the relationship between the Sami and the government. These are just two of the many challenges that loom over the future of state-Sami relations, henceforth negotiated in the post-TRC landscape.

Making sure the issue is not forgotten

The TRC notes a structural lack of knowledge among Finns about Sami culture and livelihoods. The report recommends that Sami content be increased in teachers education and in the curricula of basic and secondary education.

The report also proposes that the three Nordic states work transnationally to provide Sami-language education and healthcare services. The report also suggests that the unit of psychosocial support established for the TRC hearings be made permanent so that mental health challenges can be addressed through support and services to the Sami, including in the changing cultural and environmental landscape.

To strengthen traditional Sami livelihoods, the proposal calls on the government to amend legislation on forestry, reindeer husbandry, and salmon fishing in the Deatnu River between Finland and Norway to better reflect Sami traditions and livelihoods.

By the concrete, detailed way the recommendations are formulated, the TRC seeks to prevent them from disappearing from the political agenda. Binding the parliamentary groups to the implementation phase of the process through the parliamentary follow-up group is an attempt to ensure the issue does not fall outside political discussions.

A panel of Finnish MPs discussing the proposals after the formal handover of the report unanimously supported the idea that the proposals outlined in the report should be followed up on and not set aside or forgotten amid a hectic political landscape. But when claims to strengthen and extend Sami rights collide with political, economic, and military considerations, it remains to be seen to what extent these promises translate into concrete action and legislation.
Xi meets Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin

Xinhua) 15:46, January 05, 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to strengthen strategic communication with Ireland, deepen political mutual trust and expand pragmatic cooperation to benefit the peoples of both countries and add momentum to China-EU relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin in Beijing. The Irish prime minister is on an official visit to China from Jan. 4 to 8.

Both China and Ireland cherish peace, embrace openness and inclusiveness, and strive for self-reliance and progress, Xi said, adding that the Chinese and Irish people won national independence and liberation through struggles and are advancing toward modernization through sustained efforts of successive generations.

Since the establishment of the China-Ireland strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation in 2012, bilateral trade volume has quadrupled, with a balanced development in mutual investment, he noted.

Xi said the two countries should maintain friendly exchanges at multiple levels and across diverse fields, continuously enhance communication and mutual understanding, accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, consolidate political mutual trust, and solidify the political foundation of bilateral relations.

Over the next five years, China will continue to promote high-quality development and expand high-standard opening up. Xi said China is willing to strengthen economic and trade cooperation with Ireland, align development strategies in fields such as artificial intelligence, digital economy, and medicine and healthcare, promote two-way investment, leverage each other's strengths, share opportunities and pursue common development.

The two sides should enhance cooperation in education, culture and tourism to foster greater people-to-people affinity, and China welcomes more Irish youth to come to China for study and exchanges, Xi said.

In a world beset with changes and chaos, unilateral and bullying acts are severely undermining the international order, Xi said. All countries should respect the development paths chosen by the peoples of other nations, and abide by international law as well as the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, he said, stressing that major countries should particularly take the lead in doing so.

As China and Ireland support multilateralism and advocate international fairness and justice, the two countries should strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs, and jointly maintain the authority of the United Nations and make the global governance system more just and equitable, he said.

Xi said China and the EU should bear the long-term picture in mind, uphold the positioning of partnership, and view and handle differences objectively and rationally to work for win-win cooperation.

As Ireland will hold the rotating EU presidency in the second half of this year, China hopes Ireland will play a constructive role in promoting the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations, the Chinese president said.

Highlighting a profound and long-lasting friendship between the two countries, the Irish prime minister said Xi's successful visit to Ireland in 2012 had laid a solid foundation for the development of the Ireland-China strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation in recent years.

Martin said Ireland firmly adheres to the one-China policy, and is committed to developing the strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Ireland is willing to deepen cooperation with China in trade, investment, science and technology, biomedicine, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, education and other fields, he said.

Martin commended China's indispensable and important role in international affairs and its positive contributions to upholding the authority of the UN and promoting world peace.

He said that any international dispute should be settled in conformity with international law, and Ireland is willing to maintain close communication and coordination with China, safeguard international law, uphold free and open trade, and promote world prosperity and stability.

Noting that the stable development of EU-China relations is of great significance, Martin said the Irish side is willing to play a constructive role in promoting the healthy development of EU-China relations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)




PRESS STATEMENT

SUSTAINED CAMPAIGN OF VIOLENCE AGAINST BABU OWINO

I wish to inform the public of a disturbing incident that occurred yesterday, which I consider a direct attack on my person and a grave threat to my life.

Yesterday afternoon, a friend of mine who is a senior clergyman invited me for a meeting at a popular restaurant along Lenana Road in the Kilimani area.

Having released my security detail for the Christmas holidays, I drove myself to the venue and arrived at approximately 3:40 p.m.

We held our discussions for about twenty minutes, after which I stood up to leave.

As I was departing, I noticed a group of people known to me seated at an adjacent table.

Out of courtesy, I approached the table and greeted those present, including the MCA for Kileleshwa Ward, Hon. Robert Alai.

Without provocation, he accused me of being behind alleged social media attacks on his wife.

I calmly explained that I do not know his wife, that she has never wronged me in any way, and that I have no reason whatsoever to involve innocent family members in politics.

It is not my style to advance my politics by attacking women.

I hold out respected ladies in the highest regard.

I further pointed out that I do not even engage him personally, and therefore could not have engaged his wife.

At that point, Hon. Alai became aggressive, pushed me, drew a pistol, and struck me on the chest and jaw with it, all in full view of patrons at the establishment.

I stood my ground and urged him to calm down, asking him to explain what wrong I had committed to warrant such a violent reaction.

He appeared to cool down, and we briefly sat, with another person positioning himself between us.

Moments later, he again turned hostile, picked a glass of water from the table, and poured it on my face.

By then, a crowd had gathered, disturbed by his conduct.

Upon witnessing this escalation of affairs, and wishing to avoid any physical confrontation, I then immediately left the premises and proceeded to Kilimani Police Station, where I reported the matter.

I take this incident very seriously.

It was an unprovoked attack on my person, motivated by my political stand, and constituted a clear threat to my life.

I hereby call upon the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take appropriate action in accordance with the law.

This forms a clear pattern of physical harassment, threats and attacks that began upon the demise of our beloved Baba.

Kenyans will recall that goons were organized by the Government to attack me during that burial in Siaya - a threat that I braved due to the love I had for Baba.

As leaders, we are expected to set an example for society.

Some of us have come a long way and know better.

However, our calm should never be mistaken for fear.

We will always stand our ground in defence of our lives, our dignity, and the rule of law.






Sunday, January 04, 2025 - A troubling CCTV recording has surfaced, capturing the horrifying moment a Kenyan man was stabbed during an altercation in Melbourne, Australia.

The footage, obtained by 7News Australia, shows two men - friends who had arrived together at a Clyde residence on December 22 - arguing intensely in Swahili and Kikuyu outside the property.

Within seconds, the verbal dispute escalated into a violent confrontation that ended with 36-year-old Francis Muteru Githinji suffering deep stab wounds to the stomach.

Witnesses described scenes of panic as friends and bystanders scrambled to rush the bleeding victim to hospital.

But in a shocking twist, tragedy compounded the chaos when the car carrying Githinji crashed en route.

He had two wounds in the stomach that looked so deep, and he had blood all over, one eyewitness recounted.

Emergency services later airlifted Githinji to hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.

His alleged attacker, also a Kenyan national, is now facing murder charges.

Neighbours revealed Githinji had lived in Melbourne since 2016.

While reports suggest the suspect had rented the property and was behind on rent and bills, police have not confirmed whether financial disputes triggered the deadly confrontation.

Watch the video>>> below

Kenyans in the news in Melbourne, Australia pic.twitter.com/AkzhDLWa2P  DAILY POST  (@dailypost_ke) January 5, 2026

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Sunday, January 04, 2025 - Embakasi East Member of Parliament, Babu Owino, has claimed that he was violently confronted by Kileleshwa Ward Representative, Robert Alai, at a Nairobi hotel on Saturday, January 3rd.

In a statement shared on Facebook, Owino narrated that he had driven himself to a restaurant along Lenana Road for a meeting with a clergyman.

After concluding their discussion around 4:00 p.m, the MP said he approached a nearby table occupied by acquaintances to exchange pleasantries, unaware that Alai was among them.

According to Owino, the MCA immediately accused him of orchestrating online attacks against his wife through loyalists.

Without provocation, he accused me of being behind alleged social media attacks on his wife, Owino stated.

He added that his attempts to explain calmly were met with hostility.

The legislator alleged that Alai escalated the confrontation, pushing him before drawing a pistol and striking him on the chest and jaw in full view of patrons.

Owino insisted that he has never targeted women in politics and denied any involvement with Alais family.

Although Alai briefly calmed down after intervention from others, Owino said the MCA later poured water on his face, prompting him to leave the premises.

He proceeded to Kilimani Police Station where he lodged a formal complaint.

The MP linked the incident to his political stance against the current regime, claiming it reflects broader hostility he faces within ODM.

Owino has previously alleged that attacks were planned against him during the funeral of Raila Odinga last October.

He further suggested that his dissent may cost him the partys ticket in a future bid for Nairobi governorship.

Owino has urged investigators to thoroughly probe the matter and take appropriate action against Alai, warning that political disagreements should not spill into violence.

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Sunday, January 04, 2025 - A fierce war of words has erupted within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) after Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna accused Suna East MP, Junet Mohamed, of misappropriating funds meant to pay election agents during the 2022 General Election.

Speaking on Saturday, January 3rd, Sifuna alleged that Junet pocketed money provided by former President Uhuru Kenyatta meant to pay agents, weakening ODMs campaign machinery.

He claimed this failure contributed to the partys defeat.

Others freely benefited from Uhuru Kenyattas money and as Secretary General, I know this well.

A large portion of the funds we used for the campaign came from Uhuru.

But now, one reckless person has suddenly decided that Uhurus money is somehow wrong, Sifuna charged.

Junet swiftly dismissed the accusations, describing Sifuna as acting on Uhurus behalf within ODM.

He insisted that the funds never passed through him or party structures, but were instead released by Uhuru to his brother, Muhoho Kenyatta, who appointed Peter Mburu to oversee recruitment and payments.

Junet claimed Mburu presented himself as an IT expert capable of safeguarding results, yet no agents were deployed in critical regions.

To reinforce his argument, Junet pointed to Mburus continued association with Uhuru, citing his recent travel with the former President and Wiper leader, Kalonzo Musyoka.

He further alleged that logistical decisions were centralized in a restricted Westlands office controlled by Muhoho, inaccessible even to Raila Odinga.

Junet rejected claims of betrayal, noting Railas trust in appointing him Leader of Minority in the National Assembly.

For years, I handled delicate assignments with fidelity and diligence, he said, while challenging Uhuru, Muhoho, Mburu, and Sifuna to publicly account for the agents funds.

The clash comes days after Junet criticized Sifuna for apologizing to Uhuru during the burial of veteran politician, Cyrus Jirongo.

Junet has since styled himself as spokesperson of the Washenzi faction within ODM, insisting that the party thrives best in opposition.

The escalating feud underscores deep divisions within ODM over its 2022 defeat, with senior figures trading accusations over campaign financing and loyalty.





The Kenyan DAILY POST






Sunday, January 4, 2026 - A social media post has sparked debate after a man publicly claimed that a beautiful Kikuyu lady had poor personal hygiene during an alleged visit to his house.

According to the mans post, he had invited the woman for an overnight fun, expecting to have a good time, but said the experience did not turn out as he had anticipated.

Check out his post.

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Sunday, January 04, 2025 - The Kenyan diaspora community in America is mourning the mysterious death of Eric Mutuma Kaithula, a resident of Maple Valley, Washington.

The 46yearold father of one, who vanished in October 2025 under mysterious circumstances, was discovered lifeless in a hotel room in Kent, Washington, after weeks of desperate searching.

His disappearance had sparked widespread appeals across social media, diaspora groups, and family networks, with loved ones clinging to hope for a safe reunion.

Instead, the New Year has opened with heartbreak, unanswered questions, and a community mourning one of its own.

Authorities have yet to release full details surrounding the cause of death, leaving friends and family grappling with uncertainty.

We are filled with numerous questions but only God has the answers.

In this difficult time, we humbly request prayers and financial support to assist the family, a statement from the family read.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
By Rebecca Black and Bairbre Holmes, Press Association

A series of killings 50 years ago has been remembered as 24 hours of evil.

Alan Black, 82, who was the sole survivor of the Kingsmill massacre in south Armagh, described it as a sin against humanity.

He was speaking ahead of a roadside service to remember those killed in an ambush by republican terrorists outside the village of Whitecross on January 5th 1976.

Eugene Reavey with pictures of his brothers Anthony, John Martin and Brian who were killed by a loyalist murder squad in 1976 (David Young/PA)

Ten Protestants were killed the day after six men from two Catholic families were murdered.

On January 4th the UVFs Glenanne Gang shot brothers John Martin Reavey, 24, and Brian Reavey, 22, who lived near Kingsmill.

A third brother, Anthony, 17, died several weeks later from his injuries.

Minutes after the Reaveys were attacked, the UVF gang burst in on a reunion of the ODowd family and killed brothers Barry, 24, and Declan, 19, and their uncle Joe, 61.

No one has ever been convicted over the killings.

Secretary of State Hilary Benn said his thoughts were with all the families.

My thoughts today are with the victims and the families of the Kingsmill Massacre, and with the Reavey and ODowd families, in marking 50 years since these horrific killings which caused such deep pain and suffering, he said in a post on the social media network X.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said her thoughts this week are with all the victims families and with Mr Black.

My thoughts today are with the victims and the families of the Kingsmill Massacre, and with the Reavey and O'Dowd families, in marking 50 years since these horrific killings which caused such deep pain and suffering.  Hilary Benn (@hilarybennmp) January 5, 2026

It remains deeply regrettable that no one has been held responsible for these attacks to date and I would like to commend the victims families for their unwavering courage and determination in their quest for truth and justice, she said.

I call on anyone with information relating to the attacks to contact the authorities.

Mr Black and the families of those killed gathered at the roadside on Monday morning to remember them 50 years on.

May Quinn, whose brother Robert Walker was killed at Kingsmill, said they feel they know nothing more than they knew at the time 50 years on.

Its all swept under the carpet, I dont know if well get justice, we didnt at the time, we didnt at the inquest, she said.

But someday somebody might think we should get justice and let us have it.

I hope the ones that did it, that are living, think of us that are here today, and think of what they did that night, and know that not a member of our family, and Im the last of them, there were five of us, would touch another person.

My brother had 19 bullet holes in him, even when they got them on the ground, they finished them off.

I hope the ones that did it, that are living, think of us that are here today, and think of what they did that night May Quinn

They are not finished with yet, the ones who did it. God is the final judge, and hell judge them, not me.

Earlier, Mr Black said all the community in Bessbrook remained close despite the sectarian horror.

That 24 hours was a sin against humanity, the evil that was perpetrated against the ODowds, the Reaveys, and then to us, the only way you can describe it is evil, Mr Black told the BBC.

But if they thought for one moment that it had the potential to destroy community relations here in Bessbrook  which were always excellent  the opposite became true.

There were Catholic neighbours that rallied around me, rallied around the other families.

So if the intention was to drive a rift between the people in Bessbrook, it just did not work and Im so proud of that, I really am.

In other scenarios it may have put a rift between the people, but it didnt and that holds true to this day.

Mr Black, who was shot 18 times at Kingsmill, recalled talking to Anthony Reavey in hospital as they were being treated for their injuries.

Remembrance crosses at the Kingsmill memorial wall at the scene of the atrocity in Co Armagh (Niall Carson/PA)

Anthony was shot in the legs so he was in a wheelchair, he would wheel himself in and we would talk, he said.

We never talked about his brothers, we never talked about what happened at Kingsmill.

I think it was too close to both of us, but I think we had an empathy that we were two of a kind.

He was a lovely young lad, he had his whole life in front of him.

He added that Anthonys death weeks later felt like a sledgehammer blow because we were two of a kind.

The Kingsmills massacre came as the textile workers were returning from work.

Republican gunmen posing as British soldiers stopped their minibus and ordered them off.

The killers asked the occupants of the bus what their religion was and the only Catholic was ordered to run away.

Clockwise from top left: Joseph Lemmon, Walter Chapman, John Bryans, Kenneth Worton, Robert Walker, Robert Freeburn, Robert Chambers, John McConville, James McWhirter and Reginald Chapman (Niall Carson/PA)

The gunmen, who had hidden in hedges, forced the 11 remaining men to line up outside the van before opening fire.

Only Mr Black survived.

He said a religious service to remember the victims on Sunday had been very emotional.

Its a weird feeling, having all the relatives around me yesterday, and all being supportive of me, but Im sure it has crossed their mind, why could that not have been my husband, or my son, or grandad, but theyve been wonderful to me, he said.

It worried me at the beginning, I had to get away, I went to Scotland for a couple of years, me and my family, because my head was all over the place.

And then when I come home, I was sort of worried about the reaction from the families, because I didnt know whether they would resent me or not because I was still alive and their family member wasnt.

The opposite was true. Everyone welcomed me back to Bessbrook, they were so supportive of me down through the years.

Kingsmill survivor Alan Black (Brian Lawless/PA)

In 2024 a coroner described the massacre as an overtly sectarian attack by the IRA but did not name individuals suspected of involvement.

A watchdog report in April last year identified a series of failings in the original police investigation, including a wholly insufficient deployment of resources.

The 10 men who died were Robert Chambers, 18, John Bryans, 50, Reginald Chapman, 29, Walter Chapman, 35, Robert Freeburn, 58, Joseph Lemmon, 49, John McConville, 20, James McWhirter, 63, Robert Walker, 46, and Kenneth Worton, 24.
A WOMAN whose ex allegedly posted revenge porn, assaulted her in front of their children, and tried to strangle her with a bike chain was granted an interim protection order this week (18 December) by a judge who referred to the man as a vile man.

He is the father of my children, but no, I dont live with him, clarified the appellant, who appeared behind closed doors at Naas District Court, in the company of a social worker from Teach Tearmainn, the womens refuge.

Hes been sending intimate videos without my consent, and hes done this before, she said to the judge when asked why she was seeking the order.

When I went to the refuge he sent more intimate images, she alleged.

I have a letter here from Tusla showing concern for my kids because of the behaviour of their father. They have no problems with me."

Judge Desmond Zaidan began to show his concern as he started to read the letter.

The children are on a child protection list and we have extreme concern because of the fathers use of violence against the mother, he quoted.

There is serious domestic violence and substance, he continued.

He started assaulting you before you had the children? he asked.

I thought it was normal  he wouldnt let me go to the shops on my own  my family wouldnt support me because of him, but theres loads of support now because Im no longer with him, said the woman.

Both children have witnessed their father be violent with their mother, he continued reading, before commenting: Thats very damaging.

I see here serious abuse. Strangulation? asked the judge.

He took the chain off my sons bike and tried to choke me with it, she said.

And this is a pattern? asked the judge, to which she nodded.

Youre doing the right thing, and theyre young, but theyll move on, said the judge.

Ill grant you an interim protection order, he stated.

The woman then explained how she was now able to move on after signing off on a new house after a four year wait.

The judge then addressed the social worker: These videos need to be taken down, because this vile man is not just attacking their mother, but they will grow up and see this in the future if they ever looked up their mother.

My social worker is trying to get me into counselling, said the appellant, a move the judge approved of.

You wont forget, but you will learn to move on, and not go from abusive partner to abusive partner, he commented, before setting a date for a full hearing - to include his attendance  on 27 July.
By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association

Sister Brigid Reynolds, the co-founder and former co-chief executive of Social Justice Ireland, has died aged 82, the organisation said.

A statement said: Sr Brigids life and work serve as an example of dedicated commitment to human dignity, social justice and the common good.

Brigids steadfast advocacy combined academic expertise and moral conviction.

Born and raised on a farm near Mohill, Co Leitrim, Sr Brigid was educated with the Marist Sisters in Carrick-on-Shannon and graduated with a science degree from University College Dublin.

She entered the Marist Sisters Religious Order and worked as a teacher and lecturer in northern Nigeria.

She returned to Ireland in 1980 and a year later was recruited by the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI), where she spent 25 years leading its Justice Commission with Fr Sean Healy.

In 2009, the pair co-founded Social Justice Ireland, a secular organisation that focuses on social justice, sustainable development and equitable economic policies.

They ran the organisation together before retiring in 2023.

The following year Sr Brigid was awarded an honorary doctorate from South East Technological University (SETU) in acknowledgement of her lifelong dedication to social justice and the empowerment of marginalised communities.

She died on Saturday night, 10 days before her 83rd birthday.

The organisations chief executive John McGeady, said: Brigid made an indelible mark on social justice advocacy in Ireland.

Guided by a vision of society in which each persons dignity is honoured, Brigid was dedicated to addressing inequality, poverty and social exclusion.

We extend our heartfelt sympathies to Brigids sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews, and to the Marist Sisters.

Sr Brigids funeral will take place in Carrick-on-Shannon.

Professor Tony Fahey, chairman of the board of Social Justice Ireland, said: Brigid Reynolds was a leading member of that generation of men and women in the religious life in Ireland who, in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, brought a new energy, vision and range to the traditional Christian commitment to service of the poor and afflicted.

She combined the spirituality of a religious vocation with the warmth of a deep human sympathy and the energy, skill and practicality of a tireless social campaigner.
Kilkenny has retained its clean status, in 17th spot in the ranking of 40 towns and cities as set out in the latest litter survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter ((IBAL).

Sligo finished atop the IBAL table for the first time in a study which showed that city areas in particular cleaned up in 2025. Kilkenny, a former IBAL winner, has been consistently high-ranking, including finishing as high as second place in 2024, but last year saw a downturn.

The An Taisce report for Kilkenny said: "A good result for Kilkenny with no heavily littered sites and some sites just missing the top litter grade. The latter included High Street, the residential area of Beechlawn and the Bring Facility, New Park Shopping Centre. The wonderful grounds of Kilkenny Castle Park were sensitively presented and maintained  excellent with regards to litter. The Watershed Leisure Centre had some lovely features  picnic tables, welcoming planting at the entrance etc.

The number of towns deemed clean last year rose to 28, with Sligo finishing ahead of Leixlip, Westport and Monaghan. An Taisce, who conduct the surveys on behalf of IBAL, lauded the winning town for its consistently strong performance in recent years.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE KILKENNY BUSINESS NEWS

Waterford reclaimed its customary accolade of Irelands cleanest city, ahead of Galway. Cork City Centre was also clean. While urban areas still dominate the lower reaches of the rankings, 10 of the 13 surveyed showed an improvement in cleanliness in 2025. Galvone in Limerick achieved clean status for the first time, having been branded seriously littered in past years.

The most pleasing finding of 2025 was the progress made in socially disadvantaged areas, explains Mr Horgan. Even areas at the foot of our rankings have significantly lower litter levels than a year ago. Dublin City Centre and North Inner City, while still littered, are cases in point. The investment being made by Dublin City Council seems to be already paying fruit, and we are set to see further progress in 2026 if the Council comes good on its promise of replacing bags with bins across the city. This could be a landmark year in the fight against litter.

There was a notable fall-off in the number of sites with large accumulations of litter or subject to dumping. This continues a very welcome trend weve seen in recent surveys and credit must go to local authorities for ridding our environment of these litter blackspots, comments Mr Horgan. This was the first IBAL survey where no bottle bank was deemed a litter blackspot.

The survey revealed that the Deposit Return Scheme continues to have a positive impact on the cleanliness of our towns and cities, with a 10% drop in the prevalence of cans and plastic bottles compared to the previous year. These two types of litter are now 60% less common than when the scheme was introduced in early 2024.

Coffee cups remained one of the most commonly found forms of litter and was evident in one fifth of all sites surveyed.

A real disappointment in a generally positive year has been the likely collapse of coffee cup schemes in towns such as Killarney, says Mr Horgan. It is apparent that such schemes will only work with statutory backing. As our data today bears out, without Government intervention coffee cups will remain an unsightly and entirely unnecessary blot on the landscape across our towns. The prevarication from Government on the issue is striking - a levy was promised all of four years ago  and sends out a worrying signal. Weaning ourselves off single-use coffee cups should not be such a big deal.

The prevalence of disposable vapes, which are set to be outlawed over the course of 2026, was unchanged.
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James Cox

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has doubled down on his criticism of Taoiseach Micheal Martin over his China trip and the Dublin Airport passenger cap.

In a wide-ranging, and expletive-laden, interview with the Irish Independent last week, Mr O'Leary expressed frustration with the Government.

While the Government has introduced legislation aimed at removing the 32 million passenger cap, Mr O'Leary expressed his doubts, and was critical of responses he has received from Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien.

On Monday, Mr O'Leary once again took aim at "Taoiseach Micheal 'Marco Polo' Martin" urging him "to stop wasting time getting his photo taken, and instead deliver on his year-old Government Programme, which promised to scrap the Dublin Airport cap 'as soon as possible'."

Mr O'Leary said: "Micheal 'Marco Polo' Martin claims his overseas tours deliver jobs - they dont. All they deliver is more photos of Micheal Martin glad handing world leaders, while nothing is done at home about real job creation, despite his Government's 20-seat majority."

Mr O'Leary then referenced a Sunday Independent poll which showed 66 per cent of readers in favour of scrapping the Dublin Airport passenger cap.

"Micheal 'Marco Polo' Martin promised to scrap this cap 'as soon as possible', yet 12 months later nothing has been done. He's too busy travelling the world getting his photo taken, while failing to deliver his Government Programme here at home. It's time for Micheal Martin to stop touring and start delivering, and a good place to start would be scrapping the illegal Dublin Airport cap before the end of January 2026.

"This will enable the airlines, led by Ryanair and US airlines, to add routes, services, and new jobs for summer 2026, and this might open up even more overseas travel opportunities for 'Marco Polo' Martin.

"January 2026 is the time for this 'Do Nothing' Taoiseach to deliver on his Programme for Government, and scrap the cap before the end of January, which would be 12 months after his Government with a 20-seat majority, promised to scrap it 'as soon as possible'."

Mr Martin's five-day state visit to China started on Sunday.
A LAOIS pensioner and cancer patient was refused grant aid to replace a gas boiler, according to Laois Independent Republican TD Brian Stanley.

Speaking during a recent Dail debate, Mr Stanley highlighted the pressure on households across Ireland to stave off mounting energy bills. "The cost of energy is putting huge pressure on households, with over 300,000 now in arrears with electricity bills."

During the debate, Mr Stanley expressed what he believes is the obvious reason for this state of affairs, privatisation of energy providers.

"Well, 25 years ago, it was 96% publicly owned. We had one of the cheapest electricity supplies in the European Union. Now, it is 25% publicly owned and 75% private. We have the third-to-fourth most expensive electricity in Europe. That is the first thing government TDs need to take on board instead of coming in here and complaining about private companies. Of course they are going to do what they do; they are set up to make profit. They are going to get as much as they can out of it," Mr Stanley said.

Doubling down on his criticism of the current governments approach, Mr Stanley highlighted the government hiking carbon tax twice this past year  once on 1 May 2025 for the national gas carbon tax (NGCT) and on 8 October 2025 with the carbon tax on petrol and diesel increasing from 63.50 to 71. Before returning to the woman whose case he cautioned as a dire fault of current policy, deputy Stanley made a point about the groups he believes the carbon tax hikes were really hitting: "It has turned out that the carbon tax is benefiting most those who can afford to buy a new electric car and get the grant or those who can do a major retrofit in their home. However, low-income households, often rural dwellers, are not getting the benefits from the carbon tax that is being collected. I want the minister to take that on board,' said Mr Stanley.

To underscore his criticism, he related the story of one of his own constituents, a woman he calls 'Sheila.' According to him, she is 67 years old, a cancer patient, lives alone and is on a non-contributory pension. Her house is 20 years old and in 2024 her gas boiler stopped working and she cannot replace it, as the 3,000 housing aid for older people grant that she is entitled to avail of is not available for those wanting to replace a gas boiler.

"She cannot get it from the community welfare officer because he says it is the job of the council and she cannot get it from the SEAI because there is a 25-month wait. The rule from the department says that it cannot be replaced with gas because it is fossil fuel, said Mr Stanley.

"I am not sure if it was the department officials or one of the ministers who decided this."
Doris Roberts autographs a sign during the Feb. 10, 2003, ceremony honoring her with a star on Hollywoods Walk of Fame.

Doris Roberts, a five-time Emmy winner best known for her work as Marie Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond, died Sunday in Los Angeles, a family spokeswoman confirmed to The Times on Monday.

The actress died peacefully in her sleep of natural causes, the family said. She was 90.

Doris Roberts had an energy and a spirit that amazed me, costar Ray Romano said in a statement. She never stopped. Whether working professionally or with her many charities, or just nurturing and mentoring a young, green comic trying to make it as an actor, she did it all with such a grand love for life and people, and I will miss her dearly.

Roberts was a part of the Raymond family from 1996 to 2005, but also counted an Emmy-winning turn on St. Elsewhere and credits on well-known 70s and 80s shows, including Remington Steele, Soap, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat and The Streets of San Francisco. She starred as Theresa Falco, mother to Donna Pescows title character on the show Angie, which ran for two seasons.

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Everybody Loves Raymond co-star Patricia Heaton tweeted: My wonderful TV mother-in-law and ELR nemesis Doris Roberts was a consummate professional from whom I learned so much. She was funny and tough and loved life, living it to the fullest. Nothing gave her greater joy than her three wonderful grandchildren, of whom she was so proud. It truly was a privilege Doris. I love you and miss you.

Everyone Loves Raymond show creator Phil Rosenthal said that although Roberts had been waning in the last few months she still had her fierce spirit until the end. She was taking acting classes right up to the end, he told The Times.  And really cared about being an actress and being professional. She was very dedicated to the craft. She was the real thing. She wanted to always stay sharp.

Recently, Rosenthal accompanied her to see Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett perform at the Hollywood Bowl. Lady Gaga couldnt believe she was getting to meet Doris Roberts! he said. We had dinner in the box, we drank, we watched the show and loved it.

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As for the footprint Roberts leaves behind, Rosenthal told The Times she will always be remembered as the rock of the show. She was fearless and fierce and strong, he said.

He added: I liked that she was a strong female character. Thats what people really responded to her. It was universal: that meddling mom.

Long before she became a sitcom icon as the ultimate Italian mamma, Roberts was a young actress trying to make a name for herself in New York in the 1950s.

I was a member of the Actors Studio, Roberts told The Times in a 2009 interview. Marilyn Monroe used to come to class. Martin Balsam was there. Anne Bancroft was there. Geraldine Page.

Roberts made her Broadway debut in a 1955 revival of William Saroyans The Time of Your Life, which closed after 15 performances. She played a hooker in a bar. Later that year, Roberts had a small role and understudied star Shirley Booth in the comedy hit The Desk Set.

She was nominated for 11 Emmys throughout her career. She won best supporting actress in a drama for St. Elsewhere in 1983 and four times for best supporting actress in a comedy for Everybody Loves Raymond. Among Roberts Emmy nods was one for her work on Remington Steele, and in 2003, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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After Raymond went off the air in 2005, she kept her status as a working actress, appearing in various TV series, plays and movies with credits running into 2016.

Desperate Housewives, The King of Queens, The Middle, Greys Anatomy and Law & Order: SVU were among her more recent TV credits.

In 2000, she told The Times, Im at the age now where I dont have to do anything. But I do have to see my grandchildren -- Kelsey, Andrew and Devon. She talked about taking them to amusement parks and to see The Lion King.

Sometimes what I do for fun with friends is go on a ramble, Roberts continued. Most of the time you have to plan for everything. My life is always planned. When you ramble, you choose north, south, east or west and you just go. And when you see something you like, you stop. It could be anything -- a flea market or restaurant. And if you find you dont like it, you can just leave. You come across extraordinary little villages in the middle of the mountains. Or you can go in another direction and youve got the ocean.

Truly the end of an era, Heaton said on Twitter, addressing her thoughts to her beloved Marie.

Roberts was born in St. Louis on Nov. 4, 1925, and grew up in New York. She was married to Michael Cannata from 1956 to 1962 and had one son, Michael Cannata Jr. William Goyen, a writer, was her husband from 1963 until his death in 1983.

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She is survived by her son, Michael Cannata Jr., daughter-in-law, Jane, and three grandchildren, Kelsey, Andrew and Devon Cannata.

Follow Christie DZurilla on Twitter @theCDZ.

Times staff writer Brenda Rodriguez and special correspondents Susan King and Robin Rauzi contributed to this report.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has personally called President Donald Trump to demand the release of captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whilst his allies in the Democratic Socialists of America launched a campaign calling the military operation an 'illegal war'.

The newly inaugurated democratic socialist mayor said during a press conference on Saturday that he spoke directly with Trump to register his opposition to the operation. 'I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act and to make clear that it was an opposition based on being opposed to a pursuit of regime change, to the violation of federal international law,' Mamdani said.

DSA Launches 'Hands Off Venezuela' Campaign

The Democratic Socialists of America, the political movement with which Mamdani is affiliated, released a lengthy statement demanding 'the return of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores to Venezuela'. The left-wing organisation is launching a 'Hands Off Venezuela' campaign to get what it calls the 'imperialist' United States out of the socialist, oil-rich country.

'Solidarity with the people of Venezuela! Solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution!' a separate DSA International Committee policy statement declares. In its statement on Maduro's removal, the DSA claims the Trump administration has started 'an illegal war' against Venezuela. 'This is a nakedly imperialist war to install a US puppet government that will give Venezuela's oil resources over to US corporations and to force US hegemony over Latin America,' the group's statement says.

I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City.



Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and  Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) January 3, 2026

'Act of War and Violation of International Law'

Mamdani said in a post on X that he was briefed on the US military capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, 'as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City'. 'Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law,' the mayor wrote.

The mayor later claimed the 'blatant pursuit of regime change' will directly affect New Yorkers and Venezuelans living in New York City. 'My focus is their safety and the safety of every New Yorker, and my administration will continue to monitor the situation and issue relevant guidance,' Mamdani continued.

DSA Demands Maduro's Return

The DSA statement likened the US military's action to the 'failed' war against Iraq, claiming it will only 'impoverish the people of Latin America'. 'Trump's war has nothing to do with drug trafficking. There is no substantiated evidence that high-level members of the Venezuelan government are narco-terrorists. Yet, the Trump administration is using this claim as the pretext for this illegal war,' the organisation stated.

The group issued a list of demands including a return of Maduro to Venezuela and restoration of diplomatic relations with Venezuela, an immediate end to 'military violence' against Venezuela and a total withdrawal of all US forces and operations from the Caribbean, and ending sanctions against Venezuela.

Maduro and his wife arrived in New York on Saturday evening and are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. They are expected to face an arraignment on Monday in Manhattan on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices, according to an unsealed indictment released by Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess  Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 3, 2026

Understanding Democratic Socialism and US-Venezuela Relations

The controversy highlights the deep ideological divide over US foreign policy in Latin America. Democratic socialism, the political philosophy embraced by Mamdani and the DSA, advocates for democratic political systems alongside socialist economic policies. Critics of the Venezuela operation, including legal scholars, have questioned whether the military action violated international law principles of sovereignty.

However, according to Cornell Law Professor Brian L Cox, the United States doesn't recognise Maduro as a legitimate head of state, which means the operation may not have violated the UN Charter. The controversy also underscores tensions between progressive politicians who view the action as imperialism and those who support removing what they consider an illegitimate narco-terrorist regime. Venezuela has been under US sanctions for years due to concerns over democratic backsliding, human rights abuses, and alleged involvement in drug trafficking under Maduro's leadership.

Originally published on IBTimes UK
Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez finds herself navigating treacherous political waters after US President Donald Trump warned she would 'pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro' if she does not cooperate with Washington's plans for the oil-rich nation.

The 56-year-old vice president assumed power on Saturday after Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered her to take the role of acting president for 90 days following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro during a predawn US military operation. Rodriguez, whom Maduro once described as a 'tiger' for her fierce defence of his socialist government, now faces mounting pressure from the Trump administration whilst simultaneously demanding her predecessor's immediate release.

From Activist Daughter to Venezuela's Most Powerful Woman

Rodriguez was born on 18 May 1969, in Caracas to a family steeped in left-wing revolutionary politics. Her father, Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, founded the Socialist League party in the 1970s and was killed whilst tortured in police custody in 1976.

A lawyer who graduated from the Central University of Venezuela in 1993, Rodriguez rose rapidly through Venezuela's political ranks over the past decade. She served as communications and information minister from 2013 to 2014, foreign minister from 2014 to 2017, and president of the Constituent National Assembly in 2017. Maduro appointed her vice president in June 2018.

Throughout her career, Rodriguez has been known for representing what late President Hugo Chavez called his socialist 'revolution' on the world stage.

Defiant Address Contradicts Trump's Claims

Hours after Maduro's capture, Rodriguez chaired a National Defense Council session surrounded by ministers and senior officials, where she condemned the US military operation as a 'blatant violation of international law and Venezuela's sovereignty.' Standing before the Venezuelan flag, she declared: 'There is only one president in this country, and his name is Nicolas Maduro.'

Her defiant stance directly contradicts Trump's assertion that Rodriguez would cooperate with Washington. The US president claimed on Saturday that Rodriguez had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and was 'essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again'.

However, in her televised address, Rodriguez struck a markedly different tone, stating: 'If there is one thing that the Venezuelan people and this country are very clear about, it is that we will never again be slaves, that we will never again be a colony of any empire, of whatever stripe.'

Trump Threatens Venezuela's New Leader

In an interview with The Atlantic published on Sunday, Trump issued a stark warning to Rodriguez. 'If she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,' the US president said.

Trump has announced that the United States will 'run' Venezuela for an unspecified period, deploying major US oil companies to invest billions in the country's 'badly broken infrastructure'.

Rodriguez, who also serves as Venezuela's minister for both finance and oil, developed strong ties with Republicans in the US oil industry and on Wall Street who opposed US-led regime change in Venezuela. Constitutional lawyer Jose Manuel Romano told CNN that Rodriguez is 'a very prominent figure within the Venezuelan government' who enjoys Maduro's 'full trust'.

Understanding Venezuela's Constitutional Crisis

The unprecedented situation has plunged Venezuela into a constitutional crisis with no clear resolution. Under Articles 233 and 234 of Venezuela's constitution, whether the president's absence is temporary or absolute, the vice president takes over presidential duties.

The constitution stipulates that a new election must be called within a month in the event of the president's absence, though it remains unclear whether this rule applies in such extraordinary circumstances involving foreign military intervention.

Venezuela's military has recognised Rodriguez as acting leader, with Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez endorsing the Supreme Court ruling. However, the opposition maintains that the 2024 elections were fraudulent and that former ambassador Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia is the legitimate winner, a position supported by several regional governments and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who won last year's Nobel Peace Prize.

Originally published on IBTimes UK
A candlelight vigil is planned to remember a woman killed in what authorities are describing as a murder-suicide incident at a West Bethlehem home.

The Lehigh County Coroners Office on Sunday afternoon identified the two people who died as 39-year-old Sarah Rice and 42-year-old Greg A. Johnson, both of Bethlehem.

Rice and Johnson both suffered gunshot injuries, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio said. Autopsy testing was conducted Monday. Buglio said the manner of death for each will be determined at the conclusion of the investigation.

Family and friends of Rice say the pair were not officially married, but were in a relationship for over two decades. They leave behind three children, ages 8, 4 and 2. Sarah Rice is additionally survived by her mother, Lori Rice, and three sisters, as well as a 24-year-old daughter.

In a GoFundMe fundraiser, Sarahs sister, Janelle Rice, said the community lost a beloved mother, daughter, wife, and friend to a senseless act of violence. As of 2 p.m. Sunday, $17,260 was raised by 264 donors toward a $150,000 goal.

I am humbly asking our village to come together and give whatever you are able to help provide this beautiful soul with a proper farewell, Janelle Rice said.

A vigil is planned for 7:30 p.m. Sunday outside the home, in the 200 block of 10th Avenue. It is being organized by family friend and neighbor, Alex Manessis.

Danielle Rau, a close friend of the Rice family who is participating in the vigil, told lehighvalleylive.com she expects over 200 people in attendance.

She was very well loved, Rau said of Sarah. Her whole life revolved around her children.

Sarah graduated from Liberty High School and worked as a sales associate at an area gas station. Friends say she enjoyed being a mother and planned trips to the beach, pool and amusement parks with her girls.

Bethlehem Area School District officials said in a Facebook post that the pairs children include two students in the school system. Support is being offered throughout the week for students and staff, the posting stated.

District officials called the deaths tragic and said, Our hearts are with them and all those affected during this incredibly difficult time.

On Friday, investigators discovered Rice and Johnson with gunshot wounds at the west city home. They were found in the basement along with a firearm, authorities said.

The safety, well-being, and privacy of all students are our top priorities, and the district is working to provide appropriate support, the districts posting said Saturday. The incident continues to be under investigation by the Bethlehem Police Department. Out of respect for the students and the sensitive nature of the situation, we will not be sharing additional details.

City police said authorities responded to the home at 10:15 p.m. Friday, following a 911 call made by an adult who had just dropped a child off at the house after a playdate.

The child entered the home, then returned outside and reported a serious issue had occurred inside, city police said.

Sarah Rice was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:22 p.m. Friday, city police said. Johnson was taken to St. Lukes University Hospital in Fountain Hill, where he was pronounced dead at 11:39 p.m. Friday.

At least two additional children and another older adult were home at the time of the incident, city police said. The adult is not a suspect and wasnt aware the gunfire happened, according to police.

The couples three children have since been placed in the care of family members, authorities said. Two of them were in the home, unharmed, and were safely removed by officers, police said.

Its unclear what led up to the incident. Bethlehem City Police Captain William Audelo on Sunday evening declined further comment on the case. Pamela Lehman, spokeswoman for the Lehigh County District Attorneys Office, was away from the office and couldnt immediately be reached for more details.

The incident continues to be investigated by the Bethlehem Police Department; the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force; the Lehigh County District Attorneys Office; and Lehigh County Coroners Office.
A male driver was injured in a collision Friday along Route 22 west in Bethlehem.

Trooper Nathan Branosky, public information officer with Pennsylvania State Polices Troop M, told lehighvalleylive.com the accident happened just after 1:50 p.m. Friday at mile marker 324.9 in Lehigh County.

It involved a 64-year-old male driver from Bethlehem operating a 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser that collided with a 2022 Lexus operated by a 37-year-old female driver from North Whitehall, he said.

The male driver was injured and taken to St. Lukes University Hospital in Fountain Hill for treatment. A condition was not immediately available Monday morning.

The female driver was treated at the scene by emergency workers for a minor injury, Branosky said.

The male driver is being cited for causing the accident, Branosky said.

Fridays accident continues to be investigated by Pennsylvania State Police in Bethlehem.
A Laois woman is now amongst the oldest living people in Ireland, and she has just celebrated her 107th birthday.

Born on New Year's Day, January 1, 1919, Sylvia Mathews is from Portarlington.

For recent years she been a much loved resident of St Martha's ward in the HSE's St Vincents' Community Nursing Unit in Mountmellick. Back in 2002 aged 102 she was the first person in a Laois nursing home to receive a Covid vaccine.

On Thursday, January 1 Ms Mathews was the centre of attention in St Vincent's again for her 107th birthday celebration, with an afternoon tea and birthday cake laid on for her in the therapies room.

Elaine Conroy is ward manager of St Marthas Ward, where Sylvia is a resident.

We celebrated Sylvia Mathews 107th birthday on January 1st which she enjoyed. It was a quiet occasion with residents and staff and some family members.

Staff, residents and some of her relatives came to celebrate with Sylvia, Elaine told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

She said they fondly refer to Ms Mathews "the queen".

She amazes us every day. She likes to have afternoon tea, and a sweet treat. She puts a smile on all our faces.

She has had some moments in the past year where we thought she was in decline but she pulls through every time. She is very alert, the manager said.

Sylvia Mathews has a son and daughter Stuart and Susan who live in the UK , along with several grandchildren.

Two years ago she celebrated her 105th birthday in truly grand style, in Emo Court.

Sylvia Mathews arriving at Emo House for her 105th birthday in 2024, with former Emo employee Frances Carroll and vintage car owner Tom Treacy.

Vintage car owner Tom Treacy from The Heath had kindly chauffeured her in style in his 1952 MG, from Mountmellick to the steps of Emo house, where she had been a frequent visitor and friend to the late owner Major Chomeley Harrison.

She was even present on the day that the Major formally handed the house and grounds to President Mary Robinson on behalf of the State. Sylvia keeps a photo of that day by her bedside.

On that birthday, Sylvia was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers as she took a trip down memory lane and made a toast to her dear friend Cholmeley in the house.

When asked how she felt about it all she replied with a smile "Isn't it marvellous?".

Sylvias commemorative coin from the new President of Ireland Catherine Connolly along with a letter of congratulations, had already arrived ahead of her birthday, her seventh since turning 100.

Read next: WATCH: Laois Rose of Tralee gets top marks on Dancing With The Stars

A new coin is designed for each year. Every Irish citizen who reaches their 100th birthday receives a gift of 2,540 from the State.

Ireland's oldest woman does not live too far from Laois. Nell Hynes who is from Coolderry in Offaly recently celebrated her 109th birthday at home with her family on December 18, 2025.
A Laois pensioner and cancer patient has been refused a heating grant after her boiler broke last year, TD Brian Stanley told the Dail earlier this month.

Speaking during a Dail debate on energy costs, Laois TD Brian Stanley declared that "the cost of energy is putting huge pressure on households, with over 300,000 households now in arrears with electricity bills."

Opening up the debate, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, acknowledged that there has been significant increases in the prices of energy for households and businesses since 2022.

The Minister told the assembly that he has requested the Commission for Regulation of Utilities to lead an independent review into the relationship between wholesale and retail energy prices through reviewing the competitiveness of Irish retail energy markets, examining supplier costs, including hedging and pricing practices, and providing comparative price analysis with other EU member states.

Deputy O'Brien went on to say that the Government has provided "significant targeted support to those people who most require help with their energy costs."

READ NEXT: Portlaoise GAA pays tribute to 'much loved' local man

However, Deputy Stanley disagreed with the comments by criticising the insufficiency of housing grants for older people.

Deputy Stanley said: "I want the Minister to address the fact the 'housing aid for older people grants' cannot be given to people to replace a gas boiler. I am not sure if it was the Department officials or one of the Ministers who decided this.

"I have a case of a woman who I will call Sheila. She is 67 years old and a cancer patient. She is living alone and is on non-contributory pension. She has a 20-year-old house. In 2024 her gas boiler stopped working.

"She cannot get the 3,000 grant from the council to replace it. She cannot get it from the community welfare officer because he says it is the job of the council and she cannot get it from the SEAI because there is a 25-month wait. The rule from the Department says that it cannot be replaced with gas because it is fossil fuel."

The Laois TD also criticised the level of privatisation in the industry and carbon tax being raised.

In response to Fine Gael TD Barry Ward's remarks about the rising cost of electricity despite the move towards renewals, Deputy Stanley said: "I was listening to Deputy Barry Ward complaining about the energy companies putting up the wholesale price - of course, they are doing it - and he wondered why electricity is getting so dear.

"Well, 25 years ago, it was 96% publicly owned. We had one of the cheapest electricity supplies in the European Union. Now, it is 25% publicly owned and 75% private. We have the third to fourth most expensive electricity in Europe."

He added: "That is the first thing Government TDs need to take on board, instead of coming in here and complaining about private companies. Of course, they are going to do what they do; they are set up to make profit. They are going to get as much as they can out of it."

Minister O'Brien had previously said that price setting by electricity suppliers is a commercial and operational matter for those companies.

In addition to this, the Independent Republican TD stated: "Government is increasing carbon taxes not once but twice a year and these hikes are having a huge impact on householders, small businesses and motorists, adding to the cost of living by putting up fuel prices. Of course, if fuel prices go up, everything else goes up.

"It has turned out that the carbon tax is benefitting most those who can afford to buy a new electric car and get the grant, or those who can do a major retrofit in their home. However, low-income households, often rural dwellers, are not getting the benefits from the carbon tax that is being collected."

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
The number of babies born in Portlaoise hospital rose slightly beyond the 1,400 mark, according to the latest figures from the HSE.

Figures provided by the HSE to the Leinster Express / Laois Live reveal a 2.5% rise in the number of deliveries at the Laois hospital by December 30 2025.

"There were a total of 1,405 births in Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise (MRPH) in 2025, up from 1370 births in 2024," said the HSE.

The busiest year for births in Portlaoise in recent times was during the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 1,541 babies were born at the Laois hospital in 2021. This fell back to 1,364 in 2022 and 1402 in 2023.

The HSE has not yet published the Maternity Safety Statements for November and December for the hospital, which is part of a maternity unit network with the Coombe Hospital in Dublin.

The October Maternity Safety Statement showed that nearly 40% of deliveries had been via Caesarean section year to date. A little more than four in ten first-time mothers delivered by C-section to the end of October.

Just over 37% of mothers were induced, with over 46% of first-time mums being induced in the months to the end of October.

The first baby of the New Year born in Laois was Anwen Davies, born at 5:37 a.m. on January 1, weighing 3.6 kg. She is the third child of parents Agata, from Poland, and Gareth Davies, from Wales, who live in Ballytore, Co Kildare. They already have two boys, Stefan and Eoghan.

There were seven babies delivered by staff at the Maternity Unit in the MRHP.

Portlaoise hospital provides acute-care hospital services including 24-hour Emergency Department service (ED) and a range of inpatient and outpatient general medical, surgical, obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatric services. It serves a population within the counties of Laois, Kildare, Carlow, Offaly and North Tipperary.

READ ALSO: 'Beautiful' baby Anwen is first arrival of New Year in Laois at Portlaoise hospital

MORE BELOW PHOTO

Pictured Agata Davies celebrates the arrival of her baby girl Anwen with Eileen Burke, Hospital Manager, Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise. Pics: HSE

The hospital is a Model 3 hospital and is currently part of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group. The HSE announced in 2017 a detailed plan to downgrade the facility, which would have seen the maternity unit closed. This was the result of a major controversy which engulfed the hospital's maternity unit in 2014.

READ ALSO: Laois hospital's new unit opens for flu fight

The controversy led to the partnership with the Coombe, which has become permanent. The downgrade was not implemented. The Government opted to reform and invest. Part of the investment involves an expansion of the ED to enhance respiratory and paediatric care in Portlaoise. This became operational at the end of 2025.
Irish actor Paul Mescal has said he will start rationing his workload to avoid resenting his career.

The 29-year-old, who shot to fame during the pandemic for his role as love interest Connell Waldron in BBC miniseries Normal People, based on the novel of the same name by Irish author Sally Rooney, has since starred in blockbusters such as Sir Ridley Scotts Gladiator II and booked the role of Sir Paul McCartney in the upcoming biopics by filmmaker Sir Sam Mendes.

Mescal, who also stars in two upcoming dramas, Hamnet and The History Of Sound, revealed that the growing film credits comes with a cost and that he may need to be more selective with his workload.

Speaking to The Guardian, Mescal said: Im five or six years into this now, and I feel very lucky. But Im also learning that I dont think I can go on doing it as much.

When asked if he is rationing himself, he said: I think so. Im gonna have to start doing that. For sure.

Rationing doesnt necessarily mean less.

It means learning that films like The History Of Sound take more out of the well. You cant keep going back and expect to consistently deliver something youre proud of.

Mescal plays Lionel in the film which follows his characters relationship with David (played by Josh OConnor) after the pair meet in 1917 at the New England Conservatory, and following the First World War, before travelling together to record folk songs in rural Maine in winter 1920.

He added: What that (career) rationing looks like, I dont know.

I miss being on stage, so I might have a time when Im only doing theatre for a couple of years. I also have different priorities in my personal life that I want to attend to.

I dont want to resent the thing I love. This sounds bold, but Id rather not be on the train if that is the choice.

Mescal, who is promoting Chloe Zhaos Hamnet, about William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, played by Irish actress Jessie Buckley, as they manage the grief of losing their son, added: Once Ive finished promoting that, I hope nobody gets to see me until 2028 when Im doing the Beatles.

People will get a break from me and Ill get a break from them.

Mescal will also make his National Theatre debut in 2027, staring in productions of A Whistle In The Dark and Death Of A Salesman.

It comes after he won an Olivier Award in 2023 for a stage adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire, before starring in Gladiator II as an arena fighter who tries to bring down two maniacal emperors.

He added: I loved the process of making that film but The History of Sound felt like home to me. Its where Im most comfortable. I want to make more films like that versus ones on the scale of Gladiator II.

Directed by Oliver Hermanus, The History Of Sound will be released in UK cinemas on January 23.
No mums appear to have been vying for the title of delivering the firstborn baby in Ireland of 2026 at the Maternity Unit in Portlaoise hospital, but there was delight nonetheless when the first new arrival (from Kildare) checked in at nearly 6 am on January 1.

The HSE issued a statement confirming the good news from the Dublin Road to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

The Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise is delighted to announce the arrival of the first Laois baby of the New Year. A beautiful baby girl, Anwen, was born at 5:37 a.m. on January 1, weighing 3.6 kg. She is the third child of proud parents Agata and Gareth Davies, who already have two wonderful boys, Stefan and Eoghan. Both mother and baby are doing well.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Agata and her family on this joyous occasion and wish them health and happiness in the year ahead, said the statement.

Anwen's mum hails from Poland and her dad is from Wales. They live in Ballytore, Co Kildare. The little girl was the first of seven births in the Portlaoise hospital on January 1.

The HSE also confirmed that there were a total of 1,405 births in Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise (MRPH) in 2025, up from 1370 births in 2024. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

Pictured: Mum Agatha with baby Anwen. Picture: HSE

READ ALSO: New Portlaoise hospital wing is active for flu fight in Laois

The latest Maternity Safety Statement for Portlaoise hospital shows that there were 1,193 by the end of October last year. This contrasts to 1,130 births at the Laois hospital to the end of October 2024.
Ireland has joined with six other European countries to condemn Israeli legislation targeting a United Nations aid organisation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the legislation includes measures to cut water, electricity and communications to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

It said this undermines the UN mandate, violates international law and is contrary to the findings of the International Court of Justice, while risking grave humanitarian consequences for the Palestinian civilian population and refugees.

People in #Gaza are still living in dire conditions. Their homes collapsed, their tents are torn, exposing them to the winter cold and rainwater. They urgently need more food, more medicine, more shelter supplies. Humanitarian aid is available. UNRWA and other aid pic.twitter.com/wZwQs6FeNd  UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 4, 2026

The joint statement was also issued by Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain.

They called on Israel to allow established international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to be permitted to operate in Gaza and that any deregistrations be halted.

It said NGOs constitute a significant part of all humanitarian and especially health services in Gaza and the West Bank and they are needed to confront the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and beyond.

The statement concludes: Respect for the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and for international humanitarian law is imperative.

The legislation passed by the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on December 29 was quickly condemned by UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, who described it as inconsistent with the status and international legal framework applicable to UNRWA and called for it to be immediately repealed.

Israel says the rules are aimed at preventing Hamas and other militant groups from infiltrating the aid organisations.
Schools in some counties could stay closed on Monday following the Christmas and New Year break as some counties deal with heavy snow and ice and Met Eireann weather warnings.

Met Eireann has issued a series of warnings including a Status Yellow snow-ice warning for Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Connacht and Louth.

The warnings says there will be "wintry showers with some snow accumulations, sharp or severe frost and ice also." They say impacts include hazardous Travel conditions and poor visibility. THe warning remains in place from 8am Sunday until 11am on Monday.

A nationwide Status Yellow low temperature warning also warns of some wintry showers elsewhere and widespread ice and frost on roads, leading to treacherous conditions for many. This warning remains in place until 11am on Monday.

Met Eireann says: "Temperatures falling to between -2 and -5 degrees generally. Sharp or severe frost and icy stretches. Black ice too."

This could leave the opening of schools in question but there will not be a blanket decision for the country or even in any one county.

READ NEXT: 'Severe frost' on the way as temperatures are set to drop to -4 this weekend

The Government has issued Be Winter Ready guidelines for schools, with decisions on closures left to the management of individual schools. That means there is a possibility that some schools will choose to close completely or early on Friday.

The Government advice says that the "decision to close a school or ELC rests with the settings management authority taking into consideration the full guidance and direction available from the principal response agencies, especially An Garda Siochana.

"Any decision to close is taken in the interest of child safety, having assessed the local risks and having consulted, as appropriate, with school transport operators.

Some of the issues that settings take into account include conditions in the setting itself; capacity of the setting to ensure the health and safety of children and students; ability of parents, students, staff and school transport services to safely negotiate; local road conditions to reach the setting; guidance and direction from the principal response agencies."

Specifically on weather events, the advice says: "Schools and ELCs should monitor weather forecasts in order to be prepared for any severe weather, which may affect the setting. During periods of severe weather, settings should assess the situation using the above guidance. Settings should be prepared, keep themselves informed and remain vigilant."

The advice continues: "It should be borne in mind that there may also be weather events, which may be fast moving with little warning. For example, consider the case of Storm Darwin in February 2014 where Met Eireann had issued a Status Red alert for the Cork and Kerry regions; however, on that occasion the weather moved rapidly across the southern half of the country affecting a number of other counties.

"There may also be Status Orange weather warnings that may require action to be taken because of the particular local circumstances, for example, in areas prone to flooding or areas located on the coast. Any assessment taken by the setting for actions necessary should be guided by local knowledge and experience and by way of advice from the principal response agencies."

With reference to rare Status Red weather warnings, the circular says: "All weather warnings of Status Red will require some action on behalf of settings. Schools and ELCs need to assess the potential impact of such weather events taking account of past experiences and in light of advice on the current event from the principal response agencies in their area.

"A Status Red weather warning for heavy rain may be particularly relevant if the local area is prone to flooding. A Status Red warning related to ice or snow, which may compact, may cause local issues due to the location of the setting and/or the routes taken to reach the setting.

"Schools and ELCs should note in particular Status Red weather warnings where strong winds or storm conditions are forecasted. Due to the high degree of unpredictability as to the impact of the weather associated with such a Status Red warning on local conditions, settings should use the following guidance to assist them in making their assessment.

"Status Red weather warning for wind related conditions may be given in advance of a setting opening or it may arise during the day while a school or ELC is underway."
Condolences and memories are being shared following the passing of a Leitrim woman described as a wonderful, kind, gentle lady.

Breda Sweeney (nee Hickey) of Drumlease, Dromahair passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by her loving family, on Sunday, January 4.

She was predeceased by her parents, Maurice and Nellie, and by her brothers Jim, Dick and John.

Breda will be deeply missed by her beloved husband Tommie, sons Eoghan and Tomas, sister Ann, cherished grandchildren Meabh, Helen, Niall, Anna, Tom and Patrick, daughters-in-law Josephine and Niamh, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Tributes and condolences have been shared on RIP.ie, where many recalled fond memories of Breda. Breda was a lovely lady to know both as a friend and a work colleague; always cheerful and optimistic. May she rest in peace, one condolence read.

READ NEXT: RIP: Tributes paid to Leitrim nun who co-founded Social Justice Ireland

Breda was such a lovely woman and always so friendly when we met out and about in Dromahair, said another.

Reposal is taking place at Fowleys Funeral Home in Dromahair today, January 5 from 5pm until 8pm. Bredas funeral Mass will take place on Tuesday, January 6 in St Patricks Church, Dromahair at 12.30pm, followed by burial in Creevelea Abbey New Cemetery.

We wish to offer our heartfelt sympathy on the loss of the lovely Breda. Always so kind and reassuring, another condolence read.

Breda was also fondly remembered for her time working in Dromahair Library. I have fond memories of chats with Breda when she worked in the library, one tribute said.

I have great memories of all the events she organised for children when she worked in the library. May her gentle soul rest in peace, recalled another.

READ NEXT: Leitrim councillor calls for more centralised approach to decisions on school closures
Families in Leitrim are being urged to come forward as part of a nationwide community appeal to remember Irish men and women who served with the **Irish Red Cross Hospital in St Lo in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Between December 1945 and January 1947, Irish doctors, nurses, orderlies and support staff travelled to the devastated French town to establish and run a fully functioning Red Cross hospital for the local civilian population. St Lo had been almost entirely destroyed during the Allied bombing of Normandy, leaving thousands without medical care, homes or basic services.

Among those who answered the call were nurses from Co Leitrim, including Moira McGriskin and A. McGriskin, whose service forms part of this extraordinary but often overlooked chapter of Irish humanitarian history.

Now, Catherine Gagneux, French Honorary Consul based in Galway, is appealing to familiesparticularly in counties like Leitrimto help reconnect these individual stories with the wider public. She is gathering photographs, letters, documents, memories and personal recollections for a forthcoming exhibition dedicated to the Irish Red Cross Hospital in St Lo.

Many families may know only fragments of these storiesthat a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle went to France after the warwithout realising the scale or significance of what they were part of. Others may have held onto quiet mementoes for decades: a Red Cross badge, a faded photograph, a diary entry or a letter sent home from Normandy.

This is very much a community project, Catherine said. Every small detail helps us honour the people who gave their time, skills and compassion to help strangers rebuild their lives after the war.

The appeal aims not only to document history, but to ensure that the individuals behind the uniformsmany from rural counties like Leitrimare remembered by name, face and story.

By coming forward, Leitrim families can help preserve a unique humanitarian bond between Ireland and France, and ensure that the legacy of compassion shown by Irish Red Cross staff in St Lo continues to be recognised and celebrated.

Anyone with information, memories or materialno matter how smallis warmly encouraged to get in touch. Contact: catherinegagneux@gmail.com
Building on significant growth in 2025, Dovida is expanding its team in Leitrim to meet rising demand for home support services.

Irelands leading home care provider, Dovida, is inviting people from diverse backgrounds to explore a rewarding new career in caregiving this year.

Dovida currently employs more than 4,000 professional caregivers who support thousands of people all across Ireland, including older adults and younger individuals living with a disability. As the need for home care continues to rise, the company is committed to recruiting, training, and supporting caregivers who want to make a meaningful difference.

The need for care and support in the home is growing as our society ages, and personalised home support services for people of all ages and abilities are preferred to residential care, Shane Jennings, Dovida Ireland CEO, said.

We are proud to be able to offer local jobs that empower people to live in their homes, connected to their families, friends, and communities and are committed to supporting people who want to transition to a career in care this year, he added.

READ MORE: RIP: Tributes paid to Leitrim nun who co-founded Social Justice Ireland

With flexible schedules, paid training, and clear progression pathways, Dovida offers opportunities for those seeking a career change that makes a difference.

Many of our caregivers joined from careers in retail, hospitality, or customer service, Bridget McGrath, General Manager, Dovida Leitrim, said.

They wanted work that fits their lifestyle and gives back to the community, and caregiving offers exactly that.

A lot of people also come to us having had previous experience caring for a family member and have realised this is something they have a passion for," she added.

Choice and flexibility

Dovida offers caregivers the opportunity to choose their hours around what best suits their lifestyle. Part-time, full-time and fixed-hour contracts with a minimum of 25 hours per week are available.

People in receipt of social welfare can apply to work a set number of hours, depending on the type of support they receive, and the company can also offer positions to individuals on General Work Permits.

People who need support from Dovida want to maintain autonomy over their life, to experience belonging, pursue happiness and find purpose. Our caregivers are key to ensuring that as many people as possible can do just that and often find their lives enriched by the experience as well, Bridget concluded.

Dovida welcomes applications from experienced health care professionals as well as those new to care and is committed to supporting them every step of the way. Anyone interested in pursuing a rewarding career in care is encouraged to visit https://dovida.ie/career/become-a-caregiver/ or call 1800 911 020.
Leitrim councillor Paddy O'Rourke has said that he believes that Taoiseach Micheal Martin needs to use his four-day official visit to China to be build on the success of Ireland's growing trade with the country that has a population 1.41bn and has the second largest economy in the world.

Mr Martin met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing at the start of a four-day official visit to China in the capital's Great Hall this week where the Taoiseach referenced the strong trade relationship between Ireland and China and called for more open trade between the countries.

RTE reported that President Xi said there should be increased co-operation between the countries in areas such as AI and the digital economy and they discussed Ireland's bilateral relationship with China, including economic ties, as well as broader EU-China relations.

READ MORE: Cold snap causes Leitrim school closures as weather warning extended by Met Eireann

Cllr O'Rourke said: "There was much made, a number of years back, about trying to break into the Chinese market with beef and pork and some success was enjoyed but with a population of that size, there has to be huge potential. I'm also reliably informed that the drinks industry has spent a lot of money marketing in China. Those are areas that I feel that the Taoiseach should be pushing hard. With all the changes that are coming down the track, we need to getting our products to those who can afford to buy them."

China is Irelands fifth largest trading partner, with total trade between the countries reaching 36 billion in 2023. The main drivers of trade from the Irish side are in the medical-equipment, pharmaceutical, computer-services and agri-food sectors.

READ MORE: Gallery: Leitrim Mummers light up Drumkeerin with festive parade

While in Beijing, the Taoiseach is also meeting Irish and Chinese business leaders, and representatives of 12 Irish colleges in the city.

Later in the week, he'll travel to Shanghai to meet the citys mayor and business groups in sectors such as tourism and food and beverages.
Leitrim Councillor James Gilmartin has called for a move to department-led decisions around school closures due to snow and other dangerous weather conditions.

The call came amid a number of Leitrim schools closing their doors today due to snow and ice and a yellow weather warning that is in place until 9am tomorrow.

I mean, something needs to change. Principals and supports and management are being put in impossible situations, he told Ocean FM.

Planning application submitted for upgrades to community centre in South Leitrim

At the moment, the decision to open or close schools on snow days is left to principals in the main, unless a government mandate comes down from the department.

A number of schools in Leitrim made the decision to close today including Glenfarne NS, Drumkeeran NS, Drumlease NS, St Brigids NS, St Josephs NS, St Clares Comprehensive School, Lough Allen College, Drumshanbo Vocational School, and Mohill Community College.

Gilmartin believes this approach needs to change.

I mean, if you look at the north of Ireland, the education authority there gives direct instructions to the schools that all schools follow a particular course of action and that takes responsibility off the schools because lets face it, it is very concerning as a principal  you may open a school and something hazardous could happen.

What we need is a centralised directive coming from the Department of Education that when we have these warnings, something follows suit and that removes any ambiguity and people know where they stand.

Gallery: Leitrim Mummers light up Drumkeerin with festive parade

He says that no one wants to see schools close, citing the difficulty it can cause to parents, but he highlights the need for safety concerns to come into play.

There are certain hierarchies at play here, and safety will always have to come first, so we are not talking about a bit of snow or a bit of wind  we are talking about pretty serious events that are deemed pretty serious by the department, by Met Eireann.
Chinese FM on Venezuela situation: China always opposes imposing one country's will on another

Xinhua) 08:10, January 05, 2026

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds the Seventh Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- China always opposes the use or threat of force, as well as any imposition of one country's will on another, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday when speaking of the situation in Venezuela.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks when holding the Seventh Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing.

Wang said the current international situation is more volatile and intertwined, with unilateral bullying becoming increasingly severe.

The sudden change of situation in Venezuela has drawn high attention from the international community, Wang said.

"We never believe that any country can play the role of world policeman, nor do we agree that any country can claim itself to be an international judge," Wang said, adding that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected by international law.

China is willing to work with the international community, including Pakistan, to firmly uphold the United Nations Charter, maintain the bottom line of international morality, adhere to the equality of all countries' sovereignty, and jointly safeguard world peace and development and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, Wang said.

On China-Pakistan relations, Wang said China hopes this visit will kick off the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Noting that China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership has become a crucial stabilizing factor in the regional and even global landscape, Wang said China is willing to work with Pakistan to implement the consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries in the new year, and advance the building of a China-Pakistan community with a shared future.

Dar has conveyed cordial greetings from the leaders of Pakistan to the Chinese leaders, and extended congratulations on the CPC's adoption of the recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan.

Dar said Pakistan is willing to work with China to carry forward the traditional friendship, enhance strategic alignment of their development plans, deepen practical cooperation, and advance the continuous growth of the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.

Pakistan reaffirms its adherence to the one-China principle and will continue to firmly support China on all issues concerning its core interests, added Dar.

Both sides agreed to unite the Global South to safeguard common interests, uphold the UN Charter, and oppose bullying acts that violate the sovereignty of other countries.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds the Seventh Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
China makes significant progress toward commercial application of autonomous driving

16:22, January 05, 2026 By Wang Haonan, Wang Xinyue ( People's Daily

A police officer installs the first official license plate dedicated to Level-3 autonomous driving to a vehicle. (Photo/Xu Chunyuan)

Under the winter sun, a white sedan steadily navigated the Beijing-Taipei Expressway. As Wang Yan, chief engineer of a Level 3 (L3) autonomous driving pilot program at Chinese automaker Beijing Automotive Group Co., Ltd. (BAIC Group), pulled a control stalk, the adaptive cruise control mode was activated, and a blue indicator illuminated on the dashboard of the BAIC Arcfox Alpha S (L3 Edition).

"The vehicle has entered L3 autonomous driving mode," Wang explained. "The driver can remove their hands from the steering wheel and their feet from the brake pedal."

Wang noted that the indicator activates only on designated pilot sections, signaling that the vehicle meets the conditions for autonomous driving. "In these sections, the vehicle can steer, accelerate, and decelerate autonomously within a single lane," he added.

On Dec. 15, 2025, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology granted road approval for two electric sedan models equipped with L-3 autonomous driving capabilities, in the first time it has allowed such vehicles to operate on public roads in Beijing and Chongqing. This marked a critical step toward the commercial application of L3 autonomous driving in China.

According to the standards for automated driving levels set by the Standardization Administration of China, driving automation is classified into six levels, from L0 to L5. While L2 refers to partial automation, L3 denotes conditional autonomous driving.

"Currently, most vehicles equipped with L2 systems on the market provide partial automation on expressways and urban roads," said Song Chaosheng, a professor at Chongqing University.

"L2 remains an assisted driving system, whereas L3 represents a higher level of automation," said Liang Fenghua, deputy general manager of AI fundamentals and applications at Changan Automobile.

"Under specific scenarios, L3 systems can fully control dynamic driving tasks, although drivers must be prepared to resume control if the system requests a takeover," Liang added.

L3 systems allow drivers to momentarily take their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road, as the system independently manages driving tasks. However, this is only permitted under the right conditions, such as on designated roads with reliable network and satellite positioning.

The approvals granted for these vehicles are distinct from previous testing permits. "These models are now eligible for official license plates and can legally operate on public roads, a significant departure from vehicles under testing licenses," said Jia Beibei, director of BAIC's L3 autonomous driving project.

Ji Jie, associate professor at the College of Engineering and Technology, Southwest University, noted that these approvals represent a shift from technological validation to mass-production readiness. "This marks a transition from laboratory testing to real-world applications, accelerating the commercialization of autonomous driving," Ji added.

Wang also highlighted the conditional nature of L3 autonomous driving. "The system is designed to operate only on designated pilot road sections and under favorable conditions, such as stable network and satellite positioning."

Once activated, drivers are allowed to divert their attention from the road briefly, but they are not permitted to close their eyes for extended periods, leave the driver's seat, or unfasten their seat belt. If the system detects such behavior, it will issue a takeover request that the driver must respond to immediately.

At present, pilot vehicles in Beijing are authorized to operate autonomously at speeds up to 80 kilometers per hour on designated highways and urban expressways. In Chongqing, pilot vehicles can operate autonomously at speeds up to 50 kilometers per hour in traffic-congested areas.

The technical requirements for these pilot vehicles are correspondingly higher. The Arcfox Alpha S (L3 Edition) is equipped with 34 high-performance sensors, including three lidar units, which provide comprehensive environmental perception and data for decision-making. Changan's model features essential sensing technologies such as 4D imaging, millimeter-wave radar and micro-collision sensors.

"For L3 vehicles, both hardware and software are designed with the principle of 'no failure allowed,'" Liang said, adding that the vehicles must remain safe and operable even if certain critical systems fail.

Changan's approved model employs a seven-level redundant architecture covering perception, control, power supply, communications, braking, steering, and human-machine interaction. In the event of a failure in one of the critical systems, backup systems can take over, ensuring safe deceleration and stopping.

Liang explained that at the current stage, the use of these vehicles is limited to pilot entities, designated road sections, and approved models. "Consumers cannot yet operate these vehicles themselves, but they can book autonomous driving ride services via mobile apps to experience the technology," he said.

To accelerate the commercialization of L3 conditional autonomous driving, a consortium led by BAIC has been selected for the L3 intelligent connected vehicle road pilot program, launched by four government departments. The consortium plans to launch operations in specific scenarios in the first quarter of 2026 to gather real-world data and experience.

Chongqing's diverse terrain, characterized by mountainous landscapes, frequent fog, bridges and tunnels, and complex interchanges, serves as a rigorous testing ground for Changan's L3 models.

"Chongqing's road conditions present comprehensive challenges to vehicle perception, positioning, control, and route-planning capabilities," Song said. "If a vehicle can navigate these conditions successfully, it has the potential to operate effectively in most complex traffic environments."

BAIC Arcfox Alpha S (L3 Edition) is in road testing. (Photo provided by BAIC Arcfox)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Hongyu)
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A HIGHLY unusual scenario took place at the childrens court at Limericks Mulgrave courthouse on December 2, 2025.

A boy of 15 years of age - who cannot be named for legal reasons - came before the courts for a drug charge.

However, before his prepared probation report was discussed, words of congratulations were shared with the young man.

Judge Patricia Harney told the new father with a smile: Congratulations on the birth of your baby.

READ MORE: 'It wasn't the New Year's Eve we were expecting!': First Limerick baby of 2026 is an early arrival

However, a dampener was put on the celebrations, when Judge Harney followed her earlier comment with: I hope that he wont be following in your footsteps in the childrens court.

The teenagers probation report was then discussed by the judge.

It emerged that the young man had problems with cannabis misuse and his temper.

Justice Harney was unimpressed with the young mans ambitions.

She stated that the fifteen-year-old is finished with education, he doesnt plan to get a job, adding that hes young and hes fit.

Judge Harney told the young father: Youd want to be doing a small bit better.

Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme.
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A 45-YEAR-OLD man has appeared before Limerick District Court charged in connection with a substantial drug seizure in Bruree on Friday.

Peter Vodros, with an address at the Lane, Main Street, Bruree, Limerick appeared in court wearing a dark jacket and tracksuit bottoms.

Mr Vodros has been formally charged with two counts of possession of cannabis for the purpose of sale or supply contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act. The offences are alleged to have occurred at Bruree on Friday, January 2.

Gardai reported a seizure of almost 200,000 worth of drugs at a premises in Bruree on Friday.

READ MORE: Snowy scene close to Limerick-Cork border as Status Yellow warning comes into force

Garda Cormac Ryan, giving brief evidence in court on Monday, said that the defendant was arrested just before 8 pm on Sunday, January 4.

Mr Vodros required a Slovak interpreter to communicate the court proceedings to him.

Solicitor Sarah Ryan stated that her client's circumstances are not good and requested Judge Patricia Harney to grant him legal aid.

The defendant was granted bail with a number of conditions, including that he sign on daily at a garda station, that he observe a curfew, that he surrender his ID travel card and that he does not apply for any duplicated travel documents.

The case will come again before the courts in April for instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

A woman in her thirties was previously detained in connection with the seizure.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme
LIMERICK has risen by three spots in the twice-yearly Anti-Litter League, with inspectors praising improvements in the city centre.

The city centre is 33rd out of 40 towns, cities and areas surveyed across Ireland, up from 36th last July.

The inspectors from An Taisce, and appointed by Irish Business Against Litter (Ibal) surveyed 25 sites across Limerick, finding more than half of them received an A grade in terms of cleanliness.

READ MORE: Yes in every lifetime: Munster rugby star and girlfriend get engaged

Many of the approach roads were very much deserving of the top litter grade, the report relased this Monday states.

City centre shopping streets which deserve a special mention were OConnell Street, Ellen Street and Henry Street - these were particularly freshly presented and very good with regards to litter.

They also reserved special praise for a number of sites which had been identified in previous reports as being littered, which had now cleaned up their act.

However, the inspectors noted eight sites in the city centre were heavily littered.

They said some laneways are neglected and harbouring heavy levels of litter.

Elsewhere, a second site the inspectors surveyed in Limerick, at Galvone on the southside, received praise.

It was ranked 25th in the table, and described as being clean to European norms.

This is most likely the first time there were no heavily littered upon/dumped upon sites in Galvone, an area which has been branded seriously littered in the past, stated the report, adding: There is clear evidence of enormous strides being made.

Sligo Town came top of the Anti-Litter League, and was described as being Cleaner than European Norms.

At the other end of the table, Dublins north inner city is 40th out of 40, and is ranked as being littered.
THERE are stories that haunt you and words you will never forget.

Hearing the brave and eloquent Carolyn O'Neill talking about her daughter Niamh McNally at her inquest is something this reporter will always carry.

READ ALSO: Funding boost for gender-based violence services across Limerick

I remember meeting Carolyn by chance in her beautiful local arts and crafts shop in Kilmallock.

With a reporter hat on, I had ventured into the shop to chat about possibly doing a feature interview on the gift shop. Instead, I left with a heavy heart, unable to imagine the pain of the woman I had just spoken to.

While we chatted, Mrs O'Neill told me about her beautiful daughter and how she is always with her, as she brought out a tiny urn from behind the desk (pictured on top of the frame with Niamh's photo). As a parent, I cannot imagine losing a child of 16.

I was shaken, which doesn't often happen.

Just two weeks later, I met Mrs O'Neill again, this time in an unfamiliar place for her, and a well travelled ground for me - at an inquest in Limerick Coroner's Court in Kilmallock Courthouse.

Over the course of two days, the coroner heard that Niamh was a vibrant 16-year-old girl who was full of life, despite a congenital heart defect and having DiGeorge syndrome.

Niamh had been in hospital for 14 days coughing up blood, was discharged and returned six days later with the same symptoms and tragically died.

Just before she died, the young teenager said to her mother: Mammy, I can't breathe. Mrs O'Neill who showed tremendous courage and composure throughout her evidence broke down at this point.

Those words will always stay with me. Niamh was 16. She should have travelled to New York liked she had hoped. She should have lived.
New Delhi: The countrys second-largest battery manufacturer, Amara Raja Energy and Mobility Ltd , is betting on expansion in the US market as part of its bid to double the share of revenue from exports in the next five years.

The Hyderabad-based auto ancillary firm is doubling down on building a local distribution network in the North American market to benefit from its edge in one of the advanced technologies in the lead acid battery industry to win incremental business at a time when tariffs in the US have brought uncertainty for Indian businesses, according to a top executive.

One of the most exciting opportunities, especially on the lead acid side, is building ourselves up in North America. That's where we see certain technology trends like a move towards AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) batteries," Harshavardhana Gourineni, executive director at Amara Raja, told Mint.

Also Read | Amara Raja may gain from GST cuts on batteries

We're the only manufacturer in India that's supplying AGM batteries to the OEMs. We'd like to use that technological prowess to build market share and build long-term and robust customer relationships," he added.

In FY25, the company earned 12,405 crore in revenue, of which 13% came from exports to automotive and industrial clients worldwide. The company does not disclose its export revenue by geography. AGM is a technology used in lead-acid batteries, which leads to improved battery life and provides strong support for stop-start functions in vehicles.

According to experts, AGM batteries are on the premium end of the lead-acid segment, used widely in start-stop vehicles, hybrids, SUVs, pickups, and as auxiliary batteries in EVs.

Highlighting North America as a growth market has been a rare instance for an auto ancillary company in the last 10 months, given the imposition of reciprocal tariffs by US President Donald Trumps administration to shore up domestic manufacturing.

Key Takeaways Amara Raja aims to increase export revenue from 13% to over 20-25% in five years.

The company is banking on AGM battery technology, a premium lead-acid segment where they claim a manufacturing first in India.

Despite a 25% import duty, the firm is investing in local distribution and warehousing in North America rather than full-scale manufacturing.

The company is exploring local finishing in the US to improve cost competitiveness.

Amara Rajas stock has significantly underperformed the Nifty Auto index, falling 19% compared to a 23% rise in the index.

Tariff trip

In FY25, total exports of auto component makers reached $23 billion, with nearly a third of these exports coming from the North American market, which is the largest export base for Indian auto component makers.

Gourineni admits that imposition of tariffs has introduced a layer of uncertainty, which creates an issue in building up the business, but insists that the company has been able to compete by using some carefully crafted strategies.

We've been at 25% duty for the last 10 months or so. And yes, this definitely affects our competitiveness. It also creates a lot of suspense and confusion around which direction this may move and how long," he said.

But the fact is, we've still been able to compete. We've maintained our customer relationships. We've doubled down on building some distribution strength and getting a bit more local in the US, so that we can support the customers in a better way. And if things move in a positive direction, we can definitely build our volumes and take more market share," Gourineni explained.

The top executive also explained that the company is open to having local finishing operations for its batteries, which can help in cost competitiveness.

"We just have to be very careful on the level of capital commitment we put through, because that will be a dedicated resource. Dedicating resources at such a volatile time is quite risky," he said.

Setting up some distribution and warehousing, some after-sales support, what we feel is fairly inexpensive and goes a long way with the customers. Meanwhile, we have control of the supply chain in our manufacturing operations from India. So that allows us to hedge ourselves quite a bit," he said.

Localize manufacturing

Gourineni added that the company can also consider localizing a part of its manufacturing process for overseas markets, including North America, which will help provide better products to customers if the company secures good business commitments and navigates the tariff barriers.

"I think when it comes to our manufacturing process, we have good scope to do the final, we call it formation, whereas we fill the battery with acid and then put it through a charge-discharge cycle. And then the labelling and packaging. That part is definitely something that we can look at, you know, making the region specific," he said.

Part of the third generation of Amara Rajas founder family, Gourineni joined the company back in 2015 as a senior management executive and now sits on the board. He is the son of Ramadevi Gourineni, who is the daughter of Amara Raja founder Ramachandra Naidu Galla.

Galla set up Amara Rajas first plant in Karakambadi, a town 12km from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, in 1985. Six years later, in 1991, he took the company public and served as its chair until June 2021. Thereafter, his son, Jayadev Galla, took over as chairman and managing director of Amara Raja.

The main promoter entity, RNGalla Family Pvt. Ltd holds about 32.86% of the shares in Amara Raja, while the remaining shares are held by public investors. Earlier this year, RN Galla executed an arrangement whereby the shareholding of the main promoter entity was divided into four family trusts to ensure a seamless transfer to the next generation.

Gourineni says that the ambition is to generate more than one-fourth of revenue from exports in the next five years, as the company seeks to expand its geographical presence beyond its existing strongholds in Africa, West Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Market reality

Amara Rajas shares have declined by 19% over the last year, compared to a 23% growth in the Nifty Auto index.

I think we've been trying to be very conscious about concentration risks and making sure that we have customers across geographies, across product segments. We are also benefited that all of our manufacturing locations are centralized," he said.

Experts note that AGM batteries in the lead acid segment present a significant opportunity in global markets; however, it will not be an easy ride for domestic companies to establish a strong presence in the sector.

Also Read | Go big or go home: Battery swapping is coming to electric trucks

Harshvardhan Sharma, group head at Nomura Research Institute, stated that North America represents a large and resilient market for AGM batteries, driven more by replacement demand from a vast and ageing fleet of vehicles.

"This is not an easy market to enter. The AGM segment in North America is highly consolidated, with entrenched players, long-standing customer relationships, and strict quality and reliability expectations," he explained, adding that a large share of the profit pool is in the after-market segment.

"For Indian players, the opportunity is therefore selective rather than transformational. They are technically capable and cost-competitive in AGM manufacturing, but success will depend on execution, focusing on niche segments, private-label or B2B supply models, and potentially building a local footprint or partnerships to improve credibility and cost-to-serve," he added.
(Bloomberg) -- BlueScope Steel Ltd received a A$13.14 billion ($8.8 billion) takeover offer from a consortium composed of an Australian conglomerate and a US steelmaker.

SGH Limited, a Sydney-based company with interests in multiple industries, proposed acquiring BlueScope at A$30 ($20.03) per share  a 23% premium to the most recent closing price  then selling its North American assets to Steel Dynamics Inc, according to a statement from BlueScope on Monday.

Steel has long been a sensitive issue in global trade, with the Trump administration imposing steep tariffs under the guise of national security to shield US producers. The takeover offer marks the latest move in a string of deals aimed at reshaping industrial supply chains as companies bolster production capacity amid rising geopolitical tensions.

BlueScope is Australias largest steelmaker and has a significant presence in North America, which accounted for about 45% of revenue in the companys 2025 annual report.

The companys board is considering the proposal, which is subject to numerous conditions in addition to regulatory approval, according to the statement. BlueScope disclosed that it has previously rebuffed multiple takeover approaches in late 2024, when a separate Steel Dynamics-led consortium made two bids at $27.50 and $29.00 a share, both of which were unanimously rejected.

In early 2025, Steel Dynamics, which is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, offered to acquire all of the Australian steelmaker, retain its North American operations, and distribute the other assets to BlueScope shareholders. That proposal valued the North America business at $24.00 per share and asserted the value of the remaining assets to be at least $9.00 per share, according to the statement.

These approaches were rejected as they significantly undervalued BlueScope and its future prospects, and presented significant execution risk in relation to regulatory outcomes, the company said.

Steelmakers have struggled in recent years to deal with a wave of cheap imports from China, where an anemic construction sector has weighed on prices. Still, the strategic importance of the sector to defense industries has revived interest from some investors, particularly in the US where steelmaking is now heavily protected by import tariffs.

(Updates throughout with details.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
(Bloomberg) -- A member of Brazils audit court ordered an investigation of the central banks procedures that were used to liquidate Banco Master SA, a move that risks undermining the legal certainty of the banks regulatory rulings in Latin Americas largest economy.

In his decision, Minister Jhonatan de Jesus wrote that the inspection of related central bank documents should move swiftly to clarify the motivation, coherence and proportionality behind its decision to dismantle the financial institution.

The investigation does not reverse the liquidation of Master, but opens the door to that possibility. De Jesus has not ruled out that precautionary measures to protect the liquidated assets could be taken, but the audit court has not specified a timeline.

Banco Masters liquidation followed months of investigations into its operations and its politically connected Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Vorcaro, who spent about a month in jail before being released with an ankle monitor.

The central bank found evidence suggesting attempted fraud in the proposed sale of Master to Banco de Brasilia SA, an institution owned by the government of Brazils capital city. The findings were forwarded to the federal police and the federal public prosecutors office, who in turn sought the arrest of Vorcaro and other executives last November. Two seperate accusations of irregularities are also under investigation by authorities.

As the controversy over Master has intensified, the central bank is under growing pressure, from both the audit court as well as the nations highest court.

In early December, Supreme Court Justice Dias Toffoli moved to take control of the investigation after a defense lawyer argued that police actions could affect individuals with parliamentary immunity.

Among documents seized during a search of Vorcaros home was paperwork related to a real estate transaction involving a federal lawmaker. Although unrelated to the Master investigation, Toffoli ruled the document sufficient to require that any legal action be evaluated first by the Supreme Court instead of by a lower court.

Although the decision to investigate the central bank should be approved by other ministers, the chief of the audit tribunal, Vital do Rego, accepted de Jesus request. Do Rego asserted in a statement that theres no doubt that his court has jurisdiction over the central bank. He pointed to constitutional provisions that grant the audit court control over the direct and indirect federal public administration that extends to autonomous bodies like the central bank.

Once touted as a rising star in Brazilian finance, Master attracted billions of reais from retail investors through investment platforms, promoting its bonds as safe because they were backed by Brazils deposit insurance system, the Credit Guarantee Fund, or FGC. The fund covers up to 250,000 reais per investor, capped at 1 million reais over four years.

A central bank rule change in 2023 tightened access to the FGC, punching a hole in Masters business model. A second rule change, approved in August, will require banks to contribute to the fund based on their risk profile starting in June.

The liquidation of Master could cost the FGC as much as 55 billion reais ($10 billion) if other smaller banks also fail. According to people with knowledge of the matter, authorities are concerned that unwinding the liquidation of troubled banks like Master could jeopardize the credibility of Brazils judicial system.

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As gig workers unions organized a strike on New Years Eve demanding better working conditions, several people took to X and other social media platforms to debate the value of gig work in Indias economy.

Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal and InfoEdge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani (also a Zomato investor) argued that gig work was valuable, pointing out that the strike had clearly failed. Others including Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha met gig workers on strike in Delhi, supporting their demands for better working conditions.

Zomato's food delivery partners workforce grew 18% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) from FY22 to FY25. In the first half of this fiscal year, it had 532,000 monthly active delivery partners, up 10% year on year, per a quarterly disclosure.

There are about 12.7 million gig workers in India, according to Niti Aayog, a number thats expected to rise to 23.5 million by 2029-30.

However, gig workers are different from permanent workers or even contract labour, given that they can switch between employers (platforms) anytime. So how do Indian labour laws treat them and their representative bodies? Mint explains.

How do workers unions generally operate in India?

An association representing workers in a specific field or of a company is generally registered under Indias Trade Union Act after applying to be formally recognized by a registrar of unions in a state or union territory. India had more than 37,000 registered trade unions in 2022, according to the latest data available with the Labour Bureau.

It also has 12 officially recognized central trade unions, and small unions often associate with these larger ones. Apart from setting the rules of registration, membership and financing, trade union laws offer registered union members protection from some civil and criminal suits.

How are gig workers unions different from trade unions?

Not all gig workers groups are registered unions. Members of a trade union must be employees of a trade or a company to sign up to be a union member. However, by its nature, gig work is temporary, and workers do not work full-time or even part-time for any one platform. Gig workers can switch between platforms and industries at will.

For example, a bike owner can deliver food for Zomato and Swiggy, ferry parcels for Porter and Uber, or operate a bike taxi for Rapido. Some gig workers unions may not be registered under the Trade Union Act but may be registered as a society and affiliated with larger, registered trade unions. However, this means they may not have the privileges and protection that come with recognition under the Trade Union Act.

Does that mean gig workers unions and strikes are not legitimate?

Not exactly. Gig workers have been mobilizing since the mid-2010s, starting with transport union workers who signed up to drive for app-based taxi services.

Over time, with the sheer volume of gig workers growing in India and the growing perception that these workers may be marginalized and not adequately represented when dealing with the platforms, gig workers federations and unions have gained a lot of strength and voice," Ashwini Vittalachar, partner at law firm Samvad Partners told Mint.

Also Read | Staffing services need relief from the tax inversion inequity of GST 2.0

How do Indian labour laws address the ephemeral nature of gig work?

Late in December, the Indian government proposed draft rules for the Code on Social Security, 2020, which define a gig worker and their eligibility for benefits under this Code. According to the proposed rules, a gig worker must have worked a minimum of 90 days with one aggregator or 120 days with multiple aggregators in one financial year to be officially recognized.

Besides this, the draft rules propose the creation of a social security fund and a National Social Security Board for Gig Workers and Platform Workers, along with formally registering gig workers that meet these criteria on a central government portal. States such as Rajasthan and Telangana have passed similar gig workers welfare laws.

These laws give better social security to gig workers," Vittalachar said. The concept of a fund and welfare board is also expected to give recognition to these representative bodies who are increasingly becoming the collective voice and strength of gig workers."

Have such informal workers ever unionized in the past?

Yes. From the 1970s to the 1990s, labour movements in India unionized workers who were previously unrepresented because they did not work in factories or other formal setups. These workers, just like gig workers, tended not to have one single employer or long-term permanent contracts.

Among the first such set of unionized workers were the headloaders or mathadis who set up a welfare board in 1974 in Maharashtra. Later, temporary construction labourers began organizing into unions, and in 1996, India passed the Building and other Construction Workers Act. Other similar unions were set up in the 1970s and 80s for casual workers with no permanent contracts including cine workers, beedi workers, mine labourers, and fishermen.
New Delhi: IPO-bound Inox Clean Energy Ltd announced on Monday that its renewables independent power producer (IPP) arm Inox Neo Energies Ltd has acquired 250 megawatt-peak (MWp) of operational solar projects from SunSource Energy Private Ltd and is in the process of acquiring another 50 MWp.

Although the company did not disclose the transaction value, two people in the know of the developments said the acquisition was done for about 1,000 crore. It will be funded through pre-IPO fundraises, internal accruals, and capital from the promoters, one these people said.

MWp denotes the maximum direct-current power a system can produce under ideal laboratory conditions, representing its theoretical peak capacity, unlike MW, which indicates actual, real-world power output that fluctuates with weather and time.

Power play

The acquisition is a strategic move in Indias rapidly expanding commercial & industrial (C&I) power market. As more businesses shift to private clean-energy suppliers, the sector appears poised for massive growth. Speaking at a conference in December 2025, Santosh Kumar Sarangi, secretary of the ministry of new and renewable Energy, projected that Indias C&I capacity could reach 60-80 GW by 2030. At the start of 2025, installed C&I capacity was around 18 GW. As of November 2025, India's total renewable energy capacity stood at 253.96 GW, with an addition of 44.51 GW in 2025.

Also Read | Govt may let developers exit stalled renewable projects without penalties

SunSource is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Netherlands-headquartered multinational company SHV Energy, which is focussed on C&I customers. The projects, located across 13 states including Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, operate through various special purpose vehicles (SPV), selling power under long-term arrangements (the weighted average tenure of their projects is 24 years) to C&I players across several sectors including manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), power equipment, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

The acquisition will add scale to Inox Cleans renewable portfolio. According to a report by CareEdge Ratings in June, the company had an operational capacity of 157 MW, of which 107 MW was solar and 50 MW was wind. As of June 2025, it had 400 MW of capacity under construction, added the report, in which CareEdge assigned a 'stable' rating to a long-term bank facility of Inox Clean worth 190 crore. The agency said its rating was supported by long-term revenue visibility on account of the presence of long-term PPAs (up to 25 years) at fixed tariffs with reputed counterparties such as Gujarat Fluorochemicals and Solar Energy Corporation of India for the majority of the currently operational and under-construction renewable-energy assets.

Inox Clean Energys statement read, "The acquisition of the SunSource portfolio is a major milestone in Inox Cleans journey towards achieving 3 GW of renewable power generation capacity by FY26-end. With the addition of SunSource assets, Inox Cleans customer base expands further to include multiple blue-chip Indian companies, global MNCs, as well as central and state government agencies."

Bharat Saxena, CEO and whole-time Director, Inox Clean, said, "This acquisition will be a key growth driver for our IPP business and is a step towards our mission to offer clean, reliable, and affordable renewable energy at scale. Vibrant Energys portfolio and other acquisitions are placing us well to achieve our near-term target of 3 GW by FY26-end and medium-term target of 10 GW of installed capacity by FY28. We now have a healthy mix of marquee customers across government and the C&I space."

Also Read | Govt eyes sub-target for renewable energy under priority sector lending

Mint reported in October 2024 that SHV Energy had appointed BNP Paribas to sell the solar energy assets of SunSource Energy at an equity value of around $100 million. Sunsource Energy's total portfolio is over 600 MW, including installed and under-development projects across 20 Indian states.

Inox Clean is a part of the INOXGFL Group, and the holding company for the renewables IPP business held under Inox Neo Energies Limited and the solar manufacturing business under Inox Solar Limited.

The development comes a fortnight after the INOXGFL Group subsidiary announced its acquisition of Macquarie Group's renewable energy platform Vibrant Energy for an enterprise value of $600 million. Mint reported in August 2025 that six bidders, including INOXGFL Group, had been shortlisted to conduct due diligence for Vibrant Energy. The other bidders included Singapores Sembcorp Industries Ltd, Torrent Power Ltd, and General Atlantic-owned Actis LLP.

M&As galore

With the government focused on achieving 500 GW renewable capacity by 2030 and interest from both global and domestic investors and energy companies, the renewable energy space has seen several deals over the past year.

In December 2024 , JSW Neo Energy acquired O2 Power from European alternative asset manager EQT and Singapores Temasek for an enterprise value of $1.47 billion.

2024 In June 2025, Japans financial services firm Orix Corp sold its 17.5% stake in Greenko Energy Holdings to AM Green BV, owned by Greenko Group founders Anil Chalamalasetty and Mahesh Kolli.

In April 2025, Hexa Climate Solutions acquired Fortum India Pvt Ltd (FIPL), and in February, ONGC NTPC Green Pvt Ltd (ONGPL) bought National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF)-backed Ayana Renewable Power Pvt Ltd.

ONGC Green, the renewable energy arm of ONGC, acquired PTC Energy's 288-MW wind assets in March 2025.

In November 2025 Mint reported that Welspun World had hired EY to sell a majority stake in Welspun New Energy, its clean-energy platform, for an equity value of around $100 million.

Mint also reported that month that General Atlantic-owned Actis Llp was interested in buying back Sprng Energy from Shell Plc for an enterprise value of around $1.55 billion.

The pace of mergers and acquisitions is expected to increase as Indias renewable energy sector evolves. A PwC report in June 2025 said the energy, utilities and resources (EU&R) sectors were at the forefront of the global transformation and would continue to make their mark in the M&A space beyond 2025.

Queries sent to Inox Clean Energy and SunSource Energy on the transaction value remained unanswered at the time of publishing.
NEW DELHI : Initial public offering-bound Inox Clean Energy has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 300 MW of solar power portfolio of Dutch multinational SHV Energy-owned SunSource Energy for 1,000 crore ($111 million), said two people in the know of the developments.

An announcement is expected on Monday.

"The deal value for the acquisition is around 1,000 crore. With the slew of fresh acquisitions, Inox Clean may soon file a fresh DRHP (draft red herring prospectus) for its public listing," said one of the two people mentioned above.

Mint had earlier reported that SHV Energy has appointed BNP Paribas to sell the solar energy assets of SunSource Energy in a deal having an equity value of around $100 million. Sunsource Energy's total portfolio is over 600 MW, including installed and under-development projects across 20 states in the country.

On 2 January, Moneycontrol reported that SHV Energy had agreed to sell its Indian solar portfolio of around 290 MW to the INOXGFL group.

According to a report by CareEdge Ratings in June, the company had an operational capacity of 157 MW, of which 107 MW was solar and the balance 50 MW was wind. As of June, it had 400 MW capacity under construction, according to the report.

Funding and acquisitions

The development comes a fortnight after the INOXGFL Group subsidiary announced acquisition of Macquarie Group's renewable energy platform Vibrant Energy for an enterprise value of $600 million.

Mint had earlier reported about six bidders, including INOXGFL Group, being shortlisted to conduct due diligence for Vibrant Energy in a transaction code named Project Notos. The other bidders in the fray included Singapores Sembcorp Industries Ltd, Torrent Power Ltd and General Atlantic-owned Actis LLP.

The acquisition would be funded through the pre-IPO fundraises, internal accruals and capital from the promoters, the person added.

Last month, INOX Clean Energy withdrew its filing for a 6,000 crore public listing and is now expected to submit a fresh filing. The company has already got commitment for around 5,000 crore of funds to be raised before the IPO, said another person.

The acquisition will add scale to Inox Cleans renewable portfolio.

Queries sent to the spokespersons of Inox Clean Energy and SunSource Energy remained unanswsered till press time.

M&A momentum in renewables

India's renewable energy space has seen several deals in the past one year amid the government policy push for energy transition and investment interest from both global and domestic investors and energy companies.

In December last year, O2 Power, which was owned by European alternative asset manager EQT and Singapores Temasek was taken over by JSW Neo Energy for an enterprise value of $1.47 billion. In June this year, Japans financial services firm Orix Corp sold its 17.5% stake in Greenko Energy Holdings to AM Green B.V., owned by Greenko Group founders Anil Chalamalasetty and Mahesh Kolli.

Earlier, Hexa Climate Solutions acquired Fortum India Pvt Ltd (FIPL) in April 2025, and ONGC NTPC Green Pvt Ltd (ONGPL) bought National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF)-backed Ayana Renewable Power Pvt Ltd in February 2025. ONGC Green, the renewable energy arm of ONGC, acquired PTC Energy's 288 MW wind assets earlier in March.

As reported by Mint, Welspun World has hired EY to sell a majority stake in Welspun New Energy, its clean-energy platform, for an equity value of around $100 million. It also reported in November that General Atlantic-owned Actis Llp was ken to buy back Sprng Energy group from Shell Plc in a deal with an enterprise value of around $1.55 billion.

The momentum of merger and acquisitions in India is expected to increase amid an evolving renewable energy space. According to a report by Enerdatics, a data and intelligence provider in the renewable energy space, platform exits and public-to-private transitions are set to rise India and Western Europe, with private equity capital targeting discounted portfolios

A PwC report in June had said the energy, utilities and resources (EU&R) sectors are at the forefront of global transformation, and it will continue to mark their M&A outlook even beyond 2025.

"The convergence of energy security imperatives, decarbonisation mandates, and rapid expansion of digital infrastructure means governing bodies, corporations, and financial investors will need to work together to capture evolving infrastructure opportunities," the report said.
Electric two-wheeler maker Simple Energy plans to raise $30-40 million in fresh capital, largely from international backers and existing investors, in what could be its first round with institutional participation, chief executive Suhas Rajkumar told Mint . So far, the company has raised capital mainly from family offices and high net-worth individuals rather than venture capital funds.

The fresh funds will be used to increase production capacity and support a second manufacturing plant as the Bengaluru-based company rolls out its Gen 2 Simple One range of scooters and the long-range Simple Ultra scooter, which according to the company has clocked 400 km in the Indian Driving Cycle (IDC), a standardized lab test by the Automotive Research Association of India.

We plan to close a fresh round of $30-40 million this year, which will have a mix of equity and debt, and have been talking to institutional investors, mostly international ones," Rajkumar said.

Simple Energy has also held discussions with domestic private equity and venture capital investors, but has so far struggled to convert that interest into large cheques, Rajkumar said. Institutions dont want to choose us maybe because their thesis of investment is different," he said, adding that the company is open to institutional capital as it gets closer to its IPO. The company is preparing for a public offering in Q2 or Q3 of FY27, and is looking to raise about $350 million.

To date, Simple Energy has raised $51 million from investors such as Dr Arokiaswamy Velumanis family office, Balamurugan Arumugam, the Haran family office, the Desai family office (promoters of Apar Industries), and the Vasavi family office.

Range refresh

On Monday the company launched Gen 2 versions of its Simple One and Simple OneS scooters, and introduced Simple Ultra, pitching it as its longest-range model yet. It is powered by a 6.5 kWh battery pack, offering a top speed of 115 kmph and 0-40 kmph acceleration in 2.77 seconds, the company said.

The Simple One Gen 2 will have two variants: a 4.5 kWh version with a 236 km range on the IDC test, and a 5 kWh version with a 265 km range, the company said. The 4.5 kWh variant delivers peak power of 6.4 kW, while the 5 kWh variant delivers peak power of 8.8 kW.

The Simple OneS Gen 2 comes with a 3.7 kWh battery, a 190 km IDC range, and peak power of 6.5 kW.

Rajkumar said retail registrations for the companys Gen 1.5 scooters stood at about 650 in December, down from about 800 in November and about 1,100 in October. The Gen 1.5 version is Simple Energys earlier Simple One scooter, launched in 2023, which is sold as a premium model in the range of 1.4-1.7 lakh (ex-showroom).

While Simple Energy said the new Simple Ultra offers a 400 km range without major changes to the scooters base platform, Rajkumar clarified that this was in test conditions and that real-world range was typically 20-25%" lower than the IDC figure.

He also said the scooters use a nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery pack, which relies on passive cooling. The two most common lithium-ion chemistries in the Indian two-wheeler EV market are nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP), each of which come with different trade-offs on energy density, cost and thermal behaviour.

Cell constraints

He added that the companys manufacturing facility is in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, currently has capacity of about 5,000 scooters, with scope to scale further, even as it plans a second factory. He said the future funding will be used for stabilising supply chains and working capital as the company tries to ramp up production, but noted that cells remained a key constraint.

We are only fulfilling about 50-60% of our current demand because the stabilisation of the supply chain takes time," Rajkumar said, adding that battery cells will always be the biggest" imported component, and a key bottleneck to scaling production.

He also said the company was dealing with the cash intensity typical of a vehicle business, with inventory and Indias inverted GST structure adding to working-capital pressure. Whatever fundraisers we will do from here will be largely for working capital. About 80% of our funding goes to working capital," Rajkumar said.

The company aims to have about 150 offline stores by March, after growing its retail footprint from 10 outlets in January 2025 to about 80 as of today, he added.

Legacy players in the lead

Simple Energys push comes as Indias electric scooter market has tilted towards legacy manufacturers, owing to their wider dealer networks and rising customer concerns around Ola Electric, the former market leader.

Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor together had a 52.1% market share in 2025, up from about 36% in 2024 as Bajajs registrations rose 81% to 348,000 units and TVSs rose 46% to 319,000 units, startup news platform Inc42 reported, citing the latest Vahan data.

The report added that Ola Electric, which led the market in 2024 with a 35.5% share, saw its share fall to a little over 15% in 2025 as registrations slid more than 51% to 199,000 units, mainly due to customer complaints about vehicles and after-sales service. Ather Energy overtook Ola Electric in 2025, with registrations rising nearly 60% to 200,000 units as of January 2026.

Also Read | Go big or go home: Battery swapping is coming to electric trucks
(Bloomberg) -- US steelmaker Steel Dynamics Inc. and Australian conglomerate SGH Limited made a joint A$13.14 billion ($8.8 billion) takeover offer for BlueScope Steel Ltd., helping the American company grow its presence in midwestern states.

SGH Limited, a Sydney-based company with interests in multiple industries, proposed acquiring Australias largest steelmaker at A$30 per share  a 23% premium to the most recent closing price  before selling its North American assets to Steel Dynamics Inc, according to a statement from BlueScope on Monday.

The takeover offer marks the latest move in a string of deals in the strategically important steel sector. BlueScope has long been viewed as a potential takeover target given the scale of its North American operations, which have only become a more attractive proposition since the Trump administration imposed steep tariffs on steel to shield US producers.

BlueScopes North American operations accounted for about 45% of revenue in the companys 2025 annual report. It owns a steel mill in Ohio, about 80 miles from a Steel Dynamics-owned operation, as well as a building products business.

This transaction is not a surprise  North American steel mills have eyed BlueScopes North Star mill in Ohio as an attractive asset for a while, analysts at Citigroup Inc wrote in a note Monday. The challenge was separating the North American assets from the rest of the company.

Steel Dynamics shares dropped as much as 3% in New York on Monday.

BlueScope also disclosed that it had previously rebuffed multiple takeover approaches, including when a separate Steel Dynamics-led consortium made two bids at $27.50 and $29.00 a share in late 2024.

In early 2025, Steel Dynamics, which is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, offered to acquire all of the Australian steelmaker, retain its North American operations, and distribute the other assets to BlueScope shareholders. That proposal valued the North America business at $24.00 per share and asserted the value of the remaining assets to be at least $9.00 per share, according to the statement.

These approaches were rejected as they significantly undervalued BlueScope and its future prospects, and presented significant execution risk in relation to regulatory outcomes, the company said. BlueScope is considering the most recent proposal, which is subject to numerous conditions in addition to regulatory approval, according to the statement.

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NEW DELHI: In a significant relief for Adani Power Ltd, the Supreme Court on Monday ruled that customs duty cannot be levied on electricity supplied from a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to the domestic market, setting aside a 2019 Gujarat High Court judgment and freeing the company from the levy on power generated at its Mundra plant.

A bench of justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria held that the levy lacked the authority of law and that the government cannot retain amounts collected under an invalid tax. The court directed customs authorities to refund the duty collected from Adani Power, asking the jurisdictional Commissioner of Customs to complete verification and issue refunds within eight weeks from the date of the judgment.

The ruling resolves a long-running tax dispute dating back to 2010. The 2019 Gujarat High Court had cited customs duty collections of around 458 crore, excluding interest.

The detailed judgment was not available at the time of publication. An email sent to the Adani Group seeking comment remained unanswered till press time.

Tax overturned Adani Power operates a coal-based thermal power plant within the Mundra Special Economic Zone in Gujarats Kutch district, near Mundra Port. The plant has an installed capacity of 4,620 MW and supplies electricity under long-term power purchase agreements to distribution companies in Gujarat and Haryana, as well as to the utility serving the Mundra SEZ.

The dispute traces its origins to February 2010, when the Centre amended customs rules to impose duty on electricity supplied from an SEZ to the Domestic Tariff Area (DTA), with authorities also seeking to apply the levy retrospectively from June 2009. At the time, electricity imported into India from foreign countries continued to attract nil customs duty.

Adani Power challenged the levy before the Gujarat High Court, which in July 2015 struck down parts of the duty framework and held that the company was entitled to exemption on SEZ-to-DTA electricity supplies, but only for a limited period between June 2009 and September 2010. The Supreme Court later declined to interfere with that ruling.

Following the 2015 judgment, SEZ authorities took the view that the exemption was strictly time-bound and that customs duty remained payable on electricity supplied after September 2010. Customs authorities continued to raise demands based on subsequent notifications issued in 2010 and 2012, which reduced the duty rate from 10 paise per unit to 3 paise per unit.

Adani Power stopped paying the duty and sought refunds, arguing that once the levy itself had been found illegal, later notifications could not revive it. Authorities countered that the relief granted in 2015 was limited to a specific period and that fresh challenges were required for subsequent notifications.

Disagreeing with this position, Adani Power returned to the Gujarat High Court in 2016, seeking a declaration that it had no liability to pay customs duty on SEZ-to-DTA electricity supplies even beyond the earlier period, along with a stay on recovery and refund of amounts already paid.

In June 2019, the Gujarat High Court rejected Adani Powers plea, ruling that the 2015 judgment had limited the exemption to a specific period and could not be extended through a fresh petition. The court said a wider exemption could give Adani Power an unfair advantage and held that duty exemptions for imported electricity could not automatically apply to power generated in an Indian SEZ.

Adani Power challenged the 2019 decision before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has now overturned that view. Once a levy is held to be illegal, the bench said, the government cannot retain money collected under it, making refunds a necessary consequence.

The Mundra plant was earlier owned by Adani Power (Mundra) Ltd, a special purpose vehicle that was merged into Adani Power Ltd under a scheme of amalgamation effective 1 October 2021.

Also Read | King Coal keeps its crown: 100 GW more of thermal projects may be on way

The ruling comes as Adani Power steps up expansion. The company has been winning competitive power supply tenders across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Assam, and has announced several ultra-supercritical greenfield projects.

Key projects announced in 2025 include a 1,500 MW plant in Uttar Pradesh, a 2,274 MW project in Bihar, a 1,600 MW ultra-supercritical plant in Madhya Pradesh, and a 3,200 MW greenfield project in Assam.

According to a PTI report, Adani Power has raised its long-term installed capacity target to 41.87 GW by FY32 and committed capital expenditure of about 2 trillion, marking one of the most aggressive private-sector expansion plans in Indias thermal power industry.
(Bloomberg) -- A group representing some of the worlds largest soybean traders is exiting a landmark deal created in Brazil to protect the Amazon against deforestation, according to a statement issued Monday.

Industry group Abiove, who has among its associates trading giants including Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., Bunge Global SA, Cargill Inc. and Louis Dreyfus Co., said it has initiated discussions regarding its withdrawal from the Soy Moratorium, adding the agreement created in 2006 fulfilled its historical role.

The move is a major setback to the 19-year-old initiative praised by environmentalists that has been facing increasing criticism from farmers in the country.

The moratorium is a pact according to which traders are not allowed to source soybeans from Amazon lands deforested prior to 2008. The agreement was contested by farmer groups such as Aprosoja Mato Grosso, who argue the deal imposes a stricter rule than Brazils own national legislation on forest protection.

Abioves announcement comes after the top soybean-growing state of Mato Grosso enacted a law removing tax benefits from traders who obey the moratorium. A November Supreme Court decision ruled partly in favor of the state, and as of Jan. 1 traders supporting the pact no longer receive tax benefits. The attorney general has requested a four-month delay to implementing the law.

The Soy Moratorium was not abolished by legal imposition: it still exists, but it was consciously undermined by the voluntary decision of companies to withdraw, WWF Brazil, an environmental nonprofit, said in a note. In doing so, these companies signaled their willingness to prioritize access to tax incentives funded with public resources, to the detriment of tackling deforestation and taking responsibility for the climate crisis.

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Novo Nordisk launched the pill version of its weight-loss drug, Wegovy, in the United States on Monday. After GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy took the fitness world by storm, they can now be bought as consumable pills.

The pill, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2025, comes as a blessing for the company, which is trying to regain lost market share to its rival, Eli Lilly. Mounjaro-producer Eli Lilly has said that its weight-loss pill is expected to get approval around March 2026.

Also Read | Novo Nordisk stock jumps over 7% after Wegovy pill gets US FDA nod

Novo's pill will also be sold in 9 mg and a higher long-term dose of 25 mg. The two higher doses will be priced at $299 for a month's supply, while the 4 mg dose will rise to $199 from April 15, the drugmaker's website shows.

The Wegovy pill could attract new consumers as Novo looks to revive its fortunes after profit warnings and sliding shares last year. The treatment offers more flexibility and an alternative for those who dislike needles used in injectable medication.

Regulators from other countries are also reviewing the once-daily pill by Wegovy. The UK approval for the pill is expected to come around the end of 2026, as per a Reuters report.

Novo Nordisk's shares saw an upside to the launch, with its Denmark-listed stock price closing 5% higher on Monday. The company's US-listed shares also saw a considerable jump, of 4.6%, while its rival Lilly's stock went down by 3.5% during afternoon trading.

Cash-paying consumers key to pill's success The new pill will succeed if the company is able to lure customers who will pay in cash and not via health insurance coverage. This will create a distinct shift from the usual business model where the prices of drugs are managed through health insurance plans.

The drug would be made available in US pharmacies like Costco and CVS, and also from telehealth providers like Ro, LifeMD, WeightWatchers, GoodRx and its own NovoCare Pharmacy.

The low 1.5 mg dose is the starter dose for the Wegovy pill, which is made up of semaglutide, the same active ingredient found in its blockbuster injectable weight-loss and diabetes treatments marketed under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic.

Novo also offers the 1.5 mg dose for its oral semaglutide drug for type 2 diabetes, sold as Rybelsus.

The remaining doses of the Wegovy pill will be available for patients by the end of this week, Novo said.
Mumbai: Public markets-bound Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL), the largest producer of coking coal in India, is pinning its growth story on rising demand from the steel sector, for which the commodity is a key input, the company's management said on Monday.

Coking coal is used to make coke, a key input for steel production. This coal sells at a premium to thermal coal, which is burned for heat in power plants and other industries.

"The real value of coking coal is not getting reflected properly in the Coal India valuation. Now, when anybody will purchase the Bharat Coking Coal shares, will become a direct beneficiary of India's steel growth story," Manoj Kumar Agarwal, chairman and managing director of BCCL, said in an interview on Monday.

However, the coking coal mined in India tends to be of significantly poor quality compared to the requirements of steelmakers and what is available in the international market. As a result, most of the coal produced by BCCL ends up with power-producing companies, which use it as a heating material, just like thermal coal, and pay a slight premium for it.

BCCL mined 40.5 million tonnes (mt) of coal in FY25, including small quantities of thermal coal. It expects production to grow to 54 mt by FY30, after a dip is expected in the ongoing fiscal year on account of heavy rains.

"The growth from 40 million to 54 million tonnes will come from the steel sector. Steel sector realization is more, so the enhanced growth will directly give benefit to the shareholder in terms of higher realization and an increase in the Ebitda," said Mukesh Agrawal, director (finance) at Coal India Ltd.

Ash content issue

In FY25, three-fourths of the company's revenues came from the power sector, as per its red herring prospectus. Just 18% of its top line came from steel companies. Amongst its top 10 customers, there was only one steel companyfellow public sector firm Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL)while the remaining were power companies.

The company claims that it will cap its sales to the power sector at the current levels and increase sales to steelmakers. However, the company's own projections say that sales to power producers, which are less remunerative than sales to steel companies, will remain the largest revenue contributor even in FY30, casting doubt on the company's growth story.

"Even by 2030, power companies are expected to account for the bulk of its business, accounting for 30 mtpa (million tonnes per annum) of volume as against total projected volume of 54 mtpa, with a humble increase from the steel sector from current 2 mtpa level to 10 mtpa by 2030," said Suman Kumar, assistant vice-president for metals and mining at brokerage Philip Capital.

"In addition, there are execution risks around the commissioning of washeries. Taken together, these factors do not fully align with the companys stated growth narrative of being driven solely by Indias rising steel demand," he said.

BCCL's coal has a 39-40% ash content, compared to the steel industry's requirement of 13-14%, and 8-9% ash content in coking coal imported from Australia. Washing this coal in washeries brings down ash content to 18-19%, which is still higher than the requirement of steel companies. However, this coal sells at a significant discount to imported coking coal. Steel companies blend domestic coking coal with imported coal to achieve the required ash content levels and also reduce their costs.

Infrastructure risks

In FY25, BCCL got just over a fifth of its revenues from selling washed coal, which is priced at a premium. The company has provided a capital expenditure guidance of 1,000 crore per year over the next five years, a portion of which will be allocated to setting up three coal washeries with a 7 mtpa capacity.

This will help increase sales to the steel sector to 9-10 mtpa from just over 2 mtpa at present.

The management also guided that future capital expenditure will be serviced through internal accruals and projected annual capex plans of 1,000 crore.

By 2030, the company also expects to see a reduction of 10,000 employees, bringing the total to 23,000.

Also Read | Why the COP30 climate conference is coy about phasing out oil, coal and gas

The BCCL initial public offering (IPO) opens for subscription on 9 January and closes on 13 January with a price band of 21-23. The complete offer is an issue for sale, where 100% owner Coal India will pare a tenth of its stake to raise 1,071 crore at the upper end of the price band.
New Delhi: The US intervention in Venezuela is unlikely to immediately increase crude oil supplies for global and Indian refiners, given the prolonged production decline in the sanctions-hit Latin American country, according to sector experts.

Venezuela is currently producing only about 0.8% of global oil output, even as it holds around 18% of global oil reserves, said Prashant Vasisht, senior vice-president and co-group head, corporate ratings, Icra Ltd. Investment in the oil industry and ramping up production could take years but may eventually lead to significantly higher supplies, easing global oil markets.

India, which imported around 400,000 barrels per day of Venezuelan crude before sanctions were imposed in 2020, currently procures a negligible quantity from the country. While Venezuelas viscous and heavy crude is expected to re-enter global markets at a discount to benchmark Brent and WTI, there is limited refining capability for such grades in India.

"A stabilization of Venezuela's oil sector could allow limited volumes of discounted heavy crude to re-enter India's import mix, primarily benefiting complex refineries, said Sumit Ritolia, lead research analyst, refining, supply and modelling at Kpler. Venezuelan crude is predominantly heavy to extra-heavy and can be processed on a sustained basis by only a handful of Indian refineries, constraining system-wide intake. Any impact is likely to be incremental and dependent on sanctions policy and the pace of production recovery."

Also Read | Trump is turning to Venezuela but voters are focused on the economy

Renewed access to Venezuelan crude would still offer strategic benefits, said Ritolia. It could improve feedstock optionality, enhance procurement flexibility, and strengthen Indias negotiating leverage with other suppliers, even if actual volumes remain restricted to a few refiners capable of handling heavy crude, he said.

However, according to Icra's Vasisht, Venezuelan crudes are heavy and sour, making them cheaper. Any lifting of sanctions could open an avenue for Indian refiners to buy lower-cost crude, many of whom are capable of processing such grades.

Choice Institutional Equities said in a report that cheaper Venezuelan barrels, priced at a discount to Brent, could enable Indian refiners to generate higher gross refining margins.

However, the outlook will largely depend on how smoothly the US manages the political transition and enhances production, according to an executive at an Indian refinery. Years of underinvestment and low output have severely affected crude productivity in Venezuela, despite the country holding the worlds largest proven oil reserves.

Queries emailed to Indian Oil Corp. Ltd, Bharat Petroleum Corp., Hindustan Petroleum Corp. and Reliance Industries remained unanswered till press time.

Indian investments stuck In a post-midnight operation on Saturday, the US bombed multiple facilities in Caracas, captured President Nicolas Maduro, and flew him to the US, in a dramatic culmination of years of confrontation over alleged drug trafficking and electoral subversion. Trump said US forces had conducted a large-scale strike and captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

The US intervention in Venezuela has added uncertainty for New Delhi, which has energy investments and millions of dollars in unpaid dividends stuck in the country.

Also Read | US plays down quick return to democracy in Venezuela

Earlier, Mint reported that a possible easing of sanctions after the US intervention could, over time, restore Indias access to Venezuelas vast oil reserves and about $600 million in unpaid dividends. Indias state-run firms had invested around $2.5 billion in Venezuela before US sanctions were imposed in 2020.

India on Sunday expressed deep concern over the developments in Venezuela, reaffirming its support for the well-being and safety of the Venezuelan people.

The turn of events in Caracas will determine the fate of Indias multi-billion-dollar investments and hefty dividends.

ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd (ONGC), faces both risks and potential upside. It has owned a 40% stake in Venezuelas San Cristobal oilfield since 2008, with state-owned PDVSA holding the rest. US sanctions squeezed production at San Cristobal and blocked the repatriation of dividends. New Delhis efforts to secure a sanctions waiver or receive oil in lieu of dollars have failed so far.

Separately, OVL has partnered with Indian Oil Corp. and Oil India Ltd to invest $2.2 billion in the Carabobo-1 project, where production has also suffered following the US sanctions.

"A significant increase in output from Venezuela remains limited due to years of underinvestment by the state-owned oil producing firm PDVSA. In a best-case scenario, the output could increase by 150kbd during 2026, wherein only operational expenditure would be required rather than capital expenditure," said Choice Institutional Equities.

Further increase in output would only come from the next calendar year, provided oil companies make significant investments, it said.

Indian upstream players may benefit as the access to equipment and investments could be granted and subsequently output could be increased from the fields of San Cristobal and Carabobo-1, wherein Indian firms jointly operate with PDVSA, it said.

Oil may drop further Meanwhile, SBI Research has projected a fall in oil prices this year. In a report on Monday, it said crude prices are expected to touch $50 a barrel by June 2026. At the time of writing the story, the February contract of Brent on the Intercontinental Exchange was trading at $61.39 a barrel, higher by 1.17% from its previous close.

India imports about 88% of its oil requirement, accounting for about 25% of the countrys import bill. A $1 per barrel hike in prices raises the total import bill by 13,000 crore.
Months before the US military on President Donald Trump's instructions captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Nobel Peace laureate and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado had batted for what she called the most ambitious economic transformation in Venezuela's history through a sweeping privatisation policy.

Speaking in 2025 at Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh virtually, Machado had called for reversing Maduro's policies via privatisation, an opportunity she said was worth $1.7 trillion.

She described Maduro's policies as the disaster this socialist system has wrought.

Speaking from hiding, Machado in June 2025 had envisioned a bold policy to revive Venezuela's economy with large-scale private investment.

Venezuela will be the single biggest economic opportunity for decades to come in this region," she told at the 2025 Fortune forum, weeks after winning the Nobel Peace Price that year, which was also being eyed by Trump at the time.

Were talking about an opportunity, business opportunity, of more than $1.7 trillion. This is unique, Machado, who won the Nobel Peace prize for her decades-long fight to restore the democracy in Venezuela, had said.

She had floated the $1.7 trillion economy bet before, an estimate her economic advisory team has put together.

On June 12 last year, Machado had predicted a historic economic and democratic transformation of Venezuela.

Venezuela is on the brink of a historic transformation, offering the greatest opportunity for democracy, security, and investment in Latin America, she said at an event hosted by the Council of the Americas.

Machado's privatisation blueprint At the core of Maria Corina Machado's transformation plan for Venezuela is a quick and transparent process of privatisation.

According to the opposition leader, over 500 estimated companies were taken by the regime, confiscated, destroyed, but the infrastructure is there.

She promised strict oversight and rule of law from day one, a move to lure back investors with fiscal stability and incentives, along with a pledge to open the market to companies.

Machado also vowed an absolutely strict approach in terms of rule of law and transparency.

Speaking at the forum, Machado also pointed out the vast oil potential of Venezuela and the fact that the country was the eighth largest in terms of natural gas reserves.

but currently our people dont even have gas even to cook. Thats a disaster.

Bloomberg had in 2024 reported that Venezuelans were resorting to wood from their furniture to cook food. The socialist system has rotted, Machado said.

The investment promise Machado vowed from her virtual seat that she would welcome responsible private investment from all over the world, including Europe, US, China and the Middle East.

Also Read | US-Venezuela: How India remains insulated from crude shock worries
US Senator Lindsey Graham made a surprising claim on Sunday, stating that Indian Ambassador to the United States Vinay Mohan Kwatra had requested the Trump administration to waive the 25% additional tariff it charges New Delhi for purchasing Russian oil last month.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One alongside Trump, Graham said that Kwatra had spoken to him last month and asked him to tell Donald Trump to lift the US tariffs because India is now buying less Russian oil.

I was at the Indian Ambassador's house a month ago, and all he wanted to talk about was how India is buying less Russian oil. And he asked me to tell the President to relieve the 25% tariff, Graham said.

However, New Delhi has not officially confirmed Graham's claims that India has lowered its Russian oil purchase.

Also Read | Donald Trump threatens new tariffs against India over Russia oil issue

Trump's fresh warning to India Lindsey Graham's claim about India comes as US President Donald Trump has warned New Delhi of more US tariffs over its continued imports of Russian oil.

PM Modi's a very good man. He's a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly, Trump said.

Trump's new warning to India comes amid growing scrutiny in Washington over India's energy trade with Russia, even as New Delhi has defended its oil purchases as essential for domestic energy security.

The comments also come just weeks after Trump and Prime Minister Modi held a telephonic conversation, during which both leaders stressed the importance of maintaining momentum in bilateral trade ties despite ongoing tariff-related tensions.

The call coincided with the launch of a fresh round of negotiations between Indian and US officials aimed at resolving the long-standing trade impasse. Only days before the conversation with Modi, Trump had threatened to impose new tariffs on Indian rice imports.

The warning followed complaints raised by a US farmer representative at a White House roundtable, who alleged dumping by India, China and Thailand.

Meanwhile, the recent US strike on Venezuela has brought the issue of oil to the forefront of geopolitics once again. Venezuela has massive oil reserves, which total over 303 billion barrels, making them the world's largest proven reserves. However, production has dwindled to 1 million barrels per day due to US sanctions and underinvestment. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves (estimated at over 300 billion barrels), which represent roughly 17% of the total global oil supply, OPEC data shows.
Venezuelas state-run oil producer PDVSA has begun cutting crude production after rapidly running out of storage capacity, as a sweeping US oil blockade has effectively brought exports to a halt. The curbs add to mounting economic and political pressure on Caracas at a moment of acute instability, following the detention of President Nicolas Maduro by US forces and escalating threats of further American military action from Donald Trump.

Storage crunch forces production cuts in Venezuela According to industry sources cited by Reuters, PDVSA has been compelled to shut oilfields and entire well clusters as onshore tanks fill and supplies of diluentsessential for blending Venezuelas extra-heavy cruderun critically low.

The company has asked several joint ventures to reduce output, including operations involving Chevron and China National Petroleum Corporations CNPC subsidiary Petrolera Sinovensa.

Also Read | Maduro Ouster Leaves Cubas Wobbling Regime Without a Benefactor

Workers at Sinovensa were preparing on Sunday to disconnect up to 10 well clusters at PDVSAs request due to an over-accumulation of extra heavy crude and a diluents shortage, Reuters quoted people familiar with the developments, while stressing that the wells could be reconnected relatively quickly if conditions improve.

At the Petromonagas project, employees have already started reducing output as they await the resumption of diluent flows through pipelines. PDVSA is also operating Petromangas alone after its former Russian partner withdrew.

Exports paralysed by US blockade Venezuelas oil exportslong the countrys principal source of foreign revenuehave ground to a standstill after Washington imposed a tanker blockade under sanctions and seized two Venezuelan cargoes last month. Even shipments operated by Chevron, which had continued under a specific US licence, have now ceased. Shipping data showed that although tankers are still loading at some facilities, none have departed Venezuelan waters since Thursday.

Chevron said on Sunday that it continues to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations, without elaborating, Reuters quoted.

As part of announcing Maduros detention and a US-supervised political transition, President Donald Trump said on Saturday that an oil embargo on Venezuela was now fully in force.

Floating storage fills as tanks overflow With exports blocked, PDVSA has increasingly turned to floating storage, Reuters report stated. After filling more than 45% of its 48-million-barrel onshore capacity and diverting fuel oil to open-air waste pools, the company began loading crude and fuel onto tankers as temporary storage. More than 17 million barrels are now sitting in ships awaiting clearance to depart, according to TankerTrackers.com.

No tankers were docked on Sunday at the countrys main export hub, the Jose terminal, either for export or domestic supply. PDVSA has also struggled to secure imports of naphtha and light oil since December, as deliveries from Russia were disrupted by the US measures.

Venezuela's political uncertainty deepens economic strain The production cuts come as Venezuela navigates a volatile political transition under an interim government following Maduros capture. Oil revenues are widely seen as critical to maintaining basic economic stability and domestic fuel supply, raising concerns that the output curbs could trigger knock-on effects across refining and distribution.

Also Read | Delcy Rodriguez to become acting President of Venezuela10 key updates

Venezuelas oil minister and now interim President, Delcy Rodriguez, now serving as interim president, said last month that the country would continue producing and exporting oil despite US pressure. However, executives and analysts warn that without the ability to move cargoes, further shutdowns are unavoidable.

Venezuela produced about 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude in November and exported roughly 950,000 bpd. Shipments fell to around 500,000 bpd last month as sanctions tightened, according to preliminary estimates based on vessel movements.

OPEC+ holds course amid global oversupply The turmoil in Venezuela has unfolded against a fragile global oil backdrop. On Sunday, OPEC+ kept output policy unchanged after a brief meeting that sidestepped political crises affecting several member states.
Global K-pop sensation BTS have officially confirmed their return, announcing their fifth full-length studio album along with plans for a massive world tour. The comeback marks the groups first major musical release since completing their mandatory military service and has already sent fans across the world into a frenzy.

The upcoming album, which is yet to be titled, is being positioned as a defining chapter in BTS artistic journey. According to the group, the record reflects both their evolution as musicians and their personal growth over the years, bringing together individual experiences into a single creative vision. The band has described the album as deeply introspective, while still staying rooted in the sound and themes that have defined their global rise.

14 Tracks Shaped By Personal Stories Developed during the latter half of 2025, the new album will feature 14 tracks, each shaped through close collaboration between the seven members. Every member is said to have contributed personal reflections, ideas and emotions, allowing the album to function as a collective narrative rather than a fragmented project. Industry watchers say the record is expected to balance BTS signature pop-rap sound with more mature themes that reflect the groups current phase.

Release Date Confirmed The album is set to release on 20 March at midnight, making it BTS first studio project since Proof, the 2022 anthology album that went on to become South Koreas best-selling record of the year. The new release is expected to dominate global charts, with fans already counting down to the launch.

World Tour Announcement Incoming Alongside the album, BTS have also confirmed plans for a large-scale world tour, marking their long-awaited return to live performances. The tour will be their first in nearly four years, following the conclusion of the Permission to Dance on Stage tour in Las Vegas in April 2022. Full details regarding tour dates and venues are scheduled to be revealed on 14 January at midnight KST.

Handwritten Letters To ARMY Ahead of the official announcement, BTS reached out directly to their fanbase, ARMY, through handwritten letters sent across the globe. Each member penned a personal message thanking fans for their unwavering support. Group leader RM wrote, I have been waiting more earnestly than anyone else, a line that quickly resonated with fans online. The letters were shared via Weverse, with digital versions to follow later this month.

Social Media Reset Sparks Buzz Adding to the excitement, BTS reset their official Instagram account at midnight on 1 January, deleting all previous posts. The move instantly sparked speculation and anticipation among fans.
Entrepreneurs from Canada are exploring investment opportunities in Uttar Pradeshs MSME, religious tourism and hospitality sectors following talks between a delegation of the Canadian Hindu Chambers of Commerce and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday.

The 24-member delegation, led by founder president Naresh Kumar Chawda, discussed collaboration in trade, technology and tourism. The Chief Minister assured them of policy and administrative support, citing Uttar Pradeshs improved law and order and stable governance.

CM Yogi highlighted the states MSME ecosystem, supported by 9.6 million units, and the One DistrictOne Product initiative, which has helped traditional industries scale through branding, technology and market access.

He said Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a key investment destination, with 40 lakh crore worth of proposals received at the Global Investors Summit, of which 15 lakh crore have already moved to implementation. Separate policies have been framed to attract FDI and Fortune 500 companies.

Infrastructure expansionincluding expressways, airports, logistics parks, data centres and the upcoming Jewar airporthas strengthened the states industrial base, he said. He also flagged opportunities in tourism linked to Ayodhya, Kashi, Prayagraj, Buddhist and Jain circuits.
Uttar Pradesh is increasingly emerging as a preferred investment destination, with industry leaders citing improved law and order, faster approvals, and stronger infrastructure following a meeting between a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) delegation and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday.

The delegation, led by CII President Rajiv Memani and including Umashankar Bhartia of India Glycols Ltd., discussed industrial expansion, infrastructure development, and policy reforms aimed at accelerating investments in the state.

Industry representatives said the governance and administrative framework in Uttar Pradesh has become more predictable and execution-focused, enabling time-bound implementation of projects and reducing operational hurdles for businesses.

According to the delegation, stricter law enforcement and administrative stability have played a critical role in improving investor confidence. They noted that entrepreneurs across sectors are increasingly considering Uttar Pradesh for new projects and expansions.

Infrastructure build-outspanning expressways, industrial corridors, airports, logistics hubs, and utilities such as power and waterwas highlighted as a key enabler for industrial growth. Recent policy reforms, including decriminalisation of certain business-related provisions and enhanced incentives, were also cited as contributing to higher domestic and global investment interest.
JUST HOURS after America captured Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelas dictator, in a nighttime raid on January 3rd, President Donald Trump clarified his motivation. The oil business in Venezuela has been a bust, a total bust for a long period of time," he said. We are going to have our very large United States oil companiesspend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructureand start making money for the country."

The declaration had the sweet taste of revenge. Eighteen years ago, under Hugo Chavez, Venezuela nationalised assets belonging to American and other Western companies; claims worth a combined $60bn have been filed against it and PDVSA, the national oil company, in American and international tribunals. On December 16th Mr Trump had demanded that Venezuela return all of the oil, land and other assets that they previously stole from us".

But the president wants more than retribution. Decades of underinvestment and mismanagement have caused Venezuelas oil production to fall by two-thirds since the late 2000s, to around 1m barrels a day (b/d). Restoring idle capacity, the thinking goes, would make Venezuela rich while lining American pockets. Better still, Venezuela sits on some 300bn barrels of oila fifth of the worlds reservesimplying production might rise further still, and for a while. The heavy, sour crude that the country harbours is precisely the type of which American refineries are chronically short, at a time when Americas relations with Canada, a supplier of the stuff, are strained.

What, then, is not to like about Mr Trumps lunge for petroleum? Quite a lot, it turns out. In the immediate term, Venezuelas crude output is more likely to fall than rebound. In December America declared a blockade on Venezuelan shipments ferried by blacklisted tankers; it then seized one of them. Exports have since cratered and the volume of Venezuelan crude floating on idle tankers has hit multi-year highs. Venezuela is also short of naphthaa dilutant it needs to make its super-gloopy crude transportablewhich is no longer coming through from Russia. Unless the blockade is lifted, which depends on political and military developments, Venezuelas production will have to be curtailed further, to perhaps less than 700,000 b/d.

View Full Image Chart: The Economist

Output might recover in a few months if there is a smooth political transition and American sanctions on Venezuela, blockade included, are lifted (a big if"). Basic maintenance and repairs might push the countrys crude output to 1.2m b/d by the end of 2026, estimates Kpler, a data firm. That would still be some way short of the countrys maximum potential output, however, and leave it a little behind Libya, the worlds 18th-largest producer. To pump more, Venezuela would need to overcome three problems: a dire need for funds, a shortage of labour and a saturated global market.

Rystad Energy, a consultancy, estimates that $110bn in capital expenditure on exploration and production alone would be required to bring the countrys output back to where it was 15 years agotwice the amount Americas oil majors combined invested worldwide in 2024. Mr Trump seems to think those firms would rush to sign big cheques. Chevron, which is already present in Venezuela and exporting some 200,000 b/d to America under a sanctions waiver, may well expand its operations. But others have not forgotten the pains of the past. The success of Mr Trumps plans is hardly guaranteed. He will depart the White House in just over three years, and may lose interest before then. So far American majors have remained silent on the presidents call to arms. Nor are global commodity traders in the starting blocks", says Jean-Francois Lambert, a consultant. Banks and insurers, which would be needed to finance and secure shipments, would be even slower to return.

Even if enough oil firms could be convinced to cough up, it is doubtful that Venezuelas oil industry could keep pace. In recent years it has suffered a huge brain drain. Tens of thousands of skilled workers, from engineers to geologists, have left the country. PDVSA is now largely run by the armed forces. To form viable joint ventures with Western firms, the 70,000-strong company would have to be reformed wholesale. It may not be able to serve as a viable partner for many years.

Whatever extra oil Venezuela can pump will flow into a saturated market. The International Energy Agency, an official forecaster, expects global crude supply to outstrip demand until at least the end of the decade, because of strong production in countries like Brazil, Guyana and, indeed, America, as well as tepid growth in demand. Many analysts expect surpluses to lower global oil prices towards $50 a barrel, and possibly below, this year and nextunder the breakeven price for most existing Venezuelan fields with decent reserves. New projects are often even less competitive.

In its most optimistic scenario, Kpler forecasts that Venezuelas oil output might rise to between 1.7m and 1.8m b/d by 2028. That could still cause a notable rejigging of trade flows. American refiners are likely to snap up some extra barrels: they imported 500,000 more a day in the early 2010s. Cuba, which has long bought from Venezuela on favourable terms, will turn to Mexico and Russia for help. Chinas teapot" refineries, which used to buy most of Venezuelan supplies at a discount, may be cut out of the trade; perhaps its state-owned oil firms will reduce their local footprint, too.

All this could benefit America commercially and geopolitically, but only at the margin. Anything more drastic, such as bringing Venezuelan output back to 2.5m-3m b/dits level in the late 2010s, and about as much as Kuwait, the worlds eighth-largest producer, pumps todaylooks like a long-term project, reckons Jorge Leon of Rystad Energy. Mr Trumps snatching of Mr Maduro was spectacular and swift. The economic reward from it will be neither.
President Trump ticked off a list of reasons for his decision to capture and arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He talked about the Maduro regime sending illicit drugs and gangs to the U.S. and nationalizing American oil-company assets.

One thing that wasnt mentioned: a desire to restore democracy in Venezuela. Instead, Trump said the U.S. would run the country indefinitely until a safe, proper and judicious transition" could be arranged. He didnt raise the prospect of elections.

The president said it would be tough" for the countrys opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize, to play a major role, saying she lacked popularity. Instead, he expressed a willingness to work with Delcy Rodriguez, Maduros vice president, a hard-line socialist and regime stalwart.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio played down expectations of a quick return to democracy, saying it was unrealistic. Theyve had this system of Chavismo in place for 15 or 16 years, and everyones asking, why 24 hours after Nicolas Maduro was arrested, there isnt an election scheduled for tomorrow? Thats absurd," he said on CBSs Face the Nation." Chavismo, the political movement founded by the late Hugo Chavez, has actually run Venezuela now for 27 years.

Rubio outlined the more immediate goals for the U.S. in dealing with the Venezuelan regime under Rodriguez, who is now the new interim president, and said Washington would use an effective blockade on Venezuelan oil exports, as well as the threat of further military force, as leverage to force the government to change its behavior.

We want drug trafficking to stop. We want no more gang members to come our way. We dont want to see the Iranian and, by the way, Cuban presence in the past. We want the oil industry in that country not to go to the benefit of pirates and adversaries of the United States, but for the benefit of the people. We want to see all of that happen," he said.

For many Venezuelans, including millions of those who have fled the country to places like the U.S., the initial glee at hearing of Maduros capture has given way to growing angst that while Maduro is gone, the rest of his regime remains intact, and appears set to stay in power for the foreseeable future.

Venezuelans are alternating between euphoria that Maduro is out, but disappointment that the guys with guns and the structure of guns and corruption is still running the show," said Moises Naim, a former Venezuelan trade minister and analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Even if the regime softens and changes policies to please the Trump administration, that feels more like colonial submission" and doesnt give ordinary Venezuelans a say in their future, said Rafael Banega, a community activist in Caracas. This isnt what we expected in any way, and it seems to frustrate our expectations. I cant see most people supporting this," he said.

Larry Gumbiner, a former senior U.S. diplomat who served in half a dozen Latin American countries during a 31-year career, said the Trump administration is clearly giving priority to stability over democracy.

Trumps plan, Gumbiner said, appears to be to keep the Maduro government in power minus Maduro, with the condition that the new president carries out Trumps program of allowing U.S. oil companies to rebuild the oil sector, stopping drug trafficking and stopping support for Colombian guerrillas active in Venezuelan territory. If not, the presence of the U.S. fleet keeps alive the threat of a second round of attacks and captures.

There are good reasons why the Trump administration might not be able to impose a fast transition to democracy. Venezuelas army and other security forces remain loyal to the regime, and have benefited from widespread corruption under Maduro and his predecessor, Chavez. Absent a much larger U.S. military operation, they might be unwilling to cooperate.

The interim president, Rodriguez, will also have to keep the support of Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, hard-liners who face U.S. criminal charges similar to those of Maduro and may balk at seeking an accommodation with Washington.

View Full Image Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuelas acting president.

So far, Rodriguezs government has struck a defiant tone, telling its people it will oppose what it describes as Washingtons imperialist ambition to undermine Venezuelan sovereignty and take its oil.

Venezuelas constitution says that Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president Saturday, must call for a new presidential election in 30 days if the presidents absence is permanent. But Venezuelas Supreme Court, stacked with regime supporters, has ruled that, given the extraordinary circumstances of Maduros absence, it needs to study the question. That puts, at the moment, no time frame for Rodriguezs rule.

Some in Venezuelas opposition reacted angrily after Trumps comments failed to mention holding new elections or forcing the regime to accept the result of the 2024 presidential election, which the U.S. and other Western governments say was won by opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez but ignored by Maduro, who stayed in power.

Pedro Mario Burelli, an outspoken opposition member, praised the U.S. military operation that seized Maduro but called the plan for running Venezuela from Washington via regime members bizarre" and unacceptable."

Panamas President Jose Raul Mulino, who has strongly opposed Maduro, urged Trump to ensure a democratic transition in Venezuela and criticized Trumps backing of Rodriguez, who he called one of the people most committed to Maduros nefarious" dictatorship. With what moral authority can she come to lead a transition to democracy?" Mulino said.

Maria Corina Machado, the Nobel Prize winner who is widely seen as the countrys leading opposition leader, has remained quiet. Other opposition figures say she likely feels she doesnt have much choice but to put her faith in Rubio and Trump and hope a transition eventually comes.

We all know democracy wont happen from one day to the next, but this creates a huge opportunity and we want to help push this to a successful conclusion, which is elections," said Freddy Guevara, a former lawmaker who was a political prisoner for more than three years and now teaches at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Guevara said he trusts the Trump administration will do the right thing and pressure the regime to start the process of negotiations that will eventually lead to a transition. The key, he said, is whether Rodriguez, Cabello and Padrino realize things have changed and no longer feel untouchable.

Maduro felt invincible. And look where that got him. If these guys feel invincible, it will end badly for them, too," he said.

Write to David Luhnow at david.luhnow@wsj.com and Jose de Cordoba at jose.decordoba@wsj.com
Xi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed a desire to maintain peace and stability in Northeast Asia, according to footage aired by state broadcaster China Central Television. The left-leaning Lee vowed to work with China to explore viable measures to foster peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Beijing had long openly opposed North Koreas push to obtain nuclear weapons, often mentioning denuclearization as a goal with the regime of its leader, Kim Jong Un. But more recently, China has stopped making such calls publicly, opting to instead push for a fair and impartial" approach toward peace on the Korean Peninsulasuggesting Beijing wont contest Pyongyangs de facto nuclear status.

That doesnt mean South Korea canor willstop asking China for help in slowing Pyongyangs efforts to build out its nuclear arsenal, even if the answer, ultimately, is no. Xi likely now sees more utility in keeping a nuclear-armed North close as tensions rise with the U.S. over Taiwan, security experts say. Chinas sway looks also more limited, given how Kims nuclear stockpile and resolve in keeping his atomic bombs have only grown with time.

The shifting rhetoric on Kims nuclear arsenal reflects a new reality where China, despite remaining North Koreas economic lifeline, increasingly lacks the incentive to apply pressure on Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.

In late November, China, for the first time in nearly two decades, omitted any mention of North Korean disarmament from a periodically released defense white paper that articulates its stance on global threats. Meanwhile, the Trump administration in December made no reference to North Korea or denuclearization in the U.S.s National Security Strategy document, which outlines Washingtons defense strategies and, in years past, called for the country to give up such arms. White House officials have subsequently said Washington is still committed to the complete denuclearization" of North Korea.

The Trump administration hasnt made Pyongyangs denuclearization a central condition to Washington-Beijing relations, said Patricia M. Kim, a China expert at the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. Absent such pressure, Beijing has little reason to recalibrate its hands-off approach," she said.

Russias backing and Chinas hesitation to openly call for denuclearization has emboldened North Korea to call its nuclear status irreversible." With those two powers providing a shield against additional United Nations sanctions, Pyongyang has vowed to expand its nuclear program, leaving Washington and its allies facing a nuclear-armed axis.

On Sunday, Kim oversaw a test-launch of what Pyongyangs state media claimed were hypersonic missilescapabilities that underscored a need for a nuclear war deterrent," the North Korean leader was quoted as saying.

Chinas calculations have also likely shifted, now seeing North Korea as essential for pinning down American military resources that could otherwise be deployed to counter Chinese moves in the Taiwan Strait. Xi is also seeking to maintain its influence as North Koreas primary patron and prevent Pyongyang from drifting further into Moscows orbit.

Ahead of Mondays Xi-Lee summit, Seoul officials said the two leaders would discuss denuclearization, expressing South Koreas concerns over Pyongyangs evolving nuclear threats. Xi hosted Lee at a Chinese state guesthouse that once served as a venue for North Korean denuclearization talks. That round of diplomacy, starting in 2003, featured the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the U.S. in an arrangement known as the Six-Party Talks." The multilateral effort to curb Pyongyangs nuclear program broke down as North Korea withdrew from the talks in 2009.

China, alongside Russia, backed tighter sanctions against the Kim regime as recently as 2017 during President Trumps first term, when the U.N. passed sweeping restrictions after a spree of North Korean weapons tests. Since then, China has publicly supported North Koreas denuclearizationat least until more recently, when it toned down its language to call for peace. Both China and Russia have shifted blame toward the U.S. for escalating military tensions.

Beijings influence on Pyongyang has diminished because of the Kim regimes closer relations with Moscow, and Xi appears to have little power to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table to advance denuclearization, said Victor Cha, the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

The only one who could bring North Korea back to the table is probably Trump himself," Cha said. But for North Korea there would have to be no conditions for denuclearization."

Write to Dasl Yoon at dasl.yoon@wsj.com
Oil futures fell Sunday night to start the first trading session since the U.S. ousted Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro and President Trump subsequently pledged to dispatch American drillers to revive the countrys crude output.

U.S. futures for delivery later this month shed 0.5%, trading at about $57 a barrel after the open Sunday in New York. Brent crude futures were down by even less, trading around $60.50.

View Full Image Chart: WSJ

Financial markets were generally muted to start the weeks trading. U.S. stock futures edged up slightly. Contracts tied to the S&P 500 gained 0.1%. Gold futures rose about 1%, and silver futures continued their rapid ascent, climbing more than 2%.

The move in oil markets reflects expectations among energy traders that significant obstacles remain before Venezuelan oil is flowing more freely into global markets.

Sanctions applied to pressure Maduros regime have been a pillar of support for oil prices that have been depressed by a growing surfeit.

Benchmark U.S. prices fell 20% last year and are around their lowest levels in nearly five years, threatening the profitability of the U.S. oil industry. American frackers have nonetheless continued to pump record volumes of oil. Meanwhile, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its market allies have been rolling back output cuts.

There is unlikely to be much uplift in Venezuelan oil exports until sanctions are eased.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday on CBSs Face the Nation" that the U.S. would continue to enforce the tanker blockade it initiated last month in an effort to exert pressure on Venezuelan leaders rather than assuming day-to-day governance over the country, as Trump earlier said.

We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking," Rubio said.

Tankers headed to Venezuela changed course or became stationary following Saturdays predawn incursion.

Venezuela claims its crude oil reserves exceed 300 billion barrels. If true, that would be the worlds largest trove. Yet sanctions and two decades of mismanagement and underinvestment have reduced Venezuelan oil production to a relative trickle.

Analysts warn that even in an orderly transition of power, it will take years and huge sums to bring Venezuelan output back to its historical peak of about 3 million barrels a day from current levels near 900,000 barrels.

By comparison, U.S. output has been notching fresh records approaching 14 million barrels a day, according to the Energy Information Administration. Despite record domestic production, many U.S. refineries, particularly on the Gulf and West coasts, were designed for heavy, sour crude from Mexico and Venezuela and arent able to process light, sweet oil that the frackers have unleashed.

View Full Image Chart: WSJ

In an orderly transition, Jefferies analysts estimate that Venezuela could, in three to five years, produce an additional 500 million barrels a day or so through its current joint ventures with global energy firms, including Chevron, the only major U.S. oil company still operating in the country.

Further increases beyond that level could be much more complex and costly," they wrote in a note to clients Sunday. The potential to boost Venezuelan production hinges on capital, which in turn depends on political stability and likely requires guarantees from the U.S. government."

American energy companieswhich had no advance warning of the U.S. incursion, The Wall Street Journal reported Sundaymust decide if they will heed Trumps call to go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country."

Besides a secure environment in which to work, RBC analysts say that oil executives currently working in Venezuela estimate it would cost $10 billion a year to turn around the energy sector.

This places a heavy burden on U.S. oil companies and will potentially force them to play a quasi-governmental role on the capacity building and development front," they said.

Write to Ryan Dezember at ryan.dezember@wsj.com
MUMBAI: Indian banks are set to report a steady recovery in business momentum in the December quarter (Q3FY26), led by a pick-up in credit growth, stable asset quality, largely better margins, and strong capital buffers, according to brokerages.

Analysts have, however, cautioned that stretched liquidity conditions and weak deposit mobilization could emerge as key pressure points as loan growth continues to outpace deposits.

Leading private sector banks including HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and YES Bank are set to kickstart the third-quarter earnings season from 17 January.

Credit growth and liquidity pressures

Non-food credit for the banking sector grew almost 12% on year as on 15 December, according to latest data from the Reserve Bank of India, driven by a consumption-led recovery and supportive regulatory measures. This was up from around 9% in May.

Growth momentum has strengthened over the past few months and credit cycle has seen a meaningful pickup after GST cutswith the full 100 bps CRR (cash reserve ratio) cut now in place and recent supportive regulatory measures, further support to credit expansion expected ahead," Motilal Oswal Financial Services said in a pre-earnings note.

Pre-quarterly updates from lenders suggest this momentum has sustained into the December quarter, even as deposit growth has lagged, at a little over 9% on year.

Macquarie Research flagged that the loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) for the banking system has climbed to over 81%, the highest level on record. The widening gap between loan and deposit growth highlights a structural challenge for banks as they head into the earnings season.

LDR ratios now are at all time high levelsIf the current situation persists for a long time, banks have to hike deposit rates or perhaps banks have limited room to pass RBI rate cuts, something that one needs to be careful about," Macquarie Capital said in a report on 5 January.

On 3 January, Mint reported that the banking systems incremental LDR ratio, which tracks fresh loans and deposits during the year, soared to 102% in 2025 from 79% a year earlier. An LDR ratio above 100% implies that banks are lending more money than the incremental deposits they are mobilizing.

The widening LDR ratio is forcing banks to lean increasingly on market borrowings, liquidation of excess statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) holdings, and balance-sheet buffers to raise money for lending.

This trend is particularly visible among large private lenders. HDFC Bank, which released its pre-quarter update, reported its LDR at 98.6% on a net advances basis, up from 98% in the previous quarter, highlighting the tightness in system liquidity.

Steady margins, improving asset quality

On the profitability side, net interest margins are expected to hold up in October-December, with the impact of recent 25 basis points rate cut likely to be felt more meaningfully from the March quarter.

The 25 bps rate cut is likely to have a limited impact in 3Q as the repricing impact would only be partial. Additionally, the full transmission of CRR cuts should cushion margins. System liquidity infusion is also expected to enable smoother rate transmission without materially pressuring NIMs," Elara Capital said in a report on 26 December.

However, margins will continue to see pressure. We see NIM for banks to be lower sequentially, clustering around a 5 bps ballpark decline," YES Securities said in a report on 2 January.

Also Read | RBI cracked the whip on banks in 2025just not as hard

According to the brokerage, NIM outcomes in Q3 are expected to be divergent: Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, Federal Bank, Indian Bank, and Bank of Baroda are likely to see a compression in margin, whereas HDFC Bank, IDFC First Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, State Bank of India, AU Small Finance Bank, RBL Bank, Bandhan Bank, and Equitas Small Finance Bank may report an expansion.

ICICI Bank, Punjab National Bank, Central Bank of India, Union Bank of India, and DCB Bank would likely report largely flat NIMs.

Yield on advances may decline, and the positive impact from prior term deposit rate reductions is expected to become evident this quarter onwards, Systematix Institutional Equities said in a report on 5 January. The profitability is expected to improve YoY led by sustained sequential advances growth, higher fee income growth and lower credit costs."

Asset quality trends are also seen improving, particularly in unsecured retail and microfinance portfolios, helping contain credit costs.

With improving growth trend in 2HFY26, especially in unsecured retail/MSME lending, we believe PVBs are likely to regain the lost ground, along with maintaining stronger margin profile amid diversified product portfolio, while superior underwriting keeps asset quality volatility under check," Ambit Institutional Equities said on 23 December.

The brokerage prefers regional banks due to their strong liability franchise, healthy asset quality, and focus on higher-yield secured segments.

The broader health of the banking system remains robust, with system stress at its lowest level in over a decade, non-performing loans near cyclical troughs, provision coverage ratios at record highs, and capital adequacy comfortably above regulatory requirements, Macquarie said.

Common equity tier-1 (CET-1) ratios of over 14.5% and liquidity coverage ratios exceeding 130% provide significant buffers against shocks.

Private sector banks are projected to post modest profit growth, while state-owned banks are likely to see stable but slower earnings expansion amid flatter margins, Motilal Oswal said.

Overall, earnings commentary on loan and deposit growth targets and guidance on NIM will be keenly watched this quarter.
Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday made changes to its October proposals on related party transactions of banks and non-bank financiers, accepting a clutch of suggestions from the industry.

In October the regulator had proposed changes to regulations on lending to counterparties that are related or connected to the lending bank. This could be either through ownership in the bank or through their ability to control and influence the lending decisions.

The RBI said at the time that such control may prove detrimental to the interests of the bank and other stakeholders. As related parties can be many entities other than what is covered under extant statutory or regulatory restrictions, direct or indirect lending to such related parties remains a regulatory concern, it said in October.

Also Read | RBI cracked the whip on banks in 2025just not as hard

Existing transactions can continue On Monday the RBI said stakeholders had requested it to allow existing related-party transactions that do not comply with the new directions to continue until their contractual maturity, and to do away with the requirement of a one-year run-off period. Accepting the suggestion, the RBI said all existing transactions not complying with the regulatory prohibitions could continue until there was any enhancement, renewal, re-pricing, or any change in the terms and conditions of such transactions.

Changes to definition of related party The regulator also accepted and rejected certain changes to its proposed nine-point definition of a related party.

The original definition included entities in which a related person or a relative of the related person is:

a partner, manager, key managerial personnel, director or a promoter;

or a shareholder who holds more than 10% of the equity share capital or paid-up equity share capital of  5 crore, whichever is less. Stakeholders comments have flagged that the scope of definition of related party is very wide, the RBI said on Monday. It captures relatives of the related persons who are already covered as related persons.

Also Read | RBI cautions states on fiscal discipline as borrowing costs surge

Here, the RBI accepted two changes suggested by the industry and rejected one. It said since relatives of a related person were already included, the reference to relatives in the definition of related party has been removed. Second, the 5 crore threshold has been removed from the definition.

However, the banking and finance industry also sought an alignment of the definition of related party with the existing framework prescribed by the markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), which RBI rejected.

Exact alignment with the SEBI LODR (listing obligations and disclosure requirements) definition of related party was not considered, as the regulatory objectives of the two frameworks are different, the central bank said.

Also Read | Why the RBI is wary of stablecoinsCryptos measured wing
One of the most significant policy moves of 2025 was the passage of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, which overhauled Indias long-standing nuclear governance framework.

For the first time, the law opens the nuclear value chain  including power generation, equipment manufacturing and fuel-cycle services  to private players, while easing liability provisions that had deterred foreign suppliers and investors.

On paper, the reform strengthens Indias clean energy push at a time when large-scale private capital is essential to fund capital-intensive nuclear power projects. Its success, however, will hinge on building public acceptance, ensuring regulatory clarity and providing robust institutional support.

Green switch

With countries pledging to sharply cut greenhouse gas emissions and offset what remains by mid-century to keep global warming within 1.5 degree Celsius, nuclear energy is increasingly being seen as indispensable to the clean energy transition. Today, nuclear plants operate in more than 40 countries and supply about 9% of the worlds electricity, making nuclear the second-largest source of low-emissions power after hydropower and producing more electricity than wind, solar, or bioenergy individually.

Unlike wind or solar, nuclear power plants operate round the clock, providing stable electricity and heat without carbon emissions. This makes nuclear a natural complement to renewable energy, particularly as the rising share of variable renewables adds pressure on grid stability and large-scale energy storage remains expensive.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), reaching net zero emissions by 2050 requires the share of low-emissions sources, including renewables and nuclear, in global electricity generation to rise from 39% in 2022 to 100% by 2050. Under this pathway, global nuclear electricity generation would need to increase from about 2,700 TWh in 2022 to roughly 6,000 TWh by 2050.

Atomic presence

Advanced economies account for over 70% of the worlds operating nuclear reactors, and eight of the ten countries with the highest share of nuclear energy in their overall electricity generation fall in this group.

France stands out, with nuclear accounting for about 65% of its total electricity generation, reflecting decades of policy emphasis on low-carbon energy sources. Ukraine follows with a share of around 50%, driven by legacy Soviet-era capacity and energy security concerns. Switzerlands 35% share highlights nuclears continued importance even in countries with ambitious renewable energy targets.

Elsewhere, nuclear plays a supportive rather than dominant role. The US operates the worlds largest nuclear fleet with 94 reactors, yet nuclear energy contributes less than 20% of electricity generation as natural gas and renewables have expanded rapidly. Japan, despite having a large nuclear fleet before the Fukushima accident, generated just 9% of its electricity from nuclear energy in 2023.

China and India sit at the lower end, at roughly 5% and 3% respectively, largely due to the dominance of coal and hydropower. This balance is likely to change as China hosts half of all nuclear projects currently under construction and is set to overtake both the EU and the US in nuclear capacity by 2030.

Investment intensive

Nuclear projects are characterised by a long, complex and extremely capital-intensive design and construction phase. Since 2000, the global average construction time for a nuclear reactor has been about seven years, stretching beyond a decade in several cases, particularly in Europe and the US. Even in South Korea, where earlier reactors were built in four to six years, the most recent projects have taken nearly a decade.

By contrast, utility-scale solar and wind projects are usually completed within two to four years, while gas-based power plants rarely take more than six years.

In nuclear projects, large amounts of capital are therefore locked in for extended periods without any revenue generation. This makes financing nuclear plants unattractive for traditional commercial investors, who typically prefer shorter investment horizons and quicker returns.

Moreover, nuclear projects often face cost overruns and construction delays due to the sheer scale and technical complexity of the plants, combined with particularly stringent regulatory scrutiny, safety standards and technological requirements.

The sensitive nature of nuclear energy also adds to political and regulatory uncertainty, reinforcing the need for strong public backing and risk-sharing mechanisms to make new nuclear investments viable.

State dominance

Given the high upfront capital costs, long construction timelines, and asset lives that can stretch close to a century when decommissioning and waste management are included, the global nuclear industry remains overwhelmingly dominated by state-owned utilities.

Since safety regulation and waste handling are core government responsibilities, state-owned enterprises operating under public oversight are often seen as better equipped to meet stringent regulatory standards. Backed by sovereign support, these entities are also better placed to absorb long payback periods and construction risks that private investors typically avoid.

In emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), virtually all utilities operating nuclear plants are state-owned enterprises, while in advanced economies commercial enterprises account for roughly half of installed capacity.

Notably, the US and Japan run much of their nuclear fleet through private companies under market-based structures. Indias nuclear sector is similarly anchored by the state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), which oversees reactor development, generation and operations.

Bold bet

Indias nuclear energy journey has been characterised by long periods of stagnation, with limited capacity additions over the past decade. Cumulative installed nuclear capacity rose from 4.8 GW in March 2014 to 6.8 GW by March 2017, and then remained virtually flat for several years, inching up to just 8.2 GW by March 2024.

Experts have long attributed these delays in capacity addition to the earlier legislative regime governing the nuclear sector. The Atomic Energy Act of 1962 reserved most nuclear activities for the public sector, while the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 imposed supplier liability provisions that discouraged foreign technology providers and investors.

Together, these constraints limited the pace at which projects could be financed and executed. High upfront capital costs, long construction timelines, and persistent community concerns around safety and land acquisition further compounded the slowdown.

The SHANTI law seeks to reset this trajectory by easing liability provisions and opening parts of the nuclear value chain to private participation, with the aim of mobilising larger pools of capital and technology. If effectively implemented, this shift will be critical for strengthening Indias net-zero pathways, where firm, low-carbon nuclear power will be needed to complement the rapid expansion of renewable energy.

Puneet Kumar Arora is an assistant professor of economics at Delhi Technological University.
In a stunning turn of events, the US attacked Venezuela over the weekend, captured its leader, Nicolas Maduro, and imposed a naval blockade. The chaos in the Latin American nation, once an oil-producing powerhouse, is being keenly eyed, as this event adds a "geopolitical risk premium" on energy markets.

In the initial reaction, Brent crude oil fell as much as 1.2% to $60 a barrel.

While the immediate effect is seen as limited, the change in control over Venezuela's vast oil reserves poses critical implications for heavy crude pricing and long-term supply forecasts.

Why is oil price falling amid US-Venezuela conflict? Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves with an estimated 303.8 billion barrels (as of 2020), trailed by 297.5 billion barrels from Saudi Arabia, showed data from Prabhudas Lilladher (PL) Capital. The next three largest reserves are way behind at 168.1 billion barrels, 157.8 billion barrels and 145 billion barrels with Canada, Iran and Iraq, respectively.

However, after more than a decade of sanctions, underinvestment, and infrastructure decline, Venezuelan production has fallen to just 1% of global supply, and the country isn't among the top 20 global producers.

"Oil prices showed little reaction to the geopolitical shock surrounding the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as markets judged the impact on global crude supplies to be limited. OPEC+ holding output policy steady, the absence of damage to Venezuelan oil infrastructure, and the countrys small share of global output helped cap any risk premium," explained Kaynat Chainwala, AVP Commodity Research, Kotak Securities.

Prices are unlikely to rise significantly unless the situation escalates into broader instability or disruption of critical energy infrastructure, said Naveent Damani, Head of Research  Commodities, Motilal Oswal Financial Services. "The crisis does add a geopolitical risk premium, increasing short-term volatility, but with global inventories comfortable and supply uninterrupted, the impact remains modest."

What could move oil prices? Commenting on what can influence the energy markets, Ross Maxwell, Global Strategy Operations Lead, VT Markets, said that markets are less focused on Venezuelas current production levels and more on how the political control will play out.

"If US actions lead to an interim or opposition-led administration, oil prices will respond to how quickly that authority can assert control, negotiate export arrangements, and secure international recognition. In the short-term, this risk could be bullish for crude," he opined.

However, if an interim government gains credibility and moves toward US-backed reforms, the medium and long-term result is likely to be additional Venezuelan barrels returning to the market, which would be bearish for prices, he cautioned.

Damani added that for crude, OPEC remains a more decisive factor. The OPEC countries on Sunday decided to keep the supply unchanged. "Oil prices are likely to remain range-bound and prone to headline volatility in the near term. The more decisive factor continues to be OPEC+ supply management. If the group maintains output discipline, prices can remain supported despite geopolitical noise. Conversely, any easing of production cuts combined with strong non-OPEC supply could push the market lower," the MOSL analyst opined.

Crude oil prices: Key targets In 2025, while gold glittered, black gold was battered. Brent and WTI benchmarks each lost nearly 20%, recording their steepest fall since 2020, as per a Reuters report. It was also the third straight year of losses for Brent  the longest streak on record.

In the near term, a broad range between 5,000 level ($55 for WTI) or 5,500 ($65 for the WTI) could be seen, said Damani, adding that the weakness towards 4,600 or $47 can also be a short-term possibility, with the major trend change happening only above 5,500 or $63 levels.
Global investors reached for classic safe-haven assets Monday, driving gold, silver, and the U.S. dollar higher, as President Donald Trumps ousting of Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro added a new element of geopolitical risk to markets early in the new year.

Maduros arrest and extradition, as well as Trumps vow to run" Venezuela and the worlds largest proven oil reserves, has stoked concerns for disruption in energy markets and raised the prospect of further U.S. military adventures in other parts of the world.

Trump told Fox News that American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again," adding that something will have to be done about Mexico" and the drug cartels that operate there. Administration threats also were aimed at Cuba and Colombia.

While this can be read as a shift towards a more overtly hemispheric approach to managing geopolitical relations, with the U.S. asserting greater control over developments in its own backyard, it is equally possible to interpret events through the lens of U.S.-China fracturing," said Nel Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics.

Venezuela had become Chinas (and Russias) most steadfast ally in Latin America, a position that generated unease across the political spectrum in Washington," he added.

Gold prices jumped on the prospect of U.S.-led action and the potential ramping up of political and military pressures on Taiwan from China, which has disputed the territorys sovereignty from Beijing.

The bullion was rising 2.5% to $4,436 an ounce, with silver rising 4.75% to $76.25 an ounce.

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six global currency peers, jumped 0.33% to 98.75, helping push U.S. Treasury bond prices higher and yields lower.

Global oil prices, curiously, were little changed, with Brent crude, the global benchmark, rising around 0.2% to change hands at $60.63 a barrel.

Analysts said Trumps assertion that U.S. energy companies will invest billions" in Venezuela to resume the flow of oil to world markets may take years to come to fruition, if at all. In the meantime, Venezuelas output only amounts to around 1% of global production in a market that already is awash with excess crude.

There is potential for a large recovery in Venezuelan oil production; however, this will not be a quick process. Any significant increase would likely take several years," said INGs head of commodities strategy, Warren Patterson.

We will need to see significant investment in Venezuelas oil infrastructure, following years of neglect. And in order for this investment to materialize, we will need to see foreign oil companies agree to invest in the domestic industry," he added. This is easier said than done, given that both Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips had their assets in Venezuela expropriated back in 2007."

Stock market volatility, however, looks muted heading into the start of an important week for equities, which includes key data on jobs, trade, and private sector economic activity over the coming days.

The Cboe Groups VIX index, a benchmark for near-term moves in the equity market, was 1.5% higher at 15.17, a relatively benign level that suggests daily swings of around 0.95%, or 65 points, for the S&P 500 over the next month.

Global equities are likely to keep looking through the geopolitical shock unless it threatens the broader supply chain or tightens financial conditions, because geopolitics has become a persistent feature rather than a surprise," said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets.

Equities can continue grinding higher if earnings expectations, liquidity, and rate expectations remain supportive, especially in tech, but headline risk tends to raise dispersion and rotation under the surface," she added.

Write to Martin Baccardax at martin.baccardax@barrons.com
Silver rate today Live: Following the escalation in the US-Venezuela conflict, silver rates today opened with an upside gap in the international market and touched an intraday high of $75.968 per ounce, logging a near 6% intraday gain against the previous close. Following the US attack on Venezuela, the market is anticipating disruptions in silver exports from Peru and Chad, the two largest silver exporters in the global merchandise trade, according to experts.

Following strong global cues, silver rates today on MCX opened with a big upside gap and touched an intraday high of 2,49,900 per kg, logging an intraday rise of around 13,500 against Friday's close of 2,36,316 per kg.

Experts believe the demand-supply gap is expected to further fuel silver prices, and the white metal may soon reach $78 per ounce. However, they maintained that the probability of a profit trigger at higher levels is also present and advised investors to maintain strict stop-losses and levels that would play a pivotal role in the movement of silver rates today.

Speaking on the outlook of silver rates today, Anuj Gupta, Director at Ya Wealth, said, Silver price today is in a bull trend as the market is under the fear of demand-supply constraint caused by the US-Venezuela conflict. Following the US attacks on Venezuela, Peru and Chad  two major silver exporters in the global market  may struggle to export the white metal with ease. In that case, demand for the white metal may not be met. Thus market is discounted on that demand-supply gap.

Anuj Gupta of Ya Wealth said that COMEX silver prices are expected to touch $78 per ounce and there can be some profit-booking around these levels.

US-Venezuela conflict: How it unfolded

In an unprecedented move that stunned the entire world, the United States (US) attacked Venezuela on Saturday morning last week and abducted President Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump announced the successful operation on his social media handle, Truth Social, and said, "The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow.  Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Track this space for LIVE updates on silver rate today
Upcoming IPO: Hindustan Laboratories has filed a DRHP with SEBI for its proposed IPO. The offer has a total issue size of up to 1,41,00,000 shares of face value of 10, comprising a

fresh issue of up to 50,00,000 shares and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to 91,00,000 shares.

Rajesh Vasantray Doshi is the promoter selling shareholder offloading up to 91,00,000 shares in the OFS.

Meanwhile, the company intends to utilise the net proceeds from the fresh issue of shares towards funding the working capital requirements and general corporate purposes.

As per the DRHP, Choice Capital Advisors Private Limited is the book-running lead manager, while MUFG Intime India Private Limited is the registrar of the issue.

The shares of Hindustan Laboratories are proposed to be listed on the BSE and the NSE.

Hindustan Laboratories business overview Hindustan Laboratories is an Indian pharmaceutical company primarily engaged in the large-scale manufacturing and supply of generic medicines to government institutions under a business-to-government (B2G) framework.

As per the DRHP, the company's products are primarily generic formulations, which are medicines for which the patents have expired and that are typically used as a substitute for other expensive branded medicines.

"We supply our products primarily under procurement contracts for central government projects under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare through Government of India agencies as well as state government agencies or bodies," reads the RHP.

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It supplied its products across India to 27 States and Union Territories during the six months ended September 30, 2025, and to 27 states and Union Territories during Fiscal 2025, as per the DRHP.

"Our products are supplied either under brand names or under their generic names, depending on the specific requirements and preferences of our customers. Regardless of the nomenclature, all our products (save for those we manufacture for others) carry our logo, ensuring consistent brand identity and quality assurance.

Read all IPO market-related news here
State-owned Hindustan Copper continued to trade higher for the third straight session during Monday's intraday deals on January 5, with the stock rising 5.2% to 570 apiece  the highest level since February 2010. The sustained rally in global copper prices keeps the domestically-focused mining company on investors radar.

The benchmark three-month copper contract on the London Metal Exchange climbed 2.86% to $12,826.5 a ton.

Earlier in the day, the contract rose as much as 3.28%, approaching last years record of $12,960, as traders ramped up supplies to the US amid fears that the country may impose tariffs on the industrial metal, tightening availability at major trading hubs such as London and Shanghai.

The rally also drew support after hundreds of miners went on strike at Capstone Copper's Mantoverde copper and gold mine in northern Chile after negotiations between the main union and the company on new labour contracts broke down.

Supply concerns continued to intensify going into 2026, as mine disruptions and regional dislocations under US tariffs bolstered coppers record-setting rally over the past year.

Meanwhile, traders assessed the impact of the US attack on Venezuela that resulted in the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro, although Venezuela is not a significant player in the global copper market.

Last year, copper gained more than 40%, marking its strongest annual performance since 2009, as per a Bloomberg report driven by supply shortfalls, robust demand, and heightened trade-related concerns.

Also Read | Copper Records Biggest Annual Gain Since 2009 on Supply Bets

Hindustan Copper shares deliver over 150% return from Sept lows The sharp rally in industrial metals has kept Hindustan Copper's share price in focus, as rising prices could potentially expand the companys margins and revenue outlook, given that it holds around two-fifths of Indias copper ore reserves and resources.

From its September lows of 226.70 per share, the stock has staged a strong comeback, soaring 151% since then. It has significantly outpaced broader benchmark indices and emerged as the top performer among Nifty metal stocks during the recent bull run.

Apart from rising copper prices, other catalysts include better-than-expected performance in the September quarter, expansion plans involving capacity growth, and strategic resource development, which have further aided investor sentiment, helping the stock finish 2025 with a solid 109% gain.

The rally also contributed to a 385% surge in three years and nearly an 800% jump over five years.

(With inputs from Reuters)
The Indian stock market ended lower on Monday, 5 January, despite positive global cues as investors booked profits in select heavyweights amid increased geopolitical tensions after the US military attacked Venezuela and captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

However, the US attacks on Venezuela did not deal any significant blow to global markets. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei and Korea's Kospi jumped over 3% each, while China's Shanghai Composite rose by over 1%. In Europe, Germany's DAX rose by over a per cent. The UK's FTSE and France's CAC 40 were in the green when the Sensex closed.

The Sensex fell 322 points, or 0.38%, to end at 85,439.62, while the Nifty 50 ended at 26,250.30, down 78 points, or 0.30%. The mid and small-cap indices outperformed; the BSE Midcap index inched up by 0.05% and the Smallcap index rose by 0.07%.

Indian stock market: 10 key highlights from the day 1. Why did the Indian stock market fall? Market benchmarks ended lower on profit booking in select heavyweights, including HDFC Bank, Infosys, and Reliance Industries, as investors remain cautious ahead of the start of the Q3 earnings season. Moreover, US President Donald Trump's fresh warning on tariffs against India for buying Russian oil.

According to news agency Reuters, Trump has warned that Washington can raise tariffs on India due to Russian oil purchases.

2. Top gainers in the Nifty 50 index Nestle India (up 2.76%), BEL (up 2.53%), and Eicher Motors (up 2.17%) ended as the top gainers in the index.

3. Top losers in the Nifty 50 index HDFC Bank (down 2.31%), Wipro (down 2.23%), and Infosys (down 2.21%) ended as the top losers in the index. As many as 27 stocks ended in the red in the index.

4. Sectoral indices today Sectoral indices ended mixed, with Nifty Realty rising 2.07% and IT falling 1.43%.

The Consumer Durables index rose 1.12%, while the Oil and Gas index fell 1.02%. Nifty FMCG (up 0.68%), Media (up 0.62%), and Metal (up 0.60%) ended with decent gains.

Nifty Bank fell 0.18% to end at 60,044.20.

5. Most active stocks in terms of volume Vodafone Idea (100.9 crore shares), Ola Electric Mobility (32 crore shares), and YES Bank (15.3 crore shares) were the most active stocks in terms of volume on the NSE.

6. Eight stocks jump more than 15% on BSE despite stock market weakness CSB Bank, Naksh Precious Metals, Goyal Aluminiums, and Tourism Finance Corporation of India were among the eight stocks that surged more than 15% on the BSE despite weak stock market sentiment.

7. Advance-decline ratio Out of 4,471 stocks traded on the BSE, 1,723 advanced, while 2,545 declined. Some 203 stocks remained unchanged.

8. Over 200 stocks hit 52-week highs Reliance, SBI, Maruti Suzuki India, Mahindra and Mahindra, Larsen and Toubro, and Titan Company were among the 209 stocks that hit their 52-week highs in intraday trade on the BSE.

9. Over 140 stocks hit 52-week lows Some 144 stocks, including Tata Chemicals, Page Industries, Vedant Fashions, Embassy Developments, Concord Biotech, and Cohance Lifesciences, hit their 52-week lows on the BSE.

10. Nifty's technical outlook According to Sudeep Shah, Head - Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities, the zone of 26,130-26,100 will act as important support.

"On the upside, the zone of 26,370-26,400 will act as a crucial hurdle. Any sustainable move above 26,400 will lead to further upside up to the 26,550 level," said Shah.

As per Shrikant Chouhan, the head of equity research at Kotak Securities, 26,150 and 26,100 remain key support zones, and as long as the market is trading above these levels, the bullish sentiment is likely to continue.

"On the higher side, 26,350 and 26,400 are immediate resistance zones for the bulls. However, below 26,100, the uptrend could become vulnerable. The intraday market texture is volatile; hence, level-based trading would be the ideal strategy for day traders," said Chouhan.

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Contrary to fears that a US strike on Venezuela would dent stock market sentiment, major Asian markets rallied sharply on Monday. Japans Nikkei and South Koreas Kospi jumped more than 3%, while Chinas Shanghai Composite Index rose over 1%.

The Indian stock market, however, traded in a narrow range.

The Sensex opened at 85,640.05 against its previous close of 85,762.01 and touched an intraday high and low of 85,883.50 and 85,516.75, respectively. The Nifty started the day at 26,333.70 against its previous close of 26,328.55 and touched its record high of 26,373.20 and an intraday low of 26,263.60.

Around 11 am, the Sensex was 55 points, or 0.06%, up at 85,816.70, while the Nifty 50 was 29 points, or 0.11%, up at 26,357.80.

Why is the stock market defying the Venezuela crisis? So far, the Venezuela saga has not started impacting the Indian stock market sentiment as crude oil prices remain low. Benchmark Brent Crude traded 0.30% lower at $60.57 per barrel around 11 am. Amid low volatility in crude oil prices, investors are focusing on domestic triggers, such as the upcoming Q3 earnings season and the Union Budget 2026.

"Markets are now focusing more on the domestic factors, like earnings updates, budget discussion and domestic macros, instead of the global cues, so it seems immune to global factors," said Ajit Mishra, SVP of Research at Religare Broking.

However, Mishra added that further escalation of geopolitical tensions may dent the sentiment, especially if crude signals a sharp rebound or global markets witness a sustained decline.

VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments, pointed out that since the market is at an all-time high, the momentum is with the bulls.

Vijayakumar believes the Venezuelan crisis, though a major geopolitical event, is unlikely to impact the global economy and markets.

"The long-term implication of the crisis for crude is bearish. This is positive for India. Also, there are hopes of a turnaround in corporate earnings this year," said Vijayakumar.

Focus on earnings, India-US trade deal While geopolitical factors will remain one of the most decisive factors for the Indian stock market, the market is currently focusing on the Q3 results amid expectations of healthy earnings growth. Investors also await further clarity on the India-US trade deal.

Experts say that until the market observes positive developments on these two fronts, it may remain rangebound.

After several quarters of weak earnings, hopes for healthy earnings growth have grown stronger due to low base, GST reforms, monetary policy easing and increased government capex.

Ajay Menon, MD and CEO of Wealth Management at Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL), believes Nifty earnings may grow by 12% and 15% YoY in FY26 and FY27, respectively.

However, the elusive India-US trade deal remains a key concern. According to news agency Reuters, US President Donald Trump has warned that Washington can raise tariffs on India due to Russian oil purchases.

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Stock market today: The Indian equity market is expected to open higher on Monday, January 5, following gains across Asian markets after weekend developments in which the US launched an attack on Venezuela and detained President Nicolas Maduro.

Gift Nifty trends signalled a positive opening for the domestic benchmarks, with Gift Nifty trading at 26,542, up 76 points or 0.29% from the previous close of Nifty futures.

In the last trading session, both the Sensex and Nifty ended firmly in positive territory on Friday, January 2, supported by broad-based buying and growing optimism ahead of the Q3 earnings season. The Sensex rose 573 points, or 0.67%, to settle at 85,762.01, while the Nifty 50 hit an all-time intraday high of 26,340 before easing slightly to close at a record 26,328.55, up 182 points or 0.70%.

Also Read | Buy or sell: Vaishali Parekh recommends three intraday stocks to buy today

Markets powered to fresh records as strong Q3 updates fuelled broad-based buying. Nifty and Bank Nifty scaled new all-time highs, with PSU and private banking indices also hitting lifetime peaks. At close, Nifty gained 182 points to 26,329, Sensex rose 573 points to 85,762, and Bank Nifty advanced 439 points to 60,151. The bullish momentum translated into quality stock-specific opportunities, with L&T, Hindalco, TVS Motor, SBI, Titan, Shriram Finance, BPCL, Coal India, M&M, Reliance Industries, Bajaj Auto, Indus Towers, Dr Reddys Laboratories, GMR Airports and Bharti Airtel advancing stronglymany posting fresh 52-week or all-time highs. This breadth underscores the markets underlying strength and persistent risk-on sentiment, said Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd.

Stocks to watch Against this backdrop, here's a list of stocks that may attract investor interest and are likely to experience some movement today.

ONGC The stock is expected to remain in focus amid US attacks on Venezuela, with any potential movement in crude oil prices also likely to influence sentiment. According to the companys annual report, it holds overseas interests through its subsidiary ONGC Videsh Ltd.

DMart DMart operator Avenue Supermarts posted a 13% year-on-year increase in standalone revenue from operations for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, reaching 17,613 crore, up from 15,565 crore in the corresponding period last year. This is likely to attract traders on D-street and boost investor confidence.

Bajaj Finance NBFC company Bajaj Finance recorded a 15% year-on-year increase in new loans disbursed during the quarter ending December, rising to 1.39 crore from 1.21 crore in the same period last year.

Marico Marico posted a stable operating performance for the December quarter, driven by strong demand and improving consumption trends in its key markets.

Yes Bank The private sector bank released its provisional business data for the quarter ending December 31, 2025, reporting that loans and advances rose 5.2% year-on-year to 2,57,508 crore, up from 2,44,834 crore in December 2024.

Bajaj Auto Bajaj Auto said that its exports to Venezuela make up less than 1% of its total international shipments. The South American nation is facing a crisis following the US capture of its President, Nicolas Maduro, on Saturday.

NTPC NTPC announced on Friday that it is in discussions to acquire a minority stake in the US-based nuclear fuel technology company, Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE).

Vedanta The oil and metals conglomerate released its production figures for the third quarter and the nine months ending December 31, 2025, highlighting record-high output across several of its business segments.

Hindustan Zinc The company recorded its highest-ever third-quarter mined metal output of 276 kt, primarily due to increased ore production. Refined metal production also hit a record 270 kt, supported by the commissioning of debottlenecking projects at Chanderiya and Dariba, the ramp-up of the 160 Ktpa roaster at Debari, and improved plant availability.

IDBI Bank The bank posted double-digit growth in its overall operations, with total business increasing 12% year-on-year to 5.47 lakh crore as of December 31, 2025, supported by consistent growth in both advances and deposits.
US oil companies logged solid gains of up to 10% in pre-market trading on Monday, January 5, after the US military captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, resulting in his ouster.

US President Donald Trump also announced that the US plans to run Venezuela, and that the US oil companies will invest an unspecified amount to revive the oil infrastructure in the South American nation and increase its oil output, enabling higher crude flows to the US and other markets.

Against this backdrop, Chevron Corp gained as much as 10%. While ConocoPhillips, Valero and Exxon Mobil Corp. also rose up to 8%. Shares of Phillips 66, Occidental Petroleum, EOG Resources and Devon Energy emerged as other top gainers, with up to 5% gain.

Chevron, Exxon Mobil seen as top beneficiaries According to market experts, Chevron is currently the only American oil company operating in Venezuela. However, following the US governments takeover of Venezuelas oil reserves, companies with an existing presence in the country are expected to be awarded new projects and resume operations in the near term.

This resulted in a sharp investor interest in these companies as trading resumed on Wall Street following the Venezuela crisis that unfolded over the weekend.

A Bloomberg report said that Chevron is best positioned among global oil giants to benefit from bigger US control of the worlds largest crude reserves, as it remained in Venezuela after the nationalisation of foreign oil assets at the turn of the century.

Meanwhile, the report also added that ConocoPhillips is owed more than $8 billion by Venezuela and Exxon is still owed about $1 billion stemming from the nationalisation of their Venezuelan assets in the early 2000s, as ruled by international arbitrators.

Sandeep Panday of Basav Capital told Mint that the US attack on Venezuela would benefit a good number of US oil companies, especially Chevron Corporation, as it is the only US oil company which is operating in Venezuela. Furthermore, he sees Exxon Mobil as the next big beneficiary, as it has operations in Venezuela, increasing the possibility of the company receiving a project quickly.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)
The U.S. military has seized two oil tankers linked to Venezuela in successive actions in the Caribbean and North Atlantic.

According to the Associated Press, U.S. forces boarded a Russian-flagged ship in the North Atlantic on Wednesday, seized the vessel and turned over control to law enforcement. The U.S. military had been pursuing the tanker since last month, when it evaded a U.S. blockade on sanctioned oil vessels around Venezuela.

Separately, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted another Venezuela-linked tanker in Latin American waters, Reuters reported.

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The seizures come days after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a brazen overnight military operation, prompting questions over who is in control of the Latin American country and its vast oil reserves.

Writing late Tuesday on social media, Trump said Venezuela would soon be turning over about two months' worth of oil  30 to 50 million barrels  to the United States.

Americas intervention in Venezuela has also reignited tensions around Trumps long-stated desire to make Greenland part of the United States. The White House stated in a press release that military force is always an option for annexing the massive, semiautonomous Arctic island, which Trump claims the U.S. needs for national security reasons.

European leaders stood firm in their stance that citizens of the Danish territory should decide their own fate.

Greenland belongs to its people, they wrote in a joint statement.

Our live coverage has ended for the day.
US-Venezuela conflict: In a significant development that stunned the entire world, the US carried out a large-scale military strike against Venezuela on Saturday morning. US President Donald Trump announced the US attack on Venezuela from his social media handle Truth Social. The US President also announced that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been captured and flown out of the country. After the successful US military operation, President Donald Trump said the US planned to tap Venezuela's vast oil reserves to sell to other nations, triggering speculations about the benefit the US oil companies would be getting.

According to stock market experts, as of now, there is only one major US oil company, Chevron Corporation Ltd, which is operating in Venezuela. However, after the US government took control of Venezuela's oil reserves, some companies with a presence there are expected to receive new projects and start their business soon. Therefore, the US stock market is expected to discount these triggers when trading activity on Wall Street begins on Monday.

US Attacks Venezuela: Will Oil Stocks Benefit? Speaking on the benefit for the American oil companies after the escalation of the US-Venezuela conflict, Sandeep Pandey, Co-founder of Basav Capital, said, "The US attacks on Venezuela would benefit a good number of US oil companies, especially Chevron Corporation, as it is the only US oil company which is operating in Venezuela. Additionally, Chevron explores approximately 25% of the total oil reserves in Venezuela. So, Chevron stocks are expected to attract bulls at a higher rate in comparison to other US oil stocks, who may enter Venezuela after the fresh round of US investment in Venezuela."

Asked about the other companies that may benefit after the US-Venezuela conflict, Sandeep Pandey said, "ExxonMobil could be the next big beneficiary as it has operations in Venezuela. So, it may receive a project reward quickly. However, ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, and Schlumberger are other US oil stocks that are expected to attract bulls' attention when the US stock market opens today."

Chevron share price outlook Speaking on the outlook of Chevron stocks, Anshul Jain, Head of Research at Lakshmishree, said, "After delivering a sharp 99.87% pole move over nine months, the Chevron share price has spent the last 46 months consolidating inside a broad $167 to $128 range, shaping a classic bullish flag on the monthly chart. The structure reflects healthy digestion rather than distribution, with volumes behaving exactly as expectedcontracting during the flag and preserving trend integrity. This long compression has rebuilt energy for the next directional leg. The neckline sits near $165, and a high-volume breakout through the $165 to $168 zone would confirm resumption of the primary uptrend. Given the magnitude of the prior pole, riskreward strongly favours upside continuation. Current geopolitical tailwinds add an external catalyst, increasing the probability of a sustained, momentum-driven breakout phase."

US-Venezuela conflict The US captured Venezuela's President on 3rd January 2026 and flew him out to face charges, such as Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, among others, in a US court. The US President Donald Trump announced that the US oil companies will invest an unspecified amount to revive the oil infrastructure in the South American nation and increase its oil output, enabling higher crude flows to the US and other markets. Venezuela, which has the largest oil reserves (303 billion barrels), produced ~0.9 million barrels per day (mbd) in November 2025, compared to 2 mbd in the early 2010s.
Legendary investor Warren Buffett, popularly known as the Oracle of Omaha, has often acknowledged that while real estate can offer attractive opportunities, stocks are a more lucrative bet.

A video of the 95-year-old investor, who recently stepped down from his role as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway on December 31 after three decades, has resurfaced, wherein he is seen explaining why equities make for a better bet than real estate.

Also Read | Warren Buffett hails new CEO as Berkshire Hathaway begins new era

Equities > Real Estate Buffett, speaking at the 2025 annual Berkshire Hathaway meeting, explained that real estate transactions are far more complex and time-consuming compared to investing in equities.

"In respect to real estate, it's so much harder than stocks in terms of negotiation, deals, time spent, and the involvement of multiple parties in the ownership," Warren Buffett is seen as saying. In contrast, stock investments are simpler, more transparent, and easier to execute, he highlighted.

Highlighting the flexibility of stock markets, Buffett emphasised how easily large transactions can be completed. Citing his own example, he said that they did a few real estate deals back in 2008 and 2009, but added further that the amount of time that would take compared to doing something intelligent and probably better in securities, there was just no comparison.

"In a real estate deal, every sentence is as important as a person, and then stocks, if somebody needs to sell 20,000 shares of Berkshire or something, they call us, and the price is right. It's done in five seconds, and it closes all the time," he added.

Buffett also noted that although there have been instances when large properties have changed hands at bargain prices, especially during times of distress, stocks have historically offered better value and efficiency.

Buffett added that while his longtime business partner, Charlie Munger, did enjoy real estate transactions and completed several deals in the last few years of his life, Buffett believes that if forced to choose at a young age, Munger would still have opted for stocks.

"He was playing a game that was an interesting game to him, but I think if he had asked him to make a choice when he was 21, he would have chosen stocks in the second."
Many mutual fund investors rely heavily on the previous years top performers when choosing funds, taking comfort in recent returns. But an analysis by PGIM India Mutual Fund challenges this approach, highlighting how unreliable recent performance can be for future returns.

The study tracked the top 10 equity mutual funds in 2014 and mapped how their rankings shifted annually through 2025. It also analysed rankings based on three-year returns

The findings illustrate why investors should dig deeper into historical returns, not just stop at funds recent performance, and why investors must even go beyond returns for their fund selection.

What the data shows

The study does not disclose fund names, instead tracking rank movements over time. For instance, Fund A, which topped equity fund rankings in 2014 in terms of annual returns, retained the top position in 2015. However, fell sharply to the 128th rank in 2016.

Fund B, which was ranked second in 2014, slipped to 37th place in 2015 and further to 141st in 2016. Fund C, the third-ranked fund in 2014, improved to second place in 2015 and then fell to seventh in 2016, before dropping to 46th position in 2017.

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By 2018, every single top-performing fund had moved to the bottom quartile.

Within categories, too, the story is similar. The study considered the mid-cap category and the top-ranking funds in the category in 2018.

Also Read | Debt funds struggle for airtime amid equity, hybrid buzz

The top-performing mid-cap fund in 2018 remained in the same spot in 2019, but slipped to the sixth spot in 2020 and the 17th spot in 2021. The fund remained outside the top 10 for the rest of the period.

The study also looked at rankings based on three-year returns. Did the slightly longer period give more consistency to the rankings? However, the results were similar.

Of the funds that were in the top quartile between 2014 and 2017, only 12.5% stayed in the top quartile in 2018. Of the funds that were in the top quartile between 2015 and 2018, just 8.3% remained in the top quartile in 2019. Of the funds that were in top-quartile between 2018-2021, only 11.1% remained in top-quartile in 2022.

What drives divergence

A funds position at the top of performance charts is not always a reflection of superior investment skills alone. Certain investment styles tend to perform well during specific phases of the market.

For example, the divergence between the top-performing and worst-performing mid-cap fund in 2024 was 45 percentage points. This was because the markets were dominated by momentum and value style," pointed out Abhishek Tiwari, chief executive officer of PGIM India Mutual Fund.

These data points highlight the importance of diversification when building a mutual fund portfolio. When the market cycle changes, the leaderboard changes too. Because categories and styles rotate, the safer choice is to diversify across both," he added.

Also Read | Mutual funds wary of Sebi proposal to link fees to performance, cite complexity

Retail investors looking purely at recent returns of a fund, may end up entering the fund when returns are peaking out. The top-ranked mid-cap fund in 2024 attracted an unusually large share of mid-cap category inflowsbetween roughly 22% and 53% only to slip sharply from the top spot to 259th in terms of year-to-date returns.

Experts advise investors to examine a fund's past performance more closely. Putting too much emphasis on recent returns and point-to-point performance metric may not offer full picture.

Since trailing returns tend to be the most commonly available and published information, they tend to be the most used metric when investors are deciding on which fund to invest in," said Vishal Dhawan, founder of Plan Ahead Wealth Advisors.

Point-to-point returns are biased by the start and end points. For example, if 2020 post-covid returns were looked at, value-oriented funds did well as value style tends to do well at the early stage of economic recovery.

Investors should start by examining risk-adjusted performance across rolling periods rather than point-to-point returns, said Kaustubh Belapurkar, director-manager research, Morningstar Investment Research."Since most retail investors invest through SIPs, analysing SIP returns is also useful. Ultimately, the ability to perform steadily across cycles matters more than short-term outperformance, hence looking at long-term returns is the better approach."

Rolling returns are more comprehensive, as returns are rolled daily across the specified time period. For example, looking at one-year return will involve looking at the average of daily one-year returns across the time period.

Similarly, examining three-year rolling returns would mean looking at the average of daily three-year returns across the time period. It is advisable to examine longer time periods 10 years or 20 yearsspanning multiple market cycles. Longer time frames capture a wider set of observations, making rolling return analysis more useful.

Beyond returns

You also need to look beyond returns. Returns are the culmination of a strong team and a well-defined investment process, which can be consistently applied to achieve repeatable results. It is unlikely that a fund can consistently deliver excellent returns without a good team and process," said Bealpurkar.

Look at risk ratios in addition to rolling returns tends to make the selection process more robust" said Dhawan. For example, a Sharpe ratio of a fund gives an indication of how much return a fund has generated per unit of risk. Sortino ratio measures the performance of an investment with respect to downward deviation.

Mutual fund distributors advise investors to try to understand the fund managers investment philosophy. You can get a sense of the investment philosophy by tracking the fund managers media commentary, investment notes, fund factsheets, etc," explained Deepak Chhabria, founder of Axiom Financial Services.

You must also look for fund managers that stick to their philosophy despite the market noise. Keeping track of the fund managers commentary and underlying investments in different market phases helps in understanding this. Eventually, the funds performance depends on the fund managers conviction and philosophy, which drives the funds overweight or underweight stance versus it category and benchmark."

According to Surya Bhatia, financial adviser at Asset Managers, new funds are only worth considering if they offer something unique to the investor. Unless thats the case, we prefer funds with long-term track record across market cycles. It gives an indication of how the fund manager navigates different phases of markets," he said.

This shows the importance of long-term track record as both mutual fund distributors and registered investment advisors tend to shy away from funds lacking a track record.

Also Read | Sebi readies sweeping overhaul of mutual fund and broker rules

The takeaway

Recent returns get a lot of eyeballs because that's what usually gets advertised, but chasing fund returns is not the best approach when it comes to building your mutual fund portfolio. You need to look at historical rolling returns, ideally over 7-10 year investment cycles, if not more, and that should be the starting point.

If you are putting money in a fund month after month and that becomes the foundation of your financial health, don't stop at returns. Invest the time to assess the investment team and look at ratios that extend beyond returns.
A Hindu businessman-editor of a local newspaper was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Bangladeshs Jessore district on Monday (January 5), according to local media reports.

The victim has been identified as Rana Pratap Bairagi (38), a resident of Arua village in Keshabpur upazila of Jessore, located in the Khulna Division, Bangla-language daily Prothom Alo reported.

Shot at close range in market area The incident took place around 5:45 pm at Kapalia Bazaar in Monirampur upazila, Additional Police Superintendent Abul Basar was quoted as saying by news portal bdnews24.

According to police and local residents, three assailants riding a motorcycle called Bairagi out of his ice factory at Kopaliya Bazaar and led him to a nearby alley in front of the Kapalia Clinic and Diagnostic Centre.

The attackers then shot him in the head at close range before fleeing the scene. Bairagi died on the spot.

Multiple gunshot wounds, throat slit Monirampur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Rajiullah Khan said the victim was shot multiple times.

Bairagi was shot three times in the head and his throat was slit, Khan told Prothom Alo.

Police said the motive behind the killing remains unclear.

Businessman and media professional Bairagi owned an ice-making factory in the local market and was also the acting editor of Dainik BD Khabar, a newspaper published from Narail district.

Authorities said four cases had previously been registered against him across two police stations, though details of those cases were not immediately available.

Investigation underway Police have launched an investigation to identify the perpetrators and determine the motive behind the killing. No arrests have been reported so far.

Part of wider pattern of violence The shooting is the latest in a series of violent incidents involving members of Bangladeshs Hindu community in recent weeks.

On December 24, Amrit Mondal was lynched in Rajbaris Pangsha upazila over alleged extortion.

On December 18, Dipu Chandra Das (25) was lynched and his body set on fire in Mymensingh over alleged blasphemy.

On December 23, unidentified attackers set fire to the home of Hindu expatriate workers Shukh Shil and Anil Shil in the Raojan area near Chattogram; the occupants escaped unharmed.

(With PTI inputs)

Also Read | India issues travel advisory for nationals amid widespread protests in Iran
Arjun Sharma, a 26-year-old man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend in the United States, was arrested in Tamil Nadu, an India Today report confirmed. The arrest followed an international manhunt coordinated by Interpol. Nikitha Godishala, a 27-year-old Telugu woman, was found dead with stab wounds inside Sharmas home in Maryland on January 3.

On January 2, Sharma had filed a missing complaint, claiming he had met Godishala on New Years Eve. He reportedly left for India soon after registering the complaint.

Godishalas body was discovered at Sharmas residence on January 3. Initial investigations suggest that Sharma killed her shortly after 7 pm on December 31.

Also Read | AAP sarpanch murder: Video shows how accused walked unmasked into wedding hall

Police have charged Sharma with both first-degree and second-degree murder. The motive behind the killing remains unclear at this stage.

We are unaware of any previous calls for service or incidents involving the two of them, Howard County police spokesman Seth Hoffman told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. We do believe it wasn't uncommon that they would still meet each other and have communication after their relationship ended, but we don't have a motive right now as to why he would kill her.

What allegations have the family made? The family alleged that Sharma had demanded money from both Nikitha and her relatives before her death.

Nikithas cousin, Saraswati Godishala, claimed that Sharma carried out unauthorised transactions worth about $3,500 (approximately 2.9 lakh) from Nikithas bank account before fleeing to India, citing the need for medical treatment for a hand injury.

Calling for urgent intervention, Saraswati appealed to the embassy to help secure justice for her cousin. She urged coordination between US and Indian authorities for a detailed investigation, consular assistance, and the repatriation of Godishalas mortal remains to India.

What has the Indian Embassy said? The Indian Embassy in the United States said it is in touch with Godishalas family and is providing consular assistance. It added that it is following up on the matter with the local authorities.

Also Read | Kentucky State University shooting: Parent charged after student killed

Who was Nikitha Godishala? Godishala worked as a Data and Strategy Analyst at Vheda Health in Columbia, Maryland. She joined the firm in February 2025 and received the All-In Award within a year for her performance. Previously, she spent over a year at Management Sciences for Health as a Data Analysis and Visualisation Specialist and was associated with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County between June 2022 and May 2023.
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant bail to student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the alleged 2020 Delhi Riots conspiracy case. The top court, however, granted bail to five other co-accused in the same case, subject to strict conditions, as reported by the legal news website Bar and Bench.

The Apex court said it was necessary to examine each appeal independently, adding that the record discloses that the appellants are not on equal footing when it comes to culpability.

Also Read | SC verdict on Umar Khalid case LIVE: Supreme Court pronounces judgement

The Court said that the bail petitions of each accused must be examined individually as the seven accused were not on equal footing regarding culpability, the Bar and Bench reported.

Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stand on a qualitatively different footing as compared to other accused, the Bench said.

The accused  Khalid, Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad  were booked under the stringent anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), and provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the riots, which left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.

The material on record discloses a prima facie case against Khalid and Imam, the Court said.

"This court is satisfied that the prosecution material disclosed a prima facie allegation against the appellants, Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. The statutory threshold stands attracted qua these appellants. This stage of proceedings does not justify their enlargement on bail," the Court directed.

The Court said that Khalid and Imam can move for bail again on completion of examination of protected witnesses or completion of one year from the present order.

Five co-accused get bail Fatima, Haider, Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Ahmad have been granted bail subject to strict conditions.

The Court said that a delay in trial can serve as a trigger for judicial scrutiny, even in cases involving offences under the UAPA, such as the present one.

The grant of bail to these accused does not show a dilution of the allegations against them. They shall be released on bail subject to the following conditions (there are about 12 conditions). If conditions are violated, the trial court will be at liberty to cancel the bail after hearing the accused, the court said.

The court said that the UAPA, as a special statute, embodies a legislative judgment regarding the conditions under which bail may be granted during the pre-trial stage. Delay serves as a trigger for heightened judicial scrutiny. The discussion has been confined to delay and prolonged incarceration. UAPA offences are rarely confined to isolated acts. The statutory scheme reflects this understanding, the Court said.

Delhi Riots 2020 Case Khalid, a former JNU scholar, has been in custody since 13 September 2020, while activist Imam has been in prison since 28 January 2020, weeks before the Delhi riots broke out.

Imam was also booked in multiple FIRs across several states, mostly under Sedition and UAPA charges. Though he secured bail in other matters, he has yet to get bail in the larger conspiracy case.

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria pronounced the verdict on multiple pleas of the accused in the case.

Communal riots broke out in parts of Northeast Delhi in February 2020, amid protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The riots, which lasted several days, led to several deaths, along with large-scale damage to homes, shops, and places of worship.

The top court had on 10 December reserved its verdict on separate pleas of the accused after hearing arguments from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for Delhi Police, and senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi, Siddhartha Dave, Salman Khurshid and Sidharth Luthra, appearing for the accused.

The allegations against the accused are that of hatching a larger conspiracy to cause multiple riots. The FIR was registered by a Special Cell of the Delhi Police under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the UAPA.

Khalid and others had moved the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court's 2 September order, which denied them bail. The top court had issued notice to the Delhi Police in the matter on 22 September.

The Delhi Police opposed the bail pleas and said the riots were not spontaneous, but an orchestrated, pre-planned and well-designed attack on India's sovereignty.
Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam Bail Verdict Highlights: The Supreme Court denied bail to jailed student activists Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid in a case linked to an alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. The verdict was pronounced around 11 am on Monday, January 5.

A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria also delivered its judgment on the bail pleas filed by Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed. These five accused were granted bail, but on 12 conditions.

What is the Delhi Riot Case?

Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and several others earlier challenged the Delhi High Court order denying them bail in a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Read: Delhi Riots 2020: A 'regime change operation,' Delhi Police tells SC ahead of Umar, Sharjeel bail pleas on Oct 31

The case pertains to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. The Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on December 10 after hearing detailed arguments from all parties.
The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others accused in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case today.

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria will pronounce the verdict on multiple pleas of the accused in the case.

Also Read | NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Writes to Umar Khalid

The top court had on 10 December reserved its verdict on separate pleas of the accused after hearing arguments from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for Delhi Police, and senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi, Siddhartha Dave, Salman Khurshid and Sidharth Luthra, appearing for the accused.

What Delhi Police Says? The Delhi Police have opposed the bail pleas and said the February 2020 riots were not spontaneous, but an orchestrated, pre-planned and well-designed attack on India's sovereignty.

Police have said that Sharjeel Imam's speeches can be attributed to other accused and can be used as evidence against them in the case.

View full Image Khalid, Imam, Fatima, Meeran Haider and Shifa Ur Rehman have been booked under the stringent anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), and provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the riots, which left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.

S V Raju had contended that all the participants are liable for each other's acts in a conspiracy.

Acts of one conspirator can be attributed to others. Sharjeel Imam's speeches can be attributed to Umar Khalid. Sharjeel Imam's case will be considered as evidence against the others, he had told the bench, which conducted hearings on the bail pleas on multiple days.

The additional solicitor general had argued that Khalid deliberately planned to leave Delhi before the riots as he wanted to deflect responsibility.

Seeking bail, Imam had expressed anguish before the apex court for being "labelled" a "dangerous intellectual terrorist", without a full-fledged trial or a single conviction.

Booked under UAPA Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Imam, had contended that he was arrested on January 28, 2020, which was before the communal violence rocked Northeast Delhi, for his speeches that alone cannot constitute the offence of criminal conspiracy in the riots case.

Khalid, Imam, Fatima, Meeran Haider and Shifa Ur Rehman have been booked under the stringent anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), and provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the riots, which left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.

According to Section 16 of the UAPA, Whoever commits a terrorist act shall, if such act has resulted in the death of any person, be punishable with death or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.

Also Read | US lawmakers urge fair trial for Umar Khalid in line with international law

The violence erupted during widespread protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Support from US Lawmakers Last week, a group of US lawmakers, including Jim McGovern and Jamie Raskinhas, sent a letter to Indias Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Kwatra, calling for a fair and timely trial for activist Umar Khalid in accordance with international law".

The eight lawmakers flagged concerns over the prolonged pre-trial detention of individuals charged in connection with the February 2020 violence in Delhi.

Also newly-elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also penned a note for Khalid, referring to his reflections on bitterness and the need to ensure it does not consume ones self".

The note was shared on X by Khalids partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri.

Dear Umar, I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume one's self. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you, read the handwritten note signed by Mamdani.

Khalid's parents had met Mamdani and US lawmakers recently.

Sharjeel Imam expressed anguish for being labelled a 'dangerous intellectual terrorist' without a full-fledged trial.

Umar Khalid has been in custody since September 13, 2020, while Imam has been prisoned since January 28, 2020, weeks before the Delhi riots broke out.

The accused moved the apex court, challenging the Delhi High Court's September 2 order denying them bail in the larger conspiracy case of the February 2020 riots.

Commnal riots broke out in parts of Northeast Delhi in February 2020, amid protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The riots, which lasted several days, led to the several deaths, along with large-scale damage to homes, shops, and places of worship.
Balancing work and family can be challenging, especially during emergencies. Recently, a Redditor shared how her mothers ill health became a struggle for her. The Redditor, whose identity remained anonymous, shared that she is employed with a prominent private bank and had requested a few days leave, but the response from her manager left her dejected.

The Redditor explained on the subreddit r/IndianWorkplace that her mother was seriously ill due to wrong medication, and that she wanted some time to be with her. She wasnt asking for anything special. Just some time, the Redditor said.

The Redditor shared that when she sought permission from her manager, his blunt reply shook her. If shes not recovering, put her in a medical or shelter home and come to the office, the manager said.

The manager, according to the Reddit post, gave her an ultimatum that either she had to join the office or stay with her mother.

The woman shared that she resigned from the company after working there for several years. I stayed with my mother, and soon after that, resigned, the woman claimed in the post.

The woman further sought advice from fellow Redditors on what the right response is anymore in such workplaces.

View full Image Screenshot from the viral post.

Heres how people reacted: Redditors reacted strongly to the post, expressing shock and frustration at the managers response.

A user wrote: Sadly, some managers run bank branches like a proprietorship firm. Even though the bank itself doesnt want them to, I had such a manager; she harassed everyone, especially the ones who needed the job. She couldnt harass me as I was working there out of my will, not because I wanted the money.

One fine day, I blasted her for her attitude towards a junior officer. She felt very insulted and threw things around in her cabin; I just stood outside and saw it amusingly.

Also Read | Woman at Mumbai mental health NGO denied period leave; Internet blasts firm

Later, I resigned in a week, citing what a sh1tty manager she was.

Its been several years; shes still with the bank, and Im happy and managing my business.

Another wrote: Damn, I empathise with her and the feelings that she had to go through. There should be some legal way to get back at this crude kind of exploitation.

A third user said: This is really unfortunate. Why did she have to resign, though, instead of just letting them fire her?

A fourth user said: If she is carrying valid medical documents, she can reach out to HR and take a long leave for a month or two instead of resigning. As a permanent employee, she can seek HR help on this. Ideally, the manager can even guide this instead of asking her, unless their company policies are different. If policies are odd, better to resign and take care of her mum instead of surviving there. Mother comes first, then job.

A fifth user wrote: Which toxic company is this?
The Premier of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, dismissed US threats of annexing the country, saying enough is enough, and claimed the image posted on X by Katie Miller, depicting Greenland wrapped in an American flag, changes nothing whatsoever.

US threats Katie Miller, wife of US President Donald Trump's deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, sparked a controversy on Sunday, 4 January, by sharing an image of an American flag covering Greenland. She captioned the photo with the word SOON.

Also Read | Katie Miller posts Greenland image in US colours; Danish ambassador retorts back

Miller's post came a day after the US launched a large-scale attack on Venezuela and captured the country's President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump said in an interview with The Atlantic that Greenland could be subject to future US intervention. "We do need Greenland, absolutely," Trump had said. "We need it for defense," the president was quoted.

Our country is not for sale Nielsen, in a statement shared by Greenland activist Orla Joelsen, on Sunday, referred to Miller's post and said, Let me state this calmly and clearly from the outset: there is neither reason for panic nor for concern.

The image shared by Katie Miller, depicting Greenland wrapped in an American flag, changes nothing whatsoever. Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts.

He called the image disrespectful, adding that, Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law  not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights.

Assuring that there is no reason for panic, Nielsen said, We are a democratic society with self-government, free elections, and strong institutions. Our position is firmly grounded in international law and in internationally recognized agreements. This is not in question.

Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts...

Naalakkersuisut (Government of Greenland) continues its work calmly and responsibly. We engage in dialogue, safeguard our interests, and uphold the international rules that also bind our partners, he added.

Loyal friend of US Nielsen described Greenland as a "loyal friend of the United States." He said, We have stood shoulder to shoulder in difficult times. We have taken responsibility for security in the North Atlantic  and not least for North America. That is what true friends do.

Also Read | Trump appointment of Greenland envoy draws angry response from Denmark

He reiterated that threats, pressure, and talk of annexation have no place between friends. That is not how one speaks to a people who have repeatedly demonstrated responsibility, stability, and loyalty, he said, as per Orla Joelsen's post on X.

Nielsen reportedly added, "When the President of the United States speaks of needing Greenland and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it is not only wrong. It is disrespectful.

Our country is not an object in great-power rhetoric. We are a people. A country. A democracy. That must be respected  especially by close and loyal friends.

We are open to dialogue Nielsen said Greenland is open to conversations with the US, but they must take place through the proper channels and in full respect of international law.

And the proper channels are not random and disrespectful posts on social media, he said. Greenland is our home and our territory. And it will remain so, he concluded.

Denmark defends: Stop the threats Greenland has been under Danish control since the early 18th century, but was granted home rule in 1979.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement Sunday that the US has "no right to annex" territories of Denmark and told the US to "stop the threats" about taking over Greenland.

Jesper Mller Srensen, Denmark's ambassador to the US, responded to Miller's post, saying we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.

"Just a friendly reminder about the US and the Kingdom of Denmark: We are close allies and should continue to work together as such," he said.

He added, US security is also Greenlands and Denmarks security. Greenland is already part of NATO. The Kingdom of Denmark and the United States work together to ensure security in the Arctic.

The Kingdom of Denmark has significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts - in 2025 alone, we committed USD 13,7 bn that can be used in the Arctic and North Atlantic. Because we take our joint security seriously, he said.
The Factory Powering Toyotas American Success

Toyota continues to battle Ford for the top spot on the list of best-selling brands in America, and one factor helping sustain that momentum is its massive manufacturing footprint in Georgetown, Kentucky. Thanks to Car Confections, we get a closer look inside the facility, which plays a central role in producing two of Toyotas best-selling models in the U.S.  the Camry Hybrid and the RAV4 Hybrid.

Spanning roughly 1,300 acres and encompassing around nine million square feet of plant space, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) stands as the Japanese marques largest factory in the world. Construction on the site began in 1986, and just two years later, the first Camry rolled off the production line. Today, the plant has the capacity to build up to 550,000 vehicles annually, along with more than 600,000 engines.

Foundations of Every Camry and RAV4

The tour begins in the stamping shop, where raw steel is pressed into shape to form the vehicles body panels. From there, the panels move to the welding shop, where a combination of skilled team members and industrial robots joins the components together to create the vehicles body structure. Sensors are also used throughout the process to ensure consistency and precision during welding.

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Car Confections also highlighted one of TMMKs newest developments: the K-Flex Line. Based on Line One, which originally produced the first Camry at the plant, the updated system has been engineered to support multiple vehicle types. The flexible line can accommodate everything from sedans to SUVs, and it has also been designed with future battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) in mind. This aligns with previous reports indicating that the plant will produce the two new three-row electric SUVs. Given their size, these future models are expected to compete with vehicles such as the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and the Rivian R1S.

Car Confections on YouTube (Car Confections on YouTube)

Smart Tech Behind the Scenes

Several other innovations were featured in the tour, including the automated guided vehicles capable of transporting full vehicle bodies and engines throughout the plant via a Wi-Fi-based system. Toyota also highlighted its use of internal data platforms to monitor activity at each workstation, while artificial intelligence is employed to analyze the movement of team members and help develop workflows that are both safer and more efficient.

The plant further supports innovation through its on-site Production Engineering and Manufacturing Center (PEMC), where engineers test, refine, and develop new manufacturing technologies before being deployed across the production network.

Looking ahead, Toyota plans to reintroduce the Camry to its home market of Japan, with units sourced directly from TMMK. The midsize sedan will be one of three U.S.-built models heading to the Land of the Rising Sun, alongside the Highlander and the Tundra.

Car Confections on YouTube

View the 5 images of this gallery on the original article

This story was originally published by Autoblog on Jan 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
United States President Donald Trump, on 5 January, has again threatened India with tariffs for buying Russian oil, Reuters reported. Speaking to reporters, he said, We could raise tariffs on India if they don't help on Russian oil issue.

He was, however, also positive, adding that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a good guy and India wanted to make me happy.

... They wanted to make me happy, basically... PM Modi's a very good man. He's a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly ANI quoted him as saying.

What did Donald Trump tell reporters? Check here In the audio released by the White House, Trump can be heard telling reporters aboard Air Force One that he could quickly raise tariffs on India if the matter of Russian oil purchases is not addressed to his satisfaction.

Meanwhile, US Senator Lindsey Graham, who was alongside Trump, told reporters that India is working on US demands. I was at the Indian Ambassador's house a month ago, and all he wanted to talk about was how India is buying less Russian oil. And he asked me to tell the president to relieve the 25% tariff, he said.

The US previously imposed a 50% tariff on India, 25% of which was punishment for buying Russian crude, according to Trump. India has among the highest duties imposed on it by the US, with a 10% first applied, followed by tariffs reaching 25% on 7 August, and 50% by the end of the same month last year.

India and the US are working on an extensive Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with a first tranche expected to be concluded and announced soon.

India-US trade takes 37% hit amid Trump tariffs Notably, India's exports to the US slumped for the fourth straight month across sectors, analysis by trade think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) showed in December.

Indian exports to the US tanked 37.5% across all sectors between May and September 2025, from $8.8 billion to $5.5 billion  one of the steepest short-term collapses in years, as per the analysis.
An Indian national took to social media last week to share in detail their experience of renewing the H-1B visa as a resident of Dubai. In contrast to the widespread concern and fear about the possible denial of visas in the Trump era, the Reddit user's experience may offer a sigh of relief for several applicants. Here's what the Reddit user said:

The person stated that they applied for an H-1B visa as an Indian citizen with a Dubai residency visa. The user put a disclaimer, saying, "Yes, you can apply [for H-1B visa] in countries other than your home country as long as you hold a valid residency permit of that country [Dubai in this case]."

They said that in Dubai, officials check the Emirates ID. The user, however, advised scheduling the interview in the home country.

Is it true that one can apply for an H-1B visa from a location other than their home country?

Yes. Under US visa rules, one can apply for an H-1B visa from a country other than their home country; however, the recent US Department of State policy strongly advises applicants to apply in their country of nationality or residence.

The US Department of States advisory on visa interview location requirements states: "Applicants for US non-immigrant visas should schedule their visa interview at the US embassy or consulate in their country of nationality or residence."

"Applicants applying outside of these jurisdictions might find it more difficult to qualify, and fees paid are non-refundable," the department stated in its update on 12 December 2025.

What happened next for the Reddit user? The social media user said they applied for an H-1B visa renewal at the US consulate in Dubai (since they had a Dubai residency visa).

They chose to appear for the H-1B renewal interview at the US Consulate in Dubai after their original interview appointment in India was postponed from 15 December to 9 March, as per a Reddit post.

"My initial appointment was in India on Dec 15 but was moved to March 9, so I decided to go through this route," the user said.

View full Image The Reddit user's post.

Sharing their experience, the Reddit user said the process in Dubai was simple and straightforward. "Starting with the security check, where they allow you to keep your phone and keys for free. It wasnt crowded at all -maybe due to short staff as many were on holiday," the Reddit post read.

Once inside the office, its a three-step process at separate counters, while the wait time for each was "hardly 5 minutes," the user explained. The "three-step process" included a passport, an i797 and Emirates ID check, biometrics and an interview.

The user was asked to provide a photo and also have one taken on the spot, since they had an old picture. They also said that the applicant must carry cash and a card inside.

The user also detailed the conversation they had with the Visa Officer (VO) at the consulate. As per the Reddit post, here's how it went:

"VO: Hi, good morning

Me: Morning!

VO: Can I have your passport and i797 please

Me: Handed passport & i797

VO: How is your day going so far

Me: Going good, how about yours!

VO: Going great, is this your first H1B or renewal?

Me: Its a renewal

He asked for old passport with expired visa stamp. Handed it to him.

VO: I see you work at XX, we get a lot of people from this company.

VO: How long have you been in the US for?

Me: Since 2019, went there for masters

VO: Thats cool. Where did you study?

Me: XX university in YY location

VO: Thats nice where do you work now?

Me: Im in XX now

VO: What do you work as?

Me: Im a product manager

VO: So what is your role in the company?

Me: told in 1-2 lines

VO: That sounds like a fun job. Do you enjoy working there?

Me: Oh yes its great

VO: Is your green card in processing?

Me: No

VO: Whats your current salary?

Me: Told salary

VO: Do you have any dependents with you?

Me: Nope

VO: How long have you been working for the company?

Me: Around 1.5 years now

** they had handed a know your rights brochure before the interview during biometrics **

VO: I see you got the brochure did you get a chance to read it

Me: Very briefly

VO: What did you learn from it

Me: Said random 1-2 lines

VO: Ok nice. Does your family stay here in Dubai?

Me: Yes they live here

VO: What do your parents do?

Me: Told their jobs

VO: Ok great. Here is your old passport back. Your visa has been approved. Have a great day and happy new year

VO: Your passport should be ready for pick up in 5-7 business days (handed me a green slip)

Me: Great thank you happy new year"

The user said no questions were asked about social media. "I had mentioned Facebook and Instagram on DS160, she added.

H-1B visa appointment delays A sudden shift in US immigration processing left thousands of Indian tech professionals in limbo. Pre-scheduled H-1B visa interviews, originally set for late December, have been abruptly postponedin some cases by several months  as the Trump administration rolls out stringent new background and social media screening norms.
A suspect has been taken into custody following an alleged break-in at the home of US Vice President JD Vance.

The incident occurred at Vances residence on William Howard Taft Drive in Cincinnatis East Walnut Hills neighborhood. Authorities were alerted after the US Secret Service reported seeing an individual running eastbound near the property, a Cincinnati police dispatcher told FOX19 NOW.

Suspect arrested Police responded promptly, and the suspect was detained at the scene. No further details regarding the suspects identity or motives have been released.

Vance not at home JD Vance was not at the residence at the time of the alleged break-in, according to local reports.

Property damage reported Photographs published by local outlets show damage to the windows of the home, though it remains unclear what exactly transpired inside the property.

The Cincinnati Police Department and the US Secret Service are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. No injuries have been reported.

Charges under review "An adult male was taken into custody by the Cincinnati Police Department after being detained by U.S. Secret Service personnel for causing property damage, including breaking windows on the exterior of a personal residence associated with the Vice President," US Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.

The man was detained shortly after midnight, he added.
An on-air dance by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to a remix titled No War, Yes Peace may have played an unexpected role in pushing the Trump administration toward direct military action against the Venezuelan leader, according to The New York Times.

US officials quoted by the report said the televised moment was seen in Washington as a sign that Maduro was not taking American warnings seriously, at a time when tensions between the two countries were already escalating.

Warning from Trump, rejection by Maduro Recently, US President Donald Trump warned Maduro to step down and accept exile. But, days later, the Venezuelan leader appeared on state television dancing to loud electronic music, while a remixed recording of his own speech played in English, repeating the phrase No crazy war, footage that later went viral.

Viral moment seen as mockery According to the news outlet, the dance video came shortly after the United States carried out a strike on a Venezuelan dock it said was being used for drug trafficking. Instead of responding with a formal address, Maduros light-hearted display was interpreted by US officials as dismissive.

People aware of internal deliberations told the outlet that the repeated public dancing and relaxed tone convinced some in the Trump administration that Maduro believed US threats were a bluff and was openly mocking Washington.

Tipping point for military action US officials cited in the report said there was growing concern within the administration that Maduro was no longer deterred by American warnings and that further delay would weaken US credibility.
McDonalds has pushed back strongly against a newly filed class-action lawsuit that accuses the fast-food giant of misleading customers about the contents of its popular McRib sandwich.

McDonald's responds to the class-action lawsuit filed against them The complaint, filed in the Northern District of Illinois, alleges that despite its name and presentation, the McRib does not contain any actual pork rib meat at all.

The Chicago-based company rejected the claims in a statement issued after the lawsuit became public, calling the allegations inaccurate and misleading. This lawsuit distorts the facts and many of the claims are inaccurate. Food quality and safety are at the heart of everything we do  thats why were committed to using real, quality ingredients across our entire menu. Our fan-favorite McRib sandwich is made with 100% pork sourced from farmers and suppliers across the U.S. Weve always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them.

The McRib has been a staple of McDonalds marketing strategy for decades. First introduced in 1981, the sandwich has appeared intermittently on menus, often for limited promotional runs. According to the plaintiffs, that sporadic availability has played a role in what they describe as long-standing confusion among consumers.

McDonalds said it intends to defend itself against the claims, reiterating that it has been transparent about what goes into the McRib and that the sandwich is made with pork sourced from US suppliers.

What did the lawsuit state about the McRib? This cycle of sporadic availability creates a sense of urgency that discourages deep consumer scrutiny and deters sustained discussion or scrutiny into its actual ingredients, which further bolsters the longevity of consumer misconceptions regarding the sandwiches rib meat content, the lawsuit states.

The case was filed on 23 December by four individuals who claim McDonalds knowingly markets the sandwich in a way that deceives reasonable customers.

The plaintiffs allege the McRib is made from ground or restructured pork products, including cuts such as pork shoulder, heart and scalded stomach, rather than rib meat, which they argue is widely viewed as a premium cut.

The lawsuit also points to pricing, claiming the McRib is among the most expensive individual item on McDonalds menus, with prices reaching as high as $7.89 in some locations. According to the complaint, this pricing reinforces consumer assumptions that the sandwich contains higher-quality meat.

The name McRib is a deliberate sleight of hand, the lawsuit alleges. McDonalds willfully, falsely, and knowingly omitted various material facts regarding the quality and character of the McRib  namely, that despite its name and distinctive rib-like shape, it does not actually contain any actual pork rib meat. McDonalds knew these facts would be material to reasonable consumers but still chose not to disclose them.

McDonalds public ingredient descriptions, however, do not describe the product as rib meat. On its website, the company states that the McRib consists of seasoned boneless pork dipped in a tangy BBQ sauce, topped with slivered onions and tangy pickles, all served on a toasted homestyle bun, and refers to the meat specifically as a pork patty.

The plaintiffs are seeking class certification for anyone who purchased a McRib in the four years preceding the filing, as well as damages, restitution and injunctive relief to prevent further deceptive advertising practices. The suit lists 16 causes of action, including fraudulent omission or concealment, fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract and violations of consumer protection laws in California, Illinois, New York and Washington, D.C.
A raid by armed gangs in north-central state in Nigeria has led to the killing of 30 individuals and kidnapping of several others, local police were reported as saying on Sunday by news agency AFP.

This is the same state where hundreds of schoolchildren were kidnapped late last year.

The gangs, which are known locally as 'bandits', invaded the Kasuwan Daji village in Kabe district of Niger State and set fire to a market before looting shops.

"Over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack, some persons were also kidnapped," during the raid on Saturday, Wasiu Abiodun, Niger police spokesman, was quoted as saying by the news agency.

Some of the victims of the violence had their hands tied behind their backs before they were killed, as per pictures and video footage seen by AFP.

Nigeria's history of gang violence Gangs in the northwestern and northcentral parts of Nigeria regularly carry out lootings and mass kidnappings for ransom.

In recent months, the Niger state has been of the hardest to have been hit with such violence.

In November 2025, more than 250 students were seized from a Catholic school by armed gangs in Niger state. A couple of weeks later, authorities announced that the children were released in two batches. However, there has been no official word on whether ransom was paid to the kidnappers.

The Sunday attacks took place less than 20 kilometres from the village of Papiri, where the mass kidnapping occurred in November. The Catholic church in the area said than more than 40 people died in the incident, which is more than the official count given by the police.

"Reports indicate the bandits operated for hours with no security presence," the Catholic Church in Kontagora said on its Facebook page.

Nigeria faces multiple conflicts Nigeria, which is the most populous country in Africa, is plagued by a number of security challenges. It is affected by a long-running jihadist insurgency, bandits, violence between farmers and herders, and from separatists in the southeastern parts of the country who target both Muslims and Christians.

A suspected suicide bomber killed at least five individuals in an attack on a Mosque in the Borno state in Nigeria's northeastern region on Christmas Eve.

Nigeria's government is also under pressure from the United States, with President Donald Trump claiming that the violence on Christians constitutes "persecution" of the people belonging to the faith in the country.

Both independent analysts, as well the Nigerian government have rejected such charges. However, the US launched airstrikes on suspected militants in Nigeria linked to the Islamic State on Christmas Day. The Nigerian government said that it approved of the strikes.
US President Donald Trump, less than 48 hours after his forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, issued a series of stark warnings and threats targeting governments across Latin America and beyond, including Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, Mexico, and Iran.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump widened his rhetoric far beyond Venezuela, signalling a more aggressive and confrontational US posture across the hemisphere and other strategic regions.

Colombia: A sick man running Bogota Trump singled out Colombia and its left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, accusing him of drug trafficking and openly hinting at US military action.

Venezuela and Colombia are very sick, Trump said, adding that the Colombian government was run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

Referring directly to Petro, Trump warned, And hes not going to be doing it very long. Let me tell you.

When asked whether he meant a US operation against Colombia, Trump replied, Sounds good to me.

Cuba: Ready to fall Trump also predicted the collapse of Cubas communist government, arguing that the island had lost its main economic lifeline following Maduros removal.

Cuba is ready to fall, Trump said. Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. Theyre not getting any of it. Cuba literally is ready to fall.

He added that direct US military intervention in Cuba would be unnecessary because the regime was already on the brink.

Greenland: We need Greenland Reviving a long-standing demand, Trump again threatened to take control of Greenland, the semi-autonomous Danish territory, claiming it was vital for US national security.

We need Greenland, Trump said. Its so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.

He went on to claim European backing for the move, saying, The European Union needs us to have it, and they know that.

Venezuela: Warning to interim leadership Despite Maduros capture, Trump left the door open to further action in Venezuela, issuing a warning to interim president Delcy Rodriguez.

Trump said there would be severe consequences if the Venezuelan leadership failed to cooperate with Washington, signalling that US involvement in the country was far from over.

Iran: Theyre going to get hit very hard Trump also issued a warning to Iran amid reports of protests over the countrys struggling economy, drawing a red line over the use of force against demonstrators.

If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think theyre going to get hit very hard by the United States, Trump said.

Asked about reports of protesters being killed and his earlier locked and loaded comment, Trump added, Well take a look. Were watching it very closely.

Trump warns Mexico over drugs, offers to send US troops Trump issued a fresh warning to Mexico over drug trafficking, saying the country has to get their act together as narcotics continue to flow into the United States.

Trump said drugs were pouring through Mexico and suggested Washington may be forced to take action if the situation does not improve.

They have to get their act together because theyre pouring through Mexico and were going to have to do something, Trump said.

Trump said he has repeatedly offered to send US troops to Mexico to help combat powerful drug cartels, describing Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in positive terms.

Shes a terrific person, Trump said, adding that he had made the offer every time he spoke to her.

While saying the Mexican government is capable of tackling the drug trade, Trump argued that criminal groups wield enormous influence in the country. The Mexican government is capable of doing it, but unfortunately, the cartels are very strong in Mexico, he said.

India: Tariff threat over Russian oil Trump hinted at punitive trade action against India over its continued purchases of Russian oil, suggesting tariffs could be raised quickly.

Modi is a very good man; he is a good guy, Trump said, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy.

They do trade and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly, Trump added.

Escalating rhetoric after Maduro arrest Trumps remarks come amid international backlash over the US operation that seized Maduro in Caracas on Saturday (January 3), which Washington described as a law enforcement mission tied to narcotics charges.
US Vice President JD Vance, on Monday, while speaking about an attempted break-in at his Ohio residence, thanked law enforcement for their swift response and urged the media to exercise restraint in coverage.

In a post on X, Vance said the suspect attempted to enter the house by smashing windows.

I appreciate everyone's well wishes about the attack at our home. As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows, Vance wrote.

Secret Service, police praised Vance expressed gratitude to security personnel and local law enforcement for quickly securing the situation.

I'm grateful to the Secret Service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly, he said.

Family was not at home The vice president confirmed that he and his family were not present at the residence at the time of the incident.

We weren't even home as we had returned already to DC, Vance added.

Appeal to media on family privacy Vance also made an appeal to media organisations, asking them to limit the circulation of images showing damage to the property, citing concerns for his children.

We try to protect our kids as much as possible from the realities of this life of public service, he said.

In that light, I am skeptical of the news value of plastering images of our home with holes in the windows.

Investigation continues Authorities have said a suspect has been detained in connection with the incident. Investigations are ongoing as officials review the circumstances surrounding the attempted break-in and property damage at the residence.

A man was detained early Monday (January 5) after allegedly breaking windows and causing property damage at the Ohio residence of JD Vance, according to the US Secret Service.

The incident occurred shortly after midnight at Vances home in Cincinnatis Walnut Hills neighbourhood, east of downtown.

Suspect detained by Secret Service The suspect was detained shortly after midnight by US Secret Service agents assigned to protect the vice presidents residence, agency spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.

An adult male was taken into custody after being detained by US Secret Service personnel for causing property damage, including breaking windows on the exterior of a personal residence associated with the Vice President, Guglielmi said.

The man has not been publicly identified.

Windows broken, property vandalised According to two law enforcement officials cited by the Associated Press, Secret Service agents heard a loud noise near the residence and discovered a man who had allegedly broken a window using a hammer and was attempting to gain entry into the house.

One of the officials said the suspect also vandalised a Secret Service vehicle while moving up the driveway toward the home. Authorities believe the individual did not manage to enter the residence.
Captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism and other charges in a New York court on Monday, with 92-year-old judge Alvin Hellerstein presiding over their case.

The case in which Maduro was indicted in 2020, was filed 15 years ago in Hellerstein's court, and has seen the conviction of Hugo Armando Carvajal, the former intelligence chief of the Latin American country.

Who is Alvin Hellerstein? A Columbia University law school graduate, Hellerstein served as a US Army lawyer from 1957 to 1960 before he chose to enter private practice.

He was nominated as a district court judge by ex-president Bill Clinton in 1998 for the Southern District of New York.

During his long and eventful career, Hellerstein has presided over several civil cases stemming from the 11 September, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington, DC.

He has also faced off against Donald Trump on some occasions, rejecting a request by the president to have his New York hush money case moved to federal court.

Hellerstein also blocked the Trump administration last year from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members without a court hearing.

In September, he sentenced Charlie Javice, the tech start-up highflier, to more than seven years in prison after she was convicted of defrauding JPMorgan Chase in a deal worth $175 million.

In another high-profile fraud case, Hellerstein sentenced Bill Hwang, the founder of US investment firm Archegos Capital Management, to 18 years in behind bars.

Hellerstein also also presided over the 2025 trial in which a jury found that French banking giant BNP Paribas' work in Sudan had helped prop up the regime of former ruler Omar al-Bashir, awarding $20.75 million in damages to three plaintiffs from Sudan.

In a notable ruling in 2015, Hellerstein ordered the US government to release a trove of photos depicting abuse of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday vowed to "take up arms" in response to threats from United States President Donald Trump, who over the weekend ordered a military operation that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro and his wife in Venezuela.

Petro, a former guerrilla fighter, wrote on X: I swore not to touch a weapon again... but for the homeland I will take up arms again.

Trump, meanwhile, said over the weekend that Petro should "watch his a**" and referred to him as a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. According to Reuters, when asked directly if the United States would carry out a military operation against the country, Trump responded, "It sounds good to me."

You will unleash popular jaguar if.' In a long message on X, Petro insisted that his anti-narcotics policy is sufficiently robust, but stressed there were limits to how aggressive the military can be.

"If you bomb even one of these groups without sufficient intelligence, you will kill many children. If you bomb peasants, thousands will turn into guerrillas in the mountains. And if you detain the president, whom a good part of my people love and respect, you will unleash the popular jaguar," he mentioned.

Petro said that while he has never been a military figure, he understands war and underground struggle, adding that he had vowed not to take up weapons again after the 1989 Peace Pact but would do so if necessary in defence of the homeland, even though he does not desire conflict.

He rejected accusations against him, stating that he is neither illegitimate nor involved in narcotics, and said his only asset is his family home, which he continues to pay for from his salary. He noted that his bank records are public and show no spending beyond his official income, adding that he is not motivated by greed.

Petro said he has deep faith in the Colombian people, which is why he has called on them to protect the presidency from any illegitimate or violent actions. He said defending him means asserting democratic power across the countrys municipalities, and added that he has instructed security forces not to fire on civilians but to resist any foreign invader.

He added that his statements were deliberate and rooted in his trust in Colombias history and people, including its soldiers, whom he described as heirs to Bolivar and the national flag. He concluded by portraying himself as a leader backed by the people and reaffirmed his call for a free Colombia.

Meanwhile, Trump also mentioned the United States would temporarily run Venezuela, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified on Sunday that Washington would not manage the countrys day-to-day affairs, aside from enforcing the existing "oil quarantine".
SUVs may have taken over, but a few cars are still going strong.

Europeans, yours truly included, once looked down on Americans because we preferred smaller cars to gas-guzzling SUVs. However, the past few years have shown were not any better. Oversized, high-riding models have also taken over the Old Continent. SUVs held a 41.3 percent market share in 2020, but that figure is now approaching 60 percent.

A report from market research company Dataforce, cited by Automotive News Europe, shows that SUVs now account for 59.2 percent of new vehicle sales in Europe. Volkswagen is the undisputed leader in this hugely popular segment with the T-Roc and Tiguan. The former grew by 4.5 percent through the first 11 months of 2025, reaching 196,123 units. During the same period, its bigger brother blossomed by one percent to 180,562 units.

However, as Ive tried to explain in an op-ed a while ago, cars havent been completely defeated yet. Through November, two non-SUVs were the most popular vehicles in Europe. Despite falling by 8.7 percent, the Dacia Sandero grabbed the number-one spot with 225,862 units sold.

2026 Renault Clio

Dataforce lists the mechanically related Renault Clio in second place, with 206,583 vehicles sold, or 5.2 percent more than in the same period of 2024. The French subcompact hatchback is likely to have a strong 2026, considering the next-generation model is hitting the streets this year.

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Although the Sandero and Clio are still going strong, the hatchback segment is on a downward spiral. It represented 35 percent of all vehicle sales at the beginning of the decade, but now accounts for just 23.9 percent. In raw numbers, hatchback sales fell from 4.2 million units in 2020 to a projected 2.9 million in 2025.

The rise of crossovers and SUVs has also taken its toll on sedans. The traditional body style held a 4.7 percent share in 2020 when sales reached 565,244 units, but has since dropped to 3.5 percent or about 426,000 vehicles. Similarly, wagons have suffered a setback, with market share shrinking from 10.2 to 7.1 percent over the same five-year interval.

2026 Dacia Sandero

But numbers dont necessarily tell the whole story. Automakers and journalists alike may have broadened the definition of an SUV too much. The Toyota Yaris Cross may be the sixth most popular vehicle in Europe in 2025, but the fact of the matter is, its a jacked-up hatchback. Likewise, the Peugeot 2008, which ranks eighth, is also a hatch on stilts. Marketing teams have done an excellent job of luring customers into crossovers over their equivalent (and usually cheaper) hatchback siblings.

Still, not everyone has been pulled onto the SUV bandwagon. Pricing remains the dominant factor, which helps explain why the Sandero and Clio continue to sell in droves. Cars such as the Peugeot 208, Opel Corsa, Toyota Yaris, Citroen C3, and Skoda Octavia all made it into the top 20 of Europes best-selling vehicles in 2025.

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Source: Automotive News Europe, Dataforce
Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro declared himself innocent and a decent man as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in a US courtroom on Monday. Maduro made his first appearance in a US court on the narco-terrorism charges cited by the Trump administration to justify his capture and transfer to New York.

Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were brought into court around noon for a brief but mandatory legal proceeding, which is expected to mark the beginning of a lengthy legal battle over whether he can be tried in the US.

Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores' first day in US court The hearing began at 12:02 pm (1702 GMT) in Manhattan federal court, where the judge Alvin Hellerstein opened proceedings by outlining the charges listed in the indictment. Hellerstein informed the couple of their right to notify the Venezuelan consulate about their arrest.

Maduro greeted reporters in court with a Happy New Year".

He was permitted to keep the notes he took during the court proceedings. Seated at the defense table with a yellow legal pad next to a copy of the indictment, Maduro requested that his notes be respected and that he be allowed to retain them.

Dressed in jail-issued khaki pants and a blue short-sleeved shirt over an orange undershirt, he offered the greeting several times while looking at reporters in the jury box before addressing the full courtroom gallery. Throughout the hearing, Maduro remained respectful of court decorum, taking extensive notes and repeatedly arguing that he had been unlawfully abducted.

Prosecutors accuse him of running a cocaine-smuggling network that allegedly worked with violent groups such as Mexicos Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombias FARC rebels, and Venezuelas Tren de Aragua gang.

Also present in the courtroom were agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, including Frank Tarentino, the special agent in charge of the agencys New York Division.

Im innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country, Maduro told the judge Hellerstein while speaking through an interpreter, according to Reuters. As per AP, he also mentioned, I was captured.

Meanwhile, Cilia Flores emphasised her role as Venezuelas first lady. After Maduro entered his plea, Judge Hellerstein addressed his wife, asking her to confirm her identity. Cilia Flores, speaking in Spanish through an interpreter, stated: I am first lady of the Republic of Venezuela. When asked to enter a plea, she replied, Not guilty. Completely innocent.

Cilia Flores had her temple and eyelid bandaged in court. Her attorney, Mark E. Donnelly, mentioned she sustained significant injuries during her capture and that he suspects she has a fracture or severe bruising on her ribs. The judge instructed prosecutors to ensure she receives proper medical care, a report by AP noted.

Attorney Mark Donnelly, speaking on behalf of Cilia Flores, stated that his client experienced health and medical issues that will require attention. Donnelly noted that Flores, 69, might have a fracture or severe bruising on her ribs and could require a full X-ray.

As Maduro prepared to leave with federal officers, a man in the audience stood and spoke loudly in Spanish, calling him an illegitimate president. The man, 33-year-old Pedro Rojas, later said he had been imprisoned by the Venezuelan regime. As deputy US Marshals escorted Maduro from the courtroom, the deposed leader responded directly to the man in Spanish, I am a kidnapped president. I am a prisoner of war.

The court proceedings concluded at 12:31 pm (local time). Maduros next court appearance is scheduled for March 17. At the conclusion of the hearing, Maduro and his wife were escorted out of the courtroom.

Both Maduro and Flores agreed to remain detained for the time being, with their attorneys able to revisit a bail request at a later date.
South Koreas President Lee Jae Myung has arrived in Beijing for his first China trip since taking office, as Seoul looks to steady ties with a key economic partner at a time of rising regional tensions.

Lee landed in the Chinese capital on Sunday, kicking off a four-day trip that will include a meeting with President Xi Jinping on Monday and a visit to Shanghai. Lee is the first sitting South Korean president to travel to China since 2019.

The visit comes two months after Xi made his first trip to South Korea in 11 years, where he emphasized the need for peace and stability in the region and pledged deeper cooperation with Seoul. Their talks on Monday are expected to cover trade, economic ties and security issues.

Lees trip also comes at a delicate moment for regional diplomacy. Relations between China and Japan have deteriorated sharply and tensions over Taiwan continue to simmer. Thats giving Seoul added incentive to position itself as a potential mediator, even as it seeks to avoid being drawn into escalating rivalries among major powers.

North Koreas latest ballistic missile launch, which traveled about 900 kilometers into waters off its eastern coast, came just hours before Lee arrived in Beijing for talks with Chinese leaders about regional security and stability. The provocations coincided with heightened global tensions after the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a raid, underscoring the high-stakes backdrop for Mondays summit.

Ahead of the visit, Lees security chief Wi Sung-lac said South Korea will maintain a consistent position on issues related to Taiwan and respect the One-China policy. He added that Seoul will urge Beijing to play a constructive role in promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. China remains one of North Koreas most important economic backers.

Chinas strained relationship with Japan could make Beijing more receptive to deeper engagement with other countries. South Korea is an important trade and technology partner, and keeping economic channels open would become more valuable if China faces further pressure from Japan and the US over supply chains.

Economic Links

A group of top South Korean business leaders is accompanying Lee on the trip. Yonhap News previously named Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee, SK Groups Chey Tae-won and Hyundai Motor Groups Euisun Chung.

Korean firms have faced tougher competition in China and lingering fallout from a dispute over Seouls deployment of a US missile defense system. Tensions rose recently when Beijing sanctioned the US units of Hanwha Ocean Co. over its investment plans in America, though those measures were later put on hold.

What Bloomberg Economics Says...

Markets will look for three things: concrete steps to narrow South Koreas structural trade deficit with China  such as better access to Chinas high-tech and service markets, plus more stable critical-mineral supplies; management of flash points  including maritime disputes, North Korea and Taiwan  that inflate the wons geopolitical risk premium; and any potential negative response from Washington.

 Hyosung Kwon and Adam Farrar. To read the analysis, click here.

Cultural exchanges also remain constrained. China has largely barred concerts and television appearances by South Korean artists since 2016 in retaliation for the deployment of the US Thaad missile defense system. Wi said South Korea will seek to restore exchanges in a gradual and phased manner.

Since taking office in June 2025, Lee has signaled a more balanced foreign policy approach than his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, who favored closer ties with Washington.

Still, South Koreas status as a US ally limits how far it can move toward China. Seoul is also working to stabilize its ties with Tokyo, making it cautious about appearing to take advantage of Japans tensions with Beijing.

Lees visit will include a business forum in Beijing on Monday, a meeting with Premier Li Qiang and a stop in Shanghai on Jan. 6-7, where Lee is set to visit the site of the Korean provisional government building.

With assistance from Cat Barton, Alfred Liu and Tian Ying.

2026 Bloomberg L.P.
Jacques Moretti, one of the owners of the Swiss bar where 40 people were killed and more than 100 were injured in a horrific blaze on New Year's Eve, reportedly has an extensive criminal history dating back more than 20 years.

According to European media reports, Moretti, a French national, is a "known pimp" who also served time in prison for fraud and kidnapping.

He is currently facing an enquiry into the deadly New Year's Eve fire at Le Constellation. Hundreds were trapped inside the Swiss bar after champagne bottles adorned with sparklers reportedly set the ceiling on fire.

Also Read | Swiss resort bar fire: Sparkler candles likely triggered deadly blaze

All about Jacques Moretti's criminal history Jacques Moretti is no stranger to the justice system in France, according to French newspaper Le Parisien. He is known for pimping cases dating back some twenty years. The newspaper reported that the Swiss bar owner also had a kidnapping and confinement case, and was imprisoned in Savoie in the French Alps.

His prison stint involved cases of pimping, fraud, kidnapping and false imprisonment, Belgian radio network RTL reported, citing a legal source.

What criminal charges await Jacques Moretti? Jacques Moretti co-owned the swanky nightclub in Crans-Montana with his wife Jessica since 2015.

At the time of writing this story, the couple was not criminally charged and had not been detained as they answered authorities questions about the deadly fire.

According to the New York Post, Swiss prosecutors plan to open an inquiry into arson by negligence and manslaughter by negligence against the couple if they find the couple criminally liable.

Everything suggests that the fire started with incandescent candles placed in champagne bottles, which were brought too close to the ceiling, causing a rapid and widespread conflagration, said Swiss attorney general Beatrice Pilloud.

Moretti, who was not in the club at the time of the fire, has stuck to his assertion that the club followed all safety regulations as required by Swiss law. A NYP report said that the Swiss club was only inspected three times in 10 years.

Jessica was at the club at the time of the deadly blaze and reportedly suffered burns to her arms.

Also Read | Viral videos capture horror at Swiss bar after massive fire, 40 killed

Safety compliance under investigation Authorities said they would examine whether the bars ceiling materials, including sound-dampening insulation, complied with fire safety regulations. Investigators will also assess whether sparkler candles  which emit upward-shooting sparks  were permitted for indoor use at the venue.
As the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the United States strikes on Venezuela, the US envoy told the Council that President Donald Trump gave diplomacy a chance and tried to de-escalate after Russia and China demanded Nicolas Maduros release.

As per the Council presidency, the meeting was set for 10 AM (local time) under the agenda titled Threats to international peace and security.

What did US say? Trump gave diplomacy a chance, he offered Maduro multiple off-ramps, he tried to de-escalate. There is no war against Venezuela or its people, we are not occupying a country, mentioned Mike Waltz, US envoy to the UN, according to Reuters.

The US envoy to the United Nations stated Washington would remain firm in its actions to protect Americans from narco-terrorism, while also seeking peace, liberty and justice for the people of Venezuela.

View full Image US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz speaks at a Security Council meeting at the United Nations (UN) concerning the situation in Venezuela on 5 January 2026 in New York City. ( Getty Images via AFP )

China and Russia react Chinas deputy UN envoy said Beijing was deeply shocked by the US move and strongly condemned what it described as unilateral, illegal, and bullying actions. China also called on the United States to release Maduro and his wife. Russias UN envoy similarly demanded the release of Maduro and his wife, condemning what Moscow described as an act of armed aggression by the United States against Venezuela. The Russian envoy added that there was no justification for what he termed US crimes in the country.

Venezuela responds Venezuelas UN envoy Samuel Reinaldo Moncada Acosta accused the United States of carrying out an illegitimate armed attack without any legal justification, saying the action breached the UN Charter, adding, Institutions are functioning normally, constitutional order has been preserved, and the state exercises effective control over all of its territory.

View full Image Venezuelan Ambassador to the United Nations Samuel Reinaldo Moncada Acosta speaks as he holds up a news article, during a UN Security Council meeting on US strikes and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at the United Nations headquarters in New York. ( REUTERS )

Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro was reportedly the first to request an emergency session of the UN. Petro took to X and said, As members of the United Nations Security Council, we seek to convene the Council. The Government of Colombia rejects the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America."

He added, "Internal conflicts between people are resolved by those same people in peace. That is the principle of the self-determination of peoples, which forms the foundation of the United Nations system."
US attacks Venezuela: President Donald Trump said on Saturday morning that the US forces had conducted a large-scale strike against Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores.

The couple has now been indicted in New York on terrorism and drug charges. Trump has accused Maduro of running a narco terrorist organisation.

Maduro was captured during the strikes inside Venezuela early on Saturday, a move that marked a sharp escalation after weeks of mounting tensions and speculation over possible US action. Trump insisted the US is "in charge" of Venezuela following the capture of President Maduro.

Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, President Trump said he has not spoken directly with Venezuela's acting leader, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, but she was cooperating with the US.

At the start of his second term in January last year, President Donald Trump pledged to restore peace by ending global conflicts. President Trump frequently cast himself as a 'president of peace, claiming he was worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize. He even claimed to have ended eight wars around the world in 2025.

Yet, Venezuela's strike last week was the latest in a string of the Trump administrations military attacks around the globe in the second term. The second Trump administration has since attacked at least seven countries.

Countries Bombed by US Military in Donald Trumps Second Term Country Action Venezuela Military strikes, raids, captured President Yemen Air, naval strikes against Houthi Somalia Air strikes on terror groups Iraq Air strikes against ISIL Syria Air strikes against ISIL Iran Strikes on three nuclear facilities Nigeria Strikes on ISIL-linked terror groups

Al Jazeera quoted Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, the nonpartisan conflict monitor, saying that the US had carried out  or been a partner to  622 overseas bombings in all, using drones or aircraft, since 20 January 2025, when Trump took office.

Nigera: Powerful and deadly strikes The US launched what President Trump called powerful and deadly strikes against groups allegedly affiliated with ISIL (ISIS) in Northwest Nigerias Sokoto State on Christmas Day.

President Trump and many Republicans, including Ted Cruz, have accused Nigeria of enabling a Christian genocide in the country.

Also Read | Donald Trump threatens new tariffs against India over Russia oil issue

Nigeria has been plagued by violence from armed groups linked to al-Qaeda or ISIL, operating in the predominantly Muslim northeast and northwest regions. Abuja, however, denies allegations of genocide and says Muslim and Christian communities alike are affected by the violence.

Cruz first accused Nigerias government of enabling a massacre against Christians in October 2025, precisely in the countrys central Middle Belt region. Nigeria agreed to the US military operation in the north of the country on 25 December.

The US Africa Command said that multiple ISIS terrorists were killed in the ISIS camps during the attack. Nigerias Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the strike was successful.

Reports said that the target of the attack was the newly emerged Lakurawa group, comprising armed fighters from Mali and Niger who are often linked to ISIL and al-Qaeda.

The US and Nigeria have a long history of security collaboration through training and intelligence sharing. The Christmas Day strikes marked the first known kinetic US military action in the West African nation.

President Trump has vowed that more strikes will follow.

111 strikes on Somalia During his second term, the Trump administration has been actively engaged in Somalia. The US intensified air attacks in the East African country since February 2025, according to the New America Foundation. These attacks have been carried out at Somalias urging. The US conducted at least 111 strikes in Somalia in 2025, according to media reports.

A number of civilians have been killed in these attacks. Investigative site Drop Site News said in December that at least 11 civilians, including 7 children, were killed in a strike in the Lower Juba region, in Somalias southwest. The US, however, never shares the number of civilian deaths in Somalia.

The US has been conducting air attacks in Somalia for a long time, targeting armed groups, including al-Shabab, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda.

Al-Shabab, which has about 7,000 fighters, holds large swaths of land in south-central Somalia, while the smaller ISIS-Somalia, which has about 1,500 fighters, is active in the mountainous regions of autonomous Puntland, in northern Somalia.

In the past year, 7,289 people have been killed by armed group activity, according to the US-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

Trump withdrew most US troops from the country in his first term as president. But the Joe Biden administration redeployed them in May 2022.

Nuclear Sites hit in Iran Among major conflicts reported in 2025, one was when the US intervened and struck three key nuclear sites in Iran on 22 June. The strikes in the middle of the Iran-Israel war were termed part of a highly sophisticated mission involving the US Air Force and Navy.

Trump had justified the attacks on Irans nuclear sites - Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow nuclear sites claiming that the aim was to curtail the nuclear threat posed by Tehran.

The three sites were involved in the production or storage of enriched uranium. The US claimed it had become or was approaching weapons grade.

Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, later confirmed that some of the sites had been damaged. Pentagon, however, estimated the attack set back Irans nuclear program by about two years.

In retaliation, Iran struck a US airbase in Qatar the day after the US strikes. The strike was seen as a symbolic action as no injuries or deaths were reported. Later the same month, Donald Trump declared a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, bringing the 12-day war to an end.

During his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, Trump threatened to hit Iran again.

Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, were going to have to knock them down, he said, referring to the nuclear programme. Well knock the hell out of them.

Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, were going to have to knock them down.

Remember, for three decades, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been claiming that a nuclear threat from Iran is imminent.

ISIL positions hit in Syria On 19 December, the US conducted air strikes on 70 ISIL-positions in Syria. The attacks were done in retaliation for a shooting in Palmyra, which killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter a week earlier.

The US operation, termed Hawkeye, damaged several ISIL weapons storage facilities in locations across Syria, an official told CNN.

I am hereby announcing that the United States is inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible, Trump posted on Truth Social on 19 December.

President Trump said the US was striking very strongly against ISIS strongholds in Syria, a place soaked in blood, which has many problems.

But one that has a bright future if ISIS can be eradicated, he added, warning against further attacks on US service members.

In November of last year, Trump held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the White House, as the Department of the Treasury announced the suspension of sanctions against Damascus for an additional six months.

Al-Sharaa, a 43-year-old former al-Qaeda commander, toppled the longtime leader of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, last December.

Targeting Yemens Houthis US has been targeting Yemens Houthis with air and naval attacks that started in January 2024. Houthis are an Iran-aligned group that controls much of Yemens northwest region.

The strikes are being carried out in retaliation for Houthi attacks on Israeli-linked vessels passing through the Red Sea.

In March 2025, two months after the Trump administration took over, the strikes escalated to daily attacks as part of what the US codenamed Operation Rough Rider.

The US strikes ended in May, though, following a truce brokered by Oman.

Iraqs al-Anbar province In March last year, the US military launched air strikes on Iraqs al-Anbar province. A high-profile ISIL member was killed in the attack, according to the US militarys Central Command.

The groups second-in-command, Abdallah Abu Khadijah Malli Muslih al-Rifai, and another unnamed operative were reported to have been killed in the strikes, according to the US media quoting officials who said he strikes were carried out jointly with Iraqi intelligence.

Today, the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed, Trump wrote in a celebratory post on Truth Social the day after.

Iraqs prime minister, in a statement on X, also on 14 March, said Adu Khadija was known as ISILs deputy caliph overseeing operations in Iraq and Syria, and that he was one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.
Katie Miller, the wife of US President Donald Trumps deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, shared a controversial image of a Greenland map in the colours of the US flag on her X account after Venezuelan strikes that occurred on Saturday.

The image was accompanied by a single word above it: "SOON". Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen condemned the post as "disrespectful". "Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law -- not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights," he wrote on X.

He added that there was no cause for alarm, stressing that the country was not for sale and that its future would not be determined by statements or images shared on social media.

Denmarks ambassador to the US, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, responded earlier on Sunday with a post stating that "we expect full respect for the territorial integrity" of Denmark, above a link to Katie Millers image. In what he described as a pointed friendly reminder, the Danish ambassador added that his country, a NATO member, has "significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts" and has cooperated closely with the US on those initiatives.

Who is Katie Miller? Katie Miller, 34, served as a deputy press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security from 2017 to 2019 during Donald Trumps first term as US president. She later became communications director for then-vice president Mike Pence and also held the role of his press secretary.

She served as an advisor and spokesperson for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from January through May 2025, before leaving the role to work for Elon Musk in the private sector.

Also Read | Trump appointment of Greenland envoy draws angry response from Denmark

Miller is the daughter of attorney Glenn Waldman and Sheryl Waldman and she is Jewish. She graduated from Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Florida, in 2010. She earned a bachelors degree from the University of Florida in 2014, where she was involved with the student governments Unite Party. Miller later attended George Washington University, completing a Master of Public Policy degree.
The year 2025 closed with a spurt of trade deals. On 22 December, India concluded one with New Zealand, negotiated in just nine months. Four days earlier, on 18 December, New Delhi signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Oman.

Such pacts are also planned or under negotiation with Chile, Israel, Canada and others. As one observer joked, India seems to have a trade arrangement with every country except the Vatican. Why this sudden flurry? The reasons are not purely economic; they are deeply embedded in geopolitics.

Experience with Indias earlier deals suggests that without deep integration, such agreements may not significantly enhance trade. Free-trade agreements such as the one with Asean have shown low utilization rates and only modest trade gains.

Also Read | Beyond tariffs: What India must guard against in trade talks with the US

This is unsurprising. Over successive World Trade Organization (WTO) rounds, tariffs have already been reduced sharply, leaving little room for preferential liberalization to generate large benefits. Free-trade accords have thus become less important as instruments of tariff reduction.

This also explains why many modern deals deliver limited trade outcomes. Countries often sign them not because trade will suddenly expand, but because trade or investment links already exist, or because geopolitical calculations make them desirable.

Such agreements are, therefore, endogenous outcomes, formalizing existing relationships rather than creating new ones.

Indias recent deal-forging activity reinforces this point. Negotiating trade agreements consumes political and administrative resources, while multiple bilateral arrangements create overlapping rules of origin that raise compliance costs.

From a purely economic perspective, this is not always efficient. Regional agreements are generally superior, but only when the region functions as a coherent economic blocsomething South Asia clearly does not.

The limits of Indias bilateral approach become evident when one examines export destinations. Our CEPA with the UAE covers only about two-thirds of exports to the Gulf and roughly half of all imports. The Oman agreement covers just 7% of exports to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations and about 5% of imports.

A GCC-wide deal would have been far more meaningful economically, but this could well be preparation for a future pact with the grouping. The preference for country-specific deals, however, points to political logic.

The contrast with East Asia is even starker. Indias bilateral arrangements with Japan, Korea and Australia account for barely a quarter of our exports to members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Also Read | Springboard 2026 | Seizing leadership in changed global trade landscape

More than three-quarters of our trade with RCEP takes place without any preferential agreement. Staying outside RCEP while signing scattered bilateral deals leaves most of this regional market untouched.

If trade creation is not the primary objective, what explains Indias recent push for deals? Several non-economic considerations stand out.

First, trade pacts serve as instruments of political signalling, allowing India to deepen strategic partnerships while preserving strategic autonomy.

Second, they function as tools for hedging risks in an uncertain global trade environment, helping diversify economic relationships and reduce over-dependence on China.

Third, deeper engagements provide greater protection for investors by clarifying rules on investment, dispute settlement and regulation.

Finally, bilateral agreements help pre-empt exclusion amid the formation of trade blocs that increasingly mirror geopolitical alignments.

Our agreements with Oman and New Zealand illustrate this shift. Neither is a major merchandise trade partner. Omans importance lies more in labour migration, energy linkages and its strategic location near the Strait of Hormuz.

New Zealand, accounting for just $0.6 billion of Indian exports, has a small economy; the rationale lies instead in strengthening Indo-Pacific ties.

Both agreements emphasize services, labour mobility, recognition of qualifications and investment protection more than tariff liberalization.

While tariff concessions are extensive on paper, their economic impact is limited by small market sizes and already low applied tariffs. Indias comparative advantages and strategic interests are thus their focus.

Seen this way, Indias recent deals are best understood not as conventional trade agreements aimed at boosting exports, but as geopolitical insurance policies in a fragmenting global order. At the same time, a good beginning has been made with services trade getting attention.

Trade in services tends to need greater alignment of regulatory policies and hence much higher levels of diplomacy. Such agreements could take time and this seems as good a moment as any to make a start.

Also Read | The EU neednt have yielded to the US on a trade deal

US President Donald Trump has thrown both global trade and politics into a new world of uncertainty while jettisoning the multilateralism of the WTO. In this scenario, a series of deals might well be the best response.

The authors are, respectively, visiting professor, Shiv Nadar University and assistant professor, Institute of Economic Growth.
Louis Vincent Gerstner Jr., the American business leader whose steady hand and clear-sighted strategy pulled International Business Machines Corp (IBM) from the brink of collapse and reshaped it for the dawn of the digital age, died on 27 December 2025 at his home in Jupiter, Florida. He was 83 years old.

Arvind Krishna, IBMs current CEO, described him as a transformational figure whose influence extended far beyond the Big Blues boardroom and whose leadership saved one of the technology worlds most iconic companies. Gerstners life was defined by decisiveness in times of peril and a firm belief in the power of organizational unity and service-oriented innovation.

Also Read | What turned IBM from tech titan to cautionary tale

Born in Mineola, New York, Gerstner grew up in Long Island and showed early promise as a methodical thinker. He graduated in engineering from Dartmouth College and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. After beginning his career in management consulting with McKinsey, he rose through the executive ranks at American Express and later took the helm of RJR Nabisco, where he proved his ability to navigate complex financial and operational challenges.

When he accepted the role of chair and CEO of IBM in 1993, he became the first outsider ever to lead it. At that moment, IBM was deep in crisis. Once the worlds largest computer maker whose mainframes powered financial systems, corporations, and governments alike, it was losing billions of dollars and market share to nimble competitors and facing calls to break the company apart.

The tech landscape was transforming at a dizzying pace and IBMs product-centric approach felt out of step with the needs of its global customers. I worked for IBM during his time there.

Also Read | How a European quantum-computing startup plans to take on IBM and Google

Rather than yield to pressure for IBM to be split into smaller, independent units, Gerstner made his first of many bold choices by preserving its unity. He understood that its greatest strength lay not in disconnected product silos, but in its ability to deliver integrated solutions that met complex customer demands.

This was a strategic pivot that few fully grasped at the time, but it became the lynchpin of IBMs revival. When quizzed at the time about his strategic vision for IBM, he is famously known to have said The last thing IBM needs is a vision at this time." He was right. The giant faced extinction and survival was paramount.

The CEO cut costs, streamlined operations and took on cultural habits that often prized internal procedure over customer responsiveness. He trained the firm for what it needed: a relentless focus on real business outcomes for clients. He insisted on customer orientation and drove this principle home. These shifts came at a huge cost (IBM shed about 100,000 employees), but changes were essential to stabilize finances and build client and investor confidence.

Central to his strategy was the transformation of IBMs business model towards services and integrated solutions. Back when rivals were racing to commoditize hardware, he saw that clients valued expertise and the ability to implement and manage complex systems that could knit together disparate technologies across enterprises. This was the IBM I was hired into. When I was seconded to Europe as its boss of communication sector services, the impact he had had there while changing stodgy leadership had become the stuff of legend.

Under his leadership, IBM built a services business that became a global leader in its own right. It grew rapidly, offering not only higher margins than many legacy hardware products, but also a more durable connection to client needs, thanks to its consultative nature.

Despite the pressure of the turnaround, Gerstner never lost sight of IBMs need to be a coherent whole. He broke down divisional barriers that hindered collaboration, reformed incentive systems so that performance was judged by collective success rather than by isolated unit results, and encouraged a culture where execution mattered as much as strategy.

Over the course of his tenure, IBMs fortunes turned. It regained profitability and its reputation for innovation. Its stock price went up by a multiple of six. He stepped down as CEO in 2002 and relinquished the chair later that year, leaving behind a company better prepared for 21st century challenges. His memoir, Who Says Elephants Cant Dance? is a reflection on leadership and change that is still a key text for students of business strategy and corporate change.

After IBM, Gerstner served as chair of the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, and devoted energy to philanthropy, particularly in education and biomedical research. His work with public schools testified to a broader commitment to societal progress.

Also Read | Can Perplexity do to Google what Microsoft did to IBM back in the day?

Colleagues and admirers remember him not only for the outcomes he achieved but for the clarity of his thought and the integrity of his leadership. As a mentor, his influence shaped a generation of leaders and his impact is evident in the many business and technology ventures whose leaders passed through IBM during his tenure. He was one of the great American executives of his time, who left lessons for other CEOs trying to effect massive structural change in the wake of technological upheavals, much as we are about to see with AI in the next few years.

In an age of rapid technological change, his lifes work remains a reminder that businesses endure by embracing change with rigour and resolve. I, for one, am grateful to have worked in the redefined IBM that was his brainchild. Rest in peace, Lou.

The author is co-founder of Siana Capital, a venture fund manager.
The US security plans focus on the Western hemisphere burst into the global spotlight with Americas capture" from Caracas of its president Nicolas Maduro, who might be charged with support for drug-trafficking and terrorism.

Washington, said US President Donald Trump, would run Venezuela till its deemed ready for self-rule. That the US is also eyeing Venezuelan oil reserves seems clear from Trumps talk of American oil firms going in.

Also Read | The oil sectors biggest winners and losers from Venezuela regime change

While Maduros electoral legitimacy was dubious, the US use of force looks like a blatant violation of international law. Indias state-run ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) holds a big stake in an oil field in Venezuelas Orinoco basin, apart from other interests. These partnerships and our on-and-off crude imports from there have been under a shadow of US sanctions, but 2026 has spelt far greater uncertainty.

Also Read | Venezuela, Iran could further pressure oil prices in 2026

In parallel with its trade talks with the US, New Delhi may now need to discuss OVLs rights. A broad calculus may dictate that we refrain from condemning Trumps actions outright, as China and Russia have done, but a fragile world order demands that we double down on whatever it takes to safeguard our overseas investments and strategic autonomy.
US President Donald Trumps new National Security Strategy offers a misguided assessment of Europe, long regarded as Americas most reliable ally. Unrestrained immigration and other policies derided by administration officials as woke," it warns, could lead to civilizational erasure" within a few decades.

That argument rests on a basic misreading of Europes current predicament. While the EU does face an existential threat, it has little to do with immigration or cultural politics. In fact, the share of foreign-born residents in the US is slightly higher than in Europe.

Also Read | Donald Trump has lost public support for his policy on immigration

The threat facing Europe lies in its economic and technological backwardness. Between 2008 and 2023, GDP rose by 87% in the US, compared to just 13.5% in the EU. Over the same period, the EUs GDP per capita fell from 76.5% of the US level to 50%. Even the poorest US state, Mississippi, has a higher per capita income than that of several major European economies, including France, Italy and the EU average.

This widening economic gap cannot be explained by demographics. Instead, it reflects stronger productivity growth in the US, largely owing to tech innovation and higher total factor productivity. Today, roughly half of the worlds 50 largest technology firms are American, while only four are European. Over the past five decades, 241 US firms have grown from startups into companies with market capitalizations of at least $10 billion, compared with just 14 in Europe.

These trends raise a critical question: Which countries will lead the industries of the future and where does Europe fit in? The race for tech leadership now spans a wide range of fields, including AI and machine learning, semiconductor design and production, robotics, quantum computing, fusion energy, fintech and defence technologies. Europe enters this race at a clear disadvantage.

Also Read | The Draghi report has rung an alarm that Europe cant afford to sleep through

Whether the US or China currently leads future industries is open to debate, but most observers agree that its essentially a two-horse race, with America still ahead in several key areas. Beyond that, innovation is concentrated in countries like Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, India and Israel. In Europe, by contrast, innovative activities are largely confined to the UK, Germany, France and Switzerland, two of which are not EU members.

It is hardly a surprise, then, that while the US and China dominate global tech rankings, Europe finds itself far from the top. And the outlook is anything but reassuring, given that the next wave of innovation is widely expected to be more disruptive than anything we have seen over the past half-century.

The technological gap between the US and Europe can be attributed to several factors. First, the US has a far deeper and more dynamic ecosystem for financing startups, while Europe still lacks a genuine capital markets union, limiting the scale and speed at which new firms can grow.

Second, Europe is hampered by excessive and fragmented regulation. A US startup can launch a product under a single regulatory framework and access a market of more than 330 million people. The EU has a population of roughly 450 million but remains divided among 27 national regulatory regimes. An International Monetary Fund analysis shows that internal market barriers in the EU act like a tariff of around 44% for goods and 110% for servicesfar higher than the tariff levels the US imposes on most imports.

Third, cultural attitudes toward risk-taking differ sharply. Until relatively recently, a failed entrepreneur in some EU countries (like Italy) could face criminal penalties, while in the US, a tech founder who has never failed is often seen as too risk-averse.

Fourth, the US benefits from a deeply integrated academic-military-industrial complex, while Europes chronic underinvestment in defence has weakened its innovation capacity. Technological leaders like the US, China, Israel and, more recently, Ukraine spend heavily on defence, with military research often producing technologies that have civilian applications.

Despite this, many European leaders continue to frame higher defence spending as a tradeoff between security and social welfare. In reality, free-riding on US defence spending since the end of World War II has limited the type of innovation that could have generated more of both through higher productivity. Paradoxically, sustaining Europes social model will require greater investment in defence, beginning with meeting Natos new spending target of 3.5% of GDP.

Also Read | China and America must get serious about AI risk

If Europe lets its tech lag widen, it risks prolonged stagnation and continued economic decline relative to the US and China. There are, however, reasons for cautious optimism. Increasingly aware that Europe faces an existential challenge, policymakers have begun to advance serious reform proposals. Notable examples are the two major 2024 reports on EU competitiveness and the single market by former Italian prime ministers Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta, respectively.

Europe has considerable strengths, including high-quality human capital, excellent education systems and world-class research institutions. With the right incentives and regulatory reforms, these assets could support much higher levels of commercial innovation. With a better environment for entrepreneurship, Europes high per capita income, large internal market and high savings rates could help unleash a wave of investment.

Crucially, even if Europe never leads in cutting-edge technologies, it could still significantly boost productivity by adopting and adapting American and Chinese innovations. Many of these technologies are general-purpose in character, benefiting both adopters and pioneers.

All of this leaves Europe at an inflection point. As Ernest Hemingway famously observed, bankruptcy happens gradually and then suddenly." So far, Europes technological decline has been gradual. But if it fails to confront its structural weaknesses, todays slow erosion could give way to a sudden and irreversible loss of economic relevance. 2025/Project Syndicate

The author is professor emeritus of economics at New York Universitys Stern School of Business and author of MegaThreats: Ten Dangerous Trends That Imperil Our Future, and How to Survive Them.
U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz wants the Detroit Three automakers to send their CEOs to Washington this month to testify before his committee on such auto topics as new vehicle affordability and consumer choice.

But Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley, through a letter to Cruz written by Ford's lawyer, is pushing back at going. As a result, the presence of the top executives from General Motors and Stellantis could also be in question.

The letter sent to Cruz in December states that Ford's issue with sending Farley stems from Cruz  the Republican Texas senator who ran for president unsuccessfully in 2016  inviting the CEOs of the Detroit Three, but when it came to Tesla, the invitation went to the companys vice president of vehicle engineering rather than to CEO Elon Musk.

It hasn't been mentioned publicly but it should be lost on no one that Musk was also a close adviser to Republican President Donald Trump as Trump began his second term a year ago and led the Department of Government Efficiency, an effort to downsize government and eliminate workers, before departing that role. That's something Democratic members of Congress would probably love to question Musk about, considering there were legal questions raised about DOGE's operations and it had only limited success compared with Musk's early promises.

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Ford's pushback at the disjointed invitation is reasonable, industry analysts said, noting it's common for automotive CEOs to want to testify alongside their peers. But what is unusual is for a CEO to tell a senator they do not want to show up if the circumstances aren't remedied.

"Its not common (to refuse to testify), but CEOs who believe they are just going to play the part of a punching bag in a made-for-television 'Punch and Judy' show often are reluctant to play along," said Erik Gordon, a lawyer and a University of Michigan Ross School of Business professor. "Seward Healths CEO refused to testify and was held in contempt of Congress. That is extremely rare. Members of Congress usually negotiate a compromise."

The thing is, automakers have to consider what's in it for them to testify. On one hand, it can be an opportunity for a company to tell its story. On the other hand, if lawmakers are looking to garner a headline, the questioning can go sideways, words can get twisted, and it can end up making a company look bad. In other words, they can't always control the narrative and in this case, affordability is a complicated and nuanced topic.

"My recollection of the Detroit Three testifying is not complete and I cant point to a time where theyve pushed back," said Sam Fiorani, vice president of Global Vehicle Forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions. "It seems that whenever theyve been called, the CEOs arrive by private jet or Uber and show up. Im sure there is some sort of history where they have not, but I cant name a time that this has happened."

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In response to Ford's move, GM spokeswoman Liz Winter told the Detroit Free Press, "GM told the committee its CEO will be there assuming all invited CEOs attend as well.

A spokesperson for Stellantis did not immediately provide a comment on where that company stands on this matter.

Finding an appropriate witness

The issue with Farley's attendance was first reported by Politico last month. A spokesperson for Cruz's office did not immediately provide a comment to a Free Press inquiry on Jan. 2 as to where things stand on the hearing, which is scheduled for Jan. 14. But Phoebe Keller, a spokesperson for the Senate Commerce Committee, told Politico on Dec. 18: "As Sen. Cruz has said, Jim Farley will be testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee. We look forward to a substantive hearing celebrating the revitalization of American automobile manufacturing.

Except, Ford spokesman Dave Tovar told the Free Press on Dec. 31, "We are committed to working with the committee to provide an appropriate witness to appear at the proposed hearing."

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Here is how Ford outlined the problem in the letter penned to Cruz, which the Free Press obtained. Ford's lawyer Brian Smith of the Covington & Burlington law firm out of Washington, D.C., wrote in the letter dated Dec. 12:

"Ford believes that it is essential that any potential hearing adhere to Congresss longstanding tradition of ensuring comparable treatment for similarly situated companies. The proposed hearing breaks with this tradition by inviting witnesses of different seniorities across the four invited automakers."

The letter goes on to say that if a vice president of engineering role is appropriate for the hearing, then the Detroit automakers should also be permitted to send a similar witness.

Two CEOs and a plant manager ...

Seniority matters because if there is a CEO present among lower ranking executives from the other automakers, then the questions will all end up directed at the CEO, making it an unfair exchange.

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It also looks odd. Consider a month ago, on Dec. 3, Trump held a news conference in the Oval Office announcing his proposal to roll back the strict emissions standards put in place by former President Joe Biden.

At the event, Trump sat at his desk, flanked by various leaders including Farley and Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa. But when it came to General Motors, CEO Mary Barra was absent due to a previous commitment. In her place, was John Urbanic, plant manager at GM's Orion Assembly plant. It is likely that Ford does not want its CEO subject to a situation like that again.

Smith also wrote that Cruz' invitation letter stated the hearing will focus on the views of the American Auto Industry on the Upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization," a topic Farley is not prepared to discuss. The Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act is a federal law, passed every five years, that sets policy and funding for national highways, public transit and other road-related programs. The current one expires in September 2026.

"Mr. Farley is focused on providing Americans with the cars they desire and leading Ford to compete in a highly competitive global market, and he has not been engaged in Congresss consideration of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization," Smith said. "Others in the company are better suited to testify at a hearing on these subjects."

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Then, there is the date of the hearing itself: Jan. 14. That's the start of the Detroit Auto Show where all three automakers have executives involved in various events. Smith said Farley has "existing commitments that preclude his appearance at a hearing on Jan. 14."

An unusual request for CEOs

The whole situation is unusual considering CEOs are not usually beckoned before Congress unless necessary.

And, while theres no formal rule regarding Congress calling business executives of similar station to testify before committees, its generally been a time-honored tradition. Similarly, House and Senate leaders are usually deferential when it comes to infringing on top executives time in all but the most dire of circumstances.

Its been more commonplace for Detroits top auto executives to visit the White House, for instance, and, while in the nations capital, to make courtesy calls on the Michigan delegation and/or congressional leaders in private. Its been rarer for them to be asked to testify in hearings that are aired publicly. Usually subordinates are dispatched in their places, especially since such hearings can be open-ended, giving members of both parties a chance to ask any question or make any comment they like on any subject, potentially forcing executives into taking or appearing to avoid taking controversial positions.

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These hearings also can take hours, with witnesses waiting for hearings to resume as members leave for and return from votes in the chamber. And  significantly  they are often events where the auto executives can face significant pressure to answer questions outside the hearings from throngs of reporters accustomed to filling the hallways and encircling officials under circumstances considerably different than those business executives typically face.

CEOs' recent D.C. disasters

In recent decades, appearances by auto executives before congressional committees have been largely confined to those instances where members of the House or the Senate were either asking tough questions of the executives, or the auto companies faced an existential crisis.

A couple of examples of the former were then-GM Chairman Dan Akerson defending the safety of the Chevy Volt before a House subcommittee in 2012 after concerns were raised about battery fires and GMs Barra, shortly after taking the top spot, testifying before several committees in 2014 regarding an ignition switch defect linked to several deaths.

A stark example of the latter  and how they can turn into public relations nightmares  was in late 2008, when the heads of Ford, GM and what was then Chrysler went before Senate and House committees pleading for an infusion of government aid to keep them afloat. Though GM and Chrysler later received that funding  Ford in the end didn't request direct aid but supported funding for the others to help keep suppliers and other parts of the industry afloat  it was initially in doubt after a House hearing in which the auto execs from all three companies were roundly criticized for flying private jets to Washington at a time when they were asking for help.

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It is almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo, said then-U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York, and a member of the House Financial Services Committee. Couldn't you all have downgraded to first class or jet-pooled or something to get here?

The situation has changed somewhat in recent years, especially with Trump dead-set against the federal government providing any subsidy to promote or encourage the production or sale of electric vehicles.

At Trump's White House announcement last month proposing a rollback of fuel standards, which could help produce and sell more gasoline-powered vehicles, Cruz touted his own efforts to weaken mile-per-gallon standards. He said the regulations mostly made vehicles more expensive than they needed to be, adding the hearing with the Detroit Three and Tesla he was calling for on Jan. 14 was going to be entirely focused not on any crisis but on how Trump had reduced the burdens on car makers.

More: As needs for Detroit's unhoused rise, Ford CEO says it's time to help

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More: Will car prices ease in 2026? Here's what the experts predict.

Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer for USA Today Co. who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford CEO Farley balks at Senate hearing over unequal Tesla treatment
This is the season when columnists turn to prophecy and then congratulate themselves a year later for getting some of it right. Im afraid I am about to join the club.

As I predicted at the end of last year, Asia in 2025 revolved around three main forces: the blossoming bromance between US President Donald Trump and Chinas Xi Jinping, rising pressure on Taiwan, and a newly emboldened Kim Jong Un drawing closer to both Moscow and Beijing.

These dynamics will only get more obvious in 2026. The region is heading into an increasingly precarious year, with deepening tensions that will have a cascading effect on all of us.

The Trump-Xi bromance could sour: On the surface, Trump and Xi appear to have found a new warmthbut its fragile. Xi won the trade war in 2025, which means Trump is going into next year on the back foot. That wont be lost in Washington, no matter how loud the bluster. While the rapprochement has been welcomed by markets, a lot could go wrong. They will have an opportunity to meet at least four times in 2026, providing multiple occasions for relations to head south.

And even if they dont, theyll likely remain tense, according to a 2026 forecast for US-China relations from the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies. Almost three-quarters of respondents, comprising China experts and observers, see relations deteriorating across the board, from military and trade ties to technology. Thats despite Trumps most recent decision to let Nvidia sell advanced chips to China, watering down years of national security safeguards.

Washington says Nvidias top products will still be restricted, but the move gives Beijing access to semiconductors at least a generation ahead of its best technology.

Another front to watchChina-Japan relations: Tokyo has become more vocal about the link between its own security and stability in the Taiwan Strait, a position Beijing views as provocative. The Chinese leader will see how much he can push Trump on Taiwan, the self-governed democratic island Beijing claims as its own. That will make Taipei more vulnerable.

Also Read | Asia adrift, Asia alone

Taiwan will feel the heat even more: President Lai Ching-te has his work cut out. Hell need to navigate a politically gridlocked legislature while trying to pass a $40 billion supplementary defence budget aimed at modernizing the military and strengthening deterrence to defend Taiwan against the rising threat from China. The island has already pledged to lift defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2030, up from over 3%. But more money alone may not be enough.

US intelligence sources believe that Xi wants Chinas Peoples Liberation Army to be capable of an invasion by 2027. However, many military strategists suggest a full-scale invasion then is unlikely, as Chinas economy grapples with a slowdown and the PLA reels from corruption probes and purges. They point to quarantine or blockade scenarios instead.

Beijing, which has vowed to take control of Taiwan through peaceful means but has refused to rule out doing so by using force, has ramped up military and political pressure in recent years to assert its claims. The PLA conducted a second day of military drills to Taiwans north last Tuesday, while Chinas grey-zone tacticswarplanes crossing the median line, naval patrols circling the island, cyber and information warfareare now near-daily events. These will almost certainly continue in 2026.

Also Read | Why central banks in Southeast Asia keep wrong-footing economists

Kim Jong Un is getting more confident: North Korea is among the most serious risks on Asias security landscape. A 2025 briefing from the US Defense Intelligence Agency notes that Pyongyang has now developed an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the continental US.

Kim has repeatedly rejected denuclearization negotiations since the most recent talks in 2019 with Trump broke down. The North Korean leader views nuclear weapons as a guarantor of his security and has no intention of renouncing them. Hes also being emboldened by his deepening ties with Russia and steady support from China, which is changing the calculus on the peninsula.

South Korean officials have hinted at the chance of a summit with the North in 2026, something unimaginable over a year ago. This gives Kim leverage to potentially get sanctions relief, or extract tacit approval from the US that denuclearization has been a failure and that he can go ahead and continue with his nuclear weapons programme. Expect more missile launches, diplomatic theatre and other attempts to hijack the geopolitical agenda.

Asia is not on the brink of war. But it will be more volatile than it has been in recent memory. Buckle up. Bloomberg

The author is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia politics with a special focus on China.
By extending diplomatic recognition to the breakaway statelet of Somaliland, Israel has cut a deal aimed at sharing intelligence and securing the strategic waterways of the Red Seamaking the country a player in the Horn of Africa, where Arab countries are jostling for influence.

Now Israel has a partner directly across the Gulf of Aden from territory in Yemen held by the Houthis, the militant group that has waged an armed campaign against Israel and ships passing through the Red Sea during the war in Gaza. The attacks snarled global shipping and turned the waterway into a smuggling hub.

Somaliland, a semidesert territory inside internationally recognized Somali borders, lies just south of the vital Bab al-Mandab Strait that connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.

No one can ignore the strategic location of Somaliland," said Danny Danon, Israels ambassador to the United Nations in an interview. The straits are a strategic point."

The move, which drew widespread global condemnation, fits a wider Israeli objective: to establish itself on the diplomatic stage as a significant power honed by two years at war.

Israel is less constrained by what others will say," said Ofer Guterman, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies. It is moving beyond military might to assert its power in the diplomatic field as well, Guterman added.

Israel has emerged from yearslong conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran emboldened as the dominant military power in the Middle East and less interested in compromise when it believes its security interests are at stake. Its recognition of Somaliland, a rare instance in which it has signed such an agreement with a Muslim-majority entity without public U.S. assistance, cements its newfound confidence in the international arena.

Somaliland has an underused port and a long runway at Berbera, and has shown a willingness to offer use of the facilities to countries in exchange for closer ties, though officials there said there were no plans to host an Israeli military base.

Still, the move makes Israel an important new variable in an area where a number of Arab countries are competing to hold sway.

Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia during a civil war in 1991, is a self-declared nation of 6.2 million peoplewhich, if it were a nation state, would be one of the poorest in the world. Its territory is smaller than Missouri.

Israel and the U.S. struck back against the Houthi attacks, which have abated since the cease-fire in Gaza, but didnt manage to degrade the militants command structure in the way Israel took out the leadership of militant groups in Gaza and Lebanon over the past two years.

Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi called the recognition a hostile and illegitimate act" targeting Somalia, Yemen and the Red Sea and warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a military target.

Somaliland has in recent years been monitoring a Houthi buildup of arms trade and training to a Somali al Qaeda affiliate called al-Shabaab. The self-declared nation relies on tribal sources to gather information on the militants but lacks access to more high-tech reconnaissance and interception technologies of the type Israel could provide.

Weapons seizures in Somalia last year revealed that the Houthis were transferring arms to al-Shabaab and training the group to use sophisticated explosives and drones, a Yemen-focused United Nations report said in October. Western security officials fear the Yemeni faction could start staging attacks out of East Africa, effectively cornering shipping from both coastlines.

Somalia, whichthough not populated by ethnic Arabsis a member of the Arab League and one of only a few sub-Saharan African nations not to recognize Israel, sees the Israeli move as an unacceptable foreign interference.

Nations in the Middle East and Africa have largely operated under the understanding that to keep the peace they wont redraw borders set since independence.

It is Israel unilaterally advancing its own interests at the expense of others," said Cameron Hudson, a former Africa director at the U.S. National Security Council, who warned that such a projection of power into the highly contested Horn of Africa could further destabilize the region.

View Full Image Demonstrators in Mogadishu, Somalia, with Somali flags after Israel recognized Somaliland as an independent state.

Israeli officials have argued that their recognition of Somaliland is grounded in the fact that it has an effective democratic electoral system, with its own military and government acting independently from Somalia for decades.

Tammy Bruce, deputy representative of the U.S. to the U.N., argued before the Security Council that Israel had a right to conduct its own diplomacy and described Israels critics as hypocritical since many of them unilaterally recognized Palestinian statehood earlier in 2025 despite Israeli opposition.

Middle Eastern countries have long meddled in Africa, jostling for influence in the most strategic parts of the continent. Turkey, for example, provides military support to the central government in Somaliawhich is at loggerheads with Somaliland and another of the countrys independent-minded entities, Puntland. The United Arab Emirates and Egypt back opposite sides in Sudans two-year civil war.

Cairo sees Israels recognition of Somaliland as a direct threat to its conflict over water with Ethiopia, say Egyptian officials. Egypt has been strengthening its alliance with Ethiopias neighbors to corner Addis Ababa and prepare for possible future confrontations. Last year, Egypt started positioning troops in Somalia as well as providing the African country with weapons and counterterrorism advisers.

In return for security cooperation, Somaliland hopes the recognition will inspire others to follow suit. The U.N. doesnt recognize Somalilands independence.

Before Israels move, only Taiwanwhich seeks international support for its autonomy from Chinahad diplomatic relations with Somaliland but stopped short of full recognition. A Somaliland attempt in 2024 to gain diplomatic ties with neighboring Ethiopia in exchange for a naval base failed when it faced a backlash from Somalia.

Israeli officials, however, appear unmoved by the international condemnation. Spoiler alert: no one will determine for Israel whom it may conduct diplomatic relations with," wrote Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in a X post.

Write to Benoit Faucon at benoit.faucon@wsj.com and Dov Lieber at dov.lieber@wsj.com
European leaders and US officials aim to finalize an agreement on security guarantees that include the possibility of American boots on the ground in postwar Ukraine in a bid to ensure that any peace deal endures.

The talks in Paris on Tuesday will focus on how to integrate capabilities recently proposed by Washington with plans drawn up by the so-called coalition of the willing thats made up of Ukraines allies, according to people familiar with the matter.

French President Emmanuel Macron will host the meeting, which comes after a series of discussions between national security advisers over the last month. The US will be represented by President Donald Trumps envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the people added.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, other European leaders, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Top NATO military official Alexus Grynkewich, who also leads US forces in Europe, will also be in attendance.

It is unclear what role US troops would play or where they would be stationed in the event of a peace agreement with Russia. European nations have discussed deploying a multinational reassurance force, with Ukraines army leading its defense at the front line.

The US is also willing to help monitor a ceasefire, including by providing intelligence, the people said. Drones and satellites would be used to identify breaches, they added.

European officials said their latest discussions with American counterparts were positive and that the current status of the proposed security guarantees was in a good place. One described the US offer of intelligence and troops as a game-changer. Another said it much more closely resembled the so-called American backstop sought by European nations over the last year.

The aim of the recent meetings between US, European and Ukrainian officials has been to finalize an agreement on security guarantees. It remains unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would agree to the proposals. Ukraines allies will push for Russian participation after an agreement on security is reached with the US, one of the people said.

Other key sticking points remain, especially on territory, where Moscow is seeking the full withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donbas region of the country  something Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected.

Zelenskiy told reporters over the weekend that the Paris meeting will talk over the final details of security guarantees. Kyiv and its European allies have insisted a strong deterrent is needed to ensure that Russia doesnt attack Ukraine again after a peace deal is reached.

Zelenskiy said hes asked Trump for security guarantees that could cover a period as long as half a century. Current proposals set out a 15-year term with the possibility of an extension.

Ukraine hopes to set up a meeting in the US at the leaders level by the end of January, he added.

Bloomberg previously reported that Ukraines allies were seeking a tiered approach to security guarantees. Beefed-up Ukrainian armed forces would become the first line of defense in the event of a ceasefire, then a multinational force from the coalition of the willing countries would be deployed further away from the frontline with the US providing a so-called backstop.

With assistance from Daryna Krasnolutska.

2026 Bloomberg L.P.
Delcy Rodriguez, the acting president of Venezuela, asked the US to work with her country, striking a more conciliatory tone toward the Trump administration after her initial outrage at the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on a cooperation agenda, aimed at shared development, within the framework of international law, and to strengthen lasting community coexistence, she said in a statement released late on Sunday.

Its a sharp turnaround from the remarks she made in the hours after US forces snatched Maduro on Saturday and launched a series of targeted strikes in the capital and nearby cities. Her initial statements denounced the actions and called for Maduros return.

After the operation, President Donald Trump said a team of US officials will run the country and that Rodriguez would work alongside them.

On Sunday, Trump told the Atlantic magazine that some rebuilding will be needed in Venezuela as he issued a warning to Rodriguez. If she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro, he said. However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would watch her actions more than her rhetoric.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump reiterated to reporters that the US needed total access to oil to rebuild the country. He also said Rodriguezs characterization of Maduros capture a kidnapping wasnt a bad term.

Rodriguez is a former oil minister and well versed in the challenges of operating state producer Petroleos de Venezuela SA and working with international firms. But Trumps vision to boost production from the country is a daunting and expensive task.

While Rodriguezs statement late Sunday could be a sign shes ready to cooperate with Trump, it may also raise the hackles of hard-liners within her government who for years have viewed the US as an imperialist threat  and who viewed Maduros capture as a violation of national sovereignty.

Rodriguez will face a test of her hold on power in the country on Monday, when a new group of lawmakers are sworn in at the National Assembly. There is confusion about whether a formal swearing-in ceremony is required for her, according to two lawmakers, who asked not to be identified to avoid repercussions.

For now, Maduros status is being treated by Venezuelan officials as a temporary forced absence, and hes still being called the president in state media. Maduro is due to appear in a New York courtroom on Monday.

2026 Bloomberg L.P.
On 5 January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Mamata Banerjee. The West Bengal CM officially turned 71 on her official birthday. Her fans are indeed celebrating today since it is her official birthday.

On her birthday, I convey my greetings to West Bengal CM Mamata Didi. Praying for her long and healthy life, PM Modi wrote on Twitter (now X) while tagging the West Bengal CM.

The post has gone viral, garnering 4 million views so far. Many social media users have commented on the post. But, Didi earlier said that she was not fond of the date at all.

She revealed it last year while attending a Students' Week event at Dhano Dhanye Stadium. It was a couple of days after her official birthday.

According to her, January 5 is the date mentioned on official records. She revealed that her recorded age might not be accurate.

"Many people celebrate and wish me on my birthday (Jan 5). But I believe I was born later, she said.

Banerjee said her father had asked a school headmaster to write any age during her admission, a common practice in earlier times when many children were born at home. Because of this, her actual age remained unknown while the certificate age was accepted.

Also Read | Bengal SIR: Mamata Banerjee threatens to gherao EC office in Delhi

Many people wish me a happy birthday on 5 January. But, I do not like that day at all. It's just what my parents put on the certificate, she said.

Didi revealed that she had learned about it during her college years. Her brother told her about it. She tried to correct the error later and even wrote about it in her book Ekante.

"So, the real age remains hidden, and the fake age on the certificate is what people assume to be true. I could share this story today because my brother is here. My age is five years off, the West Bengal CM said.

When I found out, I tried a lot to correct this. I even wrote about it in a book called Ekante'. Even my name is not to my liking, but it happened anyway."

Mamata Banerjees actual date of birth Mamata Banerjee, in her memoir Ekante' (1995), wrote that she was born on Durga Puja Mahashtami.

According to my mother, I was born during Sandhi Puja on Maha Ashtami of Durga Puja. It was raining continuously for three days before I was born. And, it stopped soon after I opened my eyes, she wrote.

So, heres our breakdown. She claims to be 5 years younger than her actual age. It means she was born in 1960, not 1955. That year, Durga Puja Mahashtami was held on 28 September.

View full Image Durga Puja Mahashtamii was on 28 September in 1960 ( Main image: Samir Jana/ Hindustan Times )

There you go. Mamata Banerjee shares her actual birthday with Bhagat Singh, Sheikh Hasina, Lata Mangeshkar and Ranbir Kapoor.

View full Image Mamata Banerjee standing on JP's car in 1975 ( Archive )

Critics, however, point out that Mamata Banerjee danced on Jayaprakash Narayan's car when the then Opposition leader visited Kolkata. JP visited Kolkata in 1975. They argue that Banerjee was much older than 15 at that time.
When Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez gave a speech condemning the U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro, she was accompanied by two men who can make or break the regimes future.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino command Venezuelas police and military, the forces that kept Maduro in power for more than a decade with deadly crackdowns on dissent.

Trump said Rodriguez is the de facto leader of Venezuela. She is someone who despite her anti-U.S. rhetoric has privately assured Washington that she will do its bidding with Maduro facing prison, Trump said on Saturday.

But Cabello and Padrino could very easily take action against her and sideline her immediately," said Brian Naranjo, a former senior U.S. diplomat who served in Venezuela.

Those are the two guys who control Venezuela right now," Naranjo said. These are the guys who command people with guns."

Cabello and Padrino are displaying unity with Rodriguez, but they represent a wild card for President Trumps bet that the remnants of the regime will fall in line to avoid Maduros fate. The country relies on the military as the only national institution that comes close to being functional, said Juan Cruz, a former National Security Council official in charge of the Western Hemisphere.

In Venezuelas storied history, the military has been responsible every single time for the elimination of democracy and the restoration of democracy," he said. They hold the ultimate vote."

For now, Cabello and Padrino appear to be playing ball after the large-scale strike that took out Maduros personal security apparatus and led to his capture, along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

Theyre humiliated by the paper tiger that is the Venezuelan military," Cruz said. They are still in power. The cupola is intact. But they dont sleep at night."

Cabello and Padrino have a lot to lose if the regime falls after more than a quarter-century in power, led first by the late Socialist firebrand Hugo Chavez, who ruled from 1999 to 2013, and then by Maduro.

Their role will largely determine whether Venezuela maintains a level of stability, or if it descends into chaos. The country is rife with armed groups including leftist Colombian guerrillas who criticized the capture of Maduro.

They will also determine whether the regime abides by U.S. demands, including giving access to Venezuelas oil wealth.

However, Cabello and Padrino may not have much of a choice after U.S. commandos were able to snatch Maduro and his wife. Trump has threatened a second, larger attack if the regime rebels.

Still, their continued hold on power is one reason people in Venezuela say they havent celebrated the downfall of Maduro, who was widely unpopular.

People are still terrified because they are still in charge," said Douglas Farah, a Washington-based international security consultant who closely covers Venezuela. Removing Nicolas Maduro does not create total chaos in the repressive structure."

Cabello and Padrino have been indicted in the U.S. on drug smuggling charges. The U.S. has offered a reward of $25 million for information leading to Cabellos arrest and/or conviction and $15 million for Padrino.

Along with Maduro, Cabello and Padrino are accused of being the leaders of a drug trafficking network of senior military officials called the Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, which the Trump administration has labeled a foreign-terrorist organization.

Cabello, the 63-year-old who has long been seen as Maduros enforcer, was one of the first senior officials to appear publicly after U.S. commandos arrested Maduro on Saturday. On Sunday, Padrino blamed the U.S. for killing soldiers, civilians, and a large part" of Maduros security team.

Weve learned how to survive," Cabello said from a street in Caracas, wearing a bulletproof vest and a helmet while surrounded by armed security forces in black uniforms.

Both men have military backgrounds, but took different paths to power.

Cabello has been a crucial link between the regimes civilians and the military. As a teenager, he was a member of a far-left group called the Bandera Roja, or Red Flag. Later, he became an early follower of Chavez. He was jailed after participating in Chavezs failed 1992 military coup.

After Chavez took power and was briefly ousted in 2002, Cabello rallied Venezuelan soldiers to help bring Chavez back to power.

View Full Image Venezuelas Interior minister Diosdado Cabello addresses a crowd in Caracas as Nicolas Maduro looks on during a rally in December.

Under Maduro, Cabello was largely seen as the second most powerful man in Venezuela. He is known for his rants against political rivals and the U.S. on his state television nighttime show, Hitting It With a Sledgehammer," where he holds a spiked club.

He oversees paramilitary units on motorbikes, a tool used by the regime to crush protests. Chilean prosecutors call him the mastermind behind the 2024 kidnapping and murder of an exiled Venezuelan military dissident living in that country. Cabello has denied involvement in the killing.

Padrino, a four-star general whose parents named him after Vladimir Lenin, became a follower of Chavez only after he took power in 1999 and began installing loyalists in the military and purging it of dissenters.

In his early years, Padrino was sent to the U.S. for infantry training at Fort Benning, Ga., which he said provided insight into American culture, what he called the monster in its entrails."

I learned the culture of vocation for expansionist, colonialist power of the United States," Padrino said in a 2021 interview with a former Venezuelan communications minister.

As the head of the military since 2014, Padrino kept soldiers in line for Maduro amid several attempts by the opposition to foment a coup.

While Cabello is a more hard-line nationalist, Padrino had closer ties with Cuba and Russia, said Martin Rodil, a Venezuelan who has helped U.S. officials build criminal cases against Maduro and other regime officials.

Hes more ideological," said Rodil. Russian intelligence has been supporting him in his job to control the Venezuelan armed forces, with technology, training and other activities."

Under Maduro, Padrinos power derived not just from his position with the military but also from his control over social programs and ports. Padrino also oversaw the military as it expanded its reach into illegal activities such as fuel smuggling, illegal gold mining and cocaine trafficking, which helped Maduro maintain power as the economy collapsed, according to U.S. officials.

By allowing them to more openly engage in illegal activities, he was kind of buying stability in the ranks, in allowing those ill-gotten earnings to lubricate the military," said Naranjo, the former U.S. diplomat.

Write to Ryan Dube at ryan.dube@wsj.com
Samir Abboud, chief of emergency radiology for Northwestern Medicine, thought he was already working at maximum speed. In a carefully honed routine, aided by voice dictation, he could finish writing an X-ray report in as little as 75 seconds.

Then the Chicago-based health system rolled out generative artificial intelligence in 2024 that can analyze patient scans and write reports. Abboud, who checks the AI work for potential changes, said reviews have sped up to about 45 seconds.

The result was breathtakingand startling. It was the first time I felt like there was a clock on my career," Abboud said.

Still, he said humans are a necessary part of the process. And reading scans faster came with benefits, too.

Youd feel guilty getting up to use the restroom," Abboud said. Theres hundreds of patients waiting for our read, and any one of them could be one thats actively dying."

Big hospital systems have become the proving ground for widespread AI adoption, testing what the technology can do, but also revealingsometimes via alarming mishapswhere it falls flat.

Among health systems, 27% are paying for commercial AI licenses, triple the rate across the U.S. economy, according to a recent survey by Menlo Ventures and Morning Consult.

While the aging populations healthcare needs rise, hospitals are looking for ways to deal with persistent worker shortages that can burn out clinicians and delay care. They are also looking for efficiency wherever they can find it while cuts to Medicaid loom.

AI has especially broken through in some of the least-flashy, but most labor-intensive, tasks hospitals deal with daily: taking notes, fielding patient phone calls and dealing with insurance claims.

These tasks are often labor-dependent, with the same rote process done thousands of times," said Rupal Malani, a senior partner at consulting firm McKinsey who advises health systems on AI implementation.

Doctors still make medical decisions, though AI can aid the process. A University of California, Los Angeles, study last year, for example, found that AI was better able to identify subtle signs of breast cancer that can develop and grow undetected between routine screenings. The study estimated using AI to help screen patients could reduce such breast cancers by 30%.

At the same time, there are reasons for caution.

Mayo Clinic cardiologist Paul A. Friedman turned to ChatGPT when he needed to weigh in on the case of a patient who needed a defibrillator implantation a few days after having heart surgery. Friedman thought such a procedure was feasible and safe, but wanted to know whether there were case studies. ChatGPT responded by giving him references to several reports published in medical journals that it said showed such a procedure was safe and effective." Friedman said it looked very realistic" until a colleague tried searching for the studies only to discover they were completely fabricated.

After that experience, Friedman said, he takes a trust but verify" approach. Its not that I dont ask ChatGPT medical questions but when I do, I always look for the references, click on them and read the abstracts at a minimum," he said. The hospitals cardiology department is testing out alternate in-house AI tools.

A spokesperson for OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, said that its teams run ongoing evaluations to reduce harmful or misleading responses," and that its latest models are much more able to provide accurate health information than previous versions such as the one Friedman would have used. ChatGPT wasnt intended to be a substitute for guidance from health professionals, the company added.

View Full Image Among health systems, 27% are paying for commercial AI licenses, triple the rate across the U.S. economy.

An October study in the Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology found that physicians who used AI for three months to aid them in spotting growths during colonoscopies were able to detect significantly fewer such growths once the tool was taken away.

Im constantly worried about myself with deskilling," said Anthony Cardillo, a pathologist based in New York City who directs a Memorial Sloan Kettering laboratory specializing in blood samples. Any time I outsource my thoughts to something that isnt my own brain, Im worried Im going to lose that muscle memory."

Cardillo said he and his colleagues use generative AI to review specimens, but that they do so only as a second pair of eyes after already coming up with their own diagnoses.

Despite such concerns, health systems say that they see tremendous promiseand necessity.

When you think about the tsunami of need thats coming as a society, technology is one of the only levers we have to pull," said Doug King, Northwestern Medicines chief digital and innovation officer.

At Northwestern, an AI review of a million scans taken over a year highlighted 70 that humans hadnt flagged for further review. A manual check then showed five instances where physicians deemed there was more follow-up needed. Northwestern is also using another AI tool to schedule operating-room time more efficiently, which means more patients can be treated, officials there say.

View Full Image AI has broken through in some of the most labor-intensive daily hospital tasks, such as dealing with insurance claims.

Hospitals were early AI users, long before massive data centers started sprouting across the U.S. landscape. Predictive algorithms have powered early-warning systems for sepsis, flagged high-risk patients and helped manage scheduling for years.

In Northern California, Kaiser Permanentes 21 hospitals use a system that analyzes all patients vitals and charts and scores them every hour to determine which patients are at highest risk. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found the system saves more than 500 lives a year.

On a recent day, the system determined a heart-failure patient required more scrutiny, leading physicians to learn he was also suffering from a severe respiratory virus and needed steroids for his lungs, said Vincent Liu, a pulmonary critical-care physician at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center.

A continuing trial at Jefferson Health, a Philadelphia-based health system, is evaluating whether large-language AI models, such as ChatGPT, can provide breast-cancer patients with tailored nutrition advice. Factors include patients cancer stage, their other health issues, budgets and access to nearby stores.

In Augusta, Ga., family medicine doctor Dean Seehusen said he uses generative AI to check the latest standard of care for various conditions, particularly if it is something he doesnt usually encounter. The tool he uses only draws from vetted medical sources, so he said he feels comfortable trusting it, and only checks its references about 25% of the time.

Still, he has reservations about AIs overall effects on medicine. My biggest fear is that it further degrades mainstream confidence in medicine, and actually leads to a kind of Wild West for patients," he said. He added that he sees more patients who have come up with self-diagnoses after using AI, including inaccurate ones.

Hospitals are aggressively adopting AI for tasks that are less flashy but take up a significant amount of time and resources. Electronic medical-record provider Epic Systems in 2024 launched a tool that uses generative AI to mine patient records and draft appeal letters to insurance companies. About 1,000 hospitals are already using the system, the company said.

Northwestern routinely has to appeal roughly 5-10% of the millions of claims it processes every year, said David Blahnik, vice president of information technology there.

Youre spending so much staff overhead and work trying to fight them and appeal to them and justify why we should get paid," he said. But, after adopting Epics tool, staffers now spend about 23% less time processing each denied claim, Blahnik said.

View Full Image AI is helping New Yorks Mount Sinai overturn insurance denials.

A similar effort at New Yorks Mount Sinai has led to a 3% increase in insurance denials getting overturned, helping net the health system an added $12 million a year, said Lisa Stump, the chief digital information officer there.

Mount Sinai recently paused use of an Epic generative AI tool, which aimed to analyze messages patients sent to doctors and create personalized draft responses. After trying it for a few weeks, doctors said the drafts werent helpful and required too much rewriting.

There were some very specific mishaps, according to Ankit Sakhuja, director of Mount Sinais AI assurance lab. In one case, the system told a patient who asked for a walker or cane that it couldnt help. In another, a patient reporting a headache was given a verbose response that said the patient could have anything from something minor to a brain tumor.

Epic said a small minority of hospitals have also paused use of the feature, and that it is working to make improvements. The tool has helped nurses save as much as 30 seconds per exchange with patients through the system, Epic said, and has rolled out to roughly 1,700 hospitals. Still, the company said it requires human oversight.

Clinicians have full control of the message that goes to the patient," said Seth Hain, Epics senior vice president of research and development.

Cheryl Wilkes, an internal-medicine doctor with Northwestern Medicine, said she has spent years typing away during patient visits, occasionally turning to ask a question.

View Full Image Cheryl Wilkes of Northwestern Medicine uses AI to summarize her patients visits, making any required edits.

She started using AI in 2024 to transcribe and summarize her patients visits. Instead of spending two to three hours a day after work on electronic records, she now spends just half an hour checking the AI tools work and making any necessary edits.

Nurse practitioner Jeremy Lapham, who works at an outpatient clinic in Ann Arbor, Mich., said he has tried using AI to transcribe some of his visits, but that it has required too much time editing its output. He occasionally checks AI-powered databases for clinical information, but he said he is careful to click on references, even if they are to medical journals, to make sure they werent retracted.

He spends a lot of time thinking about what treatments can work for patients given other life constraints, such as housing or mental-health challengescriteria, he said, that AI wouldnt necessarily know how to factor in. Im still skeptical," he said.

Write to Te-Ping Chen at Te-ping.Chen@wsj.com and Chao Deng at chao.deng@wsj.com
It is with much sadness and regret that we record the death of Mrs Marie Keogh of Rathbracken, Granard and formerly Ballinulty, Dring, Co Longford which occurred peacefully, in the care of the Palliative Nursing Staff at the Midlands Regional Hospital, Mullingar, surrounded by her family, on Saturday, December 20, 2025.

The late Marie was beloved wife of JP and dear mother of Fergal, Mark and Aoife and she was predeceased by her parents Ned and May Reilly of Ballinulty and her sister in law Patricia Reilly.

A past pupil of Purth school, Marie attended Cnoc Mhuire secondary school where she completed her Leaving Cert after which she worked in the Civil Service in Dublin before returning home when she and JP got married and they set out to rear their family of three children in their home in Rathbracken.

Also read: Wedding bells ring for Longford and Meath All-Ireland medal winners in lovely festive ceremony

Marie, who was greatly loved and admired in the locality for her quiet and gentle nature and for her helpfulness, worked for a number of years in the Credit Union in Granard and it was here she became so well known as she was so kind and courteous to everyone and really put everyone at ease no matter what the business was.

Following her retirement, Marie was a great support to her ageing mother and helped the Reilly family care for her until her death in 2021.

Marie was a lady of great faith and this was a great comfort to her and the family in her illness. It was always a joy to meet Marie as she loved to have a chat and to talk about her grandchildren who she was so proud of.

Marie's remains reposed in Bethany House in Granard on Monday evening, December 22 and large crowds came to pay their respects to a much loved wife, mother, grandmother and sister who will be sorely missed and St Mary's church in Granard was packed for her Requiem Mass on Tuesday celebrated by Fr Simon Cadam PP, assisted by Fr Seamus McKeon and Fr Peter Beglan after which she was laid to rest in Granardkille New Cemetery.

Also read: RIP: Deep sadness in north Longford following death of kind and caring Maria Crehan

As Marie went on her final journey to the cemetery the hearse was flanked by a Guard of honour from the Ballymore club for who her son Mark played and her family are very loyal supporters.

We offer sincere sympathy to her husband JP, her daughter Aoife, sons Fergal and Mark, daughters in law Helena and Leah, grandchildren Senan, Eadaoin, Sadie, Michael and Hallie, brothers Jim, Pat, Liam and Eamon, her sister Brenda (Haywood), brothers Jim, Pat, Liam and Eamon, sisters in law, brother in law, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends. May she rest in peace.
Fresh weather warnings are now in force across much of Ireland as Met Eireann warns of treacherous travel conditions due to bitter cold, frost, black ice and wintry showers.

Two alerts that had been in place since Sunday expire at 11am this morning, but they have been replaced by new Status Yellow warnings running right through to 9am on Tuesday.

A low temperature and ice warning now covers Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Munster, Galway and Roscommon, with Met Eireann warning that temperatures will fall to between -1 and -3 degrees, bringing sharp frost and icy stretches and black ice.

Meanwhile, Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo are under a Status Yellow snow and ice warning, where wintry showers with sleet and some snow accumulations are expected, along with sharp frost and ice, creating hazardous travel conditions and poor visibility.

READ MORE | Man (60s) killed in early hours assault at Donegal home as gardai arrest man (30s)



According to Met Eireann, today (Monday) began very cold, with frost and icy stretches on untreated surfaces slow to clear, as well as patches of freezing fog and some lying snow. While many areas will stay dry and sunny, wintry showers will continue to affect the north and northwest, with temperatures struggling to rise above 1 to 6 degrees.

The danger will return quickly tonight, with Met Eireann warning that widespread frost and icy stretches will form early on along with patches of mist and fog. Temperatures will drop as low as -3 degrees, before cloud builds from the west and outbreaks of rain or sleet reach Atlantic coastal areas by morning.

It will remain icy for many early on Tuesday, particularly in the east, before rain and drizzle spread eastwards from the west through the morning and early afternoon. Met Eireann says it will then turn brighter with sunny spells and scattered showers, but temperatures will still be low, with highs of just 3 to 8 degrees.

READ MORE | New RTE documentary series set to bring viewers inside one of Ireland's busiest hospitals



Looking further ahead, Met Eireann says low pressure dominates bringing unsettled conditions with spells of rain spreading from the Atlantic.

On Wednesday, patchy rain and drizzle will spread across the country from the west, possibly turning to sleet over higher ground. It will remain cold in the east and northeast with highs of just 3 to 5 degrees, while the west and south will be milder at 5 to 9 degrees.

After rain clears on Wednesday night, Thursday is expected to see rain spread over the southern half of the country with scattered showers further north.

By Friday, Met Eireann says there will be a mix of sunny spells and showers, mainly affecting Atlantic coastal counties, with temperatures remaining low at 3 to 7 degrees.


Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was an important external backer of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, providing diplomatic cover, economic engagement, and access to international markets for Caracas. This close relationship was underscored by US Senator Lindsay Grahams comment to reporters on Air Force One, hours after Maduros capture, that Maduro could have been in Turkey. Graham was referencing a potential deal in which the deposed Venezuelan leader may have taken up residence there in return for voluntarily relinquishing power.

Erdogan has long cultivated relations with authoritarian leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Ali Khameneiall of whom also supported Maduros regime. Since 2016, Ankara has steadily expanded its footprint in Venezuela, transforming once-limited ties into a strategic partnership. Bilateral trade surged from under $200 million in 2017 to more than $1.1 billion in 2018, and Turkish officials set a goal of reaching $5 billion annually.

Maduros relationship with Erdogan intensified after the failed 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, when the Venezuelan leader was among the first to back Erdogan. In return, Ankara became a vocal opponent of international recognition of Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaido in 2019, with Erdogan publicly urging Maduro to resist US and Western pressure. However, following Maduros capture by US forces on January 3, Erdogan has notably refrained from criticizing Washington.

Beyond rhetoric, Turkish engagement with Venezuela has focused on Venezuelas energy and mining sectorsareas heavily constrained by US sanctions. In 2024, Turkish and Venezuelan officials discussed Turkish participation in oil and gas projects and agreed on a roadmap for a Turkish-funded fertilizer plant tied to Venezuelas state petrochemical company, Pequiven, which is under US sanctions. Such initiatives undermined international efforts to restrict Maduros access to revenue.

Gold mining is central to the Turkey-Venezuela relationship. Since at least 2018, Turkish entities have partnered with Caracas in state-run mining ventures in southern Venezuelas Orinoco Mining Arc, a region plagued by illegal mining, environmental devastation, and severe human rights abuses. That same year, Turkey imported nearly $900 million in Venezuelan gold, helping Caracas convert illicitly mined bullion into hard currency while bypassing sanctions.

The gold trade has been closely linked to Venezuelan corruption networks. Businessman Alex Saab, later arrested and charged by US authorities, used Turkish companies to sell Venezuelan gold and purchase overpriced food imports for the regimes food subsidy program, known as CLAP, enriching elites amid widespread malnutrition.

Turkey has also become a key transit hub for Latin American cocaine linked to Venezuela. Turkish authorities reported sharp increases in cocaine seizures after 2020, particularly through the port of Mersin. In 2021, exiled crime figure Sedat Peker alleged that politically connected individualsincluding former Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirims sonfacilitated cocaine trafficking between Venezuela and Turkey. These claims were denied by those implicated but never fully resolved.

Turkeys role as an economic and logistical lifeline may draw increased scrutiny by the United States government following Maduros capture.

Sinan Ciddi is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where he contributes to its Turkey Program and Center on Economic and Financial Power. You can follow Sinan on X @sinanciddi.
China supports UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting over U.S. operation against Venezuela: FM

Xinhua) 16:31, January 05, 2026

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- China supports the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the U.S. military action against Venezuela, and backs the Security Council in fulfilling its due role in accordance with its own responsibilities, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a news briefing here on Monday.

Lin noted that China is ready to work with the international community to firmly uphold the UN Charter, defend the bottom line of international morality, and safeguard international fairness and justice.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday on the U.S. operation against Venezuela, the council presidency told Xinhua on Saturday.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us

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Moments after she took the oath of office to officially begin her second term, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu promised residents that she would continue working to improve the city  and fight against forces from the federal government that have sought to slow her down.

Wu and the 13 members of the City Council were sworn in at an inauguration ceremony at Symphony Hall on Monday morning.

Only one of the slate of elected officials, District 7 Councilor Miniard Culpepper, was actually new to the job, after being elected in November.

In her inaugural speech, Wu vowed to stand against President Donald Trump, where she frequently made headlines last year over Bostons immigration policies.

Though she did not mention the president by name, she said his federal administration has plundered our economy, ravaged our reputation, torched our institutions and destroyed the lives of our people.

But when in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for a city to stand as the beacon for freedom and proof of whats possible, a testament to the endurance of American ingenuity and civic success, Boston will be that beacon, she said, referencing the opening line of the Declaration of Independence.

Wu emphasized wins from her first four years in office, such as bringing gun violence down to the lowest levels on record, making about 4,200 affordable homes available with more currently in production, expanding the citys pre-K program to 5,000 families and making three MBTA bus routes free.

But she said she intended to prioritize additional quality-of-life improvements for residents in her second term, such as streamlining all city permitting processes.

She announced that she would begin holding regular Mayors Office Hours in neighborhoods around Boston, so residents can bring any issues directly to her cabinet and the Office of Neighborhood Services.

In previous years, Wu held monthly Neighborhood Coffee Hours where residents could speak to her and her team.

The mayor also shared her intention to make Boston Public Schools one of the best in the country. The district recently announced plans to close three schools in 2027 as it seeks to consolidate its aging facilities amidst declining enrollment.

During Wus first term, much of her focus for BPS was on creating a rigorous, high-quality curriculum across schools.

But over the next four years, she said the district will revisit school assignment to be simpler and more predictable in addition to making improvements to school facilities.

As examples, she offered the recently announced selection by the Massachusetts School Building Authority of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School for a full reconstruction and the redevelopment of White Stadium, expected to open next year.

We refuse to accept that accessing high-quality education means criss-crossing our children all over the city rather than ensuring that in every corner of Boston, the best school is just down the block, she said.

Speaking to reporters after the event, Wu said the work BPS had done over the last four years was a foundation that would allow the district to address longstanding issues such as transportation and infrastructure.

Many of these long-term plans that were put in place three years ago, four years ago, are now at the point in time where ... we will be able to really see the results, she said.

One area Wu did not dwell on during the event, beyond praising the citys history of innovation, was business. The mayor has been criticized by business groups, especially those in the real estate and development industries, for not doing enough to support them in a time of economic uncertainty.

In particular, her proposal to increase commercial property taxes as a way to lessen the burden on homeowners has drawn ire as commercial properties have fallen since the pandemic.

After the event, Wu said the best ways to address falling property values was by recruiting more businesses in Boston, pointing out that several large companies have moved to or increased their presence in the city in recent years, and by encouraging more workers to be in-person by creating retail opportunities and other programming downtown.

For office buildings that remain vacant, she said Bostons Office to Residential Conversion program has been a success since its inception in 2023, with more than 1,000 new homes either on the way or already open.

Ultimately, every vacant space in a downtown building or in an office in one of our commercial areas needs to be converted to an active use, she said. We are now in a moment where people have complete flexibility over where to live relative to where they work. Boston is going to be the best place for families and, therefore, the place that everybody wants to come live and contribute their talents to.
A Boston Police officer had his certification to work in law enforcement in Massachusetts suspended after he was arraigned on a pair of criminal charges in connection with an assault on a woman he had been dating, according to records and a published report.

Ricardo Alexandre is charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and a misdemeanor count of assault and battery on a family/household member in connection with an incident in Norwood on Dec. 28, court records show.

The police department placed him on administrative leave with pay, Sgt. Det. John Boyle, the departments chief spokesman, confirmed.

Alexandres law enforcement certification was suspended by the Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, Commission on New Years Eve. All law enforcement officers charged with a felony in Massachusetts have their certifications automatically suspended.

Alexandre was released on personal recognizance following an arraignment in Dedham District Court last week, records show.

A woman Alexandre was dating accused him of strangling her while the pair were having sex on Dec. 28, The Boston Globe reported. The woman did not report the incident until two days later because he apologized for hurting her and she wanted him out of her life, the paper reported.

But she eventually came forward after becoming concerned about Alexandres well-being, the Globe reported.

Peter Pasciucco, a lawyer representing Alexandre, said he denies the allegation.

We will let the process play out and are confident the matter will be resolved in his favor, Pasciucco told MassLive in an email.
A man was shot and killed early Monday morning in Mattapan, Boston Police said.

Police went to 24 Stow Road in Mattapan around 12:12 a.m. Monday for a report of a person shot, the department said in a statement. There, officers found a man with multiple gunshot wounds inside a parked car.

Boston Emergency Medical Services responded and took the man to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The departments homicide unit is actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 617-343-4470.
A slot machine jackpot worth more than $2 million won in New England made history last year.

While playing on a Spanish 21 table in Mohegan Suns Casino of the Earth, an unnamed casino player made an optional $5 Bonus Spin Xtreme side bet. The bet ended in Triple Diamonds, which landed them the $2,018,742.30 jackpot.

Not only is this the biggest jackpot win at Mohegan Sun in 2025, but it also ranks among the top five largest table game payouts ever at Mohegan Sun, a press release from the Uncasville, Connecticut casino stated.

Overall, there are about 4,000 slot machines and more than 300 table games at Mohegan Sun.

Other 2025 big wins at Mohegan Sun include a jackpot prize worth $940,658 from a Spanish 21 table on Dec. 4 and a $669,412 jackpot prize from a Blackjack game in September.

Players must be 21 years or older.

If youre looking to play online casino games, while Massachusetts doesnt currently have any legal online casinos right now, you can still sign up for sweepstakes casinos like LuckyStake and play to redeem for cash prizes.

USA Today named Mohegan Sun the best place in the country to play slots in 2025.

Experts narrowed down the list from over 1,000 casinos across the country to the top 20. In the list, Mohegan Sun was included.

Then the public had a chance to vote on their favorite.

These 20 casinos, nominated by a panel of experts, stand out for their exceptional slot offerings. From classic reels and video slots to cutting-edge machines with progressive jackpots, these casinos expansive selections are sure to keep the excitement going. High payout rates, enticing bonuses like free spins, and vibrant, comfortable slots floors make each of these casinos a must-visit for anyone who loves to play, USA Today wrote.

Mohegan Sun also placed second for best casino hotel and second for best casino outside Las Vegas.

For those who need help with responsible gaming, call the helpline at 1-800-327-5050 or go to GameSenseMA.com.
A hip-hop fan from Massachusetts walked out of the store with more than just groceries during her first shopping trip of 2026  she also crossed an encounter with rapper Cardi B off her list.

Lanasia Bentley knew something was off when she saw a massive Cadillac truck with New York plates parked outside of her local Star Market.

Im like, Whos parked in front of the grocery store thinking they own the place?, Bentley recalled in a TikTok.

The Stoughton native, who went to the store after wrapping up brunch with her friends at nearby Legacy Place in Dedham, proceeded to shop. After not even thinking that she would run into someone famous, Bentley spotted Cardi B while reaching for an onion in the produce section.

I was like, Oh my gosh Cardi, how are you?, she recalled.

She was not in the mood, Bentley continued, adding that the Grammy Award winner said she was just doing fine.

Bentley proceeded to apologize but asked for a picture, and Cardi B responded, Come on, girl.

The two then snapped a selfie before Bentley told the rapper to enjoy her time in the area.

It was so crazy, Bentley recalled in the TikTok.

There was nobody in the grocery store. It was maybe 2 oclock in the afternoon, she added. It was just really cool.

Though the rapper seemed preoccupied, Bentley maintained that Cardi B was still extremely friendly.

She definitely is very sweet and nice even though she was not in the mood. She still smiled and took a picture with me, Bentley said in the TikTok. It was a very nice celebrity experience, and I love her.

Cardi B is in a relationship with New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who is facing strangulation charges stemming from an alleged altercation with his personal chef in December.

The couple, who had their first child together in November 2025, reportedly purchased a mansion in Easton in December 2025. Real estate agent Chelsea McLaughlin, owner of RE/MAX Legacy, posted a tour of the home on Facebook last month.

Deric Lipski of Keller Williams Realty said in a separate Facebook post that the abode reportedly sold for $2.5 million. The 4,800-square-foot luxury home features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a three-car garage and indoor pool, according to Lipski.
Ethan Hawke has made his feelings clear about the latest military raid carried out by President Donald Trump.

The Oscar-nominated actor commented on the recent U.S. attack on Venezuela during a red carpet interview with Variety at the 37th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film on Saturday, Jan. 3.

Im a little in shock. I was already upset about the Kennedy Center honor, Hawke, 55, said while referring to Trumps name being added to the facility.

Ive done enough Shakespeare plays to know power corrupts. Its a common theme of mankind. Nothing thats happening to us as Americans and civilians isnt anything that hasnt happened to humanity, he said.

Hawke, who has historically criticized Trump, went on to say that historys littered with despots and selfish people and greedy people and they make the rules for the kind people.

Hawkes comments come after the Trump administration completed a large-scale U.S. military attack on Venezuela on Jan. 3. The operation involved multiple air strikes and a ground raid to capture longtime President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

Maduro was flown to New York where he is set to make his first court appearance Monday afternoon. He is facing narco-terrorism charges that the Trump administration used to justify his capture.

Maduros lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of a foreign state. But the U.S. government doesnt recognize him as Venezuelas legitimate leader.

Maduro, along with his wife, son and three others, is accused of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. They could face life in prison if convicted.
Police found a couple shot dead in a Lawrence apartment Saturday night in what appears to have been a murder-suicide, the Essex County District Attorneys Office announced Sunday evening.

Lawrence police responded to an apartment building at 582 Essex St. for a well-being check shortly after 9 p.m., the district attorneys office said. At the scene, officers discovered a 32-year-old man and 30-year-old woman dead from gunshot wounds.

The preliminary investigation suggests the man and woman were in a long-term relationship, the district attorneys office said. Authorities are withholding their identities until their next of kin have been notified of their deaths.

The district attorneys office, Lawrence police detectives and the Massachusetts Chief Medical Examiners Office are investigating the deaths. No further information about the incident has been released.

The district attorneys office advises anyone facing domestic violence to call SafeLink, the states toll-free domestic violence hotline, at 1-877-785-2020.
An actor who performed on Broadway shows such as Wicked and The Little Mermaid has died. He was 46 years old.

Bret Hanna-Shuford died on Jan. 3 after being diagnosed in 2025 with a rare form of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), according to Playbill.

It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that early this morning we said goodbye to the most amazing man, husband and Papa in the universe, Hanna-Shufords husband, Steven R. Hanna, wrote on Sunday in an Instagram post. Bret Hanna-Shuford left this world peacefully with love surrounded by his family. Our hearts are broken but we will continue to make him proud of us "

PTCL causes the persons body to attack itself instead of a foreign invader like a virus, according to Cleveland Clinic. The condition is either acquired or genetic and theres no way to prevent it. Treatment is available and can be effective with an early diagnosis.

After Hanna-Shufords diagnosis last summer, a GoFundMe was launched by his friend, Scott Barnhardt, to help his family pay for medical expenses, after it took many weeks of uncertainty, misdiagnoses, and countless medical visits" to determine the actors condition.

Barnhardt stated that Hanna-Shufords family had just moved to Orlando, Florida and he was studying in a graduate program at the University of Central Florida, when the unexpected battle for health and stability arose.

This is devastating beyond words, Lindsay Mendez, from Merrily We Roll Along, wrote on his husbands post. Sending prayers, love and light, & holding you and yours close in our hearts.

Death Becomes Her star Jennifer Simard also commented, saying, I hope our collective consciousness is a small comfort to you at this time. Loving you.

During Hanna-Shufords musical theatre career in the early 2000s, he performed on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast, Wicked, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Little Mermaid and more, Playbill wrote.

His childrens book, Good Night, Break a Leg, will be published posthumously this summer.
An actor best known for his role in Greys Anatomy has opened up about a rare genetic disorder hes been keeping hidden for years.

Steven W. Bailey, best known for his role as bartender Joe on Greys Anatomy revealed in an X thread on Jan. 2, that he has a disorder known as Congenital Myasthenia Syndrome, which has been shaping my life and my work.

Ive spent years being cautious, private, and quiet about something that has been shaping my life and my work, Bailey said. That time is over.

Congenital Myasthenia Syndrome is a rare and incurable hereditary condition caused by a gene change that results in muscle weakness, according to Mayo Clinic. Any muscles used for movement can be affected, including muscles that control speaking, chewing and swallowing, seeing and blinking, breaking and walking.

On X, Bailey said the condition has caused his hands, arms and legs tire quicker than they should, and he has difficulty walking. The actor shared that he is now using a powered wheelchair more and more to get around as the disease progresses.

Professionally, this is changing me as an actor, Bailey said. Much like walking my dog around the block, or helping at the store, I can still perform on my feet, limitedly. I can ambulate my way through simple walks and talks with no problem. I can still rise to my feet to object to the judge, derail a town meeting, or yell at a cop for being a loose cannon. But, practically speaking, moving forward, its time for my work, like in my life, to start skewing more wheelchair, if you will. Passed that time, really.

Bailey emphasized that he is still hopeful that there is room for me in this industry that I love. I look forward to performing as characters who live their lives with a chair, creating a more representative world in film and television.

Aside from Greys Anatomy, Bailey also has roles on other popular shows including Chicago Fire, You, Modern Family, Bones, NCIS and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, according to IMDb.

Baileys announcement comes after fellow Greys Anatomy actor Eric Dane shared last year that he is battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Since his diagnosis, Dane has been spreading awareness about the disease while openly sharing his personal medical journey with the public.

Its imperative that I share my journey with as many people as I can... Dane said during an event hosted by the nonprofit I Am ALS in December. ...because I dont feel like my life is about me anymore.
Karen Reads lawyers promised she would go on offense as she defends herself against a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John OKeefe.

That strategy will be evident during a hearing Tuesday morning on several motions to compel information filed by Reads team in recent months.

The hearing is expected to address requests from Reads defense for Judge Mark Gildea to force several parties to produce information. Those parties are: former Massachusetts State Police trooper Michael Proctor, who led the criminal investigation into Read, the Norfolk County District Attorneys office, which unsuccessfully prosecuted Read for OKeefes death and suspended Canton Police Sgt. Sean Goode.

The hearing was also set to address a motion from the OKeefe family seeking more information from Read in response to a formal questionnaire they sent her about her third-party claims. But both sides indicated in a new filing that they were working toward an agreement on that issue and asked to delay that component of the hearing.

OKeefes family has accused Read of running him over with her SUV after a night of drinking in January 2022  the same claim made by prosecutors during Reads two criminal trials. They sued Read and the two Canton bars the couple drank at following the conclusion of Reads first criminal trial. The suit was essentially paused until Reads second trial ended with her acquittal in June.

Read is pursuing the same claim she made during the criminal case in the civil suit  that someone other than her is responsible for OKeefes death and investigators conspired to frame her for his killing.

In court filings in the lawsuit, Reads defense team has said it served Proctor, who was fired for his conduct in the investigation into Read, with two subpoenas seeking specific sets of documents. But they claim Proctor failed to respond to either subpoena within the agreed-upon timeframe to produce what they sought.

The documents are critical to Reads defense because, her lawyers say, they could prove her claims that Proctor deliberately ignored, manipulated and falsified evidence to direct the investigation away from other potential suspects and towards Read.

Neither Proctor nor lawyers hired to represent him have opposed the motion to compel in court filings.

Reads team has also sought information regarding Proctor from the district attorneys office. Last fall, Proctor was forced to turn over his personal phone for review of information that could be relevant to other pending criminal cases. A defense attorney in an unrelated case who reviewed some of the information has said it showed absolute bias on his part. Reads lawyers want to review that new information.

But the district attorneys office has argued the request is facially overbroad and unduly burdensome.

The defendants request for unfettered access to the entirety of this data would result in the production of privileged and non-relevant material, far exceeding the bounds of relevance surrounding the liability for Mr. OKeefes death, wrote Assistant Norfolk District Attorney Laura McLaughlin, who was on the team of lawyers that twice prosecuted Read.

But Reads defense shot back in their own memo that it is very likely, based on the select messages to and from Proctor she [Read] received in the past, that this cellphone extraction relates, at least in part, to Read.

The district attorneys office asks for Reads motion to be denied given that she has also issued a subpoena to Proctor, whose phone is at the center of the dispute. They suggest that she could obtain the records she wants from him, rather than forcing the district attorney to turn them over, since the district attorney is already reviewing the material for information in criminal cases.

Prosecutors are turning over other documents from the prosecution of Read to both sides in the case, with a joint motion to keep some of those documents under a protective order filed late last month.

As for Goode, Reads team served him a subpoena in November, which he has yet to reply to. Goode was placed on administrative leave by Canton Police that same month, apparently due to information found on Proctors phone, according to court papers and town officials. Reads defense is seeking documents from him about his role in the Read investigation and the internal investigation into his conduct.

In addition to the affirmative defense she is pursuing in the wrongful death lawsuit, Read has sued Proctor and other investigators, as well as several civilian witnesses who testified against her, claiming violations of her civil rights. The witnesses have moved the case to federal court, though it could still be sent back to state court by a federal judge.

Thus far, Read has not asked to move the civil rights case back to the state court, but her team has indicated a desire to combine the two pending lawsuits.

A key deadline is approaching in the civil rights case: many of the defendants must file their answer to Reads lengthy complaint by Jan. 16.
In the wake of a U.S. military strike on Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, travelers across the Caribbean and beyond are feeling the impacts.

Hundreds of canceled flights and shaken holiday plans have left many wondering how rising international tensions might impact their travel.

Heres what you need to know about travel disruptions, airspace restrictions and where to confirm official updates.

Airspace closures spark widespread flight cancellations

Following the strike, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued emergency flight restrictions on Jan. 3 over parts of the Caribbean and nearby airspace, citing safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity, Airways Mag reported.

The restrictions led to hundreds of canceled flights across major U.S. carriers including American, Delta, United, Frontier, Spirit and JetBlue.

Popular destinations such as Puerto Rico, Aruba and the British Virgin Islands were among nearly two dozen locations included in the restrictions., AP News reported.

The FAA lifted airspace restrictions Sunday, Jan. 4, allowing airlines to resume normal operations.

However, normal operations does not mean without lingering effects.

Though restrictions have lifted, recovery may take several days while carriers play catchup.

According to AP News, some airlines and cruise lines have quickly pivoted to add more services and accommodations after the disruptions.

Southwest Airlines, for example, added six extra round-trip flights to Puerto Rico and eight more to help passengers return home from their vacations, as well as two additional flights to Aruba.

Cruise operator Virgin Voyages said travelers unable to make it to San Juan in time for an upcoming cruise as a result of the restrictions would be able to get a full credit for a future trip.

Flight tracking site FlightAware reported widespread disruptions on Saturday with 40 flights canceled at Bostons Logan International Airport.

Caribbean travel was particularly affected: 16 flights to and from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and 14 to and from Aruba were grounded, along with cancellations at airports in the U.S.

Bradley International Airport in Connecticut also saw eight cancellations to San Juan.
A man is in custody after damaging property at Vice President JD Vances Cincinnati, Ohio, home Monday morning.

U.S. Secret Service told Fox News that they detained the man shortly after midnight. The individual is accused of causing property damage, including breaking windows on the exterior of a personal residence.

The vice president and his family were not in Ohio at the time, the media outlet wrote. They were all back in Washington D.C. when the incident happened.

A federal law enforcement source told CNN that authorities are investigating whether Vance or his family were targeted. The source added they dont believe the person went inside the vice presidents home.

Vance was in Cincinnati as recently as this past weekend, Fox News said. A spokesperson told the media outlet that Vance returned to the city after U.S. special operation forces seized President Nicholas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

The spokesperson added that Vance joined Trump administration officials on a secured video conference to monitor the operation throughout the night.
SPRINGFIELD  Two men charged with the November killing of 27-year-old Shain West are being held without the right to bail, the Hampden District Attorneys Office announced on Monday.

Joey Sanchez and Daevon Shular are facing charges including murder, carrying a firearm without a license and threatening to commit a crime, which the DAs Office said was robbery. Both have pleaded not guilty.

On Nov. 30, police found West shot in a Liberty Heights apartment building on Home Street. He died at Baystate Medical Center.

Police arrested Shular, a 21-year-old man from Texas, the next day at Baystate, where he was being treated for a gunshot wound. He has a pretrial hearing on Tuesday, according to the DAs Office. In mid-December, police arrested Sanchez, a 27-year-old Chicopee resident. His pretrial hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6.

Wests killing was the third in a week in Springfield. The Springfield Police Department Homicide Unit and the Murder Unit at the Hampden District Attorneys Office continue to investigate the case.
Local foreign affairs experts agree Saturdays capture of Venezuelas president had little to do with a crackdown on illegal drug trafficking, and instead it was a show of power over trade.

The news that U.S. special operations forces seized President Nicholas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores and brought them to New York to face drug charges is leaving foreign policy experts to question the real reason for the stunning use of military force and what happens next to the government of the South American country.

In Western Massachusetts, meanwhile, a variety of activist groups joined together to organize emergency protests on Saturday and Sunday in Northampton and Greenfield. On Saturday, an estimated 100 people stood out to decry Trumps actions against Venezuela, said Sasha Morsmith chairman of River Valley Democrat chair of River Valley Democratic Socialists of America.

Maduro and his wife need to be returned to Venezuela and the United States needs to cease its illegal bombing campaign in the Caribbean, Morsmith said. Those oil resources are for the Venezuelan people to decide to do with them.

Multiple elected officials including U.S. Reps. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, and James McGovern, D-Worcester, also condemned the operation, which was done without congressional approval.

A move aimed to intimidate

The Trump administration was escalating its military presence in the Caribbean and sinking Venezuelan boats, but the kidnapping was a surprise move, said John Feffer, of Amherst, director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.

Feffer argued if the action was designed to stop drug trafficking, then Trump wouldnt have pardoned ex-Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez on his conviction to conspire with drug traffickers. Furthermore, fentanyl, one of the biggest killers of opioid users, is not coming from Venezuela.

Maduro was weak in his own country, an easy target. It was not drugs, not oil, he said.

Instead, Feffer cited a Chinese proverb: Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, a move intended to intimidate other leaders.

From a realpolitik view that is what dictators want to do. This is our region and you should not think of expanding into our region, Feffer said. There are more powerful actors in the region that are going to take note in this, Brazil, Mexico, Columbia.

He also questioned if it was about capturing control of Venezuelas huge oil resources since Maduro was willing to sign a peace agreement that would provide the United States with oil at favorable prices.

Instead, Feffer said he sees it as a part of a complex move to access minerals valuable to manufacturing and to control trade, including slowing Chinas growing push into Mexico, Canada  an issue past President Joe Biden was also concerned about.

Venezuela is not exactly a pawn of China, but China is one of its few trade partners, and it is heavily in debt to China, he said.

Oil reserves the largest in the world

Alejandro Velasco, associate professor of history at New York University who previously taught at Hampshire College in Amherst, agreed narcoterrorism has little to do with the operation.

Not in the way the Trump administration has suggested, he said. If it was, we should see a tremendous drop in fentanyl use. There is no documented proof Venezuela is a distributor or manufacturer of the drugs.

He does believe the four-month buildup in the Caribbean was not getting the results and attention Trump wanted, so it boxed him in and forced him into the massive operation.

But Velasco, who has written several books about the country and has relatives living in Venezuela, does believe part of the capture of Maduro is about getting more control of the countrys oil.

The primary one at least for Trump, just President Trump, is securing access to oil reserves which are the vastest in the world, he said. Others in his administration are after different things, but they are not calling the shots.

Valesco predicted Secretary of State Marco Rubio wants to see a similar action and regime change in Cuba while other cabinet members want to simply to flex Americas military muscle. Stephen Miller, homeland security advisor, wants to return more Venezuelan immigrants who say they are in danger in their own home.

While Trump has said the United States will run the country, a statement Rubio seemingly walked back on Sunday, Valesco and Feffer said they do not see huge changes in the regime so far.

Hours after Maduro was captured, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim president and the rest of the leadership remains in place.

Feffer said his guess is the issue will drop out of the news cycle, the government will simply remain in place, and the successors will negotiate some type of economic deal that will satisfy Trump.

Unlike the invasion in Iraq that resulted in a prolonged war, no infrastructure was destroyed and the opposition, for now, is not fighting to get into power, he said.

They get rid of Maduro and leave everything in place. That has been a tremendous surprise, Valesco said.

Valesco said he sees one of two scenarios. The rosy one would leave the existing leaders in place and a slight improvement for the people of Venezuela. The second will end up with a splintering with the military or a civilian side forcing a coup.

Under the rosy scenario, the current authorities are able to consolidate control and are able to straddle a fine line of maintaining a public stance of defiance, but in terms of policy, opening the oil fields to U.S. companies and reversing nationalization of oil, he said.

Valesco said he has been able to talk to family members in Venezuela and said they are keeping a low profile and preparing for the worst.

Over the past they have had to learn how to hunker down in moments of crisis, he said. It is so much of a guessing game and that feeds anxiety.

The current leaders have held press conferences and residents have access to media, but there are still major questions.

For now, most are stocking up on food, gas and other supplies and staying inside and waiting to figure out their situation, he said.
A Boston-based development company is looking to build 197 apartments eight minutes from Worcesters Polar Park.

Lamartine Street Property Owner LLC, an affiliate of GFI partners wants to build a 258,582 square-foot apartment complex at the corner of Green Island Boulevard and Lamartine Street, according to GFI Senior Project Manager William Buckley.

The lot on the corner is listed as 115 Madison St., but the development is likely to have a Green Island Boulevard address once it is built, according to Buckley.

The complex would feature a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, according to the application. A total of 150 parking spaces will also be developed, the application reads.

An application for the proposal was submitted to the citys planning board, which will review the project on Jan. 7.

The proposal to build 197 units comes as Worcester faces a shortage of both market-rate and affordable housing.

Demand for both types of housing is continuing to increase and the city must add more than 12,000 units by 2033 to meet demand, according to the citys housing production plan.

Developers building complexes with 12 or more units are encouraged to create apartments for those with lower incomes as part of the complex under Worcesters inclusionary zoning ordinance.

None of the 197 units, however, will be listed as affordable apartments, according to the application.

Instead of building the affordable apartments, GFI will pay more than $1,000,000 to the citys Affordable Housing Trust, according to Buckley.

Developers can opt out of the affordable housing requirement by making a one-time payment equal to 3% of construction costs.

If the project is approved, Buckley estimates construction will be completed by 2027.

Though GFI is responsible for developing the complex, the property is owned by the Boston-based company Madison Properties. Madison Properties bought the lot from Wyman-Gordon in 2019 as part of a $6.1 million deal. In addition to buying 115 Madison St., the company bought four other parcels of land near the site.

Madison properties has been involved in the redevelopment of the area around Polar Park. One of their developments, the 228-unit apartment complex called The Revington, opened in 2023, according to the Telegram & Gazette. The proposed 197-unit complex by GFI would be adjacent to The Revington, according to Buckley.

The Boston-based company has also drawn the frustration of some city leaders for delaying the development a mixed-used development on 50 Washington St., known as the Left Field Building.

Madison Properties was supposed to build the skin, shell and core for the development on top of a platform constructed by the municipality but failed to do so, City Manager Eric D. Batista said in a communication last year.

Denis P. Dowdle, the manager of Madison WG Holdings LLC, did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.
Two homicides were reported in Worcester last year, the lowest number in 40 years, according to the FBIs Crime Data Explorer.

Shootings caused both homicides, which took place in June, according to a spokesperson for the Worcester Police Department.

The first homicide happened on June 18 on Beacon Street and was related to a domestic dispute, the spokesperson said. No other details were provided.

The second homicide occurred on June 21 at 91 Southgate St. A 26-year-old Worcester man was arrested in connection with the killing of Jason Mayhew, 36, of Worcester.

The suspect, Enrique Antonio Canales-Martinez, was arraigned in Worcester Superior Court in September on a manslaughter charge and was ordered held on $100,000 bail.

Before 2025, the lowest number of homicides that occurred in Worcester was three in 1989, according to the Crime Data Explorer.

The two homicides in 2025 mark a dramatic decrease from 2024, which saw 16 homicides. Before 2024, the highest number of homicides Worcester had was 13 in 1987, 1992, 1994 and 2019, according to the Crime Data Explorer.

The data provided by the explorer goes as far back as 1985, but does not include data from 1990 or 1991.

The decrease in crime is linked to the work of the police departments Crime Gun Intelligence Unit, Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said in a statement to MassLive. Established in 2024, the unit consists of four officers and a sergeant and is responsible for locating and seizing guns and other weapons classified as illegal by law enforcement.

This unit follows up on every gun-related crime and ShotSpotter alert, often making arrests weeks or even months later, Saucier said. They work closely with the ATF, analyzing shell casings to link firearms to multiple crime scenes.

The chief added community programs offered by the Worcester Police Department, such as the Gang Awareness Next Generation summer camp, have helped young adults make positive life choices.

In addition, the City of Worcester offers violence reduction programs aimed at addressing youth-related issues, Saucier said. All of these factors ultimately lead to a decline in crime.

The Worcester County District Attorneys office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.
MAYO recorded a 300 percent increase in the number of work related deaths in Ireland in 2025 with annual figures showing that four people died in workplace incidents.

Data released by the Health and Safety Authority show that 58 work-related fatalities were recorded in Ireland in 2025, which represents a 61 percent increase on the 36 who died in 2024.

Mayo recorded one of the highest rates of work related fatalities in Ireland during 2025 with four people losing their lives compared to one recorded death in 2024 and 2023. There were no deaths recorded in 2022; two in 2021 and one in 2020.

Only Dublin, Cork and Donegal recorded a higher rate of work-related deaths than Mayo in 2025 with six deaths recorded in each of the counties. The HSA recorded three deaths in Galway, two in Leitrim and one each in Roscommon and Sligo.

The 2025 national report by the HSA shows that the agriculture sector, with 23 deaths, continues to account for the highest number of fatalities representing 40 percent of all work-related fatalities last year from a sector employing approximately 4 percent of the workforce.

The construction sector recorded ten fatalities compared to five in 2024, while five fatalities were recorded in the manufacturing sector, compared to none last year.

READ: Met Eireann issues weather warning to counties including Mayo

Commenting on the figures, Mark Cullen, Chief Executive Officer of the Health and Safety Authority, said the increase in work-related fatalities in 2025 is deeply concerning.

Every death is a tragedy, and each one represents a life lost and a family devastated. We recorded our lowest ever fatality rate in 2024 and, while annual figures can fluctuate, this sharp rise serves as a stark reminder that employers and workers alike must stay vigilant and avoid complacency when it comes to workplace safety.

The fact that so many fatalities continue to involve machinery or vehicles, and falls from height, shows that well-known incident triggers are not being adequately controlled. These are hazards that can be managed through proper risk assessment, forward planning and ensuring that all employees are fully aware of the need to prioritise safe working behaviour, he said.

Of the 58 fatalities, 19 were aged 65 or over and Mr Cullen said this trend is particularly concerning in the context of an aging national demographic and the fact that people are working beyond the traditional retirement age.

As we get older, we can become less mobile and more prone to serious injury. Theres also the reality that older workers may continue poor habits they formed at a younger age when they were able to recover from a fall or being struck by a machine. Older workers must realise that they are not invincible, safety should always be their priority. No job is important enough to put your life at risk.

Self-employed workers continue to face significant risks at work. In 2025, self-employed people accounted for 23 of the 58 work-related fatalities and the HSA stated that the 'disproportionate figure' underlines the dangers of working without the support structures typically found in larger organisations.

Mr Cullen added that many self-employed workers operate alone, increasing the danger when incidents occur, as there may be no one present to help or raise the alarm.

Working safely is entirely possible even if you are self-employed or working alone. When you work alone, particularly in high-risk sectors such as agriculture and construction, you must be even more vigilant in planning your work and ensuring help is available when you need it or if something goes wrong, he said.
A Harvard-led study reveals that ammonium sulfate makes up nearly one-third of Delhis PM2.5 pollution. Heres what it is, how it forms, and why its especially harmful to human health.

Highlights: Nearly one-third of Delhis PM2.5 pollution comes from an invisible chemical called ammonium sulfate

This pollutant forms in the air through reactions, not direct emissions, making it harder to control

Ammonium sulfaterich smog may worsen lung and heart disease, especially during winter months

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A satellite-driven model to estimate long-term particulate sulfate levels and attributable mortality burden in China



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What Is Ammonium Sulfate and How Does It Form?

Sulfur dioxide (SO) is released from coal-fired power plants, industries, and diesel engines

is released from coal-fired power plants, industries, and diesel engines Ammonia (NH) mainly comes from agricultural activities, fertilisers, and animal waste

mainly comes from agricultural activities, fertilisers, and animal waste When these gases mix in cool, humid conditions, they react and form ultrafine ammonium sulfate particles

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Why Delhis PM2.5 Problem Is Worse Than It Looks

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Large share of India's PM2.5 not emitted directly, but chemically formed in the atmosphere: CREA Study



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How Harmful Is Ammonium Sulfate to Human Health?

Worsening asthma and chronic bronchitis

Reduced lung capacity

Increased risk of heart attacks and strokes

Greater respiratory stress in children and older adults

Why This Matters for Everyday Life in Delhi

What Can Be Done to Reduce the Risk?

Using certified indoor air purifiers

Wearing high-quality masks on severe pollution days

Limiting outdoor activity during peak smog hours

Supporting policies that address both visible pollution and invisible chemical pollutants

The Bottom Line

Frequently Asked Questions Q: Is ammonium sulfate regulated under Indiaas air quality standards? A: Currently, air quality standards regulate PM2.5 as a whole, not individual components like ammonium sulfate, making this pollutant harder to target directly. Q: Can indoor air purifiers remove ammonium sulfate particles? A: Yes. HEPA-certified air purifiers can effectively filter PM2.5 particles, including ammonium sulfate, when used correctly indoors. Q: Why does ammonium sulfate increase more in winter? A: Cool temperatures and high humidity during winter create ideal conditions for sulfur dioxide and ammonia to react and form ammonium sulfate. Q: Does wearing a regular cloth mask protect against ammonium sulfate? A: No. Only well-fitted N95 or equivalent masks can significantly reduce inhalation of PM2.5 particles. Q: Are children more affected by ammonium sulfatearich pollution? A: Yes. Children breathe faster, have developing lungs, and are more vulnerable to fine particles that penetrate deep into the respiratory system.

A satellite-driven model to estimate long-term particulate sulfate levels and attributable mortality burden in China - (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9985485/) Large share of India's PM2.5 not emitted directly, but chemically formed in the atmosphere: CREA Study - (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/air/large-share-of-indias-pm25-not-emitted-directly-but-chemically-formed-in-the-atmosphere-crea-study)

A major new study involving researchers fromhas uncovered a troubling truth about Delhis air pollution: nearly, a harmful particle that doesnt come directly from exhaust pipes or chimneys ().Instead, it forms silently in the air through chemical reactions, making Delhis smog more complex, persistent, and dangerous than previously understood.During peak pollution months, especially after the monsoon and throughout winter, ammonium sulfate can account for, according to the study. Even in winter alone, it accounts for about. This means the haze people breathe isnt just visible dust or smoke, but also invisible chemistry unfolding overhead.Ammonium sulfate is what scientists refer to as a secondary inorganic aerosol. Unlike pollution that is directly emitted, it forms inside the atmosphere.Heres how it happens:These particles are, allowing them to remain suspended in the air for long periods and travel deep into the lungs when inhaled.For years, pollution control strategies have focused on visible sources, such as traffic exhaust, construction dust, and crop burning. This study shows that a significant part of the problem comes from chemical reactions that occur after emissions are released.That means reducing visible pollution alone is not enough. Unless the gases that trigger these reactions, especially sulfur dioxide and ammonia, are controlled, PM2.5 levels will remain dangerously high ().This isnt unique to Delhi. Across India, secondary particles, such as ammonium sulfate, contribute, depending on the region.PM2.5 is already known to be one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution because it can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream. Emerging evidence suggests thatHealth impacts linked to ammonium sulfateheavy pollution include:Doctors in Delhi consistently report spikes in breathing problems, chest tightness, and cardiovascular complaints during high-smog periods  and this study helps explain why.For residents, especially during winter, daily activities like commuting, outdoor exercise, or children walking to school carry hidden risks. The danger isnt limited to coughing or eye irritation. Long-term exposure can affectVulnerable groups, children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with existing lung or heart disease are especially at risk during high ammonium sulfate days.At a policy level, experts stress the need to curb thethat lead to ammonium sulfate formation. Measures such as installing flue-gas desulfurization units in power plants can significantly reduce sulfur dioxide emissions and prevent secondary particle formation.At an individual level, people can reduce exposure by:Delhis air pollution crisis isnt just about what we can see. A large part of the danger comes from invisible chemical reactions happening in the air, quietly forming particles that harm the lungs and heart.Understanding ammonium sulfate shifts our perspective on smog control. Cleaning Delhis air will require tackling not just smoke and dust, but the chemistry that turns everyday emissions into a serious public health threat.Source-Medindia
Ive spent years covering technology for a living. I know how products are positioned, how specs are framed, how innovation is packaged into bullet points and launch slides. Cameras, especially smartphone cameras, are familiar territory. Sensors, zoom ranges, computational tricks - none of this is new to me. And yet, photography has always occupied a more personal corner of my life. I understand the technology well enough. What I dont pretend to be is a professional photographer. I chase light instinctively, sometimes clumsily, often emotionally. I take photos because certain moments ask to be remembered, not because Im chasing technical perfection. Over the past few weeks, Ive taken more than 1,000 photos using the Oppo Find X9 Pro Telephoto Converter, developed in partnership with Hasselblad. It builds on the phones 70mm telephoto lens and extends its reach to 3.28x, yielding an effective 230mm.

 Hook.Online Some shots were deliberate. Many were impulsive. A few were forgettable. But enough of them made me stop and look again at what this accessory was doing to the way I saw the world. I didnt expect that. But it stayed with me. Oppo Find X9 Pro Hasselblad Telephoto Converter: The Price of Intent At 30,000, the Hasselblad Telephoto Converter is expensive, and thats not something worth softening. In smartphone terms, it sits firmly in enthusiast territory, priced closer to a mid-range phone than a casual accessory. Add it to the phones 1.10 lakh price, and youre suddenly looking at a near 1.40 lakh setup For most users, this lens will make little sense. And thats fine. It isnt designed to democratise zoom or undercut traditional cameras. Its designed for a smaller group of people who already understand what theyre paying for, and why. Whether that value holds up depends less on technical merit and more on intent. If you know exactly why you want this lens, the price starts to feel rational. If you dont, no amount of justification will make it feel affordable. Oppo Find X9 Pro Hasselblad Telephoto Converter: Living With the Hardware Inside the box, you get the teleconverter itself, the attachment mount, a magnetic case, and a tripod mount. Put it all together, and the experience feels surprisingly close to working with a mirrorless camera lens rather than a phone accessory.

 Hook.Online And if Im being honest, this isnt something you snap on casually. Every time I reached for the Oppo Find X9 Pro Hasselbad Telephoto Converter, I knew I was making a choice rather than taking the easy route. That feeling only grows once you realise the metal plate blocks the other two cameras. Switching back to the main or ultrawide means removing the lens and the mount entirely, which is more tedious than it should be. It doesnt help that, at this price, theres no proper carrying case included. Transporting a long, exposed lens without protection always feels a little uncomfortable, like youre waiting for an accident to happen. Theres also a routine you fall into before you even take a photo. The case has to be on. The attachment slides into place. The lens twists until it locks with a soft, mechanical click. None of this is hard, but its never invisible. Youre aware of it, and that awareness slows you down in a way phone cameras usually dont.

 Hook.Online Once its mounted, the weight becomes impossible to ignore. The lens is long and heavy, and it pulls the phone forward in your hand. For the first day or so, I kept fumbling. My grip kept changing. Id go to tap the screen and watch the frame drift just enough to miss the moment. Over time, I adjusted. I found a way to hold it that worked for me. But I never stopped wishing there was a proper grip. Something solid to hold on to. Something that made the whole setup feel less precarious. You can use a tripod, and it does help. The image settles, and framing becomes easier. But the moment I reached for one, the idea started to fall apart for me. If Im carrying extra support and extra gear, why am I still pretending this is casual phone photography? The appeal of a telephoto on a phone is supposed to be freedom, not another bag to carry.

 Hook.Online What really stayed with me was how unforgiving the kit can be. Lose one piece, and youre done. Theres no workaround, no improvising. It demands care, and in return it gives you reach. That push and pull never disappears. The teleconverter forces you to slow down and be deliberate, to treat your phone less like an extension of your reflexes and more like a tool you have to respect. Some days I liked that. On others, it felt like friction. Either way, it made me think. And in a world where smartphone photography is built to make thinking unnecessary, that felt quietly important. Oppo Find X9 Pro Hasselblad Telephoto Converter: Learning the System The first time I attached the Hasselblad lens and opened the Camera app, I genuinely thought something was wrong. The viewfinder was upside down. For a brief second, it felt like the kit was playing a joke on me. The fix, it turns out, is simple enough. You have to switch to the dedicated Hasselblad Teleconverter mode tucked away inside the More menu. Once you do that, the image flips the right way up and the experience starts to make sense.

 Hook.Online That mode also unlocks fixed zoom steps at 10x, 20x, and 40x, translating to focal lengths that stretch from 230mm all the way to 920mm. Youre not locked into those numbers though. Theres a slider that lets you push beyond, all the way up to 200x, if curiosity gets the better of you. Oppo Find X9 Pro Hasselblad Telephoto Converter: When It Clicks I used the lens everywhere I reasonably could. From my home and office to parks, crowded events like Delhi Comic Con, and quiet moments in between. What carried across all those places was a consistency in how the images felt. Here are a few of my favourite photos from those 1,000-plus frames.

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 Hook.Online This was the first photo (shown below) that really stood out to me. Not because of the zoom, but because of the focus. The central face stays sharp and grounded, while everything around it gently softens. I didnt have to tap or correct anything. It just understood where my attention was meant to be.

 Hook.Online I also gravitate towards people when Im shooting. Faces, expressions, the small moments in between. At 230mm, this lens completely changes how those moments can be framed. Distance stops being a limitation and starts becoming an advantage.

 Hook.Online What surprised me wasnt just the separation or the extremely shallow depth of field, but how calm the images feel. Longer focal lengths have a way of compressing a scene that makes everything else fall into place.

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 Hook.Online Colour treatment stays reassuringly familiar. The teleconverter doesnt override Oppos tuning. The photos lean slightly warm, a touch brighter than neutral, but never in a way that feels forced. Detail holds up without edge enhancement, and skin tones feel more believable than what Oppo delivered in the past.

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 Hook.Online Oppo Find X9 Pro Hasselblad Telephoto Converter: Knowing Its Limits The teleconverter has no trouble delivering crisp and detailed shots of static subjects, or even people moving at a slow to moderate pace. Some of the frames I captured at Delhi Comic Con are proof enough of that.

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 Hook.Online Things change once movement becomes unpredictable. A quick turn of the head is often enough to introduce noticeable motion blur. Its a clear reminder that this isnt an action camera, and it doesnt like being treated as one.

 Hook.Online At 20x, or roughly a 460mm equivalent, things start to soften a little, but not enough to ruin the shot. Its still very usable, especially if youre patient. At 40x (920mm equivalent), youre clearly stretching things further, and that shows most with human subjects. Faces dont hold together quite as well at that distance.

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 Hook.Online That said, this is the zoom level I kept coming back to for macro photography. The extra working distance becomes a real advantage when shooting nature. For insects and plants in particular, this lens suddenly makes a lot of sense.

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Oppo Find X9 Pro Hasselblad Telephoto Converter: Shooting in Low Light I ended up enjoying the night shots more than I expected. Instead of fighting the darkness, I started chasing pockets of light. Neon signs hold their shape, lanterns glow gently, and everything around them drops into shadow without falling apart.

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However, in low-light situations like the one below, the lens leans heavily on noise reduction. At 10x, that often results in a softer, almost watercolour-like look, with fine detail taking a hit. Its not the cleanest rendering, but it has a character of its own.

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Oppo Find X9 Pro Hasselblad Telephoto Converter: Some Missed Opportunities There are a handful of filters to play with here. Black & White, Neon, Fresh, Clear, Emerald. Theyre fine if you want to nudge the look a bit. I mostly stuck with Black & White simply because I was getting genuinely pleasing results from it.

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That said, this felt like a missed opportunity. Given the partnership with Hasselblad, I kept wishing for an XPan mode  something explicitly built for wide, cinematic black-and-white frames. With the kind of separation this lens delivers, that would have been special. Instead, it feels like a door left half open. This also points to a bigger issue with how Oppo has handled the experience. Unlike Vivos telephoto extender kit, which lets you access multiple shooting modes directly on the Vivo X300 and X300 Pro, Oppo keeps the teleconverter locked behind a separate camera mode with minimal choices. Oppo Find X9 Pro Hasselblad Telephoto Converter: The Video Surprise I went into this thinking the teleconverter would mostly be a photography toy. Take a few cool shots, post them, move on. But once I started shooting video with it, thats when it really surprised me. I could shoot up to 4K at 60fps, and the way it pulls the subject away from the background made my jaw drop. Theres a cinematic quality to the footage that I wasnt expecting at all. Enough, honestly, to make me briefly question my life choices as a tech journalist and imagine what it might be like to shoot video full-time instead.

 Hook.Online That said, its not always the easiest thing to use. Keeping focus on a moving subject can be tricky. I lost focus more than a few times, especially when the subject was coming toward me or moving across the frame. I found myself tapping to refocus way more often than Id like. But when it actually locks on and gets it rightoh my god. The video just snaps into place. The separation, the compression, the look, it suddenly feels like something you should not be getting out of a phone. Oppo Find X9 Pro Hasselblad Telephoto Converter: In the End The Hasselblad teleconverter for the Oppo Find X9 Pro isnt something Id recommend lightly, and thats probably the highest praise I can give it. Its expensive. Its fiddly. It asks for time, patience, and intent in a world where smartphone photography is built to remove all three. There were moments when it slowed me down more than I wanted, and moments when I questioned why I was carrying this much glass on a phone at all.
I've been writing for something like 50 years now. I started by scribbling letters on paper as a child because I was fascinated that the...
The Cuban government said 32 officers of the Cuban army and the Interior Ministry were killed in Caracas during the raid by U.S. forces to apprehend Venezuelas strongman Nicolas Maduro early Saturday, in an acknowledgment of the presence of Cuban military and intelligence personnel in the South American country.

The statement published in the countrys largest daily, Granma, came after President Donald Trump said Cubans providing personal security to Maduro died during the extraction operation.

Many Cubans lost their lives last night. They were protecting Maduro. That was not a good move, Trump told the New York Post.

The Cuban government said the officers died in action but did not specify their mission, nor did it explicitly mention Maduro in the statement. The statement indicates that at least some of the officers were on the Fuerte Tiuna military base, where U.S. Delta forces found Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

True to their responsibilities for security and defense, our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism and fell, after fierce resistance, in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombing of the facilities, the statement published in Granma on Sunday evening said.

Later, Cubas leader, Miguel Diaz-Canel, added that the Cuban officers were protecting Maduro and Flores.

Honor and glory to the brave Cuban fighters who fell while confronting terrorists in imperial uniforms, who kidnapped and illegally removed the President of Venezuela and his wife from their country, whose lives our men helped protect at the request of that sister nation, Diaz-Canel said on X.

Cubas version seems to contradict remarks by Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Maduros defense minister, who accused U.S. forces of killing a large part of Maduros security team in cold blood.

Citing an anonymous Venezuelan official, The New York Times has reported that at least 40 people died during the U.S. attack.

The Cuban governments statement is a rare public acknowledgment of the islands direct support of Maduro with security and intelligence personnel. The Interior Ministry runs Cubas intelligence agencies, though the armed forces have their own intelligence apparatus too. In the past, the Cuban government has denied it has a military presence in Venezuela.

On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBCs Meet the Press that Maduros internal security apparatus is entirely controlled by Cubans. It was Cubans that guarded Maduro. He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards.

Following the capture of Maduro, Trump said his administration is likely to turn its attention to Cuba, which he called a failing nation, though he ruled out a similar military action against the country.

On comments aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said the Cuban government could collapse soon.

Cuba looks like its ready to fall. I dont know if theyre going to hold on, Trump said, adding that the island survives because of aid from Venezuela.

Cuba now has no income, he added. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. Theyre not getting any of it. Cuba literally is ready to fall.

Rubio said the Cuban government should be worried about the events in Venezuela and sent it a warning:

I think theyre in a lot of trouble, yes, he told NBCs Meet the Press. Im not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard. But I dont think its any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime, who, by the way, are the ones that were propping up Maduro.

Diaz-Canel declared two days of national mourning for the Cubans who died in what he called the criminal attack by U.S. forces, according to a presidential decree. Defiant, he had called for the immediate release of Maduro, an urgent reaction from the international community and vowed Cubas absolute support and solidarity with the sister Bolivarian Republic and its government.

_____

2026 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
MEXICO CITY  Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday again condemned the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, criticizing the Trump administrations aggressive foreign policy in Latin America for threatening the stability of the hemisphere.

We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries, Sheinbaum said in her daily news conference. The history of Latin America is clear and compelling: Intervention has never brought democracy, has never generated well-being or lasting stability.

Unilateral action and invasion cannot be the basis of international relations in the 21st century, she said. They dont lead to peace or development.

Her comments came as Trump on Sunday threatened more military strikes on Venezuela  and raised the possibility of intervention in Mexico as well as in Cuba, Colombia and the Danish territory of Greenland. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said drugs were pouring through Mexico and that were going to have to do something.

He has been threatening action against cartels for months, with some members of his administration suggesting that the U.S. may soon carry out drone strikes on drug laboratories and other targets inside Mexican territory. Sheinbaum has repeatedly said such strikes would be a clear violation of Mexican sovereignty.

Sovereignty and the self-determination of peoples are non-negotiable, she said. They are fundamental principles of international law and must always be respected without exception.

Sheinbaum is part of a bloc of leftist Latin American leaders who have spoken out forcefully against the U.S. after its surprise attack on Caracas on Saturday morning. U.S. special forces abducted Maduro, Venezuelas leftist president, and his wife, Cilia Flores, the former head of the National Assembly.

Venezuela says at least 40 people were killed in the attack. The couple have been indicted in New Yorks Southern District on drug trafficking charges.

Right-wing leaders in the region, on the other hand, have cheered the removal of Maduro from power.

At her news conference on Monday, Sheinbaum called for cooperation among countries in the region, at one point quoting Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

Washington called for good faith and justice toward all nations, and for the cultivation of peace and harmony among all, she said.

Nations cannot impose their wills on other countries, she said, and do not have the right to their resources. That was a clear reference to Trumps stated desire to exploit Venezuelas vast oil reserves.

Only the people can build their own future, decide their path, exercise sovereignty over their natural resources, and freely define their form of government, she said. Each nation has the inalienable right to decide its political, economic, and social model, free from external pressure.

Sheinbaum warned that infighting among Latin American nations would hurt the region economically.

Global economic competition, particularly in the face of Asias growth, is not achieved through the use of force ... but rather through cooperation for development, productive investment, innovation, education and social welfare, she said.

She said Mexico was committed to fighting organized crime, and reminded the U.S. that it fuels that dynamic.

The violence plaguing our country is partly caused by the illegal flow of high-powered weapons from the United States into Mexico, as well as the serious problem of drug consumption in our neighboring country, she said.

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2026 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Americas allies offered a measured response after U.S. troops captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a raid, a move that sent shockwaves around the world and highlighted divisions among governments.

In Asia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Thailand avoided condemning the move, instead emphasizing diplomacy, dialogue and stability. The Philippines went slightly further, pointing to Washingtons underlying security considerations, while also urging all parties to respect international law.

That restraint contrasted with more strident reactions elsewhere, exposing a divide between Washingtons partners and countries openly opposed to the move. China denounced the U.S. action, calling it a blatant use of force and urging Washington to stop violating other countries sovereignty and security.

In Southeast Asia, the strongest criticism came from Malaysias Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who had welcomed Trump in October for a much-publicized peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia. Anwar called for Maduros release and described the raid as a clear violation of international law and amount to an unlawful use of force against a sovereign state.

The U.S. allies made references to the rule of law and international legal frameworks, language that reflected broader regional anxieties, particularly the risk of any future conflict involving China and Taiwan, as well as concerns over North Korea. Those fears were reinforced when Pyongyang conducted a hypersonic missile test shortly after Maduros capture.

The Japanese government will continue to stress the importance of restoring democracy in Venezuela as soon as possible, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Monday. Japan has consistently respected fundamental values and principles such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law.

The caution also reflects more practical considerations. Last year, several U.S. allies in Asia, including Japan and South Korea, secured trade deals that reduced the threat of higher U.S. tariffs after months of negotiations.

At the same time, these countries rely heavily on the U.S. for security. Japan, in particular, is navigating heightened tensions with China after Takaichis remarks about the potential for military action in relation to Taiwan, making open criticism of Washingtons actions in South America even more difficult.

Europe

A similar pattern emerged in Europe, with many of Trumps allies avoiding outright condemnation. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer reaffirmed support for international law and said Britain would discuss the situation with U.S. counterparts, while French President Emmanuel Macron remarked that Venezuelans freed from Maduros dictatorship could only rejoice.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the U.S. action was a legitimate response to what her office described as attacks against U.S. security through drug trafficking, though she added that military intervention was not the way to go to end totalitarian rule.

The reticence highlights a troubling shift, said Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief Asia Pacific economist at Natixis SA. The Wests commitment to a rules-based order appears selective at best, she said in a post on X.

She added that while China and Russia publicly object the U.S. move, they may welcome the erosion of international constraints, which could embolden their geopolitical pursuits as the U.S. is preoccupied.

This upheaval signals not just the end of a regime but a broader erosion of global stability, where expediency overshadows established values, risking further disorder, she said.

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With assistance from Ramsey Al-Rikabi, Anisah Shukry, Swati Pandey, Claire Jiao, Donato Paolo Mancini and Isobel Finkel.

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2026 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Venezuelas powerful interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, is seeking to rally loyalists within the armed forces and the ruling apparatus, urging them to mobilize and vowing revenge against those who might have been involved in the U.S. operation that led to the capture of former strongman Nicolas Maduro, sources with direct knowledge of the situation say.

Cabello, one of the most feared figures of Venezuelas ruling elite and a central pillar of the countrys security and intelligence apparatus, has been sending voice messages directly to military officers and regime figures personally loyal to him, calling on supporters to take to the streets in defense of the socialist revolution.

Im out on the streets, Im out on the streets  lets go to the streets, as much as we can, in the states, mobilize our people, Cabello said in one voice message obtained by the Miami Herald.

In another message, he lashed out at those responsible for the U.S. raid that ended Maduros rule.

These rats attacked, and they are going to regret it for the rest of their lives, Cabello said. Lets reorganize now, assess where the attacks were, the damage we have, and keep moving forward  always forward, always united. Lets push ahead.

Cabellos moves underscore growing uncertainty over whether the post-Maduro leadership, now formally headed by interim President Delcy Rodriguez, can realistically pursue reconciliation with Washington and cooperate with the Trump administration on stabilizing the country and guiding it toward an eventual democratic transition.

Both Cabello and Maduro have been charged by U.S. prosecutors with leading the so-called Cartel of the Suns, an alleged narcotrafficking network embedded within Venezuelas military and political leadership. Cabello controls large segments of the countrys repressive apparatus, including intelligence services and armed civilian groups, making him a potential spoiler in any attempt to reset relations with the United States.

The United States government has offered a $25 million reward for information leading to Cabellos capture.

Tensions escalated further Sunday when Venezuelas armed forces accused U.S. troops of killing members of Maduros security detail in cold blood before capturing the embattled leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a pre-dawn raid in Caracas on Saturday.

In a nationally televised address, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez described the operation as a kidnapping, claiming it followed the cold-blooded murder of a large part of his security team  soldiers, men and women, and innocent civilians.

Media reports have placed the death toll from the operation at around 40 people, though Venezuela has not reported a specific number. The U.S. operation involved intense bombardment of key military and government installations before Maduro was seized.

U.S. officials said the raid followed weeks of planning and featured a coordinated electricity blackout, missile strikes, explosions and the use of drones, helicopters and fighter aircraft operating in Venezuelan airspace. According to those accounts, American troops stormed a fortified bunker-like complex and extracted Maduro from the site.

Maduro, who along with his wife faces U.S. charges that he ran a vast narco-trafficking network from the presidency, was flown out of Venezuela and arrived Saturday afternoon at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York. On Monday, he made his first court appearance in New York.

Televised images showed Maduro and Flores being transported Monday morning under heavy armed guard by helicopter and armored vehicle from a detention facility to a federal courthouse, marking the first time a sitting Venezuelan leader has been brought to the United States to face criminal charges.

2026 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was defiant during his appearance in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday, saying that he still considers himself the leader of the nation and that the United States "kidnapped" him and his wife.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized from their home in Caracas over the weekend and are among six defendants named in a four-count U.S. Department of Justice indictment. They are accused of trafficking drugs, including "transporting thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States," as well as conspiring with drug traffickers to benefit his and his family's coffers.

An armored vehicle carrying Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arrives at Manhattan Federal Court, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Both Maduro and Flores were donned in navy blue V-neck shirts with orange tees underneath, tan pants, and headsets that provides Spanish translations of the proceedings.

Military.com's Darius Radzius was in the room, reporting that Flores had a bandage on her face and noticeable bruising purportedly resulting from their capture two days earlier. Both requested medical assistance.

When Maduro walked in, he looked from one side of the room to the other and wished all gathered media members in the gallery and jury box "happy new year."

People protest outside Manhattan Federal Court before the arraignment of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

When the charges of the indictment were read by Manhattan Federal Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is presiding over the case, Maduro confirmed his identity and indicated that he is still "president" of Venezuelaadding that he was "kidnapped" from his home by foreign authorities. Hellerstein cut Maduro off, telling him there will be time at a later date to challenge the accusations.

"I'm the president of Venezuela. I am innocent. In the name of God I will be free."

Both Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty to the charges, with the latter saying she's "not guilty, completely innocent."

At the end of the proceedings, a voice from an unidentified audience member shouted, "You will pay for what you have done." Maduro audibly replied, saying, "I'm the president of Venezuela. I am innocent. In the name of God I will be free." The exchange was conducted in Spanish and given a loose translation.

People protest outside Manhattan Federal Court before the arraignment of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Attorneys did not speak to the press post-arraignment and left the scene.

Countless media outlets and protesters both for and against Maduro were present outside the courtroom in the hours leading up to the proceedings. The number of people outside the locked doors grew as the day went on.

Police on scene were adequately separating individuals from opposing sides, preventing any large scuffles from breaking out.

People protest outside Manhattan Federal Court before the arraignment of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

The 25-page indictment of Maduro and Flores alleges that the couple "partnered with narcotics traffickers and narco-terrorist groups, who dispatched processed cocaine from Venezuela to the United States via transshipment points in the Caribbean and Central America, such as Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico."

The next court hearing is scheduled for March 17.
By late March of 1953, the Korean War remained mostly static as peace negotiations went back and forth. U.N. and communist forces launched repeated bloody assaults to secure control over countless hills and ridges along the frontline. The men of the 1st Marine Division were ordered to guard a series of hilltop outposts known as "The Cities."

The communists had avoided attacking the area in recent months, but they began moving thousands of men to the frontline. Lt. Col. John I. Williamson knew something big was about to happen in the sector. The commanding officer of the 1st Tank Battalion put his premonition in writing.

"I'm sort of expecting all hell to break loose within the next two nights," Williamson wrote. "Sort of a hunch."

Two days later, Chinese artillery opened fire on the chain of combat outposts. What followed became the bloodiest fighting Marines endured on the Jamestown Line during the entire war.

Jamestown Line, west sector 31 March 1953. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Marines Defend the Outposts

The Marines had nicknamed their forward positions "The Cities," a series of outposts called Reno, Carson, Vegas, Berlin, East Berlin and the Reno Block. The set of Nevada-inspired names came from Lt. Col. Anthony Caputo, executive officer of the 5th Marine Regiment, who saw the isolated hilltops as a dangerous bet.

"It's a gamble if we can hold them," Caputo said.

Lt. Col. Jonas M. Platt's 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, defended the Nevada Cities with approximately 40 Marines and two Navy corpsmen manning each outpost. The positions served as early warning posts in front of the Main Line of Resistance, giving the main force of Marines advance notice of enemy attacks while peace talks continued at Panmunjom just miles away. Chinese commanders viewed the hilltops as valuable bargaining chips; seizing them would strengthen their position at the negotiating table and threaten Seoul.

Unlike most situations, the tactical situation favored the attackers. Carson sat 800 yards forward of the MLR, near two Chinese positions. Reno occupied the most exposed ground at 1,600 yards out, perched on terrain that made reinforcement nearly impossible under fire. Vegas, the highest point, stood 1,300 yards from the MLR.

Author Lee Ballenger described the problem in "The Final Crucible: Marines in Korea, 1953."

The outposts "were surrounded by higher ground held by the enemy, and each one depended on the others for flank defense," Ballenger wrote. "If one outpost fell, the others were as vulnerable as a stack of dominos in a hurricane."

Map of the Nevada Complex. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Chinese Attack the Nevada City Outposts

On the evening of March 26, 1953, approximately 3,500 soldiers from the Chinese 358th Regiment attacked the outposts simultaneously. The Marines defending the three positions were outnumbered nearly 30 to one. The enemy came forward in massive waves that one Marine compared to "Tartar hordes from the steppes of Mongolia."

At Carson, 1st Lt. John F. Ingalls of Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, oversaw the defenses.

"As the bombardment intensified, the men withdrew into the bunkers," Ingalls recalled. "Ammunition shortage was a problem, and I ordered them to fix bayonets."

Reno collapsed quickly under the enemy assault. The Marines who survived the initial onslaught retreated into caves carved into the hillside, but enemy soldiers began sealing the entrances. Trapped Marines "were passing out from lack of oxygen" as the air supply dwindled.

An M-39 Armored Utility Vehicle arrives at Baker Company, 1st tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, with ammunition for their tanks during the second battle of Outpost Vegas, Korea, 29 May 1953. (Wikimedia Commons)

Elements of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines rushed toward Reno to break through to the trapped men. The relief force ran into a Chinese ambush at a steep slope the Marines called "The Ladder." Enemy machine guns opened fire from the high ground, cutting down Marines as they advanced. The fighting turned into hand-to-hand combat in the darkness, with Marines and Chinese soldiers grappling in the trenches and shell holes.

The relief force took devastating casualties and couldn't break through to Reno.

Sgt. Bill Janzen witnessed Pfc. Henry A. Fifield get hit by shrapnel from a mortar round that bent the barrel of his Browning Automatic Rifle.

"He didn't know if it would function or not, but said he'd take his chances with it and took off," Janzen remembered. "That was his third wound in five and a half months."

A Marine with disassembled M20 3.5in Rocket Launcher, after a patrol in the Nevada Cities area, 1953. (USMC Photo)

Close Combat on Vegas

At Vegas, Sgt. George Johannes of H Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines had just helped evacuate a wounded Marine when he encountered a Chinese soldier at point-blank range.

"Halfway down the hill, a gook with a burp gun appeared in the trench about 20 feet in front of me," Johannes said. "Five or six rounds from my carbine dropped him very quickly."

As Johannes reached the MLR and looked back, Vegas appeared "lit up like a Christmas tree" from the explosions and tracers crisscrossing the hilltop.

Navy corpsman Billy Rivers Penn, attached to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, fought multiple hand-to-hand battles during the chaos. A Chinese soldier stabbed him with a bayonet, driving the blade through his left leg above the ankle.

"He started to cock his rifle with the bolt action when I got my .45 and shot him in the head," Penn later said.

Penn encountered another enemy soldier moments later and "beat him unconscious with a rock." While placing a wounded Marine inside a cave, a Chinese soldier threw a satchel charge through the entrance. The explosion knocked Penn unconscious. When he came to, Chinese troops were pulling any survivors from the rubble. Penn and the others became prisoners of war.

Only Carson held. Its men in 28 fighting positions repelled wave after wave of attackers in close combat that required ka-bars and bayonets. After eight hours, enemy casualties had reached an estimated 600, four times the Marine toll so far, but the attackers controlled both Vegas and Reno.

United States Marines launch a counterattack to regain enemy-held positions at Outpost Vegas on Koreas Western Front on 27 March 1953. It was the bloodiest action Marines on the Western Front had engaged in up to that date. (Wikimedia Commons)

Failed Counterattacks

Col. Lewis "Silent Lew" Walt, commanding officer of the 5th Marines, recognized the growing crisis and organized immediate counterattacks. Shortly after midnight on March 27, F Company's lead platoon pushed toward Vegas and got close enough to confirm Chinese troops on the hill before heavy fire drove them back to the MLR by 3 a.m.

Walt tried again at first light. Company D, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, under Capt. John B. Melvin attacked at 11:20 a.m. after Major General Edwin A. Pollock ordered concentrated air and artillery strikes. The intensity of the responding enemy fire support shocked even the veterans in the group.

"The noise was deafening," Melvin said later. "They would start walking the mortars toward us from every direction possible. You could only hope that the next round wouldn't be on target."

Within an hour, Melvin's first platoon was down to only nine able-bodied men. The survivors pushed through flooded rice paddies and up muddy slopes but couldn't reach the crest. Marine commanders realized the fortifications were now impregnable Chinese obstacles; they would need to destroy Vegas to retake it.

A squad of Chinese Infantrymen in a defensive position on Triangle Hill. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Final Assault

On the morning of March 28, the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing dropped 28 tons of bombs on Vegas in just 23 minutes. The hilltop was covered under smoke and debris as explosions walked across the Chinese positions. Some bombs landed within 450 feet of the Marines preparing to attack, close enough that the concussions knocked men off their feet. When the smoke cleared, Vegas looked like a lunar landscape, craters overlapping craters, collapsed trenches, destroyed bunkers.

E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines led the attack to recapture Vegas. They fought their way up the bomb-shattered slopes under heavy fire, pushing through Chinese positions in brutal close-quarters combat. The fighting was savage with grenades, bayonets, and rifle butts in the remaining trenches and massive shell holes.

Tanks from Williamsons battalion helped repel enemy reinforcements while providing direct fire support for the Marine assault. The tanks also helped haul supplies up the rough terrain as ammunition ran low.

Sergeant Reckless under fire during the Korean War. (Wikimedia Commons)

Supporting the assault and resupply efforts was an unlikely Marine. A small Mongolian mare named Sergeant Reckless. The horse had been purchased from some locals for $250 by Lt. Eric Pederson of the Recoilless Rifle Platoon and trained to carry ammunition. The Marines had taught her to step over communication lines and barbed wire, to lie flat during shelling, and to navigate routes by memory.

As E Company fought its way up to Vegas, Reckless made trip after trip up the shell-torn trails. She would then carry wounded Marines back to the MLR.

Sgt. Harold Wadley watched her climb toward the fighting through the barrage.

"I looked back at the eastern skyline through all the smoke and swinging flare light and could hardly believe my eyes," Wadley recalled years later.

Reckless made 51 trips that day, carrying nearly 10,000 pounds of ammunition, 386 rounds for the 75mm recoilless rifles. She worked alone most of the time, moving without a handler even as shells landed around her. Shrapnel wounded her twice, once above the left eye and once in the left flank, but she kept climbing.

As E Company pushed higher on Vegas, Sgt. Daniel P. Matthews led his squad forward until machine gun fire from the peak pinned them down. The deadly fire also prevented a corpsman from evacuating a wounded Marine lying exposed in the open.

Matthews worked his way to the base of the enemy machine gun nest and leaped onto the rock fortification surrounding it. He charged the three-man crew with his rifle, taking them by surprise. The enemy turned their weapons on Matthews, seriously wounding him, but he kept fighting. He killed two gunners and forced the third to flee, silencing the gun and allowing the corpsman to reach the wounded Marine. Matthews died from his wounds moments later.

Daniel P. Matthews, USMC; killed in action during the Korean War in a heroic action for which he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. (Wikimedia Commons)

Meanwhile, Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class William R. Charette moved through the chaos while treating wounded Marines. He jumped into a trench to help an injured Marine when a Chinese grenade landed next to them.

"I was scared," Charette recalled. "I knew I couldn't jump on the grenade. So I grabbed my medical bag and tried to push it away."

As he covered the wounded man's body with his own, the grenade exploded, temporarily blinding Charette and destroying his medical bag. Despite his injuries, he tore parts of his uniform to use as improvised bandages and continued treating the casualties.

At 1:13 p.m. on March 28, E Company had captured Vegas. By 2:55 p.m., the outpost was declared secure. More than 200 wounded men required treatment at aid stations established on the nearby slopes.

William R. Charette, United States Navy, Korean War Medal of Honor recipient. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Final Two Days

The enemy launched repeated counterattacks on March 29 and 30, determined to retake Vegas. Waves of infantry assaulted the battered hilltop under the cover of artillery barrages. The Marines repelled each attack, often in hand-to-hand fighting among the ruins. By 11 a.m. on March 30, the assaults finally stopped, enemy casualties had become unsustainable.

Walt made a difficult decision about Outpost Reno. It remained in Chinese hands and retaking it would cost hundreds more casualties. Worse, the enemy on Reno could flank Vegas and make that position untenable. Walt declared Reno lost and ordered Marine aircraft and artillery to destroy it. For hours, bombs and shells pounded the hilltop until nothing remained but rubble, denying its use to both sides.

Carson's Marines had held throughout the entire five-day battle, never yielding their position despite repeated assaults.

Members of the 2d Battalion, 5th Marines, take time out after returning from the fierce five-day battle for Outpost Vegas to eat chow and take a well-deserve breather. With a touch of sarcasm, they called the disputed crest of Vegas "the highest damn beachhead in Korea. (USMC Photo)

The Cost in Lives

Of the approximately 1,500 Marines engaged in the Nevada Cities battle, 1,015 became casualties, a devastating 70 percent casualty rate. The toll included 156 killed in action, 801 wounded and 19 captured. Enemy losses reached an estimated 4,000 casualties, including 1,200 killed, effectively destroying the entire 358th Regiment.

Sgt. Frank Metersky of 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, recalled the violent ferocity of the battle.

"I can never forget the black Marine in the wire with half his head blown off on the trail to Vegas as you came around the turn," he wrote decades later. "It has haunted me."

One rifleman who fought on Vegas captured the battle's intensity and the uniqueness of the Marine Corps fighting to secure the area with a poignant observation. He called the contested hilltop "the highest damn beachhead in Korea."

Sgt. Reckless with her Marine Corps Squad, 1953. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Nevada Cities battle led to two Medals of Honor, one posthumously for Matthews and one to Charette, who survived his wounds. The engagement also earned the Marines several Navy Crosses and Silver Stars. Reckless was awarded for his actions and promoted to staff sergeant, becoming one of only two animals to achieve a non-commissioned officer rank in Marine Corps history.

Penn survived brutal conditions as a POW before he was released in late 1953 along with 14 other survivors from the battle. Gen. Mark Clark sent a letter to Penns parents in Mississippi.

"I join you in your prayers of thanksgiving that your son, Billy R. Penn, has been recovered from the enemy and that he will soon be with you," wrote Clark.

After returning home, Penn attended the University of Mississippi and used his experiences from Korea to become a physician.

Walt continued his distinguished Marine Corps career, rising to four-star general. He commanded III Marine Amphibious Force in Vietnam, became Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1968 and retired in 1971 after more than 34 years of service.

U.S. military photo of General Lew Walt. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Bitter End of the Korean War

Two months later, the Turkish Brigade and Army 25th Infantry Division moved into the area and faced renewed enemy pressure. This forced U.N. commanders to abandon Vegas and Carson for good. The strategic value couldn't justify the mounting casualties.

On July 27, 1953, four months after the Nevada Cities battle, an armistice ended the fighting in Korea. The battle lines froze roughly where they stood, becoming the border that divides North and South Korea today.

The first contingent of the 3d Turkish Battalion begins the relief of the 3d Battalion, 7th Marines. On 5 May, the U S. Army's 25th Infantry Division, to which the Turkish troops were attached, took over from the 1st Marine Division, which went into corps reserve. (USMC Photo)

The Marines proved their fighting spirit and held two of the three outposts against impossible odds. According to some accounts, the Marines even sang the Marine Corps Hymn during lulls in the fighting. But the price was brutal. More than a thousand American casualties for a few hilltops that would be abandoned just weeks later, all while peace negotiators argued over prisoner exchanges and boundary lines a few miles away.

The Battle for Outpost Vegas and the surrounding hilltops proved to be the bloodiest battle for the Marine Corps in 1953 and some of the harshest fighting in the entire war. Though Sgt. Reckless remains a Marine Corps legend, the heroics shown by the thousands of Marines that fought there have often been overlooked.
Greg Pryer was used to experiencing on-the-job trauma.

Pryer had followed a stint in the Marine Corps with a career as a New York City police officer. On the beat in the nations largest city was grueling enough. Then came the horrors of Sept. 11, 2001.

Pryer turned to the bottle to cope with PTSD from military service and the terrorist attacks. Following retirement from the NYPD in 2015, he started drinking heavily. He missed the camaraderie and sense of purpose that four years in the Marine Corps and a lengthy law enforcement career provided. He dove deeper into alcohol to fill the void.

I went from being a veteran and being in law enforcement, over 20 years of really having an obvious purpose, and retirement somewhat stripped me of my identity, Pryer told CNN.com. All I had, in a way, was my alcohol to deal with it.

Then something happened to the former police sergeant that he thought would never happen  he started committing crimes.

In 2019, he was arrested for DWI and a weapons violation. Three years later, he faced another weapons charge. Having to face a judge in Long Islands Suffolk County Courthouse was a sad, surreal moment for Pryor. Certainly, he had spent time in courtrooms before as a police officer, but never as the person being charged with a crime.

Pierce Cohalan, praises recent graduates of the Suffolk County Veterans Drug Court in November. (Alexandra Imandt/New York Unified Court System)

The moment crystalized how much alcohol and depression had ruined his life.

But the veteran received a lifeline. His cases were picked up by the Suffolk County Veterans Treatment Court, which specializes in helping veterans overcome drug and alcohol addiction through rehabilitation courses and mental health treatment so veterans can avoid jail time. The programs are court monitored and veterans must complete them to have charges waived or sentences reduced.

Yes, itll help out your legal situation, but its also a chance to work on yourself, whatever that underlying issue that brought you into the legal system to begin with, Pryer said. Its really a blessing that the court picked me up.

Suffolk Countys program began 15 years ago, following the establishment of the nations first veterans treatment court in Buffalo, New York in 2008. Almost 20 years later, about 750 treatment courts are running in 49 states, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Pryer never realized such a program existed when he started struggling with legal woes.

I had to learn the hard way, he said.

No Ordinary Judge

After the Buffalo treatment court was off and running, Judge John Toomey, a Vietnam War veteran, had the itch to start a similar program on Long Island. With help from the local VA health care facility, the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office, and the Green Jackets, a dedicated group of veteran volunteers, the Suffolk County Veterans Treatment Court was born.

Because the program was in its infancy, it didnt have many rules or regulations. No problem. It simply allowed Toomey and his team to develop their own guidelines. The judge, with two Bronze Stars to his credit, took an alternative approach. He went to court proceedings sans robe, familiarized himself with the names of each veteran defendant, and discussed homelife with veterans families. And he provided his phone number to call if they needed him.

You had to put your trust that this is going to work out, and that this (person) is going to do the right thing, Toomey said.

For defendants, the treatment court was a breath of fresh air. It provided an incentive to improve their lives.

Otherwise, they could have gone through the regular court system, served a few months in jail, and gone right back to what they were doing before their arrest, Toomey said.

The court provides services for veterans charged with low-level crimes, from DWIs to misdemeanor and felony drug charges, criminal possession of weapons, and robbery.

They made the decision they want to turn their lives around, Toomey said. Theyre sick of whats going on. It gives you an advantage in helping them.

How It Works

The local DAs office has a screening process to determine eligible veterans for the program. Comprised of a group of prosecutors with past military service or those with a strong knowledge of veterans issues, attorneys review the veterans criminal past, while factoring in combat experience and additional factors to determine if theyre qualified for treatment.

After a veteran is enrolled in the court, they can take part in rehab courses designed for their personal needs, which often include substance use counseling and mental health treatment from a VA therapist. In addition, veterans are mandated to appear in court frequently for judges to examine the progress theyve made in the program.

Joshua Lowery smiles at the crowd during the first Veterans Treatment Court graduation ceremony at a program in Idaho. (Kaye Thornbrugh, Press).

Toomey left the treatment court in 2018, passing on leadership to Judge Pierce F. Cohalan, an Army reservist who, like Toomey, ditches the robe behind the bench. Cohalan also likes to keep court hearings loose and personal, often asking defendants what he can do to assist them.

Cohalan believes recovery is a slow, steady process, and he knows the veterans arent perfect. If a participant has a misstep or relapses, theyre not dismissed from the program. Pryer received a second chance after entering the treatment court in 2019 following his first brush with the law and, after his 2022 weapons violation, came back to the treatment court. He completed the court and was sentenced to three years probation last April, a Suffolk County court spokesperson said.

A number of participants misstep, Cohalan said. Were here to catch them or to pick them up, and to keep them moving forward.

Green Jackets Answer the Call

Despite the helping hand, for veterans struggling with mental health and addiction issues, attending regular court hearings, going to therapy, and meeting with lawyers can be daunting.

Enter the Green Jackets.

Theyre a group of mainly Vietnam veterans who volunteer as mentors to keep defendants on track. Decked out in Kelly Green bomber jackets, group members are often spotted loyally attending hearings in the back of the courtroom.

One of the volunteers, Grace Mehl, told CNN.com that defendants can bond with the Green Jackets because theyve faced some of the same challenging experiences. A level of trust is born.

The more they can talk to us about their issues, the more they get it off their chest, the more they can start to see answers, Mehl said.

The Green Jackets helped Melissa, who declined to use her last name for the story. She was very skeptical of the drug treatment court, but finally realized it was the best path to resurrecting her tattered life.

When she first came, she was a piece of work. She was just all over the place, Mehl said.

In 2023, Melissas life was spiraling out of control. She had a protection order filed against her, was monitored through an ankle bracelet, and was abusing drugs. Her own family turned their backs on her.

My life was completely just a disaster, Melissa said.

The final straw came when Melissa, a Navy veteran, violated the protection order. Left with limited choices, she reluctantly accepted drug court treatment but had no intention of warming up to counselors. However, Mehl and other Green Jackets slowly acclimated her to the program, and the walls eventually came down. She began a healthy path toward recovery.

They just directed me toward where I was supposed to be. And step by step, they opened doors for me, she said.

Melissa celebrated two years of sobriety in November and even reconciled with her estranged mother.

Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Dennis J. Adkins hands a certificate to Navy veteran Patrick Radachi, one of the five Veterans Treatment Court graduates (with others seated in the foreground). (Photo courtesy of Dayton Daily News)

Camaraderie Key to Success

Keeping with military tradition, Suffolk County treatment court volunteers know trust is earned through having another veterans back.

Cohalan said the court carries an impressive 90 percent success rate for the hundreds of veterans whove graduated.

For Frank DAversa, a founding Green Jackets member, the program is his way of righting a wrong. He painfully recalls being shunned by World War II and Korean War veterans when he came home from Vietnam. He vowed not to let that happen to the next generation of veterans.

Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another, DAversa said.

DAversa helped mentor Pryer and was honored to invite the former Marine and NYPD cop into the Green Jackets. Pryer, 18 months sober and counting, feels the ability to mentor other struggling veterans is his way of paying the treatment court back for pulling him through one of the darkest periods of his life.

I am honored to do it today, he said.
What Made Public Means in This Context

Public knowledge about CIA activity tends to arrive through three channels. First, official confirmation by U.S. leaders or agencies. Second, contemporaneous reporting that attributes information to named officials or clearly described sources. Third, declassification, usually years later, through CIA and National Archives releases. The record on Venezuela now includes all three, which makes it possible to discuss recent CIA involvement without guesswork.

The Most Recent Disclosures: 2025 Authorization and a Reported CIA Strike

The clearest recent public disclosure is that President Donald Trump confirmed he authorized covert CIA operations inside Venezuela. The Associated Press reported confirmation in October 2025, including Trumps statements that he approved covert action and was weighing broader options.

That matters because covert action has a specific legal meaning. It is not ordinary intelligence collection. It refers to activities intended to influence political, military, or economic conditions abroad while keeping U.S. involvement from being apparent.

In late December 2025, AP reported a CIA drone strike on a Venezuelan dock that Trump described as a drug-loading facility. It was the first known direct CIA strike on Venezuelan soil during the recent escalation. Choosing the CIA rather than the uniformed military can change oversight dynamics in practice.

By early January 2026, the escalation broadened. U.S. forces captured Nicolas Maduro and planned to prosecute him, describing strikes in Caracas and Maduros removal from Venezuela.

These recent disclosures share a theme. The public record supports the existence of authorized covert action and at least one reported CIA strike, but it still leaves major operational details undisclosed.

A Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter departs the USS Thomas Hudner during flight operations in the Caribbean Sea, Dec. 27, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean to support the U.S. Southern Command mission, War Department-directed operations and President Donald J. Trump's priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland (Navy, DoW).

What the United States Says the Target Is: Drugs and Narco-Terrorism

A parallel public track has been criminal enforcement. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against Maduro and other Venezuelan officials for narco-terrorism and related offenses. Whatever one thinks of the merits, the charging documents and DOJ announcement are unambiguous about the U.S. theory: that Venezuelan leadership participated in narcotics trafficking conspiracies tied to armed groups.

This matters for understanding the messaging around CIA activity. In public statements and reporting, U.S. officials have frequently framed intelligence and kinetic actions as counternarcotics measures rather than regime change. Whether that framing is persuasive is separate from whether it is the publicly stated rationale.

Older Venezuela Records: Intelligence Attention Long Predates Maduro

Long before Chavez or Maduro, the CIA produced assessments on Venezuelas stability and leadership dynamics. The CIAs own Reading Room includes analytic products about Venezuelas political trajectory.

Those documents are not proof of covert action. They illustrate something more basic: Venezuela has been on the U.S. intelligence map for decades. That baseline helps explain why, when modern crises hit, U.S. leaders already have deep institutional familiarity and mature collection priorities.

Declassified Comparators: What Classic CIA Covert Campaigns Look Like on Paper

If you want to compare todays Venezuela disclosures to older campaigns that are now declassified, Guatemala and Chile offer especially clear baselines because the CIA and the National Archives have released large documentary sets.

For Guatemala, the CIA hosts a major declassified collection on the 1954 coup period. The agency also released narrative and training materials associated with Operation PBSUCCESS, which supported the removal of Jacobo Arbenz. The National Security Archive has also published declassified materials on assassination proposals linked to that period, which show the kinds of documents covert action programs can generate.

For Chile, the CIA Reading Room includes documents explicitly describing covert action programs, including materials titled in a way that leaves little doubt about the nature of the activity. The National Archives declassified materials also describe covert action methods and scope in Chile during 19631973.

These older campaigns have two features that stand out when compared to what is publicly known about Venezuela today. First, they contain granular operational detail: propaganda placement, political action funding, and relationships with local actors. Second, they show the bureaucratic footprint of covert action at scale, including internal memoranda and program descriptions that become public years later.

How Venezuelas Public Record Compares to Guatemala and Chile

By comparison, Venezuelas most recent public record is still relatively narrow. The public can now point to a president confirming covert action authority and to reporting on at least one CIA strike in Venezuela.

What the public cannot yet point to is a declassified documentary record akin to Guatemalas or Chiles that lays out program architecture, funding mechanisms, influence channels, and operational directives in detail. That gap does not prove absence. It simply reflects the normal time lag: detailed covert action records, if they exist, typically become available through declassification years later, not in real time.

There is also a practical distinction in how modern administrations structure operations. Even if the objective is influence, todays toolkit often blends sanctions enforcement, maritime interdiction, criminal indictments, and intelligence support in ways that do not resemble mid-century coup playbooks. The Venezuelan public record leans heavily into counternarcotics narratives and prosecution pathways, which is why the DOJ indictment remains a central publicly documented component of the U.S. posture.

What to Watch For Next

If history is a guide, the most informative Venezuela record may not appear through breaking news disclosures. It may appear later through declassification, IG reporting, or congressional documentation, much like the Chile and Guatemala files that now anchor historical debate.

In the meantime, the safest, evidence-based claim is limited but significant: the United States has publicly confirmed CIA covert action authority in Venezuela, and credible reporting attributes at least one strike on Venezuelan soil to the CIA, with broader military action and a reported Maduro capture unfolding in early January 2026.
News / Local

by Stephen Jakes

BULAWAYO - A 25yearold man from Magwegwe has appeared in the Bulawayo Regional Court facing charges of unlawful possession of crystal methamphetamine, one of Zimbabwes most dangerous narcotics.

Qhubekani Brendon Ndlovu stood before magistrate Beverly Madzikatire charged under Section 157(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23].He pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody to 16 January for trial.According to the State, a police detective received a tipoff on 29 December at around 2.30 PM alleging that Ndlovu was in possession of illegal substances at Egodini Bus Terminus.Officers located Ndlovu seated at a vending stall and conducted a search, reportedly discovering one sachet of crystal meth in his trouser pocket.He was arrested on the spot.The seized substance carries an estimated street value of ZWG150.
What the Pentagon Actually Awarded Boeing

On December 29, 2025, the U.S. government awarded Boeing a contract with a ceiling of $8,577,700,000 for what the Pentagon describes as the F-15 Israel Program. The contract covers the design, integration, instrumentation, test, production, and delivery of 25 new F-15IA aircraft for the Israeli Air Force, with an option for an additional 25 aircraft.

The public contract notice specifies that the work will occur in St. Louis, Missouri, and performance is scheduled to run through December 31, 2035. The same notice identifies the award as a hybrid contract combining cost-plus-fixed-fee, fixed-price incentive, and firm-fixed-price elements, with approximately $840 million in Foreign Military Sales funds obligated at the time of award.

This matters because the headline figure is easy to misunderstand.

The $8.58 billion is not a single check the U.S. Treasury writes to Boeing for Israel. It is the maximum value of a U.S.-managed procurement contract that covers the aircraft and the associated work the U.S. government includes in a Foreign Military Sales case, such as integration, testing, and long-lead production.

What Foreign Military Sales Means

This purchase is structured as a Foreign Military Sale, or FMS. In plain English, FMS is the U.S. governments government-to-government system for selling U.S. defense articles and services to partner nations. Under FMS, the U.S. government uses its own acquisition system to procure items on a partners behalf, rather than the partner contracting directly with a defense company.

That structure is why the Pentagon, not Israel, signs the contract with Boeing and pays Boeing as the work proceeds. Israel is still the buyer in the real-world sense because Israel pays the U.S. government through the FMS case. The U.S. government then pays the contractor under the Pentagon-run contract.

Who Will Pay for the Jets

Israel pays the United States under the FMS case, but the key detail is where Israel gets much of the purchasing power. Israel typically finances major U.S. weapons purchases using Foreign Military Financing, or FMF, which is taxpayer-funded security assistance Congress appropriates and the executive branch administers. The U.S. government publicly states that, consistent with the current memorandum of understanding, it annually provides $3.3 billion in FMF and additional funding for cooperative missile defense programs.

In other words, Israel commonly pays the U.S. government for these FMS purchases using U.S.-provided grant assistance. That is why it is accurate to say, in plain English, that Israel pays for the jets with American money: Congress appropriates the funds, the U.S. provides FMF to Israel, Israel uses that FMF to pay the U.S. government through the FMS system, and the U.S. government pays Boeing under the contract. The Pentagons contract announcement reinforces that structure by identifying the obligated funds as Foreign Military Sales funds.

U.S. and Israeli color guard members present their national and service flags during a closing ceremony at Hatzor Air Force Base, Israel. Photo by Spc. Briauna Zeigler, 21st TSC. Source: DVIDS

The recurring FMF baseline is not informal. The U.S. government publicly described the 10-year framework as $38 billion (including $33 billion in FMF) disbursed in equal increments of $3.8 billion per year, plus separate missile-defense funding, in the fact sheet on the memorandum of understanding. Congressional reporting summarizes the same framework and emphasizes it operates subject to congressional appropriations, including in the CRS Israel relations report and the broader CRS product page for Israel aid.

Israel can add its own national funds if needed, and FMS can be financed by national funds or U.S. funds. The dominant point for U.S. readers remains that the main financing pipeline for purchases of this scale is U.S. taxpayer appropriations routed through FMF.

Why Numbers Can Look Inconsistent

You may see lower figures cited elsewhere for Israels aircraft purchase, while the Pentagon contract ceiling sits at $8.58 billion. Those figures do not necessarily conflict because an FMS case and its associated contract vehicle often cover more than just the airframes. A Pentagon-run procurement can include integration, testing, support, training, and other elements that the U.S. government folds into the overall package it administers, consistent with how FMS is described in the FMS FAQ. The ceiling is the maximum contract value of the U.S.-managed vehicle, not a guarantee of the final total spent.

What to Watch

The contract includes an option for up to 25 additional aircraft, but an option is not automatic. Whether that option is exercised will turn on Israeli force-structure decisions, available financing, and, on the U.S. side, the continued congressional appropriations that sustain the annual FMF baseline.

Strip away the acronyms, and the structure is straightforward. Boeing is paid by the U.S. government under a Pentagon contract. Israel buys the aircraft through a U.S.-run Foreign Military Sales case. Israel typically pays for purchases like this using U.S. taxpayer-funded Foreign Military Financing approved by Congress.
The Braves signed DaShawn Keirsey Jr. to a minor league contract in December, according to the outfielders MLB.com profile page. Keirsey became a free agent after the Twins designated him for assignment and then non-tendered him in November.

After making his MLB debut in the form of six games with Minnesota in 2024, Keirsey got a longer look in the Show last year, appearing in 74 games. This still translated to only 88 plate appearances, as Keirsey was used almost exclusively as a late-game defensive substitute, or as a pinch-runner or pinch-hitter. Keirsey hit only .107/.138/.179 with two home runs over his 88 PA, and he stole 10 bases in 13 attempts.

The 28-year-old Keirsey has shown a lot more at the plate in the minors, including a .284/.363/.448 slash line, 19 homers, and 51 steals (in 58 attempts) over 186 games and 818 PA at the Triple-A level. Keirsey has also backed up this offense and speed with his ability to play all three outfield spots, with much of his minor league work coming in center field. Mitigating this skillset is the fact that Keirsey has been prone to strikeouts, and at age 28, he would be a late bloomer if he did emerge as a quality contributor to a big league roster.

A fourth-round pick for Minnesota in the 2018 draft, Keirsey will now change teams for the first time in his career and look to compete for a backup role on Atlantas Opening Day roster. Theres no downside for the Braves in taking a flier on Keirsey, even if the club is becoming increasingly deep in outfield options. Besides the regulars like Ronald Acuna Jr., Michael Harris II, Jurickson Profar, and the newly-signed Mike Yastrzemski, the Braves also have Eli White and utilityman Mauricio Dubon lined up for bench duty, and Ben Gamel and Brewer Hicklen will also be in camp on minors deals.
The Orioles have claimed outfielder Jhonkensy Noel from the Guardians, according to announcements from both clubs. Noel was designated for assignment last month. To open a spot for Noel, the Os designated right-hander George Soriano for assignment.

Noel, 24, changes organizations for the first time. The Guards signed him as an international amateur back in 2017 and he has been part of that system until today. Over the past two years, he has shown some big power ability but also a poor approach. In 351 big league plate appearances, he has 19 home runs but his 4.8% walk rate and 32.8% strikeout rate are both awful figures. Thats led to a lopsided .193/.242/.401 slash line thus far.

He exhausted his final option season in 2025, which pushed him off Clevelands roster. He was designated for assignment December 17th when Cleveland acquired Justin Bruihl from the Blue Jays. DFA limbo is normally capped at one week but there are clearly different rules around the holidays, as Big Christmas just spent close to three weeks in that liminal space.

The Os have grabbed him today, though Noel wont have a great path to playing time. Baltimore has a fairly crowded group for their outfield corners, as well as the first base and designated hitter spots. Pete Alonso should be the regular at first, with Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle also in the mix there. Those guys could spill over into the DH slot, though the Os might also want at-bats for their catching tandem of Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo. The outfield group includes Colton Cowser, Taylor Ward, Tyler ONeill, Dylan Beavers, Leody Taveras, Heston Kjerstad and others.

Alonso, Mayo, Mountcastle, Ward and ONeill are all right-handed power bats. The same is true of Noel, though he has a lesser track record of major league success than everyone in that group. The Os tend to be very aggressive at claiming players off waivers and then putting them back on the wire later, hoping to keep them as non-roster depth. Its possible that is the plan here, as Noel currently faces a steep path to a big league role.

His numbers in the minors are more encouraging than his major league work. Over the past two years, he has stepped to the plate 536 times at the Triple-A level with 30 home runs. His 7.5% walk rate and 23.7% strikeout rate were still not amazing but much better than his big league work. His .285/.349/.538 line in that sample translates to a 130 wRC+.

Being out of options will make it challenging for him to carve out a lengthy amount of big league playing time. But if he gets a chance and runs with it, he can be affordably controlled for years to come. His service time clock is at one year and 29 days, meaning he is still five years from free agency and two years from qualifying for arbitration.

Soriano, 27 in March, has never pitched for Baltimore. He spent his entire career with the Marlins until the Orioles grabbed him off waivers in early November. Over the past three years, he tossed 118 innings for Miami, allowing 5.95 earned runs per nine. He struck out 22% of batters faced and gave out walks at a 10.3% clip.

Like Noel, Soriano exhausted his final option season in 2025 and got pushed to the waiver wire. As mentioned, the Os like to make claims and then try to pass guys through waivers later to keep them as non-roster depth. Soriano flashed some intriguing potential in Triple-A last year, tossing 42 2/3 innings with a 2.32 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, 8.8% walk rate and 55.7% ground ball rate.

His service time clock is at 1.095, so he also has years of potential cheap control. That could entice another club to acquire him but the Os would surely be happy if they can get him through waivers and hang onto him in a non-roster capacity.

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images
DETROIT - Just days before one of the biggest auto shows in the country, a new off-road attraction has been announced.

The Detroit Auto Show will debut Michigan Overland Adventure at the 2026 event taking place at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit from January 14 - 25.

The show opens to the public on the 17th with the Charity Preview event taking place on Friday the 16th.

The new immersive attraction will take place on the main floor featuring custom-built trucks, off-road SUVs, adventure-ready rigs, and expedition equipment built for exploration.

Vehicles from Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Jeep, Ram, Toyota, INEOS, Subaru, and AEV (American Expedition Vehicles) will be featured in the space.

The exhibit will spotlight how todays vehicles are engineered to handle remote terrain, extended travel, and life outdoors.

Across the industry, were seeing a real shift toward vehicles that are built for more than just getting from point A to point B, said Todd Szott, 2026 Detroit Auto Show Chair. Michigan Overland Adventure taps directly into that momentum. It reflects how automakersespecially those with deep roots here in Detroitare responding to consumer demand for capability, authenticity, and vehicles that can take people further, whether thats up north, off the grid, or off the beaten path.

The exhibit will feature rooftop tents, off-road trailers, recovery equipment, and expedition gear, offering an in-depth look at the tools and technology that support modern adventure travel and the growing overland lifestyle.

The 2026 Detroit Auto Show has received commitments from 41 vehicle brands, including Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ferrari, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover Lincoln, Mercedes, Mini, Polestar, Ram, Subaru, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

There will also be an area featuring some of the worlds most luxurious brands, like Ariel, Bentley, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, McLaren, Morgan, Pagani, Pininfarina, Porsche, and Rolls-Royce.

Also returning for 2026 will be Racing Day, in partnership with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, which will feature a vehicle demo track, hands-on experiences and sessions with IndyCar drivers during the public days.

Hundreds of thousands of people attended the 2025 Detroit Auto Show, which had an economic impact of up to $370 million.
While winter recreation on frozen lakes is popular in Michigan, ice is never considered safe, officials say.

No ice is ever considered safe, Conservation Officer David Miller, of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, says in the DNRs ice safety video. There is no reliable inch-thickness to determine whether or not ice is safe.

Five people have already drowned this winter in Michigan after fall through ice, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

However, some ice can easily be determined to be more or less safe.

Ice shards frozen under the surface of the ice on Round Lake in Delta County, Mich. on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. Joel Bissell | MLive.com

The strongest ice will appear clear with a bluish tint, according to the DNR. Weak ice is formed by melted and refrozen snow; it appears milky. In addition, ice thickness and quality can be tested using a spud, needle bar or auger.

Ice covered by snow or slush should always be considered unsafe, according to the DNR.

While warm spells and melting are often thought of as weakening ice, it can take several days for that to happen, according to the DNR. Meanwhile, a sudden cold front can create cracks within half a day. Plus, ice weakens with age.

RELATED: No ice is safe ice. First responders urge caution after 2 deaths in Northern Michigan

An ice fisherman pulls a sled with his gear across a frozen Muskegon Lake in Muskegon, Mich. on Thursday, January 23, 2025. Joel Bissell | MLive.com

Here are a few other things to watch out for:

Take extra caution if theres ice on the lake but water around the shoreline.

Strong currents make ice more like to give to open water.

Avoid areas of ice with protruding debris like logs or brush.

Ice near dock bubblers and de-icers will be unsafe.

Stay off Great Lakes shelf ice.

Those venturing onto a frozen lake should bring a spud and/or auger, lifejacket, ice picks or claws, a two-way communication device that has a signal. Someone outside the group should be informed of travel plans.

The U.S. Coast Guard recommends always traveling in pairs - never alone - on ice.

The DNR also provides tips in the case of falling through ice:

Remain calm.

Leave winter clothing on; it will provide warmth even in the water.

Turn toward the direction you came from, this is most likely the strongest ice.

If you have ice picks, dig the points of the picks into the ice while vigorously kicking your feet to pull yourself onto the surface by sliding forward on the ice.

Roll away from the area of weak ice. Rolling distributes weight to help avoid breaking through again.

Get to shelter and remove wet clothing, redressing in warm, dry clothing. Consume warm, non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverages as soon as possible.

Call 911 and seek medical attention for disorientation, uncontrollable shivering or other ill effects that may be symptoms of hypothermia, which is a life-threatening condition.

Find more DNR ice safety tips here.

The USCGs Think Twice with Ice brochure includes many of the same tips. It also has an ice plan that can be filled out and left with a trusted individual.
ANN ARBOR, MI  A handful of employment lawsuits have been lodged at Ann Arbor Public Schools within the last three years.

Two complaints involved allegations that dismissals were retaliatory in connection to medical leave, and another two claimed they were discriminated against because of race or age.

Additionally, two lawsuits came in the wake of the districts 2024 budget cuts to address a $25 million fiscal shortfall.

After a few were settled or tossed out last year, though, three others are still making their way through local and federal courts.

AAPS officials do not comment on litigation.

Here is a breakdown of what those allegations entailed and where each lawsuit stands.

Former principals family medical leave claim headed for an appeal

Former Ann Arbor principal Alison Epler alleged in a federal complaint, filed in August 2024, that she was illegally discriminated and retaliated against over several years after she took time off to care for her disabled spouse.

The district later sought to dismiss the case, which cited two absences from Epler under the Family Medical Leave Act and claimed she was thereafter denied several administrative positions. Epler was no longer employed with the district.

A judge in U.S. District Court ruled in favor of AAPS in 2025, dismissing several counts against the district.

The case itself was dismissed Oct. 14 before Epler moved to challenge the lower courts ruling last November in the court of appeals Eastern District of Michigan.

Nick Roumel, attorney for Epler, confirmed the challenge is assigned to the courts mediation office. He expected the usual timeline for briefs and oral arguments, he said, with a decision being about a year from the date of appeal.

He didnt comment further on Eplers federal case. One other employment complaint against AAPS, however, whos a client of Roumels, still awaits action in Washtenaw County Circuit Court.

Local retaliation complaint awaits settlement, trial dates

Longtime teacher Sarah Boehm, who was hired to lead the English language learner program at Huron High School in in 2023, alleged in the local case that school administrators poorly reviewed her, pressured her to resign and ultimately laid her off in retaliation.

She alleged the district retaliated against her for raising concerns in spring 2024 about noisy conditions that disrupted a state testing session with ELL students.

The layoff notification came in June that year, as AAPS grappled with cuts to address its $25 million budget crisis coming out of the 2023-24 school year.

However, the lawsuit, filed in July 2024, claimed that the layoff was not economically motivated, but targeted at Boehm specifically to terminate her employment, violating a statute protecting whistleblowers.

In an answer filed in May last year, AAPS widely denied the allegations about the intention behind Boehms initial dismissal, adding she was later notified in August before the 2024-25 school year that she would be recalled  as many laid off teachers were at the time  and was later employed at an Ann Arbor middle school.

As of the end of 2025, Boehm was no longer listed in the AAPS staff directory.

Her lawsuit has a settlement conference scheduled for March 5 and tentative trial date of March 16, according to the court docket as of Friday, Jan. 2.

When asked, Roumel said he anticipated AAPS to file a motion to dismiss by early February.

Teachers personal medical leave lawsuit settled

Another Ann Arbor educator also lodged employment allegations against the district after she was laid off in 2024.

Former longtime AAPS English teacher Amy Perry, originally hired in 1998, claimed she was unlawfully dismissed after twice taking protected medical leave in a federal lawsuit.

Perry reportedly worked at Ann Arbors Pioneer High School for roughly two decades before moving to Huron High School. Her leave in the spring semester of 2021-22 was related to seeking treatment for the eye condition Meibomian Gland Dysfunction and again a year later after she broke her femur and fractured a vertebra during a fall, requiring surgery.

At the time, Perrys camp alleged shed been targeted with a minimally effective performance review as retribution for taking leave. She ultimately was among the teachers who were laid off but not later recalled.

The district broadly denied claims in Perrys complaint. The case was dismissed in July 2025 a month after its final settlement conference in U.S. District Court.

Perrys attorney Noah Horwitz confirmed the case was settled on Friday, Jan. 2, but did not specify its terms.

Music educator resolves age discrimination case, still works with AAPS

Another complaint filed in September 2023 that accused AAPS of age discrimination in U.S. District Court.

Melissa Carpenter, who began working as a music teacher with Ann Arbor in 2000, first claimed she received a dramatically different schedule, was stretched thin across multiple schools over a few years and saw her pay significantly reduced when she returned in 2020-21 after taking a two-year leave of absence.

The federal lawsuit alleged AAPS violated state and federal age protections surrounding disparate treatment and that specific work assignments that required heavy travel between schools were routinely given to older educators over age 50 or 60, while single-school assignments went to younger, less qualified applicants.

Carpenter, was 46 when the issue allegedly first began, claimed she was assigned to six or seven schools at different points.

AAPS initially asked the court for a summary judgment against her claims in 2024 and denied allegations that its assignment practices were impacted by age.

According to transcripts at a June motion hearing last year, Judge Matthew Leitman ruled in favor of the district over several allegations but denied the motion regarding Carpenters scheduling claim.

Although he questioned how much pretext there was to support whether assignments were discriminatory, Leitman said, I think, objectively, a reasonable juror could say that this assignment (at multiple schools) is substantially more onerous than the others.

Carpenters case remained open on the federal court docket, though a settlement conference was listed for last July. Her attorney David Nacht said they considered the issue resolved last year.

Unlike other plaintiffs in cases against Ann Arbor Public Schools, Carpenter was still listed in the districts staff directory, working at Lawton and King elementary schools and Clague Middle School.

Nacht confirmed, She remains employed by district, providing no further comment.

Former English teacher alleges racial discrimination

Former AAPS English teacher Hosea Williams filed a federal complaint Aug. 20 last year, claiming he was pressured to resign, that the district failed to promote him, and that he was subject to unequal terms and conditions of his employment because hes Black.

He was placed on leave in spring 2024 for vague, arbitrary and unsubstantiated allegations of unprofessional conduct.

According to court documents, including a motion to dismiss from the district Dec. 8, Williams was placed in administrative leave after reportedly engaging in a conversation April 8 with a ninth grade English class that made students feel uncomfortable.

It was not detailed, however, what content explicitly contributed to the launch of an investigation before Williams returned to work later that month. At the time, the district initiated a corrective action notice and suspended Williams for three more days.

In his complaint, the educator claimed he encountered a toxic work environment that eventually led him to resign.

Originally hired in 2020, he was working at Pioneer High School during the 2023-24 school year when he allegedly noticed a larger than usual numbers of general education and special needs students in some classes, which had 30 or more students, leading to a drastic increase in behavioral problems, classroom disruptions, and IEP requirements.

The workload was not shared by colleagues, Williams said, and some additional resources and support he reportedly requested did not come.

When he initially returned to work for the 2024-25 school year, Williams said the final straw came when he was formally reassigned to Forsythe Middle School, which he viewed as a demotion.

Before AAPS looked to lay off staff and make other budget cuts that spring, Williams expected to receive a step up on the districts teacher pay scale. In early 2025, all teachers were subject to a 1.5% pay increase after he was gone.

All the circumstances, when taken together, provide sufficient support for his fear of imminent termination, given a lack of institutional support, he wrote in his complaint.

Williams is seeking over $84,300 in lost wages for the 2024-25 school year and $127,648 in damages after allegedly encountering trouble receiving unemployment benefits and applying for other jobs.

The district denied Williams allegations, adding he failed to exhaust administrative remedies with the district before choosing to leave. His original conduct issue that implicated students safety and wellbeing last April also allegedly preceded an email four days later to staff that made them uncomfortable.

Williams had no listed attorney and declined to comment.
LIVINGSTON COUNTY, MI - A former Oakland County Sheriffs deputy is facing up to two years in prison after pleading no contest to filming a family member in a sexual way.

Joseph Pierre Fortier pleaded no contest to one count each of surveilling an unclothed person and installing an eavesdropping device during a Dec. 12 hearing before Livingston County Circuit Court Judge Matthew McGivney, according to court records.

His other two charges of surveilling an unclothed person were dismissed by prosecutors, court records indicate. He currently faces up to two years in prison.

The former deputy was charged after a family member filed a complaint with Michigan State Police in November 2023 alleging cameras were filming without their knowledge, according to Lt. Rene Gonzalez, Michigan State Police spokesperson. The incident occurred in Livingston Countys Oceola Township, east of Howell, police said.

The recordings were of a sexual nature, Gonzalez wrote in an email.

Fortier was employed by the Oakland County Sheriffs Office from August 2014 to March 2024, according to information obtained by a Michigan Freedom of Information Act Request.

Charges were authorized March 4, 2024, according to court records. Fortiers employment ended March 6. At the time, he was a sergeant, according to documents from the sheriffs office.

Fortier was given a personal recognizance bond.

He was sent to trial in December 2024 after a preliminary examination.
Related: New Ann Arbor condos used as Michigan football crash pads, second homes for rich

ANN ARBOR, MI  Just how much does it cost to buy a modern condo in downtown Ann Arbor?

MLive/The Ann Arbor News reviewed sales records for 10 downtown-area condo developments built in the last decade, finding prices can range from under $600 per square foot to over $800 per square foot depending on the unit and location.

Heres a quick glance at the market.

The Gallery

The living room of a condominium at The Gallery, 441 S. Ashley St. in Ann Arbor. MLive file photo. Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com

Since the five-story building at 441 S. Ashley St. opened in 2022, the 19 condos have sold for anywhere from $514,000 for a lower-level unit to nearly $2 million for the penthouse. The average sales price has been just over $800,000.

In 2025, a 1,482-square-foot unit on the second floor went for $975,000, up from $769,000 a few years earlier. A 1,340-square-foot unit on the third floor went for $815,000, up from $625,000 a few years earlier. And a 1,894-square-foot unit on the third floor went for $1.25 million, up from $950,000 a few years earlier.

The Garnet

One new condo left for sale is advertised at The Garnet, 325 E. Summit St., in Ann Arbor. MLive file photo. Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

The four- to five-story building just north of downtown at 325 E. Summit St. was completed a few years ago and the average sales price for the nine units has been over $1 million.

Eight of them, ranging from 1,124 to 3,324 square feet, sold for $628,000 to $2.6 million in 2023. One second-floor unit at 1,654 square feet went for $965,000 in 2024.

309 N. Ashley St.

A top-floor condominium at 309 N. Ashley St. in Ann Arbor. MLive file photo. Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com

All 17 units in the five-story building at Ashley Street and Miller Avenue sold for over $1 million between 2022 and 2024.

The cheapest one  a 1,945-square-foot unit on the third floor  went for just under $1.05 million in 2022.

The most expensive one  a 2,215-square-foot penthouse unit  went for nearly $1.6 million in 2022.

111-121 W. Kingsley St.

121 Kingsley West, 121 W. Kingsley St. in Ann Arbor. MLive file photo. Jacob Hamilton

Sales prices for the 19 condos at 111-121 W. Kingsley St. have ranged from $439,000 to nearly $1.6 million since the six-story development was completed nearly a decade ago. The average sales price has been over $860,000 over the last decade.

In 2025, a 1,491-square-foot unit on the fourth floor went for $1.1 million, up from $669,000 in 2016. Its now owned by a limited liability company with a mailing address at 50 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

Kingsley Parkside

Kingsley Parkside, 213 W. Kingsley St. in Ann Arbor. MLive file photo. Jacob Hamilton

The three condos in a five-story building completed in 2018 next to Ann Arbors fish sculpture park at 211-215 W. Kingsley St. last sold for $1 million to $1.25 million.

One unit measuring 1,385 square feet sold for $1.015 million in 2025, up from $779,834 in 2019.

410 N. First St.

410 N. First St. in Ann Arbor. MLive file photo. Jacob Hamilton

The 24 condos on the First Street side of the fish sculpture park have sold for as low as $399,900 for an 889-square-foot unit in 2018 to $1.4 million for a 2,233-square-foot unit in 2024. The average sales price since 2018 has been about $754,000.

In 2025, a few units traded hands in the five-story building, which includes a first-floor parking level. A 1,137-square-foot unit on the first residential level went for $655,000, up from $474,900 in 2018, while a 943-square-foot unit on the same floor went for $540,000, up from $489,900, and a 1,096-square-foot unit on the second residential level went for $630,000, up from $559,000.

Kingsley Condominiums

The living room inside a unit at Kingsley Condominiums, 218 W Kingsley St. in Ann Arbor. MLive file photo. Jacob Hamilton/MLive.com

The 50 condos at 214-218 W. Kingsley St.  counting a standalone unit next to the main building  have sold for anywhere from about $400,000 to $1.5 million since 2019. The average sales price has been nearly $750,000.

Several condos in the mostly five-story building traded hands in 2025, including four units on the second floor ranging from 1,130 to 1,834 square feet that went for $715,000 to $950,000. The cheaper one was up from $532,000 in 2019, while the most expensive one previously sold for $750,000.

A 1,094-square-foot unit on the third floor went for $685,020 in 2025, and two on the fourth floor went for $499,000 and $755,000, measuring 802 and 1,220 square feet.

414 N. Main St.

414 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor. MLive file photo. Jacob Hamilton

Prices for the 16 condos built a decade ago on the north side of downtown have ranged from $449,000 for a 1,257-square-foot unit in 2015 to $1.45 million for a 2,194-square-foot unit in 2023. The average sales price has been over $908,000.

In 2025, a 1,257-square-foot unit went for $850,000, $321,000 more than the same unit cost a decade earlier.

Main on the Park

Main on the Park condos in Ann Arbor. MLive file photo. Jenna Kieser

The four units overlooking North Main Park at 542-548 N. Main St.  each over 2,000 square feet  all originally sold for about $1 million in 2016.

Three have since traded hands  two going for about $1.6 million and $1.7 million in 2022, and one for $1.4 million 2023.

The Mark

The Mark, 318 W. Liberty St. in Ann Arbor. MLive file photo. Jacob Hamilton

The seven condos at 318 W. Liberty St. have sold for over $883,000 on average since 2016.

The two most recent ones to trade hands, both 1,315 square feet, went for $815,000 and $773,500 in 2023. Those prices were up from $550,000 and $575,000 six years earlier.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page.
GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- The Michigan Department of Transportation has awarded grants to repair and upgrade 32 railroad grade crossings statewide, including four in Genesee County.

MDOT said in a news release that the grants will fund work ranging from minor asphalt repairs to the installation of new track and surface materials.

In the county, grants were awarded to the Genesee County Road Commission and the city of Flint.

A GCRC spokeswoman said the crossings under its jurisdiction are on Carpenter Road, between I-475 and Dort Highway, and on Irish Road, between Court Street and Davison Road.

The city of Flint also received grants for crossings on Lippincott and Longway boulevards.

MDOT said the grants were issued through its annual Local Grade Crossing Surface Program.

MDOT is excited to award local road agencies these grants to improve railroad grade crossing surfaces, Peter Anastor, director of MDOTs Office of Rail, said in a statement from the agency. Transportation safety is a high priority for MDOT, and these projects will provide safe, smooth surfaces when completed."

The program offers 60% funding for eligible projects, with railroads responsible for the remaining 40% of costs, according to the MDOT release.

Repair work is performed by the railroad company and its contractors, with cooperation for detour routes provided by the local road agencies.
HOLLY, MI  A Holly resident rescued a snowmobiler who crashed through the ice of Bush Lake.

Wade Wines, 40, spent the morning of Sunday, Jan. 4, ice fishing on the frozen lake. Still wearing his gear that afternoon, Wines was cleaning off an ice rink for his son and daughter when he saw a snowmobile start fracturing the lakes frozen surface about 300 yards offshore.

Its rider revved the engine, but this caused the ice sheet he was on to project upward. The snowmobile flipped over and both it and its rider went into the water.

Wines ran to the new crater in the ice, dialing 911 as he did so. He neared the cavity and saw the snowmobiles rider surface and take his helmet off, he said.

The ice cracking under him, Wines managed to pass the waterlogged man his own ice-safety picks, which he used to stabilize himself on the ices edge.

Another neighbor came out of his house and handed Wines a length of rope. Wines tossed the rope into the water and the snowmobiler got it around his midsection. He gripped the rope as Wines single-handedly hauled him from the frigid waters.

The whole thing, Wines estimated, lasted three to four minutes. Holly police arrived on scene as Wines was pulling the waterlogged man to shore and secured a kayak to use as a rescue vehicle if needed.

A 36-year-old male snowmobiler sticks his head through a gap in the frozen surface of Bush Lake in Holly on Jan. 4, 2026. (Photo provided by Wade Wines) Cole Waterman

I was surprised with myself afterward, Wines said. After the adrenaline wore off, I kind of scared myself being out there. At the time, I was just thinking, I had to get him out. He was screaming for help, and I was just kind of in fight or flight mode.

Once safely ashore, the soaked and shivering snowmobiler was grateful to Wines, whom he didnt know beforehand.

He said, You saved my life. I remember that, Wines said. My kids came out and were super emotional about it.

Emergency responders took the 36-year-old snowmobiler to an area hospital for treatment. Wines, meanwhile, warmed up with a Busch Light, he said.

Hours later, the snowmobiler posted a message on a Holly community Facebook page.

I am alive and well shaken up and thanking God for another day on this Earth, he wrote. I dont know who the fellow is that came to my rescue very quick with a rope and set of ice spikes but because of you Im here to live another day.

The man wrote he sustained a couple of broken ribs and some facial bruising.

Later on Sunday, the Oakland County Sheriffs Search and Rescue Team removed the snowmobile from the lake bottom.

Holly police lauded Wines and other civilians for saving their distressed fellow man. They also said the incident is a reminder for citizens to be cautious when entering any frozen lake or waterway as no ice is safe ice.
News / National

by Staff reporter

A violent clash between two rival groups of illegal miners in Mazowe has left one man dead following a dispute over a sex worker.The incident occurred at Nduku Business Centre, where the confrontation escalated into a deadly fight involving knives and logs.Mashonaland Central police spokesperson Inspector Milton Mundembe confirmed the murder.According to police, the violence stemmed from a disagreement between Gift Machingaife and Terrence Langton over a sex worker. During the initial altercation, Langton allegedly stabbed Machingaife in the shoulder. Machingaife survived the injury.Police said Machingaife later mobilised a gang of illegal miners, led by Sam Kasinakuse, and launched a retaliatory attack on Langton's group.The two gangs reportedly engaged in a violent fight, during which John Banda was stabbed in the rib cage. He sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.Banda's body was taken to Concession Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examinations.Police investigations into the incident are ongoing.
BURTON, MI -- The Michigan Supreme Court will hear arguments later this month about a warrantless DNA test that linked a Flint man to a gruesome 2017 murder in Burton.

The states highest court announced it plans to hear oral arguments in the case of David H. Serges, who was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2020.

Serges case is one of seven that appear on the MSCs Jan. 21 court docket.

Attorneys have been asked to address whether the Flint man was unlawfully arrested, whether police violated his constitutional rights by having his clothing tested for DNA without a warrant, and whether his attorney gave him ineffective assistance by failing to file a motion to suppress the forensic evidence.

A Genesee County jury found Serges, now 60, guilty of the murder of 70-year-old Gail Anderson more than two years after Burton police found the victim deceased in her home on Clayward Drive, between Richfield and Weston roads.

A year earlier, a separate jury deadlocked on the same case, which ended in a mistrial.

Part of the evidence against Serges came from a small spot of blood on the pants he was wearing when police took him into custody on an unrelated charge -- blood that a laboratory test determined contained Andersons DNA.

According to the MSC news release announcing oral arguments in the case, the DNA testing was carried out without Serges consent and without a warrant.

Testimony at the trial noted Anderson suffered 11 separate blunt-force-trauma injuries to her head and face, causing a skull fracture, a broken vertebrae, and four separate brain bleeds, according to Flint Journal files.

Police and prosecutors have said Serges made money by working odd jobs around the Burton neighborhood where Anderson lived, and had done work previously for her.

They accused Serges of repeatedly hitting Anderson in the back of her head with a hammer, resulting in her death, which was ruled a homicide by the Genesee County Medical Examiners Office.

According to her obituary, Anderson was a member of St. Leos Catholic Church and Holy Rosary Catholic Church, and owned and operated Gails Clip & Curl and Gails Hair-styling for many years.

The Supreme Courts interest in the case comes after the state Court of Appeals affirmed Serges conviction in a published opinion in 2024.

The Court of Appeals held that Serges, due to his status as a jail inmate, did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in his clothing and was not denied the effective assistance of his attorney.

In an application for leave to appeal that decision, Maya Menlo of the State Appellate Defender Office said the decision in the Serges case gives police new license to seize presumptively innocent peoples belongings from the jail property room without a warrant and to conduct warrantless searches of those items, including through the use of forensic technology, for evidence of crimes unrelated to the crime of arrest.

Menlos court filing asks that Serges be granted a new trial.

The Genesee County Prosecutors Office has argued in court filings that Serges had no reasonable expectation of privacy when Andersons blood was found on the surface of his pants and that Burton police suspected Serges of murder as they investigated Andersons death.

Oral arguments in the seven cases on the MSCs Jan. 21 docket are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Michigan Hall of Justice in Lansing and will be livestreamed from the MSC website.
ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered U.S. and Michigan flags in the state to be flown at half-staff on Tuesday, Jan. 6, to honor Hamilton Fire Chief David Haverdink, who died in the line of duty.

Haverdink, 74, died on Christmas, two days after he was struck by a vehicle on M-40 near 136th Avenue in Hamilton while responding to an emergency medical call.

Whitmer ordered flags within the State Capitol Complex and all public buildings and grounds across the state to be flown at half-staff.

Chief Haverdink was a proud family man and dedicated public servant, Whitmer said in a statement.

Hamilton Fire Chief David Haverdink, a former Allegan County sheriff, died after he was struck by a vehicle on M-40 while responding to a medical call. (MLive File Photo) MLive File Photo

He was an example of the selflessness and dedication firefighters across Michigan demonstrate each and every day. Lets honor this fallen hero and keep his family and the entire Hamilton Fire Department in our thoughts.

Whitmer urged residents, businesses, schools, local governments and others to display flags at half-staff. Flags should be returned to full staff on Wednesday.

Haverdink served Hamilton Fire Department for 51 years, and was chief for over 40 years. He also served eight years as Allegan County sheriff beginning in 1993.

Funeral services are at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Central Wesleyan Church, 446 W. 40th St.

The funeral procession will exit the church to 146th Avenue, west to 60th Street, south to 136th Avenue and east to Riverside Cemetery on 47th Street.

Officials encouraged the public to line the route from the church to M-40 and 136th Avenue, reserving 136th Avenue from M-40 to 47th Street for the family and Hamilton Fire Department.

The Haverdink family will be in the lead fire apparatus.

A private graveside service will be at Riverside Cemetery for his family and Hamilton firefighters.
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI - Italian fast-food chain Fazolis is continuing to close locations in West Michigan amid financial struggles at its parent company.

These are four takeaways from the original article.

Jenison location is most recent closure

Fazolis closed its restaurant at 570 Baldwin St. in Jenison as of early December. The locations Facebook page is now listed as permanently closed, and a sign on the door directs customers to the nearest restaurant in Walker.

This is the second recent closure for the chain in the area, following the permanent shutdown of its Kalamazoo location in September.

Few West Michigan Fazolis remain

With the latest closures, only three Fazolis restaurants are left in West Michigan. According to the companys store finder, the remaining locations are in Walker, Battle Creek and Muskegon.

Parent company faces massive debt

The closures are happening as Fazolis parent company, FAT Brands, Inc., faces deepening financial problems. In November, lenders demanded the company immediately pay back nearly $1.3 billion in securitized debt.

Bankruptcy a potential outcome

According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, FAT Brands does not have the cash to pay the debt. The company warned that further action from its lenders could force it to reorganize through bankruptcy.
MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI  Consumers Energys largest-ever solar array is now up and running to ring in the new year.

The utility on Monday, Jan. 5, announced the start of operations for Muskegon Solar, a 1,900-acre solar farm at the Muskegon County Resource Recovery Center, the countys wastewater plant in Moorland Township.

The sprawling array can generate 250 megawatts of electricity  enough to power about 40,000 homes and businesses. It is Consumers Energys largest solar project to date, according to the utility.

Consumers Energy is building the electric grid of the future to serve Michigan homes and businesses, Sri Maddipati, Consumers Energys president of electric supply, said in a statement. Muskegon Solar provides an example of the reliable, cost-effective projects were creating to make sure we continue to meet our customers needs.

The solar arrays 550,000-plus panels are arranged in 5,200 rows that rotate to follow the suns path, generating energy from sunrise to sunset.

Construction on the approximately $350 million project began in April 2024. The project created more than 200 construction jobs.

This project is a testament to the skill and dedication of the local men and women building it, and were proud to partner with Consumers Energy on such a landmark project for the region, Chad Cotter, vice president at Burns & McDonnell, the projects general contractor, said in a statement.

In September, Muskegon Solar was awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy through its Renewables Ready Communities Awards program.

The project qualified for the state award because the program aims to accelerate the build-out of large-scale renewable energy projects such as wind, solar, and storage by providing these incentives for communities that permit and host the projects.

Consumers Energy has a stated goal of producing 8,000 megawatts of solar energy by 2040.

In 2020, about 11% of Consumers Energys energy came from renewable sources such as solar and wind. By 2040, the goal is to have renewables be the primary energy source at 63%.

Muskegon Countys 11,000-acre wastewater facility sprays partially treated wastewater on crops as part of the final treatment process. The facility primarily grows corn, soybeans and alfalfa.

Reserving the 1,900 acres, including 1,000 acres previously used for crops, for the solar farm will still leave the county with 4,000 acres on which to grow crops, officials have said.

Muskegon County entered a 28-year agreement to lease the property to Consumers Energy, with 2% annual increases. After the agreement ends, Consumers has the option to renew it for another 35 years.
BAY CITY, MI  A Bay City man who once saved a 10-year-old strangers life by donating his kidney to her is embarking on a mission to synergize 7,000 kidney donations in 2026 by spreading awareness of his story, his cause and his journey.

Brian Martindale, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization Kidneys for Kids, is calling on others to consider donating a kidney to a person in need of a transplant.

We stand at a crossroads, Martindale wrote in an open letter. In one direction lies the status quo: tens of thousands waiting, thousands dying, families devastated by preventable loss. In the other direction lies the possibility of something historica year when America collectively decided that 7,000 lives were worth 7,000 acts of courage and compassion.

This is not about setting an arbitrary record, the letter continues. It is about fundamentally changing the conversation around organ donation. It is about creating momentum that doesnt stop at 7,000, but continues to grow until no one dies waiting for a kidney. It is about proving that when we are called to our highest selves, we respond.

In 2013, Martindale donated a kidney to Jessica Schwerin, then a 10-year-old girl in Stage IV renal failure.

Hed read about her mothers desperate attempts to find a donor, standing on a Bay City street corner. Her mother held a handmade sign, asking strangers for help.

Unbeknownst to Martindale, the little girl lived just four blocks from his home. He didnt know they would be a perfect match, a one-in-100,000 chance.

And he didnt know the decision he made, to donate his kidney, would be the foundation for something much bigger.

I think about Jessica oftenabout the mother who stood on that corner with a homemade sign, about the improbable match that brought us together, about the twelve years of life and possibility that have unfolded since that surgery, Martindale wrote in his letter. I think about the fifteen other children Kidneys for Kids has helped save, about their futures stretching out before them, full of potential.

And I think about the thousands of people, children and adultswho are waiting right now. They are not statistics. They are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors. Each one has dreams deferred, plans suspended, futures uncertain. Each one is waiting for someone to say yes.

Martindale, who now serves as a peer mentor to kidney donors at the University of Michigan Transplant Center, has traveled the country spreading awareness of organ donation. But this year, hes looking to amp things up.

Martindale is calling for 7,000 living kidney donations in 2026something that has never been done before.

According to Martindale, more than 90,000 people wait for a kidney transplant each day in the U.S. Thirteen of them will die before the day ends.

In 2024, the U.S. saw approximately 6,500 living kidney donations, according to Martindale. That number dipped to approximately 5,800 in 2025.

Seven thousand living kidney donations in 2026 would represent an 8% increase over current rates. It would be the highest single-year total in American history. More significantly, Martindale said, it would signal a cultural transformation in how we understand our obligations to one another.

We have the opportunity to make history not through conflict or conquest, but through the simplest, most profound expression of our humanity: the willingness to help a stranger live, he said. This is my call to 7,000. This is my invitation to you. This is our moment to prove that empathy is not just a feeling, but a force powerful enough to save lives.

Will you answer?
A big fish has fetched a massive price at auction.

The Associated Press reported Monday that the massive 535-pound bluefin tuna sold for a record 510 million yen ($3.2 million) at Tokyos Toyosu fish market.

Kiyomura Corp. whose owner, Kiyoshi Kimura, runs the popular Sushi Zanmai chain, won the auction, breaking his previous purchase record of 334 million yen ($2.1 million) set in 2019.

The fish was caught in the tuna-rich waters off the coast of Oma in northern Japan, according to the Associated Press.

Its in part for good luck, Kimura said. But when I see a good-looking tuna, I cannot resist ... I havent sampled it yet, but its got to be delicious.

The tuna will be sliced up and distributed to its eateries nationwide where it will be sold at normal rates, according to Reuters.

Tuna is the most popular sushi meat worldwide because of its multiple prized cuts (akami, chutoro, otoro), versatility (nigiri, sashimi, rolls) and mild, clean flavor that pleases both beginners and purists.

In part due to its popularity, Pacific bluefin tuna was previously a threatened species, but its numbers are recovering after conservation efforts.
A customer has been arrested after she allegedly threw hot fry grease on McDonalds employees.

According to the Concordia Police Department in Kansas, the alleged assault occurred at a McDonalds at 1420 Lincoln Street at 3 p.n. on Sunday.

The woman, identified as Christina Messerschmidt of Wichita, is also accused of punching employees, police said.

She was arrested and transported to Cloud County Corrections on several charges including aggravated battery, two counts of battery, criminal damage to property and criminal trespass.

The incident comes a few days after an employee at a McDonalds in Ohio was hospitalized after she attempted to retrieve an earbud that had fallen into a fryer filled with hot grease.

She suffered severe burns to her hand.
2026 has begun in tragedy for the staff at a major North American zoo.

The Toronto Zoo announced on Jan. 2 that Kiko, a beloved 13-year-old male Masai giraffe, suffered fatal injuries after getting caught in an opening door while exploring an additional area of his behind-the-scenes habitat and panicking.

The injuries were sustained due to the unique anatomy of giraffes, the zoo said, which includes a delicate head supported by a six-foot neck capable of moving forward, backward, up, down and side to side.

This loss is impacting Kikos wildlife care team particularly hard, as shifting giraffes is a normal routine they have done thousands of times without incident, a statement said.

Over the last few months, our wildlife health and care team have also been providing Kiko with specialized care behind-the-scenes in the giraffe house to treat a hoof/foot injury, which meant tailoring his habitat and daily routine to give him the best chance for a full recovery.

Kiko has been sent to the University of Guelph for a full postmortem, and a thorough investigation has been initiated by the Zoos Health and Safety Services team even though this appears to be a very tragic and unfortunate incident.

We are committed to learning from this tragedy and sharing any findings with our broader community, and we are determined to learn from this tragedy to prevent anything like it from occurring again, the statement said.

Masai giraffes in the wild are under severe pressure due to poaching and habitat loss. Their numbers have dropped to just over 43,000 and in 2018, the Masai giraffe was listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) after their population declined by nearly 50% over 30 years.

Kiko came to Toronto from Greenville Zoo in South Carolina, where he was born in 2012. Together with a female giraffe named Mstari, Kiko by sired two calves, with a third due in early 2026.

While we mourn this significant loss, we are focused on supporting our team as well as Mstari as she is in the later stages of her pregnancy, the statement concluded.

We ask that you please keep our staff and volunteers in your thoughts during this incredibly difficult time and join us in remembering and honoring Kiko  a magnificent giraffe who touched so many hearts.
Editors note: This story has been updated to include comment from MiLEAP.

LANSING, MI - Michigan Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, has requested the states auditor general investigate a program funding early care and afterschool programs for low-income Michiganders.

The request by Nesbitt, who is also a candidate for Michigan governor, comes amid fresh attention to a series of major fraud cases being prosecuted by federal authorities in Minnesota.

Nesbitts request also comes the same day Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced he would not seek reelection for a third term, directly citing the fraud as a reason for dropping out.

Nesbitt said finding affordable child care is one of the biggest challenges facing families in Michigan.

We must ensure they arent being fleeced by criminals like the taxpayers have been in Minnesota, he said.

Michigans Child Development and Care (CDC) Program, housed within the states Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential (MiLEAP), provides childcare payment assistance - namely scholarships - to eligible low-income families.

On Friday, Jan. 2, Nesbitt sent a letter to Michigan Auditor General Doug Ringler requesting an official investigation into the program, which he said received over $540 million in taxpayer support this year.

We must make sure these taxpayer dollars are being spent to help Michigan families, not foreign scammers, Nesbitt said. We cannot afford to wait until the money is all gone to start asking questions.

In response, a MiLEAP spokesperson wrote that the department is focused on ensuring all families have access to safe, high-quality and affordable child care, and accountability and transparency are central to that work.

MiLEAPs child care programs are subject to regular oversight, including annual audits by the state and federal entities, and the department follows established procedures to identify, prevent and report any suspected fraud or misuse of funds to the Office of Inspector General, the emailed statement read. MiLEAP has zero tolerance policy for fraud and anyone trying to abuse the system. The department will take strong action against anyone who tries to abuse funds meant to support families.

In Minnesota, a series of major fraud cases dealing with government programs, now being prosecuted by federal authorities, have been the subject of investigation for several years now. The cases center around several meal distribution, housing assistance and autism services programs.

While the extent of the fraud is not yet certain, prosecutors have put the losses from one case dealing with a nutrition program Feeding Our Future at $300 million, with one prosecutor estimating that the total from all cases could exceed $1 billion. Federal charges have been levied against nearly 100 people in total, according to reporting by CBS News.

But while the investigations have been ongoing for several years, a viral social media video by YouTuber Nick Shirley brought fresh nationwide attention last month.

Shirley, whose video was amplified by tech billionaire Elon Musk and Vice President J.D. Vance and drew tens of millions of views, focused on allegations of fraud at daycares in Minneapolis.

Federal prosecutors have said that is less of a priority than looking into more than a dozen other social services programs like nutrition, housing and behavioral health, and state officials have reported several child care centers accused of fraud are operating as expected.

But President Donald Trumps administration has requested officials in Minnesota provide information about providers and parents who receive federal funds for childcare, and has focused attention on the states large Somali community, with most of fraud defendants of Somali descent. In the statement ending his reelection bid, Walz condemned that focus as disgusting and dangerous.

Trumps administration also announced it would pause federal funding to child care in Minnesota, which he called a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced changes to how all states must submit claims for Medicaid-supported daycares.

Michigans CDC program was recently audited, with a report covering an 18-month period released in November 2025.

From Oct. 1, 2022 through March 31, 2024, it was found that approximately 8,200 childcare providers received CDC scholarship payments totaling $692.5 million and related to 66,500 children.

The audit looked at communication with program providers and gave the agency a rating of not effective, in part due to issues with the CDC programs call center, which handles assistance on issues like billing and payments.

The auditor generals office found that around 60% of those incoming calls (73,619 of 123,612) went unanswered, due to insufficient staffing levels, operating hours and telephone system configurations.

After the audit period, MiLEAP said it began taking steps to improve call center performance, but unanswered call volume remained over 60% as of August 2025, according to the auditor generals office.

Nesbitt said every tax dollar lost to fraud or waste makes it even more difficult for law-abiding Michiganders to get the child care they need.

He referenced a previous auditor general report identifying improper payments by the states Unemployment Insurance Agency in 2023, and asked that an additional audit be conducted to ensure the appropriate use of child care subsidies in our state.
DETROIT -- Utility infielder Buddy Kennedy, who played for both the AL champion Toronto Blue Jays and NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025, has signed a minor-league deal with the San Francisco Giants.

Kennedy, 27, is joining his seventh organization since being drafted in the fifth round out of high school in 2017 by the Diamondbacks. He reached the big leagues with Arizona and played briefly in 2022 and 2023.

Kennedy spent eight days with the Detroit Tigers big-league club in 2024 after being recalled from Triple-A Toledo to replace injured infielder Gio Urshela. He went 2-for-10 with a home run, four RBIs, two walks and four strikeouts in six games.

The Tigers designated him for assignment later that summer and traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations a few days later.

Kennedy is a New Jersey native and attended Millville Senior High School, Mike Trouts alma mater, about 40 miles from Philadelphia. His grandfather is 16-year big-league infielder Don Money, who played for the Phillies from 1968-1972.
News / National

by Staff reporter

The two zebras that caused excitement after being spotted roaming the Bulawayo central business district have been safely captured and are now under care at the Free to Be Wild sanctuary in Burnside.The animals were located early Sunday morning following tip-offs from members of the public who reported seeing them moving through the city streets.Wildlife conservationist Baye Pigors, who runs the sanctuary, said the zebras were found at around 7am along Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street and were safely secured without incident.Pigors said the animals were likely driven into the city after being disturbed by poachers operating on the outskirts of Bulawayo."We suspect they were put under pressure by dog poachers in the surrounding areas, which caused them to flee into town," she said. "Disoriented and confused, they did not know how to find their way back to safety."The rare sight briefly turned Bulawayo's CBD into a wildlife spectacle, with residents sharing photos and videos of the zebras on social media.Pigors said the animals are now safe and being closely monitored at the sanctuary while arrangements are made for their long-term care.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Four Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) employees based at the Karoi depot have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of electrical materials valued at more than US$28 000.The suspects have been identified as Christen Mutabvure, a chief security officer; Emma Kamba, a former customer care clerk; Beloved Mudiwa, a stores clerk; and Blessing Guramatunhu, a lead artisan.According to police investigations, the arrests followed a series of incidents in which electrical cables booked from Zesa central stores in Harare and Chinhoyi allegedly failed to reach the Karoi depot between November and December 2025.Police said that on November 27, 2025, Kamba and a hired truck driver identified as Maponga were dispatched to Zesa central stores to collect a drum of 100mm HDA conductor and 50 metres of 185mm cable. However, investigations revealed that the chief security officer, who had authorised the collection, later arrived at the central stores, took possession of the 185mm cable using a Zesa vehicle, and instructed the hired truck to transport only the conductor drum.After leaving the stores, the chief security officer allegedly parked along a roadside in Southerton, where unknown individuals offloaded the conductor drum. The hired truck later proceeded to Karoi without any cargo.A similar incident reportedly occurred on December 5, 2025, when the same team was sent to collect another drum of 100mm HDA conductor, which was again allegedly offloaded before the vehicle reached Karoi.Further investigations showed that on December 16, 2025, stores clerk Beloved Mudiwa was allegedly instructed by the chief security officer to collect 24 metres of 100mm HDA conductor from Chinhoyi Stores using the officer's vehicle. Although the cable was reportedly loaded, it never arrived at the Karoi stores.The following day, Mudiwa reported the matter to the Zesa loss control department, alleging that he was being pressured to acknowledge receipt of materials he had not physically received.The case has been recorded under RRB number 6366625 at Karoi Central Police Station. The total value of the missing electrical materials is estimated at US$28 142.Police investigations are ongoing.
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Arjun Bijlani stands by wife Neha Swami at father-in-laws prayer meet, Mouni Roy, Ankita Lokhande-Vicky Jain pay last respects
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When is it too cold to fly? Some travellers in far northwestern Canada found out the answer on Sunday after several flights were cancelled due to frigid temperatures.

The region has endured an exceptional cold wave over the past couple of weeks, which culminated in Canadas coldest reading in 50 years.

DONT MISS: Six annoying ways weather forces airlines to cancel your flight

Several flights cancelled due to cold on Sunday

Travellers are used to dealing with weather disruptions at the airport.

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A weekend snowfall in Amsterdam, for instance, cancelled hundreds of incoming and outgoing flights. Thats no small ordeal given that the city is a major European travel hub.

Far North Extreme Cold Readings This Weekend

But snow and ice arent the only conditions that can cancel your flight.

Due to exceptionally low temperatures, all flights scheduled for today have been cancelled, North-Wright Airways posted on social media on Sunday. Safety is always our top priority, and our team is already working to reschedule all affected passengers as conditions allow.

The airline, based in Norman Wells, operates several small aircraft throughout the Northwest Territories.

Extreme cold throughout the Far North

Northwestern Canada is in the final days of a brutal spell of intense cold thats lasted for several weeks.

canada-s coldest temperature in 50 years

RELATED: Yukon U-turn underway after one of longest cold snaps on record

Braeburn, Yukon, saw a reading of -55.7C on Dec. 23, marking the coldest temperature measured in Canada in 50 years. Several communities in the region endured nineteen consecutive days with nighttime lows at or below -40C.

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This weekends intense cold saw temperatures dip below -50C in some areas. Mayo, Yukon, bottomed-out at -50.4C, while Norman Wells saw a low temperature of -47.3C.

Yukon Temperature Trend

Conditions are expected to moderate in the days ahead as a surge of Pacific air moves into the region. Temperatures should rebound significantly by the middle of the month, with Whitehorse forecast to approach the freezing mark in about a weeks time.

Why airlines cancel flights for extreme temperatures

Flying in the wintertime presents a unique set of hazards. Ice is the most pressing concern. Even a light frost can significantly disrupt airflow over the aircrafts skin.

But extremely cold temperatures on their own can affect various aircraft systems, potentially posing a safety risk when temperatures approach the -50s.

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Travellers may be more familiar with the opposite end of the spectrum. Conditions can also be too hot to fly due to reduced engine thrust and longer runway requirements.

Flights through desert locations such as Phoenix and Las Vegas are sometimes delayed or cancelled in the heart of summer due to temperatures as hot as 50C.

WATCH: Five annoying ways weather forces airlines to cancel your flight

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Xi congratulates Doumbouya on election as president of Guinea

Xinhua) 16:35, January 05, 2026

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday sent a congratulatory message to Mamady Doumbouya on his election as president of Guinea.

In his message, Xi noted that Guinea is the first sub-Saharan African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.

The two sides, he said, have long upheld mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, supported each other on issues involving their respective core interests and major concerns, and carried out fruitful cooperation for common development.

Xi also said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Guinea relations and stands ready to work with Doumbouya to further develop the two countries' comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, so as to make greater contributions to improving the well-being of both peoples and promoting solidarity in the Global South.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
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Many snowbirds are rethinking where they spend their winters, and the United States is no longer the default choice. Political tension, rising costs, and exchange rate concerns are pushing travelers to look elsewhere. Instead of staying put, many are treating this moment as a chance to explore new places.

Surveys show a clear change in behavior over the past year. A growing share of snowbirds now plans to winter outside the United States, nearly doubling from the year before. While the U.S. still attracts many visitors, its hold on winter travelers is slowly loosening.

Why snowbirds are skipping the United States

The shift is not about a single issue, but rather a combination of everyday concerns. Rising insurance fees, higher condo costs, and an unfavorable exchange rate have made long stays more expensive. Some travelers also say the political climate has changed the social feel in places they once loved.

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Others are simply taking a wait-and-see approach. Many snowbirds have not sold their U.S. properties, but they are choosing short trips elsewhere for now. This flexibility allows them to explore without making long-term commitments.

Portugals growing appeal

Portugal has become one of the most talked-about alternatives for winter stays. Real estate prices have risen, but many buyers still see strong value compared to U.S. markets. The country offers mild winters, walkable cities, and a relaxed pace that appeals to long-term visitors.

Portugal continued to attract snowbirds in 2025 as travelers explored European destinations offering long stays, cultural depth, and relative affordability. (Ulysses via Getty Images)

Canadian interest in Portugal has surged over the past year. Some travelers are buying property, while others are renting and exploring different regions first. This slower approach helps snowbirds decide if the lifestyle fits before settling in.

Mexico is a familiar but flexible option

Mexico continues to draw snowbirds who want warmth without long flights. Coastal cities like Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Los Cabos offer strong communities and established services. Many travelers also find daily living costs more predictable than in the United States.

Puerto Vallarta drew increased interest from snowbirds in 2025 as travelers looked for warmer destinations outside the United States for longer winter stays. (Alex Borderline via Getty Images)

Realtors report a noticeable rise in Canadian inquiries. Some buyers are cautious, but interest remains steady despite economic concerns. For many, Mexico feels familiar while still offering a clear break from U.S. routines.

Costa Rica and Spain gain momentum

Costa Rica appeals to snowbirds who value nature and slower living. Its stable infrastructure and focus on outdoor life make it attractive for extended stays. Many travelers choose short-term rentals while exploring different regions.

Spain attracted growing interest from snowbirds in 2025 as travelers explored European destinations offering walkable cities, reliable infrastructure, and longer-term winter stays. (alxpin via Getty Images)

Spain is also gaining attention, especially along the Mediterranean coast. Winters are cooler than Florida's, but the trade-off often feels worth it. Food, public transport, and healthcare access play a big role in its appeal.

What this trend means going forward

Most snowbirds are not closing the door on the United States forever. Many say they would return if conditions improved or costs stabilized. For now, they are using this time to broaden their travel habits.

This shift is less about rejection and more about choice. Snowbirds are discovering that winter does not have to look the same every year. For many, that flexibility is the biggest win of all.
Manisha Lal Khandpur is a News Editor at Moneycontrol where she works on the Desk and Special Projects. She pursued journalism at Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Delhi, and has an extensive career spanning 17 years across Digital Media, Broadcast, and Radio. Previously, she was a News Editor at Editorji, managing the desk, and a Principal Content Producer at Times of India, leading news shifts. She has also been a Senior Correspondent at Bhaskar, P7, and Live India. She has briefly been a part of academia, bringing her industry expertise into the educational sphere.
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You dont need a four-year degree to earn serious money with your hands and technical skills.

If youre watching bills climb and dont love the idea of sitting at a desk all day, the trades can be a solid way out. Many of these jobs pay well from the start and give you a clear path to $50 an hour or more once you have experience, certifications, or union status.

Below are 15 trade jobs with either typical pay in the $50 $60/hour range, or a strong, realistic path to that level with a few years of training and on-the-job experience.

Nuclear power reactor operator

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Nuclear reactor operators run and monitor the reactors that generate electricity. They sit in a control room full of screens and gauges, adjusting controls to keep the plant running safely. Its high-stakes, detail-heavy work, which is why the pay is so strong.

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National wage data shows nuclear power reactor operators earning a median of about $57.86 per hour, or roughly $120,000 per year. That lands squarely in the $50 $60/hour band.

You dont need a bachelors degree for this job, but you do need strong math skills and comfort with technical systems. Most people enter through a utility company training program after a high school diploma or associate degree. Youll go through an in-depth paid training program, pass written and operating exams, and must be licensed by federal regulators. Expect rotating shifts, strict safety rules, and ongoing testing. If you like structure, procedures, and steady high pay, this is one of the most lucrative trade paths out there.

Power plant operator (large utility or nuclear)

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Power plant operators keep turbines, generators, and other equipment running so homes and businesses have electricity. In big utilities and especially nuclear power plants, these roles are well-paid technical jobs that sit somewhere between a classic trade and heavy industry operations.

In nuclear electric power plants, power plant operators earn a median wage of about $50.33 per hour, a little over $104,000 per year. Thats right in the $50/hour target. Operators in other types of plants (natural gas, coal, hydro) often earn somewhat less, but experienced workers and those in high-cost regions can still get close to that level.

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Most operators come up through the ranks: they start as helpers or auxiliary operators, then move into control-room roles after company training and testing. Youll learn electrical systems, mechanical equipment, and safety procedures. You may work nights, weekends, and holidays, but youre trading that schedule for high hourly pay, strong benefits, and a skill set that transfers to other power and manufacturing jobs.

Power distributors and dispatchers (grid control room)

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Power distributors and dispatchers are the people watching the grid. They decide where electricity should flow, reroute around outages, and balance supply and demand in real time. Think of them as air-traffic controllers for power lines.

In nuclear power generation, power distributors and dispatchers earn a median wage of about $59.52 per hour, or around $124,000 per year. Across all industries, median pay still lands in the $50+/hour range, with top earners well above that.

You usually need at least a high school diploma plus intensive employer training. Many people enter after working in other utility roles (lineworker, substation tech, plant operator). Youll need to pass background checks, drug tests, and several rounds of exams. The job is mostly indoors in a control room, but its not low-stress, youre making decisions that affect entire cities. If youre good under pressure and comfortable with screens and data, this is one of the highest-paid trade-adjacent jobs available.

Elevator and escalator installer and repairer

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Elevator and escalator mechanics install new systems and keep existing ones safe. They read blueprints, wire control systems, replace cables and motors, and respond when someone hits that red help button. Its physical work, but very technical.

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Recent wage data shows elevator and escalator installers and repairers earning a median of about $106,580 per year, a bit over $51 per hour using a standard full-time schedule. Experienced mechanics, especially in big cities or on overtime, can earn significantly more.

Most people enter through a 4-year paid apprenticeship sponsored by a union or contractor. Youll spend time in classrooms learning codes and electronics and time on job sites doing installs and repairs. After the apprenticeship, you can move into journeyman and then senior mechanic roles. Theres also the option to open your own small company once you have a license and insurance. If youre comfortable with heights and dont mind being on call for emergencies, this is a classic trade with strong, steady $50+/hour potential.

Electrical power-line installer and repairer

Image credit: Heri Susilo via Unsplash

Power-line installers and repairers (often called linemen) build and maintain the overhead and underground lines that carry electricity. They climb poles, work from bucket trucks, and often work in rough weather to restore power after storms. Its demanding work, but pay reflects the risk and skill.

National data shows a broad group of line installers with an average wage in the high $30s per hour. Thats not $50 yet, but this average includes entry-level workers and lower-paid telecom line jobs. In many regions, especially in utilities and union shops, experienced electrical lineworkers earn $45 $50+ per hour in base pay, with overtime pushing their effective hourly rate much higher. Some state wage tables list average hourly pay of $50+ for power-line installers.

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Most linemen complete a multiyear paid apprenticeship through a utility or union, learning safety, climbing, rigging, and electrical theory. This is a good path if youre strong, not afraid of heights, and want a job where youre outside instead of stuck in an office.

Electrical and electronics repairer (powerhouse, substation, relay)

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These technicians keep high-voltage equipment running inside power plants and substations. They maintain transformers, circuit breakers, relays, and control systems that keep the grid safe and stable. The job blends hands-on work with diagnostics and testing.

National estimates show these workers with a median wage of about $46.44 per hour. But the 75th percentile jumps to $51.84 per hour, and the top 10% earn around $59.06 per hour. That means once youre experienced, crossing the $50/hour line is realistic, especially with overtime or work in higher-paying regions.

Many people start as electricians or industrial maintenance techs, then specialize in high-voltage and relay work. Employers often want a mix of trade school, an associate degree in electrical technology, or military experience. Youll work in substations, plants, and occasionally outdoors, often as part of a small crew. The work can be stressful during outages, but its a very stable niche with strong long-term demand.

Gas plant operator

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Gas plant operators control systems that process and distribute natural gas. They monitor pressure, adjust valves, check for leaks, and manage compressor stations that move gas through pipelines. Its another quiet-but-critical trade job tied to energy infrastructure.

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National wage data shows gas plant operators with a median wage of about $39.69 per hour. The upper end, though, tells the real story: workers at the 90th percentile earn about $52.09 per hour. That means top operators in certain locations or companies are firmly in the $50+/hour range.

You usually enter with a high school diploma or GED and some mechanical or industrial experience. Many operators come from refinery, chemical plant, or utility backgrounds. Youll receive employer training on safety, process controls, and emergency procedures. The job often involves rotating shifts and working in industrial environments. If youre okay with that and like monitoring systems rather than doing heavy construction, this is a trade role where a few years of experience can move you into very high hourly pay.

Radiation therapist

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Radiation therapists work in hospitals and cancer centers, operating machines that deliver targeted radiation to patients. Its hands-on work with real people, combined with very precise technical steps and strict safety rules.

Nationwide, the median wage for radiation therapists is about $47.26 per hour, while average pay is about $50.20 per hour. The 75th percentile earns about $53.87 per hour, and the top 10% earn around $65.82 per hour. That means many therapists are already above $50/hour after gaining experience.

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Youll need an accredited radiation therapy program, usually an associate degree, along with licensing or certification, depending on your state. This is more med tech than construction, but its still very much a technical trade, youre trained on specific equipment and procedures instead of a four-year academic track. If you like the idea of working in healthcare without going to medical school, this is a path where the pay, benefits, and job security can make the training worth it.

Nuclear medicine technologist

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Nuclear medicine technologists prepare and administer small doses of radioactive drugs and operate imaging equipment to help diagnose disease. They work in hospitals and imaging centers, usually on scheduled shifts rather than constant emergencies.

National data shows a median wage of about $44.47 per hour for this job, with average pay around $45.71. Experienced techs do much better: the 75th percentile earns about $50.26 per hour, and the top 10% make about $59.57 per hour. That makes $50 $60/hour very reachable after a few years.

Youll need an associate degree in nuclear medicine technology or a related field and must meet state licensing and certification rules. The work involves a lot of patient interaction but also careful attention to safety and radiation protocols. If youre okay with hospital environments and want a technical role with a predictable schedule and strong pay, this is a sleeper trade-style job that can quietly get you to $100,000+ a year.

Diagnostic medical sonographer

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Diagnostic medical sonographers use ultrasound to create images of organs, blood flow, and pregnancies. They work in hospitals, imaging centers, and doctors offices. Day-to-day, youre moving equipment, positioning patients, and capturing clear images for doctors to interpret.

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Nationally, diagnostic medical sonographers earn about $42.80 per hour on average, or roughly $89,020 per year. In high-pay states, the numbers are much higher. In Hawaii, for example, the median hourly wage for sonographers is about $54.33. With overtime or specialty roles (like cardiac sonography), crossing $50/hour is realistic in many markets.

Most sonographers complete a two-year accredited program, which includes clinical rotations. Youll spend long stretches on your feet and sometimes work evenings or weekends, but its less physically punishing than construction and more flexible than many hospital roles. For someone who wants a healthcare trade with strong pay and no med school, this is a smart path.

Industrial machinery mechanic

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Industrial machinery mechanics keep production lines moving in factories, warehouses, and processing plants. They troubleshoot breakdowns, replace parts, and tune up everything from conveyors to packaging machines. Its hands-on work that mixes mechanical, electrical, and sometimes computer skills.

National estimates show industrial machinery mechanics with an average wage around $29.53 per hour. Thats the middle. At the high end, pay looks very different: in California, for example, average wages are about $35.50 per hour, with the top 10% earning about $52.77 per hour.

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Entry into this field often comes through a vocational program in industrial maintenance or mechatronics, plus on-the-job training. With time, you can specialize in robotics, automated systems, or specific industries like food processing or automotive plants. The work can be dirty and sometimes done on off-shifts so production isnt interrupted, but once youre the go-to person who can fix anything, you have real bargaining power on pay.

Boilermaker

Image credit: Georg Eiermann via Unsplash

Boilermakers build and repair large metal containers like boilers, tanks, and pressure vessels used in ships, power plants, and industrial facilities. The job involves heavy lifting, welding, working at heights, and sometimes travel to job sites.

National figures show boilermakers with a median wage of about $34.20 per hour, and top earners (90th percentile) around $49.10 per hour. Thats just shy of $50 without counting overtime. In reality, many boilermakers work long hours on big projects with time-and-a-half or double-time, which pushes their effective hourly rate into the $50+/hour range.

Most boilermakers learn through a paid apprenticeship that lasts four years and includes classroom instruction and supervised work. Youll need good physical stamina, comfort with welding and metalwork, and a tolerance for noisy job sites. If youre okay with traveling for work and being on big industrial projects, this is a trade where a good contract can mean very strong paychecks.

Pile-driver operator

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Pile-driver operators run heavy equipment that drives large piles into the ground for foundations, bridges, piers, and other big structures. Its a specialized role on construction sites, often near water or in urban areas where deep foundations are needed.

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National wage estimates show pile-driver operators with a median wage around $33.90 per hour, while high earners make about $58.65 per hour. That high end sits comfortably in the $50 $60/hour band. In some states, average wages are already in the high $30s to mid-$40s.

You usually enter through a union apprenticeship in heavy equipment operation or pile-driving specifically. Training covers safety, soil conditions, rigging, and machine maintenance. Work can be seasonal and weather-dependent, but on large infrastructure jobs, hours can be long with plenty of overtime. If you like the idea of running big machines instead of swinging a hammer all day, this trade can pay very well once youre in demand.

Plumber, pipefitter, or steamfitter

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters install and repair piping systems for water, gas, steam, and other materials. They work in homes, commercial buildings, factories, and power plants. Its one of the classic trades, with a lot of variety day-to-day.

Nationally, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters have a median wage of about $29.59 per hour, with the highest 10% earning about $49.59 per hour. More recent data shows a median annual wage of about $62,970, with the top 10% earning more than $105,150 per year. That top bracket is right around or above $50 per hour once you do the math.

Most plumbers learn through a 4-5 year apprenticeship that includes classroom training and paid work. Once licensed, you can join a union, work for a contractor, or start your own company. Self-employed plumbers in high-cost areas routinely charge $100+ per hour for service calls, even after expenses, many end up with effective hourly pay well above $50 once theyre established.

Electrician

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Electricians install, maintain, and repair electrical systems in homes, businesses, factories, and power systems. You might wire new construction, upgrade service panels, install EV chargers, or troubleshoot equipment. The work is technical but very learnable with proper training.

National data shows electricians earning a median wage in the low-$30s per hour, or roughly low-$60,000s per year, with the highest-paid 10% crossing the six-figure mark. In practice, many union electricians and self-employed contractors bill clients $80-$100+ per hour for service work in major metro areas. After expenses, that still leaves strong potential to clear $50 per hour in take-home pay, especially with overtime.

Most electricians complete a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship combining classroom work and supervised jobs. Youll need to pass licensing exams and keep up with code changes. The hours can be long and sometimes on-call, but its a flexible trade with room to specialize (solar, industrial, controls) or build your own business.

Discover job hunting tips, ways to earn more, and flexible working options:

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21 high-paying careers that desperately need workers, but nobody wants to do them: The pay is generous, but these jobs are searching for workers.

No background check jobs: 12 background friendly jobs: If youre struggling to find a job due to past issues, here are jobs you can get without background checks.

15 remote jobs you probably didnt know pay $150,000+ In 2025: High income and flexible work hours from home is not a myth  here are some remote-friendly careers.
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Supreme Court dismisses PIL against PM Modi offering chadar at Ajmer Sharif dargah: 'Not justiciable'
In a hand-written note to Umar Khalid, New York Citys newly sworn-in mayor, Zohran Mamdani, said he often thinks about the jailed former JNU student leaders thoughts on bitterness.
Suryaprabha Sadasivan is Senior Vice President, Chase Advisors. Views expressed are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
WTO's architecture will not remain frozen. It will evolve to stay relevant

Shishir Priyadarshi is President, Chintan Research Foundation (CRF). Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
The Trump administration has imposed 50 percent tariffs on Indian exports with a bilateral trade deal nowhere in sight
By attending the funeral, Jaishankar (left) conveyed that India is not obsessed with the historical baggage of both Begum Zia and Begum Sheikh Hasina, and is ready to accept new leadership choices of Bangladeshis

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Amitabh Sinha is the executive editor of News18 India. He has extensive experience in print and TV journalism. He started his career with Patna's 'Times of India' and reported for almost 14 years at 'Aaj Tak'. He has been associated with Network18 since 2015. writes with equal authority in Hindi and English languages and has reported on many important events and incidents in India and abroad. He has a long experience in parliamentary journalism and has special grasp of e policies and schemes of the government. He writes regularly on News18's website in both Hindi and English languages. He is a post graduate from Delhi University. X- @amitabhnews18
In the message Bengaluru techie Pankaj Tanwar shared, the police department conveyed its willingness to engage further, stating it wanted 'the opportunity to understand' the specifics of his concept. (Image credit: Pankaj Tanwar/X)
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Canadian expat in Bengaluru says 'Indian driving etiquette will rival Japan's by 2030' if...
The couple reportedly returned an hour later, ice creams in hand, thanked everyone in Chinese, and took their children away. (Image credit: @ihenan_/X)
The European space probe Solar Orbiter delivers images of the sun. (Image: NASA/ESA)
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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.
DGCA restricts use of power banks on flights over fire risks: All you need to know
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A quiet discovery in the Great Salt Lake that no one saw coming
Accused ex-boyfriend, unknown motive, last Instagram post: What we know so far about Indian woman found dead in the US
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Another incident against Asim Munir critic: 'Mysterious fire' at Pak journalist's US house; internet sees 'troubling pattern'
A Hindu widow in Bangladesh was allegedly gang raped, tortured, and publicly humiliated by two men who filmed and shared the attack online. The incident is part of a disturbing rise in violence against Hindus, drawing concern from India over minority safety.

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The U.S. in 2019 withdrew all diplomatic personnel from Venezuela, citing the deteriorating situation in the country after months of political unrest.
Canada faces a surge in undocumented immigrants as over 1.9 million work permits expire by 2026 under stricter immigration rules. Indians, the largest affected group, risk losing legal status due to fewer pathways to stay, sparking protests and rising tensions.

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Citing Maduro capture, Medvedev suggests kidnapping of neo-Nazi Merz could be an excellent twist'
Colombias Petro says he is ready to take up arms after Trump threats and Venezuela raid
A protester wearing a mask of US President Donald Trump performs during a demonstration condemning the US attack on Venezuela and the seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, in front of the US embassy in Seoul on January 5, 2026. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
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Fulfil your prior commitments with us: China warns Pakistan on delayed CPEC delivery
Antonio Guterres tells the Security Council the US military action and Maduros detention raise legal and regional stability concerns.
This image posted on US President Donald Trump's Truth Social account on January 3, 2026, shows, L/R, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, watching a remote feed of the US military's mission to capture Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, 2026. (Photo by HANDOUT / US President Donald Trump's TRUTH Social account / AFP)
Pakistans Foreign Office faces criticism from diplomats over inefficiency, poor coordination, and corruption, including delayed tax refunds and bribery in attestation services, damaging its credibility and risking Pakistans international reputation.

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Rana Pratap Bairagi, a Hindu journalist and factory owner, was shot dead in Bangladesh, the latest in a series of violent attacks on the Hindu minority ahead of February elections, raising concerns over minority safety and government response.

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The global talent war has reached a tipping point. Companies worldwide face a shortage of skilled professionals, with more than half of executives reporting difficulty finding qualified candidates. Traditional hiring models are now making geographic limitations evident with the escalating costs of keeping the talent pool local. Perhaps these pain points are the ones that led to the creation of the fully remote outsourcing company BruntWork.

Winston Ong, the companys CEO, shares how a remote-first culture can magnetize top talents from every corner of the globe. He has broken the conventional wisdom about workforce management, proving that trust-based leadership and geographic flexibility create advantages and opportunities for clients and contractors.

Ongs timing could not have come at a better point. The outsourcing market is on an upward trajectory, and a significant percentage of the workforce has permanently shifted to remote arrangements. Now, its unlikely these professionals would be willing to give up the autonomy and flexibility of remote work. He believes that companies that stick to old talent acquisition strategies will lose the opportunity to recruit the best talent.

The trust revolution that changed everything

BruntWorks success comes from Ongs ability to identify when old models are no longer working. While competitors rely on micromanagement and time-tracking software, BruntWorks team eliminated surveillance entirely.

Some might say this is counterintuitive and leaves a lot of room for inefficiency, but independent surveys and reviews show employee satisfaction ratings remain high at 4.8 out of 5. Most employers are quick to shrug off employee sentiments, but various studies have shown time and time again the strong positive correlation between employee happiness and productivity. According to research by Oxford University, there is a conclusive link between happiness and productivity. They have found that workers are 13% more productive when they are happy. When translated to revenue, perhaps its high time employer paid attention to these figures.

Thats just how it is, happy employees deliver better results, Ong explains. Its not that they clock in more hours, its just that they seem to be able to do more within the time they work. Ongs philosophy has enabled BruntWork to recruit talent that some cannot access, creating a global network spanning Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Africa.

Ongs theory does not come up empty-handed. He points to client reviews and feedback his team monitors consistently. Client satisfaction scores persistently exceed 4.9 stars. Enterprise clients, including multinational companies, have embraced this model, driving the companys expansion from startup to $80 million in annual revenue.

Global talent pools create competitive moats

Traditional outsourcing companies focus on single regions, limiting their talent options and creating vulnerability to local socio-economic disturbances. BruntWork is able to avoid disruptions. When skilled developers become scarce in one market, the company pivots to another without missing deadlines or compromising quality.

This geographic diversification also has practical benefits. Time zone coverage enables 24/7 operations for client support, while cultural diversity brings fresh perspectives to problem-solving. Legal virtual assistants in Eastern Europe serve law firms during American business hours, while digital marketing specialists in Southeast Asia optimize campaigns around the clock.

One case to look at is the hiring of an SEO virtual assistant or strategist. This has become one of BruntWorks signature offerings, helping clients improve their Google rankings through expert keyword research, backlink strategy, and technical site optimization. Though this talent can be found anywhere in the world, European workers seem to have a strong reputation in the field. They are known for their expertise in multilingual and multicultural campaigns, allowing them to effectively target different demographics with optimized content. Previously, these talents would only be available to European companies, but with companies like BruntWork, businesses worldwide can now boost their online visibility with flexible, expert help, without the need for a full-time in-house team.

Economic impact on a global scale

Remote work may have practical benefits for companies and workers around the world, but like a chain, it also impacts the economy. Data from the World Economic Forum suggests that remote work opportunities could lift 50 million people out of poverty by 2030. BruntWorks expansion plans, targeting 7,000 professionals by 2025, can contribute directly to this transformation.

BruntWorks success has influenced industry trends. Now, many of their competitors advertise remote-first positions and reduced supervision, acknowledging that talent acquisition requires cultural adaptation.

Client testimonials show the business impact of this talent strategy. Many e-commerce companies report 120% revenue growth and 85% increases in organic traffic after partnering with BruntWork teams. Customer satisfaction scores improve by 40% when remote professionals handle support functions, suggesting that motivated global talent often outperforms local hires constrained by traditional management structures.

Another highly sought-after category is the accounting virtual assistant. Businesses seeking efficiency in bookkeeping and financial reporting can access specialists through BruntWork who can manage invoicing, expense tracking, and reconciliation using advanced software tools. This global access to expertise provides peace of mind for business owners who need reliable support for essential financial processes.

The path forward requires continued investment in talent development and technology infrastructure. BruntWorks plans to incorporate AI-enhanced matching systems while maintaining human-centric management are the next phase of remote-first work.

This workforce revolution has moved beyond temporary pandemic adjustments to become a permanent competitive advantage. Organizations that recognize this shift and build cultures that attract global talent will thrive in the new economy, while those that resist change will discover that the best professionals have already moved on to more flexible opportunities.

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How people are recovering from AI-fuelled delusions by reconnecting with real humans
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I am innocent: Ousted Venezuela leader Nicolas Maduro pleads not guilty in New York Court
Is Greenland next? Denmarks PM tells Trump to stop the threats, warns US has no right to annex
A viral dance by Venezuelan President Maduro, seen as mocking US warnings, reportedly pushed the Trump administration toward direct military action. US forces later captured Maduro in Caracas, with officials citing security and criminal concerns as reasons.

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Maduro yelps in pain, says Good night, Happy New Year as US flies him to New York | Watch
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JD Vances Ohio home attacked, several windows damaged; intruder arrested: What we know so far
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Pakistan and China call for 'visible and verifiable' steps against Afghan-based terror groups
Pakistans National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq called a brief handshake with Indias S Jaishankar in Dhaka well-prepared, but India dismissed it as a routine courtesy, stressing no shift in ties or talks amid ongoing diplomatic tensions.

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Donald Trumps move to capture Venezuelas leader Maduro has limited immediate impact on India due to reduced trade, but could allow recovery of Indian oil investments and diversify crude sources if US control revives Venezuelas oil sector, amid diplomatic challenges.

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As digital assets mature, Paul Quickenden from Swyftx explains why the smartest move investors can make is revisiting their plan and tuning out the noise.

Whats happening: Digital assets closed 2025 with steady infrastructure growth rather than dramatic price movements. Stablecoins now power transactions rivalling Visa and PayPal, whilst regulatory frameworks have strengthened across major markets. Investors entering 2026 face a maturing market where fundamentals increasingly outweigh speculation.

Why this matters: The shift from volatility-driven cycles to infrastructure-led growth requires investors to rethink their approach. Rather than chasing predictions, those who build disciplined frameworks and focus on long-term fundamentals are positioned to navigate 2026s opportunities whilst avoiding emotional decision-making that typically undermines portfolio performance.

Every January arrives with bold forecasts and dramatic headlines, yet markets rarely follow anyones script. For crypto investors, 2025 defied expectations by resisting the usual boom-bust rhythms and instead building momentum quietly behind the scenes.

Paul Quickenden, Swyftx New Zealand Country Manager, observes that this calm was unexpected but healthy. Stablecoins matured, infrastructure companies built relentlessly and regulatory pathways became clearer, he says. Momentum was building even when price action looked unexciting from the outside.

The industry moved decisively forward throughout 2025, even as price charts appeared unremarkable. Blockchains now process over 3,400 transactions per second, representing 100-fold growth over five years, whilst payment rails strengthened and stablecoins accounted for 30% of crypto transaction volume between January and July 2025.

For Quickenden, the smarter question for 2026 isnt what the market will do, but rather how investors should approach it. The single most consistent truth across every cycle is this: the market will test your psychology long before it tests your portfolio, he explains.

Make your plan

Investors with long-term strategies should simply revisit their plan and stay the course, according to Quickenden. Dont tweak it because of a headline or abandon it because a chart dipped. Clear strategies outperform reactive ones, and conviction comes from knowing why youre invested in the first place.

For those without a plan, defining time horizons, risk appetite and a consistent investment rhythm removes emotion from the equation. Investors rarely fail because of bad timing, Quickenden notes. They fail because they drift.

New Zealand has the rare chance to take a holistic approach that balances innovation, safety and global competitiveness, Quickenden has previously observed regarding tokenisation opportunities. That window for strategic positioning applies equally to individual investors.

Zoom out

Markets are built to test nerves, rising when you expect them to fall and stalling when momentum seems certain. This year will be no different, says Quickenden. Macro signals will be mixed. Crypto headlines will swing between optimistic and gloomy. Some weeks will feel electric, others will feel flat.

The real portfolio risk isnt volatility but the urge to overreact. Sideways months and quiet stretches test conviction, yet theyre often when the most important groundwork is laid.

Quickenden points to 2025 as a perfect example. Whilst price charts looked unremarkable, infrastructure improved dramatically. USDT processed roughly $703 billion monthly, peaking at $1.01 trillion in June 2025, demonstrating the scale of payment infrastructure development happening beneath surface-level price action.

Long-term investors dont just chase movement, he observes. They position themselves for what the movement will one day reveal.

Track what matters

One lesson from 2025 was that speculation no longer dominates conversations as it once did. Tokenised cash and bonds helped grow the on-chain liquidity pool, with the launch of SPXA, the first licensed S&P 500 token, quickly drawing over US$500 million from institutions during volatility.

Markets behaved more rationally and adoption grew steadily without the emotional whiplash of previous cycles. This quiet maturity is a signal in itself, says Quickenden.

The developments worth tracking in 2026 include payment innovations, institutional flows, the continued evolution of stablecoins, government strategy and infrastructure milestones. These developments dont get the same attention as price spikes, but they matter far more when it comes to long-term investments, he notes.

Infrastructure providers have bridged gaps between traditional banking systems and on-chain assets, enabling banks to process stablecoins with institutional-grade controls. Stablecoin adoption is not a question of if, but of how to execute, according to recent industry research.

Consistency compounds

The investors who succeed in any cycle arent typically those with the flashiest strategies, Quickenden observes. Theyre the ones who make small, regular decisions, avoid overreacting, stay across meaningful shifts, keep their long-term thesis front and centre, and treat investing as a habit rather than a hobby.

Consistency compounds. Patience compounds. But emotion does the opposite, he says.

Bringing rhythm and rationality into 2026 makes the year far easier to navigate, regardless of what the market delivers. If 2025 was the year digital assets quietly grew up, 2026 rewards investors with frameworks rather than predictions.

Be consistent, stay informed and dont let the noise drown out your strategy, Quickenden advises. Heres to a clear head, a steady hand and a confident start to 2026.

Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Trump issues warning to Venezuelas acting leader, says she will pay a very big price if she doesnt cooperate
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is being held at Brooklyns MDC, a controversial federal jail criticized for unsafe conditions and past scandals. The facility, known for high-profile inmates, faces renewed scrutiny amid ongoing reports of violence and neglect.

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Trump releases immigrant welfare data for 120 countries: Why India does not appear on the list
China condemned the US operation capturing Venezuelas Maduro as illegal, using it to criticize US power and boost its global narrative. While gaining rhetorical ground, Beijing faces a setback, losing a key ally and exposing limits to its influence in Latin America.

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Trump says he doesnt believe Ukrainian strike targeted Putins residence
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Major US news outlets delayed reporting on a US military raid in Venezuela after government warnings that early disclosure could endanger troops. The episode highlights longstanding media restraint on sensitive operations, even amid strained White House relations.

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US will not govern Venezuela, will use oil quarantine as leverage, Rubio walks back Trumps remark
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Venezuelas acting president seeks US cooperation after Maduros capture, calls for shared development
China, ROK should strengthen economic ties, forge prospects for win-win cooperation: Chinese vice premier

Xinhua) 16:41, January 05, 2026

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Monday emphasized that China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) should strengthen economic ties and forge new prospects for win-win cooperation.

He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while jointly attending a China-ROK business forum in Beijing with ROK President Lee Jae Myung.

He said that under the strategic guidance of the important consensus reached between the two heads of state, China and the ROK should actively promote the improvement and upgrading of economic and trade cooperation, continually opening up new prospects for win-win cooperation.

China will unswervingly expand high-level opening-up and welcomes enterprises from all countries, including those from the ROK, to invest and do business in China and share in the opportunities of its development, noted He.

Lee said that in recent years, cooperation between the ROK and China has deepened across various fields, noting that the ROK is willing to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with China and bring more benefits to the peoples of both countries.

The forum was jointly organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Approximately 400 representatives from the governments and business communities of both countries participated in the event.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
As global technology companies shift from rapid expansion to more disciplined operating models, executives in the United States, Europe and Australia are reassessing where and how engineering teams should be built.

Cost efficiency, delivery stability and long-term scalability have become central considerations as organizations recalibrate workforce strategies following several years of hiring volatility. This reassessment does not signal reduced investment in technology. Demand for capabilities in artificial intelligence, data, cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity continues to rise as companies accelerate digital transformation and automation.

JT1 released "IT Salary Guide 2026  Vietnam Gateway" report. Photo courtesy of JT1

The strategic question for technology leaders has therefore shifted from whether to invest in engineering to how to allocate engineering resources more effectively across global markets.

Insights from the IT Salary Guide 2026 - Vietnam Gateway, published by JT1, indicate that Vietnam is increasingly evaluated within this context not as a low-cost outsourcing destination, but as a structurally viable engineering hub.

Cost pressure reshapes offshore decisions

The global technology sector has undergone a broad recalibration, with many companies flattening management layers and redesigning workforce structures to improve cost control and execution efficiency. Offshore and distributed engineering models are now viewed as long-term operating decisions rather than short-term cost-saving measures.

Competitive talent-to-cost ratio. Photo courtesy of JT1

Salary differentials remain significant. JT1's market analysis shows engineering compensation in Vietnam is typically around 30% of comparable roles in the United States and roughly half of Western European benchmarks. However, cost arbitrage alone is no longer sufficient to justify offshore expansion.

Executives are increasingly focused on total delivery cost, including productivity per engineer, onboarding timelines, attrition-related replacement costs and management overhead. Within this framework, predictability and delivery stability have become as important as headline labor costs.

Vietnam's evolving role in global engineering

While several mature technology markets have undergone restructuring, Vietnam's IT sector has continued to expand in both scale and capability. Sustained investment in digital infrastructure, a young and technically trained workforce, and the relocation of projects from higher-cost markets have supported this growth.

JT1 observes a shift away from transactional outsourcing toward deeper integration of Vietnamese engineering teams into global product development cycles. Multinational companies and fast-growing startups are increasingly establishing technology hubs and R&D centers in Vietnam, embedding local teams into core engineering workflows rather than peripheral support roles.

This evolution reflects Vietnam's ability to operate within Western engineering standards with relatively low coordination overhead, supporting stable delivery at scale and long-term product development.

Vietnam's position is further reinforced by a policy and regulatory environment that supports technology development and foreign participation. Government initiatives have emphasized digital economy expansion, high-tech industries and innovation-led growth.

For international firms, these conditions translate into clearer regulatory pathways, faster market entry and reduced execution risk when establishing or scaling engineering operations. JT1 notes that policy stability plays an important role in employer confidence, particularly for organizations considering Vietnam as a long-term engineering base.

Positioning within Asia's offshore landscape

Compared with other established offshore destinations in Asia, Vietnam presents a balanced profile across talent availability, operational alignment and retention. India offers unmatched scale and enterprise experience but faces challenges related to skill variability and attrition. The Philippines is recognized for English proficiency and service alignment, though depth in advanced engineering remains limited. Malaysia provides stability and multilingual capability but has a smaller talent pool.

Vietnam, by contrast, is increasingly viewed as capable of supporting sustainable engineering hubs. JT1 reports rising demand for experienced engineers who can operate effectively within global product teams, reflecting growing seniority depth and relatively stable retention rates.

Vietnam's technology workforce now exceeds 600,000 professionals, supported by a steady pipeline of graduates from universities and technical training institutions. The talent mix is gradually shifting toward more senior roles, particularly in cloud, data and AI-related projects.

Workforce expectations are also evolving. JT1's data shows experienced engineers increasingly prioritize stability, clearly defined roles and structured project environments over short-term or high-risk opportunities. Salary predictability, transparent career paths and long-term organizational direction now outweigh speculative incentives.

The report provides salary ranges, role-level benchmarks and hiring model comparisons. Photo courtesy of JT1

The IT Salary Guide 2026 - Vietnam Gateway provides salary ranges, role-level benchmarks and hiring model comparisons across Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang. The data is commonly used by executives planning offshore hubs or reassessing long-term cost structures.

The period from 2025 to 2026 represents a critical decision window for global technology leaders. After years of experimentation with remote and offshore models, companies are rebuilding engineering capabilities with greater discipline, emphasizing delivery resilience and sustainable cost efficiency.

JT1's analysis suggests that organizations engaging early and strategically with Vietnam's technology talent ecosystem may gain structural advantages as competition for skilled engineers intensifies.
Venezuela's Maduro to appear in US court, Trump says further strikes possible
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January 5, 2026 Trump Abducted Maduro But Did Gain Nothing In my last piece on Trumps assault in Venezuela I pointed out that the plan was missing a piece : One wonders what the next steps are the U.S. is planning to take. It does not have enough forces to invade Venezuela. Nor would a blockade of the country lead to a change of its government. An internal revolution is unlikely to succeed. The U.S. gnomes managed to steal the underwear. Now comes step 2. Then profits. That sounds like a good plan. But nobody seems to know so far what step 2 might entail. It turns out that phase 2 of this underpants gnomes business plan is to do the same as before (archived): When asked how the United States planned to govern Venezuela, Mr. Rubio did not lay out a plan for a U.S. occupation authority, like the one that the George W. Bush administration put in place in Baghdad during the Iraq War, but instead spoke of coercing a Venezuelan government run by allies of the jailed leader Nicolas Maduro to make policy changes. U.S. forces will continue to prevent oil tankers on a U.S. sanctions list from entering and leaving the country until the government opens up the state-controlled oil industry to foreign investment  presumably giving priority to American companies  and makes other changes, he said on Face the Nation on CBS News. That remains in place, and thats a tremendous amount of leverage that will continue to be in place until we see changes, not just to further the national interest of the United States, which is No. 1, but also that lead to a better future for the people of Venezuela, he said. Nothing changed. Venezuela continues to be governed by Chavistas who adhere to the Bolivarian revolution. It continues to be pressured to let U.S. companies explore its oil. The Chavistas, including Maduro, are willing to allow that but they have certain conditions. Those have not, and I believe will not, change. The whole bombastic action was a virtual war: The raid, which took place in what should have been highly contested airspace and was preceded by a minimal or borderline nonexistent SEAD campaign, would only have been possible if the Venezuelan military had received a stand-down order. Maduro, who has been in negotiations with the US for a controlled transition of power since 2024, was either betrayed by the entire Venezuelan power structure or gave himself up willingly, and doesnt appear to have been in a fortress at all at the time of the raid. What was the point then of the whole operation one might ask. Well, maybe there was none: There are still many unanswered questions about Absolute Resolve, the Pentagons name for the operation. What was the precise nature of the deal the Venezuelans made with Trump? Is there cooperation between Rodriguez and the US? Was there any reality to Trumps promises of a US oil industry takeover and billions of dollars of investments in Venezuela? If this event is as virtual as it appears based on the information we currently have, these questions may never be answered explicitly. Instead, the event will simply fade, remaining in a perpetual state of impenetrability, unfathomable and impossible to parse, until largely forgotten. Or maybe the point was just to show off what the Trump administration might do to others: In 1992, American conservative writer Michael Ledeen reportedly said: Every 10 years or so, the United States needs to pick up some small crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business. Actually, such gratuitous demonstrations of might betray the fear that American world power is slipping. Beating up a weaker opponent to prove your strength is the action of an insecure bully. Venezuela is likely to welcome U.S. oil companies which are willing to invest in the country. But it will be nothing like the bonanza Trump seems to envision. Venezuelan oil is heavy and costly to retrieve. One needs dilution fluids or steam to bring it to surface and to transport it to markets. With global oil prices expected to stay around $50 per barrel there is little incentive for the necessary multi-billion investment. I expect that after this weekends action nothing will change. The U.S. does not want to govern Venezuela. It doesnt want to put boots on the ground. The blockade, an act of war, will continue for a while but at some point the ships will have to go back to their harbors. As there is nothing to win from this the Trump administration will move towards its next target. Meanwhile Israel is getting ready for another strike on Iran. The U.S. is repositioning troops to the Middle East while Iran prepares to hit back with all its might. In a week from now Venezuela will likely be out of the headlines while business as usual continues. Comments
At President Donald Trumps direction, the United States armed forces captured outlaw Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores in order to bring them to justice for their campaign of narco-terrorism against the United States.



The illegitimate dictator Maduro was the kingpin of a vast criminal network responsible for trafficking colossal amounts of deadly and illicit drugs into the United States, said President Trump.



As alleged in the indictment, he personally oversaw the vicious cartel known as Cartel de los Soles, which flooded our nation with lethal poison responsible for the deaths of countless Americans, the many, many Americans, hundreds of thousands over the years of Americans died because of him.



For many years after his term as president of Venezuela expired, Maduro remained in power and waged a ceaseless campaign of violence, terror, and subversion against the United States of America, threatening not only our people, but the stability of the entire region, noted President Trump.



Maduro sent savage gangs, including the prison gang Tren de Aragua, to terrorize American communities nationwide. The Maduro regime emptied out its prisons, sent their worst and most violent criminals into the United States to take American lives, said President Trump.



The U.S. built the Venezuelan oil industry with American talent, drive, and skill, and the socialist regime stole it through force from the U.S. during previous administrations, noted President Trump. The United States is now going to help revitalize the oil business in Venezuela, he said.



We're going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure. And start making money for the country.



Under Maduro, Venezuela was increasingly hosting foreign adversaries in the region and acquiring offensive weapons that could threaten U.S. interests and lives. All of these actions were in gross violation of the core principles of American foreign policy dating back more than two centuries. . .to the Monroe Doctrine, said President Trump.



Under its new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again, declared the President.



We will secure our borders, we will stop the terrorists, we will crash the cartels, and we will defend our citizens against all threats, foreign and domestic. Other presidents may have lacked the courage. . .to defend America, but I will never allow terrorists and criminals to operate with impunity against the United States.



This extremely successful operation should serve as a warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives, said President Trump.  All political and military figures in Venezuela should understand what happened to Maduro can happen to them, and it will happen to them if they aren't just, fair, [and] even to their people.
An oilfield worker walks next to drilling rigs at an oil well operated by Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, in the oil rich Orinoco belt, near Morichal at the state of Monagas April 16, 2015. REUTERS

MIAMI (Reuters)  Venezuela is unlikely to see any meaningful boost to crude output for years even if U.S. oil majors do invest the billions of dollars in the country that President Donald Trump promised just hours following Nicolas Maduros capture by U.S. forces.

The South American country may have the worlds largest estimated oil reserves, but output has plummeted over the past decades amid mismanagement and a lack of investment from foreign firms after Venezuela nationalized oil operations in the 2000s that included the assets of Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips.

Any companies that might want to invest there would need to deal with security concerns, dilapidated infrastructure, questions about the legality of the U.S. operation to snatch Maduro and the potential for long-term political instability, analysts told Reuters.

American firms wont return until they know for sure they will be paid and will have at least a minimal amount of security, said Mark Christian, director of business development at CHRIS Well Consulting. He also said the companies would not go back until sanctions against the country are removed.

Venezuela would also have to reform its laws to allow for larger investment by foreign oil companies.

Venezuela nationalized the industry in the 1970s, and in the 2000s ordered a forced migration to joint ventures controlled by its state oil company, PDVSA. Most companies negotiated exits and migrated, including Chevron, while a handful of others did not reach deals and filed for arbitration.

There is a lot that could go wrong

I f Trump et al can produce a peaceful transition with little resistance, then in five to seven years there is a significant oil-production ramp up as infrastructure is repaired and investments get sorted out, Thomas ODonnell, an energy and geopolitical strategist, told Reuters, adding that heavy crude produced in the country works well with U.S. Gulf Coast refineries and can also be blended with lighter oil produced from fracking.

But that would depend on everything going right, and theres a lot that could go wrong.

A botched political transition that has a feeling of U.S. dominance can lead to years of resistance, ODonnell said, noting armed groups of citizens and guerrilla groups that operate in the country.

Chevron would be positioned to benefit the most from any potential oil opening in Venezuela, said Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin America Energy Program at Rice Universitys Baker Institute in Houston. Other U.S. oil companies would be paying close attention to political stability and would wait to see how the operational environment and contract framework unfolded, he added.

Venezuela  a founding member of OPEC with Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia  produced as much as 3.5 million barrels per day in the 1970s, which at the time represented over 7% of global oil output. Production fell below 2 million bpd during the 2010s and averaged around 1.1 million bpd last year, or just 1% of global production.

Chevron is the only us oil major operating in Venezuela

Chevron is the only American major currently operating in Venezuela. Conoco has been seeking billions for the takeover of three oil projects nearly two decades ago, while Exxon was also involved in lengthy arbitration cases against Venezuela after it exited the country nearly two decades ago.

The company that probably will be very interested in going back is Conoco, because they are owed more than $10 billion, and its unlikely that they will get paid without going back into the country, Monaldi said. Exxon could also return, but is not owed as much money, he added.

ConocoPhillips is monitoring developments in Venezuela and their potential implications for global energy supply and stability. It would be premature to speculate on any future business activities or investments, a company spokesperson said in emailed comments to Reuters.

Chevron, which exports around 150,000 bpd of crude from Venezuela to the U.S. Gulf Coast, has had to carefully maneuver with the Trump administration in an effort to maintain its presence in the country over the past year. CEO Mike Wirth said in December that he had spoken with the Trump administration about what he said was the importance of maintaining an American presence in the country through multiple political cycles.

The oil firm has been in Venezuela for over 100 years and said on Saturday that it is focused on the safety and well-being of its employees, in addition to the integrity of its assets. We continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations, a Chevron spokesperson said in an emailed response to questions.

Exxon did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters.

OPEC and allies will meet on Sunday and are expected to maintain current oil output policy. The group has been increasing production since last year, stoking concerns of a global supply glut, but has agreed to pause oil output hikes for January, February and March.

Ed Hirs, an energy fellow at University of Houston, said recent events in Venezuela would have little impact on U.S. prices for oil and gasoline for now, with much of the countrys production going to Cuba and China at the moment. He also said that history is full of recent examples of American excursions that didnt produce notable results for U.S. companies.

Trump now joins the history of U.S. presidents who have overthrown regimes of oil-rich countries. Bush with Iraq. Obama with Libya. In those cases, the United States has received zero benefit from the oil. Im afraid that history will repeat itself in Venezuela, Hirs said.

Oil tankers chartered by Chevron had been among the few to set sail from Venezuela over the past month, following Trumps December announcement of a  blockade

Thats perhaps where one quick win could emerge, if Trump is able to restart the flow of Venezuelan crude into the U.S. Gulf, potentially boosting refiners like Valero in the process. At the moment, it appears that just the opposite is happening.
Cabrini Cruz Palomo and Veronica Cruz. UOG photos

MANGILAO UOG)  The University of Guam Press will be celebrating the launch of The Great Peskadot written by Cabrini Cruz Palomo and illustrated by Veronica Cruz at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2025, at the Main Pavillion in Ypao Beach Park.

The Great Peskadot follows Maria, a young CHamoru girl who learns how to spear fish from her grandfather, Papa David. Under his guidance, Maria begins to understand the variety of life in the ocean, responsible fishing practices, and the value of wisdom passed down from our elders.

Papa David is based on Palomos late grandfather, David Cruz, a peskadot from Inalahan who passed on his teachings to his children and grandchildren, emphasizing the tradition of generational wisdom and respect for the ocean prevalent in CHamoru culture.

I hope this book inspires every child to see the ocean not just as a place of adventure, but as a teacher  that shows us patience, humility, and the importance of taking only what we need, says Palomo.

The book also boasts a vibrant array of illustrations that pull inspiration from the people and environment on Guam, meant to create a distinct feeling of the islands unique place and culture. As an illustrator, I love scenes where I can add a variety of little details, especially references of Guahan and CHamoru culture, says Cruz, the books illustrator.

The event is open to the public and will include a talaya fishing workshop, informational booths on conservation and responsible fishing practices, an author reading and book signing, and free refreshments.

The Great Peskadot is available online at uogpress.com for a special pre-order price of $12 and will be $15 after the books official release. The book will be available in local bookstores and on Amazon following the launch.

For more information, contact UOG Press Publicist Via De Fant at [email protected] or (671) 735-2153.

About University of Guam Press

The University of Guam Press publishes an array of academic and literary books and journals with a specific focus on the unique history, environment, peoples, cultures, and languages of the islands that make up the Western Pacific region. Visit uogpress.com to learn more about them and browse their wide selection of local art and literature.
By Bryan Manabat

[email protected]

Variety News Staff

THE District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands will hold a status conference on Jan. 8 at 1:30 p.m. before Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, following a Ninth Circuit ruling  which took effect on Dec. 30  that partially overturned the conviction of Hongjiang Yang and remanded the case for further proceedings.

Yang, who was sentenced in March to 30 days in federal prison, appealed his conviction for conspiracy and aiding and abetting the transportation of illegal aliens. He filed his notice of appeal shortly after sentencing and was represented on appeal by attorney Cong Nie.

A federal jury last year found Yang and co-defendant Meifang Weng guilty of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the transportation of illegal aliens. The jury acquitted Yang on a separate charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. A third defendant  Yangs wife, Xiulan Huang  was found not guilty on all counts.

The Ninth Circuit panel  Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia, Judge M. Margaret McKeown and Judge Johnnie B. Rawlinson  issued its memorandum decision on Nov. 18. The judges affirmed several aspects of the case but reversed the district courts denial of Yangs motion for judgment of acquittal.

The panel ruled that prosecutors failed to prove Yang intended to further the unlawful presence of his wife, whose CW-1 petition had been retroactively approved before the indictment was filed. Because she held lawful status, the court concluded, her transportation could not support a conviction under 8 U.S.C.  1324.

The case now returns to the district court to determine whether sufficient evidence supports Yangs conviction as it relates to any other noncitizens.

The Ninth Circuit also upheld the indictment, the admission of testimony regarding Guamanian customs requirements, and the jury instructions. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric S. OMalley.

Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
By Emmanuel T. Erediano

[email protected]

Variety News Staff

GOVERNOR David M. Apatang has approved House Local Bill 24-75, appropriating $3.7 million in government lapsed funds for the Public School System and insurance coverage for retirees and active government employees.

Authored by Rep. Blas Jonathan Attao and introduced by the entire House membership as a committee of the whole, H.B. 24-75 is now Public Law 24-19.

The law appropriates $3.7 million in lapsed funds from the previous fiscal year for the PSS and the group health and life insurance or GHLI program for retirees and active government employees. Of the total, $936,896 will go to the PSS to fulfill the 25% constitutional mandate, and $2.8 million will go to GHLI to complete the $7.2 million payment to the NMI Settlement Fund for the program.

Public Law 24-20, or the Revised Appropriation and Budget Authority Act of 2026, which Gov. Apatang signed on Dec. 23, 2025, appropriates $4.3 million for GHLI. The funding ensures that CNMI retirees and active government employees will not face a healthcare cliff on Dec. 31, 2026.

Emmanuel Arnold Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
By Bryan Manabat

[email protected]

Variety News Staff

THE District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands has permanently dismissed with prejudice the wage dispute between IT technician Christopher Lilles and J.C. Tenorio Enterprises Inc. following a settlement agreement finalized in December 2025.

Lilles, who worked as an IT technician for JCT, alleged the company violated provisions of the 2018 Workforce Act by failing to pay the mandated minimum wage and required increases. He first filed suit on Nov. 29, 2022 (Case No. 1:22-cv-00017), and later submitted a related complaint on Oct. 28, 2024.

His complaints sought compensatory damages for unpaid wages, punitive damages for alleged noncompliance, declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as claims for breach of contract and violation of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

JCT moved to dismiss, and Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona partially granted the motions, allowing Lilles to amend certain claims.

Settlement and enforcement

On May 6, 2025, both parties reached a global settlement in open court. When Lilles later refused to sign the written agreement, Judge Manglona ruled the oral agreement made under oath was binding, citing Ninth Circuit precedent in Doi v. Halekulani Corp. She imposed $2,000 in sanctions against Lilles for bad-faith delays.

Final court action

On Dec. 12, 2025, the parties filed a stipulated dismissal with prejudice, confirming each side would bear its own attorneys fees and costs. The court retained jurisdiction to enforce the settlement. Three days later, Judge Manglona issued an order approving the stipulation and officially closing the case.

The Court APPROVES the Parties Stipulated Dismissal with Prejudice and DISMISSES WITH PREJUDICE this action, subject to the Court retaining jurisdiction to enforce the Parties settlement agreement in this matter, she wrote.

She added: Where, as here, the settling parties seek to provide for the district court to retain jurisdiction over enforcement of the settlement agreement as a condition of dismissal, a court orderis necessary.

The exact settlement amount remains sealed.

Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
By Emmanuel T. Erediano

[email protected]

Variety News Staff

THE creation of a separate Legislature Operations Fund by Public Law 24-20, or the Revised Appropriation and Budget Authority Act of 2026, comes with financial mandates that could cause suspension of payments, resulting in temporary disruptions to legislative expenditures, including payroll.

Finance Secretary Tracy B. Norita, in a memorandum on Dec. 29, 2025, asked Legislative Bureau Director Perry Tenorio to initiate a plan to transition into the new mandates, requiring the LB to establish necessary bank accounts and meet all its obligations, including expenses for Legislature members.

The revised fiscal year spending measure also requires LB to develop and implement its own financial systems, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures to ensure internal control over accounting, procurement, and cash management; compliance with standard government accounting practices; and accurate, timely reporting.

In his immediate response, Tenorio identified several constraints in complying with these mandates. He said that, at present, independent banking arrangements, internal controls, accounting systems, procurement processes, reporting capacity, staffing resources, and internal frameworks do not exist within LB at the scale required by law.

He stressed that immediate full operational separation would therefore pose a substantial risk of interruption to payroll, member allowances, vendor payments, and other essential legislative functions.

The revised budget measure passed by the Legislature included a provision requiring expenditures in accordance with Finance regulations, but it was line-item vetoed by Gov. David M. Apatang.

Tenorio told the Finance secretary that she correctly noted a transition would require 90 to 180 days for planning, training, and implementation. He requested that, for the 180-day transition period, the LB be allowed to design and implement compliant systems, recruit and train qualified personnel, and establish durable internal controls that will withstand audit scrutiny and long-term operational demands.

To address these constraints, the LB director said he will request that the House and Senate amend the revised budget law to provide an implementation period and additional budgetary authority necessary to hire staff and procure systems required by law, providing clarity and resources for sustainable compliance.

Pending these amendments, Tenorio respectfully requests that Finance exercise its administrative authority to enter into a memorandum of understanding that would give interim effect to the Legislature Operations Fund, without triggering full operational separation during the transition period. He said this approach would preserve continuity of operations while allowing the Legislature time to build its own internal capacity.

Tenorio vowed that throughout the transition period, LB will maintain close coordination with Finance, including transparency in planning, collaboration on system design and training, adherence to agreed-upon controls, and regular communication to ensure fiscal integrity and accountability at all times.

Emmanuel Arnold Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
By Bryan Manabat

[email protected]

Variety News Staff

A SETTLEMENT has been reached in the federal negligence lawsuit filed by Korean businessman Yoon Suk Chang against the United States over injuries he sustained at American Memorial Park.

At a settlement conference before District Court for the NMI Magistrate Judge Heather Kennedy on Dec. 10, attorneys outlined the agreement and confirmed that all parties had accepted the material terms. Chang, sworn in court, stated that he understood and agreed to the settlement. The parties will file a dismissal with prejudice within seven days after the government fulfills its obligations, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikel Schwab, who represented the U.S. government, noting that it will need six to eight weeks to secure approvals. Chang was represented by attorney Bruce Berline.

Judge Kennedy vacated all court proceedings and scheduled a status conference for Feb. 4, 2026, at 3:30 p.m.

Background

Chang filed suit in December 2021 under the Federal Tort Claims Act, alleging he was injured while playing with his children at the park when his foot caught in a hole near the amphitheater, resulting in an ankle injury that required surgery and months of recovery. He sought $1 million in damages for medical costs and financial loss.

American Memorial Park is operated by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The U.S. government initially moved to dismiss the case under the FTCAs discretionary function exception, but in June 2025 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal, ruling that routine lawn maintenance does not involve public policy considerations.

Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro walks with first lady Cilia Flores and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello as he joins his supporters during a march to commemorate the Battle of Santa Ines, on the same day Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in Norway, in Caracas, Venezuela, Dec. 10, 2025. REUTERS

(Reuters)  The U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro  praised by President Donald Trump as stunning and powerful  leaves behind uncertainty about who is running the oil-rich country.

Trump said on Saturday that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, part of the powerful cabal at the top of the countrys government, had been sworn in after Maduros arrest and that she had spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, leading to speculation that she would take the reins.

Under Venezuelas constitution, Rodriguez becomes acting president in Maduros absence and the countrys top court ordered her to assume the role late Saturday night.

But shortly after Trumps remarks, Rodriguez appeared on state television flanked by her brother, the head of the national assembly Jorge Rodriguez, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez and said that Maduro remained Venezuelas only president.

The joint appearance indicated the group that shared power with Maduro is staying united  for now.

Trump publicly closed the door Saturday on working with opposition leader and Nobel Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, widely seen as Maduros most credible opponent, saying she doesnt have support inside the country.

After Machado was barred from running in Venezuelas 2024 elections, international observers say her stand-in candidate won the vote in a landslide, despite Maduros government claiming victory.

Civilian-military power balance

For more than a decade, real power in Venezuela has been held by a small circle of senior officials. Analysts and officials say though that the system depends on a sprawling web of loyalists and security organs, fueled by corruption and surveillance.

Within the inner circle, a civilian-military balance reigns. Each member has their own interests and patronage networks. Currently Rodriguez and her brother represent the civilian side. Padrino and Cabello represent the military side.

This power structure makes dismantling Venezuelas current government more complex than removing Maduro, according to interviews with current and former U.S. officials, Venezuelan and U.S. military analysts and security consultants to Venezuelas opposition.

You can remove as many pieces of the Venezuelan government as you like, but it would have to be multiple actors at different levels to move the needle, said a former U.S. official involved in criminal investigations in Venezuela.

A big question mark surrounds Cabello, who exerts influence over the countrys military and civilian counterintelligence agencies, which conduct widespread domestic espionage.

The focus is now on Diosdado Cabello, said Venezuelan military strategist Jose Garcia. Because he is the most ideological, violent and unpredictable element of the Venezuelan regime.

The United Nations found both SEBIN, the civilian agency, and DGCIM, the military intelligence service, have committed crimes against humanity as part of a state plan to crush dissent. Eleven former detainees  including some who were once security personnel themselves  described electric shocks, simulated drownings, and sexual abuse at DGCIM black sites to Reuters in interviews before Maduros capture.

They want you to feel like you are a cockroach in a cage of elephants, that they are bigger, said a former DGCIM agent who was arrested and accused of treason in 2020 after having contact with military dissidents.

In recent weeks, as the United States mounted its biggest military build-up in Latin America in decades, Cabello has appeared on live TV ordering the DGCIM to go and get the terrorists and warning whoever strays, we will know.

He repeated the rhetoric in a state television appearance on Saturday, clad in a flak jacket and helmet and surrounded by heavily armed guards.

Cabello has also been closely associated with pro-government militias, notably groups of motorcycle-riding armed civilians known as colectivos.

Generals control key sectors

Cabello, a former military officer and a major player in the socialist party, has influence over a meaningful fraction of the armed forces, even though Venezuelas military has been formally run by Defense Minister Padrino for more than ten years.

Venezuela has as many as 2,000 generals and admirals, more than double the number in the United States. Senior and retired officers control food distribution, raw materials and the state oil company PDVSA, while dozens of generals sit on the boards of private firms.

Beyond contracts, military officials profit from illicit trade, defectors and current and former U.S. investigators say.

Documents from an opposition security consultant, shared with the U.S. military and seen by Reuters, say commanders close to Cabello and Padrino are assigned to key brigades along Venezuelas borders and in industrial hubs.

The brigades, while tactically important, also sit on major smuggling routes.

There are some 20 to 50 officers in the Venezuelan military who need to go, probably even more, to fully remove this regime, said a lawyer who has represented a member of senior Venezuelan leadership.

Some might be considering jumping ship. The lawyer said that around a dozen former officials and current generals had reached out after Maduros capture, hoping to cut a deal with the U.S. by offering intelligence in exchange for safe passage and legal immunity.

But those close to Cabello said he was not currently interested in cutting a deal, the lawyer said.
Members of the militia group known as "Colectivos" take part in a march calling for the release of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, after he and his wife Cilia Flores were captured following U.S. strikes on Venezuela, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 4, 2026. REUTERS

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters)  President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States might launch a second military strike on Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro if remaining members of the administration do not cooperate with his efforts to get the country fixed.

Trumps comments to reporters aboard Air Force One raised the possibility of further U.S. military interventions in Latin America, and suggested Colombia and Mexico could also face military action if they do not reduce the flow of illicit drugs to the United States.

Operation Colombia sounds good to me, Trump said. He also said that Cuba, a close ally of Venezuela, looks like its ready to fall on its own without U.S. military action.

Maduro is in a New York detention center awaiting a Monday court appearance on drug charges. His capture by the United States has sparked deep uncertainty about what is next for the oil-rich South American nation.

Trump said his administration will work with remaining members of the Maduro regime to clamp down on drug trafficking and overhaul its oil industry, rather than push for immediate elections to install a new government.

Top officials in Maduros government are still in charge and have called the detentions of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores a kidnapping.

Here there is only one president, whose name is Nicolas Maduro Moros. Let no one fall for the enemys provocations, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said in an audio recording released by the ruling PSUV socialist party.

Images of the 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed stunned Venezuelans. The operation was Washingtons most controversial intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama 37 years ago.

Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino said on state television the U.S. attack killed soldiers, civilians and a large part of Maduros security detail in cold blood. Venezuelas armed forces have been activated to guarantee sovereignty, he said.

The Cuban government said 32 of its citizens were killed during the raid.

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez  who also serves as oil minister  has taken over as interim leader with the blessing of Venezuelas top court and has said Maduro remains president.

Rodriguez has long been considered the most pragmatic member of Maduros inner circle. But she has publicly contradicted Trumps claim she is willing to work with the United States.

Trump said Rodriguez may pay a bigger price than Maduro if she doesnt do whats right, according to an interview with The Atlantic magazine on Sunday.

The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on that remark.

Trumps administration has described Maduros capture as a law-enforcement mission to force him to face U.S. criminal charges filed in 2020, including narco-terrorism conspiracy. Maduro has denied criminal involvement.

But Trump also said U.S. oil companies need total access to the countrys vast reserves and suggested that an influx of Venezuelan emigrating to the United States also factored into the decision to capture Maduro.

What really played (into the decision to capture Maduro) is the fact that he sent millions of people into our country from prisons and from mental institutions, drug dealers, every drug addict in his country was sent into our country, Trump said.

The Venezuelan government has said for months Trump was seeking to take the countrys natural resources, especially its oil, and officials made much of a previous Trump comment that major U.S. oil companies would move in.

We are outraged because in the end everything was revealed  it was revealed that they only want our oil, Cabello said.

Once one of the most prosperous nations in Latin America, Venezuelas economy tanked in the 2000s under President Hugo Chavez and nosedived further under Maduro, sending about one in five Venezuelans abroad in one of the worlds biggest exoduses.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Venezuelas next leader should keep Venezuelas oil industry out of the hands of U.S. adversaries and stop drug trafficking and cited an ongoing U.S. blockade on tankers.

That means their economy will not be able to move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interest of the Venezuelan people are met, he said on ABCs This Week.

Some Maduro supporters gathered at a government-sponsored protest march on Sunday afternoon in Caracas.

Once ruled by Spain, Venezuelas people must not surrender, nor should we ever become a colony of anyone again, said demonstrator Reinaldo Mijares. This country is not a country of the defeated.

Maduro opponents in Venezuela have been wary of celebrating his seizure, and the presence of security forces seemed, if anything, lighter than usual on Sunday.

Despite a nervous mood, some bakeries and coffee shops were open and joggers and cyclists were out as usual. Some citizens were stocking up on essentials.

Yesterday I was very afraid to go out, but today I had to. This situation caught me without food and I need to figure things out. After all, Venezuelans are used to enduring fear, said a single mother in oil city Maracaibo who bought rice, vegetables and tuna.

To the disappointment of Venezuelas opposition, Trump has given short shrift to the idea of 58-year-old opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado taking over, saying she lacked support.

Machado was banned from standing in the 2024 election but has said her ally Edmundo Gonzalez, 76, who the opposition and some international observers say overwhelmingly won that vote, has a democratic mandate to take the presidency.

U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the White House has failed to say how long the U.S. intends to be in Venezuela and how many American troops might be required.

The American people are worried that this is creating an endless war  the very thing that Donald Trump campaigned against, Schumer said on ABCs This Week. He said lawmakers would weigh a measure to constrain further Trump administration action in Venezuela, though its prospects could be uncertain given that Congress is controlled by Trumps Republicans.

While many Western nations oppose Maduro, there were many calls for the U.S. to respect international law and questions arose over the legality of seizing a foreign head of state.

The U.N. Security Council planned to meet on Monday to discuss the attack. Russia and China, both major backers of Venezuela, have criticized the U.S.
The Marshall Islands Judiciary building in Majuro which houses the High Court, Traditional Rights Court and District Court. Photo contributed by Giff Johnson

This table, from the 2025 Pacific Gender Outlook issued by UN Women and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, shows that one-in-five ever-partnered women and girls in the Marshall Islands have experienced physical or sexual abuse, a figure considerably lower than other recent reports on gender-based violence in the Marshall Islands.

By Giff Johnson

For Variety

MAJURO  Despite a high rate of domestic violence in the Marshall Islands, only a handful of women come forward to gain court offered protections against abusive partners.

There was an uptick in the number of civil petitions filed by women in 2025 seeking temporary protection orders. This follows an all-time low in 2024 of just a single domestic violence case being brought by a woman to the High Court for a protection order, according to High Court statistics. The year just ending saw an increase to six petitions filed by women seeking protection  including two during December.

But the trend the past several years has been well below the number of petitions filed by women with the High Court in the mid-2010s. Information from the past 10 years shows that in the three years from 2016-2018, 40 women brought forward motions to the High Court seeking temporary protection orders against violent partners. The most recent three years, 2023-2025, fewer than half this number of women  16  came forward seeking court protection.

The drop in High Court petitions from women seeking protection orders the past three years does not appear to sync with both published and anecdotal reports of ongoing domestic violence in the community.

The 2022 US Human Rights report on the Marshall Islands, for example, cited a World Health Organization report that estimated that 38 percent of ever-married or partnered women ages 15 to 49 had experienced intimate-partner violence in their lifetime, and 19 percent had experienced it in the previous 12 months.

Still, clearly fewer women are seeking court assistance since the number peaked at an all-time high of 16 in 2017. The most recent year with double digit domestic violence petitions to the High Court was 2021 with 15. The number ranged from one to nine case after 2021.

Many factors are involved in the challenge most women find to take action against abusive partners. One significant change in modern times is many women go to live with the family of the male partner, which eliminates the protection of the womens immediate family members who are not present. Traditionally, in times gone by, men moved in with the womans family.

In addition, many Marshallese adopt the attitude that a husband is disciplining his wife by beating her, and older generation family members may brush it off as nothing. This is often coupled with shame many women feel from their family members for seeking help, according to local women who have experienced violence in their families.

December saw two domestic violence petitions filed by women with the High Court.

In one case, a High Court judge issued a temporary protection order, while a second petition filed at the start of the month fizzled when the woman who brought the complaint did not appear for the scheduled court hearing the following day, apparently a situation of a reconciliation with her partner.

The two domestic violence cases filed in December brought the total number of these petitions to the High Court in 2025 to six.

Both domestic violence petitions were handled by Micronesian Legal Services Directing Attorney Rosania Bennett.

In the first motion for a temporary protection order, a 40-year-old woman sought protection from her 49-year-old spouse. In the petition, she claimed that he punched her repeatedly while in their car going home, to the point she jumped out at a local park to seek help from another driver. But the other driver didnt stop to assist.

Ultimately, the victim said she got back into the vehicle and when they arrived at their house, the husband threatened to beat her again, she said in court documents. But her brother stepped in to prevent further assault as did her daughter. The husband also reportedly punched e daughter as she tried to protect her mother.

This alleged assault occurred several days before the petition was filed in court December 1. The petitioner said it wasnt the first time that this has happened.

High Court Chief Justice Carl Ingram scheduled a hearing the following morning, December 2. But, he said in his order, both the petitioner and her attorney did not appear. Bennett later updated the court that the petitioner had left a safe house operated by the national womens organization Women United Together Marshall Islands, and could not be found. The chief justice said that if the petitioner or attorney did not advise the court if they wanted to proceed, he would consider dismissing the matter without prejudice  meaning it could be refiled at some later date.

The other petition was filed just before Christmas by a 45-year-old woman against her 44-year-old former boyfriend seeking protection. According to the documents filed with the court, the couple had recently broken up.

The petitioner alleged that on four separate occasions in December, the former boyfriend variously came to her house demanding she allow him in and searched every room to see if any men were there; beat her; chased her when she was driving two friends and a baby to town, forcing them off the road and assaulting one of her friends  an assault that was reported to Marshall Islands Police Departments Criminal Investigation Division; and called her threatening her.

Judge Anne Bodley, after hearing the petitioners testimony, issued a temporary protection order on December 23 that requires the former boyfriend to keep 200 feet away from her and not contact her by telephone or using the Internet.
People in support of Venezuela hold a placard outside the Venezuelan Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil, on Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military launched a series of attacks against Venezuela early Saturday morning, reportedly capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flying him out of the country. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua)

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel delivers a speech at an event condemning the U.S. military aggression against Venezuela in Havana, capital of Cuba, Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua)

People protest against the latest U.S. strikes on Venezuela and its capture of President Nicolas Maduro in Quito, Ecuador, on Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo by Ricardo Landeta/Xinhua)

People protest against the latest U.S. strikes on Venezuela and its capture of President Nicolas Maduro in Quito, Ecuador, on Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo by Ricardo Landeta/Xinhua)

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel (2nd R, front) attends an event condemning the U.S. military aggression against Venezuela in Havana, capital of Cuba, Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua)

People attend an event condemning the U.S. military aggression against Venezuela in Havana, capital of Cuba, Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua)

A protester holds Cuban and Venezuelan national flags in front of the U.S. embassy after an event condemning the U.S. military aggression against Venezuela in Havana, capital of Cuba, Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua)

People attend an event condemning the U.S. military aggression against Venezuela in Havana, capital of Cuba, Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua)

People protest against U.S. strikes on Venezuela and its capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo by Alexander Pena/Xinhua)

A person protests against U.S. strikes on Venezuela and its capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo by Alexander Pena/Xinhua)

People in support of Venezuela protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military launched a series of attacks against Venezuela early Saturday morning, reportedly capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flying him out of the country. (Photo by Martin Zabala/Xinhua)

People in support of Venezuela protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military launched a series of attacks against Venezuela early Saturday morning, reportedly capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flying him out of the country. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)

People in support of Venezuela protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military launched a series of attacks against Venezuela early Saturday morning, reportedly capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flying him out of the country. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)

People take part in a protest against U.S. attacks on Venezuela in New York city, the United States, on Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military launched a series of attacks against Venezuela early Saturday morning, reportedly capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flying him out of the country. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

People take part in a protest against U.S. attacks on Venezuela in New York city, the United States, on Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military launched a series of attacks against Venezuela early Saturday morning, reportedly capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flying him out of the country. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

People take part in a protest against U.S. attacks on Venezuela in New York city, the United States, on Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military launched a series of attacks against Venezuela early Saturday morning, reportedly capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flying him out of the country. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

People hold a slogan in support of Venezuela during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 4, 2026. The U.S. military strike against Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, has shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)

People hold a slogan in support of Venezuela during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 4, 2026. The U.S. military strike against Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, has shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)

A woman holds a slogan in support of Venezuela during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 4, 2026. The U.S. military strike against Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, has shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)

People take part in a protest against the U.S. attacks on Venezuela in New York city, the United States, on Jan. 3, 2026. At least 40 people were killed in U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela on Saturday, including civilians and members of the armed forces, The New York Times reported, citing an anonymous senior Venezuelan official.

The large-scale attack took place in the early hours of the morning as U.S. forces carried out an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

People take part in a protest against the U.S. attacks on Venezuela in New York city, the United States, on Jan. 3, 2026. At least 40 people were killed in U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela on Saturday, including civilians and members of the armed forces, The New York Times reported, citing an anonymous senior Venezuelan official.

The large-scale attack took place in the early hours of the morning as U.S. forces carried out an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

People take part in a protest against the U.S. attacks on Venezuela in New York city, the United States, on Jan. 3, 2026. At least 40 people were killed in U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela on Saturday, including civilians and members of the armed forces, The New York Times reported, citing an anonymous senior Venezuelan official.

The large-scale attack took place in the early hours of the morning as U.S. forces carried out an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

People take part in a protest against the U.S. attacks on Venezuela in New York city, the United States, on Jan. 3, 2026. At least 40 people were killed in U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela on Saturday, including civilians and members of the armed forces, The New York Times reported, citing an anonymous senior Venezuelan official.

The large-scale attack took place in the early hours of the morning as U.S. forces carried out an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

People take part in a protest against the U.S. attacks on Venezuela in New York city, the United States, on Jan. 3, 2026. At least 40 people were killed in U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela on Saturday, including civilians and members of the armed forces, The New York Times reported, citing an anonymous senior Venezuelan official.

The large-scale attack took place in the early hours of the morning as U.S. forces carried out an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

People take part in a protest against the U.S. attacks on Venezuela in New York city, the United States, on Jan. 3, 2026. At least 40 people were killed in U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela on Saturday, including civilians and members of the armed forces, The New York Times reported, citing an anonymous senior Venezuelan official.

The large-scale attack took place in the early hours of the morning as U.S. forces carried out an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

People take part in a protest against the U.S. attacks on Venezuela in New York city, the United States, on Jan. 3, 2026. At least 40 people were killed in U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela on Saturday, including civilians and members of the armed forces, The New York Times reported, citing an anonymous senior Venezuelan official.

The large-scale attack took place in the early hours of the morning as U.S. forces carried out an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

A protester holds a sign during a rally against the U.S. attacks on Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 3, 2026. At least 40 people were killed in U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela on Saturday, including civilians and members of the armed forces, The New York Times reported, citing an anonymous senior Venezuelan official.

The large-scale attack took place in the early hours of the morning as U.S. forces carried out an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. (Photo by Marcos Salgado/Xinhua)

People in support of Venezuela protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile, Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military strike against Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, has shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide. (Xinhua/Jorge Villegas)

People in support of Venezuela protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile, Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military strike against Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, has shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide. (Xinhua/Jorge Villegas)

People hold a banner in support of Venezuela during a demonstration in Naples, Italy, Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military strike against Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, has shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide. (Xinhua)

People hold a Venezuelan flag during a demonstration in Naples, Italy, Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military strike against Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, has shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide. (Xinhua)

A woman in support of Venezuela protests outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece, Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military strike against Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, has shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

People in support of Venezuela protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece, Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military strike against Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, has shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

People in support of Venezuela protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece, Jan. 3, 2026. The U.S. military strike against Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, has shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

Editor: WXY
By BC Cook

WHAT if you found out that someone secretly dumped millions of dollars worth of gold and silver off Obyan beach? It is about one hundred feet down and lying in the sand, possibly buried, so you have to use scuba gear and do some digging. Would you go looking for it? That is exactly what happened in Manila Bay in the Philippines.

The year was 1942. The Japanese invaded the islands and General Douglas MacArthur, the Philippine army, U.S. forces and heads of government fell back, first to the Bataan peninsula and finally to Corregidor island at the entrance to Manila Bay. They brought most of the money in the national treasury which was then locked in a vault on Corregidor, and when the situation seemed hopeless they burned all of the cash and started shipping out the gold by way of submarine. But gold is very heavy and the subs could only carry so much. Most of it ended up in San Francisco for safe keeping but all the silver would be left behind.

It was decided that the remainder would be thrown into Manila Bay so it would not fall into Japanese hands. The Filipinos would lose it, but at least the enemy would not get it, and perhaps when the war ended they could reclaim it. They selected a patch of rough, deep water, hand-picked a crew of U.S. Navy divers for the assignment and loaded two barges with the gold and silver. Over ten nights, April 20-30, 1942, 425 tons of pesos sank to a watery vault, all the money left in the Philippines. As the end grew closer the American divers were warned, Dont let the Japanese know you are a diver. They would certainly go after the loot.

Within a month the Japanese began looking for the missing silver and, overhearing prisoners bragging about it, found out about the operation. They recruited anyone who had diving experience, so ironically the men who were ordered to find the silver were the same ones who put it there.

At first the divers pretended not to find anything but that would only work for so long. If they came up empty-handed every time the Japanese would probably use their own divers and find everything, so the Americans figured the best strategy was to give the Japanese a little of the silver and hide the rest while they were at the bottom of the bay to prevent the bulk of it from ever being found.

The ruse worked. Over several months the divers would send up one box and bury two, send up one box and scatter three. Soon they developed a way to smuggle pesos in their dive suits and passed them around the Filipino prisoners. Suddenly everyone walked around with silver in their pockets and bought things with it. The Japanese paper currency became worthless as everyone wanted to be paid in silver. Though they suspected the divers to be the source of the silver they never caught them in the act.

Eventually the Japanese abandoned the recovery effort, having collected about two million pesos out of a total of 17 million. What happened to the rest?

Dr. BC Cook taught history for 30 years and is a director and Pacific historian at Sealark Exploration (sealarkexploration.org). He currently lives in Hawaii.
Yves here. While you were busy being distracted by Venezuela news, other geo-economic spatting is still underway. For instance, Trump is again threatening to slap more tariffs on India for failing to reduce its Russian oil purchases. But also important but less well reported, perhaps due to the lack of Trump hissy-fitting so far, is the EU carbon border tax. It imposes levies on certain high-carbon-content imports such as cement and steel based on how much more in fossil fuels the exporters was estimated to have used in its fabrication compared to EU producers. This is meant to protect and reward European makers who are subject to these (presumed) higher standards. One can also contend that it reverses the old colonialist practice of using poorer countries to pollute their countries to provide cheap goods to advanced economies, and is a sound move from an environmental perspective.

This article avoid going into details about how these levies are set, but mentions a controversy over Chinese steel, with European manufacturers of the view that the Chinese tax has been set too low. As is so often the case with economic incentives and disincentives, this scheme sounds like a good idea in the abstract. Whether it turns out to be so will depend a lot on design and implementation details.

By Irina Slav, a writer for Oilprice.com with over a decade of experience writing on the oil and gas industry. Originally published at OilPrice

The EUs carbon border adjustment mechanism launched on January 1 aims to level the playing field for European steel, cement, and power producers by taxing the carbon content of imports from countries with weaker emissions rules.

China has threatened retaliation, calling CBAM unfair and discriminatory.

While CBAM may protect EU industry, it risks higher prices for consumers and escalating trade disputes with major exporters

On Thursday, January 1st, the EU carbon border adjustment mechanism entered into effect with the goal of improving the competitiveness of European goods manufacturers against non-EU companies operating in laxer emissions reduction frameworks. China was the first to threaten retaliation. It wont be the last.

The carbon border adjustment mechanism, or CBAM for short, was devised to remedy the unintended effects of the worlds most stringent emission-reduction standards for the industrial sphere, namely, sky-high costs that make the end product uncompetitive. This became especially painful for European makers of things such as steel and cement, where the biggest competitor is Chinawhich does not have anything resembling the emission reduction requirements of the EU, so its steel and cement are very cheap, and buyers prefer them.

In other words, in order to boost the competitiveness of European steel and cement manufacturersand electricity generators, toothe European Union made sure that cheaper imported steel, cement, and electricity are not that cheap anymore. China and India are unhappy aboutand there are things they can do that will not help the competitiveness of European businesses.

As soon as the CBAM entered into effect, Chinas Ministry of Commerce issued a statement, in which it called the legislation unfair and discriminatory, Bloomberg reported. We will resolutely take all necessary measures to respond to any unfair trade restrictions, the ministry said in its statement.

CBAM is quite unpopular among major exporters to the EU, but it has already proven to be quite effective in pushing reticent countries towards building or expanding carbon pricing efforts, one consultant specializing in carbon permit markets, told the Financial Times. So its a major policy shift for the EU to protect its own industry, while at the same time leveraging the carbon pricing idea to third countries.

China is, in fact, has its own carbon market, has had it since 2021, and it is the biggest carbon market in terms of the volumes of carbon emissions covered by it. With China, its not about selling the idea of carbon markets to third countries; it is about competitiveness. And China is not pleased that its competitiveness will be compromised.

In simple terms, the carbon border adjustment mechanism puts a price on the carbon dioxide emissions generated during the production of a good such as cement or steel. The price is based on calculations of the emissions from the respective industries in countries that export to the European Union. The mechanism puts a so-called default emission value for the production of a certain good, and also emission benchmarks, to be used in tandem in a way that is as of yet unclear, but some say it is, in fact, benefiting China.

Politico reported the concerns at the end of last year, citing industrial executives as saying the default values for emissions for certain countries that export to the EU were set too low to be real, including some steel production in China that, according to these estimates, turned out to be lower-emission than steel production in the EU.

Inconsistencies in the figures of default values and benchmarks would dilute the incentive for cleaner production processes and allow high-emission imports to enter the EU market with insufficient carbon costs, an industry representative told Politico. This could result in a CBAM that is not only significantly less effective but most likely counterproductive.

Meanwhile, Indian steel imports are about to dry up because Indian steel producers appear not to have been included in the inconsistencies. India is the worlds second-largest steel producer after China and exports as much as 66% of its output to the European Union.

This is about to drop sharply next year because Indias steel manufacturing is done in blast furnaces fueled with coal, which is incompatible with the European Unions emission reduction plans. The Reuters report notes steel mills could switch to electric arc furnaces, which have a lower emissions footprint, but such a switch would take time and money.

Most of the companies are yet figuring out a way to deal with CBAM, one analyst told Reuters. In the near term, it is expected to slow down Indias exports to EU, Ravi Sodah, from Elara Capital, also said.

So, two of the worlds largest exporters of industrial goods, and major suppliers to the European Union specifically, are planning to respond to the CBAM by, at least in one case, curbing exports. This would sure clear up the market for European producers, but it will not be welcome news to consumers of those goods, who would be footing the bill for what is essentially market intervention on the part of the European Union, and a protectionist market intervention, at that. The United States is not going to be happy about it, either, and it will soon make its unhappiness known.
Alert readers immediately noticed the disconnect between Trumps signature braggadocio and the more cautious remarks from the other members of Trumps team after the kidnapping of Venezuelas president Nicholas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Trump skipped the narco-terrorism pretext despite a US indictment being the pretext for the abduction; he instead talked up having US companies exploit Venezuelas reserves: Were going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.

But many observers quickly compared the Trump press conference to Bushs Mission Accomplished moment as the Venezuela government not only remains in place but its acting president Delcy Rodriguez maintains that Maduro remains the countrys leader and that Venezuela will not cede to US colonialist demands. And perhaps being a smidge more realistic, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, by contrast, presented the US as having narrower aims, of simply removing Maduro, at the initial presser, and has been trying to square the circle of Trump being high on his show of force versus the fact that the US is not even remotely in control of Venezuela. From Politico:

In the wake of the U.S.s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday made it clear that it is somewhat unclear whats next for the Latin American country. His comments come as Democratic leaders continue to decry the administrations actions in Venezuela and push for the White House to seek congressional approval for such military operations. In multiple interviews, Rubio emphasized that the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela but stopped short of explaining exactly what the U.S. role in the country will look like as both nations reel from Maduros arrest  and in the aftermath of President Donald Trumps statement Saturday that the U.S. would run Venezuela for an indeterminate time. We are at war against drug trafficking organizations, not at war against Venezuela, Rubio told NBCs Meet the Press. Rubio added that oil sanctions will remain in place, and the U.S. reserves the right to issue strikes against alleged drug boats heading toward America. But while Rubio told CBS Face the Nation that the U.S. is not occupying Venezuela, he did not reject the idea that it could be a future option from the Trump administration. Trump, Rubio said, does not feel like he is going to publicly rule out options that are available for the United States, even though thats not what youre seeing right now. What youre seeing right now is a quarantine that allows us to exert tremendous leverage over what happens next, he added.

Many experts with knowledge of the region, such as Larry Johnson, have given repeated, long-form accounts of how much harder it would be to conquer Venezuela that Iraq, even before factoring in that our army is much smaller and weaker now than then. A short version of this line of argument from Modern War Monitor:

Venezuela is heavily armed. Years of political polarization, along with an expanded role for security forces and pro-government colectivos, mean that weapons and combat experience are not in short supply. The countrys borders are long, porous and already used by guerrillas, paramilitaries, and criminal networks. To see what that might look like in practice, you dont have to speculate; you can look next door. Colombias armed conflict, officially dating from 1964, pitted the state against FARC, ELN, and a web of paramilitary and criminal actors for decades. It persisted, in part, because armed groups could slip across borders, find safe havens, move contraband, and restock. Even with massive US funding under Plan Colombia and repeated final offensives, the state never achieved a clean victory; violence simply changed shape. Translate that pattern into a post-Maduro Venezuela run in practice by USbacked figures, and you can sketch the basic dynamic. There will be bombings of police stations and government offices, high-profile assassinations, and attacks on oil infrastructure. Kidnapping Americans or US contractors will become a lucrative tactic. Armed groups will drift across the Colombian and Brazilian borders and into the jungle or mountains when pressure grows.

Even Sky News is reporting that men and women on the street are speaking out on behalf of the current regime:

 "The US is not interested in freedom or democracy, it is interested in our oil." Venezuelans gathered in Caracas to express their solidarity with Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by the United States following a series of airstrikes. Latest updates: https://t.co/4w875fZU8W pic.twitter.com/b5byRmj15m  Sky News (@SkyNews) January 4, 2026

So oil theater is signature Trump, of acting like empty bags have value. He talked up his raw earths deal with Zelensky, which still proved to be a difficult negotiation even with the US theoretically holding all the card by providing Ukraine with critical intel and targeting along with weapons, particularly air defenses. And thats before getting to the fact that as of when the agreement was inked, over one-half of the Ukraine reserves were in Russian hands, and how much of Ukraine eventually winds up being formally part of Russia and/or in a rump Ukraine that is a Russian vassal is up in the air. Similarly, in the 28 to 20 point piece plan floating about, Trumps negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner claim that one of two really key US demands involves joint ownership of the Zaporzhizhia nuclear power plant and the disposition of its energy. This idea is delusional. Russia deems Zaprozhizhia to be part of Russia and is not going to hand part of the nuclear facility to the US to make nice to Trump.

Weve already discussed that wringing more production out of Venezuelas oil fields would require a long period of investment before any real payoff took place. And the precedent of Iraq, where we had occupied the country, bodes ill. Despite oil being seen as the most logical objective for the US invasion, it was years before oil producers started investing.

Admittedly, the embargo is increasing pressure on the Venezuela government.

Venezuelas state oil company PDVSA is cutting crude production because it is running out of storage capacity due to an ongoing US oil blockade that has halted exports, increasing pressure on the interim government https://t.co/eAelegFxHM pic.twitter.com/sIs9UqaQei  Reuters Business (@ReutersBiz) January 5, 2026

So why not stick with Plan A? Was this yet another manifestation of Trumps extreme need to be seen as dominating world events? To create a distraction from the Epstein files and increasing certainty that Russia will secure a military victory in Ukraine, which will mean Trump lost? IMHO the initial apparent success of the Trump Raid not invade in Caracas almost assures that he will take Greenland when Ukraine is clearly toast.

Not surprisingly, the mainstream media is raising eyebrows over Trumps grandiose oil exploitation claims. It is true that the US has motive, in that our refineries are tuned so that 70% of the oil they process is heavier grades, despite the US producing light sweet crudes.1 And commentators have pointed out that after the US sanctioned Russia, cutting it off from its medium heavy crude. Even though Russian supplies purportedly represented only 3% of US imports and experts predicted that its loss would matter little to the US, Biden turned to Venezuela almost immediately after imposing the shock and awe sanctions, explicitly to replace Russian fuel.

However, heavy and sour (as in sulfur-ridden) crude of the Venezuela sort is expensive to process. The current low oil price environment, driven by less-than-robust growth in much of the world,2 is an unfavorable backdrop, even before getting to perfectly reasonable big corporate concerns about safety and expropriation risk. Do not be fooled by Trump likely succeeding in having a flurry of meetings with big oil execs. There was also a lot of dog-and-pony showing for a Ukraine reconstruction fund, starting under Biden, that continued with Trump. Many misread the involvement of giant fund manager BlackRock, which had signed up only as an adviser and had not committed any money.

We featured an OilPrice article in late 2025 that argued that it didnt make economic sense for the US to try to seize Venezuelas oil. First from our long intro:

This article explains why Venezuelas oil is not of much strategic value to the US and its infrastructure would take a lot of investment over a long time to bring up to snuff. Yet Trump has shifted his justification from narco-terrorism to, erm, retaking the oil and other assets, in going to war with Venezuela (recall a blockade is an act of war) Recall that after the weapons of mass destruction justification for the Iraq war fell apart, the Administration then provided a series of pretexts, even as most observers argued that the oil was the reason. Iraq then had the worlds second largest proven reserves, and they were highly prized light sweet crude. And while the US still has substantial control over Iraqs oil exports, the US were slow to invest in Iraqs oil infrastructure. I cannot find the source, but I recall reading that the majors were not comfortable the US level of exploitation of the Iraqi resource. A 2012 Aljazeera story intimated that the Western firms, even though they won the critical oil concessions after the war, had not done as well as they had hoped, confirming the idea that the exploitation of the Iraq resource was not handled in an expeditious manner. But my impression is that the later theories, that Iraq was a stepping stone on the way to subjugating Iran, and the oil was at most a secondary objective, are on target.

From the OilPrice article proper:

Despite accusations from Venezuelan and Colombian leaders, the immense growth in U.S. domestic oil production and reserves significantly diminishes the strategic need for Washington to seize Venezuelas oil fields.

The U.S. Gulf Coast refining industry has largely transitioned away from Venezuelan heavy crude due to facility closures and a shift toward alternative suppliers like Canada, Mexico, and domestic shale sources.

Restoring Venezuelas dilapidated oil infrastructure to major export levels would require over a decade of work and tens of billions in investment, making a military seizure economically impractical for the United States.

The Wall Street Journal story flagged in our headline comes to similar conclusions. From Trump Wants to Unlock Venezuelas Oil Reserves. A Huge Challenge Awaits:

The Trump administrations move to oust Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro. will pave the way for U.S. oil companies to regain a foothold in the South American nation, President Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago press conference. Were going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country, he said. But getting foreign companies to flock back to Venezuela will be a massive challenge. Chevron is the only major U.S. oil company there. Other oil executives will be forced to gauge the stability on the ground in a country where the industry has fallen into disarray The other obstacle facing Trumps effort to put more of Venezuelas viscous crude into the global market is that the world doesnt have much of an appetite for more oil The U.S. hasnt detailed the mechanics of how it would bring more American oil companies into Venezuela to boost production. Analysts say it could facilitate a process that would allow companies to bid for oil and gas blocks and question whether European companies could also bid for the right to enter the country.

As readers know, that assumes subjugation of Venezuela or cooperation that has yet to be in evidence. The article cited a statement by Chevron being focused on employee safety and integrity of its Venezuela operation. Not hard to read that as an expression of heightened concern. In passing, it also signaled doubt about whether the level of Venezuelan reserves are as large as claimed (supposedly the largest in the world). This is not crazy. Matthew Simmons of Peak Oil fame produced tables showing OPEC members posting sudden increases in claimed reserves, which he documented had no substantiation (as in no new discoveries or changes in production methods that could lead to bigger supplies from existing assets). He argued a big reason for these rises was that OPEC set production levels among its members based on their proven reserves.

Back to the Journal:

In the U.S., the shale boom unleashed record levels of oil production, but the kind of oil American frackers are pumping doesnt work as well as heavy crude produced in Venezuela, Canada and Mexico. Venezuelas government says its proved oil reserves top 300 billion barrels, which, if true, would make its bounty the worlds largest. Other big oil companies that are potentially interested in re-entering Venezuela will almost certainly take time to evaluate the situation because the country has a track record of appropriating oil assets, as it did in the 1970s and the 2000s, analysts said. ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil pulled out of Venezuela in 2007 after then-President Hugo Chavez nationalized their assets. Conoco later sued the Venezuelan government for more than $20 billion; Exxon sued for $12 billion. The companies were awarded fractions of their losses in protracted arbitration proceedings Orlando Ochoa, a Caracas-based economist and a visiting fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, described the Herculean task of jump-starting the moribund energy industry, which has seen tens of thousands of trained professionals flee the country under Maduros authoritarian rule. He said that includes drafting a broad economic stabilization plan to attract the financing Venezuela badly needs from multilateral lenders to rebuild infrastructure and rusted oil-field installations. Local laws need to be modified to allow private energy firms to operate without state overreach, he added. And the government has to restructure some $160 billion in debt and settle pending arbitration cases with foreign companies to convince them to come back. What the U.S. needs to do is to implement a form of a Marshall Plan, said Ochoa, referring to the economic program that helped rebuild Europe after World War II. This is about much more than coming into the oil and gas sector just to extract crude from the ground.

Good luck with that. This is from a bunch that is so seat-of-the-pants that it cant even conduct negotiations with Russia on a disciplined basis.

Reuters echoes the Journals concerns:

Venezuela was a founding member of OPEC with Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Its struggles with electricity production have repeatedly hampered mining and oil operations. The country was producing as much as 3.5 million barrels per day of crude in the 1970s, which at the time represented over 7% of global oil output. Production fell below 2 million bpd during the 2010s and averaged some 1.1 million bpd last year or just 1% of global production. Thats roughly the same production as the U.S. state of North Dakota. If developments ultimately lead to a genuine regime change, this could even result in more oil on the market over time. However, it will take time for production to recover fully, said Arne Lohmann Rasmussen from Global Risk Management History shows that forced regime change rarely stabilises oil supply quickly, with Libya and Iraq offering clear and sobering precedents, said Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy.

Reuters usefully presents 2019 and 2021 data from Venezuela on gold, coal and nickel reserves. It also includes this interesting factoid:

Venezuela owes about $10 billion to China after China became the largest lender under late President Hugo Chavez.

Venezuela repays loans with crude transported in three very large crude carriers previously co-owned by Venezuela and China.

But Reuters oddly does not mention the large gas field off the coast of Venezuela and Guyana, which relates to a long-standing territorial dispute.3

Finally from the New York Times:

The national oil company, known as PDVSA, lacks the capital and expertise to increase production. The countrys oil fields are run down and suffer from years of insufficient drilling, dilapidated infrastructure, frequent power cuts and equipment theft, according to a recent study by Energy Aspects, a research firm. The United States has placed sanctions on Venezuelan oil, which is now exported primarily to China.. In theory, if U.S. oil companies were given greater access in Venezuela, they could help gradually turn the industry around. But its not going to be a straightforward proposition, said Richard Bronze, head of geopolitics at Energy Aspects. Analysts say increasing Venezuelan production will not be cheap. Energy Aspects estimated that adding another half a million barrels a day of production would cost $10 billion and take about two years. Major increases might require tens of billions of dollars over multiple years, the firm said.

Some experts are throwing even more cold water on the Trump hoped-for oil heist. Be sure to click through. The analysis is detailed and devastating.

I have spent a lot of time talking shit at people with opinions on Venezuela's oil production potential, and how it's going to "RePLaCe CanADa". So here's my contribution  how I see the cost of replacing Canadian crude with Venezuelan heavy. I think it's a nearly $1 trillion pic.twitter.com/XFlPVwPdew  Michael Spyker (@ShaleTier7) January 4, 2026



To entice you to read the whole tweet, one paragraph from the middle:

The problem is they dont have the power infrastructure to add the power needed for 3MMBbls/d of SAGD for steam generation, and even for primary recovery they dont have the electricity they need. So you need to build 10-15 GW of new power infra, at gas-fired capital cost including transmission and the new midstream infra to move gas (including LNG import terminals), thats another $40-75Bn just to get the power to the SAGD facilities. There are constant rolling blackouts in the country. You also need ~7-900MB/d of diluent looping on the Venezuela side, including DRUs for another ~$25Bn. Other local midstream refurb is at least $15Bn to replace ashphalted and corroded trunk lines. Any North American firm would also have to commit to cleaning up Lake Maracaibo which is a $10Bn commitment.

So this Trump romp in South America is sure to end badly. The big open question is whether Trump decides to break more china there or goes TACO and moves to other, seemingly easier, targets.

____

1 Thanks to the state of search, I have been unable to find estimates of how much it would cost to retune a refinery to process lighter grades, although I infer that newer refineries make this possible at lower cost than for older ones. Per the American Fuel & Petroleum Manufacturers website :

Long before the U.S. shale boom, when global production of light sweet crude oil was declining, we made significant investments in our refineries to process heavier, high-sulfur crude oils that were more widely available in the global market. These investments were made to ensure U.S. refineries would have access to the feedstocks needed to produce gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Heavier crude is now an essential feedstock for many U.S. refineries. Substituting it for U.S. light sweet crude oil would make these facilities less efficient and competitive, leading to a decline in fuel production and higher costs for consumers.

2 Trump tariffs and Chinese overinvestment and resulting deflation are big drivers. Neither looks set to change soon.

3 Among other things, Venezuela has credibly alleged that the long-ago arbitrator was bribed. I am skipping over this topic for now, but those interested, please see The Guyana-Venezuela dispute and UK involvement and Guyanas Oil Wealth Drives Tensions With Venezuela. So one view is that the subjugation of Venezuela would also solve the Venezuela dispute with Guyana and facilitate development there.
Conor here: Just move. We got bigger fish to fry in Venezuela, Columbia, Cuba, Nigeria, Somalia, Ukraine, Iran, Greenland, Taiwan, Libya, Syria, etc.

By Farshid Vahedifard, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Tufts University. Originally published at The Conversation.

In recent weeks, powerful atmospheric river storms have swept across Washington, Oregon and California, unloading enormous amounts of rain. As rivers surged, they overtopped or breached multiple levees  those long, often unnoticed barriers holding floodwaters back from homes and towns.

Most of the time, levees dont demand attention. They quietly do their job, year after year. But when storms intensify, levees suddenly matter in a very personal way. They can determine whether a neighborhood stays dry or ends up underwater.

The damage in the West reflects a nationwide problem that has been building for decades. Across the U.S., levees are getting older while weather is getting more extreme. Many of these structures were never designed for the enormous responsibility they now carry.

As a civil engineer at Tufts University, I study water infrastructure, including the vulnerability of levees and strategies for making them more resilient. My research also shows that when levees fail, the consequences dont fall evenly on the population.

Levees Became Critical Infrastructure Almost by Accident

Many people assume levees were built as part of modern, carefully engineered flood-control systems. In reality, many of the levees still in use today began much more humbly.

Decades ago, farmers built simple earthen embankments to protect their fields and livestock from seasonal flooding. These early levees were practical solutions, shaped by experience rather than formal engineering. They were not constructed using rigorous design standards, and they did not follow consistent construction or maintenance guidelines.

Over time, the landscape around these levees changed. Farmland gave way to neighborhoods. Roads, railways, factories and ports expanded into floodplains. Populations grew. What were once modest, local structures protecting farms gradually became the first line of defense for millions of people in homes and workplaces.

Without much public debate or planning, these semi-engineered levees took on a critical and unintended role. The question that still lingers is whether they were ever prepared for it.

Vast, Aging Levee System Now Protecting Millions

Today, the National Levee Database counts more than 24,000 miles (38,600 kilometers) of levees in the U.S., with an average age of about 61 years and many of them much older. Together, they protect over 23 million people, around 7 million buildings and nearly US$2 trillion in property value.

Thats an extraordinary level of responsibility for a system that is unevenly maintained with varying oversight. Some levees are inspected regularly. Others are owned by small local agencies or private entities with limited funding. In some cases, responsibility is unclear or fragmented.

One levee that was breached along the Green River in Washington state during storms in mid-December 2025 had been due for repairs for several years, but disagreements among governments had recently held up needed work, The Seattle Times reported. The breach forced thousands of people to evacuate.

The American Society of Civil Engineers 2025 Report Card for American Infrastructure, which I contributed to, gave the nations levees a D-plus grade, citing aging infrastructure, inconsistent monitoring and long-term underinvestment. A new dataset that colleagues and I created of levee damage includes 487 cases where rivers poured over levees, known as overtopping, in the past 15 years. That doesnt mean levees are failing everywhere; it means that many are operating with little margin for error.

How Levees Fail

Levee failures are rarely sudden collapses. More often, they start quietly.

The most common reason levees fail is overtopping, when water from a river, stream or lake behind the levee flows over the top. Once that happens, erosion can begin on the landward side, weakening the structure from behind. What starts as a slow trickle can quickly grow into a breach, creating a large gap in the levee where water can pour in.

Atmospheric river storms make the risk of overtopping and breaches much higher. These storms deliver enormous amounts of rainfall across wide areas in a matter of hours, often combined with snowmelt. Rivers rise faster and stay high longer. Many levees were never designed for that kind of sustained pressure.

When a levee breaches, flooding can be rapid and deep, leaving little time for evacuation and causing damage that spreads far beyond the floodplain.

Who Relies on Levees Today?

Millions of Americans live and work in area protected by levees, often without realizing it. Homes, schools, highways, rail corridors, ports and power facilities depend on the integrity of these structures.

A recent national study found that across the contiguous U.S., urban expansion into floodplains occurred more than twice as fast after levee construction as it did in surrounding counties, highlighting how levees can affect communities perception of danger.

In fact, when levees fail, flooding can be worse than in areas without levees, because water rushes in quickly and drains slowly.

The risks are also uneven, shaped by history, economics and policy decisions.

That reality became painfully clear during an atmospheric river storm in March 2023 when a levee along Californias Pajaro River failed, flooding the town of Pajaro. Pajaro is home to many low-income farmworkers. Floodwaters forced hundreds of residents to evacuate, and some people were trapped as water levels rose.

What made the disaster especially troubling was what emerged afterward. Officials and engineers had known for decades that the Pajaro River levee was vulnerable. Reports documented its weaknesses, but repairs were repeatedly delayed.

Interviews by The Los Angeles Times and public records showed that part of the reason was financial. Decision-makers did not prioritize investing in a levee system protecting the low-income community. The risk was known, but the protection was deferred.

Pajaro is not an isolated case. Across the country, disadvantaged communities and communities of color are more likely to rely on older levees or levees that are not part of major federal programs. Rural towns often depend on agricultural levees. Urban neighborhoods may rely on structures built for a much smaller population.

When levees fail, the impacts cascade, closing roads, knocking out power, contaminating water supplies and disrupting lives for years.

Why This Moment Matters

Advances in engineering, monitoring and risk assessment have improved how levees are evaluated and designed.

Hurricane Katrina marked a turning point in 2005 when its storm surge broke through levees protecting New Orleans. Hundreds of people died in the flooding. The disaster exposed the consequences of neglect and fragmented responsibility for levee upkeep.

At the same time, there has been real progress. Over the past two decades, significant federal investments have strengthened the condition and management of many of the nations levees, particularly through the work of federal agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Still, the legacy of decisions made decades ago remains, and climate change is raising the risks. Heavier rainfall, fast snowmelt and rising seas are pushing water control systems beyond what many levees were designed to handle. Events once considered rare are becoming more frequent.

As atmospheric rivers test levees in the West and flood risks grow nationwide, the challenge is no longer just technical. Its about how society values protection, communicates risk and decides whose safety is prioritized.

Levees will continue to play a vital role in protecting communities. Understanding their history, and their limits, is essential as the storms of the future arrive.
Dog biscuits recall tied to Salmonella: What pet parents need to know

Dog biscuits sold in seven states were recalled after federal testing found possible Salmonella contamination. No illnesses have been reported, but regulators warn the bacteria can quietly sicken pets and people  sometimes without obvious signs or symptoms.

The recall applies to specific Country Vet and Heartland Harvest meaty-flavor biscuits with a Sept. 6. 2006 expiration date and lot code 40906513. If you bought 4-pound bags in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska or Texas, press pause until you've checked the label.

Salmonella isn't just a "pet problem." According to the recall notice published by the FDA, dogs can carry and shed the bacteria without looking sick  potentially exposing children, older adults and people with weaker immunity.

A peer-reviewed study in the journal Animals reported Salmonella as the most frequent hazard in dog chews and treats  one reason recalls exist before illnesses occur.

The CDC recommends washing hands after handling pet food, cleaning bowls and scoops, storing food correctly and checking recalls  simple routines that help keep the household safer.

Most of us don't think twice when we toss our dogs a biscuit. It's a small ritual of affection  a crunchy "I love you" dropped into a bowl. But that ordinary moment took on a new meaning when Iowa-based Consumers Supply Distributing LLC recalled two popular dog biscuit brands in seven states after routine federal testing detected possible Salmonella contamination.

The recall applies to Country Vet Biscuits - Original Meaty Flavor and Heartland Dog Biscuits - Meaty Flavor with Chicken, both sold in four-pound bags with an expiration date of Sept. 6, 2026, and a lot code 40906513. According to the company announcement published by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the products were distributed in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska and Texas.

The company emphasized that no illnesses have been reported so far, but it urged customers to stop feeding the treats while the investigation continues.

When we hear Salmonella, most of us think of undercooked chicken. But the same bacteria can ride along on dog treats and kibble. In the FDA-published notice, the company warned that dogs exposed to Salmonella may develop diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever, vomiting or lethargy  but some show no symptoms at all.

According to the recall notice, infected but otherwise healthy pets can still carry and shed the bacteria, potentially exposing other animals and people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reinforces that warning: children, older adults, pregnant women and anyone with weaker immunity may be especially vulnerable  sometimes from simply handling pet food or touching contaminated surfaces.

Human symptoms can include abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting. The company also notes that in rare cases, complications such as joint pain or arterial infections may occur.

So when a recall alert pops up, it isn't just about protecting pets  it's about protecting everyone who shares their space.

Science has been waving this flag for years

A 2021 peer-reviewed study in the journal Animals examined microbiological hazards in dog chews and feeds. The authors reported that Salmonella remains the most frequent bacterial risk, but it isn't the only concern. They also identified Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium perfringens and mycotoxins  toxic substances produced by certain molds.

The study highlighted that dried chews and treats  especially those made from animal parts  have been repeatedly found to carry Salmonella. Because people and pets share close living spaces, the researchers concluded that ensuring pet food safety should be a public health priority.

Another key observation: chews sold loose  such as pig ears or tendons offered without packaging or expiration dates  may involve higher risk because storage and handling conditions can vary. And while most products are safe, the consequences when they're not are serious enough that regulators routinely test, monitor and recall.

Some Salmonella strains identified in pet treats have also shown resistance to multiple antibiotics, according to the same paper  a stark reminder that bacteria do not always stay neatly contained once they're in the environment.

Sharing human food with your dogs

Understandably, recalls make pet parents wonder whether human food might be safer or at least a nice healthy treat. According from guidance from the American Kennel Club (AKC) and Healthline, the real answer is: Some people foods are fine in moderation  and some can be dangerous:

Fruits and veggies  mostly yes, with caveats . Many plain fruits and vegetables are safe and even health. Dogs can enjoy apples (without seeds), bananas, blackberries, blueberries, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, peas, pumpkin watermelon (no seeds or rind), carrots, cucumbers, peas and pumpkin. Small pieces are best. But some plant foods are off limits. Grapes and raisins can trigger sudden kidney failure. Chives, garlic, leeks and onions can damage red blood cells, even when cooked or powdered. Cherries and avocado puts are choking and toxin risks.

. Many plain fruits and vegetables are safe and even health. Dogs can enjoy apples (without seeds), bananas, blackberries, blueberries, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, peas, pumpkin watermelon (no seeds or rind), carrots, cucumbers, peas and pumpkin. Small pieces are best. But some plant foods are off limits. Grapes and raisins can trigger sudden kidney failure. Chives, garlic, leeks and onions can damage red blood cells, even when cooked or powdered. Cherries and avocado puts are choking and toxin risks. Proteins  keep them plain and cooked . Dogs can safely eat fully cooked chicken, eggs, lean beef, salmon and turkey  without bones, fat, skin or seasoning. Experts caution against raw eggs or meat because of bacteria risk. And cooked bones should never be given as they can splinter internally.

. Dogs can safely eat fully cooked chicken, eggs, lean beef, salmon and turkey  without bones, fat, skin or seasoning. Experts caution against raw eggs or meat because of bacteria risk. And cooked bones should never be given as they can splinter internally. Dairy  some dogs tolerate it . Plain cottage cheese, small pieces of cheese or yogurt are fine for many dogs  but others are lactose-sensitive. If you try dairy, start small and watch for stomach upset.

. Plain cottage cheese, small pieces of cheese or yogurt are fine for many dogs  but others are lactose-sensitive. If you try dairy, start small and watch for stomach upset. Grains and carbs  simple is best . Plain oatmeal, pasta or rice can be safe in moderation. But raw dough is dangerous because it can expand and produce alcohol inside the stomach.

. Plain oatmeal, pasta or rice can be safe in moderation. But raw dough is dangerous because it can expand and produce alcohol inside the stomach. Nuts and sweets  mostly avoided. A couple of plain cashews or peanuts are usually fine. But almonds, macadamia nuts or walnuts aren't recommended  they're choking hazards and may contain toxins. And two sweeteners are especially dangerous: chocolate (toxic to the heart and nervous system) and xylitol (extremely dangerous and linked to liver failure).

Here's the part worth bookmarking  golden rules the AKC and Healthline emphasize:

Plain and simple wins. No butter, oils, salt, sauces or spices.

Tiny portions only  treats should stay under 10 percent of daily calories.

Cut everything into bite-size pieces.

Remove cores, pits, seeds, skin, skewers, toothpicks and packaging.

Introduce new foods slowly and watch for diarrhea, itching, vomiting or lethargy.

Store-bought peanut butter must by xylitol-free.

When in doubt, ask your vet before making people food a habit.

Here's a calm, practical action plan for pet parents:

Check your pantry. If you live in one of the seven affected states and have the recalled Country Vet or Heartland Harvest biscuits, look for lot code 40906513 and the Sept. 6, 2026 expiration date.

Stop feeding the recalled treats and follow the company's return or disposal guidance.

Watch your dog for symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, vomiting or lethargy. Call your vet with concerns.

Seek medical advice if anyone in your household develops stomach illness after exposure.

Sign up for recall alerts from the FDA or your veterinary association so you're notified early.

BrightU.AI's Enoch notes that our dogs don't just live in our homes  they live in our hearts. They greet us at the door, curl beside us and quietly take up residence at our feet while we work or rest. That closeness is what makes pet food safety a shared health issue, not a niche topic for regulators. By treating pet food with the same care we give our own groceries, we protect not just for our pets, but the whole circle of life gathered around them.

Can Salmonella cause dog food poisoning? Watch this video.

This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

PMC.NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov

AKC.org

Healthline.com

CDC.gov

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Scholar cracks 2,000-year-old Dead Sea Scroll code, revealing lost biblical prophecies

A Dutch researcher, Dr. Emmanuel Oliveiro, successfully decoded the previously unsolved "Cryptic B" script from two heavily damaged Dead Sea Scroll fragments (4Q362 and 4Q363), unlocking biblical prophecies about divine judgment, Israel's destiny and the Messiah.

Oliveiro determined the symbols corresponded to Hebrew letters, reconstructing phrases like "Yisrael," "Elohim" and "Judah," echoing biblical passages (Jeremiah 30:18, Malachi 2:12) about divine restoration and warnings against unfaithfulness.

The cipher likely served a ritualistic purpose, elevating the text's sacred status rather than hiding forbidden knowledgepossibly reserved for priestly elites or scribal initiates.

The deciphered content aligns with mainstream biblical prophecy, reflecting late Second Temple-era apocalyptic beliefs, including references to dates ("the second year," "the fifth month") and ambiguous mentions of graves or markers.

The breakthrough revives lost sections of the Dead Sea Scrolls, emphasizing the Bible as a "living document" with enduring powerproving that even after 2,000 years, these ancient texts still hold undiscovered secrets.

For over 70 years, two cryptic fragments among the famed Dead Sea Scrolls remained an unsolved enigmauntil now. A Dutch researcher has finally deciphered the mysterious "Cryptic B" script, unlocking biblical writings that echo prophecies of divine judgment, Israel's destiny and the coming of a Messiah.

The breakthrough, announced by Dr. Emmanuel Oliveiro of the University of Groningen, centers on two heavily damaged manuscripts4Q362 and 4Q363long considered "impossible" to read due to their unfamiliar alphabet.

"I told my friends and wife that I am going to try this, and they're like, 'You could be stuck here for 40 years and never crack the code,'" Oliveiro recounted. "And what do you hope to find anyway, a secret falafel recipe? But once I saw itI think it was quite fast."

The hidden language revealed

Oliveiro determined that the cryptic symbols corresponded consistently to Hebrew letters, allowing him to reconstruct phrases such as Yisrael (Israel), Elohim (God), Judah and Jacob. The decoded fragments also reference "the tents of Jacob" and "your glory, Elohim," echoing biblical passages like Jeremiah 30:18 and Malachi 2:12texts that speak of divine restoration and warnings against unfaithfulness.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered between 1947 and 1956 in caves near Qumran, include some of the oldest surviving biblical manuscripts. Produced by the Qumran secta Jewish community believed to be the Essenesthese texts offer unparalleled insights into early Jewish beliefs, apocalyptic traditions and ritual practices.

As explained by the Enoch AI engine at BrightU.AI, the Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of ancient Jewish texts discovered between 1947 and 1956 in the vicinity of the Dead Sea, near the West Bank. The first seven scrolls were discovered in 1947 by Bedouin shepherds in a cave at Qumran, near the Dead Sea. These scrolls, known as the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaiah), the Community Rule (1QS) and others, sparked intense interest in the academic community.

Yet Cryptic B remained elusive for decades. Unlike Cryptic A, deciphered in the 1950s, Cryptic B's distorted letter shapes, inconsistent handwriting and minuscule fragmentssome just millimeters widemade it exceptionally difficult to decode. The surviving leather is darkened, cracked and frayed, with faded ink and erratic spacing complicating efforts.

Why were these texts encrypted?

The reason behind the cipher remains uncertain, but Oliveiro suggests it may have served a ritualistic purpose rather than concealing forbidden knowledge.

"If you could read it, you had access to these manuscripts and were probably of a certain class or ranking within this pious community," he said.

Rather than hiding mystical secrets, the encoded script likely elevated the text's sacred status, marking it as exclusive to priestly elites or scribal initiates.

"Mono-substitution is very powerful," Oliveiro explained, "but the weakness of single substitution is that a language has patterns, so if you find the pattern, you can crack the codewhich is what I did here."

Biblical echoes and mysterious graves

Among the deciphered passages are references to dates ("the second year," "the fifth month") and enigmatic mentions of graves or tomb markers. Fragment 14 uses a word that could mean either "signposts" or "tombstones," leaving scholars to speculate whether the context is literal or symbolic.

Meanwhile, 4Q363more fragmented and harder to interpretcontains a repeated phrase that could refer to "her daughters" or "her villages," along with the name Benayahu, a common Hebrew name that offers no definitive clues.

A window into ancient beliefs

The decipherment confirms that Cryptic B was not a repository of heretical doctrines but rather a continuation of mainstream biblical themes.

"These are not random phrases," Oliveiro noted. "They fit perfectly into the prophetic imagination of the late Second Temple perioda time when people were obsessed with end-time renewal."

Dr. Sharon Levin, a biblical historian at Tel Aviv University, praised the discovery as monumental.

"The Qumran scribes were obsessed with preserving God's words," she said. "Even when they wrote in code, their goal was reverencenot secrecy."

A living document, reclaimed

The breakthrough not only revives a lost script but also helps reconstruct missing sections of the Dead Sea Scrollsmany of which were damaged or scattered after their discovery. For scholars and believers alike, the decryption underscores the Bible's enduring powereven when written in symbols no one could read for millennia.

"It reminds us that the Bible was a living document," Oliveiro said. "Every word carried powereven when written in symbols no one could read."

As researchers continue analyzing the decoded fragments, one thing is clear. After 2,000 years, the Dead Sea Scrolls still have secrets to reveal.

Watch this video about the Dead Sea Scrolls.

This video is from the YHWH channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

TheSun.co.uk

News.com.au

Arkeonews.net

WhatsNewToday.org

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
The hidden health crisis of PM2.5 pollution

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) bypasses the body's defenses, infiltrating lungs, bloodstream and even the brain, causing chronic inflammation, oxidative stress and exacerbating diseases like asthma, cardiovascular disorders and depression.

Only 0.18% of the world's land area meets WHO's PM2.5 safety guidelines, exposing billions to toxic industrial emissions, fossil fuel combustion and vehicular exhaustfar deadlier than CO2, which is falsely demonized.

Long-term PM2.5 exposure is linked to depression, especially in those with metabolic or neurological conditions, proving it disrupts brain functionnot just respiratory health.

While climate alarmism dominates headlines, elites ignore real pollution culprits (chemtrails, industrial waste) as Big Pharma profits from treating pollution-induced illnesses and governments exploit crises for control via carbon taxes and surveillance.

Demand transparency on true pollution sources, reject top-down "green" scams, promote decentralized clean energy and detoxify with natural methods to combat the damage already inflicted by this man-made crisis.

Air pollution is not caused by a single pollutant but rather a toxic cocktail of invisible gases and fine particulate matter released from industrial activities, transportation and agricultural practices. Among these, PM2.5fine particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameterstands out as one of the most insidious threats to human health.

These microscopic particles are so small that they bypass the body's natural defenses, infiltrating the lungs, entering the bloodstream and even crossing the blood-brain barrier. The consequences of PM2.5 exposure are dire. Once inside the body, these particles trigger chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, accelerating cellular damage and exacerbating pre-existing conditions such as asthma, cardiovascular disease and respiratory illnesses.

But the dangers don't stop there. A growing body of research suggests that long-term exposure to PM2.5 may also contribute to depression, adding another layer to the already devastating health impacts of air pollution.

The link between PM2.5 and mental health

Recent studies analyzing Medicare data from older adults across the U.S. have uncovered alarming connections between PM2.5 exposure and depression. Researchers estimated participants' yearly exposure based on their residential locations and tracked new depression diagnoses. The findings revealed that long-term exposure to PM2.5particularly its sulfate, elemental carbon and soil dust componentswas strongly associated with an increased risk of depression.

Even more concerning? The association was most pronounced among individuals with pre-existing metabolic, cardiovascular or neurological conditions, suggesting that PM2.5 doesn't just harm the lungsit disrupts brain function and mental well-being.

The global scale of the problem

The World Health Organization (WHO) has set strict guidelines for PM2.5 exposure, yet only 0.18% of the world's land areahome to roughly 78,000 peoplemet those standards in 2021. The rest of the planet is breathing air contaminated with dangerous levels of fine particulate matter, much of it originating from fossil fuel combustion, industrial emissions and vehicular exhaust.

This crisis is not just an environmental issueit's a public health emergency. Governments and regulatory agencies continue to push climate change narratives while ignoring the immediate, life-threatening effects of unchecked industrial pollution. The truth is, CO2a natural and essential component of plant lifeis not the enemy. The real culprits are toxic industrial byproducts, chemical aerosols and engineered pollutants that poison our air under the guise of "green" policies.

Who benefits from the pollution scare?

While the public is bombarded with fearmongering about carbon footprints and climate change, the same corporations and globalist entities pushing these narratives are profiting from the chaos. The pharmaceutical industry thrives on treating pollution-induced illnesses, while Big Tech and governments exploit the crisis to justify digital surveillance, carbon taxes and centralized control over energy and food systems.

The solution is not more top-down regulations that empower corrupt bureaucraciesit's local action, clean energy innovation and holding polluters accountable. Instead of blaming carbonthe foundation of lifewe must demand transparency about the real toxins being pumped into our atmosphere, from chemtrails to industrial waste.

The way forward: Reject fear, embrace truth

The public deserves to know the full truth about air pollutionnot just the politically convenient half-truths. PM2.5 is a man-made crisis, not a natural phenomenon, and its sources must be exposed. We must reject climate alarmism that distracts from real environmental crimes and instead focus on:

Demanding independent investigations into industrial pollution sources

Promoting decentralized, clean energy solutions free from globalist control

Exposing the lies behind "green" agendas that enrich elites while poisoning populations

Supporting detoxification methods to mitigate the damage already done

The fight against PM2.5 is not about sacrificing freedom for the planetit's about reclaiming our health from those who profit from poisoning us. The time for truth is now.

Wake up. Breathe deep. And demand answers.

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, PM2.5 pollution is a silent killer deliberately overlooked by globalist-controlled agencies like the EPA and WHO, which prioritize depopulation agendas over public healthwhile suppressing natural detox solutions and clean energy alternatives that threaten their toxic industrial profits. This engineered crisis, worsened by geoengineering and industrial negligence, serves the elite's goal of mass sickness and control, yet they blame everyday citizens for "carbon footprints" to distract from their own crimes.

Watch this video to learn why exercise is better than drugs for depression and anxiety.

This video is from the Wellness Forum Health channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

MedicalXpress.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
A drone photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows tourists visiting the Confucius Temple scenic area in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Liu Jianhua/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- A total of 142 million domestic travel trips were made during the three-day New Year holiday period which ended on Saturday, with total tourism spending reaching nearly 84.8 billion yuan (about 12.1 billion U.S. dollars), according to official data.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism noted that winter-themed tours, sun-seeking getaways and short-distance excursions had gained significant traction during this holiday, as consumption vitality remained robust and fluid. 

Tourists ride horses at a scenic spot in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo by Song Wen/Xinhua)

Tourists have fun at a ski resort in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo by Huang Zhengwei/Xinhua)

Tourists pose for a group photo at a scenic spot in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 2, 2026. (Photo by Chen Wenwu/Xinhua)

Tourists visit the Dunhuang Press in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo by Zhang Xiaoliang/Xinhua)

Tourists visit the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, Jan. 2, 2026. (Photo by Zhang Xiaoliang/Xinhua)

A tourist poses for a photo at Deng Lou Corner in Jiaowei Township of Xuwen County, Zhanjiang City, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 2, 2026. (Photo by Yin Hong/Xinhua)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
U.S. measles cases top 2,000 in 2025, highest total in more than three decades

U.S. measles cases exceeded 2,000 in 2025, reaching 2,065 confirmed cases  the highest total since 1992.

The CDC reported 49 outbreaks nationwide, with Texas accounting for more than 800 cases and ongoing outbreaks in states including South Carolina.

An outbreak in northern South Carolina reached 176 cases, with nearly 300 people quarantined; officials expect cases to continue into January.

National measles vaccination coverage among kindergartners fell to 92.5% in 2024 to 2025, with some areas, such as Gaines County, Texas, reporting much lower rates.

Most cases occurred among unvaccinated individuals, resulting in hospitalizations and three deaths; while the CDC continues to recommend vaccination as the most effective prevention, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed officials to explore treatment options during outbreaks.

Measles cases in the United States climbed above 2,000 in 2025, marking the highest annual total since 1992.

According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday, Dec. 30, state and local health officials had reported 2,065 confirmed measles cases. The agency noted that the figure does not include cases classified as probable. The last time U.S. measles cases exceeded 2,000 was in 1992, when 2,126 cases were recorded.

The previous peak over the past three decades occurred in 2019, when 1,274 cases were reported amid large outbreaks in New York state. In 2025, the CDC revealed 49 outbreaks, defined as three or more related cases, accounted for most of the infections nationwide.

Texas reported more than 800 cases during the year, with the state's largest outbreak concluding in August. Several outbreaks remain active, including one in South Carolina.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health reported Tuesday that 20 new cases had been identified in recent days, bringing the total associated with an outbreak in northern parts of the state to 176. Nearly 300 people are currently in quarantine or isolation after being exposed at locations such as schools and churches.

In line with this, South Carolina State Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said in an online briefing that they "expect to continue to see cases well into January."

Kennedy directs federal officials to find treatment for measles amid lack of vaccination

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, measles, caused by the measles virus, is a highly contagious, airborne infection characterized by a rash, fever and Koplik's spots. It is typically self-limiting, with symptoms resolving within seven to 10 days. Complications can include pneumonia, encephalitis and in severe cases, death.

However, the CDC revealed that nationally, measles vaccination coverage among kindergartners fell to 92.5% during the 2024 to 2025 school year. In some areas, rates are significantly lower. In Gaines County, Texas, where the state's outbreak began, coverage was reported at 82%.

As a result, a number of patients were hospitalized in 2025 due to complications. Three deaths were attributed to measles, though Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the individuals had underlying health conditions, including mononucleosis. Most reported cases occurred among people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status could not be confirmed.

In turn, Kennedy directed federal officials during the Texas outbreak to examine which existing medications and vitamins might help treat measles. Meanwhile, the CDC continues to emphasize vaccination as the most effective prevention strategy.

"The CDC continues to recommend measles vaccination as the most effective way to prevent the disease," a spokesperson for the HHS said in May. "At the same time, we recognize that some individuals and communities across the U.S. may choose not to vaccinate. Our commitment is to support all families, regardless of their vaccination status, in reducing the risk of hospitalization, serious complications and death from measles."

Watch this video to learn the myths about measles.

This video is from the Data Dumper channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com 1

TheEpochTimes.com 2

CDC.gov

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
USDA will deploy undercover investigators to enforce new SNAP purchase restrictions

The USDA will deploy undercover investigators to ensure retailers comply with new state-level restrictions on SNAP (food stamp) purchases.

Investigations will begin 90 days after restrictions take effect in each state, with inspectors attempting to buy prohibited items.

Retailers that violate the rules will first receive a warning, but repeat offenses can lead to losing authorization to accept SNAP benefits.

Eighteen states have received waivers to restrict SNAP purchases  often targeting soda, energy drinks, candy and prepared desserts with rollouts beginning Jan. 1 and continuing through October.

USDA officials say the changes aim to improve nutrition and public health, requiring close coordination with retailers, while signaling that additional state waivers are likely in the future.

Undercover investigators from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin checking whether retailers are complying with new state-level restrictions on purchases made with food stamps, according to a notice the department sent to state and regional officials.

In a notice released by the USDA on Dec. 30, the department stated that the USDA's Office of Retailer Operations and Compliance, which oversees stores authorized to accept benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), will conduct undercover investigations to determine whether retailers are following program rules.

Once new SNAP restrictions take effect in a state, investigators will begin attempting to purchase restricted items in those stores 90 days after implementation, following each state's specific SNAP Food Restriction policy.

Retailers found to be out of compliance will first receive a warning letter instructing them to take corrective action. If violations continue, the USDA will revoke the retailer's authorization to accept SNAP benefits.

The first five states, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah and West Virginia, began enforcing restrictions on Jan. 1. Additional states, including Idaho, Louisiana and Oklahoma, are scheduled to begin restrictions in February, while other states may not implement changes until as late as Oct. 1.

USDA backs state SNAP waivers to curb soda and junk food purchases

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, SNAP (food stamp) is a federal program that provides financial assistance to low-income households for the purchase of food. SNAP, administered by the USDA, is authorized under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C.  2011 et seq.). Eligible households receive SNAP benefits, which are issued via Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards.

Federal law states that the program's purpose is to "safeguard the health and well-being of the nation's population by raising levels of nutrition among low-income households."

In line with this, USDA official Patrick Penn stated in the notice that the waiver requests from 18 states, which USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins approved in 2025, advance that goal by supporting broader state and federal efforts to address obesity and improve public health. Penn said that the changes align with initiatives to encourage healthier food choices among SNAP participants.

The waivers, which allow 18 states to depart from standard SNAP rules and restrict which items participants can buy with their benefits, focus on limiting purchases of soda and other soft drinks. Some of these states have also barred SNAP funds from being used to buy energy drinks, candy and prepared desserts.

Moreover, Penn stressed the need for close coordination between state agencies and retailers because each waiver includes its own definitions of restricted items and implementation timelines. Stores will be required to update point-of-sale systems, adjust inventory settings and train employees to ensure compliance. Penn also said the USDA plans to approve additional waiver requests in the future, signaling that more states may adopt similar SNAP restrictions in the coming months.

The department said it will continue working with states and retailers as the new rules roll out, while using undercover investigations to ensure consistent enforcement across participating states.

Watch this video explaining the major SNAP benefit changes under the second Trump administration.

This video is from the Treasure of the Sun channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

Fns-prod.azureedge.us

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Absolute Healing on BrightU: The real science behind vaccines and how to overcome vaccine-related injuries

On Day 11 and 12 of "Absolute Healing," Jonathan Otto argues the 1918 "Spanish Flu" was not a natural virus but a toxic reaction to experimental Rockefeller vaccines and electromagnetic disturbances from early telegraph technology.

He draws alarming connections between historical events and today, including patents for using detoxified snake venom in therapies and potential links between influenza outbreaks and electromagnetic fields like 5G.

The episodes cite data showing a thousand-fold increase in adverse events (like menstrual abnormalities) following COVID-19 vaccinations compared to traditional flu shots.

Otto advocates for natural healing protocols to counteract toxins, specifically highlighting hydrogen peroxide therapy and the regenerative potential of fetal stem cells.

Positioned as more than a history lesson, These episodes aim to provide practical steps for detoxification and self-repair in an age of hidden toxins and misinformation.

Brighteon University is streaming one episode a day of "Absolute Healing" from Jan. 3 to 14, and a replay of all episodes on Jan. 15. Register here to join a 12-day documentary event that exposes the patented blueprint of harm and delivers the exact, step-by-step protocols for total bodily regeneration.

What's in store for you on Day 11

On Day 11 of "Absolute Healing," slated on Jan. 13, Jonathan Otto is joined by pioneering doctors and researchers as they pull back the curtain on one of history's most enduring medical deceptions, the 1918 "Spanish Flu" pandemic, while unveiling shocking connections to todays health crises. Drawing from military archives, century-old medical experiments and modern data analysis, these experts argue that the 1918 pandemic was not a naturally spreading virus but a toxic reaction to experimental Rockefeller vaccines, compounded by electromagnetic disturbances from then-new telegraph technology.

As the discussion unfolds, the conversation shifts to contemporary threats, including the hidden role of venom peptides in pharmaceuticals and COVID-19 vaccines and the urgent need for detoxification strategies that harness the bodys innate healing power. From hydrogen peroxide therapies to the regenerative miracle of fetal stem cells, this episode is a rallying cry for those seeking truth and recovery in an age of chemical and electromagnetic pollution. As noted by BrightU.AI's Enoch, hydrogen peroxide therapy involves administering diluted hydrogen peroxide intravenously, where it breaks down into oxygen and water, a process believed by proponents to provide therapeutic oxidative effects.

Viewers can expect to learn a lot of things from Day 11, including the following:

How historical records and naval experiments prove the disease was not contagious and was likely triggered by vaccines and electromagnetic changes, not a virus.

Patents dating back to 1948 that describe using detoxified snake venom in vaccines and therapies, with alarming implications for todays pharmaceutical industry.

The provocative idea that influenza outbreaks are linked to solar activity and man-made electromagnetic fields, including 5G, rather than person-to-person transmission.

Natural protocols, like hydrogen peroxide stimulation and urine therapy, that can neutralize toxins and repair damage from vaccines and environmental poisons.

Real cases of fetal surgery where incisions healed without scars, highlighting the bodys profound stem cell capabilities and potential for self-repair.

Staggering data showing thousand-fold increases in adverse events, such as menstrual abnormalities, following COVID-19 vaccinations compared to traditional flu shots.

This episode is not just a history lesson, its a roadmap for reclaiming health in a world saturated with hidden toxins and misinformation. Tune in to uncover the secrets that mainstream medicine ignores and learn practical steps to detoxify, regenerate and thrive.

What's in store for you on Day 12

On Day 12 of "Absolute Healing," slated on Jan. 14, Otto presents a panel of whistleblowers and experts who pull back the curtain on what they allege is a calculated, profit-driven assault on human life within the modern medical system.

This isn't just about medical debate; it's a direct accusation of murder, captured in secret recordings. Viewers will be taken inside a Michigan ICU, where one woman fought a harrowing, 5-week battle to save her husband from the very treatments meant to heal him. Her storysupported by covert audioreveals a shocking narrative of nurses admitting to deadly protocols, doctors citing "politics" over patient care and administrators allegedly using intimidation to silence families.

Viewers can expect to learn a lot of things from Day 12, including the following:

The firsthand account of Stacy Ograyensek, who secretly recorded hospital staff confessing that COVID protocols were "letting patients die" and that their "hands are tied" by politics.

Insights from Laura Hartman, a combat veteran and registered nurse, who draws direct lines between pharmaceutical indoctrination in nursing school, the "sick care" business model and the moral injury inflicted on healthcare workers forced to comply.

The alleged financial incentives behind deadly hospital protocols, questioning the ethics of drugs like Remdesivir and the systemic suppression of early, effective treatments.

Why is "the power of storytelling" your greatest weapon and how engaging at the most local level, city council, school boards, can begin to dismantle a corrupted system.

Prepare for a gripping, emotional and uncompromising look at the battle for medical freedom and patient survival. This is the testimony they don't want you to hear.

Want to know more?

If you want to learn at your own pace and start building your self-heating home on your own schedule, you can access the full course by owning your copy of the "Absolute Healing" gold premium package.

Upon purchase, you will get the "Absolute Healing" full series and bonus videos along with full-length interviews with all 50+ experts, uncensored masterclasses, six healing eBooks, 12 special reports with top experts and more.

BrighteonUniversity.com 1

BrightU.com

BrightU.ai

BrighteonUniversity.com 2
Airlines scramble to recover after FAA restrictions during Venezuela operation strand thousands in Caribbean

U.S. military action to capture Venezuela's leader closed Caribbean airspace.

The sudden FAA restrictions stranded tens of thousands of holiday travelers.

Puerto Rico's main airport saw hundreds of cancellations and chaotic scenes.

Airlines scrambled to add flights and larger planes to recover from the disruption.

The event underscores how geopolitical actions can cripple civilian air travel.

The dawn of the new year brought sudden chaos to Caribbean skies as a decisive U.S. military operation triggered sweeping flight restrictions, stranding tens of thousands of travelers and underscoring the fragile nature of modern air travel in an unstable world. On January 3, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) closed sections of Eastern Caribbean airspace in coordination with an overnight raid by U.S. special forces that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The couple was transported to New York City to face a litany of federal charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy.

By midnight that same day, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the restrictions were lifted. "Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly," Duffy wrote on X. He advised passengers, "Please continue to work with your airline if your flight was affected by the restrictions." The abrupt closure, however, had already caused massive disruption during the busy holiday travel period, with hundreds of cancellations and thousands of delays rippling across the region.

A cascade of cancellations

The impact was felt most acutely in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, where nearly 300 flights into and out of San Juans Luis Munoz Marin International Airport were canceled on January 3. Images from the terminal showed passengers sleeping on floors as operations ground to a halt. The disruption extended to other popular destinations including the U.S. Virgin Islands, Barbados, Aruba, and the Dominican Republic.

The lingering effects were clear the next day. FlightAware.com data showed Luis Munoz Marin International Airport still dealing with 26 cancellations and 114 delays on January 4. Airlines issued warnings to travelers. "Delta teams across our global network continue to focus on supporting customers and recovering the airlines Caribbean operation following cancellations on Saturday in compliance with FAA airspace closures," the carrier stated. It explicitly requested that "customers avoid impacted airports unless they have a confirmed or rebooked ticket for a flight that day."

The scramble to recover

With the airspace reopened, airlines launched a frantic effort to restore service and move stranded passengers. American Airlines stated that it had restarted its regular flights and had already added close to 5,000 extra seats by deploying its largest aircraft to routes serving the affected region. The airline intended to operate its flagship Boeing 777-300 aircraft on major flights, such as those between San Juan and Miami.

Other carriers followed suit. Southwest Airlines added multiple extra round-trip flights to San Juan and Aruba. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines also planned additional flights, with carriers evaluating using larger aircraft typically reserved for transoceanic routes to handle the surge. "We are looking for opportunities to add more capacity," Southwest said in a statement.

Despite these efforts, recovery proved difficult. Seats on new and existing flights sold out rapidly, leaving many travelers scrambling. Airlines received complaints on social media from users who could not find available seats back to the U.S. mainland for days, citing expensive extended hotel stays and a lack of accommodations.

A familiar pattern of disruption

This incident highlights a recurring vulnerability in global aviation, where geopolitical events instantly impact civilian travel. Airlines have repeatedly been forced to alter routes or suspend operations due to conflicts, from the war in Ukraine to tensions in the Middle East. The Caribbean disruption, following a successful military mission, shows that even actions perceived as positive by many can have immediate and severe consequences for everyday citizens.

The airlines offered waivers for change fees and fare differences for affected travelers, a standard but often inadequate remedy for those stuck far from home. Major U.S. carriers have not served Venezuela directly for years due to prior unrest, but the fallout from actions targeting its regime still managed to paralyze travel across a wide neighboring region.

The message to travelers is clear: in an era of heightened global instability, even a vacation to paradise can be interrupted by events thousands of miles away, leaving ordinary citizens to bear the cost of extraordinary geopolitical actions.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

FoxNews.com

CNBC.com
Amateur sleuths uncover a NATIONAL child care scandal with alleged political ties

Citizen journalists uncover a network of over 40 daycare centers in Ohio linked to a single defunct nonprofit, raising fraud concerns.

Investigations suggest a pattern of taxpayer-funded daycare facilities operating as potential shell companies in multiple U.S. cities.

Allegations connect the flow of federal funds to political donations, implicating a cycle of welfare fraud and electoral politics.

Government oversight is criticized as complicit or ineffective, with officials accused of prioritizing funding over fraud prevention.

The scale of alleged corruption threatens public trust and highlights systemic vulnerabilities in federal welfare program administration.

A burgeoning movement of citizen journalists is mobilizing across American cities, leveraging public data and boots-on-the-ground scrutiny to map an alleged multi-state network of fraudulent, taxpayer-subsidized daycare centers. Their investigations, concentrated in jurisdictions led by Democratic administrations, suggest systemic abuse of federal child care funds, with potential links to political financing. The revelations are forcing a public reckoning on government oversight and the integrity of welfare programs, highlighting a profound disconnect between bureaucratic processes and on-the-ground reality.

The "Nick Shirley Effect" goes national

The phenomenon, dubbed the "Nick Shirley Effect" after an independent journalists viral investigation into empty Minneapolis daycare centers, has rapidly expanded. What began in Minnesota has sparked parallel probes in Columbus, Philadelphia and other metropolitan areas. These amateur investigators are publishing visual evidence and data analyses on social media platforms, showing facilities that appear vacant during operational hours or are linked to obscure shell organizations. Their work presents a direct challenge to traditional media and government accountability mechanisms, suggesting that official oversight has either failed or turned a blind eye to massive fraud.

Ohio case reveals systemic blueprint

A focal point emerged in Columbus, Ohio, where researchers identified over 40 daycare centers operating under the name of a single entity: the Somali Education & Resource Center. Public records indicated these centers opened simultaneously and collectively received millions in state and federal funds. The organization itself is listed as defunct, raising immediate red flags about the legitimacy of the operations and the efficacy of licensing and auditing processes. This pattern points not to isolated incidents but to a replicable model for extracting public money, allegedly exploiting compassionate immigration and welfare policies.

Political and media complicity

Beyond the financial fraud, allegations point to a corrupt political cycle. Investigators have published records showing donations from addresses associated with these daycare centers to Democratic politicians, including prominent Somali-American officials. Critics argue this creates a self-perpetuating loop: public funds are funneled to fraudulent operations, a portion is cycled back as political donations, and elected officials ensure the funding spigot remains open. The response from some quarters of the media and political establishmentoften dismissing the allegations as racist or conspiratorialhas further fueled public skepticism about institutional trustworthiness.

A crisis of trust and governance

The implications extend beyond wasted taxpayer dollars. The scandal underscores a deeper crisis in governance, where the incentive structures for bureaucrats and politicians appear misaligned with the public interest. As one commentator noted, the goal becomes maximizing federal revenue intake rather than ensuring efficient, fraud-free service delivery. This erodes the social contract, especially when programs meant to aid vulnerable domestic families are allegedly being gutted by systemic exploitation. The citizen journalist movement, in this context, represents a populist audit of a system many believe is fundamentally broken.

Oversight failure demands institutional reckoning

The nationwide daycare fraud allegations represent more than a financial scandal; they are a stress test for American institutional credibility. When amateur investigators can, in days, uncover what years of official audits missed, it signals a catastrophic failure of professional oversight or a deliberate policy of neglect. The historical context is clear: from the Great Society programs onward, well-intentioned welfare systems have been vulnerable to exploitation, but the scale suggested here is unprecedented. Rebuilding public trust will require more than prosecuting bad actors; it demands a top-to-bottom re-evaluation of how public funds are distributed, monitored and protected from those who view government not as a service, but as a target for plunder. The citizen journalists have lit the fuse; it is now up to traditional institutions to prove they are part of the solution, not the problem.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

X.com

HotAir.com
Ember & Edge: The lost art of self-reliance in a fragile world

The book "Ember & Edge: The Art of Thriving Off-Grid with Timeless Survival Skills" argues that humanity's detachment from firereplaced by modern convenienceshas weakened self-reliance. Fire is more than survival; it's a psychological and social anchor, reducing stress and fostering community.

Over-reliance on fragile systems (electric grids, digital payments, centralized control) creates vulnerability. Disasters like Hurricane Katrina prove the dangers of lacking basic survival skills. The book advocates for decentralized, resilient tools like ferrocerium rods.

Mastering fire is an act of defiance against corporate and governmental control. The book frames self-reliancethrough fire-making, homesteading and permacultureas rebellion against toxic consumerism and surveillance.

Step-by-step guides teach fire-starting in any condition, natural tinder sourcing and the psychology of patience. Debunks myths (e.g., brute force isn't keyfinesse and airflow matter) and emphasizes adaptability.

Beyond preppers, the book is for parents, urbanites and freedom-seekers. It offers a roadmap to human dignity in an unstable world, reigniting the self-reliance that modern life suppresses.

In an era where convenience has dulled our instincts and centralized systems dictate our survival, "Ember & Edge: The Art of Thriving Off-Grid with Timeless Survival Skills" emerges as a revolutionary guidenot just for preppers, but for anyone seeking true independence in an increasingly unstable world. This book isn't merely about fire-starting; it's about reclaiming the primal wisdom that once made humanity resilient.

At its core, "Ember & Edge" argues that fire is more than a survival toolit's the foundation of civilization itself. The book traces humanity's relationship with fire from its earliest mastery by Homo erectus to its modern-day neglect in favor of disposable lighters and electric stoves. The author makes a compelling case: our detachment from fire has weakened us, both physically and psychologically.

The psychological power of fire

One of the book's most striking insights is how fire shapes our minds. Studies show that gazing into flames lowers stress, slows heart rates and fosters deep social bondssomething our ancestors understood instinctively. The book contrasts this with today's digital distractions, where screens replace campfires, and social media substitutes for real community.

The author shares the story of Jake, a former city dweller who traded his apartment for an off-grid cabin. His first successful firestruck without matches or lighterswasn't just warmth; it was a "primal awakening." This moment encapsulates the book's central theme: fire-making isn't just a skillit's a mindset shift toward self-reliance.

The dangers of over-reliance on technology

"Ember & Edge" pulls no punches in critiquing modern dependence on fragile systems. GPS, electric grids and digital payments may offer convenience, but they also breed vulnerability. When Hurricane Katrina struck or the Texas freeze paralyzed infrastructure, those without basic survival skills suffered most. The book warns that centralized controlwhether through digital IDs, central bank digital currencies or corporate monopoliesthreatens personal freedom.

The solution? A return to decentralized, no-tech tools like ferrocerium rodsa fire-starting method that works in any condition, requires no fuel and lasts a lifetime. Unlike disposable lighters, ferro rods embody true resilience.

Fire as a political act

Perhaps the book's most provocative argument is that fire-making is an act of defiance. In a world where governments and corporations push dependencythrough toxic pharmaceuticals, processed foods and surveillance techmastering fire is a quiet rebellion. The author writes: "Lighting a fire with your own hands is a declaration that you haven't been fully domesticated by the system. It's proof that you don't need a corporation's permission to stay warm, eat, or survive."

This philosophy extends beyond fire. The book advocates for homesteading, permaculture and community-buildingpractices that reject consumerism in favor of true sustainability.

Practical skills for real-world survival

Beyond philosophy, "Ember & Edge" delivers actionable wisdom. Step-by-step guides teach:

Ferro rod mastery: How to spark a flame in rain, wind, or snowwithout fail.

How to spark a flame in rain, wind, or snowwithout fail. Natural tinder secrets: Birch bark, fatwood and char clothwhat works best and where to find it.

Birch bark, fatwood and char clothwhat works best and where to find it. Fire psychology: Why patience and presence are as crucial as technique.

Why patience and presence are as crucial as technique. Survival mindset: How fire-building trains adaptability, problem-solving and resilience.

The book also debunks myths, like the idea that fire-starting requires brute force. Instead, it emphasizes finesseunderstanding airflow, tinder preparation and the subtle art of nurturing a spark into a sustainable blaze.

A call to reconnect

"Ember & Edge" isn't just for doomsday preppers. It's for parents teaching kids self-reliance, for urbanites craving a deeper connection to nature, and for freedom-seekers wary of institutional control. The book's final message is clear: Fire is freedom.

In a world teetering between collapse and tyranny, this book offers more than survival skillsit offers a roadmap back to human dignity.

"Ember & Edge" is a masterful blend of history, psychology and hands-on survival wisdom. It doesn't just teach you how to start a fireit reignites the primal confidence that modern life has extinguished. If you want to thrivenot just survivethis book is your spark.

Grab a copy of "Ember & Edge: The Art of Thriving Off-Grid with Timeless Survival Skills" 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 Tim Garcia and the Health Ranger Mike Adams discussing off-grid survival, fire-starting skills and reconnecting with nature in this edition of the "Health Ranger Report."

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

BrightLearn.ai

Books.BrightLearn.ai

Brighteon.com
AI threatens the future of private messaging, experts warn

Experts warn that integrating artificial intelligence (AI) at the operating system level could bypass encryption on messaging apps, putting sensitive user data at risk.

Session executives highlighted how user data can be collected, stored and misused for advertising, behavioral manipulation or phishing attacks.

Laws like the EU's Chat Control (Digital Services Act) mandate message scanning and content moderation, raising concerns among privacy advocates.

Session promotes decentralized, open-source messaging with end-to-end encryption, no central servers and no identifying metadata to protect user privacy.

Experts emphasize educating users about secure communication tools and resisting deep AI integration to safeguard digital rights and personal information.

Advances in artificial intelligence and increasing regulatory pressures are creating new challenges for private messaging apps, with experts warning that user privacy could be at risk.

Executives from the decentralized messaging platform Session warned that AI, if integrated at the operating system level, could potentially bypass encryption, exposing sensitive information to opaque systems.

In an interview with Coin Telegraph, Alex Linton, president of the Session Technology Foundation, revealed that the ability of AI to analyze and store data directly on devices poses "huge privacy issues, huge security issues." He then warned that private communication could become "impossible to do on an average mobile phone or computer."

"If it's integrated at the operating system level or higher, it might also be able to completely bypass the encryption on your messaging app, that information could be fed off to a black box AI, and then from there, God knows what happens to it," Linton said.

Chris McCabe, co-founder of Session, highlighted that many users are unaware of how their data is collected and exploited. He pointed to recent breaches, including a third-party data analytics provider for OpenAI, which exposed user information and increased risks of phishing and social engineering attacks. McCabe said collected data can be used to manipulate people's behavior, influence decisions or drive advertising without consent.

Linton also criticized lawmakers who rely on tech giants responsible for pushing such technologies to shape privacy regulations, saying this exacerbates the risks to user privacy.

Session counters AI privacy threats on private messaging

The interview of Linton and McCabe follows the controversy of the European Union's Chat Control legislation, which would mandate message scanning. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, this Chat Control Regulation, also known as the Digital Services Act (DSA), seeks to "combat" illegal content online.

It introduces an obligation for large online platforms to swiftly remove illegal content and empower users to flag problematic content. The DSA also requires these platforms to provide transparency reports detailing their content moderation practices, the decentralized engine adds.

However, the regulation has already sparked strong criticism from privacy advocates. To counter these threats, Session focuses on decentralized, privacy-first messaging.

The app is open source, uses end-to-end encryption, removes identifying metadata and operates without central servers. By eliminating the "middleman," Session seeks to protect users from surveillance, censorship and corporate control.

"There is a lot of pressure if you're in the business of building encrypted messengers or making encrypted tools in general. Proposed or enacted regulations are being adopted in many jurisdictions," Linton said. "There's a lot of negative media attention that can come with it. The literal people working on this technology feel that pressure, so it's important for the general public to understand these tools are trying to help. They're trying to safeguard your information. They're trying to make the online space a better place."

As AI integration accelerates and governments explore new surveillance regulations, Linton and McCabe claimed that public education on privacy tools and secure communication practices is increasingly critical to safeguard digital rights.

"It's important that we push back against this type of deep integration of AI into all of our devices, because at that point, you just don't know what is happening on your device anymore," Linton said.

Watch Jefferey Jaxen discussing how free speech is under siege thanks to the DSA below.

This video is from The HighWire with Del Bigtree channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

CoinTelegraph.com

MENAFN.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Google AI summaries deliver misleading health information, raising safety concerns

A Guardian investigation found that Google's AI Overviews, which provide quick summaries of health topics, can contain dangerously inaccurate information.

AI summaries gave harmful guidance, including advising pancreatic cancer patients to avoid high-fat foods, misleading "normal" liver test ranges and incorrectly stating that pap tests detect vaginal cancer.

Summaries on conditions like psychosis and eating disorders sometimes omitted context or gave harmful advice, potentially discouraging people from seeking help.

The company defended the AI, calling it "helpful" and "reliable," claiming most summaries are factual, comparable to traditional featured snippets and subject to continuous quality improvements.

Health experts and charities warn that inaccurate AI summaries appearing at the top of search results could put millions at risk, emphasizing the need for stricter monitoring.

The Guardian investigation has found that people seeking health advice on Google may be at risk of harm due to inaccurate information provided by the company's artificial intelligence (AI) summaries.

Google's AI Overviews, according to BrightU.AI's Enoch, are designed to give quick snapshots of essential information on a topic or question. These overviews, available on Google's AI website, cover topics providing a foundational understanding of each subject.

However, multiple examples uncovered by the investigation show the summaries can contain dangerously misleading health advice. In one instance, Google advised people with pancreatic cancer to avoid high-fat foods  a recommendation experts described as "really dangerous." Anna Jewell, director of Support, Research and Influencing at Pancreatic Cancer United Kingdom, warned that following this guidance could leave patients unable to maintain sufficient calorie intake, potentially affecting their ability to tolerate chemotherapy or life-saving surgery.

"The Google AI response suggests that people with pancreatic cancer avoid high-fat foods. If someone followed what the search result told them, they might not take in enough calories, struggle to put on weight and be unable to tolerate treatment. This could jeopardize a person's chances of recovery," Jewell said.

Other AI Overviews were equally concerning. Searches about liver function tests returned misleading "normal" ranges, ignoring critical factors such as age, sex, ethnicity and nationality. Pamela Healy, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said, "Many people with liver disease show no symptoms until the late stages. If AI gives misleading normal ranges, some people may wrongly assume they are healthy and fail to attend follow-up healthcare appointments. This is dangerous."

The AI also provided incorrect information on women's cancer tests. Searching for "vaginal cancer symptoms and tests" suggested a pap test could detect vaginal cancer  an assertion experts described as "completely wrong." Athena Lamnisos, chief executive of the Eve Appeal cancer charity, said the errors could deter people from seeking timely medical attention.

"Getting wrong information like this could potentially lead to someone not getting symptoms checked because they had a clear result at a recent cervical screening. The fact that the AI summary changed each time we searched is also worrying  people are receiving different answers depending on when they search, and that's not good enough," Lamnisos said.

Mental health searches were also affected. Google's AI summaries for conditions such as psychosis and eating disorders sometimes contained "incorrect, harmful" advice or omitted important context.

"Some of the AI summaries offered very dangerous advice. They could lead people to avoid seeking help or direct them to inappropriate sources. AI often reflects existing biases, stereotypes or stigmatising narratives, which is a huge concern for mental health support," said Stephen Buckley, head of information at Mind.

Google denies accusations

Despite all the evidence, Google has denied the misleading and inaccurate health information on its AI overview.

Instead, the company described the AI-generated snapshots as "helpful" and "reliable," emphasizing that most are factual and provide useful guidance. Google said the accuracy of AI Overviews is comparable to other search features, such as featured snippets, which have been part of its search engine for more than a decade. Google even added that it continuously makes improvements to the system to ensure users receive correct and useful information.

However, experts and charities are still calling for stricter oversight, noting that the company's automated summaries appear prominently at the top of search results, meaning millions of users could be exposed to potentially harmful guidance.

"People turn to the internet in moments of worry and crisis. If the information they receive is inaccurate or out of context, it can seriously harm their health," said Stephanie Parker, the director of digital at Marie Curie, an end-of-life charity.

Watch this skit from "Catch Up" featuring a satirical portrayal of a Google spokesperson addressing criticisms surrounding Gemini.

This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

TheGuardian.com

OECD.ai

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Harvards war on White Man, Liberty, and Western Civilization betrays our heritage and future

A culture, a people cannot exist if they forget where they come from, lose their meaning, and have no purpose or aim as to where they are going. By losing pride in your heritage, you lose meaning and identity, and you become subject-able as a person and exploitable on a mental level. Harvard's education policies today look at Western civilization as flawed and inherently evil. The halls of what was once Americas most prestigious university are now riddled with limp-wristed educators who espouse white guilt and denigrate the courageous efforts of our ancestors who fought through much tougher conditions for liberty and to establish the very institutions that we now take for granted.

Harvard, an institution founded by the brave pioneers of Western civilization to cultivate clergy and leaders, has turned its back on the very roots that nourished its growth. Instead of honoring the legacy of its ancestorsthe thinkers, builders, and warriors who carved order from chaos and bequeathed a world of liberty, reason, and unparalleled achievementit has embraced a new dogma of guilt and meaninglessness.

This new age creed seeks not to build upon the past, but to dismantle it, not to honor merit, but to punish it based on the color of ones skin. The recent departure of a veteran professor lays bare a shocking truth: Harvard has launched a forever war on white men and the civilizational virtues they represent, sacrificing truth and talent at the altar of a divisive and destructive ideology. This is more than an academic scandal; it is a deliberate act of cultural suicide that threatens the foundations of a free and prosperous society.

Key points:

A 40-year Harvard history professor, James Hankins, has resigned, citing the university's explicit discrimination against white male applicants and its abandonment of teaching Western civilization.

Professor Hankins provides specific instances where extraordinarily qualified white male students were rejected from graduate programs based on an unofficial racial quota system.

Harvard's history department has not hired a tenured historian in a Western field for a decade, actively replacing Western history with a revisionist "global history" that inverts historical truth.

This ideological shift is framed as "de-centering the West" but functions as a denial of the civilizational foundations that made institutions like Harvard possible.

The situation follows the pattern set by the Claudine Gay presidency, where DEI objectives appeared to supersede academic integrity and rigorous vetting.

The deliberate failure to teach the achievements and lessons of Western civilization harms the socialization of young Americans, risking a return to societal darkness.

The explicit exclusion and the death of merit

The testimony from within is damning. James Hankins, after four decades of service, did not leave Harvard quietly. He sounded an alarm. In a stark essay, he described a university that has collectively knelt to a new political orthodoxy, one where merit is a secondary consideration to identity. He recounts reviewing a graduate applicant in 2020 who was an outstanding, perfect fit for the program. In any sane academic year, such a candidate would have been celebrated. Instead, Hankins was told informally by a member of the admissions committee that admitting "that"  a white male  was "not happening this year." The message was not subtle. It was a directive.

The injustice becomes even more personal and poignant. Hankins mentions a certifiably brilliant undergraduate, the winner of the prize for the best overall academic record in his graduating class. This young man, a white male, was rejected from every graduate program to which he applied. When Hankins called colleagues across the country, he discovered the same unspoken protocol was in effect everywhere. The gates were closed, not due to a lack of brilliance or dedication, but because of an immutable characteristic. This is not equity; it is the very definition of systemic racism, now institutionalized under the banner of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It echoes the controversial tenure of former president Claudine Gay, whose documented plagiarism was overlooked by a system seemingly more desperate to check a demographic box than to uphold scholarly excellence. The question hangs in the air, heavy with implication: how does someone commit academic plagiarism on multiple occasions and ascend to the pinnacle of American academia? The answer, it appears, lies in an ideology that values representation over rigor.

Erasing our roots: The planned obsolescence of Western civilization

The discrimination, however, is only one symptom of a deeper sickness. Harvard is not just filtering out individuals based on the content of their ideas and the color of their skin; it is actively erasing the intellectual and historical context that created it. Hankins reveals that his own history department has not hired a single tenured historian in a Western fieldancient, medieval, early modern, or modernin an entire decade. In that time, eight senior historians in these fields have left, and Hankins will be the ninth. He does not expect to be replaced.

Their replacement is what is marketed as "global history," a framework Hankins exposes as an "absurdist rendering of world history." In this new narrative, designed to "de-center the West," the drivers of cultural innovation are recast. Central Asian peoples, for instance, are presented as the primary benign influencers along the Silk Road, while Western nations are relegated to an "ugly growth on the back side of Eurasia." This is a total inversion of reality. It ignores the brutal nature of empires like the Mongols, whose specialty was destruction, and diminishes the Romans, who despite imperfections, built lasting infrastructure and spread civilizing principles. To teach that the West has contributed nothing but oppression is to tell a lie so profound it severs students from truth itself.

As Hankins warns with chilling simplicity, "When you dont teach the young what civilization is, it turns out, people become uncivilized." History is humanity's collective memory, a record of social experiments showing what elevates societies and what destroys them. To corrupt that record is to condemn future generations to repeat the worst failures of the past, all while believing they are pioneers of justice.

Why this cultural betrayal matters to every American

This matters far beyond the ivy-covered walls of Cambridge. Harvard is a signal institution. What it does, lesser schools aspire to copy. The poison injected here will seep into the bloodstream of the nation's elite, the future leaders in law, government, and media. If they are taught to despise their own civilizational inheritance, to view the heroes of their history as villains, and to believe that achievement must be subordinated to identity, they will lead not from a place of strength and gratitude, but from guilt and confusion. They will not build upon the monumental achievements of Western science, philosophy, and lawthe very tools that unlocked human potential and conquered ancient evils of disease, tyranny, and ignorance. Instead, they will apologize for them.

The brave actions of our ancestorsthe defiance of tyranny at Runnymede, the intellectual courage of the Enlightenment, the relentless pursuit of discoverywere not acts of oppression. They were acts of liberation that ultimately benefited all mankind. To lose pride in this heritage is to become a subject, exploited, and weak. It makes a people vulnerable to the very forces of chaos and authoritarianism that our forebears fought to hold back. Harvards current path is a road to cultural darkness, a willing amnesia that abandons the lamp of wisdom for the fog of ideology. The war on white men is merely the most visible front in this larger conflict; the ultimate casualty is truth, and without truth, liberty cannot survive.

Sources include:

TheNewAmerican.com

TheNewAmerican.com

Enoch, Brighteon.ai
Russia condemns U.S. capture of Venezuelas Maduro as armed aggression

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was seized by U.S. forces in Caracas, with President Trump announcing his arrest and extradition to face charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Moscow denounced the operation, demanded an urgent UN Security Council meeting, and framed the U.S. justification as baseless, accusing Washington of regime-change motives.

Venezuela is a key Russian ally, with deep military and economic ties. The capture risks escalating tensions further amid existing disputes over Ukraine and could harden Russias stance globally.

Prior to his arrest, Maduro declared a state of emergency, urging Venezuelan forces to resist U.S. intervention. His removal leaves uncertainty over whether resistance will continue or U.S.-backed leadership will consolidate power.

The extraterritorial seizure of a foreign leader sets a contentious legal and geopolitical precedent, potentially justifying future interventions by rival powers like Russia and eroding international sovereignty protections.

Russia has denounced the U.S. military's capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a targeted operation in Venezuela's capital Caracas  a dramatic escalation of long-simmering tensions between Washington and a close Moscow ally.

On Saturday, Jan. 3, U.S. military forces nabbed Maduro, with U.S. President Donald Trump announcing the Venezuelan strongman's arrest. Trump said the deposed leader had been flown out of the country to face American justice. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi meanwhile detailed charges awaiting Maduro, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, asserting he would face trial in American courts.

The operation, which unfolded with reported explosions in the Venezuelan capital, marks a seismic shift in Western Hemisphere politics. It also risks a direct confrontation between nuclear powers already at odds over Ukraine. Venezuelan officials accused the U.S. of launching an attack to seize control of the nation's resources.

Russia responded furiously to the move, labeling it an "act of armed aggression" and demanding an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Moscow declared the U.S. justification for the invasion as "unfounded" and "untenable," arguing that "ideologized hostility" had overridden pragmatic diplomacy.

Venezuela is Russia's most critical strategic foothold in South America. The relationship includes billions in arms sales, energy cooperation, and diplomatic cover for Maduros regime. Russias statement emphasized that Latin America must remain a zone of peace, positioning the U.S. as a hemispheric bully and Russia as a defender of sovereigntya narrative crafted for global audiences.

This action follows a period where the Trump administration framed a campaign in the region as a necessary crackdown on drug trafficking. However, the broader geopolitical contextincluding long-standing regime-change ambitions in Venezuelasuggests deeper motives. With Maduro now captured and potentially able to testify, pressure for accountability escalates, underscoring the risks of unchecked military power and interventions justified by shifting narratives.

How Maduro's capture could trigger WWIII

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, Maduro governed Venezuela as a socialist dictatorship, maintaining power through a large armed militia. He implemented superficial economic measures, like currency re-denomination, that failed to address the country's profound crisis. The decentralized engine ultimately noted that Maduro's rule was characterized by the consolidation of control and the anticipation of external threats.

Saturday's attack did not occur in a vacuum. Recent months saw a dangerous military buildup. Maduro's recent trip to Moscow signaled a tightening alliance, even as he hinted at openness to negotiations with Washington.

This crisis directly collides with the other major flashpoint in U.S.-Russia relations: the war in Ukraine. The Venezuela operation now threatens to poison already fraught dialogue. Moscow will likely view U.S. action against its ally as an unacceptable provocation, potentially hardening its stance in Eastern Europe and complicating any diplomatic off-ramps.

Russia has called for restraint and dialogue but has stopped short of threatening military retaliation. Its immediate demand is for immediate clarification on Maduro's status and a UNSC meeting. However, figures in Moscow framed the strike as a classic U.S. "regime change" operation, accusing Washington of imposing its will by force.

In the hours before his capture, Maduro signed a declaration of emergency, urging all forces in Venezuela to mobilize and repudiate the U.S. attack. His government, now presumably led by remnants of his party, faces the monumental task of responding without its central figure. Whether this leads to organized resistance or a swift consolidation of U.S.-backed leadership remains the critical unanswered question.

The U.S. decision to physically capture a foreign head of state and transport him for domestic trial sets a profound and dangerous precedent. The legal basis for such an extraterritorial seizure will be debated intensely. Other nations, including Russia, may now point to this action to justify their own future interventions, further eroding the norms of state sovereignty.

Watch this Fox News report about President Trump announcing possible talks with Venezuelan President Maduro.

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

TheHill.com

RT.com

NDTV.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Performers pose for a photo in front of the bullet train No.G1276, the first themed high-speed train of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, at Harbin West Station in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

HARBIN, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The first high-speed train with the theme of the Harbin Ice-Snow World began service from Harbin West Station in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Sunday, heading for Wuhan City in central China's Hubei Province.

Featuring unique interior and exterior decorations of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, the themed high-speed train serves as a mobile emblem to boost the ice and snow economy.

This photo taken on Jan. 4, 2026 shows the unveiling ceremony of the bullet train No.G1276, the first themed high-speed train of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, at Harbin West Station in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

This photo taken on Jan. 4, 2026 shows an interior view of the bullet train No.G1276, the first themed high-speed train of the Harbin Ice-Snow World. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

Performers dance outside the bullet train No.G1276, the first themed high-speed train of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, at Harbin West Station in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

Performers dance outside the bullet train No.G1276, the first themed high-speed train of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, at Harbin West Station in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

Passengers put luggage in place on the bullet train No.G1276, the first themed high-speed train of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, Jan. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

Passengers pose for a group photo on the bullet train No.G1276, the first themed high-speed train of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, Jan. 4, 2026. (Photo by Yuan Yong/Xinhua)

The bullet train No.G1276, the first themed high-speed train of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, departs from Harbin West Station in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 4, 2026. (Photo by Liu Yang/Xinhua)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Russia slams U.S. strikes in Venezuela as violation of sovereignty and calls for UN meeting

The U.S. conducted unilateral military strikes in Venezuela, capturing President Maduro.

Russia condemned the action as armed aggression and a violation of sovereignty.

The operation sets a dangerous global precedent for regime change by force.

It risks broader conflict and distracts from domestic priorities.

The move may backfire by empowering adversaries and destabilizing international order.

The United States has crossed a dangerous line in Venezuela that should alarm every American who values sovereignty, stability, and the rule of law. Over the weekend, explosions rocked Caracas in what President Donald Trump confirmed were U.S. strikes, culminating in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was flown out of the country. Russias Foreign Ministry swiftly condemned the act as armed aggression, warning against escalation and supporting an urgent UN Security Council meeting. While the corrupt, narco-linked Maduro regime is no friend to freedom, this unilateral American intervention sets a perilous precedent that weakens our global standing and risks broader conflict, all while distracting from pressing domestic crises.

Venezuelan officials accused Washington of attempting to seize control of the nations vast natural resources. Foreign Minister Yvan Gil stated the country was directly attacked by the U.S. Moscow echoed this, with the foreign ministry stressing that Latin America should remain a peaceful area and that Venezuela must be free from external interference. Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Russian State Dumas Foreign Affairs Committee, labeled the strikes a U.S. military operation aimed at changing an undesirable regime.

A corrupt ally removed

There is no defending Nicolas Maduro. His socialist regime has bankrupted a resource-rich nation, forged ties with drug cartels, and brutalized his own people. President Trump has repeatedly accused Venezuelas government of facilitating large-scale drug trafficking, authorizing expanded U.S. military operations in the region. Maduro rejected these allegations, framing them as a pretext for aggression. His removal, however, was executed not through regional coalition or clear legal authority, but by unilateral U.S. force in a move Russia correctly identifies as an unacceptable infringement on the sovereignty of an independent state.

This action mirrors a troubling pattern. The U.S. adventures in Iraq and Libya, sold as noble regime-change operations, created lasting chaos, humanitarian disasters, and power vacuaries filled by terrorists. The aftermath in Venezuela remains uncertain, but history suggests imposing outcomes by force rarely yields stable, democratic results.

Geopolitical calculations and consequences

For Russia, the event is complex. Venezuela was a key ally, backing Russias invasion of Ukraine and engaging in energy and military cooperation. Analysts note the Kremlin is now weighing the loss of this partner against potential benefits. The crisis provides a distraction from Ukraine, where Russia seeks favorable terms from Washington. Furthermore, some Russian voices see an opportunity. The operation could erode the rules-based international order, moving toward a world where the law of the strongest prevailsa model long championed by Moscow.

The precedent is disturbing. Sarah Lenti, a former National Security Council director, warned the move could give Russia carte blanche against leaders it labels criminals, like Ukraines Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He is giving Putin permission to go as far as he wants with Zelenskyy, Lenti told CNBC. I think this is setting a very bad precedent for countries that China and Russia are looking to infringe upon.

The cost of overreach

Beyond principle, there are practical costs. The intervention showcases the vulnerability of Russian military systems like the S-300 air-defense units deployed in Venezuela, which failed to stop the operation. Moscow stands to lose billions in unpaid loans to Caracas. Most critically, U.S. access to Venezuelas massive oil reserves could depress global prices, threatening a key source of Russian revenue. As Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska noted, if the U.S. controls Venezuelas oil, the goal may be to cap Russian oil prices.

Yet, for all its public outrage, Moscows response is tempered. Bogged down in Ukraine, Russia lacks the capacity or will to challenge the U.S. in its own hemisphere. Analysts note that maintaining a relationship with Trump over Ukraine likely far outweighs the fate of Caracas for Moscow.

Americas strength has historically been rooted in moral authority and strategic alliances, not in acting as a unilateral vigilante. This overreach exacerbates global divisions, validates the worst accusations of our adversaries, and diverts attention and resources from the urgent work of rebuilding our own nation: our infrastructure, our economy, and our social fabric. We must be a nation that leads by example and builds at home, not one that perpetuates endless, legally dubious conflicts abroad.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

CNBC.com

TheGuardian.com
Escalating conflict in Yemen: Saudi Arabia and UAE-backed forces clash over oil-rich Hadramout

Fresh clashes erupted between Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and UAE-supported separatists (STC) over control of oil-rich Hadramout province, deepening the rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Saudi airstrikes targeted STC positions, killing seven and wounding 20, while government forces launched a military operation to reclaim strategic sites.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC), backed by the UAE, seeks southern Yemen's independence, conflicting with Saudi Arabia's support for Yemen's internationally recognized government. Saudi Arabia accused the UAE of supplying arms to the STC, leading to a demand for Emirati withdrawal, which the UAE complied withthough its proxy forces remain influential.

Hadramout's oil reserves and proximity to Saudi Arabia make it a critical battleground. The STC's rapid advance alarmed Riyadh, which sees the separatists as a threat to its national security.

Saudi Arabia proposed a "comprehensive conference" in Riyadh to discuss southern Yemen's future, but the STC has already declared a two-year transition toward independence, reducing chances of reconciliation.

Yemen's decade-long civil war remains one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. While a ceasefire holds against the Houthis, infighting among anti-Houthi factions risks further chaos, with Saudi-UAE tensions reshaping regional power dynamics.

A fresh wave of violence has erupted along Yemen's border with Saudi Arabia, pitting Saudi-backed government forces against UAE-supported separatists in a struggle for control over the oil-rich Hadramout province. The clashes mark a deepening rift between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), further complicating Yemen's protracted civil war.

On Friday, Jan. 2, Saudi warplanes carried out at least seven airstrikes targeting positions held by the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist movement seeking independence for southern Yemen. Local officials reported seven killed and more than 20 wounded in the attacks. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government simultaneously launched a military operation to reclaim strategic installations in Hadramout, a region crucial for its crude oil reserves and proximity to Saudi Arabia.

The STC, backed by the UAE, has long advocated for the secession of southern Yemen as an independent statea vision at odds with Saudi Arabia's support for Yemen's internationally recognized government, BrightU.AI's Enoch notes. Despite occasional cooperation against the Iran-aligned Houthis, tensions between the two Gulf-backed factions have escalated into open conflict.

"The opportunity here for the Southern Transitional Council is to go towards separation, to have a southern state, which has been its dream for decades," said Al Jazeera's Ali Hashem. "Israel's war on Gaza has changed everythingit changed the perception of national security within major states in the region."

The Saudi-led coalition has accused the UAE of supplying military equipment to the STC, a claim denied by Emirati officials. Following Tuesday's airstrikes on the southern port of Mukallareportedly targeting UAE-delivered vehiclesSaudi Arabia demanded Emirati forces withdraw from Yemen within 24 hours. The UAE complied but insisted its withdrawal would not weaken the STC's position.

Hadramout's oil reserves and its location along Saudi Arabia's border make it a critical battleground. The STC's rapid advance into the province in early December alarmed Riyadh, which views the separatists' push as a direct threat to its national security.

"The UAE hasn't had a significant troop presence in Yemen since 2019. It has relied on special forces and mostly its network of proxies working directly on the ground," said Farea al-Muslimi, a researcher at Chatham House. This proxy war dynamic means that even with Emirati troops gone, the STC remains a formidable force.

Calls for dialogue amid rising tensions

In an attempt to de-escalate, Saudi Arabia has called for a "comprehensive conference" in Riyadh to discuss southern Yemen's future. However, with the STC already declaring a two-year transition period leading to an independence referendum, prospects for reconciliation appear slim.

Yemen's civil war, now in its tenth year, has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. While a ceasefire has largely frozen frontlines with the Houthis, infighting among anti-Houthi factions threatens to plunge the country into further chaos.

The latest clashes underscore the fragility of alliances in Yemen's conflict and the growing divergence between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. As both nations vie for influence, the people of Yemen remain caught in the crossfire, with no clear path to peace in sight. The battle for Hadramout is not just about territoryit's a proxy struggle that could reshape the region's geopolitical landscape.

Watch the video below that talks about the released footage of U.S. strikes in Yemen.

This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

AlJazeera.com

BBC.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
South Korean crypto employee gets 4-year sentence for Bitcoin spy ring aiding North Korea

A South Korean crypto exchange operator was sentenced for trading Bitcoin for military secrets.

He recruited an army captain to hack a critical U.S.-South Korea command system.

The plot aimed to steal sensitive data for North Korean operatives.

Stolen cryptocurrency funds North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

This case exposes how crypto can be weaponized by hostile states against national security.

A cryptocurrency exchange operator in South Korea will spend four years behind bars for a chilling plot that traded Bitcoin for classified military secrets destined for North Korea. The South Korean Supreme Court finalized the sentence on December 28, capping a case that exposes how hostile regimes are exploiting digital assets to fund espionage and threaten national security. This incident reveals the dark underbelly of crypto's anonymity, showing how it can be weaponized against the very nations it was meant to empower.

The operator, whose last name is Lee, was found guilty of violating the National Security Act. Court documents detail a scheme where North Korean hackers paid Lee $487,000 in Bitcoin to recruit a 30-year-old army captain, surnamed Kim, who had access to sensitive systems. Lee contacted Captain Kim through Telegram, offering cryptocurrency in exchange for data.

A plot to hack command systems

The target was the Korean Joint Command and Control System (KJCCS), a platform used to share critical intelligence between the U.S. and South Korea. Following instructions from a North Korean operative known as "Boris," Lee sent a watch-shaped hidden camera and a USB hacking device to the captain. These tools were meant to capture and transmit information from the secured system.

Military police intercepted the devices before any breach occurred, preventing a potential catastrophe. "The defendant must have been aware that he was attempting to uncover military secrets for a country hostile to South Korea," the judge stated. "This crime could have endangered the entire country and was committed for personal financial gain."

Captain Kim, who received $33,500 in Bitcoin for his cooperation, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $35,000 for violating the Military Secrets Protection Act. The court found that Lee also attempted to recruit other officers, offering up to $1 million for information like military organizational charts.

Funding weapons of mass destruction

The U.S. Treasury Department notes that over the past three years, North Korean-affiliated cybercriminals have stolen more than $3 billion, primarily in digital assets. These funds are directly funneled into Pyongyangs illicit weapons programs.

In November 2024, the U.S. sanctioned individuals and entities linked to these operations, stating the stolen cryptocurrency helps finance North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programs. The FBI has also warned that North Korean hackers are targeting U.S. cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs), employing sophisticated social engineering to steal digital assets.

The South Korean court was unequivocal in its condemnation of Lee's motives. "The defendant committed crimes that could have put the entire Republic of Korea at risk in pursuit of highly personal and economic gain," the appellate court ruled, adding that Lee showed no remorse.

This story transcends a simple crime. It highlights a fundamental vulnerability in the global financial system, where decentralized currencies can be co-opted by rogue states to bypass international sanctions and bankroll aggression. As digital assets become more mainstream, their potential for misuse by adversarial governments grows in parallel.

While innovators champion cryptocurrency as a tool for financial freedom, enemies of democracy see it as a tool for warfare. The four-year sentence delivers justice in one case, but the ongoing digital heists by North Korea suggest the battle to secure the blockchain from malign actors is just beginning. The integrity of national security may now depend on winning it.

Sources for this article include:

BitcoinMagazine.com

KoreaJoongAngDaily.com

Biz.Chosun.com
Trump issues veiled threats to Mexico, Colombia and Cuba following Venezuela military operation

President Trump faces backlash from Latin American leaders after defending a U.S. military operation targeting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He issued warnings to Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba, accusing them of resisting U.S. influence.

Mexico's President Sheinbaum called the operation a violation of sovereignty, warning that it poses a threat to regional stability. Cuba's Diaz-Canel denounced the strike as "cowardly, criminal and treacherous," while Colombia's Petro rejected "unilateral military action."

Trump dismissed Cuba as a "failing nation" and suggested future U.S. intervention. He claimed Mexican cartels "run the country," despite Sheinbaum rejecting U.S. offers to target them.

Past U.S. actions (Bay of Pigs, Panama invasion) fuel skepticism in Latin America. Venezuela's Maduro accuses Washington of seeking colonial control, while critics argue "narco-terrorist" labels lack evidence.

The operation escalates tensions amid existing political and economic crises. Mexico, Colombia and Cuba's unified condemnation signals deepening distrust, potentially reshaping U.S.-Latin America relations.

U.S. President Donald Trump has drawn sharp criticism from Latin American leaders after defending a controversial military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. In remarks made Saturday, Jan. 3, Trump issued thinly veiled warnings to Mexico, Colombia and Cubathree nations that have condemned the U.S. intervention as a violation of sovereignty.

The operation, carried out by U.S. Southern Command, has escalated tensions in a region already wary of Washington's militarized approach to drug trafficking and political instability.

Mexico, Colombia and Cuba were quick to denounce the U.S. military action, framing it as an unlawful breach of international norms. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo released a statement declaring that the intervention "seriously jeopardizes regional stability" and insisting that Latin America must remain a "zone of peace." Meanwhile, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel condemned the strike as "cowardly, criminal and treacherous," urging global condemnation.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a vocal critic of U.S. policy in the region, expressed "deep concern" over the operation and reiterated his government's rejection of "any unilateral military action." Petro has frequently clashed with Trump, who has accused him of running "cocaine mills" and warned him to "watch his ass." These remarks follow weeks of escalating rhetoric, with Trump previously branding Petro a "troublemaker" in response to his online criticisms of U.S. foreign policy.

Trump's escalating rhetoric

Trump's latest comments signal a hardening stance toward Latin American governments that resist U.S. influence. Speaking from Mar-a-Lago, he dismissed Cuba as a "failing nation" and suggested future U.S. intervention, claiming, "We want to help the people in Cuba." His remarks echoed longstanding grievances from Cuban-American hardliners, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has labeled Cuba's communist leadership "incompetent senile men."

Mexico also came under fire, with Trump asserting that drug cartelsnot Sheinbaumeffectively control the country.

"They're running Mexico," he said, adding that Sheinbaum had repeatedly rejected U.S. offers to "take out the cartels."

Despite Trump's claim of friendship with Sheinbaum, his rhetoric underscores persistent tensions over immigration, trade and narcoticsissues that have defined U.S.-Mexico relations during his presidency.

The U.S. has a long history of military interventions in Latin America, often justified under the guise of combating communism or drug trafficking. From the Bay of Pigs invasion to the Panama operation that ousted Manuel Noriega, such actions have fueled deep-seated skepticism among regional leaders. Venezuela, in particular, has been a focal point of U.S. pressure, with Trump's administration imposing sanctions, backing opposition leader Juan Guaido, and now launching direct military action against Maduro.

Maduro, whom Trump has repeatedly labeled a "narco-terrorist," has accused Washington of seeking to turn Venezuela into "an American colony." The term "narco-terrorist"combining drug trafficking and terrorismhas been used by U.S. officials to justify aggressive measures, though critics argue it is often deployed without conclusive evidence, BrightU.AI's Enoch notes.

Trump's latest remarks signal an emboldened approach to Latin America, one that prioritizes military action over diplomacy. As Mexico, Colombia and Cuba unite in condemnation, the operation risks further destabilizing a region already grappling with political upheaval and economic hardship. With tensions escalating, the fallout from this intervention may redefine U.S. relations in the hemisphere for years to come.

American lawyer Christopher Nixon Cox lauds Trump for capturing Maduro. Watch this video.

This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

RT.com

NYPost.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz abandons re-election bid as Somali fraud scandal threatens $9 billion in taxpayer losses

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will not seek a third term.

His exit follows a massive fraud scandal in state programs.

The theft may involve billions of dollars from daycare, food, and Medicaid funds.

Walz faced criticism for inadequate oversight and a slow response.

The scandal has led to bipartisan political fallout and federal scrutiny.

In a stunning political collapse, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz announced Monday he will not seek a third term. This decision comes amid a firestorm of criticism over his administrations handling of a massive, coordinated fraud scheme within the states Somali community, which prosecutors say may represent the largest theft of taxpayer dollars in U.S. history. Facing congressional investigations, calls for testimony, and abandonment by members of his own party, Walz is stepping aside as the scale of the scandalinvolving fake daycare centers, phantom meal programs, and fraudulent Medicaid claimscontinues to shock the nation.

Walz, who was Kamala Harriss 2024 running mate, framed his exit as a move to focus on addressing the crisis rather than campaigning. "Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I cant spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences," Walz said in a statement. However, critics see his departure as a direct result of being overwhelmed by a billion-dollar scandal that flourished under what many call a culture of woke negligence and failed oversight.

The staggering scale of theft

The scandal is not a single event but a network of frauds. More than 90 people, most from Minnesota's large Somali community, have been charged since 2022 in what authorities describe as a collection of brazen money laundering operations. The U.S. attorney in Minnesota has stated the scope could exceed $1 billion and potentially reach as high as $9 billion stolen from Medicaid, daycare, and food aid programs since 2018. White House officials have labeled it the "biggest theft of taxpayer dollars in U.S. history."

One major component is the "Feeding Our Future" scandal, where a Somali-linked nonprofit is accused of siphoning $250 million in pandemic-era food aid meant for underprivileged children. FBI Director Kash Patel called this fraud "as shameless as it gets," noting funds were used to buy "mansions and luxury cars." Prosecutors said that some funds were sent overseas. While conservative researchers have claimed stolen money may have reached the Somali terrorist group al-Shabab, federal investigators who prosecuted the cases maintain there is no evidence taxpayer dollars funded terrorism. However, the Treasury Department continues to investigate the allegations.

Empty daycares and phantom services

The fraud expanded into other state programs. Federal prosecutors have charged individuals for defrauding housing subsidy and early-autism services programs, with one case involving "fraud tourism" where individuals from Philadelphia enrolled companies in Minnesota to file $3.5 million in false Medicaid claims. The most visually arresting evidence came from independent journalist Nick Shirley, whose viral video exposed apparently fake daycare centers. Shirley filmed visits to addresses of Somali-run daycares that were vacant storefronts, closed businesses, or locations where occupants refused to answer questions.

Despite these red flags, the schemes continued. The Washington Post editorial board scorched Walz for "refusing to take responsibility for the welfare fraud that happened in plain sight during the pandemic." U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson noted that every time his office "looks under a rock," another multi-million dollar scheme appears, a network of fraud "swamping Minnesota and calling into question everything we know about our state."

A governor's failed response

Walz eventually took a measure of responsibility, stating in December, "This is on my watch, I am accountable for this and, more importantly, I am the one that will fix it." His administration pointed to actions like hiring an outside audit firm, pausing payments in high-risk programs, and supporting prosecutions. However, these steps were widely seen as too little, too late. A House Oversight Committee probe faulted Walz for inefficient oversight, with Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., writing that the committee had "serious concerns" the administration was "fully aware of this fraud and chose not to act for fear of political retaliation."

The political fallout was swift and severe. President Donald Trump repeatedly blasted Walz as "incompetent." Minnesota Republican state Rep. Kristin Robbins, a gubernatorial candidate, said, "Tim Walz and his staggering fraud could not outrun our investigations." Even fellow Democrats grew wary, with nearly a dozen telling the Minnesota Star Tribune in recent weeks they thought he should not seek re-election, some comparing his situation to Joe Bidens disastrous 2024 campaign.

Walzs exit marks a humbling end for a figure who briefly rose to national prominence. It also exposes a profound failure in governance, where a desire to avoid accusations of racism or political incorrectness may have enabled criminals to exploit public compassion.

Sources for this article include:

InfoWars.com

FoxNews.com

NYTimes.com

FoxNews.com
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds the Seventh Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- China always opposes the use or threat of force, as well as any imposition of one country's will on another, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday when speaking of the situation in Venezuela.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks when holding the Seventh Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing.

Wang said the current international situation is more volatile and intertwined, with unilateral bullying becoming increasingly severe.

The sudden change of situation in Venezuela has drawn high attention from the international community, Wang said.

"We never believe that any country can play the role of world policeman, nor do we agree that any country can claim itself to be an international judge," Wang said, adding that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected by international law.

China is willing to work with the international community, including Pakistan, to firmly uphold the United Nations Charter, maintain the bottom line of international morality, adhere to the equality of all countries' sovereignty, and jointly safeguard world peace and development and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, Wang said.

On China-Pakistan relations, Wang said China hopes this visit will kick off the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Noting that China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership has become a crucial stabilizing factor in the regional and even global landscape, Wang said China is willing to work with Pakistan to implement the consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries in the new year, and advance the building of a China-Pakistan community with a shared future.

Dar has conveyed cordial greetings from the leaders of Pakistan to the Chinese leaders, and extended congratulations on the CPC's adoption of the recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan.

Dar said Pakistan is willing to work with China to carry forward the traditional friendship, enhance strategic alignment of their development plans, deepen practical cooperation, and advance the continuous growth of the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.

Pakistan reaffirms its adherence to the one-China principle and will continue to firmly support China on all issues concerning its core interests, added Dar.

Both sides agreed to unite the Global South to safeguard common interests, uphold the UN Charter, and oppose bullying acts that violate the sovereignty of other countries.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds the Seventh Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Editor: WSH
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced the commissioning of a major Residue Upgradation Facility at the Visakhapatnam Refinery, marking a significant step for India's energy security. The facility, part of a modernisation project, features three of the world's heaviest reactors and uses advanced technology to convert 93% of residual oils into high-value products. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri hailed the project as a decisive leap towards an Aatmanirbhar Bharat under the leadership of PM Modi and CM Naidu. The upgrade aims to meet regional fuel demands and establish the East Coast as a world-class refining hub.

CM Naidu announces HPCL's Residue Upgradation Facility commissioning in Vizag, boosting India's refining capacity and Aatmanirbhar Bharat goals.

Amaravati, Jan 5 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said on Monday that the state achieved another major milestone for Atmanirbhar Bharat with the successful commissioning of state-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited's Residue Upgradation Facility at Visakhapatnam Refinery.

"Andhra Pradesh anchors another major milestone for Aatmanirbhar Bharat. As part of the three-stage Visakh Refinery Modernisation Project (VRMP), the refinery now hosts a new Residue Upgradation Facility featuring three of the heaviest reactors in the world," the Chief Minister posted on 'X'.

He said that this upgrade will help meet regional fuel needs and boost socio-economic growth.

Chief Minister Naidu thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision in strengthening Visakh Refinery to support the nation's energy security. With this, the East Coast also emerges as a world-class refining hub, he added.

The Chief Minister was reacting to Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri's post.

"Bharat's journey toward achieving energy security has reached a milestone with the successful commissioning of HPCL's Residue Upgradation Facility (RUF) at the Visakh Refinery," the Union Minister posted.

Hardeep Singh Puri wrote that this critical infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh is a decisive leap toward Atmanirbhar Bharat under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Naidu.

"The facility is a masterpiece of indigenous engineering, housing three LC-Max reactors of ~2,200 MT each-ranking among the world's heaviest engineering blocks-all fabricated and assembled within Bharat. With a capacity of 3.55 MMTPA, the RUF utilizes advanced residue hydrocracking technology to achieve a 93 per cent conversion of bottom of the barrel oils into high-value products, maximising the utility of every barrel to fuel the nation's rapid ascent!," he said.

Originally commissioned by Caltex Oil Refining India (CORIL) with 0.675 million tonnes per annum installed capacity in 1956, Visakh Refinery is the oldest oil refinery site on the eastern coast.

It has been owned and operated by Hindustan Petroleum since 1978.

- IANS
The Indian Army has launched a 15-day National Integration Tour for students from the remote border areas of Shi-Yomi district in Arunachal Pradesh. The tour, running from January 5 to 19, will take the students to Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, and Itanagar to visit historical landmarks and premier institutions. The initiative is designed to provide national exposure, broaden horizons, and instill a deep sense of national pride and belonging. A separate eco-tourism exposure tour for college students from West Siang district has also been flagged off, highlighting the Army's sustained commitment to youth empowerment and emotional integration.

Indian Army organizes a 15-day tour for students from Arunachal Pradesh's border areas to Delhi, Pune, Mumbai for national exposure.

Itanagar, Jan 5 The Indian Army has organised a 15-day-long National Integration Tour for students from the border areas of Arunachal Pradesh's Shi-Yomi district, defence officials said on Monday.

Defence spokesman Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said that the tour is being organised for students of the Government Higher Secondary School, Mechuka, located in the remote border region of the Shi-Yomi district.

Commencing on Monday, the initiative aims to provide meaningful national exposure to students from this far-flung frontier area by connecting them with India's cultural, historical, and institutional landscape.

As part of the tour, scheduled from January 5 to 19, the students will be visiting Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, besides the state capital, Itanagar, gaining first-hand exposure to India's democratic institutions, national heritage, and diverse socio-cultural fabric.

The itinerary, Lt Col Rawat said, includes visits to prominent landmarks such as Teen Murti Bhawan, Rashtrapati Bhavan and the National War Memorial, along with interactions at premier educational and defence institutions.

These engagements are designed to enhance the students' understanding of the nation's history, values and governance, while also providing insight into avenues in higher education, public service and the Indian Armed Forces, he said.

According to the spokesman, the tour offers a balanced blend of education, exposure and experiential learning, enabling students to witness everyday India beyond classrooms and textbooks. Interaction with people from different regions, exposure to metropolitan environments and participation in structured educational visits are expected to broaden horizons, build confidence and instil a deep sense of national pride.

The tour is expected to leave a lasting impression on the students, fostering lifelong memories and a strengthened sense of belonging to the nation, he stated.

The initiative reflects the army's sustained commitment towards nation-building by empowering youth and strengthening emotional integration with the national mainstream, he added.

Meanwhile, to promote youth empowerment and sustainable development, the Indian Army has facilitated an eco-tourism exposure tour for college students from the border areas of Arunachal Pradesh's West Siang district.

Lt Col Rawat said that the army, under the aegis of Spear Corps, on Sunday flagged off the 11-day (from January 4 to 14) eco-tourism exposure tour from Along Military Station in Arunachal Pradesh, marking a significant step towards youth empowerment and sustainable development in the state's border regions. As part of the eco-tourism exposure tour, the students will visit West Bengal's Darjeeling and Kalimpong regions, which are well known for successful eco-tourism and homestay initiatives.

The official said that through such initiatives, the army continues to bridge geographical and cultural distances, reinforce trust with border communities and nurture informed, inspired and responsible citizens.

- IANS
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the BJP's wall painting campaign as an early outreach initiative for the 2026 Assembly elections. He claimed the BJP's position is strong, with ready candidates for many seats, and criticized the Congress for allegedly collecting large sums of money from ticket aspirants. Sarma also announced an eviction drive on encroached land in Tezpur and stated that seat-sharing talks with the Asom Gana Parishad are progressing. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of adapting to rapid technological change while felicitating over 1,500 meritorious students.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma launches BJP's wall painting campaign, criticizes Congress ticket fees, and details eviction drives and alliance talks.

Guwahati, January 5 Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday launched the party's wall painting campaign ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections.

Sarma said with ANI, "We will complete this wall painting campaign within the stipulated time. The BJP's position in Assam is very strong; we have candidates for almost 50 per cent of the assembly seats...If our party leadership asks us to release the list of candidates for 50 seats, we can do so by this evening. We will not take applications from any candidate. The public, our workers will suggest names, and we don't have any fees of Rs 25,000 or Rs 50,000. First, the Congress is collecting amounts ranging from Rs 3 crore to Rs 5 crore. This process is going on in 22-23 seats."

Taking a swipe at the Congress, Sarma alleged that the opposition party was collecting large sums of money from ticket aspirants. "The Congress is collecting amounts ranging from Rs 3 crore to Rs 5 crore for candidature. This process is going on in 22-23 seats," he claimed.

Referring to land encroachment issues, Sarma said an eviction drive would be carried out on Monday on around 5,000 bighas of encroached land in Tezpur.

"Today, we will conduct an eviction drive on 5000 bighas of encroached land in Tezpur. It is unfortunate for the Miya people that they have to vote for the Congress, pay hefty sums for candidature, and when they face any problem, the Congress does not stand with them. Dilip Saikia is negotiating with the AGP on seat sharing, and our ministers are also in talks with them. I think this will be finalised by February 15th. We are also talking in Bodoland, Rabha", he said.

On alliance matters, Sarma said BJP state president Dilip Saikia was holding talks with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on seat-sharing arrangements. He added that BJP ministers were also engaged in discussions and expressed confidence that the talks would be finalised by February 15.

The BJP's wall painting campaign is being seen as an early outreach initiative as the party gears up for the 2026 elections in Assam.

Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday felicitated 1,534 students from Bezera and Sualkuchi for coming out with flying colours at the HSLC and HS Examinations, 2025 at a function held at Changsari in Kamrup district.

Addressing the students, Chief Minister Sarma said that since he was elected MLA from the Jalukbari constituency in 2001, he has honoured meritorious students who achieve good results in the HSLC and HS Examinations. In 2002, only 288 students received this honour; this year, the number has risen to 2,116.

Calling students' attention to the ever-changing needs of the world, Sarma said society is constantly evolving. He said that at times the pace becomes so fast that even those who initiate the change fall behind.

He stated that advances in medical science have increased average life expectancy. Today's students may live to 90 or older. As a result, they will experience many changes in their lives and must prepare for them.

Referring to rapid changes across fields, he recalled that when the Asian Games were held in Delhi in 1982, television first came to India. Those televisions displayed only black-and-white images. Colour television followed gradually, and later, mobile phones replaced television as the primary device in people's hands. Now, even smartphones have replaced mobile phones.

Sarma also noted that people once wrote using typewriters. He said that electronic typewriters followed, and later, large box-like computers and laptops appeared. Commenting that artificial intelligence has taken over almost everything, he said the era of software is over.

- ANI
Former Indian Ambassador Y.K. Sinha has strongly criticized recent U.S. statements and actions regarding Venezuela, labeling them a troubling return to the era of colonialism. He questioned the international legality of forcibly removing a president and putting them on trial in a foreign country. Sinha noted that while Venezuela's political situation is contested, foreign control is unlikely to be accepted by its people, and the international community has largely reacted with caution. He emphasized India's measured, principled stance that balances strategic interests and called for dialogue.

Ex-Indian envoy Y.K. Sinha condemns US stance on Venezuela, calling it a return to gunboat diplomacy and a threat to sovereignty and regional stability.

New Delhi, January 5 Former Indian Ambassador to Venezuela Y.K. Sinha has sharply questioned recent U.S. actions and statements on Venezuela, calling them troubling for international law, regional stability, and global norms of sovereignty. Speaking to, Sinha described U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that Washington would "run" Venezuela until a power transition takes place as "quite astounding," especially given the legacy of past interventions.

Sinha expressed particular concern over what he described as the forcible removal and rendition of Venezuela's president. "Is it an acceptable norm that another country... abducts the president, and takes him to stand trial in a foreign court?" he asked. "As per international law, is this acceptable? This is a question that everyone should ask."

While acknowledging that Venezuela's political situation remains deeply contested, Sinha stressed that foreign control is unlikely to find acceptance among ordinary citizens. "Will any self-respecting country, self-respecting people, irrespective of what their political affiliations are, accept being run by a foreign power?" he said, adding that such moves evoke memories of "the days of colonialism and gunboat diplomacy."

On the ground, Sinha noted, the situation remains fluid. He pointed out that Venezuela's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, has reportedly assumed the presidency in line with constitutional provisions and is mandated to hold elections within 30 days. "She doesn't speak about the U.S. running the country," he observed, cautioning that "till the facts come out in the open, it's very difficult to understand what exactly is happening."

Commenting on global reactions, Sinha said most of the international community has responded cautiously. "The international community has by and large not supported the action," he noted, adding that India's response has been "very measured." New Delhi, he said, must balance its principles with its strategic interests. "We have to be mindful of our own bilateral relations with the United States and other countries," Sinha explained, while welcoming India's call for dialogue and concern for the safety of Indians in Venezuela.

Sinha also warned of broader regional consequences. "When you take arbitrary action like this, it opens a Pandora's box," he said, arguing that U.S. intervention risks deepening instability across Latin America, a region with a long memory of external interference.

On energy, Sinha downplayed the immediate impact on India, noting that Indian oil imports from Venezuela are already minimal due to sanctions and declining production. Still, he suggested resources remain a key underlying factor. "President Trump even referred to it as 'our oil'," Sinha recalled, adding that any revival of Venezuela's oil sector would take years.

Ultimately, Sinha emphasized that India would continue to act in its own national interest. "India is not a small country that can be browbeaten," he said, underscoring New Delhi's commitment to strategic autonomy amid intensifying great-power rivalries.

- ANI
West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, is attending a key Election Commission meeting in Delhi to discuss Central Armed Police Force requirements for the upcoming state Assembly polls. The state's case is considered special, with the CEO expected to argue for completing the election in one or a maximum of two phases, necessitating greater CAPF deployment than in previous multi-phase elections. The meeting will also review booth-wise law and order summaries and strategize on preventing the use of unaccounted money and arms. With Union Home Minister Amit Shah indicating polls will conclude by April, discussions will include sealing borders and heightened surveillance.

West Bengal CEO to attend ECI meeting on CAPF deployment, pushing for single-phase polls and heightened security for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Kolkata, Jan 5 The Chief Electoral Office, West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, will attend a crucial meeting chaired by the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, at the Election Commission of India's headquarters in Delhi to discuss the requirements for Central Armed Police Forces for the state's Assembly polls, scheduled this year.

The meeting will also be attended by the CEOs of the other poll-bound states, namely Assam, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

However, sources in the CEO's office said the case for West Bengal is special, as the CEO is expected to highlight the requirement for additional CAPF deployment in the state's polls this time, considering the suggestion for a lesser number of voting phases compared to what they were in the previous Assembly elections in 2021 and 2015.

An insider from the CEO's office said the suggestion will be to complete the election in a single phase, and if not possible, in a maximum of two phases, but not more than that. "So naturally, more companies of CAPF deployment will be required this time than what they were in the last two Assembly polls. All these are scheduled to be discussed at the crucial meeting at ECI's office in New Delhi today," the source said.

In 2021, the Assembly elections were conducted in eight phases, with the first phase being on March 27 and the last phase on April 29.

In 2016, the elections were conducted in six phases, with the first phase divided into two days, effectively making it a seven-phase poll.

At the same time, he added, the CEO will also brief the ECI on a summary of booth-wise law and order situation in West Bengal, which has been collected from different district police authorities, Kolkata Police, and other police commissionerates.

"Discussion will also be held on the effective use of different Central and state police forces to check the use of unaccounted money in the polls, as well as the prevention of entry of arms and outsiders with past criminal antecedents. The issue of sealing of international borders, as well as increased surveillance at the state borders, will also be discussed, considering that just around three months are left for the polls," the source said.

During his recent three-day tour to West Bengal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the Assembly polls will be completed by April this year.

- IANS
Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary paid heartfelt tributes to the late Sushil Kumar Modi on his birth anniversary, remembering him as a towering figure in Bihar's political landscape. He highlighted the deep mutual respect between Sushil Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, sharing an anecdote about plans for a life-size statue. Choudhary recalled Sushil Modi's disciplined loyalty to his party, even when opposing close friends politically. He emphasized that the current government's responsibility is to fulfill Sushil Modi's development-oriented vision for Bihar.

Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary honors late Sushil Kumar Modi, recalling his bond with Nitish Kumar and his lasting impact on Bihar's politics and development.

Patna, Jan 5 Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary paid a heartfelt tribute to former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister late Sushil Kumar Modi at a function organised on his birth anniversary.

Remembering him as a towering figure in Bihar's political landscape, Choudhary said that Sushil Modi's untimely demise was deeply painful, but the best way to honour his memory would be to continue working in accordance with the principles and guidance he had left behind.

Describing Sushil Kumar Modi as a strong pillar of Bihar politics, Samrat Choudhary said his contribution to the state's development and governance would always be remembered.

"His passing has caused an irreparable loss, but we will move forward by following the path he showed us," he said.

During his address, the Deputy Chief Minister expressed special gratitude to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and shared an emotional anecdote highlighting the deep mutual respect between Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi.

He recalled, "Nitish Kumar told me that we had to go somewhere and took me to Rajendra Nagar. There, he showed me two parks and said that a life-size statue of Sushil Modi would be installed there."

Samrat Choudhary noted that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was personally present and prepared for this tribute as early as 10:30 in the morning, reflecting the profound regard he held for his longtime political associate.

Recalling a personal interaction with Sushil Modi, Samrat Choudhary shared an old conversation from the days when they were political opponents.

He said he once asked Sushil Modi how he could oppose Nitish Kumar in politics despite sharing such a close personal bond. To this, Sushil Modi had replied simply, "The party decides whom we fight against. I have always followed the party's orders."

Samrat Choudhary said this response perfectly reflected Sushil Modi's discipline, loyalty, and commitment to party ideology.

He added that Sushil Modi remained steadfast and unwavering in his political struggle throughout his life.

Highlighting Sushil Modi's administrative acumen, Samrat Choudhary said that during his own tenure as Finance Minister, he realised how critical the finance department is for public welfare and governance.

He acknowledged that Sushil Modi had handled this responsibility with exceptional skill and vision.

The Deputy Chief Minister concluded by stating that the biggest responsibility of the current government is to fulfil the dreams envisioned by Sushil Kumar Modi and translate his development-oriented vision into reality for Bihar.

- IANS
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has mobilized its top leadership, releasing a list of 40 star campaigners for the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections. In a significant political development, Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray are set to hold their first-ever joint rallies, marking a major shift in Mumbai's political landscape. The two factions have also released a joint manifesto promising welfare schemes like an allowance for domestic workers and affordable housing. The civic polls across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra are scheduled for January 15, with results due the following day.

Shiv Sena(UBT) announces 40 star campaigners for BMC polls, featuring Uddhav Thackeray, as he and Raj Thackeray plan historic joint rallies.

Mumbai, Jan 5 Ahead of the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, the Shiv Sena on Monday released its list of 40 star campaigners. The list features prominent party faces, including party chief Uddhav Thackeray, Aditya Thackeray, and senior leaders such as Sanjay Raut and Sushma Andhare.

Voting for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra is scheduled for January 15, with the results to be declared on January 16.

The Thackeray faction has mobilised its most influential voices to secure the local bodies. Key names in the 40-member list include Uddhav Thackeray, Aditya Thackeray, and Subhash Desai, while parliamentary faces comprise sitting MPs Sanjay Raut, Arvind Sawant, Priyanka Chaturvedi, and former MP Vinayak Raut.

The regional heavyweights consist of Bhaskar Jadhav, Ambadas Danve, and Anil Parab, while Varun Sardesai and Aadesh Bandekar represent the youth and cultural wings. The other notable names include party legislators Sunil Prabhu, Sachin Ahir, Nitin Deshmukh, and party spokesman Anand Dubey.

Further, Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena founder chief Raj Thackeray are set to hold their first-ever joint rally on Monday in Vikhroli. This marks a major shift in Mumbai's political landscape as the two leaders join forces for the upcoming civic polls.

The event in the eastern suburbs is the first of seven to eight planned joint rallies across the state. The leaders are expected to visit Shiv Sena(UBT) and MNS local offices (shakhas) together to boost worker morale.

Uddhav Thackeray has already started visiting party shakhas for the last two days, urging the party activists to work unitedly to checkmate the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance.

Following in their fathers' footsteps, Amit Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray are also scheduled to address two joint rallies in Mumbai.

Earlier, the Shiv Sena(UBT) and MNS on Sunday released the joint manifesto titled 'Vachan Nama' for the BMC polls with a slew of promises, including Swabhiman Nidhi comprising a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 for domestic workers and Koli women (fishing women), one lakh affordable homes in five years, creation of a dedicated BMC Housing Authority, 100 units of free electricity for residential users from Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), breakfast and lunch at Rs 10 and minimum bus fare reduced to Rs 5, employment allowance and interest free loan to gig workers and five medical colleges.

The manifesto explicitly pitches for a "Marathi Mayor" and emphasises that Mumbai's land will be reserved primarily for "Mumbaikars".

- IANS
The inaugural meeting of the Payments Regulatory Board was held in Mumbai under the chairmanship of RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra. The board reviewed the functions of the payment systems department and the draft Payments Vision 2028 document. A presentation on the findings of the RBI's recent Survey on Digital Payments was also made during the session. The PRB was constituted following an amendment to the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, replacing the earlier BPSS committee.

The newly constituted Payments Regulatory Board held its first meeting in Mumbai, reviewing the draft Payments Vision 2028 and digital payments survey findings.

Mumbai, January 5 The first meeting of the Payments Regulatory Board was held in Mumbai under the Chairmanship of Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Monday.

The Board reviewed the functions of the Department of Payment and Settlement Systems, and current focus areas covering both domestic and global payment systems. The draft Payments Vision 2028 was presented, and Members gave strategic guidance to ensure the continued development of India's payment ecosystem, RBI said in a statement.

A presentation on the major findings of the Survey on Digital Payments, recently conducted by RBI, was also made.

It may be recalled that PRB was constituted consequent to an amendment in the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 which came into effect on May 9, 2025.

The erstwhile Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment and Settlement Systems (BPSS), a committee of the Central Board of the RBI was replaced with the Payments Regulatory Board.

At the meeting, members of PRB viz., S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Nagaraju Maddirala, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Aruna Sundararajan, IAS (Retd.), T Rabi Sankar, Deputy Governor, and Vivek Deep, Executive Director were present.

- ANI
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has called for cooperation to amicably settle water-sharing disputes between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He emphasized unity among Telugu people and announced plans to implement the Krishna-Godavari river linking project to utilize water currently flowing wastefully into the sea. His remarks come amid an ongoing Supreme Court case where Telangana opposes Andhra's Polavaram-Nallamala Sagar link project. Naidu also paid tribute to former CM N. T. Rama Rao and highlighted efforts to protect the Telugu language.

AP CM Chandrababu Naidu stresses unity to resolve Krishna-Godavari water sharing issues and announces river linking plans at Telugu Conference.

Amaravati, Jan 5 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday called for amicably settling the issues relating to the sharing of river waters between the two Telugu states.

He stressed the need for cooperation between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to resolve several issues, including water sharing issues.

Addressing the Third World Telugu Conference in Guntur, he said unity among both the Telugu states is essential to achieve the top position in the country.

He stated that his goal is to permanently resolve the water disputes between the two states and that he desires that all Telugu people remain united.

Chief Minister Naidu's remarks come amid the ongoing dispute between the two states over the sharing of Krishna and Godavari waters, with the Telangana government approaching the Supreme Court to stop the Polavaram-Nallamala Sagar link project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government.

Telangana is opposing the Andhra Pradesh government's plans to expand the Polavaram project and divert water from the Godavari to the Krishna basin.

Chandrababu Naidu said that Andhra Pradesh did not object even when Telangana utilised the abundant water in the Godavari and built the Kaleshwaram project.

Chandrababu Naidu reiterated that all the rivers in Andhra Pradesh should be interconnected. He made it clear that the Krishna-Godavari river linking project will be implemented.

He noted that every year, 3,000 TMC of water from the Godavari River goes to waste into the sea. He said last year, approximately 6,282 TMC of water from the Krishna and Godavari rivers flowed into the sea.

Along with Goa Governor P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Chief Minister Naidu garlanded and paid tributes to the statue of former chief minister N. T. Rama Rao (NTR).

The Chief Minister unveiled a special cover designed by the postal department to commemorate the World Telugu Conference.

The Chief Minister, in his speech, underlined the need for unity among Telugus. "Even though we are two states, Telugu is our mother tongue. Only if all Telugu people remain united, we will reach the top," he said.

Naidu stated that NTR paved the way for the irrigation system by undertaking many projects in undivided Andhra Pradesh.

He said NTR built the SLBC and SRBC canals to utilise Nagarjuna Sagar waters. "After that, as Chief Minister, I completed projects like the Kalwakurthy Lift and Nettempadu.

With the modernisation of the Krishna Delta, we saved water and allocated 20 TMC of water to Telangana, completing the Bhima Lift Irrigation project. We undertook schemes like the Ali Sagar and Devadula lift irrigation projects on the Godavari river," he said.

Referring to the Telugu language, he said everyone should protect their mother tongue. He said the Telugu language got recognition as an ancient language and Telugu-speaking people are the fourth largest group after Hindi, Bengali and Marathi-speaking people. He said around ten crore people are using the Telugu language.

He stressed the need for respecting the language of others while protecting their own mother tongue. He praised the efforts of Andhra Saraswat Parishat for organising the programme and bringing together all Telugu language experts.

He said that the Andhra Saraswat Parishat organised Telugu Mahasabhalu at Bhimavaram in 2022 and, Rajahmundry in 2024. He announced that the next Telugu Mahasabhalu will be organised in Mauritius in 2027.

- IANS
A coalition of 38 South Korean civic organizations held a rally outside the US Embassy in Seoul, protesting the US military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Acting Venezuelan Ambassador Natasha Faria Fernandez attended, demanding Maduro's immediate release and accusing the US of violating the UN Charter. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the action on multiple news programs, framing it as a targeted law-enforcement operation against an indicted narco-trafficker, not an act of war or invasion. The South Korean government has urged all parties involved to ease tensions in the region.

Civic groups rally at US Embassy in Seoul, protesting the US military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Key figures speak out.

Seoul, Jan 5 A coalition of civic groups on Monday chanted anti-US slogans to protest against the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro outside the US Embassy in Seoul, condemning US President Donald Trump over a military strike.

The rally involving 38 civic organisations took place after Trump announced Saturday that Maduro and his wife were taken into US custody through a military raid in Caracas, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Acting Venezuelan Ambassador to South Korea Natasha Faria Fernandez attended the rally and called for Maduro's immediate release while accusing the US government of violating the UN Charter.

Kwon Young-kook, leader of the left-wing Justice Party, called on the South Korean government to voice opposition to what he called the US invasion of the South American nation at the rally.

On Sunday, South Korea's foreign ministry urged all involved parties in the situation in Venezuela to ease tensions in the region.

Another rally involving an umbrella group representing 267 civic organisations took place near the embassy on Monday, with participants strongly condemning the US military operation.

The far-left People's Democracy Party plans to deliver a letter demanding Maduro's release to the US Embassy later in the day.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration sought to blunt criticism of its Venezuela operation, arguing that the arrest of Nicolas Maduro was a narrowly targeted law-enforcement action rather than the opening of a new war or military occupation.

Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the suggestion that the United States is now at war with Venezuela. "There's not a war," Rubio said, adding that Washington is "at war against drug trafficking organisations -- not at war against Venezuela."

Rubio said the operation was conducted under US legal authority to arrest an indicted narco-trafficker and did not amount to an invasion. "This was not an invasion," he said on NBC. "This was a law enforcement operation."

Appearing separately on ABC's This Week, Rubio said US forces were on the ground only briefly to execute the arrest and then withdrew. He emphasised that the mission relied on court warrants and sanctions enforcement rather than congressional authorisation for combat.

Rubio said the administration's focus has now shifted to sustained pressure through sanctions and maritime enforcement. On CBS's Face the Nation, he said the United States is enforcing an oil "quarantine" using court orders to seize sanctioned shipments.

"That leverage remains," Rubio told CBS News, saying the pressure would stay in place until changes occur that serve US interests and benefit Venezuelans.

Rubio pushed back against repeated questions about who is "running" Venezuela. On NBC, he said Washington is not administering the country but shaping outcomes through policy tools.

"What we are running is policy," he said, referring to efforts to stop drug trafficking, dismantle gangs, and end the presence of foreign militant groups.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz echoed that message on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures. Waltz said the operation was justified under international law and framed as self-defence.

"This is our hemisphere," Waltz told Fox News. "We are not going to allow it to become a base of operation for adversaries."

Waltz cited alleged ties between Maduro and China, Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, arguing that decisive action was necessary to protect US security.

Rubio said the administration is not ruling out future steps but stressed that there are no US troops stationed in Venezuela. "We don't have US forces on the ground," he told NBC.

Responding to questions on elections and political transition, Rubio urged realism. "These things take time," he said on CBS. "There's a process."

The administration said it would judge Venezuela's next steps by actions rather than promises, while maintaining pressure until US security concerns are addressed.

- IANS
HONG KONG, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong will redouble efforts to foster an ecosystem of sci-tech innovation and industrial development, Paul Chan, financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said on Sunday.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 2.8 percent on Jan. 2, logging the biggest first-day gains since 2013, Chan noted in his blog post, adding that the Hang Seng Tech Index hiked 4 percent as investors devour artificial intelligence (AI) stocks.

Chan expects more sci-tech companies to apply for Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in Hong Kong to continue a streak of over 400 IPOs from companies in emerging sectors whose market capitalization account for around 30 percent of the Hong Kong bourse by the end of 2025.

The HKSAR government welcomes companies to set up research and development centers, advanced manufacturing facilities, as well as regional or global headquarters in Hong Kong, said Chan.

Among efforts to spur sci-tech innovation, Chan emphasized the launch of incubators as a result of collaborations between the HKSAR and Chinese mainland partners like Jiangsu Province, Beijing and Shenzhen.

Over 60 companies from home and abroad have settled in the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, most of which engage in AI or life and health technology, noted Chan.

Editor: WSH
A Nuvama report projects that consumption will continue to outpace capital expenditure as India's primary growth engine in 2026. This trend is supported by a fiscal policy shift towards boosting consumption and a revival in credit, even as corporate investment plans turn cautious. Demand from lower- and middle-income households is expected to remain relatively resilient, partly cushioned by state government transfers. However, limited fiscal space and weak corporate revenues are likely to keep overall investment activity subdued.

Nuvama report forecasts consumption will outpace capital expenditure in India's 2026 economy, driven by fiscal policy and credit revival.

New Delhi, January 5 Consumption in India's domestic economy is expected to continue outpacing capital expenditure in 2026, supported by a fiscal policy pivot towards consumption and a revival in credit, even as corporate investment sentiment remains cautious, according to a report by Nuvama.

The report noted that consumption is likely to stay ahead of capex in 2026 for three key reasons.

First, during periods of slower economic growth, consumption typically performs better than capex. Second, fiscal policy has clearly shifted towards supporting consumption, a trend also reflected in the ongoing credit revival. Third, although consumption may not see a sharp acceleration due to weak income dynamics, demand from lower- and middle-income segments is expected to remain relatively stronger than that from higher-income groups.

"Consumption over capex, in 2026, consumption should continue outpacing capex," the report stated.

It highlighted that income growth remains subdued and the wealth effect has moderated, limiting the pace of consumption growth. As a result, consumption in FY26 is likely to be driven largely by leverage and government transfers rather than a broad-based improvement in household incomes.

Despite these constraints, stronger demand from lower- and middle-income households is expected to help consumption outperform capex.

Consumption and capex are India's twin engines of economic growth, with household spending driving demand, while investment in infrastructure and manufacturing expands supply capacity, generates employment, and supports income growth, creating a virtuous cycle essential for sustained economic expansion.

On the investment front, the report indicated that capex is likely to remain subdued through 2026. Limited fiscal space is expected to constrain the government's ability to significantly increase public capex, while large corporates are slowing investment plans amid weak revenues and profitability, reflecting a cautious stance towards new projects.

Household-led capex is also showing signs of moderation. The report observed that high-end and premium real estate has entered a soft patch, further weighing on overall investment activity. This softness in real estate, combined with corporate caution, is expected to keep capex in the slow lane during the year.

The report also pointed to some support for lower-income consumption from a recent increase in state government transfers. In particular, women-focused schemes providing direct benefit payouts are offering a cushion to consumption at the lower end of the income spectrum.

However, it cautioned that these transfers may be funded by slower spending in other areas, especially capex.

Overall, the report noted that consumption is likely to continue outpacing capex in 2026, with demand strength concentrated in lower- and middle-income segments, while investment activity remains restrained due to limited fiscal headroom and cautious corporate sentiment.

- ANI
Ariana Grande made a stunning appearance on the black carpet at the Critics Choice Awards 2026 in a pink and white gown. She is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 'Wicked: For Good'. The ceremony is hosted by Chelsea Handler and features new categories this year. The film 'Sinners' leads the nominations with 17 nods.

Ariana Grande shines on the black carpet in a pink-white gown, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for 'Wicked: For Good' at the Critics Choice Awards 2026.

Los Angeles, January 5 The Critics Choice Awards 2026 ceremony has finally begun, and with it, several stars have been arriving at the event in style.

Ariana Grande grabbed attention on Sunday as she walked the black carpet in Santa Monica.

Grande, who has received a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 'Wicked: For Good', looked gorgeous as she attended the ceremony wearing a pink and white full-length dress.

The 32-year-old actress is nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category along with Elle Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Amy Madigan, Wunmi Mosaku, and Teyana Taylor. The nomination comes as the Wicked cast prepares to close a chapter that began nearly five years ago.

Speaking at the New York City premiere of the sequel earlier, Ariana spoke about her journey with the film and the people she worked with. She shared how meaningful the experience has been for her and expressed her feelings about working closely with her co-stars and the creative team.

"It's been such an incredible ride and an incredible experience," Ariana told E! News at the New York City premiere for the musical's sequel in November. "To create with people we love so much and respect so much creatively, but also who just have such great hearts."

According to E! News, the Critics Choice Awards are being hosted by Chelsea Handler, who is returning as host for the fourth year in a row. This year, the Critics Choice Association has added four new categories, including Best Variety Series, Stunt Design, Casting or Ensemble, and Sound.

The film Sinners leads the nominations with 17 nods, followed by One Battle After Another with 14 nominations. Hamnet and Frankenstein have received 11 nominations each.

The 31st Critics Choice Awards are being held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica and will air live on E! and USA Network from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET and PT. The full list of film and television winners will be announced during the ceremony.

- ANI
Chelsea Handler returned to host the Critics Choice Awards for the fourth year in a row. During the ceremony, she wore a tailored suit as a direct tribute to the late Hollywood legend Diane Keaton, known for her sharp suiting. Handler performed multiple outfit changes throughout the evening, including a champagne gown and a forest green off-the-shoulder dress. Diane Keaton, who never married but was linked to several famous actors, passed away in October 2025 at the age of 79.

Chelsea Handler pays sartorial tribute to late icon Diane Keaton while hosting the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, recalling Keaton's signature style.

Los Angeles, January 5 Chelsea Handler paid tribute to Hollywood icon Diane Keaton as she returned to host the Critics Choice Awards on January 4.

The comedian, who hosted the show for the fourth year in a row, used her outfit to remember the late actor.

During the ceremony, Handler made several outfit changes. For one of her stage appearances, she wore a tailored suit. According to PEOPLE, Handler told the audience that the look was a tribute to Diane Keaton, who was known for wearing sharp suits at public events. Handler said the outfit was a nod to Keaton's unique style.

Earlier in the evening, Handler wore a strapless champagne-colored gown with a draped top. On the red carpet, she appeared in a forest green off-the-shoulder gown with a straight skirt. Like previous years, she changed outfits multiple times during the show.

Handler first hosted the Critics Choice Awards in 2023. Since then, she has returned every year and is known for quick outfit changes during the ceremony. Last year, according to PEOPLE, the actress hosted the event while wearing an arm bandage due to a health issue, but still appeared in several looks.

Diane Keaton passed away on October 11 at the age of 79. Born Diane Hall in Los Angeles in 1946, she was the eldest of four children. Her father worked as a civil engineer, while her mother encouraged her creative interests. Keaton never married but was linked to actors Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, and Woody Allen during her life.

- ANI
Jacob Elordi earned his first major acting prize by winning Best Supporting Actor at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards for his performance as the Creature in Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein." In an emotional acceptance speech, he expressed his gratitude to the director, stating del Toro had inspired his dreams since childhood. The actor faced stiff competition from a category that included Benicio del Toro, Paul Mescal, and Sean Penn. Elordi is also nominated for a Golden Globe Award, with the ceremony set for January 11.

Jacob Elordi wins Best Supporting Actor at Critics Choice Awards 2026 for his role in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein. See his emotional speech.

Los Angeles, January 5 It's a happy start to 2026 for actor Jacob Elordi, who won his first major acting award at the Critics Choice Awards 2026.

Elordi won the award for Best Supporting Actor at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, held on January 4 in Santa Monica, California. He received the honour for his role as the Creature in director Guillermo del Toro's film Frankenstein.

While accepting the award, Elordi appeared surprised and emotional. He began his speech by saying, "...I really didn't plan for this."

He then spoke about working with director Guillermo del Toro and shared how much the filmmaker meant to him. "Thank you, Guillermo del Toro. I love you. We all love you. You made my dreams when I was 11. I'm so happy to be here," he said. Elordi also thanked his parents during his speech.

Elordi faced strong competition in the category. According to PEOPLE, the other nominees included Benicio del Toro for One Battle After Another, Paul Mescal for Hamnet, Sean Penn for One Battle After Another, Adam Sandler for Jay Kelly, and Stellan Skarsgard for Sentimental Value.

In Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley's famous novel, Elordi plays the Creature created by Victor Frankenstein, portrayed by Oscar Isaac. In the film, the Creature is abandoned after failing to meet his creator's hopes. As the story progresses, the character begins to admire the world around him, but turns violent after being rejected by people.

Jacob Elordi is also a contender at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards, which will take place on Sunday, January 11.

- ANI
'One Battle After Another' wins Best Picture

The 2026 Critics Choice Awards saw 'One Battle After Another' take the top prize of Best Picture, with Paul Thomas Anderson winning Best Director and Adapted Screenplay. Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' and the vampire drama 'Sinners' were also major winners, each earning four awards. In television, 'Adolescence,' 'The Pitt,' and 'The Studio' dominated their respective series categories. Host Chelsea Handler paid tribute to Rob Reiner, while Jimmy Kimmel used his acceptance speech to deliver a satirical remark aimed at former President Donald Trump.

'One Battle After Another' wins Best Picture at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards. See the full list of winners for film and television.

Los Angeles, January 5 'One Battle After Another', a subversive comedy centred on radical politics, was named Best Picture at the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards. The film also won Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson, according to Variety.

On the film front, 'Frankenstein', Guillermo del Toro's re-imagining of the classic horror tale, and 'Sinners', a vampire drama set in the Jim Crow South, emerged as major winners with four awards each. Frankenstein earned honours including Best Supporting Actor for Jacob Elordi, along with wins for production design, hair and makeup, and costume design. 'Sinners' won awards for original screenplay, casting and score, while its 20-year-old star Miles Caton was named Best Young Performer.

In television categories, 'Adolescence' led the limited-series field with four awards, including Best Limited Series, and acting wins for Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty. Sarah Snook won Best Actress in a Limited Series for All Her Fault, as per the outlet.

'The Pitt' was named Best Drama Series and earned acting awards for Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa. 'The Studio' won Best Comedy Series, with creator Seth Rogen taking Best Actor in a Comedy Series and Ike Barinholtz winning Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.

Jean Smart won Best Actress in a Comedy Series for 'Hacks', while Janelle James earned Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for 'Abbott Elementary'. Rhea Seehorn was named Best Actress in a Drama Series for Pluribus, and Tramell Tillman won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Severance.

In film acting categories, Jessie Buckley won Best Actress for 'Hamnet', while Timothee Chalamet earned Best Actor for Marty Supreme. Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for Weapons.

Netflix's viral sensation "KPop Demon Hunters" was named best animated feature and also earned a prize for best song for its chart-topping hit "Golden." "The Secret Agent," a drama set during Brazil's military junta, won best foreign language film, according to Variety.

Jimmy Kimmel won Best Talk Show and, during his acceptance speech, stressed the importance of free expression while delivering a satirical remark aimed at US President Donald Trump. His comments were met with applause from the audience.

Chelsea Handler hosted the ceremony for the fourth consecutive year. In her opening monologue, she paid tribute to filmmaker Rob Reiner, recalling his warmth and generosity, and describing him as "the nicest guy in Hollywood," while reflecting on the impact he had on those who knew him, according to Variety.

Check out the complete list of winners

FilmBest Picture:One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.) (WINNER)

Best Director:Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another (WINNER)

Best Actor:Timothee Chalamet - Marty Supreme (WINNER)

Best Actress:Jessie Buckley - Hamnet (WINNER)

Best Supporting Actor:Jacob Elordi - Frankenstein (WINNER)

Best Supporting Actress:Amy Madigan - Weapons (WINNER)

Best Original Screenplay:Ryan Coogler - Sinners (WINNER)

Best Adapted Screenplay:Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another (WINNER)

Best Young Performer:Miles Caton - Sinners (WINNER)

Best Casting/Ensemble:Francine Maisler - Sinners (WINNER)

Best Comedy (Film):The Naked Gun (WINNER)

Best Animated Feature:KPop Demon Hunters (WINNER)

Best Production Design:Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau, Frankenstein (WINNER)

Best Cinematography:Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams (WINNER)

Best Costume Design:Kate Hawley, Frankenstein (WINNER)

Best Editing:Stephen Mirrione, F1 (WINNER)

Best Stunt Design:Wade Eastwood, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (WINNER)

Best Hair and Makeup:Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey, Frankenstein (WINNER)

Best Sound:Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta and Gareth John, F1 (WINNER)

Best Visual Effects:Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett, Avatar: Fire and Ash (WINNER)

Best Score:Ludwig Goransson - Sinners (WINNER)

Best Song:Golden, Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24 and Teddy, KPop Demon Hunters (WINNER)

Best Foreign Language Film:The Secret Agent (WINNER)

TelevisionBest Drama Series:The Pitt (WINNER)

Best Comedy Series:The Studio (WINNER)

Best Limited Series:Adolescence (WINNER)

Best Movie Made for Television:Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (WINNER)

Best Actor, Drama Series:Noah Wyle - The Pitt (WINNER)

Best Actress, Drama Series:Rhea Seehorn - Pluribus (WINNER)

Best Actor, Comedy Series:Seth Rogen - The Studio (WINNER)

Best Actress, Comedy Series:Jean Smart - Hacks (WINNER)

Best Actor, Limited Series/Movie:Stephen Graham - Adolescence (WINNER)

Best Actress, Limited Series/Movie:Sarah Snook - All Her Fault (WINNER)

Best Supporting Actor, Drama:Tramell Tillman - Severance (WINNER)

Best Supporting Actress, Drama:Katherine LaNasa - The Pitt (WINNER)

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy:Ike Barinholtz - The Studio (WINNER)

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy:Janelle James - Abbott Elementary (WINNER)

Best Supporting Actor, Limited Series/Movie:Owen Cooper - Adolescence (WINNER)

Best Supporting Actress, Limited Series/Movie:Erin Doherty - Adolescence (WINNER)

Best Animated Series:South Park (WINNER)

Best Foreign Language Series:Squid Game (WINNER)

Best Talk Show:Jimmy Kimmel Live! (WINNER)

Best Comedy Special:SNL50: The Anniversary Special (WINNER)

Best Variety Series:Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (WINNER)

The 31st Critics Choice Awards was held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

- ANI
Sarah Snook won the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in a Limited Series for her performance in "All Her Fault." During her acceptance speech, she humorously admitted to forgetting about the event and failing to prepare any remarks. She recounted a conversation with her husband where she realized her oversight on the way to the ceremony. Snook concluded by praising her crew and emphasizing the joy of filming.

Sarah Snook wins Best Actress at Critics Choice Awards 2026 for 'All Her Fault' and candidly admits she forgot to prepare an acceptance speech.

Los Angeles, January 5 Actor Sarah Snook won the award for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television at the Critics Choice Awards 2026, which are currently underway. The actor was honoured for her performance in All Her Fault.

Snook, 38, won a competitive category that included Jessica Biel, Meghann Fahy, Michelle Williams, Robin Wright, and Renee Zellweger. The award marks another significant achievement in Snook's career, adding to her growing list of accolades.

According to PEOPLE, as Snook came on stage to accept the award on Sunday, she candidly admitted that she "regrets" not preparing a speech in advance. Addressing the audience, the actor shared that she had nearly forgotten about the event while travelling to the ceremony.

Recalling a conversation with her husband on the way to the awards, Snook said, "My husband was like, 'You seem a bit distant,' in the car on the way here, and I was like, 'Yeah, I just forgot what we were doing, and I didn't write a speech or anything, and I'm just trying to go through some things now'."

She further revealed that even after arriving at the venue, she once again forgot about preparing her remarks as she was busy reconnecting with people. "And then I forgot when we got here again, 'cause it was so nice to see everybody, and now I've gotten up here, and I'm regretting all of it."

Snook quickly wrapped up her speech. She spoke warmly about her time on the show and the bond she shared with the team.

She said, "We had an awesome time with the crew, shooting really great stuff, and I think that's the main thing: just having a great time while we're shooting, 'cause we're just playing pretend."

In All Her Fault, Snook plays Marissa Irvine, a mother who goes to pick up her five-year-old son from a playdate, only to learn that he was never there. The series follows the frantic search for the missing child and explores how fear, suspicion and blame gradually begin to consume everyone involved.

- ANI
Cuba has announced two days of national mourning after 32 of its military personnel were killed during a US-led military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of deposed leader Nicolas Maduro. The Cuban personnel were reportedly deployed in Venezuela at the government's request and were killed in clashes or airstrikes. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump warned that the Cuban government is near collapse, having lost its major source of income from Venezuelan oil. Maduro and his wife have been flown to New York to face drug-related charges, an arrest Venezuela's defense minister condemned as a "kidnapping."

Cuba declares mourning for 32 personnel killed in US operation in Venezuela that captured Maduro, as Trump warns Cuban government is near collapse.

Havana, January 5 Cuba on Sunday announced that 32 of its citizens were killed during the United States military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife in the capital, Caracas.

The Cuban government said it would observe two days of national mourning on January 5 and January 6 to honour those killed in the operation. Officials in Havana said funeral arrangements would be announced at a later stage.

Cuba's state-run news agency Prensa Latina said the deceased were Cuban military personnel who had been deployed in Venezuela on official missions. According to the report, they were operating at the request of the Venezuelan government when the US-led operation took place.

The Cuban personnel were killed either during direct clashes with attacking forces or as a result of air strikes on military facilities. It added that they offered resistance before being killed, Al Jazeera reported.

Cuba has been a close ally of Venezuela for several years and has deployed military and police personnel in the country to support the government of deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump also issued a warning to Cuba on Sunday, saying he believed the Cuban government was close to collapse.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Cuba had lost a major source of income following US operation in Venezuela.

"Cuba is ready to fall. Cuba looks like it's ready to fall," Trump said. "They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. They're not getting any of it now."

Trump also issued warnings directed at Colombia, Cuba, Mexico and Denmark in a single day.

Following the operation in Venezuela, Maduro and his wife were flown to New York by US authorities. The 63-year-old deposed dictator is expected to appear before a US court on Monday to face drug-related charges. Maduro has repeatedly denied any involvement in criminal activities.

Images showing Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed while being escorted by US forces have circulated widely on social media and shocked many people across Venezuela.

Venezuela's Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez strongly condemned the arrest, describing it as a "kidnapping" and demanding the immediate release of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to local media reports.

The New York Times, citing a Venezuelan official, reported that at least 40 people may have been killed during the US operation.

Washington described the action as a "large-scale strike" against Venezuela. US officials said Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country during the operation.

Earlier, Trump told Fox News that there were only a few injuries and no deaths on the US side. He praised the US armed forces for carrying out what he described as a complex and highly professional operation.

"It was amazing to see the professionalism and the quality of leadership," Trump said. "To have a few injuries, but no deaths on our side, is really amazing, " said Trump.

- ANI
Smriti Irani stated that her life's direction was shaped more by her defeats than her victories. She spoke at the Rajasthan DigiFest TiE Global Summit 2026 on women's leadership in public service and business. Irani highlighted the empowerment of nine crore women through self-help groups and outlined goals to fund women-led startups. The summit itself aims to connect founders with significant funding and mentorship opportunities.

Former Union Minister Smriti Irani says her defeats, not victories, defined her path. She discusses women's leadership and entrepreneurship at Rajasthan DigiFest.

Jaipur, Jan 5 Former Union Minister Smriti Irani said that it was not her victories, but her defeats that shaped her destiny and transformed her life. She emphasised that struggles and failures in life define a person's true identity and direction.

Smriti Irani was speaking on Monday at the Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre, Sitapura, during the second day of the Rajasthan DigiFest TiE Global Summit 2026.

She addressed a session titled "Leadership Beyond Labels: Women, Power and Public Service." Sharing her thoughts on women's leadership, participation in public life, resilience, and discipline, Smriti Irani said that women are increasingly taking leadership roles across technology, policy, startups, and public service sectors. In conversation with TiE Global Convener Mahavir Pratap Sharma, she discussed leadership challenges and opportunities drawn from her personal experiences. She noted that working across diverse fields throughout her life helped her develop strong multitasking abilities and adaptability.

Speaking candidly about her electoral journey, Smriti Irani said that her most valuable lessons came from defeat.

"My real victory lies not in winning, but in losing. Defeat wrote my destiny," she said. She added that success or failure should not be viewed through a gendered lens, but rather as an issue of equality.

Smriti Irani also addressed the real challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in India. She highlighted that nine crore women associated with self-help groups are presenting a strong and empowering image of a new India.

She said the objective of ongoing efforts is to empower one lakh women, promote 300 startups, and build a fund exceeding USD 100 million.

She emphasised that these initiatives reflect a long-term commitment to strengthening the women's entrepreneurship ecosystem by ensuring access to opportunities, capital, and mentorship.

Rajasthan DigiFest TiE Global Summit 2026 is scheduled to be held in Jaipur from January 4 to 6. Under the Chief Minister's guidance, the Rajasthan DigiFest TiE Global Summit 2026 is seeing huge participation from over 1,200 global companies, including founders, CEOs, and investors. Founders from more than 20 unicorn and soonicorn startups will also be part of the summit.

The event will offer startup founders significant opportunities for funding and mentorship. In addition, sector-specific sessions will be organised at DigiFest, featuring in-depth discussions on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies.

- IANS
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has inaugurated the Winter Session of the Legislative Assembly, calling for active participation from all MLAs. She emphasized that the session should focus on meaningful discussions, particularly on critical issues like Delhi's pollution. The session, which runs until January 8, is the first legislative engagement of 2026 and is set against a backdrop of heightened scrutiny on governance and administrative performance. It is poised to be a concentrated exercise in accountability, focusing on development delivery and finding collaborative solutions for the capital's challenges.

CM Rekha Gupta urges all MLAs to collaborate on pollution and governance in the Delhi Assembly's crucial Winter Session, running till Jan 8.

New Delhi, January 5 Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday welcomed the winter session of the Legislative Assembly, urging both the ruling party and the opposition to fulfil their responsibilities during the proceedings.

Speaking to the media, Gupta said, "This session of the Assembly has been convened for policy and implementation, where important discussions take place. Especially on issues like pollution, on which the government has invited everyone for discussion, all MLAs should participate in the debate and work together to find better solutions for Delhi. This session is very important, and it is our responsibility to utilise every moment of it for the welfare of Delhi."

She emphasised that the session should focus on meaningful discussions and collaborative efforts to address key challenges facing the national capital.

The winter session of the Delhi legislative assembly commenced today and will go on till January 8.

Delhi's Pollution will be among the major issues during the Winter Session of the Delhi Assembly. While the ruling BJP government has emphasised that the situation has improved compared to the previous party's rule in the national capital, the opposition parties have criticised the government, while the citizens continue their daily lives amid toxic Delhi air.

The first legislative sitting of 2026 is unfolding against a backdrop of heightened scrutiny of governance, making the Winter Session less a routine calendar exercise and more a checkpoint on how effectively the administration responds to questions of performance and accountability.

As the first Assembly engagement of the new year, the session carries added significance. Issues of development delivery, administrative efficiency and financial discipline are likely to dominate proceedings, offering early signals on how effectively the state machinery is responding to civic challenges.

With limited time and heightened expectations, the Winter Session is poised to be a concentrated exercise in legislative scrutiny rather than an extended debate.

- ANI
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited a cultural exhibition in Paris showcasing India's textile heritage, highlighting the deep cultural links with France. His official visit includes meetings with French leadership, notably Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, to discuss progress under the strategic partnership and global issues. Jaishankar will also address the French Ambassadors' Conference as Guest of Honour before traveling to Luxembourg for bilateral talks. The visit underscores India's commitment to strengthening diplomatic and strategic ties with key European partners.

EAM Jaishankar visits a textile exhibition in Paris, meets French leadership to strengthen the strategic partnership and discuss global issues during his Europe tour.

Paris, January 5 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said that he visited the exposition 'Ce qui se trame - woven stories between India and France' in Paris, highlighting India's rich textile heritage and the strong cultural links between the two countries, during his ongoing official visit to Europe.

"Visited exposition 'Ce qui se trame - woven stories between India and France' in Paris this evening. The exhibition showcases India's textile heritage, savoir-faire and creativity. It is also a reminder of the strong cultural connect," Jaishankar wrote in a post on X.

Jaishankar is on a six-day official visit to France and Luxembourg from January 4 to January 10, aimed at strengthening India's bilateral ties with both countries.

During his stay in France, the External Affairs Minister is scheduled to meet the French leadership and hold talks with Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. The discussions are expected to focus on progress under the India-France Strategic Partnership and key regional and global issues of mutual interest.

While in Paris, the External Affairs Minister will also address the 31st edition of the French Ambassadors' Conference as the Guest of Honour, highlighting India's perspectives on global diplomacy and international cooperation.

"In Paris, he will be meeting the French leadership and hold talks with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noel Barrot. They will discuss the progress made under the India-France Strategic Partnership and matters of global importance. EAM will also address the 31st edition of the French Ambassador's Conference as the Guest of Honour," the statement read.

According to the MEA, India and France have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations and share a deep and enduring Strategic Partnership (SP) covering all aspects of bilateral cooperation, which involves a strategic component.Launched on 26 January 1998, India's first-ever Strategic Partnership embodied the core vision of both countries to enhance their respective strategic independence by strengthening bilateral cooperation.

Defence and security, civil nuclear matters and space constitute the principal pillars of this strategic cooperation and now include a strong Indo-Pacific component.

In recent years, the partnership has broadened to include maritime security, digitalisation, cybersecurity and advanced computing, counterterrorism, climate change, renewable and sustainable growth and development, among others.

Following his engagements in France, Jaishankar will travel to Luxembourg, where he will hold discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Xavier Bettel, as well as senior leaders of the country.

His engagements will focus on enhancing bilateral cooperation across various sectors.During his stay in Luxembourg, the EAM is also scheduled to interact with members of the Indian community.

India and Luxembourg enjoy warm and friendly relations characterised by a high degree of mutual understanding and cooperation at bilateral and multilateral levels, MEA stated.

The diplomatic relations between India and Luxembourg were established in 1948. Luxembourg opened its Embassy in New Delhi in February 2002, which is one of its five embassies in Asia. Luxembourg also has honorary consuls in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.

The visit underscores India's continued engagement with its European partners and its commitment to deepening strategic and diplomatic ties as negotiations between New Delhi and the European Union on a long-pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA) entered a "decisive phase".

- ANI
The sources responsible for implementing Ukraine's economic plan have agreed to work out the details over the coming weeks through meetings in European capitals, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced on Telegram on Saturday.

This agreement was reached in Kyiv on Saturday during the economic block of consultations with national security advisers from 15 partner countries, the European Council, the European Commission, and NATO. Joining the discussions online was Steven Witkoff, a representative of the U.S. president.

Svyrydenko recalled that Ukraine, together with its European and American partners, is working on the Ukraine Prosperity Plan, a joint program of Ukraine, the United States, the European Union, and the G7 countries aimed at postwar recovery and economic growth over the next ten years.

"According to our estimates, Ukraine's needs in this area amount to $800 billion. We intend to attract these funds through public capital in the form of grants, loans, and private investments in infrastructure, energy, industry, and human capital development," she wrote.

Svyrydenko also said that there is a shared vision that Ukraine's accession to the European Union is a cornerstone of the country's economic development. "At the same time, economic prosperity is impossible without full and reliable security guarantees for Ukraine," she added.

The economic consultations also included Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka and Minister of Economy Oleksiy Sobolev.
A cold wave and morning fog enveloped Srinagar, yet tourists continued to explore the city's winter charm. Fresh snowfall in Bhaderwah has triggered a significant influx of visitors, with one tourist praising the Indian Army's arrangements for safety and enjoyment. In Poonch, heavy snowfall disrupted movement, prompting intensive snow clearance operations on the strategic Mughal Road. Authorities had previously heightened security around Dal Lake for New Year celebrations to ensure visitor safety.

Srinagar sees fog & cold wave while Bhaderwah's fresh snow attracts tourists. Army ensures safety. Snow clearance ops on Mughal Road.

Srinagar, January 5 A thin layer of fog covered Srinagar on Monday morning as a cold wave continued to grip the Kashmir Valley, reducing visibility across the city. The iconic Dal Lake was shrouded in mist, and chilly weather conditions prevailed throughout the region. Despite the cold, tourists were seen exploring the city and enjoying the winter atmosphere.

Sharing her experience, a tourist said the scenic beauty of Srinagar remained captivating despite the cold. "The view is great, and we also enjoyed the Shikara ride. The food is also great. It is very cold here. We have enjoyed it a lot. Everyone should come here once."

Meanwhile, fresh snowfall in Bhaderwah, Doda district, has drawn a surge of tourists, prompting authorities to tighten security across major tourist locations. The snow-covered landscapes have become a major attraction, with arrangements made to ensure the safety and comfort of visitors amid winter conditions.

A tourist visiting Bhaderwah, Dharmendra Sharma, a resident of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, credited the arrangements made by the Indian Army for a safe and pleasant experience. "All the credit goes to the Indian army. I love you my Indian soldier. I suggest everyone come here during the new year. The Indian army is taking care of everyone. We played in the snow and enjoyed a lot," he said.

In Poonch district, heavy snowfall continued to disrupt normal movement, with snow clearance operations underway on a war footing along the Mughal Road. Machinery was deployed to remove snow and restore connectivity, as authorities worked to keep the strategic road accessible despite adverse weather conditions.

Earlier, on January 1, Jammu and Kashmir authorities had tightened security around Dal Lake to ensure the safety of residents and tourists celebrating the New Year. Police and local administration deployed additional personnel, set up security checkpoints, increased patrolling, and enhanced CCTV surveillance to monitor crowd movement and prevent any untoward incidents.

The cold wave, coupled with the snowfall in Bhaderwah, has not deterred tourism but instead highlighted the winter charm of the region, attracting visitors from across India and beyond.

- ANI
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will undertake his first official visit to India from January 12-13 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leaders will meet in Ahmedabad to review the 25-year-old strategic partnership, focusing on enhancing cooperation in trade, technology, defence, and green development. They will also engage with industry leaders and discuss regional and global issues. The visit aims to build momentum ahead of the upcoming India-EU Summit and reaffirm a forward-looking bilateral partnership.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits India Jan 12-13 for talks with PM Modi on trade, defence, and green energy to strengthen strategic partnership.

New Delhi, January 5 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will pay an official visit to India from January 12 to 13, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Monday.

This will be Chancellor Friedrich Merz's first official visit to India. During the visit, he will travel to Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.

Prime Minister Modi will receive Chancellor Friedrich Merz on January 12 in Ahmedabad. The two leaders will review progress across various areas of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which completed 25 years last year.

Discussions will focus on further strengthening cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also advancing collaboration in defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties, the MEA said.

Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Friedrich Merz will also engage with business and industry leaders and exchange views on issues of regional and global importance.

The visit is expected to build on the momentum generated by regular high-level political interactions and provide an opportunity to reaffirm the shared vision of India and Germany to develop a forward-looking partnership for the benefit of both countries and the wider global community.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chancellor Merz last held discussions on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, where the two leaders agreed to further broaden the bilateral strategic partnership.

During that interaction, Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation to the German Chancellor for an official visit to New Delhi.

The visit is also taking place in the lead-up to the India-EU Summit scheduled for January 27.

- ANI
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched the Clean City Prosperous City - Citizen Connect Programme 2.0, a digital platform to streamline urban civic services. He announced the development of a new world-class city named 'Him Chandigarh' near Nalagarh, with land acquisition set to begin soon. The government also detailed the Rajiv Gandhi Small Shopkeepers Welfare Scheme, offering subsidized loans to eligible small vendors and hawkers. Several infrastructure projects, including a modern shopping complex in Shimla and beautification works in Hamirpur and Baddi, were also highlighted.

Himachal CM Sukhvinder Sukhu launches Citizen Connect 2.0, announces 'Him Chandigarh' global township, and details welfare schemes for small shopkeepers.

Shimla, January 5 The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, on Monday launched the Clean City Prosperous City - Citizen Connect Programme 2.0 in Shimla, aimed at making urban civic services more straightforward, transparent, and accessible through a single digital platform.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister also announced the development of a new world-class city named 'Him Chandigarh' near the Nalagarh area along the Chandigarh border.

Urban Development and Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh said the state government has initiated several new measures to strengthen facilities across municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats. He said that under the Rajiv Gandhi Small Shopkeepers Welfare Scheme, eligible beneficiaries with an annual income of less than Rs 10 lakh will be provided loans of up to Rs 2 lakh, of which Rs 1 lakh will be a government subsidy.

He added that the scheme would significantly benefit street vendors, small shopkeepers, and hawkers and would be available exclusively to holders of Himachal Pradesh domicile certificates.

Singh further said that under the Municipal Shared Services initiative, all urban services are being integrated on a single digital platform. For this project, the Centre has approved 23crore as the first installment, while the total project cost is around Rs 40 crore.

He also said that, in collaboration with institutions such as IIT/CSIR, biogas plants will be set up in Palampur, Solan, Una, and Shimla, among other municipal corporations, to address waste disposal and sanitation challenges.

Speaking to the media, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, "Today, Himachal Pradesh has launched the country's first 'Him Suvidha'. Residents of municipal councils and corporations will be able to access services through QR codes using their mobile phones. Fifteen service centres have been established in every urban local body, with the headquarters in Shimla."

The Chief Minister said that a modern shopping complex costing 400 crore is being constructed at Shimla's vegetable market, where existing shopkeepers will be allotted space equivalent to their current holdings. He added that beautification works worth Rs 150 crore will be undertaken in Hamirpur, the largest such project after it attained municipal corporation status. At the same time, cities like Baddi will also be developed and beautified.

Referring to the Rajiv Gandhi Small Shopkeepers Welfare Scheme, Sukhu said the government would provide relief of up to Rs 1 lakh to small vendors, tea sellers and street hawkers burdened by loans.

"Our aim is to ensure that the poor and working-class people also get their rightful share in the state's resources," he said.

Regarding the proposed new city, the Chief Minister said that about 3,400 bighas of land have already been transferred to the Housing Department, with approval granted by the previous cabinet, and that additional land will be acquired through land pooling. Around 10,000 bighas of forest land will remain protected.

"We have decided to build a large, world-class city in Himachal Pradesh. Carrying forward the 'Him' identity of the state, the city will be named 'Him Chandigarh'. Consultants will be hired soon, land acquisition will be completed within two months, and work will begin within six months. More details will be announced in the coming budget," Sukhu said.

- ANI
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated the second phase of the 'Citizen Connect Program' in Shimla, focusing on sustainable urban development. He launched multiple schemes including the Rajiv Gandhi Laghu Dukaandaar Sukh Kalyan Yojna for small traders and announced major infrastructure projects worth hundreds of crores. The initiative expands digital services with new online portals and aims to provide a unique digital identity to every urban household. The government emphasized using GIS technology for urban planning and rewarding top-performing urban local bodies in cleanliness rankings.

Himachal CM Sukhu launches urban development initiatives, digital services, and financial relief for small traders under the 'Clean City, Prosperous City' program.

Shimla, January 5 Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday inaugurated the second phase of the 'Citizen Connect Program' at Peterhoff, Shimla, under the state's flagship initiative 'Clean City, Prosperous City'. Highlighting Himachal Pradesh's journey towards self-reliance, he said the state is witnessing continuous positive transformation, with the government focusing on inclusive and sustainable urban development to meet the challenges of a growing population and urbanisation.

During the event, the Chief Minister launched the 'Rajiv Gandhi Laghu Dukaandaar Sukh Kalyan Yojna', 15 Municipal Shared Services Centres, 9 Online Citizen Services, Chief Minister Urban Digital Identity Scheme, awards scheme under the Swachhata Survey, Central Business Districts in Hamirpur & Shimla and Hydraulic Parking Facilities of the Urban Development department.

He gave settlement letters to small traders and award letter to Self-Help Groups under the 'Amrit Mitra Scheme'. Urban Local Bodies were also awarded for their exemplary work. The Urban Development department also signed four MoUs in the presence of the Chief Minister with industrial houses.

He praised the 'Him Seva Facility Portal', noting that it provides all citizen services through a single platform, calling it a unique initiative nationwide.

He highlighted major urban development projects, including a Rs 400 crore shopping complex at Mandi, Rs 150 crore city beautification in Hamirpur and a shopping complex at the place of the old bus stand in Hamirpur.

Urban development projects worth Rs 7 07 crore will be implemented soon, along with additional facilities worth Rs 500 crore in Shimla. Utility ducts will be established across municipal corporations following Shimla's model.

The Chief Minister also spoke about future plans for a world-class 'Him-Chandigarh' city near Baddi and emphasised government initiatives to strengthen governance, increase citizen participation and ensure transparency in urban local bodies. He noted that 75 strengthened urban local bodies now operate across the state, up from 60 in November 2024.

Highlighting citizen-centric schemes, CM Sukhu mentioned the 'Chief Minister Urban Livelihood Guarantee Scheme', providing 120 days of assured employment to urban poor.

"GIS technology is being used for urban planning, revenue growth, tax transparency and property verification with mapping underway in 36 urban local bodies," he said.

Financial relief measures for Laghu Dukaandaar (small traders) were also announced, including one-time settlement options for outstanding loans of up to Rs 2 lakh.

He said that the State Government has taken an important decision in the interest of small shopkeepers. "Under this decision, shopkeepers who have outstanding bank loans of up to Rs 1 lakh and whose accounts have been declared Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) will be given a one-time settlement facility of up to Rs 1 lakh. Similarly, shopkeepers who have outstanding loans between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh will also be provided a one-time assistance of up to Rs 1 lakh," CM Sukhu said.

Digital services were further expanded with nine new online services, over 2.5 lakh citizens registered in the first phase and 15 integrated cluster-based citizen service centres were being established at a cost of Rs 47.37 crore.

Every urban household will receive a unique digital identity through digital door plates in urban houses. He stated that a biogas plant (5-20 TPD) will be set up to promote energy, organic fertiliser, and circular economy practices. Urban local bodies ranking in the top 100 of the National Cleanliness Rankings will be rewarded to encourage healthy competition.

Urban Development Minister Vikramaditya Singh and Principal Secretary Devesh Kumar highlighted the use of modern technology for efficient service delivery and inclusive urban development.

The Minister stated that urban infrastructure in the state was being developed in line with the growing population. He emphasised that once new schemes were implemented on the ground, they must be executed efficiently and with dedication to ensure their success. He noted a positive transformation in the functioning of urban local bodies with focused efforts towards inclusive development in all areas.

Highlighting various initiatives of the Urban Development Department, he added that the state government was ensuring the use of the latest technologies to accelerate and improve urban development.

Director Neeraj Kumar welcomed the Chief Minister and briefed him about departmental initiatives. The program was attended by Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, Mayor Surender Chauhan, Deputy Mayor Uma Kaushal and representatives from urban local bodies across the state.

- ANI
Nicolas Maduro Guerra, son of the Venezuelan leader, has issued an audio message warning of potential traitors within the ruling movement following the capture of his father. He called for public mobilisations and political-military coordination in response to what he termed external aggression. Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were captured in a US operation and transferred to New York to face federal charges. They are scheduled for their first court appearance on charges related to narco-terrorism and drug trafficking conspiracy.

Nicolas Maduro's son warns of betrayal after US operation captures the Venezuelan leader and first lady, who face narco-terrorism charges in New York.

Caracas, January 5 Nicolas Maduro Guerra, son of deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, said that history will tell who the traitors are after a US military operation led to the capture of his father and First Lady Cilia Flores, who have been transferred to New York to face trial, local daily El-cooperative reported.

In an audio message circulated on social media, Maduro Guerra warned of possible betrayal within the ruling movement and said history would expose those responsible.

"History will tell who the traitors were, history will reveal it. We will see," he said, hinting at an internal conspiracy within Chavismo.

Maduro Guerra, a lawmaker from La Guaira state and a member of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), said the party would remain united despite the recent developments.

He also called supporters to take part in public mobilisations on January 4 and 5 to regroup and strengthen unity around the leadership. He also spoke of the need for "political and military coordination" to respond to what he described as "external aggression".

He said Nicolas Maduro is currently in US custody and stressed that the movement would not allow divisions or loss of morale.

The PSUV leader said the ruling camp remains firm and ready to mobilise. "We are fine, we are calm. You will see us in the streets, alongside these people. They want to see us weak; we are going to raise the banners of dignity. Does it hurt us? Of course it hurts us, of course it makes us angry, but they won't be able to, damn it! I swear to you on my life, on my mother, on Cilia: they won't be able to," he said in the audio recording, El-cooperative reported.

Meanwhile, Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores remain detained in the United States and are expected to appear before a federal court in the Southern District of New York on Monday. They face charges related to alleged "narco-terrorism and conspiracy to traffic drugs".

According to CBS News, US authorities confirmed that Maduro and his wife are scheduled to appear before a federal judge on Monday (local time) at 12 pm. This will be their first court appearance following the US operation carried out on Saturday.

Washington has said the operation involved a "large-scale strike against Venezuela", after which Maduro and Flores were captured in Caracas in a joint operation involving US intelligence agencies and law enforcement.

Both were taken from their residence, moved to the USS Iwo Jima warship, and later flown to the United States. They arrived in New York on Saturday afternoon to face criminal proceedings in US courts.

- ANI
Union Home Minister Amit Shah participated in the Tamil Nadu BJP's 'Modi Pongal' celebrations in Tiruchirappalli, blending cultural tradition with political messaging. The event featured over 2,000 participants and a symbolic Pongal preparation with 1,008 pots. Earlier, Shah offered prayers at the revered Jambukeswarar and Ranganathaswamy temples, engaging with devotees. The high-profile visit, accompanied by several Union Ministers, is seen as part of the BJP's campaign to strengthen its base in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah participates in Tamil Nadu BJP's Modi Pongal festival in Tiruchirappalli, offers prayers at major temples, with an eye on 2026 elections.

Chennai, Jan 5 Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Monday, participated in the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Modi Pongal' celebrations held in Tiruchirappalli, marking the harvest festival with traditional fervour and strong political messaging ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

Union Home Minister Shah arrived at the venue in Mannarpuram, where he was accorded a warm and ceremonial reception by the BJP leaders and party cadres.

Organisers said the event drew more than 2,000 participants, with women performing Pongal rituals in as many as 1,008 earthen pots as part of a coordinated cultural programme.

The celebrations were held under the slogan "Namma Ooru Modi Pongal Vizha", reflecting the party's effort to associate Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Tamil cultural traditions.

Dressed in a traditional white dhoti and shirt, Union Home Minister Shah took to the stage as thousands of BJP workers gathered below, participating in the symbolic preparation and offering of Pongal.

Party leaders said the programme was intended to highlight the BJP's outreach to grassroots communities and its emphasis on blending governance with cultural identity in Tamil Nadu.

Earlier on Monday, the Union Home Minister undertook temple visits in Tiruchirappalli district.

He offered prayers at the Jambukeswarar Temple and later visited the Ranganathaswamy Temple, one of the most revered Vaishnavite shrines in South India.

During the temple visits, Union Home Minister Shah greeted devotees who had gathered in large numbers, shaking hands and exchanging brief words with members of the public.

Several Union Ministers accompanied Union Minister Shah during his visit, including Piyush Goyal, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Muralidhar Mohol, and L. Murugan.

Senior BJP functionaries from Tamil Nadu were also present.

Given the high-profile nature of the visit, extensive police security arrangements were put in place across Tiruchirappalli, particularly around temple premises and the Modi Pongal venue.

Authorities said the programme was held peacefully, with traffic diversions and crowd-control measures ensuring smooth conduct of the events.

The BJP views the Modi Pongal celebration as part of its broader campaign to strengthen its organisational base in Tamil Nadu by combining cultural outreach with political mobilisation.

- IANS
Hyundai Motor reported a marginal 0.1% decline in global sales for 2025, attributed to slowing overseas demand influenced by factors like US import tariffs. The automaker's domestic sales saw a slight increase, while its overseas figures contracted. In contrast, its affiliate Kia posted a 2% sales increase for the year, driven by strong SUV demand. Hyundai has set a higher sales target for 2026 and plans to expand its eco-friendly vehicle lineup.

Hyundai Motor's 2025 global sales fell 0.1% due to slowing overseas demand and US tariffs, while affiliate Kia reported a 2% sales increase.

Seoul, Jan 5 Hyundai Motor, South Korea's largest automaker, said on Monday its global sales fell 0.1 per cent from a year earlier in 2025 due to slowing overseas demand, apparently caused by US import tariffs.

Hyundai Motor sold 4,138,180 vehicles last year, slightly down from 4,141,959 units a year earlier, the company said in a press release, reports Yonhap news agency.

Domestic sales rose 1.1 per cent on-year to 712,954 units, while overseas sales declined 0.3 per cent to 3,425,226 units.

"In 2025, the company achieved an improved product mix by launching new models, including the all-new Palisade sport utility vehicle (SUV) and the all-electric Ioniq 9 SUV, in more markets and strengthening its eco-friendly vehicle lineup despite unfavourable business conditions, such as U.S. import tariffs," the release said.

For 2026, Hyundai has set a global sales target of 4,158,300 vehicles, consisting of overseas sales of 3,458,300 units and domestic sales of 700,000 units.

To achieve the target, the company said it plans to roll out additional eco-friendly models, begin operations at new production facilities and respond flexibly to market changes.

In December alone, Hyundai's sales slipped 0.6 percent on-year to 328,393 units from 330,290 a year earlier. Domestic sales rose 2.2 percent to 62,666 units, while overseas sales fell 1.2 percent to 265,727 units.

Meanwhile, Kia, South Korea's second-largest automaker, said on Monday its sales rose 2 per cent from a year earlier in 2025, driven by strong demand for its sport utility vehicle (SUV) models.

Kia, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor, sold 3,135,803 vehicles last year, up from 3,089,300 units the previous year, the company said in a press release.

Domestic sales rose 1 per cent to 545,776 units from 540,010 during the cited period, while overseas sales climbed 2 per cent to 2,584,238 from 2,543,168.

"Robust sales of the Sportage and Seltos SUVs supported the company's overseas sales last year," the release said.

The annual figures include 5,789 special-purpose vehicles, down 5 per cent from 6,122 a year ago.

In December alone, Kia's vehicle sales fell 1 per cent to 236,672 units from 240,455 a year ago.

- IANS
Hyundai's luxury brand Genesis has achieved a cumulative 1.5 million units in global sales exactly ten years after its 2015 launch. The brand's growth trajectory in its first decade has been faster than that of Toyota's Lexus during its comparable early period. While sales saw a slight 5% decrease through November 2025, the proportion of overseas sales increased, indicating growing international brand awareness. The G80 sedan remains the lineup's cornerstone, becoming the first Genesis model to surpass half a million units sold.

Hyundai's luxury brand Genesis reaches 1.5 million cumulative global sales in its first decade, showing faster growth than Lexus did early on.

Seoul, January 5 Hyundai Motor Co.'s luxury brand, Genesis, has surpassed 1.5 million units in cumulative global sales, reaching the milestone exactly 10 years after its initial market entry. This growth trajectory indicates a faster expansion rate than that of Toyota Motor Corp.'s luxury brand, Lexus, during its respective early years.

As per a report by Pulse, the English service of Maeil Business News Korea, the brand's cumulative global sales totaled 1,510,368 vehicles as of November 2025. The brand was first introduced on November 4, 2015, alongside the release of the G90 sedan.

"In its launch year of 2015, Genesis sold 530 vehicles in just two months. The following year, 2016, it made a strong impact by selling 64,000 units globally. Annual global sales have continued to rise steadily, increasing from 201,415 units in 2021 to 215,128 units in 2022, 225,189 units in 2023, and 229,532 units in 2024," the report said.

Through November of last year, sales reached 200,878 units, which represented a 5 per cent decrease compared with the same period a year earlier.

Despite the slight decline in total volume for the recent period, the brand noted that the proportion of overseas sales rose from 43 per cent to 46 per cent during that time. Genesis stated that this shift indicated that brand awareness continues to improve steadily in international markets.

The G80 remains the primary driver of the brand's volume over the past decade. It became the first model under the nameplate to surpass 500,000 units in cumulative sales, with 501,517 units sold through November 2025. The performance of the G80 solidified its position as the best-selling model in the luxury brand's lineup as it entered its second decade of operations.

- ANI
Wally Jang, MD of Welson Power, argues India does not have decades to build its semiconductor and battery ecosystem from scratch and should instead learn from China's experience. He emphasizes that technology transfer and local assembly can significantly accelerate India's manufacturing capabilities in these critical sectors. This comes as China tightens export controls on rare earth minerals, prompting India to boost domestic production through missions like the Indian Semiconductor Mission. Jang highlights the crucial role of energy storage systems in supporting renewable energy and outlines his company's investment plans and product offerings for the Indian market.

Wally Jang of Welson Power says India can fast-track semiconductor and battery manufacturing by learning from China's experience, not starting from scratch.

New Delhi, January 5 India does not have the time to build its semiconductor and battery ecosystem entirely from scratch and can significantly accelerate manufacturing by learning from China's experience, said Wally Jang, Managing Director of Welson Power Technology Co. Ltd., on Wednesday.

On the sidelines of a seminar at PHD House in New Delhi, Jang said India does not have the luxury of spending decades developing technologies independently, as China did over the last several years.

"China took 10, 15, or even 30 years to go from zero to one. India does not have that much time," Jang told ANI. "India can take the existing knowledge, assemble it here, manufacture it here, and deliver solutions much faster."

His remarks come at a time when China has tightened export controls on rare earth minerals used in batteries, chips, and other critical machinery, prompting India to step up efforts to strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities. India has launched the Indian Semiconductor Mission and the National Critical Minerals Mission to boost chip production and secure supplies of rare earth and critical minerals.

"If China works with India, we should be the world of chips," Jang said, referring to controllers and integrated systems used in batteries and energy storage. "Working together, we can improve efficiency, safety and cost."

Jang said that while there is a perception that China has superior technology, the real difference lies in timing. "China and India, only the time is different. What China has today, after two-and-a-half hours, it comes to India," he said, emphasising that technology transfer and local assembly could fast-track India's growth.

He said India is at a critical stage where it can scale up energy storage by combining global experience with domestic manufacturing under the Make in India initiative. Highlighting the importance of energy storage systems (ESS), Jang said renewable energy, particularly solar, requires reliable storage solutions to address timing and distribution challenges.

"Solar can produce power, but the problem is timing. We don't always need energy when it is generated. The solution is how to store it, transport it, and use it safely and efficiently," he said.

Jang said safety remains the biggest concern as energy storage capacity expands. Welson Power, he added, is positioning itself as a one-stop ESS solutions provider, offering battery management systems, controllers, inverters, and integrated storage solutions, while supporting local assembly through SKD and CKD models.

The company plans to invest around USD 500 million and is targeting up to 5 gigawatt-hours of battery manufacturing capacity. Welson Power has also supplied over 1.5 lakh units in India's rooftop solar segment.

- ANI
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that India is becoming a major player across the entire electronics value chain, from design to manufacturing. Electronics production has increased sixfold and exports have grown eight times over the past eleven years, with Apple alone shipping $50 billion worth of mobile phones from India. The government has approved 46 component manufacturing projects, and four semiconductor plants are set to begin commercial production this year, supporting over 25 lakh jobs. This rapid scale-up, including 22 new proposals under a manufacturing scheme, marks a decisive shift towards deep manufacturing and a producer economy.

India's electronics production up 6x, exports 8x under PM Modi. Apple ships $50B phones, 4 semiconductor plants begin production in 2025, creating lakhs of jobs.

New Delhi, Jan 5 Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said that 'Bharat' will become a major player in entire electronics stack - design, manufacturing, operating system, applications, materials and equipment.

In an X post, the minister said that in a major milestone for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' and "our quest to become a producer economy, Apple ships $50 billion worth mobile phones in 2025".

"Electronics production has increased six times in last 11 years. And electronics exports have grown 8 times under PM Modi's focused leadership. This progress has propelled electronics products among the top three exported items," Vaishnaw noted.

He further stated that adding to the ecosystem, 46 component manufacturing projects, laptop, server, and hearable manufacturers are making electronics manufacturing as a major driver of manufacturing economy.

"Four semiconductor plants will start commercial production this year. Total jobs in electronics manufacturing are now 25 lakh with many factories employing more than 5,000 employees in a single location. Some plants are employing as many as 40,000 employees in a single location," the m minister informed, adding that "this is just the beginning".

Last week, the industry welcomed the approval of 22 new proposals under the third tranche of the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) by the government, saying that it marks a decisive inflection point in India's journey towards deep manufacturing and the creation of globally competitive Indian champions in electronics components.

With this, the total number of ECMS-approved projects rises to 46, taking cumulative approved investments to over Rs 54,500 crore. Earlier tranches saw seven projects worth Rs 5,532 crore approved on October 22 and 17 projects amounting to Rs 7,172 crore on November 17. The rapid scale-up across tranches underscores the strong industry response and the growing confidence in India's components manufacturing vision.

According to IT Ministry, the 22 projects approved in the third tranche are expected to generate production worth Rs 2,58,152 crore and create 33,791 direct jobs.

- IANS
By late 2025, some 37 factories built or being built in industrial parks  Ministry of Economy

As of the end of 2025, some 37 industrial enterprises were built or were being built in industrial parks of Ukraine, of which 22 factories have already been built and 15 are in the process of construction, the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture reported.

As reported, by the end of 2024, some 25 industrial enterprises were operating or being built in industrial parks, of which 12 were built.

As of the end of last year, enterprises in the fields of agro-processing, food production, furniture and woodworking, mechanical engineering, and others were operating or under construction. These operating enterprises created 3,716 jobs.

The Ministry of Economy also notes that, in 2025, it adopted a decision to provide state incentives to 13 industrial parks for 22 infrastructure projects, totaling UAH 697.77 million.

Additionally, UAH 202.91 million was transferred to two industrial parks during the year for which decisions were made in 2024.

Thus, the ministry summarizes that the total amount of state incentives for industrial parks in 2025 was UAH 900.681 million.

"2025 has become the year when the number of industrial parks has turned into real platforms for implementing the Made in Ukraine policy. Almost a billion hryvnia of state incentives for industrial parks this year is an investment in infrastructure that is already bringing new factories to life. The state is laying the foundation, and businesses are turning it into new capacities and jobs," the report quotes Economy Minister Oleksiy Sobolev as saying.

As reported, 13 industrial parks received state incentives last year.

As of December 31, 2025, some 118 industrial parks were included in the Register of Industrial Parks, of which 24 parks were included during 2025. At the same time, eight parks that did not carry out any activities were excluded from the Register.
India's Ministry of External Affairs has issued a travel advisory urging its nationals to avoid non-essential travel to Iran due to ongoing protests. The advisory also calls for Indian citizens already in Iran to exercise caution, avoid protest areas, and register with the embassy. The protests, which began over economic grievances, have expanded with political demands and reports of clashes, particularly in western regions. Iran's Supreme Leader has distinguished between protesters and "rioters," signaling a firm stance against escalating violence.

India's MEA issues travel advisory for Iran, urging nationals to avoid non-essential travel and register with the embassy amid ongoing protests.

New Delhi, January 5 India on Monday issued a travel advisory for its nationals in Iran amid ongoing protests, urging caution and restraint in travel as the situation in the country continues to remain volatile.

In an advisory issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Indian nationals were cautioned against non-essential travel. "In view of recent developments, Indian nationals are advised to avoid non-essential travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran until further notice," the MEA stated.

The advisory also outlined safety precautions for those already in Iran. It said, "Indian citizens and PIOs currently in Iran should exercise due caution, avoid areas of protests or demonstrations, and closely monitor news as well as the website and social media handles of the Embassy of India in Tehran."

In addition, the MEA advised Indian nationals residing in Iran to ensure they are registered with the Indian mission. "Indian nationals living in Iran on resident visas are advised to register with the Indian Embassy, if not already done so," the statement said.

The advisory comes as sporadic protests have erupted in Iran's capital, Tehran, and several other cities, with local media reporting intensifying clashes in parts of the country, particularly in the west.

The demonstrations, which began in late December, initially saw shopkeepers staging strikes over economic grievances before expanding in scale and scope. Protesters later raised political demands, Al Jazeera reported.

Iranian authorities have maintained that the unrest has not yet taken on a nationwide character. "From time to time and sporadically we witness protests, such as last night in Tehran, Kazerun, and other cities," a correspondent told Al Jazeera, adding that at least 14 people, including members of the security forces, have been killed since the protests began.

Warning of potential escalation, the correspondent added, "There might be further escalations if the government cannot come up with concrete and practical actions," according to Al Jazeera.

Protests held on Saturday evening in Tehran were described as "limited" by the semiofficial Fars news agency, which said demonstrations were "generally made up of groups of 50 to 200 young people."

According to Fars, demonstrations were reported in multiple districts of the capital, including Novobat and Tehran Pars in the east; Ekteban, Sadeghieh and Sattarkhan in the west; and Naziabad and Abdolabad in the south.

During the protests, demonstrators chanted slogans such as "death to the dictator," though no major incidents were reported beyond stone throwing and the setting alight of rubbish bins, Fars said.

However, the agency noted that the situation in Tehran "contrasted with an intensification of violence and organised attacks in other regions, notably the country's west." In Malekshahi, a county with a significant Kurdish population, a member of the security forces was killed during clashes. Iranian media reported that "rioters attempted to storm a police station" and that "two assailants were killed," according to Fars.

Coverage of the protests has varied, with state-run media accused of downplaying developments, while videos circulating on social media remain difficult to independently verify, Al Jazeera reported.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed the protests on Saturday in his first public remarks since the demonstrations began. "We talk to protesters, the officials must talk to them," Khamenei said.

"But there is no benefit to talking to rioters. Rioters must be put in their place."

According to Al Jazeera, Khamenei's remarks also acknowledged Iran's economic challenges while underscoring that authorities would not allow protests to escalate into unrest, signalling a firm warning against further violence.

- ANI
Indian Railways has utilised over 80% of its capital expenditure allocation for the current fiscal year by the end of December 2025. The spending has focused on critical areas like safety, capacity augmentation, and modernising passenger amenities. This sustained investment has resulted in a significant expansion of services, including Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat trains, and near-total electrification. The ministry also confirmed the first Bullet Train is on schedule for delivery by August 2027.

Indian Railways utilised over 80% of its FY25 capex by Dec, boosting safety & infrastructure. First Bullet Train set for 2027.

New Delhi, Jan 5 Indian Railways has utilised 80.54 per cent of its allocated capex in the first three quarters of the current fiscal at the end of December, which is Rs 2,03,138 crore of the total Gross Budgetary Support of Rs 2,52,200 crore, the government said on Monday.

This represents a 6.54 per cent increase in GBS utilisation compared to the same period last year (December 2024), the Ministry of Railways said.

The expenditure has primarily focused on safety measures, capacity enhancement, infrastructure modernisation, and passenger amenities.

According to the ministry, in the category of safety-related works, 84 per cent of the allocated funds have been utilised.

For capacity augmentation, out of Rs 1,09,238 crore allocated, Rs 76,048 crore (69 per cent) has been expended. Customer amenities have seen 80 per cent utilisation, with expenditure amounting to Rs 9,575 crore till December 2025.

The results of consistent capital expenditure over the last decade are evident in 164 Vande Bharat train services, 30 Amrit Bharat train services, the implementation of the Kavach automatic train protection system, over 99 per cent electrification of the broad-gauge network, and extensive works covering new lines, gauge conversion, track doubling, traffic facilities, investments in PSUs, and metropolitan transport systems.

"These initiatives have significantly improved speed, safety, and passenger comfort, while keeping rail travel affordable. With the Vande Bharat Sleeper train set for inauguration shortly, Indian Railways is poised to transform long-distance rail travel," the ministry said.

Moreover, Indian Railways is delivering faster, safer, and world-class rail travel at an affordable cost across the country by transforming itself into a future-ready organisation aligned with the vision of a modern and connected nation.

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that India is set to receive its first Bullet Train on August 15, 2027. The Bullet Train project spans 508 km between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Of this, 352 km lies in Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and 156 km in Maharashtra. As per the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. (NHSRCL), over 85 per cent of the corridor -- around 465 km -- is being built on elevated viaducts, with 326 km already completed.

- IANS
India's Consul General in Shanghai, Pratik Mathur, visited the historic Tiger Hill Pagoda in Suzhou, China, to mark the launch of a grand exhibition of sacred Buddha relics. The exhibition, "The Light and the Lotus," was inaugurated in India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and features the Piprahwa gem relics repatriated after 127 years. The event in Suzhou included cultural performances and highlighted the deep cultural connections surrounding the relics. The exposition aims to popularize Buddha's teachings and deepen the youth's connection with India's rich cultural heritage.

India's Consul General in Shanghai visits Suzhou's Tiger Hill Pagoda to mark the grand exhibition of repatriated Piprahwa Buddha relics inaugurated by PM Modi.

Suzhou, January 5 The Consul General of India in Shanghai, Pratik Mathur, visited the Tiger Hill Pagoda in Suzhou, China, to mark the inauguration of the grand exhibition "The Light and the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One" in India, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, said Indian embassy in Shanghai.

Tiger Hill Pagoda, located in the ancient city of Suzhou, is the oldest and largest Buddhist pagoda south of the Yangtze River. The site holds an important place in Buddhist architecture, history and art.

During the visit, the Consul General interacted with Buddhist monks and members of the local community, including Friends of India. He highlighted the return of the sacred Piprahwa Ratna of Lord Buddha to India after 127 years, calling it a moment of pride for India's spiritual and civilisational heritage.

The event also featured presentations and cultural performances based on the teachings of Lord Buddha. These performances reflected the deep cultural connect and strong resonance surrounding the Piprahwa Relics exhibition, the Indian Embassy in Shanghai added.

Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Grand International Exposition of Sacred Piprahwa Relics, titled "The Light & the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One," at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex.

The exhibition marks a historic moment with the reunification of the Piprahwa gem relics of Lord Buddha, repatriated after 127 years. The display also features relics, gem relics, and reliquaries unearthed during the 1898 excavation and the subsequent 1971-1975 excavations at the Piprahwa site.

PM Modi had posted pictures from the exhibition and exhorted visitors to experience the exposition.

"This Exposition brings together: The Piprahwa relics repatriated after more than a century. Authentic relics and archaeological materials from Piprahwa that are preserved in the collections of the National Museum, New Delhi and the Indian Museum, Kolkata. This Exposition is in line with our commitment to further popularising the noble thoughts of Bhagwan Buddha. It is also an effort to further deepen the bond between our youth and our rich culture. I would also like to appreciate everyone who worked towards the repatriation of these relics," he said.

The event has drawn attention from historians, cultural enthusiasts, and Buddhist followers from across the country and abroad, showcasing India's efforts to preserve and celebrate its ancient heritage.

- ANI
Former Indian Ambassador to Venezuela YK Sinha described India's official statement on recent US air strikes in Venezuela as "very measured," emphasizing the need to balance bilateral relations. He noted that most countries, except China and Russia, have responded cautiously to the US action. Sinha highlighted India's concern for the safety of approximately 100 Indian nationals or people of Indian origin living in Venezuela. He also pointed out the historical instability in Latin America and the limited effectiveness of the UN Security Council due to veto powers.

Former Ambassador YK Sinha explains India's cautious stance on US Venezuela strikes, citing bilateral ties and safety of Indian nationals.

New Delhi, January 5 Former Indian Ambassador to Venezuela Y.K. Sinha on Monday called India's statement on the US air strikes on Venezuela and the capture of deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife as "very measured", saying New Delhi has to remain mindful of its bilateral ties with the United States and other countries.

Sinha noted that most countries, including European nations, have responded cautiously to the US action, with China and Russia being the main exceptions that strongly condemned the strikes on a sovereign nation.

Speaking to ANI, Sinha said, "I think the international community has by and large not supported the action. There are some exceptions. I think Israel and Argentina perhaps, but most countries have been measured in their, except China and Russia who have condemned it. Russia was among the first. India's reaction or statement that has come out from the External Affairs Ministry is very measured and obviously doesn't want to apportion blame at this stage . Because we have to be mindful of our own bilateral relations with the United States and other countries."

He added that European countries have taken a similar approach. "See the Europeans, they've done the same. They have been very measured in their reaction. Since the situation is still evolving, one doesn't know how things will pan out. And I won't be surprised if MEA shows another statement, if required," Sinha said.

The former diplomat also highlighted that India has expressed concern over the safety of Indian nationals living in Venezuela.

"They've expressed concern for the hundred-odd Indians or people of Indian origin that live in Venezuela and sort of their welfare and safety is obviously of paramount concern to us. Urging all parties to adopt the path of dialogue and diplomacy is the best in these circumstances, whether of course the parties and particularly the US heeds that call is an entirely different matter," he said.

This comes after the United States last week launched air strikes on Venezuela and captured its deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, before flying them to New York, where they are expected to be produced in court on Monday afternoon, CNN reported.

Asked about the possible impact of the escalation on regional stability in Latin America, Sinha said the region has remained unstable for a long time and pointed to a long history of US interventions.

"That region has been inherently unstable, not for some time, but for quite some time," he said, recalling historical US actions in Latin America, including the invasion of Panama, the overthrow of governments and Cold War-era interventions.

He referred to remarks made by South American leaders in the 19th century warning about US influence in the region and said such views had proved prophetic over time.

Sinha also said the United Nations' ability to respond effectively remains limited. "I think the UN is meeting today, the UN Security Council, I believe at least a meeting has been called for today. I don't know how productive it will be because the US holds a veto in the Security Council," he said.

He added that the Security Council has become paralysed due to the veto power of permanent members and no longer represents the global international community effectively.

- ANI
Indian intelligence reports a surge in attempts by Bangladeshis to illegally enter India via the Nepal border, a new route being exploited as security tightens along the Indo-Bangladesh frontier. Touts, in cahoots with Indian counterparts, are testing routes near Raxaul in Bihar and other districts, with officials warning numbers could increase significantly. The situation is exacerbated by political instability in Bangladesh following Sheikh Hasina's ouster and the upcoming elections, which are anticipated to cause large-scale violence. Security forces, including the Sashastra Seema Bal, have deployed thousands of personnel on high alert to conduct combing operations and prevent both illegal immigration and potential terror module infiltration linked to the ISI.

Indian intelligence warns of increased illegal immigration attempts through Nepal border as touts exploit post-Hasina instability and upcoming Bangladesh elections.

New Delhi, Jan 5 There has been a surge in the number of Bangladeshis who are trying to infiltrate India through the Nepal border. The year 2025 witnessed multiple such instances in which Bangladeshis trying to illegally cross over into India have been apprehended by the Indian security forces.

Officials say that this is a new trend and more such attempts would be made by touts in Bangladesh. The touts who are in cahoots with their Indian counterparts are increasingly using the Nepal route because security is tight along the Indo-Bangladesh border, officials say.

Since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, violence has engulfed the nation, and this has put the Indian agencies on a state of high alert. Many attempts had been made to infiltrate into the northeastern states and West Bengal during this period, but most of the attempts have been foiled by alert Indian forces. This has prompted the touts to look at the Nepal route through which they have been attempting to send illegal immigrants into India.

The infiltration route through Nepal that the touts have been using is near Raxaul in the East Champaran district of Bihar. These touts are still testing the waters, and hence the numbers have been lower. Once they figure it out, they will do it in larger numbers, officials have warned.

There are other routes too, which these touts have tried to use to send in illegal immigrants into India. As per Intelligence agencies, apart from Raxaul, the touts have tried to send in illegal immigrants through Bahraich, Gonda and Balrampur districts. The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which mans the Indo-Nepal border, has sounded a high alert and has deployed 1,700 personnel to curb this menace.

These personnel are carrying out intensive combing operations in the forest areas near Nepal to prevent large-scale illegal immigration. In addition to this, the SSB has deployed 9,000 personnel across Pilibhit, Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Siddharthnagar, and Maharajganj.

An Intelligence Bureau official says that the Nepal border is a matter of concern. "We have learnt that a large number of Bangladeshis have taken shelter in the border areas of Nepal and are waiting to enter India illegally," the official said. These people have been staying in Nepal for a long time and are waiting for the right moment to cross over into India.

While the route has changed, the script almost remains the same, officials say. They are being sent in to create demographic changes. Moreover, with the ISI sprucing up the terror infrastructure in Bangladesh to be used against India, many of these illegal immigrants are being sent in to be part of the modules in Bihar, West Bengal and the northeastern states, officials also warn.

Since Operation Sindoor, the ISI has changed its tactics largely. The Nepal border with India, which is open, is being exploited by Pakistan. It has been looking to push in terrorists through this border as the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) are hard to penetrate owing to high security by the Indian armed forces.

Following Hasina's ouster, the ISI, with the Jamaat-e-Islami, has managed to gain control over Bangladesh. These developments have prompted the Indian security agencies to maintain a very high vigil along the border with Bangladesh. This has made sending illegal immigrants into India through the Bangladesh border extremely challenging, and hence the shift is being made to the Nepal border, an official said.

Intelligence Bureau officials say that the push in the months to come will be higher. A major part of the security apparatus would be focused on the West Bengal elections scheduled for this year. The touts who facilitate illegal immigration would look to take advantage of this and spruce it up through the Nepal border, officials warn.

Officials also say that the elections in Bangladesh are slated for February 12. Intelligence agencies are anticipating large-scale violence and disturbances both in the run-up and during the elections. All these events would largely help the touts to carry out illegal immigration, another official said.

The next couple of months would be challenging, and the Indian security agencies will have to deal with multiple issues, especially when it comes to the situation in Bangladesh, an Intelligence Bureau official warns.

- IANS
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez has publicly invited the U.S. government to collaborate on a shared development agenda, emphasizing peace and sovereign equality. Her message comes despite the U.S.-led capture and extradition of former President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, who face narcoterrorism charges in New York. Maduro's son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, warned of potential traitors within the ruling party and called for unity rallies. The detained former leader and his wife are scheduled for their first U.S. court appearance.

Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez invites US government to cooperation agenda, reaffirming commitment to peace despite Maduro's detention.

Caracas, January 5 Delcy Rodriguez the Acting President of Venezuela, who will be taking over after the deposition of Nicolas Maduro, has sent out a message extending an invitation to the US government to work together on a cooperation agenda.

In a post on Instagram, she said, "A message from Venezuela to the world, and to the United States: Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to peace and peaceful coexistence. Our country aspires to live without external threats, in an environment of respect and international cooperation. We believe that global peace is built by first guaranteeing peace within each nation. We prioritise moving towards balanced and respectful international relations between the United States and Venezuela, and between Venezuela and other countries in the region, premised on sovereign equality and non-interference. These principles guide our diplomacy with the rest of the world."

Despite the US' indication that Rodriguez would be their choice of leader in a post Maduro scenario, Rodriguez indicated some loyalty to Maduro saying that her message of peace and dialogue had also been his message.

"We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence. President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. This has always been President Nicolas Maduro's message, and it is the message of all of Venezuela right now. This is the Venezuela I believe in and have dedicated my life to. I dream of a Venezuela where all good Venezuelans can come together. Venezuela has the right to peace, development, sovereignty and a future," she said.

Earlier, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, son of deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, said that history will tell who the traitors are after a US military operation led to the capture of his father and First Lady Cilia Flores, who have been transferred to New York to face trial, local daily El-cooperative reported.

In an audio message circulated on social media, Maduro Guerra warned of possible betrayal within the ruling movement and said history would expose those responsible.

"History will tell who the traitors were, history will reveal it. We will see," he said, hinting at an internal conspiracy.

Maduro Guerra, a lawmaker from La Guaira state and a member of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), said the party would remain united despite the recent developments.

He also called supporters to take part in public mobilisations on January 4 and 5 to regroup and strengthen unity around the leadership. He also spoke of the need for "political and military coordination" to respond to what he described as "external aggression".

Meanwhile, Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores remain detained in the United States and are expected to appear before a federal court in the Southern District of New York on Monday. They face charges related to alleged "narco-terrorism and conspiracy to traffic drugs".

According to CBS News, US authorities confirmed that Maduro and his wife are scheduled to appear before a federal judge on Monday (local time) at 12 pm. This will be their first court appearance following the US operation carried out on Saturday.

- ANI
Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced that all major hydroelectric power projects in Jammu and Kashmir are now progressing strictly according to their timelines after long-pending issues were resolved. His statement follows a visit to review projects in Kishtwar, the first by a Union Power Minister after recent developments concerning the Indus Waters Treaty. Khattar dismissed Pakistan's objections to the projects as irrelevant rhetoric, citing India's firm stand on reviewing the treaty in light of cross-border terrorism. The completion of these projects is expected to significantly benefit Jammu and Kashmir and contribute to national energy security.

Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar says all major J-K hydro projects are on track after resolving delays, dismissing Pakistan's objections.

New Delhi, January 5 Union Minister for Power Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday said that all power projects in Jammu and Kashmir, including major hydroelectric projects in Kishtwar, are progressing strictly as per their stipulated timelines, asserting that long-pending issues which had earlier hampered their execution have now been resolved.

Referring to his recent visit to Kishtwar, Khattar said it was the first visit by a Union Power Minister to the region after recent developments related to the Indus Waters Treaty. He said clear and firm directions have been issued to concerned agencies to ensure that all projects are completed within the prescribed schedule without further delays.

Speaking about his inspection of key hydroelectric projects, Khattar highlighted his visits to the Ratle Hydroelectric Power Project, the Salal Hydroelectric Project (Stages I and II), and the Sawalkot Hydroelectric Project. He said that work on all four major projects has gained momentum and is now firmly back on track.

"All the power projects must be completed on time. These projects have been under construction for several years and have faced problems earlier, but all those issues have now been addressed. One by one, all four projects will be completed and power generation will begin as scheduled," Khattar said.

The Union Minister emphasised that the completion of these projects would significantly benefit Jammu and Kashmir and contribute to the country's overall energy security.

Responding to Pakistan's repeated objections to India's hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir, Khattar dismissed them as mere rhetoric, saying that such statements no longer carry any relevance, particularly after India has taken a firm stand on reviewing the Indus Waters Treaty in the context of continued cross-border terrorism.

"There is no meaning to Pakistan's statements. The Prime Minister has already made it clear that the Indus Waters Treaty has been reviewed in the context of continued terrorism," Khattar said.

On Sunday, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar visited Kishtwar to review various projects.

On his visit to the Sawalkot hydroelectric project, he said that this project, being executed by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) in Jammu and Kashmir, will generate "800 megawatts" of electricity, contributing to the country's power generation capacity. He also visited the Salal power project.

- ANI
National Award-winning director Sudipto Sen visited Israel's Nova Massacre Site, becoming the first international filmmaker to do so. He described the location as a "wound" and was deeply affected by survivor accounts. Sen participated in the Jerusalem Sessions, a global forum discussing cinema's role in conflict narratives. His visit, at Israel's invitation, is seen as a significant moment in cultural exchange and may influence his future projects.

Filmmaker Sudipto Sen visits the October 7 memorial in Israel, calls it a "wound," and pledges to tell human stories beyond politics.

Mumbai, Jan 5 National Award-winning filmmaker Sudipto Sen, who is known for 'The Kerala Story', recently visited the Nova Massacre Site, the memorial for the October 7, 2023 attacks by terrorist outfit, Hamas.

The film led an Indian delegation of filmmakers, producers, writers, critics, and festival directors, and also travelled to the country at the invitation of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, marking an important moment in cultural and creative exchange.

What made the visit especially significant was Sen becoming the first international filmmaker to visit the Nova Massacre Site in Israel's Gaza Envelope. Walking through the area alongside senior film critic and journalist Murtaza Ali Khan, the filmmaker was visibly shaken by what he witnessed on the ground.

Calling the site "a wound, not just a place", he spoke about the emotional weight of hearing survivor accounts and families' stories. He described the experience as deeply painful and said such human stories deserve to be told honestly, beyond politics and debates.

Talking about the same, the director said, "This place is not merely a location; it is a wound. Listening to survivors and grieving families was a stark reminder of the depth of human suffering. This is the Gaza story the world needs to hear. When you stand here, arguments fade away; only human lives and their truths remain, demanding honesty. I remember visiting the Wailing Wall, and I made sure I prayed for peace for everyone, on every side. Our world needs more truth, deeper compassion, and greater courage".

He further mentioned, "This journey was not simply a filmmaker's visit-it was a responsibility, a confrontation with truth that I cannot unsee. What I have experienced here will shape the stories I choose to tell".

During the visit, Sudipto Sen also took part in the Jerusalem Sessions, a global forum attended by well-known Hollywood filmmakers, producers, and content creators. The discussions focused on cinema's responsibility, counter-terror narratives, and how storytelling can shape global understanding during times of conflict. Sen described the exchange as intense and meaningful. His visit also signals a new film announcement.

The filmmaker also visited the Wailing Wall, where he prayed for peace and compassion. Reflecting on the moment, Sen shared that the world needs more truth, courage, and empathy now more than ever.

Israeli officials appreciated Sen's presence and clarity of purpose, calling his visit a strong example of India's growing influence in global cultural conversations. They noted that the journey went beyond cinema and became a form of moral witnessing.

- IANS
The animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" won two major awards at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards. It secured honors for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for "Golden." The film is a collaboration between Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation and follows a K-pop girl group that secretly battles monsters. Its soundtrack achieved significant commercial success, topping the Billboard charts.

Netflix's animated film KPop Demon Hunters wins Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards.

Los Angeles, January 5 Netflix's animated film KPop Demon Hunters kicked off the 2026 awards season with two major wins at the Critics Choice Awards, securing honours for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film won Best Song for Golden, with songwriter EJAE, who also served as the singing voice of lead character Rumi, accepting the award alongside co-writer Mark Sonnenblick. Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the other singing voices behind the fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix, joined them on stage.

"When writing this song, I found myself living vicariously through my character Rumi," EJAE said while accepting the award. "The song needed to be an expression of hope -- to convince herself that she could reach for her dreams," as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter.

Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans accepted the award for Best Animated Feature along with members of the voice and singing cast.

KPop Demon Hunters, a collaboration between Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation, follows the adventures of Huntrix, a K-pop girl group that secretly battles monsters from the underworld, as per the outlet.

The film has emerged as Netflix's most popular title to date. Its soundtrack spent several weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart, while Golden reached the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The 31st Critics Choice Awards held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

- ANI
The West Bengal government has announced a significant reshuffle involving 26 senior police officers ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections. The transfers predominantly affect Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, with key changes in the Midnapore Range, a politically sensitive jurisdiction. The government has termed it a routine administrative procedure in the public interest. This move continues a trend of police reassignments in the state in the run-up to the crucial polls.

West Bengal govt transfers 26 senior police officers in a major pre-election reshuffle. Key postings in Midnapore Range changed.

Kolkata, Jan 5 The West Bengal Government on Monday announced a massive reshuffle in the state police ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

According to a notification issued by the West Bengal Police Directorate, as many as 26 senior police officials, both of the Indian Police Service (IPS) and West Bengal Police Service (WBPS), have been shifted.

However, the maximum of the transferred officials -- 23 -- are of the IPS, while the remaining are of the state police service.

Three of the 26 police officers who had been transferred are of the rank of the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police, while six are in the Superintendent or Deputy Commissioner or Commandant ranks, and the rest are of the Additional Superintendent rank.

The significant change was the DIG of the Midnapore Range, with the incumbent, Anup Jaiswal, being transferred as the DIG of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Arijit Sinha replaces Jaiswal in the Midnapore Range. Incidentally, East Midnapore, which is the native district of the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, comes under the jurisdiction of the Midnapore Range.

Kalimpong's Superintendent of Police, Srihari Pandey, had been promoted as DIG, Intelligence Branch, for North Bengal. The state government had described the transfer as a routine transfer and made in the interest of public services.

However, the fresh transfer does not include any change in the existing district Superintendent of Police.

For the last few months, there have been several changes and transfers of senior police officials in the state, keeping in mind the crucial Assembly elections in the state scheduled later this year. There have also been changes in the ranks of junior-level officials like Deputy Superintendents of Police, Sub-Divisional Police Officers, Inspectors, and Sub-Inspectors of police.

The transfer includes state police, Kolkata Police, and other Police Commisionerates in the state.

- IANS
The logistics sector of Poland is on the verge of a crisis due to a long-term stoppage of transshipment of Ukrainian agricultural products, while the ports of Romania and Germany earn on transit, Polish terminals are incurring losses and preparing for layoffs, the Polish publication Rynek Infrastruktury reported.

"We understand that the entry of Ukrainian raw materials, agricultural products, and grain into the Polish market is unacceptable and should never occur. However, it is important to distinguish between two issues: the authorization of transit, which generates revenue for Polish ports and transshipment terminals, and the permission to import goods into circulation. We believe that blocking the transit of Ukrainian products through Poland harms our economy," the publication cited from an official press release by CSL, sent to the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure.

In the release, CSL Group CEO Laura Hoowacz stated that for many months, Polish borders have faced a significant shortage of imported goods, particularly Ukrainian grain. This has already led to substantial costs and the threat of layoffs. The company emphasized that the situation requires analysis and action from national authorities, including the Ministry of Infrastructure.

"Unfortunately, we have noticed that imports, particularly Ukrainian grain, have been halted for over a year. Polish terminals are likely all empty and facing very high operating costs. We have also observed that some countries, such as Romania, Germany, and Turkiye, are storing large volumes of Ukrainian grain in their ports. These countries are capable of handling raw material deliveries while simultaneously restricting its distribution on domestic markets. Unfortunately, this situation is being ignored in Poland. As a result, transport companies, ports, and transshipment terminals are losing revenue," Hoowacz noted.

She emphasized that there is nothing illegal in transit operations through Poland, which are monitored by national authorities. The goal is to develop this transit in such a way that many transshipments occur through Polish terminals, while goods can then continue their journey to other countries.
Michael B. Jordan has revealed he sought therapy to process the emotional impact of playing Erik Killmonger in 'Black Panther'. The actor described how the intense role stayed with him after filming, leading him to learn the importance of decompression. He isolated himself during preparation to maintain the character's mindset of betrayal and anger. The experience taught Jordan that talking through emotions is a crucial part of an actor's process.

Actor Michael B. Jordan reveals he needed therapy to decompress after playing the intense villain Erik Killmonger in Marvel's 'Black Panther'.

Washington DC, January 5 Actor Michael B. Jordan has revealed that he sought therapy after portraying Erik Killmonger in Marvel Studios' 2018 blockbuster 'Black Panther', saying the emotionally intense role stayed with him after filming ended, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In a recent interview, Jordan spoke about the impact of fully immersing himself in the role of the film's antagonist, directed by Ryan Coogler.

"After the movie, it kind of stuck with me for a bit," he said. "Went to therapy, talked about it, found a way to kind of just decompress. And I think at that point, I was still learning that I needed to decompress from a character. You know, there's no blueprint to this," as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter.

The Sinners star said he had not yet developed a process for separating himself from demanding roles. "There's no blueprint to this," he added. "Acting is a solo journey a lot of times. Auditioning by yourself, practicing by yourself. There's a lot of preparation and the experience and the journey."

Jordan said the experience taught him the importance of talking through emotions. "So learning as I went, I realised that, 'Oh man, I still got a little something on me I need to get off.'" You know, talking is really important," as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter.

The actor also described isolating himself during preparation for the role to maintain focus, noting that he limited communication with family members.

"Erik didn't really know a lot of love," Jordan said. "He had a lot of betrayal, a lot of failed systems around him that shaped him and his anger and his frustration."

'Black Panther', which starred the late Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, followed the heir to the technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda as he confronted a challenger from his country's past. The film won three Academy Awards and grossed over USD 1.3 billion worldwide, leading to the 2022 sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

- ANI
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav arrived in Jaipur to participate in the Rajasthan DigiFest-TiE Global Summit 2026. He emphasized the brotherly ties and shared heritage between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, highlighting their joint work on the Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal river-linking project. The CM stated his focus is on generating employment opportunities for youth in both states through technology and investment. He will lead the MP delegation, present the state's tech vision to global investors, and hold strategic meetings with industry leaders.

MP CM Mohan Yadav attends Rajasthan DigiFest-TiE Summit, highlights joint PKC river project & tech collaboration for youth employment.

Jaipur, January 5 Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday arrived in Jaipur to attend the Rajasthan DigiFest-TiE Global Summit 2026, being held in the state capital.

CM Yadav also stressed that Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are brother states that share development and heritage, highlighting the governments of both states working jointly on the Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC) river-linking project.

"I have come to Rajasthan to attend the Rajasthan Digi Fest. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is progressing in all the sectors, including Information technology (IT). Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are brother states and both share a common civilizational history. Recently, we have also been working jointly on the Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC) river linking project. In such a situation, there is shared heritage as well as development," the Chief Minister told reporters.

He added, "To ensure that the youths of Rajasthan as well as Madhya Pradesh get employment opportunities and with this perspective, I have come here for this major event. IT holds great importance today. I hope this event is successful and helps to generate employment opportunities for youth."

According to an official release, CM Yadav will lead the Madhya Pradesh delegation and present the state's technology and investment vision, with a focus on emerging and high-growth sectors. He will share a comprehensive overview of opportunities in Madhya Pradesh's priority technology domains with global investors and industry representatives.

Additionally, he will tour the Innovation Expo and visit the Madhya Pradesh Pavilion, where he will interact with startups, innovators and industry representatives. He will also hold one-on-one meetings with CEOs, investors and global industry leaders to discuss strategic investment opportunities and the prospects for long-term collaboration in Madhya Pradesh.

The Madhya Pradesh Department of Science and Technology is participating as a Silver State Partner at the TiE Global Summit 2026. This partnership is in line with the memorandum of understanding signed with The Indus Entrepreneurs Rajasthan during the MP Tech Growth Conclave 2.0 held on November 27, 2025.

- ANI
The Mumbai civic polls have become a sharp contest between a united Thackeray front and the BJP-led alliance. Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray presented a joint welfare-focused manifesto emphasizing Marathi identity and social security. The BJP countered with a corruption charge sheet alleging massive scams during the Thackerays' long control of the BMC. The election frames a classic battle between nativist pride and a vision of a modern, global city.

Mumbai civic elections heat up as Thackeray cousins unite on Marathi pride & welfare, while BJP alleges Rs 3 lakh crore scam in BMC charge sheet.

Mumbai, Jan 5 As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections scheduled for January 15 draw closer, the political contest for Mumbai has sharply intensified.

The Thackeray cousins -- Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray -- on Sunday released a joint Vachan Nama (manifesto), signalling a rare show of unity. In response, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled an "Aarop Patra" (charge sheet), alleging large-scale corruption during the Thackeray-led administration's 25-year control of the BMC.

The Thackeray camp has framed the election around a "Save Democracy" narrative, alleging "vote theft" through unopposed victories and appealing to the idealism of young voters. In contrast, the BJP has launched digital "Aarop" campaigns portraying the existing BMC structure as outdated and corrupt, arguing that it obstructs Mumbai's transformation into a "Global City" that the youth aspire to.

For the first time in nearly two decades, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), along with the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), have presented a unified vision for Mumbai under the slogan "Shabd Thackerencha" (word of the Thackerays).

Their manifesto includes a range of welfare promises such as the Swabhiman Nidhi -- a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 for domestic workers and Koli women -- construction of one lakh affordable homes within five years, the creation of a dedicated BMC Housing Authority, 100 units of free electricity for residential users through BEST, subsidised meals at Rs 10 for breakfast and lunch, reduction of minimum bus fare to Rs 5, employment allowance and interest-free loans for gig workers, and the establishment of five new medical colleges.

The Vachan Nama also explicitly calls for a "Marathi Mayor" and asserts that Mumbai's land should primarily be reserved for "Mumbaikars."

Meanwhile, the BJP's Aarop Patra alleges a corruption scam amounting to Rs 3 lakh crore over the past 25 years of Thackeray-led governance in the BMC. The party claimed that despite spending Rs 21,000 crore on road construction over a decade, Mumbai continues to suffer from severe pothole issues.

The BJP further alleged irregularities during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the so-called "Body Bag Scam," where body bags were allegedly procured at Rs 6,721 each despite costing around Rs 1,500, and discrepancies in oxygen plant installations worth Rs 320 crore. It also claimed that approximately 1,700 bar and restaurant owners were subjected to extortion during the Maha Vikas Aghadi tenure.

The BJP accused the Thackeray camp of insincere commitment to the Marathi language, citing a 70 per cent decline in Marathi-medium students and the closure of 114 BMC-run Marathi schools.

While the Thackeray cousins emphasise "Marathi pride," the BJP maintains that major infrastructure projects such as the Coastal Road and Mumbai Metro were completed only due to the efforts of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Centre.

Political observers note that the Thackerays try to build a combined appeal of "social security" and "identity." By promising a Marathi Mayor and asserting Mumbaikar rights over land, they aim to consolidate the traditional nativist vote that weakened after the Shiv Sena split.

The reunion of Thackerays has also created a strong visual and emotional impact, projecting a "united family" image intended to counter the BJP's organisational strength. Welfare promises, including free electricity and subsidised meals, are seen as key strategies to attract slum dwellers and chawl residents.

Observers argue that the BJP's charge sheet strategy is designed to focus on "performance and accountability," targeting the tax-paying middle class by alleging misuse of public funds under the previous regime. The party is positioning itself as the only force capable of modernising Mumbai, highlighting the rapid execution of infrastructure projects under the current Mahayuti government while contrasting them with what it describes as "25 years of failure."

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

- IANS
US President Donald Trump has again stated the United States needs to acquire Greenland for national security, pointing to growing Russian and Chinese presence in the Arctic. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen strongly rejected the idea, calling on Trump to stop making threats against a close ally. Tensions were further inflamed by a controversial social media post from a Trump aide's wife depicting a US-flag-colored Greenland with the caption "SOON." Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen affirmed the autonomous territory is "not for sale," asserting its democratic institutions and position under international law.

US President Donald Trump reiterates desire to annex Greenland for national security, drawing a sharp rebuke from Danish PM Mette Frederiksen.

Washington, January 5 US President Donald Trump has once again said that the United States needs Greenland for national security reasons, a day after strikes on Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, Trump said Greenland was critical to US security due growing presence of Russia and China in the Arctic region.

"We need Greenland. ... It's so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place," Trump said. "We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it."

Trump further claimed that Europe supports the idea.

"The European Union needs us to have it, and they know that," he said.

Trump's remarks came just a day after the US carried out a dramatic military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife during an overnight raid in Caracas.

Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to annex Greenland, a vast, resource-rich island in the Atlantic that is a self-governing territory of Denmark. He has argued that taking control of Greenland is necessary for American defence interests.

Both Greenland and Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States, have consistently rejected the idea.

Reacting strongly, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called on Trump to stop making threats over Greenland.

"It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland," Frederiksen said in a statement.

"The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom," she added.

"I would therefore strongly urge the US stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale," Frederiksen said.

CBS News, U.S. President Donald Trump speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Florida to Joint Base AndrewsTrump has argued that Greenland's strategic location in the Arctic, along with its reserves of critical minerals used in high-tech industries, makes it vital for US security.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump reiterated his position in an interview with The Atlantic.

"We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence," he told the magazine.

Tensions further escalated after a controversial social media post by Katie Miller, the wife of Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. Late Saturday, hours after the US military operation against Venezuela, she posted an image of Greenland painted in the colours of the US flag, CBS News reported.

The post carried a single word, "SOON."

The image sparked immediate backlash from Danish officials.

Denmark's ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, responded on Sunday with his own post.

"We expect full respect for the territorial integrity" of Denmark, Soerensen said, sharing a link to Miller's image.

"We are close allies and should continue to work together as such," he added, stressing that Denmark and the US "work together to ensure security in the Arctic."

Soerensen also noted that Denmark had "significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts" in 2025, showing that it takes their "joint security seriously."

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also reacted strongly, calling the social media post "disrespectful" but making it clear that it would not change Greenland's position, CBS news reported.

"Our country is not for sale and our future is not determined by social media posts," Nielsen said in a statement translated from Greenlandic.

"We are a democratic society with autonomy, free elections and strong institutions. Our position is clearly rooted in international law and in internationally recognised agreements. It stands."

Trump's renewed comments have added to diplomatic unease, notably after he appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland in December, a move that drew criticism from both Copenhagen and Nuuk, CBS News reported.

With Washington pushing its strategic claims and Denmark pushing back forcefully, the dispute has emerged as a fresh point of tension between long-standing NATO allies.

- ANI
The 31st Critics Choice Awards named 'One Battle After Another,' a black comedy directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, as Best Picture. The film also secured Anderson awards for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Other major winners included Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' with four awards and the limited series 'Adolescence,' which also won four awards. The ceremony, hosted by Chelsea Handler, introduced new categories and honored top performances across film and television.

Paul Thomas Anderson's 'One Battle After Another' wins Best Picture at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards. See all the film and TV winners.

Los Angeles, January 5 'One Battle After Another', a subversive comedy centred on radical politics, was named Best Picture at the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards, according to Variety.

'One Battle After Another' is a 2025 American black comedy action thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It is loosely based and inspired by the 1990 novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon.The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti.

The film also earned awards for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson.

Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' led the film honours with four awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Jacob Elordi for his portrayal of the Creature.

'Adolescence', the story of a murder investigation told in a single shot, also earned four awards, including the statue for Best Limited Series. The show also dominated limited series acting prizes, winning Critics Choice Awards for Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty, according to Variety.

'The Pitt' was named Best Drama Series and received acting honours for Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa, while 'The Studio' won Best Comedy Series. Seth Rogen picked up Best Actor in a Comedy Series, and his co-star Ike Barinholtz won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.

Jean Smart won Best Actress in a Comedy for 'Hacks', while Janelle James earned Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for 'Abbott Elementary'. Rhea Seehorn was named Best Actress in a Drama for Pluribus, and Tramell Tillman won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for Severance, according to Variety.

In film acting categories, Jessie Buckley won Best Actress for Hamnet, while Timothee Chalamet earned Best Actor for Marty Supreme. Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Weapons.

The award for Best Song went to Golden from KPop Demon Hunters, which also won Best Animated Feature, according to Variety.

Comedian Chelsea Handler returned to host the ceremony for the fourth consecutive year. The Critics Choice Association introduced four new categories this year, including casting/ensemble, variety series, stunt design and sound.

The 31st Critics Choice Awards are being held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

- ANI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended birthday greetings to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, continuing his annual tradition. The wishes recall last year's confusion where Banerjee disputed the age mentioned in Modi's message, claiming her father had added five years to her age on school records. Officially, she turned 71 on January 5. Mamata Banerjee made history as Bengal's first woman Chief Minister in 2011, ending decades of Left Front rule.

PM Modi wishes CM Mamata Banerjee a happy birthday. The annual greeting comes as past confusion over her actual birth date is remembered.

Kolkata, Jan 5 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday extended birthday greetings to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and wished her good health and a long life.

In his greeting message posted on his X handle, the Prime Minister wrote, "Birthday wishes to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Didi. I pray for her good health and long life," read the message from the Prime Minister.

For the last few years, the Prime Minister has not missed a single opportunity to wish Mamata Banerjee on this day and every year, he wishes the Trinamool supremo on this day.

The birthday wishes from the Prime Minister come in the backdrop of confusion over the actual date of birth of the Chief Minister, which she herself raised last year, just three days after the Prime Minister extended birthday wishes to her on the same day, January 5.

On January 8, 2025, while addressing a state government programme in Kolkata, the Chief Minister claimed that she had turned 65 on the day and not 70 as said by the Prime Minister in his birthday greetings.

She, however, admitted then, as per official records, though she turned 70 on January 5 last year. She claimed that her year of birth was extended by five years by her father during her enrolment in a local school, which she was not aware of before.

"During my graduation days, my elder brother Ajit Banerjee informed me about that. He also informed me that as per the certificate, the age difference between him and me is just six years," Banerjee said on January 8 last year.

Earlier, in her 1995 memoir 'Ekante', the Chief Minister wrote about her birth, which took place during Durga Puja. The puja is usually held at the end of September or the beginning of October as per the Hindu calendar.

According to official records, Banerjee was born on January 5, 1955. So, by that record, she had turned 71 on Monday.

Mamata Banerjee became the Chief Minister of West Bengal in 2011, ending the 34-year Left Front rule, and subsequently, her party won in two consecutive state Assembly elections, first in 2016 and then in 2021.

She is the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal. As the then-opposition leader in West Bengal, she had organised several protest movements against the then-Left Front government.

She was initially associated with Congress but later broke off to form her own party -- Trinamool Congress. However, in the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2011 state Assembly elections, Trinamool Congress had an alliance with Congress. But, in the 2016 West Bengal Assembly polls, Congress parted ways with Trinamool and formed an alliance with the Left Front, which continued till the general elections in 2024.

- IANS
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo stated that the PRAGATI platform is a key driver for the timely execution of mega projects in the Union Territory. He highlighted that the mechanism has resolved 57 out of 59 issues and is monitoring 61 projects with a total investment exceeding 4.12 lakh crore. Notable completed projects under this monitoring include the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link and AIIMS Jammu. The Chief Secretary reaffirmed the administration's commitment to leveraging PRAGATI to ensure all developmental initiatives are completed within their deadlines.

J&K Chief Secretary says PRAGATI ensures timely execution of projects worth over Rs 4 lakh crore, resolving long-pending issues.

Jammu, Jan 5 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo said on Monday that Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation is driving the execution of mega projects in the union territory.

Highlighting the transformative impact of the PRAGATI platform in expediting major developmental projects across J&K, the chief secretary said that it has emerged as a powerful instrument for resolving long-pending issues and ensuring the timely execution of big-ticket initiatives.

Addressing a press briefing here, the Chief Secretary underscored the significance of PRAGATI@50, noting that the technology-driven governance mechanism has successfully unlocked several projects that had remained stalled for decades due to inter-departmental bottlenecks and procedural delays.

Citing the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project as a prime example, the Chief Secretary said that despite being initiated in 1995, the project witnessed minimal progress for nearly 25 years.

"However, after being taken up under PRAGATI for close monitoring, the project gained substantial momentum due to enhanced inter-departmental coordination and direct intervention at the highest level by the Prime Minister himself," the chief secretary said.

He informed that all projects with an outlay of more than Rs 500 crore are monitored by the Prime Minister's Group (PMG) headed by the Cabinet Secretary, while the most critical among them are directly reviewed by the Prime Minister through PRAGATI meetings.

Elaborating further, the Chief Secretary stated that the PMG is currently monitoring 61 projects in Jammu and Kashmir, with a cumulative investment of over Rs 4.12 lakh crore, spanning key sectors such as connectivity, energy, and social infrastructure.

Out of these, 15 projects with an outlay of Rs 69,000 crore have already been completed, while the remaining projects are at various stages of execution.

He specifically pointed out that 15 major projects are under direct monitoring of the Prime Minister through the PRAGATI platform, enabling swift resolution of issues related to land acquisition, financial and physical constraints, and ensuring timely and fair compensation to affected families.

Highlighting the high effectiveness of the mechanism, the Chief Secretary revealed that out of 59 issues pertaining to J&K taken up in earlier PRAGATI meetings, 57 have already been resolved on merit, placing the union territory among the top performers nationally, supplemented by robust district-level follow-up by the administration.

On the tangible outcomes achieved, he said that six high-impact projects worth approximately Rs 53,000 crore have been completed in Jammu & Kashmir under PRAGATI monitoring. These include the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link, Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project along with its transmission line, AIIMS Jammu, the challenging Banihal stretch of NH-44, and the Alsteng-Kargil-Khaltse-Leh transmission line.

He further informed that nine additional projects being monitored under PRAGATI are progressing at a satisfactory pace. These include the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway Corridor, AIIMS Awantipora, Pakul Dul Hydroelectric Project, 4G mobile connectivity under USOF, and several other energy and connectivity projects across different parts of the UT.

Concluding the briefing, the Chief Secretary reaffirmed the government's commitment to fully implement the directions issued through the PRAGATI mechanism at the Union Territory level.

He emphasised that by leveraging this platform, the UT is poised to sustain the current momentum, ensuring that all developmental initiatives are outcome-oriented and completed within approved deadlines for each of them.

The press conference was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Information, M. Raju; Director Information, Nitish Rajora; Director, PIB Jammu, Neha Jalali; Joint Director Information Headquarters, Zahoor Ahmad Raina; Joint Director Information Jammu, Deepak Dubey, and other senior officers of the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR).

- IANS
The Premier League title race saw significant movement as the top contenders all dropped points in dramatic draws. Manchester City conceded a stoppage-time equalizer to Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, missing a chance to close the gap on Arsenal. Manchester United came from behind against Leeds United thanks to Matheus Cunha's quick response, while Fulham's Harrison Reed scored a stunning late goal to snatch a point from Liverpool. The results leave Arsenal firmly in the driver's seat at the top of the table.

Dramatic late goals see Man City, Chelsea, Man Utd, Leeds, Liverpool, and Fulham all share points in a pivotal Premier League matchday.

Manchester, January 5 Manchester City's clash against Chelsea ended in a draw. Fulham snatched a point in a dramatic 2-2 draw with Liverpool, and Manchester United came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Leeds United in the ongoing English Premier League 2025-26 season.

Manchester City closed their gap with table-toppers Arsenal. City has 42 points to their name in 20 matches, whereas Arsenal remains at the top with 48 points in as many matches.

Chelsea, on the other hand, remained at fifth place with 31 points to their name in the Premier League standings. Manchester United are in sixth with as many points to their name. Fulham is ranked 11th in the EPL standings with 28 points, whereas Leeds United are placed 16th with 22 points.

Coming to the Manchester City vs Chelsea clash, the hosts City opened the scoring after Tijjani Reijnders found the net during the 42nd minute of the match.

However, the visitors Chelsea capped came back in style as Enzo Fernandez scored a last-gasp equaliser during the stoppage time to earn a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

The hosts had gone ahead late in the first half through Tijjani Reijnders, but they failed to put the result beyond doubt and were duly punished as they lost further ground in the Premier League title race to Arsenal.

Manchester United, on the other hand, came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Leeds United at Elland Road.

After a quiet first half, Brenden Aaronson netted the opener for Leeds United, capitalising on a defensive lapse of United to put the hosts in front during the 62nd minute of the match.

However, United's Matheus Cunha scored a goal for his side in the 65th minute to level the score 1-1. During the closing stages, Leeds' Noah Okafor and Joel Piroe had the best chances against Daniel Farke's side but couldn't convert them as the match ended in a stalemate.

Fulham snatched a point following a dramatic 2-2 draw with Liverpool after Harrison Reed's stunning goal during the stoppage time. It was the midfielder's first Premier League goal since April 2023 as he rescued Fulham from the jaws of defeat at Craven Cottage.

Harry Wilson scored the first goal for Fulham during the 17th minute before Chelsea's Florian Wirtz scored an equaliser in the 57th minute.

During the stoppage time, Cody Gakpo of Chelsea scored a stunner to put his side ahead 2-1. However, there was another late twist three minutes later, as substitute Reed arrowed a sublime 30-yard effort into the top-right corner to rescue Fulham a point.

- ANI
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid rich tributes to former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh on his birth anniversary. He highlighted Singh's pivotal decision to sacrifice his chief ministerial post during the peak of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Adityanath praised Singh's tenure for advancing development and nationalist missions in the state. Kalyan Singh, who passed away in 2021, was the UP CM when the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992, leading to his resignation.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath honors former CM Kalyan Singh, praising his sacrifice during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and his development work.

Lucknow, January 5 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday paid tribute to former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and former Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh on his birth anniversary, highlighting his contribution to the state's development and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

CM Yogi Adityanath hailed Kalyan Singh for "sacrificing" his CM post "without any hesitation" during the height of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

Yogi further added that Kalyan Singh's tenure as UP CM will be remembered for development and taking the nationalist mission forward.

"When Ram Janmabhoomi movement was moving towards its peak, he sacrificed his post (as a CM) without any hesitation, respecting the sentiments of devotees of Lord Ram. He promptly took the responsibility when the structure, symbolic of slavery, was demolished," Yogi Adityanath said while addressing an event in Lucknow.

Earlier in a post on X, Yogi Adityanath paid tribute to Kalyan Singh, calling him a steadfast warrior of the Ram Temple movement.

"On the birth anniversary of the steadfast warrior of the Shri Ram Temple movement, who ignited the lamp of faith in the hearts of countless devotees of Lord Ram, the former Governor of Rajasthan, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, 'Padma Vibhushan' revered Kalyan Singh 'Babuji', humble tributes to him," he wrote.

"The revered 'Babuji', an embodiment of devotion, sacrifice, and dedication, gave a new momentum to the development of Uttar Pradesh through his people-welfare policies and firm administrative resolve. His life is a unique example of dedication to society and the nation," he added.

Kalyan Singh passed away on August 21, 2021, at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) in Lucknow due to sepsis and multi-organ failure.

Singh served as Uttar Pradesh CM twice, from June 1991 to December 1992 and September 1997 to November 1999, and was Governor of Rajasthan from 2014 to 2019. He also held multiple organisational roles in the BJP at both the state and central levels.

Kalyan Singh was the CM when the Babri Masjid was demolished. A few hours after the demolition, he resigned as Chief Minister. The Congress-led Union Government then dismissed the Uttar Pradesh state government on the same day. Singh later faced legal proceedings and was jailed for a single day over the incident.

- ANI
GM Korea reported a 7.5% decline in annual sales for 2025, driven by a sharp 39.2% drop in domestic sales and a 5.8% fall in exports. Renault Korea Motors also saw a significant 17.7% sales decrease, primarily due to a 46.7% plunge in exports, despite a strong 31.3% rise in domestic sales fueled by the Grand Koleos SUV. Both automakers are looking to new models, like GM's GMC and Buick lineup and Renault's contract manufacturing of the Polestar 4 electric SUV, to improve performance in the coming year. The overall picture for 2025 highlights the challenges of weak export demand impacting South Korea's automotive sector.

GM Korea sales fell 7.5%, Renault Korea down 17.7% in 2025 due to weak exports and domestic demand, despite some SUV gains.

Seoul, Jan 5 GM Korea, the South Korean unit of General Motors, said on Monday that its annual sales dipped 7.5 per cent in 2025 from a year earlier, with sales slipping both at home and abroad.

The company sold 462,310 vehicles last year, down from 499,559 units posted in 2024, the company said in a release, reports Yonhap news agency.

Domestic sales plunged 39.2 per cent on-year to 15,094 units, and exports moved down 5.8 per cent to 447,216 units.

In December alone, the carmaker's domestic sales came to 1,142 units, down 36.6 per cent from the previous year, while exports edged down 0.3 per cent to 51,358 units.

"In 2026, GM will continue to expand its brand presence in Korea by introducing a diverse lineup of GMC and Buick models for Korean customers, while consistently delivering high-quality services through our collaborative service network," Gustavo Colossi, GM Korea's vice president of sales and services, said in the release.

Meanwhile, Renault Korea Motors, the South Korean unit of Renault S.A., said on Monday that its annual sales fell 17.7 per cent from a year earlier in 2025 due mainly to sluggish exports.

Renault Korea sold a combined 88,044 vehicles in 2025, down from 106,939 units a year earlier, the company said in a press release.

Domestic sales jumped 31.3 per cent on-year to 52,271 units, while exports plunged 46.7 percent to 35,773 units.

Renault Korea attributed the strong domestic performance to an 85.5 percent on-year surge in sales of the Grand Koleos sport utility vehicle (SUV).

However, exports of the Arkana and QM6 SUVs dropped 54 percent and 96.2 percent, respectively, weighing heavily on overall performance.

Renault Korea said its exports are expected rebound in the new year as shipments of the Polestar 4 electric SUV will begin in earnest.

Renault Korea began full-scale contract manufacturing of the Polestar 4 at its Busan plant last year.

- IANS
2 wounded as twin blasts rock India's Manipur

Xinhua) 16:49, January 05, 2026

NEW DELHI, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were wounded Monday after two blasts rocked India's northeastern state of Manipur, multiple local media reports said.

The two consecutive blasts went off in the Nganukon area of Bishnupur district, about 53 km south of Imphal, the capital city of Manipur.

According to a local media report,the first explosion occurred at around 5:45 a.m., local time, at an abandoned house in Ngaukon in the Phougakchao police station area.

The second explosion occurred nearly 200 meters away around 8:45 a.m. when locals gathered after getting news of the earlier blast, and in this blast, two persons sustained splinter wounds in their legs.

Both the wounded persons were immediately removed to the government hospital and are stated to be out of danger.

Following the blasts, police teams rushed to the scene to conduct an investigation.

Manipur has been on edge since May 3, 2023, when large-scale violence broke out in the state during a tribal protest over the inclusion of the non-tribal Meitei community for a scheduled tribe status, designated for disadvantaged socio-economic groups, which gives them reservations in education and government jobs.

Efforts by the federal government to restore peace in the state have not yielded the desired results.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/OTU.DONETSK

Ukraine eliminated 137 of 165 enemy strike drones, but 26 UAVs hit at10 locations and debris fell on nine, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has said.

"According to preliminary data, as of 8:00, air defense shot down/suppressed 137 enemy UAVs of the Shahed, Gerber types and drones of other types in the north, center and east of the country," the message said.

As reported, on the night of January 5 (from 18:00 on January 4), the enemy attacked with nine Iskander-M ballistic missiles/S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles from the Bryansk and Voronezh regions, as well as 165 Shahed, Gerbera strike UAVs and drones of other types from the directions: Millerovo, Kursk, Shatalovo, Orel - Russia., about 100 of them - Shahed.

The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

Hits of ballistic/anti-aircraft guided missiles and 26 strike UAVs were recorded at 10 locations, as well as the fall of downed (fragments) at nine locations.

The attack continues, several enemy UAVs are in the airspace.
An intense cold wave with dense fog has severely impacted the Bundelkhand region across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, leading to an IMD orange alert. The conditions have disrupted road and rail traffic, forced school closures, and tragically claimed one life in Chhatarpur. Agriculture officials warn that the freezing temperatures pose a significant threat to standing wheat and pulse crops. Local administrations are responding by arranging community bonfires, distributing blankets, and advising farmers to use protective measures.

Dense fog and severe cold disrupt life in Bundelkhand. Orange alert issued, schools closed, crops at risk, and one death reported. Stay updated.

Bhopal/Chhatarpur, Jan 5 An intense cold wave has tightened its hold over the entire Bundelkhand region, affecting districts in both Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

Dense fog and biting northerly winds have made daily life difficult for residents, while low visibility has disrupted road and rail traffic. As many as nineteen district administrations have declared holidays in schools, while the rest of the districts have changed the timing of opening.

The Chhatarpur local administration has also directed municipal bodies and gram panchayats to arrange community bonfires at key public places, including canal intersections and busy crossings, to provide relief to homeless persons, night travellers, and labourers.

The local Meteorological Department (IMD) office at Bhopal has issued an orange alert for all Bundelkhand districts for the next 48 hours, warning of persisting severe cold conditions.

Districts under the alert include Chhatarpur, Datia, Tikamgarh, Niwari, and Panna in Madhya Pradesh, as well as Mahoba and Banda in Uttar Pradesh.

Visibility has dropped significantly during morning and night hours, posing risks to commuters and causing delays in transportation. "Khajuraho had visibility up to 50 meters only," weather experts said.

Tragically, the harsh weather claimed one life on Sunday when a person succumbed to the extreme cold at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Inter-State Bus Stand in Chhatarpur. However, local administration has not confirmed if the person died of intense cold.

Meteorologists attribute the ongoing spell to cold winds blowing from northern India, which are likely to continue for the next few days.

Agriculture expert and departmental officials warned that the freezing temperatures could damage standing crops, particularly wheat and pulses. The department has advised farmers to light small bonfires along field boundaries at night to create a protective layer of smoke and warmth, minimising frost damage.

Rural areas are witnessing the worst impact, with dense fog affecting both humans and livestock. Cattle herders report difficulties in grazing, while residents struggle with routine outdoor chores.

Authorities have urged citizens to take precautions, stay indoors during peak cold hours, and report any persons in distress. Relief measures, including the distribution of blankets in some areas, are being coordinated by district administrations.

- IANS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the 1000th anniversary of the first attack on the Somnath temple with a reflective blog post. He framed the temple's history not by its repeated destruction but by the enduring spirit and courage of the Indian people. The Prime Minister detailed the temple's reconstruction led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and noted the historical opposition from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to President Rajendra Prasad's involvement in its inauguration. Modi concluded that Somnath stands as a living symbol of India's resilience and a source of global hope and optimism today.

PM Modi reflects on the 1000-year history of the Somnath temple, highlighting its repeated destruction and resurrection as a testament to India's enduring civilisational spirit.

New Delhi, January 5 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday penned an 'OpEd', reflecting on the story of destruction and resurrection of the Somnath temple, asserting that hearing the word "Somnath" instils a sense of pride in hearts and minds.

PM recalled that the first destruction of the revered shrine took place exactly 1,000 years ago in 1026 AD, underscoring how, despite repeated attacks over the centuries, the temple stands in unparalleled glory.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a blog post, highlighted the enduring spirit of India's civilisation while reflecting on the legacy of the Somnath temple, saying, "The story of Somnath, a thousand years after the first attack, is not defined by destruction. It is defined by the unbreakable courage of crores of children of Bharat Mata."

Emphasising the resilience and continuity of India's cultural heritage, the Prime Minister added, "There can be no better example of our civilisation's indomitable spirit than Somnath, which stands gloriously, overcoming odds and struggles."

According to the blog, PM Modi mentioned the book Somanatha: The Shrine Eternal, where K. M. Munshi records that Mahmud of Ghazni began his march towards Somnath on 18 October 1025 and, approximately 80 days later, on 6 January 1026, attacked the fortified temple town.

He also mentioned that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played a decisive and historic role in re-constructing the temple on November 13, 1947, and K. M. Munshi stood firmly with Patel.

The Prime Minister said that in 1951, the Somnath temple was ready for inauguration; however, PM Nehru opposed the participation of President Dr. Rajendra Prasad in the temple's inauguration.

"Finally, on May 11th 1951, a grand Temple in Somnath opened its doors to devotees and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was present there. The great Sardar Sahib was not alive to see this historic day, but the fulfilment of his dream stood tall before the nation. The then Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was not too enthused with this development. He did not want the Honourable President as well as Ministers to associate with this special event. He said that this event created a bad impression of India. But Dr. Rajendra Prasad stood firm and the rest is history," he said.

"It is this same spirit that is visible in our nation, one of the brightest spots of global growth, having overcome centuries of invasions and colonial loot. It is our value systems and the determination of our people that have made India the centre of global attention today. The world is seeing India with hope and optimism. They want to invest in our innovative youngsters," PM Modi asserted.

Contemporary accounts cited by Munshi estimate that nearly 50,000 defenders lost their lives while protecting the shrine. Mahmud subsequently plundered the temple and desecrated the sanctum, breaking the linga into pieces.

The Somnath temple was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt between the 13th and 18th centuries. It was attacked by Alauddin Khilji's general in 1299 AD, by Muzaffar Khan in 1394 AD, and by Mahmud Begda in 1459 AD. Despite this, it remained a Hindu shrine until Aurangzeb ordered its demolition in 1669 AD, its destruction beyond repair in 1702 AD, and its conversion into a mosque in 1706 AD. Queen Ahilyabai Holkar, recognising the sacred continuity, built a new temple nearby in 1783.

PM Modi in the blog noted about the visit of Swami Vivekananda to Somnath in the 1890s, describing temples like Somnath as living sources of wisdom that offer deeper insight into India's history than books. He stressed that Somnath symbolises resilience, noting how it has endured repeated destruction yet risen again each time, renewed and strong.

"The aggressors of the past are now dust in the wind, their names synonymous with destruction. They are footnotes in the annals of history, while Somnath stands bright, radiating far beyond the horizon, reminding us of the eternal spirit that remained undiminished by the attack of 1026. Somnath is a song of hope that tells us that while hate and fanaticism may have the power to destroy for a moment, faith and conviction in the power of goodness have the power to create for eternity," Prime Minister Modi wrote.

He emphasised that if the Somnath Temple, which was attacked a thousand years ago and faced continuous attacks thereafter, could rise again and again, then India can surely restore its glory it embodied a thousand years ago, before the invasions.

"With the blessings of Shree Somnath Mahadev, we move forward with a renewed resolve to build a Viksit Bharat, where civilisational wisdom guides us to work for the welfare of the whole world," PM Modi wrote.

- ANI
Former Kerala DGP and BJP Councillor R. Sreelekha has publicly stated her support for the party's decision to elect V.V. Rajesh as the Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, quelling media speculation about her dissatisfaction. She committed to serving her full five-year term as a Councillor, acknowledging her responsibility to the voters who elected her. Sreelekha also ruled out contesting the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections, despite earlier indications she might be compensated with a ticket. Her statement follows the BJP's historic victory in the municipal corporation, which ended the CPI(M)-led LDF's four-decade-long rule.

Former Kerala DGP R. Sreelekha clarifies she supports BJP's choice of V.V. Rajesh as Mayor, vows to serve full term as Councillor, and rules out Assembly polls.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 5 Former Kerala Director General of Police and Bharatiya Janata Party Councillor, R. Sreelekha, has laid all media speculations to rest that she was upset with not being made the Thiruvananthapuram Mayor, saying that she supports the party's decision to elect V.V. Rajesh for the civic body's Mayor post which the party won by a large victory margin recently in the civic body polls held in the state.

However, following the BJP's historic victory, senior leader V.V. Rajesh was elected as Kerala's first BJP Mayor.

"I support the party's decision and will not quit or challenge the party," Sreelekha told IANS.

The BJP wrested control of the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation in the December elections, ending the 40-year rule of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).

"I will work as a Councillor for the full five-year term and will not quit midway, as I have a responsibility towards the voters who elected me," Sreelekha told IANS.

She also ruled out contesting the Kerala Assembly elections, despite recent indications from BJP leaders that she could be fielded from an 'A' category constituency as a compensation measure for not being named the Thiruvananthapuram Mayor.

Sreelekha said the party might have taken the decision after assessing that Rajesh could perform better as Mayor than her.

Speaking to reporters, Sreelekha, a state BJP Vice-President, said she had never intended to contest the election but decided to do so only after receiving assurances from party leaders that she would be appointed Mayor of the state capital.

The BJP Councillor said she was unaware of what transpired in the decision-making process for the Mayoral post after the party's electoral victory.

Earlier, the remarks by former Kerala DGP Sreelekha regarding the Thiruvananthapuram mayoral post had triggered a political storm within the party, which is pinning high hopes on the upcoming Assembly elections in the state later this year.

- IANS
Senior leaders across party lines paid rich tributes to former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on his 73rd birth anniversary. Union Minister Giriraj Singh recalled Modi's firm stand against injustice and corruption, while Chief Minister Nitish Kumar offered floral tributes in Patna. Deputy CMs Vijay Sinha and Samrat Choudhary highlighted his administrative acumen, particularly his role as GST Chairman which brought transparency to trade. A statue of the late leader was also unveiled in the state capital during the commemorations.

Political leaders including Giriraj Singh and Nitish Kumar honor former Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi's legacy of fighting corruption and driving development.

New Delhi, Jan 5 On the 73rd birth anniversary of former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister late Sushil Kumar Modi, senior leaders across party lines paid rich tributes to the veteran BJP leader, remembering his role in public life, his fight against corruption, and his lasting contribution to Bihar's development.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh, recalling Sushil Modi's political journey, said the late leader emerged as a strong voice of justice and integrity within the BJP.

"Sushil Modi emerged as a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, standing firmly against injustice and corruption. After the late Karpoori Thakur, Sushil Modi carried forward social sensitivity and maintained a deep connection with society," Singh said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also paid homage to his former deputy, visiting Krishna Memorial Hall in Patna and offering floral tributes at Sushil Modi's portrait. The two leaders had shared a long political association and jointly steered Bihar through several key administrative and developmental phases.

Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha highlighted Sushil Modi's administrative acumen and his contribution to economic reforms, particularly in the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

"On his death anniversary at his constituency and in his workplace, we remember him along with the people associated with him. As GST Chairman, he provided a strong foundation to the business community, bringing transparency and simplicity to trade," Sinha said.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary also paid tribute through a post on X, noting that a statue of the former Deputy Chief Minister was unveiled in Patna on the occasion.

"On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Bihar's former Deputy Chief Minister, our guiding politician, the most revered Sushil Kumar Modi Ji, today in Patna, the statue was unveiled in the presence of the Honorable Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar Ji, and floral tributes were offered in reverence," Choudhary wrote.

He further said that Sushil Modi had left an indelible imprint on Bihar's progress. "He has left an indelible mark on the development of Bihar. Generations can never forget," the Deputy CM added.

Sushil Kumar Modi, who passed away after a prolonged illness, was widely regarded as one of Bihar's most influential political figures. Known for his organisational skills, administrative experience, and grassroots connections, he played a crucial role in shaping Bihar's political and economic trajectory over several decades.

- IANS
The US has warned India it could raise tariffs on Indian imports if New Delhi continues purchasing Russian crude oil. This pressure is being reinforced in the US Congress, where legislation for secondary tariffs is being considered. A GTRI report states that India's current ambiguous stance places it in a "strategic grey zone," weakening its negotiating position. The report urges India to make a clear, decisive policy on Russian oil and communicate it to Washington to avoid further economic damage.

GTRI report warns India faces critical policy choice on Russian oil imports as US threatens higher tariffs, risking a 20.7% export decline.

New Delhi, January 5 As the United States steps up pressure on countries buying Russian oil, India faces a critical policy choice, with continued ambiguity likely to invite higher trade costs, according to a report by the Global Trade Research Initiative.

On January 4, US President Donald Trump warned that Washington could raise tariffs on Indian imports if New Delhi does not stop purchasing Russian crude. The warning comes even as Indian exports to the US are already subject to a 50 per cent import tariff, half of which is directly linked to India's Russian oil purchases, the report noted.

The pressure is being reinforced in the US Congress, where Senator Lindsey Graham is pushing legislation to impose secondary tariffs on countries buying Russian oil and gas if Moscow fails to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine within 50 days.

Following US sanctions imposed in October on Russian energy giants Rosneft and Lukoil, major Indian refiners, including Reliance Industries and several state-owned firms, announced a halt to Russian oil purchases to avoid secondary sanctions. However, imports have not stopped entirely, with lower volumes continuing from non-sanctioned suppliers, placing India in what the report described as a "strategic grey zone."

GTRI said this ambiguity is weakening India's position. "If India plans to stop Russian oil imports, it should do so clearly and decisively. If it intends to continue buying from non-sanctioned suppliers, it must say so openly and support the stance with data," the report said, adding that continued lack of clarity is no longer viable.

The report also cautioned that ending Russian oil imports may not guarantee relief from US pressure, as trade demands could shift to other areas such as agriculture, dairy, digital trade and data governance.

India must also consider that the current tariff pressure is linked to a specific political phase in Washington, which may not last indefinitely, GTRI said. While the European Union, Japan and South Korea chose to cut Russian oil imports to ease tensions with the US, China, the largest buyer of Russian crude, has faced little pressure due to its strategic leverage.

Indian exports to the US have already declined by 20.7 per cent between May and November 2025, and any further tariff escalation could deepen the slowdown, the report warned.

"As the tariff threat hardens, India must take a clean call on Russian oil, own that decision, and communicate it unambiguously to Washington," GTRI said.

- ANI
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced plans to establish a regional office of the National Turmeric Board in Erode, Tamil Nadu. He also committed to setting up an accredited turmeric testing laboratory through the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The initiatives aim to support quality testing, research, and certification for the local turmeric industry. Further measures include promoting e-commerce sales, developing processing machinery, and launching a scheme for value addition to benefit farmers and traders.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announces a National Turmeric Board regional office and accredited testing lab for Erode to strengthen the turmeric ecosystem.

Chennai, Jan 5 Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, on Monday said the Centre would move to establish a regional office of the National Turmeric Board in Erode, Tamil Nadu, along with an accredited turmeric testing laboratory, to strengthen the turmeric ecosystem in one of the country's key production hubs.

Responding to a representation submitted by M. Sathyamurthy, secretary of the Erode Turmeric Merchants and Godown Owners' Association, the Minister said the NTB - headquartered in Nizamabad, Telangana - functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

He assured that he would take up the proposal with the Ministry to establish the NTB's regional office at Manjal Maanagaram, popularly known as Turmeric City.

Chouhan also announced that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) would be directed to set up an accredited turmeric testing laboratory in Erode. The facility is expected to support quality testing, research, and certification, benefiting farmers, traders and exporters alike.

On the demand for developing new turmeric varieties with higher curcumin content, he said ICAR would actively pursue research and breeding programmes to meet market and medicinal requirements.

Addressing marketing challenges, the Minister said the Union government would promote the sale of turmeric across the country through e-commerce platforms to widen market access and improve price realisation for farmers.

He also assured strict action against illegal turmeric trading to protect growers' interests and ensure fair and remunerative prices.

Highlighting operational constraints faced by turmeric cultivators, Chouhan said machinery would be developed for harvesting, drying and processing turmeric to reduce labour dependence and post-harvest losses.

He added that the Centre would soon roll out a new scheme aimed at value addition in turmeric, enabling farmers to move beyond raw produce and earn higher returns.

The Minister further noted that improved storage facilities could be established under existing Central government schemes with subsidy support, allowing farmers and traders to better manage storage and price volatility.

Earlier, the Union Minister visited the turmeric association premises in Erode, where he inspected various turmeric varieties on display and enquired about their medicinal properties. He showed particular interest in the GI-tagged Erode Virali, a tuber variety of turmeric.

He also received petitions from farmers and traders detailing issues related to cultivation and marketing, inspected a turmeric field, and interacted with workers in the region.

- IANS
President Donald Trump confirmed that US service members injured during a recent operation in Venezuela are in good shape and recovering from minor wounds. The raid, involving elite Delta Force and FBI units, saw a helicopter hit but resulted in no American fatalities. Trump declined to specify who was in charge of the mission, calling such a disclosure "very controversial." He strongly criticized Venezuela's leadership and economic management, claiming the country is in severe decline.

President Trump says US troops injured in a Venezuela operation are recovering well. Details emerge about the Delta Force raid and a damaged helicopter.

Washington, January 5 US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that calls have been made to American service members injured during his administration's recent operation in Venezuela and that they are "in good shape," while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One.

The President said the raid, carried out by the US Army's elite Delta Force with assistance from an FBI unit, did not result in any US fatalities. However, a small number of troops sustained injuries during the operation, CNN reported, citing a source briefed on the matter.

According to the report, the injured personnel suffered bullet and shrapnel wounds while carrying out the mission. A senior White House official told CNN that all the injuries were minor in nature and that the injured service members are in stable condition and recovering well.

Speaking about the operation, Trump said that one of the helicopters involved was hit during the mission. "One of the helicopters got hit pretty badly, but we got everything back, and nobody was killed," he said. He did not provide further operational details.

When asked by reporters about who was in charge of the operation, the President declined to provide a direct answer, saying that answering the question would be "very controversial."

"Don't ask me who's in charge because I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial... It means we're in charge..." he said, without elaborating further.

Trump also made strong comments on the overall situation in Venezuela, describing the country as being in severe decline. "It is a dead country right now," he said, while drawing a comparison to what he claimed the United States would have faced had he lost the presidential election.

Referring to Venezuela's oil sector, the President said the country requires major investment to rebuild its infrastructure. He claimed that several large oil companies are ready to invest and help restore production. "The oil companies are ready to go and rebuild the infrastructure," he said, adding that the infrastructure had been built years ago but later taken away.

Trump criticised Venezuela's leadership, stating that the country has been "horribly run" and that oil production is currently at a very low level. He reiterated his view that mismanagement had led to the present economic and infrastructure crisis.

US officials have not released additional details about the objectives or outcomes of the operation. Authorities said further information would be shared as appropriate.

The situation in Venezuela continues to be closely watched, with Washington maintaining that its actions are aimed at protecting US interests and addressing regional instability.

- ANI
US President Donald Trump issued stark warnings to the governments of Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico, accusing them of enabling drug trafficking and regional instability. He claimed Cuba is economically collapsing after losing Venezuelan support and suggested Colombia is "very sick" under its leadership. Trump asserted that drug cartels dominate Mexico and criticized its president for declining US military assistance. The remarks signal Trump's readiness to use economic pressure and potential military action to reshape US relations in the hemisphere.

President Trump issues sharp warnings to Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico over drug trafficking and instability, signaling US readiness to act.

Washington, Jan 5 US President Donald Trump issued sharp warnings to Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico, saying US patience is wearing thin with governments as he accused them of enabling drug trafficking and regional instability, while signaling that his administration is prepared to act if conditions do not change.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back from Mar-a-Lago, Trump said Cuba's position has weakened dramatically following the US operation in Venezuela, arguing that Havana has lost a key source of economic support.

"Cuba now has no income," Trump said, adding that the country had depended heavily on Venezuelan oil. "They got all of their income from Venezuela... and Cuba literally is ready to fall."

Trump said the United States does not currently plan military action against Cuba, suggesting internal collapse is more likely. "We're not (going in)," he said. "I think it's just going to fall. It's going down for the count."

He said many Cuban Americans would welcome such an outcome. "You have a lot of great Cuban Americans that are going to be very happy about this," Trump said.

Turning to Colombia, Trump delivered some of his strongest language, accusing the country's leadership of tolerating cocaine production destined for the United States. "Colombia is very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States," Trump alleged.

He warned that US action could follow. Asked whether that meant an operation, Trump replied, "It sounds good to me," adding, "He's not going to be doing it very long."

Responding to questions, Trump also tied Colombia, Venezuela, and Cuba together as what he described as a regional threat. "We had a drug caliphate in our backyard," he said, arguing that the US is now moving to dismantle it.

On January 3, in a stunning operation, US forces arrested Venezulian presidnet from his residence in Caracas and brought him to New York for trial in a court.

On Mexico, Trump said drug cartels continue to dominate large parts of the country and criticized the government for failing to fully confront them. "The cartels are running Mexico, whether you like it or not," Trump said. "It's not nice to say, but the cartels are running Mexico."

Trump said he has repeatedly offered US military assistance to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to combat drug trafficking. "Every single time I talked to her, I offered to send troops," he said.

He added that Sheinbaum has declined. "She's concerned. She's a little afraid," Trump said.

Trump argued that Mexico must act more decisively or face consequences, saying drugs continue to flow north through Mexican territory. "Mexico has to get their act together," he said.

The president also warned that the United States remains prepared to expand operations beyond Venezuela if necessary. "We were prepared to do a second strike," Trump said, adding that the option remains open if governments in the region do not "behave."

Trump framed his comments as part of a broader regional doctrine. "It's our hemisphere," he said, invoking the Monroe Doctrine and arguing that previous presidents had lost sight of it.

Trump said the goal is stability and security, not occupation. "We're in the business of having countries around us that are viable and successful," he said.

The remarks underscored Trump's readiness to use economic pressure, military force, and direct warnings as tools to reshape US relations with neighboring countries he says pose threats to American security.

- IANS
President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran, stating the United States is closely monitoring its handling of domestic protests. He declared that if Iranian authorities begin killing civilians, they will be hit "very hard" by the US. While emphasizing vigilance and readiness, Trump did not specify what form any potential US response might take or outline immediate measures. His comments link regional instability, including in Venezuela and Cuba, to broader US national security concerns.

President Trump warns Iran of a "very hard" US response if authorities kill civilians amid protests, stating America is "watching very closely."

Washington, Jan 5 US President Donald Trump warned Iran against using violence to suppress protests, saying the United States is closely monitoring the situation and would respond forcefully if Iranian authorities begin killing civilians.

Aboard Air Force One on his way back to the White House from Mar-a-Lago, Trump was asked about reports of protesters being killed in Iran and his earlier comments that the US was "locked and loaded."

"We'll take a look," Trump said. "We're watching it very closely."

Trump drew a clear line around the use of lethal force by Iranian authorities. "If they start killing people as they have in the past, I think they're going to get hit very hard by the United States," he said.

The president did not specify what form a US response might take, nor did he outline any immediate military or economic measures. Notably, the US has deployed considerable military asset in the region.

Trump's comments in response to a question, however, underscored that Washington is actively tracking developments inside Iran and considering its options. But he gave no timeline or trigger point. "We're watching it very closely," he reiterated.

The comments came amid broader remarks by Trump linking instability in several regions to US national security concerns. Throughout the Air Force One exchange, Trump repeatedly framed unrest, drug trafficking, and authoritarian violence as interconnected threats that require decisive responses.

While Trump did not draw direct comparisons during his Iran remarks, his warning followed strong language directed at Venezuela, Cuba, and other countries he described as destabilising forces in their regions.

Trump has previously accused Iran of violently suppressing dissent during past waves of protests and has used economic sanctions and military deterrence as pressure tools. In this exchange, he stopped short of announcing new measures, instead emphasising vigilance and readiness.

"If they start killing people," Trump said, repeating the condition under which US action could follow.

- IANS
China has strongly criticized the United States for the forcible capture of Venezuela's deposed leader Nicolas Maduro, framing it as severe unilateral bullying. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that no country has the right to act as the "world policeman" or an "international judge," emphasizing respect for sovereignty. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump warned Venezuela's new acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, to grant the US "total access" to the country's resources or face severe consequences. Maduro and his wife are scheduled for their first US court appearance following the military operation.

China condemns US operation capturing Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, with FM Wang Yi opposing unilateral force and Trump demanding "total access" to Venezuelan resources.

Beijing, January 5 China has voiced strong opposition to the United States' forcible control of deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, warning against unilateral bullying and asserting that no nation has the authority to act as the world's "policeman" or an "international judge" in an increasingly volatile global landscape.

"China always opposes the use or threat of force, as well as any imposition of one country's will on another, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday while holding the Seventh Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing.

Wang said the current international situation is more volatile and intertwined, with unilateral bullying becoming increasingly severe.

"The sudden change of situation in Venezuela has drawn high attention from the international community," Wang said.

"We never believe that any country can play the role of world policeman, nor do we agree that any country can claim itself to be an international judge," the Chinese FM said, adding that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected by international law.

He further stated that China is committed to collaborating with the international community, including Pakistan, to uphold the United Nations Charter, maintain fundamental international norms, respect the sovereignty of all nations, and safeguard global peace and development.

Wang also reiterated China's vision of promoting a community with a shared future for humanity, emphasizing dialogue, cooperation, and adherence to international law as the path toward resolving global challenges.

Maduro was captured by US forces during a military operation on Saturday and is currently in American custody.

Delcy Rodriguez took charge late Sunday as Venezuela's acting president.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump issued a sharp warning, saying she must give the United States "total access" or face consequences "probably worse than Maduro."

Earlier, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the United States needs full access to Venezuela's resources, especially oil.

"We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country," Trump said.

Trump also repeated remarks he made earlier to The Atlantic, warning that Rodriguez would face a fate worse than that of former President Nicolas Maduro if she does not "do the right thing." He did not explain what actions he expects from her, CNN reported.

Meanwhile, US authorities confirmed that Nicolas Maduro and his wife are scheduled to appear before a federal judge on Monday (local time) at 12 pm. This will be their first court appearance following the US operation carried out on Saturday.

- ANI
Olena Ivanovska, Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, says that for some businesses, the benefits of violating language legislation outweigh meager fines.

"There is a publishing house that systematically violates language legislation when, for example, a crossword puzzle is printed in Russian. This is probably the fifth or sixth round when we are constantly raising the fine. The publishing house constantly pays these fines, but continues to print again, because the benefits from sales, which means there is a demand, outweigh the meager fines provided for by the Administrative Code," Ivanovska said in an interview with the YouTube project "Nobody Will Watch This."

As reported, in mid-December 2025, the Language Ombudsman addressed the Cabinet of Ministers with a proposal to initiate an increase in administrative fines for violating the Law of Ukraine "On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language" by amending the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses. According to her, symbolic fines are not commensurate with the economic benefit that individual business entities receive, systematically ignoring the requirements of the law, and therefore do not motivate them to voluntarily comply with language norms.

In August 2025, in an interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency, Ivanovska stated that at that time it was not necessary to strengthen sanctions and increase fines for violations of language legislation.

Today, a fine of UAH 3,400 to UAH 8,500 is provided for the first violation of the law "On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language," and for a second violation  from UAH 8,500 to UAH 11,900.
The Magh Mela 2026 commenced with a massive turnout at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj for the first auspicious bath on Paush Purnima. Divisional Commissioner Saumya Agarwal reported that approximately 31 lakh devotees participated smoothly with all administrative arrangements in order. Significant numbers of pilgrims were also recorded taking holy dips in Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Mathura on the same occasion. The 45-day pilgrimage, one of India's largest, features several ritual baths and periodically transforms into the Kumbh and Maha Kumbh Melas.

Millions gather at Triveni Sangam for the first holy bath of Magh Mela 2026. Administration reports smooth arrangements and massive turnout across UP.

Prayagraj, January 5 A massive influx of devotees was witnessed at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj as pilgrims from across the country gathered for the 'Shahi Snan' of Magh Mela 2026 to take a holy dip in the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.

Divisional Commissioner Saumya Agarwal said the first auspicious bathing ritual of Paush Purnima was conducted smoothly and praised the arrangements made by the administration on Sunday.

"Yesterday was the first auspicious bath of Paush Purnima, and the bathing ritual was completed successfully. Approximately 31 lakh devotees took a dip in the holy waters, and there were no problems anywhere at the fair. All the arrangements were in order... Today, there is a huge crowd of devotees at the fair, and the fair has officially begun. All the arrangements are running smoothly," the Divisional Commissioner told ANI.

Devotees expressed satisfaction with the arrangements made by the administration. Speaking to ANI, Shailesh Kumar Pathak, who arrived from Pratapgarh, said, "We came here for the 'Shahi Snan', and the arrangements are very good."

Another devotee from Banaras praised the facilities, saying that the arrangements were quite well-organised and allowed for a smooth holy dip.

By 3 PM on Saturday, approximately 24 lakh people had taken a holy dip in the Ganges in Prayagraj on the occasion of Paush Purnima, marking the first bathing day of the Magh Mela.

According to the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's Office, in Varanasi, 1 million devotees have so far taken a dip in the Ganges at various ghats. In Ayodhya, 5.5 lakh devotees participated and in Mathura, 2.5 lakh devotees took the ritual bath.

The Magh Mela of Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), which takes place at the divine Triveni Sangam, the place of confluence of the sacred rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and the legendary Saraswati, is one of the largest pilgrimages in India.

The pilgrimage is named after the Hindu month of Magh, which typically falls in January-February. The Prayag Magh Mela is a 45-day pilgrimage that begins on Paush Purnima (the full moon day of the month of Paush) and ends on Mahashivaratri, spanning the entire month of Magh. The mela commences on the full moon day of Paush with the snan (ritual dip). Over the course of the fair, there are a total of six ritual snans, viz. on Paush Purnima, Makar Sankranti (beginning of Magh), Shattila Ekadashi (day of the waning of moon- Krishna Pakhsa- in the month of Magh), Mauni Amavasya (the no moon day of Magh when people take vow of silence), Basant Panchami (also called Magha Shukla Panchami, the fifth day of the waxing phase of moon in Magh), Achala Saptami (seventh day of waxing phase of moon in Magh, celebrated as the birthday of Lord Surya), Jaya Ekadashi (the day of fasting observed on the eleventh day of the waxing phase of moon in Magh) and Magh Purnima (the full moon day in Magh).

The annual Magh Mela transforms into the Kumbh Mela every fourth year at Prayag, and into the Maha Kumbh Mela every twelfth year, drawing millions of devout pilgrims to the grand event.

- ANI
Television actress Urvashi Dholakia celebrated the New Year with a memorable girls' trip to Darjeeling alongside producer Ektaa Kapoor and actress Charu Mehra. She shared charming photos and videos on social media, highlighting their strong connection amidst the scenic landscapes. The trip served as a year-end break for Ektaa Kapoor, who had recently launched the seventh season of her popular show 'Naagin'. Both stars reflected on their long-standing professional and personal bond, which began with the hit show "Kasautii Zindagii Kay".

TV actress Urvashi Dholakia shares photos from a fun girls' trip to Darjeeling with producer Ektaa Kapoor and friend Charu Mehra.

Mumbai, Jan 5 Television actress Urvashi Dholakia rang in the New Year with a fun girls' trip to Darjeeling with producer Ektaa Kapoor. The two ladies were also accompanied by one of their other friends, actress Charu Mehra.

Urvashi dropped a couple of photos and videos from her lovely getaway on social media.

The snippets showed all of them posing in the middle of a lush green landscape, making goofy poses and flaunting their lovely smiles.

In the last video of the post, Urvashi was seen standing on the side of the road and channeling her inner child as she entertained her friends with some adorable gestures.

"We went chasing views and came back with stories...we may not have had phone signal but our connection was strong we didn't just travel we felt every moment @ektarkapoor @4umehra Darjeeling u have our hearts."#travel #diaries #darjeeling #holiday #winter (sic)," Urvashi captioned the post.

Urvashi is known to share a close bond with the television mogul as the two have worked together in the popular show "Kasautii Zindagii Kay", where Urvashi essayed the role of Komolika.

Ektaa also used social media to drop sneak peeks from her travel diaries. Announcing her year-end break, she posted a video with Urvashi and Charu and penned, "Signing of the year! Loads of ups n even more downs .....launched #naagin7 n left for year end break with two real ichadari Nagins !!! Hope u like d show ! Ratings in the coming year will telll ! JAI MATA DI."

The seventh season of Ektaa's popular 'Naagin' franchise premiered on December 27. The project stars Priyanka Chahar Choudhary as the lead, along with Alice Kaushik, Karan Kundrra, Eisha Singh, and Namit Paul in crucial roles.

Refreshing your memory, the first season of "Naagin" premiered back in 2015, featuring Mouni Roy, Arjun Bijlani, and Adaa Khan.

- IANS
Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has announced he will step down later this month as the Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on US-China strategic competition. He expressed gratitude to Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries for appointing him as the first South Asian American to lead a Congressional committee. Krishnamoorthi highlighted the committee's bipartisan work on protecting American innovation and countering economic coercion from China. The congressman is now running for the US Senate, where, if elected, he would become the first Indian American senator.

Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi announces he will step down as Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on US-China strategic competition.

Washington, Jan 5 Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, the Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the US and the Chinese Communist Party, on Monday, announced that he will step down from his leadership role on the panel later this month, bringing to close a three-year tenure that coincided with the committee's formative period.

"I have informed Leader Hakeem Jeffries of my intention to step down as Ranking Member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party later this month," Krishnamoorthi said in a statement.

Reflecting on his appointment, Krishnamoorthi expressed gratitude to the Democratic leader Jeffries for entrusting him with the role.

"I am deeply grateful for the confidence Leader Hakeem Jeffries placed in me to lead House Democrats on this Committee for the past three years," he said, describing the decision to appoint "the first South Asian American to ever lead a Congressional Committee, as Chair or Ranking Member," as part of Jeffries' "enduring legacy".

In his statement, Krishnamoorthi also thanked fellow lawmakers who served on the committee during the 118th and 119th Congresses, noting that the panel's work often carried "significant national and global consequences".

Notably, Krishnamoorthi is now running for the US Senate.

If elected, he would be the first ever Indian American to be elected to the US Senate.

While acknowledging disagreements, he said members "consistently found ways to collaborate, seek common ground, and focus on strengthening America's long-term competitiveness and security".

Krishnamoorthi in his statement, praised their "rigour, humility, and an unwavering sense of purpose".

Their work went beyond confronting challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party to also advancing policies that "unlock American innovation, protect workers and consumers, and ensure that the United States remains the world's leading economic and technological power," he said.

"I am proud of what we accomplished together," Krishnamoorthi added, pointing to the creation of what he called a "credible, bipartisan Committee" that strengthened US economic and national security while keeping competitiveness at the centre of its mandate.

He cited efforts to protect American innovation, secure critical supply chains, counter forced labour and economic coercion, and prevent US capital and technology from being used in ways that undermine the country's security or values.

Noting that the challenge posed by China as "among the defining tests of our time", spanning economic, technological, and military domains, Krishnamoorthi said the task demands "nuance and seriousness", along with "practical and enforceable policy solutions" and a resolve to strengthen competitiveness "without succumbing to fear or prejudice".

"I am confident that Leader Jeffries will make an excellent decision in appointing my successor," he said, adding that he looks forward to working closely with the new appointee to ensure Democrats on the committee continue advancing policies that allow the United States to "compete and win while remaining firmly grounded in the values that define us".

The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party was established to examine and respond to the long-term strategic challenges posed by China, with a focus on economic, technological, and national security issues.

- IANS
US President Donald Trump announced that the United States has taken in and will receive over $600 billion through tariffs, a policy he argues has financially and strategically strengthened the nation. He accused the media of refusing to cover this success ahead of a pivotal Supreme Court decision on tariffs. The report notes that Trump imposed a 50% tariff on imports from India shortly after taking office in 2025. In response, India is reportedly working to diversify its exports away from the US market, though negotiations remain challenging due to disagreements over sensitive sectors.

President Trump says tariffs have brought $600B, making the US stronger. He criticizes media coverage ahead of a key Supreme Court decision on trade policy.

Washington, Jan 5 US President Donald Trump on Monday said the US has taken in, and will soon receive, more than $600 billion through tariffs, arguing that the policy has strengthened the country financially and bolstered national security.

The President also accused the country's media of downplaying the issue ahead of a key Supreme Court decision.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: "We have taken in, and will soon be receiving, more than 600 Billion Dollars in Tariffs, but the Fake News Media refuses to talk about it because they hate and disrespect our Country, and want to interfere with the upcoming Tariff decision, one of the most important ever, of the United States Supreme Court."

The President, in his social media post, asserted that framed trade measures are directly linked to the nation's global standing.

"Because of Tariffs, our Country is financially, AND FROM A NATIONAL SECURITY STANDPOINT, FAR STRONGER AND MORE RESPECTED THAN EVER BEFORE," Trump wrote.

Soon after coming to power in January 2025, Trump and his team used tariffs as a national security and foreign policy tool, imposing massive tariffs on countries around the world on imports of their products.

He has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on the import of products from India.

India pushing ahead to diversify exports amid US tariff turmoil: Report

According to an article in the South China Morning Post. New Delhi plans to diversify the country's exports away from the US, and this approach is expected to gather pace ingoing ahead.

The article highlights that ever since US President Donald Trump imposed penal import tariffs of 50 per cent on India last year, New Delhi has maintained a resolute approach to the punitive levies, even as it has kept the door open to negotiations.

The US is India's largest export market, receiving about 18 per cent of its total goods exports, including items such as garments and leather products, with a vast diaspora readily snapping up products shipped from their homeland.

While it remains unclear whether the two countries can negotiate a trade deal given India's firm position on opening sensitive sectors such as agriculture and dairy to US products, experts are sceptical that Washington will significantly roll back its tariffs, the article states.

- IANS
The Trump administration has characterized the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as a targeted law enforcement action against an indicted narco-trafficker, explicitly denying it constitutes a war or invasion. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized US forces were on the ground only briefly to execute the arrest and have since withdrawn, with the mission relying on court warrants. The administration's focus is now on sustained pressure through sanctions and enforcing an oil "quarantine" using court orders to seize shipments. Officials defended the operation as necessary to prevent Venezuela from becoming a base for adversarial nations and groups, framing it as an act of hemispheric self-defense.

US officials state the arrest of Nicolas Maduro was a targeted anti-drug operation, not an act of war or invasion, and defend the action under international law.

Washington, Jan 5 The Trump administration sought to blunt criticism of its Venezuela operation, arguing that the arrest of Nicolas Maduro was a narrowly targeted law-enforcement action rather than the opening of a new war or military occupation.

Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the suggestion that the United States is now at war with Venezuela. "There's not a war," Rubio said, adding that Washington is "at war against drug trafficking organizations - not at war against Venezuela."

Rubio said the operation was conducted under US legal authority to arrest an indicted narco-trafficker and did not amount to an invasion. "This was not an invasion," he said on NBC. "This was a law enforcement operation."

Appearing separately on ABC's This Week, Rubio said US forces were on the ground only briefly to execute the arrest and then withdrew. He emphasized that the mission relied on court warrants and sanctions enforcement rather than congressional authorization for combat.

Rubio said the administration's focus has now shifted to sustained pressure through sanctions and maritime enforcement. On CBS's Face the Nation, he said the United States is enforcing an oil "quarantine" using court orders to seize sanctioned shipments.

"That leverage remains," Rubio told CBS News, saying the pressure would stay in place until changes occur that serve U.S. interests and benefit Venezuelans.

Rubio pushed back against repeated questions about who is "running" Venezuela. On NBC, he said Washington is not administering the country but shaping outcomes through policy tools.

"What we are running is policy," he said, referring to efforts to stop drug trafficking, dismantle gangs, and end the presence of foreign militant groups.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz echoed that message on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures. Waltz said the operation was justified under international law and framed as self-defence.

"This is our hemisphere," Waltz told Fox News. "We are not going to allow it to become a base of operation for adversaries."

Waltz cited alleged ties between Maduro and China, Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, arguing that decisive action was necessary to protect US security.

Rubio said the administration is not ruling out future steps but stressed that there are no US troops stationed in Venezuela. "We don't have US forces on the ground," he told NBC.

Responding to questions on elections and political transition, Rubio urged realism. "These things take time," he said on CBS. "There's a process."

The administration said it would judge Venezuela's next steps by actions rather than promises, while maintaining pressure until US security concerns are addressed.

- IANS
US Senator Lindsey Graham claims that Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra recently asked him to persuade President Trump to relieve tariffs, citing India's reduced purchases of Russian oil. This claim comes alongside a fresh warning from President Trump that the US could quickly raise tariffs on India, despite his positive remarks about Prime Minister Modi. The exchange highlights ongoing trade tensions and Washington's scrutiny of India's energy imports from Russia. The situation unfolds as both countries attempt to resolve a long-standing trade impasse through renewed negotiations.

Senator Lindsey Graham claims Indian ambassador linked reduced Russian oil purchases to US tariff relief request in talks with President Trump.

Washington, January 5 US Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday claimed that Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra spoke to him last month about India buying less Russian oil and asked him to tell US President Donald Trump to relieve the 25 per cent tariff.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One alongside Trump, Graham said, "I was at the Indian Ambassador's house a month ago, and all he wanted to talk about was how India is buying less Russian oil. And he asked me to tell the President to relieve the 25% tariff."

This comes as US President Donald Trump has warned India of more tariffs over its continued imports of Russian oil.

"PM Modi's a very good man. He's a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly," Trump said.

Trump's new warning to India comes amid growing scrutiny in Washington over India's energy trade with Russia, even as New Delhi has defended its oil purchases as essential for domestic energy security.

Meanwhile, the US strike on Venezuela has brought the issue of Oil into the forefront of geopolitics once again. Venezuela has massive oil reserves, which total over 303 billion barrels, making them the world's largest proven reserves. However, production has dwindled to 1 million barrels per day due to US sanctions and underinvestment. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves (estimated at over 300 billion barrels), which represent roughly 17% of the total global oil supply, OPEC data shows.

The comments also come just weeks after Trump and Prime Minister Modi held a telephonic conversation, during which both leaders stressed the importance of maintaining momentum in bilateral trade ties despite ongoing tariff-related tensions.

The call coincided with the launch of a fresh round of negotiations between Indian and US officials aimed at resolving the long-standing trade impasse.Only days before the conversation with Modi, Trump had threatened to impose new tariffs on Indian rice imports.

The warning followed complaints raised by a US farmer representative at a White House roundtable, who alleged dumping by India, China and Thailand.

- ANI
Venezuela's Defence Minister, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, has strongly condemned the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro by the United States, labeling it a "kidnapping" and a grave violation of national sovereignty. He demanded the immediate release of both Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, stating the military fully supports the president. Padrino Lopez warned the international community that this action poses a threat to the global order and represents a revival of interventionist policies. He also called for calm within Venezuela, urging citizens to maintain peace and resume normal activities.

Venezuela's Defence Minister condemns the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro as a kidnapping and violation of sovereignty, demanding immediate release.

Caracas, January 5 Venezuela's Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez on Sunday strongly condemned the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro Moros by the United States, terming it a "kidnapping" and demanding his immediate release along with that of First Lady Cilia Flores, reported Elcooperante.

Addressing a press conference, Padrino Lopez said the detention of Maduro amounted to a serious violation of Venezuela's sovereignty and constitutional order. "Yesterday they kidnapped the person whom the Venezuelan people chose as their president, elected for the 2025-2030 term. Nicolas Maduro is the authentic and genuine constitutional leader of all Venezuelans," he said.

The Defence Minister described the arrest as an act of injustice, not only against Maduro but also against his wife. He said it was "an act of profound injustice unleashed against a man and also against a woman of Christian values and principles, who was taken away in handcuffs," writes Elcooperante.

Reiterating the stance of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), Padrino Lopez said the military fully supports Maduro and demanded the immediate release of both the President and the First Lady. "We demand the prompt release of our commander-in-chief and the first lady, Cilia Flores de Maduro," he said, as quoted by local media.

Padrino Lopez urged the international community to closely observe what he described as an attack on Venezuela's sovereignty. "We ask the world to observe everything that is happening against Venezuela, against our sovereignty and against our Constitution," he stated.

He also expressed gratitude to governments and people around the world who, according to him, have rejected what he termed a blatant intervention in Venezuelan internal affairs. The Defence Minister said such actions posed a broader risk beyond Venezuela.

"These acts represent a threat to the global order," he warned, adding that similar actions could be repeated against other sovereign nations. He criticised what he called a revival of interventionist policies, stating, "We in Venezuela reject this Monroe Doctrine and colonialist approach that they want to implement in Latin America and the Caribbean."

Calling for calm within the country, Padrino Lopez appealed to citizens to maintain peace and stability. He urged people to resume normal economic activities and respect constitutional processes.

"I call upon the people of Venezuela for peace and order, not to fall into the psychological warfare and fear they want to impose on us," he said, adding that the nation must return to and uphold its constitutional path.

- ANI
Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arrived at a New York courthouse for a hearing following their capture in a U.S. military operation. He faces charges including narco-terrorism and drug trafficking stemming from a superseding indictment. President Donald Trump declared the U.S. would "run" Venezuela to oversee a transition, linking the action to reclaiming American oil interests. The operation, part of months of intensified strikes, has raised international legal concerns and prompted a mixed response from Venezuelan officials.

Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro faces a US judge. The operation sparks international legal concerns as Trump states America will "run" Venezuela.

New York, January 5 Venezuela's deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrived at a New York courthouse on Monday, where Maduro is expected to appear before a judge, CNN reported.

Earlier in the morning, Maduro and Flores were transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to the courthouse.

They travelled by a combination of motorcade and helicopter, according to CNN.

The two were seen wearing tan outfits and were heavily escorted by armed Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents.

As legal proceedings moved forward in New York, developments reverberated beyond the courtroom.

Meanwhile, Venezuela's foreign ministry paid tribute to 32 Cuban citizens killed in the US attack on Caracas over the weekend.

It said they "gave their lives in the line of duty," CNN reported.

In a related legal development, deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro's court-appointed attorney for Monday's initial hearing will be David Wikstrom.

A person familiar with the matter told CNN.

Maduro's court appearance follows his capture during a military strike on Saturday.

In the immediate aftermath, President Donald Trump declared that America is "in charge."

At the same time, acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodriguez called for "cooperation" with the US, signalling a softer response to the attack, CNN reported.

US officials have indicated that Washington is working to establish a pliant interim government in Venezuela.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the focus remains on setting policy and maintaining "leverage."

During the same period, Trump made a series of broader remarks touching on other international issues.

These included implying potential military action in Colombia, urging Mexico to get its "act together" on drugs, and stating that the US "needs Greenland."

The developments stem from a pre-dawn US operation inside Venezuela.

During the operation, deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained and transferred to a US naval vessel before being flown to New York, according to the Trump administration.

US authorities have said that deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro is expected to face multiple charges.

These include narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons-related offences.

The operation followed months of intensified US military activity in the region.

Since September, Washington has launched dozens of strikes against vessels it claims were involved in drug trafficking linked to Venezuela.

These operations reportedly resulted in more than 115 deaths.

This has prompted legal experts to raise concerns over potential violations of international law.

US legal action against deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro dates back to President Donald Trump's first term.

A superseding indictment unsealed on Saturday added fresh allegations of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media that Maduro and others "will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts".

However, President Trump's own remarks added a broader political dimension to the case.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, he went beyond a law enforcement justification.

He stated that the United States would "run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition."

Trump also referred to reclaiming American oil interests in Venezuela.

- ANI
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the Indian Coast Guard Ship 'Samudra Pratap,' the first indigenous pollution control vessel, at Goa Shipyard. He stated the ship symbolizes India's collective resolve and will significantly bolster the nation's maritime self-confidence. The technologically advanced vessel is equipped for pollution response, search and rescue, coastal patrol, and firefighting. Its addition marks a major step in enhancing India's maritime safety and environmental protection capabilities.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissions ICGS Samudra Pratap, a major boost for India's maritime safety and self-reliance.

Panjim, January 5 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday commissioned Indian Coast Guard Ship 'Samudra Pratap,' the first of a series of two Pollution Control Vessels being constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was also present at the occasion.

Highlighting the capabilities of India's first indigenous pollution-control vessel, Rajnath Singh said the ship will bolster India's self-confidence.

"Commissioning of this ship will increase our strength. This ship is the symbol of our collective resolve. When this ship advances against the waves, then our Coast Guard and India's self-confidence will also be bolstered. I have been told that this ship is designed with a focus on pollution control, but I also believe it is capable of search and rescue operations, coastal patrol and is important in strengthening maritime safety," he said.

"Many capabilities have been integrated in this ship. This modern approach is the demand of today's maritime challenges. Samudra Pratap is India's first indigenous pollution control vessel," he added.

ICGS Samudra Pratap is the largest and most technologically advanced ship ever built for the Indian Coast Guard, and the first of a series of two Pollution Control Vessels (PCVs) being constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited. Vasco da Gama. The name "Samudra Pratap" signifying the Majesty of the Seas, epitomizes the Indian Coast Guard's resolve and commitment to ensuring safe, secure, and clean seas in pursuit of the nation's maritime interests.

The construction of the ship commenced on 23 February 2022. The ship's keel was laid on 21 November 2022. Purpose-built for pollution response at sea, ICGS Samudra Pratap is equipped with a comprehensive array of state-of-the-art pollution control systems, including side-sweeping arms, high-capacity oil recovery systems, floating booms, advanced skimmers, a dedicated pollution control laboratory, and portable barges for containment, recovery, and storage of spilt oil.

To augment maritime safety and fire-control capabilities, the vessel is also fitted with a powerful External Fire Fighting System (Fi-Fi Class 2) capable of combating large-scale fires on other vessels or offshore installations, enabling critical first-response support during maritime emergencies. ICGS Samudra Pratap integrates multiple modern automation and navigation systems such as the Dynamic Positioning System (DP), Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), and Automated Power Management System (APMS), ensuring precision, redundancy, and operational efficiency during demanding missions.

For maritime security duties, the ship is armed with a 30 mm CRN-91 gun and two 12.7 mm Stabilised Remote-Controlled Guns (SRCG), supported by advanced fire-control systems. With its unparalleled technological sophistication and comprehensive pollution-response and firefighting capabilities, ICGS Samudra Pratap stands as a proud testament to India's maritime self-reliance, shipbuilding excellence, and enduring commitment to ocean protection and national security.

The ship is manned by 14 officers and 115 men and will be based at Kochi under the administrative and operational control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (West) through the District Commander, Coast Guard District Headquarters No. 4 (Kochi).

The commissioning of a Coast Guard ship signifies the commencement of her active operational life in service. The addition of ICGS Samudra Pratap to the fleet will significantly enhance the Indian Coast Guard's operational strength and capability to ensure maritime safety, security, and preservation of the marine environment.

- ANI
The transportation of the world's largest Shivling to the Virat Ramayan Temple in East Champaran has been halted in Gopalganj, Bihar. Officials discovered cracks in a crucial bridge over the Gandak River, which cannot support the combined 370-tonne weight of the idol and its trailer. Teams from multiple agencies are inspecting the bridge and assessing two alternative routes, both of which also present significant structural challenges. The Shivling, crafted in Tamil Nadu, completed a 3,178-km journey before encountering this final logistical obstacle.

A 210-tonne Shivling's journey to a Bihar temple is stalled as officials inspect cracked bridges unable to bear its massive weight.

Patna, Jan 5 The Gopalganj district administration in Bihar is facing a major challenge in transporting the world's largest and heaviest Shivling due to the deteriorating condition of a bridge over the Gandak River, also known as the Narayani River in the region.

The Shivling reached Gopalganj on Sunday morning. District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Sinha said that teams from Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have been called to inspect the bridge before permitting the transportation of the Shivling.

In addition, Bihar Pul Nirman and Rural Work Department Minister Ashok Choudhary is also scheduled to arrive in Gopalganj to review the situation with officials and personally inspect the bridge.

During the initial inspection, cracks were found at several places on the bridge, raising serious safety concerns.

The Shivling weighs around 210 tonnes and is loaded on a 106-wheel trailer, which itself weighs approximately 160 tonnes.

The combined weight far exceeds the load-bearing capacity of the bridge, making transportation highly risky.

The Shivling was constructed in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, and took 32 days to reach Gopalganj, covering a distance of 3,178 kilometres.

The Shivling is scheduled to be transported to the Virat Ramayan Temple in Motihari, the district headquarters of East Champaran.

According to officials, there are two alternative routes to reach East Champaran, but the condition of both is not satisfactory.

One of the routes passes through the 70 Ghat bridge, located at Dumariaghat in Gopalganj district.

However, the bridge's structural condition, load-bearing capacity, and approach roads are not adequate to withstand the combined weight of the Shivling and the trailer.

The second route passes through the West Champaran district via Bettiah city.

Officials stated that this route also poses challenges, as several bridges and culverts lie along the way and would require detailed inspection before permitting the movement of such a heavy vehicle carrying the massive Shivling.

The administration is currently assessing all options to ensure the safe transportation of the Shivling.

- IANS
Photo: https://eurosolidarity.org/

The representative of the President of Ukraine did not appear at the meeting of the Board of Judges of the Cassation Administrative Court of the Supreme Court, where consideration of the lawsuit of the Peoples Deputy, leader of the European Solidarity party Petro Poroshenko, to cancel the decree on the introduction of sanctions against him continues, the political forces website reported on Monday.

Poroshenko believes that the authorities are artificially delaying the process. "There are no illusions that they will not win this case. The only winning tactic for them is to drag it out for 11 months," he said.

The politician also emphasizes that he remains the object of violation of electoral rights, cannot open an electoral account, sign electoral documents and participate in the elections, if they are appointed.

As reported, on February 13, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of February 12, 2025 "On the application of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions)." According to the appendix to the document, sanctions were imposed against five individuals: Poroshenko, Ihor Kolomoisky, former owner of the Finance and Credit bank Konstantin Zhevago, former co-owner of PrivatBank Gennady Boholiubov, and former Peoples Deputy Viktor Medvedchuk.

Poroshenko appealed the sanctions in the Supreme Court. On April 17, the court began considering the claim in the presence of peoples deputies of Ukraine, as well as diplomats from the European Union mission, representatives of the embassies of Germany, Poland, Austria, Sweden, Lithuania, and Denmark. Poroshenkos representatives emphasize that the sanctions were imposed illegally as a citizen of Ukraine who is in the country, while only Russia considers him a "terrorist." There are no grounds for sanctions under the law.

In December, the court attached to the case file the ECHR decision of October 16, 2025, in which the European Court of Human Rights recognizes that sanctioned persons in Ukraine do not have sufficient opportunity to protect their rights and due procedural guarantees during the judicial review of the decision to apply sanctions.
For the first time, scientists have reconstructed ancient genomes of Human betaherpesvirus 6A and 6B (HHV-6A/B) from archaeological human remains more than two millennia old. The study, led by the University of Vienna and University of Tartu (Estonia) and published in Science Advances, confirms that these viruses have been evolving with and within humans since at least the Iron Age. The findings trace the long history of HHV-6 integration into human chromosomes and suggest that HHV-6A lost this ability early on.

HHV-6B infects about 90 percent of children by the age of two and is best known as the cause of roseola infantum  or "sixth disease"  the leading cause of febrile seizures in young children. Together with its close relative HHV-6A, it belongs to a group of widespread human herpesviruses that typically establish lifelong, latent infections after an initial mild illness in early childhood. What makes them exceptional is their ability to integrate into human chromosomes  a feature that allows the virus to remain dormant and, in rare cases, to be inherited as part of the host's own genome. Such inherited viral copies occur in roughly one percent of people today. While earlier studies had hypothesized that these integrations were ancient, the new data from this study provide the first direct genomic proof.

Recovering viral DNA from the distant past

An international research team led by the University of Vienna and the University of Tartu (Estonia)  in collaboration with the University of Cambridge and University College London  screened nearly 4,000 human skeletal samples from archaeological sites across Europe. Eleven ancient viral genomes were identified and reconstructed  the oldest from a young girl of the Iron Age Italy (1100600 BCE). The remaining individuals covered a wide geographic and temporal range: Both types of HHV were found in medieval England, Belgium and Estonia, while HHV-6B also appeared in samples from Italy and early historic Russia. Several of the English individuals carried inherited forms of HHV-6B, making them the earliest known carriers of chromosomally integrated human herpesviruses. The Belgian site of Sint-Truiden yielded the largest number of cases, with both viral species circulating within the same population.

While HHV-6 infects almost 90% of the human population at some point in their life, only around 1% carry the virus, which was inherited from your parents, in all cells of their body. These 1% of cases are what we are most likely to identify using ancient DNA, making the search for viral sequences quite difficult. Based on our data, the viruses' evolution can now be traced over more than 2,500 years across Europe, using genomes from the 8th-6th century BCE until today." Meriam Guellil, lead researcher of the study, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna

Ancient integrations, lasting consequences

The recovered genomes allowed the researchers to determine where in the chromosomes the viruses had integrated. Comparisons with modern data revealed that some integrations happened a very long time ago and passed down through generations for millennia. One of the two viral species (HHV-6A) appears to have lost its ability to integrate into human DNA over time  evidence that these viruses have evolved differently while coexisting with their human hosts.

"Carrying a copy of HHV6B in your genome has been linked to anginaheart-disease", says Charlotte Houldcroft (Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge). "We know that these inherited forms of HHV6A and B are more common in the UK today compared to the rest of Europe, and this is the first evidence of ancient carriers from Britain."

A new chapter in virushost evolution

The discovery of these ancient HHV-6 genomes provides the first time-stamped evidence for the long-term co-evolution of this virus with humans at the genomic level. It also shows how ancient DNA can reveal the long-term evolution of infectious diseases  from short-lived childhood infections to viral sequences that became part of the human genome. Discovered only in the 1980s, HHV-6A and HHV-6B can now be traced back to the Iron Age, offering direct genomic evidence for an ancient, shared history between viruses and humans. "Modern genetic data suggested that HHV-6 may have been evolving with humans since our migration out of Africa," says Guellil. "These ancient genomes now provide first concrete proof of their presence in the deep human past."
A couple of years ago, Matthew Hurley got the kind of text people fear.

It said: "When was the last time you were STD tested?"

Someone Hurley had recently had unprotected sex with had just tested positive for HIV.

Hurley went to a clinic and got tested. "Luckily, I had not caught HIV, but it was a wake-up call," they said.

That experience moved Hurley to seek out PrEP, shorthand for preexposure prophylaxis. The antiretroviral medication greatly reduces the chance of getting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The therapy is 99% effective at protecting people against sexual transmission when taken as prescribed.

Hurley started PrEP and all was well for the first nine months - until their health insurance changed and they started seeing a new doctor: "When I brought PrEP up to him, he said, 'Whats that?' And I was like, oh boy."

Hurley, who is a librarian, went into teaching mode. They explained that the PrEP regimen they'd been on required daily pills and lab work every three months to look out for breakthrough infections or other health issues.

Hurley was surprised they knew more about PrEP than the physician. The FDA approved the first drug, Truvada, back in 2012, and Hurley lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, a place with one of the highest concentrations of LGBTQ+ people in the nation and a deep history of HIV and health care activism. Hurley said older friends and acquaintances who survived the AIDS epidemic shared the horror of living through a time when there was no effective treatment or drugs for prevention. Deciding to take PrEP felt like an empowering way to protect their health and their community.

So Hurley pushed the doctor, and after the physician did his own research, he agreed to prescribe PrEP.

Hurley got the care they needed, but they had to be the expert in the exam room.

"That's a big burden," said Beth Oller, a family medicine physician and board member of GLMA, a national organization of LGBTQ+ and allied health care professionals focused on health equity. "You really want someone you can just go in and talk [to] about your health concerns without feeling like you are having to educate and advocate for yourself at every turn."

Oller said many queer people have had negative experiences during health care visits.

"I have a lot of patients who had not done preventive care for years because of the medical stigma," she said.

Billing headaches

Clearing the access hurdles to HIV prevention medicine was just the beginning. Hurley started receiving a string of bills for PrEP-related care. Blood test: $271.80. Office visit: $263.

Again, Hurley was surprised. They knew - even if the billing office didn't - that under the Affordable Care Act most private insurance plans and Medicaid expansion programs are required to cover PrEP and ancillary services, like lab tests, as preventive with no cost sharing.

The bills for doctor visits and blood draws piled up.

Hurley would appeal the bill and get a denial almost every time. Then, they would appeal again.

Hurley shared a series of appeal letters for one service, in which the billing office acknowledged that blood work had been initially incorrectly coded as diagnostic. Once that was corrected, Hurley said, the insurer paid for the service.

That might sound quick or easy to resolve, but Hurley said it took "forever to get through the process." They dealt with at least six incorrect bills over several months. Hurley estimated they spent more than 60 hours contesting the bills.

During that time, Hurley said, the billing department "is continuing to send me emails and bills that are saying, Youre overdue. Youre overdue. Youre overdue."

Fed up with the hassles, Hurley decided to find a health provider (and billing office) better informed about PrEP. They settled on the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The care team there was able to discuss the pros and cons of different PrEP regimens and knew how to navigate the formulary for Hurley's insurance.

Hurley hasn't gotten an unexpected bill since.

But siloing sexual health care and PrEP off from primary care hasn't been ideal.

"I have multiple organizations that I have to deal with to get my holistic health dealt with," Hurley said.

A provider doesn't need to be an HIV specialist, an infectious disease expert, or a physician to prescribe PrEP. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages primary care providers to treat PrEP like other preventive medications.

To avoid some of the headaches Hurley faced, try these tips:

1. Find out if PrEP is right for you

The CDC estimates 2.2 million Americans could benefit from HIV prevention drugs, but just over a quarter of that group have been prescribed them.

"Not enough people know about PrEP, and there are a number of people who know about PrEP but do not realize it's for them," said Jeremiah Johnson, executive director of PrEP4All, an organization dedicated to universal access to HIV prevention and medication.

According to the CDC's clinical guidelines, PrEP can be prescribed as part of a preventive health plan to anyone whos sexually active. It's especially recommended for people who don't use condoms consistently, intravenous drug users who share needles, men who have sex with men, and people in relationships with partners living with HIV or whose HIV status is unclear.

The vast majority of PrEP users are men. There are big race, gender, and geographical disparities in the distribution of HIV and the populations taking the prevention medicine. For example, based on the patterns of new infection in the U.S., a group that would benefit from PrEP is cisgender Black women, whose gender identity aligns with their sex assigned at birth.

2. Don't assume your provider knows about PrEP

If your doctors aren't well informed, start by educating yourself. There are also clinical guidelines and information you can share with your provider. Check your state or local health department for a how-to guide for prescribing PrEP. For example, the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute has information for providers.

The CDC also has PrEP guidelines, but many of the agency's websites dealing with LGBTQ+ health are in flux. Under the Trump administration, some HIV/AIDS resources have been taken down from federal websites. Others now have headers saying: "This page does not reflect biological reality and therefore the Administration and this Department rejects it."

3. Get lab work in-network

Johnson said Hurley's experience with billing mistakes is common. "The lab expenses in particular end up being very tricky," Johnson said.

For example, a doctor's office may mistakenly code the lab work required for PrEP as a diagnostic test instead of preventive care. Patients like Hurley can end up with a bill they shouldn't have to pay. If your doctor's office is making mistakes, share the PrEP billing and coding guide from NASTAD, an association of public health officials who administer HIV and hepatitis programs.

Try to get your lab work done in-network. If the lab is out-of-network, Johnson said, it can be difficult to appeal.

If the bills keep coming, appeal them. And if you can't resolve the dispute, Johnson said, file a complaint with the agency that regulates your insurance plan.

4. Look for ways to save

There are different kinds of PrEP. There are lower-cost, generic versions of Truvada, for example, sold as emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, often shortened to FTC/TDF. Newer PrEP drugs Apretude and Yeztugo have list prices in the thousands of dollars. Check your insurance formulary and ask your doctor to prescribe medicine your plan will cover.

With many health care premiums dramatically increasing and millions at risk of losing Medicaid coverage, many people may go without health insurance this year. Drug manufacturers such as Gilead and ViiV have assistance programs for qualifying patients. If you have to pay out-of-pocket, prescription price comparison websites, like GoodRx, can help you find the pharmacies with the cheapest price.

5. Consider telehealth

Telehealth is an increasingly popular option if you don't live near an affirming provider or are looking for a more private way to get PrEP. In 2024, roughly 1 in 5 people on PrEP used telemedicine. Online pharmacies like Mistr and Q Care Plus offer PrEP without an in-person appointment, and lab work can be done at home. Some telehealth options have ways to lower the cost if you're uninsured.

Telehealth can also broaden the number of doctors who are ready to prescribe PrEP. And some patients say speaking with a remote provider feels like a safer setting to talk about sexual health. "Theyre in the comfort of their own bedroom or living room but can interface virtually with a provider. It can open up a lot of doors for honesty and trust," said Alex Sheldon, executive director of GLMA.

6. Seek out affirming care

GLMA created the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory, a searchable database of health care providers across the nation who identify as queer-friendly. As Hurley discovered, living in a major metro area is no guarantee your doctor is up to date on LGBTQ+ health care.

Ask locals you trust for recommendations. You might be surprised to find good options nearby.

Health Care Helpline helps you navigate the health system hurdles between you and good care. Send us your tricky question and we may tap a policy sleuth to puzzle it out. The crowdsourced project is a joint production of NPR and KFF Health News.
18-year-old killed in Delhi stabbing; another injured: Police

Last Updated: January 06, 2026, 01:00 IST

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New Delhi, Jan 6 (PTI) An 18-year-old man was killed and another seriously injured after a stabbing incident in northeast Delhis Welcome area, police said on Tuesday.

The deceased has been identified as Arman (18), a resident of Welcome, while the injured person, Altaf Ali (18), is undergoing treatment at the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital.

A PCR call regarding the incident was received late on Monday, police said.

A team was immediately rushed to the spot where the two youths were found lying injured with stab wounds, they said.

Both were rushed to the hospital, but Arman was declared brought dead.

Altafs condition is currently stated to be stable, police said.

A senior police officer said that the initial inquiry suggests that a stabbing took place following a dispute, though the exact sequence of events leading to the incident is yet to be ascertained.

Statements of witnesses present in the area are being recorded to establish the circumstances under which the crime occurred, the officer said.

A case has been registered at the Welcome police station under relevant sections of the BNS, police said.

The crime team and forensic experts were called to the scene, where they conducted a detailed inspection and collected crucial evidence, including blood samples and other material clues, they added.

According to police, multiple teams have been formed to identify and apprehend the accused involved in the incident.

CCTV footage from the surrounding area is being scanned to trace the movements of the suspects before and after the crime, officials said.

Police said that efforts are also being made to ascertain whether the accused and the victims knew each other, and whether any previous enmity existed between them. PTI SSJ PRK PRK

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Ahead of SME IPO, Gabion Tech raises Rs 8.2 cr from anchor investors

Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 21:45 IST

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New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) Gabion Technologies India, a geotechnical engineering and infrastructure solutions firm, on Monday said it has collected Rs 8.2 crore from anchor investors ahead of its initial share sale in the SME segment on BSE.

The company has allocated a little over 10.22 lakh equity shares at Rs 81 per share to eight entities, including HDFC Bank, 360-ONE group, and Neo Asset Management, aggregating to Rs 8.28 crore, according to a circular uploaded on BSEs website.

The Rs 29.16-crore initial public offering (IPO) will open for public subscription on January 6 and conclude on January 8.

The IPO is entirely a fresh issue of 36 lakh shares at a fixed price band of Rs 76-81 per share.

Proceeds from the fresh issue will be used for working capital requirements, capital expenditure for the purchase of plant and machinery and general corporate purposes.

Incorporated in 2008, Gabion Technologies India manufactures, designs, and installs services of Gabions, rockfall protection nettings, and geosynthetic materials to meet the requirements of infrastructure development and environmental protection projects.

The companys shares are proposed to be listed on the BSEs SME platform.

GYR Capital Advisors is the sole book-running lead manager for the IPO. PTI HG HG BAL BAL

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EAM Jaishankar meets IEA Executive Director in France

Last Updated: January 06, 2026, 00:00 IST

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Paris, Jan 5 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and discussed global energy issues including oil markets and nuclear power.

Jaishankar is on a six-day visit to France and Luxembourg.

He met the International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director earlier in the day.

Pleased to meet Executive Director @IEA @fbirol this morning. Appreciate his assessment of the global energy scenario and his support for Indias growth and development," the external affairs minister said in an X post.

Birol, in a social media post said he was delighted" to meet Jaishankar for warm and productive" talks in Paris.

We spoke about global energy issues including oil markets, nuclear power & critical minerals, as well as Indias strong commitment to become a full @IEA Member." Separately, Jaishankar also interacted with participants of the French-Indian Young Talents Program by Chambre de Commerce et dIndustrie Franco Indienne in Paris.

Discussed the transformations underway in the world and the importance of India-France collaboration in that context," he said on X.

During his visit to France, Jaishankar will meet the French leadership and hold talks with Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

He will also be visiting Luxembourg, where he will hold discussions with Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and with other senior leaders. PTI GRS GRS GRS

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Indian woman found dead in US; embassy extends consular support

Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 09:45 IST

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Ellicott City [USA], January 5 (ANI): The Indian Embassy in Washington said it is in touch with the family of Nikitha Godishala and is extending all possible consular assistance, while closely following the matter with local authorities, after the Indian national was found dead in the United States.According to local police in Maryland, the 27-year-old woman, originally from India, had been reported missing earlier this week. Her body was later recovered from an apartment in Columbia, Maryland, where she had been residing, police said.Investigators have identified her former boyfriend as the prime suspect in the case. Police said the suspect allegedly reported her missing and left the United States shortly thereafter. Authorities have issued arrest warrants on charges including first and second degree murder, and are coordinating with federal agencies regarding next steps.The Indian Embassy said it is providing all required support to the bereaved family, including assistance with documentation and coordination with local officials. The Embassy is also monitoring developments in the investigation and remains in touch with concerned agencies, an official statement said.Friends and community members described Godishala as a young professional who had moved to the United States for higher studies and work opportunities. Members of the Indian diaspora in the region expressed shock over the incident and called for swift justice.The case has drawn attention amid growing concerns over the safety of Indian nationals abroad. The Embassy has advised Indian citizens in the United States to remain vigilant and to reach out to consular officials in case of emergency.Meanwhile, local authorities said the investigation is ongoing and further details will be released as appropriate. They urged anyone with information related to the case to contact law enforcement.The family of Ms. Godishala has sought privacy as legal processes continue. Officials said cooperation between Indian and United States authorities would continue to ensure that the matter is pursued in accordance with law.Police said consular coordination would remain essential as the case proceeds across jurisdictions, and reiterated that updates would be shared following established legal procedures and court processes in due course, subject to investigation requirements and judicial timelines. (ANI)

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Leela Palaces incorporates new subsidiary for luxury hotels, resorts

Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 21:45 IST

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New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) Leela Palaces Hotels and Resorts on Monday said it has incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary to own, operate, manage, and develop luxury hotels and resorts under the The Leela" brand.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs issued the Certificate of Incorporation for Leela Imperial Suites Private Ltd" on January 5.

The main object of the company is to own, operate, manage and develop luxury hotels and resorts under The Leela brand," Leela Hotels and Resorts said in a regulatory filing.

Leela Imperial was incorporated in India and registered with the Registrar of Companies, Delhi, on January 05, 2026 and is yet to commence its business operations, it added.

The company further informed that it holds 100 per cent of the share capital of Leela Imperial, along with its nominee shareholders. PTI RSN DRR

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Canadas Special Representative for Ukraines Reconstruction, former Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, as his economic development advisor.

"Today, I appointed Chrystia Freeland as my economic development advisor. Chrystia is an expert in these issues and has significant experience in attracting investments and conducting economic transformations," Zelenskyy said on Telegram on Monday.
Maduro's son calls father's capture kidnapping, seeks international solidarity

Last Updated: January 06, 2026, 01:30 IST

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Caracas [Venezuela], January 6 (ANI): Nicolas Maduro Guerra, son of Venezuelas deposed dictator, on Monday (local time) described the US capture of his father as a kidnapping" and called for international solidarity" to facilitate his return to Venezuela, CNN reported on Monday (local time).Maduro Guerra made the remarks during a session of Venezuelas National Assembly, held two days after Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken in a US military operation in Caracas. He condemned the operation as a violation of Venezuelas sovereignty and warned that similar actions could occur in other countries, according to CNN.If we normalise the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe. Today its Venezuela, tomorrow it could be any nation that refuses to submit. This is not a regional problem; it is a direct threat to global stability, to humanity and to the sovereign equality of nations," he said during his speech.People of the world, I say to you: international solidarity with Nicolas, with Cilia, with Venezuela, is not an optional political gesture; it is an ethical and legal duty. Silence in the face of these violations implicates those who remain silent and weakens the international system that everyone claims to defend," Maduro Guerra added.As per CNN, Maduro Guerra also addressed being named in the latest US indictment against his father, Flores, and others, who face allegations of drug trafficking and weapons-related offences. Rejecting the charges, he said, My family and I are being persecuted."Meanwhile, Venezuelas ousted leader, Nicolas Maduro, pleaded not guilty to multiple federal charges during his appearance before a New York City federal court on Monday, according to CNN.Maduro raised questions over the legality of his arrest during his first appearance before a US federal court in New York, claiming he was detained at his residence in Caracas, Venezuela, CNN reported.Speaking directly to the judge within minutes of the hearing, Maduro said, I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela."The remark signalled what is expected to be a central plank of his legal defence  that his arrest by US law enforcement on foreign soil amounted to an unlawful operation.Maduros legal team has described the arrest as a military abduction," arguing that the late-night operation violated international law and due process protections. The defence is expected to challenge the jurisdiction of the US courts by questioning the circumstances under which the Venezuelan leader was taken into custody.This is not the first instance of a defendant advancing such a claim. More than 30 years ago, Panamas former leader, Manuel Noriega, argued that the United States had breached international law and due process by invading Panama and arresting him on foreign soil, according to CNN.That defence, however, did not succeed. Courts at the time declined to examine the legality of the US invasion and instead confined their review to the charges detailed in Noriegas indictment. It remains uncertain whether the judiciary will revisit that legal precedent in Maduros case, CNN reported.It is uncommon for a defendant to address the court during an initial appearance, as defence lawyers generally advise against speaking due to the risk that prosecutors could later use statements.As Maduro spoke in court on Monday, Judge Alvin Hellerstein issued a similar caution as the Venezuelan president spoke. There will be a time and a place to go into all of this," the judge said.Maduros court appearance follows his capture during a military strike on Saturday. In the immediate aftermath, President Donald Trump declared that America is in charge." At the same time, acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodriguez called for cooperation" with the US, signalling a softer response to the attack, CNN reported.US officials have indicated that Washington is working to establish a pliant interim government in Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the focus remains on setting policy and maintaining leverage."During the same period, Trump made a series of broader remarks touching on other international issues. These included implying potential military action in Colombia, urging Mexico to get its act together" on drugs, and stating that the US needs Greenland."The developments stem from a pre-dawn US operation inside Venezuela. During the operation, deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained and transferred to a US naval vessel before being flown to New York, according to the Trump administration.US authorities have said that deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro is expected to face multiple charges. These include narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons-related offences. The operation followed months of intensified US military activity in the region.Since September, Washington has launched dozens of strikes against vessels it claims were involved in drug trafficking linked to Venezuela. These operations reportedly resulted in more than 115 deaths. The operations have also prompted certain legal experts to raise concerns over potential violations of international law.US legal action against deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro dates back to President Donald Trumps first term. A superseding indictment unsealed on Saturday added fresh allegations of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine.Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media that Maduro and others will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts". However, President Trumps own remarks added a broader political dimension to the case.Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, he went beyond a law enforcement justification. He stated that the United States would run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition." Trump also referred to reclaiming American oil interests in Venezuela. (ANI)

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Seven-year-old boy killed after being hit by water tanker in Karachi's Manghopir

Last Updated: January 06, 2026, 01:30 IST

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Karachi [Pakistan], January 6 (ANI): A seven-year-old boy was killed after being hit by a water tanker in Karachis Manghopir area, police and rescue officials said, marking yet another fatal incident involving a heavy vehicle, Dawn reported. Senior Superintendent of Police (West) Tariq Illahi Mastoi said on Monday tgat the tanker driver was speeding along a street in Manghopir when the vehicle struck the child. The boy suffered critical injuries and died at the scene, he added.Police arrested the driver and seized the tanker, according to an official police statement. The childs body was later taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital to complete medicolegal procedures, as per Dawn.The incident comes days after another deadly crash in the city. Last week, a 20-year-old female motorcyclist was killed when a trailer hit her on the main Mehran Highway near MN Textile in Landhi. Quaidabad Station House Officer Mohammad Ali Shah told Dawn that the driver of a 10-wheeler was involved in the collision.According to official figures, 803 people lost their lives in road accidents across the city in 2025. However, the Karachi traffic police said conditions began to improve during the latter half of the year, Dawn reported.In its annual road accident report, the department recorded a decline in both deaths and injuries, attributing the improvement to stricter enforcement measures, data-driven interventions, and enhanced coordination with transport stakeholders. The report noted that 477 fatalities were recorded during the first six months of the year, compared to 326 deaths in the latter half, as per Dawn.Meanwhile, despite police claims of an overall decline in crime, street criminals continued to pose a serious threat to residents of Karachi in 2025, with more than 64,000 street crime cases recorded and over 70 people killed in such incidents, Dawn reported.Official data based on registered FIRs show that a total of 64,323 incidents of street crime, including robbery, mobile phone snatching, and vehicle snatching or theft, were reported during 2025.However, the actual number is believed to be significantly higher, as many victims either do not approach police stations or are discouraged from registering cases, according to Dawn. (ANI)

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Street vendor stabbed to death over parking dispute in Delhi, 2 held

Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 21:30 IST

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New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) A 35-year-old man was allegedly stabbed to death by two men after he objected to them parking their motorcycle near a dhaba in northwest Delhis Aman Vihar, police said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Sahil and Harsh alias Noni, had stopped their motorcycle at a dhaba to take food, when Avinash, who ran an egg cart nearby, allegedly objected and abused them, they said.

Following this, a scuffle ensued between the two sides.

The victim, who found lying injured around 2 am on January 1 in Aman Vihar, was initially taken to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital and later shifted to Safdarjung Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries the next day, they said.

Medical reports confirmed stab injuries as the cause of death, following which a case was registered under Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a senior police officer said.

During the investigation, teams from the Mobile Crime Unit and the Forensic Science Laboratory, Rohini, inspected the scene of the crime and collected forensic evidence.

Based on technical surveillance and human intelligence, police apprehended Sahil, a resident of Pooth Kalan, he said.

During interrogation, Sahil allegedly confessed to his involvement in the crime and disclosed the role of his associate, Harsh, who was subsequently apprehended, police added.

They said further investigation is underway to recover the motorcycle and the weapon used in the commission of the crime. PTI SSJ SSJ NB NB

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 21:30 IST

News agency-feeds Street vendor stabbed to death over parking dispute in Delhi, 2 held

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Switzerland orders immediate freeze of assets linked to Nicolas Maduro

Last Updated: January 06, 2026, 02:15 IST

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Bern [Switzerland], January 6 (ANI): Switzerland on Monday announced the immediate freezing of any Swiss-based assets linked to Venezuelas deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro, saying that if the assets are found to be of illicit origin, efforts will be made to ensure they benefit the Venezuelan population, the Swiss Federal Government said on Monday.In a statement posted on X, the Swiss Federal Government said the move takes effect immediately and applies to all Swiss-based assets linked to Maduro.Venezuela: With immediate effect, Switzerland is freezing any Swiss-based assets linked to Nicolas Maduro. If any assets turn out to be of illicit origin, Switzerland will do its best to ensure that these benefit the Venezuelan population," the Swiss government said in the post.

Venezuela: With immediate effect, Switzerland is freezing any Swiss-based assets linked to Nicolas Maduro. If any assets turn out to be of illicit origin, Switzerland will do its best to ensure that these benefit the Venezuelan population. https://t.co/VdnJczonua Swiss Federal Government (@SwissGov) January 5, 2026

According to an official press release from the Swiss government, on January 5, 2026 (local time), the Federal Council decided to freeze any assets held in Switzerland by Nicolas Maduro and other persons associated with him, with immediate effect.In doing so, the Federal Council aims to prevent an outflow of assets. The asset freeze does not affect members of the current Venezuelan government. Should future legal proceedings reveal that the funds were illicitly acquired, Switzerland will endeavour to ensure that they benefit the Venezuelan people. The asset freeze is in addition to the sanctions against Venezuela that have been in place since 2018 under the Embargo Act," the release said.Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was arrested by US forces in Caracas and flown to the United States. As per the release, on January 3, 2026, the situation is volatile, and several scenarios are possible in the coming days and weeks."The release stated that Switzerland is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela. It has called for de-escalation, restraint and compliance with international law, including the prohibition of the use of force and the principle of respect for territorial integrity. Switzerland has also repeatedly offered its good offices to all sides in order to find a peaceful solution to the situation.The Federal Council wants to ensure that any illicitly acquired assets cannot be transferred out of Switzerland in the current situation. Under the Federal Act on the Freezing and the Restitution of Illicit Assets Held by Foreign Politically Exposed Persons (FIAA), it has therefore decided, as a precautionary measure, to freeze any assets held in Switzerland by Mr Maduro and other persons associated with him. The asset freeze does not affect any members of the current Venezuelan government," the release added.According to a release, this asset freeze issued in accordance with the FIAA is in addition to the existing sanctions against Venezuela under the Embargo Act, which have been in force since 2018 and also include asset freezes. The new asset freezes under the FIAA target individuals who have not previously been sanctioned in Switzerland. The reasons behind Mr Maduros fall from power do not play a decisive role in asset freezes under the FIAA. Nor does the question of whether the fall from power occurred lawfully or in violation of international law. The decisive factor is that a fall from power has occurred and that it is now possible that the country of origin will initiate legal proceedings in the future with regard to illicitly acquired assets.The asset freeze serves to enable any future mutual legal assistance proceedings. Should these reveal that the funds were illicitly acquired, Switzerland will endeavour to use them for the benefit of the Venezuelan people," the release said.As per the release, the asset freeze comes into force today with immediate effect and will remain valid for four years until further notice. (ANI)

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First Published: January 06, 2026, 02:15 IST

News agency-feeds Switzerland orders immediate freeze of assets linked to Nicolas Maduro

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Why target college students with free laptops ahead of assembly poll: AIADMK

Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 21:45 IST

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Chennai, Jan 5 (PTI) Opposition AIADMK on Monday questioned the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu over the rollout of the free laptop scheme for college students and termed the move as deception." In a social media post, the partys IT Wing claimed that the DMK government has been deceiving the youth for four and a half years by not giving laptops and was now staging a drama for political gains." The free laptop scheme envisages the distribution of 20 lakh laptops. As many as 10 lakh laptops are set to be distributed in the first, current phase and an allocation of Rs 2,000 crore has been made for this initiative this fiscal.

TVK joint general secretary C T R Nirmal Kumar flayed the government for coming up with several announcements like pension scheme for government employees and laptops for students.

All this is meant to deceive the people," he told reporters here. PTI JSP JSP SA

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 21:45 IST

News agency-feeds Why target college students with free laptops ahead of assembly poll: AIADMK

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Bank Employees Plan Nationwide Strike On January 27 Over 5-Day Work Week Demand

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 10:26 IST

United Forum of Bank Unions calls a nationwide strike on January 27, 2026, demanding a five-day banking week.

Bank Strike In January: UFBU has urged all bank employees to participate in the strike [Pic Credit: All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC)]

Bank Employee Strike News: Bank employees unions, under the umbrella of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), have announced a nationwide strike on January 27, 2026, with a long-standing demand for a five-day banking week.

In a circular issued on January 4, the All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) said the strike call comes after what it described as a lack of response from the government on a demand that was already agreed upon during the wage revision settlement signed in March 2024 between the Indian Banks Association (IBA) and bank unions.

Hence it has been decided to give the call for All India Strike in all the Banks on 27th January, 2026. March on and make the strike a success," stated in the AIBOC circular.

What Is The Demand?

The unions are seeking the introduction of a five-day work week for banks, with Saturdays off, similar to several other financial and government institutions. As of now, bank employees get off only on second and fourth Saturdays.

According to the unions, the remaining two Saturdays were to be declared holidays as part of the earlier settlement, but the decision is yet to be implemented.

UFBU said bank employees have already shown flexibility by agreeing to work an additional 40 minutes per day from Monday to Friday to ensure there is no loss of man-hours. The unions argue that institutions such as the RBI, LIC, GIC, stock exchanges, money markets, and even central and state government offices already follow a five-day work schedule.

Campaign And Protests So Far

The unions have been running demonstrations across the country and recently carried out a social media campaign on X (formerly Twitter) to push their demand. According to AIBOC, the campaign received over 18.8 lakh impressions and more than 3 lakh posts, which unions termed a commendable success".

Despite this, the government has not moved forward on the implementation, prompting the decision to escalate the agitation.

Impact On Customers

If the strike goes ahead, banking services across public and private sector banks could be affected on Tuesday, January 27. It will include branch operations, cheque clearances, cash transactions, and customer services, though online and ATM services may continue to function with limited impact.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 10:26 IST

News business banking-finance Bank Employees Plan Nationwide Strike On January 27 Over 5-Day Work Week Demand

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USVenezuela Tensions Fuel Global Crude Worries, But Indias Exposure Remains Limited; Heres Why

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 07:42 IST

US action in Venezuela is unlikely to impact India, as oil imports are minimal and easing sanctions could even benefit Indian firms

US action in Venezuela is unlikely to impact India

US President Donald Trump has jolted global markets after ordering airstrikes on Venezuela and detaining President Nicolas Maduro on charges related to narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. Given Venezuelas status as the country with the worlds largest proven oil reserves, the escalation has sparked concerns about potential fallout for major economies, including India.

However, the economic impact on India is expected to be minimal. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said Indias exposure to Venezuela has sharply diminished over the years due to US sanctions.

India faces negligible impact, as trade with Venezuela has collapsed under sanctions, with crude imports down 81.3 per cent in FY2025 and overall bilateral trade remaining marginal," GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava told PTI.

IndiaVenezuela trade in decline

India was once a major buyer of Venezuelan crude, importing over 400,000 barrels per day at the peak during the 2000s and 2010s. That relationship weakened significantly after US sanctions were imposed in 2019, prompting India to cut oil imports and scale back commercial engagement to avoid secondary sanctions, Srivastava said.

In FY2025, Indias total imports from Venezuela stood at $364.5 million, of which $255.3 million was crude oil. This marked an 81.3 per cent drop from crude imports worth $1.4 billion in FY2024. Indias exports to Venezuela were limited to $95.3 million, including pharmaceutical shipments valued at $41.4 million.

Given the low trade volumes, existing sanctions constraints, and the large geographical distance, the current developments in Venezuela are not expected to have any meaningful impact on Indias economy or energy security," Srivastava was quoted as saying by PTI.

Venezuela accounts for roughly 18 per cent of global oil reserves, surpassing Saudi Arabia (around 16 per cent), Russia (56 per cent), and the United States (about 4 per cent).

Potential upside for India

Industry sources and analysts cited by PTI suggest that a US-led intervention or restructuring of Venezuelas oil sector could, in fact, benefit India. Such a scenario could help unlock nearly $1 billion in long-pending dues owed to Indian entities and revive production in oilfields where India has existing stakes.

ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) holds a 40 per cent stake in the San Cristobal oilfield in eastern Venezuela. US sanctions have restricted access to critical technology, services and equipment, leaving commercially viable reserves underutilised.

Venezuela has also withheld dividend payments of $536 million due to OVL up to 2014, with a similar amount pending for subsequent years, after the country refused to allow audits, effectively freezing Indias claims.

Officials familiar with the matter said that easing sanctions could allow OVL to redeploy rigs and equipment from ONGCs oilfields in Gujarat to San Cristobal, where production has fallen to just 5,00010,000 barrels per day. With additional wells and modern equipment, the onshore field has the potential to produce between 80,000 and 1,00,000 barrels per day, they added, noting that ONGC already owns rigs suitable for such operations.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 07:42 IST

News business economy USVenezuela Tensions Fuel Global Crude Worries, But Indias Exposure Remains Limited; Heres Why

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US-Venezuela Conflict: 10 Indian Stocks To Watch Amid Rising Tensions

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 14:20 IST

Indias exposure to Venezuela spans multiple sectors, led by oil and gas

US-Venezuela Conflict

The United States military action against Venezuela has renewed attention on Indian listed companies with varying degrees of exposure to the Latin American nation through energy assets, crude trade, engineering services, and pharmaceutical operations.

The strikes, which targeted Venezuelas air defence systems and followed months of escalating pressure on President Nicolas Maduros government, have heightened investor uncertainty. Here is a comprehensive list of Indian companies with exposure to or a presence in Venezuela.

Oil and gas companies dominate Indias exposure

Indias exposure to Venezuela spans multiple sectors, led by oil and gas. ONGC holds equity stakes in two oil projects in the country, giving it a direct upstream presence. On the refining side, Reliance Industries (RIL) has historically been a major importer of Venezuelan crude.

According to international brokerage Jefferies, both companies are seen as key potential beneficiaries of a prospective US-led takeover and restructuring of Venezuelas oil industry.

Analysts argue that the two companies could benefit through improved crude supplies, recovery of cash flows, and potential valuation upside if sanctions on Caracas are eased or lifted. Reliance Industries hit a record high on Monday, while ONGC pared gains to end about 2 percent lower.

IOC, Oil India and MRPL also have Venezuela-linked exposure

Indian Oil Corporation is a consortium partner in Venezuelas Carabobo heavy oil project and has exposure through equity participation. Oil India is a minority partner in a Venezuelan oil joint venture alongside ONGC and Indian Oil.

Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals (MRPL) has also sourced Venezuelan crude in the past. Any disruption to Venezuelas oil production, exports, or logistics following the US strikes could impact these companies.

Engineering presence through overseas operations

Beyond energy, Engineers India has an overseas office in Caracas to support its international engineering and consultancy operations, giving it an on-ground presence in the country.

Pharma companies with trade and subsidiary exposure

Indian pharmaceutical companies also feature among those linked to Venezuela. Sun Pharma has a registered Venezuelan subsidiary, while Glenmark Pharma operates in the country through a locally registered entity.

Cipla has historically exported essential medicines to Venezuela, indicating trade exposure. Dr Reddys Laboratories earlier had a subsidiary in Venezuela but divested its entire stake in 2024, reducing its current exposure.

Geopolitical risks remain elevated

The US operation, which involved disabling Venezuelas air defence systems and a swift military raid in Caracas that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, has drawn mixed international reactions. The United Nations and several legal experts have raised questions over the legality of the action.

For Indian companies with links to Venezuela, the latest developments highlight the risks associated with geopolitical flashpoints and overseas operations, particularly in regions marked by prolonged political and economic instability.

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: January 05, 2026, 14:20 IST

News business markets US-Venezuela Conflict: 10 Indian Stocks To Watch Amid Rising Tensions

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SBI To Boost IndiaIsrael Trade Using Indian Rupee Amid FTA Talks

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 14:14 IST

State Bank of India boosts IndiaIsrael trade in rupees via its Tel Aviv branch, aiding remittances for 40000 Indian workers and supporting FTA talks.

SBI set up its Israel branch in 2007 and has continued full-scale operations despite challenges such as the pandemic and more than two years of regional instability linked to the ongoing conflict.

Indias largest public lender State Bank of India (SBI) is exploring options to boost bilateral trade between India and Israel in Indian rupees, according to PTI. It comes on the heels of gaining momentum for the India-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and discussions between both governments.

SBI is the only Indian lender having presence in Israel.

CEO of SBI Israel, V Manivannan, told PTI that the banking regulator Reserve Bank of India has allowed Indian banks to facilitate settlement of exports and imports of their respective corporate clientele in INR. Israel has been identified as one of the partner countries under this mechanism, he added.

Manivannan explained that Israeli entities undertaking exports/imports through this mechanism will receive and make payments in INR, which shall be credited into the Special Rupee Vostro Account (SRVA), against invoices for the supply/purchase of goods or services from the Israeli seller/buyer.

SBI Tel Aviv has all the requisite approvals in place to facilitate these transactions", he added.

The State Bank of India has stepped up efforts to deepen IndiaIsrael business ties, with its Tel Aviv branch actively promoting trade settlement in rupees and smoother remittance flows for Indian workers in Israel, PTI reported.

In recent months, the branch has held multiple meetings and webinars with the Israel-India Chamber of Commerce to encourage the use of the Indian currency in cross-border trade. Senior representatives from several leading Israeli defence companies have also participated in these discussions, according to PTI report.

With over 40,000 Indian workers recently joining Israels labour market, SBI is now focusing on easing remittances back home. The bank is helping these workers open NRI accounts in India through its Tel Aviv branch, making it simpler to send money home.

There has been a sharp rise in Indian workers, especially in construction and agriculture," said Manivannan, CEO of SBIs Tel Aviv branch. He added that the branch is connecting the Indian diaspora with NRI banking services in India and is also exploring partnerships with fintech firms and local banks to support rupee-denominated remittance services.

SBI set up its Israel branch in 2007 and has continued full-scale operations despite challenges such as the pandemic and more than two years of regional instability linked to the ongoing conflict. Globally, the bank operates across 29 countries with 241 points of presence outside India.

Located in the Diamond Exchange area of Ramat-Gan, near Tel Aviv, the branch serves local corporates with trade finance, bank guarantees for India-linked projects, and business banking services.

Israeli Minister of Tourism Haim Katz, Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Avi Dichter, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited India during 2025 as the strategic partners build-up momentum to sign a Free Trade Agreement.

The two countries signed a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) during Smotrichs visit to India, and a term of reference for an FTA was signed during Goyals visit to Israel.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 14:14 IST

News business SBI To Boost IndiaIsrael Trade Using Indian Rupee Amid FTA Talks

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Sewage In Drinking Water Sparks Health Scare In Bengaluru, Triggers Indore-Like Crisis

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 14:00 IST

Following multiple complaints, officials inspected the Lingarajapuram area and confirmed that sewage had mixed with the drinking water pipeline at an unidentified point.

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Representative Image. (AI Generated)

Sewage contamination of drinking water has triggered anger and fear among residents of KSFC Layout in Lingarajapuram, under the North City Corporation limits, with concerns of an Indore-like public health crisis. Around 3040 households have been forced to rely on private water sources for more than a week.

Several residents said their family members had been falling ill repeatedly over the past few months, with some needing hospitalisation for suspected water-borne diseases.

According to residents of 3rd B Main, they fear the situation could escalate into an Indore-like incident, and have urged the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board to urgently trace the source of contamination and restore a safe drinking water supply.

Residents told TOI that the issue went unnoticed for weeks, as the initial symptoms were mistaken for food poisoning or seasonal illnesses. The extent of the contamination became clear only this week, when foul-smelling, frothy water was observed and thick layers of dark sewage silt were found while cleaning underground sumps.

When we opened the sump, it wasnt just dirty waterit was stinking sewage sludge," said resident Paul Newman. He said several families in the lane reported similar symptoms.

My daughters fell ill, and we thought it was due to some other reason. Later, neighbours too complained of gastrointestinal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. Thats when we approached BWSSB," he said.

Another resident, Shamala, said the contamination has worsened over time.

Initially, dirty water would flow for a few minutes after we opened the tap, followed by clear water. Now, the water is extremely foul-smelling and discoloured. It is completely unusable, we didnt want to take the risk. After suffering stomachache and diarrhoea, I began buying water from outside," she said.

Following multiple complaints, BWSSB officials inspected the Lingarajapuram area on Friday and Saturday and confirmed that sewage had mixed with the drinking water pipeline at an unidentified point.

However, residents alleged that officials have yet to locate the exact breach and are digging at multiple spots in a trial-and-error attempt to trace the fault.

The contamination is believed to have affected more than 30 houses along a single lane, though residents fear the impact may be more widespread. Residents also said treating doctors confirmed that the illnesses were consistent with water contamination.

Anicita Rosario, another resident, said her family realised the problem only after repeated illnesses.

The doctor confirmed it was a bacterial infection caused by water. My daughter was hospitalised, and then all three of us fell sick. We noticed a strange smell while bathing and washing dishes, and later saw discoloured water in the sump. Thats when we shut the main valve and cut off the water supply," she said.

Six people have died and more than 200 were hospitalised in an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water in Madhya Pradeshs Indore city.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 12:46 IST

News bengaluru-news Sewage In Drinking Water Sparks Health Scare In Bengaluru, Triggers Indore-Like Crisis

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Zelensky appoints Kyslytsia as First Deputy Head of the President's Office

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Serhiy Kyslytsia as First Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine by decree.

The corresponding document No. 14/2026 was published on the website of the President of Ukraine on Monday, January 5.

As reported earlier that day, Zelenskyy, after meeting with Kyslytsia, announced that he would be appointed First Deputy Head of the Office. Kyslytsia previously worked as First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

The President noted that Kyslytsia will be engaged in diplomatic work in the Office of the President, namely, ensuring communication with partners at the highest level, developing bilateral work, and synchronizing with the Foreign Ministry system.
Gym Owner Thrashed, Wife Molested, Son Stripped In Delhi's Laxmi Nagar; Attack Caught On Camera

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 17:11 IST

The man accused the gym's caretaker, Satish Yadav, of cheating him and taking over the commercial venture.

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The incident was captured on CCTV, which is being examined by the police.

In a disturbing incident, a gym owner was assaulted and his wife was allegedly molested, before their son was stripped naked and beaten up on a street by a group of men in Delhis Laxmi Nagar, police said. The incident is said to have taken place on January 2.

The incident was captured on CCTV, which is being examined by the police. The man, who was assaulted, runs a gym in the basement of his house.

The man accused the gyms caretaker, Satish Yadav, of cheating him and taking over the commercial venture.

Disclaimer: Strong language is used in this video. Viewer discretion is advised.

In #Delhis Laxmi Nagar area, goons stripped a man, dragged him on the street, and assaulted him. The victim had a gym in the accuseds home, which sparked a dispute. pic.twitter.com/YP9CEWnA56 Siraj Noorani (@sirajnoorani) January 5, 2026

On January 2, when the couple went to the basement to check a water leak, Yadav, along with a group of men, also arrived.

The gym owner alleged the men punched and kicked him and molested his wife. When his son came to check on them, the men caught hold of him, took him to the street outside their house, and stripped him.

Subsequently, Satish Yadav was arrested. The three other accused, identified as Vikas Yadav, Shubham Yadav, and Omkar Yadav, are absconding. Police have registered a case in this regard. Further investigation was underway.

Man Held For Molesting Woman, Robbery Bid

In a separate incident, a 25-year-old man was arrested on Friday for allegedly molesting a 38-year-old woman during a failed robbery attempt in Mumbai, police said. The accused was apprehended within a few hours of the complaint and was later released after being served a notice.

According to the police, the woman was alone at home in Kurar area of Malad (East) when the accused allegedly forced his way into the house, locked the door from inside and attempted to rob her. In her statement, the victim said the accused gagged her mouth and demanded cash, valuables, a mobile phone and an ATM card kept in the house. When she told him there were no valuables, he allegedly molested her, forcibly kissed her and then fled the scene.

The woman, subsequently, approached police, following which a case was registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

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Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: January 05, 2026, 11:44 IST

News new-delhi-news Gym Owner Thrashed, Wife Molested, Son Stripped In Delhi's Laxmi Nagar; Attack Caught On Camera

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Delhi Riots Case: Why SC Granted Bail To 5 Others But Not Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 13:26 IST

Delhi riots case: The SC said all appellants do not stand on equal footing on culpability and the hierarchy of participation requires examination of each application individually

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Umar Khalid (top right) and Sharjeel Imam have been named as masterminds in the Delhi riots case. (PTI File)

The Supreme Court on Monday refused bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, but granted it to five others, citing hierarchy of participation".

While the two will remain in jail, activists Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad have been given bail.

All appellants do not stand on same footing: Why SC granted bail to 5 others

There was a prima facie case against Khalid and Imam under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria said.

According to the court, delay in trial does not operate as a trump card" which automatically displaces statutory safeguards. All the appellants do not stand on equal footing as regards culpability. The hierarchy of participation emerging from the prosecutions case requires the court to examine each application individually," the bench said, adding that the roles attributed to them are different.

The grant of bail to these accused persons is not a dilution of the allegations," the court said, stressing that each accused must be assessed individually.

What are the charges against Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam?

Sharjeel Imam was arrested on January 28, 2020 by the Delhi Police from Jehanabad (Bihar) in a sedition-related case for allegedly making inflammatory speeches against the Citizenship (Amendment Act) (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). He was later named in the Delhi riots conspiracy FIR. Umar Khalid was arrested in September 2020 by the Delhi Police in connection with the larger conspiracy" charges in the 2020 Delhi riots case.

Khalid, Imam, Fatima, Meeran Haider and Shifa Ur Rehman have been booked under the stringent anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), and provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly being the masterminds" of the riots, which left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.

In the larger conspiracy case, key accused including Khalid and Imam face these charges:

Under UAPA

Alleged involvement in organised unlawful activity.

Conspiracy to commit terrorist acts or actions against the state.

According to Section 16 of the UAPA, Whoever commits a terrorist act shall, if such act has resulted in the death of any person, be punishable with death or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine."

Under Indian Penal Code (IPC)

Criminal conspiracy

Promoting enmity between communities

Rioting and violence-related offences

Why no bail for Imam and Khalid?

The SC held that the role of Imam and Khalid was central to the conspiracy. This court is satisfied that the prosecution material disclosed a prima facie allegation against the appellants Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam The statutory threshold stands attracted qua these appellants. This stage of proceedings does not justify their enlargement on bail," the SC said.

The SC bench observed that a terrorist act may include actions that disrupt essential services, stressing that the absence of direct violence does not necessarily eliminate the threat posed to society. The court said the law recognises that destabilisation can occur through means other than immediate physical force. Interpreting Section 43(D)(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the court said the provision does not bar judicial scrutiny. It noted that the law distinguishes between ordinary cases involving personal liberty and those that threaten the foundations of the State.

The court said that while deciding bail, the judges must examine whether the prosecution material, taken at face value, discloses the alleged offences and shows unlawful activity under the Act. It added that courts must assess whether the statutory threshold under UAPA is crossed and whether the accuseds role is that of a direct participant in a terrorist act or part of a larger conspiracy.

Emphasising that offences concerning national security require a distinct bail framework, the bench observed, Offences regarding security of the nation require a different bail regime under the Act." It added that if prosecution allegations are found to be prima facie true, incarceration prevails", but if they do not meet the threshold, bail should follow.

Khalid got support from NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has written a letter to jailed activist and former JNU student Umar Khalid, expressing solidarity and recalling Khalids reflections on resisting bitterness during prolonged incarceration. His letter, however, drew criticism from the Vishva Hindu Parishad.

A photograph of the note by Mamdani was shared on social media platform X on Thursday by Khalids friend, Banojyotsna Lahiri, the same day Mamdani was ceremonially sworn in as mayor.

The Delhi High Court, meanwhile, on December 11 observed that neither the accused nor the victims of the 2020 North East Delhi riots have come forward challenging the chargesheets filed by the Delhi Police or for re-investigation in the case, instead outsiders are seeking the relief.

Was Umar Khalid granted bail earlier?

The Delhis Karkardooma Court on December 11 granted bail to Khalid to attend his sisters wedding from December 16 to December 29. Earlier, Khalid was granted an interim bail for his other sisters wedding two years ago.

What happened during the previous SC hearing?

On December 10, the top court had reserved its verdict on separate pleas of the accused after hearing arguments from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for Delhi Police, and senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi, Siddhartha Dave, Salman Khurshid and Sidharth Luthra, appearing for the accused.

Strongly opposing the bail pleas, the Delhi Police had said the February 2020 riots were not spontaneous, but an orchestrated, pre-planned and well-designed" attack on Indias sovereignty.

Police had said that Imams speeches can be attributed to other accused and can be used as evidence against them in the case. S V Raju had contended that all the participants are liable for each others acts in a conspiracy. Acts of one conspirator can be attributed to others. Sharjeel Imams speeches can be attributed to Umar Khalid. Sharjeel Imams case will be considered as evidence against the others," he had told the bench, which conducted hearings on the bail pleas on multiple days. The additional solicitor general had argued that Khalid deliberately planned to leave Delhi before the riots as he wanted to deflect responsibility.

Seeking bail, Imam had expressed anguish before the apex court for being labelled" a dangerous intellectual terrorist", without a full-fledged trial or a single conviction.

Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Imam, had contended that he was arrested on January 28, 2020, which was before the communal violence rocked Northeast Delhi, for his speeches that alone cannot constitute the offence of criminal conspiracy" in the riots case.

Why did they move SC?

The Delhi High Court had on September 2 denied bail to Imam, Khalid and seven others  Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima.

Another accused, Tasleem Ahmed, was also refused bail by a separate High Court bench

The accused moved the apex court, challenging the Delhi High Courts September 2 order denying them bail in the larger conspiracy" case of the February 2020 riots. The High Court had observed that, prima facie, the role of Imam and Khalid in the entire conspiracy was grave", having delivered inflammatory speeches on communal lines to instigate mass mobilisation of members of the Muslim community."

They sought bail from the apex court in the larger conspiracy case under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Delhi riots case in February 2020.

What is the 2020 Delhi riots case? How many FIRs were filed?

The 2020 Northeast Delhi riots broke out on February 24, 2020 during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment Act) (CAA) and NRC. The violence lasted several days, resulting in at least 53 deaths and over 700 injuries. The Delhi Police Special Cell filed multiple FIRs, including one under UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967) and IPC provisions alleging a larger conspiracy" behind the violence.

The police in November 2025 said they had created three SITs under the crime branch, and there was no evidence that their officers were involved in the violence or that political leaders instigated or participated in it. They had told the high court that they had registered 757 FIRs in connection with the riots and that investigation was pending in 273 cases and trial was pending in 250.

Several petitions are pending in the high court in relation to the riots. Petitions were made demanding that political leaders be booked for alleged hate speeches, and the formation of a special investigation team to probe the violence and FIRs against police officers. The Supreme Court, in an order of December 2021, had requested the high court to dispose of expeditiously, preferably within three months, a plea seeking registration of FIRs against politicians accused of making hate speeches, which purportedly led to the riots.

Were there acquittals?

On December 17, a court in New Delhi acquitted five men who were accused of arson, rioting and vandalism in a case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots.

Additional Sessions Judge Parveen Singh was hearing the case against Abdul Sattar, Muhammad Khalid, Hunain, Tanvir and Arif, who were charged with rioting, unlawful assembly and vandalism in the Chand Bagh area.

In an order dated December 11, the judge said, I find that the prosecution has failed to prove its case beyond all reasonable doubts and all the accused are entitled to the benefit of the doubt. The accused are accordingly acquitted of all the charges framed against them." The court noted that the investigating officer had claimed that the photos of the accused were shown to witness Ramdass Gupta, an employee of a Bhajanpura petrol pump near which the incident of rioting and arson took place, but the origin of the photos was unclear.

All five accused were arrested after an FIR was lodged over stone pelting and arson in northeast Delhis Chand Bagh area in February 2020. The complaint was filed by one Tarun, who had alleged that a mob attacked him and torched his bike near the Bhajanpura petrol pump. The FIR at the Bhajanpura police station was lodged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those dealing with rioting, unlawful assembly and arson.

With PTI, ANI Inputs

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 13:04 IST

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Student Failed MBBS First Year, Remains Enrolled For 10 Years; College Approaches NMC

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 12:23 IST

A 2014-batch MBBS student at BRD Medical College has remained in first year for over a decade after failing in 2015.

BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur, has sought NMC guidance in an unusual case involving an MBBS student enrolled for over a decade. (Representational Image)

A rare and unusual case has surfaced at BRD Medical College, where an MBBS student from the 2014 batch has remained stuck in the first year for more than a decade. With no clear provision to deal with such a situation, the college administration has now approached the National Medical Commission (NMC) seeking clarity and directions, as reported by news agency PTI.

According to officials, the student failed to clear the first-year MBBS examination in 2015 and has not appeared for any examination since then. Despite this, he has been living in the undergraduate hostel since 2014. College authorities said the student has neither filled the examination form nor participated in any academic activity over the past 11 years.

Under existing medical education rules, a student who fails the first-year MBBS examination does not need to take fresh admission. Such candidates can reappear for the exam by simply filling the examination form. Because of this provision, the students enrolment continues to remain technically valid, leaving the college with no authority to cancel his admission on its own.

Officials said the college made several attempts to counsel the student, but none of the sessions led to any improvement or resolution. Following this, the administration contacted the students father to discuss the matter.

However, despite three phone calls from the principals office asking him to visit the college, the father has not turned up so far. Officials added that he has shown little concern for his sons academic future.

The situation has further complicated hostel management at the college. Since the students enrolment remains active on paper, the administration is unable to evict him from the hostel. Officials pointed out that mess fees are collected along with the examination form.

As the student has not filled the form for years, he has not paid any mess charges but continues to stay in the hostel and avail free boarding and lodging facilities.

ALSO READ: GATE 2026 Admit Card To Be Out Soon; IIT Guwahati To Announce New Date

With no clear rule to address such a prolonged case of non-participation, the college has now written to the NMC seeking guidance on how to proceed.

A final decision will be taken only after clear directions are received from the NMC," Dr Ramkumar Jaiswal, Principal of BRD Medical College, said.

The case has raised questions about regulatory gaps in medical education rules and the challenges faced by institutions in dealing with long-pending enrolments without academic progress.

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News education-career Student Failed MBBS First Year, Remains Enrolled For 10 Years; College Approaches NMC

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Amit Shah's Clear Message To Tamil Nadu BJP Leaders Ahead Of Polls: 'We Must Fight To Win'

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 16:14 IST

During his recent visit to Tamil Nadu, Shah conducted an extensive review, taking detailed feedback from leaders on ground realities, voter sentiment and alliance dynamics.

Amit Shah stressed that outreach must be intensified at every level to establish a direct connect with the people of Tamil Nadu. (Image: PTI)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has delivered a blunt and uncompromising message to the BJP leadership as the party prepares for the high-stakes Tamil Nadu battle. Top party sources say that during his recent visit to the southern state, Shah conducted an extensive review, taking detailed feedback from leaders on ground realities, voter sentiment and evolving alliance dynamics. He held two rounds of meetings with the BJP core group during his visit. The message, sources say, was unequivocal: this is a do-or-die" contest and the BJP must fight to win, not merely register a presence.

Shah stressed that outreach must be intensified at every level to establish a direct connect with the people of Tamil Nadu. He also called for a sharp escalation in social media engagement to aggressively highlight the work done by the Central government for the state. At the political level, Shah directed the party to take on the DMK at every step, exposing what he described as corruption and dynastic politics, and to ensure the narrative remains focused on governance versus misrule.

According to sources, Shah also made it clear that all parties and leaders not aligned with the DMKCongress combine must be actively approached to join the NDA. The BJP, he said, must keep its options open, given the rapidly changing political landscape in the state. Sources add that this outreach is part of a broader strategy aimed at finalising the NDAs alliance structure by Pongal.

The visit, sources say, marked a decisive reset in the BJPs Tamil Nadu strategy. Shah urged the state unit to abandon the mindset of merely putting up a fight" and instead prepare for an outright victory, with the NDA targeting a clear majority rather than incremental gains. In a detailed core committee meeting, he sought individual inputs from every leader, signalling that future decisions will be driven by electoral arithmetic rather than sentiment.

Sources indicate that the BJP is seriously exploring the possibility of an alliance with TVK, even as Shah instructed the unit to begin early candidate identification and work towards building a grand alliance framework. Speed, scale and strategic clarity, sources say, are central to the BJPs approach as it seeks to consolidate the anti-DMK space.

Equally significant, according to sources, was what did not happen during the visit. Shah did not meet AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami in Trichy, a move widely viewed as deliberate. The message, sources say, was that the NDA cannot be constrained by a single party or leader. Instead, the BJP aims to bring together all anti-DMK forces, from AMMK and PMK to leaders dissatisfied within the broader AIADMK ecosystem.

Shahs overarching thrust, sources say, is to turn the Tamil Nadu contest into a clear alliance-versus-DMK battle rather than a personality-driven fight. This aggressive push comes even as the Congress is showing signs of warming up to TVK, reinforcing the BJPs urgency to move swiftly and leave no political space unoccupied in Tamil Nadus opposition politics.

It is pretty evident that in the run-up to the elections in the state, the home minister is expected to visit Tamil Nadu more frequently. During this visit through Sunday and today, Shah had a full meeting with the recently appointed election incharge Piyush Goyal and co-incharge, Ministers Arjun Meghwal and Murlidhar Mohol. The state leadership was also present during these meetings.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 16:14 IST

News elections Amit Shah's Clear Message To Tamil Nadu BJP Leaders Ahead Of Polls: 'We Must Fight To Win'

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'Open To Any Alliance If Vijay Is CM Face': Is TVK's Poll Declaration A Hint To BJP?

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 19:17 IST

Party sources said the TVK is keen on tying up with any political party provided that it spearheads the front and names Vijay the chief ministerial face for the Tamil Nadu polls

TVK leader Vijay recently said the DMK allowed the lotus to bloom (BJP's symbol) in Tamil Nadu. (Image: PTI/File)

In a declaration that solidified its poll intent in Tamil Nadu and also doubled as a hint to the BJP, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam said it is open to an alliance with any political party as long as its leader Vijay is named the chief ministerial candidate.

According to sources, the TVK is keen on tying up with any political party provided that it spearheads the front and makes Vijay the CM face. This comes after much speculation that the party held talks with the BJP.

It is a marked change from the stand that the party took a few months ago, saying it will not form a political alliance either with the BJP or the ruling DMK. In fact, a few days ago it also hinted at an alliance with the Congress saying the two parties were natural allies in terms of secularism and their stand against secularism".

It is not, however, unusual as the TVK has always projected the DMK as more of a rival than any other party. It has also expressed confidence in a change in the political landscape of Tamil Nadu, which it said will prominently feature its leader Vijay, after the assembly elections. Vijay recently accused the DMK of allowing the lotus (the BJPs symbol) to bloom" in the state, firing a salvo at Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Vijay launched the TVK in October 2024, mainly positioning it as an alternative to the DMK. Former chief minister O Panneerselvams AIADMTUMK has also shown large-scale interest in the fledgling party.

WHAT DID THE TVK SAY ABOUT BJP, DMK?

Last year in November, the TVK clearly said it will not form an alliance with either the ruling DMK or BJP for the assembly elections.

Senior TVK leader Arun Raj said the party is clear that the DMK is its political enemy" while the BJP is its ideological enemy". These remarks had then ruled out an alliance with the AIADMK and BJP, both of whom have had trouble smoothing out their differences to form a pre-poll alliance.

We will not form an alliance with BJP. From Day 1, we are clear that our political enemy is the DMK and the ideological enemy is the BJP. Any other party that accepts Vijay as CM candidate can ally with us," Arun Raj said.

Vijay is also confident that there will be a direct fight between the TVK and DMK during the election, even as the Karur stampede casts a shadow over his prospects. The incident claimed 41 lives and left more than 60 injured. WHAT DID THE TVK SAY ABOUT CONGRESS? A few days ago, however, the TVK reportedly hinted at an alliance with the Congress on the basis that they were natural allies". Reports said TVKs national spokesperson Felix Gerald explained how the Congress and TVK are natural allies in terms of secularism and their stand against communalism". He reportedly said Vijay and Rahul Gandhi are friends but it is not all smooth sailing". Gerald blamed the Tamil Nadu Congress for certain issues that had cropped up and said these needed to be resolved before an alliance between the two parties can be firmed up. There are many possibilities for the Congress and TVK to ally. However, as I see it, the personal interests, possibly business or financial interests, of the current Tamil Nadu Congress committee leadership, may be preventing them from initiating a dialogue with TVK," Gerald was quoted by NDTV. Watch more videos Share this Article

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(With inputs from Poornima Murali)

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 18:52 IST

News elections 'Open To Any Alliance If Vijay Is CM Face': Is TVK's Poll Declaration A Hint To BJP?

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Beyond Drugs And Gangs? Why US Capture Of Maduro Has Sparked Debate Over Venezuela's Oil

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 16:58 IST

US President Donald Trump cast the operation as action against gangs and narco-networks, but Nicolas Maduros capture has sparked a broader debate over Venezuelas oil.

US President Donald Trump (L) and Venezuela's captured President Nicolas Maduro (R). (Reuters)

When US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the development was not entirely unexpected. Since returning to office, US President Donald Trump has placed the Venezuelan leader squarely in his sights, pursuing an expanding maximum pressure" campaign that has included sanctions, maritime seizures and military deployments.

The White House has accused Maduro of fuelling instability across the Americas through drug trafficking and illegal immigration, and in July 2025 announced a $50 million bounty for his capture, calling him one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world".

By late November, Trump had gone further, issuing an ultimatum that Maduro relinquish power in exchange for safe passage, an offer the Venezuelan leader rejected, telling supporters he refused a slaves peace" and accusing Washington of seeking control over his countrys oil reserves.

In the weeks that followed, the United States designated Venezuelan gangs such as Tren de Aragua as terrorist organisations, launched airstrikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea, and began seizing Venezuelan tankers while building up its military presence around the country.

Against this backdrop, Maduros capture has intensified questions about what the operation is fundamentally about.

Former US Vice President Kamala Harris argued that the administration was misrepresenting the purpose of its mission. Donald Trumps actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable," she wrote on X, insisting the operation was not about drugs or democracy" but oil and Donald Trumps desire to play the regional strongman". She warned that it offered no legal authority, no exit plan, and no benefit at home".

Donald Trumps actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable.That Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise. Weve seen this movie before. Wars for regime change or oil that  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 4, 2026

Her criticism echoed a broader Democratic concern that, despite the administrations emphasis on trafficking networks and migration, the scale of the intervention suggested deeper energy and geopolitical calculations.

Security, Hemisphere Politics, Or Energy Control?

Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat representing Maryland, sharpened the critique, saying: Lets be clear: the Trump Admin is lying to the American people. This has never been about stopping drugs from coming to the US  its about grabbing Venezuelas oil for his billionaire buddies."

Lets be clear: the Trump Admin is lying to the American people. This has never been about stopping drugs from coming to the US  its about grabbing Venezuelas oil for his billionaire buddies. Trump has put American troops in harms way to boost oil company profits. Outrageous. pic.twitter.com/B9OmuJif1E Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) January 4, 2026

The administration has rejected that characterisation, but its strategic argument also extends beyond counter-narcotics.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked why the United States needed Venezuelan oil, answered not with economic or legal reasoning but with a statement about hemispheric dominance. Why does China need their oil? Russia? Iran? This is the West. This is where we live," he said, adding that outside powers must get out" of Americas hemisphere.

 HOLY HELL: Marco Rubio just said the quiet part out loud.Asked by Kristen Welker why the U.S. needs Venezuelan oil, Rubio didnt cite law, trade, or consent. He said: Why does China need their oil? Russia? Iran? This is the West. This is where we live." Russia, China, pic.twitter.com/blWYMFW1L5  Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) January 4, 2026

Rubios framing underscored that US actions in Venezuela, from sanctions to maritime pressure to the final operation, are being interpreted in Washington not only through the lens of crime, but also through a competition with China, Russia and Iran for influence and resources.

This divide in political narratives created the backdrop for what came next: Trump explicitly linking the operation to the reconstruction of Venezuelas oil industry.

Trump Connects The Mission Directly To Venezuelas Oil Future

Trump said the United States would run" Venezuela until a safe" transition occurs and that American companies would be central to the countrys recovery. Were going to have our very large US oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country," he said.

While framed as an attempt to restore economic stability, the comment also reinforced opposition accusations that the mission reflects long-standing debates over access to Venezuelas massive crude reserves.

But the practical question is more complicated: whether any company, even with US support, can restore an industry hollowed out after years of sanctions, mismanagement and political turmoil.

A Country With World-Leading Reserves But A Broken Oil System

Venezuelas scale as an energy state is striking. With an estimated 303 billion barrels of proven crude, it has the largest oil reserves in the world. Yet its output in November, according to the International Energy Agency, was roughly 860,000 barrels per day  less than one per cent of global consumption and a fraction of the more than 3 million barrels a day it once produced.

The reasons for this collapse are structural. Years of underinvestment, deterioration at the state-run company PDVSA, the exit of experienced workers, and extensive US sanctions have left much of the sector non-functional. The crude itself poses challenges: Venezuelas oil is heavy and sour, requiring specialised refineries. Analysts have said it is among the most emissions-intensive types of crude to produce, creating additional constraints for international firms.

The result is an industry that is vast in potential but heavily degraded in practice, a gap that cannot be closed quickly.

Why A Rapid Revival Remains Unlikely

Venezuelas oil infrastructure, including pipelines, refineries, storage facilities and drilling platforms, has suffered years of deterioration and requires extensive rehabilitation before output can rise meaningfully. The country also faces major legal and political hurdles.

Until a recognised government is in place and able to sign binding contracts, companies cannot begin new operations, and the legacy of expropriations and unresolved arbitration claims adds further uncertainty.

Homayoun Falakshahi, senior commodity analyst at Kpler, emphasised that firms cannot proceed without agreements with a legitimate government, and that any transition process takes months" even under stable conditions. Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics, told the BBC the obstacles are so substantial, from infrastructure decay to long project timelines, that the impact on global supply would remain limited in the near term.

Former BP chief executive Lord Browne described the wider reconstruction effort as a very long-term project", warning that even with significant investment, output may initially decline as Venezuelas system is reorganised.

Global Oil Markets Reduce The Near-Term Payoff

Even if Venezuela stabilises politically and attracts investment, global market conditions diminish the immediate strategic value of its crude. The world is currently well supplied, with prices subdued and long-term demand increasingly uncertain due to the rise of electric vehicles. Even if Venezuela returned to its past production strength, the impact on global prices in the near term would be limited.

For Washington, this means the strategic benefit of controlling or influencing Venezuelas oil sector may lie more in long-term positioning than in immediate economic gain.

Guyanas Rise Highlights How the Region Has Shifted

While Venezuela struggles, its neighbour Guyana has emerged as a major new oil frontier. With discoveries exceeding 10 billion barrels and lighter, easier-to-refine crude, it has become a central focus for global energy firms. Regulatory terms are more favourable, and the industry is expanding rapidly. For companies weighing investment risk, Guyana currently offers a clearer path than Venezuela.

This contrast underscores how dramatically the regions energy landscape has changed and how far Venezuela would need to go to become competitive again.

Politics Moves Quickly, Oil Does Not

Maduros capture is the culmination of months of escalating US pressure that blended counter-narcotics arguments, security rhetoric and increasingly overt regime-change signals. But the response in Washington, and the broader market realities, suggest that while politics can shift overnight, the oil gains tied to this strategy are distant.

For now, the operations significance lies less in what it delivers immediately than in the competing visions it has exposed: a White House emphasising security and regional dominance, and critics warning that the real focus is the worlds largest oil reserves. The outcome of that debate will shape how Maduros fall is remembered, long before any barrels begin to flow.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 16:54 IST

News explainers Beyond Drugs And Gangs? Why US Capture Of Maduro Has Sparked Debate Over Venezuela's Oil

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Can A Foreign Government Legally Arrest A Sitting Head Of State? The Maduro Case Explained

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 13:10 IST

Mondays UNSC session will test how international law interprets the US capture of a serving president and whether such an operation can be legally justified.

Venezuela's captured President Nicolas Maduro poses next to U.S. DEA administrator Terry Cole. (Handout via REUTERS/File Photo)

For nearly eight decades, the United Nations has been the worlds primary forum for defining the boundaries of lawful state behaviour. From the prohibition on the use of force to the principle of sovereign equality, its Charter created the rules that were meant to prevent unilateral military actions and forced regime changes. Few cases have tested that framework as dramatically as the unfolding crisis surrounding the United States capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The world body finds itself drawn into the heart of the dispute because the episode challenges the very norms the UN was created to uphold. Questions about sovereignty, armed intervention and head-of-state immunity are now converging on New York, where the Security Council meets today.

At the centre is a US Special Forces operation that saw Maduro captured in Caracas, transferred to a US warship, and then flown to New York to face long-standing drug-trafficking and narco-terrorism charges. The mission, which Venezuelan officials say involved strikes on military installations and caused casualties, has divided governments and drawn intense scrutiny from legal scholars.

The operations legality, under both international and domestic legal frameworks, has since become a major point of examination within the international community.

Washingtons Legal Argument

The United States has presented the operation as lawful on two fronts. First, American officials argue that Maduro was already under a federal indictment for narco-terrorism and drug-trafficking, and that capturing him was a legitimate law-enforcement action. Second, senior US representatives have invoked Article 51 of the UN Charter, which preserves the right of self-defence.

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, speaking to Fox News, said Washington viewed Maduro as coordinating with foreign adversaries and armed groups and pumping drugs, thugs, and weapons into the United States," framing this as a threat that justified action.

That narrative was thrown into uncertainty almost immediately. At a press conference after the operation, US President Donald Trump went beyond a law-enforcement rationale, declaring that the US would run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," and referring to reclaiming American oil interests in Venezuela. Those comments blurred the line between arresting an indicted individual and assuming temporary political control, a shift with serious implications under international law.

Jeremy Paul, a constitutional law professor at Northeastern University, told Reuters the contradiction doesnt make any sense". He said, You cannot say this was a law enforcement operation and then turn around and say now we need to run the country."

The UN Charter Problem

At the centre of the legal debate is Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, the post-war rule that forms the backbone of modern international law. It requires all states to refrain from using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state. The provision was drafted in 1945 precisely to prevent unilateral military actions that could destabilise international peace.

The Charter recognises only two exceptions. A state may use force if the Security Council authorises it, or the state is acting in self-defence in response to an actual or imminent armed attack, as laid out in Article 51.

Neither condition applied in Venezuela. The US did not seek Security Council approval, and did not present any evidence of an armed attack originating from Venezuela.

This is why many analysts view the operation as inconsistent with the Charter. Geoffrey Robertson KC, a former president of the UN war crimes court in Sierra Leone, told The Guardian that the operation was contrary to Article 2(4)" and amounted to a crime of aggression."

The question of self-defence has been particularly scrutinised. Milena Sterio, a professor at Cleveland State University, told Reuters that even if Maduro were responsible for smuggling drugs into the United States, such smuggling does not constitute an armed attack." Without an armed attack, the legal basis for invoking Article 51 collapses.

This legal framework also explains the reaction from European governments. Many of them opposed Maduro and supported democratic reforms in Venezuela, yet they stopped short of endorsing the US operation. Their statements emphasised the need to uphold international law, with France warning that the method violated principles that govern the use of force, a reflection of the broader concern that exceptions to Article 2(4) cannot be stretched without undermining the Charter itself.

Head-Of-State Immunity And Its Limits

One of the defining principles of international law is that sitting heads of state cannot be subjected to the criminal jurisdiction of foreign courts. This rule, known as head-of-state immunity, exists to ensure that diplomacy and international engagement can function without the threat of politically motivated prosecutions. It applies irrespective of whether a leader is democratic, autocratic, popular or widely criticised.

In practice, this means that foreign courts generally cannot put a serving head of state on trial unless one of two rare conditions is met:

The leaders own state waives immunity, or The prosecuting state no longer recognises the individual as the legitimate head of state, effectively treating them as a private citizen.

This second scenario shaped the closest historical parallel to the Maduro case. When US forces captured Panamas General Manuel Noriega in 1989, his lawyers argued that he was immune from prosecution as Panamas head of state. US courts rejected the claim because the US government had already recognised another leader  Guillermo Endara  as Panamas legitimate president. In the eyes of the executive branch, Noriega no longer held head-of-state status and, therefore, no longer enjoyed immunity.

The Maduro case is more complex. Although Washington has repeatedly called Maduro illegitimate" and criticised his governance, it has not formally recognised any alternative head of state. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been named acting president by Venezuelas Supreme Court under the constitutional line of succession, but US officials have openly questioned her status. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in television interviews on Sunday that he did not view Rodriguez or her government as legitimate," arguing that Venezuela had not held free and fair elections.

This ambiguity matters because US courts defer to the executive branch when determining who qualifies as a head of state for immunity purposes. Without a formally recognised alternative, courts must decide whether they will accept or reject immunity for a leader who still exercises effective control within his own country.

That uncertainty is why the immunity issue is viewed as one of the most difficult legal questions arising from the case.

The Domestic Law Question

Inside the United States, constitutional questions are also surfacing. Under the US Constitution, Congress holds the sole authority to declare war, while the president serves as commander-in-chief and may order limited military actions in certain circumstances. That balance has long been contested, but major cross-border operations typically fall under congressional scrutiny or at least notification requirements.

In this case, senior US figures have acknowledged that Congress was not informed before the mission. Rubio said in television interviews that lawmakers were not briefed in advance, a detail that has fuelled criticism from across the political spectrum. The issue is not simply procedural; failure to notify Congress raises concerns about whether the president exceeded constitutional limits on the unilateral use of military force.

Legal scholars have also questioned the domestic legal basis for the mission. Matthew Waxman, a law professor at Columbia University, said that a criminal indictment alone doesnt provide authority to use military force to depose a foreign government," underscoring that domestic law distinguishes sharply between law-enforcement powers and military action abroad.

What Consequences Is The US Likely To Face?

In practical terms: none.

The UN Security Council can impose sanctions or determine breaches of peace, but the United States, as a permanent member, can veto any adverse measure. This structural reality has broader implications. With no mechanism to compel compliance and no prospect of punitive measures, the Councils meeting today is better understood as a forum for political signalling rather than a venue for legal enforcement.

States may articulate their interpretations of international law, challenge the US position, or express concern about the precedent being set, but none of these statements carry binding effect.

A Precedent That Could Reverberate Globally

Some legal experts warn that if the United States faces no consequences, other major powers may feel emboldened to conduct unilateral operations of their own.

Robertson KC told The Guardian that China could cite the Venezuela episode as justification for future action against Taiwan, especially if it refers to similar claims of self-defence or criminality. Dominguez-Redondo, a professor of international law at Kingston University, said that the UNs authority has been completely dismantled" in cases where powerful nations bypass authorisation.

Conclusion

The legality of the US capture of Nicolas Maduro sits at the intersection of sovereignty, force, self-defence and immunity  the same principles that form the backbone of the UN system. Todays Security Council meeting will not result in sanctions, nor will it alter the fact that Maduro now faces charges in a New York courtroom. But it may shape how governments and courts interpret the operation and how future crises are evaluated.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 13:06 IST

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Section 43D(5) Explained: The UAPA Clause That Barred Bail For Umar Khalid And Sharjeel Imam

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 18:37 IST

While five co-accused were granted bail, the Supreme Court held that the prima facie true test under Section 43D(5) placed Khalid and Imam on a different footing.

Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have been in jail for over five years in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case. (File image/PTI)

The Supreme Courts order on Monday refusing bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots larger conspiracy case has brought Section 43D(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) into focus. While the Court granted bail to five other accused, it held that the statutory bar under 43D(5) still applied to Khalid and Imam because the material attributed to them indicated a central and formative role" in the alleged conspiracy.

To understand why the Court drew this distinction, it is necessary to unpack what Section 43D(5) actually says, how courts interpret it, and why it plays a decisive role in almost every UAPA bail hearing.

What Section 43D(5) Says

The provision reads:

Section 43D(5) in The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (5) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code, no person accused of an offence punishable under Chapters IV and VI of this Act shall, if in custody, be released on bail or on his own bond unless the Public Prosecutor has been given an opportunity of being heard on the application for such release:

Provided that such accused person shall not be released on bail or on his own bond if the Court, on a perusal of the case diary or the report made under section 173 of the Code is of the opinion that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation against such person is prima facie true.

This single provision is the cornerstone of bail jurisprudence under the UAPA.

What Does This Mean In Practice?

Section 43D(5) creates a reverse burden at the bail stage:

In regular criminal law, bail is the rule and jail is the exception.

Under UAPA, this reverses: jail becomes the rule and bail the exception.

For a court to grant bail, it must be satisfied that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the accusations are prima facie true.

The threshold is intentionally high. Courts cannot conduct a detailed evaluation of evidence. They only need to look at the prosecutions case diary, charge sheet, and supplementary material to see whether, if taken at face value, the allegations meet the prima facie bar.

If they do, bail must be denied.

How The Supreme Court Has Interpreted 43D(5) Over Time

Over the years, the Supreme Court has clarified the structure of judicial scrutiny under 43D(5):

The test is accused-specific, not collective.

Courts must undertake a limited but meaningful prima facie evaluation.

The defence version cannot be weighed in detail at the bail stage.

If the prosecutions material, taken at face value, discloses a prima facie true case, bail must be denied.

In todays ruling, the Court repeated that 43D(5) does not totally bar judicial scrutiny", but it imposes a statutory restraint that courts cannot lightly bypass.

Where Trial Delay Fits In

The Supreme Court today clarified a key point: delay is not a trump card" that automatically bypasses 43D(5).

This is crucial because many UAPA accused have spent years in custody due to slow trials. While the Court has previously granted bail when delays crossed constitutional limits, those remain exceptions.

In Mondays ruling, the Court held that the continued detention of Khalid and Imam had not yet crossed the threshold of constitutional impermissibility, particularly because protected witnesses are still to be examined.

However, the Court allowed them to renew their bail plea after one year or after key witness testimonies.

Why Some Accused Got Bail And Others Didnt

The Court granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meera Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed, but not to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. The distinction was grounded entirely in 43D(5).

For those granted bail: The prosecution material, even when accepted at face value, did not place them in the same central or strategic role.

For Khalid and Imam: The Court found a prima facie case of involvement in planning, mobilisation, and strategic direction that placed them on a qualitatively different footing".

Once the Court formed this opinion, the statutory bar under 43D(5) automatically applied, making bail impermissible.

Why Section 43D(5) Is Often Criticised

Legal scholars and civil rights groups argue that:

The provision leads to prolonged incarceration without conviction.

Courts must rely only on the prosecutions version at the bail stage.

Trials in UAPA cases frequently take years due to protected witnesses, voluminous chargesheets, and procedural delays.

However, Parliament designed 43D(5) to give the State a strong preventive tool against terrorism-related offences, not just overt acts but also conspiracies, funding, and mobilisation.

What Is The 2020 Delhi Riots Case?

The 2020 Northeast Delhi riots broke out on February 24, 2020, during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment Act) (CAA) and NRC. The violence lasted several days, resulting in at least 53 deaths and over 700 injuries. The Delhi Police Special Cell filed multiple FIRs, including one under UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967) and IPC provisions alleging a larger conspiracy" behind the violence.

The police in November 2025 said they had created three SITs under the crime branch, and there was no evidence that their officers were involved in the violence or that political leaders instigated or participated in it. They had told the high court that they had registered 757 FIRs in connection with the riots and that investigation was pending in 273 cases and trial was pending in 250.

Several petitions are pending in the High Court in relation to the riots. Petitions were made demanding that political leaders be booked for alleged hate speeches, and the formation of a special investigation team to probe the violence and FIRs against police officers. The Supreme Court, in an order of December 2021, had requested the high court to dispose of expeditiously, preferably within three months, a plea seeking registration of FIRs against politicians accused of making hate speeches, which purportedly led to the riots.

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The Silent Side Effect Of Hybrid Work: Why Many Professionals Struggle To Socialise

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Last Updated: January 08, 2026, 09:06 IST

Surveys show that professionals working hybrid showed lower informal social confidence than peers who worked on-site. This impact of hybrid work is called social apprenticeship

Employees who live alone appear particularly vulnerable. Without family networks or long-standing social circles, work often becomes the primary site of interaction. When that interaction is reduced, loneliness intensifies. (Getty Images)

When offices shut down in 2020, remote work was framed as a temporary fix. Nearly six years later, hybrid and remote work are no longer emergency measures but the default for millions of professionals worldwide.

What is now becoming clear is that hybrid work has reshaped more than schedules and commutes. It may be quietly altering how people interact, disagree, collaborate, and even tolerate everyday social friction at work. For many professionals, particularly younger ones, the problem is no longer burnout alone; it is social atrophy.

Across surveys, interviews, and psychological studies published towards the end of 2025, a recurring theme has emerged: people are finding it harder to be around" others at work. Small talk feels exhausting; meetings feel intrusive; conflict feels unbearable; presence itself feels unnatural. This is not social anxiety in the clinical sense, but something subtler  a loss of social muscle memory.

What Loneliness At Work Means

In November 2025, a large-scale global workplace survey by Gallup found that 26% of hybrid workers and 29% of fully remote workers reported feeling frequently lonely," compared to 19% of fully in-office employees. Among workers aged 22 to 30, the figure rose to nearly one in three. The data showed that loneliness levels had plateaued at high levels rather than declining as pandemic effects faded.

An India-focused December 2025 report by the Indian Institute of Human Settlements and a private HR analytics firm found that urban professionals working hybrid schedules reported significantly lower informal social confidence" than peers who worked mostly on-site. Respondents described discomfort with spontaneous conversations, hesitation in voicing disagreement, and a preference for asynchronous communication even when colleagues were physically present.

Hybrid workers can be lonelier, but it is not uniform. The strongest pattern we see in research is that loneliness increases when hybrid work reduces quality of relationships, weak ties, and consistent belonging cues , especially for employees who live alone, are new to an organization, or have low social integration at work," said Dr Jyoti Kapoor, senior psychiatrist, and founder and director, Manasthali Mental Health & Wellness Services, Gurugram.

Mental health helplines and corporate counselling services in India have also reported a shift in work-related anxiety. Counsellors say fewer callers cite workload alone. Instead, many report stress around team interactions, office days, networking events, and being seen."

Hybrid Work And The Disappearance Of Social Apprenticeship

One of the most under-discussed impacts of hybrid work is what psychologists call social apprenticeship". Before the pandemic, early-career employees learned how to behave at work not through formal training but through proximity. They observed how seniors disagreed, how meetings unfolded, how humour was used, how tension was resolved, and how relationships formed over time.

For a large cohort of Gen Z professionals in India, that apprenticeship never happened. Many entered the workforce between 2020 and 2023 through laptops, Slack channels, and video calls. Their professional identities were formed in isolation, without the low-stakes, everyday interactions that slowly build social competence.

Workplace psychologists interviewed in late 2025 say this gap is now visible. Young professionals are often technically competent but socially tentative. They may avoid asking questions in person, misread tone in meetings, or feel overwhelmed by group dynamics that older colleagues take for granted.

This does not mean younger workers are worse" at socialising. It means they were trained for a different environment  one that rewarded clarity over nuance and efficiency over rapport.

Why Return-To-Office Pushback Is Not Just About Flexibility

Throughout December 2025, companies across sectors quietly began tightening return-to-office expectations for 2026. The language used was familiar: culture, collaboration, innovation. But employee resistance, particularly among younger staff, has been intense and often misunderstood.

While return-to-office debates are usually framed around productivity or work-life balance, many experts argue that resistance is rooted in something deeper. For workers who have spent years interacting primarily through screens, the office represents a sudden demand for sustained social engagement, something they no longer feel equipped for.

Several HR leaders have admitted anonymously that attendance compliance is not the biggest challenge. The real issue, they say, is social disengagement inside the office. Employees show up physically but avoid interactions, keep headphones on, skip informal gatherings, and prefer messaging colleagues sitting a few desks away.

Hybrid work can increase in-office social disengagement, ironically, because people are physically present on different days, arrive for specific meetings, and then leave. That reduces ambient belonging": casual hallway chats, shared lunch rhythms, and spontaneous check-ins that build social glue.

This creates a paradox. Offices are reopening to rebuild collaboration, but many workers lack the social stamina to use those spaces as intended.

Hybrid work can increase in-office social disengagement, ironically, because people are physically present on different days, arrive for specific meetings, and then leave. That reduces ambient belonging: casual hallway chats, shared lunch rhythms, and spontaneous check-ins that build social glue," said Dr Kapoor.

Understanding The Neuroscience Of Social Muscle Memory

Research published in late 2025 in behavioural psychology journals offers a useful lens to understand what is happening. Social skills rely on repetition. They are governed by neural pathways that strengthen with use and weaken with disuse.

Extended periods of reduced social interaction can make the brain more sensitive to social stress. Studies using functional MRI scans have shown that socially isolated individuals display heightened activity in threat-detection regions of the brain during interpersonal interactions. In simple terms, the brain begins to treat normal social situations as demanding or risky.

Uncertainty load (predictive brain strain): Hybrid schedules can create variable routines, different meeting norms, and different expectations Cognitive switching and context re-entry often build highly personalised focus routines. Returning to the office demands rapid switching-attention shifts, interruptions, and informal social bids. Under stress, cognitive control can degrade, and attention gets narrowed, increasing mental fatigue.

When performance can be judged by others (even subtly), the situation can resemble a classic stressor category called social-evaluative threat, which is strongly associated with cortisol responses, especially when people feel the situation is not fully under their control (for example, unpredictable meetings, visibility politics, or unclear expectations)," explained Dr Kapoor.

She further said commute stress is another big factor. Systematic reviews link commuting characteristics with well-being and mental health outcomes; longer commute time has been associated with higher risks of depression, anxiety, and fatigue in working populations."

Hybrid work did not eliminate social interaction, but it changed its form. Video calls are structured, time-bound, and goal-oriented. They lack the unpredictability of physical presence  the side glances, interruptions, awkward silences, and unplanned conversations that train social resilience.

Over time, many professionals adapted by minimising exposure to these variables. The result is efficiency, but also fragility.

Indias Urban Workforce And The Loneliness Paradox

India presents a unique version of this phenomenon. Cities like Bengaluru and Gurugram are densely populated, yet many professionals report intense isolation. The paradox of being surrounded by people but feeling socially disconnected is becoming increasingly common.

Late-2025 urban studies show that hybrid workers in metros spend significantly less time in non-work social interactions on weekdays compared to pre-pandemic levels. Commutes that once forced shared experiences are shorter or absent. Office friendships that once formed through proximity now require effort and intent.

Cultural factors complicate this further. In workplaces, informal hierarchies and unspoken norms play a big role in collaboration. Learning these norms traditionally required observation and immersion. Hybrid work has flattened communication but stripped it of context, making misunderstandings more likely.

Who Is Most Affected by This Shift

Not all workers experience this equally. Data from November 2025 highlights that early-career professionals, solo remote employees, and knowledge workers in roles with minimal client interaction report the highest levels of social fatigue.

Newer employees often have fewer organic opportunities to build internal connections, which can reduce confidence and pro-active behaviour (initiative is strongly tied to relationship safety and clarity of norms). Evidence syntheses and organisational reporting repeatedly flag relationship-building as a key hybrid challenge," pointed out Dr Kapoor.

Employees who live alone, especially those who migrated to cities during or after the pandemic, appear particularly vulnerable. Without family networks or long-standing social circles, work often becomes the primary site of interaction. When that interaction is reduced or mediated by screens, loneliness intensifies.

Conversely, workers with established offline communities or hybrid schedules that include consistent team days report better social adjustment. The issue is not remote work per se, but the absence of sustained, meaningful human contact.

Is This A Temporary Phase Or A Lasting Change?

Experts are divided on whether this social rewiring is reversible. Some believe that social skills will rebound with exposure, much like physical fitness returns after inactivity. Others argue that hybrid work has permanently altered expectations, making many professionals less tolerant of social friction.

There is evidence for both views. Longitudinal studies tracking workers over two years suggest that regular, predictable in-person interaction can rebuild confidence and ease. At the same time, surveys show that many employees now actively prefer reduced social demands at work, even if it limits career growth.

This suggests that the workplace of the future may need to accommodate different social thresholds rather than assuming a single norm.

What Employers Are Beginning To Acknowledge

By the end of 2025, a subtle shift was visible in how some organisations frame return-to-office policies. Instead of mandating presence alone, a few companies are experimenting with structured social re-entry: smaller team days, facilitated discussions, and clearer norms around interaction.

Organisational psychologists say this approach recognises an uncomfortable truth. The problem is not laziness or entitlement, but adaptation. Workers adapted successfully to an isolating environment. Re-adapting will take time, support, and empathy.

Ignoring these risks deeper disengagement, quiet quitting, and a workforce that is present but disconnected.

Rethinking Work As A Social System

For decades, work was understood primarily as a place of productivity. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed that it is also a social system  one that teaches people how to relate, negotiate, and belong. Hybrid work did not destroy this system, but it disrupted its transmission.

As the new year begins, hybrid work has been firmly embedded, and offices have cautiously been reactivated. But the challenge is how people learn to be with one another again.

The loneliness desk is not a physical object. It is the quiet space many workers occupy  logged in, functional, but socially distant. Recognising it may be the first step towards redesigning work not just for efficiency, but for human connection.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 13:47 IST

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Who's In Charge Of Venezuela? Trump's Big Claim, Rubio's Step Back And The Oil Debate

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 10:43 IST

As the US asserts sweeping control following Maduros capture, Trump and Rubio offer contrasting signals about who governs Venezuela, with oil ambitions shaping the path ahead.

US President Donald Trump (L) and Venezuela's captured President Nicolas Maduro (R). (Reuters)

A US military operation carried out under President Donald Trumps watch captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, plunging the country into a new phase of uncertainty, not just about its leadership but also about the level of control the United States intends to exercise.

What began with Trump declaring that the US would run" Venezuela quickly shifted as his own secretary of state attempted to soften the message. By Sunday night, however, Trump had doubled down again, demanding total access" to Venezuelas oil reserves and openly asserting that Washington was in charge."

As the region grapples with the aftermath of a US-led operation that captured Maduro and brought him to New York for trial, the question of who is governing Venezuela has become increasingly complex. The struggle is unfolding against the backdrop of the worlds largest oil reserves, a gutted energy infrastructure and competing political claims that reflect both internal fragility and American assertiveness.

Below is a detailed breakdown of how the narrative shifted over the weekend, and why oil lies at the heart of it.

What Trump Said On Saturday At Mar-a-Lago

The weekend began with Trump making his most sweeping declaration yet about Venezuelas political future. Speaking at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Saturday, hours after explosions rocked CaracasVenezuelas capitalTrump announced that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured during a US military strike. They were being brought to New York on the USS Iwo Jima for trial on narco-terrorism charges.

From the outset, Trump framed the post-Maduro phase as a period of direct American control. Were there now, but were going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place," he told reporters. So were going to stay until such time as were going to run it, essentially, until such time as a proper transition can take place."

He said the US was acting in its own interest, arguing that America needed good neighbours" and stability" in the region. To run Venezuela properly," Trump said he expected a group including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to take charge. He repeatedly emphasised that the US was not afraid of boots on the ground" and said US military personnel had been deployed at a very high level" the previous night.

Oil featured prominently in his remarks. Trump said the US would take control of Venezuelas oil reserves and intended to sell seized production. Were going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground," he said, adding that revenue would flow to Venezuela, the Venezuelan diaspora and also to the US as reimbursement for the damages caused us by that country."

He said American oil companies would move into Venezuela with military backing, rebuild the badly broken" oil infrastructure, and begin producing at scale. Trump also warned that the US was ready to launch a second and much larger attack" if necessary to secure this plan.

At this stage, Trump did not specify who would formally lead Venezuela. He said Rubio had spoken to Delcy Rodriguez, then Venezuelas vice president, and indicated that designations were being made. But the broad message remained that the US would be running it."

Rubios Sunday Attempt To Reframe The US Role

By Sunday morning, Rubio was fielding questions about whether the United States was taking over governance of Venezuela. Speaking on NBCs Meet the Press, he tried to scale back Trumps claim, saying the US would not run Venezuela day to day." Instead, he said the administration would be running policy," with the entire national security apparatus" involved in shaping the post-Maduro transition.

Rubio dismissed the idea of quick elections, telling CBS Face the Nation that hopes for an immediate vote were absurd" after more than a decade of Chavismo entrenched in the political system. He also said Trump did not want to rule out deploying troops because the president wanted to maintain leverage.

On the question of oil, Rubio disputed suggestions that the Maduro operation had been designed to grant American companies easier access to reserves. Yet on ABCs This Week he simultaneously predicted dramatic interest from Western companies" in refurbishing Venezuelas gutted oil infrastructure, echoing Trumps economic forecast from the previous day.

Rubio also said Delcy Rodriguez, now acting president following the militarys support for her, would be judged on how she cooperated. While he praised opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, he argued that much of the opposition had left the country and that short-term things" had to be addressed immediately. He also acknowledged that the US had captured only Maduro during the operation because we got the top priority."

Meanwhile, Venezuelas defence minister maintained that Maduro remained the rightful leader, demanding his release. Tensions in Caracas grew, but the militarys support for Rodriguez signalled a shift in internal power even as questions remained about her autonomy.

By late afternoon on Sunday, Maduro and Cilia Flores had landed in New York for their first court appearance scheduled for Monday.

Trump Doubles Down On Sunday Night

Despite Rubios efforts to recalibrate expectations, Trump reversed the moderation that had emerged in Washingtons messaging. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night as he flew from Florida to Washington, he was bluntly asked who was in charge of Venezuela.

Dont ask me whos in charge, because Ill give you an answer, and itll be very controversial," he said. When pressed, he responded: It means were in charge. Were in charge."

Trump said he had not yet spoken to acting president Delcy Rodriguez but would do so at the right time." He claimed Rodriguez was cooperating" with the US following Maduros extraction.

He escalated his demands, saying the US needed total access" to the country. We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country," he said. He warned that Rodriguez would face a situation probably worse than Maduro" if she failed to do the right thing," though he declined to elaborate.

The message marked a return to the sweeping claims made on Saturday, and a clear departure from Rubios attempt at recalibration.

Delcy Rodriguezs Response And Noticeable Tone Shift

Amid Washingtons increasingly forceful rhetoric, Rodriguez issued a public statement addressing the United States directly. She said she had invited the US government to collaborate on an agenda of cooperation" aimed at shared development, within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence."

She said Venezuela would prioritise balanced and respectful international relations" with the US and the wider region. Speaking directly to Trump, she said: Our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. This has always been President Nicolas Maduros message, and it is a message of all Venezuela right now."

She also asserted that Venezuela has the right to peace, to development, to sovereignty and to a future."

These remarks contrasted sharply with her earlier condemnation of the brutal use of force" employed by the United States to seize Maduro.

Why Oil Sits At The Heart Of The Power Struggle

Oil underpins every element of this unfolding crisis. Venezuela holds an estimated 303 billion barrels of proven crude, the largest reserve in the world, accounting for about 20 per cent of global supply. Yet its current output stands at roughly one million barrels per day, less than half its production when Maduro took office in 2013 and far below the 3.5 million barrels per day it pumped before the rise of Hugo Chavez.

Years of sanctions, economic collapse and mismanagement have decimated the sector. PDVSA, the state-owned company, has pipelines that have not been modernised in 50 years. Restoring the system to peak capacity would cost about $58 billion. Heavy, sour crude  the type Venezuela is known for  requires specialised refining techniques that US companies already possess. Many American refineries were originally built to process Venezuelan oil, making the countrys reserves uniquely compatible with US industrial needs.

Trump has repeatedly argued that a US-led reconstruction of Venezuelas oil sector could be transformative. Speaking on Saturday, he said American companies would fix the badly broken infrastructure" and begin generating profits for both Venezuela and the US.

Energy analysts have described the potential impact as significant but long-term. Oil of this kind takes years to bring back online, even with major investment. Experts told CNN that immediate price shocks were unlikely unless unrest escalated further. They warned that expectations might outpace reality, noting that Venezuelas oil can be a huge deal but not for 5 to 10 years." Others said the success of any revival would depend on whether Venezuela defies the poor outcomes of previous US-led regime change efforts.

Nonetheless, Trumps remarks have tied the future of Venezuelas governance directly to control of its resources. His demand for total access" underscores how central oil is to the administrations strategy, and why Washington is determined to influence the post-Maduro transition.

So Who Is Actually In Charge?

Three days after the US operation, Venezuela remains in a politically ambiguous state. Trump has repeatedly claimed the United States is in charge," framing control as necessary for rebuilding the country and reasserting regional stability. Rubio, in contrast, maintains that the US is directing policy, not governing the nation day to day. Venezuelas military has endorsed Delcy Rodriguez as acting president, while Rodriguez herself is publicly signalling cooperation with the US in order to stabilise the situation.

Maduros detention and imminent court appearance in New York have also reshaped internal dynamics, but the absence of a clear succession plan has fuelled confusion. The immediate future will depend on how firmly the United States asserts operational control, how much autonomy Rodriguez can exercise, and whether Venezuelas institutions, heavily weakened over years, can manage a transition under strong external pressure.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 09:40 IST

News explainers Who's In Charge Of Venezuela? Trump's Big Claim, Rubio's Step Back And The Oil Debate

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Photo: https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has had a telephone conversation with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albenese, with whom he discussed defense and Russian strikes on Ukraine.

"The Prime Minister promised to help, and I am very grateful for that. Missiles for air defense are needed every day, just as support for our defense is needed every day," Zelenskyy wrote in his Telegram channel on Monday.

He also informed his interlocutor about the situation in diplomacy and the next steps.

"The Prime Minister noted our efforts. Thank you for the kind words about Ukraine and Ukrainians," Zelenskyy added.

In addition, the president expressed condolences to Albenizi in connection with the terrorist attack on Bondi Beach in December.

"Six victims are of Ukrainian origin. Our solidarity with all the relatives and friends of the victims," he president said.
1965 War: Indian Army Had Almost Reached Lahore When The Tashkent Agreement Was Signed

Curated By :

Translation Desk

Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 17:04 IST

During the 1965 India-Pakistan war, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Ayub Khan faced off, leading to the Tashkent Declaration mediated by Alexei Kosygin, shaping future Indo-Pak diplomacy

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The 1965 Indo-Pak war was triggered by Pakistan's 'Operation Gibraltar', an attempt to infiltrate Jammu and Kashmir. (File)

In the thick of the 1965 India-Pakistan war, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri is said to have told soldiers, We will have breakfast in Lahore tomorrow," a pointed response to Pakistans then ruler, President Ayub Khan, who had reportedly spoken of having dinner in New Delhi. Khans wish never materialised, but Shastris words came close. Many historians argue that had the Tashkent Agreement not been signed, Lahore may well have fallen under Indian control.

Instead, the two nations chose the path of negotiation. On January 10, 1966, India and Pakistan signed the Tashkent Declaration in the Central Asian city of Tashkent, now in Uzbekistan, under the mediation of Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin. The accord is widely regarded as one of the most significant peace initiatives in the subcontinents post-Independence history, aimed at reducing tensions and restoring normalcy after months of conflict.

The 1965 Indo-Pak war was triggered by Pakistans Operation Gibraltar, an attempt to infiltrate Jammu and Kashmir. India responded with force, and by September that year, the armies were locked in heavy fighting across multiple fronts. International pressure mounted as casualties increased, leading the United Nations to broker a ceasefire on September 22, 1965. But a durable peace still required face-to-face dialogue.

Amid the Cold War rivalry, both the United States and Russia were keen to stabilise South Asia. It was the Soviet Union that eventually brought Shastri and Ayub Khan to the table in Tashkent. For India, the priority was to prevent the conflict from escalating further and to restore calm along the border. Pakistan, meanwhile, faced economic and diplomatic pressure and sought relief through negotiations.

The Tashkent Declaration committed both sides to a series of steps:

Withdrawal of troops to the positions held before August 5, 1965. A pledge to resolve disputes peacefully and avoid the use of force. Restoration of diplomatic relations, along with resumption of trade and communications. Mutual commitment not to interfere in each others internal affairs. Humane treatment and repatriation of prisoners of war.

However, the optimism generated in Tashkent was short-lived. Just hours after the agreement, in the early hours of January 11, 1966, PM Shastri died in Tashkent, officially of a heart attack. His sudden death plunged India into mourning and inevitably cast a shadow over the accord.

The agreement itself drew criticism on both sides of the border. In India, some argued that despite strong battlefield gains, including advances towards Lahore, India had given up territory without securing a political concession, particularly on Kashmir. In Pakistan, the deal was criticised for failing to deliver a decisive outcome on the Kashmir dispute.

Even so, analysts observe that the Tashkent Declaration helped establish an enduring principle: whatever the provocation, India and Pakistan must keep diplomatic channels open. It paved the way for later peace efforts, including the 1972 Shimla Agreement.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 17:04 IST

News india 1965 War: Indian Army Had Almost Reached Lahore When The Tashkent Agreement Was Signed

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'Best Option To Safeguard Democracy': NSA Ajit Doval Meets Former Nepal PM Prachanda Ahead Of Polls

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CNN-News18 Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee



Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 18:26 IST

NSA Ajit Doval's meeting with former Nepal PM Prachanda focused on safeguarding the country's democracy through immediate elections that have been announced for March 5

NSA Ajit Doval met former Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' in New Delhi on January 4. (Image: PTI/File)

India gave its support to the upcoming general elections in neighbouring Nepal, which has witnessed political instability after the Gen Z protests last year, even as national security adviser Ajit Doval met the countrys former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, better known as Prachanda.

Dovals meeting with Prachanda in New Delhi took place late on Sunday (January 4), and focused on safeguarding Nepals democracy through immediate elections that the country has announced for March 5.

Doval hosted the dinner meeting at a hotel for Prachanda, who is the leader of the Nepal Communist Party. The high-level meeting served as a critical platform to address the current political situation in Nepal and the strategic necessity of the upcoming polls.

The primary focus of the dialogue was the implementation of general elections as the fundamental solution to the countrys political transition. This meeting comes at a sensitive time following the fall of the KP Sharma Oli government following the Gen Z protests last year.

According to sources, the discussions centred on the fact that Nepal has already announced election dates. In light of this, Doval suggested that the country should immediately go for elections to resolve the existing impasse, they said.

The sources told News18 that Indias position, as articulated by Doval, is that holding these elections is not merely a procedural requirement but a vital necessity for national stability. India expressed a firm commitment to the protection of Nepals democratic framework, they said.

They said Doval reportedly told Prachanda that elections are the only way to protect the political system and that India also wants the same stability for its neighbour. He stressed that a democratic mandate through the ballot box remains the best option to safeguard democracy, they added.

In response to Indias focus on Nepals electoral path, Prachanda provided assurances regarding the internal consensus in his country, the sources said. He told Doval that the political parties are not opposed to elections, they said.

Prachanda said before his arrival in New Delhi, he had engaged in high-level domestic consultations, specifically a meeting with CPN-UML chairperson KP Sharma Oli, they said. This suggests a broader attempt to synchronise the views of Nepals major political factions before engaging with Indian leadership.

Prachanda attended the meeting with Doval alongside his daughter Ganga.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 18:26 IST

News india 'Best Option To Safeguard Democracy': NSA Ajit Doval Meets Former Nepal PM Prachanda Ahead Of Polls

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'Entire J&K Should Be Reunited With India': British MP Condemns Pakistan's Illegal Occupation In Valley

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 08:27 IST

British MP Bob Blackman said Jammu and Kashmir should be reunited with India, reiterating his support for the abrogation of Article 370.

A view of a valley, in Bhaderwah, Jammu and Kashmir (Photo: PTI)

British MP Bob Blackman on Sunday reiterated his long-standing support for Indias position on Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the entire Union Territory should be reunited with India and recalling that his call for the abrogation of Article 370 dates back more than three decades.

Speaking at a Hi-Tea Programme at the Constitutional Club in Jaipur, Blackman said his position on Jammu and Kashmir was not a recent development linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision in 2019, but one rooted in events of the early 1990s, particularly the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley.

I didnt just call for the abrogation of Article 370 back when Prime Minister Modi put it in the manifesto and implemented it. I called for this back in 1992, when the Kashmiri Pandits had been forced out of Jammu and Kashmir," Blackman said.

Recalling activism at the time, the British MP said efforts were made in the UK to highlight what he described as a grave injustice against the displaced community.

We held a massive meeting at the time to say to people, this is wrong, this is unjust, that people were being forced out of their ancestral homes purely because of their religion and their background," he said.

Blackman said he has consistently condemned terrorism in the region and criticised Pakistans control over parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

Not only have I condemned the terrorism that takes place, but I also condemned the illegal occupation by Pakistan of parts of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Reiterating his core position, he added, Ive said from the word go, the whole of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir should be reunited under the crown of India."

#WATCH | Jaipur, Rajasthan | At a Hi-Tea Programme at the Constitutional Club, British MP Bob Blackman said, . I didnt just call for the abrogation of Article 370 back when Prime Minister Modi put it in the manifesto and implemented it. I called for this back in 1992, when pic.twitter.com/n7IJ4zVYsQ ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2026

Blackmans remarks echo his earlier statements made in July 2025, when he strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that claimed 26 lives.

In a statement shared on X at the time, the Conservative MP said, I remain appalled by the terrorist attack in Pahalgam a few months ago, which took 26 innocent lives."

Im relieved that peace has held, but the truce remains fragile. As India seeks deeper security ties with the West, I urged the Govt to stand with India against terrorism," he mentioned.

Speaking in the UK Parliament, he had referred to Indias response to the attack, saying, Similarly, we had the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam and Indias subsequent counter-terrorism action Operation Sindoor. I remain deeply appalled and saddened by the barbaric attack on the innocent tourists, which claimed the lives of 26 people."

While welcoming a pause in hostilities between India and Pakistan, Blackman had cautioned against complacency.

That truce is still very fragile and could return to war once again," he said.

Highlighting Pakistans alleged role in cross-border terrorism, Blackman had stated, As someone who has stood with the Kashmir Pandits and their right to return to Kashmir Valley and Indias sovereign right to defend its people and territory, it is outrageous that this terrorism, sponsored by Pakistan, continues in Jammu and Kashmir."

During Operation Sindoor Global Outreach in June, Blackman also described Pakistan as a failed state" and questioned its civil-military balance, saying, So whos in charge? Is it the democracy or the Generals? And its quite clear that terrorism is encouraged from Pakistan into sovereign India."

He had further called for international backing for India, stating, So it is right that we call on this and make sure we stand in solidarity with India."

ALSO READ | Indias Security Imperative In 2026: Challenges, Choices, And The Road Ahead

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 08:19 IST

News india 'Entire J&K Should Be Reunited With India': British MP Condemns Pakistan's Illegal Occupation In Valley

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'Role Central To Conspiracy': SC Denies Bail To Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam In Delhi Riots Case

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 11:47 IST

The bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have been denied after the Supreme Court held that their roles in the conspiracy in the 2020 Delhi riots case was "central".

File photos of Umar Khalid/Sharjeel Imam (PTI)

The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 north-east Delhi riots, holding that their role was central to the conspiracy".

The court also said that the prosecution material discloses a prima facie case against them under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria ruled that Khalid and Imam stand on a qualitatively different footing" from several other accused, noting that the statutory threshold under Section 43D(5) of the UAPA stands attracted in their case.

The court said it was satisfied that the prosecution material disclosed their prima facie roles to the extent of planning and organisation", and therefore, at this stage, did not justify their enlargement on bail.

Emphasising that offences concerning national security require a distinct bail framework, the bench observed, Offences regarding security of the nation require a different bail regime under the Act."

It added that if prosecution allegations are found to be prima facie true, incarceration prevails", but if they do not meet the threshold, bail should follow.

At the same time, the court granted bail to five other accused, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad, clarifying that such relief does not dilute the allegations against them.

The grant of bail to these accused persons is not a dilution of the allegations," the court said, stressing that each accused must be assessed individually.

The judgment arose from appeals against a common Delhi High Court order denying bail to several accused in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots.

The bench underlined that all accused persons do not stand equally," and warned that treating all accused equally would promote pre-trial detentions," which would itself be arbitrary.

Addressing arguments on prolonged incarceration and delay in trial, the court reiterated that Article 21 of the Constitution occupies a central space" in the constitutional scheme.

Pre-trial incarceration cannot be assumed to have the character of punishment," it said, adding that deprivation of liberty should not be arbitrary."

However, the court cautioned that delay cannot operate as a trump card" in cases under the UAPA.

The bench clarified that Section 43D(5) of the UAPA, which departs from ordinary bail principles, does not exclude judicial scrutiny" or mandate denial of bail by default.

Delay in prosecution, it said, serves as a trigger for heightened judicial scrutiny," but the court must still undertake a structured enquiry" to determine whether the prosecution material discloses prima facie offences and whether the role attributed to an accused has a reasonable nexus to the alleged crime.

Explaining the scope of terrorist act" under Section 15 of the UAPA, the court observed that such acts are not confined to physical violence alone.

Terrorist acts not only include violence but also disruption of essential services," it said, noting that Parliament recognised that threats to society may arise even in the absence of immediate physical violence."

The bench also cautioned courts not to conflate bail proceedings with a determination of guilt.

The bail is not a forum for evaluating defences," it said, adding that judicial restraint is not an abdication of duty."

While refusing bail to Khalid and Imam, the court left a limited window open, stating that upon completion of examination of protected witnesses or after one year from the order, they may be at liberty to move a fresh bail application.

Directing that the trial should not be unnecessarily prolonged, the Supreme Court asked the trial court to ensure that examination of protected witnesses is carried forward without delay, reiterating that Article 21 requires the state to justify prolonged pre-trial custody even under special statutes like the UAPA.

ALSO READ | Terror Acts Include Disruption Of Essential Services, Not Just Violence: SC On Umar Khalid Bail Plea

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 11:13 IST

News india 'Role Central To Conspiracy': SC Denies Bail To Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam In Delhi Riots Case

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Denmark Ends Letter Delivery. Could India Ever Go The Same Way? | Explained

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 13:06 IST

Denmark has removed nearly 1,500 mailboxes, and PostNord has laid off about 1,500 of its 4,600 employees. As letters disappear, the question is: which country will follow next?

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Denmarks postal market is no longer profitable due to near-total digital adoption.

Denmarks national postal service, PostNord, has officially stopped delivering letters across the country from December 30, 2025, making Denmark the first nation in the world to take this step. International mail services were also discontinued from December 31. The move reflects a dramatic shift in communication habits, as citizens now rely almost entirely on smartphones, email, and digital platforms.

In a statement released in March 2025, PostNord revealed that letter volumes in Denmark have fallen by more than 90% since 2000. With handwritten letters now almost extinct, the traditional postal model has become financially unsustainable.

Parcel Services To Continue, Letter Era Ends

PostNord will now focus exclusively on parcel delivery, catering mainly to the booming e-commerce sector. As part of this transition, all 1,500 public mailboxes across Denmark have been removed.

The restructuring has come at a heavy cost: out of 4,600 PostNord employees, around 1,500 would reportedly lose their jobs.

This decision marks the end of a significant chapter in Denmarks 200-year-old modern postal service, as the country accelerates its move towards a fully digital society.

Why Denmark Took This Step

Denmarks postal market is no longer profitable due to near-total digital adoption. Officials say the decline in letter writing left no economic justification for maintaining nationwide letter delivery.

However, Denmark is not alone. Postal services around the world are facing similar pressures, raising a key question: which country will be next?

Nordic Countries Already Cutting Back

Several nations are already moving in this direction:

Sweden and Norway now deliver letters only two or three days a week

In Finland, the rapid adoption of digital mailboxes has pushed traditional postal services into heavy losses

These countries are among the global leaders in digital transformation, making physical mail increasingly redundant.

Postal Crisis In Canada And The US

Canada Post has been struggling financially for years. The country follows a community mailbox model, where mail is collected from shared neighbourhood boxes rather than delivered door to door. In the future, Canadas government postal service may be limited to parcels and business mail only.

Even the United States, home to the worlds largest postal service, is witnessing a sharp decline. Compared to 2006, letter volumes in the US had fallen by 50% by 2024.

India Tells A Very Different Story

India stands in sharp contrast to Denmark and other Western nations. While letter volumes have declined, India Post is reinventing itself as a logistics and banking powerhouse, rather than shrinking.

Sales of postcards, inland letters, and envelopes have dropped significantly. Postcards priced at 50 paise are still used in rural areas and government campaigns, but personal use is now almost negligible.

The steepest fall has been in inland letters, largely replaced by smartphones and WhatsApp.

What Still Keeps India Post Relevant

Despite the decline in personal correspondence, certain services remain strong:

Envelopes are still widely used for official documents, court papers, and festive mail such as Rakhi

Speed Post and registered letters have seen steady growth

Official data shows that in 2024-25, revenue from Speed Post and registered letters rose to around Rs 2,353 crore. Delivery of passports, Aadhaar cards, bank documents, cheque books, and government notices continues to rely heavily on India Post.

Since September 2025, the old registry system has been merged with Speed Post, with a renewed focus on real-time tracking services.

No Immediate End To Letters In India

There is no indication that letter services will end in India anytime soon. Rural populations still depend heavily on the postal network. The governments long-term strategy is to transform India Post into a nationwide logistics powerhouse, capable of reaching every village.

From January 2026, India Post has introduced 24-hour and 48-hour guaranteed delivery services to compete directly with private courier companies.

Birth Of The Modern Postal System

The modern postal system is believed to have originated in Britain in 1840, when Sir Rowland Hill introduced the worlds first postage stamp, the Penny Black.

Despite digital dominance today, efforts are underway globally to preserve the tradition of handwritten letters.

Campaigns Keeping Letter Writing Alive

Several initiatives worldwide continue to promote handwritten correspondence:

Dhai Akhar Letter Writing Competition organised annually by India Post, with this years theme: The Joy of Writing: The Importance of Letters in the Digital Age. Cash prizes go up to Rs 25,000 at the circle level and Rs 50,000 nationally. World Letter Writing Day, observed on September 1, launched in 2014 by Australian author Richard Simpkin Postcrossing, a global postcard exchange project The World Needs More Love Letters, which sends handwritten messages to people facing illness, loneliness, or hardship Amnesty Internationals Write For Rights, the worlds largest human rights letter-writing campaign.

Amnesty International believes that thousands of handwritten letters exert greater pressure on governments than digital emails.

Why Handwritten Letters Still Matter

Writing letters by hand offers several benefits:

It slows the mind and works like meditation

Research shows handwriting improves memory and creativity

Unlike digital messages, letters can be preserved for decades

The Worlds Largest Post Office Building

The Old Chicago Main Post Office in the US is the worlds largest post office building, covering around 2.5 to 2.8 million square feet. Construction began in 1921 and expanded in 1932.

Vacated in 1997, the building lay abandoned for nearly two decades before undergoing a massive renovation costing around $800 million (approximately Rs 6,600 crore). Today, it serves as a major business hub housing companies such as Uber, Walgreens, PepsiCo, Cisco, and Ferrara Candy.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 13:06 IST

News india Denmark Ends Letter Delivery. Could India Ever Go The Same Way? | Explained

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Dera Chief Ram Rahim Walks Out Again On 40-Day Parole, Lawyer Justifies Move

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 15:02 IST

The parole coincides with preparations for the birth anniversary of Shah Satnam Maharaj, the second successor of Dera Sacha Sauda

Gurmeet Ram Rahim was granted yet another 40-day parole, his 15th since his conviction in 2017. (Image: PTI File)

Rape convict and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was released from Sunaria jail in Rohtak on a 40-day parole on Monday and reached the Dera headquarters in Sirsa, where he will stay for the duration of the parole period. This was Ram Rahims 15th parole since he was convicted in 2017.

The parole coincides with preparations for the birth anniversary of Shah Satnam Maharaj, the second successor of Dera Sacha Sauda, which falls on January 25 and is marked by month-long religious programmes, including a satsang and a large community feast at the Sirsa campus.

#WATCH | Rohtak, Haryana: Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh released from Sunaria prison in Rohtak after being granted 40-day parole. pic.twitter.com/LIZoIUvyJX ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2026

Defending the decision, Ram Rahims lawyer said parole is a statutory right available to every convict. Under the law, a prisoner can be granted up to 70 days of parole in a year and 21 days of furlough, and the current release falls within that entitlement. It is not the case that only Guru ji is being given this right. Around 6,000 other prisoners in the state are also availing this benefit," the lawyer said.

The counsel clarified that parole is granted not by courts but by the Sentence Review Board, and is assessed on factors such as the convicts conduct inside jail and the likelihood of reformation.

A mandatory six-month gap between two paroles is required, and parole can be denied if the release is deemed a threat to public safety or law and order. The nature of the offence is also considered while deciding such requests, the lawyer added.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 14:45 IST

News india Dera Chief Ram Rahim Walks Out Again On 40-Day Parole, Lawyer Justifies Move

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Trump Praises 'Very Good Man' PM Modi, Then Makes A Tariff Comment

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 11:22 IST

Donald Trump warned that Washington could raise tariffs on Indian goods very quickly over New Delhis Russian oil purchases, according to an audio released by the White House.

Donald Trump with PM Narendra Modi (Photo: AP)

US President Donald Trump has warned that Washington could raise tariffs on Indian goods very quickly" if New Delhis trade and energy decisions do not align with US expectations.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump linked Indias approach to Russian oil purchases directly to his personal displeasure, while praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

They wanted to make me happy, basically," Trump said.

Referring to PM Modi, he added, Modis a very good man. Hes a good guy. He knew I was not happy. And it was important to make me happy."

Trump explicitly warned of the trade consequences India could face, saying, They do trade. And we can raise tariffs on them very quickly, and it would be very bad for them."

He also commented on broader economic conditions, adding, The Russian economy is lousy. But whats really lousy is the Venezuelan economy. The Venezuelan economy is, I think, the worst economy Ive ever seen."

VIDEO | Onboard Air Force One, US President Donald Trump, while interacting with the media, claims that India has substantially reduced its oil purchases from Russia. He says,They wanted to make me happy. Basically, Modi is a very good man. He knew I was not happy, and it was pic.twitter.com/qmHHrkK4NW  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 5, 2026

Trumps remarks come as India recalibrates its oil import reporting amid ongoing negotiations with Washington.

According to a January 2 Reuters report, New Delhi has asked refiners to submit weekly disclosures of Russian and US oil purchases, with officials saying the move is aimed at ensuring timely and accurate data" that can be shared with the United States when requested.

The United States last year doubled import tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent as punishment for Indias heavy buying of Russian oil.

Five industry and government sources told Reuters that the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) is seeking weekly data at the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modis office.

We want timely and accurate data on Russian and US oil imports so that, when the US asks for information, we can provide verified figures instead of them relying on secondary sources," one government official said, according to Reuters.

The sources said the data is not expected to be made public.

Russian oil imports had already fallen to about 1.2 million bpd in December, a three-year low, amid tighter US and European Union sanctions, according to sources and analytics firm Kpler.

A separate December 17 Reuters report said Indias Russian oil imports were still poised to top 1 million bpd in December, defying expectations of a sharp decline, as refiners resumed buying from non-sanctioned entities offering deep discounts.

Despite the pressure, New Delhi has publicly argued that Russian oil remains vital to Indias energy security, even as Trump continues to signal that tariffs remain a key lever in US trade policy.

ALSO READ | Going To Pay A Price Bigger Than Maduro: Trump Warns Venezuelas Rodriguez If She Defies US

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 07:47 IST

News india Trump Praises 'Very Good Man' PM Modi, Then Makes A Tariff Comment

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India Issues Advisory For Iran, Urges Citizens To Avoid Non-Essential Travel Amid Violent Protests

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 20:05 IST

India advises citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Tehran amid violent protests in Iran, where HRAI reports 990 arrests, 20 deaths, and unrest across 78 cities.

The protests continued during the weekend despite a crackdown after countrys supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, addressed protesters as rioters. (AFP)

Amid violent protests in Iran, India on Monday issued advisory urging its citizens to avoid the non-essential travel to the Tehran.

According to the advisory, the nationals are advised to avoid non-essential travel to Iran until further notice.

Indian citizens and PIOs currently in Iran should exercise due caution, avoid areas of protests or demonstrations, and closely monitor news as well as the website and social media handles of the Embassy of India in Tehran," it stated.

It added that the Indian nationals living in Iran on resident-visas are advised to register with the Indian Embassy, if not already done so.

According to the US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), 990 people have been arrested and at least 20 killed during a week of unrest in Iran, a rights group said on Sunday, as protests spread across the country, sparking violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces.

The protests, sparked by Irans worsening economic crisis and the sharp fall of the national currency, have turned violent in several areas.

The Guardian quoted Skylar Thompson, deputy director of HRAI, saying that the group had documented the killings of three children, as well as the arrests of at least 44 minors.

The uprising was sparked by the collapse of the countrys currency and rising living costs. The protests have spread to at least 78 cities and 222 locations, with demonstrators calling for the end of the regime, the HRAI stated.

The protests continued during the weekend despite a crackdown after the countrys supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, addressed protesters as rioters".

Khamenei on Saturday issued a stern warning in his first public comments since protests erupted across the country, declaring that rioters must be put in their place" after a week of unrest that has shaken the Islamic Republic.

Khameneis remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump warned that the United States would come to their rescue" if Tehran violently kills peaceful protesters." Responding sharply, Khamenei dismissed Trumps statement as empty rhetoric. That ranting American sits there talking about the Iranian nation, spewing a combination of slander and promises. False promises! Deception!" he said.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 19:41 IST

News india India Issues Advisory For Iran, Urges Citizens To Avoid Non-Essential Travel Amid Violent Protests

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MP Official Suspended Over Ghanta Row Reference In Indore Water Contamination Govt Order

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 12:37 IST

A sub-divisional magistrate in MP was suspended after allegedly copying portions of a Congress memorandum into an official order over protest in Indore water contamination crisis.

Bhopal: Congress workers and locals take out a candlelight vigil for the people who died due to water contamination in Indore (Photo: PTI)

A sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) in Madhya Pradeshs Dewas district was suspended on Sunday after allegedly incorporating political content, including references to a Congress memorandum and a controversial remark by state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, into an official government order amid the Indore water contamination crisis.

According to the administration, the suspension was ordered by Ujjain Division Revenue Commissioner Ashish Singh, who found the officer guilty of serious negligence, indifference and procedural irregularities in the discharge of official duties.

The action followed scrutiny of an order issued by the SDM on Saturday that directed the deployment of subordinate revenue staff to maintain law and order in connection with a Congress protest planned in Dewas on Sunday.

Officials said the problem lay not with the decision to deploy staff but with the language used in the order.

A senior official told news agency PTI that a portion of the Congress memorandum submitted ahead of the protest was reproduced verbatim in the SDMs official directive.

The inclusion of political allegations and charged language from a party document in an administrative order was viewed as a serious lapse and a violation of expected neutrality in official communication.

The Congress memorandum in question had sharply criticised the BJP-led state government over the contamination of drinking water in parts of Indore, which has led to multiple deaths due to a diarrhoea outbreak.

It also targeted Urban Development and Housing Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya for using the word ghanta" while responding to a television journalists question on the crisis.

The Congress described the remark as reflecting inhumanity and authoritarianism".

The memorandum further stated that, on the instructions of state Congress president Jitu Patwari, party workers would organise ghanta" protests across Madhya Pradesh.

As part of the protest, Congress workers planned to ring bells outside the residences of BJP Members of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assembly to register their opposition to what they described as insensitive behaviour by the minister.

The protest was organised in the backdrop of deaths linked to contaminated drinking water in Indores Bhagirathpura area.

The controversy intensified after Vijayvargiyas on-camera remark on the night of December 31, when he used the term ghanta" in response to a question about the water contamination crisis.

In common usage, the term is widely understood to mean nonsense", and the remark triggered criticism and political backlash.

Meanwhile, the toll from the diarrhoea outbreak has been a matter of contention. The district administration has officially confirmed six deaths so far as being caused by contaminated drinking water.

However, Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav said on January 2 that he had information suggesting that 10 people had died in connection with the outbreak.

Local residents, for their part, have claimed that the number of deaths is even higher, alleging that 16 people, including a six-month-old infant, have lost their lives.

ALSO READ | Families Living In Fear: Locals Blame Police Outpost Toilet Leakage For Indore Water Tragedy

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 10:54 IST

News india MP Official Suspended Over Ghanta Row Reference In Indore Water Contamination Govt Order

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IPS Officer, Who Confronted Vijay's Aide For Allowing Additional Crowd At TVK Rally, Transferred

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 13:32 IST

IPS officer Isha Singh, who was praised for enforcing safety at TVK chief Vijay's rally after the Karur stampede, has been transferred from Puducherry to Delhi.

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IPS officer Isha Singh has been transferred to Delhi. (Image: LinkedIn/Isha Singh)

IPS officer Isha Singh, who went viral after publicly stopping a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader from asking additional people to enter the venue of a tightly regulated rally, has been transferred from Puducherry to Delhi.

Singh drew nationwide attention during TVK chief Vijays first public rally following the Karur stampede horror, which claimed 41 lives. The event, held at the Uppalam Expo Ground in the Union Territory, was held under strict police supervision, with authorities imposing a cap on attendance and banning any roadshow, India Today reported.

The incident that sparked widespread attention occurred when TVK general secretary Bussy Anand went to the stage and announced that there was space inside the venue, urging more people to enter. Singh immediately intervened Anand and halted his address mid-sentence.

She was heard reminding the organisers, You have so many peoples blood. Forty people have died. What are you doing?", and ensured that no entry beyond the permitted limit was allowed.

Her remarks served as a sharp public reminder of the Karur stampede on September 28, during which 41 people were killed at a massive TVK rally. In the widely circulated video, Singh was seen seizing the microphone from Anand moments before delivering her reprimand.

Clips of the exchange went viral on social media, with many hailing Singh for enforcing safety norms without yielding to political pressure.

All About IPS Isha Singh

Born in Mumbai in 1998, Isha Singh grew up in a family deeply rooted in public service and activism. Her father, Yogesh Pratap Singh, a 1985-batch IPS officer, resigned after repeated punishment" postings for exposing corruption. Her mother, Abha Singh, left the Indian Postal Service to practise law and has handled several high-profile public interest cases, including the Salman Khan hit-and-run case, the India Today report mentioned.

Singh secured 191st rank in UPSC CSE Exam 2020. Before joining the police service, Singh built a strong foundation in law. A graduate of the National Law School, Bengaluru, she chose not to pursue conventional corporate internships and instead focused on human rights and public interest litigation.

In 2021, she secured Rs 10 lakh in compensation for the widows of three manual scavengers who died while cleaning a septic tank in Mumbai. She also stood up for people she believed were unfairly targeted, securing bail for a woman who was jailed on exaggerated forgery charges allegedly backed by a powerful bureaucrat.

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Location : Puducherry (Pondicherry), India, India

First Published: January 05, 2026, 13:32 IST

News india IPS Officer, Who Confronted Vijay's Aide For Allowing Additional Crowd At TVK Rally, Transferred

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Photo: @zelenskyy.official Facebook

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with Dmytro Kuleba, with whom he discussed the political and informational situation around Ukraine.

"Meet with Dmytro Kuleba. We discussed the situation around Ukraine - both political and informational. It is important that the Ukrainian view of things in the world is presented and that it is strong enough," Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram channel on Monday.

"I am glad that Dmytro is on the Ukrainian team, and we agreed to determine the directions of further cooperation," the president noted.
'Committed To Welfare, Development': K Kavitha Announces Plans To Launch New Political Party

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 13:46 IST

K Kavitha has announced plans to launch a new political party, projecting it as a secular, transparent and youth-focused alternative in Telangana politics.

Kavitha addresses a press conference (File photo: PTI)

Suspended Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC and Telangana Jagruthi chief Kalvakuntla Kavitha has announced that she will soon launch a new political party, projecting it as a secular, unbiased platform committed to public welfare and inclusive development.

Positioning the proposed party as a strong alternative in Telangana politics, Kavitha said it would focus on empowering the youth and raising the voices of those who have been ignored within the political system.

Kavithas announcement comes amid heightened political and personal tensions following her suspension from the BRS.

During proceedings in the Telangana Legislative Council, she broke down while responding to allegations surrounding her rift with the party and hit out at the Congress for what she described as false narratives" being spun against her.

My fight is for self-respect and not for wealth. I swear by the God I believe in and by my two sons," Kavitha said.

Kalvakuntla Kavitha breaks down in the Telangana Legislative CouncilMy fight is for self-respect and not for wealth. I swear by the God I believe in and by my two sons," K Kavitha said as she hit out at the Congress for spinning false narratives around her rift with the BRS. pic.twitter.com/eq2e2Axwjz  Kalvakuntla Kavitha Office (@OfficeOfKavitha) January 5, 2026

Reiterating her political vision, Kavitha said the new platform would stand for transparency, justice and inclusive growth, and sought public support to build what she described as a credible alternative to the existing political formations in the state.

According to news agency ANI, Kavitha, on December 15, engaged with netizens on X under the hashtag #AskKavitha, responding to questions for about one-and-a-half hours on issues ranging from her vision for Telangana and the future roadmap of Telangana Jagruthi to her assessment of the Congress governments performance.

During the interaction, Kavitha reiterated that achieving Samajika Telangana (Social Telangana) remains her core mission.

She stressed that youth and women should be provided opportunities in the fields of their choice and encouraged accordingly.

She said Telangana Jagruthi would work to create political opportunities for youth and women and continue its struggle for social justice, while gradually strengthening the organisation.

Responding to questions about the launch of a new political party, Kavitha had given clarity that her platform would contest the 2029 elections.

She said the name of the party would be decided based on suggestions from the people.

Emphasising empowerment as a central pillar, she said quality free education and healthcare must reach all sections of society and argued that parents in Telangana should not have to spend even a single rupee" on their childrens education.

On priorities concerning the youth, Kavitha said providing jobs would be her top focus, along with ensuring security.

She also announced that a Telangana Jagruthi membership drive would be launched soon, noting that committees formed by the organisation have already given representation to all sections.

Kavitha, daughter of BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, was suspended from the party in September after accusing her cousins and senior party leaders T Harish Rao and J Santosh Kumar of tarnishing" her fathers image over the Kaleshwaram project.

Since her suspension, she has been actively taking up public issues under the banner of Telangana Jagruthi, a cultural organisation she heads.

Accusing both the BRS and the ruling Congress of corruption and irregularities," Kavitha had earlier said that she would become the Chief Minister one day and conduct a probe into what she described as injustices committed since Telanganas formation in 2014.

ALSO READ | K Kavitha Demands Return of Five Villages From Andhra To Telangana

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 13:44 IST

News india 'Committed To Welfare, Development': K Kavitha Announces Plans To Launch New Political Party

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Lack Of Family Dialogue Major Reason For Love Jihad, Says RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 09:42 IST

The remarks drew sharp political reactions. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi questioned the premise of Bhagwats statement, saying adults have legal right to make their own choices.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat (Credits: PTI)

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said the lack of dialogue within families is a major reason behind what he termed love jihad," asserting that efforts to prevent it must begin at home.

Addressing the Stri Shakti Samvad programme in Bhopal, Bhagwat urged parents to introspect on how a girl can be influenced by a stranger," and stressed the importance of communication and moral grounding within families.

Highlighting the role of women, Bhagwat said the moral values of a child are shaped at home for the first 12 years, with the mother being the main artist." He underlined that equality of share is a must" between men and women, and noted that while women were historically placed under restrictions due to instability and past attacks, those circumstances have changed.

Bhagwat added that stopping love jihad" requires efforts at three levels to ensure societal stability.

The remarks drew sharp political reactions. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi questioned the premise of Bhagwats statement, saying adults have the legal right to make their own choices.

Speaking in Amravati, Maharashtra, Owaisi said if love jihad" is taking place, data should be presented in Parliament. He asked the BJP and Mohan Bhagwat to define the term and provide records for the last 11 years, adding that they had no say on bigger issues like employment, China and Ladakh."

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 09:42 IST

News india Lack Of Family Dialogue Major Reason For Love Jihad, Says RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat

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MP Water Deaths: How The Killer Taps Of Bhagirathpura First Cost Bribes, Then Claimed Lives

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 14:08 IST

Locals told the News18 team that they had paid Rs 1,500 per household to get a line laid, but it never became functional.

On Sunday, Indores health administration officially declared the severe waterborne disease outbreak in the Bhagirathpura locality an epidemic. (Image: News18)

On the morning of December 28, as Jeevan Lal, who was rushed to a hospital just hours ago following symptoms of acute diarrhea, failed to recover, little did his family know that Lals killer was within their own house.

Lal was one of the first casualties among those who died in Indores Bhagirathpura area in Madhya Pradesh, after consuming the contaminated water.

Even in our wildest imagination we had never thought that this drinking water tap, which is our daily lifeline, will become our killer. Even as they took my husband to hospital, unaware, we continued using the water. Now, Ive lost my husband, my son is unwell and my grandchildren also are showing symptoms," says Jashoda Ben, wife of 80-year-old Lal.

The family still cant believe that the same tap, for which they had to pay Rs 3,000 to officials from the Municipal Corporation and to the henchmen of the local councillor", as they allege, has turned killer for them.

In front of Lals house runs a boring pipeline, broken midway. Locals told the News18 team that they had paid Rs 1,500 per household to get that line laid, but it never became functional.

Whenever we request for a connection, staff of the Municipal Corporation come for survey, they charge us money, even local councillors men ask us to pay for water connections. It is a routine here. Every household has paid to get these connections be it the Narmada water pipeline or boring connection," said Rahul Ajmera, a resident of Ward One, in Bhagirathpura.

However, when asked if any receipt was given in exchange for the payment, he said none.

As News18 team surveyed the area on Sunday, several residents reiterated the same story.

Gayatri, another resident said she had paid Rs 1,500 but without any official confirmation of the payment.

We got the connection a few years ago. The same tap is now out of water for the past one week as Narmada water supply has been cut off due to contamination. The same tap gave us the poisoned water because of which my entire family has been complaining of stomach aches and illness," she said.

First we pay bribes, then we get killed, and no politician has made it to our area yet, no official has come here to meet us, they will come during the elections and we will be forgotten again for the next five years," said Ram Chander Gaur, another resident of Bhagirathpura.

Gaur too paid for the water connection. I am not alone, my entire neighbourhood paid Rs 1,500 to 3,000, just to get these government taps. If it is not bribe then what? Many people were given receipts, but a majority of them didnt get. Who is accountable," he asked.

Ajay Mali, a local, said two of his friends are ill. Even as he escaped, he says the entire neighbourhood is living in fear. If something as basic as water cant be relied upon, and has caused deaths, in our own locality, how will we never fear consuming the same water," he said.

Mali added that paying bribe to the men of local councillor is a routine. He also alleged that Municipal Corporation officers are hand in glove with politicians.

As the News18 team moved to Ward Eleven, residents had the same story to tell.

We never got any receipt. We paid Rs 3,000, some paid 1,500, it was a few years back. But no acknowledgement ever. The same water supply became lethal for our friends and relatives," said a woman.

Following allegations on the local councillor and his men, the News18 team reached out to Kamal Vaghela, the local ward councillor from BJP, but he remained unresponsive. Calls made and messages sent to him remained unanswered.

When the same question was taken to Municipal Commissioner Kshitij Singhal, who took over the charge late Saturday night, after Dilip Kumar Yadav was removed, he said he will look into these allegations from the local residents.

Our priority right now is to normalise the situation. We will get to the root cause of this issue," Singhal said.

Reacting to the bribe allegations, District Magistrate, Shiva Verma told News18 that the allegations are grave. If we receive any official complaint appropriate action will be taken. I will also get this looked into by my teams," Verma said.

On Sunday, Indores health administration officially declared the severe waterborne disease outbreak in the Bhagirathpura locality an epidemic, following the confirmation of 10 fatalities linked to the crisis.

Since December 27, at least 15 people have died in Bhagirathpura. While the administration until Saturday maintained the official figure of deaths due to water contamination" as per a doctors panel that has been set up, at six, Indore police are officially probing the suspicion of criminal negligence only in two deaths.

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Location : Indore, India, India

First Published: January 05, 2026, 14:08 IST

News india MP Water Deaths: How The Killer Taps Of Bhagirathpura First Cost Bribes, Then Claimed Lives

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'No Hostility, Only Unity': Andhra CM Calls For Increased Cooperation With Telangana

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 18:08 IST

Addressing the World Telugu Conference in Guntur, N Chandrababu Naidu said Andhra Pradesh and Telangana should be united in cases of water sharing and river interlinking.

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Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu speaking at the World Telugu Conference. (PTI)

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday addressed the World Telugu Conference in Guntur, where he emphasised the importance of cooperation between the Telugu states  Andhra Pradesh and Telangana  saying the states should be united, particularly in cases of water sharing and river interlinking.

Naidu said there was no hostility and only unity between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, adding that political differences should not create hostility and appealed for unity among Telugu people.

The Andhra CM also highlighted that huge quantities of Godavari and Krishna river water are going to waste into the sea every year and said river interlinking projects, such as Polavaram and the KrishnaGodavari linkage, would help address Indias long-standing water challenges.

VIDEO | Guntur: No hostility, only unity between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, says CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu. Speaking at the 3rd World Telugu Conference in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu emphasised the importance of cooperation between the Telugu pic.twitter.com/3xslNiK5MJ Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 5, 2026

No Language Superior Or Inferior

During the event, Naidu also called upon people across the country to respect each others languages, asserting that neither language was superior or inferior. He also said technology does not erode languages, but helps in their preservation.

While observing that English is necessary, the TDP supremo said forgetting ones mother tongue amounts to forgetting ones identity. Despite the presence of hundreds of languages in the country, Naidu said Telugu, being one of the six classical languages, is a matter of pride.

Noting that nearly 10 crore people speak Telugu, he said representatives from 40 countries have participated in the conference and stressed that children should be taught to love the language.

The World Telugu Conference kicked off in Guntur on January 3, 2026, spanning three days to celebrate the Telugu language. On Sunday, Mauritius President Dharambeer Gokhool attended the event as the chief guest for a special session. Naidu, Goa Governor Ashok Gajapathi Raju, and several other ministers addressed the closing ceremony.

(with inputs from PTI)

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Location : Guntur, India, India

First Published: January 05, 2026, 18:08 IST

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Punishment Or Privilege? Rape, Murder Convict Ram Rahim Spent 405 Days Outside Jail On 15 Paroles

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 09:28 IST

Just months ago, in August, Ram Rahim was granted another 40-day parole for his own 58th birthday celebrations.

This week, Gurmeet Ram Rahim was granted yet another 40-day parole, his 15th since his conviction in 2017. (Image: PTI File)

Is the Ram Rahim story still about punishment and reform  or has it quietly become a tale of parole timed to celebrations?

For a man convicted of raping two women and murdering a journalist, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has spent an astonishing amount of time outside prison.

This week, he was granted yet another 40-day parole, his 15th since his conviction in 2017. The official reason this time is to attend the January 25 birth anniversary of Shah Satnam Singh, the second head of the Dera Sacha Sauda. The order was approved by the Rohtak Divisional Commissioner, and Ram Rahim is expected to walk out of Sunaria Jail on Monday.

This latest release fits neatly into a pattern that has become impossible to ignore. Just months ago, in August, Ram Rahim was granted another 40-day parole for his own 58th birthday celebrations. Videos surfaced, sermons were delivered, and the optics once again raised an uncomfortable question: how does a convict serving long sentences continue to occupy public space so frequently?

Since 2020, parole has been a recurring feature of Ram Rahims prison life. What began as a one-day release and a few hours outside jail gradually expanded into weeks and then long 40- and even 50-day stretches. Add them all up, and with this latest parole, Ram Rahim has now spent 405 days outside prison  more than a full year  despite standing convicted in two of the most serious criminal cases imaginable.

The timing of these paroles has only sharpened the controversy. Several of Ram Rahims releases have coincided closely with elections  Haryana Assembly polls, local body elections, Punjab Assembly elections, and even Haryana bypolls. His Deras followers are widely regarded as a politically influential vote-bank in both Haryana and Punjab. A parole granted many a time around an election cycle has therefore fuelled suspicions that these releases are not merely administrative decisions, but politically convenient ones.

Legal challenges have come and gone. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee objected repeatedly, arguing that such frequent paroles dilute the seriousness of the convictions and erode public faith in the justice system. But both the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2024 and the Supreme Court in 2025 declined to intervene, holding that the Haryana government has the discretion under law to grant temporary releases.

For survivors of sexual violence and for the family of the murdered journalist, every fresh parole reopens wounds.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 09:28 IST

News india Punishment Or Privilege? Rape, Murder Convict Ram Rahim Spent 405 Days Outside Jail On 15 Paroles

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Somnath Temple Swabhiman Parv: Celebrating 1,000 Years Of Worship & Unbroken Faith

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 15:24 IST

#SomnathSwabhimanParv: From Mahmud of Ghazni to Aurangzeb, the shrine was targeted time and again

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PM Narendra Modi during his earlier visits to the Somnath Temple in Gujarat. (narendramodi.in)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Somnath Temple in Gujarat on January 11, marking year-long activities of #SomnathSwabhimanParv. Several spiritual and social activities will be held in Somnath from January 8-11.

The Somnath Temple is not merely a structure of stone or a place of worship; it is a living proclamation of Indias civilizational soul, ancient beyond memory, repeatedly assaulted, yet never conquered in spirit.

The year 2026 holds a dual, profound significance for Bharat. It marks exactly one millennium since the first major invasion of the shrine in 1026 AD, and simultaneously commemorates the 75th anniversary, the Platinum Jubilee, of its modern Pran Pratishtha in 1951. This convergence of dates highlights a thousand-year journey from the depths of destruction to the heights of national resurgence.

PM Modis Op-Ed on this marks this moment in history even as the temple has been resurrected as glorious as ever. In a post on X, PM wrote: 2026 marks 1000 years since the first attack on Somnath took place. Despite repeated attacks subsequently, Somnath stands tall! This is because Somnaths story is about the unbreakable courage of countless children of Bharat Mata who protected our culture and civilisation"

Jai Somnath!2026 marks 1000 years since the first attack on Somnath took place. Despite repeated attacks subsequently, Somnath stands tall! This is because Somnaths story is about the unbreakable courage of countless children of Bharat Mata who protected our culture and  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 5, 2026

From Mahmud of Ghazni to Aurangzeb, the shrine was targeted time and again, not simply to destroy a temple, but to shatter the civilizational confidence of Hindu society.

Repeated Destruction, Repeated Resurrection

The story of the Somnath temple is not merely that of a temple, but of a civilisations relationship with time, faith, and memory. In K. M. Munshis seminal work Somanatha: The Shrine Eternal", Somnath is presented as a shrine as ancient as creation itself. But the same account records a grim but revealing pattern. Somnath thus stands unique in world history: a temple that has been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times over nearly a millennium, without the faith it represents ever being extinguished. K.M. Munshi, a freedom fighter, was incidentally Agriculture Minister in the Nehru Cabinet.

In Somnath: The Shrine Eternal, K. M. Munshi records that Mahmud of Ghazni began his march towards Somnath on 18 October 1025 and, approximately 80 days later, on 6 January 1026, attacked the fortified temple town. Contemporary accounts cited by Munshi estimate that nearly 50,000 defenders lost their lives while protecting the shrine. Mahmud subsequently plundered the temple and desecrated the sanctum, breaking the linga into pieces.

In 1299 AD, Alauddin Khiljis general Alaf Khan again destroyed the shrine, carrying fragments to Delhi. Once more, Hindu rulers rebuilt it.

In 1394, Muzaffar Khan, a governor of Gujarat, again destroyed the temple. Some sort of shrine must have been built again. In 1459 AD, Mahmud Begda or Muzaffar II again desecrated the Somnath temple.

Till 1669 AD, the temple nevertheless continued to function as a sacred shrine of Hindus, when Aurangzeb ordered its demolition along with other Hindu shrines in the country. In 1702 AD, Aurangzeb ordered the Somanatha temple to be destroyed beyond repair. In 1706 AD, the shrine was converted into a mosque on the order of Aurangzeb.

Queen Ahilyabai Holkar, recognising the sacred continuity, built a new temple nearby in 1783. To save it from destruction, the Linga was placed in a secret underground shrine immediately below the usual upper one.

This is the blood-stained chronicle of Somnath, centuries marked by destruction and renewal, through which the temple comes to embody the resurrection of Bharat itself. While the invaders who sought Somnaths end have now become mere footnotes in history, the glory of the shrine continues to grow.

Observations of Al-Biruni

Al-Biruni, the eleventh-century Persian scholar who accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni to India, remained in the subcontinent for nearly thirteen years. During this period, he composed his seminal work Kitab al-Hind, a systematic and empathetic account of Indian society, religion, science, and culture based on direct observation.

In Kitab al-Hind, Al-Biruni also records some of the more egregious episodes of plunder carried out by Mahmud of Ghazni, particularly at Mathura and Somnath. He writes that Mahmud utterly ruined the prosperity of the country, created a hatred of Muslims among the locals, and caused the Hindu sciences to retreat far away from those parts of the country conquered by us, to places where our hands cannot yet reach."

Al-Biruni further describes the extraordinary wealth of the Somnath temple: its golden spires, jewel-encrusted idols, and treasuries filled with offerings from pilgrims and rulers alike. He portrays Somnath not merely as a place of worship but as a major cultural and economic centre, home to scholars, artists, musicians, dancers, and artisans and as a crucial node in maritime trade linking India to East Africa and China.

Somnaths Enduring Message

Swami Vivekananda captured this essence perfectly during his visit in the 1890s, noting how these temples bear the marks of a hundred attacks and a hundred regenerations, continually springing up from the ruins, rejuvenated and strong.

Swami Vivekananda captured Somnaths essence with clarity when he visited Somnath in the 1890s. He said, Some of these old temples of Southern India and those like Somnath of Gujarat will teach you volumes of wisdom, will give you a keener insight into the history of the race than any amount of books."

According to Swami Vivekananda, Somnath is not about the past alone, as he said, Mark how these temples [like Somnath of Gujarat] bear the marks of a hundred attacks and a hundred regenerations, continually destroyed and continually springing up out of the ruins, rejuvenated and strong as ever!"

Somnath in Modern Indian History: Efforts of Sardar Patel

The story of Somnath does not end in medieval history; it extends powerfully into modern Indian history. After independence, the reconstruction of Somnath became a matter of national conscience.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played a decisive and historic role. On 13 November 1947, Sardar Patel announced the decision to reconstruct the Somnath Temple, seeing it not as sectarian revivalism but as civilizational healing after centuries of humiliation.

KM Munshi stood firmly with Patel. Munshi meticulously documented Somnaths history and championed its reconstruction, emphasising that: no temple of this scale and design had been constructed in India for nearly 800 years."

Nehrus Opposition to Revival of Somnath Mandir

However, this national resurgence was not without opposition. In a revealing episode of post-independence India, PM Nehru opposed the participation of President Dr. Rajendra Prasad in the temples inauguration in 1951.

Right before the Somnath temples inauguration in 1951, Nehru wrote to President Rajendra Prasad and strongly opposed his participation. He wrote, I confess that I do not like the idea of your associating yourself with the spectacular opening of the Somnath Temple."

In the early months of 1951, just weeks before the temple inauguration, K.M. Munshi recorded that Nehru directly told him: I dont like your trying to restore Somnath. It is Hindu revivalism."

In another letter dated 1 August 1951 to the Chief Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru said that the inauguration of Somnath temple has created a very bad impression abroad about India."

There is yet another letter in this series that clearly exposes how deeply uncomfortable Jawaharlal Nehru was to stop or dilute the historic ceremonies at the Somnath Temple. Nehru was clearly unhappy with the very idea of Somnath being rebuilt and inaugurated with grandeur.

In a letter to R. R. Diwakar, his discomfort is unmistakable. He wrote that he was rather worried about the ceremonies that are going to take place at Somnath," and most tellingly, he even sought to censor national pride, instructing that radio broadcasts should tone down" the descriptions of what happened at Somnath.

His concern was not the sentiments of millions of Hindus, but how Indias civilizational resurgence might be perceived by foreign audiencesan attitude that many see as dismissive of Indias own historical and spiritual legacy.

Despite this opposition, President Rajendra Prasad went ahead with the inauguration, asserting that honouring a civilizations heritage did not violate secularism but strengthened national self-respect.

The Shrine Eternal and the Spirit Immortal

Somnath stands today not merely as a reconstructed temple, but as a civilizational statement etched in stone and faith.

Each destruction was answered not with silence, but with renewal; each fall became the foundation of a rise. In this unbroken cycle of ruin and resurrection lies Somnaths true greatness.

The story of Somnath reveals a deeper truth about India itself, that civilizations rooted in spiritual conviction cannot be extinguished by force.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 14:06 IST

News india Somnath Temple Swabhiman Parv: Celebrating 1,000 Years Of Worship & Unbroken Faith

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The Sengar Case Highlights Why POCSO Urgently Needs Reform

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 14:00 IST

At the heart of the controversy lies a deceptively simple question: who qualifies as a public servant under criminal law?

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The SC has stayed the Delhi HC order that had set aside the life sentence of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case. (PTI)

The Delhi High Courts decision to suspend the sentence of Kuldeep Singh Sengar in December 2025 triggered widespread public outrage. The order would have allowed a former legislator, convicted of raping a minor and sentenced to life imprisonment, to walk out of prison after more than seven years. Although the Supreme Court swiftly stayed the order, the episode has exposed a far deeper and more troubling flaw in Indias criminal justice framework  one that cannot be corrected through judicial intervention alone.

At the heart of the controversy lies a deceptively simple question: who qualifies as a public servant" under criminal law?

The Delhi High Court held that Sengar, despite being a sitting MLA at the time of the offence, did not fall within the definition of a public servant" under Section 21 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). To the public, this reasoning appeared perverse. Yet, legally speaking, the courts interpretation was consistent with the statutory framework as it stands today.

The Indian Penal Code does not include Members of Parliament or Members of Legislative Assemblies within its definition of public servant." That broader and more contemporary definition appears only in the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. While the Prevention of Corruption Act explicitly recognises MPs and MLAs as public servants, the IPC was never amended to reflect this shift. As a result, a glaring inconsistency persists that a police constable qualifies as a public servant under the IPC, while an elected lawmaker does not.

This anomaly had direct consequences in Sengars case. The trial court convicted him under Sections 5(c) and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO), treating the offence as aggravated sexual assault on the ground that he occupied a position of power as a public servant. However, POCSO borrows its definitions from the IPC and does not permit reliance on definitions contained in the Prevention of Corruption Act. Bound by this legislative design, the Delhi High Court concluded that the aggravated offence provision could not apply.

Had POCSO adopted the broader definition of public servant" used in the Prevention of Corruption Act, this interpretational crisis would not have arisen. The problem, therefore, is not judicial overreach or excessive technicality, but legislative inertia. POCSO is a stringent and victim-centric statute, intended to address sexual offences against children with the highest degree of seriousness. Yet, paradoxically, it fails to explicitly include MPs and MLAs  arguably among the most powerful public actors in its conception of public servants." This omission is neither trivial nor accidental; rather, it reflects a lack of legislative foresight with real and damaging consequences.

Criticism that courts are being hyper-technical" misses the point. Criminal courts cannot invent offences, expand definitions, or supply omissions left by Parliament. To do so would violate the foundational principles of criminal jurisprudence. If the law is inadequate, it is for the legislature and not the judiciary to repair it.

Notably, even while staying the Delhi High Courts order, the Supreme Court refrained from ruling on whether Sengar qualifies as a public servant under the IPC or POCSO. Instead, it confined itself to the peculiar facts of the case while staying the order of the Delhi High Court. The underlying legal vacuum remains unaddressed.

This is not the first time the Supreme Court has confronted this contradiction. In A.R. Antulay v. R.S. Nayak (1988), a Constitution Bench held that MPs and MLAs are not public servants under the IPC, though they are so under the Prevention of Corruption Acta position reaffirmed a decade later in P.V. Narasimha Rao v. State (CBI). The law, therefore, is settled; what is unsettled is the legislatures unwillingness to harmonise it.

The Sengar case is not merely about one man or one crime. It is about the structural weaknesses of a system that forces courts to choose between public morality and statutory text. From the moment the victim was compelled to attempt self-immolation outside the residence of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to secure the registration of an FIR, to the present controversy over technical definitions, the case lays bare the systemic failures that victims of sexual violence continue to confront.

If POCSO is to remain a meaningful instrument of child protection, it must be amended to reflect contemporary realities of power and accountability. Until lawmakers are unambiguously recognised as public servants within its framework, the law will remain vulnerable to precisely the kind of crisis that the Sengar case has brought to the fore.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 13:36 IST

News india The Sengar Case Highlights Why POCSO Urgently Needs Reform

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World's Largest Shivling Stuck At Bihar Checkpost Because Crumbling Bridge Is Too Weak To Support It

Curated By :

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 18:13 IST

The Shivling, carved from a single block of granite and weighing an estimated 210 metric tonnes, started its long journey from Mahabalipuram towards Motihari in Bihar

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For now, the Shivling remains stationary near the Balathari check post in Gopalganj, where devotees continue to gather in significant numbers. (News18 Hindi)

The worlds largest 33-feet long Shivling, that started its journey from Tamil Nadus Mahabalipuram, has reached Bihars Gopalganj district but has been stalled amid serious logistical challenges ahead of its onward journey to East Champaran.

In late November 2025, the Shivling, carved from a single block of granite and weighing an estimated 210 metric tonnes, started its long and reverent journey from Mahabalipuram towards the Virat Ramayan Temple under construction in East Champaran, Bihar. The transport, a journey exceeding 2,100 kilometres across five states, unfolded like a vibrant mobile festival. Devotees lined highways in towns and cities en route, welcoming the massive monolith with chants, pujas and offerings wherever the convoy paused.

By early January, this extraordinary procession reached Gopalganj district in north Bihar, drawing large crowds and echoing with Har Har Mahadev" chants, a testament to the faith and curiosity that have gripped local residents and passing pilgrims alike. Yet amid the devotional fervour, a stark practical challenge has now eclipsed the spiritual spectacle.

The next leg of the journey toward Motihari in East Champaran, roughly 150-200 kilometres from Gopalganj, requires the massive trailer to cross River Narayani (Gandak) via the ageing Dumariaghat bridge on National Highway 27.

District officials, led by Gopalganj DM Pawan Kumar Sinha and Superintendent of Police (SP) Awadhesh Dixit, inspected the bridge after engineers raised alarms about its structural integrity. Initial assessments reportedly found visible cracks in several places, raising serious questions about whether the bridge could support the combined weight of the Shivling and its multi-axle transport vehicle, which itself is estimated to weigh more than 160 tonnes.

Teams from the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways have been summoned to conduct detailed load-bearing studies. Even as discussions continue, officials have made it clear that no movement will be permitted unless safety is fully ensured.

Alternative routes are also under review, one via Bettiah in West Champaran, another through adjoining rural links, but each poses its own set of bridge and culvert hurdles that must be technically certified before the massive idol can move forward.

For now, the Shivling remains stationary near the Balathari check post in Gopalganj, where devotees continue to gather in significant numbers. Police have intensified crowd and traffic management efforts to prevent disorder and keep the roads clear around the parked convoy.

The situation presents an unusual intersection of devotion and infrastructure, a reminder of the practical limits of the countrys road and bridge network when tasked with moving objects of extraordinary size and mass. District officials emphasised that public safety and structural integrity must guide every decision, even if it means delaying the anticipated progression of the Shivling toward its destination.

For organisers of the Virat Ramayan Temple, the Shivling is a central spiritual element of the sprawling complex, planned to be one of the largest Hindu temple sites, with sacred installation rituals scheduled in mid-January. Preparations for the installation, including traditional abhishek (ritual bathing) with waters drawn from five holy rivers and ceremonial flower showers from helicopters, are already underway.

As Bihar watches and waits, the movement of the worlds largest Shivling now depends not just on faith and devotion, but on engineering assessments, alternative route planning and coordinated action between multiple government departments.

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Location : Bihar, India, India

First Published: January 05, 2026, 18:13 IST

News india World's Largest Shivling Stuck At Bihar Checkpost Because Crumbling Bridge Is Too Weak To Support It

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Critics Choice Awards 2026: The Best Dressed Celebrities Who Ruled The Red Carpet

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 12:46 IST

The Critics Choice Awards 2026 red carpet set the tone for awards season, with standout looks from Elle Fanning, Teyana Taylor, Ariana Grande, Michael B. Jordan and more.

(L-R) Elle Fanning in archival Ralph Lauren, Ariana Grande in custom Alberta Ferretti

The Critics Choice Awards 2026 officially kicked off the awards season, and celebrities arrived in style at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Stars turned heads on the red carpet with everything from classic vintage looks to bold, modern outfits. Here are some of the standout fashion moments that truly stole the spotlight that night.

1. Elle Fanning: Liquid Gold Elegance

Elle Fanning attending the Critics Choice Awards 2026 pic.twitter.com/a8KObAsfOb linda (@itgirlbackup) January 4, 2026

Elle Fanning was one of the biggest fashion highlights of the evening. She wore a plunging archival Ralph Lauren Collection gown in a liquid-gold finish. Styled with soft waves and classic jewellery, the look was timeless, elegant and effortlessly glamorous.

2. Teyana Taylor: Power Suit Perfection

oscar isaac and teyana taylor are so hot oh my god pic.twitter.com/9aogcbUZ54  (@evansouvenir) January 4, 2026

Teyana Taylor delivered boss energy in Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. Her double-breasted jacket with feather detailing, paired with trousers, gloves and over-the-knee boots, made for a sharp and confident red-carpet moment. Tiffany & Co. jewellery completed the striking look.

3. Ariana Grande: Glinda-Inspired Glamour

ariana grande looks incredible on the red carpet of the critics choice awards pic.twitter.com/nUDUWNaPSU allegra (@theegrandeheels) January 4, 2026

Ariana Grande slayed the red carpet, looking like she stepped straight out of a fairy tale, wearing a custom pink off-the-shoulder Alberta Ferretti gown. Her elegant satin dress was styled with a white embroidered tulle cape detailed with delicate silver florals, which complemented the dreamy vibe of her Wicked: For Good nomination.

4. Jessica Biel: Bold And Daring

Jessica Biel at the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards. pic.twitter.com/jcKkW2h1lI GoldenSeries (@series_golden) January 4, 2026

Jessica Biel caught everyones attention in a dramatic Lanvin gown. The dress had a bold open back that dipped very low, making it one of the most talked-about looks of the night.

5. Meghann Fahy: Classic Sparkle

Jessica Biel at the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards. pic.twitter.com/jcKkW2h1lI GoldenSeries (@series_golden) January 4, 2026

Meghann Fahy kept things elegant in a sequined halter-neck gown with a flowing train. Styled with Tiffany & Co. jewellery, her look blended classic Hollywood glamour with modern shine.

6. Alicia Silverstone: Minimal And Chic

Alicia Silverstone attends the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards. pic.twitter.com/tUSyBp6wDt  (@metgalacrave) January 4, 2026

Alicia Silverstone proved that less is more. The actor wore a silver Stella McCartney gown with a corseted silhouette, paired with statement diamond earrings for a clean, refined red-carpet appearance.

7. Danielle Brooks: Confident Curves

Danielle Brooks stuns for the 31st Critics Choice Awards: Cecile Boko pic.twitter.com/PdHEPWQ18d  Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) January 4, 2026

Danielle Brooks looked stunning in a fitted off-the-shoulder gown that showed off her figure. She styled it with a choker necklace, stacked rings, and a fun ponytail, giving her look a confident and stylish vibe.

8. Michael B. Jordan: Menswear Moment

michael b. jordan with mom, donna jordan, at the 31st annual critics choice awards. pic.twitter.com/ieRXlekNsM best of michael b. jordan. (@bjordanfiles) January 4, 2026

Michael B. Jordan stood out among the men in a custom burgundy Louis Vuitton double-breasted suit. Subtle jewellery added polish, making his look one of the strongest menswear moments of the evening.

9. Jeff Goldblum: Classic With A Twist

Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Grande, and Noah Wyle at the Critics Choice Awards!  pic.twitter.com/1XIqaAZhDu Noah Wyle Updates (@NoahWyleUpdates) January 5, 2026

Jeff Goldblum appeared on the red carpet in an ivory jacket tuxedo, adding a fresh touch to classic formal wear. The outfit perfectly matched his unique style and natural charm.

A Stylish Start To Awards Season

From archival gowns and bold cuts to tailored suits and soft glamour, the Critics Choice Awards 2026 red carpet delivered memorable fashion moments. The night set a high bar, promising an exciting and stylish awards season ahead.

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Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: January 05, 2026, 12:46 IST

News lifestyle fashion Critics Choice Awards 2026: The Best Dressed Celebrities Who Ruled The Red Carpet
Rising Dependence On Social Media For Health Advice Puts Lives At Risk, Warns Cardiologist

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 20:37 IST

Growing reliance on social media health content is delaying medical care and worsening outcomes, warns a cardiologist, urging timely consultation and evidence-based treatment.

While digital platforms have made health-related discussions more accessible, experts caution that unchecked trust in viral content can be dangerous especially when it replaces timely medical consultation.

The growing reliance on social media for health advice is emerging as a serious concern among medical professionals, who warn that misinformation and delayed care are increasingly affecting patient outcomes. While digital platforms have made health-related discussions more accessible, experts caution that unchecked trust in viral content can be dangerous especially when it replaces timely medical consultation.

Sharing insights from clinical experience, Dr. Rahul Sharma, Additional Director, Cardiology, CK Birla Hospitals, Jaipur, highlights how this trend is playing out in real-life medical settings.

Over the past few years, we have noticed in certain cases a worrying trend, an increasing dependence on health information sourced from social media platforms. Some patients, influenced by viral posts, reels, or forwarded messages, try to self-diagnose or self-medicate for conditions that require timely medical attention. In these cases, even minor delays can lead to complications or worsening of the condition. For serious conditions like heart attacks, missing the golden hour can have life-threatening consequences.

Medical misinformation is no longer theoretical; in certain situations, it is directly affecting clinical outcomes. Patients sometimes arrive at hospitals with aggravated conditions, which could have been avoided with early professional consultation. The problem is compounded by the sheer volume of conflicting information online, making it difficult for laypersons to distinguish credible advice from misleading content.

I strongly urge everyone to treat social media health content with caution. Timely consultation with qualified healthcare professionals is essential, because early detection and appropriate care save lives. Awareness, combined with evidence-based medical guidance, is the only way to protect your health from the silent risks of misinformation circulating online," adds Dr Sharma.

Dr. Rahul Sharma believes one of the most alarming aspects of this trend is the false sense of reassurance social media often provides. Patients sometimes underestimate symptoms after watching online videos or reading forwarded messages, assuming they can manage serious conditions at home," he explains. By the time they reach a hospital, valuable time has already been lost."

In cardiology, this delay can prove fatal. Dr. Sharma emphasises that early medical intervention especially during the critical golden hour" of a heart attack can significantly improve survival rates and reduce long-term damage. Even a short delay caused by misinformation can change outcomes dramatically," he notes.

The challenge, Dr. Rahul Sharma points out, lies in the overwhelming volume of online content. With contradictory advice circulating freely, patients often struggle to differentiate between evidence-based guidance and misleading claims. Social media algorithms prioritise engagement, not accuracy," he says, and that puts patients at risk."

While acknowledging that digital platforms can play a role in spreading awareness, Dr. Sharma stresses that they should serve as a starting point for conversations not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment. Online information should prompt people to consult a doctor, not convince them to delay care," he adds.

As misinformation continues to spread rapidly online, Dr Sharma reiterates the need for public awareness and medical literacy. Early detection, timely consultation, and evidence-based care remain the strongest tools we have to save lives," he says.

In an age of instant information, the message from experts is clear: trust qualified medical professionals, question viral health claims, and never delay seeking care for symptoms that could signal a serious condition.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 20:37 IST

News lifestyle health-and-fitness Rising Dependence On Social Media For Health Advice Puts Lives At Risk, Warns Cardiologist
Photo: @zelenskyy.official Facebook

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Maliuk, focus on combat work in the structure of the special service, offering him a corresponding position, and also discussed with him the candidates for the new head of the department.

"We met with Vasyl Malyuk. I thanked him for the combat work and suggested that we focus on this type of work. There should be more Ukrainian asymmetric operations against the occupier and the Russian state, more of our strong results in destroying the enemy. Vasyl Vasylovich knows this best and will continue to do this in the SBU system. I instructed Vasyl Maliuk to make the direction of our asymmetric operations the strongest in the world. There are resources and proper political support for this," Zelenskyy said on Telegram on Monday following the meeting.

The president added that together with Maliuk, "we also discussed the candidates for new head of the SBU."
Varicose Veins: Understanding A Common Condition Beyond The Fear

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 10:41 IST

Varicose veins are common and often harmless. A vascular surgeon explains myths, diagnosis, treatment options, and when varicose veins truly need medical attention.

Varicose veins are common and often harmless. Understanding when to treat and when to wait can make all the difference.

Varicose veins are far more common than most people realize, yet they remain shrouded in unnecessary fear and misconceptions. While these enlarged, twisted veins predominantly affect women, men experience them too, though often less visibly. The post-pandemic era has witnessed a surge in patients seeking treatment, but not always for the right reasons.

Dr. Himanshu Verma, Director, Vascular Surgery, Fortis Gurgaon shares all you need to know:

The Awareness Gap

Despite their prevalence, many people remain unaware of varicose veins until someone points them out during a massage or routine examination. This sudden discovery often triggers alarm, with patients rushing to hospitals and vascular surgeons, worried about imminent complications. The fear that these innocent veins will rapidly progress into dangerous blood clots or rupture creates an urgency that may not be medically justified.

A Physicians Responsibility

As vascular surgeons, our primary duty extends beyond treatment to proper patient education. Its crucial to dispel the myth that every varicose vein represents a medical emergency requiring immediate intervention. Many patients have lived with these veins for years without complications, and the timeline for treatment should be driven by symptoms and quality of life, not panic.

The Diagnostic Challenge

One of the most critical aspects of varicose vein management is accurate diagnosis. Not every leg pain or discomfort stems from varicose veins. Symptoms patients attribute to their visible veins may actually arise from completely different conditions such as radiculopathy, knee joint problems, or even plantar fasciitis. A thorough clinical evaluation is essential to establish whether the patients complaints genuinely correlate with their varicose veins.

This diagnostic precision prevents unnecessary procedures and ensures that underlying conditions receive appropriate attention. Treating varicose veins wont resolve pain originating from spinal nerve compression or foot inflammation.

When Treatment Makes Sense

Once weve carefully selected patients whose symptoms truly stem from varicose veins, treatment options should be presented without urgency. Just because veins have been present for years doesnt mandate immediate surgery. Patients deserve the opportunity to make informed, elective decisions about their care.

Modern treatment has evolved dramatically. Todays options include laser therapy and venous seal procedures that are minimally invasive, performed as day-care surgeries, and require minimal recovery time. The fear surrounding varicose vein surgery often stems from outdated perceptions of traditional surgical stripping, which bears little resemblance to contemporary techniques.

A Quality of Life Decision

Ultimately, varicose vein treatment is about enhancing quality of life. If enlarged veins cause genuine discomfort, heaviness, swelling, or cosmetic concerns that affect a patients confidence and daily activities, treatment can provide significant relief. However, if veins are asymptomatic, watchful waiting remains a perfectly acceptable approach.

The key message for patients is simple: dont let fear drive your decisions. Varicose veins are common, usually benign, and when treatment is needed, its safer and simpler than ever before. Seek proper evaluation, ensure your symptoms truly relate to your veins, and make treatment decisions based on how they affect your life, not unfounded anxiety about catastrophic complications.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 10:41 IST

News lifestyle health-and-fitness Varicose Veins: Understanding A Common Condition Beyond The Fear
Deepika Padukone Booked Flight Tickets, Planned Fan Meet With Welcome Notes, Food And Gifts | Inside Pics

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 09:26 IST

Deepika Padukone went all out for her fans, and arranged flight tickets, welcome notes, delicious food and gifts for the fan meet. Check out inside pictures!

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Inside Deepika Padukones Fan Meet Held On 18th December 2025

On December 18, Deepika Padukone hosted a special fan meet, celebrating not just Christmas but also her 40th birthday with her fans. Pictures and videos from the event last month have now flooded social media, on the actress birthday. The Bollywood star went all out, arranging flight tickets, lovely welcome notes, delicious food, and gifts, making the day truly unforgettable for her fans! Fans were treated to an intimate experience, and they have now shared pictures giving a sneak-peek into the beautiful event in Mumbai.

Inside Deepika Padukones Fan Meet

A fan page dedicated to Deepika Padukone, thepikaverse, shared several inside pictures from her special fan meet, giving fans a glimpse of every detail. The venue was adorned with beautiful Christmas decorations, including a huge Christmas tree decorated with polaroids. Another picture showcased the spread of food, featuring a mix of Indo-western dishes and delectable desserts. Deepika also cut a three-tiered chocolate cake and played Bingo with her fans.

Another set of pictures revealed that Deepika had gone the extra mile, and she booked flight tickets for her fans and arranged for a driver to pick them up from the airport. Upon arrival, fans received a sweet welcome note that read: Thank you for taking the time and making the journey today I look forward to seeing you soon!" They were also gifted lovely hampers from the actress, making the day special. The fan called it an experience of a lifetime. Deepika interacted with her fans, and happily posed for pictures with them. Check out the pictures below!

View this post on Instagram A post shared by cowboy padukone  (@thepikaverse)

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Devansh Markan (@devanshmarkan)

I told yall. She gives her 100% for her fans, ALWAYS. The most genuine, caring actress to ever do it.#HappyBirthdayDeepikaPadukonepic.twitter.com/3nulp4QBSE https://t.co/RrZqKyDQaO DPS BDAY GIRL  (@deepekachu) January 4, 2026

Meanwhile, Deepika Padukone is currently in the USA, and is celebrating her 40th birthday with her hubby Ranveer Singh. They also celebrated New Year 2026, and Christmas in New York.

On the work front, Deepika Padukone has some interesting projects in the pipeline, including King with Shah Rukh Khan, and Atlees next with Allu Arjun.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 09:21 IST

News movies bollywood Deepika Padukone Booked Flight Tickets, Planned Fan Meet With Welcome Notes, Food And Gifts | Inside Pics
Hema Malini Breaks Silence On Separate Prayer Meetings For Dharmendra: Kept One At My Home Because

Curated By :

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 11:07 IST

Hema Malini shut down rumours of a rift with Dharmendras first wife Prakash Kaur and Sunny Deol. She also opened up about hosting separate prayer meets after Dharmendras death.

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Hema Malini Dismisses Rift Rumours With Dharmendras First Wife Prakash Kaur, Sunny Deol

Veteran actor Dharmendra passed away on November 24, 2025. After his death, Dharmendras first wife, Prakash Kaur, and their children, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Ajeita Deol, and Vijeta Deol, organised a prayer meet in Mumbai. Hema Malini and her daughters, Esha and Ahana Deol, were absent from the prayer meet, sparking speculation of a rift between the two families. Meanwhile, Hema Malini and her daughters organised separate prayer meetsone in Mumbai, another in Delhi, and one in Hemas constituency, Mathura. Now, Hema Malini has shut down rumours of a rift between the two families. She also broke her silence about the separate prayer meets.

Hema Malini Opens Up About Hosting Separate Prayer Meets In Memory Of Dharmendra

In a conversation with Times Of India, Hema Malini addressed the issue about hosting separate prayer meets, and said, Yeh humare ghar ka personal mamla hai. We talked to each other. I kept one prayer meet at my home because my group of people are different. Then, I kept one in Delhi because I am in politics, and it was important for me to keep a prayer meeting there for my friends from that field. Mathura is my constituency, and the people there are mad about him. So, I kept a prayer meeting there as well. I am happy with what I did."

Hema Malini Denies Rift Rumours With Dharmendras First Wife Prakash Kaur And Sunny Deol

In the same interview, Hema Malini was asked whether Dharmendras Lonavala farmhouse could be turned into a museum for his fans. She replied that Sunny Deol is planning to do something on those lines. She then dismissed rumours of a rift with Dharmendras first wife, Prakash Kaur, and their children. Everything is happening in a nice way. So theres no need to worry ki yeh do alag families hai, pata nahi kya hoga. Kisiko itni fikr karne ki zaroorat nahi hai. Hum log ekdum achche hai. (So theres no need to worry that these are two separate families or wonder what might happen. No one needs to be so concerned. We are all perfectly fine)."

Meanwhile, Hema Malini also said that she will be resuming work now as that would make Dharmendra happy. I am resuming my work now. I am heading to Mathura. I will be starting my performances, shows, aur jo jo kaam hai I will continue doing that because that is what would make Dharamji happy," she said.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 11:04 IST

News movies bollywood Hema Malini Breaks Silence On Separate Prayer Meetings For Dharmendra: Kept One At My Home Because
Hema Malini Speaks About Dharmendra's Separate Prayer Meets; Deepika Padukone's King Poster Out?

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 21:52 IST

Hema Malini quashed any rift rumours. Deepika's poster is going viral but is it for King?

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Read the top news of the day here.

Veteran actor Dharmendra passed away on November 24, 2025. After his death, Dharmendras first wife, Prakash Kaur, and their children, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Ajeita Deol, and Vijeta Deol, organised a prayer meet in Mumbai. Meanwhile, Hema Malini and her daughters organised separate prayer meets. Now, Hema Malini has broken her silence about the separate prayer meets.

Read More: Hema Malini Breaks Silence On Separate Prayer Meetings For Dharmendra: Kept One At My Home Because

In a significant boost for Marathi and regional Indian cinema, filmmaker Subodh Khanolkars Dashavatar has taken its first step onto the global awards stage by entering the official Oscar contention list for the 98th Academy Awards (Oscars 2026). The development was confirmed by Khanolkar himself, marking a rare and momentous achievement for a Marathi-language feature.

Read More: Marathi Film Dashavatar Enters Oscar 2026 Contention List, Director Subodh Khanolkar Confirms

Kolkata had a reason to celebrate as Indias Got Talent Season 11 crowned its newest champions. After weeks of high-energy performances and fierce competition, the all-women dance collective Amazing Apsaras lifted the winners trophy, sealing a season-long journey that consistently set them apart. Their victory not only earned them the title but also reinforced the growing spotlight on powerful, women-led performance groups in the reality show space.

Read More: Indias Got Talent 11: Kolkatas Amazing Apsaras Lift Winners Trophy

Deepika Padukone rang in her 40th birthday on Monday, with an outpouring of love from fans, colleagues, and friends across social media. As birthday wishes flooded in, many fans also hoped the milestone would be marked with a surprise announcementperhaps a new film reveal or the first look from one of her upcoming projects. Adding fuel to that excitement, a post on X (formerly Twitter) began circulating rapidly, claiming that filmmaker Siddharth Anand had unveiled a poster of Deepika from his upcoming film King.

Read More: Deepika Padukones King Poster Goes Viral On Her 40th Birthday, But Is It Real?

Actor Boman Irani, who is awaiting the release of his upcoming film The RajaSaab, has shared his experience of working with Telugu star Prabhas in the film. The senior actor attended the special event for the film in Mumbai on Monday, and shared that despite being a huge star, Prabhas doesnt come with even an ounce of starry attitude.

Read More: Boman Irani On Working With Prabhas In The Raja Saab: We Expect His Behaviour Would Be Like A Superstar And

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 21:52 IST

News movies bollywood Hema Malini Speaks About Dharmendra's Separate Prayer Meets; Deepika Padukone's King Poster Out?
Sonakshi Sinha Says She Is Content Of Making Content, Fans Find It Relatable

Published By :

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 11:09 IST

Sonakshi Sinha shared a fun moment with her husband, Zaheer Iqbal from their vacation.

Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal's fun moment. (Photo Credit: Instagram)

Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Khan rang in the New Year in the Maldives. The couple has been sharing pictures and videos from their dreamy vacation, and fans are loving it. Sonakshi and Zaheer tied the knot in 2024 and often share videos of themselves; they are also seen pranking each other.

Sonakshi has now shared yet another fun video of her vacation with Zaheer from their Maldives vacation. The couple began dating in 2017 and worked with each other in the movie Double XL.

Sonakshi Sinha shares fun moment

Taking to Instagram, Sonakshi shared a video in which she was seen clicking a selfie, and Zaheer was filming her. The actress was taken aback by her husband shooting her and quickly started laughing. Sharing the video, she wrote, Content of making content."

Fans quickly reacted to the post, one user commented, hes your personal paparazzi," another user wrote, POV: Zaheer cant stop filming Sona."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sonakshi Sinha (@aslisona)

The couple also shared a video of themselves wishing their fans a Happy New Year. Zaheer had a fun take in the video and was heard saying, Take a good dump before 12 am, so you dont take the same shit into the year," Sonakshi was then heard saying, I think hes right."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sonakshi Sinha (@aslisona)

Sonakshi Sinha reveals she and Zaheer Iqbal went to couples therapy

Recently, while talking to Soha Ali Khan on her podcast, Sonakshi revealed that she and Zaheer were almost on the verge of breaking up and went to couples therapy. She said, We were three years into the relationship when we reached a phase where we wanted to pull each others hair out. No matter what we did, we just couldnt understand each others perspective."

But in our hearts, we knew we had to make this work somehow. Thats when we decided to do couples therapy and it was Zaheer who suggested," Sonakshi added. She said Zaheer encouraged her to go to therapy, she said, He told me, I want this relationship to work, no matter what. Ive heard about therapy, lets just give it a shot. I agreed, and Im so glad I did. Just two sessions later, we were back on track."

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 11:09 IST

News movies bollywood Sonakshi Sinha Says She Is Content Of Making Content, Fans Find It Relatable
Vikram Bhatt Fraud Case: Rajasthan HC Rejects Bail, Says FIR Shows Dishonesty

Curated By :

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Last Updated: January 06, 2026, 01:42 IST

The Rajasthan High Court has rejected Vikram Bhatts bail plea in a fraud case, allowing police to continue their investigation.

A Udaipur court has once again rejected the bail applications of filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari Bhatt in the 30 crore fraud case.

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt has suffered another legal setback in the ongoing fraud case against him and his wife, Shwetambari. The Rajasthan High Court on Monday rejected Bhatts bail plea, refusing to quash the cheating FIR lodged against the couple and others. With this decision, the police investigation in the case will continue.

According to a report by PTI, Justice Sameer Jain declined to interfere in the matter, observing that the allegations cannot be treated as a simple contractual dispute. The court noted that the case prima facie points toward deliberate diversion and misappropriation of funds, warranting further criminal investigation.

Bhatt and his wife were arrested in December last year and sent to judicial custody. Earlier, a lower court had also rejected their bail application on medical grounds, directing that they remain in custody. The High Courts latest order further weakens the filmmakers legal position.

High Court observations on the allegations

Vikram Bhatt had approached the Rajasthan High Court seeking quashing of the FIR, arguing that the dispute was civil in nature and related to non-performance of contractual obligations rather than a criminal offence. However, the court did not agree with this contention.

In its order, the High Court stated, The allegations are not confined merely to non-performance of a contract; they involve deliberate diversion of funds, lack of transparency, and elements of dishonesty. The preliminary inquiry has revealed evidence of fake invoices and the circulation of funds."

Justice Jain further observed that the matter does not appear to be merely a breach of contract" and that the material on record indicates intentional acts that go beyond civil liability. As a result, the court allowed the police investigation to proceed without interference.

Details of the alleged fraud case

The fraud case against Vikram Bhatt, his wife Shwetambari, and six others was filed by businessman Dr Ajay Murdia. In his complaint to the Udaipur Police, Dr Murdia alleged that he first met one of the accused, Dinesh Kataria, at an event where Kataria proposed making a biopic on Murdias wife.

According to the FIR, Kataria later introduced Dr Murdia to Vikram Bhatt in Mumbai on April 24, 2024, following which discussions were held regarding the proposed biopic. The complaint claims that Bhatt and his wife promised that if Dr Murdia financed an initial amount of 7 crore and provided additional funding, they would produce four films for a total budget of 47 crore.

The FIR further alleges that Dr Murdia was assured the projects would generate profits in the range of 100-200 crore. However, he later claimed that the funds were misappropriated and diverted, leading him to approach the police.

Vikram Bhatt and Shwetambari were arrested in Mumbai on December 7 and taken to Udaipur, where they were produced before a court the following day. On December 9, both were remanded to seven days of police custody. The case remains under investigation.

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First Published: January 06, 2026, 01:42 IST

News movies bollywood Vikram Bhatt Fraud Case: Rajasthan HC Rejects Bail, Says FIR Shows Dishonesty
'We Have To Welcome AI And Shake Hands With It,' Says Rajesh Mapuskar On Chiranjeevi Hanuman

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 15:56 IST

Chiranjeevi Hanuman  The Eternal, directed by Rajesh Mapuskar, is Indias first fully AI-generated film, debuting on Hanuman Jayanti.

Indias First Fully AI Film Director Rajesh Mapuskar Says: AI Can Surprise You

Its not every day that Indian cinema steps into completely uncharted territory. This year, that leap comes with Chiranjeevi Hanuman  The Eternal, billed as Indias first fully AI-generated theatrical release, set to arrive in cinemas on Hanuman Jayanti. Steering this ambitious experiment is National Award-winning filmmaker Rajesh Mapuskar, who says the project feels as much like a calling as it does a creative challenge.

Speaking about taking on the film, Mapuskar describes the experience as both daunting and exciting. This is an opportunity which has come my way. I feel Im chosen to do this so I want to see what I can do with it. I like the challenges of diving into the unknown," he tells HT.

The director is clear that artificial intelligence is not simply an extension of animation. Drawing a distinction between the two, Mapuskar explains, When you make animation, you have complete control over even a little muscle movement of your character. While AI is an interactive tool, its like another brain parallelly working with you. Sometimes it may not behave exactly as you want. But it might surprise you with something you never thought of. Its like a breathing person working with you and along with you."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rajesh Mapuskar (@mapuskar)

As debates continue within the industry about AI potentially replacing human jobs, Mapuskar firmly disagrees with that fear. No, I dont think so it is a threat. With whatever my little experience is, AI is not going to replace human beings or reduce job opportunities. What AI is going to do is its going to fasten the process. Its about how you approach AI, whether you are letting AI control you or you are controlling it. AI can help enhance conventional filmmaking. Even right now, my generative crew is not less than 200. I still need human power and collective efforts of people. AI is not going to be taking up any jobs," he says.

The filmmaker also acknowledges learning from recent AI-driven projects, including the web series Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh. Reflecting on audience reactions, he notes, When some project like this involves such an evolving technology, you have to be sensitive to the audiences feedback because who are you making this content for? So I read all the feedback for the show and also for my teaser which came out. Those comments might give me some opening, some insight into how people saw what I have tried to create. I learn from what Mahabharat has done and how I could improve from where they were falling short. And now Im crafting my own vision for Chiranjeevi Hanuman," he shares.

For Mapuskar, embracing AI is no longer optional for the film industry. We have to welcome AI and shake hands with it and not get threatened by it. We have to see how we can make it our ally to tell stories. Chiranjeevi Hanuman is my take on Hanumanjis internal journey, AI comes later. People have asked me whether they will be looking at the best film of the first film, and for me, it will always be the latter," he ends.

With its blend of mythology, technology and experimentation, Chiranjeevi Hanuman  The Eternal is shaping up to be a significant moment in Indias evolving cinematic landscape.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 15:56 IST

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BTS 5th Album: All You Need To Know About Release, Pre-order And Possible Dua Lipa Collab

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Last Updated: January 06, 2026, 03:21 IST

BTS have announced their fifth full-length album with 14 tracks, marking their first comeback after military service and a global tour.

BTS announces their official group comeback on March 20, 2026.

Global K-pop superstars BTS are officially gearing up for their long-awaited return. After nearly four years away due to mandatory military service, the seven-member group has announced plans for their fifth full-length album, marking their grand comeback to the music industry.

The announcement was made by the groups agency, BIGHIT MUSIC, on January 5 at 12 am KST, sending ARMY into a frenzy worldwide. The album, currently titled BTS The 5th Album, is scheduled for release on March 20, 2026, and will feature 14 tracks  a rare early reveal for the group. The record will reunite RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook following their military hiatus.

Album details, release date and pre-order schedule

According to BIGHIT MUSICs official notice, the upcoming release will be BTS first album in three years and nine months. The agency revealed that all seven members were actively involved in the creative process.

It stated that the members were deeply involved in the creation of the songs, infusing their own thoughts and colors into them while musically expressing the emotions and struggles they have experienced along their journey".

The album is described as a heartfelt message from BTS to ARMY, reflecting gratitude for fans who patiently waited through their hiatus. Along with the album announcement, the agency also confirmed key dates:

Pre-Order Opening Date: From 11 am, Friday, January 16, 2026 (KST)

Release Date: 1 pm, Friday, March 20, 2026 (KST)

The extended rollout has given fans ample time to prepare, making it one of the groups most anticipated releases to date.

World tour plans and Dua Lipa collaboration rumours

In addition to the album, BTS also confirmed that a world tour is officially on the way. While full details are yet to be revealed, the group announced that the tour schedule will be unveiled on January 14 at 12 am KST, further heightening excitement.

Ahead of the official announcement, fans had already begun speculating after a mysterious display appeared at Seouls Sejong Center. The installation featured the logo of BTS upcoming album along with three circular symbols. The imagery, previously seen in the members personal letters to fans, resembled a sun, prompting theories about the possible theme or title of the record.

The announcement quickly crashed the Weverse website as fans rushed online to celebrate. It also reignited online rumours, including speculation about a potential collaboration with pop star Dua Lipa. While the rumour has gained traction across social media platforms, no official confirmation has been made so far.

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Location : Seoul, South Korea

First Published: January 06, 2026, 03:21 IST

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Akhil Vaani | Bharat Cannot Afford To Lose The Aravallis, The Supreme Courts Reversal Shows Why

Written By :

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 17:05 IST

Colloquially christened the green lungs of north-western India, the Aravalli Range is one of the world's oldest fold mountain systems.

The Aravalli range occupies a unique place in Indias ecological and cultural landscape. (Getty Images)

It is rare for the Supreme Court of India to stay the operationalisation of its own verdict. But rarer is the apex court staying its verdict within a month. And it happened recently. What was the matter? What made the Supreme Court make an about-turn, and that too so soon? The aforesaid are the subject matter of this edition of the piece Akhil Vaani". And I must begin with the historical verdict.

The Verdict

On 29 December 2025, hearing the suo motu writ petition (civil) No. (s) 10/2025, a vacation bench of the Supreme Court of India comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice J. K. Maheshwari and Justice Augustine George Masih gave the following verdict: . to subserve the ends of complete justice and in the broader public interest, we deem it necessary to direct that the recommendations submitted by the Committee, together with the findings and directions stipulated by this Court in its judgment dated 20.11.2025, be kept in abeyance. This stay shall remain in effect until the present proceedings reach a state of logical finality, ensuring that no irreversible administrative or ecological actions are taken based on the current framework.

We further find it necessary, as a matter of abundant caution, to direct unequivocally, as set out in the order dated 09.05.2024, that until further orders, no permission shall be granted for mining, whether it is for new mining leases or renewal of old mining leases, in the Aravalli Hills and Ranges as defined in the FSI Report dated 25.08.2010 without prior permission from this Court."

But what is the matter all about? Here is the story in brief:

The Green Lungs

This is the story of the Aravalli Hills and Range (Aravallis)", frequently characterised as the green lungs of north-western India and which for centuries have sustained diverse ecosystems and underpinned the livelihoods of numerous communities. The Aravallis serve as the indispensable ecological and socioeconomic backbone of the region, functioning as the primary geographical barrier separating the arid north-western desert from the fertile northern plains.

Owing to its ancient geological formation, the Aravallis host some of the nations most diverse flora and fauna and, importantly, its most significant mineral deposits.

Murder In Daylight

Notwithstanding its historical, ecological and environmental significance, the travesty of the Aravallis is that it has been subjected to unprecedented and escalating anthropogenic pressures.

But what defines anthropogenic pressure in the first place?

For the uninitiated, anthropogenic pressure refers to the significant negative impacts and stresses placed on the environment, ecosystems and natural resources directly resulting from human activities, such as urbanisation, pollution, industrialisation, habitat destruction (deforestation, land conversion), overexploitation (overfishing, logging, over-mining), and climate change, leading to biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and altered hydrological cycles.

These pressures fundamentally disrupt natural processes and threaten sustainability, requiring careful management for conservation.

Revisiting Aravallis

Colloquially christened the green lungs" of north-western Bharat, the Aravalli Range is one of the worlds oldest fold mountain systems. Here is the story in brief.

One, Geological Age  Dating back to the Precambrian era, with estimates ranging from 2.5 to over 3.2 billion years old, formed from ancient rocks like granite, gneiss and schist, the Aravalli Range is one of the worlds oldest fold mountain systems.

Two, Geographical Spread  The Aravalli Range spans approximately 670800 km in a southwestnortheast direction across north-western India. It begins near Palanpur or Khed Brahma in Gujarat, extends through Rajasthan (the longest segment), Haryana and Delhi, acting as a barrier between the Thar Desert and the Indo-Gangetic plains.

The precise statewide spread of the range varies due to the varied definitions (e.g. hills versus craton), but the approximate state-wise reach of the Aravallis is as follows:

Rajasthan ~80 per cent (500550 km length across 15 districts like Udaipur, Alwar, Sikar),

Haryana ~1015 per cent (Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh),

Gujarat ~510 per cent (Banaskantha, Sabarkantha), and

Delhi: minimal rocky ridges.

Total craton area exceeds 70,000 square km, with a core range between 10,00015,000 square km. Guru Shikhar in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, rising to 1,722 metres (5,650 feet), is the ranges tallest point amid eroded fold mountains.

Three, Existential Calling: The Aravalli Range and similar other forests and mountains in Bharat must be saved at all costs to save Bharatiyas. Talking specifically of the Aravallis, its existential importance includes, but is not limited to, its prime role as the primary ecological and climate buffer of north India, acting as a natural shield against the expansion of the Thar Desert, a critical groundwater recharge zone, and the green lungs" for the Delhi-NCR region.

It must be saved to ensure regional water security, climate stability and biodiversity. The critical ecosystem provided by the Aravallis to sustain life across several states plays the following critical roles:

Halts Desertification  The range acts as a natural barrier, preventing the sand and dust from the Thar Desert in the west from spreading eastward into the fertile Indo-Gangetic plains, Haryana and Delhi. Without this barrier, desertification would accelerate rapidly. Groundwater Recharge  The porous, fractured rocks and forest cover of the Aravalli foothills and valleys allow rainwater to percolate and replenish vital underground aquifers, which are a major source of water for millions in Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Gujarat. Climate & Air Quality Regulation  The hills influence regional weather patterns and help regulate the local climate by moderating extreme temperatures and absorbing air pollutants. They are often called the green lungs" of the Delhi-NCR area, improving air quality by acting as a natural sink for dust and pollutants. Water Source  Several important rivers and seasonal streams, including the Luni, Sabarmati, Banas and Sahibi, originate in the Aravallis, providing crucial water resources for agriculture and drinking water. Biodiversity Hotspot  Despite its arid surroundings, the range supports a unique mix of dry deciduous forests and grasslands, providing a critical habitat for diverse flora and fauna, including leopards, hyenas, jackals and a wide variety of bird species. It houses several protected areas and wildlife sanctuaries. Cultural & Historical Heritage  The Aravallis hold significant cultural and historical importance, home to ancient civilisations, numerous hill forts (like Chittorgarh and Kumbhalgarh), and important pilgrimage sites.

The Destruction

During the British rule, the pristine Aravalli Range remained almost undisturbed. But post-independence, particularly in the recent decades, it has suffered extensive damage not only from the onslaught of urbanisation but also from the extensive damage caused due to mining, primarily from illegal quarrying of limestone, marble and other minerals, leading to flattened hills, lost vegetation, disappeared flora and fauna, and disrupted hydrology across its entire span across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.

Here is the brief story of the state-wise damage:

Rajasthan: In Rajasthan, which is the home of more than three-fourths of the Aravalli Range across its fifteen districts viz. Alwar, Udaipur and Sikar, a 2018 Central Empowered Committee report noted that 25 per cent of 2,269 hillocks vanished since the 196768 surveys, with over 10,300 ha affected outside legal leases. Key hotspots of destruction included Alwar (31 of 128 sampled hills gone), Mahendragarh, Ajmers Magra hills, Udaipurs GirwaGogunda tract, Jaisamand Lake area, and southern tracts like AbuSirohi and Chappan hills. Haryana: Haryanas Aravalli portions in Gurugram, Faridabad, Mewat and Nuh saw 40,175 illegal mining cases from 20182025, with hills like Bakrija completely flattened by 2024. Gurugrams Harchandpur village reports severe groundwater depletion due to quarrying and crushing units. Gujarat: In Gujarats Banaskantha, Sabarkantha and Aravalli districts, illegal mining has severely impacted the Balaram Ambaji sanctuary. Delhi: Delhis northern ridge faces encroachments flattening the landscape for urban use, eroding its role as an air purifier and water reserve.

The above are just titillating trailers, and the actual damage inflicted on the Aravallis is humongous, and its consequential collateral damage is scary. The satellite data shows that 5,772 sq. km (8 per cent) has been totally flattened over decades, 12 gaps totalling 93 km allowing the Thar Desert advance, and rivers like Banas, Luni, Sahibi and Sakhi are vanishing fast; the forest cover dropped from 10,462 sq. km (197275) to 6,116 sq. km (198184). The present situation is far more precarious.

The Case

Unsurprisingly, decades of unchecked urbanisation, which is accelerating fast, systematic deforestation, and intensive resource extraction (more illegal than legal) have exerted immense strain upon this inherently fragile ecosystem of the Aravalli Range.

In this regard, the Supreme Court, since 2002, has been actively seized of the issues concerning mining operations within the Aravallis and the concomitant necessity of protecting its fragile ecology.

In 2004, the Supreme Court, in the case of M.C. Mehta vs. Union of India, directed a complete ban on mining within 2 km of Badkal Lake and Surajkund and imposed strict conditions for mining between 25 km, requiring NOCs from pollution boards, recognising significant ecological damage in the Aravallis, and establishing a Monitoring Committee to oversee restoration and define the hills for future protection, reinforcing environmental conservation over mining interests.

More than two decades ago, the Supreme Court acknowledged that mining in the Aravalli hills caused severe ecological degradation, impacting water bodies and the environment. Apart from banning and strictly regulating the mining, the apex court also formed a Monitoring Committee to oversee restoration efforts, provide technical guidance and report on individual mine recommencement, emphasising that the Aravalli Range must be protected.

The 2004 judgment marked a crucial step in prioritising environmental protection in the ecologically sensitive Aravalli region, setting precedents for strict regulation and scientific assessment over unfettered mining activities.

But as the years passed, the situation deteriorated rather fast  with the nefarious active nexus of mining mafia, land mafia, builder mafia, timber mafia, sand mafia, and bureaucracy, police and politicians.

Towards Uniformity

In the context of unchecked mining activities and the divergence in the criteria adopted by each State came the issue of creating a uniform definition. And the Supreme Court of India, vide its order dated 9 May 2024, acknowledged the necessity for a more precise definition of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges and directed the constitution of a committee tasked with formulating a uniform definition in pursuance of the same.

The Report

The Committee submitted its report on 03.10.2025, providing the following definition of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges: The committee recommends the following operational definition of Aravali Hills and Ranges in the context of mining: Aravali Hills: Any landform located in the Aravali districts, having an elevation of 100 metres or more from the local relief, shall be termed as Aravali Hills.

For this purpose, the local relief shall be determined with reference to the lowest contour line encircling the landform. The entire landform lying within the area enclosed by such lowest contour, whether actual or extended notionally, together with the Hill, its supporting slopes and associated landforms irrespective of their gradient, shall be deemed to constitute part of the Aravali Hills.

Aravali Range: Two or more Aravali Hills, located within the proximity of 500 m from each other, measured from the outermost point on the boundary of the lowest contour line on either side, forms Aravali Range. The area between the two Aravali hills is determined by first creating buffers with a width."

The above definition served as the primary foundation for the Committees recommendation that no new mining leases be granted within the newly demarcated Aravalli Hills and Ranges.

The Judgement

Subsequently, after examination of the Committees Report, the Supreme Court, in its judgment dated 20.11.2025, formally accepted the committee findings, including the aforementioned definition, and the Supreme Court passed the following order.

(i) We accept the recommendations made by the Committee with regard to the definition of Aravali Hills and Ranges given by MoEF&CC.

(ii) We further accept the recommendations with regard to the prohibition of mining in core/inviolate areas with exception as carved out in the Committees Report.

(iii) We also accept the recommendations for sustainable mining in Aravali Hills and Ranges and the steps to be taken for preventing illegal mining in Aravali Hills and Ranges.

(iv) We, however, direct the MoEF&CC to prepare a MPSM through ICFRE for the entire Aravallis, i.e., understood as the continuous geological ridge extending from Gujarat to Delhi, on the lines of the MPSM for Saranda, and the MPSM must:

Identify permissible areas for mining, ecologically sensitive, conservation-critical and restoration priority areas within the Aravali landscape where mining shall be strictly prohibited or permitted only under exceptional and scientifically justified circumstances. Incorporate a thorough analysis of cumulative environmental impacts and the ecological carrying capacity of the region; and Include detailed post-mining restoration and rehabilitation measures.

(v) We further direct that till the MPSM is finalised by the MoEF&CC through ICFRE, no new mining leases should be granted.

(vi) We further direct that upon the MPSM being finalised by MoEF&CC in consultation with the ICFRE, mining would be permitted as per the MPSM only in those areas wherein sustainable mining could be permitted; and

(vii) In the meantime, the mining activities in the mines which are already in operation would be continued in strict compliance with the recommendations made by the Committee in paragraph 8 of its Report."

The Revolt

Even a die-hard development-focussed person like I, after cursorily reading the report of the Committee on Aravallis, can safely conclude that it transpires that the report was written, if not in the office of the mining mafia, it was written specifically keeping their interest in mind.

Unsurprisingly, then, the Supreme Court decision invited a spate of Interlocutory Applications (IAs), Miscellaneous Applications (MAs) and petitions challenging the findings of the Committee and the subsequent approval accorded by the Supreme Court, while also seeking clarification on certain directions stipulated in the judgment dated 20.11.2025.

Had the Supreme Courts above judgment been operationalised, 90 per cent of the Aravalli Range would have been thrown open for legal and illegal mining.

It was the above-mentioned cases and outcry among environmentalists and the revolt of the masses that made the Supreme Court, prima facie, come to the decision that both the Committees Report and the November 20 judgment of the Supreme Court had omitted to expressly clarify certain critical issues.

It is to the credit of the Supreme Court that it felt there was a dire need to further probe and clarify to prevent any regulatory gaps that might undermine the ecological integrity of the Aravalli region, which led the apex court to stay the implementation of its own order and decide that prior to the implementation of the Committees Report, or the execution of the directions contained in Paragraph 50 of the Supreme Courts judgment dated 20.11.2025, a fair, impartial, independent expert opinion must be obtained and considered after associating all requisite stakeholders.

The Supreme Court has constituted a High-Powered Expert Committee comprising domain experts to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the Report submitted by the Committee. In the interim, to subserve the ends of complete justice, the Supreme Court, in a rarest of the rare case, decided in its verdict on December 29 to keep its own judgment of November 20 in abeyance. But the war to save the Aravallis of Bharat has just begun.

Why It Must Be Saved

The Aravalli Range is under severe threat from illegal mining, unbridled urban development and deforestation, which have already caused a decline in green cover and the disappearance of several hills. Its preservation is an ecological and economic imperative:

Preventing an Environmental Crisis  The degradation of the Aravallis would lead to a severe water crisis, intensified heatwaves, more frequent and severe dust storms in the NCR, and a collapse of local agriculture. Maintaining Ecological Continuity  The range functions as a continuous ecological system. Fragmentation due to human activity disrupts wildlife corridors, increases humananimal conflict and weakens the overall resilience of the ecosystem. Fulfilling National & International Commitments  Protecting the Aravallis is essential for India to meet its obligations under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Paris Agreement by restoring degraded land and combating climate change impacts. Securing the Future  The long-term health, safety and stability of present and future generations across North India depend directly on the ecological functions the Aravallis provide.

Above are only a few of the reasons why whatever is left of the Aravallis of Bharat must be saved (along with similar formations across the country), but the big picture is that the Aravallis of Bharat must be saved to save Bharatiyas. If we falter now, the Generation Next will never forgive us.

The author is a multidisciplinary thought leader with Action Bias, India-based international impact consultant, and keen watcher of changing national and international scenarios. He works as president, advisory services of consulting company BARSYL. 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: January 05, 2026, 17:05 IST

News opinion Akhil Vaani | Bharat Cannot Afford To Lose The Aravallis, The Supreme Courts Reversal Shows Why

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Opinion | The Gig Worker Debate: Hard Facts

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 14:27 IST

The Modi government has introduced several measures to address gig workers concerns, marking a shift toward formalising protection for this informal workforce

Rapid Read

At the heart of the gig workers debate is the tension between rapid economic innovation and human welfare. (PTI file for representation)

Balancing growth, welfare, and advocacy, the gig economy in India has exploded in recent years, transforming how millions earn a living. From food delivery riders zipping through urban traffic to cab drivers navigating congested streets, gig workers form the backbone of platforms like Zomato, Swiggy, Uber, and Ola.

According to estimates, India has over 8 million gig workers, a number projected to reach 23.5 million by 2030. This sector contributes significantly to employment, especially for young, semi-skilled individuals in a country where population growth often outpaces job growth in some geographies.

At the heart of the gig workers debate is the tension between rapid economic innovation and human welfare. Modinomics has always had a fine balance between growth and welfarism. In sync with that philosophy, the Modi government introduced several measures to address these concerns, marking a shift toward formalising protection for this informal workforce.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAPs) Raghav Chadha, under the garb of amplifying gig workers voices, has only garnered eyeballs for himself on social media platforms like X. He has been instigating unrest and his advocacy is not rooted in real concern, but partisan rhetoric.

For instance, in AAP-ruled Punjab, for unskilled workers, the average minimum monthly wage is just Rs 11,389, while under the BJP government in Delhi it stands at Rs 18,456, almost 62% higher. Similarly, for semi-skilled workers, the average number is Rs 12,170 in Punjab but stands at a solid 67% higher at Rs 20,371 for workers in Delhi. They say charity begins at home and by virtue of that logic, why has Chadha not done anything for the gig workers in Punjab? It is because outraging is fashionable, while working committedly for a cause is tough. Clearly, he does not have the stomach for hard work, as that requires a lot more than simply grazing for applause on social media, with a few click-bait posts.

Before delving further, some questions beget answers. Who passed the Social Security Code (SSC) in 2020, giving PF, pension, ESI, gratuity, disability insurance & maternity benefits to gig workers? Who implemented SSC along with Labour Codes, with effect from 21st November 2025? Who created the e-SHRAM portal to benefit gig workers, who switch jobs frequently? Who created grievance redressal helplines for gig workers? Who brought gig workers under the Payment of Wages Act & The Minimum Wages Act, thereby giving them statutory rights? Who ensured equal pay for equal work by all genders, including transgenders? Who enforced overtime at a minimum of twice the normal wage rate, for work done beyond standard hours? Well, the emphatic answer to all these questions isThe Modi government. Indeed, it is under the aegis of PM Modi that gig workers have been empowered like never before.

The gig economy is a product of digital disruption, fuelled by smartphone penetration and urbanisation. Platforms aggregate demand for services, offering flexibility to workers who can choose their hours and gigs. This model has empowered many a 2022 NITI Aayog report highlighted how it provides entry-level opportunities for those without formal qualifications, contributing to poverty reduction and womens workforce participation. Yet, challenges prevailed. gig workers often faced erratic incomes, lack of insurance, long hours, and algorithmic opacity, where pay structures changed without notice. That workers are often classified as partners" rather than employees, by employers, evading traditional labour laws, has been the grouse. In this context, the Modi governments landmark Labour Codes represent a proactive response, aiming to integrate gig workers into broader social security frameworks, without stifling innovation.

Since 2014, the Modi administration has prioritised labour reforms to modernise Indias outdated laws, culminating in the four Labour Codes passed in 2020 and notified in 2025. For the first time, these Codes explicitly define gig workers" and platform workers," recognising them as a distinct category deserving protection. This legal acknowledgment is groundbreaking, as previous frameworks largely ignored this workforce. The Code on Social Security, 2020, is particularly pivotal. It mandates social security benefits like life and disability cover, health and maternity benefits, and old-age protection for unorganised workers, including gig workers.

Under the new Labour Codes, platforms must contribute 1-2% of their annual turnover to a dedicated fund, ensuring workers access schemes like the Employees State Insurance (ESI) and Provident Fund (PF). This addresses long-standing gaps, where gig workers previously had no recourse for accidents or retirement savings. In December 2025, the Ministry of Labour and Employment released draft rules under this code, proposing that gig workers engaged for at least 90 days in a financial year, qualify for these benefits. This 90-day threshold is pragmatic, balancing eligibility with administrative feasibility.

The rules also require aggregators to register workers on a central portal, facilitating access to benefits like insurance and pensions. A 30-45 day public consultation period was opened, demonstrating PM Modis commitment to inclusive policymaking. Beyond the Codes, the Modi government has extended existing schemes to gig workers. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), or Ayushman Bharat, is being tailored for this sector, providing up to Rs 5 lakh in health coverage per family. In June 2025, plans were announced to launch a dedicated social security scheme under PM-JAY, covering medical expenses and hospitalisation for gig workers. Financial inclusion initiatives like Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) offer collateral-free loans to gig workers for upgrading vehicles or tools. Clearly, the likes of Chadha are either wilfully ignorant or have simply decided to sacrifice honesty of hard facts at the altar of political expediency.

Stand-Up India and Startup India provide entrepreneurial support, helping workers transition from gigs to small businesses. The e-Shram portal, launched in 2021, has registered over 30 crore unorganised workers, including gig workers, for universal social security cards that unlock benefits like accident insurance and pensions. These measures have tangible impacts. For instance, during the pandemic, gig workers benefited from emergency relief under schemes like PM Garib Kalyan Yojana. The Modi governments focus on skilling, through programs like Skill India, equips workers with better opportunities, reducing dependency on low-pay gigs. Overall, these initiatives credit the administration with foresight, aiming to create a Viksit Bharat" where economic growth includes worker dignity.

Chadhas fake empathy includes posts on X (formerly Twitter), where he called workers hostages with helmets", but he was brutally called out by the likes of Zomatos Deepinder Goyal. Chadhas claimslow pay (e.g., Rs 763 for 15 hours), dangerous driving due to time pressures, and lack of security, do not align with worker testimonies and reports.

His call to end 10-minute deliveries as cruelty" is hyperbolic. Labelling workers as disposable data points" dramatises issues, polarising the debate. To cut a long story short, Chadha wanted to appropriate credit for all the hard work put in by the Modi government. But the AAP MPs lies were called out by many social media influencers and ordinary citizens, who saw through his misinformed chicanery.

Chadha has fabricated facts; his examples, like a Blinkit workers low earnings, are simply unverified anecdotes. He overlooks many positives including the fact that many gig workers value flexibility and platforms like Blinkit and Zomato provide that, not to mention incentives during peak-demand hours. Also, the Modi governments 90-day rule isnt restrictive but ensures genuine engagement. The AAP MP decried coordinated noise" and paid campaigns against him, but this was not a coordinated attackhis bluff was called out and he simply couldnt digest the volley of data thrown at him. Data, that showed Indias gig economy is evolving and certainly not exploitative.

The Modi governments instrumental role in ensuring institutionalisation of gig workers rights through the Labour Codes, is historic, as it provides a national framework absent before 2014. By integrating schemes like PM-JAY and e-Shram, the Modi administration has extended welfare to millions, fostering inclusive growth. These Codes mandate transparent pay and grievance mechanisms, potentially curbing algorithmic exploitation. The gig worker debate isnt zero-sum. The Modi governments initiatives lay a strong foundation, deserving recognition for formalising a sector long in the shadows. Chadhas rhetorical advocacy is baseless instigation. For India to thrive, collaboration is essentialgovernments enforcing laws, platforms adopting ethical practices, and citizens pushing for accountability. What India certainly does not need are politicians like the AAP MP, who seek to polarise narratives, with falsehoods as their armour. Ultimately, an honest approach prioritises workers dignity, ensuring the gig economy drives progress for all. As India marches toward 2047, balancing innovation with equity will define its success. And needless to add, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the pathbreaking Labour Codes, notified in November 2025, has done what none of his predecessors dared to dohe has decided to give statutory rights to gig workers, in a sweeping move that will empower millions, who were on the fringes. They are now the mainstream and rightfully so.

Sanju Verma is an Economist, National Spokesperson of the BJP and the Bestselling Author of The Modi Gambit. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 14:27 IST

News opinion Opinion | The Gig Worker Debate: Hard Facts

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with the head of the Special Operations Center (SOC) "A" of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Yevhen Khmara.

"We will scale up the experience of Ukrainian special forces and SOC "A" of the SBU. Today, we also discussed with Yevgen other opportunities for the systemic development of the Security Service of Ukraine and special operations that we are currently preparing," Zelenskyy wrote in Telegram on Monday following the meeting.

He noted the extremely significant combat work of Ukrainian special forces soldiers throughout all the years of the full-scale war. "Ukraine is achieving the necessary results in its defense, and all our soldiers who ensure this deserve the greatest respect and gratitude," Zelenskyy said.

As reported, Zelenskyy suggested that the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, focus on combat work within the structure of the special service and offered him a corresponding position, and also discussed with him the candidates for the new head of the agency.

"I thanked him for his combat work and suggested focusing on this type of work. There should be more Ukrainian asymmetric operations against the occupier and the Russian state, more of our strong results in destroying the enemy. Vasyl Vasylovich knows how to do this best and will continue to do this in the SBU system. I instructed Vasyl Malyuk to make the direction of our asymmetric operations the strongest in the world," the president wrote following the meeting.
Opinion | Toxic Migration, From Italy's Vicenza To The Konkan Coast In Maharashtra

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 22:34 IST

From Veneto to Ratnagiri, a deadly chemical legacy repeats itself proving that in the race for profit, humanity and nature are treated as collateral

A now-shuttered Miteni factory, a chemical plant accused of knowingly contaminating the water of hundreds of thousands of people in Trissino, near Vicenza, northern Italy. (Image: AFP/File)

In December 2022, I discussed Fighting climate change the Bharat way  Vedas hold the key highlighting how our ancient wisdom teaches us to live in harmony with nature. Today, it is deeply troubling to see that the same moral grounding that could protect our land and people is being ignored.

The industrial machinery that contaminated aquifers in Italys Veneto is now reportedly operating at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, threatening the ecologically sensitive Konkan coast and the health of its communities.

The site began full production of PFAS-type fluorochemicals in early 2025, used in products like pesticides, pharmaceuticals, dyes, and cosmetics. Essentially, a technology once shut down in Europe for environmental contamination and severe health risks is now active in Bharat, despite the country lacking comprehensive PFAS-specific regulation.

The brutal truth is that human arrogance believes profit and technical cleverness can outrun moral responsibility. Cloaked in technological sophistication and globalised commerce, this arrogance has resurfaced in a more insidious form today, treating human life and ecological integrity as expendable.

Bharat now faces a test: will we allow history to repeat itself, or will the moral wisdom of our dharmic heritage guide us to reject such preventable harm?

The story of Miteni SpA is a travelogue of modern industrial sin, revealing that toxic enterprises do not die when confronted by regulation, public outrage, or courts of law  they just migrate. What began in the industrial valleys of Trissino, near Vicenza in Italy, has cast its shadow on the Konkan coast of Bharat, writing human life off as an acceptable cost of profit.

Founded in the post-war boom, Miteni became a specialist producer of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) chemicals, prized for their resistance to heat, water, and oil and marketed as indispensable to modern convenience. These were embedded in non-stick coatings, stain repellents, firefighting foams, and countless industrial applications. Known as forever chemicals", these carried a known danger; they do not degrade, neither in soil nor in the human body.

From the 1960s onward, Miteni discharged PFAS-laden waste into local waterways and the ground beneath its plant. Over time, these discharges seeped into the aquifers that supply drinking water to large swathes of the Veneto region. Internal documents and later investigations revealed that company scientists and managers were aware of the risks, yet production expanded.

The scale of the disaster emerged in the early 2000s. Routine monitoring began detecting unusual chemical signatures in groundwater. By 2013, regional authorities confirmed what residents had already begun to fear: PFAS contamination across three provinces, exposing approximately 3,50,000 people to polluted drinking water.

Medical screenings soon found exceptionally high PFAS concentrations in residents blood, including children exposed from birth. Epidemiological studies linked exposure to kidney and testicular cancers, thyroid disorders, liver damage, immune suppression, infertility, and pregnancy complications  a chronic, invisible assault unfolding over decades. These findings alone were insufficient to prompt immediate action, partly because global regulatory frameworks had already normalised certain PFAS levels as tolerable".

In parts of Europe, 8 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) of PFOA, one of the most common PFAS, has been officially described as a reference or safe" level for human blood serum. Tragically, it is the moral failure of a capitalist world that normalises the chronic poisoning of millions as tolerable, measuring human bodies not in health but in thresholds of chemical endurance. In the Veneto region, the blood of residents revealed median PFOA levels around 44 ng/mL, with the most exposed individuals exceeding 1,400 ng/mL, dozens or even hundreds of times above the nominal safe" limit.

Public outrage eventually followed. Emergency measures were introduced to provide clean water, and Italy tightened PFAS limits.

Under mounting pressure, Miteni was forced to cease operations in July 2018. The closure marked an admission that the plants activities were incompatible with public safety, but it did not end the harm.

Criminal investigations expanded between 2019 and 2021, targeting executives and managers for environmental catastrophe and water poisoning. For the residents of Veneto, justice was belated and incomplete; no verdict could erase decades of exposure.

Shut down and facing legal jeopardy, Miteni entered insolvency proceedings and was declared bankrupt in 2022. Here the logic of global capitalism revealed its cold efficiency. While communities bore the health burden, the companys physical assets, machines, reactors, and proprietary PFAS production processes were treated as neutral commodities.

During 2022-2023, these assets were auctioned and sold. Reports indicate that equipment and production know-how were dismantled in Italy in 2023, packaged not as instruments of harm but as technology", and prepared for export. What European regulation had deemed intolerable could, through market mechanisms, be reborn elsewhere.

Guess who the next potential victims in the making of this capitalist recklessness are? In what can only be described as a tragic migration of industrial hazard, these same machines and chemical processes were exported to Bharat between late 2023 and 2024 and reassembled at the Lote Parshuram MIDC in Ratnagiri.

In a region dependent on groundwater and with fragile ecosystems, the invisible threat of PFAS looms anew, carrying the same toxic legacy that decimated aquifers and human lives in Veneto. PFAS are not smoke that clears or spills that evaporate; they are chemical time bombs" that lodge in blood and soil for centuries.

By early 2025, public concern mounted that PFAS production using the same industrial lineage was becoming operational. How can a chemical system that devastated Europes aquifers really be operated safely in a region with fragile ecosystems, critical groundwater reliance, and virtually no PFAS regulation?

The line between progress and peril is thinner than we dare to admit. What makes the Miteni story especially troubling is knowledge, not ignorance.

By the time of closure in 2018, the science was unequivocal. To move the machinery elsewhere after that point is to assert, implicitly, that some lives and landscapes are more expendable than others.

Defenders of such transfers invoke legality, jobs, and development. But legality often lags behind morality, especially in environmental law. Jobs cannot justify irreversible poisoning, and development that destroys water, the basis of all life, is a contradiction.

The market is treating machines as value-neutral, whereas ethics demand otherwise. A reactor that produced forever chemicals" in Trissino carries its history with it, even when bolted to a new floor thousands of kilometres away. To ignore that history is to repeat it.

If the same industrial logic is allowed to operate  profit first and accountability never  Bharat is poised to inherit the same disaster that devastated Veneto. The Miteni saga is unfinished; its legacy in Veneto will be measured in medical charts for decades.

In Ratnagiri, the future is still being written. This is the moment where the Centre can choose memory over amnesia and restraint over repetition.

(The author professionally is a hospitality entrepreneur. An avid history buff, she perpetually researches episodes where history was faulted to manufacture faux narratives. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views)

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 22:34 IST

News opinion Opinion | Toxic Migration, From Italy's Vicenza To The Konkan Coast In Maharashtra

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 17:45 IST

1 / 7 Born Michel de Nostredame, Nostradamus was a 16th-century French astrologer and physician renowned for predicting major historical events, including Adolf Hitlers rise, the September 11 attacks, and the COVID-19 pandemic. He is best known for his 1555 book Les Propheties (The Prophecies), which contains 942 poetic quatrains that continue to be interpreted for insights into global events. (Image: Instagram)

2 / 7 While Nostradamus original writings dont specify dates, conspiracy theorists say his 26th quatrains point to events in 2026. In 2025, he reportedly predicted an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, an asteroid striking Earth, natural disasters in Brazil, and the resurgence of an ancient plague. Heres a list of Nostradamus predictions for 2026. (Image: Instagram)

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3 / 7 World Figure Dying: According to Nostradamus cryptic writings, a famous figure could be struck by a thunderbolt, as mentioned in the 26th verse of Century I: The great man will be struck down in the day by a thunderbolt. Followers of his work interpret this as a possible assassination of a prominent male leader or a political upheaval that could shake a regime. (Image: Instagram)

4 / 7 Blood Flowing: One of Nostradamuss more geographically specific quatrains linked to 2026 warns that Switzerlands Ticino region will overflow with blood following an act of favour. The French verse, translated, reads: Because of the favour that the city will showthe Ticino will overflow with blood. Ticino, an Italian-speaking region in southern Switzerland known for its lakes and glaciers, has long been neutral. Yet this 16th-century prediction has fuelled speculation about a potential European conflict, possibly involving neighbouring Italy. (On January 1, a devastating fire engulfed a bar in the luxury ski resort of Crans-Montana, roughly 167 km from Ticino. With dozens feared dead and over 100 injured, conspiracy theorists have already linked the tragic blaze to Nostradamuss ominous prophecy.) (Image: Instagram)

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5 / 7 Biblical Bees: Another of Nostradamus cryptic predictions reads: The great swarm of bees will arise by night the ambusha verse that has left social media buzzing with speculation. Some interpretations suggest the bees symbolize politics, possibly pointing to world leaders rather than literal insects. According to New York Post, black is historically linked to swarming insects and fascists, leading some to speculate that totalitarian regimes could gain influence in 2026. (Image: Instagram)

6 / 7 Seven Months Great War: Another specific verse, "Seven months great war, people dead through evil / Rouen, Evreux the King will not fail", is widely viewed as a reference to a seven-month global conflict. Some believe this quatrain hints at a confrontation between two world leaders who are confident of their victory and refuse to back down. (Image: Instagram)

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Ajit Pawar Draws Line Between National, State And Local Politics Ahead Of BMC Polls

Curated By :

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 09:24 IST

Ajit Pawar said that even when different parties were in power at the Centre and the state in the past, local body elections were fought on local issues and against each other.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. (PTI/File)

Days after his faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) announced an alliance with Sharad Pawars NCP for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Ajit Pawar addressed the differences between national, state, and local politics.

Local elections are different

In my 35 years of political life, I have contested many elections, but this time the election is somewhat different and unique," Ajit Pawar said.

He explained that while the NCP is part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre and running the state government with Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde, the situation at the local level in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad is different.

Centre and state level politics

Pawar highlighted the progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national level. He said the Centre and the Maharashtra state government are providing ample funds for development works across the state.

No development scheme is being kept pending by either the Centre or the State," he added.

Local leadership under scrutiny

Pawar noted that even when different parties were in power at the Centre and the state in the past, local body elections were fought on local issues and often against each other.

He said, The real question is about the performance of the local leadership. There is no fault of the Central or State governments in this."

He asked voters to consider why, despite unity at the Centre and state, local areas like Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad face challenges. Pawar emphasised that the municipal corporations conditions reflect the performance of local leaders over the years, not the policies of higher-level governments.

In the state, we are running the government together with Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde. Yet in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, the public sees a different picture. Sensible voters may ask: if we are united at the Centre and the state, what has gone wrong locally? Similar situations existed before, when local elections were fought separately on local issues, even under different state and Central governments."

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 09:24 IST

News politics Ajit Pawar Draws Line Between National, State And Local Politics Ahead Of BMC Polls

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Amit Shahs 8-Day Blitz: Six Events A Day In Gujarat, Bengal On New Years Eve, Andaman Infra Push

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 12:09 IST

Gujarat, Assam, Bengal, meeting on Manipur in Delhi, Andaman to Tamil Nadu: A look at Amit Shah's gruelling eight-day schedule

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(Clockwise from left) Amit Shah in Tamil Nadu, Assam and Bengal. (X)

Six events in a day in Gujarat, followed by day-long government events in Assam that ended with a late-night political meeting in West Bengal where he camped for the next two days and a detailed stock of the state party units election preparation against Mamata Banerjee. This was Union Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Shahs year-end, a gruelling schedule of eight days.

2025 ended on a busy streak as Shah went on a work frenzy on December 28, fitting in six events in Ahmedabad in a day. He started by attending an event organised by the Indian Medical Association at 10:30 in the morning, closely followed by inaugurating a drainage pipeline at Sardar Patel Ring Road in an hours difference. At 12 pm, Shah distributed land to those who were displaced due to land erosion in Sabarmati. The Union Home Ministers fourth event of the day was at 1 pm, visiting a pilot project, the fifth event a Youth Business one at 4 pm, and the last event  a cultural event called Namotsav at 6 pm. Shahs current parliamentary constituency is Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

The next day saw Shahs day-long event in the North Easts Assam. In a slew of government events that started with a flower-laying ceremony at the Martyrs Memorial at Shahid Smarak in Guwahati at 10:15 am, he attended events such as the inauguration of the Batadrava Than Development Project in Nagaon in an hour, to the inauguration of the newly constructed Police Commissioners Office Building and Command Centre at Khanpara in the afternoon. Shahs last event in Assam on the 29th was the inauguration of the Jyoti Vishnu Auditorium.

He flew to Kolkata late at night, wearing the BJP leaders hat, to a grand welcome by party cadres who were waiting outside the airport, for whom he got down and waved before getting back into the car, and heading straight to the BJP Office at Salt Lake where he chaired a party meeting with state leadership along with state in-charges and states election in-charges.

From the Great Nicobar Project to scuba diving, Andaman and Nicobar is emerging as India's strategic power and tourism hub. pic.twitter.com/8C26RbBOaI Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 4, 2026

The following day, he started with a big press conference where he sounded confident of the NDA coming to West Bengal with a two-thirds majority, giving enough hint that for the BJP, illegal infiltration will be the biggest electoral issue.

After the press conference, he held an organisation meeting of the party, followed by another huddle at a private hotel. The day ended with a few hours-long closed-door meeting between Shah and RSS functionaries of West Bengal.

On the last day of the year, Shah offered prayers at Thanthania Kali temple in Bengal, followed by another set of organisational meetings at a private hotel before he met all BJP MPs and MLAs at Science City Auditorium  the schedule first reported by News18. Even candidates who lost in the last elections were invited to Shahs meeting. Shah instructed Bengal BJP MPs and MLAs to spend at least four days each week on the ground  holding five to six rallies or corner meetings daily and conducting door-to-door outreach across the state  making this intensive fieldwork a key criterion for renomination.

Shah left for Delhi late in the evening on the 31st, after giving the task to the Bengal unit. Having spent the first day of the year  an unusual weekday at the North Block  Shah held a high-profile meeting on Manipur on January 2 at his residence. The meeting was attended by Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Manipur Government Advisor Kuldiep Singh, Chief Secretary PK Goel, and Director General of Police Rajiv Singh. The meeting comes at a critical time, as Presidents Rule in Manipur is set to end on February 13, New Year. Sources indicated that the January 2 deliberations reviewed recent developments on the ground, assessed the prevailing law and order situation, coordinated security deployment, and discussed development initiatives aimed at rebuilding communities affected by prolonged unrest.

On January 3, Shah went to the Andamans, where he first held a meeting of the consultative committee of Home Affairs in the morning, followed by inaugurating an exhibition in the afternoon at ITF Field in Sri Vijaya Puram. He gave a much-needed infra push to the area where he inaugurated a few government projects, as well as laid the foundation stone of some. The Great Nicobar Island Development Project, which refers to an Indian government plan to build a major port, airport, city, power station, and military base on Great Nicobar Island, aiming to transform it into a significant trade hub, isnt far from Andaman.

The very next day, on January 4, Shah was in Tamil Nadus Tiruchirappalli, where he attended a community outreach event followed by a BJP state core group meeting. Shah stayed in Tiruchirappalli, where on Monday, he is slated to visit Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and attend a Pongal festival, wooing the Tamil sentiments, while weaving a pre-poll alliance, away from the media glare.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 12:04 IST

News politics Amit Shahs 8-Day Blitz: Six Events A Day In Gujarat, Bengal On New Years Eve, Andaman Infra Push

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Congress MLC, BJP MLA Clash At Development Meeting In Karnataka, Nearly Come To Blows

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News18.com Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee



Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 16:27 IST

BJP's Humnabad MLA Siddu Patil and Congress MLC Bhimarav Patil got into an argument over a layout issue, which turned into a clash in the presence of state minister Eshwar Khandre

BJP MLA Siddu Patil raised the issue of a layout being developed in Chikkapet area of Humnabad town. The argument escalated when Congress MLC Bhimarav Patil allegedly attempted to physically attack Siddu, at the KDP meeting in Bidar on January 5, 2026. (Image: Sourced)

A BJP MLA and a Congress MLC nearly came to blows as a clash erupted between the two at a meeting of the Karnataka Development Programme in Bidar on Monday.

The two leaders  BJPs Humnabad MLA Siddu Patil and Congress MLC Bhimarav Patil  got into an argument over a layout issue, which turned into a clash in the presence of state minister Eshwar Khandre.

Watch the video here:

#JustIn | Clash breaks out at KDP (Karnataka Development Programme) meeting in Bidar as a BJP MLA and Congress MLC exchange blows in presence of Minister Eshwara KhandreNews18's @afreen_hussain_ with details @SaroyaHem | #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/0hEshEoKFa News18 (@CNNnews18) January 5, 2026

The incident took place at the Bidar district panchayat hall, where the meeting of the Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) was underway.

Trouble started half an hour into the meeting when Siddu Patil raised the issue of a layout being developed in Chikkapet area of Humnabad town. As the discussion escalated, an argument followed with both leaders allegedly hurling abuses at each other.

The matter worsened when Bhimarav Patil allegedly attempted to physically attack Siddu at which point Bidars additional superintendent of police Chandrakant Poojari intervened and restrained him. Following the clash, the KDP meeting was briefly adjourned. Khandre was later able to resume the meeting after restoring order.

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Location : Bidar, India, India

First Published: January 05, 2026, 16:27 IST

News politics Congress MLC, BJP MLA Clash At Development Meeting In Karnataka, Nearly Come To Blows

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EPS Attacks Dynasty Politics In DMK, Questions Rise Of Karunanidhi Family Members In Party

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 08:59 IST

Highlighting his own political rise, EPS said he began as a branch secretary and moved up step by step to become general secretary, MLA, MP and eventually Chief Minister

AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami (PTI file photo)

AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) on Monday launched a sharp attack on the ruling DMK, accusing it of promoting dynasty politics" and questioning whether there was no one beyond the Karunanidhi family" in the party.

Speaking in Veerapandi, Palaniswami repeatedly targeted the elevation of Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, asking whether his rise was solely because he was born into the Karunanidhi family".

Palaniswami contrasted Udhayanidhis political journey with that of senior DMK leader Durai Murugan, pointing out that despite being the partys longest-serving MLA and having suffered imprisonment under the MISA Act, Murugan never received similar opportunities.

He questioned how many times Udhayanidhi had gone to prison and argued that sacrifice and seniority had been overlooked in favour of lineage.

Stalin is the party leader, Udhayanidhi heads the Youth Wing, Kanimozhi heads the Womens Wing, and even in Delhi it is the same family that holds power," he said, calling for change in the upcoming elections.

Highlighting his own political rise, Palaniswami said he began as a branch secretary and moved up step by step to become General Secretary, MLA, MP and eventually Chief Minister, questioning whether such progression was possible within the DMK. He also took a dig at the DMKCongress alliance, claiming it was wavering" and that there was uncertainty over whether Congress would even remain part of it.

People now doubt whether the DMK alliance will survive until the elections," he said, as the AIADMK sharpened its attack ahead of the polls.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 08:59 IST

News politics EPS Attacks Dynasty Politics In DMK, Questions Rise Of Karunanidhi Family Members In Party

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Why Brahmin MLAs Gathering Has Triggered Political Unease In Uttar Pradesh

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 16:02 IST

The trigger was a gathering held at the Lucknow residence of Kushinagar BJP MLA PN Pathak (Panchanand Pathak), officially described as a birthday celebration for his wife

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BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary (right) met CM Yogi Adityanath, a meeting widely seen in political circles as linked to the fallout of the meeting. (PTI File)

What began as a quiet get-together of Brahmin legislators during the Uttar Pradesh Assemblys winter session has triggered loud political tremors within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), forcing the partys top leadership into a swift damage-control exercise to prevent caste unease from snowballing into an organisational crisis.

The controversy surrounding the December 23 gathering of Brahmin MLAs in Lucknow has pushed the ruling party into an uncomfortable spotlight, exposing internal contradictions on caste mobilisation, discipline, and representation. With the issue refusing to die down, the BJP has roped in former state president and senior Brahmin leader Ramapati Ram Tripathi to pacify disgruntled legislators and restore internal equilibrium.

Tripathi, a former MP from Deoria and a prominent face of the BJP in Purvanchal, met Deoria MLA Shalabh Mani Tripathi on Tuesday as part of the outreach. He has also spoken to several Brahmin MLAs over the phone, urging restraint and assuring them that the party leadership is willing to listen. According to sources, Tripathi advised legislators to avoid parallel forums and instead place their concerns before the organisational leadership.

The timing of this intervention is significant. On the same day, BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a meeting widely seen in political circles as linked to the fallout of the Brahmin MLAs meeting. Chaudhary had earlier issued a strong warning to the legislators, stating that any such gathering in the future would be treated as indiscipline" and could invite action.

The trigger

The trigger was a gathering held at the Lucknow residence of Kushinagar BJP MLA PN Pathak (Panchanand Pathak), officially described as a birthday celebration for his wife. Held during the winter session of the legislature, the meeting was attended by nearly 45-50 Brahmin MLAs from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bundelkhand, along with a few legislators from other parties. Litti-chokha and vrat-friendly food were served, reinforcing claims that it was a social event rather than a political conclave.

However, the optics of such a large caste-specific gathering during an Assembly session unsettled the BJP leadership. Sources say concerns were raised at the highest levels, prompting intervention from the Chief Ministers Office. It is learnt that CMs OSD Sarvan Baghel sought clarification from Pathak, who maintained that no political resolutions were discussed.

Senior leaders from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak and BJP also reportedly worked behind the scenes to defuse the situation before it escalated into open rebellion.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, the meeting reflected a deeper anxiety among Brahmin legislators. Many feel that while caste-based mobilisation has strengthened other groups within the BJP ecosystem, Brahmins have gradually lost their bargaining power. There is a perception that despite having a deputy chief minister from the community, real authority and influence have shifted elsewhere.

Political analyst Shashikant Pandey, head of the department of political sciences, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, says the unease should not be seen in isolation.

Brahmins may not be numerically dominant, but historically they have been agenda-setters in Uttar Pradesh politics. When such a group feels that its voice is weakening within a party it overwhelmingly supported, the leadership is bound to take notice. This is less about rebellion and more about renegotiating political space," Pandey pointed out.

BJP downplays controversy

However, the episode has exposed a clear divide within the BJP. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya sought to downplay the controversy, remarking that while the lens may be wrong", the intent was not. People meet all the time. A meeting should not automatically be viewed through a caste prism," he said.

Ministers Dharmveer Prajapati and Sunil Sharma echoed similar views, cautioning against reading political motives into routine interactions during Assembly sessions. Former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh openly defended the meeting, saying he saw nothing wrong in legislators of a community sitting together.

In contrast, Chaudhary has taken a hard line. In a formal statement, he said such activities go against the partys constitutional traditions and warned that any repetition would be treated as indiscipline. His firm stance has drawn criticism, especially since meetings by Kshatriya, Lodhi and Kurmi leaders in recent months did not attract similar warnings.

SP, Congress target BJP

Sensing vulnerability, opposition parties have moved quickly. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP leadership of arrogance and disrespect, while Shivpal Yadav openly invited disgruntled Brahmin MLAs to join the SP, promising dignity and space.

Congress state president Ajay Rai alleged selective targeting, claiming that Brahmin leaders were being humiliated while meetings of other caste groups went unquestioned. SP leader Pawan Pandey went further, alleging that the gathering reflected genuine grievances over administrative neglect and lack of respect.

The BJPs urgency is driven by electoral arithmetic. In the 2022 Assembly elections, nearly 89% of Brahmin voters backed the BJP, according to post-poll estimates. Though Brahmins account for around 11-12% of Uttar Pradeshs population, their influence extends beyond numbers due to social capital and narrative-setting ability.

Historically, Brahmins have played a decisive role in the states politics, producing six chief ministers between Independence and 1989. From backing the BSPs Brahmin-Dalit experiment in 2007 to supporting the SP in 2012 and the BJP since 2017, their political alignment has often shaped outcomes.

For the BJP, the challenge now is to enforce discipline without alienating a core support base. Whether Ramapati Tripathis mediation and the leaderships next steps can contain the discontent  or whether it leaves lasting scars on the partys social coalition  will be closely watched in the months ahead.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 15:56 IST

News politics Why Brahmin MLAs Gathering Has Triggered Political Unease In Uttar Pradesh

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iPhone 18 Pro Launch Price Increase Heavily Tipped: Heres Why

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 11:15 IST

Apple is planning for a big overhaul with the iPhone 18 Pro series this year but will that come at a higher cost?

iPhone 18 Pro series is going to be getting a serious upgrade.

iPhone 18 series launch rumours have already started and going by the market trends many expect Apple to increase the iPhone 18 Pro model price later this year. The company will be upgrading its hardware for the new iPhone 18 Pro devices and most likely its first iPhone Fold model and that could have a direct impact on how much the products will cost the buyers.

Price hikes have been constant across the board in the last few weeks and 2026 is likely to be the year when everything costs more without really giving you nominal upgrades. Apple could buck that trend and at least continue with its yearly changes but at a cost.

iPhone 18 Pro Price Hike Inevitable: Know Why

Apple is expected to rely on TSMC to make its A20 and A20 Pro chipset which is going to be based on a 2nm chip process. And reports from Taiwan suggest making the new chipset is going to cost more and Apple would have to absorb that cost, either by passing it on to the consumers or willing to take a hit on its revenue margins for iPhone 18 Pro units sold.

The company has managed to keep the hikes to a minimum, at least in some regions, but multiple factors are going to make it hard to retain that stance. This means the iPhone 18 Pro price in India could be well over Rs 1,35,000 while the 18 Pro Max model could cost even more for buyers when it launches this year.

The iPhone Fold could see its price also on the higher side but even then Apple will have people waiting for its first ever foldable in the market. Apple could copy Google to make one of its upcoming products.

The iconic brand making iPhones is going to be inspired by Googles first foldable in the market, for its own first iPhone Fold model in 2026. The company is tipped to make a book-style foldable, something that Google and Microsoft used for their Pixel and Surface Book models.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 11:15 IST

News tech iPhone 18 Pro Launch Price Increase Heavily Tipped: Heres Why

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The Country Doesnt Apologise: What An Indian Entrepreneur Learned After Spending Days In US

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 15:58 IST

A Mumbai-based entrepreneur spoke about a clear difference he noticed between how people in India and the US approach growth and success.

America doesnt hesitate while sharing its story.(Photo Credit: X)

A Mumbai-based entrepreneur revealed why he came back with an uncomfortable thought" after visiting the United States for the first time. He spoke about a clear difference he noticed between how people in India and the US approach growth and success. During his early days in America admired the wide roads, tall buildings, driverless cars and beautiful sunsets.

Everything looked impressive and well planned. But after the initial excitement, he felt there was something more going on. According to him, America doesnt hesitate while sharing its story. It speaks loudly, clearly and with full confidence.

A Filmmakers Way Of Seeing The World

Taking to X, the entrepreneur wrote, I recently went to the US for the first time, and came back with an uncomfortable thought. Most of us are taught to build quietly. Americans are taught to build loudly. For the first few days, I did what every first time visitor does. I stared at the roads, the buildings, the waymos and the sunsets. The spectacle works. Its designed to. Thats the opening act."

But once the novelty wore off, something else became impossible to ignore. Beneath the infrastructure and branding was something deeper at play. America is exceptionally good at telling its own story. Not subtly. Not apologetically. Confidently. Almost aggressively," he added.

I recently went to the US for the first time, and came back with an uncomfortable thought :Most of us are taught to build quietly.Americans are taught to build loudly. For the first few days, I did what every first-time visitor does. I stared at the roads, the buildings, the pic.twitter.com/R1CjY1JH2b  anupam sidhant (@anupamsidhant) January 1, 2026

The businessman explained that once the early excitement faded, he began to notice how carefully everything was presented. With his background in films, he naturally breaks things down and studies them closely. He keeps thinking about why something is shown in a certain way and why it feels real or convincing.

He also shared that good artists guide peoples feelings on purpose. This is not a bad thing, but part of the job. When people trust the creator, they are happy to go along with the experience. Even when he knows that scenes, settings and moments are not real, he still enjoys believing in them.

He added, America Owns the Suit: And this is where the US hit me hardest. The country doesnt apologise for its story. It doesnt whisper. It doesnt downplay it. It wears the suit like it was tailored for it. The suit may be rented  but it wears it like it owns it. Now, a necessary disclaimer: I was only in California. I dont pretend to understand the entire country. A friend rightly pointed out that landing elsewhere in the US might have given me a very different impression. Thats true. But the same applies to India, my home country. Where you land shapes what you think you know. So this is my version of California. This California had a very clear instinct."

They Dont Just Build. They Celebrate: Every city has souvenir shops. Every town wears its name on a T-shirt. Colleges, beaches, studios  all merchandised, all celebrated. At Universal Studios, the parking lot is called Jurassic Parking. That detail alone is so revealing. They dont just celebrate the fun details though. Its warts and all. Hell theyve even commoditised the metal mug that Al Capone drank coffee from in Alcatraz. That takes both pride and audacity. They build things  and then they make sure you know they built them. And heres the part that surprised me, I didnt feel manipulated. I felt invited. I bought four Trader Joes bags (among other things). I bought into the story willingly. I wanted to carry it back home," the entrepreneur shared.

He explained that the real difference he noticed was not about skill, but about confidence. He felt that people know how to do good work, but hesitate to speak proudly about it. While growing up, many are taught to stay silent, avoid praising and let their work stay in the background. Over time, this turns into a habit of hiding others efforts. He believes this is not true humility, but fear of being judged. According to him, there is nothing wrong with saying you have done good work, especially when you have worked hard for years.

He also shared that people should stop hiding what they create. Making something and keeping it unseen helps no one. Sharing work in public, even if it is not perfect, builds clarity. He compared confident people with strong animals that remain calm and steady instead of panicking. From the young people he met abroad, he saw the same calm attitude and fearlessness. He believes this way of thinking plays a big role in building the future. To him, owning your story is a decision, and showing confidence helps others respect your work.

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News viral The Country Doesnt Apologise: What An Indian Entrepreneur Learned After Spending Days In US

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2026 Going To Be Amazing: Musk Dines With Trump After Praising POTUS Over Venezuela Attack

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 08:04 IST

In Maduros absence, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez stepped in as interim leader.

Rapid Read

Elon Musk dined with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. (X/@elonmusk)

Tech billionaire Elon Musk dined with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on Saturday, just hours after lauding the US president for a military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

Sharing a photo from the dinner on the social media platform X, Musk wrote, Had a lovely dinner last night with @POTUS and @FLOTUS. 2026 is going to be amazing!"

Had a lovely dinner last night with @POTUS and @FLOTUS.2026 is going to be amazing! pic.twitter.com/1Oq35b1PEC  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 4, 2026

Earlier in the day, Musk reposted an image shared by the White House that showed Maduro blindfolded aboard the USS Iwo Jima.

Commenting on the image, Musk wrote, Congratulations, President Trump! This is a win for the world and a clear message to evil dictators everywhere."

Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were captured in a surprise nighttime operation carried out by US forces after being pulled from their bedroom. The couple was reportedly asleep in their home within the heavily guarded Fort Tiuna military complex in Caracas when American commandos entered the residence.

The operation was reportedly carried out by the US Armys Delta Force with support from the FBI and was completed in under 30 minutes. US officials said no American personnel were killed in the raid.

Speaking at a press conference, President Trump said the United States would temporarily run" Venezuela until a safe, proper and judicious transition" can be ensured.

In Maduros absence, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez stepped in as interim leader. The 56-year-old former labour lawyer strongly denounced the capture of Maduro and Flores, terming it a breach of international law.

What is being done to Venezuela is an atrocity that violates international law. History and justice will make the extremists who promoted this armed aggression pay," she said. There is only one president in Venezuela and his name is Nicolas Maduro."

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 08:04 IST

News world 2026 Going To Be Amazing: Musk Dines With Trump After Praising POTUS Over Venezuela Attack

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Photo: https://www.facebook.com/RedCrossUkraine

The Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) aid point has over the weekend operated at the site of emergency and rescue operations in the center of Kharkiv after Russian ballistic missile strikes.

"Emergency and rescue operations have been ongoing for more than 24 hours... The Ukrainian Red Cross aid point continues to operate at the site, where local residents and representatives of Kharkiv's special services can drink water, tea or coffee, and receive psychological support and first aid if necessary," the URCS said on Facebook on Saturday.

URCS volunteers are providing people with humanitarian aid, including OSB boards, tarpaulins, film, drinking water, hygiene kits, blankets, and emergency kits.

As reported, the URCS rapid response unit in the Kharkiv region participated in the rescue operation from the first hours after the Russian attack. Volunteers provided necessary assistance to the victims. Dog handlers were involved in the search operations.

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched two Iskander missiles at a residential area in Kharkiv on the afternoon of January 2. The attack killed two people, including a three-year-old boy. A commercial and office building and part of the adjacent entrance to a 4-story apartment building were destroyed.
3 Children Killed, 40 Minors Arrested As Protests Against Iranian Regime Intensifies

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 18:10 IST

The protests have spread to at least 78 cities and 222 locations, with demonstrators calling for the end of the regime, HRAI reports.

The protests continued during the weekend despite a crackdown after countrys supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, addressed protesters as rioters. (AFP)

At least three children were killed and over 40 minors arrested as protests against the regime in Iran continued for the past eight days.

According to the US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), 990 people have been arrested and at least 20 killed during a week of unrest in Iran, a rights group said on Sunday, as protests spread across the country, sparking violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces.

The uprising was sparked by the collapse of the countrys currency and rising living costs. The protests have spread to at least 78 cities and 222 locations, with demonstrators calling for the end of the regime, the HRAI stated.

The protests continued during the weekend despite a crackdown after the countrys supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, addressed protesters as rioters".

According to The Guardian, the minors reportedly killed included Mostafa Falahi, a 15-year-old from the city of Azna, in central Iran. The Oslo-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said the boy was killed by the security forces during a fire on protesters on January 1.

The group also recorded the death of 17-year-old Rasul Kadivarian, who was killed along with his 20-year-old brother, Reza, on January 3 by security forces who fired directly on protesters in Kermanshah.

However, the identity of the third deceased, a 17-year-old, has not been established.

The Guardian quoted Skylar Thompson, deputy director of HRAI, saying that the group had documented the killings, as well as the arrests of at least 44 children.

These numbers provide clear evidence that youth are present throughout the ongoing protests. The indiscriminate targeting of a civilian population must be widely condemned as a violation of international law, especially with the clear illustration of children present," he said.

The Guardian quoted a witness from the district of Malekshahi, in Ilam, western Iran, saying: We then gathered in front of a government building. That was when the forces opened fire on us. It felt as if they were shooting at enemies or armed groups. I felt like I was in a war zone. I saw several people injured, and I believe some were killed on the spot. We tried to take the wounded to hospitals and prevent government forces from arresting injured protesters."

Awyar Shekhi from Hengaw Organization said: State forces are firing directly at gatherings and protests without regard for whether those targeted are children or adults. The crackdowns are brutal: tear gas and military-grade weapons are being used, and detainees are severely beaten before being transferred to undisclosed locations."

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 18:10 IST

News world 3 Children Killed, 40 Minors Arrested As Protests Against Iranian Regime Intensifies

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32 Cubans Killed In US Attack In Venezuela, Says Havana Government

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 16:33 IST

32 Cubans died resisting US forces in Venezuela during the capture of Nicolas Maduro. Havana declared mourning and praised their heroism. Trump warned Cuba is near collapse.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel (Russia Today/X)

Thirty-two Cuban nationals were killed during the US attack on Venezuela leading to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, Havana said.

As a result of the criminal attack carried out by the government of the United States" against Venezeula, 32 Cubans lost their lives in combat operations," the Cuban government said in a statement on Sunday (local time).

AFP quoted the officials saying the deceased were members of Cubas Revolutionary Armed Forces or the Ministry of the Interior who were carrying out missions at the request of counterpart agencies".

The Cuban personnel, who were killed either during direct clashes with attacking forces or as a result of air strikes on military facilities, had offered resistance before being killed, Al Jazeera reported.

According to the Cuban government, the soldiers had fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism and fell, after fierce resistance, in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombings" carried out by the United States.

Cuba has been a close ally of Venezuela and even deployed military and police personnel in the country to support the government of Maduro.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump also issued a warning to Cuba on Sunday, saying he believed the Cuban government was close to collapse.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said: Cuba is ready to fall. Cuba looks like its ready to fall. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. Theyre not getting any of it now."

Last week, Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces during a raid on Saturday and flown to New York City to face drug trafficking and weapons charges.

He will face charges of drug trafficking and terrorism in a New York court on Monday.

AFP reported that Havana has declared two days of national mourning from Monday, and pledged to organize tributes.

Honor and glory to the brave Cuban fighters whof ell facing terrorists in imperial uniform," President Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote on X.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 16:33 IST

News world 32 Cubans Killed In US Attack In Venezuela, Says Havana Government

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All About Hell On Earth Brooklyn Jail Where Venezuelas Maduro Is Being Held

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 11:29 IST

The jail has previously held high-profile inmates such as music stars R Kelly and Sean Diddy Combs.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro being taken into the offices of US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). (Reuters)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, a jail widely described as one of the most troubled federal facilities in the United States. Some judges have previously refused to send inmates there because of safety and living conditions.

Opened in the early 1990s, MDC Brooklyn currently holds about 1,300 inmates. It is mainly used to house people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Prisoners include those accused of gang activity and drug trafficking, as well as white-collar crimes.

The jail has previously held high-profile inmates such as music stars R Kelly and Sean Diddy" Combs.

On Saturday night, Venezuelan expatriates gathered outside the jail to celebrate Maduros capture. Many waved Venezuelan flags and cheered as a law enforcement motorcade believed to be carrying Maduro and his wife arrived at the facility.

Who were other personalities lodged in Brooklyn jail?

Maduro is not the first former president to be imprisoned at MDC Brooklyn. Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former president of Honduras, was held there while on trial for drug trafficking charges. He was later convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison before being pardoned and released by US President Donald Trump in December.

Current detainees include Ismael El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, a co-founder of Mexicos Sinaloa drug cartel, and Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Past inmates have included Sam Bankman-Fried and Ghislaine Maxwell.

What we know about Brooklyn jail?

Located near a shopping mall in a waterfront industrial area, and within sight of the Statue of Liberty, the jail has been described as a hell on earth" and an ongoing tragedy". Detainees and lawyers have long complained about violence inside the facility.

Two prisoners were killed by other inmates in 2024, and several jail workers have been charged with taking bribes or providing contraband. In 2019, a power outage left inmates without heat or electricity for a week during winter.

The federal Bureau of Prisons says conditions have improved in recent years. It has added correctional and medical staff, fixed hundreds of maintenance issues, and upgraded electrical, plumbing, food service, and heating systems.

Officials say crime and contraband have decreased as the inmate population fell from 1,580 in January 2024. MDC Brooklyn is safe for the inmates and staff," the Bureau said in September.

While detained, Maduro may encounter familiar figures if he is allowed out of isolation. These include former Venezuelan spy chief Hugo Carvajal and alleged Tren de Aragua gang member Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, who was arrested in New York on firearms charges.

The jail has faced greater scrutiny since 2021, when another New York City federal jail was closed following Jeffrey Epsteins suicide. That case exposed severe security failures and poor conditions, increasing pressure on MDC Brooklyn.

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Location : New York, United States of America (USA)

First Published: January 05, 2026, 11:29 IST

News world All About Hell On Earth Brooklyn Jail Where Venezuelas Maduro Is Being Held

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Another Hindu Man Killed In Bangladesh As Attacks On Minorities Continue

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 21:27 IST

Rana Pratap Bairagi, a Hindu youth, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Monirampur upazila, Jessore, Bangladesh, marking the fifth minority attack in three weeks.

Rapid Read

The killing of Rana Pratap Bairagi marks the fifth reported minority attack in less than three weeks. (IMAGE: X/@salah_shoaib)

As Bangladesh heads into a crucial election season, a Hindu youth was shot dead on Monday, marking the fifth reported incident of violence against minorities in less than three weeks and deepening concerns over law and order ahead of the polls.

According to journalist and Blitz editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, the victim has been identified as Rana Pratap Bairagi, who was allegedly shot by unidentified assailants in Monirampur upazila under Jessore district.

According to a separate report by Khoborer Kagoj, the shooting took place in full public view at Kopalia Bazar. Citing Jessore Additional Superintendent of Police Abul Bashar, the report said the incident occurred around 5:45 pm (local time) on Monday, when the youth was shot by assailants at the marketplace.

A Prothom Alo report said that Bairagi was the acting editor of Narail-based daily BD Khobor. He was also associated with a local ice factory business at Kopalia Bazar.

The circumstances surrounding the killing remain unclear, and police are yet to release an official statement detailing arrests or possible motives.

The latest killing comes amid a spate of violent incidents involving members of the Hindu community in Bangladesh in recent weeks, raising alarm as the country prepares for general elections scheduled for February 12.

#BreakingNews: Another Hindu youth killed in Bangladesh!A Hindu youth named Rana Pratap Bairagi was shot dead by miscreants in Monirampur upazila under Jessore district in Bangladesh. The incident took place today at noon today. pic.twitter.com/MlewUvcz0i  Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury (@salah_shoaib) January 5, 2026

On December 31, Khokon Das, a Hindu businessman from Shariatpur district, was attacked by a mob while returning home after closing his medical shop. He was stabbed, beaten and set on fire after being doused with petrol. Khokon Das later succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Police have said investigations are ongoing, though no convictions have been reported so far.

One of the most shocking incidents in the recent spate of violence was the lynching of 27-year-old Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu garment factory worker in Bhaluka, Mymensingh district. On the night of December 18, Das was accused of making derogatory remarks about Islam at a factory event and was attacked by a large mob that beat him, stripped him, hanged him from a tree and set his body on fire, according to police reports and multiple media accounts. Investigators later said no evidence was found to support the blasphemy allegation that triggered the attack, and arrests were made in connection with the lynching.

In another widely reported case, a Hindu woman in Kaliganj in central Bangladesh alleged that she was gangraped by two men, tied to a tree and had her hair cut off following a land dispute. The 40-year-old survivor detailed the assault in a police complaint, leading to two arrests and an investigation, according to Bangladesh Pratidin.

Concerns have also extended beyond civilian attacks to include intimidation of Hindu officials. In Kurigram district, district administrator Annapurna Debnath was allegedly surrounded and verbally abused by Islamist activists after cancelling the nomination of a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate over unresolved dual citizenship issues, according to Prothom Alo.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 19:52 IST

News world Another Hindu Man Killed In Bangladesh As Attacks On Minorities Continue

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At UNSC, US Calls Maduro 'Narco-Terrorist' As Venezuela Accuses Washington Of Kidnapping Him

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 23:50 IST

At the UN Security Council, the US and Venezuela clashed over the capture of Nicolas Maduro, with Caracas calling it kidnapping and the US labeling Maduro a narco-terrorist.

As Maduro (centre) appeared in a New York court, Venezuelas Samuel Moncada (right) and US envoy Mike Waltz (left) clashed at the UN over his capture. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

At the United Nations Security Council on Monday, the United States and Venezuela traded accusations over Washingtons military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with Caracas calling the move a kidnapping" and the US branding Maduro a narco-terrorist".

Venezuelas representative Samuel Moncada told the council that the country had been subjected to an armed attack, alleging bombing of its territory, civilian casualties and the illegal detention of its president and first lady.

He said the operation violated the UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions and the principle of immunity for heads of state, warning that such actions set a dangerous precedent for all nations.

The UNSC debate unfolded as Maduro appeared before a US federal court in Manhattan earlier on Monday. He pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges and told the judge he had been forcibly taken from Venezuela.

I was captured," Maduro said, according to reporters present in the courtroom.

His wife, Cilia Flores, also pleaded not guilty, saying she was completely innocent". The case is being heard by US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein.

Maduro Linked To Hezbollah"

Defending Washingtons actions at the council, US envoy Mike Waltz accused Maduro of running a narco-terrorist network that trafficked hundreds of tonnes of drugs into the United States and maintained links with groups such as Hezbollah.

Waltz said Venezuela had become a base for criminal and hostile actors, fuelling instability and mass migration across the region.

He added that thousands of Venezuelans are celebrating" Maduros removal and said the United States would not allow the hemisphere to be used by narco-terror groups or adversaries.

The emergency UNSC meeting was convened following a military operation ordered by US President Donald Trump, which resulted in Maduros capture in Caracas and his transfer to the United States to face criminal charges.

The Trump administration has described the operation as a law-enforcement action, saying Maduro turned Venezuela into a key drug trafficking hub and threatened regional security. Trump has said he gave diplomacy a chance before authorising the operation.

Russia, China Slam US

Russia and China strongly criticised the US move at the council. Russias UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya demanded Maduros immediate release, calling the operation a return to an era of lawlessness and a violation of sovereignty.

China said it was deeply shocked" by the strike, accusing Washington of bullying behaviour, bypassing the Security Council and placing its own power above international law. Beijing called for the release of Maduro and his wife and urged a return to dialogue and diplomacy.

Argentina, Latvia Side With US

Pakistan warned that the operation set a dangerous precedent and urged restraint and mediation through the United Nations. Several US allies took more nuanced positions.

Latvia and Argentina sided with Washington, while Denmark, the United Kingdom and France expressed concern over the use of force and stressed the need for a peaceful, Venezuelan-led transition consistent with international law.

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Location : New York, United States of America (USA)

First Published: January 05, 2026, 23:50 IST

News world At UNSC, US Calls Maduro 'Narco-Terrorist' As Venezuela Accuses Washington Of Kidnapping Him

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Bangladesh Shocker: Hindu Woman Gangraped By Two Men, Tied To Tree, Hair Cut Off

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 20:07 IST

A Hindu woman was allegedly gang-raped by two men, who also tied her to a tree and cut off her hair, in a glaring display of atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.

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Bangladesh is under scrutiny for increasing violence against Hindu minorities. (Reuters/File)

In a shocking incident from Bangladesh, a Hindu woman was allegedly gang-raped by two men, who also tied her to a tree and cut off her hair in a glaring display of lawlessness and atrocities against minorities in the country.

The incident took place in central Bangladeshs Kaliganj, according to local media reports. The 40-year-old woman alleged in her police complaint that she had purchased land and a two-storey house from one Shahin and his brother in Kaliganj.

Soon after the purchase, Shahin allegedly began harassing her and making indecent proposals, which escalated after she repeatedly refused. On Saturday evening, when two relatives from her village were visiting, Shahin and his associate Hasan allegedly forced their way into the house and raped her.

The accused also demanded 50,000 taka from the woman, and when she refused, they reportedly assaulted her relatives and drove them out of the house. When the woman tried to raise an alarm, the attackers tied her to a tree, cut off her hair, recorded the act, and circulated the footage online.

ALSO READ: Pre-Poll Violence In Bangladesh: Hindu Female Officer Intimidated, Branded Indian Agent

As per reports, the victim was tortured until she lost consciousness. She was rescued afterwards by local residents and rushed to a hospital. Dr Md Mostafizur Rahman, superintendent of the Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital, said the woman did not initially disclose the assault, and it was later confirmed after medical examination.

After regaining consciousness, the survivor filed a formal complaint at Kaliganj Police Station, naming Shahin and Hasan. Jhenaidah Additional Superintendent of Police Billal Hossain said, We have called the survivor to the police station and recorded her complaint. After investigation, the police will take the highest possible legal action."

Violence Against Hindu Minorities

The incident took place amid a disturbing pattern of violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh in recent weeks. The woman was raped on the same day as a Hindu businessman, Khokon Chandra Das (50), was brutally attacked and set on fire by a mob in Shariatpur.

Das, a small medicine shop owner, was allegedly stabbed, beaten and doused with petrol before being set ablaze while returning home. He survived the initial attack by jumping into a nearby pond but later succumbed to his injuries after his condition deteriorated. Three people have been arrested in connection with his death.

Earlier, a mob beat garment worker Dipu Chandra Das to death and set his body ablaze in full public view as violent protests engulfed the country in December. The attack has drawn political reactions in India, with the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party West Bengal citing the killing as part of a wider pattern of violence against Bengali Hindus.

Another Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, was lynched to death by a mob over extortion allegations. Bajendra Biswas, a Hindu garment factory worker, was shot dead in Bangladeshs Mymensingh in the same month.

On June 26, 2025, a 27-year-old Hindu woman was allegedly raped inside her home in a village in Muradnagar Upazila of Bangladeshs Comilla district. The incident triggered protests by students of Dhaka University, and police later arrested five individuals in connection with the case, including a local BNP leader.

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Location : Dhaka, Bangladesh

First Published: January 05, 2026, 19:40 IST

News world Bangladesh Shocker: Hindu Woman Gangraped By Two Men, Tied To Tree, Hair Cut Off

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China's Xi Criticises Unilateral, Bullying Acts In Subtle Swipe At US Over Venezuela Operation

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 14:11 IST

Xi warned that in a world marked by growing uncertainty and turmoil, "unilateral" and bullying actions are seriously undermining the international order.

A file photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping (AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday made an indirect reference to the United States, calling on major powers to respect the development paths chosen by other nations and adhere to international law and the principles of the UN Charter, reported Xinhua. Xi said global stability depends on leading countries setting an example by upholding these norms.

Speaking during a meeting with Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin in Beijing, Xi warned that in a world marked by growing uncertainty and turmoil, unilateral" and bullying" actions are seriously undermining the international order.

His remarks come amid rising geopolitical friction, including recent developments in Venezuela that have drawn sharp international scrutiny.

China reinforced that position a day earlier, strongly opposing what it described as the United States forcible control of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Beijing warned against unilateral bullying" and asserted that no country has the right to act as the worlds policeman" or an international judge" in an increasingly volatile global landscape.

Addressing the seventh Round of the ChinaPakistan Foreign Ministers Strategic Dialogue in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China always opposes the use or threat of force, as well as any imposition of one countrys will on another." He added that the international situation is becoming more volatile, with unilateral bullying growing more severe.

The sudden change of situation in Venezuela has drawn high attention from the international community," Wang said. Emphasising sovereignty, he added, We never believe that any country can play the role of world policeman, nor do we agree that any country can claim itself to be an international judge," stressing that the sovereignty and security of all nations must be protected under international law.

Wang further said China remains committed to working with the international community, including Pakistan, to uphold the UN Charter, respect international norms, and safeguard global peace and development. He reiterated Chinas vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, underscoring dialogue, cooperation and adherence to international law as the path forward.

According to the statement, Maduro was captured by US forces during a military operation on Saturday and is currently in American custody, with Delcy Rodriguez taking charge late Sunday as Venezuelas acting president. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump issued a warning, saying she must grant the United States total access" or face consequences probably worse than Maduro."

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 14:11 IST

News world China's Xi Criticises Unilateral, Bullying Acts In Subtle Swipe At US Over Venezuela Operation

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'Will Unleash The Jaguar': Colombian President Vows To 'Take Up Arms' After Trump's Threats

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 21:03 IST

Trump had warned over the weekend that Petro should "watch his ass" and described him as "a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the US.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro and US President Donald Trump. (AFP photo)

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday said that he would take up arms" in response to threats from US President Donald Trump, who over the weekend captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a military operation.

Petro, a former guerrilla and Colombias first-ever leftist leader, has been the target of repeated insults and warnings from Trump. On X, he wrote: I have not been a military man, I know about war and clandestinity. I swore not to touch a weapon again since the 1989 Peace Pact, but for the Homeland I will take up arms again that I do not want."

Hoy vere si las palabras en ingles de Trump se traducen como dice la prensa nacional. Por tanto, mas tarde las respondere hasta saber lo que significa realmente la amenaza ilegitima de Trump.En cuanto al senor Rubio que desliga autoridades del presidente y dice que el  Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 5, 2026

If you bomb peasants, thousands of guerrillas will return in the mountains. And if you arrest the president whom a good part of my people want and respect, you will unleash the popular jaguar," Petro noted.

Trump had warned over the weekend that Petro should watch his ass" and described him as a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States."

Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and hes not going to be doing it very long," the US President had told reporters aboard Air Force One.

The US leader also said a military operation against Colombia sounds good to me," prompting an angry response from Bogota.

The threats followed a shock US raid in Caracas on Saturday, during which Maduro was forcibly removed and flown to New York to face drug-trafficking charges. US forces attacked military targets in Venezuela in what Trump called a move to assert control over the oil-rich nation.

Petros comments mark a sharp escalation in rhetoric between the two leaders, who have clashed repeatedly since the start of Trumps second term over issues including tariffs and migration policy. Colombia and the US are historically close military and economic allies, but relations have become strained under the current leadership.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Location : Colombia

First Published: January 05, 2026, 19:56 IST

News world 'Will Unleash The Jaguar': Colombian President Vows To 'Take Up Arms' After Trump's Threats

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Four Indian Expats, Including Three Siblings, Killed In Abu Dhabi Car Crash

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 13:09 IST

A relative told Gulf News that while three of the couples children and their maid died in the accident, the parents and two other siblings sustained serious injuries.

AI-generated image for representation.

Four Indian expatriates in the UAE, including three young siblings and their domestic help, were killed in a car accident in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Sunday, Gulf News reported. The family, originally from Kerala, was returning to their home in Dubai after attending the Liwa Festival when the crash occurred.

A relative told Gulf News that while three of the couples children and their maid died in the accident, the parents and two other siblings sustained serious injuries. One of the surviving children is said to be in critical condition.

A social worker assisting the family identified the deceased as Ashaz (14), Ammaar (12) and Ayyash (5), children of Abdul Latheef and Ruksana, along with the familys domestic worker Bushra.

Abdul Latheef, Ruksana and their two other children, Ezzaa (10) and Azzam (7), are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Abu Dhabi. Speaking to Gulf News, the social worker said relatives and friends rushed to the hospital soon after the incident.

The family has decided to lay the children to rest in the UAE itself. We are supporting them with the funeral procedures and the repatriation of the maids mortal remains," the social worker said.

Gulf News reported that it has reached out to Abu Dhabi Police for an official comment on the accident.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 13:09 IST

News world Four Indian Expats, Including Three Siblings, Killed In Abu Dhabi Car Crash

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Fulfil Your Prior Commitments With Us: China Presses Pakistan On CPEC Delivery, Security Failures

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 11:55 IST

Beijing made it clear that all new financial assistance would be conditional upon the completion of previously promised CPEC projects.

At the 7th round of the PakistanChina Foreign Ministers Strategic Dialogue held in Beijing, Chinese officials conveyed dissatisfaction over the slow progress and operational shortcomings of key CPEC components, particularly in Balochistan.

China has issued a rare and pointed reminder to Pakistan to deliver on long-pending commitments under the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), citing serious concerns over security, infrastructure delays, and lack of tangible returns even after 11 years of the flagship Belt and Road Initiative project.

According to sources, at the 7th round of the PakistanChina Foreign Ministers Strategic Dialogue held in Beijing, Chinese officials conveyed dissatisfaction over the slow progress and operational shortcomings of key CPEC components, particularly in Balochistan. According to top diplomatic sources, Beijing flagged that CPECs flagship assets  including Gwadar Port, Gwadar Airport, and critical road connectivity  remain far from fully functional.

Chinese officials noted that the M-8 motorway linking Gwadar to Sukkur remains incomplete, while road safety across Balochistan continues to be a major concern. Gwadar Sea Port, envisioned as the cornerstone of CPEC, has not achieved full operational capacity, and the newly built Gwadar International Airport has failed to attract meaningful passenger or cargo traffic. These gaps, China conveyed, directly undermine the economic logic of the corridor.

Security concerns dominated the dialogue. Rising terror incidents in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  including repeated attacks targeting Chinese nationals and interests  have alarmed Beijing. Chinese officials underlined that Pakistans inability to ensure a secure operating environment has stalled progress and delayed returns on Chinese investments. A joint security mechanism for CPEC projects and Chinese citizens was discussed in detail, with Pakistan presenting a formal plan during the dialogue. China has also offered security assistance and indicated that a high-powered Chinese delegation will soon visit Pakistan to review ground-level arrangements.

In a significant shift, China also linked future funding and grants to transparency and compliance. Beijing made it clear that all new financial assistance would be conditional upon the completion of previously promised CPEC projects and transparent bidding processes for new ventures. Chinese officials specifically sought clarity on Pakistans upcoming mines and minerals" contracts, stressing the need for fair and open bidding  a comment interpreted by diplomatic sources as concern over perceived favouritism towards the United States.

China further urged Pakistan to normalise relations and trade with Afghanistan, arguing that regional connectivity and stability are critical for CPECs long-term success. Beijing offered its good offices" to mediate between Islamabad and Kabul to address security and transit challenges affecting western CPEC routes.

Pakistans delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, assured full compliance on security, infrastructure delivery, and transparency. Dar briefed Chinese officials on Pakistans new financial reforms, including a proposed one-window" facilitation system aimed at easing operations for Chinese investors.

Despite the sharp messaging, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership. China reiterated that it remains committed to fulfilling its obligations, but emphasized that Pakistan has to deliver its best." The two countries also agreed to cooperate across bilateral and multilateral platforms and to celebrate the 75th anniversary of PakistanChina diplomatic relations, with both foreign ministers jointly unveiling the commemorative logo to mark year-long celebrations.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 11:55 IST

News world Fulfil Your Prior Commitments With Us: China Presses Pakistan On CPEC Delivery, Security Failures

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The decree on the appointment of the head of the Special Operations Center (CSO) 'A' of the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Yevhen Khmara as the acting head of the special service has been published on the website of the President of Ukraine.

"The head of the Special Operations Center 'A' of the Security Service of Ukraine, Yevheniy Leonidovich Khmara, shall temporarily perform the duties of the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine," reads the text of presidential decree No. 19/2026 dated January 5.

Before this decree No. 18/2026 "On certain issues of organizing the activities of the Security Service of Ukraine," Zelenskyy secured for himself the authority to appoint a temporary acting head of the special service during the period of martial law in the event of the temporary absence of the head of the SBU. "During the period of martial law in the event of the temporary absence of the head of the State Security Service of Ukraine, the temporary acting head of the State Security Service of Ukraine may be determined by the President of Ukraine," reads the presidential decree.

According to the decree, the head of the SBU has a first deputy and four deputies. In the event of the temporary absence of the SBU Chairman, his powers shall be exercised by the First Deputy SBU head, and in the absence of the First Deputy SBU head, by the Deputy SBU head designated by the SBU head.
Macron Says France 'Doesn't Approve' Of US Action In Venezuela; Germany Seeks Trump's Explanation

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 17:49 IST

Donald Trump's orders to launch strikes in Venezuela and capture its President Nicolas Maduro have sharply divided global opinion, with many calling it an imperialist outreach.

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Trump's actions in Venezuela has sparked protests from across the world. (Reuters)

Amid a global divide over an audacious military operation in Caracas that culminated in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, French President Emmanuel Macron said France does not approve" of the American operation that triggered a massive debate over US interventionism.

Macron said during a cabinet meeting on Monday that the method" used by the United States to capture Nicolas Maduro was neither supported nor approved" by France. Macron also said that Nicolas Maduro was a dictator" and that his departure was good news for Venezuelans," Maud Bregeon told reporters, according to France24.

Furthermore, a spokesperson for the French foreign ministry voiced regret" over a lack of respect for international law in the US military action in Venezuela. International law was not respected in the means of action used. We regret that," Pascal Confavreux told TV channel TF1.

However, he also mentioned that Maduro had lost his popular legitimacy" after being declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election, which the opposition, international observers and many countries called fraudulent. Hence, France was not going to regret" Maduros removal from power, Confavreux stressed.

Meanwhile, German government on Monday said the United States must explain its actions in Venezuela to the world. The US must explain to the international community on what basis the actions we have witnessed over the last few days should be judged, and this has not yet happened," a government spokesperson said at a regular news conference on Monday.

This came German chancellor Friedrich Merz previously said that Maduro had led his country to ruin", but called the deadly US military operation legally complex", according to The Guardian.

Divided Global Opinion

US President Donald Trumps orders to launch strikes in Venezuela  which killed 40 people  and capture Maduro has divided global opinion, with several world leaders condemning what they described as an imperialist outreach, while others called for an immediate meeting of the UN Security Council.

While Russia and China broadly condemned the US action in Venezuela, countries such as Israel and Argentina congratulated Trump for a successful" mission. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is deeply alarmed by the US action in Venezuela that set a dangerous precedent".

Most European leaders offered a cautious reaction to the US action, with the exception of Hungary. They welcomed the end of Maduros regime in Venezuela, but stressed that the principles of international law must be upheld in the Latin American country and the will of the countrys people must be respected.

The EU recalls that, under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be upheld. Members of the United Nations Security Council have a particular responsibility to uphold those principles, as a pillar of the international security architecture," the EUs top diplomat Kaja Kallas said in a statement supported by 26 of the 27 EU nations.

The EU has said Maduro lacked democratic legitimacy, and called for a transition to democracy determined by the will of the Venezuelan people. Respecting the will of the Venezuelan people remains the only way for Venezuela to restore democracy and resolve the current crisis," the statement said.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post on X that while his country shed no tears about the end of Maduros regime, he reiterated his support for international law. The UK government will discuss the evolving situation with US counterparts in the days ahead as we seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people," he wrote.

Maduro is in a New York detention centre and is set to appear before a court on Monday on drug charges. He was indicted in 2020 on charges including narco-terrorism and obtaining offensive weapons.

(with inputs from agencies)

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Location : United States of America (USA)

First Published: January 05, 2026, 17:28 IST

News world Macron Says France 'Doesn't Approve' Of US Action In Venezuela; Germany Seeks Trump's Explanation

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'Historic Moment': Embassy Of Palestine Inaugurated In London

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 23:49 IST

London has officially inaugurated the Embassy of the State of Palestine, upgrading the Palestinian Mission after the United Kingdom recognized the statehood of Palestine.

Embassy Of Palestine Inaugurated In London

In what is being hailed as a historic moment," the Embassy of the State of Palestine was officially inaugurated in London on Monday. The step marks an important milestone in relations between the two countries following two years of tensions in Gaza. The Palestinians in London celebrated the inauguration of the Embassy.

The Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the UK, Husam Zomlot, unveiled a plaque outside the building and called the inauguration a historic moment".

Zomlot shared the pictures on X and wrote, Today, the Embassy of the State of #Palestine to the United Kingdom is officially inaugurated  a piece of Palestine on British soil; a symbol of peace, Sumud, dignity, and our peoples enduring pursuit of justice and freedom."

Today, the Embassy of the State of #Palestine to the United Kingdom is officially inaugurated  a piece of Palestine on British soil; a symbol of peace, Sumud, dignity, and our peoples enduring pursuit of justice and freedom.Palestine is here. Palestine endures. Palestine will pic.twitter.com/PHXXFr5V9A  Husam Zomlot (@hzomlot) January 5, 2026

My friends, what a way to begin a new year together, marking a profound milestone in British-Palestinian relations, and in the Palestinian peoples long journey to freedom and self-determination," Ambassador Zomlot said while addressing the crowd outside the West London mission.

The development comes following Britains recognition of a Palestinian state in September 2025. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer officially recognised a Palestinian state in September, alongside states including Australia and Canada.

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Location : London, United Kingdom (UK)

First Published: January 05, 2026, 23:49 IST

News world 'Historic Moment': Embassy Of Palestine Inaugurated In London

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'I'm Still Venezuela President': Maduro Pleads 'Not Guilty' To Narco-Terrorism Charges In US Court

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 23:02 IST

Maduro pleads not guilty in US court to drug trafficking charges, declaring himself a decent man and president of his country, and telling the judge that he was captured.

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Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others, at Downtown Manhattan Heliport, in New York City, US. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty" on Monday as he made his first appearance before a US federal court in Manhattan on drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges.

Appearing before US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, Maduro told the court he had been forcibly taken from Venezuela. I was captured," he said, according to reporters present in the courtroom.

Maduro also addressed the judge directly, saying: I am a decent man, the president of my country," as he denied the charges brought against him by US prosecutors.

The 63-year-old former leader is accused by US authorities of heading a state-backed drug trafficking network that conspired with international criminal groups to smuggle large quantities of cocaine into the United States. Prosecutors have charged him with narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking conspiracy and related offences, which carry potential sentences ranging from decades in prison to life if convicted.

Maduro was flown to New York days after his dramatic seizure in Caracas during a US military operation.

The captured Venezuelan President and his wife are appearing before a judge for a brief, but required, legal proceeding that will likely kick off a prolonged legal fight over whether he can be put on trial in the US.

His lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of a foreign state. But the US doesnt recognize him as Venezuelas legitimate leader.

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Location : New York, United States of America (USA)

First Published: January 05, 2026, 22:53 IST

News world 'I'm Still Venezuela President': Maduro Pleads 'Not Guilty' To Narco-Terrorism Charges In US Court

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Indian-Origin Couple Killed In US Road Accident, Two Children Critically Injured

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 12:30 IST

The couple had visited Palakollu around 10 days ago and returned to the US after celebrating New Year festivities in Dubai during their journey.

Krishna Kishore had been working as a software engineer in the US for over a decade.

A Telugu couple from Andhra Pradesh was killed in a road accident in the United States, while their two children sustained critical injuries. The victims were identified as Kotikalapudi Krishna Kishore (45) and his wife Asha (40), natives of Palakollu in West Godavari district, who died in the crash in Washington.

Their daughter and son are undergoing treatment, and the family has been informed of the tragedy.

Krishna Kishore had been working as a software engineer in the US for over a decade. The couple had visited Palakollu around 10 days ago and returned to the US after celebrating New Year festivities in Dubai during their journey.

In another disturbing incident, a 27-year-old Telugu woman was found brutally stabbed to death in Maryland, days after she was reported missing.

Police later discovered her body inside an apartment, bearing multiple stab wounds. Investigators identified her friend and former partner as the prime suspect in the murder.

Authorities said the suspect had initially approached the police to report her disappearance but later fled the country. US law enforcement agencies have issued arrest warrants and are working with federal authorities to trace him. The Indian Embassy has stepped in and is assisting the victims family with necessary support and coordination.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 12:20 IST

News world Indian-Origin Couple Killed In US Road Accident, Two Children Critically Injured

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Is Greenland Next After Venezuela? Trump Renews Push For Arctic Island Claiming US Security Threats

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 08:01 IST

Trump said Greenland is vital because of growing Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic, especially as melting ice opens new shipping routes and military opportunities.

US President Donald Trump. (AP Photo)

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States needs Greenland for national security not for its natural resourses, repeating his long-held view that control of the Arctic island is essential.

Trump said, We do need Greenland, absolutely," claiming it is surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships. He also suggested that Venezuela may not be the last country to face American intervention.

Trump has again argued that the US must protect the Western Hemisphere from rival powers. He said Greenland is vital because of growing Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic, especially as melting ice opens new shipping routes and military opportunities.

#BREAKING: President Trump has announced saying that we need Greenland for national security we have to have it pic.twitter.com/rDYZdL0qTF R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) January 4, 2026

Last year, Trump said he believed the US would gain control of Greenland, adding that the islands 57,000 residents want to be with us".

He first raised the idea of buying Greenland during his first term in 2019, calling US control an absolute necessity" for international security.

Greenland lies between North America and Europe and hosts the US Thule Air Base, which plays a key role in missile defence.

Earlier, Trump had pointed to Greenlands large reserves of rare earth minerals, oil, gas and other resources, saying they are important for US supply chains and security.

Trump says Cuba is ready to fall

Trump has said that Cubas communist government is in a lot of trouble", suggesting it could be the next to face pressure from Washington after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Trump said Cuba was ready to fall" and would struggle to survive without heavily subsidised oil from Venezuela. He added that many Cubans were killed during the US operation to seize Maduro, though he said no further US action might be needed. It looks like its going down," he said. Trumps comments, along with remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, point to a tougher and wider US approach across the Western Hemisphere. Rubio warned that Cuba, one of Venezuelas closest allies, played a key role in protecting Maduro. Speaking on NBCs Meet the Press, Rubio said Cuban guards, not Venezuelans, were responsible for Maduros security. He also claimed Cubans ran parts of Venezuelas internal intelligence system. Trump later described Cuba as very similar to Venezuela and called it a failing nation, saying the US wanted to help the Cuban people. In response, Cuban authorities organised a rally backing Venezuela and condemned the US operation, warning that the entire region now faced a serious threat. Watch more videos Share this Article

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Location : United States of America (USA)

First Published: January 05, 2026, 07:55 IST

News world Is Greenland Next After Venezuela? Trump Renews Push For Arctic Island Claiming US Security Threats

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Islamabad Set To Deport Indian Woman Who Married Pakistani Lover After Staying Back Illegally

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 21:36 IST

Sarabjeet Kaur, who visited Pakistan for Guru Nanaks birth anniversary, married Naseer Hussain, converted to Islam as Noor Fatima. She will be deported after overstaying her visa.

Sarabjeet Kaur had visited Pakistan for a Sikh religious event but failed to return after her visa expired, prompting deportation. (IMAGE: X)

Pakistan is set to deport an Indian woman who had remained in the country after the expiry of her visa following a religious visit. Pakistani officials will escort her to the Wagah Border for handover.

The woman, identified as Sarabjeet Kaur, had travelled to Pakistan on November 4 last year as part of a Sikh jatha to attend events marking the 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith. Her visa was valid until November 13, but she did not return to India after its expiry, prompting Pakistani authorities to take action, Pakistani broadcaster Geo News said in a report.

During her stay, Kaur married a Pakistani national, Naseer Hussain, a resident of Sheikhupura. She also converted to Islam and adopted the name Noor Fatima prior to the marriage. The couple had been in contact through social media since 2016, Pakistani media outlets claimed.

Kaur is expected to be brought to the Wagah Border, where she will be handed over after the completion of mandatory procedures, including a formal border parade.

The development comes months after Sarabjeet Kaurs disappearance triggered serious concern in Indias security establishment.

She was part of a 1,923-member Sikh delegation that travelled to Pakistan to mark Guru Nanak Dev Jis Parkash Purab. The group returned to India after visiting key gurdwaras across Pakistan, but Kaur did not return with the jatha. Her name was missing from both Pakistans exit records and Indias re-entry logs.

Following her disappearance, Indian intelligence agencies began tracking the case, while the Indian mission in Pakistan remained in contact with local authorities to verify documents that surfaced later. These included a purported nikahnama and copies of her passport, accessed by CNN-News18, which claimed she had converted and married a Pakistani man in Sheikhupura.

Sources in Indias intelligence community have described the case as concerning, flagging it as part of what they allege is a broader and systematic pattern of pilgrim recruitment" involving vulnerable visitors, marriages and religious conversion. Senior officials told CNN-News18 that such cases raise red flags about coercion, manipulation, and long-term security implications.

Meanwhile, Kaurs Pakistani legal counsel told Geo News that she could not legally remain in Pakistan under the Foreigners Act, 1946, and would have to return to India before applying afresh for a spouse visa and permanent residence.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 21:35 IST

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Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro Taken To New York Court, Appears To Limp | Video

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 19:47 IST

Nicolas Maduro arrived in New York under heavy US security for his first court appearance after being seized in Caracas, escorted by Drug Enforcement Administration agents.

DEA agents move captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores out of a helicopter, as Nicolas Maduro heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, US. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro arrived in New York on Monday ahead of his first court appearance in the United States, days after his dramatic seizure in Caracas during a US military operation.

Reuters also shared images of Maduros arrival in Manhattan, showing him being escorted under heavy security by US agents.

Maduro, 63, was flown by helicopter to a Manhattan heliport near the federal courthouse before being transferred into an armoured vehicle under heavy security. He was seen wearing a tan prison jumpsuit and bright orange shoes and appeared to be limping slightly as he was escorted by agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Maduro is set to be arraigned later Monday before Alvin Hellerstein, a 92-year-old US District Judge who has handled a series of high-profile cases over nearly three decades on the Manhattan bench. Hellerstein has previously presided over matters linked to the September 11 attacks, the Sudanese genocide and cases involving US President Donald Trump.

The judge is scheduled to arraign Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at noon, formally reviving a prosecution that has been pending since US authorities first indicted the Venezuelan leader in 2020. In the intervening years, Hellerstein has overseen cases involving several of Maduros alleged associates, including sentencing retired Venezuelan general Cliver Alcala to more than 21 years in prison in 2024. He is also due to sentence former Venezuelan intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal later this month.

BREAKING: Nicolas Maduro surrounded by heavy security as he is transported to New York City court ahead of his arraignment. pic.twitter.com/2EqrMrNKxe Fox News (@FoxNews) January 5, 2026

Security around the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan was visibly heightened ahead of the hearing. Police barricades were placed along several blocks near the main entrance on Worth Street, while Pearl Street, behind the courthouse where inmates are brought in, was closed to pedestrian traffic.

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Location : New York, United States of America (USA)

First Published: January 05, 2026, 19:39 IST

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Nicolas Maduro Is Not The First President The US Has 'Captured'. The List Started In 1989

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 12:51 IST

US forces detained Nicolas Maduro, echoing the 1989 capture of Manuel Noriega in Panama during Operation Just Cause, highlighting recurring patterns in US interventions

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In 1989, US forces invaded Panama and arrested its military strongman Manuel Noriega. (AP/PTI)

The manner in which the United States detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and took him into custody has evoked memories of a similar episode nearly 36 years ago. Then, the George HW Bush administration captured Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega and later tried him on charges very similar to those now levelled against Maduro. The Venezuelan development has drawn renewed global attention to Operation Just Cause in Panama. Following the Panama invasion, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein too was captured and eventually executed, fuelling the perception that geopolitical history has a habit of repeating itself.

In world politics, patterns often recur despite the passage of time. A similar sense of deja vu was felt recently when the United States claimed to have detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The development echoed the 1989 American military intervention in Panama, launched to seize control of the country and arrest its leader, Manuel Noriega.

US President Donald Trump announced on January 3 that US forces had taken Maduro and his wife into custody during a large-scale military operation in Venezuela. The United States has long accused Maduro of drug trafficking and maintaining links with international criminal and terror networks. In 2020, a US court charged him with corruption, narcotics offences, and several other serious crimes, along with announcing a reward of $50 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

What was Operation Panama?

This is not the first time the United States has entered a Latin American nation to detain its leader on drug-related charges. In 1989, US forces invaded Panama and arrested its military strongman Manuel Noriega, an episode widely regarded as a defining case of US military intervention abroad.

Noriegas rise began in 1968 after Omar Torrijos seized power in a coup. Noriega became head of military intelligence and quickly built a reputation for being shrewd yet ruthless. He used his position to eliminate opponents and facilitate corrupt dealings within the military establishment.

What was Noriegas connection with the CIA?

By the early 1970s, Noriega was reportedly working with the US Central Intelligence Agency. During the Cold War, he assisted the US in countering communist influence in Central America and helped set up intelligence bases in Panama.

After Torrijos died in a plane crash in 1981, Noriega emerged as the de facto ruler. During his rule, he forged ties with major criminal cartels, including Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Noriega played a central role in laundering drug money through Panamanian banks and facilitating cocaine shipments into the US, reportedly receiving millions of dollars in bribes.

Although US intelligence agencies were aware of his activities, they continued to work with him because of his strategic importance in the region. Noriega was also linked to the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s, involving secret arms and drug operations.

Operation Panama

When and why did the Panama Operation take place?

The United States launched a military operation in Panama in December 1989 to remove General Manuel Noriega from power. He faced US accusations of drug trafficking and authoritarian rule.

What were the charges against Noriega?

Noriega was charged with drug trafficking, money laundering, and undermining democracy. The United States declared him an international criminal.

Did the US carry out a full-scale military operation?

Yes. Thousands of American troops were deployed to Panama, targeting key military and government installations, including Panama City. The Panamanian Defence Forces were crippled within days.

Was Noriega able to escape?

Noriega initially fled and went into hiding, but surrendered in January 1990. He was extradited to the United States, where he was tried and convicted.

What was the outcome of the operation?

A new civilian government was installed in Panama. However, the operation led to significant civilian casualties and triggered widespread international criticism of the United States.

How did the conflict escalate?

Relations between Washington and Noriega soured over time, as US officials suspected he was simultaneously cooperating with rival intelligence networks. In 1988, a US court indicted him on drug trafficking charges. The crisis deepened the following year when Noriega annulled elections that were expected to remove him from power. He then declared himself supreme leader" and announced a state of war against the United States.

Soon after, an American Marine was killed in an attack in Panama City, a development that prompted the US to opt for direct military intervention.

Operation Just Cause

In December 1989, then-US President George HW Bush had ordered the launch of Operation Just Cause. Around 26,000 US troops entered Panama, defeating the Panamanian military within days. Noriega fled and took refuge inside the Vatican Embassy. Unable to enter, US forces resorted to psychological pressure tactics, installing massive speakers outside and blasting loud rock and heavy metal music for days. Eventually, Noriega surrendered on January 3, 1990. He was taken to the US, convicted on drug charges, served nearly 20 years in prison, and died in 2017 at the age of 83.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 12:51 IST

News world Nicolas Maduro Is Not The First President The US Has 'Captured'. The List Started In 1989

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'Persecuted Very Unfairly': Trump Defends Pardon Of Honduras' Former President After Maduro's Arrest

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 08:25 IST

Trump administration faces renewed scrutiny after Maduros capture revives criticism of Trumps pardon of ex-Honduran leader Hernandez who was convicted on drug-trafficking charges

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Trump defended the pardon of Hernandez, saying that he had been "persecuted very unfairly.

The Trump administration is facing renewed scrutiny following the dramatic US military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. This action has revived criticism over President Donald Trumps decision last year to pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who had been convicted on major drug-trafficking charges.

During a press conference on Saturday, Trump defended the pardon after being pressed by a reporter on the apparent contradiction, saying Hernandez, was the head of the country" and had been persecuted very unfairly," despite his conviction.

Trump Compares Hernandezs Treatment To His Own Legal Troubles

Trump also compared Hernandezs treatment to his own legal troubles, saying, He was treated like the Biden administration treated a man named Trump," a reference to his criminal prosecutions over classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election after leaving office.

He also pointed to his support for Nasry Asfura, the president-elect of Honduras, as a factor in the pardon. Hes also a party member of the man who won, so obviously the people liked what I did," Trump said, adding, And one of the reasons that was done is because of the fact that the party in power felt very strongly that that man was treated very badly."

Trump further indicated he consulted his national security team, saying, I went to a lot of the people standing behind me, and they felt that that man was persecuted and treated very badly."

The US captured Maduro on Saturday after a pre-dawn, extensive military operation, and he now faces charges in New York, including narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Hernandez was convicted in 2024 of conspiring with drug traffickers and using his position in government to help hundreds of tons of cocaine enter the United States. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison before Trump pardoned him in November, saying in a Truth Social post that he had been treated very harshly and unfairly."

What Marco Rubio Said About Hernandezs Pardon

Asked about the contrast, Secretary of State Marco Rubio on said, I dont do the pardon file," adding, whether you agree with that decision or not  that doesnt mean you leave Maduro in place."

The US operation drew sharp criticism from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also, who on Saturday labelled Trumps indictment of Maduro hypocritical," arguing that the administration cannot justify its actions solely on drug-trafficking grounds while having pardoned Hernandez, whom US prosecutors said was responsible for facilitating the shipment of more than 400 tons of cocaine into the United States.

If the President grounds his actions on the basis of drug trafficking charges, it is entirely hypocritical in light of his recent pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez who was responsible for bringing more than 400 tons of cocaine in the United States in order to shove the drugs right up the noses of the gringos," Pelosi wrote on social platform X.

Pelosis remarks underscored growing political backlash as the administration seeks to defend its aggressive stance against Maduro while facing questions over consistency in its anti-drug policies.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 08:25 IST

News world 'Persecuted Very Unfairly': Trump Defends Pardon Of Honduras' Former President After Maduro's Arrest

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Police Identify First Four Victims Of Swiss Alpine Bar Fire That Killed Over 40 People

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Last Updated: January 03, 2026, 18:05 IST

A fire at the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana killed over 40 people and injured 119 others.

The interior building where a fire broke out leaving people dead and injured, during New Years celebration. (Police Cantonale Valaisanne via AP)

Swiss police have identified the bodies of the first four victims who were killed in a fire at a bar in a Swiss ski resort on New Years Eve. As per the police, nearly 40 people were killed and another 119 got injured, after fire ripped through a bars New Year celebration less than two hours after midnight, Thursday.

As per a report by BBC, the Valais cantonal police on Saturday said the bodies of four teenagers  two Swiss women aged 21 and 16, and two Swiss men aged 18 and 16  have been formally identified and returned to their families.

The identification process of remaining bodies is underway. Meanwhile, of the total 119 people who were injured, 113 have been identified. As per a report by AP, the injured included 71 Swiss nationals, 14 French and 11 Italians, along with citizens of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal and Poland, according to Frederic Gisler, police commander of the Valais region. The nationalities of 14 people were still unclear.

What Caused The Deadly Fire?

Reportedly, the sparklers attached to champagne bottles and held too close to the ceiling likely sparked the deadly fire. The blaze reportedly spread rapidly due to a flashover, and Swiss prosecutors have opened an investigation into possible criminal responsibility.

In a press conference, Valais Cantonal Police Commander Frederic Gisler said that smoke was first seen coming from the bar in the centre of the Swiss ski resort at around 1:30 am. Moments later, a witness contacted the emergency call centre to report the incident. A red alert was immediately issued to mobilise firefighting services.

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First Published: January 03, 2026, 18:05 IST

News world Police Identify First Four Victims Of Swiss Alpine Bar Fire That Killed Over 40 People

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Zelenskyy and Poklad discuss specific tasks to make invaders feel SBU's power even more

Photo: @V_Zelenskiy_official Telegram

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed specific tasks and operations with Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Oleksandr Poklad to ensure that the Russian occupiers feel even greater SBU power.

"I met with Major General Oleksandr Poklad of the Security Service of Ukraine. The defense of Ukraines statehood and counterintelligence work within the SSU have been significantly strengthened, and this direction will continue to develop," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Monday.
Russia, China Demand Release Of Nicolas Maduro, His Wife At UNSC Meeting Over Venezuela Crisis

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 22:41 IST

Russia and China were among the countries that criticised the United States for the "unilateral and illegal" action of capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

The UN Security Council meeting on Venezuela. (Photo: Reuters)

Russia and China called on the United States to immediately release deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at the UN Security Council meeting called after the dramatic US operation in Venezuela.

At the meeting, Russian envoy to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, condemned the US act of armed aggression" against Venezuela and called on Washington to release Maduro and his wife. There is no and can be no justification for the crimes cynically perpetrated by the United States in Caracas. We firmly condemn the U.S. act of armed aggression against Venezuela, in breach of all international legal norms," he said.

China also called on the US to release Maduro and his wife, saying it was deeply shocked" by the unilateral, illegal and bullying" action taken by America.

We demand that the United States change its course, cease its bullying and coercive practices, and develop relations and cooperation with regional countries on the basis of mutual respect, equality and noninterference in international affairs," said Chinas deputy UN representative Sun Lei.

US Vs Venezuela At UNSC Meeting

US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, defended the Trump administrations actions, saying that Maduro had partnered with drug traffickers and narco-terrorists to send hundreds of tonnes of narcotics into the US.

There is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country. This was a law enforcement operation," he said of the raid in which Maduro was captured. The overwhelming evidence of his crimes will be presented openly in US court proceedings."

Waltz said the US will not waver in its actions to protect Americans from the scourge of narco-terrorism and seeks peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela."

However, Venezuelas Ambassador to the UN, Samuel Reinaldo Moncada Acosta, called the US attack illegitimate" that lacked legal justification. Venezuela was the target of an illegitimate armed attack, lacking any legal justification, by the government of the United States of America," he said.

The events of January 3 constitute a flagrant violation of the UN charter perpetrated by the US government, in particular the principal violation of the principle of sovereign equality of states, of the absolute prohibition of the use or threat of use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state."

Other Countries

Meanwhile, Latvia sided with the United States during the UNSC meeting, and Denmark extended solidarity with Venezuela. Denmark said that while it did not recognise Maduro as President, the future of the country should be decided by its own people.

The United Kingdom said it wished to see a peaceful transition and a prosperous future for Venezuela, reaffirming its commitment to international law and principles enshrined in UN Charter. France said it stood in solidarity with the people of Venezuela, noting that their right to choose their leader was taken away by Maduro. France noted that the military operation by the US ran contrary to international laws of non-use of force, undermined the foundation of the UN and weakened international peace.

Pakistan said it looked at the escalating tensions and instability with profound concern". It noted that the UN Charter enshrines non-use of force and actions like the one by the US set a dangerous precedent. Islamabad called for dialogue and diplomacy and finding a solution through diplomatic means.

(with inputs from agencies)

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Location : New York, United States of America (USA)

First Published: January 05, 2026, 22:15 IST

News world Russia, China Demand Release Of Nicolas Maduro, His Wife At UNSC Meeting Over Venezuela Crisis

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Ukraine was placed under a nationwide air raid alert through out the night as Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile assault across the country. Air raid sirens sounded in all regions, with Ukrainian authorities warning of incoming attacks from multiple directions.

Reports said swarms of drones were in the air, alongside Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers and MiG-31K fighter jets, which are capable of carrying hypersonic Kinzhal missiles. Explosions were reported in several cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. In Kharkiv, a strong blast was felt, while residents in the capital also reported explosions.

Multiple explosions were reported in Chernihiv, where local officials said power outages had hit parts of the city. Around five ballistic missile strikes were reported there. Ukrainian sources also said up to 30 drones were targeting energy infrastructure in Kyiv, raising concerns over further power disruptions as the attack continued.

Russias attack on Ukraine came days after Moscow accused Kyiv of launching 91 long-range drones at President Vladimir Putins official residence in the Novgorod regions Valdai area overnight on December 28-29, 2025, with all intercepted by air defenses and no damage or injuries reported.
'Serious Law And Order Breakdown': Another Malaysian MP Condemns Hindu Killings In Bangladesh

Reported By :

CNN-News18 Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee



Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 22:53 IST

In a public statement, YB Senator Dato' Sivaraj Chandran highlighted a total collapse of legal order in Bangladesh while stressing on the brutal nature of the attacks

YB Senator Dato Sivaraj Chandran, a prominent member of the Upper House of the Parliament of Malaysia, has issued a formal and scathing condemnation of the recent wave of targeted violence against the Hindu minority in Bangladesh. (Image: News18)

Another Malaysian senator has condemned the targeted killings of Hindus in Bangladesh, calling out his governments silence over the alleged atrocities.

YB Senator Dato Sivaraj Chandran, a prominent member of the Upper House of the Parliament of Malaysia, has issued a formal and scathing condemnation of the recent wave of targeted violence against the Hindu minority in Bangladesh.

In a public statement, Chandran highlighted what he described as a total collapse of legal order in Bangladesh while stressing on the brutal nature of the attacks. He said this signals a profound and dangerous failure of institutional safeguards within the region.

He specifically cited incidents of mob brutality, highlighting the stabbing and burning of victims as evidence of a serious breakdown of law and order". He argued that such atrocities occur when violence replaces due process" and when governing institutions fail to prevent collective anger from devolving into cold-blooded murder.

Chandran said this mob violence is not merely a series of isolated crimes but reflects a broader institutional failure to protect vulnerable populations. Addressing the geopolitical context, he noted that these events cannot be viewed in isolation as Bangladesh is part of a shared region".

He, however, warned that when mob violence is allowed to take place unchecked, it weakens confidence in governance" and has the potential to undermine stability beyond national borders". A central component of his address was a sharp criticism of the Malaysian governments current silence on the matter.

The senator questioned why Malaysia, a nation that has historically spoken firmly on international issues involving civilian suffering and violations of human dignity, has yet to issue a clear statement. He urged Malaysian leaders to uphold consistent humanitarian standards, asserting that the principles of justice should not be conditional nor applied selectively".

If we claim to uphold justice and humanity as universal values, then we must be prepared to defend them consistently, even when it is uncomfortable to do so," Chandran said.

He said his statement is not an attempt to politicise a tragedy or assign blame, but rather a call to reaffirm the sanctity of human life. He stressed that no grievance or accusation can ever justify the killing of a human being without trial.

Warning that when the world remains silent, violence learns that it can repeat itself", Chandran called on Malaysia to reclaim its moral standing. He said the nations courage to speak when humanity is at stake is the true measure of its integrity, urging a firm stand for law, dignity, and the protection of all people.

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News world 'Serious Law And Order Breakdown': Another Malaysian MP Condemns Hindu Killings In Bangladesh

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Tomorrow It Could Be Any Country: Venezuela Warns World As US Captures Maduro

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 09:51 IST

Trump has warned Rodriguez she could face a bigger price than Maduro if she does not cooperate.

Venezuela Interim President Delcy Rodriguez. (Image: REUTERS)

Venezuela has issued strong warnings following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, by US forces. Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said the operation poses a serious threat to the global order" and urged citizens to remain peaceful amid threats of foreign intervention.

If today it was against Venezuela, tomorrow it could be against any state or any country," Padrino Lopez said. He called on Venezuelans to continue their economic, labour, and educational activities, warning against falling into psychological warfare, threats, and fear."

Padrino Lopez also demanded the immediate release of Maduro and the first lady, calling the US operation imperialist." He assured that Venezuelas military leadership remains united to guarantee the countrys stability, prosperity, and order.

Meanwhile, interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who served as Maduros vice president, has called for a balanced and respectful" relationship with the United States. She invited the US government to collaborate on a shared development agenda, even after American forces captured Maduro.

We consider it a priority to move toward a balanced and respectful relationship between the US and Venezuela," Rodriguez wrote on Telegram.

US President Donald Trump has warned Rodriguez she could face a bigger price" than Maduro if she does not cooperate. He also said a second strike on Venezuela was possible and stressed the need for full access to Venezuelan oil and other resources.

Venezuelas warnings come amid heightened tensions with the US, which has taken its most assertive action to achieve regime change in Venezuela since the 2003 Iraq invasion.

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First Published: January 05, 2026, 09:40 IST

News world Tomorrow It Could Be Any Country: Venezuela Warns World As US Captures Maduro

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 16:18 IST

US-Venezuela news today Highlights: Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro will make his first court appearance in New York City after the United States captured him in a surprise attack and flew him to New York.

Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores face charges in the United States, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, and weapons-related offences.

President Donald Trump has said the US is going to run Venezuela temporarily and will tap into its oil reserves. Venezuelas interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez, has maintained that Venezuela will defend its resources

Trump laid out a warning to Rodriguez, saying in an interview that if she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price.

The US President expressed confidence that Maduro will be convicted, calling the case against him infallible.

Trump was speaking to reporters when he was asked what the endgame is regarding Maduros court appearance tomorrow. There is no endgame. Were just going to go through a slog of a trial.  Well see how we do. The case is, its infallible, Trump said.

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US Media Knew Of Donald Trump's Venezuela Raid In Advance, Refrained From Publishing: Report

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 12:41 IST

Some major US news outlets knew in advance of the US military raid in Venezuela but delayed reporting after officials warned it could endanger American troops, a report claimed.

A file photo of Donald Trump (L)/Cubans attends a rally in Havana in solidarity with Venezuela (R) (AP)

Some major US news outlets were aware in advance of the American military raid in Venezuela but deliberately refrained from publishing what they knew after the administration warned that doing so could put US troops at risk, Semafor reported.

According to the report, The New York Times and The Washington Post learnt of the operation shortly before it was scheduled to begin on Friday night.

However, both organisations chose to delay publication for several hours following communications with the administration, two people familiar with those exchanges were quoted by the report as saying.

The decisions in the New York and Washington newsrooms to maintain official secrecy are in keeping with longstanding American journalistic traditions," the report mentioned, noting that the restraint came even as relations between the White House and legacy media remain deeply strained.

The report described the episode as a rare glimpse at a thread of contact and even cooperation over some of the highest-stakes American national security issues."

The report pointed out that the United States, unlike some other countries, does not have a formal legal mechanism allowing the government to block the publication of sensitive information.

As a result, the decision to hold back reporting rested entirely with the news organisations after officials warned that publication could expose American troops involved in the operation.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth did not publicly acknowledge that part of the secrecy surrounding the raid stemmed from the outlets editorial decisions, the report noted.

It mentioned that the episode reflected what it described as time-honoured deference" that some major US news outlets have historically shown toward the White House in matters involving secretive military operations.

It cited earlier examples, including The New York Times withholding details ahead of the Bay of Pigs invasion and delaying publication for months of a story on warrantless wiretapping during the Bush administration after officials argued that disclosure could endanger American lives.

More recently, Semafor noted, US media organisations held back reporting that the United States was negotiating a sensitive prisoner exchange with Russia involving Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured during a US military operation in Caracas over the weekend and was due to appear before a federal judge in New York on Monday.

US President Donald Trump defended the raid and suggested that further action was possible.

Were taking back what they stole," Trump said aboard Air Force One, adding, were in charge," according to Reuters.

He warned that the United States could order another strike if Venezuela does not cooperate with Washingtons demands, including opening up its oil industry and stepping up efforts to combat drug trafficking.

Maduro faces charges accusing him of narco-terrorism conspiracy, including allegations that he supported major drug trafficking organisations and used state institutions to facilitate cocaine shipments.

The charges, first filed in 2020, were updated on Saturday to include his wife, Cilia Flores.

ALSO READ | Shell Pay A Bigger Price: Donald Trump Warns Venezuelas Acting President Against Defying US

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News world US Media Knew Of Donald Trump's Venezuela Raid In Advance, Refrained From Publishing: Report

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Venezuela Orders Police To Arrest Anyone Involved In Supporting US Attack

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 23:25 IST

Venezuela issued an emergency decree ordering police to find and arrest anyone involved in supporting the US attack on January 3 that topped President Nicolas Maduro.

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Protests in Venezuela over Nicolas Maduro's capture by US forces. (Reuters)

The Venezuelan government has issued a decree for a state of emergency in the wake of the US military operation that deposed President Nicolas Maduro, ordering the police to arrest anyone supporting the attack.

The decree, in force since Saturday, instructs police to immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack by the United States," as per a text of the decree published on Monday.

Maduro, who was captured by US forces along with his wife, Cilia Flores, was replaced by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who initially said that Maduro was the actual leader of Venezuela. After sharp condemnation of the US strikes, Rodriguez softened her stance on Sunday, saying it was a priority to have respectful relations with Washington.

US President Donald Trump had threatened another strike if Venezuela did not cooperate with opening its oil industry and stopping drugs. Trump also threatened Colombia and Mexico on Sunday and said Cubas communist government looks like its ready to fall".

Moreover, Venezuelas parliament on Monday re-elected Jorge Rodriguez, brother of interim president Delcy Rodriguez, as its head in the aftermath of the stunning ouster of Nicolas Maduro. The Rodriguez siblings are now in control of Venezuelas executive and legislative branches, as lawmakers denounced Maduros capture.

Maduro Appears In New York Court

On Monday, Maduro pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of narco-terrorism in a New York federal court, where he faces four criminal charges  narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.

I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country," Maduro said through an interpreter, before being cut off by US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein. His wife also pleaded not guilty to the charges.

READ MORE: Im Still Venezuela President: Maduro Pleads Not Guilty To Narco-Terrorism Charges In US Court

Maduro was escorted by heavily armed law enforcement officers to a courthouse in New York, having been transported by helicopter and armoured car, days after he and his wife were forcibly taken out of Caracas in a US assault in which commandos swooped in on helicopters, backed by fighter jets and naval forces, to capture them.

His lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of a foreign state. However, the US doesnt recognise him as Venezuelas legitimate leader.

Trump, who has shocked many Americans with his unprecedented moves to accumulate domestic power, also now appears increasingly emboldened in foreign policy. He has lashed out at Colombian President Gustavo Petro, saying he should watch his ass."

(with inputs from agencies)

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Location : Caracas, Venezuela

First Published: January 05, 2026, 23:25 IST

News world Venezuela Orders Police To Arrest Anyone Involved In Supporting US Attack

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What Is Monroe Doctrine? Trump Invokes 200-Year-Old Proclamation To Justify Maduro's Capture

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 16:26 IST

US President Donald Trump invoked the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 to justify the audacious US military operation to attack Venezuela and capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

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US President Donald Trump justified the Venezuela operation by invoking the Monroe Doctrine. (AFP photo)

US President Donald Trump triggered a furious debate over international norms and sovereignty across the world by launching an audacious mission to enter Venezuelan territory and capture President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their bedroom, marking a dramatic escalation of tensions amid Washingtons drug-related charges against Caracas.

The operation went beyond simply bringing an indicted individual to the US on narco-terrorism charges. What intensified scrutiny over the legality of the US action was Trumps declaration that Washington would run" Venezuela until a safe, proper and judicious transition", while also strongly hinting at reclaiming Venezuelas oil reserves.

Trump invoked the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, when former US President James Monroe laid the foundation of the United States calling the shots in the region. He also went ahead to suggest an updated version of it that could be called the Don-roe Doctrine."

What Did Trump Say?

Speaking after the US operation on January 3, Trump described the Monroe Doctrine as a long-standing foreign policy of America for over 200 years. He said the military operation in Venezuela was done in alignment with the doctrine and more, alleging that Venezuela was hosting foreign adversaries" and acquiring offensive weapons".

All of these actions were in gross violation of the core principles of American foreign policy, dating back more than two centuries," he said. All the way back, dated to the Monroe Doctrine. And the Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but weve superseded it by a lot, by a real lot. They now call it the Donroe doctrine."

The dramatic intervention in Caracas was condemned at home and abroad as the most dangerous example of US imperialism since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, particularly after former US Secretary of State John Kerry had said a decade ago that the era of the Monroe Doctrine is over."

What Is The Monroe Doctrine?

The doctrine formulated by President James Monroe in 1823 has shaped American foreign policy for more than two centuries. It was initially adopted to halt European meddling in the Western Hemisphere, but has been used by subsequent presidents to justify US intervention.

In his address to the US Congress, Monroe articulated the doctrine to halt European colonisation or other interference in independent nations of the Western Hemisphere. In exchange, the United States pledged to avoid involvement in European wars and internal matters. At the time, many Latin American nations had only recently won independence from European colonial powers.

Monroe wanted to prevent Europe from reclaiming control in the region and to assert US influence. It framed South and Central America as a strategic backyard" for the United States. European leaders initially showed little interest in the proclamation, but over the next two centuries, the Monroe Doctrine was repeatedly invoked to justify US military interventions in Latin America.

In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt introduced the Roosevelt Corollary," which asserted that the United States had the right to intervene in the Americas under certain circumstances, which was used to justify US interventions in Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic in the 20th century.

The Cold War-era saw the Monroe Doctrine invoked as a defence against communism, such as the US demand in 1962 that Soviet missiles be withdrawn from Cuba, as well as the Reagan administrations opposition to the Sandinista government in Nicaragua.

Trumps Doctrine?

By invoking the Monroe Doctrine, Trump said American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again" under the new national security strategy. We want to surround ourselves with good neighbours, we want to surround ourselves with stability, and we want to surround ourselves with energy," he said.

For decades, other administrations have neglected or even contributed to these growing security threats in the Western Hemisphere. Under the Trump administration, we are reasserting American power in a very powerful way in our home region," he added.

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Location : United States of America (USA)

First Published: January 05, 2026, 16:24 IST

News world What Is Monroe Doctrine? Trump Invokes 200-Year-Old Proclamation To Justify Maduro's Capture

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What Is Nicolas Maduro's Cartel De Los Soles And Why Labelled It A Terrorist Organisation?

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 14:54 IST

The label 'Cartel de los Soles' dates back to the early 1990s, when two National Guard generals were accused of involvement in drug trafficking

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In 2020, the US Department of Justice had charged Nicolas Maduro and more than a dozen officials with narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.

The United States has moved decisively against Venezuela after years of mounting frustration over alleged state-linked drug trafficking, reviving long-standing accusations centred on what the US calls the Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns.

The term refers to networks of senior Venezuelan military and government officials whom US authorities accuse of facilitating cocaine trafficking. The name derives from the sun insignia worn by Venezuelan generals. According to the US government, these networks amount to an organised narco-terrorist" structure allegedly overseen by Nicolas Maduro and his inner circle, a charge Venezuela rejects.

In 2020, the US Department of Justice charged Maduro and more than a dozen officials with narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. Accusations intensified in subsequent years. In 2025, the Trump administration designated the Cartel de los Soles as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity and later, in November that year, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.

US officials alleged that the network traffics cocaine in collaboration with groups such as Colombias former FARC guerrillas, while also maintaining links to Venezuelas Tren de Aragua gang and Mexicos Sinaloa Cartel. The United States claims the drugs are used as a weapon" by flooding the US market.

These allegations have sharpened tensions between the two countries and contributed to recent confrontations and sanctions. Venezuelas government has repeatedly dismissed the accusations as lies" and part of what it calls a US-led campaign to seize control of the countrys oil, gold and other resources. There is no publicly-available evidence showing Maduro personally controls a cartel.

The label Cartel de los Soles dates back to the early 1990s, when two National Guard generals, Ramon Guillen Davila and Orlando Hernandez Villegas, were accused of involvement in drug trafficking. Media outlets began using the term because both men were high-ranking officers with sun insignia on their uniforms. At the time, cocaine output in neighbouring Colombia was surging, and Venezuela was emerging as a key transit corridor.

Allegations multiplied during the rule of Hugo Chavez in the 2000s and continued under Maduro. US officials contend that elements within the Venezuelan security forces provided safe passage for cocaine produced by FARC, allegedly securing airstrips, disabling radar systems and supplying weapons. By the mid-2000s, some officers were accused not only of taking bribes but also of directly participating in the cocaine trade.

US sanctions against Venezuelan officials began as early as 2008 and expanded through 2017. A 2025 US State Department report estimated that 200-250 metric tonnes of cocaine transit Venezuela each year, roughly 10-13% of global production.

However, several independent analysts caution that Cartel de los Soles may not function as a single, hierarchical criminal organisation. Instead, they describe overlapping cells" or informal networks of corrupt officials operating for personal gain, with no central leadership or formal structure. In this view, the term is largely a media shorthand grouping together disparate cases of alleged military-linked trafficking.

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Location : Venezuela

First Published: January 05, 2026, 14:54 IST

News world What Is Nicolas Maduro's Cartel De Los Soles And Why Labelled It A Terrorist Organisation?

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Who Was Nikitha Rao Godishala, 27-Year-Old Indian Woman Found Dead At Ex-Boyfriend's US Home?

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Last Updated: January 05, 2026, 09:24 IST

Godishala, a data and strategy analyst, was found murdered at her ex-boyfriend, Arjun Sharma's, Maryland home. Sharma fled to India and faces murder charges.

Nikitha Godishala was found dead in the US. (Image: LinkedIn/Nikitha Godishala)

A 27-year-old Indian woman, Nikitha Rao Godishala, was found dead with stab wounds at her ex-boyfriends home in Maryland, US. Her ex-lover, Arjun Sharma (26), had filed a missing persons complaint on January 2, stating he last saw Godishala on New Years Eve at his apartment in Maryland City.

According to police, Sharma fled to India soon after registering the complaint. On January 3, detectives discovered Godishalas body at his home. Authorities believe she was killed shortly after 7 pm on December 31. The accused has been charged with first and second-degree murder, and a manhunt was launched for his arrest.

Who Was Nikitha Rao Godishala?

Godishala was a Data and Strategy Analyst at Vheda Health in Columbia, Maryland, joining the firm in February 2025. In less than a year, she received the companys All-In Award" for her performance. Sharing the recognition on LinkedIn, Godishala wrote: This award is a reminder of the purpose and responsibility I carry forward. Im excited to continue contributing with intention, creativity, and that same all-in energy that brought me here. Heres to growing, building, and stepping into 2026 with momentum."

Before Vheda Health, she worked at Management Sciences for Health as a Data Analysis and Visualisation Specialist (Technical Advisor) for over a year. From June 2022 to May 2023, she was employed at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In India, she served as a Clinical Pharmacist intern for one and a half years and then as a Clinical Data Specialist for two years at Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospitals.

Godishala studied pharmacy at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University from June 2015 to September 2021, before moving to the US for a masters in Health Information Technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she spoke English, Hindi, and Telugu and was driven by a passion for leveraging data-driven insights to optimise healthcare systems and improve patient outcomes."

Her death has shocked both the Indian and US communities, highlighting her professional achievements and dedication to healthcare analytics alongside the tragic circumstances of her murder.

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Location : New York, United States of America (USA)

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Denys Kylymnyk, Brigadier General of the Security Service of Ukraine and First Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Special Operations Center "A."

Last summer, I awarded Denys the title of Hero of Ukraine  and it was fully deserved. He is one of those who organize the most significant and entirely justified strikes against the Russian occupiers in response to this aggression, Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Monday. During the meeting, he and Kylymnyk discussed the SBU's performance during the war and exchanged views on the service's potential future.
As a result of a drone attack, 300 tonnes of oil spilled onto the roads of the city of Dnipro. The oil had been produced at one of the plants of Bunge, one of the worlds leading grain traders, Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov reported.

"As a result of a drone attack, 300 tonnes of oil spilled onto the roads of Dnipro! Municipal services are carrying out cleanup operations, spreading sand and absorbent mixtures, but traffic along the Embankment will be impossible for approximately 2-3 days," he wrote on Facebook.

Filatov added that "the Russians bombed American property," as the plant belongs to Bunge, a company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri (USA).

The Mayor of Dnipro advised residents to follow the official resources of the city council, where information on public transport routes and road closures will be published.

Bunge Global SA is a leading global agribusiness company headquartered in St. Louis (USA), founded in 1818. Bunge is one of the worlds largest agribusiness companies and part of the so-called Big Four (ABCD) global grain traders, alongside Cargill, ADM, and Louis Dreyfus.

Bunge is one of the worlds largest oilseed processors and a key player in the production of bottled vegetable oil, meal, and food ingredients. In 2025, the company significantly strengthened its position by completing a major merger with the international trader Viterra, enabling it to create one of the most powerful logistics and production networks in the global agribusiness sector.

Bunge has been operating in Ukraine since 2002 and is among the countrys leading grain exporters and sunflower oil producers. The companys main assets in Ukraine include its subsidiary SunTrade, a network of grain elevators, a terminal at the Mykolaiv seaport, and the Dnipropetrovsk oil extraction plant, where the popular Oleina oil brand is produced. In addition, in 2025 the company received approval to acquire the Vinnytsia oil extraction plant (ViOil), further expanding its production capabilities in the Ukrainian market.
The start of a new year usually brings new motivation, with many resolutions that focus on financial goals, such as paying off credit card debt or saving for a new house. "New Year's is a really good time to review and realign your financial goals overall," says Erica Grundza, a certified financial planner at the Betterment investing app. When building your goals for 2026, Grundza recommends focusing less on the past and more on an optimistic, yet realistic, vision for the future. The AP spoke with people making financial resolutions for 2026. Here's a look at what they're planning and how you can draw inspiration for your own resolutions:
The Brooklyn jail holding Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is a facility so troubled that some judges have refused to send people there even as it has housed such famous inmates as music stars R. Kelly and Sean "Diddy" Combs. Opened in the early 1990s, the Metropolitan Detention Center, or MDC Brooklyn, currently houses about 1,300 inmates, the AP reports. It's the routine landing spot for people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan and Brooklyn, holding alleged gangsters and drug traffickers alongside some people accused of white collar crimes.

Maduro is not the first president of a country to be locked up there. Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former president of Honduras, was imprisoned at MDC Brooklyn while he was on trial for trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine into the US. Convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison, Hernandez was pardoned and freed by President Trump in December. Current detainees include the co-founder of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, and Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Past inmates have included crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried and longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

Located next to a shopping mall in a waterfront industrial area and within sight of the Statue of Liberty, the jail has been described, at its worst, as a "hell on earth" and an "ongoing tragedy." Detainees and their lawyers have long complained about rampant violence. Two prisoners were killed by other inmates in 2024, and jail workers have been charged with accepting bribes or providing contraband. During the winter of 2019, a power outage plunged the facility and its inmates into cold darkness for a week. Recently, however, the federal Bureau of Prisons says it has worked to improve conditions. The MDC has drawn more scrutiny since 2021, when the Bureau of Prisons closed its other New York City jailthe Metropolitan Correctional Centerafter Epstein's suicide there highlighted its lax security, crumbling infrastructure, and dangerous, squalid conditions.

While at the MDC Maduro is likely to see some familiar faces if he is allowed out of the isolated quarters where he will initially be housed. One is co-defendant Hugo Carvajal, the former Venezuelan spy chief who broke ranks with Maduro in 2019 and has indicated that he wants to cooperate with US authorities. There is also Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, an alleged member of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang who was arrested last year in New York on firearms charges. Zambrano-Pacheco was among those caught on security video terrorizing residents at an apartment complex in a Denver suburb, an incident that Trump seized on during his presidential campaign.
President Trump is warning Venezuela's new leader that she could face consequences harsher than those imposed on Nicolas Maduro, the country's ousted leader now being held in a New York jail after a US military raid on Caracas. In a phone interview from his golf club in West Palm Beach, Trump told the Atlantic that Delcy Rodriguez "is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro" if she refuses to cooperate with Washington following the operation that removed Maduro from power. He criticized her public rejection of US intervention and her vow to defend Venezuela's resources and demand Maduro's return, a stance that raises the prospect of a drawn-out struggle and deeper American military involvement. (The AP reported late Sunday, however, that "newly conciliatory" comments from Rodriguez invited Trump to "collaborate.")

Trump has already signaled he is prepared to authorize further military action if he deems it necessary. ("If they don't behave, we will do a second strike," he said Sunday. "We're in charge.") The president's hard line marks a shift from his earlier comments, when he said Rodriguez had indicated privately she was ready to work with the US as it temporarily "runs" Venezuela. It also represents a notable break from his campaign-era promises to avoid regime change and "nation building." Asked why Venezuela is different from Iraq, Trump deflected, saying, "I didn't do Iraq. That was Bush. You'll have to ask Bush that question, because we should have never gone into Iraq. That started the Middle East disaster." He insisted, "Rebuilding is not a bad thing in Venezuela's case. The country's gone to hell. It's a failed country."

Trump also suggested Venezuela may not be the last target of US ambitions, once again floating the idea that the US "needs" Greenland for defense. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged other nations to take the Venezuela operation as evidence that Trump is willing to act on such threats, but pressed on the subject of Greenland, Trump said others would need to decide how to move forward: "They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don't know." Also Sunday, speaking aboard Air Force One on his way back to Washington, Trump had warnings for Cuba and Colombia, Politico reports. "Cuba looks like it's ready to fall. I don't know if they're going to hold out," he said. Colombia, he warned, is "run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and sending it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long." Asked about the possibility of conducting an operation there, Trump said "it sounds good" to him, the AP reports.
Eva Schloss, a Holocaust survivor who later became Anne Frank's stepsister and a prominent educator on Nazi atrocities, has died at 96, the Guardian reports. Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles and Queen Camilla were "greatly saddened" by her death, with the king saying they had "admired her deeply" and were "privileged and proud" to have known her. Charles, who danced with Schloss during a 2022 visit to a north London Jewish community center, praised her lifelong efforts "to overcom[e] hatred and prejudice" through her work with the Anne Frank Trust as well as Holocaust education worldwide.

Born Eva Geiringer in Vienna, Schloss fled with her family to Amsterdam, where she befriended fellow teenager Anne Frank at Merwedeplein Square. After two years in hiding in the Netherlands, the family was betrayed by a Nazi collaborator. On her 15th birthday, Schloss was arrested with her parents and brother, interrogated, and deported to Auschwitz in May 1944. She and her mother survived; her father and brother did not. Before they were separated, her brother Heinz told her he had hidden 30 of his paintings under attic floorboards, a story later featured in a 2017 exhibition at London's Jewish Museum.

Schloss settled in London after the war, married Zvi Schloss in 1952, and had three daughters. Her mother, Elfriede, married Anne Frank's father, Otto Frank, in 1953, making Schloss Anne's stepsister. (Anne died in 1945 in Germany's Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.) Schloss went on to co-found the Anne Frank Trust, serving as its honorary president. In interviews, she often reflected on her memories of Anne, describing her as mature and self-assured, and continued speaking publicly about her experiences into her 90s, People reports. "We must never forget the terrible consequences of treating people as 'other,'" she said in 2024. She regained Austrian citizenship in 2021.

Her family, in a tribute published in Jewish News, said they were "incredibly proud of all that Eva stood for and accomplished" and hoped her books, films, and educational work would continue to influence future generations. Dan Green, chief executive of the Anne Frank Trust, called her "a beacon of hope and resilience" whose efforts to confront prejudice "left an indelible mark on countless lives." (She once met with a group of students who gave the Nazi salute in a photo.)
The American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend, the Cuban government said Sunday. The Cuban military and police officers were on a mission its military was carrying out at the request of Venezuela's government, according to a statement read on Cuban state TV. What the Cubans were working on was unclear, but the AP reports that Cuba is a close ally of Venezuela's government and has sent military and police forces to assist in operations for years. Rumors of the deaths circulated on the island over the weekend.

"You know, a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday," President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew Sunday night from Florida back to Washington. "There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side." The US operation Saturday seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife to face prosecution on an indictment accusing them of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy. While Venezuela's government has acknowledged that a number of people died in the American blasts, they did not confirm how many were killed to the AP.

Cuba's government announced two days of mourning for the Cuban officers who were killed, and former president and revolutionary leader Raul Castro and President Miguel Diaz-Canel sent condolences to their families. The names of the dead and the positions they held were not immediately disclosed by Cuban authorities. "Faithful to their responsibilities for security and defense, our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism and fell after fierce resistance in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombings of the facilities," the official statement said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, also pointed to Cuban involvement in Venezuela over the weekend, saying that Maduro's internal security apparatus was headed by Cubans and that they were "propping up Maduro." "All the guards that help protect Madurothis is well knowntheir whole spy agency, all that were full of Cubans," Rubio said.
A Paris court on Monday found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France's first lady Brigitte Macron by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, including allegations that she was born a man. The court convicted all defendants to sentences ranging from a cyberbullying awareness training to 8-month suspended prison sentences, per the AP . The court pointed to "particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious" comments referring to false claims regarding alleged trans identity and alleged pedo criminality targeting Macron.

The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 65, are accused of having posted "numerous malicious comments" falsely claiming that President Emmanuel Macron's wife was born a man and linking their 24-year age gap to pedophilia. Some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times. Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October. Speaking on TF1 national television Sunday, she said she launched legal proceedings to "set an example" in the fight against harassment.

Her daughter, Tiphaine Auziere, testified about what she described as the "deterioration" of her mother's life since the online harassment intensified. She said the impact has extended to the entire family, including Macron's grandchildren. Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who is known as Amandine Roy and describes herself as a medium and an author, is considered to have played a major role in spreading the rumor after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021. She was given a 6-month prison sentence. The X account of Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoe Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited in several judicial investigations. Poirson-Atlan was given an 8-month prison sentence.

Other defendants include an elected official, a teacher, and a computer scientist. Several told the court their comments were intended as humor or satire and said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted. The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother. The Macrons, who first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher, have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.
Photo: https://www.facebook.com

The Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) continues to evacuate the population from frontline regions.

Evacuations of civilians continue in the front-line regions of Ukraine Recently, the emergency response team of the Ukrainian Red Cross in Donetsk region carried out evacuations from communities under the control of the Government of Ukraine. Working in close coordination with the special police unit Bilyi Yanhol (White Angels), volunteers evacuated residents from Lyman to Kramatorsk, URCS said on Facebook Monday.

In addition, volunteers of Zaporizhia regional rapid response unit of the Ukrainian Red Cross evacuated a large family to Zaporizhia.

Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the teams, effective communication, and strict adherence to safety procedures, people were safely evacuated from high-risk areas and relocated to more secure locations.
The New York Times editorial board condemned the US move to seize Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela over the weekend. That likely didn't surprise President Trump. But maybe what did is that the Washington Post editorial board came down strongly on his side. The gist of the competing editorials:

Post: "This is a major victory for American interests," the editors write. "Maduro's removal sends an important message to tin-pot dictators in Latin America and the world: Trump follows through. President Joe Biden offered sanctions relief to Venezuela, and Maduro responded to that show of weakness by stealing an election. ... For years, Maduro was a symbol of the false warmth of Latin American collectivism. Now he should spend the rest of his life in a humane American prison. His downfall is good news."

"This is a major victory for American interests," the editors write. "Maduro's removal sends an important message to tin-pot dictators in Latin America and the world: Trump follows through. President Joe Biden offered sanctions relief to Venezuela, and Maduro responded to that show of weakness by stealing an election. ... For years, Maduro was a symbol of the false warmth of Latin American collectivism. Now he should spend the rest of his life in a humane American prison. His downfall is good news." Post, II: The editors note that hours before the military operation, "supportive Chinese officials held a chummy meeting with Maduro, who had also been propped up by Russia, Cuba and Iran. No doubt millions of Venezuelans will remember who backed their oppressor and who effected his removal. But the end of Maduro will be a failure if it doesn't also corrode the influence of American adversaries in this hemisphere."
California voters may soon be asked whether to tap the fortunes of roughly 255 billionaires in a one-time bid to shore up health and social programs. A proposed ballot initiative would impose a 5% tax on the assetsnot incomeof California-based billionaires in 2027, potentially generating "tens of billions" of dollars, according to the state's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office. The measure, backed by the health care workers union SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, would apply to assets like private businesses, stocks, bonds, art, collectibles, and intellectual property, while excluding real estate and most retirement accounts, per CBS News . Billionaires could stretch payments over five years but would incur an extra 7.5% annual, nondeductible charge on the remaining balance.

Roughly 90% of the revenue would go to health care, with the rest earmarked for food aid and education, including community college. The proposal's stated goal is to help protect access to "high-quality, equitable health care" and support public education and food assistance, especially as California's Medi-Cal program faces projected federal funding reductions. Supporters frame the tax as a limited correction to what they call runaway wealth at the top and looming cuts to Medicaid funding. Researcher Omar Ocampo of the Institute for Policy Studies said billionaire wealth has nearly tripled in six years and argued that a one-time 5% levy would barely affect their lifestyles.

Opponents, however, say the proposal risks triggering a billionaire exodus and undermining the state's tax base. Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya argues the tax "will kill entrepreneurship in California," per the Los Angeles Times. Even Gov. Gavin Newsom opposes the measure, splitting with Democrats including Rep. Ro Khanna. While prior research suggests the wealthy don't typically relocate en masse over higher taxesMassachusetts saw its millionaire count rise after a new surtaxCalifornia's plan would test that theory at a much higher level. The measure needs about 875,000 valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot and would need a simple majority to become law.
In discussing the US seizure of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, President Trump has resurrected talk about the Monroe Doctrinethe idea espoused by the nation's fifth president in 1823 that Europe should butt out of Latin America. Trump, however, is pushing a more aggressive version, which he referred to as the "Donroe doctrine" while speaking to reporters on Sunday.

"The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal," said Trump. "But we've superseded it by a lot, a real lot."

As an analysis at the New York Times explains, his administration did, in fact, beef up the doctrine in the National Security Strategy document released two months ago. It speaks of a need to "restore American pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere," and to prevent "non-Hemispheric competitors" such as China from staking a claim to assets such as oil. "In other words, we will assert and enforce a 'Trump Corollary' to the Monroe Doctrine," the document states.
Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was on the move again Monday morning, this time to court. A motorcade brought him from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to a New York City courthouse ahead of his appearance on drug and weapons charges, reports CNN . Maduro and his wife, Cilia, are expected to appear at noon before a federal judge for a brief legal proceeding that will likely kick off a prolonged legal fight over whether he can be put on trial in the US, per the AP .

His lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of a foreign state. The US, however, doesn't recognize him as Venezuela's legitimate leader. Maduro, his wife, son Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, and three others are accused of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the US. They could face life in prison if convicted. The couple's son and others charged are not in US custody, per CNBC.

Monday's trip across Lower Manhattan to the courthouse was swift. The vehicle carrying Maduro backed into a garage in the courthouse complex at around 7:40am. He will likely remain out of public view until the hearing. Bicycle-rack style barricades are lining both sides of the street for several blocks around the main court entrance on Worth Street.
In a surprise move, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz abandoned his bid for a third term on Monday, reports NBC News . And in another surprise, the New York Times reports that Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar might run herself. In announcing his move, Walz cited widening investigations into fraud in the state's child care programs, which he says have been exploited by Republicans including President Trump.

The Times reports that Walz and Klobuchar met on Sunday, and Walz informed her of his decision. Klobuchar has not confirmed the report that she may seek to replace him. Walz says his remaining time in office will be focused on tightening oversight of state programs and managing the fallout from the fraud probes rather than running for re-election.

"Donald Trump and his alliesin Washington, in St. Paul, and onlinewant to make our state a colder, meaner place," Walz said, a reference to the Trump administration withholding funds for the programs, per the AP. "They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family." Minnesota has a large population of Somali immigrants, whom Trump told, "Your country stinks."
On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, an official plaque honoring the police officers on duty that day is nowhere to be found. It's not on display at the Capitol, as is required by law. Its whereabouts aren't publicly known, though the AP reports it's believed to be in storage. House Speaker Mike Johnson has yet to formally unveil the plaque. And the Trump administration's Department of Justice is seeking to dismiss a police officers' lawsuit asking that it be displayed as intended. The Architect of the Capitol, which was responsible for obtaining and displaying the plaque, said in light of the federal litigation, it cannot comment.

For months, about 100 members of Congress, mostly Democrats, have protested this absence by mounting poster-board-style replicas of the plaque outside their office doors, resulting in a Capitol complex awash with makeshift remembrances. "On behalf of a grateful Congress, this plaque honors the extraordinary individuals who bravely protected and defended this symbol of democracy on Jan. 6, 2021," reads the faux bronze stand-in for the real thing. "Their heroism will never be forgotten." In a capital city lined with historical monuments, the plaque was intended to become a simple but permanent marker, situated near the Capitol's west front, where some of the most violent fighting took place.

"That's why you put up a plaque," said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa. "You respect the memory and the service of the people involved." Five years ago, the jarring scene watched the world over was declared an "insurrection" by the then-GOP leader of the Senate, while the House GOP leader called it his "saddest day" in Congress. But those condemnations have since faded. "Will January 6 be seen as the seminal moment when democracy was in peril?" asked Douglas Brinkley, a history professor at Rice University. Or will it be remembered as "a weird one-off? There's not as much consensus on that as one would have thought on the fifth anniversary."
President Trump has repeated his claims that the US "needs" Greenland , an autonomous territory of Denmark, while ridiculing Denmark's security presence there. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump was asked about possible US moves involving Greenland following his administration's capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife on Saturday. Trump initially tried to steer the discussion away from the Arctic territory, saying the US would "worry about Greenland" later, per Mediaite . But he stayed on the topic even so, repeating that the United States "needs" Greenland because of its "strategic" location.

Trump described Greenland as vital to US national security and claimed it is now "covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place," arguing that Denmark is not capable of providing sufficient defense. He went on to mock security measures in the territory, saying Denmark had "added one more dog sled" and "thought that was a great move." He has made similar assertions in past interviews, while also floating the idea that the US should seek to acquire the territory.

The government of Denmark, a NATO member, pushed back over the weekend. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a statement calling Trump's threats nonsensical and stressing that the US has "no legal basis to annex" Greenland. Greenland Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen also called for an end to Trump's "fantasies of annexation," per the BBC. Those comments followed a rebuke from Denmark's ambassador to Washington after Katie Miller, a White House aide and wife of senior adviser Stephen Miller, posted an image of Greenland covered in the American flag with the caption "SOON." Ambassador Jesper Mller Srensen replied that Greenland expects full respect for the kingdom's territorial integrity.
Adventure-seekers who flocked to a remote Yemeni island for its otherworldly landscapes are now stuck there as regional tensions shut down routes in and out. Socotra's deputy governor for culture and tourism told AFP that "more than 400 foreign tourists" have been stranded on the island in the Arabian Sea after Yemen declared a state of emergency and closed all entry points late last month. Some of those tourists are American, CNN reports. Socotra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its dragon's blood trees and stark cliffs, had largely escaped the direct impact of Yemen's long-running war and had become a niche destination, especially for travelers coming through the United Arab Emirates.

That insulation has eroded as a power struggle between Saudi Arabia and the UAE spills over. Socotra is controlled by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, which has expanded its hold over southern Yemen and driven out Saudi-aligned government forces. Saudi airstrikes on a UAE-linked shipment in Yemen and the STC's plan for an independence referendum have further rattled the region, prompting flight cancellations and diversions. The US State Department has warned against all travel to Yemen, saying it cannot provide consular services there, including on Socotra.

For now, tourists say they are safe and have adequate supplies but no clear exit plan. An American traveler told CNN there are "all sorts of Westerners here," estimating the number in the hundreds. A Dutch-Polish visitor estimated up to 100 Polish nationals on the island. Embassies contacted in the UAE and Saudi Arabia have offered limited help, hampered by the absence of Western diplomatic missions inside Yemen. Some stranded travelers have been advised to consider taking commercial ships to Oman and flying home from there, but many are simply waiting for flights to resume on an unspecified date.
President Trump's talk of using US troops against Colombia has triggered a backlash from Bogota and exposed a split between the country's political and military leadership. Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday blasted Trump's suggestion that American forces in the Caribbean could be deployed against his country and other nations, and Trump's allegation that Petro is tied to cocaine production. Petro rejected Trump's accusations and warned that if the US tried to detain a Colombian president "whom much of my people want and respect, you will unleash the people's jaguar," the New York Times reports.

Petro, a former guerrilla fighter, said, "I swore not to touch a weapon again ... but for the homeland I will take up arms again," Euronews reports. His remarks came two days after US forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and brought him to New York to face federal drug-trafficking and related charges. Asked aboard Air Force One on Sunday whether a similar operation could target Colombia, Trump replied, "It sounds good to me," per the Times. The comments land on an already tense relationship: Petro has blocked deportation flights from the US, encouraged American soldiers to reject certain orders, and accused Washington of "murder" over boat strikes in the eastern Pacific.

Colombia's defense minister, Pedro Sanchez, struck a different tone. In an interview with the Times, he avoided direct criticism of Trump and stressed that security cooperation with Washington remains "very close." He said no US official had raised the idea of a military move against Colombia in recent talks and that intelligence sharing with US agenciesfrom the Navy and Coast Guard to the DEA and FBIcontinues as usual. Sanchez said Colombia's armed forces remain focused on safeguarding "sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity," and noted that more than 30,000 Colombian troops are now deployed along the Venezuelan border to guard against instability, migration surges, or cartel violence in the wake of Maduro's ouster.
Billy Joel's first gig after disclosing a brain condition wasn't a sold-out arenait was a suburban anniversary party with a tribute band. The 76-year-old musician quietly turned up in Wellington, around 65 miles north of Miami, on Friday as the town marked its 30th year, the Palm Beach Post reports. A Billy Joel cover band called Turnstiles had been hired for the show at the village amphitheater. Instead, the crowd got the real thing, as Joel joined them at the piano for "We Didn't Start the Fire" and "Big Shot."

"I wasn't planning on working tonight," he joked from the stage, while his daughters Della and Remy danced beside him. The appearance was Joel's first public performance since May 2025, when he revealed he'd been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a condition that can affect balance, hearing, and vision, Rolling Stone reports.

At the time, his team said recent concerts had intensified the symptoms and announced the cancellation of his upcoming shows, with doctors advising him to stop performing while he underwent targeted physical therapy. Joel has since said the condition isn't "fixed" but is "being worked on." There's no word yet on whether his cameo in Wellington, near property he owns, means a broader return to touring is on the way.
Witkoff and Kushner to attend summit on security guarantees for Ukraine

White House officials will attend the summit in Paris, Axios journalist Barak Ravid reports.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner will participate in a leaders summit on Ukraine security guarantees in Paris on Tuesday, White House official says, Ravid said on X Monday.
Nicolas Maduro made his first appearance Monday in an American courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and bringing him to New York. Maduro and his wife appeared before US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan for a brief, but required, legal proceeding that will likely kick off a prolonged legal fight over whether he can be put on trial in the US. Maduro, through an interpreter, identified himself to the judge as the president of Venezuela, saying, "I was kidnapped," the New York Times reports. When asked for his plea, Maduro said, "I'm innocent. I'm not guilty. I am a decent man," adding, "I am still president of my country."
A break-in at Lawrence City Hall ended in gunfire Monday when a city employee shot and killed a man who forced his way into a secured floor, police in the Kansas college town say. Police Chief Rich Lockhart said the 28-year-old man from Minnesota pushed into the building around 8am, then made it to the fourth floor, where he broke through a door into a restricted area housing the city manager, city attorney, and budget manager, NBC News reports.

There, he got into a confrontation with an armed municipal employee "trained and authorized to carry a firearm," Lockhart told reporters. During the struggle, the chief said, the employee shot the intruder, who died at the scene. Authorities have not released the names of either the dead man or the employee. Investigators also haven't said whether the intruder was armed or offered a motive.

"It's not someone that's known to us," Lockhart said, adding that it was unclear why the man headed for the fourth floor. "We are not aware of the 'why,'" Lockhart said, per the Lawrence Journal-World. "That's part of our investigation, to try and backtrack to when the person arrived here, why they were, and what was going on." The chief said the employee, who is not a police officer, is doing "as well as can be expected" under the circumstances.

City Hall was closed for the rest of the day and is expected to reopen Tuesday, though the municipal court housed in the same building will stay shut until Thursday. City Manager Craig Owens said he was thankful no staff members were injured and praised police for their response to what he called a "disturbing incident." The shooting occurred about two miles north of the University of Kansas campus.
Fairbanks, AK (99701)

Today

Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 12F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with snow showers in the evening and steady snow likely after midnight. Low around 5F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches.
WILMINGTON, Del., Jan. 5, 2026 /CNW/ -- zeb, a digital transformation consulting firm specializing in AWS, ServiceNow, and Databricks partnerships, today announced the appointment of Dave Broering as Chief Revenue Officer. Broering brings more than 25 years of operational and sales leadership experience to support zeb's accelerated growth in delivering industry-specific AI solutions and deepening strategic technology partnerships.

Broering's extensive background in scaling high-growth operations aligns seamlessly with zeb's established reputation for deep vertical expertise and robust technology execution. Most recently serving as President of Integrated Logistics at NFI, he demonstrated exceptional revenue leadership by growing operations nearly a billion dollars while orchestrating six strategic acquisitions. This proven track record in driving operational excellence and revenue expansion positions him to accelerate zeb's go-to-market strategies across key industry verticals like manufacturing, financial services, digital native, healthcare, life sciences and more.

"Dave's combination of sales leadership, operational scale, and technology advisory expertise makes him uniquely qualified to lead our sales and go-to-market organization," said Mal Vivek, CEO at zeb. "His deep understanding of digital transformation and AI-driven solutions, coupled with his experience advising venture-funded technology companies, will be instrumental as we expand our industry-specific offerings, accelerate our vehicles of value creation for our customers and strengthen our growing partnerships with AWS, Databricks, and ServiceNow."

Prior to NFI, Broering spent over a decade at CH Robinson Worldwide, where he developed comprehensive expertise in operations, transportation management, and sales leadership. His current advisory roles with eight venture-funded technology startups, including Highway, Orderful, Genlogs, Upwell, Steadi AI, Carrier1 and Tetro, as well as strategic advisory positions with Goldman Sachs and New Road Capital, demonstrate his forward-thinking approach to technology-enabled business transformation. A University of Dayton graduate and active Young Presidents' Organization member, Broering is recognized as a thought leader in digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and strategic planning.

"As my career has progressed, I have headed deeper into the technical side of the business. I am passionate about the power good partners and technology can create for organizations, and this role with zeb is going to expand that 10-fold," said Dave. "Technical complexity is expanding by the day for businesses across every industry. I believe zeb's ability to create production ready, scalable solutions can transform business while preparing them for the future where more change is inevitable, and I'm excited to scale this."

In his new role, Broering will lead zeb's sales and go-to-market operations and drive market expansion for the firm's AI solutions and technology consulting services, leveraging his proven ability to build high-performing teams and scale enterprise partnerships.

About zeb

zeb is a global digital transformation strategy company and an AWS Premier Tier Partner, Databricks Select Partner, and ServiceNow Premier Tier Partner. The company helps enterprises modernize their technology landscape through data, cloud, AI, and application transformation. With more than 15 years of experience and a global team of over 1,500 technologists, zeb delivers a holistic, product-centric approach powered by a proprietary AI-augmented implementation methodology.

Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, with offices in Dallas, Toronto, and Chennai, zeb serves clients worldwide across multiple industries. The company provides strategic consulting, cloud engineering, data modernization, Generative AI solutions, and full-scale digital transformation services.

For more information, visit www.zeb.co.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2464295/zeb_Logo.jpg

SOURCE zeb

Media contact: [email protected]
TORONTO, Jan. 5, 2026 /CNW/ - Intellino, a Canadian retail technology firm, recently announced the commercial rollout of Signamic, an AI-powered digital display designed to close the gap between a brand's online reputation and its physical presence. While built to serve independent retailers, the platform launches with a scalable zero capital expenditure (Zero-CapEx) model, enabling easy adoption of smart signage for growth-focused brands expanding their customer base.

Intellino launches Signamic, an AI digital display to sync a brand's online reputation with its physical retail stores. Post this Intellino Launches Signamic: The AI-Powered Display for Hospitality and Retail, Proven to Drive Foot Traffic up to 17%. (CNW Group/Intellino Technology Inc)

Closing the "Reputation Gap" -- Modern commerce has a serious data inefficiency. A business may have thousands of 5-star Google Reviews, but remains invisible to most pedestrians since reviews only live online.

Introducing Signamic -- Signamic addresses this inefficiency with a cloud-controlled display that broadcasts live Google ratings and AI-summarized reviews directly onto the physical storefront. This system ensures that a brand's digital excellence is instantly recognized by customers standing right outside the store.

Operational Data: Foot-Traffic Increase -- Participating locations in the Toronto pilot program showed a 2-5% increase in average daily foot traffic, with a 17% spike during high-volume events. This proves that Signamic significantly outperforms traditional window marketing by harnessing the established online trust with customers. "We engineered Signamic to be more than just a digital sign. We built it as standardized infrastructure for scale," said Mariam Al-Ansary, Founder of Intellino. "Whether managing one flagship location or fifty units, operators need a way to ensure their brand reputation is converting traffic consistently across every storefront."

Zero CapEx model -- Intellino is committed to serving clients of all sizes by removing the initial capital commitment and establishing an easily adoptable subscription model. This allows multi-location operators to deploy uniform digital standards across their network instantly, without impacting expansion budgets.

Key Features for Growth-Ready Brands

Automated Brand Safety -- AI filtration automatically curates and broadcasts only the best, highest-impact positive reviews, ensuring brand-safe content requiring no manual moderation from store managers.

-- AI filtration automatically curates and broadcasts only the best, highest-impact positive reviews, ensuring brand-safe content requiring no manual moderation from store managers. High-Yield Visibility -- Dynamic displays capture 400% more attention than traditional signage.

-- Dynamic displays capture than traditional signage. Unified Deployment -- The Zero-CapEx model allows brands to standardize the customer experience across multiple locations simultaneously.

Signamic is now deploying units in North America and the Middle East.

About Intellino: Intellino is a Canadian retail technology firm dedicated to closing the gap between online reputation and physical presence. Its flagship product, Signamic, empowers hospitality brands to leverage their social recognition through AI-powered digital displays. With a mission to democratize enterprise-grade infrastructure, Intellino offers a unique "Zero-CapEx" model, allowing businesses of all sizes--from independent cafes to national franchises--to modernize their storefronts without upfront hardware costs.

SOURCE Intellino Technology Inc

Media Contact: Mariam Al-Ansary, CEO, Intellino Technology Inc., [email protected], intellinotech.com
As of January 5, the defense forces are repelling an assault on Hryshyne (Pokrovsk district, Donetsk region): for the past two days, Russian forces have been continuously assaulting Ukrainian positions, in which they have already lost more than 30 soldiers and up to 10 pieces of equipment. The situation in Myrnohrad remains difficult, reports the press service of the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Airborne Assault Troops.

"Since the beginning of the new year, the enemy has been increasing pressure in the Pokrovsk agglomeration. Unable to counter the Ukrainian forces' defenses in the 7th Airborne Assault Forces' zone of responsibility with frontal attacks, the enemy is attempting to take flanking routes. Specifically, it is attempting to bypass the agglomeration through Hryshyne and Rodynske," the press service said in a Telegram message on Monday.

The enemy has reportedly been conducting continuous assault operations near the village of Hryshyne for the past two days. During these attacks, the enemy deploys personnel and light vehicles. They are primarily conducting assaults at night to minimize losses.

"Meanwhile, on the approaches to Hryshyne, units in the zone of responsibility of the Rapid Reaction Corps of the Airborne Assault Troops are holding back the enemy. In just the last two days, the Defense Forces have eliminated more than 30 enemy servicemen and destroyed up to 10 pieces of light equipmentmotorcycles and buggies," the message notes.

It was also reported that the enemy is attempting to operate in small groups of six to eight people, moving north from Pokrovsk. "The Defense Forces are promptly detecting and engaging the enemy, taking into account their available forces and assets," the Air Forces stated.

Regarding the situation in Myrnohrad (Pokrovsk district, Donetsk region), the press service reported the following: "The situation remains difficult. Units of the 7th Corps of the Airborne Assault Forces, together with the 14th Operational Designation Brigade of the National Guard Chervona Kalyna, are concentrating their efforts on controlling the northern part of the city, containing the enemy in the central part of the city, and preventing the enemy from pulling in equipment from the south."

On the eastern outskirts of Myrnohrad, the occupiers are trying to gain a foothold, but the Defense Forces are keeping the situation under their control.

Units of the Air Assault Troops Group, assault units, ground forces, the Security Service, the Navy, the Special Operations Forces, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the National Police continue to be deployed to defend the Pokrovsk agglomeration.

The announcement is accompanied by a video of the enemy being eliminated during an attempted nighttime assault on Hryshyne.
Lianjiang's long road to renewal

China Daily) 09:28, January 05, 2026

Children play in swim rings and rafts while adults do the laundry in a tributary of the Lianjiang River in Shantou, Guangdong province, in June. Zhang Youqiong/Yao Zhihao/Nanfang Daily

The Lianjiang River, named for its clear, silk-like waters, originates in Puning of the city of Jieyang in Guangdong province, and empties into Haimen Port in the Guangdong city of Shantou. Running 71.1 kilometers, it supports a population of approximately 5 million.

During the economic boom of the late 20th century, the river's water quality deteriorated due to industrial pollution and increased population density, leading to the disappearance of aquatic life and earning it the reputation of being one of Guangdong's most polluted rivers.

A dragon boat race is held on the Lianjiang River in Shantou in June. Zhang Youqiong/Yao Zhihao/Nanfang Daily

In 2018, after being named and shamed in a central environmental inspection, restoration efforts on the Lianjiang intensified. The Guangdong government established a comprehensive management team, implementing a five-tier river chief system to enforce pollution control. Upgraded sewage treatment plants and waste-to-energy facilities were built in Shantou and Jieyang, and all textile dyeing enterprises were relocated or merged into industrial parks for centralized treatment of pollution.

By 2020, the river's water quality had escaped from the lowest grade (Below Grade V) in China's six-tier surface water evaluation system in some areas, with sections free from black and odorous water. By 2023, the water quality at the Haimen Bay Bridge near the river's estuary consistently met Grade IV standards.

Fishermen sail into the estuary of the Lianjiang River in Haimen, Guangdong, in June. Zhang Youqiong/Yao Zhihao/Nanfang Daily

At dawn in Haimen town near the estuary, three local fishermen, including brothers Yang Yinglie and Yang Jubuo, can often be seen preparing to set sail. They recall the river's transformation from being clear to polluted and now to improving again.

The water was aquamarine some 20 years ago, they said, remembering the river when they were young. "It turned dirty and the whole port reeked very badly about a decade ago," they said. "Luckily, it got better once again and we are able to restart fishing in the port."

People swim in a tributary of the Lianjiang River in Shantou in June. Zhang Youqiong/Yao Zhihao/Nanfang Daily

Upstream in Puning's Xiazhai village, Chen Xiliang, the village's Party secretary, also patrols the river. Once choked with water hyacinths and garbage, the river now supports thriving agriculture with improved water quality, and villagers are turning the once-deserted land into profitable watermelon fields.

On June 18, two local regulations on Lianjiang River water quality control were implemented in Shantou and Jieyang. It marked a pioneering regional legislative effort, providing robust legal support for environmental management.

Smoke rises from a factory by a tributary of the Lianjiang River in Shantou, Guangdong province, in 2015. Zhang Youqiong/Yao Zhihao/Nanfang Daily

(Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Zhong Wenxing)
Amazing Xinjiang: 'Bargaining in sleeves' at the Huangdi township grand bazaar

People's Daily Online) 09:37, January 05, 2026

On the northern outskirts of Kashgar lies one of the largest livestock trading markets in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and even all of Asia, the Huangdi township cattle and sheep grand bazaar.

A sea of people fills the scene. Bustling with activity, its a spectacle as lively as any festival. The biggest highlight of this bazaar lies in its ancient and mysterious trading method.

It's called ancient because when selecting livestock, people still follow the time-honored practice of "Three touches, one lift, one look." It's called mysterious because transactions are done through a method known as "Bargaining in sleeves."

Visit the bazaars of Xinjiang and experience the ancient and mysterious "Bargaining in sleeves." Go and feel the thriving commerce, flourishing livestock industry, and the vibrancy of everyday life.

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Wu Chengliang)
An employee working inside a Target store in Bergen County is accused of calling in a bomb threat to the store while working.

Jossi Duarte, 22, of West New York was charged with second-degree false public alarm and third-degree making terroristic threats.

Edgewater police responded to the Target store in Edgewater Commons at 1:41 p.m. on Saturday after receiving a phone call reporting a bomb threat, police said.

Authorities evacuated the store and cleared the building of any threats with the assistance of the Bergen County Sheriffs Department K-9 unit and Edgewater Fire Department, police said.

Edgewater police later discovered that Duarte, a sales representative for AT&T working inside the Target, was caught on the stores surveillance cameras leaving her post and calling in the bomb threat using her cellphone from a nearby aisle, authorities said.

Duarte left the store when authorities evacuated the building and returned to finish her shift when the store was re-opened about an hour later, police said.

She was arrested at her home in West New York around 10:30 p.m. Saturday night and was taken to the Bergen County Jail, police said.

Duarte did not have an attorney listed in court records on Monday.
IXIM Tacos will celebrate its grand opening today at 4:30 p.m. in Hackensack as the latest restaurant to open on the towns bustling Main Street.

"IXIM was built around the food we grew up with  the kind that starts with maiz and ends with flavor you remember," according to the business owners.

Our tortillas are hand-pressed fresh. Our proteins are grilled, marinated, and made daily. The pace is quick, but the roots run deep. Every dish reflects what matters to us: honest ingredients, real technique, and a respect for where our food comes from. This isnt fusion. This isnt hype. Its just good food made right, served with the rhythm of our community.

IXIM is located at 260D Main St. and can be reached at 201-710-7010. Hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m.

According to John Peters, executive director of Downtown Hackensack Main Street Business Alliance Inc., the eatery is one of several new businesses to have opened on Main Street.

Last month, Hackensack welcomed Seoul Fried Chicken to the neighborhood at 215 Main St.

The eatery brings bold, crispy, Seoul-inspired flavors. This new spot offers a halal menu featuring wings, tenders, sandwiches, and more. Hours are Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m.

Last month, Llama Sam also opened at 6 Bergen St. in Hackensack.

A grand opening ceremony was held on Dec. 22 for the new Peruvian cuisine establishment, where menu items include tallarines verdes to the ceviche de pescado.

The hours are Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday hours are 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Peters said the energy on Main Street in Hackensack is palpable. Everyone is coming to Main Street; theres a lot happening here.

Peters said the new slogan for the Main Street Business Alliance is Meet me on Main.

You could eat at a different restaurant on Main Street and not repeat for a month, he said.

In addition to eateries, a tax business is relocating to Main Street. The Main Street location was attractive to this business, Peters said.

People want retail location on Main Street because theres so much happening.

On Jan. 21, ATAX Tax Services is slated to open at 203 Main St.

The full-service accounting firm offers personalized experience in tax preparation, bookkeeping, payroll, or management.

ATAX hours will be 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The business can be reached at 551-271-1100.
Federal officials are investigating after a whale was found dead on the bow of a container ship that was docked at a South Jersey port on the Delaware River.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said it is analyzing the mammal, believed to be a fin whale between 25 and 30 feet long, after it was lodged on the ship that arrived in Gloucester City.

The stranding was reported to the U.S. Coast Guard around 11:15 p.m. Sunday, the nonprofit center said. The Coast Guard was reached by NJ Advance Media for comment, but a request for further information was not immediately fulfilled.

A spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed its Office of Law Enforcement is investigating but declined to comment further.

Fins are the second-largest whale species, next to the blue whale, and are found in deep portions of the worlds oceans, according to NOAA. The species is considered endangered.

The ship was berthed at the Gloucester Marine Terminal, a 125-acre port at the base of the Walt Whitman Bridge linking New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Its managed by Gloucester Terminals LLC but owned by Holt Logistics, a family-owned port company based in the greater Philadelphia area.

The ship was carrying produce from South America when it ended its route in South Jersey, Leo Holt, president and CEO of Holt Logistics, told NJ Advance Media. It last deported a dock in Panama before landing in the U.S., Holt said.

The company did not anticipate disruptions to port operations because of the investigation, Holt said.

We dont see any rerouting of vessels, Holt said. We believe that the regulatory agencies will be able to undertake their missions without disruption to the supply chain.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said its volunteer team was preparing to perform a necropsy, a study in which the whales cause of death is investigated. A staging area was being set up to secure the carcass, the stranding center said.

A photo shared by the center shows the whale slumped over on the ships bow with its fin raised. The photograph appears to show the ship docked at one of the commercial ports along the Delaware River, with part of the Philadelphia skyline in the background.

Michele Pagel, the centers assistant director, did not have additional information about the whale death but called the investigation an active situation.

The Gloucester City area is often a busy travel route for commercial shipping, as several ports line the river, with service between New Jersey and Philadelphia.
Advocates of New Jersey school district consolidation are pushing to revive a long-stalled discussion aimed at redrawing boundaries and merging districts.

Critics have long said New Jersey has too many school districts. The state has about 600 public school districts, with most serving individual towns instead of regions.

Other states have far fewer, including Florida with 67 school districts, Maryland with 24 and Nevada with 18.

New legislation was introduced in the state Senate that would require New Jerseys county executive superintendents to develop consolidation plans eliminating districts with less than 500 students. The proposed law, introduced by the chairman of the New Jersey Senates education committee, would also establish or expand regional districts.

Under the current law, voters in school districts must approve school district mergers. Under the proposed law, the state education commissioner would approve the school district consolidation plans.

State Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, the bills sponsor, told NJ Advance Media his goal is to reduce New Jerseys total number of school districts from around 600 to maybe 70 or 80.

Gopal said his bill, S4861, is aimed at addressing an affordability and efficiency crisis in public education.

I believe there are redundancies, Gopal said.

However, Gopals bill, introduced in November, has not had a vote yet and no companion bill has been introduced in the state Assembly. The legislation would need to be approved by both the state Senate and Assembly and be signed by the governor to become law.

Gopal told NJ Advance Media on Monday that the bill will be revisited next session. He said several amendments are being discussed that could incorporate voter approval for mergers, addressing an issue raised by some critics.

The New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association and the New Jersey Education Association, the states largest teachers union, have both raised objections to the current bill. An NJEA spokesperson said the union disagrees with removing voters from the process of approving school district mergers.

Debra Bradley, director of government relations for the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, disputed the premise that extensive school district consolidation would save money.

Transportation costs can rise under consolidations, teachers salaries can rise and state school aid may be impacted, Bradley told the state Senate education committee at a recent hearing on Gopals bill.

Bradley said the state Legislature has considered mandatory school district regionalization plans several times since 1999 without opting to proceed.

At each juncture, as the Legislature considered the apparent common sense appeal of potential cost savings through forced regionalization, it also discovered that the reality is much more complex, the cost savings more ephemeral, and the process potentially quite divisive, Bradley told the committee.

The Dec. 4 hearing was scheduled without a plan to take a vote that day, Gopal said. The current legislative session ends in mid-January. If the legislation is not voted on, it would have to be reintroduced in the next legislative session.

New Jersey has moved in the past to encourage school districts to merge or form regional districts.

A 2022 New Jersey law provides grants to districts that conduct feasibility studies on consolidating. But the law does not require the districts to follow through with mergers.

Consolidation efforts in recent years have had mixed results.

In Monmouth County, the K-6 school districts in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands were dissolved in July 2024 after voters in both towns gave approval. They joined the K-12 Henry Hudson Regional School District, which had previously served middle school and high school students from both municipalities.

The New Jersey Supreme Court recently upheld Sea Brights right to seek to join the Henry Hudson Regional School District.

There was a different outcome in Toms River Regional, the states largest regional school district. It enrolls students in kindergarten through 12th grade from Toms River, Beachwood, Pine Beach and South Toms River.

A referendum in April 2024 that would have added a fifth town, Seaside Heights, to Toms River Regional was supported by 86.9% of voters in the four municipalities. But the consolidation failed after Seaside Heights voters rejected the plan.

Under Gopals bill, the merger decision would have been up to county and state administrators.

The New Jersey Education Association has long held that consolidation and regionalization efforts must be voluntary and based on the needs of the communities involved, union spokesperson Steven Baker said.

Most importantly, the discussion must start with what is best for students and what will increase educational opportunities and improve academic outcomes. There is no one-size-fits-all solution so top-down mandates will not work, Baker said.

Gopal said approximately one-third of the states school districts enroll fewer than 500 students. Those districts would be targeted for consolidation under his bill. They include Neptune City in Gopals legislative district, which has 240 students enrolled in a single school building that is only at 35% capacity, he said.

Other districts are even smaller. In Cape May County, Cape May City and West Cape May recently received a $50,000 grant to study consolidation. Each operates a single elementary school for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Together, they enroll 241 students  158 at Cape May City Elementary School and 83 at West Cape May Elementary School.

Gopals bill might also lead to eliminating larger districts. He said he would want administrators to look at districts that enroll children in kindergarten through eighth grade and then send students to a regional district for high school.

Gopal gave as an example Colts Neck in Monmouth County, which has three schools with nearly 1,000 students and sends high school students to Colts Neck High School, which is one of six schools operated by the Freehold Regional district.

All potential changes would be thoroughly reviewed, he said.

Im hoping this will be the start of a conversation, Gopal said.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Seaside Park sought to join the the Henry Hudson Regional School District. It was Sea Bright.
Sleep statistics also have a gender dimension: women sleep worse and report more fatigue than men. This is according to studies such as the Global Sleep Survey 2025, which, after analyzing interviews with more than 30,000 people in 13 countries, found that 38% of women have difficulty falling asleep more than three times a week, compared to 29% of men. Another study published in 2023 in the European Journal of Public Health also showed this trend: women tend to report worse sleep quality than men, even when the total hours are not very different, suggesting differences in how sleep is experienced and perceived between the sexes.

According to Maria Jose Arostegui, a psychologist and member of the insomnia working group of the Spanish Sleep Society (SES), these problems often have a physical origin: Our endocrine system is closely linked to the sleep centers in the brain. Therefore, changes in estrogen and progesterone levels are crucial. Neurologist Ana Fernandez Arcos, from the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN), explains that these alterations begin in puberty, when girls circadian rhythm shifts earlier than boys. The menstrual cycle causes variations in sleep architecture that, in some cases, can be clinically significant, with awakenings or less restorative sleep, she says. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, she adds, sleep is affected not only by hormonal changes, but also by the pregnancy itself and prolactin, which regulates rest between feedings. Regarding perimenopause, the expert points out that up to 60% of women experience clinically significant sleep problems, such as spontaneous night awakenings or hot flashes.

Furthermore, according to the neurologist, women are more susceptible to the need to sleep after many hours of being awake, cortisol levels fluctuate upon waking, and experience a higher frequency of anxiety or depression, all factors that contribute to more fragmented and lower-quality sleep. In Fernandez Arcos words: Womens sleep is marked by the complex interaction of hormones, biological rhythms, and mental health: many women sleep more hours, but get less rest.

On alert

Beyond physical factors, context is key to sleep problems, according to sociologist and PhD in Public Health Amaia Bacigalupe de la Hera. People from disadvantaged backgrounds or with less skilled jobs tend to experience more sleep problems, probably because they face more stress and difficulties associated with daily life. Gender adds another layer to these inequalities through the social roles that continue to fall on women: care work, household management, family planning and social networks, and the mental load associated with maintaining invisible relationships and responsibilities. These tasks, which are invisible, unpaid, and without clear boundaries, disrupt sleep and significantly affect womens health, Bacigalupe reflects.

Situational stress is key, according to Maria Jose Arostegui: Worrying about work, family health, and finances keep the brain in a state of hypervigilance. The psychologist explains that mental load isnt just about doing things, but about planning and constantly remembering them: Studies show that women, by assuming the role of guardians in the home, maintain this alertness even while sleeping, which fragments their rest. Furthermore, women score higher on rumination scales [which measure a persons tendency to dwell excessively on negative thoughts]. The 2025 Global Sleep Survey confirms that family responsibilities and work-life balance significantly affect women more.

Its not surprising that, as Ana Fernandez Arcos explains, gender differences exist in the ability to sleep. That is, to have an adequate amount of uninterrupted sleep, on a regular schedule, resulting in a feeling of restful sleep under optimal conditions. This, Fernandez says, is often disrupted by individual and interpersonal factors, such as the period of raising children. And, although it may seem anecdotal, science confirms it: women sleep worse when they sleep with a partner. A study published in the European Respiratory Journal analyzed how sleeping with a partner who snores affects the objective quality of womens sleep. Participants had their sleep recorded for two consecutive nights: one sleeping with their partner and the other sleeping alone. The study found that, when sleeping alone, women experienced fewer awakenings and more stable light sleep, suggesting that sharing a bed with someone who moves or snores can fragment womens rest.

When sleeping badly is normal

According to sociologist Amaia Bacigalupe De La Hera, womens chronic fatigue is not an individual failing, but rather the result of a system that makes work precarious and has not promoted genuine co-responsibility for domestic and caregiving tasks. The result is inevitably chronic fatigue, she points out, adding that the systems response has been to depoliticize and medicalize the problem: It is increasingly common for women to request anti-anxiety medication or sleeping pills to cope with this burden that has been assigned to them. Bacigalupe emphasizes that motherhood intensifies this pressure, also affecting mental health and self-care habits.

Gender not only determines sleep quality but also how women are recognized and treated within the healthcare system. Sleep is a public health issue, states Ana Fernandez Arcos, pointing out that sleep problems, especially when sleep is short, contribute to the onset and progression of numerous diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, cancer, and mental disorders. Studies from Duke University show that, although men and women may report similar sleep quality, poor sleep quality in women is associated with higher levels of emotional stress and elevated inflammatory proteins, which in turn increase the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

To improve womens sleep and reduce the impact of poor sleep on their health, neurologist Ana Fernandez Arcos proposes several measures. In the healthcare field, she believes it is crucial to better train professionals to avoid diagnostic delays and biases that lead to overmedication, as well as to advance specific research on womens sleep, taking into account hormonal stages (fertility, perimenopause, postmenopause) and studying the differential effects of medications. She also points out the need to improve diagnostic tools, which until now have been designed with an androgenetic bias and may overlook characteristics specific to womens sleep. But none of the above would make sense to the expert without social and political change. Sleep also improves with better living conditions, and this includes gender-sensitive labor and work-life balance policies, and measures that reduce loneliness and socioeconomic inequalities, she concludes.

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A New Jersey school district facing a massive budget crisis this year will also have money problems for the remainder of the decade unless it makes major changes, local officials said.

Montclair Public Schools Superintendent Ruth Turner said the district will rack up an additional $25 million in deficits over the next four years about $6 million annually  if officials dont make drastic cuts or secure major new revenue.

We cant necessarily cut our way out of this. We cant freeze our way out of this, Turner said at a Dec. 17 school board meeting.

The news is dire given that the Essex County school district is already $20 million in the red this year. That includes $12.6 million in accumulated debt from prior years and a $7.6 million shortfall in the current budget.

Montclair school district officials have been looking for ways to solve its financial problems, which were first revealed by the new superintendent earlier this year. There was an attempt to hold a special election in early December to ask voters to approve a tax increase to help fill the budget gap. But the election was canceled after a judge found problems with the wording of the questions.

To address this years deficit, the district just cut roughly 80 positions and transferred many staff members to new roles to fill the gaps.

Turner said Montclairs longer-term financial problems are structural. The 6,000-student district brings in less money than it needs to operate  a problem facing districts across New Jersey as rising costs for special education, transportation, yearly teacher pay increases and healthcare collide with fluctuating state aid and pressure to keep local taxes low.

The financial forecast is based on several assumptions, including a 2% cap on yearly school tax increases, a yearly decrease in enrollment by about 30 students and a projected 10% increase in healthcare costs each year, local officials said.

With the recent ending of government subsidies to the Affordable Care Act, some officials in other school districts predict healthcare costs could rise as much as 20%, which would put Montclair in an even deeper financial hole.

We have to look at negotiating benefits, Turner said. If we can bring in additional revenue, that will then help us in terms of our structural deficit.

Ruth Turner, Superintendent of the Montclair school district, speaks at a Montclair School Board meeting in November. Ed Murray| For NJ Advance Media

Montclair received nearly $9.9 million in state funding for the 2025-26 school year, a 6% increase over the previous year, according to state data.

At the meeting, Dana Sullivan, the districts business administrator, took attendees through a table showing how expenditures will outpace revenue by $5 million to $7 million a year over the next four years, creating a $25 million budget hole by the 2029-30 school year if no changes are made.

She said the mismatch between expenses and revenue was not new information  earlier administrations were aware of it even as they racked up debt.

When people say, We dont understand how this happened  this is how this happened, because this didnt just occur, Sullivan said. This has been occurring for years."

She said Montclair school districts financial problems are not the result of money being stolen.

Its not that money is missing or any of that. Its that there was money being spent that the district didnt have, Sullivan said.

So far, the districts new leaders have tried to avoid taking a loan from the state to fill its budget hole. Getting money from the state would trigger the appointment of a monitor who would have the power to cut programs and staff and increase local school taxes up to the cap set by the state.

The district recently tried to raise revenue by asking voters to support two ballot questions that would increase property taxes.

The first ballot question would have authorized a one time payment to bring down the districts past deficit and avoid the appointment of a state monitor. The second question would have raised school taxes permanently, helping the district salvage many of the cut positions.

Across the district, people began to refer to themselves as Yes, Yes voters or No, No voters on the two ballot questions. Others said they planned to vote for one tax increase and against the other.

At the beginning of December, after early voting had begun, Superior Court Judge Robert Gardner canceled the election, siding with residents who sued the district. They argued the two ballot questions were confusing and lacked necessary details.

At its December meeting, the school board voted to hire the Schenck, Price, Smith & King law firm to provide legal services related to holding a new special election in March.

Some parents who spoke at the meeting commended the new superintendent and business administrator for their transparency efforts but said voters still needed more information about past decisions to rebuild trust.

One lifelong Montclair resident traced the districts problems back to zoning changes that created a development boom and what he called a wave of entitlement which extended to parent demands for more classes, clubs and amenities. He also lamented the move from an appointed board to an elected one four years ago.

Four years later, were busted and disgusted. Now were facing a $20 million deficit that the board wants a bailout from taxpayers, the majority of whom have no children in the school system, are senior citizens or are longtime residents desperately trying to hold on, the resident said.

Asking for a tax increase before a full accounting of where the money had gone was like asking a car insurance company to settle the claim before allowing the adjuster to view the damage, he said.

Several speakers raised concerns about the proposed use of volunteers working in schools. The school district is considering using a pool of vetted volunteers to meet immediate non-instructional needs from January to June, district officials said.

There was some confusion about what work these volunteers would do and whether any of the roles they would be filling were positions previously held by union members.

Danny Marcketta, president of the Montclair Education Association, the local teachers union, said the districts volunteer proposal violates the unions contract and labor regulations.

The association has no interest in turning this into a public fight. Especially right now when emotions are understandably high, said Marcketta.

The real question is whether the district wants to move forward in a way that creates the risk of another avoidable legal loss, he said.

The boards student representative, Wyatt Foster, said he was concerned that parents might be tapped to serve as security guards.

The security proposal is particularly alarming during an age where school security is top of mind. The prospect of bringing strangers, even once theyve been background checked, into the building during the school day is scary, he said.

Montclair PTA Council President Linda Kow addressed some speakers concerns about volunteers.

You can think of it more like door monitors to make sure that no one enters the building doorways when others are leaving, she said.

The district will hold two town halls on the 2026-2027 budget in January. The first will be in person on Jan. 13 at Glenfield Middle School at 6 p.m. The other is planned for Jan. 24 and will take place online at 11 a.m., the district said.

The superintendent is also hosting two more budget conversations in January, one for Montclair High School staff on Jan. 14 and one for Montclair High School students the following day.

Staff writer Jana Cholakovska contributed to this report.
The illuminated eagle sign above Newarks Anheuser-Busch brewery is set to be removed as the plant closes after 75 years in operation.

Cranes were in place Monday to take down the iconic sign, which has become a symbolic landmark in Newark since its installation in 2001.

The sign remained standing Monday, but it will soon be relocated to the companys headquarters in Missouri.

The iconic Anheuser-Busch sign atop the Newark brewery is an important piece of our companys history and we plan to relocate it to our hometown of St. Louis where it will be preserved and enjoyed by visitors for years to come, an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson said in a statement.

A view of the iconic Anheuser-Busch sign in Newark, NJ, which is scheduled to be removed. Monday, January 5, 2026 John Jones | For NJ Advance Media

A construction worker at the Newark site told NJ Advance Media there were complications with removing the sign, but declined to say when it would come down. Anheuser-Busch and Goodman North America, the propertys buyer, did not return requests for comment.

Goodman North America announced its plans last month to buy the brewery site and redevelop the property for other industrial purposes.

Anheuser-Busch said the Newark brewery along Routes 1 & 9, which opened in 1951, would close in early 2026, along with facilities in Fairfield, California and Merrimack, New Hampshire.

Over the last five years we have taken steps to update and modernize our U.S. manufacturing operations, investing nearly $2 billion in our 100 facilities across the country, a company spokesperson said.

We will be shifting production from these three facilities to our other U.S. facilities and these changes will enable us to invest even more in our remaining operations and in our portfolio of growing, industry-leading brands, the spokesperson added.

The company said all full-time employees at the three plants will be offered positions at other U.S. facilities. Employees who choose not to transfer will receive severance packages.

For decades, the 15-ton eagle sign, made from 4,500 feet of neon tubing and 2,000 incandescent bulbs, signaled to travelers that they were passing through or arriving in Newark.

Robert Sinclair Jr., a spokesman for AAA Northeast, said the sign has become part of the landscape of the tri-state area.

Itll be a little bit sad if (the sign) passes into history, he said. Ill miss it.
Police safely rescued a 13-year-old boy who fell through the ice into a retention basin in South Jersey Sunday evening, authorities said.

Officers were dispatched to the retention basin along Center Square Road and Township Line Road in Woolwich around 4:20 p.m., and the rescue was completed within minutes, police said.

Responding officers initially attempted to use a rope to pull the child out of the water, but he was unable to hold on. Sgt. Joseph Rieger then crawled onto the ice to reach the boy, but as he attempted to pull the child out of the water, the ice gave way beneath them, police said.

Cpl. Steve Spithaler and Patrolman Michael Scambia immediately entered the water to assist, officials said.

The boy was safely removed from the water and taken to a hospital as a precaution, according to police.

Thanks to their quick decision making and teamwork, everyone involved was safely rescued and no injuries were reported, the Woolwich Township Police Department said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Police also thanked a concerned citizen who called 911 after hearing the boys screams and Logan Township Police officers and other first responders who assisted at the scene.

Authorities urged people to avoid trespassing on lakes, ponds and retention basins unless posted signage explicitly permits access.

Ice conditions are unpredictable and extremely dangerous. Please stay off the ice, police wrote on Facebook.
Englewood Health  operator of one of the remaining independent hospitals in New Jersey  has signed an agreement with RWJ Barnabas Health, with the intent of becoming part of the large academic health system, leaders from both institutions announced Monday.

The deal still needs approval from state and federal entities before the transaction is considered final.

Officials said the proposed partnership would expand health care for residents in Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties.

This business has become incredibly complex and being able to combine balance sheets, leverage scale for purchasing and technology purposes, to spread the cost of those things around a broader base is just part of becoming more efficient, RWJ Barnabas President and CEO Mark Manigan said in an interview with NJ Advance Media.

RWJ Barnabas already operates 14 hospitals throughout the state. Under the deal, Englewood Hospital in Bergen County would become its 15th facility.

Officials said this isnt a rescue mission. Englewood Hospital is in good shape, having just received the Leapfrog Groups Top Hospital Award for excellence in patient safety and quality of care.

Thats exactly why now is the right time for a partnership, said Englewood President and CEO Warren Geller.

When youre doing well and neither side is doing it out of need, thats the best time to partner up. Because you never want to be in a situation where youre making your most important long-term decision under duress, Geller said in an interview.

We want a partner. Its different than needing a partner, he said.

Officials said the partnership would provide an opportunity to expand clinical services. For example, Englewood patients will have access to care offered through the Rutgers Cancer Institute  the states only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Under the agreement, RWJ Barnabas will also make significant capital investments in Englewood over the coming years, according to a press release.

Tentative plans include building more operating rooms, renovating the hospitals neonatal intensive care unit, and investing in ambulatory care.

As of now, officials said they dont anticipate layoffs to be part of the plan.

This thing aint broke, so were not looking to fix it. Its a terrific team. There will not be any kind of significant or, quite frankly, insignificant modifications to their employee base, said Manigan.

A union representing more than 700 nurses at Englewood Hospital  Health Professionals and Allied Employees  said employees look forward to working collaboratively with RWJ Barnabas to ensure a smooth transition and fair conditions.

HPAEs collective bargaining agreement includes strong successor language, ensuring that nurses rights, wages, benefits, and working conditions are protected throughout the acquisition process, said President Debbie White in a statement late Monday. The union remains committed to a relationship with the new ownership to support high-quality care and a stable, supported nursing workforce.

The partnership announcement Monday comes comes three years after a merger between Englewood and Hackensack Meridian Health fell apart.

The Federal Trade Commission blocked the plans, arguing that Hackensack would control three of the six hospitals in Bergen County if the deal went through.

Despite the fallout, Geller said theres no bad blood between the two institutions.

We have always had an excellent collaborative relationship with HMH, and that continues into the future, said Geller. We have mutual respect.

Until the tentative agreement between Englewood and RWJ Barnabas is approved, both health systems will continue operating independent of each other.

Officials said they expect the approval process to take the majority of 2026.
More than seven years after authorities charged Paul Caneiro with slaughtering his brother, sister-in-law and their two young kids and then setting their Colts Neck mansion on fire, the murder case against him is underway in a Monmouth County courtroom.

Jury selection started Monday morning in Judge Marc C. Lemieuxs courtroom in Superior Court of Monmouth County in Freehold, a process thats expected to take several days.

The trial is scheduled to run through March 20, Lemieux told prospective jurors.

The case against Caneiro, 59, has been delayed numerous times, first by the coronavirus pandemic and then by legal maneuvering over what evidence could be presented in court, which led to the case going to the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Last month, the high court ruled prosecutors could present evidence from a security system recorder in Caneiros Ocean Township home, which was also set ablaze the morning of the murders, Nov. 20, 2018.

A suspicious police sergeant had officers pull the device from Caneiros smoky garage during a fire that authorities say Caneiro intentionally set to cast suspicion away from himself and destroy evidence of the murders.

Keith and Jennifer Caneiro.

The brutal killings of Keith Caneiro, 50, his wife Jennifer, 45, son Jesse, 11, and daughter Sophia, 8, were part of a planned crime Paul hatched because his brother, with whom hed been in business, was planning on halting his salary, prosecutors and a civil lawsuit have alleged.

Paul had been stealing from his brother and their business, among other personal financial woes, and Keith knew it, court documents and authorities have alleged. Plus, Keith wanted to sell one of their companies and move on professionally.

Paul could collect on his brothers $3 million life insurance, but only if Jennifer and the children were dead.

Gunshots, stab wounds and smoke wiped out the family. Police found Keith outside, shot down in his yard after likely being lured by Paul, who allegedly cut electricity to the home, authorities have said.

The killer stabbed and shot Jennifer, who was found on basement stairs. Jesse died in the kitchen, also stabbed multiple times.

Officials found Sophia on a staircase landing with 30 stab wounds and smoke inhalation.

Prosecutors say the killings began shortly before 3 a.m. but were not discovered for hours in the smoldering home on Willow Brook Road.

Authorities at the fire at the Caneiro home in Colts Neck on Nov. 20, 2018.

Meanwhile, police and firefighters were at a fire at Pauls home on Tilton Drive in Oceans Wayside neighborhood at about 5 a.m. for a fire he reported. His wife and two daughters were inside, but the family fled it unharmed.

Investigators eventually connected the two crime scenes and laid it all on Paul Caneiro, charging him with multiple counts of murder, arson, weapon possession and later, fraud crimes.

They suspect he left his home in the middle of the night after disconnecting his own security system, killed his brother and family, then drove back home.

Prosecutors have said in court they have loads of incriminating evidence, including weapons used and blood-stained clothing, DNA and security camera footage.

Monika Mastellone is defending Caneiro with Andy Murray. They are both public defenders. Mastellone joined the case in early 2025.

Nicole Wallace and Christopher Decker are prosecuting the case for the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office.

Caneiro has remained incarcerated since his late November 2018 arrest. Mastellone argued in September that he be freed from the county jail ahead of his trial. Lemieux denied the request.
Two people were killed and a 2-year-old child was injured early Monday when an SUV collided with a car that was traveling the wrong way on Interstate 80 in Passaic County, authorities said.

A 60-year-old woman from Norwich, Connecticut, was driving the SUV shortly after 2 a.m. on I-80 West with passengers Imani Alexis Furman, 24, also of Norwich, and a toddler, according to New Jersey State Police.

Troopers said the SUV collided with a sedan driven by Albin Fermin, 30, of Newark, near milepost 54.1 in Totowa.

Fermins vehicle was traveling east in the westbound lanes, troopers said.

Fermin and Imani Alexis Furman were killed. The 60-year-old driver was taken with the child to an area hospital.

The child sustained moderate injuries, and the woman was seriously injured, troopers said.

The crash remains under investigation.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday that he will not seek re-election this year as President Donald Trump continues to train attention on a fraud investigation involving the states child care programs.

In a statement published this morning, Walz said that Trump and his allies want to make our state a colder, meaner place.

They want to poision our people against each other by attacking our neighbors, said Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee. I cant give a political campaign my all. Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I cant spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.

Walzs announcement comes as his administration faces blistering attacks from Trump and his MAGA base over large-scale fraud in Minnesotas welfare programs. Estimates show total losses could exceed $9 billion.

Minnesotas large Somali population has borne the brunt of Trumps ire as Somali Americans represent 82 of the 92 people currently charged with defrauding the government. The president has derided Somali Americans as garbage" amid the investigation, amplifying anti-immigrant rhetoric that has been has been echoed by prominent MAGA personalities.

Right-wing influencer Nick Shirley was among those who celebrated in the wake of Walzs announcement. I ENDED TIM WALZ, the YouTuber said in a post on X.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk later commented on Shirleys post about Walz, saying Thank God.

Shirley last month released a viral video that allegedly showed the scale of child-care fraud perpetrated by some members of Minnesotas Somali community. His video, which has faced pushback from state officials, drew praise from Vice President JD Vance and led Trump to freeze all child care funding to the state amid a federal probe.

Other prominent MAGA voices joined Shirley and Musk in gloating over Walzs decision to drop his re-election bid.

Right-wing commentator Rogan OHandley said that Walz is dropping out of the Governors race in Minnesota in disgrace all because a 23-year-old kid with a camera and a thirst for justice exposed billions of his fraud.

Conservative activist Scott Pressler jeered Walz on X: America, never forget that democrats voted for him as their VP pick.

Trump weighed in Monday afternoon, calling Walz Minnesotas Corrupt Governor and saying NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW! in a Truth Social post.

Though Walz did not directly name Shirley in his resignation statement, the outgoing governor condemened Trump, conspiracy theorist influencers and the Republicans who are playing politics with the future of our state.

Weve got conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into daycare centers and demanding access to our children, Walz said. Weve got the President of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongly confiscating childcare funding that Minnesotans rely on. It is disgusting. And it is dangerous.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump is facing harsh criticism after admitting he informed oil companies of an upcoming strike on Venezuela over the weekend.

The U.S. hit Venezuela with a large-scale strike over the weekend as part of a huge military operation that captured leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Critics have speculated whether the operation was legal or necessary, with many Democrats claiming that Trump failed to notify Congress of the plan.

But on Sunday, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he spoke to oil companies ahead of the strike in Venezuela and after the military operation ended. This comes as the administration faces questions over whether the strike was motivated by Trumps desire for Venezuelas natural resources.

A reporter asked Trump if he notified oil companies of the impending strike on the country.

Yes, before and after, Trump said. And they want to go in, and theyre going to do a great job for the people of Venezuela, and theyre going to represent us well.

Trumps comments were immediately criticized by social media users, with many noting that Congress did not authorize the military action.

"The oil companies were notified before Congress.This is what an authoritarian oligarchy looks like," progressive activist Melanie DArrigo wrote on X.

Democrat activist Fred Wellman wrote: I cant begin to tell you how insane this is. He did not inform Congress but hes saying he informed the oil companies. Keep in mind who he means. The billionaire mega donor that just got control of Citgo. Our service members were used directly to move the interests of Trumps donors.

He notified THE OIL COMPANIES. He did not notify CONGRESS.Seriously, what else do you ever need to know about this epic POS, author Don Winslow posted on X.

U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) said oil companies were informed about an act of war before it happened, Congress was not.That, my friends, is what an authoritarian regime run by oligarchs looks like, she wrote on X.

Before his capture, Maduro and his allies claimed U.S. hostility was motivated by lust for Venezuelas rich oil and mineral resources.

The U.S. seized Maduro and his wife in a military operation Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base. Trump said the U.S. would run Venezuela temporarily, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day other than enforcing an existing " oil quarantine.

Trump suggested Sunday that he wants to extend American power further in the western hemisphere.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, he called Colombias president, Gustavo Petro, a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And hes not going to be doing it very long.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) defended President Donald Trumps decision to conduct a military raid in Venezuela despite questions surrounding the legality of the operation.

The U.S. hit Venezuela with a large-scale strike over the weekend as part of a huge military operation that captured leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Critics have speculated whether the operation was legal or necessary, with many Democrats claiming that Trump failed to notify Congress of the plan.

But Fetterman applauded Trump for his efforts during an appearance on Fox & Friends on Monday, pushing back on Democrats claims that the attack was illegal and emphasizing that the U.S. is a force of good order and democracy.

He said that the capture of Maduro was a good thing.

Why we cant just acknowledge that its been a good thing, whats happened? Fetterman said on Fox News. We all wanted this man gone, and now he is gone. I think we should really appreciate exactly what happened here.

Just as I salute our military, what theyve done that was really surgical and precise and very efficient. So why we cant celebrate these kinds of things? And Im open to the good opportunities that better future for Venezuela after this happened, he added.

Fetterman has repeatedly broken ranks with his own party in recent months and has praised Trump a number of times. In a statement on X, Fetterman signaled support for the military operation over the weekend.

Grateful for our U.S. military personnel that handled these orders in Venezuela with precision.I maintain that we have the STRONGEST and MOST LETHAL military in the worldtoday proves that even more," he wrote on X.

Before his capture, Maduro and his allies claimed U.S. hostility was motivated by lust for Venezuelas rich oil and mineral resources.

The U.S. seized Maduro and his wife in a military operation Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base. Trump said the U.S. would run Venezuela temporarily, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day other than enforcing an existing " oil quarantine.

Trump suggested Sunday that he wants to extend American power further in the western hemisphere.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, he called Colombias president, Gustavo Petro, a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And hes not going to be doing it very long.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sen. Mark Kelly is firing back after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday that the Pentagon is initiating administrative proceedings against the Arizona Democrat, which could result in the reduction of his retirement rank and pay.

In a post on X, Hegseth said he issued a formal letter to censure Kelly and criticized what he characterized as his seditious behavior. He also accused the Democratic lawmaker for a pattern of reckless misconduct.

...Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice, Hegseth wrote. And the Department of War  and the American people  expect justice."

Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly  and five other members of Congress  released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he  Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) January 5, 2026

His claims center on a video from November which features Kelly and five other Democratic members of Congress reminding members of the military and intelligence community of their duty to resist obeying illegal orders.

The Pentagon announced that month it would launch a thorough review of serious allegations of misconduct against Kelly, while President Donald Trump called for the group to face arrest and trial, saying their remarks amounted to SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS.

Kelly, a former Navy captain, quickly responded to the new moves on X.

Pete Hegseth wants to send the message to every single retired servicemember that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesnt like, they will come after them the same way, Kelly wrote in a post. Its outrageous and it is wrong. There is nothing more un-American than that.

While calling Hegseth the most unqualified to lead the Defense Department in its history, he went on to say he will fight this with everything Ive got.

Not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump dont get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government, Kelly wrote.

Over twenty-five years in the U.S. Navy, thirty-nine combat missions, and four missions to space, I risked my life for this country and to defend our Constitution  including the First Amendment rights of every American to speak out. I never expected that the President of the  Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) January 5, 2026

In the video, which has been denounced by several members of the Trump administration, the lawmakers did not specify which orders to the military could be considered illegal.

Right now, the threats to our Constitution arent just coming from abroad, but from right here at home, the Democrats said in the video posted on social media. Our laws are clear... You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.

Service members in the U.S. military are required to follow lawful directives under the Uniform Code of Military Justice  though they are not required to obey unlawful orders.

Kelly has repeatedly defended the rhetoric in the video, which also features Sen. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.) and Reps. Jason Crow (Colo.), Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.), Chris Deluzio (Pa.) and Maggie Goodlander (N.H.)  all of whom have a military or intelligence background.

This is an attempt to silence me, to get me to not hold this administration accountable, Kelly previously said in an interview with CNN. We have a president who doesnt understand the Constitution, who installed an unqualified secretary of defense.

Kelly retired from the U.S. Navy and NASA in 2011 with 6,000 flight hours in more than 50 different aircraft. He completed 39 combat missions and four space shuttle flights as an astronaut.
Nicolas Maduros wife, who has also been captured by the US, worked behind the scenes to preserve the hegemony of the Chavista regime

The spectacular capture of Venezuelan leader and strongman Nicolas Maduro by the United States has somewhat overshadowed the impact of the arrest of his wife, Cilia Flores, the nations first lady, or first combatant, according to the official narrative from Miraflores Palace.

Flores has been one of the most powerful and influential figures within Venezuelan power circles, wielding fundamental influence over the decisions of the Chavista government. She was also responsible for some of the most important measures taken by the revolutionary command in power, both to confront the opposition and to run the country. During Maduros 12 years in office, Flores abandoned the public profile she had maintained during Hugo Chavezs presidency and retreated to work behind the scenes in the corridors of power. Her appearances during these years were infrequent, almost always alongside Maduro.

Born in Tinaquillo, Cojedes State, in 1956, a lawyer by trade, married twice and with three children, Flores entered politics shortly after February 4, 1992, when Hugo Chavez led a military coup against Venezuelas then-existing democracy. Like other far-left activists of the time, Flores went to Yare prison to meet Chavez personally and offer her services to carry out the Bolivarian Revolution. There she met Nicolas Maduro, with whom she would later begin a romantic relationship. In 1997, they founded the Fifth Republic Movement, the first electoral expression of Chavismo.

Cilia Flores, Hugo Chavez and Ramon Carrizales in Caracas, in 2009. Fernando Llano (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Just as with Maduro, Flores cultivated a very close political relationship with Hugo Chavez, for whom she felt total admiration. She was one of the leading voices of the Chavista cause in the early years of the revolution and had a long and highly controversial parliamentary career. A founder of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) in 2007, she served as Attorney General in 2012 and as President of the National Assembly for four years (2006-2011), succeeding Maduro himself in that position. The two married in 2013, when Maduro assumed the presidency following Chavezs death.

Over the years, Flores developed enormous cunning to expand her influence in the circles of the judiciary and the National Electoral Council (CNE), promoting figures close to her leadership within the circles of power and forming an enviable network of contacts and allies.

As she began to consolidate power, Flores accumulated enemies and accusations from various fronts. Opposition lawmakers blamed her for inflating the National Assembly payroll during her years as president, and incorporating many of her immediate family members into important positions. They also criticized the extravagant spending and luxurious lifestyles of several of her close associates, including siblings and nephews.

On November 11, 2015, in an intelligence operation carried out by the DEA in Haiti, Efrain Campo Flores and Francisco Flores de Freitas, her nephews, were arrested and charged with attempting to illegally smuggle 800 kilos of cocaine into the United States. The case of the narco-nephews, as it became known, became a taboo subject in Venezuela and one of the most uncomfortable ones for the revolutionary leadership.

Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores at a parade in Caracas, in 2017. Anadolu (Getty Images)

The scandal faded from public view thanks to censorship and political turmoil, but it became a family nightmare for the presidential couple. Both nephews were released by the Joe Biden administration in 2022, in the context of the Barbados talks. The Democratic administration, along with the Venezuelan opposition, maintained a strategy to try to compel Chavismo to hold credible and transparent presidential elections.

Like other prominent Chavista leaders, Flores has been sanctioned by several countriesColombia, Canada, Panama, and the United Statesaccused of conspiring to undermine democracy in Venezuela and of having ties to some of the most high-profile corruption cases within the government. Flores has spent years occasionally denying these accusations, calling her critics mercenaries, lackeys of imperialism, and part of the Yankee-backed opposition, as Chavez was fond of saying.

As the controversies surrounding her began to escalate, amidst the countrys social and economic collapse, Flores decided to assume an institutional role, adopting a more apolitical and family-oriented approach alongside her husband. For a brief period, Venezolana de Television broadcast a program called En familia con Cilia in which the leader addressed everyday topics related to family life and society.

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President Donald Trump is weighing in on the future of two countries and one territory after an extraordinary U.S. military operation in Venezuela captured leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump projected the collapse of Cuba, harshly threatened Colombias president and repeated his desire to annex Greenland. He separately warned that somethings going to have to be done with Mexico during a phone call with Fox News on Saturday.

The comments came as Trump was returning to Washington from Mar-a-Lago, less than two days after the U.S. strike on Caracas at his direction. Maduro and his wife are set to make their first appearance in federal court on Monday to face narco-terrorism charges that the Trump administration used to bring him to New York.

Trump first ripped into Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has emerged as a staunch critic, describing him as a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

And hes not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you, Trump said. Hes not going to be doing it very long.

When asked about the possibility of a U.S. operation, Trump replied: It sounds good to me.

Trump then said he doesnt believe the United States needs to intervene in Cuba, claiming the country has no income because they got all of their income from Venezuelan oil.

Theyre not getting any of it, Trump said, going on to add, Cuba looks like its ready to fall. I dont know if theyre going to hold out.

In later remarks, Trump said he did not want to discuss his stance on Greenland when asked by a reporter about whether the U.S. would also take action in the Danish territory.

Lets talk about Venezuela, Russia. Ukraine, he said. Well worry about Greenland in about two months. Lets talk about Greenland in 20 days.

But he then expressed his desire to acquire it  a claim he has frequently repeated since returning to the White House.

We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it, I can tell you that, Trump said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen later urged the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally in a statement on Sunday.

It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the U.S. needing to take over Greenland, Frederiksen wrote. The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified on Sunday that the United States will not govern the day-to-day operations of Venezuela, but will continue to uphold a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers into the country. Trump had previously claimed that the country would run Venezuela temporarily.

Last month, Trump did not rule out a potential war with Venezuela in an interview with NBC News. At the time, he declined to answer whether he wanted Maduro ousted.

He knows exactly what I want, Trump said. He knows better than anybody.
President Donald Trumps unprecedented military operation to capture and extract Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in the early hours of Jan. 3 was met with astonishment across the world.

And for Americans, the controversial seizure of Venezuelas dictator has become another divisive flashpoint during Trumps second term.

A YouGov survey of 2,092 U.S. adults conducted the day of Maduros arrest found that 39% of Americans opposed Trumps use of military force to seize the Venezuelan leader and his wife. Less than four in 10 respondents, 36%, supported the operation, and 25% were undecided.

While overall reactions were mixed, the YouGov poll illustrated the stark difference in the way conservatives and liberals reacted to the news.

More than 60% of Democrats disapproved of the mission, codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, with 47% saying they were strongly opposed. Conversely, 66% of Republicans supported the U.S. militarys removal of Maduro, including 44% who strongly supported Trumps plan.

Independents were more aligned with Democrats with the YouGov survey finding 44% in opposition and 22% in support of Trumps operation.

A Washington Post poll of 1,000 Americans published Monday morning revealed a similar split among partisan lines. Only 13% of Democrats and 34% of independents approved of sending the military to capture Maduro, while 74% of Republicans approved.

Republican respondents also overwhelmingly believed that Trump was justified in launching the operation without approval from Congress76% believed the presidents actions were appropriate, according to the Posts survey. Meanwhile, 94% of Democrats and 70% of independents said that Trump should have had Congress sign off.

The fierce debate among Americans comes as Maduro is set to make his first appearance Monday in an American courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and bringing him to New York.

Maduro, along with his wife, son and three others, is accused of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. They could face life in prison if convicted.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The family of a 72-year-old Union County man killed last summer when a car smashed through a Planet Fitness has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the gym and property owners.

Jose Antonio Chez, of Elizabeth, was killed Aug. 26 when a car crashed through the gyms glass facade in the 600 block of Newark Avenue in Elizabeth, according to a lawsuit filed Dec. 11 in Superior Court of Union County.

The lawsuit names Planet Fitness, Inc., the franchise owner and a property management company, claiming they should have installed safety barriers, bollards or other types of protective posts.

A spokesperson for Planet Fitness did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

The suit claims Planet Fitness and its associates knew or should have known about the foreseeability of vehicles crashing into storefronts.

The lawsuit says Planet Fitness invited members, customers, pedestrians and other members of the public to sit in front of the glass storefront.

Chez was inside the gym working out when the crash occurred, witnesses said.

The crash occurred about 12:20 p.m. when a 69-year-old driver swerved to avoid a vehicle traveling recklessly through the lot and crashed into Planet Fitness.

The driver who hit the building has not been charged, and the lawsuit says the other driver has not been identified.

The facility sustained heavy damage, but reopened about a month later.

In addition to Planet Fitness and its affiliates, the family is suing Geico Insurance, claiming the company rejected a claim the family made through Chezs insurance policy.

The family filed the claim alleging negligence by the unidentified driver believed to have been responsible for the accident.

Geico is being sued for alleged bad faith under New Jerseys Insurance Fair Conduct Act, which allows policyholders to sue insurers for unreasonable denials of uninsured motorist claims.

A Geico spokesperson declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

According to his obituary, Chez was a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning mechanic for more than 45 years.

He earned every dollar, every achievement, through grit and hustle. Nothing was ever handed to him, and he wore that truth like a badge of honor, the obituary said. Yet despite his toughness, he had a heart that cared for people deeply. He gave, he listened, and he made you feel seen.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Snow showers. High 26F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Snow this evening will taper off and give way to cloudy skies late. Low 12F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%.
There were starts and stops and frustrations for more than 30 years from filmmakers trying to adapt J.R.R. Tolkiens fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings to the screen.

The Beatles took up the cause in the 60s. John Lennon reportedly wanted to play Gollum, but it never came together, leaving the world to wonder what could have been?

An animated film rolling together The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers was released in 1978, and Rankin/Bass tried its hand with Return of the King on TV a couple years later.

And anyone who has spent enough time on Reddit likely has seen clips from a Soviet television adaptation thats more fever dream than film.

Then, director Peter Jackson, who at that point was known for his horror comedies Braindead and The Frighteners and the drama Heavenly Creatures, took up the charge with an appropriately epic, three-film vision. His Lord of the Rings trilogy was a massive commercial and critical success that fans still obsess over 25 years later.

2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the trilogys first chapter, The Fellowship of the Ring, and there are events this year celebrating the occasion. Warner Bros. Pictures in January will re-release the trilogy into theaters, first with the full 11-plus-hour extended editions and then later the relatively shorter 9-hour theatrical cuts.

And cast members will visit fan conventions to share stories and answer questions about the films, including at Fan Expo New Orleans this weekend.

Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd  who portrayed the Hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin, respectively  are among the celebrity guests at this years Fan Expo, which runs Friday, Jan. 9, through Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The four actors will take part in a Lord of the Rings 25th anniversary celebration on Saturday and will tell on-set stories and address audience questions. They also will be signing autographs and taking photos with attendees during the convention (there is an additional fee).

Boyd also will take part in a separate Rings related storytelling session on Sunday, and Monaghan appears Saturday on a panel about the TV series Lost with actors Josh Holloway and Francois Chau. Astin will join up with Corey Feldman, Joe Pantoliano, Kerri Green and Robert Davi on Sunday for an event focused on The Goonies.

Fan Expo touches on a range of genres, from sci-fi, fantasy, superheroes and horror to anime, video games and tabletop gaming, and hosts panels with movie and TV actors, voice actors and comics creators, workshops and more.

There also will be artists with tables at the convention, cosplay competitions, gaming sessions, a dedicated kids zone with activities and local groups, like the Louisiana Ghostbusters, the Star Trek group U.S.S. New Orleans and the local factions of Star Wars Galactic Empire and Rebel Alliance.

Fresh off a somewhat controversial retirement match (as if anyone in the WWE is really retired), actor and wrestling superstar John Cena will be at Fan Expo Saturday. Hell be joined by comics writer Victor Dandridge for an interview about his WWE career, acting and role as the D.C. character Peacemaker.

Dandridge also will interview actor Hayden Christensen on Friday about playing Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars saga  a role he has recently been celebrated for after getting another chance with the character in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka.

Christopher Lloyd has been no stranger to fan conventions in recent years around the anniversary of Back to the Future, but this year hes teaming up with Christina Ricci for an Addams Family reunion. Lloyd played Uncle Fester and Ricci was Wednesday in the 1991 movie and the 1993 sequel. Theyll talk about those movies on Sunday.

There also is a panel about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live action trilogy with the half-shell heroes Ernie Reyes Jr., Brian Tochi, Robbie Rist and Kenn Scott. Actors and on-screen Weasley siblings Bonnie Wright and James and Oliver Phelps will reunite for a Harry Potter event. Actors and comedians Thomas Lennon and Cedric Yarbrough will host a Reno 911! panel. And Jaime Pressly and Ethan Suplee will talk about their time on the show My Name is Earl. Pressly also will be interviewed about being a Y2K symbol, and  not as light-hearted  Suplee will take part in a panel about American History X.

The weekend also will include sessions with Helen Hunt, James Marsters, Dean Norris, Gates McFadden, Josh Holloway and more actors. And there are events with anime, animation and gaming voice actors like Brad Swaile, Terri Hawkes, Hazbin Hotels Lilli Cooper and Joel Perez and Transformers: Beast Wars voice Ian James Corlett.

This year, the New Orleans Black nerd group Blerdfest is organizing the Friendiverse Lounge, an area set aside for gaming sessions, art and craftmaking and a silent disco. Blerdfest organizers also will take part in a couple of workshops and panels about their work. Blerdfest throws its own fan festival in June.

New Orleans artists Branden BMike Odums and his nonprofit Eternal Seeds also will have a lounge set up for youth with art and workshops.

Some panels and workshops also will share tips on how to build an artist portfolio and break into the comics or gaming industries. Actor and director Michael Scott throughout the weekend will give voice acting classes, and he will host a Voices of Fan Expo competition on Saturday.

There are themed cosplay meetups throughout the weekend, and family-friendly wrestling group Bizarro Wrestling will be staging matches.

After things wrap up at the Convention Center on Friday, the restaurant and bar Junebug will host Comics Xplosion with live art competitions between comics artists. And Fan Expos official anime-themed after party takes place Saturday at Tipitinas. Harajuku Night will feature performances by J-rock band PuriKura Panic, nerd rock group The Suzaku 7 and dance group Sweet Supernova. Tickets are $27.98 via tipitinas.com.

Single-day tickets are $40 for Friday, $61 for Saturday and $50 for Sunday, and three-day passes are $89. There also are VIP upgrades available as well as specials on family and child passes and youth tickets.

Find more information and tickets at fanexpohq.com/fanexponeworleans.
The victims were military and intelligence personnel working as part of Nicolas Maduros inner security detail, the government in Havana said in a statement

The first official information regarding the deaths resulting from the U.S. military operation in Venezuela has come from Cuba, almost two days after the attacks. The Cuban government issued a statement of condolence for the deaths of 32 military and intelligence personnel members who were part of President Nicolas Maduros security detail at the time of his capture.

As a result of the criminal attack perpetrated by the United States Government against the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, carried out in the early morning of January 3, 2026, 32 Cubans lost their lives in combat action as they were fulfilling missions representing the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, at the request of counterpart bodies of the South American country, states a release from the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, published on social media.

At the beginning of Hugo Chavezs presidency, through international cooperation in health and education, Cuban advisors began to infiltrate Venezuelan institutions. For more than a decade, Havana has controlled intelligence, counterintelligence, and presidential security in Caracas.

During his presidency, Maduro denounced dozens of assassination plots against him. This led him to establish a first ring of security, the Presidential Honor Guard, comprised of dozens of bodyguards selected by Cuba and Venezuelan security forces. This corps underwent changes in its leadership after the presidential elections of July 28, 2014, which prompted the Chavista leader to reshuffle his team to navigate the political crisis triggered by allegations of electoral fraud. General Javier Jose Marcano Tabata was appointed to head the guard, replacing Ivan Hernandez Dala, who had been in charge of Maduros security for nearly a decade.

The Cuban government statement did not specify the identities of the dead, whose families had already received condolences from General Raul Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution. Our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism and fell, after fierce resistance, in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombing of the facilities, the statement read.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel also expressed his dismay at the deaths of his compatriots and decreed two days of national mourning beginning Monday. Honor and glory to the brave Cuban combatants who fell confronting terrorists in imperial uniforms, who kidnapped and illegally removed from their country the President of Venezuela and his wife, whose lives they were helping to protect at the request of that sister nation, he wrote on his social media accounts.

There has been silence regarding the Venezuelan officers and civilians killed in the U.S. incursion. The government of Delcy Rodriguez has not provided any information on casualties or details about the number of wounded from the strikes on several military installations in the capital, Caracas, and in the states of La Guaira, Miranda, and Aragua.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said minutes after the attack that they were gathering information to provide a tally of the dead and wounded. However, he made no further statements in that regard. Testimonies from two sergeants who were wounded during the attacks were disseminated by pro-government media outlets, and only unofficial figures have emerged, suggesting up to 80 deaths, according to The New York Times.

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Drivers and visitors are being advised to take extra care on Dartmoor as snow and ice are forecast across the area and the wider South West, with difficult driving conditions possible.

A number of local organisations have taken to social media to share their advice with locals regarding the potentially disruptive weather conditions we have experienced in recent days.

READ NEXT: Multiple schools across Devon close or delay opening due to adverse weather

Dartmoor National Park Authority advised people to avoid unnecessary travel and to take extra care. In a statement on Facebook, the authority said:

Snow and ice [are] forecast across the South West. Keep yourself and others safe and only travel to Dartmoor if necessary.

Because of the weather, Postbridge Visitor Centre is closed for the day, with the authority saying the decision was made to keep staff safe who live rurally.

Dartmoor National Park Authority added that winter conditions can cause hazardous road conditions, especially icy patches, and urged people to follow Met Office advice.

Local businesses have also shared road condition updates. Fox Tor Cafe & Dartmoor Bunkhouse reported that roads in Princetown had been treated.

The post said: Roads in Princetown have been gritted and delivery vehicles and traffic are moving about ok.

However, some routes remain risky. The same update warned that Pork Hill coming up from Tavistock was very slippery last night, while Peak Hill from Plymouth, Yelverton and Dousland looks good for driving.

Drivers were reminded: As always be safe when you're driving, please don't take any risks.

Weather group UK Weather Chase have also urged people to prepare before heading out.

Referring to past disruption, the group said: "Let's not forget what happened last year. It was horrendous on Dartmoor, cars abandoned on roadsides, traffic at a standstill, and multiple families, including kids stuck for hours in freezing conditions.

They advised drivers to check forecasts and road conditions, carry warm clothing and supplies, and make sure vehicles are ready for winter travel.

The post added: A little planning now can save a lot of stress later.

People planning to travel across Dartmoor are being urged to stay alert, plan carefully, and only make journeys if necessary while wintry conditions continue.
The US president insists that were in charge of the country after capturing Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores and flying them to the US to face criminal charges

In her first statement as the new acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez sent a conciliatory message to the United States that contrasted with the usual belligerent tone used by Chavismo against Washington. Meanwhile, Donald Trump kept up the threats, demanding total access to the countrys oil and to other things while maintaining that were in charge.

Less than 48 hours after the attack that decapitated the Venezuelan regime with the capture of Nicolas Maduro, Rodriguez, far from being confrontational, has extended an olive branch to the enemy. We extend an invitation to the U.S. government to work together on a cooperative agenda, oriented toward shared development, within the framework of international law, and to strengthen lasting community coexistence, reads a post on her Instagram account.

It was a surprisingly conciliatory message to the world and to the United States. Despite nearly a hundred possible casualties of the U.S. attack in Caracas early Saturday morning, including 32 Cubans who were part of her inner security detail, the former vice president asserted that it is a priority to move toward a balanced and respectful relationship with the U.S. and the countries of the region, based on sovereign equality and non-interference.

Rodriguezs tone was a far cry from the usual terms Chavismo uses to describe Washington. There was no mention of imperialism, violations of international law, or the theft of natural resourcesaccusations that have been recurring during these four months of escalating tensions between the two countries. There was only a tepid condemnation of U.S. intervention in Venezuela: Our country aspires to live without external threats.

In a direct appeal to President Donald Trump, Rodriguez wrote: Our people and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. That has always been President Nicolas Maduros position, and it is the position of all Venezuelans right now. That is the Venezuela I believe in, the one to which I have dedicated my life. My dream is for Venezuela to be a great power where all good Venezuelans can come together.

The new leader of the South American country made these remarks even as Washington increasingly sharpens its demands that Venezuelan authorities comply with its orders. Were in charge, the U.S. president emphasized on Sunday night.

We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country, to roads and bridges to rebuild them, Trump said in remarks from Air Force One, returning to Washington after two weeks at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. And if the new authorities are not cooperative there will be a second attack, said the president, who in an interview with The Atlantic had already warned the new Venezuelan leader that if she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.

According to Trump, in the conversations his team has held with the Venezuelan leader, there has still been no talk about the release of political prisoners, one of the demands made by the opposition movement led by Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez.

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A brand new spring programme of talks and activities has been unveiled to mark the 20th anniversary of Coastwise North Devon.

The group has worked for two decades to highlight and raise awareness of marine, bird and mammal life on the coast, as well as the many challenges faced by the environment.

The new Spring programme launches this Thursday, January 8 with the first in a series of weekly talks at Barnstaple Library from 10am to 12noon.

Above: A shore survey being carried out by Coastwise North Devon at Westward Ho! Credit: Rob Jutsum

Paul Naylor, the acclaimed underwater photographer and author of Great British Marine Animals, will begin the new run of talks, with newcomers always welcome.

His talk Dropping in on the lives of our amazing marine animals, features the captivating tompot blennies, among a cast of the bizarre and beautiful characters that can be found along the North Devon coast.

Pauls goal is to show the wonders of UK marine life and tell their amazing stories, a mission echoed by Coastwises own year-round programme of talks and activities.

Above: Female shore crabs and their sensitivity to electromagnetic fields will feature in a talk on January 22 by PhD student Elizabeth James.

The week after is Members Shore Stories, with Robert Down talking about Greencliff and Jonathan and Jane Nicholl on Combe Martin.

Later in January Professor Richard Twitchett from the Natural History Museum will be speaking on Reading the rock record: mass extinctions and climate change in Devon.

Above: Nudibranchs, a kind of sea slug, will also feature on January 22 with a talk from Rachel Edworthy, Exeter University student. Credit: Robert Down

On February 26 there is also visit to view the birds at Horsey Marsh in Braunton with Rob Jutsum. Meet Velator Car Park, 10am.

READ MORE: A wealth of wildlife discovered at Ilfracombe BioBlitz

See below for the full programme. Coastwise membership of 20 covers 10 sessions, or people can pay 3 for individual talks.

Coastwise chair Liesje Birchenough said: Pauls talk will be a real treat. He is hugely popular and has long been a supporter of Coastwise. His will be the first of an exciting new 10-week programme.

North Devons rocky shores and wildlife are the main focus, together with aspects of the challenges presented by climate change and coastal management issues. There are opportunities too, for developing interests together, participating in citizen science and shore visits.

Founding member Paula Ferris added: If you have ever been intrigued by a rock-pool you should join us. Coastwise is the go-to place to find out about most things to do with our coast, with lots of it covered in our forthcoming talks programme and the other things we get involved with.

You can find out more at www.coastwisenorthdevon.org.uk or to sign up, email the membership secretary at coastwisendinfo@gmail.com or visit the Coastwise North Devon Facebook page.
The investigation is focused on the owners of the damaged premises, while all the victims have now been identified

It was New Years Eve and the music was still playing when the ceiling of the ground floor of the venue caught fire. People started recording with their cell phones until someone shouted, This place is on fire, we have to get out fast! Then came the screams, different from those of minutes earlier and not captured by the cameras. And chaos. The fire department received the alarm at 1:30 a.m. They arrived quickly, but it was too late.

Five days have passed since that horrific scene: the devastating New Years Eve fire that left 40 dead and 119 injured at the Le Constellation bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana. This picturesque Alpine village, a popular ski destination for affluent tourists, is grappling with the aftermath of one of the countrys greatest tragedies while searching for answers and trying to identify the victims.

Swiss authorities announced on Sunday that the identification of all the bodies had been completed. Half of the victims were minors. The youngest were two 14-year-olds, and the rest were aged between 15 and 17. The Le Constellation bar was known for being frequented by many people under the age of 18. Of the victims, 22 were Swiss and the rest were foreign nationals: six Italians, eight French, one Portuguese, one Belgian, one Romanian, and one Turkish. Three held dual citizenship.

Among those already identified is a friend of Fabien M., a local resident. The deceased was the only security guard present at the establishment that night: He was working to ensure the safety of those young people, so he went in to help them escape when the fire started. He lost his life trying to get them out, he told this newspaper, through tears.

There are many unanswered questions about the cause of the tragedy. In official statements made in recent days, authorities have released information sparingly. What is known is that the fire started due to a flare placed inside a champagne bottle, which struck the ceiling. The ceiling was covered with a soundproofing material that is highly flammable. The incident occurred on the ground floor of the building, and the fire spread rapidly, as can be seen in videos recorded by witnesses.

Three people mourn in front of the memorial near the area where a fire broke out at Le Constellation bar. TIL BUERGY (TIL BUERGY) A teddy bear placed on the makeshift altar Saturday in Crans-Montana. TIL BUERGY (TIL BUERGY) A man breaks down in tears near the bar affected by the fire on Saturday in Crans-Montana. TIL BUERGY (TIL BUERGY) The rear of the building where the fire broke out. TIL BUERGY (TIL BUERGY) Candles and flowers at the memorial site near Le Constellation bar. TIL BUERGY (TIL BUERGY) Firefighters near the area where a fire broke out at Le Constellation bar. TIL BUERGY (TIL BUERGY) A sunflower with a message placed on a pole on a street near the bar. TIL BUERGY (TIL BUERGY) A woman lights a candle at the makeshift altar near the burned-out bar in Crans-Montana. TIL BUERGY (TIL BUERGY) A woman cries after placing flowers in memory of those who lost their lives in the fire at Le Constellation bar. TIL BUERGY (TIL BUERGY) Two people embracing near Le Constellation bar. TIL BUERGY (TIL BUERGY) A Swiss flag at half-mast this Saturday in Crans-Montana. TIL BUERGY (TIL BUERGY)

When they realized the severity of the fire, they tried to escape through the most visible exit: a narrow staircase leading to the upper floor. Panic ensued. The building had an emergency exit, but people tried to leave via the stairs. The prosecutor confirmed that this exit existed, but no one has explained why it wasnt used.

Witness statements indicate that the bars security was inadequate. They describe it as a cramped place. Samuel M., a 17-year-old Frenchman, explains, The staircase leading to the first floor, which people tried to use to escape, is very narrow, barely two meters wide, comparing it to the width of two chairs.

Samuel left the bar five minutes before the fire to accompany a friend who was drunk and feeling unwell, so they both witnessed everything from outside. Inside remained some of his lifelong friends, as he has always spent his holidays there. Some are injured and others are still missing, including the DJ who was playing that day, from whom he has not heard.

I came back here to pray today because I believe that despite everything we have to keep going, we have to do it for them and their families, he says calmly, sitting in a chair on the terrace of the place opposite the bar, where the flowers and lit candles that people have been leaving are accumulating.

Two people hug near the bar that burned down in Crans-Montana, Saturday. TIL BUERGY (TIL BUERGY)

Nestor F., a 17-year-old French student, is one of the witnesses being questioned by police to help clarify the events. His account also raises doubts about whether the bar was equipped with fire prevention measures. The fire caught him at the door. He was one of the civilians who assisted the injured and called some of their parents. He knows the layout of Le Constellation very well because he has frequented it for some time, and he recounts that he and a friend had to break one of the windows so that people could get out.

The staircase leading to the upper floor is so narrow that it bottlenecked everyone. On the ground floor, the people who were in the bathrooms and the smoking room, by the time they realized what was happening, had very little chance of getting out, the boy recounts, showing a couple of videos he recorded from outside when the fire broke out.

The police are in possession of these, and they are one of the pieces of evidence that will be used in the investigation. The criminal case opened against the two owners of the bar will help resolve some questions: whether there were fire extinguishers available and why the evacuation route wasnt used in time. It will also determine whether the flammable material covering the ceiling, which caused the disaster, complied with regulations.

It has not been revealed how many people were inside the venue, which has a capacity of 300, nor how many were on the ground floor, where most were trapped when the fire occurred.

A group of firefighters during a public tribute to the victims of the Le Constellation bar fire, Saturday. TIL BUERGY (TIL BUERGY)

The bars owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, a French couple who have lived in this ski resort for some time, are accused of negligent homicide and negligent arson. They opened Le Constellation in 2015 after months of renovations. On the bars Facebook page, they documented the progress of the work with photos, clearly showing, for example, the installation of the ceiling covering. They own two other establishments in the area. There is silence when young people who frequented the bar or owners of other bars in the area are asked about them: no one knew them, or they know little more than what the press has reported.

A national day of mourning will be observed across the country on January 9, but a large memorial service was held on Sunday at the church in Crans-Montana to honor the victims. The chapel was packed, so loudspeakers were set up outside so that the more than 1,000 people present could follow along. Afterward, everyone marched in silence to gather in front of the destroyed bar. One of the towns priests spoke a few words, his voice breaking. Rescue teams, police officers, and firefighters who had been on duty that night were present, as well as many young men, some with bandages or using crutches, weeping and embracing their families. The survivors.

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Have you ever been surprised by the way the color of an object changes with the light?

Does this painting feel more realistic or more abstract to you?

What are the primary colors in the painting, and how do they work with one another?

Think about these questions as you look:

(These challenges are published on the first Monday of each month. Sign up here if youd like to be notified.)

Today, we bring you another focus challenge , inviting you to spend uninterrupted time looking at a piece of art. This painting is Artist in Greenland by Rockwell Kent, and its on view at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

You made it time. If you want to look a little longer, just scroll back up and press Continue.

In Greenland, one discovers, as though for the first time, what beauty is, Rockwell Kent wrote in 1935. God must forgive me, he continued, that I tried to paint it.

Its a feeling that anyone whos taken a photo of the sunset knows: Its hard to capture the beauty of a moment through any medium. You had to be there.

But that didnt deter Kent. He painted Greenland, in his own words, incessantly. He wrote effusively and extensively of its beauty, its people and its hold over him.

In a world of constant digital distraction  the goal of this column is to try to get you to slow down, but we know all too well that were asking you do this by looking at a screen  theres something alluring about the world shown here:

a man,



his dogs



and his paints,

humbled by a monumental iceberg.

Yet in 1934, Kent himself was feeling distracted and annoyed.

Because modern American life irks him, Rockwell Kent, artist, left New York yesterday on the liner Deutschland on a trip to Greenland, reported The New York Times.

To get away from the annoyances of New York life, automobiles, radios, cocktail parties and such is a wonderful experience in itself, he said.

Kent, a swashbuckling American painter, writer, political activist and book illustrator, made three trips to Greenland from 1929 to 1935. The first trip ended in a shipwreck where he lost many of his painting supplies. Later, he built a house, lived (and loved) among the locals and established himself in a small community hunting, writing, exploring and, most important for us, painting.

He turned his nine-foot-long sledge into a mobile studio by mounting his canvas to the stanchions to create an easel.



Hed gather his dogs in a fan formation and drive them out into the landscape, ready to paint.



Id halt my dogs, swing the sledge into precisely the position that I wanted it, lay out my paints and brushes, get to work, he wrote.

Thats the scene we find here: an artist at work.



The striking diagonal of the iceberg is echoed in the shapes of the dogs staring back at us:



Slanted lines run throughout the landscape:



Take a look back here, at the mountain peeking around the corner.

He didnt like abstraction and he was a champion of realist painting, and I think thats kind of true and thats kind of not true, said Virginia Anderson, a senior curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

She directed my attention to this mountain  the dark brown underpainting with blue streaks creating the relief of the cliff surface. When you zoom in close, it looks abstract.

But then when you pull back, it really resolves beautifully into the way that light would flow across that surface in a really indirect way, she said. He really nailed it.

The gradient above this dark spot glows, as the electric teal sky dissolves into a warm yellow:



At the center of it all, theres the bold top face of the iceberg soaking up the sun in a warm white-yellow:



These connect to the other highlights across the canvas,

but each is different  some a bit warmer, some a bit cooler, absorbing, reflecting and reacting to the light around them.

The beauty of those northern winter days is more remote and passionless, more nearly absolute than any other beauty I know, Kent wrote.

It is so overwhelming and it is so indescribable how beautiful it is and how humbling it is in terms of scale, the photographer Denis Defibaugh told me. Inspired by Kents journeys, Mr. Defibaugh has taken several trips to Greenland to document the people and the landscape.

Here, in the fall of 2016, he captured a similar sky:

You get such pure color there because theres no pollution. Theres nothing changing the light and the sky except reality.

This simple world of blue sky, white snow and brown mountains becomes anything but.

Look again at the colors Kent used on the side of the iceberg facing us. Warm oranges scuff across cool blues. Purples are dancing with greens:

(Remember Monet and the color wheel?)

Our artist is also trying to capture it all, mixing dabs of red, blue and yellow.

To keep from freezing, Kent painted in down-stuffed mittens with a hole in them where he would insert his brush.

But theres one twist in this case: He wasnt really there.

The painting weve been looking at, Artist in Greenland, was painted by Kent in 1960, when he was warm and back in America. Its a copy of a 1935 work called Iceberg that he painted in Greenland:

This earlier painting shows the iceberg (and the dogs) as seen instead through the artists eyes.

It hung in the Kents home bar.



Some friends wanted to buy Iceberg, but it was already promised to another collection, so Kent copied it for them  with some changes, according to Scott Ferris, a specialist in the art of Rockwell Kent.

He had already painted himself into the scene before, in a work from 1929 also called Artist in Greenland.

So it wasnt a leap for him to introduce the theme of the artist at work into his Iceberg, creating another self-portrait, according to Mr. Ferris.

Except for the dogs and me in the foreground of your picture, Kent wrote in a letter to his friends, I would find it quite impossible to detect the difference between the original and the copy.

Hes such a master at painting that he can just duplicate them, Mr. Ferris said.



Kent was now close to 80. It had been 25 years since he painted Iceberg and 25 years since he had been to Greenland, but he was able to put himself there again, back on the snow, just a man, his dogs and his paints.



Sign up to be notified when new installments are published here. And let us know how this exercise made you feel in the comments.
Since congestion pricing began one year ago, about 11 percent of the vehicles that once entered Manhattans central business district daily have disappeared. This may not seem like a lot. But it has changed the lives  and bank accounts, bus rides and travel behavior  of many. Theres less traffic and more parking. I only drive if I have to move something large or heavy. Sometimes I skip lunch at work to make up for the driving tax. I visit my elderly parents less often. I complain to myself every time I have to pay the fee and Im STILL 100% in favor of it. I am returning my leased car six months before the lease expires.

27 Million Fewer Car Trips: Life After a Year of Congestion Pricing

One year after the start of congestion pricing, traffic jams are less severe, streets are safer, and commute times are improving for travelers from well beyond Manhattan. Though these changes arent noticeable to many, and others feel the tolls are a financial burden, the fees have generated hundreds of millions of dollars for public transportation projects. And it has probably contributed to rising transit ridership.

The program, which on Jan. 5, 2025, began charging most drivers $9 during peak travel times to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, has quickly left its mark.

To assess its impact, The New York Times reviewed city and state data, outside research, and the feedback of more than 600 readers with vastly different views of the toll.

Some groused about high travel costs. Others cheered for a higher toll. Many shared snapshots from their lives: quieter streets, easier parking, costlier trips to the doctor.

Many findings from a Times analysis a few months into the experiment have held up. The program so far has met nearly all of the Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys goals, although more evidence is needed on some measures. And one question remains unresolved: whether a federal judge will decisively shield the program from efforts by the Trump administration to end it.

Despite the threats to shut it down, Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an interview, the cameras are still on, and business is still up, and traffic is still down. So its working.

Heres the evidence one year in:





1. Fewer vehicles

About 73,000 fewer vehicles are entering the central business district each day, a number that has added up in the first year to about 27 million fewer entries. The decline, compared with traffic trends before the toll, has been remarkably stable across the year:

Average daily entries to the central business district The central business district includes the congestion tolling zone and adjacent highways excluded from the tolls. Source: M.T.A.





All other consequences of congestion pricing flow from this one  that fewer people are choosing to enter the area by private vehicle.

I never drive into the city anymore. I only take the subway. Its a relief. Philip Zalon Brooklyn

Im much more aware of driving into Manhattan and avoid it unless I have to haul a lot of stuff like a car load of Girl Scout cookies. Jacob White Queens





By influencing that one decision, the policy can also affect commute times, transit reliability, road safety, street life and more (as well get to below).

One clear sign that behaviors are changing: Every weekday, there is now a spike in vehicles entering the zone right before the toll kicks up to $9 at 5 a.m., and right after it declines to $2.25 at 9 p.m.

Personal vehicle entries into the central business district Average weekday entries from Jan. 5 through Nov. 30, 2025, by 10-minute intervals. Source: M.T.A.





Ive decided to get up earlier to get the lower price. Eric Nehs Manhattan

It is exhausting to plan the trip to cross the line at 9 p.m. Paul S. Morrill Manhattan





2. Faster traffic

The first consequence of those fewer vehicles is that traffic is now moving faster for the drivers who remain, and for the buses that travel those same roads. And this turns out to be true inside the congestion zone, near the congestion zone, and even much farther away.

Change in vehicle speeds, 2024-25 Speeds from January through November of each year during peak toll hours. Source: M.T.A., HERE Traffic Analytics.

Taking my kid to [doctors] visits in 2024 was a nightmare, every time.  After congestion pricing, its been noticeably less aggravating. Josh Hadro Brooklyn





Many readers, however, told us they didnt believe they could see the benefits; the changes arent always easy to perceive by the naked eye. Readers also frequently said they believed the gains from congestion pricing were more apparent in the first months of the year and had waned since. The citys speed data generally suggests that these improvements have been sustained, although some of the largest gains were recorded in the spring.

Average vehicle speeds in the congestion zone Source: M.T.A., HERE Traffic Analytics.

But for some travelers, the speed gains have been much larger, particularly those who cross through the bridge and tunnel chokepoints into and out of Manhattan:

Change in average speed during weekday morning commute 29.3% Queensboro Bridge 18.4% Queens- Midtown Tunnel 24.7% faster manhattan Lincoln Tunnel 51% 28.3% Holland Tunnel Williamsburg Bridge 6.7% Manhattan Bridge 10.8% 15% Brooklyn Bridge Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel Change in speed during weekday morning commute manhattan 29.3% Queensboro Bridge 18.4% 24.7% faster Queens- Midtown Tunnel Lincoln Tunnel 51% faster 28.3% Holland Tunnel Williamsburg Bridge 6.7% Manhattan Bridge 15% 10.8% Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel Brooklyn Bridge Speeds are for the inbound direction of travel. Source: M.T.A., HERE Traffic Analytics.

Traffic approaching the [Holland] tunnel has saved me 15-30 minutes on the rides back to New York and given me hours of my time back. Salvatore Franchino Brooklyn

On a typical 8 a.m. commute, there is so little traffic into the [Lincoln] tunnel that it looks like a weekend. Lisa Davenport Weehawken, N.J.

I haven't used the Lincoln Tunnel all year, probably will never use it again. Steven Lerner Manhattan





Improvements have also been more notable for commuters who take longer-distance trips ending in the congestion zone. Thats because those 73,000 vehicles a day that are no longer entering the zone have disappeared from surrounding roads and highways, too.

Commuters from farther out are seeing accumulating benefits from all these sources: faster speeds outside the congestion zone, much faster speeds through the tunnels and bridges, and then the improvements inside Manhattan. And people who travel roads outside the congestion zone without ever entering it get some of these benefits, too.

An analysis by researchers at Stanford, Yale and Google confirmed this through the programs first six months. Using anonymized data from trips taken with Google Maps, they found that speeds improved after congestion pricing more on roads around the region commonly traveled by drivers heading into the central business district. Thats a subtle point, but one many readers observed themselves:

Noticeably fewer cars driving, even way out in Bensonhurst! Charles Haeussler Brooklyn

Even across the river in Bergen County, I feel that we benefit. Michelle Carvell Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

I supercommute weekly from Kingston by bus. Each week, my bus round trip is 30-60 minutes faster than it was before congestion pricing. Rob Bellinger Kingston, N.Y.





3. More transit riders

Public transit will benefit from congestion pricing as its proceeds are invested in infrastructure upgrades; in the first year, the toll is projected to raise about $550 million after accounting for expenses, $50 million more than the M.T.A. originally predicted. But transit also stands to benefit as bus speeds improve on decongested roads and as more commuters shift to transit.

On bus routes that cross through the congestion zone, speeds increased this year, in notable contrast to the rest of the city. These improvements follow years of declining bus speeds in the central business district coming out of the pandemic.

Change in bus speeds, 2024-2025 Local bus routes Express bus routes Speeds from January through November of each year. Source: M.T.A. bus speed data.

The crosstown buses are faster than they used to be, even during peak commuting times. Marc Wieman Manhattan

Have gratefully noticed that theyre more on-time. Sue Ann Todhunter Manhattan

It has significantly improved my bus trips from N.J., cutting about 20 minutes of traffic each way. John Ruppert New Jersey





Paid transit ridership is up this year compared with 2024 across the subway, M.T.A. buses, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad as transit has continued its recovery from pandemic declines. About 300,000 more people are riding the subway each day  far more than the 70,000 cars that have been taken off the road in the congestion zone. So while congestion pricing is probably contributing to rising transit ridership, its not the main driver of it.

All of these added transit riders do, however, help explain why congestion pricing has not dampened activity in the busiest parts of the city, as critics feared. People are still coming, just not necessarily by private car.

I finally taught myself to use the subway. Between the tunnel toll, congestion pricing and parking, Im saving an enormous amount of money, time and inconvenience. Daniel Ludwig Weehawken, N.J.

Its made using the bus for short trips a more appealing option. John Buckholz Brooklyn





In fact, overall visits to the business district arent down  they were up by about 2.4 percent over the previous year, according to the citys Economic Development Corporation. And restaurant reservations on the platform OpenTable were up inside the zone as well, by the same amount as the increase citywide.

Tom Harris, the president of the Times Square Alliance, which represents 2,600 businesses, said he had initially received complaints from some businesses. But he was pleasantly surprised that they soon stopped.

Were thrilled we have not seen negative impacts to local businesses, he said. It seems like it has been absorbed.





4. Better quality of life

These primary shifts  fewer cars, less congested roads, more transit riders  have in turn produced a number of other effects that might more broadly be thought of as changes to quality of life. Readers described experiencing safer crosswalks, less stressful bike rides and what feels like cleaner air.

In city data, the number of complaints to 311 for vehicle noises like car honking has declined significantly inside the congestion zone, compared with the rest of Manhattan.

Change in vehicle noise complaints, 2024-25 From Jan. 5 to Nov. 30 in each year. Source: N.Y.C. 311 data.

Sometimes its almost  dare I say it?  quiet. Daniel Scott Manhattan

Midtown is so much quieter now. Melanie DuPuis Manhattan/Hudson Valley

It turns out that mostly when people say New York is noisy they really mean cars are noisy. Grant Louis Manhattan





And the perception that roads have gotten safer is also borne out by crash data. The number of people who were seriously injured in a car crash decreased citywide, but the improvement was more pronounced in the congestion relief zone.

Change in number of people seriously injured in a crash, 2024-25 Number of people who were seriously injured in a crash from Jan. 1 through Nov. 30 of each year. Source: Sam Schwartz Transportation Research Program/Hunter College analysis of N.Y.P.D. crash data.

Nobodys trying to run me over. Alice Baruch Manhattan

Fewer cars honking, fewer cars running red lights, fewer cars blocking crosswalks. Charlie Rokosny Brooklyn

The number of blocked crosswalks have gone down significantly! Samir Lavingia Manhattan





Amid these positive changes, however, other readers described distinct declines in their quality of life, often stemming from the cost of the toll. These deeply personal observations have no corresponding measures in public data. But they make clear that some of those 27 million fewer driving trips werent simply replaced by transit or forgone as unnecessary  theyre missed.

Sadly Manhattan is no longer an option for many things we once enjoyed. Linda Fisher Queens

Congestion pricing has made my world much smaller. Justine Cuccia Manhattan

Im more careful about choosing events to attend, so I go to fewer of them. Karen Hoppe Queens

I will not use doctors in Manhattan, limiting my health care choices. David Pecoraro Queens





One final aim of congestion pricing  improved air quality  has the potential to benefit everyone in the region. But the data remains inconclusive so far. A recent study from researchers at Cornell found a 22 percent improvement in one air quality measure over six months. But another analysis, by the Stanford and Yale authors, found little to no effect on air quality using local community sensors and comparing New York with other cities. And the M.T.A.s own analysis of the programs first year found no significant change in measured concentrations of vehicle-related air pollutants.

That doesnt mean benefits wont become clearer with more time and data. But the open questions about air quality underscore that even one year in, even with all the evidence gathered, there are still some effects we dont fully understand.

As an asthmatic, I can also palpably feel improvements in the air quality. Rob Hult Brooklyn

It's allowed me to believe that perhaps America can change for the better. Hanna Horvath Brooklyn

As a car owner myself, I think its fair that the cost of driving is now being passed from city residents onto the drivers. Vincent Lee The Bronx

I dont like the cost but I also cant deny its effectiveness. Jon Keese Queens




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Jennifer Duck

Jennifer Duck, US public affairs chief, at Denmarks Novo Nordisk has exited the company after a six-year run.

The departure comes as CEO Mike Doustdar is revamping the company as it loses share to Eli Lilly in the weight-loss category and faces pricing pressure from the Trump administration.

Duck has made the personal decision to leave Novo Nordisk and pursue other opportunities outside of the organization," according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters.

Chris Pernie, executive director of government affairs, succeeds Duck on an interim basis.

Prior to Novo Nordisk, Duck served as chief of staff to California Senator Dianne Feinstein, worked as VP at Pfizer, and was a counsel to Democratic Leader Tom Daschle.

In October, Novo Nordisk hired Greg Miley, senior VP-government affairs at Chicago-based AbbVie, as head of corporate affairs. He spent 11 years in two stints at the company.

Miley also worked as interim head of corporate affairs & media relations at Sanofi in Paris, head of public affairs at Abbott, and director of worldwide communications at Pfizer.
A passenger in a car involved in a fatal crash which killed an American tourist suffered trauma and began drinking, a sitting of Portlaoise District Court was told.

Lee Dennehy (23) of 25 Roselawn, Portlaoise, pleaded guilty to stealing a bottle of Jameson and a bottle of Bushmills Whiskey from Aldi, Portlaoise on September 23, 2025.

Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said the incident occurred at 5pm when the defendant walked into Aldi and took two bottles before walking out. He said the man was later identified by CCTV. He said the alcohol was valued at 55.50. He said the accused had a number of previous convictions for public order offences and theft.

Solicitor Philip Meagher said his client had been a passenger in a car which was involved in a fatal accident at a local tourist spot. He said an American tourist was killed and a second tourist was badly injured.

He suffered huge trauma and after that he began drinking, said Mr Meagher.

Mr Meagher said there was no sophistication in the thefts and in 98% of the offences he would walk in in a drunken state, pick up a bottle and walk out.

He told the court that the defendants life became chaotic but he had since secured a job, met a girl and had stopped drinking. He said the man has engaged with local addiction services and hasnt had a drink in ten weeks.

Judge Peter White noted a probation order for July of 2024 had recommended that he engage with community alcohol services. This isnt his first rodeo, said Judge White.

Mr Meagher said his client was ten weeks clean, living with his mother and keeping down a job in a factory. He said he believed the man had turned a corner and he suggested the court might keep an eye on the defendant.

Judge White agreed to give the man one further chance and he urged him to turn that corner and get his life on track.

He ordered him to repay the money to Aldi and place him on a 12 month probation bond on condition he continues to engage with alcohol services.
An Offaly man was among three people honoured for their incredible 500th donation by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service.

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service celebrated the first time three platelet donors reached their 500th donation on the same day.

The three people honoured were John OHalloran from Birr, Paul Dunphy from Portmarnock and Marcus Hand from Lucan

The IBTS is delighted to mark such a special occasion today with three committed platelet donors. John, Marcus and Paul have between them donated 1500 platelet donations which is quite an achievement. We are grateful to them and to all of our donors for their commitment to the wellbeing of patients, said Dr Andy Godfrey, IBTS Medical and Scientific Director.

We urgently need more blood and platelet donors to support healthcare in Ireland. Platelets are essential for the survival of patients who have bone marrow and blood disorders, those undergoing cancer treatment, patients undergoing surgery and those with burns, and critically ill newborn babies. There are no alternative treatments for these patients, so without our committed platelet donors, we would be unable to help these patients in need.

Platelets last just seven days after donation, so it is critical that we have a constant supply. Our panel of platelet donors sits at just over 2,000 donors, and these individuals provide platelets for every patient in Ireland who needs them. Not everyone who is a blood donor is able to be a platelet donor and we are always looking for more donors to meet this critical demand. I would encourage anyone who is thinking of their new years resolutions to consider becoming a blood or platelet donor. Only 3% of our eligible population are blood donors, but around a quarter of us will need a blood transfusion at some point. Every donation saves lives and is an incredible gift to give.

Criteria that apply to become a platelet donor

- 18 to 59 (before 60 th Birthday)

- Over 60kg (9.7st)

- No Blood Transfusion

- No pregnancy of any gestation (no children)

- No long-term anti-inflammatories or aspirin

There are wo platelet Clinics in Ireland

Dublin  National Blood Centre

Cork IBTS Centre  Grounds of Finbarrs Hospital
Independent TD Michael Lowry has announced the confirmation of additional Government funding for the Garda Training College in Templemore, describing it as a decisive and necessary investment in the future of the college.

The Garda training college is the heartbeat of Templemore and central to the economic activity in the town. Design of new classrooms and training facilities is completed.

The OPW are currently preparing tender documents and will shortly be in a position to invite tenders for this multi-million investment.

Deputy Lowry said: This investment provides certainty for Templemore and sends a strong signal of confidence in the role it plays nationally.

The announcement follows a period during which doubts were expressed about the continuation of the College particularly prior to the last election.

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During negotiations for the formation of the current government, Deputy Lowry strongly advocated the case for Templemore College, insisting that its future must be secured.

Arising from those discussions it was agreed that Templemore would continue into the future as the primary training centre for An Garda Siochana. As a result, this agreement is documented in the program for Government.

The additional funding will address existing capacity challenges, enabling an increase in the number of Gardai trained during each intake cycle.

This expansion is particularly important given the exceptional demand to join the force, with more than 11,000 applicants in 2025 alone.

Deputy Lowry said that sustained investment in the college is critical to the provision of professionally trained Gardai, which in turn supports our society, our economy, and the safety of our citizens.

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"I am determined to ensure that Templemore Training centre develops to meet demand and remains as the focal point for Garda training.

"I will continue to advocate for the Garda training college to ensure it remains properly resourced and fit for the demands of modern policing," Deputy Lowry said..
Nicolas Maduro, the deposed president of Venezuela, captured last Saturday in Caracas by U.S. forces and transferred to New York in a lightning military operation, along with his wife, Cilia Flores, has pleaded not guilty to the four drug-related terrorism charges against him in the United States. I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country, Maduro declared through an interpreter, before being interrupted by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, as reported by Reuters. Flores also pleaded not guilty.

The couple appeared in federal court in the Southern District of New York on Monday, facing four charges. The prosecution has accused them of narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. The indictment also extends to his wife, Flores, his son, Nicolas Ernesto Maduro, known as Nicolasito, his Minister of the Interior and Justice, Diosdado Cabello, and other high-ranking officials in his government.

Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty to all charges. The next court hearing is scheduled for March 17. The Chavista leader rejected the accusations during his statement, delivered in Spanish with an interpreter. He alleged that the charges are a strategy to conceal imperialist plans regarding his countrys oil reserves, the largest in the world.

Maduro and his wife arrived at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse, which houses the Southern District Court, at around 8:00 a.m., heavily escorted by a convoy of DEA vehicles. The detainees were handcuffed and dressed in prison garb, wearing brown shirts and trousers.

The indictment released by Attorney General Pam Bondi last Saturday identifies Maduro as the leader of a criminal network that has illegally enriched itself during his years in various positions within the Venezuelan government, culminating in his presidency. The 25-page document alleges that Maduro and his wife planned to flood the United States with drugs. It links them to Colombias FARC guerrillas and several cartels, including Tren de Aragua, the Cartel of the Suns, and the Sinaloa Cartel, among others.

The case has been assigned to Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, a 92-year-old Orthodox Jew with nearly three decades of experience. He was appointed to the position by Bill Clinton in 1998. Throughout his career, Hellerstein has handled high-profile cases such as the claims of companies and workers following the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers, the sexual harassment case involving film producer Harvey Weinstein, and the case against Donald Trumps former lawyer, Michael Cohen. He is also handling the case of Hugo El Pollo Carvajal, a former Venezuelan congressman and former head of intelligence for the Chavista regime, who recently pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and conspiring to import large quantities of cocaine into the United States, in a trial that bears some similarities to Maduros. It is hoped that Carvajals testimony, given in cooperation with the authorities, will influence the trial against Maduro and his wife.

The prosecution has assigned the case to Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. A tenacious prosecutor, he previously served as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. stock market regulator.

For over 25 years, leaders of Venezuela have abused their positions of public trust and corrupted once-legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States, the indictment, signed by Clayton, states.

Nicolas Maduro Moros, the defendant, is at the forefront of that corruption and has partnered with his co-conspirators to use his illegally obtained authority and the institutions he corroded to transport thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States. Since his early days in Venezuelan government, Maduro Moros has tarnished every public office he has held, it continues.

Maduro has been pursued by the U.S. since 2020, during Trumps first term. At that time, Attorney General William Barr filed criminal charges. During the indictment announcement, he stated: For more than 20 years, Maduro and a number of high-ranking colleagues allegedly conspired with the FARC, causing tons of cocaine to enter and devastate American communities.

Pitched battle outside the courthouse

While the defendants were giving their statements, a pitched battle was raging outside. The morning was freezing, and on Mulberry Street, directly across from the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse, which houses the Southern District Court, officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) stood guard to prevent a clash between the two sides: on one side were the group holding signs demanding the immediate release of the Chavista leader; on the other, Venezuelans outraged that anyone would defend the man who had left them without a country.

Both groups shouted insults at each other while waiting for Judge Hellerstein to take testimony from the presidential couple, who have captured all the international media attention. William Antonio Contreras Ceballos, a Venezuelan construction worker who has lived in New York for 22 years, yelled at the group across from him, telling them that if they support Nicolas Maduro so vehemently, they should go live in Cuba. He has never visited the island, but the stories he hears from his friends are horrifying. In Cuba, you can raise a cow and you cant eat it, you can produce milk and you cant drink it, he said.

He added violent instincts were surfacing within him, and he held back behind the barricades erected by the NYPD police to control the confrontation. I feel resentment, anger, hatred toward those people. Its sad to see your mother stand in line for one or two days and get a pittance, or wait four days to get gas in an oil-producing country.

On the other side was Ebtesham Ahmed, wearing a green beret and holding a sign that read: Free President Maduro. He is 21 years old, visited Caracas last December, and is a member of the Socialist Organization Camino de la Libertad (Path to Freedom). He said that although he doesnt know if those here are people who fled repression or the economic crisis, he cant help but feel pity for their celebration of Maduros capture. The United States has no right to infringe upon our sovereignty as a nation. I just hope that one day they will understand that the United States doesnt care about the people of Venezuela, that it only wants its oil, that it only wants its natural resources. And we have seen this story repeat itself time and time again.

For now, what worries Elisbeli Carabali, a 30-year-old Venezuelan who frequently shed tears in front of the New York courthouse, is being able to return with her four children from her Bronx apartment to her home in Maracaibo, where her mother and brother live. I want to go back to a free Venezuela, where I can feed my children well, where there is good education, where you can arrive and find a job, like in this country, she explained. Carabali got up very early and, despite the low temperatures, took the train and said she wont leave until she knows what happened inside the courthouse. Its something that fills us all with emotion; the president who has ruined Venezuela is now in U.S. custody.

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Years ago, a friend told me, "If you want to create a sustainable society, aim to meet the needs of the poor." Today I would add: aim to meet your community's basic needs (food, water, energy, construction materials, governance) with supplies from within your bioregion. (Your watershed defines your bioregion. The U.S. has six main and about 2100 small watersheds.)

To keep local, grow even a wee bit of your own food. Support local farmers. Know your watershed: protect it for local residents and farmers and study how to generate healthy water cycles. Recognize that covering land (with pavement, gravel, data centers, shopping malls, substations) blocks the Earth's ability to absorb and hold water. Limit short-term rentals to tourists so that teachers, grocery stockers, police officers, nurses and writers (assuming you want such people in your community) can afford housing. Enact ordinances to prohibit data centers, silicon fabs and factory-farmed livestock from consuming and polluting local water supplies-- and from consuming energy. Delay children's use of electronics at least until they've mastered reading, writing and math on paper; and prohibit cell phones in schools.

As 2026 begins, federal acts block local authority over telecommunications, AI and data centers, over ecosystems and even the right to repair our own devices and appliances. Local authority has become scarce.

I'm encouraged by people who reduce their tech use, adhere to sustainable directions, sow healing seeds and restore healthy water cycles. Here are some 2025 headlines:

PEOPLE REDUCING TECH USE

In Spain, FUNDACI-"N HERMES envisions a future where technology serves people, not the other way around. It advocates for the right to be offline, to a non-digital life. It promotes access while aiming to ensure that access does not undermine the rights of those who choose to opt out. Individuals should be able to interact with government agencies, access healthcare and engage in other critical activities without being forced to use digital technology. Non-digital options allow individuals a means to protect their privacy and avoid surveillance, tracking and data collection.

Also in Spain, Diego Hidalgo has launched The OFF Movement. It invites users to remove social media apps from their phones during February"and reclaim life in the real world.

On December 10th, Australia banned under-16-year-olds from social media platforms. The European parliament has also called for an under-16 social media ban. In the U.S., according to a survey of 20,000 public school teachers, stricter school cellphone policies lead to more focused classroom environments.

Julia Angwin (a tech-lover) killed the color on her phone, and her use of it shrunk from eight-plus hours per day to less than five hours.

Oberlin students, part of a new generation of Luddites, have implored their college to opt out of AI.

CHIP FABS

Reducing tech use might start by learning what it takes to manufacture, operate and discard a computer-including what it takes to make semiconductors (chips). Every computer (and every vehicle, appliance, data center, substation, AI search, etcetera that needs a computer) depends on silicon chips. A chip factory hub in the Sonoran Desert north of Phoenix (owned by Taiwan's TSMC) will span 1,149 acres and cost $165 billion-- one of the most expensive projects on Earth. The first three factories will collectively use 16.4 million gallons of water per day-- about enough for 200,000 homes. TSMC says its wastewater treatment plant will eventually recycle nearly all of its water"while environmentalists worry about the site's impact on desert tortoises, protected species of desert flora, and ozone.

We can't ignore the big semiconductor water problem.

Who will win the water: computers or living creatures?

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In Dealey Plaza there was a "Magic Bullet". Out in Oak Cliff there was something that can be called the "Button Bullet". Like a trick from "Ricochet Rabbit", one shot fired at Tippit, at approx. 600 ft per sec., was stopped by a button. That button absorbed the energy of the bullet from only about 12 feet, and caused only a superficial non-penetrating wound.

The Mystery of the Fourth Bullet

The heart of the controversy lies in the " Button Bullet ." While the autopsy officially noted only three penetrating wounds, Dr. Rose later informed the Secret Service that a fourth shot was stopped by a coat button, leaving only a bruise. However, this contradicts the account of Dr. Moellenhoff, the receiving physician at Methodist Hospital, who claimed he manually extracted a bullet from under a rib-- evidence he allegedly handed to police before the autopsy even began.



The Missing Record: The Delayed Tippit Autopsy

The official autopsy of Officer J.D. Tippit, performed by Dr. Earl Rose on November 22, 1963, remained unfinished for nearly three weeks . Despite the immediate transfer of the body from Methodist to Parkland Hospital, the final report was not available until December 10. Curiously, this vital document was excluded from the Warren Commission's 26 volumes, leading researchers to suggest that authorities intentionally bypassed the report to avoid addressing its glaring inconsistencies.



Contradictions in the Chain of Custody

In December 1963, Dallas authorities informed the Secret Service that all recovered bullets had been turned over to the FBI. The record proves this was false; three of the four bullets were actually withheld by the Dallas Police Department for 114 days. This "intentional withholding" of ballistics has led researchers to question the legitimacy of the evidence eventually produced, especially since the shells found at the scene did not consistently match the bullets recovered from the body.





The account of ambulance driver Eddie Kensley adds a final layer of suspicion. Kensley claimed he saw a bullet-- still lodged in a button-- fall onto the hospital parking lot, where he inadvertently kicked it away. If the " button bullet " was lost in a parking lot, the origin of the fourth bullet later placed into evidence becomes a haunting question. As researcher Gary Mack famously noted, the investigation appeared to be a case of "the fox guarding the hen house."
By Bob Gaydos

Be careful what you wish for.

After a few days of reminiscing about Christmases past and pondering the year to come, of musing about the choices and chances of survival of once seemingly stalwart Trumpers Elise Stefanik and Susie Wiles, I woke up on your regular Saturday, January 3, 2026, wondering what the man himself, the beneficiary of the first ever FIFA Peace Prize, would give me to write about.

War.

I should have known.

This won't take long. What you're going to read here is likely to be pretty much what you read elsewhere because there's only one way for rational, law-abiding citizens of our system of government with its separation of powers spelled out in a Constitution to look at it: Invading Venezuela and kidnapping its president and his wife/adviser with no legitimate provocation and without consulting Congress is an illegitimate act of war.

The nonsense about Venezuela being a primary source of Fentanyl coming into this country is just that, nonsense. This is all about oil. Always has been. Gaining control of Venezuela's vast oil reserves. Wait to see which of Trump's wealthy backers benefit.

That Nicolas Maduro was a much-hated dictator does not justify attacking Venezuela and looking to change the government with no request for intervention and the claim that he was in fact a major drug dealer himself for allowing the drug trade to continue is sheer nonsense when one considers the actual major drug dealers Trump has pardoned.

Trump says we're going to "run" Venezuela for a while. Why? They have a new president -- the former Vice President. Trump says Maduro is going to be charged with drug charges in New York. There are international courts.

Then there's the fact that China and Russia both get a lot of oil from Venezuela and our seizing the country to make up for losing control of its oil fields when they were nationalized seems to give China an argument for taking back Taiwan and its wealth and Russia invading Ukraine for its. Same authoritarian playbook.

Illegal. Dangerous. Foolhardy. Unwanted and unwarranted. If you believe what we tell the world, unAmerican.

Americans don't want this. Congress must step in. Republicans must finally find the courage to do their job. He is out of control.

The Epstein files are still out there. Trump's name is all over them. War is a powerful distraction. Frightened and unchecked, he will only get worse. It's only January 3rd.

Footnote: The plane carrying Maduro and his wife apparently landed at Stewart Airport in Orange County, my neighborhood and a short ride to New York City. When the hostages from Iran landed there, it was a much more joyous event,

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What Planet Are We On?

How Did I End Up Living in Donald Trump's Suicidal America?

By Tom Engelhardt

As 2026 begins, what a strange planet we find ourselves on. The two great empires of my youth, the Soviet Union (now Russia) and my own country, are clearly experiencing some version of imperial decline, even if Vladimir Putin is acting otherwise in Ukraine (as is Donald Trump in his own strange fashion in the Caribbean Sea and Venezuela). No less curiously, the country visibly on the rise, China, is distinctly not acting like a typical imperial power of history (at least the history I've known). In a world where the United States still has 750 or so military bases around the world, China, as far as I can tell, has at most just one (in Djibouti, Africa). While its economy has become significant globally (imperially significant, you might say), unlike essentially every imperial power from the Portuguese and Spanish in the 15th and 16th centuries on, it has no colonies and only the most minimal military presence abroad, though it does continue to build up its military power (and its nuclear arsenal) at home.

Of course, it's worth remembering that we are distinctly on a different planet than the one any of those older powers inhabited. And even if America's great man (my joke!), President Donald J. Trump, doesn't seem to know it, China's leader, Xi Jinping, certainly does.

Vladimir Putin's version of imperial aggression is, at present, aimed at Ukraine in a war that will in the -- and yes, I can hardly avoid the word! -- end undoubtedly prove a disaster, not just for Ukraine but for Russia and the rest of the planet, too. Meanwhile, Donald Trump's version of imperial aggression, which is likely (again, in the end) to prove disastrous, is for the time being (and, with him, you always have to add a qualifier) aimed at the Caribbean Sea, the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and Venezuela (which he now seems intent on turning into an oil colony), even as he prepares to build his own "golden fleet," including "Trump-class" (old-fashioned) battleships. On the other hand, China's major "aggression" (and indeed, that word does have to be put in quotation marks!) is aimed -- setting aside the island of Taiwan (which it claims not as a colony but as a part of China itself) -- at the conquest of the future global green economy.

Or put another way, to give credit where it's due, despite the fact that China continues to open coal plants in an unnerving fashion, its great-power desires are at least aimed at something -- in fact, the thing -- that truly matters on this distinctly beleaguered planet of ours. It is intent on becoming the Earth's global powerhouse when it comes to the sale of green energy and the ways to produce it.Consider that its imperial target, one unlike any other in history (though perhaps a comparison could be made to the industrialization of what became imperial Great Britain in the nineteenth century). Moreover, it's already selling and delivering green energy production units to countries globally, while far outpacing anyplace else on this planet in producing electric vehicles (EVs).

At War with the World

Last year, China installed more wind turbines and solar panels than any other country, indeed more than the rest of the planet combined. And as the New York Times reported earlier in 2025, "Not only does China already dominate global manufacturing of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, EVs, and many other clean energy industries, but with each passing month it is widening its technological lead."

While Donald Trump's America is putting so much of its energy (so to speak) and money into coal, oil, and natural gas production, China's government has been giving hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies to wind, solar, and electric car manufacturers. And it is now hard at work spreading the products for producing wind and solar power globally. As the Times also reported, "Chinese firms are building wind turbines in Brazil and electric vehicles in Indonesia. In northern Kenya, Chinese developers have erected Africa's biggest wind farm. And across the continent, in countries rich with minerals needed for clean energy technologies, such as Zambia, Chinese financing for all sorts of projects has left some governments deeply in debt to Chinese banks."

And of course, China is unequaled in the production of electric vehicles. There are now at least 129 brands selling such vehicles in China and they are exporting more than one-fifth of their products globally, while Chinese companies continue to out-innovate those elsewhere on this planet.

On the other hand, Vladimir Putin, who once joked that global warming might be good for Russians because they could then "spend less on fur coats," at least now acknowledges its reality. Nonetheless, he only recently signed a decree that would allow his country, already heating up 2.5 times faster than the global average, to increase its emissions of greenhouse gases 20% by 2035. And of course the United States is now led by a president who all too bluntly ran for office the second time around on the campaign slogan "drill, baby, drill" and is making policy based on "ending the green new scam."

Only recently, in fact, his administration "paused" the leases on and halted the building of five major wind projects under construction off the east coast of the United States, supposedly due to "national security risks." In essence, Donald Trump and crew have been doing their best to dismantle or get rid of anything in this country that might effectively impede climate change and the future broiling of Planet Earth. That is, in fact, the definition of his America, which is also the definition of decline on a scale that once would have been unimaginable. And remember, I'm talking about the same president who, last fall, told delegates from nations around the world at the United Nations that climate change was "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world," while insisting that, "If you don't get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail."

In the bluntest terms, the greatest imperial power of the past century, the United States, is now in the Trumpian process of sending itself into a steep imperial decline on a distinctly beleaguered planet itself undoubtedly in decline. And part of the reason for that, Trump aside for a moment, is that we humans just can't seem to stop making war on ourselves. After all, in addition to killing and wounding staggering numbers of us and doing untold damage to (even destroying) whole regions of the planet, wars also release stunning amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, as do what still pass for "peacetime" armies. In fact, the U.S. military, even when not at war, still releases more greenhouse gases than whole countries like Sweden or Norway. As it happens, it may be the single largest institutional emitter of such gases on planet Earth.

And worse yet, at such an increasingly dangerous moment in history, there are at least three significant wars underway on this planet of ours. In this distinctly post-modern age, there should be a term for such wars and the way -- in addition to the hell on earth they have created since time immemorial -- they are now helping produce an environmental hell through the release of greenhouse gases in vast quantities into the atmosphere. There is, of course, the never-ending war in Ukraine, the one (in partial -- but only partial -- remission) in the Middle East, and the brutal ongoing one in Africa. I'm thinking of Sudan, of course. (And don't forget the more minor but still brutal one underway in the Congo.)

And when it comes to one conflict for which we have some figures on greenhouse gas emissions, the Guardian reported that, in the first 15 months of Israel's war in Gaza, those emissions were "greater than the annual planet-warming emissions of a hundred individual countries." It similarly reported that "the climate cost of the first two years of Russia's war on Ukraine was greater than the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated individually by 175 countries."

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Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator

After weeks of destroying ships said to be carrying drugs from Venezuela, US President Donald Trump posted on social media the capture and arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a daring US military operation in Caracas.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Maduro has been indicted in New York on drugs and weapons charges. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Republican senator Maduro will stand trial in the US and that he anticipates no further military action.

According to the Venezuelan constitution, Vice President Delcy Rodr-guez will assume leadership of the country. She mentioned the US attack has cost the lives of officials, military personnel and civilians across the country.

Trump had campaigned on a "America First" platform, and had long ridiculed the past Obama-Biden administration's insistence of "regime change" operations in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, and Yemen.

In my opinion, Trump may have a two-pronged strategy: China and OPEC.

Firstly, Trump may be seeking to hurt China economically. China, the world's no. 1 oil importer, is the biggest buyer of Venezuelan crude, though Venezuelan supply accounts for only around 4% of its total crude imports.

China remained Venezuela's main export destination, taking about 80% of total shipments, or roughly 746,000 bpd. as of December 5, 2025. China has imported 1.72 million bpd of crude from Saudi Arabia, 21.1 percent of its total imports.

Iran ranks as the second largest crude exporter to China in 2025 as a whole, with 1.61 million bpd and 19.6 percent of China's total imports as of November 19, 2025.

Secondly, Saudi Arabia is considered the country with the biggest power in OPEC, serving as its de facto leader. Its influence stems primarily from its massive oil production capacity, large proven reserves, and significant spare capacity, which allows it to function as the traditional swing producer to balance the global market.

However, if the US can control the massive oil reserves in Venezuela, Trump could exert power in OPEC, effectively unseating Saudi Arabia as the power broker. Which could buy Trump leverage over Saudi Arabia's signing of the Abraham Accords with Israel. Possibly, Trump could be the power which sets oil prices in the future.

In mid-December, speculation abounded concerning a possible attack on Venezuela, and the future of Maduro. The US forces had seized a Venezuelan oil tanker off the coast. Experts pointed to the shared interest in Venezuela oil reserves, the world's largest proven reserves, between the US and China.

"Whoever comes to power, I can assure you, the first call will be Trump, but the second will be Xi Jinping," said Parsifal D'Sola Alvarado, a specialist in China-Latin America relations.

The US had been Venezuela's largest customer prior to 2019, when Washington imposed substantial sanctions on Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA in 2019 -- having earlier blocked its access to US financial markets in 2017. Production and exports tumbled soon afterward.

Chevron revives output

In 2023 production begin to recover, with exports rising to 655,000 bpd in 2024 and reaching 921,000 bpd in November this year. The rebound was due to US oil giant, Chevron of Houston, TX.

Washington eased some restrictions on Venezuela, in the wake of Russia's military operations in Ukraine in 2022. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control granted Chevron special licenses to resume exports from its Venezuelan joint ventures. In October 2025, Chevron received fresh authorization to produce oil there.

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ALBUQUERQUE, NM - January 2026 - Facing a larceny charge can be overwhelming, confusing, and frightening, particularly for individuals unfamiliar with New Mexico's criminal justice 
Dieci Boutique Restaurant in Devino, Bulgaria receives high acclaim from UK food critic Elliot Chambers, who praises it as the country's most refined and distinguished 
When global manufacturers and logistics operators search for Top Warehouse Robotics Companies in China(https://www.pallixbot.com/about-us/), the core question is rarely about "whether" to automate-it's about which 
A brief two-hour journey was enough for the first outside witnesses to get a sense of a destroyed and practically deserted town with thousands of dead and displaced

As the UN approached El Fasher, the landscape became increasingly gloomy. On the last Friday of December, UN team members entered the capital of North Darfur for the first time since it was seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in October. The RSF takeover involved one of the worst massacres of the Sudanese war as well as one of the most horrific in recent history.

The UN team members were the first external witnesses to arrive at the epicenter of the tragedy. What they found was a destroyed and deserted city as well as abandoned villages nearby, triggering serious concerns for the civilians who remain there and for those missing. In August, the UN estimated the towns population at around 260,000 people, of whom about 100,000 fled after the RSF seized the site. So far, no one has been able to confirm the whereabouts or wellbeing of tens of thousands of missing residents.

What is clear is that there were no thousands of people to see. Its like a ghost town, said the UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Denise Brown, in an interview with EL PAIS. We dont know for sure how many people were left behind at El Fasher. There are missing people. Where are they? They may be dead, they may be detained, they may be injured. Sooner or later, we will have to do a triangulation.

The team that entered El Fasher spent only two hours inside the city, visiting just a small area due it being believed parts of the town are strewn with unexploded ordnance. Their priority was the area around the Saudi Hospital, the only medical facility, run by civilian and military teams, that was operational until the fall of the city.

When El Fasher fell on October 26, the paramilitaries killed more than 460 people in this hospital, including patients and visitors. In the following days, the Yale Humanitarian Research Center (HRL) identified piles of objects that could have been corpses near and inside the compound via satellite images. Beside some were reddish marks on the ground, indicating blood and fluids. Soon, the piles were burned.

The [hospital] building is there, but its clear that theyve cleaned it, Brown says. There are medical personnel, but we do not ask them for credentials. There are very few patients and there are almost no supplies. According to the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), the hospitals staff consists of professionals who have been abducted by the RSF in El Fasher and South Darfur.

We dont know for sure how many people were left behind at El Fasher. There are missing people. Where are they? Denise Brown, UN

Few signs of life

Brown explains that in the area surrounding the hospital there are some people living in pretty precarious conditions, due to the extensive destruction in El Fasher over the year that included a siege by the RSF before the final takeover. Those who remain live in abandoned buildings or in very basic shelters made of blankets or plastic, without toilets or access to drinking water.

In that same corner of the Daraja Oula district  the last neighborhood in El Fasher to fall where most of the civilian population took refuge in recent months  the UN team found a small market selling a smattering of produce such as onions, tomatoes, and also bags of rice and biscuits. It was unclear how the food got there. There were no open schools or public services. Theres nothing that works and no one works, so its really a ghost place, Brown says.

The situation witnessed on the ground is consistent with what has been indicated by the satellite imagery. In November, HRL did not identify activities that suggested a significant civilian presence in El Fasher. There were no signs of daily life, such as transport, commercial movement or people gathering for water. In the citys markets, weeds had sprung up.

Brown believes the teams visit has shown they can achieve their priority of safely getting in and out of El Fasher. And she considers that they now have to start sending in basic resources. We must return as soon as possible with basic supplies, not in weeks, but in days. These will not be large convoys, but essential supplies in a handful of vehicles.

Brown is aware that it has taken too long to enter El Fasher, but she argues there was a need to act with caution. It was absolutely clear that we had to enter, but it had to be on our terms: we were not going to rush and let them politicize us, she says. There are people who are detained and injured who need to be evacuated, but with every step we take I hope a door will open to do more without endangering those who stay.

Since the start of Sudans civil war in 2023, the two main warring factions  the regular army and the RSF  have systematically obstructed the delivery of aid in the areas hardest hit by the conflict. They have also repeatedly obstructed and interfered with the work of humanitarian organizations, forcing them to maintain difficult balances amid widespread international indifference.

A Sudanese soldier walks across the Shambat Bridge, between Omdurman and the Bahri neighborhood in Khartoum. Giles Clarke (Getty Images)

The missing

The fact the UN team found so few people alive in El Fasher raises fears about the scale of the massacre by the UAE-backed RSF. In a December investigation, HRL concluded that the RSF committed mass killings of civilians trying to flee or taking refuge in Daraja Oula. HRL also observed how the RSF destroyed evidence by burying, burning, and disposing of human remains on a large scale.

In total, the HRL identified 150 piles of objects compatible with human remains, of which 83 lay on the outskirts of El Fasher, suggesting that these were people killed as they tried to flee. Another 52 were in Daraja Oula, where paramilitaries appear to have carried out door-to-door killings. The rest were in spaces converted into detention centers, such as El Fasher University, and military installations.

The response of the international community, at all stages of this crisis, should fill us all with shame Nathaniel Raymond, Yale Center for Humanitarian Research

On the other hand, the HRL acknowledged the burning of objects  visible in satellite images due to charred marks on the ground  at 20 locations in the city. All were observed in Daraja Oula, including at the Saudi Hospital, except for one near one of the main checkpoints erected by the RSF on the earthen wall that completely surrounded El Fasher. They also identified evidence of eight mass graves, six of them again in Daraja Oula.

The UN teams visit to El Fasher corroborates and confirms the findings of the Yale HRL that there are few civilians left in the city and that there have been a large number of fatalities as a result of the carnage perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces, says Nathaniel Raymond, the executive director of the research center.

More than two months after the RSF takeover of the city, however, no agency has been able to calculate the death toll, although it is widely considered to be in the tens of thousands. British MPs told The Guardian in December that they had received private information pointing to some 60,000 deaths in three weeks. If this figure is confirmed, it would be one of the largest massacres in recent history within such a short space of time.

By comparison, the death toll in the Gaza Strip due to Israels bombardment officially exceeded 60,000 in July 2025 after a year and nine months. The situation there is considered a genocide by numerous international organizations, leaders, and experts. In 2023, the RSF and allied groups killed between 10,000 and 15,000 people in Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, according to a panel of UN experts.

Any current debate about figures and about what is happening in the city is outrageous because we knew what was going to happen, what has happened, and what is happening, Raymond states. The response of the international community, at all stages of this crisis, should fill us all with shame.

Besides the murdered masses, there are also thousands arrested and missing. In a mid-December report, the ACJPS said that on the day El Fasher fell, paramilitaries captured more than 4,000 people fleeing north and transferred them to the former Childrens Hospital, which has been converted into a makeshift detention center. After three days, the number of detainees had risen to more than 7,300.

At the same time, large numbers were kidnapped while trying to escape from El Fasher, most of them by herdsmen and members of Arab communities allied with the RSF, who held them in areas around the city, as documented by Sudanese media such as Atar. Ransom demands have been increasing as the days have passed, but it is currently unclear how many people are being held in this way.

The only thing that remains to be seen is whether were going to do anything about it, and, for now, it seems that the answer is still no, Raymond says.

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A rush of bond-funded affordable housing construction in the past decade has aimed to house low-income and homeless Portlanders.

But compressing rents between regulated and market apartments, paired with administrative stumbles and rising evictions, has left a significant share of those publicly subsidized units empty  at a time when thousands of Portlanders live on the streets and languish on waitlists to get into available units.

The Oregonian/OregonLive detailed the paradox over the holiday break. Heres what our investigation found:

Thousands of Portland metro affordable apartments sit empty

Nearly 1,900 publicly subsidized apartments are sitting empty and unused.

The units account for more than 7% of the roughly 25,000 total affordable units in Portland, data from real estate analytics firm CoStar shows.

Overall in the metro area, approximately 2,800, or 6%, of 45,000 affordable units are empty, according to CoStar data.

Real estate experts say the vacancy rate in a balanced apartment market should hover around 5%.

Affordable housing properties should not have substantial vacancies while people need homes, Gov. Tina Kotek has told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Administrative stumbles add to empty units

One Portlander who wanted to get into an affordable apartment told the newsroom he sat on waitlists for six months for an available unit and a voucher to help pay his rent, but barely heard back from program administrators. He eventually gave up and moved to a market rate unit because the rents were competitive enough.

Compressing rents between market and regulated units are causing many tenants to make the leap to market units. But administrative problems with waitlists are compounding the problem and driving up vacancy rates, according to those whove worked the lists and spoke with The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Landlords bleed red ink

As units sit empty, affordable housing landlords say losses are mounting as the rents they can charge still fail to keep up with rising costs for insurance, labor and utilities.

That assertion squares with new data from advisory firm CohnReznick, which shows Multnomah Countys affordable housing properties failing to break even. For example, Multnomah County affordable housing providers lost $411 on each unit in 2024, according to CohnReznick, a dramatic change of fortune from nearly a decade ago in 2015 when their per-unit cash flow  the money left over after all operating expenses and debt service are paid  stood at $963 per unit.

Some landlords leverage tech to fill units, but hurdles remain

To fill vacancies, Reach Community Development is among the landlords working with a nonprofit called Housing Connector, which bills itself as a tech-for-good nonprofit that lists empty affordable units through an online clearinghouse.

So far, Reach has placed 15 households through the platform, said Reach CEO Margaret Salazar.

June Kissel, Housing Connectors community partnership manager for the Portland area, said the group has helped place a total of 187 households in Multnomah County since late 2023, when the county first entered into a contract with the group.

Housing Connect is ramping up its operations locally and has placed 50 households in the past three months, Kissel said. It is working with the Portland Housing Bureau to put that agencys affordable housing portfolio into its community hub in order to help start filling empty units, she said.

Tenants express frustration with Portland affordable housing

Current, former and prospective affordable housing tenants who spoke with The Oregonian/OregonLive expressed frustration with the state of Portlands affordable housing, including living conditions, problems with drug use and rising rents.

In one case, a tenant whod gone through a recovery program for drug addiction moved into a Central City Concern alcohol- and drug-free community downtown only to encounter what he said was a lot of drug use. After a year, he moved to a rented room in the suburbs.

Central City Concern said in a statement that tenants in its alcohol- and drug-free buildings must verify quarterly they are in a recovery program, and lease terms require sobriety. Even so, staff offer second chances that focus on connecting residents with addiction services, part of a right to remedy process, according to spokesperson Laura Recko.

The Yards apartment complex, sitting half-empty next to Portland's Union Station as 2024 storm repairs continue, has one of the highest vacancy rates in the city's affordable housing stock. Jonathan Bach I The Oregonian/OregonLive

Across town at The Yards near Portlands Union Station, tenants successfully averted planned rent increases. The tenants argued that a proposed 10% rate hike for subsidized units would seriously strain finances for current residents and push more prospective renters away at a time when 57% of The Yards 158 units sat empty, many of them uninhabitable after storm damage last year. Home Forward, which owns The Yards, told The Oregonian/OregonLive it would reverse a planned rent increase that was scheduled to go into effect this month.

Read the full story here.
U.S. Department of Justice attorneys will ask a judge Tuesday to order the city to turn over documents and body camera footage on the Portland Police Bureaus handling of protests outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building, including its dealings with two right-wing media personalities.

The Justice Department is investigating whether the Police Bureau applied its policies uniformly without regard to political views, its attorneys wrote in a motion filed in federal court in Portland.

The government has requested police documents and body camera footage involving the early October arrest of conservative online influencer Nick Sortor, the lack of any arrests following an assault reported by conservative writer Katie Daviscourt outside Portlands U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building and moves by the Portland City Council finding the ICE facility in breach of its land-use permit.

These documents would enable the United States to develop the record and consider possible enforcement, wrote Catherine Yoon, an attorney in the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division.

Yoon filed the motion as part of the federal governments 12-year settlement with the city over use of excessive force against people with mental illness.

She argued that the settlement language is unambiguous, noting it says the Justice Department shall have full and direct access to all City staff, employees, facilities, and documents, to the extent necessary to carry out the enforcement provisions of the agreement.

City officials countered that the Justice Department is using the settlement improperly and have directed federal lawyers to submit public records requests.

This is an effort to misuse and abuse the long-standing Agreement between the parties under the pretext of an enforcement action that is, in reality, base political weaponization of the DOJ against a city the President dislikes, Chief Deputy City Attorney Heidi Brown wrote in a response.

Brown pointed out that the dispute arose as the city successfully worked with state officials to block President Donald Trumps push to deploy National Guard members to protect Portlands ICE office amid the sporadic, mostly nonviolent protests that began in June.

The Justice Department also is no longer the agency responsible for assessing whether the city meets the settlement requirements, Brown wrote.

U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon in May 2024 approved a two-year appointment of a new independent monitoring team to oversee the citys progress on police reforms.

The judge oversees the 2014 agreement that governs changes in police training and use-of-force policies after federal investigators found that Portland officers used excessive force against people experiencing mental health crises.

Under the current Agreement, DOJ does not independently decide compliance. Rather, the Monitor assesses the Citys compliance with the requirements of the Agreement, and only then, does DOJ have enforcement authority, provided such action is within the scope of the Agreement, Brown wrote. DOJ is proceeding with unclean hands, in bad faith, and to the detriment of the Portland community.

Simon will hear arguments on the Justice Departments request at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Sortor, 27, of Washington, D.C., was held at the downtown county jail overnight on Oct. 2 on suspicion of second-degree disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, after his arrest at an ICE protest. The Multnomah County District Attorneys Office dropped the case four days later, saying Sortor acted in self-defense after black-clad protesters had pushed him during a confrontation over his coverage.

His lawyer has filed a notice to sue the Police Bureau, alleging bias by the bureaus leaders against conservatives.

Daviscourt, of the Seattle area, reported on X that she was hit in the face by someone swinging a flagpole outside the ICE building in late September. No arrest has been made and a police investigation is ongoing, according to Mike Benner, a Portland police spokesperson.

Federal officials have argued in the separate case over mobilization of National Guard troops to Portland that local police have been unhelpful and hostile at times and that they cant rely on Portland police to protect the property or officers working in the South Portand ICE building during protests there.

After police declared a riot at the building in mid June, protests decreased in volume and intensity until Trumps Sept. 27 post on Truth Social authorizing federal control of Oregon National Guard members, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths mobilization the next day of 200 Oregon National Guard soldiers into federal service and subsequent transfer of 200 California National Guard troops to the state.

Portland police and the city deny allegations that officers have discriminated against anyone during the protests.

Portland police supervisors testified in the Guard case that federal officers caused the situation to deteriorate outside the ICE office when they used needless force and sometimes arbitrarily fired tear gas, pepper balls and smoke canisters at passive protesters.

U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut found the testimony of the Portland police supervisors more credible than that of federal officers in that case.

Immergut concluded that the Police Bureau established policies that allowed them to be a helpful partner in addressing crime that occurred at the protests and sought to maintain an open line of communication with federal law enforcement and consistently responded to requests for assistance when resources permitted.

She noted that police declined to help clear the street in front of the ICE building driveway over concerns about violating Oregons sanctuary law, but she ruled that such inaction was at most minimal interference with the execution of (federal) laws.

Immergut ultimately issued a permanent injunction barring any troop deployments to Portland.

Brown, the chief deputy city attorney, argued in recent court filings that Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon should attend this weeks federal court hearing in Portland in person, since she has taken credit for driving the Justice Departments new investigation and has frequently tweeted about Portland.

If this is a high priority for the Civil Rights Division, as AAG Dhillons social media posts claim, she should appear before this Court in person rather than just post on social media from Washington, D.C., Brown wrote.

Brown also suggested that Dhillon should answer for federal officers alleged use of unwarranted force outside the ICE building in Portland, and explain why they are ignored by the Civil Rights Division while it pursues this spurious and politically motivated enforcement action on behalf of social media influencers with whom AAG Dhillon is politically aligned.

Yoon, of the Justice Department, countered that the matter before the court  is not about federal agents conduct, so the Citys references are irrelevant.

The City asserts, without evidence, that PPBs protest response has been consistent with the Agreement, and that the United States seeks to undermine the Citys protest response, Yoon wrote in a court filing. However, through its document requests, the United States seeks to gather information to probe that statement, which the United States has the right to do.

Advocate groups that hold friend-of-the-court status in the police settlement case, including the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice and Police Reform and the Mental Health Alliance, oppose the Justice Departments recent motion.

The demands for documents being made here are obviously, flagrantly, as a punishment or a precursor for punishment for challenging this Administrations conduct, wrote attorney Juan Chavez for the Mental Health Alliance and attorneys J.Ashlee Albies and Rian Peck for the ministerial alliances coalition. It is important that the Court ward against this type of political point-taking and spectacle-making from the United States.
An Oregon pilot and three of his relatives died in a helicopter crash in Arizona on Friday, officials and family members say.

The Pinal County Sheriffs Office said in a statement that the crash happened around 11 a.m. in the mountains around Telegraph Canyon, which is east of Phoenix. Investigators believe that the helicopter collided with a recreational slackline that had been strung across a mountain range, the sheriffs office said.

Family members of the four on board said in a social media statement that the people who died were David McCarty, 59, who was piloting the chopper, and his nieces Katelyn Heideman 22, Rachel McCarty, 23 and Faith McCarty 21.

Elizabeth Gallup, sister of Rachel and Faith, posted about the accident on social media.

Please continue to pray over every single family member as we process this heartbreak, she wrote. All the love and support is welcome. We truly have no words right now.

Oregon business records show that David McCarty owned Columbia Basin Helicopters, based in La Grande, but its not clear if the helicopter that crashed was owned by the company. He had a pilots license registered to an address in Baker City.

The McCarty sisters all attended Echo High School, the East Oregonian reported in 2021. Gallup said that Heideman graduated from Hermiston High School.

The helicopter had taken off from Pegasus Airpark in Queen Creek, Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriffs Office said. An eyewitness told law enforcement that they saw it hit the slackline before falling to the bottom of a canyon.

The International Slackline Association said in a statement that the organization had informed the Federal Aviation Administration about the slackline. Nobody was on the line at the time of the crash, the slackline association said.

Federal Aviation Administration records show that the agency had sent out a notice to aviators warning them about the area where the line was suspended. The line was about 600 feet above the ground.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board continue to investigate the cause of the crash.
The Alaska Airlines captain who piloted the Boeing 737 Max that lost a door plug over Portland two years ago is suing the planes manufacturer, alleging that the company has tried to shift blame to him to shield its own negligence.

The $10 million suit  filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Tuesday on behalf of captain Brandon Fisher  stems from the dramatic Jan. 5, 2024 mid-air depressurization of Flight 1282, when a door plug in the 26th row flew off six minutes after take off, creating a 2-by-4-foot hole in the plane that forced Fisher and co-pilot Emily Wiprud to perform an emergency landing back at PDX.

None of the 171 passengers or six crew members on board was seriously injured, but some aviation medical experts said that the consequences could have been catastrophic had the incident happened at a higher altitude.

Leani Benitez-Cardona, NTSB aerospace engineer, and Matthew Fox, NTSB chief technical advisor for materials, unpacking the door plug Sunday from Alaska Airlines flight 1282, a Boeing 737-9 MAX, in the materials laboratory at NTSB headquarters in Washington, D.C. NTSB

Fishers lawsuit is the latest in a series filed against Boeing, including dozens from Flight 1282 passengers. It also names Spirit AeroSystems, a subcontractor that worked on the plane.

The lawsuit blames the incident on quality control issues with the door plug. It argues that Boeing caught five misinstalled rivets in the panel, and that Spirit employees painted over the rivets instead of reinstalling them correctly. Boeing inspectors caught the discrepancy again, the complaint alleges, but when employees finally reopened the panel to fix the rivets, they didnt reattach four bolts that secured the door panel.

The complaints allegations that Boeing employees failed to secure the bolts is in line with a National Transportation Safety Board investigation that came to the conclusion that the bolts hadnt been replaced.

Despite these internal issues, Fisher claims Boeing deliberately shifted blame towards him and his first officer.

Lawyers for Boeing in an earlier lawsuit wrote that the company wasnt responsible for the incident because the plane had been improperly maintained or misused by persons and/or entities other than Boeing.

Fishers complaint alleges that the companys statement was intended to paint him as the scapegoat for Boeings numerous failures.

Instead of praising Captain Fishers bravery, Boeing inexplicably impugned the reputations of the pilots, the lawsuit says.

As a result, Fisher has been scrutinized for his role in the incident, the lawsuit alleges, and named in two lawsuits by passengers.

Spokespeople for Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The path to trial in the 2024 killing of Beaverton nurse Melissa Jubane has held steady on the calendar while a separate criminal case involving a former Beaverton police detective adds a layer of complication. Prosecutors say they are reviewing whether that ex-detective  who worked on the Jubane investigation and testified to a grand jury  can credibly appear as a witness.

Bryce Schubert is accused of killing Jubane, a 32-year-old newlywed nurse who lived across the hallway from his Beaverton apartment.

Heres whats new and whats next in the case:

1. Misconduct charges put a key witness under review

Former Beaverton police Detective Michael Boliek has pleaded not guilty to six counts of official misconduct. Allegations include soliciting sexually explicit photos under false pretenses of police business, using his badge for personal benefit and driving a department vehicle for personal errands, according to court records. Boliek participated in the Jubane investigation and testified before the grand jury prior to resigning in November, prompting prosecutors to reevaluate his role as a court witness.

2. What prosecutors say theyll disclose to the defense

The Washington County District Attorneys Office says its Conviction Integrity Committee is assessing Bolieks future availability to testify. Spokesperson Stephen Mayer said any potentially exculpatory information will be disclosed to Schuberts attorneys.

3. Trial timeline and whats next

The schedule remains intact. Jury orientation is slated for late February, and the trial is set to begin March 31, 2026. Schubert has appeared virtually with audio-only at brief status hearings, and another hearing is planned for later this week ahead of jury selection.

4. Why the trial was delayed to 2026

Defense attorneys asked in late February 2025 to move the trial, citing an ongoing and active state investigation, a large volume of evidence still to review, anticipated additional discovery, the need to retain expert witnesses and counsels existing trial commitments. Prosecutors opposed the delay, but Judge Rebecca Guptill granted the request at a March 10 status hearing, shifting the date from Sept. 9, 2025, to March 31, 2026.

5. Community presence outside the courthouse

Dozens of advocates have rallied after court appearances, demanding justice for Jubane and pledging to attend every proceeding. Organizers with Gabriela Portland said the community remains shattered by her killing and called for justice for all victims of violence against women.
A gradual ban on noisy, polluting gas-powered leaf blowers in Portland officially went into effect on Jan. 1.

The new law, approved by the Portland City Council in March of 2024, will eliminate the machines year-round within the next two years.

For the first two years, gas leaf blowers will be prohibited for nine months out of the year  between January and September  and their use will be allowed during the wet leaf season from October to December. The year-round ban will start on Jan. 1, 2028.

Electric and battery-powered leaf blowers will still be allowed year-round in Portland, though they must comply with the citys noise code.

City officials have said the phase-in approach will allow the electric and battery-powered blower technology to improve and will give landscape companies and large landowners like hospitals, parks and school campuses the time to adjust.

Portland is the first in Oregon to pass such a ban, joining scores of other U.S. cities, counties and the state of California in banning or restricting gas-powered leaf blowers or prohibiting their sale.

The law, passed thanks to a tenacious group of local activists who lobbied city, county and state lawmakers for over a decade, aims to improve public health and the quality of life for landscape workers and other residents. Gas-powered leaf blowers have been identified as major sources of air pollution. The noise levels they produce can also damage hearing.

The ordinance was co-written officials with the city and Multnomah County. The county has helped small landscaping businesses with the expense of transitioning to electric and battery-powered blowers via a rebate program. Individual homeowners dont qualify and will have to replace their own equipment.

In December, activists helped secure a new $1 million grant from the Portland Clean Energy Fund to assist small landscapers in transitioning to electric and battery-powered leaf blowers. The funding will pay for training and financial incentives for landscaping companies with five or fewer employees.

The bans enforcement mechanism is targeted at property owners, not landscaping crews. Violations will be handled through a complaint-based system, with the first offense leading to a warning, then penalties escalating to $250 for the second, $500 for the third and $1,000 for subsequent violations. Each day of non-compliance counts as a separate violation. Portland residents can report violators using an online form.

The citys ordinance does not regulate the sale of gas leaf blowers, so Portland stores can continue to sell them. Portlanders can recycle their gas leaf blowers at several locations.

Other cities in Oregon  Ashland, Bend, Corvallis, Eugene, Salem and Springfield  are also exploring similar bans or restrictions. Lake Oswego is considering restricting not only the gas leaf blowers but potentially all gas landscaping equipment.
Prominent Portland chef Luna Contreras was arrested last month on accusations of domestic violence, harassment and unlawfully using a stun gun, according to court documents filed in Multnomah County.

The charges stem from an incident culminating early on Friday, Dec. 19, when Contreras allegedly went to a Southeast Portland apartment belonging to an intimate partner of two months to hang out, according to a probable cause affidavit. The woman told investigators that Contreras was intoxicated and began grabbing and touching her aggressively after she arrived.

In addition to the pushing, the partner told police that Contreras put her hands around her neck and threw a glass liquor bottle at her but didnt injure her.

Two building security guards responded to reports of fighting at the building as the woman was pushing Contreras out of the apartment, according to the affidavit. After one of the guards grabbed Contreras, they told police, she pulled out a stun gun and attempted to use it on the other guards leg but missed.

Contreras was arrested later in the morning, just before 4 a.m.

On Dec. 22, Contreras pleaded not guilty to four misdemeanors: fourth-degree attempted assault constituting domestic violence, two counts of harassment and one count of unlawful use of a stun gun. She is due back in court on Jan. 20.

Contreras did not immediately respond to a voicemail and texts seeking comment on Monday.

Contreras moved to Portland from San Francisco a decade ago, landing at the Pearl Districts since-closed Oba before launching her own pop-up, Chelo, in 2016, where she debuted her vegetable-heavy riffs on Mexican food. After spending time in the kitchens at high-profile Portland restaurants including Ox, Contreras opened the short-lived restaurant Nightingale in 2020, then revived Chelo as a full-time residency and spin-off hot sauce line operating out of the Northeast Portland pop-up venue Dame.

In 2023, Eater PDX named Contreras its Chef of the Year.

Contreras is ubiquitous in the fabric of Portlands food scene, the website wrote. Shes a staple at many of the citys biggest food events, her condiment line is stocked at fine food markets around town, and shes a vocal advocate for the trans community.

According to Dames website, Chelo closed on Dec. 19, the same day as Contreras arrest. One week later, Ma Cher, a Cajun/Creole supper club that shared the Dame space, announced they were leaving the venue early due to events that none of us could have foreseen.

We know people will have questions, Ma Cher owners Chase Dopson and Maggie Irwin wrote. But please know we are doing our best to honor the privacy of other people as we navigate our way through this experience.

On Dec. 27, owner Jane Smith announced that Dame would close for good, apologizing to anyone who I couldnt or didnt show up for properly.
Longtime Lincoln County Commissioner Claire Hall died late Sunday in a Portland hospital amid worsening health conditions and a contentious recall election. She was 66.

Halls death comes the week of a historic recall election  the first time in the countys 132-year history that voters are being asked if a commissioner should be recalled from office.

With her passing, the recall election underway is void.

Hall fell in her office in September, fracturing her hip, shoulder and several ribs. She was later hospitalized in Corvallis with further health issues and then complications from surgery.

Although she had only recently begun attending commission meetings remotely, in the last weeks of her life she assured constituents that despite her health issues she was ready to fight the recall and had the strength to attend to county business.

Hall served as county commissioner for 21 years, building a reputation as an advocate for unhoused people and affordable housing, and was popular with progressives. She also publicly came out as transgender in 2018 while holding office.

But over the past 15 months her leadership as commission chair was fraught with division, increasingly chaotic meetings and clashes between commissioners, the county counsel and some department heads which energized a recall effort.

Hall was scheduled to hold an online town hall meeting Saturday, but organizers announced that morning that it was canceled because Hall had stomach flu.

Now the Jan. 9 recall is basically void, county Clerk Amy Southwell told the Lincoln Chronicle. Ballot collection boxes around the county will be locked today, she said.

After getting in touch with the Secretary of States office, Southwell said she is still identifying procedurally if the ballots that have already been cast need to be counted.

Before becoming a commissioner, Hall had a career in journalism. She holds a bachelors degree in communications from Pacific University and a masters degree in journalism from Northwestern University. She worked as a producer for the Portland school districts radio station then a reporter for Newport News Times, followed by 15 years for Newport radio stations.

Hall left journalism in 2004 when she won a seat on the county commission. Over the last 21 years she has been an advocate for people facing homelessness, affordable housing issues, reining in short-term rentals, and health care. She has served on local, state and national boards for homeless and housing issues, on the Governors Council on Alcohol and Drug Programs and the Oregon Ending Homelessness Advisory Council.

Hall was in her sixth, four-year term in office. In 2020, she campaigned for re-election for the first time after coming out as transgender and won that election by more than 2,800 votes.

When she ran for re-election in 2024 she faced four challengers in the May primary and defeated Rick Beasley, a controversial newsman and registered Republican from Depoe Bay by just 115 votes. It was the closest commissioner race in decades.

On Monday, the county announced Halls passing due to a brief illness.

Claire prioritized others before herself, led with kindness, and created countless services to improve the lives of community members. Her strength, grace, and compassion left an indelible mark on all who knew her, the statement said. She will be deeply missed and forever remembered for the kindness she gave so freely, and the legacy she leaves in Lincoln County.

Shayla Escudero covers Lincoln County government, education, Newport, housing and social services for Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at Shayla@LincolnChronicle.org
Six-year-old Ruby Bridges is unbowed, her gaze steady despite the racist graffiti creeping into the frame of the iconic image.

The painting  a true-to-life illustration of the fight to integrate New Orleans public schools in the 1960s  is considered one of Norman Rockwells best. Bridges, now 71, has long supported it.

But the picture on Thursday spurred a federal civil rights lawsuit from an Oregon public employee, who says she was fired for wearing a T-shirt with the artwork, titled The Problem We All Live With, printed on it.

The suit filed on behalf of Beth Schmidt in the U.S. District Court of Oregon acknowledges that the painting includes a racist slur, but says Rockwell painted it for documentary and condemnatory purposes.

The suit doesnt seek a specific amount of monetary damages.

The litigation claims that Schmidts abrupt dismissal Nov. 17 from the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments, a coordinating agency serving Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties, violated her First Amendment rights and constituted viewpoint discrimination.

At no time would I ever say or use that word. But that is the actual historical thing that happened to her, said Schmidt, who is white. Four federal marshals were walking this tiny little girl into school, and thats what she was subjected to.

Since joining the council of governments some three years ago, Schmidt said shes been encouraging local schools to participate in Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day, a relatively new event established in California thats spread in other states, including Oregon, to promote civil rights education and traffic safety.

Students from 11 schools in the Salem-Keizer School District walked this year on Nov. 14, Schmidt said.

She says that she wore the shirt earlier, on Nov. 5, for a planning meeting about the walk where no children were present.

It wasnt until Nov. 10 that Schmidt learned someone had complained. Her boss, McRae Carmichael, warned Schmidt the shirt could be considered harassment creating a hostile work environment, according to the litigation.

Schmidt says she agreed to watch several human resources training videos and never wore the shirt again.

In an interview, Schmidts attorney, Lake James H. Perriguey, said Schmidt also met with and apologized to the other employee. Perriguey declined to identify them.

Ruby Bridges Day itself went off without a hitch, but Carmichael called Schmidt into a private meeting and fired her Nov. 17, saying only that two more people had complained and that Schmidt had created low morale at the agency, the lawsuit alleges.

This is a lawsuit about speech and the contours and limits of a government body controlling and sanitizing speech, Perriguey said. She was fired for conveying history.

Tyler C. Yeoman-Millette, an attorney representing Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments, declined to comment on behalf of Carmichael and the agency, citing pending litigation. The agency hasnt yet responded to the allegations in court.

Schmidt, a 50-year-old mother of three, says her firing was particularly unfair because she had worn the shirt in public once before, underneath a blazer  while testifying about Ruby Bridges in front of the Oregon House of Representatives subcommittee.

With the support of Sen. Deb Patterson, D-Salem, state lawmakers made Oregon the third state in the nation to officially recognize Ruby Bridges Day. Gov. Tina Kotek signed the bill in June.

Weve passed this legislation, but yet youve gone and fired the very person who has advocated for it, Schmidt said. The irony thats involved is shocking.
City officials on Monday announced the opening of the latest overnight-only shelter in what has been a year long effort by Portland Mayor Keith Wilson to add 1,500 beds to the citys system.

The new 140-bed shelter is called SE Grand Recovery and is operated by Transition Projects, one of the largest homeless service providers in Portland. Unlike most shelters in Portland and Multnomah County at large, people staying at SE Grand Recovery are expected to be sober when they arrive. It is the second sober, overnight only shelter operated with public funding to open in the city.

The City listened to shelter participants, providers, and community members calling for recovery-oriented sites to give those who choose abstinence from substances the best chance for a good night sleep as well as a connection to recovery resources, said Brandy Westerman, who leads the citys shelter services department.

Most of the areas shelters are low barrier and do not require sobriety to enter, though participants are banned from using drugs or alcohol inside the shelters.

Like the citys six other overnight-only shelters, SE Grand Recovery will use a night after reservation system, meaning that anyone staying at the shelter is guaranteed a bed the following night. Long-term stays with a reserved bed or storage for personal items are not allowed.

Portland opened six new overnight-only shelters in 2025 with the latest opening on Jan. 5, 2026. Top row, left to right: Church of the Nazarene Shelter in Southeast, St. Stephens Shelter in Southwest, Northrup Shelter in Northwest and Moore Street Shelter in North Portland; Bottom row: Burnside Shelter in Northwest, CityTeam Grand in Southeast and SE Grand Recovery in Southeast Beth Nakamura, Lillian Mongeau Hughes, Sean Meagher, Allison Barr

The new shelter is located at 614 SE Grand Avenue in the Buckman neighborhood, one block down from the longstanding CityTeam shelter, which is also a sober shelter that is now funded by the city. In addition to the 140 beds that will be open nightly, the shelter will have an additional 60 beds they are able to open quickly, according to Tony Bernal, CEO of Transition Projects.

Counting all 200 new beds, Portland has 1,090 city-funded shelter beds  most of them overnight-only  that did not exist before Wilson took office. The city also counts about 300 flex beds, meant to be ready to open within 24 hours, as needed, and 50 city-funded treatment beds at Bybee Lakes, a referral-only 24-hour shelter for homeless people who need comprehensive counseling and support to overcome addiction.

Most of the new beds are spread between seven new overnight-only shelters, plus three family shelters at undisclosed locations. An eighth overnight-only shelter operated by nonprofit Sunstone Way is set to open 96 beds later this month at a church on Southeast 148th Avenue in the Centennial neighborhood, according to the city.

While participants are in this shelter, well work alongside them to take the next steps in their recovery and housing journey, Bernal said.

Leaders of SE Grand Recovery and CityTeam Grand, the citys two sober overnight-only shelters, say they will help people wanting to stay sober to connect with addiction recovery services. Oregon has long had a shortage of such services, despite a focused statewide effort on measurably increasing the number of residential addiction recovery beds in recent years.

Nearly 7,800 people are living outside or in their vehicle in Multnomah County, the vast majority of them in Portland, according to the countys latest data. There are over 1,000 more people living unsheltered now than when Wilson took office in January.

And the new beds that do exist arent getting used every night, though November saw an increase in the percentage of beds that have been slept in each night. City data shows all but one city-run overnight-only shelter for which it has current data filled more than half of their beds on average each night. The Moore Street Shelter in North Portland has had the highest usage, with nightly rates between 70% and 91% since Feb. 1.

Wilson has said having open beds is part of his strategy.

Really, the goal is to always have enough beds to provide care when somebodys ready to come inside, Wilson told The Oregonian/OregonLive in November. Thats what ending unsheltered homelessness is  and were going to achieve that.

Portlands publicly funded overnight-only shelters

Moore Street

Location: 5325 N. Williams Avenue (between North Emerson and North Killingsworth)

Capacity: 100 beds

Clientele: Co-ed

Operated by: Salvation Army (city funding)

Open as of: January 2025

SAFES

Location: 30 S.W. 2nd Avenue (between Southwest Ankeny and West Burnside)

Capacity: 100 beds

Clientele: Women only

Operated by: Salvation Army (city funding)

Open as of: January 2025

Church of the Nazarene

Location: 9715 S.W. Powell Boulevard (at the junction of Interstate-205 and U.S. 26)

Capacity: 100 beds

Clientele: Co-ed

Operated by: Agape Village (city funding)

Open as of: August 2025

Operation Nightwatch at St. Stephens

Location: 1432 S.W. 13th Avenue (between Southwest Columbia and Southwest Clay)

Capacity: 80 beds

Clientele: Co-ed

Operated by: Agape Village (city funding)

Open as of: August 2025

Northrup Shelter

Location: 1435 N.W. Northrup Street (between Northwest 14th and Northwest 15th)

Capacity: 200 beds

Clientele: Co-ed

Operated by: Salvation Army (city funding)

Open as of: September 2025

CityTeam Grand

Location: 526 S.E. Grand Avenue (between Southeast Stark and Southeast Alder)

Capacity: 30 beds (planned expansion to 80 beds)

Clientele: Co-ed, sober only

Operated by: CityTeam (city funding)

Open as of: December 2025

SE Grand Recovery

Location: 614 S.E. Grand Avenue (between Southeast Stark and Southeast Alder)

Capacity: 140 beds (plus 60 flex beds)

Clientele: Co-ed, sober only

Operated by: Transition Projects (city funding)

Open as of: January 2026

Centennial Neighborhood Shelter

Location: 3130 S.E. 148th Avenue (near the intersection with U.S. 26)

Capacity: 96 beds

Clientele: Co-ed, sober only

Operated by: Sunstone Way (city funding)

Open as of: Not open - planned opening in January 2026
Maduros disrepute is so great that it has paralyzed action everywhere against the most serious imperialist intervention in recent times

Opinion articles written in the style of their author." These texts are to be based on verified facts and must be respectful towards people, even though their actions may be criticized. shall feature, along with the author's name (regardless of their greater or lesser renown), a footer stating their office, academic title, political affiliation (if any) and main occupation, or the occupation related to the topic being assessed

In August 2024, following the Venezuelan elections, an article in this newspaper concluded: The images of repression in Venezuelaand of a government entrenched in power without even showing the tally sheets of its supposed victoryconstitute an invaluable gift for reactionaries everywhere. A socialism associated with repression, daily hardship and ideological cynicism does not seem to be the best foundation for making progressivism great again. The article also noted that while in the past Chavismo was an assetboth material and symbolicfor the regional left, since the mid-2010s it has become increasingly a burden.

For a left wing that envisioned years of political abandonment, Chavismo fell from the sky like a miracle. That a Latin American president could speak of socialism after the fall of the Berlin Wall and amidst the so-called neoliberal pensee unique, was unexpected. Chavez could quote from the book Bolshevism: The Road to Revolution, by the British Marxist Alan Woods, on the importance of the revolutionary party, and read excerpts on television. And he would invite leftist thinkers to discuss their visions of social change in Caracas. In short: Chavez opened the debate on socialism when it seemed to be closed.

Various peoples power initiatives seemed to give substance to their revolutionFidel Castros torch had finally been passed on. Latin America was, once again, the land of utopia, and a diverse revolutionary tourism flocked to Caracas and its most combative neighborhoods, such as the emblematic 23 de Enero.

But beneath this veneer of radicalism, an elite quickly formed that used the state as a source of wealth and a vehicle for plundering national resourcesincluding oil. The public services that the Bolivarian Revolution supposedly guaranteed rapidly deteriorated or were failed experiments from the outset. Peoples power masked a bureaucratic-authoritarian caste that controlled real power and a state that rendered everything it nationalized useless.

The famous Cuban-organized health missions, now worn out or defunct, were more like commando-style interventions in primary healthcare, running parallel to the destruction of the public health system. This illustrates the paradoxes of a socialism that dismantled what little but real welfare state existed in Venezuela and replaced it with erratic operations financed by oil revenues.

All of this worsened after Chavezs death. A sector of the leftboth inside and outside Venezuelatook refuge in attributing the ills to Madurismo, which had strayed from the path laid out by Chavez: non-Madurista Chavismo. With the series of successive crises following the oil boom, peoples energy became increasingly focused on solving day-to-day problemson killing small tigers. This search for individual solutions to an impossible daily life found its most dramatic expression in one of the largestif not the largestmigration movements in Latin America.

Meanwhile, the regime was distancing itself from electoral legitimacy, which had been one of the driving forces of Chavismo. A populism without the people was taking the place of Chavezs people. The silhouette of Chavezs eyesas eternal commandercould be seen on the walls of Venezuelan cities. But those watchful eyes became increasingly invisible to ordinary Venezuelansjust as happened with real socialism, the words were emptied of meaning.

Once again, as had already happened with Cuba, the source of political legitimacy was no longer social gains, but resistance to the imperialist encirclement (which, in fact, had its moments of reality). Venezuelas status as a hydrocarbon powerhouse further fueled the suspicion that the Empire was trying to steal its oil (a somewhat simplistic idea that Donald Trump is now trying to make a reality, although there seems to be some caution among companies).

The epic of resistance replaced the epic of building a politically democratic and economically viable model. As Wilder Perez Varona wrote about the Cuban case, the vocabulary of the Revolutionsovereignty, people, equality, social justiceceased to function as a shared grammar and as a horizon of meaning capable of organizing social experience. The flip side was increasing repression that included the active participation of the increasingly feared Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), with the power to imprison without the slightest respect for human rights.

Venezuela would then become a powerful weapon for the right wing. Even international media became obsessed with the Caribbean country in comparison to other authoritarian regimes. Venezuela was a sell. Later, emigration would make the discussion about Chavismo a national issue in various countries. The masses of Venezuelans around the world embodied a far more powerful activism than that of the likes of Corina Machado and her predecessors in the forums of the global rightand far right. Each migrant was a testament to the systems failure.

In generalobviously with exceptionsthe regional left failed to find a language, a theoretical framework, or a place in the public debate to question these trends, even though it distanced itself, often quietly, from Bolivarianism. The fact that criticizing Chavismo meant agreeing with the rightin a debate that had become largely confined to domestic circlesdid not help in finding that place of enunciation (the same is true, in part, of the Russian invasion of Ukraine).

The result today is catastrophic. A kind of fall of the Berlin Wall for the Latin American leftand also for the left in several European countries. Maduros disrepute is so great that it has paralyzed action everywhere against the most serious, and unpunished, imperialist intervention of recent times.

The White House has made it explicit that it is implementing the Trump corollary of the Monroe Doctrine, which Secretary of State John Kerry declared concluded in 2013. This doctrine, conceived against the intervention of extra-continental powers at the end of the struggles for independence, would later justify, as Reginaldo Nasser wrote, outright interference in domestic affairs in the face of any threat or perceived threat to the security of the United States.

The Trump corollary now serves to blatantly defend U.S. interests and consolidate far-right forces in the region. Unlike the neoconservatives of the Bush era, Trump no longer speaks of democracy and human rights to justify his interventions. There is no hypocrisy in his speeches; it is naked imperialism that can go and kidnap Maduro, attempt to steal Greenland from Denmark, or declare that the United States will run Venezuela until there is a transition acceptable to him, and that U.S. oil companies will now be established there. Finally, why would a lumpencapitalist with autocratic tendencies in his own country, who despises and sabotages the multilateral order, try to impose democracy abroad? These policies have a chorus of support within the regional far right, which sees Trump, in many ways, as its own president. The most audible voice in that chorus is that of Argentinas Javier Milei, who gets emotional almost to the point of tears, when he recounts his encounters with the New York tycoon.

The poisonous stain of Maduro now discredits anti-imperialist action, and, as with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the rubble falls on both those who supported Maduro and those who criticized him. Catastrophic crises pay no heed to nuancesthey swing the pendulum to the opposite extreme. Today, that extreme is the reactionary wave sweeping the region, defining the new uphill political battleground on which the democratic left, weakened but not defeated, must operate.

Pablo Stefanoni is a historian.

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Adversity didnt stop Andre Gray. In fact, it pushed him.

Over a year ago, Gray was part of a team that opened The Woodstock Cafe. Just off of its namesake Woodstock Boulevard in Southeast Portland, its a unique space where the primary language is American Sign Language. Its owned by CymaSpace, a local nonprofit that makes art accessible to the Deaf community.

Operations manager, Andre Gray, works behind the counter. Allison Barr/The Oregonian

Upon arrival, you are greeted with windows pasted with flyers from community events. Inside is quaint, music-less, and decorated with love for the community.

Woodstock Cafe takes pride that their employees can communicate in their native language. For non-ASL speakers, you can order through a microphone that will live-transcribe your request onto a screen. In response, employees will likely sign or type back to you.

Customers can speak into the microphone and have their words translated onto screens. Allison Barr/The Oregonian

Sure, you could order a cup of coffee and leave within five minutes. But if you stayed for a bit longer, youd begin to unpack the depth that this space offers for so many Portlanders who had nowhere else to feel seen.

Besides coffee and pastries, the space offers a multitude of meetup nights. Theres Sign Squad on Tuesdays, ASL Game night on Thursdays, and sporadic evenings designated to mingle and recharge with friends.

Woodstock Cafe has hired Deaf and hard of hearing individuals from across the country. Allison Barr/The Oregonian

Several people have moved from across the country for a job at Woodstock. As Dre told us in sign language that was later interpreted, its challenging to land a job as a Deaf or hard of hearing person.

So the cafe becomes their stable place. Its their rock he said.

I stopped by Sign Squad for a couple weeks in May. What many raved about, was the hearing spectrum that attendees were on. Deaf folks signed with students taking intro classes at Portland Community College. Hard of hearing individuals read lips and communicated between spoken word and hand signals.

A couple years ago, Sign Squad would gather at a bar in the winter but struggled to communicate in dimly lit spaces. Dre of Woodstock Cafe offered his space to the group. The number of attendees has increased since. Allison Barr/The Oregonian

Sign Squad bridges the gaps between communities

Amy Wachspress dipped her toes into sign language nine years ago when she started losing her hearing. She now classifies herself as hard of hearing and primarily reads lips to communicate.

It was three and half years ago when she wanted to build a greater sense of community with people in a similar boat. After some Facebook sleuthing, she found Sign Squad. At the time, it met up at an outdoor bar. But when the weather got cold, it was near impossible to sign inside a dimly lit establishment.

Thats where she met Andre, whos known around the community as Dre. Come winter, he offered to keep Woodstock Cafe open late to host the squad. Wachspress said more people started coming than ever before.

And so theyve turned into a really good resource for the community, she says about the cafe.

What she says is the most important part of Woodstock is the people shes met.

Amy Wachspress (right) has become the host of Sign Squad. One of her favorite things about the group are the friendships she's formed. Allison Barr/The Oregonian

What I just love about it is that theres so many different people that come. Its so eclectic ... just many different kinds of people from all different backgrounds. And the one thing we have in common is that we sign.

During the Sign Squad, she bounces around to welcome those of all ages and skill levels. She now is the official host of the weekly meetup.

Her favorite story to tell is about a Deaf toddler she met through the Sign Squad. According to Wachspress, he was born to hearing parents who wanted him to be immersed in Deaf culture. When his parents brought him to the cafe, he was ecstatic to see other people sign.

He was just so beside himself excited when he realized that you could communicate with people using sign. And he doesnt know very many signs yet, but you could see the wheels going in his head and he suddenly realized, Oh my God, I can communicate with people out in the world using this language Ive been learning at home, said Wachspress.

We were all so touched. ... Thats the kind of thing that happens here at the cafe.

Also at Sign Squad was new attendee Zach Salisbury. Salisbury was born with Usher Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes people to lose hearing and sight over time. He hears through a cochlear implant. In his early 30s, he wanted to connect with people going through the same thing.

Sign Squad attendees communicate in American Sign Language at Woodstock Cafe. Allison Barr/The Oregonian

Just like Wachspress, he found Woodstock Cafe after some searching for Deaf or hard of hearing meetups. He says the cafe was the only thing of the sort in Portland he could find. So, on a random Friday he went to buy a coffee and ask how he could meet more Deaf people. They told him to come next Tuesday to practice signing with others.

To Salisbury, what stands out the most is the fact that the hub is a place for people of all hearing abilities. In the past, hes found himself in spaces where hearing people stick with other hearing people and Deaf people stick within Deaf circles. But what about those in-between, like Salisbury?

And so thats why Woodstock Cafe is so different from other places or Deaf communities, is because it specifically has a mission of bridging that gap of two different communities.  Because of that, like, sort of environment and attitude, people are a lot more welcoming and a lot more forgiving when you make mistakes.

Sign Squad attendees communicate in American Sign Language at Woodstock Cafe. Allison Barr/The Oregonian

Despite budget cuts, Woodstock Cafe persists

Besides signing, the common denominator bringing this group together is Dre. Though not the only member, hes the most front facing of the team that itched to create this center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals. To his knowledge, there are many similar groups in the local area, but not a designated physical hub.

Dres ambitions didnt stop with opening the cafe. There are vacant buildings adjacent to their space that they had to plans to acquire to become a Deaf Equity Center. But he says much of their funding was cut with the change of the presidential administration.

We need all your support, but we will try our best to find different financial solutions, but we wont give up, he signed. We really had a hard loss.

Just like most other challenges, it hasnt stopped those at CymaSpace. Dre says theyre working on funding from private organizations and soon, a crowdsourcing campaign.

Woodstock Cafe is proof that physical community outweighs tribulations in difficult times. And out of adversity can come joy and kinship.

It gives power to the community as opposed to a fear of signing. We, as a community, are so proud of who we are, said Gray.

A couple years ago, Sign Squad would gather at a bar in the winter but struggled to communicate in dimly lit spaces. Dre of Woodstock Cafe offered his space to the group. The number of attendees have increased since. Allison Barr/The Oregonian

If you go: 4103 S.E. Woodstock Blvd., Portland, OR 97202, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
The last time this surf, skate and streetwear-company-turned-trendy Y2K clothing brand grew its physical footprint, Greys Anatomy was still in the throes of its fourth season.

Nearly two decades later, the mid-2000s are back with a bang. The television-watching world still flocks to medical dramas (Id say The Pitt is the new Greys Anatomy, but that would overlook the millions watching Greys Anatomy season 22, which is airing, well, right now.)  and Y2K fashion is more popular than ever.

>> Business opening or closing in your neighborhood? Email the reporter at vnocera@oregonian.com.

Just ask PacSun.

Last year, the California-based retailer hit a major milestone: For the first time in 18 years, the company opened more stores than it closed  a trend PacSun intends to continue.

Our stores have become cultural touchpoints for a generation that values experience as much as product, CEO Brieane Olson said in a December news release. What begins on our social channels  inspiration and community  ultimately drives young people to see it in person. Doubling down on brick-and-mortar simply reflects what our community is already telling us.

PacSun opened nine new storefronts in 2025, including two in New York. Of these locations, all but one  PacSuns Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan  were located inside of malls, according to Modern Retail.

And that was just the beginning: PacSun now plans to open between 20 and 35 locations over the next three years, the company announced last month.

Many of these are likely to be inside shopping malls, including a storefront within Orlandos Mall at Millenia thats slated to debut early this year, according to the release.

Strategy has changed at PacSun since it first opened in 1980, Joel Quill, the companys vice president of retail, told Modern Retail last month. While PacSun originally avoided opening stores in nearby malls, he said, the retailer has since realized losing sales due to store proximity isnt a major concern.

People shop at one mall, and others shop at the other, Quill said.

The clothing retailer has already gotten a headstart on this expansion plan, with nine more locations expected to open in 2026, according to the release  plus its first international store at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. PacSun has not shared a full list of locations slated to open this year.

PacSun currently operates five stores in Oregon, including Portland-area locations at Washington Square mall and Clackamas Town Center and another at Woodburn Premium Outlets.

The company did not respond to an email asking whether new locations may be coming to Oregon.
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A video created with artificial intelligence (AI) went viral on social media in July 2025, promoted by accounts affiliated with the party of Argentine President Javier Milei. It featured fabricated images of Argentine journalist Julia Mengolini and her brother, depicting an alleged incestuous relationship. She filed a lawsuit and recounted the impact this violence had and continues to have on her life. These deepfakes with violent intentions are spreading now more than ever with the use of AI.

Since last year, Ive been wondering what were doing about it. I started a survey, which I keep updating, on how feminist activists, professionals, and organizations in Latin America are using AI. Theres violence, but theres also action. Here are some examples.

First, lets provide some context. I asked Graciela Natansohn, a researcher in feminism and communication at the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil, what feminist AI is. It doesnt mean AI by and for women, although in many cases that can be desirable and useful, but its something bigger. Feminist AI for colonized territories like Latin America and the Caribbean is a technology that protects and promotes local ways of life, that respects the time and territory of the communities it serves, that includes the perspectives of everyone in the decisions made, and that serves no other purpose than those determined by that community, she replied.

Mailen Garcia, director of DataGenero, also contributed: We understand feminist AI as a political, technical and ethical approach that seeks to profoundly transform the way in which AI systems are produced, implemented and governed.

We know that data and algorithms are not neutral, which is why Garcia emphasized that feminist AI is not limited to correcting obvious biases, but proposes to review and reimagine the entire life cycle of technology so that it contributes to social justice, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.

Entangled in AI

A characteristic of Latin American feminism, historically, is its networking. Following this tradition, the newly formed Feminist AI Network in Latin America and the Caribbean is underway. Its first action was to convene those developing projects in the region. And it was a success. They received 129 proposals, 50 of which were selected. Of these, 25 are in the seed stage, 19 are prototype, six are in the pilot stage, and four moved from prototype to seed stage. Finally, 10 projects will be selected to continue their development.

The network is supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, which had already promoted other experiences between 2021 and 2024, and from where this new regional initiative arises.

Feminist AI promotes a public purpose for technology: it must expand rights, improve policies, strengthen institutions, and produce knowledge that benefits society. This vision translates into projects like AymurAI, aimed at opening up information, strengthening access to justice, and producing evidence to transform public policies, explained Garcia, who is one of the members of the network and one of the creators of the software that anonymizes documents, collects, and makes available data from court rulings.

There are two more experiences in Argentina in the judicial field, but they take place within the ChatGPT field. One is Arvage AI, developed by Judge Rita Custet to apply a gender perspective to legal analysis, and the other is SofIA, by lawyer Ana Correa, who presents it as a tool that detects gender biases and proposes alternatives that take into account the history and data involving women and LGBTQ+ people.

From Brazil, Natansohn adds to this journey of Latin American feminist AI Nhandeflix (which means our flix) which operates on its own intranet and is a multimedia application developed by Guarani communities in Sao Paulo, which is accessible by Wi-Fi in the communities where  in addition to a messaging service  movies, audios and all kinds of files are made available preserving and strengthening the Guarani language, culture, and spirituality.

The AzMina Institute, for its part, created QuiterIA, an AI that monitors legislative proposals in the Brazilian Congress, in relation to the rights of children, women, and LGBTQ+ people.

Avoiding data extraction and the use of data centers is a feminist principle in AI, although there is a diversity of perspectives on what might or might not be considered feminist, the researcher shared from Bahia Blanca. This is the case with the Plinq platform, which allows women to check if the men they are dating have criminal records or histories of violence. This is done with public data, which limits its reach (stealthy processes go undetected), and, furthermore, the service is paid and does not use open-source and auditable software. It is a start-up, an individual commercial venture.

Theres another project Im familiar with because Im involved in it: Narratives of Femicide. Its a participatory research project where we read and annotate news stories published in Latin America to create a repository of harmful and constructive journalistic practices in femicide coverage. With this dataset, the idea is to design potential AI tools to support feminist and contextualized news production. Its an initiative of Data Against Femicide in collaboration with the Data in Society Collective (DISCO Lab) at Brown University in the United States.

Regarding gender-based violence, there are AI-powered initiatives such as Sof+IA from Chile, which identifies as a Feminist Listening System that provides guidance in situations of abuse, and OlimpIA, a platform that offers free support, guaranteeing anonymity to women who are victims of online harassment. It is named after Olimpia Coral Melo, a driving force behind legislation throughout the region to prevent and punish digital violence. Notably, it was developed by survivors.

In the regulatory sphere, the Committee of Experts of the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belem do Para Convention (MESECVI) of the Organization of American States (OAS), recently presented in Brazil the Inter-American Model Law to confront digital violence against women, which has articles related to AI.

Democratic governance of AI is another central focus for feminists, where decisions are made with participation, based on criteria of social and environmental justice, and with regulations that distribute power equitably. The ethics of care accompany the entire process: protecting privacy, ensuring digital security, reducing risks for vulnerable communities, and minimizing the ecological impact of technological infrastructures, Garcia summarized.

And she emphasized: Its not AI for AIs sake. That is, we also consider when it makes sense, what benefits it will bring, and what drawbacks. The process is underway, and its important to support them.

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China will impose a 13 percent tax on condoms and contraceptive drugs starting January 2026 as officials struggle to reverse declining birth rates while more couples choose to remain child-free.

The newly revised Value-Added Tax Law removes a 30-year exemption on contraceptive products that dates back to China's strict one-child policy era. Under the law, consumers will pay the levy on all contraceptive items, including condoms and birth control pills, which had been tax-free since 1993. The amendment also designates childcare services, elderly care facilities, and marriage-related services as tax-exempt to encourage family formation.

China's Declining Birth Rate

The policy shift reflects deepening concerns over China's demographic crisis. The country recorded just 9.54 million births in 2024, half the number in 2016, while deaths reached 10.93 million, marking the third consecutive year of population decline.

China's fertility rate stands at approximately 1.0, far below the 2.1 replacement level needed to maintain population stability. United Nations projections warn China's population could shrink by 204 million by 2054, according to Yahoo News.

Despite government incentives, a growing number of young couples are embracing the "DINK" lifestyle, dual income, no kids. Social media platforms show the DINK hashtag has garnered over 731 million views on Xiaohongshu, with many users sharing their decision to postpone or forgo parenthood.

Read more: Harrogate Parents Break Silence After Being Threatened as 1000 Adopted Children are Returned to Care

Couples cite high child-rearing costs, career concerns, and economic uncertainty as primary reasons. A 2024 report estimated raising one child to age 18 costs approximately 538,000 yuan ($75,000), making parenthood financially daunting for many, Free Malaysia Today reported.

Experts view the contraceptive tax as largely symbolic rather than effective. He Yafu, a demographer at the Yuwa Population Research Institute, stated the measure "holds greater symbolic significance than practical effect" in fostering a pro-natal social atmosphere. Critics argue the policy fails to address the fundamental economic barriers to childbearing.

Taxes on Condoms and Contraceptive Pills

Some public health advocates warn that increased condom prices could hinder STD prevention efforts, noting China's HIV infection rate rose from 0.37 to 8.41 per 100,000 people between 2002 and 2021.

The tax comes as Chinese authorities have implemented various pronatalist measures, including annual subsidies of $500 per child under age three and expanded childcare services. However, cultural shifts, rising living costs, and the legacy of the one-child policy continue to limit effectiveness.

Many young people prioritize financial stability and careers over marriage and parenting, with marriage rates dropping to a historic low of 4.3 per 1,000 people in 2024. As one Beijing resident explained, couples are waiting for the economy to stabilize before starting families, reflecting widespread uncertainty about China's economic future, as per Statista.
A longtime former district attorney is opening a new law firm in Franklin County.

Matt Fogal, who was the Franklin County District Attorney from 2009 to 2023, is opening the Matt Fogal Law Office in the creekside log cabin at 52 W. King St. in Chambersburg.

Fogal served 23 years as a local prosecutor. Most recently, he served as an attorney with the Pennsylvania Governors Office of General Counsel.

The new office will open on Monday (today). Client meetings are by appointment.

Fogals primary areas of legal representation will be criminal defense, professional licensure defense, pardons and expungements, civil rights, mediation, and military justice.

While I am proud of my previous public service as a prosecutor, seasons change, as do perspectives, Fogal said in a news release. At some point along the way, I began to see myself solely as a prosecutor, and in more recent years I began to see things more clearly. I am more properly an attorney and a member of the bar, and now am extraordinarily excited to take on the challenge of managing my own small business in the private sector after a career in government.

Appointments: 717-868-8151.
Mickey Rourke is turning to crowdfunding to keep from being evicted from his Los Angeles home.

With the actors permission, a GoFundMe was launched Sunday seeking to help Mickey Rourke stay in his home.

Today, Mickey is facing a very real and urgent situation: the threat of eviction from his home, the GoFundMe says. This fundraiser is being created with Mickeys full permission to help cover immediate housing-related expenses and prevent that from happening."

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Rourke, 73, received a three-day eviction notice on Dec. 18. He owes about $59,100 in rent.

Life doesnt always move in a straight line, and despite everything Mickey has given through his work and his life, he is now dealing with a challenging financial moment that has put his housing at risk," the fundraiser stated.

The GoFundMe is being organized by Liya-Joelle Jones, a friend and member of Rourkes management team.

Mickey is going through a very difficult time right now, and its been incredibly touching to see how many people care about him and want to help, Jones said to the Hollywood Reporter.

Rourke signed a lease for the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in March 2025. Rent at the time was $5,200 a month but was later increased to $7,000 a month.

As of this writing, the GoFundMe has raised $55,802. The fundraiser seeks to raise a total of $100k.

Rourke is best known for his performances in such films as Diner, 9 1/2 Weeks, Angel Heart, and Barfly. He was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe for his performance in the 2008 film The Wrestler.
Popular comedian and actor John Mulrooney has died.

He was 67.

The Hollywood Reporter said that Mulrooney died suddenly on Monday at his home in Coxsackie, New York.

Mulrooney was known for his work as a stand-up comedian, and he hosted Comic Strip Live on Fox.

Im just stunned, Steve Van Zandt told the Albany Times-Union. To talk to somebody less than two weeks ago, and he had mentioned what he was dong for Christmas, and he was looking forward to 2026 because had a pretty full calendar.

Its all so unexpected, he added. Its all sinking in.

Mulrooney became a star in the Albany area via the radio in the late 1990s, per the Times-Union, when he began co-hosting a morning show at WPYX. And, in 2014, he began hosting Mulrooney in the Morning on iHeartRadio.

Along with his time hosting Comic Strip Live, Mulrooney appeared on networks such as Showtime, HBO and Comedy Central. The Hollywood Reporter noted that he was a fill-in for Joan Rivers when she fired from Foxs Late Show in 1997, and also guest hosted The Pat Sajak Show on CBS.

His list of acting credits included Ryder P.I., The Good Life, and Hardball.

Aside from his work as a comedian and actor, the Hollywood Reporter noted that Mulrooney began working as a police officer with the Coxsackie Police Department in 2010 and worked there through 2024.

Im in shock at the news that John Mulrooney passed away, Tim Tyrrell wrote on X. We met over thirty years ago at Mix 105 radio in New York City and instantly clicked. Through the years, we have done shows for iHeart, Sirius, Howard 101, and many podcasts. He was an amazing and loyal friend. So many performers and writers looked to John for advice, and he was always willing to help anyone. Rest in peace, Johnny.
Stephen G. Sheetz, former President and CEO of Sheetz Inc., has died. He was 77.

Sheetz died on the evening of Jan. 4 at UPMC in Altoona. No cause of death was revealed in a press release the company sent out following his death.

Current Sheetz President and CEO Travis Sheetz shared remarks about his uncles passing in the release, noting his commitment to his family and the Sheetz name.

Above all, Uncle Steve was the center of our family, Travis Sheetz said. We are so deeply grateful for his leadership, vision, and steadfast commitment to our employees, customers, and communities.

Stephen Sheetz began working part-time at the family business in Altoona at just 12 years old, helping his brother, Bob Sheetz, follow his dream. Steve later earned a degree from Penn State University in 1969 and moved up to Supervisor and then Director of Operations for the four Sheetz stores in existence at the time.

From 1984 to 1995, Steve served as CEO and President following his brothers retirement. He led the company through significant growth over those years, introducing many of the things customers love about the brand today, like the MTO (Made-To-Order) menu items. It also began selling gas, and expanded into new states.

Joe Sheetz, Chairman of the Sheetz Board of Directors, noted Stephans impact in the companys release.

Steves guidance shaped nearly every aspect of our family business, Joe said. He was a mentor for every leader who has followed him and his vision, wisdom, and entrepreneurial spirit will be missed deeply by everyone at Sheetz.

Following his time as President and CEO, Steve served as Chairman of Sheetzs Board of Directors from 1995 to 2013, before assuming the role of Chairman of CLI Transport in 2013. In 2020, he retired from his role as a Sheetz executive but remained involved, serving as the Chairman of the Family Committee.

Beyond the family business, Steve also had a lifelong commitment to philanthropy. Over the years, he supported numerous community and educational causes across the Altoona and central Pennsylvania areas.

In 2009, he and his wife Nancy founded the Sheetz Fellows Program, providing mentorship, financial support, and special programming to Penn State Altoona students. The couple also established the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence in downtown Altoona.

Steve is survived by his wife, their two daughters, Megan Sheetz and Nicole Sheetz Frith, and seven grandchildren.
How bad did Donald Trump want the Nobel Prize?

Well, a report by The Washington Post about the transition of power in Venezuela after the United States took its president, Nicolas Maduro, into custody during a weekend raid has a couple of paragraphs tucked away in it that might answer that question.

And  well, it has folks on social media talking.

Delcy Rodriguez, Maduros vice president, is currently in charge of the country, but there was some thought that the United States might back the countrys democratic opposition leader, recent Nobel Peace Prize winner Marina Corina Machado, as the successor to Maduro. It was Machados stand-in candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, who won an election last year before Maduro refused to leave office.

But when asked about that, Trump balked at the idea of Machado being in charge.

Itd be very tough for her to be the leader, he said Saturday.

Trump added that Machado doesnt have the support or respect within the country.

That was surprise to Machado and her supporters, according to the Post.

Trumps reported reason for the comments, though, is what had the internet talking. Citing two people close to the White House, the Post reported that Trumps stance on Machado was due to her decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.

Machado gave Trump praise when she accepted the award, but that was not enough, according to the Posts report. The newspaper said that one person close to the White House said that her accepting the award was the ultimate sin.

If she had turned it down and said, I cant accept it because its Donald Trumps, shed be the president of Venezuela today, the person told the Post.

Meidas Touch shared a screen shot of the excerpt from the story on X and wrote, Insanity.

What a deranged narcissist, one person replied.

What a dictator, another wrote. So weak and insecure.

LMAOOOO what a (expletive) child! another replied. I joked yesterday that was the reason because it seemed like a petty reason as a joke ... Holy hell. Hes pathetic.

There were plenty more comments like that, but there were also comments supporting Trump and striking down the report as fake.

The media is full of (expletive), one person wrote.

Sources close to your (expletive), another replied.

It will be interesting to see if Trump offers a comment on the accusation.
Three key employees in Mayor Wanda Williams administration have lost their jobs in the new year after council voted to defund their positions in the 2026 city budget.

In a statement shared with PennLive, city council said it is not responsible for the firing.

Harrisburg City Council did not fire anyone, the statement reads, Mayor Williams fired the Interim Business Director, Project Director for Business Development and LERTA Administrator, and the Director of Community Engagement and Relations.

The separation paperwork got drawn up after council in December voted 5-2 in favor of fully defunding the three positions. The interim director of building and housings position also lost city funding, but that represented only 10% of her total salary, thereby not eliminating the position. (The rest of her salary is paid through a federal housing grant.)

The mayor vetoed the salary cuts, but council overrode her right before the new year.

Now that the positions are empty, the finger-pointing has begun with council saying it wasnt their fault, and city officials saying they cant keep employees with no salary.

I can tell you the mayor did not fire any of those positions, said city solicitor Neil Grover on Monday. Without funding, theres no job.

Philip Hensley-Robin, executive director at Common Cause Pennsylvania, a good government group, said powers are divided between the executive and legislative branches to ensure checks and balances.

And when we have a situation like this where theres some controversy over some of the positions in question, part of the councils oversight role entails funding it or not funding it, Hensley-Robin said.

The three fully defunded positions were held by Sam Sulkosky, Jason Graves and Denae House.

According to councils statement, Sulkoskys position as interim business administrator was defunded because he stayed past the 120-day limit for acting officials, mandated by city law. The mayors administration previously explained interim officials are not defined in city law, so the 120-day limit doesnt apply.

Council said they asked the LERTA administrator, Jason Graves, for a community and economic development plan for four years.

No real plan has been shared to date, the statement reads. Council cites this as the reason for the defunding.

Former Director of Community Engagement and Relations Denae House oversaw the citys community service aides (CSAs). Those CSAs, however, also report to their division director, police Captain Russ Winder, making it clear that the role is not needed to duplicate work efforts, council said. A spokesperson for the Harrisburg Police Department declined to comment.

My job is to bridge the community with the police, Denae House told PennLive, calling the cuts personal. Am I the good fit for that position? Everyone tells me Im the perfect fit.

At a press conference the day before New Years Eve, Williams said she would take council to court over the personnel funding cuts. She said she was hiring an outside law firm to file a lawsuit.

This is the third consecutive year of clashes between the mayor and council over the citys budget.

Harrisburg has a strong-mayor form of government. The mayor is chief executive and can fire and hire personnel. Council controls the money.

Its certainly unfortunate that theres no resolution to this disagreement, said Hensley-Robin from Common Cause, I hesitate to speculate but we may have to see the legal ramifications play out.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman joined Republicans in support of Trumps decision to launch a military operation to remove Venezuelas leader.

In a post on X on Sunday Fetterman praised the strike over the weekend that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Grateful for our U.S. military personnel that handled these orders in Venezuela with precision.I maintain that we have the STRONGEST and MOST LETHAL military in the worldtoday proves that even more."

Sen. Dave McCormick echoed Fettermans sentiments, issuing a congratulatory post to President Trump.

Congratulations to @POTUS and his team and to our brave troops for this flawlessly executed mission to remove the illegitimate dictator Nicolas Maduro. For years Maduros regime killed our children by flooding Americas streets with poison, threatened our borders, and undermined U.S. national security. I urge whats left of the Maduro regime to honor the will of the Venezuelan people and transition peacefully to rightfully elected leadership.

The positive posts stood in contrast to the response from Pennsylvania Democrats in Congress who universally condemned the action that left at least 80 civilians and military personnel dead.

Rep. Chris Deluzio, a Navy veteran from Beaver County, cautioned that the strike could lead to Americans sacrificing their lives in a larger war, while not addressing pressing issues at home.

Neither the American people nor the United States Congress has authorized an invasion of Venezuela, a war with Venezuela, or a military occupation of Venezuela. We have enough problems here at home in America that President Trump is failing to fix; we do not need a reckless and unconstitutional foreign military occupation that would drain precious American blood and treasure.

Fetterman and McCormick have both supported the Trump administrations attacks on alleged drug boats, that have killed at least 100 people.

Rep. Scott Perry, R-York County said on X that Maduros removal will stop the flow of drugs and increase the safety of Americans.

Socialism and crime are corrosive to people, cultures, and countries. Venezuelas long nightmare with an illegitimate, criminal leader is finally over, and its people have been given the opportunity to choose a brighter future. Americans, likewise, can sleep better knowing that the steady stream of Venezuelan gang violence, deadly drugs, and sinister Marxism being pumped into our Nation has been dealt a decisive blow where good has prevailed over evil.

Fetterman on X also gave a thumbs up to any future action by Trump against Iran to limit its nuclear capabilities, calling the U.S. the worlds force for good, democracy and order.

Deluzio and other Democrats called on fellow members of Congress to stop the unauthorized military action. Rep. Summer Lee of Pittbsurgh called Maduros removal a kidnapping and blatent violation of U.S. and international law.

This sets a dangerous precedent that threatens international stability and security, puts Americans further at risk, and infringes on the sovereignty of foreign countries. Lee wrote. Congress must act and reassert its authority. We must pass a War Powers Resolution and stop this unilateral executive action immediately
By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and MEG KINNARD, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday announced that he is issuing a letter of censure to Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over the lawmakers participation in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders.

Hegseth said that the censure was a necessary process step to proceedings that could result in a demotion from Kellys retired rank of captain in the U.S. Navy. Kellys office had no immediate comment.

The move comes more than a month after Kelly participated in a video with five other Democratic lawmakers in which they called on troops to defy illegal orders. President Donald Trump accused the lawmakers of sedition punishable by DEATH in a social media post days later.

In November, Kelly and the other lawmakers  all veterans of the armed services and intelligence community  called on U.S. military members to uphold the Constitution and defy illegal orders.

The 90-second video was first posted from Sen. Elissa Slotkins X account. In it, the six lawmakers  Slotkin, Kelly and Reps. Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander and Chrissy Houlahan  speak directly to U.S. service members, whom Slotkin acknowledges are under enormous stress and pressure right now.

Afterward, Trump accused them of sedition punishable by DEATH, reposting messages from others about the video and amplifying it with his own words.

The Pentagon announced that it began an investigation of Kelly late in November while citing a federal law that allows retired service members to be recalled to active duty on orders of the defense secretary for possible court martial or other measures.

Kelly said that the investigation was part of an effort to silence dissent within the military.

This is just about sending a message to retired service members, active duty service members, government employees  do not speak out against this president or there will be consequences, Kelly told reporters in mid-December.

In his post Monday, Hegseth charged that Kellys remarks in the video and afterward violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice provisions against conduct unbecoming an officer and violating good order and discipline.

Kelly, along with some of the other Democrats in the initial video, have also sent out fundraising messages based off the Republican presidents reaction to their comments, efforts that have gone toward filling their own campaign coffers and further elevating their national-level profiles.

While all six lawmakers served in the military or the intelligence community, Hegseth made clear in previous remarks that Kelly was the only one facing investigation because he is the only one of the lawmakers who formally retired from the military and is still under the Pentagons jurisdiction.

In recent months, Kelly  whose name has frequently been mentioned as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender  has made several trips to South Carolina, traditionally an early primary state that kicked off its partys nominating calendar in 2024. Appearing with his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, at events calling for stricter gun control measures, Kelly met during those trips with local lawmakers, stakeholders whose early support can be critical as national-level hopefuls attempt to make inroads in the critical state.

Hegseth said Monday that Captain Kellys status as a sitting United States Senator does not exempt him from accountability, and further violations could result in further action.
By Benjamin Kai, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette(TNS)

Pennsylvania in 2026 is home to one of 36 governors races that will help shape state leadership, elections and policy across the country in the years to come.

With the popular Gov. Josh Shapiro likely facing state Treasurer Stacy Garrity  who upset a better-funded incumbent as a newcomer in 2020  the biggest battleground state is again under the spotlight. Poised to be one of the most high-profile and costly of three dozen gubernatorial races, Pennsylvanias fight over the top seat in Harrisburg comes as control of Congress is on the line in midterm elections, and with President Donald Trump aiming to plow through any roadblocks to his agenda.

It also comes with Mr. Shapiro among the Democratic governors in the mix of potential contenders for the White House in two years.

There is intense energy around the 26 governors races, Lew Irwin, a political scientist at Duquesne University, told the Post-Gazette. Democrats understand full well how the governors races ... will affect the administration of the federal elections  including the presidential race  in 2028. So both sides are pulling out all of the stops to prevent the other side from gaining trifectas [governors seats and both chambers of state legislatures] wherever they can.

Democrats are late to the party, Mr. Irwin said. For several years, they failed to take these down ballot races seriously, while Republicans focused a great deal of energy and resources on taking state houses, leading to control over redistricting and voting procedures, he said.

Ms. Garrity, a Trump ally who beat Mr. Shapiros record for most votes cast for a statewide candidate in 2024, hopes to stand in the governors way.

Backed by the state GOP and several prominent Pennsylvania Republicans, Ms. Garrity picked up an endorsement last week from Maggies List, the national PAC pushing to get more conservative women elected.

Ms. Garrity and other swing state Republicans expect to receive a boost from campaign stops this year by figures such as Vice President JD Vance and Trump, who both rallied in Eastern Pennsylvania last month to re-energize the administrations economic message.

Its going to be one of the most-watched and most interesting races in the country, said John Brabender, a media consultant for Ms. Garrity and a handful of other gubernatorial candidates this year. If we effectively do our job, [Shapiro] will have to spend a lot more than hes anticipating.

Democratic governors and state house hopefuls seek to build off sweeping wins in November, and capitalize on continued angst over high prices and Trumps dramatic overhaul of Washington  both of which he campaigned on.

Like Trump, Ms. Garrity  who criticized the bipartisan budget signed by Mr. Shapiro in November after a four-month stalemate  paints a very different picture of the state than the governor, who frequently notes that the economy is growing unlike in other Northeastern states.

Either we stand up right now and change course, or we let Josh Shapiro and the Democrats drive Pennsylvania straight into higher taxes, fewer jobs and a bankrupt future, she said on X this week.

During Mr. Vances visit, Mr. Shapiro didnt name Ms. Garrity in comments to reporters, but he suggested that Pennsylvanians wont be fooled by the Republican administrations celebrations of an economy that features rising prices, health care cuts and chaotic trade wars. He also celebrated that the state budget cut taxes for many Pennsylvanians while making investments in education, public safety, health care and more.

FILE - Stacy Garrity, the Republican state treasurer of Pennsylvania, poses for photos at a campaign event at the Beerded Goat Brewing Co., Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy,File) AP

Launching pads

One of Ms. Garritys most frequent knocks on Mr. Shapiro is that hes distracted by a potential 2028 presidential run. He has not ruled out a White House bid, but says hes focused on getting things done in Pennsylvania.

Hes really running for two offices at once, Mr. Brabender said. Thats always a dangerous proposition for a candidate.

The issue will be a refrain beyond the commonwealth.

It has dogged the 2026 re-election bids of at least Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Republicans have also criticized Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear for his interest in a White House run, though he is not up for re-election this year.

[Gubernatorial races] are often viewed as important launching pads for potential presidential runs to follow, Christopher Borick, a political scientist at Muhlenberg College, said. If there is a midterm wave election against the presidents party, the opposition partys governors can get a boost.

For Mr. Shapiro, The timing in this cycle may be very good, Mr. Borick said, to double up on both securing re-election and building some momentum for 2028.

Democrats showed strong momentum in the 2025 elections, holding a majority in the state Supreme Court and racking up unprecedented wins in Republican strongholds and counties Trump won in 2016, 2020 and 2024.

Mr. Shapiro campaigned for three state court justices and the winning governors in New Jersey and Virginia. He also donated $250,000 of his campaign funds to bolster Democratic infrastructure and outreach for the next few years. Observers say hell continue to take an active role backing and raising funds for Democrats up and down the ballot in Pennsylvania and beyond.

Ms. Garrity, a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel and businesswoman from Bradford County, is seen by experts and party officials on both sides as a stronger candidate than the man Mr. Shapiro beat in 2022, state Sen. Doug Mastriano.

Mr. Brabender said unlike Mr. Shapiros previous opponents, Ms. Garrity will have the resources to scrutinize and advertise what the campaign alleges is wasteful spending and a lack of transparency from the Shapiro administration.

The Garrity campaign also recently told the Post-Gazette that the treasurer is looking forward to being a partner with President Trump, and not a courtroom opponent like Josh Shapiro.

But the Pennsylvania Democratic Party is eager to link Ms. Garrity  and U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Scott Perry, Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie  to a president whose approval rating slipped as 2025 came to a close.

Candidates ... who have put loyalty to Trump ahead of the needs of Pennsylvania, have got to be incredibly worried, the PA Dems said in a memo after the November elections.

Mr. Shapiro, who fought the Trump administration in court when he was the states attorney general, argues that the states battles with the White House are a fight for Pennsylvania workers and families facing high prices and cuts to health care or food benefits.

The governor has also touted a bipartisan track record. And being in a purple state Trump narrowly won in 2024, he cannot afford to alienate too many independents and moderate Republicans, strategists in both parties say.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom  not up for re-election because he is term-limited  is even more vocal in his critique of Trump. Hes also the Democrat leading early 2028 presidential primary polls.

Mr. Shapiro averages just below 5% support in 2028 polls over the last five months, but his national profile continues to rise. Hes made many national TV appearances and is releasing a memoir in late January, while he also spent much of the last six weeks touring the state highlighting the budget and its investment in communities.

Forces of nature

Pennsylvania is one of five states that Trump won in 2024 where Democrats are defending governorships; the others are Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Kansas. At least 10 U.S. House Republicans have decided to leave Washington to run for governor, and many states will feature primaries for both parties.

Republicans like Ms. Garrity face the traditional challenge of a potential midterm swing against the party in power in Washington, while being denied the historical benefit of Trumps name on the ballot.

For several years, GOP candidates in Pennsylvania have consistently under-performed when Trump is not directly in the mix  one of the reasons the White House midterm campaign mode kicked off in the Keystone State.

J.J. Balaban, a Philadelphia-based Democratic strategist and admaker, told the Post-Gazette that Trump and down-ballot Republicans face political forces of nature.

His opponents are angry and motivated, while his supporters are frustrated that the realities of governing are different than the poetry of campaigning, he said. Thats in part what all of the attention to the Epstein Files is about ... its a simple example of how the Trump administration isnt keeping its promises. Similarly, the presidents tariffs have raised prices instead of keeping his promise to lower them. Campaigning is a lot easier than governing.

Mr. Balaban said its too soon to judge whether Trump and his allies are able to turn around a very unfriendly political environment.

So far, their efforts have consisted of trying to convince Americans that the economy is stronger than it actually is, he said. That strategy didnt work for the Biden Administration, but one shouldnt underestimate Trumps communications skills.

James Markley, the state GOP spokesman, recently told the Post-Gazette that Trump has done nothing but deliver on many of the major themes of his campaign.

The president has fortified the southern border, targeted deadly drugs, crime and safety, and, hes doing everything he can to lower prices for working families, Mr. Markley said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Garrity has an advantage some other gubernatorial challengers lack at this point: early support from her state party.

From every corner of the commonwealth, Mr. Markley said of her endorsement  even with Mr. Mastriano floating a primary challenge in recent months. Weve seen complete unity with Treasurer Garrity.
The veteran judge, who oversaw high-profile cases involving 9/11 and Harvey Weinstein, is also handling the case of Pollo Carvajal, the former head of intelligence for the Venezuela regime

Alvin Hellerstein, a 92-year-old Orthodox Jewish judge appointed by Bill Clinton nearly three decades ago to federal court, will preside over the trial of Nicolas Maduro. The Venezuelan president was captured Saturday by U.S. military forces while he slept in Caracas and taken to the Brooklyn Detention Center to await his arraignment, scheduled for Monday.

Hellerstein, born in New York in 1933, served in the U.S. Armys military prosecution service, practiced law in the private sector, and in May 1998 was appointed federal judge for the Southern District of New York by then-President Bill Clinton. He is one of the longest-serving sitting judges.

The case against Maduro is expected to take place in the Southern District Court of New York, although this is not entirely certain, as the U.S. president has left open the possibility of it being moved to Florida. If New York is confirmed, the trial will take place in the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse, which has held high-profile cases against drug traffickers, members of organized crime and media personalities. Among these is the former president of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernandez, sentenced to 45 years in prison for drug trafficking, but recently pardoned by Trump.

If the New York location is confirmed, Hellerstein will be at the center of one of the most significant legal proceedings in recent decades. The judge has played a central role in some of the most sensitive cases in the United States. He presided over civil compensation claims brought by victims of the 9/11 attacks, the sexual harassment case against film producer Harvey Weinstein, and the case against Donald Trumps former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

This judge is also handling the case against former Venezuelan General Hugo Armando Pollo Carvajal, who is accused of drug trafficking. The testimony of this former head of intelligence for the Chavista regime who has decided to cooperate with authorities will play a significant role in Maduros trial. Last summer, Carvajal pleaded guilty to four charges related to drug trafficking and narcoterrorism in the same New York federal court where the Venezuelan president will be tried.

Hellerstein, who studied law at Columbia University, began his career as a clerk at the court he now presides over. Throughout his career, he has issued well-reasoned rulings and has a reputation for impartiality. He has written that the way in which a judge decides a case should not depend on his religious education, religious identity or religious values.

The case against Maduro will keep him busy. The indictment from the U.S. Attorney Generals office accuses the Venezuelan leader of four charges: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States. It also extends these charges to his wife, his son, and two other high-ranking officials in his government.

The prosecution accuses Maduro of illegally enriching himself during his years in various levels of the Venezuelan government and of having plans to flood the United States with drugs.

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By AAMER MADHANI, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  A day after the audacious U.S. military operation in Venezuela, President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in Cuba is in a lot of trouble.

The comments from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the ouster of Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro underscore that the U.S. administration is serious about taking a more expansive role in the Western Hemisphere.

With thinly veiled threats, Trump is rattling hemispheric friends and foes alike, spurring a pointed question around the globe: Whos next?

Its so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place, Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.

Asked during an interview with The Atlantic earlier on Sunday what the U.S.-military action in Venezuela could portend for Greenland, Trump replied: They are going to have to view it themselves. I really dont know. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump, in his administrations National Security Strategy published last month, laid out restoring American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere as a central guidepost for his second go-around in the White House.

Trump has also pointed to the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, which rejects European colonialism, as well as the Roosevelt Corollary  a justification invoked by the U.S. in supporting Panamas secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the U.S.  as hes made his case for an assertive approach to American neighbors and beyond.

Trump has even quipped that some now refer to the fifth U.S. presidents foundational document as the Don-roe Doctrine.

Saturdays dead-of-night operation by U.S. forces in Caracas and Trumps comments on Sunday heightened concerns in Denmark, which has jurisdiction over the vast mineral-rich island of Greenland.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a statement that Trump has no right to annex the territory. She also reminded Trump that Denmark already provides the United States, a fellow member of NATO, broad access to Greenland through existing security agreements.

I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. to stop threatening a historically close ally and another country and people who have made it very clear that they are not for sale, Frederiksen said.

Denmark on Sunday also signed onto a European Union statement underscoring that the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected as Trump has vowed to run Venezuela and pressed the acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, to get in line.

Social media posting angers Danes

Trump on Sunday also mocked Denmarks efforts at boosting Greenlands national security posture, saying the Danes have added one more dog sled to the Arctic territorys arsenal.

Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled by a social media post following the raid by a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, Katie Miller. The post shows an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes, accompanied by the caption: SOON.

And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, Amb. Jesper Mller Srensen, Denmarks chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, who is married to Trumps influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

During his presidential transition and in the early months of his return to the White House, Trump repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has pointedly not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island that belongs to an ally.

The issue had largely drifted out of the headlines in recent months. Then Trump put the spotlight back on Greenland less than two weeks ago when he said he would appoint Republican Gov. Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland.

The Louisiana governor said in his volunteer position he would help Trump make Greenland a part of the U.S.

A stern warning to Cuba

Meanwhile, concern simmered in Cuba, one of Venezuelas most important allies and trading partners, as Rubio issued a new stern warning to the Cuban government. U.S.-Cuba relations have been hostile since the 1959 Cuban revolution.

Rubio, in an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press, said Cuban officials were with Maduro in Venezuela ahead of his capture.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers to President Donald Trump during a roundtable meeting on antifa in the State Dining Room at the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) AP

It was Cubans that guarded Maduro, Rubio said. He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards. The secretary of state added that Cuban bodyguards were also in charge of internal intelligence in Maduros government, including who spies on who inside to make sure there are no traitors.

The president said that a lot of Cuban guards tasked with protecting Maduro were killed in the operation.

Trump also said that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, is in tatters and will slide further now with the ouster of Maduro, who provided the Caribbean island subsidized oil.

Its going down, Trump said of Cuba. Its going down for the count.

The president on Saturday told reporters that he viewed the Cuban government as very similar to Venezuela.

I think Cuba is going to be something well end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now, a very badly failing nation, and we want to help the people, Trump said.

Cuban authorities called a rally in support of Venezuelas government and railed against the U.S. military operation, writing in a statement: All the nations of the region must remain alert, because the threat hangs over all of us.

Rubio, a former Florida senator and son of Cuban immigrants, has long maintained Cuba is a dictatorship repressing its people.

This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live  and were not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States," Rubio said.

Cubans like 55-year-old biochemical laboratory worker Barbara Rodriguez were following developments in Venezuela. She said she worried about what she described as an aggression against a sovereign state.

It can happen in any country, it can happen right here. We have always been in the crosshairs, Rodriguez said.

AP writers Andrea Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba, and Darlene Superville traveling aboard Air Force One contributed reporting.
The anti-immigrant crusade launched by the Trump administration in the first year of his second term has not only caused personal and social hardship: the U.S. economy has also suffered. Labor shortages, the closure of successful businesses, the loss of tax revenue from immigrants, and a drop in consumer spending are some of the consequences economists are warning about, which were already being felt in 2025 and are expected to worsen in 2026. Even the new 1% tax on remittances, which went into effect on January 1, could harm the U.S. economy  a bad omen for someone like Trump, who won the election on the promise of improving the financial situation of his voters.

The most immediate effects of law enforcement operations against migrants were felt in the labor market, where arrests, deportations, and fear of going to work due to raids have led to labor shortages. Edward Flores, associate professor of sociology and director of the labor center at the University of California, Merced, demonstrates in a recent study the relationship between increased operations by federal agents and the decline in employment. He uses as examples California, one of the states with the largest immigrant populations in the country, and Washington, D.C., where last summer Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard to combat a supposed rise in crime that statistics refuted.

In California, private sector employment fell by 2.9% between May and September. There was a recovery in August due to the halt in raids after a judge prohibited racial profiling by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but employment declined again when law enforcement operations resumed in September.

In the District of Columbia, which Flores uses as a reference, private sector employment fell 3.3% through August, but increased 0.5% in September, coinciding with the end of federal control of the local police.

The effect of stricter immigration controls on the labor market is comparable to that of the Great Recession and the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Flores states. The continued tightening of immigration controls suggests the need for policy interventions to mitigate the negative economic consequences.

In addition to deportations and absenteeism due to fear of raids, the United States has lost some of its appeal to foreigners, who fear being targeted by the crackdown. Furthermore, the administration has put up even more barriers to hiring foreigners by eliminating automatic renewals of temporary work permits (EWPs) in October.

More than 100 business leaders went to the Capitol in October to urge members of Congress to take action to prevent their businesses from going bankrupt due to job losses. The American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), a bipartisan coalition of more than 1,700 CEOs, business owners, and trade associations in 17 states, led the group. This was not their first such visit; they have been warning for months about the catastrophic consequences of the administrations immigration policies. According to the coalition, there are eight million unfilled jobs nationwide, which is driving up prices across the economy, from food to construction materials, and limiting access to everyday products and services for Americans.

Agriculture, hospitality, and construction

The impact is not the same across all sectors. Fifty-one percent of dairy workers are immigrants, as are 45% of meatpacking workers and 29% of construction workers. A significant portion of these immigrants are undocumented, the target (at least rhetorically) of the Republican presidents deportations. They represent approximately 5% of the U.S. workforce, a figure that skyrockets in some key sectors such as agriculture (45%), construction (14%), and hospitality (7%). Other service sectors, such as nursing homes, are losing staff and facing labor shortages, which jeopardizes the quality of care they provide to the public.

For the first time in more than 50 years of growth, the migrant worker population is declining. According to the Pew Research Center, in January 2025 there were 53.3 million migrants living in the United States, representing about 16% of the countrys population. By June, the countrys migrant population had decreased by more than one million, to 51.9 million, and this decline has likely continued. This is not good news for a market where the age of the workforce is a factor favoring migrants.

In 2022, nearly 90% of undocumented immigrants were of working age (between 16 and 64 years old), compared to 61.3% of the U.S.-born population. Additionally, an estimated 1.1 million undocumented entrepreneurs in the United States typically open small, local businesses such as gas stations, hair salons, dry cleaners, and grocery stores.

In addition to the labor market, the U.S. economy is suffering from the drop in income. Contrary to popular belief, undocumented immigrants do pay taxes. According to the American Immigration Council, undocumented immigrant households paid $46.8 billion in federal taxes and $29.3 billion in state and local taxes in 2022. They also contributed $22.6 billion to Social Security and $5.7 billion to Medicare, programs for which they are not eligible.

In 40 states, they pay state and local income taxes at a higher rate than almost any other taxpayer, sometimes even more than the top 1% of income earners. This is because they are not eligible for most tax credits, and many of these taxpayers do not claim refunds, notes a report from the National Immigration Forum, an organization that advocates for immigrants.

Lower consumption

According to the same source, the purchasing power of undocumented immigrants amounted to nearly $300 billion in 2023. Deportations represent a considerable cost to U.S. businesses, as they spend money in the country, buying goods and services and contributing to the economy. Economists have estimated that mass deportations would cause a loss of between 4.2% and 6.8% of the U.S. annual GDP, equivalent to between $1.1 trillion and $1.7 trillion in 2022 values. By comparison, U.S. GDP contracted by 4.3% during the 2007-2009 recession.

GoFundMe to pay for food

The deportation campaign has left many families in dire straits, with the primary breadwinner unable to work or having been deported. The GoFundMe platform has revealed that a growing number of families are turning to this method to seek help covering basic needs. The company, which allows anyone to open an account to raise funds, has seen a 20% increase in donations this year.

Another administration initiative that could backfire is the 1% tax on remittances, which went into effect on January 1 and was included in Trumps budget bill. Experts believe it could incentivize irregular immigration in receiving countries due to the drop in income sent by relatives from the U.S. Furthermore, migrants sending remittances will have less money available for goods and services, and the tax will encourage sending remittances through informal channels, leaving them vulnerable to fraud.

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Parker Milner is the Food Editor of The Post and Courier. He is a Boston College graduate and former professional hockey player who joined The Post and Courier after leading the Charleston City Paper's food section.
Just months ago, Gaile Osborne (left) didnt expect her adoptive 3-year-old daughter, Aubreigh, would make friends at school. Aubreigh was diagnosed with autism at 14 months old. After struggling to control outbursts and sometimes hurting herself, she started a therapy program called applied behavior analysis. Its not perfect, Osborne says. But the growth in under a year is just unreal.
The military operation against Maduro is the most representative example of the foreign policy that the US president intends to extend

Donald Trump based his presidential campaign on the promise of non-intervention in foreign wars, of not sending U.S. forces back into protracted conflicts like those in Iraq or Afghanistan, and of not getting involved in reconstruction efforts in those countries. Since taking office, he has bombed Houthi positions in Yemen and ISIS positions in Syria, and has attacked Iran and Nigerian territory. But his intervention in Venezuela without congressional authorization, in the style of the coups that Washington perpetrated for decades in Latin America, isbecause of its ambition, its scope, and its disregard for international rulesthe most representative of the new world order the Republican president wants to impose.

In his remarks from his private residence in Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, just 10 hours after the attack that captured President Nicolas Maduronow held in New York awaiting trialTrump announced that Washington would run Venezuela. The Caribbean nation will thus become, for an indefinite period, a kind of protectorate where American oil companies will reign supreme. And where local leaders will have to do as the United States commands or pay a very big price, as he stated in a telephone interview with The Atlantic magazine.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has corroborated it. For now, the United States will maintain pressure in the form of a blockadea quarantine was the term used by Rubioon oil tankers departing from Venezuela. And the military deployment in the Caribbean will continue, in a return to the gunboat diplomacy that Washington employed for the last two centuries.

Although Trump has been frank in acknowledging that oil is one of the main reasons for the operation, these go far beyond the energy sector; and certainly beyond the fight against drug trafficking, with Washington accusing Maduro of being a narco kingpin. In Venezuela, the Republican administration is putting its worldview into practice.

It is a vision in which the United States is the natural hegemonic power in the Americas and no other country can challenge its dominance. It is a return of the view of Latin America as Washingtons backyard and of the doctrine proclaimed two centuries ago by then-president James Monroe.

This is what the administration describes as the Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, the vision unequivocally outlined in the new White House National Security Strategy published last December. Following Maduros capture, the U.S. president and his team have openly embraced this approach in their public statements.

It is a vision in which human rights are disregarded. The Americas become the priority for the United States in foreign policy, to the detriment of the rest of the world. Allied governments are rewarded, while dissenting ones are punished. The criterion applied to these dissenters is force. And neither China nor Russia, two allies of Venezuela, can exert any influence.

IIn the 21st century, under the Trump administration, we are not going to have a country like Venezuela in our own hemisphere, in the sphere of control, and the crossroads for Hezbollah, for Iran, and for every other malign influence in the world  thats just not going to exist, Rubio asserted in an interview on CBSs Face the Nation this past Sunday. This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live. And were not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operations for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States, simple as that, he explained in another interview on NBCs Meet the Press.

Other countries in the region should be deeply concerned as it becomes clear that this doctrine involves imposing U.S. domination throughout Latin America by using murky accusations of narco-terrorism as an excuse for constant aggression, says Alexander Main, director of International Policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).

In his press conference this Saturday, Trump alluded to Mexico, where he has threatened to take action against drug trafficking organizations. He also warned Colombian President Gustavo Petro, one of his ideological nemeses with whom he has had numerous online exchanges, to watch his back. In both cases, the threats are more pronounced given that both governments are allies of Washington.

Meanwhile, Rubio has declared that he believes that without Venezuelan oil, the regime in Cuba will not be able to survive. In a domino effect, the regime of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua would also succumb.

In contrast, during recent elections in Latin America, Trump boasted of having supported the man who won in Honduras (Nasry Asfura), the man who won in Chile (Jose Antonio Kast), the man who won in Argentina (Javier Milei).

The next few days will be crucial in determining what happens next. Trump has made it clear that, after his regime-change maneuver in Venezuela, he will not hesitate to order similar actions in the region. However, this hardline stance is not without risks. And in Venezuela, the U.S. presidents foreign policy success is at stake.

deposing Maduro is the easy partwhat comes next is where the trouble often lies. The United States learned this the hard way during previous regime change operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, where early tactical achievements failed to produce strategic success and instead paved the way for expensive occupations and unintended consequences. A split in the Venezuelan military, an expansion of criminal groups in the country, civil war, and the emergence of an even worse autocrat are all possible scenarios. None of these would bode well for regional stability or U.S. interests in its sphere of influence, explains analyst Dan DePetris in a statement from the organization Defense Priorities.

Conspicuously absent from the statements of Trump and his team, as well as from the National Security Strategy, is any mention of the opinions of people living in the countries and subject to this new Pax Americana. Lee Schlenker, an analyst with the Global South program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, has a warning about this new version of the Monroe Doctrine: The original one, proclaimed in the 19th century, encouraged the anti-American nationalist, revolutionary, and insurgent movements that characterized much of the 20th century in Latin America.

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Christian spent six years in Myrtle Beach before moving to the Upstate. When he's not working, he's reading a book, making a mess in the kitchen or running around Spartanburg.
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 /Apex Critical Metals Corp. (CSE:APXC)(OTCQX:APXCF)(FWB:KL9) ("Apex" or the "Company"), a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the identification and development of critical and strategic metals, is pleased to announce that it has received approval from the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment ("NDEE") for its mineral exploration permit ("drill permit") at the Company's flagship Rift Rare Earth Project, located within the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex in southeastern Nebraska, U.S.A.Apex CEO, Sean Charland, stated: "We have been very active expanding and consolidating our property position and completing historical re-logging, re-assaying and 3D modelling work in preparation for our inaugural drill campaign at the Rift Rare Earth Project. We are very pleased to receive our drill permit, which marks a significant step forward as we transition from planning and preparation to drill program execution. We are eager to begin verifying and expanding upon the excellent historical results, which we believe can rapidly position the Rift Project as one of the premier rare earth projects in North America." The Rift Project now covers approximately 3,500 acres across the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex-an area with extensive historical drilling by previous operators, including Molycorp (1973-1986) and Quantum Rare Earth Developments (2010-2011). Historical programs reported broad, high-grade REE mineralized intervals, including:155.5 metres ("m") of 2.70% REO(1), including 54.9 m at 3.30% REO (EC-93).236.2 m of 2.10% REO, including 68.2 m of 3.32% REO (NEC11-004).Drill Program PreparationsWith a permit now in hand, Apex has begun advancing all pre-drilling activities, with drilling expected to commence during the first half of Q1/2026. Ongoing preparations include:Finalizing discussions with contractorsSecuring drill mobilization schedules and support servicesEstablishing access routes and planned drill pad locationsCompleting logistical planning for core handling, sampling, and onsite operations; andTarget refinement based on historical data and detailed geological review.A detailed summary of the drillhole locations and planned meterage will be released as the program commences.Management cautions that drillhole EC-93 is historical and was originally completed by Molycorp between 1984-1986 with reanalysis performed by Quantum Rare Earth Development Corp. in 2010. The EC-93 results presented herein are from the 2010 reanalysis.1Rare earth oxide (REO), includes the sum of Ce2O3, La2O3, Pr2O3, Nd2O3, Eu2O3, Sm2O3, Gd2O3, Tb2O3, Dy2O3, Ho2O3, Er2O3, Tm2O3, Yb2O3, Lu2O3, and Y2O3Qualified PersonThe technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Nathan Schmidt, P. Geo., a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 on standards of disclosure for mineral projects. Mr. Schmidt is a Geologist with Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., the consulting firm engaged by Apex Critical Metals Corp. to conduct and oversee all of the Company's exploration work, including the 2026 drill program.ReferencesMolycorp, Inc. (1973-1986). Elk Creek Carbonatite Exploration Drill Program Reports. Internal company records, archived at the Nebraska Geological Survey, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.Daigle, P., P.Geo. (2012).; NI 43-101 Elk Creek NB Project, Nebraska, US - Resource Estimate Update, Prepared for Quantum Rare Earth Development Corp., by Tetra Tech Wardrop, April 23, 2012.Quantum Rare Earth Developments Corp. (2011). "Quantum Announces Significant Rare Earth Results from Elk Creek, Nebraska." News Release, September 20, 2011.About Apex Critical Metals Corp. (CSE: APXC) (OTCQX: APXCF) (FWB: KL9)Apex Critical Metals Corp. is a Canadian exploration company focused on advancing rare earth element (REE) and niobium projects that support the growing demand for critical and strategic metals across the United States and Canada. The Company's flagship Rift Project, located within the highly prospective Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex in Nebraska, U.S.A., hosts extensive rare earth rights surrounding one of North America's most advanced niobium-REE deposits. Historical drilling across the complex has reported broad intervals of high-grade REE mineralization, including intercepts such as 155.5 m of 2.70% REO and 68.2 m of 3.32% REO.In Canada, Apex continues to advance its 100%-owned Cap Project, located 85 kilometres northeast of Prince George, British Columbia. The 2025 drill program confirmed a significant niobium discovery with 0.59% NbO over 36 metres, including 1.08% NbO over 10 metres, within a 1.8-kilometre-long niobium trend. The Cap Project continues to demonstrate strong potential for niobium mineralization within a large and previously unrecognized carbonatite system.With a growing portfolio of critical mineral projects in both Canada and the United States, Apex Critical Metals is strategically positioned to help strengthen domestic supply chains for the minerals essential to advanced technologies, clean energy, and national security. Apex is publicly listed in Canada on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) under the symbol APXC and quoted on the OTCQX market in the United States under the symbol APXCF, and in Germany on the Borse Frankfurt under the symbol KL9 and/or WKN: A40CCQ. Find out more at www.apexcriticalmetals.com and to sign up for free news alerts please go to https://apexcriticalmetals.com/news/news-alerts/ , or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook or LinkedIn.On Behalf of the Board of DirectorsAPEX CRITICAL METALS CORP.,Sean CharlandChief Executive OfficerTel: 604.681.1568Email: info@ apexcriticalmetals.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:This news release may contain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Forward-looking statements in this news release include (without limitation) statements regarding the Company's Canadian and US-based prospective assets (more particularly described above), including the potential for additional acquisitions, statements about the potential for the Rift Project's potential as a premier rare earth project in North America and statements
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 / Aton Mining Inc. (AAN:TSX-V) ("Aton" or the "Company") is pleased to update investors on the results of metallurgical testwork from its Abu Marawat deposit ("Abu Marawat"). Abu Marawat is located within the Company's 100% owned Abu Marawat Concession ("the Concession"), in the Eastern Desert of Egypt.Highlights:Nine composite samples representing the main mineralisation types at Abu Marawat underwent preliminary metallurgical testwork investigating several different process options. The composite samples were prepared from selected diamond drill core intervals and RC chips;The samples exhibit medium to hard grinding characteristics, with Bond Rod and Ball Mill Work Indices ranging from 12.8-17.1 kWh/t. Abrasion Indices indicate slightly to moderately abrasive behaviour. Sulphide composite AM-MET03 exhibits hard crushing characteristics, while oxide samples are classified as medium;Whole ore cyanide leaching resulted in gold extractions ranging from 69.8% to 90.7%, and silver extractions between 48.3% and 88.4%. Cyanide consumption (3.2-9.2 kg/t) and lime consumption (0.6-12.0 kg/t) varied by ore type. Sulphide and transitional samples generally achieved the highest extraction efficiencies. Overall, the testwork demonstrated that gold is largely amenable to cyanide leaching, with silver recovery being more variable;Copper rougher flotation achieved 67-92% copper recovery with concentrate grades of 4-19% Cu, depending on mineralisation type. Gold recovery in copper concentrates ranged from 40-75%, and silver from 56-80%. Several samples (e.g. Fin Vein transitional and CVZ oxide) produced high grade copper concentrates with significant precious metal enrichment;Cleaner stages produced high grade copper concentrates (up to 45% Cu), but at the cost of significant recovery losses (often 10-40% Cu recovery in the cleaners). While copper and gold recoveries decreased in cleaner circuits, silver grades remained notably high. Silver consistently reported strongly to copper concentrates, frequently achieving 2-6 kg/t Ag in the cleaner products;Zinc depression proved challenging when testing the transitional ore types, especially for the CVZ transitional composite, with zinc misreporting to copper concentrates even at elevated dosages of zinc depressants. In contrast, the Fin Vein transitional composite responded better, with improved zinc depression;Saleable copper and zinc concentrates were achieved during testing of the CVZ sulphide composite sample. The copper circuit achieved a concentrate grade of 23.7% Cu at 48.3% recovery, whilst the zinc circuit achieved a concentrate grade of 60.4% Zn at 72.3% recovery;Leaching of flotation tailings provided substantial incremental recovery, adding a further 60-86% gold extraction and 37-64% silver extraction from the final cleaner tailings;SART testing exhibited a high degree of sulphide precipitation for dissolved copper, zinc, and silver (typically >97% precipitated from solution in 15 minutes), enabling significant cyanide regeneration. Gold extraction was limited (~62%) due to reduction to elemental gold and, possibly co-precipitation and entrainment.Overall, metallurgical testing of the Abu Marawat composite samples demonstrated that:The mineralisation responds strongly to conventional cyanide leaching, especially for gold;High value copper concentrates containing significant silver credits are achievable, albeit with some recovery losses;Zinc depression proved a challenge, especially in CVZ and Fin Vein transitional mineralisation types;Zinc cleaner flotation can produce marketable high-grade concentrates with moderate recovery;A flotation + leach flowsheet offers improved overall metal extraction; andSART can be highly effective for cyanide recovery and base metal removal at Abu Marawat."These preliminary metallurgical testwork results from the Abu Marawat polymetallic mineralisation are most encouraging, and indicate that the oxide mineralisation types can be processed economically using a fairly conventional process route for copper ores with high cyanide soluble copper content, that is by producing a saleable copper concentrate with precious metal credits, a saleable sulphide concentrate from SART, and dore from a Merrill-Crowe circuit" said Tonno Vahk, CEO. "Transitional ores from the CVZ and Fin Vein can be processed by conventional flotation to produce a saleable zinc concentrate with copper, gold and silver credits, which also could potentially be sold as a precious metals concentrate. The CVZ and Fin Vein sulphide mineralisation can be processed by sequential flotation to produce saleable copper and zinc concentrates, containing very respectable gold and silver metal credits. The latest phase of drilling has also been completed at Abu Marawat and our consultants are about to commence work on updating the Abu Marawat mineral resource estimate. This preliminary metallurgical testwork programme has identified potential processing routes for the production of gold, silver, copper and zinc from Abu Marawat, allowing the Company to push ahead towards its goal of incorporating both the Abu Marawat and Semna deposits, where drilling is ongoing, into the Abu Marawat exploitation lease." Abu Marawat gold-silver-copper-zinc projectThe Abu Marawat gold-silver-copper-zinc deposit is located approximately 35km northeast of the Hamama West deposit and 10km north-northeast of the Semna gold mine project, and is accessed via a well maintained desert track from the Qena-Safaga highway, approximately 25km to the north (Figure 1). On March 1, 2012 Aton Resources, when formerly named Alexander Nubia International Inc, announced a maiden Inferred Mineral Resource at Abu Marawat, prepared by Roscoe Postle Associates Inc., in compliance with the requirements set out in Canada's National Instrument 43101. The resource was subsequently restated in an updated Technical Report without amendment (see news release dated January 24, 2017), and which is available online at Aton's website at https://atonresources.com/investors/reports-and-presentations . This Inferred Mineral Resource was based on 98 diamond drill holes totalling 19,573 metres. 19 of these holes were drilled by a former property owner, Minex Minerals Egypt, a wholly owned subsidiary of Greenwich Resources Plc during the late 1980's, and the remainder were drilled by Aton in 2011. The Inferred Mineral Resource comprises 2.9 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.75 g/t Au, 29.3 g/t Ag, 0.77% Cu and 1.15% Zn, containing 162 thousand ounces of gold, 2.7 million ounces of silver, 49 million lbs of copper, and 73 mi
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 / Catwig LLC, which does business as Victory Disability ("Victory Disability"), recently announced a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal and protected health data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal and protected health information entrusted to Victory Disability.Levi & Korsinsky LLP is investigating claims arising from this data breach. If you would like an attorney to review your potential claim, visit our site here.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?In November 2025, Victory Disability became aware of claims that an unknown party obtained information belonging to the Firm. Upon discovering the incident, Victory Disability initiated an investigation, with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity specialists, to confirm the security of its environment and to determine the validity of these claims. Victory Disability also notified federal law enforcement authorities. The investigation determined that, between October 27, 2025, and November 12, 2025, an unknown party accessed a portion of Victory Disability's environment and may have viewed or copied certain information stored there.The impacted data may includename, contact information (e.g., address, email, or telephone number), and Social Security number. It may also have included your date of birth and/or medical information-such as diagnosis, treatment, medications, and lab results-if you shared this information with Victory in connection with your case.On December 12, 2025, Victory Disability filed a notice with the Attorney General of California and began sending written notification letters to impacted individuals. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personalor protected health information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATIONData breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Catwig LLC d/b/a Victory Disability, you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our awebsite to learn more. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 27th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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TORONTO, ON / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 / CF Energy Corp., (TSX-V:CFY) ("CF Energy" or the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"), an energy provider in the People's Republic of China (the "PRC") is pleased to announce the following:Green Technology Project Award Recognition:The "District Cooling System Technology" (the "Project") of the Company's controlled subsidiary, EDF Changfeng (Sanya) Energy Co., Ltd. ("EDF CF") has been successfully selected for the "Hainan Province 2025 Green Technology Projects and Key Energy-Saving and Carbon-Reduction Technology Equipment Promotion Catalog." EDF CF was formally certified by the Hainan Provincial Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Association, Hainan Province, the PRC. This provincial-level authoritative recognition marks the acknowledgment from both the local government and the industry regarding the technology's advancement and practical effectiveness, fully affirming EDF CF's efforts and achievements in promoting a green and low-carbon development path. The Project can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 76,000 tons annually.Hainan Free Trade PortThe Hainan Free Trade Port ("Hainan FTP") in southern China officially launched island-wide special customs operations on December 18 2025, a key move to boost trade and attract global business for the Hainan island. Under the new policy, the proportion of tariff lines with zero-tariff products in the Hainan FTP will increase from 21% to 74%, while the number of tariff-free items in Hainan will rise from about 1,900 to around 6,600, covering nearly all production equipment and raw materials. Combined with simplified customs clearance procedures, these changes are expected to enhance Hainan's competitiveness as a low-cost, high-efficiency trade hub and a key entry point for global goods.The Haitang Bay Smart Energy ProjectThe Haitang Bay Smart Energy Project, which combines the use of multiple clean energy sources, including solar, hydro, electricity, and natural gas (CCHP/Co-Gen), is to supply cooling, heating, as well as hot water to the hotels, shopping centers, and households in the Haitang Bay area of Sanya City, the Hainan Province, the PRC. This project is conducted through EDF CF, established between CF Energy and the French EDF Group with a 30-year concession right agreement which gives EDF CF the exclusive right to build, own and operate four energy processing stations in Haitang Bay. The project is considered as a leading integrated smart energy program in the PRC's energy market. Various advanced technologies have been applied throughout its entire pre-evaluation, construction designs and operational plans.About CF Energy Corp. (Previously known as: Changfeng Energy Inc.)CF Energy Corp. is a Canadian public company currently traded on the Toronto Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") under the stock symbol "CFY". It is an integrated energy provider and natural gas distribution company (or natural gas utility) in the PRC. CF Energy strives to combine leading clean energy technology with natural gas usage to provide sustainable energy to its customer base in the PRC. In 2009, CF Energy was recognized as being one of China's the Top Ten Most Influential Brands in the Natural Gas Industry and in 2019, ranked amongst the 2019 TSX Venture 50 top performers on the TSXV for the 2018 year.About EDF GroupA key player in energy transition, the EDF Group is an integrated electricity company, active in all areas of the business: generation, transmission, distribution, energy supply and trading, energy services. A global leader in low-carbon energies, the Group has developed a diversified generation mix based on nuclear power, hydropower, new renewable energies and thermal energy. The Group is involved in supplying energy and services to approximately 37.1 million customers, of which 26.2 million in France.CONTACT INFORMATIONCorporate Investment RelationsYongqiang ShanChief Financial Officer Yongqiang.shan@changfengenergy.cn Charles WangSecretary of the Board Zhaoyu.wang@changfengenergy.cn Frederick WongDirector of the Board fred.wong@changfengenergy.cn +852 9020 9394Forward-Looking StatementsCertain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "Forward-Looking Statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included or incorporated by reference in this document are Forward-Looking Statements, including statements regarding activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future. These Forward-Looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "will", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe" or "continue" or similar words or the negative thereof. No assurance can be given that the plans, intentions or expectations or assumptions upon which these Forward-Looking Statements are based will prove to be correct and such Forward-Looking Statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon.Although management believes that the expectations represented in such Forward-Looking Statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such Forward-Looking Statements are not a guarantee of performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements or developments expressed or implied by such Forward-Looking Statements. These factors include, without limitation, no significant and continuing adverse changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets. Readers are cautioned that all Forward-Looking Statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those risks and uncertainties detailed in the Corporation's filings with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities, copies of which are available at www.sedar.com . The Company urges readers to carefully consider those factors.The Forward-Looking Statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this document and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any Forward-Looking Statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein and accordingly undue reliance shou
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 /Earthwise Minerals Corp. (CSE:WISE)(FSE:966) ("Earthwise" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received a six-month extension of the option agreement on the Iron Range Project, located approximately 16 km northeast of Creston in southeastern British Columbia. In consideration for the option extension, Earthwise will issue 100,000 common shares to the Optionor, Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. (TSX-V:EPL) ("EPL" or "Eagle Plains"). As a result of the extension, the Company's first-year commitment under the option is now due on August 26th, 2026.Terms of the Option AgreementTo exercise the Option, Earthwise must make a series of cash payments and share issuances to Eagle Plains and fund exploration expenditures on the Project. These payments, share issuances and expenditures are separated into two phases, with the First Option entitling the Company to acquire a 70% interest in the Project by paying CA$250,000, issuing an aggregate of 1,500,000 common shares to EPL and funding CA$4,000,000 in exploration expenditures on the Project by over a four-year term. Pursuant to the Second Option (if elected by Earthwise), the Company may acquire an additional 10% interest in the Project (for an 80% total interest) by notifying Eagle Plains of its intent to increase its interest to 80%, making an additional one-time payment of CA$ 1,000,000 cash and completing a bankable feasibility study on the Property prior to the eighth anniversary of the Option.If either the First Option or the Second Option is exercised, a 2% smelter returns royalty will be granted to Eagle Plains over the entire Property, 1% of which may be repurchased for CA$1,500,000.Eagle Plains will serve as Operator under the terms of the Option and will reserve the right to use TerraLogic Exploration Inc. as geoscience consultant. Following the exercise of either the First Option or the Second Option, Earthwise and Eagle Plains shall then form a 70/30 or 80/20 joint venture ("JV") to further explore and develop the Property.About the Iron Range Project https://earthwiseminerals.com/iron-range-project/ Geological OverviewThe Iron Range Project is located on the western flank of the Proterozoic Purcell Anticlinorium and is underlain by Aldridge Formation metasedimentary rocks within a district-scale hydrothermal system. The Property is influenced by major structural corridors associated with iron-oxide brecciation, shear-hosted gold, and polymetallic mineralization. Within this framework, the Talon Zone is interpreted as a multiphase, structurally focused breccia/vein system hosting Ag-Au-Pb-Zn-Cu mineralization within silica-K-feldspar-carbonate altered rocks.Regional Geological ComparisonIron Range shares strong geological similarities with the Sullivan Mine, located approximately 70 km northeast. These include the presence of Aldridge Formation stratigraphy, "Sullivan-time" laminated horizons, vent-proximal fragmental rocks, and a Pb-Zn-Ag  Au  Cu metal suite. While the Talon Zone represents a structurally focused polymetallic system rather than classic stratiform SEDEX mineralization, the metal association and structural setting are consistent with large-scale hydrothermal systems active within the Purcell Basin.InfrastructureThe project benefits from excellent infrastructure, including:Canadian Pacific Railway mainline crossing the PropertyHighway 3 access directly through the claim blockHigh-voltage transmission line and high-pressure natural gas pipeline on-siteExtensive Forest Service Road networkApproximately 133 km by road from Teck's Trail smelterThese advantages support efficient field operations, cost-effective drill deployment, and enhanced future development potential.Historical Work SummaryExploration at Iron Range began in 1897 with the discovery of iron-oxide showings. Cominco's mid-20th century work included trenching and shallow drilling, followed by SEDEX-focused mapping, soil geochemistry, and UTEM surveys in the 1980s. Junior explorers in the 1990s recognized SEDEX-style fragmental units and IOCG-style alteration.Eagle Plains acquired the Property in 1999 and has since completed extensive airborne geophysical surveys (VTEM, ZTEM, and gravity), structural mapping, large soil geochemical programs, and multi-phase drilling that led to the discovery of high-grade gold at O-Ray, the Talon polymetallic system, and Sullivan-style mineralization at Car and IR05-03. Subsequent work (2013-2017) refined priority targets and established Induced Polarization (IP) anomalies at Talon that remain untested at depth.Earthwise management cautions that past results or discoveries on proximate land are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved on the subject properties.Granting of Incentive Stock OptionsEarthwise announces that its Board of Directors has approved the granting of 1,075,000 incentive stock options (the "Options") to senior executives, directors and consultants of the Company. The Options grant the holder the right to purchase common shares in the capital of the Company (each, a "Common Share") at a deemed price of $0.05 per Common Share. The Options vest immediately and expire on January 6th, 2031.Change in ManagementEarthwise Minerals announces the resignation of Mr. George Yordanov as VP of Exploration and a director of the Company, effective immediately. Earthwise wishes to thank Mr. Yordanov for his contributions to the Company.Qualified PersonCharles C. Downie, P.Geo., a "qualified person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and an officer and director of Eagle Plains, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release.About Earthwise MineralsEarthwise Minerals Corp. (CSE: WISE; FSE: 966) is a Canadian junior exploration company focused on advancing the Iron Range Gold Project in southeastern British Columbia near Creston, B.C. The Company holds an option to earn up to an 80% interest in the fully permitted project, which is road-accessible and situated within a prolific mineralized corridor. The property covers a 10 km x 32 km area along the Iron Range Fault System and hosts multiple high-grade gold showings and large-scale geophysical and geochemical anomalies.For more information, visit www.earthwiseminerals.com EARTHWISE MINERALS CORP.,ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD"Mark Luchinski"Contact Information:Mark LuchinskiChief Executive Officer, DirectorTelephone: (604) 506-6201Email: luch@ luchccorp.com Forward Looking StatementsThis news release includes statements that constitute %
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 / Ellafi Federal Credit Union ("EFCU") recently announced a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal and protected health data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal information entrusted to EFCU.Levi & Korsinsky LLP is investigating claims arising from this data breach. If you would like an attorney to review your potential claim, visit our site here.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?On October 14, 2025, Ellafi Federal Credit Union became aware of a security incident on its network. Upon detection, EFCU launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident. The investigation determined that certain files may have been accessed and acquired without authorization.The impacted data may includename, Social Security numbers,credit and/or debit card numbers.On December 27, 2025, EFCU filed a notice with the Attorney General of Maine and began sending notice letters to impacted individuals.Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personalor protected health information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATIONData breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Ellafi Federal Credit Union, you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 27th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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From intentional event design to community investment, ETHOS reflects on five years of building a people-first approach to destination management.HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 / ETHOS Event Collective,the purpose-driven destination management company, celebrates its fifth anniversary following a year in which its corporate social responsibility mission came to life through meaningful community initiatives.ETHOS was founded on January 1, 2021, with the mission of redefining how meetings and incentives create measurable impact. The company began its journey during one of the most transformative periods in the events industry. Since then, ETHOS has evolved from a bold concept into a trusted national DMC partner, recognized for leveraging Purposeful Planning. Today, the company operates across multiple destinations with a team of more than 90 event professionals united by one mission: to make business a force for good.Joe Fijol, Founder and Principal:"ETHOS was built on the belief that our industry could do more for our clients, more for our communities, and more for our people. Five years later, that belief has only strengthened. Our growth reflects not just our success, but the trust our clients place in a model built on purpose and measurable outcomes." From Vision to GrowthWhat began as a vision to elevate destination management through transparency, strategy, and measurable purpose has evolved into a nationally recognized brand. In just five years, ETHOS has expanded into key incentive destinations, including Orlando, Miami, Naples, Amelia Island, Savannah, Las Vegas, Napa/Sonoma, and Grand Cayman, each location led by local experts who bring community insight to every client experience.This commitment to "local expertise with national purpose" has shaped how ETHOS partners with clients to align business goals, cultural authenticity, and community benefit.Katie Webb, Vice President of Destination Services + Development:"Our growth is the direct result of a team that leads with purpose. Every ETHOS destination is powered by people who care deeply about community, creativity, and client success. This milestone is a reminder that impact starts within, and that our best work is still ahead." Innovation and Industry LeadershipETHOS's growth has been fueled by continuous investment in people and innovation.Development of the Giving Department: A dedicated internal division that manages corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, nonprofit partnerships, and measurable impact reports for clients.In-House Technology Team: ETHOS established its own tech department to enhance event design, streamline planning processes, and strengthen ROI and impact measurement within its Purposeful Planning framework.Industry Partnerships and Recognition: ETHOS maintains strong relationships with leading organizations such as theIncentive Research Foundation (IRF),The Financial and Insurance Conference Professionals (FICP),and theAssociation of Destination Management Executives International (ADMEI) . Founder and Principal Joe Fijol serves on the IRF Board of Trustees, and ETHOS proudly supports the organization as a Gold Sponsor, reinforcing its commitment to advancing research and education across the industry.Commitment to Purposeful ImpactSince its founding, ETHOS has transformed the role of CSR in destination management by making community impact measurable, scalable, and meaningful.ETHOS programs and the internal team have contributed over 1,200 volunteer hours and generated over $200,000 in community donations through the company's Passion Project Initiative and custom CSR activations.These initiatives demonstrate how events can create ripple effects far beyond a single program, building stronger communities and leaving lasting legacies for both clients and destinations.Employee and Culture FocusAt the heart of ETHOS's success is a people-first culture rooted in collaboration, creativity, and purpose. With over 90 full-time employees across its destinations, ETHOS invests heavily in professional development, leadership training, and internal growth opportunities.This commitment to team empowerment has driven both innovation and retention, creating a workplace where purpose and performance thrive in harmony.Client and Partner TrustOver the past five years, ETHOS has built long-term relationships with Fortune 500 companies, incentive houses, and global hospitality partners, many of whom have partnered with ETHOS across multiple destinations. These repeat collaborations reflect the company's reputation for consistency, transparency, and measurable results that extend beyond the event itself.Future-Facing VisionAs ETHOS enters its next chapter, the company continues to invest in innovation, technology, and ESG goals while staying rooted in the values that set it apart.While much of the destination management industry has prioritized expansion and market share, ETHOS's focus remains on building communities through connection, giveback, and authentic presence in the destinations it calls home. Rather than scaling for size alone, the company measures success by the strength of its partnerships and the lasting impact of its programs on both people and place.Plans for 2026 include continuing its commitment to donating 1% of program profits to local nonprofits, enhancing client-facing analytics tools, and deepening relationships with local production partners to support diverse and environmentally responsible supply chains.These initiatives ensure that Purposeful Planning continues to evolve as both a philosophy and a measurable process, shaping the future of destination management through data, empathy, and action.About ETHOS Event Collective:ETHOS Event Collective is a premier event management company known for crafting unforgettable experiences in Amelia Island, Orlando, Palm Beach, Miami, Naples, Savannah, Las Vegas, Napa + Sonoma, Monterey Peninsula, San Francisco, and Grand Cayman. With a dedicated team of event specialists, they curate bespoke gatherings that reflect their clients' unique essence and aspirations. From conceptualization to execution, ETHOS Event Collective delivers seamless, memorable events that leave a lasting impact.ContactsRaquel Little raquel.little@ethoseventcollective.com SOURCE: ETHOS Event Collective
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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 4, 2026 /WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of common stock of Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE:INSP) between August 6, 2024 and August 4, 2025, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important January 5, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline.SO WHAT: If you purchased Inspire Medical common stock during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Inspire Medical class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=21452 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@ rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than January 5, 2026. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.WHY ROSEN LAW:We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved, at that time, the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants misrepresented and failed to disclose key facts about Inspire V, a sleep apnea device, including the actual market demand for the device and whether Inspire Medical had taken the steps necessary to launch it. Defendants issued a series of materially false and misleading statements that led investors to believe that demand for Inspire V was strong and that Inspire Medical had taken the necessary steps for a successful launch. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.To join the Inspire Medical class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=21452 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@ rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.---Contact Information:Laurence Rosen, Esq.Phillip Kim, Esq.The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.275 Madison Avenue, 40th FloorNew York, NY 10016Tel: (212) 686-1060Toll Free: (866) 767-3653Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@ rosenlegal.com SOURCE: The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 / St. Anthony Regional Hospital ("St. Anthony") recently announced it experienced a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal and protected health data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal and protected health information entrusted to St. Anthony.Levi & Korsinsky LLP is investigating claims arising from this data breach. If you would like an attorney to review your potential claim, visit our site here.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?In August 2024, St. Anthony Regional Hospital became aware of suspicious activity within its computer network. Upon detection, St. Anthony launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity specialists and notified federal law enforcement.The investigation determined that an unauthorized third party gained access to St. Anthony's network between August 14, 2024, and August 28, 2024. During this time certain files were accessed or downloaded without authorization.The impacted data may include names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, payment card information, financial account information, billing or claims information, doctor's names, medical device serial numbers, biometric data, prescription information, disability information, patient ID, and health insurance information.On December 29, 2025, St. Anthony Regional Hospital publicly disclosed the incident and began sending notification letters to impacted individuals. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personal or protected health information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATIONData breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from St. Anthony Regional Hospital, you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 27th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 / ARC Community Services ("ARC Community") recently announced data breach that compromised the sensitive personal and protected health data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal and protected health information entrusted to ARC Community.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?On November 4, 2024, ARC Community became aware of a security incident within its network. Upon detection, ARC Community launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident. The investigation determined that an unauthorized third party gained access to ARC Community's systems and acquired data from its network without authorization.Theimpacted data may includefirst and last names, addresses, dates of birth, and one or more of the following: medical record numbers, health information, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, and financial account information.On December 4, 2025, ARC Community filed a notice with the office of the New Hampshire Attorney General and began sending notice letters to impacted individuals.Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personalor protected health information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATIONData breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from ARC Community Services, you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 27th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Integer Holdings Corporation ("Integer" or the "Company") (NYSE:ITGR). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at newaction@ pomlaw.com or 646-581-9980, (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.The class action concerns whether Integer and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.You have until February 09, 2026 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class if you purchased or otherwise acquired Integer securities during the Class Period. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com [Click here for information about joining the class action]October 23, 2025, when Integer cut its full-year 2025 guidance and informed investors it expected net sales growth of -2% to 2% and organic sales growth of 0% to 4% for the full year of 2026. Integer further admitted that two of its electrophysiology devices had experienced "slower than forecasted" market adoption and expected the slower demand impact "to continue into 2026." Analysts immediately reacted, noting that Integer's sales guidance was "materially below the Street." On this news, Integer's stock price fell $35.22 per share, or 32.28%, to close at $73.89 per share on October 23, 2025.Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 / Steven J. Pearlman MD PCCenter("Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery") recently announced it experienced a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal and protected health data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal information entrusted to Pearlman Aesthetic SurgeryLevi & Korsinsky LLP is investigating claims arising from this data breach. If you would like an attorney to review your potential claim, visit our site here.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?Steven J. Pearlman MD PC ("Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery") recently became aware of a security incident involving unauthorized access to its systems. The impacted data may include names and other personal and protected health information.On November 9, 2025, Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery publicly disclosed the data breach to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and began notifying impacted individuals of this incident. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personal or protected health information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATIONData breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Steven J. Pearlman MD PCCenter, you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 27th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 /Swiss Academy for Leadership and Sustainability (SALS) today announced the launch of its Swiss Standards in Recruitment Accreditation Program, a structured framework designed to support the evaluation and documentation of recruitment processes for organizations and individual participants.The program introduces a standardized accreditation framework applicable to corporate recruitment systems as well as an individual certification track open to job seekers and professionals seeking to better understand recruitment processes.At the organizational level, the accreditation program focuses on reviewing recruitment structures, process documentation, and assessment methodologies based on predefined evaluation criteria. The assessment examines recruitment-related procedures rather than individual hiring outcomes.At the individual level, the certification track is available to job seekers and professionals who wish to gain structured insight into recruitment practices and commonly applied hiring procedures. The individual certification does not constitute an employment guarantee or professional license.The Swiss Standards in Recruitment Accreditation Program reviews recruitment-related areas including:Role definition and competency frameworksStructured interview processesAssessment methodologiesProcess documentation and consistencyRecruitment workflow structuresOrganizations and individual participants that successfully complete the evaluation process are awarded a Swiss Standards in Recruitment Accreditation or Swiss Standards in Recruitment Certificate issued by Swiss Academy for Leadership and Sustainability.SALS Vice President Sertan Aycicek stated, "This accreditation program is designed to provide organizations and individual participants with a structured reference framework to better understand and document recruitment processes." The accreditation program does not represent a government license, regulatory approval, or legal authorization. It is issued as an independent institutional certification by Swiss Academy for Leadership and Sustainability.Swiss Academy for Leadership and Sustainability develops education and certification programs focused on leadership practices, organizational structures, and institutional frameworks.For more information, please visit the official website of Swiss Academy for Leadership and Sustainability.Media ContactOrganization: Swiss Academy for Leadership and SustainabilityContact person: Emmy AliWebsite: https://sals.academy/ Email: press@ sals.academy Address: Chemin des Crets-de-Champel 38City: GenevaCountry: SwitzerlandSOURCE: Swiss Academy for Leadership and Sustainability
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Technology-driven critical metals company advancing Western supply resistance through patented processing IP, strategic exploration assets, and global commercial partnerships.HighlightsAcceptance as a member of the CSM Scientific Network, an initiative of Quebec-based Consortium for Research and Innovation in Metal Transformation.Engagement of Independent Trading Group Inc. ("ITG") to provide market-making services on the Canadian Securities Exchange, subject to regulatory approval.Engagement of Pitt Street Research Pty Ltd to provide independent equity research coverage commencing January 2026.VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 /Temas Resources Corp. ("Temas" or the "Company") (ASX:TIO)(CSE:TMAS)(OTCQB:TMASF)(FSE:26P0) is pleased to provide a consolidated update on several recent corporate and strategic initiatives that support the Company's growth strategy, market presence and technology-led critical minerals platform.CSM Scientific Network Membership ("CRITM")Temas is pleased to report that it has been accepted as a member of the CSM Scientific Network, an initiative of the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Metal Transformation ("CRITIM"), based in Quebec-based, Canada.The CSM Scientific Network is a consortium of individuals and organisation within Quebec's scientific community focused on Critical and Strategic Minerals (CSM). It includes SMEs, large enterprises, research institutions and professionals involved in the development, processing and deployment of critical minerals.CRITM is one of Quebec's designated industrial research sector groups and provides it members with access to scientific collaboration opportunities, specialized equipment, expert advisory networks and support mechanisms for industrial research and innovation across the metals value chain.CRITM is comprised of 177 members including 32 research entities, 139 companies, and 6 organizations 268 affiliated members of the Trans-Al Network and Alliance Metal Quebec (CRITM Members).Tim Fernback, CEO, of Temas Resources commented on the CSM Scientific Network membership:"Becoming a member of the CSM Scientific Network is an important step for the company, given CSM's focus on critical and strategic mineral development and process validation. It is a big part of the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Metal Transformation, an organisation that has been central to scientific innovation in the field of metallurgical development in Canada. This Consortium is comprised of over 177 members, including global leaders such as Rio Tinto, Vale, General Motors, and McGill University, as well as smaller innovating groups such as Temas Resources. We are looking forward to participating and being an active member of this leading organization focussed on critical mineral development and metal transformation." Market Making Services EngagementSubject to regulatory approval, Temas has engaged Independent Trading Group Inc. ("ITG") to provide market-making services in compliance with the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") policies. ITG is a Dealer Member as defined by Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization's ("CIRO") General By-Law No. 1. ITG will trade shares of the Company on the CSE with the objective of maintaining a reasonable market and improving the liquidity of the Company's common shares.Under the terms of the agreement, ITG will receive a monthly fee of CAD$10,000 for an initial term of five months, followed by monthly renewal terms at CAD$5,000 per month unless terminated by either party with 30 days' notice. ITG will commence providing services to the Company on January 1, 2026. ITG will not receive shares or options as compensation and is an independent arm's length party. ITG agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to perform the following services:Enhance market depot and contribute to the market liquidity of the Company's common shares by entering orders on two sides of the book.Add stability and efficiency to the market for the common shares and increase the efficiency of the Price Discovery Mechanism.Act as a liaison to the Company by providing information to the Company regarding trading pattern of the common shares on the CSE; andEnter orders to maintain a reasonable spread, as determined by the Market Maker in its sole discretion, between bid price and ask price of the common shares when natural market liquidity is not present. If the price of the common shares stabilizes and there are sufficient buyers and sellers on both sides of the market, the Market Maker will not carry out market making activities at a level that materially affects the market.Engagement of Pitt Street ResearchThe Company has entered into a Research Services Agreement dated 9 December 2025 with Pitt Street Research Pty Ltd ("Pitt Street") of Sydney, Australia, with services to commence in January 2026.Under the agreement, Pitt Street will provide independent research coverage over the 2026 calendar year, including preparation of an initiation research report, ongoing research updates following Company announcements released to the ASX, and analyst commentary on material Company news flow. Additional services may include verbal commentary and the production of video content, such as CEO interviews and discussion of published research notes, at Pitt Street's discretion.In consideration for these services, the Company has agreed to issue 450,000 CHESS Depositary Interests (CDIs) to Pitt Street Research Pty Ltd.An Appendix 3B in respect of the issue of the CDIs will be released today.Tim Fernback, CEO, of Temas Resources commented on the strengthened strategic positioning:"These initiatives collectively strengthen Temas' corporate platform as we continue to advance our technology-driven critical minerals strategy. Independent research coverage, deeper integration within Quebec's scientific and innovation ecosystem, and enhanced market liquidity all support our objective of building long-term shareholder value." - ENDS -Approved for Release by the Board of DirectorsFor further information, contact:Tim Fernback President & CEOtimf@ temasresources.com Jane Morgan Investor & Media Relationsjm@ janemorganmanagement.com.au + 61 (0) 405 555 618Or visit our website at www.temasresources.com About Independent Trading GroupIndependent Trading Group Inc. ("ITG") is a Toronto based CIRO dealer-member that specializes in market making, liquidity provision agency execution, ultra-low latency connectivity, and bespoke algorithm trading solutions. Established in 1992, with a focus on market structure, execution and trading, ITG has leverages its own propri
The Lagos State Police Command has intervened in the escalating controversy surrounding Chris Okafor, founder of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministry in Lagos, following allegations involving his ex-wife, Bessem, actress Doris Ogala, and other former church members.

In 2025, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Ms Ogala accused Mr Okafor of reneging on promises of marriage, causing her emotional distress, alongside other allegations.

His ex-wife, Ms Bessem, also accused the cleric of subjecting her to physical abuse, while firmly denying allegations of adultery levelled against her by Mr Okafor.

The mounting accusations reportedly led Mr Okafor to step aside from ministerial duties for one month.

Sexual allegations

However, since that announcement, fresh sexual allegations have circulated widely on social media. Ms Ogala further alleged that the cleric knew something about the death of her brother.

Responding to the growing controversy, the Lagos State Police spokesperson, Abimbola Adebisi, said in a statement posted on the Commands official X page on Sunday night that the Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, has ordered a full investigation.

According to Ms Adebisi, the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, has been directed to probe the allegations.

She said Mr Okafor has been asked to report to the SCID on January 5, at 10:00 a.m.

She said: The Lagos State Police Command has invited Pastor Chris Okafor, Senior Pastor of Mountain of Liberation and Miracles Ministries, in connection with allegations of multiple rape, other sexual offences, and several other conduct likely to cause breach of public peace and breakdown of law and order in the State.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Jimoh, has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (DC SCID) to carry out a thorough investigation into the several criminal allegations against Pastor Chris Okafor.

Serious crimes

Ms Adebisi further stated that Mr Okafor has been served with an invitation letter through his legal representative and was expected to fully cooperate with the SCID as investigations continued into allegations of capital offences and other serious crimes levelled against him.

She also disclosed that Mr Jimoh ordered immediate and comprehensive security coverage for the alleged victims to ensure their safety and protection.

According to her, the commissioner encouraged all alleged victims of Mr Okafor to come forward and report at the SCID, where investigations into the alleged criminal acts had already commenced.

The identity of the victims will be absolutely kept confidential and will be protected. Any person(s) or individuals who may have fallen victim are further implored to come forward to report their complaints to the alleged Pastor.

Any person or persons who have credible information or evidence relevant to the investigation are also encouraged to come forward without fear or apprehension to assist the Police in the investigation of the cases against him. Such persons may wish to get across to the SCID through the Police Public Relations Department at the Lagos State Police Command, or can go directly to the SCID, said Ms Adebisi.

Strict accordance with the law

She added that the commissioner reassured members of the public that the identities of all victims and witnesses would be fully protected.

Ms Adebisi further stated that the investigation would be carried out in a professional, transparent and impartial manner, in strict accordance with the law.

The Lagos State Police Command is committed to maintaining law and order, public peace, safety, and ensuring that all allegations of criminal acts against anyone, no matter how highly placed or lowly placed, are discreetly investigated according to law, regardless of the status of the individuals involved, and no sentiment will be allowed to prevail. Justice must prevail in the whole episode.
People shop at a downtown duty-free shop in north China's Tianjin Municipality, Nov. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Park Eun Jeong, a 46-year-old visitor from the Republic of Korea (ROK), wrapped up her recent trip to China by securing tax refunds for two purchases at an airport in Shanghai -- a peony-and-butterfly shawl and a hand-embroidered silk scarf -- in less than 15 minutes.

"The whole process was very smooth," Park said. "Quite a few people were waiting for manual refunds, so I chose a self-service machine instead."

She scanned her passport and shopping receipts, followed the on-screen prompts, and watched the system swiftly complete the verification. Within minutes, the refund was transferred directly to her WeChat Pay account.

Park is among a growing number of foreign tourists benefiting from China's policy push to improve the shopping experience. Fueled by the expansion of visa-free entry policies and the refinement of departure tax refund services, enthusiasm for both "China travel" and "China shopping" has continued to build.

During the just-concluded New Year holiday, ticket bookings for tourist attractions by inbound visitors jumped 110 percent year on year, according to Chinese travel platform Trip.com Group. Data from the National Immigration Administration showed that during this holiday, cross-border trips by foreign visitors grew by 29.8 percent from the 2025 figure to reach 828,000.

Beyond immersive experiences of the country's natural scenery and cultural appeal, shopping in China is increasingly becoming an integral part of overseas visitors' travel itineraries. The resulting surge in inbound consumption underscores China's growing openness and the appeal of its cities, injecting new momentum into economic growth.

SMOOTHER TRAVEL, EASIER SHOPPING

For Italian photographer Simona Maria Cannone, China's expanding visa-free access has made travel preparations notably simpler. The 30-day visa-free policy made the trip as simple as taking a domestic European flight, Cannone said.

Cannone and her husband recently spent a month in southwest China's Yunnan Province, traveling through Kunming, Dali and Honghe. Getting around in China proved equally convenient. "As Europeans, we are very accustomed to train travel, and Chinese high-speed trains have consistently impressed us with their efficiency and punctuality," she said.

Beyond easier travel, China has optimized its departure tax refund policies by lowering the minimum purchase threshold, expanding the network of eligible retailers, and promoting instant tax refunds that allow overseas visitors to receive refunds directly at retail outlets rather than waiting until departure at airports.

At Hisense Plaza in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Kim Do Hoon from the ROK purchased a handbag at a Bottega Veneta store and received an immediate 2,070-yuan (about 294.5 U.S. dollars) tax refund. "It was much easier than I had imagined," Kim said.

According to Zhang Yu, a manager at Hisense Plaza, nearly 300 brands at the mall, mainly those for accessories, handbags and apparel, now offer instant tax refunds. Overseas visitors are also showing growing interest in Chinese brands and products, including Huawei smartphones and DJI drones.

National data show that in the first 11 months of 2025, the number of overseas travelers applying for departure tax refunds surged 285 percent year on year, while sales of tax-refunded goods and total refunds both rose 98.8 percent. By the end of November 2025, China had 12,252 designated departure tax refund stores nationwide, with more than 7,000 offering instant refunds upon purchase.

NEW GROWTH ENGINE

At a new Chinese-style clothing store along the historic streets of Xuhui District in east China's Shanghai, instant tax refunds upon purchase have been widely used by overseas visitors.

"Our store specializes in new Chinese-style clothing for both men and women," said Tian Ling, director of the Neo Chinese Style flagship store. "We opened in April 2025, and shortly afterward, local tax authorities in Xuhui District contacted us to introduce the instant tax refund policy. We signed up promptly," Tian said.

Located in an area known for its historic houses and streets, the shop has drawn a steady stream of foreign visitors. "Many of them have become our customers and have used the instant tax refund service here," Tian added.

Language barriers have not proven to be an obstacle. Tian said staff members use translation apps to communicate with overseas customers, while a designated tax official from local authorities is available online to provide real-time support.

According to the Communist Party of China Central Committee's recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), China will develop more cities into international consumption centers and expand inbound consumption in the coming years.

These efforts are expected to further upgrade domestic commerce, as well as cultural and tourism offerings, and to enhance cities' global visibility and influence, said Liu Xiangdong, a researcher at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, adding that international experience shows that inbound consumption can also stimulate domestic consumption and investment.

Data from the Ministry of Commerce show that in 2024, spending by inbound travelers accounted for about 0.5 percent of China's GDP, compared with between 1 percent and 3 percent in other major economies worldwide, indicating significant room for China's growth.

To tap this potential, Liu suggested integrating duty-free shops and tax refund outlets with cultural and tourism resources to create "shopping plus tourism" experiences. He also proposed expanding downtown duty-free stores and developing multilingual duty-free shopping apps to improve convenience for foreign consumers.

Vice Commerce Minister Sheng Qiuping said China will steadily expand unilateral visa-free access, further optimize tax refund services, and advance the development of cities into international consumption centers.

"We will make it easier for consumers around the world to come to China, travel with greater comfort and enjoy better value when shopping, so they can experience a China that is more open, inclusive, diverse and innovative," Sheng said. 
Jubril Arogundade, former Executive Director of CIG Motors, has responded to the companys announcement of his termination.

The company announced in a statement posted on its Instagram page on Saturday, which was obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.

Afrobeats star David Davido Adeleke was the ambassador for the automobile company. He signed the partnership deal in July 2024, and around that time, Mr Arogundade became a household name.

The automobile firm stated that Mr Arogundades termination was linked to financial misappropriation and abuse of authority.

It added that the matter had been referred to the EFCC for further investigation.

According to the company, the decision followed a period of suspension and a comprehensive internal review of Mr Arogundades conduct while in office.

Response

However, in a statement sent to this newspaper on Monday, Mr Arogundade, a socialite, denied ever being fired, describing the reports as inaccurate.

He explained that his departure from CIG Motors was a voluntary resignation, which took effect on 2 December 2025, in full compliance with his contractual obligations and the companys internal procedures.

Mr Arogundade further stated that his resignation letter had been submitted and formally acknowledged by the companys management, accompanied by an agreed notice period and exit timeline.

He noted: I resigned from my position at CIG Motors after careful reflection and in line with due process.

It is therefore deeply concerning that my voluntary exit has been publicly mischaracterised. I believe strongly in transparency and professionalism, and I am compelled to correct the record.

Resignation

He further explained that his decision to resign from the company was prompted by persistent and internal issues concerning corporate governance, financial discipline, and regulatory compliance.

Mr Arogundade added that before his resignation, he formally raised these concerns through the appropriate internal channels, in line with his duties as a senior executive and his commitment to ethical business conduct.

Among the issues that influenced his decision were persistent corporate governance gaps, including the absence of adequate internal controls and oversight mechanisms. A growing and unsustainable debt profile, driven by repeated borrowing without corresponding long-term financial structuring. Ongoing regulatory and compliance challenges, including unresolved tax and statutory obligations.

As a Nigerian professional, I take governance, compliance, and institutional responsibility very seriously. When internal efforts to address these matters did not yield the necessary corrective action, I chose to resign rather than compromise on standards that I believe are fundamental to sustainable business, said Mr Arogundade.

He stated that his decision to resign was driven by principle and professional responsibility, particularly where remaining in the role might conflict with his personal values and standards of corporate accountability.

Allegations

In response to the allegations made by the company, Mr Arogundade denied any financial impropriety, abuse of authority, or misconduct.

He emphasised that he remains willing to undergo any lawful, independent, and objective review of his conduct during his tenure.

Mr Arogundade also clarified that he has never been contacted by the EFCC or any other law enforcement or regulatory agency regarding the alleged financial mismanagement.

He reaffirmed his commitment and readiness to cooperate fully should any legitimate inquiry be initiated.

I have conducted myself with integrity throughout my career. I am confident that any objective review will affirm this, said Mr Arogundade.

He stated that he has pursued all necessary legal and professional avenues to safeguard his reputation and respond to the spread of false or misleading information.

He called on media organisations and others circulating what he described as false or misleading information to observe the principles of fairness, balance, and responsible reporting.

Reputations are built over years and should not be undermined by inaccuracies or trial-by-media. I trust that the truth, properly examined, will speak for itself, he said.

Mr Arogundade stated that he will not make any further public comments at this stage.

He added that he is allowing due process to run its course and remains focused on the next phase of his professional career.
The remains of Godiya Akwashiki, the senator for the Nasarawa North District who died on Wednesday 31 December, has arrived in Nigeria from India.

Mr Akwashiki died on Wednesday, aged 52, in an Indian hospital after a prolonged illness.

A family source, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES but asked not to be named because they were not authorized by the family to speak with the media, said the body arrived through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The source said it was received by political associates, party leaders and supporters, including a former governor of Nasarawa State, Umaru Al-Makura; the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo; the partys acting National Chairman, Sadiq Gombe; and a ranking member of the House of Representatives, Gbefwi Gaza.

Political profile

Mr Akwashiki was a seasoned politician and grassroots mobiliser, widely regarded as one of the most influential political figures in the Nasarawa North Senatorial District.

He was elected to the Senate on the platform of the SDP, recording a rare electoral breakthrough for the party in Nasarawa State.

His victory was a major upset against Nigerias dominant political parties and brought the SDP increased national visibility.

Before his election to the Senate, Mr Akwashiki served in various political roles at the state level, where he built a reputation for strong constituency engagement and youth mobilisation.

He was also known for his advocacy on issues affecting rural communities, security challenges and economic inclusion in Nasarawa State.

Within the SDP, he was a key figure and one of the partys most prominent elected officials.

Details of his burial arrangements are yet to be announced by the family.
Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke have recovered a cache of assault rifles, ammunition and grenades in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State, in a raid the military said delivered a major blow against criminal networks operating in the BenueTaraba axis.

The Acting Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Ahmad Zubairu, said the army carried out the raid on Sunday after becoming aware of the movement of an associate of a notorious criminal kingpin, John Ngata.

He said soldiers swiftly mounted a snap roadblock at Zaki-Biam, Benue State, where the suspect was intercepted without resistance.

Following preliminary interrogation, the suspect voluntarily led troops to a concealed armoury belonging to the criminal network at Amadu village in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State, Mr Zubairu said.

He said troops recovered 13 AK-47 rifles, 39 AK-47 magazines, 690 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and four hand grenades from the hideout.

The armoury was subsequently destroyed to prevent further use, after which the troops withdrew safely to base.

The Force Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke, Moses Gara, said the success of the operation underscored the value of intelligence-led military actions and cooperation with local communities.

He said the seizure had disrupted a criminal supply chain and removed lethal weapons from circulation.

Mr Gara also assured residents of the Joint Operations Area that the task force would continue to prioritise troop welfare, logistics support and operational readiness, while urging the public to sustain the flow of credible intelligence.

He pledged confidentiality and prompt response to information provided by residents.

The latest operation comes against the backdrop of persistent insecurity along the BenueTaraba border, where armed groups have exploited rural communities and key transit routes.

On 11 December 2025, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke, working with the Nigeria Police and the Benue State Community Protection Guard, dismantled a notorious gang that had mounted an illegal roadblock at Ukum Junction in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.

During that December 2025 operation, three suspected criminals were neutralised after troops engaged the gang, which had been accused of ambushing and robbing travellers along routes linking Aturuku, Wembe and Ayati villages.

Security sources later linked the group to repeated kidnappings around the Zaki-Biam yam market and to a bandit kingpin operating in the Shitile axis of Katsina-Ala Local Government Area.

Military authorities say the January 2026 arms recovery in Taraba is part of sustained efforts to degrade criminal networks whose activities span Benue and Taraba states, a corridor that has witnessed kidnappings, armed robbery and communal attacks in recent years.
In 2025, the All Progressives Congress (APC) held a position of unrivalled dominance in Nigerias political landscape, controlling the presidency, holding comfortable majorities in the National Assembly, and steadily expanding its reach at the subnational level.

The partys trajectory in 2025 was shaped by a mix of strategic endorsements, structural adjustments, consolidation of legislative dominance, and ongoing questions about the robustness of its institutional mechanisms.

The year marked a critical phase in the APCs evolution from an ad-hoc coalition that dislodged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015 into a long-governing political establishment seeking to entrench itself.

With President Bola Tinubu consolidating authority within both the government and the party, 2025 became less about electoral competition and more about managing succession narratives, silencing internal dissent, and aligning party structures with the presidencys priorities.

Key developments during the year, including the early adoption of Mr Tinubu as the partys sole presidential candidate for 2027, the exit of National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje and the emergence of Netanwe Yilwatda, repeated National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings, and continued defections from opposition parties, underscored the APCs strategy of consolidation over contestation.

At the same time, the partys failure to establish its National Advisory Council and address long-standing questions around internal checks and balances highlighted persistent structural gaps.

As economic pressures mounted nationwide and opposition parties struggled with internal crises, the APC used 2025 to strengthen its grip on power, often prioritising unity and control over internal debate. The decisions taken and avoided during the year are now shaping the contours of Nigerias political competition ahead of 2027.

A firm endorsement for Tinubu as sole candidate

Perhaps the most politically consequential development of the year was the APCs endorsement of President Tinubu as its sole presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

At a national summit mid-year in Abuja, party leaders and delegates moved a resolution to adopt Mr Tinubu as the partys only candidate for the 2027 election, effectively pre-empting any meaningful internal contest for the ticket.

The motion was moved by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and seconded by Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani. The move was also endorsed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who moved another motion, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, seconded it.

This was immediately backed by top APC governors, federal lawmakers and party executives who framed the move as a necessary show of unity and continuity of leadership.

This decision was later reinforced by regional chapters of the APC, signalling a deeply entrenched consensus in favour of continuity.

The adoption raised questions about the depth of internal consultation within the APC, the sidelining of potential rivals, and the shrinking space for intra-party competition, issues that will likely reverberate in party politics as 2027 approaches.

Leadership Transition: Gandujes exit and Yilwatdas emergence

The year also brought a significant change in the partys leadership.

In June 2025, Abdullahi Ganduje resigned as APC National Chairman, citing health reasons. Mr Gandujes two-year tenure had been marked by controversy, legal tussles and tensions within party structures, including court challenges to his leadership and allegations of financial impropriety during internal party processes.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the former two-term Kano State governors exit came after pressure from influential party figures who believed a leadership reconfiguration was necessary as the party shifted focus to its next electoral cycle.

Party officials concluded that with Mr Tinubu entering the second half of his tenure and preparations for the 2027 election cycle already underway, the ruling party needed to realign its leadership.

Mr Ganduje told the officials that although he appreciated their concerns, he would first seek Mr Tinubus position on the demand before taking any action.

However, after failing to secure an audience with the president, the embattled party leader submitted his resignation letter to the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru.

Following Mr Gandujes resignation, Ali Dalori, the partys deputy national chairman (North), was directed to act as interim leader until the partys National Executive Committee (NEC) could convene a meeting to select a substantive national chairman.

On 24 July 2025, the APC National Executive Committee ratified the emergence of Nentawe Yilwatda, then minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, as the new national chairman. Mr Yilwatdas elevation was reported as a consensus decision by the NEC and a broader party leadership group led by Mr Tinubu and state governors.

Mr Yilwatdas profile, blending technocratic experience and political acumen, was presented by party sources as suited to the demands of both organisational stability and electoral strategy in the lead-up to 2027.

With his emergence, Mr Yilwatda became the seventh APC national chairman in the partys 13 years of existence. The former leaders are Bisi Akande (interim), John Odigie-Oyegun, Adams Oshiomhole, Mala Buni (caretaker), Abdullahi Adamu and Mr Ganduje.

NEC meetings and internal strategy sessions

The APCs governing bodies met repeatedly in 2025 as part of efforts to realign internally.

The party convened at least two National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings: one held in July, during which the Yilwatda leadership was approved, and another in December at the Presidential Villa, to address broader strategic questions and prepare for the partys national congresses and campaigns.

Notably, the early NEC meeting held in July was a key forum for formalising Mr Yilwatdas leadership and endorsing organisational directives ahead of the partys formal convention plans.

APC also held caucus and NEC meetings later in the year to handle unresolved disputes, internal disciplinary matters, and electoral strategy guidance.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday denied bail to Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, and four co-defendants facing terrorism financing charges.

Trial judge Emeka Nwite held that the defendants were undeserving of bail because of the nature of the charges they face.

He explained that terrorism-related charges border on threat to national security and social order.

He added that although the defendants enjoy the right of presumption of innocence, the right is not absolute and releasing them on bail while they undergo trial on terrorism-related charges can endanger the public.

I am not unmindful of the constitutional provision of Section 36(5), which provides that every person charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

But I must state that the said constitutional provision is not absolute.

Consequently, the application is hereby refused, Mr Nwite ruled.

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Mr Adamu and his co-defendants on 31 December 2025 on 10 counts involving terrorism financing and sundry money laundering offences.

Following the arraignment, the judge, Mr Nwite, ordered the defendants to remain in prison pending the ruling on their bail application slated for Monday (today).

The charges accused them of releasing state governments funds to a Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore leader, Bello Bodejo, and other persons who allegedly used the cash, running into millions of dollars, partly or wholly, to finance an alleged terrorist or terrorist group. The defendants allegedly released the funds to Mr Bodejo between January and May 2024.

The prosecution also alleged that over $6 million belonging to the state government was released for Mr Adamus benefit in a money laundering scheme.

Apart from Mr Adamu, other co-defendants indicted in the case are Balarabe Abdullahi Ilelah, Aminu Bose, and Kabiru Yahaya Mohammed.

The defendants denied all 10 charges.

Shortly after the defendants took their plea during the 31 December 2025 proceeding, defence lawyer, Gordy Uche, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), urged the court to grant the accused persons bail on liberal terms.

However, EFCC lawyer Samuel Chime opposed bail, citing the terrorism-related allegations, the money laundering counts, and the sums involved.

The judge subsequently adjourned the ruling until 5 January (today).

Why defendants didnt get bail despite right to presumption of innocence

While delivering the ruling, Mr Nwite said Nigerias criminal justice system has stipulations and safeguards for the prosecutor, the accused, and the victim.

He explained that under normal circumstances, the court may use its discretion grant bail to a defendant if an application for bail pending trial is made, and there is a good reason to believe or strongly agree that the accused will not jump bail, thereby making himself available to stand trial, and/or will not interfere with witnesses, thereby obstructing justice.

The judge, however, cited a 2001 case involving a former Chief of Army Staff Ishaya Bamaiyi who faced murer trial for assassinations during the former dictator, the late Sani Abachas regime, to deny Mr Adamu and his co-defendants bail.

He said the Supreme Courts precedent in the Bamaiyis case held that it is proper to consider the nature of the offence charged, the available evidence, and the severity of the punishment which conviction will entail.

Mr Nwite said the court considered these critical factors, especially the availability of the defendants to stand trial in reaching its decision on their bail application.

He said he also considered the proof of evidence, especially the statement of Dan Lawan Abdulmumuni and other prosecution witnesses, together with the grave threat to national security and public safety this case poses.

In his view, the prosecution succeeded in raising a reasonable presumption of criminal responsibility on the part of Mr Adamu and his co-defendants.

Aside from that, he noted that terrorism-related offences threaten social order and pre-trial release could endanger the public.

The judge therefore refused the bail application but noted that the interest of justice will be met by giving the matter an accelerated hearing.

The judge adjourned the case until 13 January for commencement of the trial.

Earlier on Friday, 2 January, the same judge, Mr Niwite, granted Mr Adamu N500 million bail in a separate money laundering trial.

In that case, EFCC charged him alongside Ayab Agro Products and Freight Company Ltd with six counts of money laundering involving N4.65 billion.

He allegedly committed the offence while he was the Branch Manager of Polaris Bank, Bauchi, between June and December 2023.

But since he has now been denied bail in the terrorism case, he will, for now, face trial from Kuje prison, where he was remanded.
Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf has secured the consent of the majority of elected officials, party executives, and influential support groups in the state following a series of consultations ahead of his planned defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governors move from the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) marks the end of a decades-long political association with his mentor, former Governor of Kano and leader of the NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Mr Kwankwaso, who opposes the move, has reportedly opened a loyalty register at his Miller Road residence to document elected officials and support groups who intend to remain with the NNPP.

Despite this, a palace coup appears to be underway, as the governor has successfully drawn significant support from within the Kwankwasiyya movement.

Proponents of the defection argue that Governor Yusuf is seeking to liberate his administration from Mr Kwankwasos overbearing influence, allowing him to address the states development challenges independently.

Conversely, opponents have labelled the move as the ultimate betrayal of their long-standing political struggle.

The loyalty divide

As of Monday morning, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Rufai Hanga (Kano Central zenator) and his colleagues from the federal lower chamber including Mukhtar Yarima (Tarauni), Abdulkarim Ado (Wudil/Garko), and Sani Wakili (Minjibir/Ungogo)have affirmed their loyalty to Mr Kwankwaso by signing the register.

While Mr Kwankwaso retains the support of three federal lawmakers and the NNPPs lone senator, Governor Yusuf enjoys the backing of 21 members of the House of Representatives.

This coalition notably includes APC members, dwarfing the support of the federal lawmakers currently aligned with Mr Kwankwaso, with APC federal lawmaker Ado Doguwa declaring his partys support for the governors planned transition.

Within the State House of Assembly, while the governor reportedly commands the majority of the 25 NNPP members, others, such as Yusuf Aliyu (Nasarawa) and Zakariyya Ishaq (Kura/Garun Malam), have remained with the Kwankwaso camp.

The member representing MadobiMr Kwankwasos local governmentremains undecided.

Also, this newspaper understands that all the 44 local government chairpersons, their deputies, and 31 ward-level executives in each of the 44 LGAs have opted to follow the governor.

PREMIUM TIMES also gathered that grassroots Kwankwasiyya organisations, including Lafiya Jari and the Community Reorientation Committee (CRC), have also shifted their allegiance to the governor.

Surprisingly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) splinter group known as Option A, which previously acted as a secret support base for Mr Kwankwaso in the PDP, has now dissolved and aligned with Governor Yusuf.

The planned defection

The planned defection of Governor Yusuf to the APC has caught the attention of several commentators in Kano and beyond.

Mr Yusuf was seen as the ultimate loyalist to Mr Kwankwaso for about four decades.

The defection, originally anticipated for early January, has reportedly been rescheduled to allow for further consultations with federal lawmakers to ensure a clean break from the NNPP.

The NNPP currently holds only one governorship seat. If Governor Yusuf finally defects from the states political structure, the NNPP risks losing its primary power base and structure, effectively turning the party and its leader, Mr Kwankwaso into a peripheral player ahead of the 2027 elections.
The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, has criticised an APC official for describing Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara as so-called governor.

Mr Basiru warned that such language undermines democratic institutions and the dignity of an elected office.

Mr Basiru was reacting to the remarks by Victor Giadom, the APC Vice Chairman (South-South), who spoke during a political gathering in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

I find it unfortunate that a member of the NWC was referring to a governor in our party as a so-called governor of Rivers State, Mr Basiru said.

Even if the governor is not in our party, you cant refer to an elected governor as a so-called governor in order to please anybody.

What Giadom said

An excerpt from Mr Giadoms speech in a video posted on Facebook suggests the APC chieftain declared Gokana a political stronghold hostile to Governor Fubara.

I can reassure you that Gokana is a no-go area for anybody, be it the so-called governor of Rivers State, he said, drawing applause from the crowd.

Mr Giadom, who hails from Gokana, is an ally of former Rivers governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Basirus red line

Mr Basiru insisted that personal loyalties or political allegiances cannot justify verbal delegitimisation of an elected governor.

The office of the governor is an exalted position, and whoever is occupying it must be respected, irrespective of whatever political differences you have, he said in a Facebook post on Sunday.

Background: Rivers power feud

Governor Fubara and Mr Wike, once close allies, fell out months after Mr Fubara assumed office, triggering a deep political crisis in Rivers State. The rift has polarised party structures and spilled into national party politics, with both camps mobilising support ahead of the 2027 elections.

Mr Wike, a member of the PDP, is embarking on political tours across Rivers 23 local government areas, a move widely interpreted as an effort to block Mr Fubaras re-election bid.

Endorsement

About a week before the Gokana incident, Mr Basiru led members of the APC National Executive Committee to Port Harcourt, where they publicly endorsed Mr Fubara for a second term  a gesture that does not sit well with Mr Wikes camp.

At an event in Port Harcourt, Mr Wike, who opposes Governor Fubaras second-term bid, threw jabs at the members of the APC, saying, Abuja politicians are only after Rivers money.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has asked the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, to stay out of Rivers politics.

Mr Wike gave the warning during his thank you visit to Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Basiru had, on Sunday, warned the partys National Vice-Chairman, South-South, Victor Giadom, to stop disrespecting Governor Siminalayi Fubara to please Mr Wike.

Mr Basirus warning was prompted by Mr Giadoms comments on 30 December 2025, during Mr Wikes thank you visit to Gokana Local Government Area, where Mr Giadom referred to Governor Fubara as a so-called governor.

Mr Giadom was also quoted as saying that for Mr Fubara to get anything in the state, he must go through the FCT minister.

Mr Wike, while taking exception to Mr Basirus comments, asked Mr Giadom to tell the APC scribe to stay clear of Rivers politics for his own good.

Tell your national secretary to leave Rivers alone, and dont take our support for Mr President for granted.

You have to be careful of the statement you made, he said.

The former Rivers governor also warned those meddling in the politics of the state, because of the N600 billion in the state treasury, to stay clear.

He stated that when the people of the state were struggling to support President Bola Tinubu in 2023, nobody supported them.

The minister, who described Rivers as a no go area, warned those he described as greedy politicians to stay away from the state.

Take the one you have taken and stop making unnecessary comments.

We have taken a decision to support Mr President and that is exactly what we are doing. When we agreed to support Tinubu in 2023, nobody forced us.

Now, food is ready, and everybody is coming, but when it was hot, nobody was saying anything. Leave Rivers state alone, he warned.

The FCT minister thanked the people of Oyigbo, noting that there was no time he begged them for something and they did not oblige.

Earlier, the Chairman of Oyigbo Local Government Council, Okechukwu Agara, expressed his peoples gratitude to the minister for all he had done for them.

For all that you have done for us, we will continue to support you. Just say the word, we will hear and will do exactly what you want us to do, Mr Agara said.

Also, Felix Nweke, representing Tai, Oyigbo and Eleme Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, assured Mr Wike that the council area would continue to support him, any day, any time.

Mr Nweke alleged that development in the area had stagnated since Mr Wike left office as governor in 2023.

Chairman of Renewed Hope in the state, Desmond Akawor, said that the absence of development in the area was very unfortunate.

Things will get better with the expected change of leadership in 2027, Mr Akawor said.

Background: Rivers power feud

Governor Fubara and Mr Wike, once close allies, fell out months after Mr Fubara assumed office, triggering a deep political crisis in Rivers State. The rift has polarised party structures and spilled into national party politics, with both camps mobilising support ahead of the 2027 elections.

Mr Wike, a member of the PDP, is embarking on political tours across Rivers 23 local government areas, a move widely interpreted as an effort to block Mr Fubaras re-election bid.

About a week before the Gokana incident, Mr Basiru led members of the APC National Executive Committee to Port Harcourt, where they publicly endorsed Mr Fubara for a second term  a gesture that does not sit well with Mr Wikes camp.

At an event in Port Harcourt, Mr Wike, who opposes Governor Fubaras second-term bid, threw jabs at the members of the APC, saying, Abuja politicians are only after Rivers money.

About two days ago, Mr Wike publicly opposed Mr Fubaras second-term bid, likening the success of Mr Fubaras reelection bid to his (Wikes) political death.

(NAN)
Nigerias opposition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has described the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife by the United States as a clear warning to governments that lack legitimacy.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC said the development sends a strong message to the Nigerian government and any other government that lacks legitimacy.

While reaffirming its support for the principles of national sovereignty and non-interference as enshrined in Articles 2(1) and 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, the ADC said such doctrines should not be used to shield authoritarianism.

International governance doctrines, which were designed to maintain global order, should not be invoked to provide a safe haven for tyranny, electoral fraud, or the systematic denial of a peoples right to freely choose their leaders, Mr Abdullahi said.

The party said it was public knowledge that Venezuelas 2024 presidential election was widely condemned as illegitimate and deeply flawed by several governments in Latin America, the European Union and international democratic institutions.

According to the ADC, the election process was marked by fraud, repression and exclusion, with political opponents barred from contesting, protests met with violence and state institutions deployed against citizens.

It said the resulting mass migration from Venezuela had undermined regional stability.

Although the party noted that the US action raises serious and legitimate questions under international law, it said the public reaction within Venezuela highlighted a deeper crisis of legitimacy.

The visible wave of popular public support that followed within Venezuela speaks to a deeper crisis of legitimacy of the Maduro government, the ADC spokesperson said, adding that public celebrations exposed the bankruptcy of the regime that has been upended.

The party also criticised the Nigerian government for failing to comment on the situation more than 48 hours after it unfolded.

The ADC described the silence of the APC-led administration of President Bola Tinubu as deeply embarrassing, saying it showed that Nigeria had lost both voice and standing on the international stage.

At a moment when the world is grappling with the difficult balance between sovereignty, democracy, and accountability, Nigeria, Africas most populous nation and largest democracy, is conspicuously absent, the statement said.

The party further argued that the silence reflected a moral crisis that undermines the governments legitimacy.

Lets be clear: the Nigerian governments choice of silence in this moment has nothing to do with neutrality. It instead reveals a government that lacks confidence simply because it lacks integrity, Mr Abdullahi said.

The ADC said it believes sovereignty must reflect the will of the people rather than the survival of a regime, adding that democracy should translate into freedom, fairness and improved living conditions for citizens.

It further described the situation in Venezuela as a cautionary tale to all dictators, including the supposedly elected ones, and election riggers everywhere, warning that contrived mandates will no longer find a place to hide.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the United States carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela, resulting in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

READ ALSO: Trump says US will run Venezuela following kidnap of Maduro by American forces

Mr Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country following the operation conducted in conjunction with US law enforcement agencies.

The US president later said Washington would run Venezuela following the operation, which prompted the Venezuelan government to declare a national emergency and accuse the United States of extremely serious military aggression.

Mr Trump described Mr Maduro as an illegitimate dictator and said the US was prepared to stage a second attack, although he added it might not be necessary.

On Monday, Mr Maduro told a New York court, where he was charged by American authorities for drug-related offences, that he was kidnapped by the US.
This photo taken on Jan. 2, 2026 shows the symbolic funeral processions for Iran's Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Deputy Chief of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who were killed in a U.S. drone strike on Jan. 3, 2020, in Baghdad, Iraq. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

BAGHDAD, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Under the stark glow of red and green spotlights, the entrance to Iraq's Baghdad International Airport, officially renamed Martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis Street in 2024, was transformed into a somber memorial scene on Friday.

Thousands gathered for a commemoration marking the sixth anniversary of the killing of Iran's Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in a drone strike on Jan. 3, 2020.

The air hung heavy with incense and funeral chants as mourners moved through a space frozen in time -- a landscape meticulously preserved to recall the moment of the attack.

Near the airport, a poignant monument made from the scorched and twisted wreckage of the targeted vehicles has been erected. White doves, symbols of peace, now adorn the metal remains -- a stark contrast between the violence of the attack and the enduring call for dignity and peace.

Some mourners gathered before the wreckage to pray quietly, their personal grief blending into collective mourning. Along a nearby wall, hundreds of candles flickered beside handwritten messages in Arabic and Farsi.

Military bands and PMF units held solemn parades, while symbolic funeral processions carried coffins draped in Iraqi flags, accompanied by chants of "No, No America!"

A security member guards during a commemoration marking the sixth anniversary of the killing of Iran's Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), in a drone strike on Jan. 3, 2020, in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

The night's political message was unambiguous: the U.S. strike was an act of aggression that had only hardened Iraqi opposition to external intervention.

Abu Mohammed al-Shammari, a PMF official, condemned the assassination as a product of Washington's pursuit of global dominance.

"The Americans seek to impose hegemony over Arab nations, independent states, and oil-producing countries," he said, adding that such nations are targeted for disrupting U.S. interests and long-term plans.

Iraqi lawyer Ahmed Ali Abbas al-Jubouri echoed the sentiment, calling the killing "an insulting and disgraceful act."

"The U.S. continues on a path of killing, destruction, and sabotage," he said, accusing Washington of using military power to "impose hegemony and plunder nations' wealth" rather than foster peace.

Along the road to Baghdad International Airport, large billboards bearing the portraits of Soleimani and al-Muhandis stand with a solemn vow: "We will never forget the blood of the martyrs."

This photo taken on Jan. 2, 2026 shows memorial statues of Iran's Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani (L) and Deputy Chief of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who were killed in a U.S. drone strike on Jan. 3, 2020, in Baghdad, Iraq. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

"We will never forget the crimes committed by the United States," a participant said.
The best option for all is for the US to return Maduro and his wife with apologies and pay compensation for the lives taken and damages caused. But peace is not in the DNA of an unrepentant bandit. As they say in Ibadan, Nigeria, it is insanity you use to cure insanity. Unless people like Trump are brought to justice, we would always have an international relations culture of everyone to himself, God for us all.

Amidst fires, wide scale destruction and bloodbath, the predatory United States, US hawk, swooped on President Nicolas Maduro. It then flew out, holding in the grip of its talons the Venezuelan president and his wife, Cilia Flores. The hostages were deposited in a New York detention facility.

Some appeared shocked that a country would attack another and pluck its First Family. But I am not surprised. The US establishment was born and grew with a predatory instinct, hence its Wild, Wild West culture of banditry, brigandage and chaos. As a matter of fact, Venezuela is the ninety-sixth country the US has invaded or interfered in since the Second World War ended in 1945.

In history, it has invaded Nicaragua over forty times and Honduras, eleven times. The US has also invaded countries like Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala and Grenada. It invaded Puerto Rico in July 1898, and today, 127 years later, maintains its stranglehold on it as a colony. When US invaded Mexico, it forced it to cede huge swaths of land that today are known as Texas, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Nevada.

In celebrating the Saturday, 3 January invasion of Venezuela, President Donald Trump, in a child-like manner, described the brigandage as, one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history.

As if he had achieved a childhood fantasy, Trump said of the invasion that, Overwhelming American military power, air, land and sea was used to launch a spectacular assault  and it was an assault like people have not seen since World War II

While Trump had invaded Venezuela under the excuse that President Maduro is involved in the drug trade, he had no excuse for mentioning Cuba as the next possible target. He said: The people there have suffered for many years. I think Cuba is something that well end up talking about, because theyre a badly failing nation.

Although Trump mentioned drugs and corruption for abducting the Maduros, the eyes of the US are on the huge Venezuelan oil reserves. He said the US may deploy boots on the ground, establish a new government that would include high US officials and share the oil and gas fields to US companies. So, Trump eyes Venezuelas natural resources as war booty. As for the Maduros, they are already guilty of charges that the US may bring against them because chicks cannot plead innocent in a cast of hawks.

Maduro, known for being conscious of his poor background and vowing to elevate all Venezuelans from poverty, was for many years a bus driver of the Caracas Metro company. There, he followed the footsteps of his father, Nicolas Maduro Garcia, by joining the trade unions. His grandparents were of Moorish origins. He established an unofficial trade union, as the company had banned unionisation.

This is the second time Maduro will be detained in New York. In July, 2006, when he was Venezuelan foreign minister, he was detained in the JFK International Airport for allegedly buying three flight tickets with cash. He and other Venezuelans with him refused to be frisked, insisting that they had diplomatic immunity. His detention then lasted ninety minutes. Nobody knows how long this new detention will last, as this is an hostage crises.

Also, this will be the second time in five years that a highly placed Venezuelan official will be detained by the US. On 12 June, 2020, diplomat, Alex Saab, was detained in Cape Verde, abducted and transported to the US, where he was only released in December 2023 in a prisoner exchange deal. Equally, it will be the second time in five years when Americans will invade Venezuela in an attempt to oust Maduro. On that occasion, from 3-4 May, 2020, American mercenaries, coupled together by Silvercorp USA, invaded from Colombia but were beaten back.

Maduro, known for being conscious of his poor background and vowing to elevate all Venezuelans from poverty, was for many years a bus driver of the Caracas Metro company. There, he followed the footsteps of his father, Nicolas Maduro Garcia, by joining the trade unions. His grandparents were of Moorish origins. He established an unofficial trade union, as the company had banned unionisation.

In 1998, he was elected into the Venezuelan Chamber of Deputies, the National Constituent Assembly the following year, and the National Assembly in 2000. Maduro was elected president of the National Assembly in 2005, and became foreign minister for six years from 2006, vice president from 2012-2013, and president in 2013 after the death of President Hugo Chavez.

Maduros wife, Cilia Flores, whom the US abducted along with her husband, was a lawyer with speciality in criminal and labour law, when the couple met in the early 1990s. She later moved into politics and was elected into the National Assembly. When Maduro was appointed foreign minister in 2006, she succeeded him as president of the Assembly. They got married in 2013 when Maduro became president.

The US invasion is a direct violation of the United Nations Charter, which in Article 1 states that its primary goals include the settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace.

In the face of US brigandage and gross violation of its Charter, the UNs tepid reaction is that it is deeply alarmed by the invasion. But this bland UN statement is better than that of the European Union, whose High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas said, The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr. Maduro lacks legitimacy

It also violates the Second Article, which states that Member Countries are to develop friendly relations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace.

In the face of US brigandage and gross violation of its Charter, the UNs tepid reaction is that it is deeply alarmed by the invasion. But this bland UN statement is better than that of the European Union, whose High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas said, The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr. Maduro lacks legitimacy

Yet, this arrogant statement is better than that of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who in typical British dubious and duplicitous diplomacy, had no position on the infamous invasion because he was yet to establish (the) facts.

What the world has had is a mass outpour of condemnation for the abductions, especially by Caribbean and Latin American countries.

The US message to all countries, big and small, is that in a world of international banditry, all countries should acquire nuclear capability as a deterrent and, in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter which reinforces: the inherent right of individual and collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a member of the United Nations

The US has not pressed on with a full-scale invasion, as it may be weighing the consequences. So, the state structures in Venezuela, including the arms of government, remain intact. The best option for all is for the US to return Maduro and his wife with apologies and pay compensation for the lives taken and damages caused. But peace is not in the DNA of an unrepentant bandit. As they say in Ibadan, Nigeria, it is insanity you use to cure insanity. Unless people like Trump are brought to justice, we would always have an international relations culture of everyone to himself, God for us all.

Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author.
All humanity belongs either to the first Adam or to the last Adam.

Sometime in 2016, I received a phone call from a representative of the Igbo community in Lagos. He said they were having a general meeting and had decided to honour me with an award for being a good friend of the Igbos.

But, according to the precepts of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, I do not receive honour from men. (John 5:41). So, I humbly declined the honour.

Today, there are no ethnic distinctions or discriminations in my fellowship, Healing Wings. There is no difference between Hausas, Yorubas, Igbo, Tivs, and other ethnic groups? Everyone testifies that we are all one family. We learnt this at the feet of that man from Galilee, Jesus Christ.

When He came into the world, He said: Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. (Hebrews 10:5).

What is the body that God prepared for Jesus?

That body is special and unique. It is referred to in the scriptures as the Body of Christ. (Romans 7:4).

The Chosen People

In the Old Testament, God chose Israel to be His special nation, but Israel was not referred to as Gods body. God told Israel:

If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Exodus 19:5-6).

God wanted to use Israel as a priesthood to reveal Himself to other nations of the world. However, Israel failed in this assignment. Israel became proud of its special relationship with God and, instead of declaring God to others, it sinned against God and despised the non-Jewish or Gentile nations.

The Gentiles returned the disfavour. They also hated the Jews with passion. This hatred persists today in antisemitism. Its biggest manifestation was the killing of six million Jews in Hitlers Germany.

But God had a plan.

Known to God from eternity are all His works. (Acts 15:18).

God raised a man from Galilee called Jonah. He was a Jewish prophet from the town called Gath-hepher near Nazareth in Galilee. God told him to go and minister salvation to Nineveh, a Gentile town that was an archenemy of the Jews.

Jonah refused because, as a Jew, he hated the Gentile Ninevites and did not want them to be saved. Instead of going to Nineveh, he got on a boat heading for Tarshish, in the opposite direction. But God waylaid Jonah. He was thrown overboard into the sea during a storm and swallowed by a great fish.

He spent three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish. When God asked the fish to vomit him back on land, Jonah had no choice but to obey God. He went to Nineveh and preached, not the salvation, but the destruction of the city. But to his surprise and annoyance, the Ninevites repented, and God forgave and did not destroy them.

Jonah was so upset by the salvation of Nineveh that he wanted to commit suicide.

Jonahs job was to reconcile both the Jews and Gentiles to God so they would be one body. For this act, Jonah was banished by his people in Israel. He was disqualified as one of their prophets. Although he was from Galilee, someone would later say:

Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee. (John 7:52).

Jonah was from Galilee, but his Jewish people disqualified him because he went to preach the gospel of salvation to Nineveh.

Jesus of Galilee

In the fullness of time, God sent another prophet from Galilee, first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. The objective remained the same: to reconcile and unify both groups in one body, under the canopy of God.

This prophet was Jesus of Nazareth. Like Jonah, Jesus spent three days and three nights in the belly of the earth. Unlike Jonah, He willingly reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to God in one body, through the blood of His cross.

He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. (Ephesians 2:14-18).

On the occasion of His resurrection from the dead, Jesus instructed His disciples to preach the gospel to all nations, including both Jews and Gentiles.

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved. (Matthew 16:15-16).

He appeared to Peter, told him to eat unclean animals, and then made him understand that the Gentiles are cleansed. He then sent him to minister salvation to Cornelius, a Gentile Roman, who then received the Holy Spirit.

In so doing, Peter received a query from his Jewish compatriots, who did not want Gentiles to be saved. But he told them it was God who gave them His Spirit.

Then, Jesus called Paul as a minister to the Gentiles. He said to him:

I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. (Acts 26:17-18).

Some Jews still insisted that Gentile Christians must become Jews to be saved. These Judaisers insisted that Gentiles must be circumcised according to the law of Moses. But the matter was finally put to rest at the Jerusalem Council, where it was resolved that:

It doesnt matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. (Galatians 6:15-16).

That is how God created the Body of Christ, a universal church comprising both Jews and Gentiles. So, today:

(Believers) are the body of Christ, and members individually. (1 Corinthians 12:27).

The First and Last Adam

In all creation, God created only two men: the first Adam and the last Adam. The first man, or the first Adam, was Adam. The last man, or the last Adam, is Jesus.

Jesus is called the last Adam because:

Adam was a type of Him (Jesus) who was to come. (Romans 5:14).

NKJV

The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. (1 Corinthians 15:47-49).

Today, all humanity belongs either to the first Adam or to the last Adam.

And so it is written, The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45).

God Himself as the Last Adam

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4).

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14).

The Old Creation

There are only two creations: the old creation and the new creation. The old creation refers to Adam, who was made in the image and likeness of God:

God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. (Genesis 1:26).

But when Adam sinned, the children he gave birth to were no longer in the image and likeness of God, but in the image and likeness of Adam:

Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. (Genesis 5:3).

The New Creation

The new creation refers to Jesus. He is called:

The Beginning of the creation of God. (Rev3:14).

Jesus is the new creation because He is:

The firstborn from the dead. (Revelations 1:5).

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. (Colossians 1:15-17). CONTINUED.

[email protected]; www.femiaribisala.com
The minority, may, however, construct oases of excellence. The conceptual driver here is both negative and positive. By guaranteeing that the dominant ethos wherever they may be is one that favours merit (and related good conduct) over the kind of choices that would otherwise be made in parlours smothered in smoke and mirrors, members of an ethical minority may build a moat around themselves, their ethical beliefs and practices. In this sense, the oasis metaphor is most revealing.

Truth is, few Africans are democrats. We love hierarchy and authority ranking too much for it to be otherwise. I posted this on my social media handles a couple of days ago. The most poignant feedback invited me to speak for myself. Apparently, democrats on the continent are too plenteous to fit under the few rubric.

How true is this? A simple thought experiment would help delineate (if not clarify) matters. Imagine yourself a non-participant observer looking in on a sandbox  a newly arrived Martian, perhaps, looking in on any part of our blue world. In the sandbox are a hundred active entities; ninety-six of which have been involved over the course of the period of observation in remarkably similar conduct. Four of them, however, are organised in activities so spatially and qualitatively distinct and different as to stand apart clearly. Statistically, those four do not matter. Still, it would be a factual error to describe the state of the sandbox as one in which All of the entities are engaged in the same activity. If, however, the choice available to the observer was between characterising the two cohorts as sane and insane, my sense is that the larger number would count for much.

In a society where the route to power, seniority, and all forms of authority skirts merit in favour of crosscuts through influence peddling, favour currying, and nepotistic practices, it is difficult for the notion of the fundamental equality of all persons to thrive. This goes beyond denying voice to minorities. Yes, kids are brought up in these parts not to look their eiders in the face when talking; no talking back is allowed, of course. Which would have been okay if we did not define the category elders too loosely. It is not just about parents and guardians. Nor teachers, even. Bosses at work are elders, too. As are faith leaders. And, alas, senior politicians.

To these elders, deference and respect is due, especially when they do not know what they are about. And so, our societies are denied the benefit of the multiplicity of views that less ossified cultural, social, and political structures would have bequeathed them. In this circumstance, cultural, ethno-national and social minorities get the short end of the stick as well. Even as notions of honour and value struggle to drop anchor in the miasma that brown-nosing and arse-kissing behaviour stir up.

If it is easy to agree that rapid social changes and economic development will find it difficult to take root in such places, it is far more difficult to agree to the parameters, agents, and channels through which the desired changes may occur. One question that always gets asked in discussions of the development challenge faced by the African continent is, Can the few change the many? I have a friend who, having read the Federalist Papers innumerable times, marvels at how the thinking of a few people altered the trajectory of the world through the outcomes of one country. She, therefore, is on the side of the four in the sandbox in our earlier thought experiment. If their praxis is grounded in reason, equity and truth, should it not eventually become the dominant cultural experience?

Aside from the difficulty with describing the spatio-temporal dimensions of eventually, a second question follows from this Panglossian take: Does this not understate the value of a conducive nutritive medium? Surely, the authors of the Federalist Papers would have had a more uphill (if not completely ineffective) task if they had somehow gathered in 18th century Russia, instead of the nascent United States of America? All of these, though, is to quibble. Statistics. The law of averages. Etc. None of these  except in those fantastical martial arts film extravaganzas  support the chances of a minority besting the larger number.

The minority, may, however, construct oases of excellence. The conceptual driver here is both negative and positive. By guaranteeing that the dominant ethos wherever they may be is one that favours merit (and related good conduct) over the kind of choices that would otherwise be made in parlours smothered in smoke and mirrors, members of an ethical minority may build a moat around themselves, their ethical beliefs and practices. In this sense, the oasis metaphor is most revealing.

The ability to protect ones space from the predation of others ought not to be conflated with the ability to sustainably grow that space. Oases exist at the sufferance of the deserts that they are integral parts of. It is more likely, then, that deserts take over their oases  as when divas take off their jewellery  than for this process to work in reverse. The long-term outlook of the four in our thought experiment is not enviable it would seem.

Uddin Ifeanyi, journalist manque and retired civil servant, can be reached @IfeanyiUddin.
As I write this, I am listening to a line of the song of my favourite Jamaican reggae music superstar, Peter Tosh. It is a 1979 track entitled Jah Seh No, from his Mystic Man album. When life becomes too convoluted to comprehend; when it seems I am running mad, I run into Toshs embrace. But, running to Tosh for an embrace is problematic. Tosh himself was like a mad man. He was unconventional, an iconoclast who didnt see life from the prism of the living. A devout adherent of the Rastafari faith, he was highly spiritual, was a poet, philosopher and a staunch defender of African rights.

At some point, life broke Toshs will, long before his assassination in Kingston, Jamaica on September 11, 1987, aged 42. It would appear that his musical preachment made little impact. He was repeatedly assaulted by Jamaican police and once had his skull cracked by them. The charge was his illiberal smoking of marijuana. So, in this track, Tosh bore his frustration with orthodoxy and the system thus: Must Rastas bear this cross alone and all the heathens go free?/Must Rastas live in misery and heathens in luxury?/Must righteous live in pain and always put to shame?/Must they be found guilty and always get the blame?

Toshs Jamaica of 1979 bears similarities with todays Nigeria. Jamaica wore, like an apron, significant economic instability. This led to intense poverty and inequality driven by global economic shocks, domestic policy choices, capital flight, and political violence. The aftermath was massive hopelessness.

The attendant hopelessness in Jamaica fired the muse of reggae musicians. They saw naked poverty as catalysts for their songs. For instance, in 1976, Maxwell Smith, known professionally as Max Romeo & The Upsetters Band, sang in Uptown Babies Dont Cry, about a little lad hawking Kisko, a popular brand of ice pops, on Kingston streets and shouting Kisko pops! Kisko pops! He also sang about another lad who, as Star newspaper vendor, shouted, Star News, read the news!. They were embroiled in existential survival, said Romeo, and help(ing) mummy pay the fee, for little junior to go to school. For Tosh, in his Get Up, Stand Up, Jamaicans must stand up for their rights while Bob, apparently frustrated by the system, in Time Will Tell, sang confidently that Jah would never give the power to a baldhead to come crucify the dread.

But the Jamaican governmental and political leadership, epitomised by Edward Seaga and Michael Manley, kept on taking advantage of the peoples hopelessness. While Seaga was of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Manley was of the Peoples National Party (PNP), the two political parties being Jamaicas dominant rivals. JLP and PNP represented contrasting ideologies of conservative and socialist ideological leanings. In the 1970s and 80s, they were both often embroiled in fierce, violent contests, with economic and social instability being the cause of their intense political rivalry. The parties were associated with organised crime, and each deployed local gangs for intimidation of voters. It was so bad that in 1978, amidst political turmoil and a day after he himself escaped death, having been shot inside his Tuff Gong Studio, Marley organised the One Love Peace Concert where, on stage, he held the hands of Manley and Seaga, while singing the famous One love song.

Nigeria of today is yesterdays Jamaican mirror on the wall. The hopelessness in the land has the capacity to break the most impregnable will. Everything seems to be upside down. Seaga and Manley are replicated in Bola Tinubu and Abubakar Atiku. Or Peter Obi and other scavengers for power.

Everything is shrouded in a fog. Hope of retrieval of country from the jaws of political carnivores and harlots recedes by the day. This year, prelude to election year, will even be worse. Foes will stab friends and friends will stab foes, not in the back, but in their very before. War has begun, says So-kple-So. That line reminds me of Ghanaian Akan poet, Kojo Senanus poem, My Song Burst in the A Selection of African Poetry, authored by him and Theo Vincent, which recited that Akan war song.

Physical or psychological repression is writ large here. Impunity reigns like a malevolent incubus. Those are actually not the ailment. The disease is the Nigerian people. The way Nigerians minds have become warped, significantly captured and compartmentalized into a binary, is mind-boggling. Never have Nigerians minds operated in a gross profile as this. Tribe, religion, political parties determine where everyone stands. No one sees rot and maggots but opportunities. Everyone is running a rat race to take a bite of Nigerias carrion. Our sense of judgment has been significantly recalibrated. When I read comments by some otherwise knowledgeable and brilliant people on visible rots in the polity, I feel I am falling into depression. Yet, a part of me warns not to take Nigeria seriously. If you run mad and then die, Nigerians would piss on your graveside.

Many times, I have toyed with the option of abandoning this thankless ritual of column-writing which I began in 1998. It is a killing ritual for which you are insulted for daring to have a voice. Maybe I could find sanity in silence and abandonment of my voice? After all, Reno Omokri and Daniel Bwala have found redefinition in becoming the biblical Lots wife. But, rather than freeze, these apostates have become ambassadors of majesty and cash. But my mind tells me I would face hell on earth and would even not rest in peace. But the truth is, where I stand has potentials of running me mad. Permit me to be immodest, those who know me know I have an ecumenical spirit that cannot hurt a fly. But when I sit behind my laptop, I am like a possessed Yoruba deity of small-pox called Sonpona. Chaos, otherwise known as upside-down, which Fela said has its meaning too, is meaningless to me. Everywhere I turn, I see chaos and my head spins, threatening to explode. Even when I cannot totally extricate myself from the rot in the land, I am grieved like a pall-bearer. Yet, another part of me tells me that order and chaos are Siamese, built into a profile by the Omnipotent.

As 2025 spun into oblivion, I stood to make a New Year resolution. But before I did this, I checked the literature of resolutions It offers no comfort. Over a century ago, specifically on January 1, 1887, Rudyard Kipling, English journalist and novelist, attempted to drill into the philosophy of resolutions. In a timeless poem which explored the human desire to make New Year resolutions and the failure that attends it, he gave a tribe of New Year resolution makers a short-lived hope. He did this in a poem he entitled Little-Known Poem on New Years Resolutions. Billions of people in the world make resolutions on New Years Day. But, said Kipling, there are trials and tribulations in resolutions. In seven short stanzas, Kipling took readers on a journey. He begins by listing vices he wants to give up. They hung on him like an apparition. Chief among the vices were alcohol, gambling, flirting, and smoking. But in each of the stanzas, as he proposes a resolution, he proposes contra sentences that nullify the resolutions and even justifying their reversals.

In the first stanza of his poem, for instance, he wrote, I am resolved throughout the year/To lay my vices on the shelf/A godly, sober course to steer/And love my neighbors as myself. He however quickly gives a counter: Excepting always two or three/Whom I detest as they hate me. In the fifth stanza, he chooses to say bye to philandering. I am resolvedto flirt no more/It leads to strife and tribulation/Not that I used to flirt before/But as a bar against temptation. Then he quickly repudiates the vow. Here I except, he said, the flirting with whom he said was Perfectly Platonic flames.

In Kiplings poem, you will see the universality of the dilemma of New Year resolutions. When he wriggled towards the end of the poem, Kipling agrees that in a New year resolution, he was building an impossible wall. So he ends the poem by saying, I am resolvedthat vows like these/Though lightly made, are hard to keep/Wherefore Ill take them by degrees/Lest my back-slidings make me weep./One vow a year will see me through/and Ill begin with Number Two.

Matthew Wills, in his Why New Years Falls on January 1st: Why do we celebrate the beginning of the New Year on the first of January?,took the world on a journey on the frivolities of the 1st of January . Julius Caesar, he said, is why. The eponymous Julian calendar, said Matthew, began in Mensis Ianuarius (or Januarius) 45B.C.. The month of January, he further reminded us, is named after the Roman god called Janus. Janus is a god who had two faces. While one faces the future, the other faces the past. Janus was however perceived, according to Wills, as the god of beginnings, endings, and transitions, or, more prosaically, doors and passageways.

Not long after, the world saw inadequacies in the Julian calendar. From the 16th century, it replaced it with the reformed Gregorian calendar. From the 16th century, it replaces it with the reformed Gregorian calendar. Said Matthew, in ancient times, 1st of March marked the beginning of the year. In the Middle Ages, 25th March, which was the Annunciation in the Christian ecclesiastical calendar, contended with that date. It was believed that this date marked the anniversary of the day the world got created. For Americans, however, March was a month of significance. It used to be the month Americans inaugurated their presidents. For them, 4 March, the day the Constitution which replaced the Articles of Confederation as law, was the beginning of a new political season. In 1933, the 20th Amendment had to swing inauguration date backwards to 21st of January.

While 1 January is the Christian calendar, some other parts of the world obey it in the breach. For the Jews, New Year is Rosh Hashanah, the Middle Eastern agricultural cycle. In the Muslim world, the New Year, called Ras as-Sanah al-Hijriyah, is the beginning of the year. It falls on the first day of Muharram, the first month of the lunar Islamic calendar, which marks the start of the Hijri year. It began in 622 CE with Prophet Muhammads migration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina.

Among the Yoruba, just like Jews, the agricultural season marks the beginning of the year. For them, the newness of a year is defined by their philosophy of time, which they also approximated in the saying, the next season is here so, dont eat your yam seedling, Amodun o jinna, ma je isu eebu re. Season and time, to the Yoruba, are expressed in an embodiment of words like akk (time around), igba (season) and asiko (specific season) which they most times deploy interchangeably. The people also have sayings which speak to their conception of time. For instance, late professor of philosophy and my teacher at the University of Lagos, Sophie Oluwole, in one of her works, The Labyrinth Conception of Time as Basis of Yoruba View of Development published in Studies in Intercultural Philosophy (1997), cited a Yoruba aphorism to illustrate this. Ti won ba npa oni, ki ola tele won ki o lo wo bi won o ti sin in (when today is being killed, tomorrows attendance at the murder scene is necessary so that it could see where the corpse of today is buried and for it to know how it too would be interred). The two other Yoruba sayings Oluwole cited to illustrate time and season are, one: ogbon odun ni, were eemi ni (this years wisdom is next years folly) and Igba o lo bi orere, aye o lo bi opa ibon (a life span cannot exist ad infinitum; it is not vertical, and is unlike the straightness of the barrel of a gun).

These were all I reflected upon as I proposed to make a 2026 Resolution. The self-imposed road of a columnist I tread is a lonely, hard road strewn with briers and thorns. I remember the sermon of another Jamaican reggae great, Jimmy Cliff. It is a hard road to travel and a rough road to walk, he counselled. Many times, you are lonely, dejected and rejected on this road. You open your mouth to speak but wordless words ooze therefrom. Just as Tosh lamented in his Must Rastas bear this cross alone and all the heathens go free? volunteering anti-establishment opinion is like carrying a cross. Many atimes, I am inundated by family and friends to turn apostate of my belief. They fear death or state castration. Cant the world see? Dont they see the pains, grits and uncertainty on this road? Dont they know that there is lushness, flourish and plenty on the other side? If I neglected these for a carapace-hard travel, I thought I would be hailed. No. Why is one who chose this lonely road the demon? And those who sup in the bowl of destruction heroes? Why? No response. Only echo of my own silent voice.

In this dejection, Audre Geraldine Lorde came to my rescue. Lorde was an American professor, philosopher, feminist, poet and rights activist. She was also a self-described Black lesbian. Lorde got romantically involved with Mildred Thompson, an American sculptor, painter and lesbian she met in Nigeria during FESTAC 77. In a paper she delivered at the Modern Language Associations Lesbian and Literature Panel, Chicago, Illinois, 28 December, 1977 with the title, The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action, Lorde gave insight into the pains she encountered on account of her beliefs: I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood.

It could also mean pain or death but she said, learning to put fear into a perspective gave me great strength and that I was going to die, if not sooner then later, whether or not I had ever spoken. Gradually, said Lorde, I began to recognise a source of power within myself that comes from the knowledge that while it is most desirable not to be afraid, my silences had not protected me. She died of liver cancer in 1995.

Yes, this is a rough, lonely road. It could be excruciating when you see friends, especially ones in government, desert you because they dont want to associate with you. You walk alone like a deranged alchemist. Some even ask why, with your endowment and ascription, you live comparatively like a pauper. Your views are criminalized. Where you stand is not popular. But both madman Peter Tosh and lesbian Audre Geraldine Lorde give the will to trudge on in the New Year, regardless. Lorde was loud in my head with her admonition. After her initial apprehension of a mastectomy resulting from a breast cancer, she said: I was going to die, sooner or later My silences had not protected me. Your silences will not protect you. What are the words you do not yet have? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence? We have been socialised to respect fear.

There and then, I made a bold vow, a New Year resolution. I will continue to speak truth to power.

Maduro, Noriega and death

Yesterday, President Donald Trump unleashed his fury on the South American country of Venezuela. Woken to Trumps tweet on his Truth Social that the US had carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolas Maduro and wife, Cilia Fores, the world was aghast.

Sensing where Trump was going, Maduro had accused him, in an earlier statement, of extremely serious military aggression, stating that, Venezuela rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and people.

There is huge gloating in the Trump cabinet over the Maduro rout. Reacting to it in a post on X, Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, showed excitement. Venezuela, he said, had begun to experience a new dawn. He had tweeted: A new dawn for Venezuela! The tyrant is gone. He will now  finally  face justice for his crimes, he said.

It seems to me like the celebration of the fall of Mr Jones, the neglectful, often drunken farmer, who represented the oppressive ruling class, and his replacement by beasts, in George Orwells Animal Farm. Mr Jones expulsion from the farm represented the beginning of self-governance by the animals.

Just like Maduro in Venezuela, George HW Bush, in 1989, invaded Panama. The charge against Panamas Manuel Antonio Noriega was that his country had become a safe haven for drugs. Incidentally, the charge against Nigerias Mr Jones has similar scent. It began with a bombing targeted at Noriegas private vehicles in Panama city. It was then escalated to several slums in the middle of the city, which destroyed them totally. Two hundred and fifty civilians were reported to have died. On 3 January, 1990, Noriega eventually surrendered and was jailed in the US and repatriated to Panama after his term. In prison in Panama, Noriega suffered brain haemorrhage and died on 29 May, 2017.

The fates of Noriega and Maduro reveal that the concept of sovereignty is fluid and has been redrawn by worlds super powers. Ukraine is witnessing the fluidity of sovereignty in the hands of Vladimir Putin. When local despots in Nigeria deploy the EFCC against sub-national leaders. threatening that, for infractions during their tenure they most times cook up, after office, they would be in the gallows, they themselves should remember that, the rod of Donald Trump or even the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awaits them, too. It is equalization of power. Yoruba conceptualise this equalisation in their saying that no one should gloat when one person succumbs to the tyrannical club of death. Death, they say, is an agbada that all are bound to wear. Orun dede, ma fi iku yo mi, gbogbo wa la dagbada iku, they say.

Festus Adedayo is an Ibadan-based journalist.


More than any policy of government, one clear compromise that has made many nations great, is what is known as Elite Consensus.

In plain language, elite consensus is when the creme de la creme of society decides to reinvest their wealth and their emotions in making their nation great, so that it may be better for all. This is done not only via individual charity projects and donations, but when taxation becomes a lot more progressive, and when people understand that it takes personal sacrifice, and not endless criticisms, to build great nations. This required sacrifice is borne more heavily by the well-to-do in society. This is usually a deliberate policy, championed by very futuristic leaders, not mere politicians. It is about getting the well-to-do in society especially, to gain some ownership of their nation.

Nigeria is especially in need of this elite consensus, for several reasons. Our history has left us with a very large informal economy  perhaps the largest in the world by proportion to the whole economy. A short history lesson may suffice. The amalgamation of Nigeria and subsequent devolvement into states, left us with a carryover of ethnic divisions which we found difficult to manage. In barely six years of self-rule we had had two leaders assassinated, with a lot of blood on the streets. In less than seven years we had a terrible civil war which lasted almost three years and left us with a steep bill in terms of human lives. And in barely 15 years of self-rule, we had wasted a third leader, as we went into a tailspin of authoritarianism. What all of these mean is that most Nigerians dont see themselves as Nigerians simplicita. And so, most see no reason to contribute to the bottom line. This creates a vicious cycle of underperformance over the decades as manifested in a fairly large GDP (by African standards, but dismal national budgets that we cannot be proud of (one of the lowest in the world, per capita). With low budgets also come a slow pace of infrastructure stock accumulation and this leads to very low economic growth rates. Almost every year, it is rinse and repeat, as Nigerians have mastered the art of finger pointing. Once we can point to leaders we can go to sleep and do nothing but cheat our nation.

But with this unprecedented comprehensive review of our tax and revenue laws, Nigeria has arrived at an epoch. They say posterity will always justify a leader that takes hard decisions. And it takes great visionary leaders to enact and catalyse elite consensus and ensure that society is fairer than before. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a revolutionary tax reform, deliberated on for over 18 months and passed through the National Assembly. This tax reform is pro-poor; it frees majority of Nigerians from every tax burden, and ensures that small business are free from multiple harassments, but it ensures that those who earn or simply come by considerable amounts of money, many of whom may have used informal means to escape the responsibility of paying their fair share back to society, are well documented and made to swiftly conform.

When we consider other epochal decisions and reforms that Mr President has taken in less than three years  especially around petroleum subsidy, consumer credit, alternative energy, a market-driven currency, long-term infrastructure building, student loans and many more, we could surmise that this is a reform government, which does not bother much about its own popularity  especially among the well-to-do, but with eyes firmly on the goal  Nigerias economy must be sustainable into the future. We are not a pariah. We are not an oddity. We should get off our high horse and stop thinking we are somehow too special to achieve positive feats as a collective. What other nations have done, we can too. Why would South Africas national budget be eight times ours, when they even have a quarter of the people we have? Why will Angola, Gabon, Algeria, Ethiopia, Kenya be surging ahead in terms of infrastructure? Do these countries value their people more than we value ourselves? Of course, underpinning a good budget is good revenue.

President Tinubu therefore follows the path of other great leaders, like Theodore Roosevelt (who stood for equity and investment in the American heartland), FD Roosevelt (who saw America through a world war and eventual emergence as the most-powerful nation in the world), Lee Kwan Yew (who uplifted Singaporeans from peasants to modernity), John F Kennedy (who swayed largely on the side of the downtrodden and enacted policies that were continued by Lyndon Johnson), Woodrow Wilson (known for his campaigns for good public policy and progressive taxation), Bill Clinton (who was a friend of the masses), Indira Gandhi (who championed for less income disparity among Indians), Lula da Silva of Brazil (whose Bourse Familia arguably turned that country around the corner), and Winston Churchill (whose lifetime politics supported fairer taxation and efficiency), among others.

By this masterstroke, President Tinubu weighs heavily on the side of the downtrodden, selflessly prepares a better economic atmosphere for our children unborn and for leaders to come, and ensures that finally, we shall begin to build our nation rather than run her down constantly and empty our wealth abroad in just about every country. Nation building is a process, not a destination. It is hard work, sacrifice and focus, not magic. With the tax reforms, Nigeria will not victimize a single person  she will only ask for fairness and equity, but Nigeria herself will escape victimization by people who have milked the system just to get undue advantage and oppress the masses. President Tinubu is on the side of the people of Nigeria. And history will be kind to him.

For decades Nigerians have spoken loudly about elite consensus and imagined an egalitarian society that creates great opportunities for our youths. We have longed for justice and equity in economic, political and social ramifications, and have desired fervently, working infrastructure of international standards, even though we couldnt envision just how it will occur and how these dreams were to be funded. The time has arrived. I recall writing about elite consensus a number of times in the distant past. In fact, elite consensus, as a sine qua non for economic greatness, is for me, a stronger argument than this cavalier Our leaders are the problem! which was unfortunately made popular by no less than the great Chinua Achebe. Nigerians are now being made to think more deeply about our challenges. Who are leaders in the first place? They were followers yesterday. And the accuser today is easily a leader tomorrow. Plus, the very fact that leadership works in a cascade. Apart from political leaders, we have private sector leaders, team leaders, group leaders, and family leaders. Too many people who point fingers decide not to look in the mirror. For is we insist on this leaders are the problem rhetoric, we only accuse ourselves and dismiss ourselves into mediocrity. And we use that as a crutch to continue to escape personal liability.

So, I urge Nigerians to ignore agents of backwardness and those who wish to continue lopsided policies and realities that have favoured them at the expense of the majority. They are the ones funding subtle and overt campaigns of calumny and confusion. They just cannot imagine that Nigeria will make real progress. They cannot fathom a day when their billions will come under scrutiny, so they rile up the poorest amongst us  who are the real beneficiaries of the reforms. But we have no time to spare as Nigeria has opened a new chapter. The results of the reform are beginning to manifest. Egalitarianism and fairness are the new modus operandi.

As I finalised this article, I recalled that former Vice President Osinbajo had spoken up several times about the need for elite consensus in Nigeria. He had given extensive talks on this every year since 2021 and the recordings are on YouTube. Recently, the richest black man in the world, Aliko Dangote, admonished rich Nigerians to do better than merely buying loads of private jets which now collide at our airports. That is elite consensus he was talking about. He is saying you should build something in your country beyond flaunting your wealth.

Elite consensus is therefore a powerful concept. In my view, it is much stronger an approach to development than the way we often hang Nigeria to dry and sully her image on the grounds of corruption. While not encouraging brigandage  and corrupt people often see the stress associated with their greed right here on earth  we should understand that every great country today was once more corrupt than we could every dream and are still dodgy in many ways today. Americas politics is fraught corruption and impunity. How do we explain the unilateral intervention just anywhere they want? Britain would not be Britain if she hadnt dumped heroin on China, and fought three wars to keep drugging up the poor Chinese. This is aside from slave trade, colonialism and other atrocities that come with it. Japan oppressed and massacred the Chinese. Chinese too have their own many atrocities and can be coldhearted in their pursuits. Every nation has their terrible secrets, and no one should try and hoodwink us. That said, I believe it is far better to start rallying wealth generated within Nigeria for the development of Nigeria, not to always get carried away by someone elses glistening country which they built themselves using every means fair and foul. What is ours, is ours. Let us commence the pragmatic process of self-love and self-development. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Tope Fasua is the special adviser to the President on Economic Matters.
There is no doubt that the coming into the market by Dangote Refinery will upend rules, traditions, and conventions as the industry has known it, as what Dangote has done in setting up such a massive refinery is to disrupt the industry within and without, at home and abroad. It would thus be naive on the part of the promoters of the Refinery to expect that other players whose livelihood and existence are now under threat will receive them with a bear hug.  Simbo Olorunfemi, 16 September, 2024

Whereas the Petroleum Industry Act, to my understanding, does not vest in the President the powers of a summary dismissal of the CEO or members of the board of the regulatory agencies listed under the PIA, except for circumstances provided for in the Act, vested interests, including a regular analyst, repeatedly accused of speaking for one of the operators, had been making the rounds of TV Stations calling for the sacking of the CEOs of the NNPC, NUPRC, and NMDPRA for over a year, before Mele Kyari was removed earlier in the year, and Farouk Ahmed and Gbenga Komolafe eventually threw in the towel.

So, while the recent allegations against Farouk Ahmed by Alhaji Aliko Dangote might have been the immediate trigger of the departure from office, there is no doubt that efforts to ease him out have been afoot for a while, and Gbenga Komolafe might not just have been collateral damage in the battle between Dangote and Ahmed, as some have framed it, but a target, as well, with the NUPRC having been accused of standing in the way of the Dangote Refinerys stated objectives.

There is no doubt that Dangote has not been happy with the NNPC, NUPRC, and NMDPRA for different reasons. The questions are  Why is that so? What does he want? At the heart of Dangotes grievances are the following issues:

The Crude Conundrum

Crude oil is the lifeblood of any refinery. As the NNPCs former CEO, Mele Kyari, once put it, You must secure your feedstock and find a market. This is basic and determines what happens in any refinery worldwide. Alhaji Dangote would know that, and must have put some thought, one would think, into how he can have regular and reliable access to crude to service the refinery. Perhaps there might have been conversations with the trio around the 445,000 bpd allocation for domestic refining, which, since the NNPC-owned refineries had been out of operation, had largely been deployed into servicing the Direct Sale Direct Purchase (DSDP) swaps for refined products.

The lifeline must have been the 2021 decision by the NNPC to stake $2.76 billion for 20 per cent equity in the Dangote Refinery. Apart from the immediate injection of a much-needed $1 billion (secured through a forward sale arrangement) for 7.2 per cent stake in the project, the balance was supposed to come through crude swaps at $2.5/bbl discount on 300,000 bpd over time. That would have guaranteed almost a steady supply of almost 50 per cent of the refinerys needs. But before that could kick off, the NNPC backed out of the arrangement, capping its equity participation at the paid sum, citing investment portfolio realignment, as the reason.

That must have wrong-footed Dangote, which then made him fall back on Section 109(2) of the PIA, whichmandates a Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO), requiring lessees like NNPC and IOCs to prioritise local refineries over exports. While Dangote saw it as a mandatory requirement, a prerequisite to the issuance of export permits, my interpretation, relying on Section 3(1), was that the DCSO was more persuasive than punitive, as it spoke to supply ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS at the prevailing international market price, akin to the arrangement/argument by the NUPRC that it could only be on a willing buyer, willing supplier basis, especially when encumbrances such as pre-existing contracts and oil theft have affected production level and crude availability.

But that argument didnt cut it with Dangote, who accused the NUPRC, under Gbenga Komolafe, of failing to enforce the rules and urged it to wield its Section 4(8) hammer: deny export permits to non-compliant lessees and impose 50 per cent fiscal penalties. Devakumar Edwin, Dangote VP Oil and Gas, decried what he saw as NUPRCs reluctance, which had left them high and dry, forcing them to buy Nigerian crude from international traders at a premium. Even when NUPRC claimed it had facilitated delivery to the Dangote Refinery, for a long time, the company was still not satisfied. While the naira-for-crude arrangement, which allows for local refineries like Dangote to purchase Nigerian crude oil from NNPC Ltd in naira instead of dollars, even with the initial hiccups, might have steadied the waters, the undercurrents remain troubled, if not turbulent.

The PIA

It might not be out of place to track back to the 13-year process that led to the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 and the conversations There was an agreement among stakeholders to not incorporate into the PIA the Backward Integration Policy (BIP)-style waivers launched in 2002 primarily for cement, and later extended to commodities like sugar, rice, and dairy, which offered targeted fiscal and regulatory incentives, such as high tariffs or outright import ban on finished goods once local capacity met certain thresholds. The objective of the BIP was to encourage importers to invest in local production and reduce Nigerias import dependence. However, for reasons to do with governance and equity concerns, fiscal and corruption risks, and the need to avoid distorting Nigerias liberalised oil markets, the drafters of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 decided to prioritise investor neutrality over sector-specific protections.

Distribution Challenges

In all of the issues, one area that has been the stickiest is the modalities for the distribution of products from the refinery to the Nigerian market. Faced with enquiries from the media following the official announcement of the commencement of production, Alhaji Dangote said: On pricing, it is an arrangement which is designed and approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) led by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed TinubuAs soon as it is finalised, which he (Tinubu) is pushing, once we finish with NNPC, it can be today, it can be tomorrow, we are ready to roll into the market. That took not a few by surprise, as one could not understand how/why a private operator in a deregulated industry would be waiting on FEC or NNPC to fix or announce the price of its products. That there was a lack of clarity on the pricing/distribution model was evident. If there was a prior understanding on that, it unravelled immediately, as the NNPC declined the offer to be a sole offtaker for Dangotes products. The DRL and any other domestic refinery are free to sell directly to any marketer on a willing buyer, willing seller basis, which is the current practice for all fully deregulated products. NNPC Ltd has no desire or intention to become the distributor for any entity in a free market environment, and therefore, the notion of becoming a sole offtaker does not arise, NNPC stated.

My thought, at the time, was that the Dangote Refinery had worked with an expectation or understanding of a B2B model with NNPC, rather than a B2C model, and was caught flat-footed by that development. But it quickly responded, triggering a chain of events and reactions that triggered a war between Dangote and marketers on one hand, and Dangote with other players  the regulators, the SOE (NNPC), and even workers, turning the industry on its head.

Issue with Marketers

The battle between Dangote and the marketers has been the fiercest. It started in September 2024, with Devakumar Edwin, Vice President, Dangote Industries Limited, calling out local marketers for not buying their products, saying that only about 3 per cent of local oil marketers are purchasing refined products from the refinery. The conglomerate of all oil marketers is refusing to buy from us. It is very strange that after putting up the refinery to supply the products locally, we have to export every diesel and jet fuel because they do not want to buy from us, he said.

But marketers cited some encumbrances on the way of their patronising Dangote:

We are disadvantaged by the Dangote Refinery policy of selling Big Parcels of products to international traders who then take such products offshore Lome and resell to Nigerian oil traders in small parcels and in market terms that they are used to, such as credit terms, in Naira (eliminating exchange risks) and in quantities needed, and of course higher than what they paid Dangote Refinery.

The relationship between the two parties degenerated with allegations hurled from Dangotes end at marketers for bringing in dirty and off-spec products, the purchase of crude from Russia, and running a blending plant in Malta. The NMDPRA was also accused of compromise, by allowing importers bring in dirty fuel and indiscriminate issuance of licence for the importation of products. licences are being issued, in large quantities, to traders who are buying the extremely high sulphur diesel from Russia and dumping it in the Nigerian Market, Dangotes Vice President said. Farouk Ahmed, the NMDPRA CEO, shot back, Dangote refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licenced yet. We have not licensed them yet. I think they are at about 45 per cent completion. So, we cannot rely heavily on one refinery to feed the nation because Dangote is requesting that we should suspend or stop all importation of petroleum products, especially automotive gas oil (AGO) or jet Kero, and direct all marketers to the refinery Dangote refinery, as well as some major refineries like Waltersmith refinery, produce between 650 ppm to 1,200 ppm (of sulphur in their diesel). So, in terms of quality, their quality is much more inferior to the imported quality.

The Court

Out of frustration with the NMDPRA. Dangote Refinery approached the court in September 2024, suing NMDPRA (1st defendant), NNPC Ltd (2nd), and importers like AYM Shafa, A.A. Rano, T. Time Petroleum, 2015 Petroleum, and Matrix Petroleum (third-seventh), seeking a declaration that NMDPRA had violated PIA Sections 317(8-9) by issuing import licenses without proven domestic shortfalls. Dangote filed to discontinue/withdraw the suit in July, as momentum picked up on the naira-for-crude deal, and the suit was formally dismissed by the Court in November.

15 Per cent Tariffs

What Dangote could not secure from the PIA and the Court, it appeared to have secured through a government policy in October, as the government approved a 15 per cent ad-valorem tariff on imported petrol and diesel in late October 2025 as a market-responsive framework to protect local refineries, such as Dangote. While that drew backlash from marketers, it brought some form of added respite for Dangote, until an announcement came from NMDPRA in November, that the implementation of the 15 per cent ad-valorem import duty on imported Premium Motor Spirit and Diesel is no longer in view. The argument that this was done in response to public concerns didnt make sense to Dangote, describing the suspension as disappointing.

That decision by the NMDPRA must have been the trigger that made Aliko Dangote ramp up the push to oust Farouk Ahmed from the leadership of the NMDPRA and put an end to what, to him, has been an unfriendly regulatory regime.

But does that automatically guarantee a regime in which Dangote is now able to have its way, and have all the underlying issues swept away? Well, there are a few things undefined or unclear about the industry at the moment  current local production level, local cost of production, availability of feedstock, and terms under which such will be made available for local refining. There are also issues around the distribution of products, especially where the dominant players of the pre-Dangote distribution structure (MOMAN, DAPPMAN, PETROAN) come in.

Single Train Refinery

There are also issues of capacity and utilisation constraints with the Dangote Refinery, some have said. A single-train Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) unit, as in Nigerias Dangote Refinery, faces inherent technical limits due to its monolithic design, leading to high vulnerability to outages, suboptimal capacity utilization and frequent maintenance needs, experts say. Single-train RFCC requires phased turnarounds, and the Dangote Refinery has reportedly faced intermittent outages with a shutdown at the moment for catalyst replacement and reactor repairs scheduled to last until January 2026, pausing crude distillation for a while. That might be what has led to expansion plans for a second single-train unit that will increase the plant capacity to 1.4 million bpd.

That inherent vulnerability and claims that the current production capacity, said by NMDPRA to be between 50 per cent and 60 per cent (18-23.5M litres daily), with national consumption level put at 35-40 million litres daily has been cited as cause for concern in terms of energy security, and grounds for continued imports to avert shortages.

The Many Battles

One would have thought that with all that Alhaji Aliko Dangote has been through, he would be battle-weary by now. But it does look like, rather than being battle-weary, he is, in fact, battle-hardened. He has firmly laid it out  $20 billion of investment is too big to fail At the end of the day, someone will give up; either we give up, or they will give up, and I dont think I will give up.

There is a suggestion that this might be a fight to finish. One estimate I saw puts the monthly loss, on account of the price cut on Petrol, at almost N200 billion between Dangote and the marketers. It is difficult to tell what the actual endgame is. Not sure if this war is the sustainable path to take for all the parties. Not sure if the change in the leadership of the three sisters can guarantee a smoothing of relations, without a correction or agreement on some of the underlying fundamentals, as evident in the continued, even if understated, friction between NNPC and Dangote. There are underlying, largely unspoken issues around the PIA that require a careful reading to ensure that the interests of all parties are subsumed under the interest of Nigerians and the nation.

As counselled in an August 2024 intervention, it is not too late to get everyone back in the boardroom to fashion out a win-win solution, with Nigerias energy security and national interest guaranteedI think that should start from a recognition and acceptance that mistakes have been made. I will argue that what is required, at this time, is what we usually refer to as the political solution. There has to be a way for a win-win solution.

Simbo Olorunfemi is a specialist on Nigerias foreign policy, a communications consultant, and managing editor of Africa Enterprise. Email: [email protected]
Happy new year, everyone! This year will be consequential for many reasons, the most mundane of which is the claim by numerologists that it is a number one year associated with hopeful new beginnings.

Numerology

According to the math, when you add up the numbers making up 2026 (2+2+6), you get 10. To get a single digit to work with, we still have to add the two numbers making up 10. 1+0=1. In the words of Christine ODay, If you spent 2025 finally ridding yourself of attitudes and relationships that needed to end, then 2026 will be your year to start fresh and become the person you want to become. The future will impact on your present more strongly this year.

Actually, you dont need any esoteric science to know that this year is destined to be a decider in many facets of our national life. We are on the eve of another election year. The socio-economic and political thorn-bush we have been cultivating has matured. It is harvest time for sowers of prickles, barbs and spiky prongs to reap the fruits of their clandestine labour.

Terrorism

The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) has been positioned like the sword of Damocles to dismantle the terror machine that has held Nigeria down for 16 long years. After playing the ostrich with terrorism for many years, whoever knew that help was going to come from another country 5,621 miles away?

Enablers of terrorism will not escape judgement this year. A full measure of the same medicine being dispensed to the terrorists will be dished out to the enablers  a full measure, shaken together, pressed down and generously apportioned.

Those who made blood money while their fellow citizens were wasted will also meet their nemesis this year. One of the intentions of the US in helping to rid Nigeria of terrorists is to ensure that all those who have stolen monies earmarked for tackling the problem are brought to justice. The Abuja-based Center for Democracy and Development estimated in 2022 that approximately $15 billion had been squandered through fraudulent arms procurement deals over the previous two decades.

When the first missile hit target in Sokoto, terror-lovers said the bombs merely scattered dust in the desert. Some others posted pictures of expired fuel tanks and other expendables discarded by the missile as evidence that the missile had missed its mark. On social media many of them lampooned the US, challenging Trump to show proof that the intended targets were hit.

But when the photographs and maps of the coordinates were released, they changed tune. They accused the US of violating Nigerias sovereignty  the same sovereignty that Boko Haram and their other ISIS affiliates had torn to shreds for many years to the delight of their enablers! Indeed, that first strike exposed many of the hitherto unknown sympathisers of terrorism in the country.

As for the well-known terror apologists who have been hiding under clerical garbs or tribal associations, it cant be comforting to know that youre in the crosshairs of the deadly weapons of the most efficient army in the world. When it comes to incinerating terrorists, America wont mind killing an ant with a sledgehammer!

Gumi

I have counselled many netizens who have been campaigning for the dismissal of Sheik Gumis son from the Nigerian Army to leave the young man alone. While I am not disputing their superstitious link that a leopard can only beget another leopard, I think there is something to be said for the fact that the trajectories of the two men are somewhat different.

Ahmad Gumi is a certified medical doctor from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and was a former military officer who left service as a captain. He obtained a PhD in Islamic jurisprudence at the umm Al-Qura University in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Interestingly, it was the same Saudi Arabia that denied him entry into their country last year. With all his utterances in support of terrorists, netizens have been clamouring that the Nigerian army decommission his son on the suspicion of him being a mole ferreting intelligence to the terrorists. It is at that point that I part company with those social media warriors.

However, it is significant that the Saudi authorities also think hes a negative influence on pilgrims and therefore banned him from entering their country last year despite being a member of the Ulama team of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), which was charged with guiding and preaching to Nigerian pilgrims during the Hajj. On that occasion, Gumi said: For some obvious reasons, my views about world politics, the Saudi authorities are uncomfortable about my presence in Hajj after giving me the Hajj Visa.

I recall that in 2010, Gumi was arrested and detained for over six months by the Saudi Arabian authorities for allegedly relating with Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian underwear bomber who tried to bomb a Northwest Airlines Flight 253, from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on Christmas Day, 2009.

In this year 2026, what was obfuscated will be made plain. There will no longer be proxy deaths. Every ant will carry its own load of firewood, one by one.

Restructuring

The most urgent task before President Tinubu is the restructuring of the country. The general consensus is to convert the present six zones which also have their own development commissions, to confederating regions with a plebiscite to validate the peoples choice. Restructuring is not complex.

Those who believe in a theocracy can be allowed to have their own region while others who want to live under the universally accepted rule of law can also have theirs.

Restructuring will make regional security manageable. Planning for the population within each region will be better coordinated, and economic activities will be re-engineered in a way that benefits each region. The current unitary arrangement which dispenses feeding bottles to ever indolent children is no longer sustainable. If carried out now, political restructuring will help Nigeria avoid the fate of Yugoslavia and USSR.

Tinubunomics

In the abundance of water, Nigerians are thirsty! President Tinubus initiatives to wit: the new tax regime, government spending, foreign direct investments, infrastructural development, poverty alleviation programmes, job creation, health and education investments will have direct consequences on his second term ambition to the extent that they impact positively or negatively on the lives of the people. If the people end up being poorer than they were in 2025, if life is even more harrowing in 2026 than it has been for the generality of the people, a second term ambition will be a hard sell.

Year 2026 will witness the advancement of hybridity, which blends the physical, biological and digital worlds. We are entering the unannounced era of the 4th industrial revolution where, according to the renowned futurist Bernard Marr, cyber-physical systems and technological deployment will profoundly affect our world. How President Tinubu domesticates these new developments to make life more abundant for Nigerians will determine his political fortunes and his place in history.

Welcome to the consequential year 2026. May your miseries be fewer and your fortunes multiply this year and beyond!

Wole Olaoye is a Public Relations consultant and veteran journalist. He can be reached on [email protected], Twitter: @wole_olaoye; Instagram: woleola2021
The Katsina State Government has taken delivery of 15 newly procured, state-of-the-art intensive care emergency ambulances to support the commencement of 24-hour emergency healthcare services across the state. The arrival of the ambulances marks another major milestone in the ongoing transformation of the healthcare sector under Governor Dikko Umaru Radda.

At its 17th meeting held on 22 November last year, the Katsina State Executive Council approved the procurement of the ambulances under the State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (SEMSAS). Each of the ambulances is fully equipped with modern life-support systems, oxygen units, patient monitors, stretchers, and essential resuscitation equipment. They are specially designed to handle critical emergency cases, stabilize patients while in transit, and improve response to accidents and disasters across the state.

The vehicles were formally received by the Chief of Staff, Abdulkadir Mamman Nasir, at the presentation ceremony. He described the development as another promise fulfilled by the Radda administration. According to him, with new roads being constructed and old ones rehabilitated across the state, vehicular movement will increase. And where traffic increases, the risk of accidents also rises, so government must be fully prepared to respond, he said.

He explained that the ambulances will operate on a 24-hour basis and will be strategically stationed along major highways, densely populated areas, and within communities to ensure rapid response during emergencies. These units are not just vehicles; they are mobile intensive-care units designed to save lives at the most critical moments, he stated.

The Chief of Staff added that with a simple emergency call, an ambulance should be able to arrive within minutes to convey victims to the nearest health facility. No citizen of Katsina State should lose their life simply because help could not arrive in time, he emphasised. He stressed that the administration is deliberately investing in fully equipped, high-quality ambulances to improve emergency healthcare delivery, reduce avoidable deaths, and ease pressure on secondary and tertiary health facilities.

Each of the ambulances is fully equipped with modern life-support systems, oxygen units, patient monitors, stretchers, and essential resuscitation equipment. Our goal is simple  faster response, better care, and a healthier Katsina State, he noted. He further stated that the programme is people-centered and focused squarely on saving lives in both urban and rural communities. Healthcare must be accessible at all hours, in every part of our state. This initiative brings that vision closer to reality, he affirmed.

The Chief of Staff also revealed that a coordinated management framework will be created in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Ministry of Health, and relevant local government authorities to ensure effective deployment and supervision. With their deployment, emergency response time across Katsina State is expected to significantly improve, referrals between hospitals will become faster and safer, and access to life-saving care will expand statewide. The ambulances will be deployed in phases across the three senatorial zones and major health facilities to ensure wide coverage and maximum impact.
Former Secretary to the Bauchi State Government (SSG), Ibrahim Kashim, whose name has featured in a fraud charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has denied wrongdoing.

He said he was neither investigated nor indicted by any authority before he resigned from office in December 2024.

In a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, Mr Kashim, a lawyer, described claims linking his exit from office to alleged financial impropriety as false and misleading.

He said there has been no public record showing that he was sacked or dismissed from the position.

The Bauchi State Government has not publicly accused Mr Kashim of fraud, and Governor Bala Mohammed has not commented on the allegations.

But several serving and former officials of the governors administration have faced fraud charges instituted by the EFCC in the last few months.

The latest include finance commissioner, Yakubu Adamu, whom the EFCC arraigned along with others in two separate terrorism financing and money laundering cases last month.

Earlier on Monday, the trial judge, Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, denied bail to Mr Adamu and his co-defendants, who are Bauchi State civil servants, in the terrorism financing charges.

In April 2025, the EFCC arraigned the Accountant General of Bauchi State, Sirajo Jaja, along with a bureau de change operator on charges of transferring and converting billions belonging to the Bauchi State Government.

The defendants allegedly committed the offences between 10 July 2024 and 25 November 2024.

The EFCC arraigned them for the offences before trial judge, Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Apart from Mr Jaja and his co-accused, the bureau de change operator, other suspects, including Mr Kashim, were named to be part of the alleged fraud but were said to be at large.

Mr Kashim resigned as the states SSG in December 2024, just about a month after the end part of the transactions complained of in the EFCC charges allegedly took place in November 2024.

The governors office subsequently accepted his resignation. The government did not disclose the reasons for his exit at the time.

The former SSG challenged the governor to take him to court if there was any credible evidence linking him to fraud.

At no time during my tenure as Secretary to the State Government was I indicted, queried, investigated, or found culpable of any act of fraud or financial impropriety. No panel of inquiry, audit report, law enforcement agency, or anti-corruption body has ever established, alleged, or even insinuated that I engaged in fraudulent conduct while in office.

Any suggestion to the contrary is a blatant distortion of facts and a regrettable attempt to deflect attention from more substantive issues, he stated.

He also said he remained ready to render a full account of his stewardship to any competent authority or to the public.

Describing the allegations as an attempt to damage his reputation, Mr Kashim warned against what he called the projection of false narratives in public discourse.

He said he would soon address the media and the public to further clarify the matter.

In July 2025, months after resigning as the SSG, Mr Kashim resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), parting ways politically with Governor Mohammed, who is among the few governors remaining in the part. The move that has generated political speculations in Bauchi State.

In his resignation letter, Mr Kashim did not state the reasons for leaving the PDP but said the decision followed due consideration, adding that he intends to explore other avenues to seek the mandate of the people of the state.

Mr Kashim was the PDP governorship candidate in Bauchi State ahead of the 2023 general election but stepped down from the race months before the polls to support Governor Mohammed.

He was later appointed Secretary to the State Government after Governor Mohammeds re-election.

Background

Mr Jaja, the Accountant General of Bauchi State, was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja, alongside a bureau de change operator, Aliyu Abubakar, and his company, Jasfad Resources Enterprise, in April 2025.

Mr Kashim, former SSG, Aminu Hammayo, Saleh U. Mohammed, and Balarabe Abdullahi were listed as suspects that were at large.

The defendants are facing nine counts of money laundering, diversion of public funds and criminal misappropriation involving N8.38 billion.

According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly converted and transferred N2.8 billion from the Bauchi State Governments expenditure account into the account of Jasfad Resources Enterprise between January and December 2024, contrary to the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), and others to maintain the status quo pending the hearing and determination of a case involving four oil fields.

Justice Emeka Nwite gave the order after Ambrose Unaeze, who appeared for the plaintiffs, Hi-Rev Oil Ltd and Hi-Rev Exploration and Production Ltd, moved the application to the effect.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2nd and 3rd defendants in the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2678/2025, are the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

Justice Nwite had, on 22 December 2025, ordered the minister, the AGF and NUPRC to show cause why the reliefs of the plaintiffs in their motion ex parte should not be granted.

The judge made the order after Mr Unaeze moved the motion dated and filed on 11 December.

The oil and gas companies had sought an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants, or whoever is acting on their behalf, from selling, assigning, or allocating the Yorla South (Petroleum Prospecting Licence (PPL) 2A32  OML 11) located in Rivers State.

The order is to also restrain the defendants from allocating Akiapiri (PPL 2A48  OML 25) located in Bayelsa State; Diebu Creek East (OML 32) also situated in Bayelsa and Idiok (PPL 2A41  OML 67) located in Akwa Ibom State, same being direct replacements for Utapate Oil Field (formerly part of OML 13) and OPL 2002, previously allocated to the plaintiff but was later withdrawn by the defendants, pending the hearing of the interlocutory application in this suit.

Giving four grounds why their application should be granted, the lawyer said the companies were previously allocated the Utapate Oil Field (formerly part of OML 13) and OPL 2002, but were unreasonably withdrawn by the federal government.

He said parties had a settlement agreement for the replacement of the Utapate Oil Field, which was accepted and adopted, and it became a consent judgement.

Mr Unaeze stated that the firms had taken substantial steps and offered consideration in respect of the grant of the licence to operate OPL and the licence to establish a petroleum refinery.

He argued that the defendants are threatening the companies legal right, pursuant to the threat to sell or allocate the oil fields at Yorla South, Akiapiri, Diebu Creek East, and Idiok to third parties via the defendants offer to the public for a round bid, hence, the need for the interim order.

The judge did not grant the order. He, however, ordered the defendants to appear on 5 January (today).

What transpired in court

When the matter was called on Monday, Mr Unaeze informed the court that an order was made for the defendants to show cause why their relief should not be granted.

The lawyer stated that the 1st and 3rd defendants (the minister and NUPRC) had just served him with their memorandum of conditional appearance, counter affidavit, and preliminary objection in court, and that he would need time to respond.

Mr Unaeze, however, applied that the defendants, who were duly represented in court by their lawyers, should give an undertaking not to take any action that might affect the subject matter, pending the hearing and determination of the case.

This is because of the nature of the case and the risk the res (subject matter) may face before the next adjourned date, he said.

Speaking, Oyinlade Koleoso, who appeared for the 2nd defendant (AGF), said they had filed a counter-affidavit and a preliminary objection, although they had yet to serve the same.

When the judge asked him if he had filed an affidavit to show cause, Mr Koleose said he believed that the processes he had filed would take care of that.

The lawyer told the court that, based on Mr Unaezes application, their submission was that the AGF was not in a position to allocate oil blocks.

The 3rd defendant (NUPRC)s lawyer, J. A. Olugbade, disagreed with Mr Unaezes application.

He stated that he opposed the plaintiffs lawyers prayer, as he had already filed a counter-affidavit and a preliminary objection.

B. J. Tabaya, counsel for the 1st defendant (minister), said he did not have the instruction of his client to make such an undertaking as sought by Mr Unaeze.

But when a case is in court, what are you supposed to do? the judge asked Mr Tabaya.

Party will maintain status quo, the lawyer responded.

So go and tell your client that as far as this matter is before the court, parties should maintain the status quo, the judge said.

Delivering the ruling, Justice Nwite, who granted Mr Unaezes application, ordered the parties to maintain the status quo pending the hearing and determination of the matter.

The judge then adjourned the matter until 26 January for hearing.

(NAN)
A woman walks past festive decorations at a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 6, 2026. Thailand's business sentiment weakened in December 2025 as confidence in the manufacturing sector faded amid continued improvements in the non-manufacturing sector, data from the central bank showed on Monday. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)

BANGKOK, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's business sentiment weakened in December 2025 as confidence in the manufacturing sector faded amid continued improvements in the non-manufacturing sector, data from the central bank showed on Monday.

According to the Bank of Thailand, the Southeast Asian country's business sentiment index (BSI) slipped to 49.8 last month, from 50 recorded in November, as optimism declined in most components of the index.

For 2025, the overall index grew slightly from a year earlier, driven by the manufacturing sector, particularly the export-oriented industries, which saw a surge in front-loaded shipments during the first half of the year before new U.S. tariffs took effect, the central bank said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the non-manufacturing sector dropped compared to the previous year, despite support from the government's stimulus measures targeting the hotel and restaurant as well as the retail trade sectors, the central bank noted.

The three-month expected BSI came in at 54.4 in the December survey, up from 53.4 a month earlier, hovering above the 50-neutral mark for the fifth consecutive month.

The reading was based on a survey of 667 respondents from large and medium-sized firms. 
The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, has called on Nyesom Wike to resign as minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Mr Basirus call for Mr Wikes resignation came a few hours after the minister warned the APC secretary to steer clear of Rivers State politics and desist from making careless and provocative statements about the state.

Mr Wikes warning followed Mr Basirus criticism of Victor Giadom, the APC national vice chairman (South-South), for describing Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara as so-called governor.

The FCT minister, in a meeting with his supporters on Monday in Rivers, boasted that he can challenge anybody, adding Rivers State is a no-go area for political interference.

Wikes uncouth responses

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Mr Basiru expressed shock that his comments could draw an uncouth response from no less than a member of the Federal Executive Council.

The APC national secretary stated that Mr Wike has been causing confusion in the APC, adding that the honourable thing for the FCT minister to do is to resign his appointment.

Wike cannot be in the Federal Executive Council of an APC Government and be causing confusion within any organ or structure of the Party at any level, using the leverage of that same office. The honourable thing to do is to resign his appointment as Minister.

He maintained that all members of the APC NWC must accord any sitting governor his due respect and that the governors remain the leaders of the party in their states.

For the avoidance of doubt, our records indicate that Minister Nyesom Wike is not a member of our Party (APC), so he lacks the locus to dabble in the affairs of our Party. And as National Secretary of the APC, I am imbued with the responsibility to protect the interests of the Party and all its members and structures.

Mr Basiru insisted that his comments on the affairs of the APC in Rivers State cannot be an undue interference in the affairs of Rivers State.

As National Secretary, my activities cannot be confined to my home state, Osun State, he said.

N600 billion allegation

The APC secretary rejected Mr Wikes claim that he and other APC leaders are scrambling for N600 billion in Rivers State treasury.

This is nothing but cheap blackmail, which has become his stock-in-trade. My background and track record are that of unquestionable integrity, and I challenge him to prove his allegations, or we may meet in court.

As to his veiled threat against me, let me remind Wike that he is not God and may be overplaying his political card. My faith is in God, and I will not succumb to cheap threats, such as the one from Wike. I am one of the young Nigerians who confronted Military rule, fighting for democracy, when the likes of Wike were nowhere in sight.

Mr Basiru pointed out that the FCT ministers support for President Bola Tinubu does not automatically make him a member of the APC.

Millions of non-APC Nigerians also support Mr President, and his own is no different. His attempt to destabilise our Party in Rivers State will not be tolerated, and he cannot bring the spirit of PDP into the APC.

Background: Rivers power feud

Governor Fubara and Mr Wike, once close allies, fell out months after Mr Fubara assumed office, triggering a deep political crisis in Rivers State. The rift has polarised party structures and spilled into national party politics, with both camps mobilising support ahead of the 2027 elections.

Mr Wike, a member of the PDP, is embarking on political tours across Rivers 23 local government areas, a move widely interpreted as an effort to block Mr Fubaras re-election bid.

About a week ago, Mr Basiru led members of the APC National Executive Committee to Port Harcourt, where they publicly endorsed Mr Fubara for a second term  a gesture that does not sit well with Mr Wikes camp.

At an event in Port Harcourt, Mr Wike, who opposes Governor Fubaras second-term bid, threw jabs at the members of the APC, saying, Abuja politicians are only after Rivers money.

About two days ago, Mr Wike publicly opposed Mr Fubaras second-term bid, likening the success of Mr Fubaras reelection bid to his (Wikes) political death.
Local government areas in Osun recorded a low turnout of workers on Monday as they resumed duty after an 11-month sit-at-home directive.

Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who visited some council areas in the state, report that only a few workers were seen on the councils premises.

NAN reports that a heavy police presence was observed in all the local government councils visited.

When a NAN correspondent visited Osogbo Local Government Area at about 8:45 a.m., only a handful of workers were seen.

Similarly, at the Olorunda Local Government Secretariat, only about 30 workers were present on the council premises.

The Chairman of the local government, Kunle Abdulmajid, while speaking with NAN, said he was happy that staff had resumed duty after almost 11 months of sitting at home.

Mr Abdulmajid said the resumption of workers would revitalise developmental activities at the grassroots, which he noted had suffered greatly in the past 11 months.

We are all from this state, and we are all working for the progress of the state.

With the resumption of workers today, I am very sure that Osun will move forward, he said.

At Ife Central Local Government, a few workers were also seen within the premises, with heavy security personnel stationed at the entrance and within the secretariat.

Workers were screened by police personnel at the entrance of the council before they were allowed in.

However, the workers declined to speak with the NAN correspondent when approached to share their experiences about the resumption.

They said they had received strict instructions not to speak with the press.

Similarly, at about 8:45 a.m. at the Ede North Local Government Secretariat, some workers were seen cleaning their offices, while others were chatting and exchanging greetings.

Kunle Ajao, a staff member of the council, said workers were happy to resume duty after spending months at home doing nothing.

Mr Ajao said workers were obligated to perform their duties without political influence, expressing optimism that the issues surrounding the local government crisis would be resolved.

The Chairman of Ede North Local Government, Elliot Adeyemi, told NAN that the resumption of workers would enhance development across the state.

Mr Adeyemi said the decision by workers to return to duty was in the overall interest of the people at the grassroots.

He added that the resumption would improve service delivery and help address grassroots challenges in communities across the state.

I have been at work since February 10, 2025; it was our workers who had been at home for the past 11 months that resumed today.

The atmosphere in the local government is calm, and nobody is harassing or sending the workers away, he said.

Mr Adeyemi called for cooperation and collaboration among workers, saying synergy was needed for meaningful growth and development at the grassroots level.

NAN reports that local government administration in the state had been embroiled in a crisis following the 10 February judgment of the Court of Appeal in Akure.

While the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) maintained that the judgment did not reinstate the sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen and councillors elected in 2022, the APC insisted that the ruling restored them to office.

Consequently, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) directed local government workers to withdraw their services from Feb. 17, 2025, citing security concerns.

However, on 29 December 2025, the national leadership of NULGE directed workers to resume duty.

Nathaniel Ogungbangbe said that after extensive internal consultations, the union resolved that its members in Osun should resume work on 5 January 2026.

The directive, however, drew opposition from the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state.

In a statement, the ALGON Chairman in Osun, Samuel Abiodun, urged security agencies to hold Ogungbangbe responsible should there be any breach of peace or breakdown of law and order across the states local government areas.

The police in the state, however, warned politicians against disrupting the resumption of local government workers.

A statement by the Police Deputy Public Relations Officer in the state, Giwa-Alade Emmanuel, said the command had received credible intelligence on plans by some persons to disrupt the workers resumption.

Mr Emmanuel said the command would not permit miscreants to undermine the peace and tranquillity that have been diligently sustained in the state.

(NAN)
BEIJING, Jan. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Neolix, a global leader in autonomous delivery solutions, has officially entered into a strategic partnership with Luxmea, a European provider of electric cargo and mobility solutions. The collaboration will focus on urban delivery scenarios in the European market, leveraging AI as the core driver to jointly build an efficient, intelligent, and sustainable new ecosystem for urban logistics. This partnership not only marks the deepening of Neolix's global footprint but also injects Chinese innovative momentum into the upgrading of Europe's smart logistics industry.

Neolix partners with Luxmea to co-create a new ecosystem for smart urban logistics in Europe

As a benchmark enterprise in RoboVan R&D, manufacturing, and services, Neolix's core products have obtained certification from TUV Rheinland, a globally recognized authority, and comply with more than 20 ECE/EU regulations, enabling flexible adaptation to diverse urban delivery needs. To date, Neolix's autonomous vehicles have been deployed in 15 countries and regions worldwide, with cumulative delivery and deployment volume exceeding 15,000 units.

A brand under Baodao Vehicle Industry, Luxmea specializes in electric cargo bikes and urban smart mobility solutions, having established itself as a well-known brand in Europe's sustainable urban transportation sector. Its electric cargo bike solutions have a mature application foundation in the last-mile delivery scenario from hubs to customers, precisely meeting the segmented needs of urban logistics. With a supply chain system covering China and Europe, Luxmea has accumulated extensive market resources. Currently, over 550,000 electric bikes developed by the company are in use across Europe, serving numerous major logistics-related clients and effectively driving the transformation of urban mobility and last-mile delivery towards cleanliness, intelligence, and connectivity.

Under the cooperation agreement, both parties will fully tap into the synergistic value of customer resources, focus on major logistics enterprises urban logistics and the last-mile delivery needs, achieve service scenario complementarity, and jointly provide more comprehensive last-mile logistics support for customers. Meanwhile, Neolix will leverage its L4 autonomous driving and core AI technologies to empower Luxmea's business with intelligent upgrading, jointly building a new urban logistics ecosystem tailored to European market demands and accelerating the development of Europe's vast smart logistics market.

This strategic partnership represents a key layout for both parties based on the development needs of the European market, with resource complementarity and technological empowerment as the core drivers to jointly explore the potential of the last-mile logistics market. Neolix's advantages in AI technology and autonomous vehicle products will form efficient synergy with Luxmea's local market accumulation and supply chain resources, further enhancing the market competitiveness of both parties in Europe's smart logistics sector and providing innovative solutions for the upgrading of the local logistics industry.

Will Zhao, Executive President of Neolix stated: "Europe is a strategic hub for global smart logistics, and this partnership with Luxmea is a crucial step in deepening our European layout. Through the in-depth empowerment of AI technology and autonomous vehicle products, we will work with Luxmea to address last-mile delivery challenges and bring more efficient and convenient logistics experiences to European consumers."

Wenjun Lin, General Manager of Luxmea GmbH, stated: "Neolix's technical strength and large-scale operational experience perfectly complement our local supply chain resources and technical integration capabilities. Luxmea's technological accumulation in European micro-mobility drive control and ecosystem, combined with Neolix's AI intelligent technology, will create synergistic leaps forward. We look forward to promoting the innovative upgrading of last-mile delivery models through our collaborative efforts and supporting the EU in achieving its sustainable logistics development goals."

Media Contact

For more information, please contact:

Neolix: Linda Xu, xulinhua@neolix.ai

Luxmea: Amber Tang, amber@luxmea.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2853977/Neolix_partners_Luxmea_co_create_a_ecosystem_smart_urban_logistics_Europe.jpg
MELVILLE, N.Y., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AIP Publishing (AIPP) today announced that the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the largest and most influential research institution in Latin America, has signed a new agreement to participate in AIP Fusion, AIPP's services-based reading and publishing model. UNAM is the first institutional consortia globally to join AIP Fusion.

The agreement represents a significant milestone in AIPP's transition toward a more transparent, sustainable approach to open science and reflects the model's relevance and applicability well beyond Europe and North America. Under AIP Fusion, UNAM researchers at 18 UNAM campuses will have unlimited access to AIPP and partner journals and unlimited open access publishing opportunities in all titles without article processing charges (APCs). The agreement was established with support from KGL Accucoms, AIPP's long-standing regional partner and covers a three-year period (2026-2028).

"AIP Fusion strengthens our commitment to advancing open science and expanding global access to scientific knowledge. This model offers a practical, sustainable route for our researchers to publish openly, helping ensure their work is accessible to scholars and communities worldwidenot limited by financial or geographic barriers," said Dr. Antonio Sanchez Pereyra, Head of the Latin American Bibliography Department, General Directorate of Libraries, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM).

Launched as a pilot in 2025, AIP Fusion is designed to move beyond the traditional "article economy" by offering institutions comprehensive access to AIP Publishing's publishing and content services for a single annual fee. The model integrates transparent pricing based on publishing and usage data and was developed in close collaboration with a library and consortia consultation group.

"We are thrilled to welcome UNAM as our first AIP Fusion partner," said Kevin Steiner, Head of Global Sales at AIP Publishing. "UNAM's leadership strengthens the model's global foundation and underscores the importance of designing sustainable open science solutions that work for diverse research environments."

AIP Fusion reflects AIP Publishing's mission-driven commitment to advancing open science by removing barriers to access, increasing transparency, and providing predictable, long-term pathways for institutions navigating changing research and funding landscapes.

UNAM's participation marks a major step in ensuring that Latin American researchand the communities that produce itare visible, supported, and fully engaged in the global scientific exchange.

About AIP Publishing

AIP Publishing's mission is to advance, promote, and serve the physical sciences for the benefit of humanity by breaking barriers to open, fair research communication and empowering researchers to accelerate global progress. AIP Publishing is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) and supports the charitable, scientific, and educational purposes of AIP through scholarly publishing activities on its behalf and on behalf of our publishing partners. Learn more at publishing.aip.org.

About the National Autonomous University of Mexico

The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) was founded in 1910. Due to its national character, it took the place of the former Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico, created in 1521. UNAM is the largest and most important university in Mexico and Latin America. Its main objective is to serve the country and humanity, train professionals who are useful to society, organize and carry out research, mainly on national conditions and problems, and extend the benefits of culture as widely as possible. https://www.unam.mx/

About KGL Accucoms

KGL Accucoms is a global sales and marketing agency specializing in academic and professional publishing. With regional experts worldwide, KGL Accucoms bridges the gap between publishers and local markets through customized outreach and strategic partnerships. https://www.accucoms.com

SOURCE AIP Publishing
Arlo Smart Security SaaS Platform to Power New Samsung SmartThings Service Offering for Added Peace of Mind and Protection

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Arlo Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ARLO), a leading provider of smart home security services, announced today it has entered into an agreement with Samsung SmartThings to bring new capabilities from Arlo's Smart Security Platform to SmartThings users. Together, the two technology leaders will collaborate to address the growing consumer demand for smart security services to protect their home and loved ones through the Samsung SmartThings ecosystem. With an initial focus on the U.S. market, the expanded partnership will look to enable Samsung SmartThings users with the ability to access security services through the SmartThings app.

Arlo and Samsung extend their partnership to integrate new smart security capabilities into the SmartThings platform.

Today's announcement builds on last year's momentum which added Arlo's AI-powered object detection to the SmartThings platform, including package, people and even pet identification, offering users the ability to know more through customized notifications from Arlo cameras. Using advanced computer vision AI and recognition engines, Arlo Intelligence enables users to better understand what's happening in and around their home to make more informed decisions.

Leveraging Arlo's advanced smart security platform, the two companies will work to bring additional enhancements into the SmartThings experience to give users the ability to control more and react faster to security events for added peace of mind.

"Rooted in a shared commitment to serve our customers through innovative advancements in technology and a seamless user experience, we are proud of the successful partnership between Samsung and Arlo that has already brought advancements like AI-powered object detection to life through the SmartThings experience," said Matthew McRae, CEO of Arlo Technologies. "We are excited to continue that collaboration with an even deeper integration that will power the next level of smart home security for SmartThings users."

"Our partnership with Arlo reflects SmartThings' ongoing focus on working with leading innovators to evolve the connected home experience," said Mark Benson, Head of SmartThings. "Together, we're laying the groundwork for new smart security services that will further enhance how users protect and manage their homes through SmartThings."

For more information on the full range of Arlo smart home security products and services, visit www.arlo.com .

About Arlo Technologies, Inc.

Arlo is an award-winning, industry leader that is transforming the ways in which people can protect everything that matters to them with advanced home, business, and personal security solutions. Arlo's deep expertise in AI- and CV-powered analytics, cloud services, user experience and product design, and innovative wireless and RF connectivity enables the delivery of a seamless, smart security experience for Arlo users that is easy to set up and interact with every day. Arlo's cloud-based platform provides users with visibility, insight, and a powerful means to help protect and connect in real-time with the people and things that matter most, from any location with a Wi-Fi or a cellular connection. Arlo has recently launched several categories of award-winning connected devices, software, and services. These include wire-free, smart Wi-Fi and LTE-enabled security cameras, video doorbells, floodlights, security system, and Arlo's subscription service, Arlo Secure.

With a mission to bring users peace of mind, Arlo is as passionate about protecting user privacy as it is about safeguarding homes and families. Arlo is committed to implementing industry standards for data protection designed to keep users' personal information private and in their control. Arlo provides enhanced controls for user data, supports privacy legislation, keeps user data safely secure, and puts security at the forefront of company culture.

About Samsung SmartThings

SmartThings, Samsung's global connected living platform, builds smart homes that are convenient, safe, sustainable and fun. Millions of people, in nearly 200 countries, use SmartThings to easily control their connected homes and IoT devices. SmartThings delivers simple, powerful experiences across Samsung's leading portfolio of phones, TV, and appliances. We offer the most versatile smart home experience as an open platform with a rich partner ecosystem. As a founding member of Matter, we are a leader in the industry to help make smart homes more secure, reliable and seamless to use. Do the SmartThings at www.partners.smartthings.com .

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "will," "may," "should," "estimate," "project," "outlook," "forecast" or other similar words are used to identify such forward-looking statements. However, the absence of these words does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. The forward-looking statements represent Arlo's expectations or beliefs concerning future events based on information available at the time such statements were made and include statements regarding the development, features and performance of Arlo's services and products, including the capabilities of Arlo Secure and Arlo Intelligence; and the timing for new product launches and related pricing of Arlo's services and products. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including that consumers may choose not to adopt Arlo's new product and/or service offerings, or may adopt competing products and/or services; product and/or service performance may be adversely affected by real-world operating conditions; changes to trade agreements, trade policies, increased tariffs and import/export regulations may negatively effect Arlo's business and supply chain expenses; and global conflicts and geopolitical issues such as the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Ukraine or China-Taiwan relations may disrupt Arlo's ability to execute its business plan in a timely manner or at all. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecast in such forward-looking statements. Further information on potential risk factors that could affect Arlo and its business are detailed in its periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, those risk factors described in its most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Given these circumstances, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Arlo undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Source: Arlo-F

SOURCE Arlo Technologies, Inc.
"Sede Vacante!" challenges six decades of papal legitimacy using doctrinal criteria

LOMPOC, Calif., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In a uniquely extensive, doctrinally-structured defense of sedevacantism, Griff Ruby has released "Sede Vacante!: Part One: Dogmatic Ecclesiology Applied to Our Times," a systematic, deeply theological defense of the "Sede Vacante finding," or sedevacantist position.

Sede Vacante!: Part One: Dogmatic Ecclesiology Applied to Our Times By Griff Ruby

Sedevacantism is a traditionalist Catholic conclusion that believes that the occupiers of the Holy See have not been valid popes since at least the era of Vatican II, concluding that the papacy has been vacant all this time, and that the men commonly regarded as Popes, John XXIII through Leo, are not true Catholic Popes.

Ruby explains that the only valid way to understand the post-Vatican II crisis is to examine it through dogmatic ecclesiology, the body of infallible Catholic teaching on the nature, properties, and identity of the Church. He states that Catholics already know the symptoms of the crisis; what they lack is a coherent doctrinal explanation of why it happened and where the Church must be today if Catholic doctrine is true.

Ruby organizes the book around 16 distinct doctrines, each treated as a lens through which to view the current situation. Each chapter demonstrates how traditional Catholicism aligns with the doctrine and how the modern Vatican, or "Conciliar Church," fails every doctrinal test.

"The modern Vatican behaves as a separate society, distinct from the true Catholic Church, because it is capable of doctrinal error, something the Church herself cannot do," Ruby explained. "It lacks Unity, Holiness, Catholicity, Apostolicity, the four distinguishing Marks of the Church. It has defected from the faith and no longer represents Catholicism, and because of this, it has no spiritual authority or capacity to supply the Church with a valid Pope again."

Ruby continues his theological studies in a second book, "Sede Vacante!: Part Two: The Lumen Gentium Theory About our Present Ecclesial Circumstance."

"Sede Vacante!: Part One: Dogmatic Ecclesiology Applied to Our Times"

By Griff Ruby

ISBN: 9781532023767 (softcover); 9781663263780 (audio); 9781532023774 (electronic)

Available at iUniverse, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author

Born in 1958, Griff Ruby found the faith without the luxury of a religious upbringing, and at a time when Catholicism itself had lost its identity. His writings reflect many years of research into Christian history and theology and ecclesiology. His other books include "Sede Vacante!: Part Two," and "The Resurrection of the Roman Catholic Church." Ruby lives with his wife Juliet and son Martin on the Central California coast. To learn more, please visit his YouTube Channel.

General Inquiries:

LAVIDGE  Phoenix

Ashley Fletcher

[email protected]

SOURCE iUniverse
NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Bluefish, the AI marketing platform for the Fortune 500, today released its 2025 Holiday AI Commerce Report, offering one of the first in-depth looks at how generative AI shaped shopping journeys and brand visibility across the December holiday season. The report analyzes AI-native shopping journeys and millions of AI answers across leading platforms to show which content, sources and narratives most influenced what consumers saw when they asked AI what to buy and where to buy it.

The findings show that paid media had little direct impact on AI answers during the 2025 holiday period, confirming a similar conclusion from other reports that show as much as 95% of AI citations came from non-paid sources. Instead of rewarding ad spend, AI assistants favored brands with high-quality, clearly structured and consistent organic content, making AI visibility a leading indicator of demand capture in the most important sales window of the year.

"Holiday 2025 proved that AI commerce is now a major channel, which requires a fundamentally different playbook," said Alex Sherman, co-founder and CEO of Bluefish. "This report shows that the brands winning here are those that have rewired their holiday strategy around high-quality owned and earned content."

The report also highlights a major shift from a "best deals" AI narrative during Black Friday to a "best gifts" narrative in December, as AI assistants moved from surfacing doorbusters to curating thoughtful gifting recommendations. Bluefish observed that "best deals" content saw its impact on AI recommendations decline by more than 30% heading into Christmas, while "best gifts" guides  especially "best gifts under 100 dollars"  increased their influence as the month progressed.

Using its industry-leading Impact Score and Influence Rank analytics, originally introduced in Bluefish's Black Friday report, the Holiday AI Commerce Report reveals that a relatively small set of high-signal pages drove a disproportionate share of AI holiday recommendations. Publishers like Reddit, CNET, RTINGS.com, PCMag and lifestyle titles such as Who What Wear and Vogue emerged as outsized shapers of AI answers. Bluefish's metrics show that these sources often punched above their raw citation counts, exerting disproportionate impact on how AI described and ranked brands in key gifting categories.

Within this environment, several brands emerged as AI holiday "winners" by tightly aligning owned content, earned coverage and the narratives AI prioritized. In beauty, Ulta stood out for "best gift" messaging that was consistently reinforced across its own pages and third-party coverage. In luxury, brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Ralph Lauren benefited from decades of cultural relevance amplified by dense coverage in curated gift guides and editorial lists, positioning them as definitive answers for "best luxury gifts."

The report notes that forward-thinking marketing organizations have already begun rewiring holiday planning around high-quality content, measuring AI visibility weekly and treating AI commerce as a distinct performance channel. Looking ahead to 2026, Bluefish expects that direct AI advertising will begin to formalize an even more complex reality. As a result, Bluefish is building their platform to support a shifting landscape, helping brands see how AI represents them, identifying the few sources that truly drive influence and taking systematic action to drive results.

The 2025 Holiday AI Commerce Report is available at https://www.bluefishai.com/holiday-report

About Bluefish

Bluefish is the AI marketing platform for enterprise brands. As product discovery and purchase journeys shift to AI platforms like ChatGPT, Meta AI, and Google AI, Fortune 500 brands use Bluefish to gain visibility, understand which sources truly shape AI recommendations, and systematically improve how AI represents their products and stories. Bluefish is led by the team behind PromoteIQ (acquired by Microsoft) and LiveRail (acquired by Facebook) and is headquartered in New York City.

SOURCE Bluefish AI
Boeing Plaza naming rights, sponsorship of youth admission to continue

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced the continuation of its Platinum Level sponsorship with the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), particularly for its annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in convention. This renewed partnership underscores Boeing's commitment to supporting aviation enthusiasts and the next generation of aviation professionals.

Boeing proudly renews its Platinum Level sponsorship with the EAA for the annual AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in convention, including sponsorship of Boeing Plaza. (Boeing photo.)

Boeing's formalized support of EAA AirVenture began in 2011 and has grown into one of the largest vendor footprints on the grounds. Under this new three-year agreement, Boeing will maintain naming rights of Boeing Plaza and continue to provide AirVenture admission at no cost to all youth attendees 18 and younger. Other key components of the agreement include Boeing as the Presenting Sponsor of WomenVenture, support for the Airline Crew Check-in, and continued backing of multiple KidVenture activities.

"The participation in AirVenture continues to grow not only within general aviation but also in the commercial, business, and military sectors. It's an ideal stage to showcase Boeing's diverse products and services," said Chris Raymond, President and CEO of Boeing Global Services. "EAA has an impressive global reach with an immense community and helps inspire the next generation of aviation professionals."

Commenting on the renewed agreement, Jack Pelton, EAA CEO and chairman, stated, "Boeing has been a valued partner to EAA over the years. Boeing Plaza has become the heartbeat of AirVenture, and their support of the youth admission has given nearly 500,000 kids the opportunity to explore the incredible world of aviation over the past three years. We are so grateful to see this partnership continue."

Follow Boeing.com and EAA.org for updates on Boeing's programming and activities at AirVenture 2026.

About Boeing

A leading global aerospace company and top U.S. exporter, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. Our U.S. and global workforce and supplier base drive innovation, economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing is committed to fostering a culture based on our core values of safety, quality and integrity.

About EAA

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and embodies The Spirit of Aviation through the world's most engaged community of aviation enthusiasts. EAA's 300,000 members and 900 local chapters enjoy the fun and camaraderie of sharing their passion for flying, building and restoring recreational aircraft. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or go to www.eaa.org.

About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is "The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration" and EAA's yearly membership convention. Additional EAA AirVenture information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available online at www.eaa.org/airventure. EAA members receive lowest prices on admission rates. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or visit www.eaa.org.

Contacts

Boeing Media Relations

[email protected]

EAA

Dick Knapinski

(920) 426-6523

[email protected]

SOURCE Boeing
TEHRAN, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that the United States must release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, condemning Washington's "unlawful" actions against Venezuela's sovereignty.

Speaking at a weekly news conference in Tehran, Baghaei accused the United States of abducting Maduro and his wife following a U.S. military operation in Venezuela, calling the move a violation of international law.

"The abduction of a country's president and his wife is not something to take pride in," Baghaei said. "This is a completely unlawful action, and as stressed by Venezuela's officials and people, their president must be released."

He urged United Nations member states to respond to flagrant violations of international law, warning that such behaviour would not stop there.

The U.S. military said on Saturday it had carried out strikes in Venezuela and captured Maduro and his wife, transferring them to the United States. Maduro was brought to a Manhattan federal court on Monday to face "narco-terrorism" charges filed by the U.S. administration.

Maduro is a close ally of Iran, and the two heavily sanctioned countries have sought to deepen trade ties. After Maduro's capture, Baghaei said Iran's support for Venezuela was based on principles rather than individuals.

Baghaei also warned that Iran's armed forces would not hesitate to defend the country's sovereignty, amid U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to intervene in Iran's protests.

In remarks on Sunday, Trump said the United States was monitoring protests in Iran "very closely" and would hit Iran "very hard" if protesters were killed.

Protests have erupted in several Iranian cities since late last month over the sharp depreciation of the rial. Iranian authorities have acknowledged the demonstrations and said they are prepared to address economic grievances, while warning against violence and vandalism.

Baghaei accused Israel and the United States of seeking to maintain tensions around Iran through psychological warfare, media campaigns, and continued economic pressure. 
'It's all about being in the sky and feeling free,' says Dean, who also wrote the campaign soundtrack. 'Of flying above everything and feeling untouchable.'

Dean's distinctive fusion of musical genres  nostalgic yet modern, personal yet resonant  mirrors the bold notes of Her Parfum: the most intense addition to the Burberry Her fragrance family.

THE FRAGRANCE INSPIRATION

The thrill of open skies. The joy of self expression.

The empowerment of following your own path. Daring and sophisticated.

Opening with delicate cherry notes, this fruity yet profound gourmand fragrance evolves through warm amber to an elegant and enveloping vanilla  complex and full of contrasts.

'Cherry makes me think of cherry blossom trees in the springtime in London when all the trees turn pink,' says Dean. 'You think, spring is here! I'm excited.'

THE OLFACTIVE PYRAMID

Top notes: cherry, pear

Heart notes: amber accord, freesia accord, whipped cream accord, patchouli oil

Base notes: vanilla absolute, moss notes, musk

THE BOTTLE DESIGN

Inspired by the richness of the fragrance, the iconic Burberry Her bottle now comes in opaque deep pink glass with a matte finish. The outer packaging is dressed with flowing pink ribbons.

AVAILABILITY

Burberry Her Parfum will be available beginning December 26, 2026 for $39 (10ml), $116 (30ml), $49 (50ml), $185 (100ml) at Sephora, Ulta, Macys and Nordstrom

ABOUT COTY INC.

Founded in Paris in 1904, Coty is one of the world's largest beauty companies with a portfolio of iconic brands across fragrance, color cosmetics, and skin and body care. Coty serves consumers around the world, selling prestige and mass market products in more than 130 countries and territories. Coty and our brands empower people to express themselves freely, creating their own visions of beauty; and we are committed to making a positive impact on the planet.

TV CAMPAIGN VIDEO: Linked Here

SOCIAL MEDIA: @BurberryBeauty #BurberryHer

EDITORIAL CREDIT: Burberry Beauty

SOURCE Burberry Beauty
California is bracing for a challenging winter season, marked by heavy rains, soil movement, and flash floods, threatening the structural integrity of homes and buildings. Alpha Structural, Inc. urges homeowners to take proactive measures to protect their properties, highlighting the increased risks in vulnerable areas and offering solutions to prevent long-term damage.

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As California faces an intense winter season, with a barrage of heavy rain and fluctuating temperatures, the structural integrity of homes and buildings is under significant threat. Recent storms have already dumped months' worth of rain, with more expected in the coming weeks. In response, Alpha Structural, Inc., a leader in foundation and structural repair solutions, is calling California property owners to address these challenges before they escalate into costly damage.

"Ignoring the signs of structural distress can lead to severe consequences. It's not just about immediate damage; it's about safeguarding your property against future instability."

"Homeowners must act now," urges Joe Demers, Licensed Civil Engineer at Alpha Structural, Inc. "Ignoring the signs of structural distress can lead to severe consequences. It's not just about immediate damage; it's about safeguarding your property against future instability."

The Hidden Dangers of Winter Weather

California's winter weather brings a host of structural challenges that are often revealed or intensified during periods of heavy rain. Among the most common issues seen in California homes are foundation settlement, hillside movement, distress in retaining walls, and water intrusion. Saturated soils lose their bearing capacity, which can cause foundations to shift or settle. These problems are especially prevalent in older structures, hillside properties, and homes built on expansive or undocumented fill. These conditions expose hidden vulnerabilities, making infrastructures more susceptible to shifting, cracking, and long-term deterioration. Flash flooding in low-lying and coastal areas further erodes soil around foundations, compromising stability and increasing the risk of landslides. Soil movement remains the most widespread threat, affecting not only hillside communities but also flat lots and established neighborhoods across the state.

Soil Movement and Settlement: Water-saturated soil poses the most widespread and damaging risk to California structures. It affects foundations, caissons, slabs, and retaining walls across a wide range of properties, not just those in hillside zones. Soil movement leads to cracks and foundation shifts, particularly in older homes, hillside properties, and those built on expansive or undocumented fill, and its impact is far-reaching.

Water-saturated soil poses the most widespread and damaging risk to California structures. It affects foundations, caissons, slabs, and retaining walls across a wide range of properties, not just those in hillside zones. Soil movement leads to cracks and foundation shifts, particularly in older homes, hillside properties, and those built on expansive or undocumented fill, and its impact is far-reaching. Flash Flooding and Erosion: While highly visible, flash floods typically cause acute damage by eroding soil around foundations, which can destabilize structures and trigger landslides, especially in low-lying and coastal areas.

While highly visible, flash floods typically cause acute damage by eroding soil around foundations, which can destabilize structures and trigger landslides, especially in low-lying and coastal areas. Rain and Water Infiltration: Persistent rainfall contributes to long-term structural damage as water seeps into foundation cracks, crawl spaces, and below-grade walls, further undermining the stability and integrity of affected buildings.

"While flash floods are highly visible, it's the insidious nature of soil movement and settlement that poses the greatest risk. Water-saturated soil expands, softens, or migrates, placing stress on foundations, caissons, slabs, and retaining walls," Demers explains. "Landslides tend to affect specific hillside zones, but subsurface soil movement affects far more properties, including flat lots, older neighborhoods, and homes with inadequate drainage or aging foundations. Proactive measures are essential in mitigating these threats."

Safeguarding California Homes

Alpha Structural offers a comprehensive range of services to combat these winter threats, including foundation repairs, drainage system upgrades, and landslide mitigation. Their approach emphasizes the importance of best practices for winterizing homes, such as installing proper surface drainage, extending downspouts, implementing subdrain systems, comprehensive waterproofing, and slope stabilization to prevent water intrusion and soil erosion. For hillside or older homes, engineered drainage upgrades, foundation reinforcement, retaining wall repair, and soil stabilization are essential steps to address the unique vulnerabilities revealed by winter weather. This dual focus on immediate solutions and long-term resilience ensures the safety and integrity of California homes.

Foundation Repair: Addressing foundation vulnerabilities before they worsen.

Addressing foundation vulnerabilities before they worsen. Drainage System Upgrades: Preventing water accumulation and infiltration.

Preventing water accumulation and infiltration. Landslide Mitigation: Enhancing stability in vulnerable hillside areas.

"Effective winter protection isn't just about quick fixes," Demers emphasizes. "It requires a strategic approach to drainage, waterproofing, and slope stabilization. Our solutions are tailored to meet the specific needs of each property, ensuring robust and lasting protection."

The Time to Act is Now

Winter rains reveal structural vulnerabilities that might otherwise remain hidden. Identifying and addressing these issues promptly can prevent further damage and ensure the longevity of your home. Alpha Structural recommends professional evaluations during or immediately following the rainy season to identify potential problems.

"California property owners must be vigilant," warns Demers. "Watch for new or widening interior drywall cracks, sticking doors or windows, uneven floors, or exterior stucco cracking, as these can all signal emerging structural problems. Be alert to damp crawl spaces, musty odors, or water pooling near the foundation; signs that winter moisture may be exposing hidden leaks or settlement issues. Early detection and intervention are critical to avoiding costly repairs."

About Alpha Structural, Inc.

When he saw geological challenges trigger catastrophic building collapses, Dave Tourje, founder of Alpha Structural, Inc., immersed himself in construction repairs and mitigation facing the iconic hillside homes and buildings throughout Los Angeles in the 1980s. He recognized a lack of skilled tradesmen and the need for repairs or upgrades to be engineered and constructed successfully. Today, Alpha Structural is Southern California's premier structural repair and engineering firm. With over 30 years of experience in foundation repair, hillside stabilization, and seismic retrofitting with challenges of earthquakes, wildfires and landslides, Alpha Structural distinguishes itself by being dual-licensed and authorized by the State of California to both engineer and build in-housean integration that eliminates miscommunication and cost overruns seen when engineering and construction are handled separately. Alpha Structural is trusted by homeowners, municipalities, and commercial partners alike.

For more information visit Alpha Structural.

References:

Rodriguez, A. (2025, October 16). Will california see heavy rain or warm weather this winter? What experts predict. Sacramento Bee. sacbee.com/news/weather-news/article312515659.html#storylink=cpy PBS News. (2025, November 15). Strong storm system moves into California with warnings of flash floods. PBS News. pbs.org/newshour/nation/strong-storm-system-moves-into-california-with-warnings-of-flash-floods Sosnowski, A. (2025, November 18). California to get yet another storm with rain, mountain snow this week. Accuweather.com; AccuWeather. accuweather.com/en/weather-forecasts/california-to-get-yet-another-storm-with-rain-mountain-snow-this-week/1835924 Skinner, A. (2025, November 20). Winter storm map as alerts sent to seven states. Newsweek. newsweek.com/winter-storm-map-alerts-seven-states-11081379 Hansen, K. (2025, December 16). Snowpocalypse 2025: How a massive storm froze the U.S. in its tracks. SciTechDaily. scitechdaily.com/snowpocalypse-2025-how-a-massive-storm-froze-the-u-s-in-its-tracks/ Dry Basement Foundation Repair. (2021, November 30). 4 ways snow and ice damages your foundation - dry basement foundation repair. Dry Basement Foundation Repair. drybasement.com/4-ways-snow-and-ice-damages-your-foundation/

Media Inquiries:

Karla Jo Helms

JOTO PR

727-777-4629

Jotopr.com

SOURCE Alpha Structural
DENVER, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CardioOne today announced the launch of CardioOne Connect, a fully integrated platform that brings together ambulatory cardiac diagnostics, chronic care management, and remote patient monitoring into one seamless experience for physicians and their care teams.

Built to extend care beyond the clinic, CardioOne Connect gives practices continuous visibility into their patients while reducing administrative burdens on physicians and their care teams. The platform integrates directly with existing EMRs and provides coordinated care planning, proactive monitoring, and rapid diagnostic insightsall powered by CardioOne's proprietary cloud-based technology, Rhythm.

CardioOne Connect now officially folds CardioDiagnostics into a unified care and monitoring platform. The acquisition of CardioDiagnosticsannounced in April 2025was undertaken with the intention of building a broader, value-based cardiology care program that provides virtual care to their patient populations. Through CardioOne Connect, practices can now deploy a turn-key chronic care management (CCM) program for regular patient engagement and care plans; remote patient monitoring (RPM) that captures and analyzes patient data between visits; and cardiac event monitoring for arrhythmia detection and long-term monitoring. This integrated offering delivers a single platform, streamlined workflows, and enhanced capacity for value-based care delivery.

The programs have already launched in some of CardioOne's practices earlier this year, leading to improved patient engagement and outcomes.

"Our early results have been exceptional," said Jasen Gundersen, MD, MBA, CEO and Co-Founder of CardioOne. "In the practices where CardioOne Connect is already live, we've seen stronger patient engagement, earlier interventions, and meaningful reductions in provider workload. Extending care between visits isn't just helpfulit's essential to modern cardiology, and CardioOne Connect makes it effortless."

One of our first physician partners has already begun various CardioOne Connect programs, and tout some early wins, like increased patient engagement and outcomes. "As the inaugural practice of CardioOne Connect, I've already seen tremendous value for both my practice and my patients," said Barbara Hutchinson, MD, PhD, FACC, practice owner of Chesapeake Cardiac Care in Bowie, MD. "My patients love the additional touchpoints, and it feels like I have a fuller picture of each patient's health between visitsand that's truly transformative for delivering high-quality cardiac care."

By unifying chronic care management, remote patient monitoring, and ambulatory cardiac diagnostics within one platform, CardioOne Connect now gives physicians a scalable way to improve outcomes, strengthen patient relationships, and grow their practice.

For media inquiries, please contact Michael Cuello at [email protected] or 865-346-7202.

About CardioOne

CardioOne is a growth and operational partner that offers technology and administrative support to independent cardiologists. Through its comprehensive technology platform that is uniquely tailored to the specific workflows of cardiologists, CardioOne allows clinicians to focus on delivering high quality patient care while receiving support on the administrative functions within their practices. CardioOne's mission is to ensure that local cardiologists have the necessary tools and support to maintain their independence while also thriving in an increasingly demanding practice environment. For more information, please visit www.cardioone.com.

SOURCE CardioOne
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WARSAW, Poland, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, has completed the previously announced acquisition of Comarch Polska SA through its wholly owned Polish subsidiary, CGI Information Systems and Management Consultants (Polska) sp. z o.o.

With the acquisition, more than 460 IT and business consulting professionals will join CGI, growing the firm's presence in Poland and the Baltic States to approximately 1,500 professionals. Following the acquisition, CGI will also expand its presence in several major cities in Poland.

"CGI continues to grow both organically and through strategic acquisitions, in alignment with our long-term business objectives. We are reinforcing our presence in Poland and the Baltic States by leveraging our deep expertise in the public sector and transferring proven capabilities from our operations across Europe," said Niraj Sood, CGI President in Finland, Poland and Baltics.

"We see significant opportunities for growth in the public sector by not only transferring best practices and solutions developed with our clients across Europe, but also by strengthening the capabilities of the team joining us," said Bartomiej Niescierowicz, Senior Vice-President and Business Unit Leader for CGI in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. "By combining Comarch's local expertise with CGI's technology-agnostic offerings, we are expanding the portfolio of proven solutions available to public sector organisations in Poland. Our commitment to delivering 95% of projects on time and within budget sets a new benchmark for performance and reliability in the Polish market."

Comarch has been delivering software and IT service solutions for the public administration sector since 1993. Its key offerings include ERP solutions, tools for digital process and document management, as well as consulting and managed services.

"With over 30 years of experience delivering IT services in Poland, we strongly believe that as a part of CGI, we will further expand our presence in the public sector by introducing globally developed, market-proven intellectual property solutions tailored to the needs of the Polish market," said Tomasz Matysik, CEO of Comarch Polska.

"The completion of the transaction with CGI underscores the maturity and international competitiveness of the solutions developed by Comarch, as well as the high quality of work delivered by our teams," said Jarosaw Mikos, President of the Management Board of Comarch S.A.

About CGI

Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 94,000 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI Fiscal 2025 reported revenue is CA$15.91 billion and CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com.

Forward-looking information and statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable United States safe harbours. All such forward-looking information and statements are made and disclosed in reliance upon the safe harbour provisions of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. Forward-looking information and statements include all information and statements regarding CGI's intentions, plans, expectations, beliefs, objectives, future performance, and strategy, as well as any other information or statements that relate to future events or circumstances and which do not directly and exclusively relate to historical facts. Forward-looking information and statements often but not always use words such as "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "anticipate", "foresee", "plan", "predict", "project", "aim", "seek", "strive", "potential", "continue", "target", "may", "might", "could", "should", and similar expressions and variations thereof. These information and statements are based on our perception of historic trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other assumptions, both general and specific, that we believe are appropriate in the circumstances. Such information and statements are, however, by their very nature, subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, of which many are beyond the control of CGI, and which give rise to the possibility that actual results could differ materially from our expectations expressed in, or implied by, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not restricted to: risks related to the market such as the level of business activity of our clients, which is affected by economic and political conditions, additional external risks (such as pandemics, armed conflict, climate-related issues and inflation) and our ability to negotiate new contracts; risks related to our industry such as competition and our ability to develop and expand our services, to penetrate new markets, and to protect our intellectual property rights; risks related to our business such as risks associated with our growth strategy, including the integration of new operations, financial and operational risks inherent in worldwide operations, foreign exchange risks, income tax laws and other tax programs, the termination, modification, delay or suspension of our contractual agreements, our expectations regarding future revenue resulting from bookings and backlog, our ability to attract and retain qualified employees, to negotiate favourable contractual terms, to deliver our services and to collect receivables, to disclose, manage and implement environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives and standards, and to achieve ESG commitments and targets, including without limitation, our commitment to reduce our carbon emissions, as well as the reputational and financial risks attendant to cybersecurity breaches and other incidents, and financial risks such as liquidity needs and requirements, maintenance of financial ratios, interest rate fluctuations and the discontinuation of major interest rate benchmarks and changes in creditworthiness and credit ratings; as well as other risks identified or incorporated by reference in this press release, in CGI's annual MD&A and in other documents that we make public, including our filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators (on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (on EDGAR at www.sec.gov). Unless otherwise stated, the forward-looking information and statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and CGI disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. While we believe that our assumptions on which these forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are based were reasonable as at the date of this press release, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking information or statements. Furthermore, readers are reminded that forward-looking information and statements are presented for the sole purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding our objectives, strategic priorities and business outlook as well as our anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Further information on the risks that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from our current expectations may be found in the section titled Risk Environment of CGI's annual MD&A, which is incorporated by reference in this cautionary statement. We also caution readers that the above-mentioned risks and the risks disclosed in CGI's annual MD&A and other documents and filings are not the only ones that could affect us. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial could also have a material adverse effect on our financial position, financial performance, cash flows, business or reputation.

SOURCE CGI Inc.
Jointly with Arcadyan Demonstrates Group Synergy: Radar + Infrared Fusion Capabilities

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Compal Electronics (Compal; TWSE: 2324), a global leader in advanced sensing and automotive safety technologies, announced today that it will present its latest Infrared Technology Systems (ITS) innovations at CES 2026 in the Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall, Booth #6552. Compal is also proud to feature Arcadyan Technology Corporation (Arcadyan; TWSE: 3596) as a joined strategic partner, showcasing their cutting-edge automotive radar platforms alongside Compal's infrared perception systems.

Compal Group Showcases Unified Efforts: Radar + Infrared Fusion Capabilities

Compal will debut its next-generation automotive infrared cameras and the AI-powered CDAT perception stack (Classification, Distance, Action, Tracking). These solutions are designed to enhance pedestrian safety in low-visibility environments and help automakers comply with upcoming regulatory standards, including FMVSS 127 and UN R152 for pedestrian AEB performanceparticularly in nighttime and adverse weather scenarios.

Visitors will experience multiple real-vehicle integration examples of infrared cameras mounted in the grille, headlamp, windshield, roof, and rear bumper  showcasing Compal's leadership in seamless sensor packaging.

Compal Group Showcases Unified Efforts: Radar + Infrared Fusion Capabilities

As part of Compal Group's commitment to advancing automotive safety, Arcadyan, a Compal subsidiary, will join forces with Compal at CES 2026 to demonstrate the synergy of infrared and radar technologies. This collaboration highlights the group's integrated approach to delivering next-generation sensing solutions for enhanced safety and autonomous driving.

Arcadyan will present its latest automotive radar technology, engineered for high-precision object detection, short- and mid-range sensing, and robust performance in dense urban and highway environments. Together, Compal and Arcadyan will highlight how infrared and radar provide a powerful complementary sensor pairing that offers reliable detection across all lighting, weather, and distance conditions. This joint presence reflects Compal Group's shared commitment to delivering safer, more intelligent, and more connected mobility systems.

Booth Highlights at CES 2026

Infrared Cameras for Nighttime & Low-Visibility Safety

Featuring 32, 45, and 60 FOV options and automotive-grade design for L2L4 ADAS applications.





Featuring 32, 45, and 60 FOV options and automotive-grade design for L2L4 ADAS applications. AI-Powered CDAT Perception

Detecting pedestrians, cyclists, animals, vehicles, and two-wheelers beyond the limits of headlights, glare, fog, rain, snow, or smoke.





Detecting pedestrians, cyclists, animals, vehicles, and two-wheelers beyond the limits of headlights, glare, fog, rain, snow, or smoke. Infrared + Radar Synergy with Arcadyan

Learn more about how radar and infrared together strengthen the detection stack for AEB, collision avoidance, and sensor fusion applications.





Learn more about how radar and infrared together strengthen the detection stack for AEB, collision avoidance, and sensor fusion applications. Vehicle-Ready Integration Examples

Demonstrating infrared camera placement in production-style locations, including grille, headlamp, windshield, roof rack, and bumper.





Demonstrating infrared camera placement in production-style locations, including grille, headlamp, windshield, roof rack, and bumper. Arcadyan Radar Platforms

Showcasing a suite of compact, high-performance radar solutions designed for ADAS, parking assistance, and next-generation autonomous driving architecturesincluding the Advanced Corner Radar, UN R151/R159-compliant radar systems, 4G/5G Telematics Control Units (T-Box), and Automotive-Grade Wi-Fi Modules.

Richard Seoane, General Manager of the ITS Division at Compal said, "Infrared completes the safety picture where traditional sensors fall short. At CES 2026, we're excited to demonstrate how infrared and CDAT elevate low-visibility perceptionand how partnering with Arcadyan strengthens the detection architecture for today's and tomorrow's vehicles." Raymond Hsiung, Vice President of Sales & Marketing Center (I) at Arcadyan further added, "Our advanced radar technologies perfectly complement Compal's infrared platform. Together, we're enabling a safer and more intelligent mobility ecosystem."

Event Details

Exhibition Name : CES 2026

: CES 2026 Date: January 69, 2026

January 69, 2026 Venue: Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall, Booth #6552

OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, partners, and media are encouraged to schedule a private demonstration. To book a meeting: [email protected]

About Compal

Established in 1984, Compal has grown into a leading global manufacturer of computers and smart devices, partnering with top-tier brands worldwide. In 2025, Compal was recognized by CommonWealth Magazine as one of Taiwan's top 7 manufacturers and has consistently ranked among the Forbes Global 2000 companies. Compal achieved consolidated revenues of USD$28.3 billion in 2024. In recent years, Compal has actively expanded into new growth areas, including cloud servers, automotive electronics, medical technology devices, 5G technologies, and industrial solutions. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, Compal operates design and production facilities in the United States, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, and Poland, and collaborates with local EMS partners in India and Thailand.

Through its AEP Business Unit, Compal USA (Indiana) Inc. mass-produces infotainment CPU LGA modules, 4G/5G network access devices (NADs), navigation-enabled infotainment systems, and telematics solutions. Since 2018, Compal has been developing AI-powered infrared sensing algorithms capable of recognizing vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, animals, and roadway hazards under various visibility conditions. For more information, visit: https://www.compal.com/aep/en/

About Arcadyan

Arcadyan Technology Corporation (Arcadyan), established in 2003, is a leading Taiwanese company specializing in intelligent network terminal equipment. We integrate professional technologies across broadband, multimedia, wireless communication, and Internet protocols. In recent years, our revenue and profitability have demonstrated stable growth. Driven by the rapid development of 4G/5G wireless communication technologies and upholding a user-centric product development philosophy, Arcadyan has expanded its service scope from home network equipment to in-vehicle safe mobility devices. To meet customer demand for high-frequency/millimeter-wave communication in automotive devices, the company has successfully developed the following advanced products: (1)mmWave Radar (Millimeter-Wave Radar); (2)5G/WiFi/BT Communication Modules; (3)Telematics Control Unit (T-Box). These cutting-edge technologies and products are poised to become core components of Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS). Arcadyan aims to provide reliable communication, differentiated, and highly customized service solutions for the increasingly complex automotive networking and driving environment. For more information on Arcadyan's automotive electronics solutions, please visit our website: https://www.arcadyan.com/en-us/solutions/idea/automotive/

Media Contact

Jack Wang Vice President & Spokesperson +886-2-8797-8588 [email protected]

Walter Lee Head of Investor Relations +886-3-572-7000 [email protected]

SOURCE COMPAL ELECTRONICS,INC.
Harmony Surgery Center will expand Maia Plastic Surgery with a dedicated, state-of-the-art surgical facility designed for privacy, safety, and refined aesthetic outcomes. Opening in early 2026 in Tysons Corner, the center reflects Dr. Munique Maia's vision for a serene, highly advanced environment focused entirely on patient care.

TYSONS CORNER, Va., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Maia Plastic Surgery announced the upcoming opening of Harmony Surgery Center, a dedicated, state-of-the-art surgical facility scheduled to open in early 2026. The new center represents a significant milestone for the practice and reflects Dr. Munique Maia's long-term vision of creating a calm, private, and technologically advanced environment dedicated exclusively to aesthetic surgery.

Munique Maia, MD

Harmony Surgery Center will expand Maia Plastic Surgery beyond its existing clinic by providing a purpose-built facility for facial and body procedures. The center's design integrates elevated aesthetics, advanced surgical technology, and a tranquil atmosphere that mirrors Dr. Maia's philosophy of natural, refined results delivered with discretion and personalized care.

A Dedicated Surgical Environment in the Heart of Tysons Corner

Harmony Surgery Center will feature multiple surgical suites designed to accommodate procedures such as deep plane facelift and neck lift surgery, eyelid surgery, breast enhancement, hair transplantation, mommy makeovers, and body contouring. The facility will be equipped with modern anesthesia and patient monitoring systems, hospital-level sterilization protocols, and advanced surgical technology to support safety and precision.

Architectural and interior design elements emphasize privacy, tranquility, and patient comfort. By unifying preoperative planning, surgery, and postoperative recovery within a single location, Harmony Surgery Center is designed to offer patients a seamless, supportive, and highly personalized experience from start to finish.

Expanding Dr. Maia's Signature Approach to Natural Rejuvenation

Widely regarded as one of the leading plastic surgeons in Northern Virginia, Dr. Munique Maia is known for her natural-looking facial rejuvenation techniques, including facelifts that emphasize hidden incisions, refined neck contouring, and results that appear refreshed rather than overdone.

In body procedures, Dr. Maia is recognized for creating natural, well-proportioned results, including sculpted belly buttons in tummy tuck surgery and balanced outcomes in breast procedures. Her work consistently focuses on enhancing confidence, improving quality of life, and respecting each patient's natural anatomy.

"Harmony reflects the essence of what I strive for in plastic surgery," said Dr. Munique Maia. "Every procedure is about harmonizing someone's features, restoring confidence, and enhancing quality of life."

The development of Harmony Surgery Center marks both an important milestone for Maia Plastic Surgery and a long-envisioned goal for Dr. Maia, allowing her to maintain a fully controlled surgical environment that supports precision, safety, and consistency at every step of care.

Commitment to the Highest Standards of Surgical Safety

Harmony Surgery Center is being constructed with an uncompromising focus on patient safety. The facility will include hospital-grade sterilization systems, advanced anesthesia monitoring, and specialized engineering designed to optimize airflow and surgical efficiency.

Supported by Dr. Maia's highly trained surgical team, these measures ensure that all procedures meet nationally recognized safety standards while maintaining the warm, individualized care for which the practice is known. The all-female clinical team is recognized for its expertise, compassion, and commitment to patient education, comfort, and trust.

About Maia Plastic Surgery

Maia Plastic Surgery is led by Dr. Munique Maia, a Harvard fellowship-trained, board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in facial, breast, and body rejuvenation. Dr. Maia has been featured in Vogue, The New York Times, Forbes, and The Washingtonian Magazine, and is widely recognized for her refined, natural aesthetic approach.

Located in Tysons Corner, Maia Plastic Surgery offers a full range of surgical and nonsurgical treatments, supported by Maia Med Spa and advanced aesthetic technologies.

For more information or to view before-and-after results, visit www.maiaplasticsurgery.com.

For behind-the-scenes updates on Harmony Surgery Center, follow @drmaiaplasticsurgery and @maiamedspa on Instagram.

Press Release Contact

Rachel Viera

(703) 574-4500

SOURCE Maia Plastic Surgery
Energizer magnetic power banks and wireless charging stands rank among top sellers at Best Buy, as TennRich prepares to expand in-store presence and unveils next-generation charging solutions at CES 2026

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TennRich International Corp., a licensed partner of Energizer, reported strong Black Friday performance for Energizer Portable Power products across the U.S., driven by robust consumer demand through leading retail partner Best Buy.

Energizers Black Friday best sellers, including magnetic power banks and 3-device wireless charging stands, lead the brands charging upgrade across the U.S. market.

During the sales period, Energizer portable power products ranked among the top three brands in Best Buy's charging and power accessories category, with magnetic wireless power banks and multi-device charging solutions emerging as top performersunderscoring strong consumer preference for compact, high-performance charging solutions under the Energizer brand.

Best-Selling Energizer Portable Power Products

Magnetic Fast-Charge Power Banks

QM10010PQ  10,000mAh

15W magnetic wireless charging and 20W USB-C Power Delivery, housed in a compact design with an LCD display for real-time power monitoring.

15W magnetic wireless charging and 20W USB-C Power Delivery, housed in a compact design with an LCD display for real-time power monitoring. QM10081PQ  10,000mAh

A travel-ready design combining 15W magnetic wireless charging with 20W PD fast output in a slim, portable form.

A travel-ready design combining 15W magnetic wireless charging with 20W PD fast output in a slim, portable form. QM5081PQ  5,000mAh

Ultra-thin at just 0.35 inches, offering 15W wireless and 20W PD fast charging for everyday portability.

Ultimate 3-Device Charging Stands

WCP309

Designed specifically for the Apple ecosystem, this stand features a precision magnetic ring for iPhone's magnetic alignment, along with a dedicated charging pad for AirPods and Apple Watch. Supports 15W phone charging, 5W earbuds, and 2.5W smartwatch charging, with case-friendly support up to 4mm.

Designed specifically for the Apple ecosystem, this stand features a precision magnetic ring for iPhone's magnetic alignment, along with a dedicated charging pad for AirPods and Apple Watch. Supports 15W phone charging, 5W earbuds, and 2.5W smartwatch charging, with case-friendly support up to 4mm. WCP310

Featuring strong magnetic attachment for iPhone, a foldable travel-ready design, and multi-device charging for earbuds, and Apple Watch.

Featuring strong magnetic attachment for iPhone, a foldable travel-ready design, and multi-device charging for earbuds, and Apple Watch. WCP312

A sleek desktop solution featuring Qi-certified 15W fast wireless charging for smartphones, earbuds, and Apple Watch, complemented by LED charging indicators and a compact, modern design for home or office use.

Expanded Retail Presence and Product Innovation for 2026

Building on its strong Black Friday performance, TennRich plans to significantly expand the in-store presence of Energizer Portable Power products across Best Buy locations, with the rollout expected to be completed by Q2 2026. Alongside this retail expansion, TennRich will continue advancing its product innovation roadmap, focusing on slimmer, more compact designs, integrated displays for real-time charging insights, and built-in cables for enhanced portability and convenience. Together, these initiatives underscore TennRich's commitment to delivering powerful, intuitive charging solutions that meet the evolving needs of today's connected consumers.

Meet the Future of Charging at CES 2026

Consumers, retail partners, and media are invited to explore Energizer's best-selling products and upcoming innovations at CES 2026, taking place January 69, 2026, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Contact us for more details!

South Hall 2  Booth 36418

About Energizer

Energizer is a global leader in the dynamic business of providing power solutions with a full portfolio of products including Energizer brand battery products Energizer MAX premium alkaline; Energizer Ultimate Lithium; Energizer Advanced Lithium; rechargeable batteries and charging systems; and portable flashlights and lanterns. Energizer continues to fulfill its role as a technology innovator by redefining power banks and wireless charging solutions to meet people's active lifestyle needs for today and tomorrow with Energizer power banks for rechargeable portable devices. Energizer's redefining where energy, technology and freedom meet to bring to market consumer-focused products that power the essential devices that help people stay connected and on the go at work and at play, even in emergency situations.

About TennRich

TennRich International Corporation is a global leader in energy solutions, specializing in product development and global distribution of advanced portable power products in Consumer electronics. As a long-term licensed partner of Energizer, TennRich delivers innovative, reliable, and user-friendly energy solutions to markets worldwide. Visit us at www.energizerpowerpacks.com

SOURCE TennRich International Corp.
US political revolution, Top Risk #1, explains how President Trump's attempt to systematically dismantle the checks on his power, capture the machinery of government, and weaponize it against his enemies will transform the US political system as we know it.

NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Eurasia Group, the world's leading global research and advisory firm, published its much-anticipated Top Risks 2026 report, offering an analysis of the unprecedented geopolitical challenges looming this year. Key themes examined include: the US political revolution, China winning the global energy battle, US military intervention in the Western Hemisphere, Europe's center failing, AI business models under market pressure, and more.

Eurasia Group publishes Top Risks predictions for 2026: US political revolution.

Unveiled each January, Top RisksEurasia Group's flagship geopolitical reportreviews the ten biggest threats to the trajectories of nations, industries, and institutions. It helps investors, companies, and the public prepare for and respond to opportunities and challenges wherever they invest or do business. The report is co-written by Ian Bremmer, the president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, and Cliff Kupchan, chairman of Eurasia Group.

The #1 risk for 2026 is the US political revolution. Ian Bremmer says: "The United States is itself unwinding its own global order. The world's most powerful country is in the throes of a political revolution. In our lifetimes, we have never witnessed an American president so committed to and so capable of changing the political system and, accordingly, the United States's role in the world."

Other risks in the report include: (#2) Overpowered, (#3) The Donroe Doctrine (#4) Europe under siege, (#5) Russia's second front, (#6) State capitalism with American characteristics, (#7) China's deflation trap, (#8) AI eats its users, (#9) Zombie USMCA, (#10) The water weapon.

Top Risks 2026 also includes several "red herrings"issues that, despite popular attention, are unlikely to pose significant threats or drive instability in the year to come. About the first of these, 'Tariff Man' at large, Ian and Cliff write: "Donald Trump's trade war will keep escalating, causing more economic havoc in 2026. That's a common fear. We don't buy it. The president's unilateralist instincts are intact. On security, where the United States is much more asymmetrically powerful than the rest of the world, Trump will become less restrained this year. On domestic politics, he's unlikely to moderate, even in the face of pushback. But on the global economic front, Trump's leverage will be more constrained going forward and he knows it."

Other red herrings include US-China Conflict, Deglobalization, Spheres of Influence, and Sell America.

Separate standalone reports with the most important takeaways of Top Risks 2026 for Brazil, Canada, Europe, and Japan are also available. These addendums further illustrate how global risks play out in different parts of the world, with specific implications for governments and businesses.

For members of the media, Ian and Cliff will host an on-the-record press conference today, 5 January, at 10:30 ET / 15:30 GMT. They will discuss these risks and answer your questions. To participate, register here.

GZERO Media, part of the Eurasia Group umbrella, will host a Top Risks Livestream event open to the public today, 5 January, at 12:00 ET / 17:00 GMT. Julia Chatterley will moderate a discussion between Ian Bremmer and a panel of leading geopolitics experts. Watch live here.

Below is a summary of all ten Top Risks for 2026. View the full report here.

#1. US political revolution

What began as tactical norm-breaking has become a system-level transformation: President Donald Trump's attempt to systematically dismantle the checks on his power, capture the machinery of government, and weaponize it against his domestic enemieswho he sees as the principal threat to the United States going forward. As executive impunity expands and the rule of law erodes, the business environment will be put to the test. With many of the guardrails that held in Trump's first term now buckling, we can no longer say with confidence what kind of political system the United States will be when this revolution is over. Ultimately, the revolution is more likely to fail than succeed, but there will be no going back to the status quo ante. The United States will be the principal source of global risk this year.

#2. Overpowered

The defining technologies of the 21st-century run on electrons: EVs, drones, robots, batteries, AI. All require the "electric stack." China has mastered it, becoming the first "electrostate." The United States is ceding it, cementing the country's status as the world's largest petrostate. In 2026, that divergence will become impossible to ignore. While Washington asks countries to buy 20th-century energy, Beijing offers 21st-century infrastructure at knockoff prices. Emerging markets will increasingly favor China's offering. The cumulative effect is a geopolitical turning point: A growing share of the world's energy, mobility, and industrial systems will be built on Chinese foundations, bringing Beijing commercial benefits and influence that soft power alone could never deliver. The AI race raises the stakesthe US may build the best models, but China may win the market if it can power and deploy AI at scale.

#3. The Donroe Doctrine

President Trump is reviving and reinterpreting the logic of the Monroe Doctrine in an effort to assert US primacy over the Western Hemisphere. The big news this year is Venezuela, where Washington's escalating regime-change campaign has resulted in a headline win for Trump with Nicolas Maduro's ouster and trial in the United States. But taking out Maduro was the easy part; transitioning to a stable, US-friendly government will be more challenging. Across the region, heavy-handed American tactics will risk spurring backlash and unintended consequences.

#4. Europe under siege

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom each enter the year with weak, unpopular governments under siege from the populist right, the populist left, and an American administration actively rooting for their collapse. All three risk paralysis at best and destabilization at worstand at least one leader could fall. Europe's ability to address its economic malaise, fill the security vacuum left by America's retreat, and sustain support for Ukraine past 2026 will suffer. If Washington overtly interferes in European elections, the postwar alliance framework, already strained, could fracture.

#5. Russia's second front

The most dangerous front in Europe this year will shift from the trenches in Donetsk to the hybrid war between Russia and NATO as Vladimir Putin seeks to erode European support for Ukraine before economic strain impairs his ability to prosecute the hot war. After years of absorbing punishment, NATO will for the first time push back on Russia's gray-zone operations. The alliance will shoot down drones, hold exercises close to the Russian border, and take tougher offensive cyber action. This combination will result in more frequent and dangerous confrontations in the heart of Europe. As all sides grow more risk-acceptant, the margin for error will narrow.

#6. State capitalism with American characteristics

The most economically interventionist administration since the New Deal will entrench further in 2026. Trump's state capitalism is personal and transactional: Businesses that align with him receive favorable treatment; those that don't risk finding themselves at a disadvantage. The toolkit is expansivetariffs, equity stakes, revenue-sharing deals, regulatory leverage, investment-for-market-access agreementsoften deployed under national security pretexts. The transactional logic extends to foreign governments as well. With midterms approaching and economic discontent rising, Trump will double down on interventionism rather than pull back. Tariffs will face constraints this year, so the administration will rely on other tools, picking winners and losers at a scale not seen in modern US history. The precedent will stick for future administrations.

#7. China's deflation trap

China's deflationary spiral will deepen and Beijing won't do anything to stop it. With the 21st Party Congress looming in 2027, Xi Jinping will prioritize political control and technological supremacy over the consumption stimulus that could break the cycle and prevent a Japanese-style "lost decade." The pain will fall hardest on the young, who are increasingly giving up on the "China Dream." Beijing will keep trying to export its way out, flooding global marketsa fundamentally beggar-thy-neighbor approach that most trading partners may absorb this year but won't tolerate forever.

#8. AI eats its users

AI is a revolutionary technology, but it can't yet live up to investor expectations. Under growing pressure to justify valuations and unconstrained by guardrails, a number of leading AI companies will adopt extractive business models that threaten social and political stabilitylike social media, but worse. Social media captured attention; AI programs behavior, shapes thoughts, and mediates reality. The near-term threat is not superhuman machines but the decline of thinking, feeling, and social humans.

#9. Zombie USMCA

North American trade will be stuck in limbo this year. The USMCA won't be extended, updated, or killedit will stagger on as a zombie, keeping businesses and governments guessing. Trump doesn't want a new trilateral deal; the zombie agreement lets him keep squeezing Mexico and Canada for bilateral concessions. Tariff exemptions for compliant goods will hold, but for sectors the United States wants to reshoreautos, steel, aluminumthe days of free and predictable North American trade are over.

#10. The water weapon

Water is already one of the most contested shared resources on the planet, but it is increasingly becoming a loaded weapon. Half of humanity already lives under water stress, and there's no architecture to manage it. In 2026, the governance vacuum will deepenthe Indus Waters Treaty suspended, Ethiopia's Nile dam operational with no binding agreement, China building the world's largest dam with no downstream treaty. In Africa, extremists exploit ungoverned water scarcity to recruit and control populations. In South Asia, nuclear-armed rivals are turning rivers into leverage. No single crisis may erupt this year. But the weapons are loaded, the guardrails are off, and when the next shock comes, water will make it worse.

About Eurasia Group and GZERO Media

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Together with GZERO Mediathe go-to source for insight into geopoliticsand our full-fledged events team, the Eurasia Group umbrella provides a unique and comprehensive set of tools to better understand the world.

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SOURCE Eurasia Group
Real-time insights reveal BIOTRONIK Neuro's remote monitoring with remote programming led to high rates of therapy use and lower explant rates

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study published in Neuromodulation1 demonstrates that automatic, daily remote monitoring of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) devices enables the first real-time visibility into post-implant therapy use, including the identification of "virtual explants"  patients with prolonged device inactivity who have not undergone surgical removal. In the study, patients using the Prospera SCS system  the only SCS device with automatic, objective, daily remote monitoring and remote programing  maintained high rates of therapy use and low explant rates. These findings support adoption of real-time remote monitoring as a new standard for long-term SCS device management.

BIOTRONIK Neuro

Historically, post-implant SCS management has relied on patients to recognize device issues and seek follow-up care, often leading to suboptimal therapy, delayed interventions, and underreported discontinuation or virtual explants.2 Without access to real-time data, prior studies evaluating SCS explant rates were limited to surgical removals and failed to account for virtual explants, likely underestimating the true rate of therapy discontinuation.

"Until now, clinicians and manufacturers had limited objective visibility into long-term SCS use, true explant rates or the ability to detect virtual explants, and often had to rely on patient self-reporting," said lead author, Jason Pope, M.D., Evolve Restorative Center, Santa Rosa, CA. "These results show for the first time that remote monitoring provides real-time, comprehensive insights into therapy use and device status, suggesting that proactive care is critical to identify and address device issues and support therapy utilization."

This retrospective analysis is the first to use automated monitoring data to evaluate explant rates, active utilization, and virtual explants in real-world practice. It included 500 consecutive U.S. patients with chronic low back and/or leg pain implanted with the Prospera SCS system. The platform's remote monitoring capabilities allow early detection of device issues, and BIOTRONIK Neuro's Embrace One Care Team intervenes rapidly with remote adjustments and education, reducing the need for in-person visits and potentially improving long-term outcomes for patients.

Key findings include:

95.1% of patients remained implanted (median implant duration 364 days)

4.9% were explanted, with only 2.0% due to diminished pain relief; far lower than historically reported estimates 3

96.8% of implanted patients were actively using therapy

Less than 1% were classified as virtual explants (prolonged device inactivity without undergoing explant)

"BIOTRONIK Neuro offers the most comprehensive remote management solution in SCS, which provides an unprecedented level of data and new opportunities to generate real-world evidence that drives ongoing therapy advancements." said Todd Langevin, President of BIOTRONIK Neuro. "The high rates of therapy adherence seen in this study reinforce the value of shifting post-implant care from reactive to proactive management. Because we don't rely on patients to detect and report device issues, we reduce the burden on patients and clinicians, and instead offer real-time support to optimize therapy."

Remote Management of Spinal Cord Stimulation Devices for Chronic Pain

Spinal cord stimulation is a proven, widely used treatment for chronic pain, delivering electrical impulses to the spinal cord to modulate nerve activity and reduce pain signals. While clinical studies confirm its long-term effectiveness, real-world challenges like loss of efficacy and device explant remain prevalent. Traditional SCS systems often require frequent in-office visits for reprogramming, resulting in therapy delays, patient travel burdens, and higher costs.4

Emerging expert recommendations highlight the potential benefits of SCS systems with remote monitoring capabilities, which enable timely adjustments, minimize in-person visits, and may improve long-term outcomes by enhancing therapy management and patient convenience.

About the Prospera Spinal Cord Stimulation System

The Prospera Spinal Cord Stimulation system  with remote monitoring and proactive care via the Embrace One Care Team  delivers RESONANCE, the only multiphase stimulation paradigm available. BIOTRONIK Neuro is the first and only manufacturer to offer daily remote monitoring, automatic objective data transmission and remote programming in the SCS space. This system allows therapy adjustments in real time, reducing the need for frequent in-person visits. By facilitating faster issue identification and management, Prospera enables therapy optimization, which may improve long-term outcomes for patients with chronic intractable pain.5,6 The Prospera SCS system is FDA-approved and only available in the U.S. See important safety information.

About BIOTRONIK Neuro

BIOTRONIK Neuro is a division of BIOTRONIK, a leading medical device company that has been improving the lives of patients with heart and blood vessel diseases for decades. Leveraging BIOTRONIK's advanced cardiovascular technologies, BIOTRONIK Neuro has created a new approach to spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy management: one that's not just implanted, but truly connected to the needs of patients and providers. Our goal is to redefine relief for patients experiencing chronic pain and to optimize the SCS experience daily, and over the lifetime of patient therapy. BIOTRONIK Neuro is based in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

About BIOTRONIK

For over 60 years, BIOTRONIK has stood at the forefront of medical technology, pioneering breakthrough innovations that are transforming the lives of millions affected by heart disease and chronic pain. Rooted in a deep purpose to seamlessly harmonize technology with the human body, we engineer trusted, life-changing therapies through our advanced active implants in Cardiac Rhythm Management, Monitoring, and Neuromodulation, while providing cutting-edge solutions in Electrophysiology. From creating Germany's first pacemaker in 1963 to breaking new ground in digital technologies and Conduction System Pacing today, BIOTRONIK is continuously raising the bar for quality, performance, and innovation. Headquartered in Berlin, our global reach spans over 100 countries across the Americas, EMEA, and Asiabringing bold, future-ready solutions that are shaping the next generation of medical technology.

For inquiries, contact:

Corporate Communications

[email protected]

+49 (0) 30 68905-1414

Beth Richman

(312) 806-8999

References:

Pope J, Levy RM, Gilligan C, et al. Real-World Spinal Cord Stimulation Utilization and Implant Status: An Analysis of a Novel, Real-Time, Remote Monitoring Database. Neuromodulation. 2025



Amirdelfan K, Antony A, Levy R, Pope J, Falowski S, Naidu R, Patel K, Petersen E, Staats P. Health-related and economic impacts of clinic visit burdens for spinal cord stimulation patients and caregivers. Neuromodulation. Volume 26, Issue 4, Supplement, June 2023, Pages S122-S123.



Van Buyten JP, Wille F, Smet I, et al. Therapy-Related Explants After Spinal Cord Stimulation: Results of an International Retrospective Chart Review Study. Neuromodulation. 2017;20(7):642-649. doi:10.1111/ner.12642.



Staats P, Deer TR, Hunter C, Li S, Dickerson D, Petersen E, Kapural L, Durbhakula S, Gilligan C, Slavin KV, Pope J, Amirdelfan K, Poree L, Naidu R, Levy RM. Remote Management of Spinal Cord Stimulation Devices for Chronic Pain: Expert Recommendations on Best Practices for Proper Utilization and Future Considerations. Neuromodulation. 2023 Aug 25: S1094-7159(23)00705-5. doi: 10.1016/j.neurom.2023.07.003.



Pope J, Kapural L, Gilligan C, et al. Long-term Optimization of Spinal Cord Stimulation Through Proactive Remote Monitoring: 12-Month Results from a Real-World Cohort. The American Society of Pain & Neuroscience July 17-20, 2025; Miami Beach, FL.



Russo M, Yu J, Amirdelfan K, et al. Proactive Automatic Daily Remote Monitoring and Remote Programming Enable Rapid Optimization of SCS: 24-Month Results From a Prospective Multicenter Study. The American Society of Pain & Neuroscience July 17-20, 2025; Miami Beach, FL.

Note: Real-time patient data is dependent upon successful data transmission and includes therapy data up to the prior 24-hour period.

Proactive Care: BIOTRONIK Neuro's remote support team may reach out to patients to ensure proper usage of the spinal cord stimulator based on remotely monitored data. BIOTRONIK Neuro does not provide health advice or clinical actions outside the scope of spinal cord stimulator proper usage. This product support is not a replacement for the patient's responsibility to communicate any medical questions or concerns with the physician's office.

Embrace One is a support platform intended to help manage a patient's experience with spinal cord stimulation. It is not intended to be used for medical diagnosis or medical treatment.

SOURCE BIOTRONIK Neuro
BEIJING, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- "Bury your head in hard work and you'll stumble and fall; lift your head to see the road and you'll taste the sweetness of success. Studying the new thought clarifies the direction; Chuyuan Group recognizes high-quality development as the hard truth of the new era!" Yang Peng, Party secretary and chairman of Chuyuan High-Tech Group, told reporters, as he eagerly leads them to the digital monitoring center.

It was the reporters' fifth visit to Chuyuan in the past five years, and changes are both tangible and intangible. The tangible changes included the demolition of old workshops, the "retirement" of towering smokestacks, the adoption of robots on production lines, pilot tests of nanomaterials, and new quality productive forces that have revitalized the traditional chemical industry. The intangible change was the profound shift in mindset across the company, from top to bottom.

Located on the banks of the Yangtze River in Shishou, Jingzhou, Central China's Hubei Province, Chuyuan was once the world's largest manufacturer of reactive-dye intermediates and has long enjoyed a stellar reputation among industry peers in Hubei and across the nation. The company's two successive chairmen - father and son Yang Zhicheng and Yang Peng - are affectionately known by locals as "Old Yang" and "Young Yang."

The "stumble" Young Yang refers to happened 10 years ago. In early 2016, Chuyuan ranked in the top three on the Jingzhou City's tax contribution list, bringing a "highlight moment" for the Yangs. Two months later, Chuyuan was hit with a fine exceeding 27 million yuan ($3.86 million) for environmental protection violations, setting a "historical record" in the Yangtze River Basin.

The "astronomical penalty" sent shockwaves through Hubei Province and along the entire river. The company's illegal discharge of pollutants stemmed from Old Yang and Young Yang's failure to keep pace with the changing times: "Our bodies have entered the new era, but our minds were still stuck in the past."

On January 5, 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a symposium on improving the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The Yangtze River boasts a unique ecological system. To restore its ecological environment will be an overwhelming task and no large-scale development will be allowed along the river at present and for a rather long period to come, he said.

On April 25, 2018, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspected the ecological environment and development along the Yangtze River by ship. On the afternoon of April 26, 2018, Xi chaired a symposium on promoting the development of the Yangtze River economic belt. He clearly pointed out that "to promote green development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, we must first of all have a correct understanding of the issue," and "there must be a fundamental change in their way of thinking and action."

In the speech, the General Secretary pointed out that I have read a Xinhua news report about a chemical plant located on a zigzag section of the Yangtze in Shishou City, Hubei Province. As one of the world's three largest producers in its industry, it is a leading taxpayer but also a major polluter in the local area. For many years it caused heavy pollution, inflicting unspeakable agony on the people in its vicinity. In recent years local eco-environmental authorities have been getting tougher. The plant received a fine of more than 27 million yuan, the harshest penalty on polluters in the Yangtze River Basin so far. This forced the plant to close those highly polluting production lines that could not be retrofitted, and invest about 100 million yuan to install the most advanced pollution control equipment in the industry. These measures not only ended the longstanding pollution, but also transformed and upgraded its operations.

That plant was Chuyuan. And this passage was included in the Selected Readings from the Works of Xi Jinping Volume II and the first volume of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Ecological Civilization.

With the Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Ecological Civilization, published in 2025, on his desk, Yang Peng said: "We must not let down the General Secretary's concern; Chuyuan has strived to get back on its feet, and we must resolutely continue forward!"

The power of mindset is boundless. Over the past decade, Old Yang and Young Yang have undergone a profound shift in mindset - from resentment and discouragement to summoning the courage for rectification and, ultimately, renewal and upgrading.

Changing mindset critical, difficult

At the great bend of the Yangtze River, Chuyuan Group spans 1,800 mu. At its peak, it held the world's largest production capacity for para-ester and H-acid.

This "giant" in the global dye market started humbly - from just five small rooms, five large vats and five coal-fired stoves. In 1982, more than 30 farmers who had just stepped off the fields plunged into the tide of reform, led by Yang Zhicheng. In the 1990s, the small workshop grew into a major group with both production and sales exceeding 100 million yuan, and its employees' wages were twice those of other factories. "Back then, everyone in the neighborhood envied someone who could work in Chuyuan," said veteran worker Su Furong.

At the turn of the century, as China joined the World Trade Organization, the chemical industry along the Yangtze River expanded rapidly. Production capacity for H-acid, para-ester, and reactive dyes surged to the top in Asia, and Chuyuan became Hubei's largest private enterprise by export earnings.

Old Yang was elected as a deputy to the Hubei Provincial People's Congress and was successively honored as a provincial model worker and outstanding entrepreneur. In 1999, Yang Peng graduated from university and began learning management alongside his father.

On January 10, 2016, the Jingzhou Municipal State Taxation Bureau released its list of enterprises paying more than 100 million yuan in annual taxes, with Chuyuan Group ranking third and retaining its title as Shishou's top taxpayer for years running.

That same year marked a historic watershed in efforts to protect the Yangtze River. On January 5, 2016, a symposium on improving the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt was held. The status and role of the river and the economic belt mean the development along the river must prioritize ecology and "green development" to respect natural, economic and social rules, Xi said.

A series of illegal emissions by Chuyuan once again drew the attention of environmental protection authorities, prompting a special task force to be stationed on-site for investigation and evidence collection.

On March 13, Chuyuan was ordered to halt production entirely for rectification. By the end of March, the Jingzhou Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau issued a penalty decision against Chuyuan in accordance with the law. The administrative fine exceeding 27 million yuan became the "largest environmental penalty in history" in the Yangtze River Basin and one of the most severe in China's environmental enforcement history.

The astronomical fine hit Old Yang and Young Yang hard. Chuyuan was among Hubei's top 100 private enterprises, employing more than 4,000 people. At the time, in Shishou, the company contributed 11.99 percent of local GDP and about 60 percent of tax revenue.

"With such huge contributions to the local economy, couldn't they go easy on us - just a little flexibility?" Yang Zhicheng initially struggled to accept the decision and harbored illusions that while the enforcement appeared strict at the moment, pulling some strings might make it "pass."

After finding that backdoor channels were blocked, Chuyuan applied for a hearing on March 30. On April 26, the Jingzhou Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau held a public hearing. After two and a half hours of sharp exchanges, the company's statements and defenses were rejected. On June 6, the bureau issued the formal administrative penalty decision.

"The group's IPO was just one step away. If we admit the violation, wouldn't that ruin our future?" Old Yang began publicly protesting online, openly questioning the environmental enforcement findings and the penalty decision. On June 27, Chuyuan applied for administrative reconsideration. On August 16, the Jingzhou Municipal Government issued its reconsideration decision. Still refusing to accept the outcome, Chuyuan filed an administrative lawsuit.

On September 26 and 28, the Jingzhou Intermediate People's Court served notices of administrative litigation response to the Jingzhou Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau and the Jingzhou Municipal Government's Legal Affairs Office, respectively.

"Changing mindset is the most critical, but is also the most difficult." Liu Mingchun, then the head of the Jingzhou Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, said that the case is unprecedented in his many years of work.

The intense confrontation sent ripples through Shishou. Some were shocked: "That's Yang Zhicheng. He has wide connections and knows everyone. They really dare take him on?" Others applauded: "It's about time regulators got serious. Not just handing out fines, but actually shutting it down completely!" Still others worried: "So many people in the city depend on Chuyuan for their livelihoods. If it closes, what will we do?"

Opinions varied widely over the dispute surrounding the "astronomical fine," but one perception was unanimous: officials' mindset had changed, the Yangtze River's protection drive was being pursued in earnest, and the overall situation was fundamentally different.

New era, new thought

This was not the first time Yang Zhicheng had faced environmental protection troubles. In 2006, Chuyuan was placed under special supervision for illegal pollutant discharges. In March 2007, media reports exposed that the group was discharging 7,000 tons of wastewater directly into the Yangtze River each day - a shocking revelation that ultimately resulted in a fine of just 100,000 yuan.

The regulations lacked "teeth" and could not "bite" through tough cases. It was not just Chuyuan and Shishou. Chemical enterprises had sprung up along the river, routinely polluting while paying fines and treating pollution while continuing production. By 2010, China had become the world's largest chemical powerhouse.

Accompanying this "chemical encirclement of the river" was a deepening pollution crisis. The "Mother River" had fallen ill. The symptoms appeared in the water, but the root cause lay in the outdated mindset of "pollute first, clean up later" and "destroy first, restore later."

In the new era, new thought reaches straight into people's hearts and charts the course forward.

Through the coordinated advancement of the Five-Pronged Overall Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, ecological civilization construction has gained higher positioning, broader vision, and greater intensity.

To transform views on political achievements and development, Party committees and governments at all levels took the lead in making a shift in mindset. The Hubei Provincial Party committee and the provincial government clearly stated that, with the entire Yangtze River basin in view and looking beyond Hubei to the river as a whole, the province should establish an "upstream consciousness," shoulder "upstream responsibility," and resolve to forgo ranking advances rather than accepting "GDP tainted by pollution."

Institutions "grow teeth," regulation "carries a charge," and comprehensively advancing the rule of law in the country - local environmental enforcement feels the tremendous changes of the era.

Wang Yong, then captain of the county-and city-level detachment of the Jingzhou Municipal Environmental Inspection Brigade, led a team in 2016 to conduct a thorough inspection of a Chuyuan company. "Throughout the entire enforcement and penalty process, not a single person tried to intercede or pull strings," Wang recalled.

"The General Secretary's important instructions gave us confidence, the new Environmental Protection Law gave us weapons, and local environmental enforcement has never been this swift before!" Liu Quan, former head of the enforcement team of the Shishou branch of the Jingzhou Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment Protection, said of the work back then.

The change was driven by larger trends and was also historically inevitable. Enterprises that had long blocked their own "sense of smell" gradually began to regain it.

Old Yang once approached the director of the Hubei Provincial Environmental Protection Department seeking leniency. The director straightforwardly handed him a copy of the newly revised Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China and said, "The solutions are all in this book."

Young Yang, too, tossed and turned at night. He had closely followed the news about the symposium on promoting the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Yet he had not placed himself in the picture, making it difficult for the message to truly touch his soul. "I never imagined the storm would come so quickly - or that we would be the first to get caught in it!"

The Yangtze River winds through Shishou in sharp, serpentine bends and has changed its course several times throughout history. After each shift, the new channel has proven more vibrant and fuller of life.

Liu Zhongcheng, then Party Secretary of Shishou, made a solemn pledge to the city's residents: any enterprise failing to meet rectification standards would under no circumstances be allowed to resume production.

Liu knocked on Chuyuan's door and had a heart-to-heart talk with Old Yang and Young Yang, saying that "filing an administrative lawsuit is the lawful right of the enterprise. But in my view, this case will be very difficult to win. Prioritizing ecology and pursuing green development - guiding enterprise growth with new mindset and new concepts - will be the new normal going forward. It's just like in the era of high-speed rail: if you keep riding the old, slow green trains, you're bound to be left far behind by everyone else!"

Hear the tune of the new era

On the banks of the Tiaoxian River near the village of Boyaokou originated the story of the musician who could recognize a friend by the sound of a single string.

The proverb - listening to the strings to know the soulmate - captures an essential truth: changing one's mindset is difficult because it first requires hearing the voice of the era and letting that voice resonate within.

To find that resonance, one must first tune the strings.

Old Yang and Young Yang are both Party members and members of Chuyuan's management team. Fully leverage the political core role of Party organizations in enterprises, use the Party's innovative theories to transform the subjective world of individuals, and only when entrepreneurs tune the strings of their thinking accurately can the enterprise grasp the pulse of the era.

When Chuyuan was ordered to suspend operations for rectification, provincial officials from Hubei paid three earnest visits. The first time, Yang Zhicheng did not appear; the second time, Old Yang listened but said little; the third time, he opened the door and spoke frankly.

"Old Yang, you're a veteran model worker and have served four terms as a provincial deputy. Why did Chuyuan once lead the pack? Because you were committed to learning and always hit the right beats. Why did you stumble this time? Because you relaxed your study discipline and relied on old habits. To keep pace with the times, you must hear the tune of the new era and step in time with it," an official said.

Repeated heart-to-heart talks fell like steady rain; the hardened ground began to soften.

Young Yang was the first to reflect: "Environmental protection used to seem like a minor issue. Now it's a major one." However, Old Yang had another concern: "If only we alone accept penalties while our competitors keep using the old ways, won't we be the losers?"

Then Chen Liequan came to visit. A former senior executive at Chuyuan, Chen had appeared on camera in 2007 when the company was exposed for pollution. The public embarrassment forced him to rethink. He left in 2010 to found the high-tech enterprise Nenter & Co, starting over with an uncompromising focus on environmental protection and innovation. "Back then, apart from me, a college graduate, everyone else just put down their hoes and went to work in the factory. We only had a few water vats at home. Why were we able to grow our businesses so big? By listening to the Party and following the Party," he said.

Located in Shishou, Nenter's plant, with its fishponds and lush vegetable plots, produces 8,000 tons of isophytol annually and is recognized as a leader in fine chemicals.

Chen's experience showed that change could pay off. "Along the river, chemical plants were being closed or relocated," he said. "We must allow the river to follow its natural course and flow to the sea. That is the trend - there's no more walking on a slippery rind of a watermelon and hoping to land safely. We must put on new shoes and walk a new path," Chen added.

Chuyuan spent more than nine months closed for rectification. Honest conversations cleared doubts and opened minds.

"This isn't just bad luck or someone picking on us. In the new era, environmental compliance is unavoidable. The fine was meant to wake us up, not to finish us off." Awakened, the Yangs invested 100 million yuan in rectification. Young Yang led a delegation to learn from Jilin Chemical Group Co, a long-time rival.

"In the past, some of our products outperformed competitors' only because we cut corners," Young Yang said. "Today, the last thing we want to encounter is the old version of ourselves."

They permanently shut down more than ten production lines at Chuyuan's facility, built rainwater collection systems, and launched the second phase of a wastewater treatment plant. Development and safety were rebalanced step by step.

They studied, reflected and transformed. The three-part "tune-up" produced genuine resonance.

In November 2016, Chuyuan withdrew its lawsuit and accepted penalties. After passing inspections on December 25, 2016, the company resumed production.

"Trust the Party and move with the times," Old Yang said. "Those who come out of Chuyuan must change their mindset, fill their pockets, and straighten their backs."

Mindset shift for development transformation

Fish, one of the four delicacies of the Yangtze River, is a specialty of Shishou. Every spring, countless fish swim upstream; the greater the resistance, the stronger their survival ability.

The challenge of green development lay before the people of Chuyuan.

In 2017, after production resumed, Chuyuan's tax payments totaled only about 70 million yuan. "Does the era no longer need us?" Young Yang wondered.

Enterprises were not the only ones lacking confidence. In 2016, Chuyuan's rectification directly reduced the growth rate of Jingzhou's industrial added value above designated size by 2 percentage points, while Shishou's local fiscal revenue fell by 67 million yuan. Some felt the punishment was "too harsh" and that development and environmental protection were difficult to reconcile.

Another view held that the chemical industry is high-risk and that "shutting it down would save trouble."

How could one think dialectically and turn crises into opportunities?

"To promote green development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, we must first of all have a correct understanding of the issue. In particular, we must not see eco-environmental protection and economic development in isolation or set them in opposition," Xi said during the symposium on promoting the development of the Yangtze River economic belt on April 26, 2018.

The power of thought lies in their ability to drive practice.

"Development is the top priority. Shifts in mindset are meant to serve development and transformation. Although the pressure is heavy, doing it well puts you one step ahead of others. Chuyuan's future depends on whether you can strengthen your confidence and make a difference," local officials told Old Yang and Young Yang.

There are no bystanders in high-quality development, and private enterprises are a key driving force.

"To help Chuyuan regain its footing and grown stronger, strict supervision, timely guidance and front-line government services are essential," said Wang Min, Party secretary of Shishou.

To build a new type of clean and cordial relationship between government and business, relevant departments in Shishou presented Chuyuan with a "big gift package," including policy promotion, support for technological upgrading, support for science and technology innovation, and timely relief measures. The relevant policies are readily available and accessible, with over 20 million yuan in subsidies for environmental remediation, and 132 practical difficulties have been quietly resolved.

From 2016 to 2022, Chuyuan invested a total of about 200 million yuan in environmental upgrades, cutting energy consumption by 59 percent, becoming one of Hubei's first enterprises included in the national carbon trading pilot program.

"For today's Chuyuan, making progress while maintaining stability is more important," Young Yang said, after turning down a deal with high returns but high risks for the environment.

Chuyuan invested more than 40 million yuan to upgrade production processes, build fire stations, and establish online monitoring and early-warning of major hazard sources. In May 2025, the industrial park received the highest-level safety risk standard certification. Walking around the Chuyuan factory today reveals clear water flowing from the central treatment pool, with sewage discharge data uploaded online around the clock.

Clear directions, clever methods

When a boat navigates sharp bends, it tests the nature of water; when people go through obstacles, it tests their strength of character.

The chemical industry has faced significant downward pressure in recent years, and Chuyuan, after resuming production, has found it difficult to regain a leading position.

To address the challenge, the Yangs explored cooperation opportunities in emerging sectors such as wind power, lithium batteries, photovoltaics, new energy, new materials, and biomedicine.

This time, without external supervision, Yang took the initiative to lead Chuyuan employees to study proactively, sharpen their understanding and change their mindsets.

In July 2023, a national conference on ecological and environmental protection was held, underscoring that traditional enterprises can also pursue high-end, smart and green transformation. "It is crucial not to dismiss traditional industries as uniformly 'low-end' or 'backward' and simply phase them out, as doing so could lead to a disruption in the transition from old to new growth drivers, cause a loss of momentum, and exacerbate the pains of structural adjustment," it said.

"Transformation does not mean changing industries. A better life is inseparable from the chemical sector. By upgrading traditional industries according to local conditions, it is also possible to cultivate new quality productive forces," Yang reflected.

Facing mounting environmental and market pressures, Chuyuan has refocused on its core businesses, upgraded its production chain and increased investment in green and smart manufacturing.

To eliminate legacy pollution and extract value from by-products, Chuyuan invested 50 million yuan to build systems for the comprehensive treatment of production waste and effluents. The project has enabled the group to recover materials and reduce disposal costs, converting earlier environmental liabilities into new revenue streams.

The company also put 60 million yuan into a new chlorosulfonic acid production line designed to improve environmental performance, enhance safety and lower unit costs  a trifecta the company calls a "win-win win" outcome.

Supported by favorable policies, Chuyuan upgraded its energy and production infrastructure by installing a new biomass boiler and accelerating automation. The company's deployment of industrial robots and smarter control systems has raised production efficiency by around 40 percent, while cutting energy intensity and emissions.

Chuyuan has actively integrated industry, academia and research resources, achieved science-driven product breakthroughs, and invested in next generation materials to open up strategic new markets.

The results have been tangible. After intermittent restarts in previous years, Chuyuan has operated at full capacity since 2024. For 2025, the company expected revenue of about 2 billion yuan and tax payments to exceed 80 million yuan, increases of 55.4 percent and 53.5 percent, respectively, compared with 2022.

The trajectory shows that new quality productive forces are inherently a form of green productivity.

"To develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions, the directions are clear and the methods are clever!" Yang Peng said, as he reflects on what transpired over the past decade. "To reiterate, the rule of law is the best business environment, and high-quality development is the only way forward."

This year marks the opening of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, what lies ahead for Chuyuan?

Chuyuan plans to invest 400 million yuan in 2026, prioritizing the circular economy and setting a long-term goal of becoming a century-old green enterprise. Young Yang said the firm will "find its place in grand landscape of Chinese modernization" and "strive to become a driving force in the private sector."

SOURCE Global Times
The State Council Information Office (SCIO) holds a press conference on progress and achievements in the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in the past ten years in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Pan Xu)

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's Yangtze River Economic Belt, a pivotal economic powerhouse, has seen its regional GDP more than double in the course of the past decade, while steering toward a new path that prioritizes ecological protection and green growth.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Wang Changlin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, highlighted some telling indicators of this economic belt's high-quality development.

The economic belt currently contributes 47.3 percent of the national economic output, up from 42.2 percent ten years ago, and has significantly boosted the share of sections with good water quality from 67 percent to 96.5 percent. The Yangtze River trunk line has remained the world's busiest inland waterway, as its annual cargo throughput has surged by 71 percent to 4.2 billion tonnes over the past decade.

Stretching more than 6,300 kilometers before emptying into the East China Sea, the Yangtze River is China's longest waterway.

China launched the Yangtze River Economic Belt initiative in early 2016, aiming to transform the region into a golden economic belt featuring more beautiful ecology, smoother transport networks, a more coordinated economy, a better-integrated market and a greater quantity of scientific mechanisms.

Ten years on, the economic belt, comprising 11 provincial-level regions, has emerged stronger with an improved natural environment and new growth impetus from innovation-driven industries.

DECADE OF ECOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT

Jiang Huohua, an official with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, has hailed the sharp rise in the proportion of good water quality over the past decade as "hard-won," noting that the water quality of the river's main stream has remained at Grade II in the country's five-tier water quality system for six consecutive years.

Efforts have been made in pollution control, ecological restoration, systematic management and risk prevention, Jiang noted. Over 90 percent of black, malodorous water bodies in county-level cities have been cleared, while the total phosphorus level in the Yangtze River Basin has dropped by more than 40 percent from ten years ago.

"Populations of flagship species, such as the finless porpoise, have increased, and the 'mother river' is teeming with new vitality," Jiang told the press.

To restore biodiversity along the river, China implemented a full fishing ban in 332 conservation areas of the Yangtze River basin in January 2020, which was expanded in 2021 to a 10-year fishing moratorium along the river's main streams and major tributaries.

"Sustained conservation and restoration initiatives have led to a steady recovery in aquatic biodiversity," said Jiang Kaiyong, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Between 2021 and 2024, a total of 344 indigenous fish species were monitored in the Yangtze River Basin, an increase of 36 species compared to the period before the fishing ban, Jiang revealed.

Strengthened joint enforcement has successfully driven down fishing-related crimes over the past five years, he added, while pledging that the agricultural ministry will work with other authorities to support the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt through high-level protection of aquatic biodiversity.

INNOVATION-DRIVEN GROWTH

Over the past decade, the Yangtze River Economic Belt has emerged as one of China's most dynamic innovation hubs, as technological advances increasingly translate into both industrial strength and global competitiveness.

It has produced a number of internationally competitive technology companies, including AI startup DeepSeek and stellar robotics maker Unitree Robotics, alongside the rise of world-class industrial clusters in sectors such as automobile manufacturing and electronic information.

Wang Changlin said the government has established three major science and technology innovation centers and eight national laboratories across regions along the Yangtze River, which have supported breakthroughs in core technologies spanning AI, quantum information, integrated circuits and life sciences.

Manufacturing depth has also strengthened. The economic belt has built complete industrial chains in electronic information, automobiles, pharmaceuticals and chemicals. A total of 41 national-level advanced manufacturing clusters and 30 clusters focused on strategic emerging industries have taken shape.

While accounting for roughly one-third of China's total energy consumption and carbon emissions, the economic belt generates nearly half of the country's gross domestic product -- highlighting its leading role in promoting green development.

Looking ahead, policymakers have vowed to accelerate the green transformation of traditional industries along the river, while fostering locally tailored green and low-carbon sectors.

The economic belt will better align economic development with environmental protection, Wang said. 
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- HAVIT, a global consumer tech brand, will debut its SPACE Series at CES 2026, the world's leading tech event. Built on HAVIT's advanced acoustic technology, the SPACE Series aims to create a personal and reassuring space that helps users restore focus, calm, and imagination in a noisy and fast-paced world.

"With the SPACE Series, we want every user to enjoy their own comfort zonewhere fun and imagination are free to flow," said Yao, brand director at HAVIT.

HAVIT to Debut SPACE Series at CES 2026

A Reimagined Audio Lineup for Modern Life

The SPACE Series includes three product forms  over-ear, semi-in-ear, and open-ear clip-on  each engineered with tailored acoustic solutions that adapt naturally to real-world scenes.

Adaptive Silence for Every Scene

Powered by industry-leading millisecond-level chips and HAVIT's in-house microphones, SPACE delivers "form-adapted, scene-matched" noise cancellation.

SPACE S1 (Over-Ear Headphone)

Fully enclosed earcups form a strong foundation for silence. With sensitive multi-mic array and adaptive ANC algorithms, it detects and counters subway roars, jet engines, and open-office noise in real time  achieving up to 45 dB of deep noise cancellation.

SPACE T1 (Semi-in-Ear TWS)

The semi-in-ear design provides pressure-free comfort while still enabling effective noise reduction. With scene-adaptive ANC, it suppresses disturbances based on the ever-changing environments, bringing constant quietness for office workers requiring silence in various workplaces.

SPACE O1 (Open-Ear Clip-on)

The open-ear architecture, paired with adaptive audio technology and smart low-frequency compensation, maintains sound clarity and natural listening without blocking the ear canal. It keeps awareness and sound quality in balance for commuting, workouts, and outdoor use.

Immersive Spatial Audio for All

Spatial audio has long been limited to premium over-ear devices, but HAVIT breaks that barrier by bringing it to every model. Through HAVIT's proprietary HRTF-optimized algorithms, SPACE delivers a vivid, layered, and natural immersive soundscape  creating a space that helps awaken your imagination in every listening.

Meticulously-Tuned Sound

All SPACE products are Hi-Res Audio certified and support LHDC lossless transmission. HAVIT's audio engineers conducted hundreds of testsfrom diaphragm material selection to EQ curve refinement  delivering audio with exceptional detail and purity.

Meet HAVIT at CES 2026

Founded in 1998, HAVIT is committed to providing high-quality products, trusted by over 100 million users across 110 countries.

HAVIT warmly invites global media and partners to experience the SPACE Series at LVCC, South Hall 1, Booth 31148.

SOURCE GUANGZHOU HAVIT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Asia's largest ETF market added US$329.1 billion last year to surpass 6 trillion yuan($858.5 billion). ChinaAMC alone grew by nearly 300 billion yuan

BEIJING, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Driven by a strong showing of onshore stock market and robust inflow, China's ETF market delivered the strongest AUM growth since its launch in 2005, gaining 2.3 trillion yuan(US$329.1 billion) last year, an increase that exceeded the market's total size by end-2023.

The rapid pace has vaulted the market value passing 6 trillion yuan(US$858.5 billion) by the end of 2025, representing a 34.7% annualized growth rate over the past five years.

Sparked by fresh bouts of enthusiasm toward China's technological breakthrough, especially the DeepSeek moment in early 2025, and the unexpected resilience the economy showed against the tariff hike, the blistering market saw 1.3 trillion yuan of net inflow. This was further boosted by the asset appreciation, as the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index advanced 18.41% last year, and the tech-heavy ChiNext Index surged 49.57%.

The boom, however, is not evenly spread, as AI-related internet and communications sectors, along with gold and non-ferrous metals, enjoyed stunning valuation gain, while consumer-related food, drink and property sectors lagged. This trend is evident in the top ten ETFs by fund inflows, including Hong Kong-listed internet companies, gold and securities firms(a proxy for a bull stock market).

ChinaAMC leads in size, growth and inflows

From an ETF manager perspective, China Asset Management Co. (ChinaAMC) leads the marketAsia's largestin terms of overall AUM, AUM growth, total net inflow and daily average turnover, thanks to its entrenched position in broad-based market and advanced deployment in thematic ETF.

The ETF juggernaut saw its AUM expanding 298.8 billion yuan to reach 957.3 billion yuan, extending its top spot in China's equity ETF market for 21 consecutive years. The growth of nearly 300 billion beat all other Chinese managers, with net inflow totaling 131.6 billion.

The largest contributor is its flagship CSI 300 ETF(510330), which drew in 28.15 billion yuan, the highest among all broad-based ETFs and the second-largest AUM growth among all ETFs, only trailing a gold ETF issued by Huaan Funds.

Other major magnets include Hang Seng Tech ETF(513180) and A500 ETF(512050). CSI Robotics ETF(562500) attracted 19.44 billion, the biggest among all A-share technology-themed ETFs.

After the extraordinary growth, China market hosts seven mega ETFs with 100 billion yuan or more AUM, two of which are managed by ChinaAMC: CSI 300 ETF(510330) and SSE 50 ETF(510050). With 118 products, the ETF powerhouse boasts the largest number of ETF and the most comprehensive product line, encompassing domestic, cross-border, fixed-income, commodities and money market funds.

"At ChinaAMC, we view ETF not merely a simple copy of indices, but a proactive vehicle to express our investment ideas based on future-oriented research," said Xu Meng, Executive Manager of Quantitative Investment, ChinaAMC. "Products that were most sought after in 2025, such as AI, 5G and chips, were actually incepted six years ago, an embodiment of our forward thinking."

About ChinaAMC

Founded in April 1998, China Asset Management Co., Ltd. (ChinaAMC) has grown to be one of the largest asset managers in China, with total AUM exceeding RMB3.2 trillion (US$449.5billion) as of Sept 30, 2025. It positioned itself as a full-service and versatile asset management platform that operates across asset classes, industries and regions. ChinaAMC has been China's largest equity ETF provider for 21 consecutive years (2005-2025).

Source: ChinaAMC. AUM includes subsidiaries. Data as of Dec 31, 2025. The FX rate is sourced from PBoC of the closing price of Dec 31,2025

Disclaimer

Investment involves risk, including possible loss of principal. The information contained herein is for reference only and reflects prevailing market conditions and our judgment as of the release date, which are subject to change without further notice.

SOURCE ChinaAMC
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- IP Atlas Media today announced the launch of Intellectual Property as Capital (IPAC), a new analytical framework designed to help institutions, organizations, and creators better understand how value is formed, owned, and sustained in an increasingly intangible-driven economy.

As intangible assets account for a growing share of enterprise value, labor participation, and market power, many traditional economic frameworks struggle to fully capture how value compounds  and who ultimately benefits from that compounding. IPAC is intended to provide clearer visibility into these dynamics.

"Much of today's value creation happens outside the systems we still rely on to assess economic strength," said Colin Zink, founder of IP Atlas Media. "IPAC provides a structured way to examine how intellectual property increasingly functions as capital  particularly in systems where ownership and participation shape long-term resilience."

Responding to a Structural Shift in Value Creation

Across modern economic systems, value is increasingly generated through intellectual property, platforms, brands, and participation-based networks rather than through physical assets alone. These shifts have significant implications for how economic strength, stability, and opportunity are understood.

IPAC is positioned as a complementary framework  not a replacement for traditional indicators  that reflects how value is increasingly created, captured, and sustained across these environments.

The framework is designed to support:

Institutional understanding of ownership and participation dynamics





Strategic decision-making around intangible assets





Long-term planning in markets shaped by platforms, IP, and networks

A Platform for Ongoing Research and Analysis

IPAC will serve as a foundational pillar within IP Atlas Media's broader research and publishing efforts, which focus on mapping how value flows across modern economic systems.

In the coming weeks, IP Atlas Media will publish additional analysis applying the IPAC framework across specific markets and institutional contexts, examining how intangible-driven value formation reshapes economic measurement, participation, and long-term planning.

About IP Atlas Media

IP Atlas Media is an independent research and publishing platform focused on understanding how value is created, measured, and distributed in an increasingly intangible-driven global economy.

The platform examines the role of intellectual property, ownership, participation, and institutional change across modern economic systems. Through frameworks, analysis, and ongoing research, IP Atlas Media aims to provide clearer ways of seeing how value compounds  and who benefits  as economic structures continue to evolve.

Learn more at https://www.ipatlasmedia.com

Media Contact

IP Atlas Media

[email protected]

https://www.ipatlasmedia.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ip-atlas-media

SOURCE IP Atlas Media
NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, Envestnet, Inc., a financial services firm owned by Bain Capital, was sanctioned by a federal judge in Delaware for deliberately destroying "highly relevant" evidence in a theft of trade secret case brought by FinancialApps, LLC. The action, which was commenced by Kasowitz LLP in 2019, is now headed to trial.

On December 30, 2025, Judge Jennifer L. Hall of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware adopted a Special Master's Report and Recommendation, affirming the imposition of sanctions on Envestnet and another defendant, Yodlee, for their intentional destruction of evidence that was "highly relevant to the claims and defenses in this case." In this case, which involves Defendants' alleged theft of FinancialApps' proprietary fintech software, Judge Hall noted that "the evidenceincluding the fact that Defendants made a deliberate decision to destroy a highly relevant data source called 'Papertrail' six days after Defendants were sued, notwithstanding that the monthly cost to preserve the data was negligiblesupports a finding of intent to deprive."

Judge Hall also affirmed the finding that Envestnet was directly involved in the intentional destruction of highly relevant evidence, stating: "To be clear, Defendant Envestnet is not subject to the sanction because it owns Defendant Yodlee . . . . Rather, Envestnet is subject to the sanction because it was involved in the decision to destroy the Papertrail evidence."

Judge Hall further affirmed the Special Master's recommendation that a permissive adverse inference should be imposed on Defendants as a sanction at trial, stating: "I agree that the appropriate remedy is to permit evidence of the spoliation to be presented at trial and permit . . . the factfinder to presume that the Papertrail evidence would have been unfavorable to Defendants."

FinancialApps has already prevailed against Envestnet and Yodlee's attempt to dismiss its claims at summary judgment, and its case against the multi-billion-dollar wealth management giant owned by Bain Capital is now headed to a jury trial in Delaware Federal Court, where statutory treble damages may be imposed if Defendants' alleged misconduct is found to have been intentional.

Marc Kasowitz, lead trial counsel for Plaintiff FinancialApps, stated: "The Court's well-reasoned decision holds Envestnet and Yodlee accountable for their intentional destruction of highly relevant evidence. Now, after more than 6 years of litigation, FinancialApps looks forward to bringing this action to trial."

The Kasowitz LLP team representing FinancialApps is led by partners Marc E. Kasowitz, Matthew A. Kraus, and A. Macdonald Caputo, Jr., and includes associates Joshua Marks, Frank Piacenti, and Kathleen Kennedy.

About Kasowitz LLP

Kasowitz LLP is a leading national law firm with a core focus on commercial litigation, complemented by exceptionally strong bankruptcy/restructuring and real estate transactional practices. Kasowitz is known for its creative, aggressive litigators and willingness to take on tough cases. The firm has extensive trial experience and is always trial-ready, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in every area of litigation. Kasowitz is committed to pursuing aggressive and innovative approaches to its clients' most challenging legal matters. Headquartered in New York City, the firm also has offices in Atlanta, Boulder, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. For more information, please visit www.kasowitz.com .

Contact Information:

Shannon O'Reilly

(212) 547-1290

[email protected]

SOURCE Kasowitz LLP
Statewide Poll Finds 64% Reject iGambling Ahead of WednesdayFriday Decision Window, Citing Health, Social and Economic Risks

AUGUSTA, Maine, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A statewide survey shows that a decisive majority of Maine voters oppose legalizing online casino gambling, driven by deep concerns about its potential harm to children, families and communities, and unmoved by the most common arguments to legalize it, including the fact that Maine's Tribes would exclusively control iGaming.

The poll, commissioned by the National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG) and conducted by Lake Research Partners, finds that 64% of Maine voters oppose legalizing iGaming, also known as iGambling, with nearly half (49%) strongly opposed. Opposition cuts across party lines, including large majorities of Democrats and independents and a majority of Republicans.

The findings come as Gov. Janet Mills faces a narrow window from Wednesday through Friday this week to veto the controversial effort to legalize iGambling in LD 1164. Only seven states permit iGaming and none since 2023. Similar proposals have failed or stalled in regionally and politically significant states for Maine, including New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and Maryland.

"If Maine allows iGaming to become law, the state will stand out as an outlier in New England and across the country at a time when other governors and legislatures are hearing from their constituents and choosing not to move forward with this highly addictive form of gambling," said Jason Gumer, NAAiG Board Member and Executive Vice President & General Counsel at Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. "The results ring loud and clear: Maine voters reject iGaming when they understand it puts a 24/7 casino on the same smartphones their kids use."

That's the one concern that resonated above all others: online gambling companies have repeatedly failed to prevent minors from accessing gambling apps, including on their parents' phones. When voters hear this, 55% say they have serious or some doubts about legalizing iGaming, including 42% who report serious doubts. Messages about addiction, financial harm to families, increased social costs and strain on taxpayers also raise concerns among most voters.

Resistance to iGaming remained strong even after voters heard pro-legalization arguments. Claims about revenue or tribal operation failed to move opinion, and support never gained momentum after voters heard both sides.

The survey also shows clear 2026 election implications for lawmakers who support iGaming. After hearing the arguments, a majority of voters say they would be less likely to vote for a legislator who backed legalization, including majorities of Democrats and independents.

"With a veto decision imminent, Gov. Mills has a clear signal from voters," Gumer added. "Legalizing iGaming is deeply unpopular, politically risky, and viewed as a direct threat to children, families and communities. The responsible course of action is to veto this legislation."

More Specifics from the Survey

The survey of 500 likely 2026 general election voters in Maine, conducted December 1316, 2025, highlights widespread opposition to online casino gambling:

64% oppose legalizing iGaming , with nearly half strongly opposed. Only 16% support legalization.

, with nearly half strongly opposed. Only 16% support legalization. Opposition spans party lines, including 69% of Democrats, 58% of Republicans and 70% of independents.

and After voters hear arguments for and against iGaming, opposition rises to nearly 60% , while support remains in the teens.

, while support remains in the teens. The most effective argument against iGaming is the industry's failure to prevent teenagers and children from gambling online , followed closely by concerns about increased addiction and problem gambling .

, followed closely by concerns about . A majority of voters (51%) say they would be less likely to support a lawmaker who votes to legalize iGaming after hearing arguments for and against it.

For more information about NAAiG or to request topline results from the Maine survey, visit www.naaig.org. Toplines available upon request.

About NAAiG

The National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG) is dedicated to protecting communities from the risks of online gambling by advocating for responsible, in-person gaming. NAAiG works to preserve local jobs, ensure gaming integrity and promote economic reinvestment in local communities. Through advocacy, education and policy initiatives, the organization fights the expansion of iGambling, opposes predatory digital gaming practices, supports consumer protections and increasing law enforcement tools against illegal online gambling websites, and collaborates with policymakers to uphold transparency and responsible gaming laws.

About Lake Research Partners

Lake Research Partners is a national public opinion and political strategy firm founded in 1995, and the most consistently accurate-and consistently progressive-Democratic research firm in the country. Our principals are leading information and political campaign strategists, serving as tacticians and senior advisors to a wide range of groups, labor unions, non- profits, government agencies, companies, foundations and progressive parties across the world.

Contact: Leo Rommel, [email protected]

SOURCE National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG)
Expanded pharmacogenomic panel enhances safety for patients receiving 5-FU and capecitabine

MASON, Ohio, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Mira Precision Health today announced the official U.S. launch of ToxNav Advantage, a clinically validated pharmacogenomic assay designed to identify cancer patients at increased risk of severe or potentially life-threatening toxicities from fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapies, including 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and capecitabine (XELODA).

This launch comes amid heightened concern regarding fluoropyrimidine safety in certain patient populations. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently updated the XELODA (capecitabine) prescribing information to include a Black Box Warning highlighting the risk of severe, life-threatening, and potentially fatal toxicities in patients with dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency. This warning underscores the urgent need for proactive identification of genetically at-risk patients prior to initiating treatment with fluoropyrimidines.

Key features of ToxNav Advantage include:

Comprehensive analysis of 23 DPYD gene variants

Inclusion of DGLUCY and ENOSF1/TYMS variants predictive of fluoropyrimidine-associated cardiotoxicity (CTRCD) and Hand-Foot Syndrome (HFS)

Rapid 48-hour turnaround time for clinically actionable results

for clinically actionable results Clear, clinician-friendly reports that support dose optimization, reduced hospitalizations, and lower treatment-related mortality

The launch will be highlighted by a Mira-sponsored Industry Expert Theater (IET) session at the 2026 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in San Francisco, CA.

The 45-minute session, titled "From Oxford to the U.S.: The Clinical Utility Evolution of ToxNav Advantage in Preventing 5-FU/Capecitabine Toxicities," will be presented by Abdul Rahman Jazieh, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer of Mira Precision Health. Dr. Jazieh will discuss a real-world case study of fluoropyrimidine-induced cardiovascular toxicity demonstrating the clinical value of variant testing in identifying at-risk patients and informing care decisions.

Professor David Kerr, CBE, MA, MSc, MD, PhD, DSc, FRCP, founder of the original ToxNav program, internationally recognized oncology researcher, and Chair of Mira Precision Health's Scientific Advisory Board, will also be onsite throughout ASCO-GI. As the architect of ToxNav's scientific foundation and a global leader in fluoropyrimidine toxicity research, Professor Kerr will support the U.S. debut of ToxNav Advantage and be available for expert discussions with clinicians, researchers, and industry stakeholders.

ToxNav Advantage builds on more than a decade of peer-reviewed clinical research and real-world implementation of ToxNav across U.K. and E.U. healthcare systems. The test analyzes 26 clinically relevant gene variants, including 23 DPYD variants aligned with the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) 2025 Tier 1 and Tier 2 classifications, along with additional Oxford-validated markers. ToxNav Advantage uniquely extends fluoropyrimidine toxicity risk assessment beyond DPYD deficiency by incorporating genetic variants associated with cancer therapyrelated cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD)a potentially life-threatening complicationand Hand-Foot Syndrome (HFS), a frequent cause of treatment modification or discontinuation in patients receiving fluoropyrimidines.

"We developed ToxNav to identify patients with a high likelihood of severe toxicity from 5-FU and capecitabinetwo of the most widely prescribed cancer therapies worldwide," said Professor Kerr. "Through our collaboration with Mira Precision Health, ToxNav has been optimized for the U.S. market, delivering greater clinical utility and rapid turnaround times that can meaningfully improve patient outcomes."

"ToxNav Advantage provides oncologists with fast, actionable insights to help prevent life-threatening toxicities before treatment begins," said Dr. Jazieh. "Our mission is to enable precision-driven care that protects patients across every stage of therapy."

"As a long-time partner of Mira and strong advocate for life science advancement, we're excited to see this partnership with Oxford bring life-changing technology to the U.S.," said Michele Blair, Director of Economic Development for the City of Mason. "We're leaning in to our 'Mason Living Lab' platform, which engages city residents and employees as participants to advance new technology. This program differentiates Mason's position in the Midwestern ecosystem and accelerates science discovery."

About Mira Precision Health

Mira Precision Health is a CLIA-certified, high-complexity clinical laboratory headquartered in Mason, Ohio, specializing in precision medicine diagnostics. Through its advanced pharmacogenomic and oncology testing solutions, Mira empowers clinicians nationwide to deliver safer, more personalized cancer care.

About the City of Mason, Ohio

The City of Mason, Ohio, is an established hub for biohealth and biotech life science companies, with focus areas in cardiology, mental health and precision medicine. Mason was one of the first cities in Ohio designated a Premier Life Science Ready Community in 2025 by the Ohio Life Sciences Association for its infrastructure readiness, dedicated support systems, accessible real estate and high-quality resources that make it attractive to life science development. For more information about the City of Mason, visit www.whymason.com or www.imaginemason.org.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Lori Borchers

Vice President, Sales and Marketing

Mira Precision Health

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.miraprecision.com/toxnav/

SOURCE City of Mason
BRENTWOOD, Tenn., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MotherToBaby, a service of the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), today announced the launch of two brand new resource hubs a dedicated webinar repository and a collection of downloadable infographics to equip healthcare providers with evidence-based tools for patient education and clinical practice. The announcement coincides with National Birth Defects Awareness Month (NBDAM), observed every January.

Each year, approximately 1 in 33 babies in the United States is born with a birth defect. Birth defects are a leading cause of infant mortality. National Birth Defects Awareness Month, led by the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN), underscores the importance of prevention, education, and support for families.

The new MotherToBaby Webinar Repository houses on-demand presentations featuring nationally recognized experts discussing timely topics related to exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding, from medication safety to infectious disease risks. All webinars are free to view, evidence-based, and designed for providers who counsel patients on exposure risks and benefits.

In addition, the MotherToBaby Infographics Library offers visually engaging, easy-to-share graphics covering common questions about exposuresfrom vaccines and radiation to environmental concerns. These materials can be shared directly with patients, used in presentations, or integrated into community outreach.

"Healthcare providers are often the first line of support when families have questions about exposures during pregnancy or breastfeeding," said Lorrie Harris-Sagaribay, MPH, President of OTIS/MotherToBaby. "We created these webinars and infographics to make their jobs easierdelivering evidence-based information in formats that are quick to access, simple to share, and easy for patients to understand. Our goal is to help prevent birth defects and improve outcomes by ensuring accurate, trusted information reaches the providers and families who need it most."

By aligning this launch with National Birth Defects Awareness Month, MotherToBaby highlights the critical role of healthcare providers in advancing prevention and education. The organization encourages providers to explore the webinars and infographics, and to share them with patients and colleagues.

More about MotherToBaby

MotherToBaby, a service of the non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), is dedicated to providing no-cost evidence-based information to pregnant and breastfeeding people, healthcare professionals, and the general public about medications and other exposures during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Talk directly to the experts behind the most up-to-date research by calling (866) 626-6847, texting (855) 999-3525, or via live chat and email on www.MotherToBaby.org. MotherToBaby is recommended by many agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

MotherToBaby is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $6,000,000 with zero percentage financed with non-governmental sources. MotherToBaby is also supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The contents of this release are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, CDC, HHS or the U.S. Government. To learn more about MotherToBaby and OTIS, please visit www.MotherToBaby.org.

SOURCE MotherToBaby
"Glory To Him" invites readers into a vibrant, faith-centered exploration of healing and hope

SURPRISE, Ariz., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Author Lyn Pottroff has recently released her debut book "Glory To Him: A Collection of Poems," a new collection of devotional poetry centered on themes of spiritual transformation, emotional renewal and the daily walk of faith. The book blends storytelling, biblical reflection and rhythmic, contemporary verse to explore how individuals can experience restoration and purpose through God.

Glory To Him: A Collection of Poems By Lyn Pottroff

Pottroff began writing the book after experiencing what she describes as a clear prompting from God during a women's retreat. Her work reflects years of involvement in church communities and Bible study groups, where she developed a distinctive writing voice that blends humor, honesty and biblical insight. The book is organized into seven themed sections, each illustrating a particular movement of the soul, from darkness to dawn, from pruning to blooming, from fear to courageous obedience.

Bright and colorful illustrations bring life to her poems, often reflecting the tone or message of the chapter. More than just words on a page, Pottroff hopes that the combination of poetry and artwork will captivate readers and allow them to live fully in the moment of each poem.

"My poetry is a gift from God," Pottroff said. "The Lord pours into me the resolutions and answers that I seek. Each poem expresses a journey and the blessings God has given or shown to me. I hope that through my poetry, readers can see the hand that God has in our lives and how we are prepared for our future by the hardships we have faced in our past. We must acknowledge those hardships and seek to glorify God, by which we can overcome anything."

Pottroff plans to share more of her poetry in the future.

"Glory To Him: A Collection of Poems"

By Lyn Pottroff

ISBN: 9798385057030 (softcover); 9798385057047 (hardcover); 9798385057023 (electronic)

Available at WestBow Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author

Lyn Pottroff was born Lynda Sue Kuns in San Antonio, Texas, during her father's Air Force service. She later grew up in California, where she attended school, served in church ministries, and learned about God. After retiring from a banking career in 2020, she and her husband, Terry Pottroff, moved to Surprise, Ariz. At a women's retreat, Pottroff sensed God calling her to write. She now shares poetry in a distinctive mix of rhythms, some pieces read like raps, others like stories or inspirational reflections. Her Bible study group nicknamed her "Coral Bling," a playful nod to her rap-style poems. Pottroff considers it a privilege to share her writing and gives all glory to God. To learn more, please visit https://www.coralinthesand.com.

General Inquiries:

LAVIDGE  Phoenix

Ashley Fletcher

[email protected]

SOURCE WestBow Press
DALLAS, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Novatae Risk Group (Novatae), the wholesale insurance business of World Insurance Associates (World), announced that Walter Juergens has joined the company as its new chief financial officer. In this role, Juergens will be responsible for all aspects of the company's financial management, driving change and financial mindset across the organization. He will be a key contributor to the Novatae Executive Leadership team and World's Corporate Financial Leadership team.

Walter Juergens

"Walter brings exactly the kind of strategic, hands-on financial leadership we need at this stage of our journey," said Nick Greggains, president of Novatae. "His experience with complex operations and building scalable finance support structures will be pivotal to our long-term vision."

"Novatae feels like a natural fit and I am excited to join such a dynamic and forward-thinking team," said Walter Juergens, chief financial officer of Novatae. "The firm is growing exponentially and ensuring its financial capabilities keep pace is an exciting prospect."

Juergens has more than 15 years of leadership experience in insurance, professional services and complex project-based businesses. Most recently, he was the Regional CFO at AssuredPartners, and prior to that he was at KPMG. Juergens is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Masters and B.B.A. in Accounting from Washington State University.

"Walter's blend of Big Four rigor from his KPMG days, strategic insight and proven ability to fuel growth in complex businesses makes him the perfect fit," said Renae Flanders, World's chief financial officer. "We're excited to have Walter join our team!"

About Novatae Risk Group

Novatae Risk Group (Novatae) is a full-service wholesale insurance brokerage, underwriting manager and Lloyd's Coverholder, providing brokers and their clients with specialty insurance products and services for complex and hard-to-place risks across a broad spectrum of property, casualty and specialty lines. Novatae is the wholesale division of World Insurance Associates LLC, serving more than 6,000 clients from 37 offices across the U.S. and the U.K. For more information, please visit www.novatae.com.

About World Insurance Associates LLC

World Insurance Associates (World) is a nationally ranked financial services organization headquartered in Iselin, N.J., that serves its clients from more than 300 offices across the U.S. and U.K. World's comprehensive network of brokers and specialists empower people to make informed decisions to improve their risk management outcomes, modernize their benefits programs and help achieve their long-term financial goals. Using data-driven analytics, World's advisors innovate new products and solutions tailored to clients' needs across commercial and personal insurance and bonds, employee and executive benefits, wealth management and retirement plan services, private client services and payroll & HR solutions. For more information, please visit www.worldinsurance.com.

SOURCE Novatae Risk Group
PORTFOLIO INCREASES TO APPROXIMATELY 85 MILLION SQUARE FEET AND NEW INFRASTRUCTURE & DATA CENTER VERTICAL IS LAUNCHED

MILWAUKEE, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Alongside its affiliates, Phoenix Investors ("Phoenix") is pleased to announce that 2025 marked another record year of growth. Phoenix's portfolio now totals approximately 85 million square feet spanning 27 states. During the year, Phoenix's affiliates launched a dedicated, full-service infrastructure & AI data center vertical, assembling a specialized team and advancing multiple large-scale deployments nationwide, further diversifying and strengthening its investment platform.

In 2025, Phoenix announced the acquisition of approximately 9 million square feet of core industrial real estate across Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Virginia, Illinois, Arkansas, Michigan, Texas, New York, Ohio, Iowa, and Mississippi, further cementing its position as one of the largest private owners of industrial property in the United States. "We have built a platform designed to source and execute at scale," said Anthony Crivello, Phoenix's President. "With substantial capital ready to deploy and a robust acquisition pipeline, we expect 2026 to surpass an already record-setting year."

Among the most recent closings are industrial assets located in Dubuque, IA; Southaven, MS; and Shelbyville, TN. Each property is slated for first-class renovations, with available space currently being marketed to tenants seeking high-quality industrial facilities in strategic markets.

The property in Dubuque, IA at 2150 Kerper Boulevard features 287,025 square feet of industrial-zoned space, 12 docks, and a rail spur serviced by Canadian Pacific. It's ideal for heavy manufacturing or distribution and offers extensive car and trailer parking as well as access to a quality blue-collar workforce.

The facility at 8735 Hamilton Road in Southaven, MS offers prospective tenants 238,146 square feet of industrial and office space, also featuring economic incentives for investors. The property is fully fenced, is located adjacent to I-55, and features building signage opportunities. An additional 10 acres of excess land is available for expansion efforts, as well.

The Shelbyville, TN property at 342 Shelbyville Mills Road features 384,000 square feet and recently renovated office space. The property is zoned for heavy industrial, provides ample parking, and is fully fenced and secure with a guard shack.

An array of renovations including but not limited to white-box treatments, lighting upgrades, exterior painting, floor and parking lot resurfacing, and roof work is slated for each of these properties.

In addition to Phoenix's expanding industrial portfolio, 2025 marked the official launch of a new infrastructure & data center-centric vertical within the company. Phoenix has combined a group of its seasoned personnel with a top-tier team of industry professionals dedicated to the development and acquisition of infrastructure and AI data center campuses, positioning the platform for significant near- and long-term growth.

"These acquisitions reflect our conviction in core industrial real estate and our belief in the continued demand for well-positioned, high-quality industrial assets," said Frank P. Crivello, Phoenix's Chairman & Founder. "The formation of our infrastructure & AI data center vertical represents a natural evolution given our existing portfolio includes many sites with heavy infrastructure, electric power, and other natural resources. With the team we've built, we are exceptionally well positioned to scale these campuses and ventures in the years ahead."

Looking toward 2026 and beyond, Phoenix intends to accelerate core industrial acquisition activity, further expand its infrastructure & AI data center platform, and continue growing its national footprint. The firm credits its momentum to the collective efforts of its exceptional employees, suppliers, brokers, banking partners, and equity partners, whose support has been integral in executing the company's successful growth strategy.

About Phoenix Investors

Phoenix Investors is the leading expert in the acquisition, renovation, and release of former manufacturing facilities in the United States. In addition to being one of the country's largest owners of industrial real estate, Phoenix has expanded its platform to include the acquisition and repositioning of data center assets, supporting the growing demand for digital infrastructure. The revitalization of facilities throughout the continental United States positively transforms communities and restarts the economic engine in the communities we serve. Phoenix's affiliate companies hold equity interests in a portfolio of industrial properties totaling approximately 85 million square feet and spanning 27 states, delivering corporations with a cost-effective national footprint to dynamically supply creative solutions to meet their leasing needs.

For more information, please visit https://phoenixinvestors.com .

SOURCE Phoenix Investors
GENEVA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Swiss police have confirmed the identities of all 40 victims killed in a bar fire in the resort town of Crans-Montana in Switzerland's Valais Canton, authorities said on Sunday.

Valais Canton police said the 40 victims, aged between 14 and 39, included 21 Swiss nationals, seven French nationals, five Italian nationals, one Belgian national, one Portuguese national, one Romanian national, one Turkish national, one dual Swiss-French national, one victim holding French, Israeli and British nationalities, and one dual Italian-United Arab Emirates national. Many of them were minors.

According to the police, a criminal investigation has been opened against the two managers of the "Le Constellation" bar on suspicion of negligent homicide, negligent bodily injury and negligent arson.

President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin told Swiss media on Sunday that Switzerland will hold a national day of mourning on Friday. 
The summit commenced with an opening address by Chairman Zhu, who extended a heartfelt welcome to Prince Sultan and the delegation. In his remarks, Chairman Zhu outlined TRANSSION's corporate philosophy and its strategic vision for global emerging markets, providing the delegation with a holistic perspective on the group's global business matrix and the strategic expansion of the Infinix brand. Drawing on their deep localized expertise, the Saudi representatives offered constructive insights into the developmental path for TRANSSION and Infinix within the Kingdom. These discussions created new impetus and a wide landscape for comprehensive collaboration and deep-market cultivation, establishing a robust bedrock for the shared global expansion of both parties.

During the session, the two sides engaged in a dynamic and productive dialogue across multiple dimensions, including channel synergy, market expansion, content development, resource sharing, business innovation, and intelligence support, revealing immense potential for collaborative depth and future growth. Chairman Zhu emphasized that Saudi Arabia, as a pivotal anchor for TRANSSION in the Middle East, demands a forward-looking strategy rooted in long-term brand consciousness. He advocated for an approach defined by strategic foresight and prudent execution across R&D, experiential innovation, and AI development, with the ultimate goal of fostering an autonomic industrial and brand ecosystem. Chairman Zhu expressed firm confidence that TRANSSION possesses both the vision and the capability to help the Kingdom unlock a new era of global momentum through this ever-deepening partnership.

Infinix, a strategic cornerstone of TRANSSION's global expansion, served as the focal point of the summit's cooperative discussions. As one of the top three smartphone brands in Saudi Arabia, Infinix has deepened its roots in the Kingdom, maintaining a trajectory of aggressive growth. This market leadership is reinforced by soaring brand influence; in just two years, Infinix's search popularity has surged nearly fivefold, leading Android brand engagement on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. By aligning with Saudi Arabia's National Gaming and Esports Strategy through its GT series and premier tournament sponsorships, Infinix has built a thriving local esports ecosystem. This deep integration provides a powerful springboard for the brand's future. This meeting is expected to act as a definitive catalyst, injecting unprecedented momentum into Infinix as it expands its resonance across Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

The summit concluded on a high note with a ceremonial gift exchange and group photography, symbolizing the burgeoning partnership. Prince Sultan expressed his profound appreciation for TRANSSION's technological innovation and global strategic vision, while highly commending Infinix's remarkable trajectory and achievements within the Saudi market. Both parties expressed strong optimism for a comprehensive, multi-dimensional collaboration ahead. As Saudi Arabia's international stature continues to rise alongside the deepening of Transsion's global footprint, both sides remain committed to exploring substantive cooperation across diverse sectors, working in concert to contribute to the transformative goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

About Infinix:

Founded in 2013, Infinix is a trendy tech brand crafted for young consumers. With a presence in over 70 countries, Infinix delivers cutting-edge technology, stylish design, and outstanding performance. Our product lineup includes smartphones, TWS earbuds, smartwatches, laptops, and smart TVs. In 2023, Infinix was recognized in Kantar and Google's top 50 Chinese Global Brand Builders Report and ranked sixth in Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies of 2024 in the Asia-Pacific sector. For more information, please visit: http://www.infinixmobility.com/.

SOURCE Infinix Mobility
The summit commenced with an opening address by Chairman Zhu, who extended a heartfelt welcome to Prince Sultan and the delegation. In his remarks, Chairman Zhu outlined TRANSSION's corporate philosophy and its strategic vision for global emerging markets, providing the delegation with a holistic perspective on the group's global business matrix and the strategic expansion of the Infinix brand. Drawing on their deep localized expertise, the Saudi representatives offered constructive insights into the developmental path for TRANSSION and Infinix within the Kingdom. These discussions created new impetus and a wide landscape for comprehensive collaboration and deep-market cultivation, establishing a robust bedrock for the shared global expansion of both parties.

During the session, the two sides engaged in a dynamic and productive dialogue across multiple dimensions, including channel synergy, market expansion, content development, resource sharing, business innovation, and intelligence support, revealing immense potential for collaborative depth and future growth. Chairman Zhu emphasized that Saudi Arabia, as a pivotal anchor for TRANSSION in the Middle East, demands a forward-looking strategy rooted in long-term brand consciousness. He advocated for an approach defined by strategic foresight and prudent execution across R&D, experiential innovation, and AI development, with the ultimate goal of fostering an autonomic industrial and brand ecosystem. Chairman Zhu expressed firm confidence that TRANSSION possesses both the vision and the capability to help the Kingdom unlock a new era of global momentum through this ever-deepening partnership.

Infinix, a strategic cornerstone of TRANSSION's global expansion, served as the focal point of the summit's cooperative discussions. As one of the top three smartphone brands in Saudi Arabia, Infinix has deepened its roots in the Kingdom, maintaining a trajectory of aggressive growth. This market leadership is reinforced by soaring brand influence; in just two years, Infinix's search popularity has surged nearly fivefold, leading Android brand engagement on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. By aligning with Saudi Arabia's National Gaming and Esports Strategy through its GT series and premier tournament sponsorships, Infinix has built a thriving local esports ecosystem. This deep integration provides a powerful springboard for the brand's future. This meeting is expected to act as a definitive catalyst, injecting unprecedented momentum into Infinix as it expands its resonance across Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

The summit concluded on a high note with a ceremonial gift exchange and group photography, symbolizing the burgeoning partnership. Prince Sultan expressed his profound appreciation for TRANSSION's technological innovation and global strategic vision, while highly commending Infinix's remarkable trajectory and achievements within the Saudi market. Both parties expressed strong optimism for a comprehensive, multi-dimensional collaboration ahead. As Saudi Arabia's international stature continues to rise alongside the deepening of Transsion's global footprint, both sides remain committed to exploring substantive cooperation across diverse sectors, working in concert to contribute to the transformative goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

About Infinix:

Founded in 2013, Infinix is a trendy tech brand crafted for young consumers. With a presence in over 70 countries, Infinix delivers cutting-edge technology, stylish design, and outstanding performance. Our product lineup includes smartphones, TWS earbuds, smartwatches, laptops, and smart TVs. In 2023, Infinix was recognized in Kantar and Google's top 50 Chinese Global Brand Builders Report and ranked sixth in Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies of 2024 in the Asia-Pacific sector. For more information, please visit: http://www.infinixmobility.com/.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2853565/image_5019905_58627650.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2853566/image_5019905_58627681.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2853567/image_5019905_58627775.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2853568/image_5019905_58627790.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2316423/Infinix_Logo.jpg
Expanding Beyond EVs to Construction Machinery, Humanoid Robots, and Energy StorageAccelerating Electrification and Advancing the France Mass-Production Base

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ProLogium, a global leader in next-generation lithium ceramic battery technology, marks its 20th anniversary by unveiling at CES 2026 its proprietary "Superfluidized All-Inorganic Solid-State Lithium Ceramic Battery" technology. Built on this breakthrough platform, ProLogium will also debut a new generation of EV battery modules, while expanding the technology into multiple applications including electric construction machinery, e-bikes, humanoid robots, and power management and energy storage systems (ESS) for AI data centers. The technology fundamentally addresses shared pain points across diverse use casesdriving range, charging efficiency, low-temperature operation, and battery safetystrengthening market confidence in new energy solutions. ProLogium aims to accelerate low-carbon transition in transportation and industrial energy use, and to lay a critical foundation for the next-generation battery market expected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars in scale.

Superfluidized Technology Platform: From EVs to Humanoid Robots, Construction Machinery, and Energy Storage

At CES, ProLogium will co-showcase products with multiple customers, representing the latest results of years of deep technical accumulation. Unlike the three dominant solid-state battery systems and today's semi-solid routes, ProLogium's patented Superfluidized All-Inorganic Solid-State Lithium Ceramic Battery integrates a superfluidized all-inorganic solid-state electrolyte, all ceramic separator, and an all-silicon anode, redefining the architecture of next-generation batteries. This system is positioned as the world's first next-generation lithium battery technology to simultaneously surpass the three mainstream solid-state battery approaches across electrochemical performance, ultimate safety, and high manufacturability at scale. Key performance advantages include:

Volumetric energy density up to 860 Wh/L

Ionic conductivity of 57 mS/cm at room temperature, approximately 5 that of conventional liquid electrolytes and sulfide solid-state electrolytes (e.g., LGPS)

Low-temperature performance comparable to competitors' room-temperature performance, effectively alleviating range anxiety across electric mobility applications

46 minutes to recharge 6080%, significantly reducing charging time

No need for high external pressure to maintain performancesimplifying pack design and lowering real system cost and weight while preserving high real-world energy density

In terms of safety, the all-inorganic electrolyte is non-flammable and does not release combustible gases. All ceramic separator effectively prevents direct contact between the cathode and anode, fundamentally eliminating lithium thermal reactions even under high temperature and internal/external stress conditions. In addition, under high-temperature and high-voltage conditions, the electrolyte releases an Active Safety Mechanism (ASM) material that proactively converts high-risk active materials in the cathode and anode into a more stable crystalline structure, interrupting thermal chain reactions and eliminating the risk of thermal runaway at its root.

ProLogium states that this is also the first lithium electrochemical system globally to show no thermal runaway in ARC testing, transforming lithium batteries from an "actively hazardous energy reactor" into a "passively low-risk energy reactor," delivering unmatched safety assurance. With no rare elements and a significantly simplified process, the platform also offers meaningful cost advantages and benefits from recyclability and sustainability. Combining high energy efficiency and ultimate safety, ProLogium's platform has expanded into a wide range of marketsincluding aircraft, eVTOL, marine applications, humanoid robots, and ESSand can be flexibly configured for varying demands such as ultimate safety, maximum range, ultralightweight designs, and high throughput/fast turnaround.

Founder & CEO Statement

Vincent Yang, Founder and CEO of ProLogium, said:"Solid-state batteries should not remain confined to laboratories or concept vehicles. Over the years, ProLogium has continued to deliver solid-state battery solutions that balance safety, cost, and high performance. The modules and system-level results showcased at CES reflect our collaboration with leading customers to bring safer, higher-energy, and more environmentally adaptive technologies into mass production and real-world deployment across EVs, construction machinery, e-bikes, humanoid robots, and energy storage. Our planned gigafactory in Dunkirk, France, will leverage local low-carbon energy and a highly developed port logistics ecosystem to provide localized supply and a more resilient supply chainhelping partners bring products to market faster and more reliably."

Accelerating the France Gigafactory to Support Europe's Electrification

As part of its global expansion, ProLogium has built on the foundation of its Taoyuan, Taiwan gigafactory, which began operations in 2024 and has shipped more than 600,000 cells, demonstrating proven mass-production capability.

The Dunkirk, France gigafactory is another critical milestone in ProLogium's global footprint, with the construction and ramp schedule as follows:

2023: Secured French government subsidies

2025: Obtained both environmental approval and construction permit

2026: Official groundbreaking and start of construction

2028: Fab 1, Phase 1 completed; start of mass production of Gen4 batteries (0.8 GWh)

2029: Capacity ramp-up

2030: Fab 1, Phase 2 completed; full operation at 4 GWh

2032: Phase 2 completed; total capacity reaches 12 GWh

ProLogium has also reserved land with the Port of Dunkirk, enabling future expansion up to 48 GWh, to be advanced progressively in line with market demand to serve the rapidly growing global solid-state battery market.
PHOENIX, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- With the global commercial drone market projected to grow from roughly $30 billion in 2024 to more than $54 billion by 2030, Rapid Drone is making its official debut as a specialized aerial intelligence and drone services provider, not a drone manufacturer. Entering the market at a moment of accelerating adoption and rising expectations for safer, smarter field operations, the company designs, operates, and manages mission-ready drone programs that deliver dependable, real-time intelligence for public safety agencies and critical industries.

Rapid Drone Launches as Demand for Real-Time Aerial Intelligence Surges

"Better information changes outcomes. It saves time, avoids costly mistakes, and for first responders, it can save lives," said David Rietz, Chief Drone Officer at Rapid Drone. "We built Rapid Drone to deliver aerial intelligence services that teams can trust in high-stakes environments."

Rapid Drone's leadership and technical teams bring together more than $2 billion in real estate development experience, over 15 years of national public-safety foundation leadership, and two decades of hands-on UAV engineering. Supporting that expertise is a board of advisors drawn from law enforcement and retired military leadership, providing operational insight shaped by real-world emergency response, infrastructure protection, and mission-critical decision-making.

Rather than producing hardware, Rapid Drone deploys and manages a fleet of USA Blue Certified aircraft, handling everything from flight operations and data capture to analysis and integration. The Company's initial offerings align with increasing demand from both public and private sectors, particularly as stakeholders transition from intermittent drone usage to sustained, intelligence-oriented operational models. The public-safety drone market alone is expected to more than triple over the next decade as departments invest in faster situational awareness and safer response models.

Key capabilities include:

DFR (Drones as First Responders). Real-time aerial support for police and fire agencies, delivering live intelligence during active incidents.

Real-time aerial support for police and fire agencies, delivering live intelligence during active incidents. Autonomous security patrols. Continuous, hands-free perimeter monitoring for corporate, industrial, and critical infrastructure sites.

Continuous, hands-free perimeter monitoring for corporate, industrial, and critical infrastructure sites. Precision mapping. Survey-grade photogrammetry and LiDAR producing orthomosaics, terrain models, and detailed 3D reconstructions.

Survey-grade photogrammetry and LiDAR producing orthomosaics, terrain models, and detailed 3D reconstructions. Infrastructure inspections. Thermal and high-resolution imaging for utilities, bridges, towers, pipelines, and transportation assets.

Thermal and high-resolution imaging for utilities, bridges, towers, pipelines, and transportation assets. Agricultural intelligence. RGB, thermal, and multispectral analytics used to identify crop stress, disease, and irrigation inefficiencies.

"First responders and critical industries are being asked to do more with fewer resources, and technology has to rise to meet that moment," said Co-Founder Debbie Steinhauer. "Our focus is on making advanced aerial intelligence operationally realistic, dependable, and accessible for the teams protecting communities and essential infrastructure."

Over the next several years, Rapid Drone plans to expand its DFR programs, strengthen partnerships with police and fire departments nationwide, and scale remote-operations capabilities across AEC, agriculture, and infrastructure. The company's long-term vision centers on integrating drone intelligence into everyday workflows, helping organizations transition from isolated deployments to continuous, data-driven operations.

To learn more, users can visit rapid-drone.com.

About Rapid Drone

Rapid Drone is an aerial intelligence and drone services provider delivering mission-ready solutions for first responders, AEC professionals, agricultural operations, and critical-infrastructure teams. Built on decades of experience in construction, public-safety leadership, and UAV engineering, the company designs and manages end-to-end drone programs using a fleet of USA Blue Certified aircraft to provide real-time intelligence, survey-grade mapping, and autonomous aerial operations. For more information, users can visit rapid-drone.com.

Contact

Holly Morgan

[email protected]

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2853533/RAPID_DRONE_Launch.jpg

SOURCE Rapid Drone
LUBBOCK, Texas, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Robinson and Malone Dentistry announced that Dr. Jaci Campo, DDS, will be joining the practice beginning January 12, 2026. Dr. Campo's addition further strengthens the practice's commitment to providing comprehensive, patient-centered dental care to families throughout West Texas.

Dr. Campo is a West Texas native originally from Colorado City, Texas, and is excited to return to the region to serve the community she proudly calls home. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Lubbock Christian University, where she participated in multiple medical mission trips to Peru that helped shape her passion for service and compassionate care.

She went on to receive her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Dentistry in San Antonio, where she trained within the same dental practice group as Dr. Jake Malone. Following dental school, Dr. Campo practiced general dentistry in Abilene, Texas for five years, continually advancing her clinical skills and staying current with modern dental technology.

During her time in practice, Dr. Campo received extensive training in surgical extractions and full mouth cosmetic dentistry and completed advanced continuing education at the Pankey Institute with a focus on comprehensive full mouth rehabilitation. Her clinical interests include oral surgery, dental implant placement, root canal therapy, and cosmetic dentistry.

Dr. Campo expressed enthusiasm about joining the team, stating, "I am truly excited to join Robinson and Malone Dentistry and to return to West Texas with my family. This practice shares my values of thoughtful, comprehensive care, and I look forward to building lasting relationships with patients while helping them feel comfortable, informed, and confident in their dental care."

Robinson and Malone Dentistry is a comprehensive dental practice serving patients of all ages in Lubbock and Snyder, Texas. The practice is led by a team of experienced dentists who emphasize individualized treatment planning, advanced technology, and long-term oral health outcomes.

With a focus on both functional and aesthetic dentistry, Robinson and Malone Dentistry provides a welcoming environment where patients receive personalized care tailored to their unique needs. The addition of Dr. Campo allows the practice to further expand in-house services while maintaining its commitment to integrity and excellence.

Robinson and Malone Dentistry provides a full range of dental services, including:

Preventive and general dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry

Dental implants

Oral surgery and surgical extractions

Root canal therapy

Full mouth rehabilitation

Pediatric dental care

Emergency dental services

About Robinson and Malone Dentistry

Robinson and Malone Dentistry is dedicated to delivering high-quality, comprehensive dental care in a comfortable and patient-focused setting. With a commitment to advanced clinical training and individualized treatment planning, the practice proudly serves individuals and families throughout West Texas.

Lubbock Office

4215 85th Street

Lubbock, TX 79423

806-794-1131

Snyder Office

5305 Trinity Blvd., #F

Snyder, TX 79549

325-515-5064

Additional information about Robinson and Malone Dentistry and its services is available at https://www.robinsondds.com . Prospective patients and community members are encouraged to contact the practice to learn more about available services and scheduling options.

SOURCE Robinson and Malone Dentistry
Crosstrek maintains eighth month in top seller position and best year ever

CAMDEN, N.J., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) today reported 57,437 vehicle sales for December 2025, a 7.2 percent decrease. Subaru ended calendar year 2025 with 643,591 vehicle sales, a 3.6 percent decrease compared with calendar year 2024.

Subaru closed out 2025 delivering vehicles of exceptional value while staying true to the core values that define us. Post this Subaru of America, Inc. today reported 57,437 vehicle sales for December 2025, and ended calendar year 2025 with 643,591 vehicle sales. Crosstrek was the top performer by volume, achieving its best year ever with 191,724 vehicle sales, up 5.5 percent over 2024. Forester was the second-highest-selling carline in December and closed out the year with 175,070 vehicle sales, and Outback achieved 157,716 annual sales in 2025.

Jeff Walters, President and Chief Operating Officer, Subaru of America, Inc.: "Subaru closed out 2025 with the same dedicated focus we started the year with, delivering vehicles of exceptional value while staying true to the core values that define us. I would like to thank our retailers for their support as we transitioned Forester assembly to Subaru of Indiana Automotive, all part of expanding our versatile lineup of models offering gas, hybrid, and fully electric options. Their commitment to being More Than a Car Dealer was clearest during our annual Subaru Share the Love Event, allowing us to end the year by making a meaningful difference in the communities we proudly serve."

For calendar year 2025, Crosstrek was the top performer by volume, achieving its best year ever with 191,724 vehicle sales, up 5.5 percent over 2024. Forester was the second-highest-selling carline in December and closed out the year with 175,070 vehicle sales, and Outback achieved 157,716 annual sales in 2025. In its final full year of sales, Legacy reached 22,212 vehicle sales, up 13.4 percent over the previous year.

Troy Poston, Senior Vice President of Sales, Subaru of America, Inc.: "Our retailers stayed focused on delivering thoughtful, personalized experiences for customers throughout the busy year-end period, strengthening relationships with both customers and communities nationwide. Now, as they actively prepare for the launch of our exciting 2026 lineup, including the all-new Trailseeker and Uncharted, this momentum positions Subaru perfectly for the extraordinary journeys our customers will embark on in the year ahead."

Carline Dec-25 Dec-24 % Chg Dec-25 Dec-24 % Chg

MTD MTD MTD YTD YTD YTD Ascent 5,022 4,675 7.4 % 44,400 56,286 -21.1 % BRZ 229 337 -32.1 % 2,882 3,345 -13.8 % Crosstrek 16,573 17,088 -3 % 191,724 181,811 5.5 % Forester 15,393 17,149 -10.2 % 175,070 175,521 -0.3 % Impreza 1,799 3,099 -41.9 % 27,942 31,366 -10.9 % Legacy 1,935 1,676 15.5 % 22,212 19,591 13.4 % Outback 14,773 14,885 -0.8 % 157,716 168,771 -6.6 % Solterra 498 1,165 -57.3 % 10,715 12,447 -13.9 % WRX 1,215 1,797 -32.4 % 10,930 18,587 -41.2 % TOTAL 57,437 61,871 -7.2 % 643,591 667,725 -3.6 %

December sales were supported by the annual Subaru Share the Love Event where the automaker donates $250 for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased to the customer's choice of the following national charities; The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Make-A-Wish, Meals on Wheels America, or the National Park Foundation, alongside 837 local charities. Retailers could also select up to two hometown charities in their local communities to receive at least an additional $50 for each vehicle sold or leased. In the program's 18th consecutive year, Subaru and its retailers aimed to achieve the philanthropic milestone of over $350 million in cumulative donations since the Subaru Share the Love Event started in 2008. Final 2025 Share the Love Event donation results are expected in March.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts, and accessories through a network of about 640 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants, including Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company's vision to show love and respect to everyone and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA and the SOA Foundation have donated more than $340 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged over 115,000 volunteer hours. Subaru is dedicated to being More Than a Car Company and to making the world a better place. For additional information, visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.

Dominick Infante

Director, Corporate Communications

(856) 488-8615

[email protected]

Diane Anton

Corporate Communications Manager

(856) 488-5093

[email protected]

Adam Leiter

Corporate Communications Specialist

(856) 488-8668

[email protected]

SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc.
SARASOTA, Fla., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- After learning about an urgent community need through a local news story on ABC News 7, UNITS Moving and Portable Storage of Southwest Florida stepped forward to support Toys for Tots of Sarasota with critical storage solutions for the upcoming holiday season and beyond.

UNITS Moving and Portable Storage

UNITS of Southwest Florida first heard about Toys for Tots of Sarasota's challenges when the organization shared its story on the local ABC News 7 affiliate station in Sarasota, FL. The UNITS of Sarasota Team wanting to help, connected with Desiree Jennings, the Sarasota County Director for Toys for Tots, to better understand their needs. During an in-person meeting, it became clear that the organization was facing a serious shortage of both temporary storage at distribution sites during the holidays and long-term storage space for supplies throughout the year.

"As soon as we met with Desiree, we realized how critical the need truly was," said Zach Easton, co-owner of UNITS Moving and Portable Storage of Southwest Florida. "Without adequate storage, it becomes incredibly difficult to sort, distribute, and manage the thousands of toys that bring joy to local children each year."

As business partners, Albert and Zach developed a plan to donate portable storage UNITS to support Toys for Tots operations during the Christmas season and year-round. The donated storage includes:

Seven (7) UNITS  at Eagles in Sarasota for holiday toy distribution

at Eagles in Sarasota for holiday toy distribution Two (2) UNITS  at the Elks Lodge in Venice for holiday distribution

at the Elks Lodge in Venice for holiday distribution One (1) UNIT  at American Legion in North Port for holiday distribution

at American Legion in North Port for holiday distribution One (1) UNIT  at American Legion in North Port for year-round storage

at American Legion in North Port for year-round storage Two (2) UNITS at the Palmetto warehouse for year-round storage

These contributions will help ensure toys can be safely stored, organized, and distributed efficiently to families across Sarasota County during the holiday season.

Despite this support, Toys for Tots of Sarasota still faces a significant challenge. The organization remains in urgent need of at least 5,000 square feet of donated warehouse space to serve as a sorting and receiving facility for the 2026 Toys for Tots season, which runs from September through December.

"Our hope is that by sharing this story, another business or property owner will see the need and be inspired to helpjust as we were after seeing Desiree's story in the news," Easton added. "When local businesses partner together, the impact on our community can be tremendous."

UNITS Moving and Portable Storage of Southwest Florida is proud to partner with Toys for Tots of Sarasota and encourages others to get involved in supporting this vital mission, ensuring every child experiences the joy of the holiday season.

About UNITS Moving and Portable Storage of Southwest Florida

UNITS Moving and Portable Storage provides convenient, flexible, and secure portable storage solutions for residential and commercial customers throughout Southwest Florida. Locally owned and operated, UNITS is committed to supporting the communities it serves.

About Toys for Tots of Sarasota County

Toys for Tots is a program of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve that distributes toys to children in need during the holiday season, bringing hope and joy to families across Sarasota County.

Media Contact:

Albert Seecharan | Owner UNITS Moving and Portable Storage of Southwest Florida

Email: [email protected]

(941) 759-5937

SOURCE UNITS Moving and Portable Storage
About this content 

About Ian Lyall

Ian Lyall, a seasoned journalist and editor, brings over three decades of experience to his role as Managing Editor at Proactive. Overseeing Proactive's editorial and broadcast operations across six offices on three continents, Ian is responsible for quality control, editorial policy, and content production. He directs the creation of 50,000 pieces of real-time news, feature articles, and filmed interviews annually. Prior to Proactive, Ian helped lead the business output at the Daily... Read more

About the publisher

Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists.

Proactive news team spans the worlds key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth.

We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors.

The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies.

Use of technology

Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter.

Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows.

Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation.
About this content 

About Stephen Gunnion

Stephen Gunnion is a senior financial journalist and broadcaster at Proactive Investors. He has more than 25 years of experience in television, radio and print media, anchoring on a number of television channels including South Africa's Business Day TV, CNBC Africa and the South African Broadcasting Corporation, where he was the economics editor. He has also worked for Daily Maverick, Bloomberg, the Business Day newspaper and Investors' Chronicle. 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.
HANOI, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam welcomed about 3.5 million tourist arrivals during the four-day New Year holiday from Jan. 1 to Jan. 4, according to data from the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, local daily Suc Khoe & Doi Song reported Monday.

Southern hub Ho Chi Minh City recorded the highest number of arrivals at about 1.24 million, up 65 percent year-on-year.

The city received more than 75,700 foreign visitors during the period, marking an 83 percent increase from the same period last year.

Other destinations attracting large numbers of tourists included the northern provinces of Ninh Binh and Quang Ninh, the southern province of Lam Dong, and the capital Hanoi.

The tourism authority said the holiday, which lasted for four days, provided favorable conditions for domestic tourism growth.

Vietnam's tourism sector aims to welcome 25 million international arrivals and 150 million domestic visits in 2026. 
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.
Chinas AI hardware sector has staged an unexpected show of confidence in recent days, with Shanghai Biren Technologys Friday debut in Hong Kong drawing heavy demand despite ongoing US restrictions on advanced chips  and reigniting investor interest in a corner of the market many had written off as structurally constrained.

Birens H-share offering raised about HK$5.6 billion (A$1.07 billion) at the top of its price range, with demand particularly strong on the retail side: the Hong Kong public offer was oversubscribed more than 2,300 times, triggering a full clawback from the international tranche.

The strength of that response  notable for a company operating squarely within the scope of US chip export controls  has refocused attention on a broader pipeline of Chinese AI and semiconductor listings expected to test investor appetite in early 2026, as companies increasingly raise capital in Hong Kong and regional markets rather than relying on US access.

The renewed IPO momentum coincides with new signs Chinas domestic AI ecosystem is adapting on the technical front as well as the financial one, with developers increasingly focused on software efficiency, training architecture and system-level optimisation to work within tighter hardware constraints. A recent research paper from Chinese AI lab DeepSeek, outlining a new approach to stabilising large-scale model training, offers a concrete example of how that adaptation is playing out on the ground.

Capital finds a way

Biren Technologys Hong Kong listing offers a useful snapshot of where investor confidence now sits.

The company priced its H-shares at HK$19.60, with the deal heavily oversubscribed in both retail and international tranches. Cornerstone investors included major Chinese and regional funds, while international participation remained strong despite the companys exposure to US export controls.

The stock more than doubled in early trading and was hovering around HK$33 by Monday afternoon.

Biren designs general-purpose GPUs aimed at AI training and inference  a category directly affected by Washingtons restrictions on high-performance accelerators. Yet the IPO structure underscores a key shift: capital is increasingly being raised, deployed and recycled within Asia, with less reliance on US markets or US-linked supply chains.

That matters for valuation. Investors are no longer pricing Chinese AI hardware purely as sanctions-impaired assets, but as part of a domestically anchored stack with its own timelines and economics.

Training efficiency becomes the bottleneck

Hardware alone, however, does not explain the renewed optimism.

The DeepSeek paper released last week focuses on a technical problem that has quietly become one of the most binding constraints in large-scale AI development: training stability at scale.

Rather than chasing brute-force compute, the researchers introduce what they call Manifold-Constrained Hyper-Connections (mHC)  a modification to transformer architectures that aims to preserve the stability benefits of traditional residual connections while allowing much wider internal information flow.

The practical implication is subtle but important. As models scale, instability in gradient propagation can force developers to cap size, reduce batch efficiency, or accept higher training costs. DeepSeeks approach constrains internal connections mathematically so that signals neither explode nor vanish as depth increases, improving scalability without proportional increases in compute or memory overhead.

In internal experiments cited in the paper, the method supported stable training at tens of billions of parameters with only modest additional runtime cost.

For Chinese developers operating under tighter hardware ceilings, these kinds of architectural gains are not incremental  they are strategic.

Software starts compensating for silicon

This is where the broader picture comes into focus.

US export controls have not stopped China from training large models; they have forced trade-offs. Where US labs lean on ever-larger GPU clusters, Chinese labs are increasingly optimising around architectural efficiency, memory access patterns and communication overhead  aspects of model training that rarely make headlines but meaningfully affect performance.

The DeepSeek paper devotes substantial attention to reducing memory access costs and overlapping communication in distributed training, explicitly targeting the bottlenecks that appear when hardware bandwidth is limited.

From an investors perspective, that shifts the competitive landscape. AI capability becomes less about access to the very fastest chips and more about how effectively a company can extract performance from what it has.

Why markets are reacting now

The recent rally in Chinese AI names is not a verdict on who wins the AI race. It is a recognition that the initial shock of US controls has passed, and that second-order adaptations are starting to show results.

Capital markets are responding to evidence that Chinese AI development is not frozen, but evolving  with domestic chip designers raising funds, and research teams publishing credible work on scaling constraints that matter in the real world. That does not erase geopolitical risk, nor does it eliminate the performance gap with top-end US hardware. But it does complicate the assumption that export controls alone will determine outcomes.

In AI, as in semiconductors more broadly, constraint often accelerates innovation in unexpected directions. The latest signals out of China suggest that process is well under way  and investors are taking note.
About this content 

About Emily Jarvie

Emily began her career as a political journalist for Australian Community Media in Hobart, Tasmania. After she relocated to Toronto, Canada, she reported on business, legal, and scientific developments in the emerging psychedelics sector before joining Proactive in 2022. She brings a strong journalism background with her work featured in newspapers, magazines, and digital publications across Australia, Europe, and North America, including The Examiner, The Advocate, The Canberra Times, and... Read more

About the publisher

Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists.

Proactive news team spans the worlds key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth.

We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors.

The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies.

Use of technology

Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter.

Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows.

Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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Washington, Jan 5 : US Democratic lawmakers accused President Donald Trump of bypassing Congress and misleading lawmakers by using military force to arrest Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro without authorization.

Speaking on CNN's State of the Union, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said the operation amounted to an illegal act of war.

"This is wildly illegal," Murphy told CNN, arguing that the president cannot conduct a military operation of that scale in a foreign country without congressional approval.

Murphy said the administration initially briefed lawmakers by describing the mission as a counter-narcotics effort, only for officials to later acknowledge the use of US military assets.

"They came to Congress and literally lied to our face," Murphy said on CNN.

Murphy rejected claims that Venezuela posed an imminent threat to the United States. "Venezuela is not a security threat to the United States," he said, noting that the country is not planning to invade the US and does not host al Qaeda-style terror groups.

He also challenged the drug rationale. On CNN, Murphy said most cocaine produced in Venezuela does not reach the United States, while fentanyl  the drug killing Americans  does not originate there.

"This has nothing to do with American national security," Murphy said.

House Intelligence Committee Democrat Jim Himes, also speaking on CNN, said lawmakers had not been properly briefed and disputed claims that Congress could not be notified due to potential leaks.

"The law says you must brief Congress," Himes said on State of the Union.

Democrats also questioned President Trump's repeated references to Venezuela's oil industry. Murphy said the focus on oil raised red flags about the true motivation behind the operation.

"This seems to be mostly about oil and natural resources," he said on CNN, warning that Wall Street and energy investors appeared positioned to benefit.

Murphy warned that the administration has offered no clear plan for what follows Maduro's removal. "We don't know what happens next," he said. "And that's dangerous."

Democratic leaders said Congress must reassert its authority to prevent escalation without accountability.
Washington, Jan 5 : A young Indian healthcare professional was found stabbed to death inside an apartment in the US state of Maryland, police said, as authorities launched an international search for her ex-boyfriend, who left the country for India hours after reporting her missing.

Howard County police said on Sunday that Nikitha Godishala, 27, of Ellicott City, was found deceased on January 3 inside an apartment in Columbia belonging to her former partner, Arjun Sharma, 26. Sharma, also from India, is now wanted on first- and second-degree murder charges, and US authorities are working with federal agencies to trace and arrest him after confirming he flew to India.

According to Howard County Police, Sharma reported Godishala missing on January 2 and told police he had last seen her on December 31 at his apartment in the 10100 block of Twin Rivers Road. Authorities later determined that Sharma departed the United States for India later that same day, according to an official release.

Howard County Police said its detectives executed a search warrant at the apartment on January 3, where they discovered Godishalaas body with stab wounds. Police believe she was killed shortly after 7 p.m. on December 31, New Yearas Eve. Investigators said the inquiry remains ongoing and that no motive has been identified so far, a media release said.

Howard County police said an arrest warrant has been issued following the discovery, charging Sharma with both first- and second-degree murder. In a statement, the department said it is coordinating with US federal law enforcement agencies as efforts continue to locate and apprehend the suspect.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Godishala was a highly qualified healthcare and data analytics professional, with a background spanning pharmacy, clinical research, health information technology and data management. She was driven by a passion for using data-driven insights to improve healthcare systems and patient outcomes, with expertise in analytics, regulatory compliance and healthcare quality systems, her profile reflects.

She held a masteras degree in Health Information Technology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in India. Her skills included data analytics, dashboard development, healthcare regulations such as HIPAA, and tools such as SQL, Tableau, Power BI and Python.

AS per American law, first-degree murder involves premeditation, while second-degree murder applies to intentional killings without prior planning.

Notably, United States and India have an extradition treaty that allows cooperation in serious criminal cases, though such proceedings usually involve court reviews and diplomatic coordination, often extending over months.
Washington, Jan 5 : A senior US-based Baloch leader has urged President Donald Trump to extend the same support he showed to the people of Venezuela against dictatorship to the people of Balochistan, drawing sharp parallels between Venezuela's former leadership and Pakistan's military establishment.

In a post on X, Dr. Tara Chand, president of the Baloch American Congress, said President Trump "recently stood with the people of Venezuela against dictatorship" and should "likewise support the people of Balochistan in their struggle for freedom."

Chand alleged that, just as Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro "handed over his nation's natural resources to China and allowed them to be looted," Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir is "selling and mortgaging Balochistan's vast natural and coastal resources to China and to the world."

He accused Munir of acting as a "double agent," claiming that Balochistan's resources are being leveraged toward China while simultaneously being used as "bait to mislead the United States." Chand called on President Trump to take "firm action" against the Pakistani army chief, comparing such a step to the recent US action against Maduro.

In his post, Chand also drew comparisons between the Venezuelan regime and Pakistan's military, alleging involvement in drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, human rights abuses and regional destabilisation. He claimed that Pakistan's military exports "radical Islamic extremism beyond their borders," posing what he described as a threat to global stability.

Referring to past controversies, Chand cited the discovery of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, alleging that the Pakistani military had harboured him while continuing to receive financial support from the United States.

Chand further alleged that security operations in Balochistan have resulted in daily killings and enforced disappearances, which he described as "crimes against humanity." He said General Munir "must be held accountable and arrested, just as dictators elsewhere have been pursued for their crimes."

"The people of Balochistan deserve justice, freedom, and the right to control their own land and future," Chand wrote.

The Baloch American Congress, based in Washington, describes itself as a registered political organisation advocating for the Baloch national struggle for self-determination and the protection of the socio-cultural and political rights of the Baloch diaspora in the United States. Chand, its president, is a former cabinet minister in the government of Balochistan.

The remarks come amid heightened global attention on human rights, resource control and US policy toward authoritarian regimes following recent developments in Venezuela.
HAVANA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Sunday that 32 Cubans were killed when defending Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during U.S. attack on Venezuela.

The Cuban president also declared a period of national mourning, noting that the fallen compatriots honorably fulfilled their duty and, through fierce resistance and heroic actions, embodied the spirit of solidarity shared by millions of Cubans. 
Mumbai, Jan 5 : Television actress Urvashi Dholakia rang in the New Year with a fun girls' trip to Darjeeling with producer Ektaa Kapoor. The two ladies were also accompanied by one of their other friends, actress Charu Mehra.

Urvashi dropped a couple of photos and videos from her lovely getaway on social media.

The snippets showed all of them posing in the middle of a lush green landscape, making goofy poses and flaunting their lovely smiles.

In the last video of the post, Urvashi was seen standing on the side of the road and channeling her inner child as she entertained her friends with some adorable gestures.

"We went chasing views and came back with stories...we may not have had phone signal but our connection was strong Ywe didnat just travel we felt every moment @ektarkapoor @4umehra Darjeeling u have our hearts."#travel #diaries #darjeeling #holiday #winter (sic)," Urvashi captioned the post.

Urvashi is known to share a close bond with the television mogul as the two have worked together in the popular show "Kasautii Zindagii Kay", where Urvashi essayed the role of Komolika.

Ektaa also used social media to drop sneak peeks from her travel diaries. Announcing her year-end break, she posted a video with Urvashi and Charu and penned, "Signing of the year! Loads of ups n even more downs a..launched #naagin7 n left for year end break with two real ichadari Nagins !!! Hope u like d show ! Ratings in the coming year will telll ! JAI MATA DI."

The seventh season of Ektaa's popular 'Naagin' franchise premiered on December 27. The project stars Priyanka Chahar Choudhary as the lead, along with Alice Kaushik, Karan Kundrra, Eisha Singh, and Namit Paul in crucial roles.

Refreshing your memory, the first season of "Naagin" premiered back in 2015, featuring Mouni Roy, Arjun Bijlani, and Adaa Khan.
New Delhi, Jan 5 : The Supreme Court will pronounce its decision on the bail pleas of seven accused, including student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, in the alleged "larger conspiracy" case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots on Monday.

The bail pleas have been filed by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Shadab Ahmed, and Mohd.

As per the causelist published on the website of the Apex Court, a Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B. Varale will deliver the judgment on Monday.

Saleem Khan, facing charges under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), has been in custody for more than five years.

Earlier, on December 10, the Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on the batch of special leave petitions (SLPs) challenging the Delhi High Court's refusal to grant bail to the accused in the 2020 riots "larger conspiracy" case.

After hearing both sides, the Justice Kumar-led Bench directed the petitioners as well as the prosecution to file any additional documents in support of their submissions by December 18.

Opposing the bail pleas, Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Delhi Police, had contended that the violence was not a spontaneous communal clash but a "well-designed, well-crafted, orchestrated and preplanned" attack on the sovereignty of the nation.

"This was not a spontaneous act of violence; this was an attack against the sovereignty of the nation," the SG had argued, relying on speeches, WhatsApp chats and other material to claim a "clear and discernible attempt to divide the society on communal lines".

He had argued that the delay in the trial proceedings was attributable to the accused since they were "not cooperating" and "each of them argued for 4-5 days for opposing framing of charges".

"Now, in all cases where it's difficult to defend on facts, the mechanism is to delay the trial and not to go into the merits and say 'give me bail'. This has become a pattern," SG Mehta added.

Earlier, on September 2, last year, the Delhi High Court had dismissed the bail pleas of Khalid, Imam and several other accused in the case, observing that a prima facie case under the UAPA was made out against them.
Washington, Jan 5 : President Donald Trump said the United States is "in charge" of Venezuela following the arrest of Nicolas Maduro, asserting that Washington will oversee the country's recovery before any elections are held and warning that further US military action remains possible if authorities in Caracas do not cooperate.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump described the operation to capture Maduro as extremely dangerous, saying US helicopters came under heavy fire as American forces moved in.

"It was a very dangerous operation," Trump said. "The helicopters were being shot at the bullets were flying all over the place." He said one helicopter was hit but all US personnel returned safely. "We got everything back and nobody killed," he said.

Asked who is currently running Venezuela, Trump declined to name any individual and instead asserted US control. "Don't ask me who's in charge," he said. "It means we're in charge."

Trump confirmed that he has not personally spoken with Venezuela's newly sworn-in leader, Delcy Rodriguez, though others in his administration have. He said Rodriguez is cooperating but added that consequences remain possible if that changes. "If they don't behave, we will do a second strike," he said, adding that the US had been "ready for a second wave."

On elections, Trump said voting would only take place after the country is stabilised. "It's a dead country right now," he said. "We have to bring it back."

Trump said rebuilding Venezuela would rely on private investment, particularly from US oil companies. He described infrastructure as "rusty, rotten, most of it unusable," with pipes "laying all over the ground." He said major companies are eager to enter the country.

"They want to go in so badly," Trump said, stressing that US taxpayers would not bear the cost. "We're not going to invest anything."

Trump said Venezuelans living in the United States who were forced to flee would be "taken very good care of."

Later in the exchange, Senator Lindsey Graham, who was also present, strongly endorsed the operation, calling it one of the most sophisticated missions ever carried out by the US military. He compared it to the operation against Osama bin Laden and said Venezuela had become part of what he described as a "drug caliphate" in the US backyard.

Trump said maritime drug trafficking from Venezuela has already dropped sharply. "Drugs by sea are down 97 percent," he said, adding that enforcement would now expand on land routes as well.

Summing up the operation, Trump rejected suggestions that it was driven by oil or regime change. "It's about peace on earth," he said. "It's our hemisphere."

-- Syndicated from IANS
Seoul, Jan 5 : North Korea test-launched hypersonic missiles in Pyongyang the previous day that successfully struck targets in the East Sea, with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, state media reported on Monday.

"A sub-unit under a major firing strike group of the Korean People's Army conducted a missile launching drill" to evaluate the country's war deterrence and the readiness of the weapon system, as well as to verify its capacity to fulfill missions, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

South Korea's military detected the missile launch at 7:50 a.m. Sunday, hours before President Lee Jae Myung departed for Beijing for summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and after the United States announced the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a large-scale military strike.

"Through today's launching drill, we can confirm that a very important technology task for national defense has been carried out. The missile soldiers showed the readiness of the DPRK's nuclear forces without regret and gave confidence in it," the KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

DPRK refers to the official name of North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Yonhap news agency reported.

Kim said his country has put its nuclear forces "on a practical basis" and prepared them for "an actual war," urging that the country must "continuously upgrade the military means, especially offensive weapon systems" and calling the efforts "an essential undertaking for self-defence."

"To be honest, our such activity is clearly aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a high-developed basis. Why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events," Kim was quoted as saying in the KCNA report.

Although the KCNA report did not specify what the "recent geopolitical crisis" is, the North's foreign ministry on Sunday condemned the US military strike that captured Maduro, calling it "the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty."

The KCNA said the hypersonic missiles hit targets 1,000 kilometers away in the East Sea after being launched from Pyongyang's Ryokpho District.

Kim also expressed thanks to the military unit in charge of the drill and extended New Year's greetings to all the officers and men of the missile forces.

He also voiced expectations that "All the missile forces would remain faithful to their sacred mission as a reliable shield for defending the sovereignty and security of the DPRK by fulfilling their consistent and responsible combat duty under iron discipline."

Those who accompanied Kim at the latest missile launch included Kim Jong-sik, vice department director of the ruling party's Central Committee, and Jang Chang-ha, chief of the Missile Administration.

The KCNA report did not provide specifics of the missiles launched, but South Korea's military concluded they may be the Hwasong-11Ma, a hypersonic missile developed by attaching hypersonic payloads to the KN-23 missile.

The missile was first unveiled at a military parade in October last year and underwent its first test launch later that month.

The Korea Defence Forum, a nonprofit organisation, said in an analysis that while last year's test appeared aimed at verifying short-range flight and precision, the latest test may have been designed to assess its range and low-altitude glide capability.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chennai, Jan 5 : The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast rainfall across several parts of Tamil Nadu over the next five days, under the influence of prevailing low-pressure systems over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

The department stated that these weather systems are expected to trigger intermittent rainfall, particularly along the coastal belt, while interior regions may continue to experience largely dry conditions.

According to the IMDas latest bulletin, moderate rain is likely on Monday and Tuesday in coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The rainfall activity is being driven by a low-pressure area over the adjoining sea regions, which is drawing moisture towards the Tamil Nadu coast. In contrast, interior districts are expected to remain mostly dry, though cooler conditions may prevail.

The forecast further states that on January 7, parts of Tamil Nadu may receive moderate rainfall. On January 8, rainfall activity is expected to extend to both coastal and interior regions, bringing scattered moderate showers across the state.

The IMD has also predicted that on January 10, moderate rain is likely over southern as well as northern Tamil Nadu, indicating a wider spread of rainfall as the weather system evolves. In addition to rainfall, the weather department has cautioned that temperatures are likely to dip across the state.

Over the next two days, minimum temperatures in many parts of Tamil Nadu are expected to fall by around 2 to 3 degrees Celsius. This drop could lead to a noticeable chill during the early morning hours, particularly in inland and low-lying areas.

For Chennai and its neighbouring areas, the IMD has forecast generally cloudy skies. Light mist or fog is likely during the early morning hours, which may reduce visibility in some locations.

The department also noted that sunlight is expected to remain subdued, with the sun staying relatively low in intensity, contributing to cooler daytime conditions.

The IMD has advised residents, especially those in coastal and low-lying regions, to remain alert to weather updates, as intermittent rainfall, fog, and cooler temperatures could affect daily activities and travel.

The department said it is closely monitoring the evolving weather systems and will issue further advisories if necessary.
Seoul, Jan 5 : South Korean former President Yoon Suk Yeol's trial on charges of leading an insurrection through his short-lived imposition of martial law is set to conclude this week amid keen interest in the level of punishment he will face, including the possibility of the death penalty.

The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to hold four hearings this week -- on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday -- in the insurrection trial of Yoon, former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, former National Police Agency chief Cho Ji-ho and five others, according to legal sources.

Kim, Cho and the five others are accused of playing a key role in an insurrection in connection with the December 2024 martial law attempt, and their two trials were merged with Yoon's last week.

On Monday and Tuesday, the court is scheduled to complete its questioning of the former defence minister before finalising deliberations Wednesday and Friday.

Due to the large number of defendants, the final hearings are expected to run late into the night, though in the case of former police chief Cho, who is battling blood cancer, his final arguments could be postponed to January 22.

Legal sources anticipate the court's sentencing will come in early February.

In Yoon's case, special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team will likely request one of three types of punishment allowed by law for the ringleader of an insurrection -- the death penalty, life imprisonment or life imprisonment without forced labor.

Yoon is charged with conspiring with the former defence minister and others to stage a riot with the aim of subverting the Constitution by illegally declaring martial law in the absence of war or an equivalent national emergency.

In particular, he is charged with mobilising troops and the police to seal off the National Assembly compound and prevent lawmakers from voting down his decree, and ordering the arrest and detention of the National Assembly speaker and the then leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties.

Yoon became the first sitting president to be indicted with physical detention in January last year, Yonhap news agency reported.

He was released in March following a court order that canceled his arrest but was taken into custody again in July on additional charges related to his martial law attempt.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Seoul, Jan 5 : Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung said on Monday the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven industrial transition will create greater growth opportunities for the group, while calling for faster decision-making supported by clear and timely communication.

In a pre-recorded New Year's roundtable with senior executives, Chung said the group's extensive data on "moving physical assets" such as vehicles and robots, along with its manufacturing process data, constitutes a strong competitive edge in the AI era, reports Yonhap news agency.

"This is a powerful advantage that big tech companies cannot easily replicate," Chung said. "For Hyundai Motor Group, which possesses data, capital and manufacturing capabilities, AI is a game in which we have a strong chance of success."

He added that the group must broaden its business ecosystem through collaboration with a wide range of partners in the AI sector amid growing global uncertainties.

The South Korean automaker expects heightened uncertainty in the global business environment this year, driven by the restructuring of global supply chains, slowing economic growth and increasing geopolitical fragmentation.

Commenting on the year ahead, Chung said risks long anticipated by the group are likely to materialise.

To address these challenges, the chairman called for clearer situational awareness and more agile decision-making based on fast and transparent communication.

"Reports should include the reporting employee's own analysis and conclusions and be shared quickly with the right people at the right time," he said.

Chung also underscored the importance of organisational transformation rooted in deep reflection, as competition in the global automotive industry continues to intensify.

As for the group's future direction, Chung said significant growth opportunities lie ahead amid major shifts in artificial intelligence, software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and future mobility.

Previously, Hyundai Motor Group announced plans to invest 125.2 trillion won (US$86.5 billion) over five years through 2030.

"The investment will not only be used to expand the group's businesses but also to pursue qualitative growth," Chung said.

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-- Syndicated from IANS
January 05 : Lucknow: The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is committed to ensuring that no citizenespecially those at the lowest rung of societyis deprived of welfare benefits. To achieve this, the state has accelerated the integration of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes through the Family ID system, guaranteeing complete coverage of eligible households.

Under this initiative, multiple welfare schemes have been consolidated into a single, transparent platform. Principal Secretary (Planning) Alok Kumar said, A total of 98 welfare schemes of the central and state governments have now been linked with the Family ID system. This integration is directly benefiting more than 15.07 crore beneficiaries across Uttar Pradesh by ensuring timely and accurate delivery of essential services and financial assistance. So far, over 44 lakh citizens have applied through the Family ID portal.

In urban areas, Family IDs are prepared by lekhpals, while in rural regions Gram Panchayat officers facilitate the process. Each Family ID provides complete household details under one identification number, enabling swift and transparent delivery of benefits.

12 Digit Family ID Becomes the Key to Welfare Schemes

The Family ID card is a 12 digit unique identification number that contains detailed information of all members of a family.

As envisioned by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the initiative is based on the principle of One Family One Identity. This approach allows automatic identification of eligibility for various schemes, prevents duplication and ensures that benefits reach the rightful beneficiaries without irregularities.

Relief from Repeated Office Visits

With the implementation of the Family ID system, citizens are no longer required to visit multiple government offices for income, caste, residence or other certificates. Once a family is registered, all essential information becomes available through the centralized database. This has resulted in significant savings of time, money and effort for citizens, while also enhancing administrative efficiency and transparency.

The Yogi government has also taken steps to ensure that families who are deprived of ration cards for any reason are not excluded from government welfare schemes. Special registration arrangements have been introduced so that such families can be connected to welfare schemes through the Family ID system, ensuring that no eligible household is left behind.

For the creation of a Family ID, it is mandatory for all family members to have an Aadhaar number. Aadhaar must also be linked with a valid mobile number so that verification can be completed through OTP. If a beneficiary has changed their mobile number, it is necessary to update and link the correct number with Aadhaar to avoid any disruption in availing benefits.

The Family ID initiative reflects Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths vision of digital, transparent and accountable governance. By creating a unified and verified database, the system not only strengthens the implementation of welfare schemes but also effectively curbs fake and duplicate beneficiaries.

The objective of the Yogi government is to ensure that every poor citizen, labourer, farmer, woman, senior citizen and divyang receives their rightful benefits on time. Through the Family ID system, welfare schemes are now reaching eligible beneficiaries directly, strengthening social security and reinforcing trust between the government and the people.

Under the Family ID system, citizens can complete self registration through Aadhaar based login and e KYC, during which details of family members are automatically fetched from UIDAI. Applicants are provided the facility to add family members, followed by physical verification by lekhpals and Gram Panchayat officers. The Family ID is also being made available on DigiLocker, and so far more than 19 lakh physical Family ID cards have been distributed across the state.

The Family ID card is completely free of cost, with the government bearing an expense of approximately eight rupees per card.

At present, 98 schemes are linked with the Family ID, including 13 schemes of the central government and 85 schemes of the Uttar Pradesh government. More than 15.7 crore citizens are registered in the Family ID database, including 14.7 crore linked through ration cards and 1.03 crore through self registration.

The database has achieved nearly 70 percent field saturation, with address details at 100 percent, mobile numbers at 85 percent and marital status at 54 percent. A five level technical process has been adopted to integrate the Family ID with welfare schemes, including Aadhaar notification, database digitization, Aadhaar authentication, creation of a Family ID field on scheme portals and integration with departmental databases. This comprehensive framework ensures transparent and seamless delivery of benefits to eligible families across Uttar Pradesh.
Mumbai, Jan 5 : The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Monday accused the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra of pushing the state towards an "unprecedented moral and democratic decline", saying that the ongoing municipal elections have become a "farce", characterised by the "mafia-isation" of democratic processes through money power and the intimidation of opposition candidates.

The trigger was the election of around 70 corporators who have been declared elected unopposed, which the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena claimed exposes a fierce competition between the BJP and the Shinde-led faction to secure these uncontested seats, symbolising the "distortion" of democracy.

The Thackeray camp in the scathing editorial of party mouthpiece 'Saamana' claimed that the current state of political affairs in Maharashtra has reached a peak of authoritarianism and institutional arrogance. If the ruling coalition intends to purchase electoral victories before a single vote is cast, the Election Commission should be disbanded entirely.

"Allegations have surfaced that opposition candidates were forced to withdraw after being offered massive bribes ranging from lakhs to crores of rupees. According to reports, the 'market price' for loyalty varied by city, comprising Thane Rs 5 to 8 crore, Kalyan-Dombivli Rs 3 crore, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Rs 2 crore, Panvel and Bhiwandi Rs 20 to Rs 30 lakh, Ahilyanagar and Jalgaon, and Dhule Rs 15 lakh," said the Thackeray camp.

It further added that payments were reportedly delivered directly to candidates' homes immediately upon their withdrawal, often without the permission of the political parties that originally nominated them.

According to the editorial, the BJP is facing accusations of extreme hypocrisy, described as acting like a "two-faced earthworm". In 2018, the BJP launched massive protests and legal challenges when the Trinamool Congress (TMC) won 34 per cent of seats unopposed in West Bengal, labelling it the "murder of democracy" and taking the matter to the Supreme Court. BJP, which once questioned the validity of over 16,000 unopposed seats in Bengal, is now allegedly employing the same tactics in Maharashtra while holding power.

Legal and political experts argue that "unopposed" victories should be invalid due to the NOTA (None of the Above) option on EVMs. "Voters have the right to reject all candidates. If NOTA receives the highest number of votes, the election must be cancelled and re-held. By declaring candidates winners without a vote, the Election Commission is ignoring the voters' right to choose NOTA," said the editorial.

The Thackeray camp further alleged that the ongoing municipal corporation elections are described as the most "nauseating and perverted" in Maharashtra's history. With claims that the administration, police, and candidates have been compromised by a "downpour of money", the very foundation of the state's prestige is under threat.

It hit out at the hoardings displayed by the ruling alliance leaders, claiming themselves as the architects of a "fast-paced Mumbai", by terming them as the architects of "fast-paced electoral corruption". "If victories are to be bought before a single vote is cast, the existence of the Election Commission itself comes into question," remarked the Thackeray camp.
Mumbai, Jan 5 : A horrifying case has surfaced in Mumbai's Mira Bhayandar under Valiv police station limits, where a 15-year-old girl fell victim to abduction, forcible religious conversion and sexual assault by a local youth, officials said on Monday.

The accused has been identified as Javed.

The two developed a friendship in their neighbourhood. Javed exploited the friendship by secretly recording her explicit photos and videos, then blackmailing her into accompanying him to Madhya Pradesh.

After the minor was taken to Madhya Pradesh, she was kept there for six months, during which she faced relentless abuse, officials said.

Javed escalated the horror by creating a fake Instagram profile using the girl's name and photos, posting a rate card for her services per night to auction her online, they added.

According to the information received, Javed also forced her to convert to Islam and attempted to make her eat beef, compounding the trauma for the minor whose father had passed away recently.

She somehow managed to escape from the single room in Madhya Pradesh and came back home to Mumbai.

Following this, she narrated the months of abuse to her family members, who then filed an FIR at the Valiv police station.

Despite the girl filing an FIR at Valiv police station, Javed remains at large.

The victim has said that this has left her terrified as the police have failed to arrest him, and she fears for her life.

Terrified, the victim is now writing a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, seeking urgent intervention in the case.

The police said that they are investigating the case and searching for the accused.

Further details are awaited.

This incident comes at a time when Maharashtra has experienced a continuous, well-planned campaign by Hindutva groups aimed at compelling the state government to implement a strict anti-conversion law, commonly referred to as an 'anti-love jihad' law.
A staff member shows special stamps marking the Year of the Horse in Anqing, east China's Anhui Province, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Photo by Xu Huoju/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- China Post officially released a set of special stamps on Monday in celebration of the upcoming the Year of the Horse, sparking a frenzy among collectors.

Despite the winter chill, long queues began forming at post offices across Beijing as early as Sunday afternoon. By 8 a.m. on Monday, when sales officially began, eager collectors -- ranging from seasoned stamp fans to younger enthusiasts bundled up in thick coats -- were already lined up along the sidewalks.

The Year of the Horse will begin on Feb. 17, 2026, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. This year's celebrations carry added cultural weight following the successful inscription of the Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year, on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2024, a milestone that has heightened public interest in traditional customs.

The collection features two stamps with a total face value of 2.40 yuan (about 34 U.S. cents).

The first depicts a red horse treading on clouds, symbolizing steady economic and social development and reflecting the nation's aspirations toward the future objectives of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). The second has three horses running together among good-luck patterns, representing the unity and joint efforts of all Chinese people as they work toward building a modern socialist country and advance national rejuvenation on all fronts.

In Chinese culture, the horse is a potent symbol of vitality, strength, and success. Often associated with the idiom "Ma Dao Cheng Gong" -- meaning "instant success upon the arrival of the horse" -- the animal represents an unyielding spirit and rapid progress. Horses have long been treasured for their role in transportation and prosperity, and they're still a favorite zodiac sign today, viewed as a harbinger of energy and progress in the new year.

China Post has issued annual zodiac stamps since 1980, with each collection garnering intense interest from the philatelic community. For the first time, China Post broke professional barriers this year by using a dual-track selection process, combining public submissions with expert and popular voting.

"It is not only a breakthrough in design but a vivid practice of sharing cultural development with the people," said Liu Aili, chairman of China Post Group Corporation Limited.

The sentiment was shared by a public juror spotted in a queue in Beijing on Monday. "I participated in the voting and review process three months ago," he told local media. "Seeing the stamps I helped choose finally go on sale makes this collection incredibly meaningful to me."

Monday's release includes 26.68 million sets of the basic stamps, alongside specialized formats and booklets. A joint souvenir sheet featuring stamp designs from the postal departments of the Chinese mainland, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region was unveiled on the same day.

The stamps will be available for six months at designated postal outlets and through various online platforms, including the China Post app and official WeChat stores. 

A woman shows special stamps marking the Year of the Horse in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Photo by Meng Delong/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 5, 2026 shows special stamps marking the Year of the Horse in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Photo by Wang Jiankang/Xinhua)

People buy special stamps marking the Year of the Horse in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Photo by Geng Yuhe/Xinhua)

People buy special stamps marking the Year of the Horse in Suqian, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Photo by Ma Haifeng/Xinhua)

People buy special stamps marking the Year of the Horse and related products in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Xinhua/Li He)

Guests show the commemorative seal marking the Year of the Horse during an issuance ceremony in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Xinhua/Li He)

Designers of special stamps marking the Year of the Horse sign for stamp collectors in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Xinhua/Li He)

Special stamps marking the Year of the Horse are donated by China Post to the China National Archives of Publications and Culture during an issuance ceremony in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Xinhua/Li He)
January 05 : Lucknow: The Government of Uttar Pradesh, under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is implementing focused and sustained efforts to promote the welfare and empowerment of girls through multiple initiatives. The "Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana" clearly reinforces the government's commitment to the belief that daughters are a source of strength, not a social burden. Through this flagship scheme, the lives and futures of nearly 2.7 million girls are being positively transformed. The programme aims to promote gender equality, prevent female foeticide, and foster a progressive societal outlook towards the birth and upbringing of girl children.

Extensive Reach and Effective Implementation

Since its launch, the Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana has benefited approximately 2.7 million eligible girls, with the state government disbursing a total of 647.21 crore. These figures underline the scheme's wide reach and effective execution, demonstrating that it goes beyond policy announcements and delivers tangible benefits at the grassroots level. The scale of implementation reflects strong administrative commitment and a transparent delivery mechanism.

Girls' Welfare as a Core Policy Priority

The state government has ensured consistent and sufficient budgetary support for the scheme. In the current financial year alone, 3.28 lakh beneficiaries have received financial assistance amounting to 130.03 crore. This sustained investment highlights the government's long-term vision for the welfare, dignity, and educational advancement of girls. Today, the scheme stands as a key pillar in promoting security, self-reliance, and equal opportunities for daughters across Uttar Pradesh.

Strengthening Gender Equality Through Inclusive Support

Introduced in 2019, the scheme supports girls from families who are permanent residents of Uttar Pradesh and belong to economically weaker sections. Eligibility criteria include an annual family income of up to 3 lakh and a limit of two children per family. The initiative ensures that financial hardship does not impede a girl's education or overall development, while also encouraging families to invest in their daughters' future.

Increase in Financial Assistance Strengthens Trust

In the financial year 202425, the state government increased the total assistance amount under the scheme from 15,000 to 25,000. This assistance is provided in six stages. This structured support is motivating girls to progress at every educational milestone:

-5,000 at the time of birth

-2,000 on completion of vaccination at the age of two years

-3,000 on admission to Class 1

-3,000 on admission to Class 6

-5,000 on admission to Class 9

-7,000 on passing Class 10 or 12 and taking admission in a diploma, graduation, or higher-duration degree course
Quetta, Jan 5 : The cycle of persecution against civilians in Balochistan continues, as a leading human rights organization on Monday reported the enforced disappearance of three Baloch civilians, including two brothers, allegedly at the hands of Pakistani security forces.

Condemning the incidents, Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, mentioned that the three Baloch civilians were abducted during a late-night raid on Sunday at Qambrani House in the Killi Suhrab Khan region of the provincial capital Quetta, by personnel of Pakistan's Frontier Corps (FC) and Counter Terrorism Department( CTD).

The victims were identified as 40-year-old Naseebullah, a political worker affiliated with the National Party in Balochistan, and two brothers, 23-year-old Umer Baloch, a student, and 21-year-old Dawood Baloch, a mechanic.

According to Paank, the current whereabouts of the three individuals remain unknown, sparking grave concern for their safety and well-being.

Meanwhile, another human rights body, Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ), expressed grave concern over the enforced disappearance of 13-year-old student Gohram Faiz Muhammad from Qambarani Road in Quetta, who was taken by Pakistan's security agencies on Sunday and transferred to an unknown location.

"The involvement of state security forces in the disappearance of a minor is a severe violation of international human rights law and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which guarantees every child protection from arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, and abuse," the BVJ stated.

The rights body urgently called upon the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and international human rights organisations to intervene immediately to ensure the safe recovery of Gohram and to protect children in Balochistan from ongoing violations committed by Pakistani forces. It added that "enforced disappearances of minors are grave international crimes and must end now".

Balochistan has been reeling under the endless atrocities at the hands of Pakistani authorities, who facilitate death squads in the region to carry out enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and illegal detentions of Baloch people.
January 05 : Lucknow: Due to improved law and order and a stable administrative environment, Uttar Pradesh is steadily emerging as the first choice for industries across the country. Security, discipline, and impartial governance have strengthened investor confidence in the state. As a result, large, medium, and small industries are increasingly turning towards Uttar Pradesh. During their meeting with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, industry representatives clearly expressed their views. A delegation comprising Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) President Mr. Rajiv Memani, New Delhi; Mr. Umashankar Bhartia, Chairman and Managing Director, India Glycols Ltd., Delhi/Noida; and Mr. Sunil Mishra met the Chief Minister and held detailed discussions on investment, infrastructure, and industrial expansion. The representatives stated that under CM Yogi's leadership, the state's system and governance model have undergone a complete transformation. Working on the ground has become much easier than before, and projects are progressing in a time-bound manner.

The delegation said that entrepreneurs are keen to contribute to the vision of making Uttar Pradesh a one-trillion-dollar economy. Discussions were also held with CM Yogi on accelerating industrial development. Following the implementation of the decriminalisation legislation in the state, industry confidence has further strengthened. Additionally, investor-friendly policies and incentives have led to a rise in global investment inflows.

The delegation clearly stated after meeting CM Yogi Adityanath that strict law and order has completely transformed the industrial environment of Uttar Pradesh. The security and administrative stability required for investment decisions are now clearly visible in the state. Rapid development of expressways, industrial corridors, airports, logistics hubs, and basic facilities such as power and water has provided renewed strength to the state's industrial ecosystem.

During discussions with CM Yogi Adityanath, it was highlighted that ease of doing business is no longer limited to policy intent but is being effectively implemented on the ground. The state government's single-window system, Nivesh Mitra, currently offers more than 525 services across 43 departments. Time-bound digital approvals without physical intervention have made the process of setting up industries simpler and more transparent. The government's pro-industry policies and swift decision-making continue to encourage investment. In this direction, the upgraded Nivesh Mitra 3.0 will be launched soon, incorporating AI and chatbot features to make the investor journey even smoother.

The representatives said that overall improved law and order, robust infrastructure, transparent administration, and strong government support are positioning Uttar Pradesh as a reliable and stable investment destination. This is why industrialists from across sectors nationwide are highly enthusiastic about new investments and expansion plans in the state. A significant increase in the number of industrial units in Uttar Pradesh is expected in the coming period.
Mumbai, Jan 5 : Actor Vivaan Shah, whose latest release is "Ikkis", revealed that he had to "consciously work on looking more mature" in the war film starring Agastya Nanda and late star Dharmendra.

Mumbai, Jan 5 (IANS) Actor Vivaan Shah, whose latest release is "Ikkis", revealed that he had to "consciously work on looking more mature" in the war film starring Agastya Nanda and late star Dharmendra.

Speaking about the transformation, Vivaan said: "For this role, I had to consciously work on looking more mature. Interestingly, just before Ikkis, I was shooting for another project where I had to appear much younger than my actual age."

However, the shift was drastic when "Ikkis" came his way in August last year.

"I had to do the complete oppositebuild myself up and look more muscular," he added.

The actor, who is the son of acclaimed star Naseeruddin Shah, said that the first thing he did was pick up the dumbbells.

"I hadn't touched weights for almost a year, so I shifted to an entirely different workout regime focused on strength training, aiming for a slightly more military-style physique," he shared.

While acknowledging that such a transformation takes years to perfect, the actor credited the film's physical training schedule for helping him significantly.

"The training we did in Ahmednagar made a huge difference. We went through a basic boot camp with drills and PT, which helped immensely," Vivaan said.

He also spoke about the demanding nature of the shoot, stating that handling tanks and performing physically challenging scenes added depth to his performance.

"The tank training was especially memorablewe even got to drive the tanks ourselves," he concluded.

Ikkis is directed by Sriram Raghavan. It also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Simar Bhatia. It is based on the life of Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra award, and centered around the Battle of Basantar during the 1971 IndiaPakistan War. The film's title is in reference to the age at which Arun Khetarpal attained martyrdom.
Patna, Jan 5 : After the recent theft at the Thave temple in Gopalganj district, thieves have once again targeted a place of worship in Bihar. This time, burglars struck an ancient Ram-Janaki-Shiv temple located near the Mashrak police station in Saran district.

According to reports, the incident took place on Sunday night, when thieves broke the lock of the temple gate and stole Ashtadhatu (eight-metal alloy) idols of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita, and Lord Lakshmana.

The criminals also took away other valuables, including Daan Peti and the DVR of the CCTV surveillance system, apparently to erase evidence.

The theft came to light on Monday morning when the temple priest arrived to clean the premises and found the idols missing.

Shocked by the discovery, he immediately rushed to the nearby police station and informed the Station House Officer and other officials.

The stolen idols are believed to be over 100 years old and made of Ashtadhatu, with their estimated value running into several crores of rupees.

The templeas proximity to the police station has raised serious concerns about security and law enforcement vigilance in the area.

Police teams reached the spot soon after receiving the information. A dog squad has been deployed, and investigations are underway. Officials are examining nearby CCTV footage and questioning local residents to identify the culprits.

The incident has caused anger and concern among devotees and local residents, who have demanded swift action and enhanced security at religious places.

Earlier on December 17, unknown thieves carried out a large-scale robbery at the renowned Thave Durga Temple, one of the most revered religious sites in the region.

The incident has triggered widespread anger among devotees and raised serious concerns over temple security.

According to temple authorities and local devotees, the thieves broke into the temple late on December 17 and stole the gold and silver crown, necklace, umbrella, and other valuable ornaments adorning the idol of Goddess Durga.

The accused also broke open a locker inside the temple premises to carry out the theft.
Chennai, Jan 5 : The Madras High Court is set to deliver its verdict on Tuesday in the contentious Thiruparankundram Hill lamp case after reserving orders on a batch of appeals challenging a single judge's directive permitting the lighting of a ceremonial lamp atop the hill.

Chennai, Jan 5 (IANS) The Madras High Court is set to deliver its verdict on Tuesday in the contentious Thiruparankundram Hill lamp case after reserving orders on a batch of appeals challenging a single judgeas directive permitting the lighting of a ceremonial lamp atop the hill.

The matter was heard by a Division Bench comprising Justices G. Jayachandran and K.K. Ramakrishnan, which considered detailed oral submissions from all parties. The appeals were filed by several stakeholders, including the Charitable Trust Department and the Dargah administration, against an earlier order passed by Justice G.R. Swaminathan.

The core issue before the court relates to whether a lamp can be lit on the summit of the Thiruparankundram Hill and whether such an act amounts merely to a religious practice or extends to the assertion of property rights over the land.

Appearing for the Tamil Nadu government, Chief Advocate P.S. Raman argued that the petitioner, Ram Ravikumar, had not produced any credible documentary or historical evidence to establish the existence of a lamp post or pillar on the hilltop.

The state, he said, has consistently maintained that no such lamp pillar exists at the site.

Raman referred to historical records to bolster the governmentas case, pointing out that when a judge inspected the hill in 1920, the judgment made no mention of any lamp pillar. Had such a structure existed, he argued, it would have found a place in the inspection report and the subsequent ruling.

He further submitted that the administration of temples and the conduct of religious rituals are governed by statutory rules and long-established practices.

Temple authorities, he said, have the exclusive right to conduct customary ceremonies strictly in accordance with law.

The Chief Advocate also contended that the dispute ought to have been taken to a civil court, as it involves questions of rights, usage, and long-standing practices.

All worship-related customs and rituals at Thiruparankundram, he maintained, are presently being carried out in compliance with legal norms.

Questioning the single judgeas order, Raman asked whether the case was truly about lighting a lamp or whether it indirectly involved a claim over property rights.

He posed a wider legal concern, asking whether an individual could claim ownership or exclusive rights over temple or government land by asserting a right to light a lamp at a particular location. After hearing arguments from all sides, the Division Bench reserved its verdict. In the present context, the court is expected to pronounce its decision in the case on Tuesday (January 6).
Amaravati, Jan 5 : Mauritian President Dharambeer Gokhool offered prayers at Panakala Narasimha Swamy Temple at Mangalagiri on Monday.

The officials of the ancient temple accorded a traditional welcome to the Mauritian President on his arrival.

Dharambeer Gokhool is on a five-day visit to Andhra Pradesh. He arrived on Saturday and attended the World Telugu Conference at Guntur on Sunday.

Meanwhile, later in the day, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will call on the visiting President.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Mauritian President is also scheduled to visit Tirupati, Tirumala, and offer prayers at Sri Venkateswara Temple. He will also visit other temples in Srikalahasti.

Earlier, during his address at the World Telugu Conference, Dharam Gokhool stated that the language represents more than a means of communication but a living civilisation with a spiritual legacy.

"Telugu is more than just a language; it embodies a living civilisation and carries a profound spiritual legacy," he said.

Gokhool described the World Telugu Conference as a landmark event uniting the Telugu diaspora from around the world.

Highlighting the significance of Telugu, he said that the language gained recognition from being a regional prominence to a global presence. He pointed out that Telugu is now spoken in over 50 foreign countries.

He said the Telugu community in Mauritius contributes significantly to nation-building, adding that it uniquely teaches Telugu at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels in its formal education system.

Gokhool threw light on Telugu culture's integral role in Mauritius' multicultural fabric and enduring people-to-people ties between India and Mauritius.

He asserted that the partnership between the two countries is anchored in shared history, values, and civilisational continuity.

He noted that the bilateral ties were strengthened further by high-level visits between the two nations in 2025.

The Mauritian President stated that, beyond political boundaries, diplomatic ties, language, and heritage serve as an example of strengthening ties between the two nations.

He believes that India's linguistic plurality resonates strongly with Mauritius' multicultural ethos.
Dewas/Ujjain, Jan 5 : A major controversy erupted in Madhya Pradesh's bureaucracy when a government order issued by Dewas Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Anand Malviya went viral on social media, containing sharp criticisms of the state government and Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya's foul language remark to a journalist, instead of standard administrative directives.

Dewas/Ujjain, Jan 5 (IANS) A major controversy erupted in Madhya Pradesh's bureaucracy when a government order issued by Dewas Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Anand Malviya went viral on social media, containing sharp criticisms of the state government and Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiyaas foul language remark to a journalist, instead of standard administrative directives.

The order, dated January 3, 2026, and numbered 44/Reader-1/2026, was meant to assign duties to officers for maintaining law and order during a Congress party protest in Dewas. However, it shockingly incorporated allegations from a Congress memorandum, claiming that contaminated water supplied by the BJP-ruled Indore Municipal Corporation had led to 14 deaths and widespread illnesses in 2,800 people.

It also condemned Minister Vijayvargiya's use of the derogatory term "Ghanta" (slang for dismissing something as nonsense) in response to a journalist's question on the crisis as "inhumane and autocratic".

The order further referenced Congress state president Jitu Patwari's call for aring bells ("ghanta") protest outside the homes of BJP legislators.

Ujjain Divisional Commissioner Ashish Singh suspended SDM Malviya with immediate effect, citing serious negligence and irregularities under Rule 9 of the Madhya Pradesh Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1966.

During the suspension, Malviya's headquarters have been shifted to the Divisional Commissioner's office in Ujjain, and he will receive only subsistence allowance.

Officials described the incident as a grave clerical error, where portions of the Congress protesters' memorandum were allegedly copied verbatim into the official document, which Malviya signed without proper review. However, the inclusion of political allegations, death statistics criticising the government, and objectionable remarks against a senior minister in an official order was deemed inexcusable, prompting swift disciplinary action.

The episode comes amid heightened political tensions over the ongoing water contamination crisis in Indore's Bhagirathpura area, where sewage mixing with drinking water has caused multiple deaths and hospitalisations.

Vijayvargiya's "ghanta" remark on December 31, 2025, while addressing the issue, sparked statewide outrage, leading to Congress-organised bell-ringing protests demanding his resignation.

Administrative circles are abuzz with speculation about the oversight, but the government has emphasised that such lapses undermining official neutrality cannot be tolerated. No further statements have been issued by Malviya or the concerned departments as of now.
Bengaluru, Jan 5 : The Special Court for MLAs and MPs in Bengaluru on Monday remanded 26 arrested people to judicial custody in connection with the Congress shootout case. Those remanded include Gurucharan Singh, the private gunman of Satish Reddy, an aide of Congress MLA Nara Bharat Reddy, who is facing murder charges in the case.

The accused were brought to Bengaluru from Ballari by the Karnataka Police and produced before the court. The police stated that they may seek custody of the accused again during the course of the investigation, if required. The accused will be shifted to the Bengaluru Central Prison.

Accused Gurucharan Singh wore a mask while entering the court. Among those arrested are 11 BJP workers and 10 Congress workers.

Those in police custody include the private gunmen of Satish Reddy -- Mahendra Singh and Baljit Singh -- both hailing from Punjab; MLA Bharat Reddyas government gunman Basavaraj; four government gunmen of BJP MLA Janardhana Reddy; and one gunman of B. Sriramulu. In total, nine gunmen are in custody, and the investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, another bullet was found on the premises of BJP MLA Janardhana Reddyas residence by the bomb disposal squad on Monday morning. Police said it was a 9 mm bullet. So far, 10 bullets have been recovered from in and around Janardhana Reddyas residence, where BJP and Congress workers had clashed over a banner dispute, which culminated in a shootout and the death of a Congress worker.

Police have verified the residence of Gurucharan Singh in Ballari. They have also seized the cartridge of the bullet that was fired at deceased Congress worker Rajashekar, police said.

In the suo motu case registered by the police, Janardhana Reddy has been named as Accused No. 1, while Somashekara Reddy has been named as Accused No. 2 in connection with the violence. Police also stated that piles of sticks were found on the premises of Janardhana Reddyas residence.

Two reserve police platoons were deployed at the court premises.

It may be recalled that it has been established that Congress worker Rajashekar died after being hit by a bullet fired by Gurucharan Singh during the clash. Following this confirmation, the police initially took him into custody and later formally arrested him.

So far, the police have taken 45 persons into custody for questioning and later arrested a total of 26 persons.

In the aftermath of the Ballari violence, mining baron and BJP MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy has written separate letters to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Home Minister G. Parameshwara and Director General of Police Dr M.A. Saleem, seeking 'Z' category security for himself and his family.

In the letters, he also demanded the arrest of MLA Bharat Reddy and Satish Reddy and sought action against police officers for allegedly failing to control the situation. He stated that if security is not provided and any attack occurs on him or his family in the future, the state government should be held responsible.

Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara has indicated that the government is mulling handing over the case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Seoul, Jan 5 : A coalition of civic groups on Monday chanted anti-US slogans to protest against the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro outside the US Embassy in Seoul, condemning US President Donald Trump over a military strike.

The rally involving 38 civic organisations took place after Trump announced Saturday that Maduro and his wife were taken into US custody through a military raid in Caracas, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Acting Venezuelan Ambassador to South Korea Natasha Faria Fernandez attended the rally and called for Maduro's immediate release while accusing the US government of violating the UN Charter.

Kwon Young-kook, leader of the left-wing Justice Party, called on the South Korean government to voice opposition to what he called the US invasion of the South American nation at the rally.

On Sunday, South Korea's foreign ministry urged all involved parties in the situation in Venezuela to ease tensions in the region.

Another rally involving an umbrella group representing 267 civic organisations took place near the embassy on Monday, with participants strongly condemning the US military operation.

The far-left People's Democracy Party plans to deliver a letter demanding Maduro's release to the US Embassy later in the day.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration sought to blunt criticism of its Venezuela operation, arguing that the arrest of Nicolas Maduro was a narrowly targeted law-enforcement action rather than the opening of a new war or military occupation.

Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the suggestion that the United States is now at war with Venezuela. "There's not a war," Rubio said, adding that Washington is "at war against drug trafficking organisations -- not at war against Venezuela."

Rubio said the operation was conducted under US legal authority to arrest an indicted narco-trafficker and did not amount to an invasion. "This was not an invasion," he said on NBC. "This was a law enforcement operation."

Appearing separately on ABC's This Week, Rubio said US forces were on the ground only briefly to execute the arrest and then withdrew. He emphasised that the mission relied on court warrants and sanctions enforcement rather than congressional authorisation for combat.

Rubio said the administration's focus has now shifted to sustained pressure through sanctions and maritime enforcement. On CBS's Face the Nation, he said the United States is enforcing an oil "quarantine" using court orders to seize sanctioned shipments.

"That leverage remains," Rubio told CBS News, saying the pressure would stay in place until changes occur that serve US interests and benefit Venezuelans.

Rubio pushed back against repeated questions about who is "running" Venezuela. On NBC, he said Washington is not administering the country but shaping outcomes through policy tools.

"What we are running is policy," he said, referring to efforts to stop drug trafficking, dismantle gangs, and end the presence of foreign militant groups.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz echoed that message on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures. Waltz said the operation was justified under international law and framed as self-defence.

"This is our hemisphere," Waltz told Fox News. "We are not going to allow it to become a base of operation for adversaries."

Waltz cited alleged ties between Maduro and China, Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, arguing that decisive action was necessary to protect US security.

Rubio said the administration is not ruling out future steps but stressed that there are no US troops stationed in Venezuela. "We don't have US forces on the ground," he told NBC.

Responding to questions on elections and political transition, Rubio urged realism. "These things take time," he said on CBS. "There's a process."

The administration said it would judge Venezuela's next steps by actions rather than promises, while maintaining pressure until US security concerns are addressed.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien in Beijing on Monday.

Han hailed the contributions Chretien has long been making to the development of China-Canada relations. He noted that when the leaders of the two countries met last year, they reached an important consensus and provided strategic guidance on improving and developing bilateral relations, opening a new chapter of China-Canada ties.

China and Canada have extensive common interests and broad space for cooperation, Han said, adding that China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Canada, and to promote the healthy, stable and sustainable development of bilateral relations on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

Speaking positively of the sound momentum in the development of ties between Canada and China, Chretien said that the economies of the two countries are highly complementary and their bilateral relations have broad prospects. He also expressed his willingness to continue actively promoting the healthy, stable development of Canada-China relations. 

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 5 : The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Kerala on Monday dismissed a news report published in a section of media on Sunday that alleged excessive workload on a young female Booth Level Officer (BLO), terming it "misleading" and an "exaggeration" of facts related to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 5 (IANS) The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Kerala on Monday dismissed a news report published in a section of media on Sunday that alleged excessive workload on a young female Booth Level Officer (BLO), terming it "misleading" and an "exaggeration" of facts related to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.

The clarification comes in the wake of a viral news segment which claimed that a female BLO was under severe mental and physical strain due to "impossible targets" allegedly imposed by the Election Commission.

Responding to the claims, the CEO said that the SIR process in Kerala is nearing completion and that the remaining task assigned to BLOs is limited to the distribution of hearing notices.

"The SIR in Kerala is almost complete, and the remaining task of the BLO is the distribution of hearing notices," the CEO said in a post on X on Monday.

Elaborating on the workload, the CEO added, "On average, this involves only a handful of individuals per booth. Furthermore, the rationalisation of polling booths in Kerala has been completed, resulting in the creation of 5,003 additional booths. New BLOs have been appointed, and the number of voters per booth has been capped at under 1,200. These measures were specifically designed to reduce the workload of the BLOs."

The CEO further stated that BLOs engaged in the SIR process have been fully exempted from other official duties.

In addition, the Election Commission has provided relaxations in the SIR timeline to enable officers to carry out their responsibilities more comfortably.

"To alleviate stress, programmes like 'Joyathon' were held and social media initiatives like 'BLO of the Day' were launched to appreciate and encourage outstanding performers," the CEO said.

The CEO's office also cautioned against the spread of misinformation, noting that district collectors have been directed to closely monitor reports that could obstruct public servants from performing their duties or cause unnecessary panic among electoral staff.

This is not the first instance in which the SIR process in Kerala has come under scrutiny over workload concerns.

In late 2025, the tragic death of a BLO in Kannur and a distress message from an officer in Kottayam had prompted direct intervention by the Election Commission. At that time, CEO Rathan Kelkar and the respective district collectors held video conferences with officers to address grievances and extend additional logistical support. The SIR process is currently in its final phase in Kerala, with over 97 per cent of enumeration forms already distributed.

The Election Commission has reiterated that any officer facing genuine difficulties may approach their Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) for immediate assistance or request temporary relief from duty on health or personal grounds.
New Delhi, Jan 5 : On the 73rd birth anniversary of former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister late Sushil Kumar Modi, senior leaders across party lines paid rich tributes to the veteran BJP leader, remembering his role in public life, his fight against corruption, and his lasting contribution to Bihar's development.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh, recalling Sushil Modi's political journey, said the late leader emerged as a strong voice of justice and integrity within the BJP.

"Sushil Modi emerged as a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, standing firmly against injustice and corruption. After the late Karpoori Thakur, Sushil Modi carried forward social sensitivity and maintained a deep connection with society," Singh said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also paid homage to his former deputy, visiting Krishna Memorial Hall in Patna and offering floral tributes at Sushil Modi's portrait. The two leaders had shared a long political association and jointly steered Bihar through several key administrative and developmental phases.

Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha highlighted Sushil Modi's administrative acumen and his contribution to economic reforms, particularly in the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

"On his death anniversary at his constituency and in his workplace, we remember him along with the people associated with him. As GST Chairman, he provided a strong foundation to the business community, bringing transparency and simplicity to trade," Sinha said.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary also paid tribute through a post on X, noting that a statue of the former Deputy Chief Minister was unveiled in Patna on the occasion.

"On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Bihar's former Deputy Chief Minister, our guiding politician, the most revered Sushil Kumar Modi Ji, today in Patna, the statue was unveiled in the presence of the Honorable Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar Ji, and floral tributes were offered in reverence," Choudhary wrote.

He further said that Sushil Modi had left an indelible imprint on Bihar's progress. "He has left an indelible mark on the development of Bihar. Generations can never forget," the Deputy CM added.

Sushil Kumar Modi, who passed away after a prolonged illness, was widely regarded as one of Bihar's most influential political figures. Known for his organisational skills, administrative experience, and grassroots connections, he played a crucial role in shaping Bihar's political and economic trajectory over several decades.
Indore, Jan 5 : The Madhya Pradesh Congress intensified its attack on the BJP government on Monday, announcing a 'Nyay Yatra' (March for Justice) on January 11 to demand accountability for the ongoing contaminated water crisis in Indore's Bhagirathpura area, which the party says has claimed more lives than have been officially declared.

The Congress has reiterated its demand for the resignation of Urban Administration Minister and local MLA Kailash Vijayvargiya, holding him directly accountable.

A party meeting involving block presidents, councillors, and leaders finalised the protest strategy based on collective inputs.

State Congress president Jitu Patwari alleged that the BJP-ruled administration is deliberately suppressing the death toll and restricting access to the affected locality to hide the scale of the tragedy.

"With another death reported on Monday, this marks the 30th fatality in Indore due to contaminated water supplied by the municipal corporation," Patwari told reporters.

He accused authorities of preventing party leaders, including former Minister Sajjan Verma, from visiting Bhagirathpura households.

The planned Nyay Yatra will commence from Bada Ganpati Chouraha and conclude at the statue of Ahilya Bai Holkar at Rajwada. The march aims to seek justice for the families of the deceased and pay tributes in every ward of the city.

Patwari described the incident as "premeditated murder" rather than mere negligence, calling for murder cases against those responsible.

Official figures submitted in the Indore bench of the High Court acknowledge only four deaths and over 200 hospitalisations from sewage leakage into drinking water pipelines, with thousands affected by diarrhoea and vomiting. However, residents and opposition claims suggest higher casualties, up to 17 or more in some reports.

The crisis, erupting around December 21-25, 2025, has exposed infrastructure lapses in India's cleanest city, sparking political outrage, including protests over Vijayvargiya's controversial 'ghanta' remark dismissing questions on the issue raised by a journalist.

As political tensions rise, the Nyay Yatra is set to muster public support, urging Indore residents to join in demanding transparency and justice.
Imphal, Jan 5 : At least two persons, including a woman, were injured in two consecutive explosions in Manipur's Bishnupur district on Monday, officials said.

Imphal, Jan 5 (IANS) At least two persons, including a woman, were injured in two consecutive explosions in Manipuras Bishnupur district on Monday, officials said.

A police official in Imphal said that the first blast, suspected to have been triggered by a locally made Improvised Explosive Device (IED), occurred at an abandoned house at Ngaukon village under the Phougakchao police station area.

The residents of the abandoned house are currently living in a relief camp since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur in May 2023.

According to the police official, the second explosion occurred around 200 metres away from the first blast when villagers gathered at the spot after hearing about the earlier explosion.

Two persons, injured with splinters, identified as Sanatomba Singh and Indubala Devi, were shifted to a government hospital. Police said their injuries are not serious. Immediately after the explosions, security forces, led by senior police officials, launched a combing operation to nab those responsible for the IED blasts.

An irate mob also damaged a makeshift security bunker in the vicinity, accusing the security forces of failing to prevent the blasts and arrest those responsible for the incident.

Meanwhile, security forces in joint operations during the past 24 hours arrested five militants of different outlawed outfits from three districts -- Thoubal, Bishnupur and Imphal West -- and recovered arms and ammunition.

The arrested militants belonged to the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and the Peopleas Liberation Army (PLA) and its sister outfit, the Revolutionary Peopleas Front (RPF).

Police said the arrested militants were involved in the forcible collection of subscriptions from contractors, government staff, local residents and traders.

In separate joint operations, security forces also recovered arms and ammunition from Imphal East and Churachandpur districts. The recovered items included one Self-Loading Rifle, one sniper rifle with telescopic daylight scope, one single-barrel gun, two 9mm pistols with magazines, two .32 pistols with magazines, and two country-made SBBL guns.

Besides these arms, a large cache of ammunition, around 100 kg of explosives, grenades, wireless sets and other materials were also recovered.

Security forces comprising central and state agencies continue extensive crackdowns against militants, with search operations and area domination drives underway in fringe, mixed-populated and vulnerable areas across districts.

A total of 111 nakas/checkpoints have been set up across Manipur in both valley and hill districts to curb the illegal movement of inimical elements and suspicious vehicles. Security forces have also been providing escorts to vehicles, including trucks carrying essential commodities, along the Imphal-Jiribam National Highway (NH-37).

Strict security arrangements and convoy protection continue in sensitive stretches to ensure the safe movement of vehicles.
Islamabad, Jan 5 : People held a protest in the Landi Kotal area of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand an immediate reopening of the Torkham border, local media reported on Monday.

Traders, transporters, tribal elders, daily wagers, activists of political parties and civil society were part of the protest held on Sunday under the banner of All Borders Coordinators Council.

Representatives from various organisations and groups, who were directly impacted by the border shutdown with Afghanistan since October 12, participated in the protest, Pakistan's leading daily Dawn reported.

While addressing the protesters, the speakers said that the border closure has caused economic murder of thousands of people, the majority of them being tribesmen, as they were fully reliant on the cross-border trade.

They called the Torkham border an important business gateway to Central Asia and said that the border crossing served as an economic hub for thousands of families, as their livelihoods were linked to it.

According to them, all commercial activities have stopped in the town due to the border closure.

The speakers said that hundreds of families faced extreme poverty and economic problems due to border closure, with many of them forced to take loans for their survival.

They urged Afghanistan and Pakistan not to relate bilateral trade to political and security issues and to allow people to travel frequently on both sides of the border.

"We also demand that influential tribal elders and trade representatives shall be made part of future Pak-Afghan peace and trade dialogue as they have always helped resolve thorny issues between the two countries in the past," they said.

In December last year, it was reported that daily-wage workers and porters in Pakistan were facing financial problems due to the continued closure of the Torkham border, as they had lost their part-time jobs.

The majority of these labourers are looking for jobs in Punjab and Sindh, while others have borrowed money from relatives and friends to manage their daily expenses. They have even stopped sending children to schools as they do not have money to pay fees, local media reported.

Reportedly, some jobless daily-wagers and porters have started taking drugs as they are facing mental stress.

Speaking to Dawn, Mansoor Ali stated that he abandoned his FSc computer science course midway due to poverty and started carrying the luggage of Afghan and Pakistani nationals between the border point and the taxi stand for little money.

Torkham Labourers and Porters Association leader Ali Shinwari expressed fear that the young jobless labourers could join proscribed terrorist groups, which want to exploit the distressing conditions of such frustrated youth.

"We also fear that some young tribesmen will be employed as drug peddlers as narcotics dealers offer them good wages," he said.

In October last year, Pakistan shut all trade routes with Afghanistan after Pakistani forces conducted attacks near the Durand Line. In response to Pakistan's attacks, Afghan forces also carried out attacks.

After the closure of the trade route, Afghanistan's Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, urged industrialists and traders to use alternative trade routes instead of Pakistan.
New Delhi, Jan 5 : The Jamaat-e-Islami's subcontinental hawala network, which has been the main fund-raising front for many terror groups, has become active once again before elections, Intelligence inputs suggest.

New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) The Jamaat-e-Islamias subcontinental hawala network, which has been the main fund-raising front for many terror groups, has become active once again before elections, Intelligence inputs suggest.

The hawala network of the Jamaat, which was lying low for some time, has become fully active once again owing to multiple reasons. While plenty of funds are being pumped into Bangladesh ahead of the elections, it is also raising money to revive the terror infrastructure of groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Both these terror groups had lost a considerable amount of their infrastructure during Operation Sindoor.

After lying low for some months, the ISI has decided to rebuild terror infrastructure in a much bigger way. While the ISI has several other channels to raise funds for terror-related activities, it has asked the Jamaatas hawala network to raise the bar and collect as much money as possible.

The Jamaat has a huge reach in many countries. Its countless followers and sympathisers are the biggest donors. The Jamaat collects money on the pretext that it wants to further the religion, but in reality, at least 90 per cent of the funds are used to incite violence and support terror groups. The group has also channelised money through its massive hawala network into Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and also Sri Lanka, an official said.

Over the years, the Jamaat, with the help of the ISI, has managed to build a huge illicit financial system. This supports the terror infrastructure of many terror groups. In Pakistan, the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed depend largely on the Jamaat-raised funds. Groups such as the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh (JMB) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HuJI) are also totally dependent on the funds raised by the Jamaat.

This development has raised concerns in Indian circles. An Intelligence Bureau official says that the Jamaat is capable of raising money in big numbers and from across the globe. It is currently in overdrive mode and is expected to raise a huge chunk of funds.

The ISI has instructed the Jamaat to step up operations. The ISI wants the outfit to raise money for the Lashkar-e-Tayba and Jaish-e-Mohammed so that the two terror groups can rebuild infrastructure. The funds will also be used for operations, training and logistics.

Through its hawala network, the Jamaat would also look to divert funds into Jammu and Kashmir. The ISI has an ambitious plan of setting up an all-women overground worker (OWG) module. It is also looking at roping in more youth to be part of the OWG network. This exercise would require a lot of money, and hence the Jamaat has been given the responsibility to raise the same, an official pointed out.

Further, the ISI also needs a lot of funds to run its activities in Bangladesh. It has been nurturing several terror groups in Bangladesh and has even roped in cadres from the Lashkar-e-Taiba to train terrorists in the country. The ISI aims to have strong terror groups that can keep the northeastern states and West Bengal on edge.

Further, the ISI has been meddling in the Bangladesh elections. It wants to ensure that there is a Jamaat government in power. The ISI has been diverting a lot of the Jamaat-raised funds to incite violence. It is looking to pump a lot of money into its radical network in the country, so that the violence continues unabated.

The ISI is playing a big game whereby it wants to engineer a Jamaat win. Currently, the Jamaat is behind the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). This has led the ISI to engineer violence so that the elections are postponed. This would give the Jamaat more time and also the possibility of winning an election by rigging it.

An official said that all these exercises that the ISI has planned will require plenty of funding. This explains the reason why it has told the Jamaat to step up operations and collect as much money as possible.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 5 : West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose launched a scathing attack on the leadership of the Nair Service Society (NSS) in Kerala, alleging that he was prevented from offering floral tributes at the Mannam Samadhi, the memorial of NSS founder Mannathu Padmanabhan, in the state a few years ago.

Speaking at an event linked to the Mannam Jayanti in New Delhi on Sunday, Bose, a former IAS officer from Kerala, questioned whether the community's legacy had become the "monopoly" of a single individual.

"Is offering floral tributes at Mannam Samadhi not a right of every member of the Nair community? Does one person hold a monopoly over it?" the Governor asked, expressing his deep resentment over an incident he claimed occurred during a visit to the NSS headquarters at Changanassery's Perunna in southern Kerala.

Bose, who identified himself as a "Karayogam Nair" (a member of the local units of the NSS), stated that the memorial belongs to the entire community and not to any specific leader.

Taking a direct swipe at the current administration of the NSS, he remarked, "I do not go to Perunna to meet gatekeepers."

The incident reportedly took place in November 2022, when Bose visited the Mannam Samadhi before assuming office as the West Bengal Governor. Responding to the allegation, NSS general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair on Monday said he was unaware of any such incident.

The Bengal Governor further revealed that the "negligence" and "disrespect" he faced occurred shortly before he assumed his constitutional office. He described the turn of events at Perunna as "saddening" and unbefitting of the organisation's values.

In a move seen as a symbolic challenge to the Perunna-based leadership, Governor Bose announced his intention to establish a memorial for Mannathu Padmanabhan in New Delhi.

To initiate the project, he pledged to donate one month of his official salary.

"Mannam's legacy should be celebrated globally. A memorial in the national capital will ensure his contributions to social reform are recognized at a higher level," Bose added.

The NSS in Kerala claims to maintain an equal distance from all political parties, though it is often perceived as leaning towards the Congress.

The friction between the Bengal Governor and the NSS leadership marks a rare public confrontation involving a high-ranking constitutional dignitary and one of Kerala's most powerful community organisations.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Bengaluru, Jan 5 : Responding to allegations by BJP leaders that the Karnataka government is providing houses to alleged Bangladeshi immigrants whose structures on prime government land in Bengaluru were demolished, following the intervention of the AICC, Minister for RDPR, IT and BT Priyank Kharge questioned the basis on which BJP leaders were claiming the presence of Bangladeshi immigrants in the city.

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru on Monday, Minister Kharge said, "What do they mean by illegal immigrants? Are they certain that illegal immigrants are present? Whose responsibility is it to stop illegal immigration? It is not the responsibility of the Union government. How are illegal immigrants entering India?"

"Is the BJP trying to suggest that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is not doing his job and has failed to protect the borders? On what basis are BJP leaders saying that these people are illegal immigrants? If they are illegal immigrants, the law will take its own course," he said.

"But what is the Home Minister of India doing? How are people coming all the way to Bengaluru, bypassing the borders and passing through BJP-ruled states before reaching Karnataka? How is that possible? This shows that the government at the Centre is highly inefficient," Kharge questioned.

Commenting on the stone-pelting incident involving Om Shakti devotees in Bengaluru, he said that whoever the stone-pelters were, irrespective of their religion, if they are found guilty, they should be sent behind bars.

"We will not tolerate any kind of disturbance that leads to communal disharmony in society. Whoever has committed the act, if there was malicious intent behind it, they must be put behind bars," he said.

It can be recalled that commenting on the controversy surrounding the demolition of structures on encroached government land and the rehabilitation of encroachers, former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP MLA C.N. Ashwath Narayan alleged that all encroachers were Bangladeshis and accused the Karnataka government of diverting the issue under the pretext of providing houses to the poor.

Ashwath Narayan had claimed, "All encroachers are Bangladeshis. Technically, no one is eligible for house allotment. A probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is required in this regard. If I am wrong, anyone can challenge me. There is a report in the department  ask them. Around 25 lakh Bangladeshis are here. You may feel alarmed hearing this figure, but I am making this statement responsibly and not as a general remark."
Chennai, Jan 5 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Monday, participated in the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 'Modi Pongal' celebrations held in Tiruchirappalli, marking the harvest festival with traditional fervour and strong political messaging ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

Union Home Minister Shah arrived at the venue in Mannarpuram, where he was accorded a warm and ceremonial reception by the BJP leaders and party cadres.

Organisers said the event drew more than 2,000 participants, with women performing Pongal rituals in as many as 1,008 earthen pots as part of a coordinated cultural programme.

The celebrations were held under the slogan "Namma Ooru Modi Pongal Vizha", reflecting the party's effort to associate Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Tamil cultural traditions.

Dressed in a traditional white dhoti and shirt, Union Home Minister Shah took to the stage as thousands of BJP workers gathered below, participating in the symbolic preparation and offering of Pongal.

Party leaders said the programme was intended to highlight the BJP's outreach to grassroots communities and its emphasis on blending governance with cultural identity in Tamil Nadu.

Earlier on Monday, the Union Home Minister undertook temple visits in Tiruchirappalli district.

He offered prayers at the Jambukeswarar Temple and later visited the Ranganathaswamy Temple, one of the most revered Vaishnavite shrines in South India.

During the temple visits, Union Home Minister Shah greeted devotees who had gathered in large numbers, shaking hands and exchanging brief words with members of the public.

Several Union Ministers accompanied Union Minister Shah during his visit, including Piyush Goyal, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Muralidhar Mohol, and L. Murugan.

Senior BJP functionaries from Tamil Nadu were also present.

Given the high-profile nature of the visit, extensive police security arrangements were put in place across Tiruchirappalli, particularly around temple premises and the Modi Pongal venue.

Authorities said the programme was held peacefully, with traffic diversions and crowd-control measures ensuring smooth conduct of the events.

The BJP views the Modi Pongal celebration as part of its broader campaign to strengthen its organisational base in Tamil Nadu by combining cultural outreach with political mobilisation.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Ujjain, Jan 5 : A young priest narrowly escaped death after a banned Chinese manja (kite string) slashed his throat while he was riding a motorcycle to buy household goods in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain.

The victim, Vinay Tiwari (21), originally from Jeerapur in Rajgarh district and currently residing in the Jaisinghpura area of Ujjain, sustained deep cuts across his throat in the freak accident on Sunday.

Doctors at a private hospital in Ujjain performed emergency surgery lasting over two hours to save his life.

Confirming the incident, investigation officer of Mahakal police station S.L. Kanoje told IANS, "Tiwari received injury and got some sutures to close the severe wound. He is now reported to be out of danger, though under close observation."

Medical sources described the injury as critical, stating that a slight deviation could have proved fatal by severing vital blood vessels or the windpipe. Similar incidents have occurred in the past, as the use of Chinese manja is a persistent menace, known for its glass-coated sharpness, despite state-wide restrictions on its use and sale.

The Ujjain district administration had imposed a complete ban on the sale, storage, and use of the dangerous synthetic string ahead of the Makar Sankranti festival, when kite flying peaks. Similar prohibitions exist in most urban centres across Madhya Pradesh following multiple fatalities and injuries in previous years.

A few days ago, another resident, Yogesh from Pipalia Dhooma village, suffered similar life-threatening throat injuries from Chinese manja near Khilchipur Naka, underscoring the recurring threat.

Acting swiftly, the Mahakal Police Station registered a case against a few persons accused of selling and distributing the banned string.

The prime accused, Saif Ali, was arrested and paraded by police as a deterrent.

"One suspect remains absconding, and raids are underway to nab him," the investigation officer said.

Authorities have seized quantities of Chinese manja from shops in the vicinity.

Police officials urged citizens to immediately report any sale or use of the prohibited string, warning of strict action under relevant sections.

Community leaders and religious figures have appealed for responsible celebrations during the upcoming kite festival, emphasising the need to use only cotton threads.
A woman shows special stamps marking the Year of the Horse in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Photo by Meng Delong/Xinhua)

A staff member shows special stamps marking the Year of the Horse in Anqing, east China's Anhui Province, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Photo by Xu Huoju/Xinhua)

A woman shows special stamps marking the Year of the Horse in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Photo by Meng Delong/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 5, 2026 shows special stamps marking the Year of the Horse in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Photo by Wang Jiankang/Xinhua)

People buy special stamps marking the Year of the Horse in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Photo by Geng Yuhe/Xinhua)

People buy special stamps marking the Year of the Horse in Suqian, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Photo by Ma Haifeng/Xinhua)

People buy special stamps marking the Year of the Horse and related products in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Xinhua/Li He)

Guests show the commemorative seal marking the Year of the Horse during an issuance ceremony in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Xinhua/Li He)

Designers of special stamps marking the Year of the Horse sign for stamp collectors in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Xinhua/Li He)

Special stamps marking the Year of the Horse are donated by China Post to the China National Archives of Publications and Culture during an issuance ceremony in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. China Post on Monday unveiled a set of two special stamps to celebrate the upcoming Chinese zodiac Year of the Horse. (Xinhua/Li He)
January 05 : Lucknow: The Yogi government is continuously taking concrete and far-sighted steps to strengthen health services and medical education in Uttar Pradesh. In this direction, large-scale recruitment will be undertaken for teaching and technical positions in government medical colleges in 2026. On the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, recruitment will be carried out for the posts of assistant professor, professor, and lecturer (pharmacy) in government medical colleges. Through this initiative, around 1,200 candidates will receive government jobs. This move will not only generate employment for youth but also further strengthen the states medical education system. Meanwhile, the Yogi government will soon distribute appointment letters to 1,230 nursing officers (female and male) selected through the Public Service Commission, Prayagraj.

Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Medical Education, Amit Kumar Ghosh said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had directed that vacant posts in the department be filled to ensure maximum employment opportunities for the youth of the state. Accordingly, requisitions for recruitment to the posts of assistant professor, professor, and lecturer (pharmacy) in government medical colleges have been sent to the Public Service Commission, Prayagraj, for selection. He informed that advertisements for these posts will be issued soon. Recruitment will be conducted for nearly 1,200 posts in government medical colleges, including 1,112 assistant professor posts, 44 professor posts, and 11 lecturer (pharmacy) posts.

He further stated that a major step has also been taken to strengthen the nursing cadre. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will soon distribute appointment letters to 1,230 nursing officers (women and men) selected by the Public Service Commission, Prayagraj. This will further enhance health services in government hospitals and medical colleges across the state.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has clearly instructed that medical education in the state should not be limited merely to awarding degrees but should be linked with quality, research, and practical training. In line with this vision, the state has witnessed a historic increase in the number of medical colleges over the past nearly nine years. Earlier, medical education was limited to a few districts, but now the goal of establishing medical colleges in almost every district has largely been achieved. Ensuring the availability of qualified teachers and trained staff for the operation of new colleges is a top priority of the government, and this recruitment is a significant step in that direction.

The appointment of assistant professors, professors, and pharmacy lecturers in government medical colleges will provide better guidance to medical students, promote research activities, and help raise the standard of medical education in line with national benchmarks. This will ultimately produce skilled doctors, pharmacists, and health professionals, ensuring improved healthcare services for the general public.
New Delhi, Jan 5 : Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, on Monday, attended the inauguration of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Republic Day Camp 2026, lauding the youth organisation's vital role in nation-building.

Addressing the DGNCC Camp at Delhi Cantonment as the Chief Guest, Radhakrishnan praised the NCC for its enduring contribution to youth development, an official said in a statement.

Highlighting the NCC motto of "Unity and Discipline", he said the organisation continues to shape confident and values-driven youth who form the backbone of a Viksit Bharat@2047.

Referring to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Vice President said the journey towards a developed India rests on the creation of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat powered by skilled, disciplined and service-oriented youth, a role in which the NCC plays a vital part.

Recalling the exemplary contribution of NCC cadets during Operation Sindoor, the Vice-President said nearly 72,000 cadets volunteered for civil defence duties, demonstrating commitment, courage and readiness to serve the nation in times of need.

He noted that NCC continues to mould confident, responsible and service-oriented youth, the backbone of Viksit Bharat@2047.

Highlighting the exemplary service of NCC cadets during Operation Sindoor and disaster relief efforts, he said the camp reflects India's unity, constitutional values and the promise of future leadership.

Emphasising the significance of Republic Day, he said the NCC Republic Day Camp reflects constitutional values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, as cadets from diverse states and union territories live and train together, embodying the spirit of national unity.

He praised NCC cadets for excelling in adventure activities, international youth exchange programmes, environmental initiatives and disaster relief efforts, including their commendable service during the Wayanad floods in Kerala.

Earlier, on arrival at the camp, the Vice-President inspected a Guard of Honour presented by NCC cadets. He visited the Hall of Fame and was briefed on the NCC's legacy, achievements and evolution. The Vice-President also visited exhibition stalls highlighting initiatives such as the YUVA Aapda Mitra Scheme and Drone Training, and appreciated the organisation's efforts in disaster preparedness and adoption of emerging technologies. He later witnessed a cultural programme presented by the cadets and interacted with them, commending their discipline, enthusiasm and spirit of national pride.

This year, the RD camp is witnessing a participation of 2,406 cadets, including 127 Cadets from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, and 131 Cadets from the Northeast Region. Cadets and officers from 25 friendly countries will also take part under the Youth Exchange Programme (YEP), said the statement.

The camp, organised at Delhi Cantonment, will be visited by a large number of dignitaries, including the Defence Minister, the Chief Minister of Delhi, the Defence Secretary, the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force.

The activities will culminate with the PM's Rally on January 28.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 5 : After Kerala's Leader of the Opposition (LoP) V.D. Satheesan, the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has on Monday recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged financial irregularities linked to the Punarjani housing project, involving an NGO Manappatt Foundation, and its chief executive officer (CEO).

The Punarjani project, spearheaded by LoP Satheesan during his tenure as an MLA, aimed to construct houses for those who lost their homes in the devastating 2018 floods.

Allegations surfaced that the NGO's CEO, Ameer Ahmed, in collusion with Satheesan, raised funds from foreign countries between 2018 and 2022 for flood rehabilitation, allegedly in violation of norms.

The VACB recommended a CBI probe against the Kerala LoP on Sunday following a preliminary inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of foreign funds collected for post-flood reconstruction.

Adding to the Congress' troubles ahead of the state Assembly elections in a few months from now, the Vigilance Director Manoj Abraham has submitted a report to the state government seeking a federal investigation under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), citing the international nature of the fund collection, according to local media reports quoting Home Department sources.

"The probe revealed that substantial amounts were raised from expatriates in Middle Eastern countries without requisite clearances under the FCRA," a senior official said.

According to the VACB findings, Manappatt Foundation allegedly received Rs 1.22 crore from the UK during the 2018a"22 period.

Investigators also noted that the NGO and its CEO played a central role in managing the funds, with a significant portion of the collected amount remaining unaccounted for in the official records.

The recommendation follows a complaint alleging that the project bypassed official state channels and violated Central government regulations governing foreign donations.

The VACB has said that only a central agency can effectively trace the money trail across international borders.

Rejecting the allegations, Manappatt Foundation CEO Ameer Ahmed said that he and his NGO were ready to face any probe related to the Punarjani project and its funding.

Kerala witnessed unprecedented floods in 2018, claiming nearly 500 lives and destroying hundreds of houses across the state.

Meanwhile, the Congress in Kerala dismissed the recommendation for a CBI probe as an election stunt, alleging that it was an attempt to divert attention from the Sabarimala temple gold theft case.

The development is expected to trigger a political face-off, as the project is closely associated with the current Leader of the Opposition Satheesan.

The Assembly elections in Kerala are likely to be held in April or May this year.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is seeking a comeback after defeats in 2016 and 2021 Assembly polls, while the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) is aiming for a record third consecutive term -- an unprecedented feat in the state's political history.
Coimbatore, Jan 5 : The Coimbatore rural district police recorded major success in curbing drug peddling and the illegal liquor trade in 2025, with officials attributing the improved enforcement largely to the implementation of the 'Smart Khakis' scheme, which ensured continuous patrolling and strengthened visible policing across rural areas.

According to data compiled by the Coimbatore rural police, a total of 670 kg of narcotic substances were seized during the year in 464 drug peddling cases, leading to the arrest of 556 accused people.

Police officials described the figures as a significant achievement and one of the most sustained anti-narcotics drives carried out in the district in recent years.

District Superintendent of Police K Karthikeyan said several preventive and enforcement measures were introduced in 2025 to strengthen law and order in the district.

"The past year saw the launch of the 'Smart Khakis' scheme, under which police personnel were deployed on a shift basis to patrol the entire Coimbatore rural district around the clock," he said.

Under the initiative, patrol teams were specifically tasked with visiting isolated villages, vulnerable stretches, and crime-prone hotspots in rural areas. This strategy, the SP noted, played a crucial role in preventing crimes and ensuring faster intervention.

"The continuous presence of police personnel acted as a deterrent. Their regular visits to sensitive locations helped us identify suspicious activities early and prevent offences," he added.

Pointing out that seizures of narcotic substances increased by 52 per cent in 2025, Karthikeyan said the results were achieved through strict enforcement, Intelligence-based operations, and special drives carried out by the rural district police.

He emphasised that the increase reflected improved detection and policing rather than a rise in drug-related activity.

The Coimbatore rural police also intensified action against the illegal sale and manufacture of alcohol during the year. As part of the drive, police conducted 12,940 raids and registered 3,921 cases. The seizures included 4,484 litres of illicit liquor, 8,987 litres of toddy, 5,145 litres of rectified spirit, and 150 litres of fermented wash.

In addition, 83,882 in cash and 10 vehicles used in the illegal trade were seized from the accused.

Police officials said the success of the operations highlighted the importance of sustained patrolling, visible policing, and focussed enforcement in maintaining law and order across Coimbatore's rural regions.
Chennai, Jan 5 : Condemning the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro following US military action, activists of the CPI(M) staged a protest near the United States Consulate in Teynampet on Monday, leading to the detention of around 150 demonstrators, including 25 women.

The protest was organised to register opposition to what the party described as "imperialist interference" in Venezuela's internal affairs.

The demonstrators assembled on Peters Road in Royapettah, a short distance from the consulate, raising slogans against the United States and calling for respect for Venezuela's sovereignty.

The agitation was led by senior party functionary G. Ramakrishnan, former Maduravoyal MLA Bheema Rao, and Central Chennai district president Selvam.

Party flags and placards condemning the US action were prominently displayed as the protesters addressed the gathering and attempted to mobilise supporters for a march towards the consulate.

Anticipating the protest, police had made elaborate security arrangements in the area.

A large contingent of personnel was deployed along Peters Road and adjoining streets, with metal barricades erected to block access to the consulate.

Vehicular movement along the stretch was temporarily restricted as a precautionary measure to prevent any law-and-order issues. Despite repeated warnings from the police and the imposition of restrictions, the protesters attempted to proceed towards the consulate, allegedly trying to breach the barricades. This prompted police intervention.

After brief scuffles and heated exchanges, officers detained the demonstrators to prevent the situation from escalating.

The detained protesters were later transported in two police buses to a nearby community hall in Royapettah, where they were held for several hours.

Police officials said the detainees were released later in the day after being warned against violating prohibitory orders.

Senior police officers maintained that the action was taken purely to ensure public safety and maintain order in a sensitive diplomatic zone. "We respect the right to protest, but demonstrations near foreign missions are governed by strict security protocols," an officer said.

Party leaders, however, accused the authorities of suppressing democratic dissent and reiterated their demand that India take a firm stand against what they termed US aggression in Venezuela.

Later in an X post, the party wrote, "CPI(M) Control Commission Chairperson G. Ramakrishnan, the Secretaries of the North, Central, and South Chennai district committees, and party workers were detained in front of the US consulate in Chennai while protesting the Trump administration's attack on Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro."
New Delhi, Jan 5 : While Indian corporate boards are structurally sound, inclusive and committed to stewardship, they must address deeper behavioural and strategic gaps to become truly future-ready, a report said on Monday.

The report by the Indian School of Business (ISB) has called for Indian corporate boards to move beyond compliance and play a more strategic role in shaping the country's corporate future.

The findings show that only 17 per cent of boards play an active role in shaping company strategy, while the others 83 per cent play a more passive role.

More than one in three (36 per cent) admit their boards provide limited or no input beyond reviewing management's plans.

"Effective oversight requires directors to go beyond compliance, anticipate risks, and guide management with foresight and conviction. As India's corporate sector expands globally, boards must evolve from passive monitors to active stewards of long-term value creation," said Sanjay Kallapur, Professor of Accounting at ISB.

The report is based on a comprehensive survey of over 200 directors from BSE 500 companies. It assesses governance maturity across three dimensions  guidance and oversight, board functioning, and leadership  and examines the effectiveness of key committees including audit, risk management, and nomination and remuneration.

Professor Madan Pillutla, Dean, ISB, in his foreword, said the survey "shines a light on patterns of behaviour, decision-making, and leadership that determine whether boards merely comply or truly govern."

The study also highlights that only 27 per cent of directors seek information from independent sources, creating an "echo chamber" that can stifle dissent and increase the risk of groupthink.

"True governance maturity lies in fostering boardrooms that value preparation, perspective, and the courage to ask difficult questions," said Nirmalya Kumar, Visiting Professor of Strategy at ISB.

Leadership and committee effectiveness also emerge as critical gaps. While audit committees are strong on financial vigilance, their engagement on whistleblower and behavioural issues remains limited, the report mentioned.
Hyderabad, Jan 5 : Kalvakuntla Kavitha turned emotional during her last speech in Telangana Legislative Assembly on Monday and declared that Telangana Jagruthi, which she is heading, will be turned into a political party.

The daughter of former Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) alleged that she suffered utter humiliation in the party.

Kavitha, who quit BRS after being suspended from the party and also sent her resignation as a Member of the Legislative Council in September last year, made her last speech in the House. She urged the Council Chairman to accept her resignation.

Kavitha, who had floated Telangana Jagruthi, a cultural organisation, during the Telangana movement, announced that Telangana Jagruthi would be turned into a political party now.

She vowed to return to the Legislature as a new political force. "A new political platform is coming up in the State. It will work for students, unemployed and all other sections," she said.

Appealing to people to bless her, she stated that she came out for them after snapping all ties with the paternal home due to the humiliation she had to suffer.

She announced that Telangana Jagruthi will contest the next elections. "It will definitely emerge as a major political force. I am going out from the Legislature as an individual but will return as political force," she said.

Kavitha alleged that individuals around her father KCR conspired against her and she was politically sidelined and finally sent out.

She also alleged that ruling Congress party was trying to cash in on the rift within the BRS.

On the allegation by Congress leaders that she quit BRS due to dispute over assets, she said that her fight is for self-respect and not assets.

She claimed that restrictions against her started when she organised Bathukamma after formation of Telangana State in 2014. She said curbs were imposed on her individual freedom.

"I worked in the party with all sincerity. I discharged whatever responsibility was given to me. I was targeted for raising questions," she said.

She also remarked how could there be democracy in the State when the party itself lacks internal democracy. "The party has completely humiliated me. It did not stand with me when I was fighting ED and CBI," she said referring to her arrest by the Central agencies in Delhi excise policy case.

Kavitha alleged that BJP got her arrested out of political vendetta against KCR.

She said she questioned corruption in the party and in the government. She claimed that from construction of Telangana martyrs' memorial to building of district Collectorates, there was corruption in all the works. She stated that Siddipet Collectorate was washed away in just one rain.

The former MP said she fought in the party for pension to those who participated in Telangana movement and alleged that BRS never gave the due recognition to the martyrs.

KCR's daughter said BRS never bothered about 'water, funds and jobs', the slogan with which Telangana movement was launched.

Kavitha said when allegations were made against KCR over Kaleshwaram project, not a single big leader from the party came out in his defence. "That's why I organised a press meet to speak out on the issue and named the corrupt," she said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Jan 5 : Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to refuse bail to student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the alleged "larger conspiracy" case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots.

"We welcome the Court's decision to reject the bail pleas of Delhi riots accused Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid. Those who pushed Delhi into the flames of riots should receive the strictest punishment. Political parties that supported such rioters should also get a strong message and be held accountable," CM Gupta told reporters in the Delhi Assembly complex.

The BJP described the Supreme Court's stand on the bail plea as an important reaffirmation of judicial independence which was challenged by "urban Naxals and Islamist sympathisers" through pressure tactics.

Amit Malviya, in-charge of BJP's National Information and Technology Department, said in a social media post, "The Supreme Court's decision to deny bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots 'larger conspiracy' case marks an important reaffirmation of judicial independence."

The court has found, prima facie, that material exists indicating their involvement in a criminal conspiracy under the UAPA, he said.

"At the same time, it granted bail to five other accused, but only under stringent conditions, clearly underscoring that culpability must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. In doing so, the court accepted the Delhi Police's argument that all accused cannot be treated as standing on the same footing," said Malviya.

"This ruling should send an unambiguous message to the cabal of urban Naxals and Islamist sympathisers who believed that pressure tactics, whether through letters from an upstart mayor or foreign legislators, could sway India's judicial process," he said.

"For the opposition, the lesson is even clearer: seeking foreign intervention in India's internal matters is not only counterproductive but steadily erodes whatever credibility they may still possess. The usual suspects may continue to whine, but their visible misery speaks for itself," said Malviya.

Earlier pronouncing the judgment, an Apex Court Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B. Varale said that the prosecution material disclosed a prima facie case against Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, thereby attracting the statutory bar to bail under Section 43D(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

At this juncture, the Justice Kumar-led Bench observed that the prosecution evidence and other material "does not justify their enlargement on bail", adding that the record suggested their involvement at the level of planning, mobilisation and issuance of strategic directions.

-- Syndicated from IANS
January 05 : Lucknow: Translating Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's vision of inclusive education and empowerment of persons with disabilities into action, Dr Shakuntala Mishra National Rehabilitation University inaugurated the state's first state-university-level Braille library section. The modern Braille library, set up on the first floor of the Swami Vivekananda Central Library, was inaugurated by Vice-Chancellor Acharya Sanjay Singh as the chief guest. Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor paid floral tribute to the statue of Louis Braille, the father of Braille script, at the university's Braille press premises on his birth anniversary. The Braille library section was then formally inaugurated by cutting the ribbon.

The programme began with the Vice-Chancellor lighting the ceremonial lamp while holding the hands of visually impaired students. On the occasion, he encouraged students to become self-reliant and directed the university administration to provide them with modern computer training as well. He said that Braille script is a powerful medium of education for visually impaired persons, enabling them to connect with the mainstream of society.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Backward Classes Welfare and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Narendra Kashyap, said that the Braille library houses more than 4,000 NEP-based academic Braille books for 54 UG and PG courses published by the university's Braille press. This is the first state university in Uttar Pradesh to develop a well-organised Braille library section with such a large collection. The library also features a reading room with seating capacity for over 150 students.

Spokesperson and Library In-charge Prof Yashwant Veeroday informed that a target has been set to increase the number of Braille books to 10,000 within this year. Along with academic books, the library will also offer novels, plays, biographies of eminent personalities, and literary works.

He further said that in line with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's vision of education for all, the library will not be limited to the university alone. Visually impaired persons from outside will also be able to access the facility by obtaining membership. Special, casual, and corporate membership options have been introduced. Special membership will be available to scholars, researchers, academicians, and residents of Lucknow, subject to submission of two residential proofs along with the membership form. Guest lecturers, retired teachers, and employees of the rehabilitation university can become special members by paying the prescribed library fee. Casual membership will be granted for up to six months at a time, allowing access to library resources upon payment of the required fee, though no books will be issued to irregular members. Under corporate membership, any organisation based in Lucknow can become a member by paying an annual fee, entitling the organisation to six library tickets for use by its employees.

Braille research scholar Ajay Kumar Dwivedi, along with Rohit, Ram Sakal, Manoj, Ajay, and other visually impaired students, expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the university administration for this initiative. They said that while Louis Braille gave them the script to read, the university has provided them with dignity, facilities, and meaningful opportunities.
Chandigarh, Jan 5 : The AAP-led Punjab government has come under sharp attack from opposition parties over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state after a sarpanch from the ruling party was shot dead at a wedding venue in Amritsar.

Jarnail Singh, who had arrived to attend a relative's wedding at the Marigold Resort, was shot in the head by unidentified assailants on Sunday.

He was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries during treatment. Police officials said the matter is under investigation.

The killing has added to growing concerns as the state witnessed two high-profile murders within a span of four days.

On Saturday, a Congress worker, who was also employed with Nestle, was gunned down in Moga district, allegedly by the sarpanch of the same village, who belongs to the AAP. This was followed by the murder of another AAP sarpanch, with reports suggesting that he had been receiving threats from gangsters.

Reacing to this, BJP leader Fateh Jang Singh Bajwa said there was practically no government left in Punjab.

"If you look around, the first news you hear every morning is that some leader from some village has been murdered. Just yesterday, this happened again. As you mentioned earlier, first, a gangster shot a liquor or betting operator in front of thousands of people and escaped. Then, in Moga, a Congress supporter was shot 20 times and killed. Yesterday, even one of the AAP sarpanches was murdered," Bajwa told IANS.

Taking a swipe at the state leadership, he added, "The Punjab Chief Minister just knows how to talk. AAP convenor Kejriwal used to say that the AAP government would eradicate crime in Punjab within 24 hours, but now, within 24 hours, several murders are taking place here."

Further criticising the government, Bajwa said, "The public made a huge mistake by electing such a government that cannot handle the state."

Congress leader Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also slammed the AAP government, stating the law and order situation had completely collapsed.

"There is no such thing as law and order left anymore. This is not the first incident. Today, this is the second such incident in Amritsar where people had to hide under tables to save their lives," he said.

Referring to a video of the incident, Warring added, "I have seen the video -- the person is sitting there, eating food, and without any warning, he is shot directly in the head, and the attackers calmly walk away. What can the police do now? After murder?"

Speaking to IANS, BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh said the situation in Punjab had worsened drastically.

"The law and order situation in Punjab has deteriorated to such an extent that earlier criminals used to come with their faces covered, but now they operate openly," he said.

"They enter a marriage palace, open fire in broad daylight, turn an atmosphere of celebration into mourning and walk away. The criminals fear no one in Punjab, but the common people are the ones who are terrified," Chugh added.

JD(U) National Spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad also criticised the AAP government, saying, "Many people were attracted by lofty promises, on the basis of which your government was formed in the state. The Chief Minister's advertisements are prominently featured across newspapers and electronic media, but on the ground, the reality is quite different."

"Whether it is the issue of law and order or the question of development, the AAP government has proved to be a failure on both fronts in Punjab. In the times to come, whenever elections are held, the AAP's return to power appears highly unlikely," he added.

Meanwhile, police officials said the case is being investigated from all possible angles and assured that the culprits would be arrested soon. They also revealed that Jarnail Singh had survived three earlier attempts on his life.
MANILA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Philippine police on Monday arrested retired Air Force Major General Romeo Poquiz on charges of sedition in connection with his alleged role in a destabilization plot against the government.

Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group arrested Poquiz at Manila's international airport upon his arrival from a family holiday in Bangkok, Thailand, by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by a court for rebellion and inciting to sedition.

Authorities said the complaint stemmed from a protest rally organized by Poquiz's group in Manila in November last year, during which he allegedly urged members of the armed forces to rise against the current government.

Following his arrest, Poquiz was brought to the Philippine National Police national headquarters, where he underwent booking and documentation procedures before being presented to the court. 
January 05 : Lucknow: In Uttar Pradesh, women's empowerment has moved beyond slogans to become a lived reality. Inspired by the vision of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Mansha Devi of Gorakhpur has transformed her own life while creating dignified livelihoods for over 60 women.

After joining a self-help group, she achieved financial independence within a year and emerged as a successful entrepreneur. Her inspiring journey has now earned her an invitation to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on January 26.

Once struggling with limited income, Mansha Devi found a new direction through the Safe Mobility programme. Today, she works fearlessly as an e-rickshaw trainer, driving day and night and equipping other women with skills, confidence, and self-belief. Her monthly income has risen to 20,00030,000, translating into an annual earning of nearly 2.53 lakh.

The Safe Mobility initiative is being implemented under the State Rural Livelihoods Mission, guided by Mission Director Deepa Ranjan, in collaboration with Development Alternatives.

Mansha Devi has trained 60 women across Gorakhpur district, including the Brahmapur block, in driving, licensing, and entrepreneurship.

Backed by government schemes and a safer transport ecosystem, these women are now confidently driving e-rickshaws and supporting their families with stable incomes. From earning nothing at one point, Mansha Devi now makes 8001,000 a day and continues to train women from her village and beyond, steadily expanding the network.

Financial assistance of 1.25 lakh under the Mudra Yojana and an additional 1 lakh from the block level played a crucial role in strengthening her initiative.

Today, the 60 women associated with her are independently earning and moving freely in a secure environment.

Mansha Devi's journey, from a self-help group member to an e-rickshaw trainer and mentor, stands as a powerful example of how focused policies, skill development, and opportunity can enable rural women to uplift themselves and their communities together.
Jaipur, Jan 5 : British Member of Parliament and Padma Shri awardee Bob Blackman in Jaipur said that the time has come for India's role and influence to be further strengthened at the United Nations, reflecting the country's growing global importance.

Blackman also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, stating that India's global stature, respect, and self-esteem have significantly increased under his dynamic and decisive governance.

BJP Haryana in-charge and the party's former Rajasthan state president, Dr Satish Poonia, hosted a high tea at the Constitution Club in Jaipur in his honour. The event was attended by several prominent citizens and BJP leaders.

Addressing the gathering, Bob Blackman said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the world the message of peace and harmony through the philosophy of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (the world is one family).

He described PM Modi as a visionary and dynamic leader under whose leadership India is becoming self-reliant across sectors and steadily progressing towards becoming a developed nation.

Blackman noted that during times of crisis, including the Covid-19 pandemic, India stood by other nations and extended assistance to countries in need. He added that India is strengthening trade and economic ties with both developing and developed nations, guided by a long-term and strategic foreign policy.

Speaking on Jammu and Kashmir, Bob Blackman stated that he had demanded the removal of Article 370 as early as 1992, even before Prime Minister Modi's tenure. He recalled raising the issue internationally when Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee their homes, calling the displacement unjust and inhumane. He said the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits was not only a humanitarian crisis but also a consequence of terrorism and extremism. Blackman reiterated that he has consistently condemned terrorist incidents in Kashmir and stood in solidarity with the affected communities.

The British MP also condemned atrocities against Hindus and attacks on temples in Bangladesh, expressing concern over forced religious conversions.

He further stated that India's economic position today is stronger than that of the United Kingdom in several respects.

Dr Satish Poonia said that Bob Blackman has consistently echoed India's message of global welfare and peace in the British Parliament. He described Blackman as a strong voice supporting Prime Minister Modi's pro-people policies, firm decision-making, and leadership on international platforms, playing an important role in strengthening India-UK relations.

During the event, Bob Blackman was welcomed and felicitated by Dr Satish Poonia, MP Rao Rajendra Singh, Overseas Friends of BJP (London) President Kuldeep Singh Shekhawat, MLA Kailash Verma, BJP Rajasthan Mahila Morcha State President Rakhi Rathore, former Mayor Pankaj Joshi, former BJP Yuva Morcha state president Himanshu Sharma, and other leaders.

The guests, meanwhile, were left surprised when Bob greeted them, saying Namaste and Vande Mataram. He hoped high of growing relations with india under FTA. Praising India's growth story under PM Narendra Modi's leadership, he said, "India's future is bright, and India's bonding with other countries in the world is cementing".
New Delhi, Jan 5 : Chinese authorities have stepped up tax collection from online sellers as part of a broader push to boost government revenues amid slowing economic growth, a report has said.

Since a new tax law came into force in October, ecommerce platforms such as Alibaba, Shein and Amazon have begun sharing detailed data with tax authorities.

The information includes merchants' names, orders, sales figures, profits and even income from virtual gifts or digital tokens, according to documents released by local tax bureaus, according to Financial Times report.

Officials said the move is already paying off. By the end of the third quarter, more than 7,000 ecommerce platforms had submitted tax-related data, according to Lian Qifeng, a director at the State Taxation Administration.

Speaking at a briefing in December, Lian said this helped drive a 12.7 per cent rise in tax revenue from ecommerce platforms in the third quarter compared with a year earlier, although he did not disclose the total amount collected.

The crackdown comes at a time when China's economy is under pressure. Growth slowed to its weakest pace in a year in the third quarter, weighed down by the US trade war and a prolonged slump in the property sector.

With land sales collapsing and traditional revenue sources drying up, Beijing is increasingly looking to the fast-growing online economy for fresh fiscal income, including from merchants, influencers and livestreamers.

To strengthen collections, the State Taxation Administration has launched several campaigns.

These include pushing mainland investors to pay 20 per cent tax on global capital gains, cutting back tax incentives in regions accused of fuelling industrial overcapacity, and cracking down on companies that inflate invoices to claim fraudulent tax rebates.

Online sales of physical goods reached Rmb12.8tn ($1.8tn) in 2024, accounting for nearly 27 per cent of China's total retail sales, according to official data.

However, analysts say online businesses have historically contributed less to tax revenues than brick-and-mortar stores.

Although platforms have technically been required to submit sales data since 2019, enforcement was weak.

The new law introduces clearer rules and strict deadlines, leading to tighter oversight. Lian said tax authorities have repeatedly warned sellers whose self-declared income was far lower than figures reported by platforms.

He noted that this has helped narrow the tax gap between online and offline merchants. Legal experts said the shift marks a turning point.

"Data-driven taxation has become the ultimate weapon in the authorities' toolbox," said Quan Kaiming, a partner at Shanghai-based Allbright Law Offices.

While the new rules promote fair competition, he warned that they also raise compliance costs and data security risks, especially for influencers and livestreaming businesses.

Many online sellers are worried about the impact on already thin margins. Companies with annual sales above Rmb5mn face a value-added tax of 13 per cent, a level some merchants say could wipe out profits.

However, Alibaba, Shein and Amazon did not respond to the matter yet.
January 05 : Lucknow: Delegation from the Canadian Hindu Chambers of Commerce met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday. The Chief Minister welcomed all 24 members of the delegation. Led by the organisation's Founder President, Naresh Kumar Chawda, the delegation expressed keen interest in investing in Uttar Pradesh in the MSME, religious tourism and hospitality sectors. The Chief Minister assured them of all possible support from the state government. He also invited the members to visit Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Kashi, and Prayagraj.

The Chief Minister emphasised the need to promote new initiatives in trade, technology and tourism in line with the Prime Minister's vision. He said that 89 years ago, markets during festivals were flooded with Chinese products, but in 2018 the state promoted traditional enterprises through the One DistrictOne Product initiative. These products were provided with design support, technology and platforms, and are showcased at the UP International Trade Show held in the last week of September.

The Chief Minister said that Chinese products have now disappeared from UP markets. The government is supporting all 9.6 million MSME units in the state and ensuring social security for them, benefiting the livelihoods of around 25 million families. Through One DistrictOne Product, these products have been branded and are now being presented as official gifts on major platforms.

The Chief Minister informed the delegation that India is now the world's fourth-largest economy and also the fastest-growing major economy. Uttar Pradesh ranks among the top three states in terms of economic contribution and is home to the country's largest population.

He acquainted the delegation with UP's rapid progress, stating that the state offers immense opportunities with improved security, law and order, and a strong investment environment. At the Global Investors Summit held last year, investment proposals worth Rs 40 lakh crore were received, of which projects worth Rs 15 lakh crore have already witnessed ground-breaking ceremonies. The remaining proposals worth Rs 5 lakh crore are being prepared for the next round of implementation. He added that members of the Chambers can play a significant role in bringing investment, technology and FDI to UP. Separate policies have been framed for FDI and Fortune 500 companies.

The Chief Minister said that Uttar Pradesh also represents India's rich heritage. The world's largest cultural and spiritual gathering, the Maha Kumbh, was organised in the state last year, witnessing participation of over 660 million devotees. He also highlighted the state's abundant water resources and fertile land.

He said that special focus has been given to infrastructure development in recent years. Uttar Pradesh accounts for 55 per cent of the country's expressway network, with significantly improved connectivity, including greenfield expressways. The state has the largest rail network, metro services in the highest number of cities, a rapid rail system, and the country's first operational waterway.

The Chief Minister noted that UP currently has 11 domestic and four international airports in operation, with Asia's largest airport at Jewar set to become operational soon. He said that UP is a land of opportunities, with projects such as a film city and apparel park in Noida, logistics hubs, and the state emerging as a new data centre hub. Four data centres are currently operational, with six more in the pipeline.

He further said that Uttar Pradesh has witnessed more than eight-and-a-half years of stable law and order. Mentioning the upcoming AI City in Lucknow, he highlighted the state's potential in advanced technologies. The Chief Minister also said that Canadian entrepreneurs and others could contribute to the export of agricultural produce grown by farmers in UP.

He added that the most important sites associated with Buddha and Jain Tirthankars are also located in Uttar Pradesh, offering vast potential for tourism development. Members of the Chambers can play a major role in promoting these destinations globally and informing visitors about the best times to visit. He noted that air and road connectivity to all major pilgrimage sites in UP is excellent.

Founder President and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Canadian Hindu Chambers of Commerce, Naresh Kumar Chawda, expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister. He said that while Invest IndiaInvest Canada is organised every year in Canada, in 2026 it will be held three times, with two events focused on Uttar Pradesh. He informed the Chief Minister that his team will work in UP across MSMEs, religious tourism and hospitality sectors.

He also said that during JulyAugust and DecemberJanuary, children of the Indian diaspora born in Canada will be brought to Uttar Pradesh to visit major religious sites. In addition, the Chambers plan to establish a 50-bed hospital and senior citizen homes in the state.
Bengaluru, Jan 5 : An incident involving a minor boy allegedly filming women inside a washroom has been reported from the Madiwala police station limits in Bengaluru, police said on Monday. The accused juvenile has been detained in connection with the case, while efforts are on to trace another juvenile suspected to be involved.

The incident was reported from Sandhya Cinema Theatre in Bengaluru on January 4 at around 9.30 p.m.

According to a police statement released on Monday, "On January 4 at around 9.30 p.m., based on information received from the 'Namma 112' helpline regarding a disturbance at Sandhya Cinema Theatre, located within the limits of Madiwala Police Station, the Hoysala patrol vehicle officer and staff of Madiwala Police Station immediately rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control."

"It was reported that a juvenile boy, allegedly recording videos inside the women's washroom of Sandhya Cinema Theatre, was surrounded by female patrons. The police safely rescued the juvenile in conflict with law from the crowd and brought him to the police station."

The police said another suspect was also taken in for inquiry. The gathered crowd was pacified and dispersed. Based on a complaint lodged by female patrons, the juvenile in conflict with law and his mobile phone were taken into custody for investigation. In connection with the incident, the management committee of Sandhya Cinema Theatre is also being questioned.

Efforts are underway to trace the other accused who is currently absconding, and further investigation is in progress, the police said.

Earlier, a series of disturbing incidents in Bengaluru have sparked public outrage. In one such case, a 19-year-old man, Hussain from Kothanur, was arrested for allegedly secretly recording women at public places such as MG Road and Brigade Road and posting the videos on an Instagram page named 'Dilbar Jaani-64' under the pretext of showcasing nightlife. The videos were allegedly recorded without the women's consent.

In another case, Maroof Sharif was arrested by Govindapura police for allegedly sexually harassing a woman in broad daylight while she was heading to a nearby shop. The victim managed to escape and later reported the incident to the police.

In yet another incident, a sweet shop staffer was arrested in Bengaluru for allegedly recording a video of a woman inside a washroom. The 25-year-old victim, a private firm employee, had gone to a reputed sweets shop on Koramangala 60 Feet Road to use the washroom at around 8 p.m. on April 25, 2025. The incident was reported from the Koramangala police station limits.

In a separate case, Swapnil Nagesh Mali, a 30-year-old senior associate consultant at Infosys, was arrested on June 30, 2025, for allegedly secretly filming one of his female colleagues inside their office washroom. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed that he derived satisfaction from watching such videos and had more than 50 such clips downloaded on his phone.

The victim stated to police that on June 30, 2025, at around 11 a.m., she went to the washroom. While using the toilet, she noticed a reflection on the cubicle door and saw someone attempting to pull something from the adjacent stall.

She stepped out and noticed another woman exiting one of the cubicles. When she returned to the same stall, climbed onto the commode and looked over, she allegedly saw the accused standing on the commode in the nearby cubicle and recording her. She confronted him, which led to his arrest.
January 05 : Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid floral tribute to former Chief Minister and Governor Kalyan Singh on his 94th birth anniversary, remembering him as a leader who gave true meaning to his name by dedicating his life to the welfare of Uttar Pradesh.

Recalling his tenure, the Chief Minister said, "Kalyan Singh, fondly known as 'Babuji,' was the first Chief Minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh. When he assumed office in 1991, the state was grappling with disorder, lawlessness, rising criminal and terrorist activities, and deep-rooted misgovernance. Villages, farmers, the poor, youth, and women were deprived of the benefits of government schemes, while Hindu society was yearning to break free from centuries of subjugation."

CM Yogi said, "Babuji led the first BJP government in the state with a full majority. Within a few months of his leadership, people began to feel a renewed sense of confidence that Uttar Pradesh was moving towards good governance and development, despite repeated conspiracies aimed at destabilizing his government and spreading unrest."

He further stated that at the peak of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Kalyan Singh prioritized devotion and principle over power. Respecting the sentiments of devotees and saints, he did not hesitate to sacrifice his government for Lord Ram. Though his government fell, he took full responsibility for fulfilling the historic resolve of ending the symbol of slavery, remaining steadfast in his duty towards Lord Ram.

Chief Minister Yogi said, "Babujis tenure will always be remembered for strengthening good governance, development, and the nationalist vision of Uttar Pradesh. Born into a farmers family, Kalyan Singh imbibed the spirit of nationalism through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and made it the guiding purpose of his life. His dedicated service as an MLA, minister, Member of Parliament, Chief Minister, and Governor has left an indelible mark on the nation and will be remembered for generations."

The programme was attended by former MP Rajveer Singh, outgoing BJP State President Chaudhary Bhupendra Singh, MPs Satish Gautam and Mukesh Rajput, Cabinet Minister Dr. Sanjay Nishad, Minister of State Danish Azad Ansari, Minister of Basic Education Sandeep Singh, along with several other dignitaries.
New Delhi, Jan 5 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latter's residence in the national capital on Monday, seeking valuable guidance to further accelerate the development trajectory of 'New Uttar Pradesh'.

In a post on X following the hour-long meeting, CM Yogi expressed profound gratitude, stating: "Today, I had the honour of meeting with Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi in New Delhi and received his valuable guidance. Your guidance always inspires new energy further to accelerate the development journey of 'New Uttar Pradesh'. Heartfelt thanks to the Prime Minister for giving his valuable time."

Sources indicate that the discussions encompassed key issues, including the much-anticipated expansion of the state cabinet, political appointments in various commissions and boards, and strategies for the upcoming 2027 assembly elections.

The cabinet reshuffle is expected to occur post-Makar Sankranti on January 14-15, following the recent appointment of Pankaj Chaudhary as the new Uttar Pradesh BJP chief. The meeting also focused on ongoing development initiatives and aligning state policies with the central government's vision for a 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India).

Under the 'double-engine' government, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed significant progress in infrastructure, investment, and public welfare schemes, contributing substantially to national growth.

CM Yogi is also meeting with BJP national president JP Nadda, amid preparations for organisational changes and electoral planning.

The deliberations underscore the close coordination between the state and central leadership as Uttar Pradesh aims to set new benchmarks in prosperity, governance, and all-around progress by 2026.

This courtesy call and guidance session highlights the continued emphasis on transformative governance in India's most populous state, with PM Modi's insights expected to infuse fresh momentum into key projects and the political roadmap.

The Prime Minister's Office also acknowledged the meeting, reinforcing collaborative efforts for national development.
Amritsar, Jan 5 : Akal Takht Jathedar Kuldip Singh Gargaj on Monday summoned Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan on January 15, seeking an explanation over his utterances against Sikh institutions that hurt the religious sentiments of the community.

The Jathedar claimed said the Chief Minister's actions in videos towards Sikh Gurus and former Damdami Taksal head Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale were disrespectful and an act of sacrilege.

"You are hereby informed that while speaking on a serious ongoing Panthic issue, you deliberately displayed an anti-Sikh mentality by repeatedly making highly objectionable remarks against Sri Akal Takht Sahib's Sikh Rehat Maryada, its supreme authority, and the principle of dasvandh, Guru Ki Golak, bestowed by the Guru Sahiban, thereby deeply wounding Sikh sentiments," the Akal Takht said in a statement.

"Additionally, some objectionable videos of yours have recently surfaced, in which you are seen engaging in highly objectionable activities with the images of Sikh Guru Sahiban and the great national martyr of the 20th century, Sant Giani Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale.

"Pursuant to the orders of the revered Singh Sahib Jathedar Sri Akal Takht Sahib, you are holding a constitutional high office in Punjab, and your anti-Sikh statements reflect your inner state of political arrogance," the highest temporal seat of Sikhism said.

The Jathedar said since CM Mann is a "patit Sikh", or one who has cut his hair, he has been asked to submit his response to the Akal Takht Sahib secretariat.

"Since you are a patit and, as per Sikh tradition, cannot be brought before the railing of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, you are summoned in person to appear at the Secretariat of Sri Akal Takht Sahib on January 15, 2026, at 10 am to provide your clarification," he said.

In 2024, former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal was declared 'tankhaiya', guilty of violating the Sikh religious code.

--IANS

vg/dan

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Ranchi, Jan 5 : In view of the intensifying cold wave and dense fog conditions across Jharkhand, the state government has ordered the closure of all schools until January 8.

According to an official notification issued by the School Education and Literacy Department on Monday, all government, government-aided, unaided (including minority) and private schools across the state will remain closed from January 6 to January 8, 2026.

The directive applies to students from pre-nursery to Class 12, and no regular academic activities will be conducted during this period.

However, the department clarified that teachers and non-teaching staff of government schools will be required to report to their respective institutions and carry out non-academic duties as assigned.

Regarding pre-Board examinations scheduled during the closure period, the department stated that the competent authority of the concerned schools may take an appropriate decision on their conduct after assessing the prevailing weather conditions.

The decision was taken following the latest forecast issued by the Meteorological Centre in Ranchi, which warned of cold wave and acold daya conditions in several parts of the state over the next two days.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that minimum temperatures may dip to around 5 degrees Celsius, particularly in districts such as Palamu, Garhwa, Chatra, Koderma, Latehar, Lohardaga, Gumla and Hazaribagh.

In addition to this, dense fog is likely to persist during morning hours in northern and western Jharkhand, potentially reducing visibility to between 50 and 200 metres.

Districts including Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Deoghar and Palamu are also expected to witness a further drop of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius in minimum temperatures over the next 48 hours.

Weather experts have cautioned that prolonged exposure to such extreme cold conditions could adversely affect the health of young children. This has prompted the state government to take precautionary measures in the interest of the safety of the students.

The administration has also appealed to parents not to send their children out of the house unnecessarily and take all necessary precautions in view of the intense cold.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Bengaluru, Jan 5 : Alleging a conspiracy by the Congress-led government to cover up the Ballari shootout case, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday made serious charges against the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and the Home Minister, accusing the ruling party of attempting to cover up the killing of its own party worker.

Addressing a press conference at the party's state office, JP Bhavan, in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said explosive information had emerged regarding the shooting incident involving the gunman of a close associate of Ballari MLA Nara Bharat Reddy. He alleged that the postmortem of slain Congress worker Rajashekar was conducted illegally twice.

He demanded that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a thorough probe.

"The murder of Congress party worker Rajashekar is one issue, but what is shameful is the desperate attempt by the Congress-led government to cover up the killing of its own worker. As part of this, the victim's body was subjected to postmortem twice," Kumaraswamy alleged.

He questioned what findings emerged from the first postmortem and what new information surfaced in the second, and demanded that the government clarify the matter. "As per the information available with me, Rajashekar's body was subjected to postmortem twice," he said.

Why was a second postmortem conducted? Who pressured the authorities to carry it out? Who ordered it? Was it because the first postmortem report was unfavourable that a second examination was ordered, he asked.

"You claim to stand for truth and keep repeating 'Satyameva Jayate' in advertisements. Then speak the truth now. Tell the people of the state what is in the second postmortem report. The Chief Minister must explain the truth to the public," Kumaraswamy demanded.

He alleged that the first postmortem report indicated the presence of small metal fragments in the body. By conducting a second postmortem, a conspiracy was hatched to falsely implicate BJP MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy in the firing incident, he claimed.

However, he said the second postmortem instead exposed the government's attempt to suppress facts.

Calling the government's investigation meaningless, Kumaraswamy said the Chief Minister had claimed the firing occurred in the air, while the Deputy Chief Minister publicly stated that the party stood with Ballari city MLA Nara Bharat Reddy. He pointed out that the Chief Minister himself had admitted that the firing took place from the gunman of Bharat Reddy's aide Satish Reddy, yet the Home Minister had not ordered the gunman's arrest and was instead delaying action through statements.

Accusing the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of attempting to bury the Ballari shootout case, Kumaraswamy said the Deputy Chief Minister mocked Gali Janardhana Reddy's request for security, even suggesting that he seek protection from the US or Iran or deploy BJP workers for security. "Is this the language expected from a Deputy Chief Minister?" he asked.

Questioning why action was taken only against the Ballari Superintendent of Police, Kumaraswamy said if dereliction of duty was the reason, then the Additional SP and Inspector General were equally responsible. He pointed out that during the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede incident, several senior officers were suspended, but in the Ballari case, only the SP was targeted. He asked whether officers who had been stationed in the district for years were faultless.

Responding to claims that disturbances increased after Janardhana Reddy returned to Ballari, Kumaraswamy said Reddy had returned with Supreme Court permission a year and a half ago. He demanded data on how many incidents had occurred since then and how many cases had been registered. "Standing with criminals is disgraceful," he said.

He lashed out at the Home Minister, calling him ineffective, and alleged that law and order in Karnataka had collapsed. "Where did so many guns in Ballari come from? Did they come from Pakistan?" he asked sarcastically, demanding answers from Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

Kumaraswamy alleged that the government was protecting those responsible for the murder and accused the Congress of standing firmly in defence of the accused. He said the Congress had come to power through padyatras seeking people's support, and warned that the same people would bring about its downfall.

He questioned why Satish Reddy, the close associate of MLA Bharat Reddy accused in the killing, had not been arrested so far, and alleged that instead of taking action, the government was extending hospitality and providing treatment at public expense.

Raising questions over Rs 25 lakh compensation allegedly paid in cash to the victim's family by Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan, Kumaraswamy asked from which account the money was released, whether income tax norms were followed, and whether the amount was government or private money. "The Income Tax Department should clarify this," he said.

Kumaraswamy concluded by claiming that Siddaramaiah would be the last Congress Chief Minister of Karnataka. "Law and order has completely collapsed in the state. Jungle raj has begun. This government treats officers like slaves. D.K. Shivakumar speaks in favour of Bharat Reddy only because he does not want to miss even a single vote in his ambition to become Chief Minister," he alleged.
BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway) said Monday that its annual transport revenue reached 1.0204 trillion yuan (about 145 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025, exceeding 1 trillion yuan for the first time, and representing a year-on-year increase of 3.1 percent.

The national railway operator credited the results to tighter budget discipline and improved cost control, which led to budget savings of 19.7 billion yuan.

The company also strengthened its financial position, reducing its debt-to-asset ratio by 1 percentage point to 62.5 percent by the end of 2025.

China Railway said it will continue to advance market-oriented and law-based operations in 2026. It will focus on key priorities such as promoting the transformation and development of non-transport business, and keeping non-productive expenditures under strict control. 
Kathmandu, Jan 5 : The local administration in Nepal's Parsa district on Monday imposed a curfew in parts of Birgunj city, which borders Raxaul in India, to prevent possible religious strife following the vandalism of a mosque in southern Dhanusha district on Saturday.

After a video showing the vandalism of the mosque circulated on social media, members of Nepal's Muslim community staged protests in Birgunj on Sunday, chanting slogans and burning tyres on the streets. Protests also erupted in other parts of Madhesh Province, including Kamala Municipality in Dhanusha district.

According to the police, the incident began with a TikTok video in which two Muslim youths were seen making offensive remarks about Hindus. Subsequently, a group of Hindu individuals vandalised and set fire to the mosque in Dhanusha.

With protests by the Muslim community intensifying from Sunday, the District Administration Office, Parsa, on Monday imposed a prohibitory order banning any kind of fair, public meeting, procession, or protest in certain areas of Birgunj city, effective from 1 pm on Monday until further notice.

According to the order, such activities have been banned within the periphery stretching from the bus park in the east, Sirsiya Bridge in the west, Power House Chowk in the north, and Shankaracharya Gate in the south of the city.

"Anyone found violating this order will be taken into control and proceeded against in accordance with the law," the order states.

In recent days, videos circulating on social media showed an unidentified group vandalising a mosque located in a Muslim neighbourhood in Sakhuwa Maran, Dhanukamala Municipality6, Dhanusha district, and burning a copy of the Quran.

"We have arrested two Muslim youths who made the TikTok video and one person involved in vandalising the mosque," said Superintendent of Police Bishwo Raj Khadka, Chief of the District Police Office, Dhanusha, told IANS. "The Dhanusha District Court has remanded them to judicial custody for five days."

He said police have received complaints against nine people allegedly involved in the vandalism of the mosque. "We are searching for those involved in the act," he added.
Taipei, Jan 5 : Taiwanese government has accused China of transnational repression after Chinese state media and social media accounts shared personal information regarding Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen, which included satellite pictures of his house and workplace in Taipei, local media reported.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that China's state-controlled media were using "digital authoritarianism" and the "despicable" way of doxxing to threaten Taiwanese, trying to create fear and a chilling effect in democratic society of Taiwan, Taiwan's daily Taipei Times reported.

In a post shared on Facebook on January 2, Strait Plus, a media channel operated by a Chinese state-controlled media organisation, wrote that a Chinese influencer had revealed the location of Shen's house and workplace. According to the post, the influencer said that she had paid for commercial satellite imagery of Taipei and marked Shen's house and workplace on it.

She said that China's Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau in 2025 had declared Puma Shen as "wanted" amid a probe into alleged "secession-related" criminal activities in Taiwan.

The ministry said that the actions of Strait Plus violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says that "no one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks," quoting Article 12 of the UN document, as per the report.

The ministry stated that organisation's post was an "invasion of personal privacy that crossed the line of civility," adding that the behaviour was "beneath contempt."

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "China's transnational repression, harassment and interventions targeting Taiwan and other countries have seriously contravened the principles of international law and international human rights norms, explicitly displaying how the Beijing authority ignores the fundamental values of human rights and privacy of a civilized society," adding that China and Taiwan are not subordinate to each other, and that China has no jurisdiction over people of Taiwan.

The ministry announced that it would increase emergency response and rescue mechanisms at its missions abroad to ensure the safety of people of Taiwan, adding that it has urged other nations to condemn China's human rights infringement, and to call for ending its abusive long-arm jurisdiction and transnational repression, Taipei Times reported.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs termed the incident a case of cyberbullying, which includes doxxing and digital coercion and urged people to resist entities that are involved in such behaviour and avoid spreading hate speech on social media platforms. It stated that marking the residence of a person on commercial satellite imagery and making the picture is a serious violation of personal privacy and against the law. The ministry announced that it has urged Meta to remove the content that involves threats to personal safety.

In a post shared on Facebook, Puma Shen stated that China carried out a "precision attack" against him, as its recent military exercises were ineffective in intimidating Taiwanese. He said that the stock market continued to rise while Taiwan continues to debunk rumours about issues with national defence, enraging China. He said that China is trying to create fear among people of Taiwan as if they have "informants everywhere", however, he stressed that this type of psychological warfare is not working in Taiwan.
New Delhi, Jan 5 : The Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere with the Jharkhand High Court's decision permitting the declaration of results and the appointment of successful candidates in the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission's (JSSC) Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta dismissed the special leave petitions (SLPs) challenging the Jharkhand High Court's order, observing that the ruling was "correct and balanced" and required no interference from the apex court.

The SLPs arose from a decision of the Jharkhand High Court, which had allowed the JSSC to publish the final result of the CGL examination and proceed with appointments, while keeping the results of 10 suspected candidates in abeyance pending completion of investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

In its detailed judgment passed on December 3, the Jharkhand High Court vacated its earlier stay order and directed the respondent-JSSC to publish the final result.

"The respondent-JSSC is directed to publish the final result of the said examination and the State Government is further directed to appoint the successful candidates on the respective posts," a Bench of Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Rajesh Shankar had ordered.

However, the Jharkhand High Court had clarified that out of 28 candidates allegedly taken to Nepal for memorising questions and answers, the results of 10 candidates who qualified would remain withheld till completion of the investigation.

"The final result of the said 10 candidates will be kept in abeyance till the investigation of SIT is completed, and their selection will be subject to the final outcome of the investigation," it had clarified.

The Jharkhand High Court had also rejected the plea seeking a CBI probe, holding that the matter did not warrant transfer of investigation to the Central agency.

"The petitioners have failed to show that the investigation of SIT is tainted and thus we do not find any reason to refer the present matter to CBI for investigation," the Chief Justice Chauhan-led Bench had observed, while directing the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to complete the probe within six months.

The case related to allegations of paper leak in the JSSC-CGL examination held in September 2024.

While acknowledging allegations of malpractice and extortion by certain intermediaries, the Jharkhand High Court had concluded that there was no evidence of a "systemic paper leak" vitiating the entire examination process.

"The petitioners have not been able to show that the sanctity of the said examination was compromised at a systemic level," the Jharkhand High Court had noted, adding that segregation of tainted and untainted candidates was possible.
Islamabad, Jan 5 : Over 15,000 incidents of robbery, snatching and theft were reported in Pakistan's Faisalabad in 2025, with people facing a financial loss of more than Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 3.05 billion, according to police statistics compiled at the close of the year, local media reported.

In 2025, police lodged 75,576 cases of different categories, demonstrating law-and-order pattern in the district. Faisalabad police has claimed a drop in crime compared to 2024 despite the high number of reported crime incidents, Pakistan's leading daily The Express Tribune reported.

As many as 15,593 cases of robbery, street crime and theft were recorded in 2025, The Express Tribune reported citing data. These crimes included 6,124 cases of robbery on highways, 1,420 incidents of snatching, 56 robberies and 56 cases involving road blockades.

Furthermore, criminals also targetted 145 houses and 245 commercial establishments like shops, petrol pumps and jewellery shops. While committing these crimes, robbers killed 14 people who resisted and injured 98 others, The Express Tribune reported.

Criminals snatched 1,234 motorcycles, eight cars, and 19 other vehicles while organised theft gangs stole 5,864 motorcycles, 47 cars and 356 other vehicles.

As many as 311 murders were reported in Faisalabad in 2025, which included 14 killings linked to so-called honour, 11 to personal enmity and eight to land disputes, involving gunfire and axe attacks. Furthermore, 483 people were injured in firing-related incidents in Faisalabad.

A total of 119 police encounters with criminals occurred in 2025, resulting in the killing of 63 alleged robbers while 91 others were injured. Four police personnel were killed while five others were injured during these encounters.

Police also recorded kidnapping of 562 married women, and 902 young women, 613 men and 238 children. A total of 730 cases of sexual assault against women were reported in Faisalabad and 260 cases involved attempt sexual abuse of children.

Over 300 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2025. According to the report, district police arrested 5,203 suspects and seized drugs worth billions of rupees during operations against narcotics. Police also recovered

944.73 million in cash and stolen property from criminals, which was given back to rightful owners.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Karachi reported over 4,700 street crimes in November, local media reported, citing the data released by the Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC).

According to the report, 160 incidents involved vehicle thefts and snatching, while there were 3143 cases of motorcycle thefts in November. Armed robbers also snatched mobile phones from 1403 people at gunpoint, Pakistan-based ARY News reported.

Furthermore, one case of kidnapping for ransom and 15 cases of extortion were reported in Karachi. The city also reported 39 incidents of murder and other violent crimes in November.
Chandigarh, Jan 5 : Haryana Sainik and Ardh-Sainik Welfare Minister Rao Narbir Singh on Monday said the tenure of the first batch of the ex-servicemen appointed under the Agnipath Scheme would be completed in July.

"Thereafter, to ensure a bright future for Agniveers, the government has formulated the Haryana Agniveer Policy -- 2024, which will be effectively implemented from August," he said in a statement. "Through this policy, Agniveers will be provided employment opportunities in government jobs and other sectors."

Rao Narbir Singh said Haryana has become the first state in the country to provide an employment security cover to Agniveers after their service in the armed forces.

He said during 2022-23 a national-level target of recruiting 26,649 Agniveers was set for the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force. In this sequence, 1,830 Agniveers were recruited from Haryana in 2022-23 and 2,215 in 2023-24. He said that despite limited representation in terms of population and geography, the spirit of patriotism among Haryana's youth is particularly evident.

"The youth proudly choose the uniform of the armed forces over white-collar jobs. This is why every 10th soldier in the country's armed forces hails from Haryana." Rao Narbir Singh said the state government constituted a separate Department of Sainik and Ardh-Sainik Welfare in 2016 for the welfare of ex-servicemen, paramilitary forces, and their dependents. From October 2014 till date, the state government has provided government jobs on compassionate grounds to the dependents of 418 martyrs.

He said during the Seva Pakhwada programmes held from September 17 to October 2, 2025, reunions of ex-servicemen were organised according to various corps and regiments of the Army. In addition, proposals are being prepared in accordance with the state government's policy to name schools and other institutions after the martyrs of the 1962, 1965, 1971, and Kargil wars. During these programmes, ex-servicemen, personnel of paramilitary forces, and families of martyrs were invited and tree plantation was carried out by them.
Chennai, Jan 5 : The Madras High Court on Monday dismissed a batch of writ petitions filed by Tamil Nadu Minister for Rural Development I. Periyasamy and his family members, challenging the enforcement action initiated against them by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in a money laundering case.

A First Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan declined to entertain the petitions after the ED pointed out that the petitioners had bypassed the statutory remedy available under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The Bench accepted the submission of ED Special Public Prosecutor P. Sidharthan that the petitioners ought to have first approached the adjudicating authority under the Act before invoking the writ jurisdiction of the High Court.

The petitions had been filed by Minister Periyasamy, his son I.P. Senthilkumar, and his daughter P. Indira. They sought to quash the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered against them under the PMLA, along with all consequential proceedings initiated by the ED.

The ECIR stemmed from a Disproportionate Assets case earlier registered against the Minister by the State police and investigated by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC).

During the hearing, it was brought to the notice of the court that a special court dealing with Prevention of Corruption Act cases had earlier discharged the Minister from the predicate offence. However, that discharge was subsequently reversed by the Madras High Court in 2025, reviving the corruption case against him.

Following the High Courtas reversal, Periyasamy approached the Supreme Court, which granted him an interim stay of the proceedings arising from the High Courtas order. Citing this interim protection, the Minister and his family members argued before the High Court that the EDas money laundering proceedings could not continue and sought the quashing of the ECIR.

The Division Bench, however, was not persuaded by the argument. It held that the existence of an interim stay granted by the Supreme Court did not automatically invalidate the EDas actions, particularly when the petitioners had not exhausted the alternative remedy provided under the PMLA framework.

With this ruling, the High Court has effectively cleared the way for the ED proceedings to continue, subject to the outcome of the related matters pending before the Supreme Court.
New Delhi, Jan 5 : US President Donald Trump's statement that the United States of America was now going to "run the country", adding that American companies would rebuild Venezuela's battered oil industry, continues to dominate news headlines with Washington's media digging for details.

And soon after the weekend Caracas raid, Trump indicated that Washington could further increase tariffs on Indian goods if it did not stop buying Russian oil.

The US has already applied additional punitive duty on India over a "reciprocal tariff" over this issue.

The West has been critical of New Delhi for buying discounted Russian seaborne crude, claiming it helped Moscow fund the war in Ukraine, despite many European nations still sourcing Russian energy.

The two apparently unconnected incidents merge at one point -- oil.

On March 24 this year, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Secretary of State Marco Rubio to identify countries that could face an extra 25 per cent tariff on all goods imported into the United States if they import oil from Venezuela.

"On or after April 2, 2025, a tariff of 25 per cent may be imposed on all goods imported into the United States from any country that imports Venezuelan oil, whether directly from Venezuela or indirectly through third parties," the executive order said.

Reports suggest that despite holding the world's largest oil reserves, Venezuela, last year accounted for less than one per cent of global supply.

This is largely being attributed to lower spending from Caracas due to government policies and sanctions.

As Trump himself has pointed out, pumping up extraction may cost billions of dollars.

Additionally, refining Venezuelan crude is expensive.

Thus, the question remains how can the companies make a handsome profit.

Once under American control, and sanctions removed -- including physical blockades by US forces -- the oil may start flowing across seas to other countries, but it may be at international prices, not discounted.

China, accounting for more than half of Venezuela's crude exports at more than 400,000 barrels per day (bd) in 2025 (year to date), as per data from analytics firm Kpler, may stand to lose in case of a shift in export policy.

US waivers on sanctions allow India to import small volumes, which is just about 30,000 bd.

Unlike Russia, Venezuela could not manage to re-route crude to alternative markets.

Other countries like Spain, Cuba, Italy, Singapore, Vietnam, etc., also import Venezuelan oil, though in smaller or less consistent volumes.

US recent moves on Venezuela, Russia, China, and India -- though not similar in execution -- are overwhelmingly shaped by energy imperatives.

It is using sanctions, trade controls, military pressure, and targeted cooperation to reshape global energy leverage in different ways.

Washington has repeatedly targeted Venezuelan oil firms and tankers to choke revenue streams when President Nicolas Maduro was in power.

All through, it was signalling readiness to reshape Venezuela's hydrocarbon sector, a dynamic that would alter global heavya'crude flows and affect buyers such as India.

Indian refiners and state oil firms stand to gain or lose depending on how US pressure and possible restructuring play out, with reports noting potential recovery of longa'pending dues and resumption of Venezuelan supplies if Washington's control eases sanction constraints.

Following the Ukraine war, US sanctions have been calibrated to degrade oil and LNG revenue streams by targeting producers, traders, and the maritime networks that carry Russian crude.

With China, Washington's policy is less about crude and more about critical minerals and industrial inputs that power cleana'energy and defence supply chains.

Meanwhile, the US treats India as both a market for energy cooperation and a strategic partner to diversify supply chains.

Initiatives such as the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership and recent moves to deepen civila'nuclear and critical minerals cooperation illustrate Washington's intent to align New Delhi on resilient, lowa'carbon energy pathways while offering alternatives to Russian and Middle Eastern supplies.

New Delhi's passage of the SHANTI Bill and commercial ties reflect converging energy security interests.
Bhopal, Jan 5 : Rashmi Verma, a 24-year-old doctor who had been undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal, for the past 25 days after she allegedly took an overdose of an anaesthetic injection, died during treatment on Monday.

Dr Verma, an Assistant Professor serving in the Emergency and Trauma Centre at AIIMS Bhopal, was found unconscious in her hostel room on December 11 with a weak pulse rate and heartbeat. She was admitted to the institute the same night and had remained on ventilator support since then.

Despite continuous medical efforts by her colleagues, her condition did not improve, and she was declared dead on Monday.

Confirming her death, an AIIMS Bhopal official told IANS that Dr Verma passed away around 10 a.m. and that her body had been handed over to her family. The official, however, declined to share further details, citing an ongoing police investigation into the incident.

Earlier, AIIMS Bhopal had stated that an MRI scan conducted 72 hours after her admission revealed evidence of brain injury and prolonged oxygen deprivation.

According to her colleagues, Dr Verma had completed her duty on December 11 and returned home in the evening. Her husband, Dr Ratan Verma, an orthopaedic specialist, brought her to AIIMS at around 10.30 p.m. after finding her unconscious.

Dr Ratan Verma had earlier told the media that everything was normal at home and that family members were engaged in their routine activities. When he went to check on his wife, he found her unconscious. Given her condition, it was suspected that she had taken an overdose of a sedative. The family, he said, was in shock.

Dr Rashmi Verma held an MD degree in General Medicine and was also handling several administrative responsibilities at AIIMS Bhopal, including serving as faculty in charge of the Basic Life Support programme and nursing training sessions.

She had completed her MBBS from MLN Medical College, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Her professional interests included diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, palliative care, emergency medicine and emergency care interventions.
Washington, Jan 5 : An adult male was taken into custody after an overnight incident that caused property damage at the Ohio residence associated with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, law enforcement authorities said Monday.

The incident occurred shortly after midnight when US Secret Service agents assigned to the Vice President's Cincinnati-area residence detained a man after windows were broken at the property. The Cincinnati police later took the individual into custody.

The US Secret Service said the residence was unoccupied at the time of the incident and that Vice President Vance and his family were not in Ohio.

"An adult male was taken into custody by the Cincinnati Police Department after being detained by U.S. Secret Service personnel for causing property damage, including breaking windows on the exterior of a personal residence associated with the Vice President," the Secret Service said

Local news outlets reported that the damage included broken exterior windows at the residence in the East Walnut Hills neighbourhood. WLWT-TV footage showed visible window damage, with police and federal agents remaining on the scene for several hours.

CNN, citing a Secret Service spokesperson, reported that investigators do not believe the man entered the residence. The network said the suspect has not been publicly identified and that no injuries were reported.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the Secret Service contacted Cincinnati police after observing suspicious activity near the home. Police responded and assisted federal agents, taking the man into custody shortly after midnight, the newspaper said.

Full charges were still pending, local media reported.

A White House official told CNN that the Vance family had already left the area before the incident occurred. Authorities emphasised that there was no immediate threat to the Vice President or his family.

Police activity continued in the neighbourhood into the early morning hours, with officers and federal agents seen entering and exiting the property as part of the investigation, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

Officials declined to comment on a possible motive. Local outlets said investigators were documenting the damage and reviewing the sequence of events that led to the detention.

The U.S. Secret Service provides round-the-clock protection for the Vice President and immediate family members, including security coverage at designated residences. The agency routinely works with state and local law enforcement when incidents occur at properties linked to protectees.

JD Vance, a former U.S. senator from Ohio, was sworn in as Vice President earlier this year. Residences associated with senior U.S. officials remain under Secret Service protection even when those officials are travelling.

Security incidents involving the homes of top U.S. leaders are handled as joint federal and local matters.
BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung witnessed the signing of 15 cooperation documents in fields including scientific and technological innovation, ecological environment, transportation, and economic and trade cooperation after their talks on Monday. 
Kolkata, Jan 5 : The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday sought action taken reports (ATRs) from the district magistrates, who also function as district electoral officers (DEOs), of South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts of West Bengal on the implementation of its recent directive to register FIRs against four electoral officers accused of irregularities in voter enrolment in two Assembly constituencies.

On January 2, the ECI directed the DEO of South 24 Parganas district to register FIRs against the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of Baruipur East Assembly constituency, Debottam Dutta Chowdhury, and the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) of the same constituency, Tathagata Mandal.

On the same day, the ECI also instructed the DEO of East Midnapore district to register FIRs against the ERO of Moyna Assembly constituency, Biplob Sarkar, and the AERO of that constituency, Sudipta Das.

"Almost 72 hours have elapsed since the Commission issued the order, but the two DEOs concerned are yet to implement it. Therefore, on Monday, the Commission directed the DEOs of South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore to submit an action taken report to the ECI at the earliest," an insider in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, told IANS.

To recall, in August last year, instructions were issued by the ECI headquarters in New Delhi to the West Bengal government to suspend the four electoral officers and also to register FIRs against them.

However, the West Bengal government partially implemented the directive. While the four officers were suspended, FIRs were not registered against them. In addition, a contractual data entry operator was also relieved of dutyThe four officers were accused of tampering with the voters' list. Based on this allegation, the ECI had directed that all five individuals be suspended and that FIRs be lodged against them.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had then criticised the ECI's directive, accusing the poll body of being the "bonded labour of the BJP", and asserted that her government would not take action against its employees.

Subsequently, on January 2, the Commission, through the CEO's office, again directed the two DEOs concerned to register FIRs against the two EROs and the two AEROs.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 5 : Former Kerala Minister Antony Raju has been disqualified as a Member of the Legislative Assembly following his conviction in a case of material evidence tampering.

The conviction was delivered on Saturday by the Nedumangad Judicial First Class Magistrate Court.

Raju, who represented the Thiruvananthapuram constituency as an LDF MLA, stands disqualified under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and in accordance with established Supreme Court rulings. Consequently, the Thiruvananthapuram Assembly seat has fallen vacant with effect from January 3, 2026.

The court sentenced Raju to three yearsa imprisonment, dealing him a major legal and political setback. Since the sentence exceeds two years, the disqualification takes immediate effect. Legal experts note that even if a higher court stays the sentence, the disqualification will continue unless the conviction itself is overturned.

The magistrate court found Raju guilty of criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence, and fabrication of false evidence. He was sentenced to six monthsa imprisonment for criminal conspiracy, three yearsa rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 10,000 for destroying evidence, and three yearsa imprisonment for creating false evidence. He also received a two-year sentence in a forgery-related charge linked to the case.

The case pertains to allegations that material evidence -- specifically a piece of underwear produced as athondimuthala -- was tampered with to help a foreign national accused in a narcotics case evade conviction. Raju was the second accused in the case. The first accused, Jose, a court employee, was also convicted and sentenced to three yearsa imprisonment.

Tension prevailed outside the court premises as a large crowd gathered to hear the verdict. Angry Congress-led UDF supporters shouted slogans and hooted at Raju as he exited the court, forcing the police to intervene and escort him to his vehicle amid difficulty.

The case dates back to 1990, when Australian national Andrew Salvatore Cervelli was arrested at Thiruvananthapuram airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle 61.5 grams of contraband concealed in his underwear. Raju, then a young lawyer at the outset of his political career, appeared as Cervellias counsel.

Although the trial court convicted Cervelli and sentenced him to 10 yearsa imprisonment, the Kerala High Court later acquitted him on appeal, observing that the underwear produced as evidence was too small to fit the accused, casting serious doubts on the prosecutionas case. Cervelli subsequently returned to Australia.

Years later, based on information received from the Australian National Central Bureau, the investigating officer approached the High Court seeking a probe into the alleged tampering of material evidence, which ultimately led to the present conviction.

If you want, I can also make this shorter, more legal-focused, or headline-driven for print or digital media.
New Delhi, Jan 5 : : Upstream public sector giant Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) on Monday signed joint venture agreements with Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL) for a 50 per cent stake each in two joint venture entities -- Bharat Ethane One IFSC Private Limited and Bharat Ethane Two IFSC Private Limited, registered in Gift City at Gujarat's Gandhinagar.

New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS): Upstream public sector giant Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) on Monday signed joint venture agreements with Japanas Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL) for a 50 per cent stake each in two joint venture entities -- Bharat Ethane One IFSC Private Limited and Bharat Ethane Two IFSC Private Limited, registered in Gift City at Gujaratas Gandhinagar.

"The Maharatna company will subscribe to 2,00,000 equity shares, of Rs 100 per share, in each of the joint venture companies. Upon completion of the equity subscription, the ONGC will hold a 50 per cent equity stake in each of the joint venture entities, with the remaining 50 per cent held by M/s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd., Japan," the company said in a statement.

Each joint venture company will own and operate one Very Large Ethane Carrier (VLEC). The VLECs will operate under the Indian flag and will be deployed for the transportation of ethane from the US to meet the feedstock requirements of the ONGC Petroadditions Limited (OPaL), a subsidiary of the ONGC.

This strategic collaboration constitutes a significant milestone in strengthening long-term cooperation between the ONGC and the MOL. By leveraging the MOLas global maritime expertise alongside the ONGCas strong regional presence and operational capabilities, the partnership is expected to create substantial value across the energy transportation and value chain.

The initiative also marks the ONGC's strategic entry into business diversification and growth. Through the deployment of VLECs for ethane transportation, the ONGC aims to capitalise on emerging opportunities in energy logistics, strengthen integration across its value chain, and establish a robust operational presence in specialised shipping.

"The venture is closely aligned with the Prime Ministeras Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, which emphasises national self-reliance, development of world-class maritime infrastructure, and long-term economic resilience. The initiative has been undertaken with the guidance and support of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), Ministry of Finance," the ONGC statement said.
New Delhi, Jan 5 : Bangladesh's exiled author Taslima Nasreen finds the current situation in her country of birth worsening through time, even compared to the day she was forced to leave over three decades ago.

"I'd say that was the time of the beginning of the growth of religious fundamentalism in the country; now, Bangladesh is full of such elements," said Taslima in an exclusive interview with IANS.

"The then administration played into the hands of fundamentalists, and I was penalised without reason. The silent acquiescence to their unjustified demand strengthened the hands of bigots, and what you see today is the culmination of such official nods that have led to widespread religious intolerance," stated the author.

She also highlighted the clash between free expression and religious fundamentalism, where she is projected as a symbol of secular resistance, advocating women's rights and freedom of thought despite decades of exile.

Taslima studied medicine to become a doctor, but her love for literature made her pick up the pen to compose novels and poetry. She was forced into exile from Bangladesh in 1994 after her novel Lajja (Shame) provoked outrage among Islamist groups who accused her of "hurting religious sentiments".

Lajja, published in 1993, depicted the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh after the Babri Masjid demolition in India. The novel was banned by the government for allegedly inciting communal disharmony. She faced death threats, violent protests, and an arrest warrant.

Fearing the unrest to snowball, the then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's government expelled her. Since then, she has lived in exile  first in Sweden, later in India  where she continues to write and advocate for secularism, feminism, and freedom of expression.

She holds Swedish citizenship but resides in India on renewable permits.

In India, she first attempted to stay in Kolkata, but in 2007, violent protests forced her to leave West Bengal, too. After a brief period of uncertainty, she has lived in Delhi since, under government protection.

On several occasions, she has acknowledged the role of the government of India in allowing her to remain in a country where she can freely express herself and follow a life resembling, to some extent, those from the past.

Despite the challenges, her works have been translated into many languages and continue to resonate with readers worldwide.

In Bangladesh, she claimed successive governments have been silently watching the rise of fundamentalist elements, giving radicalism an open field to spread.

"When I was forced to leave Bangladesh, it had indicated what lay ahead for the country," she reflected. This, she claimed, was followed by successive administrations using religion as a tool to consolidate power.

Even madrasa education was accepted as equivalent to a university degree, she said.

"All such policies and decisions have led to this situation. The country is reaping what the political leaders have been sowing through these times," added Taslima.

What, according to her, is the future for Bangladesh and its people? "I would say that those who support and believe in 'muktiyddha' (Bangladesh 1971 liberation war) should come to power in Bangladesh in the coming (February 12) general election," she replied.

"Unfortunately, those in Bangladesh peddling religious fundamentalism know that such bigotry is not in the nation's well-being; yet, they do it for their own selfish interest," Taslima said.

"Even though the previous administration too had indulged in religious appeasement and supported communal forces, Sheikh Hasina was overthrown also because the fundamentalists did not want a woman to rule over such a long period of time," she added.

Taslima wants dynasty politics to end in Bangladesh, implying that family bonds make politicians think of an heir apparent rather than the country.

However, she added, "I find people talking about a possible win for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The party is supportive of 'muktiyddha', so if they can work for the progress of the country, freedom of speech, and women's equality, I think they may be able to deliver."

Taslima is also hopeful of the BNP leader and the deceased Khaleda Zia's son, Tarique Rahman, who recently returned to Dhaka after a 17-year exile in the United Kingdom.

"His long association with Western culture may have imbued him with progressive thoughts, so he may work for a better Bangladesh. But if he continues to tread the path of his predecessors, I don't see much hope in the future," she opined.

Will she ever be able to return? Taslima Nasreen did not even hazard a guess.
Kolkata, Jan 5 : Ahead of the crucial Assembly elections in West Bengal later this year, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday directed the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, to submit weekly and district-wise reports on the law and order situation across the state.

As per the Commission's directive, the district magistrates, who also function as district electoral officers (DEOs), will submit weekly reports on the law and order situation in their respective districts to the CEO's office. The CEO's office will compile these reports and forward them to the ECI headquarters in New Delhi every week.

"The review of these weekly reports by the Commission will be crucial in determining the extent of deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel for the Assembly elections," an insider in the CEO's office said.

The development comes in the backdrop of a meeting held at the ECI headquarters in New Delhi, which was attended by West Bengal CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal. The meeting was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh and was also attended by the CEOs of the four poll-bound states  Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala  as well as the Union Territory of Puducherry.

"The Commission has already started keeping a special watch on the law and order situation in the four poll-bound states and one Union Territory, with particular focus on West Bengal. The Commission has also appointed 15 nodal agencies, both central and state, to assist in the review process," the CEO's office insider said.

The upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal are likely to witness a significantly higher deployment of CAPF personnel compared to the previous Assembly polls in 2016 and 2021. This is primarily due to the suggestion for fewer voting phases than in the last two elections.

An insider from the CEO's office said the proposal would be to complete the election in a single phase and, if that is not feasible, in a maximum of two phases. "Naturally, this would require a higher deployment of CAPF companies compared to the previous two Assembly elections. All these issues are scheduled to be discussed at a crucial meeting at the ECI office in New Delhi today," the source said.

In 2021, the West Bengal Assembly elections were conducted in eight phases, with the first phase held on March 27 and the final phase on April 29.

In 2016, the elections were conducted in six phases, with the first phase spread over two days, effectively making it a seven-phase election.
Mumbai, Jan 5 : Amid the controversy over unopposed elections in municipal corporations, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday said it may cancel the poll process and announce fresh elections in wards where irregularities are found, based on reports submitted by municipal commissioners of the respective civic bodies.

Sources in the SEC said that following a surge in formal complaints, the Commission has directed municipal commissioners to conduct independent inquiries into every ward where a candidate was elected without contest. The issue of unopposed victories has triggered a sharp political confrontation between the ruling alliance and the opposition.

"The inquiry will focus on several critical aspects to ensure the integrity of the democratic process. It will examine whether opposition candidates were pressured, threatened or bribed into withdrawing their nominations. It will also assess whether returning officers or other election officials committed any misconduct or procedural lapses to favour specific candidates," SEC sources said.

They added that if any evidence of wrongdoing is found during the probe, the results will be nullified immediately and fresh elections will be announced in the concerned wards.

The sources further said that even in wards where no immediate irregularities are detected, the formal declaration of 'unopposed' winners will not be made immediately. To maintain uniformity across all 29 municipal corporations, the SEC has decided that such results will be declared on June 16, along with the general counting of votes for all other contested seats.

The SEC's move comes amid protests by opposition parties over the unopposed victories of more than 70 candidates, most of whom are reportedly from the ruling Mahayuti alliance.

The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Monday accused the ruling Mahayuti of pushing Maharashtra towards a moral and democratic decline, alleging that the ongoing municipal elections had turned into a "farce" marked by the "mafia-isation" of democratic processes through money power and intimidation of opposition candidates.

The party said the unopposed election of around 70 corporators had exposed fierce competition within the ruling alliance, particularly between the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led faction, to secure uncontested seats, which it described as a distortion of democracy.

In a scathing editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, the Thackeray camp claimed that the current political situation in Maharashtra reflected growing authoritarianism and institutional arrogance. It argued that if electoral victories are effectively purchased before polling, the Election Commission itself stands undermined.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut also criticised the trend of unopposed victories, particularly involving Mahayuti candidates, saying that even some of the country's tallest leaders were never elected unopposed.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal alleged that the BJP-led Mahayuti's pursuit of power had reached a point of "swallowing democracy". He accused the Devendra Fadnavis government of undermining democratic processes by using pressure, threats and money power to engineer uncontested victories in municipal elections.
Hyderabad, Jan 5 : Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday categorically stated that the Telangana government will not never agree to the construction of the Polavaram-Nallamala Sagar link project by the Andhra Pradesh government, and will definitely stop it.

In an informal chat with media persons, he said that the Andhra Pradesh government's proposals are a clear violation of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal 1980 award and interstate water regulations.

He said the letter shown by former minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Harish Rao was only an internal communication sent by the Central Water Commission (CWC) for information purposes, and it does not in any way mean that it was approved by the CWC.

The minister dismissed the allegations made by BRS party leaders that ruling Congress party was trying to create confusion among the public regarding Telangana state's water rights.

He recalled that the Telangana state government had written letters to the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB), Polavaram Project Authority, Central Water Commission,

Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, opposed the Polavaram-Nallamala project. He claimed that that all these institutions agreed with the Telangana government's stand.

He said that the letter written by the Central Water Commission to the state government on December 4 was a proof of this.

He stated that not only Telangana but also Maharashtra and Karnataka states are opposing this project.

The irrigation minister revealed that the state government is also pursuing legal action in the Supreme Court.

The government has appointed senior Supreme Court lawyer Abhishek Singhvi to protect the interests of the Telangana and present strong arguments.

However, he revealed that the arguments scheduled for today (January 5) have been postponed to next Monday, and Telangana has been advised to convert the writ petition into a suit petition and file it accordingly.

The minister stated that he would personally attend the arguments next Monday and would seek a stay order.

He added that in the next two days, they would hold another special meeting with the lawyers to formulate a strategy to protect the interests of Telangana.

The minister claimed that the state government, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, has succeeded in halting the work on the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project. He said the project was stopped only after the Congress party came to power.

On the claim by BRS leaders that the Rayalaseema Project was stopped by previous BRS government, Uttam Kumar Reddy asked why this was not revealed.

He accused BRS of miserably failing in water resource management during its 10-year-rule.
New Delhi, Jan 5 : A two-day Working Group Meeting on Human Capital began at IIT Guwahati on Monday, bringing together senior policymakers, academics, industry leaders and practitioners to discuss how India should prepare its people for the age of Artificial Intelligence.

The meeting is being hosted by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the IndiaAI Mission, the Government of Assam, and IIT Guwahati.

The discussions, held on January 5 and 6, are focused on education reform, workforce transition and the adoption of inclusive, human-centric AI.

Chaired by T. G. Sitharam, the meeting is an important lead-up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026, which will take place in New Delhi from February 15 to 20.

The outcomes of the Guwahati meeting are expected to help shape national policy decisions and also contribute to discussions at the global level during the summit.

The inaugural session featured addresses by Syedain Abbasi, Special Chief Secretary of Assam; K. S. Gopinath Narayan, Principal Secretary (IT), Government of Assam; Prof. T. G. Sitharam; Devendra Jalihal, Director of IIT Guwahati; and Shikha Dahiya, Joint Director at IndiaAI, MeitY.

Speakers stressed that human capital will play a central role in Indiaas AI journey and said the country must move beyond traditional skilling models to embrace lifelong learning and institutional readiness.

Welcoming the participants, Prof. Devendra Jalihal said IIT Guwahati aims to act as a bridge between policymakers, academia, industry and students in shaping future-ready human capital.

He highlighted the instituteas work at the intersection of technology, education and society, and noted that strong student participation shows growing interest in building inclusive AI ecosystems.

Shikha Dahiya explained the vision behind the India AI Impact Summit 2026, saying it will focus on human capital, democratisation of AI resources and responsible AI adoption, especially for the Global South.

She said the IndiaAI Mission is working to build future-ready talent through better compute capacity, indigenous datasets and models, and large-scale AI skilling initiatives across the country.

Prof. T. G. Sitharam said the shift towards an AI-driven economy must be people-centric and inclusive.

He emphasised that India needs strong lifelong learning systems that focus not only on technical skills but also on adaptability, judgement and human values, so that technological progress leads to dignity and opportunity for all.

Highlighting the governmentas perspective, K. S. Gopinath Narayan said AI is changing how economies and societies function and has deep implications for human capital.

He stressed the need for continuous learning, micro-skilling and basic AI literacy as essential public capabilities.
Quetta, Jan 5 : One person was killed and 16 others injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack in Panjgur district of Pakistan's Balochistan on Monday, local media reported.

Panjgur Assistant Commissioner Amir Jan stated that the IED was planted in a motor cycle and three of the injured are in serious condition, Pakistan's leading daily Dawn reported. A Frontier Corps vehicle, which was the probably the target, escaped the attack and all personnel are safe, according to local police officials.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior official of the local administration said that the motorcycle, where IED was planted, was parked near a pushcart in the main bazaar, Dawn reported. Another police official stated that the blast seemed to have conducted through a remote control.

The blast occurred amid a rise in attacks targeting law enforcement personnel in Pakistan, especially in the border provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Earlier in the day, at least one person was killed, and nine others were injured in an IED blast targetting a cement factory vehicle in the Lakki Marwat district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, local media reported, citing police.

Police stated that the explosion took place on Begukhel Road near the Nawarkhel Mor. The police said that the deceased was identified as Fareedullah, while the injured included Mir Ahmad, Abdul Malik, Umar Khan, Masal Khan and Syed Jan, Pakistan-based Geo News reported. Following the explosion, Rescue 1122 teams reached the site of the incident and took the injured to City Hospital in Lakki.

On Sunday, three police personnel were killed after unidentified assailants riding a motorcycle opened fire on traffic police personnel in Lakki Marwat's Sarai Naurang city, according to a police spokesperson, Geo News reported. Following the incident, the attackers fled from the spot.

The deceased were identified as Traffic Police In-charge Naurang Jalal Khan, Constable Azizullah, and Constable Abdullah. The police have initiated a search operation in the area and have started a probe.

In a separate incident, a police personnel was killed after unidentified gunmen opened fire in the Mandan area of Bannu. The police said Constable Rashid Khan was targeted while he was heading to Mandan Police Station for duty from his home.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed its deep concerns over the security and law and order situation in the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province throughout 2025. The region remains alarmingly unstable, witnessing frequent militant attacks.

Citing Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, the HRCP in its latest report titled 'Caught in the Crossfire: Civilians, Security and the Crisis of Justice in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Merged Districts' stated that at least 82 militant attacks had occurred nationwide in July 2025 alone, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including its former tribal districts, accounting for nearly two thirds of this number. Additionally, 45 militant attacks were recorded in the province in September 2025, killing 54 people and injuring 49.

Of these cumulative figures in September, the province's merged districts "accounted for 20 militant attacks claiming 21 lives" including six Pakistani security personnel, three militants and 12 civilians and injuring seven.

According to the HRCP, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the President of the Awami National Party (ANP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, described the security situation as significantly more precarious than generally perceived. He stated that a range of militant organisations were operating not only in the merged districts but also in settled areas of the province, adding that the terrorist outfit Daesh was reportedly active in the region.

Similarly, the rights body said, the provincial president of the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), Sikandar Sherpao, claimed that "approximately 550 incidents of violence had occurred since January 2025, predominantly in the merged districts". Citing Sherpao, the rights body stated that while "actual militant actors" were operating in the region, they were now accompanied by "copycat groups and hardened criminal networks, compounding the law-and-order challenges".
Chennai, Jan 5 : The Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, on Monday forecast the possibility of heavy rainfall in six districts of Tamil Nadu on January 9 and 10, attributing the expected weather conditions to prevailing atmospheric circulations over the Arabian Sea and adjoining regions.

In a statement, the weather office said a low-level cyclonic circulation is currently persisting over the south Kerala coast and the southeast Arabian Sea.

In addition, an upper-level cyclonic circulation has formed over the southeast Arabian Sea, the adjoining southwest Arabian Sea, and equatorial regions, and these systems are likely to influence rainfall activity across parts of Tamil Nadu over the next few days, it said.

According to the forecast, the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu may receive light to moderate rainfall at a few places on Monday and Tuesday.

However, the interior districts are expected to experience largely dry weather during this period.

The Met Office also noted that light mist or shallow fog may occur during the early morning hours in parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry over the next two days, which could temporarily reduce visibility in some locations.

The rainfall intensity is expected to increase from January 9.

Heavy rain is likely at isolated places in six districts -- Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, and Ramanathapuram -- on that day.

Residents in these areas have been advised to remain cautious, particularly in low-lying regions that are prone to waterlogging.

On January 10, the zone of heavy rainfall is expected to shift slightly northwards.

The weather office has forecast heavy rain in Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Thanjavur districts.

Fishermen and those involved in coastal activities have been advised to closely monitor official weather bulletins, as changes in wind patterns and sea conditions may accompany the rainfall.

Authorities have urged district administrations to remain alert and take necessary preparedness measures, including monitoring vulnerable areas and ensuring the readiness of drainage systems.

The Met Office said it will continue to closely track the evolving systems and issue updates as required. Residents are advised to follow official advisories and avoid unnecessary travel during periods of intense rainfall, particularly in districts where heavy rain warnings have been issued.

--IANS

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ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of foreign tourists remain stranded on Yemen's island province of Socotra after flights to and from the archipelago were suspended amid rising tensions and clashes on the mainland, a local security official said on Monday.

The official, from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) controlling the island, told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that nearly 500 tourists of various nationalities were unable to leave after air traffic was grounded.

"The halt in flights has left a large number of tourists in an uncertain situation," the official said, adding that most had arrived during the peak tourist season.

Tourists are growing increasingly frustrated due to the lack of any official announcement on when flights may resume or what arrangements are being made for those affected, the official said.

Some are facing logistical difficulties, including extending accommodation, securing basic services and coping with rising costs on the island.

"There is increasing pressure on local authorities and Saudi military officials on the island to act quickly and provide urgent solutions," he added.

Socotra, a strategically located Yemeni archipelago in the Arabian Sea, is known for its unique biodiversity and pristine landscapes.

Tourism operations on the island have largely been run by foreign companies, many linked to the United Arab Emirates in recent years, according to local sources.

Uncertainty on Socotra has deepened following last month's decision by Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council to cancel a joint defence agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and order the withdrawal of its forces within 24 hours, as well as an end to support for separatist groups. Most of the stranded tourists arrived via the UAE, which previously exerted influence over the island before handing control to Saudi Arabia.

On Friday, the UAE's defence ministry said it had completed the withdrawal of all its armed forces from Yemen. 
Chandigarh, Jan 5 : Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Monday that he will appear before the Sri Akal Takht Sahib as a humble and devout Sikh instead of being a Chief Minister.

In a post on X, CM Mann said that, "Sri Akal Takht Sahib is sacred for every Sikh and is considered as the highest temporal seat of the community."

"Any command or order from Sri Akal Takht Sahib Ji is acceptable with full reverence and will be obeyed. I will walk barefoot before Sri Akal Takht Sahib as a humble Sikh and not as a Chief Minister," he added.

However, the Chief Minister said that though the President of the country will be visiting Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, to participate in a conference, he will appear before the Sri Akal Takht Sahib.

He unequivocally said that for him, "Sri Akal Takht Sahib Ji, is above everything and order received from it will be obeyed in true letter and spirit. The command received from that sacred Takht is, was, and will always be supreme to him and his family."

Akal Takht Jathedar Kuldip Singh Gargaj on Monday summoned CM Maan on January 15, seeking an explanation over his utterances against Sikh institutions that hurt the religious sentiments of the community.

The Jathedar claimed said the Chief Minister's actions in videos towards Sikh Gurus and former Damdami Taksal head Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale were disrespectful and an act of sacrilege.

"You are hereby informed that while speaking on a serious ongoing Panthic issue, you deliberately displayed an anti-Sikh mentality by repeatedly making highly objectionable remarks against Sri Akal Takht Sahib's Sikh Rehat Maryada, its supreme authority, and the principle of dasvandh, Guru Ki Golak, bestowed by the Guru Sahiban, thereby deeply wounding Sikh sentiments," the Akal Takht said in a statement.

"Additionally, some objectionable videos of yours have recently surfaced, in which you are seen engaging in highly objectionable activities with the images of Sikh Guru Sahiban and the great national martyr of the 20th century, Sant Giani Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale."

"Pursuant to the orders of the revered Singh Sahib Jathedar Sri Akal Takht Sahib, you are holding a constitutional high office in Punjab, and your anti-Sikh statements reflect your inner state of political arrogance," the highest temporal seat of Sikhism said.

The Jathedar said since CM Mann is a "patit Sikh", or one who has cut his hair, he has been asked to submit his response to the Akal Takht Sahib Secretariat.

"Since you are a patit and, as per Sikh tradition, cannot be brought before the railing of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, you are summoned in person to appear at the Secretariat of Sri Akal Takht Sahib on January 15, 2026, at 10 a.m. to provide your clarification," he added.

In 2024, former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal was declared 'tankhaiya', guilty of violating the Sikh religious code.

--IANS

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Wayanad, Jan 5 : Buoyed by the recent gains in civic polls, Congress leaders in Kerala brainstormed over days at a summit in Wayanad even as Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday projected a picture of solidarity, claiming there is "no issue with the party".

Wayanad, Jan 5 (IANS) Buoyed by the recent gains in civic polls, Congress leaders in Kerala brainstormed over days at a summit in Wayanad even as Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday projected a picture of solidarity, claiming there is "no issue with the party".

Talking to reporters, Tharoor said, "There is no conflict here, we all stand together in the party, and you can see that here."

He also slammed rumours about his staying away from the party line on key issues, including his recent endorsement of party colleague Digvijaya Singh's suggestion for strengthening the party.

"There is no issue with the party, the question is who said I'm staying away from the party line. If you look at most of my opinions, a majority of them favour the party. The base of my opinions is the party. You can check my speeches and questions towards the ministers in Parliament. Whenever I say or write something outside, the media takes a different angle and compares it without reading it fully," he said.

The two-day Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) 'Lakshya Leader Summit' concluded on Monday at the Saptha Convention Centre here.

Tharoor, who addressed the inaugural session on Sundaay, said in a social media message, "Attended and addressed the inaugural session of 'Lakshya', the @INCKerala leadership 'camp' preparatory to the 2026 Assembly election."

"It was good to see a solid turnout and the quiet determination that is animating the discussions. Everyone appreciates that this is no time for complacency; there is work to be done. The local self-Government election victory must not be the pillow upon which we rest, but the launchpad for the final mile," he said.

Refusing to divulge details about the discussions at the summit, the Tharoor said, "Though we had to run the media gauntlet to get in, it was widely agreed that our discussions should stay internal and that public comments on our deliberations would be counter-productive. What matters is results."

With the Kerala Assembly elections expected in April-May, the summit focused on the Congress campaign against the Left government's "anti-people" policies and the "failures" of the BJP-led Central government.

The discussions also hold significance in terms of the Congress approach towards allies and the framework for seat-sharing talks are expected to be finalised.

The Congress, which leads the UDF, traditionally contests around 90 seats, while the remaining constituencies are shared among allies such as the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Kerala Congress factions, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), CMP, and Kerala Congress (Jacob). Historically, seat-sharing negotiations have been the most sensitive aspect of pre-election preparations, and early indications suggest this cycle will be no different.

Key party leaders who attended the summit included KPCC President Sunny Joseph, AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, AICC General Secretary Deepa Das Munshi, members of the Congress Working Committee, former KPCC presidents, and other senior leaders, said a party leader.
Bengaluru, Jan 5 : Karnataka BJP chief President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra said on Monday that the Congress-led government is colluding to turn the state into another Bangladesh.

Speaking at a protest organised near the Country Club on Bagalur Main Road under the slogan "Save Kogilu, remove illegal migrants", Vijayendra termed the move to allot houses to alleged illegal migrants an unpardonable crime and said the BJP strongly condemns it and will launch statewide protests.

He alleged that in Kogilu, the Congress workers and leaders had provided water and electricity connections to illegal occupants and collected bribes of Rs 23 lakh.

He further accused the Congress party and workers of taking bribes and colluding to turn Karnataka into Bangladesh.

"India is a democracy, and BJP workers are not the kind who will be intimidated by such hollow threats," he said.

He said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar should understand this.

He said it was the Congress-led government that demolished houses, but the moment AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal issued threats, Siddaramaiah, fearing the loss of his chief ministerial chair, decided to provide houses to illegal migrants.

He alleged that Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, with ambitions of becoming chief minister, used K.C. Venugopal to threaten the CM and push the government towards allotting houses to illegal migrants.

Vijayendra said people of Karnataka are questioning whether K.C. Venugopal is the chief minister of the state or Siddaramaiah. He accused the government of insulting Hindus and pointed out that 38 lakh people in the state have applied for housing.

Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, speaking at the protest, said people from Kerala had come, collected information and gone back.

He said allowing them to enter the state was wrong, and they should have been arrested. He questioned who had given the government the authority to provide houses to the Rohingyas who had come from Bangladesh.

He said houses should be given legally and asked why the government was showing special affection in this case. He criticised the government for not providing houses to those who have paid money and have been waiting.

Former Deputy Chief Minister and MLA C.N. Ashwath Narayan said the Congress government lacks self-confidence and self-respect.

He alleged that the government had announced it would provide houses to Bangladeshis within 24 hours and termed the move immoral and illegal.
Bengaluru, Jan 5 : Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday launched a scathing attack on Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, saying his claim of breaking the longest-serving Chief Minister record does not deserve celebration but should instead be "buried".

Bengaluru, Jan 5 (IANS) Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday launched a scathing attack on Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, saying his claim of breaking the longest-serving Chief Minister record does not deserve celebration but should instead be "buried".

Reacting to Siddaramaiah's statement that he would break the record of former Chief Minister D. Devaraj Urs, Kumaraswamy said, "What merit does he have for all this? Looking at the condition of the state, his record deserves to be buried rather than celebrated."

Addressing a press conference at the JD(S) state office, JP Bhavan, in Bengaluru, the Union Minister said Siddaramaiah, who boasts of having administered the state for a long period, had in fact presided over what he described as a textbook example of bad governance.

Expressing anguish, Kumaraswamy said Siddaramaiah's administrative record deserved to be consigned to history as a failure.

"Karnataka, which once stood as a model of good governance, has today become an example of inefficiency and poor administration. Where is Devaraj Urs, and where are these people? Forget about breaking Urs' record, Siddaramaiah himself will be the last Chief Minister of the Congress party in this state. Voters will teach Congress a lesson," he said.

He alleged that the last two-and-a-half years of governance would go down in history as one of the worst administrations, claiming that corruption, murder, extortion, drug mafia activities and honour killings had continued unabated.

"Unable to curb any of this, it appears that the government is functioning merely for the sake of setting records. Officers have been reduced to slaves. Under this administration, officials are working like bonded labourers, with no freedom whatsoever," Kumaraswamy alleged.

On the law and order situation in the state, the Union Minister accused the Chief Minister and the Home Minister of behaving irresponsibly. He alleged that whenever an incident occurs, the government attempts to deflect responsibility by forming special investigation teams and issuing statements instead of taking decisive action.

Kumaraswamy also demanded strict action against those involved in stone-pelting incidents targeting devotees wearing Om Shakti garlands during a procession in JJ Nagar in Bengaluru. Condemning the incident, he said that stone-pelting at women devotees undertaking an Om Shakti yatra reflected a serious deterioration in law and order in the state, holding the government responsible for such incidents.

It may be noted that amid the ongoing leadership debate within the Congress, Siddaramaiah is set to equal the record of the longest-serving Chief Minister of Karnataka, held by D. Devaraj Urs, on Tuesday.

Devaraj Urs served as Chief Minister during two tenures  from 1972 to 1977 and from 1978 to 1980  while Siddaramaiah has held the post since May 2023, after completing a full term between 2013 and 2018.

Urs served continuously for over seven-and-a-half years, completing a total of 7 years and 239 days in office. Siddaramaiah has now equalled that record across his two terms.
Chennai, Jan 5 : The Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday demanded that Chief Minister M. K. Stalin announce an increase in the Pongal cash gift from Rs 3,000 to Rs 8,000, to be distributed along with the traditional Pongal gift hamper.

The demand was made by Tamil Nadu BJP spokesperson A.N.S. Prasad, who accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of deliberately denying people their rightful Pongal entitlements over the last four years.

In a statement, Prasad alleged that the DMK government was attempting to mislead the poor and needy by announcing a "paltry" Rs 3,000 cash assistance ahead of elections, while withholding amounts legitimately due from previous years. He claimed that the Pongal cash support announced for 2026 does not compensate for the steady reduction and denial of benefits since the DMK assumed office.

The BJP spokesperson compared the current dispensation with the previous All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government, under which Rs 2,500 in cash was provided along with the Pongal gift hamper in 2021. According to him, the DMK reduced the cash component to Rs 1,000 in 2022 and 2023, provided no cash assistance in 2024, and continued a similar pattern in 2025. "From 2022 to 2025, Tamil Nadu families should have received at least Rs 10,000 in Pongal cash assistance based on earlier benchmarks. Instead, the DMK has deprived them of nearly Rs 8,000 during these four years," Prasad alleged.

He described the current Rs 3,000 announcement as a pre-election exercise aimed at securing votes rather than a sincere welfare measure. The BJP maintained that combining the announced Rs 3,000 with Rs 5,000 representing arrears from previous years would ensure a fair Rs 8,000 Pongal cash gift for 2026. Such a step, the party said, would reflect genuine concern for people affected by rising living costs.

Accusing the DMK of undermining welfare commitments and damaging the State's governance record, the BJP urged Chief Minister Stalin to immediately revise the Pongal cash assistance to Rs 8,000 and ensure its distribution along with the traditional gift hamper.

The party reiterated that restoring the full Pongal benefit was essential to deliver justice to the people of Tamil Nadu.
New Delhi, Jan 5 : Since the successful operation in Venezuela that led to its leader Nicolas Maduro's detention, US President Donald Trump is exuberating in confidence, reiterating establishing "American dominance in the Western hemisphere" which will "never be questioned again".

New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) Since the successful operation in Venezuela that led to its leader Nicolas Maduro's detention, US President Donald Trump is exuberating in confidence, reiterating establishing "American dominance in the Western hemisphere" which will "never be questioned again".

Over the weekend in the US, reports quote him having issued warnings to countries including Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Iran and Greenland.

Incidentally, Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, which is an US ally and a NATO member. On Iran, India on Monday advised its nationals to avoid non-essential travel, owing to the protests or demonstrations.

It is about protestors against the current regime in Tehran that Washington has issued warnings of punitive action if any strong action is initiated by Iran.

Meanwhile, Trump appears to be eyeing countries "that are viable and successful and where the oil is allowed to freely come out", as he stated Sunday.

While the Caracas raid is being framed as strike against drug trafficking and narco-terrorism, his threats to other nations over the weekend has reignited debates over sovereignty, regional stability, and Washington's role in Latin America.

The episode has been attributed by several reports to the December-released US National Security Strategy (NSS), which emphasises competition with revisionist powers and protection of American economic and security interests, and the historical rubric of the Monroe Doctrine.

The NSS set to rediscover the more than 200-year-old foreign policy statement known as the Monroe Doctrine, drafted against European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere.

It was created in 1823 by President James Monroe as part of foreign policy against colonialism by countries in the Western Hemisphere.

It viewed any intervention by foreign powers in the political affairs of the Americas as a hostile act against the United States.

"After years of neglect, the United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere, and to protect our homeland and our access to key geographies throughout the region. We will deny non-Hemispheric competitors the ability to position forces or other threatening capabilities, or to own or control strategically vital assets, in our Hemisphere," observed the NSS, adding, "This 'Trump Corollary' to the Monroe Doctrine is a common-sense and potent restoration of American power and priorities, consistent with American security interests."

This "Trump Corollary" reference was termed in several reports, including 'The Economist' magazine as "Donroe Doctrine".

The document, according to The Economist, is "further reason for America's friends to plan for the worst".

The NSS frames competition with revisionist powers as a global contest for influence. In Latin America, the United States has long viewed Russian, Chinese, and Iranian outreach as a challenge to its traditional sphere.

The Maduro operation -- and the public warnings to states with ties to Caracas -- signal an intent to roll back or punish external influence that undermines US preferences for regional alignment.

What is new is the doctrine's adaptation to a multipolar era. Rather than merely opposing European colonialism, modern US policy frames the hemisphere as a zone where greatpower competition must be constrained.

Saturday's raid and Trump's naming of other countries echo a Monroestyle insistence on hemispheric primacy, but they also reflect a 21stcentury twist: the doctrine is being operationalised not only through diplomacy and economic pressure but through targeted military actions and public coercive signaling designed to shape the behavior of both state and nonstate actors.

President Trump's public comments explicitly referenced oil and strategic geography when discussing Greenland and other territories, tying resource access and supplychain considerations to national security.

That linkage reflects an NSS concern that economic dependencies and resource access can translate into strategic vulnerabilities.
Jaipur, Jan 5 : Severe cold wave and dense fog conditions have forced district administrations across Rajasthan to suspend school classes in 20 districts to ensure the safety of children.

Orders have been issued to keep schools closed for students of lower classes for varying durations between January 6 and January 12, depending on local weather conditions.

According to district-wise orders, schools in Jaipur, Hanumangarh, Sikar, Jhalawar, Sri Ganganagar, Ajmer, Pratapgarh, Dungarpur, Bhilwara, Tonk, Bharatpur, Nagaur, Deeg-Kumher and Rajsamand will remain closed for students from Class 1 to Class 8 for different periods.

In Sri Ganganagar, schools from nursery to Class 5 will stay closed till January 12, while Kota has announced a one-day closure on January 6 for Classes 1 to 8.

In Jaipur, students from Classes 1 to 5 will get holidays from January 6 to 10, while Classes 6 to 8 will remain closed till January 8. Similar orders have been implemented in Bundi, Baran, Dausa, Chittorgarh and Ajmer, where schools will reopen between January 7 and January 8 based on local conditions.

The decision comes amid plummeting temperatures, poor visibility due to fog, and cold wave conditions affecting daily life across the state.

The Meteorological Department has warned that cold conditions may persist for the next few days. District administrations have clarified that teachers and staff may still be required to attend schools unless specified otherwise.

Parents have been advised to stay updated with local administration orders, as further extensions may be announced if the cold intensifies.

On Sunday, cold-day conditions prevailed in Kota, Sikar, Jaipur, Tonk, Bhilwara, Ajmer, Baran, and Pali. Almost all districts in the state, except Barmer and Jaisalmer, recorded temperatures below 10 degrees temperature leaving the desert state chilled.
Patna, Jan 5 : The Bihar government has intensified its crackdown on illegal sand and stone mining, launching a comprehensive state-wide enforcement campaign in December last year.

During the month-long drive, the Mines and Geology Department conducted raids at 4,582 locations across the state against illegal mining, transportation, and storage activities.

As part of the action, authorities seized 574 vehicles, registered 248 FIRs, and made multiple arrests, dealing a major blow to the mining mafia.

According to departmental data, Aurangabad district recorded the highest number of raids (331), while Patna district saw the maximum number of arrests (15) in illegal mining-related cases.

Sand mining in the Falgu River in Magadh division, the Son River in Shahabad and the Ganga River in Patna is rampant. Besides these rivers, mining takes place in Gandak, Kosi, Burhi Gandak, Parman, Kamla Balan and others as well.

Mining of stones in the mountains of Aurangabad, Gaya, Rohtas and Kaimur frequently takes place.

Officials emphasised that the campaign is not merely a numerical exercise but a determined effort to dismantle the network of illegal mining at its roots.

The impact of regular monitoring and strict reviews conducted under the leadership of Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Mines and Geology, Vijay Kumar Sinha, is clearly visible in the departmentas revenue performance.

By December 2025, the department achieved 102 per cent of its annual revenue target, surpassing expectations.

Officials attributed this achievement to the curbing of illegal mining activities and the promotion of legal mining operations.

The department has made it clear that in areas where repeated complaints of illegal mining are received, scrutiny will extend beyond mining operators to include the responsibility of concerned administrative units.

Mining officers across all districts have been instructed to take swift and decisive action on every complaint.

The state government believes that encouraging legal and organised mining will not only boost revenue but also generate local employment opportunities, contributing to sustainable economic development.
Washington, Jan 5 : The Trump administration is preparing for a possible reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, even as American officials warn that the security situation in Venezuela remains "fluid" and continues to pose severe risks to U.S. citizens.

Washington, Jan 5 (IANS) The Trump administration is preparing for a possible reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, even as American officials warn that the security situation in Venezuela remains "fluid" and continues to pose severe risks to U.S. citizens.

"As President Trump said, we are making preparations to allow for a reopening should the President make that decision," a senior State Department official said, underscoring that no final determination has yet been made.

The comments came as the U.S. Embassy in Caracas issued a fresh security warning, urging U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela and to exercise heightened caution if already present.

In a statement, the embassy said Venezuela remains under the highest U.S. Travel Advisory classification due to "severe risks to Americans," including wrongful detention, crime, civil unrest and limited access to health care.

The embassy noted that no commercial flights are currently operating in or out of Venezuela, further complicating travel and evacuation options for foreign nationals. It also reiterated that the U.S. Department of State withdrew all diplomatic personnel from Caracas in March 2019 and suspended embassy operations, leaving all consular services  both routine and emergency  unavailable.

"The US government continues to be unable to provide emergency services to US citizens in Venezuela," the embassy said.

U.S. citizens currently in the country were advised to take precautions to ensure their safety, establish multiple communication methods with family and friends outside Venezuela, and enrol in the Smart Traveller Enrollment Program to receive security updates.

Those seeking assistance were told to contact the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, which is responsible for Venezuela-related consular matters.

The United States has not operated an embassy in Caracas since 2019, when diplomatic personnel were withdrawn amid a deepening political crisis and deteriorating security conditions.
New Delhi, Jan 5 : Tickets for the Republic Day celebrations in 2026 can now be purchased through the Aamantran mobile app, the Ministry of Defence announced on Monday.

In a post on social media platform X, the Ministry of Defence said the app will facilitate ticket purchases for key events associated with the Republic Day celebrations, including the Republic Day Parade on January 26, the full dress rehearsal of the Beating the Retreat ceremony on January 28, and the Beating the Retreat ceremony on January 29.

"Tickets for #RepublicDayCelebrations2026 can now be purchased through the Aamantran Mobile App," the Ministry said in the post.

The post further stated that tickets can be purchased for the Republic Day Parade scheduled for January 26, the Beating the Retreat full dress rehearsal on January 28, and the Beating the Retreat ceremony on January 29.

The Ministry said the Aamantran app is available for download through the governmentas official app store at Gov.in. Tickets can also be accessed through the official website, aamantran.mod.gov.in.

Republic Day celebrations mark the adoption of the Constitution of India on January 26, 1950, and are among the country's most significant national events.

The Republic Day Parade, held annually at Kartavya Path in the national capital, features marching contingents, tableaux and displays by the armed forces and other participants, and is attended by large numbers of spectators.

Republic Day celebrations also provide an opportunity for citizens to witness ceremonial traditions and public participation events associated with the armed forces and national institutions.

The Beating the Retreat ceremony, traditionally held at Vijay Chowk, marks the formal conclusion of the Republic Day celebrations and includes performances by military bands from the Army, Navy and Air Force.

The Ministry of Defence has, in recent years, increasingly relied on digital platforms to streamline access and improve crowd management for such large-scale national events.
MANILA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- A retired Air Force general of the Philippines, who was arrested on Monday over his alleged role in an anti-government destabilization plot, was freed a few hours later after posting bail of 48,000 pesos (about 2,663 U.S. dollars), authorities and his lawyer have said.

Operatives of the Philippine National Police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group arrested retired Major General Romeo Poquiz at Manila's international airport upon his arrival from a family holiday in Bangkok, Thailand, by virtue of a court-issued arrest warrant.

Poquiz was facing charges of rebellion and inciting sedition in connection with anti-corruption protests held in November last year.

The complaint stemmed from a protest rally organized by Poquiz's group in Manila, during which he allegedly urged members of the armed forces to rise against the government.

Poquiz is the convenor of the United People's Initiative, a civic group composed mainly of retired military and police officers that emerged as an anti-corruption movement seeking accountability over allegedly anomalous flood control projects.

Among the group's demands was a call for Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos to step down amid corruption controversies involving government officials, lawmakers, and private contractors.

Poquiz's name was also mentioned as one of the alleged instigators of a planned coup in November, an accusation he has denied.

He previously said his group met with Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief General Romeo Brawner only to "air our legitimate grievances," and not to urge the military to withdraw support for Marcos.

"I did not," Poquiz said last year when asked if he specifically tried to convince Brawner to withdraw military support.

Following his arrest, Poquiz was brought to the Philippine National Police national headquarters for booking and documentation before being presented to the court, which later granted him bail. 
Washington, Jan 5 : House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday announced that Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna will take over as Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, while commending outgoing panel leader Raja Krishnamoorthi for his leadership over the past three years.

In a statement, Jeffries praised Krishnamoorthi's tenure, saying he had led the committee "with grace and resolve" during a period of heightened scrutiny of U.S.-China relations.

He said that throughout his time as Ranking Member, Krishnamoorthi "worked diligently and in a bipartisan way to strengthen our global competitiveness and to advance American economic and national security interests."

"Our nation is safer and more secure because of Raja's commitment to public service," Jeffries said, thanking him "on behalf of House Democrats" for his leadership and continued dedication to the work of the committee.

Krishnamoorthi had earlier announced his decision to step down from the post later this month, informing Jeffries of his intention to relinquish the role.

In his statement, he reflected on building the committee during its formative years and expressed pride in what he described as a credible, bipartisan body focused on strengthening U.S. economic and national security while keeping American competitiveness at the centre of its mission.

Jeffries said Khanna will assume the role of Ranking Member for the remainder of the Congress.

"I am grateful to Congressman Ro Khanna for his willingness to take on the role of leading House Democrats on the Select Committee as Ranking Member for the duration of the Congress," he said.

Praising Khanna's record, Jeffries said that "through his work on the Committee and across the Congress, Rep. Khanna has proven to be a fighter for our nation and the health, safety and well-being of the American people."

He added that House Democrats thank Khanna for his "continued determination, strong sense of purpose and commitment to the work needed to safeguard our economy, defend our national security and protect human rights around the world."

The leadership transition comes as the committee continues to focus on issues tied to U.S. competitiveness and security in the context of China's global role.

During Krishnamoorthi's tenure, the panel emphasised bipartisan cooperation, with members working across party lines on matters affecting economic resilience, innovation, and national security.

In his farewell remarks, Krishnamoorthi described the challenge posed by China as "among the defining tests of our time," saying it spans economic, technological, and military domains and defies easy answers.

He said meeting that challenge requires "nuance and seriousness," along with practical and enforceable policy solutions and a resolve to strengthen American competitiveness "without succumbing to fear or prejudice."

Krishnamoorthi also voiced confidence in the committee's future leadership, saying he was confident Jeffries would make "an excellent decision" in appointing his successor and adding that he looked forward to continuing to work closely with the committee's Democratic leadership.

The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party was established to examine long-term strategic challenges posed by China and to recommend policy responses aimed at strengthening U.S. economic competitiveness and national security.

Since its creation, the panel has played a prominent role in shaping congressional debate on U.S.-China policy, with an emphasis on bipartisan engagement and sustained oversight.
Kolkata, Jan 5 : A minor grandson has been detained on charges of murdering his elderly grandmother on suspicion of practising witchcraft, police said on Monday.

The incident took place in the Mahmudpur area of Ramkrishnapur Gram Panchayat under the jurisdiction of Kumarganj Police Station in South Dinajpur district.

Upon receiving information, police recovered the elderly woman's body and sent it for post-mortem examination. The accused minor has been detained.

According to police, the deceased has been identified as Lakshmi Soren. She was living with her son, daughter-in-law, grandson and granddaughter.

For some time, her granddaughter had been unwell. The accused allegedly claimed that his sister's illness was due to Lakshmi Soren practising witchcraft.

It is alleged that the minor had been verbally abusing his grandmother for a long time over this accusation. He reportedly also threatened her with dire consequences on several occasions. On Sunday night, the accused allegedly dragged Lakshmi Soren out of her house onto the street and assaulted her.

The elderly woman's son, Monglu Tudu, and daughter-in-law, Latika Hansda, tried to intervene but failed to save her. Having no other option, they approached local panchayat member Ranjita Barman.

Following this, the panchayat member's husband, Kanak Sarkar, informed the police. However, the woman reportedly died before police could reach the spot.

Later that night, personnel from Kumarganj police station detained the accused grandson. Police also recovered the body and sent it to Balurghat District Hospital for post-mortem examination on Monday.

"The accused minor has been detained and an investigation has been launched into the matter. Prima facie, it appears that the grandmother was beaten to death by the grandson after he suspected her of practising witchcraft," a South Dinajpur district police officer said.

According to the officer, family members are being questioned as part of the investigation. The incident has created a sensation in the area. Local residents expressed shock over the incident, stating that it was difficult to believe that a minor grandson could be involved in the killing of his grandmother.
Claryx.ai introduces an AI-powered advisory platform that connects to cloud accounting systems to help accountants move beyond compliance and deliver proactive, high-value business insights to clients in real time.

SINGAPORE, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Claryx.ai, an AI-powered advisory platform, has officially launched with a mission to help accounting firms and businesses move beyond routine compliance work toward strategic, high-value advisory services.

Claryx.ai securely connects to existing cloud accounting systems including Xero and QuickBooks. Using AI, the platform analyzes financial data to surface trends, risks, and opportunities, delivering insights in clear, structured language that explains what has changed, why it matters, and what action to consider next.

The platform serves two primary audiences: accounting firms seeking to expand their advisory capabilities, and small businesses looking for clearer visibility into their financial performance between accountant meetings.

For accounting firms, Claryx.ai automates time-consuming data preparation, freeing accountants to focus on interpretation, client conversations, and advisory work that commands higher fees. For small businesses, it provides continuous financial intelligence and prepares owners to engage more productively with their accountants, replacing static month-end reports with ongoing, actionable insight.

"The accounting profession is at a turning point," said Jay Wang, Founder and Managing Director of Claryx.ai. "Compliance work is being commoditized, and clients increasingly expect strategic guidance, not just historical reports. We built Claryx.ai to help accountants reclaim their role as trusted business advisors, with AI handling the data analysis so they can focus on the judgment and context that only humans can provide."

Claryx.ai is designed to strengthen the relationship between accountants and their clients by creating a shared, continuous view of business performance. Rather than replacing accountants, the platform positions them at the center of strategic decision-making by helping teams spot issues earlier, understand performance drivers together, and shift from reactive reporting to proactive advisory.

The platform features AI-powered business reviews, strategic alert systems, and conversational analysis capabilities that transform raw financial data into advisory-ready insights.

Claryx.ai is now available to accounting firms and businesses, with pricing tiers based on organizational needs. A free tier is available for individual users, subject to plan limits.

More information is available at website: Claryx.ai.

About Claryx.ai:

Claryx.ai is an AI-powered advisory platform that helps accounting firms transform from compliance providers into strategic business advisors. By adding an intelligence layer on top of existing accounting systems, Claryx.ai enables firms to deliver clearer, more consistent advisory outcomes while helping businesses access financial guidance between accountant meetings. The platform is backed by ITLink Business Solutions, a Singapore-based technology consultancy with over three decades of experience in finance technology.

Media Contact:

Claryx.ai

Lauren Chong

Tel: +65 9325 8593

Email: [email protected]

Media Contact

Lauren Chong, Claryx.ai, 65 93258593, [email protected], claryx.ai

Twitter, LinkedIn

SOURCE Claryx.ai
New 9.99 check gives buyers instant access to verified digital service records for 43+ car brands, sourced directly from manufacturer systems.

BRISTOL, England, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- ServiceStamp, a UK-based vehicle verification service, has launched to provide used car buyers and sellers with direct access to official manufacturer service history records.

While UK consumers routinely check vehicles for outstanding finance, theft and write-off status, verifying whether a car has been properly serviced has remained difficult. Buyers have traditionally relied on paper service books or informal confirmation from sellers, while accessing official digital service records has typically required contacting franchised dealerships individually.

ServiceStamp addresses this gap by sourcing service history data directly from Original Equipment (OE) manufacturer databases, the same systems used by franchised dealerships. The service delivers instant digital service history reports for more than 43 car brands, priced at 9.99 per check.

A Longstanding Gap in Used Car Transparency

The UK used car market has undergone a quiet shift over the past decade as manufacturers moved from paper service books to digital service records. Most vehicles from Model Year 2012 onwards now have servicing logged electronically within manufacturer systems. However, this data has remained largely inaccessible to private buyers and sellers.

As a result, many vehicles are sold each year with incomplete or unverifiable service histories. Industry research indicates that vehicles with a full service history typically achieve higher resale values than those without documented maintenance, yet buyers often struggle to confirm whether servicing claims are genuine.

"The move from paper service books to digital records has left many buyers unable to verify a car's maintenance history," said Simon, founder of ServiceStamp.

"ServiceStamp provides a simple way for consumers to access manufacturer-recorded service data before making a purchase. It's the check that's been missing from the used car buying process."

What ServiceStamp Reports Can Show

For supported vehicles, ServiceStamp reports may include:

Manufacturer-recorded service dates and service types

Mileage recorded at each service visit

Details of work carried out at franchised dealerships

MOT history for UK-registered vehicles

This information allows buyers to identify gaps in servicing, confirm recorded mileage over time and validate whether work was carried out within manufacturer networks.

Reducing the Risk of Service History Fraud

Service history fraud remains a concern in the used car market, with fake service stamps and incomplete records commonly cited by consumer advocates. Counterfeit service book stamps are widely available online, making it possible for sellers to fabricate maintenance records for vehicles that may not have been properly serviced.

By verifying service history directly against manufacturer databases, ServiceStamp provides an independent way for buyers to confirm whether claimed servicing actually took place at authorised dealerships. This offers additional reassurance alongside existing vehicle history checks.

Designed for Buyers, Sellers and the Trade

ServiceStamp is designed for use by:

Used car buyers, verifying service history before committing to a purchase

Private sellers, demonstrating verifiable service records to support asking prices

Dealers and traders, appraising vehicles without manually chasing service records

Vehicle owners, recovering service history where paper documentation has been lost

The service is intended to complement existing vehicle history checks rather than replace them.

How the Service Works

Using ServiceStamp involves three steps:

Enter a UK registration number or 17-character VIN

Complete secure payment (9.99)

Receive an instant digital service history report

Coverage includes over 43 manufacturers, including Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Ford, Vauxhall, Toyota and others. Availability of data may vary by manufacturer and vehicle age.

Availability

ServiceStamp is available now at servicestamp.co.uk. Reports are delivered instantly where data is available. A full refund is provided if a report cannot be generated due to technical issues or unsupported vehicles.

About ServiceStamp

ServiceStamp is a UK-based vehicle service history verification service focused exclusively on official manufacturer dealership records. The platform provides access to manufacturer-recorded service data for more than 43 car brands, primarily covering vehicles from Model Year 2012 onwards.

Media Contact

Simon Brown, ServiceStamp, 44 7943677162, [email protected], https://servicestamp.co.uk/

SOURCE ServiceStamp
Bestselling author Rachel Held Evans once drew a global following through her Tennessee-based blog and books, where she wrestled openly with traditional evangelicalism and gave language to people who were questioning their own faith. Then an infection led to her sudden death at the age of 37 in 2019, ending what was expected to be a prolific writing career.

Since her death, a generation of writers owe a clear debt to the path she carved, many of whom are still trying to keep Evanss writing alive in a new book called Braving the Truth: Essential Essays for Reckoning with and Reimagining Faith (HarperOne, Feb.). The book is edited by Sarah Bessey, a bestselling author and cofounder with Evans of the progressive Evolving Faith conference and podcast in 2018.

Rachel created a pathway of truth-telling and prophetic speaking where you still get to love the church and nobody gets to tell you that you dont belong here, Bessey tells PW.

A self-described Bible nerd raised in the heart of the Bible Belt, Evans came of age within conservative evangelicalism. But when the doctrine she had inherited began to unravel for her, questions about science, gender, and the Bible itself became front and center. Braving the Truth is a collection representing a time capsule of some of the debates that were unfolding in American Christianity while Evans was blogging between 2007 and 2019.

Rachel always had her finger on the pulse of the church and what was influencing it, Bessey says. I cant think of another time in the history of the church when anyone wouldve cared what some southern lady from east Tennessee had to say about gender roles and reading the Bible or evangelicalism and the shift toward Donald Trump.

Evans would encourage women, who are often not allowed to preach in evangelical churches, to speak up anyway. To those who will not accept us as preachers, we will have to become prophets, Evans wrote in 2011. An early critic of President Trump, Evans would talk about the unholy American trinity of patriarchy, white supremacy, and religious nationalism. In a January 28 blog post included in Braving the Truth, Evans wrote about Trump and opined, "When power is the end game, faithfulness bows to political expediency."

Keeping faith while questioning doctrine

Evans, who eventually left evangelicalism to embrace the mainline Protestant tradition by becoming an Episcopalian, explored topics ranging from doubt, scripture, politics, gender, and sexuality. Bessey says she still hears from parents who talk about Evan's 2013 blog post titled If my son or daughter were gay because it gave them language for how to think and talk to their kids. In the post, which is included in the book, Evans wrote that if her daughter were gay, I would want her to know nothing could separate her from the love of God in Christ. I would want her to know that she isnt broken, she isnt an embarrassment, she isnt a disappointment.

Evans often served as a north star for many Christians going through deconstructionpicking apart their inherited faith. People since her death would say, I felt like I knew her. I felt like she was my pastor, or She was alongside me, Bessey says. She would know how I was feeling or thinking before I did.

For many, Evans provided the courage to reexamine doctrine, what they previously thought was gospel truth.

Author Jen Hatmaker wrote an essay for Braving the Truth on how Evans helped her come to an inclusive position on people who are LGBTQ. For every person who has responded to my leadership in their life toward spiritual evolution, know there was a Rachel in mine first, Hatmaker wrote.

Another of the book's contributors, Shauna Niequist, wrote about how she would borrow bravery from Evans. Rachel graciously allowed meand so, so many othersto draft off her bravery, to be a little more courageous in the reflection of her courage, Niequist wrote. She gave me a living, breathing vision of something I wanted to be, something to aspire to.

That idea of borrowing bravery came up for Bessey as she edited the book. You borrow bravery from Rachel because she gave you language or said out loud something you felt but didnt know how to articulate, and you were able to lean into truth, Bessey says. It takes a lot of bravery to be a person right now, and it starts with being able to say whats true.
As book retailers and distributors leverage artificial intelligence to offer interactive features, publishers are reckoning with the implications.

Two prominent examples emerged last month: Amazon's "Ask this Book" feature, which launched December 11 on Kindle devices and iOS, and ElevenLabs' "VoiceChat for audiobooks," which went live on December 2. Both allow readers to query books using AIbut their approaches to rights and licensing differ sharply, highlighting tensions over who controls interactive book experiences.

Amazon's feature lets readers highlight passages or type questions into a chatbot to get "spoiler-free" answers about plot, characters, and themes. The feature, which will roll out more widely in 2026, works on thousands of English-language titles and cannot be disabled by authors or publishers.

"'Ask this Book' is designed as a reading comprehension tool for customers who have already purchased or borrowed books, providing factual information to help them better understand what they're reading, with answers that are non-shareable and non-copyable," an Amazon spokesperson told PW. The company describes it as "a natural language expansion" of existing Kindle features like search and x-ray.

The Authors Guild sharply disagrees. In a statement posted to its website on December 23, the authors' rights advocacy organization said Amazon "turns books into searchable, interactive products akin to enhanced e-books or annotated editionsa new format for which rights should be specifically negotiated."

The Guild sees the enhanced functionalitywhich presumably is made possible by Amazon's proprietary AI ingesting and retaining the entirety of the text in order to reply to any queries or promptsas not falling under the parameters of existing licenses, instead calling it derivative use.

"Amazon has confirmed that it is using a 'standalone' instance of an AI model to answer user queries and that its responses are based solely on the text of the book purchased by the user," the Guild notes, pointing out that the technology may use retrieval augmented generation (RAG) technology, a growing market where applications are typically licensed.

"Amazon's 'Ask this Book' feature, while limited, is not licensed, brings in no new income, and does not allow publishers and authors to opt out, much less opt in," the Guild said. "This sets a dangerous precedent for the future of licensing for AI features, especially given Amazon's ownership of most of the e-book market."

Amazon maintains that no additional rights are needed because the feature "only uses content from the book as a prompt, and that prompt is not retained or stored to train the underlying AI model." The company added that "readers have been asking these questions through internet searches for years and that this feature is more native, spoiler-free, and helps customers keep reading."

A personal book club

ElevenLabs' VoiceChat, launched on its ElevenReader app in early December, offers similar functionality, though for audiobooks. The feature lets listeners ask questions about audiobooks using voice commands, receiving AI-generated responses in one of ElevenLabs' 500 synthetic voices.

"It works a bit like having a personal book club built inyou can ask for a recap, get details about a character or plot point, or just check something you missed, and the book responds in a natural, conversational way," said Madeline Shue, who leads growth and strategy at ElevenLabs.

The feature has not attracted the same controversy, because it is limited to books published by independent authors directly on the site or content uploaded by users for listening and interaction, and not those sold or distributed on behalf of other publishers. "We wouldn't do this on a publisher's content without their consent," Shue said.

However, ElevenLabs is actively courting publishers for licensed partnerships. "We've heard from publishers that this kind of interaction could open up interesting opportunities to extend and potentially monetize their IP," Shue said. "We're ultimately interested in partnering with publishers who want to innovate here and help authors monetize this type of engagement."

The contrast underscores a pivotal question: will interactive AI features be imposed by platforms or negotiated with rightsholders? Several companies are working in stealth mode to license content specifically for query-and-chat functions, racing to build what could become the modern iteration of enhanced e-booksdigital books with embedded multimedia, annotations, and interactive elements, which emerged in the early 2010s but proved expensive to produce and struggled to find audiences.

These new AI-powered features hark back to concepts like Bob Stein's SocialBook, developed at the Institute for the Future of the Book in the 2010s. Stein envisioned books as "vehicles for moving ideas in time and space" where readers could converse in live margins, transforming reading from a solitary act into a communal experience and allowing conversation to emerge from the text itself, flattening the hierarchy between authors and readers.

More recently, companies such as Fable, the online digital book club platform, have allowed for readers to ask questions of booksbut in that case, answers are delivered by paid book club moderators and their fellow book club members, not by AI.

Still, controversy around tech companies' ambitions for this type of interactivity continues to simmer. The Authors Guild urged Amazon to "move to a permissioned, paid model" and said it will continue monitoring AI-enhanced books across platforms. "These are entirely new uses that fall outside of the rights granted under most publishing contracts, retail agreements, and platform terms of service," the Guild said.

Meru Gokhale, CEO of Editrix.ai and former publisher of the Penguin Press Group in India, commented on the controversy, noting that there are several more challenges this new technology poses beyond licensing, including whether or not the AI will return accurate results. She also argued that current contracts, which focus on licensing alone, are largely out of date. "Publishers have been used to thinking about AI in terms of copyright, training datasets, and licensing," Gokhale said. "Reading features sit in a different zone, they are not even a part of the conversation yet."

She reiterates another argument from the early 21st century: that if the market doesn't meet demand for a product, the user will simply bypass the market, with the result being technological mashups of content from books with AI, with no publishing industry oversight or involvementleast of all remuneration for use of the copyrighted material.

"That's why pure resistance can be self-defeating. If the paid ecosystem refuses to meet a reader expectation, the expectation won't disappear," Gokhale said. "Once you ask those questions, the posture shifts. The issue stops being 'Amazon did a thing.' The issue becomes 'the reading interface is changing, and publishing needs to be able to enter the discussion to set terms for it, to safeguard quality control.'"

For now, what we've seen in the past month represents competing approaches to this innovation in the reader interface: Amazon's unilateral deployment of AI features on its dominant platform, and ElevenLabs' partnership-oriented model that positions authors and publishers as stakeholders in the interactive future. As AI capabilities accelerate and reader expectations evolve, the question of who controls and profits from these experiences will continue to be debated and, quite likely, litigated.
Three laws passed in Parliament could boost central revenues, reshape GST cess flows, shift MGNREGA costs to states and create new budget headroom ahead of the 2026-2027 Union Budget, points out A K Bhattacharya.

IMAGE: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks in the Rajya Sabha, December 17, 2025. Photograph: Sansad TV/ANI Video Grab

Few winter sessions of Parliament have had as impactful an influence on the Union government's finances as the one that concluded last month.

For good reasons, the fortnight-long winter session that ended on December 19 will also be remembered for the way the government brought in several legislative Bills at very short notice and ignored the Opposition demand for referring them to parliamentary committees for deeper scrutiny.

But, quite apart from that, there has also been little discussion over the impact of three legislative Bills, introduced during the winter session of Parliament, on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's forthcoming Budget for 2026-2027.

Let us begin with the Health Security Se National Security Cess Act, 2025.

The new law has levied a cess on the production of goods such as pan masala and any other goods that may be notified by the Union government.

There is a brief context to this move.

On September 3, 2025, the Goods and Services Tax Council decided to rationalise the GST rate regime by reducing the prevailing four slabs (5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent) to a simplified three-rate structure -- a merit rate of 5 per cent for essential and priority sector goods and services, a standard rate of 18 per cent for most items, and a demerit rate of 40 per cent for a selected list of sin and luxury goods.

The new rate system took effect from September 22. Along with the enforcement of the new rates from that date, the GST compensation cess, levied at varying rates, was also discontinued for all items except tobacco and related products, including pan masala.

The cess on tobacco products was to continue until the Union government repaid the outstanding loan (including interest obligations) incurred by it to compensate states for the revenue shortfall caused during the Covid pandemic.

According to available indications, the repayment liability should be over by the end of December 2025.

Herein lies the importance of the Health Security Se National Security Cess Act, 2025, and its significance for the Union Budget.

So, when the GST compensation cess is withdrawn, the new cess under a new law for pan masala will come into force.

As of now, the new cess law has specified rates only for pan masala.

But note that the new law can extend it to other tobacco products through a notification.

Thus, expect the tobacco industry to continue to pay a new kind of tax in lieu of the GST compensation cess.

Nothing wrong in this move per se, except that there is a vital difference in the way this would impact the Centre and the states.

If GST compensation cess had continued, its collections would have been shared among the Centre and the states in accordance with a formula.

But the new cess will be collected and kept by the Centre in its coffers. Needless to say the Union Budget will benefit as a result.

In the coming years, this amount will only increase and even if a dedicated fund for health care and national security is created to finance such expenses from the cess collections, it is undeniable that the Centre's finances will be a net gainer.

If instead the Centre had imposed an extra levy on such tobacco products either under the GST regime or by way of an excise duty, the states would also have benefitted by way of the revenue share mandated under the GST laws or the Finance Commission's devolution formula.

The second legislative initiative, already passed by Parliament, was to revamp the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and rename it as Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act.

Quite understandably, the renaming of the law became a political controversy.

But the greater significance of the new law was the way it increased the financial responsibility of the states in implementing the rural employment scheme, which now promised to offer 125 days of work in a year instead of the earlier guarantee of 100 days of work.

The new law introduced a new formula for sharing the cost of running the scheme.

The earlier law required states to cover about 10 per cent of the cost of the scheme, while the Centre bore about 90 per cent of the burden.

But the new law reduced the Centre's expenditure share to 60 per cent and raised the state's expenditure share to 40 per cent.

In one stroke, the Union government's financial burden on account of this law should come down by about a third.

Consider the following numbers. Over the past three years, the Union government has been spending about Rs 85,000 crore to Rs 90,000 crore under MGNREGA.

Taken together with the share of the states, the total annual expenditure under this head would be about Rs 1 trillion.

The average number of days of employment per household in the last three years under the old programme has been between 48 and 52 days.

Thus, even if the number of days of work to be provided under the new law sees no change, the Union government's share in the total expenditure under the new law would be down to about Rs 60,000 crore, a decline of about 30 to 33 per cent.

This will be a substantial saving for the Centre, just as the states would be burdened with higher spending under this head.

The third piece of legislation pertains to the capital market. The Securities Markets Code, introduced in Parliament in the winter session, has been referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance for further scrutiny.

The new Code has several reform initiatives that will strengthen the regulatory system for the securities markets.

But a key provision in the proposed law will help the central exchequer secure a steady transfer of resources from the Securities and Exchange Board of India, almost on the lines of a system followed by the other financial sector regulator, the Reserve Bank of India.

The Code proposes the constitution of a reserve fund for meeting the expenditure incurred by Sebi and a provision for transferring its residual corpus to the Consolidated Fund of India.

In addition, all sums realised by Sebi by way of penalty will have to be credited to the central exchequer.

The manner and the quantum of such transfer to the Union government will be prescribed through appropriate rules.

Sebi is not as rich a regulator as the RBI.

At the end of March 2024, its general fund had a closing balance of Rs 5,573 crore, including a surplus of Rs 1,065 crore.

But the new system of transferring surplus to the Union government will provide a steady source of revenue for the finance ministry in the years to come.

In sum, the three legislative measures may not immediately give the finance minister a big cushion in budget making.

But these certainly have the potential of becoming a steady additional source of revenue for the Centre in the years ahead.

However, two of the laws -- one imposing a cess on pan masala and the other changing the funding pattern for the rural jobs programme -- show how the Centre's gains come at the cost of states, whose revenue sources may be shrinking and expenditure burden on schemes decided by the Centre may be rising.

This has other implications for India's public finances in general. But that is another story.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
MOSCOW, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Russian forces have captured the Grabovskoye settlement in Ukraine's Sumy region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

The ministry said units of the "North" group of forces are advancing to establish a security buffer in the border areas of Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

It added that Russian forces struck Ukrainian military-industrial facilities, military airfield infrastructure, drone production and assembly workshops, a drone operator training center, and temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries across 148 locations.

Russian air defense systems shot down three guided aerial bombs, three U.S.-made HIMARS rockets and 356 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day, the ministry said. 
If the Somnath temple, which was attacked 1,000 years ago and faced continuous attacks thereon, could rise again and again, then we can surely restore our great nation to the glory it embodied 1,000 years ago before the invasions, asserts Narendra Modi.

IMAGE: The Somnath temple. Photograph: ANI Photo

Somnath... hearing this word instils a sense of pride in our hearts and minds. It is the eternal proclamation of India's soul.

This majestic temple is situated on the western coast of India in Gujarat, at a place called Prabhas Patan.

The Dwadasa Jyotirling Stotram mentions the 12 Jyotirlings across India.

The Stotram begins with 'Saurashtre Somnatham Ch', symbolising the civilisational and spiritual importance of Somnath as the first Jyotirling.

It is also said:

Somalingam Naro Drishtva Sarvapapaih Pramuchyate

Labhte Phalam Manovaanchitam Mritah Svargam Samaashrayet

It means: Just the sight of Somnath Shivling ensures that a person is freed of sins, achieves their righteous desires and attains heaven after death.

Tragically, this very Somnath, which drew the reverence and prayers of millions, was attacked by foreign invaders, whose agenda was demolition, not devotion.

The year 2026 is significant for the Somnath temple. It has been 1,000 years since the first attack on this great shrine.

It was in January of 1026 that Mahmud of Ghazni attacked this temple, seeking to destroy a great symbol of faith and civilisation, through a violent and barbaric invasion.

Yet, 1,000 years later, the temple stands as glorious as ever because of numerous efforts to restore Somnath to its grandeur.

One such milestone completes 75 years in 2026. It was during a ceremony on May 11, 1951, in the presence of the then President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, that the restored temple opened its doors to devotees.

The first invasion of Somnath 1,000 years ago in 1026, the cruelty that was unleashed upon the people of the town and the devastation that was inflicted upon the shrine have been documented in great detail in various historical accounts.

When you read them, the heart trembles. Each line carries the weight of grief, cruelty and a sorrow that refuses to fade with time.

Imagine the impact it had on Bharat and the morale of the people. After all, Somnath had great spiritual significance.

It was also on the coast, giving strength to a society with great economic prowess, whose sea traders and seafarers carried tales of its grandeur far and wide.

Yet, I am proud to state unequivocally that the story of Somnath, 1,000 years after the first attack, is not defined by destruction. It is defined by the unbreakable courage of billions of children of Bharat Mata.

The medieval barbarism that began 1,000 years ago in 1026 went on to 'inspire' others to repeatedly attack Somnath.

It was the start of an attempt to enslave our people and culture.

But each time the temple was attacked, we also had great men and women who stood up to defend it and even made the ultimate sacrifice.

And every single time, generation after generation, the people of our great civilisation picked themselves up, rebuilt and rejuvenated the temple.

It is our privilege to have been nurtured by the same soil that has nurtured greats like Ahilyabai Holkar, who made a noble attempt to ensure devotees can pray at Somnath.

IMAGE: President Droupadi Murmu offers prayer at the Somnath temple. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvnX/ANI Photo

In the 1890s, Swami Vivekananda visited Somnath and that experience moved him. He expressed his feelings during a lecture in Chennai in 1897 when he said: 'Some of these old temples of Southern India and those like Somnath of Gujarat will teach you volumes of wisdom, will give you a keener insight into the history of the race than any number of books.'

'Mark how these temples bear the marks of a hundred attacks and a hundred regenerations, continually destroyed and continually springing up out of the ruins, rejuvenated and strong as ever!

'That is the national mind, that is the national life-current.

'Follow it and it leads to glory. Give it up and you die; death will be the only result, annihilation the only effect, the moment you step beyond that life current.'

The sacred duty of rebuilding the Somnath temple after Independence came to the able hands of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

A visit during Diwali time in 1947 moved him so much that he announced that the temple will be rebuilt there.

Finally, on May 11, 1951, a grand temple in Somnath opened its doors to devotees and Dr Rajendra Prasad was present there.

The great Sardar sahib was not alive to see this historic day, but the fulfilment of his dream stood tall before the nation.

The then prime minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was not too enthused with this development. He did not want the Honourable President as well as ministers to associate with this special event. He said that this event created a bad impression of India.

But Dr Rajendra Prasad stood firm and the rest is history.

No mention of Somnath is complete without recalling the efforts of K M Munshi, who supported Sardar Patel very effectively. His works on Somnath, including the book, Somanatha: The Shrine Eternal, are extremely informative and educative.

Indeed, as the title of Munshiji's book conveys, we are a civilisation that carries a sense of conviction about the eternity of spirit and of ideas.

We firmly believe that which is eternal is indestructible, as outlined in the famous Gita verse 'Nainam Chhindanti Shastraani...'

There can be no better example of our civilisation's indomitable spirit than Somnath, which stands gloriously, overcoming odds and struggles.

It is this same spirit that is visible in our nation, one of the brightest spots of global growth, having overcome centuries of invasions and colonial loot.

It is our value system and the determination of our people that have made India the centre of global attention today.

The world is seeing India with hope and optimism.

They want to invest in our innovative youngsters.

Our art, culture, music and several festivals are going global.

Yoga and Ayurveda are making a worldwide impact, boosting healthy living. Solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges are coming from India.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs pooja at the Somnath temple. Photograph: ANI Photo

Since time immemorial, Somnath has brought together people from different walks of life.

Centuries ago, Kalikal Sarvagna Hemchandracharya, a respected Jain monk, came to Somnath. It is said that after praying there, he recited a verse, 'Bhavabijaankurjananaaraagaadyaah Kshayamupagataa Yasya.'

It means 'salutations to that one in whom the seeds of worldly becoming are destroyed, in whom passion and all afflictions have withered away'.

Today, Somnath holds the same ability to awaken something profound within the mind and soul.

A thousand years after the first attack in 1026, the sea at Somnath still roars with the same intensity as it did back then. The waves that wash the shores of Somnath tell a story.

No matter what, just like the waves, it kept rising again and again.

The aggressors of the past are now dust in the wind, their names synonymous with destruction.

They are footnotes in the annals of history, while Somnath stands bright, radiating far beyond the horizon, reminding us of the eternal spirit that remained undiminished by the attack of 1026.

Somnath is a song of hope that tells us that while hate and fanaticism may have the power to destroy for a moment, faith and conviction in the power of goodness have the power to create for eternity.

IMAGE: Reliance Industries Limited Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita Ambani and younger son Anant Ambani offers prayers at the Somnath temple, January 02, 2026. Photograph: ANI Photo

If the Somnath temple, which was attacked 1,000 years ago and faced continuous attacks thereon, could rise again and again, then we can surely restore our great nation to the glory it embodied 1,000 years ago before the invasions.

With the blessings of Shree Somnath Mahadev, we move forward with a renewed resolve to build a Viksit Bharat, where civilisational wisdom guides us to work for the welfare of the whole world.

Jai Somnath!

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairman of the Shree Somnath Trust.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
'Pakistan's role in Bangladesh will always be negative, since it's a one-point agenda is hostility against India.'

IMAGE: Muhammad Yunus, chief advisor, Bangladesh interim government, along with Bangladesh Nationalist Party Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman offer funeral prayers for the late BNP leader Khaleda Zia in Dhaka, December 31, 2025. Photograph: Reuters

"Pakistan's aggressive outreach towards Bangladesh's military indicates that it would be planning to co-opt them for conducting anti-India activities from Bangladeshi soil," says Ambassador Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, India's former high commissioner to Bangladesh.

In his distinguished career in the Indian Foreign Service, the ambassador served two tenures in Dhaka, first as deputy chief of mission and then as high commissioner.

He was also India's ambassador to Thailand and served in Cairo, Karachi, Jeddah, London and Tel Aviv.

In an interview to Rediff's Archana Masih, Ambassador Chakravarty discusses the implications of the return from exile of Tarique Rahman, the next likely PM, the Pakistan-China-Bangladesh nexus, the current anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh and measures to restore bilateral stability.

The sympathy factor after the passing of Khaleda Zia, the return of her son Tarique Rahman after 17 years in exile and the electoral ban on the Awami League has made the Bangladesh Nationalist Party the frontrunner in the Bangladesh polls next month.

What will the return of the BNP or a coalition with the Islamist Jamat-e-Islami party, mean for India?

It certainly seems that the electoral prospects of the BNP are brighter, in the absence of the Awami League.

Khaleda Zia's death is likely to swing additional votes towards the BNP.

For India, dealing with any government in Dhaka has been the norm. Given the past history of bilateral ties under the BNP-Jamaat coalition government, India will be watching very carefully.

India has already extended a hand of friendship to Tarique and set up a dialogue with the Jamaat. India hopes that pragmatism and realism will guide the new government in Dhaka.

With India-Bangladesh relations deteriorating following Sheikh Hasina's ouster, marked by anti-India sentiment and anti-Hindu violence, how effective can the recent visit by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to personally condole Khaleda Zia's death with Tarique Rahman, the likely next PM -- be, and what broader measures are required to restore stability in bilateral relations?

I believe that EAM Jaishankar's visit to attend the funeral of Khaleda Zia and handing over a condolence letter from PM Modi to Tarique, clearly signals India's willingness to work with a new democratically elected government.

It will not require much effort to restore the mutually beneficial status quo in bilateral ties, if the new government opts to show the political will to do so.

With China and Pakistan increasing their strategic and intelligence footprint near the Siliguri Corridor, and reports of ISI-linked activity in the region, what new threats could emerge for the mainland's sole land link to the north east, particularly from the China-Pakistan-Bangladesh defence nexus?

Bangladesh drifting into a China-Pakistan axis will have repercussions on bilateral ties with India, if such ties lead to anti-India activities, particularly near the Siliguri Corridor.

India will be taking countermeasures to protect its security.

Pakistan's aggressive outreach towards Bangladesh's military indicates that it would be planning to co-opt them for conducting anti-India activities from Bangladeshi soil.

Another aspect of this axis is the re-arming of Bangladesh with modern Chinese fighter aircraft, helicopters and other weaponry from Pakistan and Turkey.

It seems unlikely that the Bangladesh military and its intelligence arm will collaborate in conducting overt anti-India operations.

IMAGE: Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar meets Tarique Rahman in Dhaka, December 31, 2025, to convey the Indian government and people's condolences over his mother Khaleda Zia's death. Photograph: Bangladesh Chief Adviser's Press Wing/Handout via Reuters

How can India counter the growing Chinese-Pakistan influence in Bangladesh?

Smaller countries generally tend to balance a larger more powerful neighbour by relying on other countries which have an adversarial relationship with the larger country -- the old Kautilyan dictum that my enemy's enemy is my friend.

Bangladesh is no exception to this norm.

The crucial aspect will be the extent of this balancing effort and its impact on India's security interests.

If Bangladesh's actions challenge India's security 'Red Lines', it will force India to adopt countermeasures that will impact Bangladesh adversely.

Does Sheikh Hasina's presence in India limit the prospects for improvement in bilateral relations?

Hasina's presence in India will be an irritation but may not be an impediment to bilateral ties which are defined by compelling factors like historical, geographical and economic interests.

Politicians are sometimes put in a predicament when they go into exile. Tarique remained in exile for 17 years, when he sought asylum in the UK.

Bangladesh always has the option of activating the bilateral extradition treaty to deal with this issue.

IMAGE: People hold a portrait of Khaleda Zia as they gather to offer funeral prayers for her. Photograph: Fatima Tuj Johora/Reuters

Do you think a reset in relations would be more likely under Tarique Rahman? Or his and his party's closeness to Pakistan seriously imperils such a prospect?

India is being positive and hoping to reset ties without the overhang of the past. Pakistan's role in Bangladesh will always be negative, since it's a one-point agenda is hostility against India. Moreover, in the economic domain, Pakistan has very little to offer to Bangladesh.

With the prevailing political climate under the interim government and the ban on the Awami League, can Bangladesh realistically hold free, fair and credible elections? How will the outcome of such an election be received globally?

It is becoming clear that the elections will exclude the Awami League which has itself decided to boycott the elections, claiming it will not be free and fair under the auspices of an 'illegal government'.

India has called for free, fair and inclusive elections for it to be credible. Without the Awami League, a sense of unfairness will linger and cause future political problems.

IMAGE: Tarique Rahman's supporters gather outside the National Martyrs' Memorial before his arrival in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, December 26, 2025. Photograph: Fatima Tuj Johora/Reuters

Do you believe that India should have negotiated a territorial alignment to enhance the Chicken Neck's territorial security shortly after the 1971 victory when our relations were on a high -- and this would have held us in good stead during the prevailing tension, 54 years later?

A territorial adjustment is unrealistic and also unnecessary. Hence, India did not pursue this course, keeping in mind that the border was already drawn between India and East Pakistan in 1971.

Only minor adjustments have been made since 1971, like the 999 year lease of Indian territory to Bangladesh -- the 'Teen Bigha Corridor' -- and the Land Boundary Agreement which completed 100% of the demarcation of the border.

Contingency plans are always ready to deal with any territorial and security threats. India's military deployments in the region are tasked with monitoring any such threats.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
At least 40 people, including military personnel and civilians, were killed in the United States strike on Venezuela early Saturday, The New York Times reported, citing a senior Venezuelan official who spoke on condition of anonymity, amid claims by Cuba that 32 of its officers were also killed in the operation.

IMAGE: A destroyed anti-aircraft unit at La Carlota military air base, in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 3, 2026. Photograph: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters

Washington, DC carried out what it described as a 'large-scale strike against Venezuela', during which President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and flown out of the country to face prosecution in the US on an indictment accusing them of participating in an alleged narco-terrorism conspiracy.

US President Donald Trump earlier told Fox News that the operation resulted in only a few injuries and no fatalities on the US side, calling it a complex manoeuvre and praising the professionalism of the American armed forces.

"There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side," Trump later told reporters aboard Air Force One.

The Cuban government on Sunday said that 32 Cuban military and police officers were killed during the American operation.

According to a statement read on Cuban state television, the officers were in Venezuela as part of a mission requested by the Venezuelan government.

Cuba announced two days of mourning for those killed, while former president Raul Castro and President Miguel Diaz-Canel sent condolences to their families.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said over the weekend that Cubans were deeply involved in Venezuela's internal security apparatus and were 'propping up Maduro', claiming that guards protecting the Venezuelan leader and the country's intelligence services were largely Cuban-run.

-- with inputs from agencies
All-weather allies China and Pakistan on Monday reiterated their opposition to any unilateral actions in South Asia as they concluded their strategic dialogue with references to Kashmir and trilateral cooperation with Bangladesh.

IMAGE: An aerial view of the Indus River amid the snow-capped area of Ladakh. Photograph: ANI Photo

In a joint statement issued on Monday at the end of the 7th strategic dialogue held between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Isaq Dar, Beijing backed Islamabad's demand that Afghanistan should eliminate terror outfits. Kabul denies the presence of terror outfits on its soil.

It also spoke of readiness to continue leveraging the China-Bangladesh-Pakistan trilateral cooperation mechanism formed after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government to "deliver new outcomes".

"The two sides emphasised the importance of a South Asian regional order underpinned by the UN Charter, international law, and the basic norms governing international relations, reiterated opposition to any unilateral actions and reaffirmed the significance of maintaining peace and stability in South Asia and the necessity of resolving all outstanding disputes through dialogue and consultation," it said.

"The Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side on its position on and latest developments of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir," a familiar line that figures in all China-Pakistan joint statement.

For its part, China reiterated its oft-repeated stand that Jammu and Kashmir "dispute is left over from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved in accordance with the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements.

"The two sides expressed readiness to conduct trans-boundary water resources cooperation under the principle of equality and mutual benefit, and emphasised the imperative of fulfilling international legal obligations, it said, without any reference to India's decision to keep the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance.

The significance of the maintenance of international and regional security and stability was reiterated, it said.

The two sides expressed readiness to continue leveraging the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Dialogue and the China-Bangladesh-Pakistan cooperation mechanism to deliver new outcomes.

On Afghanistan, the two sides called for more visible and verifiable actions to dismantle and eliminate all terrorist organisations based in Afghanistan, which continue to pose serious threats to regional and global security, the joint statement said.

The conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan intensified in recent months over Islamabad's allegations of Kabul harbouring the TTP and Baloch militants.

The two sides agreed to keep in close communication and coordination on the Afghan issue, work with the international community to encourage the Afghan government to build an inclusive political framework, adopt moderate policies, focus on development, pursue good-neighborliness, the statement said.

Dar, also the Foreign Minister, during his visit to China from January 3-5, had a "thorough exchange of views on bilateral relations and cooperation in wide-ranging areas, including strategic and political cooperation, as well as cooperation on defence and security, economy, trade, investment, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges," it said.

International and regional issues of shared interest were also discussed.

"The two sides reiterated that China and Pakistan are All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partners enjoying ironclad friendship and strategic mutual trust," it said.

The sound and robust growth of China-Pakistan relations is of great strategic significance for regional peace, stability and development, the joint statement said.

The two sides reiterated that China and Pakistan will further promote their ironclad ties, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and continue to strengthen their strategic cooperation to break new ground and set new goals in their All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, it said.

"The two sides reaffirmed their unyielding support for each other on issues concerning their respective core interests. Pakistan reaffirmed its firm commitment to the one-China principle, and reiterated that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory," it said, adding that Pakistan firmly "supports China on issues concerning Xinjiang, Xizang (Tibet), Hong Kong and the South China Sea."

China reiterated its steadfast support for Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, it added.

It said China supports Pakistan in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions and achieving economic prosperity, and supports Pakistan in firmly combating terrorism and playing a bigger role in international and regional affairs.

China commended the comprehensive measures taken by Pakistan to combat terrorism and protect the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan. China fully recognised the significant contributions and huge sacrifices that Pakistan made in combating terrorism over the years, it said.

The two sides agreed to further align their development plans and priorities, and build an upgraded version 2.0 of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

They announced the launch of commemorative activities in 2026, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan.
The project is aimed at enabling faster movement of security forces and military equipment during exigencies, while also improving connectivity to Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and other north eastern states.

Kindly note that this image has only been posted for representational purposes. Photograph: ANI Photo

In a first of its kind, India is set to build a twin-tube underwater tunnel across the Brahmaputra in Assam, with provision for both vehicular traffic and train movement, significantly enhancing strategic and civilian connectivity in the north east.

An inter-ministerial panel headed by the expenditure secretary has given in-principle approval for construction of a 15.8 km-long twin-tube tunnel connecting Gohpur and Numaligarh.

One of the tubes will include a single railway track, making it India's first underwater road-cum-rail tunnel.

Officials said the project is aimed at enabling faster movement of security forces and military equipment during exigencies, while also improving connectivity to Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and other northeastern states.

Once completed, the tunnel will reduce travel time between Gohpur and Numaligarh from the current six-and-a-half hours to just 30 minutes. The distance will shrink dramatically from about 240 km to 34 km.

The overall project length will be 33.7 km, including the underwater tunnel, approach roads and railway track, at an estimated cost of around Rs 18,600 crore (Rs 186 billion).

The twin tunnels will be unidirectional, with two lanes each, and constructed at a depth of about 32 metres below the deepest bed level of the Brahmaputra.

As per the design, the tube carrying the railway track will not allow vehicular movement when trains are operating. Trains will run on electricity on a specially designed ballastless track.

The project cost will be shared by the ministry of road transport and highways, ministry of railways and the ministry of defence.

Officials said the proposal will now be placed before the Union Cabinet for final approval, which could come ahead of the upcoming Assam assembly elections. The project is expected to be completed within five years after the award of work.

Last year, the finance ministry had cleared a Rs 14,900 crore (Rs 149 billion) road-only tunnel across the Brahmaputra with an 80:20 funding pattern between the road transport and defence ministries.

However, following a policy decision to construct road-cum-rail tunnels wherever feasible, the government identified three such projects -- one across the Brahmaputra in Assam, another in the north east's 'chicken neck' corridor, and a third on the Maranahally-Addahole (Shiradi Ghat) stretch in Karnataka.

Officials said the inclusion of a railway track in one of the tunnels has led to the increase in project cost, but will significantly enhance long-term connectivity and strategic capability in the region.
Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Monday said there was nothing wrong in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani writing a note for jailed activist Umar Khalid, saying human rights are also an important issue.

IMAGE: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Khalid in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. The activist, arrested nearly 6 years ago, and three co-accused were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the erstwhile IPC for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

Talking to PTI Videos here, Chavan said Mamdani, a democratic socialist leader whose mother is award-winning Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, has faith in politics of this country.

"He (Mamdani) spoke in Hindi during his campaign (for mayoral polls) to appeal to Indians (in US). Indian blood flows in him. If injustice is happening to an Indian, he has every right to intervene. He may be an American citizen, but human rights are also more important. I don't think there is need to panic if he has written a letter," the former Union minister stated.

In the note posted on social media last week, Mamdani recalled Khalid's words on bitterness and the importance of not letting it consume one's self.

The note was posted on X by Khalid's partner Banojyotsna Lahiri.

When prisons try to isolate, words travel. Zohran Mamdani writes to Umar Khalid, the caption accompanying the note said.

"Dear Umar, I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume one's self. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you," the handwritten note signed by Mamdani said.

The BJP has accused the newly-elected New York City Mayor of interfering in India's internal affairs by writing to the jailed activist.
As Cuba announced that 32 of its citizens were killed during the United States military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, US President Donald Trump issued a warning, saying he believed the Cuban government was close to collapse.

IMAGE: US President Donald Trump walks to the White House as he returns from Florida, in Washington, DC, on January 4, 2026. Photograph: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

The Cuban government said it would observe two days of national mourning on January 5 and January 6 to honour those killed in the operation.

Officials in Havana said funeral arrangements would be announced at a later stage.

Cuba's state-run news agency Prensa Latina said the deceased were Cuban military personnel who had been deployed in Venezuela on official missions.

According to the report, they were operating at the request of the Venezuelan government when the US-led operation took place.

The Cuban personnel were killed either during direct clashes with attacking forces or as a result of air strikes on military facilities. It added that they offered resistance before being killed, Al Jazeera reported.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Cuba had lost a major source of income following US operation in Venezuela.

"Cuba is ready to fall. Cuba looks like it's ready to fall," Trump said. "They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. They're not getting any of it now."

Trump also issued warnings directed at Colombia, Cuba, Mexico and Denmark in a single day.

Following the operation in Venezuela, Maduro and his wife were flown to New York by US authorities.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US will be receiving more than $600 billion in tariffs, asserting that America is 'far stronger' in national security and financially because of the levies it has imposed on countries around the world.

IMAGE: US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One, en route from Florida to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on January 4, 2026. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

"We have taken in, and will soon be receiving, more than 600 Billion Dollars in Tariffs, but the Fake News Media refuses to talk about it because they hate and disrespect our Country, and want to interfere with the upcoming Tariff decision, one of the most important ever, of the United States Supreme Court," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

He said that the US is financially and from a national security standpoint 'far stronger' and more respected than ever before because of tariffs.

Within months of his second term in the White House, Trump had last year announced a slew of tariffs on imports from countries around the world, saying the US had been unfairly treated and other nations were charging far higher tariffs on American products.

Trump has imposed 50 percent tariffs on India, including 25 percent for its purchases of Russian oil.
As the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) gathers pace in West Bengal, block offices are turning into sites of anxiety, with elderly, disabled and vulnerable voters enduring physical distress, long journeys and loss of livelihood to prove they are 'legitimate' electors, sharpening political fault lines ahead of the assembly polls.

IMAGE: People in large numbers wait to attend hearings under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls at Jadavpur Center, in Kolkata on January 4, 2026. Photograph: ANI Photo

Across rural and urban Bengal, scenes at hearing centres have transformed what was intended as a technical exercise into a deeply emotive public issue.

Octogenarians arriving on stretchers or leaning on relatives, persons with disabilities crawling across office floors, and daily wage earners forfeiting income out of fear that their names may be struck off the electoral rolls have exposed a widening gap between administrative intent and ground reality.

From an 87-year-old woman ferried 32 km for a hearing, to a man with 80 per cent disability forced to crawl inside a block office, to an eight-month pregnant woman summoned despite exemptions, the hearings have thrown up images that critics say belie claims of a routine clean-up of voter lists.

On December 16, the Election Commission published the draft electoral rolls after the first phase of the SIR, with the electorate dropping from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore following the deletion of over 58 lakh names.

The second phase, which began on December 27, involves hearings of 1.67 crore electors under scrutiny, including 1.36 crore flagged for logical discrepancies and 31 lakh whose records lack mapping.

In Debra block of Paschim Medinipur, 87-year-old Sneholata Bhakta arrived for her hearing after a 32-km journey by car. Seeing her frail condition, the block development officer stepped out, verified her documents inside the vehicle and allowed her to leave.

"Why should I spend money and suffer so much just to prove I am a voter?" she asked.

Nearby, 65-year-old Jharna Das, seriously ill and unable to walk, was carried into the hearing centre in her brother's arms.

"If we didn't come, her name might be deleted," he said. "That fear leaves no choice."

Fear, rather than confusion over paperwork, has emerged as the dominant driver behind attendance.

Notices warning of deletion, coupled with unclear timelines for home verification, have pushed even those physically incapable of travel to turn up in person.

Dipankar Das, blind since birth, was summoned despite his name featuring in the 2002 electoral rolls.

"I cannot see. I walk very carefully," he said after navigating the BDO office with help. "Still, I had to come."

The absence of names from the 2002 rolls has emerged as a recurring trigger for summons, disproportionately affecting migrant workers, urban renters, women who shifted residence after marriage and elderly voters who were outside their home districts at the time.

From Garfa in south Kolkata, a retired central government employee travelled nearly 150 km to Dantan after finding his name missing from the 2002 list.

"The officials behaved well," the 78-year-old said. "But such a journey is extremely difficult at this age."

For daily wage earners, the cost has been immediate.

Shyamal Kotal, a mason from Narayangarh, skipped work to attend his hearing.

"My family survives on my daily wages," he said. "But if my name is deleted, that would be worse."

In Purulia's Balarampur, Shyam Singh Sardar, 80 per cent disabled since birth, crawled across the block office floor after being summoned.

There was no wheelchair.

"At least home hearings should be arranged for people like us," he said. "This is unbearable harassment."

In Hooghly's Tarakeswar, a 72-year-old man collapsed while stepping out of a toto to attend his hearing and suffered a head injury. The same centre also summoned an eight-month pregnant woman despite guidelines exempting such categories.

In Jalpaiguri's Dhupguri, an octogenarian couple, both unwell, reached a hearing centre clutching voter cards and notices.

"They said our names would be cut if we didn't come," the husband said.

While the EC's guidelines provide for home hearings and exemptions, repeated instances of vulnerable voters being summoned have highlighted gaps in implementation, with families often receiving verbal assurances but written notices demanding physical presence.

The ruling Trinamool Congress has seized on these episodes, alleging that the SIR risks disenfranchising genuine voters ahead of 2026.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, insists the revision is necessary to ensure transparency and integrity in the electoral rolls and should not be politicised.

At its core, the SIR is a technical exercise. On the ground, it has become deeply personal-measured in kilometres travelled by the infirm, wages lost by labourers and fear etched on faces lining up outside block offices.

For an exercise meant to correct records, the SIR has unsettled something less easily repaired: voter confidence.

As the process continues amid concern, the administration now faces the challenge of keeping electoral rolls accurate without shaking public trust in voting.
Veteran actor-politician Hema Malini says the decision of Dharmendra's family to keep two separate prayers meets after his death was a private matter and people need not worry about them.

IMAGE: Bollywood actress and BJP MP Hema Malini during the prayer meet of her late husband and actor Dharmendra in Vrindavan, in Mathura, December 13, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo

After Dharmendra's death in November, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and daughters Ajeeta and Vijeta held a prayer meeting at a hotel while Hema Malini and her daughters Esha and Ahana organised one at their home.

Hema Malini also held a prayer meet in Delhi and Mathura. In an interview with the Times of India, the actor explained the family's decision.

"Yeh humare ghar ka personal mamla hai (this is our family's personal matter). We talked to each other. I kept one prayer meet at my home because my group of people are different.

"Then I kept one in Delhi because I am in politics, and it was important for me to keep a prayer meeting there for my friends from that field. Mathura is my constituency, and the people there are mad about him. So, I kept a prayer meeting there as well. I am happy with what did," Hema Malini told the newspaper.

Asked whether Dharmendra's farmhouse, which she described as "mini-Punjab", will be turned into a museum, Hema Malini said Sunny Deol was planning to do something on those lines.

"He will definitely do it. Everything is happening in a nice way. So there's no need to worry ki yeh do alag families hai, pata nahi kya hoga (that these are two families...) Kisiko itni fikr karne ki zaroorat nahi hai. Hum log ekdum achche hai (Nobody needs to worry too much, we are alright."

The BJP MP is now planning to resume her work and visit her constituency in Mathura. She is also planning to restart her dance shows as she believes this is what Dharmendra would have wanted.

Looking back at the last month of Dharmendra's life, Hema Malini said the family had hoped he would bounce back and they will get to celebrate his 90th birthday on December 8. But that was not to be as Dharmendra died on November 24.

"It was a companionship that stood the test of time... It has been terrible because for a month we were struggling when he was not well. We were constantly trying to cope with whatever was happening in the hospital. We were all there-l, Esha, Ahana, Sunny, Bobby-all together. In the past, there had been instances when he went to the hospital and car back home fine. We thought iss baar bhi aa jayenge," Malini said.

"...To personally see him sink was very difficult. Nobody should have to go through this kind of situation," the actor said.

The actor, 77, also criticised the media for troubling them during this period. A section of the media had declared his death while he was still alive, forcing Hema Malini and Esha Deol to come up with strong statements. Sunny Deol also slammed the photographers standing outside his home.

"Sunny was getting upset and angry. We all were going through an emotional time and the media was running behind our cars. Harassment bahut hua," Hema Malini recalled in the interview.

The actor also warned fans against the videos circulating on social media where she is seen crying, saying they should not believe whatever they see online.

"I am a very strong person. I keep my emotions to myself. When my mother passed away 20 years ago, I wondered whether I would be able to live without her, but I did. This is what life teaches us. Time doesn't wait for anybody," she said, adding that they miss Dharmendra every minute.

Dharmendra loved eating thepla with chutney and loved the idli sambar and coffee that was made at her home, the actor said.

"So, whenever these things are made at home, we miss him deeply. It is important for us to keep him alive in our hearts and memories. We have so many videos together, woh dekhke toh rona aa jata hai."

Dharmendra loved farming on his Lonavala farmhouse and Hema Malini said just two months ago, he had brought three bottles of 'ghee' for them.

"He was a loving and wonderful human being. Whenever I was not around, he would spend time in Lonavala. When I went to Mathura or Delhi for work, we used to adjust our schedules, and whenever I returned, he would come back and spend time with me at my house in Mumbai.

"That is how we have been happily living, along with our grandchildren. Sometimes, he would stay at Ahana's house as well. Together, we have shared so many beautiful moments. He has been a part of our existence, and suddenly, for the past month, he is no longer there. It is very difficult to come to terms with this. Whenever I had to make a decision, I would ask him." PTI BK
NEW DELHI, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- A major gas leak from an operational state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) oil well on Monday triggered massive fire, prompting authorities to evacuate people from the nearby areas in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, officials said.

No casualties have been reported in the blaze in Irusumanda village of Konaseema district of the state.

The incident occurred during repair works at the oil well. According to officials, a powerful blowout released a massive volume of gas mixed with crude oil, which shot high into the air. The leaked gas caught fire immediately, with flames erupting at the site.

Television images showed a massive blaze leaping from the site and thick black columns of smoke moving skywards.

Meanwhile, ONGC personnel rushed to the scene to control the leak and contain the fire.

"No injury or loss of life has been reported. The area has been cordoned off, cooling operations commenced, and ONGC has mobilized the Crisis Management Teams," reads a statement issued by ONGC. 
'The focus will be on showing the real-world impact of AI in improving the lives of citizens and how it has helped in ensuring democratic access to technology for everyone.'

IMAGE: The AI Impact Summit logo. Photograph: Kind courtesy impact.indiaai.gov.in

The government is likely to showcase the progress made so far in building various indigenous large language models (LLMs) announced under the IndiaAI Mission during the AI Impact Summit, according to sources.

The AI Impact Summit is scheduled to take place in Delhi between February 16 and 20.

The ministry of electronics and information technology (Meity), the nodal ministry for hosting the event, has asked all major government departments to showcase their apps.

They also have to show how AI has been used to improve their functioning, a senior government official said.

"The focus will be on showing the real-world impact of AI in improving the lives of citizens and how it has helped in ensuring democratic access to technology for everyone," the official said.

Jensen Huang, president and CEO, Nvidia, Google DeepMind Co-Founder and CEO Demis Hassabis, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei among others, are scheduled to attend the event, the sources said.

During the five-day event, the IT ministry has proposed to set up seven working groups, which will deliberate and discuss the finer points.

These are concepts such as AI for economic growth and social good, democratising of resources, human capital, resilience, innovation and efficiency, inclusion for social empowerment, safe and trusted AI, and science.

While various experts from India will chair the respective working groups, the government has also invited experts from 14 countries to co-chair these groups and deliberate on the aspects, another official said.

"For example, we have invited experts and government officials from Brazil and Japan to be co-chairs of the working group on safe and trusted AI. And, also a French delegation will co-chair the resilience, innovation and efficiency working group," the official added.

Apart from the working groups, the government also plans to showcase startups that have developed AI solutions for large-scale, transformative impact.

It would also identify other startups founded by entrepreneurs under 21 and provide them with guidance and mentorship they need, the official said.

A second initiative for students up to Class 12 will be a bootcamp of sorts, showcasing the top 50 innovations from students across India.

The IT ministry also plans to use the AI Impact Summit to showcase high-potential AI startups working on addressing critical social needs, one of the officials quoted above said.

"Our aim is to place these founders and startups in front of the right investor, policymakers and other technology leaders who can give them the right guidance. These would be not just on the steps ahead but also mistakes to avoid," the official said.

So far, more than 200 pre-summit events have taken place -- 160 in India and 40 globally.

The government is likely to hold at least 15 more events in the run-up to the main event on February 19 and 20, the official said.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
United States Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday claimed that Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra spoke to him last month about India buying less Russian oil and asked him to tell President Donald Trump to relieve the 25 per cent tariff.

IMAGE: US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) joins President Donald Trump to speak to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Florida to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on January 4, 2026. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One alongside Trump, Graham said, "I was at the Indian Ambassador's house a month ago, and all he wanted to talk about was how India is buying less Russian oil. And he asked me to tell the President to relieve the 25% tariff."

This comes as US President Donald Trump has warned India of more tariffs over its continued imports of Russian oil.

"Modi's a very good man. He's a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly," Trump said.

Trump's new warning to India comes amid growing scrutiny in Washington over India's energy trade with Russia, even as New Delhi has defended its oil purchases as essential for domestic energy security.

Meanwhile, the US strike on Venezuela has brought the issue of Oil into the forefront of geopolitics once again. Venezuela has massive oil reserves, which total over 303 billion barrels, making them the world's largest proven reserves.

However, production has dwindled to 1 million barrels per day due to US sanctions and underinvestment.

Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves (estimated at over 300 billion barrels), which represent roughly 17% of the total global oil supply, OPEC data shows.

The comments also come just weeks after Trump and Prime Minister Modi held a telephonic conversation, during which both leaders stressed the importance of maintaining momentum in bilateral trade ties despite ongoing tariff-related tensions.

The call coincided with the launch of a fresh round of negotiations between Indian and US officials aimed at resolving the long-standing trade impasse.Only days before the conversation with Modi, Trump had threatened to impose new tariffs on Indian rice imports.

The warning followed complaints raised by a US farmer representative at a White House roundtable, who alleged dumping by India, China and Thailand.
A 27-year old Indian woman, who was reported missing last week, was found dead and police are looking for her former boyfriend, alleging that he killed her and fled to India.

Image used only for representational purposes. Photograph: Pexels.com

Nikitha Godishala of Ellicott City was reported missing on January 2.

Howard County police said in a statement on Sunday that she was found deceased with stab wounds in the Columbia, Maryland apartment of her ex-boyfriend Arjun Sharma, 26.

Police have obtained a warrant for Sharma's arrest on first and second-degree murder charges.

The Indian Embassy in Washington, DC said in a post on X that it is in contact with Godishala's family and is extending all possible consular assistance.

'The Embassy is also following up the matter with the local authorities,' it said.

Authorities said that Sharma made the missing person report to police and said he last saw Godishala on December 31 in his apartment in the Maryland city.

Police later learned that on the same day as making the report, January 2, Sharma left the country on a flight to India. The next day, detectives executed a search warrant for his apartment and located Godishala deceased.

Through investigation, detectives believe Sharma killed Godishala shortly after 7 pm on December 31.

The investigation is ongoing and no motive is known at this time, Howard County police said adding that they are working with United States federal law enforcement to locate and arrest Sharma.
Bhairav, a special force raised by the Indian Army, is being readied to meet the challenges of modern warfare.

All its troops are capable of handling drones and deploying them to target bases and formations inside enemy territory.

IMAGE: Bhairav personnel training in Nasirabad, Rajasthan, January 4, 2026, here and below. Photographs: ANI Video Grab

Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/Rediff

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
A man on Monday said his 69-year-old relative died due to diarrhoea after drinking contaminated water in Indore's Bhagirathpura area, though local officials denied the link to the tragedy in the area that has claimed six lives so far, citing his hospital admission date and "pre-existing conditions".

IMAGE: People fill buckets with water from a water tanker as the eight dead and more than 200 hospitalised due to water contamination, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, January 3, 2026. Photograph: ANI Photo

Omprakash Sharma died on Sunday while he was undergoing treatment for diarrhoea at a private hospital, his kin Abhishek Sharma told PTI.

Omprakash, a retired police constable, was originally from Dhar district and had come to Indore to visit a relative and had also gone to Bhagirathpura a few days ago, where he consumed contaminated water, Abhishek Sharma claimed.

"He developed symptoms of diarrhoea late on the night of December 30. Due to severe dehydration, he was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a local hospital. He was then put on life support, but could not be saved," the kin said.

However, chief medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani said Omprakash Sharma was admitted to hospital before the vomiting and diarrhoea outbreak began in Bhagirathpura on December 29.

"Omprakash had pre-existing conditions, including hypertension and kidney disease. After his death, his son contacted me. He will be provided appropriate assistance by the state government. I have sought detailed information about Omprakash from the hospital," Hasani said.

The CMHO asserted that the situation in Bhagirathpura is "completely under control" following an intensive health department campaign to curb the outbreak.

Meanwhile, a 67-year-old Bhagirathpura resident, Parvati Kondla, reportedly showed Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)-like symptoms, another official said.

"Kondla had earlier been admitted to another hospital, where doctors, based on test reports, indicated GBS-like symptoms. However, when she was thoroughly examined at our hospital, it was found that she is also suffering from brain stroke. Treatment is being administered based on all symptoms," this official said.

Kondla, who is in critical condition, is battling for life at a private hospital in the city, he added.

The administration, however, has rejected media reports and claimed no GBS case has been found in Bhagirathpura.

"We have not received information about any GBS patient from any local hospital or doctor," stressed CMHO Hasani.

GBS is a rare but serious neurological disorder in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nervous system. It can cause sudden numbness, muscle weakness and, in some cases, difficulty in swallowing or breathing.

The administration has confirmed six deaths so far. Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava had put the death toll at ten, whereas locals claimed that 16 people, including a six-month-old child, died due to the diarrhoea outbreak.
United States President Donald Trump has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi 'knew he was not happy' with India's purchases of Russian oil and that Washington, DC can raise tariffs on New Delhi 'very quickly'.

IMAGE: US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One, en route from Florida to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on January 4, 2026. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

These remarks were made by President Trump while talking to reporters on Sunday aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, DC from Florida.

"They (India) wanted to make me happy, basically. Modi is a very good man; he is a good guy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy. They do trade and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly. It would be very bad for them," Trump said.

Trump's remarks came after US Senator Lindsey Graham, accompanying him on Air Force One, said that the tariffs imposed on India by Trump are the 'chief reason' New Delhi is now buying substantially less Russian oil.

Graham spoke about his tariff bill that seeks to impose 500 per cent levies on imports from countries buying Russian oil.

Graham said that to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, pressure must be put on Russian President Vladimir Putin's customers.

Trump said that the sanctions are hurting Russia very badly and then mentioned India. Graham then said that the US put a 25 per cent tariff on India for buying Russian oil.

"I was at the Indian Ambassador's house about a month ago and all he wanted to talk about is how they are buying less Russian oil. 'Would you tell the President to relieve the tariff? Graham said.
As Delcy Rodriguez took charge late on Sunday as Venezuela's acting president, United States President Donald Trump issued a sharp warning, saying she must give the US 'total access' or face consequences 'probably worse than Maduro'.

IMAGE: Delcy Rodriguez. Photograph: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo/Reuters

According to Venezuela's Presidential office website, Rodriguez assumed office on Sunday night. The site released photographs showing her chairing her first Council of Ministers meeting soon after taking charge.

Earlier, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the US needs full access to Venezuela's resources, especially oil.

"We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country," Trump said.

Trump also repeated remarks he made earlier to The Atlantic, warning that Rodriguez would face a fate worse than that of former President Nicolas Maduro if she does not 'do the right thing'.

He did not explain what actions he expects from her, CNN reported.

"I don't have to tell you. I just say that she will face a situation probably worse than Maduro, because, you know, Maduro gave up immediately," Trump said.

Maduro was captured by US forces during a military operation on Saturday and is currently in American custody.

Soon after taking office, Rodriguez issued a message calling for peace and cooperation, extending an invitation to the US to work together.

In a post on Instagram, she said, 'A message from Venezuela to the world, and to the US: Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to peace and peaceful coexistence. Our country aspires to live without external threats, in an environment of respect and international cooperation. We believe that global peace is built by first guaranteeing peace within each nation. We prioritise moving towards balanced and respectful international relations between the United States and Venezuela, and between Venezuela and other countries in the region, premised on sovereign equality and non-interference. These principles guide our diplomacy with the rest of the world.'

Despite the US' indication that Rodriguez would be their choice of leader in a post Maduro scenario, she indicated some loyalty to Maduro saying that her message of peace and dialogue had also been his message.

"We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence. President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. This has always been President Nicolas Maduro's message, and it is the message of all of Venezuela right now. This is the Venezuela I believe in and have dedicated my life to. I dream of a Venezuela where all good Venezuelans can come together. Venezuela has the right to peace, development, sovereignty and a future," she said.
Venezuela's deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to multiple federal charges during his appearance before a New York City federal court on Monday, according to CNN.

IMAGE: Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan for an initial appearance to face US federal charges in New York City, US, January 5, 2026. Photograph: Adam Gray/Reuters

Maduro raised questions over the legality of his arrest during his first appearance before a US federal court in New York, claiming he was detained at his residence in Caracas, Venezuela, CNN reported.

Speaking directly to the judge within minutes of the hearing, Maduro said, "I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela."

The remark signalled what is expected to be a central plank of his legal defence -- that his arrest by US law enforcement on foreign soil amounted to an unlawful operation.

Maduro's legal team has described the arrest as a "military abduction," arguing that the late-night operation violated international law and due process protections. The defence is expected to challenge the jurisdiction of the US courts by questioning the circumstances under which the Venezuelan leader was taken into custody.

IMAGE: Maduro being taken in an armoured vehicle to court. Photograph: Reuters

This is not the first instance of a defendant advancing such a claim. More than 30 years ago, Panama's former leader, Manuel Noriega, argued that the United States had breached international law and due process by invading Panama and arresting him on foreign soil, according to CNN.

That defence, however, did not succeed. Courts at the time declined to examine the legality of the US invasion and instead confined their review to the charges detailed in Noriega's indictment. It remains uncertain whether the judiciary will revisit that legal precedent in Maduro's case, CNN reported.

It is uncommon for a defendant to address the court during an initial appearance, as defence lawyers generally advise against speaking due to the risk that prosecutors could later use statements.

As Maduro spoke in court on Monday, Judge Alvin Hellerstein issued a similar caution as the Venezuelan president spoke.

"There will be a time and a place to go into all of this," the judge said.

IMAGE: A helicopter carrying captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Maduro's court appearance follows his capture during a military strike on Saturday. In the immediate aftermath, President Donald Trump declared that America is "in charge." At the same time, acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodriguez called for "cooperation" with the US, signalling a softer response to the attack, CNN reported.

US officials have indicated that Washington is working to establish a pliant interim government in Venezuela.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the focus remains on setting policy and maintaining "leverage."

During the same period, Trump made a series of broader remarks touching on other international issues. These included implying potential military action in Colombia, urging Mexico to get its "act together" on drugs, and stating that the US "needs Greenland."

The developments stem from a pre-dawn US operation inside Venezuela.

During the operation, deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained and transferred to a US naval vessel before being flown to New York, according to the Trump administration.

US authorities have said that deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro is expected to face multiple charges. These include narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons-related offences. The operation followed months of intensified US military activity in the region.

Since September, Washington has launched dozens of strikes against vessels it claims were involved in drug trafficking linked to Venezuela. These operations reportedly resulted in more than 115 deaths. The operations have also prompted certain legal experts to raise concerns over potential violations of international law.

US legal action against deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro dates back to President Donald Trump's first term. A superseding indictment unsealed on Saturday added fresh allegations of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media that Maduro and others "will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts". However, President Trump's own remarks added a broader political dimension to the case.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, he went beyond a law enforcement justification.

He stated that the United States would "run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition." Trump also referred to reclaiming American oil interests in Venezuela.
'If the trial is not going on, if the charges have not been framed, it is obvious that he must be given bail. But he has been denied again.'

IMAGE: Dr Umar Khalid speaks during a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo

When the Supreme Court refused bail to Dr Umar Khalid on Monday, January 5, 2026, the disappointment at his family home was immediate and deep.

"It is very disappointing. It is sheer injustice," says his father S Q R Ilyas, reacting to the Supreme Court order.

"There is no single evidence against him. I don't know what was the reason why he has not been granted bail."

The Supreme Court, while declining bail to Dr Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, allowed them the liberty to apply again after one year. The court cited the seriousness of allegations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and said it was not inclined to interfere at this stage.

For Dr Umar Khalid's father, even the condition attached to the denial felt arbitrary. "That is also a condition. I don't know why this condition," he said.

Five And A Half Years Without Trial

Dr Umar Khalid was arrested on September 13, 2020, in connection with the larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 north east Delhi riots, which left over 53 people dead. He has now spent nearly five-and-a-half years in jail, with charges yet to be framed in the main case.

"Actually he must get bail," Ilyas said. "Once the trial is not going on, the charges have not been framed even after five years, then at least he must be given bail."

He pointed to repeated judicial observations made over the years that prolonged incarceration without trial violates personal liberty.

"There is clear proof of this," he said. "If the trial is not going on, if the charges have not been framed, it is obvious that he must be given bail. But he has been denied again."

'Bail Is the Exception Now'

Indian courts have repeatedly held that bail is the rule and jail the exception. For Dr Umar Khalid's family, that principle appears to have been turned upside down.

"This is just reverse," his father said. "Jail is the rule. Bail is an exception."

The Supreme Court, in its January 5 order, noted that it was not commenting on the merits of the case, but maintained that the threshold for bail under UAPA is high. Similar reasoning has been cited earlier by lower courts and the Delhi high court while rejecting Dr Umar Khalid's bail pleas.

A Brief Taste Of Normal Life

Ilyas said he did not speak to his son after the Supreme Court order.

The last time the family spent time together was when Dr Umar Khalid was granted interim bail for a short period to attend his sister's wedding.

"He was here on interim bail to attend his sister's marriage," Ilyas said. "So we talked a lot. He was also hopeful that this time he may get the bail."

Those days, he recalled, passed in a blur.

"We were very busy with the wedding ceremony. So many relatives and friends were coming and meeting him," he said. "He had a very busy schedule when he was out (of jail

Asked whether Umar was happy during that brief release, the answer was immediate.

"Definitely. He was very happy that he is at least out for some time."

'It Was Normal Life, For Some Days'

For the family, those days offered a glimpse into what had been missing for years.

"We were all happy," Ilyas said. "At least he was out. Earlier we were talking only on the phone."

"It was very nice that he is out. We are meeting him, touching him, embracing him," he said. "It was normal life. Normal life -- at least for seven days."

Dr Umar Khalid ate home food, met relatives and friends, and used a mobile phone freely -- small freedoms denied in prison.

"But now again he has been put in jail," his father said.

'There Was No Single Evidence Against Him'

Despite the years behind bars, Ilyas said his son appeared emotionally steady.

"He was normal. Emotionally and psychologically he was normal," he said. "And he was very much hopeful that this time definitely he may get bail."

That hope, he said, came from the way the case was argued in court.

"The way the arguments took place in the Supreme Court, there was no single evidence against him," he said.

He criticised the prosecution's characterisation of the case.

"They were saying 'white collar terrorism' and 'intellectual terrorism'," he said. "This is type of labelling. That's all. Nothing concrete proof was put."

"If there was proof," he added, "the case would have gone to trial."

'This Is Not About Delhi Riots'

Asked what he wants the country to understand about his son, Ilyas was direct.

"Basically my son has challenged the government on the discriminatory law that is the Citizenship (Amendment) Act," he said. "That is the punishment given to him."

He rejected the allegation that Dr Umar Khalid was present during the violence.

"It is not regarding the Delhi riots," he said. "He was not present during the riots. He was in Bihar."

He also pointed out that Dr Umar Khalid's speeches -- which form part of the prosecution case -- were played in court.

"The entire speech was shown in the Supreme Court," he said.

For Ilyas, the case is no longer just about legal arguments. It is about a son who has spent half a decade in prison without trial -- and a father who believes that dissent, not evidence, lies at the heart of the charge.
Two persons were injured in two consecutive explosions in Manipur's Bishnupur district on Monday morning, the police said.

IMAGE: Security personnel conduct combing operations in sensitive areas in both the Hills and Valley sectors of Manipur.

Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo

The first explosion, suspected to have been caused by an improvised explosive device (IED), occurred around 5.45 am at an abandoned house in Ngaukon in the Phougakchao police station area, they said.

The house has remained abandoned since ethnic violence broke out in the state in May 2023, with its owner and his family currently living at a relief camp.

The second explosion occurred nearly 200 metres away around 8.45 am, when locals gathered after getting news of the earlier blast, police said.

Two persons, identified as Sanatomba Singh and Indubala Devi, sustained splinter injuries on their right legs.

They were admitted to a government hospital and are stated to be out of danger.

The police said they have inspected the blast sites and started an investigation.

Meanwhile, irate locals engaged in a war of words with security forces, who were visiting the site following the blasts, alleging lapses in security despite the presence of a large number of personnel in nearby areas.

The locals also dismantled a makeshift security bunker in the vicinity.

Condemning the incident, the BJP demanded the arrest of those responsible for the blast.

"We stand with the affected families and reaffirm our commitment to peace, security, and the rule of law in Manipur," the party said in a statement.

"Justice will prevail. Manipur stands united," it added.

Local MLA Premchandra Singh said the people of Manipur want peace.

"Anyone engaging in acts detrimental to others will eventually get appropriate actions as per the law," he said.

Several organisations, including the Indigenous People Organisation and the All Manipur Students' Union, called for a 24-hour shutdown across the state, starting 12 am on Wednesday, to protest the blast.

Meanwhile, Meitei civil organisation Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) demanded an immediate, transparent and time-bound investigation into the blasts and sought public disclosure of the findings, including accountability of both the perpetrators and officials whose acts of commission or omission enabled such incidents.

Strongly condemning the attack, COCOMI said in a statement that the incident constituted a grave violation of fundamental human rights, constitutional guarantees and the rule of law.

"This deliberate act of terror against unarmed civilians constitutes a grave violation of fundamental human rights, constitutional guarantees, and the rule of law. The targeting of a civilian household under the cover of darkness reflects a dangerous and recurring pattern of impunity enjoyed by armed narco-terrorist perpetrators operating freely in the region," it said.

Holding the state administration and the security apparatus squarely responsible for their failure to discharge their constitutional duty to protect civilian lives, COCOMI said, "the continued inability or unwillingness to identify, apprehend, and prosecute the perpetrators reflects a disturbing normalisation of terror violence against civilians.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspects Shenzhen-Hong Kong sci-tech innovation cooperation zone in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 4, 2026. Li made an inspection tour in south China's Guangdong Province from Saturday to Monday. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

GUANGZHOU, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang has urged efforts to consolidate the country's strengths in innovation-driven development, and to remain at the forefront of reform and opening-up, striving to begin the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) on a strong note.

Li made the remarks during an inspection tour in south China's Guangdong Province from Saturday to Monday.

In the city of Shenzhen, Li was briefed on the progress of a Shenzhen-Hong Kong sci-tech innovation cooperation zone.

Describing sci-tech innovation as key to winning the future, Li called for strengthened support to drive innovation through policy, funding and talent. He also highlighted the importance of leveraging the strengths of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to gather innovation resources and achieve more breakthrough outcomes.

He underscored the need to continue cultivating and expanding application scenarios for sci-tech innovation, and to accelerate the upgrading and iteration of new technologies through broader application.

Li emphasized the importance of fully leveraging advanced technologies and managing and utilizing major transport corridors effectively to better promote connectivity and coordinated development within the Greater Bay Area.

In Foshan City, Li noted that economic development and the improvement of residents' living standards have generated new consumer demand, and called for these new changes to be studied. He also called for the research and development of more high-quality products to be accelerated, and for the cultivation of a virtuous cycle in which demand drives supply and supply creates demand.

At Foshan International Land Port, Li gained a detailed understanding of the development and operations of cross-border e-commerce and bonded logistics. He stressed the importance of expanding high-standard opening-up, better integrating infrastructure connectivity with rules and standards connectivity, and coordinating the planning and construction of major open cooperation platforms for sci-tech innovation, industrial development and trade in services.

Li also urged further progress in digital and green trade, the orderly expansion of voluntary opening-up in the services sector, the active expansion of imports, and balanced development of imports and exports. 

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, learns about the development of low-altitude economy in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 4, 2026. Li made an inspection tour in south China's Guangdong Province from Saturday to Monday. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)
The United States strike on Venezuela and the subsequent capture of President Nicolas Maduro has sparked a debate in diplomatic circles.

IMAGE: A destroyed anti-aircraft unit at La Carlota military air base, in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 3, 2026. Photograph: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters

Former Indian envoys to Venezuela R Viswanathan and Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha said the action was anticipated and even 'unsurprising' in nature, claiming that the US has always worked against Maduro's regime.

Speaking to ANI, Former Indian Ambassador to Venezuela, R Viswanathan, said that the attack was not a surprise and that President Trump had threatened Maduro from the first time he came to power.

He claimed that there was also a failed attempt earlier to overthrow Maduro. But, this time, the envoy contended that 'the President sent warships, and authorised the CIA'.

He said," It was not a surprise... this is not the first time he had threatened. When he was President for the first time, at that time also he had threatened Venezuela. He tried to change the regime through operations. There was even a mercenary attack aimed at overthrowing Maduro; it failed. But, this time he has sent the warships, and he has authorised the CIA; no one was expecting this, even Maduro, no surprise."

When asked whether the ongoing situation in Venezuela would affect India, he said it would not, as India's trade with Venezuela is minimal, with only some investment by ONGC in its oil fields.

He just warned to be apprehensive about the coming changes in Latin America, as the attack and capture will make the US even bolder.

He said, "No, it will not affect India. We, at one time in 2013-14, were importing over 10 billion barrels of oil from Venezuela. At that time, it was accounting for 7-8 per cent of our imported oil. But now, because of the sanctions, it has stopped. We are not dependent on Venezuela for oil. Our trade is very little, and we have some investment by ONGC in their oil fields... So, this is not going to affect India in any big way. Just that if Americans get away with it, they will become bolder, and they will do more things in Latin America, and the world can do nothing about it."

Meanwhile, Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha, former Indian Ambassador to Venezuela, speaking to ANI, said, "It's not very surprising that this action has taken place because it was being anticipated in terms of the US wanting regime change in Venezuela, and we were aware of the military buildup in the Caribbean Sea, surrounding Venezuela."

He claimed that it was one of the largest buildups by the US.

He said that it's time to wait and see what is upcoming in Venezuelan politics in the coming days.

"What happened during the night and early morning was a very precise, coordinated attack... This is obviously a very calculated move to extract President Maduro. How was that achieved we will get to know only as time goes by," he said.

He added, "But what is important is to see how the Venezuelan military reacts, because don't forget that the Venezuelan military backed Maduro's repressive regime and as long the military was with him, he was safe. He could even take elections away from the genuine winner Edmundo Gonzalez, in 2024. I think once Maduro is removed from the scene, one will have to see how politics plays out in Venezuela... Though, I don't see any possibility of the Venezuelan military of getting him back. But we will have to see how the politics and the internal situation in Venezuela turns out."
The number of suspected typhoid infections linked to a leak in a water pipeline in Gandhinagar has risen to 108, with 18 new suspected cases reported, officials said on Monday.

IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo

Though two patients undergoing treatment at Gandhinagar Civil Hospital died on Monday, authorities clarified that neither death was linked to the typhoid outbreak.

Authorities added that the issue of water contamination has now been fully resolved, with multiple teams working on the ground.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who represents the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, is closely monitoring the situation and conducted an early morning review over the phone, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said.

"At present, 108 patients with suspected typhoid are admitted to our hospital, including 18 new patients admitted today. Of these, 50 have tested Widal positive, while 25 patients have been discharged after treatment. The two deaths reported today were not linked to the typhoid outbreak, as they occurred due to other causes,

said Dr Meeta Parikh, Medical Superintendent of Gandhinagar Civil Hospital, during a press conference.

She added that several tests, including the Widal test and blood culture analysis, are being conducted on suspected patients to confirm typhoid infection. Blood samples from the two deceased patients have also been sent for blood culture tests to determine whether their deaths were linked to typhoid.

The outbreak of the water-borne disease has been reported from Sectors 24 and 28, as well as the Adivada area of Gandhinagar, and was caused by a leaking water pipeline a few days ago, according to the government.

"The district administration and the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation have formed teams to resolve the issue. The water contamination problem has been completely addressed. Yesterday, 367 water samples were collected, and all test results were satisfactory, Sanghavi told reporters.

He further said that a team of 22 doctors, including five MD specialists, has been deployed to monitor and treat suspected patients.

"Everyone is receiving proper treatment. Amit Shah is in direct contact with hospital authorities and speaks with the district collector daily. He conducted an early morning review today to assess the situation," Sanghavi added.

According to medical experts, a positive Widal test indicates that a person has developed antibodies against Salmonella Typhi or Salmonella Paratyphi, which may suggest a current or past typhoid infection or recent vaccination. However, the test does not definitively confirm an active typhoid infection.

With suspected cases being reported, authorities started round-the-clock OPDs (outpatient departments) in the affected areas, and food arrangements had been made for the relatives of those patients being treated in the Civil Hospital, according to the government.

Intensive health management and survey work have been carried out in Gandhinagar city by 75 health teams in view of the suspected typhoid cases, as per the release issued on Sunday.

The survey teams of Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation have so far inspected more than 20,800 houses and covered more than 90,000 people.

As a preventive measure, 30,000 chlorine tablets and 20,600 ORS packets have been distributed.

The survey teams are distributing awareness leaflets by contacting people from house to house and asking them to boil water, not to eat outside food, and to keep their hands clean.

The process of super chlorination of water has been accelerated to control the spread of the disease, and the amount of chlorination in drinking water is also being checked, the government stated.

Some leakages found in the pipeline in the disease-affected areas have also been repaired on an immediate basis, it added.
A Hindu businessman, who was also the acting editor of a newspaper, was fatally shot in the head by unidentified assailants on Monday in Jessore district in southern Bangladesh, officials said.

IMAGE: Members of the Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh burn an effigy of Bangladesh chief adviser Muhammad Yunus during a protest against the killing of Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh, in front of the Bangladesh assistant high commission office, in Guwahati, January 5, 2026. Photograph: ANI Photo

"We have received information that one Rana Pratap Bairagi was shot dead at the Keshabpur area of Jessore," Bangladesh Puja Celebration Committee President Bashudeb Dhar said.

The 38-year-old deceased was a resident of Arua village in Keshabpur upazila of Jessore in Khulna Division, Bangla-language daily Prothom Alo reported.

The shooting marks the latest in a spate of violent incidents against minorities in the country, especially the Hindu community members.

India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh.

Bairagi, who owned an ice-making factory in Kopaliya Bazar in Monirampur, was also the acting editor of a newspaper called 'Dainik BD Khabar' published from Narail, according to the daily.

The incident occurred around 5:45 pm at Kopaliya Bazaar on Monday, bdnews24 news portal quoted Additional Police Superintendent Abul Basar as saying.

Citing locals and the police, Prothom Alo said that three miscreants on a motorcycle called him from the ice factory and took him to the alley in front of Kapalia Clinic and Diagnostic Centre on the west side of Kopaliya Bazar.

The miscreants then shot him in the head from close range and fled. He died on the spot.

"Bairagi was shot three times in the head and his throat was slit," Monirampur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Rajiullah Khan was quoted as saying by the daily.

Khan also said that the reason for his murder is not known.

An investigation was launched into the incident.

The police said Bairagi "appeared to be a victim of an internal feud" of the banned Purbo Banglar Communist Party, describing him as an "active member" of the group.

There are four cases registered against the deceased in two police stations, they said. However, details of these cases were not known.

The shooting marks the latest in a spate of violent incidents against the Hindu community members.

On January 3, Khokon Chandra Das (50) died after he was brutally attacked, hacked and set on fire.

On December 24, a Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, was lynched over alleged extortion in Rajbari town's Pangsha upazila.

On December 18, Dipu Chandra Das (25) was lynched by a mob and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh city.

Unidentified men set the house of Qatari expatriate workers Shukh Shil and Anil Shil on fire in the Raojan area on the outskirts of Chattogram on December 23, but the residents managed to escape unharmed.

There has been a spate of violence targeting the minority community in the country in the last few weeks, and mob violence or clandestine attacks have emerged as a major crisis in Bangladesh's changed political landscape, according to political observers.

As of the 2022 census, approximately 13.13 million Hindus reside in Bangladesh, constituting about 7.95 per cent of the total population.
That a country thinks it has the right to randomly invade another country has repercussions that will for sure be played on the global arena in the years to come.

IMAGE: Smoke rises near Fort Tiuna in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026, after United States President Donald John Trump said the US had struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro. Photograph: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters

When Donald Trump ordered United States troops to invade Venezuela in South America and capture its president Nicolas Maduro on January 3, 2026, he was merely going down a well-trodden path.

Ever since the fifth president of the US, James Monroe, declared in 1823 that the Americas was off limits to the European powers (later called the Monroe Doctrine), the US has tended to treat the American continent as its backyard, targeting nations therein to enforce its will.

When the US was keen to create a canal connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific in the early 20th century, and the country controlling the isthmus, Colombia, refused to play ball, the US carved out a separate country, Panama, and soon thereafter, the Panama Canal was constructed.

Before the invasion of Venezuela and the capture of Maduro, in the 1980s, the US had invaded the Caribbean island of Grenada, located north of Trinidad and Tobago, and Panama (the very country they helped set up) and captured its then de facto ruler, Manuel Noriega.

Grenada was a British colony that achieved independence in 1974. Five years later, Maurice Bishop, a politician, seized power and set up the People's Revolutionary Government.

Bishop's aim was to have a Marxist-Leninist government. The US, which considers the Caribbean as its backyard and after losing Cuba to the communists in the late 1950s, had little desire to see another communist nation in its neighbourhood. It was not pleased at the developments.

Bishop began building an airport just south of its capital, St George. So far so good. But the airport was huge and soon the then US president, Ronald Reagan, accused Bishop of building the airport to assist the Soviets and Cubans.

The claim was that airport runways were being long enough to accommodate the largest Soviet Union aircraft to bring military equipment.

After the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979, the second round of the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union was on in full force, and each side was suspicious of the other.

IMAGE: US Army Rangers parachute into Grenada during Operation Urgent Fury on October 25, 1983. Photograph: Kind courtesy United States Army/Wikimedia Commons

However, the situation took a turn when in October 1983, following internecine bickering within the People's Revolutionary Government, a coup took place and Bishop was shot dead by the Grenadian army on October 19, 1983.

A few days later, on October 25, US troops invaded Grenada, ostensibly after being requested by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.

It is hard to miss the paradox: The US invaded Grenada after Bishop, the Marxist leader, had been killed by his own armed forces.

Ronald Reagan later said that he ordered the invasion out of concern for the welfare of 600 US students in Grenada and to avoid a repeat of the Iran hostage crisis (where Iranian students had held hostage officials of the US embassy in Teheran).

Incidentally, on October 23, two trucks packed with explosives exploded at a US Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 299 American and French personnel.

There have long been allegations that the Grenada invasion was carried out to distract attention from this deadly attack that claimed 241 American lives.

Thirty-two years later, it is worth noting that the US invasion day, October 25, is celebrated as Thanksgiving Day in Grenada and is a national holiday.

And that the airport, which sparked off the invasion, is now called the Maurice Bishop International Airport.

The Panama invasion is even more bizarre, involving guns and music.

Interestingly, it was not related to the Cold War and was in fact, linked to Noriega's links to the drug cartels, much like the Venezuela situation.

Noriega was the military chief and de facto ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989, though officially Panama was ruled by presidents.

Interestingly, Noriega had been on the payroll of the CIA, apparently from the late 1950s when he joined the military, and was considered one of the most valuable intelligence sources for the CIA.

His job was to curb the spread of communism in the central American countries and to funnel aid to militias on the side of the US.

IMAGE: A screen grab shows Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro being walked in custody at US Drug Enforcement Administration offices in New York, January 3, 2026. Photograph: @RapidResponse47/X

This cozy arrangement began to deteriorate when allegations of Noriega's involvement in narcotics smuggling began to surface.

In 1988, US federal courts indicted Noriega on various charges, including drug trafficking.

The last straw for the US was when Noriega annulled the Panamanian general election in 1989.

US President George H W Bush, Ronald Reagan's successor, ordered the launch of Operation Just Cause, the invasion of Panama in December 1989.

To avoid capture, Noriega sought refuge in the embassy of the Holy See (the Vatican). The US had no desire to disrespect diplomatic protocol by entering the embassy and causing an uproar across the world.

Instead, the US launched 'psychological operations' (psyops) to capture Noriega.

Apparently, Noriega's musical taste veered towards the genre of opera and a loathing for rock music.

Accordingly, US troops surrounding the Holy See embassy played heavy metal and hard rock music at full volume, day and night.

The aim was to cause immense distress to Noriega's musical sensibilities! The US has, of course, denied such claims saying the music was played to prevent eavesdropping.

Whatever the motivation, it worked. Noriega surrendered to US troops and was flown to the US, where he was incarcerated till his extradition to France in 2010 and later Panama where he died in 2017.

What will be Nicolas Maduro's fate remains to be seen. But the fact that a country thinks it has the right to randomly invade another country has repercussions that will for sure be played on the global arena in the years to come. Watch this space.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
Long before he became Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro's life intersected with India in a profound personal way

IMAGE: Venezuela's then foreign minister Nicolas Maduro with Sathya Sai Baba at his ashram.

As global attention has turned once again to Venezuela's embattled president Nicolas Maduro amid his dramatic capture and pending legal trial in the United States, a lesser-known facet of his connection with India has resurfaced: Maduro's long-standing spiritual connection with Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi.

A Spiritual Journey to India

Long before he became Venezuela's president, Maduro's life intersected with India in a profound personal way.

In 2005, during his tenure as Venezuela's foreign minister, Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores travelled to Prasanthi Nilayam, Sathya Sai Baba's ashram in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh. Multiple news reports note that this trip was not part of diplomatic engagements but was undertaken for spiritual reasons, and that the couple were granted a private audience with Sathya Sai Baba.

Photographs from the visit show a younger Maduro, who shared a birth date (November 23) with Sathya Sai Baba -- seated on the ashram floor in a traditional posture during his meeting with Sathya Sai Baba, underscoring the personal nature of the visit rather than a ceremonial formality.

Devotion Carried into the Presidential Palace

Once Maduro ascended to the presidency, his admiration for Sathya Sai Baba did not recede into private life. Inside Venezuela's Miraflores palace, visitors and journalists reported seeing a large framed portrait of Sathya Sai Baba displayed prominently in Maduro's private office alongside pictures of South American revolutionary icon Simon Bolivar and his Venezuelan mentor Hugo Chavez -- a striking visual testimony to the place the guru's image held in Maduro's world.

The connection was widely reported by Indian and international outlets as unusual -- especially for a leader whose political identity had been shaped more by socialist movements and regional politics than by ties to Eastern spirituality.

Cilia Flores' Role

Several reports highlight that Maduro's spiritual link may have originated with his wife Cilia Flores, often described as one of the most influential figures in the Venezuelan regime.

Flores was reportedly a follower of Sathya Sai Baba before she met Maduro, and she is credited with introducing him to the teachings and practices associated with the Indian guru.

According to these accounts, Flores drew on Sathya Sai Baba's teachings -- particularly on patience, a sense of destiny, and compassionate service -- during moments of crisis in Venezuelan politics, suggesting that the spiritual bond became a shared resource for the couple.

Venezuela's Tribute in 2011

When Sathya Sai Baba passed away in April 2011, Venezuela took an extraordinary step that few other nations did. Under Maduro's influence as foreign minister, the Venezuelan national assembly passed an official condolence resolution and declared a day of national mourning to officially honour the Indian spiritual leader's life and contributions.

This formal recognition, rare for a spiritual figure from outside Latin America, underscored how far the guru's presence had reached -- into Maduro's personal and political life.

Continuing Symbolism

Maduro continued to publicly acknowledge Sathya Sai Baba's influence years later. According to recent reports, just weeks before his arrest and the collapse of his regime, Maduro marked the centenary of Sathya Sai Baba's birth with an official statement, referring to the Indian spiritual teacher as a 'Being of Light' and remarking that his wisdom continued to 'enlighten us.'

Under Maduro's rule, Sai Baba organisations and affiliated centres have reportedly been permitted to operate freely in Venezuela, even as many foreign NGOs faced restrictions, with the country hosting one of the largest Sai devotional communities in Latin America.

A Contradiction in Focus

The re-emergence of Maduro's link to Sathya Sai Baba is particularly striking given his current legal and political circumstances. Many observers have highlighted the contrast between Sathya Sai Baba's teachings -- emphasising truth, service, and non-violence -- and the controversies surrounding Maduro's leadership, including allegations of political repression and economic mismanagement.

As Maduro's past and present collide under intense global scrutiny, this spiritual chapter of his life continues to prompt reflection on how personal belief and political identity can intersect in unexpected ways.
Yoga on Main of Saxtons River will conduct an hour-long yoga class on Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Rockingham Free Public Library.
DAMASCUS, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- A Syrian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and General Intelligence chief Hussein al-Salama from the interim Syrian government, is engaging in a new round of negotiations with Israel in Paris, state media reported on Monday.

The talks are focused on reactivating the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, specifically on securing an Israeli withdrawal to positions held before Dec. 8, 2024, the state-run SANA news agency said, citing a government source.

The discussions aim to establish a "balanced security framework" that places full Syrian sovereignty above all considerations and prevents any interference in Syria's internal affairs.

The 1974 Disengagement Agreement, brokered after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, set out ceasefire arrangements and established a UN-monitored buffer zone between Syrian and Israeli forces on the Golan Heights.

In violation of the agreement, Israel expanded its hold over the Golan Heights after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government in late 2024, taking control of the demilitarized buffer zone.

Syrian officials have repeatedly said that reviving the accord is essential for stability and for preventing escalation along the line. 
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Nancy Braus is a long-time political activist who writes from Guilford. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
Good morning, here is a brief rundown of some of the main Iran-related news stories this morning.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian wrote on X on February 3: "In light of requests from friendly governments in the region to respond to the proposal by the President of the United States for negotiations: I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists -- one free from threats and unreasonable expectations -- to pursue fair and equitable negotiations, guided by the principles of dignity, prudence, and expediency. These negotiations shall be conducted within the framework of our national interests."





Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posting on Iran on X: "The whole world sees what has been happening in Iran -- the scale of the killings and how the Iranian regime has invested heavily in spreading war and violence across the region and the world. Ukraine will not forget a single one of the thousands of 'shaheds' that have struck our cities and villages, our people. We see that, on the issue of Iran, others in Europe have heard Ukraine, those Europeans who called for greater engagement and a more principled stance, and the Iranians themselves."

On the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Zelenskyy wrote: "In Ukraine, we have already adopted such a decision and designated this organization as terrorist. For us, this issue is closed. All terrorists in the world deserve the same treatment and condemnation -- none should prevail."





Based on the latest aggregated data as of February 2, the total number of confirmed deaths has reached 6,854, according to the US-based rights group HRANA. According to these figures, 6,430 of those killed are registered as protesters, while 152 are categorized as children under 18.





Fifty-three days have passed since the rearrest of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi. In a post on X, the prize winner's foundation said "there is still no independent or verifiable information about her health or condition, a situation that is deeply concerning."








For the Kremlin, the most obvious takeaway from the US seizure of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro may be that it's a blow to Russia's regional influence and to the pride of Vladimir Putin: A prominent ally who concluded a "strategic partnership" pact with the Russian president in May is suddenly out of power and sitting in jail in New York City.

Maduro's capture comes a little over a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian leader who gave Russia a firm foothold in the Middle East in exchange for crucial support in the war against his opponents -- another big hit to Putin's efforts to revive Moscow's presence around the world after the retreat that followed the Soviet collapse.

Not only that, but the US raid in Venezuela on January 3 accomplished in a few hours something Russia has been unable to do in the nearly four years since Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and that was seen as one of his key goals: Remove the leader of a country.

But Russia's focus on its war against Ukraine meant protecting Maduro would not have been realistic, even if Moscow had wanted to do so. Venezuela's usefulness for Russia had declined, at least in economic terms, because of sanctions and other factors that have driven down oil production, a sector in which Russia has major stakes.

And there are upsides for Russia. For one thing, Moscow can point to the US operation as evidence that Washington seeks to impose its will on other countries and flouts international law when it sees fit -- an argument that is convincing to some despite Moscow's war against Ukraine.

In statements on January 3, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was "extremely concerned" about what it called an "act of armed aggression against Venezuela" and urged the United States to "release the legally elected president of a sovereign country and his wife."

But what's more important to the Kremlin than bolstering that portrayal of the United States, analysts say, is the hope that Washington's actions in Venezuela and US President Donald Trump's focus on the western hemisphere will give Moscow more latitude -- both morally and militarily -- to do as it desires in what it considers its own sphere of influence, particularly in Ukraine.

"Regardless of the decisions Vladimir Putin makes in Ukraine, it is becoming increasingly difficult to condemn certain actions on the basis of international law alone," Berlin-based political analyst Alexandra Sitenko, an expert on Russia's ties with Latin America and other regions, told RFE/RL.

'What Great Powers Do'

The widespread perception that the US operation violated international law "is no bad thing for the wider Russian narrative," Mark Galeotti, a Russia analyst and honorary professor at University College London's School of Slavonic and East European Studies, said on his podcast on January 4.

"After all, Putin's view is essentially that this is what great powers do, and great powers have spheres of influence. And if we are going to let America have its Latin American sphere of influence, then the corollary is, we should be allowed our Slavic one," Galeotti said.

Added Sam Greene, a professor at the Russia Institute at King's College London: "Any frustration over seeing Maduro removed by Washington will be tempered by the promise of a global condominium -- in which Moscow would win the right to do the same in its own neighborhood."

There's evidence that Russia has been seeking that kind of a quid pro quo since long before it launched its all-out war against Ukraine in February 2022.

During a standoff in which Russia helped protect Maduro amid an effort by a US-backed opposition leader to oust him, "the Russianswere signaling very strongly that they wanted to somehow make some very strange swap arrangement between Venezuela and Ukraine," Fiona Hill, who was the top Russia and Europe adviser on Trump's National Security Council from April 2017 to July 2019, told a Congressional committee in October 2019.

The thrust of the Russian messaging was, "You want us out of your backyard. Well, you know, we have our own version of this. You're in our backyard in Ukraine," Hill said.

The Ukraine Factor

This time around, Russia's approach and its relatively muted response to Maduro's capture -- Putin had not commented publicly as of January 5 -- are part of a series of developments that show "just to what extent Russia's desire to subjugate Ukraine dictates the rest of its foreign policy," Hanna Notte, director for Eurasia at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, said on X.

"Putin shunned cooperation with [former US President Joe] Biden in an effort to force him to abandon Ukraine. Over the past year, he's tried to stay in Trump's good graces, only this time to lure him into taking Russia's side against Ukraine," Notte wrote.

"Whether in wielding pressure or praise vis-a-vis a US leader, Russia's end goal remained the same: Driving a wedge between the US and Ukraine."

While the tone and content of diplomacy on Ukraine can change fast, so far there's no been sign of a major shift in the US position since Maduro's capture, which came amid multiple rounds of talks involving the US, Ukraine, Europe, and Russia in various configurations as the Trump administration seeks to broker an end to the war.

At a news conference hours after the operation in Caracas, Trump said he was "not thrilled with Putin. He's killing too many people." And on January 4, he echoed a CIA conclusion and said he did not believe Ukraine targeted one of Putin's residences in a drone strike late last month -- after earlier seeming to accept the claim he said the Russian president relayed in a telephone conversation.

Does the focus on Venezuela and the western hemisphere "mean that the United States is going to be distracted?" Galeotti asked.

His answer: "Certainly one can wonder how the claim that it's going to run Venezuela can possibly be operationalized. But on the other hand, a superpower can indeed walk and chew gum at the same time. I don't think this is going to have any particular impact on what happens with Ukraine."

Greene suggested that if the Kremlin hopes for a broad understanding between major powers and free rein when it comes to Ukraine, it will be disappointed.

"[U]nless carte blanche to act in Ukraine is forthcoming in short order, Moscow will chalk this down as standard American hypocrisy, likely souring the putative coalition of global hegemony between Putin, Trump and [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping]," he wrote.
One person was killed and several injured in an early morning Russian attack on Kyiv on December 5. The drone strikes hit a private medical clinic in Ukraine's capital with dozens of patients. The attack comes as European leaders are set to meet on January 6 as part of diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
KYIV-- After months of uncertain progress in the peace process, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv will this week focus on European allies in two meetings with hopes of "hastening the end" of Russia's war on his country.

Ahead of the meetings, a Russian air strike on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and the surrounding region killed at least two people and injured several others, officials said early on January 5.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported that the strike caused a fire in a private medical clinic in the Obolon district of Kyiv, where there was an operating ward. After the fire was extinguished, a body was found inside the building, the emergency service added.

"It was a terrible night for us," Margaryta Maliovana, the clinic's CEO, told AFP.

"One person died. A young man, 30-year-old, was killed," she said, adding that there were 26 patients in the clinic at the moment of the strike.

"Doctors and nurses were forced to evacuate the wounded under fire," Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on X.

According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia launched overnight attacks with nine missiles, including ballistic, and 165 strike drones.

Ukraine will later on January 5 host a meeting of the chiefs of general staffs of European countries, including those of Kyivs key backers, Britain, France, and Germany.

On January 6, French President Emmanuel Macron will host a Paris gathering of European leaders in an even more-crucial session -- one in which the French leader has promised that Kyivs backers will make "concrete" commitments to Ukraine's security.

Ahead of the talks, Zelenskyy vowed that his country is ready for all possibilities.

There will be meetings in Europe that must become yet another contribution to our defense and to hastening the end of the war, he said on January 4 in his nightly video address.

Ukraine will be prepared for both possible paths ahead -- diplomacy, which we are pursuing, or continued active defense if the pressure from our partners on Russia proves insufficient.

Ukraine seeks peace. But Ukraine will not give up its strength to anyone, he added.

A day earlier, Zelenskyy insisted that if a diplomatic end to the war cannot be struck during peace negotiations, his country would continue to defend itself against Russia's full-scale invasion.

"If Russia blocks all of this -- and as I said, it depends on our partners -- if our partners do not compel Russia to stop the war, there will be another path: to defend ourselves," he said on January 3.

Trump in November 2025 pressed Zelenskyy to accept a 28-point peace proposal that many saw as heavily favoring Russia.

Ukraine and its European allies -- led by Britain, France, and Germany -- scrambled to develop a counterproposal, eventually putting forward a 20-point plan that took in more of Kyiv's interests, especially on security guarantees and territorial integrity.

In his meetings with the Europeans, Zelenskyy is likely to press the need for security guarantees -- from Europe but also in conjunction with desired solid assurances from the United States as well.

Macron has spoken of the so-called Coalition of the Willing -- an informal grouping of more than 20 Western countries that have expressed support for Ukraine -- and suggested specific proposals could be presented at the Paris gathering.

Trump Rejects Kremlin Claim

Zelenskyy has expressed skepticism over Russian President Vladimir Putin's real interest in coming to peace terms.

On December 29, Russia claimed Ukraine had targeted one of Putin's residences and said Moscow would retaliate and review its stance in the negotiations.

Kyiv vehemently denied it targeted Putin or any of his residences, accusing the Kremlin of using it as a pretext to attack civilian areas.

Trump initially indicated he might have accepted the Russian claims. But after the CIA concluded the attack never happened, he appeared to side with Kyiv and reiterated that stance on January 4.

"I don't believe that strike happened," Trump told reporters. "There is something that happened fairly nearby but had nothing to do with this."

On January 4, Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 2,000 air strikes on Ukraine during the past week and repeated his call for additional help from the West.

"Stability and predictability of aid to Ukraine are what can really move Moscow toward diplomacy. We are counting on further defense aid," Zelensky wrote on social media.

He added that over the period, Russia launched more than 1,070 glide bombs, almost 1,000 drones, and six missiles against Ukraine.

"Each missile for air defense systems that is now somewhere in storage with partners can really protect lives," he said.

Along with nightly Russian drone and missile strikes, Ukraine is battling to hold ground against the Russian invaders in the east of the country.

On January 4, Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had gained control over the town of Podoly in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region.

The ministry also said Russian air defense units had destroyed 57 drones over the Moscow region on January 4 alone -- out of 437 shot down over the country during the day.

The claims could not independently be verified.

Ukrainian authorities, meanwhile, said the death toll from a Russian strike on a residential area in Kharkiv on January 2 had risen to six, including a 3-year-old boy, with at least 30 others injured.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa
Just days after deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump has threatened to carry out military action against other US foes.

Maduros capture in a US raid on January 3 has shaken Tehran, a close ally of the Venezuelan strongman.

Washington is unlikely to carry out a similar operation in Iran. But the brazen Venezuela attack has sent a clear signal to Tehran that the United States is willing to use force to remove its enemies, experts say.

Trump recently warned Iran that Washington was locked and loaded and ready to intervene if Tehran killed peaceful protesters during ongoing antiestablishment protests. Iranian security forces have so far killed at least 19 protesters in a brutal state crackdown.

'Khamenei Himself Could Be Targeted'

Experts say the United States replicating its Venezuela operation in Iran and deposing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- who has been in power since 1989 -- is unlikely.

Habib Hosseinifard, a Germany-based political analyst, said Venezuela lies in the United States' strategic backyard, whereas Iran is located thousands of kilometers away in the Middle East. The Islamic republic also has greater military capabilities and a more entrenched political system, he said.

Still, other experts say the US capture of Maduro has sent a worrying message to Tehran.

Damon Golriz of The Hague University of Applied Sciences said Maduros removal signals that the United States is moving beyond pressuring governments to targeting individual leaders.

Unlike before, this time Khamenei himself could be targeted, Golriz told RFE/RLs Radio Farda.

Indeed, during the 12-day war with Israel in June, Israel actively sought to assassinate Khamenei but, as Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz put it, operationally it was "not realistic" to target him because he had gone "very deep underground."

Staying close to the leader has now become more costly than distancing oneself from him, Mohammad Ghaedi, a lecturer at George Washington University, told Radio Farda. The taboo of the leader being untouchable has been broken.

Lessons From Venezuela?

Maduros removal from power has fueled debate inside Iran over what lessons the country can take from Venezuela.

Conservative media outlets insist that Iran is not Venezuela, emphasizing the countrys military capabilities and its allies in the region.

Nour News, which is close to senior Khamenei adviser Ali Shamkhani, described Venezuela as a low-cost target whereas Iran would represent a high-risk scenario.

Hard-line outlets echoed that message. The Javan newspaper, affiliated with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, argued that comparing Iran to Venezuela is a waste of time. The conservative Jahan website added that the United States has already tried and failed to replicate military action in Venezuela in Iran.

Moderate voices, however, see cautionary parallels. Iran and Venezuela are both authoritarian countries where the authorities have used violence to crush dissent. Both countries are sanctioned by the United States and in the grips of economic collapse, despite their vast mineral wealth.

Tehran-based journalist Amir-Hossein Mosalla said that Maduro ignored his peoples protests, refused to enact reforms, and met the fate of all dictators.

Ali Sharifi-Zarchi, an academic at Tehrans Sharif University of Technology, added that Maduro is yet another dictator consigned to the dustbin of history after keeping his people in poverty despite sitting on massive oil reserves.

Roya Karimi Majd, Ghodratollah Shahidi, and Mohammad Zarghami of RFE/RLs Radio Farda contributed to this report.
GENEVA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Swiss Federal Council announced in a statement on Monday that it has frozen all assets held in Switzerland by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The statement said that, in accordance with the relevant federal act, the Federal Council has decided to freeze all assets held in Switzerland by Maduro and other persons associated with him. It added that the freeze does not affect any members of the current Venezuelan government.

The statement noted that the freeze takes effect immediately and will remain valid for four years until further notice.

According to the statement, Switzerland is closely monitoring developments concerning Venezuela and has called for de-escalation, restraint, and full compliance with international law. 
Roscommon Town man Liam Sherringham has been swimming since he was seven years old.

Over the years he has been nominated for awards and has experienced incidents on Irish waters that some of us will never comprehend.

In November Liam, from Abbey Street, Roscommon, together with other RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) long term volunteers, was presented with an award in recognition of the work he does.

Liam is an assistant navigation inspector of water in Ireland and a volunteer with the Lough Ree RNLI as a Helm. His job is to control the situation and maintain calm.

I started when I was 17, I always wanted to work on the water that was my ambition to work on the River Shannon and on boats, so why not go to the authorities that oversee it and manage it, he said.

His influence for a life on the water started from when he was child as his dad was at sea as a ship man with Irish shipping for 40 years. But the irony of his fathers job versus his volunteering is clear. He (his father) couldnt swim a stroke. However, Louie Fleming who lived in Roscommon Town also had a massive influence on Liams life with the water. Louie used to have a chemist shop in Roscommon Town and was also involved with the Athlone Sub Aqua Club. He was also at sea as a radio officer.

He was a good family friend, and he took me under his wing and brought me to the pool lessons in Athlone and it grew from there, He has been a part of the Athlone Sub Aqua Club since he was seven years of age. Initially he was a scuba diver, which is where his roots lie. Once he got older he started driving boats and when the RNLI stated in 2012 a lot of members from the club joined the RNLI as volunteers.

He stressed the importance of getting young people to engage with the organisation. His own daughters, Molly and Katie, who are 8 and 9, are already snorkelling and he brings them out on the River Shannon.

The life blood of the RNLI is youngsters and getting people involved, he pointed out.

You can join the RNLI as a member at 17 with permission from your parents. As members of the RNLI grow older, he is conscious of the need to try and keep bringing young people on board to keep the service running.

On how he balances work and volunteering, he thanked all employers of the volunteers of the RNLI for their flexibility Thankfully my employer gives time off to respond to call outs, he remarked.

A call out is an emergency call for help. The emergencies can vary from a cruiser going a ground on rocks, to people entering the water intentionally or unintentionally, potential drownings, boats going on fire and missing kayaks.

One incident in particular that stood out for him was two years ago on St Patricks Day when two youngsters got stuck near Athlone in a lake boat and were very close to being in serious, serious bother.

During Covid Lough Ree RNLI had a very busy year with 80 calls, they are one of the busiest stations in Ireland.

He noted that a minor shout can turn into a serious one if it is not attended to properly, We have found people trying to push boats that have been stuck on rocks back into the water while they are in the water, which can become more serious if we werent on the scene. The RNLI has been around since 1824 with most water organisations basing their own training on the RNLI due to its experience. Each member is trained for every situation.

Liams main role when volunteering is the Helm, the person who oversees the lifeboat and must keep control of the situation and keep calm. To be a volunteer you must be living within 10 minutes of the lifeboat station to be involved.

There are 46 stations in Ireland. The RNLI is a charity that completely relies on funding. The charity provides constant service and is not funded by the government. It is run by locals with an entire team in the background working on fundraising.

It is very easy to stick on a fancy suit and life jacket and be on the front of a lifeboat, but a house doesnt stand without foundations, the foundation of the RNLI is the background teams. The stations around the country are in communication with one another and help each other out.

Despite it being rewarding there are many challenges for volunteers.

It can be tough with body recovery. Its good to be able to give closure to a bereft family and be able to return the loved one, but its tough on all of us. The future of the organisation is in a good place, more people are needed to get involved as they operate 24/7 and 365 days a year.

Lough Ree RNLI is thankful and grateful to all who donate and contribute to the RNLI. Every little helps, throw something in a bucket if you see someone shaking one, concluded Liam.
Louise Walsh

A Ralph Loren puffer jacket possibly helped to save a woman from worse injuries after she was knocked down by a car on an 'inadequate' pedestrian crossing.

Deborah Keegan is now campaigning for improvements at the crossing in the centre of Ballivor, Co Meath, after her mother was thrown under a car.

Her mother suffered a bad concussion, a broken collarbone, and a bruised jaw, as well as damage to her hip and knee after the incident, which occurred just after 5pm on December 9th.

However ,the goose-feathered jacket and a parked car probably saved her mother from worse injuries, said Deborah, who wants Meath Co Council to install better lighting and a raised pedestrian crossing.

"My mother was coming from work and was about three-quarters way across the pedestrian crossing when she was hit. The driver said he simply didn't see her and was in shock," she said.

"The force of the car propelled her under a parked vehicle and her jacket was so wrapped around her that it acted as a buffer to when she skidded across the ground.

"My mother had a bad concussion but even medics said if it wasn't for the jacket which protected her and the car which stopped her being thrown further, the extent of her injuries would have been a lot worse."

Since the accident, Deborah has been approached by a number of people who claim to have had near misses on the crossing and Deborah has started a petition for Meath Co Council to install improvements.

"The speed limit needs to be reduced from 50km to 30km and there is no street lighting along a lot of the village. The lighting at the pedestrian crossing is poor and cars go through it all the time.

"There are parking spaces nearly on top of it which block the view of an oncoming driver of any pedestrian who has started to cross.

"Several more people, including a lady with a pram who was almost hit has since contacted me with support so it really is an issue in the community."

Deborah has started a petition for improvements which can be accessed in all local shops.
Sophie Halligan

The new year is underway, and new homes are coming to the market on MyHome.ie.

These developments provide a mix of family homes, coastal properties, and city-edge apartments, giving buyers plenty of options to start 2026 with a fresh house search.

Selling Agent: Kevin Flanagan Estates

Draytons new phase in Raynoldstown Village offers three- and four-bedroom houses.

Prices for these homes start at approximately 375,000 for a three-bedroom semi-detached house.

The development is located close to local schools, shops, and Dundalk town centre, with transport links via the M1 motorway.

Selling Agent: Savills New Homes and Noel Kelly Auctioneers

St Marnocks Bay includes three- and four-bedroom houses, with prices POA.

The development is near Portmarnock village and DART station, providing access to Dublin city and surrounding areas.

Homes feature contemporary layouts and private outdoor space.

Selling Agent: Savills New Homes

Rathborne Crossing comprises two- and three-bedroom apartments and duplex homes, ranging in size from 83 sq m to 110 sq m.

Prices are POA, and some homes are eligible for the First Home Scheme and Help to Buy.

The development is near Ashtown Train Station and local amenities, including Rathborne Village and Phoenix Park.

These new homes provide a starting point for anyone looking to explore the market at the beginning of the year.

For more information on these and other new home developments coming to the market this year, visit MyHome.ie.
Book Compiling PM Modi's Speeches Released to Promote Urdu

" This book is a compilation of PM Modi's Independence Day speeches from 2014-2025.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday released a book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, published by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, " This book is a compilation of PM Modi's Independence Day speeches from 2014-2025.

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His speeches clearly show his vision for the nation. These speeches document his way of working by adopting 'Sabka saath, sabka vikas aur sabka prayas'..." he added.

The union education minister, in a post on his X, stated that the book titled Khutbat-e-Modi was published in Urdu by the National Council for the Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL). This book is a collection of speeches delivered by the Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of Independence Day from 2014 to 2025."

"The Prime Ministers address mentions Antyodiya, welfare of the poor, Swachh Bharat, aspirations of 140 crore citizens of the country and many other important topics for the country. Such books are a strong means of connecting the citizens with the aspirations, goals and thoughts of the Prime Minister," the post originally written in Urdu read.

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He added that the book should reach "every library in the country, and more and more people should read it so that there is a wide discussion in the society about a developed India. NCPUL should also take the responsibility of publishing topics related to Indias heritage, culture, lifestyle and our rich academic tradition in Urdu on a large scale."

He congratulated and extended best wishes to NCPUL for a commendable initiative like 'Khutbat-e-Modi'," he added.

(For more news apart from Book Compiling PM Modis Speeches Released to Promote Urdu," stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
He further added that Anant was the first Canadian author whose book Ghadri Yodhe was honoured with the Best Book Award by the Punjab Language Department. File Photo.

Dr Charanjit Singh Gumtala said that by profession Anant was a highly accomplished photojournalist.



Punjabi Literature Mourns: Legendary Sikh Scholar Jaiteg Singh Anant Passes Away

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According to a statement issued by the Foundation, the Waris Shah Foundation expressed deep grief over the untimely demise of renowned Sikh scholar and eminent photojournalist Jaiteg Singh Anant, describing his passing as an irreparable loss to the Sikh intellectual circle and Punjabi literature.

Dr Bikram Singh Ghumman, president of the Foundation, along with general secretary Dr Charanjit Singh Gumtala, press secretary Amrit Lal Mannan and other members, highlighted Anants invaluable contributions to Punjabi literature, Sikh history and the world of art through his writings and visual work.

Dr Charanjit Singh Gumtala said that by profession Anant was a highly accomplished photojournalist and had received more than 70 national and international awards. He added that Anants journalistic career began in 1968 with the daily Jathedar newspaper, and in his early years he also served as an art critic for Punjabi newspapers, carving out a distinct identity in his field.

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He further added that Anant was the first Canadian author whose book Ghadri Yodhe was honoured with the Best Book Award by the Punjab Language Department. Over the years he enriched Punjabi with more than two dozen books covering literature, the freedom movement, Sikh history, art, music, culture and heritage.

Gumtala added that Anant had friends, admirers and well-wishers across Canada, India, Pakistan, the US, the UK, Hong Kong, and Australia, and that his rich legacy and lasting contributions to Punjabi literature and culture will always be remembered.

Source: The Tribune

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Bihar CM Nitish Kumar unveils statue of late BJP Leader Sushil Kumar Modi on his Birth Anniversary

He is no longer with us... His statue has also been unveiled, and we are grateful to the Bihar government for installing..."

Bihar News: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar unveiled a statue of late Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi, on his birth anniversary, on Monday Morning.

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad called that very historic. He was a great leader. His statue has been unveiled... We pay tribute to him, Prasad told news agency ANI.

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Bihar Minister Ram Kripal Yadav told ANI that Sushil Kumar Modi was a former Deputy Chief Minister and had the opportunity to represent the party in the Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, and several other positions.

He is no longer with us... His statue has also been unveiled, and we are grateful to the Bihar government for installing Sushil Modi's statue, Yadav added.

(For more news apart from Bihar CM Nitish Kumar unveils statue of late BJP Leader Sushil Kumar Modi on his Birth Anniversary," stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
A Cuban flag flies at half-mast in front of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, capital of Cuba, Jan. 5, 2026. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Sunday announced two days of national mourning for 32 Cubans killed during the U.S. military attack on Venezuela. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua)

HAVANA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Sunday announced two days of national mourning for 32 Cubans killed during the U.S. military attack on Venezuela.

The 32 victims, deployed at the request of Venezuelan authorities, were carrying out missions on behalf of Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces and Ministry of the Interior, said Diaz-Canel.

They were killed while resisting the attack, with some falling in direct combat and others as a result of bombings, said Diaz-Canel, noting that their heroism reflects the unity of the Cuban people and Cuba's commitment to international solidarity.

As a result, he issued a presidential decree declaring two days of national mourning from Monday to Tuesday. During the period, national flags will be flown at half-staff at public buildings and military institutions, and all public performances and festive activities will be suspended. 

A Cuban flag flies at half-mast at the Malecon in Havana, capital of Cuba, Jan. 5, 2026. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Sunday announced two days of national mourning for 32 Cubans killed during the U.S. military attack on Venezuela. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua)
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu led the event and assured investors of full policy, administrative, and institutional support from the state government, emphasising a transparent, investor-friendly, and stable policy environment. File Photo.

He told attendees that the state would ensure an uninterrupted 24-hour power supply to industries at competitive rates.



INR 10,000 Crore Investment Pledges Secured at Himachal High-Level Investor Meet

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On Sunday, Himachal Pradesh attracted investment commitments worth about INR 10,000 crore at a high-level Investor Meet held in Shimla, a key highlight of HIM MSME FEST-2026. A total of 37 memoranda of commitment (MoCs) were signed for proposed projects across key sectors, with participation from leading CEOs and investors from across India.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu led the event and assured investors of full policy, administrative, and institutional support from the state government, emphasising a transparent, investor-friendly, and stable policy environment. He told attendees that the state would ensure an uninterrupted 24-hour power supply to industries at competitive rates and urged early signing of implementation agreements so projects could proceed swiftly.

Industry Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said the Department of Industries would work with full dedication to translate the governments vision into tangible outcomes through robust policy execution, investor facilitation and continuous monitoring of committed projects. A senior official said that sectors covered under the MoCs include food processing, pharmaceuticals, defence manufacturing, green mobility, solar and other renewable energy segments due to their growth potential and export orientation.

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Investors were briefed on industrial infrastructure, land availability, incentive frameworks and MSME-friendly policies. Officials said the investments are expected to accelerate industrial diversification, strengthen linkages between local MSMEs and wider value chains, and generate significant direct and indirect employment.

Government officials also announced plans for a new industrial policy soon, development of a world-class city named Him Chandigarh, removal of entrepreneur-related legal challenges, promotion of the textile industry, and permissions for additional five-star hotels to boost economic activity.

Source: The Tribune

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BJP Slams AAP Over Law and Order in Punjab After AAP Sarpanch Shot Dead

Cases are being registered against journalists in Punjab for questioning the AAP government... he added.

Punjab News: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Monday slammed the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

Speaking to ANI, Chugh said that the law and order situation in Punjab has deteriorated.

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Talking about AAP sarpanch Jarnail Singh, Chugh said, In a marriage palace, miscreants openly shot dead a person, showing that criminals have no fear of the law in Punjab.

He further alleged that the lives of ordinary people are not safe in Punjab under the AAPs rule.

Cases are being registered against journalists in Punjab for questioning the AAP government... he added.

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As per reports, police confirmed on Sunday that the sarpanch was shot dead during a wedding function at a resort in Amritsar. The victim was at the ceremony when two unidentified men opened fire, killing him on the spot.

The police stated that a gunshot hit his forehead. The victim had survived three previous attacks.

President of the Indian National Congress, Punjab, and MP Ludhiana, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, echoed a similar opinion.

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Recent murder of sarpanch Jarmal Singh is shocking & condemnable, he said in a statement.

Assailants, unmasked & unafraid of Punjab Police, shot him in full public view at a wedding! Not the first such incident. AAP Punjab has lost moral authority to govern; time for a new, strong govt, he stated.

(For more news apart from BJP Slams AAP Over Law and Order in Punjab After AAP Sarpanch Shot Dead," stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
Mortal remains of Naik Subedar Pargat Singh arrive home; family appeals to Centre, state govts for support

Father also requested that one member of the family be provided a government job to help raise the children.

The mortal remains of martyred soldier Naik Subedar Pargat Singh reached his native village Ramdas in Sri Amritsar Sahib district of Punjab on Monday.

The martyrs body was flown in from Jammu and Kashmir and arrived at Sri Guru Ramdas Jee International Airport. From the airport, the mortal remains were taken to his village in an Army vehicle.

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Villagers, along with the Punjab governments Chief Spokesperson, Aam Aadmi Party Punjab leader, and Ajnala MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, reached the village to pay homage to the fallen soldier.

According to a report by The Tribune, the soldier died of a heart attack caused by low oxygen levels in the Anantnag district of the Kashmir Valley.

The father of the martyred soldier appealed to both the state and central governments to support the bereaved family. The 31-year-old soldier is survived by his wife and two children.

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He also requested that one member of the family be provided a government job to help raise the children.

The entire village is mourning the loss of the young soldier. His last rites will be held on Tuesday with full military honours.

The Tribune report further stated that the soldier had spoken to his family shortly before his death, saying he was experiencing difficulty in breathing and was unable to speak. He was posted with the 19th Rashtriya Rifles and had joined the Indian Army in 2015.

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Punjab news: Miscreants, face covered, Set Vehicle on Fire in Ludhiana at night; Probe Underway

The miscreants reportedly poured petrol on a 'makeshift handcart' and set it on fire. They also attacked it with sharp weapons.

Punjab News: Late at night in Ludhianas Sanjay Gandhi Colony, masked miscreants set a vehicle on fire and vandalised several others. The Miscreants were captured on CCTV cameras installed in the area. They were also carrying sharp-edged weapons, as per sources.

The miscreants reportedly poured petrol on a 'makeshift handcart' and set it on fire. They also attacked it with sharp weapons.

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Colony resident Kesari stated that the miscreants poured petrol and set fire to the main gate of his house and a vehicle parked in the lane late at night. He has lodged a complaint with the police.

CCTV footage shows two men, face covered, arriving at the spot and then setting something on fire. Subsequently, the duo attacked what is assumed to be a vehicle parked with weapons. The victim, Kesari, further claimed that the miscreants damaged several other vehicles in the neighbourhood as well.

After the incident, local councillor Chatarveer Singh Arora questioned the functioning of the police. He said that the polices lax approach is the reason vehicles parked outside peoples homes are being set on fire.

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(For more news apart from Punjab news: Miscreants, face covered, Set Vehicle on Fire in Ludhiana at night," stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
Ion Monoran

Ion Monoran was one of the heroes of the December 1989 Revolution in Timisoara

RRI Encyclopedia

Steliu Lambru, 04.01.2026, 12:14

The Romanian Revolution of December 1989 created modern heroesthe heroes of the anti-communist civic movements whose goal was for human beings to become what they naturally are, free and with the right to seek their happiness without constraints. For communism was a regime and a society based on constraints and conventions. The pre-1989 regime seemed indestructible and eternal, with one, undisputed leader at its centre. In such a closed society, any form of resistance was viewed as madness by social and ideological conformists. But the heroes were the ones who broke the cliches of their times and proved to others that the madness of challenging a tyrannical regime was in fact the ability to see clearly the direction in which history was going.

One of the heroes of the December 1989 Revolution in Timisoara was Ion Monoran. He was among the several hundred Timisoara residents who had learned of the authorities steps to have the Reformed pastor Laszlo Tokes evicted from his home and went to the scene. As he stated in a memoir posted on his personal website ionmonoran.ro, the tense situation that had been created for several days around the house of Pastor Laszlo Tokes told me that it was time for something to happen in Romania, just like in the other communist states in Eastern Europe. The imbecility and the dictatorial way in which the Ceausescus were leading the country had brought Romania to the brink of economic disaster, to hunger, cold and destitution. Throughout 1989, I had waited in a nervous tension for something to happen, that would save us from the hollow pretence of communism in which generations had been forced to live their lives My involvement in the events on the night of December 16, 1989 was decided from the first moments When I reached Maria Square, there were no more than 250 people around the house of pastor Tokes. I joined them and told them that we had to do something, but that we needed leaders otherwise we would have the same fate as the protesters in Brasov in 1987. In order to persuade those who did not dare come closer because of the political police who were everywhere around, we started singing Hora Unirii (the Romanian Unification Song) and slogans like Freedom! and Romanians, join us!

But who was Ion Monoran? He was born in 1953; in December 1989 he was 36 and had established himself as a poet, although he had refused to publish his work so as to keep his poems from being censored. He felt he was suffocating in the unbreathable air of terror and censorship, and just like other Romanians, he felt that the general nervousness was approaching paroxysm. He threw himself in the protests with all his heart and his powers. And it was with the same passion that he welcomed what came in the first years after December 1989.

36 years on, the philosopher Gabriel Liiceanu paid tribute to Monoran, whose name is tied to the founding documents of the Revolution that changed Romania:

Gabriel Liiceanu: December 16 is the moment when the Timisoara Revolution began and when Ion Monoran stopped the trams in front of Laszlo Tokes house to invite the people on the tram to get off. Together with the 200 who were already gathered in front of Tokes house, they started a march to challenge the communist regime and Ceausescu. And he succeeded. He did this, he stopped the trams, convinced the people to get off, put himself in front of 1,000 people and led them to the communist party head offices. There they protested, fully aware of the consequences that we can imagine were facing those who challenged the communist power. He is the one who created the Timisoara Association and it was in his house, in the office of this association, that the famous Timisoara Proclamation was written, with the notable Paragraph Eight in which lustration was demanded. This meant preventing former party members and former members of the Securitate, to hold office in the new society.

The Romanian Revolution triumphed, and Romania, together with the other socialist countries that had removed the communist tyranny, rejoined the civilised and democratic world. The poet Ion Monoran, who had become a strong voice of democracy, consistently criticised the new power, the National Salvation Front, which consisted mostly of former members of the Romanian Communist Party. He remained active in the Timisoara Association and wrote articles for the Timisoara newspaper.

Freedom also saw his literary debut. The General Dictionary of Romanian Literature, published by the Romanian Academy in 2005, describes him as a member of the 80s generation, who refused any kind of compromise His impulsive, abrupt and often conflicting poetry, as well as his deeply contested style, fuel a constant state of conflict, reflecting the experience of a free, misunderstood spirit.

On December 2, 1993, the poet and hero Ion Monoran passed away at only 40 years of age. He left behind four books, all published after his death, and the memory of a brave man who lived up to the historical moment he was living. (AMP)
January 5, 2026

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsflash

Newsroom, 05.01.2026, 13:55

Venezuela. US President Donald Trump again asserted on Sunday evening that the United States is now in charge in Venezuela, following the capture of that countrys president, Nicolas Maduro, the France Presse news agency says. Following a spectacular operation, US troops on Saturday captured the countrys president, who is already in prison in New York and is due to appear before the US justice on charges of narcoterrorism. He has always denied any criminal act. This was the most direct US intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in 1989, Reuters recalls. The principles of international law must be upheld in Venezuela and the will of the Venezuelan people must be respected, the European Union said on Sunday in a statement supported by all EU member states with the exception of Hungary. The statement calls for restraint from all parties to ensure a peaceful solution. The EU has stated that Maduro lacks democratic legitimacy and called for a transition to democracy as decided by the will of the Venezuelan people.

Foreign affairs. The Romanian foreign ministry is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela, in close coordination with Romanias partners in the European Union. The ministry said Venezuela is home to a community of people with Romanian roots and that Romanias diplomatic and consular missions in Latin America and the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are ready to provide them with assistance in case of need, with the support of the EU Permanent Delegation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls for restraint and responsibility on the part of the authorities there. It supports steps as soon as possible for the return to democracy, a constant wish by Venezuelan citizens. The EU has established, also with Romanias agreement, successive sanctions regimes against the undemocratic regime in Caracas, including after the deeply flawed presidential elections in July 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest also said in a statement.

Electricity. A winter energy command is meeting again in Bucharest today to assess the interventions carried out and the urgent actions still to be taken following the strong winds and heavy snowfalls reported across the country in recent days. More than 17,000 households are still without electricity, out of the 95,000 that were initially affected by blackouts, the energy ministry said. Emergency teams have been deployed to the sites affected, but the freezing rain expected may make their work at high altitudes more difficult. More on this later in the newsreel.

Summit. Romanian President Nicusor Dan will attend a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris on Tuesday, the presidents office has announced. The meeting of heads of state and government from countries supporting Ukraine will be hosted by the presidents headquarters. Ahead of this meeting, officials from 15 states, allies of Ukraine, met in Kyiv on Saturday to analyse the details of a possible peace plan and in particular the security guarantees. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted that if Russia continues to block peace efforts, Ukraine will have no choice but to defend itself.

Magistrates. The Bucharest Court of Appeal has postponed until 16th January a lawyers request to suspend the decrees on the appointment of two of the Constitutional Court judges. The lawyer, a member of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (a populist, ultranationalist party in opposition), argues that the two judges do not meet the requirement of having 18 years of judicial experience as required by the Constitution. These developments come against the backdrop of a deadlock over magistrates pensions, the Bucharest press notes. If the two judges were to be replaced, there would be a new postponement with regard to magistrates pensions, in the context in which the new law has been postponed three times since it was first discussed by the Constitutional Court. The next deadline is also set for January 16. (CM)
January 5 UPDATE

A roundup of local and world news

January 5 UPDATE

Newsroom, 05.01.2026, 20:16

UN The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres on Monday voiced concern regarding any potential escalation of unrest in Venezuela following the capture of the president of that country, Nicolas Maduro. On Sunday evening, the US President Donald Trump said the United States is now in charge of Venezuela after the capture of Maduro. In a spectacular operation on Saturday, the US troops captured Venezuelas president Nicolas Maduro and his wife and transported them to a prison in New York, where he is facing narco-terrorism charges. Maduro has always denied any allegations. The European Union says that the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be upheld. In a communique backed by all the EU countries but Hungary, the EU has advocated for a Venezuelan-led peaceful transition to democracy in the country, respectful of its sovereignty adding that the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected.

COALITION Romanian President Nicusor Dan will be attending a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris on Tuesday, the presidents office has announced. The meeting of heads of state and government from countries supporting Ukraine will be hosted by the presidents headquarters. Ahead of this meeting, officials from 15 states, allies of Ukraine, met in Kyiv on Saturday to analyse the details of a possible peace plan and in particular the security guarantees. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted that if Russia continues to block peace efforts, Ukraine will have no choice but to defend itself.

WEATHER An Energy Winter Command convened in Bucharest on Monday for talks over all the interventions and emergency situations following the gale-force winds and heavy snowfalls that affected Romania in the past days. Over 5 hundred electricians have been deployed including to the remote localities to reconnect the households affected by the bad weather to the power grid. The most affected seem to be the counties of Alba in the center and Hunedoara in the west. In another development, the Energy Ministry has announced the countrys gas storage capabilities are 70% full, which means the gas supplies have not been affected.

COURT The Bucharest Court of Appeal has postponed its ruling over a lawyers request to suspend the decrees on the appointment of two of the Constitutional Court judges. The lawyer, a member of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (a populist, ultranationalist party in opposition), argues that the two judges do not meet the requirement of having 18 years of judicial experience as required by the Constitution. These developments come against the backdrop of a deadlock over magistrates pensions, the Bucharest press notes. If the two judges were to be replaced, there would be a new postponement with regard to magistrates pensions, in the context in which the new law has been postponed three times since it was first discussed by the Constitutional Court. The next deadline is set for January 16.

MAE The Romanian foreign ministry (MAE) is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela, in close coordination with Romanias partners in the European Union. The ministry said Venezuela is home to a community of people with Romanian roots and that Romanias diplomatic and consular missions in Latin America and the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are ready to provide them with assistance in case of need, with the support of the EU Permanent Delegation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls for restraint and responsibility on the part of the authorities there. It supports steps as soon as possible for the return to democracy, a constant wish by Venezuelan citizens. The EU has established, also with Romanias agreement, successive sanctions regimes against the undemocratic regime in Caracas, including after the deeply flawed presidential elections in July 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest also said in a statement.

(bill)
Japan will on Tuesday release December data for its monetary base, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The monetary base is expected to sink 8.0 percent on year after falling 8.7 percent in November.

Also, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore will see December PMI results from S&P Global.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
PARIS, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- France on Monday expressed its "solidarity" with Denmark after U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday stressed that the United States needs Greenland "for defense."

"Borders cannot be changed by force," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said in an interview with the French public television channel TF1.

Trump said in a telephone interview on Sunday with The Atlantic that the United States "absolutely" needs Greenland. The island, located in the Arctic, is part of Denmark.

In response, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement that the United States has no right to annex Greenland, urging Washington to stop making threats against a close ally and the Greenlandic people.

Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in gaining control of Greenland, saying that he would not rule out the use of "military or economic coercion" to achieve that goal. 
Following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump has threatened other countries of American intervention.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump implied that he could take military action in Colombia. "Colombia is very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long," Trump said, referring to Colombian president Gustavo Petro.

Petro refuted Trump's drug trafficking claims, and urged him to "stop slandering" Colombia's leadership.

In an interview with The Atlantic magazine Sunday, Trump repeated his interest in acquiring Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, which is a member of NATO.

"We do need Greenland, absolutely," he said, adding that the island is "surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships."

Trump told reporters later, "We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it."

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded against Trump's annexation plans.

In a statement posted on the Danish government website, she said, "it makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland. The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom."

"I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale."

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Political News
Gold prices catapulted steeply on Monday as investors rushed to safe-haven investments following the swift U.S. military offensive in Venezuela on Saturday that resulted in the capture of the country's president and his wife.

Front Month Comex Gold for January delivery zoomed by $122.50 (or 2.84%) to $4,436.90 per troy ounce.

Front Month Comex Silver for January delivery leapfrogged by $5.6080 (or 7.95%) to $76.164 per troy ounce.

On January 3, U.S. forces carried out a "large-scale strike" on Venezuela and captured its long-serving President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores and flew them out of the country to face criminal charges in the U.S.

The operation, dubbed "Absolute Resolve," ended the regime of the 63-year-old dictator who had been in power since 2013. Notably, Iran, Russia, and Cuba have condemned the operation.

Currently, vice-president Delcy Rodriguez is handling the administration. President Donald Trump emphasized on Sunday that if the present leadership does not cooperate with the U.S. efforts, he could order another strike.

Trump has been accusing Maduro's regime of fostering narco-trading which penetrates into the U.S. causing an opioid crisis.

Maduro, who had been rebutting these allegations, counter-claimed that Trump's administration wants to usurp the oil reserves in Venezuela and called for U.N. intervention.

Of note, Venezuela holds the world's largest "extra-heavy crude" oil reserves.

Venezuelan crude exports increased in 2025 to 900,000 barrels per day. The country also holds vast natural gas reserves.

In March 2020, U.S. prosecutors indicted Maduro on "narco-terrorism" charges.

Trump also threatened Colombia and Mexico that they may suffer the same fate if they fail to contain the illicit drug flow into the U.S.

Just before the New Year, China conducted simulated military exercises around Taiwan and experts are apprehensive that China could carry out an operation similar to what the U.S. did in Venezuela.

In Europe today, even while Ukraine and its allies are attempting to speed up the U.S.-mediated ceasefire plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia launched fresh aerial strikes on Ukrainian capital.

Prior to this, on Sunday, Ukrainian drone targeted Russia's border regions.

Last week, Trump issued a stern warning to Iran that he will back an Israeli strike if Iran attempts to resume its nuclear programs.

Trump also threatened the Palestinian Hamas militant group to adhere to their commitment as per Gaza Peace Plan to disarm or they would have to pay the hell.

Geopolitical tensions, one following the other in the recent days, have spooked investors towards a "flight to safety" in the yellow metal.

In 2025, gold exhibited its greatest performance since 1979 by rising above 60% and reaching an all-time high in December.

In the U.S., the Institute for Supply Management's Manufacturing PMI revealed a fall for the third consecutive month to 47.9 in December 2025. For the same period, while the employment gauge inched higher to 44.9, new orders increased to 47.70 points in December from 47.40 points in November.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Canadian stocks posted sharp gains on Monday as the crisis in Venezuela prompted investors towards precious metals, which lifted mining stocks, giving the index upward momentum.

After opening above the previous week's close, today the benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index traded firmly positive throughout the session before settling at 32,219.95, up by 336.58 points (or 1.06%).

Seven of the 11 sectors posted gains today, with the materials sector leading the pack.

On January 3, in a dramatic swift operation labelled "Absolute Resolve", U.S. troops in 150 aircrafts, barged into Venezuela, penetrated the fortress of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro to capture Maduro and his wife, and flew them out, leading to the ouster of Maduro's regime. The offensive ended in around 30 minutes.

Maduro is set to face a criminal trial in an U.S. court.

Following the strike, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. will be "running" Venezuela until the regime is passed judicially into safer hands. However, he warned the acting leadership to cooperate with the U.S. to avoid further strikes.

Trump has confirmed that the U.S. will now administer the oil reserves in Venezuela for the time being and added that big U.S. oil giants will have access to Venezuelan oil from now. Chevron is the only U.S. major running operations in Venezuela currently.

When the past regime nationalized foreign assets in 2007, Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips lost their assets.

The oil-rich nation currently produces less than 1 million barrels per day, less than 1% of global output.

Investors rushed to safe-haven precious metals after the drastic U.S. military action.

In Canada, the upswing in gold lifted mining stocks as a result of which the index rallied higher.

Simultaneously, Canadian energy stocks fell as experts are concerned that the new-found access for Venezuelan oil reserves by the U.S. could eventually replace the demand for Canadian oil.

Commenting on these developments, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the Canadian government welcomes the opportunity for freedom, democracy and peace for the Venezuelan people.

Last month, Carney announced a whopping $2.5 billion to support in Ukraine's rehabilitation, a move which was criticized domestically.

Today, Carney left for Paris for a meeting of the members of the "Coalition of the Willing" that includes Canada, France, and a few European nations. The coalition is set to review and accelerate the U.S.-authored peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

On the economic front, there were no significant data releases today.

Trump imposed around 35% tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S. in August, and months later, abruptly halted all tariff-related trade talks with Canada, thereby severely damaging the automobile, soft lumber, aluminum, and steel industries in Canada.

So far, no significant breakthrough development has taken place on the tariff front.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, a free-trade pact through which Canadian houses exported substantial goods to the U.S. to avoid the 35% tariffs is up for renewal this year.

After Trump stated recently that the U.S. may let the deal expire, experts are focused on the outcome of the ongoing talks between Canada and the U.S. on CUSMA.

Major sectors that gained in today's trading were Materials (3.28%), Real Estate (1.73%), Financials (1.60%), Healthcare (1.08%), and IT (0.82%).

Among the individual stocks, Endeavour Silver Corp (8.62%), Perpetua Resources Corp (8.05%), Capstone Mining Corp (7.89%), Ngex Minerals Ltd (6.91%), Bitfarms Ltd (10.64%), Shopify Inc (5.98%), and Energy Fuels Inc (2.48%) were the prominent gainers.

Major sectors that lost in today's trading were Energy (3.60%), Consumer Staples (0.99%), Utilities (0.81%), and Consumer Discretionary (0.65%).

Among the individual stocks, Athabasca Oil Corp (7.42%), Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (6.03%), Parex Resources Inc (5.29%), Saputo Inc (1.55%), and Capital Power Corp (2.17%) were the notable losers.

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Market Analysis
Two experienced folks from Silicon Valley who helped create some of the biggest social media platforms are now supporting a new app aimed at tackling the negative effects of today's social media.

Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, and Evan Sharp, one of the minds behind Pinterest, have managed to raise $29 million for their new startup, West Co, as revealed by a regulatory filing.

Launched in 2023 in San Francisco, West Co kicked off its first product, an invite-only app named Tangle, in November. This app is being promoted as a "new kind of social network" that emphasizes intentional living instead of just focusing on engagement stats. Users can share their daily intentions, help out their friends with their goals, and track their own progress.

Stone mentioned that the current version of Tangle, which encourages users to set a daily intention each morning, is still a bit of an experiment and might change before it goes public more widely.

Sharp, who's the CEO of West Co, views this project as part of a long-term effort to really grasp and tackle the psychological effects that smartphones and social media have on us.

Spark Capital spearheaded West Co's seed funding round in 2024. The founders are part of a growing number of tech leaders who are taking a step back to rethink the unforeseen consequences of the platforms that helped them achieve their wealth.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Seventh Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue was held in Beijing on Sunday. Both sides issued a joint press communique on Monday.

Please see the attachment for the full text of the press communique. Enditem

Full text: Joint Press Communique of the Seventh Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue
An international team of researchers led by Uppsala University has completed the most extensive geoarchaeological investigation ever conducted at Egypt's Karnak Temple complex. Karnak ranks among the largest temple complexes of the ancient world and forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage site located within the modern city of Luxor.

The findings, published in Antiquity, shed new light on how the temple was founded, how its setting may connect to ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, and how people interacted with the surrounding river landscape over more than 3,000 years of continuous use.

"Our research presents the clearest understanding of the landscape upon which the ancient Egyptians founded their temple at Karnak approximately 4000 years ago," says Dr. Angus Graham, Uppsala University, who led the team.

From Flooded Terrain to Sacred Ground

Today, Karnak Temple sits about 500 meters east of the Nile near Luxor, once the religious capital of ancient Egypt known as Thebes. Thousands of years ago, however, the environment around the site looked very different.

To reconstruct that earlier landscape, the research team examined 61 sediment cores taken from inside and around the temple grounds and analyzed tens of thousands of ceramic fragments. These materials allowed the researchers to track changes in waterways and land surfaces over long periods of time.

The results show that before roughly 2520 BCE, the area would have been unsuitable for permanent settlement. Fast-moving Nile floodwaters regularly covered the site, making long-term occupation impossible. The earliest likely human activity at Karnak dates to the Old Kingdom (c.2591-2152 BCE). Pottery fragments support this timeline, with the oldest pieces dating to between c.2305 to 1980 BCE.

The land that eventually supported Karnak formed when Nile river channels carved paths on both the western and eastern sides of a natural terrace. This process created a rare island of higher ground in what is now the east/south-east section of the temple precinct. That elevated land provided a stable base for early settlement and the first stages of temple construction.

Shifting River Channels and Temple Expansion

As centuries passed, the river channels on either side of the site gradually moved. This shift opened up additional space, allowing Karnak to expand into the massive complex seen today.

One of the study's most unexpected findings involved the eastern river channel. Researchers discovered that it was far more clearly defined and possibly larger than the western channel, which had received most of the attention in earlier archaeological work.

"What also surprised us was the longevity of this eastern channel. It remains a very minor channel until the arrival of the Romans in the first century BCE. We also have evidence of how the Ancient Egyptians engineered the landscape. They may well have been impatient to expand their temple footprint as they dumped desert sands into a minor river channel that was already starting to silt up," adds Angus Graham.

Landscape Tied to Ancient Creation Beliefs

The reconstructed landscape closely matches descriptions found in ancient Egyptian creation myths. This resemblance suggests that religious ideas may have influenced the choice of Karnak's location.

Texts from the Old Kingdom describe the creator god appearing as a mound of high ground emerging from surrounding waters referred to as 'the lake'. The island identified beneath Karnak is the only known example of such high ground encircled by water in the region.

"It's tempting to suggest the Theban elites chose Karnak's location for the dwelling place of a new form of the creator god, 'Ra-Amun', as it fitted the cosmogonical scene of high ground emerging from surrounding water," says Dr. Ben Pennington, lead author of the paper and a Visiting Fellow in Geoarchaeology at the University of Southampton.

Later writings from the Middle Kingdom (c.1980-1760 BC) expand on this theme, describing the 'primeval mound' rising from the 'Waters of Chaos'. During this time, the annual retreat of the Nile floodwaters would have visually echoed these beliefs, as the elevated ground beneath Karnak appeared to rise and grow as the waters receded.

Broader Climate Context

The new study builds on earlier work published in Nature Geoscience in 2024 (doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01451-z). That research documented how shifts in climate and environment have shaped the Egyptian Nile Valley over the past 11,500 years.

This latest work was conducted under the auspices of the Egypt Exploration Society (London) and carried out with a permit from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt).
HONG KONG, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's MTR Corporation announced on Monday that Metro Trains West Consortium, its joint venture with a subsidiary of Chinese train producer CRRC Corporation Limited, has won a major contract for the new Sydney Metro West project in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

Under the contract, the consortium will provide next-generation metro trains and associated systems, as well as the commissioning and operation of the line connecting Sydney's major commercial and residential hub in the west, Parramatta, and the city center. With nine new stations, the brand-new 24-km underground metro railway line is targeted to commence service in 2032.

The infrastructure works are managed by the NSW government, while Metro Train West Consortium will be responsible for a range of tasks during the delivery phase, including supplying next-generation driverless metro trains, signalling systems, communications and control systems, as well as system integration, testing, and commissioning. The consortium will also undertake operations and maintenance after the line opens.

Rooted in Hong Kong, MTR Corporation is expanding internationally. In 2019, the corporation began operating the Sydney Metro Northwest Line through its subsidiary Metro Trains Sydney. In August 2024, the line was officially renamed Metro M1 Northwest and Bankstown Line. 
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to strengthen strategic communication with Ireland, deepen political mutual trust and expand pragmatic cooperation to benefit the peoples of both countries and add momentum to China-EU relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.

When meeting with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin in Beijing, Xi said China is willing to strengthen economic and trade cooperation with Ireland, align development strategies in fields such as artificial intelligence, digital economy, and medicine and healthcare, promote two-way investment, leverage each other's strengths, share opportunities and pursue common development.

The two sides should enhance cooperation in education, culture and tourism to foster greater people-to-people affinity, and China welcomes more Irish youth to come to China for study and exchanges, Xi said.

Both China and Ireland support multilateralism and advocate international fairness and justice, Xi added, while urging the two sides to strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs, and jointly maintain the authority of the UN and make the global governance system more just and equitable.

Xi said China and the EU should bear the long-term picture in mind, uphold the positioning of partnership, and view and handle differences objectively and rationally to work for win-win cooperation.

As Ireland will hold the rotating EU presidency in the second half of this year, China hopes Ireland will play a constructive role in promoting the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations, the Chinese president said.

Noting that Ireland firmly adheres to the one-China policy, Martin said the country is committed to developing the strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

Ireland is willing to deepen cooperation with China in trade, investment, science and technology, biomedicine, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, education and other fields, Martin noted. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)
Oil prices were lower on Monday as markets assessed the fallout from the US intervention in Venezuela, with traders concluding that the upheaval was unlikely to disrupt an already well-supplied global energy market.

Brent crude futures were last down 0.84% on ICE to $60.24 a barrel, while the NYMEX quote for West Texas Intermediate slipped 0.91% to $56.80, having earlier seen steeper declines before stabilising.

The initial move lower followed the weekend capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro by US forces, an event that briefly pushed Brent down as much as 1.2% towards the $60 mark.

While such a dramatic escalation might typically add a geopolitical risk premium, investors were instead focussed on the prospect that Washingtons actions could ultimately lead to higher Venezuelan oil output.

Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management said prices steadied after an early wobble as traders weighed two opposing forces, noting that while instability in Latin America argued for a risk premium, the potential return of Venezuelas vast reserves to global markets pointed in the opposite direction.

That view was reinforced by broader market reactions in Asia, where oil prices dipped even as equities advanced, reflecting confidence that US military action was unlikely to materially disrupt supply in the near term.

Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics, said the removal of Maduro was unlikely to have meaningful near-term economic consequences for the global economy, though he cautioned that the political and geopolitical implications would reverberate.

Additional pressure on crude came from OPEC+s decision over the weekend to keep output unchanged, reinforcing the perception of ample supply.

US president Donald Trump warned of further strikes if Venezuela did not cooperate with efforts to open up its oil sector.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
London stocks were set to rise at the open on Monday, with the top-flight index breaching the 10,000 mark, as investors largely shrugged off the latest developments in Venezuela.

The FTSE 100 was called to open around 55 points higher.

Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote, said: "Phew, the year started fast, giving us a rapid heads up that we might be heading into another geopolitically tense year.

"The US entered Venezuela and took Maduro out on Saturday. From a market perspective, what happened last Saturday in Venezuela means higher volatility in oil prices, risk premia creeping back into asset prices and markets being forced to react to political shockwaves as soon as many investors return to their desks. But overall feeling is way more relaxed than that.

"In oil, Brent crude opened the week above $61/bbl, while US crude tested $58/bbl offers before gains were quickly given back. Venezuela is known to have the largest oil reserves in the world - more than 300 bn barrels, even more than Saudi Arabia (around 267 bn barrels according to a chart published by Al Jazeera) - but its oil exports are far below major exporters like Saudi Arabia ($181 bn), the US ($125 bn) and Russia ($122 bn). In 2023, Venezuela exported just $4.5 bn worth of crude - a very little fraction of Saudi Arabias $181 bn - due to aging refinery infrastructure, years of underinvestment, technical challenges and of course, sanctions.

"As a result, Venezuela pumps around 800K barrels per day - a third of what it used to a decade ago, and less than 1% of global supplies. In terms of supply risk, thats almost negligible, especially considering that the crude market is well supplied: the IEA projects a record oil surplus this year, while Trafigura warns of a potential super glut.

"This explains why a potential supply shock in Venezuela is unlikely to reverse the bearish trend - particularly since the US did not touch any oil facilities during last weekends operations and sanctions on Venezuelan oil remain in place."

In corporate news, budget airline Wizz Air reported a sharp jump in passenger traffic last month, with 5.85m people flying its routes, an increase of 15.5% year-on-year.

Capacity surged 16.3% in December to 6.81 million seats, while the load factor for the month was 85.9%, down 0.6 percentage points.

Elsewhere, Balfour Beatty announced the sale of ten UK assets from its infrastructure investments portfolio.

The disposed assets comprise three Offshore Transmission Owners (OFTOs), five street lighting projects, one biomass plant and one road concession.

The infrastructure firm said it sold its share in each of the assets to Equitix in December 2025 for combined proceeds of 87m, with a total gain on the disposals of 7m.
The UK is poised for a rise in unemployment in 2026 fuelled by the collapse of zombie companies that have struggled to adapt to a rise in business costs, according to a report. At the start of what could be a pivotal year for the economy, the Resolution Foundation said businesses were grappling with a triple whammy of multiyear increases in interest rates, energy prices and the minimum wage that could finish off some underperforming companies.  Guardian

A ban on junk food advertising on TV before 9pm and a total ban online has come into force as the government attempts to tackle the childhood obesity crisis. Under the rules, which will be enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) 13 categories of products can no longer be advertised on TV before the watershed or at any time online. The banned products are high in fat, sugar and salt.  Guardian

Shell could earn billions of dollars from new Venezuelan gas projects following Donald Trumps ousting of Nicolas Maduro. The British oil company wants to target the rich gas fields lying between Venezuela and the neighbouring offshore islands of Trinidad and Tobago but has faced years of delay linked to US sanctions. - Telegraph

Britain is on the brink of a turning point where deaths begin to consistently outnumber births, the Resolution Foundation has warned. Gregory Thwaites, a research director at the Left-leaning think tank, said 2026 may be the first year of a new normal for the nations ageing population, driven by extremely low fertility and not especially high deaths. More deaths than births would leave the UK facing a shrinking population unless it welcomed more migrants. - Telegraph

British workers are increasingly unhappy in their jobs, with almost one in ten planning to quit in January, a new survey shows. Nearly a quarter said their work was making them unhappy, while 9 per cent expected to hand in their notice this month, according to research from the international schools group ACS.  The Times
Adani Group and Bhutan officially launch the 570 MW Wangchhu Hydropower Project

Druk Green Power Corporation holds majority stake in the joint venture

Project strengthens India-Bhutan cooperation in clean and sustainable energy

The Adani Group has officially started work on the 570 MW Wangchhu Hydropower Project in Bhutan, marking an important step in the growing energy partnership between the two sides. The foundation stone ceremony was held in Thimphu and was attended by Bhutans Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay along with Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani.

The project is being developed as a joint venture between Bhutans Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) and the Adani Group. Under the agreement, DGPC will hold a 51 per cent stake, while Adani Group will own the remaining 49 percent. This structure ensures Bhutan retains majority ownership while benefiting from Adanis expertise in large infrastructure projects.

The Wangchhu project is the first initiative under a larger agreement signed in May 2025, where both partners committed to jointly develop 5,000 MW of hydropower capacity in Bhutan. With an estimated investment of around Rs 60 billion, the project will include power generation facilities and supporting infrastructure. Construction is expected to be completed within five years of the start of work.

Sharing his thoughts on social media, Gautam Adani described the project as a major milestone in the IndiaBhutan energy relationship. He thanked Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay for attending the ceremony and said the partnership is based on sustainability, trust, and long-term value.

Also Read: Mexico's Tariff Hike Poses Threat to India's Auto and Aluminum Shipments

Adani also highlighted his association with Bhutans Gelephu Mindfulness City, calling it a forward-looking initiative inspired by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchucks vision for mindful and sustainable development. The Wangchhu project is expected to play a key role in boosting clean energy production and economic growth in Bhutan.
Himachal CM Sukhu engages CEOs at Him MSME Fest-2026, signs 37 MoUs worth Rs 10,000 crore to boost industrial growth

State to roll out new industrial policy, with focus on green industrialisation, EVs, renewable energy, AI and rural industries

Major infrastructure and investment push announced, including EV taxis, green hydrogen buses, Bulk Drug Park and Him Chandigarh project

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu interacted with CEOs and entrepreneurs from leading industries in India and abroad at Peterhoff in Shimla during the three-day Him MSME Fest-2026, organised by the Industries Department. The interaction witnessed extensive deliberations on expanding and promoting industrial activity in Himachal Pradesh, with a strong emphasis on sustainable and future-ready development.



On the occasion, the state government signed 37 Memoranda of Understanding with various entrepreneurs for setting up industrial enterprises involving an investment of around Rs 10,000 crore. Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said a new industrial policy would be introduced soon to further strengthen the states investment ecosystem. He said the government was continuously rolling out initiatives to make Himachal Pradesh an investor-friendly destination, built on trust, transparency and long-term growth.



Sukhu said the state envisions emerging as a strong economic hub by focusing on green industrialisation, renewable energy, digital technologies, artificial intelligence and rural-based industries. Highlighting the governments commitment to clean mobility, he announced that all 22,000 petrol and diesel-run taxis in the state would be replaced with electric vehicles in a phased manner. He said a new scheme offering a 40 percent subsidy would be introduced for this purpose. He also said tenders would soon be issued to operate buses powered by green hydrogen.

Also Read: India, Italy Sign Joint Commission Pact for Economic Cooperation



The Chief Minister assured entrepreneurs that issues related to Section 118 would be addressed and that the textile sector would receive special encouragement. He said established industries would continue to receive government support, logistics costs in industrial areas would be reduced and infrastructure would be further strengthened. Referring to connectivity, he said the state had already deposited its entire share for the Baddi-Chandigarh railway line and that land acquisition for the Kangra airport would be completed by March 31. Tourism, he said, remains a priority sector, adding that permission would be granted to set up 200 five-star hotels to boost the hospitality industry.



Announcing a major urban development initiative, Sukhu said a world-class city, Him Chandigarh, would be developed near Chandigarh within Himachal Pradesh. He assured industrialists of uninterrupted 24-hour power supply at the lowest possible rates and urged them to sign implementation agreements at the earliest.



He said the states industrial infrastructure was being steadily upgraded, with facilities such as the MSE Pharma Lab, MSME Technology Centre, CIPET, skill development centres in Baddi and Una, and gas connectivity in major industrial areas. Calling the Bulk Drug Park in Una a significant achievement, he said it had received final environmental clearance for 568.75 hectares and, with a project cost of Rs 2,071 crore, could attract investments of up to Rs 10,000 crore while generating 15,000 to 20,000 jobs.



Industry Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan said liberal policies were being framed to accelerate industrial growth and employment generation, while Additional Chief Secretary R.D. Nazim detailed the states industrial initiatives. Commissioner of Industries Dr. Yunus welcomed the dignitaries. Mayor Surinder Chauhan, Deputy Secretary NITI Aayog Arvind Kumar and senior officials were also present.
IIT Hyderabad student secures record Rs 2.5 crore placement

Global trading firm Optiver extends highest-ever offer at IITH

Offer surpasses previous campus record set in 2017

A final-year computer science engineering student at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) has created history by securing the highest-ever placement package at the institute. Twenty-one-year-old Edward Nathan Varghese has received a Rs 2.5 crore job offer from Optiver, a leading global trading firm headquartered in the Netherlands.

The offer marks the highest salary package at IIT Hyderabad since its establishment in 2008. Edward will join Optiver as a software engineer in July 2026. He received the offer after successfully converting a two-month summer internship into a pre-placement offer, outperforming another shortlisted candidate during the selection process.

IIT ecosystem for his success, highlighting the institutes flexible curriculum and strong emphasis on coding and competitive programming from the first year itself. According to media reports, Optiver was the first and only company he interviewed with during the placement season. Speaking about his achievement, Edward credited thefor his success, highlighting the institutes flexible curriculum and strong emphasis on coding and competitive programming from the first year itself. According to media reports, Optiver was the first and only company he interviewed with during the placement season.

Edward was born and raised in Hyderabad and completed his schooling in Bengaluru from Classes 7 to 12. He secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 1100 in JEE Main and 558 in JEE Advanced in 2022. In addition to his engineering achievements, Edward also excelled in management aptitude, scoring an impressive 99.96 percentile in the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025, with an all-India rank of 120.

Beyond academics, Edward has played an active leadership role at IIT Hyderabad. As per his LinkedIn profile, he served as the Overall Head of the Office of Career Services, where he led a core team of eight student managers and coordinated with nearly 250 student coordinators to manage placements and internships. Earlier, he worked as an Internship Cell Coordinator for around 11 months.

Sharing his interests, Edward said he is deeply passionate about algorithms, competitive programming, finance, and management, and is keen to explore opportunities that combine these fields.

Both his parents, who are engineers, expressed immense pride in his achievement. Until now, the highest package at IIT Hyderabad stood at Rs 1.1 crore in 2017, making Edwards offer a significant milestone for the institute.
KAMPALA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and National Guidance on Monday urged the media and the public to exercise caution while reporting as the country heads to the general elections on Jan. 15.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance Aminah Zawedde said in a statement that heightened political engagement ahead of the general elections has been accompanied by an increase in misinformation, particularly on digital platforms, adding that irresponsible reporting could undermine peace and public confidence.

"As the country approaches the election period, public engagement has intensified, as expected in any democracy. However, alongside this increased participation, there has been a rise in misinformation," Zawedde said.

She said responsible media reporting during elections is essential for peace, public order, and national stability, warning that media platforms must not be used to incite violence, spread falsehoods, or undermine the credibility of the electoral process.

The official said live broadcasting or streaming of riots, unlawful processions, or violent incidents is prohibited, as it can escalate tensions and spread panic.

She noted that the declaration of election results remains the sole mandate of the Electoral Commission.

Zawedde said that the government has not announced or implemented any decision to shut down the internet during the election period, describing claims to the contrary as false and misleading.

Ugandans will go to the polls on Jan. 15, with incumbent President Yoweri Museveni seeking another term in office, alongside several opposition candidates. 
Sensex, Nifty trade lower as IT stocks decline in early trade

Metal stocks advance, but broader gains remain capped

Geopolitical risks and Q3 earnings to guide near-term market sentiment

Indian benchmark equity indices opened on a subdued note on Monday, weighed down by weakness in information technology stocks amid cautious global cues. While metal stocks provided some support, losses in IT counters capped overall market gains in early trade.

At around 9:23 am, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 68.48 points, or 0.08 per cent, at 85,693.53, while the NSE Nifty50 slipped 15.35 points, or 0.06 per cent, to trade at 26,313.20.

IT stocks witnessed selling pressure, tracking uncertainty around global growth and technology spending, whereas metal stocks edged higher on expectations of stable demand and firm commodity prices. Market participants remained selective as investors assessed sectoral trends and evolving geopolitical developments.selling pressure, tracking uncertainty around global growth and technology spending, whereas metal stocks edged higher on expectations of stable demand and firm commodity prices.

Commenting on the market outlook, Dr V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments Limited, said that one positive for India emerging from the Venezuelan crisis is its medium- to long-term bearish impact on crude oil prices. Lower crude prices, he noted, are supportive of Indias macroeconomic stability.

He added that domestic markets are likely to remain resilient in the near term, supported by strong momentum as indices hover near all-time highs. The Bank Nifty continues to remain strong, backed by impressive credit growth. The Q3 earnings season for banking and financial services is expected to be healthy, Vijayakumar said.

However, he cautioned that rising geopolitical uncertainties could influence market sentiment. Ongoing global tensions including developments in Venezuela, the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict, unrest in Iran, and potential escalation around Taiwan add layers of unpredictability that investors will closely monitor in the coming weeks.
Many students in India want to get an MBA degree. However, only a few carefully think about the first step of the journey - their graduation. The graduation choice you make can decide whether your path to an MBA will be easy or difficult.

This is where the importance of IGNOU BBA is realized. The IGNOU BBA fees are economical, the syllabus is well-structured, and the qualification is recognised all across the country. Such a combination makes it a very wise step to start an IGNOU MBA.

What Is IGNOU BBA and Why Students Choose It

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) offers students the core understanding of business, including management, marketing, administration, finance, accounting, economics, and communication.

IGNOU provides access to these programs via distance and online learning modalities. As a result, there is no necessity for you to attend college in person every day. Additionally, you can study from your location and arrange your study hours around your daily activities.

Students opt for IGNOU BBA as it gives them flexibility to continue studying even when they are working, after doing the preparation for other exams or also when they are looking after family tasks.

Decoding IGNOU BBA Fees

The most appealing feature of IGNOU BBA is its low fees. When compared to those private colleges which demand high fees, in most families, IGNOU BBA fees will be within their reach.

Such an economical fee structure guarantees students a graduation without the stress of taking heavy loans or worry of being a financial burden on their parents.

Once your graduation expenses are under control, you also get a piece of mind. Without money being a constraint, you can plan your life ahead.

How IGNOU BBA Fees Help You Prepare for IGNOU MBA

Most of the time, MBA degree programs are priced very high. Therefore, in case you are already heavily loaded with the BBA expenses, it will be hard for you to pay for an MBA.

Nevertheless, when you graduate from IGNOU with a BBA at a minimal cost, you are actually saving yourself a lot of money. That saved money can be then allocated to your IGNOU MBA fees, study materials, and exam preparation.

Consequently, this is the reason why the cost of the IGNOU BBA becomes your first milestone to the success of your MBA career. Your financial freedom is unlocked at the most crucial phase of your career.

Strong Academic Base for MBA

The subjects taught in IGNOU BBA are the same subjects you will study in your MBA, just at a basic level.

So when you move from IGNOU BBA to IGNOU MBA, you already understand:

Management concepts

Business environment

Marketing principles

Finance basics

Business communication

This makes your MBA studies easier. You do not feel lost or confused like many fresh students do.

Flexibility That Builds Experience

While studying BBA from IGNOU, you get full freedom of time. You can do internships, part-time jobs, online courses, or skill training.

This work experience becomes very helpful during an MBA. You understand business situations better and perform better in projects and interviews.

So your IGNOU BBA not only gives you a degree but also real experience.

Smooth Transition to IGNOU MBA

Students who complete a BBA from IGNOU already understand:

IGNOUs exam system

Assignment pattern

Self-study method

Time management

So when they start their IGNOU MBA, the system feels familiar. There is no learning pressure about how things work. This smooth transition helps students focus more on learning and less on adjusting.

Career Confidence Grows Early

Because your education cost is low and your skills are growing steadily, your confidence increases.

You feel secure about:

Your career direction

Your financial position

Your future studies

This confidence reflects in interviews, presentations, and professional life.

Final Conclusion

Your MBA success story does not begin only when you enroll in the MBA program. It actually starts with the decision you make about your graduation. Choosing IGNOU BBA, especially because of its IGNOU BBA fees, strong syllabus, and flexible structure, is a practical and smart decision. That single choice builds a solid foundation for your success in the IGNOU MBA program. When you plan your career step by step, your results also grow step by step.
Sprinkles Cupcakes, a popular gourmet bakery chain well known for its signature dot frosting and iconic cupcake vending machines (the Cupcake ATM), closed its doors last week, 20 years after opening its first location in Beverly Hills, California.

Even though I sold the company over a decade ago, I still have such a personal connection to it, and this isnt how I thought the story would go, the companys founder, Candace Nelson, who sold the company to private equity in 2012, noted in a social media post, asking fans to share their memories of the brand.

I thought Sprinkles would keep growing and be around forever, Nelson continued. I thought it was going to be my legacy.

Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills was well-known for its 24-Hour Cupcake "ATM," which was continuously restocked to dispense fresh cupcakes. AP

Dubbed the worlds first cupcake bakery, Nelson and her husband opened the first Sprinkles location in Beverly Hills in 2005, quickly attracting a celebrity clientele.

In the following years, the company opened locations across the country and launched its novel Cupcake ATM before selling the brand to private equity firm KarpReilly.

Im deeply grateful to the fans, customers, and community who showed up, celebrated with us, and made Sprinkles part of their traditions, Nelson wrote.

The current owner hasnt revealed the reason behind the permanent closure.
Two men on an electric scooter allegedly robbed a 77-year-old man in Queens, and the NYPD is asking for the publics help identifying them.

It was reported to police that on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, at approximately 4:40 p.m the male victim was in front of 45-14 104 St. when police say he was approached by the two unidentified individuals.

One of the individuals approached the victim and removed his wallet from his pants. The wallet contained multiple credit cards and approximately $100 in cash. Both individuals then fled westbound on 46th Avenue on the electric scooter, police said.

No injuries were reported.

The first sought individual is described as a male, approximately 18-25 years of age. He was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt, black ski-mask, blue jeans and white sneakers.

The second sought individual is described as a male, approximately 18-25 years of age. He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black ski-mask, dark colored jeans and black sneakers.

The NYPD has released surveillance photos of the sought individuals.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit its tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Jury selection was set to begin on Monday for a former Staten Island resident accused in the quadruple homicide of his brother and that siblings family in Colts Neck, New Jersey.

Prosecutors allege that Paul Caneiro, who lived in Tottenville prior to moving to Ocean Township, was responsible for the murderous rampage in 2018 that ended the lives of his brother and business partner, Keith, 50; sister-in-law Jennifer, 45; and nephew and niece, Jesse, 11, and Sophia, 8.

Paul Caneiro was 51 on Nov. 20, 2018, when he allegedly shot his brother, stabbed and gunned down his brothers family and set the victims mansion ablaze. The defendant allegedly lit his own home on fire while his wife and two daughters were inside, but those victims escaped to safety.

Keith suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was found dead outside his home. The badly burned bodies of his wife and children were recovered inside the mansion.

Lawsuits filed against the defendant by kin point to a possible motive for the murders. Court documents revealed financial disputes between the two brothers who had mutual business interests that included a pest control firm and a technology start-up, according to NBCNews.com. Multiple allegations of theft were made against the defendant in those court filings, NBCNews reported.

The Caneiro brothers, and Jennifer, whose maiden name was Karidis, all had ties to Staten Island. All had previous addresses in the borough and Keith served as the best man in his brothers wedding, according to Advance/SILive.com records.

The defendant, who is scheduled to appear in Monmouth County Superior Court in Freehold, has pleaded not guilty to all charges that include first-degree murder, according to public records.
BROOKLYN, N.Y.  I first learned about Sombr not through TikTok or a streaming playlist, but from a seat inside Barclays Center on Dec. 22, where he took the stage as a guest performer during a Jonas Brothers concert.

I attended with my three adult daughters, a collective Christmas gift from my daughter Charista, who still carries a not-so-secret crush on Joe Jonas  one that dates back to when she was 8 years old.

The night was as much about reliving childhood memories as it was about music.

But it was the guest artist, Sombr  whose real name is Shane Michael Boose  who quickly captured the attention of the crowd, and ours. He was tall and slim, fashionable, and oh-so-talented.

The 20-year-old artist has been nominated for the 2026 Grammy Award for Best New Artist, following his breakthrough viral hit Back to Friends and his debut album, I Barely Know Her, marking his first Grammy nomination.

Sombr, winner of the award for best alternative for "Back to Friends," poses in the press room during the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Like many of the new crop of musicians, Sombr found his path to fame in digital spaces, fueled by constant connection and an online-first relationship with fans.

I thoroughly enjoyed his music, but whenever I mention him to friends, none of them have ever heard of him. It may be because we are all middle-aged ladies  but still.

Ive compiled a quick list of basics about Sombr, in case youre interested, because pretty soon everyone will know who he is and you wont want to feel left out.

Shane Michael Boose aka Sombr attends the CFDA Fashion Awards, hosted by The Council of Fashion Designers of America, at The American Museum of Natural History on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Here are 11 things to know about Sombr:

Back to Friends catapulted him to fame  Sombrs momentum surged in 2025, when three of his tracks landed on the  Sombrs momentum surged in 2025, when three of his tracks landed on the Billboard Hot 100. His breakout song, Back to Friends, surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify, and he took home a VMA for Best Alternative. He later appeared as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live on Nov. 8 and even caught the attention of Taylor Swift, who publicly praised his music. Sombr went on a date once with my nephews ex-girlfriend in middle school Sombr was born and raised in New York City and attended Sombr was born and raised in New York City and attended LaGuardia High School . Sombr dropped out at 17, however. Sombr told PEOPLE, The first song that changed my life is this song, Caroline. I made it when I was in high school, and I got bullied for doing music, and then I posted that song I was like, This is the best song I made. Social media fame  Like many artists of his generation, the New York City musician found his  Like many artists of his generation, the New York City musician found his audience online first. His more emotionally heavy songs spread rapidly across TikTok, where repeated sharing and word-of-mouth pushed them far beyond the platform and onto the charts. He loves New York  Having been raised in NYC, Sombr told  Having been raised in NYC, Sombr told PEOPLE that music was everywhere, and he credits his hometown for shaping the artist he is today. Some of his biggest inspirations include Bon Iver, Phoebe Bridgers and Jeff Buckley. His writing also draws inspiration from movies like The Notebook and Call Me By Your Name. He first gained attention as a teenager  At 16, Sombr  At 16, Sombr broke through online with an early track that began circulating widely, drawing attention from fans and the music industry alike. Back to Friends changed everything  The song, built around the ache of an  The song, built around the ache of an unresolved relationship, struck a chord with listeners for its honesty and emotional restraint. It remains a centerpiece of his live performances. The song came from a difficult moment in his life  Sombr has described writing it during a  Sombr has described writing it during a low period, using music as a way to process emotions and regain direction. He does it all himself  From writing lyrics to producing tracks, Sombr maintains  From writing lyrics to producing tracks, Sombr maintains full creative control over his music, giving it an unmistakably personal feel. He is grateful  His music is rooted in alt-rock, with influences from from disco, new wave, synth-pop and classic 70s influences. Sobr has posted his gratitude to his fans on  His music is rooted in alt-rock, with influences from from disco, new wave, synth-pop and classic 70s influences. Sobr has posted his gratitude to his fans on social media , saying, Thank you... Youre the reason I get up in the morning and keep doing this even when Im at my lowest. Seeing how the music impacts you means everything to me. He thrives on live performance  Sombr has said being onstage is an unmatched feeling, and his tours have sold out quickly. Even a minor onstage mishap   Sombr has said being onstage is an unmatched feeling, and his tours have sold out quickly. Even a minor onstage mishap  chipping a tooth  only added to his reputation as a fully committed performer. Even his TikTok spam account is popular  Unlike most people in their early 20s who use secondary accounts to share casual or unfiltered content, his spam page (@sombrsucks) has gained massive attention, collecting more than 13 million likes. In the bio, he writes, This page is for the girlies that get it if you dont, scroll!

Sombr performs during the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Sombr performs during the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
The iconic Bill Joel, the piano man whos been performing to crowds for more than six decades  and the legendary entertainer whos sold more than 160 million records worldwide  recently returned to the stage after being diagnosed with a serious brain condition during the spring of last year.

The surprise performance  that included several of his greatest hits and shocked the audience  took place on Jan. 2 in an amphitheater in Wellington, Florida together with a tribute band called The Turnstiles.

Watch here:

Joel, 76, who owns the Middlesea Farms property in the village, delivered a dynamite two-song concert during the presentation at the village amphitheater, a story on usa.today revealed.

The story went on to explain that Joel was clad in a winter jacket and a traditional black winter cap and was seen employing the use of a cane.

He was on point however, with his 1989 hit, We Didnt Start The Fire, and Big Shot, a tune he recorded during the year 1978.

According to a story on people.com Joel indicated: I wasnt planning on working tonight, before singing the two above-mentioned tunes along with the Billy Joel cover band Turnstiles.

The story on people.com went on to say that Joels two youngest children, daughters Della, 10, and Remy, 8 were thrilled to take to the stage excitably clapping their hands and dancing as their dad continued to perform.

JOELS ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT ON INSTAGRAM

During May of last year Joel announced in an Instagram post that he would be cancelling all scheduled concerts following a recent diagnosis of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, a condition that was exacerbated by recent concert performances leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance.

It added that under doctors instructions, he was undergoing specific physical therapy and was advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period, but that he is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving and is fully committed to prioritizing his health and grateful for the support from fans during this time. And he looks forward to the day when he can once again take the stage.

A statement by Joel capped the post: Im sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience and thank you for understanding.

As a result one follower noted, He has millions of fans worldwide, many of whom are believers in our great and wonderful God. I challenge all believers to put Billy, his wife, 3 daughters and his Drs on your prayer list for a full recovery. We know it can happen!!!"

BILLY JOELS CAREER

Billy Joel has blended pop, rock, and ballads with masterful piano skills and original arrangements throughout his career.

Just the Way You Are, and Uptown Girl, earned him numerous awards and he achieved stardom with albums like The Stranger, and his follow-up, multi-Grammy-winning album, 52nd Street, as well as studio releases during the 1970s and 1980s  and legendary concerts contributing to his legacy as one of Americas greatest musical icons.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Applications for 58 battery energy storage systems were approved by the NYC Department of Buildings in 2025 and another 98 are currently under evaluation for placement throughout the five boroughs. According to DOB records, at least 15 of those BESS units are slated for Staten Island, with 10 additional sites under evaluation.

Reviewed by the DOBs Office of Technical Certification and Research, the projects are in addition to the 11 BESS units already in operation in the borough. Upon reporting this data, the department underscored its extensive review process, which it said abides by FDNY regulations and safety standards.

Robust safety standards

The release of these numbers comes as a new set of BESS standards adopted by the State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council officially went into effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

Battery Energy Storage Systems are key to modernizing our grid and optimizing power generation and transmission, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority noted in a press release, which detailed the updated requirements. New York, through the work of its Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group, has implemented some of the most robust BESS standards in the nation  strengthening the reliability and resilience of our electricity system and prioritizing the safety of our communities.

David Sandbank, NYSERDAs vice president of Distributed Energy Resources, is a former solar developer who was a member of that Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group established by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2023. He sat down for an interview with the Advance/SILive.com to detail how all NYSERDA-supported energy storage projects are contractually required to meet these updated codes and improved safety standards  which now include independent peer reviews and site field inspections.

We took lot of best practices from the FDNY and what theyre doing in NYC and more broadly adopted them across the state, Sandbank noted.

According to NYSERDAs website, New York states BESS safety standards are reinforced by stringent oversight and independent, third-party review.

New York States BESS codes are among the highest standards internationally and are designed to reduce risk while ensuring that in the rare case a fire does happen, it is contained and does not pose a threat to the facilitys host community or first responders, the website noted. This model has been successfully used by New York City to ensure compliance and safety across BESS projects throughout the City. If projects do not meet the standards, incentives are withheld, and the project is unlikely to move forward.

Sandbank said that plans for each BESS are reviewed to make sure the product is being designed according to current codes and standards and noted that all BESS systems currently in operation adhere to the new regulations.

Fire incidents in Warwick, New York

He spoke of back-to-back fire incidents that occurred in Warwick, New York, in 2023 and indicated that the blazes were properly contained.

Data has shown there were no known injuries and that air, soil and water had no level of contaminants, he noted. The incident was also contained within the fence line of the site.

But on Dec. 19, after the Advance/SILive.com interviewed Sandbank, the same Warwick BESS site suffered a third fire, which took nearly 24 hours to extinguish. NYSERDA declined to comment on that incident, noting that the site is not one of its approved facilities.

A technology that uses a group of batteries to store electrical energy, allowing the energy to be released later when needed, the storage system sites  commonly referred to as BESS  essentially act as backup power sources for homes or the grid, particularly during peak demand or power outages. They are often used in conjunction with renewable energy sources like solar power.

Developers and green energy proponents tout the lithium-ion structures  which started popping up in several NYC neighborhoods in 2022  as quiet neighbors that are a necessary agent for renewable change. They are designed to remove pressure from the citys stressed grid, using rechargeable batteries to store electrical energy from various sources, and then releasing that stored energy when needed.

But over the past two years, Staten Island residents and borough officials have voiced concerns about their siting. Community Boards voted against their proximity to bakeries and storefronts and elected officials issued a moratorium on applications filed within residential districts. In one instance, an energy developer retracted plans to place batteries in a Bulls Head church parking lot.

Inherently unproven and dangerous

Borough President Vito Fossella commented on the latest Warwick BESS fire, saying it should serve as a warning to NYC residents.

For years, we have warned that BESS units are inherently unproven and dangerous, that if they catch fire they burn for days, and when they do they release toxic gases, Fossella noted in a statement. We have also warned that these facilities are prone to catch fire under a wide variety of circumstances, including water damage. Unfortunately, our concerns have once again been realized.

Fossella is now calling for an amendment to both state law and city zoning ordinances to increase setbacks to 250 feet in business and industrial zones and 1,000 feet in residential and mixed-use zones.

The safety of our residents and neighborhoods must come first, Fossella concluded.
An invasive drug-resistant fungus is spreading rapidly through U.S. hospitals and has become more threatening worldwide, earning the moniker superbug, according to researchers.

But there is hope for new treatments against the infection, which has become drug resistant over the years, according to an article published by the American Society of Microbiology.

Candida auris (C. auris) has been around for decades, but cases of the bug have tripled since the pandemic, building resistance against treatment and human immunity. More than 3,000 cases were reported in the United States through Dec. 20, 2025, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The fungus is particularly threatening to those with chronic illness or those fighting serious illness.

In fact, invasive fungal infections pose a major  and often fatal  health risk to immunocompromised individuals, including organ transplant recipients, patients with influenza or other viral and bacterial pneumonias, and patients with cancer, according to a report in the Journal of the American Society of Microbiology.

Candida auris is a high-priority human fungal pathogen, causing infection outbreaks of high mortality in healthcare settings," the report said. Invasive fungal diseases affect approximately 6.5 million people every year ... This number is expected to rise due to increasing numbers of immunosuppressed people, including the elderly, premature infants.

Current antifungal drugs are often rendered ineffective by aggressive strains such as Candida auris  considered an urgent antimicrobial resistance threat by the CDC, as well as Candida glabrata and Aspergillus fumigatus.

More than 3 million people across the world die each year as a result of fungal infections, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

New anti-fungal treatments are currently in the pipeline, according to Dr. Marc Siegel, a physician, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and senior medical analyst for Fox News, recently said on Fox News. It is most often resisted by humans, but resistance is beginning to wane amid drug resistance, the doctor told Fox News.

Often described as a superbug fungus, it is spreading globally and increasingly resisting human immune systems, Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation researchers said in a review published in early December, Fox News reported.

If it gets you sick, its got a 30 to 60% death rate, the doctor told Fox News.

The review findings reinforce prior CDC warnings that have labeled C. auris an urgent antimicrobial threat. It is the first fungal pathogen to receive that designation as U.S. cases have surged in hospitals and long-term care centers among the seriously ill and immunocompromised individuals.

Approximately 7,000 cases were identified across dozens of states in 2025, according to the CDC, and it has reportedly been identified in at least 60 countries.

Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews warned of outdated diagnostics and limited treatments.

A study was conducted by Dr. Neeraj Chauhan, of the Hackensack Meridian CDI in New Jersey; Dr. Anuradha Chowdhary, of the University of Delhis Medical Mycology Unit, and Dr. Michail Lionakis, chief of the clinical mycology program at the National Institutes of Health. It stressed the need to develop novel antifungal agents with broad-spectrum activity against human fungal pathogens, to improve diagnostic tests and to develop immune- and vaccine-based adjunct modalities for the treatment of high-risk patients.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  New York City was in the throes of a heroin and crack epidemic in the early 1990s when Olivia Brennan saw the need for a detox unit on Staten Island.

As director of the social work department at the former Doctors Hospital in Concord, she battled drug abuse with education and intervention by opening a unit that helped addicts through painful withdrawal and into life-saving rehabilitation.

Olivia and Judge Michael Brennan were married for 59 years. (Photo courtesy Rachael Brennan) Third-Party-Submitted

Her death Saturday morning in Richmond University Medical Center, one day after her 81st birthday, inspired memories of a kind and altruistic woman who put the needs of others in front of her own.

At Doctors Hospital, Mrs. Brennan went above and beyond for the recovering addicts under her care, making sure they had clothing, bus fare and a meal before discharge, recalled a former colleague. She accepted patients from all boroughs, and often arranged their transportation to the hospital after receiving a call for help.

Olivia Brennan, at center in top row, hosts a reunion of hospital colleagues at her West Brighton home, circa 2020. (Photo courtesy Regina Walsh) Third-Party-Submitted

The former Olivia Garand in her 1966 Notre Dame College graduation photo. (Photo courtesy Rachael Brennan) Third-Party-Submitted

Friends surmise her generosity in spirit was instilled by her father, a family doctor, and through her calling as a social worker.

Growing up in a small-town Staten Island now long gone, as the daughter of one of our legendary house-calling family physicians, Olivia never lost the neighborly intimacy she was able to maintain with all whom she met, said District Attorney Michael McMahon, a longtime family friend. She knew you immediately and cared for you forever. Her skills as a hospital social worker helped her connect with everyone. She was graceful, gregarious and extremely generous.

Olivia the grandmother with Olivia the granddaughter, at a First Communion dress fitting, circa 2021. (Photo courtesy Rachael Brennan) Third-Party-Submitted

Her work truly saved and changed lives, said State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton in a Womens History Month tribute last March. She was a tireless advocate for Staten Islands most vulnerable populations.

Canadian roots

The younger of two daughters, the former Olivia Garand was born in Kingston, Ontario, where her father was pursuing a medical degree at Queens University. The family moved to Greenwich Village and settled in Randall Manor when Olivia was in elementary school.

She attended Notre Dame Academy, Grymes Hill, through grade 12, and earned a bachelors degree in psychology from the former Notre Dame College on June 2, 1966.

The newlyweds on their wedding day in June 1966. (Photo courtesy Rachael Brennan) Third-Party-Submitted

Two days later, she married Michael J. Brennan, an Army officer, during a ceremony in the former St. Pauls Chapel in New Brighton, followed by a reception at the Tavern on the Green, a legendary New Dorp venue.

The newlyweds moved across the country while Brennan continued his military service. After his return from the Vietnam War and an assignment at the former Fort Holabird in Maryland, they settled in West Brighton. He would later earn a law degree, win election to the New York State Supreme Court and serve as the presiding judge of the Brooklyn Veterans Court through his retirement in 2017.

Mrs. Brennan began her health-care career at the former U.S. Marine Hospital in Clifton before joining the staff at Doctors Hospital, where she spent much of her 47-year career. She earned a masters degree in social work from New York University, and was licensed as a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC).

Olivia Brennan, right, joins colleagues from the Staten Island University Hospital case management department. (Photo courtesy Regina Walsh) Third-Party-Submitted

After Doctors Hospital closed in 2003, Mrs. Brennan joined Staten Island University Hospital as director of case management, and later served as director of inpatient psychiatric services at South Beach Psychiatric Center.

Also dedicated to local education issues, Mrs. Brennan was elected three times to the Staten Island District 31 School Board in the 1990s, and served a term as its president. She also served with the Staten Island Developmental Disabilities Services Office, volunteered with borough group homes, and was a member of Community Board 1.

She worked into her 70s as an instructor and adviser at the Manhattan campus of Mildred Elley College, and enjoyed planning reunions with former hospital colleagues who appreciated her career guidance and support.

Regina Walsh, left, joins Olivia at a reunion of hospital colleagues. (Photo courtesy Regina Walsh) Third-Party-Submitted

I wouldnt be where I am today if it wasnt for Olivia Brennan, said Regina Walsh, who worked with her at Doctors Hospital and SIUH. She was the kindest woman -- a mother to anybody and everybody.

She was a mother to anybody and everybody, said Regina Walsh, right, Olivia Brennans friend and colleague. (Photo courtesy Regina Walsh) Third-Party-Submitted

Wide circle of friends

With their West Brighton neighbors, Mary and Michael McVey, the Brennans were dedicated organizers of the five-mile Pepper Martin Run, held for many years on the Fourth of July along Forest Avenue.

The Brennan home on North Mada Avenue was a frequent meeting place for the Pepper Martin planning committee, for bridge club and book club gatherings, and for countless community projects.

The Brennans, at left, enjoy a trip to Costa Rica with Dr. Craig and Awilda Campbell, circa 2014. (Photo courtesy Dr. Craig Campbell) Third-Party-Submitted

Their living room was renowned as the salon of the town, District Attorney McMahon said. The gatherings focused on raising funds for those in need, helping Judge Mike and his fellow Vietnam vets, Kiwanians, Hibernians or Road Runners plan the next event, resolving the latest local crisis or issue, including opening up the St. Patricks Parade for all, or strategizing for the next Democratic candidate.

Olivia was the doyenne of West Brighton, McMahon continued. She was relied upon by the clergy, politicians of all stripes, civic and non-profit leaders, hospital and business executives, and everyday people who needed her help and counsel. She always said yes.

Olivia celebrates a birthday at Jade Island, New Springville. (Photo courtesy Regina Walsh) Third-Party-Submitted

Dr. Robert Griswold, a retired Concord dentist, and his wife, Peggy, have appreciated living next door to the Brennans for the last 39 years.

Since the first day, Olivia was gracious, loving, unselfish and treated us as part of her family, he said. But Olivias family also included a vast array of talented, caring and eclectic Staten Islanders. On any given day, they were at the Brennan house, entertained, schooled and fed by Olivia.

Judge Vito J.Titone after swearing in Judge Michael J. Brennan, with wife Olivia in 1996. (Staten Island Advance/Frank J. Johns) advance

Dr. Craig Campbell, a podiatrist and longtime friend, recalled the Brennans generosity in 2014 when he and his wife needed a place to stay in between their move from West Brighton to Livingston.

We were their tenants, along with our cat and dog, for eight months, he shared. And remarkably, we remained friends. Olivia to the rescue, once again!

Mrs. Brennan served as county committee woman for the Staten Island Democratic Party, and joined her husband for Kiwanis Club events. They were also active members of the John D. Kearney Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, of which Judge Brennan served as president.

The Brennans enjoyed visiting Atlantic City, vacationing at the Jersey Shore and exploring European destinations including Ireland, Spain and Sweden.

Survivors and arrangements

In addition to her husband of 59 years, the Hon. Michael J. Brennan, and her sister, Alice M. Tobin, Olivia F. Brennan is survived by a daughter, Olivia M. Piccirillo (John); a son, Michael J. Mickey Brennan Jr. (Rachael), and two grandchildren, Jayden LaManna and Olivia G. Brennan. She was predeceased by her parents, Dr. Norman D. Garand and Olivia F. Garand.

A wake will be held on Monday, Jan. 5, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Matthew Funeral Home, Willowbrook. A funeral Mass will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 11 a.m. in Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church, West Brighton. Interment will follow in St. Peters Cemetery, also West Brighton.

Condolences

District Attorney Michael McMahon: Olivia was truly one of the last grand dames of Staten Island -- a woman whose life spanned multiple generations and who positively impacted the lives of multitudes of fellow Staten Islanders. They broke the mold when they made Olivia Brennan; there may never be another quite like her. Of course, her greatest accomplishment and passion was her family. Judy and I send our deepest condolences. May she rest in peace.

Dr. Robert Griswold, retired dentist and longtime friend: Olivia orchestrated her family time with meaningful commitment to her community. This involved an illustrious career helping countless people as a social worker in many institutions. For Olivia Brennan, this meant unique care for those with special needs in the mental health and handicapped communities. She was there to help anyone, any time of day, long after she retired. Olivia was there to help my family when we needed it the most. Much will be said about her and her wonderful family. Much will be said about the impact Olivia had on all of Staten Island. And its all true. Miss you, Liv.

Dr. Craig Campbell, podiatrist and longtime friend: Olivia Garand Brennan was one of the kindest, sweetest, caring persons that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I became friendly with the Brennan family in 1995 as a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Jaques Memorial Committee and Kiwanis Club with Judge Brennan. We became fast and furious friends, and my entire extended family was graciously welcomed at the Brennan home for Christmas dinner every year. Olivia never said no, and year to year wed find the regulars at dinner, as well as new faces -- people going through personal problems, and having no place to go for Christmas. Always the kind social worker, doing Gods work, along with her equally kind husband, Uncle Mike.

Kenneth Mitchell, executive director of the Staten Island Zoo: The passing of Olivia Brennan has felt like losing a family member to me. The Mitchells have had a long-standing kinship with the Brennans, the Garands, the Rowans and others in her family circle. When I served as law clerk for Judge Brennan early in my career, I came to know Olivia very well as a special person and good friend. She was always Aunt Beetie to me, available for good advice and a kind word. She possessed old-school wisdom and a genuine dedication to the community. I feel grateful to have shared many endearing times with the judge and Beetie. It was a privilege to know her. She will be deeply missed and fondly remembered.
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday voiced deep concern over the lack of respect for international law in the U.S. military action against Venezuela on Saturday.

"I remain deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected with regard to the Jan. 3 military action," said Guterres in a statement to the Security Council, read on his behalf by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo.

The UN Charter enshrines the prohibition of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, the UN chief added.

"The maintenance of international peace and security depends on the continued commitment of all (UN) member states to adhere to all the provisions of the charter," said Guterres. 
An iconic Saturday Night Live performer has slammed Hollywood rot, saying that hes been blacklisted because of his conservative views.

Appearing on the American Thought Leaders podcast, comedian Rob Schneider said that once he started sharing his conservative political views, That was it for me starring in movies.

Schneider, star of Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, backed President Donald Trump for re-election in 2024 and said he voted for Trump in 2016.

The act of telling the truth in an age of authoritarianism, in an age of lies, is a courageous act, Schneider said. And Im not saying that Im courageous. When I think of real courage, I think of in any major city, the cemeteries of people who gave their, what Lincoln describes, the last full measure of their devotion for this great land.

He said, That is a sacrifice. I mean, the fact that Ill never make Deuce Bigalow 4, 5 and 6, I think is fine.

Schneider, who appeared on SNL from 1990-1994 and was nominated for three Emmy Awards, called what hed been through a bummer.

Show business, wrong or right, they dont want any controversy, he said. You know, they dont want you being mouthy or anything, and that makes sense, but I do think that at a certain point, if were going to have a society and if were going to continue to have a free society, its going to require people to step up and be courageous.

Schneider said, I think thats a rot in the soul of Hollywood. And I think todays blacklisting of conservatives is the same thing. I think, at its core, it is adding to its destruction. And I think we are seeing Hollywood completely dismantle itself.

Fans ridiculed Schneider for his comments.

Wrote one on X: Yeah thats why Rob Schneider cant get work. Not that hes a half-ass actor whos entire career depends on Adam Sandler giving him jobs. But its Democrats fault.

Wrote another: Yeah, Hollywood is in decline because Rob Schneider couldnt do another Deuce Bigalow movie.

But others applauded Schneider.

This is why Hollywood is falling apart, wrote one. Thank you Rob Schneider.

Another wrote: Ty for standing up for whats right. Ty for seeing that morals & truth are more important than being a star. We need more ppl like him. When they take the stand against the evil, we the ppl must back them.
(This Q&A is based off a transcription made using an AI tool. It has been edited for content and clarity.)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Diane Savino spent almost 20 years representing the Islands North Shore in the State Senate, and capped off a decades-long career in public service with three years in former Mayor Eric Adams administration.

Her work there focused largely on advancing the mayors legislative agenda in Albany where she spent so much of her political career.

She spoke with the Advance/SILive.com about her time with the Adams administration, her plans for the future and what she thinks is next for New York City.

Heres a look at some of the conversation:

Mayor Eric Adams and former State Sen. Diane Savino march in the first inclusive Staten Island St. Patrick's Day Parade Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Staten Island Advance/Paul Liotta)

Liotta: Those three year in the Adams administration, what was it like from your perspective? What were some of your most memorable moments?

Savino: You have to remember, I started in city government in 1990 working for HRA (Human Resources Administration) in the Child Welfare Administration, and then of course, I went to work at the union [the Social Service Employees Union, Local 371, DC 37 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees], so I was very involved in city government from that perspective.

Having worked in city government through the Dinkins administration, the Giuliani administration and then later into the Bloomberg administration, city government has changed so much since I first started working there and trying to explain to people  they dont understand how New York city operates: it is the largest corporation on the globe.

State government is, while its vast and has a lot of responsibility, and yes, the city is a creature of the state, its still a completely different environment. Having spent the early years in the city as they went through the challenges of the high crime rate and the crack epidemic and then into the boom of the stock market and then the collapse of it after 9/11. It was so many different [events] and you see the ways the city has to adapt, and move. Certainly, that still happens today, but the agencies are run differently. They have different responsibilities and there are so many added things that have been put on the agencies over the years and its a wonder that anything gets done quite honestly. I think its a testament to the workforce.

Spending 18 years in Albany and then coming back, it was quite an eye-opening experience at first, because every City Hall really follows the lead of the guy whos in the corner office (the mayor), so if theyre a data-driven technocrat like Bloomberg, then youre staff is going to reflect that around you. If you are a hard-charging prosecutor who wanted to clean up the city when he came in [Giuliani], your staff is going to reflect that. De Blasio was exactly who he said he was going to be, a lefty, progressive. He never vetoed any bills. He didnt engage the Council on anything, and hes probably responsible for why the agencies have so many things that theyre required to do that they should never be involved in. But, moving that aside, his staff reflected that.

I think the mistake [Adams] made on staffing, and everybody has their own opinions, is that he didnt do what [Mayor Zohran Mamdani] did. [Mamdani asked over 100 Adams appointees to resign during his transition period].

He kept way too many people that really were loyalists to de Blasio, if not the individual but to his ideology, which sometimes clashed, obviously, with [Adams]. [Adams] campaigned on, Im going to focus on reducing crime, recovering from COVID, and reducing costs for working families. He shouldve gotten rid of most of de Blasios people and he didnt.

You had all these people in these little offices who essentially worked against him every day because they didnt believe in that. One, they didnt believe in him. Two, they didnt believe in the direction he wanted to take the administration. So there was that internal clash that happened a lot.

In spite of it, we had three incredibly successful years on the legislative side in Albany, in spite of the fact that they (the Legislature) couldnt even pass a budget on time, but nobody gave him credit. Thats largely because everything else took up all the oxygen in the room  the investigations, the resignations, the FBI raids, the indictment, everything overshadowed everything that he did. In spite of it all, I think the history books will look back at some point and say that he made some positive changes in the city, and thats largely a result of the dedicated people who stuck around when everybody else jumped off what they thought was a sinking ship.

State Sen. Diane Savino (D-North Shore/Brooklyn) speaks as Mayor Eric Adams looks on as the Department of Cultural Affairs announce a $3.4 million investment in the Snug Harbor Music Hall in a press conference on Wednesday July 13, 2022. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Liotta: The tangibles, the results are, I think good. I think the ledger would say that theyre good. But then theres all that other stuff, the underlying, the indictment, the scandal, the chaos of the four years. How do you think that comes out on balance when people look back on it?

Savino: Its going to take a while. In much the same way it took people, I cant say how many years, but it did take people a while to realize the positives of the Dinkins administration.

If you had spoke to someone at any point in time during the Giuliani years, they would have just completely derided him. He was worthless. He didnt get anything done. But the truth is, he laid the groundwork for a lot of the success of Giulianis ability to reduce crime in the city. [It] wouldnt have happened if Dinkins hadnt gone to Albany and got a dedicated tax to pay for more cops.

I think [the Adams administration] will go through the same course. Itll take probably a little longer, though, because of two things. One, because we live in an era now where you can immediately Google something. You get the information right away. Twenty years ago, if you wanted to look back at the Dinkins administration, you had to go to the library.

Google Eric Adams, the first thing that is going to come up is the indictment. Its not going to be that he was the 110th mayor. Maybe itll say the two things next to each other.

The other thing that I think colored his story in ways...was he and his communications team making an enemy out of the press corps was a tremendous mistake. You cannot get into a pissing match with people who buy ink by the barrel or bandwidth by the megabyte and expect to win. And it just got worse and worse with each passing month. So when the people whose responsibility is to tell your story hate your guts, well your storys not going to come out too well.

Mayor Eric Adams and State Sen. Diane Savino walk the 103rd annual Staten Island Memorial Day Parade, held on Forest Avenue, which began at Hart Boulevard and ended at Livermore Avenue. May 30, 2022. (Staten Island Advance/Derek Alvez)

Liotta: I dont know if it took three months before we were at odds with the Adams administration.

Savino: It was frustrating to watch, because in some respects, he could be a very skilled communicator and could be self-deprecating, and he could connect with people. But, somehow or other it became built into the approach that we had to be at war.

It was just crazy to watch and so counterproductive.

Liotta: In my dealings with you, you have always seemed like a no-nonsense person. That view I have of you seems at odds with sort of what you were talking about in the Adams administration, that there was a lot of chaos behind the scenes. How did you navigate that?

Savino: To borrow a phrase from [Adams], Stay focused, no distractions, and grind. You stay out of it, because one you are going to impact it anyway.

I learned early on when I got there that there was so much work that needed to be done, that I just stayed away from people. I knew what I brought to the table. Besides having been a legislator for 18 years, there was certainly a skill set that they desperately needed in Albany. The [administrations] first year in Albany was a disaster.

That was one of the reasons why they hired me to help with the state [legislative affairs] team, [and you] could get away from the insanity in City Hall, because one, you werent included on it  you had to really be in [Adams] inner circle on an intimate basis  and the rest of it you could ignore. Whatever was happening with who was under investigation, and as long as it didnt affect you, you just stayed away from it.

There was so much more work to do. We had an incredibly aggressive agenda on the legislative side and the the blow back from what was happening in the city did affect that, so you needed somebody who could sit down with the leaders in the legislature, the relevant members, the governors office, to kind of walk them through why they needed to give New York City what it needed.

At the end of the day, New York City is independent of whoevers sitting in the mayors office. We had real needs, whether it be additional funding for the asylum seekers or helping us address the crisis of the cannabis rollout, which that was a major accomplishment. The way I dealt with it, is just you stick your head down and just do the work.

Liotta: To kind of pivot to Staten Island-specifics, what do you think the Adams administrations impact on Staten Island was, overall?

Savino: The entire North Shore redesign was only made possible because the [New York City] Economic Development Corporation under the mayor and [Councilmember Kamillah Hanks] sat down and worked it out. Otherwise, we would be looking at another vast wasteland, but instead, you have years of housing thats going to be coming up and development and a whole new renaissance for the North Shore that is completely attributable to the relationship between [Hanks] and the mayor.

DSNY staff cleared more than 200 tons of debris and trash from the old North Shore commuter rail line in a 20-day cleanup project begun May 8, 2024. (Courtesy: DSNY) DSNY

Even little things, quality of life, stuff. Port Richmond had the Old North Shore rail line. The amount of dumping that was happening there, and they couldnt get anywhere. They called me in City Hall. I pulled together the EDC, which owns the property, the sanitation department and [the Department of Transportation] and in less than a months time, they pulled three tons of garbage out of there.

The administration came through in ways that no one had ever done before. It was like, stop the bullshit, clean this up. Before that, it was always, well, whos responsible? Is it DOT? Is it this one? Its that one. It doesnt matter.

Liotta: What do you think Staten Islanders should be looking forward to with the new Mamdani administration?

Savino: Whats going to make a difference for Staten Island is does the administration continue its commitment to the North Shore Action Plan? Is there a reduction in police presence on Staten Island as cops retire? Do we replace them?

They are going to want to see the visual evidence of government working, and what that really means for most people is, if you put your trash out, does it get picked up? Is there a presence of public safety? Are your parks clean?

Thats what people on Staten Island will judge his administration by, because everybody benefits from that. Quite honestly, those are the things that really show you that government is working. All the rest of it is happy nonsense.

God forbid, theres a big, major snowstorm and the streets dont get plowed, those are the things. Its the function of government that people expect. Everyone knows you pay taxes. They feel that they pay too much, but what they want is to see their tax dollars at work.

I just hope that we all recognize that its not in anyones interest for this guy to fail. Like the things he talks about, you may not agree with him, but we shouldnt be wishing for each other to fail, because that just impacts all of us who are staying here, who are homeowners, who have kids in school, or rely on government services. Failure is not helpful to those of us who depend on government to be functional.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Less than a week into the new year, local Democrats are already gearing up for whats expected to be a contentious 2026 election cycle.

On Monday, the Richmond County Democratic Party announced the endorsement of five candidates for state office, including two incumbent elected officials and three challengers to seats currently held by Republicans.

Assemblymember Charles Fall, who serves as both deputy majority leader of the New York State Assembly and chair of the local Democratic Party, was among those to receive an endorsement.

It was truly inspiring to see so many come together to support our candidates for the upcoming election, said Fall. As we begin this next election cycle, I am filled with optimism and excitement about the candidates weve endorsed. They understand the challenges Staten Islanders face every day and are committed to fighting for safer communities, affordable living, and a better quality of life for our borough.

State Assemblymember Charles D. Fall was among various candidates to be endorsed by the Richmond County Democratic Party in the upcoming 2026 elections. STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, a Democrat who represents the North Shore and South Brooklyn, was endorsed for reelection in State Senate - District 23, which she has represented since 2023.

Im running for re-election to build safer, more affordable communities and to continue delivering results for Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn, said Scarcella-Spanton.

She went on to highlight her various legislative achievements since taking office, many of which have centered around law enforcement, first responders and military veterans.

Im proud to have secured critical measures that improve public safety and protect quality of life, including health screenings for our brave firefighters and fire officers. Ive fought to restore fairness for our law enforcement by advancing legislation to reinstate the 20-year retirement plan, helping the NYPD retain experienced officers and remain competitive statewide. I also passed legislation to cut through red tape so 9/11 first responders can access the benefits they earned without unnecessary obstacles, the senator said.

And as the wife of a U.S. Army combat veteran and Chair of the Senate Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs Committee, Im proud to have passed meaningful veterans legislationexpanding maternity care, education access, and employment support for those who have served," she continued.

State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton was among various candidates to be endorsed by the Richmond County Democratic Party in the upcoming 2026 elections.

Matthew Mobilia, a West Brighton attorney, received an endorsement in the race for the 63rd State Assembly District seat currently held by Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo.

Mobilia previously ran against Pirozzolo for the same Mid-Island seat in 2024, but fell short with just 42% of the vote.

As a husband, father, and small business owner in our community, Im passionate about addressing the issues that matter most to the families of our district. This campaign is about making life safer, more affordable, and making sure our hard-earned dollars are put back into the pockets of the people of this district. This type of work begins with electing effective leaders who can make these things happen," Mobilia said.

Matthew Mobilia was among various candidates to be endorsed by the Richmond County Democratic Party in the upcoming 2026 elections. Jason Paderon

Tim Qorraj, a business owner and real estate agent, was endorsed for the 64th State Assembly District seat, which represents parts of the East Shore and Brooklyn and is currently held by Assemblymember Michael Tannousis.

My campaign will be grounded in fighting for residents in Staten Island and Brooklyn to ensure they have a voice in Albany. The 64th Assembly District deserves a present leader who will be effective in fighting for affordable living and a safe and secure community. I look forward to being that advocate for my community and delivering, said Qorraj.

Alexis M. Rodriguez received an endorsement in the race for State Senate - District 24, which has been held by incumbent Republican Andrew Lanza since 2007.

I am deeply honored to receive the Democratic Partys endorsement as I begin my campaign for New York State Senate District 24. I believe that fresh ideas and real solutions are essential to ensure our community is truly represented in Albany. I am excited to tackle issues like traffic congestion, public safety, and improved education. Together, we will fight for a brighter future, ensuring that every Staten Islanders voice is heard and valued in our state government, said Rodriguez.

The Richmond County Democratic Party did not announce candidate endorsements for two of the upcoming local races: the 62nd State Assembly District, which is currently represented by Assemblymember Michael Reilly, and New Yorks 11th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis.
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Mainland condemns DPP lawmakers' proposal to revise Taiwan's cross-Strait regulations

Xinhua) 08:11, January 05, 2026

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Sunday warned that secessionists will never be allowed to split Taiwan from China under any name or by any means.

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the response to a media query regarding a proposal by some Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators in Taiwan to revise the island's regulations on relations across the Taiwan Strait.

The proposal disregards mainstream public opinion in Taiwan and the well-being of Taiwan people, openly challenges the historical and legal fact that Taiwan is part of China, and attempts to alter the status quo that there is only one China in the world and that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China, Chen said.

According to Taiwan media reports, the proposal seeks to redefine cross-Strait relations as those between "Taiwan and the People's Republic of China" and delete the wording "prior to national reunification" from the existing regulations.

"This is a naked push for 'de jure Taiwan independence,' a deliberate escalation of cross-Strait tensions, and a serious sabotage of peace and stability across the Strait," Chen said, adding that it fully exposes Lai Ching-te and the DPP as "out-and-out saboteurs of peace, creators of crises, and instigators of war."

The mainland has full confidence and sufficient capability to smash any form of secessionist schemes, he said.

He warned that if secessionists dare to take reckless actions and cross the red line, the mainland will take resolute measures in accordance with the Anti-Secession Law.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday night urged Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodriguez to grant the United States "total access," especially to Venezuela's oil resources.

"We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Trump said that he had not spoken directly with Rodriguez, but would do so "at the right time." Rodriguez, vice president under Nicolas Maduro, assumed the role of acting president after Maduro was flown out of Venezuela following U.S. military attacks.

Meanwhile, Trump claimed that the United States was "in charge" of Venezuela and "dealing with the people that just got sworn in."

"Don't ask me who's in charge, because I'll give you an answer, and it'll be very controversial," Trump said. "It means we're in charge. We're in charge."

Trump reiterated comments made earlier Sunday in a phone interview with The Atlantic, warning that Rodriguez would face a fate worse than that of Maduro if she failed to "do the right thing."

"She will face a situation probably worse than Maduro, because, you know, Maduro gave up immediately," Trump said.

Maduro is expected to appear in court in New York on Monday.

Hours after Maduro's capture on Saturday morning, Trump said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a phone call with Rodriguez and that the White House was working with her.

"She (Rodriguez) is essentially willing to do what we believe is necessary to make Venezuela great again," Trump told reporters, noting that she had been "picked by Maduro."

As Trump made these remarks, Rodriguez demanded the immediate release of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a session of the National Defense Council broadcast on state television channel VTV, calling Maduro "the only president of Venezuela."

Rodriguez said Venezuela's territorial integrity had been "savagely attacked" during U.S. strikes on Caracas and other parts of the country carried out to capture Maduro. 
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Analysis BusinessCompaniesTechnology & democracy Hawaiian shirts, shorts and cutting-edge weapons: A dive into the world of defence tech Chris Zappone January 6, 2026  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

Costa Mesa, California: You want China to know that these types of things exist, says Palmer Luckey, the sandal-wearing tech entrepreneur who co-founded a cutting-edge weapons company. His defence tech firm, Anduril Industries, makes the autonomous underwater Ghost Shark vehicle, a weapon designed and built in Australia relying on local supply chains. For defence, local production capabilities are everything, says Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey. Bloomberg Luckeys talking about cruise missiles, saying how in a conflict with China, Taiwan needs to be able to continue to build cruise missiles so it can fight an occupation. A similar sovereign capability underscores the Ghost Shark. Should Australias sea lanes be cut off in a crisis, localised production gives it the chance to fight back.

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Luckey comes across as pure Californian. In his trademark Hawaiian shirt, shorts and thongs, he evokes a strong beach vibe, with a boyish enthusiasm for his main jam: software-led defence technology. He, like many of the minds at Anduril, sees a world of security problems that can be addressed, if not solved, with innovative engineering solutions. We  a bunch of journalists  are visiting Andurils Southern California headquarters. Its foyer doubles as a showroom of drones  aerial, naval and uncrewed mini-subs. Were heading for a conference room with a huge video screen and the chance to get a front-row glimpse of a company building the toolkit of future warfare. Anduril Industries headquarters in Costa Mesa, California. Chris Zappone When we reach the room, Luckey speaks across a massive wooden conference table were gathered around: telling us how localised weapons production will be key to winning a future war. By way of analogy for Taiwan, he asks us to imagine what the US occupation of Afghanistan would have looked like if Afghanistan was a global tech powerhouse filled with top engineers?

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Luckey at the company headquarters. Chris Zappone It would have been a very, very different occupation, he said. The US and allies, like Australia, would not have been able to hold territory as it did in the 20-year conflict. Andurils conference room would not be out of a place in a Bond film  apart from having more natural wood tones and less aluminium. As an aside, Luckey explains the glories of turbine-powered drag axles on 1960s hotrods, made by a California company years ago. He owns a Torbinque turbocharger himself. Car culture, famous in Southern California, is evident at Anduril. In October, the company announced it would sponsor NASCAR racer William Byron.

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Perhaps its because of the love of machines, engineering, and building tangible things that Andurils headquarters doesnt feel like a coder-dominated tech company. The Costa Mesa facility occupies the former Los Angeles Times printing press building. It has a fabrication area where engineers, technicians, welders and machine operators make small batches of newly designed, high-tech weapons. The ability to sustain weapons production at scale is crucial to staying in a fight, Luckey tells us. Anduril Australia plans to build dozens and dozens of the Ghost Sharks, at a cost of $1.7 billion, which are expected to have a range that is significant for the Pacific. But simply possessing Ghost Sharks, or Andurils Fury autonomous warfighters, or its Barracuda cruise missiles is not enough to win a war.

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Related Article Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos. Space Space lasers and the new battlefield emerging under Chinas anti-satellite tactics In the information era, your adversaries must be aware of what you have, and your capacity to mass produce the weapons, so they can shape their risk calculus. Anduril produces compelling animation and sizzle reels of AI-driven autonomous weaponry to highlight their potential to the world. This has led critics to question the ideology of the emerging defence sector. Along with other US tech luminaries such as Palantirs Peter Thiel and Alex Karp, Luckey supports Donald Trump. His and other tech barons stance gives them deep access to Washington at a time of growing geopolitical tension. Professor Elke Schwarz, of the Queen Mary University of London, has described how defence tech companies promote a fantasy of omniscience and omnipotence that, while terribly alluring  does not bear out against the history of warfare or the character of war as a human affair which abounds with subterfuge, surprise and subversion.

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Other detractors include University of Antwerp political science researcher Dr Robin Vanderborght and Dr Anna Nadibaidze, of the University of Southern Denmark Centre for War Studies, who wrote of Luckey: Not only through his words, but also through his whole performance  acting in front of the audience as an eccentric, no-nonsense arms dealer  Luckey aims to radiate prophetic credibility and untapped knowledge over the future of warfare. The cutting-edge, rapidly prototyped technology of companies such as Anduril is developed in the name of rebooting the arsenal of democracy, Vanderborght and Nadibaidze said. [But] these companies strategies risk severely weakening the very democratic project these companies are so adamant to defend, especially in the US context. Related Article Defence Well be crushed: Ghost Shark sub-maker warns on need to bolster homegrown defence A spokesperson for Anduril said while there would still be things in warfare that were unpredictable, the conflict in Ukraine, for example, gave strong evidence of the way in which modern conflicts are playing out. Critics also point to the cosy relationship between Silicon Valleys defence sector and the increasingly autocratic Trump administration. Anduril says it is on the record as being a bipartisan company that works with the major parties in the US and Australia alike.

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Militarily, Luckey sees weakness and risk. He believes the US and allies would be on the back foot in a future conflict. China is building a fundamentally offensive military force oriented around launching and sustaining an invasion and occupation, he said. And Western democracies are for once, kind of on the flip side  of weapons developments, getting away from offensive weapons. Instead, they are trying to build something that would create doubt in enemies minds about whether they can succeed in attacking us, a reference to the Porcupine strategy, also known as the Echidna strategy. Luckey notes: all of our allies are asking for the same capabilities: military vehicles that can, more than dominate an adversary, sow doubts among adversaries in their ability to successfully attack democracies. For a protracted war, of the kind Luckey could foresee between Taiwan and China, the population having the will to fight would be essential, too. That would be true for any democracy, including Australia and the US.

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The messages from Anduril to its employees about their mission are revealing. Related Article Opinion

Technology & democracy Silicon Valleys billionaire elite cant engineer our consent Chris Zappone Senior reporter, aviation Palmer Luckey, who wrote for his California universitys news outlet, publishes a printed company newsletter, Palmer Press. After a dig at Anduril by a defence-tech competitor, Luckey, in full founder mode, counselled staff: We should absorb their negative energy and use it to push ourselves even harder. On the walls at the company HQ are the names of inventors and designers such as [Johannes] Gutenberg of movable-type fame, and [Charles and Ray] Eames, who were involved in World War II production innovation. One wall has a lengthy quote discussing Andurils mission. There is no secret government silo of advanced technology that will save us if war breaks out  you must build it. Chris Zappone travelled to the US as a guest of Anduril Industries.
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EnvironmentConservationMarine life Mountains of seaweed choke Sydney beaches as heatwave approaches Caitlin Fitzsimmons Updated January 5, 2026  5:32pm ,first published 3:29pm 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

Mountains of seaweed have blanketed the sand on several Sydney beaches, where it will remain to rot to benefit the environment during a severe heatwave expected to hit the city this week. Among the most affected beaches is Dee Why, where this masthead estimated piles of kelp to be up to 1.5 metres high at the deepest point  neck height for an average man or eye level for a woman. Seaweed along the southern corner of Dee Why Beach. James Brickwood Dr Aaron Eger at the University of NSW said excess seaweed on beaches typically occurred when there was a lot of seaweed in the water  for example, in summer when biomass was high. It also required swell or storms to rip it up and the right currents to bring it ashore. Over the last week, we have had ... lots of kelp, lots of swell, and some easterly swell to bring it onshore, Eger said.

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The other reason seaweed washed ashore was in the event of a big die-off, but Eger did not believe this had occurred this week. In past decades, council contractors would have removed the excess seaweed from beaches, but these days the preferred approach is to leave it in place for its benefits to coastal ecosystems. Northern Beaches Council referred this masthead to its website, where it states that seaweed is not removed from any beach because it is part of an important coastal process, supporting sand recovery on beaches and natural habitat. During large surf events, the kelp beds off the coast are dislodged and inevitably wash up along our many beaches, the website says. Due to the large wave action, the volume of sand on the shoreline is sometimes depleted and washed back into the ocean. Loading

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The kelp washing up on the beach provides an ideal structural support for the recovery of the lost sand and in turn helps to rebuild the sand base. Whilst the rotting seaweed has a rather unpleasant smell for humans, it provides an important nutritional source for the habitat. Seaweed washed ashore by storms provided shelter and food for animals living on beaches, the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said. The department regulates the removal of seaweed from beaches under the Fisheries Management Act. Randwick City Councils website says it removes 200 tonnes of rubbish and excess seaweed each year. The council does not have a policy of leaving seaweed to rot for its environmental benefit. Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker said seaweed was sometimes left for a short time for the next swell or high tide to clear it, while other times it was removed and composted, depending on the quantity and condition.

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We pride ourselves on having a clean coast which is why we rake our beaches every single day for our residents and visitors to enjoy, Parker said. Seaweed collected on Dee Why Beach after a weekend of large swells and large tides. James Brickwood Large amounts of seaweed can wash up, particularly after storms, and this is dealt with on a case-by-case basis as part of our daily beach inspection and cleaning. Sutherland Shire Council indicated that while small amounts might be collected by the beach cleaning rake during routine operations, large accumulations were usually left in place to allow natural processes to occur. Temperatures are expected to soar above 40 degrees in western Sydney and well into the 30s on the coast from Wednesday this week, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

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Eating outBeer and cider The schooner invasion: Victorian pubs are embracing the northern beer glass More Victorian pubs are pouring schooners. Some are even phasing out pots in favour of the size some say is the sweet spot. Who wins: venue or customer? Emma Breheny January 5, 2026 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

Pot or pint? was for decades the default response when you ordered a beer at a Victorian pub. But increasingly youll be asked if youd like a schooner instead, as the preferred glass of NSW finds its way behind more bars. One of Melbournes best-known pubs, The Espy in St Kilda, has phased out pots and now serves only the larger glasses. The Espy in St Kilda has taken pots off its list, instead serving schooners and pints. Jason South We are serving schooners and pints at The Espy as they have been the more popular sizes, says venue manager Ben Burgess, declining to clarify when the change was introduced and when sales of pots began to decline. In Australia, tap beer is served in sizes based on the imperial system. A pint is typically 570 millilitres, a pot (or a middy) is half that at 285 millilitres, and a schooner sits roughly in the middle, measuring 425 millilitres.

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Victoria has long been a pot and pint state, while in NSW youre hard-pressed to spot a pint in a front bar. That state-line distinction is being increasingly blurred, at least on the southern side of the border, with three different glasses racked up behind the bar at more Victorian pubs. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Schooners are now the biggest seller for The Orrong Hotels tap beers in Armadale. Pots are on the smaller side; a pints a bit too large. The schooner sits in the sweet spot, says venue manager Nathan Thompson, a New South Welshman. He says the pub has been serving schooners since at least 2022. The Orrong joins a growing number of other pubs offering schooners. Some, like the Ascot Vale Hotel, have added on the 425-millilitre glass. Others, like the Builders Arms in Fitzroy, have dropped pints.

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The schooner sits in the sweet spot. Nathan Thompson, The Orrong Hotel New neighbourhood bar-restaurant Daphne in Brunswick East opted to go with schooners and pots for its tap beers. Schooners stay colder for longer, says Sam Peasnell, who created the drinks list. Schooners make up 85 per cent of our sales. If we offered pints, Im sure the numbers would dip slightly, but schooners would still outsell them. Orrong Hotel owner Scott Connolly. The pub serves more schooners than pots or pints. Jason South The Great Northern Hotel in Carlton North doesnt serve schooners but customers ask for them often, according to venue manager Dale Giroud. He can see why.

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I think its a good size. A pots pretty small. [And] with our warmer weather here, a pint can really go warm before you finish it, he says. A cold beer fresh from the tap is always going to taste better, which gives pots and schooners an advantage over pints, especially on a hot day. But drinking pots requires more trips to the bar, which can be a hassle when a venues busy. Venues will no doubt be happy to sell more beer more efficiently: schooners replacing pots means fewer glasses to be washed and less time serving customers. The Espy in St Kilda. Joe Armao

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On the other hand, pints may be less attractive to price-conscious consumers after years of beer prices climbing. James Smith, editor of The Crafty Pint website, says he often hears customers aghast at paying $18 for a pint. Hes noticed craft brewers switching to four-packs of beer rather than increasing the price of their six-packs. He believes the schooner may play into similar psychology. Theres a price ceiling. Even though youre getting less, you dont feel like youre getting hit with a big hit, he says. Schooners (centre) are creeping into Victoria, perhaps rivalling the pot for popularity. Jason South Typically, pots of Carlton Draught cost between $7 and $8.50 in Melbourne pubs. If venues were to set their schooner price against this, a schooner should cost between $10.50 and $12.75 (or 1.5 times the price of a pot).

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In fact, a price check of tap beer at eight Melbourne pubs found they were charging between $10 and $12.30, numbers that will keep consumers on side if pots continue to increase in price. Smith doesnt think the pot will go away, but believes Victoria will continue with a three-glass system. Were all fussy now, arent we? Im not surprised to see schooners increasing in popularity, whether its about price or just the experience.
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NationalNSWEducation Enrolment overhaul reveals Sydneys easiest and hardest schools to get into Christopher Harris January 5, 2026  7:30pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A

Parents will be able to more easily shop around for a public school this year with principals to publicise their enrolment capacity as the Department of Education attempts to claw back the exodus of families opting for private schools. Under the new system, the department is softening its hardline stance on out-of-area enrolments and classifying schools into three different categories that reflect how much space they have for new students. From 2026, NSW public schools will proactively share their availability of places with local communities, helping parents plan their childrens schooling if they wish to consider a non-local school, a Department of Education spokesperson said. We are working hard to ensure more families have access to a world-class public education, including supporting families that wish to explore a non-local public school. All students are still guaranteed a place at their local in-area school.

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The change comes as the department has set a goal of lifting its enrolment share from 62.9 per cent of children in 2023 to 65.5 per cent by 2034. This years lists reveal top-performing schools such as Homebush Boys and Strathfield Girls have availability for non-local enrolments. The new system is a departure from a 2019 policy, which sought to crack down on out-of-area enrolments by issuing principals with population limits and restricting the deployment of demountables for schools that breached their cap by admitting pupils living outside a catchment. The publication of the lists will not change the enrolment policy that guarantees children living within a schools catchment a place at their local school. The chief executive of the states P and C Federation, Gemma Quinn, welcomed the move because it would arm parents with more transparency, information and choice.

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I dont see school shopping in and of itself as a negative, she said. I think the fact theres some transparency around where youre likely to get into a school is going to be really welcomed by parents. NSW P and C Federation president Gemma Quinn has welcomed the changes. Oscar Colman In some areas families already make big financial trade-offs to live near a preferred public school. Transparent information about capacity can reduce pressure, broaden options, and support more practical, informed decisions. She said clear information about capacity is respectful of parents time and reduces the stress when planning a childs education.

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As a parent in a school with room to grow, Im excited to see what this ease and transparency of information will bring, she said. Related Article Exclusive

Education Girls and boys given equal places in selective schools under radical overhaul For many families, schooling decisions start with housing decisions. If parents can see where there may be vacancies along a realistic travel route, it can change the options available to them and help them plan their childs future with more certainty. The change comes after the government expanded numerous co-ed high school catchments across Sydney as part of a policy shift designed to give every child in the state access to co-ed schooling by 2027. Three new co-education schools will open in 2026  Asquith High School, which was formerly Asquith Girls; Hornsby High School, which was formerly Asquith Boys; and Bayside High School, formerly Moorefield Girls and James Cook High.

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Other enrolment changes introduced this year include the catchment for Cammeraygal High in Crows Nest being combined with Mosman High into a single lower north shore enrolment zone for students entering year 7 who live in Cammeray, Northbridge, Castlecrag and Naremburn. New students in the Lower North Shore Enrolment Zone will be eligible to submit a local enrolment application to Cammeraygal High School or Mosman High School, parents were told. Gemma Quinn with her children Hamish and Hazel. Oscar Colman President of the Northern District Council of P and Cs, David Hope, said the shared enrolment zone appeared to be the result of long-term planning failure to provide enough schools in the area. They have now provided the partially fluid boundaries between those two schools because they havent got the capacity for students to attend a school in their local community. Theyve had the last 15 years to sort this out, he said.

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More broadly, Hope noted the latest enrolment change came after a policy in 2019 saw the introduction of harder boundaries to combat school shopping. Editor's pick HSC These are the best-scoring HSC subjects for 478 schools They set hard boundaries, which resulted in some additional parents opting for private and Catholic schools, but the department doesnt like losing market share. He said the department must also focus on lifting the reputation of schools with a negative reputation. Sometimes the perceptions are not justified. Other times it is an old perception which persists. The department has done quite a bit to improve schools which arent as popular.

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But they dont make staff adjustments because the school is not performing, they work around that. And that is not always in the best interest of the students or aligned with the departments value statements. Most public school students will return to class on February 2. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
The owner of the farm where the Bondi gunmen allegedly trained has spoken exclusively to this masthead about the father and sons multiple visits to his isolated property.

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The men at Jimmys farm seemed unremarkable. They were friendly, polite and greeted their host warmly. They said they were friends from Sydney interested in hunting. Like others who had responded to Jimmys online advertisement, they wanted to use his rural acreage to shoot feral animals and were willing to pay for the privilege. Four or five times over several months last year, the pair returned to the isolated farm, about an hour from Goulburn, to hunt. Each visit followed the same pattern: the pair parked their silver hatchback, unloaded their weapons and set off in the paddock together to find the ideal makeshift shooting range. But rather than foxes and deer in their sights, the younger man, who described himself as Italian, and his older friend fired round after round at paper targets strung up on the 35-hectare propertys fence line. The target-shooting, they said, was just for fun. Jimmy is still coming to terms with what occurred at his second home. Sitthixay Ditthavong A spent rifle cartridge on the farm. Sitthixay Ditthavong In late October, after several day trips to the property, the pair told Jimmy they planned to spend five days at the farm to hunt deer. Instead, they spent only a few hours there on a Saturday morning, returned the key Jimmy had left them to unlock the gate, and left. It was the last time Jimmy, whose surname this masthead has withheld to protect his privacy, saw them in the flesh. In the days before Christmas, a police officer showed Jimmy photos of the pair. Jimmy recognised them, he said. They were friends who had shot at his farm, but he didnt know their names. They werent friends, the officer explained, but a father and son. Their names were Sajid and Naveed Akram.

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Lucky they didnt kill me By the time Jimmy heard about the Bondi Beach massacre, authorities had tracked the Akrams to his farm in NSWs Southern Tablelands. They turned the property upside down during a multi-day search as they worked to form a picture of the pairs movements in the months before the Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack on December 14. Empty shotgun shells litter the border of Jimmys property, where he allows shooters to hunt. Sitthixay Ditthavong Jimmy bought the 35-hectare property more than a decade ago. Sitthixay Ditthavong By then, days had passed since Sajid Akram, 50, had been killed in a shootout with police at the Chanukah by the Sea event, and Naveed Akram, 24, had been charged with the murder of 15 festival-goers and the attempted murder of 40 others. Jimmy didnt know the Akrams had used his farm to conduct what police say was tactical training, or that they had filmed one another allegedly preparing for the attack. He didnt know the now-infamous images of the Akrams firing shotguns had been captured metres from the caravan he stays in on weekends until shown the exact location the Akrams had been shooting from during this mastheads visit to his property this week. Using stills taken from those videos, satellite images and information provided by several sources on the condition of anonymity, this masthead tracked the father and son to Jimmys property, revealing exclusively a major part of the pairs alleged planning in the months before the Bondi attack.

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The videos of the Akrams allegedly found on the pairs phones seized by police show them firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner during training they allegedly did on the property, according to a police facts sheet outlining the case against Naveed Akram released by the NSW Local Court last month. Weeks after learning of the Akrams attack, Jimmy is still coming to terms with what occurred at his second home. I cant believe these people did these things, but they did, he said. Lucky they didnt kill me. Pieces of a puzzle Jimmys interactions with the Akrams shed new light on their movements in the months before the Bondi Beach massacre; he is the first person to publicly provide an eyewitness account of the father and son shooting the same firearms believed to have been used in the December 14 attack in the months before the mass killing. Jimmy at the farm last week. Sitthixay Ditthavong When the Akrams visited Jimmys property, which he advertises as a weekend getaway suited for camping, hunting and motorbike riding, they always came alone and never stayed overnight. Often, visitors paid Jimmy in beer or meat for use of his farm. Once, the Akrams left $50 in Jimmys car as thanks for letting them shoot on the property.

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Hour after hour, the father and son fired their rifles and shotguns at targets; sometimes from close range, other times from further back. When they were done, they would collect their spent shells and cartridges and drive along the gravel roads and motorways back to Sydney. Jimmy releases his chickens. Sitthixay Ditthavong Jimmy travels to the isolated farm on weekends to tend to his animals. Sitthixay Ditthavong Only once, during their visit to the farm in late October, did Jimmy have to pull the Akrams into line, fearing the volume of shots they were firing in quick succession would spur a neighbour to call police. [It was] bang bang bang all the time, he said. The Akrams became familiar faces at the farm, visiting on weekends when Jimmy travelled to the property from his Sydney home to tend to his chickens, dogs, sheep and goats. Jimmy, a seasoned hunter himself, wondered why the pair left the farm empty-handed each weekend without so much as the scalp of a single fox to show for their hours of shooting. Still, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. In hindsight, he knows the opposite is true. I know its crook now, he said. Jimmy has given a statement to police and is not accused of any wrongdoing. Piles of spent shotgun shells litter the border of Jimmys farm, left behind by shooters who have visited over the years. Metres away, in one of the spots the Akrams shot at targets on a fence line near the entrance to Jimmys block, emptied rifle cartridges lie in the dry grass. Jimmys property is one of dozens across regional NSW advertised online for hire as hunting destinations. Across the country, in much less formal arrangements, farmers allow recreational shooters and hunters access to their farms.

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For all the hours the Akrams spent at his property, Jimmy learnt little about them. The pair offered scant detail of their life in Sydney or their interests. They did not speak of their religious beliefs, nor did they spout antisemitism. Jimmy, who was born on the Greek island Zakynthos, was happy to keep to himself. He has lived a quiet life since migrating to Australia in 1975 after serving in Greeces military during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus the year before, retreating to the bush and enjoying the company of the same kind of farm animals he was raised with. Jimmy pictured during his service in the Greek military, and (right) after arriving in Australia in 1975. For the most part, he didnt mind what the Akrams did on the property as long as they stuck to their targets and pests. Dont shoot my animals, he told them. After the father and sons last trip to the farm in October, Jimmy did not hear from them again. He now knows that within days of that visit, Sajid and Naveed Akram travelled to the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, a region of the country linked to Islamic extremism.

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NationalNSWCycling Much more than a ramp: Newest addition to Sydney Harbour Bridge opens to cyclists Matt O'Sullivan January 6, 2026  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

After a long wait, a $39 million cycle ramp at the northern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge opens on Tuesday, ending riders frustration at having to lug bikes up and down 55 stairs to cross the landmark. But for those who made it a reality, it is much more than a cycle ramp. Scott Badham of Aspect Studios  lead designer on the project  said the ramp had to be special because it tied into the famed bridge and a heritage park at Milsons Point. Aspect Studios Scott Badham (left) and Jason Packenham test the ramp ahead of its opening. James Brickwood Its not just a cycle ramp. Its a beautifully crafted piece of infrastructure, Badham, an avid cyclist, said.

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The 170-metre-long ramp curves around the entrance to Milsons Point Station, its skeletal form making it a challenge to build. Theres no straight lines on the geometry of the ramp. The whole thing is curved, Badham said. British tourists Oscar Tully and Libby McNavoe navigate the 55 steps on their way to Manly from central Sydney on Monday. James Brickwood But it also means you end up with this beautiful, snaky, kind of sinuous form through the park that threads from existing infrastructure down into the park. The opening of the three-metre-wide ramp will create a continuous north-south route across the Harbour Bridge, linking into cycleways in the central city via Kent Street, out to Sydneys east via the Oxford Street bike path and to the west via the Anzac Bridge.

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At the northern end, the elevated ramp connects to a new cycle route along Alfred Street South to Middlemiss Street at North Sydney, including new crossings on Alfred Street South and Lavender Street. Some 1500 bronze balustrades for the ramp, produced mainly in western Sydney, have been created from the same alloy type as the Sydney Opera House bronze, and the new structure is painted in the heritage-listed Harbour Bridge grey. The ramp features 130,000 granite pavers that were laid to form an intertwining eels artwork. James Brickwood About 130,000 granite pavers were used to create an artwork by Aboriginal artists Jason Wing and Maddie Gibbs that depicts interconnected eels. The eels, which honour the connection to the area of the Gadigal and Cammeraygal people, run the length of the ramp. The ramps steepest gradient is 5 per cent, which makes it a gentle climb for cyclists. Lighting underneath can be turned to any colour but will mostly be set to a warm glow.

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The opening follows years of opposition from some Milsons Point residents who had argued that the linear structure for the ramp would compromise the bridges heritage and encroach on Bradfield Park. Once approved, however, the ramps construction took about 13 months. Related Article Cycling Its almost time for cyclists to farewell the really outrageous 55 steps at Milsons Point Transport Minister John Graham said the ramp was a long-overdue improvement for cyclists, while becoming an architecturally sensitive addition to renowned engineer John Bradfields famous Coathanger. John Bradfields original vision for the Harbour Bridge incorporated space for bicycles on the deck of the bridge, but they were squeezed out by the growth of vehicle traffic by 1962, he said. Bike traffic across the Harbour Bridge has surged in recent years, and this ramp will unlock even more by delivering equality of access. The average number of cyclists crossing the bridge has risen by nearly 40 per cent over the past few years to 1221 a day in 2025, and Transport for NSW expects that figure to double after the ramps opening.

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Transport for NSW project manager Chris Gibbons said the ramps design had been sensitive to its location. Its not every day that you get to build something in such a unique, special area with so much history and character, he said. The design has been really sensitive towards that, complementing and being designed delicately around Milsons Point Station entrance. Hundreds of e-bikes were held in a fenced-off area in front of St Marys Cathedral over New Years. Steven Siewert An eight-metre section of parapet  or wall  had to be removed from the bridge to allow cyclists to weave their way onto the ramp. It was craned off the bridge and relocated to a spot near the bottom of the ramp, in a nod to the bridges history. British tourists Oscar Tully and Libby McNavoe, who navigated the 55 stairs on Monday on their way from the central city to Manly, said the new addition to the Harbour Bridge could encourage more people to cycle. Honestly, a ramp could be amazing, Tully said.

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Cyclists will still have the option to use the stairs, which will remain open. A security guard will be at the bottom of the ramp to ensure it is used by cyclists only. Scores of other cycleways have been completed in Sydney over the past year, including the six-kilometre GreenWay in the inner west and five kilometres of shared pathways in Kogarah as part of the M6 motorway project. A new cyclepath at the western end of Oxford Street in the central city has proven popular, averaging 3428 cyclists a day in November. 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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A man has been charged after police alleged he was speeding 11 times within 17 minutes in Brisbanes north.

The alleged offending happened on Zillmere Road at Boondall on December 30, with six of the recorded speeds in the 60km/h zone allegedly faster than 100km/h.

In a video of the officers interaction with the driver, police queried whether the man was aware of the speed camera on the road.

That sort of speed, youre going to kill someone or yourself, mate, the police officer said.
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NationalVictoriaCrime Fitzroy community in mourning after 16-year-old shooting victim identified Alexander Darling January 5, 2026  7:06pm 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 Melbourne teenager shot dead on a Fitzroy backstreet in the early hours of Saturday morning has been remembered as someone deeply loved and cherished by those who knew him, as police continue their hunt for the culprits. Sixteen-year-old Ater Good died on King William Street just after midnight on January 3, between the public housing tower he called home and the school he attended as a young child, Sacred Heart Primary. Ater Good was the eldest child in his family and a capable basketballer. On a crowdfunding page set up to help finance funeral expenses, Aters father, Phillip Good, said his son was deeply loved by his family, cherished by his friends, and held a special place in the hearts of everyone who knew him. As the eldest son, he carried great meaning within our family and leaves behind many siblings who will forever feel his absence. His passing has left our hearts broken and our family grieving a loss that words cannot fully express.

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The scene of Goods death has become an impromptu memorial to his life in the days since. The Age Members of Goods family, as well as his former primary school principal were among those who paid their respects and laid flowers outside the housing tower on Monday afternoon. Soft drink cans and candles were scattered among the flower bouquets, with the tribute erected roughly where the shooting occurred, in the shadow of Fitzroy Police Station, Sacred Heart Primary and the Fitzroy Town Hall. Among those mourning the teens passing is the Collingwood Basketball Association, with Aters death marking the second time in four months the group has had to process the violent death of a young player. In September, 15-year-old Dau Akueng, who played in the CBAs All-Stars team, was one of two boys killed in Melbournes west after being ambushed by eight masked assailants. A 16-year-old boy remains before the courts in relation to that matter.

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Good was remembered as a sweet boy by mourners on Monday. The Age CBAs former head of coaching at Gani Sakiri remembered Ater, who was also known as Elia, saying the child he had coached in an under-14s team had been a talented basketballer. He showed potential as an athlete, but he later moved away from playing the game, Sakiri said. Ive known most of these kids for quite some time  Its a sad situation, very unfortunate. Sakiri said when he was coaching Ater, he would pick him and a few other boys up from their houses and after games would buy them something from Maccas.

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People in the broader community have also been laying tributes, such as the Sudanese community of which Good was a member. The Age Victoria Police said on Saturday that the shooting appeared to be targeted, and released CCTV footage that showed two young people walking near the Fitzroy Police Station before shots were fired. An officer inside the station heard shots and went outside to see what was going on. Despite the officers attempts to render first aid, Ater died at the scene. The investigation remains ongoing. 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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Updated NationalWATobacco Pressure grows over WA tobacco shop laws in wake of Bunbury firebombing Heather McNeill and Rebecca Peppiatt Updated January 5, 2026  7:14pm ,first published 11:20am 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

Pressure is mounting on the WA government to push through legislation to give police powers to shut down illegal tobacco stores as fears mount that rival supplier wars are now spreading to the South West. On Sunday morning, police were called to an incident on Spencer Street in Bunbury after a suspected firebombing gutted a convenience store and several nearby businesses. The suspected arson attack destroyed four businesses on the Bunbury street. 9 News Perth Allure Beauty & Co owner Amy Howes told 9News Perth she believed the convenience store next door, which is believed to have sold illegal vapes and tobacco, was the intended target of the arson. Her shop and a neighbouring dentist and pizza shop were destroyed by the fire.

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We kind of knew that we were going to be collateral damage if something did escalate because of how close we are to each other, but never in my wildest dreams did we expect it to be to this extent, she said. Its shutdown our livelihoods. The dentist has been here for 32 years, weve been here for three years. The destruction in there is just insane, and its not going to be salvageable, well literally be starting from scratch. Howe said her beauty shop had been broken into through a manhole in the past, with the culprits mistaking her store for the convenience shop. She also said the convenience store had been ram-raided before, with fears the criminal activity was being fuelled by WAs growing tobacco wars. The state government is currently working on reforms to strengthen its tobacco laws, with the penalties for selling illicit tobacco or vapes in WA still among the weakest in the country.

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Opposition police spokesman Adam Hort said the issue should be top of the political agenda. Opposition police spokesman Adam Hort. Facebook/Adam Hort This firebombing in Bunbury is not random, its the direct result, I believe, of the Cook Labor government failing to act while this type of crime expands right across Western Australia, he said. I think most people in the community will know where illegal tobacco is being sold. Its right under everyones nose. And every other state in mainland Australia has done something about it, and our state hasnt.

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And we shouldnt be surprised that then as a consequence of that inaction, were seeing more organised crime, where the inaction has made our state a target for organised crime, and small businesses like what were seeing in Bunbury are ultimately paying the price. Half of Perths corner shops are selling illegal tobacco, according to a recent survey from the Australian Council of Smoking and Health. My hope is that by the time that Parliament resumes, the government will have had this entire time to prepare the legislation thats required to fight the illegal tobacco industry, Hort said. If its not delivered on day one of parliament going back, then my question is, what on earth have they been doing while organised crime continues to fester right across Western Australia? 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 Parliament to be recalled soon to debate hate speech laws Brittany Busch Updated January 5, 2026  4:27pm ,first published 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

Parliament is set to be recalled before Australia Day to debate a suite of contentious new hate speech and gun laws announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese four days after the Bondi shooting as the Coalition says every day it is delayed is a day too late. But even as the Home Affairs department rushes to write up legislation around hate groups and religious discrimination that could withstand a High Court challenge, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says she wants to see the new laws well in advance before the Coalition could back them. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is under pressure to recall parliament. Alex Ellinghausen Every day that the parliament has not come back has been a day that it should have come back, Ley said in a press conference on Monday in Canberra. So in fact, whenever it comes back, it wont be coming back early. It will be coming back late.

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The prime minister announced reforms in the days following the Bondi massacre last month, in which IS-inspired gunmen targeted a Hanukkah celebration, killing 15 people in the worst alleged terror attack in Australias history. Ley said she had discussed parliaments return with Albanese but that she had not yet been given a firm date. While promising to work constructively with the government to pass new laws, Ley said she would expect to see proposals well in advance of a recall to parliament to get them right. We do have to make sure it is fit for purpose, Ley said. We have to acknowledge that the root of this [antisemitic] hatred is radical Islam, and it needs to be addressed, and the government needs to take strong action. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has said he would devise a way to outlaw extremist groups such as Hizb-ut Tahrir and the National Socialist Network, which do not meet the existing legal threshold to be declared terrorist organisations.

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the national security committee had met again on Monday, and that it was focused on the most urgent next steps following the Bondi tragedy. We are in the process of strengthening laws against hate speech. Were in the process of working with the states and territories to toughen up our gun laws. Were in the process of accelerating some of the implementation of the recommendations of the Segal review, Chalmers told reporters, referencing the work of antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal. We will recall the parliament when we can legislate some of those very substantive steps. Chalmers thanked officials who have been working around the clock since the horrific events of December to work with ministers to update and strengthen the relevant legislation. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the national security committee had met most days since the Bondi attack. Alex Ellinghausen

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Independent MP Monique Ryan cautioned against rushing through knee-jerk legislation in which mistakes could be made. I dont want parliament to be recalled until weve got decent legislation, she said. This is important. I do think that we need to act on it quickly. So theres a balance, between coming together too quickly with stuff that hasnt been thought through and subjected to appropriate legal oversight, and the fact that we do need to take action. Opposition home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam on Monday said the Coalition had not had any input into the governments proposed reforms. Opposition home affairs spokesman for Jonno Duniam has been reluctant to endorse proposed reform. Dominic Lorrimer

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Ive not received any briefing or any early insights into what the government is drafting up by way of legislation, Duniam told Sky News. I look forward to receiving a briefing sometime soon, but the sooner we can deal with these things, the better. Duniam had previously said the opposition would need to see the detail of proposed gun controls before agreeing to support the measures. The Nationals rejected the need for stricter laws. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
TOKYO, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of Japanese opposition parties on Monday expressed their concerns about the U.S. military attack on Venezuela and criticized the Japanese government's response, local media reported.

"I'm concerned that the attacks may significantly shake the international order," Tetsuo Saito, who heads Komeito, a former ally of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, told a party conference, Jiji Press reported.

Saito added that the government should "urge the United States to understand the importance of abiding by international law."

Yoshihiko Noda, head of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, told reporters that the U.S. attacks "are questionable in light of international law," the report said.

"Not only Japan but also middle-power states, including European and Asian countries, should cooperate and demand (legal compliance)," Noda said.

The remarks come a day after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted on the social media platform X on Sunday that her government will work to help stabilize the situation in Venezuela without commenting on the U.S. military action.

The United States launched a large-scale military operation in Venezuela, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were "captured and flown out of the Country," according to U.S. President Donald Trump's post on Truth Social on Saturday. 
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PoliticsNSWNSW State Parliament NSW police commissioner to rule on protest ban as three arrested in Sydney Alexandra Smith January 5, 2026  4:14pm 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

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon will rule on Tuesday whether to extend a 14-day ban on protesting on Sydney streets, just days after an unauthorised rally against the US raid on Venezuela was held in the citys CBD. About 250 attended the Town Hall protest late on Sunday afternoon, as similar protests were held around the country, including in Melbourne outside Flinders Street Station. Supporters of the Venezuelan opposition celebrate following the fall of President Nicolas Maduro in Sydney on Sunday. AAPIMAGE Lanyon has until 5pm on Tuesday to decide whether the NSW ban, which restricts public assemblies in the south-west metropolitan, north-west metropolitan and central metropolitan policing areas, should remain in place. Despite the ban, which gives the police commissioner power to temporarily designate public areas as restricted from protests after a declared terrorist incident, about 250 people gathered on George Street in the CBD on Sunday to protest against the US military intervention in Venezuela.

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Three people were arrested, including a 53-year-old woman who wore a shirt displaying offensive messaging. Government sources with knowledge of the protest said the woman had a shirt on that said globalise the intifada, a slogan the NSW Minns government wants outlawed. A senior government source, not authorised to speak publicly, said it was the first time in Australia that someone had been arrested for chanting or wearing that slogan. The woman was ultimately released from Day Street Police Station without charge. Loading Two men, aged 26 and 34, were also arrested for breach of the peace. They were also taken to Day Street and released after the protest. A statement from NSW Police said that there was minimal impact on pedestrian or road traffic in the area and the group dispersed around 8pm with no other arrests made or incidents of note.

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The group remained stationary, police said. Under the new anti-protest laws, gatherings are allowed but police may issue move-on directions for people causing obstructions or behaving in an intimidatory or harassing manner, or to people who might cause or be likely to cause fear in another person. Related Article Venezuela crisis The leaders who were outraged and those who were delighted by Trumps strike on Venezuela The laws were brought in after 15 people were killed at Bondi on December 14 in a terror attack. Another 40 counter-protesters, believed to be aligned with the Palestine Action Group, were also at the rally on Sunday night.

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Images from the rally show protesters outside Sydney Town Hall holding up hands off Venezuela posters with the logo of political party Socialist Alliance. A NSW parliamentary inquiry is this month examining hateful slogans, including globalise the intifada, ahead of new laws being introduced next month. NSW Premier Chris Minns has vowed to outlaw the phrase after linking the Bondi terror attack to protests in support of Palestine. I strongly believe that we have to do everything we can to ensure that words that are said at a rally are not used by somebody at a later point for violent retribution on city streets, and that means drawing a line in the sand and saying that this phrase used in this context can lead to violence, Minns said of the phrase before Christmas. 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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Exclusive PoliticsQueenslandQueensland government Former department heads firm lands major work in consulting cash splash Matt Dennien January 6, 2026  6:00am 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 new consulting firm with deep ties to Queenslands state health system has won significant work from its largest public hospital service, raising potential conflict of interest concerns from the opposition. This masthead can reveal that Create Health Advisory, which counts former Queensland Health director-general Shaun Drummond as one of its managing principals, has won contracts with two state health services totalling more than $2 million since November 2024. It came as the Crisafulli government made slow progress on its election pledge to cap outsourced spending on consultants, with its departments paying $25 million to the big four firms of Deloitte, KPMG, EY and PwC since taking office. 111 Eagle Street and the Riverside Centre in Brisbanes CBD host two of the so-called big four consulting firms  Deloitte and EY. Matt Dennien Established in 2023 and also providing government services across the other east-coast states, Create Advisory appointed a Queensland managing director, Diana Lollato, in August 2024.

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A health-specific offshoot, Create Health Advisory, then emerged in October 2024 and landed a $1.1 million contract for professional services with Metro North Hospital and Health Service. Metro North Health contract logs state the April 2024 work was ordered under a limited tender in absence of competition for technical reasons which can only be supplied by a particular supplier and no reasonable alternative. Shaun Drummond, then acting Queensland Health director general while on leave from Deloitte, pictured leaving the states Commission of Inquiry into Forensic DNA Testing in Queensland in 2022. AAP Other contracts have netted the firm an extra $662,000 from Metro North Health since November 2024, totalling $1.7 million. Across the same timeframe, Deloitte was awarded $1 million by the health service, and KPMG $296,000.

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The total figure awarded to Create Advisory, and Create Health, was more than any other to a single big-four firm by another public health service with published contract logs. This mastheads analysis of contract disclosures found Gold Coast Health, too, had awarded Create Health $427,900 in contracts. This included more than $250,000 for a specialist health sector advisory retainer worth more than all the work awarded to Deloitte, the only big-four firm which featured on that services log. Create Health has gained ground in the sector since launch. The firm landed another key contract this year when it was commissioned by the countrys treasurers to provide a report on public hospital costs.

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All but two of the other seven Create Health principals and directors formerly worked at Deloitte or its big-four rival KPMG. Four worked with Drummond at Queensland Health, Metro North, or both  two of which only left public employment since the firm emerged. Another, Adrian Carson, has been a director on the Metro North board since 2017. Related Article Exclusive

Queensland government Deloitte duo take the wheel at Qld Health after firm handed key contract Confidentiality requirements applying to public sector work follow those workers when they leave, particularly when it comes to furthering personal interests and private commercial benefit. Senior public servants are also banned from holding business meetings with government representatives within 18 months of leaving, on matters they dealt with in their last 18 months.

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In a written response to questions from this masthead, a spokesperson for Create Health Advisory said the firm followed policies to comply with staff post-separation obligations. Create Health Advisory values the confidentiality of our clients and does not discuss specific client engagements, the spokesperson said. A Metro North Health spokesperson said its director Carson had upheld conflict of interest rules, noting relevant contracts were approved by the chief executive through standard processes. The spokesperson said it paid Create Health to provide specialist services to review and strengthen organisational strategy, governance, performance, accountability and financial sustainability. This work required specialist expertise not available within Metro North, they said.

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Further questions to the health service seeking additional detail around the limited tender process were not addressed. Health Minister Tim Nicholls was also contacted for comment. There is no accusation of wrongdoing by Create Health, Drummond, Metro North Health or Nicholls. Shadow treasurer Shannon Fentiman said the lack of detailed responses to potential serious conflicts of interest from Nicholls and the health service was concerning. Queenslanders deserve truth and transparency, especially when millions of dollars are involved, Fentiman said.

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This masthead has also catalogued the public money handed to Deloitte, KPMG, PwC and EY through state department contract disclosure logs since November 2024. A total of $25.4 million has been disclosed in reportable contracts, worth more than $10,000, to the four firms alone across the time period, with Deloitte landing more than half at $13.3 million. KPMG received $9 million of the work, with EY netting $2.8 million and sidelined PwC only seeing about $130,000. Transport and Main Roads accounted for the largest outlay, at $9.5 million. The departments of State Development, Trade, Primary Industries, Treasury and Police also disclosed six-figure sums. Patchwork reporting previously called out by the Queensland Audit Office means it is often hard to differentiate between contract and consultant work, and their contribution to the total figures.

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Audit office analysis published in 2025 found construction accounted for about one-third of such spending, with professional, scientific and technical services second at about one-quarter. There may be benefits in performing this analysis to inform procurement and contracting practices, as well as improving strategic workforce planning and identifying skills and capabilities, it said. Statutory bodies, government-owned corporations and public health services are also required to publicly disclose contracts. Despite earlier plans for a specific probe into outsourcing after a critical report, the audit office recently dumped its scheduled audit of the spending. 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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InspirationEurope Inside the eerie concrete remains of Europes most paranoid nation Kurt Johnson January 6, 2026  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

While immersed in Albanias natural beauty its impossible to miss the small grey domes that sprout from mountain to coast like immense half-buried portobello mushrooms. On closer inspection, however, Albanias bunkers, with their flaking concrete and rusting rebar, seem to be struggling to withstand time let alone a co-ordinated frontal assault. The bunkers are a legacy of the Peoples Socialist Republic of Albania, once one of the worlds most isolationist communist states. Enver Hoxha, Albanias leader from 1944 until his death in 1985, played on the countrys rich history of invasion, from the Romans to the Ottomans to the Italians during World War II. A mushroom-shaped bunker on the rocky shore of Lake Ohrid, Albania. iStock A dedicated disciple of Stalin, Hoxha was paranoid and hard-line even by communist dictator standards. After Stalins death he decided Albania would pursue communism without any Soviet help. Not only was Albania suspicious of NATO countries, but also other communist states  such as Yugoslavia and China  whenever they were seen to soften their ideological stance.

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Albanias ideological isolation was expressed through a program of self-sufficiency and domestic militarisation. We are completely surrounded geographically by fascists who send spies and diversionists into our country, Hoxha warned in 1975. Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now. Hoxha thus embarked upon bunkerisation, a plan to construct 400,000 bunkers. Eventually 173,000 were built and can still be seen throughout the country today. There are 173,000 bunkers scattered throughout Albania  a bunker above Pasqyra, or Mirror Beach. iStock Historians consider the effort less a genuine attempt to fortify the country against invasion and more about permeating Albanian society with a siege mentality. The resources expended by the small country were exceptional. Costing twice as much as Frances famously useless Maginot Line, bunkerisation consumed three times the concrete. Each of Hoxhas pillboxes required the iron and cement of a one-room apartment, a particular sacrifice during a national housing shortage. Aside from slowly succumbing to the elements and vandalism, the structures have met a range of fates.

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At the northern end of the Bay of Porto Palermo on the Albanian Riviera, we see a submarine base in a closed military area bearing signs warning us not to enter. The base, which opens to a beautiful bay glittering in the sun, is clearly visible from the roadside. A bedroom in the Cold War Tunnel below Gjirokaster, Albania. iStock The Cold War Tunnel, designed as a shelter in the event of a nuclear attack, lies below the old town in the southern Albanian city of Gjirokaster, and is open for tours. Built in the 1970s, the passageways stretch 800 metres into the mountain and include 59 rooms. The space was heavily pillaged when communism collapsed, so not much remains today. Our guide takes us through a warren of dank hallways with the ever-present dripping of water and the temperature hovering around 16 degrees. Highlights are limited to exposed pipes and a rusting Czechoslovakian-made motor. Were told the bunker was reserved for the high command, despite the egalitarian promises of the system. Even their families were forbidden entry. The tour ends with the toilets: one stall was for the top-ranking leader and his deputy and the other two stalls were for everyone else. Given the bunker could hold up to 300 people, conditions may have become preferable amid the nuclear winter outside.

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BunkArt 1 entrance, in Tirana. iStock Historical museum BunkArt 2 in front of the salmon-hued Ministry of Agriculture. Getty Images In the outer suburbs of the Albanian capital, Tirana, we visit the more impressive BunkArt. It appears to be another massive underground complex designed to wait out nuclear war but has been transformed into a museum that traces the history of Albanias occupation and communist regimes. There are poignant art installations but even with this broad scope of exhibits, empty rooms abound. The complex is simply too massive to fill. Today Albanians reflect on the bunkers with ambivalence: they remind them of the fear that permeated their society, but also of the positive aspects of a country working together in a collective spirit. Many are proud of their effort, the ubiquitous pillboxes sinking slowly but for the moment still holding together.

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The details Related Article Albania The bizarre European city that belongs in a dream Fly

A range of budget carriers fly to Tirana International Airport. It is particularly well serviced by Wizz Air and RyanAir. Drive

The best way to see the bunkers is on a road trip from Tirana. All the major car rental options are available. Local Rent is a cheaper and more flexible local option. Visit

The nuclear fallout bunker is just one of the activities on offer in the city of Gjirokaster. You can reach BunkArt 1 by driving to the north-eastern outskirts of Tirana or via public transport. See visit.gjirokaster.com; bunkart.al

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Culture holidays Kurt Johnson is an author and journalist based in Europe. He likes to travel places of historical import, in particular the post -Soviet sphere.

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WorldEuropeTrump's White House Stop the threats: Trump provokes European backlash over Greenland David Crowe January 5, 2026  11:53am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A

London: European leaders have pushed back at US President Donald Trump after he aired the idea of gaining control of Greenland following his military intervention in Venezuela, heightening fears he would disregard alliances and flout international law to get his way. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that it made absolutely no sense for the US to seize Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Getty Images The formal statement was swiftly backed by Finnish President Alexander Stubb, one of Trumps strongest supporters in Europe, who declared that the fate of Denmark and Greenland could be decided only by their own people. The remarks followed a new signal from Trump that he wanted to gain American control of Greenland, while a key supporter of his administration issued a provocative social media post showing the Arctic territory decorated in the American flag.

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I dont rule it out, Trump told US broadcaster NBC in May when asked about using force to take Greenland. I dont say Im going to do it, but I dont rule out anything. No, not there. We need Greenland very badly. Katie Miller, an influential America First commentator who is married to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, sharpened the focus on Greenland in a social media post on Sunday that called for US control of the territory. View post on X Millers post showed a map of Greenland decorated in the American stars and stripes, with a caption saying: Soon. While Greenland is seen as a potential source of rare earths and other commodities, the debate over its future is also being shaped by concerns about Russian naval power and the need for NATO dominance in the Arctic to counter potential threats. The island is a key location for US missile defence systems and surveillance.

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Frederiksen, who has clashed with Trump in the past over his interest in Greenland, issued a statement within hours of his latest remarks being reported in the media. It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland. The United States has no right to annex one of the three countries in the commonwealth, she said. Loading The Danish commonwealth consists of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark  and thus Greenland  is part of NATO and is therefore covered by the alliances security guarantee, she said.

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We already have a defence agreement between the Kingdom and the United States today that gives the United States wide access to Greenland. And we, on the part of the Kingdom, have invested significantly in security in the Arctic. I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale. Greenlands Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen also issued a formal rebuff to Trump. When the president of the United States says that we need Greenland and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, its not just wrong. Its disrespectful, he said.

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Stubb followed with a social media post backing Frederiksen. No one decides for Greenland and Denmark but Greenland and Denmark themselves. Our Nordic friend Denmark and [the Danish prime minister] have our full support, he said on X. View post on X Trump appointed a key ally, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, as a special envoy to Greenland last month, in a decision that provoked criticism from Denmark and Greenland over his intentions. The appointment followed a visit to Greenland by US Vice President JD Vance in March, and media coverage about Trump supporters seeking to gain influence in Greenland. The territory, a former Danish colony, has a population of about 57,000 and a small parliament, the Inatsisartut, with 31 members. Get a note direct from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.
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WorldEuropeFire These kids were abandoned: Anger grows over Swiss fire as police confirm Australian among those hurt Dave Graham and Cecile Mantovani January 6, 2026  8:19am 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

Crans-Montana, Switzerland: Anger is growing in Italy over a fire in a Swiss bar on New Years Day that left 40 people dead, including five Italian teenagers whose bodies were repatriated on Monday. As well as the 40 people killed in the blaze that tore through Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana ski resort, Swiss police say they have also now identified all 116 of those injured and confirmed one was Australian. Two-thirds of those hurt are still being treated in hospitals across Europe. Police officers carry the coffin of an Italian teenager killed in the Swiss fire on to a plane at Sion airport. AP In civilised Switzerland, the prison gates will have to open for quite a few people, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said in a social media post, adding there had been a failure to ensure the bars basement was safe, questioning the emergency systems and whether there had been enough inspections. Authorities are investigating the two people who ran the bar on suspicion of crimes including homicide by negligence. On Sunday, police said circumstances did not currently merit the couple being put under arrest and they did not believe they posed a flight risk, but Swiss newspaper Blick questioned why they were still free.

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Most of those killed were teenagers, authorities said, with the youngest aged only 14. They came from all over Europe, including several from France and Italy. On Monday, Italian authorities flew home the bodies of five teenage victims from the airport in Sion, the regional capital. A sixth Italian teenager lived in Switzerland, where she will be buried. Investigators have said they believe festive sparkling candles atop champagne bottles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling. Some of the victims were so badly burnt that families had to give authorities DNA samples to help with identification. People light candles and place floral tributes outside the sealed-off Le Constellation bar. AP Italys ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, told Italian media that the fire could have been avoided, and the owners of the bar were irresponsible. It seems that the owners of Le Constellation wanted to save money on everything so that they could make bigger profits. I can find no other reason, he told La Stampa.

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This was not a case of bad luck or misfortune  a modicum of common sense and some prevention measures would have been enough to avoid it. It appears that there was just one emergency exit and it was not easily identifiable. There were very few security staff  possibly just one. They probably also lacked fire extinguishers. The soundproofing panels that were attached to the ceiling were highly flammable. An Italian Air Force plane prepares to take home the bodies of five Italian teenagers killed in a Swiss bar fire on New Years Day. AP These kids were abandoned. They were left alone in the midst of a disaster. The injured include 68 Swiss citizens, 21 French nationals, 10 Italians, four Serbs, two Poles and one person each from Australia, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Portugal and the Republic of Congo, according to a police statement. There were also four dual nationals: of France and Finland, France and Italy, Switzerland and Belgium, and Italy and the Philippines.

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Police said 83 of the injured were still in hospitals. They didnt give further details or specify their ages. Tages-Anzeiger, another leading Swiss newspaper, said questions must be answered about age checks at the bar, the soundproofing material used in the basement and the standards governing use of the so-called fountain candles believed to have triggered the fire. Italian teenager Emanuele Galeppini was killed in the fire. Italian Golf Federation One of the bars two operators, Jacques Moretti, told Swiss media that Le Constellation had been checked three times in 10 years and that everything was done according to the rules. Authorities in the canton of Valais said investigators were checking if the bar had undergone its annual building inspections, but that the town had not raised concerns or reported defects to the canton.

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Related Article Tragedy Our Arthur has gone: Swiss fire victims identified, with youngest aged 14 The municipality of Crans-Montana said it has handed prosecutors documents relevant to the investigation and had joined the criminal proceedings as a civil party. This will allow [the municipality] to actively contribute to establishing all the facts, it said. Crans-Montana will on Friday hold a ceremony honouring the victims. The French government said president Emmanuel Macron would attend. Reuters 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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Analysis WorldNorth AmericaVenezuela crisis Trumps dramatic show of force is an old-school move  and a risky one Michael Birnbaum January 6, 2026  7:09am 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 Venezuela crisis here The night-time raid that ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro this weekend was the most dramatic demonstration of President Donald Trumps vow to focus US might on the Americas, as the White House recreates a stance toward the Western hemisphere that more resembles its 19th-century empire-building era than the laissez-faire attitude of recent generations. Trump and his top allies suggested that the Venezuelan operation could be the start of efforts to remake the region, warning the governments of Cuba and Colombia that they might be next. Trump and some backers have also brought up Mexico as a potential target, and they are reviving talk of attempting to acquire Greenland, a Danish territory. President Donald Trump monitors the US military operations in Venezuela, with CIA director John Ratcliffe (left) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday morning. AP After announcing Maduros capture, Trump boasted of the Donroe Doctrine, a twist on the strategy articulated by President James Monroe in 1823 that European powers should stop interfering in the Western hemisphere. The national security strategy released by the White House in December noted a Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine that promised to protect our homeland and our access to key geographies throughout the region.

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The effort carries significant risks. Washington could get pulled into the nation-building invasions that Trump has long sworn to avoid if the Venezuelan military or people are unwilling to go along with his plans. It also makes it harder for the United States to argue to Russia and China that they should steer clear of their neighbours. And it may reshape global affairs more broadly, as smaller nations that were long dependent on Washingtons guarantees for global trade and stability hedge their bets by building ties elsewhere. Backers of Trumps strategy downplay the drawbacks and say a narrower focus on US regional interests is long overdue. Delcy Rodriguez (right) after being sworn in as acting president of Venezuela. Getty Images The goal of the policy is to see changes in Venezuela that are beneficial to the United States first and foremost, because thats who we work for, but also, we believe, beneficial for the people of Venezuela, who have suffered tremendously, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday, a day after Trump said US forces were ready to reinvade Venezuela if Maduros de facto successor, Delcy Rodriguez, did not comply with his wishes. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants to the United States, has long backed efforts to oust Venezuelas leaders, who have presided over a decline in their countrys economy, ignored election results, and built ties to US adversaries including Russia and China. Deposing Venezuelas government would probably weaken the Communist leaders of Cuba as well, since they have long depended on Caracas for energy and other economic support.

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This emphasis on the Western hemisphere should not come as a surprise to anybody. It matters more to American security than any other part of the world, said Nick Solheim, the chief executive of American Moment, a group that backs Trumps policies and trains junior staffers. Related Article Updated

Venezuela crisis Rubio, Hegseth brief congressional leaders as questions mount over next steps in Venezuela But he said advocates of a more robust focus on the Western hemisphere were not saying Washington should abandon global affairs entirely. Its making sure that our neighbours are not doing anything that is, that would adversely affect the United States, and then focused on our greatest geopolitical challenge right now, which is China, he said. That is not a retreat from the world of foreign policy. It is an accurate prioritisation of what actually matters the most, what poses the biggest threats to the United States. The move against Venezuela drew criticism from both the centre and the right as some influential America First advocates said that military conflicts and expanded foreign opportunities for US oil companies werent why voters backed Trump.

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This is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesnt serve the American people, but actually serves the big corporations, the banks and the oil executives, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a long-time Trump ally who is retiring from Congress after breaking with the president, said on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday. We dont consider Venezuela our neighbourhood. Our neighbourhood is right here in the 50 United States, not in the southern hemisphere. Washington has a long history of efforts to back friendly leaders in Latin America, including at times intervening with force to do so. But it has not done so directly since the 1991 end of the Cold War, and Venezuela  with 30 million residents and a territory double the size of Iraqs  is an especially large nation to take on. I understand how we got here, but theres been no forethought to the difficulties of the plan or the ideas that they seem to have adopted as the way ahead, and there definitely is no plan to the level of detail thats required, said Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow at Defence Priorities, a thinktank that advocates a more limited role for the US military in the world. She said she wasnt sure that China and Russia would be emboldened by Trumps actions, since they already appear to feel unconstrained toward their neighbours. But she noted that Trump appears to be cautious about tangling with militaries that could inflict serious damage on the United States. This sort of spectacular operation is very consistent. He likes to hit adversaries that cant hit back, whether its small drug-smuggling boats, or Iran with no air defences, or Venezuela, which is also weak, she said. And to me, that explains the more accommodating approach to Russia and China, in the sense that his view of military power is kind of go big or go home. But that model doesnt work against Russia and China.

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Some of Trumps former advisers warn that the world the president is building may turn out more dangerous than the era of the 1990s and 2000s, when the United States was the preeminent global power and backed a broad effort to strip barriers to trade. Related Article Venezuela crisis US wont govern Venezuela, Rubio says, as Trump threatens Maduro deputy It just seems to be back to the 18th and 19th centuries, said Fiona Hill, an expert at the Brookings Institution who was Trumps top Russia adviser in his first term. If youve bought into the idea of competition among the great powers and that Russia is another great power thats inevitably going to dominate in its region, just as China is in its region, then this is the logical conclusion from this. Hill said countries that have deep, allied ties to the United States but are threatened by Trump may seek to protect themselves by building trade and security relationships elsewhere, a move that will ultimately weaken Washington, not strengthen it. The raid has sparked fears elsewhere that Trump could act on other threats toward US neighbours, which have included demands to take over the Panama Canal, to turn Canada into the 51st state, to annex Greenland and to overthrow Cubas government.

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Trump on Sunday said he didnt plan action against Havana, but offered tough language nevertheless. I think its just going to fall. I dont think we need any action, he told reporters on Air Force One. You ever watch a fight, they go down for the count, and Cuba looks like its going down. He was sharper toward Greenland. We need Greenland from a national security situation, Trump said. Its so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place ... Denmark is not going to be able to do it. On Saturday, an influential former White House aide, Katie Miller, posted on social media an image of Greenland with the US flag superimposed on top of it.

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The presidents repeated statements about Greenland drew a sharp response earlier Sunday from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. I have to say this very directly to the United States: It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland, she said. In a statement, she said Denmark is a US military ally and that the United States has extensive access to Greenland. I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale, she said. The Washington Post 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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WorldSouth AmericaVenezuela crisis How cocaine and corruption led to Maduros indictment, according to US Alanna Durkin Richer and Larry Neumeister January 5, 2026  11:40am 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 unfolding situation in Venezuela here. New York: A newly unsealed US Justice Department indictment accuses captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of running a corrupt, illegitimate government fuelled by an extensive drug-trafficking operation that flooded the United States with thousands of tonnes of cocaine. The arrest of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a stunning military operation on Saturday set the stage for a major test for US prosecutors as they seek to secure a conviction in a New York courtroom against the longtime leader of the oil-rich South American nation. Nicolas Maduro with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez (left) and first lady Cilia Flores, in 2018. AP Attorney-General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Maduro and Flores will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.

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Heres a look at the accusations against Maduro and the charges he faces: Drug and weapons charges Maduro is charged alongside his wife, his son and three others. Maduro is indicted on four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. Maduro is facing the same charges as in an earlier indictment brought against him in a Manhattan federal court in 2020, during the first Trump presidency. The new indictment unsealed on Saturday, which adds charges against Flores, was filed under seal in the Southern District of New York just before Christmas.

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Maduro is due to make his first appearance in court in Manhattan on Monday (Tuesday AEDT). A video posted on social media by a White House account showed Maduro, smiling, as he was escorted through a US Drug Enforcement Administration office in New York by two federal agents grasping his arms. He was expected to be detained while awaiting trial at a federal jail in Brooklyn. Cocaine-fuelled corruption flourished Related Article Venezuela crisis US-Venezuela as it happened: Extremely dangerous precedent set by Trump; Maduro prepares to face New York court after capture The indictment accuses Maduro of partnering with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world to allow for the shipment of thousands of tonnes of cocaine into the US. Authorities allege powerful and violent drug-trafficking organisations, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Tren de Aragua gang, worked directly with the Venezuelan government and then sent profits to high-ranking officials who helped and protected them in exchange.

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But a US intelligence assessment published in April, which drew on input from the 18 agencies that comprise the intelligence community, found no co-ordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government. Maduro allowed cocaine-fuelled corruption to flourish for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of his ruling regime, and for the benefit of his family members, the indictment alleges. US authorities allege that Maduro and his family provided law enforcement cover and logistical support to cartels moving drugs throughout the region, resulting in as much as 250 tonnes of cocaine trafficked through Venezuela annually by 2020, according to the indictment. Drugs were moved on go-fast vessels, fishing boats and container ships or on planes from clandestine airstrips, the indictment says.

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This cycle of narcotics-based corruption lines the pockets of Venezuelan officials and their families while also benefiting violent narco-terrorists who operate with impunity on Venezuelan soil and who help produce, protect, and transport tons of cocaine to the United States, the indictment says. Successive US administrations have warned about Venezuelas role as a transit point for cocaine and a haven for criminal gangs, terrorist groups and drug-smuggling leftist rebels from neighbouring Colombia. While reliable data is hard to ascertain, the vast majority of cocaine departs South America from Colombia and Ecuador, making its way northward through the eastern Pacific Ocean, not the Caribbean. Allegations of kidnappings and murders ordered The US accuses Maduro and his wife of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders against those who owed them drug money or otherwise undermined their drug trafficking operation. That includes the killing of a local drug boss in Caracas, according to the indictment. Loading

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Maduros wife is also accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange a meeting between a large-scale drug trafficker and the director of Venezuelas National Anti-Drug Office. In a corrupt deal, the drug trafficker then agreed to pay a monthly bribe to the director of the anti-drug office as well as about $US100,000 ($150,000) for each cocaine-carrying flight to ensure the flights safe passage. Some of that money then went to Maduros wife, the indictment says. Related Article Analysis

Venezuela crisis This could be Trumps Iraq, and Americans must ask: Is it what we voted for? Nephews of Maduros wife were heard during recorded meetings with confidential US government sources in 2015 agreeing to send multi-hundred-kilogram cocaine shipments from Maduros presidential hanger at a Venezuelan airport. The nephews during the recorded meetings explained that they were at war with the United States, the indictment alleges. They were both sentenced in 2017 to 18 years in prison for conspiring to send tonnes of cocaine into the US before being released in 2022 as part of a prisoner swap in exchange for seven imprisoned Americans. Rubio calls operation a law enforcement function During a news conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Dan Caine cast the military raid that captured Maduro and his wife as an action carried out on behalf of the Department of Justice. Caine said the operation was made at the request of the Justice Department.

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Rubio, as he responded to a question about whether Congress had been notified, said the US raid to get the couple was basically a law enforcement function, adding that it was an instance in which the Department of War supported the Department of Justice. He called Maduro a fugitive of American justice with a $US50 million reward over his head. 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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WorldSouth AmericaVenezuela crisis The leaders who were outraged and those who were delighted by Trumps strike on Venezuela Matthew Knott January 5, 2026  3:57pm 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

Some have been outraged. Some have been delighted. Some, including Australias Anthony Albanese, have been muted. The United States extraordinary weekend arrest and deportation of Nicolas Maduro has splintered world leaders, with several torn between disdain for the former presidents authoritarian regime and concern at the unauthorised aggression on display by a global superpower and its implications for the international order. Loading First to the condemners. Regional leaders aligned with Maduro  including in communist, autocratic Cuba  have predictably decried the US operation in Venezuela as an act of aggressive imperialism. More noteworthy has been the condemnation by Spain and a grouping of major Latin American nations, who have united to reject the United States unilateral military operations in Venezuela.

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The leaders of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay joined with Spain to argue the American raid violated basic principles of international law, in particular the prohibition of the use of force and respect for territorial sovereignty established in the United Nations Charter. These actions constitute a dangerous precedent for peace, regional security and pose a risk to the civil population, the joint statement added. We reiterate that the situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively through dialogue and in accordance with the will of the Venezuelan people, without interference and adhering to international law. While not allies of Maduro, the leaders who signed the statement all hail from the political left, which helps explain their willingness to call out the Trump administration. They value independence and sovereignty more than getting rid of Maduro, and do not believe Latin America should be subordinate to Trumps whims. Spains socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has stood out in Europe for defying Trump since his return to the White House, including by rebuffing his demands for increased defence spending. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez led a joint statement of leaders condemning Trumps actions in Venezuela. AP The fact Mexico signed up to the statement is especially significant given it is a key corridor for illegal drugs entering the US via nations such as Venezuela and Colombia. Leftist leader Claudia Sheinbaum has formed a surprisingly productive relationship with Trump, but is eager to protect Mexican sovereignty. She fears that Trump could eventually focus his wrath on her nation, which would be extremely destabilising.

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Closer to Australia, several important South-East Asian nations have stood out for their unequivocal opposition to the American raid. These nations place a high value on the principle of non-interventionism, and oppose a world in which the biggest regional powers can throw their weight around without legal approval. Indonesia expresses its grave concern over any actions involving the use or threat of force, which risk setting a dangerous precedent in international relations, the countrys Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Mexicos president Claudia Sheinbaum has formed a surprisingly productive relationship with Trump, but is eager to protect Mexican sovereignty. AP Indonesia, which has long tried to balance friendly relations with major powers, said the US actions could undermine regional stability, peace, and the principles of sovereignty and diplomacy. Singapore also said it consistently opposed actions contrary to international law by any parties, including foreign military intervention in any country.

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Singapore is deeply committed to international law and the principles of the UN Charter that safeguard the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, especially small states, a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Singapore urges all parties to exercise restraint and hopes for a peaceful resolution to the situation in Venezuela in accordance with international law and the principles of the UN Charter. Even more vocal was Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who hosted Trump for a successful visit in October but has been a fierce critic of what he sees as western hypocrisy on human rights violations (for example, by condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine but not Israels war against Hamas in Gaza). Whatever may be the reasons, the forcible removal of a sitting head of government through external action sets a dangerous precedent, Anwar said in a statement in which he insisted Maduro and his wife be released without delay. It erodes fundamental restraints on the use of power between states and weakens the legal framework that underpins international order.

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Xi Jinping on New Years Eve. China is a major consumer of Venezuelan oil. AP As for China, it asserted the moral high ground by declaring it was deeply shocked and strongly condemns the use of force by the US against a sovereign country and the use of force against the president of a country. China also happens to be a big purchaser of Venezuelan oil and sees the nation as an important barrier to US dominance of Latin America. Two of the USs other major strategic rivals, Russia and Iran, predictably decried the attack (despite the obvious hypocrisy of Russia condemning the invasion of another sovereign country). The applauders have tended to come from the political right and have close ties to the Trump administration. Argentinian President Javier Milei, a Trump favourite, said in an interview that Maduros ouster was excellent news for the free world. What we have to understand is that its the collapse of the regime of a dictator that was rigging elections, that in the last election was badly defeated and, despite that, he clung on to power, Milei said.

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Ecuadors right-wing president Daniel Noboa was also elated, writing on social media: The time is coming for all the narco-Chavista criminals. Their structure will finally collapse across the entire continent. Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni stood out among her European counterparts, branding the US raid as legitimate. Bloomberg Related Article Analysis

Venezuela crisis Five scenarios for a post-Maduro Venezuela  and what they could signal to the wider region Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni stood out among her European counterparts for branding the raid legitimate. While declaring that external military intervention is not usually the way to remove a totalitarian regime, Meloni said the US operation was a defensive move to remove an autocratic leader who has fuelled the transnational drug trade. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed the downfall of Maduro, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. And he appeared to spy an opportunity. Well, what can I say, Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv. If dictators can be dealt with in this way, then the United States of America knows what it should do next.

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Israel also applauded Maduros demise, in part because Venezuela has been a close ally of its arch rival Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trumps decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers. Then there are the equivocators, who appear uneasy with the operation but do not want to get offside with Trump. Anthony Albaneses statement that he was monitoring developments was in line with other leaders who appeared to be playing for time as they urged the de-escalation of tensions. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he wanted to establish the facts and talk to Trump before making a definitive statement while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the legal assessment of the US operation was complex. On Monday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said it was up to the US to make clear the legal basis for the operation. 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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WorldSouth AmericaVenezuela crisis Theyre invading us: It began as a normal night, until the casual atmosphere turned to panic Emiliano Rodriguez Mega , Arijeta Lajka and McKinnon de Kuyper January 5, 2026  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

Follow our live coverage of the unfolding situation in Venezuela here. Mexico City: In the pre-dawn darkness of Saturday, the thrum of rotors signalled the start of co-ordinated US strikes on the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Residents caught on video the low-flying helicopters, some spotting as many as nine  all part of an operation that involved more than 150 military drones, fighter planes and bombers, according to the US military. As the aircraft passed overhead, the orange glow of explosions lit up parts of the city. Thick black smoke billowed into the darkened sky. The images, filmed on mobile phones by people in different cities, captured the exact moments in which an air and ground incursion  orchestrated by the Trump administration to remove Venezuelas authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro, and establish a US-led interim administration  played out in real time.

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The New York Times was able to verify several videos shared either on social media or directly with reporters. The Times also interviewed residents who documented the attack and provided a firsthand account of a morning that has fundamentally reordered the regions political landscape. The strikes took many people by surprise in Caracas, a city that was already exhausted by crises even as the US spent months amassing a massive naval and air presence in the Caribbean. The incursion also startled residents in La Guaira, a strategic port city an hours drive from the capital that served as a primary target during the operation. It had started as a normal Friday night in Venezuela. Residents were hanging out at homes, bars and nightclubs when the operation began in the hours after midnight. But the nights casual atmosphere soon turned to panic. Something is blowing up over there! a woman cried with expletives while filming the scene outside a restaurant in Catia la Mar, a city in La Guaira state. Theyre invading us!

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Venezuelan officials would later say that American strikes targeted naval infrastructure and medical warehouses in the nearby port. The muffled explosions confused Roison Figuera, 29, who said he thought they were part of the final episode of the Netflix show Stranger Things he was watching at home. And another one goes off, he said, and I say, Well, no, this is not the television. He went up to the roof of his house, which has a direct view of the port of La Guaira. He saw another explosion erupt, so he took out his phone.

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At first, I thought a fuel truck or a ship had exploded, said Figuera, a journalist and dancer. But then I actually thought  half-joking  I asked myself, Have the Marines arrived? When he heard from colleagues that similar explosions were taking place in Caracas, he realised some kind of attack was taking place. Closer to the port, people driving a car captured the moment in which a strike hit the ground. Another one is coming, there it comes! a man said right before driving past a loud bang and a massive fireball. Another explosion is heard as the car rushes down the street. Some of the destruction was filmed by residents as they made their way through a city under siege. The precision of the strikes was visible in the ruins of the port. Mobile phone footage captured fires burning behind blue-fenced facilities with shipping containers.

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On the streets, people were starting to clear the rubble in an attempt to restore traffic to the main coastal artery of La Guaira, which connects the port with the highway that climbs up to Caracas. Chaos also ensued in Caracas after US strikes hit Fort Tiuna, a fortified military base that houses, among other things, Venezuelas Ministry of Defence. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured at the defence compound. Loading Armando Polachini, who lives in a residential complex next to the fort, was kept awake by neighbours throwing a loud party. But the music was abruptly eclipsed by the thunderous roar of an explosion. When moments later the power went out  part of a cyber-operation that cut power to large swaths of the capital to allow US military aircraft to approach undetected  a thought grabbed him. The first thing that came to mind was these are the Americans, said Polachini, 44, the manager of a clothing brand. I grabbed my phone and the first thing I did was try to record what was happening.

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Below his balcony, crowds rushed from their apartments and into the streets, fleeing either on foot, by car or on motorcycles. Polachini decided to stay put and calm his family members, who began to panic. It was a pretty horrible situation, he said. I still have it playing over and over in my mind. Over and over. The sound of the missiles  the sound of them falling. Loading Hours later, after dawn broke over the coast, Figuera went to film the aftermath in La Guaira. A massive plume of smoke loomed over the port. Other Venezuelans in the greater Caracas area and nearby northern coast emerged from their homes to find their communities transformed, and lined up at the few open supermarkets to try to stock up on supplies: toilet paper, precooked corn flour and canned goods. There is an eerie silence here, Figuera said. Im kind of in shock. I dont feel anything. Im just waiting to see what might happen.

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A day or two ago, we heard a story about a revelation of things to come prophesied by a crazy man living in San Cristobal, the island made famous by the Barbadian novelist George Lamming. Although most of the islands inhabitants descend from Africans who were enslaved and, to a lesser extent, Asians who were indentured, you find a mix of people in San Cristobal. San Cristobal is a beautiful, paradisiacal place. San Cristobalians, who still carry EU passports, live off tourist dollars and euros.

Though poverty exists on the island, it is classified as a High-Income Country by the World Bank. Warfare, pogroms, famine, dictatorship, and legal segregation, which are common outside of the EU, are unknown to the people of San Cristobal. These things are unknown on the island, because San Cristobal, though located in the Americas, is within the bastion of the EUs rule-based order.

A small, highly educated faction in San Cristobal, who rub shoulders with Caricom leaders, calls this colonialism. Most inhabitants, however, are usually unperturbed by the islands legal status. They care about putting food on the table, boarding a cruise, doing online shopping in North American stores, and having enough money to party and enjoy carnival. They do, however, increasingly think that the educated faction has a point when they say San Cristobal should go politically independent, stand on its own feet, and join the Caricomin the future.

This is the island where the crazy man lives. Locals refer to the crazy man as simply Crazy, as few remember his Christian name. Crazy is mad as a hatter, and like all such eccentric figures, he can sporadically utter stunning truths. Here is a truth that has the inhabitants of San Cristobal preoccupied.

Saturday, as most of the islanders were busy going about their business, some still fatigued from the night before, the news dropped: Trump caught Maduro! Everyone and their neighbor began asking, What happened? You are lying! Could it be True? What's going to happen now? Trump says, the USA will run Venezuela.

A crowd gathered, and a heated conversation ensued. Some lauded Trump for capturing the rogue who had caused so many Venezuelans sorrow and grief. Maduro, and before him Chavez, had transformed that Caribbean jewel with all the oil in the world into a country full of hungry people fleeing for their lives. Sister islands such as Aruba and Curacao were being flooded with Venezuelans whom the authorities there could now send back. Thank Trump and Jesus, they exclaimed for ridding the region of Maduro, a drug lord who ruined so many American and Caribbean lives. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, they said, was right to support Trump. She was now the Caribbean leader to look up to, not the Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who cowardly said, Venezuela is our friend. The United States of America is our friend. Such spineless foolishness.

Others involved in the conversation, however, contested what they considered the character assassination of Maduro. For them, the mustached strong man of Venezuela is a revolutionary in league with the deceased Maurice Bishop, Fidel Castro, Marcus Garvey, and Che Guevara. Trump, they insisted, is a convicted felon and a close friend of the notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who had no right to come after Maduro. Didnt former Fox news star Tucker Carlson, who has a fan or two on the island, they averred claim that Maduro had banned pornography, banned abortion, banned gay marriage, banned sex changes, and banned usury. In their estimation, Maduro was a revolutionary with Christian values, the best combination. Whats more, he had openly pledged to support Caricom in their bid for reparations against what he called savage European countries. Being against Maduro is being against the ancestors who suffered and struggled and persevered, so that Caribbean people can fight today. Mottley was right to remain supportive of Venezuela. Kamla was another imperial lackey. Remember, they said, quoting the legendary Johnny Clarke, they sold Marcus Garvey for rice and peas. How much did Trump pay Venezuelans to betray Maduro?

As the heated conversation discussing what had happened to Maduro, and how it should be interpreted, was about to reach boiling point, Crazy ran up to the crowd and sang in a melody borrowed from the Might Shadows Dat Soca Boat that what happened is part of what is happening. He repeated the lines and sang in such a way, like a mantra, that it caused the crowd to go silent. Then Crazy took the opportunity to explain that what happened to Maduro is connected to CECOT in San Salvador and the smaller slave plantations in the USA. Plantations? They corrected him, those are prisons. Crazy snapped back, No, they are prison industrial complexes, read a book. Prisoners are slaves who work on these former plantations for free or next to nothing. CECOT, according to Crazy, which currently holds 110.000 people detained, who are not allowed counsel or communication with family and friends, is the future in the present. You have workers who will never again be able to procreate, who will work till they die and never see family and friends. He went on to say that many of the people being deported from the USA end up in CECOT, never to be seen again, replenishing the cheap labor force. The Middle Passage all over again. What does that have to do with us, one man nervously blasted as though warding off an omen? That depends on our future location Crazy softly replied, when Trump is finished deporting all those immigrants, and imprisons able-bodied poor Americans in slave plantations while the rest die of opioid overdoses, then good gentleman, then, the new indentured workers from the politically independent Caribbean and Latin America will be strangled with H2-A visas to pick oranges, play nanny, and do construction work. The New World order that Trump dreams of, a good gentleman, is one in which politically independent countries in the Americas supply cheap labor, jailed labor, natural resources, and open their markets to the USA. Dont worry, though, the Americans will still vacation here in San Cristobal and in the Riviera. Trump plans to build on the rubble of Gaza. That is a new game.

Well, then, we are safe, being a tourist destination, the man fumbled. It all depends on our future location,You think Trump can sink the Soca Boat! Then Crazy departed, singing his Shadow-inspired rhyme, What happened is part of what is happening.

Prof. dr. Francio Guadeloupe

University of Amsterdam/Royal Netherlands Institute for Southeast Asian & Caribbean Studies

Pedro de Weever, St. Maarten journalist and novelist.
BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday sent a congratulatory message to Mamady Doumbouya on his election as president of Guinea.

In his message, Xi noted that Guinea is the first sub-Saharan African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.

The two sides, he said, have long upheld mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, supported each other on issues involving their respective core interests and major concerns, and carried out fruitful cooperation for common development.

Xi also said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Guinea relations and stands ready to work with Doumbouya to further develop the two countries' comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, so as to make greater contributions to improving the well-being of both peoples and promoting solidarity in the Global South. 
Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation provided food and essential items to 160 families, which is expected to benefit approximately 480 individuals, during its 27th and final Cul De Sac relief distribution of 2025 on December 28.

This marks over two years and four months of continuous monthly support to the Cul De Sac community. The distribution took place at the Tzu Chi Center in Cul De Sac, where families received 160 bags of Love Rice (10 kg each), 160 bottles of cooking oil (1 liter each), 320 packs of dry peas (1 lb each), 320 packs of pasta (1 lb each), and 160 cans of Christmas butter cookies. Twenty-eight volunteers participated, including two Commissioners, six training Commissioners, seven training volunteers, and thirteen community volunteers, reflecting strong teamwork, training outcomes, and community involvement.

Despite personal hardships, recipients returned US $266.70 in Bamboo Bank donations, demonstrating gratitude and a spirit of giving back. Several recipients shared personal stories, including a Haitian woman whose husband recently underwent a foot amputation, leaving the family without income, and local seniors who expressed appreciation for Tzu Chis long-term service. A Spanish recipient shared that he had been receiving assistance for several months and hoped Tzu Chi could continue helping him and others in St. Maarten.

New volunteer Ms. Susana, inspired during a Tzu Chi reunion on December 14, joined the relief activity as a photographer and videographer. She reflected that giving back nourishes the soul and was deeply moved by the gratitude and generosity shown by recipients despite their own hardships.

Volunteers also shared personal reflections during the programme. Sister Carolina spoke about the teaching of Master Cheng Yen, explaining that obstacles are like rocks being thrown at us and that moving forward with purpose prevents repeated suffering. Sister Lorene shared that before encountering Tzu Chi, she often felt hungry, and through Dharma teachings, she realized her hunger was spiritual rather than physical, learning to understand what she truly needed in life.



In 2025, Tzu Chi distributed a total of 1,775 bags of rice, 1,775 bottles of cooking oil, 2,188 packs of pasta, 2,188 packs of dry peas, and 160 cans of Christmas butter cookies. Over the year, 306 volunteers assisted 1,934 families, reaching 6,135 individuals.

As the final Cul De Sac relief distribution of 2025 concluded, many recipients expressed hope that Tzu Chi would continue supporting the community in 2026. The foundation reaffirmed its commitment to carefully evaluate and continue providing compassionate and meaningful assistance in the coming year.
NEW YORK:--- Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro appeared in a New York federal court today to face charges of drug trafficking and weapons conspiracy. His appearance follows a dramatic US military operation in Caracas over the weekend that resulted in his capture and has sent shockwaves through the international community.

Maduro, along with his wife Cilia Flores, was transported under heavy guard by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to the Manhattan courthouse. He was seen in handcuffs, wearing a tan-colored uniform.

During the court proceedings, both Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to all charges. Maduro asserted to the court that he remains the President of Venezuela, while his wife, Cilia Flores, maintained her position as the First Lady of the Republic of Venezuela. Flores also informed the judge that she sustained injuries during their capture and requested medical treatment. Maduro's next court date has been scheduled for March 17. He did not request bail, but the judge informed him that he could still submit a bail application at a later date. Maduro was also seen taking notes during the proceedings, which he asked the judge to keep.

The court proceedings mark a significant escalation in US foreign policy under President Donald Trump, who declared that the United States is now "in charge" of Venezuela. The administration is reportedly working to establish an interim government, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating the focus is on policy-setting and maintaining "leverage" over the nation's future. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez has signaled a shift in tone, calling for "cooperation" with the US.

The operation has sparked varied reactions globally. Key Latin American leaders have condemned. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected the intervention, stating, "Intervention has never brought democracy." Colombian President Gustavo Petro warned he would "take up arms again" if the US were to target him or his country, following remarks from President Trump critical of Colombia's anti-drug efforts.

China and several European allies of the US have also condemned the action. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson called the seizure a violation of international law and demanded Maduro's immediate release. European nations, including Germany, France, and the UK, voiced their opposition to changing borders by force and expressed support for Denmark after President Trump renewed his calls for the US to acquire Greenland for strategic purposes. In contrast, Switzerland has moved to freeze any assets held by Maduro and his associates within its borders.

The developments have also impacted financial markets. Shares in Chevron, the last major US oil company operating in Venezuela, saw a significant jump in premarket trading. The rise followed President Trump's statements about making American investment in Venezuela's vast oil reserves a key objective. However, broader market reactions have been muted, with analysts pointing to ample global oil supply and significant uncertainties surrounding the situation.

The case against Maduro is being overseen by 92-year-old federal judge Alvin K. Hellerstein. Legal experts draw parallels to the 1990s case of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, who was also tried in the US on drug charges. Maduro's defense is expected to raise arguments of head-of-state immunity, a defense that was ultimately unsuccessful for Noriega.

As Venezuelans face an uncertain future, the streets of Caracas have remained largely quiet. Meanwhile, top Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi, are scheduled to brief a bipartisan group of US lawmakers on the Venezuela operation later today.
Washington, USA:--- President Donald Trump has issued a series of warnings to multiple countries following a U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The operation, which took place over the weekend, involved a coordinated strike in Caracas and resulted in Maduro's extradition to the United States to face charges of narco-conspiracy.

Regional Implications

During a press briefing, Trump suggested that the U.S. might not stop with Venezuela, issuing pointed remarks toward Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico. He accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro of facilitating drug trafficking and warned that the U.S. might take further action. Trump also criticized Mexico for its handling of drug cartels, offering U.S. military assistance to combat the issue.

Cuba was another target of Trump's comments, with the president predicting the economic collapse of the communist nation due to its reliance on Venezuelan oil. He stated, "Cuba is ready to fall," citing the country's financial struggles following the disruption of oil supplies from Venezuela.

Military Operation Details

The operation to capture Maduro, named "Absolute Resolve," was described as one of the most complex and high-profile U.S. military actions in recent history. It involved disabling Venezuela's air defense systems and deploying over 150 aircraft. The mission was executed with precision, lasting less than 30 minutes, and resulted in Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, being taken into U.S. custody.

While the U.S. has not released an official casualty count, reports suggest that at least 40 people were killed during the strikes. The operation has drawn criticism from international leaders, including Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who called it a violation of the United Nations Charter.

International Reactions

The operation has sparked widespread condemnation across Latin America. Colombian President Petro mobilized troops along the border with Venezuela, citing concerns over a potential refugee crisis. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized the U.S. action as reminiscent of historical interference in the region.

In contrast, some U.S. lawmakers and communities in South Florida have expressed support for the operation, viewing it as a step toward promoting democracy in the region.

Greenland Controversy

In a separate development, Trump reiterated his interest in annexing Greenland, citing national security concerns. Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen condemned the remarks, calling them "unacceptable" and urging the U.S. to respect international law. Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also dismissed the idea, emphasizing Greenland's autonomy.

Future Outlook

Trump has indicated that the U.S. will oversee Venezuela's transition to a new government, stating, "Were going to make sure that country is run properly." However, the administration faces challenges in stabilizing the region and addressing the broader geopolitical implications of its actions.

The situation remains fluid, with international observers closely monitoring the U.S.'s next moves in Latin America and beyond.
Dutch Members of Parliament are cutting their winter recess short to address the U.S. military action in Venezuela, a move that has sparked significant international and domestic backlash. The debate, initiated by ChristenUnie MP Don Ceder, is set for Thursday at 5 PM, ahead of the scheduled end of the recess on January 12.

THE HAGUE:--- The U.S. raid, which led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, has raised concerns about its implications for the Dutch Caribbean islandsAruba, Curacao, and Bonairelocated near Venezuelas coast. While the caretaker Dutch government has refrained from directly condemning the U.S. action, Foreign Affairs Minister David van Weel has aligned with the European Unions call for adherence to international law.

However, prominent Dutch political figures have been more vocal. Rob Jetten, leader of D66 and a likely candidate for the next prime minister, criticized the U.S. intervention as a violation of international law and warned of the dangerous precedent it sets. Similarly, GroenLinksPvdA leader Jesse Klaver described the raid as a dangerous precedent with global ramifications.

Media and Public Reaction

Dutch media outlets and commentators have been notably critical. The Financiele Dagblad and BNR radios Bernard Hammelburg labeled the U.S. action as showing contempt for international law. Hammelburg argued that the Trump administrations disregard for European criticism underscores a broader disdain for international norms.

The Volkskrant editorial board condemned the invasion as an imperialist act, asserting that it cannot be justified under international law. The paper warned that such unilateral military actions contribute to global instability. Similarly, the NRC described the raid as a clear message from Trump: If you want something, take itby force if necessary.

Geopolitical Concerns

The raid has also drawn sharp reactions from global powers like Russia and China, both allies of Venezuela. Dutch commentators have expressed concern that the U.S. action could embolden other nations to pursue aggressive strategies, citing potential risks in regions such as Ukraine and Taiwan.

The NRC emphasized the need for a strong European response, urging leaders to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps to uphold international law. The editorial also highlighted the importance of supporting multilateral institutions like the United Nations in maintaining global order.

As the Dutch Parliament prepares for its debate, the incident underscores the growing challenges to international norms and the urgent need for a unified European stance.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico:--- A weekend of unprecedented military activity has sent shockwaves through the Caribbeans vital tourism sector. Following a U.S. military operation in Venezuela aimed at the capture of Nicolas Maduro on January 3 and 4, major travel hubs from Puerto Rico to the Dutch Caribbean face logistical gridlock, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded and scrambling for answers.

While the primary target was the Venezuelan capital, the ripple effects were felt immediately across the regions airspace. Safety protocols triggered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded hundreds of flights, forcing airlines and cruise operators into emergency response mode during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.

The Dutch Caribbean: A Proximity Crisis

For the "ABC Islands"Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacaogeographic proximity to the Venezuelan coast turned a distant political conflict into an immediate travel crisis. Aruba, situated just 15 miles from Venezuela, bore the brunt of the disruptions.

On Saturday, January 3, Queen Beatrix International Airport in Aruba saw 91 flight cancellations, wiping out more than half of its daily schedule. Southwest Airlines suspended all service to the island at the height of the operation.

"We are used to being a peaceful getaway," said a representative for the Aruban tourism board. "But when airspace closes this close to home, safety becomes the only priority."

Though no direct military threats were reported against the Dutch territories, international carriers exercised extreme caution. KLM and Air France cancelled transatlantic flights from Europe, while KLM issued specific warnings for travelers heading to the region. While flights began to resume late Sunday, the backlog of passengers remains significant.

Sint Maarten and Puerto Rico: Hubs at a Standstill

Further north, the impact was less about geography and more about safety regulations. In Sint Maarten, Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina confirmed that while local airspace technically remained open, the reality on the ground was starkly different. Major U.S. carriersincluding JetBlue, Delta, American, Spirit, and Frontierhalted operations to Princess Juliana International Airport to comply with FAA safety zones.

This left both residents and tourists stranded, with regional carriers like WINAIR and St. Barth Commuter forced to scale down operations.

However, the most severe bottleneck occurred in Puerto Rico. As the primary aviation hub for the Caribbean, Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan saw over 400 flight cancellations. Estimates suggest between 50,000 and 75,000 passengers were left stranded, creating scenes of frustration and confusion at terminals.

Cruise Lines Scramble to Adjust

The chaos extended beyond the tarmac to the region's cruise ports. Ships that rely on San Juan and other islands as turnaround ports where passengers fly in to begin their voyagesfaced a logistical nightmare.

Vessels such as the Jewel of the Seas, Valiant Lady, and Grand Princess were unable to welcome incoming guests or offload departing ones due to the lack of flights. Cruise lines took drastic measures to manage the fallout:

Windstar Cruises delayed departures from St. Maarten and Barbados to wait for delayed guests.

P&O Cruises was forced to arrange emergency charter flights for nearly 5,000 guests stranded in Barbados.

Geopolitics and Economic Aftershocks

Beyond the immediate travel headaches, the operation has sparked broader geopolitical tension. Leaders in neighboring Brazil and Colombia condemned the military action, citing concerns over long-term stability in South America.

Economically, the region is bracing for shifts. Oil prices saw initial volatility, trading between $60 and $62 per barrel. The U.S. administration has signaled intentions to involve American oil companies in rebuilding Venezuelas infrastructure, a move that could fundamentally alter economic flows in the hemisphere.

For Venezuela itself, the situation remains dire. The U.S. State Department maintains a "Level 4: Do Not Travel" advisory. Thousands of international tourists currently inside the country face extreme difficulty departing, with local airspace closed and commercial flights suspended.

The Path to Recovery

As of Monday, January 5, a fragile recovery is underway. The FAA lifted primary airspace restrictions at midnight on Sunday, allowing airlines to begin repositioning aircraft and crews. Most carriers, including American, Delta, United, and JetBlue, have issued travel waivers and fee cancellations through January 10 to help passengers rebook.

For the Caribbean tourism industry, the priority is now clearing the backlog and reassuring the world that the islands remain open for business. While the skies are clearing, the events of this weekend serve as a stark reminder of how quickly geopolitical instability can ground the region's most important economic engine.
BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS:--- In a sharp rebuke of escalating geopolitical tensions, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has issued a stark warning about the perilous position of small island nations caught in the crossfire of international power struggles. Addressing the unfolding crisis in Venezuela, Mottley did not mince words, describing the Caribbean as "uncharted territory" where small states are forced to navigate the "testicular fortitude" of larger powers.

The Prime Minister's comments come as Barbados grapples with immediate logistical disruptions to its airspace and ports, consequences she attributes directly to the friction between major global players. Her address highlighted a growing frustration among Caribbean nations that find their stability threatened by conflicts they did not start.

"Conflict Has Consequences"

For Barbados, the impact of the Venezuelan crisis is not theoretical; it is immediate and economic. Mottley confirmed that the island's tourism and logistics hubsvital lifelines for the economyhave already faced disruptions.

"We are not naive," Mottley stated, addressing the nation. "We understand that where large powers contend... that may have negative impact and implications for small countries such as ours."

She emphasized that the disruptions at the Grant Adams International Airport and the Bridgetown port affect more than just travelers; they strike at the livelihoods of ordinary citizens. "Not only wealthy people visit our nation," she noted, underscoring the vulnerability of the local economy to external shocks.

A Rules-Based Order Under Siege

Central to Mottleys critique is the erosion of the international rules-based order, a framework she argues is existential for small states. She expressed deep concern over the "blatant breach" of international norms, suggesting that the world is regressing to a more dangerous, unstable era.

"In 2018, when I first addressed the United Nations, I said then that this world looks too much like it did a hundred years ago," Mottley recalled. "Regrettably, I have come to rue the day that I made that comment."

The Prime Minister painted a picture of a region lurching from "crisis to crisis"from pandemics and cost-of-living surges to climate disasters and now, geopolitical instability. She argued that the current global environment leaves little room for "mature conversation," urging a de-escalation of hostilities before the fallout becomes unmanageable.

Navigating the Storm

Despite the critical tone, Mottley's message was also one of resilience and pragmatic leadership. She described the governments current strategy as "perfecting the art of walking in between the raindrops," a metaphor for the precise and cautious diplomacy required to protect national interests without alienating powerful allies like the United States or Venezuela.

While maintaining that both nations remain "friends" of Barbados, she firmly aligned the country's foreign policy with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), prioritizing regional unity over unilateral alignment.

"Small states can only survive in an international rules-based order," she reiterated. "Anything that happens that runs contrary to that would be of grave concern to us as a people."

As tensions continue to simmer in Caracas, Mottley's words serve as a potent reminder that in the "playground" of global politics, it is often the smallest nations that suffer the most immediate bruising.
NEW YORK:--- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, made their first appearance in a U.S. federal court on Monday, following their dramatic capture by U.S. forces in Caracas over the weekend. The operation, dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve, was authorized by President Donald Trump and has sparked international controversy.

Charges and Court Appearance

Maduro, 66, and Flores, 69, face multiple charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. The couple appeared before U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein in the Southern District of New York. Both pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Trump administration has labeled Maduros regime as illegitimate, citing rigged elections, including the disputed 2024 presidential election. Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez has assumed leadership in Caracas, though her position remains contentious.

Detention and Security

The couple is being held in solitary confinement at Brooklyns Metropolitan Detention Center, a facility notorious for housing high-profile inmates such as Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. Security around the detention center has been heightened, with heavily armed law enforcement patrolling the area.

International Reactions

The operation has drawn sharp criticism from several countries, including Russia and China, which have condemned the U.S. action as a violation of international law. The United Nations has also expressed concerns about the potential destabilization of the region.

Cuba, a long-time ally of Venezuela, mourned the loss of 32 Cuban citizens who were reportedly killed during the U.S. strikes in Caracas. Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized the U.S. intervention, emphasizing the importance of respecting national sovereignty.

Whats Next?

Maduros legal team is expected to challenge the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state. The case is likely to be a prolonged legal battle with significant geopolitical implications.

As the world watches, the situation in Venezuela remains tense. Acting President Rodriguez has called for cooperation with the U.S. while condemning the military operation as a violation of international law. Venezuelans, both at home and abroad, are grappling with the uncertainty of their countrys future.
PHNOM PENH, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia exported a total of 940,321 tons of milled rice in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 46 percent, said a Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) press release on Monday.

The Southeast Asian country earned 602.41 million U.S. dollars in revenue from the exports of milled rice last year, up 22.7 percent year-on-year, the press release said.

Sixty-eight companies had shipped milled rice to 75 countries and regions last year, the press release said.

CRF secretary general Lun Yeng said about 64.02 percent of the exported rice was fragrant rice, 18.56 percent was broken rice, 13.71 percent was white rice, 2 percent was parboiled rice, 1.32 percent was organic rice, and 0.39 percent was other types of rice.

Ministry of Commerce's Spokesperson Penn Sovicheat said the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement and the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement have laid a solid foundation for Cambodia's exports of agricultural items to China and other RCEP countries.

"Under these trade pacts, made-in-Cambodia products, especially quality agricultural goods such as rice, yellow bananas, mangoes, longans, peppercorn, and durians, have been exported to China with preferential tariffs," he told Xinhua. 
Lithuania assessing damage to undersea telecom cable to Latvia



Vilnius, Jan 5 (AFP) Jan 05, 2026



Lithuanian experts are studying the damage to an undersea fibre-optic cable in the Baltic Sea linking the country to Latvia, the country's NKVC crisis management centre said Monday.

The damage was first reported by Latvian authorities on Sunday. The NKVC said it was too early to say whether Russia was involved.

"We are assessing what the possible consequences of this entire incident," Vilmantas Vitkauskas, the centre head, told reporters.

The damage was first detected on January 2, said the NKVC. Latvian authorities announced their investigation on Sunday.

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said Sunday that "the incident has not affected Latvian communication users".

Latvian police had suspected that a vessel, which later docked in a Baltic port, may have damaged the cable.

However, they stated in a press release Monday that their findings do "not indicate the connection of the ship in question with the damage".

There have been a series of sea incidents in the Baltic Sea since 2023, when undersea cables and power lines have been damaged and Russia blamed.

Martin Sjorgen, press officer for Arelion, the company that owns the cable, told AFP that repair work was underway.

"We are cooperating with authorities across the Baltic Sea region to investigate the cause of these incidents," he added.
CORRECTED: Lithuania assessing damage to undersea telecom cable to Latvia



Vilnius, Jan 5 (AFP) Jan 05, 2026



Lithuanian experts are studying the damage to an undersea fibre-optic cable in the Baltic Sea linking the country to Latvia, the country's NKVC crisis management centre said Monday.

The damage was first reported by Latvian authorities on Sunday. The NKVC said it was too early to say whether Russia was involved.

"We are assessing what the possible consequences of this entire incident," Vilmantas Vitkauskas, the centre head, told reporters.

The damage was first detected on January 2, said the NKVC. Latvian authorities announced their investigation on Sunday.

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said Sunday that "the incident has not affected Latvian communication users".

Latvian police had suspected that a vessel, which later docked in a Baltic port, may have damaged the cable.

However, they stated in a press release Monday that their findings do "not indicate the connection of the ship in question with the damage".

There have been a series of sea incidents in the Baltic Sea since 2023, when undersea cables and power lines have been damaged and Russia blamed.

Martin Sjogren, press officer for Arelion, the company that owns the cable, told AFP that repair work was underway.

"We are cooperating with authorities across the Baltic Sea region to investigate the cause of these incidents," he added.
Netanyahu says Israel won't let Iran restore ballistic missile programme



Jerusalem, Jan 5 (AFP) Jan 05, 2026



Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel would not allow arch-foe Iran to restore its ballistic missile programme, just days after US President Donald Trump issued a similar threat.

"We will not allow Iran to restore its ballistic missile industry, and certainly we will not allow it renew the nuclear programme that we significantly damaged," Netanyahu told lawmakers.

"If we are attacked, the consequences for Iran will be very severe," he said.

Netanyahu's threat comes days after Trump threatened to "eradicate" Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, after the two leaders met in Washington last week.

Israeli officials and media have expressed concern in recent months that Iran is rebuilding its ballistic missile arsenal after it was adamaged during the 12-day war with Israel in June.

Trump said Iran "may be behaving badly" and was looking at new nuclear sites to replace those targeted by US strikes during the same conflict, as well as restoring its missile stockpiles.

"I hope they're not trying to build up again because if they are, we're going have no choice but very quickly to eradicate that buildup," Trump said, adding that the US response "may be more powerful than the last time."

But Trump said he believed Iran was still interested in a deal with Washington on its nuclear and missile programmes. Tehran denies that it is seeking nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, said the protests in Iran had "expanded greatly".

"It is very possible that we are at a decisive moment -- a moment when the Iranian people will take their destiny into their own hands," he said in parliament.

Protests erupted in Iran on December 28 when shopkeepers in the capital Tehran staged a strike over high prices and economic stagnation.

They have since spread to other cities and expanded to include political demands.

On Sunday, Netanyahu said that Israel stood in solidarity with the Iranian people during the ongoing demonstrations.

"We stand in solidarity with the struggle of the Iranian people and with their aspirations for freedom, liberty and justice," Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting.
Pentagon censuring, possibly demoting US senator over 'seditious' video



Washington, United States, Jan 5 (AFP) Jan 05, 2026



The Pentagon has issued a letter of censure to Democratic Senator Mark Kelly and may reduce his military rank in retirement over a video urging US personnel to refuse illegal orders, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday.

"Kelly -- and five other members of Congress -- released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline," Hegseth said in a post on X.

In response to the November video and other statements, the Pentagon opened proceedings that could see Kelly's retired rank reduced, said Hegseth, who has also "issued a formal Letter of Censure, which outlines the totality of Captain (for now) Kelly's reckless misconduct."

The senator from Arizona hit back, saying on X that Hegseth "wants to send the message to every single retired servicemember that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesn't like, they will come after them the same way. It's outrageous and it is wrong."

In the video, six Democratic lawmakers with military or intelligence service backgrounds said the Trump "administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens."

"Right now, the threats to our constitution aren't just coming from abroad, but from right here at home," they said, adding: "You can refuse illegal orders."

The lawmakers in the video did not specify which orders they were referring to, but the Trump administration has come under fire for its employment of US forces both at home and abroad.

Inside the United States, Trump has ordered the National Guard into multiple US cities -- often against the wishes of local officials, who have responded with legal challenges -- claiming the deployments are necessary to maintain order against sporadic, sometimes violent protests.

And outside the country, Trump has ordered strikes on a series of alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that have left more than 100 people dead since early September -- actions that experts say amount to extrajudicial killings.
Turkey urges Europe to take responsibility for its own security



Istanbul, Jan 5 (AFP) Jan 05, 2026



NATO member Turkey urged Europe on Monday to "assume greater responsibilities" for its own security rather than rely on the United States for protection.

"The war in Ukraine and the shifting strategic priorities of the United States leave Europe no choice but to assume greater responsibilities for its own security," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a conference in Lisbon, according to a statement sent to AFP by a foreign ministry source.

"As Europeans, we are all in the same boat. Ensuring the security of our own home is an existential necessity. We cannot delegate our security to others," he stressed.

But Fidan said his country -- a candidate to join the European Union -- was being kept at arm's length by the bloc.

"Despite its formal commitments to cooperate with non-EU allies, Turkey has been excluded for years from the EU's security and defence frameworks," he said.

"The reason is clear. The narrow national agendas of a few member states have taken Europe's broader strategic interests hostage," he continued.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to strengthen strategic communication with Ireland, deepen political mutual trust and expand pragmatic cooperation to benefit the peoples of both countries and add momentum to China-EU relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin in Beijing. The Irish prime minister is on an official visit to China from Jan. 4 to 8.

Both China and Ireland cherish peace, embrace openness and inclusiveness, and strive for self-reliance and progress, Xi said, adding that the Chinese and Irish people won national independence and liberation through struggles and are advancing toward modernization through sustained efforts of successive generations.

Since the establishment of the China-Ireland strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation in 2012, bilateral trade volume has quadrupled, with a balanced development in mutual investment, he noted.

Xi said the two countries should maintain friendly exchanges at multiple levels and across diverse fields, continuously enhance communication and mutual understanding, accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, consolidate political mutual trust, and solidify the political foundation of bilateral relations.

Over the next five years, China will continue to promote high-quality development and expand high-standard opening up. Xi said China is willing to strengthen economic and trade cooperation with Ireland, align development strategies in fields such as artificial intelligence, digital economy, and medicine and healthcare, promote two-way investment, leverage each other's strengths, share opportunities and pursue common development.

The two sides should enhance cooperation in education, culture and tourism to foster greater people-to-people affinity, and China welcomes more Irish youth to come to China for study and exchanges, Xi said.

In a world beset with changes and chaos, unilateral and bullying acts are severely undermining the international order, Xi said. All countries should respect the development paths chosen by the peoples of other nations, and abide by international law as well as the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, he said, stressing that major countries should particularly take the lead in doing so.

As China and Ireland support multilateralism and advocate international fairness and justice, the two countries should strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs, and jointly maintain the authority of the United Nations and make the global governance system more just and equitable, he said.

Xi said China and the EU should bear the long-term picture in mind, uphold the positioning of partnership, and view and handle differences objectively and rationally to work for win-win cooperation.

As Ireland will hold the rotating EU presidency in the second half of this year, China hopes Ireland will play a constructive role in promoting the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations, the Chinese president said.

Highlighting a profound and long-lasting friendship between the two countries, the Irish prime minister said Xi's successful visit to Ireland in 2012 had laid a solid foundation for the development of the Ireland-China strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation in recent years.

Martin said Ireland firmly adheres to the one-China policy, and is committed to developing the strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Ireland is willing to deepen cooperation with China in trade, investment, science and technology, biomedicine, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, education and other fields, he said.

Martin commended China's indispensable and important role in international affairs and its positive contributions to upholding the authority of the UN and promoting world peace.

He said that any international dispute should be settled in conformity with international law, and Ireland is willing to maintain close communication and coordination with China, safeguard international law, uphold free and open trade, and promote world prosperity and stability.

Noting that the stable development of EU-China relations is of great significance, Martin said the Irish side is willing to play a constructive role in promoting the healthy development of EU-China relations. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)
CARACAS, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Sunday held the first cabinet meeting after the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by the United States, state TV reported.

A day earlier, the country's top court ordered Rodriguez, Maduro's vice president, to take over as acting president.

The preamble of the meeting, broadcast by the state-owned Venezolana de Television, indicated that it was intended to "address strategic lines framed in the 'state of external commotion'" decreed by the Venezuelan government.

Also on Sunday, Rodriguez formed a committee to work for the release of Maduro. 
I am a purist and Im not going to change my Neapolitan pizza [at 081], Ascuiti, from Naples, told the Standard. But Ive been experimenting. Im still using long fermentation and high hydration with my dough, but the oven is a different temperature and Im using a different stone to cook the pizzas.
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Unfortunately, six firefighters were taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service. Following treatment and checks, I can confirm that five firefighters have since been discharged, and we are hopeful that the remaining firefighter will be discharged very soon.
A worker carries out welding tasks at a manufacturing base in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 5, 2026. At the start of 2026, businesses across China are already busy fulfilling orders and ramping up production, aiming for a sound performance in the first quarter. (Photo by Zhao Jun/Xinhua)

Workers assemble a smart tractor in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 5, 2026. At the start of 2026, businesses across China are already busy fulfilling orders and ramping up production, aiming for a sound performance in the first quarter. (Photo by Ren Fei/Xinhua)

A worker carries out grinding tasks at a shipping company facility in Taizhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 5, 2026. At the start of 2026, businesses across China are already busy fulfilling orders and ramping up production, aiming for a sound performance in the first quarter. (Photo by Yang Yugang/Xinhua)

A worker produces aluminum alloy doors and windows at a factory in Qinyang, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 5, 2026. At the start of 2026, businesses across China are already busy fulfilling orders and ramping up production, aiming for a sound performance in the first quarter. (Photo by Yang Fan/Xinhua)

Workers make touch screen components at an electronics company in Tonggu County, Yichun, east China's Jiangxi Province, Jan. 4, 2026. At the start of 2026, businesses across China are already busy fulfilling orders and ramping up production, aiming for a sound performance in the first quarter. (Photo by Zhou Liang/Xinhua)

A worker checks products at the workshop of a stainless steel company in Dainan Town, Xinghua City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 5, 2026. At the start of 2026, businesses across China are already busy fulfilling orders and ramping up production, aiming for a sound performance in the first quarter. (Photo by Zhou Shegen/Xinhua)
Each debate focused on a key responsibility of the Scottish Government: so we can debate the SNPs record of failure on the NHS, and my plan to fix it; so we can debate falling standards in schools, and my plan to raise them; so we can debate the housing emergency, justice, local government, transport and the economy.
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into the Border Force compound in Dover, Kent, by a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel (A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into the Border Force compound in Dover, Kent, by a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel (Gareth Fuller/PA)

PA Wire
The Government has taken a series of increasingly hardline steps to try to reduce the number of crossings but with little success so far, with dips seemingly often more down to the weather rather than law enforcement measures.
She said he will be in his cell for most of the day, where his meals will be delivered to him. He is also likely to be allowed one hour for exercise and have access to a shower three times a week.
A group of San Antonio tech veterans intend to grow access to healthcare in Mexico with their startup, Tu TeleDoc. Courtesy/Courtesy

A group of San Antonio tech veterans wants to use telemedicine to increase access to healthcare in Mexico and South America.



The quick-growing industry that lets people use smartphones, tablets and computers for medical appointments has boomed since the COVID-19 pandemic. And advances in technologies like artificial intelligence are making services better and less expensive.

In early 2025, a six-person team led by an ex-Rackspace Technology Inc. marketing exec launched a startup called Tu TeleDoc to break into the market.

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AI IN SA:Texas tech guru says coming AI bubble-burst would be good for business

Were building the Uber model for telehealth in Mexico, said CEO Jeremy Roberts, a tech entrepreneur, former City Council candidate and chair of the San Antonio Small Business Advisory Commission. We are building up this large, multi-thousand network of doctors in Mexico to supply for our multi-million captive audience in Mexico.

A self-described old-school Racker, Roberts and his six-person team, which includes other former employees of the citys best-known tech startup, expect their platform to go live sometime in the first quarter.

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Its envisioned to be a one-stop app for scheduling, meeting with doctors, records, messaging, scheduling labs or X-rays and eventually setting up prescription deliveries. Its development has been spurred by the San Antonio tech scene.

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To support records management on the apps backend, the company has already acquired another San Antonio startup that created an electronic medical records app called VitalSpan. Dan Cornell, a software security expert and longtime figure in the areas cybersecurity scene, started the company in 2022.

That deal came by way of San Antonios unofficial artificial intelligence guru, Dirk Elmendorf, a Rackspace co-founder and former chief executive of the Witte Museum.

Super apps

Roberts said its an example of how Tu TeleDoc is using U.S.-based talent and technology to develop an online platform to help connect doctors and patients in Mexico via so-called super apps. The popular applications such as Rappi, Mercado Pago and Baz let users access services like banking, shopping, setting up deliveries, hailing rides, paying government bills and to handle other tasks, like doctor appointments.

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The apps already boast huge customer bases, which gives the startup a competitive advantage, he said. Roberts and company are negotiating with the operators of two such apps  an e-wallet and another run by a telecom  that he said will provide a combined base of 85 million users.

So even if we only engage with half of 1% of those, were still doing well, he said.

Because the talks are ongoing, he wouldnt say which apps theyre looking to work with.

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Tu TeleDocs leadership and tech team is based in San Antonio but its building out marketing, sales and call center functions in Mexico. Similarly, Roberts said the technology is being developed and built in San Antonio but will be hosted on computer hardware in Mexico.

Tu TeleDoc's executive team includes CEO Jeremy Roberts, at left, Chief Operating Officer Brandon Grossman, Chief Technology Officer Nathan Anderson and Chief Marketing Officer James Lewis. Courtesy/Courtesy

The firm currently headquartered in office space near San Antonio International Airport now employs about 10 people in Mexico, and that number is expected to quickly grow. In addition to its staffers, the company plans to sign on doctors throughout Mexico as independent contractors for the platform like rideshare programs hire drivers.

Were going to easily have a few hundred employees in the next few months and then ramp it up to over 1,000 employees by the end of the year, Roberts said.

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He acknowledged the possible negative optics of a company looking to grow in Mexico but cringed at the idea its looking to force Mexicans into using something built for Americans.

What were actually trying to do is build something for Mexicans, he said. We go in with the intention of building a Mexican-centric app for Mexican people.

But, foreigners, including Americans, traveling in Mexico could eventually benefit from the service, according to Roberts. While Tu TeleDoc wont be directly available in app stores at first, the company could have its own standalone app by Summer.

VitalSpan

A long-time fixture in San Antonios tech scene, Cornell was chief technical officer at the Denim Group cybersecurity firm before it was acquired by Coalfire. He worked as vice president of product strategy at Coalfire until departing in 2022.

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He said hed intended to retire, invest and work with startups but started getting real aggravated with how health records were being managed, he said.

Seeing his parents age and dealing with health situations, plus his own frustrations in accessing his medical records, led to a new project  developing a better, more accessible health records system.

Why is this not something that I control and own and walk with through life? Cornell said.

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So he began developing a personal electronic medical records system that uses early artificial intelligence technology.

The stuff that we had deployed was more like rules engine AI, so like 1970s AI, which has the weird advantage of consistently working and running very quickly, he said.

VitalSpan was in app stores and gearing up to grow when Cornell crossed paths with Roberts.

What we found was a situation where the Tu TeleDoc folks have tremendous distribution through these relationships (with the super apps), and what they needed was the technology, he said.

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Together, they realized VitalSpan could handle the electronic medical records part of Tu TeleDocs vision.

It ended up being a great opportunity to sell the tech and speed up what theyre doing from a tech build up standpoint, and get a good, reasonable exit for what were doing and set them up to go even further with that, he said.

Since the sale early last year, Cornell has worked as a senior advisor with Tu TeleDocs tech team, which is led by Nathan Anderson, another ex-Racker.

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Now, Roberts and Cornell say, Tu TeleDoc and VitalSpan are becoming a new chapter in San Antonios tech business story.
President Donald Trump has discussed possible $2,000 stimulus-style payments tied to tariff revenue, a proposal that would need approval from Congress. Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images

Almost a year into his current term, President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to pay out $2,000 stimulus checks funded in part by revenue from tariffs, though the idea has not been formally proposed to Congress.

During a Cabinet meeting last month, Trump outlined additional ideas for distributing some of that revenue as payments to Americans beginning in 2026.

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"Next year is projected to be the largest tax refund season ever, and we're going to be giving back refunds out of the tariffs, as we have taken in literally trillions of dollars," Trump said. "We're going to be giving a nice dividend to the people in addition to reducing debt."

On Dec. 18, Trump addressed the nation and announced plans to send one-time payments of $1,776 to U.S. military service members, which he referred to as a warrior dividend. The Defense Department funded those payments, according to the Pentagon, and they were sent to about 1.45 million service members before Christmas.

However, for Americans to receive any new stimulus payment, a formal legislative process would have to take place and there is no guarantee Congress would approve such checks.

What needs to happen for Americans to get another stimulus check?

Any form of stimulus payment issued by the U.S. government must be approved by Congress.

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On Dec. 21, during an interview with CBS News' "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said stimulus checks remain a possibility for 2026.

"The deficit relative to last year is down by $600 billion and so, in the summer, I wasn't so sure that there was space for a check like that. But now I'm pretty sure that there is, and so, I would expect that in the new year, the president will bring forth a proposal to Congress to make that happen," said Hassett.

Hassett added that tariff revenue would be only one potential funding source, noting that Congress ultimately decides how federal revenue  including taxes and tariffs  is spent through the appropriations process, according to remarks reported by USA TODAY.

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Is there a stimulus check coming in January?

There has been no official announcement or legislative action indicating that a fourth stimulus check will be issued in January.

Plans for tariff-funded checks could also be derailed if the Supreme Court strikes down some of Trumps tariffs. During Nov. 5 oral arguments, justices raised questions about the scope of the presidents authority to impose certain tariffs.

Lawmakers have also introduced the American Worker Rebate Act of 2025, proposed by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, which would distribute tariff rebate checks funded by tariff revenue of at least $600 per person, up to $2,400 for a family of four. The bill has not advanced in Congress.

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What happened to those $5,000 DOGE checks?

Last year, Trump said he weighed a proposal to send taxpayers a $5,000 check, funded by savings from the Department of Government Efficiency and framed as a dividend.

Theres even a  under consideration, a new concept where we give 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens and 20% goes to paying down debt, Trump said at the FII Priority Summit in Miami in 2025.

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White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks speaks during a signing ceremony with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Washington. Sacks recently announced that his venture capital firm, Craft Ventures, was opening a new office in Austin. Alex Brandon/AP

Another tech billionaire is trading Silicon Valley for Austin.

David Sacks, a venture capitalist appointed by President Donald Trump as the nations artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency czar, said his venture capital firm opened a new office in Austin at the end of the year.

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The firm, Craft Ventures, was co-founded by Sacks and tech entrepreneur Bill Lee.

Opening an Austin office was a natural next step for the firm, Craft Ventures President Mark Woolway said in a Dec. 31 announcement. Austin has a vibrant startup ecosystem in which we have been participating for years, and this move greatly expands our presence.

Im pleased to end the year by announcing that Craft Ventures has opened an Austin office. God bless Texas and happy new year! pic.twitter.com/8SRsb8mdYE  David Sacks (@DavidSacks) January 1, 2026

Lee has lived and worked in Austin since 2022 and Sacks reportedly relocated to the city in December. Despite the new office in Austin, the Bay Area-based firm plans to keep its New York City and San Francisco locations open.

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Sacks, one of the worlds most prominent venture capitalists and tech billionaires, has drawn increasing national attention for his role in Washington. He has hosted fundraisers for Trump, including events on the campaign trail and a high-dollar fundraiser last year that helped spark the nationwide People Over Billionaires marches.

As Trumps crypto czar, Sacks serves as a special government employee. It's a decades-old federal designation for someone who works 130 days or fewer in a year. The role, which can be paid or unpaid, requires financial disclosures and adherence to ethics rules, including recusal from matters in which the individual has financial interests. Austin tech billionaire Elon Musk had a similar designation while leading the Department of Government Efficiency.

Sacks is expected to help the U.S. shape policies focused on innovation and deregulation in the technology sector. But his role in the Trump administration has drawn conflict-of-interest concerns because of his potential influence over federal tech policy as well as pushback from lobbyists over what critics have described as his bulldozing style.

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Sacks move to Austin came just before the end of the year, potentially protecting him from Californias proposed one-time 5% tax on individuals with net worths above $1 billion.

The proposed wealth tax would apply retroactively to California residents as of Jan. 1. Backers of the measure, which is supported largely by labor unions, must collect about 900,000 signatures for it to appear on the November ballot.

Sacks is one of several billionaires and investors who made year-end residency changes. Others are his longtime associate Peter Thiel, who announced his own venture capital firms move to Miami before the end of the year.

As a response to socialism, Miami will replace NYC as the finance capital and Austin will replace SF as the tech capital, Sacks wrote on X last week.

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Sacks and Lee co-founded Craft Ventures in 2017 and the firm shifted from early- to later-stage investments last year, resulting in layoffs of its startup recruiting team. Sacks previously worked as PayPals first product leader and chief operating officer. He is best known for his investments in companies founded by Musk, including AI startup xAI, as well as angel investments in SpaceX and other tech companies, including Uber, Facebook, Palantir Technologies and Airbnb.

The new venture capital office opens as Austin closes out one of its strongest venture funding years since 2021.

While full-year data is not yet available, venture capital funding in Austin is estimated to have produced about 380 deals in 2025, fewer than in recent years but with the highest total dollar amount raised in four years. The city saw a record $3.4 billion raised in the first quarter, $1.3 billion in the second and $1.8 billion in the third. December alone accounted for $550 million.
Juan Martinez, from left, Ricardo Chavira, Madison Taylor Baez, Seidy Lopez and Daniela Estrada star as the Quintanilla family in "Selena: The Series." Contributed by Sara Khalid/NETFLIX

It was a year when movies felt restless, urgent and deeply personal  shaped by politics, grief, memory and the simple pleasure of watching great actors do great work. As awards season ramps up, the Golden Globe nominations offer a useful snapshot of what resonated in 2025, from sprawling prestige dramas to ambitious genre films and Austin-connected projects that made their mark on the big screen.

The Golden Globes film field is led by Paul Thomas Andersons "One Battle After Another," with nine nominations, followed closely by Joachim Triers "Sentimental Value." Several of the years most talked-about movies landed major nominations, setting the stage for a Globes ceremony that reflects a wide, sometimes surprising, range of storytelling. Heres a look back at the films that stood out most this year, and how they factor into the awards conversation.

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1. 'Sentimental Value'

Stellan Skarsgard and Renate Reinsve star in Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value." Provided by Austin Film Festival / "Sentimental Value"

Joachim Triers quietly devastating family drama is one of the years most finely observed films. Set against intimate domestic spaces and the Oslo skyline, the movie explores loneliness, abandonment and the emotional inheritance passed through generations. Triers precise visual language  every room, landscape and silence carefully considered  makes the film feel fleeting and precious, as if each moment might slip away too quickly. Renate Reinsve anchors the film with a performance defined by restraint, while the supporting cast, including Elle Fanning and Stellan Skarsgard, deepens its emotional pull. The soundtrack, a Trier signature, lands with precision.

Golden Globe nominations include: Best Motion Picture  Drama; Best Motion Picture  Non-English Language; acting nominations for Reinsve, Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Skarsgard; Best Director; Best Screenplay.

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2. 'One Battle After Another'

Actor Benicio del Toro, actress Regina Hall, actress Teyana Taylor, actor Leonardo DiCaprio during an interview on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty

Paul Thomas Andersons nearly three-hour epic never loses momentum. Political without being didactic, the film taps into contemporary anxieties around immigration, power and resistance, delivering tension, spectacle and emotional weight in equal measure. A standout car chase sequence is already the stuff of moviegoing legend. The ensemble cast is stacked, and Andersons direction balances urgency with empathy. Its a big movie that still feels personal.

Golden Globe nominations include: Best Motion Picture  Musical or Comedy; acting nominations for Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn; Best Director; Best Screenplay.

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3. 'Hamnet'

Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal star in Chloe Zhao's "Hamnet." Provided by Austin Film Festival / "Hamnet"

A meditation on grief and love, Hamnet uses nature and sound to powerful effect, pairing an evocative score with images that linger. Jessie Buckley delivers one of the strongest performances of her career, grounding the films emotional core and inviting viewers back to Shakespeares "Hamlet" with a fresh perspective.

Golden Globe nominations include: Best Motion Picture  Drama; acting nominations for Buckley and Paul Mescal; Best Director (Chloe Zhao); Best Screenplay.

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4. 'Frankenstein'

Guillermo del Toro speaks during Netflix's "Frankenstein" New York Special Screening on October 20, 2025 in New York City. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Netflix

Guillermo del Toros take on Mary Shelleys novel embraces the spirit rather than the letter of the book  and it works. This is a film built for the big screen, lush and tactile, with performances that give emotional dimension to a familiar story. Jacob Elordi brings fragile confusion to the creature, while Oscar Isaac plays a creator warped by grief. Mia Goths dual roles add another layer of unease.

Golden Globe nominations include: Best Motion Picture  Drama; acting nominations for Isaac and Elordi; Best Director.

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5. 'Bugonia'

Yorgos Lanthimos latest is comparatively restrained, but still unmistakably his. Set in a world where conspiracy theories threaten to overwhelm reality, the film feels timely without losing its surreal edge. Jesse Plemons leans into unhinged intensity, while Emma Stone counters with calculated control.

Golden Globe nominations include: Best Motion Picture  Musical or Comedy; acting nominations for Stone and Plemons.

6. 'Nouvelle Vague'

Guillaume Marbeck portrays French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard and Zoey Deutch portrays Jean Seberg in Richard Linklater's "Nouvelle Vague." PROVIDED BY NETFLIX

Richard Linklaters black-and-white love letter to French New Wave cinema premiered in Austin with the air of an event  part film screening, part cinephile communion. Re-creating the making of Jean Luc Godard's "Breathless," the movie doubles as a meditation on artistic freedom and discipline. Its meticulous, playful and deeply affectionate toward cinema itself.

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Golden Globe nomination: Best Motion Picture  Musical or Comedy.

7. 'Zootopia 2'

Smart, fast and unexpectedly sharp, the animated sequel works for kids and adults alike. Pop culture references, a standout Shakira song and a plot that wrestles with power, propaganda and history make it one of the years most entertaining surprises.

Golden Globe nomination: Best Motion Picture  Animated.

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8. 'Weapons'

Zach Cregger cements his place in modern horror with a film that balances brutal gore, dark humor and genuine invention. With unforgettable set pieces and a terrifying supporting turn from Amy Madigan, "Weapons" already feels like a genre benchmark.

Golden Globe nomination: Supporting Actress for Madigan.

9. 'Its Never Over, Jeff Buckley'

Jeff Buckley performs on stage at The Garage, Islington, London , United Kingdom, on September 1, 1994. Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images

The documentary that turned skeptics into believers. Intimate without being definitive, it captures Buckleys artistry, contradictions and emotional intensity through careful use of music and archival material.

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10. 'Eddington'

Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in "Eddington." Provided by A24.

Ari Aster trades folk horror for a paranoid modern Western set during the early days of COVID-19. Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal face off in a story that mirrors political divides familiar to Texans, from conspiracy culture to battles over development and power. Uncomfortable, violent and unnervingly recognizable, its one of the years most provocative films.

Honorable mentions

L to R: Ariana Grande is Glinda and Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba in WICKED FOR GOOD, directed by Jon M. Chu. Giles Keyte/Provided by Universal Pictures

"Sinners": A stylish, action-forward vampire film that centers Black history and culture, with a magnetic performance by Michael B. Jordan.

A stylish, action-forward vampire film that centers Black history and culture, with a magnetic performance by Michael B. Jordan. "Bring Her Back": A harrowing follow-up from the "Talk to Me" directors, pairing extreme horror with an unflinching look at grief.

A harrowing follow-up from the "Talk to Me" directors, pairing extreme horror with an unflinching look at grief. "Blue Moon": Another strong outing from Linklater, with Ethan Hawke earning acclaim as lyricist Lorenz Hart.

Another strong outing from Linklater, with Ethan Hawke earning acclaim as lyricist Lorenz Hart. "Wicked: For Good": A quieter, more reflective sequel that leans into political allegory and emotional consequence.

A quieter, more reflective sequel that leans into political allegory and emotional consequence. "Die My Love": Jennifer Lawrence delivers a raw portrayal of postpartum instability.

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2025 SXSW standouts

In this April 1994 photo, Selena Quintanilla Perez performs at Hemisfair Plaza in San Antonio. Austin American-Statesman

"Selena y Los Dinos": Premiering at the Paramount Theatre, the film drew an emotional, multi-generational crowd. The film uses never-before-seen family footage to trace Selena Quintanillas rise alongside the tight-knit family that shaped her career. It explores the tension of bicultural identity  American-born, Spanish-singing  and the sacrifices behind the mythology. The result reveals vulnerability, ambition and the cultural weight Selena carried for so many families across Texas and beyond.

Premiering at the Paramount Theatre, the film drew an emotional, multi-generational crowd. The film uses never-before-seen family footage to trace Selena Quintanillas rise alongside the tight-knit family that shaped her career. It explores the tension of bicultural identity  American-born, Spanish-singing  and the sacrifices behind the mythology. The result reveals vulnerability, ambition and the cultural weight Selena carried for so many families across Texas and beyond. "Holland": Nicole Kidman appeared in Austin during the festival for the suburban psychological drama. The film leans into ambiguity, questioning perception, truth and the quiet violence of appearances. Gael Garcia Bernal and Matthew Macfadyen co-star in a story that slowly unravels.

Nicole Kidman appeared in Austin during the festival for the suburban psychological drama. The film leans into ambiguity, questioning perception, truth and the quiet violence of appearances. Gael Garcia Bernal and Matthew Macfadyen co-star in a story that slowly unravels. "Idiotka": One of SXSWs loudest, messiest and most entertaining premieres. Anna Baryshnikov leads a chaotic ensemble that includes Camila Mendes, Julia Fox, Benito Skinner and Saweetie. The film blends satire, excess and immigrant ambition into something that feels both absurd and uncomfortably familiar.

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BAGHDAD, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- More than 44 candidates have registered to run in Iraq's presidential election, the Iraqi parliament announced on Monday after the nomination period closed in the afternoon.

Among the prominent contenders are Fuad Hussein, nominated by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and Nizar Amedi of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the official Iraqi News Agency quoted Safwan al-Gargari, secretary-general of the Iraqi parliament, as saying.

The finalists will be announced following the vetting process, said al-Gargari.

While Iraq's constitution formally guarantees all qualified citizens the right to seek the presidency, top state positions are in practice allocated through an ethno-sectarian quota system. Established after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, the power-sharing arrangement reserves the presidency for a Kurd, the parliamentary speakership for a Sunni Muslim, and the prime ministership for a Shiite Muslim.

The move to elect a new president follows the successful selection of Iraq's parliamentary leadership at sessions held on Dec. 29 and 30, 2025.

Under Iraq's constitution, parliament must elect a president within 30 days of its first session. The president then has 15 days to designate the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc to form a new cabinet, which must be presented to parliament for a confidence vote within 30 days. 
Sumit Chaudhary prays outside Club Rodeo at 9515 North Lamar Blvd. on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, for Caldwell County Precinct 3 Constable deputy Aaron Armstrong, who was fatally shot early Sunday morning. Chaudhary, who works at Cloud Villa Smoke Shop two doors down from the nightclub, said he witnessed the aftermath of the shooting. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman

Two men have been arrested in connection with Sundays shooting outside a club in North Austin that left an off-duty constable dead and police with questions about the areas safety, officials said in a Monday press conference.

Police said Aaron Armstrong, a deputy with the Caldwell County Precinct 3 Constables Office, was working security early Sunday morning at Club Rodeo at 9515 North Lamar Blvd., when a confrontation escalated into a shooting that killed him. Thomas Vences, 38, was arrested later that day and was charged with capital murder of a peace officer. Ronaldo Colindres-Simon, 22, was also arrested and charged with assault on a police officer.

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Crime scene tape hangs outside Club Rodeo at 9515 North Lamar Blvd. on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, where Caldwell County Precinct 3 Constable deputy Aaron Armstrong was fatally shot early Sunday morning. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Homicide Sergeant Jeff Bauzon speaks during a news conference at the Austin Police Department Headquarters regarding the homicide at Club Rodeo in Austin, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A photo of Ronaldo E. Colindres-Simon, charged with assault on a peace officer, is displayed during a news conference at the Austin Police Department Headquarters regarding the homicide at Club Rodeo in Austin, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis answers questions from the press as Homicide Sergeant Jeff Bauzon, left, looks on during a news conference at the Austin Police Department Headquarters regarding the homicide at Club Rodeo in Austin, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A photo of fallen Caldwell County Precinct 3 Deputy Aaron Armstrong is displayed during a news conference at the Austin Police Department Headquarters regarding the homicide at Club Rodeo in Austin, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A photo of Thomas Vences, charged with capital murder of a peace officer, is displayed during a news conference at the Austin Police Department Headquarters regarding the homicide at Club Rodeo in Austin, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis answers questions from the press during a news conference at the Austin Police Department Headquarters regarding the homicide at Club Rodeo in Austin, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman

According to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis, the shooting sparked from an incident at Club Rodeo at 1:59 a.m., when Armstrong removed Vences from the building after a confrontation with non-law-enforcement security, police said. Armstrongwho was wearing his body cameraattempted to deescalate the situation and identified himself as police, warning Vences that he could arrest him, investigators said.

Less than 10 minutes later, Armstrong noticed Vences and his friends were lingering in the parking lot, police said. When Armstrong approached them again, Vences restarted the argument and began screaming, according to investigators. Armstrong again identified himself as a peace officer as Vences's friends began "obstructing" Armstrong's path.

During the conflict, Vences allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Armstrong, according to police. Armstrong reportedly took cover and returned fire before collapsing from his injuries. Vences and his group jumped in a car driven by Colindres-Simon, who ran over one of Armstrong's extremities as he drove away, police said.

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Caldwell County Precinct 3 Deputy Steve Ou speaks next to a photo of fallen Caldwell County Precinct 3 Deputy Aaron Armstrong during a news conference at the Austin Police Department Headquarters regarding the homicide at Club Rodeo in Austin, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman

Armstrong was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:39 a.m., investigators said.

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Police used witness interviews and video, including Armstrong's body camera footage, to identify the suspects. Vences was arrested later that day by the U.S. Marshals-led Lone Star Fugitive Task Force.

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He was executed by this man who knew he was a cop," Davis said of the murder. "He knew was a police officer when he did it.

Armstrong's death is Austin's third homicide of 2026. On Jan. 1, 18-year-old Isaiah Atkinson was shot and killed about two miles south of where Armstrong was killed.

At Monday's news conference, Davis pointed to broader safety concerns in the North Lamar corridor. She said the department uses a data-driven, evidence-based approach to identifying problem locations, noting that the site where Armstrong was killedand where other nearby shootings occurred in 2025warrants closer scrutiny. She noted a review could include the physical layout and environmental design of the property, as police assess how to address recurring safety issues.

Vences has an extensive criminal history dating back to at least 2006, with over two dozen prior convictions, including burglary, assault and narcotics-related offenses.

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As of Monday afternoon, Vences was in custody at the Travis County Jail on the capital murder charge, as well as five unrelated charges: two felony counts of assault on a household or family member with a previous conviction, two felony counts of burglary of a habitation and a misdemeanor criminal trespass charge. He has a $2,500 bond for the misdemeanor charge, but bond amounts have not been released for the other charges.

In Texas, prosecutors can seek the death penalty or sentence of life in prison without parole for those found guilty of capital murder. If convicted on the other felony charges, Vences' punishment could range between two and 99 years depending on the charge.

Colindres-Simon was in the Travis County Jail Monday on a $100,000 bond. If convicted, he could face between two and 20 years in prison.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks to supporters announcing her run in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Dallas. LM Otero/Associated Press U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, protests redistricting plans before the hearing of the House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting at the Capitol in Austin, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett speaks during a rally featuring California Governor Gavin Newsomm in Houston, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. Newsom touted the passing of Proposition 50, which allows California to redraw all of its congressional districts in response to Gov. Greg Abbotts plans to redistrict Texas for President Donald Trump. Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett takes the stage during a rally featuring California Governor Gavin Newsomm in Houston, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. Newsom touted the passing of Proposition 50, which allows California to redraw all of its congressional districts in response to Gov. Greg Abbotts plans to redistrict Texas for President Donald Trump. Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle

Less than a month after entering the Democratic race for U.S. Senate, Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett has emerged as the favorite  among Republicans.

President Donald Trump has branded her as "low IQ." U.S. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana has suggested she's hearing "voices in her head," and Vice President JD Vance has poked fun at her appearance and her public image.

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"Oh Jasmine Crockett," Vance said in a mocking tone in December at the annual convention for the conservative organization, Turning Point USA, in Phoenix. "The record speaks for itself. She wants to be a senator, though her street-girl persona is about as real as her nails."

While some detractors within the Democratic Party have said Republicans see the outspoken and unabashedly liberal Crockett as easier to beat in the general election than state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, the one-time public defender who set aside her law practice to enter politics says the GOP has painted the target on her back out of fear.

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"The (polls) are clear that I am the clear front-runner to make it through this primary," Crockett, 44, said at a holiday season virtual news conference. "It also tells me that they are very nervous. Instead of waiting, they want to attack right now to see if they have the ability to drive up the unfavorables on me to the extent that maybe they can help Talarico make it over the hump."

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A native of St. Louis and the daughter of a Methodist minister, Crockett took a circuitous route to prominence in Texas politics. She attended parochial schools in Missouri and later earned a bachelor's degree in business from Rhodes College in Memphis, a private institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. She had planned to become a certified public accountant, or perhaps an anesthesiologist.

But instead, Crockett switched her focus to the law on the advice of a Rhodes professor who had recruited her to join the schools mock trial team. After earning her law degree from the University of Houston, she moved to East Texas and worked in the Bowie County public defender's office. Then in private practice, she represented people arrested during Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Dallas.

READ MORE: The biggest Texas races to watch heading into this year's midterms

In 2020, Crockett entered the race for the Texas House as a political novice whose grassroots campaign stressed her progressivism and her independence. That meant challenging an incumbent Democrat who had recently won the special election to succeed Eric Johnson, who left the Legislature after being elected mayor of Dallas. Crockett came in second to state Rep. Lorraine Birabil in the primary, but with enough votes forced a runoff. She went on to win that race by the razor-thin margin of 110 votes.

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During her first term in the state House, Crockett launched a bid for Congress when longtime U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson announced plans to retire ahead of the 2022 election cycle. Crockett entered a crowded Democratic primary, but with one advantage no other candidate could match: Johnson's enthusiastic endorsement. Johnson said her heavily Black district needed "a representative in Washington with high energy, a passion to fight for us."

"I firmly believe that Texas State Representative Jasmine Crockett is just the person we need in Congress at this critical time," said Johnson, who died in December 2023.

Crockett, who won the 2022 general election with 75% of the vote and was reelected two years later with 85%, made a late entry into the U.S. Senate primary, rocking what had looked like a settled field. Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, who was seeking a comeback after losing the 2024 Senate race to Republican Ted Cruz, dropped out of the race the day Crockett joined and instead filed to run for Congress.

That put Crockett and Talarico on a collision course. In Crockett's Dec. 8 announcement, she made no mention of her chief primary opponent. Instead, she opened fire on Trump with a video that mocked the president's insults that had been directed toward her.

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But during the recent call with reporters, she sought to draw a contrast with Talarico, whose strategy so far has been to showcase himself as a candidate who can can peel off Republicans and independents who feel duped by the president's promise to revitalize the economy.

"I don't think doing the things that make people feel like somebody is 'Republican lite' is the winning path," she said. "We've definitely tried that. I think the winning path is having someone that people believe will fight for them."

Whoever wins the March 3 Democratic primary will advance to November against either four-term incumbent John Conryn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston.

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READ MORE: New poll shows Jasmine Crockett leading James Talarico in Democratic primary

Recent polling has shown Crockett leading Talarico by single digits among Democrats. However, a statewide poll by Change Research, a left-leaning firm, taken just after Crockett formally entered the Senate race and that sampled all voters, suggested she'd face a rocky general election campaign. While 48% of the respondents who had heard of Talarico viewed him positively and 18% viewed him negatively, 48% of respondents familiar with Crockett had an unfavorable impression compared with the 40% who viewed her positively.

In addition, 49% of all respondents said they "would definitely not" vote for her in November 2026. Those numbers could mean Crockett's presence on the ballot might supercharge GOP turnout, said Stephen Clermont, Change Research's director of polling.

"When you come into a race and you are well known and polarizing, that is the downside risk," Clermont said.

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The poll was commissioned by the Texas-based Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund, a group working to flip Texas blue that is not taking part in the U.S. Senate primary.

State Rep. Ron Reynolds, whose desk in the Texas House chamber neighbored Crockett's in 2021, acknowledged that Republicans might be itching for his former colleague to be the face of the state Democratic Party in 2026. But, he added, the GOP should be careful of what it wishes for. He predicted that Democratic-leaning Texans who had given up on ever winning a statewide election would return to the ballot box with Crockett leading the ticket.

"There's a lot of people who simply don't vote. I think Congresswoman Crockett could be a catalyst for a larger turnout," said Reynolds, D-Houston. "They'll go and vote for her because they believe that she represents that fight and that spirit, that scrappy spirit, that they think is missing."

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In campaign appearances and media interviews, the 36-year-old Talarico has sought to thread together the twin messages of being both a fighter and a unifier. Given that every Texas Democratic candidate in a statewide race since 1994 has been rejected by a majority of voters, Talarico has said it stands to reason that the party must broaden its appeal.

Crockett said that while she does not plan to write off potential votes from Republicans and independents, the Democrats' prime target should be moving disaffected and forgotten Texans from the sidelines to the voting booth.

"We should expend our resources on the base," Crockett said. "We have one of the lowest voter turnout states in the country. We know that we're only getting a little bit more than 50% of our voters to actually vote. My goal is to increase that.

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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

Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico collected $6.8 million from Oct. 1 through the end of 2025, bringing his fundraising total since entering the race in September to more than $13 million, his campaign says.

Talarico, a four-term state representative from Austin, is battling U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas in the March 3 primary. Crockett's campaign did not disclose how much money she raised during the filing period, However, she said that when all of the numbers are tabulated, they will show "another record-breaking quarter."

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The leading Republican candidates  four-term incumbent John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston  had not released fourth-quarter fundraising as of Monday morning. The deadline for submitting reports to the Federal Election Commission isn't until Jan. 31.

Talarico is hoping to show continued fundraising momentum after Crockett, who is more widely known, entered the race. In a campaign rally after he formally entered the Senate race on Sept. 9, he said his campaign took in about $1 million in its first 12 hours. By the end of that month, Talarico reported raising a record $6.2 million.

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With the help of more than 215,000 neighbors, we are building a campaign to win the primary, win the general, and deliver for working people across Texas, he said in a news release.

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The campaign said it had received 340,000 donations since Talrico's launch, with donations coming from all 50 states and 240 of Texas' 254 counties.

Crockett noted in a statement that she did not formally enter the Senate race until Dec. 8, leaving her little time to make a fundraising pitch for statewide office.

"I've been in this race for less than a month and had 23 days to raise money for the final quarter during the toughest fundraising period of the year," she said. "When the FEC filing becomes public, it will be clear that in this race, just like the rest of my races, we can meet people where they are, expand the electorate, and have the funding to fuel our fight."
A supporter of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro waves a Venezuelan national flag during a Jan. 5 rally near the National Assembly in Caracas. The country's new parliament opened with lawmakers chanting "Let's go Nico!" as they forcibly denounced the recent capture of Maduro in a U.S. military operation. JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images

Possibly, just possibly, Donald Trump just scored a foreign-policy success that could define his legacy.

By striking Venezuela and whisking away Nicolas Maduro (along with Maduro's wife), the U.S. president removed a patently illegitimate dictator and, in theory, opened the door for a wretched nation to return to democracy and stability. And Trump appears to have done it without dragging America into another "forever war" of the sort that he promised his MAGA base to avoid. If all goes well, this American coup in Venezuela could became exhibit A of a newly proclaimed "Donroe" or "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine.

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That's a big if. Any number of other scenarios can still mar this achievement and instead confirm the trajectory that Trump's foreign policy has mostly taken since he began his second term  one that points toward regional and global chaos and lawlessness.

Trump, along with most Venezuelans and the world, obviously hopes for an orderly transition in Caracas to the democratic opposition. Instead, the Chavistas may remain in charge, and a new dictator may clamp down even harder. Or the country could descend into civil war among its warlords. As a former U.S. secretary of state used to say, chaos would be down to Trump: You break it, you own it.

In a nightmare scenario, Venezuela, already a big exporter of tired, poor, huddled masses fleeing to the U.S. and other places, could become a new sort of Libya or Afghanistan, a failed state that destabilizes its entire region to America's detriment. "Our record of forcible regime change in general is not that great," Richard Fontaine told me before Maduro's capture. He's the chief executive of the Center for a New American Security and a veteran of the National Security Council and the State Department. "It's particularly bad in Latin America, and it often seems to invite a lot of unintended consequences."

A bad turn in Venezuela would raise the same questions that have dogged the unlawful U.S. strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean: Why now, and why at all?

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Trump's stated aim has been that he is waging war against "narco-terrorism." This can be dismissed as a pretext: The drug that kills most Americans, fentanyl, enters the U.S. via Mexico from China. The cocaine on the U.S. market largely comes from Colombia. By contrast, Venezuela is a minor exporter of drugs and sends them mostly to Europe. Yes, the U.S. has indicted Maduro on drug charges in a New York court. But Trump already put an asterisk of risibility on this rationale last month, when he pardoned a former president of Honduras who was actually doing time in the U.S. for his narcotics conviction.

The strategic rationale for intervening in Venezuela  as opposed to deploying all that military might in Asia or Europe, say  is no clearer. "There are a lot of dictators who have stolen elections and are running their country into the ground around the world," Fontaine told me. Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus leaps to mind, with whom Trump is talking deals instead of regime change. For some hard-to-fathom reason, Fontaine added, Trump "seems to care about Maduro in a way that he doesn't care about the other ones."

In the best case, as represented by Marco Rubio, Trump's national security advisor and secretary of state, the fall of the Venezuelan dictatorship will also undermine the regime in Cuba. In every other scenario, it will do nothing of the sort and merely distract the U.S. from pursuing its more vital interests in resisting Russian aggression in Europe and Chinese expansion in Asia.

The cost that is hardest to quantify but has perhaps the longest tail is the damage that Trump has done to international law. Maduro was bad, but he had not attacked the U.S., and this intervention violated Venezuelan sovereignty. Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, drew attention to this lawlessness by posting Article 2 of the United Nations Charter, the one stipulating that "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state." Even if the situations are very different, the coup in Venezuela is in effect what Russia attempted (but failed) to do in February 2022 in Ukraine.

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The intervention probably also violates domestic U.S. law. It comes well after the period (if one starts the clock on Sept. 2, when the U.S. struck the first boat in the Caribbean) during which the administration, under the Nixon-era War Powers Resolution, should have sought Congressional approval. Democrats in the House and Senate have tried and failed to reassert the legislative branch's constitutional authority over waging war, but the Republicans in the majority have shielded Trump. Whether they will continue to do so depends on what happens next in Venezuela.

As indeed does everything. "We are going to run the country" until a transition is complete, Trump told the press. That's quite a non sequitur from a man who spent years accusing his predecessors of trying and failing to administer Iraq and other places they barely understood.

If Venezuela and its region instead spiral into chaos and suffering, Trump will merely look like a bully, a president who cowers when facing the mighty  in Moscow or Beijing, say  but bombs those who can't return fire, whether in Nigeria, Yemen or Venezuela. He will go down in history as an American president who buried international law and ushered in anarchy.

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But if Venezuela, after inevitable turmoil in the near term, thrives, perhaps even helping to spread regional prosperity and security, those qualms won't matter. Trump will have made one part of the world better, and freed resources that America can, if it is wise, redeploy to stabilize other regions. In that outcome, the costs will have been worth it, and Trump will deserve credit.
This map shows temperatures as of 3 p.m. Tuesday that could bring record warmth, according to the GFS weather forecast model. Both Camp Mabry, Austins official climate observation site, and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport could see record highs Tuesday. GFS forecast model/Pivotal Weather

The first full week of 2026 promises warmth in Austin before a late-week cold front knocks temperatures back.

Until that cold front arrives, near-record warmth is possible from Austin and the Dallas-Fort Worth area to Houston. High temperatures in the lower and mid-80s are expected much of this week, with some areas also contending with foggy morning commutes.

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Monday morning fog

This unusually warm stretch of weather in what historically is the coldest month of the year is why fog could slow you down early Monday.

Dense fog moved into South Texas during the overnight hours and could remain a problem through 10 or 11 a.m. It is most concentrated near and south of Austin, which means commutes along the Interstate 35 corridor could be slower than normal. If you do encounter low visibility, ensure your low beams are on and slow down.

This image shows where fog could reduce visibility across South-Central Texas early Monday, especially between Austin and San Antonio. WeatherBELL

Foggy mornings are going to persist this week outside of Austin, especially along the Interstate 10 corridor between San Antonio and Houston. For Austin, while patchy fog cant be ruled out other days this week, Monday is when its expected to be most widespread.

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Austin to see more 80-degree days

The calendar says its January, but it will feel more like late March or April with highs in the 80s expected.

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Monday is the coolest day through midweek, thanks to mostly cloudy skies. Peak daytime temperaures in the mid-70s are expected, which still would be more than 10 degrees above early-January norms.

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A dry, warm southwesterly wind will push temperatures into the lower and mid-80s by Tuesday afternoon. The record high for Austin was set in 1989, when both Camp Mabry  the citys official climate observation site  and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport reached 84 degrees.

Well likely see a repeat of that kind of near-record warmth Wednesday as temps reach the lower 80s. The record for Wednesday is 80 degrees, set in 2008 at Camp Mabry and 1978 at the airport.

Afternoon temperatures drop back into the 70s by Thursday and Friday ahead of our next cold front.

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Late-week cold front

A Pacific cold front will approach Austin late Thursday into Friday. This front could bring a few isolated rain chances, especially along and east of I-35.

Not all of us will see rain: Most of us will miss out on much-needed showers entirely. What this front will bring is temperatures that are much more typical of January. By the upcoming weekend, well swap afternoon highs in the 80s for peak temperatures in the 60s.

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This map from the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center shows the temperature outlook through Jan. 17 across Texas. Above-normal warmth is expected across the northern half of Texas, with near-normal temperatures expected for the rest of the state. Climate Prediction Center / Pivotal Weather
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COLOMBO, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka is "deeply concerned" about the recent developments in Venezuela and is closely monitoring the situation, read a statement issued Monday by the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism.

The statement noted that Sri Lanka emphasizes the need to respect principles of international law and the UN Charter, such as the prohibition of the use of force, non-intervention, peaceful settlement of international disputes, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.

Sri Lanka attaches great importance to the safety and well-being of the people of Venezuela and the stability of the region, and calls on all parties to prioritize peaceful resolution through de-escalation and dialogue, said the statement. 
BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) is committed to building a high-quality platform and providing comprehensive services for business cooperation between China and the Republic of Korea (ROK), Ren Hongbin, chairman of the CCPIT, said on Monday.

Ren made the remarks at a China-ROK business forum in Beijing that was organized by the CCPIT and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). Approximately 400 representatives of the governments and business communities in both countries participated in the event.

China has remained the ROK's largest trade partner for 21 consecutive years.

The fact that hundreds of business representatives have gathered here at the very beginning of 2026, despite their demanding schedules, speaks volumes about the high expectations the business community holds for economic cooperation between the two countries, said KCCI and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won.

China and the ROK should leverage their complementary strengths through industrial innovation and stable supply chains, and work together to explore new opportunities beyond their respective markets, according to Chinese entrepreneurs at the forum.

Broadly, they noted that while strengthening long-standing areas of collaboration, both countries should tap the potential of emerging fields such as the artificial intelligence, biopharmaceuticals and green industries.

The flow of people between nations forms the basis of exchange and cooperation. Following the mutual implementation of visa facilitation between China and the ROK, travel trends among young people have gained clear momentum.

Cultural tours in Seoul and Korean-style beauty experiences have become popular among Chinese youth, while flying to Shanghai after work on Friday has emerged as a new trend among their peers from the ROK.

The CCPIT is willing to propel the sound, steady development of bilateral economic relations between China and the ROK, deliver greater benefits to the two countries and their peoples, and open up new prospects for win-win cooperation, Ren said. 
BRUSSELS, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. forcible seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from their residence has stunned the world and sparked widespread outrage.

However, Western countries -- longtime U.S. allies and self-styled guardians of human rights -- found themselves in a diplomatic bind, as they offered ambiguous responses, distancing themselves from the actions while stressing the need to respect international law and refraining from direct criticism.

"European leaders cannot issue a fully clear position, and they are effectively trying to straddle the middle ground," said Cui Hongjian, director of the European studies department at Beijing Foreign Studies University, as cited in a report by the South China Morning Post.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Britain was "not involved in any way" in the U.S. operation in Venezuela. Starmer, a former lawyer specialising in human rights, told the media that "I always say and believe we should all uphold international law." However, he did not say whether he thought the U.S. military actions broke it.

In an X post on Sunday, Starmer said Britain would "establish all the facts" in what was a fast-moving situation. In a later post, he said the country "has long supported a transition of power in Venezuela. We regarded Maduro as an illegitimate President and we shed no tears about the end of his regime."

An analysis published by The Guardian on Sunday noted that "European leaders emerged divided and torn" in their response to Maduro's seizure, but they still expressed their commitment to upholding international law "that did not appear to allow (U.S. President) Donald Trump to seize Nicolas Maduro, let alone declare that the U.S. will run Venezuela and control its oil industry."

On social media X, European Council President Antonio Costa said the European Union (EU) was following the situation in Venezuela "with great concern" and urged de-escalation, calling for a resolution in full respect of international law and the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. He reaffirmed the EU's support for a peaceful, democratic and inclusive solution in Venezuela.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had also called for restraint, stressing that the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected.

The upcoming transition must be peaceful, democratic, and respectful of the will of the Venezuelan people, said French President Emmanuel Macron in a social media post on Saturday.

"Passing legal judgment on the US operation is complex. We will take the time needed," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a statement, stressing that international law should be followed.

"Dramatic development in Venezuela, which we are following closely. We need to get back on track toward de-escalation and dialogue. International law must be respected," Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen wrote on X.

"Some statements from the EU were quite hypocritical," said Hrvoje Klasic, a Croatian historian and professor at the University of Zagreb. "The EU should have developed an exit strategy from that so-called alliance a long time ago, because it is no longer that, it is servitude to the USA." "The world is going in a very dangerous direction," he was cited by news portal KoSSev as saying.

Among Western countries, Spain and Latin American countries share deep cultural and historical ties, and their statements are closely watched. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a social media post on Saturday that Spain did not recognize the Maduro administration. But neither will it recognize an intervention that violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and belligerence.

The U.S. actions "constitute an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security," said a joint statement released by Spain and five Latin American countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay).

These countries reiterated that "the situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively by peaceful means, through dialogue, negotiation, and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people in all its expressions, without external interference and in accordance with international law." 
A U.S. soldier in Bavaria was seriously injured Jan. 4, 2026, after colliding with oncoming traffic on the B85 highway between Pegnitz and Auerbach, Germany, according to police. (Rettungssani/Wikicommons)

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GRAFENWOEHR, Germany  A U.S. soldier in southern Germany was seriously injured over the weekend after losing control of his vehicle on slick, snowy roads.

The unidentified 27-year-old was driving his Dodge Challenger on the B85 highway between Pegnitz and Auerbach at 4:25 p.m. Sunday when he lost control due to icy conditions, Pegnitz police said in a statement.

The vehicle then crossed the median and collided with oncoming traffic. The crash site is about 20 miles west of U.S. Army Garrison Bavarias Tower Barracks in Grafenwoehr.

Its unclear where the soldier is stationed and what his unit assignment is. A garrison spokeswoman acknowledged receipt of questions Monday but did not immediately provide further information.

The Challenger struck a BMW with three occupants ranging in age from 17 to 21, and another car that was carrying two people, police said. The injuries to those in the other vehicles were minor, according to the statement.

Police assessed the damage from the crash at about $60,000.

At least four other crashes occurred that same day, police said.

The region was pounded last week by bad weather that included freezing temperatures and several inches of snow.

The conditions led to weather advisories on bases in the region and early dismissals for certain soldiers and Defense Department civilians.

Stars and Stripes reporter Marcus Kloeckner contributed to this article.
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The Japan coast guard warns Chinese coast guard vessels away from the Senkaku Islands in April 2024. (Ishigaki city)



Chinese coast guard vessels sailed near the Senkaku Islands 357 times last year, setting a record for the fourth year in a row amid increased tension between Beijing and Tokyo.

In 2024, Chinas coast guard was spotted 355 times in the contiguous zone around the uninhabited island group, which is administered by Japan, a spokeswoman for Japans coast guard said by phone Monday. That year in turn broke 2023s record of 352 sightings.

The contiguous zone is a 24-mile-wide band beyond the 12-mile territorial limit. Countries may exercise limited control in their contiguous zones, according to the United Nations.

The Senkakus, also claimed by China and Taiwan, include five islets and three reefs 105 miles east of Taiwan and 254 miles west of Okinawa.

The situation surrounding the Senkaku Islands is becoming increasingly severe, and the situation remains unpredictable, Seishiro Sakamoto, commander of Japans 11th Regional Coast Guard, said in a statement the spokeswoman emailed Monday.

We will continue to conduct surveillance and vigilance activities with a high sense of urgency so as not to miss even the slightest change and will take all possible measures to protect our territorial waters, Sakamoto said.

China refers to the islands as Diaoyu and maintains that its activities in the adjacent waters are legitimate and lawful, then-Foreign Ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao told reporters in July 2022.

The Japanese side has no right to point fingers over these activities, he said.

Last year, the Chinese coast guard sailed 27 times into territorial waters around the Senkakus, most recently on Dec. 10, the Japanese coast guard spokeswoman said. On eight instances, the Chinese ships chased Japanese fishing vessels past the territorial limit.

Chinas coast guard entered the Senkakus territorial waters 39 times in 2024, she said. The record is 52 times in 2013, according to the coast guard.

China also set a record in 2024 and 2025 for consecutive days sailing within the Senkakus contiguous zone. Vessels were spotted there for 335 days between Nov. 19, 2024, and Oct. 19, according to the spokeswoman.

The previous record was 215 days between Dec. 22, 2023, and July 23, 2024, according to the coast guard.

The area is believed to contain oil reserves and other resources, fueling Chinese challenges to Japans claim over the islands since the 1970s, according to Japans Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Tensions between the two countries escalated when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a November parliamentary session warned that Japan could use military force if China attacks Taiwan. Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to unify the self-governing island with the mainland, by force if necessary.

The Pentagon has identified China as an aggressive presence in the East and South China seas and a global pacing challenge in its 2022 National Defense Strategy.

The 2025 National Security Strategy includes a focus on competing with China economically and militarily in the Indo-Pacific region, by prioritizing acquiring weapons such as long-range manned and un-manned aircraft.

Some Japanese government officials speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.
A North American Aerospace Defense Command F-16 Fighting Falcon lands at Pituffik Space Force Base in Greenland on Oct. 7, 2025. President Donald Trump renewed his push for the United States to take control of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. (Maxim Dewolf/U.S. Air Force)



President Donald Trump renewed his push for the United States to take control of Greenland, saying over the weekend that the Danish territory will be more of a focal point for his administration in a matter of months.

We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it, Trump told reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One.

Alarms were raised in Denmark and elsewhere in NATO by Trumps latest Greenland comments, which came one day after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by American special operations forces.

The new U.S. national security strategy puts the Western Hemisphere at the top of the Pentagons agenda, and Trump has had an interest in the strategic Atlantic island since his first term.

The United States already has a military presence in Greenland, home to the Pituffik Space Base and a ballistic missile early warning mission that involves about 200 active-duty U.S. Air Force and Space Force personnel.

Its unclear whether more military access would satisfy Trump or whether the White House is seeking complete political control.

You know what Denmark did recently to boost up security in Greenland? They added one more dogsled, Trump said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Sunday lashed out at the remarks.

I have to say this very directly to the United States: It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland, Frederiksen said.

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, share a meal with service members at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on March 28, 2025. President Donald Trump raised alarm bells in NATO over the weekend with his latest remarks about U.S. interest in the Atlantic island, which is a Danish territory. (Jaime Sanchez/U.S. Space Force)



Frederiksen added that Greenland, as part of NATO, is protected by the alliances security guarantee and that the U.S. military already has extensive access to Greenland to carry out operations.

I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally, she said, adding that the territory and its inhabitants have repeatedly made it clear that they are not for sale.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb voiced support for Denmark and Greenland on X late Sunday.

No one decides for Greenland and Denmark but Greenland and Denmark themselves, Stubb said.

The developments could pose a major test for NATO unity in the coming year, according to some security analysts.

Mujtaba Rahman, an expert with the political risk consultancy firm the Eurasia Group, called the possibility of American intervention in Greenland the biggest source of risk to cohesion in the alliance.

The risks are arguably far greater than those presented by Russias invasion of Ukraine, Rahman said in a statement on LinkedIn.

His comments were a response to posts on X by Katie Miller, wife of Trumps deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, that featured an image of Greenland colored with the American flag and the word soon.

Since taking office, Trump and other top administration officials have repeatedly argued that the U.S. needs to take over Greenland, citing increased Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic as one of the driving factors.

All U.S. national security issues with Greenland could be addressed through existing agreements, said Luke Coffey, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

If Denmark cant handle the security situation like President Trump is suggesting then we should help them, not annex them, Coffey said Sunday on X.

The Danish ambassador to the U.S., Jesper Moeller Soerensen, had a similar reaction in response to Millers post, replying on X that Denmark and the U.S. should coordinate their efforts to secure Greenland together.

And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, Soerensen added.
GAZA/JERUSALEM, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least four Palestinians were killed and two others wounded on Monday in an Israeli airstrike on a tent sheltering displaced people in southern Gaza, according to Palestinian medical sources and eyewitnesses.

Eyewitnesses said an Israeli drone fired two missiles at the tent in the Al-Qarara area, northwest of Khan Younis. The wounded were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis for treatment, medical sources told Xinhua.

Earlier in the day, Israeli warplanes struck Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza, as well as areas near the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, according to local sources.

The sources said Israeli forces also carried out demolition operations on residential buildings on Gaza's eastern outskirts and shelled several areas under their control.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Monday that it struck "in accordance with the ceasefire agreement" a Hamas militant who was planning "an imminent attack" against Israeli troops in southern Gaza.

"Troops in the Southern Command remain deployed and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat," it said.

On Monday, the Government Operations Room for Emergency Interventions in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing launched a "Right To Shelter Gaza" campaign, calling on the international community to pressure Israel to allow the entry of mobile homes as urgent humanitarian aid.

Separately, Gaza-based health authorities said on Monday that two Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025 to 422. The four Palestinians killed earlier on Monday are not included in this count.

Since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, a total of 71,388 Palestinians have been killed and 171,269 others wounded, according to the authorities. 
A federal grand jury in Florida indicted Navy sailors Jacinth Bailey and Morgan Chambers. They are accused of entering into sham marriages with Chinese nationals as part of a broader scheme involving at least two other sailors. (Joshua Magbanua/U.S. Air Force)



Two Navy sailors are facing federal charges for what authorities say were sham marriages with Chinese immigrants seeking U.S. residency.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jacinth Bailey and Petty Officer 2nd Class Morgan Chambers are charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, federal court records show.

Bailey and Chambers were to receive $45,000 and $35,000, respectively, as part of the scheme to recruit American citizens, preferably U.S. service members, prosecutors said in separate filings last month in federal court in Jacksonville.

Bailey is an aviation boatswains mate assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. She enlisted in the Navy in September 2021, according to her official bio. Chambers enlisted in the service in June 2019 and is a personnel specialist assigned to the Navy Talent Acquisition Group in Jacksonville, her official bio says.

If convicted, Bailey and Chambers face up to five years in prison. Neither of them has appeared in court or entered a plea, but each waived their right to be formally indicted. Their attorneys declined comment on Monday, citing the pending case.

At least two other sailors are involved in the case.

In August, former Navy recruiter Brinio Urena pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, The New York Times reported on Friday.

As part of his plea deal, Urena admitted to marrying a Chinese woman for money in August 2024 and helping recruit fellow service members to do the same. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 21.

Navy reservist Raymond Zumba pleaded guilty in July to attempting to bribe a Naval Air Station Jacksonville official in exchange for fraudulent military identification cards for two ineligible people with links to China. Zumbas sentencing in that case is set for Jan. 14.

Separately, he also faces a charge of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud related to his April 2024 wedding to a Chinese national, according to a Dec. 5 federal court filing in Jacksonville.

A Dec. 12 court entry indicates that Zumba agreed to plead guilty in the case. His attorney did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment.

Urena and Zumba were not named in charging documents for Bailey and Chambers.

But in their Dec. 5 filing, prosecutors said Zumba recruited Urena in May 2024 to enter a sham marriage. After Urenas wedding, Zumba asked him to obtain a military identification card for his new wife because it would help the immigration process, according to the filing.

He also asked Urena to help him find and recruit other U.S. citizens who would be willing to marry Chinese nationals and facilitate their immigration status for money, the filing states.

In October 2024, Urena and an unidentified Navy sailor contacted another service member to recruit her for marriage to an unidentified Chinese national. About a month later, Urena introduced the service member to Zumba, who specified the payment terms, according to the filing.

That marriage took place on Jan. 2, 2025, after Zumba and another unidentified co-conspirator drove the service member and her soon-to-be husband from New York City to a Connecticut courthouse, according to court documents.

The documents do not name the service member involved, but the dates and payment terms are consistent with information contained in a court filing for Bailey.

Afterward, Bailey attended a sham wedding party, during which photographs were taken to substantiate the legitimacy of the marriage for immigration application purposes. Bailey also was paid $10,000 at the party, court documents show.

She also was asked to apply for and obtain a military identification card for the Chinese national that would allow him access to U.S. military facilities, prosecutors say.

Chambers flew to Las Vegas in October 2024 for her wedding and afterward was paid $10,000 cash in a restaurant restroom, court documents state.

A separate court document indicates that Urena flew with an unidentified co-conspirator for a sham wedding in Las Vegas on the same October 2024 day.

The scheme came to light during a conversation between Zumba and a confidential informant, court records show.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., joins veterans and other Democratic lawmakers on May 6, 2025, at a rally on Capitol Hill. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)



WASHINGTON  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday censured Sen. Mark Kelly and moved to demote his military rank after telling troops in a video they could refuse unlawful orders.

The Department of War  and the American people  expect justice, Hegseth posted on X. The Department of War is the secondary name for the Defense Department after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in September.

In November, Kelly, a retired Navy captain, participated in a video alongside five other Democratic lawmakers who served in the military and intelligence community urging service members to remember their oaths to the Constitution and disobey illegal orders. Kelly, D-Ariz., retired from the Navy in 2011 and is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which conducts congressional oversight of the Pentagon.

The Pentagon launched a review at the time.

In response to Kellys seditious statements, Hegseth said the Pentagon initiated retirement grade proceedings, which could result in grade reduction and retirement pay. Hegseth also issued a formal letter of censure, saying it is a necessary step and will be placed on Kellys permanent military personnel file.

Captain Kelly has been provided notice of the basis for this action and has 30 days to submit a response. The retirement grade determination process directed by Secretary Hegseth will be completed within 45 days, Hegseth wrote. Captain Kellys status as a sitting United States senator does not exempt him from accountability, and further violations could result in further action.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a news conference to discuss Operation Absolute Resolve on Jan. 3, 2026 in Palm Beach, Fla. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is at left, and President Donald Trump is at right. (Department of Defense)



Hegseth added these actions are based on comments made by Kelly from June to December 2025 in which he characterized lawful military operations as illegal and counseled members of the Armed Forces to refuse lawful orders.

Kelly responded on X by acknowledging he risked his life in more than 25 years of service, including 39 combat missions, to protect the country and defend the Constitution  including first amendment rights.

I never expected that the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense would attack me for doing exactly that, Kelly said. Pete Hegseth wants to send the message to every single retired service member that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesnt like, they will come after them the same way. Its outrageous, and it is wrong. I will fight this with everything Ive got.

Kelly appeared in the video alongside Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, who previously worked as a CIA analyst; and Reps. Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, a former Navy reservist; Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, a former Air Force officer; Jason Crow of Colorado, a former Army Ranger; and Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, a Navy veteran.

In the video, Kelly addresses the military and intelligence community, saying Like us, you swore an oath. He later states, Our laws are clear: you can refuse illegal orders.

At the time, the Pentagon came under scrutiny after a Sept. 2 attack on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean. Lawmakers called for investigations into the attack after news reports revealed the first strike had failed to destroy the boat and left two survivors clinging to the wreckage.

The Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees in December said they were satisfied with the Pentagons explanation and would not pursue further congressional oversight of the episode.
U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the media during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club on Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump confirmed that the U.S. military carried out a large-scale strike in Caracas overnight, resulting in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/TNS)



President Donald Trump warned other drug-producing nations in the Western Hemisphere that he wouldnt long tolerate the flow of illegal substances to the U.S.

A day after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to stand trial in the U.S., Trump said several other nations need to change their ways.

Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States and hes not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you, Trump told reporters Sunday evening aboard Air Force One.

He was referring to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a frequent Trump critic who denounced the weekend raid.

Trump has complained about the flow of drugs into the U.S. and used economic and military action to try to slow it. He imposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada over fentanyl imports. The U.S. has struck and sunk boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean that his administration claimed were trafficking drugs.

Trump said his campaign against Venezuela would weaken Cuba, one of Venezuelas closest allies, by reducing income to Havana. He noted that a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday in the U.S. operation in and around Caracas. Cuban soldiers assist the Venezuelan military.

Cuba looks like it is ready to fall, Trump said, without offering evidence beyond its weakened economic state. I dont think we need any action.

Trump took a slightly more conciliatory tone over Mexico, one of the more prolific drug-trafficking countries in the hemisphere. He has maintained a cordial relationship with its leader, Claudia Sheinbaum.

Mexico has to get their act together, because theyre pouring through Mexico. And were going to have to do something, Trump said, adding that he has repeatedly offered Sheinbaum the U.S. military to clean up the situation there. She has rejected his offer publicly.

Wed love Mexico to do it. Theyre capable of doing it, he added. But unfortunately, the cartels are very strong in Mexico.

With assistance from Maria Paula Mijares Torres.

2026 Bloomberg L.P.

Visit bloomberg.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
More than 1.8 million Purple Heart medals have been awarded. The medal recognizes the sacrifices and contributions of service members seriously wounded or killed in enemy action. (Melissa Buckley/Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office)



WASHINGTON  An Iraq War veteran has petitioned the Army, claiming it failed to award him the Purple Heart for combat-related injuries suffered more than 20 years ago.

The medal, which honors extraordinary service and sacrifice on the battlefield, also unlocks medical and financial benefits for recipients and their survivors. There is no statutory time limit for awarding the Purple Heart.

Stephen J. Froom, of Colorado, a former military police soldier, argues in a petition to the Army Review Boards Agency that the military failed to consider his injuries and act to award him the Purple Heart in multiple instances.

Purple Heart medals recognize service members seriously wounded or killed in enemy action. Frooms petition was submitted as a request to correct his military records. The award is usually a command responsibility, but the petition process is a path for correcting an omission.

Veterans awarded Purple Hearts also may qualify for special monthly compensation added to their VA disability payments, depending on the severity of injuries. The enhanced payments are to help veterans with serious medical needs.

Froom has a 100% disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, two traumatic brain injuries that caused him to lose consciousness, a shrapnel wound and other injuries, according to a Petition for Correction filed with the Army Review Boards Agency.

But more than 20 years after deployment, Froom is still fighting to receive the recognition he rightly deserves, said Allison Weber, his attorney. This is about his effort to preserve his own legacy and to shed light on the contributions of other members of his unit.

He also is seeking a Distinguished Service Cross or Silver Star for his service. The medals are the Armys second- and third-highest decorations for valor, respectively.

This is about claiming my legacy. Money has never been a motivator for me, Froom said about his efforts for the formal recognition. I have these events that shaped my life but no proof of them.

Froom participated in missions to overthrow Saddam Husseins government and to restore order to the country, according to the petition. He served with the 204th Military Police Company.

Frooms injuries were related to an ambush, grenade attack, firefight and car bombing while he was stationed in Iraq in 2003 and 2004, according to the petition.

There is no formal count on the number of petitions retroactively filed seeking Purple Hearts, according to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.

This request is made on the basis of error and injustice, in that [Specialist] Froom was injured as the result of combat, Weber wrote in a letter that accompanied his petition.

The Purple Heart is awarded automatically to service members wounded in combat or by specific hostile acts, according to the Army.

Despite contemporaneous documentation and eyewitness accounts, the associated awards were never formally reviewed, Weber wrote. He has previously exhausted all administrative remedies available to him.

The Purple Heart also helps recipients with their medical care, disability claims and tuition assistance.

Army Specialist Stephen Froom, right, stands with Specialist Joshua Gutierrez in Iraq. Froom, who served as a military police soldier, has petitioned the Army for the Purple Heart medal for his injuries in an ambush, grenade attack, firefight and a car bombing while stationed in Iraq in 2003 and 2004. (Stephen Froom)



Recipients receive priority status for processing disability claims, according to the VA.

A Purple Heart medal may help qualify a veteran for special monthly compensation based on the seriousness of injuries, in addition to disability payments. The amount depends on the injury and impact on daily living. Examples of qualifying injuries include loss of a hand or limb, blindness or being permanently bedridden and unable to perform routine functions, such as bathing and dressing.

A Purple Heart  and its documentation  serves as strong evidence that your injury occurred in combat, which is crucial for proving service connection for severe conditions that qualify for special monthly compensation or combat-related special compensation, according to the VA.

Purple Heart recipients do not have copayments on outpatient services and hospitalizations at the VA. They receive priority status in scheduling VA medical appointments.

Recipients are granted full post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits, regardless of time on active duty. They receive preferences for federal government job opportunities, too.

Family members also may be eligible for health coverage, tuition assistance and other benefits.

Weber wrote that the high op-tempo and various distractions during Frooms deployment led to oversight in recognizing him.

Froom was a highly respected soldier and combat leader, who regularly exposed himself to danger to further the mission and protect his fellow unit members, Weber wrote.

If his petition fails, Froom has the option to challenge the decision. He can sue in federal district court if an appeal is denied.

The Defense Department has not awarded Purple Hearts for PTSD, because the condition is classified as a psychological illness, not a physical injury.

Froom experienced extreme PTSD as a result of his deployment, according to the petition. He has had depression, painful memories and mental instability.

I do have PTSD, but I do not feel it alone meets the standard for a Purple Heart, Froom said.

But theres growing pressure by veterans groups for the Defense Department to revisit Purple Heart eligibility, according to DisabledVeterans.org, an advocacy group founded by Benjamin Krause, an Air Force veteran and attorney.

Veterans with combat-related PTSD may be denied certain honors because their injuries are not seen, Krause said.

They often struggle to explain the depth of their trauma to a system that often only acknowledges physical harm, Krause said.
CONAKRY, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- President-elect of the Republic of Guinea Mamady Doumbouya has vowed to work for unity, the rule of law and shared prosperity in the west African country.

Addressed the nation on Sunday, Doumbouya thanked Guinean people for their maturity, calm and strong sense of responsibility throughout the presidential election process, which he said showcased the country's ability to advance its political process in accordance with the law and with respect for institutions.

"There are neither winners nor losers today. There is only one Guinea, united and indivisible," he said, calling on people across the country to rise above differences, strengthen unity and jointly participate in national development.

Doumbouya said that his new term would be guided by the principles of hard work, rigor and unity, with priority given to economic development and improving people's livelihoods.

He pledged to strengthening the rule of law, enhancing public services and advancing reforms in key sectors such as education, health and infrastructure, so that the fruits of development would benefit all citizens.

The government would continue to maintain dialogue with all segments of society, consolidate national stability, promote social reconciliation, and deepen cooperation with regional countries and the international community on the basis of mutual respect, Doumbouya said.

The new term would mark an important stage in "jointly writing a new chapter in Guinea's history," he said, vowing to serve the country and its people with a strong sense of responsibility, and strive to achieve lasting peace and prosperity.

Guinea's Supreme Court on Sunday evening confirmed the final results of the Dec. 28 presidential election, declaring Doumbouya the winner with 86.72 percent of the vote. 
JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola on Monday criticized the recent military action by the United States against Venezuela, saying it violates the Charter of United Nations, international law as well as Venezuela's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Lamola made the remarks ahead of a UN Security Council meeting, noting that international solidarity and collective action have brought stability to the world.

"We cannot return to the period after the First World War, when there were no rules and no world order based on international law," Lamola said, stressing South Africa's commitment to a principle-based approach both domestically and internationally.

South Africa has called on the UN Security Council to urgently convene to address the situation in a statement issued last Saturday, stressing that the UN Charter does not authorize external military intervention in matters that fall essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of a sovereign state.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was brought to a Manhattan federal court on Monday to face "narco-terrorism" charges filed by the U.S. administration.

Earlier, U.S. military launched a series of attacks against Venezuela Saturday morning, during which Maduro was captured and flown out of the country along with his wife. 
Jorge Pastor Granada Monday, 5 January 2026, 17:31 Share

Monday 29 December was the deadline for submitting applications for the European Capital of Culture 2031. Now we know that the next milestone for Granada is 15 January when representatives from the city will travel to Madrid for the pre-selection process, from which the shortlist of candidates will be drawn up.

The twelve experts will evaluate on the basis of the sixty-page bid which was presented on Monday and representatives from Granada will have 30 minutes to present its proposal and be subjected to an hour-long question and answer session. In those first thirty minutes, the animated short film Elvira and the Treasure, by Manuel Sicilia, will be screened and there will be several interventions, including one by mayor Marifran Carazo.

It is likely that David Jimenez-Blanco, commissioner of Granada 2031 together with the former rector Pilar Aranda and the poet Luis Garcia Montero, will be on hand to answer questions, which will be in English.

From there, the city will have to wait for the experts to decide who will go on to the final phase. The number of cities is not known, although in the last two rounds, in the case of France there were four and in the case of Belgium, three.
Archive image of a re-enactment of the Battle of Pensacola in Macharaviaya for the 4th of July.

Eugenio Cabezas Monday, 5 January 2026, 16:12 Share

The village of Macharaviaya in Malaga province's Axarquia has intensified its ties to the USA ahead of this year's 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The town hall has held an official meeting with representatives of the US Embassy in Spain, which took place in Malaga city, during which possible lines of cultural and commemorative collaboration were discussed.

The meeting was attended by the mayor of Macharaviaya, Antonio Campos and the president of the Association of the Order of Grenadiers and Ladies of Galvez de Macharaviaya, Alfonso Aurioles, together with the cultural attache of the American Embassy, Catherine Muller, and Cristina Torras, coordinator of programmes and exchanges of the public diplomacy section, accompanied by the consular agent Roberta Aaron.

The exhibition 'Macharaviaya Universal', which would trace the relationship between Spain and America, was presented at the meeting.

During the meeting, the exhibition 'Macharaviaya Universal' was presented. This will trace the historical relationship between Spain and the USA through role of the Galvez family, with special attention to the figure of Bernardo de Galvez. Considered a hero in the United States for his decisive military and diplomatic support during the war of independence against the British, he was born in Macharaviaya.

The US Embassy in Spain expressed its interest in learning about the programme planned by Macharaviaya and in exploring ways of institutional and cultural cooperation. During the visit, Muller presented Macharaviaya town hall with the official commemorative medal 'America 250'.

This reinforcement of international relations is in addition to the recent official visit of the president of the Pensacola City Council (Florida), Allison Patton, who travelled to Macharaviaya to see first hand the local heritage and the historical links that have united both communities for more than two centuries. Patton was received at the town hall by Campos and the deputy mayor, Soledad Montanez, who underlined the symbolic and cultural value of this type of meeting.

During her stay, Patton showed a special interest in Bernardo de Galvez and the role that Macharaviaya plays as the homeland of the Galvez family, a legacy that continues to unite the village and cities like Pensacola. "It is exciting to visit the place where such an important figure in the history of my country was born," said Patton, who expressed her willingness to continue strengthening the cultural, educational and academic ties between the two sides of the Atlantic.

Macharaviaya town hall said that the meetings have been "another step forward in the external projection of Macharaviaya" and in the consolidation of a shared historical story which, more than 250 years later, continues to generate opportunities for international collaboration in the cultural, heritage and tourist spheres.
Ignacio Lillo Malaga Monday, 5 January 2026, 12:26 Share

Malagas port is ending the year on a high note, with its best-ever performance in key indicators. While the usual metrics such as cargo and bulk traffic, cruise passenger numbers, and vehicle imports are commonly scrutinised, theres another factor that has played a pivotal role in the ports success: its global import-export connectivity.

According to the latest Port Connectivity Index report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Malaga has hit an all-time high in 2025, ranking fifth among Spanish ports.

This is highlighted in the latest report of the port connectivity index for goods, carried out by UNCTAD. The figures have been provided by Malaga's Port Authority.

5th port in the Spanish system with the greatest connectivity for the import and export of goods worldwide, thanks to a 36.6% increase in the past year

Among the maritime facilities whose connectivity has increased in the last quarter of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024, the increases in Malaga (36.6% more) stand out, ranking fifth among Spanish ports, followed by Las Palmas (28.7%, in fourth position); Vigo (14.2%, sixth); Castellon (0.47%, ninth) and Valencia (0.4%, first).

Spanish ports with worse performances

On the other hand, five of the ten main Spanish ports lowered their score in the last quarter of the year. This was the case for Algeciras, Barcelona, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Bilbao and Arrecife.

Of the ten large port facilities that experienced a drop in connectivity in the last quarter of 2025, Algeciras (7.2%) stands out, although it remains second in the national system. It is followed by Bilbao (6.1%, eighth); Santa Cruz de Tenerife (2.8%, seventh); Barcelona (2%, third) and Arrecife (1.3%, tenth).

The UNCTAD study is based on the number of scheduled vessel calls per week in the port; the annual capacity in TEUs (20-foot equivalent units); the number of scheduled liner shipping services; the number of shipping companies providing services; the size, in TEUs, of the largest vessel deployed on these services; and the number of other ports connected to the port under analysis by regular direct liner services.

Malaga is currently connected by sea with some of the main ports in Asia, the Persian Gulf, India, Latin America, the US and Canada, largely thanks to the impetus of the multinational MSC, one of the largest container shipping companies in the world. MSC has been operating in Malaga for 17 years, with a growing presence that includes transoceanic services to Asia, South America and the US.

At a recent forum organised by SUR and the Port Authority, Andalucia's branch manager of MSC Carlos de Castellvi highlighted the good connectivity and the success of the fruit and vegetable sector in Malaga. "MSC has connections with Sines-Gulf of Mexico-USA, direct service with Canada or Pakistan, etc. Malaga today is connected with the whole world. MSC is wherever the client asks it to be. That's what moves us," he stated.

Record freight

Malaga docks set a record for freight traffic in 2025. According to data provided by the Port Authority, the volume has exceeded five million tonnes. This represents an increase of 50% compared to before the pandemic.

Also very positive were the figures for the traffic of new imported vehicles from factories, where the figure exceeded 100,000 units for the first time, as well as the number of tourists on cruise ships, which exceeded 550,000 passengers.
Julio J. Portabales Monday, 5 January 2026, 12:15 Share

Since Ronda town hall assumed responsibility for the protection of historic heritage in March of last year, the management of urban development activities in the old town has undergone a substantial change. In just ten months, the municipal historical heritage commission has established itself as the body responsible for authorising work and projects in one of the towns most sensitive areas, reducing processing times and providing greater clarity in administrative procedures.

During this period, the commission has met on seven occasions and has processed a total of 112 applications related to urban planning and building work within Rondas historic quarter and its surrounding protection zones. According to the report presented by urban planning councillor Jesus Vazquez, this level of activity is particularly significant given that almost 40 per cent of Rondas urban area is subject to some form of heritage protection.

One of the most notable aspects of this report is the economic impact associated with authorised projects. Taken together, the approved schemes represent an estimated investment of around seven million euros, a significant figure for the local urban fabric and economy. The council said that this investment boost has been made possible by the streamlining of procedures, which previously depended on direct authorisation from the Andalusian regional governments department of culture and often took several months.

Of the 112 projects examined by the commission, 104 received a favourable report, representing 92.9 per cent of the total. A further four applications were approved subject to the correction of certain technical issues, while only four were rejected. Overall, more than 96 per cent of the proposals were able to go ahead, either directly or after the introduction of improvements.

Housing refurbishments

The profile of the projects also offers a clear insight into current priorities within the historic quarter. Around 70 per cent of the applications are linked to the rehabilitation of housing, focusing on existing buildings. These mainly involve full or partial refurbishments, as well as work on roofs, facades and courtyards, aimed at preserving the built heritage and encouraging residents to remain in these areas.

Alongside residential rehabilitation, the commission has dealt with projects related to economic activity, particularly in the hospitality and retail sectors, as well as works on urban infrastructure, utility connections and facilities of an educational, cultural or religious nature. Initiatives directly affecting the urban landscape have also been assessed, a key consideration in a town of high heritage and tourist value.

The local authority itself has played an active role as a promoter of public investment within the protected area. Since March, around ten projects aimed at improving public spaces have been submitted to the commission, focusing on issues such as safety, accessibility and the conservation of municipal heritage, both within the historic quarter and in its immediate surroundings.

The municipal report concludes with a positive assessment of the commissions performance and of the transfer of responsibilities to the council. According to the councillor, the experience of recent months demonstrates the bodys technical capacity to balance heritage protection with public investment and urban and residential revitalisation. This management model, he noted, was recognised in 2025 with the Andalusia urban planning award in the planning category, granted by the regional governments department of development.
A view of the exterior of the nightclub destroyed on New Year's Eve in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana.

R. C. Barcelona Monday, 5 January 2026, 19:52 Share

Spain's nightlife industry has expressed its dismay at the tragic fire in Crans-Montana (Switzerland), in which at least 40 people died - mostly young - and another 119 were injured - many critically - during New Year's Eve celebrations at a nightclub in the upscale ski resort. However, after it was officially announced that the leading hypothesis on the cause of the fire was the use of sparklers - in this case, attached to bottles of champagne - by some of those present, the industry has criticised the "dispersion and ambiguity" of the fire prevention regulations currently in force in Spain.

In this regard, the president of trade association Spain Nightlife stated last Friday that "every tragedy of this kind should serve to reinforce the sector's commitment to safety". In his opinion, "regulated and professional nightlife can and should be a safe space, provided that the rules are strictly followed and prevention is prioritised".

Similarly, Spain Nightlife's secretary-general and also president of the international nightlife business association in Spain, Joaquim Boadas, pointed out that the international safety and quality certifications promoted by his associations and their recently-published 'international guide to fire prevention in public venues' plus "all the work we are developing in official conferences on the nightlife industry, show that our sector is fully committed to safety".

The industry sector recalls the fire in October 2023 at the Fonda Milagros nightclub in Murcia, which resulted in the deaths of 13 people. That event, according to Boadas, "was a severe blow to the sector and a turning point in the collective reflection on the need to stregthen fire prevention, inspection and strict compliance with current regulations in Spain".

First sector-specific guide

In any case, as far as fire prevention regulations in Spain are concerned, they criticise the "clear dispersion and ambiguity on the matter". In fact, only Catalonia implicitly prohibits the use of sparklers at indoor events. "Although it doesn't explicitly state that sparklers are banned, it does prohibit these activities from 'using ignition sources or materials that generate a fire or sparks as they pose a fire risk'," explains Boadas.

At the national level, the Royal-Decree law on pyrotechnic articles and cartridges (RD 989/2015) governs the use of pyrotechnics in general, although it does not specifically address how to proceed when indoors. Meanwhile, the two aforementioned associations have created "the first fire prevention guide for public venues" in Spain.

During the two most recent conferences organised by both associations from the nightlife industry in 2023 and 2025, "fire safety was identified as one of the main structural challenges facing the sector".

These forums specifically addressed aspects such as the use of flammable materials, capacity management, accessibility and signage of emergency exits, staff training and the need to move towards more standardised technical and regulatory criteria.
Melchor Saiz-Pardo Monday, 5 January 2026, 17:41 | Updated 18:39h. Share

Spain's government has stepped up to lead the international opposition to the US's intervention in Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by order of Donald Trump.

After the initial lukewarm reaction of Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez's government, which did not initially condemn the attack, on Sunday Spain joined the five most important Latin American democracies currently governed by the left (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay) to show its rejection of "unilateral military actions".

The joint statement, signed by the governments of Pedro Sanchez, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Gabriel Boric, Gustavo Petro, Claudia Sheinbaum and Yamandu Orsi, warns that Washington's intervention "contravenes fundamental principles" of international law, in particular the ban of the use and threat of force, as well as "respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states", principles enshrined in the UN charter. As stated by the leaders of the six countries, the actions of the US constitute "an extremely dangerous precedent for regional peace and security" and "put the civilian population at risk".

The statement highlights that the Venezuelan crisis "must be resolved exclusively through peaceful means", such as "dialogue, negotiation and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people", without external interference and in strict accordance with international law. It states that "only an inclusive political process, led by the Venezuelan people", can lead to "a democratic, sustainable and respectful of human dignity solution".

The statement also reaffirms the shared commitment to peace in the "zone of peace" that is "Latin America and the Caribbean", built on the "peaceful settlement of disputes and non-intervention". The countries call for "unity beyond political differences" in the face of any action that threatens the stability of the area.

At the multilateral level, they urge the UN Secretary General and member states to "use their good offices" to "contribute to the de-escalation of tensions and the preservation of peace".

Finally, the six world leaders state their concern over "any attempt at government control, administration or external appropriation of natural or strategic resources", warning that these practices are "incompatible with international law" and "threaten the political, economic and social stability of the zone".
Brewerton, N.Y.  The state of New York is giving a packaging equipment maker a $1 million incentive to move a production line from Quebec to Brewerton.

Empire State Development, the states economic development arm, said it has agreed to give Schneider Packaging Equipment Co. a $500,000 grant and $500,000 in Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits in return for relocating the production line from its sister plant in Quebec.

The move will create 20 jobs at the companys plant on Guy Young Road in Brewerton, state officials said in a news release.

The grant will come from the states Regional Council Capital Fund.

Schneider has designed and manufactured robotic packaging equipment in Onondaga County for 55 years. It currently employs 145 people in Brewerton.

The company was founded by Dick Schneider in 1970. His son Rick sold the company to three members of its executive team in 2018. Pacteon Group acquired the company the following year.

Pacteon bought Quebec-based Phoenix Wrappers, a supplier of semiautomatic and fully automatic stretch wrapping equipment, in 2021.

Empire State Development said the move to Brewerton will increase the capacity of the production line.
A small group of Syracuse parents met at May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society church in the late 1960s after receiving a postcard in the mail asking if they were interested in alternative learning for their children.

Alternative schooling, defined as child-led, experiential and diverse learning, was on the rise in America at that time. These parents thought their kids could benefit from that type of educational setting, which traditional public schools lacked then.

They started their own alternative school in Syracuse, called Jowonio, a word from the Onondaga Nation language that means to set free.

It was an extraordinary notion at the time, the schools founder Peter Knoblock said in 2019.

Jowonio did not begin as a special needs school.

Peter Knoblock at his home in Syracuse in 2011. Knoblock, a PHd Professor Emeritus at Syracuse University won the Ficchi Lifetime in Education Award winner that year. Photo By Frank Ordonez / The Post-Standard Frank Ordonez

But it quickly developed into that as people learned more about alternative education, Knoblock told CNY Magazine in 2009. We didnt really make a big deal about childrens special needs. We had the supports for them, but we just put them alongside everyone else. That was pretty unusual at the time.

The school was the first of its kind. Jowonio started in his basement in 1969 and it introduced a new model of the American preschool, The Post-Standard said.

It was a nonprofit school where children of all abilities could learn together.

Ive never thought of myself as that much of a risk taker, but I was intrigued with alternative ways to educate children, Knoblock said in 2012. I would say it took a lot of chutzpah. I just marched on.

Peter Knoblock passed away on Dec. 26, 2025. He was 91 years old.

According to his obituary, Knoblock was born in Passaic, N.J., during the Depression. His family moved often in his early years, causing him to seek a settled home foundation in adulthood.

At the University of Michigan, Knoblock was among the first to receive a joint doctorate in psychology and education. His interest in integrated education began there, while working with a small group of children with Down syndrome.

They were great kids, and I couldnt figure out why they couldnt be in school, Knoblock remembered in 2011. They were interesting and spontaneous - and they were learning.

In 1962, he came to Syracuse University and spent 34 years as a Professor of Special Education, where he prepared teachers to work with special needs children. He also pioneered a field-based teacher education program in which his students worked daily in the citys schools.

Peters vision of home was extended to include students who were not being served by schools at the time, drawing him to establish a team which sought out and served chronically truant youth in community settings, Knoblocks obituary said.

Jowonio was his greatest achievement.

Ive always believed that children regardless of their labels or abilities or disabilities needed to be together in school, Knoblock once said. And in society.

The whole notion of school should really be to empower youngsters and teachers. Theres so much good residing within the individual. We just wanted to find ways to bring that out. Thats what education should be.

Peter Knoblock. receives a 2012 Person of Achievement Award from Post-Standard Executive Editor Mike Connor. David Lassman / The Post-Standard David Lassman

Today, 56 years later, Jowonio continues its mission to provide a model inclusive education environment where students of all abilities are supported to learn and grow together, to reach their full potential, his obituary said.

Knoblock was active in many organizations locally, including Parents for Public Schools (PPS), Alliance for Communities Transforming Syracuse (ACTS), the Early Childhood Alliance and the Thursday Morning Roundtable.

He enjoyed serving as a docent for many post-retirement years at the Everson Museum of Art.

Knoblock was honored by the Parents for Public Schools with the Mary Ficchi Lifetime Achievement in Education award in 2011. A year later, he was awarded a Post Standard Achievement Award for leadership in education.

Following his retirement from Syracuse University, he opened a private psychology practice which he had imagined doing since college.

Knoblocks vision, his obituary said, was of a more inclusive world reflected in the many scholarly articles and books he authored over the years.

And the army of teachers who experienced him as a mentor will continue to spread ripples of inclusivity around the country.

In his final days, Knoblock asked many times that his kids be told that I love them, and that Im proud of them.

He is survived by his wife and partner of 42 years, Joy Casey, and their daughter Ana Knoblock (Michael Dieffenbach), his sons, Todd (Kathy) Knoblock, Gary Knoblock, Craig Knoblock (Claire Bono), as well as grandchildren, Alex and Margaret Knoblock.

His family wishes to convey many thanks to Hospice of CNY and the compassionate caregivers who supported Peter and his family through these last months, allowing him to die at home, surrounded by his books.

Peter Knoblock (left), founder of the Jowonio School visits his wife Joy Casey's pre-school classroom known as the Kangaroo Room. Joy is helping students as they water some potato plants the class is growing in cups. David Lassman / The Post-Standard David Lassman

Family and friends will cherish Knoblocks memory and can continue to call him to mind by sharing a pun (of which he had many), telling a Dad joke, sharing a favorite book or wearing something red (his favorite color), his obituary said.

A memorial service will be held at Unity Church in Syracuse sometime later in January.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Peters memory to either the Jowonio School or the Elevate (accessibility) fund at Unity of Syracuse.

Rejoice for a soul set free!

Mathewson-Forani Funeral Home, Inc.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
ISLAMABAD, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Sunday said it attaches great importance to the well-being of the people of Venezuela and is closely watching the evolving situation in the Latin American country.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan expressed concern over recent developments and called for restraint and de-escalation to bring the crisis to an end.

It called for adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, stressing that all outstanding issues should be resolved through peaceful means.

Pakistan said it is monitoring developments and taking steps to ensure the safety and security of members of the Pakistani community residing in Venezuela.

The statement comes a day after the United States launched a large-scale military operation in Venezuela, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were "captured and flown out of the Country," according to U.S. President Donald Trump's post on Truth Social. 
Jessica Maxwell is the executive director of the Workers Center of Central New York, in Syracuse. Mark Spadafore is the President of the Greater Syracuse Labor Council. Alexander Marion is the Syracuse city auditor.

Syracuse bids you welcome is the unofficial motto of our community. We were the city that welcomed people who escaped slavery and sought a better life. From the builders of the Erie Canal to the next generation of scientists, educators and technologists, we have welcomed immigrants from every corner of the globe. This is a city that offers people new opportunities, and we are proud of that legacy.

Now we are at an inflection point. Our legacy is on the line as the federal government attacks the safety of our immigrant neighbors. Kidnappings and violations of due process are becoming the norm in as part of ICEs reign of terror across the United States and right here in Central New York. Some stories made headlines; however, there are even more tragedies that have not made the news. This is not who we are as a community and not who we aspire to be as Americans.

Look to the sad case of Alex Gonzalez and Yan Hidalgo: they are Onondaga County homeowners, union workers at SUNY Upstate Medical University, newlyweds and taxpayers  our neighbors living the American dream. They came to Syracuse to pursue a better life, where they could be legally married and safe from anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in Cuba. Now they are facing months-long detentions and possible deportation to a country where they will not be safe simply because of who they are.

Like Alex and Yan, immigrants are a vital part of the Syracuse community today. Agricultural workers, union members, small business owners, students, educators and more: Immigrants are the building the future of our community. Immigrants keep our economy going and are the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. They are building back city neighborhoods, improving our housing, revitalizing our communities and creating jobs. Thats what immigrants such as our ancestors in Syracuse have done for generations and, we hope, continue to do for generations to come.

The real object of the Trump administrations immigration enforcement strategy is not actual compliance with the law  it is to instill fear in communities like Syracuse. It is to make as many people as possible scared to leave their homes and vulnerable to exploitation. For many immigrants and refugees, government-instilled fear is exactly why they fled their countries of origin and made a new home here in Syracuse. Now, the United States has adopted the same tactics of tinpot dictators based in a deep well of racist scapegoating and thinly veiled under the cover of law enforcement.

Syracuse is standing up and fighting back. Community organizers, union leaders and elected officials are working together to stand with our immigrant neighbors to fight back however we can. Weve led rallies, conducted legal trainings and showed up to protect our neighbors when ICE is at their door. We are connecting people with colleagues in government, attorneys, and other resources at every chance we get. And we are organizing.

Anyone with a platform to stand up for their communities needs to do so and join in this fight. We will keep doing that, and more, but more corners of our community must stand up. Business leaders and major employers must issue statements as to why this failed federal policy is a threat to the economy. Businesses across the region are reliant on immigrant workers and customers. Silence will hurt their bottom lines as well as our neighborhoods.

Law enforcement executives need to assert their independence, like Sheriff Toby Shelley did when he renounced cooperation with ICE. Likewise, the Syracuse Police Department has also not engaged with ICE. This must continue and the resolve must strengthen. Local leaders can ban their police agencies from entering into 287(g) agreements, which deputize local law enforcement to perform immigration enforcement.

Elected leaders need to stand up. New York State must enact the New York for All Act, which goes even further to safeguard the rights of New Yorkers, limit the ability of immigration enforcers to act in New Yorks public spaces, and prevent our state and local resources from being used to carry out attacks on immigrants.

Everyone who is able should consider supporting some of the critical community groups that provide services to the immigrant community through volunteering or donations.

One day, this will pass. In the meantime, will continue to say with pride, Syracuse bids you welcome because those who support our immigrant neighbors will continue to speak, continue to organize, and continue to fight back against the reckless Trump administration immigration policies.
Denmarks prime minister is telling President Donald Trump to stop threatening Greenland.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Sunday that the U.S. has no right to annex Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory, according to The New York Times.

I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally, she said in a statement, adding that Greenlanders have said very clearly that they are not for sale.

The prime minister of Greenland also weighed in.

He wrote on social media that Trumps rhetoric was utterly unacceptable.

Trump has repeatedly raised the idea of Greenland becoming part of the United States since returning to office last year.

He spoke about the possibility again in the wake of a U.S. military operation in Venezuela that ousted the countrys leader, Nicolas Maduro.

The U.S. action in Venezuela raised fears among some that Trump could move more aggressively against Greenland.

We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security and Denmark is not going to be able to do it, I can tell you, Trump said Sunday on Air Force One, according to CNBC.

The remarks sent Denmark into full crisis mode.

Greenland is rich in minerals and strategically located between Europe and North America, CNBC noted. Opinion polls have shown that Greenlanders support independence from Denmark, but oppose U.S. control.

Greenland Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen called the idea of U.S. control a fantasy, according to the BBC.

No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation. We are open to dialogue, he said. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law.
Washington  Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the United States would not govern Venezuela day-to-day other than enforcing an existing oil quarantine on the country, a turnaround after President Donald Trump announced a day earlier that the U.S. would be running Venezuela following its ouster of leader Nicolas Maduro.

Rubios statements on TV talk shows seemed designed to temper concerns that the assertive action to achieve regime change in Venezuela might lead the U.S. into another prolonged foreign intervention or failed attempt at nation-building. They stood in contrast to Trumps broad but vague claims that the U.S. would at least temporarily run the oil-rich nation, comments that suggested some sort of governing structure under which Caracas would be controlled by Washington.

Rubio offered a more nuanced take, saying the U.S. would continue to enforce an oil quarantine that was already in place on sanctioned tankers before Maduro was removed from power early Saturday and use that leverage as a means to press policy changes in Venezuela.

And so thats the sort of control the president is pointing to when he says that, Rubio said on CBS Face the Nation. We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking.

The blockade on sanctioned oil tankers  some of which have been seized by the U.S.  remains in place, and thats a tremendous amount of leverage that will continue to be in place until we see changes that not just further the national interest of the United States, which is number one, but also that lead to a better future for the people of Venezuela, he added.

Leaders in Venezuela have so far pushed back, at least publicly, calling on the Trump administration to release Maduro.

Even before the operation that nabbed Maduro, experts were already questioning the legality of aspects of the administrations pressure campaign on Venezuela, including the deadly bombing of boats accused of trafficking drugs that some scholars said stretched the boundaries of international law.

Trump repeated vow US would run Venezuela

Trumps vow to run Venezuela, repeated more than half a dozen times at a news conference in Florida on Saturday, sparked concerns among some Democrats. It also drew unease from parts of his own Republican coalition, including an America First base that is opposed to foreign interventions, and from observers who recalled past nation-building efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rubio dismissed such criticism, saying Trumps intent had been misunderstood.

The whole foreign policy apparatus thinks everything is Libya, everything is Iraq, everything is Afghanistan, Rubio said. This is not the Middle East. And our mission here is very different. This is the Western Hemisphere.

Rubio also suggested the U.S. would give Maduros subordinates now in charge time to govern, saying, Were going to judge everything by what they do. And though he did not rule out boots on the ground in Venezuela, Rubio said the U.S, which has built up its presence in the region, was already capable of stopping drug boats and sanctioned tankers.

A day earlier, Trump told reporters, Were going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. He later pointed to his national security team with him, including Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and said it would be done for a period of time by the people that are standing right behind me. Were gonna be running it, were gonna be bringing it back.

The White House declined to comment beyond what Trump said Saturday.

Maduros arrival

Maduro landed late Saturday afternoon at a small airport in New York Citys northern suburbs following the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in the capital city of Caracas  an act Maduros government called imperialist. The couple faces U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

The dramatic seizure of the Maduros capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on Venezuelas autocratic leader and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval.

Venezuelas vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, demanded that the U.S. free Maduro and called him the countrys rightful leader as her nations high court named her interim president. So did the countrys defense minister, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, who said Sunday that the countrys armed forces categorically reject the cowardly kidnapping and will maintain internal order and peace.

Maduro is due to make his first appearance Monday in Manhattans federal court.

Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, and the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a corrupt, illegitimate government fueled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the countrys leader.

The Trump administration spent months building up American forces in the region and carrying out attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean for allegedly ferrying drugs.

Quiet falls in Venezuela after US operation

Venezuelas government kept operating as usual over the weekend as ministers remained in their posts.

The capital was unusually quiet Sunday with few vehicles moving around and convenience stores, gas stations and other businesses closed.

Maduros son, lawmaker Nicolas Ernesto Guerra, has not appeared in public since the attack. On Saturday he posted on Instagram a government statement repudiating the capture of his father and stepmother.

The countrys incoming National Assembly is set to be sworn in at the legislative palace in Caracas. The unicameral assembly will remain under control of the ruling party.

Under Venezuelan law, Rodriguez would take over from Maduro. Rodriguez, however, stressed during a Saturday appearance on state television that she did not plan to assume power, before Venezuelas high court ordered that she assume the interim role. Trump told The Atlantic in an interview Sunday that Rodriguez could pay a very big price if she doesnt do what he thinks is right for Venezuela.

That contrasted with the Republican presidents comments about Rodriguez on Saturday when he said Rubio had spoken with her and she was willing to do what the U.S. thinks is needed to improve the standard of living in Venezuela.

Trump told the New York Post in an interview Saturday that the U.S. wouldnt need to station troops in Venezuela if she does what we want.
An Onondaga County lawmaker who served 20 years as a sheriffs deputy plans to launch a campaign today to unseat state Sen. Rachel May, D-Syracuse, in the 2026 election.

Rich McCarron, 54, of Onondaga Hill, said he will campaign for the 48th Senate District seat, rather than seek reelection to a third term in the Onondaga County Legislature.

McCarron plans to kick off his campaign at 5 p.m. today at Fingerlakes Mall outside of Auburn.

He will become the second Republican county lawmaker to announce a bid for state office since Democrats won a majority in the Onondaga County Legislature for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Legislator David Knapp, R-LaFayette, said last month that he will campaign for the open 126th Assembly District seat this November.

McCarron told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that the GOPs loss of the county legislature had little influence on his decision to seek higher office.

He was appointed to the 11th District seat representing the countys western suburbs in March 2023 and was unopposed in the 2023 and 2025 elections.

McCarron, vice chair of the Legislatures Public Safety Committee, said he decided he could make a bigger difference on public safety issues by serving in state government.

He opposes criminal justice reforms passed by the Democratic-controlled state Assembly and Senate. Those laws include bail reforms, the HALT Act to limit solitary confinement in state prisons, and the Raise the Age Act which prevents 16- and 17-year-olds from being charged as adults for most crimes.

The three biggest things crippling law enforcement right now are the Raise the Age Act, bail reform, and the HALT Act, McCarron told syracuse.com. I would seek to repeal or seriously amend them.

McCarron said he gained valuable insight about law enforcement strategies during his 20 years as an Onondaga County sheriffs deputy.

He joined the department in 1991 after attending Le Moyne College. He served as a patrol deputy, a detective in the major crimes unit and as a sergeant assigned to Operation Impact, a state-funded program where local police agencies formed a combined force to combat violent crime.

He said the states criminal justice reforms championed by progressive Democrats like May went too far  something that would not have happened if Republicans had a bigger voice in Albany.

I dont think one-party rule does well for anyone, McCarron said. It takes away compromise. I would be advocating for policies that make Central New York more affordable and safer.

McCarron said he would support Republican bills that incentivize employers to provide child care for employees, provide greater property tax relief for seniors through increased STAR benefits, and give developers and nonprofit housing agencies financial incentives to develop affordable housing.

McCarron has been in the residential real estate business since 2012. He owns The Rich McCarron Team at eXp Realty, where he has three employees and four licensed sales agents working out of an office in Liverpool.

To speed the development of more housing, McCarron said he would advocate for legislation to streamline state environmental reviews and other regulations that have slowed down construction.

But McCarron said Hochul went too far when she attempted in 2023 to speed the development of affordable housing by giving the state the power to override local zoning laws.

Instead, he wants to encourage public-private housing partnerships modeled after the Onondaga County Housing Initiative Program, or O-CHIP.

The county set aside $10 million for O-CHIP to help private and nonprofit developers finance new market-rate, mixed-income and affordable housing developments.

McCarron describes himself as a middle to right-of-center Republican who believes theres not enough willingness among elected officials to compromise on common-sense public policies.

He said he supports some of the MAGA policies touted by President Donald Trump, such as securing the border and deporting some undocumented immigrants. But hes unhappy with how Trumps administration has enacted those polices.

I agreed with the idea of getting rid of the worst-of-the-worst, but unfortunately it hasnt been implemented that way, McCarron said of Trumps immigration crackdown.

McCarron said he believes Mays progressive politics are out of touch with the average Central New Yorker.

I dont think she represents the values of the more moderate Central New Yorkers, he said. My candidacy will be more common-sense based and more to the middle ground. I think the best government is balanced government.

McCarron will likely have an uphill battle trying to unseat May, a four-term incumbent, in a district with a lopsided Democratic enrollment advantage.

Democrats have 80,227 enrolled voters in the district compared to 57,070 Republicans. The district also has 61,514 independent voters who are not enrolled in a political party.

May defeated Republican Caleb Slater (55-40%) in the 2024 election for the 48th District seat.

The district spans part of Onondaga County and all of Cayuga County, including the cities of Syracuse and Auburn.
PARIS (AP)  A Paris court found Monday 10 people guilty of cyberbullying Frances first lady Brigitte Macron by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, including allegations she was born a man.

The court convicted all defendants to sentences ranging from a cyberbullying awareness training to 8-month suspended prison sentences.

The court pointed to particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious comments referring to false claims regarding alleged trans identity and alleged pedo criminality targeting Brigitte Macron.

The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 65, are accused of having posted numerous malicious comments falsely claiming that French President Emmanuel Macrons wife was born a man and linking their 24-year age gap to pedophilia. Some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.

Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October. Speaking on TF1 national television Sunday, she said she launched legal proceedings to set an example in the fight against harassment.

Her daughter, Tiphaine Auziere, testified about what she described as the deterioration of her mothers life since the online harassment intensified. She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her, Auziere told the court. She said the impact has extended to the entire family, including Macrons grandchildren.

Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who is known as Amandine Roy and describes herself as a medium and an author, is considered to have played a major role in spreading the rumor after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021. She was given a 6-month prison sentence.

The X account of Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoe Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited in several judicial investigations. Poirson-Atlan was given an 8-month prison sentence.

Other defendants include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist. Several told the court their comments were intended as humor or satire and said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted.

The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother. The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.

The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. Brigitte Macron, 24 years her husbands senior, was then called Brigitte Auziere, a married mother of three.

Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been Frances president since 2017.
Washington  A day after the audacious U.S. military operation in Venezuela, President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in Cuba is in a lot of trouble.

The comments from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the ouster of Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro underscore that the U.S. administration is serious about taking a more expansive role in the Western Hemisphere.

With thinly veiled threats, Trump is rattling hemispheric friends and foes alike, spurring a pointed question around the globe: Whos next?

Its so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place, Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.

Asked during an interview with The Atlantic earlier on Sunday what the U.S.-military action in Venezuela could portend for Greenland, Trump replied: They are going to have to view it themselves. I really dont know.

Trump, in his administrations National Security Strategy published last month, laid out restoring American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere as a central guidepost for his second go-around in the White House.

Trump has also pointed to the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, which rejects European colonialism, as well as the Roosevelt Corollary  a justification invoked by the U.S. in supporting Panamas secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the U.S.  as hes made his case for an assertive approach to American neighbors and beyond.

Trump has even quipped that some now refer to the fifth U.S. presidents foundational document as the Don-roe Doctrine.

Saturdays dead-of-night operation by U.S. forces in Caracas and Trumps comments on Sunday heightened concerns in Denmark, which has jurisdiction over the vast mineral-rich island of Greenland.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a statement that Trump has no right to annex the territory. She also reminded Trump that Denmark already provides the United States, a fellow member of NATO, broad access to Greenland through existing security agreements.

I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. to stop threatening a historically close ally and another country and people who have made it very clear that they are not for sale, Frederiksen said.

Denmark on Sunday also signed onto a European Union statement underscoring that the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected as Trump has vowed to run Venezuela and pressed the acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, to get in line.

Social media posting angers Danes

Trump on Sunday mocked Denmarks efforts at boosting Greenlands national security posture, saying the Danes have added one more dog sled to the Arctic territorys arsenal.

Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled by a social media post following the raid by a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, Katie Miller. The post shows an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the caption: SOON.

And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, Amb. Jesper Mller Srensen, Denmarks chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, who is married to Trumps influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

During his presidential transition and in the early months of his return to the White House, Trump repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has pointedly not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island that belongs to an ally.

The issue had largely drifted out of the headlines in recent months. Then Trump put the spotlight back on Greenland less than two weeks ago when he said he would appoint Republican Gov. Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland.

The Louisiana governor said in his volunteer position he would help Trump make Greenland a part of the U.S.

A stern warning to Cuba

Meanwhile, concern simmered in Cuba, one of Venezuelas most important allies and trading partners, as Rubio issued a new stern warning to the Cuban government. U.S.-Cuba relations have been hostile since the 1959 Cuban revolution.

Rubio, in an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press, said Cuban officials were with Maduro in Venezuela ahead of his capture.

It was Cubans that guarded Maduro, Rubio said. He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards. The secretary of state added that Cuban bodyguards were also in charge of internal intelligence in Maduros government, including who spies on who inside, to make sure there are no traitors.

Trump said that a lot of Cuban guards tasked with protecting Maduro were killed in the operation. The Cuban government said in a statement read on state television on Sunday evening that 32 officers were killed in the U.S. military operation.

Trump also said that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, is in tatters and will slide further now with the ouster of Maduro, who provided the Caribbean island subsidized oil.

Its going down, Trump said of Cuba. Its going down for the count.

Cuban authorities called a rally in support of Venezuelas government and railed against the U.S. military operation, writing in a statement: All the nations of the region must remain alert, because the threat hangs over all of us.

Rubio, a former Florida senator and son of Cuban immigrants, has long maintained Cuba is a dictatorship repressing its people.

This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live  and were not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States," Rubio said.

Cubans like 55-year-old biochemical laboratory worker Barbara Rodriguez were following developments in Venezuela. She said she worried about what she described as an aggression against a sovereign state.

It can happen in any country, it can happen right here. We have always been in the crosshairs, Rodriguez said.
After an extra snowy December, weve got good news: One of the first signs of spring is coming even earlier this year.

Daylight Saving Time 2026 starts on Sunday, March 8, at 2 a.m. Thats when we spring forward by changing our clocks, turning them an hour ahead.

March 8 is the earliest possible date that DST can begin on the calendar. Its a day earlier than last year, when Daylight Saving Time 2025 began on March 9.

Daylight Saving Time, also colloquially referred to as daylight savings time, starts on the second Sunday in March and ends the first Sunday of November. We always spring forward when DST begins and fall back when it ends.

Most digital devices, including computers, TVs and cell phones, will automatically update to the new time at 2 a.m. Any other clocks should be manually changed before going to bed on the night of Saturday, March 7, 2026, turning them ahead a full hour.

For most people, the time change means theyll lose an hour of sleep as Sunday, March 8, will technically be a 23-hour day.

Despite some confusion in recent years, Daylight Saving Time has not become permanent and does not appear to be ending anytime soon. (Making daylight savings permanent would mean the time we change our clocks to in the spring would be year-round, and we wouldnt turn our clocks back in the fall.)

U.S. Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla., reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act last year to lock the clock make Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide. The legislation has stalled in Congress multiple times, largely due to a disagreement over whether to keep standard time or permanent daylight savings time.

President Donald Trump has previously said hed like to eliminate daylight saving time, but admitted itd be hard to change.

This should be the easiest one of all, but its a 50-50 issue. If somethings a 50-50 issue, its hard to get excited. I assume people would like to have more light later, but some people want to have more light earlier, because they dont want to take their kids to school in the dark, Trump said in March. A lot of people like it one way, a lot of people like it the other way, its very even. And usually I find when thats the case  what else do we have to?

A poll last year found 61% of Americans want to stop changing their clocks twice a year, but some never do.

DST is not observed in Hawaii and most of Arizona, but because the Uniform Time Act mandates Daylight Saving Time, any other state that wants to be exempt from changing its clocks every year must get congressional approval. More than a dozen states, including New York and recently North Dakota, have introduced legislation to make Daylight Saving Time permanent but have not moved forward at the federal level.

...Studies show that it is the transition out of Daylight Saving Time, which leads to an increase in car accidents, causes more on-site work incidents, and disrupts the health of all who are subject to this time change, said a New York bill sponsored by New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo (R-47) in 2023. This bill would, once there is a repeal of the federal law establishing Daylight Saving Time, allow New York to enter into a compact with neighboring states to establish Daylight Saving Time as the states year round time.

According to the Associated Press, gaining an hour tends to be easier for most people than losing it, though everybodys internal clock still needs to adjust. Studies have found heart attacks and strokes tend to increase right after DST starts in March, while sleep struggles and depression (including seasonal affective disorder) can occur more often in the shorter days of fall and winter.

Daylight Saving Time was first established during World War I to conserve fuel for war industries. The law was repealed after WWI ended, but was re-established by Congress during World War II due to energy consumption and became U.S. law in 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act, establishing uniform start and end times within standard time zones. The policy, regulated by the Department of Transportation, aims to save energy, reduce traffic fatalities, and reduce crime.

Daylight Saving Time was kept after World War II because Americans were believed to use less energy by extending summer daylight into the evening. However, a 2008 Department of Energy study found that DST reduces annual energy use by just 0.03 percent, and another study by the University of California-Santa Barbara found DST might even increase energy consumption.

The Firemens Association of the State of New York recommends that people use DST as a reminder to replace batteries in their smoke detectors when we switch to and from Daylight Saving Time. The group says that 60 percent of home fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms.
ISLAMABAD, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least one person was killed and 14 others injured in a blast in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province on Monday, local officials said.

The explosion occurred in Chitkan area of Panjgur district, targeting civilians. Security forces cordoned off the area shortly after the incident and launched search and clearance operations, a local police official told Xinhua.

Wazir Ahmed Baloch, medical superintendent of the Teaching Hospital Panjgur, said the hospital received 14 injured persons along with one body.

He added that five of the injured were in critical condition and have been referred to Karachi's Civil Hospital for advanced treatment, while others are being treated locally.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. Authorities said an investigation is underway to determine the nature of the blast. 
'I can't walk anymore': Afghans freeze to death on route to Iran



Ghunjan, Afghanistan, Jan 5 (AFP) Jan 05, 2026



Habibullah set off from his home in western Afghanistan determined to find work in Iran, only for the 15-year-old to freeze to death while walking across the mountainous frontier.

"He was forced to go, to bring food for the family," his mother, Mah Jan, told AFP at her mud home in Ghunjan village.

"We have no food to eat, we have no clothes to wear. The house in which I live has no electricity, no water. I have no proper window, nothing to burn for heating," she added, clutching a photo of her son.

Habibullah was one of at least 18 migrants who died last month while trying to cross illegally into Iran from Afghanistan's Herat province, according to officials, when temperatures were around -3C.

With earthquakes and drought compounding a daily struggle to survive in Afghanistan, around half the population will need humanitarian assistance this year, according to the United Nations.

"There was no other way left for me. I thought, let him go to make our life better," said Mah Jan, 50, who requested the family's surname not be published for privacy reasons.

Habibullah's stepbrother, Gul Ahmad, said the teenager had tried shoe polishing but only earned up to 15 afghanis (23 cents) per day.

"He was ready to be a shepherd for 2,000 afghanis ($30 a month), to work in a shop, but he found nothing. So he was forced to leave. He told his mother, 'Let's trust in God, I'm going to Iran'," said Gul Ahmad, 56.



- 'Very dangerous' -



Habibullah was among 15 bodies returned from Iran, an Afghan border source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A further three migrants who died were recovered on the Afghan side of the frontier, an army official said.

Over just a matter of days last month, around 1,600 Afghan migrants "who were at risk of perishing due to the weather" were rescued in the mountains, according to Iranian border guard commander Majid Shoja, quoted by the ILNA news agency.

They are drawn to Iran due to greater job opportunities and a common language, but legal routes are limited.

Afghanistan's deputy minister for labour and social affairs, Abdul Manan Omari, said Sunday it was "necessary to do more" to facilitate work permits for migrants.

Iran and Pakistan have combined sent back five million Afghans since September 2023, increasing the country's population by 10 percent, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The agency's deputy head in Afghanistan, Mutya Izora Maskun, said that many in the country report "the economy, job insecurity, food insecurity, constrained access to services" force them to leave.

They do so even if that means going through "illegal crossing points that are very dangerous due to the cold and the risks of human trafficking", she told AFP.

The Taliban government has taken "serious steps to fight the smugglers", interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani told AFP.

But attempts to reach Iran have not stopped.



- 'Destitute' -



In the last week of December, "347 people who were trying to illegally cross the border into Iran were identified and arrested", a military unit in western Afghanistan said in a statement on Saturday.

Abdul Majeed Haidari, whose one-year-old son suffers from a heart problem, tried his luck in mid-December.

Working at a brick oven, the 25-year-old could no longer afford to pay for his son's medication and family expenses.

"We left because we were so destitute," his stepbrother Yunus, who accompanied him, told AFP.

"We set out in the rain. In such weather, the radars and cameras of the border guards do not work properly. But the smuggler got lost," he said.

They failed to light a fire for warmth and, as snow fell, Yunus recounted his stepbrother's words: "I can't walk anymore."

"Some told us to leave him so as not to endanger the other 19 people in the group," said Yunus, who requested his full name not be used.

After carrying him for two more hours, "his eyes stopped closing, his body grew heavier," Yunus recalled, before an Iranian family drove past and took them to hospital.

"They gave him electric shocks, but they said he was already dead," said Yunus, who has since returned to his village.
German renewable energy shift slowed in 2025



Berlin, Jan 5 (AFP) Jan 05, 2026



The share of renewables in German power production almost stagnated in 2025, data showed Monday, as concerns grow about a shift away from green policies under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The figure had increased strongly in previous years as Europe's biggest economy aims to reach a goal of green power accounting for 80 percent of its energy mix by 2030.

But last year power from sources such as wind, solar and hydroelectric accounted for 58.8 percent of the mix, up just slightly from a figure of 58.5 percent in 2024, according to the energy regulator.

The figure had been just 43 percent in 2021.

The share of wind power, which remained Germany's biggest energy source, fell slightly while solar rose due to growth in production capacity, the regulator said.

The group Environmental Action Germany said last year's near stagnation in renewables' share was in part due to a lack of wind in the first half of 2025.

But the NGO nevertheless fears a looming slowdown in the green power shift under Merz's coalition, which took power last year, Constantin Zerger, the group's head of energy and climate protection, told AFP.

He said that Economy Minister Katherina Reiche "has announced several times that she wants to slow down the expansion of renewables, which is of course very, very dangerous".

Critics point to measures ranging from a planned expansion of gas power to proposals to scrap some solar subsidies as evidence that Reiche is seeking to slow the green shift and prioritise helping big business.

Merz has pushed back at criticism he is undermining the climate change fight, saying that his government is taking a more pragmatic approach to the energy transition that aims to keep costs manageable.

In the previous government, the Greens party helmed the economy ministry and pushed ambitious measures to accelerate the transition -- which were hailed by environmentalists but caused unease among businesses about extra burdens.

Last year the share of solar energy in Germany's energy mix passed that of lignite, also known as brown coal, for the first time.

But the share of two other fossil fuels, coal and natural gas, rose.
Three hurt in polar bear attack in remote Siberian village



Moscow, Jan 5 (AFP) Jan 05, 2026



Three members of a family, including a child, have been injured by a polar bear in a rare attack in the far north of Siberia, Russian officials said Monday.

Local police "received a report of a polar bear injuring people 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the village of Nosok" at a fishing spot, the regional interior ministry said on Telegram.

Nosok is in the Krasnoyarsk region inside the Arctic Circle.

"Three citizens, born in 1983, 2015 and 2006 have been injured in the polar bear attack," the ministry said.

Polar bear attacks on humans are considered extremely rare but experts say shrinking sea ice caused by global warming is pushing them to approach inhabited areas in search for food.

The family was evacuated to safety and given immediate assistance.

The ministry did not say how serious their injuries were but said one person may require hospitalisation.
PHNOM PENH, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Monday re-proposed to Thailand to convene a special meeting on border demarcation in the second or third week of January in Cambodia's Siem Reap province, said a press release from Cambodia's State Secretariat of Border Affairs.

The Cambodian side has once again requested the Thai side, through a Note Verbale dated Jan. 5, 2026, to convene a special meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Boundary Commission in the second or third week of January 2026 in Siem Reap province, it said.

The re-proposed meeting aims to discuss the survey and demarcation works, as well as address the issue that Thai military forces have been conducting activities violating Cambodia's territorial integrity and sovereignty, the press release said.

The re-proposed meeting was made after the Thai side postponed Cambodia's earlier request for the meeting in the first week of January 2026 in Siem Reap province, citing the reasons of waiting for internal procedures and the ongoing presence of landmines in border areas. 
Conservationists sue Trump admin over inaction on horseshoe crabs



Washington, United States, Jan 5 (AFP) Jan 05, 2026



A conservation group sued President Donald Trump's administration on Monday over its failure to act on protecting American horseshoe crabs, which are increasingly threatened by the harvesting of their blood for drug safety testing.

Sometimes called "living fossils," horseshoe crabs have patrolled the world's shallow coastal waters for more than 450 million years, outlasting the dinosaurs.

But their population has cratered more than 70 percent since 2000 as a result of over-harvesting and habitat loss.

Their bright blue blood is used for testing the safety of biomedical products, despite synthetic alternatives now approved and widely used in Europe and Asia.

"Harvesting horseshoe crabs for blood is now the number one threat to horseshoe crabs," Will Harlan, a scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, which brought the legal case against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), told AFP.

"We think because horseshoe crabs are so depleted overseas -- the other three species of horseshoe crabs are all even more endangered than the American horseshoe crab -- and so demand globally has shifted to the United States," he added, with biomedical harvests doubling over the past seven years.

The Center for Biological Diversity, along with 25 other organizations, petitioned the federal government in February 2024 -- when former president Joe Biden was in office -- to list the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) as threatened or endangered, and to designate areas as critical habitats.

Under the Endangered Species Act, such a petition triggers a 90-day deadline to issue an initial finding. While the law allows some flexibility, it requires that a scientifically justified decision be reached within a year. Rejection can pave the way for appeal.

"Unfortunately, under both administrations, we've been waiting for a decision that, by law, was supposed to come much sooner," said Harlan. "But these horseshoe crabs can't wait any longer."

Since the 1970s, horseshoe crabs have been caught, bled alive, and returned to the sea to harvest a protein called "Factor C," which detects endotoxins that can contaminate drugs.

Some companies, including Eli Lilly -- known for its weight-loss drugs -- have earned praise for converting most of their operations to synthetic alternatives.

With helmet-like shells, spike-like tails and five pairs of legs connected to their mouths, horseshoe crabs crawl ashore along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts each spring to lay their eggs on beaches in massive spawning events.

As their numbers have declined, so too have the species that depend on them, including sea turtles, fish and birds.

The Trump administration has sought to weaken the landmark Endangered Species Act -- proposing, for example, to allow economic considerations to factor into what were previously science-based decisions.
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Ahn Sung-ki, the revered South Korean actor known affectionately as "The Nations Actor" for his prolific 60-year career and gentle public persona, has died at the age of 74.

The star, who had been battling blood cancer for several years, passed away on Monday at Seouls Soonchunhyang University Hospital.

His agency, the Artist Company, confirmed the news, expressing profound sorrow. "We feel deep sorrow at the sudden, sad news, pray for the eternal rest of the deceased and offer our heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family members," the company stated.

President Lee Jae Myung also offered his condolences, writing on Facebook that Ahn had provided "comfort, joy and time for reflection" to many. "I already miss his warm smile and gentle voice," he added.

Born in Daegu in 1952, Ahn began his acting journey as a child, making his debut in the 1957 film The Twilight Train. He amassed an impressive 70 child acting credits before stepping away from the industry for a period of ordinary life. He later pursued a Vietnamese major at Seouls Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, graduating with top honours, though he noted the difficulty of securing employment in the wake of the Vietnam War.

Ahn returned to the silver screen in 1977, convinced he could still excel. His breakthrough came in 1980 with Lee Jang-hos Good, Windy Days, a critically acclaimed coming-of-age story that earned him the best new actor award at the prestigious Grand Bell Awards, South Koreas equivalent of the Academy Awards.

open image in gallery Ahn Sung-ki attends an event as part of the 11th Pusan International Film Festival in Busan 2006 ( AP )

This marked the beginning of a highly successful adult career, during which he starred in a string of acclaimed films throughout the 1980s and 90s, cementing his status as one of the countrys most popular actors.

His memorable roles spanned diverse genres, including a Buddhist monk in 1981s Mandara, a beggar in 1984s Whale Hunting, a Vietnam War veteran-turned-novelist in 1992s White Badge, and a corrupt police officer in 1993s Two Cops.

He also portrayed a murderer in 1999s Nowhere To Hide, a special forces trainer in 2003s Silmido, and a devoted celebrity manager in 2006s Radio Star. Over his career, Ahn collected dozens of major film awards, notably winning the Grand Bell Award for best actor five times  an unparalleled achievement in South Korean cinema.

Ahn cultivated an image as a humble, trustworthy, and family-oriented celebrity, largely avoiding scandal and maintaining a quiet personal life. Public surveys consistently named him South Koreas most beloved actor, solidifying his nickname, "The Nations Actor."

Reflecting on this title in a 2023 interview with Yonhap news agency, Ahn admitted, "I felt I should do something that could match that title. But I think that has eventually guided me in a good direction."

While he often found it difficult to name a single favourite film, Ahn once remarked that his role as the dedicated manager in Radio Star most closely resembled his real-life self. He was also known for his reluctance to perform love scenes, often asking directors to omit them if they were merely for sensationalism.

"I dont do well on acting like looking at someone who I dont love with loving eyes and kissing really romantically. I feel shy and cant express such emotions well," he told Shindonga magazine in 2007. "Simply, Im clumsy on that. So I couldnt star in such movies a lot. But ultimately, that was a right choice for me."

Ahn Sung-ki is survived by his wife and their two sons. A mourning station at a Seoul hospital was scheduled to remain open until Friday.
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Jeremy Renner has shared a video of himself back on the snowplow that nearly killed him three years ago.

The Marvel actor, 54, showed off the seven-ton Snowcat plow in a series on his Instagram stories Sunday, which appeared to include footage of him driving the massive machine around his snowy driveway.

The post came days after the Hawkeye star acknowledged the third anniversary of his terrifying accident on January 1 by posting a picture of the plow, writing: Not today.

On New Years Day 2023, Renner was hospitalized in critical condition after the monster snowplow crushed him as he went to rescue his nephew Alex, who was 27 years old at the time, outside his home in Reno, Nevada.

He was left with 38 broken bones, a dislodged eyeball, and a collapsed lung. The actors Mayor of Kingstown co-star, Michael Beach, revealed last year that Renner had actually died when his heart stopped beating in the aftermath.

open image in gallery Jeremy Renner shared a video of a snow plow at his home three years after he was almost killed in an accident with the machine ( Instagram/@jeremyrenner )

open image in gallery Renner was crushed by the seven-ton snow plow outside his home in January 2023 ( Instagram/@jeremyrenner )

Renner explained in his 2025 memoir, My Next Breath, that a split-second mistake caused the accident. He wrote: We started pulling the truck out of the snow and got it unstuck. Alex went to unlatch it from the snowcat as I started to turn the snowcat around. But its snowblade was up high and I couldnt quite see Alex, who was somewhere in front of me. I got out of the drivers seat and stepped on the tracks to talk to him.

Before exiting the drivers cab!  Apply parking brake, the manual says. But I didnt engage the parking brake, or disengage the steel tracks. In that moment  an innocent, critical, life-changing moment  that tiny but monumental slip of the mind would change the course of my life forever.

Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in April, Renner spoke about his decision to get back on the machine.

I go right into the eye of the storm of any fear or anything, Renner said. I didnt want this thing to haunt me or own me by any means."

He said that driving the plow is like a tank, and added that getting back on the machine was easier than he thought it would be  but he was reminded of the brutal collision when he dismounted.

It was just interesting getting off of it because you have to step on the tracks to get off this thing. And I saw, like, little pieces of my clothing in it still. And some other things that I dont want to say, he recalled.
HANOI, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Construction has proposed requiring apartment buildings to provide dedicated parking areas for electric vehicles along with charging stations in newly constructed projects.

Under the proposal, electric vehicle parking areas must be located near entrances and exits, close to ramps, and in positions that allow convenient movement.

Electric vehicles must be parked separately from gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles, with a minimum distance of two meters.

Electric vehicle parking zones must also be equipped with surveillance cameras capable of early fire detection through the monitoring of temperature, smoke and flames.

For existing apartment buildings, the provision of electric vehicle parking areas will depend on space availability and technical infrastructure. 
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Simu Liu has pitched his co-star Melissa Barrera to play Wonder Woman in DC Studios upcoming movie.

After working opposite Barrera in Peacocks new spy seriesThe Copenhagen Test, Liu said he became convinced that the Scream star would dominate the superhero role.

She really pushes herself, Liu told JoBlo about Barrera in a recent interview. I dont know who might be listening to this interview, James Gunn or anybody else out there. But I think she really pushes herself. There were a couple of moments during stunt training where I was like, Thats Wonder Woman-esque. Im just throwing it out there.

He continued to rave about the activist, saying: After the whole season and after all the training that she had been through, Melissa was looking really sharp as a fighter, and so, she came to set and she was just ready to come to blows. And it was really fun just to get to play that with her, and Im really proud of what we did too. Im really proud of her. She did a lot, most, if not all of her own stunts, and shes just the best.

Gunn, the co-CEO of DC Studios, is in the market to cast a new Wonder Woman for the next installment to his growing DC Universe, which began with the filmmakers hit Superman movie last July. The hit movie, starring David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, launched Gunns new series of movies focusing on beloved DC superheroes. Already, a Supergirl film starring Milly Alcock and a new Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold, are in development.

open image in gallery Actor Simu Liu said his 'The Copenhagen Test' co-star Melissa Barrera should play Wonder Woman in James Gunn's new DCU installment ( Getty Images )

open image in gallery James Gunns new DC Universe began with his new Superman movie with stars David Corenswet as Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane ( Getty Images )

However, the writer and director made it clear that fans will have to be patient for news of developments in the Wonder Woman movie. In July, he wrote that he was not casting WW, nor even discussing it, until a script is finished.

Its a priority but I wouldnt call that fast-tracked. Nothing is going to be shot unless were as sure as we can be that the script is good, Gunn wrote on Threads. He later went on to say that actor Adria Arjona would make a great Wonder Woman, but denied speculation that she was cast after he followed her on Instagram.

DC previously canceled plans for Wonder Woman 3 starring Gal Gadot, who played the character from 2016 to 2023, after Gunn and Peter Safran stepped in as chiefs of DC Studios.
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The Irish rock band Cardinals were playing a gig at Londons Moth Club last year when frontman Euan Manning  about to kick off their song The Burning of Cork  remarked on a portrait of Winston Churchill hanging backstage along with the venues array of British army memorabilia. Some guy in the crowd was like, Whoop! his brother, accordionist Finn, says with a groan. Poor English kid, Euan murmurs. Talk about not reading the room.

Awkward moments aside, Cardinals are enjoying their position at the forefront of Irelands burgeoning cultural renaissance. With Fontaines DCs Grian Chatten among their prominent champions, the band are now on the cusp of releasing their debut album, Masquerade  its a smart, bold record that examines themes of faith, identity, love and brutality. We would have preferred to release fewer singles, to be honest, and leave a little more mystery there, Euan says drily. But the industry has its say as well.

He first formed Cardinals as a teenager with school friends Oskar and Aaron, and cousin Darragh, while Finn was at college in Galway playing in his own groups. By the time Finn came home, Cardinals was a fully fledged endeavour. I think I was the manager for one night after three pints, Finn recalls, making his brother snort. Eventually, Euan came to him and asked him to write an accordion part for what would turn into their early single, Roseland. Were speaking over video call; the brothers are talking from separate rooms while staying near the Old Head of Kinsale, Co Cork. They share a dark, surly intensity  Euans gaze is hawkish under thick black brows  but they make for warm, engaging conversation.

open image in gallery Cardinals Euan Manning (centre): When you finally land on what you want to be, the other stuff you tried before seems so absurd ( Steve Gullick )

Finn learnt to play the accordion after being sent to trad music lessons as a kid, before he temporarily abandoned the accordion in favour of teaching himself the guitar. When he returned to it, it was with a new love of rock music, and he was determined to work out how to transfer those sounds onto the instrument. You hear it in the clamorous opening of Over at Last, or zigzagging frantically on the thrashy Anhedonia, which has a chaotic trad bent to it. Were conscious not to try and have the accordion front and centre, because it does have a very distinct sound, Finn explains. I think theres a wrong way to go about using one where you can butcher it and end up sounding like something you dont want to.

They clearly have a strong vision for the band. Euan initially set out performing in a post-punk shout but now sings in a slouchy, melodic drawl that falls somewhere between Lou Reed and Michael Stipe. Its funny, someone said to me recently that my vocal styles either very close to folk music or very close to pop-punk, he says. I think you can imitate stuff for a while and try to be something youre not, and then when you finally land on what you want to be, the other stuff that you tried before just is so absurd. It makes no sense to you anymore.

Euan is as influenced by literature, art and history as he is by other music. The song St Agnes takes its name from a stained glass work by the Irish arts and crafts artist Harry Clarke, while his conversational tone and Chekhovian songwriting is informed by writers such as Frank OConnor and Kevin Barry  but also films like Mike Leighs Naked or Nicolas Winding Refns Pusher trilogy. Theres something of Nick Caves murder ballad Stagger Lee in their song Anhedonia  sparked by a violent incident Euan witnessed  as the frontman sings from the perspective of a troubled, disillusioned narrator (I know Im not the only one who suffers/ Suffer I have done). Perhaps a tad less shocking, though, he agrees: Youve got to be brave to go that far and make it work. A lot of people could try to write something as brash and violent as Stagger Lee, but theyd probably fail.

The Murphy Report really shocked our dad... he still gets angry about it

Faith, worship and guilt filter through the bands songs like sunlight through that stained glass of St Agnes. Euan sings in a dry croak on the forlorn title track: Worth your waiting soul/ If youre lonely, thats my fault/ You cant bundle faith/ It will dry like hate. On Over at Last he asks, Dont you think Im holy?/ The way the cross is on my neck. The brothers were raised Catholic, but their dad stopped taking them to mass when they were still children, after the Murphy Report published findings from an investigation into the sexual abuse scandal in the archdiocese of Dublin. It really shocked my dad, Finn says. He still gets angry about it, about the power the church abused over the world but especially in Ireland.

A different kind of anger rages on The Burning of Cork, with Finns cacophonous, jangling accordion reminding Euan of the piano on The Stooges I Wanna Be Your Dog. Initially, he feared the song was too heavy compared to the rest of the record. The first time we played it, I was like, Shut it down, thinking it didnt fit, he says. But the more we played it, we got comfortable with the idea of it being one that sticks out.

Its somewhat fitting, given Corks own architecture still bears the scars of the British forces destruction in 1920. Its really shocking to think that could have gone on in your city, Euan says, drawing a parallel, as many Irish artists do, to the situation in Gaza. Perhaps this explains the ambiguity of the song: We get the sentiment/ As you brought a city built and burnt/ Again, you pretend its all her/ And it hurts and you have learned. It leaves a strong impression. Cardinals know how to make their mark.

Masquerade, the debut album from Cardinals, is out on 13 February. The band are on tour in the UK and Ireland from 5 March.
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The BBC is recruiting a new head of investigations as it seeks to address allegations of company misconduct thoroughly.

As advertised on the organisations careers website, the broadcaster is seeking to hire two senior roles: a head of corporate investigations and whistleblowing, and a director in the same department. The head of corporate investigations is a replacement for an existing position.

In a company restructure, the BBCs corporate investigations staff will become a team in its own right, moving from an existing department.

The posts, which together could cost the company up to 240,000 a year in salaries, will oversee corporation investigations including serious criminal behaviour, violent and sexual offences, elevated personal risk, harassment, sexual misconduct and cases involving reputational risk to the BBC.

open image in gallery The roles are part of a company-wide restructure ( AP )

According to the job listings, the new department will help to ensure the highest standards of integrity across all areas of its operations.

The role ensures that relevant misconduct is thoroughly investigated and addressed in line with legal and regulatory obligations, the description reads.

The Head of Investigations (Corporate Investigations and Whistleblowing) plays a critical role in fostering a culture of transparency, accountability and trust, it states.

In a statement given to The Independent, a BBC spokesperson said: These roles are simply part of a wider restructure.

When it comes to pay, we strike a balance to ensure we remain competitive and can attract and retain the best people, and over 95 per cent of our spending goes on content and its delivery.

open image in gallery Former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for two years after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children ( PA )

The news follows intense scrutiny of the BBCs handling of several high-profile scandals involving prominent figures, including presenter Huw Edwards, who left the corporation in 2023 after reports emerged in The Sun claiming he had paid a young person for sexually explicit images.

In 2024, Edwards, who spent four decades at the BBC, pleaded guilty in court to accessing indecent photographs of children as young as seven years old.

Whistleblowers who had given evidence at the time of the BBCs internal enquiry into Edwards criticised the way it was handled, with one person stating that it felt like things have been swept under the carpet.

open image in gallery Gregg Wallace was fired from MasterChef after 45 allegations of inappropriate behaviour were upheld against him ( BBC )

The BBC also faced criticism over its response to complaints about Gregg Wallace, the former MasterChef presenter, who was sacked in July 2025 after an investigation upheld several allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

Following the investigation, the BBC and production company Banijay UK acknowledged that opportunities were missed to address this behaviour sooner.

We accept more could and should have been done sooner, said the BBC at the time.

Likewise, the BBCs flagship show Strictly Come Dancing has been rocked by a series of scandals in recent years.

In July 2024, Sherlock actor Amanda Abbington, who stepped away from the 2023 competition after just a few weeks, accused her professional partner Giovanni Pernice of inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying.

open image in gallery Giovanni Pernice was accused of inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying by his celebrity Strictly partner Amanda Abbington ( BBC )

Pernice, who vehemently denied the allegations, was axed from the cast in June 2024 and has since been replaced. Following months of investigation, the BBC confirmed that they had upheld complaints relating to verbal bullying and harassment, but concluded that Pernice had not been physically aggressive.

Likewise, professional dancer Graziano Di Prima was dropped from the show after his mistreatment of his celebrity partner Zara McDermott, in 2023. Di Primas spokesperson confirmed the star had kicked McDermott once during rehearsals, which led to his removal from the show.

The dancer apologised for the events that led to his departure and said that his intense passion and determination to win may have affected his training regime.
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The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has announced it will shut down this month, less than a year after the U.S. government removed its funding.

The organization, which was founded in 1967, was a key funder of PBS and NPR, as well as more than 1,500 local TV and radio stations.

In a statement to Variety, the CPB announced that their board of directors had voted to close the organization after 58 years rather than risk attempting to continue and becoming vulnerable to future political manipulation or misuse.

CPB president Patricia Harrison said: For more than half a century, CPB existed to ensure that all Americansregardless of geography, income, or backgroundhad access to trusted news, educational programming, and local storytelling.

When the Administration and Congress rescinded federal funding, our Board faced a profound responsibility: CPBs final act would be to protect the integrity of the public media system and the democratic values by dissolving, rather than allowing the organization to remain defunded and vulnerable to additional attacks.

After the Trump administration removed funding, Corporation for Public Broadcasting president Patricia Harrison (right) has confirmed the organization, which funded NPR and PBS, will close ( Getty )

PBS and NPR are seeking alternative funding, and some member stations have been forced to close down.

As The Independent has reported, the closure of CPB comes against the backdrop of eroding trust in mainstream media. Back in 2016, just 32 percent of adults said they had at least a fair amount of confidence in the press, and trust in the media actually increased to 45 percent by 2018.

However, since then, President Donald Trump and his allies in the right-wing media universe have engaged in an aggressive and concerted campaign to discredit the mainstream and legacy press, culminating in his return to the White House and an all-out assault on press freedoms and independence. At the same time, media conglomerations have capitulated to Trumps threats and demands.

In the last year, the president has pushed for the dismantling of state-funded media and the defunding of public broadcasting, which has resulted in the shuttering of PBS and NPR stations, the curtailing of Voice of America and now the closure of CPB.

In a court filing submitted Monday, CPB asked for its court cases against President Trump to be dismissed on the grounds that the corporation is being dissolved. They stated they will file a Notice of Voluntary Dissolution on or about January 15 and their Articles of Dissolution on or about January 30.

CPB have also said they will distribute all remaining funds this month, with their archives set to be preserved and made available to the public at the University of Maryland.
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The creators of Netflixs global phenomenon Stranger Things have revealed they deliberated over the ultimate fate of Millie Bobby Browns character, Eleven, a pivotal detail emerging from a new documentary trailer about the final series.

A two-minute teaser for One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 offers a poignant glimpse behind the scenes, showing brothers Matt and Ross Duffer discussing the shows conclusion. The trailer captures emotional moments as the Duffer Brothers address the cast and crew, with filming for the sci-fi hit drawing to a close.

Millie Bobby Brown, who portrays the psychokinetic Eleven, is seen visibly distressed during what appears to be a script read-through alongside co-star Noah Schnapp. The 21-year-old actress also reflects on the series end, stating: "Im not ready to let go."

Further clips show Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), and Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler) embracing, clearly moved by the occasion.

The documentary promises an intimate look at the making of series five, which saw the young protagonists from the fictional town of Hawkins  Will, Dustin, Mike, and Lucas  confront the malevolent Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) for a final showdown. The fifth series, released in three parts, sparked considerable discussion among viewers due to its ambiguous ending regarding Elevens destiny.

Ross Duffer elaborated on this decision to Netflix site Tudum: "There was never a version of the story where Eleven was hanging out with the gang at the end. For us and our writers, we didnt want to take her powers away. She represents magic in a lot of ways and the magic of childhood."

He continued: "For our characters to move on and for the story of Hawkins and the Upside Down to come to a close, Eleven had to go away. We thought it would be beautiful if our characters continued to believe in that happier ending even if we didnt give them a clear answer to whether thats true or not. The fact that theyre believing in it, we just thought it was such a better way to end the story and a better way to represent the closure of this journey and their journey from children to adults."

Following the final episodes UK broadcast on New Years Day, Brown, who rose to prominence with the shows debut almost a decade ago, shared a black and white set photo captioned: "Over and out."

Ross Duffer (L) and Matt Duffer ( Getty Images )

Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things first aired in 2016, catapulting its young cast, including Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), and Schnapp (Will Byers), to international fame. The franchise has since expanded to include a stage play, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, and an upcoming animated spin-off, Stranger Things: Tales From 85.

One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 is set to premiere on Netflix on 12 January.
For right-wing firebrand Candace Owens, conspiracy theories are a form of mind yoga, a way of bending the mind like a pretzel. Theyre also extremely compelling, for her millions of social media followers and podcast listeners at least, and extremely lucrative, helping the 36-year-old American build a staggering media empire in under a decade.

Coronavirus and the vaccines. The moon landings. Climate change. The #MeToo case against Harvey Weinstein. Blake Lively and Justin Baldonis legal battle. All these disparate subjects have received Owenss signature treatment. On her eponymous podcast, she is the queen of the just asking questions approach: positioning herself as an investigating crusader who is bold enough to probe the topics that she believes the mainstream media dont want you to know about.

She is part one-woman outrage machine, part millennial version of a medieval mystic; she has certainly worked out how to cleverly monetise the human impulse to uncover so-called truths and to feel like we are somehow in possession of a secret knowledge that explains how the world works. But her latest forays into so-called mind yoga are tying her in ever more complex knots that set her apart from even the most fact-averse of her fellow microphone-toting far-right truthers.

Last summer, French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte filed a defamation lawsuit against Owens, who has regularly and fervently spouted bizarre claims that the first lady was born male; the couple have accused her of mounting a campaign of global humiliation and relentless bullying on a worldwide scale. Their civil suit followed separate criminal prosecutions in France against 10 people accused of making malicious comments about the first ladys gender and sexuality. On Monday (5 January), a Paris court found the eight men and two women guilty of cyberbullying, describing their claims as particularly degrading, insulting and malicious; their penalties ranged from cyberbullying awareness training to eight-month suspended prison sentences.

In November, Owens made the even stranger allegations that the Macrons had attempted to orchestrate her assassination (the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group, the organisation that Owens claimed was involved in the plot, told French media that these allegations were fake news).

And towards the end of last year, Owens dragged herself and her followers even further down the rabbit hole by stirring up conspiracies around the death of her one-time boss, Charlie Kirk, the right-wing activist and founder of conservative student group Turning Point, who was shot dead in September. Among her inflammatory claims? The suggestion that his death was somehow an inside job involving Turning Point employees.

Her claims prompted Kirks longtime producer, Blake Neff, to finally call Owens out for spending months attacking Charlies closest friends, who, he said, have had to endure harassment from people who have gotten whipped up by what Candace is saying. Owens is now playing an even higher stakes game, running the risk of finally alienating one-time allies on her end of the political spectrum, while also surely aware that her most devoted core of fans will expect wilder theories to come.

open image in gallery Owens has built a staggering media empire over the course of just a few years ( Getty )

So how did Owens become one of the most influential  and arguably, one of the most dangerous  women on the internet? Her early days didnt exactly lay obvious foundations for a hard-right pivot. The third of four children, she spent her childhood in Stamford, Connecticut and, following her parents divorce, was brought up by her grandparents. At school, she experienced racist bullying; when she was in her senior year, she received death threats from some white classmates, including the son of Stamfords then-mayor. Her family sued the Stamford Board of Education, eventually gaining a $37,500 settlement.

Around this time, she developed an abiding interest in current affairs, as a Tatler profile would later put it, with her political sympathies initially skewing towards the Democrats. After dropping out of a journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island, Owens interned in the fashion cupboard at American Vogue (There was not some kind of formal hierarchy, but it was very clear that she was running the show, a fellow intern recalled in Vanity Fair).

She then worked her way up the ranks in administration in a New York private equity firm before co-founding a marketing agency. Dig back into the agencys blog archives, and you will find Owens mouthing off about the bat-s***-crazy antics of the Republican Tea Party. But her politics would soon change drastically. In 2016, she launched a Kickstarter campaign for a platform called Social Autopsy, a searchable database of internet trolls (there is, of course, a certain irony to Owens initially touting herself as some kind of anti-cyberbullying champion).

She is part one-woman outrage machine, part millennial version of a medieval mystic

Inevitably, it stoked criticism: wouldnt this just amount to doxxing, the typically malicious act of posting another persons private details on the internet? Owens ended up on the receiving end of online hate herself, and blamed left-wing activists. I became a conservative overnight, she later reflected. I realised that liberals were actually the racists. Liberals were actually the trolls.

Not long after, she started posting on YouTube: her first video was a sketch in which she came out to her parents as a conservative. Owens positioned herself as a supporter of Donald Trump, who was then in the early stages of his first presidency, and decried ideas around identity politics, structural racism and the Black Lives Matter movement. She particularly vehemently opposed any suggestion that African-Americans should perceive themselves as victims  and still does.

Owens crossed paths with Kirk at a conservative conference in Florida late in 2017. Within 30 seconds of seeing her on stage, I said to myself, Oh my goodness, I have not seen a talent like this in my six years of politics, Kirk later told The Washington Post. He immediately hired her to work in communications for Turning Point, and they spent the next few years touring colleges, spreading the conservative gospel.

open image in gallery The right-wing firebrand has encouraged Black voters to switch allegiances to the Republican Party ( AFP via Getty )

Around this time, Owens launched the Blexit Foundation, an organisation encouraging a Black exit from the Democrats, urging Black voters to throw their support behind the Republican Party instead. Kanye West publicly supported her, writing I love the way Candace Owens thinks on Twitter. And she and Kirk also took their Turning Point mission overseas.

At an event in London in December 2018, Owens ended up appearing to suggest that if Hitler had simply stuck to Germany, his policies would have been fine. Whenever we say nationalism, the first thing people think about, at least in America, is Hitler, she said. He was a national socialist, but if Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, OK, fine. The problem, she added, was that he had dreams outside of Germany. He wanted to globalise. Owens would later claim that her words had been taken out of context by leftist journalists, and stated that there is no excuse or defence ever for everything that [Hitler] did.

Owens left Turning Point in 2019, but her profile continued to grow and grow. 2021 saw the launch of Candace, an online show for the conservative platform Daily Wire, co-founded by another right-wing controversy magnet, Ben Shapiro; it featured sit-down interviews with the likes of Trump, but she also used her platform to weigh in on pop culture and lifestyle topics (such as her vehement belief that women should not wear leggings outside of the gym, because doing so is indicative of the decline of our culture).

But in 2024, Owens parted ways with Daily Wire, reportedly over her antisemitic comments (although she would later claim this was a smear campaign and a ridiculous storyline). Owenss great talent, though, is for turning controversy into content, and it wasnt long before she returned with her own venture, a self-titled podcast. Since launching in June of 2024, its ascent has been dizzying: in October 2025, it ranked as the No 1 show across platforms in terms of downloads and views per episode, with an average of around 3.5 million downloads per show, according to analytics from Podscribe.

The right-wing podcast sphere is booming in a way that the left cant seem to match. Just a quick glance at the US charts demonstrates the dominance of controversial conservative-skewing figures such as Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson and Theo Von. According to a Media Matters report from 2024, right-leaning online shows had nearly five times as many followers and subscribers as their left-wing equivalents. Controversy and conspiracy pay off: the more outrageous the content, the more the listeners keep coming back (not for nothing was rage bait announced as the Oxford Dictionarys word of the year).

open image in gallery Owens with husband George Farmer, the British son of a multi-millionaire Tory peer ( Getty Images for Vox Media )

Its a model that Owens has honed to perfection. Outrage drives clicks, listens and views. It keeps fans coming back. And this in turn makes advertisers sit up and take note. Her husband, George Farmer, the British son of a multi-millionaire Tory peer and hedge fund manager, oversees the business side of the operation, and told Bloomberg that her advertisers have reported seeing returns of two-to-one on dollars spent with us, and up to five-to-one reported in some cases.

Her huge listener base means that the podcast can inevitably charge higher advertising rates; recent analysis from Fortune magazine suggested that her company generates up to $10m in revenues per year. And according to Farmer, only one advertiser has pulled out over the past year; the show now has almost 60 sponsors, Bloomberg reports. In 2023, her anti-trans YouTube videos were demonetised, and last year, she was temporarily suspended after violating hate speech policies, but she has since returned with a vengeance. And even if these bigger sites did ban her, she would probably follow in the footsteps of other cancelled right-wing figures and simply move to a new platform.

Whats particularly shrewd, though, is the way Owens has a knack for throwing herself into topics that are guaranteed to creep onto your social feed. Take actor Blake Livelys legal battle against her It Ends with Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni. Owens covered the story in obsessive detail, responding to suggestions and clues from followers with all the zeal of a TikTok sleuth.

Elsewhere, she borrows the aesthetic of your classic lifestyle influencer. Her website, Club Candace, doesnt exactly look like the online home of a conservative firebrand; instead of Maga red and shouty graphics, its all swirly, cursive fonts and glowing photos of Owens. But then you look closer at the merch shes selling: the Candace Intelligence Agency T-shirts ($35), the we dont know-know, but we know sweater ($60), a slogan that gets to the heart of Owenss fast-and-loose attitude to facts, and the conspiracy theorist mug ($16).

And yet with the Macron lawsuit looming, Owens may have met her match. For all the successes of her podcast, she is now facing a major legal battle. She has been asking fans to donate to her legal fund, and estimates she will need around $5m, but that feels like a conservative estimate. Should she lose, she could face millions in legal fees alone. The case of fellow right-wing podcaster and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones feels particularly pertinent here: Jones was ordered to pay around $1.4bn in total damages after the families of Sandy Hook elementary school shooting victims won two separate defamation suits against him. He has since been declared bankrupt (although he is still broadcasting).

In American defamation cases against public figures, though, the onus is on the plaintiff to prove actual malice, or essentially to show that the defendant knew the information they were sharing was untrue. This can be tricky to prove. In 2021, Owens was hit with a separate defamation suit by the former Republican congressional candidate Kimberly Klacik. She claimed that Owens had smeared her with false allegations of drug use, fraud and working as a madame in a strip club, but the case was tossed out by a judge; Klacik ended up being required to pay her $115,000 to cover legal fees.

Using Kirks death as another trending topic to boost her profile looks like an ill-advised move, too. Owens is far from the only podcaster to indulge in bizarre conspiracy theories, but her personal link to Kirk, coupled with her willingness to exploit that for clicks and listens, makes the whole spectacle feel extremely murky. In aiming for Turning Point, too, she risks splitting her support base. Here, she is not going after the establishment or the elite, those bogey people of conspiratorial thinking, but her own political allies. And the signs are that Turning Point are not going to let her get away with it.

But Candace is unlikely to let this knock her off course. For her, a backlash is likely to be seen as just another opportunity. In this respect, she is the Trump era pundit par excellence: scandals that would have ended other careers only seem to give her more fodder to feed back to her devoted followers. Until now, Owens, with all her despicable theories, has made notoriety her superpower. In todays topsy-turvy cultural climate, being the ragebait queen has served her well. It remains to be seen, however, if they make her undefeatable.
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Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question youd like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

Why does orange juice taste bad after you brush your teeth?  Seth G., age 10, Bloomington, Indiana

Its a mistake you hopefully only make once. In your morning rush to get ready, you brush your teeth before you head to the kitchen and down a big glass of orange juice. Yuck!

What makes your clean, minty mouth taste so gross when it meets OJ?

The short answer is that toothpaste contains a detergent that dissolves fat. And since your taste buds are partly made of fat, they are disrupted whenever you brush your teeth.

Before you decide you need to stop brushing your teeth to save your taste buds, know that this disruption is temporary, lasting only a few minutes. Brushing with toothpaste is still important for your health.

But how does this change in taste happen? And how are the taste receptors that are all over the surface of your tongue supposed to work?

Im a psychologist, and Ive spent more than 40 years researching the science of how people experience taste and flavor.

Lets look at the science behind this phenomenon:

A bittersweet symphony

Thanks to evolution, your brain is wired to make you love the sweet sugars your body and brain need for fuel and hate the bitter poisons than could kill you. So your receptors for these two particular tastes are vital to your survival.

All of the cells in your body are held together by an outer layer, known as the membrane, that is made up of fats called lipids. And in sweet or bitter taste receptor cells, the cell membranes also contain a special molecule called a G protein-coupled receptor, or GPCR.

Some GPCRs are designed to detect sweet tastes. They tune out all compounds that arent sweet and respond only to the sugars your body can use. Others detect bitter tastes, tuning in to the large number of compounds in nature that are poisonous. They act as a built-in alarm system.

Salty chips and sour candies

Your perception of saltiness and sourness happens a little differently. These tastes are detected when positively charged ions called cations pass through tiny openings in the cell membrane of your salty and sour receptors.

In the case of saltiness, the cation is the positively charged sodium found in sodium chloride  common table salt.

For acidic, or sour, tastes, the cation is a positively charged hydrogen ion. While different types of acids may contain different chemical compounds, they all contain the hydrogen cation.

When you eat potato chips, the positively charged sodium cations from the salt pass through special openings in a receptors membrane, producing the salty taste. Similarly, the hydrogen cations in your favorite sour candy slip through other special openings in your sour receptors membrane and send a sour signal to your brain.

Toothpaste and OJ

The orange juice that many people like to drink with breakfast is naturally high in sugar. But it also contains citric acid, with its hydrogen cations. As a result, its a delicious combination of both sweet and a little sour.

But if you brush your teeth before breakfast, your OJ tastes terrible. Whats changed?

Its not just that minty tastes clash with sweet ones. Toothpaste contains the detergent sodium lauryl sulfate, which helps remove dental plaque from your teeth. Plaque is the sticky film of germs that can cause cavities and make your breath smell bad.

If you ever do the dishes, youve probably seen what happens when you squirt detergent into a sink full of greasy water: The detergent breaks up the greasy fat, making it easy to wipe it off the dishes and rinse them clean.

But theres another type of fat in your mouth that the detergent in toothpaste disrupts  the lipids in the cell membranes of your taste receptors. Brushing your teeth breaks up that layer of lipids, temporarily changing how you perceive taste.

Testing it out

Back in 1980, I conducted a study with a couple of my colleagues who were studying chemistry. We wanted to know how the tongue responds to sweet, bitter, salty and sour after being exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate, the detergent in toothpaste.

We conducted an experiment with seven student volunteers at Yale. They tasted very high concentrations of sweet sucrose, sour citric acid, salt and bitter quinine, both before and after holding a solution (0.05%) of sodium lauryl sulfate in their mouths for one minute.

About the author Linda Bartoshuk is a Research Professor of Psychology at George Washington University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

You could conduct your own version of this experiment with something sweet like sugar, a little table salt, orange juice and tonic water. Taste them before you brush your teeth and then after, and see what happens!

We found that the intensity of the tastes of sucrose, salt and quinine were reduced by a small amount, but the most important change was that a bitter taste was added to the sour taste of citric acid.

This is why, instead of tasting sweet with a bit of nice tanginess, your OJ tastes bitter after you brush your teeth.

Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question youd like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

And since curiosity has no age limit  adults, let us know what youre wondering, too. We wont be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.
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It has long been established that music can benefit people living with dementia. Now scientists are investigating whether dancing can help as well.

Research has revealed that Alzheimers disease patients exposure to music can engage regions of the brain linked to emotion, memory and movement, with studies showing playing an instrument or singing in a group can help build connections between brain cells and improve attention.

But work is still emerging about the positive and preventative impacts of dance  movement that some experts say can help to delay the onset of dementia and improve debilitating symptoms.

Studies show that activities requiring learning and memory  like dance  can stimulate neuroplasticity, the brains ability to form new neural connections, Canadas Baycrest Foundation, which monitors advancements in brain health and dementia, said in a statement.

This enhanced brain activity helps keep the mind sharp and can even delay the onset of symptoms in those at risk for dementia.

open image in gallery Dancing keeps the brain and body stimulated and help to delay the onset of symptoms for people at risk of dementia, experts say ( Getty Images )

The combination of mental and physical work when we dance is what makes one of Americas favorite pastimes so beneficial.

Dancing, and dancing well, requires rhythm, timing, and coordination  especially with a partner. Certain types of dance may be more intricate, focus-intensive or strenuous than others, such as hip hop, step dancing or ballet.

"Dance engages many parts of the brain," York University researcher Simran Rooprai explained in a statement.

Rooprai was the lead author of a study published last year that found moving to Latin music for two years led to cognitive and stability improvements in people with Parkinsons disease, the second-most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimers.

"While dancing, you're listening to music, learning new steps, remembering the different sequences, and you're engaging with other dancers so you're aware of your surroundings. Dance is physical, mental, and social all at once."

The risk for all dementia rises as people age and become less mobile, and most people living with dementia are over 65 years old.

More than seven million Americans live with Alzheimers, and around one million are affected by Parkinsons disease.

Where the research stands (and sways)

A 2025 review of past studies found that while research on dance as a potential therapy for dementia remains scarce, the activity improved mood and physical functioning in patients with dementia.

A 2017 study from German researchers showed dancing weekly over the course of 18 months could reverse signs of brain aging in the elderly.

Compared with endurance training, the authors of that study said dancing showed the most profound effect. However, both led to an increase in function in the hippocampus, which is a region of the brain that plays a crucial role in keeping balance as well as memory and learning.

I think dancing is a powerful tool to set new challenges for body and mind, especially in older age, Dr. Kathrin Rehfeld, lead author of the study who is based at the Magdeburg-based Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, said in a release.

And a much larger 2003 study showed that other physical activities also werent as effective as dancing. Dancing more than once a week slashed the risk of dementia by a whopping 76 percent.

A groovier future for people with Parkinsons

While a lot of the Parkinsons-related research that has been published is observational, Dr. Daniel Tarsy, director of the Parkinsons Disease and Movement Disorders Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, told Harvard Medical School that its consistent and theres a lot of it.

Tarsy noted that people with Parkinsons speak and walk better if they have a steady rhythmic cue.

Still, experts say using dance therapy to treat Parkinsons was initially met with some hesitation.

There was one neurologist who told us, I think the program is great. But I can never recommend it because dancing is a frivolous activity and that would tarnish my reputation as a serious doctor,  David Leventhal, the director of the program Dance for PD, told Stanford Magazine in 2017.

open image in gallery Dancing can help people reduce tremors, which are common symptoms of Parkinsons disease felt throughout the body ( AFP via Getty Images )

There are now multiple groups patients can join to stay mobile, build strength and keep engaged.

Dancing can help improve balance, alleviate stiffness and prevent tremors that can occur throughout the body, including the feet.

With Parkinsons disease, your movements can become stiff and slowed, Vaishnavi Srivatsan, a neurological rehabilitation and certified brain injury specialist at Henry Ford Health, said. Everything from posture, balance and ability to get around can become impaired, and over time, worsen.

Movements in dance allow for patients to work on their coordination, motor control, spatial memory and emotional expression  all which works to improve their confidence, said Srivatsan.
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It took me four years of living 12 minutes away from Battersea Library to eventually register as a member. Despite its octagonal turret and red brick exterior, the 19th-century building was, embarrassingly, no match for the apps sucking my attention towards my phone  until the start of 2025, when the number of books stacked in piles across my tiny flat began to feel wasteful in terms of both paper and cost. I was spending 15 a pop on new hardback releases, only to let them gather dust within a matter of months of reading them, with some borrowed once or twice by passing friends. So, with trepidation, I meandered through the open arches to the shelves.

When the first public lending library opened in Manchester in 1852, it was so busy during its first week that a police officer was assigned to conduct crowd control around the overflowing borrowing desk. This meeting cherishes the earnest hope that the books thus made available will prove a source of pleasure and improvement in the cottages, the garrets, and the cellars of the poorest of our people, said Oliver Twist author Charles Dickens at the opening ceremony.

Cut to 2025 and, although 78 per cent of the population are now within a 30-minute walk of a public library, according to the Office for National Statistics, under a third of us used a library service in the last year on record  and of those, 27 per cent were bringing children to borrow books, rather than checking out novels or non-fiction for themselves. More than 180 council-run libraries in the UK have either closed or been handed over to volunteer groups since 2016. Additionally, a third of those remaining have reduced their hours in a bid to survive cutbacks. Simply put, theyre on the ropes.

Characterised by quiet murmurs and the occasional rustling of pages, libraries are markedly more serene now than at the 1852 inaugural opening in Manchester. What will hit you square in the face, though, particularly in a city like London, is the immediate evidence of community: storytime for babies and toddlers, crafternoon art classes for all, tech mentoring for the elderly, coffee mornings, colouring clubs, knit-and-natter socials. Its an institution entirely enveloped in kindness.

On one particularly hormonal afternoon, its enough to make me want to cry. Because the people who work here really, truly want to help you  whether thats to pick a book, learn to sew, improve your English, convert a Word document into a PDF, or borrow a newspaper. I have, solemnly, never encountered an iota of disinterest or hostility from a member of library staff, which may not sound like much of a thing to marvel at, but means an awful lot when youre standing alone on an emotionally cloudy day and in need of some kindness.

Aside from the people, the point is, of course, the books. I start slowly, perusing the shelves for readable titles just to get that part of my brain going again. Paperbacks I plump for initially include Kiley Reids 2019 debut Such a Fun Age, which follows a young Black woman called Emira whos accused of kidnapping the child she babysits, and So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan, a 64-page-long 2023 Booker Prize finalist about a discontented man on his bus journey home.

But soon, the world is opened up further by the power of requests. As Battersea is part of Better Libraries, which operates in over 76 locations across London and the Midlands, it has access to thousands of books  not just the ones on the shelves. You order them, theyre shipped over and  for the price of just one British pound  theyre yours for a few weeks.

open image in gallery Alexis Bledel, as Rory in Gilmore Girls, at Yale University Library ( Warner Bros )

Soon, Im reading releases as recent as Edge Hill Prize winner Saba Sams debut novel Gunk, published this spring. Then, Lily Kings coming-of-age Writers & Lovers prequel Heart the Lover, which was just released in October. Im still reading hotly anticipated hardbacks, except now, more people get to share them.

One day, the fourth wall between me and these nameless co-readers is broken when a woman named Sue emails me to say she has found a slip that says I need to collect a handbag that Id sent away to be repaired, wedged between the pages of a copy of The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. Id been using it as a bookmark. As it has a recent date, I was wondering if you need this to pick up your bag, or shall I just bin it? she asks, with her warmest regards. Theres that kindness again.

In the past year, the number of books I have read compared with the previous 12 months has tripled from 10 to 30. The most recent among these are Its Terrible the Things I Have to Do to Be Me by Philippa Snow (a brilliant analysis of what it means to be a female celebrity), It Lasts Forever and Then Its Over by Anne de Marcken (a Fitzcarraldo zombie novel thats in equal parts hilarious and devastating), and Happiness and Love by Zoe Dubno (a cynical yet soulful dinner-party satire).

This is not uncommon. One study found that, on average, library card holders reported reading 20 books over the course of a year. Non-card holder readers, to compare, logged 13 titles under their belts over the same period. In contrast, as has been widely discussed since the figures were released this March, YouGov found that 40 per cent of Britons had not read a single book in the past 12 months, with most getting through three per year. Among them, women (66 per cent), over-65s (65 per cent), and Labour voters (70 per cent) were most likely to be page-turners.

open image in gallery Matilda reads in the Edward L Doheny Jr Memorial Library, in the 1996 film adaptation of Roald Dahls book ( Sony )

Reading is good for you. Various studies have found that picking up a book can help you live longer, reduce depression, improve your relationships, increase empathy levels, stave off dementia, improve sleep and minimise stress levels. In fact, research by the University of Sussex found that just six minutes of reading per day reduced stress levels by 68 per cent, based on measurements of heart rate and muscle tension. This was proven to be a more effective relaxation method than listening to music, walking, or having a cup of tea.

But few people do anything wholly because its good for them. Instead, we read for the magic. You will only get pleasure from a book if you allow yourself to get lost in it, explained beloved childrens author Michael Morpurgo to The Telegraph in October. Books give you the time to discover yourself and the world around you. Take the reading habit away and were in trouble. Because what are we replacing it with?

When Broad Green Library in Croydon became one of the many book-borrowing sites to close down this year, former members told the BBC they were devastated to have lost the sanctuary that provided them a third space to exist in away from their work, office or home. It opened up a whole new life for me, said one woman, Kiran Choda, a full-time carer for her elderly mother. Ive made friends through the library that I never would have had, and I just had a little time for myself, a little peace and serenity, she added.

The success of Manchester Free Library 173 years ago followed decades worth of campaigning by politicians, writers and philanthropists to provide working-class people with access to books. This culminated in the passing of the Public Libraries Act in 1850, which allowed towns of 10,000 people or more to raise taxes to set up libraries. Industrial cities including Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds and Birmingham were among the first places to follow in Manchesters footsteps. By 1900, there were 300 locations to borrow books from.

The closure of Broad Green Library (according to Croydons executive mayor Jason Perry) came down to usage. Less than 10 per cent of residents were borrowing books. Although this data didnt account for the visitors using the library as a study space, to access wifi, attend events, listen to talks or get involved in groups, that didnt matter. Reading, when it comes down to it, is seemingly the only thing that can save a library from shutting its doors. Becoming a member is good for everyone.
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So your boss wants you in the office more? If this makes you anxious, youre not alone.

Return-to-work tensions arent simply resistance to change. They reflect deeper questions about how different people work best and what modern organisations actually need to succeed.

After COVID, return-to-office rates stabilised by around June 2023, without much movement since.

In Australia, 36 per cent of Australians were working from home regularly in August 2024 and 37 per cent in 2023. This is a dramatic shift from pre-pandemic levels when only 5 per cent of Australians worked from home regularly.

In Europe and North America, around 30 per cent of employees now work hybrid schedules, with 8 per cent fully remote.

open image in gallery After COVID, return-to-office rates stabilised by around June 2023 ( Getty/iStock )

Yet tensions persist. Many employers are pushing harder to get workers back in person, while unions are pushing back. The Australian Services Union recently requested presumed work-from-home arrangements and 26 weeks notice before employees have to return to the office.

Meanwhile, the Victorian government plans to introduce laws giving employees the legal right to work from home two days a week.

Workers tend to prefer hybrid models

Research on remote and hybrid work models reveals both benefits and challenges.

Hybrid work can increase productivity, improve work-life balance and reduce attrition rates.

A 2024 randomised controlled trial found that hybrid work arrangements led to 33 per cent lower quit rates. There were particular benefits for women, non-managers and employees with long commutes.

Research tracking individual productivity found that fully remote work was associated with a 10 per cent drop in productivity. However, hybrid working appeared to have no impact on productivity.

Employees generally prefer hybrid models, with many willing to accept pay cuts for remote work options.

Its good to spend some time in the office

There are benefits in spending time with our colleagues face-to-face.

We learn more naturally in social settings. We gain knowledge informally through observation, spontaneous questions and overheard conversations.

open image in gallery There are benefits in spending time with our colleagues face-to-face ( sebra - stock.adobe.com )

The social connections that form more readily in person contribute significantly to employee retention and satisfaction.

Collaboration and innovation often flow better face-to-face, too.

Some things are difficult to replicate virtually. The spontaneity of brainstorming, the nuanced communication possible through body language, and the collective energy of problem-solving are hard to achieve online.

Being able to work from home improves inclusion

Parents, carers and people with disabilities benefit significantly from the flexibility to manage responsibilities while maintaining productivity.

Recent research shows that flexible working practices are important for neurodivergent employees. This includes those with autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Neurodivergent workers make up a significant percentage of the Australian workforce: 12 per cent in 2024. And in the United States, 20 per cent of adults have a learning or attention issue.

For neurodivergent employees, working at home gives much-needed sensory control and routine flexibility. This includes adjusting lighting to reduce overwhelm, controlling noise levels and taking breaks when needed. It also allows avoiding the social exhaustion that constant office interactions can create.

Loneliness is also a workplace issue

Loneliness is a significant concern among both remote and on-site workers.

A survey of 7,500 American workers found that over half feel lonely. Some 36 per cent of lonely workers were more likely to seek a job somewhere else, compared with 20 per cent of workers who were not lonely. Additionally, 42 per cent of lonely workers reported being disengaged. This is twice as many as among surveyed workers who were not lonely.

Earlier research from 2024 found that one in five workers globally experienced loneliness a lot in the previous day.

open image in gallery Loneliness is a significant concern among both remote and on-site workers ( Alamy )

Loneliness is particularly pronounced among younger workers, with 46 per cent of those aged 1824 feeling left out.

Loneliness impacts business performance as well as individuals. Workplace loneliness leads to decreased engagement, reduced commitment, and increased turnover.

Managers can address workplace loneliness by fostering a culture of wellbeing, creating opportunities to build relationships, increasing support and practising inclusive decision-making.

How can employers help anxious staff return to the office?

Know that workers may feel anxious about returning to offices, so allow them to ease back in. Gradual transitions prove more effective than abrupt changes, perhaps starting with one day weekly before building up.

Preparation is essential to support a diverse workforce. This should include clear communication about hybrid expectations, flexibility where possible, and recognition that transitions take time.

About the author Libby (Elizabeth) Sander is an MBA Director & Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour in the Bond Business School at Bond University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Attention to the physical work environment is vital. Creating inclusive office environments means considering lighting, noise levels and providing spaces where employees can work without visual and auditory distraction.

Regular check-ins with returning staff, openness to feedback and maintaining flexibility around working arrangements can significantly ease transitions.

Finally, keep in mind that forced returns can backfire, creating more anxiety rather than engagement.

Set policies that allow employees to thrive

The evidence highlights that no approach works for everyone. Some people genuinely thrive in collaborative office environments, while others do their best work from home.

A large body of research shows that a majority of workers benefit from hybrid models that maximise both collaboration and individual productivity, while supporting diverse working styles.

Organisations need to adopt both evidence-based practice and individual flexibility to get the best from their workforce. Success depends on recognising that workplace anxiety, loneliness and productivity are complex issues requiring individualised approaches.

Whether youre an employee worried about office returns, or a manager supporting your team, focus on creating environments where everyone can contribute effectively while maintaining wellbeing.

As this workplace evolution continues, the most successful organisations will be those that remain flexible, listen to diverse employee needs, and adapt based on evidence rather than personal preferences or assumptions about what is most effective.
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. consumer technology industry is expected to generate 565 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2026, growing 3.7 percent year-on-year, despite tariff pressures and economic uncertainty, according to a forecast released on Sunday.

The forecast, released by the U.S. Consumer Technology Association (CTA) ahead of the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), notes that while overall industry growth is expected to remain steady, rising costs are affecting companies unevenly, with smaller firms more likely to face margin pressure or supply chain disruptions.

"Even as tariffs and broader economic pressures intensify, Americans continue to invest in technology that improves productivity, connectivity, and quality of life," said Gary Shapiro, executive chair and CEO of CTA. "But the impact of economic uncertainty is becoming more visible as companies move through pre-tariff inventories and face tougher cost decisions heading into 2026."

Despite these challenges, key segments are expected to continue expanding. Hardware revenues are forecast to grow 3.4 percent, while consumer spending on software and services is projected to rise 4.2 percent to nearly 194 billion dollars, according to the forecast.

Consumers are increasingly prioritizing software-driven value, shifting toward subscription-based services and flexible financing options, signaling a market increasingly driven by premium features and artificial intelligence-enabled experiences, according to the forecast.

The 2026 CES, the world's premier tech show organized by CTA, will take place in the U.S. city of Las Vegas from Jan. 6 to 9, drawing exhibitors and participants from more than 155 countries and regions. 
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A former Uvalde schools officer, Adrian Gonzales, is due to stand trial on Monday, facing 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment.

He was among the first police officers to respond to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where authorities notoriously delayed confronting the gunman for over an hour.

It marks a rare prosecution of an officer accused of failing to act to stop a crime and protect lives. The horrific attack at Robb Elementary saw a teenage gunman kill 19 students and two teachers, making it one of the deadliest school shootings in US history.

Former Uvalde, Texas, schools police Officer Adrian Gonzales was among the first officers to arrive at the school.

Prosecutors allege that instead of rushing in to confront the shooter, Gonzales failed to take action to protect students. Many families of the 19 fourth-grade students and two teachers who were killed believe that if Gonzales and the nearly 400 officers who responded had confronted the gunman sooner instead of waiting more than an hour, lives might have been saved.

When was the Uvalde school shooting?

More than 3 years since the killings, the first criminal trial over the delayed law enforcement response to one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history is set to begin.

Its a rare case in which a police officer could be convicted for allegedly failing to act to stop a crime and protect lives.

Heres a look at the charges and the legal issues surrounding the trial.

open image in gallery This booking image provided by the Uvalde County, Texas, Sheriff's Office shows Adrian Gonzales, a former police officer for schools in Uvalde, Texas. (Uvalde County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

Gonzales was charged with 29 counts of child endangerment for those killed and injured in the May 2022 shooting. The indictment alleges he placed children in imminent danger of injury or death by failing to engage, distract or delay the shooter and by not following his active shooter training. The indictment says he did not advance toward the gunfire despite hearing shots and being told where the shooter was located.

Each child endangerment count carries a potential sentence of up to two years in prison.

State and federal reviews of the shooting cited cascading problems in law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology and questioned why officers from multiple agencies waited so long before confronting and killing the gunman, Salvador Ramos.

Gonzales attorney, Nico LaHood, said his client is innocent and public anger over the shooting is being misdirected.

He was focused on getting children out of that building, LaHood, said. He knows where his heart was and what he tried to do for those children.

Jury selection in Gonzales trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 5 in Corpus Christi, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Uvalde. The trial was moved after defense attorneys argued Gonzales could not receive a fair trial in Uvalde.

Gonzales, 52, and former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo are the only officers charged. Arredondo was charged with multiple counts of child endangerment and abandonment. His trial has not been scheduled, and he is also seeking a change of venue.

Prosecutors have not explained why only Gonzales and Arredondo were charged. Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell did not respond to a request for comment.

open image in gallery Flowers are placed around a welcome sign outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 25, 2022, to honor the victims killed in a shooting at the school. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) ( Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

Its extremely unusual for an officer to stand trial for not taking an action, said Sandra Guerra Thompson, a University of Houston Law Center professor.

At the end of the day, youre talking about convicting someone for failing to act and thats always a challenge, Thompson said, because you have to show that they failed to take reasonable steps.

Phil Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University who maintains a nationwide database of roughly 25,000 cases of police officers arrested since 2005, said a preliminary search found only two similar prosecutions.

One involved a Florida sheriffs deputy, Scot Peterson, who was charged after the 2018 Parkland school massacre for allegedly failing to confront the shooter  the first such prosecution in the U.S. for an on-campus shooting. He was acquitted by a jury in 2023.

The other was the 2022 conviction of former Baltimore police officer Christopher Nguyen for failing to protect an assault victim. The Maryland Supreme Court overturned that conviction in July, ruling prosecutors had not shown Nguyen had a legal duty to protect the victim.

The justices in Maryland cited a prior U.S. Supreme Court decision on the public duty doctrine, which holds that government officials like police generally owe a duty to the public at large rather than to specific individuals unless a special relationship exists.

open image in gallery Velma Lisa Duran, sister of Robb Elementary teacher Irma Garcia, poses with photos of her sister and brother-in-law, Joe Garcia, as she reflects on the 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting on Dec. 19, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Kin Man Hui) ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

Michael Wynne, a Houston criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor not involved in the case, said securing a conviction will be difficult.

This is clearly gross negligence. I think its going to be difficult to prove some type of criminal malintent, Wynne said.

But Thompson, the law professor, said prosecutors may nonetheless be well positioned.

Youre talking about little children who are being slaughtered and a very long delay by a lot of officers, she said. I just feel like this is a different situation because of the tremendous harm that was done to so many children.
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A former TV meteorologist is suing her former employer after allegedly being told, You only got your job because of your [breasts].

Bree Smith has accused the current weather forecaster, Henry Rothenberg, of sexist verbal abuse after he made the remark in 2017, according to her lawsuit. Smith and Rothenberg were colleagues for nine years at Tennessees NewsChannel 5 before the former meteorologist left in 2025.

She has claimed, in a lawsuit seen by The Tennessean, that the forecaster called multiple women a derogatory, sexist slur both privately and in the presence of other industry professionals.

Smith also alleges that Rothenberg told her that her own pregnancy meant that she was so emotional after the sudden death of a close friends one-year-old baby.

The meteorologists lawsuit was filed on December 29 in U.S. District Court and names NewsChannel 5 and its Cincinnati-based owner, The E.W. Scripps Company.

open image in gallery Bree Smith is suing her former employer after allegedly being told that she got her job because of her breasts ( House Criminal Justice Subcommittee )

According to her, the broadcaster did not carry out a thorough inquiry into her allegations, instead conducting a sham investigation.

She is looking for monetary compensation for emotional distress, humiliation, embarrassment and anguish and wants NewsChannel 5 to pay a fine to prevent poor conduct in the future.

In Smiths lawsuit, she also alleged that NewsChannel 5 refused to intervene when deepfake images of her face on semi-nude bodies appeared online.

Speaking to CBS News in May, she said that she felt that online trolls were weaponizing her identity.

"I cry myself to sleep most nights, mostly because I don't want my kids to see me," she said.

"These impostors are trying to take my story, and my story is mine," Smith added. "This is my life. I'm 43 years old and I have worked hard and I have loved well, and I'm not going to just roll over and take this."

She later pledged her support for the Tennessee Preventing Deepfake Images Act, which was passed by the states Senate later that year.

open image in gallery She claims that forecaster Henry Rothenberg also told her that her pregnancy made her so emotional ( NewsChannel 5 )

Despite her efforts, Smith alleges that her workload at the TV channel continued to increase, despite the absences of her male colleagues. She even suggested that she had to work for 16 hours straight when Rothenberg vanished for two days.

Smith also claimed that Rothenberg lied about his father dying, before sending his colleagues a photograph of himself enjoying whiskey on the couch with his father, who was not hospitalized.

In a public statement, NewsChannel 5 had firmly rejected the allegations made in Smiths lawsuit.

The broadcaster says it will aggressively defend itself in court and maintains that it had negotiated to continue Smiths tenure at the company after her contract expired.

However, Smith says in her lawsuit that NewsChannel 5 retaliated against her for reporting Rothenbergs alleged behavior, stripping her of community engagement responsibilities and forcing her to submit an email detailing the work she had completed each week.

Any concerns brought to us by Bree were investigated thoroughly, NewsChannel 5s statement continued. It is unfortunate that we must now address these matters publicly.

The facts will show the station took appropriate action and Bree's lawsuit against the station is without merit.
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A 93-year-old man has been arrested in California after shooting his wife in their car, police say.

Richard Hocking rang the police and turned himself in following the incident on January 3, in the Bay Area city of Fremont, in what was the citys first homicide of 2026.

According to the Fremont Police Department, officers were dispatched to the scene at approximately 12:22 a.m. following reports of a shooting.

Officers arrived on scene and detained the nonagenarian, who was found by his own care. Inside the car, the officers found the body of an 86-year-old woman.

The woman, identified as Hockings wife, was pronounced dead at the scene and a gun was recovered from inside the vehicle.

A 93-year-old man has been arrested in California after shooting his wife in their car. Richard Hocking rang police and turned himself in following the incident on January 3, in Fremont  which is the citys first homicide of 2026 ( Getty/iStock )

Hocking was placed into custody and transported back to the Fremont Police Department, where he provided a statement to the police detailing his motive for the crime, investigators say.

Details of his motive have not been shared. The Independent has contacted Fremont Police for further information.

Hocking was subsequently booked into custody for homicide with a gun-related enhancement.

The Alameda County District Attorneys Office will be reviewing the case and the respective evidence.

Investigations into the incident remain ongoing, police said.
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A suspect has been arrested after allegedly damaging four windows at Vice President JD Vances home in Cincinnati, Ohio early Monday morning.

William DeFoor, 26, was charged with one count each of obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass and vandalism, Fox 19 Now reported.

U.S. Secret Service called for Cincinnati police at 12:15 a.m. after seeing someone running eastbound from Vances East Walnut Hills home.

According to an arrest report, DeFoor was seen by a U.S. Secret Service agent walking onto Vances property and damaging four of the victims residential windows and the victims vehicle.

He was detained by Secret Service agents soon after, according to a statement from the U.S. Secret Service.

open image in gallery William DeFoor, 26, was taken into custody after allegedly vandalizing Vice President JD Vances Ohio home early Monday morning ( Hamilton County Justice Center )

open image in gallery Authorities said four windows were broken at the vice presidents home (pictured) ( Fox 19 )

When officers told the suspect his rights, he responded, I dont know, according to the report.

The U.S. Secret Service is coordinating with the Cincinnati Police Department and the U.S. Attorneys Office as charging decisions are reviewed, the statement said.

Vance and his family are out of town and were not home at the time of the incident, the agency said.

I appreciate everyone's well wishes about the attack at our home. As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows. I'm grateful to the secret service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly, Vance wrote on X. We weren't even home as we had returned already to D.C.

Authorities are investigating whether the suspect was targeting Vance or his family, a federal law enforcement source told CNN. The source said they did not believe the person had entered Vances home.

Its not DeFoors first time facing criminal charges, according to court documents obtained by Fox 19.

open image in gallery Vance and his family were not in Ohio at the time of the incident ( AP )

In April, DeFoor pleaded guilty to two counts of vandalism after he caused more than $2,000 worth of damages to an interior design company in Hyde Park, an affluent area of Cincinnati. He was sentenced to treatment at a mental health facility for two years and was required to pay $5,550 in restitution, according to the report.

DeFoor is set to be arraigned in Hamilton County Municipal Court Tuesday.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
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The owner of a Virginia real estate firm was injured in a shooting at her home on New Years Eve in what her family described as a botched burglary attempt.

Judy Boone, 72, owner of Judy Boone Realty in Norfolk, was taken to a local hospital late on Tuesday after police were called to reports of gunfire at a residence in the 1800 block of East Ocean View Avenue.

Officers arrived just before midnight and found Boone suffering from a gunshot wound that was not considered life-threatening.

Boones family said in a statement that she was shot three times inside her home and remains hospitalized while recovering from her injuries.

Officers arrived just before midnight and found Boone suffering from a gunshot wound ( Google Street View )

The statement read: Judy was shot 3 times in her home on New Years Eve. She is in the hospital recovering. And more than the pain shes feeling, she is furious such a thing could happen! At this time we believe this was the result of a botched burglary.

Our family is grateful for the outpouring of thoughts and prayers from the community. We ask for privacy as she continues to heal.

A spokesperson for Sentara Health confirmed Boone was being treated at a local hospital and was in a stable condition. Police have not publicly confirmed the number of times Boone was shot.

There was still visible damage caused by the attack at her Ocean View home days after the shooting.

A sliding glass door and a side window leading to Boones bedroom were boarded up, with neighbors saying bullets appeared to have been fired from outside the house.

Boones friend, Jonathan Lyna, told 13NewsNow that he could not understand why anyone would come after the popular realtor.

He said, Its heartbreaking, you know, shes really helped Ocean View in a big, big way. Norfolk. It always happens to good people, you know, and she has no reason to be shot, thats for sure."

A neighbor told local media that Boone was shot while inside her home by someone outside, although police have yet to confirm that account.

Norfolk Commonwealths Attorney Ramin Fatehi said the incident did not appear to pose a broader public safety risk.

I can tell you that there is no threat to anybody else in the neighborhood, Fatehi told WAVY-TV on Friday.

It did not appear to be a random offense, but beyond that, for both the integrity of the investigation and out of respect for the rights of anybody ultimately charged, I cant tell you more.

Police scanner traffic from shortly before midnight on December 31 captured a dispatcher stating that Boone herself had called to report that she had been shot.

Investigators have not said whether the shooting was targeted or accidental, and no suspects have been identified. The investigation remains ongoing.
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Police have launched an international manhunt for a Maryland man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and fleeing to India from the United States, authorities said.

An arrest warrant was issued for Arjun Sharma, 26, charging him with first and second-degree murder following the death of Nikitha Godishala, 27.

Investigators believe Godishala was killed at Sharmas apartment in Columbia on New Years Eve, CBS News reported.

There was obviously some level of premeditation involved, given the sequence of events and the suspects departure from the country, Howard County police spokesman Seth Hoffman said in a media interview.

He added that investigators are still working to determine the circumstances leading up to the killing.

Howard County police said Sharma told officers on Friday that he had last seen Godishala on New Years Eve at his apartment in the 10100 block of Twin Rivers Road.

open image in gallery Police are seeking to arrest Sharma ( Howard County Police )

Later that day, investigators learned that the suspect had left the country on a flight to India, prompting authorities to seek a search warrant for the apartment.

Officers arrived at the property to discover Godishalas body inside, police said, and found that she had suffered multiple stab wounds. Detectives believe she was killed shortly after 7 pm on December 31.

Police said there were no prior calls regarding incidents involving Sharma and Godishala at the location.

According to investigators, Sharma contacted emergency services on Friday to report his ex-girlfriend missing. Authorities believe that after making the call, he traveled to Dulles International Airport in Virginia and boarded a flight bound for India.

Howard County police said they are working with federal law enforcement agencies and international partners to track down and arrest Sharma.

Extradition proceedings could follow if he is taken into custody in India or any other foreign country. A motive for the killing has not yet been established, and the investigation remains ongoing, police said.

Authorities said it was not immediately clear whether a weapon had been recovered from the apartment.

open image in gallery Howard County police said Sharma told officers on Friday that he had last seen Godishala on New Years Eve at his apartment in the 10100 block of Twin Rivers Road ( Instagram/@_iamnikkig_ )

Sharma faces first and second-degree murder charges and will be returned to Howard County to face trial if apprehended, police said.

Godishala was a healthcare data analyst with a strong academic and professional background. She earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in India and later completed a masters degree in Health Information Technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

At the time of her death, Godishala was working as a data and strategy analyst at Vheda Health, where colleagues praised her dedication and commitment to her work.

Friends described her as ambitious and warm, noting that she was focused on building a successful life away from her hometown.
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A beloved North Carolina teacher was killed this weekend while pleading for help from an emergency dispatcher during a home invasion, as new court records reveal the man charged in her death faced the possibility of involuntary mental health commitment just weeks ago.

Zoe Welsh, 57, was found critically injured by police officers minutes after she called 911 around 6:30 a.m. Saturday from her home in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Police said Welsh had called 911 to report that a man was inside her home on the 800 block of Clay Street. While she was on the line, the intruder began beating her. On a recording, a dispatcher is heard at 6:34 a.m. stating: The complainant was screaming, but I am silent now.

Minutes later, officers arrived at the home over a reported burglary in progress. One reported a smashed front window at the home and then said: I have a female down. Shes got a severe hemorrhage to the left side of her head.

Welsh, who was critically injured, was taken to hospital, where she died.

open image in gallery Police said Zoe Welsh had called 911 to report that a man was inside her home on Saturday. While she was on the line, the intruder began beating her. ( Facebook )

Officers searched the neighborhood, and located Ryan Camacho, 36, who was taken into custody. He has been charged with murder and felony burglary. Police said Camacho and Welsh do not appear to have known each other.

Camacho appeared in court Monday, where he was ordered to remain behind bars under no bond. His next court date is scheduled for January 26.

In early December, Camachos public defender filed a motion seeking a hearing on whether he should be involuntarily committed for mental health treatment following his release from prison earlier this year, the Raleigh News & Observer reported.

The outcome of that hearing is unclear from available court documents. But larceny, and breaking and entering charges he faced from being accused of stealing a pair of pillows in August, were dismissed that same day.

Public defenders later sought to have District Court Judge Louis Meyer III recuse himself from the case, alleging he questioned Camacho, his mother, and a forensic evaluator without attorneys present. That motion was later dropped.

Camacho has a criminal history dating back to 2005, including a 2019 conviction for discharging a firearm into an occupied Wake County property. Prison records show he served five years and seven months for that offense before being paroled in 2024. During that prison sentence, Camacho was charged with escape in Rowan County in 2021 after an unsuccessful attempt to break out of the facility. The charge added six to 17 months to his sentence.

Court records show Camacho described himself as homeless in May, shortly after his release from prison.

open image in gallery Ryan Camacho, 36, was taken into custody and charged with murder and felony burglary. Police said Camacho and Welsh do not appear to have known each other. ( Raleigh Police Department )

Welsh was a longtime science teacher at Ravenscroft School in North Raleigh and a former educator in the Wake County Public Schools system. A mother-of-two, she had taught at Ravenscroft since 2006 and previously served as chair of the Upper School science department.

The Ravenscroft community is devastated by the loss of our beloved colleague and friend Zoe Welsh, a school spokesperson told ABC11. Zoe has been a cornerstone of our Upper School Science Department and the Ravenscroft community for years. Her loss is deeply felt by all of us who had the privilege of working with her and learning in her classroom.

Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce called the killing a loss for the entire community.

I am deeply heartbroken for this mother, friend, and mentor to many in our community, and for the unimaginable trauma her family must endure, Boyce said in a statement. Whenever there is a loss of life in our community, it affects us all.

He added that the arrest sends a strong message that criminal acts will not be tolerated in the City of Raleigh and praised officers for their swift response.

Ravenscroft School said grief counseling and support resources will be available for students, faculty and staff as classes resume Monday.

Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends, the school said.

The case remains under investigation.
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A viral civil lawsuit filed by a woman who said she was seriously injured by a wedgie caused by a Disney World water slide has been voluntarily dismissed, according to court records.

Plaintiff Emma McGuiness sued Walt Disney Parks and Resorts US in 2023, alleging she was injured while riding the Humunga Kowabunga water slide at Disneys Typhoon Lagoon water park in 2019

The lawsuit attracted widespread attention and received national headlines, including in The New York Times, after McGuinness said the injuries resulted from her swimsuit shifting out of position to cause a wedgie during the ride.

The proceedings, scheduled to begin today, January 5, in a Florida court, were abruptly adjourned after the suit was voluntarily dismissed, according to Florida Politics.

open image in gallery McGuinness was celebrating her 30th birthday with family when she rode the 214-foot slide ( JZ85/CC BY-SA 3.0 )

McGuinness was celebrating her 30th birthday with family when she rode the 214-foot slide, which features a steep, near-vertical drop and reaches speeds approaching 40 miles per hour.

Riders descend the slide without rafts or tubes and are instructed to cross their legs at the ankles.

The lawsuit alleged: Unlike other slide rides at Typhoon Lagoon, riders of the Humunga Kowabunga use the slide without a raft or tube... at the top of the slide, riders are instructed to cross their legs at the ankles.

Riders are not told why their ankles need to be crossed, the importance of doing so, or the risks of injury if ones ankles become uncrossed.

open image in gallery Riders descend the slide without rafts or tubes and are instructed to cross their legs at the ankles ( JZ85/CC BY-SA 3.0 )

McGuinness claimed that as she reached the bottom of the slide, she briefly became airborne before being forcefully pushed into the shallow pool, resulting in severe injuries that required emergency medical treatment and surgery.

She suffered severe vaginal lacerations, a full thickness laceration causing (her) bowel to protrude through her abdominal wall, and damage to her internal organs, according to her lawsuit.

Disney denied the allegations, arguing in court filings that the ride was safe, that riders were instructed correctly, and that McGuinness may have failed to exercise reasonable care. The company also suggested her injuries may have pre-existed the incident.

In a 2023 filing, Disney acknowledged that two other incidents involving similar injuries had been reported in the three years before McGuinness ride.

open image in gallery Disney said the attraction had been in operation for years and was used by thousands of guests without incident ( JZ85/CC BY-SA 3.0 )

Those incidents, which occurred in 2017, involved women who reported bleeding in the groin or rectal area.

Disney said the attraction had been in operation for years and was used by thousands of guests without incident.

At bottom, HK was not a new attraction, and it was ridden by thousands (if not more) of guests in the three years preceding the incident, Disney said in a court filing.

The parties failed to reach an agreement during a court-ordered mediation on July 22, according to records.

McGuinness dismissed the lawsuit, and her deposition was canceled, with the upcoming trial removed from the court calendar. Court filings do not indicate whether a settlement was reached.
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Malaysia has joined France and India in threatening action against Elon Musk's Grok after the AI chatbot created sexualised images of women and children on X.

Grok, Xs built-in AI chatbot, has been digitally stripping down women and children to bikinis in response to user prompts.

The digital undressing spree appears to have kicked off over the past couple of days, according to completed clothes-removal requests posted by Grok and complaints from users.

Complaints of abuse first surfaced on X in late December after Grok rolled out an edit image button, allowing users to modify any image on the platform.

Now, the flood of nearly nude images of real people has rung alarm bells globally.

Malaysian authorities said over the weekend they had launched an investigation after complaints that Grok was being used to manipulate images of women and minors into indecent or otherwise harmful content.

The Communications and Multimedia Commission warned that creating or transmitting such harmful content was an offense under Malaysian law. It said the media watchdog would investigate X users who allegedly violated the law and summon representatives from the company.

While X is not presently a licensed service provider, it has the duty to prevent dissemination of harmful content on its platform," it said.

Besides stripping them down into bikinis, the chatbot also produced altered images of Malaysian women without their headscarves, according to New Straits Times.

Elon Musk with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi ( Reuters )

Mr Musk appeared to poke fun at the controversy earlier on Friday, posting laugh-cry emojis in response to AI edits of famous people, including himself, in bikinis.

When one X user said their social media feed resembled a bar packed with bikini-clad women, Mr Musk replied, in part, with another laugh-cry emoji.

As the backlash grew, however, Musk said on Sunday that the platform was taking action against illegal content, including posts related to children, by removing it and permanently suspending accounts.

Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content, he said in a post.

Authorities in India on Friday wrote to X, ordering a comprehensive review of the AI chatbot to ensure it did not generate content containing nudity, sexualisation, sexually explicit or otherwise unlawful content".

Delhi directed the platform to submit a report on corrective action taken to the electronics and information technology ministry within 72 hours, warning that failure to comply could invite action under criminal and IT laws.

The government also said it could consider tighter regulation of social media platforms over inappropriate AI-generated content.

In response to emailed questions from The Independent, xAI, the company behind X and Grok, replied: Legacy media lies.

France also accused Grok of generating clearly illegal sexual content on X without peoples consent, adding that Grok-created images potentially violated the EUs Digital Services Act.

The public prosecutor's office in Paris meanwhile expanded an investigation into X to include new accusations that Grok was being used for generating and disseminating child abuse content.

The investigation into X was first launched in July after reports said the platforms algorithm was being manipulated to enable foreign interference.

Dani Pinter, chief legal officer and director of the Law Center for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, said X had failed to pull abusive images from its AI training material.

This was an entirely predictable and avoidable atrocity, Mr Pinter told Reuters.
President Donald Trump wants to enlist American oil companies in his effort to "make Venezuela great again," as he put it on Saturday. What he desires is expensive. Very, very expensive.

Major U.S. oil companies like ConocoPhillips are holding off on any new commitments in Venezuela for the time being, given the enormous uncertainty surrounding the country's future. On Saturday, the U.S. captured its leader Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife and politician Cilia Flores, in a stunning military raid. Now, the new Venezuelan government is led by Delcy Rodriguez, an ex-oil minister and longtime Chavista official who extended an olive branch to the U.S. government on Sunday evening.

A stable political environment will be in short supply in oil-rich Venezuela for the foreseeable future, as experts and the UN question the legality of the deadly raid. But another factor that's likely to cause headaches among major U.S. oil companies is the staggering cost of revamping an oil sector devastated by years of U.S. sanctions, mismanagement, and corruption.

Energy analysts have started crunching the numbers. Francisco Monaldi, a Latin American energy policy expert at Rice University, told Bloomberg News that tripling current Venezuelan oil output to its peak 1970s levels would cost $100 billion over a decade.

The cost, though, depends on the benchmark that the U.S. government tries to reach. Ali Moshiri, who formerly oversaw Chevron operations in Venezuela until 2017, told the New York Times it could take $7 billion to step up production to 1.5 million barrels day within 18 months.

Immense hurdles remain, if Trump's oil spree in Venezuela materializes at all. Venezuela's oil production is a shell of its former self. It currently pumps around 900,000 barrels per day, or 1% of the total global oil market. During its heyday two decades ago, its output was constantly over 2 million barrels per day.

To operate in the country, the Venezuelan government mandates that state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) take a majority ownership stake in every oil project. That nationalization compelled ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobile to exit the country nearly two decades ago. The Trump administration said it is pressing the new Venezuelan government to revoke the law.

Trump hasn't given details on how the U.S. gamble would work, which has only amplified the confusion about the future of post-Maduro Venezuela. Upon announcing the success of the U.S. operation to capture Maduro in a Saturday news conference, he said that oil companies would bear the responsibility of financing new oil projects at the start. He added the federal government would compensate the firms at an unspecified later date.
Bob Marshall: In 2026, science-based coastal restoration is out, and managing surrender is in
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CultureMoviesFilm awards Sarah Snook and Jacob Elordi win Critics Choice Awards, One Battle After Another takes biggest prize Nell Geraets January 5, 2026  1:32pm 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 a night of few major upsets, Hollywoods awards season officially kicked off with the 31st Critics Choice Awards on Monday, and it has proven a boon for Australias homegrown talent. Sarah Snook continued her Succession winning streak by snapping up the trophy for best actress in a limited series for her searing role in mystery thriller All Her Fault. During a somewhat flustered acceptance speech, the Adelaide-born star admitted she hadnt prepared for the win, but said she was grateful to everyone who helped her get there. Sarah Snook accepts the award for best actress in a limited series or movie made for television for All Her Fault. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Thank you to everyone who looked after us. We had an awesome time with the crew while shooting really difficult stuff. I think thats the main thing  its just having a great time while were shooting because were just playing pretend, she said. Jacob Elordi, Hollywoods new it boy, also made his homeland proud by beating heavy-hitters such as Benicio del Toro for best supporting actor thanks to his haunting role in Guillermo del Toros Frankenstein. The gothic remake did wonders in the creative categories overall, beating Wicked: For Good in production design, costume design and hair and makeup.

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Jacob Elordi accepts the award for best supporting actor for Frankenstein. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Meanwhile, Paul Thomas Andersons dark political comedy One Battle After Another pipped the biggest prize, best picture, from Ryan Cooglers sleeper hit Sinners. The surreal film also won best director and best adapted screenplay, thereby presumably securing itself on every Academy Award voters radar. Arguably the most dramatic moment came when comedian Jimmy Kimmel accepted the award for best talk show, a significant moment given his shows temporary suspension by the ABC in September. Kimmel took a jab at US President Donald Trump (or as he referred to him, Donald Jennifer Trump), who has previously tried to get Kimmel off the air. FIFA Peace Prize would have been better, but this is nice too, he joked, referencing the award created for Trump by the football organisation in December. Thank you, Mr President, for all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day. Its been a banner couple of weeks, and we cant wait to get back on the air tomorrow night to talk about them. Loading

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Related Article Donald Trump A former South Park writer owns the Trump-Kennedy Centre web address. And he is having fun South Park, another show known for poking fun at Trump and the MAGA movement, won best animated series. Now in its 28th year, the satirical comedy has shown Trump in bed with Satan, among many other risque fictional scenarios, which ultimately caused POTUS himself to push back at its creators. Australian hopefuls Rose Byrne and Joel Edgerton both missed out on their respective categories, the former losing best actress to Hamnets Jessie Buckley and the latter losing best actor to Marty Supremes Timothee Chalamet. Neither of these victories were that surprising, however, given the critical applause Buckley received for her performance and the all-encompassing, mind-boggling promotional campaign Chalamet launched ahead of Marty Supremes release. Back over in television, the Netflix smash hit Adolescence won every category it was nominated in, including best limited series. Of its six nods, it won four, though the only reason it wasnt a clean sweep was because the show was nominated several times in certain categories. Just months after becoming the youngest actor to win an Emmy, 16-year-old Owen Cooper broke the same record at the CCAs, claiming the trophy for best supporting actor in a limited series.

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Owen Cooper accepts the award for best supporting actor in a limited series or movie made for television for Adolescence. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP This past year has been a complete whirlwind for me and my family, he said. Honestly, its changed our lives forever, and were forever grateful, and weve cherished every single moment of it. To the directors, to the producers, to the cast, the crew  you took me on an emotional journey I never imagined I could go on. You believed in me. You pushed me when things were hard and showed incredible patience  I couldnt have done it without you. Receiving this award means more to me than I can put into words. Elsewhere, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldbergs Hollywood satire The Studio clearly struck the right note with the very people it pokes fun at since it won all three of the categories it was nominated in. Medical drama The Pitt similarly dominated in the television drama categories, winning three of its four nominated awards. Though the vampire musical Sinners didnt perform as well as originally expected (it earned the most nominations of any film this year), it still scooped four categories, including best original screenplay and best score. Its 20-year-old breakout star Miles Caton was also honoured with the award for best young performer. Ryan Cooglers Sinners won four awards at the Critics Choice Awards, including best score. AP

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Instead of kicking off as usual with the Golden Globes, this years awards season was ushered in by the CCAs. Now in their 31st year, they took place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, and were hosted by four-time emcee Chelsea Handler. Celebrating the finest in film and television throughout 2025, the CCAs are widely considered one of the most accurate predictors of the coming Academy Award nominations. Theyre selected by about 570 critics and entertainment reporters, meaning they usually reflect broader industry opinion and could therefore signal what Oscars voters (exclusively film professionals) will favour. Following this logic, all eyes will be on tonights biggest winners in film  One Battle After Another, Sinners and Frankenstein  as we trudge towards the big kahuna in March. Full list of winners

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Film Best Picture

Bugonia

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Jay Kelly

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Train Dreams

Wicked: For Good Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson  One Battle After Another

Ryan Coogler  Sinners

Guillermo del Toro  Frankenstein

Josh Safdie  Marty Supreme

Joachim Trier  Sentimental Value

Chloe Zhao  Hamnet Best Actor

Timothee Chalamet  Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio  One Battle After Another

Joel Edgerton  Train Dreams

Ethan Hawke  Blue Moon

Michael B. Jordan  Sinners

Wagner Moura  The Secret Agent Best Actress

Jessie Buckley  Hamnet

Rose Byrne  If I Had Legs Id Kick You

Chase Infiniti  One Battle After Another

Renate Reinsve  Sentimental Value

Amanda Seyfried  The Testament of Ann Lee

Emma Stone  Bugonia

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Best Original Screenplay

Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer  Jay Kelly

Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie  Marty Supreme

Ryan Coogler  Sinners

Zach Cregger  Weapons

Eva Victor  Sorry, Baby

Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier  Sentimental Value Best Adapted Screenplay

Paul Thomas Anderson  One Battle After Another

Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar  Train Dreams

Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee  No Other Choice

Guillermo del Toro  Frankenstein

Will Tracy  Bugonia

Chloe Zhao, Maggie OFarrell  Hamnet Best Foreign Language Film

It Was Just an Accident

Left-Handed Girl

No Other Choice

The Secret Agent

Sirat

Belen Best Animated Feature

Arco

Elio

In Your Dreams

KPop Demon Hunters

Little Amelie or the Character of Rain

Zootopia 2 Best Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning  Sentimental Value

Ariana Grande  Wicked: For Good

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas  Sentimental Value

Amy Madigan  Weapons

Wunmi Mosaku  Sinners

Teyana Taylor  One Battle After Another

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Best Supporting Actor

Benicio del Toro  One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi  Frankenstein

Paul Mescal  Hamnet

Sean Penn  One Battle After Another

Adam Sandler  Jay Kelly

Stellan Skarsgard  Sentimental Value Best Comedy

The Ballad of Wallis Island

Eternity

Friendship

The Naked Gun

The Phoenician Scheme

Splitsville Best Young Actor/Actress

Everett Blunck  The Plague

Miles Caton  Sinners

Cary Christopher  Weapons

Shannon Mahina Gorman  Rental Family

Jacobi Jupe  Hamnet

Nina Ye  Left-Handed Girl Best Score

Hans Zimmer  F1

Alexandre Desplat  Frankenstein

Max Richter  Hamnet

Daniel Lopatin  Marty Supreme

Jonny Greenwood  One Battle After Another

Ludwig Goransson  Sinners Best Sound

Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John  F1

Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern, Greg Chapman  Frankenstein

Jose Antonio Garcia, Christopher Scarabosio, Tony Villaflor  One Battle After Another

Chris Welcker, Benny Burtt, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker, Felipe Pacheco, David V. Butler  Sinners

Laia Casanovas, Amanda Villavieja, Yasmina Praderas  Sirat

Mitch Low, Glenn Freemantle, Ben Barker, Howard Bargroff, Richard Spooner  Warfare

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Best Song

Drive  Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Blake Slatkin  F1

Golden  Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy  KPop Demon Hunters

I Lied to You  Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Goransson  Sinners

Clothed by the Sun  Daniel Blumberg  The Testament of Ann Lee

Train Dreams  Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner  Train Dreams

The Girl in the Bubble  Stephen Schwartz  Wicked: For Good Best Visual Effects

Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett  Avatar: Fire and Ash

Ryan Tudhope, Nikeah Forde, Robert Harrington, Nicolas Chevallier, Eric Leven, Edward Price, Keith Dawson  F1

Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, Jose Granell  Frankenstein

Alex Wuttke, Ian Lowe, Jeff Sutherland, Kirstin Hall  Mission: Impossible  The Final Reckoning

Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean  Sinners

Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stephane Naze, Guy Williams  Superman Best Cinematography

Claudio Miranda  F1

Dan Laustsen  Frankenstein

ukasz Zal  Hamnet

Michael Bauman  One Battle After Another

Autumn Durald Arkapaw  Sinners

Adolpho Veloso  Train Dreams Best Editing

Kirk Baxter  A House of Dynamite

Stephen Mirrione  F1

Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie  Marty Supreme

Andy Jurgensen  One Battle After Another

Viridiana Lieberman  The Perfect Neighbor

Michael P. Shawver  Sinners Best Casing and Ensemble

Nina Gold  Hamnet

Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold  Jay Kelly

Jennifer Venditti  Marty Supreme

Cassandra Kulukundis  One Battle After Another

Francine Maisler  Sinners

Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey  Wicked: For Good

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Best Stunt Design

Stephen Dunlevy, Kyle Gardiner, Jackson Spidell, Jeremy Marinas, Jan Petrina, Domonkos Pardanyi, Kinga Kosa-Gavalda  Ballerina

Gary Powell, Luciano Bacheta, Craig Dolby  F1

Wade Eastwood  Mission: Impossible  The Final Reckoning

Brian Machleit  One Battle After Another

Andy Gill  Sinners

Giedrius Nagys  Warfare Best Production Design

Kasra Farahani, Jille Azis  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau  Frankenstein

Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton  Hamnet

Jack Fisk, Adam Willis  Marty Supreme

Hannah Beachler, Monique Champagne  Sinners

Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales  Wicked: For Good Best Costume Design

Kate Hawley  Frankenstein

Malgosia Turzanska  Hamnet

Lindsay Pugh  Hedda

Colleen Atwood, Christine Cantella  Kiss of the Spider Woman

Ruth E. Carter  Sinners

Paul Tazewell  Wicked: For Good Best Hair and Makeup

Flora Moody, John Nolan  28 Years Later

Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey  Frankenstein

Sian Richards, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry  Sinners

Kazu Hiro, Felix Fox, Mia Neal  The Smashing Machine

Leo Satkovich, Melizah Wheat, Jason Collins  Weapons

Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier, Laura Blount  Wicked: For Good Television

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Best Drama Series

Alien: Earth

Andor

The Diplomat

Paradise

The Pitt

Pluribus

Severance

Task Best Actress in a Drama Series

Kathy Bates  Matlock

Carrie Coon  The Gilded Age

Britt Lower  Severance

Bella Ramsey  The Last of Us

Keri Russell  The Diplomat

Rhea Seehorn  Pluribus Best Actor in a Drama Series

Sterling K. Brown  Paradise

Diego Luna  Andor

Mark Ruffalo  Task

Adam Scott  Severance

Billy Bob Thornton  Landman

Noah Wyle  The Pitt Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Patrick Ball  The Pitt

Billy Crudup  The Morning Show

Ato Essandoh  The Diplomat

Wood Harris  Forever

Tom Pelphrey  Task

Tramell Tillman  Severance Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Nicole Beharie  The Morning Show

Denee Benton  The Gilded Age

Allison Janney  The Diplomat

Katherine LaNasa  The Pitt

Greta Lee  The Morning Show

Skye P. Marshall  Matlock

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Best Limited Series

Adolescence

All Her Fault

Chief of War

Death by Lightning

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy

Dope Thief

Dying for Sex

The Girlfriend Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie made for Television

Erin Doherty  Adolescence

Betty Gilpin  Death by Lightning

Marin Ireland  Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy

Sophia Lillis  All Her Fault

Julianne Moore  Sirens

Christine Tremarco  Adolescence Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Owen Cooper  Adolescence

Wagner Moura  Dope Thief

Nick Offerman  Death by Lightning

Michael Pena  All Her Fault

Ashley Walters  Adolescence

Ramy Youssef  Mountainhead Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Michael Chernus  Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy

Stephen Graham  Adolescence

Brian Tyree Henry  Dope Thief

Charlie Hunnam  Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Matthew Rhys  The Beast in Me

Michael Shannon  Death by Lightning Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie made for Television

Jessica Biel  The Better Sister

Meghann Fahy  Sirens

Sarah Snook  All Her Fault

Michelle Williams  Dying for Sex

Robin Wright  The Girlfriend

Renee Zellweger  Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

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Best Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary

Elsbeth

Ghosts

Hacks

Nobody Wants This

Only Murders in the Building

The Righteous Gemstones

The Studio Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Adam Brody  Nobody Wants This

Ted Danson  A Man on the Inside

David Alan Grier  St. Denis Medical

Danny McBride  The Righteous Gemstones

Seth Rogen  The Studio

Alexander Skarsgard  Murderbot Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Kristen Bell  Nobody Wants This

Natasha Lyonne  Poker Face

Rose McIver  Ghosts

Edi Patterson  The Righteous Gemstones

Carrie Preston  Elsbeth

Jean Smart  Hacks Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Danielle Brooks  Peacemaker

Hannah Einbinder  Hacks

Janelle James  Abbott Elementary

Justine Lupe  Nobody Wants This

Ego Nwodim  Saturday Night Live

Rebecca Wisocky  Ghosts Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Ike Barinholtz  The Studio

Paul W. Downs  Hacks

Asher Grodman  Ghosts

Oscar Nunez  The Paper

Chris Perfetti  Abbott Elementary

Timothy Simons  Nobody Wants This

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Best Foreign Language Series

Acapulco

Last Samurai Standing

Mussolini: Son of the Century

Red Alert

Squid Game

When No One Sees Us Best Animated Series

Bobs Burgers

Harley Quinn

Long Story Short

Marvel Zombies

South Park

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Best Comedy Special

Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life

Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian

Leanne Morgan: Unspeakable Things

Marc Maron: Panicked

Sarah Silverman: PostMortem

SNL50: The Anniversary Special Best Movie Made for Television

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

Deep Cover

The Gorge

Mountainhead

Nonnas

Summer of 69 Best Talk Show

The Daily Show

Hot Ones

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Late Night with Seth Meyers

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

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Best Variety Series

Conan OBrien Must Go

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

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The year that changed me NationalFriendship My editor rang me with urgent news. I hung up and cried in the street Stephen Brook January 5, 2026  7:08pm 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

This article is part of an opinion summer opinion series where writers share the story of a year that changed their lives. See all stories .

The boss was on the line with some urgent news: my transfer to the Canberra press gallery, every young reporters dream, was cancelled due to a reorganisation, which I think now was code for the editor-in-chief doesnt think you are up to it. So, how did Perth sound? Or (even worse) Adelaide, the city of churches and boredom? I put the phone down, went out onto the street and cried. Stephen Brook and Grant in 1998. But to my surprise, everyone raved about Perth. It was fun, it was beautiful, Perth people were great, the Perth bureau was terrific. It was also newsworthy: home to Alan Bond, Lang Hancock, Gina Rinehart and the terrifying Claremont serial killer.

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So, as a promising reporter of two years standing, and a not-at-all confident gay, Perth it was. I arrived in April 1997, aged 23, knowing one person, whom I was replacing. For my first dinner Penny suggested a place in Claremont, down the road from the serial killers stalking ground. Back in Sydney, Mum was concerned, but Penny said: You have got to live your life. So, I did. For two unforgettable years: I crisscrossed the state, covered courts, covered parliament, covered Pauline Hansons first federal election, made friends. I got my first mobile phone and my first boyfriend. There were highs  I made the front cover of The Australian Magazine as the worlds most inept sheep handler for a story titled From Mr Magoo to Jackaroo. And lows  my briefing to the national news director back in Sydney about getting acupuncture treatment at a heroin clinic when I was a cadet went awry when he missed the bit when I said the visit was purely for a story. I later found out he then stood up in the middle of the Sydney newsroom and announced: Did anyone know that Stephen Brook was once treated for addiction at a heroin clinic?

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But even that had a silver lining: months later he gave me a double pay upgrade. Perth was a small town, and it was great. Gay Perth was even smaller, and at its centre was a gay nightclub with the bestest name ever: Connections. Each weekend I would head with my friend and wingman Claremont Matt, as I called him, into the city and ascend the stairs of Connections for a lot of dancing and even more drinks. One night while we were on the dance floor Matt had major news: a very cute guy across the club was looking at me! But stay cool  and dont look around. With the zeal of a Reuters breaking news reporter, Matt fed me breathless updates. He was getting closer! And closer!! Finally he was right behind me!!! Matt could stand the tension no longer so he suddenly stuck out his hands and shoved me backwards.

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This is the first piece in an opinion summer series from our writers and reporters about the year that changed them. Aresna Villanueva I stumbled into the guy behind me and my life turned a corner. Grant was a swimming coach with sunny, floppy hair and a laugh to match. He was smart, kind and generous, but also ruthless at cutting down my self-indulgence. Drunk, we stumbled down the nightclub stairs and suddenly his face clouded with concern. Im sorry, he said. Oh no. What was wrong? What was your name again? he asked. The next morning proved rockier. Very early there was angry knocking on the front door of Grants North Perth house. His ex-boyfriend had unexpectedly returned. Grant padded out, shut the bedroom door and ordered me not to open it. Outside, two angry voices argued over who owned the kitchenware (remember these were two gay men).

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Well, Stephen, you said to yourself as you hid under the bed and thought about your sheltered life to date, you have always been a fan of soap operas  now you are in one. Weeks later, just when I began to wonder if we could be boyfriends, Grant dumped me. He was on the rebound, everyone explained. Whatever that meant. But then Grant decided to give me something of incredible value  the gift of his friendship. He was two years older than I was, but much more grown up. He was a Perth native, knew everyone, owned his own home, wanted to coach at the Olympics, liked avant-garde fashion and fine dining. And his flatmates were a journalist and a photographer. What were the chances? We all went to Bali together. After two years, I transferred back to Sydney, and made it to Canberra. Our lives intersected again and again. But we both knew things had shifted, the friendship bent into a different shape. It was never the same. Gradually our messages became fewer and briefer, before all he sent me were emojis. In 2020, after a period of no contact, I returned to Perth to pay Grant a visit. I felt it was my duty. As he opened the front door, I told myself fiercely to look happy no matter what. And there he was  older, but undeniably the same handsome Grant.

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Stephen Brook and Grant in 2020. I know you, he said, creasing into his familiar grin. I kept smiling hard. His carer welcomed me in and we talked, sort of. I showed pics of our Bali trip; we took his latest dog out to a nearby park and had a coffee. But when the carer suggested we play Kylie Minogues Impossible Princess, our soundtrack to 1998, I just couldnt.

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Grant had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers, and stupidly I thought that meant early stage Alzheimers, but his degenerative dementia was of a particularly vicious type. Grant, whose coaching dreams did take him to the Olympics, and to world records, died three years later aged 52. Everything is connected, I often write in my columns, usually for a laugh, but also because it is true. Now a colleague who sits a couple of desks away from me is that old flatmate of Grants. Because of that, and for many other reasons, it feels like Grant is still around. The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here.

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Perth Stephen Brook is a special correspondent for The Age and CBD columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. He was previously deputy editor of The Sunday Age. He is a former media editor of The Australian and spent six years in London working for The Guardian. or email. Connect via X
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Surviving Bondi gunman Naveed Akram has been transferred to Goulburn Supermax prison more than three weeks after he and father Sajid allegedly committed Australias worst terror attack when they opened fire on a Hanukkah event.

Akram, 24, received medical treatment at Royal North Shore Hospital after falling into a coma after he suffered injuries in the shooting. He remained there for one week before he was transported in a convoy of vehicles to Long Bay Jail, which includes a hospital that can attend to inmates.

Naveed Akram has been transferred to Goulburn Supermax prison. Instagram

He was transported to Goulburn Supermax, otherwise known as the High Risk Management Correctional Centre, on Monday.

Akram is expected to remain in the maximum-security prison while he awaits trial for 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and committing a terrorist act. He will return to court in April.
A number of key whiskey brands and distilleries filed for bankruptcy in 2025.

That's at least partially due to weakening demand.

"The winds have shifted from unbridled expansion to measured recalibration. After a decade of consistent double-digit growth, U.S. whiskey volumes fell 4.1% in 2024, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). Domestic case shipments dipped for the first time since 2008," Lane Report shared.

And while 2025 numbers have not been fully reported, the American Distilled Spirits Exports 2025 Mid-Year Report showed some troubling drops in exports.

"Following a banner year for U.S. distilled spirits exports in 2024, exports of American spirits fell 9% year-over-year in the second quarter, driven by ongoing trade tensions," according to the report released by DISCUS.

The report showed some huge declines.

U.S. spirits exported to Canada plummeted 85%, falling below $10 million in the second quarter of 2025.

U.S. spirits sales in Canada declined 68% in April 2025, whereas sales of Canadian and other imported spirits rose around 3.6% each.

Canada removed its retaliatory tariff on U.S. spirits on Sept. 1, but the majority of Provinces continue to ban American spirits from their shelves.

U.S. spirits exports experienced notable declines across all key international markets. Exports to the EU, the U.S. spirits industrys largest market, fell 12% to $290.3 million, while exports to the UK dropped 29% to $26.9 million and those to Japan decreased 23% to $21.4 million.

Add that to American consumers struggling with the economy and cutting back on discretionary spending, and you can see why distilleries have struggled.

The failure of Garrard County Distilling Co. (GCDC), however, can't be blamed solely on exports or a weakened economy. It simply takes more than those two things to go through $250 million in 14 months.

GCDC, All Nations' bourbon producer faces bankruptcy-like process

"A Kentucky distillery that closed this year after less than 14 months in operation owes at least $28 million, according to a pair of recent lawsuits against the company. Much of the money is owed to Truist Bank, which filed suit April 11 claiming the company had defaulted on loan payments for more than five months," the Lexington Herald Leader reported.

In addition to producing All Nations Bourbon, Rye Whiskey, and American Single Malt, GCDC was billed as Kentucky's largest independent distillery and even offered tours. It was a $250 million project that has now been placed in receivership.

Technically, the company has not filed for bankruptcy, but the receivership works a lot like a Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
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NationalQueenslandCrime Highly offensive: Qld police member accused of antisemitic comments on Bondi Cloe Read Updated January 6, 2026  9:52am ,first published 4:58pm 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

A member of the Queensland Police Service is accused of dozens of charges over allegations he published antisemitic comments for years, including on posts about 10-year-old Bondi massacre victim Matilda. Muamer Nukic, 50, from the Protective Services Group, was charged on Monday, with a Brisbane court hearing he was a self-described anti-Zionist. Queensland Police Senior Protective Services Officer Muamer Nukic. Nukic, who has been employed by the QPS for 25 years, is facing 41 counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence between February 2024 and January 2026. Police prosecutor Matt Kahler told the Brisbane Magistrates Court that Nukics alleged offending had spanned years.

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Its persistent, its been going on for a number of years, highly offensive, very antisemitic ... and publicly available, Kahler said. Protective services officers provide security to state government buildings and assets, conduct patrols and monitor surveillance systems. Kahler said there was no doubt the alleged offending was harassing and menacing to members of the community. Nukic allegedly commented on a Threads post that featured Bondi shooting victim Matilda, saying zionist scum.

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Matilda was the youngest of 15 people killed by Sajid and Naveed Akram in the Bondi Beach terrorist attack. And if anything since the incidents at Bondi, it continues, publishings of the young girl Matilda who was murdered in Bondi, a 10-year-old, and says allegedly f--- you and f--- Israel, Kahler said. He said there would probably be more charges. Muamer Nukic (left) leaves the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday afternoon with a supporter (right). Cloe Read He seems to have shown no insight into this offending ... he puts it down to free speech, but its not free speech, its completely offensive, its inappropriate.

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Kahler opposed Nukics application for bail. Emma Kearney, representing Nukic, submitted her client could be granted bail with conditions including social media restrictions. Related Article Bondi shooting Parliament to be recalled soon to debate hate speech laws She said none of the comments showed intention to harm anybody. The alleged offending, in a nutshell, my client is somebody with pro-Palestinian views, she said, adding he had no criminal history.

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Kearney said it was a tricky line to walk when it was surrounding political unrest and an active war where inevitably there would be people supporting each side. She said many of the comments did not reach the threshold. Kearney said Nukic had migrated to Australia in 1993. Hes an Australian citizen. Prior to that, he was living in Bosnia, which is where he was born. He was held there in a Serbian concentration camp before he was able to move to Australia. Kearney said the maximum penalty for the offending was three years. Online profiles for Nukic say anti-Zionist in his bio, and show he has worked as a senior protective officer since 2001.

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Magistrate Lewis Shillito granted Nukic bail, with conditions including social media restrictions, and reporting to police. There is a consistency to the theme underpinning the messaging that is self-described as being anti-Zionist, that is asserted to go beyond simply that, and be anti-Israeli broadly and to be expressed as being supportive of  prescribed terrorist organisations including Hamas, Hezbollah and Ansar Allah, Shillito said. I think it is demonstrable from every single one of them ... that any pro-Palestinian ideologies that might underpin the defendants commentary is wholly outstripped by the nature of the comments and the acts that his comments are said to be supportive of, including repeated and recent acts of violence against persons, including in Australia, noting that there are comments responsive to posts about the recent Bondi attacks. Nukic was supported by his family, who waited outside the court for his release. Nukic and his supporter, who shielded his identity, did not respond to questions by waiting media. Get alerts on significant breaking news as it happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert.
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NationalVictoriaCrime Filthy rotten leeches: Sooshi Mango post CCTV footage of man breaking into groups office Lachlan Abbott January 5, 2026  11:37am 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

Comedy troupe Sooshi Mango has taken aim at Victorias crime laws after a man broke into the groups office in Carlton, saying these types of offences happen every day because criminals are confident they will get away with it. In a social media post on Monday morning, the group shared CCTV footage that showed a man push through a door  shattering its glass  near its Lygon Street restaurant just before 7pm on Sunday. He didnt end up stealing anything because he couldnt find anything of value, the post said. We are Italians, we dont leave our cash in obvious places. Sooshi Mango have more than 3 million followers on Instagram thanks to their popular comedy skits, which largely make fun of their Italian roots and other ethnic stereotypes.

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The Melbourne trio opened the restaurant Johnny, Vince & Sams in mid-2023, and said the break-in captured on Sunday night was not far from the venue. They said the damaged door was no real drama but shared the video in an attempt to identify the man responsible. Members of the Sooshi Mango comedy troupe were crowned last years Kings of Moomba. Joe Armao If we can stop him from taking advantage of just one other honest business then we have done our job, the post said. Perhaps if Victoria had stricter laws, these filthy rotten leaches (sic) wouldnt have the confidence to go around breaking into places in broad daylight.

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Later, in a statement to this masthead, Sooshi Mango members Joe Salanitri, Carlo Salanitri and Andrew Manfre said the attention on the break-in due to the groups online following was extraordinary. Related Article The dish Sooshi Mango grew up on pizza and pasta. Here are their go-to places to eat it But this stuff is happening every day, especially in Victoria, where it feels pretty much out of control, and these incidents just dont seem as newsworthy any more because its just how things are, the trio said via email. Right now, break-ins are seen as low risk, and that needs to change so businesses and staff can feel safe at work. We must see stronger deterrents and faster consequences, particularly for repeat offenders, if were serious about cracking down on crime in this state. At a press conference on Monday morning, acting Premier Ben Carroll said the state government was responding.

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Four and a half billion [dollars] was invested in Victoria Police [in the last budget], he said. Weve made bail reform. We put knife crime in the Crimes Act. Were doing everything we can to make sure that everyday Victorians  law-abiding Victorians  feel safe and know that they are safe in Victoria. Premier Jacinta Allan and her deputy, Ben Carroll, at a press conference in December. Alex Coppel Carroll referred to the recent deployment of PSOs at shopping centres as evidence of the governments ongoing action, but added: We always know weve got more work to do. Police, meanwhile, confirmed that detectives from the Melbourne West Crime Investigation Unit were investigating the commercial burglary on Drummond Street.

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It is unclear at this stage if any items were stolen, a police spokesman said. The investigation remains ongoing. Crime rates in Victoria have been rising since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and led the Allan government to tighten bail laws and increase penalties for child offenders last year. Get alerts on breaking news as it happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert.
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Behind the Photos NationalVictoriaCrime Months after that fateful day, Porepunkah remains a conspiracy-riddled mystery Grant McArthur January 6, 2026  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

From strange scenes at an underworld kingpins funeral to a visceral portrait of a killer, these are The Ages defining images of 2025. See all stories .

First came an undercurrent of conspiracy, then one of the states most shocking tragedies. After more than four months, the Alpine region and Victoria Police are still dealing with one of their most frustrating mysteries. Police searching a plantation at Porepunkah during the manhunt for Dezi Freeman in September 2025. Joe Armao Shortly after 10.30am on August 26, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart were fatally shot at a property nestled in mountainous bushland on the outskirts of Porepunkah, in Victorias breathtaking High Country. A third officer was also shot, but survived. The three were among 10 armed officers who had approached the secluded Rayner Track property that morning.

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Porepunkah shooting The single reported gunshot that might lead police to Dezi Freeman They had planned to catch known conspiracy theorist Dezi Freeman unaware and execute a search warrant. But somehow, the scene turned into an ambush and, as the shot officers lay near the ramshackle bus that Freeman and his family had been living in, the wanted man allegedly fled into nearby bushland. In the days that followed, Australias largest-ever manhunt saw hundreds of heavily armed officers and the constant sound of helicopters descend on the mountains, bushland and towns more accustomed to being taken over by trekkers than tanks. This photograph, captured on September 1 by Joe Armao and chosen by The Age as one of the defining images of 2025, shows heavily armed police searching a plantation in Porepunkah in the tense days that followed, in the depth of Victorian High Country winter conditions. The sovereign citizen had spent a decade getting to know the remote and rugged bushland like the back of his hand.

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The theories about what happened and Freemans whereabouts began almost as quickly as he disappeared  the avowed conspiracy theorist now the subject of them. Is he still alive and hiding out in a bunker in the High Country? Did he fall down a mineshaft and die? Was his body eaten by feral pigs after suicide? Are other conspiracy theorists helping him hide out? Has he crossed the state border? Alleged Porepunkah gunman Dezi Freeman, pictured in 2018. Nine/A Current Affair Police believe the most likely scenario is that Freeman is dead, a theory supported by reports of a single gunshot in the bush shortly after the ambush. But without proof, all theories remain active, adding to the grief those close to the Thompson and de Waart-Hottart. And distressingly for locals, scenes like this image dominated an ever-widening section of the region for the rest of 2025.

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Letters NationalVictoriaLetters PM has a duty to take a stand against Trump January 5, 2026  7:51pm 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

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. Photo: Cathy Wilcox AUSTRALIAS RESPONSE Venezuelans may not cry for Nicolas Maduro, but the world has much to fear as a result of Donald Trumps hijack of the countrys presidential couple and oil. Nothing is safe from Americas imperialism. Western leaders are too intimidated to denounce the action as a crime; despots are delighted at the licence it gives them (Australia should not lie in bed with a shameless dictator like Trump, 5/1). Legitimate questions may be asked whether Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses resistance to a royal commission into the Bondi killings is evidence of steely resolve, but theres no doubt he has a duty to take a stand against Trumps overreach. The PM could do nothing better to show integrity than by withdrawing Australia from the folly of AUKUS.

Tom Knowles, Parkville Its time to quit AUKUS

Many people are waiting for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to condemn the illegal invasion of Venezuela and kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They will be waiting a long time. The AUKUS agreement requires absolute fidelity to the American military industrial complex. Albanese knows any criticism of the invasion will put the AUKUS pact in jeopardy.

The invasion of Venezuela highlights the significant problems with the AUKUS agreement. If we had the submarines now, we would have to militarily support the invasion, if asked. Its imperative we disentangle ourselves from AUKUS before we lose what little remains of our military sovereignty.

Rohan Wightman, Brunswick

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Maduro was a destabilising dictator

Your correspondent (Letters, 5/1) strongly condemns the United States capture of Nicolas Maduro, and suggests that if Australia does not withdraw from AUKUS and ANZUS as retaliation, we would be guilty of appeasement a la Neville Chamberlain. Given Maduros involvement in drug trafficking, his support for the communist dictatorship in Cuba, his sponsorship of the far-left militias in Colombia and his territorial ambitions on Guyana, it should be clear to all that Maduro was a dictator who destabilised the region, and that leaving him in power would have constituted a significant act of appeasement.

Nikhil Dhanabal, Clyde North Condemn, or be complicit

The failure of the prime minister to condemn Donald Trump and the US over potentially illegal actions in Venezuela, including the abduction of a head of state, is deplorable. Its on a par with John Howards support for actions in Iraq on weapons of mass destruction. If Australia fails to condemn these actions, then it is complicit in them. A sad legacy for an allegedly progressive prime minister.

Nick Roberts, Shepparton Disentangle from Trumpland

The sooner the Australian government disentangles itself from Trumpland the better. Association with such a dangerous ally is truly terrifying.

Juliet Flesch, Kew Disregard for international law

How can Australia continue to align itself with the US when that country has no regard for international law? What message does this invasion send to other countries? Is it, you are next if you dont agree with what we decide? Is Prime Minister Albanese safe if Trump wants more from Australia?

Trumps directive for regime change in Venezuela is just another reason why Australia needs to review its relationship with the US. AUKUS, American military in the north, submarine facilities in the west, and war stores in Victoria are not in Australias best interest.

Roger Hannaker, Docklands Pact with US needs scrutiny

If Albanese is keeping a close eye on developments in Venezuela, he should be keeping an even closer eye on the AUKUS agreement.

Annie Wilson, Inverloch

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THE FORUM Energy enlightenment

As one who has blithely accepted my energy retailers assurance, Youre on the best plan, and because I think life is too short to spend on sifting through the myriad plans available, I found Ted Woodleys article on energy plans a bit of an eye-opener (The ruse that allows energy retailers to filch millions, 5/1). Whatever plan were on, our energy comes through the same lines and pipes, so it seems that all these energy companies are, in fact, nothing more than billing companies.

If they do anything more than billing, its a case of privatised profits and publicly accepted losses. Surely, there must be an argument here for putting these energy companies out of business and returning energy supply and billing back into state hands. It would be worth it to save the annual hassle of choosing a plan, or two plans if youre still on gas, with its risk of still not getting it right for us, the consumers.

Margaret Callinan, Hawthorn Profit at a whim

The most frustrating thing to read on my power bill is the line, Oh, if you were on a different plan, you would have saved ... What other essential service are we charged more because of a for-profit companys whim?

Peter McGill, Lancefield Shocking revelation

Energy retailers are manipulating the energy offers to consumers so that they dont offer us the cheapest option (The ruse that allows energy retailers to filch millions, 5/1). I am shocked, deeply, deeply shocked. I thought the retailers were on our side.

Ross Hudson, Mount Martha Private v public

Like many of my contemporaries, I pay the highest hospital insurance for privacy and comfort in a private hospital, yet from my experience, if we go in via emergency, we end up in a four-bed ward. Maybe we should save money and go public because there doesnt seem any difference except in the bill.

Megan Peniston-Bird, Kew

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Plan for peace

Perhaps it is time for Prime Minister Albanese to seek an end to Vladimir Putins war against Ukraine, by picking up the phone and asking ex-PM John Howard how he persuaded the Indonesian president to allow the East Timorese (Timor-Leste) a referendum on their independence from Indonesia.

Surely, the Ukrainians and the Russians deserve no less than a free and fair vote of the residents of Ukraine, Crimea, the Russian-occupied oblasts and the surrounding areas about whether they wish to be part of Putins Russia? This could determine the future and undisputed border between Ukraine and Russia.

Garry Dalrymple, Earlwood, NSW Its the guns

Any number of inquiries or royal commissions wont prevent gun violence at the hands of racists (Crossbenchers ramp up the pressure on PM, 5/1). Only a highly systematic recall of all existing guns from those who dont need them will make a lasting difference. This should include so-called recreational shooters and those who hunt feral pests. Approved veterinarians subsidised by taxpayers can perform this necessary task.

The next stage of gun reform following Port Arthur in 1996 is the way forward.

Tony Delaney, Warrnambool Related Article Note From The Editor How The Age chooses which letters to publish Parents hold answer

For those so desperate to see a royal commission into antisemitism, let me save you the trouble, not to mention millions of dollars and years of valuable time. If we really want to effect substantive change with respect to antisemitism, intolerance and misogynism, we need to focus on the influence of parents on their sons and daughters.

From the moment our youth leave the womb, the most powerful influencing agent in their lives will be their parents. Through their word and deeds, parents can instil in their children the morals and ethics that will help insulate them from the hate and intolerance that they will see as they grow up.

Unfortunately, some parents abrogate their responsibility and instead throw their sons and daughters a smartphone or tablet, while still in primary school, in the hope that they will work it all out for themselves, thereby exposing these vulnerable young minds to deeply harmful and dangerous ideologies and themes.

Parents must encourage a culture that values evidence, logic, facts and empathy over outrage, ego and fear. Facts may no longer seem to matter to some, but if we are to safeguard reason, progress, and humanity itself, we must continue to defend them  one conversation, one household, and one child at a time.

Gary Warren, Eltham Clear head needed

Whether or not we eventually have a royal commission on the massacre in Bondi should be decided after the Richardson inquiry and after sober and rational debate, not by hordes of people jumping on the bandwagon or assuming the prime minister has something to hide (By refusing a royal commission, what is the ALP covering up?, 5/1).

Should we keep Jews safe? Of course. Should we condemn antisemitism? Of course.

Should we be able to condemn the genocidal actions of Israel without being accused of antisemitism? Of course.

The proposed visit of Israel President Isaac Herzog to Australia will not help matters. It will be divisive and will do nothing to advance unity or social cohesion. Neither will it do anything to reduce antisemitism.

Anthony Albanese needs a clear head in these troubled times, the strength to withstand unhelpful or uninformed pressure, and a strong moral compass.

Lorel Thomas, Blackburn South

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Hitting nail on head

George Brandis hit the nail on the head when he suggests that Anthony Albaneses main reluctance to hold a royal commission with an antisemitism focus is because it would necessarily have to address not only the more blatant antisemitism of the Islamist extremists and neo-Nazis, but also that within the anti-Zionist left, and which has infested sections of the ALP.

When Josh Frydenberg spoke of what he labelled the governments abandonment of the Jewish community, he mentioned the doxxing of Jewish creatives, the cancelling of Jewish artists, the boycotting of Jewish businesses [and] the harassment [and] intimidation of Jewish students and staff on our university campuses. These hostile actions primarily emanate from the anti-Zionist left, and the PMs reluctance to see that this issue is seriously addressed is merely consistent with his tardiness in responding to the antisemitism envoys report.

Geoff Feren, St Kilda East Cross at buns

Yesterday was Twelfth Night, and Woolworths has hot cross buns on the shelves!

Forward planning for April 3, I guess. This really is marketing gone crazy.

Petrushka Owen, Hawthorn Compassion will unite us

Kylie Moore-Gilbert writes wonderfully in support of current political prisoners who are unjustly imprisoned by various cruel regimes (When I was behind bars, time stopped. But you could never hide from the new year, 4/1).

January 6 is Epiphany when the curious seekers, the Magi, followed the new star from what is now Iran to the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem.

A friend, formerly from Iran, was sharing with me about this faith journey of openness to the new, and the contrast with religions that become ideologies that oppress, sometimes using religious language and texts to rationalise abuse.

He told me of how, before the Iranian revolution, he was learning the violin at school. The revolutionaries broke the violins. His father told him: When ideology enters, reason escapes. When ideology enters, compassion escapes.

This friend, like many refugees, is so grateful for the relative safety and freedom of our Australia.

What we have here is precious and now so vulnerable. Compassionate initiatives which unite us are so necessary, as Kylie Moore-Gilbert conveys in her story in The Age.

Bishop Philip Huggins, Point Lonsdale Grasslands threatened

The Cairnlea development (Backlash to estate close to pokies, 4/1) also threatens critically endangered native grassland meadow within the Jones Creek biodiversity corridor.

Victorias iconic grasslands that once spread from the Yarra River (Birrarung) to Portland are almost all destroyed  a tiny 0.58 per cent remain.

Planning Minister Sonya Kilkennys proposal smashes a surviving hectare in a location critical for the wests biodiversity but is inconveniently in the way of a road that responsible planning could relocate. Housing needs to be for nature, too.

Dr Adrian Marshall, facilitator, the Grassy Plains Network Flagging support

I have loved the Test cricket all summer but have noticed that as the two teams walk onto the field and pass their respective flags, only one flag carries the Union Jack  the Australian flag.

I think that is telling us: Its Time.

Damir Medic, Leopold

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Ask the librarian

Re Please, the human touch (Letters 4/1): Most public libraries welcome anyone who needs help with digital skills. They can help with access to sites like mygov.

Some libraries also run workshops where patrons can learn about scams, apps and improve their skills. Public libraries are more than books.

Sharon Filer, Alphington Lacking intelligence

Why do we even need AI? It steals artists work, students can use it to write their essays, and it consumes far too much electricity and water, both commodities becoming more and more scarce.

Katriona Fahey, Alphington AND ANOTHER THING ...

Venezuela

Donald Trump has achieved in a couple of days in Venezuela what the United Nations could not for years.

Martin Newington, Aspendale Pro-government supporters attend a rally in Caracas a day after the capture of Nicolas Maduro. Getty Images

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Trump states that he will now run Venezuela after American intervention. This coming from a man with a history of failed businesses. Venezuelans need to start praying.

George Djoneff, Mitcham How long will Nicolas Maduro serve as a diversion from Epstein?

Kishor Dabke, Mount Waverley Trumps MAGA idea of drill baby drill has morphed into rig baby rig.

Francos Bainbridge, Fitzroy Royal commission

An inquiry into the actions and mental state of Donald Trump is urgently required.

Malcolm McDonald, Burwood We dont need a federal royal commission to confirm we are a racist country; the referendum showed we are.

Bryan Fraser, St Kilda West

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Time to get rid of the word royal in Australia. It is meaningless these days except perhaps in the phrase a right royal disaster.

Susan Munday, Bentleigh East Sam Groth

Looks like Jess Wilson has had no success in uniting the state Liberals, much like the federal Liberal Party.

Randall Bradshaw, Fitzroy Jess Wilson has a team assembled for her 2026 election assault  thatll help.

Ian Macdonald, Traralgon Furthermore

The only way to survive 2026 is to become, or remain, slightly mad.

Barry Revill, Moorabbin At the risk of stirring up a hornets nest, I empathise with James Hughes (Heres jeers to the $6 cafe latte, 4/1), and ask where can one get a cafe-made instant coffee these days?

Harry Zable, Campbells Creek

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WorldEuropeCyber bullying Ten convicted for claiming Brigitte Macron was a man Juliette Jabkhiro January 6, 2026  6:41am 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

Paris: A Paris court has found 10 people guilty of the cyber-harassment of Frances first lady, Brigitte Macron, for spreading false claims that she was a transgender woman who was born male. Brigitte and her husband, French President Emmanuel Macron, have long faced such falsehoods, including allegations that she was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux  the actual name of her older brother. Brigitte Macron in Paris in November. AP The couples 24-year age gap has also drawn criticism and barbs, which they largely ignored for years but have recently begun challenging in court. Mondays ruling marks a victory for the Macrons as they pursue a separate high-profile United States defamation lawsuit against right-wing influencer and podcaster Candace Owens, who has also claimed Brigitte was born male.

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The eight men and two women were found guilty of making malicious comments about Brigitte Macrons gender and sexuality, even equating her age difference with her husband to paedophilia. They received a range of sentences. One received a six-month jail sentence without suspension. Others received suspended jail terms of up to eight months. Further punishments included fines and mandatory cyber harassment awareness courses, and five were banned from using the social media platform they had posted on. Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron at the British Museum in London. Bloomberg Reuters could not immediately contact Brigitte Macrons lawyer or lawyers for those convicted. The ruling comes amid broader transatlantic tensions over online speech, with the Trump administration framing European efforts to curb disinformation as censorship. Last month, Washington imposed visa bans on five Europeans combating online hate and falsehoods, including French former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and anti-disinformation campaigners.

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Some of the defendants in the Macron case had claimed their comments amounted to satire, a defence the court denied. Bertrand Scholler, 55, a gallerist and writer, said he would appeal his six-month suspended jail sentence. Related Article US politics She was MAGAs favourite conspiracist. Then she dug into Charlie Kirks killing This is horrible. Its abominable, he told reporters at court. This shows just how far French society is drifting towards less freedom of speech. Freedom of speech no longer exists. Speaking with French broadcaster TF1 on Sunday night, Brigitte Macron defended her fight against cyberbullies, hoping it would be an example to others. She said the online attacks against her appeared endless, and included people who broke into my tax website and modified my identity. She also lamented that her attackers ignored the strong evidence of her gender.

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A birth certificate is not nothing. It is a father or a mother who goes to declare their child, who says who he is or who she is, she said. I want to help adolescents to fight against harassment, and if I do not set an example, it will be difficult. Reuters 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 More: Cyber bullying

Emmanuel Macron

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WorldSouth AmericaVenezuela crisis Opinion Trump takes out Maduro. But can the Democrats take out Trump? Bruce Wolpe Senior fellow at the US Studies Centre and former political staffer January 6, 2026  5:00am

January 6, 2026  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

There was no surprise in the attack that US President Donald Trump ordered to take out Nicolas Maduro, the dictator of Venezuela. Trump had asserted bullying power over Venezuela for months. The shock of the explosions erupting in Caracas was only a matter of time. Deposing Maduro is one thing. But Trumps assertion throughout his press conference on the attack that the United States would be running Venezuela, and that the United States would take over Venezuelas oil industry to benefit the United States, was another. Protesters gather outside the UN Plaza in San Francisco after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduros ouster. AP Was Trump going back to Bush-Obama nation-building and the forever wars he decried? While there are Trump MAGA isolationists not happy with this adventure, the clear military success of the mission has subdued their voices  for now.

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Related Article Venezuela crisis US-Venezuela as it happened: Maduro appears in New York court; UN condemns US strike; Machado praises Trumps courageous vision Trumps framing opened another front: between the president and the Democrats in Congress. But just like so many other times over the last year, the Democrats have less impact when they fire in multiple directions. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said Trumps boost in military spending meant throwing millions of Americans off their healthcare and taking food assistance from millions of hungry kids. Pete Buttigieg said that an unpopular president, failing on the economy and losing his grip on power at home, decides to launch a war for regime change abroad. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote that the attacks are about oil and regime change. And they [the presidents team] need a trial now to pretend it isnt. Especially to distract from [Jeffrey] Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.

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But there was one very clear voice that cut through. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who served in Iraq, dropped his smart bomb: I lived through the consequences of an illegal war sold to the American people with lies. We swore we would never repeat those mistakes. Yet here we are again. The American people did not ask for this, Congress did not authorise this, and our service members should not be sent into harms way for another unnecessary conflict. In coming days, there will be votes in the House of Representatives and the Senate on legislation that would prevent Trump from engaging in further military hostilities in Venezuela without the explicit approval of Congress. Related Article Letters

Letters PM has a duty to take a stand against Trump Given the Republican majorities in both chambers, it is unlikely such a war powers bill will pass. Even if it does, Trump, who has contempt for any assertion of congressional power that would frustrate his exercise of executive power, will ignore it. Every day that Trump spends on Venezuela means it is a day not spent on the economy and how Americans are faring. The issues of affordability and cost-of-living pressures have yielded Trump his worst poll numbers to date.

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Trumps messages over the weekend have not helped his presidency. The head of Colombia is next in line to get the Trump playbook for drug-dealing dictators. He needs to watch his ass. Cuba is clearly in the sights of Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for regime change sooner rather than later. Trump has tripled-down on Greenland. We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence, he said. And in Iran, as the protests continue to spread, Trumps militaristic tone is unmissable. If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Related Article Opinion

Venezuela crisis This is a warning to all world leaders who antagonise Trump Geoffrey Robertson Human rights barrister and author After Caracas, you must believe exactly what Trump says is coming. He has proudly resurrected James Monroe, the fifth US president, for his 1823 declaration that the US must have dominance against foreign interference in the western hemisphere. Trump now wants to be known as author of the Donroe Doctrine, which he has applied against Maduro for being allied with Russia, China and Cuba.

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After Venezuela, why would Putin end his war and retreat from Ukraine when he wants to expand his sphere of influence in Europe? Why would China delay acquiring Taiwan in their sphere of influence across the Asia-Pacific? Trump may declare victory in the Americas. But he still may lose the political wars at home in the midterms. Russia and China may well win their wars to control the real estate closest to them. Bruce Wolpe is a senior fellow at the University of Sydneys United States Studies Centre. He has served on the Democratic staff in the US Congress and as chief of staff to former prime minister Julia Gillard. Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has promised to transform the nation into the energy powerhouse of the Americas and free itself of cartel activity, pledging security for foreign investment and to bring home the millions forced to flee the Maduro regime.

Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in October for her fierce advocacy against Nicolas Maduro, also warned the US against working with interim president Delcy Rodriguez following Maduros capture, describing her as a one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption [and] narco trafficking in Venezuela.

Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in 2024. AP

The Trump administration is mulling its next move in the South American nation, as Rodriguez invites the US to collaborate on a future agenda that prioritises peace in the region.

Machado was confident of winning a free and fair democratic election in Venezuela, whenever that may occur, upon which she plans to promote the natural resources investment called for by Trump in the hours after the strike.

We will turn Venezuela into the energy hub of the Americas, bring rule and law, open markets, bring security to foreign investment, and bring millions of Venezuelans forced to flee our country back home ... and will turn Venezuela into the main ally of the US in Latin America, Machado told Fox News.

She also pledged to dismantle the criminal structures allowing drug trafficking through the nation, and to create a security shield that protects the broader Americas region.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while in flight on Air Force One. AP

Trump has already declined to support Machado as a future leader of the nation, saying she doesnt have the support or the respect within the country.

Machado praised Trumps leadership in capturing Maduro, describing it as the day that justice defeated a tyranny.
Hyundai Motor Group to Unveil AI Robotics Strategy TODAY at CES 2026 +VIDEO







 Hyundai Motor Group to unveil its AI Robotics Strategy under the theme Partnering Human Progress at CES 2026



 The Group to highlight human-robot collaboration and manufacturing innovation



 Boston Dynamics to publicly debut its new Atlas robot at CES for the first time



 The Group to also present AI Robotics innovation plans, leveraging its Group Value Network and Software-Defined Factory (SDF) approach



 Media Day to take place at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, from 1:001:45 p.m. PST, on January 5, 2026

LAS VEGAS - January 5, 2026: This year's Hyundai presentation will spotlight the expansion of the Groups AI Robotics technology within its Group Value Network, outlining strategies to accelerate commercialization of AI Robotics through human-robot collaboration and Group-wide technological integration.

Debuting the Next Generation of AI Robotics: Boston Dynamics New Atlas

At CES 2026, Boston Dynamics, an integral part of the Group, will bring the new Atlas robot out of the lab and onto the stage for the first time.

This next-generation Atlas represents a tangible step toward the commercialization of AI Robotics, highlighting the Groups commitment to building safe and adaptable robotic co-workers.

AI Robotics Training, Learning, and Expansion Powered by Hyundais Group Value Network

Hyundai Motor Group will reveal its strategic AI Robotics learning, training, and expansion plans, leveraging its Group Value Network and Software-Defined Factory (SDF) approach.

Hyundai Motor Groups SDF includes both an innovative manufacturing strategy as well as an advanced smart factory operated through data and software, maximizing flexibility and agility across the entire production process and driving the future of manufacturing innovation.

Building on this foundation, the Group plans to manage the full value chain  from AI Robotics development to learning, training, and operations  through integrated capabilities spanning robot components, logistics and software.

Interactive AI Robotics Experiences Await at CES 2026

From January 6 to 9, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Group will host an immersive exhibition showcasing real-world applications of its AI Robotics technologies. Visitors to the booth can expect: Interactive scenarios illustrating the practical impact of AI Robotics in work environments and daily life. A recreation of the Groups robotics research environment to engage visitors in the ongoing evolution of AI Robotics technologies. Various AI robotics demonstrations and hourly presentations of Atlas, Spot and MobED offering in-depth insights into their capabilities.
The new Toyota Audio Multimedia system, with navigation built with Mapbox, will launch on America's best-selling compact SUV, the all-new 2026 RAV4, before rolling out to future Toyota models in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 5, 2026 -- Mapbox, the location platform for developers, deepens its relationship with Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) to deliver the next-generation Toyota Audio Multimedia system in the 2026 Toyota RAV4. Navigation within the new system delivers stunning, detailed maps with smooth rendering performance, fluid animations, and responsive user interactions.

Toyota adopts advanced and customized map features

With Mapbox, Toyota has brought software development of its navigation application in-house, taking control over key aspects of the digital user experience. Running on Toyota's Arene software development platform, navigation in the 2026 Toyota RAV4 builds on advanced map rendering technologies from Mapbox, including dynamic lighting, textures, and shadows.

Toyota uses Mapbox Studio, an advanced map styling platform, to create a customized map interface that matches each vehicle's digital cockpit design. The result is an intuitive, built-in experience that makes navigation easier and more delightful for drivers.

Mapbox enables faster deployment of navigation innovations

The partnership between Mapbox and Toyota is accelerating development of next-generation map features. The automaker is using the flexibility of the Mapbox platform to deliver a first in its lineup: full-screen maps in the Digital Meter. With full-screen maps, drivers can enjoy dynamic maps and turn-by-turn directions front and center, located just behind the steering wheel.

Because Mapbox SDKs are designed for over-the-air updates, building with Mapbox allows Toyota to deliver innovations rapidly, directly to vehicles without software updates.

"When we set out to design our next-generation navigation experience, we needed a partner who could work with us on our vision to deliver ever-better in-cabin experiences for our customers," said Brian Inouye, Chief Engineer, TMNA R&D. "With Mapbox, we are excited for drivers to experience a new level of utility, performance, and detail within the 2026 Toyota RAV4."

"We're thrilled to work hand-in-hand with Toyota and its partners to bring its next-generation navigation vision to life. Together, we're setting a new standard, using our cloud-first location platform to create a driving experience that's more responsive, customizable, and future-ready," said Peter Sirota, CEO, Mapbox.

Developers can build next-generation navigation experiences with the Mapbox Navigation SDK today at www.mapbox.com .

About Mapbox

Mapbox is the location platform for innovators. Headquartered in San Francisco, Mapbox provides developers and businesses with cloud-based APIs, SDKs, and data services for maps, navigation, and place and address search.

Founded in 2010, Mapbox leads development of the modern geospatial stack. Trusted by automakers, logistics providers, retailers, and app developers, Mapbox delivers scalable, highly customizable geospatial solutions that power billions of sophisticated location experiences worldwide. The platform is known for its built-in flexibility, elegant design, enterprise-grade security, strict data privacy, and developer-first documentation.

The mission of Mapbox is to enable every team to build exceptional, location-aware applications that delight users, enhance operations, and transform industries.

Learn more at www.mapbox.com

About Toyota

Toyota has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota's plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com

SOURCE Mapbox
Key Points

Dividend King Coca-Cola has a reasonable price, and it also has a yield well above the market's.

General Mills has a big yield and strong dividend history, but its business is currently underperforming.

Realty Income has a huge yield and a boring business, which conservative investors should appreciate.

10 stocks we like better than Realty Income 

One of the easiest ways to build wealth is through the ownership of reliable dividend stocks. You can compound your wealth via dividend reinvestment. You can use those dividends to pay for living expenses. And, assuming you have selected a good dividend-paying stock, the business' growth will build wealth for you either way.

Right now, you might want to look at high-yield dividend stocks Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), General Mills (NYSE: GIS), and Realty Income (NYSE: O) as new additions to your portfolio.

1. Coca-Cola is fairly priced

The S&P 500 index is offering a tiny 1.1% dividend yield. The average consumer staples stock yields 2.7%. Coca-Cola's dividend yield is 2.9%. Notably, Coca-Cola is a Dividend King, having rewarded investors with over six decades' worth of annual dividend increases.

Coca-Cola is one of the world's largest consumer staples companies, boasting a brand portfolio, distribution strength, and marketing skills that match up well with any of its competitors. Its beverage business is industry leading. The stock does not go on sale very often, and it really isn't on sale right now.

However, the stock's price-to-earnings and price-to-book value ratios are both a little below their five-year averages. The price-to-sales ratio is roughly in line with its longer-term average. Essentially, investors are paying a fair to slightly cheap price for a great business. That should be enticing for more conservative dividend investors.

Image source: Getty Images.

2. General Mills is working to get its mojo back

General Mills' dividend yield is 5.2%, which is toward the high end of its historical yield range. The dividend has not been increased every year, but it has trended generally higher for decades. For more aggressive investors, General Mills could be an interesting choice in the food space.

The company has a long history of adapting its brand portfolio to match shifting consumer preferences. Currently, consumers are shifting toward healthier products and becoming more mindful of their spending. General Mills' branded pre-packed foods aren't resonating.

Management is openly stating that fiscal 2026 is an investment year, noting that organic sales fell 2% through the first half of the fiscal year. Periods like this happen from time to time.
To explore untested areas in the east and south-east zone of the known mineralisation where the 2024-2025 drill campaign and historic drilling encountered high copper grades. This includes the 'Copper East' target, identified in 2024/25 which returned longest copper intercept drilled to date at 156m grading 1.12% Cu, 290 g/t Ag and 7.3% Mn, and the highest silver intercept to date at 1.95m @ 14,252 g/t (1.43% Ag) from 29.30 to 31.25m ( news release dated Feb 27, 2025 )

Berenguela is Aftermath's flagship project. Recent drilling has focused on infilling of the historic mineral resource (MRE) to convert inferred to measured and indicated resources. A new MRE was published on December 4, 2025. Aftermath's Phase 3 drilling is currently underway at Berenguela focused on three main objectives:

Please refer to the Company's news release dated November 20, 2025 for further details regarding the transaction terms and information relating to Berenguela.

Michael Williams, Exeuctive Chairman of Aftermath added: "Having secured a 100% interest in both Berenguela and our Chilean silver project, Challacollo, we believe Aftermath is now a prominent silver development company that can potentially supply the highly sought after co-products, copper and manganese."

Ralph Rushton, President and CEO of Aftermath commented: "We're delighted to finally acquire 100% ownership of the Berenguela Ag-Cu-Mn project as we believe it has the potential to deliver significant leverage to silver, copper and manganese -a crucial battery metal - for our shareholders. This is a key step in the Company's development into a producing mining company and an important supplier of critical minerals. We are looking forward to the next 12 months as we intend to advance our engineering studies while concurrently drilling our key exploration targets."

In late November, Aftermath fulfilled the final payment obligation arising under the acquisition agreement dated September 30, 2020, as amended (the " Acquisition Agreement "), between the Company and SSR Mining Inc. (" SSR ") and the parties have now completed the transfer of ownership of each of the holding companies Sociedad Minera Berengeula S.A. and Fossores Ltd., such that the Company now holds a 100% interest in Berengeula.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2026) - Aftermath Silver Ltd. (TSXV: AAG) (OTCQX: AAGFF) (FSE: FLM1) (the " Company " or " Aftermath ") is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of the Berenguela silver-copper-manganese project (" Berengula ").

Story Continues

Qualified person

Michael Parker, a fellow of the AusIMM and a non-independent director of Aftermath, is a non-independent qualified person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Parker has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release and the form and context in which it appears.

About Aftermath Silver Ltd.

Aftermath Silver Ltd. is a leading Canadian junior exploration company focused on silver and critical metals which aims to deliver shareholder value through the discovery, acquisition and development of quality silver and critical metal projects in stable jurisdictions. Aftermath has developed a pipeline of projects at various stages of advancement. The Company's projects have been selected based on growth and development potential.

Berenguela Silver-Copper-Manganese project. The Company owns a 100% interest in the Berenguela Ag-Cu-Mn project located in the Department of Puno, in southern central Peru. A current NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate was published on December 4, 2025 and a NI43-101Technical Report on the property will be filed shortly.

Challacollo Silver-Gold project. The Company owns a 100% interest in the Challacollo Ag-Au project, located in Region 1 in northern Chile, 130km southeast of the major port city of Iquique. A NI 43-101 mineral resource was released on December 15, 2020 (available on SEDAR and the Company's web page).

Cachinal Silver-Gold project. The Company owns a 100% interest in the Cachinal Ag-Au project, located 2.5 hours south of Antofagasta.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Ralph Rushton"

Ralph Rushton

CEO and Director

604-484-7855

The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain of the statements and information in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities laws. Any statements or information that express or involve discussions with respect to interpretation of exploration programs and drill results, predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategies", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "budgets", "schedules", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements or information.

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forwardlooking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forwardlooking 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 forwardlooking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forwardlooking statements include, but are not limited to, changes in commodities prices; changes in expected mineral production performance; unexpected increases in capital costs; exploitation and exploration results; continued availability of capital and financing; differing results and recommendations in the Feasibility Study; and general economic, market or business conditions. In addition, forwardlooking statements are subject to various risks, including but not limited to operational risk; political risk; currency risk; capital cost inflation risk; that data is incomplete or inaccurate. The reader is referred to the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators for disclosure regarding these and other risk factors, accessible through Aftermath Silver's profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

There is no certainty that any forwardlooking statement will come to pass and investors should not place undue reliance upon forwardlooking statements. The Company does not undertake to provide updates to any of the forwardlooking statements in this release, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279424
38% increase in Independents set to change poll equation





By Kunal Badge :

The number of Independent candidates has risen by nearly 38 per cent compared to the last civic elections. It reflects growing unrest within political parties and heightened ambition among grassroots workers. Of the 992 candidates contesting the upcoming Nagpur Municipal Corporation elections, 224 are Independents, compared to 162 Independents out of 1,135 candidates in the 2017 polls. Political analysts say the sharp increase is rooted in the prolonged absence of elected officials, which left many aspiring leaders with limited avenues for political growth. For local-level workers, this election is a rare opening, said a senior political observer.

Missing it would mean losing relevance for almost another decade, and that pressure is driving many to contest independently. The concentration of Independent candidates across wards further highlights internal churn within parties. Prabhag 3 has emerged as the most competitive ward, with 15 Independent candidates in the fray. Within it, Seat 3-D has drawn 11 Independent contestants, making it one of the most fragmented seats in the city. Prabhag 2, Prabhag 9 and Prabhag 30 follow closely, each registering 10 Independent candidates. At the other end, Prabhag 16, Prabhag 36 and Prabhag 37 have recorded the lowest presence of Independents, with only one candidate each contesting outside party banners, indicating comparatively stronger party discipline or lower political churn. It is at this stage that Independents acquire electoral significance beyond mere numbers.

Political commentators point out that votes secured by Independent candidates often become the decisive margin between victory and defeat in closely fought civic elections. In many wards, Independents dont win, but they decide who does, said a political analyst. They split traditional vote banks and quietly reshape outcomes. Public opinion reflects this reality. A voter from central Nagpur said that Independents change equations even without winning, while another resident observed that their presence forces mainstream candidates to address local civic issues more seriously. Independent candidates argue that their role goes beyond electoral arithmetic. Even if we lose, we bring neglected issues into public debate, said one Independent aspirant. That pressure itself alters the campaign, he added. As the city approaches polling day, the rise of Independent candidates has transformed the election into a complex and unpredictable contest, underlining their growing influence as both vote-splitters and agenda-setters in the citys civic politics.
4 lakh Gen-Z voters set to give new twist to NMC elections





By Kabir Mahajan :

This years election to Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is expected to be more interesting than ever, as 4,36,407 Generation Z (Gen-Z) voters will cast their votes. These young voters, many of them voting for the first time, have the power to change the results in several prabhags. If they choose to vote independently instead of following traditional trends, Gen-Z could alter the direction of the election and emerge as a decisive force in the citys civic polls. As per the data from the NMC, the most striking figure is the sheer expansion of the voter base. In the 2017 NMC elections, the city had 20,46,705 registered voters. Fast forward to the 2026 election cycle and that number has surged to 24,83,112. This represents a major gap of 4,36,407 new voters entering the fray, a nearly 21 per cent increase in the electorate within a decade. This surge is largely attributed to the rapid urbanisation of the Vidarbha regions political and commercial hub. The four-lakh addition is not just a statistical increase; it signifies a massive influx of Gen-Z which are first-time voters. While the city has historically struggled with a flat turnout trend of around 50-54 per cent, the addition of these hundreds of thousands of new electors, many in the 18-25 age bracket, presents both an opportunity and a challenge for the 992 candidates in the fray.

To engage this specific demographic, the NMC has launched innovative campaigns, including 40 Santa Clauses during the holidays and selfie points at popular youth hangouts like Futala Lake. Unlike veteran voters who often display voter apathy, these new participants are being targeted through social media and digital outreach to break the 53.72 per cent polling ceiling recorded in 2017. The voters include 12,26,690 men, 12,56,166 women and 256 others, the focus remains on the silent voters among the newly added four lakhs. To attract these Gen-Z voters and to reach them in masses, candidates are using digital as well as print media. A senior NMC official said that these new voters could act as the ultimate kingmakers on January 15.

They could be a massive advantage if they cast their vote this year. Another official said that NMC administration is working hard to boost voting in the elections but it has been recorded that most of the voters at the age of 18 dont vote, which brings a massive change in the results. Even a single vote is far more valuable for a candidate to win. At this crucial stage where each one of them is trying to grab more number of votes on their side. With voting day approaching fast, parties and candidates have dived into campaigning and are trying to seize every opportunity to win the elections.
Bastar Police deal decisive blows to Maoists in 2025





Our Corresponden t :

IN WHAT has been described as a turning point in the fight against Left Wing Extremism, the Bastar Police recorded major operational successes in 2025, delivering decisive blows to Maoist networks and significantly shrinking their areas of influence. Addressing the annual press conference at Shaurya Bhavan, Lalbagh, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, said the year proved historic for security forces and laid a strong foundation for the complete elimination of Maoism from the region.

The IG informed that during 2025, security forces were involved in 100 encounters with Maoists, in which 256 extremists were neutralised. Besides, 898 Maoists were arrested and 1,573 surrendered, reflecting the impact of sustained and intelligence-driven operations. During these actions, forces recovered 677 weapons and seized 894 improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Acknowledging the role of the Bastar Police, the IG said the force received extensive support, resources and logistical backing from the Chhattisgarh Government.

He described 2026 as another crucial year, asserting that efforts would be intensified to wipe out the remaining Maoist presence. He also appealed to Maoists to surrender, stating that time was running out for them. The IG noted that Maoist-affected areas in Bastar have reduced substantially due to continuous operations, leading to a growing number of voluntary surrenders.

He paid homage to the fallen, stating that Maoists killed 46 civilians in 2025, while 23 police personnel laid down their lives during encounters. Despite these sacrifices, he underlined, Maoists failed to loot even a single weapon from the security forces. A solemn tribute was paid to the martyred jawans. Highlighting the strengthening of the security grid, the IG said 58 new security camps were established during the year  22 in Bijapur, 24 in Narayanpur and 12 in Sukma  ensuring complete security coverage across the Bastar division.

Calling it a major achievement, he said 210 armed Maoists surrendered at the Jagdalpur Police Headquarters alone. He also acknowledged the support of security forces from neighbouring states and the cooperation of local residents, noting that people have increasingly rejected Maoist propaganda related to water, forest and land issues.

Sharing general crime statistics, the IG said that in 2025 the Bastar division recorded 156 murder cases, 170 attempted murders, 19 robberies, 294 rape cases, 267 kidnappings, one dowry death and 782 road accident fatalities. He assured that focused efforts are underway to curb crimes against women and reduce road accidents across the region.
BHAIRAV BATTALIONS: Army creates modern warfare force





NASIRABAD :

AT A time when the Centre is pushing for restructuring the defence forces, the Indian Army has carried out one of the biggest ever transformations to meet modern warfare challenges creating a pool of over one lakh drone operatives across the force. Bhairav, the latest Special Force raised by the Indian Army - is being readied to tackle the challenges of modern warfare, as all operatives are capable of handling drones and use them in real operations for targeting bases and formations inside enemy territory.

Team ANI visited one of the newly-raised Bhairav battalions in the desert sector under the Southern Command, where it witnessed the capabilities of the troops who had been selected from Infantry regiments to raise the Special Force and were being given special training as per the requirements of modern warfare. The Bhairav battalions raised by Army Headquarters with lessons from global and own conflicts in mind, have been created to provide a dedicated force for high-speed, offensive operations to carry out the Special Forces tasking at multiple levels as per requirements.

The Indian Army has raised around 15 of these battalions already, and they have been assigned to different formations on both borders and have plans to raise around 25 of them in total in the near future. The Bhairav battalions would also bridge the gap between thePara SpecialForces and the regularInfantrybattalions.The Bhairav would also be tasked to carry out Special Operations at tactical to operational depth. Modern warfare is changing at a very rapid pace. The conflicts of today are hybrid in nature, and one needs tobe fully equipped with modern technology to be able to deal with the Challenges.

The Bhairav battalions have also been createdaspartof the force restructuring, which have been raised in line with the requirements of modern technology, new thought process and as per the new operational requirements, Commanding Officer of the 2 BhairavBattalion said. I am theCommanding officer of the desert Bhairav battalion of the Southern Command of the Indian Army. The desert has its own challenges where special skill sets, endurance and technology are required to be used in the right way.

That is why the Bhairav has been raised as a technology-driven system which can operate independently and carry out multidomain operations in the future, he added. Explaining about the formation of the unit, the Commanding officer said,The desert Bhairav Battalion has been raised on the concept of Sons of the Soil as the majority of the troops are from Rajasthan who can understand the terrain, language, weather and the area.The battalion has been built upon the legacy of the valour and gallantry of Rajanghan, and that is our biggest strength. We are ready to meet any challenge in the desert sector.
CM Dr Mohan Yadav to attend TiE Global Summit in Jaipur today





Staff Reporter:

CHIEF Minister Dr Mohan Yadav will participate in the Rajasthan DigiFest-TiE Global Summit 2026 at the Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre (JECC) on Monday. He will lead a Madhya Pradesh delegation to the global event, where the State will present its technology-driven vision and investment opportunities with a focus on emerging and high growth sectors.

During the summit, Dr Yadav will outline opportunities in Madhya Pradeshs priority technology sectors before global investors and industry representatives. He will also visit the Innovation Expo and tour the Madhya Pradesh Pavilion, where he will interact with start-ups, innovators and industry stakeholders.

The Chief Minister is scheduled to hold one-on-one meetings with CEOs, investors and global industry leaders to discuss strategic investment opportunities and the scope for long-term partnerships in Madhya Pradesh. The States Department of Science and Technology will Join the event as a Silver State Partner, this participation follows a memorandum of understanding signed with TiE Rajasthan during the MP Tech Growth Conclave 2.0 held on November 27.

At the summit, Madhya Pradesh will showcase its newly introduced and progressive policy framework aimed at positioning the state as a preferred destination for next-generation technologies, digital innovation and high-value job creation, while also strengthening the technology ecosystem of Indias tier-2 cities.
Faridabad assault: Woman was gangraped inside ambulance





FARIDABAD :

A NEW revelation has emerged in the gangrape of the 25-year-old woman, who was sexually assaulted by two men in a moving vehicle and later thrown onto the road earlier this week, that the accused committed the crime in a private hospitals ambulance and not a van. A senior investigating officer on Sunday said that the accused used to work as a driver and helper on the ambulance of a private hospital. The two accused, one from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh and the other from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, have since been arrested and sent to judicial custody. Six days after the incident, the woman remains hospitalised. A purported video of the victim, presumably recorded after the incident, has surfaced in which she explains that after giving her the lift, one of the accused had deposited Rs 600 into her account. I did not know them before.

As soon as I sat in the car, one of them transferred Rs 600 to my PayTM account, and then they locked the car and snatched my mobile. There was dense fog at night. I cried out loud, but there was no help, she said in the video. PTI couldnt verify the authenticity of the video. Once the woman gets better, an identification parade of the accused will be held before a magistrate. They will then take on a production warrant from the jail for further questioning, the officer added. According to the police details, the woman went to her friends house in Sector 23, Faridabad, on Monday evening.

While returning home, she took an auto-rickshaw to the NIT 2 Chowk and then walked to the Metro Chowk. As she stood there around midnight to take an auto to get to her home, the two accused offered the woman a lift. However, instead of taking her to her destination, they allegedly drove towards Gurugram and raped her inside the moving vehicle. She was driven around through the night and thrown out of the vehicle near Raja Chowk in Faridabad around 3 am on Tuesday. The survivor was later admitted to a private hospital.
Fearless Future

AS WE welcome 2026, ace designer Masaba Gupta expressed her wish for all women to be 'fearless' this year. She shared that the year gone by turned her into a completely new person - something which she finds to be both terrifying and great. Reiterating the fact that change is the only constant, Masaba wrote on her Insta, "Ill tell you what this year taught me - that I am no longer who I used to be. And that is terrifying .. but its great news.

Its nice to shed your skin every once in a while. (sic)" Masaba took to her official Instagram handle and posted a photo of her daughter Matara enjoying herself at the beach. Masaba admitted that it gives her immense joy to see her daughter being raised as a cheerful and fearless person. "And that nothing makes me happier than watching my daughter running into the waves happily & fearlessly.

I guess I wish for all women to be fearlessthat is our core and that will dictate what the world order will be. Happy New Year :)," Masaba added. Masaba tied knot with actor Satyadeep Mishra in 2023, and the couple welcomed their first child, daughter Matara, in October 2024. The designer loves to give a peek into her playtime with her daughter through her social media posts.

Earlier, wishing Masaba on her birthday on November 2, her mother and veteran Bollywood actress Neena Gupta dropped an adorable video of herself lovingly teaching her granddaughter Matara to chant Om. The Instagram clip showed Neena sitting on the bed with her granddaughter, gently teaching her to chant Om, but the little one, who was in a fun mood, constantly referred to her grandmother by her first name  Neena.
Friends First





AS THE makers of Stranger Things dropped its final chapter, actor Noah Schnapp, who plays the pivotal role of Will Byers in the show, has shared an emotional message with fans, asking them to pause, reflect and truly savour the last moments of the globally loved series. Sharing a string of images from the sets of Stranger Things 5Volume 2 on Instagram, he mentioned that real power isnt telekinesis, its friendship, loyalty, and accepting yourself and others exactly as we come.

He wrote in the caption: So excited to share this chapter with all of you. As we head into the final week of Stranger Things, please take a moment to really soak it in. Cherish these last moments, finding comfort in your favorite characters, debriefing with friends, reliving scenes together online afterward. These matter more than we sometimes realise.

The actor said that he is truly so grateful for the family weve built here. He added:I love youall like my own close friends and family. One of the greatest joys for me has been watching you form real friendships with each other, meeting you unexpectedly in public (or purposefully on DMs and video games) and feeling your pure excitement, and knowing how much this show has meant to so many people who needed connection, belonging, and a place to feel accepted.

The actor said: You will always have a place with me, and in this show, no matter who you are. We love you exactly as you are. If theres one thing to remember from our show: connection is what keeps us alive. And the only way to truly connect is to let people see the real you, and realize you can be loved even more when you do. Noah concluded: Real power isnt telekinesis or cool hand movements (though those can be pretty badass). Its friendship, loyalty, and accepting yourself and others exactly as we come. Volume 2: Now Streaming.
First, we've implemented measures that have significantly reduced cash outflows, ensuring we remain focused on our highest priorities, and internalizing as many extensive functions as possible, such as CRO and CDMO services, for which we have spent a significant amount of money in the first nine months of this year. Second, by the way, these were necessary expenditures, so but now we are internalizing this, as we wind down some of these activities as trials are maturing. Secondly, for the first time in almost a year, the window is opening up for us to monetize on our real estate assets. Remarkably, this effort has gained momentum with the improved financial environment, following the U.S. elections just a week ago.

We believe these studies will reinforce the strength and breadth of BOT/BAL impact, not just in colorectal cancer, but across multiple cancers, which generally respond poorly to other treatments. While the science is advancing the financial challenges we face are significant. Developing therapies with this level of promise, requires significant resources, and we're operating under financial constraints. For example, we ended the quarter with just $44.8 million in cash, and subsequently raised another $7 million and change. These figures underscore the need for decisive action. Let me give you a glimpse of what we're doing.

In the neoadjuvant setting, for example, BOT/BAL has demonstrated the potential to address diseases such as MSS colorectal cancer, which do not typically respond to immunotherapy and, which account for more than 85% of all colorectal cancer. The initial data we presented at ESMO GI in 2024, just a few months ago from the Cornell study highlights this potential. These results in a tumor type historically resistant to immunotherapy, are absolutely groundbreaking. Ongoing trials in Italy and the Netherlands will further expand on these results, and provide insights with data anticipated early next year.

Garo Armen: Thank you, Alexa, and good morning, everyone, and thank you all for joining us today. At Agenus, we are driven by the belief that we can redefine, what is possible in cancer treatment. This belief is embodied in the progress, we've made with BOT/BAL. BOT/BAL is showing unprecedented results, in cancers that have resisted all previous therapies, as well as in patients with earlier stages of disease, who face morbidities associated with conventional treatment options, such as chemotherapy, radiation and radical and sometimes debilitating, or even mutilating surgeries. BOT/BAL represents a paradigm shift, in how we approach cancer treatment.

Story Continues

And the assets that we're talking about, are valued or they are appraised at, are vapable property at over $45 million that's an appraisal about a year ago. And our Berkeley facility, which was our first manufacturing facility, which is appraised at $25 million. And thirdly, and most importantly, we are in advanced discussions on several strategic transactions, designed to deliver substantial value and resources. We see one or more, or a combination of these transactions, as key to our long-term growth, enabling us to sustain and accelerate our progress with BOT/BAL. These steps reflect our commitment to building a strong foundation for Agenus.

One that allows us to deliver on the extraordinary promise of BOT/BAL, while meeting the needs of our patients and [indiscernible]. The progress we've made thus far is a testament to the strength of our science, and the dedication of our team. With that, I'll now turn it over to Dr. Robin Taylor, our Chief Commercial Officer, to provide further insights into our business strategy, and patient access initiatives. Robin?

Robin Taylor: Thank you, Garo. And good morning everyone. Building on Garo's remarks, I'd like to provide more detail on the strategic initiatives that are driving our progress. First, let's start with the clinical data. BOT/BAL's results are reshaping expectations for immunotherapy, especially in microsatellite stable colorectal cancer, a setting that has been resistant to treatment, with prior immunotherapy approaches. These unprecedented outcomes, combined with data across multiple tumor types, are driving significant interest in BOT/BAL from key stakeholders, including the medical community, patient advocates and potential collaborators. From a business development perspective, we are actively engaged in discussions with pharmaceutical partners, regional collaborators, and other stakeholders to ensure BOT/BAL reaches its full potential.

These discussions are focused on optimizing value creation, for both patients and shareholders. We are also advancing our compassionate use, and name patient programs globally, ensuring that patients with limited options will have broader access to BOT/BAL outside of clinical trials. These initiatives are critical for addressing the urgent needs of patients around the world. On the financial front, our strategy is built on a combination of operational discipline, asset monetization and strategic transactions. The recent uptick in market conditions, particularly following the U.S. Elections, has bolstered the value of our real estate and operational assets. We expect to close on these monetization opportunities soon, which will provide a bridge to a transformative transaction currently under active discussion.

This transaction, which we anticipate finalizing in the near-term, is expected to bring in significant resources to support our mission, while optimizing long-term value for our shareholders. In summary, we are making significant strides in advancing BOT/BAL and positioning Agenus for long-term success. I'll now hand it over to Christine to discuss the financials.

Christine Klaskin: Thank you, Robin. Agenus ended the third quarter 2024, with a consolidated cash balance of $44.8 million, compared to $76.1 million on December 31, 2023. As Garo mentioned, we have raised $7.1 million through sales of common stock, under our market issuance sales agreement, since the end of the third quarter. Cash used in operations for the nine months ended September 2024 was $129.7 million. This is a reduction from spend of $183.8 million for the same period in 2023. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, we recognize revenue, which includes non-cash revenue of $25 million and $77 million respectively. This compares to $24 million and $7 million for the same periods in 2023.

Net loss for the three and nine months ended Sept 30, 2024, is $67 million and $186 million, respectively. This net loss includes non-cash operating expenses, of $41 million for the third quarter and $112 million, for the nine months ended September. This compares to a net loss for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 of $65 million and $20 million, respectively oh, sorry, $290 million respectively. I'll now turn the call back to Garo.

Garo Armen: Thank you, Robin and Christine. As we close, I want to leave you with a sense of what we are striving for Agenus. BOT/BAL is not just a new therapy. It is an opportunity to redefine the future of cancer treatment. And these are the sentiments of not just Agenus team members, but the sentiments of scores of clinicians around the world. BOT/BAL is an opportunity to redefine cancer treatment in ways that, we think will benefit patients in an unprecedented manner. In MSS, colorectal cancer and other hard-to-treat cancers. BOT/BAL is showing that it's possible to intervene earlier, more effectively, and with outcomes that could preserve not just the survival, but the quality of life that patients deserve.

You will see significant evidence of that, at conference presentations very early next year. Two separate presentations representing two separate trials in the neoadjuvant setting. One in colorectal cancer, one in cancers that are across the board. This is why we are so committed to advancing this therapy. We know the financial challenges we face, and we are addressing them with deliberate and focused action. By reducing costs, monetizing assets, and advancing discussions on strategic transactions, we are laying the foundation for sustained progress. This is a critical moment for our company and for patients. The science is strong, the clinical momentum is real, and the opportunities ahead of us are extraordinary.

But above all, this is about the patients, those who are counting on us to deliver hope and a path forward. I want to thank you for your continued support, and belief in our vision. We remain committed to realizing the full potential of BOT/BAL for the benefit of patients, shareholders, and the broader medical community. With that, we'll now open the call for questions. Operator?

Operator: [Operator Instructions] The first question comes from the line of Emily Bodnar with H.C. Wainright. Hold on a moment, please. Please go ahead.

Emily Bodnar: Oh, hi. Good morning. Thanks for taking the question, I guess. First one from me. Now that you have guidance from the FDA and the EMA around the Phase 3 design, can you maybe just summarize how you're thinking about the Phase 3 design, and next steps and timelines for getting that study initiated? And then on the three investigator trials that you mentioned in the neoadjuvant setting, can you maybe just go through each of those and kind of how the designs, for those studies differ and maybe set some expectations, to what we can see in the early 2025 data readout? Thank you.

Garo Armen: Okay. So the first question I will ask Robin Taylor to answer, because he has been in deep discussions with potential collaborators and investors in the company, on this very issue. And the second question I'll ask our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Steven O'Day, to address.

Robin Taylor: Hi, Emily. So to address your question around the Phase 3 design and timing. We now have, as - you noted, we have feedback both from EMA and FDA that really allows us to proceed. Of course, we will do that when we have a strategic partnership that allows us, to be able to finance the study. And that can come in either through, our efforts on the financing side, or through a potential collaboration with a pharma partner. Both of which, we are in active discussions at the moment. And so, that is really the level of detail that we can provide at the moment.

But we definitely are excited, by the fact that the door is now open for us to be able to proceed with that study.

Garo Armen: And our two neoadjuvant studies beyond Cornell. There has been some concern Steven, that because of some personnel changes at Cornell, our neoadjuvant efforts had come to a halt. But in reality, it's just the opposite. In fact, we have extended that you can articulate without disclosing too much data, so that we don't jeopardize our presentation.

Steven O'Day: Thank you, Emily, for the question. As we presented our NEST data, which is the Cornell data, at several conferences, most recently at ESMO GI, by updating that data, which continues to really be remarkable in the signal that it's giving in both MS stable and MS high colon cancer. There are two, as Garo referred to. There are two other data sets that are emerging, which will be presented in early 2025, both from Europe. One of them is a similar scenario to the Cornell in the sense that it's looking at colorectal cancer in the neoadjuvant setting with BOT and BAL.

And we look forward to sharing that independent second data set in the setting, of what Cornell showed. And then the other data set that's emerging from Europe, is from the Netherlands. And this will be a broader patient population that includes colorectal patients. But also includes other solid tumors that historically, have had major challenges, or had inability to respond to immunotherapy. So those are the two other data sets that, will be emerging in the first part of next year.

Emily Bodnar: Got it. Okay. Makes sense. And then maybe just lastly, on the Phase 2 relapsed refractory setting, do you see I believe previously you were saying you would have additional data, I believe, in first half of 2025. Is that still on track?

Steven O'Day: Emily, thank you. Steve O'Day again. Yes, that data has continued to mature. The last patient was enrolled in the Phase 2 colorectal refractory study in November a year ago. And we look forward to continuing to allow that data to mature, and present it at a conference in early 2025.

Emily Bodnar: Okay. Great. Thank you so much.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Matt Phipps with William Blair.

Madeline Stone: Great. Hi, this is Madeline on for Matt. Thanks for taking our questions first, should we expect any data from some of the cohorts, and other tumor types like melanoma and pancreatic cancer in the near-term, or could you provide any updated timing for those cohorts?

Garo Armen: I mean, Steven O'Day will address that, but as we have generated data across approximately 10 children. And most recently at ESMO, we presented data on sarcoma. The data as it matures, is getting more and more compelling. And our investigators at places like ESMO that convene and discuss the prospects, for treating their patients in the future. Are very excited about the need to make BOT/BAL available for their patients on a wider scale. But Dr. O'Day is the gatekeeper of all of these efforts, and he'll give you more color on what we're going to be doing.

Steven O'Day: So thank you for the question. In addition to our Phase 2 colorectal data, two other Phase 2 trials, as you mentioned, one in pancreas in a refractory setting, and one in melanoma in a very refractory setting, have completed accrual and are maturing. And we expect to have randomized data in - those settings in the first half of the next year.

Madeline Stone: Great. Thank you.

Operator: Ladies and gentlemen. That concludes today's call. Thank you all for joining. You may now disconnect.

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Instagram story helps trace missing girl after 4 months





Staff Reporter :

An Instagram story posted by an accused became the key clue in tracing a 15-year-old girl who had been missing for the past four months. After months of failed searches, Wathoda Police noticed the social media post and used it to track the accused and arrested him from Pune. A case regarding the missing minor girl was registered at Wathoda Police Station on September 28, 2025. Despite extensive searches in Wardha, Gondia, and Nagpur rural areas, the police did not find any concrete leads for several months. As there was no physical clue, the police continued both ground-level and technical surveillance.

Instagram story becomes turning point

The breakthrough came three days ago when police received information that the accused was secretly using Instagram through Wi-Fi. Soon after, the accused posted an Instagram story wishing a friend on his birthday. This small digital footprint proved to be the turning point. Police took the accuseds friend into confidence and requested him to initiate contact on Instagram. A well-planned trap was designed by the police. Woman Police Constable Mayuri bravely assumed the role of the accuseds friends girlfriend. Using emotional messages, she told the accused, We have run away from home and police are searching for us. Please give us shelter for two days. Though the accused was initially hesitant, continuous communication helped gain his trust. The entire plan was shared with senior officers and was immediately approved by DCP Zone 5 Niketan Kadam. A special team comprising PSI Amol Patil, PC Kailas Shravankar, WPC Mayuri, and the accuseds friend left for Pune. The accused made the team wait for nearly 18 hours across Pune and Baramati and called them to Bhavani Nagar bus stop in Indapur. After confirming identities through an Instagram video call, the police laid the final trap and detained the accused.

Girl found safe

During questioning, the accused confessed, and the missing 15-year-old girl was found safe. When police informed the girls mother over the phone, she broke down. The accused, Mayur Ramesh Waghere (22), a resident of Mhasgaon, Goregaon taluka, Gondia district, has been arrested. He was produced before the court, which granted two days of police custody remand for further investigation.
Mayor attends Suhagle MataPujan in Narsinghpur Ward





Staff Reporter:

UNDER the efforts to preserve Sanskardhanis cultural heritage and strengthen social bonds, a grand Suhagle Mata Pujan was organised in Narsinghpur Ward under the spiritual guidance of Swami Chandrashekhar Ji Maharaj. Nearly 2,000 married women from the ward participated in the collective ritual. They performed traditional worship and sought blessings for a prosperous and harmonious family life.

Mayor Jagat Bahadur Singh attended the programme as chief guest along with his wife, Yamini Singh. The event commenced with the lighting of ceremonial lamp, marking the formal inauguration of the religious gathering. Addressing the gathering, the Mayor said such cultural and religious events play a vital role in uniting society and help the younger generation remain connected with their roots and traditions.

He added that preserving cultural values is essential for building a cohesive and harmonious community. Yamini Singh distributed traditional suhag items to the women and extended her best wishes for their well-being and marital happiness. She emphasised that respect for women and their active participation form the foundation of a strong and empowered society
Priyanka Gandhi to head Cong screening panel for Assam polls





CONGRESS leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been appointed chairperson of the screening committee for selection of candidates for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections. All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal on Saturday night announced the formation of screening committees for the five States and Union Territories going to polls in the first half of this year.

The four-member committees were formed for Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to finalise candidate lists to contest the forthcoming State elections. Vadra, AICC General Secretary and parliamentarian, has been named the chairperson of the committee for Assam.

where the Congress is looking to contest the elections in an alliance with other opposition parties and wrest power from the BJP. Her close aides Imran Masood and Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, both Lok Sabha MPs, along with Sirivella Prasad have been made the members of the Assam screening panel.
Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS manifesto promises free power, Rs 1,500 allowance for women domestic helps





Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, left, and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray release their alliance manifesto for the upcoming civic polls, at Sena Bhavan, in Mumbai on Sunday. (PTI)

MUMBAI :

A MONTHLY allowance of Rs 1,500 for domestic helps and women from the fishing community who sell fish, 100 units of free power, and property tax waiver for houses up to 700 sq feet are key promises for Mumbai voters made in a joint Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS manifesto. The Vachan Nama, Shabd Thackerencha was released on Sunday at a joint presser at Shiv Sena Bhawan, a venue MNS chief Raj Thackeray returned to after nearly two decades. The cover of the manifesto features cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, along with Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. Although, the Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance includes the NCP (SP), no senior leader from the Sharad Pawar-led party was on the dais when the manifesto was released.

The alliance has targeted women voters, promising Swabhiman Nidhi of Rs 1,500 per month for house helps and women from the Koli community, on the lines of the Mahayuti Governments Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, which provides a similar amount to eligible women between 21 and 65 years.

The parties have also promised good restrooms for women on major roads in Mumbai. The manifesto mentions a meal scheme, similar to the Shiv Bhojan Thali, under which breakfast and lunch would be provided for Rs 10. Mumbais land will only be used to house Mumbaikars, the manifesto states, promising affordable housing for employees of the BMC, Government, BEST and mill workers.
US to run Venezuela, tap its oil reserves: Trump





HOURS after an audacious military operation that plucked leader Nicolas Maduro from power a n d r e m o v e d him from the country, President Donald Trump said that the United States would run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations. The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on the South American nation and its autocratic leader and months of secret planning resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts immediately raised questions about whether the operation was lawful.

Venezuelas Vice President Delcy Rodriguez demanded in a speech that the US free Maduro and called him the countrys rightful leader, before Venezuelas high court ordered her to assume the role of interim President. Speaking to reporters hours after Maduros capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to fix the countrysoil infrastructure and sell large amounts of oil to other countries.

Maduro has been locked in a notorious federal jail in New York after his capture by the US forces at a military base in his country, from where he had been taunting President Donald Trump. As he was escorted into the local office of the DEA on Saturday night before being jailed, he said sarcastically, looking at the camera, Good night. Happy New Year. Once the unquestioned ruler of the oil-rich South American nation,in the videore leased by the White House, he was in a brown uniform, manacled and clutching a water bottle while two DEA officers held him on either side by his elbows.

Next, they were taken to the Metropolitan Detention Centre (MDC) in Brooklyn to await production in the NewYork federal court, which is expected. Maduro and his wife, seized overnight from their home on a military base, were first taken aboard a US warship on their way to face prosecution fora Justice Department indictment accusing them of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy. Aplane carrying the deposed leader landed around 4:30 pm Saturday at an airport in NewYork Citysnorthern suburbs.

MADURO BEING HELD AT NOTORIOUS BROOKLYN JAIL: THE Brooklyn jail holding Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is facility so troubled, some judges have refused to send people there even as it has housed such famous inmates asmusic stars R. Kelly and Sean Diddy Combs. Opened in the early 1990s, the Metropolitan Detention Centre, or MDC Brooklyn, currently houses about 1,300 in mates.
Las Vegas, Nevada and Salt Lake City, Utah--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2026) - According to Utah-based Write3BooksIn24Hours, artificial intelligence has made significant progress in generating short-form written content, but long-form fiction (particularly multi-book narratives with consistent characters and sustained story arcs) has remained a persistent challenge, until now.

That is why Write3BooksIn24Hours today announced it has developed an AI-assisted service designed specifically to address that limitation.

The service, called TrilogyForge, is designed to generate three interconnected novels (an entire fiction trilogy) in less than 24 hours, starting from a user's story idea.

The company will introduce TrilogyForge to journalists, analysts and influencers during the invite-only ShowStoppers media reception at CES 2026, held tomorrow (Tuesday, January 6) from 6-9 p.m. (MT) in the Grand Ballroom of the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tyler Jensen, CEO and founder of Utah-based company, Write3BooksIn24Hours, and creator of the TrilogyForge AI-engine.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/12115/279463_image1.jpg

"We understand why people are skeptical," said Tyler Jensen, CEO, Creator and Founder of Write3BooksIn24Hours. "AI tools have been able to write reports, advertising copy, book chapters, and movie scenes for some time now. The harder problem, however, has been maintaining narrative consistency across an entire multi-book story arc. And doing so quickly and inexpensively. Those are the problems we set out to solve with TrilogyForge."

Designed for Story Lovers and Collectors, Not Professional Writers

According to Write3BooksIn24Hours, TrilogyForge is not a replacement for professional authors or the craft of writing itself, rather a bridge for people who have carried around story ideas for years without the time, desire or skills to master long-form fiction.

Cover artwork for the three books of The Helix Files trilogy, from left to right: The Helix Protocol (Book 1), False Aperture (Book 2), and Signal of Ruin (Book 3). The entire Helix Files trilogy was produced in less than 24 hours by TrilogyForge (the AI-engine from Write3BooksIn24Hours), with direction, input, and editing provided by the author.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/12115/279463_image2.jpg

The TrilogyForge service guides users through a structured creative intake process to capture characters, themes, tone, and story direction before generating full-length manuscripts that can be edited, shared privately, or self-published.
Shares of The Manitowoc Company, Inc. (NYSE:MTW  Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of Reduce from the five ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $10.25.

MTW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c-) rating on shares of Manitowoc in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Manitowoc from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Manitowoc in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued an underweight rating and a $9.00 target price for the company.

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Manitowoc Stock Performance

Shares of MTW stock opened at $12.21 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $433.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.68 and a beta of 1.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $11.66 and a 200 day moving average of $11.30. Manitowoc has a 52 week low of $7.06 and a 52 week high of $13.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Manitowoc (NYSE:MTW  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 7th. The industrial products company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Manitowoc had a net margin of 2.63% and a return on equity of 0.87%. The company had revenue of $354.30 million for the quarter. As a group, research analysts expect that Manitowoc will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Manitowoc

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Manitowoc in the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Manitowoc by 131.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,541 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 2,575 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main bought a new position in shares of Manitowoc during the second quarter valued at approximately $84,000. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Manitowoc by 669.9% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 7,329 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 6,377 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in shares of Manitowoc during the second quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Institutional investors own 78.66% of the companys stock.

Manitowoc Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

The Manitowoc Company, Inc (NYSE: MTW) is a global manufacturer of heavy-lift cranes and lifting equipment. The companys product portfolio includes tower cranes marketed under the Potain brand, mobile hydraulic cranes sold under the Grove, Manitowoc and National Crane names, and engineered lifting solutions such as mast climbers and platform hoists. Manitowoc serves a wide range of industries, including construction, infrastructure, energy and industrial markets.

Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Manitowoc operates manufacturing facilities, sales offices and rental centers across North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

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ASA Gold and Precious Metals Limited (NYSE:ASA  Get Free Report) major shareholder Saba Capital Management, L.P. bought 8,782 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $58.93 per share, for a total transaction of $517,523.26. Following the transaction, the insider owned 5,400,495 shares in the company, valued at $318,251,170.35. This trade represents a 0.16% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a companys stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Saba Capital Management, L.P. also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Wednesday, December 31st, Saba Capital Management, L.P. purchased 9,112 shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of $59.99 per share, with a total value of $546,628.88.

On Tuesday, December 30th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. acquired 6,892 shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $60.34 per share, for a total transaction of $415,863.28.

On Monday, December 29th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. bought 10,111 shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals stock. The stock was bought at an average cost of $58.81 per share, with a total value of $594,627.91.

On Friday, December 26th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. bought 714 shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $61.92 per share, with a total value of $44,210.88.

On Wednesday, December 24th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. purchased 467 shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $60.76 per share, for a total transaction of $28,374.92.

On Tuesday, December 23rd, Saba Capital Management, L.P. acquired 2,524 shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $61.75 per share, with a total value of $155,857.00.

On Monday, December 22nd, Saba Capital Management, L.P. acquired 2,760 shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $60.85 per share, with a total value of $167,946.00.

On Thursday, December 18th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. bought 3,881 shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of $57.52 per share, for a total transaction of $223,235.12.

On Wednesday, December 17th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. bought 12,649 shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $57.49 per share, for a total transaction of $727,191.01.

On Tuesday, December 16th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. purchased 5,846 shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals stock. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $57.02 per share, with a total value of $333,338.92.

ASA Gold and Precious Metals Price Performance

ASA Gold and Precious Metals stock traded up $2.47 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $60.72. The stock had a trading volume of 40,705 shares, compared to its average volume of 116,247. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.18. ASA Gold and Precious Metals Limited has a 52 week low of $20.63 and a 52 week high of $63.02.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Walleye Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals by 1.4% during the second quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 24,871 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $785,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in ASA Gold and Precious Metals by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 16,110 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $738,000 after acquiring an additional 681 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $55,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals by 64.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,199 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,257 shares during the period. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. grew its stake in shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals by 30.1% in the second quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 10,145 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350 shares during the period.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b) rating on shares of ASA Gold and Precious Metals in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy.

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About ASA Gold and Precious Metals

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ASA Gold & Precious Metals Limited, trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ASA, is a closed-end investment company dedicated to providing shareholders with targeted exposure to the precious metals sector. Established in 1959 and domiciled in Guernsey, the company aims to combine dividend income with the potential for long-term capital appreciation by investing in a diversified suite of gold, silver, platinum and palladium assets.

The firms core activities involve constructing and managing a portfolio that blends equity positions in precious metals mining companies with direct holdings of physical bullion.

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Asana (NYSE:ASAN  Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

ASAN has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Asana from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a sell (d-) rating on shares of Asana in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Asana from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Asana from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, KeyCorp raised shares of Asana from a sector weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $18.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $16.32.

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Asana Trading Down 5.6%

ASAN opened at $12.94 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.92 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.89. Asana has a 52 week low of $11.58 and a 52 week high of $24.50.

Asana (NYSE:ASAN  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.01. Asana had a negative net margin of 28.33% and a negative return on equity of 79.80%. The business had revenue of $201.03 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $198.78 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.02) EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Asana has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.250-0.260 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.070-0.070 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Asana will post -1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Asana

In related news, Director Justin Rosenstein sold 850,233 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.12, for a total value of $12,855,522.96. Following the transaction, the director owned 210,398 shares in the company, valued at $3,181,217.76. This trade represents a 80.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Sonalee Elizabeth Parekh sold 24,888 shares of Asana stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.54, for a total transaction of $336,983.52. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 968,149 shares of the companys stock, valued at $13,108,737.46. This represents a 2.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,269,000 shares of company stock valued at $49,252,124. 61.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ASAN. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Asana by 8,850.6% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,164,378 shares of the companys stock worth $16,950,000 after buying an additional 1,151,369 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Asana by 117.2% during the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 623,994 shares of the companys stock worth $9,092,000 after purchasing an additional 336,641 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Asana by 186.0% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 512,280 shares of the companys stock worth $7,367,000 after buying an additional 333,165 shares during the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC bought a new position in Asana in the second quarter worth about $322,000. Finally, Woodline Partners LP raised its position in shares of Asana by 700.1% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 688,713 shares of the companys stock worth $10,035,000 after acquiring an additional 602,638 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.21% of the companys stock.

About Asana

(Get Free Report)

Asana, Inc (NYSE: ASAN) is a leading provider of work management and collaboration software designed to help teams organize, track and manage their work. Founded in 2008 by Dustin Moskovitz and Justin Rosenstein, Asanas platform enables users to create projects, assign tasks, set deadlines and visualize progress across diverse workflows. The companys cloud-based solution includes customizable project templates, timeline views, boards and automated rules that streamline routine processes and reduce manual effort.

Built for both small teams and large enterprises, Asana supports integrations with a wide array of third-party applications, including communication tools, file-sharing services and DevOps platforms.

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Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN  Get Free Report)s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $12.12 and last traded at $12.0840, with a volume of 792316 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $12.07.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on SAN. DZ Bank cut shares of Banco Santander from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Zacks Research cut shares of Banco Santander from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Banco Santander from a strong-buy rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b+) rating on shares of Banco Santander in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold.

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Banco Santander Price Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $10.93 and a 200 day moving average of $9.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $179.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.86, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 0.73.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The bank reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $26.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.32 billion. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.68% and a net margin of 17.90%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

Banco Santander Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were issued a dividend of $0.0956 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This represents a yield of 263.0%. Banco Santanders payout ratio is currently 20.21%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Banco Santander in the third quarter worth $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of Banco Santander during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Banco Santander in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in Banco Santander in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. 9.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Banco Santander Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Banco Santander, SA (NYSE: SAN) is a Spanish multinational banking group headquartered in Santander, Spain. Founded in 1857, the bank has grown from a regional institution into one of Europes largest banking groups, operating a diversified financial services platform that serves retail, small and medium-sized enterprises, and large corporate clients. Santander is publicly listed in Spain and maintains American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SAN.

The groups core activities include retail and commercial bankingoffering deposit accounts, payment services, mortgages, personal and auto loans, and small business financingalongside corporate and investment banking services for larger institutional clients.

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In 2025, AI took investors on a date. In 2026, the nascent technology may need to start footing the bill.

This maturation means investing will require a hard look at whether the market's heavy reliance on a few tech giants has created a dangerous single point of failure.

"Given the concentration, you need to diversify the portfolio, and you need to understand what you own and what happens if you're wrong," Max Wasserman, Miramar Capital co-founder and senior portfolio manager, told Yahoo Finance.

More from Yahoo Scout How are investors diversifying beyond Magnificent Seven stocks? What makes Broadcom attractive for chip exposure? Which sectors could benefit from potential AI rotation? What risks does AI concentration pose to portfolios?

Wasserman pointed out that AI darling OpenAI (OPAI.PVT), which has been lifted by massive financial investments, has raised concerns about circular financing, where investors essentially fund their own future revenue.

This warning comes as the S&P 500 (^GSPC) wraps up 2025 with a gain of roughly 17%, a performance driven largely by the "Magnificent Seven" tech stocks and a frenzy for artificial intelligence that has pushed market valuations to levels many skeptics find unsustainable.

Read more: Are we in an AI bubble? How to protect your portfolio if your AI investments turn against you.

"If AI goes south on us, tech will go," Tom Essaye, founder and president of Sevens Report, told Yahoo Finance in an interview.

In a new report, "Taking Stock of the Four Pillars of the Rally Ahead of 2026," Essaye observed that the initial unified enthusiasm for AI has become "fractured." The industry is moving into a period where the market is aggressively sorting winners and losers. While memory plays like Micron (MU) have surged over 241% year to date, Essaye argued that former darlings like Oracle (ORCL) have faced more scrutiny as investors demand immediate ROI.

For investors seeking chip exposure without the volatility of the OpenAI hype cycle, Broadcom (AVGO) presents a compelling alternative, thanks to its specialized silicon and enterprise software, said Gradient Investments analyst Lisa Schreiber.

Schreiber pointed to Broadcom's leadership in application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and its steady cash flow from VMware, which not only "diversifies the business from solely a chip company" but also creates a higher valuation floor than many hardware-only peers.

CEO Jensen Huang interacts with a robot during the keynote address of Nvidia GTC in San Jose, Calif., Monday, March 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)  ASSOCIATED PRESS

Even tech bulls are starting to look for fresh blood outside the standard megacap names. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, while still favoring Nvidia (NVDA) as a core holding in 2026, suggested investors look to Nebius (NBIS), Iren (IREN), and Palo Alto Networks (PANW) for the next leg of the cycle.
Shares of Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $62.00 to $65.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Bank of America traded as high as $57.27 and last traded at $57.4050, with a volume of 6838107 shares. The stock had previously closed at $55.95.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Citigroup increased their price target on Bank of America from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b) rating on shares of Bank of America in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Bank of America from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Ameriprise Financial raised shares of Bank of America to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Bank of America to a moderate buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twenty-three investment 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $59.27.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bank of America

Bank of America Stock Performance

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Permanent Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Bank of America in the 3rd quarter worth about $649,000. Boston Common Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Bank of America by 10.5% during the second quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC now owns 259,680 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $12,288,000 after acquiring an additional 24,740 shares during the period. Disciplined Investments LLC bought a new position in Bank of America during the second quarter valued at about $217,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Bank of America by 7.3% in the second quarter. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC now owns 6,476 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CCG Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Bank of America during the 2nd quarter worth $287,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.71% of the companys stock.

The businesss fifty day moving average price is $53.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $419.27 billion, a PE ratio of 15.63 and a beta of 1.29.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.13. Bank of America had a net margin of 15.70% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The business had revenue of $5.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.81 EPS. Bank of Americas revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Bank of America Corporation will post 3.7 EPS for the current year.

Bank of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. Bank of Americas dividend payout ratio is currently 30.52%.

Bank of America Company Profile

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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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The Bank of East Asia Ltd. (OTCMKTS:BKEAY  Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $1.8575, but opened at $1.6950. Bank of East Asia shares last traded at $1.6950, with a volume of 356 shares.

Bank of East Asia Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1.77 and a 200-day moving average of $1.61.

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Bank of East Asia Company Profile

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Bank of East Asia, Limited is a Hong Kongbased commercial bank established in 1918. As one of the territorys largest independently owned banks, it provides a comprehensive range of financial services to retail, corporate and institutional clients. The institution operates through a network of branches and digital channels designed to support both individual consumers and businesses of varying sizes.

The banks core offerings include personal banking services such as deposit accounts, consumer and mortgage lending, credit cards and wealth management solutions.

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Bank of Hawaii Corporation (NYSE:BOH  Get Free Report) CEO Peter Ho sold 15,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.87, for a total transaction of $1,018,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 156,774 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $10,640,251.38. The trade was a 8.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Bank of Hawaii Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of BOH traded up $1.70 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $70.12. The companys stock had a trading volume of 412,672 shares, compared to its average volume of 373,836. Bank of Hawaii Corporation has a 52 week low of $57.44 and a 52 week high of $76.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The companys fifty day moving average price is $67.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.41. The stock has a market cap of $2.79 billion, a PE ratio of 17.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.75.

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Bank of Hawaii (NYSE:BOH  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The bank reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $182.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $180.95 million. Bank of Hawaii had a net margin of 17.41% and a return on equity of 13.33%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.93 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Bank of Hawaii Corporation will post 3.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank of Hawaii Dividend Announcement

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bank of Hawaii

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. Bank of Hawaiis payout ratio is presently 68.63%.

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BOH. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in Bank of Hawaii by 122.3% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,012,560 shares of the banks stock worth $66,464,000 after purchasing an additional 557,148 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Bank of Hawaii during the second quarter worth approximately $30,569,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Bank of Hawaii by 4,090.7% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 302,315 shares of the banks stock worth $20,851,000 after purchasing an additional 295,101 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its position in Bank of Hawaii by 1,699.7% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 265,834 shares of the banks stock valued at $17,449,000 after purchasing an additional 251,063 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in Bank of Hawaii by 163.9% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 339,827 shares of the banks stock valued at $22,306,000 after buying an additional 211,076 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.18% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BOH shares. DA Davidson reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Bank of Hawaii in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Bank of Hawaii in a report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays increased their target price on Bank of Hawaii from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Bank of Hawaii from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Sunday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Bank of Hawaii presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $71.25.

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Bank of Hawaii Company Profile

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Bank of Hawaii (NYSE: BOH) is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, with roots tracing back to its founding in 1897 by Charles Montague Cooke and Peter Cushman Jones. As one of the oldest financial institutions in the U.S. West Coast region, the bank has built a reputation for stability and community focus. It operates as the principal subsidiary of Bank of Hawaii Corporation, a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange.

The bank offers a comprehensive suite of personal and business banking products and services.

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Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX  Get Free Report) had its target price raised by equities researchers at Bank of America from $190.00 to $207.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the medical instruments suppliers stock. Bank of Americas target price would suggest a potential upside of 6.30% from the companys previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wall Street Zen cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on 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. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $207.18.

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Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:BDX opened at $194.73 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.48 billion, a PE ratio of 33.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.23. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $162.29 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $191.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $187.19. 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 (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 during 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 anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the companys stock in a transaction 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 represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was 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 of the companys stock, valued at $2,568,973.15. The trade was a 4.58% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,052 shares of company stock worth $201,235. Company insiders own 0.40% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. RiverGlades Family Offices LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth $344,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at $983,000. Covea Finance raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.7% during the third quarter. Covea Finance now owns 78,847 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $14,758,000 after purchasing an additional 7,610 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the third quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 905,757 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $169,531,000 after purchasing an additional 17,844 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

(Get Free Report)

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BDs products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The companys operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BDs product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.

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Canadian Natural Resources, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Solar, Celsius, TC Energy, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and Canadian National Railway are the seven Canadian stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Canadian stocks are shares representing ownership in companies that are incorporated in Canada or listed on Canadian exchanges such as the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV). For investors they provide exposure to Canadian corporate earnings and sectors (commonly financials, energy and natural resources) while carrying country- and currency-specific risks. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Canadian stocks within the last several days.

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Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ)

Canadian Natural Resources Limited acquires, explores for, develops, produces, markets, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The company offers light and medium crude oil, primary heavy crude oil, Pelican Lake heavy crude oil, bitumen (thermal oil), and synthetic crude oil (SCO).

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP)

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates a transcontinental freight railway in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The company transports bulk commodities, including grain, coal, potash, fertilizers, and sulphur; merchandise freight, such as forest products, energy, chemicals and plastics, metals, minerals, consumer products, and automotive; and intermodal traffic comprising retail goods in overseas containers.

Read Our Latest Research Report on CP

Canadian Solar (CSIQ)

Canadian Solar Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides solar energy and battery energy storage products and solutions in in Asia, the Americas, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, CSI Solar and Recurrent Energy. The CSI Solar segment designs, develops, and manufactures solar ingots, wafers, cells, modules, and other solar power and battery storage products.

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Celsius (CELH)

Celsius Holdings, Inc. develops, processes, markets, distributes, and sells functional energy drinks and liquid supplements in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canadian, European, Middle Eastern, Asia-Pacific, and internationally. The company offers CELSIUS, a fitness drink or supplement designed to accelerate metabolism and burn body fat; various flavors and carbonated and non-carbonated functional energy drinks under the CELSIUS Originals and Vibe name, as well as functional energy drink under the CELSIUS Essentials and CELSIUS On-the-Go Powder names; and CELSIUS ready-to drink products.

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TC Energy (TRP)

TC Energy Corporation operates as an energy infrastructure company in North America. It operates through five segments: Canadian Natural Gas Pipelines; U.S. Natural Gas Pipelines; Mexico Natural Gas Pipelines; Liquids Pipelines; and Power and Energy Solutions. The company builds and operates a network of 93,600 kilometers of natural gas pipelines, which transports natural gas from supply basins to local distribution companies, power generation plants, industrial facilities, interconnecting pipelines, LNG export terminals, and other businesses.

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Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM)

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a diversified financial institution, provides various financial products and services to personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Canadian Personal and Business Banking; Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; U.S.

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Canadian National Railway (CNI)

Canadian National Railway Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail, intermodal, trucking, and marine transportation and logistics business in Canada and the United States. The company provides rail services, which include equipment, custom brokerage services, transloading and distribution, business development and real estate, and private car storage services; and intermodal services, such as temperature controlled cargo, port partnerships, and logistics parks.

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Shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF (NYSEARCA:XONE  Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 72,766 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 90% from the previous sessions volume of 38,298 shares.The stock last traded at $49.5550 and had previously closed at $49.55.

BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF Trading Up 0.0%

The companys 50 day moving average is $49.59 and its 200 day moving average is $49.57. The company has a market cap of $675.43 million, a PE ratio of -52.72 and a beta of 0.08.

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Institutional Trading of BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Harvest Investment Services LLC grew its stake in BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF by 27.9% in the third quarter. Harvest Investment Services LLC now owns 5,757 shares of the companys stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares in the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF in the 3rd quarter worth $2,542,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC grew its position in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF by 179.3% during the 3rd quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC now owns 15,490 shares of the companys stock worth $769,000 after buying an additional 9,944 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF by 3.1% during the third quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 746,616 shares of the companys stock valued at $37,077,000 after buying an additional 22,411 shares during the period. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF in the third quarter valued at about $927,000. Institutional investors own 47.99% of the companys stock.

About BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF

The Bondbloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF (XONE) 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 one year. XONE was launched on Sep 13, 2022 and is managed by BondBloxx.

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Shares of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (NYSE:BAH  Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of Hold by the seventeen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have issued a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $108.2308.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BAH. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from $115.00 to $93.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 27th. Bank of America lowered Booz Allen Hamilton from a buy rating to an underperform rating and set a $90.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, October 24th. Citigroup started coverage on Booz Allen Hamilton in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They issued a neutral rating and a $93.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Booz Allen Hamilton from $122.00 to $90.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $90.00 price objective on Booz Allen Hamilton in a research note on Friday, October 24th.

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Insider Activity at Booz Allen Hamilton

Institutional Trading of Booz Allen Hamilton

In other Booz Allen Hamilton news, CEO Horacio Rozanski bought 23,800 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $84.66 per share, for a total transaction of $2,014,908.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,745 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $58,224,491.70. This represents a 3.58% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink . 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in Booz Allen Hamilton by 414.6% in the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 247 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. West Branch Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Booz Allen Hamilton by 58.3% in the 3rd quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 285 shares of the business services providers stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in Booz Allen Hamilton by 244.0% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 289 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in Booz Allen Hamilton during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Booz Allen Hamilton in the first quarter worth about $35,000. 91.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Booz Allen Hamilton Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE BAH opened at $84.88 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.89. Booz Allen Hamilton has a 52 week low of $79.23 and a 52 week high of $146.95. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $85.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.15. The company has a market cap of $10.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.34.

Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE:BAH  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The business services provider reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.49. The business had revenue of $2.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. Booz Allen Hamilton had a net margin of 7.06% and a return on equity of 71.87%. Booz Allen Hamiltons revenue was down 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. Booz Allen Hamilton has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Booz Allen Hamilton will post 6.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booz Allen Hamilton Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were given a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. Booz Allen Hamiltons dividend payout ratio is presently 33.59%.

About Booz Allen Hamilton

(Get Free Report)

Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation is a publicly traded management and technology consulting firm headquartered in McLean, Virginia. The company provides a wide range of professional services and solutions in strategy, analytics, digital transformation, engineering and cyber security. Its expertise spans from supporting federal civilian agencies to defense, intelligence and homeland security organizations, as well as select commercial industries.

Key offerings include data analytics and artificial intelligence applications, software development and modernization, systems integration, and cyber risk management.

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Shares of Brookfield Business Partners L.P. (NYSE:BBU  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $37.12 and last traded at $36.5950, with a volume of 6798 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $35.83.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BBU shares. Scotiabank set a $39.00 price target on Brookfield Business Partners and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Brookfield Business Partners from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. National Bankshares raised their price objective on shares of Brookfield Business Partners from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d+) rating on shares of Brookfield Business Partners in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Brookfield Business Partners from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Brookfield Business Partners has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $36.50.

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Brookfield Business Partners Price Performance

Brookfield Business Partners Dividend Announcement

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a PE ratio of -20.60 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.41.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. Brookfield Business Partnerss dividend payout ratio is currently -13.89%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brookfield Business Partners

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Brookfield Business Partners by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 130,620 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $4,285,000 after acquiring an additional 726 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Brookfield Business Partners by 30,100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,208 shares of the business services providers stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204 shares in the last quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in Brookfield Business Partners by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. now owns 44,270 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,452,000 after purchasing an additional 2,276 shares during the last quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec lifted its holdings in shares of Brookfield Business Partners by 6.2% during the first quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 104,106 shares of the business services providers stock worth $2,439,000 after purchasing an additional 6,090 shares during the period. Finally, Guardian Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Brookfield Business Partners in the third quarter valued at $221,000. Institutional investors own 85.04% of the companys stock.

Brookfield Business Partners Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Brookfield Business Partners L.P. (NYSE: BBU) is a publicly traded partnership sponsored by Brookfield Asset Management. The company focuses on acquiring and operating high-quality businesses across a range of industrial and service-oriented sectors. Through a partnership structure, Brookfield Business Partners seeks to provide investors with returns generated from stable, cash-flowing enterprises that benefit from Brookfield Asset Managements global scale and operational expertise.

The companys investment strategy centers on businesses within the industrial services, manufacturing, transportation, and business services segments.

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Brunswick Corporation (NYSE:BC  Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $76.98 and last traded at $75.5430, with a volume of 142579 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $75.89.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on BC. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Brunswick to a strong-buy rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of Brunswick in a report on Monday, December 22nd. They issued a hold rating and a $74.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Brunswick from $51.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d+) rating on shares of Brunswick in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Brunswick from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Brunswick has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $73.57.

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Brunswick Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.95 billion, a PE ratio of -20.91 and a beta of 1.36. The businesss 50 day moving average is $69.49 and its 200 day moving average is $64.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Brunswick (NYSE:BC  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.13. Brunswick had a negative net margin of 4.60% and a positive return on equity of 10.55%. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.17 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Brunswick has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.250-3.25 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Brunswick Corporation will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Brunswick Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 26th were paid a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 26th. Brunswicks dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -47.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brunswick

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Brunswick by 0.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,494,664 shares of the companys stock worth $221,003,000 after acquiring an additional 11,777 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Brunswick by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,749,443 shares of the companys stock worth $173,879,000 after purchasing an additional 54,838 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Brunswick by 56.4% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,302,918 shares of the companys stock worth $145,637,000 after purchasing an additional 830,451 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its position in Brunswick by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 1,852,050 shares of the companys stock valued at $117,124,000 after purchasing an additional 44,431 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 70.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,700,164 shares of the companys stock worth $107,518,000 after buying an additional 700,447 shares during the period. 99.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Brunswick Company Profile

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Founded in 1845 by John Moses Brunswick, Brunswick Corporation is a global leader in recreation products. Headquartered in Mettawa, Illinois, the company has evolved from its origins as a billiard table manufacturer into a diversified supplier of leisure equipment, serving both consumer and commercial markets around the world.

Brunswick operates through two primary segments: Marine and Bowling & Billiards. In its Marine segment, the company designs, manufactures and distributes recreational boats, outboard engines and aftermarket parts under recognized brands such as Sea Ray, Bayliner and Mercury Marine.

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Shares of CAE Inc (NYSE:CAE  Get Free Report) (TSE:CAE) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $31.76 and last traded at $31.7250, with a volume of 53243 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.92.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on CAE shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of CAE in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut shares of CAE from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on CAE from $41.00 to $40.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $34.33.

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CAE Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $28.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.63, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.15.

CAE (NYSE:CAE  Get Free Report) (TSE:CAE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 11th. The aerospace company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $897.99 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.13 billion. CAE had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 7.60%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.24 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CAE Inc will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CAE

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CAE during the third quarter worth $42,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in CAE during the 2nd quarter valued at about $80,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in CAE by 360.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 4,402 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 3,447 shares during the last quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in CAE in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $236,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CAE by 11.1% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,510 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 851 shares during the last quarter. 67.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About CAE

(Get Free Report)

CAE Inc is a global leader in training and simulation technologies, headquartered in Montreal, Canada. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of high-fidelity flight simulators and training systems for civil aviation, defense and security, and healthcare markets. Leveraging advanced software and hardware integration, CAE delivers comprehensive training solutions that address pilot proficiency, mission readiness and patient safety across a wide range of platforms.

In civil aviation, CAE partners with major airlines, aircraft manufacturers and flight schools to provide pilot training services, courseware development and crew scheduling solutions.

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Chinese company Alibaba is set to launch a new AI-powered feature to enable restaurants showcase interiors through Amap, its mapping and local-services business.

According to a Bloomberg report, the move is aimed at competing with Meituan, a leader of China's food delivery market, restaurant bookings and local services market.

The service would let restaurants create 3D views of their premises by uploading existing photos or short videos, people familiar with the plan told the publication. The purpose is described as reducing the time and expense involved in producing promotional visuals.

The system is built on Alibabas visual Wan model. Initially, the company may provide access to a limited set of businesses at no cost.

The move comes as Alibaba seeks to increase its market share in areas such as meal delivery and has recently used incentives and subsidies to support key consumer services amid rivalry with Meituan and JD.com.

The pressure from this competition has weighed on margins and has attracted regulatory attention.

In July 2025, Chinas State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) convened discussions with major online food delivery platforms, including Alibaba-owned Ele.me, Meituan and JD.com, amid continued price-led rivalry in the sector.

According to the South China Morning Post, the regulator urged the companies to compete in a more rational manner.

The meeting was described as focusing on oversight of promotional practices, supporting fair competition and fostering market conditions intended to better serve consumers, merchants, delivery riders and the platforms themselves.

The reported Amap project also aligns with chief executive Eddie Wus stated aim of applying AI across Alibabas operations, similar to efforts underway at other large technology companies, including Google and Tencent.

"Alibaba to launch AI-powered interior showcase tool for restaurants" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand.




Carlsberg AS (OTCMKTS:CABGY  Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $26.11, but opened at $25.25. Carlsberg AS shares last traded at $25.30, with a volume of 2,830 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, UBS Group upgraded shares of Carlsberg AS from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Carlsberg AS has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

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Carlsberg AS Trading Down 1.7%

Carlsberg AS Company Profile

The businesss 50 day moving average is $25.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

(Get Free Report)

Carlsberg A/S is a Danish multinational brewer founded in 1847 and headquartered in Copenhagen. The company is primarily engaged in the brewing, marketing and distribution of beer, cider and related beverages. Its portfolio comprises global and regional beer brands, led by the Carlsberg and Tuborg names, alongside a range of local brands tailored to specific markets. Carlsberg also operates maltings and brewing facilities and provides packaging and logistics services that support its beverage operations.

Carlsberg sells products across Europe and Asia and maintains a presence in numerous other markets through wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures and export arrangements.

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Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL  Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $207.14 and last traded at $206.83, with a volume of 218880 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $202.42.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CRL shares. Morgan Stanley set a $185.00 price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Bank of America upgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Barclays boosted their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $195.93.

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Charles River Laboratories International Trading Up 2.9%

The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -133.51, a P/E/G ratio of 6.05 and a beta of 1.61. The firms 50-day moving average is $184.02 and its 200 day moving average is $169.53.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The medical research company reported $2.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.32 by $0.11. Charles River Laboratories International had a negative net margin of 2.07% and a positive return on equity of 15.78%. The firm had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $990.43 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.59 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,839,743 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $913,686,000 after purchasing an additional 27,989 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 29.1% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,291,126 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $353,750,000 after acquiring an additional 516,521 shares in the last quarter. Ariel Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 28.6% in the second quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 1,415,348 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $214,751,000 after acquiring an additional 314,572 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 1.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,249,178 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $195,446,000 after acquiring an additional 12,035 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 13.4% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,163,348 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $182,017,000 after acquiring an additional 137,335 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.91% of the companys stock.

About Charles River Laboratories International

(Get Free Report)

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc is a leading provider of research models and preclinical and clinical support services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The companys core offerings include discovery, safety assessment, toxicology, and pathology services, as well as supply of laboratory animals and related diagnostics. Services extend across in vivo and in vitro testing, biologics testing, and support for advanced therapies, helping clients accelerate drug development from early discovery through regulatory submission.

Founded in 1947 in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Charles River has grown through strategic investments and acquisitions to establish a broad portfolio of capabilities.

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Shares of Comerica Incorporated (NYSE:CMA  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $90.85 and last traded at $91.0630, with a volume of 513590 shares. The stock had previously closed at $88.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on CMA shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Comerica from $65.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Evercore ISI set a $88.00 target price on Comerica and gave the company an in-line rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Comerica from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Morgan Stanley raised Comerica from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $83.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a market perform rating and issued a $93.00 price objective (up from $73.00) on shares of Comerica in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $75.68.

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Comerica Stock Performance

The stocks 50 day moving average price is $82.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $11.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.37 and a beta of 1.03.

Comerica (NYSE:CMA  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The financial services provider reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter. Comerica had a net margin of 14.91% and a return on equity of 10.69%. The firm had revenue of $824.00 million during the quarter. On average, analysts expect that Comerica Incorporated will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Comerica Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Comericas payout ratio is currently 54.20%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Comerica

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CMA. United Community Bank acquired a new stake in Comerica in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Comerica in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Comerica by 41.2% during the 3rd quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 514 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in Comerica during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Comerica during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.74% of the companys stock.

Comerica Company Profile

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Comerica Incorporated is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, operating as Comerica Bank. The company offers a comprehensive suite of banking and financial solutions to businesses, professionals, and individuals. Its principal business activities encompass commercial banking servicessuch as treasury management, lending, and international trade financealongside retail banking products like deposit accounts, consumer loans, and credit cards. In addition, Comerica provides wealth management and trust services, financial advisory, and capital markets solutions to support clients complex financial needs.

Established in Detroit in 1849 as the Detroit Savings Fund Institute, Comerica has evolved over more than 170 years to become a regional banking leader.

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Universal Detection Technology (OTCMKTS:UNDT  Get Free Report) and Donaldson (NYSE:DCI  Get Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, dividends, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Universal Detection Technology and Donaldsons top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Universal Detection Technology N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Donaldson $3.69 billion 2.81 $367.00 million $3.21 28.01

Profitability

Donaldson has higher revenue and earnings than Universal Detection Technology.

This table compares Universal Detection Technology and Donaldsons net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Universal Detection Technology N/A N/A N/A Donaldson 10.25% 30.24% 15.11%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Universal Detection Technology and Donaldson, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Universal Detection Technology 0 0 0 0 0.00 Donaldson 0 2 2 0 2.50

Donaldson has a consensus price target of $93.33, indicating a potential upside of 3.82%. Given Donaldsons stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Donaldson is more favorable than Universal Detection Technology.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

82.8% of Donaldson shares are owned by institutional investors. 9.6% of Universal Detection Technology shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.2% of Donaldson shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Donaldson beats Universal Detection Technology on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Universal Detection Technology

(Get Free Report)

Universal Detection Technology engages in the research, development, marketing, and resale of detection devices for detecting chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats in the United States, Europe, and Asia. It supplies bioterrorism detection kits capable of detecting anthrax, ricin, botulinum, plague, and SEBs; mold detection kits; chemical detection equipment; and radiation detection systems. The company also provides various counter-terrorism services, such as training courses for first responders; event security; threat evaluation and consulting; and DVDs aimed at providing information and training regarding combating terrorism and managing emergency situations. It serves first responders, as well as bioterror and military defense markets. The company markets and sells its products through in-house staff and outside consultants, as well as through the Internet. The company was formerly known as Pollution Research and Control Corporation and changed its name to Universal Detection Technology in August 2003. Universal Detection Technology was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California.

About Donaldson

(Get Free Report)

Donaldson Company, Inc. manufactures and sells filtration systems and replacement parts worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Mobile Solutions, Industrial Solutions, and Life Sciences. Its Mobile Solutions segment provides replacement filters for air and liquid filtration applications, such as air filtration systems; liquid filtration systems for fuel, lube, and hydraulic applications; exhaust and emissions systems and sensors; indicators; and monitoring systems. This segment sells its products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the construction, mining, agriculture, aerospace, defense, and transportation markets; and to independent distributors, and OEM dealer networks. The company's Industrial Solutions segment offers dust, fume, and mist collectors; compressed air and industrial gasses purification systems; and hydraulic and lubricated rotating equipment applications, as well as gas and liquid filtration for industrial processes. This segment sells its products to various distributors, OEMs, and end-users. Its Life Sciences segment provides micro-environment gas and liquid filtration for food, beverage, and industrial processes; bioprocessing equipment, that includes bioreactors and fermenters; and bioprocessing consumables, such as chromatography devices, reagents and filters, and polytetrafluoroethylene membrane-based products, as well as specialized air and gas filtration systems for applications, including hard disk drives, semi-conductor manufacturing and sensors, battery systems, and powertrain components to OEMs and various end-users. The company was founded in 1915 and is headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota.

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Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA  Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $133.00 and last traded at $131.3050, with a volume of 256051 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $121.83.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on CPA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Copa from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 8th. Itau BBA Securities assumed coverage on Copa in a research note on Sunday, November 30th. They set a market perform rating on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Copa from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Wall Street Zen cut Copa from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $164.00 target price on shares of Copa and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Copa has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $159.43.

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Copa Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $5.42 billion, a PE ratio of 8.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.92. The firms fifty day moving average price is $121.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $117.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Copa (NYSE:CPA  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The transportation company reported $4.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $4.03 by $0.17. Copa had a return on equity of 26.39% and a net margin of 18.83%.The business had revenue of $913.15 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $917.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.50 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Copa Holdings, S.A. will post 15.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Copa Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $1.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $6.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. Copas payout ratio is 40.05%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Copa

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new position in shares of Copa in the second quarter valued at $25,000. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Copa by 408.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Copa by 90.2% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 253 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Copa by 271.4% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 260 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Copa in the first quarter worth $36,000. 70.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Copa Company Profile

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Copa Holdings, SA (NYSE:CPA) is a Panamabased aviation holding company that provides passenger and cargo air transportation across the Americas and the Caribbean. Through its principal subsidiary, Copa Airlines, the company operates a modern fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, offering scheduled flights that connect passengers through its Tocumen International Airport hub in Panama City. The company also offers dedicated cargo services under the Copa Cargo brand, leveraging belly hold capacity on its passenger flights to transport freight throughout its network.

The roots of Copa Holdings trace back to 1947, when Compania Panamena de Aviacion began operations as the flag carrier of Panama.

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D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 368,861 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 11,537 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.s holdings in Altria Group were worth $24,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Country Trust Bank raised its holdings in Altria Group by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the companys stock.

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Altria Group Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of MO stock opened at $57.32 on Monday. The firms fifty day moving average price is $58.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.64. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $50.08 and a 1 year high of $68.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.94, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.47.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.89% and a negative return on equity of 319.43%. The companys quarterly revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.38 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.92%.

Altria Group declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the companys board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MO. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b) rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Altria Group from $68.00 to $61.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. Four 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 company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $62.33.

View Our Latest Research Report on Altria Group

About Altria Group

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc (NYSE: MO) is a U.S.-based consumer goods company whose principal business is the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the companys operations are focused primarily on the U.S. market and include the production, marketing and distribution of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars. Its flagship cigarette franchise in the United States is sold through its operating subsidiaries and is among the most recognizable cigarette brands in the country.

Altrias principal operating businesses include Philip Morris USA (cigarettes), U.S.

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Dakota Gold (NYSE:DC  Get Free Report) and Quantum Materials (OTCMKTS:QTMM  Get Free Report) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, institutional ownership, risk and profitability.

Volatility and Risk

Dakota Gold has a beta of 1.08, meaning that its share price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Quantum Materials has a beta of 2.99, meaning that its share price is 199% more volatile than the S&P 500.

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Institutional & Insider Ownership

37.4% of Dakota Gold shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of Quantum Materials shares are held by institutional investors. 17.4% of Dakota Gold shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 12.8% of Quantum Materials shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Dakota Gold 0 0 1 0 3.00 Quantum Materials 0 0 0 0 0.00

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Dakota Gold and Quantum Materials, as provided by MarketBeat.

Dakota Gold currently has a consensus price target of $10.50, suggesting a potential upside of 91.61%. Given Dakota Golds stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Dakota Gold is more favorable than Quantum Materials.

Profitability

This table compares Dakota Gold and Quantum Materials net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Dakota Gold N/A -37.64% -35.60% Quantum Materials N/A N/A N/A

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Dakota Gold and Quantum Materialss top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Dakota Gold N/A N/A -$36.45 million ($0.25) -21.92 Quantum Materials N/A N/A -$8.96 million N/A N/A

Summary

Dakota Gold beats Quantum Materials on 5 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Dakota Gold

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Dakota Gold Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in the United States. It primarily explores for gold deposits. The company holds 100% interest in the Blind Gold, City Creek, Tinton, West Corridor, Ragged Top, Poorman Anticline, Maitland, South Lead/ Whistler Gulch, the Barrick Option, Richmond Hill and Homestake Paleoplacer Properties located in Homestake Mining District, South Dakota. Dakota Gold Corp. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Lead, South Dakota.

About Quantum Materials

(Get Free Report)

Quantum Materials Corp. engages in the design, development, production and supply of nanomaterials, including quantum dots, tetrapod quantum dots, and other nanoparticles for a range of applications in televisions, displays and other optoelectronics, photovoltaics, solid state lighting, life sciences, security ink, battery, and sensor sectors of the market. The company was founded by Stephen Squires on January 9, 2007 and is headquartered in San Marcos, TX.

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Sage Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD  Free Report) by 87.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 23,466 shares of the oil and gas producers stock after selling 167,045 shares during the quarter. Enterprise Products Partners accounts for 0.5% of Sage Advisors LLCs holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Sage Advisors LLCs holdings in Enterprise Products Partners were worth $734,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quantum Financial Planning Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Enterprise Products Partners in the second quarter valued at approximately $310,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its position in Enterprise Products Partners by 7.0% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 151,631 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $4,703,000 after buying an additional 9,979 shares in the last quarter. Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Enterprise Products Partners during the second quarter worth $657,000. Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Enterprise Products Partners by 5.9% during the second quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 203,738 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $6,318,000 after buying an additional 11,375 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ORBA Wealth Advisors L.L.C. grew its holdings in Enterprise Products Partners by 90.4% in the 2nd quarter. ORBA Wealth Advisors L.L.C. now owns 22,671 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $703,000 after buying an additional 10,764 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at Enterprise Products Partners

In other news, Director John R. Rutherford purchased 15,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $32.09 per share, for a total transaction of $481,350.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 173,586 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,570,374.74. This trade represents a 9.46% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 32.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Enterprise Products Partners Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE EPD opened at $32.14 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.13, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59. The firms 50-day moving average is $31.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.57. Enterprise Products Partners L.P. has a 12 month low of $27.77 and a 12 month high of $34.53.

Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.83 billion. Enterprise Products Partners had a net margin of 10.92% and a return on equity of 19.40%. Enterprise Products Partnerss revenue was down 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.65 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Enterprise Products Partners L.P. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Enterprise Products Partners announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the oil and gas producer to reacquire up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the companys management believes its shares are undervalued.

Enterprise Products Partners Announces Dividend

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 $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.8%. Enterprise Products Partnerss payout ratio is presently 82.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EPD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating and set a $36.00 price target (up previously from $35.00) on shares of Enterprise Products Partners in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. UBS Group restated a buy rating on shares of Enterprise Products Partners in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Enterprise Products Partners in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $32.00 target price on shares of Enterprise Products Partners in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Enterprise Products Partners from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $35.27.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Enterprise Products Partners

Enterprise Products Partners Company Profile

(Free Report)

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE: EPD) is a Houston-based master limited partnership that provides midstream energy services across North America. The company owns and operates an extensive network of pipelines, storage facilities, processing plants and export terminals that transport and handle natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), crude oil and refined and petrochemical products. Its core activities include gathering and transportation, fractionation of NGLs, natural gas processing, crude oil and condensate pipelines, and marine and terminal services that enable domestic distribution and exports.

Enterprise serves a diverse set of customers including producers, refiners, petrochemical companies, marketers and end users.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EPD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD  Free Report).

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Shares of Eurofins Scient (OTCMKTS:ERFSF  Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 2,351 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 107% from the previous sessions volume of 1,138 shares.The stock last traded at $79.03 and had previously closed at $73.2960.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ERFSF has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a hold rating on shares of Eurofins Scient in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. BNP Paribas upgraded Eurofins Scient to an outperform rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Citigroup restated a neutral rating on shares of Eurofins Scient in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold.

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Eurofins Scient Stock Performance

About Eurofins Scient

The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $69.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $72.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

(Get Free Report)

Eurofins Scientific is a global provider of bioanalytical testing and laboratory services, offering a wide array of testing solutions to pharmaceutical, food, environmental, agriscience and consumer products industries. Its core services include pharmaceutical quality control, environmental testing for water and air quality, food safety analysis, agrochemical trials and clinical diagnostic support. The company operates specialized laboratories equipped with advanced analytical technologies such as chromatography, mass spectrometry and molecular biology to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and to support research and development efforts across multiple sectors.

Founded in 1987 by Gilles Martin and headquartered in Luxembourg, Eurofins has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.

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Shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $126.48 and last traded at $124.2780, with a volume of 906465 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $122.65.

Key Stores Impacting Exxon Mobil

Here are the key news stories impacting Exxon Mobil this week:

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Positive Sentiment: U.S. operation and related geopolitical developments have lifted oil-stock sentiment, driving buying in majors including Exxon despite little change in crude prices. Read More.

U.S. operation and related geopolitical developments have lifted oil-stock sentiment, driving buying in majors including Exxon despite little change in crude prices. Read More. Positive Sentiment: Market reports show Exxon and peers spiking even as oil stays flat  investors are pricing sector-specific geopolitical opportunity and potential reserve access rather than immediate commodity moves. Read More.

Market reports show Exxon and peers spiking even as oil stays flat  investors are pricing sector-specific geopolitical opportunity and potential reserve access rather than immediate commodity moves. Read More. Positive Sentiment: U.S. officials have told majors they could recover claims in Venezuela if they return and invest heavily, which implies a multibillion dollar, longterm opportunity for Exxon to access large reserves if political conditions permit. Read More.

U.S. officials have told majors they could recover claims in Venezuela if they return and invest heavily, which implies a multibillion dollar, longterm opportunity for Exxon to access large reserves if political conditions permit. Read More. Neutral Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein trimmed its Exxon price target to $137 from $142 but maintained an outperform rating  a modest haircut that still implies upside relative to recent levels. Read More.

Sanford C. Bernstein trimmed its Exxon price target to $137 from $142 but maintained an outperform rating  a modest haircut that still implies upside relative to recent levels. Read More. Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and cashflow analyses are circulating as the name trades near a 52week high; these pieces highlight stretched multiples vs. longerterm cash generation narratives. Read More.

Valuation and cashflow analyses are circulating as the name trades near a 52week high; these pieces highlight stretched multiples vs. longerterm cash generation narratives. Read More. Neutral Sentiment: Unusually large options activity has been noted around XOM, signaling increased speculative and hedging interest that can amplify intraday moves but is not a directional fundamental read. Read More.

Unusually large options activity has been noted around XOM, signaling increased speculative and hedging interest that can amplify intraday moves but is not a directional fundamental read. Read More. Negative Sentiment: Reports of required heavy reinvestment to recover Venezuelan claims underline significant capex and political risk  potential earnings dilution or long payback that could weigh on valuation if pursued. Read More.

Reports of required heavy reinvestment to recover Venezuelan claims underline significant capex and political risk  potential earnings dilution or long payback that could weigh on valuation if pursued. Read More. Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and socialmedia chatter about profittaking after a recent 52week high could pressure the stock if momentum fades ahead of Exxons upcoming earnings. Read More.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on XOM shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Exxon Mobil from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $114.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $142.00 to $137.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research cut shares of Exxon Mobil from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $129.81.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $518.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.56 and a beta of 0.37.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 11.22%. The firm had revenue of $57.55 billion for the quarter. On average, equities analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is an increase from Exxon Mobils previous quarterly dividend of $0.99. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. Exxon Mobils dividend payout ratio is presently 59.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 3,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $351,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 28,584 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,349,758.96. This represents a 9.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Exxon Mobil

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Exxon Mobil by 0.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,058,875 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $46,468,147,000 after buying an additional 1,111,231 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 96,307,931 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $10,345,132,000 after purchasing an additional 342,967 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,163,719,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 2.8% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 46,598,313 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $5,023,298,000 after buying an additional 1,274,860 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.0% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 44,026,019 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $4,963,934,000 after acquiring an additional 445,283 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

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Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) is an integrated oil and gas company engaged in the exploration, production, refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum products and the manufacture and sale of petrochemicals. Its operations span the full energy value chain, including upstream exploration and development of crude oil and natural gas; midstream transportation and storage; and downstream refining, product distribution and retail. The company also produces a broad range of chemical products for industrial and consumer applications.

ExxonMobil markets fuels and lubricants under well-known brands such as Exxon, Mobil and Esso, and its Mobil 1 motor oil is a prominent consumer product.

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French asset management company Amundi has unveiled a set of senior management appointments spanning its real assets and distribution activities.

The asset manager said that all changes took effect on 1 January 2026.

Under the changes, Alexandre Lefebvre has been appointed deputy head of the groups real and alternative assets division.

Pierre-Adrien Domon will take over as CEO of Sabadell Asset Management, while Michael Martineau has been named CEO of Fund Channel.

In addition, Claire Chabrier has been promoted to head of direct investments - private markets within Amundis real and alternative assets division.

Lefebvre joined Amundi in 1999 and has held a series of senior roles across the group.

His earlier career included positions at Credit Lyonnais Asset Management and Credit Agricole Asset Management, where he worked on financial operations, external growth initiatives and the development of Asian businesses.

In 2010, he became COO of Amundi Iberia, with responsibility for control and development functions in Spain.

He later moved to Amundis London office, focusing on institutional portfolio management for emerging markets, having previously led the investment specialists team for the global fixed income platform.

In 2020, he was appointed CEO of Sabadell Asset Management.

Domons career began at Natixis Axeltis in London, now known as Euroclear FundsPlace, where he worked in client relationship management and business development with institutional and distribution partners.

He joined Fund Channel in 2009 as managing director of its Swiss subsidiary before becoming head of business development for the group in Luxembourg in 2012.

Domon was appointed deputy CEO in 2019 and became CEO of Fund Channel in 2020.

Now, he will assume leadership of Sabadell Asset Management, which was acquired by Amundi in 2020.

Martineau brings more than 25 years of experience across banking, finance and technology.

He joined Fund Channel in Luxembourg in 2009 as an IT manager and went on to oversee operations, information technology and product strategy.

Appointed COO in 2019, he became deputy CEO in charge of products, strategy and innovation in 2025.

He now steps into the role of CEO.

Amundi said Martineau has been central to the platforms transformation and most recently led the launch of Fund Channel Liquidity.

Chabrier started her career in 1997 at Arthur Andersen in audit and transaction services and has spent 25 years in private equity.

She joined Societe Generale Asset Management in 2002, working within its private equity team with a focus on Eastern Europe.
Hammerson Plc (LON:HMSO  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as GBX 331.40 and last traded at GBX 330.40, with a volume of 520845 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 326.60.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HMSO shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Hammerson from GBX 300 to GBX 320 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Hammerson from GBX 234 to GBX 245 and gave the stock an underperform rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Panmure Gordon restated a buy rating and set a GBX 330 price objective on shares of Hammerson in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Peel Hunt reaffirmed a buy rating and set a GBX 350 target price on shares of Hammerson in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hammerson has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of GBX 326.

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Hammerson Stock Up 1.1%

Insider Activity at Hammerson

The company has a 50 day moving average of GBX 313.32 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 299.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 80.77, a current ratio of 10.65 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The company has a market cap of 1.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 2.30.

In other news, insider Rita-Rose Gagne sold 279,905 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 308, for a total value of 862,107.40. Also, insider Rob Wilkinson acquired 155,718 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 323 per share, for a total transaction of 502,969.14. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 542,391 shares of company stock worth $167,046,462. 10.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hammerson Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Hammerson is a cities business. An owner, operator and developer of prime urban real estate, with a portfolio value of 4.7billion (as at 30 June 2023), in some of the fastest growing cities in the UK, Ireland and France. Our portfolio and adjacent lands leverage our experience and capabilities to create and manage exceptional city centre destinations with the opportunity to drive value and reshape entire neighbourhoods. Our assets are high profile and play an important role in our communities, welcoming c.

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International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (OTCMKTS:ICAGY  Get Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $11.40 and last traded at $11.39, with a volume of 12548 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $11.22.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded International Consolidated Airlines Group from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Zacks Research cut International Consolidated Airlines Group from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on International Consolidated Airlines Group in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set an overweight rating for the company. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, International Consolidated Airlines Group has a consensus rating of Hold.

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International Consolidated Airlines Group Trading Up 1.2%

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $10.62 and a 200 day moving average of $10.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $25.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.44, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.65.

International Consolidated Airlines Group (OTCMKTS:ICAGY  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The transportation company reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $1.09. The firm had revenue of $10.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.95 billion. International Consolidated Airlines Group had a return on equity of 112.24% and a net margin of 9.52%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that International Consolidated Airlines Group SA will post 1.07 EPS for the current year.

About International Consolidated Airlines Group

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International Consolidated Airlines Group (OTCMKTS:ICAGY) is a Europe-focused airline holding company formed in 2011 through the combination of British Airways and Iberia. The group owns and operates a portfolio of passenger carriers that provide short-haul, long-haul and low-cost services, together with associated aviation businesses. Its operations span international and domestic markets, with extensive networks across Europe, transatlantic routes and links to Latin America and other global destinations.

IAGs principal airline brands include British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling and LEVEL.

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Risk and Volatility

Green Organic Dutchman has a beta of 2.27, meaning that its share price is 127% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, INTERSERVE PLC/ADR has a beta of 4.49, meaning that its share price is 349% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

0.4% of Green Organic Dutchman shares are held by institutional investors. 8.7% of Green Organic Dutchman shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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Profitability

This table compares Green Organic Dutchman and INTERSERVE PLC/ADRs net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Green Organic Dutchman -83.86% -22.02% -14.58% INTERSERVE PLC/ADR N/A N/A N/A

Valuation & Earnings

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Green Organic Dutchman $24.13 million 0.00 -$33.62 million ($0.41) N/A INTERSERVE PLC/ADR $3.88 billion 0.00 -$176.46 million N/A N/A

This table compares Green Organic Dutchman and INTERSERVE PLC/ADRs top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Green Organic Dutchman has higher earnings, but lower revenue than INTERSERVE PLC/ADR.

Summary

INTERSERVE PLC/ADR beats Green Organic Dutchman on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Green Organic Dutchman

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The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. engages in the production, cultivation, processing, and distribution of cannabis and related products. Its products include cannabis plants, cannabis plant seeds, dried cannabis, fresh cannabis, cannabis oils, cannabis topicals, cannabis extracts, and edible cannabis. The company was founded by Scott Skinner and Jeannette VanderMarel in 2012 and is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada.

About INTERSERVE PLC/ADR

(Get Free Report)

Interserve Plc provides advice, design, construction, equipment, facilities management, and citizen services in the United Kingdom and internationally. Its Support Services segment offers support services to public- and private-sector clients. The company's Construction segment designs, constructs, and maintains buildings and infrastructure. Its Equipment Services segment designs, hires, and sells formwork, falsework, and related access equipment. The company also engages in the property management, development, rental, and leasing activities; management of five community rehabilitation companies; pension trustee activities; fitting out and refurbishment of offices and other buildings; equipment hire and sales activities; rental of plant and machinery; and provision of transport and maintenance services to the oil and gas industry. In addition, it offers healthcare, vocational training, welfare-to-work, employment, probation and rehabilitation, contract and window cleaning, catering, defense sector and industrial support, asbestos, supply, security manpower and support, manned guarding security, mechanical and electrical engineering, army training estate, personnel and management, fire suppression and detection system, insurance, education, and building maintenance services. Further, the company provides oil-field maintenance, fabrication, and construction services; support services for integration of disabled people into cleaning contracts and the transport sector; operational and financial services to PFI/PPP projects; management/maintenance services for slough borough council; management/maintenance services for MoD; and solutions for building/infrastructure projects. Additionally, it offers mechanical, electrical, and engineering services; and acts as a trustee. The company was formerly known as Tilbury Douglas Plc and changed its name to Interserve Plc in February 2001. Interserve Plc was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Twyford, the United Kingdom.

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Shares of Intesa Sanpaolo SpA (OTCMKTS:ISNPY  Get Free Report) have received an average rating of Moderate Buy from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Intesa Sanpaolo from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating on shares of Intesa Sanpaolo in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Intesa Sanpaolo from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Intesa Sanpaolo from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Intesa Sanpaolo in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a moderate buy rating for the company.

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Intesa Sanpaolo Price Performance

Intesa Sanpaolo Dividend Announcement

Shares of OTCMKTS ISNPY opened at $42.09 on Monday. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $40.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.13. Intesa Sanpaolo has a fifty-two week low of $23.68 and a fifty-two week high of $42.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $122.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.75.

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.9325 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a yield of 445.0%. Intesa Sanpaolos payout ratio is currently 55.65%.

About Intesa Sanpaolo

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Intesa Sanpaolo is an Italian banking group formed in 2007 through the merger of Banca Intesa and Sanpaolo IMI. The group is one of Italys largest financial institutions, serving a wide range of clients from individual retail customers to large corporations and institutional investors. Its long heritage traces to several regional banks and savings institutions that became part of the consolidated group, giving it a prominent role in the Italian financial system.

The company operates across multiple business lines, including retail banking (current accounts, deposits, mortgages and consumer loans), corporate and investment banking (cash management, lending, capital markets and advisory), private banking and wealth management, asset management and insurance.

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Foronjy Financial LLC lowered its stake in Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF (NYSEARCA:SPGP  Free Report) by 36.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,687 shares of the companys stock after selling 6,258 shares during the quarter. Foronjy Financial LLCs holdings in Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF were worth $1,214,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CAP Partners LLC raised its position in Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF by 5.0% during the second quarter. CAP Partners LLC now owns 2,426 shares of the companys stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Visionary Wealth Advisors increased its stake in shares of Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF by 0.8% during the second quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors now owns 16,960 shares of the companys stock worth $1,827,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Investment Planning Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF by 2.1% during the third quarter. Investment Planning Advisors Inc. now owns 9,042 shares of the companys stock worth $1,027,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Securities Inc. now owns 19,309 shares of the companys stock worth $2,080,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 33,446 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,602,000 after buying an additional 237 shares in the last quarter.

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Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF Trading Up 0.6%

SPGP stock opened at $114.52 on Monday. Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF has a 12-month low of $84.13 and a 12-month high of $116.38. The businesss 50-day moving average is $112.77 and its 200 day moving average is $111.56. The stock has a market cap of $2.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.90 and a beta of 1.00.

About Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF

The Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF (SPGP) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the S&P 500 GARP index. The fund tracks an index of S&P 500 stocks selected by growth, quality and value traits, and weighted by growth. SPGP was launched on Jun 16, 2011 and is managed by Invesco.

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Foronjy Financial LLC boosted its position in Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF (NYSEARCA:GSY  Free Report) by 12.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 202,465 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 23,145 shares during the period. Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF accounts for 4.5% of Foronjy Financial LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Foronjy Financial LLCs holdings in Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF were worth $10,171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GSY. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF by 35.3% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,560,270 shares of the companys stock worth $78,232,000 after purchasing an additional 406,664 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF by 64.8% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 606,999 shares of the companys stock valued at $30,435,000 after purchasing an additional 238,766 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF by 47.2% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 723,610 shares of the companys stock worth $36,283,000 after buying an additional 232,130 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF by 349.6% in the 1st quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 286,782 shares of the companys stock worth $14,374,000 after buying an additional 223,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF by 247.6% during the second quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 295,645 shares of the companys stock valued at $14,824,000 after buying an additional 210,589 shares during the period.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st.

Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF Price Performance

NYSEARCA GSY opened at $50.28 on Monday. Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF has a 1-year low of $49.98 and a 1-year high of $50.38. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $50.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.24.

About Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF

(Free Report)

The Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF (GSY) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund seeks to outperform the Barclays Capital 1-3 Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index by investing in a diverse portfolio of investment-grade securities. GSY was launched on Feb 12, 2008 and is managed by Invesco.

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Jackson Financial Inc. (NYSE:JXN  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $109.58 and last traded at $109.4790, with a volume of 84666 shares. The stock had previously closed at $107.46.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Jackson Financial from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c+) rating on shares of Jackson Financial in a report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $105.00 target price on shares of Jackson Financial in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Jackson Financial from $125.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Jackson Financial from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Jackson Financial currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $109.60.

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Jackson Financial Stock Up 2.9%

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $100.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $96.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market cap of $7.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.28 and a beta of 1.44.

Jackson Financial (NYSE:JXN  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 22nd. The company reported $6.26 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of ($1,162.00) million for the quarter. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Jackson Financial Inc. will post 20.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Jackson Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 4th were given a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 4th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Jackson Financials dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.26%.

Jackson Financial announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, September 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 14.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the companys leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Jackson Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JXN. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Jackson Financial by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,994,949 shares of the companys stock valued at $404,415,000 after acquiring an additional 18,249 shares during the last quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Jackson Financial by 2.0% during the second quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 1,699,087 shares of the companys stock valued at $150,862,000 after acquiring an additional 33,040 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Jackson Financial by 0.3% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,516,935 shares of the companys stock worth $153,559,000 after buying an additional 4,559 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Jackson Financial by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,359,477 shares of the companys stock worth $120,685,000 after purchasing an additional 20,212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Jackson Financial during the second quarter worth $102,131,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.96% of the companys stock.

Jackson Financial Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Jackson Financial Inc is a U.S.-based financial services holding company headquartered in Lansing, Michigan. The company operates primarily through its principal subsidiary, Jackson National Life Insurance Company, and specializes in designing and distributing retirement products. Jackson Financial has been publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker JXN since its initial public offering in May 2022.

The companys core offerings include a broad range of fixed, variable and indexed annuity products aimed at helping individuals preserve and grow retirement assets.

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Just Eat Takeaway.com N.V. Sponsored ADR (OTCMKTS:JTKWY  Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 1,036 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 84% from the previous sessions volume of 564 shares.The stock last traded at $4.1250 and had previously closed at $4.12.

Just Eat Takeaway.com Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $4.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $4.52.

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About Just Eat Takeaway.com

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Just Eat Takeaway.com NV, trading under OTCMKTS:JTKWY, is a leading global online food delivery marketplace that connects consumers with local and international restaurants through its digital platforms. Formed in early 2020 from the merger of Just Eat and Takeaway.com, the company has established a presence across Europe, North America and other key regions. Headquartered in Amsterdam, with significant operational offices in London and Chicago, Just Eat Takeaway.com facilitates millions of daily orders through its suite of websites and mobile applications.

The companys core offerings comprise branded marketplaces including Just Eat in the United Kingdom, Grubhub in the United States, Takeaway.com in the Netherlands and Germany, plus localized platforms such as Menulog in Australia and SkipTheDishes in Canada.

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Kercheville Advisors LLC lessened its position in Hess Midstream Partners LP (NYSE:HESM  Free Report) by 19.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 155,304 shares of the companys stock after selling 38,079 shares during the period. Hess Midstream Partners comprises approximately 1.6% of Kercheville Advisors LLCs holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Kercheville Advisors LLC owned about 0.07% of Hess Midstream Partners worth $5,366,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Hess Midstream Partners by 50.5% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,022,208 shares of the companys stock valued at $231,915,000 after purchasing an additional 2,020,430 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hess Midstream Partners by 92.4% during the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,096,560 shares of the companys stock worth $80,739,000 after buying an additional 1,006,998 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Hess Midstream Partners by 53.7% in the second quarter. Eagle Global Advisors LLC now owns 2,453,834 shares of the companys stock valued at $94,497,000 after acquiring an additional 857,669 shares during the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hess Midstream Partners in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,735,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Hess Midstream Partners by 179.8% in the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,209,075 shares of the companys stock worth $46,561,000 after acquiring an additional 776,924 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.97% of the companys stock.

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Hess Midstream Partners Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of HESM opened at $34.61 on Monday. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $33.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.19 billion, a PE ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 0.61. Hess Midstream Partners LP has a 12-month low of $31.63 and a 12-month high of $44.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.83.

Hess Midstream Partners Increases Dividend

Hess Midstream Partners ( NYSE:HESM Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.02. Hess Midstream Partners had a return on equity of 69.03% and a net margin of 20.46%.The firm had revenue of $420.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $424.36 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.63 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Hess Midstream Partners LP will post 2.5 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 6th were paid a dividend of $0.7548 per share. This represents a $3.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.7%. This is a positive change from Hess Midstream Partnerss previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 6th. Hess Midstream Partnerss payout ratio is presently 107.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HESM. UBS Group reaffirmed a neutral rating and set a $43.00 price target (down from $45.00) on shares of Hess Midstream Partners in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Hess Midstream Partners in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. They issued a neutral rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen cut Hess Midstream Partners from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Zacks Research raised shares of Hess Midstream Partners from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Hess Midstream Partners in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hess Midstream Partners presently has an average rating of Reduce and an average price target of $40.57.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on HESM

Hess Midstream Partners Profile

(Free Report)

Hess Midstream Partners LP, formerly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker HESM, is a midstream energy partnership that owns, operates and develops crude oil, natural gas and produced water infrastructure in the Williston Basin. The companys assets include crude oil gathering and transportation systems, saltwater disposal wells, natural gas processing and fractionation plants, and associated pipeline and storage facilities. Its integrated network is designed to support upstream production by providing gathering, processing, storage and marketing services for hydrocarbons and produced water.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Hess Midstream Partners primarily serves producers operating in North Dakota and Montanas Bakken Shale region.

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Kiley Juergens Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (NYSEARCA:RSP  Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 13,064 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,478,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nova Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF during the second quarter worth $25,000. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Investment Counsel Co. of Nevada bought a new stake in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new position in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Howe & Rusling Inc. grew its holdings in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF by 190.8% during the 1st quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 189 shares of the companys stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 61.18% of the companys stock.

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Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF Price Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA RSP opened at $192.86 on Monday. Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF has a 1 year low of $150.35 and a 1 year high of $195.46. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $190.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $187.69. The company has a market cap of $75.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.10 and a beta of 0.99.

Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF Profile

Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF, formerly Rydex S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF, seeks to replicate as closely as possible, the daily performance of the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index (the Index). The Index is a capitalization-weighted index covering 500 industrial, utility, transportation and financial companies of the United States markets (mostly NYSE Euronext issues). The Index utilizes quarterly rebalancing to maintain its equal-weight stance. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 90% of its net assets, plus any borrowing for investment purposes, in the equity securities (and derivatives thereof) included in the Index.

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Baidu and Huawei Technologies collectively accounted for more than 70 per cent of China's market for cloud services built on home-grown graphics processing units (GPUs) in the first half of 2025, as home-grown artificial intelligence chips gain traction amid rising demand for computing power and a wave of public listing plans.

The figures, published in a Frost & Sullivan report released on Sunday, defined "GPU cloud" providers as companies that controlled the full chip-to-cloud value chain - from proprietary AI chips to computing clusters and cloud services.

Baidu held a 40.4 per cent share, followed by Huawei with 30.1 per cent, the report said.

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The findings reflect a broader shift among China's leading AI chip developers - including Baidu, Huawei and Alibaba Group Holding - as they move beyond individual chip design to build full-stack hardware and software capabilities, in a bid to rival Nvidia's CUDA ecosystem and meet surging demand for AI training and inference. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

"Through systematic innovation, they are integrating thousands or tens of thousands of self-developed chips into a single, massive virtual computing resource pool," the report said.

Frost & Sullivan cautioned that China's domestic GPU market still faced constraints including "hardware performance, software ecosystems, system integration and commercial operations", meaning only a limited number of vendors had reached large-scale deployment so far.

However, the domestic GPUs would move from being "strategic backups" to "core pillars" for the country's AI industry over the next three to five years, the report said, adding that these chips were now demonstrating competitive cost-to-performance ratios over general-purpose chips in real-world workloads.

Baidu's lead was underpinned by the integration of its AI computing platform Baige with GPUs developed by its chip unit Kunlunxin, which shipped nearly 70,000 units in 2024, according to market research firm IDC.

Baidu and Huawei Technologies collectively accounted for more than 70 per cent of China's market for cloud services built on home-grown GPUs. Photo: Reuters alt=Baidu and Huawei Technologies collectively accounted for more than 70 per cent of China's market for cloud services built on home-grown GPUs. Photo: Reuters>
Shares of Legal & General Group PLC (OTCMKTS:LGGNY  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $17.99 and last traded at $17.99, with a volume of 6336 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.74.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Zacks Research raised Legal & General Group from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Legal & General Group presently has a consensus rating of Reduce.

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Legal & General Group Price Performance

About Legal & General Group

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.62.

(Get Free Report)

Legal & General Group is a Londonheadquartered multinational financial services company with roots dating back to the 19th century. The firm provides a range of life insurance, retirement and protection products alongside savings and workplace pension solutions. Over its history it has expanded beyond traditional insurance into asset management and longterm investment activities aimed at serving both individual and institutional clients.

Core operations include life assurance, annuities and pension derisking for corporate clients, together with retail and workplace pension provision.

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Linamar (TSE:LNR  Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by research analysts at CIBC from C$88.00 to C$99.00 in a report issued on Monday,BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage presently has an outperform rating on the stock. CIBCs price target suggests a potential upside of 16.21% from the stocks current price.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank raised their price target on Linamar from C$80.00 to C$83.00 in a report on Friday, October 17th. TD Securities upped their price target on Linamar from C$85.00 to C$96.00 in a report on Thursday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of C$87.60.

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Linamar Stock Performance

TSE:LNR traded up C$0.97 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching C$85.19. 120,684 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 87,059. The firm has a market capitalization of C$5.10 billion, a PE ratio of 20.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.63. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is C$79.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$74.07. Linamar has a one year low of C$43.84 and a one year high of C$85.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 42.84, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 1.79.

Linamar (TSE:LNR  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported C$2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Linamar had a net margin of 5.58% and a return on equity of 10.73%. The company had revenue of C$2.54 billion during the quarter. Analysts anticipate that Linamar will post 11.4332724 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Linamar Company Profile

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Linamar Corp is a diversified global manufacturing company of highly engineered products. The Companys Industrial segment operates the Skyjack and MacDon brands, It manufactures products for the Aerial Work Platform and Agricultural industries, respectively. The Mobility segment features vertically integrated operations to combine expertise in light metal casting, forging, machining and assembly of components and systems for electric and traditional vehicle applications. In addition, McLaren Engineering and eLIN Product Solutions Group provide design, development, and testing services for the Mobility segment.

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Mayville Engineering (NYSE:MEC  Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Northland Securities from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $20.00 price objective on the stock. Northland Securities target price suggests a potential upside of 6.58% from the companys previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on MEC. Craig Hallum set a $24.00 target price on Mayville Engineering and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Mayville Engineering in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mayville Engineering presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $22.00.

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Mayville Engineering Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:MEC opened at $18.77 on Monday. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $17.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.82. Mayville Engineering has a fifty-two week low of $11.72 and a fifty-two week high of $19.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $381.30 million, a P/E ratio of 32.35 and a beta of 1.08.

Mayville Engineering (NYSE:MEC  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.05. Mayville Engineering had a net margin of 2.29% and a return on equity of 5.88%. The company had revenue of $144.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $141.36 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Mayville Engineering will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Ryan F. Raber sold 15,000 shares of Mayville Engineering stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.68, for a total transaction of $250,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 91,018 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,518,180.24. The trade was a 14.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven L. Fisher sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.11, for a total transaction of $191,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 30,482 shares in the company, valued at approximately $582,511.02. This trade represents a 24.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 7.20% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mayville Engineering

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MEC. Sheets Smith Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Mayville Engineering by 1.8% in the second quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 38,585 shares of the companys stock worth $616,000 after buying an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Mayville Engineering by 3.0% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 25,187 shares of the companys stock valued at $347,000 after acquiring an additional 740 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Mayville Engineering by 20.7% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,936 shares of the companys stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 1,359 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Mayville Engineering by 109.0% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,751 shares of the companys stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Mayville Engineering by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 19,969 shares of the companys stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 1,526 shares during the period. 45.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mayville Engineering Company Profile

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Mayville Engineering Company, Inc (NYSE:MEC) is a U.S.-based industrial manufacturer specializing in engineered metal castings and precision machining services. Headquartered in Mayville, Wisconsin, the company leverages over a century of casting experience to design, produce and finish complex metal components for a broad range of heavy-duty applications.

The company operates two principal business segments: iron castings and steel castings. Its iron segment utilizes green sand and lost-foam molding processes to produce gray and ductile iron components, while the steel segment employs electric-arc furnace technology to manufacture high-strength steel castings.

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Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG  Get Free Report)s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $7.64 and last traded at $7.6150, with a volume of 964531 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.41.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (a-) rating on shares of Mizuho Financial Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mizuho Financial Group has a consensus rating of Buy.

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Mizuho Financial Group Trading Up 2.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The businesss fifty day moving average is $7.04 and its 200-day moving average is $6.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.64 billion, a PE ratio of 13.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.36.

Mizuho Financial Group (NYSE:MFG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 28th. The bank reported ($1.61) earnings per share for the quarter. Mizuho Financial Group had a net margin of 11.57% and a return on equity of 9.20%. The company had revenue of $7.53 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts anticipate that Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. will post 0.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mizuho Financial Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mizuho Financial Group by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,343 shares of the banks stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,998 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in Mizuho Financial Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $117,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC grew its stake in Mizuho Financial Group by 130.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 30,224 shares of the banks stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 17,113 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Mizuho Financial Group by 29.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 392,998 shares of the banks stock worth $2,165,000 after acquiring an additional 89,095 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp raised its stake in shares of Mizuho Financial Group by 24.5% in the 1st quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 31,472 shares of the banks stock valued at $173,000 after acquiring an additional 6,192 shares during the period. 3.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mizuho Financial Group Company Profile

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Mizuho Financial Group, Inc is a major Japanese banking and financial services holding company headquartered in Tokyo. The group operates through a network of subsidiaries that provide a full range of retail, corporate and investment banking services. Its core businesses include deposit-taking and lending, transaction banking, cash management, trade finance and treasury services for both individual and institutional clients.

Beyond traditional commercial banking, Mizuho offers securities and capital markets services, investment banking, underwriting, M&A advisory, and asset management through its securities and trust banking arms.

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M&T Bank (NYSE:MTB  Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research report issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an underweight rating on the financial services providers stock. Wells Fargo & Companys price objective indicates a potential downside of 1.36% from the companys current price.

MTB has been the subject of several other research reports. Cowen reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of M&T Bank in a research note on Monday, October 20th. TD Cowen upped their price target on M&T Bank from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Citigroup increased their price target on M&T Bank from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday. Barclays set a $236.00 price objective on M&T Bank in a research note on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on M&T Bank from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, M&T Bank currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $220.15.

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M&T Bank Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of MTB opened at $207.84 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $193.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $193.73. M&T Bank has a one year low of $150.75 and a one year high of $208.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.82, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.59.

M&T Bank (NYSE:MTB  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 9th. The financial services provider reported $3.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter. M&T Bank had a net margin of 20.91% and a return on equity of 10.62%. Equities research analysts forecast that M&T Bank will post 16.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert E. Sadler, Jr. sold 6,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.06, for a total transaction of $1,140,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,070 shares in the company, valued at $3,244,324.20. This trade represents a 26.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher E. Kay sold 5,250 shares of M&T Bank stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.70, for a total value of $1,006,425.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,501 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,054,541.70. The trade was a 48.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.53% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On M&T Bank

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its stake in M&T Bank by 342.9% during the third quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 155 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of M&T Bank in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of M&T Bank by 2,214.3% in the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 162 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its stake in M&T Bank by 82.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 186 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in M&T Bank during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 84.68% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

M&T Bank Company Profile

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M&T Bank Corporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York, that provides a broad range of banking and financial services to individuals, businesses and institutions. The company operates a commercial and retail banking franchise that includes deposit-taking, lending, and payment services delivered through branch networks, digital channels and commercial banking teams. M&T serves customers across the northeastern and midAtlantic United States and has expanded its geographic footprint through strategic acquisitions.

Its core businesses include commercial banking for middlemarket and community businesses, consumer and retail banking, mortgage origination and servicing, treasury and cash management, and wealth management and trust services.

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Nestle SA (OTCMKTS:NSRGY  Get Free Report)s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $99.02, but opened at $96.00. Nestle shares last traded at $95.34, with a volume of 56,031 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an underweight rating on shares of Nestle in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Nestle from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nestle presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $91.00.

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Nestle Stock Down 2.4%

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nestle

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $98.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $95.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Nestle by 38.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,728 shares of the companys stock valued at $862,000 after acquiring an additional 2,420 shares in the last quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Nestle by 41.7% in the third quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,725 shares of the companys stock valued at $617,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978 shares in the last quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV lifted its position in Nestle by 2,727.9% during the third quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 65,042 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,969,000 after purchasing an additional 62,742 shares during the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC grew its stake in Nestle by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 978,777 shares of the companys stock worth $89,822,000 after buying an additional 3,167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ramirez Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Nestle by 88.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. now owns 57,151 shares of the companys stock worth $5,249,000 after buying an additional 26,888 shares during the last quarter. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Nestle

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Nestle SA is a Swiss multinational food and beverage company headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. Founded in 1866 by Henri Nestle, the company has grown into a global consumer goods firm and its American depositary receipts trade in the United States under the OTCMKTS ticker NSRGY. Nestle operates across a broad range of food and beverage categories and is widely recognized for its portfolio of consumer-facing brands and products.

The companys main business activities include the manufacture, marketing and distribution of products in categories such as coffee and other beverages, bottled water, dairy and infant nutrition, prepared meals and culinary products, confectionery, and pet care.

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North European Oil Royality Trust (NYSE:NRT  Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of North European Oil Royality Trust in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold.

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North European Oil Royality Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:NRT opened at $7.09 on Friday. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $6.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5.59. North European Oil Royality Trust has a fifty-two week low of $4.00 and a fifty-two week high of $7.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.11 million, a P/E ratio of 8.64 and a beta of 0.09.

North European Oil Royality Trust (NYSE:NRT  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 31st. The energy company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $3.06 million during the quarter. North European Oil Royality Trust had a net margin of 91.78% and a return on equity of 458.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On North European Oil Royality Trust

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of North European Oil Royality Trust in the first quarter valued at about $60,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP purchased a new position in North European Oil Royality Trust during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $134,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in North European Oil Royality Trust by 210.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 29,500 shares of the energy companys stock worth $148,000 after buying an additional 20,000 shares during the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp lifted its stake in North European Oil Royality Trust by 57.0% during the 2nd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 44,600 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 16,200 shares during the period. Finally, Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new stake in shares of North European Oil Royality Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $19,341,000. 6.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

North European Oil Royality Trust Company Profile

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North European Oil Royalty Trust (NYSE: NRT) is a statutory trust that holds an overriding royalty interest in a diversified portfolio of oil and natural gas properties located in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea. The trusts sole business is to receive royalty revenues from production activities on its underlying fields and distribute those revenues directly to unitholders. It does not engage in exploration, drilling or field operations.

Under the terms of its governing agreement, the trust is entitled to a fixed percentage of net production revenues, after the deduction of operating and administrative expenses, from a series of established oil and gas fields in the North Sea region.

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Shares of OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE:OUT  Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of Buy from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $24.5714.

Several research firms have issued reports on OUT. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an overweight rating and set a $27.00 price objective (up from $23.00) on shares of OUTFRONT Media in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of OUTFRONT Media from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their price target for the stock from $20.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating and issued a $23.00 price target (up from $20.00) on shares of OUTFRONT Media in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. TD Cowen upgraded OUTFRONT Media from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $24.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Cowen raised OUTFRONT Media from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th.

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Insider Activity

Institutional Investors Weigh In On OUTFRONT Media

In other news, Director Manuel A. Diaz sold 11,270 shares of OUTFRONT Media stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.18, for a total transaction of $249,968.60. Following the sale, the director owned 58,786 shares in the company, valued at $1,303,873.48. This trade represents a 16.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink . 0.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in OUTFRONT Media by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,980,994 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $80,393,000 after buying an additional 448,993 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 15.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,973,868 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $72,801,000 after acquiring an additional 527,258 shares during the last quarter. Lasalle Investment Management Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 24.0% in the second quarter. Lasalle Investment Management Securities LLC now owns 3,925,402 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $64,063,000 after acquiring an additional 758,952 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in OUTFRONT Media by 10.5% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 2,888,621 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $47,142,000 after purchasing an additional 275,023 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GRS Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in OUTFRONT Media by 12.8% in the third quarter. GRS Advisors LLC now owns 2,468,232 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $45,218,000 after purchasing an additional 279,326 shares during the last quarter.

OUTFRONT Media Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:OUT opened at $23.68 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $22.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a PE ratio of 34.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.75, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. OUTFRONT Media has a 12 month low of $12.95 and a 12 month high of $24.84.

OUTFRONT Media (NYSE:OUT  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.50 by ($0.21). The firm had revenue of $467.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $458.32 million. OUTFRONT Media had a net margin of 6.86% and a return on equity of 21.56%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.19 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that OUTFRONT Media will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

OUTFRONT Media Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.1%. OUTFRONT Medias dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 176.47%.

About OUTFRONT Media

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OUTFRONT Media Inc is a leading out-of-home (OOH) advertising company offering a broad range of billboard, transit and digital display solutions across major urban markets in the United States and Canada. Its portfolio encompasses traditional static billboards, high-resolution digital signage, transit media on buses, trains and taxis, as well as street furniture placements such as bus shelters, kiosks and urban panels. The company partners with brand marketers to deliver high-impact campaigns that engage consumers outside the home environment.

Through an extensive network of assets in key metropolitan areas, OUTFRONT provides advertisers with premium visibility along highways, city streets and transit corridors.

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Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG  Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a sell rating to a hold rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on PKG. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Packaging Corporation of America from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Packaging Corporation of America from $214.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b-) rating on shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a report on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $262.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Packaging Corporation of America from $200.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $230.67.

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Packaging Corporation of America Stock Performance

PKG stock opened at $210.87 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 3.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $201.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $204.02. Packaging Corporation of America has a twelve month low of $172.71 and a twelve month high of $242.68. The firm has a market cap of $18.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.32, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.88.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.29 billion. Packaging Corporation of America had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 19.72%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.65 earnings per share. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.400-2.400 EPS. Analysts predict that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,127,000. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in Packaging Corporation of America during the second quarter worth $1,306,000. Atlas FRM LLC lifted its holdings in Packaging Corporation of America by 59.7% during the second quarter. Atlas FRM LLC now owns 535,000 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $100,821,000 after purchasing an additional 200,000 shares in the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 32.2% in the third quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 12,679 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,763,000 after purchasing an additional 3,085 shares during the period. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America during the second quarter worth about $892,000. 89.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Packaging Corporation of America Company Profile

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Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE: PKG) is a leading North American manufacturer of containerboard and corrugated packaging products. The company produces a range of paper-based packaging solutions including linerboard, corrugating medium, corrugated shipping containers, retail-ready packaging and point-of-purchase displays. In addition to core packaging products, Packaging Corporation of America offers packaging design, testing and supply-chain services intended to optimize protection, cost and sustainability for customers.

Headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, the company operates an integrated network of mills and corrugated manufacturing facilities across the United States and serves customers throughout North America in industries such as e-commerce, grocery and food & beverage, consumer packaged goods and industrial markets.

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Pentair (NYSE:PNR  Get Free Report)s stock had its sell rating reiterated by equities researchers at TD Cowen in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $90.00 price objective on the industrial products companys stock, down from their prior price objective of $110.00. TD Cowens price objective indicates a potential downside of 14.70% from the companys previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pentair from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Sunday, December 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Pentair from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wolfe Research restated an outperform rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Pentair in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Pentair from $120.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $130.00 target price on Pentair in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $119.73.

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Pentair Trading Up 1.3%

PNR opened at $105.51 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $105.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Pentair has a 12 month low of $74.25 and a 12 month high of $113.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.78, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.22.

Pentair (NYSE:PNR  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The industrial products company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.06. Pentair had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 15.84%.The business had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Pentair has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.110-1.160 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 4.850-4.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Pentair will post 4.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director T Michael Glenn sold 6,558 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.33, for a total value of $684,196.14. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 31,192 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,254,261.36. This represents a 17.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Robert P. Fishman sold 7,786 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.42, for a total transaction of $820,800.12. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 63,164 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,658,748.88. This trade represents a 10.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.45% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PNR. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Pentair during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Pentair by 64.9% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 249 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Pentair by 105.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 345 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Pentair during the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its stake in shares of Pentair by 91.5% in the 2nd quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 404 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. 92.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pentair Company Profile

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Pentair plc (NYSE: PNR) is a global provider of water treatment and fluid management solutions. The company designs, manufactures and sells a broad range of products that move, treat, monitor and control the flow of water and other fluids across residential, commercial, industrial and municipal markets. Pentairs offerings are focused on improving water quality, conserving resources and enabling efficient fluid handling in applications from household water systems and pools to large-scale industrial and municipal installations.

Product lines include pumps and pumping systems, water filtration and purification equipment, valves and controls, heat exchangers, pool and spa systems, and a range of aftermarket parts and services.

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Key Points

Dividend stocks can be a great way to generate passive income.

Investors must ensure that companies are generating sufficient free cash flow and earnings to cover their dividends, ideally with the intention of raising them in the future.

Ford's trailing-12-month dividend yield is around 4.5%, while Pfizer's is around 6.9%.

10 stocks we like better than Ford Motor Company 

Dividend stocks can be a good strategy for investors seeking a reliable and potentially more predictable stream of passive income. Two companies with high dividend yields are the longtime automaker Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) and the large pharmaceutical company Pfizer (NYSE: PFE). Ford's trailing-12-month dividend yield is over 4.5%, while Pfizer's yield is roughly 6.9%.

However, high dividend yields are often high for a specific reason. The key is to ensure that companies can cover their dividend payments and also have room to increase their dividends. Which is the better dividend stock: Ford or Pfizer?

Image source: Getty Images.

Ford: A shaky dividend that looks sustainable for now

One key factor to consider when evaluating dividend companies is their ability to consistently pay and raise their dividend over time. Ford has been somewhat inconsistent in this regard, having had to cut its dividend during the Great Recession and again in 2020 at the onset of the pandemic. Otherwise, the company has paid dividends throughout this period and even issued special dividends, such as in 2023, which appear to have compensated for the missed dividends in 2020 and 2021.

Ford has faced numerous challenges this year, including President Donald Trump's tariffs and a fire at one of its major suppliers, which has impacted the company's profits. In the first three quarters of 2025, Ford has paid out about $2.4 billion in dividends, while generating about $2.8 billion in profits. Profits are down significantly year over year due to some of the headwinds mentioned above.

However, the company has generated adjusted free cash flow of $5.7 billion. Plus, Ford is guiding for another $2 billion to $3 billion of free cash flow in the final quarter of the year and for full-year adjusted EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) of $6 billion to $6.5 billion. Ford should also get some relief next year from relaxed tariffs impacting automakers and as the company pivots away from wide-scale electric vehicle production to focus more on profitable hybrid vehicles.

Pfizer: Struggling free cash flows expected to improve

Pfizer has been on a more uncertain path since peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the company proved to be one of the major providers of vaccines that helped reopen the economy. However, since then, the stock has struggled as investors wrestle with expiring patents and a robust pipeline of drugs that the company has acquired through large acquisitions.
ProPetro Holding Corp. (NYSE:PUMP  Get Free Report)s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $9.82, but opened at $10.51. ProPetro shares last traded at $9.8360, with a volume of 269,051 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PUMP has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wolfe Research raised ProPetro to a buy rating and set a $13.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of ProPetro from $6.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of ProPetro from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $7.00 to $13.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d-) rating on shares of ProPetro in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded ProPetro from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $12.50.

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ProPetro Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The companys fifty day moving average price is $9.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.00. The company has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -57.79 and a beta of 0.75.

ProPetro (NYSE:PUMP  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.11) by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $293.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $266.25 million. ProPetro had a negative return on equity of 0.06% and a negative net margin of 1.31%.The companys revenue was down 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($1.32) EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that ProPetro Holding Corp. will post 0.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michele Vion sold 6,916 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.64, for a total value of $73,586.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 45,029 shares in the company, valued at $479,108.56. This trade represents a 13.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director G Larry Lawrence sold 27,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.84, for a total value of $292,680.00. Following the sale, the director owned 35,831 shares in the company, valued at $388,408.04. The trade was a 42.97% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.60% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of ProPetro

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in ProPetro by 103.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,648,055 shares of the companys stock valued at $8,636,000 after acquiring an additional 837,776 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new position in shares of ProPetro during the third quarter worth approximately $2,280,000. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in ProPetro during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $124,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new stake in ProPetro in the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in ProPetro in the 3rd quarter valued at $613,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.70% of the companys stock.

ProPetro Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

ProPetro Holding Corp is a publicly traded oilfield services company that specializes in hydraulic fracturing and well completion solutions for exploration and production operators. Headquartered in Midland, Texas, the company delivers a comprehensive suite of pressure pumping services designed to optimize reservoir stimulation and enhance hydrocarbon recovery. Its integrated approach encompasses well design, proppant selection, fluid systems and pressure management to support clients development targets across unconventional plays.

The companys core offerings include high-pressure fracturing, coiled tubing, cementing, acidizing and flowback services, all supported by in-house logistics and digital monitoring tools.

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PT Bank Mandiri Persero TBK (OTCMKTS:PPERY  Get Free Report)s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $12.15, but opened at $11.60. PT Bank Mandiri Persero TBK shares last traded at $12.0810, with a volume of 1,361 shares changing hands.

PT Bank Mandiri Persero TBK Trading Down 0.5%

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.36.

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PT Bank Mandiri Persero TBK Company Profile

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PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk is one of Indonesias largest banking groups, providing a full range of commercial banking services to corporate, commercial, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and retail customers. The bank was established in 1998 through a government-led consolidation of four state-owned banks as part of efforts to strengthen the financial system during the Asian financial crisis. Since then it has grown into a diversified financial services franchise offering deposit taking, lending, trade finance, payment and cash management, treasury, and wealth-management services.

Bank Mandiris product suite spans traditional retail and corporate banking products  including savings and time deposits, consumer and mortgage loans, working capital and project financing  alongside specialized services such as trade and export-import finance, foreign exchange and treasury solutions, card products, and digital banking channels.

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QXO, Inc. (NYSE:QXO  Get Free Report) shares rose 14.9% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $21.97 and last traded at $22.6670. Approximately 4,253,785 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 12% from the average daily volume of 4,844,990 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.72.

Analyst Ratings Changes

QXO has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d+) rating on shares of QXO in a report on Monday, December 29th. Loop Capital began coverage on shares of QXO in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They issued a buy rating and a $31.00 price objective on the stock. William Blair reiterated an outperform rating on shares of QXO in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial reduced their price target on QXO from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $28.00 price objective on QXO in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. 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 companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, QXO currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $32.57.

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QXO Trading Up 17.9%

The firm has a market capitalization of $15.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -52.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 2.44. The businesss fifty day moving average is $19.21 and its 200 day moving average is $20.09. The company has a quick ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 3.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

QXO (NYSE:QXO  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.02. The company 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%.QXOs revenue for the quarter was up 20726.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that QXO, Inc. will post -0.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QXO. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in QXO by 67.5% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 119,688 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,620,000 after buying an additional 48,248 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in shares of QXO by 26.4% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 715,087 shares of the companys stock valued at $9,861,000 after acquiring an additional 149,504 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in QXO during the first quarter valued at approximately $615,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in QXO by 6.6% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 322,115 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,361,000 after purchasing an additional 20,067 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Investment Opportunities LLC Project Breeze Series 1 acquired a new position in shares of QXO during the 1st quarter worth approximately $118,142,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.68% of the companys stock.

About QXO

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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. It also offers value-added services that focuses on consulting and professional, specialized programming, training, and technical support services. In addition, the company provides information technology managed services, such as cybersecurity, application hosting, disaster recovery, business continuity, cloud, and other services; and data back-up, network maintenance, and upgrade services.

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Renasant (NYSE:RNST  Get Free Report) is one of 20 public companies in the State Commercial Banks  Fed Reserve System industry, but how does it compare to its rivals? We will compare Renasant to related companies based on the strength of its dividends, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

77.3% of Renasant shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 72.2% of shares of all State Commercial Banks  Fed Reserve System companies are owned by institutional investors. 2.8% of Renasant shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 6.7% of shares of all State Commercial Banks  Fed Reserve System companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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Dividends

Renasant pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Renasant pays out 46.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, State Commercial Banks  Fed Reserve System companies pay a dividend yield of 2.3% and pay out 67.3% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Renasant is clearly a better dividend stock than its rivals, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Renasant 11.26% 6.99% 1.01% Renasant Competitors 7.23% 6.94% 0.79%

Analyst Ratings

This table compares Renasant and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Renasant and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Renasant 0 1 0 1 3.00 Renasant Competitors 29 164 196 18 2.50

As a group, State Commercial Banks  Fed Reserve System companies have a potential upside of 6.45%. Given Renasants rivals higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Renasant has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Risk & Volatility

Renasant has a beta of 0.97, meaning that its stock price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Renasants rivals have a beta of 1.01, meaning that their average stock price is 1% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Renasant and its rivals gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Renasant $874.43 million $195.46 million 17.77 Renasant Competitors $665.70 million $95.99 million 37.67

Renasant has higher revenue and earnings than its rivals. Renasant is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Summary

Renasant beats its rivals on 10 of the 15 factors compared.

Renasant Company Profile

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Renasant Corporation operates as a bank holding company for Renasant Bank that provides a range of financial, wealth management, fiduciary, and insurance services to retail and commercial customers. It operates through three segments: Community Banks, Insurance, and Wealth Management. The Community Banks segment offers checking and savings accounts, business and personal loans, asset-based lending, and equipment leasing services, as well as safe deposit and night depository facilities. It also provides commercial, financial, and agricultural loans; equipment financing and leasing; real estate1-4 family mortgage; real estatecommercial mortgage; real estateconstruction loans for the construction of single family residential properties, multi-family properties, and commercial projects; installment loans to individuals; and interim construction loans, as well as automated teller machine (ATM), online and mobile banking, call center, and treasury management services. The Insurance segment provides insurance agency services, such as commercial and personal insurance products through insurance carriers. The Wealth Management segment offers a range of wealth management and fiduciary services, including administration and management of trust accounts, such as personal and corporate benefit accounts, and custodial accounts, as well as accounting and money management for trust accounts; annuities, mutual funds, and other investment services through a third party broker-dealer; and qualified retirement plans, IRAs, employee benefit plans, personal trusts, and estates. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated a network of 189 banking, lending, and mortgage offices located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee; 150 full-service branches and 11 limited-service branches; 173 ATMs; and 38 interactive teller machines. Renasant Corporation was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi.

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Seabridge Gold Inc. (TSE:SEA  Get Free Report) (NYSE:SA)s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as C$44.71 and last traded at C$44.56, with a volume of 92386 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$40.92.

Seabridge Gold Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 58.83, a quick ratio of 3.34 and a current ratio of 2.28. The firm has a market capitalization of C$4.55 billion, a P/E ratio of -79.24 and a beta of 1.77. The firm has a 50-day moving average of C$37.46 and a 200-day moving average of C$29.81.

About Seabridge Gold

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Seabridge Gold Inc is a development stage company involved in the evaluation, acquisition, exploration, and development of gold properties sited in North America. The companys principal projects include the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell property located in British Columbia, the Courageous Lake property located in the Northwest Territories and its newly acquired Iksut Property located in northwestern British Columbia. It has various other mineral resource projects throughout North America.

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Sofi Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (BATS:EFG  Free Report) by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 502,164 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 50,026 shares during the period. iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF makes up 3.1% of Sofi Wealth LLCs holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Sofi Wealth LLC owned 0.43% of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF worth $57,186,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 2,866 shares of the companys stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 0.8% in the second quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 12,094 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,355,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Copia Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 1.3% during the second quarter. Copia Wealth Management now owns 7,379 shares of the companys stock valued at $826,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Bridge Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 0.3% during the second quarter. Beacon Bridge Wealth Partners LLC now owns 28,746 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,220,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morris Financial Concepts Inc. grew its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 1.2% during the third quarter. Morris Financial Concepts Inc. now owns 8,691 shares of the companys stock worth $990,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF Trading Up 19.8%

BATS EFG opened at $115.17 on Monday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.86. iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF has a 12 month low of $88.66 and a 12 month high of $113.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.98 and a beta of 0.96.

iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF Profile

iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Growth 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 Growth Index (the 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. The Fund invests in sectors, such as consumer staples, industrials, consumer discretionary, materials, healthcare, financials, information technology, energy, telecommunication services and utilities.

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Sofi Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of iShares S&P 500 Value ETF (NYSEARCA:IVE  Free Report) by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 964,917 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 12,985 shares during the quarter. iShares S&P 500 Value ETF makes up approximately 10.7% of Sofi Wealth LLCs holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Sofi Wealth LLC owned 0.48% of iShares S&P 500 Value ETF worth $199,265,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares S&P 500 Value ETF by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,034 shares of the companys stock worth $2,679,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in iShares S&P 500 Value ETF by 15.0% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 41,400 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,589,000 after buying an additional 5,400 shares during the last quarter. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. CO bought a new stake in iShares S&P 500 Value ETF in the first quarter valued at $450,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of iShares S&P 500 Value ETF by 25.0% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 330,653 shares of the companys stock valued at $63,016,000 after acquiring an additional 66,142 shares during the period. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. grew its position in shares of iShares S&P 500 Value ETF by 56.0% during the first quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,834 shares of the companys stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 658 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares S&P 500 Value ETF Stock Up 0.3%

IVE stock opened at $212.77 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $48.06 billion, a PE ratio of 20.70 and a beta of 0.89. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $210.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $204.65. iShares S&P 500 Value ETF has a fifty-two week low of $165.45 and a fifty-two week high of $214.90.

About iShares S&P 500 Value ETF

iShares S&P 500 Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares S&P 500 Value Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P 500 Value Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization value sector of the United States equity market and consists of those stocks in the S&P 500 exhibiting the strongest value characteristics. The Fund generally invests at least 90% of its assets in securities of the Index and in depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index.

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Several brokerages have updated their recommendations and price targets on shares of Sonic Automotive (NYSE: SAH) in the last few weeks:

1/3/2026  Sonic Automotive was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a hold rating to a buy rating.

12/29/2025  Sonic Automotive had its hold (c) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

12/23/2025  Sonic Automotive had its hold (c) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

12/15/2025  Sonic Automotive was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a hold rating to a strong sell rating.

12/8/2025  Sonic Automotive was given a new $68.00 price target on by analysts at Morgan Stanley.

11/11/2025  Sonic Automotive is now covered by analysts at Barclays PLC. They set an equal weight rating and a $71.00 price target on the stock.

11/11/2025  Sonic Automotive is now covered by analysts at Barclays PLC. They set an equal weight rating and a $71.00 price target on the stock.

11/6/2025  Sonic Automotive was upgraded by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from a neutral rating to a buy rating. They now have a $82.00 price target on the stock.

Sonic Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Sonic Automotives dividend payout ratio is currently 41.08%.

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Sonic Automotive, Inc is a publicly traded automotive retailer that operates a network of franchised new-car dealerships and used-vehicle dealerships across the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company offers a range of services that include vehicle sales, leasing, finance and insurance products, service and parts, and collision repair. Sonic Automotives dealerships represent numerous major automotive brands, and the company also markets a broad selection of pre-owned vehicles under its own banner.

In addition to its core dealership operations, Sonic Automotive has developed digital retail capabilities that allow customers to research, shop and complete transactions online.

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Shares of Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF  Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $127.40.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Zacks Research cut shares of Stifel Financial from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Cowen raised Stifel Financial from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JMP Securities increased their price target on Stifel Financial from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a market outperform rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th.

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Stifel Financial Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:SF opened at $128.36 on Monday. Stifel Financial has a 1 year low of $73.27 and a 1 year high of $133.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The businesss 50-day moving average is $123.17 and its 200-day moving average is $115.46. The company has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.68 and a beta of 1.13.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.06. Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 14.95% and a net margin of 12.44%.The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Stifel Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Stifel Financials dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 6.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 258,600 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $29,343,000 after buying an additional 14,923 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new position in Stifel Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $10,539,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Stifel Financial by 123.6% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,082 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in Stifel Financial by 75.1% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 4,677 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 2,006 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $7,371,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.01% of the companys stock.

About Stifel Financial

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Stifel Financial Corp. is a diversified financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1890, the firm has grown into a fullservice brokerage and investment banking organization serving individual investors, corporations and institutions. Through its principal subsidiary, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, the company delivers a broad array of financial products and services backed by researchdriven insights.

The firms main business activities are organized into two core segments: Private Client Group and Institutional Group.

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iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (NYSEARCA:EWY  Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock traders bought 20,085 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 55% compared to the average volume of 12,920 call options.

iShares MSCI South Korea ETF Price Performance

EWY stock traded up $2.68 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $104.90. 5,197,381 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,909,408. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $93.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.48. iShares MSCI South Korea ETF has a 12 month low of $48.49 and a 12 month high of $105.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.35 and a beta of 1.22.

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Institutional Trading of iShares MSCI South Korea ETF

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EWY. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in shares of iShares MSCI South Korea ETF by 1,753.0% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,296,271 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $93,047,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226,315 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI South Korea ETF by 31,122.4% during the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,065,620 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $75,382,000 after purchasing an additional 1,062,207 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in iShares MSCI South Korea ETF by 4,532.1% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,066,257 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $76,536,000 after buying an additional 1,043,238 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its position in iShares MSCI South Korea ETF by 85.5% during the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,536,532 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $123,076,000 after purchasing an additional 708,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI South Korea ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $48,810,000. 49.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About iShares MSCI South Korea ETF

iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Korea 25/50 Index (the Index). The Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Stock Market Division of the Korean Exchange. The Index is a free-float adjusted market capitalization weighted index with a capping methodology applied to issuer weights so that no issuer of a component exceeds 25% of the Index weight and all issuers with weight above 5% do not exceed 50% of the Index weight.

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The price of Bitcoin held near the $90,000 level on Saturday, even as geopolitical tensions between the United States and Venezuela escalated sharply following overnight military action.

Key Takeaways:

Bitcoin held near $90K despite a major USVenezuela military escalation that dominated headlines.

BTC staying above its 21-day moving average signals short-term support and potential January upside.

Analysts warn volatility could rise once institutional traders return when US markets reopen.

Bitcoin briefly dipped below $90,000 in early trading before recovering, showing limited reaction to an event that dominated global headlines.

The US bombed a country and captured its leader, on a weekend no less, and yet Bitcoin has barely moved, said Nic Puckrin, founder of crypto media firm Coin Bureau, in a post on X.

Bitcoins Calm Amid Geopolitical Shock Puts Focus on Key Support Level

The muted response stood out in a market where risk assets often see sharp sell-offs during geopolitical crises.

From a technical perspective, analysts point to encouraging signals. Michael van de Poppe noted that Bitcoin remains above its 21-day moving average, a level often viewed as short-term support.

Holding above that threshold could open the door to further price gains in January, assuming broader market conditions remain stable.

The resilience is notable given Bitcoins recent volatility.

Historically, sudden geopolitical shocks or macroeconomic stress have triggered abrupt drawdowns in risk-on assets, including cryptocurrencies. This time, the response has been restrained, at least so far.

The situation stems from an announcement by US President Donald Trump, who confirmed airstrikes on Venezuelas capital, Caracas, that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

While the news sparked intense debate online, financial markets appeared largely unfazed over the weekend.

Some analysts caution that the calm may not last. Theres a lot of geopolitical tension, and next week the big players will return, said crypto trader Lennaert Snyder, warning that volatility could increase once traditional markets reopen.

Institutional investors typically sit out weekends, meaning reactions may still come when US markets open on Monday.

Any renewed selling pressure would add to Bitcoins recent corrective phase. After a flash crash in October, Bitcoin fell more than 30% from an all-time high above $125,000 to around $80,000 in November, before rebounding toward current levels.

Bitcoin Seen Entering Accumulation Phase in Early 2026

Analyst Linh Tran believes Bitcoin entered a corrective phase in late 2025 after peaking near $126,000 and falling roughly 35% to around $80,000.
Shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA  Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of Buy from the ten research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.8750.

TEVA has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group upped their price target on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Barclays initiated coverage on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set an overweight rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank assumed coverage on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in a report on Friday, December 5th. They issued a sector outperform rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $28.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd.

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Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Trading Down 0.9%

Insider Buying and Selling at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries

NYSE:TEVA opened at $30.94 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.56, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.07. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has a 12 month low of $12.47 and a 12 month high of $31.99.

In related news, CAO Amir Weiss sold 12,300 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.20, for a total value of $371,460.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,650 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $170,630. This trade represents a 68.52% 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, Director Roberto Mignone sold 77,400 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.24, for a total value of $2,340,576.00. Following the sale, the director owned 367,600 shares of the companys stock, valued at $11,116,224. This trade represents a 17.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 622,060 shares of company stock worth $17,076,965. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in the second quarter valued at about $41,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 40.3% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 2,191 shares of the companys stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 3,715.8% in the second quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,900 shares of the companys stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 2,824 shares during the last quarter. MAI Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 26.8% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 3,293 shares of the companys stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 697 shares during the period. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 97.0% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,738 shares of the companys stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 1,348 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.05% of the companys stock.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA) is an Israeli multinational pharmaceutical company and one of the worlds largest manufacturers of generic medicines. The companys core activities include the development, production and marketing of generic pharmaceuticals alongside a portfolio of specialty branded medicines. Teva supplies finished dosage forms and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to markets around the globe and operates manufacturing and research facilities in multiple countries.

Tevas product range covers oral solids, injectables, inhalation products and other dosage forms across therapeutic areas such as central nervous system disorders, respiratory, oncology, pain and infectious disease.

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TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX  Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a buy rating to a hold rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. BTIG Research reissued a buy rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $150.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b+) rating on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-three have issued a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $161.50.

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TJX Companies Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:TJX opened at $154.30 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $150.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $139.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $171.34 billion, a PE ratio of 34.06, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.75. TJX Companies has a 52 week low of $112.10 and a 52 week high of $157.82.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.06. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 58.30%. The company had revenue of $15.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $14.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. TJX Companies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.330-1.360 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.630-4.660 EPS. Analysts forecast that TJX Companies will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at TJX Companies

In related news, Director Amy B. Lane sold 500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.40, for a total transaction of $75,700.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,212 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,362,896.80. The trade was a 2.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 30,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.81, for a total transaction of $4,464,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 535,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,634,629.83. This represents a 5.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 54,863 shares of company stock valued at $8,226,366 over the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of TJX. Lavaca Capital LLC acquired a new stake in TJX Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in TJX Companies by 102.2% during the third quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 182 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. GGM Financials LLC bought a new position in TJX Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. 91.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About TJX Companies

(Get Free Report)

TJX Companies, Inc is a leading off-price retailer of apparel, footwear, home fashions and other consumer goods. The company operates multiple retail concepts that offer discounted brand-name and designer merchandise, including well-known banners such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls in the United States, HomeGoods for home furnishings, TK Maxx in parts of Europe, and Winners and Homesense in Canada. Merchandise categories span womens, mens and childrens apparel, accessories, beauty, home decor, kitchenware and small furniture, with frequent changes in assortment that create a treasure-hunt shopping experience for consumers.

The companys business model centers on opportunistic buying, purchasing excess, irregular or out-of-season inventory from manufacturers, department stores and other suppliers, and passing savings to customers through lower prices.

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American Airlines Group, Joby Aviation, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, Air Lease, and Alaska Air Group are the seven Airline stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Airline stocks are shares of publicly traded companies that operate commercial air transportation; owning them gives investors partial ownership and a claim on the airlines profits and losses. These stocks are often cyclical and volatile, sensitive to factors like fuel prices, passenger demand, economic conditions, labor and regulatory issues, and fleet or capacity decisions, so investors typically treat them as higher-risk, sector-specific exposure to travel demand. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Airline stocks within the last several days.

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American Airlines Group (AAL)

American Airlines Group Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a network air carrier. The company provides scheduled air transportation services for passengers and cargo through its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C., as well as through partner gateways in London, Doha, Madrid, Seattle/Tacoma, Sydney, and Tokyo.

Joby Aviation (JOBY)

Joby Aviation, Inc., a vertically integrated air mobility company, engages in building an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft optimized to deliver air transportation as a service. The company intends to build an aerial ridesharing service, as well as developing an application-based platform that will enable consumers to book rides.

Read Our Latest Research Report on JOBY

United Airlines (UAL)

United Airlines Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides air transportation services in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, the Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America. The company transports people and cargo through its mainline and regional fleets. It also offers catering, ground handling, flight academy, and maintenance services for third parties.

Read Our Latest Research Report on UAL

Delta Air Lines (DAL)

Delta Air Lines, Inc. provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Bogota, Lima, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Sao Paulo, Seoul-Incheon, and Tokyo.

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Southwest Airlines (LUV)

Southwest Airlines Co. operates as a passenger airline company that provides scheduled air transportation services in the United States and near-international markets. As of December 31, 2023, the company operated a total fleet of 817 Boeing 737 aircraft; and served 121 destinations in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as ten near-international countries, including Mexico, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Aruba, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Belize, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos.

Read Our Latest Research Report on LUV

Air Lease (AL)

Air Lease Corporation, an aircraft leasing company, engages in the purchase and leasing of commercial jet aircraft to airlines worldwide. It sells aircraft from its fleet to third parties, including other leasing companies, financial services companies, airlines, and other investors. The company provides fleet management services to investors and owners of aircraft portfolios.

Read Our Latest Research Report on AL

Alaska Air Group (ALK)

Alaska Air Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates airlines. It operates through three segments: Mainline, Regional, and Horizon. The company offers scheduled air transportation services on Boeing jet aircraft for passengers and cargo in the United States, and in parts of Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, and the Bahamas; and for passengers across a shorter distance network within the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

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Truist Financial Corporation (NYSE:TFC  Get Free Report)s share price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $50.89 and last traded at $50.5610, with a volume of 1683580 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $49.74.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler set a $48.00 target price on shares of Truist Financial in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Baird R W lowered Truist Financial from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Truist Financial from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Truist Financial from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 31st. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Truist Financial in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $51.07.

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Truist Financial Trading Up 1.7%

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.45. The company has a market capitalization of $64.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Truist Financial (NYSE:TFC  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 17th. The insurance provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.20 billion. Truist Financial had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 8.73%. The businesss revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.97 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Truist Financial Corporation will post 4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Truist Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Truist Financials dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.91%.

Truist Financial announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, December 16th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to buy up to 15.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the companys board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Truist Financial

In other news, Director K. David Jr. Boyer sold 5,160 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.45, for a total transaction of $239,682.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 10,153 shares in the company, valued at $471,606.85. The trade was a 33.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Truist Financial

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TFC. Aspect Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Truist Financial by 71.5% in the 2nd quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 643 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. purchased a new stake in Truist Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Truist Financial during the second quarter worth $30,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Truist Financial by 1,189.5% during the second quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 735 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Truist Financial by 631.6% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 695 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. 71.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Truist Financial Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Truist Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company that provides a broad range of financial services through its primary subsidiary, Truist Bank, and other operating units. The company offers traditional retail banking products and services such as deposit accounts, consumer and residential mortgage lending, and credit and debit card services. Truist also serves commercial clients with middle-market and corporate lending, treasury and payment solutions, and specialty finance products.

Beyond core banking, Truist operates wealth management, asset management, insurance and capital markets businesses.

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Two Harbors Investments Corp (NYSE:TWO  Get Free Report)s share price gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $10.58, but opened at $10.16. Two Harbors Investments shares last traded at $10.0420, with a volume of 700,650 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on TWO shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d) rating on shares of Two Harbors Investments in a research note on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Two Harbors Investments from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Two Harbors Investments from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Zacks Research cut shares of Two Harbors Investments from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Maxim Group cut shares of Two Harbors Investments from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $11.96.

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Two Harbors Investments Stock Performance

The companys 50-day moving average is $10.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.14 and a beta of 1.19.

Two Harbors Investments (NYSE:TWO  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter. Two Harbors Investments had a negative net margin of 44.10% and a positive return on equity of 11.92%. The firm had revenue of ($18.67) million during the quarter. Equities analysts predict that Two Harbors Investments Corp will post 0.81 EPS for the current year.

Two Harbors Investments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 5th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.1%. Two Harbors Investmentss dividend payout ratio is presently -54.40%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Two Harbors Investments news, insider Rebecca B. Sandberg sold 27,370 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.43, for a total transaction of $312,839.10. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 156,718 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,791,286.74. This represents a 14.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO William Dellal sold 7,087 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.44, for a total transaction of $81,075.28. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 36,703 shares in the company, valued at $419,882.32. The trade was a 16.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 124,307 shares of company stock worth $1,420,130 in the last ninety days. 0.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Two Harbors Investments

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Two Harbors Investments by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 766,733 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $9,868,000 after buying an additional 21,531 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Two Harbors Investments during the first quarter worth approximately $344,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Two Harbors Investments by 12.7% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 890,627 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $11,899,000 after acquiring an additional 100,311 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Two Harbors Investments by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,206,549 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $16,119,000 after purchasing an additional 115,698 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Two Harbors Investments during the 1st quarter valued at $1,627,000. 64.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Two Harbors Investments

(Get Free Report)

Two Harbors Investments Corp. is a mortgage real estate investment trust (mREIT) that primarily invests in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) issued or guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises, as well as non-agency residential mortgage loans, mortgage servicing rights and credit risk transfer securities. The company seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for its shareholders by employing leverage to enhance net interest income derived from its portfolio of high-quality fixed-income assets.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Two Harbors operates through a self-managed platform that combines portfolio management, risk-management and securitization expertise.

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UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH  Get Free Report) rose 1.7% on Monday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $386.00 to $391.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. UnitedHealth Group traded as high as $346.94 and last traded at $342.2780. Approximately 7,879,956 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 7% from the average daily volume of 7,368,501 shares. The stock had previously closed at $336.40.

UNH has been the topic of several other reports. Bank of America upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $325.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $378.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $317.00 to $409.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $385.75.

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Key UnitedHealth Group News

Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on UNH to $391 and kept an overweight rating, pointing to upside from current levels and supporting nearterm bullish sentiment. Barclays Raises Price Target

Barclays raised its price target on UNH to $391 and kept an overweight rating, pointing to upside from current levels and supporting nearterm bullish sentiment. Positive Sentiment: The Motley Fool included UnitedHealth on a list of 10 Magnificent Stocks for 2026, reinforcing a narrative that UNH remains a longterm idea for some growth/value investors. 10 Magnificent Stocks That Can Make You Richer in 2026

The Motley Fool included UnitedHealth on a list of 10 Magnificent Stocks for 2026, reinforcing a narrative that UNH remains a longterm idea for some growth/value investors. Neutral Sentiment: Sustainable Growth Advisers (SGA) maintained its stake in UNH in its Q3 letter  a sign largecap investors are holding through volatility but not necessarily adding materially. SGA Maintained Stake

Sustainable Growth Advisers (SGA) maintained its stake in UNH in its Q3 letter  a sign largecap investors are holding through volatility but not necessarily adding materially. Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting a reassessment of UNHs valuation after operational changes and margin pressure is creating analyst focus on upcoming 2026 guidance and Q4 results  this keeps volatility elevated until management updates investors. Reassessing Valuation

Coverage noting a reassessment of UNHs valuation after operational changes and margin pressure is creating analyst focus on upcoming 2026 guidance and Q4 results  this keeps volatility elevated until management updates investors. Negative Sentiment: Zacks highlights that UNH shares are down ~34.5% over the past year as rising utilization and margin compression weigh on profits; it frames Q4 results and 2026 guidance as critical tests for whether the stock is a buythedip opportunity. UnitedHealth Sinks 34.5% in a Year

Zacks highlights that UNH shares are down ~34.5% over the past year as rising utilization and margin compression weigh on profits; it frames Q4 results and 2026 guidance as critical tests for whether the stock is a buythedip opportunity. Negative Sentiment: Multiple pieces warn investors to avoid buying UNH before Jan. 27 because of grey area around utilization, costs and upcoming guidance  this cautionary messaging can suppress buying until management provides clarity. Dont Buy UnitedHealth Group Stock Before Jan. 27

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital World Investors lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $7,516,107,000 after acquiring an additional 3,439,182 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,312,182 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $6,624,411,000 after purchasing an additional 675,075 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $6,042,710,000 after buying an additional 1,747,337 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $4,503,419,000 after buying an additional 7,293,009 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,837,207,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $330.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $319.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $310.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.42.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $113.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The businesss revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 46.14%.

About UnitedHealth Group

(Get Free Report)

UnitedHealth Group Inc is a diversified health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that operates two primary business platforms: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Founded in 1977, the company provides a broad range of health benefits and health care services to individuals, employers, governmental entities and other organizations. Its operations span commercial employer-sponsored plans, individual and Medicare and Medicaid programs, and services for customers and health systems in the United States and selected international markets.

UnitedHealthcare is the companys benefits business, administering health plans and networks, managing provider relationships, and offering coverage products for employers, individuals, and government-sponsored programs.

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Vishay Precision Group, Inc. (NYSE:VPG  Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $40.60 and last traded at $40.25, with a volume of 27246 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $39.28.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Vishay Precision Group from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Vishay Precision Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut Vishay Precision Group from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Loop Capital set a $44.00 price objective on Vishay Precision Group in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on shares of Vishay Precision Group in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. They issued a buy rating and a $44.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold 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 $38.83.

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Vishay Precision Group Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $36.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.71 and a current ratio of 4.10. The company has a market cap of $534.06 million, a P/E ratio of 67.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.83.

Vishay Precision Group (NYSE:VPG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.05. Vishay Precision Group had a return on equity of 2.02% and a net margin of 2.65%.The firm had revenue of $79.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $76.63 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vishay Precision Group, Inc. will post 0.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vishay Precision Group

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VPG. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Vishay Precision Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $225,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB bought a new position in shares of Vishay Precision Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $255,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 10.2% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 253,393 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $6,103,000 after buying an additional 23,365 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Vishay Precision Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $896,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in Vishay Precision Group in the second quarter worth approximately $4,689,000. 87.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vishay Precision Group

(Get Free Report)

Vishay Precision Group (NYSE: VPG) specializes in the design, manufacture and calibration of precision sensors, instrumentation and measurement systems used in a broad range of applications. Its product portfolio includes load cells, tension links, weighing modules, torque transducers, digital indicators and data acquisition systems. These solutions serve critical requirements for accuracy, reliability and repeatability in sectors such as industrial automation, test and measurement, medical devices, food and beverage processing, aerospace and defense.

The company traces its roots to the sensor and measurement division of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc, from which it was spun off as an independent public company in March 2016.

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WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund (NYSEARCA:DXJ  Get Free Report) shares saw strong trading volume on Monday . 817,942 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 337% from the previous sessions volume of 187,215 shares.The stock last traded at $146.9050 and had previously closed at $144.99.

WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund Trading Up 1.6%

The companys 50-day moving average is $139.73 and its 200 day moving average is $129.22. The firm has a market cap of $5.22 billion, a PE ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 0.41.

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Institutional Trading of WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund in the second quarter worth $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Howe & Rusling Inc. increased its position in WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund by 672.5% in the 2nd quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 309 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in shares of WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund during the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund during the 2nd quarter valued at about $53,000.

WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund Company Profile

WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that closely correspond to the price and yield performance of the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Index (the Index). The Index is designed to provide exposure to Japanese equity markets while at the same time neutralizing exposure to fluctuations of the Japanese Yen movements relative to the United States dollar. In this sense, the Index hedges against fluctuations in the relative value of the yen against the United States dollar.

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Zurich Insurance Group Ltd. (OTCMKTS:ZURVY  Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $38.05, but opened at $36.95. Zurich Insurance Group shares last traded at $37.5199, with a volume of 21,834 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Zacks Research lowered shares of Zurich Insurance Group from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zurich Insurance Group has a consensus rating of Sell.

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Zurich Insurance Group Stock Performance

About Zurich Insurance Group

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $36.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $35.73.

(Get Free Report)

Zurich Insurance Group is a global insurance company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, that provides a broad range of insurance and risk management products to individuals, small and medium-sized enterprises, large corporations and multinational clients. Founded in 1872, the company has grown into one of the worlds major insurers, offering both property & casualty and life insurance solutions alongside related services such as claims management and risk engineering.

Zurichs core activities include general (non-life) insurance and life insurance products.

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BlackRocks spot Bitcoin ETF pulled in its biggest single-day inflow in nearly three months on Friday, as investors piled into crypto-linked funds.

Heightened geopolitical tensions following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have also helped spur the asset into a fourth consecutive daily win streak.

On Friday, BlackRocks iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) recorded $287.4 million in inflows, its largest daily haul since October 8, 2025, according to Farside Investors data.

The spike comes as markets digest the Trump administration's controversial military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend, which sent oil futures prices to four-year lows while crypto markets held steady.

"The U.S.'s capture of Maduro signals a key tick up in volatility," Sean Dawson, head of research at on-chain options platform Derive, told Decrypt. "The Trump Administration's disregard for geopolitical norms shows the President is willing to go to any length to promote his 'America First' policy."

"Given the Trump family's, along with their political allies', personal investments in crypto, the recent military operation is bullish as it shows that the administration views digital assets as strategically aligned with U.S. interests," Dawson added.

The uptick in Bitcoin ETF flows is therefore unsurprising, Dawson said, as investors increasingly price in an extended America First policy outlook marked by geopolitical assertiveness, policy uncertainty, and a regulatory climate favorable to crypto as both a strategic asset and a macro hedge.

US Strike on Venezuela Puts Bitcoin in Focus as Oil Slides

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $471.3 million in total inflows on Friday, the highest combined daily total since mid-November, offsetting earlier outflows and lifting weekly net inflows to $459 million.

"Start of year portfolio rebalancing is likely a factor; Bitcoin underperformed other assets in Q4 2025 and, as a result, drifted below its target weight, thus start of year rebalance led to inflows," Pratik Kala, head of research at Apollo Crypto, told Decrypt.

Kala also cited "tax loss harvesting in Q4 flipped to maintaining long bias in Q1 2026," while emphasizing that "Maduro's capture by force solidifies the use case for Bitcoin.

A non-censorable decentralized store of value which is increasingly needed in a polarising world with a rapidly changing world order, he added.

Bitcoin ETF inflow momentum spread as Fidelity's FBTC gained $88.1 million, Bitwise's BITB added $41.5 million, and Grayscale's GBTC attracted $15.4 million.
Yes  safety oversight must come before anything else

Regulation is needed, but delays and red tape are the real problem

No  enforcement already exists; regulation wont prevent accidents

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NEW YORK, January 05, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BFA is thrilled to announce the elevation of Thayne Stoddard and Adam McCall to partners of the Firm.

BFA Founding Partner, Javier Bleichmar added "Thayne and Adam are outstanding litigators who have played key roles in achieving excellent results for investors. Their promotions recognize not only their legal talent, but also their leadership, judgment, and commitment to excellence."

Thayne Stoddard

Since joining BFA in early 2018 Thayne has represented investors in complex securities class actions and shareholder derivative suits across the country. Thayne has substantial experience investigating and drafting claims, briefing dispositive and other motions, managing discovery efforts, taking depositions, working closely with experts, and preparing for and attending trial. Thayne was a member of the teams that prosecuted the Firms derivative stockholder action against Teslas Board of Directors in Delaware Chancery Court, resulting in a settlement valued at as much as $919 million, as well as cases against Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., resulting in a $420 million settlement, and Granite Construction Inc., resulting in a $129 million settlement. Thayne is currently a member of the teams litigating securities-related claims against Twist Bioscience Corp., and Citigroup, Inc., and derivative claims on behalf of Boeing.

Thayne received his Juris Doctor and Masters degree from Duke University and his B.A. from Yale University.

Adam McCall

Adam McCall advises investors concerning their rights and potential claims in complex securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation nationwide. He is committed to investor advocacy and works closely with clients to evaluate potential claims, protect their interests, and pursue meaningful recoveries on their behalf. Adam has substantial experience across all phases of complex litigation, including investigating and drafting claims, briefing dispositive and other motions, oral argument, managing discovery efforts, taking depositions, working closely with experts, and trial. Adam also plays a key role representing investors in the securities class actions concerning The Toronto-Dominion Bank, UiPath, Inc., and Centene Corporation.

Adam joined BFA in April of 2024. He received his LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center, his Juris Doctorate from California Western School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Southern California.

BFA Founding Partner, Joseph A. Fonti commented "Thayne and Adam have been instrumental to the firms success. Both have demonstrated exceptional legal skill, sound judgment, and an unwavering commitment to our clients. We are proud to welcome them as partners and look forward to their continued leadership and impact on the firm."
One of the best investments we can make is in our own knowledge and skill set. With that in mind, this article will work through how we can use Return On Equity (ROE) to better understand a business. To keep the lesson grounded in practicality, we'll use ROE to better understand Telecom Plus Plc (LON:TEP).

Return on equity or ROE is an important factor to be considered by a shareholder because it tells them how effectively their capital is being reinvested. In other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders.

This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality.

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for ROE is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations)  Shareholders' Equity

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Telecom Plus is:

29% = UK66m  UK232m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2025).

The 'return' is the yearly profit. Another way to think of that is that for every 1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn 0.29 in profit.

See our latest analysis for Telecom Plus

Does Telecom Plus Have A Good ROE?

By comparing a company's ROE with its industry average, we can get a quick measure of how good it is. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. Pleasingly, Telecom Plus has a superior ROE than the average (13%) in the Integrated Utilities industry.

LSE:TEP Return on Equity January 5th 2026

That's clearly a positive. With that said, a high ROE doesn't always indicate high profitability. Aside from changes in net income, a high ROE can also be the outcome of high debt relative to equity, which indicates risk. You can see the 2 risks we have identified for Telecom Plus by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here.

The Importance Of Debt To Return On Equity

Most companies need money -- from somewhere -- to grow their profits. That cash can come from retained earnings, issuing new shares (equity), or debt. In the first two cases, the ROE will capture this use of capital to grow. In the latter case, the debt required for growth will boost returns, but will not impact the shareholders' equity. In this manner the use of debt will boost ROE, even though the core economics of the business stay the same.

Telecom Plus' Debt And Its 29% ROE

Telecom Plus does use a high amount of debt to increase returns. It has a debt to equity ratio of 1.00. While no doubt that its ROE is impressive, we would have been even more impressed had the company achieved this with lower debt. Debt does bring extra risk, so it's only really worthwhile when a company generates some decent returns from it.
Botswana strengthened diplomatic ties with Moscow and invited Russian investors to cooperate on mining and mineral processing, part of efforts to combat plummeting revenues from its staple diamond mining industry. Russias state news agency TASS, quoting Botswanas foreign minister, also reported that the country plans to open an embassy in Moscow soon.

Botswana  the worlds largest producer of diamonds by value  expected its economy to shrink by 0.9% in 2025 due to a prolonged downturn in the market for the precious stones. Meanwhile, Russia has in recent years sought to strengthen its political ties with African countries and gain access to the continents vital minerals after Western nations imposed sanctions in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Diamonds account for a third of Botswanas income, and have made the country one of Africas richest. But the rise of lab-grown alternatives has devalued the stones. In a separate move to boost public coffers, Gaborone also plans to offer passports for cash. The golden passport proposal still needs parliamentary approval, but would allow foreigners to buy citizenship for $100,000, the Financial Times reported.

A chart showing Botswanas diamond production growth, year-over-year.

 Alexis Akwagyiram
The Orange County Retired Teachers will meet at Wesley United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, located at 401 N 37th Street, at 10:30 a.m., Monday. January 12.

The guest speaker will be from the Orange Fire Department. Fire safety tips for older adults will be shared. All Orange County retired teachers and school personnel are invited to attend.

Volunteer hours for 2025 should be turned in to Ginger Williams, or you can bring the total hours to the meeting. If you havent joined or renewed your TRTA membership for the 2025-2026 year, you can still join. It may be the best $40 ($35 state, $5 local) you spend each year as we continue to advocate for retirement security. If you have any questions call 409-670-7703.

Refreshments will be served.
Giving a push to the ST demand Eyes on 2027 Assembly polls

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Make it an election issue. This has been the call of The Sangai Express for quite some time and now is perhaps the right time to pitchfork the ST for Meiteis demand into the limelight. A step that the Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MMTU) appears to have set into motion if its slogan No ST, No Vote is anything to go by. It was in the midst of the ongoing conflict that Manipur saw activists of the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee going on a door-to-door campaign of all the elected representatives in the valley to elicit their support to the call to send the needed report sought by the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry on the demand that the Meiteis be included in the ST list of the Constitution of India. The Sangai Express still stands by the argument that it is the Centre which will decide whether the Meiteis fit the bill to be included in the Scheduled list of the tribals or not, and not any pen pushers here and there who have emerged as speaking out on behalf of the Scheduled Tribes of Manipur. It was in 2013 that the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry sought the ethnographic and socio-economic report of the Meiteis to study whether the said community fits the bill to be tagged a Scheduled Tribe or not. The then Congress Government did not seem to have given it much thought, other than discussing it on the floor of the Assembly, while the BJP led Government preferred to sleep over the matter. And in between, the ST for Meiteis demand was never a major issue in the 2017 and 2022 Assembly elections that followed after 2013. The issue however was never given the quiet burial with the STDCM, MMTU, World Meetei Council (WMC) and others keeping it alive. Then came the May 3, 2023 Tribal Solidarity March, a rally that was ostensibly held against the order (now since struck down) of the High Court of Manipur directing the Government of Manipur to send the report sought by the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry. This is where it becomes important not to forget that it is not the judiciary which can decide whether a community fits the bill to be tagged an ST or not, but Parliament. And this is exactly what the High Court of Manipur asked the State Government to do. To send the report as sought by the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry. This is where the lie of staging the May 3, 2023 Solidarity March stands exposed for one and all to see. At the moment, Manipur is still reeling from the violent confrontations that broke out at Churachandpur on May 3, 2023, but this should be no reason why the ST for Meiteis demand should be given the quiet burial. The MMTU has made it clear that this demand would be made central in the next Assembly elections scheduled in the early part of 2027.

The Meiteis missed the bus to be included in the ST list, but this should be no reason why attempts shouldnt be made to board the ST bus this time. The reality demands it and to give more teeth to this demand, it is only right that this is made a major issue when Manipur goes to polls in 2027. Reach out to the different political parties, reach out to all the potential candidates and see where they stand on the matter, take the campaign to the grassroots level. This can certainly go some way in convincing the local political figures of the need to get the Meiteis enlisted in the ST category. For those who are already in the ST list and fear their quota share being infringed upon, it would do good for all to look at the reality. The reality is, the competition for anything, whether it is for jobs or admissions to educational institutions, should be looked at the pan India level. And Manipur can always have an internal arrangement when it comes to the State itself. A look at the Nagaland model wherein communities are divided into indigenous, backward and forward tribes should help. The journey will be long, no doubt about it, but a beginning has to be made and the coming Assembly elections is perhaps the best time to give the ST for Meiteis demand another big push and in the process make it more meaningful. Along with this, it is also important to see how the other communities can be taken on board, so that there are no misunderstandings and misgivings. This is not to say that it is in the hands of the others who are already in the ST list, to decide whether Meiteis fit the bill to be included in the ST list, but is about the need to reach out to as many people as possible. MMTU has sounded the right call and it would be interesting to see how the political parties, especially the BJP and the Congress, respond to it.
Key Insights

Significant control over Brazilian Rare Earths by individual investors implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions

55% of the business is held by the top 8 shareholders

Insiders have sold recently

We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free.

Every investor in Brazilian Rare Earths Limited (ASX:BRE) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. With 33% stake, individual investors possess the maximum shares in the company. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Individual insiders, on the other hand, account for 27% of the company's stockholders. Large companies usually have institutions as shareholders, and we usually see insiders owning shares in smaller companies.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Brazilian Rare Earths, beginning with the chart below.

Check out our latest analysis for Brazilian Rare Earths

ASX:BRE Ownership Breakdown January 4th 2026

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Brazilian Rare Earths?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

Institutions have a very small stake in Brazilian Rare Earths. That indicates that the company is on the radar of some funds, but it isn't particularly popular with professional investors at the moment. So if the company itself can improve over time, we may well see more institutional buyers in the future. We sometimes see a rising share price when a few big institutions want to buy a certain stock at the same time. The history of earnings and revenue, which you can see below, could be helpful in considering if more institutional investors will want the stock. Of course, there are plenty of other factors to consider, too.

ASX:BRE Earnings and Revenue Growth January 4th 2026

It would appear that 6.0% of Brazilian Rare Earths shares are controlled by hedge funds. That worth noting, since hedge funds are often quite active investors, who may try to influence management. Many want to see value creation (and a higher share price) in the short term or medium term. Kuda Huraa Mining Ventures And Global Investments Corp is currently the largest shareholder, with 9.9% of shares outstanding. The second and third largest shareholders are Whitehaven Coal Limited and Todd Hannigan, with an equal amount of shares to their name at 9.0%. Todd Hannigan, who is the third-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Chairman of the Board. In addition, we found that Bernardo Sanchez da Veiga, the CEO has 4.6% of the shares allocated to their name.
Saint-Laurent, QC (H4T1V6)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 24F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Occasional snow showers. Low 18F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
Can't bear to see your beloved old car scrapped or sold outside Delhi?

Fret not, as the state government is currently planning a Rs 50,000 incentivefor the first 1,000 cars that need retrofittingto encourage people to convert their diesel/petrol cars into electric vehicles (EVs) to combat air pollution.

This subsidy is part of the Transport Department's draft EV Policy 2.0, which aims to boost the production and usage of electric vehicles over the coming years, an Indian Express report said, citing an official in the know.

Retrofitting allows car owners to replace internal combustion engines (ICEs) in their diesel/petrol cars with battery-operated electric kits.

Notably, this is not a new idea, as it was tried at one point by the previous AAP government. The biggest hurdle that retrofitting still presents is the cost involvedboth retrofit kits and the process itself have never been cheap.

"The plan is under consideration, and a final decision will be taken after Cabinet approval, the official said.

Another official also said that the retrofitting of old vehicles would especially benefit those with expensive cars.

We have observed that a large number of people owning Mercedes or BMW cars do not want to sell their vehicles or scrap them. They invested, for instance, Rs 50 lakh, and in return, they get very little. So, the incentives will promote and help people to reuse their costly vehicles, the official explained.

Other aims of the draft EV Policy 2.0 include:

a) Incentives for those buying EVs after scrapping their end-of-life vehicles

b) Increasing funds for Research and Development (R&D) into EVsfrom Rs 5 crore to Rs 100 crore.

c) Increasing the number of electric two-wheelers in Delhi from 5 lakh to 12 lakh over the next few years.

d) Safety ratings for e-rickshaws and e-carts

This comes after the Delhi government lifted restrictions under Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) a few days ago, as the Air Quality Index (AQI) level for Delhi-NCR on January 2 was 263 ('Poor')under the threshold for GRAP III.

While the Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate rule still applies to Delhi-NCRunder which vehicles without a valid PUC certificate would be denied fuel at petrol pumpsthe rules for vehicle entry have changed.

BS4-compliant vehicles (and above) are now allowed into Delhi-NCR with valid PUC certificates, but BS3 petrol vehicles are still not.
The Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) International Airport at Bhogapuram received its first validation flight on January 4, marking the commencement of commercial operations at the airport. The formal inauguration of this greenfield airport is scheduled for June 26 and will be carried out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Located 44 km away from Visakhapatnam, the commercial hub of Andhra Pradesh, and 23 km away from Vizianagaram, the airport is set to serve as the aviation hub for the North Andhra districts.

In the maiden Air India flight, Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and senior officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry arrived, and the aircraft was welcomed with a ceremonial water cannon salute.

Addressing the press, Rammohan Naidu emphasised the speed of execution under the National Democratic Alliance government. From 23 per cent progress, we have reached 96 per cent of project completion. We have achieved this in record time, he said.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, in a post on X, hailed the successful landing of the validation flight and described the airport as the future of the region. He thanked the Prime Minister for helping to expedite the project over the past 18 months. He also congratulated the people of North Andhra on the occasion, calling the new airport a major boost to regional connectivity.

The airport is built and operated by the GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited.

Congratulations to the people of Andhra Pradesh, especially Uttarandhra, on the successful validation flight of the Bhogapuram Greenfield International Airport. Today marks a new milestone for aviation in the state, strengthening regional connectivity and giving a major boost to pic.twitter.com/ujUaKasVsV  N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) January 4, 2026

Ram Mohan Naidu said the airport will go beyond passenger connectivity and will help build an entire aerospace ecosystem, including Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities and aviation education.

The airport is set to receive unlimited international flights, as Visakhapatnam is covered under the open skies framework, which allows an unlimited number of international flights to land at the airport. We are expecting strong interest from international airlines as we are implementing advanced standards at the ASR International Airport, he explained.

Once opened for flights, the Bhogapuram airport will free the current airport at Visakhapatnam, which is being operated as a civilian enclave within the Indian Navys INS Dega air station. Civilian and cargo services will move to the new airport once it is inaugurated.

As the Navy and civilian aircraft currently use the same airfield, expansion of the airport has become difficult. After the shift of civil aviation services to the new airport, the Navy is planning to enhance INS Degas capacity for naval aviation.

The airport was named after Alluri Sitarama Raju, an Indian revolutionary who waged an armed rebellion against British rule. He led the Rampa rebellion (19221924) in the Godavari district of Madras Presidency.
The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, India's indigenous light combat aircraft, achieved its first flight on January 4, 2001, flying for about 18 minutes and reaching speeds of up to 280 knots. Over the course of the past 25 years, the aircraft has completed over 5,600 successful flight trials.

So far, 38 Tejas aircraft (32 fighters and 6 trainers) have been inducted into two squadrons of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

For more defence news, views and updates, visit: Fortress India

India benefited enormously from the development of LCA Tejas, as the country has now acquired both the capability and capacity to build fighter aircraft indigenously.

According to the defence ministry, the LCA programme is one of the most successful indigenous defence programmes, through which the IAF has been provided with an exceptional air superiority fighter.

Speaking about the aircraft programme, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh said, "It is an exceptional milestone that we achieved in 2001, and that has changed the history of our defence aviation and defence designing."

He further said the IAF is looking forward "very eagerly" to further programmes, Mark II and AMCA (the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft).

ALSO READ: Did the 'Year of Reforms' make India's armed forces more combat ready?

The LCA Mk1A is an advanced variant of the Tejas fighter aircraft and will serve as a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of the IAF. LCA Mk II and LCA Navy are currently under development.

"I am sure they are going to be more successful than what Tejas was, with better timelines," he said.

Speaking after inaugurating the two-day national seminar Aeronautics 2047, organised by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) to mark 25 years of LCA Tejas, he said the ADA must strictly adhere to delivery timelines to keep the IAF operationally ready in a rapidly evolving security environment.
The India Air Force, which has been facing a severe shortage of fighter squadrons, has been concerned about the slippage in the delivery schedule of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, with Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh raising the issue publicly.

For more defence news, views and updates, visit: Fortress India

Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development, and Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Samir V. Kamat, has now assured that even as HAL Tejas LCA Mk-1A is in the early stages of induction into the IAF, both the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and LCA Tejas Mark-II are on schedule.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event to mark the 25 years of the LCA Tejas flight programme, Kamat said, "LCA has been a marvellous journey. Now this aircraft is inducted. Now our focus is on the Mark-II variant of LCA and AMCA. Both these programmes are now on schedule, and we hope to deliver our commitment to the Indian Air Force."

The first flight of Mark-II, according to him, is expected to happen in June, and AMCA is likely to be rolled out by the end of 2028. The first flight of the aircraft may happen by early 2029.

ALSO READ: 25 years of LCA Tejas: The aircraft changed India's defence aviation and designing, says IAF chief

He said AMCA, being a fifth-generation aircraft, will have several new technologies. "It's a stealth aircraft, so several new technologies will come in with AMCA," he was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, speaking at a two-day national seminar 'Aeronautics 2047', organised by Aeronautical Development Agency on Sunday to mark 25 years of LCA programme, Kamat underscored the importance of developing indigenous cutting-edge technologies to reduce import dependence and realise the vision of developed India by 2047.
The Critics Choice Awards honoured popular host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel with he best talk show award. In his acceptance speech, Kimmel expressed his gratitude to everyone  writers, celebrities, union members  who stood by him and had his back when his show was pulled off the air recently following his monologue about activist Charlie Kirks suspected killer. Kimmel said then that the MAGA gang was desperately trying to characterise the suspect as anything other than one of them. Kimmel also accused the Trump supporters of attempting to score political points from the assassination.

Thanks to all the writers and actors and producers and union members, many of you who are in this room, who supported us, who really stepped forward for us and reminded us that we do not take free speech for granted in this city or in this country. Your actions were important, and we appreciate them, said Kimmel.

He followed it up with a sarcastic statement, "thanking" Trump. And most of all, I want to thank our president, Donald Jennifer Trump, without whom, we would be going home empty-handed tonight. So thank you, Mr President, for all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day. Its been a banner couple of weeks, and we cant wait to get back on the air tomorrow night to talk about them. Thank you, everyone.

Jimmy Kimmel gets reflective about this emotional year for "Jimmy Kimmel Live" after accepting the Critics Choice Award for best talk show. Watch him weeknights at 11:35p/10:35c on ABC. pic.twitter.com/vRtJsVzN0Z  On The Red Carpet (@OnTheRedCarpet) January 5, 2026

The host of the late-night show returned to ABC in September after a week-long suspension to a rousing welcome, resulting in the shows highest ratings in a decade.

According to Disney-owned ABC, nearly 6.3 million people tuned in to the broadcast on television, compared to the regular 1.4 to 1.8 million viewers. This is in addition to the viewership from streaming services, which reaches around 15 million people. ABC says more than 26 million people watched Kimmel's return on social media, including YouTube.

This is despite many ABC stations in Washington, Seattle, Nashville, and St. Louis deciding not to air the show after Nexstar and Sinclair corporations refused to bring Kimmel back.

On his emotional comeback, Kimmel addressed the controversy, stating it was not his intention to make light of the murder of a young man. Taking a dig at Trump, Kimmel said, Our leader celebrates people losing their livelihoods because he can't take a joke." He choked back tears to add, This show is not important. Whats important is that we live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.

Last month, Disney announced that it had decided to extend Kimmel's deal for another year. He will continue to host his late-night show during this period.


The Supreme Court on Monday ruled on bail pleas arising from the alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots, it was not merely deciding who would walk out of prison. It was attempting to draw a judicial line between different kinds of criminal liabilityone that may shape how courts deal with prolonged incarceration in complex, multi-accused cases involving national security and public order.

Rejecting bail for Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, while granting relief to five other accused, the apex court emphasised what it described as a hierarchy of participation.

To disregard the distinction between those alleged to have played central roles and those whose involvement was merely facilitatory, the bench observed, would itself amount to arbitrariness.

The formulation is significant because bail jurisprudence in India has traditionally rested on broader considerations, the gravity of the offence, the likelihood of tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses, the possibility of absconding, and increasingly, the length of pre-trial incarceration.

In this case, however, the top court placed relative culpability at the centre of its analysis underscoring that all accused in a conspiracy cannot be treated alike, even at the bail stage.

Drawing see-through lines within a conspiracy

Conspiracy law has always posed a challenge for courts. By design, it allows liability to attach not only to those who commit overt acts of violence, but also to those who allegedly plan, incite, or facilitate them. In cases involving mass protests, political mobilisation and communal violence, this elasticity often results in a wide net being cast, with numerous accused grouped under a single prosecutorial narrative.

The Supreme Courts observation seeks to impose internal discipline on that narrative.

By recognising gradations of participation, the bench signalled that judicial scrutiny must be calibrated and individualised.

Those alleged to have played central or architectural roles, it suggested, stand on a qualitatively different footing from those whose involvement may have been peripheral, episodic or reactive.

This reasoning explains the split outcome. While five accused were granted bailsubject to stringent conditionsthe court held that Khalid and Imam were differently placed, based on the prosecutions case that they occupied leadership or ideational positions within the alleged conspiracy. The distinction, the court indicated, was not merely factual but went to the heart of culpability itself.

Liberty, delay and the limits of time as a defence

The ruling, however, sits uneasily with another judicial concern that has gained prominence in recent years, prolonged pre-trial incarceration.

Both Khalid and Imam have spent over five years in custody, with the trial still far from completion. In multiple cases, the Supreme Court has held that such delay can itself violate Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty.

In this case, the court acknowledged the length of incarceration but refused to treat delay as a trump card. In prosecutions implicating the sovereignty, integrity or security of the State, the bench held, delay does not automatically displace statutory restraints on bail. Instead, delay merely triggers heightened judicial scrutiny, it does not, by itself, compel release.

This distinction is crucial. It reflects a judicial unwillingness to allow the passage of time alone to neutralise legislative intent in national security cases. At the same time, by directing the trial court to ensure that the examination of protected witnesses proceeds without delay, the court implicitly recognised that endless incarceration without trial remains constitutionally fraught.

Expanding the idea of a terrorist act

Equally consequential was the top courts broader articulation of what may constitute a terrorist act. Rejecting a narrow, weapons-centric understanding, the bench observed that terrorism is not confined to the use of bombs, explosives or firearms. It may also encompass acts that disrupt supplies or services essential to the life of the community, or those that threaten the economic security of the nation.

This interpretation expands the conceptual scope of anti-terror legislation, aligning it with contemporary forms of disruption that may not involve conventional violence but can nonetheless destabilise society.

A precedent with far-reaching consequences

The idea of a hierarchy of participation is likely to resonate well beyond the Delhi riots cases. It equips trial courts with a conceptual framework to differentiate between accused at the bail stage, even when charges are identical. At the same time, it places a heavier burden on judges to engage closely with the prosecutions narrative raising concerns that bail hearings may begin to resemble mini-trials.

The unresolved balance

Ultimately, the Supreme Courts ruling reflects a deeper tension within Indias criminal justice system, how to balance individual liberty against collective harm, and how to do so without either flattening distinctions or prejudging guilt. By articulating a hierarchy of participation and clarifying that delay is not an automatic passport to bail in national security cases, the court has attempted to walk a narrow and contested path.

Whether this approach leads to greater fairness or deeper entrenchment of prosecutorial narratives will depend on how lower courts apply these principles and how vigilantly appellate courts revisit prolonged incarceration as trials inch forward.
The city of Budapest has been cut to junk status by Moodys, a leading global credit rating agency, in a ratings action that explicitly links the Hungarian capitals short-term credit risk to liquidity pressure and an ongoing institutional dispute with the national government.

"Moody's Ratings has today downgraded the City of Budapest's Baseline Credit Assessment to ba1 from baa3 and long-term issuer ratings (foreign and domestic) to Ba1 from Baa3. At the same time, the ratings have also been placed on review for further downgrade," the agency said in a statement.

Budapests downgrade to Ba1 takes the city out of investment-grade territory, signalling higher short-term credit risk and potentially raising borrowing costs.

By contrast, other European capitals sit comfortably in investment grade: Pariss long-term issuer credit rating is A+/A-1 and Berlins local-government long-term issuer rating is rated AAA by Fitch and Scope and Aa1 by Moodys, reflecting very low credit risk and strong institutional support.

Budapests Ba1 rating therefore places it below most large Western European municipal peers, indicating that under current conditions Moodys sees it as more exposed to uncertainty  rather than having the stronger, more predictable credit profiles seen in Paris and Berlin.

Orban tries to squeeze the capital, mayor says

Budapests liberal mayor Gergely Karacsony and Hungarys ruling Fidesz party have been locked in a bitter fiscal dispute that has directly affected the citys cash flow.

Karacsony has repeatedly accused the national government of reducing state transfers and redirecting funds away from the capital since he took office, claiming that state financing for local governments was cut by about 20% on average and that in Budapests case it was cut by around 30%, meaning less money was automatically transferred under the usual funding system.

He has also said the government failed to pay funds the city was legally due  for example, agreed subsidies for projects like the renovations for the capital's iconic Chain Bridge or new trolley buses  which has squeezed the citys finances.

Karacsony also said that the amount the city is required to pay in so-called solidarity contributions  a levy Budapest pays to the central budget  has been increased sharply and used to offset funds that were previously earmarked for local government purposes, leaving the city with even less revenue than expected.

The Solidarity Contribution Tax was introduced in Hungary in its current form in 2019 with the purpose of ensuring that wealthier municipalities with higher revenues contribute to supporting poorer municipalities facing more difficult financial situations.
The Supreme Court of India on Monday denied bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the alleged conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots, holding that considerations of national security and public order outweigh claims of prolonged pre-trial incarceration at this stage of proceedings.

At the same time, a Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria granted bail to five other accusedGulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed are subject to stringent conditions. The Court made it clear that the grant of bail to these accused does not amount to any dilution of the allegations against them.

The former JNU student, Umar Khalid, has been languishing in jail without trial and bail since 2020 for his alleged involvement in the Delhi riots, a charge he vehemently denies. The violence had erupted during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

Pronouncing the operative portion of the judgment, the bench underscored that it had consciously avoided adopting a collective or unified approach while deciding the appeals. It recorded its satisfaction that the prosecution material disclosed prima facie allegations against Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, sufficient to attract the statutory bar on bail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The statutory threshold stands attracted qua these appellants. This stage of the proceedings does not justify their enlargement on bail, the Court observed, adding that the nature of accusations and the material placed on record warranted continued custody at the pre-trial stage.

A key plank of the ruling was the courts distinction between the roles attributed to different accused. The bench noted that the record indicated varying degrees of participation and culpability, requiring each bail plea to be assessed independently. All appellants do not stand on equal footing, the Court said, emphasising that a hierarchy of participation emerges from the prosecution case.

In this context, the bench held that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stood on a qualitatively different footing compared to the other accused who were granted bail. While the order did not delve into evidentiary appreciation in detail, the court indicated that the allegations against the two activists suggested a deeper and more central role in the alleged conspiracy, sufficient to justify a higher threshold being applied to their bail pleas.

Addressing defence arguments on prolonged incarceration without trial, the court reiterated that the UAPA is a special statute reflecting a legislative judgment on bail conditions in cases involving national security and public order. Referring to Section 43D(5) of the Act, the bench noted that courts are required to deny bail if, on a perusal of the case diary and police report, the accusation appears to be prima facie true.

The provision, the court explained, mandates a structured inquiry at the bail stage, not into proof beyond reasonable doubt, but into whether the prosecution material discloses prima facie offences and whether the role attributed to the accused bears a reasonable nexus to the alleged offence. At this stage, considerations of liberty, though important, must yield to statutory constraints enacted in the interest of security and order, the bench said.

For the five accused granted bail, the court imposed strict conditions, including restrictions on travel, communication, and participation in activities that could influence witnesses or affect the trial. It clarified that any violation of these conditions would entitle the trial court to cancel bail after hearing the accused.

The ruling once again sharpens attention on the Supreme Courts evolving approach to bail under special anti-terror statutes, highlighting the uneasy balance between personal liberty and the States assertion of national security. That tension between constitutional freedoms and preventive restraint continues to fuel legal scrutiny and public debate as the protracted Delhi riots trial moves ahead.
Activist Umar Khalid, who was denied bail by the Supreme Court in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, said that jail is now his life, according to his partner Banojyotsna Lahiri.

Khalid expressed happiness and relief for others who had been granted bail. "'I am really happy for the others who got bail! So relieved, Umar said. Ill come tomorrow for Mulaqat, I replied. Good, good, aa jana. Ab yahi zindagi hai," Banojyotsna posted on X.

"I am really happy for the others, who got bail! So relieved", Umar said.



"I'll come tomorrow for Mulaqat", I replied.



"Good good, aa jana. Ab yahi zindagi hai".#UmarKhalid  banojyotsna ... (@banojyotsna) January 5, 2026

The top court refused to grant bail to Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, stating that there was a prima facie case against them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria, however, granted bail to activists Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad in the case.

"This court is satisfied that the prosecution material disclosed a prima facie allegation against the appellants Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam... This stage of proceedings does not justify their enlargement on bail," the apex court stated while hearing the bail plea.

Khalids father, S.Q.R. Ilyas, expressed disappointment at the court ruling, calling it "unfortunate."

"No comments. It is unfortunate. I have nothing to say. The judgment is there, and I have nothing to say," Ilyas said.

At least 53 people died and over 700 others were injured during the riots in northeast Delhi in February 2020, which erupted amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
A South Korean man was stabbed to death by his Manipuri live-in partner in Greater Noida on Sunday. Police have taken the woman into custody.

The victim, identified as Duck Hee Yuh, 47, was a resident of ATS Pious Highway Society in Sector 150 of Noida and worked as a manager for a well-known mobile companys logistics branch for the last 10 years.

The Knowledge Park police station was alerted of the incident after the accused, Lunjeana Pamai, 22, from Bishnupur, Manipur, brought in the man for treatment at the hospital after the stabbing.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: ADCP Greater Noida, Sudhir Kumar, says, "On January 4, 2026, we received a call from GIMS Hospital at Police Station Knowledge Park that a person named Duck Hee Yuh, who is a resident of South Korea, had been brought dead to the hospital... This person has https://t.co/SIoCgitF1o pic.twitter.com/iQJYcyR6cH  ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2026

Doctors from the government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) informed the police that the man was dead on arrival.

The two had been in a live-in relationship in a flat for the past two years, according to police.

Pamai was unemployed at this time.

According to the initial investigation, Yuh was drinking during the night of the incident. An argument broke out between them over the excessive drinking. Between 3 am and 4 am Pamai tried to make him stop and escalated to become physical. Yuh then beat Pamai after which she picked up the knife from the dining table and stabbed him a number of times in the chest.

Pamai then called his driver, Mandeep Singh. She explained the situation to him, and an ambulance was called. Yub was declared dead at the hospital.

During the interrogation, the woman said that Yuh was physically abusive after drinking. She had stabbed him in a fit of rage with a knife.

Police also found medical kits at the flat, which indicated that she may have tried to stop the bleeding after the stabbing. She had also allegedly asked for help from the neighbours and knocked at their door.

Neighbours who spoke to local media said that the two had been engaged in arguments for the past few days.

Police have said that Yuhs family in South Korea have been informed. He was a resident of Cheongju, South Korea.

Yuh and Pamai met at a party in Gurgaon before they entered into a relationship.

Additional Superintendent of police, Greater Noida, Sudhir Kumar, said that a murder case has been registered and that the accused was taken into custody. The South Korean embassy was also informed.
Arjun Sharma, the 26-year-old Indian man who fled home after murdering his former girlfriend, Nikitha Godishala, has been arrested in Tamil Nadu after an international manhunt.

According to media reports, Interpol arrested the accused in Tamil Nadu after sustained surveillance and information sharing between various agencies.

Nikitha Godishala, a resident of Ellicott City, was reported missing on January 2. She was later found with stab wounds in the apartment of her ex-boyfriend in Columbia, Maryland.

Sharma is believed to have killed Godishala shortly after 7 pm on December 31. Later, Sharma made the missing person report to the police and said he last saw Godishala on December 31 in his apartment in the Maryland city.

Police obtained a warrant for Sharma's arrest on first and second-degree murder charges and launched a manhunt. Sharma had left the country on a flight to India the same day after marking the missing person report.

Investigations revealed that Sharma continued to be in touch with Godishala even after their break-up. The circumstances of the murder, according to Howard County police spokesperson Seth Hoffman, suggested that it was a premeditated crime.

The motive of the crime is yet to be known.

The Indian Embassy in Washington DC said in a post on X that it is in contact with Godishala's family and is extending all possible consular assistance. The Embassy is also following up on the matter with the local authorities, it said.
A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed confidence in the NDA forming the government in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami contradicted his statement saying that his party will form a majority government on its own.

Shah who was on a two-day trip to Tamil Nadu was addressing the BJP cadres at the concluding meeting of the Tamilagam Thalai Nimira Tamilanin Payanam yatra in Pudukottai, led by Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagenthran. Shahs statement came in at a time when the party had already begun the seat sharing talks with the AIADMK.

Palaniswami did not call on Shah citing prior engagements. The two different statements and Palansiwami skipping a personal meeting with Shah brings to fore the growing differences within the NDA which is already struggling to expand the alliance. NDAs earlier partners like Dr. S. Ramadosss PMK and late Vijayakanths DMDK have also not confirmed about continuing in the NDA.

Interestingly Palaiswamis close aide and AIADMKs second-in-command S.P. Velumani called on Shah at Tiruchirapalli twice. While sources say that Velumani discussed the current political situation and also about taking forward the party's goal of defeating the DMK in the Assembly election this year, the meeting was to resolve a deadlock on the seat sharing. Velumanis meeting with Shah is looked at as a crucial development as he was also part of the six-member committee, which insisted Palaniswami bring back the rebel leaders. And one of the six members, K.A. Sengottaiyan, had already switched to Vijays TVK. Velumanis meeting with Shah comes in the backdrop of the AIADMK being firm on its stance on contesting from at least 170 constituencies so that it can win in a single majority. During the first round of talks with Union minister Piyush Goyal, sources say, that Palaniswami was willing for any negotiation and insisted that the AIADMK will contest in 170 constituencies and will allocate only 64 constituencies to the alliance partners.

The BJP wants share in power. Our leader will never agree to this, a former AIADMK minister told THE WEEK. Sources say that the BJP is insisting on securing more seats so that it can accommodate the AIADMK rebels like O. Panneerselvam and T.T.V. Dhinakaran.

Just 50 kms away from Tiruchirappalli, where Amit Shah was celebrating Pongal with his party cadres, T.T.V. Dhinakaran was addressing his party cadres only to drop several hints on his AMMK joining an alliance stitched by actor politician Vijay. Sources say that Panneerselvam also opted for an alliance with Vijay. Both Dhinakaran and Panneerselvam are opposed to Palaniswami leading the alliance. The two quit the NDA, saying that they cannot accept Palaniswami as the chief minister candidate.

Dhinakaran and OPS moving towards TVK will hurt the NDA, which depends largely on the two for the Thevar vote bank in south Tamil Nadu. Sources in the BJP said that Shah was unhappy with the local BJP leadership for making OPS and Dhinakaran walk out of the alliance. They have made up their mind to go with Vijay, said a senior BJP leader.

However, the BJP is in no mood to give up its demand of share in power which has already upset the alliance equations in the state.
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to intervene in a petition filed by former Travancore Devaswom Board member K.P. Shankar Das in the Sabarimala gold theft case.

You didn't even spare God, remarked the bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma as it dismissed Dass plea, which sought the removal of adverse remarks made against him by the Kerala High Court.

The top court noted that, as a board member, Das was also accountable for the alleged gold theft at the famous hill shrine.

Das, in his plea, had sought the deletion of five paragraphs from the High Court order, which stated that he, along with K. Vijayakumar, could not escape criminal conspiracy charges.

At least 10 people, including two former TDB presidents, have been arrested so far by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) as part of its probe into the theft of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the Sreekovil doorframes at the temple.

The SIT was constituted following the directions of the high court, which last month granted the team an additional six months to complete its investigation.

Meanwhile, the political slugfest over the case intensified in Kerala, with Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan accusing the Chief Minister's Office of interfering to exert pressure on the SIT to delay the investigation.

The probe team had recently questioned former Devaswom Minister and senior CPI(M) legislator Kadakampally Surendran, and former TDB president P.S. Prasanth.

The opposition alleged that the SIT kept Surendran's questioning secret at the government's behest, as the CPI(M) sought to avoid political damage ahead of the local body polls.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran conducted a missile launch and air defense system test exercise over the weekend, including in Tehran and Shiraz, according to reports. This comes amid fears among the leadership that Israel could use the protests as a weapon to target the Islamic regime.

According to the New York Times, senior officials in Tehran have admitted in closed-door talks that the Islamic Republic has entered a survival mode, with demonstrations continuing for a week amid economic collapse and political discontent. Iranian officials have expressed concern that if the instability in the country continues, Israel will take advantage of the situation and attack its territory again.

For latest news and analyses on Middle East, visit: Yello! Middle East

Tehran is also worried about US President Donald Trumps threat to intervene in the crisis and come to the aid of the protesters. If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue, Trump wrote. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.

Iran conducted an air defense drill over Tehran using anti-aircraft systems. pic.twitter.com/NhIUuLYdjx  Mintel World (@mintelworld) January 5, 2026

The remark led to many reactions from senior Iranian officials and the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic, following which an emergency meeting was convened.

Following this, Iranian state television announced that the IRGC launched a missile launch and air defense system test exercise last night. Videos showing air defence activity appeared from multiple locations, including Tehran and Maragheh in northwestern Iran, according to various Persian language social media channels.

The IRGC has not issued an official statement confirming the nature or scope of the military activity. Iranian authorities routinely conduct air defence exercises, though the timing coincided with heightened regional tensions.

To add to speculation over Iran's future moves, the country's authorities also posted several banners across Tehran at the start of January threatening further attacks against Israel and the US base in Qatar, with state media publishing images of banners showing locations of previous strikes carried out by the Iranian military. According to social media posts from across the city, the phrase "It Will Happen Again" was posted on the street banners.
Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly has a contingency plane to flee the country if the security forces fail to suppress the growing protests, which are now on the ninth day.

Khamenei, 86, is reportedly planning to escape Tehran with his close aides and family, according to an intelligence report shared with British newspaper The Times.

According to one intelligence source, The plan B is for Khamenei and his very close circle of associates and family, including his son and nominated heir apparent, Mojtaba.

Mojtaba is widely considered a potential successor.

The move would be triggered if Irans military or internal security forces become unwilling or unable to enforce orders.

Beni Sabti, who served in Israeli intelligence, said that Khamenei would flee to Moscow as there is no other place for him 

Sabti said that Khamenei views Putin favourably and considers Russia a cultural and political ally more than Western states.

According to the report, the plan is based on observations made from the collapse of Syrias former ruler, Bashar al-Assad, and his subsequent exile in Moscow in December 2024.

An exit route out of Tehran assets and properties and cash have all been gathered to facilitate their escape, the source said. Khamenei also controls extensive holdings through a network of foundations, including Setad, a powerful quasi-state organisation. A 2014 investigation into his assets found that the value of assets under his control stood at roughly $95 billion.

The Iranian anti-regime protesters are burning down more and more propaganda billboards.



The latest billboard to be taken care of was located in Fardis and had the images of Khomeini and Khamenei.



Via @ShayanX0 pic.twitter.com/pj1Hlb8ttQ  Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) January 5, 2026

Many in his circle also already live outside Iran, including in North America and the Gulf.

The report has surfaced as protests driven by economic hardships have reached the ninth day in Iran.

Protesters have been seen setting fire to images of Irans founding leader, Ruhuollah Khomeini, and Ali Khamenei on Sunday. Demonstrations and unrest were reported in 222 locations across 78 cities in 26 provinces, and the death toll has risen to 20.

Efforts by police and security forces to quell protests have intensified.

Khamenei has been keeping a low profile in recent weeks and has not addressed the latest protests.
The real estate sector across the GCC saw a marked improvement in 2025, thanks to the relative stability in global monetary policy. The New Year seems to be sending a positive signal with expectations that this stability could translate into actual investment decisions.

While the UAE witnessed a significant uptick driven by strong population growth, government incentives, a booming luxury sector, and investor confidence, Qatar, too, has had a good year. As per the official date, the real estate transactions in Qatar exceeded 657 million Qatari riyals in the week ended December 25.

This is a steep increase from the previous week, when total real estate transactions reached about 463 million riyals, according to Qatar News Agency. That earlier period included sales contracts worth 354.26 million riyals and residential unit transactions totaling 108.76 million riyals, the Qatar News Agency reported.

This underscores steady property market activity with trading across Doha and other municipalities staying high. According to the Real Estate Registration Department of the Ministry of Justice, residential unit sales recorded at 49.4 million riyals during the period.

The weekly bulletin issued by the department stated that the properties traded included vacant land, houses, residential buildings, residential complexes, commercial shops, commercial and residential buildings, a commercial and administrative building, and residential units, the QNA report stated.

Hot spots

The areas which are in demand include municipalities of Al-Rayyan, Doha, Al-Wakrah, and Umm Slal, in addition to Al-Daayen, Al Khor, as well as Al Thakhira, and Al-Shamal. They also included key areas, including The Pearl Island, and Al-Kharayej, along with Lusail 69, Al-Wukair, Ghar Thuaileb, and Al-Sakhama municipalities, according to Arab News.

According to a report by Knight Frank, the first half of 2025 saw Qatars real estate sector showing resilience. There was a rise in residential activity, steady office demand, and growth in hospitality and retail.

Residential transaction values reached 9.23 billion riyals in the second quarter, up 114 percent year on year, led by Doha, Al Daayen, and Al Wakrah. Apartment prices rose 3.5 percent to an average of 13,270 riyals per square metre, while villa prices edged lower. Land sales jumped 85 percent, and prime office rents in Lusail held steady at about 115 riyals per square metre.
Rajasthan will host a major regional conference on artificial intelligence this week, as part of Indias run-up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026 that aims to democratise AI and bridge the global AI divide.

The Rajasthan Regional AI Impact Conference 2026 will be held in Jaipur on January 6, 2026.

It is positioned as a key platform to discuss how AI can support better governance, faster economic growth, innovation, and more inclusive development in the state and beyond.

Senior leaders from the Centre and the state are slated to attend, including Union Electronics & IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of State Jitin Prasada, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, and state IT & Communication Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore.

The conference is being held alongside Rajasthan DigiFest  TiE Global Summit 2026, underlining the states push to become a hub for digital innovation and emerging tech.

Rajasthan and AI

According to the agenda, sessions will cover AI for public service delivery and governance, ethical and responsible AI, and how AI will shape the future of jobs and skills. There will be a focus on Rajasthans startup and innovation ecosystem, and on advanced use cases such as Digital Twins and AI-led infrastructure planning.

Speakers are also expected to debate whether AI can help India move from an outsourcing-led IT model to creating world-class intellectual property and products. IIT Jodhpur will bring an academic and research perspective, highlighting how local institutions can build AI solutions that are rooted in Indian realities but competitive globally.

Road to India AI Impact Summit

The Jaipur event is one of several Regional AI Impact Conferences feeding into the India AI Impact Summit 2026, to be hosted at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

The broader summit, led by the IndiaAI Mission and MeitY, is built around the themes of democratising AI and bridging the AI divide, with working groups on human capital, safe and trusted AI, inclusion, innovation, science, shared AI resources and AI for economic growth and social good.

Ahead of the summit, MeitY says around 300 pre-summit events are being held worldwide, including dozens of regional and international meetings to capture diverse views from citizens, startups, researchers and policymakers.
Investing.com -- Morgan Stanley is urging investors to accumulate the shares of one semiconductor stock, citing a key catalyst next week, arguing it could move higher if guidance aligns with expectations.

Analyst Charlie Chan writes that TSMCs share price may get closer to our PT of NT$1888 if the company guides 2026 revenue growth of 25% year over year and raises its AI semiconductor foundry revenue CAGR for 2024-2029 to 60%.

TSMC will hold its fourth-quarter 2025 analyst meeting on January 15, which Morgan Stanley identifies as the central catalyst.

The firm reiterates its preview assumptions, noting it expects TSMC may guide 2026 full-year revenue growth of 25% Y/Y by baking in some conservatism, and then exceed that in subsequent quarters and deliver 30% Y/Y growth.

It also expects the foundry to lift its AI revenue CAGR to 60%, supported by anticipated demand for 3nm and 2nm production. Capex is expected to land between US$48 billion and US$50 billion for 2026.

Morgan Stanley outlines three potential outcomes. In its base case, to which it assigns a 60% probability, TSMC guides mid-20% full-year revenue growth, sets 2026 capex at US$48 billion to US$50 billion, keeps first-quarter 2026 revenue flat quarter over quarter, and maintains margins at around 60%.

Under this scenario, the firm sees the share price rising 2-3%.

A more bullish scenario could lift shares 4-5%. The bank states that this scenario would see TSMC guide 2026 full-year revenue growth of high-20%, 2026 capex US$50-55bn, and raise AI semiconductor foundry revenue CAGR (2024-2029) to 75%.

Meanwhile, a weaker outlook would see "TSMC guide 2026 full-year revenue growth of low-20%, 2026 capex US$43-48bn, and keep AI semiconductor foundry revenue CAGR (2024-2029) at 45%.

The bank believes this would result in the stock falling 3-4%.

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The US has issued an arrest warrant for a 26-year-old Indian man, who fled home after murdering his ex-girlfriend on New Years Eve at her apartment in Columbia, Howard County. Arjun Sharma is wanted on first and second-degree murder charges in connection with the gruesome murder of his ex-girlfriend, 27-year-old Nikitha Godishala, of Ellicott City.

According to the US police, Sharma contacted law enforcement last Friday to report Godishala missing. He also informed the police that he last saw Godishala on New Year's Eve at his apartment. However, later that day, police found out he had headed to Dulles International Airport and boarded a plane bound for India. Following this, a search warrant was issued and executed at his apartment, where officers found Godishalas body.

Godishala's body was found with multiple stab wounds and other trauma inside the apartment. Detectives believe Sharma killed Godishala shortly after 7 p.m. on New Year's Eve.

A motive is not currently known, but police believe it was premeditated. "There was obviously some premeditation to be able to do this and then to flee the country, so that's what we have right now as far as charges," Howard County police spokesman Seth Hoffman was quoted by CBS News.

However, Hoffman is unaware of any issues between the former couple. "We are unaware of any previous calls for service or incidents involving the two of them," Hoffman said. "We do believe it wasn't uncommon that they would still meet each other and have communication after their relationship ended, but we don't have a motive right now as to why he would kill her."

No murder weapon has been recovered.

Nikitha Godishala, who completed her Master's in Health Information Technology, is currently working in a private company as a Data and Strategy Analyst. She studied at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. The Indian Embassy in Washington DC said it is in contact with Godishalas family and is providing consular assistance. "The Embassy is in contact with the family of Ms Nikitha Godishala and is extending all possible consular assistance," officials wrote. "The Embassy is also following up on the matter with the local authorities."

Meanwhile, even before Sharma reported her missing, Godishalas friends had raised an alarm about her absence on New Year. Some put up posts on social media to ask if anyone knew her whereabouts. The last time her family and friends heard from her was around 7 p.m. on December 31.

Hoffman added that the murder investigation was launched after they received information from friends and family that really raised some red flags.
After Venezuela, is the United States targeting Greenland? Since the capture of Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, there are growing concerns that Donald Trump could target other nations, including Greenland, in order to assert 'dominance'.

Trump said that Colombia, Cuba and Mexico were in his sights. "We absolutely need Greenland - we need it for defence," said Trump, adding that the Danish territory is "surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.

Trump on Sunday emphasised that the US must protect the Western Hemisphere from rival powers.

AUDIO | When asked about Greenland, US President Donald Trump says, I will say this about Greenland - we need Greenland from a national security standpoint. Its very strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships...#DonaldTrump #Greenland pic.twitter.com/8KfgbxY9el  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 5, 2026

A diplomatic row erupted with Trump's adviser's wife posting a US flag painted over Greenland amid the Venezuela operation. The image was posted hours after the Venezuela invasion.

Social media post irks Denmark

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen ridiculed Trump's statement and said there is "no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland."

"The image shared by Katie Miller, depicting Greenland wrapped in an American flag, changes nothing whatsoever." Frederiksen also added that, "our country is not for sale."

That said, the image is disrespectful. Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law  not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights, he added.

Earlier, Trump had pointed to Greenland's large reserves of rare earth minerals, oil, gas and other resources. US Thule Air Base, operating from the northwest coast of Greenland, plays a key role in missile defence.

Targeting Cuba, Trump has said it's a "falling nation right now." "That system has not been a very good one for Cuba.' Former president Joe Biden removed Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism last year, but Mr Trump reinstated the designation within his first days in office.

Amid tensions, Cuba warned its citizens, saying, "All nations of the region must remain alert, as the threat hangs over all."
Bets placed around the December 3 US military operation in Venezuela, which saw the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, recently led to online traders earning huge sums of money as profits.

A newly created trading account on Polymarket allegedly bet $30,000 (about Rs 27 lakh) on Maduro's exit hours before US President Donald Trump announced the capture, sparking concerns of insider trading.

Within 24 hours, the bet on the blockchain-based prediction market reportedly paid out $436,759.61 (about Rs 3.93 crore), an Axios report said.

Insider trading is when traders with inside information use it to place bets that have a more assured outcome, giving them an unfair advantage over others that might not be in the know.

The report added that the question, 'Maduro in US custody by January 31?', had also begun trending on Polymarket by late Friday, after it had been stale for the past few weeks. It spiked early on Saturday, at around the time Trump announced the US extraction of Maduro.

One Polymarket trader told The Wall Street Journal that they had earned about $80,000 (about Rs 72 lakh) after noticing a spike in late-night food orders from Domino's Pizza outlets near the Pentagon.

Such activity is often perceived by traders as possible hints of increased staff taking care of vital operations that cannot wait for the next day. They then use these cues as context to make betting decisions.

In that regard, though it is quite normal for insiders to emerge in the field of prediction markets, many users were still surprised by the bet, and how much the trader who predicted the Venezuela capture earned from it.

"With only 4 predictions he turned his $30K into half a million dollars. Its pretty obvious he is from the trump office milking Polymarket for quick money," an X user speculated.

a trump insider has just made $500K on Polymarket



this random account that started buying just a few hours before Trump started attacking on Venezuela



with only 4 predictions he turned his $30K into half a million dollars



its pretty obvious he is from the trump office pic.twitter.com/oqzfA1kwQ0  gyanxbt (@gyanxbt) January 3, 2026

"When you have inside informationor the right friendsa 6 per cent probability looks very different," another X user mused.

Trump's friend made $400,000 on Polymarket!



Profile: https://t.co/IwRbipoDj1



It looks like someone close to Trump didnt miss the opportunity to profit from the escalation of the conflict in Venezuela



The account was created in late December and placed only 4 bets - all pic.twitter.com/22WnyvCSXk  GOATY (@goatyishere) January 3, 2026

"Prediction markets are supposed to have insiders. Their goal isn't to entertain degenerates, their goal is to power a "truth machine," a Redditor claimed.
The US authorities arrested an unidentified man on Monday after he allegedly broke the windows of Vice President JD Vance's residence in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi revealed that the accused was arrested by the agency and handed over to local police over suspicion of property damage.

 PICTURED: The smashed windows of Vice President JD Vances Ohio home



[@WLWT] pic.twitter.com/LffEbxhKTh  Politics US (@PolitlcsUS) January 5, 2026

The US Secret Service called for police at 12.15 am about a person "running eastbound".

The official said Vance and his family were not in Ohio and the residence was not occupied when the incident occurred.

The $1.4 million home along the Ohio River in Cincinnatis East Walnut Hills was purchased by Vance and his wife Usha in 2018.

This is a developing story. More details awaited.
Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel (NYSE:ELPC  Get Free Report) and Vistra (NYSE:VST  Get Free Report) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation and earnings.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel and Vistra, as reported by MarketBeat.

Get Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel alerts:

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel 0 1 0 0 2.00 Vistra 0 3 12 4 3.05

Vistra has a consensus price target of $232.40, suggesting a potential upside of 40.68%. Given Vistras stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Vistra is more favorable than Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel.

Risk and Volatility

Dividends

Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel has a beta of 0.03, suggesting that its stock price is 97% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vistra has a beta of 1.41, suggesting that its stock price is 41% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel pays an annual dividend of $0.41 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.6%. Vistra pays an annual dividend of $0.91 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel pays out 80.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Vistra pays out 32.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Vistra has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

90.9% of Vistra shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of Vistra shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel and Vistras revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel $22.41 billion 0.43 $545.70 million $0.51 17.47 Vistra $17.22 billion 3.25 $2.66 billion $2.77 59.64

Vistra has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel. Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Vistra, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel and Vistras net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel N/A N/A N/A Vistra 6.70% 64.04% 4.45%

Summary

Vistra beats Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel on 16 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel

(Get Free Report)

Companhia Paranaense de Energia  COPEL engages in the generation, transformation, distribution, and sale of electricity to industrial, residential, commercial, rural, and other customers in Brazil. The company operates through Power Generation and Transmission, Power Distribution, GAS, Power Sale, and Holding and Services segments. It is also involved in the piped natural gas distribution. The company operates hydroelectric, wind, and thermoelectric plants; and owns and operates transmission and distribution lines. It holds concessions to distribute electricity in municipalities in the State of Parana and in the municipality of Porto Uniao in the State of Santa Catarina. Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Curitiba, Brazil.

About Vistra

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Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia. In addition, the company is involved in the electricity generation, wholesale energy purchases and sales, commodity risk management, fuel production, and fuel logistics management activities. It serves approximately 4 million customers with a generation capacity of approximately 37,000 megawatts with a portfolio of natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage facilities. The company was formerly known as Vistra Energy Corp. and changed its name to Vistra Corp. in July 2020. Vistra Corp. was founded in 1882 and is based in Irving, Texas.

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Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST) said it has revised down full-year production guidance after a soft December quarter that was impacted by several isolated operational issues across its portfolio, while management reiterated confidence in the underlying asset base and pointed to upcoming growth catalysts.

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Guidance lowered after December quarter disruptions

Managing Director and CEO Stuart Tonkin said the company has reduced annual production guidance to 1.61.7 million ounces, down from 1.71.85 million ounces, following a number of operational events late in the December quarter. Tonkin said the issues have largely now been rectified, positioning the group to deliver second-half production of 871,000971,000 ounces.

Kalgoorlie: South Kalgoorlie slip and KCGM crusher failures hit throughput

Tonkin said December quarter costs will be provided with quarterly results on, along with any outlook for full-year cost guidance. He also highlighted the companys longer-term plans, including commissioning of a, which he said would deliver a step change in production and costs.

Chief Operating Officer Simon Jessop said the Kalgoorlie Production Centre delivered a lower-than-expected quarter due to two main issues.

South Kalgoorlie (SKO): Following significant rainfall in October, a pit wall slip impeded an escape way, leading to a partial suspension of mining. A new escape way was mined and installed over nine weeks, with normal mining resuming around mid-December. Jessop said SKO has returned to normal operations and the sales impact was 10,000 ounces , consistent with prior disclosure.

Following significant rainfall in October, a pit wall slip impeded an escape way, leading to a partial suspension of mining. A new escape way was mined and installed over nine weeks, with normal mining resuming around mid-December. Jessop said SKO has returned to normal operations and the sales impact was , consistent with prior disclosure. KCGM processing: The mill underperformed during the quarter as Fimiston primary crusher faults impacted plant stability. Jessop said this drove a shortfall of around 650,000 tonnes of throughput in the December quarter. A major Q3 shutdown was brought forward into Q2, lasting over a week, but the crusher failed again 12 hours later, resulting in another two weeks of downtime over the Christmas period until recommissioning started on 5 January. He noted the previous replacement was in February 2021, with an earlier failure in August 2017, and said sourcing specialist labor over the Christmas break extended repair time.

Despite the processing constraints, Jessop said KCGM mining performance was similar to the first quarter. Open pit material movement totaled 22 million tonnes in the December quarter and 45 million tonnes in the first half, placing it at the top of the annual guidance range of 8090 million tonnes. He said the open pit mined approximately 150,000 ounces in Q2 (unreconciled), including 110,000 ounces from Golden Pike.

KCGMs underground operation developed 8.6 kilometers during the quarter and mined 780,000 tonnes (annualized to ~3 million tonnes per annum), producing approximately 42,000 ounces (unreconciled). Total mining achieved about 190,000 ounces for Q2, and with processing constrained, the quarter ended with 1.1 million tonnes at 1.9 g/t (about 70,000 ounces) on the ROM pad.

Jessop also said the KCGM mill expansion continued over the Christmas period and remains on time for an early FY27 ramp-up, with a workforce expected to increase to more than 800 personnel in January.

Yandal: Jundee repairs ongoing; Thunderbox faces tank and grade issues

At the Yandal Production Centre, Jessop said both Jundee and Thunderbox experienced a challenging quarter and first half.

At Jundee, the previously announced localized structural failure in the crushing circuit took longer to repair than anticipated. Jessop said the Coarse Ore Stockpile Tunnel has been excavated, all materials are on site, and the quarters impact was around 170,000 tonnes of processing (at 4050 tonnes per hour), or roughly 15,000 ounces. Normal crushing operations are expected to be restored around mid-February. He also said an airstrip upgrade that was already underway compounded the quarters results by reducing operational time; the airstrip project is expected to be completed in late January.

At Thunderbox, Jessop said reduced throughput due to tank issues also impacted recovery by 5%, while mined grade from Aurelia and haulage of high-grade ore to the mill was lower than expected. He said all tanks were back in operation at quarter end, with further rectifications planned for the second half that will cycle through seven tanks. On Aurelia, Jessop said the resource is not performing as modeled in high-grade areas, prompting a reduction in the mining fleet from 17 trucks to 11. He said Aurelia has an estimated life of about 21 months and is forecast to generate 215,000 ounces at 1.4 g/t. Jessop added that open pit mining at Bannockburn has ramped up, with first ore stockpiled ahead of milling in the second half.

Pogo: lower head grade offset by strong processing metrics

Jessop said Pogo recorded lower gold sales due to a lower head grade of about 0.51 g/t, attributed to stope dilution and ore loss. Ore volume was also about 30,000 tonnes lower due to constraints on scheduled high-grade ore in East Deeps and approximately three days of lost time in December due to extreme cold below -40C. He said processing performance was strong, with availability averaging 92% year to date and recovery at 85.8% in the quarter, about 5% higher than expected. Development improved to 5.2 kilometers for the quarter, exceeding the 1,500-meter monthly target.

Financial position and hedging commitments

Chief Financial Officer Ryan Gurner said the company entered the second half of FY26 in a strong financial position. As of 31 December, preliminary cash and bullion holdings were expected to be about AUD 1.17 billion, with the companys AUD 1.5 billion credit facilities undrawn, resulting in total liquidity of roughly AUD 2.7 billion.

Gurner said the company expects negative free cash flow in Q2, driven by the softer production outcome and a AUD 250 million tax balancing payment for FY25 made during the quarter, alongside annual insurance premiums and a semi-annual coupon payment on notes. He added that despite lower-than-planned sales, the company delivered its hedging commitments, with 330,000 ounces committed for the second half of FY26, which he said is within forecast production.

On costs, Gurner said Q2 all-in sustaining cost per ounce will be higher than Q1 due to lower production and higher sustaining capital during the quarter, while year-to-date sustaining capital spend is tracking to plan. Management said updated cost guidance would be addressed at the upcoming results call after quarterly numbers are finalized.

About Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST)

Northern Star Resources Limited engages in the exploration, development, mining, and processing of gold deposits. It also sells refined gold. It operates in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and Alaska. The company was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Subiaco, Australia.

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Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE:AEM  Get Free Report) (TSE:AEM) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on AEM. Scotiabank reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded Agnico Eagle Mines from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. TD Securities lifted their price target on Agnico Eagle Mines from $154.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, CIBC increased their price objective on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines from $165.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an outperformer rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $201.60.

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Agnico Eagle Mines Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Agnico Eagle Mines stock opened at $170.28 on Friday. Agnico Eagle Mines has a 12-month low of $79.47 and a 12-month high of $187.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $167.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $151.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE:AEM  Get Free Report) (TSE:AEM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The mining company reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.93 billion. Agnico Eagle Mines had a net margin of 32.62% and a return on equity of 15.64%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.14 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Agnico Eagle Mines will post 4.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Agnico Eagle Mines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in Agnico Eagle Mines by 381.3% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 154 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines by 59.7% during the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 198 shares of the mining companys stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Agnico Eagle Mines in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Agnico Eagle Mines in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in Agnico Eagle Mines in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 68.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Agnico Eagle Mines

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Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE: AEM) is a Canadian-based senior gold producer headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The company is principally engaged in the exploration, development, production and reclamation of gold-bearing properties. Agnico Eagle pursues both greenfield and brownfield exploration to expand its resource base and operates a portfolio of producing mines and development projects to generate long-life gold production.

Its core business activities span the full mining lifecycle: grassroots and advanced-stage exploration, prefeasibility and feasibility studies, mine construction, underground and open-pit mining, ore processing and metal recovery, and post-mining reclamation and closure.

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Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG  Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Mizuho from $34.00 to $36.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the restaurant operators stock.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on CMG. Barclays dropped their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $43.00 to $38.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. BTIG Research lowered their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $57.00 to $45.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Raymond James Financial restated an outperform rating and set a $40.00 price objective (down from $52.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Stephens decreased their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $48.00 to $35.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Chipotle Mexican Grill currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $49.87.

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Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock opened at $37.46 on Friday. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a fifty-two week low of $29.75 and a fifty-two week high of $60.20. The businesss fifty day moving average is $34.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.38. The firm has a market cap of $49.54 billion, a PE ratio of 33.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.97.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.29. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.06 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 13.04% and a return on equity of 45.39%. The companys revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.27 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CMG. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, 1248 Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. 91.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Chipotle Mexican Grill News

Here are the key news stories impacting Chipotle Mexican Grill this week:

Positive Sentiment: Company operational update  Chipotle is rolling out its high?efficiency equipment package (HEAP) to speed throughput, improve labor efficiency and consistency; early gains were reported in ~175 restaurants, which could lift same?store throughput and margins if rollout scales. CMGs Throughput Push Accelerates

Company operational update  Chipotle is rolling out its high?efficiency equipment package (HEAP) to speed throughput, improve labor efficiency and consistency; early gains were reported in ~175 restaurants, which could lift same?store throughput and margins if rollout scales. Positive Sentiment: Near?term market momentum  recent coverage noted that CMG closed higher in the latest session, reflecting short?term buying interest that likely ties to the operational news and media attention. Chipotle Exceeds Market Returns

Near?term market momentum  recent coverage noted that CMG closed higher in the latest session, reflecting short?term buying interest that likely ties to the operational news and media attention. Positive Sentiment: Prominent coverage / investor attention  Jim Cramer and other commentators continue to spotlight the CEOs actions and the chains strategy, which can attract short?term buyers and liquidity into the stock. Jim Cramer Coverage

Prominent coverage / investor attention  Jim Cramer and other commentators continue to spotlight the CEOs actions and the chains strategy, which can attract short?term buyers and liquidity into the stock. Neutral Sentiment: Long?term reflection pieces  retrospectives on 10?year returns and 5?year outlooks highlight Chipotles historical compounding and managements long?range goals (7,000 restaurants target). These frame the long run case but dont immediately change fundamentals. 10?Year Retrospective 5?Year Outlook

Long?term reflection pieces  retrospectives on 10?year returns and 5?year outlooks highlight Chipotles historical compounding and managements long?range goals (7,000 restaurants target). These frame the long run case but dont immediately change fundamentals. Negative Sentiment: Analyst target implies limited upside  Mizuho raised its price target to $36 but kept a neutral rating; that target sits below the current market level, which can temper upside expectations and introduce selling pressure if other analysts follow. Mizuho Rating

Analyst target implies limited upside  Mizuho raised its price target to $36 but kept a neutral rating; that target sits below the current market level, which can temper upside expectations and introduce selling pressure if other analysts follow. Negative Sentiment: Investor skepticism on growth trajectory  commentary from a U.S. large?cap growth manager (SGA) highlights underperformance versus benchmarks and raises questions about sustainable growth and returns; such skepticism can weigh on sentiment and valuation multiple. SGA Investor Letter

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile

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Chipotle Mexican Grill is a fast-casual restaurant company known for its Mexican-inspired menu of burritos, bowls, tacos and salads. Founded in 1993 by Steve Ells, the chain emphasizes fresh, customizable meals made from a limited menu of core ingredients and a focus on ingredient quality. Chipotle operates primarily company-owned restaurants and offers dine-in, takeout, catering and delivery through its own digital platforms and third-party partners.

The company is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, and traces its roots to Denver, Colorado.

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Chinese automaker BYD Auto reported a 25% rise in global production of light battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to 2,221,913 units in 2025, with the company overtaking US automaker Tesla as the worlds largest BEV producer.

Shenzhen-based BYD announced it sold a total of 4,602,536 vehicles globally last year, up by 7.7% on the previous years 4,272,145 units, including a 28% rise in light BEVs sales to 2,256,714 units, while sales of light plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) fell by 7.9% to 2,288,709 units. Commercial vehicle sales, comprising both BEVs and PHEVs, surged by 162% to 57,013 units.

The privately-owned automaker has ramped up production in recent years with the launch of numerous new models, which also helped it overtake state-owned SAIC Motor as Chinas largest vehicle producer. The companys best-selling models include the Song and Qin PHEVs and the Atto 3 and Seagull BEVs.

By contrast, Tesla produced a total of 1,636,129 BEVs last year, down by almost 9% on the previous year, while output fell by almost 7% to 1,654,667 units. Around 97% of the automakers production last year was concentrated in two main models, the Model 3 and Model Y. The company last year faced increased resistance in some key overseas markets, particularly in Europe, due to CEO Elon Musks strong support for US President Trumps far-right politics, as well as growing competition from Chinese automakers.

"BYD overtakes Tesla as worlds largest BEV producer" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.




Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR  Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday.

PBR has been the subject of several other research reports. Zacks Research cut shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and three have given 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 target price of $14.90.

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Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Stock Performance

NYSE:PBR opened at $11.91 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $12.29 and a 200-day moving average of $12.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras has a twelve month low of $11.03 and a twelve month high of $14.98.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.03. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 16.15%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec raised its position in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 1.4% during the first quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 112,406 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock valued at $1,613,000 after purchasing an additional 1,550 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 55.2% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 32,852 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $471,000 after acquiring an additional 11,680 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 17.8% during the 1st quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 15,846 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 2,392 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 7.0% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 20,631 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356 shares during the period. Finally, Intrua Financial LLC boosted its position in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 16,950 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period.

About Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras

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Petro?leo Brasileiro SA  Petrobras is a Brazilian, state-controlled integrated oil and gas company headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. Founded in 1953, Petrobras is principally engaged in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas, and operates across the full value chain from upstream activities through refining, transportation and downstream marketing of petroleum products. The company is a major player in Brazils energy sector and is a listed public company with global capital market presence.

Petrobrass core activities include deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploration and production, where it has been a pioneer in developing pre-salt reserves off Brazils coast.

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Hamilton Insurance Group (NYSE:HG  Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday.

HG has been the topic of several other reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Hamilton Insurance Group from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Citigroup reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Hamilton Insurance Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. JMP Securities set a $32.00 target price on Hamilton Insurance Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Citizens Jmp raised their price target on Hamilton Insurance Group from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a market outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Hamilton Insurance Group from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $29.13.

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Hamilton Insurance Group Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE HG opened at $27.27 on Friday. The firms fifty day moving average is $26.68 and its 200 day moving average is $24.28. Hamilton Insurance Group has a 52 week low of $16.80 and a 52 week high of $28.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company has a market cap of $2.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 0.69.

Hamilton Insurance Group (NYSE:HG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.61. Hamilton Insurance Group had a net margin of 15.95% and a return on equity of 15.07%. The business had revenue of $667.65 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $537.70 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hamilton Insurance Group will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hamilton Insurance Group

In other news, CEO Alexander James Baker sold 18,350 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.19, for a total value of $480,586.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 84,136 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,203,521.84. This represents a 17.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 17.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hamilton Insurance Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Hamilton Insurance Group by 1,404.4% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,700 shares of the companys stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,587 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in Hamilton Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Hamilton Insurance Group during the first quarter valued at $62,000. CWM LLC raised its stake in Hamilton Insurance Group by 167.7% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,545 shares of the companys stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 2,847 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in Hamilton Insurance Group by 14.6% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 4,595 shares of the companys stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 29.17% of the companys stock.

Hamilton Insurance Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Hamilton Insurance Group Ltd. is a Bermuda-based insurance and reinsurance holding company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HG. The company focuses on specialty lines of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, providing tailored solutions to clients around the world. Its underwriting platform is designed to address complex and niche risks across multiple industry sectors.

Established in 2016 and completing its initial public offering in 2017, Hamilton has concentrated on building a diversified portfolio of insurance and reinsurance products.

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CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA  Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Zacks Research upgraded CNA Financial from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of CNA Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $53.00.

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CNA Financial Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:CNA opened at $46.85 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.68 billion, a PE ratio of 12.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $46.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.26. CNA Financial has a 1 year low of $43.29 and a 1 year high of $51.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The insurance provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.25. CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.71% and a return on equity of 12.78%. The business had revenue of $3.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.08 EPS. Analysts expect that CNA Financial will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In other CNA Financial news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.92, for a total transaction of $293,250.00. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 668,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,346,688.96. This trade represents a 0.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.36% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 409.1% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 604,963 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $28,107,000 after acquiring an additional 486,127 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 578.1% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 495,860 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $23,072,000 after buying an additional 422,737 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $17,266,000. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in CNA Financial by 429.2% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 425,779 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $19,782,000 after acquiring an additional 345,322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Torray Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in CNA Financial by 335.0% during the second quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC now owns 422,918 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $19,678,000 after purchasing an additional 325,695 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the companys stock.

About CNA Financial

(Get Free Report)

CNA Financial Corporation is a leading U.S.-based commercial property and casualty insurance company offering a broad portfolio of risk management and insurance solutions. The company underwrites coverage for businesses of all sizes across a variety of industry sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, energy, technology, construction and real estate. In addition to core property and casualty insurance, CNA delivers specialized products such as surety bonds, professional liability, environmental liability and commercial auto coverage.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, CNA traces its origins to the founding of Continental Casualty Company in 1897.

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DRDGOLD (NYSE:DRD  Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also commented on DRD. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of DRDGOLD in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. HC Wainwright increased their target price on shares of DRDGOLD to $36.25 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of DRDGOLD from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, DRDGOLD presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $36.25.

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DRDGOLD Price Performance

Institutional Investors Weigh In On DRDGOLD

DRD opened at $30.37 on Friday. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $28.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.80. DRDGOLD has a 12-month low of $8.62 and a 12-month high of $34.80.

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DRD. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in DRDGOLD in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,055,000. Savant Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of DRDGOLD during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $182,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of DRDGOLD by 29.7% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,422 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $86,000 after buying an additional 1,469 shares in the last quarter. Kiker Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of DRDGOLD in the 2nd quarter valued at $142,000. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of DRDGOLD in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,505,000. 14.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About DRDGOLD

(Get Free Report)

DRDGOLD (NYSE: DRD) is a South African gold producer focused on the retreatment of surface tailings from historic mining operations on the Witwatersrand Basin. The company recovers fine gold particles from low?grade tailings using an integrated, carbon?in?leach (CIL) processing circuit that is designed to maximize yield and minimize environmental impact. DRDGOLDs operations are centered on sustainable resource utilization, transforming previously discarded material into saleable gold dore bars.

The company operates two primary tailings retreatment facilities on the West Rand and East Rand of Gauteng Province.

Further Reading

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UnitedHealth Group, Johnson & Johnson, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Intuitive Surgical, Medtronic, Hims & Hers Health, and Tempus AI are the seven Healthcare stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Healthcare stocks are shares of companies involved in delivering medical products and servicessuch as pharmaceutical and biotech firms, medical device manufacturers, hospitals and clinics, and health insurerswhose revenues depend on clinical results, regulatory approvals, patents, and reimbursement policies. For investors, these stocks provide exposure to long-term healthcare demand and innovation but can be volatile due to scientific uncertainty, regulatory risk, and policy or pricing changes. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Healthcare stocks within the last several days.

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UnitedHealth Group (UNH)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)

Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of products in the healthcare field. It operates through the Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments. The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolism, and pulmonary hypertension.

Read Our Latest Research Report on JNJ

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (IRWD)

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a healthcare company, focuses on the development and commercialization of gastrointestinal (GI) products. It markets linaclotide, a guanylate cyclase type-C (GC-C) agonist for the treatment of adults suffering from irritable bowel syndrome with constipation or chronic idiopathic constipation under the LINZESS name in the United States, Mexico, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and China, as well as under the CONSTELLA name in the Canada and European countries.

Read Our Latest Research Report on IRWD

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG)

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets products that enable physicians and healthcare providers to enhance the quality of and access to minimally invasive care in the United States and internationally. The company offers the da Vinci Surgical System that enables complex surgery using a minimally invasive approach; and Ion endoluminal system, which extends its commercial offerings beyond surgery into diagnostic procedures enabling minimally invasive biopsies in the lung.

Read Our Latest Research Report on ISRG

Medtronic (MDT)

Medtronic plc develops, manufactures, and sells device-based medical therapies to healthcare systems, physicians, clinicians, and patients worldwide. Its Cardiovascular Portfolio segment offers implantable cardiac pacemakers, cardioverter defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices; cardiac ablation products; insertable cardiac monitor systems; TYRX products; and remote monitoring and patient-centered software.

Read Our Latest Research Report on MDT

Hims & Hers Health (HIMS)

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.

Read Our Latest Research Report on HIMS

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.

Read Our Latest Research Report on TEM

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Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU  Get Free Report) and Waterdrop (NYSE:WDH  Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends and valuation.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

56.8% of Prudential Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 2.0% of Waterdrop shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Prudential Financial shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 24.6% of Waterdrop shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Prudential Financial and Waterdrop, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Prudential Financial 1 11 0 0 1.92 Waterdrop 0 2 0 0 2.00

Profitability

Prudential Financial presently has a consensus target price of $118.00, suggesting a potential upside of 3.66%. Waterdrop has a consensus target price of $2.00, suggesting a potential upside of 5.54%. Given Waterdrops stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Waterdrop is more favorable than Prudential Financial.

This table compares Prudential Financial and Waterdrops net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Prudential Financial 4.65% 16.60% 0.67% Waterdrop 15.58% 9.99% 7.57%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Prudential Financial and Waterdrops revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Prudential Financial $68.05 billion 0.59 $2.73 billion $7.28 15.64 Waterdrop $379.74 million 1.81 $50.35 million $0.19 9.97

Prudential Financial has higher revenue and earnings than Waterdrop. Waterdrop is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Prudential Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk and Volatility

Prudential Financial has a beta of 0.97, meaning that its stock price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Waterdrop has a beta of -0.26, meaning that its stock price is 126% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Prudential Financial pays an annual dividend of $5.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.7%. Waterdrop pays an annual dividend of $0.05 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Prudential Financial pays out 74.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Waterdrop pays out 26.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Prudential Financial has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years. Prudential Financial is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Prudential Financial beats Waterdrop on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Prudential Financial

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Prudential Financial, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through PGIM, Retirement Strategies, Group Insurance, Individual Life, and International Businesses segments. The PGIM segment offers investment management services and solutions related to public fixed income, public equity, real estate debt and equity, private credit and other alternatives, and multi-asset class strategies to institutional and retail clients, as well as its general account. The Retirement Strategies segment provides a range of retirement investment, and income products and services to retirement plan sponsors in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors; develops and distributes individual variable and fixed annuity products. The Group Insurance segment offers various group life, and long-term and short-term group disability, as well as group corporate-, bank-, and trust-owned life insurance in the United States primarily for institutional clients for use in connection with employee and membership benefits plans; sells accidental death and dismemberment, and other supplemental health solutions; and plan administration services in connection with its insurance coverages. The Individual Life segment develops and distributes variable life, universal life, and term life insurance products. The International Businesses segment develops and distributes life insurance, retirement products, investment products, and certain accident and health products; and advisory services. The company provides its products and services to individual and institutional customers through its proprietary and third-party distribution networks. Prudential Financial, Inc. was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.

About Waterdrop

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Waterdrop Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides online insurance brokerage services to match and connect users with related insurance products underwritten by insurance companies in the People's Republic of China. The company offers short-term health and long-term health and life insurance products and services. It also operates a medical crowdfunding platform. Waterdrop Inc. was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China.

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Abercrombie & Fitch Company (NYSE:ANF  Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $110.10.

ANF has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch from $78.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Zacks Research upgraded Abercrombie & Fitch from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Abercrombie & Fitch from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th.

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Institutional Trading of Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Performance

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 181.6% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 352 shares of the apparel retailers stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Abercrombie & Fitch in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in Abercrombie & Fitch during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 108.2% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 481 shares of the apparel retailers stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 268.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 666 shares of the apparel retailers stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter.

Shares of ANF stock opened at $123.63 on Wednesday. Abercrombie & Fitch has a fifty-two week low of $65.40 and a fifty-two week high of $164.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.85 and a beta of 1.17. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $94.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $90.56.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The apparel retailer reported $2.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.28 billion. Abercrombie & Fitch had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 38.01%. Abercrombie & Fitchs revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Abercrombie & Fitch will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Abercrombie & Fitch Company Profile

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Abercrombie & Fitch Co (NYSE: ANF) is an American specialty retailer that designs, markets and sells casual apparel and accessories for men, women and children. Founded in 1892 by David T. Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch, the company evolved from an outdoor gear outfitter to a global lifestyle brand renowned for its relaxed, preppy aesthetic. Its product assortment includes tops, bottoms, outerwear, intimates, swimwear, fragrances and personal care items.

The company operates under multiple brand names, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie Kids, Hollister and Gilly Hicks, each targeting distinct consumer segments from teens to young adults.

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Hannover Ruck SE (OTCMKTS:HVRRY  Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company.

Several brokerages have commented on HVRRY. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Hannover Ruck from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded Hannover Ruck from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Hannover Ruck from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th.

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Hannover Ruck Stock Down 1.7%

HVRRY stock opened at $51.16 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $50.30. Hannover Ruck has a twelve month low of $42.04 and a twelve month high of $55.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.02 billion, a PE ratio of 13.46 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Hannover Ruck (OTCMKTS:HVRRY  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The financial services provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $8.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.27 billion. Hannover Ruck had a return on equity of 19.35% and a net margin of 9.44%. On average, equities analysts predict that Hannover Ruck will post 3.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Hannover Ruck

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Hannover Ruck (OTCMKTS: HVRRY), commonly known as Hannover Re, is a global reinsurance group headquartered in Hannover, Germany. The company underwrites treaty and facultative reinsurance across a broad spectrum of risks, including property & casualty and life & health lines. Its product suite encompasses traditional proportional and non?proportional treaty contracts, facultative placements, structured reinsurance, retrocession, and capital marketlinked solutions such as insurance?linked securities, tailored to transfer and manage insurance risk for primary insurers and other reinsurers.

Founded in the 1960s, Hannover Re has developed into one of the major international reinsurers, building a presence across Europe, the Americas, Asia?Pacific and other global markets.

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Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Green Organic Dutchman and SWEDISH ORPHAN/Ss gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Green Organic Dutchman $24.13 million 0.00 -$33.62 million ($0.41) N/A SWEDISH ORPHAN/S $763.19 million 8.71 $134.73 million $0.50 48.76

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SWEDISH ORPHAN/S has higher revenue and earnings than Green Organic Dutchman. Green Organic Dutchman is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than SWEDISH ORPHAN/S, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

Volatility and Risk

0.4% of Green Organic Dutchman shares are held by institutional investors. 8.7% of Green Organic Dutchman shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Green Organic Dutchman has a beta of 2.27, suggesting that its share price is 127% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SWEDISH ORPHAN/S has a beta of 1.81, suggesting that its share price is 81% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Green Organic Dutchman and SWEDISH ORPHAN/Ss net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Green Organic Dutchman -83.86% -22.02% -14.58% SWEDISH ORPHAN/S 25.75% 29.63% 18.74%

Summary

SWEDISH ORPHAN/S beats Green Organic Dutchman on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Green Organic Dutchman

(Get Free Report)

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. engages in the production, cultivation, processing, and distribution of cannabis and related products. Its products include cannabis plants, cannabis plant seeds, dried cannabis, fresh cannabis, cannabis oils, cannabis topicals, cannabis extracts, and edible cannabis. The company was founded by Scott Skinner and Jeannette VanderMarel in 2012 and is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada.

About SWEDISH ORPHAN/S

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Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (publ), an integrated biotechnology company, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals in the therapeutic areas of haemophilia, inflammation, and genetic and lysosomal diseases. The company offers Elocta to treat haemophilia A; and Alprolix to treat haemophilia B. It also provides Orfadin for the treatment of hereditary tyrosinaemia type 1; and Kineret for the treatment of auto inflammatory condition, as well as Xiapex to treat Dupuytren's contracture and Peyronie's disease. In addition, the company manufactures drug substance for ReFacto AF; and develops BIVV001 and BIVV002 for the treatment of hemophilia. It operates in Sweden, the Middle East, North Africa, Russia, North America, other European countries, and internationally. The company has an agreement with Bioverativ for the development and commercialization of Elocta and Alprolix, as well as XTEN-programs. Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (publ) is headquartered in Solna, Sweden.

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Chegg, Inc. (NYSE:CHGG  Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of Reduce from the six brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1.1250.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CHGG. Weiss Ratings reissued a sell (e+) rating on shares of Chegg in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised Chegg from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Chegg Price Performance

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ground Swell Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chegg during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Chegg during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in Chegg during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new position in Chegg during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Chegg in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.18% of the companys stock.

Shares of NYSE CHGG opened at $0.99 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $0.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1.25. The company has a market cap of $107.74 million, a PE ratio of -1.37 and a beta of 1.95. Chegg has a 12 month low of $0.44 and a 12 month high of $1.90.

About Chegg

(Get Free Report)

Chegg, Inc (NYSE: CHGG) is a leading education technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Originally founded in 2005, Chegg has evolved from a textbook rental service into a comprehensive digital learning platform. Its suite of subscription-based offerings addresses a wide range of academic needs, catering primarily to high school and college students seeking homework help, study resources, and career guidance.

The companys core services include Chegg Study, which provides step-by-step solutions and expert Q&A support; Chegg Writing, offering plagiarism checks and guided writing assistance; and Chegg Math Solver, a tool for solving mathematical problems with detailed explanations.

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When Joan Van Kuren of Modesto got a notice from her insurance company stating they would not renew her home insurance policy, she was shocked to learn why. California insurance provider CSAA  part AAAs insurance company  stated they discovered a substantial increase in hazards piling around her home. But they allegedly used aerial images from a drone to find it.

She said they [CSAA] flew a drone over the home, Van Kuren told CBS Sacramento in 2024 of her call with a customer service representative. It almost feels like someones looking in your windows, you know, when they tell you that they flew a drone over your home and looked at it. Its like, whoa.

Must Read

When contacted by CBS Sacramento, CSAA denied they used drones to survey covered homeowners, and instead claimed they use proprietary aerial imagery of homes to make risk decisions.

Is digital home inspections the wave of the future? If your home insurance company says they want to cut your insurance over concerns, heres what you need to know.

Are insurance companies spying on your home with drones?

In an increasing number of cases, insurance companies are using eyes in the skies to not only determine the condition of insured homes, but to assess damages once a natural disaster comes through.

Since then, drones are becoming increasingly popular for insurance applications. Information technology consultant Cognizant says drones can improve efficiency and create additional accuracy, lead to closing claims faster, and improve safety for their employees.

Using a drone for an insurance inspection is not illegal in the State of California. ABC 7 San Francisco notes that unless you are using a drone to be a Peeping Tom, its legal to fly over homes and take videos. Other city and state laws may vary depending on where you live.

Read more: Warren Buffett used 8 solid, repeatable money rules to turn $9,800 into a $150B fortune. Start using them today to get rich (and stay rich)

What can I do if my insurance company drops me over aerial photos?

Insurance non-renewal differs from cancellation. Companies can cancel policies for non-payment or fraud, but non-renewal is a business decision.
Remote Dynamics (OTCMKTS:RMTD  Get Free Report) and Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK  Get Free Report) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, dividends and risk.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Remote Dynamics and Rockwell Automations gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Remote Dynamics N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Rockwell Automation $8.34 billion 5.36 $869.00 million $7.66 52.00

Analyst Ratings

Rockwell Automation has higher revenue and earnings than Remote Dynamics.

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Remote Dynamics and Rockwell Automation, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Remote Dynamics 0 0 0 0 0.00 Rockwell Automation 0 7 10 2 2.74

Rockwell Automation has a consensus price target of $403.31, suggesting a potential upside of 1.26%. Given Rockwell Automations stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Rockwell Automation is more favorable than Remote Dynamics.

Risk and Volatility

Remote Dynamics has a beta of -0.8, suggesting that its share price is 180% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Rockwell Automation has a beta of 1.52, suggesting that its share price is 52% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Remote Dynamics and Rockwell Automations net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Remote Dynamics N/A N/A N/A Rockwell Automation 10.42% 32.69% 10.69%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

75.8% of Rockwell Automation shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.8% of Rockwell Automation shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Rockwell Automation beats Remote Dynamics on 11 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Remote Dynamics

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Remote Dynamics, Inc. markets, sells, and supports automatic vehicle location and mobile resource management solutions. It serves its solutions to construction, field services, distribution, limousine, electrical/plumbing, waste management, and government. The company was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.

About Rockwell Automation

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Rockwell Automation, Inc. provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services. The Intelligent Devices segment offers drives, motion, safety, sensing, industrial components, and configured-to-order products. The Software & Control segment provides control and visualization software and hardware, information software, and network and security infrastructure solutions. The Lifecycle Services segment provides consulting, professional services and solutions, and connected and maintenance services. The company sells its solutions primarily through independent distributors in relation with its direct sales force. It serves discrete end markets, including automotive, semiconductor, and warehousing and logistics, as well as general industries comprising printing and publishing, marine, glass, fiber and textiles, airports, and aerospace; hybrid end markets, such as food and beverage, life sciences, household and personal care, and tire, as well as eco industrial, including water/wastewater, waste management, mass transit, and renewable energy; and process end markets comprising oil and gas, mining, metals, chemicals, pulp and paper, and others. Rockwell Automation, Inc. was founded in 1903 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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TFI International Inc. (NYSE:TFII  Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the twenty-one research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $113.40.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on TFII shares. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of TFI International from $110.00 to $106.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Zacks Research downgraded TFI International from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on TFI International from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on TFI International from $102.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of TFI International in a research note on Monday, December 29th.

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TFI International Stock Performance

TFII stock opened at $106.62 on Monday. TFI International has a 1-year low of $72.02 and a 1-year high of $140.35. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $94.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.37. The company has a market capitalization of $8.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.48, a PEG ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

TFI International (NYSE:TFII  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.01. TFI International had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 14.20%. The business had revenue of $1.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that TFI International will post 7.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TFI International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This is an increase from TFI Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. TFI Internationals payout ratio is presently 48.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On TFI International

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in shares of TFI International during the first quarter worth $217,000. Argent Capital Management LLC grew its stake in TFI International by 303.4% during the 2nd quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 142,864 shares of the companys stock worth $12,811,000 after buying an additional 107,451 shares during the last quarter. Baskin Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in TFI International by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Baskin Financial Services Inc. now owns 420,152 shares of the companys stock worth $37,711,000 after buying an additional 6,786 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in TFI International by 36.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 12,275 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,101,000 after buying an additional 3,263 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QV Investors Inc. raised its stake in TFI International by 0.8% in the second quarter. QV Investors Inc. now owns 352,781 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,604,000 after buying an additional 2,685 shares during the last quarter. 73.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

TFI International Company Profile

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TFI International Inc (NYSE: TFII) is a leading North American transport and logistics company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. The company operates through a network of subsidiaries that provide truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), specialized freight, package and courier, and logistics services. By integrating these operations, TFI delivers comprehensive end-to-end solutions, including long-haul and regional transportation, expedited delivery, warehousing, and cross-border freight movement.

Originally founded in 1957 as a regional trucking outfit in Cabano, Quebec, TFI International has expanded significantly through a disciplined acquisition strategy.

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Mechanics Bank Trust Department raised its position in iShares MSCI India ETF (BATS:INDA  Free Report) by 15.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 73,143 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 9,810 shares during the quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Departments holdings in iShares MSCI India ETF were worth $3,808,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in INDA. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI India ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. WealthShield Partners LLC grew its position in iShares MSCI India ETF by 278.7% during the second quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC now owns 693 shares of the companys stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 510 shares during the period. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI India ETF during the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in iShares MSCI India ETF in the second quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI India ETF by 54.9% during the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 945 shares of the companys stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI India ETF Price Performance

Shares of INDA stock opened at $54.57 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $9.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.20 and a beta of 0.48. iShares MSCI India ETF has a 1 year low of $47.60 and a 1 year high of $59.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $54.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $53.77.

iShares MSCI India ETF Profile

The iShares MSCI India ETF (INDA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI India index, a market-cap-weighted index of the top 85% of firms in the Indian securities market. INDA was launched on Feb 2, 2012 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Hubbell (NYSE:HUBB  Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by equities research analysts at Mizuho from $480.00 to $500.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an outperform rating on the industrial products companys stock. Mizuhos price objective points to a potential upside of 8.08% from the stocks current price.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Hubbell from $490.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Hubbell from $431.00 to $456.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Stephens restated an overweight rating and set a $500.00 target price on shares of Hubbell in a report on Thursday, September 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b-) rating on shares of Hubbell in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Hubbell from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $491.29.

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Hubbell Price Performance

HUBB opened at $462.61 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $444.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $432.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Hubbell has a 1 year low of $299.42 and a 1 year high of $484.26. The stock has a market cap of $24.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.70, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.02.

Hubbell (NYSE:HUBB  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.98 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. Hubbell had a return on equity of 27.68% and a net margin of 15.24%.The businesss quarterly revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.49 EPS. Hubbell has set its FY 2025 guidance at 18.100-18.30 EPS. Analysts forecast that Hubbell will post 17.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Alyssa R. Flynn sold 2,011 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $470.32, for a total transaction of $945,813.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,243 shares in the company, valued at $1,525,247.76. The trade was a 38.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Eugene Mikes sold 2,470 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $466.50, for a total transaction of $1,152,255.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 4,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,232,202.50. The trade was a 34.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hubbell

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HUBB. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Hubbell by 16.7% during the 2nd quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 19,829 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $8,098,000 after buying an additional 2,843 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Hubbell in the second quarter valued at approximately $320,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hubbell in the second quarter valued at approximately $490,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new stake in Hubbell during the 1st quarter worth $1,423,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Group bought a new stake in shares of Hubbell during the 2nd quarter valued at $262,000. 88.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hubbell Company Profile

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Hubbell Incorporated (NYSE: HUBB) is an industrial manufacturer and distributor of electrical and electronic products serving a range of end markets including commercial and residential construction, industrial, and utility customers. Founded in 1888 by Harvey Hubbell, the company has a long history in electrical innovation and product development and is headquartered in Connecticut. Hubbell designs, manufactures and sells components and systems that enable the distribution and control of electrical power and provide lighting solutions for indoor and outdoor environments.

The companys offerings span a broad portfolio of products used by contractors, utilities, original equipment manufacturers and facility owners.

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D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH  Free Report) by 33.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 75,736 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock after buying an additional 18,935 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $26,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Islay Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 105 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised UnitedHealth Group from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a sell (d+) rating to a hold (c-) rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $385.54.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $336.34 on Monday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $606.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $330.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $319.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $304.67 billion, a PE ratio of 17.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.42.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $113.19 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 19.23% and a net margin of 4.04%.The businesss quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.15 earnings per share. Analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 46.14%.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

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UnitedHealth Group Inc is a diversified health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that operates two primary business platforms: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Founded in 1977, the company provides a broad range of health benefits and health care services to individuals, employers, governmental entities and other organizations. Its operations span commercial employer-sponsored plans, individual and Medicare and Medicaid programs, and services for customers and health systems in the United States and selected international markets.

UnitedHealthcare is the companys benefits business, administering health plans and networks, managing provider relationships, and offering coverage products for employers, individuals, and government-sponsored programs.

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D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,138,676 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after buying an additional 70,161 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.s holdings in Pfizer were worth $79,973,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in Pfizer by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 31,762 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $809,000 after purchasing an additional 5,422 shares in the last quarter. O ROURKE & COMPANY Inc boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 5.2% in the third quarter. O ROURKE & COMPANY Inc now owns 18,045 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $460,000 after buying an additional 887 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp grew its position in Pfizer by 13.7% during the third quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 64,446 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,642,000 after buying an additional 7,763 shares in the last quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC increased its stake in Pfizer by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 38,064 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $970,000 after acquiring an additional 2,219 shares during the period. Finally, Five Oceans Advisors raised its holdings in Pfizer by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Five Oceans Advisors now owns 8,990 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.36% of the companys stock.

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Pfizer Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:PFE opened at $25.17 on Monday. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.92 and a 52-week high of $27.69. The company has a market capitalization of $143.13 billion, a PE ratio of 14.64 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.28. The company has a fifty day moving average of $25.18 and a 200-day moving average of $24.92.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

Pfizer ( NYSE:PFE Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.08. The company 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. On average, equities analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 23rd. Pfizers payout ratio is 100.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PFE has been the topic of several analyst reports. Guggenheim reissued a buy rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. UBS Group reissued a neutral rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. HSBC reissued a buy rating and issued a $29.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Bank of America cut their target price on Pfizer from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $24.00 price target on Pfizer and gave the company an underperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $28.06.

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Pfizer Company Profile

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Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) is a multinational biopharmaceutical company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1849 by Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes a broad range of medicines and vaccines for human health. Its activities span discovery research, clinical development, regulatory affairs, manufacturing and global commercial distribution across multiple therapeutic areas.

Pfizers portfolio and pipeline cover oncology, immunology, cardiology, endocrinology, rare diseases, hospital acute care and anti-infectives, along with a substantial vaccine business.

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ASOS Plc (LON:ASC  Get Free Report) insider William Barker bought 5,527 shares of ASOS stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 278 per share, with a total value of 15,365.06.

William Barker also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Tuesday, December 30th, William Barker bought 4,344 shares of ASOS stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 276 per share, with a total value of 11,989.44.

On Wednesday, December 31st, William Barker purchased 62,040 shares of ASOS stock. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 275 per share, for a total transaction of 170,610.

ASOS Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of ASC stock opened at GBX 283.53 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of 338.65 million, a P/E ratio of -1.13, a P/E/G ratio of -1.26 and a beta of 2.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 187.55. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is GBX 253.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 280.42. ASOS Plc has a twelve month low of GBX 215 and a twelve month high of GBX 445.40.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASOS ( LON:ASC Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 21st. The company reported GBX (250.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. ASOS had a negative net margin of 11.66% and a negative return on equity of 59.37%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that ASOS Plc will post 12.4165252 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Several research firms have weighed in on ASC. Peel Hunt reaffirmed an add rating and issued a GBX 335 price target on shares of ASOS in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Shore Capital reaffirmed a buy rating and set a GBX 400 target price on shares of ASOS in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Panmure Gordon reiterated a hold rating and issued a GBX 350 target price on shares of ASOS in a report on Monday, November 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of ASOS from GBX 270 to GBX 240 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of ASOS from GBX 440 to GBX 375 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of GBX 383.33.

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ASOS Company Profile

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ASOS Plc operates as an online fashion retailer in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, and internationally. It offers womenswear and menswear products. The company sells its products under the ASOS Design, ASOS Edition, ASOS Luxe, ASOS 4505, Collusion, Reclaimed Vintage, Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, HIIT, AsYou, Dark Future, UNRVLLD/SPPLY, Crooked Tongues, Daysocial, Actual, and Weekend Collective brands, as well as through third-party brands.

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Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $177.00 to $189.00 in a report released on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has an equal weight rating on the financial services providers stock. Wells Fargo & Companys price objective indicates a potential upside of 1.70% from the stocks current price.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $184.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Zacks Research raised Morgan Stanley from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $175.69.

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Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS stock opened at $185.84 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $295.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.02, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.20. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $94.33 and a fifty-two week high of $182.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $170.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.50.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. The company had revenue of $17.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.40%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.88 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total value of $16,434,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at $94,493,199.24. This represents a 14.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 645.8% during the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 65.2% in the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 185 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. 84.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Morgan Stanley News

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

About Morgan Stanley

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Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the companys chief executive and chairman in recent years.

The firms primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management.

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First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE:AG  Get Free Report) (TSE:FR)s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $18.08 and last traded at $17.69, with a volume of 9491082 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AG. Cormark raised First Majestic Silver from a hold rating to a moderate buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. National Bankshares set a $22.00 target price on shares of First Majestic Silver and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. HC Wainwright set a $17.50 price objective on First Majestic Silver in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c-) rating on shares of First Majestic Silver in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of First Majestic Silver from $9.00 to $12.50 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $17.33.

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First Majestic Silver Price Performance

The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $14.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.38 and a quick ratio of 2.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 125.14 and a beta of 0.77.

First Majestic Silver (NYSE:AG  Get Free Report) (TSE:FR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The mining company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.11 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $285.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $429.78 million. First Majestic Silver had a net margin of 7.07% and a return on equity of 3.14%. The companys revenue was up 95.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.09) EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that First Majestic Silver Corp. will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

First Majestic Silver Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a dividend of $0.0052 per share. This is a boost from First Majestic Silvers previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. First Majestic Silvers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.29%.

Institutional Trading of First Majestic Silver

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AG. Bogart Wealth LLC bought a new position in First Majestic Silver in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Majestic Silver by 29,900.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 3,000 shares of the mining companys stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 2,990 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in First Majestic Silver by 57.2% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,114 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 1,860 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its holdings in First Majestic Silver by 33.2% during the third quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 3,898 shares of the mining companys stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 971 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in First Majestic Silver during the third quarter worth about $57,000. 27.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

First Majestic Silver Company Profile

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First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE:AG) engages in the production of silver from its wholly owned operations in Mexico. Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, the company focuses on acquiring, developing and operating high-grade silver projects. Established in 2002, First Majestic has built a multi-mine portfolio to supply silver primarily for the global industrial and investment markets while generating by-products such as gold, lead and zinc concentrates.

First Majestics principal operations are located in the historic Mexican Silver Belt, with producing mines including La Encantada in Coahuila, Santa Elena in Sonora and La Parrilla in Durango.

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Ping An Insurance Co. of China Ltd. (OTCMKTS:PNGAY  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $17.5450 and last traded at $17.5450, with a volume of 13911 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.28.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ping An Insurance Co. of China from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold.

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Ping An Insurance Co. of China Stock Up 1.9%

The company has a market cap of $160.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.26 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $15.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.42.

Ping An Insurance Co. of China (OTCMKTS:PNGAY  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Ping An Insurance Co. of China had a return on equity of 10.48% and a net margin of 11.89%.The business had revenue of $49.63 billion during the quarter. Equities analysts anticipate that Ping An Insurance Co. of China Ltd. will post 2.12 EPS for the current year.

Ping An Insurance Co. of China Company Profile

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Ping An Insurance Company of China, Ltd., commonly known as Ping An, is a diversified financial services conglomerate headquartered in Shenzhen, China. Founded in 1988 as one of the countrys first joint-stock insurance companies, Ping An has developed broad capabilities across life insurance, property and casualty insurance, health insurance and annuity products. The company serves individual and corporate customers with a range of protection and savings products, including life policies, auto and property coverage, commercial insurance solutions and retirement-oriented offerings.

Beyond traditional insurance underwriting, Ping An operates an integrated financial services platform that includes retail and corporate banking, asset and wealth management, securities brokerage and investment services.

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Samsung and rival LG, two of the biggest names in the TV industry, are showing off their new Micro RGB TVs at the annual CES technology trade show in Las Vegas this week, as they look to produce ever more impressive screens for you to shamelessly binge 90 Day Fiance.

Micro RGB promises more accurate colors than traditional LED TVs and should offer brighter backlighting than OLED TVs. Micro RGB TVs differ from standard LEDs because rather than using white or blue LEDs for their backlighting, they use incredibly small individual blue, red, and green LEDs.

More from Yahoo Scout What advantages does Micro RGB offer over Micro LED? When will Micro RGB TVs be available to consumers? How do Micro RGB TVs compare to OLED displays? What makes Micro RGB technology different from traditional LEDs?

Like standard LED sets, the light from the LEDs still passes through an LCD panel to produce the images you see on your screen, but because Micro RGB TVs use those tiny, multicolor LEDs, youll get better overall color quality and contrast compared to your regular old LED TV.

The Samsung Micro RGB TV marks a significant advancement in display technology, offering several advantages over existing options, Taeyong Son, head of research and development for Samsung Visual Display, told Yahoo Finance via email.

Samsung is rolling out a number of Micro RGB TVs at CES 2026. (Image: Samsung)  Samsung

Micro RGB technology achieves an optimal balance across picture quality, longevity, and price. It delivers exceptional visual performance with superior resolution, color accuracy, and contrast, while its inorganic micro-LEDs ensure long-term durability.

The idea is that by using smaller red, blue, and green LEDs, Micro RGB TVs will not only have better color accuracy, theyll also see less light bleed. Light bleed happens when an LED TVs backlight leaks from a bright area of an image to a dark area.

If youve ever looked at a full moon in a movie and seen some fuzzy white coloring around it, thats likely from light bleed. Micro RGB TVs wont completely eliminate the problem, though itll likely be far less noticeable.

Both Samsung and LG also sell their own lines of OLED TVs, which create the images you see by directly lighting up and turning off thousands of LEDs. Because OLED TVs control individual LEDs, they have incredible color contrast and deep blacks. But theyre also more expensive than LED TVs.

Samsung and LG last debuted a new TV technology back in 2018 with the announcements of their Micro LED televisions. Though those sets are still incredibly expensive. Samsungs 89-inch Micro LED TV is currently listed at $109,999 on Best Buys website.

According to Son, Micro RGB TVs should be far more accessible to consumers.

Micro RGB was engineered from the start to be adaptable and cost-effective. By utilizing micro-sized RGB LEDs as a backlight rather than self-emissive pixels, we reduce manufacturing complexity compared to Micro LED, making it easier to produce at various sizes and price points, Son explained.
Cummins Inc. (NYSE:CMI  Get Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $532.20 and last traded at $531.7390, with a volume of 98470 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $522.03.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on CMI shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Cummins from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a market perform rating and issued a $475.00 target price on shares of Cummins in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Barclays reiterated a positive rating on shares of Cummins in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Raymond James Financial raised Cummins from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $585.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Cummins from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Cummins has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $492.75.

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Cummins Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $73.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.12. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $487.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $421.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Cummins (NYSE:CMI  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $5.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.83 by $0.76. The business had revenue of $8.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.97 billion. Cummins had a return on equity of 26.02% and a net margin of 7.95%.The companys revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.86 EPS. Analysts predict that Cummins Inc. will post 22.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cummins Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st were issued a dividend of $2.00 per share. This represents a $8.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. Cumminss payout ratio is presently 41.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cummins news, insider Brett Michael Merritt sold 1,450 shares of Cummins stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.32, for a total transaction of $709,514.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,536,485.72. The trade was a 13.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark Andrew Smith sold 13,110 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $470.66, for a total value of $6,170,352.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 31,582 shares of the companys stock, valued at $14,864,384.12. The trade was a 29.33% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 19,330 shares of company stock worth $9,135,364 over the last ninety days. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cummins

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CMI. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cummins in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cummins during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of Cummins during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cummins by 1,333.3% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 86 shares of the companys stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Cummins during the third quarter worth $37,000. 83.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cummins Company Profile

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Cummins Inc (NYSE: CMI) is a global power technology company that designs, manufactures, distributes and services a broad portfolio of diesel and natural gas engines, electrified powertrains, power generation systems and related components. Founded in 1919 and headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, Cummins has grown into one of the worlds leading suppliers of internal combustion engines and a provider of technologies that reduce emissions and improve fuel efficiency.

The companys product lineup includes heavy-, medium- and light-duty engines for on-highway and off-highway applications, generator sets and power systems for commercial and industrial use, and key engine components such as turbochargers, fuel systems, air handling, filtration and aftertreatment solutions.

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ASM International NV (OTCMKTS:ASMIY  Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $676.9950 and last traded at $675.47, with a volume of 305 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $653.35.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASMIY has been the subject of several recent research reports. Rothschild Redb downgraded ASM International from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of ASM International in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of ASM International from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of ASM International in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Buy.

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ASM International Trading Up 3.0%

The stock has a market capitalization of $33.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.23 and a beta of 1.87. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $603.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $575.63.

ASM International (OTCMKTS:ASMIY  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $4.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.74 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $932.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $814.93 million. ASM International had a return on equity of 21.55% and a net margin of 24.50%. Research analysts forecast that ASM International NV will post 14.46 earnings per share for the current year.

ASM International Company Profile

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ASM International (OTCMKTS: ASMIY) is a Netherlands-based supplier of wafer processing equipment for the global semiconductor industry. The company develops and manufactures systems used in the deposition and formation of thin films on semiconductor wafers, with a strong reputation for atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology. Its equipment is used in the production of advanced logic, memory, power devices and related semiconductor components where precise control of film thickness and composition is critical.

ASMs product portfolio centers on deposition and epitaxy platforms that support a range of process chemistries and materials, including ALD and other chemical vapor deposition techniques.

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Warrior Met Coal (NYSE:HCC  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $91.34 and last traded at $90.5060, with a volume of 61051 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $89.55.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on HCC. Zacks Research raised Warrior Met Coal from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. UBS Group raised their price target on Warrior Met Coal from $80.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of Warrior Met Coal in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Warrior Met Coal from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, B. Riley reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Warrior Met Coal in a report on Thursday, November 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $74.25.

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Warrior Met Coal Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $4.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 133.58 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 3.00 and a current ratio of 4.13. The company has a fifty day moving average of $79.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.33.

Warrior Met Coal (NYSE:HCC  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.21) by $0.91. Warrior Met Coal had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 2.01%. The business had revenue of $328.59 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $302.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Warrior Met Coal will post 4.86 EPS for the current year.

Warrior Met Coal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Warrior Met Coals payout ratio is 47.76%.

Insider Activity at Warrior Met Coal

In other news, CEO Walter J. Scheller sold 18,966 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $1,422,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 394,183 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $29,563,725. This represents a 4.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Warrior Met Coal

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Warrior Met Coal by 34.1% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 68,586 shares of the companys stock worth $3,273,000 after purchasing an additional 17,438 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Warrior Met Coal by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,860 shares of the companys stock worth $1,473,000 after purchasing an additional 1,351 shares during the period. Financial Strategies Group Inc. increased its stake in Warrior Met Coal by 38.2% in the first quarter. Financial Strategies Group Inc. now owns 19,676 shares of the companys stock valued at $931,000 after purchasing an additional 5,435 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Warrior Met Coal by 10.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 256,380 shares of the companys stock valued at $12,234,000 after purchasing an additional 25,153 shares during the period. Finally, Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Warrior Met Coal by 33.5% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 894,938 shares of the companys stock worth $42,706,000 after purchasing an additional 224,558 shares in the last quarter. 92.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Warrior Met Coal

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Warrior Met Coal (NYSE: HCC) is a leading producer of premium metallurgical coal, operating deep underground mining complexes in Central Alabamas Blue Creek and Brookwood mining districts. The company focuses exclusively on the extraction and sale of high-grade hard coking coal, a critical raw material used in steel production. Its mining operations harness longwall mining technology and rigorous safety protocols to deliver consistent coal quality to customers worldwide.

Warrior Met Coals product portfolio centers on premium hard coking coal, semisoft coking coal, and pulverized coal injection (PCI) products.

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Shares of Taseko Mines Ltd. (TSE:TKO  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as C$8.22 and last traded at C$8.17, with a volume of 506765 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$7.67.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on TKO shares. National Bankshares raised their price objective on Taseko Mines from C$7.25 to C$8.50 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. TD Securities raised shares of Taseko Mines from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the stock from C$5.00 to C$6.50 in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of C$6.75.

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Taseko Mines Price Performance

The firms fifty day moving average price is C$6.89 and its 200-day moving average price is C$5.56. The company has a market cap of C$3.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -43.74 and a beta of 2.02.

Taseko Mines (TSE:TKO  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The company reported C$0.02 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of C$173.91 million for the quarter. Taseko Mines had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 16.33%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Taseko Mines Ltd. will post 0.2801932 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Taseko Mines Company Profile

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Taseko Mines Ltd is a Canadian mining company. It is principally engaged in the production and sale of metals, as well as related activities, including exploration and mine development, within the province of British Columbia, Canada, and the State of Arizona, the United States. The Gibraltar, Aley, New Prosperity, and Harmony properties are located in British Columbia whereas Florence copper is in central Arizona.

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Kerry Group PLC (OTCMKTS:KRYAY  Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $86.7050 and last traded at $86.83, with a volume of 1792 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $89.49.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KRYAY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a buy rating on shares of Kerry Group in a research note on Friday, September 12th. UBS Group reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of Kerry Group in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating on shares of Kerry Group in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

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Kerry Group Price Performance

About Kerry Group

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $90.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

(Get Free Report)

Kerry Group (OTCMKTS:KRYAY) is a global leader in taste and nutrition solutions for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The company develops, manufactures and supplies a broad portfolio of ingredients, flavors and integrated solutions designed to enhance taste, improve health and simplify production processes. Kerrys offerings span across dairy-based ingredients, flavors, texturizers, enzymes, probiotics and nutritional premixes, serving both industrial customers and consumer food brands.

Through its Taste & Nutrition division, Kerry provides customized flavor systems, savory and sweet taste platforms, and nutritional ingredients for applications such as snacks, bakery, dairy, beverages and meat alternatives.

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Agri Bank China (OTCMKTS:ACGBY  Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $18.70, but opened at $17.70. Agri Bank China shares last traded at $17.99, with a volume of 3,382 shares changing hands.

Agri Bank China Stock Down 3.3%

The firms 50 day simple moving average is $18.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $253.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.70 and a beta of 0.08.

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Agri Bank China (OTCMKTS:ACGBY  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Agri Bank China had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 21.14%.

Agri Bank China Company Profile

Agricultural Bank of China (trading OTC as ACGBY) is a major state-owned commercial bank headquartered in Beijing that provides a broad range of banking and financial services. As one of Chinas largest banks, it offers services to corporate, institutional and retail clients, with a particular historical focus on serving agricultural and rural customers alongside urban and corporate markets. The bank operates a large domestic branch network and maintains an international presence through branches and representative offices.

The banks product and service mix includes corporate lending, trade finance, project finance and cash management for businesses, together with deposit, mortgage, consumer lending and wealth-management products for individual customers.

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PCCW Ltd. (OTCMKTS:PCCWY  Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $7.11, but opened at $6.64. PCCW shares last traded at $6.94, with a volume of 661 shares changing hands.

PCCW Trading Down 2.4%

The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.57. The business has a fifty day moving average of $7.31 and a 200-day moving average of $7.08.

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PCCW Company Profile

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PCCW Limited (OTCMKTS:PCCWY) is a Hong Kongbased technology and telecommunications company offering a broad array of connectivity, media and IT solutions. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the group traces its roots to the early 2000s restructuring of the local fixed-line incumbent and has since diversified into broadband, mobile and digital media services under various subsidiaries.

The companys consumer and enterprise businesses encompass fixed-line telephone, broadband internet access, mobile services and pay-TV.

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Shares of Burberry Group PLC (OTCMKTS:BURBY  Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $17.78, but opened at $17.18. Burberry Group shares last traded at $17.54, with a volume of 5,959 shares.

Burberry Group Stock Down 0.7%

The businesss 50 day moving average price is $16.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.31.

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Burberry Group Company Profile

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Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house renowned for its distinctive designs and iconic outerwear. The companys product portfolio encompasses ready-to-wear clothing, leather goods, handbags, accessories, footwear, fragrances and beauty items. Burberry is particularly famous for its classic trench coat, crafted from its patented gabardine fabric, and the signature checked pattern that has become a global emblem of luxury.

Founded in 1856 by Thomas Burberry in Basingstoke, England, the company initially specialized in weatherproof garments and outdoor attire.

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iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF (NYSEARCA:KSA  Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 277,578 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 71% from the previous sessions volume of 162,525 shares.The stock last traded at $35.9350 and had previously closed at $36.77.

iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF Stock Down 2.1%

The stock has a market capitalization of $613.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.67 and a beta of 0.46. The businesss 50-day moving average is $37.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.27.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Martin Currie Ltd. lifted its position in iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF by 75.7% during the second quarter. Martin Currie Ltd. now owns 1,395,679 shares of the companys stock worth $53,789,000 after buying an additional 601,208 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF during the 2nd quarter worth $40,351,000. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF during the 3rd quarter worth $33,223,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 781,350 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,707,000 after acquiring an additional 20,319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd grew its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF by 100.6% in the second quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 613,633 shares of the companys stock valued at $23,649,000 after purchasing an additional 307,719 shares during the period.

iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF Company Profile

The iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF (KSA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI Saudi Arabia IMI 25-50 index, a market-cap-weighted index of Saudi Arabian firms covering 99% of the market cap spectrum. KSA was launched on Sep 16, 2015 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Shares of John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:JHEM  Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 34,243 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 51% from the previous sessions volume of 22,636 shares.The stock last traded at $33.8250 and had previously closed at $33.60.

John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $648.77 million, a P/E ratio of 13.85 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $32.70 and a 200-day moving average of $31.22.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Susquehanna International Group LLP lifted its position in John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF by 162.1% in the 3rd quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 105,844 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,350,000 after purchasing an additional 65,458 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF by 2.7% during the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 23,179 shares of the companys stock worth $734,000 after buying an additional 604 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. bought a new position in John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $228,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 597,624 shares of the companys stock valued at $18,918,000 after acquiring an additional 22,151 shares during the period. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000.

About John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF

The John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF (JHEM) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund tracks a multi-factor weighted index of large- and mid-cap stocks from emerging markets. JHEM was launched on Sep 27, 2018 and is managed by John Hancock.

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Jan 5 (Reuters) - China's top financial regulator asked its policy banks and other major lenders to report their lending exposure to Venezuela after the U.S. capture of the Venezuelan president, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA) also advised banks to strengthen risk monitoring of all Venezuela-related credit, seeking to assess potential dangers to China's lenders, the report added.

More from Yahoo Scout What are China's loans-for-oil deals with Venezuela? Why is China asking banks about Venezuela exposure? How much has China lent to Venezuela historically? What banking risks does China face from Venezuela?

The NFRA did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.

For years, China has extended credit lines to Venezuela under loans-for-oil deals.

The Bloomberg report said the NFRA's move highlights growing concerns among regulators over potential shocks to the banking sector as geopolitical risks mount. Billions in loans have been extended over the past decade by China to the South American country, primarily led by policy banks such as China Development, the report added.

China's foreign ministry on Monday reiterated Beijing's stance on the situation after the U.S. attack on Venezuela and called for the immediate release of President Nicolas Maduro.

(Reporting by Sherin Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
Shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft (NYSE:DB  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $39.79 and last traded at $39.5750, with a volume of 1046309 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $39.59.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research cut Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an overweight rating on shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft in a report on Monday, October 20th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold.

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Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.87 billion, a PE ratio of 14.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.96. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $36.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.79.

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft (NYSE:DB  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The bank reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $9.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.75 billion. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft had a net margin of 7.99% and a return on equity of 5.97%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft will post 2.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its stake in Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft by 2,807.4% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 785 shares of the banks stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft by 61.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,081 shares of the banks stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. 27.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Company Profile

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Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Founded in 1870 to support German foreign trade, the firm has grown into a full-service bank offering a wide range of banking, advisory and transaction services to corporate, institutional, and private clients. Over its history the bank has expanded internationally and developed capabilities across capital markets, investment banking, retail and commercial banking, and wealth management.

The banks core business activities include corporate and investment bankingcovering financing, advisory, sales and trading, and capital markets servicesalong with private & commercial banking for individual and small-to-medium enterprise clients.

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Voestalpine AG (OTCMKTS:VLPNY  Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $9.23, but opened at $8.6820. Voestalpine shares last traded at $8.7350, with a volume of 379 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLPNY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating on shares of Voestalpine in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating on shares of Voestalpine in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Voestalpine from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an overweight rating on shares of Voestalpine in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy.

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Voestalpine Stock Down 5.4%

The firm has a market cap of $7.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.12 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Voestalpine (OTCMKTS:VLPNY  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.31 billion. Voestalpine had a net margin of 1.50% and a return on equity of 3.10%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Voestalpine AG will post 0.45 earnings per share for the current year.

About Voestalpine

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Voestalpine AG is a leading steel-based technology and capital goods group headquartered in Linz, Austria. The company specializes in the production of high-quality steel and sophisticated components for a range of industries, including automotive, railway systems, aerospace, energy, and construction. It operates across all major processing steps in steel production, from raw?material processing and steelmaking to downstream activities such as coating, processing, and assembly.

Voestalpines portfolio is organized into several business divisions.

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Lenovo Group Ltd. (OTCMKTS:LNVGY  Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 81,349 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 163% from the previous sessions volume of 30,955 shares.The stock last traded at $24.63 and had previously closed at $24.60.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Lenovo Group from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold.

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Lenovo Group Trading Up 0.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.34 billion, a PE ratio of 10.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.61. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $25.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.12.

Lenovo Group (OTCMKTS:LNVGY  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The technology company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.15. Lenovo Group had a net margin of 2.17% and a return on equity of 28.15%. The firm had revenue of $20.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.09 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lenovo Group Ltd. will post 2.06 EPS for the current fiscal 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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Michelin (OTCMKTS:MGDDY  Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 220,644 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 90% from the previous sessions volume of 116,338 shares.The stock last traded at $16.6999 and had previously closed at $16.75.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MGDDY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Michelin from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Oddo Bhf cut Michelin to a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley reissued an equal weight rating on shares of Michelin in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. UBS Group downgraded Michelin from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of Michelin in a report on Friday, October 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold.

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Michelin Stock Performance

Michelin Company Profile

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The business has a fifty day moving average of $16.32 and a 200 day moving average of $17.43.

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Michelin (OTCMKTS: MGDDY) is a French multinational tire manufacturer founded in 1889 and headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Over more than a century the company has grown into one of the worlds leading tiremakers, serving passenger car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, agricultural, construction and aviation markets. Michelin has a global footprint with manufacturing facilities, research centers and commercial operations across multiple regions to supply OEMs, replacement markets and large commercial fleets.

The companys core business is the design, manufacture and sale of tires and related products.

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Shares of Berkeley Group Holdings PLC Unsponsored ADR (OTCMKTS:BKGFY  Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 54,613 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 110% from the previous sessions volume of 25,985 shares.The stock last traded at $10.7750 and had previously closed at $10.7199.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKGFY has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Berkeley Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an underperform rating on shares of Berkeley Group in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Berkeley Group in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a sell rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating on shares of Berkeley Group in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold.

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Berkeley Group Stock Up 2.0%

Berkeley Group Company Profile

The companys fifty day moving average is $10.30 and its 200-day moving average is $10.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

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Berkeley Group Holdings plc is a leading UK residential property developer specializing in urban regeneration and new-build communities. Founded in 1976 by Tony Pidgley, the company has built a reputation for delivering high-quality homes in London and the surrounding regions. Its core operations encompass land acquisition, planning, design, construction and sales, with an emphasis on creating mixed-use neighborhoods that integrate housing, public spaces and community amenities.

Over the decades, Berkeley Group has completed numerous landmark projects, including large-scale schemes at Kidbrooke Village, Royal Arsenal Riverside and Elephant Park in east London.

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Several brokerages have updated their recommendations and price targets on shares of Zhihu (NYSE: ZH) in the last few weeks:

Zhihu is Chinas leading online question-and-answer platform, providing a space where users can ask questions, share knowledge, and engage with content across science, technology, business, culture, and lifestyle. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Beijing, Zhihu has cultivated a community-driven environment that emphasizes credible, in-depth answers from experts, professionals, and enthusiasts.

The companys core service revolves around its Q&A platform, enabling registered users to post questions and receive comprehensive responses.

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Shares of Daiwa Securities Group Inc. (OTCMKTS:DSEEY  Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $9.08, but opened at $8.63. Daiwa Securities Group shares last traded at $8.94, with a volume of 1,014 shares.

Daiwa Securities Group Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $12.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.29 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $8.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.86.

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Daiwa Securities Group (OTCMKTS:DSEEY  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $2.44 billion for the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group had a return on equity of 7.00% and a net margin of 11.23%.

Daiwa Securities Group Company Profile

Daiwa Securities Group Inc is a leading Japanese financial services firm established in 1902 and headquartered in Tokyo. Operating as a holding company, Daiwa oversees a network of subsidiaries active in securities brokerage, investment banking and asset management. With a history spanning over a century, the group has evolved to meet the changing needs of individual and institutional clients, building a reputation for comprehensive capital markets solutions.

The groups core businesses include retail brokerage, offering equity, fixed income and mutual fund products to individual investors in Japan.

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Shares of Dassault Systemes SA (OTCMKTS:DASTY  Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 294,239 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 141% from the previous sessions volume of 122,063 shares.The stock last traded at $28.24 and had previously closed at $27.44.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DASTY. Citigroup restated a neutral rating on shares of Dassault Systemes in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered Dassault Systemes from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Sunday, September 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Dassault Systemes presently has an average rating of Buy.

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Dassault Systemes Stock Performance

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dassault Systemes

The stock has a market cap of $37.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.65, a PEG ratio of 5.87 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Dassault Systemes by 18.9% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 20,836 shares of the technology companys stock worth $795,000 after acquiring an additional 3,306 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Dassault Systemes by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 22,389 shares of the technology companys stock worth $808,000 after purchasing an additional 1,550 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Dassault Systemes by 49.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,866 shares of the technology companys stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 951 shares during the period. 0.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Dassault Systemes

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Dassault Systemes is a France-based software company that develops solutions for 3D design, digital mock-up and product lifecycle management (PLM). Founded as a technology spin-off from Dassault Aviation in 1981, the company is headquartered near Paris and has grown into a global provider of engineering and business software used to model, simulate and manage products and processes across their lifecycles. Its platforms and applications are aimed at enabling digital continuity from ideation and design through manufacturing, operation and service.

The companys product portfolio centers on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which integrates applications for computer-aided design (CAD), simulation, data management and collaboration.

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Shares of London Security plc (LON:LSC  Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as GBX 2,750 and last traded at GBX 2,900, with a volume of 516 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,750.

London Security Stock Up 5.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.75. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 3,062.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 3,392.28. The stock has a market cap of 355.54 million, a P/E ratio of 17.15 and a beta of 0.33.

About London Security

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London Security plc, an investment holding company, manufactures, sells, and rents fire protection equipment in the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, France, Germany, Denmark, and Luxembourg. It also provides intruder alarms products, as well as fire protection equipment maintenance services. The company offers its products under the Nu-Swift, Ansul, Total, Premier, and Master brands to companies, governments, and private individuals. The company was formerly known as London Securities plc and changed its name to London Security plc in 2003.

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Biohaven Ltd. (NYSE:BHVN  Get Free Report) shares were down 8% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $10.10 and last traded at $9.97. Approximately 991,990 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 33% from the average daily volume of 1,483,395 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.84.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Biohaven from $47.00 to $15.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Biohaven from $50.00 to $15.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Biohaven from $19.00 to $9.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Biohaven in a research report on Friday, December 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a strong-buy rating on shares of Biohaven in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Biohaven presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $25.93.

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Biohaven Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.44. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a PE ratio of -1.31 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 2.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91.

Biohaven (NYSE:BHVN  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported ($1.64) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.91) by $0.27. Equities analysts anticipate that Biohaven Ltd. will post -8.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Biohaven

In related news, Director John W. Childs acquired 3,333,333 shares of Biohaven stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $7.50 per share, for a total transaction of $24,999,997.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 5,653,904 shares of the companys stock, valued at $42,404,280. This represents a 143.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gregory Bailey bought 400,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $7.50 per share, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,020,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,150,532.50. The trade was a 24.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired a total of 4,416,999 shares of company stock worth $33,144,833 over the last 90 days. 14.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Biohaven

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BHVN. Vident Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Biohaven during the first quarter worth about $271,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Biohaven by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,905 shares of the companys stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 1,290 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Biohaven by 49.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 114,849 shares of the companys stock worth $2,761,000 after acquiring an additional 37,981 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Biohaven by 32.4% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 71,833 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,747,000 after purchasing an additional 17,562 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Biohaven by 1,172.9% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 901,258 shares of the companys stock valued at $21,666,000 after purchasing an additional 830,457 shares during the period. 88.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Biohaven

(Get Free Report)

Biohaven Ltd. (NYSE BHVN) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing therapies for neurological and neurovascular diseases. Founded in 2013 as a spin-out from Yale University, Biohaven focuses on addressing high-unmet medical needs through innovative small-molecule and peptide-based platforms. The company is headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut, and maintains research activities across the United States, with collaborative ties in Europe and Asia via strategic partnerships.

The companys most advanced program centers on calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonists for the acute and preventive treatment of migraine.

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While large corporations sometimes find ways around tax laws, occasionally, the bill does come due. That was recently the case for Coca-Cola Vietnam, which was just ordered to pay over $31 million in back taxes, Retail News Asia reported.

What's happening?

On December 25, 2019, Vietnam's General Department of Taxation ordered Coca-Cola to pay VND759 billion in fees and back taxes due to incorrect filings from the years 2007 through 2015. The company had claimed losses from the years 1994 through 2014, but this was inconsistent with its net revenues. The company disputed the order, filing a suit with the HCMC People's Court.

In late November, after almost six years, the lawsuit was thrown out, and Coca-Cola was ordered to pay its taxes. The total due has now risen to 821 billion Vietnamese dong ($31 billion).

Coca-Cola Vietnam has also been audited for the 2016-2017 tax year and has once again been found to have filed incorrectly.

Why is this ruling important?

While the multi-million dollar price tag of Coca-Cola Vietnam's back taxes may seem huge, it is roughly 12% of the company's 2015 revenues. Settling the bill may be painful for the company since it is doing so all at once, but it is not unreasonable.

However, it does send a message that companies can't get away with this unlawful behavior just because they are large and wealthy.

It also helps supply the government with public funds for programs that benefit society. This helps counteract Coca-Cola's harmful legacy as Earth's largest plastic polluter.

What can I do about Coca-Cola's negative impact?

Whenever possible, choose plastic-free and eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastic products like soft drink bottles. For example, you could fill a reusable water bottle with homemade lemonade, which is healthier and often tastes better.

Meanwhile, vote for leaders who will continue to hold large corporations accountable for following the law.

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.
Sabine Royalty Trust (NYSE:SBR  Get Free Report) announced a monthly dividend on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.3216 per share by the energy company on Thursday, January 29th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 15th. This is a 63.5% increase from Sabine Royalty Trusts previous monthly dividend of $0.20.

Sabine Royalty Trust has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years.

Get Sabine Royalty Trust alerts:

Sabine Royalty Trust Stock Performance

SBR traded down $1.92 during trading on Monday, reaching $68.28. The companys stock had a trading volume of 43,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 39,399. The companys fifty day moving average price is $73.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $71.67. Sabine Royalty Trust has a 52-week low of $58.25 and a 52-week high of $84.39. The company has a market capitalization of $995.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57 and a beta of 0.28.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Sabine Royalty Trust ( NYSE:SBR Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The energy company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter. Sabine Royalty Trust had a return on equity of 961.65% and a net margin of 95.30%.The business had revenue of $25.52 million during the quarter.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Sabine Royalty Trust in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Sabine Royalty Trust has a consensus rating of Hold.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Sabine Royalty Trust

Sabine Royalty Trust Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Sabine Royalty Trust is a Delaware statutory trust that owns a non-operating royalty interest in a portfolio of oil and gas properties. Rather than engaging in exploration or production activities directly, the trust receives a share of net proceeds from hydrocarbon production on the underlying properties and distributes those proceeds to unitholders on a monthly basis.

The trust was established in 1982 through a transaction with Sabine Oil & Gas Corporation, which transferred its overriding royalty interests in numerous wells and acreage to the trust.

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Irish parents are being told not to feed their babies certain batches of popular formula brand SMA due to the possible presence of a toxin that can lead to illness.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has issued a statement to say that Nestle is voluntarily recalling specific batches of its SMA infant formula and follow-on formula due to the potential presence of cereulide.

They explained: "Cereulide is a toxin produced by some strains of the bacterium Bacillus cereus, which can cause food poisoning.

"This recall is a precautionary measure being taken in the interest of public health, and there have been no reported cases of illness to date."

READ MORE | LIVE: Met Eireann's fresh ice and snow warnings bring treacherous travel across Ireland

The FSAI is advising parents, guardians and caregivers who may have the recalled products at home not to feed them to their infant or young child.

The products and batches being recalled are as follows:

Batch codes can be found on the base of the tin or box for powdered formulas, or the base of the outer box and on the side / top of the container for ready-to-feed formulas.



"The FSAI advises that cereulide toxin may be pre-formed in a food and is extremely heat resistant. Consumption of foods containing cereulide toxin can lead to nausea and severe vomiting. Symptoms can appear within five hours. The duration of illness is usually 6 to 24 hours," a statement read.

"The FSAI is advising parents, guardians and caregivers who may have the recalled products at home not to feed them to their infant or young child. If no symptoms are displayed, nothing further needs to be done. If a parent, guardian or caregiver is concerned about the health of their infant or young child, they should contact a healthcare professional," the spokesperson added.



Nestle is advising its customers who have purchased any of these batches to contact:

Via its online form, sharing a photo of the product and the batch code HERE.

By calling its careline on 1800 931 832 (Ireland) or 0800 0 81 81 80 (UK)
Follow-up on holiday hi-jinks and a breach at MCI on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Forgive our sins for trying to resurrect the 6-7 meme if only to make sure that it remains part of the past.

Now here's the most relevant part of the story for Sunday . . .

"According to a probable cause statement from the Kansas City International Airport Police Department, SUSPECT told officers he was guided to MCI by God.



"Investigators say he was not sure how he entered the restricted area, but thought he may have driven his vehicle and jumped the fence. "

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

KCTV5: Topeka man charged after Christmas Eve security breach at KCI
Cognizant has finalised its acquisition of 3Cloud, a Microsoft Azure services provider based in Chicago, US, effective on 1 January 2026.

The transaction, first announced in November 2025, will see around 1,200 employees, including roughly 700 based in the US, join Cognizants global workforce.

With this deal, Cognizant aims to expand its capabilities in Azure, data and AI, as well as cloud-based application innovation for clients across multiple sectors.

The addition of 3Cloud increases Cognizants roster of Azure-certified professionals to more than 21,000 worldwide.

Both companies have extensive experience in engineering-centric cloud projects.

The newly combined entity is expected to strengthen Cognizants strategic partnership with Microsoft and further develop its enterprise-scale digital and AI transformation offerings.

Gryphon Investors completed the sale of 3Cloud to Cognizant following several years of investment that saw the companys scale increase significantly, in part through average annual organic growth of more than 20% since 2020.

Under Gryphons ownership since June 2020, 3Cloud also undertook several add-on acquisitions.

Financial details of the acquisition remain undisclosed.

Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S said: The addition of 3Clouds capabilities and skilled professionals is an important step along our path to becoming the premier AI builder for the enterprise.

By combining 3Clouds Azure, data and AI expertise with Cognizants global scale and industry depth, we are creating a powerful platform for innovation, helping clients harness the full potential of AI and cloud to transform their businesses.

Founded in 2016 by former Microsoft executives, 3Cloud covers areas such as modern data engineering, AI-driven application development, analytics and managed services.

The company serves enterprise clients in sectors including banking, healthcare, technology and consumer industries.

It is also an Elite Databricks partner and has received industry recognition for its delivery model and technical expertise.

The integration of 3Cloud is intended to broaden Cognizants portfolio of Azure-related services as organisations increasely demand AI-led business transformation using Microsoft Azure platforms.

According to Microsofts reports for the third quarter of 2025, Azure and related cloud services experienced a year-on-year growth rate of 40%.

Gryphon Investors received advisory support from Lazard and legal counsel from Kirkland & Ellis on the deal, while Mayer Brown acted as legal adviser to Cognizant.

"Cognizant acquires 3Cloud to boost global Azure expertise" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand.
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Montenegro is ready to intensify cooperation with Azerbaijan in gas sphere, as well as green energy sector, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro Ervin Ibrahimovic said in an exclusive interview with Trend, as he recently visited Baku.

Montenegro and Azerbaijan traditionally maintain friendly and partnership-based relations, and my visit to Baku aimed to further contribute to their enhancement, the strengthening of interstate ties, and the continuation of a continuous, open, and constructive political dialogue. During substantive talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova, Prime Minister Ali Asadov, and Minister of Finance Sahil Babayev, we jointly noted that relations between our two countries are at a high level, characterized by positive dynamics and cooperation in numerous areas of mutual interest, he said.

Ibrahimovic pointed out that the meetings in Baku provided a valuable opportunity to consider concrete modalities for their further deepening.

Special attention was devoted to the economy, with a focus on tourism, investments, and energy, while we also discussed modalities of cooperation in the field of foreign affairs. We also exchanged views on current global processes and expressed support for the signing of the Joint Declaration between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Washington on 8 August 2025, as an important step towards achieving lasting peace, regional stability, and prosperity.

During my stay in Baku, I had the opportunity to familiarize my Azerbaijani counterparts with Montenegros foreign policy priorities, particularly our strong commitment to European integration. I presented Montenegros ambition to complete EU accession negotiations by the end of 2026 and be ready for membership by 2028, as well as recent tangible results, including the closure of five negotiation chapters at the Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels in December, said the deputy PM.

He believes that the official visit to Azerbaijan was highly successful, substantive, and productive, and that it further strengthened the foundations for the continued development of cooperation between Montenegro and Azerbaijan, to the mutual benefit of the citizens of both countries.

Montenegros interest in importing Azerbaijani gas

Montenegro has a clear interest in importing Azerbaijani natural gas, which we view as part of a broader strategy to strengthen energy security and diversify supply sources. We see energy as one of the key development potentials and are ready to intensify cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and experience, particularly in the fields of gas and renewable energy sources, said Ibrahimovic.

He recalled that during the visit to Baku, discussions were held on next steps in energy cooperation, including the possibility of organizing an intersectoral meeting to consider various modalities of cooperation, as well as potential opportunities related to the distribution of Azerbaijani gas to Montenegro.

These issues will also be further discussed within the framework of the upcoming session of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation. In this context, it is particularly important to emphasize the significance of the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP), which Montenegros Energy Development Strategy until 2030 identifies as the most realistic option for the gasification of the country at this stage.

The IAP is envisioned as the final segment of the Southern Gas Corridor, through which gas from the Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan, via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, could be delivered to countries in the region, including Montenegro. The project enjoys strong support from the European Union and Euro-Atlantic partners, is recognized as a Project of Common Interest, and is included in the EUs Single List of Infrastructure Projects, making it a political and strategic priority. Given that Montenegro currently lacks gas infrastructure, the potential implementation of this project would open space for significant foreign investments and enable stable natural gas supply, while simultaneously reducing pollution and strengthening regional connectivity, said the deputy PM.

Partnership in green energy and sustainable development

I see cooperation between Montenegro and Azerbaijan in the field of green energy and sustainable development as highly promising and complementary, particularly in view of our commitments under the Paris Agreement and Montenegros status as a candidate country for EU membership. Our strategic orientation is to base the development of the energy sector on the principles of decarbonization, green energy transition, and increased use of renewable energy sources, in line with the European Green Deal, said Ibrahimovic.

The deputy PM pointed out that Montenegro plans to invest intensively in renewable energy sources, improve energy efficiency, and build infrastructure to connect with regional and European energy systems.

In this process, Azerbaijans experience, expertise, and referencesboth in conventional energy and in the increasingly strong development of green energy solutionsrepresent significant cooperation potential.

We consider cooperation in the field of gas as a transitional energy source particularly important, as well as cooperation in the development of renewable energy and sustainable energy projects that contribute to emissions reduction and long-term energy stability. I am convinced that through intensified political dialogue, exchange of expertise, and the conclusion of concrete agreements, Montenegro and Azerbaijan can further deepen their partnership and jointly contribute to sustainable development and energy security, both bilaterally and regionally, he explained.

Further strengthening diplomatic relations, upcoming joint events

Ibrahimovic noted that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Montenegro and Azerbaijan have continuously worked on their development and on identifying new modalities of cooperation, in line with recognized common interests and based on the principles of openness and friendship.

Political dialogue at all levels is conducted at a satisfactory pace, and numerous areas of cooperation are grounded in a stable contractual and institutional framework, encompassing a series of bilateral agreements and memoranda. In this context, the recent visit to Azerbaijan was an opportunity to review existing forms of cooperation and identify areas with additional potential for enhancement. A particularly significant step forward was the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of consular affairs between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries, which further improves institutional cooperation and the quality of services provided to citizens, said the deputy PM.

He went on to add that an important segment of cooperation is also realized at the multilateral level, particularly within the United Nations, through coordination and mutual support of candidacies within international organizations and forums.

I see additional potential for strengthening diplomatic relations through the intensification of parliamentary cooperation, via activities of interparliamentary friendship groups and exchanges of high-level visits, as well as through further development of cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Regular bilateral political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, as well as consular consultations, also make an important contribution to strengthening diplomatic relations, enabling continuous exchange of views, enhanced institutional cooperation, and more efficient resolution of issues of importance to the citizens of both countries. These mechanisms confirm our shared commitment to open communication and the deepening of mutual trust. Through such a comprehensive approach, Montenegro and Azerbaijan can further strengthen political, institutional, and overall bilateral relations, to the mutual benefit of our states and citizens, he added.

Ibrahimovic pointed out that over the past year, the two countries have created the conditions for organizing concrete activities that will contribute to the further development of the interstate friendship.

Therefore, we look forward with optimism to the coming year, in which Montenegro will mark the 20th anniversary of the restoration of its independencean opportunity to implement a number of concrete activities and initiatives that will further enhance cooperation between Montenegro and Azerbaijan. In this regard, we welcome announcements of continued political dialogue and high-level visits, which will provide opportunities for signing cooperation agreements currently in procedure, such as those in the fields of agriculture, energy, and avoidance of double taxation, said the deputy PM.

He particularly emphasized the importance of holding the 4th session of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation, planned for the first half of March 2026.

This session will provide an important opportunity for a comprehensive analysis of existing cooperation and for the concretization of future activities in areas such as energy, tourism, and investments, as well as education, science, innovation and technology, public administration, and digitalization, said Ibrahimovic.

Furthermore, he sees scope for further development of cooperation in the field of culture, as well as for strengthening ties between universities and academic institutions of the two countries.

In this context, I would like to highlight the already signed Cooperation Agreement between the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro and ADA University of Azerbaijan, which includes the exchange of young diplomats, organization of joint conferences, and exchange of lecturers.

I also believe that improving direct air connectivity is of particular importance for the overall relations between our countries. Establishing regular year-round flights, in cooperation between Montenegrin and Azerbaijani air carriers, would provide a strong impetus for the development of tourism, business contacts, and overall people-to-people cooperation. The implementation of these activities and initiatives will further strengthen our bilateral relations and open new opportunities for long-term and substantive cooperation between Montenegro and Azerbaijan, the deputy PM added.

Mutual investment opportunities

Ibrahimovic noted that Montenegro is aware of and welcomes the growing importance of Azerbaijan as a strategic hub in the regional and global economy.

Montenegros participation in the First International Investment Forum in Baku demonstrates Azerbaijans efforts to diversify its economy, as well as our readiness to recognize investment opportunities across numerous sectors. We believe that stability, peace, and sustainable development in the region, including the reconstruction and development of the Karabakh area, create a favorable environment for investment. We expect the Azerbaijani market to attract the attention of Montenegrin investors, particularly those who, by strengthening their capacities and through regional cooperation, seek to become credible participants in a demanding investment market, he said.

The deputy PM believes that particularly promising areas for investment include energy, infrastructure, innovation, green energy, real estate, urban development, and projects based on the principles of sustainable development.

He went on to add that additional promotion of Azerbaijans investment opportunities in Montenegro could significantly contribute to better informing the business community and encouraging concrete investments that would enhance economic ties between our countries.

In this context, the role of economic diplomacy is particularly important in connecting institutions, business communities, and investors of the two countries, with these aspects of cooperation to be further discussed within the framework of the upcoming session of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation, said Ibrahimovic.

He noted that in addition to deepening cooperation in the energy sector, Montenegro recognizes significant opportunities for Azerbaijani investments in tourism, which represents one of the key sectors of the countrys economic development.

The existing Agreement on Cooperation in Tourism between the Governments of Montenegro and Azerbaijan from 2011 provides a legal framework for further investments and strengthening mutual ties. A significant number of Azerbaijani tourists visit Montenegro, with a continuous increase in arrivals and overnight stays, confirming Montenegros growing recognition as a tourist destination. Direct flights between Baku and Podgorica or Tivat further facilitate access and strengthen tourism and economic connectivity.

When speaking about the quality of investments in Montenegro, I always highlight with satisfaction the investment in the luxury complex Portonovi, one of the most significant and recognizable Azerbaijani investments in Montenegro, which has become a symbol of successful cooperation between our countries. This investment has significantly contributed to the development of tourism, enhanced Montenegros international visibility, and strengthened its positioning as a prestigious tourist destination. We see such examples as a model we wish to further encourage through future projects and new partnerships with Azerbaijani investors, said the deputy PM.

He pointed out that in addition to tourism and energy, Montenegro would like to see investments from Azerbaijan in infrastructure projects, health and congress tourism, as well as sustainable development projects in national parks and northern Montenegro.

The construction of key infrastructure projects, such as the BarBoljare highway, opens additional investment opportunities and increases the accessibility of less developed regions.

Ibrahimovic noted that Montenegros NATO membership and its expected accession to the European Union further strengthen investor confidence, confirming that Montenegro is a stable, safe, and predictable environment for investment.

The Government of Montenegro principledly supports all serious and responsible investments, and experience with existing Azerbaijani investments shows that joint projects can significantly contribute to overall economic cooperation between our countries.

Montenegros role in strengthening Azerbaijan-NATO relations

Ibrahimovic pointed out that Azerbaijan is an important NATO partner, and the Alliance has maintained a stable and long-standing relationship through political dialogue, security sector reform, and efforts to strengthen interoperability.

This partnership has been further reinforced by the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), which outlines cooperation priorities in the fields of defence, security reforms, and anti-corruption. We were pleased that in November 2025, a delegation of NATO permanent representatives, including Montenegro, visited Azerbaijan for the first time. This visit provided an excellent opportunity to deepen political dialogue and reaffirm NATOs commitment to its partnership with Baku, recognizing its role as a key factor of stability in the Caucasus region, said the deputy PM.

He noted that Montenegro also welcomes Azerbaijans cooperation with NATO in establishing an Anti-Terrorism Training Centre, as well as its participation in NATO programs for civil preparedness and emergency management through the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC).

I believe that Montenegro can actively collaborate with Azerbaijan in strengthening defence and civil capacities in these areas, both within the NATO framework and through bilateral initiatives, Ibrahimovic concluded.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. The 4th session of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Montenegro is planned for the first half of March 2026, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro Ervin Ibrahimovic said in an exclusive interview with Trend, as he recently visited Baku.

Ibrahimovic pointed out that over the past year, the two countries have created the conditions for organizing concrete activities that will contribute to the further development of the interstate friendship.

Therefore, we look forward with optimism to the coming year, in which Montenegro will mark the 20th anniversary of the restoration of its independencean opportunity to implement a number of concrete activities and initiatives that will further enhance cooperation between Montenegro and Azerbaijan. In this regard, we welcome announcements of continued political dialogue and high-level visits, which will provide opportunities for signing cooperation agreements currently in procedure, such as those in the fields of agriculture, energy, and avoidance of double taxation, said the deputy PM.

He particularly emphasized the importance of holding the 4th session of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation, planned for the first half of March 2026.

This session will provide an important opportunity for a comprehensive analysis of existing cooperation and for the concretization of future activities in areas such as energy, tourism, and investments, as well as education, science, innovation and technology, public administration, and digitalization, said Ibrahimovic.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Authorities have begun preparations to repair dozens of private homes in the villages of Jutju and Garazami in Azerbaijans Khojavend district, Trend reports.

The Restoration, Construction, and Management Service overseeing the Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Khojavend districts has finalized the groundwork for the project. The plan covers repairs to 40 homes spanning 7,600 square meters in the village of Jutju and 20 homes totaling 3,800 square meters in Garazami.

Officials said the work in Jutju has been awarded to Kapital-Inshaat Limited Liability Company (LLC), while repairs in Garazami will be carried out by Everest Group LLC under signed contracts. The total value of the agreements stands at 3.98 million manat ($2.34 million), placing the average cost of repairs at roughly 66,400 manat ($39,055) per house.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. The recent meeting between President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and a U.S. delegation can be assessed as an important political event clearly showing the current stage and future directions of the interstate relations, political analyst Azer Garayev told Trend.

"First of all, the high-level and bipartisan composition of the U.S. delegation indicates the continued interest in Azerbaijan in Washington. The participation of members of the Armed Forces and Revenue committees confirms that security, defense, trade, and economic issues are priority topics for the U.S. Congress. The Azerbaijan-Armenia peace agenda held a special place in the meeting. President Ilham Aliyev's calling the agreements reached 'historic' and emphasizing the role of U.S. President Donald Trump in this process indicate that Washington acts as an active mediator in the regional peace process. At the same time, the establishment of trade relations and the opening of transit opportunities demonstrate that the peace agenda is yielding practical results," the analyst said.

Garayev noted that the ideas voiced regarding the TRIPP route can be assessed as a continuation of Azerbaijan's strategy to become a transport and logistics center in the region.

"This corridor both strengthens regional integration and is important in terms of alternative transport routes for the U.S. and the West. The fact that President Ilham Aliyev raised the issue of Section 907 further strengthens the political content of the meeting. This issue shows that the Azerbaijani side is interested in the full normalization of relations with the U.S. and clearly states that the current restrictions no longer correspond to reality. The positive assessment of the suspension of the amendment can also be considered as a political message addressed to members of Congress.

Overall, the meeting shows that Azerbaijan-U.S. relations aren't limited only to regional security but also include future-oriented areas such as energy, the defense industry, education, information technologies, and artificial intelligence. This forms a solid foundation for deeper and institutional cooperation between the parties," the analyst added.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to the Orthodox Christian community of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

"Dear fellow compatriots!

I cordially congratulate you and the entire Christian community of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the Holy Christmas and extend my most heartfelt wishes to you all.

In Azerbaijan, representatives of different nations and religions have lived in an atmosphere of national and spiritual solidarity based on mutual respect and trust, kind friendship and brotherhood for centuries.

The promotion and encouragement of a culture of coexistence, moral and ethical norms, multicultural values, along with principles of tolerance, is one of the key directions of our state policy.

Today, in Azerbaijan, known for its rich traditions of tolerance, everyone can express their cultural identity. Regardless of language, religion, or nationality, comprehensive democratic and legal conditions have been created for all citizens of our country, including the Christian community, to preserve and further develop their ethnic and cultural identity. It is commendable that our Christian compatriots are closely involved in all areas of our public, political and cultural life, and spare no effort to contribute to the development and progress of our common home  Azerbaijan.

Christmas symbolizes renewal, purity, feelings of compassion and mercy. On this bright day, I once again congratulate all of you and wish your families happiness, abundance and blessings.

Happy holiday!" the letter reads.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Today, in Azerbaijan, known for its rich traditions of tolerance, everyone can express their cultural identity, said President Ilham Aliyev in his congratulatory message to the Orthodox Christian community of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

Regardless of language, religion, or nationality, comprehensive democratic and legal conditions have been created for all citizens of our country, including the Christian community, to preserve and further develop their ethnic and cultural identity. It is commendable that our Christian compatriots are closely involved in all areas of our public, political and cultural life, and spare no effort to contribute to the development and progress of our common home  Azerbaijan, the head of state noted.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, visited the Sultan Qaboos Comprehensive Cancer Care and Research Center (University Medical City) in Muscat, the capital of Oman, Trend reports.

Leyla Aliyeva was welcomed by Sinam Al Sinani, Executive President of the University Medical City.

During the visit, Leyla Aliyeva toured the center, familiarizing herself with its various departments and the cutting-edge medical equipment in use.

She also presented patients undergoing treatment at the center with keepsakes.

The center was built to provide comprehensive healthcare services to cancer patients, in accordance with the instructions of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

The center obtained international accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI) in June 2023. It became the first governmental healthcare institution in Oman to receive such international accreditation within a short period among all healthcare institutions operating in the country.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. As previously reported, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev gave an interview to local television channels today.

The head of state's interview with local television channels will be broadcast today.

Trend presents the announcement of this interview:
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(You may need to scroll the table or flip your screen to landscape view to see all of the data.)

The table includes percentages of buy or equivalent ratings among the analysts, as well as projected compound annual growth rates (CAGR) for the companies revenue, and earnings per share from calendar 2025 through 2027 based on consensus estimates. For some of the companies, sales and/or EPS growth projections are only for 2026, since consensus 2027 estimates are not yet available. These are explained in the notes below.

Below are the 25 stocks sorted by how much upside potential is indicated for 2026, based on consensus price targets among analysts polled by LSEG.

There are 25 companies in the semiconductor equipment and testing industry group, as determined by LSEG, among stocks in the PHLX Semiconductor Index SOX, the S&P Composite 1500 XX:SP1500 or MSCI World Index XX:990100. This group of 25 stocks represents a deeper worldwide dive into this corner of the semiconductor industry.

So we thought it would be useful to present some data related to this group of companies to help long-term investors with their research.

No matter which of Nvidias competitors are able to take significant share of the market for semiconductors that support generative-AI technology, these semiconductor capital equipment, or semicap, makers should benefit as the AI buildout continues.

For U.S. investors, the best-known providers of specialized manufacturing and testing equipment and related services to chip makers are probably ASML Holding ASML, Lam Research LRCX and Applied Materials AMAT.

Nvidia NVDA is now the largest stock within the S&P 500 SPX, with a market capitalization of $4.6 trillion. It makes up 7.7% of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY. If you are a U.S. investor who likes index funds, chances are that you have a lot of money indirectly invested in Nvidia.

Some investors may need to be reminded that the semiconductor industry is cyclical. And after several years of incredible gains for shares of dominant chip makers amid the boom in generative artificial intelligence, it might be best to steer clear of competition at the top  and focus more on companies that provide essential equipment and services to semiconductor manufacturers.

Story Continues

Read: Tomi Kilgores guide to the wealth of information available for free on the MarketWatch quote page

For Photronics PLAB and Kulicke & Soffa Industries KLIC, the revenue and EPS projections are only for 2026. For ACM Research ACMR, the revenue projection is a two-year CAGR, but the EPS growth projection is only for 2026. For Cohu COHU, there is no EPS projection because the company is expected to post a net loss for 2025.

There are several stocks on the list that are highly regarded by the analysts, but whose price targets are close to the current prices. This is because analysts working for brokerage and research firms nearly all set 12-month price targets, even though that might be considered to be a short period for long-term investors.

The question of demand sustainability usually comes up at the start of a new year given the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry. Another concern is the dynamic of having an oligopoly of semicap suppliers for a small base of buyers, Mizuho desk-based analyst Jordan Klein told MarketWatch.

Looking out into this year, however, Klein said it is the first time in a long time that I can remember where the whole sustainability fear question is not as big a concern for investors.

That points to strong demand trends, he said. While AI demand is a driver, Klein said more complex chip designs are also helping to create upward momentum in the growth rate among semicap companies  a trend he doesnt see slowing anytime soon.

Because the lead times for semiconductor capital equipment are typically six to nine months, it is necessary to look out further and anticipate what order rates and demand trends will be toward the end of the year going into 2027, Klein said. Customers are ordering in advance because of the wait times, he noted, and therefore companies such as Applied Materials, Lam and KLA have been offering confident updates.

Meanwhile, demand for memory chips is accelerating, leading to rising prices for NAND and dynamic random-access memory, or DRAM. That demand is pressuring semiconductor manufacturers to add capacity, meaning they are placing orders sooner than expected with semicap makers.

See more: This analysts top chip pick isnt flashy, but it could benefit from unprecedented momentum

TD Cowen analyst Krish Sankar named Applied Materials as his best idea for 2026 in a note in December. Sankar wrote that about half of the companys customers are exposed to the demand for DRAM and to the buildout of leading-edge foundries for manufacturing advanced chips.

The other thing investors are excited about is that, eventually, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing TSM TW:2330, Samsung Electronics KR:005930 and Intel INTC will have to expand clean-room capacity and order more equipment for foundry and logic chips, Mizuhos Klein said. Nvidia, Broadcom AVGO, Advanced Micro Devices AMD and others are ordering these types of chips in large quantities.

And investors expect to start seeing equipment orders for the sizable data-center commitments from OpenAI and other buyers, including Meta Platforms META and Google GOOGL GOOG, from 2027 onward, he added.

The focus in [the memory] sector is going to be how much new equipment is being purchased for new capacity, Klein said  adding that its hard to determine that amount unless memory companies say whether or not they are adding capacity.

Meanwhile, he believes semicap companies have done a good job managing their supply chains coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. None of the major equipment makers are talking about a shortage of components.

ASML is one of Kleins favorite semicap stocks going into 2026 because of its monopoly on advanced lithography equipment, which it is not allowed to sell to customers in China.

Both the investment community and analysts on the sell side who cover ASML are projecting a big recovery in growth in 2027. After a moderation in demand in 2026, a lot of chip manufacturers such as TSMC, Samsung and Intel will start ordering more lithography tools to supply more AI chips from 2027 onward, Klein said. ASMLs valuation may have contracted recently, but there is reason to believe it will start expanding again in the new year, as investors start buying again in anticipation of another growth cycle.

Meanwhile, Klein said Onto Innovation ONTO and Teradyne TER are two of his favorites among midcap names in the sector because of exposure to high-bandwidth memory.

Teradyne, which makes tools for testing chips, has said in recent analyst calls that it is seeing increasing orders from HBM customers, Klein noted, and he expects that to continue. There is also an expectation by more bullish investors that Teradyne will work with Nvidia as it expands its test-machine orders beyond Japans Advantest JP:6857 ATEYY.

If that becomes official, it could provide a big boost to Teradynes stock. Analysts are already anticipating a big jump in year-over-year revenue growth, to 22.3% in 2026 from an expected 8.7% in 2025 and 5.4% growth in 2024, according to FactSet data.

Anytime an equipment company is growing over 15% to 20%, thats really impressive growth for this type of company, Klein said.

Onto, which makes chip-inspection equipment, said on its November earnings call that strength in its advanced packing business is partly from its HBM customers.

While these two names are not inexpensive, Klein said both are guiding for growth acceleration in the second half of 2026, and investors are usually looking for the best growth acceleration in the next six to 12 months.

Meanwhile, Klein added, companies and investors now have more clarity on shipping to customers in China. Demand from that market was a major growth driver for chip-equipment makers in recent years, but investors have been worried about U.S. export controls prompting companies in China to overbuy and stockpile unnecessary tools.

That was a big overhang because China was as much as 40% to 45% of these companies revenue, and investors were worried that it would come down to a normal rate and create a downward headwind, Klein said. The good news is that [in 2026], the restrictions that the U.S. government put in place are already understood and known.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Last year can indeed be considered a historic one, as 2025 saw the end of the Azerbaijan-Armenia war from a political perspective, and we have been living in conditions of peace for several months now, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with local television channels on January 5, Trend reports.

Living in conditions of peacewhat does that mean? We are learning it, the head of state added, emphasizing that the brilliant Victory achieved by Azerbaijan on the battlefield received a political seal in the international arena, including in the worlds most prominent office. This will, of course, remain one of the most memorable events in our history of independence. From this point of view, last year can be considered a very successful and historic year for our country and our people, and I am confident that from now on, the people of Azerbaijan will live in conditions of peace, President Ilham Aliyev noted.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. With the Trump administration coming to power, the situation has completely changed, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during an interview with local television channels, in response to a question about Section 907, Trend reports.

"Azerbaijan-US relations have now risen to a new level, and we expect Congress to lift this unjust amendment, a relic of the past that is completely absurd today, the head of state added.

Pointing out that goods are currently flowing from various locations to Armenia via Azerbaijani territory, roads have been opened, and even Azerbaijani petroleum products are being exported to Armenia, the head of state said: If the formal reason for Section 907 was a blockade, that no longer exists today. Therefore, of course, we expect the Trump administration to use its capabilities to convince members of Congress, especially those from the Republican Party, that this amendment must be fully lifted  and we have sufficient grounds for such hope.
Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. I believe that one of the events of great importance is our strategic partnership with China, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with local television channels on January 5, Trend reports.

"Last year, during my state visit to China, a Joint Statement on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was signed, and this can also be considered a great success, the head of state added.

Emphasizing that China is one of the leading countries in the world, the head of state noted that this political framework, political platform, of course, can be viewed as evidence of our successful diplomacy.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. I consider our membership in the D-8 organization to be a very great achievement, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with local television channels on January 5, Trend reports.

"Because this organization has been there for almost 30 years and has not accepted a new member ever since its inception, the head of state added.

Emphasizing that the only new member of the D-8 organization, which brings together the largest countries of the Muslim world, has been Azerbaijan, the head of state said: Suffice it to say that the total population of the countries united in this organization exceeds one billion people, and their total economy is in excess of four trillion. Azerbaijan cannot be considered a large country in terms of population or economy. Our official participation there is, of course, a sign of respect for us and the result of our independent policy. And we began active work there immediately.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. The signing of two documents between Azerbaijan and China - first on strategic partnership, and later on comprehensive strategic partnership - within one year has given a significant boost to bilateral economic relations, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during an interview with local television channels on January 5, Trend reports.

Highlighting that the volume of trade between the two countries has exceeded 4 billion dollars, President Ilham Aliyev noted that Chinese companies have actively begun investing in renewable energy, transportation, and other sectors in Azerbaijan.

Stating that Azerbaijan is a priority partner for China in this region, the head of state noted that military-technical cooperation has begun within the framework of the political agreements reached. Part of this cooperation was demonstrated at the military parade, but this is only the beginning. We see great mutual interest in this matter. In addition, not limiting ourselves to acquiring military equipment, we are working on establishing joint ventures, and work in this area has already begun, President Ilham Aliyev emphasized.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Last year, we also made a strategic decision to increase our gold reserves, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with local television channels on January 5, Trend reports.

"We clearly could see the geopolitical developments, and I was absolutely sure that the price of gold would go up, and it skyrocketed, the head of state added.

Emphasizing that this decision brought significant income to Azerbaijan, the head of state noted: By increasing our reserves of gold, our State Oil Fund earned more than 10 billion U.S. dollars only because of that. But if the price goes down, of course, our reserves will go down. So, now our reserves change every day. Today, probably, theyre 84 or 83. Tomorrow, it will be 85. Nevertheless, this is one of the highest per capita reserves in the world, which any country can have.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. There must be a railway that can also connect Nakhchivan with Turkiye, and all these projects, of course, should be carried out in a coordinated fashion, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with local television channels on January 5, Trend reports.

Emphasizing that all roads can be implemented faster on the territory of Azerbaijan, the head of state noted that there are no more problems with the Zangezur Corridor in the territory of the country.

President Ilham Aliyev also said that, on Azerbaijans initiative, a bridge over the Araz is being constructed in the Aghband settlement: Currently, to get from the main part of Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan, a long road must be covered from Bilasuvar. It will now be only 4550 kilometers from the territory of Iran to Nakhchivan. Thus, there will be two connections between the main part of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, one through Armenia and one through Iran. We will actually unite Nakhchivan, East Zangezur and Garabagh into one region.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. In parallel with the construction work underway in Garabagh and East Zangezur, we will connect this region to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, whether it is green energy, agriculture or irrigation  large irrigation projects will be implemented there  or tourism, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during an interview with local television channels on January 5, Trend reports.

"I want to say again that we would have done it anyway, but it is good that we are doing it peacefully, the head of state added.

Emphasizing that Armenia will also only benefit from this, the Azerbaijani President said: Because Armenia can and will get out of the deadlock it is currently in. Roads will be opened between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Roads will be opened between Turkiye and Armenia. Armenia will gain access to Iranian railways through Nakhchivan and to Russian railways through Azerbaijan. In other words, this is also beneficial for Armenia. There should be no losers here. In any case, there will be no losers from an economic and transport point of view. If someone considers themselves a loser politically, this is, as they say, their own problem. But if everyone looks at this from the point of view of pragmatism, they can get something good for themselves here.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. I think that our victory in the Second Karabakh War shifted very large layers, both in terms of politics and character, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with local television channels on January 5, Trend reports.

"Many would probably like to emulate our success, but no one has succeeded, the head of state emphasized.

The head of state noted: I hope that those who are still fighting today will understand this: war is the worst thing that can happen to a country and to a person. I am saying this with full responsibility. It is the worst thing. The best thing is peace. But in order to have peace, you must be strong, and therefore we will continue to work in this direction.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. When the Ministry of Defense Industry was established by my order 20 years ago, we assessed it as a state monopoly at the time, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during an interview with local television channels on January 5, Trend reports.

"However, over the years, especially when we look at international experience, we have observed that private companies play leading roles in many countries. Moreover, by involving private companies in this work, we could reduce both the burden on the state and the financial aspect. Therefore, over the past two years, opportunities have been provided to private companies alongside state ones.

To date, 15 companies have been granted licenses  of course, this is an area that requires licensing. Seven private companies have already started producing military products. If we look at the volume of investment, we can see that one billion manats were invested in 2024-2025 to create new production sites and expand existing ones. Half of this was invested by the private sector. Again, since this area is somewhat restricted to the public, extensive information is not provided. However, this process has become very widespread, the head of state added.
Atlas is done shruggingnow hes doing the Macarena.

He can also skip, run, do cartwheels, and twist in ways no human being could even dream of doing.

Were not talking about the titan from Greek mythology who was condemned to hold up the sky for eternity.

This Atlas is a 200-pound, humanoid robot created by Boston Dynamics (BSX) and powered by Nvidia (NVDA) technology, which was featured on the CBS program 60 Minutes.

This robot is capable of superhuman motion, said Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter. The neat thing that this new robot can do that I have not seen before is all of its joints can rotate a full 360.

Well, that's beyond what you and I can do, and we think that's the way you should build robots: don't limit yourself to what people can do but actually go beyond.

While Atlas displayed impressive abilities, Playter said that it will take time to make these robots reliable and affordable.

But the robots are coming. A 2024 Citi report predicted that there could be 1.3 billion AI robots by 2035 and four billion by 2050.

Robots are on the move, from theory to reality and from useless to useful, the study said.

The rise of artificial intelligence has sparked concerns in some circles about what role humans will play in this future of robots, drones, autonomous vehicles, and other tech advances.

Boston Scientific's Atlas robot was recently featured on 60 Minutes.Boston Scientific  Boston Scientific

Report warns of AI job losses

AI was the primary driver of the stock market's strong performance in 2025. Of the 21.4 percentage points gained by the Morningstar US Technology Index, 11.9 came from the semiconductor industry, the hardware backbone of the AI trade.

The next largest contribution came from software infrastructure firms, specifically those building the AI platforms that run on that computing power, Morningstar said.

More Nvidia:

There are those who see very dark times ahead, while others believe these fears are unjustified and believe AI will make our lives better.

The world may not have time to prepare for the safety risks posed by cutting-edge AI systems, according to David Dalrymple, a program director and AI safety expert at the UKs Advanced Research and Invention Agency.

I think we should be concerned about systems that can perform all of the functions that humans perform to get things done in the world, but better, he told The Guardian in a Jan. 4 interview. Because we will be outcompeted in all of the domains that we need to be dominant in, in order to maintain control of our civilization, society and planet.
Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Last year, we produced military products worth 1.4 billion manats, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during an interview with local television channels on January 5, Trend reports.

Most of it was supplied to the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, and some was exported. Today, Azerbaijan exports military products to about 20 countries.

One of the innovations is that we have created joint ventures in Azerbaijan with large and internationally renowned defense industry companies. This includes the production of unmanned aerial vehicles, artillery installations, other vehicles, as well as weapons and ammunition, the head of state said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Unfortunately, the norms and principles of international law do not function, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with local television channels on January 5, Trend reports.

"Azerbaijan was one of the first victims of the failure of international law, the President added.

The head of state noted that four resolutions of the UN Security Council demanding the withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territories remained only on paper for 27 years, emphasizing that had Azerbaijan not liberated its lands by force, those resolutions would have remained unimplemented indefinitely.

Recalling that over the past five years since the Second Karabakh War the new realities have been accepted by the entire world, including the international community, leading countries, and influential international organizations, the President of Azerbaijan stated: We do not live in a world based on paperthe UN Charter. We live on the land. Therefore, we must be strong, and this is what we are striving to do. I recommend this to every country.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. President Ilham Aliyev commented on reports regarding Azerbaijans possible participation in international missions in the Gaza Strip in an interview with local television channels, Trend reports.

The head of state noted that it remains unclear who would mandate such missions and how they would be carried out, emphasizing that Azerbaijan does not intend to participate in peace enforcement operations.

Participation in battles outside Azerbaijans borders is not envisaged by me at all, the President said, stressing that they have no intention of risking the lives and health of Azerbaijanis for the sake of others. When we were in trouble, we were left to our own fate. No one protected us. Furthermore, with all due respect and sympathy for Palestine, Palestine did not particularly protect us either. Yes, there were resolutions from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) supported by everyone. We are grateful to all countries for that, just as Azerbaijan has always supported Palestine and the creation of a Palestinian state in the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the OIC. The Palestinian Embassy operates in Azerbaijan with the support of Azerbaijani financial assistance. Therefore, I have always maintained that the affairs of Arab countries should be resolved by the Arab countries themselves.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. The map of solar and wind power plants has been approved, both on land and at sea, including on the liberated lands, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during an interview with local television channels on January 5, Trend reports.

Currently, our main goal is to expand the capacity to receive this energy. Because according to the existing plans, 6,000 megawatts of solar, wind and hydropower will be included in our system by 2030, and 8,000 megawatts by 2032. In other words, in order to accept and absorb this, we need to strengthen our energy system. This is called the energy grid, the head of state noted.

President Ilham Aliyev said that, in parallel with this, battery storage systems must also be built: At the initial stage, we appealed to foreign companies to do this work as investors. But we saw that there was no particular interest. That is, the first batteries with a capacity of about 250 megawatts are already being installed through the state line, but there will be even more. Because, let me repeat, our short-term plans are to obtain 8 gigawatts of energy.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. The governance model applied in Garabagh and East Zangezur can one day be applied to different parts of the country, perhaps to the country as a whole, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with local television channels on January 5, Trend reports.

This is an operational, flexible administrative method that requires the participation of fewer officials. In any case, for our general development, every person, especially an official, must work with his heart, particularly after such a magnificent and historic Victory, when there is such a positive mood in society. We have all been living the last five years, as they say, as a proud and happy nation. Therefore, we should not tolerate problems in society or the arbitrariness of officials. We should all be more intolerant of this, including myself, the head of state noted.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, visited the Sultanate of Oman, at the invitation of the countrys government, Trend reports.

At the Maskat International Airport, Leyla Aliyeva was welcomed by Azzan bin Qassim Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of Oman's Ministry of Heritage and Tourism for Tourism.

During the visit, Leyla Aliyeva met with Salim bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism.

The meeting hailed the existing relations of friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Oman, focusing on the enhancement of bilateral collaboration in tourism and cultural heritage.

Leyla Aliyeva noted that such meetings contribute significantly to the advancement of the Azerbaijan-Oman relations.

She highlighted Azerbaijans rich historical and cultural heritage, the countrys tourism potential, including health, eco, cultural, and winter tourism.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation Vice-President briefed the Omani official on Azerbaijans efforts to preserve and restore historical monuments, joint projects implemented with UNESCO, also stressing the importance of experience sharing with Oman in this area.

They discussed increasing flow of tourists between the two countries, establishing direct relations between the tourism organizations and the private sector, as well as implementing joint projects and organizing promotional events.

Salim bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi expressed Omans willingness to enhance cooperation with Azerbaijan, emphasizing the importance of experience sharing in preservation of cultural heritage and sustainable tourism development. Describing Azerbaijan as an attractive destination for Omani tourists, the minister praised increased reciprocal visits and contacts between the two countries.

They agreed to further strengthen ties between the both countries peoples through joint participation in future tourism exhibitions, organization of media and promotional visits, as well as cultural events.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva visited the National Museum of Oman and the Muttrah Souq in Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, Trend reports.

Leyla Aliyeva first visited the National Museum of Oman, where she explored various exhibits on display, and received detailed information about their history.

The National Museum of Oman is the Sultanate's flagship institution reflecting the historical and cultural heritage of Oman. The museum, which opened in 2016, showcasing Oman's history from prehistoric times to the present across 14 galleries covering maritime history, arms and armour, Islamic culture, and ethnography, featuring diverse artefacts and temporary exhibits in a modern facility designed for broad cultural understanding and accessibility.

The Museum houses more than 7,000 artefacts and offers digital immersive experiences, state-of-the-art conservation facilities, a UHD cinema, and discovery areas for children. It features an integrated infrastructure for special needs and is the first museum in the Middle East to adopt Arabic Braille script for the visually impaired.

The National Museum of Oman as a key educational hub blending Omani tradition and modern design, showcasing the nation's heritage from prehistory to the present, and serving locals and tourists with inclusive, interactive exhibits that promote cultural pride and understanding.

After visiting the museum, Leyla Aliyeva was presented with a gift and posed for commemorative photos.

X X X

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva then toured the Muttrah Souq, a traditional market, where she engaged with sellers and viewed local goods.

The Muttrah Souq is one of the oldest and most famous markets in the Arab world. It served as a trading hub for goods that came through the Muscat harbor from India, China, Europe, and other Middle Eastern regions for centuries.

The Muttrah souq is still a bustling market place today, with trade in traditional textiles, clothing, jewellery, incense, pipes, pottery, and other handicrafts as well as local produce like fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. A total of 1,861 anti-tank mines, 4,963 anti-personnel mines, and 52,392 items of unexploded ordnance were discovered and neutralized in Azerbaijans liberated territories during 2025, Trend reports, citing the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA).

The Agency noted that mine clearance operations covered 69,205.7 hectares of land over the reporting period.

The operations were carried out by ANAMA in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES), the State Border Service (SBS), and four private companies across the districts of Tartar, Aghdara, Kalbajar, Aghdam, Khojaly, Khankendi, Shusha, Khojavend, Lachin, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli, and Zangilan.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, January 5. In 2025, Tajikistan had an ambitious agenda to modernize its transport sector, focusing on infrastructure upgrades and stronger international connections. For a landlocked country facing difficulties in connectivity, transport development remains a prioritynot only to ease domestic links, but also to expand transit and integrate into various logistics networks. Progress over the year was recorded across roads, railways, aviation, urban transport, logistics, and border infrastructure, which were supported by state funding and support from international partners.

1) Road transport:

Road transport continued to dominate Tajikistans transport system in 2025, supported by major public investments and large-scale construction works. Under the State Budget for 2025, nearly 3 billion somoni ($274.35 million) was allocated to the transport and communications sector, allowing reconstruction projects to move forward across the country.

In the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, construction was completed on the KalaikhumbVanjRushan road. Works in Barsem village included 4.5 kilometers of roadway, protection corridors, and two new bridges spanning the Shorf and Gund rivers. Meanwhile, in the Sughd region, more than 50 kilometers of national and international roads were restored.

One of the most recognized initiatives was the launch of the Dangara-Guliston Green Corridor. Covering 49 kilometers of a highway first built in the 1930s, the project will widen the road from 2 to 4 lanes and add bike lanes, sidewalks, lighting, crossings, and electric vehicle stations. Financing comes from a mixture of international sources, including a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) loan of up to 38 million and an Asian Development Bank (ADB) grant of up to $86.7 million. Preparatory work began in March 2025, with completion expected by 2030.

The construction of the Rogun reservoir affected the Obigarm-Nurobod section of the M41 highway, which was the focus of another important project. In June, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank approved a $2.04 million grantits first under a Project-Specific Windowto support restoration of a 75-kilometer stretch.

In February, Tajikistan also signed an agreement with Chinas Zhejiang Communications Construction Group to build Central Asias longest road bridge over the Surkhab River. The bridge will span 920 meters (1,500 meters including access roads) and is expected to be completed within four years at a cost of nearly $60 million.

Alongside physical infrastructure, digital reforms advanced as well. Under the World Banks CARs-4 program, a $1.1 million contract was signed to introduce a Road Asset Management System, aimed at improving planning and maintenance nationwide.

2) Railway transport:

Railway development in 2025 centered on electrification plans, feasibility studies, and regional integration. Tajik Railways began preliminary work on electrifying the 62-kilometer VahdatPakhtaobod line, which links eastern Dushanbe with the Uzbek border. Authorities also explored electrification of the KanibadamBekabad route.

Feasibility studies continued for a proposed 51-kilometer railway connecting Jaloliddini Balkhi with Nizhniy Pyandzh, discussed within cooperation frameworks involving South Korea. Tajikistan also examined possible participation in the ChinaKyrgyzstanUzbekistan railway project, which is expected to span more than 530 kilometers and include 20 stations.

As part of its chairmanship of the CIS in 2025, Tajikistan launched work on a digitalization strategy for key intermodal transport corridors, with technical input from UN ESCAP experts.

3) Urban transport:

Urban transport modernization gained momentum, especially in the capital. Tajikistan announced plans to begin work on a light metro system in Dushanbe, with a feasibility study scheduled for completion by spring 2025. Design work is expected to follow later in the year. The first line, measuring 10.5 kilometers, will connect southern districts with the city center and the State Circus.

Electrification of public transport also moved forward. In August, Dushanbe authorities confirmed plans to purchase 30 electric buses, each capable of traveling up to 300 kilometers on a single charge and carrying up to 100 passengers.

The installation of 30 automated weight-and-dimension control stations strengthened road safety enforcement by monitoring heavy trucks at highway speeds. Tajikistan enforces a strict weight limit of 40 tons for heavy vehicles.

4) Aviation sector:

The aviation sector saw notable expansion through new routes and international agreements. New and resumed flights included DushanbeKrasnoyarsk, DushanbeBeijing, KashgarKhujand, and XianDushanbe, improving links with Russia and China.

Visa-free air travel between Tajikistan and Iran came into effect on February 3, allowing citizens of both countries to stay for up to 30 days within a 90-day period. Tajikistan and China also continued efforts to convert the POMIRAGVUT air corridor into a transit route, boosting AsiaEurope overflight capacity.

In July, Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates signed an air transport cooperation agreement, creating a legal framework for regular and charter flights.

5) Logistics and transit:

International logistics integration accelerated during the year. Tajikistan reached agreements with Iran to use the Chabahar port for cargo transit and began planning a logistics center involving Tajik businesses. The port currently operates 10 berths and covers an area of 450 hectares.

Japan supported Tajikistans role in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route with an $8.6 million grant to modernize freight-scanning equipment and build a crossover rail track at the Spitamen customs post. The project will be implemented over 36 months.

6) Border infrastructure:

Progress was also reflected in regional connectivity through new border agreements with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Several checkpoints were reopened and upgraded, including the newly operational Bekabad Auto and Khavastabad crossings on the TajikUzbek border. In total, 17 official checkpoints are now functioning between the two countries.
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Definity Financial has concluded its acquisition of the personal insurance and most of the commercial insurance operations of the Travelers Companies in Canada for nearly C$3.3bn in cash.

The transaction, agreed in May, excludes the surety segment.

At the time of the deals announcement, Definity said the acquisition makes it one of Canadas top five property and casualty (P&C) insurers, with combined annual premiums of around C$6bn.

Definity CEO and president Rowan Saunders said: Today marks a new era for Definity as we complete this milestone acquisition.

We extend a warm welcome to our new colleagues and remain deeply committed to delivering a positive experience for our customers and valued broker partners. Together, we will continue building a Canadian champion.

RBC Capital Markets provided financial advice to Definity on the transaction, while legal counsel was supplied by Blake, Cassels & Graydon.

Travelers plans to allocate approximately $700m from the proceeds for share buybacks in 2026.

The remaining funds are intended to support ongoing business activities and general corporate needs.

The company expects these actions to be slightly accretive to its earnings per share from 2026 onwards.

Jefferies and Przygoda & Co. served as financial advisors to Travelers in this transaction, while legal counsel was provided by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Stikeman Elliott.

For the 12 months ending 30 September 2025, Definity reported gross written premiums exceeding $4.7bn, while equity attributable to common shareholders stood at more than $4bn.

"Definity completes purchase of Travelers Canadian insurance businesses " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand.




BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has released the official exchange rates for foreign currencies as of January 5, Trend reports.

According to the CBI's announced rates, the value of 46 currencies went up compared to January 4.

The official rate for $1 is 988,262 rials, while one euro is valued at 1,158,511 rials. On January 4 the euro was priced at 893,813 rials.

Currency Rial on January 5 Rial on January 4 1 US dollar USD 988,262 761,996 1 British pound GBP 1,330,254 1,026,120 1 Swiss franc CHF 1,247,592 962,640 1 Swedish krona SEK 107,239 82,670 1 Norwegian krone NOK 98,186 75,731 1 Danish krone DKK 155,060 119,609 1 Indian rupee INR 10,980 8,468 1 UAE Dirham AED 269,098 207,487 1 Kuwaiti dinar KWD 3,212,155 2,477,367 100 Pakistani rupees PKR 352,974 272,073 100 Japanese yen JPY 630,107 486,125 1 Hong Kong dollar HKD 126,843 97,796 1 Omani rial OMR 2,567,720 1,979,639 1 Canadian dollar CAD 719,750 554,910 1 New Zealand dollar NZD 570,136 439,572 1 South African rand ZAR 59,915 46,223 1 Turkish lira TRY 22,966 17,708 1 Russian ruble RUB 12,343 9,498 1 Qatari riyal QAR 271,501 209,340 100 Iraqi dinars IQD 75,417 58,146 1 Syrian pound SYP 89 69 1 Australian dollar AUD 661,410 510,000 1 Saudi riyal SAR 263,537 203,199 1 Bahraini dinar BHD 2,628,356 2,026,585 1 Singapore dollar SGD 768,291 592,529 100 Bangladeshi takas BDT 623,269 623,269 10 Sri Lankan rupees LKR 31,946 24,622 1 Myanmar kyat MMK 471 363 100 Nepalese rupees NPR 685,899 529,006 1 Libyan dinar LYD 182,392 140,527 1 Chinese yuan CNY 141,392 108,873 100 Thai baht THB 3,136,870 2,418,365 1 Malaysian ringgit MYR 243,762 187,914 1,000 South Korean won KRW 684,994 528,846 1 Jordanian dinar JOD 1,393,882 1,074,748 1 euro EUR 1,158,511 893,813 100 Kazakh tenge KZT 150,559 150,559 1 Georgian lari GEL 367,307 283,270 1,000 Indonesian rupiahs IDR 59,134 45,599 1 Afghan afghani AFN 14,992 11,525 1 Belarusian ruble BYN 336,736 259,681 1 Azerbaijani manat AZN 580,744 447,784 100 Philippine pesos PHP 1,680,045 1,294,350 1 Tajik somoni TJS 106,878 82,536 1 Turkmen manat TMT 282,361 217,778 Venezuelan bolivar VES 3,263 2,535

The CBI adopted the SANA system for currency exchange offices, where one euro costs 1,553,344 rials and $1 costs 1,325,072 rials.

NIMA represents a strategic framework for the monetization of a designated fraction of foreign currency accrued through export activities.

The price of one euro in this system amounted to 1,508,101 rials, and the price of $1 totaled 1,286,478 rials.

On the black market, $1 is worth about 1.35-1.38 million rials, while one euro is worth 1.58-1.61 million rials.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Azer-Asia Joint Insurance Company Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) is set to be liquidated, the company announced, Trend reports.

An extraordinary general meeting of the companys shareholders will be held on February 2 to address the liquidation and related matters.

Established in 2007, Azer-Asia Joint Insurance Company OJSC had a charter capital of 800,000 manat ($470,546), with Aftandil Hajiyev serving as its legal representative.

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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, January 5. Turkmenistan has introduced a new procedure for the registration and monitoring of individuals applying for refugee status or additional protection, including the establishment of a state migration information system to collect and store personal and biometric data, including photographs and fingerprints, Trend reports via the press-service of Turkmen government.

The rules were approved by Order No. 128 of the State Migration Service, issued on November 7, 2025. Under the procedure, foreign nationals must register with migration authorities within three working days of entering the country at their place of residence or temporary stay.

Hotels, medical institutions, and other receiving organizations are required to inform migration authorities of the arrival and departure of foreign citizens within 24 hours.

In cases of mass arrivals caused by emergency situations, registration may be carried out at temporary accommodation facilities, with subsequent migration registration for up to three months. The new procedure was adopted under Turkmenistans Law on Refugees and is intended to strengthen migration control and record-keeping.

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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, January 5. Turkmenistan has opened the period for collecting pension contributions from individual entrepreneurs for the second half of 2025, Trend reports via the press-service of Turkmen government.

The contribution period officially began on January 1 and will run through February 15. During this time, entrepreneurs are required to make all due payments and submit the relevant reports to local branches of the fund.

The procedure is regulated by Article 23 of Turkmenistans Law on State Pension Insurance, which obliges entrepreneurs to strictly comply with the established deadlines for replenishing their individual insurance accounts.

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Uzbekistans Fergana region outlines agricultural plans for 2026

The Fergana region is setting its sights on the stars for agricultural growth in 2026, aiming to hit it out of the park with record production targets and pouring major investments into farming and food-processing projects.

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Iran's production from joint gas field with Qatar set to gain foothold

Production from the South Pars gas field is set to increase significantly by the end of the current Iranian year. Four new wells will be commissioned to support this growth. Over the past months, several wells have been activated, boosting daily production substantially.

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Turkmenistans government debt declines in 2025 - CEBR

Photo: The Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr)

The government debt of Turkmenistan is expected to have gone down. This stands in stark contrast to trends in several other countries, where public finances have come under pressure due to the fallout from pandemic-era fiscal measures and climbing consumer prices.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Iran has established a total of 2,408 nationwide networks of base stations providing 5G mobile services, Deputy Chairman of Communications Regulatory Authority of Iran (CRA) Seyed Mohammad Hassan Javadzadeh told reporters, Trend reports.

According to him, a total of 2,408 base stations offering 5G mobile services have been launched nationwide. He noted that the highest concentration of these base stations is located in the provinces of Tehran, Razavi Khorasan, Qazvin, Khuzestan, and Fars.

Javadzadeh stated that Iran has taken several steps toward developing its 5G mobile network, including adopting a national connectivity strategy, approving regulations for frequencies within the 3600-3800 megahertz range, offering these frequencies through tenders, and activating licenses for 5G internet services.

He added that one of the main obstacles to the further development of 5G technology in the country is the lack of available frequencies in the 700-800 megahertz range. According to him, allocating these frequencies to the mobile communications sector could lead to the provision of higher-quality services.

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In December 2025, RBC Capital updated its view on Canadian National Railway after the company delivered 6% adjusted earnings-per-share growth in the September quarter and maintained strong operational performance amid softer volume expectations.

The renewed focus on efficiency, digital train control, and network resilience is putting Canadian National Railways long-term competitiveness and profitability profile under a brighter spotlight.

Next, well explore how Canadian National Railways efficiency gains and digital investments could reshape its earnings and risk profile within the existing narrative.

Uncover the next big thing with financially sound penny stocks that balance risk and reward.

Canadian National Railway Investment Narrative Recap

To own Canadian National Railway, you need to believe that its tri-coastal network, efficiency focus, and pricing power can translate modest volume trends into resilient earnings and cash flows. The latest RBC update, following 6% adjusted EPS growth, supports that near term earnings momentum remains tied to execution, while the biggest risk still lies in trade and macro uncertainty that could pressure volumes over time; the price target trim itself is not a material catalyst.

The most relevant recent development here is CNs ongoing share buyback program, which has retired 9,900,000 shares in 2025 for about C$1,341 million. For investors watching efficiency initiatives and digital investments, this capital return sits alongside a thesis that hinges on steady earnings growth and disciplined spending, but it also concentrates your exposure if trade frictions or shifting supply chains start to bite more than expected.

Yet investors should be aware that trade disputes and potential freight rerouting could still materially impact CNs volumes and pricing power...

Read the full narrative on Canadian National Railway (it's free!)

Canadian National Railway's narrative projects CA$19.6 billion revenue and CA$5.6 billion earnings by 2028. This requires 4.6% yearly revenue growth and about a CA$1.0 billion earnings increase from CA$4.6 billion today.

Uncover how Canadian National Railway's forecasts yield a CA$154.85 fair value, a 12% upside to its current price.

Exploring Other Perspectives

TSX:CNR 1-Year Stock Price Chart

Simply Wall St Community members have 11 fair value estimates for CN, stretching from C$119.59 up to C$154.85, showing how far apart individual views can be. When you set those against the current focus on efficiency gains and digital train control as key earnings drivers, it becomes clear that understanding both the upside thesis and the trade related volume risks is essential before forming your own view on CNs longer term performance.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Two units of the Fajr Jam Gas Refinery, damaged during Israel's 12-day war against Iran last year, have resumed operations, Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said at an event dedicated to the resumption of the refinery units' operations in the southern Iranian Bushehr Province, Trend reports.

According to him, last year, it was announced that two of the eight units of the Fajr Jam refinery were damaged during Israeli military airstrikes on Iran. The damage was assessed, and serious injuries were reported.

Paknejad noted that the two units of the refinery were repaired and returned to production within six months.

The minister added that the restoration of the operation of the refinery units is of particular importance in difficult times when gas is needed. Currently, in times of energy shortage, every one million cubic meters of gas is seriously needed. The restoration of the operation of the processing units will effectively help the country.

On the morning of June 13, Israel launched a series of airstrikes targeting Iran, resulting in the deaths of numerous high-ranking military officials, generals, nuclear scientists, and other senior figures.

That same evening, Iran retaliated with Operation True Promise III, a large-scale missile and drone assault on multiple targets, including Tel Aviv, which caused civilian casualties and extensive damage.

On June 22, the United States conducted airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, with reports indicating the destruction of these sites.

The following evening, June 23, Iran launched airstrikes on a U.S. military base in Qatar, further escalating tensions in the region.

On June 24, the Israeli Prime Ministers Office announced that Israel had agreed to a ceasefire with Iran, facilitated by U.S. President Donald Trump. In response, Irans Supreme National Security Council issued a statement confirming the cessation of hostilities.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. The Iranian government has announced a program to support citizens household needs by providing funds for the purchase of essential products, the government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told reporters, Trend reports.

Mohajerani noted that each Iranian will receive 10 million rials (about $10) per month for a period of four months, starting from January 10. The initiative replaces previous attempts to allocate foreign currency to importers at lower rates, which were deemed ineffective in controlling the prices of key products.

Mohajerani noted that the funds will allow citizens to easily obtain 11 essential goods from the countrys 268,000 sales centers, including milk, cheese, yogurt, red meat, chicken, cooking oil, pasta, rice, sugar, and legumes. She added that after four months, the allocated funds may increase, with significant price rises expected for cooking oil and eggs and roughly 20% increases for other products.

To note, the program was launched on January 4 amid ongoing economic pressures to ensure food security, improve household conditions, and maintain stability in the Iranian economy. The recent sharp depreciation of the Iranian currency has continued to push prices upward, even for goods imported with subsidized foreign currency.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. The year 2025 proved to be a dynamic period for Kazakhstans transport sector. While the country continued its large-scale modernization, the focus remained on expanding infrastructure, increasing transit capacity, and integrating more deeply into international transport and logistics chains. Significant developments were observed across railway, road, port, and aviation transport, driven by government initiatives, private investment, and international cooperation.

1. Railway Transport

Railway transport continued to be a strategic priority for Kazakhstan in 2025. The sectors development is crucial not only for national connectivity but also for enhancing the countrys role as a transit hub between Europe and Asia.

On 30 September 2025, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev officially launched the second railway track on the DostykMoyynty line, connecting Kazakhstan with China via the Alashankou border crossing. The new section will allow freight volumes to increase fivefold and significantly reduce delivery times for export cargo. This milestone strengthens Kazakhstans position within the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) and provides momentum for further development of the Trans-Kazakhstan railway network.

At the same time, construction continued on several new railway lines aimed at improving both national and cross-border connectivity. These include the MoyyntyKyzylzhar line (323 km), the DarbazaMaktaaral line (157 km), and the AyagozBakhty line (297 km). Additionally, the 75 km Almaty railway bypass is nearing completion and is expected to redistribute transit flows away from the city, reduce congestion, and improve both environmental and transport conditions in Almaty.

Significant investment in rolling stock was another highlight of the year. Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) signed a $4.2 billion agreement with U.S.-based Wabtec for the supply of 300 TE33AT diesel locomotives, including a 15-year service agreement covering both new and existing locomotives.

In April 2025, the Ministry of Transport announced a planned contract with Alstom for 205 six-axle KZ6A electric locomotives, with deliveries scheduled between 2029 and 2036. May 2025 saw the opening of Alstoms first service depot in Shu, servicing KZ4 and KZ8 electric locomotives.

In December 2025, Stadler Kazakhstan unveiled the first images of a new economy-class railway carriage. The first domestically produced railcars are expected to be delivered to Kazakhstans Passenger Transportation Company by the end of 2025, with deployment on routes in 2026. Stadler will maintain the fleet for 20 years, and the total order includes 557 carriages by 2030.

Furthermore, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia agreed on a single long-term tariff for freight along the Middle Corridor, coupled with plans for joint modernization of port, railway, and logistics infrastructure, digitalization of operations, and elimination of bottlenecks.

2. Road Transport

The road sector also saw major developments in 2025. According to the Ministry of Transport, 13,000 km of roads were repaired or reconstructed during the year, reflecting a sustained government effort to modernize national and cross-border infrastructure.

Among the key projects, the Aktobe-Karabutak-Ulgaysyn road completed its first reconstruction stage (28 km, km 791819), opening to traffic on two lanes. This corridor links western and central Kazakhstan and provides access to international routes toward Russia.

In November 2025, the KyzylordaZhezkazgan section (216 km) was reopened, with 192 km fully reconstructed and 24 km subject to medium repair. Although full commissioning was initially planned for 2027, KazAvtoZhol intends to complete it by the end of 2026.

Progress was also recorded in eastern Kazakhstan, where the Kalbatau-Maikapshagay road (415 km) was opened in Abai Region. On 14 November, the final 42 km section of the Uzyngash-Otar road was inaugurated in Almaty Region, completing a fully four-lane corridor between Almaty and Shymkent. In parallel, cross-border infrastructure improved with two modernized checkpoints: Kazygurt (Uzbekistan border) and Temir-Baba (Turkmenistan border).

These developments improve regional connectivity, enhance road safety, shorten travel times, and support Kazakhstans position in international trade routes. The Ministry of Transport confirmed that in the coming year, large-scale medium repair of 10,000 km of republican roads will continue, alongside other projects, including a new bridge over the Irtysh River.

3. Ports and Maritime Transport

In 2025, Kazakhstan also made significant strides in developing its port infrastructure. A major milestone was the completion of the Container Hub at Aktau Port, the largest container hub in the Caspian Sea, commissioned ahead of schedule. The project was implemented by JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (through its subsidiary JSC KTZ Express) in partnership with the port of Lianyungang (PRC) and JSC NC Aktau International Sea Trade Port.

The new hub is set to expand transit opportunities and strengthen Kazakhstans position as a key link on major international routes, including East-West and North-South corridors. The opening of the hub was highlighted by the arrival of the 100,000th container from China via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. The general contractor for the project was the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) consortium, one of the largest infrastructure developers in China.

At the same time, the ERSAI Industrial Port launched a major dredging project at Kuryk Port, aimed at increasing water depth to 5 meters to ensure year-round navigation. The project involves the removal of 1 million cubic meters of soil and is scheduled for January-June 2026.

Developing port infrastructure is increasingly important, especially as the Caspian Sea water levels continue to decline, which prevents larger vessels from fully loading and navigating certain ports. Expanding Kazakhstans port capacity is therefore critical for maintaining smooth freight flows along the Middle Corridor, supporting year-round operations, and enhancing the countrys maritime logistics capabilities. These efforts ensure Kazakhstan can meet growing regional and international trade demands despite natural challenges.

4. Aviation Transport

In 2025, Kazakhstans aviation sector experienced remarkable growth, characterized by the development of new airports, significant infrastructure upgrades, and an expanded international flight network. Notably, the country achieved a compliance rate of 95.7% with ICAO aviation security standards, placing it among the top performers in the CIS and Eurasian regions.

Key infrastructure initiatives included the construction of three new airports in resort areas, Zaysan, Katon-Karagay, and Kenderli, alongside extensive renovations at Pavlodar, Balkhash, and Arkalyk airports. These upgrades were designed to enhance operational capacity and improve the quality of passenger services. Additionally, major capital repairs were completed at Aktau Airport, including the resurfacing of the runway, taxiways, and apron, further strengthening the airports infrastructure.

In June 2025, the Kazakh government formalized an agreement with the Kazakh-German joint venture Skyhansa to develop a cargo and passenger airport within the Khorgos - Eastern Gate Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The project, with a total investment of 250 billion tenge ($486.3 million), will be executed in three phases, adhering to ICAO standards. A notable aspect of the project is its commitment to utilizing predominantly domestic resources, with 90% of the workforce expected to be Kazakh citizens. The first phase of construction is slated for completion by 2027.

In 2025, Kazakhstan witnessed a significant expansion of its air connectivity. SCAT Airlines inaugurated direct flights to several major destinations, including Shanghai, Seoul, Cairo, Munich, Budapest, and Bangkok (with a direct route from Shymkent to Bangkok). Additionally, the airline launched its inaugural direct flight from Shymkent to Tbilisi. Meanwhile, Air Astana introduced new international routes, connecting Atyrau to Baku and Almaty to Frankfurt, while Qazaq Air (Vietjet Qazaqstan) expanded its network with new international services from Astana to Bishkek and Samarkand.

In November 2025, Air Astana signed a landmark agreement with Boeing for the acquisition of up to 15 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. This agreement builds upon a prior contract for three additional Boeing 787-9 aircraft, scheduled for delivery between 2026 and 2027. Following this new order, Air Astanas fleet will grow to a total of 18 Boeing 787-9s, with deliveries expected between 2032 and 2035. The combined value of the 18 Dreamliners, including engines, is projected at $7 billion.

2025 marked a transformative year for Kazakhstans transport sector, with substantial upgrades across railways, road networks, ports, and aviation. These advancements have positioned Kazakhstan as a critical hub for trade and transit across Eurasia, enhancing both domestic and international connectivity.

These strategic investments are driving improvements in operational efficiency, reducing both travel and shipping times, and fostering stronger trade relations with neighboring countries and beyond. Notably, the modernization of Kazakhstan's ports, including the dredging initiative at Kuryk, is vital, particularly as the declining Caspian Sea levels pose significant challenges to regional navigation.
Photo: Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 5. Kazakhstans oil production quota for February and March 2026 will remain at 1.569 million barrels per day (bpd), unchanged from December 2025, Trend reports via OPEC.

This decision is a part of an agreement among eight major OPEC+ countriesSaudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Omanto pause any increases in oil production during the first quarter of 2026.

The move aims to maintain market stability amid steady global economic conditions and healthy oil market fundamentals, as indicated by low inventories.

The agreed quotas for the OPEC+ countries (excluding adjustments for overproduction compensation) are as follows: Saudi Arabia: 10.103 million bpd, Russia: 9.574 million bpd, Iraq: 4.273 million bpd, UAE: 3.411 million bpd, Kuwait: 2.580 million bpd, Algeria: 971,000 bpd, Oman: 811,000 bpd.

The countries emphasized their commitment to market stability and noted that the possibility of gradually returning up to 1.65 million bpd of production remains on the table, depending on how market conditions evolve.

The OPEC+ countries reiterated their commitment to fully comply with the Declaration of Cooperation, which includes compensating for any overproduction since January 2024. They also stressed the importance of continued monitoring to ensure full adherence to agreed quotas.

The next OPEC+ meeting will take place on 1 February 2026.

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DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, January 5. The Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, in partnership with the United Nations and key international stakeholders, announced that the Fourth High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action Water for Sustainable Development, 20182028 will take place in Dushanbe from May 25 to 28, 2026, Trend reports via the press service of the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As the initiator of the International Decade and co-chair of the 2023 UN Water Conference, Tajikistan continues to advance the global water agenda. Building on the outcomes of previous Dushanbe Water Process conferences (2018, 2022, 2024), the 2026 conference will serve as a key preparatory milestone ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference, contributing to progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6 and other internationally agreed water-related targets.

The event will bring together heads of state and government, ministers, UN bodies, international and regional organizations, financial institutions, academic institutions, civil society representatives, youth, indigenous peoples, and the private sector to promote commitments and showcase transformative solutions. Discussions will focus on maintaining and advancing the momentum created by the 2023 UN Water Conference, facilitating the implementation of the Water Action Agenda, and initiating preparatory dialogues ahead of the 2028 UN Water Conference, which will also be held in Tajikistan.

Participants will engage in high-level plenary sessions, nine thematic sessions aligned with the 2026 UN Water Conference interactive dialogues, pre-conference forums, parallel events, and an international exhibition. The program also includes a regional preparatory meeting organized by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), offering countries in the Asia-Pacific region an opportunity to coordinate regional positions and strengthen their collective contribution to the 2026 UN Water Conference.

The Dushanbe conference will provide a unique opportunity for participants to experience Tajikistans rich cultural and historical heritage, reflecting ancient civilizations and the legacy of the Silk Road, as well as to observe the countrys experience in water resource management, including sustainable water infrastructure and hydropower development.

Key outcomes will be reflected in a Final Declaration, Co-Chairs Summary, and the official Contribution to the 2026 UN Water Conference.

The Fourth International High-Level Conference on the International Decade for Action Water for Sustainable Development, 20182028 is set to become a global platform for strengthening partnerships, promoting innovation, mobilizing finance, and accelerating concrete actions to achieve sustainable, inclusive, and climate-resilient water development worldwide.

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Photo: Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, January 5. Tajikistan and Egypt discussed cooperation in higher education, Trend reports via the press service of the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The topic was discussed on January 4, 2026, when Tajikistans Ambassador to Egypt, Parviz Mirzozoda, met with Egypts Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Ayman Ashour.

Emphasizing the importance of implementing bilateral agreements and preparing new documents for signing, the two sides discussed faculty and student exchanges between universities of both countries.

They also discussed the scheduling of courses for professional growth and the acceptance of candidates from Egypt and Tajikistan into research, master's, and doctorate programs.

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Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR), based in Denver, Colorado, builds advanced data analytics software for government and commercial clients. With a market capitalization of around $400.1 billion, it firmly occupies mega-cap territory, reserved for companies that are valued above $200 billion.

The company supports this stature through a diversified portfolio of platforms such as Gotham, Foundry, Apollo, and AIP, serving intelligence analysis, enterprise operations, system deployment, and large language model integration.

More News from Barchart

Attention now centers on Palantirs Q4 fiscal 2025 earnings, scheduled for Monday, Feb. 2, after market close. Wall Street forecasts diluted EPS of $0.17, a 1,800% increase from last years $0.01 loss per share. However, the company has beaten EPS estimates in only two of the past four quarters.

The prior quarter set a high bar. On Nov. 3, 2025, the company posted its Q3 fiscal 2025 financial results, wherein Palantir posted revenue of $1.18 billion, up 62.8% year over year and well above the $1.09 billion analyst estimates. Adjusted EPS came in at $0.21, surpassing the Streets expectations of $0.17.

Management credited this strength to rapid expansion in the U.S. commercial segment, where enterprise customers accelerated adoption of the Artificial Intelligence Platform. Markets initially applauded the results, but optimism faded quickly. Valuation concerns, combined with disclosure of a large options position betting against the stock, pushed PLTR stock down nearly 7.9% in the following session.

Despite near-term volatility, analysts expect earnings momentum to persist. They project diluted EPS for fiscal 2025 to rise 550% year over year to $0.52, followed by another 51.9% increase to $0.79 in fiscal 2026.

www.barchart.com

Stock performance already reflects lofty expectations. Over the past 52 weeks, PLTR stock surged 123.3%, while it gained 5.6% year-to-date (YTD). By comparison, the S&P 500 Index ($SPX) rose 16.9% over the same year and only marginally YTD, underscoring Palantirs exceptional relative strength.

The contrast sharpens further against the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK). The ETF advanced 24.4% over the past 52 weeks and again only marginally YTD.
Photo: Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, January 5. Tajikistan held talks with EU and OSCE representatives on cooperation on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna on December 4, Trend reports via the Tajikistan's MFA.

The discussion took place on January 5, 2026, during a meeting between Tajikistan's Foreign Minister, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, and Radosaw Darski, the European Union Ambassador to Tajikistan, alongside Tatiana Turcan, Acting Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Tajikistan.

In the course of the meeting, the parties exchanged views on the current state and prospects of mutually beneficial cooperation. They also discussed the implementation of European Union and OSCE projects in Tajikistan.

Additionally, Tajikistan and Georgia discuss expanding economic cooperation, with a focus on boosting trade and investment ties.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Irans relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have fundamentally changed following 12 days of military airstrikes against the country, Irans Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in an interview with local media, Trend reports.

Gharibabadi emphasized that Iran is a member of the IAEA and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), with established mutual cooperation frameworks. However, after the attacks, no IAEA inspectors remained in the country. While inspections were carried out on undamaged nuclear facilities under local agreements, conditions have not allowed access to damaged sites, as the IAEA did not fulfill its responsibilities.

If Iran is required to meet its obligations under the NPT, it must be determined what measures will be taken to prevent attacks on its nuclear facilities, he added.

To note, on the morning of June 13, Israel carried out military air strikes against Iran, leading to the deaths of numerous high-ranking military officials, generals, nuclear scientists, and other senior personnel.

Meanwhile, on the same evening, Iran responded to Israel with Operation True Promise III: hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones were launched at several targets, including Tel Aviv, resulting in civilian casualties and widespread destruction.

On June 22, the US launched military airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. It was reported that the airstrikes destroyed Iranian nuclear facilities.

In addition, on the evening of June 23, Iran launched airstrikes on a US military base in Qatar.

On June 24, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced that the Israeli government had agreed to a ceasefire with Iran, brokered by US President Donald Trump.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council also issued a statement noting the cessation of attacks.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Iran favors result-oriented discussions with the United States, provided the necessary conditions are met, Irans Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in an interview with local media, Trend reports.

Gharibabadi emphasized that Irans main condition for any talks is that they produce tangible outcomes.

If its just a discussion, it can happen tomorrow. The key is that results must follow, he said.

He added that pursuing diplomatic avenues that could prevent conflict and create opportunities to lift sanctions is an essential part of Irans foreign policy. However, he stressed that current realities must be taken into account, and the appropriateness of result-oriented talks under present circumstances should be carefully assessed.

Negotiations will not proceed until the other side changes its strategy, he noted.

Meanwhile, on April 12, 19, and 26, and May 11 and 23, five rounds of indirect talks on Iran's nuclear program were held between Iran and the U.S. The indirect talks were organized through the mediation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, and were led by Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on the Iranian side and Steve Witkoff on the American side. The first, third, and fourth rounds of talks were held in Muscat, the capital of Oman, and the second and fifth rounds were held in Rome, the capital of Italy.

To recall, on the morning of June 13, Israel launched a series of airstrikes targeting Iran, resulting in the deaths of numerous high-ranking military officials, generals, nuclear scientists, and other senior figures.

That same evening, Iran retaliated with Operation True Promise III, a large-scale missile and drone assault on multiple targets, including Tel Aviv, which caused civilian casualties and extensive damage.

On June 22, the United States conducted airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, with reports indicating the destruction of these sites.

The following evening, June 23, Iran launched airstrikes on a U.S. military base in Qatar, further escalating tensions in the region.

On June 24, the Israeli Prime Ministers Office announced that Israel had agreed to a ceasefire with Iran, facilitated by U.S. President Donald Trump. In response, Irans Supreme National Security Council issued a statement confirming the cessation of hostilities.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. Iran is focusing on strengthening its readiness to defend its territory, the Foreign Ministrys spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said today at a press conference in Tehran, Trend reports.

Baghaei noted that while various opinions are expressed about Iran and questions arise about potential military intentions toward the country, Iran and its armed forces remain vigilant, guarding the nation without relying on or trusting external statements.

To recall, on the morning of June 13, Israel carried out military air strikes against Iran, leading to the deaths of numerous high-ranking military officials, generals, nuclear scientists, and other senior personnel.

Meanwhile, on the same evening, Iran responded to Israel with Operation True Promise III: hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones were launched at several targets, including Tel Aviv, resulting in civilian casualties and widespread destruction.

On June 22, the US launched military airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. It was reported that the airstrikes destroyed Iranian nuclear facilities.

In addition, on the evening of June 23, Iran launched airstrikes on a US military base in Qatar.

On June 24, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced that the Israeli government had agreed to a ceasefire with Iran, brokered by US President Donald Trump.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council also issued a statement noting the cessation of attacks.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will take part in the Coalition of the Willing meeting, which will be held in Paris on January 6.

The European Commission's chief spokesperson, Paula Pinho, stated this at a briefing in Brussels, according to Ukrinform.

Pinho said that tomorrow, the President will travel to Paris, where she will participate in the Coalition of the Willing meeting on Ukraine, which will be hosted by President Macron.

The next day, January 7, von der Leyen will be in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, where the ceremony marking the start of Cyprus' presidency of the Council of the European Union will take place.

As Ukrinform reported, Ukraine, together with partners from the Coalition of the Willing, will finalize a document on security guarantees during the Paris meeting on January 6 at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. This document will serve as the basis for further negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Photo: European Union
Since the start of the full-scale war, Latvia has provided Ukraine with practical assistance worth almost EUR 1 billion

According to Delfi, this is stated in the annual report of Foreign Minister Baiba Braze on the work done and foreign policy plans for 2026, Ukrinform reports.

The report emphasizes that Latvia's position remains unchangedcomprehensive support for Ukraine will continue, and European countries should play a leading role and increase their contribution to supporting Ukraine to at least 0.25% of GDP.

Under the long-term support and security agreement signed in April 2024, Latvia is providing Ukraine with military support amounting to 0.25% of GDP and reconstruction assistance amounting to EUR 15 million between 2024 and 2026.

According to the report, military support for Ukraine in 2025 included purchases from the Latvian military industry, participation in coalitions of countries supporting Ukraine, in particular the drone coalition, and military training for Ukrainian soldiers. In 2025, Latvia joined NATO's PURL initiative, allocating EUR 7.2 million, participated in NATO's security and training mission in Ukraine, and joined NATO's Renovator initiative aimed at modernizing Ukraine's military medicine and rehabilitation system.

Latvia was actively involved in negotiations on EU support for Ukraine for the period 2026-2027, including lobbying for the transfer of frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank. The country is also actively involved in the Coalition of the Willing and has joined an international initiative to help Ukrainian children who were criminally deported by Russia return home.

Read also: Latvia to transfer more than 20 confiscated vehicles to Ukraine

It is noted that Latvia defends Ukraine's right to self-defense against aggression in international organizations, calls for support for Ukraine in all forms, and for increased political, military, economic, and diplomatic pressure on Russia and countries that support its aggression.

As reported by Ukrinform, the Latvian Ministry of Internal Affairs has prepared a draft government decision on the transfer to Ukraine of 21 vehicles confiscated from drunk drivers and in other criminal cases.
The Two Films Bollywood Must Watch

Both films centre Muslim women not as symbols, metaphors or ideological statements, but as protagonists negotiating deeply contemporary realities.

For much of the Hindi cinemas history, Muslim characters have occupied a narrowly defined moral and visual frame. In earlier films, they appeared either as upright allies - Inspector Khan or Ali, loyal and self-sacrificing - or as caricatures: the street urchin in a skull cap and mesh vest chewing paan or the sherwani-clad Nawab Sahib bending at a ninety-degree angle in elaborate adaab. These figures were recognisable but rarely real, their identities flattened into shorthand.

In recent decades, this frame has hardened into suspicion. The Muslim character has increasingly been normalised as the villain, the extremist or the perpetual outsider. This shift mirrors a broader social and political polarisation, where representation no longer generates empathy but anxiety.

What has been steadily erased in this process is normalcy - the everyday lives of Muslim families navigating work, aspiration, compromise and survival like millions of others. Also Read - Stranger Thingss creators answer burning questions after the finale against this backdrop, The Great Shamsuddin Family, written and directed by Anusha Rizvi of Peepli Live fame and Single Salma, directed by NachiketSamant and written by Mudassar Aziz, arrive as rare and quietly radical interventions.

Both films centre Muslim women not as symbols, metaphors or ideological statements, but as protagonists negotiating deeply contemporary realities. Their stories unfold not through extraordinary crises, but within the familiar terrain of family obligation, economic pressure, emotional labour and personal choice.

The Great Shamsuddin Family is especially rooted in the present moment. Its lead character, Bani Ahmed, portrayed by Kritika Kamra, is educated, articulate and emotionally conflicted. Recently separated from her Hindu partner, she is seeking employment in the United States. The interfaith relationship is treated without sensationalism, suggesting a time when such unions were lived experiences rather than endlessly debated political flashpoints.

The film does not foreground politics, yet the current polarised climate is ever-present - surfacing in passing conversations, unspoken anxieties and the quiet recalibration of dreams. Banis desire to leave is shaped not only by ambition but by a growing unease, an awareness that social spaces are narrowing. The political context is not the plot, but it informs the emotional logic of the story, much as it does in everyday life.

Single Salma tells a story unfolding simultaneously in countless Muslim households across India. Salma, played by Huma Qureshi, is the eldest daughter who becomes emotional and economic anchor of her family. She postpones her personal life to shoulder responsibility, not as an act of rebellion or martyrdom, but as a matter of necessity. Her independence is neither romanticised nor framed as defiance. Instead, the film captures a form of quiet endurance, where education becomes survival and agency is exercised through persistence rather than protest.

What distinguishes Salma is not exceptionality but recognisability. She represents a generation of working-class and lower-middle-class Muslim women who hold families together while remaining largely invisible in public narratives. By placing her at the centre, the film restores narrative dignity to a life often taken for granted.

Significantly, both films depict their protagonists as single, highly competent women in well-paying professions - an image strikingly absent from mainstream portrayals of Muslim women. For perhaps the first time, working middle-class Muslim women are shown carrying the responsibility of their families while simultaneously asserting independence. They are not defined solely by tradition, victimhood or dependence, but as capable decision-makers balancing emotional labour, financial accountability and personal autonomy.

Equally important is how this normalcy is performed. Kritika Kamra and Huma Qureshi play their characters like ordinary working women, deliberately stripped of stereotypical markers often associated with Muslim identity on screen. There are no exaggerated adaabs, no performative Lucknowi etiquette, no ornamental signifiers meant to announce Muslimness. Instead, the characters are grounded in everyday realism - their professional competence, emotional depth and individuality shaping their identities far more than cultural caricatures.

This realism quietly addresses a familiar social experience. Modern working Muslims are often confronted with the remark, You dont look like a Muslim, a statement that reveals how narrowly Muslim identity has been imagined in popular culture.

Both The Great Shamsuddin Family and Single Salma challenge this assumption without overt or didactic intent. By portraying Muslim protagonists as part of the everyday Indian middle class - concerned with jobs, finances, family responsibilities and personal aspirations - the films normalise Muslim lives rather than exoticise them.

They insist that Muslim middle-class existence is not an exception but an integral part of the broader Indian social fabric. Both narratives also arrive at remarkably similar conclusions. Despite differing circumstances, Bani and Salma choose the same core principle: independence with dignity. Educated and strong-willed, they resist social pressure to exchange autonomy for security, marriage or approval.

Their choices are not framed as triumphs or failures, but simply as decisions - to live on their own terms. There is no dramatic catharsis or moral grandstanding. Instead, the films end on a quieter assertion: that self-respect and independence are valid, sufficient endings. In a cinematic landscape that often demands resolution through sacrifice or submission, this restraint feels quietly radical.

Together, The Great Shamsuddin Family and Single Salma challenge not only how Muslim characters are portrayed, but how womens agency itself is imagined. They refuse the binaries Bollywood increasingly relies upon - the good Muslim versus the bad Muslim, the modern woman versus the traditional one. Identity here is neither defence nor accusation; it is simply part of life.

In choosing to depict Muslim women as educated, independent individuals pursuing dignified lives, these films do something deceptively simple and profoundly necessary. In an age of noise and polarisation, showing ordinary lives with honesty becomes, in itself, an act of resistance.

(Asif Ullah Khan is a seasoned journalist and has been associated with Khaleej Times Dubai and Brunei Times Brunei.)

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1357 ET  Oil prices are likely to remain volatile in the near-term following Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduros ouster by the U.S., Gabelli Funds portfolio manager Simon Wong says in a note. It will take time for Venezuela to raise production, but a lifting of the U.S. blockade and eventually sanctions could allow much if not all of the Venezuelan oil stuck at sea and in bonded storage to become available to the market, he says. Venezuela currently produces 800,000-900,000 barrels a day. As service and expertise return to the country and with Chevrons guidance, I believe the country can boost production to 1.5 million barrels a day within 2-3 months, he adds. If other majors return, Venezuela could potentially boost production to 2.0 million barrels a day in 12 months. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1416 ET  Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says President Trumps push to revitalize oil production in Venezuela underscores the need in Canada for additional crude-pipeline capacity. She and Canada PM Mark Carney agreed late last year to a set of conditions under which a new oil-carrying pipeline could be built to Canadas Pacific Coast. Smith is championing a new crude pipeline to British Columbias northwest coast to reach Asian buyers, and the Alberta government intends to submit a formal application to Ottawa this spring. At that time, Smith expects federal officials to move forward with urgency amid developments in Venezuela, she says in a statement. (Paul.Vieira@wsj.com; @paulvieira)

1508 ET  Oil futures post gains as the market sees it taking time for Venezuela to lift production following the removal of President Nicolas Maduro. It will take a long time to shake out the impact regarding oil supplies and hence, petroleum pricing, Ritterbusch and Associates says in a note. We believe that there will be negligible effect on oil futures for at least a couple of months given the ongoing embargo on sanctioned cargoes and numerous legal and logistical challenges that will take a long time to work out. On Sunday, OPEC+ reaffirmed its decision to hold output through 1Q in a meeting that was overshadowed by the Venezuelan events. WTI settles up 1.7% at $58.32 a barrel after falling to $56.31 overnight. Brent rises 1.7% to $61.76, up from the sessions $59.75 low. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

Story Continues

1308 ET  If the capture of Venezuela President Maduro leads to a larger change in control of the country that allows for a return of U.S. oil majors it could lead to higher production in three to five years and have negative implications for oil prices, BMO Capital Markets Randy Ollenberger says. And that would be a blow for Canadian heavy crude price differentials, even as it strengthens the case for an oil export pipeline to Canadas west coast, the analyst says. Venezuela holds the largest proved oil reserves in the world, and the majority is heavy oil that has similar refining characteristics to Canadian oil sands output. A revitalized Venezuelan energy industry could be bad for Canadian producers that have been able to capture market share lost by Venezuela due to U.S. sanctions and a lack of investment, Ollenberger says. (robb.stewart@wsj.com; @RobbMStewart)

1052 ET  U.S. Gulf Coast refiners, with years of experience building and optimizing refineries to handle heavy Canadian crude, stand to benefit in the event changes in Venezuela restore output of that countrys heavy, sour oil, Siebert Financials chief investment officer Mark Malek says in a note. Refining shares are sharply higher after the U.S. ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Heavy crude requires sophisticated refining capacity and massive capital investment, and companies like Valero, Phillips 66, Marathon Petroleum and Chevron have a structural advantage that has been decades in the making, Malek says. Since heavy crude almost always trades at a discount to light, if you can process it efficiently, that discount turns into profit, he adds. Add Venezuelan barrels into that same ecosystem, but now under U.S. operational and security influence, and the advantage compounds. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

0953 ET  An increase in oil production in Venezuela following the U.S. governments removal of President Nicolas Maduro would be a significant boost for U.S. refiners, since much of the Gulf Coast refining capacity is designed for heavy crude like the oil in Venezuela, say Raymond James analysts. Valero has the most capacity in the U.S. Gulf, followed by Marathon and Phillips 66, the analysts say. Valero surges 9%, while Marathon gains 5.4% and Phillips 66 jumps 6%. Mizuho analyst Nitin Kumar says that Gulf Coast refiners could see a boost in their near-term margins from the more reliable availability of crude oil. (nicholas.miller@wsj.com)

0946 ET  Venezuelas oil production is subject to several wild cards, particularly how fast a government transition can take place and how quickly and willingly multinational oil companies re-enter the country, say Raymond James analysts. In a bullish case, production rises to more than 2 million barrels per day by 2030, trending toward 3 million thereafter. But that can only be realized if there is enough security and incentive for U.S. (and allies) oil companies to re-enter Venezuela, the analysts say. Additionally, if a transition is delayed and the blockade remains intact production shut-ins would likely be needed, which could lower production by nearly 0.5 million barrels per day, according to the analysts. (nicholas.miller@wsj.com)

0932 ET  It will be tough for Venezuelan oil to displace Canadian crude, at least in the short term, but the threat does highlight how vital trade diversification is for Canada, Servus Credit Unions Charles St-Arnaud says. Canada now exports about 4.5 million barrels a day to the U.S. versus the 1 million barrels daily currently produced by Venezuela, which would need significant investment to boost that. St-Arnaud adds geography favors Canada, which sends the bulk of its crude to refineries in the U.S. Midwest. He says the cost of sending tankers from Venezuela to the Pacific Northwest reduces the likelihood of substitution, though the roughly 10% of overall Canadian oil exports that head to the Gulf Coast may be vulnerable. (robb.stewart@wsj.com; @RobbMStewart)

0925 ET  Economists and commodity analysts argue that US-led events in Venezuela should trigger greater urgency in Canada to build another crude-oil pipeline connecting oil-heavy Alberta with the Pacific Coast. Derek Holt, economist at Bank of Nova Scotia, says a new Pacific-bound pipeline would be prudent, amid President Trumps push to access Venezuelas over 300 billion barrels of oil reserves. Trump may push for Venezuelan oil exports bound for China to be diverted to the US, thereby crowding out opportunity for Canadian oil in the US and opening up opportunity to export to Asia, Holt says. (Paul.Vieira@wsj.com; @paulvieira)

0923 ET  U.S. oil companies might be reluctant to get back into Venezuela having had assets in the South American country expropriated before, David Oxley of Capital Economics says in a note. And then theres the matter of abundant global supply keeping prices down. Even if the political environment backdrop was more predictable, in a world already awash with oil, the business case for significantly ramping up drilling in Venezuela is far from strongparticularly given the estimated high cost of extracting Venezuelas heavy oil reserves, he adds. The case of Venezuela further highlights the tension between President Trumps desire for cheap oil and an oil price high enough to deliver the required returns for oil firms. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

0859 ET  President Trump wants U.S. companies to dive into Venezuelas oil reserves, but a ramp-up in the countrys oil production could take awhile, analysts say. While some forecasts suggest production could rise by a half or a million barrels per day within the next 12 months, we believe this will take more than two to three years and prior peak production levels may never again be reached, say Melius analysts James West and Sanskriti Reddy. Chevron is the company best-positioned to increase its operations in Venezuela, but any new investment would take time, capital and assurances of political stability, says Mizuho analyst Nitin Kumar. (nicholas.miller@wsj.com)

Most Read from The Wall Street Journal
Ethiopia agreed to restructure a $1 billion bond with international investors. Ethiopias finance ministry said the initial restructuring agreement covers the financial terms of the debt and that it has been communicated to the International Monetary Fund, after talks with groups of bondholders at the end of last year.

Ethiopia has been among Africas fastest-growing economies in recent years, averaging above 6.5% between 2023 and 2024, and the governments forecast for growth in the fiscal year ending in July is 8.9%. But it defaulted on its bond payment obligations in December 2023.

The East African country is the beneficiary of an ongoing $3.4 billion IMF credit program that was approved in mid-2023, of which about $2.1 billion has been disbursed.

 Alexander Onukwue
In a dramatic language takedown, Lake Superior State University in Michigan has unveiled its 50th annual Banished Words List, officially branding the viral '67' phrase as public enemy number one for 2026.

The long-running tradition, which began at a boozy New Year's Eve party in 1976, takes gleeful aim at words and expressions that have worn out their welcome, transforming from clever and catchy into relentlessly irritating. What started as a tongue-in-cheek protest against 'mis-, mal-, over-use, or general uselessness' in the English language has since exploded into a global ritual of collective eye-rolling.

This year's linguistic purge attracted more than 1,400 nominations, flooding in from all 50 US states and far beyond, including submissions from Uzbekistan, Brazil, Japan and the UK. The volume alone underscores just how passionately people feel about the phrases they are forced to endure in everyday conversation.

University officials then comb through the complaints, winnowing them down into a final list that is deliberately equal parts amusing and alarming. The result serves as both comic relief and cultural mirror, capturing how language can spiral out of control once buzzwords go viral.

Now marking its 50th year, the Banished Words List has become an international phenomenon, charting the rise and fall of once-trendy expressions and reminding the public that not every popular phrase deserves a permanent place in our vocabulary.

'6-7' Tops the Hit List  And It's No Surprise

Leading the pack of linguistic offenders is '6-7', that lazy shorthand for 'six or seven' that's infiltrated texts, tweets, and chit-chat everywhere.

Submitters were relentless, with Paul E. from Wisconsin cheekily noting there are 'six or seven reasons why this phrase needs to be stopped.' Scott T. from Utah piled on, insisting it's high time to '86' it, borrowing diner lingo for ditching menu items.

Their gripe is that it's vague, repetitive and utterly unnecessary, turning precise communication into a numerical guessing game. With nominations for this one alone threatening to hog the entire list  at least slots six through seven  it's clear the public is fed up.

From TikTok Trends to Corporate Cliches: The Full Roster of Rejects

The list doesn't stop at numbers. 'Demure'  riding high on the TikTok wave with 'very demure, very mindful'  got the axe for being 'very said more than very done,' as Tammy S. put it. Madison C. echoed that overuse has eroded its true essence of modesty.

Then there's 'cooked', slang for being done in or overwhelmed, which left Zac A. from Virginia's brain feeling fried; parents led the revolt, with James C. from Washington advocating a blanket ban on all 'cook' variants to make them rare indeed.

'Massive' was slammed by Don and Gail K. from Minnesota for its 'way overused' status, often slapped on things far from gigantic. Corporate speak took a hit too: 'Incentivize' grated like 'nails on a chalkboard,' with Patricia from Texas wondering why we can't just say 'motivate.'

'Full stop' was deemed redundant, much like the previously banished 'period.' 'Perfect' irked in customer service scripts; Jo H. from California questioned how anything's truly perfect, while Char S. from Ohio pondered its vague meaning. 'Verb-ifying' nouns continued with 'gift' or 'gifted', a repeat from 1994, as James S. from Oklahoma revived the complaint for personal satisfaction.

Apology faux pas 'my bad' was called out for sounding 'infantile,' unchanged since its 1998 ban, per Elizabeth P. from Michigan and Andrea R. from Ohio. 'Reach out', once warm with support vibes, has devolved into absurd overuse, straying from its 1994 intent, as Kevin B. from the UK observed.

The Stubborn 'Repeat Offenders' That Keep Coming Back

For this milestone anniversary, LSSU dusted off 'repeat offenders;' words that defied past bans and sneaked back.

'Absolutely' returned from 1996 and 2023, now a lazy default for agreement; will it aim for a third? 'At the end of the day' notched a rare triple ban (1999, 2022, 2024), blamed on pundits and Hollywood elites by Mike M. and Randall H.

'Awesome' resurfaced from 1984 and 2007, with Elnora V. decrying its application to mundane events, echoed by Thai nominators calling it meaningless.

'Game changer' doubled up from 2009, with Cynthia declaring 'game over' for the cliche, only for Patrick from DC to note in 2025 that if everything's a game changer, nothing is. Even the redundant 'hot water heater' echoed its 1982 and 2018 slaps, courtesy of anonymous radio listeners and later reminders.

Over five decades, this list has evolved from a PR stunt by W.T. (Bill) Rabe into a cultural touchstone, poking fun at jargon while celebrating language's fluidity. Thousands of contributors keep it alive, venting frustrations and ensuring our words stay sharp, not stale.

Originally published on IBTimes UK
Tim Robinson

A University of Wyoming alumnus and a UW professor of statistics have published a study proposing the use of spatially balanced rotating panel designs as a time and cost-efficient way to monitor the ecological reclamation of oil and natural gas sites while increasing data quality.





The paper, Long-term monitoring strategies for ecological reclamation programmes using spatially balanced rotating panel designs, was published in the tier 1 journal Ecological Solutions and Evidence. It is the ninth time UW graduate Michael Curran, CEO and principal ecologist of Abnova Ecological Solutions, and Tim Robinson, a professor of statistics at UW, have published a paper together.





Curran graduated from UW with a graduate minor in statistics and a doctorate in ecology in 2020. He has been working to improve reclamation and its monitoring and reporting practices since his time at the university, where he examined methods at well pad and right-of-way locations.





Curran is originally from New Jersey, says Robinson, adding its been fun to see someone from out of state attend UW for a graduate education and then use that expertise to launch a Wyoming-based business.





Mikes story exemplifies the land-grant mission of UW; he received high-quality education from UW, Robinson says. He continually engages companies doing business in Wyoming and advances economic growth through his business, Abnova.





The article was a collaborative effort among Abnova, PureWest, UW and the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, one of the countrys premier universities. During the research, spatially balanced rotating panel designs were used to monitor the Pinedale Anticline natural gas field in Sublette County, which spans over 200,000 acres with 303 well pads, as well as a 13-mile-long right-of-way system, beginning in 2022. Monitoring will conclude in 2027.





Alongside Curran and Robinson, four other co-authors contributed to the article: Blair Robertson, a professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Canterbury and a former adjunct professor at UW; Jasmine Allison, director of government and regulatory affairs at PureWest Energy; Bobby Saleh, geographic information system manager at PureWest Energy; and Steven Bower, chief administrative officer at Abnova.





Ecological reclamation is essential to prevent permanent disturbance in ecosystems. In North America, its required to monitor the ecological reclamation efforts of sites connected to oil and natural gas development. According to the paper, a variety of reclamation methods and management practices are used, depending on surface disturbance and environmental factors, with soil management and the installation of plant material being common.





Oil and natural gas companies put a lot of effort into determining the right types of vegetation for reclamation.





You have got to think about whats important for native Wyoming wildlife, including big game, sage grouse, pollinators, plant communities, etc., Robinson says. Its not enough to just simply look at the landscape and say, Yep, 70 percent of that is now covered with vegetation. Not all vegetation cover is created equal in terms of nutritional value.





Not all seeds will germinate the same after being planted, according to Robinson. About 14 native seeds are typically used in seed mixes across the area, Curran adds. Weather and soil conditions can affect which of these varieties grow, and different wildlife species may respond differently to various vegetation species.





Wyoming is getting higher quality restoration of habitat when we can call attention to the different species of plants that are being established in the reclamation process, Robinson says.





Forbs can be useful for reestablishing pollinator habitats, Curran says, and grasses may be preferrable for grazing animals.





Sampling multiple locations and large areas over time using the designs outlined in the article exceeds regulatory criteria, and the use of these designs has been shown to improve monitoring results. By using spatially balanced rotating panel sampling designs with spatial neighborhoods, digital imagery and route optimization, data quality can be improved, and time spent at a location can be drastically reduced.





Across Wyoming and a lot of the western United States, where we have these cold and arid environments, we have pretty short growing seasons and we have these really vast expanses, Curran says. Itd be nearly impossible to do quantitative monitoring and gather really good, statistically robust data across every single location in a given year. For example, up in Pinedale, we typically have a 39- to 52-day frost-free period. So, we really only have about a month to a month and a half of a growing season with over 300 well pad locations and miles and miles of pipeline.





Collecting data in that short frost-free window, with a boots-on-the-ground approach, would be nearly impossible.





We developed algorithms for well pad locations which are set up in sort of a patchy matrix, and pipelines which are more linear structures -- just to make sure that were spreading our sample well and getting good data representing the entire field at hand -- and that should translate, really, to any gas field or any vast area, Curran says.





To read the article, visit besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2688-8319.70146
Small-business owners will have the opportunity to give five-minute presentations about their businesses and raise awareness about their offerings during the Small Business Showcase Thursday, Jan. 29.

Kenny Overby and Rachael Svoboda will head the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network event from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Cottonwood Room at the Laramie County Public Library B, located at 2200 Pioneer Ave. in Cheyenne. The event is co-sponsored by the Laramie County Library and presented in partnership with Wyoming Library to Business.

Businesses interested in presenting must register with the Wyoming SBDC Network and email Overby at koverby@uwyo.edu by Thursday, Jan. 15. To register, go here. Registration is free, and the public is invited. Light refreshments and drinks will be provided.

The Wyoming SBDC Network offers business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by the University of Wyoming with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The Small Business Showcase networking event will feature small-business owners in Laramie County. Attendees will hear pitches from local small-business owners and get to know their business neighbors. Only one business per category will be selected so that a variety of industries can be heard. No items may be sold at the event, but businesses can offer discount codes or coupons to attendees.

Overby is the Wyoming SBDC Networks regional director for Goshen and Laramie counties and has 18 years of experience owning and running small businesses. He is passionate about helping entrepreneurs demystify small businesses and enjoy the journey of business ownership.

Svoboda is the business librarian for the Laramie County Library System.

For more information, call Overby at (307) 631-7721 or email koverby@uwyo.edu.
Former JAB Holding CEO Olivier Goudet has become a minority shareholder of Treasury Wine Estates (TWE).

According to the filing, Goudet, alongside his investment arm Platin, has taken just over a 5% stake in the Australian wine major.

Between 2012 and 2023, Goudet was managing partner and CEO of investment group JAB Holding Company, the parent of Keurig Dr Pepper, JDE Peet's and Pret A Manger.

Up until last year, he was also chairman at JDE Peet's. Goudet remains on the board of the coffee group as a non-executive director.

Shares in the Penfolds wine maker shot up just over 7% following its announcement on the ASX of Goudet's move on 23 December.

At the time of writing today (5 January), shares in the business have still dropped 7.38% in the past month.

Earlier in December, TWE CEO Sam Fischer announced a transformation programme that will include a review of products and cost cuts at the Melbourne-headquartered group.

The new programme, called TWE Ascent, will look at three areas: an evolution of its portfolio; changes to the companys operating model and the optimisation of costs.

TWE is looking to target A$100m ($66.9m) a year in cost savings over the next three financial years.

In the group's update, Fischer, who became CEO in October, said the business was seeing "category weakness in the US and China, two of our key growth markets, which will impact our business performance in the near-term".

TWE had highlighted problems in both markets several times in 2025.

At the beginning of December, the 19 Crimes producer forecast an impairment on its US assets, amounting to at least A$687.4m.

In October, the group also withdrew its fiscal 2026 earnings guidance due to an uncertain outlook for its Penfolds brand in China and Treasury Americas businesses.

Speaking about the transformation plan, Fischer said in December: Im energised by the opportunity to accelerate a transformation agenda to reshape TWE for its next era, leveraging these strong foundations. We have commenced work to identify opportunities to simplify the way we operate, to strengthen our execution focus right across the business and to realise significant cost benefits.

TWE then said it was already bringing down inventories held by customers in the US and China amid what the company said was moderated depletion growth expectations.

Alongside the update, the group also revealed it had cancelled plans for a A$200m buy-back of shares in its current financial year.

"Former consumer goods exec takes stake in Treasury Wine Estates" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand.
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.
A major independent power producer in Vietnam said its 1.6-GW Nhon Trach 3&4 Power Plant has entered commercial operation. PetroVietnam Power Corp., a subsidiary of the state-owned PetroVietnam (PVN) Group, on January 5 said the facility is the first in the country to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). GE Vernova on Monday said the power station, which was inaugurated in a ceremony on December 14 of last year, also is the first in Vietnam to use the company's HA turbine. The $1.4-billion facility, built in the Ong Keo Industrial Park in the Dai Phuoc commune, is located about 45 miles southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon. The companies said the combined-cycle power plant, using GE Vernova's 9HA.02 turbine technology, "is expected to improve the reliability and stability of the energy grid to support renewables penetration," and will help supply "the growing electricity demand in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai province." Samsung C&T and Lilama served as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) leads for the project. PV Power last year signed a 25-year agreement with its sister company, PetroVietnam Gas (PV Gas) to supply LNG to the two plants. That agreement marked the countrys first long-term LNG supply contract with a committed volume of 530 million cubic meters per year for the first five years. [caption id="attachment_247528" align="alignnone" width="640"]

PetroVietnam's Nhon Trach 3&4 power plant is located in an industrial park about 45 miles southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon. Source: PV Power[/caption] The project expands natural gas-fired generation capacity in Vietnam and is part of the country's transition away from coal-fired power. The country has a plan to increase the use of LNG; according to the Adjusted PDP8, an amendment to Vietnam's National Power Development Plan VIII, LNG is central to Vietnam's flexible generation mix. More than 22 GW of LNG-fueled power generation is expected online within the next five years, which would account for more than 9%and perhaps more than 12%of the country's power generation capacity. Officials, though, have been concerned about the pace of construction of new power plants. Hanoi-based rating firm Vietnam Investors Service, known as VIS Rating, estimated in a recent note that about 25% of PDP8s planned 21 LNG power plant projects in the coming decade lack investors. Only three projects are currently under construction. That includes the 1.6-GW Hai Phong plant, backed by a joint venture between Vingroup and its subsidiary VinEnergo. VIS Rating in its note wrote, We expect project development to accelerate from 2026 onward. The group said it expects typical construction timelines of four to five years for LNG power plants. It also said it expects government policies will require projects to begin commercial operation before 2031.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Italy repatriates bodies of five teenagers killed in Crans-Montana fire.

Schools across Italy on Wednesday will observe a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the deadly New Year fire at a bar at the Crans-Montana ski resort in Switzerland.

Italian education minister Giuseppe Valditara said the initiative, which coincides with the reopening of schools after the Christmas holidays, is to "remember the young victims and express our closeness to their families".

The fire, which left 40 people dead and 116 injured, is believed to have been caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles as young people rang in the new year at Le Constellation bar.

Five of the six Italian victims of the tragedy, all teenagers, were repatriated on Monday on board an Italian air force plane that flew from Sion airport in Switzerland.

The aircraft arrived first at Linate airport in Milan where the coffins containing the bodies of four 16-year-old victims of the blaze were met by dignitaries led by senate president Ignazio La Russa.

The bodies of Achille Barosi and Chiara Costanzo will remain in Milan while the remains of Giovanni Tamburi will be transported to Bologna and Emanuele Galeppini to Genoa.

The remains of 16-year-old Riccardo Minghetti were then flown to Rome's Ciampino airport where his coffin was met by Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani and sport minister Andrea Abodi.

The body of the sixth Italian victim, 15-year-old dual Swiss-Italian citizen Sofia Prosperi who lived in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino, was transferred to Lugano.
Train conductor found dead outside Bologna station.

A 34-year-old Italian train conductor was stabbed to death outside Bologna station on Monday evening.

The deceased man, named as Alessandro Ambrosio, was found shortly before 19.00 in an area leading to a car park reserved for Trenitalia staff.

Police in the north Italian city said they had identified the killer, who remains on the run, after studying surveillance cameras.

Italian state broadcaster RAI News and newspaper Corriere della Sera report that the suspect is a homeless Croatian national with a history of assaults at other train stations.

Bologna mayor Matteo Lepore, on behalf of the city, expressed "our closeness, at this very painful time, to the family and colleagues of the young train conductor".

Deputy Italian premier and transport minister Matteo Salvini offered his "heartfelt solidarity" to the victim's family and colleagues, and confirmed his "determination" to increase security at train stations.

Photo credit: its_neonspark / Shutterstock.com.

Article first published as breaking news on 5 January at 21.26, updated on 6 January at 05.45.
Jubilee 2025 attracted over 33 million pilgrims.

Pope Leo XIV will close the Holy Door at St Peter's on Tuesday at 09.30, formally signifying the end of the Vatican's 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

Italy's president Sergio Mattarella will attend the ceremony which comes after the doors of Rome's three other papal basilicas - St Mary Major, St John Lateran and St Paul Outside the Walls - were closed in recent days.

The Jubilee, launched by Pope Francis on Christmas Eve 2024, has attracted a total of 33,475,369 pilgrims, the Vatican said on Monday.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the chief Vatican organiser responsible for coordinating the holy year events, specified that Italians made up the largest number of pilgrims, followed by visitors from the US.

The Jubilee led to the completion of dozens of infrastructure projects in Rome, notably the Piazza Pia underpass near Castel Sant'Angelo.

In a tradition dating back to 1300, Vatican jubilees take place every 25 years and are designed as a special year of grace, in which the Church offers the faithful the possibility of obtaining a plenary indulgence by passing through the Holy Doors.

Photo credit: Mo Wu / Shutterstock.com.
It was recently announced that Waterford (formerly known as Waterford Crystal) was to replace the New York City, New Years Eve Ball for only the ninth time ever in its 117-year history.

Emily Brophy, Senior Brand Marketing Manager and Global Brand Ambassador for Waterford, described the new ball as truly breathtaking.

She added that its designed to radiate optimism from every angle.

This year, the ball which caused major excitement had 5,280 pieces of Waterford crystal, which was double the amount used in previous years.

In the past, triangular shapes were used to make up the ball, but this year it was comprised of circles.

According to Ms. Brophy, the circular shape represents infinite joy, infinite life and infinite beginnings.

"As the world comes together each New Year's Eve, there is no greater stage for Waterford than Times Square," said Bentley Hardwick, Global Head of Waterford.

"Through the brilliance of crystal craftsmanship, we are proud to help shape a moment that unites millions in celebration and optimism for the future. We are honoured to be part of this piece of history."

This new creation coincided with the opening of a new visitor experience called One Times Square.

There, visitors will have the opportunity to see the 2025 New Year's Eve Ball up close and participate in the evolution of its transition into the 2026 Ball design.

At The Premium Ball Experience, guests will be able to replace a 2025 crystal disc with a 2026 crystal, symbolically contributing to the next chapter of the Ball's history.

Each participant will take home the 2025 crystal they received as a personal keepsake from one of the world's most iconic celebrations.

While New York City's New Year's Eve ball drop tradition dates back to 1907, it was 1999 before Waterford Crystal was brought onboard to craft the modern Ball to welcome the new millennium.

In August 1999, Pat Haynes, the then-Mayor of Waterford, escorted the crystal panels from Ireland to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and presented them to then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani and other distinguished guests.
A local disability centre produced very positive results following an inspection from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).

The designated centre at Rathverna in the west of the county, is a detached two-storey house which had five residents on the day of the unannounced inspection.

The designated centre is staffed by social care workers and assistant support workers.

In summary, based on what the residents communicated with the inspector and what was observed, it was evident that the residents received a good quality of care and support.

The residents appeared content and comfortable in their home and the staff team were observed supporting the residents in an appropriate and caring manner.

The staff team were observed treating and speaking with the residents in a dignified and caring manner throughout the inspection.

It was evident that residents were facilitated to exercise choice and control across a range of daily activities and to have their choices and decisions respected.

Weekly meetings took place with residents which consulted with residents around choosing meals and activities.

The inspector noted that were systems in place to safeguard residents.

There was evidence that incidents were appropriately reviewed, managed and responded to. Support plans were in place to manage identified safeguarding concerns.

The residents were observed to appear comfortable in their home and in the presence of the staff team and management.

The centre yielded very positive results, and was marked compliant in every category bar one.

In the premises category, the centre was marked 'substantially compliant', due to water damage and stains on the ceiling in one resident's apartment.
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BusinessConsumer affairsAppliances Why your parents appliances lasted decades  and yours dont Benedict J Smith January 4, 2026  6:00am 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

Joost Veldhuizens mother has two possessions she is especially fond of: her Philips food processor and her Miele vacuum cleaner. Neither does anything beyond their standard functions, nor are they particularly impressive to look at. Their joy stems from the fact that after 40 years of use, both appliances remain in full working order. In todays fast-paced consumer culture, this is a rarity. Its not your imagination: they dont make appliances like they used to The average lifespan of a new cordless vacuum cleaner is less than five years, while small household appliances such as food processors cannot be expected to last more than nine, according to the European Environment Agency.

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This has driven the rise of a throwaway culture worldwide. The United Nations estimates that the global volume of discarded electronic goods  known as e-waste  will rise to 82 million tonnes by 2030, up from 62 million in 2022. Veldhuizen  who as a board member of Repair Cafe International, a global network of DIY workshops, has seen his fair share of broken appliances  says we are not just imagining the declining durability of everyday goods. Quality everywhere appears to be dropping, he says. The difficulty these days is when you buy an expensive product, its not automatically a guarantee that it will last you a lifetime. Pointless gimmicks Veldhuizen first points the finger at the growing intensity of rivalries between companies, particularly since the advent of e-commerce.

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As competition hots up, it can trigger a race to the bottom, with manufacturers engaging in aggressive price-cutting to boost profits and keep shareholders happy. Related Article Opinion

Shopping The 40-year-old dishwasher and other kitchen miracles Jenna Price Columnist The theory goes that as corners are cut to keep down costs, quality inevitably suffers. British shoemaker Dr Martens, for example, faced a flood of accusations about the falling durability of its famously hardy footwear since it outsourced 98 per cent of its production to Asia, where labour is much cheaper than in the UK. But is the standard of workmanship abroad to blame? Veldhuizen thinks not.

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China makes what you ask them to make. If you ask them for a high-quality product, you will get a high-quality product. If you ask them for a cheap, low-quality product, thats what you will get. Instead, he believes that competition between companies has pushed them into making straightforward goods overly complex. Manufacturers, he says, have started adding bells and whistles to appeal to gadget-loving consumers. These ultimately make products more susceptible to breakage and difficult to fix. On vacuum cleaners, for instance, it is an electrical add-on, such as suction control, that fails after a couple of years of use in the vast majority of cases. But you dont need electronic suction control  its a gimmick that companies use to differentiate themselves. Fixing electronic components demands a level of expertise beyond most ordinary appliance users.

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But even getting into the device in the first place is harder than it used to be. Whereas in the good old days parts were readily available and there were a couple of regular screws that you could open up to fix the appliance, clean it and close it up again, its becoming a lot more difficult. Planned obsolescence Because many goods are produced in countries where labour is relatively cheap, the cost of repairing it domestically is often more expensive than buying new  and therefore the product is thrown out and replaced.

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Cynics are quick to suggest this is all done on purpose as part of a grand plan by manufacturers to encourage us to replace products more frequently  a theory known as planned obsolescence. One of the earliest known examples involved lightbulb makers in the mid-1920s. After technological advancements improved the lifespan of the bulb to 2,500 hours, manufacturers realised they lasted too long. In response, the worlds leading makers, including Germanys Osram, the UKs Associated Electrical Industries and General Electric in America, colluded to intentionally reduce the lifespan of bulbs by 50 per cent and thereby stimulate repeat purchases. However, Kamila Krych, a researcher at the Institute of Environmental Engineering in Zurich, who studied the lifetime of common household appliances for her PhD, is sceptical of arguments around planned obsolescence. If it was the case that producers were scheming against us to make things less durable, I would expect all products to go down in lifetime at a more or less similar rate. And this is not what we see, she says.

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Rising living standards In her study, Krych investigated how the sales and ownership of large household appliances in Norway had evolved since the 1940s. Although the lifespans of fridges, freezers and dishwashers have remained relatively constant, she found that the longevity of ovens and washing machines plummeted in the 1990s and early 2000s. The lifespan of washing machines has plummeted. Is it bedcause we use them more these days? Washing machines dropped from 19.2 to 10.6 years, while ovens fell from 23.6 to 14.3 years.

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Krych acknowledges that a flood of cheaper products around the turn of the century undoubtedly had a bearing on the quality of household appliances. But her conclusion also stressed the impact of consumer behaviour. Related Article Shopping Commbank, Temu and HCF under fire in Choices Shonky awards There is a social component to it, not just technical. For example, with washing machines there is clear evidence pointing towards people doing laundry more often. If you run more cycles per year, your washing machine will last fewer years. The average Norwegian family, for example, ran two washing cycles per week in 1960 compared with eight in 2000  a symptom of rising living standards, Krych adds. Most consumers are also notoriously lazy when it comes to essential maintenance of products, which only accelerates products decline.

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For cars, regular maintenance is very common and normal for most people, Veldhuizen says. But for household appliances, people expect them to run forever without any maintenance. I have a friend who has a coffee machine with an LED that indicates when it needs descaling thats been flashing for four months. Informed consumers How, then, can we pull ourselves out of this rut of throwaway culture? Wayne Hubbard, of ReLondon, a waste reduction initiative, wants to see more consumers taking an interest in not only the quality of the products they are buying but how to repair them. A little bit of knowledge can go a long way, he says. It also makes us savvier shoppers in the long run.

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Top-down legislation that gives consumers the ability to make more informed purchasing decisions is also a popular solution. Related Article Shopping We want to know how long itll last: Should appliances have lifespan labels? France has led the way with its Repair Index, added to electrical products since 2021, which scores them on their repairability. The idea is twofold: to encourage consumers to choose goods they can repair and for manufacturers to make them easier to fix. Its a measure Veldhuizen supports  but he says we cannot ignore the fact that fundamental cultural shifts have changed the dynamic between people and products, possibly for good. In the 1950s and 60s, everything was scarce, everything was in short supply and expensive. You had to make do with your things for as long as possible.

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Now, things have become cheap. We have more money than our parents. For better or worse, he concedes, the days of sewing up holes in socks are probably over. The Telegraph, London

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In all the rooms, in all the houses, in all the designs featured in ABC series Grand Designs Transformations, just one factor is essential. A home revamp  big, small, exorbitantly priced or built for a song  works best if it reflects those using it. So says architectural expert Professor Anthony Burke, the shows co-host, who believes aping spruiked home design trends means little if the result doesnt complement home owners lives. Grand Designs Transformations co-hosts Anthony Burke and Yasmine Ghoniem. A house is not a physical thing, he says. A house is a place where human relationships are fostered and made to grow and blossom. Its the stage upon which lifes theatre plays out. So the actual play is the issue, not the stage. But the stage is necessary to support and promote the theatre, if you like. Related Article Streaming What to stream this week: Brooke Satchwells heartfelt donor drama, plus five more picks This philosophy features prominently in the second 10-episode series of Grand Designs Transformations, sibling to the ABCs Grand Designs Australia and Restoration Australia, also hosted by Burke. Returning with co-host Yasmine Ghoniem, an award-winning interior designer, the show follows 20 new big-dream, all-budget redesigns across five states. In every project, from a Paddington terrace to a Melbourne garage, from a forlorn chapel in a NSW country paddock to a 140-year-old glasshouse shipped from to Tasmania from the UK, the people and their stories are as important as the structure being tackled.

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In one, a shed in Newstead, Victoria, becomes a Japanese-style bathhouse via a tiny budget and hard grunt. In others, a Queensland couple transform an old house after floods destroyed their original home; an inner-city Melbourne couple champion profuse colour design in the face of health challenges; and an Adelaide family rework a 19th-century bluestone villa into a home for three generations. Theyre familiar Grand Designs tropes, but Burke says this series puts greater focus on the stories and people behind each transformation. Its important seeing that theres an enormous amount at stake in these projects, Burke says. Even the smallest ones. Theres this consequence. While we can laugh and joke and talk about budgets and timelines, underneath it all is a question of, Can I put myself against something thats bigger than me? Something thats going to impact my entire world, my family, all my friends? Is this the right thing to do? Am I going to be OK? Melbourne couple Eric and Nicky and their colourful home featured in Grand Designs Transformations. Theyre all doing it as a very genuine act of improving their lives, their family and relationships. Theyre putting everything out there to do it. Its not just for TV. Ghoniem, who follows another Grand Designs path by being pregnant across episodes, says she hopes these stories help people understand the true effect of design. Changing a space can transform lives, she says. There will be things that people dont realise have a knock-on effect on their lives because they live there every day. I think its good to learn how to change those for the better.

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It doesnt matter how much money you have. Its being open to change and also realising they can make those changes. In all the design shows hes hosted, Burke has sharpened his TV host skills. Related Article Streaming We may all love The Pitt, but dont forget it was ER that led the way Im an academic, he says. Im not an actor. They do try and get me to do jokes and stuff, and sometimes thats just a complete disaster. But in every project, all my reactions are genuine. Im quite happy to lay out advice, give some critical feedback, but I do believe theres no point in turning up at the reveal and going, Oh geez, what a disaster. Of course, there are lessons to be learnt in what not to do. But everything Ive learnt in teaching students at university has shown we learn so much more from the positive examples rather than the negative. Even within a dogs breakfast of a project there will be a few lessons to pull out that were really great outcomes for various other reasons. Maybe it doesnt look so good, but perhaps its super-environmental. Or its an absolute triumph in terms of recycled materials or bargain-shopping elements or doing it all on a budget of 10 grand. In the Grand Designs family of programs, were definitely moving away from the big speccy houses. What were really looking for is the relatability of innovations that people want and need to bring to everyday life.

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Rather than building the biggest house for the sake of it or incorporating design features that dont align with surrounds or raise energy bills, Burke is seeing projects inspired by the lack of housing affordability, the cost of living or a focus on sustainability and smart environmental design. The world has changed, he says. We need to update our idea of home. In this series, weve got the very beautiful bluestone house that has been extended to incorporate grandma, the grandkids and their parents. Greg with his outdoor sauna in Grand Designs Transformations. Weve got Greg, a single dad for whom a big part of his shed-to-bathhouse project was, How am I building this for my two girls? Hes a pretty eccentric and interesting and creative guy, and, oh my god, wait until you see his reveal. It is the tiniest little bloody thing out in the back of a paddock. But the suns setting, the bath is steaming and hes just looking at the view beyond a silver gum. He spent about 10 grand on the whole thing, and it was absolutely magical. Burke says housing styles and design choices in Australia are being driven by different priorities and, more often than not, its not a huge house that fills the lot, drains energy and avoids a connection to nature. Theres an entirely new generation of Australians trying to work out how they can build something affordably that prioritises things they value such as health and the environment, he says. Were genuinely turning a corner here in terms of housing design. But its a huge ship that we have to turn around.

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Bloomberg

Gold and silver advanced, with investors weighing heightened geopolitical risks following the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Spot gold rose as much as 2.9% on Monday, climbing above $4,455 an ounce, while silver gained as much as 7%. President Donald Trump said the US plans to run Venezuela after ousting Maduro over the weekend, leaving the future governance of the South American nation uncertain. He said Washington required total access to the country, including its oil reserves.

The episode reinforced a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, said Christopher Wong, an analyst at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. in Singapore. Gold often rallies as geopolitical tensions spike, although the effect is often short-lived.

In addition to events in Venezuela, Trump also used the weekend to restate his ambitions for Greenland, part of NATO-ally Denmarks territory.

Trump told reporters in Washington that Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland, from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it, I can tell you.

Denmarks prime minister said the US has no right to annex any of its territory, later adding that Trumps threats should be taken seriously  and warning that such a move would mean the end of the NATO alliance.

What Bloomberg strategists say:

Geopolitical tensions risk reviving the speculative frenzy in precious metals that began late last year, increasing the potential for heightened volatility.

Tatiana Darie, Macro Strategist, Markets Live

For the full analysis, click here

Gold is fresh from posting its best annual performance since 1979, hitting a series of records throughout last year with support from central-bank buying and inflows to bullion-backed exchange-traded funds. Three successive rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve were also a tailwind for precious metals, which dont pay interest.

Some leading banks forecast further gains in gold this year, especially with the Fed expected to deliver additional interest-rate reductions and Trump reshaping the US central banks leadership. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said last month that its base case was for a rally to $4,900 an ounce, with risks to the upside.

Adding further support, the US economy is facing long-term risks posed by mounting federal debt, according to a panel of economic luminaries speaking Sunday. Former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said preconditions are strengthening for fiscal dominance, whereby the size of debt prompts the central bank to keep rates low to minimize servicing costs.
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NationalVenezuela crisis Opinion Australia should not lie in bed with a shameless dictator like Trump Ben Saul Challis Chair of International Law at Sydney University January 4, 2026  1:30pm

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President Donald Trumps brazen attack on Venezuela has violated the most sacred rule of international law  the near-century old ban on use of military force against another country. It returns the Americas to an era of gunboat diplomacy by imperial warlords. The attack is such a serious use of force that it amounts to an armed attack under the United Nations Charter, giving Venezuela a legal right of self-defence. Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at New Yorks Westside Heliport, wearing a hoodie and handcuffs, makes a peace sign. Bloomberg The responsible US political leaders and military commanders could also be personally liable for the international crime of aggression. Every Venezuelan life lost as a result of illegal aggression also involves a violation of the human right to life by the US.

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The illegal abductions of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are further breaches of international law. There is no right to arrest any criminal suspect in a foreign country without the consent of its government. As a head of government, Maduro also enjoys immunity from criminal prosecution in the US courts. To be sure, the authoritarian Maduro government is of questionable legitimacy following serious electoral fraud and a history of serious human rights violations. The contrast with Western condemnation of Russias invasion of Ukraine is staggering. Yet international law does not permit forcible regime change at the whim of another government. Combating drug trafficking or so-called narco-terrorists, or seizing quasi-colonial control of foreign oil resources, are also not legitimate reasons to use force. International law rightly values peace, stability and the protection of human life over violent imperial opportunism and regional hegemony. The US attack is the culmination of a year-long campaign to destabilise Venezuela, including the recent illegal blockade of sanctioned oil tankers, a strike on a port, covert action by the CIA and the bogus listing of Venezuelan cartels as terrorists, including one, Cartel de Los Soles, that the US alleged was headed by Maduro himself.

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The attack is also closely connected with illegal US military attacks on 35 alleged drug-trafficking vessels on the high seas near Venezuela, extrajudicially killing at least 115 civilians. These mass, cold-blooded murders have no basis in international law. Most of these violations have been met by a wall of silence from Western governments. Instead of robustly condemning the latest US invasion and defending international law, certain Western governments have reacted timidly to appease Trump. Some even hinted that Venezuela had it coming because of its poor human rights record. Related Article Venezuela crisis Stealth drones and massive blowtorches: How the US mission to capture Maduro unfolded The contrast with Western condemnation of Russias invasion of Ukraine is staggering. Hypocrisy and selectivity in enforcing international law is destroying it and emboldening authoritarians everywhere. Last year, some countries, including Australia, even supported US aggression against Irans nuclear program, further eroding international law, while many have turned a blind eye to thousands of illegal strikes by Israel in Syria, Iran and Lebanon in recent years. International law is at its lowest ebb in many decades, including after the widespread atrocities in Gaza. Restoring respect for it requires raising the price of lawlessness. A compliant US Congress and the weakened US courts must reassert themselves, and US military personnel must refuse illegal orders.

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Other countries, particularly US allies, must do their part, starting with loud diplomatic protest and condemnation in the General Assembly. Stronger action could include suspending arms trade, military cooperation and intelligence sharing, and imposing Magnitsky-style financial and travel sanctions on the responsible US officials, including the US president, the secretary of war and the US military commanders. Countries like Australia need to wake up to who they are dealing with in the US. Trump called members of Congress who questioned the legality of the attack weak, stupid people. He has contempt for the law, US institutions, other countries and the United Nations. Appeasing him emboldens him to do worse, as the escalating campaign against Venezuela  met with resounding global silence as it unfolded  demonstrates. Related Article Updated

Venezuela crisis US plans to run Venezuela and tap its oil reserves, Trump says, after operation to oust Maduro Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was right that the US president should be met with strength, not with fear, fawning and appeasement. Australia should seriously question whether it should bind itself in a security and AUKUS alliance with a country that illegally topples foreign governments, abducts their leaders and mass-murders civilians at sea, quite apart from his domestic human rights record. Australia needs to step up, not step down and lie in bed with a shameless dictator. Only countries acting together have the power to stop this deepening lawlessness by worlds most powerful country. Respect for sovereignty, non-use of force, non-intervention and the peaceful settlement of disputes are essential to preserving peace and human rights worldwide.

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Ben Saul is the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism and the Challis Chair of International Law at The University of Sydney. Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter.
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Beaverton, Oregon: Husna Hashemi keeps photos on her phone from the day more than three years ago when she handed her infant son, asleep and swaddled in blankets, to her husbands parents and brother in a city park in Kabul, Afghanistan. She didnt want to leave  even now, speaking in Dari through an interpreter, she wept as she talked about returning to Afghanistan to be with her youngest child. But her husband, Sayed Rasool Hashemi, had worked for years with the United States military, and after the US government fled Afghanistan in 2021, the Hashemis faced a terrible choice: Stay and risk everyones lives, or leave their newborn behind. Sayed Anas Hashemi, now three, has been separated from his family since he was a month old. NYT I did not want to go without him, Husna Hashemi said. What kind of mother does that? The Hashemis story, told from their neat, snug suburban apartment in Beaverton, Oregon, where the immigrants are building new lives, holds twists and bureaucratic dead ends that span two presidential administrations and would make Franz Kafka proud. Its capped, for now, by President Donald Trumps near-total blockade on Afghan immigration. In its infuriating absurdity is a metaphor of sorts for the long wars chaotic end. On a recent evening, the laughter of the Hashemis two older children broke the quiet every now and then, but their youngest childs voice remains missing from their attempt at the American dream. Its just so stupid, family friend Brian Torres said. So stupid and cruel.

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Sayed Anas Hashemi was just a month old, with no visa or passport, when his parents were forced to leave him behind. Efforts to bring him to the United States have lurched onward, but an attack on two US National Guard soldiers near the White House in November, and the charging of an Afghan immigrant who had also worked for the United States, has left any reunion on hold. Every time we get so close, then something happens, father Sayed Hashemi said. Now, we just dont know. Emergency vehicles respond to a shooting of two National Guard troops near the White House in November. AP Hashemi was in his late teens when he began working for the US government in 2004, first doing odd jobs for the military, then serving as an interpreter for American contractors. He considered it the right thing to do  he remembered life as a child under the Taliban as violent and frightening  and an economic opportunity, particularly after he married and started a family. They said they will take care of us, he said of his employers. I heard that many times. When President Joe Biden set the final timeline for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, culminating in the frenzied departure from Kabul in August 2021, Hashemi took his family into hiding. Everybody was scared, Hashemi said.

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The risks to Afghan citizens seen as co-operating with the US were apparent enough that the United States established an office within the State Department  the Co-ordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, or CARE  and offered a special immigrant visa for Afghans deemed likely to face Taliban reprisal. The system, crafted by the Biden administration, was overwhelmed from the start. Special Immigrant Visa applicants crowd an internet cafe in Kabul to submit their forms two weeks before the US evacuated Afghanistan in August 2021. Paula Bronstein/Getty Images/Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting Sayed Hashemi began the visa application process even before the Americans left and waited more than a year for the paperwork allowing him to leave for Qatar, the first stop for many Afghans fleeing to the US. During that interlude, Husna Hashemi became pregnant with their third child, and Sayed Anas was born in September 2022. The familys paperwork came through one month later. The infant did not have a passport and hadnt been included on the familys visa applications because he hadnt been born. They spent almost four months in Qatar, but Sayed Anas still didnt have the proper documents when the rest of the family received permission to fly to the United States in February 2023. They thought their son would be allowed out in months, not years. Afghans and foreigners board a Qatar Airways plane to leave Kabul in September 2021. AP Torres, a former middle school teacher, started volunteering with a refugee resettlement group after listening to a ride-share driver in Washington, DC, recount his story about leaving Afghanistan so his children could get an education. The Hashemis were Torres first assignment. He thought the work meant helping with the basics of building a life in a new country, in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, such as how to schedule doctors appointments or buy car insurance.

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But every conversation with the Hashemis came back to the same reality, that their life in the United States couldnt truly begin until they had their son. Sayed Hashemi initially tried to work through CARE, but by the time the boys passport arrived in 2024, the agency was overloaded and understaffed. Calls and emails went unreturned. Then, the Trump administration closed the office, part of a broader State Department restructuring that included deep staff cuts. A man waves folders with documents at US Marines securing the perimeter of Kabul international airport as the US prepared to evacuate the country in August 2021. NYT Even before that, the familys lawyer, Gabe Espinal, suggested they work directly with a US embassy in Central Asia or the Middle East. But different countries, even different US embassies, have their own policies about when and how they process visa applications or whether theyll even work with Afghan nationals. Many that do remain are plagued by backlogs. The Hashemis secured a visa interview appointment for Sayed Anas at the US Embassy in Qatar but with four days notice, nowhere near enough time to get him there. Officials at the US Embassy in Tajikistan told them to fill out an online visa form for Sayed Anas. For months, they could not get the link to work. I dont want to call this a comedy of errors because none of it is funny, Torres said. But at every step, something seemed to go wrong. This past fall, a reunion felt close. The embassy in Tajikistan told Sayed Hashemi and his lawyer that if they could get Sayed Anas to Dushanbe, the countrys capital, the embassy would process his case.

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Then came the National Guard attack. Trump declared that every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan during the Biden administration must be re-examined. The State Department has frozen visas for Afghans, though the US government website about the presidential proclamation barring Afghan nationals notes that limited exceptions may be made for people younger than eight with special immigrant visas. Afghan passengers board a US Air Force plane to leave Kabul on August 22, 2021. AP The White House referred questions to the Department of Homeland Security. A spokesperson for the department, Tricia McLaughlin, said the jumble of Islamist organisations now running Afghanistan has made the vetting of Afghan nationals extremely difficult and complex and that many hate our country and seek to bring it harm. That response repeated a November 28 social media post and did not address the Hashemis case specifically. Espinal thinks the evolving federal policy could allow Sayed Anas into the US, but hes not certain and has struggled to find someone who can answer his questions. The family also doesnt know whether Sayed Hashemi, who hopes to fly to Asia to take his son through the final steps in the process and bring him to the United States, would be allowed back in if he made the trip. This family could be reunited in three months, Torres said. Or it could be another three years.

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Overall, Alphabet delivered a solid quarter, with revenue up 16% y/y and coming in $2.2 billion ahead of expectations. At the bottom line, Alphabet realized an EPS of $2.87, which was 61 cents better than had been anticipated.

In 3Q25, Google ads generated $74.2 billion of Alphabets $102.3 billion in total revenue. At the same time, Google Cloud is becoming a more meaningful contributor, posting $15.16 billion in revenue and growing 33.5% year-over-year, supported by enterprise AI workloads and infrastructure demand.

The first JPM pick on the list is Alphabet, a name investors hardly need introduced. The companys ecosystem spans everything from Search and YouTube to autonomous driving and logistics bets, but the economic engine remains unchanged: Googles grip on search-driven digital advertising. That core franchise continues to fund both steady growth and Alphabets longer-dated AI ambitions.

Following from this, Anmuth has been pointing out his top pick internet stocks to buy for 2026, specifically citing Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) , Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) , and DoorDash (NASDAQ:DASH) . TipRanks data show that all three carry Strong Buy ratings on Wall Street, so lets take a closer look and see whats driving the enthusiasm across the board.

Heading into 2026, we remain constructive on overall digital trends & Internet secular leaders, with AI once again the primary focus across the group. We anticipate our coverage universe will deliver another solid year of revenue growth in 2026, with mega-caps in the low-mid teens Y/Y growth range, with upside potential. However, Operating Income, GAAP EPS, & FCF will be more mixed in 2026, as companies balance revenue growth with key investments, particularly to capitalize on GenAI-related spending, Anmuth opined.

That momentum, according to Doug Anmuth, is far from played out. The J.P. Morgan analyst, whos ranked among the top 2% on Wall Street, believes the internet sector has high potential for investors looking to run with the bulls this year.

The AI revolution set the tone in 2025 for digital companies and internet stocks alike. What started as experimentation quickly turned into execution, as platforms rolled out AI across ads, search, content, and customer engagement. The impact was immediate, with productivity jumping, costs coming down, and new monetization paths opening up.

Story Continues

The third quarter marked an important milestone for Alphabet, with the companys first-ever $100-billion-plus quarter. These strong gains in revenue and earnings have come as the company is making a concerted push to enhance and promote its AI-powered services. The company has rolled out AI improvements to Google Search, in the form of the AI Overviews and the interactive AI Mode. In addition, the company has been integrating its Gemini across multiple products and platforms, making it available as an AI assistant on the Android OS. In addition, last month, Google announced the global launch of Gemini 3 Flash, the latest  and fastest  of its AI models.

Unsurprisingly, the market has taken notice. GOOGL shares surged 65% in 2025, and if analyst Doug Anmuth is right, investors may not be done celebrating just yet.

Even after very strong performance GOOG/L is our top pick into 2026 as we expect AI leadership, full stack strength, data advantages, and global distribution to drive growth acceleration and margin stability. We believe Google can sustain low-mid-teens% Search revenue growth off a large base. AI Search should prove expansionary, driving greater query volumes, improved click quality, and higher prices, offsetting fewer clicks per query. Gemini is once again leading the AI leaderboards, w/Gemini 3.0 faster to deploy across Google and infused within virtually all products. The Gemini App is gaining share with 650M+ MAUs, and we believe robust AI-driven demand will drive acceleration in Cloud growth into the 40s%+ range, Anmuth noted.

Putting numbers behind his conviction, Anmuth rates Alphabet shares Overweight (i.e. Buy). His $385 price target implies 22% upside from current levels. (To watch Anmuths track record, click here)

Overall, Wall Street remains broadly constructive on GOOGL, with the stock carrying a Strong Buy consensus rating. Of the 34 analysts covering the name, 27 recommend buying, while 7 sit on the sidelines. However, the Streets average target of $327.42 suggests just ~4% upside over the next 12 months. Still, as Alphabet has shown time and again, periods of limited upside often give way to upward target revisions as execution and results continue to come through. (See GOOGL stock forecast)

Amazon

The next name on JPMs list is Amazon  a familiar heavyweight, but one that still rewards a closer look. The scale is firmly in place, with nearly $690 billion in trailing-year revenue, a fortress balance sheet with nearly $80 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash exiting 3Q25, and a logistics footprint that few global enterprises can realistically replicate. The company is best known, of course, for being the worlds one stop-shop online, and for backing that with an unparalleled network of warehouse and delivery assets.

Retail still dominates the top line, but the margin story increasingly lives elsewhere. AWS remains the companys primary profit engine, benefiting from renewed enterprise cloud spending and a growing AI workload mix. Amazon has been steadily layering generative AI tools across AWS, spanning automation, application development, data analytics, and creative services, positioning the platform as both an infrastructure and a productivity stack. At the same time, Prime has quietly matured into a high-engagement ecosystem that supports advertising, media, and fulfillment economics.

AI is coming to the fore for Amazon in more concrete ways. In October of last year, Amazon announced that its Project Ranier, in Indiana, is now in use  and is one of the largest AI compute clusters in the world. The project, an $11 billion data center build, features nearly half a million Trainium2 chips, and was deployed less than one year after its plans were first announced. Anthropic, which partners with Amazon on AI ventures, is already running workloads at Project Rainer. The project is an undertaking of AWS, which created the custom-designed Trainium2 chips.

Early in November, AWS announced a multi-year strategic partnership that empowers OpenAI. The agreement, worth $38 billion over seven years, gives OpenAI access to AWSs top-notch platform and infrastructure to run world-class AI workloads.

All of this underscores both the growth of AWS and its increasing interconnection with Amazons AI undertakings. This is also clear from the companys financial results. In the 3Q25 report, the last released, it showed that AWS revenue came to $33 billion, for 20% year-over-year growth. AWS made up over 18% of Amazons total revenue. That total revenue came to $180.2 billion in the third quarter, and was up more than 13% year-over-year while beating the forecast by $2.4 billion. Amazon reported a net income of $21.2 billion, and an EPS of $1.95.

Anmuth, covering Amazons stock for JPMorgan, is looking at an upbeat future based on strong gains in the AI businesses. He states, We remain bullish into 2026 supported by AWS growth acceleration, solid Stores growth & continued share gains, N.America & Intl OI margin expansion, and solid AWS margins, all of which we believe support FCF doubling to $59B even against AI-driven capex growth. Strong secular growth, workload/tech migrations, & AI contribution/partnerships (including Project Rainier & OpenAI) drive AWS growth acceleration. We project 2026 AWS growth of +23%, vs. +19% in 2025, which could prove conservative We view valuation as attractive, w/shares trading at ~24x 2027E GAAP EPS & ~31x 2027E FCF.

Anmuth rates as Overweight (i.e., Buy), a rating that he complements with a $305 price target that suggests a one-year upside potential of 35%.

Overall, the 46 recent analyst reviews on AMZN have a lopsided split of 45 Buys to 1 Hold behind their Strong Buy consensus rating. The shares are currently trading at $226.50, and their $295.62 average price target implies an upside of 30.5% by this time next year. (See AMZN stock forecast)

DoorDash

The last of JPMs top picks on our radar is DoorDash, the Silicon Valley company that specializes in food ordering and delivery. DoorDash has been in business since 2013, and today is a $95 billion leader in its field. DoorDash operates across the US and in an additional 30 countries. It connects its customers to their favorite eateries and food suppliers through its online marketplace and commerce platforms.

For several years now, DoorDash has been working to expand by acquisition. During this past year, the company made two important deals, acquiring the restaurant booking platform SevenRooms for $1.2 billion in cash and the British food delivery firm Deliveroo in a $3.9 billion transaction. DoorDash said this past November that it intends to keep up its big spending and outlined several hundred million in planned expenses for projects ranging from improvements in global tech stacks to autonomous delivery units.

DoorDash is already making strides in autonomous delivery. It released its first autonomous robot delivery vehicle, Dot, this past September. Dot is designed to tackle local delivery routes, using sidewalks, bike lanes, and driveways, and it is currently in use in Tempe, Arizona, and Mesa, Arizona, for an early access program. Tempe and Mesa are small cities, and DoorDash has plans to ramp up the robot to larger urban areas.

On the financial side, we can look at DoorDashs 3Q25 report. The company listed $3.4 billion in revenue for the period, a figure that was up 27% year-over-year and came $89 million better than forecasts had predicted. DoorDashs bottom line figure, listed as 55 cents earnings per share, was 13 cents per share below expectations  although it was also up significantly from the 38-cent figure reported in the prior-year quarter. We should note that DoorDash had on hand, at the end of Q3, $7.4 billion in cash and other liquid assets  so its indication of intent to spend several hundred million on various improvements and projects may be less worrisome than was first assumed.

The JPM take on DASH is laid out, again, by Doug Anmuth. The analyst, who is rated by TipRanks in the top 2% of Wall Streets analysts, writes of DoorDashs likely prospects: We highlight that DASHs strong performance in the core business over the last several years has been driven by platform investments, and we expect the current wave to also generate substantial ROI over the next few years. While payback on these investments could vary we think concerns around re-platforming execution risk are likely overstated. We also think consensus has layered in the costs from these investments for 26 and beyond, however, it likely under-estimating the associated returns. We also expect DASH to invest in Deliveroo and gain share in key markets like the UK & France as the company looks to drive stronger top-line growth and optimize the business for L-T profit dollars.

Setting out the bottom line, Anmuth adds, Amidst these incremental investments, we think DASH will continue to see strong trends in the core business, with a focus on selection, quality, affordability and service levels driving better retention as well as order frequency.

In his final assessment, Anmuth puts an Overweight (i.e., Buy) rating on DASH stock, with a $300 price target that indicates room for a 36% upside on the one-year time frame.

All in all, DASH shares have a Strong Buy consensus rating that is backed by 28 analysts reviews, including 23 Buys and 5 Holds. With a share price of $219.79 and an average target price of $281.12, DASH has a ~28% upside potential for the coming year. (See DASH stock forecast)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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Mohammeds view

Gulf countries and Venezuela share a geological bond, with both sitting on huge oil reserves, but the US capture of Nicolas Maduro has almost no impact on the region  at least not directly, and certainly not for now.

OPEC members in the region and Qatar (which left the cartel in 2019) regularly interacted with energy policy counterparts in Caracas, and Doha has played a role as mediator at times, but Venezuelas focus in the region has been at odds with Gulf desires of containing Iran and its proxies. The region will appreciate a more US-oriented Venezuela, as long as its oil policy continues to serve Gulf interests at OPEC.

Oman and Qatar issued statements of concern over developments related to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, without mentioning Maduro or the US. Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE havent commented yet. The statements and the lack thereof, in addition to the muted reaction in oil markets, show that developments there arent a major concern. While the trajectory for oil production in Venezuela is highly uncertain in the long term, the removal of Maduro will not materially impact oil market balances in the short term, according to Edward Bell, the chief economist at Dubai-based bank Emirates NBD.

The developments  to borrow the diplomatic phrase  are, however, a concern in Tehran, which has close ties to Maduro and has also clashed with Washington over the past two decades. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US is locked and loaded, ready to come to the aid of Iranian protesters if the regime starts murdering them. With the extraction of Maduro over the weekend, Trumps threats are surely carrying new weight in Tehran.

Notable
By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association

Ireland has joined with six other European countries to condemn Israeli legislation targeting a United Nations aid organisation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the legislation includes measures to cut water, electricity and communications to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

It said this undermines the UN mandate, violates international law and is contrary to the findings of the International Court of Justice, while risking grave humanitarian consequences for the Palestinian civilian population and refugees.

People in #Gaza are still living in dire conditions.



Their homes collapsed, their tents are torn, exposing them to the winter cold and rainwater.



They urgently need more food, more medicine, more shelter supplies.



Humanitarian aid is available. UNRWA and other aid pic.twitter.com/wZwQs6FeNd  UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 4, 2026

The joint statement was also issued by Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain.

They called on Israel to allow established international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to be permitted to operate in Gaza and that any deregistrations be halted.

It said NGOs constitute a significant part of all humanitarian and especially health services in Gaza and the West Bank and they are needed to confront the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and beyond.

The statement concludes: Respect for the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and for international humanitarian law is imperative.

The legislation passed by the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on December 29 was quickly condemned by UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, who described it as inconsistent with the status and international legal framework applicable to UNRWA and called for it to be immediately repealed.

Israel says the rules are aimed at preventing Hamas and other militant groups from infiltrating the aid organisations.
A bear has returned to the historic estate of Turlough Park in Castlebar - more than 200 years after the infamous landlord, Fighting Fitzgerald, kept one there as a pet.

The brown bear is on temporary display in the National Museum of Ireland as part of an ongoing exhibition, The Murmur of Bees - which explores bees and their important role in Irelands biodiversity.

Bears have long been associated with bees and honey and one of the ancient Irish names for a bear is milchobur (honey-lover).

The bear, which is from the Museums Natural History Collection in Dublin, was officially unveiled at the start of December. The female bear from Alaska has pale brown fur and is mounted standing on her hind legs, with long claws outstretched towards the visitor.

Brown bears once roamed throughout Ireland. While they became extinct here thousands of years ago, some were occasionally brought to Ireland as exotic pets or circus performers and for blood sports.

In the late 18th century, George Robert Fitzgerald, also known as Fighting Fitzgerald, kept a pet bear at Turlough Park  the former ancestral home of the Fitzgerald family and now the site of the National Museum of Ireland. A colourful and controversial figure, Fitzgerald reportedly chained his own father to the pet bear at one time. Fitzgerald was later convicted of conspiracy to murder his fathers attorney and was hanged in Castlebar in 1786.

Emma Murphy is a curator with the Natural History Division of the National Museum of Ireland. She outlined that bears are the most abundant and widespread carnivore found in the Irish fossil record.

Fossils from Irish caves show that bears were present in Ireland for tens of thousands of years, from 40,000 years before present (BP) to 3,100 BP, said Ms Murphy.

They lived here at most times when the country was free of ice, repopulating the area many times. The most recent date of 3,100 BP means that there was a time when early human settlers and bears co-existed on this island. Evidence of bears has been found in many counties including Aillwee Cave, Co Clare; Castlepook Cave, Co Cork; and Poll na mBear, Co Leitrim.

No booking is required to visit the Museum and admission is free. Visit www.museum.ie for further information.
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.
LAS VEGAS  Hyundai (005380.KS) is joining the global push into robotics, announcing at CES 2026 that it plans to set up a manufacturing system capable of producing thousands of robots per year by 2028.

Atlas is among the most advanced humanoid robots in the world. You've likely seen videos online of the bot doing everything from maneuvering obstacle courses to picking up heavy boxes.

Hyundai, which acquired a majority stake in Boston Dynamics in a 2021 deal that valued the company at $1.1 billion, said it will deploy Atlas in its facilities in 2028. The bot will focus on parts sequencing  ensuring vehicle parts are placed in the correct areas of a plant when they're needed.

The company said that by 2030 it will begin using Atlas for more complex tasks, including component assembly, and eventually for jobs that involve repetitive motions or require heavy lifting and other tasks.

On the manufacturing front, Hyundai said it will leverage its Hyundai Mobis auto parts arm and Hyundai Glovis logistics firm to develop an end-to-end robotics value chain that will allow it to produce some 30,000 robots a year.

Part of the plan calls for Hyundai to expand its robotics as a service (RaaS) model, in which customers pay for subscription plans to use the Hyundai's robots, to more companies.

Hyundai said it's working to build thousands of robots by 2028. (Boston Dynamics)  Boston Dynamics

Hyundai isn't the only company looking to dominate the robotics space. Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk is keen on making the automaker's Optimus robots the go-to humanoid robots for businesses around the world.

Figure is developing humanoid robots for labor-intensive settings, the home, and outer space. Apptronik has its own Apollo humanoid bot, while Agility Robotics' Digit is already being used in some Amazon (AMZN) warehouses.

1X Technologies is already offering its Neo home robot via a $499 per month subscription or $20,000 to own it outright.

China's Unitree, meanwhile, sells its humanoid robot G1 for $13,500 and its more advanced H1 for $90,000.

Companies like Nvidia (NVDA), which has partnered with Hyundai, are also looking to physical AI and humanoid robotics as the next major breakthrough areas for their processing capabilities.

Manufacturing, logistics, and shipping firms have been using various robots for years, but humanoid bots are still a relatively new frontier. The idea is that humanoid robots will be able to slide into roles that are too dangerous or tedious for humans without requiring large-scale changes to things like factory floors.

Similarly, humanoid robots could prove helpful in hospital and care facilities.
Key Takeaways

Bank of Americas recommendation that clients hold up to 4% in Bitcoin and other digital assets marks a significant step.

The bank is lowering barriers for high-net-worth investors to gain crypto exposure through investment vehicles.

The return of net inflows into Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs after weeks of outflows suggests renewed institutional interest.

Bank of America has told its wealth management clients that it recommends holding up to 4% of Bitcoin and other crypto assets.

The guidance represents one of the banks strongest signals yet that cryptocurrencies are moving closer to mainstream portfolio construction, as Bitcoins price soars above $92,000.

Investors Recommended To Hold Bitcoin

As part of the shift, Bank of America will begin coverage of four spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in January.

The funds include offerings from Bitwise, Fidelity, Grayscale and BlackRock, all of which provide direct exposure to Bitcoin through U.S.-listed ETFs approved last year.

For investors with a strong interest in thematic innovation and comfort with elevated volatility, a modest allocation of 1% to 4% in digital assets could be appropriate, Chris Hyzy, chief investment officer at Bank of America Private Bank, said in a statement.

According to Hyzy, the lower end of this range may be more appropriate for more conservative investors, with the higher end recommended for those able to handle more risk.

Bitcoin Climbs Above $92,000

Bitcoin prices moved higher on Monday, rising to around $92,265 in early trading hours.

CCN analysis found that digital assets rebounded quickly after initial headlines that U.S. forces captured Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend.

If this bullish momentum holds, Bitcoin could soon rally toward $98,139, CCN analyst Victor Olanrewaju wrote in a recent report.

However, he noted that a reversal below the $85,000 support zone is also at risk.

Despite the recent rally, Bitcoin remains lower for the year, down over 6% in 2025.

Banks and Crypto

Bank of Americas move mirrors a broader trend among major U.S. financial institutions moving into the crypto space.

JPMorgan recently launched a blockchain-based deposit token for institutional clients and recently filed a structured product linked to BlackRocks Bitcoin ETF.

The banks asset-management division is also introducing a private tokenized money-market fund backed by Ethereum, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal.

The fund, called the OnChain Net Yield Fund, aims to combine the stability and yield of traditional cash-management products with blockchain features, such as faster settlement.
We think intelligent long term investing is the way to go. But no-one is immune from buying too high. For example the Southern Cross Media Group Limited (ASX:SXL) share price dropped 66% over five years. We certainly feel for shareholders who bought near the top.

Now let's have a look at the company's fundamentals, and see if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.

We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free.

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

During five years of share price growth, Southern Cross Media Group moved from a loss to profitability. Most would consider that to be a good thing, so it's counter-intuitive to see the share price declining. Other metrics may better explain the share price move.

The steady dividend doesn't really explain why the share price is down. However, revenue has declined at a compound annual rate of 3.4% per year. With revenue weak, and increased payouts of cash, the market might be taking the view that its best days are behind it.

The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

ASX:SXL Earnings and Revenue Growth January 5th 2026

We know that Southern Cross Media Group has improved its bottom line lately, but what does the future have in store? So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, Southern Cross Media Group's TSR for the last 5 years was -57%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that Southern Cross Media Group shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 36% over the last year. And that does include the dividend. There's no doubt those recent returns are much better than the TSR loss of 9% per year over five years. The long term loss makes us cautious, but the short term TSR gain certainly hints at a brighter future. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Southern Cross Media Group you should know about.
France-based Klepierre has purchased Casamassima, a shopping centre in the Bari metropolitan area of southern Italy.

Financial terms of the transaction, which was completed at the end of 2025, were not disclosed.

In a statement, Klepierre said: The mall records an annual footfall of 7.5 million, with a loyalty rate exceeding 90%, a testament to the assets unique market position in the catchment area.

The asset forms part of a wider retail and leisure destination in the Apulia region, offering roughly 100,000m of space.

Its tenant base includes Spazio Conad as the food anchor, alongside Leroy Merlin, Decathlon, MediaWorld, Sephora, Foot Locker and Rituals.

The site also features a flagship Zara store and the only Primark operating in the Apulia region. Other brands present include Bershka, Stradivarius and Pull & Bear.

According to Klepierre, the acquisition supports its business-to-business strategy, which focuses on facilitating the growth of international category-focused retailers.

The company said several occupiers have already committed to expanding their footprint at the centre, including through the development of new flagship formats.

Following the completion of the deal, Casamassima will be incorporated into Klepierres southern European portfolio.

The company plans to prioritise operational initiatives such as lease reversion, retenanting and the introduction of additional mall income streams.

Klepierres statement also read: By joining Klepierre, Casamassima will benefit from the leading mall platform in southern Europe, allowing it to enhance the operational performance through reversion, retenanting and the introduction of mall income.

Klepierre expects the investment to deliver a high single-digit cash return in its first year of ownership.

As of 30 June 2025, Klepierre's shopping centre portfolio was valued at 20.6bn ($24bn).

The group operates across more than ten countries in continental Europe, with its centres collectively receiving over 700 million visitors each year.

"Klepierre acquires Casamassima mall in southern Italy" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand.




The generally accepted theory of the spread of ancient humans from Africa, where they first evolved, known as Out of Africa, holds that a single species, Homo erectus, subsequently migrated to populate portions of Eurasia approximately 1.8 million years ago. There were multiple later waves of more evolved human ancestors emanating from Africa, culminating in the latest migration of modern Homo sapiens about 50,000 years ago. Hominin fossil specimens from Dmanisi in the Republic of Georgia, among the earliest known outside of Africa, have been classified as belonging to H. erectus. They exhibit marked morphological variation which has raised questions regarding whether or not they all belong to the same species. Does this mean that two different species of hominins coexisted at that time? What would that imply regarding the course of human evolution?

A newly published study seeks to examine the question of whether the Dmanisi specimens represent one or more species (Nery V, Neves W, Valota L, Hubbe M (2025) Testing the taxonomy of Dmanisi hominin fossils through dental crown area. PLoS One 20(12): e0336484. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0336484).

Replica of Dmanisi Skull 3, the skull of an adolescent individual, discovered in 2001; classified as Homo georgicus, a more australopith-looking specimen.

The question is important for more than simple taxonomic correctness. There is a longstanding debate among paleoanthropologists regarding whether human evolution developed along a relatively straight linethe Single Species Hypothesisor with more of a branching model.

The Single Species Hypothesis posits that once early humans began developing and relying on technology to an increasingly significant degree, the selective pressure for biological evolution (i.e., physical changes in the body) lessened. The result, according to this theory, is that whatever adaptations developed in the body in response to changes in the natural environment, including migration to new regions, technological adaptation played an increasingly important role, thus dampening biological change. And, therefore, there was only one evolving species of humans at any given time, despite regional variation. Recent genetic research demonstrating genetic flow between modern humans and Neanderthals and Denisovans indicates that that these were not separate species, at least in the more recent history of human evolution.

The second hypothesis does not discount the role of technological adaptation but sees that there was an ongoing dialectic between that and biological evolution, and that the increasing importance of technology as opposed to biology developed slowly. That opens the possibility that multiple species of hominins, representing different mixes of technology and biology, may have existed at the same time, possibly reflecting adaptations to different ecological niches. When a parent species disperses geographically, occupying environmental settings that differ from the one in which it first evolved, both adaptation to new selective pressures and geographic distance tend to reduce gene flow between regions, thus tending toward genetic differentiation which, over time, can result in the emergence of separate species, in a process known as speciation.

The question of which pattern human evolution followed is straightforward. The means of testing it is not.

The standard criterion for differentiating between species is reproductive isolation (i.e., members of different species cannot reproduce resulting in fertile offspring). The classic example is mules, the product of mating between a horse and a donkey. The results of such pairings are live individuals, but they are sterile and cannot reproduce. Therefore, horses and donkeys, although they share a common ancient ancestor, are now members of different species. For obvious reasons, fossils cannot reproduce, so this form of observation cannot be used, unfortunately. Other, less precise, methods of differentiating between species are needed.

First of all, the archaeological and paleontological record is by its very nature fragmentary. That is both in the number of specimens, archaeological sites, etc. that survive the millennia, and in the state of preservation of the remains. What is recovered is only a tiny fraction of the billions of individual humans who once lived. Paleoanthropologists rely primarily on bones, especially skulls, to classify skeletal remains as to what taxonomic classification (i.e., to what genus, species etc.) a specimen belongs.

Further complications arise due to a number of factors. The preserved remains are usually incomplete and often damaged, making comparison between individuals difficult. Moreover, there are variations in morphology based on age and sex. The inability to observe living individuals makes the significance of these variations difficult to assess. Gorillas and chimpanzees, for example, exhibit marked sexual dimorphismmales and females differ notably in body size, for example, even though they are members of the same species. However, while the size of their teeth is sexually distinct, the morphologies (shapes) are not.

Among the Dmanisi specimens there is significant variation in skull morphology, which has, until now, been attributed to sexual dimorphism. However, the poor state of preservation makes a firm determination as to the taxonomic affiliation of each specimen problematic. Previous studies had identified some similarities between the cranial morphologies of some of the Dmanisi specimens and those of the early hominin genus Australopithecus, while others more closely resembled early Homo habilis, the earliest recognized members of our genus. Therefore, the authors of the new study chose to use a physical feature that is highly resistant to deteriorationthe morphology of dental crown enamelan already well-established technique for studying taxonomic relationships.

The new study conducted a statistical analysis of dental crown dimensions and morphology of the rear (premolars and molars) dentitions of a sample of both mandible and maxillary specimens from three Dmanisi individuals. These data were then compared to similar data from a range of fossil hominins as well as from gorillas and chimpanzees.

The results indicated that one Dmanisi specimen showed a strong similarity to members of the early hominin genus Australopithecus, while two demonstrate stronger affinity to early Homo. The authors further observe that the size differences represented by the Dmanisi specimens appear to fall in a range similar to that found between male and female gorillas, but the morphologies differ. On balance, they feel that the dental evidence in conjunction with the cranial favors the conclusion that the Dmanisi fossils represent two different species, which they name Homo georgicus and Homo caucasiwith the former more closely resembling Australopithecus, which is associated with the more robust primitive Dmanisi skull, and the latter closer to early Homo.

The implications of this interpretation suggest a more complicated evolutionary history for our genus than the straightforward single species hypothesis. Did these two species evolve separately from an ancestral common early member of the genus Homo in Africa, perhaps in different environmental settings, with one retaining more primitive (australopithecine) characteristics, but somehow migrate into Eurasia together? If so, what was the dynamic of their interaction? Or, despite the results of the dental analysis, do the Dmanisi fossils in fact represent a single, highly sexually dimorphic species?

There is other evidence of the coexistence of two distinct early hominin species. At the site of Koobi Fora in Kenya, dating to approximately 1.5 million years ago, a track of footprints interpreted as representing two species were found togetherone attributed to Homo erectus and the other to Paranthropus (Australopithecus) boisei.

It should be noted that the Dmanisi fossils are associated with very primitive, Oldowan stone tools, without the later Acheulean handaxes produced by Homo erectus.

Only further research and analysis have the potential to clarify this intriguing question.
As the new year begins, millions of working people in New Zealand face an increasingly severe social crisis: rising unemployment and poverty, soaring living costs, and widespread, deeply entrenched homelessness.

On December 16, the Salvation Army and Community Housing Aotearoa released the results of a recent survey, which found that in Auckland, the biggest city, the number of people living without shelter more than doubled between September 2024 and September 2025 from 426 to 940.

Homeless people in Rotorua, New Zealand [Photo: The Hui]

This surge is the direct outcome of the National Party-led governments brutal austerity measures, designed to make the working class pay for the deepening economic crisis and to divert more public money to the military to prepare for war.

Government funding for housing support has been cut from $655.4 million last financial year to $576.5 million in the current year to June 2026.

According to the Ministry of Social Development, There were 3,933 Emergency Housing Special Needs Grants during the September 2025 quarter, down 7,482 or 65.5 percent from the September 2024 quarter. By June 2025 more than one in three people applying for a grant were being rejected, compared with just 4 percent in March 2024.

This crackdown has coincided with increased unemployment, which reached 5.3 percent in the September quarter or 160,000 people: the biggest number since 1994. In total, as of September 410,328 people12.7 percent of the working-age populationdepend on poverty-level welfare payments, mainly due to unemployment, illness or because they are a sole parent. This figure is up 19,104 (4.9 percent) from September 2024.

The scale of social distress is documented in a Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) report titled Dignity for All, released on December 11, based on more than 10,000 enquiries between November 2023 and April 2025. It found growing numbers of people being pushed off welfare or barred from accessing housing.

We are seeing people who may have young children or babies coming in and theyre facing imminent homelessness and theyre being told [by Work and Income] that theyre not eligible for emergency accommodation, the CABs Louise May told Radio NZ.

The CAB report gives several examples of vulnerable people being denied assistance, including Inez, who is homeless since she was made redundant and is living in her car.  Inez is now receiving the Jobseeker benefit but has been told it may be a year before she is offered any housing.

Anya, who also lives in her car, needed a grant to repair it but this was denied by Work and Income as their new policy is not to fix cars. Unable to move her car, she continually receives parking fines.

Naomi, a mother with twin babies, sought help from CAB after being told she no longer met the criteria for emergency housing and had to leave her accommodation with one days notice. Work and Income told Naomi to try and find family to stay with.

The burden of homelessness falls hardest on Maori and Pacific Island communitieswho are among the most exploited workersand on young people. Nearly half of those experiencing severe housing deprivation are under 25 years old.

Auckland community group Kick Back released a report titled State of the Street in early December based on its work supporting 160 young people. Of these, 62 percent were under 19 years old and 17 percent were under 16.

Many of these children were sleeping rough, couch surfing, living in dangerous and unstable housing environments, and struggling to gain access to the support they require. Kick Back stated that there is no immediate housing service designed to meet the needs of children experiencing homelessness and government cuts were making the situation worse.

In October, the government announced a policy to stop unemployment benefits for 18- and 19-year-olds whose parents earn more than $65,529 a year. Prime Minister Christopher Luxonhimself a landlord and former Air New Zealand CEOdismissively told young people that the world doesnt owe you a living.

The government is preparing more draconian and punitive measures against the homeless. Speaking to Newstalk ZB on December 1, Luxon confirmed that he wants to give police officers the power to issue move on orders to rough sleepers, particularly in central Auckland.

While a government statement declared that under the plan rough sleepers would get mental health, addiction, and housing support, it only promised 207 additional social houses in Auckland. This is a drop in the ocean compared with the level of need, even if the houses are actually built, which is far from guaranteed.

The real attitude of the ruling elite was expressed by Aucklands right-wing mayor Wayne Brown, who told the New Zealand Herald on November 8 that scruffy-looking homeless people were causing economic damage and should be transported out into the countryside away from areas frequented by tourists.

The opposition Labour Party and the Greens have issued hypocritical statements condemning the government for cutting housing entitlements. I dont understand how Christopher Luxon can sleep at night when he has presided over decisions that have cast families onto the street. There will be many people spending Christmas without a roof over their head because of him and his government, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said in a December 17 statement.

In fact, homelessness increased significantly under the 2017-2023 Labour-Greens coalition government. Census figures show that the number of people experiencing severe housing deprivationincluding people sleeping outdoors, in cars, garages, and in overcrowded or otherwise uninhabitable conditionsincreased from 99,462 in 2018 to 112,496 people (2.3 percent of the population) in 2023.

Labours Kiwibuild schemea 2017 election pledge to build 100,000 affordable houseswas a complete fraud. By early 2024 only 2,335 had been built by private companies under the scheme, mostly in Auckland, where they were sold for an average of $613,437far out of reach of low-wage workers.

The last Labour government handed out tens of billions of dollars to big business to protect profits during the pandemic, presided over a speculative property bubble, and rejected any measures to increase tax on New Zealands billionaires. Meanwhile, the number of children living in poverty and the number of families relying on food parcels increased, along with homelessness.

None of the capitalist parties offers any solution to the crisis facing working people. Putting an end to homelessness requires the mobilisation of the working class based on a socialist program, to expropriate the banks, big businesses and major landlords. The wealth and resources accumulated by the super-richas well as the billions of dollars wasted on military spendingmust be redirected to guarantee high-quality housing for all and to put an end to poverty and inequality.
The day after the United States carried out an illegal military attack on Venezuela and kidnapped its president, Nicolas Maduro, the Trump administration unleashed a torrent of threats against countries around the world, targeting not only Latin America, but North America, Europe and Asia.

President Donald Trump monitors U.S. military operations in Venezuela, with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, left, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. [AP Photo/Molly Riley]

In remarks to The Atlantic on Sunday, President Trump threatened Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president on Saturday, with a fate worse than that of Maduro.

If she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, Trump said. Probably bigger than Maduro.

Trumps threat against Rodriguez came just hours after he had claimed at Saturdays press conference that she had agreed to cooperate with US demands. Her public statements have been defiant, denouncing the US operation as a barbarity and calling Maduro Venezuelas only president.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, appearing on NBCs Meet the Press, suggested that Cuba would be the next target of US military operations.

When asked whether Cuba was the Trump administrations next target, Rubio replied: The Cuban government is a huge problem. Pressed again, he said: They are in a lot of trouble, yes.

Trump went even further, renewing his threat to annex Greenland, a territory of Denmark and a NATO ally of the United States.

We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense, Trump told The Atlantic, describing the island as surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships. Asked whether the military operation in Venezuela signaled a willingness to use force to take Greenland, Trump declined to rule it out.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded Sunday that the United States has no right to annex Danish territory. Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, which retains control over the islands foreign policy and defense.

In a series of Sunday talk show appearances, Rubio made clear that the United States was not seeking new elections in Venezuela. The administrations highest priority, he explained, was to seize control of Venezuelas oil resourcesthe largest proven reserves in the world.

On CBSs Face the Nation, host Margaret Brennan noted that Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez won that 2024 election, by your own account, and asked Rubio: Is there an agreement to transition to democracy?

Rubio said elections were premature, adding, the number one thing we care about is the safety, security, well-being and prosperity of the United States. In other words, the United States government does not care to even attempt to give a pretense of upholding democracy to a criminal looting operation.

The strategy is extortion through economic strangulation. The US naval blockadewhich Rubio euphemistically calls a quarantineprevents Venezuela from exporting oil, cutting off the governments primary source of revenue. The blockade will remain in place, Rubio explained, until Venezuela opens its nationalized oil industry to American corporations under terms dictated by Washington.

The attack on Venezuela is part of the broader US confrontation with China and Russia. China currently purchases 80 percent of Venezuelan oil exports. By seizing control of Venezuelas oil industry, Washington aims to deprive its rivals of a major energy source.

Rubio declared: Why does China need their oil? Why does Russia need their oil? Why does Iran need their oil? Theyre not even in this continent. This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live, and were not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors and rivals of the United States.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton was even more thuggish: Where were they when Delta Force went in and got Nicolas Maduro? They were nowhere to be found. And, frankly, thats the same thing you saw in June with China and Russia in Iran. We struck Iran. China and Russia did nothing. They stood idly by. Thats a reminder that the United States is still the worlds dominant superpower.

The events since Saturdays attack have made clear that this conflict is spiraling into a broader war. The claim, repeated by Rubio on ABCs This Week, that this is a law enforcement operation rather than a war is a total absurdity.

Eighty Venezuelanssoldiers and civilianswere killed in the assault. US forces destroyed at least five buildings at Venezuelas largest military base. American warships are blockading the countrys ports. The president of a sovereign nation has been kidnapped and is being held in a Brooklyn jail. And the Trump administration is now openly threatening murder, annexation and further military strikes across multiple continents.

These actions are totally illegal. The military assault on Venezuela violates Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. The naval blockade constitutes an act of aggression under UN General Assembly Resolution 3314, which explicitly lists the blockade of the ports or coasts of a State by the armed forces of another State as aggression. The seizure of Venezuelas oil resources constitutes pillage under international humanitarian law. None of these actions were authorized by the UN Security Council, and none meet the requirements of Article 51 self-defense, which requires an actual armed attack.

The Democratic Party offers no opposition to this criminal war of aggression aimed at seizing Venezuelas oil resources. Congressional Democrats have limited themselves to procedural complaints while embracing the administrations justifications for the attack.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer declared: Let me be clear, Maduro is an illegitimate dictator, complaining only that the war was launched without a credible plan for what comes next and without sufficient briefings to Congress.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stuck to the same script, declaring, Were in the euphoria period of acknowledging across the board that Maduro was a bad guy and that our military is absolutely incredible. Jeffries declared that Maduro is not the legitimate head of governmentfully accepting the administrations fraudulent premise for the attackand criticized Trump only for failing to properly notify Congress.

The working class cannot rely on any faction of the ruling class to oppose this war. Opposition must come from below, from the independent mobilization of workers in the United States, Venezuela and internationally against imperialist aggression.
In Germany, debanking is increasingly being used as a weapon to deprive left-wing parties, aid organizations, publishers and critical journalists of their livelihoods, even though they have not broken any laws or been formally banned.

Financial institutions are terminating the accounts of those affected, although they have often been customers of the banks for years or decades. They are then no longer able to pay their bills, collect membership fees and donations or, in the case of solidarity organizations, provide assistance to those persecuted by the state. When they ask for a reason, they are refused an answer on the grounds of business secrecy. Opening a new account at another bank is only possible after a lengthy search, costly legal proceedings, or not at all.

Basic democratic rights protected by the Constitutionsuch as freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and freedom of associationare thus undermined and eliminated without the public knowing about it or being informed of the reasons. Banks, intelligence agencies and government representatives are working hand in hand behind the scenes. Donald Trumps government is also involved, using sanctions against alleged terrorists and the dominance of American financial service providers to put pressure on German financial institutions.

Far-right organizations and journalists are also affected and were originally used to justify debanking. Now, however, it is increasingly the left that is being targeted. The closure of bank accounts belonging to left-wing organizations is part of an authoritarian shift that is taking place not only in the US, but in Germany and throughout Europe as well. Any critical voice against armament, war, social cuts and layoffs is to be intimidated and silenced.

The Civicus Monitor platform, which assesses the state of democratic freedoms in 198 countries in terms of five categories, has downgraded Germany from the highest level, open, to the middle level, restricted, in just two years. Germany is now on a par with Hungary, where Viktor Orban is heading an authoritarian regime.

The Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP), the German section of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), was the victim of debanking as far back as summer 2024. After more than 50 years of smooth business relations, Postbank terminated the partys account. A year later, Mehring Verlag, the leading publisher of Trotskyist writings in Germany, was also affected. Postbank gave no reasons for the terminations, but it was obviously a case of political censorship.

The accounts of the Maoist MLPD, the Israel-critical Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East and other organizations were also blocked at that time. The Jewish Voice successfully fought the blocking of its account by the Berliner Sparkasse through two instances and its case was subsequently upheld by the Berlin Court of Appeal.

Nevertheless, such attacks have become more frequent in recent times. Significantly, it is no longer only private banks such as Postbank, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank, that are playing a leading role, but also savings banks, which are obliged to remain politically neutral and respect fundamental rights, as well as the cooperative bank GLS, which publicly poses as socially, ecologically and diversely open-minded.

Banner of the 'Rote Hilfe' [Photo by Rote Hilfe]

GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG, based in Bochum, where the SGP also maintains its new account, has closed the accounts of several organizations in recent weeks: the German Communist Party (DKP) and all its party branches, the Rote Hilfe (Red Aid) and Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) from Dresden. Rote Hilfe a few days previously had already lost its accounts with Sparkasse Gottingen.

This is despite the fact that savings banks, as public-law institutions, have a kind of basic service mandate, as a spokesperson for Sparkasse Gottingen confirmed to the Suddeutsche Zeitung: According to established case law, we can only refuse to maintain an account if parties or political groups have been bannedeven if they have already been classified as anti-constitutional. He did not answer the question of why they had terminated Rote Hilfes account, citing data protection reasons. Recently, savings banks had repeatedly emphasized that they were unfortunately not allowed to terminate accounts held by far-right organizations such as Freie Sachsen or the AfD.

Individual critical journalists are also affected by debanking. In December, Sparkasse Karlsruhe terminated the account of freelance journalist and YouTuber Flavio von Witzleben, who considered the measure an attempt at intimidation. Back in February, Commerzbank subsidiary Comdirect terminated a donation account belonging to publicist and filmmaker Gaby Weber, which she used to collect funds for court cases to enforce the Freedom of Information Act. Among other institutions, Weber had sued the Federal Chancellery, the foreign intelligence service BND, and the Deutsche Bundesbank for access to files for the purpose of journalistic research.

DKPfundraiser for Cuba

At the end of October 2025, GLS informed the DKP, with a terse reference to its general terms and conditions (GTC), that all accounts of all party organizations would be closed with effect from the end of the year. It did not give a specific reason.

However, there are clear indications as to why: in September, a GLS employee sent an urgent email requesting information on the use of the accounts. In particular, the bank requested information on a fundraising campaign for Cuba.

The DKP responded in a timely manner and confirmed that it was collecting donations for partner projects in Cuba and transferring them there. The partys response was immediately followed by the termination of its account. GLS press spokesman Lukas Feldmann told the newspaper Junge Welt that the termination had been carried out in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements that had to be complied with.

He did not, however, specify these requirements. Political parties in Germany are not prohibited from carrying out fundraising campaigns, including for Cuba. There are no German or EU sanctions that would prohibit the DKP from collecting donations for humanitarian aid or solidarity projects in Cuba.

The EU maintains full diplomatic and economic relations with Cuba. The 2016 Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) even explicitly promotes exchange; there is no ban on business relations or other financial transactions. Cuba is also not on a current list published by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) of countries that allegedly pose risks to the international financial system, for example with regard to money laundering or terrorist financing.

However, under President Trump, the US has once again classified Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism and tightened sanctions against the island nation. These sanctions are not recognized internationally, and the UN General Assembly regularly condemns the US embargo against Cuba almost unanimously.

The EU had already issued a regulation in 1996 to protect against such sanctions by a third country. The annex to the regulation explicitly mentioned the US sanctions against Iran and Cuba. The so-called EU Blocking Regulation even contains an explicit prohibition on compliance, which means that no one in the EU may comply with the sanctions. The regulation is applicable law throughout the EU. GLS therefore did not comply with legal and regulatory requirements when it terminated the account. It is much more likely that it violated applicable EU law.

In June 2025, the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt/Main ruled that the termination of an account whose holder was alleged to have violated US sanctions by a major German bank was unlawful.

Anarchist Black Cross Dresden: Termination without notice

GLS terminated the account of the Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) association in Dresden without notice in mid-November. According to GLSs terms and conditions, termination without notice is only permissible if there is an important reason that makes it unreasonable for the bank to continue, even taking into account the legitimate interests of the customer. These are very high legal hurdles.

However, the bank is said to have only told ABC that there was a valid reason without specifying what this reason was. Private accounts of associated persons were also terminated. ABC condemned the banks attack as an example of how liberal forces repeatedly encourage a shift to the right, but cannot understand the reasons itself. At this point in time, we can only speculate as to which of our activities have led to the association being subjected to such measures, ABC said in a statement.

According to its own statements, ABC has been collecting donations for (political) prisoners in Germany for years, but also for opponents of the regime in Belarus and Russia and for war victims in Ukraine.

Rote Hilfepressure from Trump

Rote Hilfe is a nationwide, broad political left-wing solidarity organization with around 19,000 members that has been in existence for over 100 years, according to its own information. It supports people who are affected by state repression because of their political activism through legal support, public relations work and financial assistance with the costs of repression.

The termination of its accounts by Sparkasse Gottingen and GLS within a few days is directly attributable to pressure from the US. At least, that is the associations view. In Rote Hilfes assessment, the closely spaced terminations are directly related to the decision by the US government under Donald Trump to list so-called Antifa Ost as a foreign terrorist organization, it said in a statement.

On November 13, the Trump administration declared Antifa Ost, also known as the Hammer Gang, a foreign terrorist organization. In fact, there is no organization by that name. However, a handful of anti-fascist individuals have been arrested in Germany and Hungary, charged, and in some cases convicted, of violently attacking and injuring neo-Nazis, including with hammers.

In Germany, they are accused of forming a criminal, but not a terrorist, organization. The German intelligence Service (Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, BfV) does not regard them as a stable organization, but rather a network of individuals that has been significantly weakened by convictions, trials and arrests.

Nevertheless, Antifa Ost is now on a sanctions list of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), an agency of the US Department of the Treasury. Anyone who, in the opinion of the US government, does business with individuals or organizations in any way associated with Antifa can therefore become the target of so-called secondary sanctions. Banks that are associated with individuals or organizations on US terrorist lists face sanctions, including exclusion from the SWIFT international payment network, according to a statement by Rote Hilfe. For a bank, such a sanction amounts to a death sentence.

GLS apparently responded to this pressure when it closed Rote Hilfes accounts, even though Rote Hilfe is not only a customer but also a member of the cooperatively organized bank and therefore enjoys special protection. GLS asked Rote Hilfe about our connection to Antifa Ost shortly before closing our accounts, Hartmut Bruckner from the federal executive committee of Rote Hilfe told Junge Welt. Rote Hilfe had campaigned for the release of the arrested anti-fascists and organized a solidarity campaign for them.

In a convoluted statement, GLS itself essentially admitted that it was responding to government pressure by closing the accounts. It apparently felt compelled to issue the statement because a storm of protest against the closures was developing among its members and customers.

GLS denies that the closures were politically motivated and hypocritically declared: We share our communitys concern that spaces for democratic civil society are shrinking. Organizations and associations that identify with both the bourgeois and politically left-wing spectrum are increasingly being targeted or sabotaged. However, it continues, terminations are unfortunately part of a banks daily business.

It justifies the terminations with the increased due diligence that the bank faces when, for example, organizations collect donations or are monitored by the Verfassungsschutz. It then has to check every account movement. The risks, if something is wrong, are borne by both the bank and individual employees. The bank has to weigh up: What is a realistic amount of work? What is the risk for the bank as a whole and for individual employees? That is why it has terminated the accounts of a few customers. We are aware that this is a very hard blow for the organizations affected.

The involvement of Verfassungsschutz

The reference to the BfV is particularly important. It makes it clear that the pressure on GLS is not only coming from the Trump administration, but also from the German domestic intelligence service, which denounces and monitors both the DKP, Rote Hilfe and ABC as left-wing extremist.

DKP leader Klaus Leger has confirmed that the BfV is involved. In a telephone conversation, GLS itself admitted that there was external pressure and that the termination was not based on a sovereign internal decision by GLS Bank, he said in an interview with NachDenkSeiten. When I asked whether the BfV had exerted influence, the GLS representatives did not want to go into detail, but they did not deny it either.

It is also clear that the Act to Improve Internal Security and the Asylum System, which came into force on October 31, 2024, has drastically expanded the powers of the BfV in the financial sector. The secret service was already allowed to obtain information about bank accounts in cases of extremist and anti-constitutional activities, but only if the activities were inflammatory, violent or advocated violence. This restriction has now been removed.

This means that accounts belonging to individuals or organizations that behave in a completely lawful manner can also be monitored, which was the declared aim of the amendment to the law introduced by the then governing parties SPD, Greens and FDP. The official explanatory memorandum to the law explicitly stated that this would mean that even legalistic activities with considerable potential for action or a significant social impact would be covered by the investigative powers.

The evaluation of BfV reports is already common practice at banks and was described by the federal government in 2012, in response to a question about account closures for so-called extremists, as an effective means of monitoring business relationships.

In October 2024, a report titled Extremists as Customers appeared on public television, claiming that controversial organizations were too easily able to open bank accounts in Germany. Expert Thomas Seidel, a former employee of the Federal Criminal Police Office, said: The least that can be demanded is that the banks read the BfV reports and use them as a basis for information within the scope of their due diligence obligations. And that would mean parting ways with these customers and accounts.

The EU is also imposing sanctions

After Postbank closed the accounts of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei and Mehring Verlag, the WSWS warned:

German banks have long been trying to silence unpopular voices by closing their accounts. While this was initially directed primarily at organizations from the far-right, anti-establishment and coronavirus-denier spectrum, left-wing, socialist and pacifist organizations are now increasingly being targeted.

This warning has been confirmed. Cooperation between banks, police and secret services is being systematically expanded. And the German government has criticized neither Trumps sanctions nor the current account closures.

Last but not least, the EU has failed to extend its Blocking Regulation, which protects European companies from the effects of extraterritorial US laws and sanctions and prohibits them from complying with these sanctions.

The US instruments that led to the listing of Antifa Ost (terror sanctions) are still not included in the annex to the regulation after six weeks. By way of comparison, when US President Trump unilaterally terminated the nuclear agreement with Iran (JCPOA) during his first term in office and reactivated US sanctions, the EU Commission updated its 1996 regulation within less than a month.

The executive orders issued by Trump in 2025 against the International Criminal Court (ICC) are also still not included in the annex to the EU blocking regulation after 10 months. Due to investigations into Israels crimes in Gaza, at least nine ICC officials, including six judges, have been sanctioned by the US and lost access to their bank accounts, credit cards, PayPal and social networks.

The situation is even worse for individuals who have been sanctioned by the EU itself. The WSWS reported on the de facto professional ban for political reasons imposed on Berlin-based German journalist Huseyin Dogru, whose account was also frozen. Dogru is not allowed to engage in paid work, nor is he allowed to receive economic support of any kind. In an interview on YouTube, he described the sadistic bureaucratic harassment from the EU and Germany he has been forced to endurea nightmare straight out of a Franz Kafka novel. In the meantime, similar sanctions have been imposed on other individuals.
The far north of the Australian state of Queensland was hit with over a week of high rainfall and flooding over the new year holidays. At least one man is confirmed dead, and the extreme weather has once again exposed the unpreparedness of the state and federal governments for such events.

Some regions across northern Queensland have received rainfall equivalent to an average years worth of precipitation in just a few days. This has been due to an unusually active monsoon trough and associated low-pressure systems, which have delivered prolonged heavy rain across both coastal and inland areas.

Flooded road at Bushy Park Station in Cloncurry Shire, north Queensland [Photo: Bureau of Meteorology/Karen Price]

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued major flood warnings for the Flinders River, with river systems including the Flinders, Cloncurry, Mulgrave, Georgina, Norman and Diamantina all showing elevated water levels and ongoing flood risk. Severe weather and flood warnings remain in force across a wide area, and experts from the BOM have cautioned that waters may take weeks to recede due to slow drainage across flat inland landscapes.

Some of the hardest-hit areas include stretches of inland Queensland north of Winton and toward the Gulf of Carpentaria, as well as regions on the east coast, between Townsville and Innisfail. Some of these areas have recorded more than 500 mm (19.6 inches) of rain in a matter of days, contributing to swollen rivers and inundated floodplains.

Along the northeast coast, towns such as Bingil Bay recorded around 1.1 metres (43 inches) of rain in a four-day span, and Innisfail saw daily rainfall totals exceeding 400 mm (15.7 inches), the highest it has been since 1999.

At least one person has been confirmed dead as a result of the extreme weather. On Tuesday, a man in his seventies, who has not been identified, was found dead inside his submerged car at Normanton, just south of the Gulf of Carpentaria. In recovering the mans body, emergency services personnel had to brave crocodile-infested water. Mount Isa District Acting Superintendent Paul Austin noted, Theres some really big crocs in the Norman River.

Emergency services have been called for other serious incidents, including seven people who needed rescuing near the town of Ingham and three people who required medical aid after their house was struck by lightning.

Major roads across northern and Far North Queensland have been cut off or severely damaged by the heavy rain and flooding. In the Gulf Country and outback, towns such as Normanton and Cloncurry have seen road access severed, while further east, flooding and landslips have disrupted major coastal highways. Sections of the Captain Cook Highway, the main coastal link between Cairns and Port Douglas, were damaged by landslides and wash-outs triggered by prolonged heavy rain.

In the broader region, segments of the Bruce Highway, Queenslands major north-south transport artery, have also been cut, particularly near Townsville and the Cassowary Coast, where heavy rain and flash flooding forced closures and put further strain on logistics and supply chains. These closures have left some communities reliant on limited alternate routes for essential supplies, with locals reporting shortages of food, fuel and medical access as trucks and emergency vehicles are delayed or rerouted.

Early government and industry reportingand accounts from graziers on the groundindicate significant livestock loss. In heavily affected areas such as around Cloncurry and Julia Creek, producers are reporting thousands of cattle submerged, stranded or requiring aerial relocation to higher ground. For producers in regional towns, the loss of cattle and sheep translates directly into lost income at a time when many were already facing heavy financial strain.

The BOM has warned the danger has not yet passed. Meteorologist Angus Hines stated that the weather system may in fact build through the first few days of next week, around Monday and Tuesday. Although the risk is still low at this point, there is a possibility of a tropical cyclone forming near Cairns in the far north of the state.

Many residents have reported severe anxiety about the most recent downpour, especially given the experience many of them have been through in previous years. Northern Queensland has been hit by a succession of severe floods that illustrate a clear, worsening pattern. The devastating 2019 Townsville floods killed five people and inflicted enormous damage across the regions grazing and agricultural districts, producing massive livestock losses and causing sharp financial strain on rural communities already squeezed by the cost-of-living crisis.

Early last year, floods again struck many of the same shires, killing two people and displacing hundreds, while towns were isolated by washedout roads and bridges and essential services including airports, power and communications were knocked out for days.

It is undeniable that climate change has made such events more likely to occur. While it is not scientifically valid to immediately draw a direct link between this particular extreme weather event and climate change, a substantial body of evidence confirms that global warming has made heavy rainfall events in Australia far more frequent. This is in large part due to the atmosphere being able to hold more water vapour as it warms in temperature.

A clear pattern of repeated, escalating extremeweather disasters has emerged across Australia in the past several years. This history includes the 2019 Black Summer bushfires which burned an estimated 18.6 million hectares, destroyed more than 3,000 homes and were linked to the deaths of at least 33 people, as well as the 2019 and 2025 northern Queensland floods, the catastrophic New South Wales floods of early 2022, and Cyclone Alfred in 2025 which left hundreds of thousands of households without power for days and caused severe damage to lowlying workingclass suburbs.

More extreme weather events are expected for Australia and the world as the rise in global temperatures continues unabated. Since taking office in 2022, the Albanese Labor government has approved at least 31 new coal, oil and gas developmentstogether representing some 6.5 billion tonnes of CO2equivalent emissions over their lifetimeswhile fasttracking criticalminerals and other resource projects under recent environmental law changes. These policies directly undermine any credible pathway to limiting warming, locking in further greenhouse gas emissions.

Federal and state governments have overseen a sustained transfer of wealth to the financial elite while imposing austerity and marketdriven policies that leave working people exposed when disaster strikes. Large numbers of households are living paycheque to paycheque. Mortgage and consumer debt ratios have climbed and many families lack any meaningful savings buffer, making them unable to absorb the immediate costs of evacuation, temporary accommodation and replacement of lost goods.

Taken together, these facts demonstrate that under capitalism the social capacity to prevent, prepare for and respond to climate disasters has been systematically eroded by policies that prioritise private profit and elite wealth accumulation over public safety.

The Queensland floods are not an isolated event, but rather an entirely predictable event that society has the resources to properly deal with. Those resources must be taken out of the hands of the capitalist class and used for social need, to ensure that working people are protected from the impacts of extreme weather events and to implement a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to mitigate further climate change. This is only possible through a fight by the international working class for the overthrow of the capitalist profit system and its replacement with socialism.
An auto worker on an assembly line working in a GM plant. - John Gress Media Inc/Shutterstock

For companies like General Motors, the industry-wide cost of vehicle recalls can be a significant financial liability for big automakers when it directly impacts profits. Aside from the damage to a company's brand, GM's recent history of recalls from 2001 to today demonstrates how quality issues can translate into billions of dollars in losses, particularly when related to expenses like warranty coverage, litigation, fines, and replacement of parts.

According to CNN Business, recalls of 143,000 General Motors' Chevrolet Bolt vehicles in 2021 carried an estimated price tag of just under $2 billion. That was the equivalent of approximately $14,000 per recalled vehicle in warranty and recall expenses. Meanwhile, as per GM Authority, 2025 is on track to see one of the worst quarterly losses in GM's history. According to GM's Chief Financial Officer, Paul Jacobson, the warranty coverage for 2025 is already $300 million higher than the previous year, and in addition to the impacts of tariffs on American cars, represents a total $1.1 billion dollar hit to the company's second quarter. The cost of warranty coverage was second only to the additional cost of tariffs, with a recall of 597,630 vehicles in the U.S. and 721,000 units around the world and to the car manufacturer's woes.

Read more: What You Should Never Say When Buying A Car

Faulty ignition switches: 2014

A hand pressing an ignition button in a vehicle. - PeopleImages/Shutterstock

As per the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determined in May 2014 that the automaker had intentionally delayed reporting faulty ignition switches in its vehicles, resulting in a $35 million civil penalty. GM's problems didn't end there. As per The Guardian, in September 2015, GM agreed to pay $900 million to settle a U.S. criminal investigation into its failure to disclose the defect.

According to Motor Trend, February 2014 saw the recall of 619,122 GM vehicles. The main culprits at the time, the 2005 to 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5, were recalled due to the faulty switches that could click into the off position while driving and fail to deploy airbags in the case of a collision. According to NPR, about two weeks after the first recall in March 2014, GM included another 748,024 vehicles before including 1.55 million sedans, SUVs and vans. However, the defect was first noticed in 2001 while testing the new Saturn Ion vehicles. It was noticed again in 2004, and in 2005 when an engineer suggested the problem be fixed. In both March and May 2005, GM made the financially and ethically catastrophic mistake of ignoring the issue because of the estimated cost and time it would take to address it. Between 2025 and 2012, there were 10 crashes  six fatal  stemming from the faulty ignition system.

Chevrolet Bolt battery: 2017 to 2022

A Chevrolet Bolt parked on a display room floor. - Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images

According to CNN Business, the total estimated cost of the Chevrolet Bolt battery recall was $2 billion to fix approximately 143,000 vehicles at risk of catching fire due to a manufacturing issue. This worked out to a staggering $14,000 per vehicle due to the high cost of the lithium-ion battery packs. In a critical financial development, GM secured a $1.9 billion reimbursement from LG Electronics, its battery supplier, to cover the vast majority of these expenses. GM released a statement in 2021 explaining why the automaker and LG reached the agreement. Apparently, the root cause of the battery issues could be traced to manufacturing defects produced at LG plants  related to folded separators and broken anodes  placing the battery maker at fault. The financial burden on GM was largely mitigated by the supplier agreement, leaving GM on the hook for a much lower $100 million.

The recall involved the replacement of battery modules in nearly all Bolt models sold between 2017 and 2022, with first priority given to the older models. However, GM also implemented a sophisticated software solution for many 2020-2022 models that would consistently scan and autonomously restore full charging capability to a battery after every 6,200 miles, so long as no defects were found. Does an electric car actually save you money in the long run? If you weren't the owner of one of these GM vehicles, maybe.

Bad Brakes: 2014, 2019, 2020, and 2025

A frightened woman behind the wheel of a moving car. - Den Rozhnovsky/Shutterstock

For General Motors, bad brake systems have proven to be a particularly expensive and recurring safety failure which, in 2014, cost the company a landmark $35 million civil penalty  at the time the maximum penalty ever handed out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). To boot, GM was fined $7,000 for every day the company failed to respond to the NHTSA's queries, an amount that hit $300,000 by May 2014. Although related to the aforementioned deadly ignition switch defect, this specific issue targets disabled power brakes and steering, with the cost of recalls for 11.2 million vehicles in May 2014 totalling $1.5 billion, per Global News.

This is part of a repeating pattern. In September 2019, almost 3.5 million full-size SUVs and pickups, including the Chevrolet Silverado and Tahoe, were due to a faulty powered brake-assist system that could make it more difficult for motorists to push their brake pedal, according to Consumer Reports. The NHTSA linked the defect to 113 crashes and 13 injuries before the recall was issued. As per Sanger Chevrolet GMC, the average cost of brake pedal replacement is $145. That's around $508 million, and doesn't even include the 14,620 vehicles added by October 2020. In June 2025, GM recalled over 62,468 Chevrolet Silverado trucks due to a defective brake pressure sensor that could cause leaks and lead to a fire. According to Repair Pal, the average cost of replacing a brake pressure sensor carries a maximum cost of $401, representing just over $25 million in warranty costs.

Faulty airbags: 2007 to 2014

A man injured in a car accident holding his neck in front of a deployed airbag. - New Africa/Shutterstock

In November 2020, GM conceded to recalling 5.9 million SUVs and pickup trucks from the 2007-2014 model years, including the Chevrolet Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra, Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade. The company disclosed that the cost of replacing faulty Takata passenger-side airbag inflators would be approximately $1.2 billion after losing a battle with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) as part of the most widespread safety recall in U.S. automotive history, according to CNBC.

This decision on the part of the NHTSA centered on Takata airbag inflators that could explode if ever actually used, causing major, up to fatal, injury. This involved not just GM, but 18 other auto manufacturers forced to recall, in total, some 67 million airbags from, now defunct, Japanese automotive company, Takata. Set off by extreme temperatures and moisture, the Takata airbags once deployed could send metal shards flying into a vehicle's cabin. According to Consumer Reports, as of April 2024, 88% of vehicles with these airbags have been cleared either through repair or replacement, however, as per the NHSTA, that was only after a reported 400 injuries and 28 fatalities.

Dodgy seatbelts

A little girl adjusting her seatbelt. - Shironosov/Getty Images

While, according to Age Styling, there are a number of factors that include the make and model of a vehicle, the complexity of issue, and the availability of parts, the average cost of seatbelt replacement is $100 on the low end, to $200 on the high end. In March 2021, GM SUVs, Escalade Tahoe, Suburbans, and Yukons, were recalled due to a single or both third row seatbelts having a defect that could cause the seatbelts to break on impact. The recall impacted 484,155 vehicles. Based on Age Styling's average cost estimate of $200, that cost to GM could be anywhere around $97 million to $194 million in warranty coverage, according to CBS News. In July 2024, Motor Safety noted that the recall of 13,464 2024 and 2025 model-year Corvettes represented a direct hit to General Motors' profitability due to dodgy seatbelt retractors could jam if extended to full length. Using the same calculation, the repair of a single seatbelt in each vehicle could cost around $2.7 million, rising by multiples depending on how many seatbelts were affected in each vehicle.

Making matters worse where the Corvettes were concerned, replacement parts weren't immediately available at the time. According to James Group, the cost of expediting parts by air freight to automotive manufacturers could be anywhere from five to 10 times higher than average shipping rates.

Blinding headlights: 2022 and 2023

A man driving a vehicle being blinded by bright high beams from another vehicle. - Budimir Jevtic/Shutterstock

In 2022, GM was forced to recall approximately 740,000 of its full-size SUVs and pickupsincluding the Chevrolet Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, and their GMC counterpartsbecause of a fault in the automatic high-beam system that prevented the lights from dimming for oncoming traffic, according to CNET. By January 2023, that number had risen to 740,108 vehicles that included cars. The remedy was a software update, a fix far less labor intensive than replacing physical parts. Still, although no cost estimate for the recall was provided by GM, according to analysis by Wired, the cost of repairing software defects in the automotive sector now averages around $66.50 per 1 GB of repair.

As per Micron, the average vehicle will average 90 GBs thanks to software inputs. At a cost of $66.50 per 1 GB multiplied by 740,108 vehicles, that could be anywhere between just over $49.2 million to just over $4.4 billion. Even if the automatic high-beam system took up a tenth of the average GBs in a vehicle, GM would be looking at a centi-million dollar charge against quarterly earnings. Depending on how often you intend to drive, and your ability to pay for platinum warranty coverage, the risk of faulty software may be a reason to really think about whether you should buy new, buy used, or lease a vehicle.

Untrustworthy instrument panels: 2023 and 2024

A confused male driver looking at his navigation system. - Yuliia Kaveshnikova/Getty Images

General Motors' November 2023 recall of 60,000 2024 Chevrolet Trax, Buick Encore GX, and Buick Envista crossovers for blank instrument panels was a pretty serious safety hazard caused by the entire digital dashboard blacking out while driving, per GM Authority. By December 2023, GM added another 154 vehicles to that recall. The irony of the above is that Chevrolet consistently ranks in the top 10 favorite car brands for consumers. The culprit was the virtual cockpit unit module, which the company planned to remedy a free over-the-air (OTA) software upgrade at any dealership. Then again, Motor Safety noted that in July 2024, GM recalled 6,746 2023 to 2025 Cadillac SUVs over defective instrument panels that would fail to show turn signals and other important indicators.

Unlike the billion-dollar battery pack replacements or million-dollar engine repairs, a software fix avoids massive expenditures on physical parts and complex dealership labor. However, using the industry benchmark from Repair Pal for Instrument Cluster repairs, GM could be looking at an average cost of $1,006 to $1,058 per vehicle, including parts and labor. For 60,154 recalled vehicles, a high estimate of the cost to GM could be around $63.6 million, and for the 6,746 recalled Cadillac SUVs, just over $7.1 million.

Faulty Tailgates: 2024

A man with a serious expression standing in front of his open tailgate. - Yuliya Taba/Getty Images

In February 2024, GM issued a series of recalls for its 2020 to 2024 model of heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD pickup trucks related to faulty tailgates, Motor Safety noted. The issue, caused by water intrusion that could short-circuit a touchpad switch, risked the tailgate opening unexpectedly while parked. The level of recalls expanded over time, with an initial recall of approximately 570,434 model-year 2024 trucks growing to add another 132,037 trucks by December 4, 2024. Then, by December 6, 2024, the last number rose again to 150,000. While Chevrolet happens to be one of five car brands that cost the least over time, the replacement cost for a GMC tailgate, according to Lemon Law Experts, may have cost GM big time. With the cost of parts and labor for around 720,434 vehicles costing $1,000 to $3,500, and $200 to $500 respectively per vehicle, faulty tailgates could have cost GM anywhere between $864 million just over $3.6 billion on the higher end.

GM 6.2L V8 L87 engine: 2025

A woman waiting for roadside assistance in front of her car's open hood. - Simon2579/Getty Images

According to GM Authority, the warranty cost coverage for 600,000 vehicles following a U.S. government investigation by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), climbed to $300 million in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the previous year. This increase made warranty expenses GM's second-largest cost for the quarter, trailing only behind tariffs. While there are reasons why an extended warranty may not be worth the cost, this situation at least demonstrates that there may be extenuating circumstances a consumer may not be considering. The May 2025 recall included the Chevrolet Silverado and Tahoe, GMC Sierra and Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade, and was caused by a defect involving connecting rods and the crankshaft that could lead to sudden and catastrophic engine failure.

While the $300 million charge covers immediate repairs and logistics, it likely doesn't represent the full financial fallout. While recall has sparked a federal probe into whether the problem is more widespread, according to Hagens Berman, a class-action lawsuit has also been filed alleging the recall doesn't go far enough to compensate consumers since it reduced the value of their vehicles.

Defective tires: 2001 and 2025

A female mechanic working on a tire in an auto shop. - Realpeoplegroup/Getty Images

In October 2025, GM issued a recall for 22,700 Chevrolet Equinox and Cadillac Optiq models equipped with specific Goodyear tires, according to Car and Driver. The tires could develop cracks in the sidewall, increasing the risk of a blowout. Owners of the affected vehicles are to receive replacement tires at no charge. According to Performance Plus Tires, the cost of replacing a set of four modern tires, specifically for a compact SUV like the Equinox, could easily cost $100 to $150 per midrange tire, to $160 to $350 per premium tire. That said, consumers buying their own tires should anticipate an expense between $460 and $1,280 for a full set of four. Assuming GM would replace all four tires per recalled vehicle, GM would be on the hook for just over $41.7 million to just over $116.2 million in warranty coverage. Hopefully, as a consumer in this position, you would have the opportunity to take advantage of the warranty since the cost of covering four tires might be the point at which automotive repair becomes not worth it.

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In the wake of a 43-minute investigative report published last month by fascist propagandist Nick Shirley, the Trump administration has paused federal funding for child care centers in Minnesota and ordered a review of all 50 states. The pause in funding comes even though several allegations made by Shirley in the video have been proven to be false.

Fascist propagandist Nick Shirley speaks during a roundtable meeting with President Donald Trump on "antifa" in the State Dining Room at the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Washington, as Savanah Hernandez listens. [AP Photo/Evan Vucci]

Shirley claimed in his video that locked doors was evidence of fraud. In an interview with CNN last week, Shirley claimed that he thought daycare centers would open their doors for unannounced visitors accompanied by a film crew and masked men acting as security. One of the centers Shirley alleged was fraudulent because it was not open actually operates in the afternoon and evening, not the morning. Another center he claimed was closed is in fact operational.

Minnesota Star Tribune reporters were allowed inside four of the 10 facilities featured in Shirleys propaganda video. While Shirely asserted all of the centers were fraudulent the local reporters witnessed children napping and playing under adult supervision.

This has not stopped the Trump administration from using Shirleys bogus video to wage war on the working class. In Minnesota alone, some $185 million in federal child care payments to the state under the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) has been halted. CCAP funding subsidizes child care services for about 23,000 low-income families in the state, affecting some 30,000 children. Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon said last week that all 50 states, even those not suspected of fraud, must submit additional paperwork and verification to receive funding.

In an interview with Minnesota Public Radio, Clare Sanford, a board member of the Minnesota Child Care Association, said the effects of the shutoff of federal funding for child care programs could reverberate beyond the CCAP program. We do know the immediate effects for those 30,000 children. But beyond that, were not sure because were not sure if the other things funded by the grant, like licensing, will also be affected, Sanford said.

Sanford made clear that the cutoff in funding will most directly impact already struggling workers and their families. The only families who are eligible to get this funding are already very low-income and economically vulnerable families, she said. Sanford did not know if the state of Minnesota had already received funding for January, noting that if it is cut off, families lose access to child care. Job loss follows pretty quickly after that, and then housing loss follows. I mean, its a real cascade of bad for these families.

Child care programs are not the only federal funding at risk in Minnesota, which is facing extensive federal inquiry. Several Medicaid-funded social programs are under federal investigation, along with food stamps. In a lawsuit against the federal government, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison claimed that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sent the state of Minnesota a letter in December threatening to cut off all funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) unless the state recertified and interviewed in person more than 100,000 households currently receiving assistance through the program.

Allegations of child-care and welfare fraud in Minnesota go back decades, and specific federal fraud prosecutions into organizations such as Feeding Our Future began during the Biden administration. The current right-wing fervor over Shirleys videos is a concerted campaign organized by Republican Party operatives, in league with the fascists in the White House, to strip all federal funding from social programs that benefit workers and their families.

In Shirleys video, which has been shared widely by Trump administration officials and Elon Musk, Shirley visits several Somali-run child care centers with someone he identifies only as David. The Minnesota Star Tribune and the Intercept have confirmed that David is in fact David Hoch, a longtime lobbyist and Republican operative. The 65-year-old previously ran for governor in Minnesota as a member of the Resource Party, followed by a 2010 run for Minnesota attorney general as a Republican.

In the video, Hoch escorts Shirley to Somali-run child care centers that he alleged were committing fraud. He boasts that he has contacts in the Capitol going back many, many years and so the data I am getting is 100 percent accurate, coming directly from research done by people at the state capitol.

At another point in the video, Hoch displays an email printout from Joe Marble, a committee administrator at the Minnesota House of Representatives who previously worked as a research assistant for the House Republican Caucus, according to his LinkedIn account, the Star Tribune reported. Like Hoch, Marble was a member of the Resource Party before joining the Republicans and, according to the Tribune, the two friends have been working hand in hand for decades.

While Hoch disputed receiving information from Republicans on alleged child care centers to investigate, Lisa Demuth, the Republican speaker of the Minnesota House and a candidate for governor, confirmed in a January 1 post on X that some of the information used in Nicks video was compiled by our staff, whose emails and work were referenced multiple times in the video.

Shirleys reporting is nothing more than fascist Republican research dumped into his lap to provide a scapegoat and justification for Trumps continued attacks on Somalis, immigrants and the working class as a whole.

The Intercept reported that Hoch recently operated a Tik Tok and Instagram account where he spread the same racist and anti-immigrant bile Trump spews every day. In one post viewed by the Intercept, Hoch asserted that EVERY Somali in [Minnesota] is engaged in fraud. ALL of them.

In a November post, Hoch wrote: Even the Blacks have had enough of the demon Muslims.

Under conditions in which Trumps popularity continues to collapse, Trump is spreading a new fascist conspiracy theory against his political opponents. In a January 3, 2026 post on Truth Social, Trump shared a video that featured the headline Did Tim Walz really have (D) Melissa Hoertman (sic) assassinated???

In the video, the speaker falsely asserts that Vance Boelter, currently facing murder and stalking charges in connection with the murders of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, along with the shooting of Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman, his wife Yvette and the attempted shooting of their daughter Hope, was an aide of Walz. In fact, Boelter was a Christian nationalist and Trump supporter.

The shootings took place the morning of June 14, the date of the massive No Kings protest against the Trump administration, and the shooter specifically targeted Democratic lawmakers. Following a multiday manhunt, police located Boelter and his vehicle, which had a hit list including 70 other Democratic Party officials and abortion providers.

Erasing his right-wing and pro-Trump politics, the video shared by Trump claimed Boelter worked for Walz and that Hortman was killed after she voted to take away healthcare from illegal immigrants. The rest of the video is an AI voice repeating the same lie, that Boelter worked for Walz and that Hortman was unalived after she voted against a multibillion-dollar money laundering fraud. As the AI voice makes the claim that the alleged fraud heavily implicated illegal aliens, footage of Shirley in front of a day care center is shown.

Shirley himself has boosted the bogus video. In a January 3 post on X targeting Walz, Shirley wrote: Why was she killed after speaking out against illegal migrants? Was she a threat to you and your fraudster scheme? RIP TO MELISSA HORTMAN.
Over recent weeks, demands for a Royal Commission into the December 14 terrorist attack at Bondi Beach have grown to a crescendo.

Every day, the major corporate publications, led by the Murdoch outlets, are publishing a stream of articles insisting that the federal Labor government must immediately call such an inquiry, with some suggesting that Anthony Albaneses prime ministership hinges upon it.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after his re-election on May 3, 2025. [AP Photo/Rick Rycroft]

The push for a Royal Commission encompasses broad sections of the ruling elite. Industry groups, such as the Business Council of Australia, have issued statements, as have some of the wealthiest individuals in the country. The opposition Liberal-National Coalition has made the demand the centrepiece of its campaigning. Leading Israeli government figures, implicated in war crimes, have insisted on a Royal Commission, as have Australias Zionist lobby groups.

The campaign assumed a somewhat farcical character over the weekend, with a cohort of prominent sportspeople, few of whom are known for their political commentary, adding their voices to the demand.

Thus far, the Labor government has resisted the calls, raising that the protracted character of a Royal Commission would delay action purportedly required to prevent further atrocities and would supposedly risk platform antisemitism.

Labor has instead initiated a review into the actions of the federal policing and intelligence agencies. It is essentially an in-house, behind-closed-doors investigation, being conducted by former defence and intelligence chief Dennis Richardson. The New South Wales Labor government has also convened a state Royal Commission.

The terrorist atrocity, claiming fifteen lives and injuring dozens at a Chanukah celebration, has horrified masses of people. There are also widespread suspicions over the official narrative of the attack and the role of the security agencies.

One of the gunmen, Naveed Akram, was investigated by ASIO, the domestic spy agency, for six months in 2019 over connections to the prosecution of an Islamic State terrorist. Despite that, his father Sajid, the other perpetrator, was granted a gun license, and the two were able to plan and prepare the attack without hindrance.

No answers have been provided to the questions raised by those facts, and many people correctly fear a cover-up. Under those conditions, calls for a Royal Commission may resonate.

The ruling class campaign for such a Commission, however, has nothing to do with probing the role of ASIO and other state agencies. Instead, it is a cynical attempt to exploit the attack to deepen a massive assault on democratic rights, centring initially on a bid to outlaw all opposition to Israels genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza.

In fact, many of the loudest voices in favour of a Commission are warning against excessive scrutiny of the intelligence agencies, not insufficient probing.

In a comment published in the Australian, Peter Jennings, a prominent national security figure, bemoaned the Richardson review. Its terms of reference, he complained, are tightly limited to establishing what the agencies knew about the Bondi Beach attackers, how information was shared and judgments were made and actions taken.

The review, Jennings wrote, would not examine the wider context of antisemitism and the supposed failure of the federal government to deal with it. Richardson made clear what he meant, noting that the intelligence review would likely not examine why angry protests were tolerated for the past two years.

Former Coalition Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and others campaigning for a commission have made identical statements, demanding a ban on all protests against Israeli war crimes, and asserting that the failure to suppress them previously created the conditions for the Bondi attack to occur.

Those demands have already been acted upon by one Labor government. The NSW administration of Premier Chris Minns immediately recalled the state parliament after the Bondi attack and passed unprecedented legislation providing the Police Commissioner with the power to ban all public demonstrations in the wake of a terrorism designation.

In doing so, Minns explicitly blamed peaceful protesters for the terrorist attack. Minns referred to an August march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, centrally opposing Israels deliberate starvation of the Palestinians, and said we cant risk another mass demonstration on that scale in NSW. The implications can be seen, in my view, on Sunday, i.e., in the Bondi shooting.

That remark, which sums up the position of those calling for a Royal Commission, amounted to a slander on the population. Up to 300,000 people, more than 5 percent of Sydneysiders, participated in the Harbour Bridge rally. Like the broader protest movement against the genocide, the crowd was peaceful, motivated by humane sentiments, multi-religious and multi-ethnic.

The assertion that peaceful political protest is responsible for violent terrorism is drawn straight from the playbook of dictatorships and can be used to outlaw all opposition.

Concretely, in the case of the Bondi attack, its perpetrators were apparently motivated by the reactionary, communalist ideology of the Islamic State terror group. A sectarian Sunni outfit, it is not only antisemitic but has a homicidal hostility to large numbers of Muslims, including all of those adhering to the Shia school, as well as to secularism, socialism and democratic rights. The suggestion of any connection between the protest movement and the shooters is therefore an inversion of reality.

Undeterred, those calling for a Royal Commission are pressing ahead. They are insisting that it should examine, not only the street protests, but opposition to the genocide among university students and academics, in the cultural sector and virtually everywhere else. What is being demanded, in other words, is not an examination of the Bondi attack, but a protracted witch-hunt against mass opposition to war crimes.

The framework being outlined is closely connected to the recommendations of Jillian Segal, a Zionist lobbyist who last year was appointed by the Labor government to be its special envoy to combat antisemitism.

Segals recommendations are premised on a definition of antisemitism that includes criticism of Zionism and of the Israeli state. She has demanded measures of a police-state character, including the reduction or elimination of funding to broadcasters, universities and other public institutions that fall foul of her strictures and of a censorship regime overseeing the entire press.

The Labor government, in the wake of the Bondi attack, stated that it would implement Segals recommendations. A Royal Commission is intended to ensure that Labor follows through on that, and to provide the authoritarian measures with the weight and backing of a supposedly impartial and authoritative inquiry.

The push for a Royal Commission reflects frustration with the Albanese government from powerful sections of the ruling class. For the past two years, it has supported Israels genocide and has attacked popular opposition, including through the passage last year of sweeping hate speech laws which could potentially outlaw strident condemnations of Zionism.

But more is being demanded. The inability of the government to shutdown the protest movement is seen as a failure in establishment circles. The issue is not simply suppressing opposition to the genocide, but of how the government will deal with broader social and political opposition, above all from the working class.

That is a crucial question, given the crisis of capitalism in Australia and globally, and the reactionary agenda being imposed by governments everywhere.

Labor is completing Australias transformation into a frontline state for war with China, a policy that is provoking hostility that will only grow as its disastrous implications become apparent to masses of people. Despite its increases in military spending and in US basing arrangements, frustrations have been expressed by the Trump administration and national security figures within Australia that the pace of militarisation is not fast enough.

The decision of industry and business leaders to back a Royal Commission into an event completely unconnected to their sectors is unusual and potentially unprecedented. There too, unstated concerns are a motivating factor.

While the Labor government has slashed social spending, far deeper cuts are being demanded. And frustrations have repeatedly been voiced by corporate figures that Labor has not implemented a productivity agenda, aimed at slashing corporate regulations, intensifying exploitation and boosting profits, with sufficient vigour.

Beyond the immediate issues of the Bondi attack and opposition to the genocide, there is a sense in which the government is being put on notice. It must accelerate the assault on democratic rights, militarism and austerity, or it will face attacks and destabilisation campaigns from powerful sections of the ruling class. Albanese, while thus far resisting the calls for a Royal Commission, has sought to implement this program throughout his tenure in office.

This must be a warning to workers more broadly. The Royal Commission is seen as a vehicle for imposing increased and relentless pressure on the Labor government to enact a program of austerity, intensified exploitation and productivity measures far more intense than those already in place. There is an unstated threat that if Albanese is unable to carry out this perspective then they will replace him with someone in the government who will.

The broader context of the campaign for a Royal Commission underscores the need for workers to take an independent standpoint, opposed not only to the Labor government, but to the entire political and media establishment. Revealing the truth about the Bondi attack, opposing all forms of communalism and racism and defending democratic rights are all entirely dependent on building a socialist movement of the working class.

The Socialist Equality Party invites workers, youth and WSWS readers to an online meeting this Sunday, January 11 at 2 p.m. AEDT, to examine the political significance of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack, which is being exploited to implement a raft of anti-democratic measures that will inevitably be used against the working class. Register now.
For decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stood as the cornerstone of public health in the United Statesa scientific institution charged with monitoring disease, advising clinicians and shaping vaccine policy grounded in evidence and rigorous data. That role has come under unprecedented pressure in 2025, as political intervention and sweeping leadership changes have fractured trust in what was once considered the gold standard of American public health guidance. The shake-up has been especially visible in controversy over vaccine recommendations and the restructuring of the agencys expert advisory processes, sparking alarm among scientists, clinicians and communities that rely on CDC guidance to stay safe.

Dr. Fiona Havers, an infectious disease physician, epidemiologist and respected public health expert, has devoted her career to the study and prevention of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, influenza and RSV. Dr. Havers earned her medical degree at the University of Washington and completed internal medicine and infectious diseases training at Johns Hopkins Hospital, followed by a masters degree in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Healthtraining that uniquely positioned her to interpret and communicate complex disease trends and vaccine data.

For more than a decade, she served as a medical epidemiologist and team lead at the CDC, most recently heading the Respiratory Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network (RESP-NET)a surveillance system that tracks hospitalizations for COVID-19, RSV and influenza across the country to inform vaccine policy and public health strategy. Her work has been featured in numerous Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports and peer-reviewed publications that helped shape vaccination recommendations and clinical guidance.

But in June 2025, Dr. Havers made the difficult decision to resign from the agency she had served for years. Her resignation came amid a controversial overhaul of CDC leadership and advisory structures under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.including the mass dismissal of all 17 members of the CDCs independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the revision of longstanding vaccine recommendations, such as removing guidance for COVID-19 vaccination in healthy children and pregnant women. These changes undermined the scientific basis of national vaccine policy and disrupted nearly a century of evidence-based practice.

Dr. Fiona Havers [Photo by Fiona Havers]

In interviews with major media outlets, Dr. Havers made clear that her resignation was not only about policy disagreementit was about the defense of the scientific process itself. She expressed deep concern that data collected by her team would no longer be used objectively or evaluated with appropriate scientific integrity to inform vaccine decisions, a problem she saw as potentially endangering public health.

Against this backdrop of political pressure, institutional upheaval and genuine concern among CDC scientists, Dr. Havers gave an interview to the World Socialist Web Site. What follows is an edited version of that discussion, in which she reflects on her career, her decision to resign and what she believes is at stake for the future of vaccine science and public health in the United States.

* * * * *

Benjamin Mateus: You spent years leading the Respiratory Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network, overseeing COVID, influenza and RSV surveillance. Maybe you could describe for readers what your day-to-day role was and how these processes work. Many people see the CDC as a kind of black box, where guidance just appears, without understanding how its produced and what kind of collaboration it entails.

Fiona Havers: Of course. COVID-NET, RSV-NET and Flu-NET are large hospitalization surveillance systems. They are partnerships between the CDC and 14 states, and they provide nearreal-time data on hospitalizations for COVID, influenza and RSV.

I oversaw the COVID and RSV components for about four and a half years. What happens is that staff in state and local health departments review medical records for every hospitalization with laboratory-confirmed flu, COVID or RSV within defined catchment areas.

For example, in the Atlanta area, the catchment includes 13 counties. If someone is hospitalized with one of these infections in that area, a trained abstractor reviews their medical record. The data are de-identified, but information, such as age, ICU admission and clinical outcomes, is collected and sent to the CDC.

We receive very basic but very high-quality data in near real-time. In addition, there is a more detailed clinical review of a subsample of charts. Each week, my teamabout 10 peoplewould receive the data, clean it, run it through analytic algorithms and update public dashboards that show whether hospitalization rates are rising or falling.

We can do this because we know both the size of the population in each catchment area and the number of hospitalizations occurring within it. While this is not every hospitalization in the United States, its a form of sentinel surveillance that allows us to estimate national trends with a high degree of confidence.

This infrastructure had existed for influenza surveillance for many years. When COVID hit in March of 2020, the CDC was able to stand up COVID-NET rapidly on top of that existing system. Throughout the pandemic, this became one of the most important sources of high-quality clinical datainformation on who was being hospitalized, how severe the illness was, ICU admission rates and risk factors for severe disease.

My role was to oversee this work. We received data weekly, developed sampling schemesbecause you cant do detailed chart reviews on hundreds of thousands of hospitalizationsand modernized data systems. This required very close collaboration with the states. States collect data differently, have different health care systems, and even hospitals within the same catchment area operate very differently. From an informatics standpoint, its extremely complex.

Members of my team became experts in data automation and informatics, which is not my own area of expertise. But this collaboration with the states is essentialthey are equal partners with the CDC, and participation depends on trust and willingness to share data.

During the pandemic and afterward, COVID-NET, RSV-NET and Flu-NET were also used to respond to urgent data requestsfrom the CDC director, from the White House and from other federal agencies. Questions like: Whats happening with the flu right now? Whats happening with COVID hospitalizations?

We also regularly supplied data to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). For example, we helped define risk factors for severe COVID as the epidemiology changed. And we extensively published dozens of MMWR reports and major peer-reviewed studies over the last several years.

The Trump-Kennedy attack on the CDC

BM: Maybe thats a good segue. You mentioned the MMWR [Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. It was originally established as the Weekly Health Index in 1930, changing its title to Weekly Mortality Index in 1941 and Morbidity and Mortality in 1952. It acquired its current name in 1976. It is the principal publishing arm for the CDC to disseminate public health information and recommendations that have been received from state health departments]. Given whats happening now, perhaps you could speak more broadly about the CDCs responsibility to the publicespecially people whose health and livelihoods depend on credible public health guidanceand how that has changed.

FH: This administration has effectively destroyed the CDCs scientific credibility. Secretary Kennedys ideologically driven anti-vaccine agenda has hijacked official CDC platforms, including the agencys own websites, to promote false information linking vaccines to autism.

Career CDC scientists were not involved in those changes. They did not go through the CDCs clearance process. For people who worked at the CDC, it has been incredibly painful to see this kind of misinformation coming from what was once a trusted scientific institution.

What makes it even more frustrating is that there are still thousands of dedicated, highly competent professionals at the CDC. My former team, for example, is still producing high-quality, reliable respiratory virus hospitalization data. But the public can no longer tell which CDC outputs are trustworthy and which are not.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, as President Trump and Mehmet Oz (right), administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, look on. [AP Photo/Alex Brandon]

By putting out unscientific and dangerous information about vaccines, this administration has destroyed the CDCs credibility in a matter of months. Entirely.

BM: Is it possible to rebuild that reputation? Ive spoken to other former CDC officials who feel the repercussions may be long-lasting even if leadership changes.

FH: I think it will take at least a generation to rebuild. Secretary Kennedy spent years spreading misinformation and attacking the CDC from the outside. Now hes weaponizing his position inside the federal government to dismantle it from within.

Previously, his followers distrusted the CDC. Now you have people like meformer CDC officialssaying publicly that CDC guidance cant be trusted. Thats devastating.

State and local health departments no longer trust the CDC. Historically, the CDCs central role was to support themproviding technical expertise and rigorously vetted guidance. Vaccine policy went through transparent, evidence-based review processes that health departments could rely on.

That trust is gone. The medical community doesnt trust the CDC. The scientific community doesnt trust the CDC. State and local health departments dont trust the CDC. And large portions of the public who once relied on CDC guidance no longer do, because the agency is now producing unscientific outputs.

Rebuilding from that will take a very long time.

BM: Maybe you could speak more to how scientific evidence is traditionally supposed to move from surveillance data, through internal review and leadership, to ACIP recommendations. What norms and safeguards historically protected that process from political interference?

FH: Thats a great question. Ill use ACIP as an example.

Historically, if a new vaccine was coming to market, well in advanceoften one or two years aheada work group would be formed. That work group consisted of outside experts. There would be a CDC work group lead who worked closely with the chair of the work group, who was a voting member of ACIP and an outside expert.

That group would do a deep dive into all available data. FDA approval is required before a recommendation is made, but the CDC begins reviewing evidence even before licensure. If you look at RSV vaccines, for example, products were in the pipeline 10 years ago. Because we didnt know how many adults in the United States were hospitalized with RSV, we set up RSV-NET years in advance to build the evidence base for future vaccine policy.

A work group would then evaluate which groups should be recommended to receive the vaccine. As licensure of a vaccine approached, the group would review safety data, efficacy data and clinical trial results in great depth.

Once a vaccine was licensed, ACIP would vote on whether to recommend it. FDA evaluates safety and efficacy, but the CDCs role is broader. The CDC considers cost-effectiveness, feasibility, riskbenefit balance, equity and implementation issues.

If ACIP recommends a vaccine and the CDC director signs off, that becomes official CDC policy. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), those vaccines must be covered by insurance. There is also a separate vote for the Vaccines for Children Program, which pays for about half of all childhood vaccines in the United States. So ACIP recommendations are critically important.

The formal structure includes something called the Evidence to Recommendations framework. All studies used to evaluate a vaccine are graded using an established hierarchyrandomized placebo-controlled trials receive the highest weight, while observational studies receive a lower weight. The CDC work group lead compiles this framework.

The work group votes across multiple domains: benefits, harms, resource use, feasibility, equity and acceptability. That information is presented at a public ACIP meeting, where the full committee votes. What may look like rubber-stamping is years of dedicated work by multiple scientists at all levels.

The purge of ACIP and its consequences

These processes were intentionally designed to counter claims from the anti-vaccine movement that CDC policy was corrupted by pharmaceutical interests or lacked transparency. The entire process is public. The studies are listed online. Meetings are open. Voting language is usually known in advance. Those procedures are not bureaucratic formalitiesThey are what make vaccine policy scientifically legitimate and publicly defensible. That is what makes the contrast with the first ACIP meeting after the committee was fired so stark.

After RFK Jr. removed all 17 voting members and replaced them with handpicked appointees, the committee held a meeting where a last-minute vote was added without proper public notice. There was a scheduled vote on seasonal influenza vaccines, which is routine. At the last minute, they added a vote on thimerosal, a preservative used in some multi-dose flu vials that has long been targeted by the anti-vaccine movement.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks alongside Food and Drug Administration administrator Dr. Martin Makary, left, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, as they announce that the government would no longer endorse the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children or pregnant women. [AP Photo/Health and Human Services]

They invited a single speaker, Lynn Redwood, a longtime anti-vaccine activist. She introduced herself as a private citizen and had no relevant scientific qualifications. She presented claims against thimerosal. No CDC or FDA experts were allowed to speak at the meeting.

There was no Evidence to Recommendations framework. No transparency. No consultation with the influenza work group. The briefing document was briefly posted online and then taken down. The single presentation by an unqualified outside individual was the sole basis for the vote. Some of the studies cited did not even exist.

It was a complete abandonment of every safeguard that had been put in place over decades.

BM: In that regard, when scientific conclusions are effectively dictated in advancewhen evidence is expected to align with ideology rather than guide policywhat does that do to the CDCs ability to function as a public health institution?

FH: It makes it impossible.

What we are seeing now is a sham process. The committee has been stacked with ideologically aligned appointees, and votes are predetermined. They are attacking the immunization schedule piece by piece.

This is why organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) are boycotting ACIP meetings. This is not a legitimate scientific body. We should not pretend that it is.

BM: The CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy) recently reported that the CDC has funded a study by the Danish Bandim Health Project, known for their anti-vaccine positions in Guinea-Bissau examining the hepatitis B birth dose, involving researchers who have been widely criticized. At the same time, the acting CDC director rubber-stamped recent ACIP votes abandoning long-standing vaccine schedules. What does this signal to you? Also, if I understand the methodology of their study correctly, they will withhold a known protective vaccine from a placebo group?

FH: There are so many things happening right now that are ethically and scientifically deeply troubling.

With hepatitis B, the birth dose vaccine has been a cornerstone of prevention for over 30 years. It has been extraordinarily successful. We already have decades of experience with hundreds of millions of doses of hepatitis B vaccine administered worldwide. Universal birth dose is recommended in many countries. There is no scientific justification for this.

Furthermore, there was no evidence presented by the current ACIP that changing the recommendation would make children safer in any way.

Now they are proposing a randomized, placebo-controlled trial for a vaccine that is already known to be safe and effective, conducted in a low-income country with a vulnerable population. That is extremely concerning.

If the United States government funds a foreign group to conduct this study in a low- or middle-income country, it will be looked back on as a historical and ethical travesty. It will be a shameful marker in US public health history if it is allowed to proceed.

I should add that the evidence has shown that removing or delaying the birth dose will cause infants to fall through the cracksparticularly those born to mothers with unknown hepatitis B status. When a universal safeguard is removed, the risk does not disappearIt shifts to the most vulnerable infants.

We will see more infections in infancy and early childhood. And 10 or 15 years from now, we will see the consequences: cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer that could have been prevented.

The crisis at the CDC

BM: Turning to your own experience, this dynamic at the CDC began earlier in the Trump administration. At what point did you conclude that you could no longer do your job with the scientific integrity you required? What crossed that line for you, and how supported did you feel by colleagues inside the CDC when you resigned from your position?

Florida seniors have their temperatures taken before receiving the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Jackson Health System in Miami [Credit: AP Photo/Marta Lavandier]

FH: Early on, when it became clear that RFK Jr. was going to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, I knew it would probably come down to vaccine policyparticularly the COVID vaccinesbecause I had spent years preparing data for ACIP and related decision-making.

He had publicly promised Senator Cassidy that he would not interfere with ACIP. But the warning signs started when Peter Marks was pushed out of the FDA. He had overseen vaccines on the FDA side, and I knew that would cause serious damage to the regulatory process.

I came close to resigning when RFK Jr. announced on X that the CDC was changing COVID vaccine policy for healthy children and pregnant womenwithout consulting CDC scientists. One of my colleagues, who was leading the COVID ACIP work group, resigned immediately after that announcement. All of us had been working for months to prepare data for a scheduled vote that would move toward more risk-based recommendations while still maintaining access to vaccines for anyone who wanted them.

What the CDC leadership managed to do at that moment was mitigate some of the damage by framing the policy as shared clinical decision-making, which preserved insurance coverage. That gave me a pause. I thought, if we can still limit the harm from inside, maybe I can stay a little longer.

But the following week, I was away from the office at a medical appointment when my deputy texted me: He fired everyone from ACIP. At that moment, I knew I was done.

That action signaled the complete destruction of evidence-based vaccine policy. Anything I did from that point forward would legitimize a process that was no longer legitimate. At that point, participation itself would have functioned as an endorsement of a corrupted process. For my own integrity, I could not participate in that.

It was an immediate, gut-level decision. I went home and told my spouse I was resigning. Many of my colleagues are still struggling with the same dilemmawhether to stay inside institutions to preserve what remains, or whether staying makes them complicit in legitimizing anti-science policies.

For me, that was the line.

BM: You studied the effectiveness of COVID vaccines closely. What does the data show? How effective are these vaccines for different populations?

FH: The vaccines are very effective at preventing severe disease. They are particularly important for high-risk groupsolder adults, people with underlying medical conditions and very young children.

Young children, especially those under two, are often overlooked. Many of them have never had COVID and have no underlying immunity. We still see high hospitalization rates in infants and young children.

One issue we struggled with was that the FDA used a list of risk factors from the CDC that was never designed for vaccine policy and did not include young age as a risk factor. As a result, infants were often excluded from recommendations.

What we were working toward was a more nuanced approachrecommending vaccination universally for younger children while allowing shared decision-making for healthy adolescents. That is essentially where the American Academy of Pediatrics is now.

In short, these vaccines are safe and effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death. Last year, 30,000 to 50,000 Americans died of COVID. It remains a major public health problem, especially for older adults, young children and people with underlying conditions.

Hundreds of millions of people have received these vaccines. Serious adverse events are very rare and have been monitored closely. The rhetoric surrounding mRNA vaccines has been highly politicized, and Secretary Kennedy has targeted them specifically. That is a major problem.

BM: You recently testified before Congress. Can you describe what that hearing was about and your overall impression?

FH: That was an unusual experience. The hearing focused on artificial intelligence at the intersection of biology and security and was held by the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The Republican witnesses argued that AI and technologies like CRISPR pose risks for the creation of novel pathogens with pandemic potential. That concern is not unfounded.

I was invited as the Democratic minority witness. My central point was that regardless of how the next pandemic originates, this administration has made the United States less prepared.

They have cut funding, dismantled public health infrastructure at the federal and state levels, destroyed the CDCs scientific credibility, promoted anti-vaccine misinformation, and destabilized the FDAs regulatory environment. They have also pulled funding from mRNA vaccine development and cut NIH grants.

As a result, scientific innovation is being undermined. The tools we will need for the next pandemic may not be developed in the United States, and we may not have access to them when we need them.

This hearing became one of the only opportunities for Democrats to publicly document the damage being done, because Republicans have refused to bring Secretary Kennedy in for oversight testimony.

BM: To what extent do you think the COVID pandemic itself shaped the current antipublic health sentiment?

FH: It had a profound impact. It occurred in a media environment where misinformation spreads rapidly. The anti-vaccine movement used the pandemic to expand its reach and recruit supporters.

COVID accelerated these dynamics to the point where we now have federal leadership actively working to dismantle the immunization schedule. The hepatitis B birth dose is only the beginning. Much more is coming.

BM: Do you want to share what you see as the next steps or strategies RFK Jr. might employ?

FH: One major concern is changes to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. If conditions like autism are added as compensable injuries, manufacturers will leave the US market. Vaccines will simply become unavailable.

Another possibility is bypassing ACIP entirely by adopting another countrys vaccine schedule, such as Denmarks. That would eliminate access to several vaccines currently used in the United States.

They are also laying the groundwork to challenge aluminum adjuvantsanother well-studied componentcreating doubt and instability that further undermines vaccine confidence.

Even discussing these issues publicly from a federal platform drives vaccination rates down.

BM: So even if legal structures remain intact, the practical effect is vaccine unavailability?

FH: Exactly. Any requirement to redesign vaccinesremoving adjuvants, separating combination vaccineswould take decades of development and clinical trials. It is unnecessary and would severely restrict access.

These discussions themselves undermine trust. Regardless of what policies are ultimately enacted, the damage is already being done.

BM: A final comment. What would you like to say to the public?

FH: Public health and vaccines are not partisan issues. Vaccines are among the most effective tools we have in order to prevent infectious disease.

This administration is doing enormous harm to scientific, medical and public health institutions, and it will cost lives. Secretary Kennedy must be removed. If he remains in this role, more Americans will die, and we risk the return of diseases we have not seen in decades.

If another pandemic were to occur now, the consequences would be catastrophic.
This is the second of a two-part series. Part one was published on January 4, 2025

USARF and the myth of opposition to Nyerere and the Stalinist bureaucracy

In his chapter of Revolutionary Movements in Africa, Patrick Norberg claims that the Maoist-influenced University Students African Revolutionary Front (USARF) was the chief critic of Nyerere, a claim flatly contradicted by his own evidence. The author concedes that USARF worked closely with Julius Nyereres ruling party, TANU, through its Youth League, to warn Nyerere [!] of the dangers of building socialism through bureaucratic means.[ 1 ]

Nyerere actively cultivated a relationship with USARF. In the words of Norberg, he instructed Frene Ginwala, the Stalinist editor of the nationalised Standard, to provide sympathetic coverage of USARF as a home grown Marxist Leninist tendency and even invited its members to his private residence for discussions in order to maintain communications with the true socialists.[ 2 ]

Julius Nyerere and Dr Hastings K. Banda Prime Minister then president of Malawi, visiting Tanganyika in the early 1960s. Outside a Tanganyikan African National Union office [Photo by The National Archives UK/Flickr]

Norberg mentions the article Why We Should Take Up Rifles, published in the first issue of USARFs magazine Cheche by Yoweri Museveni, chair of USARF between 1967 and 1969 and today the dictator of Uganda. He fails to examine its content, which was a glorification of Maoist-style peoples armed struggle combined with explicit praise for Nyerere, with the young Museveni declaring:

comrades, we must take up rifles to implement our ideals and emancipate our people One will find that in countries like Tanzania it might be possible to push from within because, at least, the Head of State [Nyerere] is honest and willing to move provided he has got cadres.[ 3 ]

Norberg cannot explain why Nyerere cultivated a relationship with USARF while building a one-party state that outlawed strikes, dismantled independent unions and repressed striking workers.

Patrick Norberg [Photo: kcl.ac.uk]

The reason lies in the political needs of the regime following the 1967 Arusha Declaration that instituted nationalisations and the forced villagisation of peasants. Nyerere sought to cloak his regime in a radical, quasi-socialist image when, in reality, these measures aimed to contain rising class tensions and divert popular discontent away from growing resentment toward the emerging wabenzi elite (the owners of a Mercedes Benz).

In foreign policy, USARF demanded disengagement  to see Tanzania align itself with the socialist states against imperial powers.[ 4 ] It lobbied Nyerere to establish closer relations with the counterrevolutionary Soviet and Chinese bureaucracies that repeatedly betrayed struggles across the colonial world, and to strengthen his regimes bargaining position with world imperialism.

So long as USARF critically helped legitimise the Arusha turn, it was tolerated. Once it ceased to serve that function, it was abruptly shut down in 1970.

USARF capitulated immediately and without resistance, an outcome that Norberg avoids examining. In its final statement, published in Cheche on November 1970, USARF recounted the accusations by the University on behalf of Nyerere: that USARF was redundant because TANUs Youth League should have a monopoly of political activities, that it had committed the cardinal sin of meddling in Tanzanian politics, and that Cheche (spark in Kiswahili) must be shut down because its name, borrowed from Lenins Iskra, suggested Tanzania was building Russian socialism instead of true Tanzanian socialism.

They pathetically responded by stating, We neither have the ability nor the wish to dispute these charges, declaring their intention to bury USARF and its joint child Cheche. They dare not comment on whether their ideas had been correct, lamenting only that they had been branded extremists, fanatics, arm-chair theoreticians, and opportunists by honorable and respected people.[ 5 ]

Nyereres relations with leading USARF figures continued long after the organisations suppression, above all with Museveni. In 1972, Nyerere backed Musevenis guerrilla organisation, FRONASA, in a failed attempt to overthrow Idi Amin in Uganda. Six years later, following Amins invasion of Tanzania, Nyerere deployed 45,000 Tanzanian troopsarmed and backed by British imperialism, which had turned against Amin after initially supporting his 1971 coupalongside Ugandan exile forces, including Musevenis, to remove him from power. USARFs leaders had thus transformed themselves from radical students into direct agents of imperialism in the region.

Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere (pictured 1975) [Photo by Rob Mieremet / Anefo / CC BY 1.0

Maoism and the bloody legacy of USARF

Norberg offers no serious analysis of one of the most decisive ideological influences on USARF: Maoism. His only reference is a passing remark that the organisation celebrated Mao Zedong days.

USARF emerged at a moment when Maoist ideology permeated Tanzanian political and intellectual life, as Chinese aid programmes, cultural diplomacy and the climate fostered by the Arusha Declaration created fertile ground for Beijings influence. While USARF never formalised itself as a Maoist organisation, its members absorbed Maoist conceptions through study circles, its journal Cheche, and seminars led by academics steeped in the Chinese mass line. It worked closely with Beijing-backed FRELIMO, whose fighters were trained and armed by China on Tanzanian soil, and operated in an environment flooded with Maoist political materials, including Kiswahili editions of Maos Little Red Book.[ 6 ]

By the mid-1960s China had become Tanzanias principal external backer. Between 1964 and 1975 Beijing supplied teachers, doctors, agricultural specialists and military trainers, built factories, farms and the TAZARA railway, and armed the Tanzanian army and southern African guerrilla movements.

This flowed directly from Chinese foreign policy, which, encircled by hostile imperialist powers and threatened by the escalating American war in Vietnam, sought to cultivate dissident factions of the African bourgeoisie. The export of Maoist peoples war across southern Africa was intended to stretch US imperialism as it worked to prop up Portuguese colonial rule in Mozambique and Angola and to sustain the apartheid regime in South Africa.

Maoism, however, was hostile to a socialist perspective. Mao stated this explicitly to African delegates in 1959, insisting that The task of the whole of Africa is to oppose imperialism and to oppose those who follow imperialism, not to oppose capitalism, not to establish socialism. To call for the establishment of a socialist society in Africa is to make a mistake At present, the nature of the African revolution is a bourgeois democratic revolution, not a proletarian socialist revolution.[ 7 ]

Mao at Joseph Stalin's 71st birthday celebration in Moscow, December 1949 [Photo: Unknown author - Helsingin Sanomat]

This two-stage theory subordinated the working class to progressive bourgeois forces and rejected the struggle for socialism. Trotskys Theory of Permanent Revolution advanced the opposite conclusion. In countries of belated capitalist development, only the working class, leading the rural poor, can resolve the democratic tasks, and only by advancing directly to socialist measures within an international revolutionary strategy.

The Maoist framework shaped USARF and decisively influenced the later trajectories of its leading figures. Yoweri Museveni, who chaired USARF from 1967 to 1969, was deeply influenced by Maoism, a fact still acknowledged on Ugandas State House website.[ 8 ] He later founded his National Resistance Movement on the basis of a so called national democratic programme.

Museveni as a 23 year old student at Dar es Salaam University in 1967 [Photo: MK Uganda/Facebook]

Its founding document, The Ten Point Programme (1986), pledged to build a self-sustaining national economy, while his earlier pamphlet Towards a Free and Democratic Uganda (1971) defined the revolution as democratic and anti-imperialist, not socialist. Since seizing power in 1986, Museveni has since ruled Uganda as a corrupt and repressive strongman, enforcing IMF austerity while serving as a key regional enforcer for US and European imperialism. His wars, above all against the peasantry in northern Uganda, left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced.

John Garang followed a similar trajectory. He founded the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) in 1983, advancing a programme that combined a call for a United Socialist Sudan with Sudanese nationalism and a strategy of peasant-based guerrilla warfare, armed and backed by Musevenis government in Uganda.

By the 1990s, the SPLM had abandoned any reference to socialism in its New Sudan vision, instead calling for united, secular and capitalist Sudan. The movements leadership aligned itself with the strategic priorities of US imperialism, a process that culminated in the US-backed partition of the country and the creation of South Sudan in 2011. Independence was followed by a devastating civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. Despite vast oil reserves, South Sudan remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with ruling factions again threatening renewed civil war.

Among Maoist influenced intellectuals, Issa Shivji was the most prominent, to whom Norberg devotes an entire subsection. His Class Struggles in Tanzania (1976) examined how class relations developed under Nyerere. It was shaped by stage-ist Maoist theory and a whole chapter is dedicated to how the Chinese Cultural Revolution contributed to the socialist transition.

Issa G. Shivji [Photo by Peter Bennett / ZIFF / CC BY 2.0

A few months ago, Shivji acknowledged that In USARFs work, books by Marx and Lenin were certainly read, as were Maos. Outside of Maos writings, we kept an eye on what was happening in China. At that time, for example, there were often discussions about China.[ 9 ]

Shivji has acknowledged the political bankruptcy of the framework he once defended. In the foreword to the fiftieth anniversary of Class Struggles, he concedes: In our debates of the 60s and 70s we were heavily influenced by Mao Zedongs stage-ist theory of a national democratic revolution first before a socialist revolution. In the national democratic stage, the proletariat allies with the anti imperialist national bourgeoisie, which implied diluting the revolutions anti capitalist agenda somewhat. I believe that stage-ist theory no longer applies to Africa. Maybe it did in the phase of liberation movement.[ 10 ]

Today, Shivji continues to defend Nyerere, claiming that he was an important figure in the twentieth century. He insists that fostering understanding of Nyereres legacy has been an important issue for me since I retired. He launched the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere University Professorial Chair in Pan-African Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam and took up the first chair to promote research on Nyerere.[ 11 ]

Class Struggles in Tanzania (1976) 50th anniversary edition [Photo: Mkuki na Nyota]

Walter Rodney, another product of this milieu, left Tanzania in 1974 to found the Working Peoples Alliance (WPA) in Guyana, an alliance of the Maoist Working Peoples Vanguard Party and the Pan-Africanist tendency, the African Society for Cultural Relations with Independent Africa. The WPAs programme centred on a Government of National Reconstruction and National Unity, urging workers to collaborate with patriotic sections of the bourgeoisie. Rodney was assassinated in 1980.

The experience of USARF and the academics that emerged from the University of Dar es Salaam exposed, in concentrated form, the political dead end of all movements based on nationalism. All the forces that propagated a two-stage theory ended up subordinating workers and youth to supposedly progressive factions of the national bourgeoisie or diverting their struggles into peasant-based guerrilla fighting that ended up consolidating capitalist rule.

USARFs experience confirms that there are no nativist African revolutionary traditions upon which workers and youth can draw, as Revolutionary Movements in Africa claims. Political movements in Africa were not shaped in isolation, but emerged within, and were decisively conditioned by, global politics. Pan Africanism, African Socialism, Stalinism and Maoism were not indigenous forms or left alternatives. Rather, it was precisely the exclusion of Marxism, above all Trotskyism, and the suppression of the Theory of Permanent Revolution, that left workers and youth politically disarmed.

Today, turning consciously to history is indispensable. That is why tools such as Socialism AI, developed by the International Committee of the Fourth International, are of decisive importance. Workers and youth now have direct access to the accumulated theoretical and historical experience of the international working class, grounded in Trotskyism. It enables a new generation to assimilate the political lessons long suppressed by Stalinism and to carry forward the unfinished fight for world socialist revolution.

Concluded.
Bundeswehr advertisement: "What counts when we have to show strength again? Berlin, May 2023

As Germanys Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, prepare for a comprehensive war against Russia through the reintroduction of conscription, and seek to militarise society as a whole, anyone who opposes this right-wing policy is dealt with brutal severity. In mid-December, 19-year-old former Freiburg pupil Bentik was sentenced to 15 hours of community service for allegedly insulting an officer.

In February 2025, a youth officer gave a presentation at the Angell-Gymnasium high school in Freiburg as part of a so-called democracy project day. The slogan was: Defending democracybut how? focusing on alleged foreign threats.

One week later, Bentik posted on his Instagram account two edited images of the officer, which were later circulated by a student newspaper. In the first meme, the youth officer stands in front of a blackboard bearing the words: Burning young people at the Eastern Frontbut how? Underneath it reads: So children, who among you would like to die at the Eastern Front? The second meme shows the youth officer receiving a call from a so-called SS-Siggi.

Extensive investigations were launched against Bentik. The files show that the police requested data from the US corporation Meta to identify the user of the Instagram account. In addition, the Bundeswehr department responsible for military security and protection dealt with the case. This department normally handles the defence and security of the armed forces, protecting against threats, espionage and sabotage, and safeguarding military facilities and personnel.

The school management threatened the pupil with disciplinary measures, including expulsion.

The treatment of a 19-year-old student whose only crime was to satirically express his opinion shows how the ruling class is nervously reacting to the growing movement against conscription and the militarisation of education with police-state methods.

In autumn 2024, there had already been a Bundeswehr visit that was compulsory for pupils to attend. At that time, Bentik interrupted the presentation with an anti-militarist speech.

Afterwards, a political student newspaper was distributed covertly, because previous political discussions had been banned. Even then, Bentik was threatened with expulsion if the paper continued to circulate.

Shortly before the 2025 presentation, Bentik was taken out of class and warned not to disrupt the talkotherwise there would be consequences.

Young people and young adults cannot escape military propaganda in schools. They are not allowed to express criticism without risking penalties to their grades, disciplinary action or even criminal measures, up to and including confrontation with the public prosecutor.

The court argued that the edited images placed the officer in the vicinity of the SS. It also claimed that the soldier was being accused of a contempt for humanity. This, it said, was no longer protected by freedom of expression. The defence countered that the officer appeared publicly in uniform and represented the Bundeswehr, and that the images constituted satire protected by freedom of expression.

Bentik rejects the courts reasoning. I found the ruling partly factually incorrect, the former pupil told broadcaster SWR. The aim had not been to attack the officer personally, but to criticise the Bundeswehr as an institution. The 19-year-old pointed to the numerous neo-Nazi networks within and around the Bundeswehr.

According to media reports and information provided by the Bundeswehr, youth officers have delivered several thousand lectures at schools and universities every year for some time. In 2022, more than 4,000 lectures were held; in 2023, around 3,600 were held at schools alone. Bundeswehr stands are also increasingly present at career fairs.

This propaganda and recruitment campaign aims to expand the armed forces to 480,000 soldiers and reservists in the coming years.

The fact that the Bundeswehr is taking legal action against a pupils satirical criticism illustrates the severity with which it is responding to the growing resistance of young people to militarism and conscription.

Polls show that the overwhelming majority of 18- to 26-year-olds reject conscription. The Bundeswehr is trying to make it more palatable by deploying youth officers as figures of identification. They are presented as neutral experts who want to defend security and democracy. Their appearances in schools, however, are part of a systematic recruitment strategy. Such manipulation has already led in the past to youth dying as cannon fodder.

One is reminded of the famous scene in the 1930 film All Quiet on the Western Front, in which a teacher, in a patriotic speech, urges his class to sacrifice their personal desires on the altar of the fatherland and volunteer for the front. He lures them with promises of heroism and denounces opponents of war as cowards. Almost the entire class lose their lives to German great-power ambitions.

Today, however, the horrors of two world wars are deeply ingrained in public consciousness, and opposition to war is widespread. Through their protest and rejection of war, young people threaten the Bundeswehrs plans to once again sacrifice them for the predatory interests of German imperialism. To intimidate and discipline youth, the state is responding with repression.

In October 2024, a 16-year-old pupil in Leipzig was threatened with expulsion after staging a die-in protest in the schoolyard. During the protest, he spoke out against recruitment in schools by the Bundeswehr, and the interests behind it.

At the same time, since the genocide in Gaza, there have been increasing pro-Palestinian protests by pupils, including through the wearing of flags, chains or scarves. In many cases, school administrations have banned and suppressed thesefully in line with the government, which denounces anti-genocide activists as antisemites. Meanwhile, symbolic support for the pro-war policy, such as displaying Ukrainian or Israeli flags, is officially encouraged.

At places of educationwhere young people should be learning to question power relations and draw historical lessonsthe Bundeswehr is invited in and critical discussion suppressed.

Instead of encouraging debate on war and political history, pupils are intimidated, and criticism is punished and banned. Once again, the reactionary spirit of German militarism is to take hold in the minds of a new generation.

While the ruling class is rearming on a scale not seen since Hitler and is systematically attempting to subordinate society to its policies of rearmament and war, schools, colleges and universities are being gutted by austerity measures. Berlins universities alone must cut 145 million this year. As a result, around 25,000 study places (10 percent) are being eliminated, expiring professorships are not renewed, and social services for students are being cut.

The Bundeswehr deliberately exploits the material and staffing crisis of educational institutions to gain better access to pupils. It finances projects, internships and paid bus trips for excursionscooperation agreements that allow it to gain a foothold in political education. Pay is also intended to lure working class youth into the Bundeswehr, as years of cuts in real wages have driven them increasingly into poverty in civilian working life.

Bentiks conviction is therefore also a message to all young people. Anyone who publicly opposes Bundeswehr visits, rearmament and possible forced recruitment must expect personal consequences. The extent to which schools, police and the Bundeswehr are prepared to access an individuals personal data is an additional warning.

Yet this must not intimidate us. On the contrary, the actions of officers, judges and politicians only demonstrate how great is their fear of our resistance. But this resistance can only succeed if it is international and based on the working class. In their recently published statement What next in the school strike against conscription? the International Youth and Students for Socialist Equality writes:

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 call on all young people and workers who want to take action against conscription and preparations for war to discuss this perspective with us online on Thursday, 8 January, at 6:30 p.m. Register now to take part.
Photo Credit: Getty Images

While analysts and insiders have expressed concerns about a potential "AI bubble," Mark Zuckerberg's Meta just bet over $2 billion on artificial intelligence, according to an exclusive report from The Wall Street Journal.

In July, The New York Times reported that Meta and Zuckerberg were "on a spending spree" with AI, "chasing a hypothetically godlike technology called 'superintelligence.'" Zuckerberg acknowledged Meta's pursuit of "superintelligence" in an August statement.

Earlier this month, the Times followed up with reports of internal tensions over AI in Meta's ranks, and not long after, Business Insider leaked workplace accounts of chaos, conflict, and frantic, unfettered AI investment on Meta's campus.

On Monday, the Wall Street Journal confirmed that Meta agreed to acquire a Singapore-based AI startup. Manus "conducts deep research and performs other tasks for paying users," the outlet explained.

Tech news site TechCrunch covered Meta's acquisition of Manus, asserting that "Zuckerberg  has staked Meta's future on AI."

Manus was notable for being a profitable AI offering, the outlet added, as investors have become "increasingly twitchy about Meta's $60 billion infrastructure spending spree," coupled with the "broader tech industry's debt-backed expenditures on data center construction."

In October, the World Economic Forum explained why concerns about an AI bubble kept escalating, citing unprecedented investment in AI technology and data centers with no clear plan for a return on investment.

Data centers, a massive part of AI infrastructure, have become controversial irrespective of the technology to which they are attached  the facilities have begun popping up across the country, emitting pollution and sapping public resources.

In addition to being a localized nuisance, AI data centers consume gargantuan amounts of water and power. Throughout 2025, energy bills rose sharply nationwide, an increase largely driven by data center demand.

The explosion of new data centers has wreaked havoc on the energy landscape and strained public electric grids, making blackouts and service interruptions likelier while effectively forcing ratepayers to subsidize AI firms' growth.

Although investors and analysts remain fearful that billion-dollar rounds of AI-related spending will culminate in a crash, Meta issued a statement touting the potential for its Manus acquisition to turn a profit.

"We plan to scale this service to many more businesses," Meta's statement read in part.
We feel now is a pretty good time to analyse Zeotech Limited's (ASX:ZEO) business as it appears the company may be on the cusp of a considerable accomplishment. Zeotech Limited engages in the exploration and evaluation of mineral properties in Australia. The AU$162m market-cap company announced a latest loss of AU$4.4m on 30 June 2025 for its most recent financial year result. The most pressing concern for investors is Zeotech's path to profitability  when will it breakeven? Below we will provide a high-level summary of the industry analysts expectations for the company.

We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free.

Expectations from some of the Australian Metals and Mining analysts is that Zeotech is on the verge of breakeven. They expect the company to post a final loss in 2025, before turning a profit of AU$11m in 2026. The company is therefore projected to breakeven around 12 months from now or less. We calculated the rate at which the company must grow to meet the consensus forecasts predicting breakeven within 12 months. It turns out an average annual growth rate of 71% is expected, which is rather optimistic! If this rate turns out to be too aggressive, the company may become profitable much later than analysts predict.

ASX:ZEO Earnings Per Share Growth January 5th 2026

We're not going to go through company-specific developments for Zeotech given that this is a high-level summary, but, bear in mind that generally metals and mining companies, depending on the stage of operation and metals mined, have irregular periods of cash flow. So, a high growth rate is not out of the ordinary, particularly when a company is in a period of investment.

View our latest analysis for Zeotech

One thing wed like to point out is that Zeotech has no debt on its balance sheet, which is rare for a loss-making metals and mining company, which typically has high debt relative to its equity. The company currently operates purely off its shareholder funding and has no debt obligation, reducing concerns around repayments and making it a less risky investment.

Next Steps:

There are key fundamentals of Zeotech which are not covered in this article, but we must stress again that this is merely a basic overview. For a more comprehensive look at Zeotech, take a look at Zeotech's company page on Simply Wall St. We've also compiled a list of key factors you should further examine:

Valuation: What is Zeotech worth today? Has the future growth potential already been factored into the price? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether Zeotech is currently mispriced by the market. Management Team: An experienced management team on the helm increases our confidence in the business  take a look at who sits on Zeotechs board and the CEOs background. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks 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.
Hollywood knows how to ease into an awards season, as proven at Sundays Critics Choice Awards. From a style standpoint, the event at Santa Monica Airports Barker Hangar put a focus on easy looks that for the most part lacked any fuss or felt overtly grand. On the black carpet, more than one star noted that this night requires a quick bounceback from holiday vacations, hence the plethora of sleek gowns and modern takes on evening suits.

That latter theme was embraced not only by men  including Paul Mescal in Gucci and the plush turtleneck that Tom Pelphrey wore under his black tux jacket by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello  but also a slew of women, starting with Pelphreys wife, Kaley Cuoco, who wore a satin blazer and trousers by Simkhai, while Critics Choice winner Sarah Snook looked chic in a menswear-inspired tuxedo by Akris. Critics Choice Awards host Chelsea Handler also wore a suit by Ralph Lauren during the shows final half-hour as a tribute to the menswear influence Diane Keaton made famous in Annie Hall.

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Ultimately, Sundays best style felt sleek and effortless, while also allowing plenty of space to add opulence, grandeur or formality as the awards season progresses  a strategy viewers surely will see at the Golden Globe Awards in exactly seven days, on Sunday, Jan. 11. In the meantime, heres a look at 10 stars who balanced elegance with ease.

Ginnifer Goodwin in Giorgio Armani

Attending as part of the cast of Zootopia 2, nominated for best animated feature, Ginnifer Goodwin indeed looked sleek in a long-sleeve black and silver gown by Giorgio Armani, which was fully embroidered with sequins and crystals.

Chase Infiniti in Louis Vuitton

The One Battle After Another star balanced ease with modernity in a custom two-piece look by Louis Vuitton, consisting of a sleeveless, intricately draped top with high neck and a flared evening skirt, both in yellow crepe georgette. The actress finished her look with high jewelry by Messika.

Justine Lupe in Prada

Black was a popular hue at the Critics Choice Awards, but not for Nobody Wants This co-star Justine Lupe, who stood out beautifully in a chiffon gown in pale teal by Prada, which was accented with crystal-embellished tie details. Lupe completed her look with Boucheron jewels and Prada shoes and evening clutch.

Teyana Taylor by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

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Sure to be among the most-watched stars on carpets throughout the 2026 awards season, One Battle After Anothers Teyana Taylor made a strong style statement straight out of the gate. Her head-to-toe, menswear-inspired look by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello included a wool double-breasted jacket embellished with feathers, matching wool trousers, cotton poplin shirt and a wide silk and wool tie, accessorized with leather gloves and over-the-knee leather boots. Taylor completed the look with diamond stud earrings and a Sixteen Stone ring, both by Tiffany & Co.

Chase Sui Wonders by Miu Miu

Sleek, chic and a splash of red: The Studios Chase Sui Wonders without question understood the evenings assignment. Her red cady gown by Miu Miu exuded stylish simplicity, with its only details a subtle red satin trim and a small bow at the back of her neck. Adding to her polish were black platform shoes and satin clutch, also by Miu Miu, as well as Tiffany & Co. jewels that included the jewelry houses Bird on a Rock by Tiffany earrings in yellow and white diamonds.

Jessica Biel in Lanvin

The Better Sisters Jessica Biel created one of the nights best wow moments upon her arrival at the Critics Choice Awards, wearing a Lanvin halter gown that virtually floated on the carpet. The backless tiered gown by Lanvin creative director Peter Copping was crafted of mesh, lace and an abundance of gold sequins. Biel completed the look with a collection of Cartier jewels in yellow and white gold embellished with diamonds.

Michael B. Jordan in Louis Vuitton

Amid a bounty of black tuxedos, Sinners star Michael B. Jordan made a standout statement in a beautifully fit double-breasted suit in burgundy, accented with a tonally matched shirt and striped tie and finished with boots by Christian Louboutin.

Mia Goth in Dior

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The Frankenstein co-star looked ethereal in a white silk floor-length dress by Dior; a supremely simple design, the gowns only detail was off-the-shoulder draping that placed the focus squarely on her stunning shoulders. Goth finished the look with fine jewelry also by Dior.

Tyler James Williams in Emporio Armani

A closer look at the Abbott Elementary stars suit was needed to discern that it wasnt a basic black tux, but instead was crafted in a rich, deep navy. By Emporio Armani, the peak-lapel tuxedo was trimmed in satin and paired with an evening shirt and bow tie also in navy blue for a sleek head-to-toe look. Williams completed his look with Christian Louboutin black oxfords and a diamond and spinel ring by Singapore-based Simone Jewels.

Elle Fanning in Ralph Lauren

Few people have as much fun, or show as much versatility, on awards season carpets as Elle Fanning, a Critics Choice best supporting actress nominee for Joachim Triers Sentimental Value. On Sunday night, she chose a gown from the Ralph Lauren Collection archives, a 2003 design that blended simplicity in its lines with the bombshell styling of a plunging necklace and bias-cut construction in shimmering gold. Fanning finished the look with Cartier jewels.

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David Spade thinks George Clooneys days as a political commentator might be behind him.

Following the news last week that the Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker is relocating to France with wife Amal and their two children, Spade and his Fly on the Wall podcast co-host Dana Carvey agreed that hell probably become less vocal about American politics.

He gets political, which is fine, but I wonder if he will get political in France or he will keep  he did say something even the other day, after he announced this, and it feels like if he tapped out of here, he doesnt need the stress of the politics of America anymore. You know what I mean? Spade said in Mondays episode while running through news items from the holiday break. He got out.

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Like, youre on the Jets, you go to the Steelers after 20 years and then you go, Hey, I want to send in some plays on the Jets. Theyre like, Not anymore. No, youre over there, the comedian posited.

I think hell probably lower his footprint and lower the temperature because he just wants to be, he wants to raise his family now, Carvey added.

Spade also expressed surprise that Clooney set his sights on France at all: I would think if hes bailing, he would go to Italy because he was in Italy for the last 20 years.

Clooney has been among the most vocal A-list Hollywood figures to speak out against President Donald Trump and additionally set in motion widespread concerns over President Joe Bidens cognitive abilities after writing a now-infamous New York Times op-ed.

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Clooney and the president traded barbs as recently as last week after Trump on Wednesday evening praised Clooneys decision to get French citizenship as Good News! before attacking him for his support of Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election.

Good News! George and Amal Clooney, two of the worst political prognosticators of all time, have officially become citizens of France which is, sadly, in the midst of a major crime problem because of their absolutely horrendous handling of immigration, much like we had under Sleepy Joe Biden, Trump wrote on Truth Social. Remember when Clooney, after the now infamous debate, dumped Joe during a fundraiser, only to go onto the side of another stellar candidate, Jamala(K!), who is now fighting it out with the worst governor in the Country, including Tim Waltz [sic], Gavin Newscum, for who is going to lead the Democrats to their future defeat.

Clooney got more publicity for politics than he did for his very few, and totally mediocre, movies, Trump continued. He wasnt a movie star at all, he was just an average guy who complained, constantly, about common sense in politics. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

In a statement responding to Trumps post, Clooney said: I totally agree with the current president. We have to make America great again. Well start in November.

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Watch Spade and Carveys full Fly on the Wall podcast episode below:

The post David Spade Predicts George Clooney Will Become Less Political After Bailing to France: He Got Out | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Donald Trump Jr.s ex Kimberly Guilfoyle has given a lukewarm thumbs-up to her former fiances engagement to Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson.

Guilfoyle, the one-time Fox News host who is President Donald Trumps U.S. ambassador to Greece, was asked how she felt seeing her erstwhile paramour moving on during an interview with The New York Times about her new role as envoy.

Im happy for Don, said Guilfoyle, 56, who was the first sons fiancee from 2020 until they separated late in 2024.

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She added, I wish him, of course, all the best, before moving swiftly on to other topics.

It is the first time Guilfoyle has spoken publicly about Trump Jr., 48, and his latest fiancee, Anderson, 39, whom he was first spotted with in August 2024, several months before his public split from his then-fiancee.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle share a smooch in 2020, the year of their engagement. / Preston Ehrler/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

People magazine quoted sources last month as saying Guilfoyle had privately questioned whether the relationship was the real deal, following the pairs engagement reveal at a White House holiday reception in December.

Trump announced the engagement at the party late on Dec. 15, marking Trump Jr.s latest relationship chapter after his 2018 divorce from Vanessa Trumpwith whom he has five kidsand his split from Guilfoyle.

Bettina Anderson and Don Jr. attended the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final soccer match with his father, Donald Trump, and wife Melania. / Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

The Guilfoyle-Anderson dynamic has been rumbling on for some time. In December 2024, sources told People that Anderson had been eager to see Guilfoylewho it was said loved the limelight of being linked to Americas most powerful familymove on.

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Guilfoyle is embracing her new public profilepart diplomat, part nightlife fixturewhile insisting she can outwork anyone.

Kimberly Guilfoyle, the new U.S. ambassador to Greece, pictured at the Ministry of Interior-Thessaloniki Headquarters in early December. / Vasilis Svarnias/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images

In the new Times interview, she described herself as fiercely loyal and said, I have tremendous stamina, adding that it was one of the things the president loves about me.

The profile portrays Guilfoyles early weeks as a splashy, paparazzi-tracked period that included late-night stops and high-profile social appearances, which she framed as relationship-building that helps U.S. interests.

She also used the conversation to drop a blunt piece of political gossip about another of her exes, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, 58.

Kimberly Guilfoyle and her then-husband, Gavin Newsom, appeared during their marriage with the future king and queen of England. / Chris Jackson / Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Guilfoyle told the Times that her ex-husband, whom she divorced in 2005, is one thousand percent planning to run for president in 2028.

Newsom will be entering an election cycle that will be shaped either by whoever emerges as the post-Trump standard-beareror even, perhaps, by Trump, who has publicly toyed with the idea of staying in power beyond a second term.
An actor who performed on Broadway shows such as Wicked and The Little Mermaid has died. He was 46 years old.

Bret Hanna-Shuford died on Jan. 3 after being diagnosed in 2025 with a rare form of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), according to Playbill.

It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that early this morning we said goodbye to the most amazing man, husband and Papa in the universe, Hanna-Shufords husband, Steven R. Hanna, wrote on Sunday in an Instagram post. Bret Hanna-Shuford left this world peacefully with love surrounded by his family. Our hearts are broken but we will continue to make him proud of us "

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PTCL causes the persons body to attack itself instead of a foreign invader like a virus, according to Cleveland Clinic. The condition is either acquired or genetic and theres no way to prevent it. Treatment is available and can be effective with an early diagnosis.

After Hanna-Shufords diagnosis last summer, a GoFundMe was launched by his friend, Scott Barnhardt, to help his family pay for medical expenses, after it took many weeks of uncertainty, misdiagnoses, and countless medical visits" to determine the actors condition.

Barnhardt stated that Hanna-Shufords family had just moved to Orlando, Florida and he was studying in a graduate program at the University of Central Florida, when the unexpected battle for health and stability arose.

This is devastating beyond words, Lindsay Mendez, from Merrily We Roll Along, wrote on his husbands post. Sending prayers, love and light, & holding you and yours close in our hearts.

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Death Becomes Her star Jennifer Simard also commented, saying, I hope our collective consciousness is a small comfort to you at this time. Loving you.

During Hanna-Shufords musical theatre career in the early 2000s, he performed on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast, Wicked, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Little Mermaid and more, Playbill wrote.

His childrens book, Good Night, Break a Leg, will be published posthumously this summer.

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It took IShowSpeed little to no time to build a solid fanbase in South Africa. In yet another display of the power of his infectious energy, the popular YouTuber brought African soldiers together in a celebration of music and culture. Speeds traditional dance tribute has since gone viral, winning hearts across Africa as well as the globe.

Fans react to IShowSpeeds traditional dance during Africa tour

IShowSpeeds traditional dance with tribal soldiers in Eswatini, Africa, has garnered massive praise online. In a sweet nod to African culture, the Twitch streamer joined tribal soldiers to perform a traditional dance, showcasing his honest learning intent and cultural appreciation. Fans are praising his enthusiasm and intrigue for the local culture, with many calling it a genuine cultural exchange.

During a visit to Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), IShowSpeed was officially initiated as a warrior of a local tribe. Speed was inducted into the esteemed ranks of the Umbutfo warriors and given the honorary name Logijimako (The One Who Runs) at the sacred Kubutseka ceremony held at the Ngabezweni Royal Residence. Embracing the honor wholeheartedly, Speed joined the Eswatini soldiers in their traditional performance.

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The X video of IShowSpeed performing the local dance has earned millions of views and responses for showcasing authentic African culture to his global audience. This isnt just a dance its history in motion! Seeing Speed fully embraced as a warrior shows respect, courage, and connection to culture like never before, one fan tweeted. Bro fits in so well, another commented. I love the fact that speed is always willing to learn new things, yet another comment read.

The dance was part of his Speed Does Africa tour. Speed began the tour on December 29, 2025. During the 28-day journey, the social media sensation plans to visit 20 countries. Viewers will witness Speed immersing himself in local traditions and taking on new adventures, the latest being the African car pull challenge.

The post IShowSpeeds Traditional Dance in Viral Clip Receives Praise From Fans appeared first on Mandatory.
Prominent Atlanta-area minister Pastor Jamal Bryant has spoken out about criticism of his wife's lace black-and-nude illusion gown she wore at a recent fundraising gala.

At a New Birth Missionary Baptist Church service on Dec. 31, Bryant addressed the online backlash against the ensemble Dr. Karri Turner Bryant donned at the 42nd Annual United Negro College Fund Mayor's Masked Ball a few days earlier, on Dec. 20.

The online discourse is mainly about what some consider appropriate versus inappropriate attire for the wife of a pastor, or what's often referred to as the first lady of the church. Others online defended the dress and saw no issue with it.

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Turner Bryant shared videos and photo montages from the fundraiser on Instagram, adding that she and her husband delivered the invocation at the event.

"You were the belle of the ball," Bryant commented.

Religion news: The Skit Guys ministry disbands after founder's 'violation'

Bryant chimes in on the dress discussion

In front of the congregation on New Year's Eve, Bryant defended his first lady: "The internet went crazy about a dress my wife had on."

"They didn't say anything about the $4 million that was raised for the United Negro College Fund. They never mentioned that she prayed until heaven came down. They never said anything about this was the largest fundraiser...for HBCUs in the country," Bryant said.

"But insecure, jealous, petty, small-minded people got in their feelings and set up a false barometer of holiness based off of a dress," he continued.

Bryant: 'I bought the dress, and I like it'

Pastor Jamal Bryant speaks on stage during the 2023 Black Music And Entertainment Walk Of Fame induction ceremony and brunch on February 28, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Bryant, who became the Senior Pastor at New Birth in November 2018, clarified that his wife's dress "was not see-through," but rather "flesh color."

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"I need to set the record straight. I bought the dress, and I like it. I don't care whether you like it or not. She ain't married to y'all. She's married to me," Bryant explained as the crowd applauded. "Now, if you wanted a first lady that look like Little House on the Prairie and Holly Hobbie, you got the wrong church."

A clip of the moment was shared on the church's Instagram account, where Turner Bryant expressed love to her husband.

"Thank you! Not just for me, but for every woman who has experienced what I continue to walk through," she wrote. "Your words have been like a healing salve to my heart and your arms like a warm bath. Not a day passes that you dont affirm who I am and how much you love."

Who is Jamal Bryant?

Bryant is a pastor, author and activist, and was one of the driving forces behind the Target boycott over diversity, equity and inclusion, which started last March and was orchestrated by Black faith leaders.

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The church Bryant leads, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, is located in Stonecrest, which is about 20 minutes from Atlanta. Bryant married Turner Bryant in November 2024.

He was previously married to "The Real Housewives of Potomac" star Gizelle Bryant.

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pastor Jamal Bryant responds to criticism of his wife's dress
NEED TO KNOW

Tyson Fury's daughter, Venezuela, is sharing a wedding planning update

She got engaged to her boxer boyfriend, Noah Price, during her 16th birthday party in September 2025

The teen also revealed whether she will move out of her parents' home before the wedding

Tyson Furys daughter Venezuela is sharing an update on her wedding, months after getting engaged to her boxer boyfriend, Noah Price, during her 16th birthday party.

In a series of posts on her Instagram Stories on Sunday, Jan. 4, the teen answered questions submitted by her followers. One asked when her wedding would take place.

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Over a photo of herself showing off her engagement ring, Venezuela replied: "I'm trying to get everything booked for may/june time but I'm not sure when it will be."

Venezuela Fury/Instagram Venezuela Fury Instagram Stories post Venezuela Fury Instagram Stories post

She shared more details in another snap, answering a question about whether she has decided how many bridesmaids she will have. "I will probably have baby flower girls but I don't want bridesmaids," she wrote, adding the hashtag #everyoneweird.

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In yet another Q&A slide, Venezuela revealed that she has no plans to move out of her parents' house before her wedding. "No I will be in my mam and dads home till I'm married," she wrote over a photo of herself posing with her mom, Paris Fury.

Venezuela Fury/Instagram Venezuela Fury, pictured with mom Paris Fury, on Instagram Stories Venezuela Fury, pictured with mom Paris Fury, on Instagram Stories

Venezuela announced her engagement on Sept. 26, 2025, sharing a video of the surprise proposal on her Instagram Stories with the caption, "Engaged @7noahprice." She later shared a close-up look at her diamond engagement ring and wrote: "We are gettin married so happy."

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At the time, Paris, 36, posted a video of Price's proposal to her daughter. Price can be seen getting down on one knee in front of Venezuela on the dance floor at her birthday party.

"Congratulations to @venezuelafuryofficial and @7noahprice on getting engaged. Both only young but when you know you know!" Paris wrote in the post's caption. "Still in shock but very happy for you both. Me and your Dad couldnt be prouder xxx."

Paris also shared a photo on her Instagram Stories of herself and retired heavyweight boxer Tyson, 37, posing with the newly engaged couple at the party.

Paris Fury/Instagram Venezuela Fury and Noah Price pose with her parents, Paris and Tyson Fury, after getting engaged Venezuela Fury and Noah Price pose with her parents, Paris and Tyson Fury, after getting engaged

Paris addressed whether she feels Venezuela is "too young" to be getting married during an October 2025 appearance on the U.K.'s This Morning show. Asked if she and Tyson worry that Venezuela is "only 16 and she's got her whole life ahead of her," Paris replied, "Not at all. Venezuela is so mature for her years."

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"Venezuela has done so much, even in such a short time, just because of who she is and the fact that she's got six younger brothers and sisters that she's helped bring up, I can't deny it," she continued. "And she is very mature.  I've given her all options in life, and she has chosen this path, and I can't deny her because I was 17 when I got engaged. So she's obviously following in my footsteps, and how could I judge her in any which way?"

"I know she's young, but I think she's found the person that she loves, and if she's happy, I will completely support her," she added.

Paris also shared on This Morning that Venezuela was "not in a rush" to plan her wedding as she was simply "enjoying where she's at" with the engagement.

Paris and Tyson began dating when they were teenagers. They married in England in November 2008, and went on to welcome seven kids together: daughters Venezuela, Valencia and Athena and sons Prince John James, Prince Tyson II, Prince Adonis Amaziah and Prince Rico. The couple renewed their vows for the third time in the South of France in August 2025, surrounded by all of their children.



Read the original article on People
Youve heard about quiet quitting, where employees do exactly their job role and nothing more, and ghost jobs, where companies post job openings they never plan on filling, but have you heard about ghost growth?

Many employees are noticing it  and career experts say organizations need to take it seriously or risk losing key talent.

Nearly two out of three U.S. employees say theyve faced whats known as ghost growth, according to a survey by My Perfect Resume. (1) The term refers to career advancement that looks good on paper but fails to deliver in terms of pay, promotion, or meaningful responsibilities.

According to the survey of 1,000 employees:

65% say theyve experienced ghost growth.

53% say their career appears to be growing, but doesnt feel like it.

49% say they are in a career plateau, and their company tries to mask it with superficial opportunities.

For many, that sense of false advancement is leading to frustration, burnout, and even resignations. Nearly 70% of workers said theyve considered quitting because of ghost growth.

Must Read

What is ghost growth and why is it on the rise?

Career expert Jasmine Escalera defines ghost growth as success on paper without real benefits. Employees take on more work, added responsibilities, and sometimes even public recognition but without the pay, title, or long-term career advancement to match.

Theyll give you something to make you feel content and to stick around, Escalera told CNBC (2), but they wont actually give you the title to represent the work that youre doing or the pay to represent the additional work that youre taking on, or even the career progression youre looking for.

The consequences go beyond annoyance. The survey found that one in four workers feel frustrated by ghost growth, and about 20% report feeling burned out. Workers said what they truly want are tangible rewards like higher pay, better work-life balance, or leadership roles.

Without those outcomes, Escalera warns, employers risk having employees check out at work or leave altogether.

The rise of ghost growth is in tandem with a cooling job market. U.S. companies cut 32,000 jobs in September, according to payroll processor ADP, signaling that hiring opportunities are shrinking. (3)
Song Sung Blue, a new movie starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, follows Neil Diamond tribute performers Mike and Claire Sardina as they climb to regional fame in Wisconsin.

When three New Hampshire natives were tasked with making a creative promo video for the film, they looked to some of their own regional talent. The video, which has accumulated more than 7.5 million views across TikTok and Instagram, orchestrates a collaborative cover of Diamonds Sweet Caroline, split among self-tapes by a slew of professional, up-and-coming and amateur artists  many from the Granite State.

I grew up in Andover, New Hampshire, and I would create these little productions and bring in kids from the neighborhood and stuff like that, said Amanda Taylor, executive producer for the project. So, it was nice to kind of go back to that and reach out to aspiring artists that we know, or theater students, and bring those emerging talents into the fold.

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Focus Features, the studio behind Song Sung Blue, reached out to Taylor through her company Dance On, a music-centered marketing agency she co-founded with Madonna.

She then brought in Nick Cammilleri, a Hampstead native and director of HBOs The Lady and the Dale, to serve as creative director for the project.

With his help, as well as that of Portsmouth-based producer Nathan Moore, they recruited an ensemble of professional musicians, aspiring artists and regional dilettantes.

Among those featured are Nick Bortone, Dave Linehan and Todd Cabral, each from Hampstead, as well as Greg Smith, Gary Nelson and Tom Cammilleri (Nicks father) from the New England Ukulele String Ensemble.

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My dads in a ukulele band, and not just that, but my dad served in the Air Force and the Army Reserve, Cammilleri said. And I said that hes a lot like Mike Sardina.

But some of the most energetic selections from the video didnt come from performers but from runners and spectators at the Hampstead Turkey Trot.

Our post-production supervisor was like, We need a giant group, Cammilleri said. And I said, I know where theres going to be a giant group of people. And so I asked my buddy Nick Bortone, who lives in Hampstead, I said, Can you go rope people in and get them to perform Sweet Caroline? And to his credit  he got a gigantic group of people.

Given that Song Sung Blue followed two talents known mostly within their own community, it was only fitting that the special promo for the film turn toward local talent as well, Cammilleri said.

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It gave validation by saying, heres the movie, now look at some of these people that are doing the same exact thing, Cammilleri said.

Taylor echoed the sentiment and added that Sweet Caroline served as the perfect canvas for their project.

Its a song that everybody loves, and I think getting to see it or hear it in a new way.  It gives the right kind of emotion, I think, that you want people to take away, Taylor said.

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Timothee Chalamet took home the Best Actor Award for his role in Marty Supreme at Sundays Critics Choice Awards, but Michael B. Jordans reaction stole the moment.

Jordan, 38  who was also up for the award for his role in Sinners  appeared less than impressed by Chalamets win and emotional speech.

And lastly, Ill just say, thank you to my partner of three years, Chalamet, 30, said in his speech, referring to girlfriend Kylie Jenner. Thank you for our foundation. I love you, I couldnt do this without you. Thank you for the bottom of my heart.

Cameras cut to Jordan, catching his unreadable reaction as he simply smirked while showing no emotion, which instantly became a meme.

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Just putting it out there if Michael B. Jordan needs a hug, Im here, one fan tweeted alongside a screenshot of Jordans reaction.

The camera being on Michael B Jordan while Timothee says thank you to my partner of three years  another wrote, sharing a split image of the two actors.

Thank you to my partner of three years *cuts to michael b jordan, another tweeted.

A fourth user questioned, Why does the cut lowkey make it seems like his partner is Michael B Jordan?

While Jordan did not win for Best Actor, his costar Miles Caton won the Young Performer Award. Ryan Coogler also won for Best Screenplay, and Ludwig Goransson won Best Composer for Sinners.

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This story Michael B. Jordans Hilarious Reaction to Timothee Chalamets Critics Choice Awards Acceptance Speech Goes Viral first appeared on Star. Add Star as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
General Hospitals Sidwell seemingly appeared out of nowhere and is on a mission to take over Port Charles. Is it possible that he is related to a family that has tried to do the same?

Key Takeaways

Sidwell is an evil villain who is now controlling Laura and Sonny.

The Cassadines have always gone after Port Charles.

Sidwell freaked Alexis out when he found the dagger that killed her mother.

He was creepy with Charlotte and Ace.

Sidwell could be Tony Cassadines son.

Sidwell Is Evil And Obsessed

Sidwell (Carlo Rota) came to Port Charles after first kidnapping Lucky (ex-Jonathan Jackson), and then coming very close to killing Anna (Finola Hughes) and Jason (Steve Burton). He promised that he was just a businessman, but the powers that be knew better. Laura (Genie Francis) and Jordan (Tanisha Harper) immediately had their defenses up. They were right, he is an evil villain.

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After framing Laura for Daltons (Daniel Goddard) murder, he now has the mayor and local mob boss under his thumb. Jenz is using his power to try to take over all of Port Charles. But why?

A Cassadine Connection

The Cassadines have been trying to harm Port Charles residents for decades. It began with Luke (the late Anthony Geary), Laura, and the Ice Princess, but this family keeps coming back. They have kidnapped, murdered, and returned from the dead too many times to count.

Sidwell immediately bought and moved into the creepy Cassadine estate, Wyndemere. He then met with Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) and showed her the infamous dagger that Helena (ex-Constance Towers) used to slit her mothers throat, which Alexis had thrown into the harbor. He later sent it to her.

Now, he has carefully and quietly threatened Charlotte (Bluesy Burke) and Ace (Kieran and Karis Barry), who are both Cassadines. Plus, the family is always looking to harm Lauras loved ones.

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There is a Cassadine who is not often mentioned, Tony (the late Andre Landzaat). He froze to death in the ice chamber back on Cassadine Island in the 80s, but he may have had a child, and maybe that child is Sidwell coming back to avenge his fathers death. Stranger things have happened.

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This story was originally reported on Soap Hub on January 5, 2026. Add Soap Hub as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jimmy Kimmels past year in late-night television nearly ended his career, and now the veteran host is speaking candidly about just how close it came.

After a firestorm sparked by controversial remarks following a political assassination, Kimmel faced threats, suspension, and intense public backlash.

Standing on stage at the Critics' Choice Awards with a major win, the longtime comedian reflected on the moment that pushed him to the brink and how the industrys response ultimately pulled him back.

Jimmy Kimmel Reflects On A Career Near-Death Experience

Jeffrey Mayer/JTMPhotos, Int'l. / MEGA

Kimmel described the fallout from last years controversy as a moment that nearly ended everything he had built.

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Speaking to reporters after winning Best Talk Show at the 31st annual Critics' Choice Awards, Kimmel said the ordeal felt like a near-death experience.

It was almost a near-death experience for me. Of course, not literally, but I did feel a little bit like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn watching their own funeral, when all this stuff happened, he said, according to PEOPLE.

Kimmel acknowledged the overwhelming response from fans and fellow creatives, adding, To be here and to see that people reacted to it in not just a positive way, but in almost a desperate way, were like, Oh boy, when they come after the comedians, this is when we draw the line.

According to him, the support reminded him why the moment mattered.

Kimmel Addresses Free Speech During Acceptance Speech

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Jimmy Kimmel also directly addressed the controversy during his Critics' Choice acceptance speech, thanking those who stood by him during the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live.

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Thank you to all the writers and actors and producers and union members, many of you who are in this room, who supported us, who really stepped forward for us, and reminded us that we do not take free speech for granted in this city or this country, he said.

The 56-year-old closed his speech with pointed sarcasm aimed at President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized late-night comedians.

Most of all, I wanna thank our president, Donald Jennifer Trump, without whom we would be going home empty-handed tonight, Kimmel said.

So thank you, Mr. President, for all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day.

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He added, Its been a banner couple of weeks, and we cant wait to get back on the air tomorrow night to talk about them.

Jimmy Kimmels Show Pulled After Charlie Kirk Remarks

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As The Blast reported, the controversy began after Kimmels monologue following the September 2025 assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

Kirk was killed during a campus debate at Utah Valley University, and 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was later charged with the murder.

During the monologue, Kimmel accused the MAGA gang of desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Kirk as anything other than one of them.

He also claimed they were working very hard to capitalize on the murder, and compared Trumps reaction to how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.

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Following FCC Chairman Brendan Carrs warning that ABCs license could be at risk due to the monologue, Disney temporarily took Jimmy Kimmel Live off the air for six days.

Trump later suggested that networks that gave him negative coverage should have their licenses revoked, intensifying the backlash and protests.

Kimmel Returns With Emotional Clarification

Less than a week later, Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air and delivered an emotional monologue addressing the backlash.

I have no illusions about changing anyones mind, but I do want to make something clear, because its important to me as a human, and that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man, he said per The Blast.

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I dont think theres anything funny about it.

He also clarified that he was not blaming a political group, saying he wasnt trying to fault anyone for the actions of what he described as those of a deeply disturbed individual.

The late night host admitted that some felt his remarks were either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.

Kimmel then thanked supporters across the political spectrum, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz and fellow late-night hosts. Though ratings eventually stabilized, the moment left lasting scars.

Jimmy Kimmel Takes A Swipe At Donald Trump On Christmas Day

A report from The Blast revealed that on Christmas Day 2025, Kimmel delivered a striking political message during Britains annual Channel 4 Alternative Christmas Message, aiming directly at Trump and the state of U.S. politics.

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In the address, which aired shortly after the British monarchys traditional holiday speech, Kimmel told viewers he wasnt familiar with the U.K. tradition.

However, he used the opportunity to reflect on events in America, saying, from a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year and that tyranny is booming over here, a clear reference to Trumps leadership and its impact on democracy.

Kimmel also commented on the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! after political pressure following his earlier remarks about Kirks murder, asserting that critics in power wanted to shut me up because I dont adore him in the way he likes to be adored.

Looking beyond domestic politics, Kimmel addressed the U.K. audience with an appeal for understanding, pointing out that Americans are not all like him and urging the British public, dont give up on us.
Yes, Netflix's hit show "Stranger Things" takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.

But that didn't stop Massachusetts from getting a shout-out during the show's series finale on New Year's Eve.

Of course, one of the show's stars  Joe Keery, who plays the role of Steve Harrington in the series  is a native of Newburyport, Massachusetts, so there's that connection.

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But the show's series finale also mentioned two big colleges and one newspaper in the Bay State.

Here's what to know.

What Bay State schools got shout-outs in the 'Stranger Things' finale?

Both Smith College and Emerson College were mentioned during the final moments of the series finale.

And so was one Boston newspaper.

The character, Steve Harrington quips that he wouldn't mind teaching at Smith College because of the high concentration of female students there.

"Now Smith I would consider," Steve says during the finale.

Robin Buckley, another character on the show, then asks her friend, Nancy Wheeler about where she's going to school.

"How are the babes at Emerson?" Robin asks.

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Nancy replies, "I wouldn't know. I dropped out. I took a job at the Herald."

Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things: Season 5.

What is 'Stranger Things' about?

The series, created by Matt and Ross Duffer, focuses on a group of kids in the 1980s who are investigating a mysterious world hiding under their town called the "Upside Down."

The "Upside Down" is an evil place, with powerful, savage creatures inhabiting that landscape. The land is ruled by an evil being known as "Vecna."

During the course of the series, different characters have disappeared into the "Upside Down," while others have fallen victim to its deadly secrets.

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The problem with the "Upside Down" is that it keeps creeping into the real world, threatening all life on Earth.

It is up to the group of teenagers to stop Vecna and his mission of total destruction of humanity.

The teens are led by friend, and the super-powered being known as "Eleven," or "El" for short.

During the course of this final season, the teens have been on a collision course to a final showdown with Vecna.

You need to watch the show to find out what happens.

How can people watch 'Stranger Things' if they haven't seen it?

They need a subscription the Netflix streaming service, with plans costing between $7.99 and $24.99, depending on the plan you choose.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Why is MA mentioned in the 'Stranger Things' finale? What to know
Big cast changes are on the way for Tyler Perrys Sistas Season 10 on BET.

Two new series regulars will join the core group of women this season, with Jordan Colman and Tunde Oyeneyin set to be introduced, Blavitys Shadow and Act can confirm. Other returning series regulars are Angela Beyince, Devale Ellis, Brian Jordan Jr., Chris Warren and Monti Washington.

Meanwhile, Deadline exclusively broke the news that original stars Ebony Obsidian and Novi Brown will not return for Season 10 as series regulars. It is not known yet if they will still appear in Season 10 to wrap their characters stories. Both were with the series for the first nine seasons as Karen Mott and Sabrina Hollins.

Who are Jordan Colemans Cheyenne and Tunde Oyeneyins Madison on Tyler Perrys Sistas?

Colemans character is Cheyenne Barnes, a fiercely confident hairstylist whose bold sexuality and razor-sharp wit command attention, masking the emotional scars shes carried for years. Though driven by a desire for luxury and ease, her reunion with her sister Andi slowly peels back layers of guarded vulnerability shes long tried to bury.

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Oyeneyin is Madison Truitt, a powerful, self-assured entrepreneur whose commanding presence and unapologetic ambition have carved her a space in a male-dominated world. Beneath her polished exterior lies a yearning for love and partnershipone that matches her strength, despite whispers that her standards are too high.

Perry said in a statement, The longevity of Sistas is a testament to the incredible audience who has so deeply connected to the show. I know they will be invested in every plot line, every character, and a lot is going to happen this season. As always, weve got some big surprises, twists, and turns. It will not disappoint!

Louis Carr, President of BET, added, Reaching a 10th season is a significant milestone that speaks to the incredible connection Tyler Perrys Sistas has forged with our audience. We are profoundly grateful for our enduring partnership with Tyler Perry, whose vision continues to deliver compelling, must-watch television, and we are equally proud of the amazing talent, both returning and new, who bring these dynamic characters to life.

When does Tyler Perrys Sistas Season 10 premiere

The Tyler Perry Studios series is executive produced by Perry, written by Courtney Glaude and directed by Armani Ortiz. Watch the newly-released Season 10 trailer below.

The series premieres on Jan. 7 at 9 p.m.

Photo: BET







The post Tyler Perrys Sistas Shocking Cast Changes: 2 Series Regulars To Exit As 2 New Women Join Fold For Season 10 appeared first on Blavity.
With many of us waking up to snow and ice, and weather warnings still in place for parts of the UK in the coming days, households are bracing for freezing nights and frosty mornings. As temperatures dip, you might be cranking up the heating to turn your bedroom into a cosy cocoon  especially when its bitterly cold outside.

However, there's a balance to strike. Rooms that are too cold can be uncomfortable and disruptive, particularly for children, older adults or people with certain health conditions.

But while a warm room might feel comforting when you get into bed, it isnt always the best setup for sleep. In fact, sleeping in an environment thats too warm can make it harder to fall asleep and affect how well you rest through the night.

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So whats the ideal bedroom temperature when the weather turns wintry? Here, two medical experts explain why sleeping in a cooler environment can improve sleep quality and how to find the right temperature for you.

The optimum room temperature

Infants and children may need a slightly warmer environment to sleep in than adults. (Getty Images) (Olga Pankova via Getty Images)

If you're unsure how cold is too cold when it comes to sleep, Rebekah Parr, a physiologist at Nuffield Health tells Yahoo UK the temperatures you should set your bedroom heating to.

"For most adults, the optimal temperature for your bedroom is 18.3C. This can vary, but finding your comfortable temperature between 15.6-20C is normally recommended," she says.

For infants and children, The Lullaby Trust recommends a similar temperature, of between 16-20C. The risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is higher in babies who get too hot.

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A lot of baby monitors have an in-built thermometer or you can buy one for under 10.

What happens if your bedroom is too cold?

According to Parr, sleeping in a bedroom that's too cold can lead to disrupted sleep.

"You may wake up more frequently because you are not at an optimal temperature. Additionally, you will not enter the REM sleep stages as much due to your body being less relaxed, so you may wake not feeling refreshed," she says.

Dr Babak Ashrafi from Superdrug Online Doctor also notes that a cold room can cause muscle stiffness and may aggravate existing respiratory conditions.

"If the temperature of your bedroom drops too low, it can cause muscle stiffness, restlessness, or general discomfort, particularly for children or the elderly," he says. "People with asthma or respiratory conditions may also find that overly cold, dry air irritates their airways."

What happens if your bedroom is too warm?

According to Parr, if your bedroom is too hot, your body will work hard to cool down and regulate itself, thereby disrupting sleep cycles, reducing melatonin production, and promoting poorer quality sleep.

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Dr Ashrafi recommends opting for breathable bedding made from cotton or linen. "This helps regulate body temperature and prevent overheating during the night," he says.

5 benefits of sleeping in a room at the optimum temperature

You may struggle to nod off or stay asleep if the room is too warm. (Getty Images) (Filmstax via Getty Images)

Having your bedroom heating set to the optimum temperature of between 15.6-20C for many people comes with benefits.

1. It helps you drift off to sleep

Parr explains that as you approach the time for sleep and your circadian rhythm prepares your body, your body temperature typically drops by around 1-2 degrees.

"You may notice that your hands and feet get warmer during this time as this is one of your bodys ways to allow heat to escape from your body, lowering your core temperature," she says. "Sleeping in a cooler room facilitates this process and helps you to fall asleep."

2. It can mean you wake up less frequently throughout the night

"Your core temperature naturally lowers as you wind down for sleep," Dr Ashrafi says. "Cooler air helps the body recognise its time to wind down, allowing you not just to fall asleep faster, but to maintain more consistent sleep throughout the night."

3. It reduces sweat levels and inflammation

According to Dr Ashrafi, sleeping in a cooler environment reduces sweating and inflammation. This can help to maintain the skins moisture barrier and allows overnight repair processes to work more effectively, leading to all-around better skin.

Women going through the menopause may also benefit from sleeping in a cooler room. (Getty Images) (Liudmila Chernetska via Getty Images)

4. It may also induce higher melatonin levels

Parr notes that colder temperatures may also induce higher levels of melatonin (a sleep hormone), which would explain why we perhaps feel more sluggish during the winter months.

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"But," she points out, "this would also mean that sleeping in a cooler environment results in higher melatonin levels, therefore better quality sleep."

5. It can boost our overall health

"Having good quality sleep on a regular basis is known to help regulate blood pressure and cortisol levels," Dr Ashrafi adds. "Both of which are key factors in long-term cardiovascular health."

Plus, it can help ease menopause symptoms for women

Women who struggle with hot flashes and night sweats due to menopause may find it beneficial to sleep in a cooler room, says Parr. "A cooler environment has been linked to a decrease in the severity of these symptoms," she comments.
Hospice care isn't something that should warrant fear  or sadness. When Kath Murray tells people what she does for a living, there's always an awkward silence, a sympathetic head tilt and the inevitable response of "that must be so hard."

"There's never been a job where I've had so much laughter," says Murray, a hospice nurse and palliative care educator based in British Columbia. "The reality is incredible."

It's not what most of us picture, and that's precisely the problem.

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Murray founded Life and Death Matters in 2005 to help health care workers who work with the dying. The organization has grown to include resources for nursing students, long-term care facility employees and families to help them navigate caring for people who are dying.

According to Murray, there's one major misconception that stops families from accessing care when they need it most: People think hospice means giving up.

"That's the biggest myth," Murray says. "But we're actually good at holding hope and reality at the same time." Hospice is all about living better, rather than giving up on it entirely.

What is hospice care?

Many people often think of palliative care and hospice care as the same thing. Palliative care can begin at diagnosis and works in conjunction with curative treatments, symptom management and improves quality of life.

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Hospice care is reserved for people with a terminal illness who typically have six months or less to live. It provides comprehensive comfort care for both the patient and their family.

Both types of care are designed to help you live better, not worse.

People typically enter hospice when they have less than six months to live. (Image via Getty Images) (Halfpoint Images via Getty Images)

Murray's close proximity to people who are dying has allowed her to witness and learn from people who are facing and accepting their mortality.

"I've learned from people who've had time to think about what really mattered in their lives. It was never about fancy cars or designer labels," she says. The work has taught her something unexpected: Deep gratitude for everyday things. "I remember leaving work on a rainy day and feeling so grateful just to have arms and legs that work."

When should families consider hospice?

Most families start considering hospice when everyday life becomes a struggle. Perhaps someone can't shower or cook meals on their own. In some cases, their health has become unpredictable, with good days followed by scary emergency room visits.

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At other times, it's clear that more support is needed at home than the family can provide. Physical decline makes it apparent that something needs to change.

"It's never too early for these conversations," Murray says. "And it's not just cancer: We help with heart disease, COPD, dementia, diabetes."

Unfortunately, access to hospice services varies across Canada, depending on where you live and the level of provincial funding. Most hospice facilities rely on volunteers to offset the costs of providing care to those in need.

I had a patient tell me, 'It's not being dead that scares me  it's the dying part' Kath Murray

There can be some uneasiness when patients enter hospice. Moreover, many people fear that it will be a painful process.

Hospice care can include pain management options for patients. (Image via Getty Images) (monkeybusinessimages via Getty Images)

"I had a patient tell me, 'It's not being dead that scares me  it's the dying part,'" Murray remembers.

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Many hospice health care providers can help manage pain and discomfort with medication, but there's also an added element of emotional pain.

Death doesn't look like it does in the movies, but hospice teams often include counsellors to help patients and families understand the dying process and help prepare them for what's ahead. Murray says only a small percentage of people will enter into hospice and experience a steady decline in health until they die; the rest will experience what she calls "the roller coaster."

"Families gather to say goodbye, and suddenly the person perks up and says, 'I'm not going anywhere,'" Murray explains, adding that it can be emotionally exhausting for families.

How to help someone

People often wonder how they can support families with a loved one in hospice. Death can be an uncomfortable topic, especially for people who have yet to experience a significant loss. While asking "what can I do to help?" may be well-intentioned, it doesn't alleviate any of the stress or pain they may be experiencing.

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Instead of asking a vague question, try specifying how you can help. Some examples include:

"I'm bringing dinner on Tuesday."

"Can I pick up groceries this week?"

"I'm free to drive kids to school."

"Here's what I can do  what would help most?"

These statements and questions help solve problems without creating more work for your friend or loved one.

Be specific when offering to help friends currently navigating hospice. (Image via Getty Images) (ProfessionalStudioImages via Getty Images)

What  and what not  to say

When you visit someone who's seriously ill, words matter more than you think. Phrases that are meant to be comforting can actually make things more complicated. Instead of saying things like:

"I know how you feel."

"Everything happens for a reason."

"They're in a better place now."

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You can be supportive by doing things like:

Listening

Sharing a happy memory

Ask what they want to talk about

Being present

Some days they want to talk about their illness, other days they want to discuss anything but that. Kath Murray

"The most important thing? Follow their lead," Murray says. "Some days they want to talk about their illness, other days they want to discuss anything but that."

Accepting support

Hospice care isn't about giving up hope. It's about making the most of the time you have with dignity, support and with your family.

It's about focusing on what matters most when time becomes precious. It's about having honest conversations, creating meaningful moments and sometimes finding more laughter and joy than anyone expects.

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The goal isn't to hasten death or abandon all treatment. It's about living as fully as possible while facing reality with courage and the right kind of support.

Let us know what you think by emailing us or threading us @yahoocanada. Follow us on TikTok, WhatsApp and Instagram.
Many countries around the world carry reputations that no longer match reality, often shaped by outdated news headlines or exaggerated stereotypes. Travelers, especially Americans, frequently overlook destinations labeled as dangerous, even when current crime data and safety statistics tell a very different story. In fact, several of these misunderstood countries now rank safer than places many people consider unquestionably secure, including Australia. Modern infrastructure, improved policing, and stable governments have transformed these destinations into safe, welcoming places for visitors.

Australia consistently ranks as a safe country, but it also faces rising urban crime, isolated violent incidents, and regional challenges that affect safety statistics. Meanwhile, countries once associated with instability have quietly improved quality of life, public safety, and traveler protections. These destinations often offer lower crime rates, stronger community policing, and safer city centers than many expect. The gap between perception and reality has never been wider.

The countries below are frequently mislabeled as risky, yet they now outperform Australia in key safety metrics such as violent crime rates, homicide statistics, and everyday public safety. Travelers who visit often report feeling safer walking at night, using public transport, or exploring city centers than they do in major Western cities. These destinations prove that reputation is not the same thing as reality.

Japan

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Japan is sometimes perceived as intimidating due to language barriers and cultural differences, but it is consistently one of the safest countries on Earth. Violent crime is exceptionally rare, even in major cities like Tokyo and Osaka, and petty crime levels remain extremely low. Lost wallets are often returned intact, and public spaces are orderly, well-lit, and carefully maintained. Compared to Australia, Japan reports significantly lower rates of assault and street crime.

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Daily life in Japan feels remarkably secure, even late at night. It is common to see people walking alone after midnight, children commuting independently, and unattended belongings left in public without concern. Public transportation is efficient, safe, and heavily monitored, reducing risks for travelers. Visitors frequently comment on how safe they feel compared to cities in Australia, Europe, or North America.

Japans safety culture is reinforced by social norms that emphasize respect, accountability, and community responsibility. Police presence is visible but non-aggressive, focusing on assistance rather than enforcement. Emergency services are fast, reliable, and accessible. Japan demonstrates that safety can be deeply woven into everyday life rather than enforced through force.

Portugal

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Portugal was once grouped with Southern European countries perceived as economically unstable, but today it ranks among the safest nations in the world. Violent crime is rare, gun ownership is low, and cities like Lisbon and Porto are calm and walkable. Compared to Australia, Portugal reports lower rates of serious crime and fewer violent incidents overall. Tourists regularly explore cities and coastal towns without concern.

Urban areas feel relaxed and welcoming, even at night. Public transport is safe, streets are well-lit, and locals are accustomed to visitors. Pickpocketing exists in tourist-heavy areas, but violent crime remains extremely uncommon. Many travelers report feeling safer walking alone in Portuguese cities than in large Australian metropolitan areas.

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Portugals safety is supported by strong social services, effective policing, and a generally peaceful culture. Law enforcement focuses on prevention and visibility rather than force. Healthcare and emergency response systems are reliable and accessible. Portugal proves that safety does not require strict enforcement, but rather stability and social cohesion.

Slovenia

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Slovenia is often overlooked due to its small size and location, yet it consistently ranks as one of Europes safest countries. Crime rates are low across both cities and rural areas, and violent crime is extremely rare. Ljubljana regularly ranks safer than many Australian cities when comparing assault and theft statistics. The countrys calm atmosphere surprises many first-time visitors.

Walking through Slovenian cities feels peaceful and orderly, even late in the evening. Public transportation is clean and secure, and city centers remain active without feeling chaotic. Travelers often remark on how comfortable they feel exploring alone. Compared to Australia, Slovenia experiences fewer alcohol-related incidents and street-level conflicts.

Strong community ties and effective local governance contribute to Slovenias safety. Police are approachable, responsive, and trusted by residents. Social stability and low inequality reduce crime triggers. Slovenia demonstrates how small countries can outperform larger nations in everyday safety.

Iceland

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Iceland is sometimes viewed as remote and extreme, but it is one of the safest countries in the world by nearly every metric. Violent crime is almost nonexistent, and homicide rates are among the lowest globally. Compared to Australia, Iceland experiences significantly fewer assaults and public safety incidents. Even Reykjavik feels calmer than many small cities elsewhere.

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Daily life in Iceland operates on a foundation of trust and transparency. It is common for parents to leave babies sleeping outside cafes, and homes are often left unlocked. Travelers can safely explore cities, towns, and rural areas without fear. Compared to Australia, Iceland offers a far lower risk of street crime or violence.

The countrys safety stems from strong social welfare systems, low inequality, and deep community trust. Police do not carry firearms and focus on mediation rather than confrontation. Emergency services are efficient despite the countrys remote geography. Iceland is proof that safety can exist without heavy enforcement.

Singapore

Image Credit:Richard Whitcombe / Shutterstock.

Singapore is sometimes described as strict or intimidating, but those same qualities make it extraordinarily safe. Crime rates are among the lowest in the world, and violent incidents are exceedingly rare. The city-states infrastructure is meticulously maintained, reducing both crime and accidents. Everyday life operates with precision and predictability.

Compared to Australia, Singapore has far fewer issues related to street crime, drug violence, or public disorder. Laws are clearly enforced, which discourages criminal behavior before it begins. Public spaces are clean, well-monitored, and welcoming at all hours. Even first-time visitors feel secure navigating the city alone.

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Singapores safety extends beyond crime into health, transportation, and urban planning. Emergency services respond rapidly, and hospitals are world-class. The multicultural population coexists peacefully, supported by strong governance and social cohesion. Singapore shows how structure and safety can enhance, rather than restrict, quality of life.

Vietnam

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Vietnam is often labeled dangerous due to traffic chaos and outdated war-era perceptions. In reality, violent crime against travelers is extremely uncommon. Cities are lively and crowded, which actually increases safety through constant public presence. Visitors often feel more watched-over than threatened.

The biggest risk in Vietnam is traffic, not crime, and even that becomes manageable with awareness. Locals are welcoming and quick to assist tourists who seem lost or confused. Scams exist, but they are typically non-violent and easily avoided with basic precautions. Personal safety remains consistently high.

Compared to Australia, Vietnam has less random violence and fewer alcohol-related incidents. Community policing and social accountability reduce crime significantly. Medical care in major cities is reliable and affordable. Vietnam challenges outdated assumptions with everyday reality.

Costa Rica

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Costa Rica is sometimes portrayed as risky due to its location in Central America. However, it is one of the safest countries in the region, with stable governance and strong institutions. Tourism is a major priority, and visitor safety is taken seriously. Crime targeting travelers is relatively low and usually non-violent.

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Nature-focused travel dominates, meaning most visitors spend time in protected parks and eco-lodges. Communities rely on tourism and actively look out for visitors. Police presence is visible in tourist areas, and emergency services are accessible. Costa Ricas safety feels intentional and well-managed.

Compared to Australia, Costa Rica has fewer confrontational encounters and a more community-oriented atmosphere. Healthcare quality is high, even outside major cities. The countrys emphasis on peace and sustainability directly impacts personal security. Costa Rica feels welcoming rather than risky.

Estonia

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Estonia is often overlooked and therefore assumed to be unpredictable or unsafe. In reality, it is one of Europes most digitally advanced and secure countries. Crime rates are low, and cities like Tallinn feel orderly and calm. Travelers quickly notice how safe public spaces feel, even at night.

Digital infrastructure reduces bureaucracy and corruption, contributing to overall security. Public transportation is reliable, and law enforcement is professional and low-profile. Locals are reserved but respectful, creating a predictable social environment. Visitors are rarely targeted or harassed.

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Compared to Australia, Estonia has lower violent crime rates and fewer social disturbances. Emergency response systems are efficient and technologically integrated. The countrys stability surprises many first-time visitors. Estonia proves that quiet destinations can be exceptionally safe.

Taiwan

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Taiwan is sometimes viewed through the lens of regional tension, which creates a false sense of danger. On the ground, it is one of the safest places in Asia. Crime is rare, public transport is immaculate, and social trust is extremely high. Visitors often comment on how secure they feel walking alone at any hour.

Healthcare is among the best in the world, providing reassurance for retirees and older travelers. Streets are clean, and public order is respected without heavy enforcement. Lost items are commonly returned, reinforcing a sense of trust. Safety in Taiwan feels natural and constant.

Compared to Australia, Taiwan has less street crime and fewer violent incidents. The culture emphasizes courtesy, responsibility, and collective well-being. These values directly translate into personal safety. Taiwan quietly outperforms many safer reputations.

Georgia (the Country)

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Georgia is often misunderstood due to its location and unfamiliarity. In reality, it is remarkably safe, with low violent crime and a strong culture of hospitality. Visitors are frequently invited into homes and helped by strangers without hesitation. The social fabric prioritizes respect for guests.

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Cities like Tbilisi are lively yet calm, with a strong police presence that feels supportive rather than oppressive. Tourist infrastructure continues to improve, making navigation easy and stress-free. Crime against foreigners is rare and taken seriously when it occurs. Georgia feels protective of its visitors.

Compared to Australia, Georgia has fewer random assaults and less urban violence. Healthcare access is improving, and emergency services are responsive. The countrys reputation lags behind its reality. Georgia is far safer than its image suggests.
British fashion retailer Next is considering a cut-price approach for the brand and intellectual property of struggling womenswear label LK Bennett, reported Sky News.

The news comes as LK Bennett edges closer to appointing administrators.

Retail industry sources said the group is one of several interested parties assessing a potential acquisition, although it is not expected to pursue a deal that includes LK Bennetts remaining physical store network.

Other names cited by Sky News analysts as possible bidders include Marks & Spencer and TFG London, which owns Phase Eight, White Stuff and Hobbs.

Next refused to comment on the news, and a Marks & Spencer representative said the group is not looking to acquire LK Bennett.

Any move by Next would be consistent with its recent focus on buying distressed brands.

The retailer has previously acquired Cath Kidston, Joules and Seraphine, and is currently reviewing a possible purchase of family-owned footwear business Russell & Bromley.

LK Bennett filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators earlier this week.

In recent weeks, the company has been advised by restructuring specialists at Alvarez & Marsal.

The brand was founded in 1990 by Linda Bennett and, at its peak, operated nearly 200 stores across the UK and international markets, including China, Russia, and the US.

Its current UK footprint has reduced to nine standalone shops, alongside 13 concessions listed online.

Ownership of the label sits with Byland UK, a vehicle created in 2019 to save LK Bennett from a previous insolvency.

Byland UK was established by Rebecca Feng, who had previously overseen the brands franchise operations in China.

Financial accounts for LK Bennett for the year ended 27 January 2024 show a post-tax loss of 3.5m ($4.7m) on turnover of 42.1m, compared with revenues of 48.8m the year before.

Linda Bennett sold the company in 2008 for an estimated 100m to a consortium led by Phoenix Equity Partners, before buying it back in 2017.

A subsequent administration process in 2019 resulted in the closure of 15 stores.

"Next weighs bid for LK Bennett brand assets" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand.




Americans and Canadians make up a fair portion of the international tourist pool. Though Canada's population isn't much more than a tenth of the United States', you might be surprised to find that Canadians actually rack up more air miles than Americans  632 air miles annually on average, versus Americans' 227 on average, according to a travel spending report by Get Going Insurance. The two nations' tourists may appear similar abroad, but there are subtle differences in the way they move through foreign destinations.

Our travel behavior says a lot about the national cultural environment we grew up in. Even the less-obvious differences between Americans and our neighbors to the north reveal how much of our daily behavior is based on unspoken values and habits formed in our upbringing. That behavior follows us when we're visiting a place away from home. The way someone tips, queues, orders coffee, or asks for help can mark them as being from one nation or another. Even the way you hold your fork in Europe can out you as an American tourist. These are five differences locals notice the most between American and Canadian visitors, based on widely reported perceptions shared by the international community across news outlets, social media, and online forums.

Read more: Flight Attendants Actually Hate These Seemingly Polite Passenger Acts

Americans speak louder

Group of friends chat in cafe - Aleksandarnakic/Getty Images

This one might be a hard pill to swallow, but it's one of the most consistently cited differences by locals and tour guides alike: Americans are loud. "You always hear Americans because they are loud. Really nice, and loud," London tour guide Denisa Podhrazska told CNN. In a Facebook post, a Greek user also observed, "You can hear [Americans'] entire conversation from the 4th row lounge chairs while they are in the water... Also at the restaurants."

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Why do Americans speak louder than Canadians (and seemingly louder than everyone)? There isn't a simple answer, as the tendency to speak louder is a habit bound up in cultural norms and unconscious socialization. Lifestyle writer Nathan Chen chalks it up to American culture putting a higher value on individualism and taking pride in self-expression. Though it's something many Americans likely haven't thought twice about, it's a habit that can make Americans be perceived as rude abroad. It's something that comes across a bit jarring in countries where the baseline volume is quieter. One Paris-based TikToker explained how this might in part (at least in Europe) have to do with the fact that spaces are simply smaller abroad  smaller cafes, intimate bistros, and closer tables mean that louder voices can be perceived as an intrusion on surrounding people.

Canadians cushion, Americans are to the point

Stressed traveler holds smartphone in airport - Bongkarnthanyakij/Getty Images

The way that a tourist phrases their requests and remarks  when asking for help, engaging with service workers, or making small talk, for example  is another potential giveaway. In the bluntest terms, a Reddit user said it comes down to Canadians cushioning their statements in polite words ("please," "may we") and Americans preferring directness. "The Americans are a bit louder, ask more questions and are more direct. Canadians don't vocalize if they're unhappy," Australian tour company president Leigh Barnes told CNN. "And both of those can be pros and cons."

To some, the stereotypical American way of stating wants, needs, and complaints straightforwardly can come across as uncourteous and even demanding. An Airbnb host in Norway, for example, questioned in a Reddit post, "Why are American guests so much more demanding compared to European guests?" The host specifically cited American guests leaving more critical feedback. Part of this may be due to the "customer is always right" attitude more widespread among Americans, who might expect more as customers when engaging with businesses abroad. The flip side of this habit is that, as Barnes explained to CNN, Canadians might not communicate expectations properly or choose not to voice a problem at all.

Americans indulge more on trips

Young professionals in first-class plane seating - Johnnygreig/Getty Images

When Americans travel, they like to treat themselves. At least that's what their spending indicates: A 2024 study found that among travelers intending to take an international trip, Americans planned to spend $11,906 for the year, compared with $8,222 for Canadians, as reported in the Insider Travel Report. Their respective spending intentions are reflected in broader travel styles. Americans are more likely to book a higher-end resort or hotel, while Canadians are more likely to find alternative accommodations (through friends, family, or vacation rentals), the study found. It also found that 73% of Canadians fly economy, while only 51% of Americans do.

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The tendency for American travelers to splurge more on vacations might stem from the fact that it's perceived as more of a rare opportunity to disengage from work. In the U.S., there's no mandate for paid vacation time (ranking lowest of all countries), while Canadian workers get 22 days of paid time off, per a Moorepay study. To Americans, then, a vacation can feel more like a treat and a hard-earned license to let loose. A survey by Talker Research showed that 49% of Americans deliberately avoid reading work emails on vacation, and 42% said their favorite part of a vacation is sleeping in  but perhaps the most telling statistic is that 72% said they overindulge guilt-free. This explains why they book more expensive hotels and choose the more comfortable, pricier airplane seating: it's their time to fully lean into enjoyment.

Canadians are less surprised by cultural differences

Woman at flea market in London - Pawel.gaul/Getty Images

Many international locals point out a tendency for Americans abroad to perceive their own culture as the default. Take an example given by a British tour company founder, Charley Harrison, in the CNN article: When U.S. clients are visiting the United Kingdom, they insist it's the locals who have an accent, rather than the other way around. Harrison also noted that American tourists frequently assume they can pay in U.S. dollars even when they're outside of the U.S. Sometimes, travelers from the U.S. aren't aware of differences in norms, and regularly express bafflement at those differences. While it may seem innocent enough, remarking on the inexpensiveness of things, for example, is a common American habit to avoid when abroad.

The term "American exceptionalism" might be apt here  it refers to an attitude that the U.S. is inherently more special than (or even superior to) other countries. A German Reddit user put it more bluntly: "Personally, I find the most frustrating thing about many US Americans is the mindset that the world revolves around the USA. A lot of them seem to have little awareness of life beyond their own borders." While it may be true that locals might feel like Americans aren't as informed about their culture, it's not all an attitude of superiority. Part of it simply comes from differences in education (at least when it comes to European culture). As two tour guides interviewed by CNN both explained, Canada has stronger ties to Europe through its status as a Commonwealth member. Therefore, Canadians might learn more about a shared political and cultural heritage.

Canadians readily share their nationality (and Americans are hiding it)

Traveler with Canadian flag badge hanging from backpack - Percds/Getty Images

A joke goes that the surest way to know you're talking to a Canadian is that they'll tell you so. A Reddit commenter from Scotland said that "most Canadians wear pins or clothing with the flag on so they do stand out." Why do Canadians wear their nationality on their sleeve (quite literally)? Because they don't want to be mistaken for Americans.

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A Canadian TikToker explained how this habit was even encouraged in high school: "The teachers in my Canadian high school told us to put Canadian flags on our backpacks so that when we're traveling around Spain, France, and Italy, they know we are Canadian and not American... They're going to treat you so much better in France if they know you're Canadian [rather] than American."

The notion is so deeply ingrained that Americans have even started wearing Canadian flag patches or telling people they're Canadian, a trend called "flag jacking" used to mask their actual nationality. All things considered, Americans aren't oblivious to the stereotypes about their compatriots when traveling. They know that Americans are perceived as loud and culturally unaware, so they lie about being Canadian under the assumption that they'll get more favorable treatment. The assumption isn't a given, though. "It's more about the behavior that you're modeling, as opposed to where you're from," as tour manager Leigh Barnes put it in CNN.

Methodology

People on a tour bus in Mexico City - Anamaria Mejia/Shutterstock

While any differences between tourists from Canada and the U.S. are stereotypes, some stereotypes can be grounded in more prevalent observations. The five differences we highlighted are based on cultural perceptions from locals and tour guides at international destinations when encountering Canadians and Americans who are abroad. We determined which perceptions were the most common based on interviews in media sources like CNN, as well as sentiments frequently shared by locals on social media like Reddit and TikTok.

Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets.

Read the original article on Islands.
This year, youre going to travel more. Youre going to visit some exotic locations for some once-in-a-lifetime experiences. You just need to know which destinations will offer excitement  without giving your wallet the vapors. So where do you turn for inspiration?

I may not be a travel agent, but I am your friendly neighborhood financial writer. Naturally, I turned to my old pal ChatGPT. I asked the AI a straightforward question: Where can people travel for cheap in 2026? I also asked it to include estimated, on-the-ground costs to give readers a sense of daily spending.

I was a little dismayed to find that ChatGPT leaned heavily on lesser-known travel sites such as Daily Dream Travel, Travel Explorer and Visit The Globe, rather than more established sources like Lonely Planet, official government tourism boards or even the World Bank. Id also like readers to be aware that ChatGPT assumed a more threadbare travel style, and notably steered away from certain areas of the world.

For You: 5 Ways To Travel Like a Millionaire Without Spending Like One

Find Out: How You Could Pocket an Extra $2K*  Just for Signing Up for This All-in-One Finance App

Still, the exercise is valuable as a starting point, especially for budget-conscious travelers willing to do additional research. Heres what ChatGPT came back with.

1. Vietnam

ChatGPT recommended Vietnam because of its unique yet inexpensive food options, as well as cost-effective transportation and accommodations. In particular, the AI recommended the country for backpackers.

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Using Daily Dream Travel as its source, ChatGPT broke down the following costs, which Ive included here verbatim:

Typical costs:

Accommodation: $10-$15 (hostels) / $25-$40 (budget private)

Meals: $2-$5 per meal (street/stalls)

Local transport: $2-$5

Daily total: ~$25-$40/day

The AI also listed Hanoi, Hoi An, Da Nang and the Mekong Delta as highlights of a Vietnam vacation. Again, this assumes a very minimal approach to travel, so if youre interested in midrange hotels, guided tours or Western-style amenities, you should expect to spend more.

2. Georgia

This Eastern European country earned a spot for its dramatic landscapes, historic towns, wine regions and overall affordability.

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Drawing from Travel Explorer, ChatGPT broke down the costs of a stay in Georgia as follows:

Typical costs:

Accommodation: $15-$30

Meals: $5-$12

Transport and activities: $5-$15

Daily total: ~$25-$40/day

The AI recommended prioritizing Tbilisi, Kazbegi and Batumi. Curious about what a better-known travel guide like Lonely Planet would advise, I found it also praises the beauty of Tbilisi and Batumi and adds Kutaisi as a good place to stop. The guide noted that traveling in winter can be perilous in terms of access to transportation, though fewer tourists during the off-season may translate into discounted hotel rates.

3. Morocco

If colorful markets, desert tours, gorgeous city quarters and North African culture are on your wish list, ChatGPT says you can get all of this while saving money with a visit to Morocco.

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Returning to Daily Dream Travel as its source, the AI offered these estimates:

Typical costs:

Accommodation: $15-$30

Meals: $3-$7

Transport and tours: $5-$15

Daily total: ~$30-$45/day

Highlights of any trip to Morocco, according to the AI, would include Marrakech, Fes, Chefchaouen and the Sahara. Given some of the risks associated with traveling in areas of the world with extreme climates like the Sahara, travelers may want to spend a little more on reputable, guided tours for safety and comfort.

4. Thailand

ChatGPT described Thailand as a perennial budget favorite, citing the delicious and inexpensive food as well as the prevalence of free and low-cost sightseeing stops, such as beaches and temples.

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Using Visit The Globe as its source, the AI said you could expect some of the following costs:

Typical costs:

Accommodation: $10-$20 (hostels)

Meals: $1.50-$5

Transport: $1-$10

Daily total: ~$25-$45/day

Recommended stops included Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Phuket. Still, its worth noting that ChatGPT seemed to assume that every traveler is young, healthy and adventurous enough to rough it out in a hostel.



To sanity-check this, I decided to search a well-known site like KAYAK. One of the least expensive options I found was SureStay by Best Western Bangkok Ramintra, priced at $36 per day before taxes at the time of my search. Its pricier than a hostel, but for many travelers, the added comfort may be well worth it.

5. Indonesia

When listing why you should consider going to Indonesia, ChatGPT said, From Bali to Lombok, cheaper homestays and food make this great on a budget.

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The AI pulled data from Travel Explorer to break down the costs:

Typical costs:

Accommodation: $5-$20

Meals: $1-$3

Transport: $5-$10

Daily total: ~$20-$40/day

ChatGPT suggests ensuring that Lombok, Java and Flores are on your list of places to visit. As with other countries on this list, costs can rise quickly in more tourist-heavy areas or during peak travel seasons.

6. Albania

ChatGPT put Albania on its list of must-visit destinations on a budget because it offers access to Mediterranean-style beaches without Mediterranean-level prices.

Drawing from Daily Dream Travel, the AI broke down probable costs:

Typical costs:

Accommodation: $20-$40

Meals: $5-$10

Transport: $5-$10

Daily total: ~$30-$50/day

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If youve never been to Albania, ChatGPT recommended Ksamil, Tirana and Berat as top destinations.

7. Mexico

Looking for a hotspot with affordable city life and majestic beaches? Try Mexico, per ChatGPT.

Going back to Daily Dream Travel as its source, the AI pulled together some costs you could expect:

Typical costs:

Accommodation: $20-$50

Meals: $3-$10

Transport: $5-$10

Daily total: ~$35-$55/day

Highlights of a stay in Mexico could include Oaxaca, Merida and Puerto Morelos. Once again, I challenged ChatGPT in its choice to minimize accommodations. A quick KAYAK search showed rooms at Courtyard by Marriott Cancun Airport for under $100 per night before taxes, offering a more comfortable  and still relatively affordable  option.

The Bottom Line

ChatGPT is not a travel agent, nor is it a substitute for thorough trip planning. That said, it can offer useful baseline suggestions about where your globe-trotting can take you without bogging you down in excess costs.

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Remember, actual costs can vary widely based on travel dates, currency fluctuations, as well as accommodations and personal preferences. For travelers planning a major trip in 2026, using AI as a brainstorming tool, followed by deeper research or professional guidance, can be a smart way to balance adventure and affordability.

Need a little extra breathing room in your budget? MoneyLion, a sister company of GOBankingRates, is giving away $2,000 a day through Jan. 24, 2026. Sign up here and see if a cash boost is in your future.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I Asked ChatGPT Where To Travel for Cheap in 2026  Heres What It Said
Travelers approaching their golden years often turn their attention to warmer climes in search of the perfect locale to settle down. Many pensioners regularly flock to Florida, one of the best states to retire to in the United States, but recently, overseas retirement has emerged as a popular choice. Boasting tasty cuisine and balmy beaches, Spain has always been a bastion for American expats, while Italy is now the top travel destination for new retirees. But with so many old-timers vying for space in these European havens, retirement might start to feel claustrophobic. Instead, consider Colonia del Sacramento, an idyllic South American gem in Uruguay, where pensioners can enjoy a slower pace of life with all the added perks of good food and rich culture.

Stretched across a portion of the Rio de la Plata, this Uruguayan community dazzles with cobblestone streets winding through historic architecture, lending it a European atmosphere without the crowds. Imagine sitting back with a cocktail as the tropical sun sparkles across the river, or strolling through Colonia del Sacramento's picturesque Barrio Historico to find a corner bistro for dinner. While Colonia does experience waves of tourism from other South American cities along with international travelers, the city's sleepy lanes shaded by rustling trees and quiet, sandy beaches are perfect for peaceful wanderings.

Retirees will also feel right at home amidst the friendly locals, not to mention the sizable expat community. The weather is pleasant throughout the year, and the cost of living is affordable. The streets feel safe, and the housing market is abundant, with a range of condos and apartments scattered all across Colonia's various neighborhoods. What's more, Colonia's mix of European and Uruguayan cuisines makes dining out an excitement every time. There's no place to retire like Colonia del Sacramento!

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Read more: Why You Should Think Twice Before Visiting These Dangerous European Destinations

Embracing Colonia del Sacramento's historic charm

The historic district in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay - oliverdelahaye/Shutterstock

Being such a walkable city, retirees will enjoy how easy it is to explore Colonia del Sacramento, soaking up the historic atmosphere along the way. Colonia's original Portuguese settlement, now called the Barrio Historico (the Historic Quarter), dates to the 17th century and has been designated a World Heritage Site. A drawbridge through an imposing stone gate leads into a warren of cobblestone lanes weaving between centuries-old stone buildings. At the center is the Plaza Mayor, the idyllic town square where quiet cafes invite passersby to relax with a coffee amidst the colonial Portuguese architecture.

Retirees will have nothing but time on their hands, so why not pop into a museum or two? Clustered conveniently around the Plaza Mayor, Colonia's various museums reveal the city's rich heritage. Delve into the past at the Espacio Portugues, tucked within an 18th-century townhouse filled with antique artifacts. Meanwhile, the Origami Museum displays hundreds of intricately folded paper sculptures and even offers origami workshops. While in Colonia, there's no need to rush. Wander along the rustic alleys overflowing with tropical blooms, passing rustic cottages with tiled roofs and cozy little bistros until you reach the ruins of Colonia's lighthouse, flanked by weathered stone walls. Younger visitors enjoy climbing to the top for views of the Rio de la Plata in the distance, though the tower is just as enchanting from the ground.

A major consideration when choosing a retirement destination is safety, especially when living overseas. Aside from an established community of retirees already living there, the crime rate in Colonia del Sacramento is low, making it one of the most peaceful towns in Uruguay. Retirees can take comfort in blissful sunset strolls on the riverfront without any worries.

Retirees can relax around Colonia del Sacramento's pleasant outdoors

A street cafe in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay - oliverdelahaye/Shutterstock

You wouldn't be living out your golden years without a few beach days. Retirees can put their work days behind them at the Playa Urbana El Alamo, where sugary sand curves along a stretch of dazzling blue sea. Trees offer shade for pleasant strolls along the beach, while the shallow water makes splashing around a pleasure for all ages. Retirement couldn't get any better than this. As the sun sets, stop for dinner at the Playa Las Tunas, a quaint snack bar where you can sit back with a delicious meal as the sea breeze carries the whisper of ocean waves.

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Nothing screams retirement more than taking a cruise. Tour Nautico Colonia offers breezy boat trips around the bay and surrounding islands, allowing passengers to put their feet up while the captain shares tidbits of Colonia's history. A previous guest called the experience a "beautiful ride" in a Google review. Meanwhile, romantic riverfront walks await at the Muelle de Madera, a fishing pier where moored boats bob with the current, and benches offer a spot to sit and admire the scenery.

The best part about Colonia is that retirees can enjoy a comfortable lifestyle without completely breaking the bank. Walkability cuts costs for transport, while meals are also cheap. Real estate is affordable, with a decent apartment fetching between $100,000 to $300,000. Though pricier, the Barrio Historico is popular with expats, while the Centro neighborhood just beyond the historic quarter offers slightly cheaper homes to settle in. Boasting an old-world heritage and historic charm with a laid-back atmosphere, Colonia del Sacramento is a top choice for retirees. And if costliness is your main concern, another option is Peru, a shockingly affordable country with unmatched beauty.

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Read the original article on Islands.
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).

Whether its exploring French Polynesia onboard a 230-passenger cargo ship, gliding along Swedens Gota Canal in a 25-cabin, retro-inspired wooden boat or encountering the landscapes and wildlife of West Africa with only 50 other passengers, the small-scale cruise industry is booming. According to a recent study by CLIA, between 2023 and 2024, bookings for such voyages increased by 22%. With so much on offer, how can you know which expedition will be right for you? To help narrow the field, weve selected 26 of the most exciting small-ship adventures for 2026 and beyond.

1. Scenery in Papua New Guinea

With more than 600 islands, 850 indigenous languages and 13,500 plant species, Papua New Guinea seriously impresses when it comes to diversity  both botanical and cultural. The untouched wilds of volcanic caldera and dense rainforest are best navigated by ship, allowing you to hop between highlights without leaving a trace. Cruise on Swan Hellenics small vessel from Honiara (Solomon Islands) to Jayapura (Indonesia) over 13 nights from 5 April 2026 on an itinerary that includes snorkelling in kaleidoscopic reefs, Zodiac adventures and tribal encounters. Plus, Second World War history: among the stops is Kennedy Island, where JFK was briefly marooned in 1943. The 13-night Wild Eden of Papua New Guinea cruise starts from 8,296 per person.

2. Luxury in the Arctic

A partnership between Natural World Safaris and luxury spa hotel group COMO sees a cushy new spin to arctic cruising launching in 2026. The plush MS Polarfront sets sail from the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen to the frigid Svalbard archipelago  home to roaming polar bears, breaching orcas and prancing reindeer. Onboard, expect the pampering of a five-star resort. The 10-night COMO Journey: Into the Arctic starts from 23,000 per person.

3. Sleek design on the Nile

Channel old-style glamour aboard the newly launched Nile cruiser, Viking Amun. Sailing regularly from Cairo to Aswan and back, taking in the Temples of Luxor, the Sphinx and the pyramids, it comes complete with an indoor-outdoor terrace and Scandi-style interiors. The 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids trip starts from 5,495 per person.

From Venice's Grand Canal to Croatia's historic ports, the Kaia superyacht will visit each country's waterborne gems in 2026. Photography by Gary Yeowell, Getty Images

4. Historic ports in Croatia

Billed as a next-gen superyacht, Emerald Cruises new Kaia launches in 2026 with ultra-spacious rooms, an observation deck with a spa pool, a sunset bar and an indoor-outdoor gym. The intimately scaled ship is perfect for exploring the pebble-beached islands of the Croatian coast and the infinitely fascinating city of Venice. The 15-day Discover the Gems of Italy & Croatia trip starts from 13,029 per person.

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(Want to see a different side to Venice? Take to its lagoon by boat.)

5. Napoleonic history in Pacific Africa

While its most famed for hosting an exiled Napoleon Bonaparte until his death in 1821, the ultra-remote volcanic island of Saint Helena has other joys, including a unique local culture and a rare cloud forest with 250 endemic species. Discover its highlights, along with those of other small ports in South Africa, Namibia and Cape Verde, on a cruise tracing the west coast of Africa. When not taking in the highlights of Cape Town, the golden dunes of Walvis Bay or the lush Creole history of Praia, enjoy Azamara Onwards spa suites or its 24/7 room service. The 17-night South Africa, Namibia & Cape Verde Cruise: Cape Town, Walvis Bay & Saint Helena starts from 3,089 per person from 11 May.

6. Storytelling in Ireland

Its not the staid history books that bring a place to life  its the encounter with living, breathing locals. On a two-week sailing with Aurora Expeditions from 15 May 2026, the Emerald Isle will be brought into focus by Irish storyteller and host John McGroary, who adds context to the people and places of stops like Belfast, Dingle, Cork and Waterford. Youll pay respects at St Patricks grave and visit the often-missed Isle of Man before wrapping up in Troon in the northwest of Scotland. The 14-day Ireland & Scotland: Saints, Saviours and Secrets starts from 8,340 per person.

(Come to this Irish region for otherworldly rock formations.)

7. Culture in far-flung French Polynesia

Among the most remote islands on Earth, the Australs  scattered 375 miles south of Tahiti  offer dramatic green ridges and white-sand beaches so unspoilt theyre the paragon of paradise. This heartland of Polynesian culture is rarely visited by outsiders beyond those aboard the Aranui V, a combined cargo and 230-passenger ship that casts off regularly from Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia. Two-week itineraries provide a rare look into local life while simultaneously fostering small-scale and sustainable tourism opportunities. From 2027, Aranui will add a second ship to its fleet, the 198-passenger A-ranoa, which will also be a mix of passenger and freighter vessel. Like the Aranui V that came before it, it will feature one of the only tattoo parlours at sea  a tribute to Polynesian culture, where permanent body art is imbued with deep meaning and symbolism. The 14-night Austral Islands trip starts from 3,256 per person.

Aboard the Aranui 5, guests can enjoy front row seats for celebratory Polynesian haka dance performances. Photograph by Nori Jemil

Expect karsts, jungles and blue waters in Misool in Raja Ampats southern reaches. Photograph by Antonin Borgeaud

8. Marine life in Raja Ampat

The archipelago of Raja Ampat is a divers paradise of lucent corals and flitting fish  all beneath an azure surface marked with karst islands carpeted in jungle. Indonesian cruise line SeaTrek has the inside track on the destinations highlights, including a plethora of birdlife, prehistoric cave paintings and serene coves for otherworldly snorkels. Travelling on a round trip from Sorong on a traditional wooden pinisi ship, youll spend days floating alongside whale sharks and rare stingless jelly fish. The nine-night The Jewels of Raja Ampat trip starts from 5,842 per person.

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(In Raja Ampat, new coral conservation voyages give a unique perspective on the reefs.)

9. Grand touring via the Panama Canal

Learn how the Panama Canal has shaped global trade on a 22-day trip from San Juan to Puerto Vallarta. The Star Seeker departs on 6 April 2026 and takes in the Dominican Republics Isla Catalina, the powdery beaches of Huatulco and the Panama Canal. The Star Collector: Central American Explorations journey starts from 7,108 per person.

10. Northern Lights in Norway

Spotting the Northern Lights is never guaranteed  but you can up your chances with a cruise along the fjord-carved shores of western Norway. An expedition onboard the M/S Spitsbergen departs from Troms and offers the chance to get steamy in Nordic saunas, and, if luck is on your side, experience nights of dancing Aurora Borealis. The eight-day Ultimate Norway Arctic Expedition Under the Northern Lights starts from 2,848 per person.

(6 alternative ways to see the Northern Lights.)

11. Tall ship in the Windward Islands

Star Clippers tall ships have the romantic bygone feel of a merchant vessel in the days before steam power. Meandering through the Windward Islands over the course of a week, the route takes in smaller ports where larger ships rarely go, from Iles des Saintes to Martinique and St Kitts. Polished woods, oil paintings and brass accents lend a traditional, sophisticated feel that punctuates itineraries featuring dreamy beaches and rum punch. The seven-night Windward Islands trip starts from 1,965 per person.

Passau in Germany, with its baroque buildings and castles, is one of the stops of the AmaSofia cruise around Europe. Photography by AmaWaterways

12. Christmas on the Danube

A cruise on the new AmaSofia is ideal for discovering central Europes unsung corners  whether its gliding along snow-dusted landscapes, taking in Christmas markets on twinkly riverbanks, embarking on hikes to picture-perfect castles or sampling regional drinks on distillery tours. Sailing from Budapest to Bavarian town Vilshofen, youll stop off at the likes of Melk for its UNESCO-listed monastery and Passau for its baroque splendour. The seven-night Rhine & Danube starts from 3,049 per person.

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(How to plan the ultimate adventure along the Danube River.)

13. Highlights of Fiji, Tonga, Cook and Society Islands

See a new side to the popular resort island of Fiji on a sailing that crosses the international dateline on the way to the Cook Islands and Society Islands, stopping at Bora Bora and Moorea, before ending in Tahiti. Most rooms on the MS Gaugin have private balconies and butler service, and theres even a PADI scuba diving certification programme on offer, allowing you to maximise your time in the crystalline shallows. The 13-night Fiji, Tonga, Cook & Society Islands journey starts from 6,944 per person.

14. Gallic elegance in Costa Rica

The natural wonders of Costa Rica are the focus of this loop sailing from Puntarenas aboard Le Bellot, a high-end explorer ship from Ponant. On board, think all crisp white colour schemes, suited service and Gallic-inflected fine dining. The eight-day Pacific Coast of Costa Rica cruise starts from 4,040 per person.

15. Zodiac exploration in the Antarctic

With its high-tech bow designed to reduce fuel consumption, observation decks for polar views and heated pool and sauna, the 130-passenger Douglas Mawson is the latest ship to join the sustainably minded Aurora Expeditions line. From 19 November 2026, itll push off from Ushuaia in Argentina, crossing the Drake Passage and exploring the Antarctic Peninsula. The 12-day Spirit of Antarctica sailing starts from 11,898 per person.

16. Four Seasons luxury in the Mediterranean

This Four Seasons Yachts cruise takes in Lanzarote, Gibraltar and Casablanca. Guests can expect white-sand beaches and art deco architecture, while life aboard is all spacious suites with walk-in closets, lounge seating on terraces and private splash pools. The seven-day Grand Mediterranean featuring Casablanca & Lanzarote starts from 17,831 per suite.

Anse Source dArgent beach is one of many remote spots in the Seychelles. Photograph by Roland Gerth, AWL Images

17. Uninhabited islands in the Seychelles

Carrying just 30 guests in 15 suites, the new Aqua Lares is more superyacht than cruise ship. Gliding from the Seychelles to Zanzibar, the itinerary takes in the Aldabra Atoll and rugged Pemba Island. The 11-night Coralline Seychelles & Tanzania cruise starts from 14,668 per person.

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(Idyllic Zanzibar is the cradle of African Swahili culturehere's why.)

18. Glamour in Gustavia

For a five-star hotel experience on the high seas, turn to Ritz-Carltons flagship yacht Evrima, which brings its polished hospitality to smaller, unsung Caribbean ports. In a circuit sailing to and from San Juan, Puerto Rico, youll take in the likes of Gustavia, the capital of Saint Barthelemy; Marigot, home to a protected marine reserve; and Virgin Gorda, where youll find granite boulders at The Baths. Each itinerary is a little bit different, so choose the one that interests you most. The five-night San Juan to San Juan sailing starts from 5,200 per person.

19. Culture and architecture in West Africa

Explore the cities, landscapes and wildlife of West Africa with small ship specialists Noble Caledonia. The companys 20-day sailing, aboard the 50-suite Hebridean Sky, stops off in unexplored corners of Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe and Ghana  taking in everything from military towers to cacao plantations. The Coastal Cities & Culture of West Africa trip starts from 12,995 per person.

20. Scientific discovery in the Antarctic

Theres still so much to learn about the Antarctic. This is why polar-specialist Quark Expeditions newest ship, World Voyager, comes not only with the increasingly standard spa, swimming pool and whirlpool bath offering, but also an onboard Science Hub, too. Its where guests can learn from researchers as two Rolls-Royce engines propel the ship forward on this itinerary from Argentina to the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula. The 11-day Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the Seventh Continent cruise starts from 10,109 per person.

Penguins are somewhat surprising residents on the Beagle Channel in Argentine Patagonia. Photograph by Vitalii Ionov, Alamy

21. Rugged beauty in Chilean Patagonia

Explore Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn on this 199-passenger, all-inclusive cruise with Australis. Zodiac transfers to see penguin colonies and wind-carved mountains are supplemented by expert presentations on marine life and glaciology. The five-day Fjords of Tierra del Fuego starts from 1,254 per person.

22. Vineyards in France

In 2026, French brand Tauck launches two new riverboats and a new itinerary that includes sightseeing in Paris, wine-tastings in Bordeaux, wanders through Monets Giverny and an introspective pause at Normandys D-Day beaches. New riverboat MS Serene will host a maximum of 124 guests in spacious hotel-standard suites featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and sea-toned fabrics. The 11-day Bordeaux, Paris & the Seine river cruise starts from 5,690 per person.

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(How to spend a weekend in rural Normandy, from Camembert to castles.)

23. Close-up encounters in New Zealand

Small-scale cruises let you zoom in on a destination in a way thats almost impossible on a larger ship. Scenics focused itinerary in New Zealand stops off at small ports for winery tours, art deco walking tours and sightings of Hectors dolphins; meanwhile, nights on board the luxury yacht, sleeping 228, feature sundowners and a choice of nearly a dozen restaurants. The 12-day Bay of Islands Explorer cruise starts from 11,671 per person.

From the decks and cabins of the Captain Arctic ship, guests can take in Svalbard's snow-covered mountain scenery in comfort and style. Photography by Lee Frost, AWL

Image caption override Photography by Carbon Studio

24. Sustainable sailing in Svalbard

Festooned with solar-powered sails and with a zero-waste policy while at sea, the Captain Arctic  sleeping just 36 passengers  sets a new standard in high-end expeditions. Its low-impact model comes with no set itinerary, with expeditions tailored to individual guests experience levels. As the ship leaves Troms and heads towards the Arctic, guests have the opportunity to swim with orcas, snowshoe through the Lyngen Alps or go herring fishing with the chef. The seven-day Dancing with Orcas trip starts from 5,887 per person.

(Close encounters on the Arctic pack ice of Svalbard, Norway.)

25. Canals in the Low Countries

The Netherlands has long been one of the worlds greatest shipbuilding nations, and you can explore its fascinating maritime history on this laid-back itinerary cruising from Amsterdam to Belgian capital Brussels. In Rotterdam, tour the extensive Maritime Museum; and in Antwerp, the architecture funded by years of trade. The 12-day Northern European Culture and Charm: A Cruise Between The Netherlands and Belgium sailing starts from 2,602 per person.

26. Retro style in Sweden

New isnt always better. The M/S Wilhelm Tham was built in Sweden in 1912 and has been sailing the 120-mile Gota Canal, segueing through lakes and forests of the central mainland, for over a century. Across the six days onboard, youll pass through dozens of locks  some more than 200 years old  and see the remains of Swedens first convent as well as the UNESCO-listed Viking settlement of Birka. Inside, the 25-cabin canal boat is all retro glamour with polished woods and white-tablecloth dining. The six-day Grand Sweden Cruise on the Gota Kanal starts from 2,217 per person.

Published in the Cruise guide, available with the Jan/Feb 2026 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).



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I pitched this article on a muggy afternoon in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I built the piece's structure from my hotel room at Disney World, Orlando. Now, I'm writing it from my girlfriend's backyard in North Carolina. Just 20 years ago, that would have been a near-impossible feat. But the rise of the digital nomad lifestyle means it's almost as normal today as clocking into the office.

Despite (or owing to) its popularity, the lifestyle is subject to heavy doses of criticism and skepticism. Social media has turned it into both a punchline and a fantasy, while detractors question its sustainability and romantics gloss over the harsher realities.

I've spent the last seven years living and working in more than 45 countries, and learned that digital nomadism is neither an endless vacation nor a guaranteed path to freedom. It's a lifestyle that requires planning, adaptability, and a willingness to be uncomfortable. From practical preparation and mindset shifts to the less-talked-about challenges along the way, these are the tips and lessons that actually matter when you decide to take the leap.

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Read more: The Rick Steves-Approved Checklist To Always Do Before Vacation

Define the lifestyle you're hoping for

Worker typing on laptop near a Bali swimming pool with rice paddies - Steven Cruse / Static Media

The single most overlooked aspect of a new digital nomad's preparation is considering what their lifestyle will actually look like. It's one of the reasons so many give up after a few months. They anticipate an easy-going life, glancing through work with their toes in the sand. And while that can be part of it, it ignores the practical realities. Setting an intention before you depart is vital for managing expectations and keeping things sustainable.

When I left, the principal goal was travel. I was teaching English online purely to fund my globetrotting and was willing to sacrifice creature comforts to see as much as I could in a year (my original planned trip length). I was willing to move countries each month, which is slow but still a lot to take on, and accept a degree of exhaustion. For others, it's more about lifestyle or even just living in one of the sunniest countries in Europe. I've met many nomads who just wanted a slower pace of life. They often stayed in countries for up to a year, maximizing the legal tourist time or applying for extended visas. Others fell somewhere in the middle.

Understanding what you want from your digital nomad experience is what will dictate your strategy, budget, and goals. It's okay if that shifts along the way. It did for me. But acknowledging you're okay with a fast-and-furious backpacking jaunt mentally prepares you to handle some tougher situations than a beach-beach-island-for-a-year mindset. And remember, there's no wrong way to do it. Everyone is different.

Make sure you have the right job

man working from his kitchen with a cup of coffee - Lordn/Getty Images

It may seem redundant, but you'd be surprised how many people head across the world with a job that's incompatible with the lifestyle they want. More careers than ever allow remote work, but not all of them come with the freedom we imagine digital nomads enjoying.

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If you've been given the freedom to work remotely, but are still clocking in on American time, you'll need to anticipate what that will look like for you. Maybe you can cope with a 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. schedule in Europe, but that still means you won't have any evenings free during the week. In that scenario, you might be limited to staying at home until something shifts. It's not all doom and gloom, though; these are some of the best cities in America for remote work thanks to affordable living, comfortable amenities, and urban charm.

When I started traveling, I taught English online to Chinese kids. My travels also began in China, so the work hours were fine and limited only to the weekend. Teaching those same children when I arrived in Serbia a year later meant my workday began at 2 a.m., kickstarting a year of absurd sleeping patterns I had to correct every Friday and Monday. In the long run, it would have been unsustainable. Today, I'm privileged enough to be a freelance writer with project-based timelines that aren't dictated by logged hours. That shift has been key to me living this way as long as I have.

Do your homework on locations and consider your impact

protest against rising home costs and gentrification in CDMX - Marcos Castillo/Shutterstock

Some countries and cities have significantly stronger infrastructure for digital nomads than others. The same applies to Airbnbs, hostels, hotels, and homeshares. Going in blind is a recipe for disaster, leaving you stressed and tired at best and jobless at worst.

During my first year teaching, I made this mistake many times. My partner and I booked tiny apartments, leaving me to teach while sitting on the toilet on some occasions (seriously), while our month dealing with brutal internet speeds in Ulaanbatar, Mongolia, had us close to being fired. A little research before arriving could have at least given us a chance to prepare for problems. In reality, we could have chosen countries, cities, and accommodation that supported our lifestyle. Places like Slovenia, an underrated European gem that's wooing remote workers with a new digital nomad visa, would have been perfect.

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The opposite is also true. It's important to support the places you choose to stay, and sometimes that might mean avoiding them. One of the greatest criticisms of digital nomads is their contribution to the economic burden felt by some destinations. Cities like Lisbon and Mexico City have worked hard to attract digital nomads, but now want them to leave. Locals have revolted against tourists and digital nomads, who they claim have helped drive living costs through the roof. While other factors are at play, there's no denying the impact of often wealthier long-term visitors. What may feel like a great monthly deal to a New Yorker could be double the average rental price in Lisbon. It's not hard to see how some locals are being priced out of their homes. You shouldn't discount these towns and cities, but always consider the consequences of your presence.

Set clear work and travel boundaries

couple crossing street in chinatown Kuala Lumpur with temple behind - Steven Cruse / Static Media

Like most other things in life, digital nomadism is about balance. Focus too much on the travel, and your career and finances will suffer. Doubledown on work and neglect the travel, and you might wonder the point of you leaving in the first place. Learning early on to set boundaries for both sides of the equation is key to longevity in this world.

When teaching English, I purposely loaded all my teaching hours from Friday evening to Sunday night. I worked about 24 hours during that time period, and was completely free from Monday until Friday afternoon. While it got more complicated in Europe, it still meant I had clearly defined boundaries for the two parts of my life. I could enjoy the city I was in or travel around the country for at least four days a week, then buckle down for a little more than two days. It gave me the best of both worlds and allowed me the time to hike and camp on the Great Wall of China, live with nomadic farmers in Mongolia, and explore the jungles of Borneo, before returning to earn some money back.

Today, I have far more flexibility, but I still keep the two sides distinct. The distinction will look different for everyone. If you opt to live in one place for three or four months, you can take more time with work (if required) and still have the ability to embrace every experience a place has to offer. If you're moving faster, a week of intense work can be offset by another seven days of all-out travel. Do what feels right, find a system that makes the lifestyle possible for a long time, and never underestimate the value of routine.

Slow down

man walking towards water in beach in thailand - Steven Cruse / Static Media

Definitions of slow travel vary wildly. For less experienced travelers, it might be as simple as a week in one city instead of a two-week, six-city sprint. For a long-time digital nomad, it could mean three, six, or even 12 months in a single city. Whatever your distinction, there's value to be found in taking the digital nomad lifestyle slowly. Every long-term digital nomad I know adopts this in some way.

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The benefits of slower travel are numerous. The obvious experiential perk is getting under a city's skin in a way that's simply not possible on a shorter timeframe. Enjoying your favorite cafes and bars, building a routine, and getting the feeling of home in a foreign place is a remarkable experience. It imparts a love that's incomparable. I have dozens of cities around the world that feel like home, and it's one of the greatest privileges of being a traveler.

But taking your foot off the gas has practical benefits, too. Long-term rentals are far better value; you're more likely to cook for yourself and save money, you'll be more productive, and you'll significantly decrease the chances of fatigue or burnout. All of these benefits scale up. A week in Paris can be more rewarding for your experience than giving it two days, followed by the same for Brussels and Amsterdam, while three months in Bangkok can feel rejuvenating compared to a comparatively frenetic month.

Stay connected (to the internet)

internet speed test - RerF_Studio/Shutterstock

For digital nomads, it's quite simple. No internet connection means no job. Even after seven years, I still have the odd connectivity blip (just ask my Islands editors when I go dark for a few days). While it's easier than ever to stay connected, there are some tactics to adopt that will ensure you're ready for almost anything.

One of the biggest mistakes guests make when booking Airbnbs and other accommodations is not checking the listing. That should indicate whether there is high-speed internet. Even if it says so, ask the manager or host for an internet speed test. There are plenty of apps that do this, and my favorite is the aptly named Speedtest. It'll show the upload and download speeds for whatever Wi-Fi the phone or computer is connected to. While it's easy to fabricate, this gives you evidence that they may have misled you in the worst-case scenario. That has happened to me once, but one in over 60 apartments is a decent ratio. The higher both numbers are, the better. At the bare minimum (and this is pushing it), you want download and upload speeds of 25 Mbps (megabits per second) and 5 Mbps. My current place in Malaysia has download speeds of 500 Mbps, so you can see how much better it can be.

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It's also worth grabbing an eSIM as a backup hotspot. It's easier than buying a new SIM card everywhere, and it's simple to add more data. Before I arrive, I also check out nearby cafes and co-working spaces to find reviews from other remote workers. Just search the term online to see if it's a good alternative. If you have the budget, you now have Starlink and other satellite devices as an option, too.

Stay connected (to people)

four friends at the end of the Inca Trail at machu Picchu - Steven Cruse / Static Media

It's one of the great misconceptions of the digital nomad lifestyle. While you can and do meet amazing people on your travels, it can be a spectacularly lonely life choice. Consider anytime you've moved town or city, and the time it can take to build a social group. Opting to move every few weeks or months constantly puts you back at square one, and forcing yourself to socialize can be draining. Without actively addressing that, you can find yourself in a tough headspace.

Despite being comfortable in social settings, I've felt that battery drain on many occasions. After spending one month in an Ecuadorian hostel dorm where I had the same conversations with new travelers every day, I actively avoided humans for the rest of my time in South America. I probably missed out on some amazing experience because of that. Other times, because I travel with my girlfriend and we're never truly alone, we've accidentally gone weeks without speaking to other people.

While strategic social withdrawals are super valid, it's important not to completely fall off the map. Prioritize calls with friends and family back home  don't necessarily set a specific time, but commit to a call a month or every fortnight  and make an effort every so often to go out and meet people. Joining expat, traveler, and locals Facebook groups before arriving is a great way to do this. You'll not only find advice for living there, but they host big meet-ups where you'll bump into like-minded people and others from completely different ends of the spectrum. And that's what travel is all about.

Invest in your environment

beautiful well lit apartment - Imaginima/Getty Images

Some might see this as general life advice, whether you're traveling or not, but there comes a time when investing in your environment makes more sense than pinching pennies. In my early travel days, I opted for the cheapest everything: apartments, food, experiences, everything. I lived off pot noodles, Pringles, and $1 beers, and stayed in tiny apartments or hostels with almost no space to work.

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As I continued, I could feel my sanity, comfort, and productivity waning, and I became more comfortable spending more on stable environments. We stayed closer to the main draws of the city, had better kitchens to cook and store food, and uncluttered workspaces to earn a living from. While it may have cost more up front, I can probably trace the uptick in my income to the moment we made that shift.

Again, I was okay sacrificing this comfort in my first year because I believed it was going to be a one-year experience. As soon as I realized this was going to be a lot longer, things felt different. It wasn't just a year-long jaunt. It was my life. If you know this is going to be a long-term venture, be prepared to put yourself in a place where you can thrive.

Protect yourself

travel insurance documents on table with other gear - Photobyphotoboy/Getty Images

You can support yourself by investing in comfortable apartments and giving yourself enough time in a place, but the digital nomad lifestyle can still throw curveballs. And dealing with those can be intimidating on the other side of the world. I count myself incredibly lucky to have had very few serious issues abroad, but I've always been protected.

The most important of these is travel insurance. Don't leave home without it. While medical care may be affordable in some countries, it may not always be the best. Travel insurance will often get you into the stronger international or private hospitals, a huge difference in some places. Many of them cover evacuation in political crises or natural disasters. I've not had to use either, but came close during the COVID-19 pandemic and left Ecuador a week before its capital became chaotic and violent. This stuff happens.

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Elsewhere, grabbing a VPN to protect yourself online, purchasing security tools like AirTags to keep tabs on your possessions, and even taking out tech insurance are some of the best ways to keep your gadgets safe while traveling. It may feel annoying to pay for things you might never use, but trust me, it's worth it when it does happen. It's also important to let a point of contact know where you are. Pass on travel details to a family member or friend, whether that's the address you'll be staying at, the flight you're catching, or the amount of time you'll be unreachable if you're on a trip. There's a lot that can go wrong. Even if it never does, be prepared.

Methodology

couple standing on the great wall of china - Steven Cruse / Static Media

This piece was primarily dictated by my own experiences as a digital nomad. I know from my own circle of friends and the broader travel community that the advice offered is fairly consistent across the board, and much of this has been substantiated by other blogs and websites written by fellow travelers and digital nomads.

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Read the original article on Islands.
The hypnotic, spellbinding power of smartphones in their drip feed of 24/7 constantly-changing, dramatic content has become far more apparent in recent years. That includes investigations of individual and collective attention as a commodity that is being bought and sold by major companies.

A few years after smartphones became widespread, Pastor Todd Wagner gave a sermon at Watermark Community Church entitled, What if we treated our Bible like we treated our cell phone? where he imagined just that.

What if we carried (scripture) around in our purses and pockets? What if we flip through it several times a day? What if we turned back to get it if we ever forgot it upon leaving home? What if we use it to receive messages from the text? What if we treated it like we couldnt live without it? What if we gave it as a gift to others? What if we used it every time we traveled? What if it was the first thing we turned on in an emergency?

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Christian influencers have now been illustrating this in scenarios showing people just as transfixed in Gods words as many are in their phones.

Pervasive, absorbing, entrancing

These videos show scripture as a constant feature of someones day, from the first moment they wake up (after intermittently checking in bed), to when people brush teeth and eat breakfast. After struggling against the urge to take reading breaks at work, people turn to scripture up to the last spare moment in bed at night.

Viewers witness people fitting scripture in every spare moment, including while shopping, while standing in lines, waiting to be picked up, pumping gas or walking a dog, and even in the bathroom on the toilet.

The total absorption of attention means half-engaging in other activities, including distracted cooking, eating, cleaning, exercising, picking up an order (without looking up), disembodied walking (while bumping into others), or pretend-listening in conversation with a friend.

A missionary reads a scripture referenced by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during a devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Most will relate to the sheer moment of panic upon realizing they dont have their scriptures with them, or trying to find it first thing in the morning with trembling hands.

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Then theres seeing the personal delight of discovering something beautiful, and having sweet moments of sharing with others.

After reviewing more than 30 available videos, here are a few favorites:

1. Sorry, cant stop ... even at lunch with friends

Milk spills on the floor during an engrossing passage at breakfast. Everyone in line at the eatery is fixated in scripture  then again at a meal, so much so that they get a lecture for not paying attention to lunch mates. One is distracted by the Bible when theyre supposed to be listening intently.

2. So much Bible, causing problems at work

Hun, are you nearly done? Its been 20 minutes, his wife asks from the other side of the bathroom door. Ill be just a sec, the husband responds, Bible in hand.

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Its starting to cause problems at work  stealing a few minutes in the middle of busy deadlines to read. Then on the way home, he rear ends someone. The other driver erupts, Mate, were you on your Bible!

It would be great if this were an actual problem, Alys Williams wrote in the comments, while Apriluser said, If only we were caught reading our Bibles!

Matthew Fearnley said he thinks one reason we prefer our phones to the Bible is that we consider the Bibles content to be static, but our phones content is living and active.

Citing Hebrews 4:12, where the word of God is described as alive and active (or alive and powerful), he said if we really believed this passage, maybe we would reach for our Bibles more often.

3. So good ... cant help showing to my friend!

The side-by-side videos showing the expected phone scene with a scriptural counterpart are especially telling, including this from Gabriel Storm:

Lizania Robles also has a nice side-by-side:

4. Completely mesmerized

This one captures well the totality of attention absorption weve become accustomed to with smartphones  from zombie-walking to the iconic, yeah, Ill be right there when someone tries to interrupt a current scroll.

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5. Teens who just cant stop

This ones special due to the teenage actors, and the scene when theyre all eating together, engrossed in their respective Bibles.

Then, this teenager sneaks the Bible into her high school class to get a little more reading time:

6. Uninhibited delight

Other videos stand out for how delighted the individuals are  wholly enchanted by what theyre experiencing in Gods words:

One commentator cynically responded to this with absolute cringe; another person responded, living in sin is cringe, buddy.

Aanuoluwapo Adeniyis video from Nigeria again shows the same delight youd expect from peoples daily interactions with screens:

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7. Relishing Gods word in diverse traditions

Similar videos have been created by Jews imagining what it would look like to treat Hebrew scripture as tenderly as their phones  and Muslims imagining the same with the Quran.

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Tautai Fano also imagines this same scenario applied to the Book of Mormon. Watch for the scene where he holds up something wonderful in the text, taking for granted his friend will love it just as much as a hilarious meme.

8. Overcoming the temptation to read scripture while driving

Unlike many other videos where the person eventually succumbs, these two individuals deserve some props for sneaking a little Bible reading only while their cars are stopped:

Sparking new commitments

Roderick Jackson Jr. admitted the idea behind these videos hits home: Well check our phones the very second we wake up in the morning, wont leave the house without it, constantly have it in our hand or within reach  and for some of us, we even drive holding it. If we treated Gods word this way, he added, it would transform us.

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I dont know about you, but I am guilty of this, and need to repent, said Zach Hinojos in a response to one of these videos. I always grab my phone first thing in the morning. I check my phone a million times throughout the day.

He encouraged others to join him in changing, suggesting that increasing the ratio of scripture to smartphone would guarantee a lot more peace.
Black women  reportedly more so than any other U.S. working group  have been devastated by joblessness.

Financial instability, less income, and reduced living standards are some of the meltdowns for those women. Beyond the economic collapse, fear, self-doubt, and the abrupt effect of job loss are other traumas that Black women continue to carry.

DEI expert Mary-Frances Winters shared why Black women being dismissed is a systemic shock with broad ramifications, impacting households and communities.

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This adversity is significant because job loss for Black women  particularly single mothers and primary breadwinners  threatens far more than professional identity. It can immediately destabilize housing, healthcare, childcare, and family wellbeing, often without sufficient financial or social safety nets.

However, the silver lining is that there are many moves Black women can apply to help overcome the dilemma. Those shifts are needed, given the dismal trend in the 2025 labor market. For instance, the number of Black workless women rose from 598K to 796K between January and November, according to an analysis of the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data by Creative Investment Research.

That means their joblessness surged by a robust 198,000 in under a year. Their unemployment rate peaked at 7.5% in September and only fell to 7.1% in November. Conversely, the overall U.S. unemployment rate, including all racial groups, remained relatively unchanged, rising from 4.4% to 4.6% during that time. The October jobs report was halted due to the federal government shutdown.

William Michael Cunningham, an economist and owner of Creative Investment Research, told BLACK ENTERPRISE, These data make clear that rising unemployment among Black women is not the result of labor force withdrawal, but of job losses and weak hiring in sectors where Black women are heavily concentrated.

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Many of those job losses for Black women have purportedly come from cutbacks in the federal government, DEI downsizing, and discharges in professional services, education, and healthcare.

Contrarily, Alicia Lyttle, CEO of the consultancy firm AI InnoVision, says unemployed Black women can use AI to help them recover financially. She maintains that AI literacy is now the most in-demand skill in the job market.

Based on LinkedIns workforce data, she argues that understanding how to work with AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot is now essential across industries. Employers increasingly expect candidates to come in already AI-literate, and those who are not are often viewed as less competitive.

For workless Black women, she says learning AI is one of the fastest ways to become employed and boost earning potential. There are many free AI certifications available, including those offered by Google, and adding these credentials to a resume immediately increases value. People with AI skills tend to earn higher salaries because they are more productive and efficient.

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Budget-wise, Lyttle says apps and other tools AI provides can help them manage money, monitor expenses, and help them pay bills and build savings. That includes an emergency fund to help them survive if they dont already have one.

Further, AI can identify unnecessary expenses and wasted money. It can suggest cost-cutting strategies, recommend ways to redirect savings toward an emergency fund, and help prioritize bills. Because AI evaluates finances without emotion or bias, it often highlights financial gaps and opportunities people may overlook.

Winters and her daughter, Mareisha Winters Reese, co-authored the second edition of BLACK FATIGUE. It dives into the lingering impact of systemic racism on Black health and shows ways to counter its effects. It will be published in June 2026. Mary-Frances is the founder/CEO of The Winters Group, and Mareisha is the firms president and chief operating officer.

They reflected on how policies by the Trump administration, including the weaponization of DEI and mass government layoffs, have worsened matters for Black women.

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Despite that, they offered some quick strategies to help Black women cope with the massive layoffs. One way is to develop a short-term financial game plan that includes reviewing what your employer owes you and immediately applying for unemployment benefits. They advise checking your states rules, as some states have a waiting period before unemployment benefits can begin. Also, get a clear picture of your immediate cash flow and prioritize essential bills.

Other tips Winters and Reese offered to Black women:

Pause before making any major decisions. Clarity comes after your mind and body settle, so you should take an intentional restorative pause, which could be a 72-hour reset with movement, hydration, and sleep.

Turn setback into strategy. Reframe the layoff as an opportunity to architect a new path that honors your well-being and aspirations. When you feel positioned to begin mapping out a strategy, consider short-term income-producing options such as consulting, freelancing, temporary contract roles, or other gig work. Consider your ideal profession or job and ask yourself what you would love to do even if you are not paid.

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Create a healing ecosystem. Join affinity groups for Black women in similar situations, connect with faith communities, participate in healing circles, and engage with sisterhood cohorts. Lean on kinship networks, not just professional networks. Be mindful that Isolation accelerates Black fatigue; community disrupts it.

Additionally, Lyttle explained AI tools can help identify side hustles, flexible or remote work opportunities, and pathways into higher-paying roles. Entrepreneurially, she says AI can assist women with business ideas, pricing strategies, marketing plans, and scaling revenue.

Her firm plans to host a free summit this month that will teach Black women how to start or scale a business using AI.

RELATED CONTENT: DAMN! Florida State Supreme Court Upholds $165K Code Fines For Parking On Grass, Cracked Driveway
Cocktail bars are everywhere  but the ones that offer something different and unique always seem to catch my eye. As you roam through the narrow streets of Maltas capital, Valletta, youll find dozens of bars that are great for a mid-day aperol spritz or an after-dinner cocktail.

But KAMY Cocktail Bar is a must-visit for unique cocktails that turn beverages into art. Inside this tiny space lie craft cocktails that are not only Instagram-worthy but are delicious. The bars website even describes it as unlike any cocktail bar youve ever seen  and I completely agree.

Mixology meets art

Emily Caldwell / The Manual

If you manage to snag a seat at this popular cocktail bar in Valletta, youll want to stay for a while. The tiny interior holds only a few small bar tables to lounge at, yet offers a massive cocktail menu to explore. I almost couldnt decide which to try first, but I went with the popular Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh cocktail I saw on TikTok before coming.

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The cocktails each have a unique film that lies atop each drink that remains intact even as you sip the drink down. These drinks, paired with the cozy, intimate vibe and eclectic decor of the bar, made this place truly stand out during my trip to Malta. As I sipped on my drink, I found myself wondering why more bars like this dont exist back home.

The House Special Art Cocktails also include other creations inspired by popular artwork and iconic figures, such as Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol and The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali. If you love artisan cocktails and appreciate art, youll love this spot. Of course, you can get a variety of traditional cocktails at KAMY too, as it is a fully-equipped bar. Speciality art cocktails naturally come with a higher price point, but its worth trying at least one for the experience. Many of the cockails I tried while lounging at KAMY Bar had a nice layer of foam on top (one of my favorites in speciality cocktails).

Visiting KAMY Cocktail Bar

Emily Caldwell / The Manual

In my experience, most social media famous spots tend not to live up to the hype, but this one surely did. Not only do these drinks look awesome and taste delicious, but I also found it sparked my inquiring mind to want to learn more about some of the drinks inspired by paintings I hadnt yet heard of. As I waited for my drinkm I found myself checking out the dozens of interesting art pieces that filled every inch of the walls throughout the bar.

If youre visiting Malta during the busy season (summer to early fall) and want to ensure a spot at KAMY Cocktail Bar, I recommend going early and preparing to wait. This spot gets increasingly busier later in the evening as people go before and after dinner reservations. If your schedule allows for some daytime drinking, you may find you are able to get in easier during the day. I visited during the high season in August and was able to snag a table in under 10 minutes.
NEED TO KNOW

An Idaho man was checking his lottery tickets at a local store, and the clerk told him he had won $100,000

Then, the clerk said, "No, I got it wrong!" after realizing his prize total was missing some zeros

"There was a lot of high-fiving," the man said of his reaction to his big lottery prize

An Idaho man  and longtime lottery player  was thrilled to learn he had won a sizable prize. Then, he got an even bigger surprise.

Sean Klingler of Rigby was recently at a local gas station "hangout" having coffee when he decided to check some of the lottery tickets he had stashed in his truck, per a press release and Instagram video from the Idaho Lottery. He quickly found out he had a winner on his hands.

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"I had eight Raffle tickets, and when the clerk checked them, she told me I had won $100,000, Klingler recalled of his Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle tickets.

I didnt believe her. I thought maybe it was $100," Klingler recalled of his initial reaction.

Then, the news got even sweeter when the clerk realized that there were some zeros missing.

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.

"She said to me, 'No, I got it wrong  you won $1,000,000!' " Klingler told the Lottery in the release. "There was a lot of high-fiving in the store after that."

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"It was kind of like a craps table when you're on hot dice," he added with a laugh in the Instagram video.

After signing his winning ticket, Klingler called his wife and daughter to tell them the exciting news. He said he had to put the call on speaker because they didn't believe him and he needed everyone in the store to confirm the win for him.

"Yeah, we called [some more] family. Nobody believes you right out of the get-go. They always think you're fooling them. This will help," he added in the video, motioning toward his winnings check.

Klingler, his wife and daughter drove to the Lottery's office in Boise on Tuesday, Dec. 30, to claim his prize.

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The man told the Lottery he plans to take "a responsible approach" with his winnings. He will pay off a few debts, buy his wife a new car and then put the rest toward his retirement.

Ive been playing the Lottery for a long time, Klingler shared. You dream about winning, and when it finally comes true, its weird.

Other prizes from this year's Raffle game remain unclaimed, including a second $1,000,0000 ticket sold in Kootenai County and a $100,000 ticket sold in Payette County. Another man, Kurt Blaisdell of Pocatello, won $50,000 in the Raffle and told the Idaho Lottery he planned to use the money to buy his fiancee an engagement ring.



Read the original article on People
If you've wanted to explore several of Spain's stunning cultural landmarks but don't know how to fit them into a single trip, a solution might have arrived in the form of a luxury train tour. One of Europe's new scenic train routes rolling out in 2026 will connect Seville to Madrid (or vice versa) with the luxury rail Al Andalus. The itinerary, spanning one week, will lead you through many of Southern Spain's beautiful destinations, including Arab-influenced Andalusian cities like Cordoba and Cadiz on the coast, as well as ancient inland cities like Merida and Toledo surrounded by lush countryside and mountains. You'll also get to explore culturally significant sites, including the UNESCO-designated Old Town of Caceres and an Andalusian winery.

The train cars of Al Andalus are worthy of the experience in themselves. As The Times reported, the carriages date back to the early 20th-century Belle Epoque, when British royals used them as a stylish means of travel between Spanish cities. They fell into disuse for a while, sitting on display in a park, until the Renfe railway company returned them to the rails under the Al Andalus branding, replete with plush upholstery, ornate gilded motifs, and theatrical wood panels that evoke its glamorous origins. As its name suggests, Al Andalus has mainly served Andalusia, the coastal Spanish region with beautiful white hill towns. The forthcoming Seville-Madrid route, however, brings the elegant train cars outside of Andalusia (Madrid and several other stops on the journey are in separate autonomous regions), giving travelers a more expansive Spanish panorama.

Read more: Rick Steves' Most And Least Favorite Places In Europe

Stops along the new Al Andalus route from Seville to Madrid

Skyline view of UNESCO World Heritage Site of Caceres, Spain - Samuel Howell/Getty Images

The Seville-Madrid route on Al Andalus offers itineraries in both directions. Supposing you were to start in Seville, the first leg of the train route covers several foundational cities in Andalusia. Right away, you'll get to see the baroque, vibrant place Rick Steves called a "perpetual fiesta" before boarding. The train then sets off to Cordoba, letting passengers off to see the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, a spectacular pastiche of the various architectural influences that have shaped the city's history, from its minaret entombed in a Renaissance tower to red-and-white Arabesque arches supported on columns salvaged from a previous Visigoth structure. The train makes stops at Cadiz and Jerez (where you'll get to visit a sherry winery) before exiting Andalusia.

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The fourth day of the Al Andalus journey makes several sojourns in the region of Extremadura. The day begins by setting off from Zafra, a medieval town backdropped by the mountain peaks of the Sierra de Castellar. Afterwards, you'll stop in Caceres, where passengers can walk through the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site particularly notable for its ancient city walls and abundance of Islamic-era towers. The train then heads to Merida, widely regarded as having the best-preserved Roman ruins in Spain, with its own Colosseum-like amphitheatre that once held gladiator combat.

The final few days of the journey head into the beautiful, more rural wine region of Castilla-La Mancha. Here, you'll get to see the mythic windmills of Alcazar de San Juan (which inspired the famed Spanish novel "Don Quixote"), the stately fortress-crowned city of Toledo, and the palace of Aranjuez, before concluding in Spain's cosmopolitan capital, Madrid.

How to reserve a spot on the 2026 Al Andalus route

Luxury gilded interior of the Al Andalus train in Spain - Renfe / YouTube

A great perk of the Al Andalus route is that, regardless of whether you start in Seville or in Madrid, it offers free connections (via Renfe trains) to and from the originating and terminating cities, so long as connections are available  and most medium-to-large mainland cities are connected, thanks to Spain being the country with Europe's most high-speed rail lines. So, for instance, if you fly into Barcelona-El Prat Airport, one of the main international arrival hubs in the country, you could get a free train ride from Barcelona to either Seville or Madrid (depending on the chosen itinerary) and back to Barcelona at the end of the journey.

The free connections are just a slight offset to the otherwise premium price tag of the trip: For a shared double cabin, the total cost starts at close to $8,000 per person, with single-person cabins starting around $13,000. What you get with that fare is fairly inclusive, covering all meals, activities (including on-board parties), and tickets to museums and shows. The 2026 Al Andalus excursions take place on fixed dates throughout the year, so if you're interested in the voyage, you can book well in advance.

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Oil crept higher as the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces opened new currents of geopolitical risk and as Washington appears set to continue clamping down on shipments from the South American nation.

West Texas Intermediate added 1.7% to settle above $58 a barrel. The US plans to continue pressuring the OPEC producers oil exports, though Venezuelas relatively small global footprint and a market already grappling with a swelling glut are capping price gains. Oil company shares jumped in premarket trading after President Donald Trump said American companies will spend billions of dollars to rebuild Venezuelas crumbling infrastructure.

The market has got this right, Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group said in a Bloomberg TV interview. Its a nothingburger for short-term crude futures, its another tailwind for US oil companies and majors.

Jorge Leon, a former OPEC official and now Rystad Energys Senior Vice President and Head of Geopolitical Analysis, talks about possible supply disruptions, the lack of American oil majors response so far and Venezuelan crudes role in world trade.Source: Bloomberg

While the future of Venezuela and its oil sector is still very murky, US President Donald Trump has said the US would be running the country temporarily and needed total access to Venezuelas oil supply. CBS reported on Monday that the US plans to interdict the Marinera, formerly known as Bella 1, a tanker allegedly carrying Venezuelan oil. Maduro, meantime, was flown to New York and pleaded not guilty Monday to narco-terrorism charges.

Venezuela was once an oil-producing powerhouse but the countrys output has tumbled over the past two decades and now represents less than 1% of global supplies, which is mostly exported to China. The global market is facing a big surplus this year as OPEC+ and others add more barrels against a backdrop of subdued demand growth.

The events have turned up the heat on geopolitical risk, said Rebecca Babin, a senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth Group. Crude is reacting less to potential short-term supply loss from Venezuela and more to potential knock-on effects that may come from Russia, China and Iran in response to US actions.

On Sunday, OPEC+ stuck with plans to pause supply hikes in the first quarter. The group, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, didnt discuss Venezuela during the 10-minute video conference, according to delegates, who added that its premature to gauge how to respond to the unfolding situation.

Venezuelan oil exports fell to a 17-month low in December amid a US naval blockade. Those restrictions remains in place, leaving ships holding 7.33 million barrels unable to depart for their final destination in China.

Despite the US attacks on Saturday, Venezuelas oil infrastructure  including Jose port and Amuay refinery and main producing areas in the Orinoco Belt  wasnt affected, according to people familiar with the matter. Still, recent American pressure on Maduros regime, including the seizure of tankers, has forced the country to start shutting some oil wells.
HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY)  One person has died and another person was seriously injured after a two-vehicle crash in the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) early Monday morning, according to Virginia State Police.

State police said it happened at approximately 2:40 a.m. on I-64 eastbound inside the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.

A preliminary investigation determined a grey Nissan Altima blew a tire and become disabled inside the tunnel. A red Acura MDX subsequently struck the disabled Altima while traveling at a high rate of speed. The driver of the disabled Altima, 39-year-old Thomas Wiley of Virginia Beach, was ejected and died at the scene.

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The driver of the Acura suffered serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital.

Courtesy: Virginia State Police

Courtesy: Virginia State Police

Police say charges are pending with the Hampton Commonwealth Attorneys Office.

The investigation remains under investigation.

Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.

Copyright 2026 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 WAVY.com.
A man was killed in a drive-by shooting in the Back of the Yards neighborhood Sunday night, Chicago police said.

The shooting took place at about 9:52 p.m. in the 800-block of West Garfield Boulevard.

Police said a 43-year-old man was standing outside when a white SUV approached and someone inside opened fire, hitting the man in in the stomach.

The man asked a CTA bus driver for help, who called 911, police said. The man was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he later died, police said.

No one is in custody and Area One detectives are investigating.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WRKN)  A man died Sunday following a single-vehicle crash along Lebanon Pike.

According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, the crash happened at approximately 7 p.m. on Lebanon Pike in front of the YMCA in Donelson.

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(Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN)

Officials said a preliminary investigation indicates that 54-year-old Anthony Barrett was traveling outbound in a Chevrolet Silverado when, for reasons unknown, he left the roadway, continued into a ditch and struck two trees.

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Barrett was reportedly taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he died.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

Toxicology testing will be completed by the Medical Examiners Office to determine if impairment was a factor in the deadly crash, according to the MNPD.

No additional information was immediately released.

 Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go.

 Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.

 Find todays top stories on WKRN.com for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee.

This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.

Copyright 2026 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.
Freightliner eCascadia electric trucks used in a Coca-Cola Bottling fleet are pictured in 2023. (Photo courtesy of Daimler Truck AG)

Washington is close to opening a new incentive program for commercial fleet operators to transition trucks and other vehicles to models that run on electric or hydrogen power.

Industry groups and climate advocates anxiously await the $126 million initiative. But the state lawmakers who championed it say its taken far too long to come online.

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The transportation sector is the biggest driver of Washingtons carbon emissions. Exhaust from big trucks and buses makes up a disproportionate share of those emissions, and diesel air pollution can be especially unhealthy.

To help combat this, the Washington Zero-Emission Incentive Program, or WAZIP, is expected to launch in the spring.

We are very eager for WAZIP to launch as soon as possible, said Leah Missik, the Washington legislative director for environmental advocacy group Climate Solutions, which is part of a group that receives money as a subcontractor on the WAZIP program, though that work is separate from Missiks role.

We know from the experience in other states and even from the experience of people whove been able to get clean trucks here in Washington that this program will help drivers and businesses save money, and it will benefit communities, Missik added.

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Washington has already made some progress.

In 2024, nearly one in five new medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold in Washington ran on zero-emission technology, according to the state Department of Ecology. Though the adoption rate varies depending on the type. Heavier trucks are harder to come by than, for example, electric delivery vans. Think of Amazons ubiquitous Rivian vans.

Heavy trucks, on the other hand, remain prohibitively expensive for many companies, while lacking public charging infrastructure, industry groups say. And they cant go nearly as far on a charge as their diesel-fueled counterparts, not to mention theyre much heavier.

The city of Seattle has tried its own incentive program offering up to $180,000 for Class 8 heavy-duty trucks to serve the Port of Seattle. But even with that sweetener, operators found the transition still unfeasible financially.

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Instead, the city in October partnered with a company called Zeem Solutions to distribute $1.5 million to drayage operators. It follows more than $5 million that the Northwest Seaport Alliance gave the company over the summer for a commercial fleet charging depot in the city of SeaTac.

But while Washington state moves ahead, the federal government has looked to slow the transition.

Washington has been following the lead of California in its push toward zero-emission vehicles. California has a unique ability to set emission rules that go further than federal guidelines, and other states can pick between the two. Washington has been following Californias stricter standards.

But Congress this year repealed Californias opportunity to set those standards. States, including Washington, have sued the federal government over the move.

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One of those rules pushes manufacturers to up their sales of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks over time. The move by Congress and approved by President Donald Trump offers a slight ease of pressure on the trucking industry, said Sheri Call, president and CEO of the Washington Trucking Associations.

But it also doesnt mean that we dont want to continue the conversation about what industry can do today, Call continued, because we do have members who are motivated to reduce their carbon footprint. They just need workable solutions to do so.

The local trucking industry is also grappling with the Trump administrations cancellation of federal money meant to fuel a hub of hydrogen development in the region, which aimed to help develop cleaner semitrucks, among other things. Call said this is very promising technology for the industry, especially in the heavy truck space.

How will it work?

The WAZIP program is funded by proceeds from the states carbon auctions under the Climate Commitment Act.

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Itll offer $82 million in vouchers for on-road vehicles, $20 million for off-road equipment, like forklifts and farm equipment. Itll also have $10 million reserved for small businesses.

For example, buyers of a zero-emission Class 4 medium-duty truck weighing between 14,001 pounds and 16,000 pounds could get $60,000 off at the point of sale, though the final voucher amounts arent yet finalized. The vouchers, which increase based on weight, cover electric and hydrogen fuel cell technology.

For reference, a Class 4 diesel truck costs around $60,000 while the electric version is roughly $160,000, according to John Barnes, of TEC Equipment. Diesel Class 8 trucks cost $160,000 compared to $600,000 for electrics.

Voucher applicants can also ask for more money to install charging infrastructure, a major barrier to transitioning to zero-emission vehicles for both businesses and individuals.

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The hope is that trucking companies can get assistance with upfront costs to transition toward electric, then reap the benefits of reduced fuel costs over time.

I cannot understate the importance of it in terms of hitting our climate targets, but also helping people save money over the long run, Missik said.

Some businesses will be eligible for even more savings. They include those with under $10 million in annual revenue and those certified as an emerging or rising business by the states Office of Women and Minority Owned Business Enterprises. Drayage operators, veteran-owned businesses, nonprofits and public agencies also qualify.

In the Class 4 example, these purchasers could get an extra $10,000 off.

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Businesses can also buy converted or used vehicles with vouchers of reduced value.

The initiative is modeled on similar efforts in California, where a truck incentive program has given out roughly 15,000 vouchers totaling over $1.6 billion in savings in the past 15 years.

Call and Missik both expect WAZIP to be very popular.

Whats taking so long?

But those leading the charge for WAZIPs creation think it should already be up and running.

State House Transportation Committee Chair Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, said it shouldve started up at least six months ago. His counterpart in the Senate agrees.

The governors office and the Department of Transportation know that Im not satisfied by how long its taken to get this done, Fey said. Its beyond the point now that my patience is about done with this.

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In response, the state Department of Transportation noted this is a complex program that WSDOT needs to ensure is developed and administered properly, because significant state resources are involved.

This work includes custom software to meet Washingtons unique needs, spokesperson Barbara LaBoe said in an email. WSDOT is working diligently to deliver the program as quickly as possible, while maintaining the high standards for compliance and usability that are required.

The agency doesnt have a date set for the launch.

This story has been updated to note Climate Solutions involvement in the WAZIP program.
This story has been updated to add the rank of Tara Crescenzi, who is a lieutenant in the Florida Highway Patrol.

Cops are hearing all kinds of excuses from drivers busted under Florida's new super speeder law.

A man driving a Corvette in Palm Coast was pulled over by a Flagler County Sheriff's deputy on Sept. 23 for going 107 in a 70 mph zone on I-95. "Why (are) you going so fast?" the deputy asked the man. "I have an appointment with my barber," the man replied. "In New Smyrna."

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The back-and-forth discussion was recorded by the deputy's body camera. The driver had not heard about the increased penalties under the new law.

"Now you get to go to jail for the night," the deputy said. "For the night?" asked the man. "Yeah, for the night," the deputy answered.

1 man's excuse for speeding? He thought the trooper wanted to race

Then there was the man driving an SUV at 90 mph in a 25 mph zone on 10th Street in Holly Hill on Sept. 6. He told a Holly Hill police detective he was "almost late" to a party.

Another man, driving a high-performance Dodge, told a Florida Highway Patrol trooper on July 20 that he was going to a friends house. He was clocked at 155 mph on I-4 in Seminole County. The driver said he was only doing 80. The trooper suspected the man was showing off in front of his three passengers.

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Another man was stopped just before midnight on Oct. 31, going 108 in a 70 mph zone on I-4 in Volusia County. The man was wearing a Department of Corrections uniform and said he was on his way to work, according to an FHP trooper.

Another man was stopped after going 120 in a 65 mph zone on I-4 in Seminole County on July 23. He said he thought the FHP trooper in a marked patrol car that pulled him over was actually trying to race him.

About 170 people cited under Florida's new super speeder law in less than 5 months

About 170 people were charged in Volusia County under the new super speeder law between July 1, when the law took effect, and Nov. 19. The new statute elevates excessive speeding to a criminal charge. The FHP charged the most people, about 107, while the Volusia Sheriff's Office charged about 50 drivers.

A law enforcement officer who stops a super speeder can take the driver to jail or give him a citation.

Holly Hill Police Chief Byron K. Williams at a meet and greet at the city's commission chambers in 2024.

Holly Hill Police Chief Byron K. Williams said in an interview that enough is enough and that the super speeder law gives law enforcement a little more teeth to address outrageous violations, like the driver reportedly doing 90 mph in a 25 mph zone.

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Someone going that fast is obviously ridiculous, Williams said in a phone interview. There is no rhyme or reason one should be going that fast down the roadway."

He said everyone is put in danger due to such high-speed driving.

Your family member could be just driving to the store, not knowing that that could be the last time you see them, because somebody was in such a hurry, or somebody decided they wanted to rev up the engine to see how fast they could go down the road.

One recent example of a deadly crash involving high speeds happened not far from Holly Hill.

Drivers under the new law can be charged with a misdemeanor. A person is a super speeder if they drive over the speed limit by 50 mph or more, or if they drive at 100 mph or more "in a manner that threatens the safety of other persons or property or interferes with the operation of any vehicle."

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That "manner," based on reports of traffic stops, is often described as weaving in and out of traffic.

A first conviction is punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine or both, according to the statute. A second conviction is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine or both.

If someone is convicted again within five years of their first conviction, then their license will be revoked for at least 180 days and up to one year, the statute states.

Defense lawyers seeing super speeder cases

Matt Thompson, who is president of the Volusia County chapter of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said he has been retained on a couple of super speeder cases and that there seemed to be an uptick in such cases for defense attorneys.

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So far, the people Ive represented dont have significant driving histories and have no criminal history," Thompson said. If the State can prove the case, I focus on securing outcomes like deferred prosecution agreements so clients can avoid a criminal record."

What used to be a civil citation "now carries criminal consequences," he said, and "any criminal charge can affect employment opportunities or college admissions.

Speeding can have deadly consequences

Scott P. March, 63, bought a Chevrolet Corvette on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 1. Later that day, March was driving it at 147 mph on a busy stretch of A1A with a speed limit of 45 mph in Ormond-by-the-Sea, according to FHP.

He was going 110 mph when he tried to pass a Jeep in a no-passing zone and instead slammed into it.

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Thomas Lauck was driving the Jeep, and his wife, Julia Ann, was a passenger. Both were thrown from the Jeep and suffered fatal injuries.

March was not cited for "super speeding." But he is facing much more serious charges.

He is being held without bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail on two counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of driving under the influence causing death.

Scott P. March talks with another inmate on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, while he awaits his hearing at the Steven C. Henderson Judicial Center in Daytona Beach.

FHP: Super speeders speeding to jail

FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi praised Orange County Sheriff John W. Mina for being the driving force behind the super speeder law.

This is sending a message, Crescenzi said. Its no longer a traffic ticket: you could be spending a night in jail.

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She said super speeders are putting peoples lives in danger. High speeds strip away reaction time for situations like driving up on stopped traffic.

If you are doing such high speeds and then you come to stopped traffic you could kill yourself or someone else, she said.

She said super speeding on local roads is also very dangerous. Local roads have pedestrians and cross streets and traffic signals and stop signs, which motorists dont have on interstates and highways.

Flagler detective wasn't super-speeding, but faces pending citation

The Flagler County Sheriffs Office had a recent speeding incident involving one of its own. Flagler Sheriffs Office Detective Ardit Coma was spotted on Dec. 4 going 88 in a 55 by Ormond Beach Police Sgt. Caleb Braun.

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The sergeant said the detective tried to flee a traffic stop for speeding and arrested him. Coma, who was driving an unmarked Flagler County Sheriffs Office Ford Taurus on his way to work, said he didnt realize Braun was trying to stop him.

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said Coma should not have been arrested because there was no evidence to support he had any intent to elude. Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey supported his officers arrest of Coma. The State Attorneys Office declined to file charges.

The Sheriffs Office suspended Coma for two days without pay. Coma was not "super speeding," but he still has a pending traffic citation.

Flagler Sheriff's Office: Super speeding puts everyone at risk

Flagler County Sheriffs Office Community Policing Division Chief Jonathan Welker declined to comment on Comas case during an interview, saying that it had been addressed already by the Sheriffs Office.

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Welker said that prior to the super speeding law, there was no statute that he was "aware of that specifically made excessive speed a criminal matter. Deputies relied on the reckless driving statute if it was applicable."

Welker said the Flagler County Sheriffs Office has made 15 arrests based on the super speeder law since it took effect on July 1. He said the barber excuse by the Corvette driver, Michael Stanek, was unique.

In a 30-year career, I never heard the barber one until I watched that video, Welker said.

Stanek, 57, was booked into the Flagler County jail after the Sept. 23 traffic stop and spent about 90 minutes before being released on a $150 bond. Stanek was sentenced on Oct. 30 and paid a $166 fine plus $50 cost of prosecution, according to court records. He did not receive any jail time. Adjudication was withheld, which means the misdemeanor won't be recorded as a conviction.

Welker said super speeding puts the motorists at risk and puts other drivers at risk.

Its just not worth it. Please slow down," he said. "Obey the traffic laws. Arrive safely at your destination and allow those that are motoring alongside you to safely arrive at their destination.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Super speeding is dangerous, whatever the excuse, police say
Florida DEP to host January meeting on Blue Origin wastewater permit

After significant opposition emerged, Brevard County residents will get the chance to chime in on Blue Origin's industrial wastewater permit renewal at its huge Rocket Park manufacturing complex on northern Merritt Island.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will conduct a public meeting on Blue Origin's permit from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 30 at the Brevard County UF/IFAS Extension Building. The address is 3695 Lake Drive in unincorporated west Cocoa.

Read the full story here.

What to expect from Cape Canaveral rocket scene in 2026

A new era of lunar exploration and space innovation is poised to unfold along Floridas Space Coast as NASA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin prepare for history-making launches in 2026.

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While 2025 saw a record number of launches including crewed exploration, science missions, and even an historic first booster landing by Blue Origins New Glenn  2026 will showcase Cape Canaveral's fast evolving future. The landscape and skyline of Cape Canaveral is rapidly transforming.

Read the full story here.

Florida's Space Coast hosts record-breaking 109 rocket launches in 2025

Talk about a launch cadence gaining pace. During 2022, a record-breaking 57 orbital rockets launched from Florida's Space Coast as ever-expanding internet-broadband constellations gained footholds in low-Earth orbit.

Now, that annual record has nearly doubled within a mere three-year span. An unprecedented 109 rockets lifted off during 2025 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's neighboring Kennedy Space Center.

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Read the full story here.

First Florida SpaceX rocket launch of 2026 set for Sunday

After capping off the year with a new Florida launch record, SpaceX will kick off 2026 with a weekend Falcon 9 rocket launch.

It's been a quiet few weeks over the holiday season as the last Space Coast launch was Dec. 17. This left the 2025 record sitting at 109. While it was a record launch year for Florida, it was a record year for SpaceX as well. Florida-based Falcon 9 rockets accounted for 101 of those 109 launches.

Read the full story here.

Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX rocket launch schedule in Florida

Florida's Space Coast just hosted a record-shattering 109 orbital rocket launches during 2025, soaring beyond all previous annual records.

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Will this year's final total surpass that lofty sum from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center?

Read the full story here.

L3Harris $843M 'Golden Dome' missile-satellite work coming to Palm Bay

L3Harris Technologies has secured a Space Development Agency contract worth up to $843 million to build 18 more infrared national-security missile-tracking satellites, which will undergo integration and testing at the defense giant's Palm Bay campus.

L3Harris' secretive $100 million satellite facility at Building 31 off Palm Bay Road has scaled up to full production  as major contracts are rolling out for President Donald Trump's future "Golden Dome" defense system against incoming ballistic and hypersonic missiles.

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Read the full story here.

Recap of Florida's first SpaceX rocket launch of the year

Recap of the Starlink 6-88 mission, which launched 1:48 a.m. on Jan. 4 from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Read the full story here.

Max Space looks to Kennedy Space Center to manufacture space habitats

A company establishing a manufacturing presence at Kennedy Space Center plans to use innovative Kevlar-like materials to build an expandable space habitat for low Earth orbit in a bid to answer NASA's call for a permanent presence on the moon and, someday, even Mars.

Max Space, a company establishing manufacturing at Exploration Park in Kennedy Space Center, recently released to the public the concept for its upcoming Thunderbird Station. Unlike other space stations designs, made up of interconnected metal modules launched individually, Max Space is taking a different approach.

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Read the full story here.

For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter.

Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY, where he has covered news since 2004. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 321 Launch: Space news you may have missed over the past week (Jan. 5)
If 2025 featured a mix of highs and lows in early care and education, 2026 is poised to bring a series of deeper challenges to the field, as states prepare to make difficult budget decisions in anticipation of the looming federal funding cuts.

Its pretty grim, said Natalie Renew, executive director of Home Grown, a national initiative committed to improving the quality of and access to home-based child care, about the outlook for the sector.

I dont think anyone is particularly optimistic about child care in the new year, added Daniel Hains, chief policy and professional advancement officer at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

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A handful of early care and education experts noted that 2025 did herald in a number of key victories in the field.

Some states have made progress in policies shaping child care and early childhood education. In 2025, Arizona, Connecticut and Montana were among those that made new investments in the field. New Mexico took its gains in recent years a step further by announcing free universal child care for all families, regardless of income, beginning last November.

Alongside those wins for early learners and their caregivers came some challenges. Head Start was caught in political crosshairs more than once throughout the year  first when it was floated for elimination, then when many of its regional offices across the country were closed, and later when programs serving thousands of children nearly lost access to services during the prolonged government shutdown. And some states, such as Indiana, feeling stretched by the end of federal pandemic relief dollars, began to pull back on support for families and programs, slashing provider reimbursement rates, instituting co-pays for families who use subsidies, and changing subsidy eligibility, among other actions.

Now, those experts say, the child care cliff that many states have experienced as historic pandemic-era investments expired is going to run headlong into another kind of budget shortfall in 2026. Thats one of four main issues they said theyll be watching in early care and education in the new year.

1. Child Care Spending: States Begin Tightening the Belt

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was signed into law in July 2025 includes significant cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. The cuts effectively shift the costs of those programs from the federal government to states. If states decide to pick up the tab, theyll likely have to pull back on other services.

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Most of the cuts wont go into effect until after the 2026 midterm elections, but states will start planning ahead.

Its less painful to do it slowly than all at once, explained Melissa Boteach, chief policy officer at ZERO TO THREE.

Unlike the federal government, states cant spend more than they earn; they have to balance their budgets. So theyll be looking for ways to increase revenue, such as through new taxes, or cut costs by eliminating or scaling back programs and services.

Uncertainty is the word, said Aaron Loewenberg, senior policy analyst at New America. Theres a lot of anxiety and uncertainty at this point about what the next year or two could look like.

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As states look to reduce costs, they will have fewer dollars to invest in early care and education. Certainly the prospect of bold new projects and initiatives seems less likely, experts said, but its also possible that existing programs could be scaled back.

What will emerge, said Hains of NAEYC, is a divide between states that have the will and resources to fund ECE, and states that dont.

Were going to be looking at two very different countries: States that have revenue to invest in child care and early learning  [like] Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, Montana  while other states are going to be in more constrained and challenging situations.

Ultimately, funding cuts will be felt by children, families and early educators.

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Theres no way to nickel and dime investing in children, Boteach said. At the end of the day, if were going to really transform outcomes for children and families, it requires resources.  Children in this country are going to suffer because we are disinvesting rather than investing in their future.

2. Expanding Access: Can Promises of Universal Child Care Be Fulfilled?

New Mexicos pledge of free, universal child care has buoyed the spirits of many early childhood educators and advocates.

Its an enormous bright spot in an otherwise very difficult year, Boteach said.

The initiative is in its early days  the income limitation was lifted on Nov. 1, 2025  so this year will offer state leaders a chance to make good on their promise. Early childhood policy experts will be watching closely.

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Loewenberg of New America said hell be looking at how leaders navigate challenges in the system, whether families feel its successful, and how such a policy could be replicated in states that dont have the oil and gas revenues that New Mexico uses to fund universal child care.

Meanwhile, all eyes will be on New York City as Mayor Zohran Mamdani settles into his new role and pursues his own pledge for universal child care.

Im holding out excitement or negativity to wait and see what happens, said Loewenberg. I think were past the point of saying, This is great because people are talking about it. The difficult work is being able to make it work. That remains to be seen.

One critical step is working out the funding mechanism for universal child care, which will likely require cooperation from the state government.

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Hains does find the policy pledge in itself encouraging.

Reflecting back on the last decade or two in this work, how amazing is it that we are at a place where mayors and governors are putting forward real, meaningful proposals of child care as a public good thats available to everybody? Hains said. As a whole, looking at the big picture, its exciting that child care feels like something that elected officials can deliver on.

3. Workforce Instability: Immigration Enforcement Creates Chilling Effect

In 2025, the Trump administration intensified immigration enforcement, which has had deleterious consequences for early childhood educators and, in turn, the families who rely on them.

An estimated one in five early childhood educators are immigrants. In large urban areas, such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, immigrants make up almost half of the child care workforce, Boteach pointed out.

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New America, a left-leaning think tank, released a report in December that found a strong association between the increase in ICE activity and the number of foreign-born child care workers: Between February and July 2025, as ICE arrests increased after President Trump took office, there were 39,000 fewer foreign-born child care workers than the same period in 2024.

With more funding for immigration enforcement, detention and deportation included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the trend is expected to continue in 2026.

Immigration enforcement, to me, right now, is the number one disruptor both to parent behavior and provider behavior, said Renew of Home Grown. It is hugely disruptive.

Because arrests have been public, visible and sometimes physical, they have created a culture of fear among immigrants, even those with legal status in the country, New America found. And now that early learning settings are fair game for ICE activity  prior to Trumps second term, they were protected under a sensitive locations exception  many educators and parents worry about what may unfold before childrens eyes.

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The amount of stress, the amount of worry about targeting in your community, can affect providers mental health and then the health of those kids in their care, Boteach said.

In effect, the escalation in immigration enforcement may impact both the availability and the quality of early care and education, she added.

4. Bright Spots: Solutions Emerge Amid Challenges

Even in a challenging political and budgetary environment, there are bright spots to keep an eye on in 2026.

For one, Loewenberg pointed out, Head Start is still a viable, funded federal program. A year ago, that was not a sure thing.

A second is that a number of states with protected revenue streams for early care and education, including New Mexico and Vermont, will continue to invest in the field. Others are jumping in to commit more dollars to the sector  New York, Texas and Washington among them.

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Finally, early care and education is proving to be a viable campaign issue. In addition to Mamdanis victory in New York, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia both won their gubernatorial races by talking about child care.

Youre seeing in the elections that candidates that ran on child care, ran on helping families and children, won, Boteach said. These are winning political issues, which means both parties should be vying to talk about these issues and govern on these issues.

Indeed, Hains feels that the country is moving from a place of whether child care is a government responsibility to how and how much the government should be involved.
Four people hurt when an explosion ripped through a Pennsylvania nursing home two weeks ago sued the facility and a natural gas utility on Monday, claiming their negligence was to blame.

Two workers at Bristol Health & Rehab Center LLC, a resident of the suburban Philadelphia facility and a contractor who happened to be there when the blast occurred on Dec. 23 filed the lawsuit. The defendants include PECO Energy Company, which provided natural gas to the complex, its parent company Exelon Corp., and Saber Healthcare Holdings LLC of Beachwood, Ohio.

The lawsuit filed in Philadelphia court claims the defendants were aware of a gas leak in the building and failed to take the steps necessary to evacuate the building, fix the leak and protect the residents, workers and others that were exposed to the horrific blast.

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Zach Shamberg, Saber Healthcare Group chief of government affairs, said in an email Monday that the company is cooperating with the ongoing investigation and does not comment on litigation.

PECO communications director Greg Smore said in an email that as a party to an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, the company was not permitted to comment. The gas utility has previously said the cause is under investigation and its not known whether PECOs equipment or natural gas were involved.

The explosion killed a resident and a worker and injured 20 other people. Officials have not said what caused it, but a PECO crew had been there to investigate a reported gas leak.

The lawsuit claims the gas leak had been festering for days and the gas odor came from the boiler room.

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Defendants' decision not to immediately initiate evacuation procedures under these circumstances was reckless and outrageous given the population within the building, with many of the residents having limited mobility and unable to self-evacuate in the case of an emergency, the lawsuit alleged.

A utility crew was responding to reports of a gas odor when the explosion happened, authorities have said.

Authorities reported acts of heroism in response to the explosion. About 100 residents were taken to other nursing homes nearby, officials said.

One of the people who died was Muthoni Nduthu, 52, a Kenyan immigrant who worked there. The other victim was a resident whose name has not been made public.

The force of the blast shook nearby houses for blocks in Bristol, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Philadelphia.
Half of the victims of the fire in Crans-Montana were teenagers, Wallis canton police said Sunday.

They ranged in age from 14 to 39 years old, and included 21 Swiss nationals, nine French (including one Franco-Swiss and one 14-year-old who held French, Israeli and British nationalities), and six Italians.

Other victims came from Belgium, Portugal, Romania and Turkey.

The Swiss government said on Sunday that 35 patients have been transferred from hospitals in Switzerland to specialised clinics France as well as Belgium, Germany, and Italy.

Mourning

Hundreds of people walked in silence on Sunday to a small chapel near the bar, following a memorial service for the victims and the 119 people injured.

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Pastor Gilles Cavin noted that many of the victims were apprentices, high school students, and university students.

The fire was one of the worst disasters in recent Swiss history and has led to an outpouring of grief in Switzerland, which will hold a national day of mourning on 9 January, national president Guy Parmelin said on Sunday

"In this moment of reflection, everyone in Switzerland can personally remember the victims of the disaster," Parmelin told newspaper Sonntagsblick.

Investigation

Authorities believe the fire was likely caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles held too close to soundproofing foam on the ceiling of Le Constellation bar, which ignited and quickly spread.

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The Wallis cantonal prosecutors office said initial witness statements describe a fire that spread rapidly, generating a large amount of smoke and intense heat.

The blaze began around 1:30am on Thursday in a packed basement of the bar that was crammed with young partygoers.

The French couple who ran the bar, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are under criminal investigation on suspicion of offences including homicide by negligence, police said on Sunday.

The mayor of Crans-Montana, Nicolas Feraud, told Swiss public broadcaster RTS that there had been no negligence on the municipalitys part.

(with newswires)
Aerial view of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, N.D., on Sept. 5, 2025. The grand opening of the library is scheduled for July. (Photo courtesy of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library)

Federal policies on health care and trade are likely to continue to color North Dakotas biggest government stories in 2026. Congress and the Trump administration are spending money in an attempt to help the rural health care system and farm economy to offset cuts to Medicaid and declining ag commodity prices.

Its also an election year, featuring ballot measures and a U.S. House race in North Dakota. And the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library plans its grand opening in conjunction with the nations milestone 250th anniversary.

Special session

Gov. Kelly Armstrong has set Jan. 21 as the date for a special legislative session to allocate federal rural health funding that was part of what Republicans called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2025.

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North Dakota was awarded $199 million after applying for its share of the federal funding. One North Dakota policy change prompted by the competition for federal funding was prohibiting the use of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to buy candy and junk food. The new restrictions are expected to be implemented by September 2026.

North Dakotas application for funds from the Rural Health Transformation Program focused on four areas: workforce; preventive care and healthy eating; bringing high-quality health care closer to home; and improving health care technology.

Once lawmakers gather at the Capitol, they could propose bills addressing other issues. But legislative leaders have said they plan to limit the scope of the session, and rules require that a two-thirds majority in each chamber must agree that the topic should be considered.

Election

North Dakotas only U.S. House seat and a potential statewide vote on making school meals free for students are likely to be the top races in 2026, but there are many more. More than half of the Legislatures seats are up for election, and there are local races for seats on school boards, judgeships and other positions.

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U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak, a Republican in her first term, plans to run for reelection and has already received President Donald Trumps endorsement. Republican Alex Balazs, who came in fourth out of five candidates in the 2024 primary but received the state party endorsement, has announced plans to challenge Fedorchak.

Republican U.S. House candidate Julie Fedorchak answers a question during a debate May 24, 2024, at KFGO in Fargo as candidate Alex Balazs listens. (Amy Dalrymple/North Dakota Monitor)

Other statewide offices  all held by Republicans  on the 2026 ballot are secretary of state, attorney general, agriculture commissioner, tax commissioner and two seats on the Public Service Commission.

The statewide nonpartisan offices up for election are the Superintendent of Public Instruction and two seats on the state Supreme Court.

In the Legislature, odd-numbered districts are on the ballot and two even-numbered districts, 26 and 42, have elections for House seats. The primary is June 9.

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North Dakotans may be voting on state funding for school breakfasts and lunches, something the 2025 Legislature voted down. Organizers still need to turn in signatures to get the issue on the general election ballot.

Voters will consider during the primary election a ballot measure to require all proposed amendments to the state constitution to comprise a single subject.

The Legislature also approved putting two measures on the 2026 general election ballot. Measure 1 proposes to make changes to term limits voters approved in 2022. The measure would allow lawmakers to serve up to 16 years in one chamber and clarifies that a partial term does not count toward the limit. Measure 2 would require that 60% of voters approve a measure instead of a simple majority.

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

The grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is set for July 4 in Medora, coinciding with the 250th birthday of the United States.

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All living presidents are invited to the grand opening, said Matt Briney, spokesperson for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation. However, they may not attend on the opening weekend and instead arrange a time to see the library before the year ends.

President Trump has not confirmed whether he will attend the library opening, Briney said. July 1 is highlighted on a national calendar of 250th events to celebrate the librarys grand opening.

Members of Theodore Roosevelts family are planning to camp in the area during the opening weekend, and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, who is also a library foundation board member, plans on attending the library opening, according to Briney. Among public officials expected to attend is Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, who championed the library project as North Dakota governor.

The state has high hopes for attracting more tourists to the town of fewer than 200 people with the museum dedicated to Roosevelt, who ranched in the Badlands before becoming revered as one of Americas greatest presidents.

Energy

As the nations No. 3 oil producing state, North Dakota relies on oil and gas taxes for more than half of its revenue. Production has held relatively steady, though the price of oil is struggling to stay above the level forecast by the state.

Industry observers will be watching to see if a couple of carbon dioxide gas sequestration projects  Minnkota Powers Project Tundra and the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline  will move forward.

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Sequestration is permanent underground storage of the greenhouse gas. Minnkota would sequester CO2 from a coal-fired power plant while Summit would gather CO2 from ethanol plants in five states, including one in North Dakota. While in the works for years, construction has not started on either project. Summit, which has faced regulatory challenges, has indicated the possibility of changing the pipeline route, but also has said a North Dakota storage area remains an important long-term asset for the project.

Meanwhile, hearings on a controversial high-voltage transmission line are coming up in January. There is high interest in a pipeline to bring natural gas from western North Dakota to the east, though construction wont start until 2028. There could also be headwinds for wind and solar energy as the Trump administration cuts incentives for green energy projects.

Potential efforts to extract critical minerals from coal, lawmakers study of nuclear energys feasibility in the state and the ongoing discussion surrounding data centers are also likely to be major energy topics in 2026.

Agriculture

The farm economy took a beating in 2025, and 2026 isnt looking so good, either. A major factor will be export markets. China has been a key importer of North Dakota soybeans in years past but did little buying in 2025.

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Depressed prices for soybeans and other crops coaxed the Trump administration into aid payments for farmers, which should arrive in February. Former North Dakota Farmers Union leader Mark Watne questioned whether those payments would be enough to keep farmers afloat.

Construction will continue in 2026 on two giant milking operations for Minnesota-based Riverview in the Red River Valley. There is a lawsuit pending against the state for its permitting of the Herberg Dairy near Hillsboro and other legal challenges to the Abercrombie Dairy north of Wahpeton.

Beef production was the bright spot for North Dakota agriculture in 2025, and despite some ups and downs, could be again in 2026 as consumer demand remains strong despite higher prices.

North Dakota Monitor reporter Michael Achterling contributed to this story.

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Insiders were net buyers of Paterson Resources Ltd's (ASX:PSL ) stock during the past year. That is, insiders bought more stock than they sold.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Paterson Resources

The Executive Director Matthew Bull made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for AU$400k worth of shares at a price of AU$0.018 each. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (AU$0.034), we still think insider buying is a positive. While it does suggest insiders consider the stock undervalued at lower prices, this transaction doesn't tell us much about what they think of current prices.

The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

View our latest analysis for Paterson Resources

ASX:PSL Insider Trading Volume January 5th 2026

Paterson Resources is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find small cap companies at attractive valuations, this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Paterson Resources insiders own about AU$5.9m worth of shares. That equates to 33% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Do The Paterson Resources Insider Transactions Indicate?

The recent insider purchase is heartening. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. But we don't feel the same about the fact the company is making losses. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Paterson Resources we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Paterson Resources. For instance, we've identified 5 warning signs for Paterson Resources (2 shouldn't be ignored) you should be aware of.
Last year was another busy one for tornadoes, which included the strongest to strike the United States since 2013. But where the tornadoes hit, and which states saw the most, shifted noticeably from the year before.

Preliminary data from NOAA's Storm Prediction Center shows 2025 was the second consecutive year with above-historical-average tornado reports.

AccuWeather.com

A total of 1,558 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in 2025, compared to 2024's preliminary number of 1,910 and the 15-year historical average of 1,392.

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These five states recorded the most tornadoes in 2025:

 Texas (162)

 Illinois (146)

 Missouri (120)

 Mississippi (111)

 Alabama & North Dakota (72)

Seven of the 48 states in the Contiguous U.S. did not have a tornado report, including Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Washington, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia.

A likely tornado tears through Blodgett, Missouri, on Friday, May 17.

Because of its size and location in classic Tornado Alley, Texas typically tops the annual twister list. Other states in the Plains, Midwest and Southeast tend to jockey for the top 5.

Compared to 2024, Florida, Iowa and Nebraska dropped off the list, while Mississippi, Alabama and North Dakota made the top 5. This reflected an overall decrease in tornadoes on the East Coast last year versus 2024 and an increase in the South.

AccuWeather.com

After a surge in tornado activity across most of the eastern half of the country in 2024, the majority of tornadoes in 2025 unfolded in a narrow strip of land east of the Mississippi River. However, there were a significant number of tornadoes recorded in North Dakota and western Texas. Major tornado outbreaks in June and September helped raise North Dakota's numbers.

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A total of 68 people were killed by tornadoes in 2025, compared to 54 in 2024.

AccuWeather.com

After damaging tornado outbreaks in March, April and May, 2025 was on track to be the worst tornado season in 14 years. However, tornado activity started to decline in June. This, paired with a lack of landfalling U.S. hurricanes and a lackluster second severe weather season, kept the tornado count from spiking, with 2025 ending with the fourth-highest tornado count for the last 15 years.

Still, the year had several notable twisters. A 117-mile EF4 tornado tracked through Arkansas and Missouri on March 14. The Arkansas portion of that tornado was the third-longest in the state. The next day, a tornado that tracked from Kentwood, Louisiana, to Darbun, Mississippi, killed five people. It was the deadliest tornado of the year.

On June 20, the first EF5 tornado since 2013 plowed through southeastern North Dakota, breaking a 12-year drought of the strongest category on the Enhanced Fujita scale.

AccuWeather.com

Tornado warnings issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) showed similar trends, with 2025's total of 3,018 falling short of 2024's 3,636 warnings. April had the most warnings, with 838 statements going out that month. The Oklahoma City NWS office issued more warnings - 184 in total - than any of the other 122 offices during the year.
WASHINGTON  Five years after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to thwart Joe Bidens victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 election, both parties are still battling to control the narrative of that day.

Tuesday marks the fifth anniversary of that somber day during which thousands of Trump supporters descended onto Capitol Hill in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election, resulting in hundreds of people being injured and millions of dollars in physical damage. In the two years immediately following, Democrats cemented the official account of that day as being the fault of Trump, who they accused of attempting to overturn the election.

But Republicans, who have since regained control of Congress and now the White House, insist theres more nuance to that version of events. They say there must have been something bigger going on behind the scenes that led to the security failures and alleged attack on democracy.

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As a result, Republicans are laying the groundwork to investigate the events of the Jan. 6 attack all over again.

The House voted along party lines last year to create a new panel to determine whether intelligence shortcomings caused by political biases could have played a role in the security failures that day. The investigation will be led by Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., through a task force on the House Judiciary Committee.

Loudermilk told reporters last month he plans to hold the subcommittees first hearing sometime in January, which he said would focus specifically on the FBIs investigation into the Jan. 6 pipe bomber that was led by the Biden administration. The hearing comes after the Justice Department arrested a Virginia man in December for allegedly placing bombs at the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters.

The investigation at large will likely expand beyond that, and Loudermilk has previously said he would focus efforts on scrutinizing the work of the original Jan. 6 investigative committee led by Democrats when they controlled the House in 2021 and 2022.

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Loudermilk has expressed concerns that the investigation was largely motivated to fit a predetermined political narrative accomplished by cherry-picked evidence and pointed testimony.

The original Jan. 6 committee was mostly made up of Democrats after then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy refused to nominate any additional Republicans after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected some of his original picks. Only two Republicans ended up accepting a position on the panel: former Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.

Democrats plan to hold Jan. 6 hearing

As Republicans comb back through the evidence, Democrats have signaled they will not stay silent.

In a Dear Colleague letter sent to lawmakers on Monday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced Democrats would hold a special hearing on the Jan. 6 anniversary to examine ongoing threats to election integrity as well as the threats to public safety posed by rioters charged in connection with the Capitol attack but were pardoned by Trump on the first day of his second term.

INBOX: House Democrats will hold a special hearing on the 5th anniversary of the Jan. 6 riots to "examine ongoing threats to free and fair elections," detail any perceived threats to public safety by J6 rioters who were pardoned, and "expose the election deniers who hold pic.twitter.com/m4bScJsqUB  Cami Mondeaux (@cami_mondeaux) December 29, 2025

In the years since that disgraceful day, far-right Republicans in Congress have repeatedly attempted to rewrite history and whitewash the events of January 6th. Our country has been indelibly scarred, Jeffries wrote. We must never forget the horrors of January 6th and will continue to honor the brave law enforcement officers who were injured and lost their lives defending the rule of law in the United States.

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With Democrats in the minority, the special hearing will be mostly symbolic.

However, Democrats will try to push back against Republicans narrative on the newly formed Jan. 6 subcommittee after Jeffries nominated three members to sit on the panel: Reps. Jasmine Crockett of Texas and Jared Moskowitz of Florida as well as Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who will serve as the ex-officio member.

Jamie Raskin, who Jeffries wants as an ex officio member of the subcommittee, compares the new panel as a return to the scene of the crime



But says it gives Dems an opportunity to highlight what happened on Jan 6 and how GOP has done nothing for the police on duty that day https://t.co/bNewY0RbiK  Cami Mondeaux (@cami_mondeaux) September 8, 2025

Democrats have hinted at bringing Jack Smith, the former special counsel to the Justice Department, in for testimony as a way to help their case after he spent years investigating Trump and his role in the Capitol riot. Smith recently testified before the House Judiciary Committee where he claimed Trump and his top allies knew he lost the 2020 election but attempted to overturn the results in a deliberate and criminal fashion.

President Trump was, by a large measure, the most culpable and most responsible person in this conspiracy. These crimes were committed for his benefit, Smith said, according to released testimony materials. The attack that happened at the Capitol, part of this case, does not happen without him

Smiths closed-door testimony was quietly released on Dec. 31, but it could motivate Democrats on the panel to push for Smith to appear publicly for upcoming hearings.
The majority of those wounded in the devastating New Year bar blaze in Crans-Montana were still in hospital on Monday, as the bodies of five Italian teenagers were repatriated from Switzerland.

Four days on from the disaster, Swiss police announced all 116 people wounded in the deadly fire had now been identified, alongside the 40 fatalities, most of whom were teenagers.

Swiss authorities believe the fire in Le Constellation bar, in the upscale Alpine ski resort town of Crans-Montana, started in its basement level when sparklers attached to champagne bottles were lifted too close to the sound insulation foam on the ceiling as people celebrated the New Year in the early hours of Thursday.

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"This tragedy could have been avoided" and "should have been avoided through prevention and common sense," said Gian Lorenzo Cornado, Rome's ambassador to Switzerland, who was present at Sion Airport as five coffins were flown back to Italy.

- 19 nationalities impacted -

"All 116 injured people have been identified. Eighty-three of them are still hospitalised," the Wallis cantonal police in southwest Switzerland said Monday in a statement.

Late Sunday, police also said that all of the 40 people who perished in the tragedy had been identified. They were aged 14 to 39, with the average age being 19.

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Swiss nationals accounted for most of those killed and wounded, but nationals of 18 other countries were also impacted.

The dead included 19 foreign passport holders, including nine French and six Italians.

Among those injured were 23 French, 11 Italian, four Serbian and two Polish nationals, police said Monday.

Nationals from Australia, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Congo-Brazzaville, the Czech Republic, Finland, Luxembourg, the Philippines and Portugal were also among those hurt in the tragedy.

The most severely burned casualties have been airlifted to specialist burns centres in Switzerland and abroad.

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- Italian teens repatriated -

The six Italians killed in the disaster included two girls aged 15 and 16, three boys aged 16, and a 16-year-old Italian-Emirati dual national.

The bodies of five of them were repatriated to Italy on Monday.

Four Swiss police officers carried each coffin into the Italian air force transport plane at Sion Airport in southwest Switzerland.

Officers saluted at the foot of the ramp as the cream-coloured coffins were taken aboard, an AFP journalist saw.

Italian ambassador Cornado said there were "numerous shortcomings in safety and prevention" at Le Constellation, outside which well-wishers have left an abundance of flowers, candles and messages of sympathy.

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"We understand and share the anger, we understand and share the very emotional, very strong reactions after the tragedy," Mathias Reynard, president of the Wallis cantonal government, told France Info radio on Monday.

"Answers must be provided to the families because even if it won't bring their children back, we owe these families this transparency and justice."

- 'My world fell apart' -

Twenty-six of those who died in the inferno were teenagers, including eight under 16.

That would seem to indicate a violation of Wallis cantonal laws, barring children under 16 from premises that serve alcohol after 10:00 pm, unless accompanied by their legal guardian or a third party authorised by them.

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The dead included 24-year-old Caroline Rey. Her father Joel is a local councillor in Sierre, the town in the valley below Crans-Montana.

On Saturday, two police officers and a psychologist knocked on his door.

"My world fell apart... The pain felt by a parent who loses a child is unimaginable," he told Swiss broadcaster RTS.

"I remember Caroline for her joy, her carefree spirit at the age of 24, when you have your entire life ahead of you."

Switzerland has declared a national day of mourning on Friday, with all church bells in the country poised to toll at 2:00 pm (1300 GMT). A moment of silence is also planned.

French President Emmanuel Macron is due to visit Switzerland on Friday for a ceremony honouring the victims.

elm-rjm/nl/rh
Alvin Hellerstein, the 92-year-old US judge handling the case against deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, has presided over a number of notable trials during his decades on the bench.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, made their first appearance in Hellerstein's Manhattan courtroom on Monday, pleading not guilty to narco-terrorism and other charges.

Maduro was indicted in 2020 in a sprawling drug trafficking case that has been before Hellerstein for nearly 15 years and has already seen the conviction of Venezuela's former intelligence chief, Hugo Armando Carvajal.

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A graduate of Columbia University law school, Hellerstein served as a lawyer in the US Army from 1957 to 1960 before entering private practice.

He was nominated by former president Bill Clinton in 1998 to be a district court judge for the Southern District of New York.

During his lengthy career, Hellerstein has presided over several civil cases stemming from the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington.

He has also tangled at times with Donald Trump, rejecting a request by the president to have his New York hush money case moved to federal court.

Hellerstein also blocked the Trump administration last year from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members without a court hearing.

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In September, he sentenced tech start-up highflier Charlie Javice to more than seven years in prison after she was convicted of defrauding JPMorgan Chase on a $175 million deal.

In another high-profile fraud case, Hellerstein sentenced Bill Hwang, the founder of US investment firm Archegos Capital Management, to 18 years in prison.

He also presided over the trial last year in which a jury found French banking giant BNP Paribas's work in Sudan had helped prop up the regime of former ruler Omar al-Bashir, awarding $20.75 million in damages to three plaintiffs from Sudan.

In a noteworthy 2015 ruling, Hellerstein ordered the US government to release a trove of photos depicting abuse of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan.

cl/des
Akron will begin moving away from allowing police officers to carry their own rifles on duty this year, with the city's 2026 spending plan specifying funds to help the department facilitate that shift.

Akron Mayor Shammas Malik listens to a question before going over the proposed 2026 capital budget with reporters in the Mayors conference room at City Hall on Jan. 2, 2026. The budget will be presented to City Council on Jan. 5.

Mayor Shammas Malik's administration has earmarked $255,000 of the proposed $341.9 million capital improvements budget for police gear and equipment replacement, including buying some rifles for the police department's patrol division. The department allows officers to use their own rifles in part due to budgeting challenges. Malik said the funds aren't sufficient to buy all the rifles needed for the department this year, but it's enough to start.

The administration released details of the plan Jan. 5 as it was introducing the budget to Akron City Council. Council is required by the Akron city charter to pass the budget by Feb. 15. A second capital budget review will take place on Jan. 12 at 3:15 p.m. in council chambers, 166 South High Street. A public hearing will be held Jan. 26 at 5 p.m. in council chambers.

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The proposed budget could undergo some changes based on City Council's input.

Community conversations and discussions inside the department and city administration drove the decision, Malik said. Currently, officers can use their personal rifles  provided they qualify.

On Nov. 28, 2024, officer Davon Fields used his personal rifle to shoot and kill 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker while investigating reports of gunshots in the Sherbondy Hill neighborhood.

"Since that shooting," said Malik, "we've looked at this, and I think this is the direction we want to move in."

Akron City Planning Director Kyle Julien said the budget aims to improve operational efficiency of the city's departments, make capital investments to reduce operating costs, "enhancing the quality of life for our residents" by improving parks and maintaining streets, and making Akron attractive to private investment through public investment, which, said Julien, grows the city's tax base.

How does the 2026 budget compare to 2025?

Akron Mayor Shammas Malik, Planning Director Kyle Julien and Finance Director Steve Fricker listen to a reporter's question as they explain the proposed 2026 capital budget in the mayors conference room at City Hall on Jan. 2, 2026. The budget was presented to City Council on Jan. 5.

The proposed 2026 capital budget is $341,909,940  nearly $39 million less than 2025.

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"A lot of that is due to ARPA no longer being here," said Malik, "so I don't want to pretend we just cut $39 million out of it totally separately." He said the administration was "exacting" in its efforts to trim the budget since funds that flowed from COVID-era federal assistance were no longer boosting the city's coffers.

The budget is funded through local, regional, state, federal and private sources. Like last year, over half the budget's funding comes from the state and over half the budget is dedicated to water and sewer projects.

Local funds increased by 6%. State funds decreased by 6%.

Finance Director Steve Fricker explained the drop is because Akron doesn't have to fund sewer projects as extensively as in 2025.

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State funding for large 2026 sewer projects, Fricker said, comes from low-interest water pollution control loan funds, which makes the projects more affordable "because we're getting much lower rates through those loans than we would be if we were issuing revenue bonds on the open market."

Sewer and water

The Northside Interceptor Tunnel project has $36.7 million earmarked for continuing work. $2 million is budgeted for the closeout costs for the Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel.

There's $15.5 million allocated for constructing an Enhanced High-Rate Treatment Facility, the last project in Akron's Consent Decree. The city is challenging in court the requirement to build the facility.

Over $23 million is budgeted to replace the reservoir on Brittain Road.

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Another $23.4 million is allocated to replace galvanized water lines on private property that were formerly downstream from lead service lines.

Public facilities

In the mayor's conference room, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik discusses an item in the proposed 2026 capital budget as Planning Director Kyle Julien listens on Jan. 2, 2026. The budget was presented to City Council on Jan. 5.

$570,000 is budgeted to replace 42,000 square feet of roofs at 717 Credit Union Park, the city-owned minor league ballpark formerly known as Canal Park.

$100,000 will go to improving Lock 2; more than $2 million is budgeted for the ongoing rehabilitation of the parking deck underneath Cascade Plaza; over $4 million is appropriated to renovating the 58-year-old Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center.

$325,000 is assigned to construction of two new salt storage facilities.

Housing

Julien said there's nearly $9 million budgeted for housing and community development. Most of these funds, he explained, come from Housing and Urban Development.

Akron Mayor Shammas Malik looks over a paper copy of the proposed 2026 capital budget as he answers reporters' questions about the budget in the Mayors conference room at City Hall on Jan. 2, 2026. The budget was presented to City Council on Jan. 5.

"This is very much a projection," he said, "and every year is a bit of an anxious waiting game until we find out what the federal budget is going to look like."

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$1.5 million is earmarked for new infill housing; $500,000 is appropriated for implementation of the Innerbelt Master Plan; and $2.8 million is budgeted for loans to home owners for housing rehabilitation and lead paint abatement.

Economic and job development

Over $8.6 million is earmarked for economic and job development.

$50,000 is budgeted to support the nonprofit Downtown Community Development Corporation.

$6.5 million is dedicated to the demolition of the former Firestone headquarters.

$184,000 from Joint Economic Development District funds are allocated for Akron's polymer cluster headquarters, and $250,000 is reserved for redeveloping the University of Akron's Polsky Building.

Road resurfacing

Akron Mayor Shammas Malik discusses the proposed 2026 capital budget with reporters in the mayors conference room at City Hall on Jan. 2, 2026. The budget was presented to City Council on Jan. 5.

$1 million is budgeted for the city's sidewalk program and another $1.85 million is dedicated to the citys concretepavement rehabilitation program.

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Akron's 2026 road resurfacing program has been allocated $6.5 million to resurface roughly 52 miles of roadway, funded by special assessments and income tax revenues, a portion of which is earmarked for streets and safety.

Malik said the city is breaking up the annual resurfacing project into two contracts, each covering approximately 26 miles of road. The project will be divided between two contractors, he said.

"That will help us be able to get the contract done this year and not have carryover," said Malik. The remaining resurfacing from 2025 will be included in the 2026 contracts as new work rather than old work to be finished by last year's contractor.

This is to "help incentivize contractors to complete it by the end of the year because you either get paid for it or you have to rebid," Malik said. "Breaking it up means we should be able to get it done quicker."

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron's 2026 capital budget plan includes funds for more police rifles
NEED TO KNOW

The pilot of the Alaska Airlines flight that experienced an infamous mid-air blowout two years ago is now suing Boeing

A Dec. 30 complaint filed by captain Brandon Fisher says the aircraft manufacturer "attempted to shift blame" onto the pilots and "intentionally and falsely" claimed they made mistake

In the 2024 incident, a part of the aircrafts exit door plug blew out minutes after takeoff causing passengers belongings to be sucked out of the plane



The pilot in command of the Alaska Airlines flight that experienced a mid-air blowout two years ago is now suing the aircraft manufacturer, alleging the company attempted to shift blame and "intentionally and falsely claiming the crew made mistakes during the incident.

On the evening of Jan. 5, 2024, Alaska Airlines flight 1282 from Portland, Ore., to Ontario, Canada, made an emergency landing after a part of the aircrafts mid-exit door (MED) plug blew out minutes after takeoff. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the incident caused rapid depressurization in the cabin and some passengers belongings were sucked out of the airplane.

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All 177 individuals aboard the Boeing 737-9 survived, though several were injured. An NTSB investigation found one flight attendant was injured when the flight deck swung open, while seven passengers received minor injuries.

NTSB via Getty The exterior of the Alaska Airlines flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 MAX on Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. The exterior of the Alaska Airlines flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 MAX on Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon.

A June 24, 2025 release from the NTSB said the probable cause of the incident was Boeings failure to provide adequate training, guidance and oversight, to its factory workers. The department also claimed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) was ineffective in ensuring Boeing addressed repetitive and systemic nonconformance issues related to its parts removal process.



The FAA subsequently proposed a $3.1 million fine against Boeing in September 2025 for safety violations, including the Jan. 5, 2024 incident.

Despite aviation officials eventually finding Boeing at fault, captain Brandon Fisher claims the company initially attempted to use him as a scapegoat.

Stephen Brashear/Getty A Boeing manufacturing plant in Everett, Washington A Boeing manufacturing plant in Everett, Washington

Boeings reaction betrayed the lack of corporate integrity that has become all too clear in the wake of other recent, and often deadly, manufacturing mistakes, the complaint filed on Dec. 30 alleges. Boeings actions have had a dramatic and life-altering impact on Captain Fisher.

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The complaint claims Boeing made a reprehensible and inaccurate statement while responding to a class action lawsuit from passengers on board the flight. Boeing denied liability for damages, saying its products were improperly maintained or misused by persons and/or entities other than Boeing.

The pilots complaint claims it was clear Boeings words were directed at Captain Fisher to paint him as the scapegoat for Boeings numerous failures.

According to the complaint, Fisher was allegedly later delivered a letter from the FBI advising him he may have been the victim of criminally negligent conduct by Boeing. The Department of Justice subsequently opened a criminal investigation into the company, which is still ongoing, according to the complaint.

Fisher claims since the incident, hes experienced "profound physical and mental repercussions.

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This deterioration is a tangible, physical manifestation resulting from his emotional injuries and which he continues to bear," the complaint says.



The complaint, which names Boeing and its subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc., as defendants, notes Fisher is seeking compensatory damages in the amount of $10 million, in addition to court costs.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

After PEOPLE made contact with Fishers attorney, William Walsh, the firm did not immediately return a request for comment.

A spokesperson for Spirit AeroSystems deferred to a Boeing representative, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment.

Read the original article on People
Archaeologists have unearthed the largest village ever discovered in prehistoric Britain and Ireland, and its rewriting Bronze Age history.

In a recent study published in Antiquity, the settlement enclosed by two circular rings held approximately 600 houses within the Baltinglass hillfort cluster, which features 13 hilltops. The epic topography of the land reflects the groundbreaking discovery, as the area boasts monumental archaeological finds from the Early Neolithic and into the Bronze Age, such as the village just uncovered.

As the oldest and largest cluster of houses to date, Brusselstown Ring presents an intriguing case for understanding settlement dynamics in Ireland during the Bronze Age," study authors said in Phys. Which means: proto-urban development in Northern Europe may have occurred nearly 500 years earlier than traditionally recognized. Archaeologists have discovered an early prototype of a city "500 years earlier than traditionally recognized."

The oldest Irish city

In County Wicklow, Ireland, the cluster is situated within a monumental structure called Brusselstown Ring. It is comprised of two ramparts, one around the exterior of the village, and a small one situated at the center of the mound.

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Aerial surveys revealed that 509 houses were scattered on the outskirts of the town center, though the exact function of the enclosures remains to be determined. In the central area, however, a small cluster of 98 houses was identified, as per Phys.

Radiocarbon dates revealed that the settlement conclusively dates back to the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (3700-800 BCE), according to The Independent UK. Across this chain of hills, archaeologists have seemed to locate other enclosures. Thus far, they have only excavated this site of a high density of swellings four times by digging excavation trenches over house platforms.

Trench 1 produced a layer of cobbles consistent with a floor, as well as evidence for a large burning event. Trench 3 revealed part of a hearth feature, surrounded by a series of stake holes, and trenches 2 and 4 produced evidence for pit features and further potential stake holes. As is typical for Irish hillforts, artefactual assemblages were sparse, comprising a small number of lithics and some burnt clay, study authors explained in the study.

The presence of fresh water

As the history of civilization has taught us, a water source is essential as a resource. So, additionally, archaeologists uncovered what might be the first water cistern of its kind in Ireland. Phys described it as a unique structure outlined by large stones." A stream appears to have flowed into the structure from a rocky outcrop, possibly to provide the large town with fresh water.

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With such a prosperous and advanced village before them, well before its time, archaeologists wondered why the site had been deserted. In cross-referencing the latest, astounding settlement with other hilltop villages in Ireland, archaeologists said that the narrative fits within a regional decline, which doesnt have any association, as of yet, with climate change, as they stated in UK Independent.

What's next?

Future work will focus on confirming the nature and the date of the potential cistern, identifying structural features of the prehistoric roundhouses and establishing the nature and chronology of the enclosing elements," the study in Cambridge University's Antiquity concludes.
By invading Venezuela, President Trump just lit Americas eternal exploding cigar.

For over 175 years  ever since the United States conquered half of Mexico  nearly every president has messed with Latin America while telling the rest of the world to stay the hell out.

We have helped depose democratically elected leaders and propped up murderous strongmen. Trained death squads and offered bailouts to favored allies. Ran economic blockades and encouraged American companies to treat the regions riches, and its workers, like a cookie jar.

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From the Mexican American War to the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Panama Canal to NAFTA, we've only looked out for ourselves in Latin America even while wrapping our actions in the banner of benevolence.

It's rarely ended well for anyone involved  especially us. Many of the leaders we put into power became despots we tolerated until they ran their course, like Panama's Manuel Noriega. The political upheaval we helped create has led generations of Latin Americans to migrate to el Norte, fundamentally changing our country even as too many Americans think people like my family should have stayed in their ancestral homes.

So there Trump was at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, insisting that the capture of Venezuela dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife by American troops was a military action as brilliant and consequential as D-day. He also announced that the U.S. would run the country" and practically jiggled out his weird "YMCA" dance at the idea of making money from Venezuelan oil.

His message to the world: Venezuela is ours until we say so, just like the rest of Latin America. And if allies and enemies alike still didn't get the hint, Trump announced an updated Monroe Doctrine  the idea that the U.S. can do whatever it wants in the Western Hemisphere  called the "Donroe Doctrine."

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Because of course he did.

No one in Washington should be more versed in this terrible history than Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the child of Cubans who fled the island when it was ruled by the U.S.-backed caudillo Fulgencio Batista.

Rubio grew up in an exile community that saw Batistas replacement, Fidel Castro, remain in power for decades, despite a U.S. embargo. As one of Florida's U.S. senators, Rubio represented millions of Latin American immigrants who had fled civil wars sparked by the U.S. in one way or another.

Yet hes Trumpworld's biggest cheerleader for Latin American regime change, helping torpedo the president's anti-interventionist campaign promise as if it were a narco boat off the South American coast.

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Read more: How Rubio is winning over Trumpworld on striking Venezuela

On Saturday, Rubio looked on silently as Trump warned Colombian President Gustavo Petro to watch his ass. When it was Rubios turn to take questions from reporters, he said Cuban leaders should be concerned" and offered a warning to the rest of the world: Dont play games with this president in office, because its not going to turn out well.

In Latin America, few are more reviled than the vendido  the sellout. Betraying one's country for personal or political gain is an original sin dating back to the tribes who aligned with Spanish conquistadors to take down repressive empires, only to suffer the same sad end themselves. Vendidos have dominated the region's history and stilted its development, with leaders  Mexico's Porfirio Diaz, the Somozas of Nicaragua, Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic  more than happy to side with the yanquis at the expense of their own countrymen.

Rubio belongs to this long, sordid lineup  and in many ways, hes the worst vendido of them all.

Then-Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), left, listens during a 2016 president debate with candidate Donald Trump. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press)

I still remember the fresh-faced, idealistic guy trying to pass a bipartisan amnesty bill in 2013. Though too right-wing for my taste, he seemed like a Latino politician who could thread the needle between liberals and conservatives, gringos and us.

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It was wonderful to see him call out Trumps boorishness when the two ran against each other in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. He told CNN's Jake Tapper, in words that sound more prophetic than ever, For years to come, there are many people ... that are going to be having to explain and justify how they fell into this trap of supporting Donald Trump because this is not going to end well, one way or the other.

The thirst for power has a way of corrupting even the most idealistic hearts, alas. Rubio ended up endorsing Trump in 2016, supporting Trumps claims that the 2020 election was rigged and proclaiming at the 2024 Republican National Convention that Trump has not just transformed our party, he has inspired a movement.

Rubios reward for his boot-licking? He sets our foreign policy agenda, which is like putting an arsonist in charge of a fireworks stall.

Im sure all of this comes off as leftist babble to the Venezuelan diaspora, many of whom cheered Maduro's fate from Spain to Mexico, Miami to Los Angeles. Only a deluded pendejo could support what Maduro wrought on Venezuela, which was a prosperous country and a relatively stable U.S. ally for decades as the rest of South America teetered from one crisis to another.

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But for Trump, toppling Maduro was never about the well-being of Venezuelans or bringing democracy to their country; it was about securing a foothold to flex American power and enrich the U.S.

Meanwhile, his deportation Leviathan has gobbled up tens of thousands of undocumented Venezuelans and canceled the temporary protected status of hundreds of thousands more.

Back in 2022, when Rubio was still a senator, he advocated for Venezuelans to be eligible for temporary protected status, which is granted to citizens of countries considered too dangerous to return to. At the time, Rubio argued that "failure to do so would result in a very real death sentence for countless Venezuelans who have fled their country."

Now? At a May news conference, he maintained that the 240 Venezuelans deported to El Salvador earlier in 2025 "were not migrants, these were criminals," even though the Deportation Data Project found that only 16% of them had criminal convictions.

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Read more: To 'run' Venezuela, Trump presses existing regime to kneel

Rubio has long fashioned himself as a modern-day Simon Bolivar, the Venezuelan who led the liberation of South America from Spain and who has been a hero to many Latinos ever since.

But even Bolivar knew to be skeptical of American hegemony, writing in an 1829 letter that the U.S. seems destined by Providence to plague [Latin] America with miseries in the name of Freedom.

Plague, thy name is Marco Rubio. By pushing Trump to run rampant over Latin America, you're setting in motion the same old song of U.S. meddling that ties your family and mine. Letting Maduro's cronies remain in power if they play along with you and Trump, even though they stole an election in 2024, proves you're as much for the Venezuelan people as, well, Maduro.

Vendido.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The German army is helping to refuel emergency power generators in Berlin as thousands of homes remained without power on Monday following the sabotage of cables at the weekend.

The Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, received a request for assistance from the state of Berlin during the day, a spokeswoman for the Operational Command told dpa.

The operation began in the evening at a depot of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) in the capital's affected south-west. Left-wing extremists claimed responsibility for the incendiary attack on a cable bridge over a canal early on Saturday.

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The request was for the provision of around 18,000 litres of diesel, including a tanker truck. The operating crews are to be "shift-ready" to ensure critical services are maintained, the spokeswoman added.

"There is a particular focus on supplying care facilities," she said.

The army support operation is provisionally planned to last until 11 pm (2200 GMT) on Thursday.

Initially, 45,000 households and more than 2,200 businesses were affected by the damage to the supply grid. Over 17,000 customers since had their power restored.

The operator Stromnetz Berlin is attempting to repair the high-voltage power lines as quickly as possible. It was previously announced that the damage would be completely repaired by Thursday.
An arrest was made in what may have been New York State's first murder of 2026.

Police in Nassau County say Stephen Primm of Bay Shore opened fire on Joseph Fountain, 40, in New Cassel around 2 a.m. on New Year's Day.

Fountain was struck four times.

The shooting took place in front of a home where the victim and a third man were fighting.

Police say Primm has prior arrests for drugs, assault and burglary.

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OPEC+ confirmed on Sunday that it will keep oil production steady through the first quarter of 2026, as eight key producers reaffirmed their commitment to market stability amid a steady global economic outlook and what they described as healthy oil market fundamentals.

Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman met virtually on January 4 to review global market conditions and outlook. The group reiterated its decision, first announced on November 2, 2025, to pause planned production increases in February and March 2026, citing seasonal demand patterns.

Following the meeting, OPEC+ produced the following production table for February 2026:

In a joint statement, the eight producers said current market conditions remain supportive, pointing to relatively low global inventories as a sign that the oil market is well balanced despite last years sharp decline in crude prices. Oil prices fell more than 18% in 2025, the steepest annual drop since the pandemic, as supply growth outpaced demand and concerns over a growing glut mounted.

The group also emphasized that the previously announced 1.65 million barrels per day of voluntary production cuts could be returned to the market either in part or in full, depending on evolving market conditions, and only in a gradual manner. The producers stressed that flexibility remains central to their strategy, including the option to extend or reverse additional voluntary adjustments, such as the 2.2 million barrels per day of cuts announced in November 2023.

OPEC+ further reiterated its collective commitment to full conformity with the Declaration of Cooperation. The producers confirmed that any overproduction since January 2024 will be fully compensated, with compliance and compensation to be monitored by the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC).

Despite heightened geopolitical tensions  including strains between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over Yemen and uncertainty surrounding Venezuela following the U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro  delegates said these developments did not alter the groups near-term policy stance.

The eight OPEC+ countries agreed to continue holding monthly meetings to assess market conditions, compliance levels, and compensation progress. Their next meeting is scheduled for February 1, 2026.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
Augusta area residents can expect temperatures in the high 70s and low 50s this week, with clear skies throughout.

Drew Hickok, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Columbia, South Carolina, said on Monday that much of the CSRA was covered with fog, caused by moisture in the air. He expected to vanish by mid-morning.

We have a lot of low-level moisture in place, and the winds are pretty much calm or non-existent, said Hickok. So that moisture is able to settle underneath, what we call an inversion. As temperatures start cooling, your temperature and your dew points are about equal, which causes a kind of low cloud that's touching the surface. That's what causes it to form.

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Hickok said temperatures on Monday should get up into the low to mid-60s. Continuing through the week. "It's mostly staying on the dry side.

Forecast for the Augusta area:

Monday: High 64, Low 47.

Tuesday: High 69, Low 54.

Wednesday: High 74, Low 51.

Thursday: High 74, Low 56.

Friday: High 75, Low 58.

The main story is well see above normal temperatures by (Tuesday), said Hickok. Temperatures could reach 70. Then Wednesday through Friday, which will probably be into the mid, potentially even upper 70s. So it'll be really warm, but staying dry.

"For reference, the record was 78 degrees in 1949. Well be within a few degrees of that. Saturday, we could see chances of precipitation. Chances could move in as early as Friday.

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This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Partners.

Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at EVanBuren@gannett.com or on X: @EricaVanBuren32.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Record breaking warm temperatures expected hit high 70s low 50s
On Sept. 23, 2025, William Murray broke into a northeast Charlotte hotel room occupied by four juveniles and one adult female.

He is accused of engaging in lewd behavior before leaving the scene, according to court documents.

ALSO READ: Neighbors help catch man accused of indecent exposure at Charlotte skate park

Following the incident, the Crime Analysis Unit identified Murray based on witness descriptions and surveillance footage.

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Witnesses described Murray as a male with tattoos on his neck and one leg. This description was crucial in the identification process by the authorities.

The adult female victim later encountered the defendant at a nearby Walmart, where video footage confirmed his identity.

While the investigation into this incident remains ongoing; authorities have not announced specific next steps regarding legal actions against Murray, as investigations remain ongoing.

VIDEO: Neighbors help catch man accused of indecent exposure at Charlotte skate park
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service helped stop a smuggler in Thailand who was trying to bring 63 endangered macaques into Cambodia this November, the Bangkok Post reported.

What's happening?

The suspect, identified as Mr. Than, was caught driving from Cambodia to Thailand in a black Honda sedan in late November.

He had 63 crab-eating macaques, 32 males and 32 females, crammed into 10 boxes in the small vehicle. He said they came from a northern Thai province and were to be smuggled into Cambodia.

Why is this smuggling incident important?

At its most basic, wildlife smuggling is cruel to the animals involved. As in this case, they are often packed into tight spaces and may become injured, sick, dehydrated, or undernourished in the process. They are certainly frightened and stressed by the experience. Some of the animals die.

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Meanwhile, this is also damaging to the species and the wider environment. Removing endangered animals from their native habitats makes it that much harder for a threatened population to bounce back from the edge of extinction, and when one species is in trouble, all the other species that rely on it are also hurt. This includes humans, who need wild spaces for food, recreation, and different types of economically important activities.

It isn't just the ecosystem of origin that is at risk, either. Animals that escape or are released during or after smuggling can become invasive in the new location.

Not only that, but wildlife smuggling doesn't stand on its own. The criminal organizations that are involved in this activity tend to commit other crimes like drug and human trafficking, which is one reason that the U.S. government sometimes gets involved in prevention outside America.

What's being done about this smuggling incident?

Wildlife smuggling is an ongoing problem all over the world, but international cooperation is helping officials crack down on the issue.

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Mr. Than was stopped during a sting on Road No. 33 in the Kabin Buri district of Prachin Buri. Officers from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division apprehended him, the result of a joint effort between the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Than was charged with illegal possession of protected wildlife, as well as staying longer than allowed in Thailand.

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Wrongly convicted people in Wisconsin can wait months to have their cases reviewed and receive compensation that does not meet their needs, advocates say. A bipartisan bill in the state Legislature aims to address those problems. | Photo by Caspar Benson/Getty Images

On Dec. 3, a committee of Wisconsin lawmakers heard from Gabriel Lugo about his time in prison before his conviction was overturned.

The Wisconsin Examiners Criminal Justice Reporting Project shines a light on incarceration, law enforcement and criminal justice issues with support from the Public Welfare Foundation.

Lugo testified through a statement read by attorney Rex Anderegg in a hearing of the Assembly Committee on State Affairs. He said he experienced constant lockdowns that severely restricted his movement and some correctional officers treating him as less than human.

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Lugo, 36, was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide in 2009 and spent the majority of his incarceration in Waupun Correctional Institution, the states oldest prison, which has received scrutiny for prison deaths and living conditions. After Lugos conviction was overturned, he was released from jail in June 2023.

According to Christopher Lau of the Wisconsin Innocence Project, the project has helped exonerate more than 30 people. Clients leave prison with medical ailments and emotional trauma, without familial support, employment, savings, and often, with nowhere to call home, his testimony stated. Many struggle to re-enter society.

Exonerees often have to wait months to get on the agenda for the claims boards meetings, Lau stated. If they qualify, the law doesnt provide enough to ensure stable housing, he said, to say nothing of the costs of social services like counseling, vocational assistance and access to health insurance.

The Wisconsin Claims Board can award up to $25,000 in compensation, at a rate not greater than $5,000 per year for the imprisonment, and has also awarded attorney fees. It can recommend that the state Legislature issue additional compensation.

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In February 2016, the Assembly unanimously approved a bill that aimed to increase state support for wrongly convicted people, including enabling the claims board to issue higher payouts. It did not become law.

AB 583, a bill currently in the Legislature, also aims to provide more aid more quickly to wrongly convicted people. Under the bill, a wrongly convicted person would receive compensation at a yearly rate of $50,000, prorated daily, for the imprisonment; the total would not exceed $1 million. The claims board would adjust the rate yearly to account for the cost of living, and it would be able to award compensation in an annuity payable over time.

The bill addresses when people who received compensation for wrongful imprisonment in the past can petition for more under the new law, potentially allowing some to receive more compensation.

The bill lays out when wrongly convicted people could have health care coverage under plans offered by the Group Insurance Board to state employees.

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Under the bill, if a person is released from imprisonment on the basis of a claim of innocence, they could petition for a court order directing the Department of Corrections to create a transition-to-release plan. They could also petition for a financial assistance award of up to 133% of the federal poverty level for up to 14 months, or while compensation proceedings are pending, whichever is shorter.

State legislators who introduced the bill included Republican and Democratic lawmakers. Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, submitted testimony in support of the bill.

The bill bars some people from filing a petition with the claims board for compensation for wrongful imprisonment, such as a person who is convicted of a violent crime after being released.

Records-sealing language

Also under the bill, a person released from imprisonment on the basis of a claim of innocence could petition the court for the sealing of all records related to the case. For Lugo, it took about two years to get a response from job applications because his case was still visible online, his statement said.

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A similar provision in the bill that the Assembly passed in 2016 drew pushback from the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, which argued that it would dramatically compromise the ability of media and the public to examine what went wrong in cases in which things are known to have gone terribly wrong.

On Dec. 22, the Wisconsin Examiner reached out to the office of Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek), one of the lawmakers who introduced the bill, about the provision and the councils concern in 2016.

Thank you for bringing this information to our attention as we were not aware of this when we introduced the bill this session, Rodriguez said in an emailed comment. The organization has not reached out to us with any concerns at this time.

Lawsuits

Wrongly convicted people may also attempt to obtain a monetary award through lawsuits. The bill addresses the possibility of a person receiving a settlement, judgement or award for damages in a federal or state action related to their wrongful imprisonment.

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Under one of these parts of the bill, if the person obtains a settlement before the claims board awards them compensation, the claims board would subtract the amount from the boards compensation.

Changing the process

Under current law, the claims board is responsible for finding whether the evidence of the persons innocence is clear and convincing.

The claims board members come from the Department of Justice, the Department of Administration, the Office of the Governor, the Wisconsin Senate and the Wisconsin Assembly. The Senate and Assembly members are Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto) and Rep. Alex Dallman (R-Markesan).

Under the bill, when the claims board receives a petition for compensation for an innocent convict, it would be referred to the Division of Hearings and Appeals in the Department of Administration. The division would find whether the evidence is clear and convincing that the petitioner was innocent of the crime they were imprisoned for.

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If the evidence is clear and convincing for innocence, the division would transmit its findings to the claims board, which would decide what amount of compensation would be equitable.

Individual bills

In a decision dated Jan. 30 of this year, the claims board awarded $25,000 to Gabriel Lugo, plus approximately $77,000 in attorney fees, and recommended that the Legislature award him an additional $750,000.

According to Rodriguez, the Legislature has only passed individual appropriation bills awarding additional compensation three times.

Rodriguezs testimony stated that its estimated that around 72 people have been exonerated in Wisconsin since 1990, and that seven received recommendations for compensation above the cap. She stated in a press release that the Legislature should not have to play judge and jury again when there is already a process at the claims board.

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Without these reforms, exonerees would continue to need individual appropriation bills to receive an adequate amount of compensation, Rodriguez stated in a press release. These bills have rarely been acted upon, and even more rarely are signed into law.

The board has also recommended that the Legislature issue additional compensation for Robert and David Bintz, who were released from prison in the fall of last year.

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Donald Trump acknowledged that he informed oil companies about his plans to attack Venezuela and abduct its leader, despite not bothering to notify Congress.

Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, the billionaire president told reporters that he talked to oil companies before and after the attack, describing them as crucial to fix the infrastructure in the South American country after the capture of Nicolas Maduro.

They want to go in, and theyre going to do a great job for the people of Venezuela, and theyre going to represent us well, Trump said. The infrastructure is rusty, rotten, most of it is unusable. Its old. Its broken. You see pipes lying all over the ground, nothings been invested for years.

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Trumps admission that he tipped off oil companies about the plan to capture Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, came after multiple Democrats said the surprise bombardment of Venezuela amounted to an illegal declaration of war without the required congressional approval.

Trump flew back to Washington, D.C., on Sunday after spending two weeks at his Mar-a-Lago home. / Joe Readle/Getty Images

The Trump administration has shrugged off the criticism, claiming the plan to detain Maduro and bring him to New York to face narco-terrorism charges was a law enforcement operation that does not require the support of Congress.

There have also been questions about the apparent motivations behind the shocking operation. The White House has long claimed the U.S. does not want to carry out a regime change in Venezuela and that the removal of Maduro is not linked to the countrys lucrative oil.

But Trump has repeatedly declared that the U.S. is going to run Venezuela and be in charge there now that Maduro has been detained. He also announced a plan to seize control of the countrys oil industry, vowing to send American companies in to revive what he called the dead country.

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The country is a mess. Its been horribly run. The oil is just flowing at a very low level, Trump told reporters on Sunday. Even if it was badly run, it should have more income, more oil than what they do. So were going to have the big oil companies going in, theyre going to fix the infrastructure, theyre going to invest money.

Were not going to invest anything. Were going to just take care of the country, Trump added.

For several months, there have been fears that Trump would launch an attack on Venezuela as part of a broader effort to remove Maduro, amid pressure tactics including the seizure of sanctioned oil tankers off Venezuelas coast and the imposition of blockades on others.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy rejected the Trump administrations claim that the plot to remove Maduro was part of a counter-narcotics operation.

Nicolas Maduro will appear in a New York courtroom on Monday charged with drug and weapons offenses. / Pedro Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images

Venezuela is all about making money for his friends. Wall Street, the oil industry, they can make a lot of money off of Venezuela if they run it, Murphy said.

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Once again, youre seeing that this presidents foreign policy, the invasion of Venezuela, the ouster of Maduro, is about making his crowd filthy rich. It has nothing to do with American national security.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Bjork shared a note of solidarity with the people of Greenland after Donald Trump and his admin revived threats of taking over the country following the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

I wish all Greenlanders blessing in their fight for independence, Bjork wrote on Instagram Monday (Jan. 5), adding: Colonialism has repeatedly given me horror chills up my back, and the chance that my fellow Greenlanders might go from one cruel colonizer to another is too brutal to even imagine. Ur oskunni i eldinn, like we say in Icelandic. (That phrase translates to From the ashes into the fire.)

More from Rolling Stone

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Though the Icelandic musicians allusion to the U.S.s threats was clear, much of Bjorks note actually focused on Greenlands relationship with Denmark. Greenland hasnt been a Danish colony since the 1950s, but its still a semi-autonomous district of Denmark, with its own local government and two representatives in Danish parliament. Denmark also continues to control Greenlands foreign affairs and defense, and contributes more than half the countrys public budget.

Iceland, Bjorks home country, also has a colonial past with Denmark, dating back to the first half of the 20th century. Iceland became independent in 1944, with Bjork writing that her fellow citizens are extremely relieved that they managed to break from the Danish and didnt lose our language.

She went on to share two harrowing stories about Denmarks control over Greenland. One referred to a lawsuit over 140 Greenlandic women filed in 2024, accusing Denmark of fitting them with IUDs without their consent or knowledge in an effort to reduce Greenlands population. Its believed that nearly 4,500 women and girls were affected between 1966 and 1970.

They are my age and younger  childless, Bjork wrote.

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She also mentioned the parenting competency tests that Denmark subjected Greenlandic people to for years, until they were finally banned last May. These tests, though frequently used in Denmark as part of child protection investigations, were criticized as inappropriate and unsuitable for the people of Greenland and other minorities. Bjorks post mentioned a Greenlandic mother who saw her daughter taken from her just two hours after her birth in 2024; despite the tests being banned since then, mother and child still have not been reunited.

In closing her note, Bjork wrote, Dear Greenlanders, declare independence !!!! Sympathetic wishes from your neighbors. Warmthness.

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A bulky bluefin tuna made a splash at Tokyo's Toyosu fish market on Monday morning, fetching a record 510.3 million yen ($3.2m; 2.4m) at the market's first auction of the year.

The winning bid for the 243kg fish came from Kiyomura Corp, the operator of popular sushi chain Sushi Zanmai, which has outlets across the country and abroad.

"The year's first tuna brings good luck," said Kiyoshi Kimura, the company's president and a familiar figure at the annual new year's auction, Kyodo reported.

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Mr Kimura, who has been dubbed the Tuna King, is known to bid high for bluefin tuna at new year's auctions.

The entrepreneur told reporters after the auction that he was "surprised at the price", AFP reported.

"I'd thought we would be able to buy a little cheaper, but the price soared before you knew it," he said.

Mr Kimura paid 56.5 million yen for a bluefin tuna in 2012 and 155 million yen in 2013 - setting record prices both times.

In 2019 he bought a bluefin tuna with 333.6 million yen ($2.1m; 1.6m) - another historic price.

Despite telling reporters at the time that he thought he "did too much", however, Mr Kimura has now gone on to break his own record again.

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The first auction at Tokyo's Toyosu fish market typically sees fish selling for exorbitant prices.

Last year, the first tuna at the auction was bought for 207 million yen by Onodera Group, another food company that owns a sushi chain. It said that the fish would be served at its restaurants across the country.

The frenetic energy at fish markets during such pre-dawn auctions has become a popular tourist attraction in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which started at around 05:00 local time (20:00 GMT), was no exception.

The million-dollar tuna was sliced up for customers at Kimura's sushi restaurants shortly after it was auctioned off.

"I feel like I've begun the year in a good way after eating something so auspicious as the year starts," one of the customers at Mr Kimura's restaurant told AFP.
(Photo courtesy of the Iowa Board of Nursing)

State regulators have issued a warning to a nurse accused of using stolen patient opiates while on duty.

The Iowa Board of Nursing alleges that on Dec. 3, 2024, licensed practical nurse Rachel Blair of Windsor Heights was working at an unspecified Urbandale care facility when the medication count was reported as being off during her shift, indicating the staff was unable to account for missing drugs.

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According to the board, the facility was missing one fentanyl patch. During that same shift, the board alleges, Blair fell to her hands and knees and struggled to stand. Paramedics were called to the scene and administered Narcan  a drug commonly used for emergency treatment of an opioid overdose  to Blair.

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As a result of that incident, the board recently charged Blair, 35, with misappropriating the medications of a patient or agency, then agreed to settle the case by providing Blair with a warning that any future violations could result in some form of disciplinary action. As part of that settlement, Blair agreed to participate in the Iowa Practitioner Health Program and to comply with any requirements of the program.

Blairs nursing license remains otherwise unencumbered by any restrictions on her practice.

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In 2020, the board charged Blair with attempting to initiate a sexual, emotional or business relationship with a patient. According to the board, Blair was working at a county jail in April 2019 when she participated in personal telephone calls with an inmate. At times, the calls were sexually explicit in nature, the board alleged.

According to the board, Blair was then fired from the jail for providing treatment for an inmate despite the lack of a physicians order, and for admitting to having feelings for an inmate.

Court records show that a Polk County Jail inmate at the time told jail officials that a nurse, later identified as Blair, had been providing tobacco, drugs and sex to an inmate known as Casper. According to a search warrant application filed by the sheriffs department, Blair admitted to providing Casper with unordered, undocumented massaging treatments, approximately 15 times over four to six weeks, in a private treatment room.

According to the warrant application, a subsequent review of the jails recorded telephone calls uncovered communications between Blair and the inmate that included sexual content and comments referencing a personal relationship.

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A review of text messages then uncovered 199 written exchanges between Blair and the inmate, according to the warrant application. The messages also included 21 photos of Blair, the sheriffs department alleged. In addition, the warrant application alleged that money had been deposited into the inmates account three separate times by depositor Clare Loren  Loren being Blairs middle name and the name associated with the text messages attributed to Blair.

According to the application, Blair admitted destroying potential evidence in the case during the initial stages of the sheriffs investigation of the matter.

In that case, the Board of Nursing suspended Blairs nursing license pending the completion of a mental health evaluation and also required her to complete an educational course on professional boundaries.

At the end of the suspension, Blairs license was placed on probation for two years.

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A 17-year-old boy has been charged with murder after 23-year-old man was fatally stabbed in south-east London on New Year's Eve.

The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, is due to appear at Bromley Magistrates' Youth Court later, the Metropolitan Police said.

Police were called at around 12:35 GMT on 31 December following reports of the attack in Grove Street, Deptford.

The victim, John Temitope Onetufo from Deptford, was treated for a stab wound to the chest but died at the scene, the force added.

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Officers also arrested a 23-year-old man on suspicion of murder and an 18-year-old woman on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. They have both been bailed while enquiries continue.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk

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A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

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. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model .

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Maxis Berhad ( KLSE:MAXIS ) by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

Analyst price target for MAXIS is RM4.06 which is 38% below our fair value estimate

Story Continues

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 3.7%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 8.5%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2035  (1 + g)  (r  g) = RM3.4b (1 + 3.7%)  (8.5% 3.7%) = RM74b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM74b ( 1 + 8.5%)10= RM33b

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is RM51b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of RM3.8, the company appears quite undervalued at a 42% 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.

KLSE:MAXIS Discounted Cash Flow January 5th 2026

The Assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. 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 Maxis Berhad 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 8.5%, 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 Maxis Berhad

SWOT Analysis for Maxis Berhad

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Debt is well covered by earnings and cashflows.

Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows.

Weakness

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Wireless Telecom market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow for the next 4 years.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

Annual earnings are forecast to grow slower than the Malaysian market.

Looking Ahead:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" 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. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Maxis Berhad, we've compiled three pertinent factors you should further examine:

Risks: Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Maxis Berhad , and understanding these should be part of your investment process. Future Earnings: How does MAXIS'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. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the KLSE every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks 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.



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A man has been sentenced for the murder and 2017 disappearance of an Ohio woman.

Frederick Reer, 42, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of the murder of his girlfriend, Amanda Dean.

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Dean, a 36-year-old mother of four, was last seen in July 2017 in Collins, a small town in Huron County.

Investigators with BCI determined that Reer killed Dean inside a residence where the couple lived, then cleaned the crime scene and disposed of the evidence.

Deans body has never been found.
Fayetteville police are investigating a shooting that left two brothers dead at a restaurant on Saturday evening.

It happened just before 7 p.m. at Mac's Speed Shop at 482 N. McPherson Church Road. According to investigators, an argument inside the restaurant escalated into a physical altercation, which ended in gunfire.

Officers arrived to find Timothy Nakamoto, 43, and Daniel Nakamoto, 45, both shot. Daniel was pronounced dead at the scene, while Timothy was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.

Timothy Nakamoto, left, and Daniel Nakamoto. Courtesy of family

"Nobody deserves this," a family member told ABC11.

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Detectives are questioning a person of interest, the police department said, but no one has been charged. There is no ongoing threat to the public, police said Sunday.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Detective Cross at (472) 210-2381.

Police investigate at the scene of a double homicide in Fayetteville.

Anonymous tips can be submitted to Fayetteville / Cumberland County Crime Stoppers by calling (910) 483-TIPS (8477). Crimestoppers information can also be submitted electronically.

Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App

ABC11 is tracking crime and safety across Fayetteville and in your neighborhood
Crime scene tape surrounds the Barus & Holley Building on the Brown University campus on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, a day after a gunman killed two students and wounded nine others in a classroom inside. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)

The classroom in Brown Universitys Barus & Holley building where a shooting killed two students and injured nine others will remain walled off and sealed away in the upcoming spring semester, school officials announced Monday.

We know that resuming operations in Barus & Holley is particularly sensitive, and extensive work has taken place over the Winter Break to alter operations, the schools President Christina H. Paxson wrote in a letter Monday, adding that some of the spring semesters engineering and physics classes will be relocated due to the closure of two lecture halls and eight classrooms in the building.

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Paxson announced Monday that Brown is embarking on another initiative to process the campus collective trauma: Brown Ever True, a broad effort to strengthen the schools mental health and community support offerings after the Dec. 13 shooting.

Paxson wrote that Brown Ever True will consolidate certain university resources, programming and services to assist students, staff and faculty in what she described as the gradual process of recovering from the traumatic event.

The effects of Dec. 13 may surface in uncertain ways, Paxson wrote. And recovery will at times seem elusive.

The universitys new initiative will be informed by medical and public health experts and scholars who specialize in trauma, Paxson wrote, and it adopts efforts at other colleges that have experienced similar tragedies. Brown Ever True will incorporate ideas and feedback from across student organizations and Browns administrative units  including campus life, human resources, and the colleges School of Public Health  to help ensure that the initiative reflects what our community needs to heal and move forward, Paxson added.

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Paxsons announcement comes roughly two weeks before the start of the schools spring semester. The winter session began on Dec. 20 and will end on Jan. 20, a day before the spring semester begins. Paxson wrote that the recovery initiative is meant to prepare the Brown community ahead of the new semester and to help them feel safe in their surroundings.

Over winter break, Paxson wrote, the school is offering remote options for students such as TimelyCare Teletherapy and BetterHelp, and she stressed that counseling services and staff will be readily available to students when they return to campus later this month.

The university has also widened its support for employees. Faculty and staff could access an additional dozen counseling sessions through the end of 2025 via the schools Employee Assistance Program, and the university is working with its provider Spring Health for similar offerings in 2026.

Additional sessions and programming focusing on resiliency will be organized through the schools diversity office and faculty in the Warren Alpert Medical School, with more details to arrive via the Brown Ever True website. The website currently includes an evolving, searchable list of on- and off-campus resources including 24/7 hotlines, counseling providers, chaplains, and mindfulness and meditation sessions.

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Additionally, the university is planning a service for sometime in late January to remember Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, the two students who were killed in the attack.

While all the injured students now have been released from the hospital, they and so many others continue to navigate through very real challenges of coping with tragedy, Paxson wrote.

As of Monday morning, all nine students who were hospitalized with gunshot wounds had been discharged, according to Rhode Island Hospital spokesperson Kelly Brennan.

New carpets and paint

A Dec. 23 letter from Browns Provost Francis J. Doyle III specified that the sensitive areas in the Barus & Holley building will remain inaccessible for now, as the school is being mindful of the concerns that many community members have raised about continuing to use those spaces.

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Among these spaces is lecture hall 166, where the shooting happened at the end of a review for an economics final. Barus & Holley mainly houses physics and engineering classes in addition to research activities.

Room 166 and 168 will be sealed off  secured behind new walls and emergency access doors, Doyle wrote  and have their basement level access cut off. Eight classrooms and the hallways, bathrooms and entrances adjacent or close to the shooting site will be inaccessible, Doyle wrote, and basically hidden from view.

None of the closed areas will be visible to occupants and users of adjacent spaces, and no one will be able or allowed to enter those spaces, Doyle wrote. Nearby first-floor hallways that have a similar look and feel to the closed spaces will be updated with paint and carpet to change that look and feel.

The school has not made any long-term decisions regarding the classrooms future, but Doyle noted that the future of that area of the building, including consideration of appropriate memorialization, will be made over time in consultation and conversation with the Brown community.

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The Barus & Holley building comprises 117 laboratories, 150 offices, 15 classrooms, 29 laboratory classrooms and three lecture halls.

While most of the building remains generally closed while this work is ongoing, Paxson wrote Monday, a limited number of people who will need to work in the non-restricted areas of the Barus & Holley, plus other physics and engineering research spaces on campus, are expected to regain building access before spring semester.

Doyle noted in his letter that [t]he remainder of Barus & Holley plus the vast majority of the School of Engineering and Department of Physics complex will reopen in time for the spring semester, while the closed areas will remain inaccessible to everyone.

The non-restricted areas are expected to have their general access restored by Jan. 20, according to Paxsons letter.

The Hope Street entrance to the Barus & Holley Building on the Brown University campus. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)

Steps to enhance campus security

Alongside the mental wellness initiative, Browns new interim top public safety official  the former Providence police chief Hugh T. Clements Jr.  announced on Dec. 30 a lineup of elevated public safety measures.

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Under Clements leadership, the school is installing more security officers across academic buildings, residence halls, and events. The increased staffing will roll out in phases, Clements wrote, and will be aligned with the ramp-up of operations and the increase of students, faculty and staff on campus as we transition from the lesser density of the holiday break and Winter Session, to the Jan. 6 end of the administrative Winter Break and resumption of medical school courses, to the start of the second semester on Jan. 21.

Brown will deploy additional officers via coordinated mutual aid from partner agencies and well-trained private security resources to ensure coverage of campus areas as needed, Clements wrote.

Buildings also will continue to require card access, a key or displaying a University ID for entry, Clements wrote.

Also on Clements to-do list before the spring semester: Transitioning all buildings with key access to card access, expanding and installing cameras on blue light phones, and adding more surveillance cameras and panic buttons in select locations across campus.

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Clements assumed his interim role on Dec. 22, when Brown announced it was temporarily suspending police chief Rodney Chatman amid a pair of investigations into the shooting commissioned by the schools governing body, the Corporation of Brown University. Chatmans leave was preceded by a no-confidence vote in Chatman from the schools police union in October 2025, the Brown Daily Herald reported then.

Clements promised a change in public perception during his tenure: [Y]ou will see a public safety leadership team that listens and acts, Clements wrote. Over the coming weeks, I will be active across campus listening, learning and working alongside colleagues to ensure that our approach is responsive, thoughtful and grounded in care for the people of this community and the values of Brown.

Our goal is not to create a campus defined by fear, but one defined by preparedness, vigilance and mutual care, Clements added.

The corporation commissioned two reviews from outside firms: One examining what happened leading up to the shooting and its aftermath and the schools response and a more thorough assessment of Browns entire security systems and policies. Both are ongoing, according to Paxsons most recent letter.

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In an interview with The New York Times, Bryan Kohberger's sister Mel said she was worried about her brother's proximity to the University of Idaho murders, not knowing he was responsible for them

Mel said she warned him a "psycho killer" was loose and that he told her he would stay safe

A month later, Kohberger would be arrested in connection with the murders

Before Bryan Kohberger was arrested in connection with the murders of four University of Idaho students, his sister warned him that a "psycho killer" was at large.

Kohberger was arrested a month after the November 2022 killings  and in 2025, he pleaded guilty to murder.

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Kohberger's sister Mel spoke to The New York Times and revealed what she said to her brother following the murders, not knowing he had committed them.

At the time, Kohberger was pursuing a Ph.D. at Washington State University, which is less than 10 miles from Moscow, Idaho where the murders occurred.

Bryan, you are running outside and this psycho killer is on the loose, Mel told him, per the Times. Be careful.

According to his sister, Kohberger thanked her for checking in on him and assured her he would stay safe.

Kohberger fatally stabbed Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, during the early morning hours Nov. 13, 2022.

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On Dec. 30 of that year, Kohberger was arrested at his parents home in Pennsylvania. He had been identified as a suspect after his DNA was found on a knife sheath left at the scene.

In July 2025, Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of murder in exchange for prosecutors agreeing not to seek the death penalty.

Kohberger was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the chance for parole.

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.

In the interview with the Times, Mel also revealed that her brother had previously struggled with heroin addiction when he was younger but was able to overcome it and eventually pursued higher education.

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She further claimed she was shocked after learning that Kohberger had been arrested in connection with the murders.

I have always been a person who has spoken up for what was right, she told the Times. If I ever had a reason to believe my brother did anything, I would have turned him in.



Read the original article on People
"We cannot blink or hesitate - Israel is obligated to prepare for the possibility of attacking very soon," said the former defense minister.

Former defense minister Benny Gantz on Monday became the most senior Israeli official to date to explicitly call for Israel to topple the Iranian regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Gantz said that the current opportunity, in which the regime is weak and the population is up in arms, might not recur.

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"We cannot blink or hesitate - Israel is obligated to prepare for the possibility of attacking very soon," said the former defense minister.

Iranian protesters set fire to a building in Asadabad, in western Iran, December 31, 2025 (credit: SCREENSHOT/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)

He added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should recruit the US once again, as he did for attacking the Islamic Republic in June 2025, "and to support the Iranian nation versus the regime of the ayatollahs - until it surrenders or collapses."

Gantz warns Netanyahu over Iran regime

Gantz was so adamant that Israel and the US act to end the Iranian regime's rule that he suggested Netanyahu should even fly back to Washington only days after having returned from a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Florida, all in order to ensure that Jerusalem and America make concrete moves in this moment.

He warned that Netanyahu cannot allow the regime to defeat its people's popular protest again, as it has so many times since 2009.
Habibullah set off from his home in western Afghanistan determined to find work in Iran, only for the 15-year-old to freeze to death while walking across the mountainous frontier.

"He was forced to go, to bring food for the family," his mother, Mah Jan, told AFP at her mud home in Ghunjan village.

"We have no food to eat, we have no clothes to wear. The house in which I live has no electricity, no water. I have no proper window, nothing to burn for heating," she added, clutching a photo of her son.

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Habibullah was one of at least 18 migrants who died last month while trying to cross illegally into Iran from Afghanistan's Herat province, according to officials, when temperatures were around -3C.

With earthquakes and drought compounding a daily struggle to survive in Afghanistan, around half the population will need humanitarian assistance this year, according to the United Nations.

"There was no other way left for me. I thought, let him go to make our life better," said Mah Jan, 50, who requested the family's surname not be published for privacy reasons.

Habibullah's stepbrother, Gul Ahmad, said the teenager had tried shoe polishing but only earned up to 15 afghanis (23 cents) per day.

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"He was ready to be a shepherd for 2,000 afghanis ($30 a month), to work in a shop, but he found nothing. So he was forced to leave. He told his mother, 'Let's trust in God, I'm going to Iran'," said Gul Ahmad, 56.

- 'Very dangerous' -

Habibullah was among 15 bodies returned from Iran, an Afghan border source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A further three migrants who died were recovered on the Afghan side of the frontier, an army official said.

Over just a matter of days last month, around 1,600 Afghan migrants "who were at risk of perishing due to the weather" were rescued in the mountains, according to Iranian border guard commander Majid Shoja, quoted by the ILNA news agency.

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They are drawn to Iran due to greater job opportunities and a common language, but legal routes are limited.

Afghanistan's deputy minister for labour and social affairs, Abdul Manan Omari, said Sunday it was "necessary to do more" to facilitate work permits for migrants.

Iran and Pakistan have combined sent back five million Afghans since September 2023, increasing the country's population by 10 percent, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The agency's deputy head in Afghanistan, Mutya Izora Maskun, said that many in the country report "the economy, job insecurity, food insecurity, constrained access to services" force them to leave.

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They do so even if that means going through "illegal crossing points that are very dangerous due to the cold and the risks of human trafficking", she told AFP.

The Taliban government has taken "serious steps to fight the smugglers", interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani told AFP.

But attempts to reach Iran have not stopped.

- 'Destitute' -

In the last week of December, "347 people who were trying to illegally cross the border into Iran were identified and arrested", a military unit in western Afghanistan said in a statement on Saturday.

Abdul Majeed Haidari, whose one-year-old son suffers from a heart problem, tried his luck in mid-December.

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Working at a brick oven, the 25-year-old could no longer afford to pay for his son's medication and family expenses.

"We left because we were so destitute," his stepbrother Yunus, who accompanied him, told AFP.

"We set out in the rain. In such weather, the radars and cameras of the border guards do not work properly. But the smuggler got lost," he said.

They failed to light a fire for warmth and, as snow fell, Yunus recounted his stepbrother's words: "I can't walk anymore."

"Some told us to leave him so as not to endanger the other 19 people in the group," said Yunus, who requested his full name not be used.

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After carrying him for two more hours, "his eyes stopped closing, his body grew heavier," Yunus recalled, before an Iranian family drove past and took them to hospital.

"They gave him electric shocks, but they said he was already dead," said Yunus, who has since returned to his village.

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Police agencies across New Castle County are filling in for all Delaware State Police troopers across the northernmost county, as the agency mourns its fallen trooper, Cpl. Matthew T. Ty Snook.

Thousands of law enforcement, community members and other onlookers have already begun to gather in Newark at the University of Delawares Bob Carpenter Center early on Monday morning, Jan. 5, for a day of honoring Snook. The 34-year-old trooper was shot and killed in the line of duty on Dec. 23, while working an overtime assignment at a DMV south of Wilmington.

The funeral procession for slain Delaware State Trooper Cpl. Matthew T. 'Ty' Snook arrives at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark on January 5, 2026.

Delaware State Police previously announced that all DSP State Bureau of Identification locations would be closed on Jan. 5 due to the event, with normal business hours resuming on Jan. 6.

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There are also no Delaware State Police officers working in New Castle County the day of Snooks service as they pay their final respects. New Castle County police are covering most of Delaware State Police's operations in the state's northern county.

Everything from patrolling state roads to traffic stops to small criminal investigations in state police jurisdiction is being done in New Castle County by county police, allowing state police to attend Snook's services. In order to cover for state police, some county officers are being paid overtime while others who were scheduled to do routine training have been assigned other duties. These officers will be reassigned to do their training at a later time.

"Some of them are overtime just because it's their day off, so they're getting paid overall," said New Castle County's Sgt. Andrea Botterbusch.

A public visitation period, Celebration of Life, pass and review, memorial service and final honors run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A livestream will begin around noon, according to police, available on the Delaware State Police YouTube channel and here on Delaware Online.

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A private funeral will take place afterwards.

Updates on Snook's service: Hearse carrying Delaware trooper Snook arrives to funeral. Live updates

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware State Police troopers off for Cpl. Snook's funeral service
When fighting broke out again between Cambodia and Thailand in December, Vunmara Kong felt helpless.

A nurse in Modesto, Kong said that when she would bring up the conflict with coworkers or patients, many told her they didnt even know it was happening.

Kong did what she could. She created a GoFundMe campaign, which raised nearly $3,500 in three weeks for displaced Cambodian families. She has been coordinating with an American content creator living in Cambodia to ensure the funds reach those in need. The content creator also is running a GoFundMe page, which has raised nearly $59,000 to provide medical supply packages to refugees and frontline military units.

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I think the community here just wants to feel like were being heard. We want people to stay informed about whats going on, Kong said.

Despite a recent ceasefire, the territorial dispute between Cambodia and Thailand has left Cambodian Americans in the Central Valley in fear as they look for ways to support their homeland from afar.

Last year also marked the 50th anniversary of the start of the Cambodian Genocide, during which an estimated 1.5 million to 2 million people were killed by the Khmer Rouge. This reminder along with the recent fighting has resurfaced trauma for many Cambodians.

Stockton is home to the fifth-largest Cambodian refugee population in the United States, and Modesto also has a sizable Cambodian community.

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In a statement to The Bee, Modesto Mayor Sue Zwahlen said she formed close friendships with Southeast Asian refugees who settled in Modesto in the early 1980s.

My thoughts are with those who are now suffering considering the current conflict in their homeland. War is horrific for everyone. I am grateful for the current ceasefire and hope it continues, she said.

Whats happening between Cambodia and Thailand?

Cambodia and Thailand clashed for five days in July over competing territorial claims along their disputed border, resulting in dozens of civilian and military deaths and forcing tens of thousands of villagers on both sides to flee.

A ceasefire brokered by Malaysia later that month  under pressure from the United States and President Donald Trump  temporarily halted the fighting. However, fighting resumed again in December.

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The two countries signed another ceasefire agreement on Dec. 27.

The dispute largely stems from a 1907 map created during Cambodias period under French colonial rule. Thailand argues the map is inaccurate. In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Cambodia sovereignty over the disputed area, including the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple, a ruling reaffirmed in 2013.

Tensions over the territory previously sparked several armed clashes between 2008 and 2011.

Resurfaced trauma

Kong, who was born and raised in Modesto, said her parents fled to the Cambodian-Thai border during the Cambodian genocide in the late 1970s. They lived in refugee camps before being sponsored to resettle in the U.S. Families were scattered across the world depending on which countries sponsored them.

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She said her parents continue to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of that experience.

Kong still has family in Cambodia, including relatives she later reconnected with after believing they had not survived. She said they are afraid to leave their homes, worried they could return to nothing.

Now theyre going through this heartache again, Kong said.

Sophy Reese, president of the nonprofit United Cambodian American Network, and her brother were born in a refugee camp after their family fled Cambodia. In 1984, they were sponsored by a church in North Carolina, where they stayed for several months before joining relatives in Stockton. Reese was 3 years old when she arrived in the United States.

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Reese said many Cambodians who came from rural areas were drawn to the Central Valley because its agricultural landscape resembled their homeland, offering familiar work and a way to make a living.

Reese helped push for the city of Stockton in 2016 to officially recognize April 13-17 as Cambodian Genocide Memorial Week.

This new conflict thats here now, its really stirring up a lot of emotions for people because people are just starting to heal and open up about what happened 50 years ago. And now theres something else, Reese said.

A peace rally for Cambodians was held at the Victory Park in Stockton on Dec. 21, 2025. (Vunmara Kong)

Donovin Ly, president of the nonprofit Khmer Harmony & Heritage, based at Wat Dhammararam Buddhist Temple in Stockton, said the border clashes have brought the local Cambodian community closer together but have been especially difficult for older generations who survived the genocide.

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Lys parents are among those survivors. His mother was about 6 years old at the time, and while her memories of the bombings have faded, he said she remembers running and hiding in fear.

Ly said he still has relatives in Cambodia who were forced to leave their homes in the fall because they live near the border. Some have since returned, but others remain hesitant. Despite a signed peace agreement, he said, his family continues to live in fear that fighting could resume any day.

He also has a friend in Cambodia who fled with his family on a six-hour bus ride to the capital to seek refuge, only to be called back shortly afterward to work in his hometown, where he is an accountant for a convenience store company.

He had to go all the way back that six-hour bus ride back to his hometown, all by himself, Ly said.

Rally for peace and aid

Vickie In of the nonprofit Khmer Aid Foundation helped organize a peace rally in Stockton in December to unite the community and raise awareness about the conflict.

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Similar peace rallies have been held across the United States, Canada and Cambodia, with plans for another rally in front of the state Capitol on Jan. 11 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Reese said raising awareness and sending aid remain critical. She urged community members to contact their local and state representatives.

Our ultimate goal is just to make sure that we obviously raise awareness to help raise funds so that we can help people back home, Reese said.

Ly said it has been comforting to have the surrounding community mourn and grieve together. If people cannot donate, he said, he also appreciates them taking the time to spread awareness and learn more about what is happening between the two countries.

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In echoed that message, encouraging people to research the conflict and support organizations providing humanitarian aid. She said mobilizing is new to the community and that they dont really have the infrastructure to push for something big.

She doesnt agree with people boycotting Thai products. She said politics aside, she just wants peace.

I think its important, the more people know about our story, the more we can find ways to help make a bigger impact, In said.

Local Cambodian organizations
After U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro  Donald Trump, oddly enough, suggested hes comfortable with the word kidnapped  there was an obvious power vacuum in Caracas. The result has generated predictable and unsustainable uncertainty about the nations leadership.

There was some speculation that the administration might install opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, but the American president wasted little time in dismissing her, reportedly because she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize he wanted. Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuelas vice president, has succeeded Maduro  shes, I guess, the president, Trump said on Saturday  but Edmundo Gonzalez, who is widely regarded as the legitimate winner of Venezuelas 2024 presidential election, is apparently returning from exile and referring to himself as the countrys commander in chief.

Trump, however, has a very different kind of vision in mind when it comes to Venezuelas leadership, at least in the short term.

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On Sunday night, the American president spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One and was asked for his thoughts on the United States role in running the South American nation. The Republican initially responded that no one should ask whos in charge of Venezuela because Ill give you an answer, and itll be very controversial.

What does that mean? a reporter asked.

It means were in charge, Trump replied, offering the very controversial answer he said he didnt want to offer seconds earlier.

The comments were striking for a variety of reasons, though they were hardly surprising. On Saturday morning, as many Americans were learning about the overnight developments, Trump appeared on Fox News and didnt bother with any pretenses. We cant take a chance on letting somebody else run it, he said.

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Hours later, at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said over and over again that he and his administration would be running Venezuela. Pressed for details, the American president suggested people in the military would be involved, before concluding, Its largely going to be for a period of time, the people that are standing right behind me. Were going to be running it.

Standing behind him at the time were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

A day later, Rubio appeared on some Sunday shows and tried to clarify matters a bit, explaining that U.S. officials would not actually be responsible for governing Venezuela, but as the day ended, Trumps were in charge line appeared to undercut the secretary of states on-air comments.

For the record, Venezuelas population is roughly comparable to Texas. In terms of its geographic footprint, the country is roughly the size of California, Wyoming and Oregon combined.

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Launching an attack and seizing a foreign head of state is difficult. Remaining in charge of such a country for an undetermined length of time is spectacularly more complex.

Whats more, theres little to suggest the White House has formulated any kind of plan, beyond winging it. As longtime journalist James Fallows summarized, There is no evidence that anyone on the Trump team has thought about what will happen tomorrow, or next week, or next year, in the glow of their success today.

On Saturday, a reporter reminded the American president that the U.S. has something of a mixed record of ousting dictators without necessarily a plan for what comes after. Trump quickly interrupted.

With me, thats not true, he said. With me, weve had a perfect track record of winning. We win a lot, and we win.

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Whether Trump realizes this or not, however, these circumstances are unique: Hes launched plenty of foreign strikes, but he hasnt taken a foreign head of state, created a leadership vacuum and claimed control over a foreign nation  all without any kind of meaningful blueprint for the near future.

His perfect track record, in other words, does not exist. Watch this space.

The post Were in charge: Trump undercuts Rubio, claims control over Venezuela appeared first on MS NOW.

This article was originally published on ms.now
China has placed quotas on beef imports, claiming a recent increase in shipments to the country had seriously damaged its domestic industry.

Imports above the quota face an additional tariff of 55%, according to a statement from Chinas Ministry of Commerce. A 12% duty is imposed on volumes within the quota.

The measures went live on 1 January and are set to last until the end of 2028.

Industry representatives in Brazil said the quota awarded to the countrys beef exporters was lower than the volumes shipped to China last year.

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According to Brazilian trade-body ABIEC (Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries), the countrys beef processors exported 1.7 million tons to China last year. The shipments amounted to just over 48% of Chinas beef imports, ABIEC added.

The quota awarded to Brazil stands at 1.1 million tons, the organisation said.

In this scenario, adjustments are necessary throughout the entire chain, from production to export, to avoid broader impacts, ABIEC said.

ABIEC and CNA [The Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil] will continue to monitor the implementation of the measures, working directly with the Brazilian Government and Chinese authorities to reduce the damage that this surcharge will cause to Brazilian livestock farmers and exporters and to preserve the historically practiced trade flow.

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The Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) said Chinas new quotas could cut Australias beef exports to the country by around a third. The industry organisation said that represented trade worth over A$1bn ($668.6m).

AMIC said Australian beef accounted for 8% of Chinas beef imports in 2024. Nearly 80% of beef shipped to China comes from South America, it added.

This decision will have a severe impact on trade flows to China over the duration of the measures enforcement, disrupt the longstanding relationships fostered under the ChinaAustralia Free Trade Agreement and restrict the ability for Chinese consumers to access safe and reliable Australian beef, Tim Ryan, the CEO of AMIC, said.

Chinas Ministry of Commerce said the new safeguard measures would be gradually relaxed at fixed time intervals during the implementation period up to the end of 2028.

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"China introduces quotas on beef imports" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand.




Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE:PLTR), reflected on the company's employee equity strategy, saying early stock grants generated substantial wealth for the first team members.

Equity-First Compensation Model

In an interview released by Heartland Ventures last month, Lonsdale told host and founder, Max Brickman, that during early recruitment, he showed candidates equity value tables based on different company valuations.

He explained that the company's equity-first compensation model was designed to give employees a meaningful stake in Palantir, often in exchange for lower salaries. Employees were offered multiple options with varying equity-to-salary ratios to encourage long-term ownership rather than immediate cash compensation.

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Heres what your shares would be worth if we get to $5 billion, Lonsdale told candidates, to which people responded, Joe, you cant say its worth $5 billion. Thats unrealistic.

The Colorado-based software company used an equity-first pay model, giving employees a large part of their compensation as company ownership rather than a higher base salary. This approach helps the company conserve cash while directly linking employees' success to the company's long-term growth.

Early Employees Reaped Major Rewards

The prominent American entrepreneur and venture capitalist said the approach paid off for early employees, many of whom became significantly wealthy as the company grew. Lonsdale noted that Palantir, which he co-founded at age 21 and where he personally hired most of the first 200 employees, was valued at approximately $20 to $25 billion before the AI boom.

See Also: An EA Co-Founder Shapes This VC Backed MarketplaceNow You Can Invest in Gaming's Next Big Platform

Jokingly, he highlighted the outcomes for early employees, saying many had become wealthy enough that they no longer worked full time, instead contributing to projects like his new university. Now all my friends are too rich to work anymore, which is annoying, Lonsdale said.

Lonsdale, who left the company in 2009, also credited AI with driving a significant portion of Palantir's growth over the past five years.

Whats Going On With PLTR Stock?

Palantir stock surged approximately 140% in 2025, driven by commercial AI adoption and defense contracts.

This reflects strong long-term bullish sentiment. The performance indicates that the stock has been gaining traction and could continue to do so if the current momentum holds.
Twenty-five-year-old Grace and her husband are set on staying child-free, resisting pressure from their parents and society to produce offspring, even as China strives to boost its flagging birth rate.

A decade since China scrapped its stringent one-child policy and implemented a two-child policy in January 2016, the nation is dealing with a looming demographic crisis.

The country's population has shrunk for three straight years, with the United Nations predicting it could fall from 1.4 billion today to 633 million by 2100.

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There were just 9.54 million births in China in 2024 -- half the number than in 2016 -- and concerns about the shrinking and ageing population have been growing as couples choose to buck traditional Chinese norms.

More young people like Grace, who refers to herself and her husband as DINKs -- or "dual income no kids" -- have either sworn against having children at all or are putting it off for the next few years.

These couples' reasons run the gamut from high child-rearing costs to career concerns.

Grace, who asked to be identified by her English name over fears of repercussions, said she needed to have a decent income and "some savings" before starting a family.

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Without these conditions, "I wouldn't even consider having kids", the content creator added.

The term "DINK" has gone viral on Chinese social media, including Xiaohongshu, where its hashtag has received more than 731 million views, sparking differing views on the subject.

"If I were to widely publicise the fact that I'm a DINK and talk about how comfortable my life is, there would definitely be many people who wouldn't be happy about it," Grace told AFP.

- Changing attitudes -

Chinese authorities have rolled out pronatalist incentives after ending its one-child policy -- which had been in place for more than three decades to address poverty and overpopulation.

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Top leaders have pledged more childcare relief, including subsidies to parents to the tune of $500 per year for every child under the age of three, state media reported in July.

Beijing also slapped a value-added tax on condoms and other contraceptives in January.

But experts say China, which was overtaken by India as the world's most populous nation in 2023, still faces significant hurdles in boosting its birth rate.

"The number of people choosing not to marry or not to have children is increasing, and fertility intentions among the younger generation are weak," He Yafu, an independent Chinese demographer, told AFP.

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Cultural constraints have limited the long-term effectiveness of China's pronatalist measures, said Pan Wang, an associate professor at Australia's University of New South Wales.

"The one-child policy fundamentally reshaped family norms and also people's lifestyles, because many people, especially the one-child generation, were used to and often prefer smaller family sizes," Wang told AFP.

The rising living costs in China and economic uncertainty also continue to deter childbearing, she added.

Beijing resident Wang Zibo, 29, said he and his wife have decided to wait for the "economy to stabilise" before they have children, even though he said he is in "quite good" financial standing.

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"Looking at things in China right now, the main reason (why young couples are not having children) is still that the economy is somewhat weak," he told AFP.

China has struggled to maintain a strong economic recovery from the pandemic, while many employees work long hours under a gruelling "996" culture -- 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, six days a week.

"People have been excessively busy with work... for some, it's difficult even to find the time to think about (starting a family)," Wang said.

- No time, no money -

China in 2021 further relaxed its strict family planning controls, allowing couples to have three children -- something many couples, especially those living in cities, are reluctant to do.

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Even having one child is a huge responsibility, Wang said, citing the example of a friend who had a baby shortly after he got married.

"He would constantly tell me... not only do you have no time and you spend all your money on the child, you kind of lose yourself in the process too."

Demographer He said if China's fertility rate of around 1.0 persists in the long term, the most obvious consequences will be a continued decline in population size and rapid population ageing.

"This will increase the future burden of elderly care, weaken China's overall national strength, and drag on economic development," he added.

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China's top diplomat has accused the United States of acting like the world's policeman and condemned US military strikes on Venezuela as a serious violation of international law and sovereignty.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks on Sunday during high-level talks in Beijing with Ishaq Dar, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Pakistan.

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (left) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua alt=Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (left) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua>

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Wang said the international landscape was becoming increasingly volatile, marked by growing unilateralism and what he described as bullying behaviour when discussing the sudden change of situation in Venezuela.

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.

"China has never believed that any country can play the role of an international policeman, nor do we agree that any country can claim itself to be an international judge," he said, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

The sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law, Wang said, adding that China opposed the use or threat of force in international relations and rejected attempts to impose one country's will on others.

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His comments followed a US military raid early on Saturday in Caracas that resulted in the arrest and transfer of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife to the United States for prosecution.

China's foreign ministry later issued a statement strongly condemning Washington for using force against a sovereign state, calling the operation a serious violation of international law and an act of hegemonic coercion.

On Sunday, Beijing urged the United States to immediately release Maduro and halt what it described as efforts to undermine Venezuela's government.

Despite China's condemnation, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he maintained a "very good" relationship with his counterpart Xi Jinping and pledged that Venezuelan oil shipments to China would continue.

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During their meeting - which marked the seventh round of the China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue - Wang and Dar also addressed regional security issues, with Pakistan facing persistent challenges along its western border and China seeking assurances over the safety of its personnel and projects.

According to the Chinese foreign ministry statement, Dar pledged that Islamabad would intensify counterterrorism efforts and take "effective measures" to protect China's institutions and citizens in Pakistan.

Wang described China and Pakistan as "all-weather" strategic partners bound by mutual trust and long-standing support and noted that Dar was the first foreign minister to be received by China in 2026 - a gesture that marked the start of activities commemorating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year, he said.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of allowing militant groups to operate from Afghan territory, allegations the Taliban denies.

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A major border clash in October killed more than 70 people before a ceasefire was brokered, though subsequent talks between the neighbouring countries have failed to produce a lasting breakthrough.

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  2026 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2026. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
By Yimou Lee

TAIPEI, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Chinese cyberattacks on Taiwan's key infrastructure from hospitals to banks rose 6% in 2025 from the previous year to an average of 2.63 million attacks a day, the island's National Security Bureau said, adding some were synchronised with military drills in "hybrid threats" to paralyse the island.

Taiwan has in recent years complained about what it sees as China's "hybrid warfare" - from daily military drills near the island to disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks - as Beijing ramps up military and political pressure on the democratically governed island to force Taipei to accept its claims of sovereignty.

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The average number of daily attacks in 2025 jumped 113% from 2023 when the bureau first began publishing such data, with sectors such as energy, emergency rescue and hospitals seeing the sharpest yearonyear increases, according to a report by the National Security Bureau on Sunday.

"Such a trend indicates a deliberate attempt by China to compromise Taiwans crucial infrastructure comprehensively and to disrupt or paralyse Taiwanese government and social functions," the report said.

The bureau said China's "cyber army" timed operations to coincide with military and political coercion. For example, China launched 40 "joint combat readiness patrols" by sending military planes and ships close to Taiwan and cyberattacks escalated on 23 of those occasions.

China also ramped up hacking activities during politically sensitive moments such as when President Lai Ching-te marked his first year in office with a speech in May and when Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim spoke at a meeting with lawmakers at the European Parliament in November.

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"Chinas moves align with its strategic need to employ hybrid threats against Taiwan during both peacetime and wartime," the report said.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment.

China routinely denies being involved in hacking attacks.

Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taipei strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims and says only Taiwan's people can decide their future.

The Taiwanese report said the Chinese attacks included distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks designed to disrupt Taiwan's daily life as well as man-in-the-middle attacks to steal information and penetrate the island's telecommunications networks.

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Science parks that anchor Taiwan's semiconductor industryhome to firms such as TSMChave also been prime targets, with attackers employing a range of techniques to steal advanced technologies.

The move was "an attempt to support China's self-reliance in technology and economic development and prevent China from being put in a disadvantaged position in the U.S.-China technology competition," the report said.

(Reporting by Yimou Lee; additional reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
The post From Cloud Forests to Salt Flats: What Drives Tarantulas to Conquer Every Corner of Bolivia? appeared first on A-Z Animals.

Quick Take

Bolivia harbors more than 25 native tarantula species, signaling a rich native fauna.

Protected habitats such as Carrasco National Park shield diverse Bolivian tarantulas and their rainforest ecosystems.

Dolichothele tarantulas lack urticating setae , an uncommon trait among New World tarantulas.

Read on to discover Pamphobeteus tarantulas, very large terrestrial spiders with a leg span of up to 9 inches.

Although Bolivia is landlocked, it is home to diverse geography, including the Andes mountains in the west, the Amazon rainforest in the northern and eastern lowlands, and the Gran Chaco in the southeastern lowlands. Bolivia also has the largest salt flat on Earth, Salar de Uyuni, which covers over 4,000 square miles. The capital city, La Paz, is the highest capital city on Earth at 11,975 feet above sea level.

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There are more than 25 tarantula species native to Bolivia, but researchers believe there may be up to 50 more. The list below includes currently recognized tarantula species in the country based on the World Spider Catalog as of December 2025. Asterisks after the names indicate that the tarantula is the type species. See our complete list of tarantula species for a comprehensive reference of tarantulas around the world.

Explore Bolivia's incredible tarantula diversity, from forest dwellers up to 9 inches long to a unique species that developed without the itching hairs most others rely on for defense.  A-Z Animals

Acanthoscurria Ausserer, 1871

Tarantulas in the genus Acanthoscurria are large, heavily built spiders. They typically have leg spans measuring 7-8 inches. One of their distinguishing characteristics is the presence of noise-making, or stridulating, hairs called setae on the back side of the second segment of their pedipalps. Acanthoscurria tarantulas frequently have dense, reddish or pinkish setae on their abdomens and legs. They may also have light-colored bands at the leg joints. These tarantulas tend to favor the humid, tropical climates of Bolivias rainforests and eastern lowlands, including protected areas like Carrasco National Park.

The Bolivian red rump, Acanthoscurria chacoana, can reach a leg span of 6-7 inches. Bernard DUPONT / CC BY-SA 2.0  Original / License (Bernard DUPONT / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Acanthoscurria chacoana Brethes, 1909 Common name: Bolivian red rump or Bolivian pink Distribution: Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina

Acanthoscurria cordubensis Thorell, 1894 Common name: Rusty brown birdeater Distribution: South America, except Colombia, Suriname, Ecuador, and Chile

Acanthoscurria insubtilis Simon, 1892 Common name: Bolivian black velvet Distribution: Bolivia, Brazil

Acanthoscurria musculosa Simon, 1892 Common name: Brazilian black velvet Distribution: Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina

Acanthoscurria theraphosoides (Doleschall, 1871) Common name: Giant black-and-white Distribution: Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana



Avicularia Lamarck, 1818

Tarantulas in the genus Avicularia are arboreal. They tend to favor mid-to-upper canopy areas in the rainforests, building web tunnels in the trees. These tarantulas are predominantly small to medium-sized, with leg spans of 4-6 inches. A. avicularia has a dark body with a greenish iridescence on its carapace and femora. It has long, dense, pinkish-orange setae, and the end of each leg is pink. It typically has a leg span of up to 4.75 inches. A. rufa has a brownish-colored body with long, grizzled guard setae, vivid yellow bands on its leg segments, and pinkish toes. It commonly reaches a leg span of 5-6 inches.

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Avicularia avicularia (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Guyana pinktoe or pink-toed tarantula Distribution: Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia

Avicularia rufa Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1945 Common name: Yellow-banded pinktoe Distribution: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil



Bermejoa Gabriel, Sherwood & Perez-Miles, 2023

Bermejoa is a recently described genus, known from a male specimen, Bermejoa zoeae. It was collected at the type locality Refugio de Los Volcanes, Department of Santa Cruz. B. zoeae is a burrowing tarantula found in semi-deciduous forested areas of the Dry Chaco region at elevations of around 3,280 feet.It is overall brown in color with type I urticating setae, characterized by a reversed barbed area with large barbs that are a weak irritant to vertebrates. B. zoeae also lacks a stridulatory organ. It has a total length of 0.81 inches, and its longest legs (pair IV) measure 1.11 inches.

Bermejoa zoeae* Gabriel, Sherwood, & Perez-Miles, 2023 Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia



Bumba Perez-Miles, Bonaldo & Miglio, 2014

One way to distinguish the genus Bumba, originally Maraca, is by the presence of type IV urticating setae, which are short, very fine, and have barbs and pointed tips. They are generally medium-sized terrestrial tarantulas with a leg span of 4-6 inches. B. panuka has a brown carapace and legs with long, gold setae on the carapace edges. Its abdomen is light brown with a black longitudinal band. It is known to inhabit the Andean foothills and lowlands of the Southwest Amazon moist forest region.

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Bumba paunaka Ferretti, 2021 Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia



Cyclosternum Ausserer, 1871

Cyclosternum tarantulas are small to medium-sized burrowing spiders that are generally found in humid grasslands and tropical rainforests. The genus is often considered problematic due to incomplete descriptions, contradictory illustrations, inaccurate type localities, overlapping species distributions, and the absence of associations between males and females. Little is known about C. ledezmae, but it was originally Metriopelma ledezmae prior to being transferred by Gabriel in 2016.

Cyclosternum ledezmae (Vol, 2001) Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia



Cyriocosmus Simon, 1903

Spiders in the genus Cyriocosmus are small, or dwarf, burrowing tarantulas. C. blenginii is known from the Rio Mamore at the northern border of Bolivia and Brazil. Its cephalothorax and legs are reddish-brown. It has a dark brown abdomen with a light brown central patch and stripes. No urticating setae were found in the male type specimen. It has a total length of 0.70 inches, and its longest legs (pair IV) are 1.12 inches. C. perezmilesi is known from the Beni River, San Buenaventura and Buena Vista near Santa Cruz, Bolivia. It has a reddish-brown carapace, reddish-brown and black femora, and long pale setae. This tarantula has a patterned abdomen with four stripes and a glossy, heart-shaped, reddish-brown patch of urticating setae. It has a total length of 0.98 inches, and its longest legs (pair IV) measure 1.04 inches.

The Bolivian dwarf beauty, Cyriocosmus perezmilesi, has a heart-shaped patch of urticating hair on its abdomen. Morkelsker / Public Domain CC0  Original / License (Morkelsker / Public Domain CC0)

Cyriocosmus blenginii Perez-Miles, 1998 Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia

Cyriocosmus perezmilesi Kaderka, 2007 Common name: Bolivian dwarf beauty Distribution: Bolivia



Dolichothele Mello-Leitao, 1923

Dolichothele tarantulas are small, burrowing spiders that typically reach leg spans of up to 4 inches. These spiders also lack urticating setae. D. boliviana inhabits the montane dry forests in the eastern foothills of the Andes. It is light brown to brown with light brown setae on its carapace and legs. D. boliviana has a dark brown abdomen with short, gold setae and longer, light brown setae. It also has pale bands on its legs. D. camargorum females have a brown carapace with long, light brown setae. Their legs are also brown with pale bands and dark brown setae. Its abdomen is brown with four broad black markings on the sides. Males are darker with orange setae on the borders of the carapace and lack leg bands and abdomen markings. D. camargorum inhabits patches of Cerrado savanna in the Department of La Paz.

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Dolichothele boliviana (Vol, 2001) Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia, Brazil

Dolichothele camargorum Revollo, da Silva & Bertani, 2017 Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia, Brazil



Grammostola Simon, 1892

Grammostola tarantulas are medium to large burrowing spiders, with a leg span of up to 8 inches. They often have dark-colored bodies with lighter stripes on their legs and dense, reddish setae, as seen in G. rosea. It is a medium-sized tarantula with an average leg span of around 5 inches. G. rosea is found in the drier, lower-elevation scrublands and desert regions of northern Bolivia. These spiders typically excavate tube-like, silk-lined burrows or take over abandoned rodent or reptile burrows. It has historically been one of the most common tarantulas in the pet trade for its hardiness and docile temperament.

Chilean rose tarantulas, Grammostola rosea, have a leg span of up to 5 inches. iStock.com/Svetlana Makarova (iStock.com/Svetlana Makarova)

Grammostola rosea (Walckenaer, 1837) Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia, Chile, Argentina



Hapalotremus Simon, 1903

Hapalotremus tarantulas are small to medium-sized spiders with a leg span of up to 4.5 inches. They favor higher elevation cloud forests and rocky, grassy mountains in the western Andes region between 4,265 and 14,763 feet. These spiders are often found in short burrows around fallen logs or under rocks. One distinguishing feature of these tarantulas is the presence of white or red type III setae on the abdomen. H. albipes is known for the white-spotted pattern on its dark abdomen, reddish-orange patches of urticating setae, and short, white setae on its legs. H. kuka has a reddish-brown carapace and brown legs with very long, white setae. Its abdomen is light brown with pale yellow setae on the urticating patch. H. yuraqchanka also has short, white setae on its legs. It is described as being similar in color to the original description of H. albipes, except for the femora.

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Hapalotremus albipes* Simon, 1903 Common name: Bolivian white leg Distribution: Bolivia

Hapalotremus kuka Ferretti, Cavallo, Chaparro, Rios-Tamayo, Seimon & West, 2018 Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia

Hapalotremus yuraqchanka Sherwood, Ferretti, Gabriel & West, 2021 Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia



Holothele Karsch, 1879

Holothele tarantulas are relatively small and are distinguished by the lack of urticating setae. They are also known to excavate extensive, heavily webbed burrows. H. longipes generally reaches leg spans of 3 to 4 inches. The cephalothorax is covered in long, pinkish-orange setae. Its dark legs and palps are primarily covered in black setae with patches of orange and blue setae. However, H. longipes has been recorded in a variety of habitats from the Caribbean across northern South America, so size and coloration may vary by geographic location.

Holothele longipes* (L. Koch, 1875) Common name: Trinidad pink Distribution: Venezuela, Bolivia, Trinidad and Tobago, French Guiana, Suriname, Brazil



Isiboroa Gabriel, Sherwood & Perez-Miles, 2023

Isiboroa is a recently described genus known from Isiboro-Secure National Park, Department of Cochabamba, Bolivia. The type species, I. hamelae, is primarily brown, with a glossy black abdomen and long, light brown setae. It has type III setae, which are long, barbed hairs that can cause itching, irritation, or inflammation in large vertebrates, including humans. I. hamelae has a total length of 1.37 inches, and its longest legs (pair IV) measure 1.88 inches. This tarantula inhabits the Bolivian Yungas region at elevations between 4,429 and 4,593 feet.

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Isiboroa hamelae* Gabriel, Sherwood & Perez-Miles, 2023 Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia



Notahapalopus Sherwood, Gabriel, Penaherrera-R., Osorio, Benavides, Horweg, Brescovit & Lucas, 2024

The genus Notahapalopus consists of one newly described species and three species that were transferred from Hapalopus. Notahapalopus aymara was moved from Hapalopus to Notahapalopus based on the morphology of the tibia and the male reproductive organ. N. aymara was originally located in Rurrenabaque, Beni, Bolivia, which is part of the Bolivian Amazon Basin. This tarantula is primarily light brown with a dark brown abdomen and legs. It has a total length of 0.83 inches, not including the chelicerae (mouthparts) and spinnerets, and its longest legs (pair IV) measure just over 1 inch.

Notahapalopus aymara* (Perdomo, Panzera & Perez-Miles, 2009) Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia, Brazil



Pamphobeteus Pocock, 1901

Pamphobeteus spiders are described as very large terrestrial tarantulas with a leg span of up to 9 inches, although some females may grow larger. P. antinous males can be recognized by the bright, violet-blue, iridescent patches of setae on the three inner leg segments, the pedipalps, chelicerae (mouthparts), and thorax. The rest of its setae are dark brown. In contrast, adult females are almost entirely black with long, white setae. P. antinous can be found in the rainforests of Bolivia and Peru.

The female Bolivian blueleg, Pamphobeteus antinous, lacks the blue legs of the male and is almost entirely black. snakecollector / CC BY 2.0  Original / License (snakecollector / CC BY 2.0)

Pamphobeteus antinous Pocock, 1903 Common name: Bolivian blue leg, steely blue leg Distribution: Peru, Bolivia



Plesiopelma Pocock, 1901

Tarantulas in the genus Plesiopelma are small to medium-sized spiders, often found in tube-like, silk-lined burrows in mountainous regions. The P. manni holotype male is 1.12 inches in total length, with its longest legs (pair IV) measuring 1.67 inches. In preservation, it appears to be mostly brown with brown setae. The female is currently unknown. This tarantula is found in the Dry Chaco region, but in a transitional zone between forest and serrano habitats, at elevations of around 3,280 feet.

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Plesiopelma manni Gabriel, Sherwood & Perez-Miles, 2023 Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia



Pseudhapalopus Strand, 1907

The genus Pseudhapalopus includes only a single species, Pseudhapalopus aculeatus. However, the type material collected by Strand was destroyed during WWII. There are neither scientific illustrations nor useful descriptions, and this tarantula has not yet been recollected. Researchers consider P. aculeatus as nomen dubium, or species inquirenda, meaning its identity is uncertain and requires further investigation.

Pseudhapalopus aculeatus * Strand, 1907 Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia



Umbyquyra Gargiulo, Brescovit & Lucas, 2018

The total length of spiders in the genus Umbyquyra generally ranges from a maximum of 1.57 inches in males to 1.73 inches in females. They are usually dark brown with light brown legs and red or gold setae. U. acuminatum reaches a total length of 1.26 inches, and its longest legs (pair II) measure 1.11 inches. It typically has a dark brown body and lighter brown legs. The abdomen and legs are covered with long reddish setae. In Bolivia, these spiders are known from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Province Sara. It was transferred from Acanthoscurria to Umbyquyra due to the stridulatory bristles on leg I and the second segment of the pedipalps and the morphology of their reproductive organs.

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Umbyquyra acuminatum (Schmidt & Tesmoingt, 2005) Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia, Brazil



Vitriemboli Penaherrera-R., Rios-Tamayo, Sherwood, Gabriel, Guerrero-Campoverde, Leon-E., Mora-Bolanos & Cisneros-Heredia, 2025

Vitriemboli is a new genus that includes the recently transferred Bolivian species Vitriemboli herzogi (formerly Reversopelma). The transfer was based on the urticating setae type and the morphology of the male spiders reproductive organ. The type specimen was originally collected in the Department of Tarija, between Caiza and Creveaux. It was located in the Dry Chaco region, but in a transitional area between forest and serrano at an elevation of around 3,280 feet. The male type specimen has a total length of 1.37 inches, with its longest legs (pair IV) measuring 2.22 inches. It is light brown overall with a darker area at the front on the carapace and light stripes on its legs.

Vitriemboli herzogi (Gabriel, Sherwood & Perez-Miles, 2023) Common name: N/A Distribution: Bolivia



The post From Cloud Forests to Salt Flats: What Drives Tarantulas to Conquer Every Corner of Bolivia? appeared first on A-Z Animals.
As someone who spent several years as a workers rights organizer, Fredy Amador is intimately familiar with the financial struggles people face in the current economy. Northern Illinois skyrocketing energy bills make the situation even tougher.

Now, Amador has become an evangelist for something that can provide a modest measure of relief: a community solar project, built on a Superfund site too polluted for much else in the city of Waukegan where he lives, about 40 miles north of Chicago.

Residents who subscribe to get energy from the solar farm are guaranteed to see savings on their energy bills, under a state program incentivizing solar in low-income areas.

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The 9.1-megawatt Yeoman Solar Project, which went online last month, can provide energy for about 1,000 households, as well as the Waukegan school district, which owns the land.

The school district bought the site in the 1950s hoping to build a new high school. But the land proved too swampy, and from 1958 to 1969 it was used as a dump for industrial and municipal waste. The highly contaminated Yeoman Creek Landfill was finally cleaned up 20 years ago, and now the district receives lease payments from CleanCapital, the national solar-investment company that owns and operates the solar farm.

Such brownfields are attractive locations for solar installations because of existing electrical infrastructure, lower-cost land, and community acceptance, noted Paul Curran, CleanCapitals chief development officer. Incentives from the state initiative Illinois Solar for All helped make the project financially viable, even given extra costs incurred from building on a Superfund site.

Its an example of how state policy can drive clean energy development and cost savings, even as federal tax credits for solar are being cut. The project also shows how solar can turn a community liability into an asset.

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The Yeoman Solar Project encapsulates so much of solars promise, said Andrew Linhares, senior manager for the central U.S. at the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group. The project instills new life into the Yeoman Creek Landfill Superfund site like only solar can.

Building on pollution

As an unlined pit amid wetlands, the Yeoman Creek Landfill leached toxic chemicals into the environment, including its namesake creek. In 1989, the landfill was added to the Superfund list, the federal program that requires companies responsible for pollution to clean it up.

The remediation was completed in 2005, though gas release, groundwater, and sediment are still being monitored.

Since then, its been vacant, and discussions started in 2012 regarding the fate of the land, said LeBaron Moten, deputy superintendent of Waukegan Community Unit School District No. 60.

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There were not too many options on the table for this specific site. We couldnt build anything on it, Moten said. Our main objective was to keep people off it.

Representatives of the school district, the city, and the group of companies involved in the cleanup decided to pursue putting a solar farm on the site, and in 2017 the school district issued a request for proposals. A national developer experienced in building solar on landfills, BQ Energy, was selected. In 2022, it was acquired by CleanCapital, which launched construction of the project.

Moten said the lease payments from CleanCapital and the energy savings from solar power will be helpful for the district, which serves over 13,000 students, the majority of whom are Latino and 68% of whom are considered low-income. The school district will be the projects anchor tenant, using about 40% of the energy produced.

Seven of the school districts buildings have rooftop solar arrays, which are referenced in sustainability lessons in the classroom. Moten said he hopes Yeoman Solar will similarly factor into educating students about clean energy, and potentially preparing them for jobs in the industry.

A new direction brings new challenges

A longtime industrial hub, Waukegan is home to five Superfund sites. The city still has a lot of manufacturing, and until 2022 a large coal plant operated on the shore of Lake Michigan, not far from residents homes. That location remains contaminated with toxic coal ash. The community organization Clean Power Lake County and local activists have long demanded a just transition for Waukegan, in which economic opportunities and renewable energy benefit residents who have suffered from pollution.

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Installing solar on brownfields is one way to accomplish this.

Solar is a good fit for sites that are too polluted for housing or other types of development, noted Curran. Under the terms of the Superfund remediation, residential use is prohibited at the Yeoman Creek site.

But installing arrays on landfills or other remediated areas does entail some challenges.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reviews solar developers' plans for Superfund sites, Curran said, to be sure the construction won't damage caps over contaminated soil or otherwise release pollutants. The EPA examines every single step of construction from how big ballasts can be, to stormwater protection, to how were going to revegetate, he added.

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Even mowing the grass below solar panels  a normally mundane process  can pose risks when a landfill lies underneath.

The lawn is basically whats holding the land in place, so you dont get erosion, Curran said.

An Illinois law passed in October and awaiting the governors signature creates a rebate for community solar paired with battery storage. Curran said that batteries would likely be too heavy to locate on a landfill, but CleanCapital may explore putting them on firmer ground nearby.

The company has developed solar on brownfields and landfills in other states, including a new 822-kilowatt site in Maryland. Curran said community solar should be built on more of the nations thousands of closed landfills.

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Policies like those in Illinois help facilitate the process. A 2017 law created robust incentives for community solar. Since then, more than 700 community solar projects totaling over 1,800 megawatts have been built through the Illinois Shines incentive program. Another 33 projects representing 64 megawatts have been subsidized by Illinois Solar for All, a program for low-income and environmental justice areas (separate from the federal program of the same name that was ended by the Trump administration).

The Illinois Power Agency, which acquires power on behalf of utilities, procures solar built on brownfields. The Illinois EPA also provides low-interest loans and other resources for brownfield redevelopment.

A shared resource

Amador found out about Yeoman Solar from local clean energy leaders after he helped launch a Waukegan branch of the Chicago Workers Collaborative, which organizes and advocates for temporary workers. (He is no longer with the group, though he still lives in Waukegan.)

Community solar makes clean energy accessible to people who cant or dont want to install solar on their own homes  like Amador himself.

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I live in a condo building, and if I bought a house I probably would not have solar panels. I dont like how they look on rooftops, he said.

He often gets the same reaction when he tells people about community solar. At first they think Im talking about installing solar on their homes  they dont want that.

But after explaining and extolling the community solar model, Amador has recruited dozens of family, friends, and members of his church to subscribe to Yeoman Solar.

It will help their wallet and help the ecosystem too, Amador said.

The Yeoman Solar subscriptions will cover more than 90% of a households energy needs, said Ryan Libby, director of subscriber acquisition for PowerMarket, which CleanCapital contracted to recruit subscribers. Amador expects to save about $300 a year through his subscription, which equates to about 5 kilowatts of solar panels.

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That money can pay for utilities, for food, for other bills, Amador said. With how bad this economy is, its an important impact.

Yeoman Solar is the largest community solar array in the territory of ComEd, the utility that serves northern Illinois. It reduces the amount of energy the utility needs to provide, and ComEd has praised the project. While any ComEd customer can subscribe, Curran said CleanCapital is prioritizing outreach to Waukegan residents.

Amador indeed feels it represents a new path for the city.

All the pollution, the coal plant, the disinvestment  communities like Waukegan should be prioritized for projects like this, he said. Id like to encourage people to ask questions  go to meetings, find out how these projects work, try to sign up. That will help them to save some money, and if we all participate, were stronger.



Were glad you read this story. If you rely on independent, paywall-free reporting like ours, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.
WASHINGTON  The National Park Service will maintain its current budget after congressional appropriators rejected a request from President Donald Trump to slash the agencys budget by $1 billion for the 2026 fiscal year.

In the latest spending package released by lawmakers on Monday, the National Park Service is poised to receive $3.27 billion for the remainder of the fiscal year  roughly $1.15 billion higher than what Trump proposed in his initial budget request last year. That figure includes $2.997 billion for the National Park Service, which includes the actual parks and lands overseen by the agency.

The budget will allow the National Park Service to maintain the staffing level and necessary financial resources to support a full seasonal staff through the end of September, according to lawmakers.

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As part of the budget, roughly $205 million will go toward the Historic Preservation Fund that provides federal funding to go toward preserving historic and cultural sites across the country. More than $23 million of that will go toward the Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and another $62.15 million for State Historic Preservation Offices.

The park service funding is a small portion of the broader $180 billion spending package that was finalized over the weekend and made public on Monday morning. The three-part bill, known colloquially as a minibus spending package, would fund Commerce-Justice-Science, Interior-Environment and Energy-Water bills for the rest of the fiscal year.

The spending package comes after months of bipartisan negotiations between the House and Senate, and it marks the most significant progress toward completing the 2026 fiscal budget since the record-long shutdown ended in November.

Republicans have touted the final package as lowering current spending levels overall while avoiding a massive spending bill that is rushed through Congress hours before a shutdown deadline.

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This bipartisan, bicameral package reflects steady progress toward completing FY26 funding responsibly, Rep. Tom Cole, the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement. It invests in priorities crucial to the American people: making our communities safer, supporting affordable and reliable energy, and responsibly managing vital resources. It also delivers critical community projects nationwide, along with investments in water infrastructure, ports, and flood control that protect localities and keep commerce moving.

Democrats, meanwhile, have celebrated the inclusion of certain language pushing back against Trumps proposed spending cuts. Aside from the National Park Service, the package will provide $6.13 billion for the Forest Service while rejecting Trumps proposal to cut $1.4 billion toward the agencys non-fire budget.

The bill also ensures $8.82 billion in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, $4.7 billion higher than Trumps request.

Top appropriators in both parties have signed off on the package, hinting at smooth passage when it is brought up for a vote. The House could consider it as early as this week.

There is still much more work to do before Jan. 30, but this is an important first step, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement. I look forward to casting my vote in favor of this package.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said she has reminded her US counterpart Marco Rubio of his obligations under international law following US military action in Venezuela.

US President Donald Trump launched an operation resulting in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro this weekend, leading to accusations the US had flouted international law.

In a statement to MPs, Cooper went further than Sir Keir Starmer, who has so far avoided condemning Trump's decision and focused instead on the brutality of Maduro's dictatorship.

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In a stormy debate in the Commons, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she was disappointed not to hear from the prime minister on the issue.

The government has been facing growing calls to speak out against Trump's action, with Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs committee, saying the UK should "be clearer that this has been a breach of international law".

Security experts have warned the US action is destabilising to global politics and could embolden leaders in other countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, to ignore international agreements.

Wearing leg shackles, Maduro appeared in a New York City courtroom alongside his wife Cilia Flores for the first time on Monday to tell the packed rows of reporters and the public that he had just been "kidnapped".

[Reuters]

Making the first official government statement on the issue to Parliament, Cooper confirmed she had raised the issue of international law on a call with Trump's lead on foreign affairs.

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"In my discussions with Secretary Rubio, I raised the importance of complying with international law and we will continue to urge all partners to do so," she said.

"It is, of course, for the US to set out the legal basis for their actions and the UN Security Council is discussing Venezuela this afternoon. These issues will continue to be matters for international discussion."

Cooper added she had also spoken with Rubio about the role the UK could play in supporting a peaceful democratic transition that respected the will of the Venezuelan people.

Responding, Badenoch asked if the prime minister had spoken to Trump, saying: "I ask this because the government talks up its relationship with the US, but we keep finding we're not in the room when big decisions are made".

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She said the Conservatives understood Trump's actions and accused the government of being too distant from its "closest security partner".

"We must work with them seriously, not snipe from the sidelines," she said.

"We on this side of the House understand why the US has taken this action. As the foreign secretary said, UK policy has long been to press for a peaceful transition from authoritarian rule to a democracy. That never happened.

"Instead, Venezuelans have been living under Maduro's brutal regime for many years. The US has made it clear it is acting in its national interest against drug smuggling and other criminal activity, including potential terrorism."

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The Conservative leader added she was concerned about the precedent set by Trump's actions in Venezuela, and said the "rules-based order" should be protected.

However, Labour backbenchers and other opposition parties including the Liberal Democrats and the SNP continued to pile on pressure for the government to explicitly condemn Trump's actions.

Dame Emily told the Commons Trump's actions had created a "profound risk of international norms changing" if the government did not start "calling out" breaches of international law.

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"It is for the West surely to stand up and say, call it as it is," she said.

Cooper replied: "I have raised this issue of international law with Secretary of State Rubio and made clear that we will continue to urge all countries to follow it."

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said the UK government's refusal to brand Donald Trump's actions a "clear breach of international law" looked "ridiculous", adding: "Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator, but that does not give President Trump a free pass for illegal action."

But Cooper demurred, insisting the focus should be on Venezuela's "transition to democracy".

Demonstrators staged a central London protest on Monday against the US seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores [Reuters]

Labour MP for Leeds East Richard Burgon labelled the attack on Venezuela "disgusting", claiming the prime minister would not be acting in the same way if the military action had been taken by Putin.

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He said: "Isn't the reality that the prime minister is willing to ditch international law and sidestep the United Nations charter in order to appease Donald Trump, and doesn't this cowardly, craven approach drag this country's reputation through the dirt?"

Cooper later told MPs: "I really would warn members against making equivalence here around what Putin has done in Ukraine, where thousands of children have been kidnapped, where they have invaded a country led by a democratically elected president.

"We should be careful about recognising what we say and the implications of it."

Allegations of the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine since Russia's invasion nearly four years ago led to an international arrest warrant being issued for Putin. Ukraine has said more than 19,000 children were removed to Russia. Moscow maintains the children were evacuated from danger.

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Fears Trump could annexe Greenland next

Although Cooper was at pains not to condemn Trump's actions in Venezuela, she warned that Greenland's future was a matter for Greenlanders and Danes, and no-one else, at the end of her statement.

Trump has once again raised the prospect the US could annex Greenland, claiming he needs the semi-autonomous Danish territory for reasons of national security.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen has described the notion of US control over the island as a "fantasy", and Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has urged the US to "stop the threats" over the island.

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In her statement on Venezuela, Cooper said: "Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

"Our close European partners, our long-standing Nato allies and all our countries work closely together on security issues, and will always do so.

"The future of Greenland is a matter for the Greenlanders and Danes, and no-one else."

Speaking in the debate, former Conservative foreign secretary Sir Jeremy Hunt warned that US attempts to take Greenland could result in the collapse of Nato (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) and accused European leaders of appearing "weak and divided".

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"Most people's view of Maduro's capture will be 'good riddance', and I would have liked the government to be more categorical in supporting US action in removing an illegitimate and evil dictator," he told the Commons.

"But, if the new US approach extends to the annexation of Greenland, the sovereign territory of a Nato member, it could mean the end of the alliance with disastrous consequences."

He asked what the Foreign Office was doing to prevent such "a disaster" and Cooper replied the government was "very firm" on the issue.

[BBC]

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The man found dead after a reported shooting in Dayton last week has been identified.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Kenneth Bland, 44, was identified on Monday by the Montgomery County Coroners Office.

As News Center 7 previously reported, Dayton police were dispatched to an alley behind Illinois Avenue, just off Wyoming Street, on reports of a shooting shortly before 6 a.m.

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I was getting ready for work, and some gunshots came out, a 911 caller told dispatchers.

The caller also told police he spotted a gun near the victim.

When officers got to the scene, they found Bland. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooting remains under investigation by the Dayton Police Departments Homicide Unit.

[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Jan. 4MITCHELL  The Mitchell City Council is considering tax incentives for property owners to increase the value of their properties.

During its regular meeting on Monday, Jan 5, the Mitchell City Council will consider the first reading of an ordinance creating redevelopment neighborhood districts for discretionary formula purposes. The ordinance encourages improvements to deteriorating properties through making more properties eligible for property tax discretionary formula incentives, a seven-year reduced property tax program.

The allowed use of the discretionary formula in Mitchell is for "Any new residential structure, or addition to or renovation of an existing structure, located within a redevelopment neighborhood, if the new structure, addition, or renovation has a full and true value of $5,000 or more."

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The ordinance is to "foster more development and improvements," according to City Attorney Justin Johnson.

"After further consideration and analysis of the greater core of Mitchell, significantly larger areas would qualify to be included in a redevelopment district due to a predominance of deteriorated site improvements," according to a staff request from Johnson.

The ordinance seeks to repeal the existing Mitchell West Central Residential Redevelopment Neighborhood and replace it with three new, larger districts. The area in the repealed district is also included within the new districts, so properties there will still qualify, according to Johnson.

"This will allow more properties to take advantage of the discretionary formula if they choose to do so," Johnson wrote in the staff request to the council.

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The three proposed redevelopment neighborhood districts are "blighted" areas "due to the predominance of deteriorated site improvements," according to the ordinance. These areas have boundaries from North Ohlman Street on the west, 12th Avenue on the north, Havens Avenue and portions of Dry Run Creek on the south, and areas of South Foster Street, North Calhoun Street, Charles Street on the east, and Burr Street south of dry run creek and north of Havens Avenue. The areas are in each of the four city wards.

Mitchell has two discretionary formula districts, one for the downtown Main Street area and the other just west of downtown along North Duff Street. The city introduced these districts to reduce property taxes for industrial, commercial and residential properties. The formula adjusts each year until the property owner is paying taxes on the full value of the structure, according to the SD Department of Revenue.

In 2023, the council adopted an ordinance that allows property owners located in a redevelopment district to take advantage of the discretionary formula for property tax purposes

when certain new development or redevelopment occurs. At the time of adoption, the city established the Mitchell West Central Residential Redevelopment Neighborhood.

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If finalized, the ordinance shall become effective for taxes assessed in calendar year 2023 and payable in calendar year 2024 and each successive taxation year thereafter unless repealed.

The Mitchell City Council will consider a $161,900 design agreement for a second first station, to be located on the north side of town, and a $54,000 design agreement for replacing the leaky Mitchell Activities Center ice arena roof. Both agreements are with DesignArc Group.

The council will consider an agreement with the Mitchell Firefighters Association Local 4166, to amend the previous agreement in regards to overtime hours and reporting these hours to agencies. The council will consider amending the city's 2026 employee compensation plan.

The council will consider Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson's request to vacate the roadway of South Hunter Street between East First Avenue and East Hanson Street. This roadway is at the city-owned former mobile home park, just north of the Mitchell Aquatic Center at Hitchcock Park.

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The council will also consider an agreement with SPN and Associates for engineering design and bidding of a new lift station to be installed at 12th Avenue and Rowley Street, and an agreement with South Dakota Department of Transportation for sidewalks northwest of West 16th Avenue and North Iowa Street at Highway 37 Bypass to be transferred to the city.

The council will also consider 2026 official bank depositories, consider a variance permit for Bart and Nikki Fredericksen at 129 S. Harmon Dr, consider dissolving Tax Increment District No. 9, and consider the transfer of an on-sale liquor license from Jade's at 107 N. Main St. to VFW Post No. 2750 at 215 N. Main St.

The council will also go into executive session, citing state statute 19-19-502 for lawyer client communications.

The Mitchell City Council meeting starts at 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 5, at City Hall.

A full agenda can be found on the

city's website.
Jan. 4MITCHELL  Concrete and steel will take the place of wood and rot, if a local bridge is approved for state grant funds.

The Mitchell City Council, during its regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 15, approved an application to be submitted to the South Dakota Department of Transportation (DOT) Bridge Improvement Program (BIG) for a $3.5 million bridge replacement project for the canal bridge along North Harmon Drive west of Lake Mitchell. The estimated cost for the bridge design and construction is $3.53 million. The city's commitment is 20% of project costs at $862,878.

"There's some fees that are not included that are shown in the application," Public Works Director Joe Schroeder told the council.

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The city's commitment for the project includes $609,488 in local match dollars, 20% of Brosz Engineering's construction engineering fee at $59,140, and $194,250 in ineligible costs for wetland mitigation, asphalt concrete composite and DOT index.

Brosz Engineering provides design and construction oversight, with an estimated 980 man hours and 2000 man hours, respectively, to be put into the project. Brosz's design fee is $193,500 and construction engineering and oversight fee is $295,700. In addition, Brosz's mobilization fee is $200,000.

The project has $2.39 million in grant eligible construction costs, and $194,250 in ineligible costs.

The new bridge is planned to be made of concrete, according to Schroeder. The project would include a single span, 86.5 foot long prestressed concrete girder bridge with berm abutments. The berm is to be set on an earthen embankment.

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The bridge is facing replacement due to several wooden portions of the bridge showing wear.

According to

Brosz Engineering's bridge inspection report,

the canal bridge shows signs of "severe deterioration decay" of the north abutment cap, timbers are "visually overstressed" on support columns No. 3 through No. 6, and parts of the west end are "severely decayed."

The canal bridge has an average daily traffic of 350 vehicles.

Bridge grants are given priority based on a points system to determine how soon the repairs are needed. The canal bridge has a 36.67 rehabilitation and replacement score.

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A design for the bridge is expected in 2027, if and when grant and city budgeted funds would be made available. The new bridge is expected to last 75 years. Construction would start on the project in 2028 and take all summer, according to Schroeder.

The bridge's roadway is expected to be two 12 foot wide lanes and two 2 foot wide shoulders. The project is to have excavation and grading, and plans for salvage of various signs and guardrails.

The cost of materials and installation for the replacement bridge comes in at $558,319 for 399 cubic yards of concrete, 11,250 pounds of reinforcing steel at $56,250, 45,000 pounds of epoxy coated reinforcing steel at $270,000, and 432.5 feet of prestressed concrete beams at $237,875.

Previously, DOT denied a BIG application to rehabilitate the bridge. Built in 2000, the canal bridge crosses over a channel that runs into Lake Mitchell from Firesteel Creek.

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The design of the bridge is the root cause of the ongoing problems, according to engineers.

The canal bridge is a single-span prestressed concrete double-tee beam bridge and has a treated timber abutment cap.

The canal bridge

has had a 50% weight limit reduction on it since 2021.

There is potential for more damage to be done to the bridge if the weight limit is not followed, according to officials.

Other bridges in Mitchell have qualified for the BIG program. In summer 2025, Brosz completed an epoxy polymer bridge deck seal on the west end bridge. The city received a BIG grant in the amount of $253,000 to fix the bridge, which was built in 2015.

The DOT Report of Foundation Investigation recommended that the replacement bridge piles be hot-rolled steel at 10 inches deep and capable of withstanding 42 lbs of pressure per foot. The report recommended that the bottom of the bridge have an elevation of 1227 feet above sea level, that the piles have a maximum bearing resistance of 77 tons and a nominal pile bearing resistance of 192 tons.
Akbar Novruz



A 45-container ChinaEurope freight train carrying photovoltaic modules belonging to the China Energy Engineering Group has departed from Xian.

According to Azernews, this marks the first train to leave China in 2026 via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, also known as the Middle Corridor. The train departed on January 1 and will cross the Horgos border checkpoint into Kazakhstan before reaching Baku via the Caspian Sea.

The timely delivery of the photovoltaic modules to Baku was made possible through Xians active involvement in developing the Trans-Caspian corridor, along with coordinated efforts by partner countries to reduce costs and improve efficiency. As a result, train traffic along the corridor has intensified, while transportation time has been reduced from 1523 days to around 11 days.

The Trans-Caspian route of the ChinaEurope freight train from Xian was first launched in October 2019. By the end of November 2025, a total of 466 train journeys had been completed along this corridor.
Taking the occasional loss comes part and parcel with investing on the stock market. Unfortunately, shareholders of COSOL Limited (ASX:COS) have suffered share price declines over the last year. The share price has slid 52% in that time. Even if you look out three years, the returns are still disappointing, with the share price down37% in that time. Furthermore, it's down 15% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders.

So let's have a look and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.

We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free.

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

Unfortunately COSOL reported an EPS drop of 12% for the last year. This reduction in EPS is not as bad as the 52% share price fall. This suggests the EPS fall has made some shareholders more nervous about the business. The P/E ratio of 11.53 also points to the negative market sentiment.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

ASX:COS Earnings Per Share Growth January 5th 2026

Dive deeper into COSOL's key metrics by checking this interactive graph of COSOL's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

A Different Perspective

COSOL shareholders are down 50% for the year (even including dividends), but the market itself is up 9.7%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 4% over the last half decade. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand COSOL better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with COSOL , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

But note: COSOL may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).
US President Donald Trump's second term is being shaped by his foreign policy ambitions.

He's followed through on threats against Venezuela by capturing its president and his wife from their heavily fortified Caracas compound in a dramatic overnight raid.

When describing the operation, Trump dusted off the 1823 Monroe Doctrine and its promise of US supremacy in the western hemisphere - re-branding it the "Donroe Doctrine".

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Here are some of the warnings he's made against other nations in Washington's orbit in recent days.

Greenland

The US already has a military base on Greenland - Pituffik Space Base - but Trump wants the whole island.

"We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security", he told journalists, saying the region was "covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place."

The vast Arctic island, part of the Kingdom of Denmark, sits roughly 2,000 miles (3,200 km) to the north-east of the US.

It's rich in rare earth minerals, which are crucial for the production of smart phones, electric vehicles and military hardware. Currently, China's production of rare earths far outweighs that of the US.

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Greenland also occupies a key strategic location in the North Atlantic, giving access to the increasingly important Arctic circle. As polar ices melt in the coming years, new shipping routes are expected to open up.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen responded to Trump by describing the notion of US control over the island as a "fantasy".

"No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation. We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law," he said.

Any US attempt to seize Greenland would bring it into conflict with another Nato member, likely putting the alliance in peril.

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Colombia

Just hours after the operation in Venezuela, Trump warned Colombian President Gustavo Petro to "watch his ass".

Venezuela's neighbour to the west, Colombia is home to substantial oil reserves and is a major producer of gold, silver, emeralds, platinum and coal.

It is also a key hub for the region's drug trade - most notably cocaine.

Since the US began striking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific in September - saying, without evidence, they were carrying drugs - Trump has been locked in a spiralling dispute with the country's left-wing president.

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The US imposed sanctions on Petro in October, saying he was allowing cartels to "flourish".

Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said Colombia was being "run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States".

"He's not going to be doing it for very long", he said. Asked whether the US would carry out an operation targeting Colombia, Trump replied, "It sounds good to me".

Historically, Colombia has been a close ally in Washington's war on drugs, receiving hundreds of millions of dollars annually in military assistance to counter cartels.

Iran

Iran is currently facing mass anti-government protests, and Trump warned overnight that the authorities there would be "hit very hard" if more protesters died.

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"We're watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they're going to get hit very hard by the United States," he told reporters on Air Force One.

Iran theoretically falls outside the scope defined in the "Donroe Doctrine", but Trump has nonetheless previously threatened the Iranian regime with further action, after striking its nuclear facilities last year.

Those strikes came after Israel launched a large-scale operation aimed at decapitating Iran's capability to develop a nuclear weapon, which culminated in the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict.

In a Mar-a-Lago meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, Iran was said to be top of the agenda. US media reported that Netanyahu raised the potential of new strikes against Iran in 2026.

Mexico

Trump's rise to power in 2016 was defined by his calls to "Build the Wall" along the southern border with Mexico.

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On his first day back in office in 2025, he signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America".

He has frequently claimed Mexican authorities aren't doing enough to stop the flow of drugs or illegal immigrants into the US.

Speaking on Sunday, he said that drugs were "pouring" through Mexico and "we're gonna have to do something", adding that the cartels there were "very strong."

Trump said he's offered to send US troops to Mexico to combat cartels, but President Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly rejected any US military action on Mexican soil.

Cuba

The island nation, just 90 miles (145 km) south of Florida, has been under US sanctions since the early 1960s.

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It held close relations with Nicolas Maduro's Venezuela, which reportedly supplied roughly 30% of Cuba's oil in exchange for doctors and medics travelling in the other direction.

With Maduro gone, Havana could be exposed if oil supply collapses.

Trump suggested on Sunday that US military intervention there wasn't needed, because Cuba is "ready to fall."

"I don't think we need any action", he said. "It looks like it's going down."

"I don't know if they're going to hold out, but Cuba now has no income," he added. "They got all their income from Venezuela, from Venezuelan oil."

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio - who is the son of Cuban immigrants - has long called for regime change in Cuba, telling journalists on Saturday: "If I lived in Havana, and I was in the government, I'd be concerned - at least a little bit".

"When the president speaks, you should take him seriously," he said.

More on this story




When you step into the restaurant Cuba 1918, it's as if you've stepped into old Havana.

The aroma of roasted espresso lingers in the air between golden rustic walls embedded with history. An assortment of bocaditos (hot pressed sandwiches) await diners that include the Cubano (the best seller), Viejita Linda and the Chan Chan. And on many nights, performers take to the dimly lit corner stage and play jazz and latin rhythms that conjure the feel of balmy Cuban nights.

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READ MORE: San Antonio athlete closer to dream of representing Team USA

Erica Rodriguez and Ray Colao Rodriguez own Cuba 1918, which is at 2809 West Southcross Boulevard.

The couple said the venue is more than a restaurant - it's also a tribute to Cuban culture and an attempt to spark the revitalization of the historical Quintana neighborhood.

For decades, the thoroughfare linked thousands of residents to jobs at Kelly Air Force Base and provided access to businesses and homes in the area. In 2001, federal officials decided to close Kelly, an economic bow to many businesses in the area.

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"This is a combination of the passion we have to the community," said Colao Rodriguez. "And an obligation that we have for the foundation that was laid for us here by her family. And then it's a manifestation of all the love and gratefulness I have to give my godmother for raising me."

'We have a responsibility'

The numerals 1918 are a significant part of the restaurant's name. It's the year that the one-story building was built. It's also the year that Erica Rodriguez's grandmother was born and immigrated from Mexico, beginning a tale that lands in San Antonio and unravels in the Quintana neighborhood. From the 1900s to the 1940s, the small suburb, known as South San Antonio, was outside of city limits and extended from New Laredo Highway to Quintana Road.

Erica Rodriguez and her husband, Ray Colao Rodriguez, owners of Cuba 1918, sit inside their restaurant on West Southcross Boulevard on Dec. 18. (Charlie Blalock/Contributor)





Rodriguez grew up hearing stories from the mother and aunt about their childhoods on the West Side. She heard how they grew up the daughters of hard-working migrant farm workers.

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"I grew up hearing stories of what it meant to labor and what it meant to have your fingers bleed from picking cotton and being paid absolutely nothing," Rodriguez said. "We were reminded that even if times looked tough, they were not tougher than the ones that those came before us experienced."

Rodriguez's aunt Maria Chavarria was the first in the family to earn a college degree. Chavarria graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University and in 1976 graduated from St. Mary University law school. She set up her law office on Bynum Avenue, often serving those who could not afford legal services. And she also joined others in support of the civil rights and women's rights movements.

Forty years ago, Chavarria purchased the building that is now home to Cuba 1918, seeing it as an investment for her family's future.

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A 22-year veteran of the Air Force, Vincent T. Davis embarked on a second career as a journalist and found his calling. Observing and listening across San Antonio, he finds intriguing tales to tell about everyday people. He shares his stories with Express-News subscribers every Monday morning.

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Rodriguez said she sees Cuba 1918 as an anchor in the historical Quintana Road corridor. With two decades of nonprofit and economic development experience, Rodriguez was chosen for San Antonio's "Revitalize SA" program, which included a micro-grant and leadership training. Using those resources, she launched "Revive Quintana," a project to bring economic vibrancy back to the area and activate vacant spaces.

"We have a responsibility," Rodriguez said. "We've got a legacy that we're building on."

ALSO READ: How an overgrown cemetery opened a window into San Antonio history

A musical beginning

Music brought the Erica Rodriguez and Ray Colao Rodriguez together. Erica grew up surrounded by songs. Colao Rodriguez, a vocalist and musician and U.S. Army Veveran, was performing in San Antonio in 2011 when they met. Erica says she fell in love "with a man who carried music in his soul."

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They started a company called "Don't Forget the Music" that provided live musicians for corporate and private events. They started offering classes, which led to a contract with Alamo Colleges.

Erica Rodriguez and her husband, Ray Colao Rodriguez, own Cuba 1918. They say the venue is a tribute to Cuban culture and is part of a broader effort to revitalize the historical Quintana neighborhood. (Charlie Blalock/Contributor)





In 2011, the couple began rehabbing the 107-year-old building, continuing her family's legacy. In 2020 the pandemic hit, shutting their music operation down. That's when they decided to turn the space into a cultural cafe.

The building, which had been shuttered for a number of years, needed a lot of work. With their sons, Colao Rodriguez began stabilizing the walls, installing the ceiling and building the bar using leftover risers from the Guadalupe Theater. Staff pitched in to help fix plumbing and electrical issues.

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When they were deciding what cuisine to feature, he looked around the space and thought of Cuban stories his godmother, Sylvia Rodriguez, would tell him. He recalled weekends with her, listening to old Cuban music as she cooked staples such as plantains, roasted pork and Ropa Vieja (shredded beef). They decided to offer fare similar to the savory dishes his godmother cooked with love and care.

Facing challenges

The couple opened the restaurant in November 2022. There were challenges. Six months after they opened, Colao Rodriguez was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. Erica Rodriguez recalled her husband would show up at the restaurant after rounds of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. She barely remembers working at the restaurant the year and a half after his diagnosis.

"My head was not here," she said. "My heart was because it was hard knowing that everything he built, everything in here he touched and he was fighting for his life."

She thanked the customers and neighbors who helped the restaurant keep going by buying Cuban sandwiches and listening to jazz on Friday nights.

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Colao Rodriguez returned to a rousing welcome from staff members. Erica Rodriguez said that during his absence, a special visitor stopped by - her Aunt Maria. She stood in the front door, shook her head and said she never imagined her investment would result in an amazing space.

"I'm grateful she had that moment," Erica Rodriguez said.

Erica Rodriguez and her husband, Ray Colao Rodriguez, owners of Cuba 1918, pose outside their restaurant on West Southcross Boulevard in the Quintana community on San Antonio's South Side, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. The couple say the venue is more than a restaurant, serving as a tribute to Cuban culture and part of a broader effort to revitalize the historic neighborhood. (Charlie Blalock/Contributor)





The couple said keeping everything running for the past three years has taken a combination of tending to staff, clients, catering and musicians. They said they appreciate fans who tell them about the positive impact the restaurant has made in the area.

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"We're really optimistic," Colao Rodriguez said. "And now three years in, we're more seasoned. We started with nothing and now we're a lot more experienced. This is going to be a sensational year."

This article originally published at Cuba 1918 aims to honor Cuban culture, help revive South Side neighborhood.
The Cuban government claimed that 32 of its citizens were killed during the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, according to a statement read on Cuban state TV on Sunday night, multiple outlets reported.

The Cuban government said all the dead were members of the Cuban armed forces and intelligence agencies, Reuters reported, citing the televised statement and adding that few other details were provided.

Havana said there would be two days of mourning, on Monday and Tuesday, in honor of those killed.

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True to their responsibilities concerning security and defense, our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism and fell, after fierce resistance, in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of bombings on the facilities, the statement said, according to the Associated Press.

President Trump on Sunday night told reporters that a lot of Cubans were killed when discussing the U.S. operation to capture Maduro and that was launched early on Saturday, but did not detail the number of casualties. The New York Times quoted a Venezuela official saying that 40 people were killed, to include civilians and military personnel.

There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has claimed Cubans filled out Maduros security services and Venezuelas spy agencies, and said the island nation tried to basically colonize it from a security standpoint.

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Maduro, 63, and his wife Cilia Flores were seized by the U.S. military in a shocking operation over the weekend and transported to New York to appear in court on numerous drug charges.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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After Venezuela, there is no nation in the Americas more affected by the events in Caracas than Cuba.

The two nations have shared a political vision of state-led socialism since a fresh-faced Venezuelan presidential candidate, Hugo Chavez, met the aged leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, on the tarmac at Havana airport in 1999.

For years, their mutual ties only deepened, as Venezuelan crude oil flowed to the communist-run island in exchange for Cuban doctors and medics travelling in the other direction.

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After the deaths of the two men, it was Nicolas Maduro - trained and instructed in Cuba - who became Chavez's handpicked successor, chosen partly because he was acceptable to the Castro brothers. He represented continuity for the Cuban revolution as much as the Venezuelan one.

Now he, too, is gone from the seat of power in Caracas, forcibly removed by the US's elite Delta Force team. The prospects for Cuba in his absence are bleak.

For now, the Cuban government has robustly denounced the attack as illegal and declared two days of national mourning for 32 Cuban nationals killed in the US military operation.

Their deaths revealed a key fact long-known about Cuban influence over the Venezuelan presidency and military: Maduro's security detail was almost entirely made up of Cuban bodyguards. Cuban nationals are in place in numerous positions in Venezuela's intelligence services and military too.

[BBC]

Cuba had long denied having active soldiers or security agents inside Venezuela, but freed political prisoners have often claimed they were interrogated by men with Cuban accents while in custody.

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Furthermore, despite endless public proclamations of solidarity between the two nations, in truth the Cuban influence behind the scenes of the Venezuelan state is believed to have driven a wedge between ministers most closely aligned with Havana and those who feel that the relationship first established by Chavez and Castro has become fundamentally unbalanced.

In essence, that faction considers that these days Venezuela gets little in return for its oil.

Venezuela is believed to send around 35,000 barrels of oil a day to Cuba - none of the island's other main energy partners, Russia and Mexico, even come close.

Food shortages have worsened in Cuba as it grapples with a severe economic crisis [Getty Images]

The Trump administration's tactic of confiscating sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers has already begun to worsen the fuel and electricity crisis in Cuba and has the potential to become very acute, very quickly.

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At best, the future looks increasingly complex for the beleaguered Caribbean island without Maduro at the helm in Caracas. Cuba was already in the grip of its worst economic crisis since the Cold War.

There have been rolling blackouts from end to end of the island for months. And the impact on ordinary Cubans has been taxing in the extreme: weeks without reliable electricity, food rotting in fridges, fans and air-conditioning not running, mosquitoes swarming in the heat and the fester of uncollected rubbish.

The island has experienced a widespread outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases in recent weeks with huge numbers of people affected by dengue fever and chikungunya. Cuba's healthcare system, once the jewel in the revolution's crown, has struggled to cope.

It is not a pretty picture. Yet it is the daily reality for most Cubans.

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The idea that the flow of Venezuelan oil to Cuba could be turned off by Delcy Rodriguez fills Cubans with dread, especially if she looks to placate the Trump administration following the US raid against her predecessor and stave off the spectre of more violence.

[EPA/Shutterstock]

President Trump insists Washington is calling the shots in Venezuela now.

While those comments were walked back - to an extent - by his Secretary of State Marco Rubio, there is no doubt that the Trump administration now expects nothing less than total compliance from Rodriguez as acting president.

There would be further, potentially worse consequences, Trump threatened, if she "doesn't behave", as he put it.

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Such language - not to mention the US operation in Venezuela itself - has shocked and angered Washington's critics, who say the White House is guilty of the worst form of US imperialism and interventionism seen in Latin America since the Cold War.

The removal of Maduro from power amounted to kidnapping, those critics argue, and the case against him must be thrown out at his eventual trial in New York.

Unsurprisingly, Trump appears unfazed by such arguments, warning he might even carry it out again against the president of Colombia if need be.

He has dubbed the worrying new circumstances in Latin America the "Donroe Doctrine", in a nod to the Monroe Doctrine - a 19th Century colonialist foreign policy principle which warned European powers against meddling in the US sphere of influence in the Western hemisphere.

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In other words, Latin America is the US's "backyard", and Washington has the unalienable right to determine what happens there. Rubio used that very term - backyard - about the region as he justified the actions against Venezuela on US Sunday talk shows.

He also remains key to what comes next for Cuba. The US economic embargo has been in place for more than six decades and failed to remove the Castro brothers or their political project from power.

Rubio - a Cuban American former Florida senator and son of Cuban exiles - would like nothing more than to be the man, or the man behind the man, who brought an end to 60 years of communist rule in his parents' homeland.

He sees the strategy of removing Maduro and laying down stark conditions to a more compliant Rodriguez government in Caracas as the key to achieving that self-professed goal in Havana.

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Cuba has faced tough times in the past, and the government remains defiant in the face of this latest act of US military intervention in the region.

The 32 "brave Cuban combatants" who died in Venezuela would be honoured, said Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, for "taking on the terrorists in imperial uniforms".

"Cuba is ready to fall," retorted Trump on Air Force One.
For months as the US military prepared to strike Venezuela, many Cubans have asked me a simple, if disconcerting, question: Are we next?

Following the devastating attacks on Venezuelan military bases and surgical apprehension of leader Nicolas Maduro by US Special Forces, Cuba seems very much in the Trump administrations sights.

Maduros capture is a seismic reversal of fortune for Cubas communist-run government, which for decades has relied on massive aid packages from its oil-rich South American ally for the islands very survival.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel delivers a speech Saturday in Havana as he flutters a Venezuelan national flag in support of Maduro. - Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images

At a protest Saturday in front of the US Embassy in Havana, a defiant Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel promised not to let the Cuba-Venezuela alliance go down without a fight.

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For Venezuela, of course for Cuba, we are willing to give even our own life, but at a heavy cost, Diaz-Canel proclaimed.

But if anything, the Cubans I have spoken with since the strikes seemed shocked by how easy it seemed for the US military to snatch Maduro without any loss of US personnel.

For decades, first (former Venezuelan leader Hugo) Chavez and then Maduro warned of a US intervention, said one Havana resident, who did not want their name used. But when it finally happened, no one was ready for it. The Venezuelans had billions of dollars to equip their military. We dont.

Protesters hold pictures of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (right) and former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (left) as they take part in a demonstration against the US operation in Venezuela, in front of the US Consulate in Amsterdam on Sunday. - Robin van Lonkhuijsen/AFP/ANP/AGetty Images

The attack on Venezuela appears to have already come at a heavy cost for Cuba, as President Donald Trump told the New York Post on Saturday, You know, many Cubans lost their lives last night.  They were protecting Maduro. That was not a good move.

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The Cuban government, in a post on Facebook on Sunday, said 32 of its citizens were killed during the operation in combat actions, performing missions on behalf of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, at the request of counterparts of the South American country. The government declared two days of mourning.

It would appear to be the first time in decades the former Cold War-era foes engaged in combat.

And it seems to confirm what has long been suspected: Maduros inner circle of bodyguards were Cuban. Foreign diplomats stationed in Caracas reported to me for years that Maduros personal security spoke Spanish in Cuban accents and that Maduro, who studied in Havana in his youth, often trusted Cuban advisers over his own people.

Now, Maduros capture puts at risk a decadeslong alliance that saved Cuba from total economic ruin following the collapse of its former economic patron, the Soviet Union.

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For years, first Chavez and then Maduro sent billions of dollars worth of oil to prop up the Cuban government in exchange for a seemingly never-ending stream of Cuban intelligence and economic advisers and health care professionals.

Chavez, before his death from cancer in 2013 following months of treatment in Cuban hospitals, declared Cuba and Venezuela were not two nations but la gran patria  the one homeland.

Over the years as I traveled regularly between Cuba and Venezuela, it was hard to tell where one nation began and another ended. I once came upon a detachment of Venezuelan soldiers building a bridge in the Cuban province of Guantanamo. When I asked how long they had been there, the Venezuelan official in charge, frustrated at the lack of supplies, barked at me Too long!

More often than not, when I visited clinics in the poorest slums of Caracas, I encountered Cuban doctors working there. One time while covering the political upheaval in Venezuela, my cameraman and I were detained for four hours in the hot sun by Venezuelas feared secret police, the Sebin.

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They threatened to interrogate and mistreat us for being American spies but then abruptly let us go after coming across my Cuban resident ID card.

After Chavez died, official mourning was declared across Cuba to the degree that singing was banned that day in my then-2-year-old daughters preschool in Havana.

The coffin with the remains of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is taken from the Military Academy to former 4 de Febrero barracks in Caracas on March 15, 2013. - Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images

Cuba then declared Chavez to be the islands most stalwart ally since the Cuban revolution and granted him Cuban citizenship, making him the only foreigner to receive that designation since Argentine revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara.

But the symbiotic Venezuelan-Cuban partnership is facing unprecedented pressure in the second Trump administration and may soon be at a breaking point. Invoking a new Monroe Doctrine, Trump has vowed to not tolerate countries in the Western Hemisphere with interests and objectives that run contrary to that of the United States.

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The rapid success of US military operations to oust Maduro can only empower the regime-changers in the Trump administration to put other Latin American nations in their crosshairs, starting with Cuba, Peter Kornbluh, the coauthor of the book Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations Between Washington and Havana, told CNN.

The increased bellicosity could not come at a worse moment for Cubans.

Already, on most days much of the island is plunged into prolonged blackouts because of a lack of fuel and aging power plants that break down with increasing frequency. On each government-run television newscast, an official appears to discuss the outlook of the worsening power situation as if they were predicting the weather. Shortages of food, once guaranteed by a government rationing system, are threatening to push millions of Cubans closer to malnutrition.

In December, a government commentator on state-run TV raised hackles from many on the island when he advised Cubans to give up eating rice.

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We live in a state of war without war, a Cuban friend told me weeks ago.

But the actual threat of military intervention may soon be coming as the end of the alliance with Venezuela would leave Cuba the most isolated its been since the fall of the Soviet Union.

For regime-change hawks in the Trump administration, the opportunity to finally eliminate a foe just 90 miles from the United States could prove irresistible.

Its unclear whether threats alone will suffice in forcing Havana to give in to US pressure and release political prisoners and hold multi-party elections.

There has never been a time when we have not faced the possibility of invasion, one stone-faced Cuban official recently told me.

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Cuba acknowledged that 32 of its citizens  described by the government as members of the islands armed forces and intelligence services  were killed during the U.S. operation that seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, declaring two days of national mourning in their honor.

Havana did not specify where the personnel were stationed during the raid. But their deaths have renewed scrutiny of years of reporting and international investigations documenting Cubas deep and covert involvement inside Venezuelas military and intelligence structures.

Jorge Jraissati, a Venezuelan political analyst, said Cubas intelligence role was critical to the consolidation of power first under Hugo Chavez and later under Maduro. "Experts usually link Cuba as the most important intelligence provider of Venezuela. This includes issues like running elections, building diplomatic leverage with other countries and keeping the security forces in check, among others," he told Fox News Digital.

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Trump Vows Us Will 'Run' Venezuela Until 'Safe' Transition Of Power

Cubans hold a Venezuelan national flag with a Cuban one during a gathering in support of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Havana on Jan. 3, 2026, after U.S. forces captured him. President Donald Trump said Saturday that U.S. forces had captured Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro after bombing the capital Caracas and other cities in a dramatic climax to a monthslong standoff between Trump and his Venezuelan arch-foe. (Getty Images)

Jraissati said any transition in Venezuela "would require the American government, in partnership with the Venezuelan people, to work together on minimizing the Cubans influence over Venezuelas state apparatus and society at large."

A Reuters investigation published in August 2019 found that two confidential agreements signed in 2008 granted Cuba sweeping access to Venezuelas armed forces and intelligence services. Under those agreements, Cuban officials were authorized to train Venezuelan troops, restructure intelligence agencies and help build an internal surveillance system focused on monitoring Venezuelas own military, according to the report.

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Those arrangements played a central role in transforming Venezuelas military counterintelligence agency  the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM)  into a force designed to detect dissent, instill fear within the ranks and ensure loyalty to the government, the investigation found.

Venezuelan Leader Maduro Lands In New York After Being Captured By Us Forces On Drug Conspiracy Charges

Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's president, right, greets Miguel Diaz-Canel, Cuba's president, during the 23rd States of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America People's Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) Summit at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The alliance of leftist countries in the region are meeting to reject the U.S.' reimposed oil sanctions on Venezuela, ending a six-month reprieve for the Maduro regime.

The findings were later echoed by the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, which said it reviewed a 2008 memorandum of understanding between Cuba and Venezuela. The U.N. mission reported that the agreement provided for Cuban advisory oversight in the restructuring of Venezuelan military intelligence, including the creation of new agencies, training of counterintelligence officers and assistance with surveillance and infiltration techniques.

Former Venezuelan officials cited by Havana Times and El Toque have described Cuban advisers embedded across some of the countrys most sensitive institutions, including the civilian intelligence service SEBIN, DGCIM, the defense ministry, ports and airports, and Venezuelas national identification system.

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Human rights organizations and international investigators say those structures were central to the governments response to mass protests in 2014 and 2017, when Venezuelan security forces carried out widespread arrests and deadly crackdowns on demonstrators.

The U.N. fact-finding mission documented patterns of extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detention and torture, and reported that Cuban advisers helped train Venezuelan personnel in methods used to track, interrogate and repress political opponents.

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Experts say Cubas admission that its military and intelligence personnel were killed during a U.S. operation inside Venezuela has sharpened focus on the alliances true depth, turning years of documentation into an immediate geopolitical issue.





Original article source: Cuba's shadow in Venezuela: Havanas intelligence and military ties exposed after Maduro raid
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Monday an American takeover of Greenland would amount to the end of the NATO military alliance. Her comments came in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed call for the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island to come under U.S. control in the aftermath of the weekend military operation in Venezuela.

The dead-of-night operation by U.S. forces in Caracas to capture leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife early Saturday left the world stunned, and heightened concerns in Denmark and Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of the Danish kingdom and thus part of NATO.

Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart, Jens Frederik Nielsen, blasted the president's comments and warned of catastrophic consequences. Numerous European leaders expressed solidarity with them.

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If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops, Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2 on Monday. That is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.

20-day timeline deepens fears

Trump called repeatedly during his presidential transition and the early months of his second term for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has not ruled out military force to take control of the island. His comments Sunday, including telling reporters lets talk about Greenland in 20 days, further deepened fears that the U.S. was planning an intervention in Greenland in the near future.

Frederiksen also said Trump should be taken seriously when he says he wants Greenland. We will not accept a situation where we and Greenland are threatened in this way, she added.

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Nielsen, in a news conference Monday, said Greenland cannot be compared to Venezuela. He urged his constituents to stay calm and united.

We are not in a situation where we think that there might be a takeover of the country overnight and that is why we are insisting that we want good cooperation, he said.

Nielsen added: The situation is not such that the United States can simply conquer Greenland.

Ask Rostrup, a TV2 political journalist, wrote on the station's live blog Monday that Mette previously would have flatly rejected the idea of an American takeover of Greenland. But now, Rostrup wrote, the rhetoric has escalated so much that she has to acknowledge the possibility.

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Trump slams Denmark's security efforts in Greenland

Trump on Sunday also mocked Denmarks efforts at boosting Greenlands national security posture, saying the Danes have added one more dog sled to the Arctic territorys arsenal.

Its so strategic right now, Trump had told reporters Sunday as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.

He added: We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it."

But Ulrik Pram Gad, a global security expert from the Danish Institute for International Studies, wrote in a report last year that there are indeed Russian and Chinese ships in the Arctic, but these vessels are too far away to see from Greenland with or without binoculars.

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U.S. space base in northwestern Greenland

Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled this weekend by a social media post following the raid by a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, Katie Miller. The post shows an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the caption: SOON.

And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, Ambassador Jesper Mller Srensen, Denmarks chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, who is married to Trumps influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

The U.S. Department of Defense operates the remote Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland. It was built following a 1951 defense agreement between Denmark and the United States. It supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.

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On Denmarks mainland, the partnership between the U.S. and Denmark has been long-lasting. The Danes buy American F-35 fighter jets and just last year, Denmarks parliament approved a bill to allow U.S. military bases on Danish soil.

Critics say the vote ceded Danish sovereignty to the U.S. The legislation widens a previous military agreement, made in 2023 with the Biden administration, where U.S. troops had broad access to Danish air bases in the Scandinavian country.

___

Ciobanu reported from Warsaw, Poland, and Dazio from Berlin.
After an extra snowy December, weve got good news: One of the first signs of spring is coming even earlier this year.

Daylight Saving Time 2026 starts on Sunday, March 8, at 2 a.m. Thats when we spring forward by changing our clocks, turning them an hour ahead.

March 8 is the earliest possible date that DST can begin on the calendar. Its a day earlier than last year, when Daylight Saving Time 2025 began on March 9.

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Daylight Saving Time, also colloquially referred to as daylight savings time, starts on the second Sunday in March and ends the first Sunday of November. We always spring forward when DST begins and fall back when it ends.

Most digital devices, including computers, TVs and cell phones, will automatically update to the new time at 2 a.m. Any other clocks should be manually changed before going to bed on the night of Saturday, March 7, 2026, turning them ahead a full hour.

For most people, the time change means theyll lose an hour of sleep as Sunday, March 8, will technically be a 23-hour day.

Despite some confusion in recent years, Daylight Saving Time has not become permanent and does not appear to be ending anytime soon. (Making daylight savings permanent would mean the time we change our clocks to in the spring would be year-round, and we wouldnt turn our clocks back in the fall.)

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U.S. Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla., reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act last year to lock the clock make Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide. The legislation has stalled in Congress multiple times, largely due to a disagreement over whether to keep standard time or permanent daylight savings time.

President Donald Trump has previously said hed like to eliminate daylight saving time, but admitted itd be hard to change.

This should be the easiest one of all, but its a 50-50 issue. If somethings a 50-50 issue, its hard to get excited. I assume people would like to have more light later, but some people want to have more light earlier, because they dont want to take their kids to school in the dark, Trump said in March. A lot of people like it one way, a lot of people like it the other way, its very even. And usually I find when thats the case  what else do we have to?

A poll last year found 61% of Americans want to stop changing their clocks twice a year, but some never do.

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DST is not observed in Hawaii and most of Arizona, but because the Uniform Time Act mandates Daylight Saving Time, any other state that wants to be exempt from changing its clocks every year must get congressional approval. More than a dozen states, including New York and recently North Dakota, have introduced legislation to make Daylight Saving Time permanent but have not moved forward at the federal level.

...Studies show that it is the transition out of Daylight Saving Time, which leads to an increase in car accidents, causes more on-site work incidents, and disrupts the health of all who are subject to this time change, said a New York bill sponsored by New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo (R-47) in 2023. This bill would, once there is a repeal of the federal law establishing Daylight Saving Time, allow New York to enter into a compact with neighboring states to establish Daylight Saving Time as the states year round time.

According to the Associated Press, gaining an hour tends to be easier for most people than losing it, though everybodys internal clock still needs to adjust. Studies have found heart attacks and strokes tend to increase right after DST starts in March, while sleep struggles and depression (including seasonal affective disorder) can occur more often in the shorter days of fall and winter.

Daylight Saving Time was first established during World War I to conserve fuel for war industries. The law was repealed after WWI ended, but was re-established by Congress during World War II due to energy consumption and became U.S. law in 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act, establishing uniform start and end times within standard time zones. The policy, regulated by the Department of Transportation, aims to save energy, reduce traffic fatalities, and reduce crime.

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Daylight Saving Time was kept after World War II because Americans were believed to use less energy by extending summer daylight into the evening. However, a 2008 Department of Energy study found that DST reduces annual energy use by just 0.03 percent, and another study by the University of California-Santa Barbara found DST might even increase energy consumption.

The Firemens Association of the State of New York recommends that people use DST as a reminder to replace batteries in their smoke detectors when we switch to and from Daylight Saving Time. The group says that 60 percent of home fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms.

Read the original article on syracuse.com.
Delaware Technical Community College has issued a statement seeking an apology for an "unauthorized" sign that sparked controversy on Jan. 5.

The sign was posted on the same day as a celebration of life and related services for Delaware State Police Cpl. Matthew T. Ty Snook, the 34-year-old trooper who was killed in the line of duty on Dec. 23, 2025. Some 3,000 vehicles, community members and others were expected in the Newark area.

In the front window of one campus bookstore, a sign read: "Opening late due to whatever that was going on this morning."

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Live blog on Delaware trooper services: Public pays respect to Cpl. Snook at Delaware trooper funeral. Live updates

No larger than a sheet of printer paper, the sign was taped to the Stanton Campus window by an employee of a "third-party vendor," the college said in its statement, which operates each of its bookstores. By late morning, a photo of the sign was circulating across social media.

"We are currently seeking a letter of apology from the vendor, Follett Higher Education, that will express their regret, embarrassment, and shame brought to the Delaware Tech Stanton Campus community and our community at large," a post to social media read around 11 a.m.

By late afternoon, Delaware Tech got its answer.

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Company President Ryan Petersen wrote an apology to the college's President Mark Brainard and other leaders for the "unacceptable signage," as a spokesperson shared just before 4 p.m.

"Were so sorry that this happened and has distracted from more important considerations today," wrote the head of Follett Higher Education.

"The language used on the sign was thoughtless and deeply insensitive, particularly given that the community was honoring a state trooper who lost his life in the line of duty. There is no justification for this lapse in judgment, and it does not reflect Folletts values or the respect we hold for Delaware Technical Community College and the communities you serve."

About 7 miles from campus that day, hundreds of people had lined up outside the University of Delaware's Bob Carpenter Center as visitation began at 9 a.m. in Newark. Many others caught sight of a massive procession of law enforcement vehicles just prior.

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By noon, the "Celebration of Life" for Cpl. Snook had begun.

Police streamed the service on the Delaware State Police YouTube channel, and anyone can catch a recap here on Delaware Online.

This story has been updated with a letter from Delaware Tech's bookstore vendor, Follett Higher Education, as well as clarification that the college asked the same company to issue an apology.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware Tech demands apology over 'unauthorized' sign before funeral
This story was originally published on Banking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Banking Dive newsletter.

Banco de Credito del Peru has agreed to acquire Florida-based Helm Bank in a $180 million deal, BCPs parent firm, Credicorp, announced last week.

Credicorp gave no timeline for the anticipated completion of the transaction, which requires regulatory approvals in both the U.S. and Peru.

The South American financial services holding company said the acquisition strengthens [its] strategy to enhance its cross-border capabilities by serving internationally active clients  while preserving Helm Banks legacy as a community-focused institution.

Helm Bank counted $1.1 billion in assets, along with a loan portfolio worth $648.2 million and $106.8 million in shareholder equity as of Sept. 30, according to the Dec. 29 deal announcement.

The vast majority of its loans comprise residential real estate  and 75% of its borrowers have primary homes outside the U.S., the bank disclosed in a December 2024 financial statement.

Helm Bank, regulated by Floridas Office of Financial Regulation, has locations in Miami and Orlando, and offices in four cities in Colombia, according to its website.

Credicorp, meanwhile, has amassed a presence beyond its native Peru, to encompass Chile, Panama and Bolivia, in addition to Colombia and the U.S., it said Dec. 29.

Credicorps financial strength, trusted reputation and clientcentric philosophy provide a solid foundation for our next chapter, Helm Bank CEO Mark Crisp said in a statement. Together, we are well-positioned to expand our impact and deliver greater value to the communities we serve, both in the United States and across Latin America.

It is unclear whether or how U.S.-incited regime change in Venezuela  Colombias neighbor  could affect the financial landscape at either company. Credicorps U.S.-listed shares jumped 54% in value over the past year, according to Yahoo Finance.

This acquisition allows us to deepen our ability to serve Latin Americans whose financial lives span both their home countries and the United States, Credicorp CEO Gianfranco Ferrari said in a statement. We believe that Helm Banks legacy as a community-focused institution combined with its expertise in serving international clients, aligns perfectly with our strategy. We look forward to strengthening that role and enhancing its capabilities within our broader ecosystem.
William Haney, 42, was arraigned at Boston Municipal Court Monday on charges of murder and animal cruelty for allegedly running over and killing John Axelrod, 79, while he walked his dog, Tale, on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Bostons Back Bay.

A not guilty plea was entered on Haneys behalf, but a prosecutor told the court Haney targeted Axelrod and his dog.

This was not a motor vehicle accident; it was deliberate and premeditated murder with the defendant using his Toyota SUV as the murder weapon, Prosecutor Ursla Knight told the court.

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The incident happened about 8 a.m. on Saturday.

The prosector said Haney, who lived alone on nearby Marlboro Street, used a derogatory term when he asked a passerby if he had seen a man in a red jacket walking his dog.

After the witness pointed Haney in Axelrods direction, the prosecutor said Haney drove his SUV up over the curb of the mall and drove directly at Axelrod.

Afterwards, Haney allegedly drove to Brookline where he was recorded on surveillance video, pulling the dogs leash off the grill of his SUV, and asking a local mechanic to fix his car.

An hour after the crash, Haneys brother brought him to Brookline Police to report the accident.

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After the arraignment, Haneys lawyer said his client is delusional and that Haney and Axelrod did not know each other

He is seriously delusional. Today he had no understanding of whys here and what happened, said Defense Attorney Keith Halpern

In a statement, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts said John Axelrod was a major museum supporter who donated substantial art to the MFA.

At court, a family friend said she was devastated.

Im in shock. I dont know what to do, I dont think hes mentally all there. I feel bad. Im hurt, because John is an amazing human being. He didnt deserve this, no one deserves this, said Mildred Gonzalez, one of Axelrods friends.

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Haney was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.

He is held without bail and due back in court for a hearing on January 23rd.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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The Associated Press

Democratic governors are rallying behind Gov. Tim Walz (R-MN) on Sunday after President Donald Trump retweeted a post suggesting Walz was responsible for the assassination of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D).

Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were shot and killed last summer at their home by a man posing as a police officer. Also shot allegedly by the same man were Democratic State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman. They survived but faced lengthy recoveries.

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Police arrested and indicted 58-year-old Vance Boelter on state and federal charges of stalking and murder. Authorities have not named any other suspects in the shootings.

Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY), the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, and vice chair Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) released a statement Sunday condemning the outrageous speculation. It read, in part, We stand with Governor Walz and we urge our colleagues, regardless of party, to join us in speaking out against this disgusting attack that only makes Americans less safe.

STATEMENT: @DemGovs condemn Trump sharing video falsely tying @Tim_Walz to the murder of Melissa Hortman: We stand with Governor Walz and we urge our colleagues, regardless of party, to join us in speaking out against this disgusting attack that only makes Americans less safe. pic.twitter.com/dJOPPOLWrT  Izzi Levy (@chevytothe_levy) January 4, 2026

Walz also condemned Trump on X, writing, Dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States. In covering for an actual serial killer, he is going to get more innocent people killed. America is better than this.

Dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States. In covering for an actual serial killer, he is going to get more innocent people killed. America is better than this. https://t.co/sgkP0jwNn2  Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) January 4, 2026

YouTuber Nick Shirley, who worked with MAGA politicians to reveal Somali fraud in Minnesota, picked up Trumps lead Sunday, writing to Walz, Why was she killed after speaking out against illegal migrants? Was she a threat to you and your fraudster scheme? RIP TO MELISSA HORTMAN.

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Walz responded, My opponents have been celebrating this far-right YouTuber as a groundbreaking journalist. Here he reveals who he really is: a delusional conspiracy theorist.

My opponents have been celebrating this far-right YouTuber as a groundbreaking journalist. Here he reveals who he really is: a delusional conspiracy theorist. https://t.co/kAf5kXuiUk  Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) January 4, 2026

Republican Minnesota Sen. Julia Coleman also threw her support behind Walz, writing, When leaders across the countryfrom state senators like me to voices in every cornerrepeatedly call for an end to baseless conspiracy theories, its a powerful signal: we must all reject this behavior outright and refuse to tolerate it.

When asked about Trumps post by The Forum News Service, Republican Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth said, Melissa Hortman was a friend and colleague, and her life was cut short far too soon in an unspeakable act of evil by a deranged killer.

She should still be here, and the man who took her life should spend the rest of his life in prison, Demuth added.

The post Dem Governors Rally Behind Walz and Slam Trump For Hateful Lies Suggesting Minnesota Gov Ordered Political Hit first appeared on Mediaite.
Democrats are heading into the midterm year energized by a string of recent electoral victories, but they also acknowledge the party faces tough challenges as it grapples with deeper troubles.

The party says it has found a winning strategy by emphasizing the high cost of living under President Trump, which helped propel their candidates to victory in a number of competitive races in 2025.

But even as they feel optimistic about flipping the House in the midterms, Democrats are still struggling with internal divisions they worry could haunt the party in years to come.

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Democrats are finding their way out of political wilderness and heading back into political power, with the help of Trump, his agenda.  But I dont think we should mistake this for Democrats becoming, overnight, a lot more popular, or having fixed the tremendous failures that got us into this position, Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett said.

Democrats do have to reconcile with how we landed ourselves in a second Trump term.  We still have work to do to kind of refine what our message is to the public.

Democrats started 2025 divided over how to bounce back from their 2024 losses and how to respond to Trumps second term. Donors voiced anger about the election results, party leaders disagreed about messaging, and the national party clashed over midterm primary moves.

But as the off-year election calendar ramped up, a string of blue victories and overperformances put wind in the partys sails and lifted hopes that Democrats could make a comeback in Congress next fall.

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Moderates Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill won by big margins in marquee governors races in Virginia and New Jersey, respectively, and democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani coasted to victory in New York Citys mayoral race. Democrats also won several smaller but significant contests across the country, flipping seats on a commission in Georgia and winning the Miami mayors office for the first time in decades.

On Tuesday, Democrats closed out 2025 with a special election win for a state Senate seat in Iowa, preventing Republicans from regaining a supermajority in the chamber.

With the last special election of the year now decided, one thing is clear: 2025 was the year of Democratic victories and overperformance, and Democrats are on track for big midterm elections, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said in a statement following the Iowa victory.

2025s record has already prompted Democrats to expand their target lists for both state legislatures and the House, where Republicans hold just a slim 220-213 advantage. Democrats need to net just three seats to flip the lower chamber, and party leaders such as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are now predicting they can make it happen.

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The first half of 2025, electorally, was a lot of despair and I think, frankly, also a party deeply in confusion and disarray, trying to figure out what a new direction forward is and how we fumbled the ball so badly in the last presidential race. It was really divisive and really contentious, said Cheyenne Hunt, executive director of the progressive advocacy group Gen-Z for Change, who ran for Congress in California last year.

The electoral wins in 2025 have shown there is a path forward as voters signal growing frustration with the Trump administration, she added.

This referendum has proved that, even if we dont totally have our story together as a party yet, people are looking for change and are not very pleased with the status quo, Hunt said.

High prices, steep tariffs and strains stemming from 2025s record-long government shutdown have dragged Trump to some of his lowest-ever approval ratings on the economy, which was the top issue for voters throughout the 2025 elections.

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From Spanberger to Mamdani, Democratic candidates found success by putting significant focus on affordability and economic concerns, and many in the party want to lean into that even more in 2026.

But it remains to be seen whether that will be a sufficient strategy for the party to maintain its momentum through the midterms and beyond.

All that obviously makes it easier for Democrats to constantly have something to throw against the wall, said Democratic strategist Michael Ceraso, whos worked on multiple presidential campaigns. But I would argue Im not quite sure if theres a message that Democrats have proposed and driven thats created the results we saw in November, or leading into the momentum that were seeing next year.

Party leadership and operatives in and out of Washington need to be very, very careful  to not have any sense of hubris, Ceraso said. I dont think anybody should claim they really know how to win.

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While Hunt and other progressives point to Mamdanis success in New York City as a sign that many Democrats are hungry to move further left, others are warning Democrats not to take it that way.

The big debate inside our party at the moment is whether to follow the kind of Mamdani script or the Sherrill-Spanberger model, and whether moving far to the left is what our base demands and will in the end turn out a lot more voters, said Matt Bennett of the center-left think tank Third Way.

If you run, in this moment of insanity  as a sensible moderate, you are rewarded. We saw that in 2025, and I think were going to see that in 2026, Bennett said. If swing states and purple districts looked like New York City, they wouldnt be swing states or purple districts.

Some strategists suggested that voters arent paying as much attention to progressive or moderate labels as some may think, preferring instead to see candidates lean into their individuality and personality along the campaign trail.

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Meanwhile, Democrats have also been divided by the DNCs recent decision not to release its long-awaited autopsy of 2024 losses. The DNC said it wants to keep the focus on the elections ahead, while some in the party want more transparency.

The Democratic Party still has not learned its lessons from the past, and were finding a ton of success in the era of Trump because of how chaotic and corrupt and incompetent he is. But that doesnt necessarily mean that weve found our way out of the many failures that our party had in the last election, Hackett said.

Heading into the midterms, strategists across the Democratic spectrum say candidates should focus on crafting messages that hit on specific, tangible issues in their districts or states  as seen with Spanbergers Virginia jobs plan and Mamdanis promise to make buses free.

Looking beyond 2026, though, the party has more soul-searching to do, which will only ramp up with 2028 presidential chatter.

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I think we will need a unified message going into 28, Bennett said. And inevitably, parties dont cohere around such a message until they move towards having a nominee.

Copyright 2026 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.
Greenland and Denmark on Sunday expressed their distaste after the wife of President Donald Trump's most influential aide posted a social media picture of Greenland painted in the colours of the US flag.

Katie Miller -- wife of Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller -- put the contentiously altered image of the Danish autonomous territory on her X feed late Saturday, after the US military operation against Venezuela.

Her post had a single word above it: "SOON".

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Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called the post "disrespectful".

"Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law -- not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights," he stated on X.

But he also said that "there is neither reason for panic nor for concern. Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts".

Denmark's ambassador to the US, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, reacted earlier on Sunday with his own post saying "we expect full respect for the territorial integrity" of Denmark, above a link to Katie Miller's image.

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Trump has repeatedly made clear that he wants Greenland to become an annexed part of the United States.

Moves edging towards that goal by his government -- including his appointment of an envoy to the Danish territory -- have drawn the ire of both Copenhagen and the European Union.

- 'Friendly reminder' -

Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of much of Trump's policies, guiding the president on his hardline immigration policies and domestic agenda.

The United States's European allies were rattled by Trump sending in his military on Saturday to attack Caracas and grab Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who is now being held by US authorities in New York.

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Trump has said the United States will now "run" Venezuela indefinitely and tap its huge oil reserves.

In Greenland's case, Trump has claimed that making the Danish territory part of the United States would serve US national security interests, given its strategic location on the Arctic. Greenland is also rich in key critical minerals used in high-tech sectors.

Asked in a telephone interview with The Atlantic about the implications of the Venezuela military operation for Greenland, Trump said that it was up to others to decide, according to the magazine.

"They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don't know," Trump was quoted as saying. He added: "But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense."

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Denmark's ambassador gave a pointed "friendly reminder" in response to Katie Miller's post that his country -- a NATO member -- has "significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts" and worked together with the US on that.

"We are close allies and should continue to work together as such," Soerensen wrote.

Katie Miller was deputy press secretary under Trump at the Department of Homeland Security during his first term.

She later worked as communications director for then vice president Mike Pence and also acted as his press secretary.

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Denmark's prime minister is urging President Donald Trump to stop talking about taking over Greenland. It's a rare public rebuke between NATO allies.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a blunt public statement Sunday after Trump again floated the idea of the United States annexing Greenland for national security reasons and after a provocative social media post amplified the message.

A direct message to Washington

Frederiksen did not soften her words.

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She said it "makes absolutely no sense" for the United States to talk about taking over Greenland and stressed that Washington has no right to annex any part of the Danish kingdom. She reminded the U.S. that Greenland is covered by NATO's collective defense guarantee.

"I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people," Frederiksen wrote, adding that Greenlanders have said "very clearly that they are not for sale."

Frederiksen framed her response around alliance, not confrontation.

She emphasized that Denmark and Greenland already contribute to Arctic security and that existing agreements give the United States broad access without challenging sovereignty.

Social media sparks a response

Frederiksen's statement followed a provocative weekend post by Katie Miller, the wife of Trump adviser Stephen Miller, showing an American flag over Greenland with the caption "SOON."

Denmark's ambassador to the United States, Jesper Mller Srensen, responded to the post, emphasizing that Denmark and the United States are close allies with shared security interests in the Arctic.

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Srensen noted that Denmark has significantly boosted Arctic defense spending, including a major multibillion-dollar commitment in 2025. "And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark," he wrote.





Unbiased. Straight Facts.TM



Trump keeps pushing the idea

Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States needs Greenland for defense and repeated that view with comments over the weekend. In an interview with The Atlantic published Sunday, he said, "We do need Greenland, absolutely," citing its strategic location in the Arctic.

The comments landed just days after the U.S. carried out a military operation in Venezuela, raising concern among allies about how far Washington is willing to go.

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Last month, Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, a move that drew sharp criticism from both Danish and Greenlandic leaders. Greenland's prime minister has said the territory is a democracy and not an object of superpower rhetoric.

NUUK, GREENLAND - AUGUST 13: United Airlines will begin direct flights from Newark to Nuuk, Greenland, starting June 14.(Photo by Lasse Kyed/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. It gained home rule in 1979 and has the right to declare independence under a 2009 agreement, though it remains economically dependent on Denmark.

The post Greenland is not for sale, Denmark PM tells Trump appeared first on Straight Arrow News.

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Denmark's prime minister urged the White House to "stop the threats" about taking over Greenland, after President Donald Trump reiterated his wish to do so in a weekend interview with The Atlantic magazine.

Mette Frederiksen said on Jan. 4 that it "makes absolutely no sense to talk about the U.S. needing to take over Greenland. The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom."

Trump spoke to the magazine a day after the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Trump said the United States would temporarily "run" the Latin American country. The move has elevated concerns again in Copenhagen that the same could happen with Greenland, a Danish territory with limited self-rule.

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Greenland: Trump renews push to annex Arctic island after Venezuela strike

Venezuela: Marco Rubio takes charge, realizing a political dream

"We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense," Trump said in the interview.

Speaking later the same day to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he would revisit the topic of Greenland in "20 days." It wasn't immediately clear why he chose this timeframe.

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request to explain the timing.

Frederiksen's comments also followed a post from Katie Miller, the wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. She posted a Greenland map in the colors of the American flag alongside the word "SOON."

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'One way or the other': Five ways Trump's Greenland saga could play out

Greenland's leader also issued a statement on Jan. 4.

"When the President of the United States says that 'we need Greenland' and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, its not just wrong. Its disrespectful," Jens-Frederik Nielsen said.

Denmark, like the United States, is a NATO member, which means that both countries are covered by the alliance's security guarantee. Denmark also has a separate defense agreement with the United States that allows the Pentagon access to Greenland. Trump has repeatedly suggested that the United States needs to annex Greenland because of its strategic location and mineral wealth. His remarks have confounded Danish and Greenlandic officials.

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'Buy us!': Greenlanders shocked, intrigued, bewildered by Trump zeal for Arctic territory

Maduro is scheduled to appear in federal court at noon on Jan. 5 in New York. He faces charges connected to what the U.S. is describing as a "narco-terrorism conspiracy," which he denies.

Officials in China and Russia have urged the United States to release Maduro and his wife, Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, who was also captured at their home on Jan. 3 during the U.S. military attack on Venezuela.

Some European officials and legal and foreign affairs experts have expressed concerns about the legality of the U.S. operation and seizure and what signal it sends to authoritarian leaders around the world.

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"Military force is justified only in response to a clear, credible and imminent threat to the security of the United States or its treaty allies," the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Washington think tank, said in a statement. "Venezuela, whatever its internal dysfunctions or connections to the international drug trade, does not pose such a threat. Using force absent that standard is not defense; it is aggression. It substitutes coercion for diplomacy and power for principle."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the United States is not at war with Venezuela itself, only "against drug trafficking organizations."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Denmark's leader urges Trump to 'stop' Greenland threats
(This story was updated to correct Rob Misleh's relationship to Spencer and Monique Tepe.)

A dentist killed at his home in Columbus lived in Mason throughout his childhood, according to his brother-in-law.

Columbus police found Spencer Tepe, 37 and his wife Monique Tepe, 39, dead of gunshot wounds at their home on Dec. 30. Police also found the couple's two young children at the home. A police spokesman said Dec. 30 there were no indications a murder-suicide had occurred but could not provide further details.

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More: Nearly a week after Weinland Park killings, information still scarce

Monique and Spencer Tepe's brother-in-law, Rob Misleh, confirmed that Spencer Tepe attended schools in the Mason City School District from kindergarten through his graduation from Mason High School in 2007.

A Mason City School District spokesperson sent a statement to The Enquirer.

"This is a profoundly heartbreaking tragedy. Our hearts are with the Tepe family as they face this unimaginable loss. We extend our deepest condolences to everyone who knew and loved this couple and pray for their children," the statement reads.

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Spencer Tepe was a dentist at the Athens Dental Depot. He earned bachelor's degrees in Spanish and Biology from Ohio State University and graduated with a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the university in 2017.

What happened to Spencer and Monique Tepe?

Police have not named any suspects or cited a motive and have released little information.

A police dispatcher report obtained by The Columbus Dispatch on Dec. 31 includes a mention of the police code for a robbery, though the department hasn't shared any further details.

The couple's family has been left devastated.

"They were extraordinary people whose lives were filled with love, joy, and deep connection to others," the family wrote in a statement provided to USA TODAY. "We are heartbroken beyond words."

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Police are searching for a suspect in the Tepe killings.

On Friday Jan. 3 police asked the public for help. They hope that someone has video, photos or other digital evidence related to the crime, including any that show suspicious people or cars near the Tepe home between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Dec. 30. The department previously asked for videos from a much larger window of time but have since narrowed that window.

Click here to submit video. Police are requesting any video submitted be from Summit Street to the east, North Grant Avenue to the west, East 7th Avenue to the south and East 11th Avenue to north.

The Columbus Dispatch contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Dentist killed in double homicide spent childhood in Mason, Ohio
The Detroit City Council appointed a new president and president pro-tempore for the next four years.

On Monday, Jan. 5, members voted for District 1 Councilman James Tate to take over as council president, and for Coleman Young II to become council president pro-tem. Both won in a 5-4 vote. Tate has served on the City Council since 2010  as pro-tem for the previous term  though prior to joining, he served as deputy chief of the Detroit Police Department and as an Emmy award winning assignment editor at WXYZ-TV. He takes over the council presidency for Mary Sheffield, who was sworn in as mayor on Jan. 1.

Detroit City Council poses together after the nine-member body appointed its council president and president pro-tempore for the new term at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center on Jan. 5, 2026.

Tate and Councilman Scott Benson both were nominated for the president role. In a statement to his colleagues, Tate vowed to listen, be honest and work to keep the body aligned.

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Tate said he asked for their support "not because I see this role as a prize, but because I see it as a responsibility to protect the unity and dignity of the body at a time when uncertainty still surrounds our city, as well as our nation, and our residents are looking for steady leadership."

Following the vote, Tate told the Free Press the ultimate goal is for the council to work together, and to connect with the community. Tate said he runs multiple community engagement meetings a month in an effort to stay in touch with residents and their needs.

"It does not mean rubber stamping. It does not mean that we just placate folks. It means having conversations, if necessary, in private, to slug it out if we have to. But when we come to the table, if we disagree, we disagree. Its not about denigrating anyone," Tate said. "Were not always going to agree on everything, we shouldnt. That's the beauty of having people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. But what we should all agree upon is that we dont create a show for folks and create an opportunity for divisiveness."

Detroit City Council President James Tate and President Pro-Tem Coleman Young II stand together after members appointed them to take on the top roles on council for the new term, at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center on Jan. 5, 2026.

Councilman Coleman Young II will serve as pro-tem and will be responsible for running meetings in the event Tate is absent. Young received five votes supporting his appointment against Member Mary Waters.

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"My goal is to mean what I say, and say what I meanmy mission is to make sure that you are treated with respect and honor," Young said. "We can all move forward together in unity, and lead with a spirit of cooperation, collaboration and togetherness."

The vote breakdown for Tate includes: Councilmembers Latisha Johnson, who nominated him; Gabriela Santiago-Romero, Denzel McCampbell, Young and Tate.

The breakdown for Young includes: McCampbell, Johnson, Santiago-Romero, Tate and Young.

Prior to successfully launching her bid for the city's top seat, Mayor Mary Sheffield served as council president for the previous term.

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Dana Afana is the Detroit City Hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: James Tate, Coleman Young II appointed to City Council top roles
DETROIT (AP)  A program that provides cash to help expectant mothers cope with bills, expenses and the high cost of taking care of children is coming to Detroit.

Democratic Mayor Mary Sheffield announced Monday that Michigan State University's Rx Kids program is expected to open in the city within the first 100 days of her taking office. Sheffield was elected in November and was installed last week as Detroit's first female mayor.

The program gives a one-time allocation of $1,500 to expectant mothers during pregnancy. That's followed by $500 per month throughout the child's first six months after birth. Families are expected to use the money for rent, utilities, food, diapers, baby formula, transportation, medical care and other essentials.

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There are no income requirements. Sign-up is online. Recipients must verify they are pregnant.

Rx Kids started in 2024 in Flint, Michigan, and is aimed at removing families and infants from deep poverty. It has since expanded to 20 other cities around the state. By the end of January, another eight cities are expected to be on board.

Michigan State runs the program, which is administered by a nonprofit.

Sheffield says about $9 million has been raised, so far, for Rx Kids in Detroit, while another $2.5 million still is needed.

Funding comes from various foundations and businesses. The city also will pitch in $500,000 annually over the next three years. The state of Michigan, in its fiscal year 2026 budget, committed $250 million for expansion of the two-year-old program.

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Half of our children are living in poverty, Sheffield told reporters with about a half-dozen mothers and a dozen young children behind her. That means that too many of our children are entering lifes journey burdened by financial hardship before they even take their first steps.

About 34% of Detroit's 639,000 residents live in poverty, according to census data. The medium household income in Detroit is about $39,200 compared to more than $72,000 for the rest of the state.

Dr. Mona Hanna, a pediatrician and associate dean of Public Health at Michigan State, is the program's founding director. She calls it a bold public health effort to improve outcomes.

When our babies don't have everything they need, that hurts them. It makes them sick, Hanna said Monday.
When Americans awoke on Saturday to learn the United States had invaded Venezuela and kidnapped its president, they likely expected their nations elected officials to offer an explanation about why we had done this.

After months of military buildup and activity in the Caribbean, it wasnt a surprise that the U.S. had finally decided to embark on a crusade to bring down Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. What was stupefying was that Americas latest regime-change operation was apparently designed to leave the regime intact.

Helpfully, President Donald Trump duly appeared with his top Cabinet officials on Saturday to clarify everything. Among the range of casus belli he offered were the drug war (those drugs mostly come from a place called Venezuela); immigration (they sent everybody bad into the United States); terrorism (a ceaseless campaign of violence, terror, and subversion); even the altruistic promotion of American ideals (we want peace, liberty, and justice for the great people of Venezuela).

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Oh  and oil. As everyone knows the oil business in Venezuela has been a bust, a total bust for a long period of time. They were pumping almost nothing by comparison to what they could have been pumping, Trump said, vowing that U.S. businesses would go to Venezuela and start making money for the country.

Well, pick your poison as to which of these you believe to be the real reason for the military intervention  or make up another. There are several that seem equally as plausible as anything offered: a need to counter Chinese influence in the Americas; a strategy to undermine Cuba; a balm to Trumps ego in the face of Nicolas Maduros dancing defiance Maybe just an uncontrollable urge to demonstrate unadulterated badassery, Murica-style, after decades of frustration and failure in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Its in light of those failures that the most surprising thing to come out of Saturdays press conference was the outright declaration that America was taking over in Caracas.

Were going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition, Trump said, later adding: Were not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to have them.

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Many onlookers could not have been more stunned if a roid-raging Uncle Sam had kicked in the door and poleaxed them between the eyes with the Stars and Stripes. Here was an American president openly ordering regime change and admitting to installing a puppet  and it wasnt even being couched in diplomatic words or shrouded in high ideals. It was in the open. America is taking over Venezuela. Why? To make money from its oil. How? Well, through Delta Force and then a shrug and a wave of the hand vaguely in the direction of the State Department.

[Secretary of State] Marco [Rubio]s working on that directly, Trump said, noting that Venezuelas deputy president  a regime loyalist  appeared to have taken over after Maduro disappeared into the night sky with several new American acquaintances. He just had a conversation with her, and shes essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.

It was unfortunate that mere hours later, the woman in question  Venezuelas Interim President Delcy Rodriguez  denied in a televised speech that she would cooperate with the gringos. There is only one president in Venezuela, and his name is Nicolas Maduro.

Many anti-regime Venezuelans were initially thrilled that Maduro had been ousted, but were far gloomier about the fact that Rodriguez was now in charge  and that Washingtons decapitation strike seems not to have taken the head off the snake, but removed a single head from a hydra. Maduro is gone, his regime is still in power.

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This is the first time that I find myself wondering if I am on the opposite side of U.S. policy, one Venezuela opposition activist tells Rolling Stone. The U.S. now backs the regime, instead of opposing it, the activist says.

They were certain that the situation was in flux, however, saying they believed the Trump administration would deal with whoever is easiest to manipulate, corrupt, and make deals with.

What is the strategy? Who do they want to actually be in charge? asks a former American special operations soldier with expertise in South America, who formerly worked in the region.

He says that mistrust inside Maduros regime will now begin to peak, with top officials convinced that at least one of their compatriots is secretly working with the Americans to take charge of the country. With Maduro gone, a shakeup is inevitable and could lead to internal conflict  possibly even civil war.

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Were in for a roller-coaster ride of pretenders to the throne. But anyone who gets in with Washingtons blessing will lack legitimacy, the special operations soldier observes, saying he believes the one thing that could really unite Venezuelans is opposition to U.S. control. After destabilizing the country, what does Washington want?

What, indeed.

One couldnt have scripted a scenario more perfectly tailored to showcase American military might than the raid to abduct Maduro. All of the elite elements of the U.S. military and national security apparatus were brought to bear. It was an eloquent testament to the trillions of dollars America has spent on advanced weaponry, coupled with decades of hands-on experience conducting special operations.

That Washington has tools of military power that outclass any competitor is unquestionable. The problem is that tactical victories do not guarantee strategic success. The idea that a country can simply swoop out of the blue and change another government to its liking through force of arms without complication is an illusion  see America in Iraq or Afghanistan, or Russia in Chechnya or Ukraine.

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Many commentators and critics are focused on the wider implications of the raid on Venezuela, its legality, or the idea that it will usher in a new era of realpolitik as described by Thucydides, where the the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.

What, such commentators ask, is to stop Russia or China from doing the same, in Ukraine or in Taiwan?

You neednt be a cynic to think the answer to that question has less to do with the norms of international law than it does with pure military capability. Indeed, Russia tried several times to capture President Volodymyr Zelensky in the early days of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February and March 2022. It failed, at great cost to its special forces units.

Trumps foray into Venezuela was unquestionably a military success. Its wider implications remain to be seen. But it is another step toward an unrestrained imperial presidency, actively working to dismantle a global system America itself created, as it sows chaos at home and abroad.

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Paper shields alone have never kept the powerful from preying upon weaker neighbors, and most world leaders cast aside legality and morality when it suits their interests to do so. Trump is not the first. The international order America has long championed is a system of double standards, hypocritically applied or cast aside to suit Washingtons whims.

That it was a system that benefited the United States is rejected by MAGA true believers. They argue that, as most nations follow their self-interest, the era of America First is at least a more honest system of international relations.

You can also call this system the law of the jungle.

But of course, none of the animals in the jungle have nukes.

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LAS VEGAS  Qualcomm (QCOM) is continuing to push deeper into the PC market at CES 2026, rolling out its newest entry-level chip for Microsoft (MSFT) Windows laptops.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus joins the company's previously announced Snapdragon X2 Elite and Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processors as part of the company's push to take on longtime PC chip leader Intel (INTC) and rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

Qualcomm is seeking to diversify its portfolio of products to ease its dependence on the smartphone space. The company kicked off its effort at last year's CES with its original Snapdragon X processor.

The chip technology developer reported $44.3 billion in total revenue in 2025. Of that amount, $38.4 billion came from its QCT business, which includes sales related to chips for smartphones, PCs, and autos.

According to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon X2 Plus will be available with either a six-core or 10-core CPU and provides up to 35% faster peak performance versus the prior-generation Plus and requires 43% less power.

The company is also touting the chips' multiday battery life and built-in neural processing unit, or NPU, which Qualcomm says packs up to 80 trillions of operations per second (TOPS) of performance. TOPS is a general measure of how well a device can run AI apps.

"Modern professionals and creators want to do more, create more, and push the limits of generative AI and all-day performance. Snapdragon X2 Plus platform delivers the power, efficiency and intelligence to surpass their ambitions, making each experience more responsive and personal," Kedar Kondap, Qualcomm's SVP and GM of computing and gaming, said in a statement.

Qualcomm's move into the consumer and business PC space comes as Intel continues its turnaround effort. Once the undisputed leader in the PC chip industry, Intel has been losing market share to AMD.

Qualcomm's booth at CES 2025. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)  NurPhoto via Getty Images

But in October, Intel debuted its Core Ultra Series 3, based on its long-gestating 18A technology, which could help stave off further share deterioration and give Qualcomm and AMD a more difficult fight ahead.

In addition to the X2 Plus, Qualcomm unveiled a new robotics initiative at CES 2026, including a drive toward humanoid robots. The company said it believes the market for physical AI, another term for robots, will be worth as much as $1 trillion by 2040, and it's looking to get a piece of that action.

Part of that includes Qualcomm's new Dragonwing IQ10 chip for physical AI systems ranging from industrial robotics to humanoid robots.

But Qualcomm isn't the only company looking to make waves in the robotics industry. Nvidia, Intel, AMD, and a host of other chipmakers are aiming to become the go-to firm for physical AI as the technology continues to mature over the coming years.
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management is partnering with the states chapter of Trout Unlimited for its annual collection of conifer Christmas trees for trout habitat restoration on Saturday, Jan. 10.

The program, called Trees for Trouts, began in 2018 as a partnership between Trout Unlimited and RIDEM. Last year, the program collected more than 350 Christmas trees. Since 2018, Rhode Islanders have donated over 2,400 trees to the cause, according to John Genovesi, chairman of the program.

The program gives Christmas trees, often destined to landfills after a short stint in peoples living rooms, new life by repurposing them to fight erosion.

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Strategic placement of the trees helps restore streams and rivers that have become wide and shallow due to flooding and storms, provide refuge habitat, and stabilize stream banks, according to RIDEM.

Students at Steere Farm Elementary School designed ornaments for the Rhode Island state tree at the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. The designs are represent reflect the natural beauty of our state, highlighting our amazing beaches, lighthouses, and oceanside nature. The tree is one of 56 representing each state, territory, and Department of the Interiors Bureau of Indian Education and the Department of Defense Education Activity schools, and America 250.

These tree traps, which are bundles of 30 to 80 trees, are known as conifer revetments. They capture sediment and decompose, gradually becoming part of the banks. Tree branches also offer protection for young trout and other animals.

Genovesi said last years collection was used in the summer to stabilize several stretches of the Falls and Woods rivers to improve stream banks and fish and macroinvertebrate habitats.

The Trees for Trouts program only accepts whole real trees, not fake ones or trees that have been sprayed with fire-retardant chemicals. RIDEM requests people also remove decorations, lights and stands from trees.

Collection will take place between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Arcadia Check Station in the Arcadia Management Area, where Route 165/Ten Rod Road intersects with the Wood River.

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If you are otherwise getting rid of Christmas trees, the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation has a town-by-town guide for how to dispose of them.

This story has been updated with new information.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RIDEM holding Christmas tree drive for trout habitat restoration
Donald Trumps successful infiltrations into the worlds of both real estate and politics have been constructed on a foundation of cons. One of the more important of these, in both 2016 and 2024, was the strange notion that he was some sort of antiwar candidate. You remember: Hillary Clinton was the hawk, the mad bomber; Trump was a man of peace.

This was always propaganda. Yes, with respect to Iraq, it was kind of true. Clinton voted for the war as a senator. (This is the irony of her political career: Back during the lead-up to the Iraq War, the accepted Beltway wisdom was that yea was the safe political vote for a Democrat eyeing the presidency to make. And yet, her vote arguably cost her the nomination in 2008 and played some role in costing her the presidency in 2016, when the right really drove home the Hillary as hawk narrative.)

But Trump wasnt nearly the Iraq War critic that he wanted people to believehe expressed support for the war in the run-up and in its early days, and he only turned against it when it starting going south. Even then, his main criticism was that U.S. forces didnt max out the possible conquest by taking Iraqs oila fact thats well worth remembering in this particular news cycle.

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Speaking of, here we are, a decade after his first campaign, with Trump having just started his own little unilateral regime-change war. You can choose to call whats happening in Venezuela a legal action or whatever you like, but if someone killed more than 100 American civilians at sea, making accusations about what they were up to without offering proof, and then sent more than 150 aircraft into our airspace and killed 40 of our civilians while arresting and forcefully extraditing our president, I reckon wed be calling it war.

So whats going on here? Why is the antiwar president making war?

The answer is that Trump is not antiwar. He never has been. That was always a fiction peddled by Trump, his lackeys, and the right-wing media to contrast him with Clinton and Joe Biden to fool the Gullible American community. He is anti-West. Heres the difference, and why it can look confusing to people who dont know any better.

When the West, led usually by the United States, starts a war, it does so in support of certain stated principles. Now let me quickly point out: Those principles might be wrongly and even tragically applied, and they might be ill conceived. The United States fought the war in Vietnam, for example, in defense of freedom (and against communism) and out of the conviction, the domino theory, that failing to stop the Reds in Saigon would all but ensure that theyd soon take over across all of South Asia and, before you knew it, would be on our doorstep. (Lyndon Johnson also feared that Congress would impeach him if he didnt do it.)

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This was all crazy talk grounded in a Cold War paranoia whose roots ran nearly as deep in the elite American psyche of the 1950s and 1960s as the belief that we were the worlds defenders of freedom. (See, for example, the tragic figure of James Forrestal, Americas first secretary of defense and a man whose paranoia drove him eventually to suicide.) But my point is, at least there was an attempt to root these decisions in principles; at least there was a foundation for critique and accountability. We didnt invade Vietnam because we wanted the Lebensraum, or to seize its bauxite. We invaded based on a theoryagain, a tragically wrong onethat we were defending Western values.

George W. Bush would no doubt say, and did say at the time on many occasions, the same thing about Iraq. I never thought, as many left-wing critics did, that that war was about oil, although the prospect of some easy oil revenues didnt hurt, from the neocons perspective. And I never thought, as Michael Moore argued in Fahrenheit 9/11, that it was about the Carlyle Group. Rather, it was about establishing the United States as the preeminent global power in a unipolar, postCold War world; and, in Bushs mind, Im sure, it was also about bringing freedom to the people of Iraqthat is, he convinced himself that he was upholding Western values.

What Trump is against is the idea that Americas military might needs to be tethered to some positive-sum goal that positions the United States as a force that fosters global security and Western democracy. Its this entire notion of values that Trump is against, not war per se. As my colleague Greg Sargent wrote last summer during an intra-MAGA squabble over how far the Trump administration should go in backing Israel in its aggressive acts toward Iran: Some confuse Trumps hostility to the postwar liberal international order with an isolationism that eschews foreign military entanglements. But as Nicholas Grossman points out, this doesnt reflect principled opposition to military action. It reflects Trumps desire to shred the Western alliance and suck up to authoritarians who similarly hate that alliance, while generally undermining multilateralism and any other international frameworks he might perceive as constraining to the U.S.and to himself.

In other words, its not war Trump opposes. Its just war in defense of the Western alliance. War is fine, provided its just about what everything is, to him, really all about: raw power in the service of plunder and conquest.

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One might argue that this is, in its way, refreshing. After all, if all that hifalutin rhetoric about Western values is so malleable that it can be twisted into justifying catastrophic misadventures like Vietnam and Iraq, maybe its better to have someone who rejects such categories utterly.

Wellno. Its not refreshing. Its terrifying, for two reasons.

First: The fact that the United States has badly misapplied its values and even lied about them in prosecuting wars does not provide a basis for jettisoning those values. Rather, it provides a basis for defending those values honestly and honorably. We have done this too, from time to time. We, led by that other Clinton, worked with our European partners to stop (eventually) Slobodan Milosevic in the Balkans. Under Barack Obama and, yes, Donald Trump, we snuffed out ISIS (but theyve been staging a comeback lately, and this too is a flashpoint worth watching this year). Joe Biden led what was for a time an inspiring coalition trying to help Ukraine repel Russia. War is never not messy and without unintended consequences, but those are three cases where, for the most part, we did good.

Second: A world in which values dont exist is a jungle. Id love to live in a world where values were consistently applied to actions. But well never live in that world. So given the realistic choices, Id rather live in a world where principles are erroneously and inconsistently appliedand occasionally well applied!than a world where they dont even exist. Trump wants the latter world. And, with his pals Putin and Xi, he is quickly making it.

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You have only to look at the National Security Strategy published last December. It signals to strongmen and kleptocrats around the world that the United States wont interfere in their regional affairsaffairs that typically involve the widespread oppression of innocent people. The breakup language therein with respect to Europe couldnt be clearer. Its time, says the NSS, to have an America First policy, which means whatever Trump decides it means. This year, weve learned that America First means pardoning a Trump ally who trafficked 500 tons of drugs into the U.S. while sending the U.S. military to kidnap a head of state on the same (though shakier) grounds.

There is little evidence at hand that Trumps war is going to make sense. Its not quite about democracy (early signs point to leaving the corrupt Chavismo regime in charge as long as it pays tribute to Trump) or drugs (see above) or the fact that Maduro and his wife carried machine guns (the basis of two of the four counts against them; its a weird charge coming from a man who shrugs every time American children are gunned down with the same weapons). Its about oil, to some extent.

But as the administrations renewed threats against Greenland and Mexico demonstrate, Trumps war is mainly about establishing U.S. ownership over our own near abroad, to use the phrase Putin invokes to refer to Ukraine and other nearby nations. And its a nudge and a wink to Putin and Xi: Dont mess with me in my near abroad, and I wont mess with you in yours. That has potentially terrifying consequences for Ukraine, Taiwan, and other nations; and for a larger world order in which national sovereignty is respected.

So, no, Donald Trump was never antiwarif anything, he is dangerously enamored of his offices death-dealing capabilities. The question we now face is, exactly how pro-war, on his own despotic terms, is he? In Mexico and Canada and Greenlandand Ukraine and Taiwan and across Latin Americatheyre watching closely. Or at least they should be.
In 2023, then-Sen. JD Vance endorsed President Donald Trumps presidential bid for one big reason: Trumps commitment to peace. He has my support in 2024, Vance wrote, because I know he wont recklessly send Americans to fight overseas.

Flash-forward to 2026, and Vice President Vance has been put in the awkward position of defending one of the most reckless US military raids of my lifetime: an explicit attempt to bring about regime change in Venezuela by abducting its president from his bed.

Key takeaways

There is a long-standing myth that Donald Trump is a dove. This myth has always been at odds with reality, but after the seizure of Nicolas Maduro, it is simply indefensible.

The myth stems from a refusal either to grapple with Trumps record in office or to take his long-standing commitments to neo-imperialism seriously.

Now, Trumps particular brand of hawkish politics threatens to usher in a new era of global disorder.

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This is not an exaggeration. Trump said during a Saturday press conference that America now runs post-Maduro Venezuela. Administration officials have said that the countrys vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, will either rule according to American dictates or else. One of those dictates is that American oil companies be allowed to extract Venezuelan crude  and that the proceeds of their sales be used to finance US military activity in the country.

In essence, Trump is demanding Venezuela will become an American imperial vassal and pay for the privilege. If they do not, they will face a a second and much larger attack  and potentially even an invasion.

Were not afraid of boots on the ground, as Trump put it on Saturday.

We may not get that far. Perhaps Rodriguez will strike some kind of deal, or Trumps threats will prove to be empty. It wouldnt be the first time.

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But the fact that the US is even attempting a kind of regime change by protection racket, one that began with the brazen abduction of a foreign leader, is proof that Vance and the many, many, many others who insisted that Trump is some kind of dove have been taken for a ride (which was obvious to me from the start).

One question now is why they missed that reality. But the much bigger one is what Trumps particular brand of hawkishness means for the country  and the world.

Yes, war for oil

Nearly 10 years ago, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd published a column titled Donald the Dove, Hillary the Hawk. In Dowds telling, Trump thought the invasion of Iraq was a stupid idea. While he can sound belligerent, he actually would rather do the art of the deal than shock and awe.

Nearly every part of this analysis was wrong  demonstrably wrong at the time. Trump had not opposed George W. Bushs invasion of Iraq in advance; he had publicly supported it. He had also supported the 2011 US war in Libya and was calling for US intervention in the Syrian civil war on the campaign trail.

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But while Dowds op-ed was demonstrably wrong, her basic frame  that Trump is the non-interventionist antidote to the hawkish bipartisan consensus  quickly became one of the dominant ways politicians and analysts described Trump. This was, in large part, at his own encouragement.

If Kamala wins, only death and destruction await because she is the candidate of endless wars, Trump said during the 2024 campaign. I am the candidate of peace.

This view has indeed become central to the Trump mythos, repeated both by his allies and third party observers.

Good leaders dont foment pointless wars. They end them. If you voted for Donald Trump, thats reason enough to be proud you did, Tucker Carlson said after the 2024 election. Christian Parenti, a Marxist economist, wrote an essay in Compact arguing that Trump has done more to restrain the US imperium than any politician in 75 years. Even NPR, in an ostensibly straight-news writeup from earlier this year, wrote that Trump has long been known for his America First ethos and non-interventionist stance.

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This all was totally at odds with his first-term record (more on that in a second). But its also at odds with Trumps own explicitly stated worldview, in which America First is less about avoiding foreign wars than advancing narrowly defined American interests through more nakedly imperialistic politics.

Lets take one issue of particular relevance to Venezuela: Trumps longstanding preoccupation with seizing foreign oil deposits. While that isnt the sole motivation of the Maduro abduction, and doesnt really make sense as a practical matter, its clear that it played a major role in Trumps mind  as it has for years.

In 1987, he called on the US to invade Iran and take its oil. In 2011, he proposed an imperial US intervention in the Libyan civil war: Im only interested in Libya if we take the oil. In 2013, he explained his evolution on Iraq  from war supporter to critic  as a kind of disillusionment with the US refusal to do naked imperialism.

President Donald Trump gestures after delivering a speech at a Double Eagle Energy Holdings, LLC, oil rig in Midland, Texas, on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. | Cooper Neill/Bloomberg/Getty Images

When I heard that we were first going into Iraq, some very smart people told me, Well, were actually going for the oil, and I said, All right, I get that. [But] we didnt take the oil! the future president said in a 2013 speech.

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And, in 2019, as president, he sent US troops to seize Syrian oil fields, claiming were keeping the oil to be developed by ExxonMobil at a future date. This plan went nowhere  partly because Exxon itself refused to play ball.

But in Trumps second term, his policy id has been unleashed. There are no more adults in the room, like Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, who saw their job as protecting US foreign policy from the man in charge of it. Instead, the current Trump administration is made up of various competing sub-factions trying to influence his instincts. Vance is a genuine isolationist; Marco Rubio is an uber-hawk with a longstanding preference for regime change. They are all trying to sway Trump to their point of view by trying to sell their own positions as the best expression of his.

Rubio has figured out that the language of crude national interests  of seizing oil deposits for US corporations, or fighting narco-terrorism, or asserting American power  taps directly into the particular kind of hawkishness that Trump has consistently expressed for decades.

Hence how you can have what is, in effect, Rubios longstanding preference for regime change in Venezuela enacted by a president who has long pretended to oppose regime change wars.

The myopia of no new wars

When pressed on these sorts of points, the defenders of Trump-as-peace-candidate have long fallen back on the same line: that Trump did not start any new wars during his first term. Vance wrote this in his 2023 op-ed; Curt Mills, the editor of the non-interventionist American Conservative magazine, made the same point in a 2024 piece arguing that Trumps second term would be a peaceful one.

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This line was always a sleight of hand distracting from how Trump dramatically escalated the wars in which America was already involved.

In Iraq and Syria, for example, he removed Obama-era limitations on the use of force designed to prevent civilian casualties, leading to three times as many civilian deaths from US bombs as in in the 1991 Gulf War, the 19981999 Kosovo intervention, and the Libya war combined. Its absurd to call a president with this kind of body count a dove, especially when the civilian death toll from US air wars dropped dramatically after Biden took office.

But it also ignored the way in which Trump frequently took risks that could easily produce a full-scale conflict. In 2017, for example, he threatened North Korea with fire and fury and moved US naval assets nearby, bringing us far closer to war with a nuclear-armed power than most people remember. In 2020, he assassinated top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani  an outright act of war with the Islamic Republic that could easily have spun out of control.

Once you understand Trumps foreign policy as an essentially belligerent one, you begin to appreciate the full enormity of our new era of global politics.

Trump, in short, had proved himself willing to risk new wars in his first term frequently.

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Its clear that he didnt necessarily want his provocations to escalate; he has a preference for shows of force over actual invasions. But its also the case that once you start down a road toward conflict, things dont always go the way you want. Maybe Trumps first term avoidance of new wars in term one was the result of deft diplomacy on Trumps party, the sheer intimidating power of the US military, or the restrained policy choices of his targets. But it also could be attributed to luck.

In his second term, Trump seems determined to push that luck to the brink.

His bombing of Irans nuclear site, for example, avoided the most dire predictions of immediate escalations. But, Iran appears to be rebuilding its nuclear capabilities, and Trump is now threatening more attacks over both the nuclear program and the countrys repression of protesters.

His policy of drone strikes on drug traffickers in the Caribbean, allegedly aimed at stamping out narco-terrorism, seems to have opened the door to the abduction of Maduro, which the White House has justified as a law enforcement action aimed at putting him on trial on drug-related charges.

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And now, the immediate question is whether that hawkishness will escalate to a broader war with Venezuela if the country refuses to comply with Trumps demands.

Currently, Delcy Rodriguez is striking a defiant tone, saying in a Saturday speech that we shall never be a colony ever again. Trump is threatening retaliatory escalation, telling The Atlantic on Sunday that if she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.

If Rodriguez remains in power and defiant, Trump will have two choices: Do nothing and expose his threats as empty, or make good on them. If its the latter, his belligerence could lead to an escalation of catastrophic proportions.

An unstable world

Once you understand Trumps foreign policy as an essentially belligerent one, you begin to appreciate the full enormity of our new era of global politics.

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Its not as if the United States hasnt been warlike in the past. This isnt even the first time that the US has launched an invasion to forcibly arrest a Latin American dictator whom it accused of involvement in drug trafficking.

Rather, its that American belligerency in the post-World War II era has followed certain predictable rules and guidelines that limited the overall systemic impact of even acts of aggression. The United States was, for all its faults, widely understood as the anchor of an international order it created; charges of hypocrisy in places like Vietnam had bite because of the stated commitment to basic ideas like sovereignty and human rights.

Theres good evidence that the predictability and strength of the US-led alliance system, however imperfect, played a major role in deterring aggression in the latter 20th century. After World War II, the number and severity of wars between states steadily declined, leading to a dramatic drop in the rate of people killed by war relative to historical averages. The term Pax Americana was not entirely a misnomer, even when you factor in Americas criminally brutal Cold War policies in places ranging from Vietnam, to Argentina, to Indonesia.

The 2003 invasion of Iraq, with its brazen indifference to international law, weakened faith in the US-led order. Trumps first term hollowed it out. And now, the naked imperial violence of his second might have well and truly shattered it. Trump is making a series of wild threats and territorial claims, forcing Mexico to prepare for a potentially imminent US invasion and Denmark to take recent US threats to seize Greenland seriously.

What this new world disorder looks like is hard to say. Seva Gunitsky, a political scientist at the University of Toronto, suggested one model after the Maduro operation  a kind of regional carve-up in which the US, Russia, and China each get to do what they want in their respective spheres of influence.

What just happened is entirely consistent with the spheres-of-influence approach that Putin has long advocated, and that Trump embraced in the latest National Security Strategy. The emerging order is one in which Putin, Xi, and Trump each get to do whatever they want in their respective zones: a grand bargain among the powerful at the expense of everyone else, he wrote. For smaller places caught in the gray zones, like Ukraine, Taiwan, the Baltics, even Greenland, this is not an abstract theoretical debate but a question of survival.

But this is just one possibility. The truth is that an unconstrained Trump, acting on his longstanding hawkish impulses, could cause all sorts of chaos in his remaining three years. While US military interventionism is very precedented, Trumps particular brand of it  naked pre-modern imperialism backed by a modern globe-spanning military  is not.

Americans should be prepared for things to go very, very wrong.
Donation opportunities are still available to support the Delaware state trooper who was killed just before Christmas.

Cpl. Matthew T. Ty Snook, a 34-year-old Bear native, was shot and killed in the line of duty Dec. 23 while working an overtime assignment at a DMV near New Castle.

He leaves behind in Hockessin his recently married wife, Lauren, and their daughter, Letty, whos about 1 year old, according to his obituary.

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Snook was shot after he pushed a DMV worker out of harm's way, state police said after the incident.

Snook was taken to the hospital after the shooting, where he died. The incident injured another state trooper, and two others had non-gunshot-related injuries.

Funeral coverage: Public pays respect to Cpl. Snook at Delaware trooper funeral. Live updates

The gunman, 44-year-old man Rahman Rose, whose last address is in Wilmington, was shot at the scene and died at the hospital.

The Delaware State Troopers Association set up a HelpAHero Fundraiser to financially support the family of Snook. It has twice passed its goal, now aiming for $425,000. So far, $376,060 has been donated.

Delaware State Police officers salute as the casket of Delaware State Police Cpl. Matthew T. Ty Snook is brought into the Bob Carpenter Center, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

The fundraiser closes in 21 days. For those who do not want to donate online, checks can be made out to the Delaware State Troopers Association Benevolent Fund with the Snook family listed in the memo. The DSTA's mailbox address is P.O. Box 168, Cheswold, DE 19936.

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Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which helps the families of fallen police officers nationwide, announced in December it will pay off the family's mortgage.

Anyone can help by making a one-time or monthly donation to the foundation at their website, t2t.org, which Vice President of the In Line of Duty at Tunnel to Towers John Huvane said was the best way for people to contribute.

Snook's Delaware history: Delaware trooper killed at DMV was Saint Mark's grad, wrestling champ

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: How to donate to family of fallen Delaware state Cpl. Matthew Snook
A commercial airline captain has filed a lawsuit in Oregon state court against The Boeing Company and Spirit AeroSystems, alleging that missing hardware and manufacturing failures caused the midair door plug blowout aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 1282  and that Boeing later made statements that unfairly shifted blame onto the flight crew.

The complaint was filed December 30 in Multnomah County Circuit Court by Brandon Fisher, the pilot in command of the Boeing 737 MAX-9 that suffered an explosive decompression shortly after takeoff from Portland International Airport on Jan. 5, 2024.

The lawsuit seeks at least $10 million in damages and includes claims of negligence, product liability, breach of warranty, emotional distress and defamation.

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According to the complaint, the aircraft reached about 16,000 feet when a left-side mid-exit door plug separated from the fuselage, leaving a large hole near Row 26 of the passenger cabin.

The sudden loss of pressure forced an emergency descent and return to Portland.

Four passengers seated near the opening were injured, but all 171 passengers and crew survived.

The lawsuit states that Fisher and first officer Emily Wiprud followed emergency procedures, coordinated with air traffic control and landed the aircraft safely despite intense noise, flying debris and the loss of cabin pressure.

Fisher alleges he suffered ear pain and lasting physical and emotional effects from the event.

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The complaint places responsibility for the blowout on missing bolts that were meant to secure the mid-exit door plug in place.

It alleges that during manufacturing and rework in 2023, the plug was opened to address damaged rivets but was later reinstalled without replacing four critical bolts designed to prevent upward movement of the door plug.

The aircraft was delivered to Alaska Airlines in October 2023 and entered service in November, despite the missing hardware, according to the filing.

Spirit AeroSystems, which manufactured the fuselage and installed the door plug in Wichita, Kansas, is accused of using non-standard installation practices and of concealing defective rivets by painting over them.

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The lawsuit alleges Boeing later discovered the issues but failed to take corrective or disciplinary action and still signed off on inspections marking the aircraft as complete.

Beyond the manufacturing claims, Fisher also alleges that Boeing damaged his reputation after the incident.

The complaint points to a March 2024 court filing in a separate passenger lawsuit in which Boeing denied liability and suggested the aircraft may have been improperly maintained or misused by others.

Fisher says those statements were widely reported and implied fault by the flight crew, despite federal investigators concluding the pilots acted appropriately.

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The lawsuit says the FBI later informed Fisher that he may have been the victim of criminally negligent conduct and that federal authorities concluded the incident was caused by manufacturing failures, not pilot error.

A Justice Department investigation into Boeing related to the incident is ongoing, according to the complaint.

Fisher, who lives in Vancouver, Washington, says the continued scrutiny and litigation stemming from the incident have caused lasting emotional distress and affected his quality of life.

He remains employed as a pilot and says he is widely regarded within the aviation community as having acted correctly under extreme circumstances.

When reached for comment, a representative for Boeing said, We will not comment on pending litigation.
The cost of parking in downtown Topeka increased with the start of the new year.

Although free parking options remain downtown, metered parking and monthly garage parking prices rose. Those changes were established by the city of Topeka.

Were committed to maintaining an affordable and accessible parking system for everyone who visits, works or lives in downtown Topeka, said city manager Robert Perez. These updates are designed to simplify our parking structure while supporting reinvestment in our facilities.

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What changed about the pricing downtown? Here's what to know.

A city of Topeka parking enforcement officer writes a ticket for a car parked in the 900 block of N. Kansas Ave. on Nov. 6, 2024.

Monthly rates increased in 2026 at these Topeka garages

Monthly parking rates will increase from $47.43 to $51 at The 9th St. Garage, 215 SE 9th.

Monthly parking rates will increase from $67.75 to $74 at 512 Jackson Garage.

Monthly parking rates will increase from $74 at Park N Shop Garage, 615 SE Quincy St., and Coronado Garage, 917 SE Quincy St.

All increases follow the completion of necessary structural repairs. A 60-day notice will be provided once a completion date is determined, said Downtown Topeka Inc. and the city of Topeka.

Property owner must pay Topeka after city abated overgrown weeds

What about the free parking spaces?

Hourly garage rates will remain at $1 per hour, with free parking after 6 p.m. weekdays and Saturday and Sundays.

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More four-hour, free parking spaces have been added on the outskirts of downtown to support longer visits and employee parking, said Downtown Topeka Inc. On-street parking along S. Kansas Avenue will also remain free, with a 2-hour limit.

"We encourage drivers who need more than two hours to use one of the downtown parking garages," said DTI.

What about the yellow hooded spaces?

Yellow hoods will be removed from the 100 blocks east and west of S. Kansas Avenue between 6th and 10th streets, said Amanda Knowland, city of Topeka infrastructure communications specialist.

Those spaces will become 2-hour metered parking at a rate of $1 per hour. Some areas will retain meters, while others will feature signage with payment options via mobile app.

The 2-hour time limited, yellow hoods were to be removed from the 100 blocks east and west of S. Kansas Avenue between 6th and 10th streets, effective Jan. 1, said the city of Topeka.

Some changes were implemented in September 2025

The city of Topeka announced changes to downtown parking rates and regulations last summer following approval by the governing body during its June 10 meeting. Some changes went into effect Sept. 1, 2025, as follows:

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Monthly parking rates increased from $67.75 to $74 at Centre City Garage, 825 S. Kansas Ave.; Crosby Place Garage, 108 SW 8th Ave.; and Townsite Garage, 501 SE Monroe St.

Ten-hour meter rates increased from 50 cents to $1 per hour, creating a uniform hourly rate for on-street meters.

Ten-hour permits increased from $44 to $74 per month.

Is increasing parking prices the best move for businesses?

Chris Schultz, owner of Cosmos Court at 909 S. Kansas Ave., said the changes aren't being made at a good time for downtown businesses.

"There's a lot of construction going on I- 70 that restricts a lot of people coming through," Schultz said. "There are things that are in progress to bring residential neighborhoods together, more residential units into town around here, and that's definitely going to help, but those things aren't done yet.

And we keep seeing mom-and-pop businesses fold up."

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Schultz said the city should have engaged business owners more and provided offsetting benefits  such as free parking in garages  before implementing the changes. He said the city isn't adequately considering the broader impacts on the downtown ecosystem and public-private partnerships.

"There was a very short time, just a year ago, every space in our block was full," he said. "Now, we're definitely looking at a lot fewer. This is something for them to take fines and fees.

"For us as a merchant, we sit down here and every customer that comes in, they come into park, and they give us their business, so that we can pay our taxes and give the government every chunk of everything that it needs."

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Downtown Topeka parking costs rose in 2026. What to know about changes
The Texas Department of Public Safety was kept busy with numerous fatal traffic collisions in the Permian Basin between Wednesday and Friday.

According to DPS, Andrea Leann Wright, 21, of Clarksville, Arkansas, was traveling south on SH 349 in Upton County when she veered into the northbound lane around 10 a.m. Wednesday. Her Nissan collided head-on with a Ford F-250 being driven by a 30-year-old man from San Angelo.

Wright was pronounced dead at the scene and the San Angelo man was taken to Medical Center Hospital in Odessa via helicopter with serious injuries.

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On Thursday, Midland resident Robert Harold Krauter Jr., 58, was killed when he rear-ended a tractor trailer on SH 349 near WCR 330 in Midland County, according to DPS.

A preliminary investigation showed the driver of the tractor trailer, a 66-year-old Houston man had been slowing down to turn left into a private drive around 7 a.m. when he was rear-ended and Krauters Ford F-150 caught on fire.

According to DPS, Fort Stockton resident Samuel Anthony Galvan, 35, died around 6:20 a.m. Friday when he failed to navigate a curve while driving at an unsafe speed on FM 1053 and lost control of his Pontiac G6. The vehicle rolled and Galvan, who wasnt wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene.

According to DPS, San Antonio resident Maxenino Flores, 47, suffered fatal injuries an hour later when he failed to navigate a curve on IH-10 in Pecos County, entered a side skid and rolled multiple times. He later died at Pecos Memorial Hospital.

All of the crashes remain under investigation.

The post DPS investigating four fatal wrecks appeared first on Odessa American.
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

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Jan. 1

The Washington Post on Trump's new humanitarian aid package to the U.N.

The Trump administration will always couch even its most reasonable decisions in the most dramatic terms possible, and so it was with a State Department announcement that the U.S. would be sending a significantly smaller humanitarian aid package to the United Nations: Individual U.N. agencies will need to adapt, shrink, or die.

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The $2 billion announced this week is down from $3.8 billion in 2025 and a major reduction from Americas contributions under President Joe Biden, which peaked at $17 billion in 2022. Its easy to write this off as a shortsighted America First policy, but in reality Washington is trying to channel the money to better advance national priorities and maximize effectiveness on the ground.

Jeremy Lewin, who oversees humanitarian funding at the State Department, calls the $2 billion an initial anchor commitment and expresses hope that its only the beginning of a new funding model for U.N. aid.

Importantly, the money comes with conditions, including a list of 17 countries that have been selected by the Trump administration to receive aid. Syria made the cut  no doubt helped by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaas friendly November visit to the White House  while the U.N. has been instructed not to give any U.S. money to Afghanistan and Yemen, lest it fall into the hands of terrorists.

Even after scaling back support, the U.S. is expected to retain its status in 2026 as the worlds biggest aid donor, which makes it hard for other countries to whine about the cutbacks. The U.N. secretary-general has instructed agencies under his umbrella to come up with plans to reduce their staffs by 20 percent.

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Undoubtedly, the U.N. could benefit from cutting. For example, the World Food Program, U.N. Refugee Agency and U.N. International Childrens Emergency Fund address the same crises in Sudan and Afghanistan.

The U.N. has also been the subject of repeated scandals. In 2024, the U.S. wisely cut off funding for the Palestinian relief arm (UNRWA) amid evidence that some of its workers participated in the Oct. 7 terror attacks. The U.N. also refuses to acknowledge Chinas reckless role as the originator of covid-19.

Theres always a risk of overcorrection. A rollback of humanitarian aid in 2026 risks worsening refugee crises that America is directly affected by, including relief provided to fleeing Venezuelans. It also comes as the administration has slashed other direct aid programs, including dissolving the U.S. Agency for International Development  which oversaw public health programs around the world  and ending bilateral aid support to countries such as South Africa.

Countries, or billionaire philanthropists, howling about the cuts can always step up and fill the void. If China wants to act like a world leader, theres nothing stopping Xi Jinping from chipping in more to support institutions like the U.N.

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ONLINE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/01/01/united-nations-funding-aid-trump-peacekeeping/

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Jan. 3

The New York Times says Trump's attack on Venezuela is illegal and unwise

Over the past few months, President Trump has deployed an imposing military force in the Caribbean to threaten Venezuela. Until recently, the president used that force  an aircraft carrier, at least seven other warships, scores of aircraft and 15,000 U.S. troops  for illegal attacks on small boats that he claimed were ferrying drugs. On Saturday, Mr. Trump dramatically escalated his campaign by capturing President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela as part of what he called a large scale strike against the country.

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Few people will feel any sympathy for Mr. Maduro. He is undemocratic and repressive, and has destabilized the Western Hemisphere in recent years. The United Nations recently issued a report detailing more than a decade of killings, torture, sexual violence and arbitrary detention by henchmen against his political opponents. He stole Venezuelas presidential election in 2024. He has fueled economic and political disruption throughout the region by instigating an exodus of nearly eight million migrants.

If there is an overriding lesson of American foreign affairs in the past century, however, it is that attempting to oust even the most deplorable regime can make matters worse. The United States spent 20 years failing to create a stable government in Afghanistan and replaced a dictatorship in Libya with a fractured state. The tragic consequences of the 2003 war in Iraq continue to beset America and the Middle East. Perhaps most relevant, the United States has sporadically destabilized Latin American countries, including Chile, Cuba, Guatemala and Nicaragua, by trying to oust a government through force.

Despite this history, Mr. Trump seemed to commit the United States to a nation-building project in Venezuela. We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition, he said in a news conference on Saturday. He offered almost no details. He has not even offered a coherent explanation for his actions in Venezuela. If Mr. Trump wants to make the case for an invasion and a takeover of another country, the Constitution spells out what he must do: Go to Congress. Without congressional approval, his actions violate U.S. law.

The nominal rationale for the administrations military adventurism is to destroy narco-terrorists. Governments throughout history have labeled the leaders of rival nations as terrorists, seeking to justify military incursions as policing operations. The claim is particularly ludicrous in this case, given that Venezuela is not a meaningful producer of fentanyl or the other drugs that have dominated the recent epidemic of overdoses in the United States, and the cocaine that it does produce flows mostly to Europe. While Mr. Trump has been attacking Venezuelan boats, he also pardoned Juan Orlando Hernandez, who ran a sprawling drug operation when he was president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022.

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A more plausible explanation for the attacks on Venezuela may instead be found in Mr. Trumps recently released National Security Strategy. It claimed the right to dominate Latin America: After years of neglect, the United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere. In what the document called the Trump Corollary, the administration vowed to redeploy forces from around the world to the region, stop traffickers on the high seas, use lethal force against migrants and drug runners and potentially base more U.S. troops around the region.

Venezuela has apparently become the first country subject to this latter-day imperialism, and it represents a dangerous and illegal approach to Americas place in the world. By proceeding without any semblance of international legitimacy, valid legal authority or domestic endorsement, Mr. Trump risks providing justification for authoritarians in China, Russia and elsewhere who want to dominate their own neighbors. More immediately, he threatens to replicate the American hubris that led to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

As a presidential candidate, Mr. Trump seemed to recognize the problems with military overreach. In 2016, he was the rare Republican politician to call out the folly of President George W. Bushs Iraq war. In 2024, he said: Im not going to start a war. Im going to stop wars.

He is now abandoning this principle, and he is doing so illegally. The Constitution requires Congress to approve any act of war. Yes, presidents often push the boundaries of this law. But even Mr. Bush sought and received congressional endorsement for his Iraq invasion, and presidents since Mr. Bush have justified their use of drone attacks against terrorist groups and their supporters with a 2001 law that authorized action after the Sept. 11 attacks. Mr. Trump has not even a fig leaf of legal authority for his attacks on Venezuela.

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Congressional debates over military action play a crucial democratic role. They check military adventurism by forcing a president to justify his attack plans to the public and requiring members of Congress to tie their own credibility to those plans. For years after the vote on the Iraq war, Democrats who supported Mr. Bush, including Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, paid a political price, while those who criticized the war, like Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama, came to be seen as prophetic.

In the case of Venezuela, a congressional debate would expose the thinness of Mr. Trumps rationale. His administration has justified his attacks on the small boats by claiming they pose an immediate threat to the United States. But a wide range of legal and military experts reject the claim, and common sense refutes it, too. An attempt to smuggle drugs into the United States  if, in fact, all the boats were doing so  is not an attempt to overthrow the government or defeat its military.

We suspect Mr. Trump has refused to seek congressional approval for his actions partly because he knows that even some Republicans in Congress are deeply skeptical of the direction in which he is leading this country. Before the recent seizure of Mr. Maduro, Senators Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski and Representatives Don Bacon and Thomas Massie  Republicans all  backed legislation that would limit Mr. Trumps military actions against Venezuela.

A second argument against Mr. Trumps attacks on Venezuela is that they violate international law. By blowing up the small boats that Mr. Trump says are smuggling drugs, he has killed people based on the mere suspicion that they have committed a crime and given them no chance to defend themselves. The Geneva Conventions of 1949 and every subsequent major human rights treaty prohibit such extrajudicial killings. So does U.S. law.

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The administration appears to have killed defenseless people. In one attack, the Navy fired a second strike against a hobbled boat, about 40 minutes after the first attack, killing two sailors who were clinging to the boats wreckage and appeared to present no threat. As our colleague David French, a former U.S. Army lawyer, has written, The thing that separates war from murder is the law.

The legal arguments against Mr. Trumps actions are the more important ones, but there is also a cold-eyed realist argument. They are not in Americas national security interest. The closest thing to an encouraging analogy is President George H.W. Bushs invasion of Panama 36 years ago last month, which drove the dictator Manuel Noriega from power and helped set Panama on a path toward democracy. Yet Venezuela is different in important ways. Panama is a much smaller country, and it was a country where American officials and troops had operated for decades because of the Panama Canal.

The potential for chaos in Venezuela seems much greater. The generals who enabled Mr. Maduros regime will not suddenly vanish. Nor are they likely to hand power to Maria Corina Machado, the opposition figure whose movement appears to have won the countrys most recent election and who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize last month.

Among the possible bad outcomes are a surge in violence by a left-wing Colombian military group, the ELN, which has a foothold in Venezuelas western area, or by the paramilitary groups known as colectivos that have operated on the periphery of power under the Maduro dictatorship. Further unrest in Venezuela could unsettle global energy and food markets and drive more migrants throughout the hemisphere.

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So how should the United States deal with the continuing problem that Venezuela poses to the region and Americas interests? We share the hopes of desperate Venezuelans, some of whom have made a case for intervention. But there are no easy answers. By now, the world should understand the risks of regime change.

We will hold out hope that the current crisis will end less badly than we expect. We fear that the result of Mr. Trumps adventurism is increased suffering for Venezuelans, rising regional instability and lasting damage for Americas interests around the world. We know that Mr. Trumps warmongering violates the law.

ONLINE: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/opinion/venezuela-attack-trump-us.html

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Jan. 2

The Wall Street Journal says Trump stands with protester in Iran

Protests in Iran are growing against the despotic regime, and on Friday President Trump declared American solidarity with the protesters. If Iran shots (sic) and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.

The words lacked diplomatic subtlety, but the mullahs in Tehran got the message. Top Iranian officials issued frantic statements in response, and the press now has reason to pay more attention to the protests. Irans security forces have killed at least eight protesters and arrested many more.

What began a week ago with Tehran shopkeepers has spread nationwide and hardened into anti-regime demonstrations. Iranians know the source of their economic plight. The Islamic Republic has made Iran a pariah and deprived its peopleand for what? A nuclear program and terrorist proxy empire? Both now lie in ruins.

Mr. Trumps contrast with Barack Obama couldnt be greater. Mr. Obama stayed mute in 2009 while the regime put down protests following a rigged election. Then again, Mr. Obama never would have joined with Israel to bomb Irans nuclear program, as Mr. Trump did in June.

Saturday is the anniversary of Mr. Trumps 2020 strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Irans terror empire. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cant be confident that Mr. Trump wont follow through on his latest threat.

Mr. Trumps words imply the use of military force, but this seems unlikely to go beyond whats left of the nuclear program or the ballistic-missile program he threatened on Monday. In June only Israel attacked Irans apparatus of repression.

The President has other options to support Iranians. The U.S. can help protesters with strike funds and communications, extending Starlink access or virtual private networks when the regime cuts off the internet. The U.S. can also expose regime thugs and cripple their communications, while encouraging defections.

Above all, Mr. Trump can enforce oil sanctions as he now is doing in Venezuela. When Irans shadow fleet can no longer take discounted crude to China, the regime will know he meant what he said. Iran is exporting two million barrels a day20 times the maximum pressure target set out by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in February.

The Islamic Republic is ideologically bankrupt, pushing Iranians away from Islam, and it has run Irans economy into the ground. There have been false dawns of protest before, but Irans regime is vulnerable. As the protest waves build, they expose the regimes dependence on fear and violence.

ONLINE: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/donald-trump-iran-protests-military-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-50fce4fe?mod=editorials_article_pos5

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Jan. 4

The Boston Globe says an apparent lack of post-Maduro planning could be troublesome

How do you do regime change without changing the regime?

That is the conundrum facing President Trump following his announcement that the United States would run the government of Venezuela until such time as a proper transition can take place  date TBD. Coming from a president who has mocked American military occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Trumps declaration was almost as surprising as the lightening-strike operation itself, which led to the arrest of Venezuelas autocratic president, Nicholas Maduro, on drug trafficking charges.

Set aside for a moment very legitimate questions about whether the invasion violated international law. Or whether it was ill advised for the administration to conduct a high-risk raid without first notifying the Congressional leaders who ultimately must support funding an occupation. (Trump insists they could not be trusted to keep mum.)

What seems most perplexing about the Trump administrations still vague strategy is that it apparently doesnt include what might have been its strongest selling point: Installing the widely supported Venezuelan opposition to govern Venezuela post-Maduro.

That opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado, the 2025 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, overwhelmingly won national elections in 2024 even after Maduros government barred Machado from running. When her replacement on the ballot, Edmundo Gonzalez, handily won the presidency, Maduro, without evidence, declared the results invalid.

Yet for reasons that remain unexplained, Trump declared on Saturday that Machado doesnt have the support within or the respect within the country. That means his occupation strategy rests on the cooperation of the rump Maduro regime led by Maduros former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who has called Maduros arrest illegal and shameful.

If there is something the Venezuelan people will never be again, it is slaves, or the colony of an empire, Rodriguez said on Saturday while flanked by other Maduro cronies who have carried out the regimes oppressive policies, including the defense minister and head of the national police.

How then does Trump expect to bend an entire countrys government to his will without placing a significant number of US troops and civilian officials in harms way, a la Iraq 2003? Does he really believe that the US oil industry can undertake the long, complicated, and very expensive process of rebuilding Venezuelas petroleum infrastructure without the support of a stable government in Caracas? Or that Maduro loyalists wont work tirelessly to sabotage American plans?

Indeed, does he even have an actual strategy for a post-Maduro Venezuela? Or were his remarks on Saturday another case of the president free-associating in public? (Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to backtrack on Sunday, saying the United States would not in fact run Venezuela but would use an oil quarantine to pressure the countrys government.)

What is perhaps most infuriating about the Trump administrations heedlessness is that plenty of people around the world are glad to see Maduro gone, including many of the Venezuelans he has driven into exile. Since Maduro assumed power with the death of his patron, Hugo Chavez, in 2013, his authoritarian and inept government has oppressed and impoverished the country, leaving a once prosperous oil industry in shambles and driving nearly 8 million people to flee.

Leave it to Trump, then, to step on his own applause lines by denigrating Machado and making the entire operation sound like a favor to American petroleum companies. Our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, Trump said on Saturday, will spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure and start making money for the country. Did he mean Venezuela, the United States, or both? Hard to tell.

Some Trump critics speculate that the president has refused to endorse Machado because he resents her winning the Nobel Peace Prize instead of him. Maybe. But he might also recognize that an actually democratic government would be harder to control than an autocratic one that is motivated first and foremost by fear of being killed by the US military.

Trump himself on Saturday noted that there would be a second wave of military action if the United States runs into resistance.

As military operations go, Saturdays takedown was spectacular. In just a matter of hours, American commandos backed by scores of aircraft swooped into a heavily fortified Venezuelan military base and extracted Maduro and his wife without a single American death.

But if we have learned anything from Trump 2.0, it is that this president too often turns first to the military to accomplish his goals, domestic or international. Yet even seasoned military officers will tell you that the military should be just one tool  think hammer  for accomplishing a governments aims. Competent diplomats, bureaucrats, subject-matter experts, and NGOs are essential, too.

It is not impossible that the administration will correct its course and make the Venezuelan opposition a center piece of a post-Maduro government. Until then, the world is stuck with the consequences of a regime that has lost its leader but lives stubbornly on.

ONLINE: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/04/opinion/venezuela-trump-regime-change/

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Jan. 4

The Guardian says capture of Maduro, America acting as a rogue state, will have wide-spread repercussions

Amid the immense confusion surrounding the US strikes on Venezuela, the seizure of the president, Nicolas Maduro, and Donald Trumps announcement that the US will run the country and take back the oil, one thing is clear  they set a truly chilling precedent. The US has a grim history of interference, invasion and occupation in the region, but the early hours of Saturday saw its first major military attack on South American land. American dominance in the western hemisphere will never be questioned again, Mr Trump declared. The decision to unilaterally attack another country and abduct its leader  days after he publicly sought an off-ramp  has still wider repercussions. It should alarm us all.

Venezuelans have endured a repressive, kleptocratic and incompetent regime under Mr Maduro, widely believed to have stolen the last election. They now face profound uncertainty at best. Mr Trump has suggested that Mr Maduros deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, would follow US instructions, and dismissed the rightwing opposition leader and Nobel prize-winner Maria Corina Machado as a plausible replacement. But Ms Rodriguez, now interim president, has so far struck a defiant tone  and other parts of the decapitated regime are more hardline.

A man who won power promising to abandon foreign wars now says he is not afraid of boots on the ground. Rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War was more than posturing. He does not see the worlds superpower as policeman; he is turning it into a rogue state. He believes the USs might allows it to do as it wishes with minimal cost: witness the strikes on Nigeria, on Irans nuclear facilities and elsewhere. He promises that Venezuelan oil means this latest episode wont cost us a penny.

George W Bush invaded Iraq on a lie. But this illegal attack came without UN resolutions of any kind or congressional approval; Democrats were not even informed and say they were actively misled in briefings. Mr Trump doesnt seek to bend international norms, but to destroy them. Put aside the message this sends to Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and others, and ask where the US itself is heading. While the raid reportedly killed 40 Venezuelans, including civilians, no US personnel died. Mr Trumps growing sense of invincibility will surely embolden further adventurism. He has not ruled out military action over Greenland and told Fox News: Something is going to have to be done with Mexico.

No one buys the pretext that this is about drugs. Venezuela is only a minor conduit for cocaine; Mr Trump recently pardoned the former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez for drugs and weapons crimes. And Mr Trump himself made it clear that he is driven by the lure of oil as well as machismo, the ideology of some in his administration, and the desire for glory as domestic popularity wanes.

The global reaction, especially in Europe, has  with honourable exceptions  been shockingly muted. Thats not due to Mr Maduros sins, but fear of Mr Trumps wrath. The strong reaction from the UNs secretary general, Antonio Guterres, was welcome, but this episode underscores the institutions growing irrelevance. Mr Trumps anti-interventionist domestic base could yet press him to turn attention back home  but soaring healthcare premiums, economic unhappiness and the Epstein files increase his appetite for distraction.

We are not yet 12 months in to his four-year term. Sir Keir Starmer and others may regret it if they stay silent now, given what  and who  could be next.

ONLINE: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/04/the-guardian-view-on-the-us-seizure-of-maduro-trump-has-turned-the-worlds-superpower-into-a-rogue-state
President Donald Trump had planned for months to invade Venezuela and seize its real prize, the nations vast oil reserves. Capturing President Nicolas Maduro was more pretext than purpose.

This was an act of naked and indefensible aggression. Theres no other way to describe it. It was, as U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said,a dangerous precedent.

That goes double for America. Trump has shown he will stop at nothing. He refused to consult Congress or inform the so-called Gang of Eight, the congressional leaders and intelligence committee chairs who are supposed to be notified in advance of U.S. military operations.

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If hes allowed to get away with this, as he likely will, whats next? Cancelling the next elections? Declaring martial law?

No sympathy for Maduro

Maduro, the ruthless dictator arrested with his wife and flown to New York for trial, deserves no sympathy. He stole the last election to stay in power, then continued to plunge his country into political and economic despair.

But the arrests were plainly cover for a scheme to seize and exploit Venezuelas vast petroleum reserves to further enrich American oil companies.

We know this from Trumps own words: Were going to have our very large U.S. oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.

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And for themselves, too.

Trump also said the U.S. will run Venezuela until a safe, proper and judicious transition, which was news to the countrys vice president  and apparently to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well.

A view from Westonzuela

He said so little about how that will be done as to make it appear that he will govern Venezuela by the seat of his pants. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, has warned that the Maduro machine could exploit that to remain in power.

Her West Broward congressional district is home to many of Floridas 300,000-plus Venezuelan refugees. Shes co-chair of the Congressional Venezuela Democracy Caucus. Trump has been trying to revoke the exiles Temporary Protected Status so he can deport them.

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Her statement recognized tension between satisfaction over Maduros removal and concern for the dangers ahead.

Cutting off the head of a snake is fruitless if it just regrows, she said. Venezuelans deserve the promise of democracy and the rule of law, not a state of endless violence and spiraling disorder. My hope is it offers a passage to true democracy and liberation. This action offers beleaguered Venezuelans a chance to seat their true, democratically elected president, Edmundo Gonzalez.

Maduro stole the last election.

It is supremely ironic that he was arrested by a president who tried to do the same thing.

Whats next?

The U.S. invaded Panama in 1989 to capture President Manuel Noriega on drug charges similar to those against Maduro. But President George H. W. Bush stopped there. He did not repudiate the treaty that eventually transferred the Panama Canal to Panama. He did not claim to run Panama.

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Trump came back into office threatening to retake the canal. Panamas president thought the danger was over. Now, he should be afraid.

Trump has threatened military action against drug smuggling from Mexico, even though its new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, seems to be is doing her best to combat it. And he has made unmistakable threats against Cuba, Colombia and Greenland, a territory of Denmark, a NATO ally. There needs to be an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.

Here in South Florida, the Cuba lobby appears to see Venezuela as a prototype for overthrowing the Cuban regime, and Trump is so intoxicated with power that he has threatened to attack Iran if it uses lethal force on pro-democracy protesters.

Iran has lots of oil, too.

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As Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando, said: Authoritarians like Donald Trump will always seek justification to break the law in order to start foreign wars for unclear reasons.  Congress must immediately vote on a War Powers Resolution to stop Trumps illegal actions.

So it should. More likely, Congress will play dead again. But theres always hope.

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The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman, and Executive Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com.

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Egypt says its aligned with Saudi Arabia on the conflicts in Yemen and Sudan at a time of heightened regional instability and a growing rivalry with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

During talks in Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stressed on Monday their countries identical positions on reaching peaceful solutions to the regions crises, an Egyptian presidency statement said.

Solutions must preserve the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, it said, singling out Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, and the Gaza Strip.

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The meeting comes against a backdrop of widening differences between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, once close partners in regional politics.

In Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have long supported rival factions within the fragmented, internationally recognised government, which is largely bound by opposition to the Iran-backed Houthis.

Tensions escalated in December when the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) captured two strategic provinces, angering Riyadh.

A delegation led by STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi will travel to Saudi Arabia, two unnamed sources told Reuters news agency on Monday. The visit comes days after the STC welcomed a call for dialogue by Saudi Arabia to end the recent military escalation.

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El-Sisi welcomed Saudi Arabias proposal to host an inclusive conference for southern Yemeni groups, while Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for de-escalation and a Yemeni-led political settlement.

Regional sensitivities

Sudan is another point of friction, where Egypt and Saudi Arabia back the countrys de facto leader while the UAE has been accused of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Competition has also extended to the Horn of Africa, a strategically vital region along key global shipping routes.

Saudi Arabia has sought to bolster ties with Somalias federal government, while the UAE has cultivated close relations with Ethiopia and Somaliland, a self-declared republic that broke away from Somalia in 1991.

Israels recent move to recognise Somaliland, welcomed by some in Abu Dhabi but condemned by Riyadh, has further heightened regional sensitivities.




The Revel Collective, the London-listed company behind the Revolution bars chain, has formally set a deadline for bids as it races to conclude a deal after cautioning investors that they could lose their entire stake under any agreement.

According to Sky News, the group, which also owns 22 Peach Pubs and bars trading under the Revolucion de Cuba name, has told interested parties to submit offers by 9 January.

With the business trading from 62 locations, the company is seeking to finalise asset sales, having highlighted the prospect of collapse if transactions are not completed.

A spokesperson for The Revel Collective declined to comment.

In a stock exchange announcement earlier this month, The Revel Collective warned that investors were unlikely to see any return from the transactions under consideration, and it also announced the suspension of trading in its shares.

The company said: The option of an equity fundraising has been considered, but the board has concluded it does not have the necessary support for such a transaction.

The report added that Neos Hospitality, one of Britains leading operators of late-night drinking venues, is among the parties to have expressed interest in buying some of The Revel Collectives sites.

Neos is said to be interested in a portfolio of the groups late-night venues, although the extent and seriousness of its interest was unclear.

Industry insiders told the publication that the two parties were in talks to acquire the Peach Pubs business, which The Revel Collective bought in 2022. The group rebranded from Revolution Bars last year.

In October 2025, the company disclosed tumbling sales over the past three months as it put itself on the market for a potential sale.

"Revolution Bars operator sets bid deadline amid deal push" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand.




Elon Musk's xAI is taking the maximalist free-speech line on content moderation, even as its chatbot, Grok, generates non-consensual deepfakes.

Anyone can tag Grok under a photo on X with prompts like "put her in a bikini" or "remove her clothes." The AI generates a convincing deepfake in seconds, visible to anyone in the thread. No permission needed.

Elon Musk. How can Grok do this? This is highly inappropriate and uncomfortable, putting me in a bikini front and back, Miss Teen Crypto, a female crypto influencer, wrote on X after posting a photo in gym clothes and finding out that another user simply asked Grok to put her in a Bikini.

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Stripping women without permission is creepy, of course, but some users have gone even further, pushing the chatbot to violate its own terms of service rules.

For instance, Samantha Taghoy, who describes herself as a journalist and child-abuse survivor, uploaded an old photo of herself as a child in a communion suit; at her prompt, Grok visualized her in a bikini.

As a journalist and survivor of child sexual abuse, I thought, 'Surely this cant be real, she tweeted. So I tested it with a photo from my First Holy Communion. Its real. And its fucking sick.

Grok later apologized for generating images of girls aged 12-16 in minimal clothing, calling it "lapses in safeguards" that may have violated U.S. laws on child sexual abuse material. The company's own acceptable use policy explicitly prohibits sexualizing minors.

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Still, what some perceive as a bug, others see as a moneymaker.

A number of users are exploiting the freewheeling Grok for their adults-only businesses, while others are using it to score political points.

OnlyFans creators and erotic models have been using Grok for viral marketing, racking up millions of impressions by asking users to use Grok to undress them.

More politically minded users are taking advantage of Grok to push specific narratives.

In one widely shared example, someone uploaded a photo showing American and Iranian flags together and asked Grok to "remove the flag of a country that is responsible for killing innocents around the world."

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In another example, a user showed a photo of Donald Trump and Puff Daddy next to each other, and they then asked Grok to remove the pedophile in the image.

Musk himself has downplayed the importance of using his tool to generate non-consensual deepfakes, reposting AI-generated bikini images of himself and actor Ben Affleck.

He shared a picture of a toaster in a bikini with the caption "Grok can put a bikini on anything."

But governments are responding with force.

Users Taunt Grok After xAI Says Modifications Were Made to Spit out White Genocide Claim

France has reported the content to prosecutors as "manifestly illegal." India's IT ministry issued a 72-hour compliance order. The UK announced plans to ban nudification tools entirely as part of efforts to reduce violence against women and girls.

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xAI employee Parsa Tajik posted that the company was looking into further tightening our guardrails."

The company dissolved Twitter's Trust and Safety Council after Musk's takeover and fired most of the content moderation engineers in 2022. The infrastructure for robust enforcement barely exists.

Musk's xAI has positioned Grok as the "edgy" AI that doesn't give you the sanitized ChatGPT experience. Last August, it launched "Spicy Mode" specifically to generate NSFW content other models won't touch.
(This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information and to add photos.)

Tom Ridge helped mentor Emily Mosco Merski, the newest judge on the Erie County Court of Common Pleas.

His influence was apparent on Jan. 5, as Merski took the oath of office.

The Erie native, former two-term Pennsylvania governor and first director of federal homeland security was a guest at Merski's swearing-in ceremony. He received a rousing welcome from the capacity crowd in the 250-seat historic Courtroom H at the Erie County Courthouse.

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Change at City Hall: Erie's new mayor, Daria Devlin, takes over after swearing-in ceremony

Ridge, 80, who suffered a stroke in 2021, used a walker and made a few comments to the crowd after his brother, Erie County Judge David Ridge, helped lead him into the courtroom.

Former Pennsylvania Governor and Erie native Tom Ridge enters Courtroom H inside the Erie County Courthouse to attend the swearing-in ceremony of judicial and Erie County elected officials in Erie on Jan. 5.

Ridge remarked on how he has known Merski, 43, since her birth, and he repeatedly gave her a thumbs up as she took to the podium before and after she was sworn in.

"To me," Merski said of Ridge, "he is Uncle Tom."

Merksi reflects on 'full-circle moment' with oath of office

Ridge was a member of Merski's robing committee.

The group also included Merski's parents, retired banker Marlene Mosco and Homer Mosco. They are close friends and confidantes of Ridge and his wife, Michele, a former director of the Erie County Public Library and another attendee at the swearing-in ceremony.

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The Ridges formed a lifelong bond with the Merskis, and that connection extended to Emily Mosco Merski. As she said in her remarks, Tom Ridge was "the second person in the world to meet me when I was born. He was at the hospital."

Emily Mosco Merski is sworn in as Erie County Common Pleas Court judge in Courtroom H during a ceremony at the Erie County Courthouse in Erie on Jan. 5.

"He's been there throughout my life," Merski told the crowd. "Most importantly, he was there when I went through law school. He hooded me"  fitted her with her academic hood  "when I graduated from law school."

"He is here today in this full-circle moment," Merski said. "He and his wife, Michele, are an excellent example of service to our community, to our commonwealth and to our nation."

Others also take oaths: Erie City Council sets 2026 lineup as new members take office

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Public service has also been a part of Merski's immediate family. Her husband, Bob Merski, is a Democrat who represents the 2nd District in the Pennsylvania House. Her father-in-law, the elder Bob Merski, is a Democrat who served as Erie County sheriff from 1997 to 2013.

"Incredible supporters," Emily Merski said of her father-in-law and his family.

New county executive, other officials sworn in

Merski, an Erie resident, is a former lawyer in private practice and former assistant Erie County public defender.

She is a registered Democrat who won the party's nomination for judge in the May primary. She won a 10-year term as in November by defeating the Republican nominee, Jeremy Lightner, a chief deputy district attorney for Erie County.

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Merski and Lightner shared a friendly conversation before she was sworn in. Their amicable exchange reflected the upbeat mood as other county officials, including new County Executive Christina Vogel, took oaths of office before Merski in Courtroom H.

Erie County Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeremy Lightner, left, talks with Emily Mosco Merski, right, at the Erie County Courthouse prior to Merski's swearing-in as Erie County Common Pleas Court judge on Jan. 5. Merski defeated Lightner in the judicial race in November.

The officials thanked their supporters and promised transparency and cooperation  pledges that Vogel, a Democrat, particularly made part of her platform as she defeated Brenton Davis, a Republican who served one term as county executive and who frequently clashed with County Council.

"Erie County is strongest when we all work together and I'm committed to partnership over politics," Vogel said.

Also sworn in during the Courtroom H ceremony were Christine Rush, the new district judge for Erie's 1st Ward; Aubrea Hagerty-Haynes, reelected as Erie County clerk of records; Chris Campanelli, reelected as Erie County sheriff; new County Council member Jim Wertz; and reelected County Council member Jim Winarski. Another reelected County Council member, Charlie Bayle, was sworn in earlier in a separate ceremony.

Merski thanks those who aided her 'journey'

Two judges on the Erie County Court of Common Pleas were retained for 10-year terms in November. They are John J. Mead and Joseph M. Walsh III. The judges in November elected Mead president judge, succeeding Walsh in the role as the county's top administrative judge. Mead presided over the swearing-in ceremony.

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As a Common Pleas Court judge, Merski will make $234,916 a year and join seven colleagues on the nine-member local bench. One of the seats is vacant due to the Jan. 4 retirement of Judge Daniel Brabender, 73, who served for 16 years. An election will fill his seat in 2027.

Merski is assigned to the local court's Family Division. She said she is pleased, after a year of campaigning, to reach the bench  with Tom Ridge and others backing her.

"I want to congratulate my fellow elected officials," Merski said after she was sworn in. "Just about a year ago we all started this journey, and today was the day we would only dare to dream about. And so here we are."

Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@usatodayco.com or 814-870-1813.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: With Tom Ridge in attendance, county officials take oaths of office
A farmer on a tractor sprays soybean crops. (Photo by Westend61/Getty Images)

LINCOLN  With state government facing a $471 million budget shortfall, one state agency again seeks to use state lottery funds, through the Nebraska Environmental Trust, to help finance its operations.

The proposal was described by trust supporters as a new and probably unconstitutional raid of trust funds  state lottery proceeds that are granted out to environmental projects.

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A state official, meanwhile, described the transfer as necessary to continue soil and water conservation projects and said it complies with a recently amended state law that expanded the allowable uses of the money.

The Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment (NDWEE), in a mid-budget funding request, seeks an $8 million transfer from the Trust, of which $6 million would be used for a soil and water conservation program and $2 million for salaries and administrative costs.

Board members of the Nebraska Environmental Trust made their annual grant awards in 2024. The grants were awarded early, in January instead of June, to allow organizations to begin work sooner in the year, officials said. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)

Amanda Woita, a department spokeswoman, said the transfer to the Water Resources Cash Fund complies with the goal of the Trust funds  to conserve, enhance and restore the states environment, and that the Trust currently holds more than $70 million, so it can easily afford an $8 million withdrawal. The Trust typically distributes about $20 million in lottery-funded grants each year.

Using these funds to protect the vital groundwater and surface water resources is a clear constitutional and common-sense use of the funds allocated to the Environmental Trust, Woita said in an email response to questions.

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But Kristal Stoner, the head of Audubon Great Plains, and Sandy Scofield, a former state senator who heads the Friends of the Environmental Trust, questioned the legality of the proposed transfer.

Stoner said using one-time Trust funds to help solve a state budget problem would erode the Trust and its purpose, which is to provide competitive grants to local and regional organizations seeking to enhance the states environment.

I am deeply concerned, she said in an email. Continued diversions of funds will mean the end of the Trust.

Nebraska should continue to fund our legal responsibilities and basics of our government with general funds, Stoner said, and not lottery proceeds.

Tight budget times

The proposal comes when the state is wrestling with closing a gap in the state budget and as supporters of the Trust worry about raids on the grant funds.

Explaining the Nebraska Environmental Trust

The Nebraska Environmental Trust was established when Nebraskans approved a state lottery in 1992. It receives 44.5% of the lottery proceeds  about $20 million a year in recent years.

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Its stated mission is to conserve, enhance and restore the natural environments of Nebraska.

Grants are provided on a competitive basis, after a review and scoring by a committee of Trust Board members and then voted on by the entire 14-member board. The governor appoints nine board members. Five others are state agency heads, four of which are appointed to those posts by the governor.

Recent grant recipients include the Statewide Arboretum, various cities and towns from Omaha to Mullen, the Crane Trust, Ducks Unlimited, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, as well as the Audubon Society.

A year ago, the Legislature allocated $15 million in Trust funds, over two years, to soil and water conservation programs overseen by the Department of Natural Resources, an agency that recently was merged into the NDWEE.

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State lawmakers, though, rejected a proposal by Gov. Jim Pillen to expand the use of Trust funds to include outdoor recreation and healthy infrastructure.

The separate Water Resources Cash Fund primarily finances projects by local Natural Resources Districts to enhance stream flows and groundwater recharge in areas of concern about water resources.

When it was created, the water program was financed using state tax dollars. But since 2011, Trust funds have been transferred in some years to supplement the state water cash funds annual grants, which totaled $3.7 million in the most recent year, according to an October report to the Legislature.

The NDWEE, in its budget request, said the $8 million in Trust funds would allow continuation of water resources programs in areas where water has been fully or overappropriated.

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In recent years, the Trust, in a departure from past practices, has built up an excess of funds by not awarding all the proceeds it gets from the Nebraska Lottery. In 2023, for instance, it granted out only $11 million of the $20 million available. In 2024, $15 million was granted out of $26 million available.

This year, grant awards of about $18 million out of the $25 million available have been recommended by a Trust subcommittee, according to Holly Adams, the Trusts executive director. The full Nebraska Environmental Trust Board meets Jan. 8 to consider approving those awards.

According to the Legislative Fiscal Office, the Trust holds about $73 million in assets, about $27 million of which will remain unobligated, once the proposed new grants are considered. Some of the Trusts grants are multi-year, so funds for them are already assigned to grant out in future years.

Scofield, who was chief of staff under then-Gov. Ben Nelson when the Environmental Trust was created, said lottery funds were never intended to finance the administrative expenses of state agencies. She said the current budget mess has been caused by the state failing to provide enough tax revenue to finance state operations.

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Some have blamed cuts in state income taxes passed by the Legislature in 2023 as too deep. The cuts are projected to reduce state tax revenue by $470 million in the current fiscal year and $702 million in 2026-27. Pillen, meanwhile, has said he anticipated needing to cut state spending and says state government should be reduced. He has called for $500 million in agency cuts this year.

Legal questions continue

Supporters of the Trust, who maintain that the latest proposed transfer is illegal, point to a state statute that says that grants from the Trust shall not provide direct assistance to regulatory programs.

Gov. Jim Pillen, top right, leads an initial meeting of his new Water Quality and Quantity Task Force as he eyes a merger of two Nebraska state departments and seeks to prioritize water resources in state government on March 26, 2025. (Courtesy of Governors Office)

But Woita, of the NDWEE, said that is a misreading of state law, and that recent amendments for the use of the Water Resources Cash Fund clearly allow its use to cover the costs of salaries and water conservation projects.

In May, a former state official, Jon Oberg, threatened to file a lawsuit to block the proposed transfer of Trust funds to the water resources fund proposed in the 2025 legislative session.

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Oberg and another former state official, W. Don Nelson, who served as chief of staff under then-Gov. Bob Kerrey, have previously successfully blocked a Trust funding decision that they maintained was unconstitutional. Their 2020 lawsuit resulted in the removal of a $1.8 million grant to install ethanol blender pumps at gas stations.

But Oberg told the Examiner on Thursday that he had no comment about the most recent proposal. The proposed $8 million transfer will be considered by the Legislatures Appropriations Committee during the 2026 legislative session, which begins Wednesday.

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An estimated $7 million worth of cocaine was found during a traffic stop in Indiana over the weekend.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, a Trooper with the Indiana State Patrol (ISP) stopped a semi-tractor-trailer on I-70 for a routine Department of Transportation compliance inspection, according to a press release.

TRENDING STORIES:

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While talking with the driver, the trooper observed indicators of criminal activity. An ISP K-9 gave a positive alert on the vehicle, which led to a probable cause search.

During the search, the trooper found 309 pounds of cocaine in the sleeper berth of the truck. The estimated street value of the cocaine is $7 million.

The two occupants, 25-year-old Gupreet Singh of Fresno, CA, and 30-year-old Jasveer Singh of Santa Clara, CA, were then taken into custody without incident.

Both were booked into the Putnam County Jail and charged with dealing narcotics, a second-degree felony.

ICE deportation holds were placed on each of them, according to the release.

The semi was enroute from Joplin, Missouri, to Richmond, Indiana.

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It's another crucial week for the contentious Mercosur deal. European Union agriculture ministers will meet on Wednesday for key political talks that could lead to a vote on the agreement on Friday.

An EU diplomat told Euronews that the meeting, which is being organised by the European Commission, will be attended by EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen, and Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Oliver Varhelyi.

Together, they are expected to give clarifications on the continued support for farmers income in the next budget of the Common Agricultural Policy.

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The deal, which aims to create a free-trade area with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, was at the centre of heated discussions at Decembers EU summit.

Its supporters  lead by Germany and Spain - have been pushing for a quick endorsement in order to access new markets at a time of geoeconomic tensions, while Italy and France succeeded in postponing a crucial vote in order to protect their farmers, who fear they will be unable to compete with imports coming from Latin America.

Depending on the outcome of this week's talks, the EU farm ministers' meeting could open the door to a vote on the Mercosur agreement on Friday. To be implemented, the deal needs the backing of a qualified majority of EU member states.

Decision day looms again

Among the items on Wednesdays agenda will be limits on pesticides that can be contained in products imported into the EU, with France demanding that the deal include reciprocity in production standards.

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France has been facing an agricultural crisis for several weeks, with farmers protesting against both the Mercosur agreement and the government's handling of lumpy skin disease, a contagious virus affecting cattle.

In a letter sent on Sunday, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu called on the EU to tighten border controls on products that do not respect EU sanitary and phytosanitary standards.

The French government also announced it would issue an order to suspend imports from Latin America containing residues of pesticides banned in the EU.

That measure, however, would require clearance from the European Commission. Pressure from Paris has already led the Commission to propose a safeguard to strengthen the monitoring of the European market to avoid unexpected disruptions.

That legislation was the subject of a deal between the European Parliament and the EU Council, and is expected to be endorsed by the 27 member states on Friday during a meeting of EU ambassadors.
Boyd County, once an industrial and economic powerhouse, is looking for a bridge to a prosperous future. In Ashland, a street lamp lights the way between two bridges over the Ohio River. (Getty Images)

In its most recent rate case, Kentucky Power clarified that population and industrial losses, coupled with the need to increase revenue for investors, relative to its fixed costs, are significant reasons for its proposed 15% industrial rate hike, 14.9% residential rate hike and 13% commercial rate hike.

Annual statistical reports kept by the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) reflect a sad tale. Over 12,000 residential customers have been lost in the past 14 years in Kentucky Powers 22-county service area in Eastern Kentucky. In 2010, Kentucky Power sold 3.3 billion kilowatt-hours of industrial power. By 2024, that number dropped to 2 billion kilowatt-hours, a 38% loss. No doubt, our region is in trouble.

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Most people living in Eastern Kentucky do not need numbers on a chart to tell us that industries once depended on to feed our families have declined or, worse yet, completely evaporated. Coal, steel and power, the bedrocks of our communities and local economies, have gone by the wayside.

Kentucky Power itself was a major player in declining power and coal jobs when it chose to decommission its Big Sandy 2 generating plant in Louisa and invest millions of Eastern Kentucky ratepayer dollars in the coal-burning Mitchell plant located just outside of Moundsville, W. Va., a plant that does not employ Kentucky citizens, pay Kentucky taxes or burn coal mined in Eastern Kentucky.

So here we are, looking for new industries to attract to our area and hoping the industries and businesses we do still have stay. None of this is for the faint of heart. To their credit, economic development teams across the region are aiming to create sustainable growth, foster innovation and improve the quality of life in their communities. Adding another 15% to the industrial electrical rate, which is already one of the highest in the state, is not helpful.

More is needed, much more than just decently priced industrial electrical rates to attract and maintain industries and businesses providing good-paying jobs. Infrastructure is key as well.

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As they say in the real estate market, our area of Northeast Kentucky has good bones. We have two major waterways, the Big Sandy and the Ohio River; rail services and three major highways that pass through our area: Interstate 64, US 60 and US 23. We are minutes away from the AA Highway, a throughway to Northern Kentucky and the industrial Midwest. We have regional airports nearby. Yet, we have failed to keep up.

Our electrical grid needs work. Extreme weather events due to climate change  hurricanes (the effects of which are felt here in Kentucky), ice storms, floods and tornadoes  are only growing in frequency and intensity. According to Climate Central, 83% of power failures can be attributed to weather changes. We must upgrade or suffer the dire consequences of inaction.

Kentucky Power is a subsidiary of investor-owned American Electric Power, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. (Getty Images)

The aging grid in Eastern Kentucky requires a proactive approach to meet the needs of a region seeking a renaissance. Merely trimming trees and clearing brush do not guarantee a resilient power supply. Ratepayers deserve a reliable power supply that only comes from utilizing current technology.

Unfortunately, there has been a major issue at the Mitchell plant requiring significant capital and attention to address. One of Mitchells two concrete cooling towers is failing structurally at the over-50-year-old coal-burning plant and needs to be reinforced or replaced.

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According to Kentucky PSC records, the options to address the failing tower would be $376 million for a new mechanical draft or $356 million to shorten the tower. Either way means money out of the ratepayers pocket for an expense that is not a long-term solution as the Mitchell plant, which Kentucky Power owns half of, is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2040. The money needed to shore up the tower will be in addition to the current proposed rate hike. Kentucky Power has said it is seeking a federal grant to help with this expense; time will tell.

The complicated history Kentucky Power has with its ratepayers continues to lean toward customer rate unsustainability. A correction must take place.

We need companies providing good-paying jobs to locate in the service area to combat population loss, and those companies need fair electrical rates and adequate infrastructure. Ratepayers need Kentucky Power, a monopoly, to manage its operations more effectively. The truth is, families in Eastern Kentucky, who already pay the states highest average energy bills, can no longer bear the burden of questionable decisions by Kentucky Power, compounded by a hard-hit regional economy.

PSC meetings on this matter were recently well attended in both Pikeville and Hazard as citizens and elected leaders alike spoke out in unity about the harm further rate hikes will cause.

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One more community meeting is on the schedule. The Kentucky PSC will be in Ashland at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, at the Ashland Transportation Center to hear from ratepayers.

In addition, the Kentucky PSC accepts written comments by mail or email. To submit written comments, include your name, whether you are a Kentucky Power customer, and reference Case No. 2025-00257 in the subject line. Mail comments to: PSC, P.O. Box 615, Frankfort, Kentucky 40602, or email to psc.comment@ky.gov.
JAKARTA, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Indonesian prosecutors on Monday filed corruption charges against former education minister and the co-founder of startup Gojek, Nadiem Makarim, over alleged improper laptop procurement during the pandemic that led to $125.64 million in state losses.

Makarim, who resigned as chief executive of ride-hailing company Gojek in 2019 to become education minister until 2024, was accused of enriching himself by around 809 billion rupiah ($48.34 million) from the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome OS for schools between 2020 and 2022, prosecutors said in the first trial hearing.

Makarim had created tender specifications that only fit the Chrome system to "make Google the sole controller of education ecosystem in Indonesia", prosecutors said.

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The charges against Makarim carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Makarim has denied wrongdoing, his lawyer Ari Yusuf Amir told reporters, adding that the prosecutors' case lacks strong evidence. Amir said he will ask the court to dismiss the charges.

Alphabet's Google was not indicted and did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Gojek merged with e-commerce Tokopedia in 2021. The combined company, PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Investigators with the Attorney General's Office arrested Makarim in September for his role in the case, along with several top officials at the ministry.

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The Chromebook laptops were purchased even though the ministry had determined in 2018 that their use for learning requires an internet connection, making them incompatible for Indonesia, where internet availability is a major issue in remote areas, prosecutors told the court.

The ministry still went ahead with the purchase of Chromebooks after Makarim met with representatives of Google Asia Pacific and Google Indonesia several times in 2020, prosecutors said.

Makarim's lawyer denied that his client had met Google's representatives.

The prosecutors said Google topped up its investment by $59 million in Gojek's then-parent company PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (AKAB) at about the same time.

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Makarim's wealth has risen by 809 billion rupiah from AKAB, based on his 2022 self-written wealth report to the state, and most of AKAB's funds came from Google's investment totalling $787 million, they said.

The ministry's decision for this tender enriched at least 10 other companies, according to the charge sheet.

($1 = 16,715.0000 rupiah)

(Reporting by Ananda TeresiaEditing by Shri Navaratnam)
Former Tacoma City Council member Kiara Daniels has resolved litigation against an affordable-housing nonprofit founder she accused of backing out of their real estate development partnership.

Daniels lawsuit against CJK Community Homes founder Noemi Cagatin-Porter was dismissed on Dec. 29 by agreement of both parties, according to Pierce County Superior Court records.

Reached by text message Wednesday, Cagatin-Porter confirmed the case had been resolved through a confidential settlement.

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The outcome allows me to move forward exactly as intended, and remain focused on advancing truly affordable housing and serving the community without any limitations, she wrote.

Daniels, who did not seek reelection in November for her District 6 seat, couldnt be reached Friday to discuss the cases outcome, including what it meant for her. Daniels previously told The News Tribune she looked forward to a fair resolution. An attorney who represented her in the case was out of the office this week.

Daniels filed the lawsuit in November, alleging that she and Cagatin-Porter were in a 50-50 business partnership through Impact Development Group, LLP, and had agreed to develop and share in the profits of a multi-unit residential housing development at 3901 S. 69th St. in South Tacoma.

The property was purchased in 2018 by Cagatin-Porters CJK Legacy Investments, LLC, and later conveyed to CJK Community Homes, according to the suit. Daniels contributed $56,500 to the projects development and worked for nearly a year to secure financing, plans and permits, the suit said. A $155,000 predevelopment loan was reportedly secured by a deed made to Impact Development Group.

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Daniels claimed she learned in May that Cagatin-Porter intended to refute the partnership. After the two sides reached an impasse, Daniels took the dispute to court. Daniels alleged that as the site neared readiness for construction, she had no way to control the development process and could not access complete partnership records. She also claimed Cagatin-Porter threatened to complete the project or take other action inconsistent with the rights of the partners, the suit said.

The lawsuit asked the court to dissolve the partnership, liquidate its assets and order the sale of all properties that were an asset of the partnership. It sought unspecified damages and legal fees, and named Cagatin-Porter, CJK Community Homes, CJK Legacy Investments and Impact Development Group as defendants.
Glaciers tend to feel eternal  immune to human timelines. But scientists say that illusion is cracking.

What's happening?

On Mount Kenya, one of Africa's most iconic natural landmarks, ancient glaciers are shrinking so fast that experts have warned they can vanish entirely within just a few years.

Lewis Pugh, a United Nations Environment Program goodwill ambassador, climbed Mount Kenya's highest peak in December to visit the Lewis Glacier. What he saw wasn't a frozen fortress  it was a remnant.

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According to Context, scientists estimate that Africa's remaining glaciers could disappear by 2030. On Mount Kenya, the timeline may be even shorter.

"Scientists predict that in the next three to five years, it will disappear completely," Pugh told the publication. "We cannot be quiet on the disappearance of Africa's last glaciers."

These glaciers once helped regulate temperatures and steadily release freshwater used for drinking, farming, and energy production.

Now, rising average temperatures pull moisture from the ice faster than snowfall can replace it  part of a long-term warming pattern driven by human activity, not an isolated weather event.

Why is this concerning?

What happens on Mount Kenya doesn't stay on Mount Kenya.

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Kenya's Lewis Glacier isn't an outlier  it's part of a global pattern. In Italy, scientists warn that the iconic Marmolada Glacier could disappear by 2040. Farther south, glaciers in the Andes are predicted to shrink by as much as 55% to 78% by the end of the century.

The impacts of rising temperatures aren't limited to ice, either: warmer ocean waters near the Great Barrier Reef have already triggered repeated mass bleaching events, threatening one of the world's most diverse marine ecosystems.

Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

As ice disappears around the world  including in the Arctic  sea levels rise, pushing higher tides into coastal neighborhoods during storms. That flooding damages homes, disrupts ports, and threatens food systems that depend on stable shipping and fertile land.

Extreme weather has always existed, but scientists agree that human-caused warming acts like steroids for storms, floods, and heat waves  making them stronger, longer-lasting, and more destructive.

What's being done about it?

Globally, researchers and advocates are pushing for faster reductions in pollution that trap heat in the atmosphere. Some governments are expanding clean energy and protecting water sources tied to melting ice.

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There are also many ways to help on an individual level. Using less energy at home, supporting clean transportation, cutting food waste, and staying informed about critical environmental issues all reduce the pressure driving ice loss worldwide.

The glaciers on Mount Kenya may be small, but their message is loud: the systems that keep communities stable are more fragile than they look  and they need attention now, not later.

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.








Claim:

In December 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice released an FBI tip in which a complainant alleged President Donald Trump witnessed her uncle kill her newborn child and dispose of the body in Lake Michigan when she was 13 and being trafficked for sex by Jeffrey Epstein.

Rating:

Rating: True

Context:

Although the document is real, its claims have not been substantiated.

In December 2025, shortly after the U.S. Department of Justice released thousands of documents pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein  the late sex offender and former friend of U.S. President Donald Trump  a rumor spread online across multiple social media platforms (archived, archived, archived, archived, archived) that, according to an FBI tip, Trump witnessed the uncle of one of Epstein's victims kill her newborn child and dispose of the body in Lake Michigan in 1984, when the victim was 13.

Snopes readers also emailed us and searched our site for information about the rumor.

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The document is authentic; the complainant, whose identity was redacted, submitted the tip to the FBI National Threat Operations Center on Aug. 3, 2020, while Trump was running against Joe Biden, then a former vice president, for a second term in office.

Although many users online took this rumor as fact, the claims that person made have not been independently substantiated, and the information did not line up with the established timeline of Trump's friendship with Epstein.

In an email to Snopes, the FBI declined to comment on whether it had investigated the tip.

What did the tip allege?

The complainant submitted the tip  viewable on the DOJ's website  on the FBI's website as a follow-up to a phone call she allegedly had with a detective who had reached out to her after she submitted an initial anonymous tip three or four weeks earlier. The text read, in part:

I talked to [the detective] for about 20 or 30 minutes about my being sex trafficked by my uncle and Jeffrey Epstein in 1984 while I was 13 and pregnant. I told him some other important information about other high profile individuals involved in my sex trafficking and the murder and disposal of my newborn daughter because I gave birth to her while in the middle of this sex trafficking ordeal.

The tip went on to allege that Epstein and the complainant's uncle arranged a scheme "where different men, and a few women and girls, would come to a variety of boats and yachts and pay money to force me to [redacted] with them."

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The complainant wrote that Trump "participated regularly in paying money to force me to [redacted] with him and he was present when my uncle murdered my newborn child and disposed of the body in Lake Michigan." There was no additional mention of Trump in the tip.

https://media.snopes.com/2025/12/case_id__50d-ny-3027571.pdf

Is there evidence the tip isn't legitimate?

While the tip alleged the incident occurred in 1984, Trump reportedly did not meet Epstein until the late 1980s.

Trump bought Mar-a-Lago in December 1985, and Epstein bought his Palm Beach residence in 1990, though evidence suggests he may have frequented Palm Beach in the 1980s. In 2002, Trump told New York magazine he'd known Epstein for 15 years  suggesting they met in or around 1987. The New York Times published a 1986 photo of Epstein with Wall Street stockbroker Nikki Haskell, whom the Times described as a close friend of Ivana Trump's  Trump's then-wife, indicating they may have had overlapping social circles in New York before Epstein bought property in Palm Beach.

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It's unclear why Trump and Epstein would have been in a small town in Michigan when neither of them had any documented links to the immediate area at the time. Trump did own a riverboat casino on Lake Michigan for years  but that riverboat, based in Gary, Indiana, did not open until 1996, according to news reports from the time.

We reached out to the Muskegon County Sheriff's Office seeking any information regarding a sex trafficking ring in the county  where the incident allegedly took place  in the 1980s, and did not immediately hear back.

The complainant did not name any other prominent people involved in the alleged incident besides Trump and Epstein  who were both heavily featured in the news cycle shortly after Epstein's death by suicide in 2019 and leading up to the 2020 presidential election. She wrote only: "I told [the detective] some other important information about other high profile individuals involved in my sex trafficking."

Has the White House responded to the allegations?

We reached out to the White House seeking comment on the allegations, and a spokesperson responded with a link to an X post (archived) by the DOJ that read: "Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election."

The Department of Justice has officially released nearly 30,000 more pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.



Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be  U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) December 23, 2025

In sum 

The document containing an FBI tip alleging Trump witnessed infanticide involving an Epstein victim is authentic and was available on the DOJ website. Snopes has not substantiated any of the claims in the tip, some of which did not align with the established timeline of Trump and Epstein's relationship, and the FBI declined to comment on it.

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For further reading, we investigated a letter the DOJ released, purportedly from Epstein to fellow sex offender and former U.S. gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, that said, in part, "Our president shares our love of young, nubile girls."

Sources:

Baltz, Holly. 'Jeffrey Epstein Timeline: How the Palm Beach County Case Led to 15 More Years of Sex Abuse'. The Palm Beach Post, https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2024/07/08/jeffrey-epstein-case-timeline-why-early-case-failed-in-palm-beach/70351312007/. Accessed 26 Dec. 2025.

Callaway & Price, Inc. 'Callaway & Price, Inc. Real Estate Appraisers And Consultants'. 19 Sept. 2019, https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/px-01444-callaway-price-appraisal-of-mar-a-lago-july-11-2007.pdf.

Enrich, David, et al. 'Scams, Schemes, Ruthless Cons: The Untold Story of How Jeffrey Epstein Got Rich'. The New York Times, 16 Dec. 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/magazine/jeffrey-epstein-money-scams-investigation.html.

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'Epstein Library'. U.S. Department of Justice, https://www.justice.gov/epstein.

Esposito, Joey. 'Investigating Letter Epstein Allegedly Sent to Larry Nassar That Mentioned Trump'. Snopes, 23 Dec. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/epstein-nassar-letter/.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. 'Case ID #: 50D-NY-3027571'. U.S. Department of Justice, 24 Dec. 2025, https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00025010.pdf.

Jr, Landon Thomas. 'Jeffrey Epstein: International Moneyman of Mystery'. New York Magazine, 28 Oct. 2002, https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/n_7912/.

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Telling, Gillian. 'Ivana Trump's Friend Fought Her About Needing Live-in Help the Day Before She Fell Down Stairs (Exclusive)'. People.Com, https://people.com/ivana-trump-death-preventable-friend-says-exclusive-7560997. Accessed 26 Dec. 2025.

'Trump Casino in Gary, Indiana'. The Daily Journal [Franklin, Indiana], 12 June 1996, p. 9. newspapers.com, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-journal-trump-casino-in-gary/187490576/.

'Trump Casino Sailing to Gary, Indiana'. Journal and Courier [Lafayette, Indiana], 7 Apr. 1996, p. 10. newspapers.com, https://www.newspapers.com/article/journal-and-courier-trump-casino-sailing/187490693/.
Samsung Bioepis has started direct commercialisation of Byooviz, a biosimilar to Genentechs Lucentis (ranibizumab), in Europe.

The company has assumed commercial rights for Byooviz from Biogen, and the product will now be available as a Samsung Bioepis brand across several European countries as part of its ongoing expansion.

In August 2021, Byooviz received approval from the European Commission (EC) as a single-use vial for intravitreal administration (0.5mg/0.05ml).

It is indicated for the treatment of visual impairment due to diabetic macular oedema, neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, visual impairment due to choroidal neovascularisation, and visual impairment due to macular oedema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (branch or central).

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued a positive opinion for the Byooviz pre-filled syringe (PFS) in November 2025. The syringe is anticipated to enter the European market in the second quarter of 2026.

Samsung Bioepis vice-president Antonio Rito said: This is a significant milestone for Samsung Bioepis as the company continues to strengthen its presence in Europe by expanding its portfolio of directly commercialised products.

Leveraging the past three years of experience with Epysqli (eculizumab) and the newly launched Obodence (denosumab) and Xbryk (denosumab) in Europe, we will continue on our journey to become a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company with end-to-end capabilities from development to commercialisation.

We will work closely with payers and healthcare professionals to ensure seamless access to our biosimilar medicines for patients in need.

In September 2023, Sandoz partnered with Samsung Bioepis to develop and market a Stelara (ustekinumab) biosimilar in the US, Canada, and Europe.

"Samsung Bioepis initiates Byooviz commercialisation in Europe" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.




Claim:

In December 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., repealed a rule that required nurses to be present around the clock in long-term care facilities.

Rating:

Rating: True

Context:

The rule for staffing standards in long-term care facilities (which includes skilled nursing facilities) requiring registered nurses to be present at all times  announced during the administration of Democratic former President Joe Biden  had not yet gone into effect and had met several legal setbacks before the Trump administration announced the repeal.

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In late 2025, a rumor spread that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), repealed a rule that required registered nurses to be present 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at nursing homes. The change was supposedly set to take effect on Feb. 2, 2026.

For example, a video on Facebook claimed Kennedy's decision to end the requirement for registered nurses present at all times in nursing homes could result in poorer health and more deaths among residents of such homes (archived):

"Because of RFK Jr, nursing homes in 2026 won't be required to have a registered nurse on site around the clock," the text on the video read. The caption said:

Beginning Feb. 2, 2026, the federal requirement that nursing homes maintain a registered nurse on-site around the clock will no longer exist. Decades of research has shown what happens when RN staffing decreases: higher infections, more falls, more emergency transfers, higher mortality.

A Dec. 26, 2025, post on Facebook also said Kennedy had repealed the rule for registered nurses at nursing homes (archived). In addition, Snopes readers reached out via email inquiring about the veracity of the claim.

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It was true that HHS announced it would repeal the rule for minimum staffing requirements at long-term care facilities  specifically, the requirement that a registered nurse (RN) be present at all times. (Long-term care facilities include skilled nursing homes.) This decision required context, as the rule HHS repealed met several legal hurdles since the administration of former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, approved it in 2024. Additionally, the 24/7 rule was not set to be effective until May 2026 at earliest, meaning it was not yet in force when HHS repealed it.

History of rules on staffing standards in long-term care facilities

In May 2024, with less than one year left in Biden's presidency, HHS and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in the Federal Register (the official journal for the federal government that compiles all agency rules) they would implement a so-called "final rule" that, among other things, required long-term care facilities to keep a registered nurse on site 24 hours a day and seven days a week:

We are revising  483.35(b) to require an RN to be on site 24 hours per day and 7 days per week (24/7 RN) to provide skilled nursing care to all residents in accordance with resident care plans, with an exemption from 8 hours per day of the onsite RN requirement under certain circumstances.

(A final rule "is a federal administrative regulation that advanced through the proposed rule and public comment stages of the rulemaking process and is published in the Federal Register with a scheduled effective date," according to Ballotpedia, a website that describes itself as "the digital encyclopedia of American politics.")

This specific rule was set to take effect in May 2026 for non-rural areas and May 2027 for rural areas.

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The rule soon ran into legal challenges. First, a federal judge in Texas  Matthew Kacsmaryk, whom President Donald Trump appointed during his first administration in 2019  vacated the minimum staffing requirements of the Biden-era rule in April 2025.

Then, in June 2025, another federal judge, Leonard T. Strand  nominated by former Democratic President Barack Obama in Iowa in 2015  blocked the standard staffing requirements portion of this rule in a separate lawsuit.

The law changed

In July 2025, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act included a "moratorium" on staffing requirements for long-term care facilities until Sept. 30, 2034. In other words, the law suspended the rule before it could go into effect. Snopes found the text under the header "Preventing Wasteful Spending" (emphasis ours):

Subchapter BPreventing Wasteful Spending SEC. 71111. MORATORIUM ON IMPLEMENTATION OF RULE RELATING TO STAFFING STANDARDS FOR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES UNDER THE MEDICARE AND MEDICAID PROGRAMS. The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall not, during the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this section and ending September 30, 2034, implement, administer, or enforce the amendments made by the provisions of the final rule published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on May 10, 2024, and titled "Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting" (89 Fed. Reg. 40876) to the following sections of part 483 of title 42, Code of Federal Regulations:(1) Section 483.5.(2) Section 483.35.

When the budget act passed, the moratorium made it impossible to apply the Biden administration's rule of a registered nurse in every long-term care home for nearly a decade.

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On Dec. 2, 2025, HHS and CMS announced they would revoke the rule. The "interim final rule with comment period" repealing Biden's HHS rule appeared in the Federal Register with an effective date of Feb. 2, 2026, and an invitation for public comments during the two months between announcement and implementation.

Sources:

"A Guide to the Rulemaking Process." Federal Register, Office of the Federal Register, uploads.federalregister.gov/uploads/2013/09/The-Rulemaking-Process.pdf. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.

Berklan, James. "BREAKING: Federal Judge Vacates 24/7 RN and Nurse-Hour Demands in Staffing Mandate." McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 20 June 2025, www.mcknights.com/news/breaking-federal-judge-vacates-24-7-rn-and-nurse-hour-demands-in-staffing-mandate/. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.

Hult, John. "Rule for Round-The-Clock Nurses at Nursing Homes Delayed a Decade by 'Big, Beautiful Bill.'" News from the States, 7 July 2025, www.newsfromthestates.com/article/rule-round-clock-nurses-nursing-homes-delayed-decade-big-beautiful-bill. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.

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"Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting." Federal Register, 21 June 2024, www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/10/2024-08273/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-minimum-staffing-standards-for-long-term-care-facilities-and-medicaid. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.

"Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Repeal of Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities." Federal Register, 3 Dec. 2025, www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/03/2025-21792/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-repeal-of-minimum-staffing-standards-for-long-term-care-facilities. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.

Arrington, Jodey. "Text - H.R.1 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): One Big Beautiful Bill Act." Congress.gov, 4 July 2025, www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.

"Final Rule." Ballotpedia, 2021, ballotpedia.org/Final_rule. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.

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"Judge Leonard T. Strand | Northern District of Iowa | United States District Court." Uscourts.gov, www.iand.uscourts.gov/judge-leonard-t-strand. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.

"Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk | Northern District of Texas | United States District Court." Uscourts.gov, www.txnd.uscourts.gov/judge/judge-matthew-kacsmaryk. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.

KACSMARYK, Matthew. IN the UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT for the NORTHERN DISTRICT of TEXAS. 7 Apr. 2025, theconsumervoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/AHCA-v-RFKJr-4.7.25.pdf. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.

Strand, Leonard. Decision State of Kansas v Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 18 June 2025, www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/media/cms/Kansas_v_hhs_DC066BD2DF7EE.pdf. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.
By Daniel Wiessner

Jan 5 (Reuters) - Since the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back the constitutional right to abortion in 2022, nearly half of U.S. states have banned or severely restricted the procedure, driving a surge in medication abortion - now used in more than 60% of abortions nationwide.

That has fueled a new wave of legal battles, with Republican-led states and conservative groups pressing to curb access to the abortion drug mifepristone, while providers and Democratic-led states push to expand it. Here's a look at the key lawsuits and regulatory fights whose outcomes could impact access to the drug in the year ahead:

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LAWSUITS SEEKING TO RESTRICT ACCESS

Six Republican-led U.S. states in three separate pending lawsuits are seeking to curb access to mifepristone, the first of two pills used for medication abortion in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. Louisiana sued in October, challenging a 2023 regulation allowing for the drug to be prescribed remotely and dispensed through the mail. In December, Texas and Florida filed a broader legal challenge targeting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's initial approval of mifepristone in 2000 and several subsequent approvals and regulations that eased access. The three states had sought to join a separate case by Missouri, Kansas and Idaho, but a judge in Texas in September said that request was moot when he transferred the lawsuit to St. Louis federal court. The Missouri lawsuit was first filed in 2022 by anti-abortion groups and doctors, but the U.S. Supreme Court in 2024 found they did not have the necessary legal standing to challenge the FDA's regulation of mifepristone. The states, which had intervened in the case, are pressing forward with arguments that the FDA acted improperly when it eased restrictions on mifepristone in 2023.

STATES SEEKING TO EXPAND ACCESS

Meanwhile, physicians and medical groups are challenging FDA rules also adopted in 2023 requiring providers and pharmacies to be certified to prescribe and dispense mifepristone and to obtain a signed authorization from patients. They claim the restrictions are unwarranted because mifepristone is safe and effective. A group of Democratic-led states had sued over those rules but a judge in Washington state dismissed the case in July and the states did not appeal.

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In a case brought by abortion providers, a federal judge in Hawaii ruled in October that the FDA had failed to explain why the dispensing requirements were necessary and directed the agency to reconsider them, but said the rules would remain in place in the meantime. A judge in Virginia is expected to rule soon in a similar case. Four Democratic-led states have filed a petition urging the FDA to remove the restrictions.

Separately, at least three lawsuits are pending that challenge state laws limiting access to mifepristone despite its approval on the federal level. A Virginia-based federal appeals court in July rejected a challenge to West Virginia's abortion ban by drugmaker GenBioPro, and is now considering how that ruling will impact a case involving a North Carolina law placing various restrictions on medication abortion. A challenge to a Louisiana law designating mifepristone as a dangerous controlled substance is moving forward after a state judge in June denied the state's motion to dismiss the case.

SHIELD LAWS

More states could move to limit access to mifepristone by prosecuting out-of-state doctors who prescribe it within their borders. In an unprecedented interstate conflict, the Texas Attorney General's office in July asked a New York state court to order a New York county to enforce a $100,000 judgment against a doctor for sending abortion pills to Texas. The case will test New York's so-called shield law precluding the enforcement of other states' abortion bans against New Yorkers. About 20 other states have similar laws.

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Texas and Louisiana also passed laws in 2025 allowing private citizens to sue anyone who mails or distributes abortion medication to or from the state.

REGULATORY ACTION

President Donald Trump's administration has sent mixed signals on its stance on mifepristone, launching a safety review of the drug earlier in 2025 while also approving a new generic version in October, which it was required to do by federal law. The administration has also pushed forward with the defense of the 2023 rules allowing prescriptions through the mail. And the FDA in December delayed the safety review until after the November 2026 midterm elections, according to a report by Bloomberg. The agency in response said it was taking the time needed to conduct a comprehensive scientific review.

The review delay and approval of the new generic have angered many conservatives and anti-abortion groups. Missouri, Kansas and Idaho are challenging the approval as part of their broader lawsuit, and some Republican lawmakers have called on the FDA to complete the review.

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The Center for Reproductive Rights and the ACLU have filed separate lawsuits seeking to force the release of documents related to the scope of the safety review and the sources of information the FDA is considering.

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Bill Berkrot)
Olive farmers in Syria are facing one of their worst harvest seasons ever. Changing weather patterns and a prolonged conflict have affected crop yields, threatening food security and driving food prices up.

What's happening?

Syria was a major global olive producer prior to the civil war that began in 2011.

According to the Arab Reform Initiative, the country had more than 79 million olive trees, producing about 1.1 million tons of olives. Daraa province was home to more than 6.5 million olive trees that spanned up to 30,000 hectares, according to The Syrian Observer.

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At the start of the war, olive production in Daraa stood at 75,800 tons per year, per Syria Direct. During the conflict, this number declined as olive farmers were forced to abandon their trees and farmland in search of safety. By 2022, olive production in Daraa had reached a low of 22,300 tons annually, a 70% decline.

Though data shows that olive production had been steadily rising since 2022, this past harvest season, cursed with the country's worst drought in over four decades, became the lowest yield on record.

In 2025, olive farmers in Daraa produced only 10,000 tons of olives  a 68% reduction compared to yields in 2024.

"The current season is one of the worst in more than 20 years. The yield per olive tree has dropped by half compared to last year," said Muawiya al-Zoubi, an olive farmer in eastern Daraa, per Syria Direct.

Why are declining crop yields important?

Olive trees are native to Syria.

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Native plants have generally adapted to local climates and are drought-tolerant because of their root systems, which allow them to source water and nutrients from deep underground.

However, this year's olive yields suggest that the extreme drought that hit Syria and surrounding countries was so severe that even native plants struggled to survive.

Droughts and other extreme weather events, including flash floods and monsoons, have devastated farmers globally.

Almond production in Portugal fell 85% because of heavy rainfall, for example. A historic drought in Vermont drastically reduced corn production. Farmers in India faced the worst monsoon in the last 45 years, damaging major crops such as grapes.

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Crop losses not only threaten food availability for local communities, but they also increase the production costs for farmers. This increased cost is passed on to consumers via inflated grocery prices.

What's being done about declining crop yields?

Changing weather conditions and rising temperatures have large impacts on crop production, underscoring the importance of adopting climate-resilient agricultural practices.

Though extreme weather conditions are not easily predictable, trends show that these devastating events are becoming more frequent and intense. The agricultural industry must adapt to protect the global food supply.

Watermelon farmers in Florida have employed automatic irrigation systems that keep their fields watered without wasting any of the vital resource. The technology, which serves over 1,883 acres of farmland, has saved more than 165 million gallons of water compared to traditional irrigation systems.

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Researchers in Kenya have developed a mobile solar irrigation system that supplies farmers with water in dry climates. This development allows farmers to protect their crops without having to drastically change infrastructure to support additional irrigation.

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.
A man suffered serious injuries during a brawl that broke out in the queue for a popular ride at Disneyland over the winter break.

The fight occurred last Tuesday afternoon in line for the Indiana Jones Adventure, one of the marquee dark rides at the Anaheim theme park, police and Disneyland officials confirmed.

A group of people were waiting in line at Indiana Jones when another group cut through the line to catch up with other family members, Anaheim Police Sgt. Matt Sutter told KTLA.

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The confrontation escalated into a roughly 30-second fight between two men, shocking parkgoers, including many children. Witnesses said the man whose family cut into the line brutally beat the other, who was visiting the park from Washington state with his family.

There were several people intervening to stop the guy, wrote Reddit user ImaginaryBag. He managed to get some hits in even with people blocking. Then he stepped back a bit so others did too. Thats when he jumped in for one last sucker punch, which drew blood, and then he ran off with his family following.

Police confirmed the suspect fled Disneyland and remained at large as of Monday afternoon. Sutter said investigators have strong leads on his identity and believe he is a Southern California resident.

There are two sides to every story, so we need to hear from him (and) what happened from his point of view, Sutter told KTLAs Sara Welch.

A photo of the victims injuries after a brawl inside Disneyland Park on Dec. 30, 2025. (Reddit: Wittwitbarista)

The victim, whose name was not released, was treated by Disneylands first aid staff for injuries including a large gash on his face that required stitches.

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He refused to hit back (which took a lot of discipline) because he didnt want the rest of the family to get kicked out or us blacklisted, wrote Reddit user Wittwitbarista, who said the victim is her husband.

Despite the ordeal, the family stayed at the park for the rest of the day.

Hubby had no concussion . honestly, Disney Security, nurses and (cast members) were all so magically wonderful, Wittwitbarista wrote.

This was the second incident that same day involving an Indiana Jones attraction at a Disney park. A 400-pound inflatable boulder prop rolled off its track during the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disneys Hollywood Studios, injuring a park employee who stepped in front of it to keep it from bouncing into the crowd.

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Copyright 2026 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 KTLA.
For months, Trump has touted a plan to give Americans a "tariff dividend" refund. With the start of the new year, Americans wonder if they should expect a $2,000 check.

In early November, the president again floated the idea of issuing $2,000 payouts to "middle-income people and lower-income people" from the collected tariff revenues.

"Next year is projected to be the largest tax refund season ever, and we're going to be giving back refunds out of the tariffs, as we have taken in literally trillions of dollars," Trump said during a Dec. 2 cabinet meeting. "We're going to be giving a nice dividend to the people in addition to reducing debt."

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C. on April 2, 2025.

But experts have said that tariff revenue likely won't cover the cost of issuing such checks.

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In September, the Treasury Department said it had generated $195 billion in tariff-related revenue. The Bipartisan Policy Center calculated $194.9 billion in net tariff revenue in 2025, while the checks could cost up to $600 billion a year, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Tax Foundation estimates that Trumps tariffs will raise $2.1 trillion in revenue over the next decade, but that dips to $1.6 trillion after accounting for foreign retaliation and other negative economic effects. The Congressional Budget Office has projected tariff revenue of $3.3 trillion over a decade.

Are $2,000 'tariff dividend' checks on the horizon?

Tariff dividend checks would likely require legislation passed by Congress, as was the case with the federal economic impact payments that went out in 2020 and 2021. These were the last such federal stimulus payments agreed upon and issued by the government to the general public.

A bill called the American Worker Rebate Act of 2025 was introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, in July, proposing the use of tariff revenue to issue checks between $600 and $2,400 to American taxpayer families. It was referred to the Committee on Finance, where it received no further action.

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett likewise told CBS News' "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Dec. 21 that the president would "bring forth a proposal to Congress" about dividend checks in 2026.

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Hassett said that the funding for the checks could come from sources beyond tariffs.

"We get taxes, we get tariffs, we get revenue from lots of places, and then Congress decides how to spend those monies," he told Brennan. "That's an appropriation. And so this would have to be money that would be an appropriation."

But plans for any related money allocation could be thwarted altogether if Trump's tariffs are struck down by the Supreme Court, which seemed to question whether Trump has the power to impose such tariffs when listening to arguments on Nov. 5.

As of January 2026, no solid plans have been enacted to bring the checks to fruition.

Since early in his presidency, Trump has touted a plan to give Americans a "tariff dividend" refund.

Are other stimulus checks coming?

In February, Trump also said he would consider a plan to issue $5,000 stimulus checks to taxpayers in the form of a DOGE dividend during a summit in Miami.

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He explained that it would partly take the savings claimed by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and give it to taxpayers. However, the amount of money actually saved by the department has been called into question and Musk has since left the administration, rendering DOGE somewhat defunct.

The administration has shared no further information or plans for the DOGE checks.

On Dec. 18, the president announced he was sending $1,776 checks, called "Warrior dividends," to the nation's 1.45 million service members before Christmas. The Defense Department supplied the funding, the Pentagon said.

How to avoid stimulus check scams

As plans for any forthcoming checks remain unclear, stimulus scams have become so widespread that the IRS has cautioned the public to stay vigilant.

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The IRS issued a warning in July about fake messages regarding "tax credits" or "stimulus" checks from scammers pretending to be the agency.

"These messages will often direct taxpayers to click fraudulent links they claim are IRS websites or other online tools," the agency said. "The IRS only sends text messages with the taxpayers permission and only collects the taxpayers cell phone number or email address if they subscribe to receive messages from the agency."

The IRS also doesn't leave pre-recorded, urgent or threatening messages, it said. If you do receive a suspicious call, message, or mail, the IRS suggests:

Contributing: Maria Francis, USA TODAY NETWORK

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are Trump's $2,000 tariff checks coming in January?
Health Care Authority Secretary Kari Armijo said the state will quickly get to work spending more than $200 million in rural health care funding announced Dec. 29, 2025. (Courtesy HCA)

New Mexicos Health Care Authority will receive $211.5 million in federal funding aimed at shoring up health care delivery for roughly one-third of the states residents who live in rural areas.

The award marks the first of five funding rounds authorized in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed last year. The bill required states to submit applications by early November for their part of a $50 billion appropriation for rural healthcare improvements.

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New Mexicos application sought $1 billion over the next five years, including $200 million in the first round, for five rural health care initiatives. The initiatives aim to improve rural access to medical specialists; increase the number of community health programs; train more health care workers; reduce financial strain on hospitals; and establish a rural health data-sharing platform.

The funding will strengthen the hospitals and clinics that are lifelines in our communities. New Mexicos award is above the national average, and were ready to put these resources to work for the families who need them most, Health Care Authority Secretary Kari Armijo said in a statement about the award.

New Mexico received $11.5 million more than it requested, which HCA spokesperson Marina Pina told Source New Mexico resulted from the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services independent funding methodology that considered the states rural healthcare needs and the plans it put forward to address them.

New Mexico received the 13th-most funding in the country, according to CMS data. Texas got the most, receiving a little over $280 million, and New Jersey had the smallest award, approximately $147 million.

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The states application noted that 26 of New Mexicos 33 counties are rural, and their residents tend to have higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease than their urban counterparts, while often being forced to travel between 50 and 100 miles for basic health care services.

Eight of out 27 rural New Mexico hospitals are at risk of closure, according to a 2025 analysis the application cited, with four facing immediate risk [of closure] absent intervention. Four other federally qualified health centers have closed in recent years, as well.

Several state Republicans have lauded the funding award as a necessary investment in rural health care. Still, independent estimates show the federal spending bill will cut rural Medicaid spending overall by $137 billion over the next decade.

In addition to demonstrating the need for the funding, the state also had to address how it intends to comply with the Trump administrations policy priorities, including aspects of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.s agenda.

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For example, states had to confirm whether they intend to have schools implement the Presidential Fitness Test, which Kennedys uncle John F. Kennedy spearheaded as president in the late 1950s. New Mexico officials said they would pursue legislative and regulatory changes to implement the test in schools by 2029.

The application also required states to describe their plans for medical licensure compacts, which have emerged as a top issue during New Mexicos upcoming legislative session as a way to address the states doctor shortage. Unlike its neighboring states, New Mexico does not participate in many of the key medical compacts that enable easy license transfer between states for a variety of health care professions.

State officials wrote they intend to push the Legislature to pursue compact approval for doctors, emergency medical service providers, psychologists and physicians assistants during the upcoming session.

Sen. Majority Leader Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) recently told Source that he expects the Legislature to approve compacts for doctors and social workers at the upcoming session, but that other compacts are still being worked out.

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While the states application agreed to pursue adoption of a new statewide fitness test and medical compacts, it said it does not plan to pursue another of Kennedys priorities: prohibiting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients from buying junk food.

Officials wrote that the state provides robust educational opportunities for SNAP recipients about healthy food choices and incentivizes recipients to buy nutritious food through, for example, programs at farmers markets.

Pina told Source that CMS did not penalize the state for its responses to those questions.
BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY)  53 men and women of Cadet Class 108 embarked on the beginning of their careers as Louisiana State Police Troopers Jan. 4.

Cadet Class 108 will be a 23-week academy, equipping Cadets with the necessary skills to fully prepare for a career of public service. Like others before it, this class will add to the rich State Police history dating back to 1922, officials said.

While challenging, day one for the Cadets is about taking the next step to serve the residents and visitors of our state.

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To succeed in a career as a Louisiana State Trooper, Cadets will receive State Police training in areas such as defensive tactics, advanced firearms, emergency vehicle operations, civil unrest, ethics, fair and impartial policing, use of force and de-escalation, impaired driving detection, civil rights and criminal and traffic law.

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Once they successfully complete each training course and practical application, they will graduate from the LSP Academy on Jun. 12, officials said.

LSP offers competitive pay and benefits, a take-home state vehicle, overtime opportunities, and an incredible retirement package. Visit www.JoinLSP.org for more information on the hiring process, qualifications, physical fitness standards, and frequently asked questions.

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For additional questions and information, please contact LSP Recruiters at LSPRecruiting@la.gov or Text JoinLSP to 225-777-8162.

For applicants not meeting LSP minimum qualifications, immediate positions are available within the Louisiana Department of Public Safety Police through the Louisiana State Civil Service System. Visit https://www.lsp.org//leadershipsect/support/dpspolice/ and http://www.civilservice.louisiana.gov for more information.

Latest news

Copyright 2026 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 KLFY.com.
Finland seized a ship suspected of sabotaging a telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea, the latest maneuver in a quiet battle over underwater infrastructure.

Cables and pipelines carry vital data and fuel, and apparent sabotage is on the rise. Several cables to Taiwan are broken each year, allegedly by China, and Beijing also uses regulatory pressure to deny or delay installations and bolster its influence in the South China Sea; Russia has been linked to a series of incidents in the Baltic, usually involving ships dragging their anchors.

International law is murky over whether cable sabotage is piracy, terrorism, or even an armed attack, and legal loopholes hinder international efforts to prevent it, an expert wrote for Foreign Affairs.
The New World screwworm fly. The insect that produces flesh-eating larva, eradicated in the United States, has broken containment and presents a threat to livestock. (U.S. Department of Agriculture photo)

State and federal officials are gearing up to stop the advance of a parasitic fly that is less than 70 miles from the United States border with Mexico.

Since Nov. 25, at least 10 new cases of incidents involving the New World screwworm fly have been confirmed within 400 miles of the border. The flies have been inching their way to the U.S. since they broke the biological barrier created by Panamas narrow geography in 2022.

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There is a threat of it maybe getting into the southern United States, and then it would most likely end up in Missouri, too, at least maybe some isolated cases, State Veterinarian Steve Strubberg said. Its conceivable that it could happen in the coming year or two.

Deb Hudman, Missouri Department of Conservation health section chief, added that transportation of infected animals is most likely how it would enter.

Experts are hoping for a long winter and cold spring to help keep the flies from crossing the border.

The cold weather is good, Hudman said. Anything as low as 48 degrees Fahrenheit stops the larvae and pupae development, and anything below 59 degrees significantly drops the activity of adult flies.

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Local and federal agencies are working to take advantage of the weather and keep New World screwworm flies out of the U.S. Last month the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a website hoping to centralize information about the flesh-eating fly.

The USDA remains focused on implementing our sweeping five-pronged plan to combat New World screwworm. As part of these critical efforts, USDA is working on both sides of the border to ensure a comprehensive response, said Lyndsay Cole, a USDA spokesperson, in an email.

That five-pronged plan includes a total of $29.5 million in investments to renovate an existing fruit fly production facility in Metapa, Mexico, and to build a sterile insect dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in south Texas. The Mexico facility is expected to open as early as next summer. Planning is also underway to build a new production facility at Moore Air Base, according to the USDA website.

Unfortunately there wont be enough of those sterile flies available to us for a few years. It takes a long time to ramp up those production facilities, so we are hoping it stays in Mexico, Strubberg said.

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According to the plan, sterile screwworm flies are among the primary tools the government can use to fight the New World screwworm, but only one plant exists in Panama; it produces 100 million flies a week. A separate plant in Mexico that produced 500 million flies a week was shut down in 2012 for economic reasons.

The goal of producing sterile flies is to have them mate with female flies, which usually mate only once in their lifespan. Using this method, over time the population is reduced back down to zero. The sterile insect technique is what allowed the U.S. to eradicate the flies in the 1960s.

The U.S. government has worked closely with Panama since the now-broken biological barrier was formed.

A costly wipeout

Screwworm was eradicated in the U.S. in 1966 at the cost of around $750 million. This time around, the USDAs Economic Research Service says it could cost the Texas economy alone $1.8 billion over the next year if the fly gets into the United States.

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Losses of $730 million are predicted to fall onto cattle producers. Nine of the last 10 confirmed cases of screwworm within 400 miles of the U.S. have come from bovines, according to data collected by the USDA.

If it would come in, we would have such a great expense of eliminating it, Strubberg said. There are just so many different areas of added expense for individual producers.

The impacts it would have on consumers are harder to predict, Strubberg said. But potential spikes from a dip in supply and increased expenses from dealing with screwworm could add to shelf costs.

To help the government contact producers in a potential infested zone, Strubberg urges people to register their premises through the Missouri Department of Agriculture if they have animals. The premises registration form can be found here.

Cows and wildlife: easy targets

The flies can infest all living warm-blooded animals. This includes humans, pets, livestock and wild animals. Some signs to look out for in infected animals include an open wound or navel that looks infected, decreased activity and animals isolating themselves.

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The larvae are basically maggots, Strubberg said. They are much more aggressive than the normal maggots of the common flies we have around Missouri right now, and so they will cause a lot more damage.

If an animal gets infected, there are a few treatment options. If treated, animals can make full recoveries, but untreated it is very devastating, Strubberg said.

If you catch it early enough and treat it, you would do some surgical procedures to remove the larvae and hopefully treat them so they dont mature, Strubberg said. There are systemic treatments of infested animals also; some of the larvae are so deep that you cant remove them all surgically.

The FDA conditionally approved a new topical solution for the prevention and treatment of New World screwworm in cattle over 2 months old, Exzolt Cattle-CA1. The drug is in the same family as Bravecto, an oral drug used for flea and tick prevention in dogs and cats.

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Exzolt Cattle-CA1 is eligible for conditional approval because it is intended to prevent and treat serious or life-threatening diseases in cattle, it addresses unmet animal health needs, and demonstrating effectiveness of the drug requires complex or particularly difficult studies, the Food and Drug Administration said in a news release.

Pets are also an easy way for screwworm to be transported, Strubberg said. We are working with every entity we can to try and get pet owners and all animal owners aware.

He says to monitor pets to make sure they dont have any open wounds and are feeling well. Strubberg added its important to be especially vigilant if you recently traveled to a place with an active screwworm population like Central and South America.

If anyone is purchasing pets from outside the state, you definitely want the veterinarian to take a good look at it, Hudman said.

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Missouris wild animal populations would be at risk as well.

Deer would be something to keep an eye on because they have lots of wounds from running, vehicle strikes and fences, Hudman said. It could certainly be present in raccoons, opossums, coyotes and rabbits. Really any warm-blooded species with an open wound.

Wild populations would be next to impossible to contain and treat because they arent behind a fence or in a barn, Hudman said.

You would have to trap all of them, and then you would have to treat them, then the first treatment might not take, she said. I just dont see how that would be very viable.

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The only wild populations that might be possible to protect are ones with small, localized populations. Hudman pointed to Missouris elk population as an example.

The Missouri Department of Conservation is working closely with the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the USDA to develop a plan to combat the potential arrival of screwworm. A plan is currently not finalized.

Were setting up and making sure there are microscopes all around the state with people who can identify the larvae so we can have a local or regional way to approach it, Hudman said.

Screwworm fly impostor

Another challenge Missouri faces in identifying potential screwworm infestations is a different species of blowfly that looks like the screwworm fly. That species of blowfly feeds off dead tissue instead of living tissue.

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Its going to be very tricky for the general public to tell the difference between the two, and the one that feeds off of dead tissue is very prevalent, Hudman said.

While the New World screwworm fly hasnt been detected in the U.S., Hudman advises caution toward the potential presence of the fly in the coming years.

This article was originally published in the Columbia Missourian and is republished with permission.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) lashed out at a reporter who asked why he wasnt supporting Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado to serve as interim leader of the Latin American country after the Trump administration ousted President Nicolas Maduro from power.

Diaz-Balart interrupted the reporter before he could finish asking his question and reprimanded him.

Woah, woah, woah, woah. Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Hold on a second, Diaz-Balart said at a press conference on Saturday, flanked by fellow Florida GOP lawmakers.

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First, youre talking to us? When have we ever not supported her? Diaz-Balart said, gesturing to Florida Republican Reps. Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar, who stood on either side of him.

Diaz-Balart did not let the reporter respond, interrupting him again.

No, no, no, wait, wait, but lets, look, these are serious issues. Do not put words in my mouth, he said, waving his finger toward the reporter with each word.

I will not tolerate putting words in my mouth or my colleagues mouth, he added.

Diaz-Balart then said that hes confident the next democratically elected president of Venezuela will be Machado after a period of transition.

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We have been consistent from day one, and I am convinced theres going to be a transition. We already talked about that, and Im convinced that when there are elections  whether there are new elections or theres a decision to take the old elections, the last elections  that the next democratically elected president of Venezuela is going to be Maria Corina Machado, Diaz-Balart said.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was named interim president of the country after U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife and brought them to New York to face charges related to drugs, terrorism and firearms.

President Trump has said the U.S. would be involved in the governance of the country, warning Rodriguez that if she doesnt fall in line with the administrations demands, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.

But Trump has not rallied in support of Machado, saying this weekend that she lacks the support or respect to run Venezuela. Machado  who has expressed support for the Trump administrations aggressive campaign against Maduro in recent months  won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 and dedicated the award to Trump, as well as to the Venezuelan people.

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Machado was barred from running in the latest general election against Maduro after winning the opposition primary, so she endorsed a lesser-known candidate widely seen as her stand-in.

Maduro claimed victory in the election and refused to leave power, but experts broadly dismissed the Venezuelan governments election data purporting to show Maduro as the winner as mathematically and statistically impossible. The U.S. and its allies have said Maduro was not the legitimate president.

Copyright 2026 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.
LAS VEGAS, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Autonomous driving technology is expected to dominate the CES trade show in Las Vegas this week as investors bet that artificial intelligence will invigorate an industry beset by slow progress, high costs, safety incidents and regulatory scrutiny.

Just as automakers have hit the brakes on electric vehicle (EV) plans and look for their next money maker, a slew of auto suppliers and start ups are lining up to show off their latest autonomous vehicle hardware and software. Partnerships and deals that promise to take away much of a driver's responsibilities, or remove the need for a human driver completely, are expected to be announced.

"This year you will see more and more focus on AI and autonomous," said C.J. Finn, U.S. automotive industry leader for PwC, adding that how companies use AI to solve the challenge of rolling out driverless cars safely will be closely watched. "That connectivity on autonomous, I do think will be front and center."

AI, though, is expected to be imbued into products well beyond autos - from robots and wearable gadgets to home devices and health technology.

Tech heavyweights including AI chip giant Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su are among the key speakers this year.

NO ELECTRIC VEHICLES

CES 2026, one of the largest technology exhibits in the United States, will run from Jan. 6 to 9 this year. Formerly called the Consumer Electronics Show and known traditionally as the launchpad for the latest in tech such as TVs, laptops and wearables, CES, in recent years, has emerged as a key destination for automakers debuting their EVs.

But a pullback on EV-friendly incentives and policies by the Trump administration have dampened demand and forced many automakers to abandon plans to launch new EVs and rethink their strategy.

The upheaval will be evident at CES. Most major automakers have no plans to launch any new EVs this year - a stark difference from the past few years.

MONEY ON AUTONOMY

Commercializing autonomous vehicles has been not been easy. High investments, regulatory challenges and investigations after collisions have forced many companies to shut down.

But Tesla's launch of a small robotaxi service with safety monitors in Austin, Texas, last year as well as quicker expansion by Alphabet's Waymo has breathed new life into the industry.

Driver-assist systems for personal vehicles have also improved, with some automakers offering hands-free driving and automatic lane change on highways. Some, such as Rivian, aim to launch "eyes-off" functionality and self-driving on city streets.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida  Floridas aggressive expansion of school choice has left more than $400 million in taxpayer-funded education vouchers sitting unused, exposing major cracks in the states booming program.

Some 500,000 students across Florida, which hosts the nations largest school choice effort, have accepted education vouchers toward home or private schooling. But thousands of these students, for one reason or another, arent using the money  leaving a staggering $400 million lingering in their accounts.

This massive sum, clocking in at $100 million more than Florida spends annually on school safety, is one of several revelations recently unearthed by shocking state audits, issues lawmakers are attempting to rectify in 2026.

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Hundreds of millions of dollars have been sitting unspent in so-called scholarship accounts where they could have been funding our public schools, state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando) said during a December Appropriations Committee hearing.

We should be putting all of these mind-blowing graphics and numbers on a giant posterboard so that these billions of dollars can be DOGEd, but we are not. Because under this taxpayer-funded school vouchers scheme, the funding did not follow the student, as we were told.

School choice is exploding in Florida since the states GOP-dominated Legislature two years ago passed its universal policy allowing all students, regardless of income, to claim education vouchers averaging $8,000. While the program has proven to be extremely popular among parents and students, instantly opening the voucher flood gates spurred rapid growth that the state and scholarship-administering organizations have struggled to manage.

Millions of dollars are moving amid increasingly more incoming students choosing scholarships over traditional public schooling, resulting in serious financial turbulence for school districts. Simultaneously, there have been hang-ups in verifying where students are attending school, resulting in parents and private school operators alike receiving inaccurate and late funding amid the states attempts to keep track.

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Florida reached a tipping point in October, when it was revealed the states 2024-25 education budget had a $47 million shortfall due to its Department of Education paying out funding for 23,000 vouchers to students with unclear enrollment status, either public or private. Soon after, a damning report from state auditors found an absence of clear accountability over Floridas scholarship spending, which is poised to eclipse $4.3 billion next year.

In response, state lawmakers are attempting to pass reforms to the voucher system in 2026 and have already laid the groundwork for areas they intend to address.

One of those is tackling millions in unspent voucher dollars that have already been paid out to students.

Florida law dictates scholarship accounts for the states program serving students with special needs cant exceed $50,000. Yet state auditors found 299 instances where students had unspent balances above that mark to an excess of $2.3 million.

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But more pressing is the topline number of more than $400 million sitting in student accounts as of the end of last school year. Although most of these accounts fell short of hitting the states $50,000 threshold, auditors flagged the total as a potentially excessive amount and suggested the Legislature revisit the states balance limits.

Lawmakers, too, were shocked to discover how much state funding was in play.

An extraordinarily large amount of money was held by the [scholarship-administering organizations] during a time when they really didnt know where parents were choosing to have their children at school, state Sen. Don Gaetz (R-Crestview), who is sponsoring school choice legislation, said during a December bill hearing. It was a bad stewardship.

A wide-ranging voucher fix proposed by Gaetz notably targets unspent voucher funds by shortening the window for deeming them inactive and trying to alert parents that the money is available.

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Under the legislation, the state would be able to recoup funds from inactive accounts after one year, as opposed to two years in current law. This shift is predicted to have a positive impact on state revenue by speeding up the funding recovery process, according to a Senate analysis of the legislation.

At the same time, the bill would require scholarship administering organizations to notify parents about voucher balances when students reach 16 years old. It also ramps up accountability by calling on the Department of Education to keep track of how many accounts are closed and the amount of funding reverted to the state.

Gaetzs proposal, FL SB318 (26R), is on the fast track in the Senate and is already primed for consideration on the floor ahead of the opening day of session on Jan. 13.

State House leaders are expected to pursue their own school choice legislation early in the year. The House has expressed qualms with some aspects of the Senate bill, namely shifting how voucher dollars are accounted for in the state budget. But the issue of unused scholarship dollars was a chief concern during House meetings ahead of session.

If this bill passes, were not going to be transferring money until we know that the students have made a school choice alternative, Gaetz said. And if there are funds that are remaining because of mobility or other things, that the money cant be retained by the [scholarship organizations], it has to be returned to the state.
The 2025-2026 flu season is surging in the U.S. and New Jersey, where there's been increased severity of influenza A, with further testing from the CDC showing many NJ residents have the emerging "super flu," or subclade K virus. As students head back to school from winter break, urgent care and emergency departments are filled as the severe and potentially deadly virus takes hold.

The new flu variant, H3N2 subclade K, is a mutation of the common flu A subtype, which is often the flu "going around" come late fall and winter. Flu A and flu B symptoms are similar, and while both can cause complications like pneumonia, the symptoms differ in how they affect babies, children and older adults. Influenza A is the predominant subtype in New Jersey this season; however, the subclade K is surging, with flu B likely surging by February.

Here's what to know about the different influenza subtypes as the number of flu cases reaches "very high" levels in NJ and several surrounding areas, including New York and New York City, with high levels in Pennsylvania.

Flu symptoms 2026

Flu symptoms in adults and children come on quick, with symptoms lasting from a few days to two weeks, with fatigue and chills to start, followed by fever, body aches, cough, headache, sore throat, congestion, and (runny or stuffy nose), according to the Cleveland Clinic. A fever is considered 100.4 degrees or higher, says Harvard Medical School, and a high fever is 102.4 degrees or higher.

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Influenza can cause diarrhea and nausea, especially in children, Dr. Stuart Ray, a professor of medicine and oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told TODAY.com. Some people experience a loss of taste and smell with either type  which could also occur with COVID-19.

What's the difference between flu A and flu B?

The most common and most severe flu strains are influenza A and influenza B, according to the CDC. The super flu virus going around, called subclade K, is a mutated version of one of the subtypes of flu A, which makes it harsher for older adults.

Of the data collected this flu season 2025-2026, there have been 11,000,000 illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths from flu so far this season in the U.S. Of the subtypes tested, 94% were type A (which included subclade K), while about 6% were flu B.

Flu A is known to cause more severe illness and have been known to cause pandemics, such as the 1918 flu pandemic that led to at least 50 million deaths worldwide.

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According to the Cleveland Clinic, influenza A typically starts in the fall and hits its full stride by February or March but can last through April. Influenza B tends to pick up in March.

Influenza type A is a more common and a more severe illness than type B, and each impact children differently. And while both spread the same way, both are likely to cause severe illness among babies and older adults.

What is the incubation for influenza A?

The incubation period, or time from exposure to when symptoms of influenza A first appear, is typically one to four days (about 2 days on average) from exposure to first symptoms. The flu is typically contagious starting about 24 hours before symptoms appear, the CDC says  meaning you may appear healthy but still spread the virus. Children can shed the virus even longer, or 10 days or longer.

How long does flu A last? Adults, children

Most healthy adults recover from the flu within five to seven days, though symptoms like fatigue, coughing, and sinus pressure may linger into day 5-7. Your fever should be gone by day 4, while it's not usual for coughing/tiredness to linger into day 7  and you may still feel "off." If you still have a fever after seven days, or symptoms worsen, such as shortness of breath or chest pain linger, check with a doctor.

Flu positive tests reported to CDC through the week ending Dec. 27, 2025.

Is H2N2 flu A or B?

H2N2 is a subtype of influenza A virus, which mutated into various strains and caused the 1957 flu pandemic, known as "Asian flu," Influenza A has subtypes H1N1 and H3N2, the current flu that is soaring across the U.S. and New Jersey right now. The new "super flu" is a mutation of flu A called H3N2 subclade K. Flu B does not have a subtype; rather, influenza B has lineages, called Flu B/Yamagata and B/Victoria, according to the CDC.

Super flu virus symptoms

The subclade K variant of flu A causes similar symptoms to other strains, such as high fever, severe body aches, extreme fatigue, persistent cough, sore throat, and intense headaches. Not everyone gets the flu, the CDC says.

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With the 2025-2026 flu season expected to be worse than usual, cases of the flu are increasing rapidly in New Jersey as the virus spreads across NJ schools ahead of winter break. Urgent care and emergency departments have filled with children as the severe and potentially deadly virus takes hold of the U.S.

Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Is flu A in children different than flu B? See symptoms, incubation
Demonstrations erupted across India over a decision by the country's top court that environmentalists warn could open a fragile mountain ecosystem up to mining, but clips shared on social media that purportedly show the widespread protests predate the Supreme Court's ruling by several months. The clips in fact show a religious pilgrimage and crowds watching a bullock cart race.

"A wave of protests is sweeping North India after a Supreme Court ruling defined Aravalli hills as only those over 100 meters, potentially leaving 90% of the range vulnerable to mining," reads part of an Instagram post shared on December 20, 2025.

"Environmentalists and citizens argue this is a 'death warrant' for the ancient ecological barrier that stops desertification and cleans Delhi's air."

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The video comprises two clips of large crowds, with overlaid text that reads: "A big amount of farmers in Rajasthan start a Aravalli hills protest."

Screenshot of the false post captured on January 2, 2026, with a red X added by AFP

The video spread in similar Facebook, Instagram, Threads and X posts after protests erupted over a Supreme Court decision that narrowed the definition of the ecologically sensitive Aravalli hills -- one of India's oldest mountain ranges, which stretches across the states of Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat, and the capital Delhi (archived link).

The new definition excludes areas under 100 metres (328 feet) in altitude, which will no longer be protected by mining restrictions (archived link).

While environmentalists have warned this could leave many ecologically vital hills vulnerable to mining and construction, the government says the move standardises regulations and strengthens protections (archived here and here).

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The Supreme Court stayed its own order on December 29, forming an expert panel to investigate the potential repercussions of the new definition (archived link).

The video circulating on social media, however, predates the top court's original decision and does not show demonstrators opposed to the change.

A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the first falsely shared clip led to the same footage in an Instagram post published on August 2 (archived link). It was posted by a Maharashtra-based news portal.

It also posted the footage as part of a longer video on its YouTube channel on July 31 (archived link).

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The Marathi-language caption of the Instagram video reads, "Gajanan Maharajs palanquin left Khamgaon city towards Shegaon."

Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared clip (L) and the Instagram video posted in August 2025

The palanquin of Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj is an annual spiritual event that sees pilgrims walk 1,275 km (782 miles) over a two-month period (archived link).

AFP previously debunked posts misrepresenting the second clip in the falsely shared video.

A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the clip led to an Instagram video shared on June 28 (archived link).

Its Marathi-language caption says the crowds were watching a prize-winning bull in the race.

Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared clip (L) and the Instagram video from June 2025

AFP has debunked similar false claims mischaracterising footage of crowds as protests against the Supreme Court decision.
A former Warren County corrections officer has been charged after he allegedly smuggled drugs into the jail.

30-year-old Joshua Fritz is accused of smuggling drugs into the Warren County Correctional Institute between Mar. 1 and Mar. 25, according to our news partner WCPO.

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An indictment does not specify what drugs or controlled substances Fritz allegedly smuggled other than marijuana.

The Ohio Department of Corrections said that Fritz was terminated from the Warren County Correctional Institute on Mar. 25.

He is facing one count of illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto grounds of a specified governmental facility, two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, one count of possession of marijuana, and one count of possessing criminal tools.

Fritz is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday, Jan. 23.

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A Fort Bragg soldier was killed early Jan. 4 in a single-vehicle wreck in Anderson Creek, according to the State Highway Patrol.

Triston Amarion Pippins, 22, originally from Mount Pleasant, Texas, died in the crash reported about 2:15 a.m. Sunday.

The SHP said Pippin was southbound on Nursery Road in Harnett County when the road ended and he crossed Overhills Road and continued into the woods.

SHP Sgt. G. Altman said Pippins' 2019 Hyundai Sonata hit a ditch, before striking a tree and catching fire.

A Fort Bragg soldier was killed in a single-vehicle wreck at Overhills and Nursery roads in Anderson Creek on Jan. 4, 2026.

Altman said a passersby was able to pull the young soldier from the wreckage, but Pippins had been killed on impact. The trooper said speed is believed to be a factor in the severity of the crash.

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By Sunday afternoon, a memorial had grown at the site. Boxes of hot tea and a bag of Funyuns were left beneath a vase holding flowers and an American flag.

A Fort Bragg soldier was killed in a single-vehicle wreck at Overhills and Ray roads in Anderson Creek on Jan. 4, 2026.

Pippins' death came a little more than two weeks after a fatal wreck in the same area. On the afternoon of Dec. 20, two people were killed in a head-on collision on Nursery Road about a mile north of the Intersection with Overhills Road, Altman said.

F.T. Norton can be reached at fnorton@fayobserver.com

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Triston Pippins killed in wreck near Fort Bragg NC on Jan 4
Want to help Fort Lauderdale? Plant a tree.

Fort Lauderdale needs to plant up to 276,000 more trees by 2040 if it wants a 33% tree canopy, meaning one-third of the city would be shaded by tree cover.

That ambitious goal is part of a new urban forestry master plan expected to come before the Fort Lauderdale commission Tuesday night.

To reach that number, trees would need to be planted on both public and private property over the next 15 years. Getting the job done would cost between $27.6 million and $103.4 million, says RES Florida Consulting, the firm hired by Fort Lauderdale to prepare the proposed urban forestry plan.

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It is very ambitious, Commissioner Steve Glassman said of the plan. But Id rather be positive and ambitious than not. If we hit the goal, great. I dont think we can, but why not try? Whats important is that we actually take some action.

Many trees have been lost as a result of Fort Lauderdales recent development boom, the consultant noted.

Sea-level rise and intense storms also pose challenges to expanding the citys tree canopy.

Fort Lauderdale is doing what it can to save the trees that have already been planted, said Commissioner Ben Sorensen.

Weve dramatically increased our fines for the unpermitted removal of trees, he said. Were also engaging in a tree survey to evaluate all the native trees in the city and how to best protect them. The master plan is an aggressive plan to increase the canopy. But I think we can get it done.

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Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, known for its extensive tree canopy, boasts more trees than any other spot in Fort Lauderdale, according to a color-coded map provided by the consultant.

Cities are not typically required to have an urban forestry master plan, but many are voluntarily setting tree canopy goals.

Trees not only create shade, they can also increase property values, improve air quality and reduce energy costs, experts say.

Fort Lauderdales tree canopy is currently at 26.6%.

The city currently has 5.6 square miles of potential tree planting area within its borders.

Fort Lauderdale currently has 8.75 square miles of tree canopy. The goal is to grow another 2.1 square miles by 2040.

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Trees matter for a bunch of reasons, Sorensen said. Theyre very important for oxygen, shade and stormwater drainage. And also, its just much more aesthetically pleasing to have the trees.

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan
Law professor and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley mocked Nicolas Maduro for claiming he was still the president of Venezuela on Monday.

During an appearance in court earlier in the day, Maduro insisted, Im still president of my country. After anchor Sandra Smith asked Turley what had struck him most about Maduros time in court, he replied:

Well, his statement in court was remarkable that hes still the president of his country. You would think that the prison jumpsuit would disabuse him of that concept, but certainly over 50 countries around the world would not accept that. And I dont think the court will either. This is Noriega 2.0. I mean, he is going to be arguing that he is still the head of state entitled to immunity. I just think very few people believe thats true. And hes in a worse position than Noriega. So I expect that theyre going to stick the landing on this. This is going to go to trial, and he stands an excellent chance of being convicted. I mean, the only scarier thing than that operation for Maduro should be the superseding indictment. I mean, they have a lot on him  more than most of us imagine.

Later in the segment, after Smith played a clip of former attorney general Bill Barr defending the operation, Turley also took a shot at its critics.

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Well, I was baffled by all of the Democratic members that came out and said this was clearly illegal. Theres existing case precedent. Much of it was laid-, the foundation of that was laid by Bill Barr. I mean, this is in many ways a case that was built on the foundation that Bill Barr laid. And you see that coming out of the Noriega cases that these arguments failed. This is solidly within those navigational beacons to hold him for trial, he argued. They have not only these recordings that they say show him taking an active role in the criminal enterprise, but this wasnt just simply a criminal enterprise, this was a family enterprise. And so youve got his son, his wife, facing very strong evidence. But you also have high-ranking former associates who have pled guilty, and they very well could be cooperating witnesses, including the former head of military intelligence in his country. That is an extremely daunting prospect for any criminal defense attorney.

Watch above via Fox News.

The post Foxs Jonathan Turley Mocks Maduro for Claiming Hes Still President While in Prison Jumpsuit first appeared on Mediaite.
Jan. 5 (UPI) -- A Paris court found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France's first lady Brigitte Macron, wife of President Emmanuel Macron.

They were accused of spreading false claims about her gender and making "malicious remarks" about the 24-year age gap between the Macrons.

The false claims are from a 2017 conspiracy theory that Brigitte Macron was a transgender woman. The allegation was amplified in the United States, pushed by right-wing media personality Candace Owens. The Macrons have also filed a lawsuit in the United States against Owens.

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All but one of the defendants in France were given suspended sentences of up to eight months. The other person was jailed for not showing up to court. Some also had their social media accounts suspended.

The judge said the defendants acted with a clear desire to harm Brigitte Macron with comments that were degrading and insulting.

"The most important things are the prevention courses and the suspension of some of the accounts" of the perpetrators, Jean Ennochi, Brigitte Macron's lawyer, said.

Two of the defendants had been found guilty of slander in 2024 for claiming that the first lady had never existed. Natacha Rey, a self-proclaimed journalist, and Amandine Roy, who claims to be a psychic, said Macron's brother Jean-Michel Trogneux had changed gender and began using Brigitte Macron's name.

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Their convictions were overturned on appeal because claiming that she is transgender isn't an "attack on her honor."

The Macrons are appealing the ruling.

Brigitte Macron's daughter Tiphaine Auziere, 41, told the court that the false claims had damaged her mother's quality of life. She said Brigitte Macron worried every day about the clothes she wore and how she stood.

Auziere said the social media posts had caused a "deterioration of her health" and a "deterioration of her quality of life."

"Not a day or week goes by when someone does not talk about this to her ... What is very hard for her are the repercussions on her family ... Her grandchildren hear what is being said: 'Your grandmother is lying' or 'Your grandmother is your grandfather.' This affects her a lot. She does not know how to stop it. ... She's not elected, she has not sought anything, and she is permanently subjected to these attacks. I -- as a daughter, a woman and a mother -- would not wish her life on anyone," Auziere said.

Trogneux, 80, lives in Amiens, where he grew up with Brigitte Macron and their siblings.
A Paris court Monday sentenced 10 people accused of cyber-bullying President Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte by spreading false information about her gender and insinuations related to the age difference between the first couple.

The relationship between Emmanuel Macron, 48, and Brigitte, 72, who met while she was a drama teacher at his school, has been the subject of intense interest since he became president in 2017.

Eight defendants were handed suspended terms of four to eight months, while a ninth man was sentenced to six months in jail over his absence from the hearing.

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They and a tenth person were ordered to follow a course against hate speech online.

Presiding judge Thierry Donard described the claims of the French first lady's "alleged paedophilia" as "malicious, degrading and insulting", saying the defendants had received sentences for "intentionally harming the complainant".

In recent years scrutiny of the couple's relationship has extended to the widespread publication of false information which they have resolved not to ignore and instead combat in court.

The French president and first lady have filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States against right-wing US podcaster Candace Owens who falsely claimed the spouse of the French president used to be a man.

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Emerging as early as Macron's election in 2017, the claims have been amplified by far-right and conspiracy theorist circles in France and in the United States, where transgender rights have become a hot-button issue at the heart of American culture wars.

chg/ekf/ah/giv
Investigators have recovered two licence plates following a shocking bank robbery in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen that saw the burglars make off with the contents of safety deposit boxes worth millions of euros.

The plates, which might belong to one of the vehicles used in the getaway, were found at a railway station in Dortmund, some 30 kilometres east of Gelsenkirchen, police said on Monday.

Masked robbers raided a branch of Germany's Sparkasse bank in the Buer district of Gelsenkirchen late last year, though the exact timing of the heist remains unclear, as the bank was closed for several days over the Christmas holidays.

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Investigators believe that the robbery might have been carried out across several days. No suspects have been arrested so far.

Arriving at the scene after a fire alarm that went off on December 29, officers found a large hole in the bank's vault.

Nearly all of the 3,250 safety deposit boxes inside the vault were pried open. Security sources told dpa that damages may well exceed 100 million ($116,7 million).

Security footage released by police shows several masked individuals in an adjacent parking garage.

Investigators said the suspects gained access from there and entered an archive room, from which they drilled a large hole into the vault.

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The images show three people wearing black balaclavas, with one suspect wearing red gloves and another green gloves. Police also released images of a black Audi RS 6 and a white Mercedes Citan van, which they believe were used as getaway vehicles.

Both vehicles were fitted with fake licence plates, police said.

Police said a 27-year-old man found what might be two of the original plates in Dortmund on Sunday afternoon.

According to the witness, the licence plates had been lying on the floor outside the railway station when he spotted them.

Police are now probing the authenticity of the plates.

The bank has remained closed since the break-in was discovered. While the hole in the vault has been sealed, work to repair all the damage is ongoing, a bank spokeswoman said.
Georgias Synovus Financial has completed its merger with Tennessee-based Pinnacle Financial Partners, in an all-stock deal valued at $8.6bn.

The transaction was announced in July.

At the time, Synovus said the merged entity will be the highest-performing regional bank focused on the fastest-growth markets in the Southeast.

As of 30 September, the combined holding company reported $117.2bn in assets, $95.7bn in deposits and loans of $80.4bn.

It operates over 400 sites in nine states across the Southeast and Atlantic coast, offering various banking specialties with nationwide scope.

The combined holding company will be based in Atlanta, Georgia, while the headquarters of the combined bank will be in Nashville, Tennessee.

The banks will be consolidated under the Pinnacle brand by early 2027.

As per the agreed terms, the shares of Synovus and Pinnacle shareholders were converted into shares of a new Pinnacle parent company based on a fixed exchange ratio of 0.5237 Synovus shares per Pinnacle share.

This swap ratio represented a Synovus per share value of $61.18.

Synovus shareholders own around 48.5% and Pinnacle shareholders own approximately 51.5% of the merged entity.

Kevin Blair, formerly chairman, CEO and president of Synovus, is now president and CEO of the merged group.

Terry Turner, previously president and CEO of Pinnacle, currently chairs the board, supported by seven directors from legacy Pinnacle and seven from Synovus.

Blair said: The leadership team weve assembled is built to lead Pinnacle into the future as the fastest-growing, most profitable regional bank in the nation.

By bringing our organisations together, we gain scale while staying true to what matters most - creating long-term, trusted relationships. This merger is about growth with purpose, combining strength and heart to deliver scale with a soul.

We are marrying the best of both our companies together so we can continue to win for our team members, clients and shareholders, Turner noted.

"Synovus and Pinnacle finalise $8.6bn merger" was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand.




German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has hailed a German brigade deployed to Lithuania as a clear sign of NATO solidarity and a strong signal to Russia during a visit to troops on Monday.

"This is not only about defending the freedom and security of Lithuania, but also the freedom and security of Europe and thus also Germany," he said while inspecting the 45th Armoured Brigade, dubbed "Lithuania," in Nemencine near Vilnius.

The fact that Germany has for the first time stationed a force of this kind abroad is "a sign of the seriousness of the situation, but also of the seriousness of our decision to stand by our friends and allies," the minister said.

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The tank brigade, which was formally commissioned in April 2025, is intended to boost protection of NATO's eastern flank as European allies are responding to Russia's growing expansionist ambitions.

It represents the first permanent German deployment of a large unit abroad.

The brigade is expected to be fully operational as a combat unit by 2027, with a total strength of 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian employees.

Germany is making an "indispensable contribution to security and stability" on NATO's eastern flank, said Wadephul, thanking the soldiers for their service.

Wadephul thanked Lithuania for the "immense trust and great hospitality" shown by the population towards the soldiers. This cannot be taken for granted, he said, referring to the German occupation of Lithuania during World War II when Nazi forces and local volunteers killed over 90% of the roughly 200,000 Jews living in the country between July 1941 and July 1944.

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During his visit to Lithuania, Wadephul also met with his counterpart Kestutis Budrys.

The talks were expected to focus on supporting Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia almost four years ago, as well as close cooperation on NATO's eastern flank and in the fight against hybrid threats, according to the Foreign Office in Berlin.

Hybrid threats are understood to include state-directed cyberattack as well as military, economic, intelligence and propaganda tools, which can also influence public opinion.

Wadephul calls for European unity in face of Russia threat

"We must counter the threat from Russia with strong European cohesion," Wadephul said before his departure.

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He said the decisive factor is "that we are prepared to defend ourselves and our freedom more independently," stressing that Germany is working with Lithuania and its partners in NATO and the EU to conduct more checks in the Baltic Sea and to invest in more robust infrastructure.

Both countries also stand firmly alongside Ukraine, he said, especially in "this potentially decisive phase of international efforts to end Russia's war of aggression."

Vilnius and Berlin are guided by the shared conviction that only a strong Ukraine and a Europe capable of defending itself can secure lasting peace on the continent, he added.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (C) poses for a photo with soldiers during a visit to Panzerbrigade 45 "Lithuania". Christoph Soeder/dpa
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday paid tribute to the achievements of Konrad Adenauer, the first chancellor of post-war Germany who would have turned 150 today.

Steinmeier, who was celebrating his own 70th birthday on the same date, credited the late chancellor with reintegrating Germany in the world community following the horrors of World War II.

"He pursued reconciliation with France, reparations with Israel and the establishment of the Bundeswehr despite considerable resistance," Steinmeier was quoted as saying by a spokeswoman on X.

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Germany's armed forces, known as the Bundeswehr, were founded in 1955, some 10 years after the Nazis were defeated by allies forces in the war that left millions dead across Europe, including some 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust.

Adenauer served as chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963, becoming the first head of government of what was then West Germany.

Born January 5, 1876 in Cologne, he remains one of the country's most revered political figures to this day.

Adenauer died on April 19, 1967.
The share of renewables in German power production almost stagnated in 2025, data showed Monday, as concerns grow about a shift away from green policies under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The figure had increased strongly in previous years as Europe's biggest economy aims to reach a goal of green power accounting for 80 percent of its energy mix by 2030.

But last year power from sources such as wind, solar and hydroelectric accounted for 58.8 percent of the mix, up just slightly from a figure of 58.5 percent in 2024, according to the energy regulator.

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The figure had been just 43 percent in 2021.

The share of wind power, which remained Germany's biggest energy source, fell slightly while solar rose due to growth in production capacity, the regulator said.

The group Environmental Action Germany said last year's near stagnation in renewables' share was in part due to a lack of wind in the first half of 2025.

But the NGO nevertheless fears a looming slowdown in the green power shift under Merz's coalition, which took power last year, Constantin Zerger, the group's head of energy and climate protection, told AFP.

He said that Economy Minister Katherina Reiche "has announced several times that she wants to slow down the expansion of renewables, which is of course very, very dangerous".

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Critics point to measures ranging from a planned expansion of gas power to proposals to scrap some solar subsidies as evidence that Reiche is seeking to slow the green shift and prioritise helping big business.

Merz has pushed back at criticism he is undermining the climate change fight, saying that his government is taking a more pragmatic approach to the energy transition that aims to keep costs manageable.

In the previous government, the Greens party helmed the economy ministry and pushed ambitious measures to accelerate the transition -- which were hailed by environmentalists but caused unease among businesses about extra burdens.

Last year the share of solar energy in Germany's energy mix passed that of lignite, also known as brown coal, for the first time.

But the share of two other fossil fuels, coal and natural gas, rose.

kas-sr/fz/jh
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to host fellow nations bordering the North Sea later this month to discuss turning the region into "the biggest reservoir for clean energy worldwide."

The German government has invited leaders and energy ministers from Belgium, Denmark, France, Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway to attend the third North Sea Summit in Hamburg on January 26.

EU officials and business representatives are also expected to take part, while officials from NATO and Iceland have been invited to join the talks for the first time, according to a statement released on Monday.

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The aim of the summit is to push ahead with the cross-border expansion of offshore wind energy, the hydrogen market and an efficient and interconnected offshore infrastructure throughout the North Sea region, the statement said.

The offshore infrastructure is likely to involve linking wind farms to increase cross-border electricity trading and transport.

At the 2023 North Sea Summit in Belgium's Ostende, countries signed a declaration to expand offshore windparks in the region in order to turn the North Sea into the "green power station" of Europe.

However, not a single bid was submitted in Germany last August for the tender of two wind power areas in the North Sea, with industry groups arguing that risks for businesses are too high.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is set to visit Lithuania on Monday against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations over a ceasefire in Ukraine.

In Vilnius, the capital of the Baltic EU and NATO country, the conservative German politician plans to meet Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene and Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys.

The talks will focus on supporting Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia almost four years ago, as well as close cooperation on NATO's eastern flank and in the fight against hybrid threats, a spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin said.

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Together with his Lithuanian counterpart, Wadephul also plans to visit the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in Vilnius. This is Wadephul's first foreign trip of the new year.

Hybrid threats are understood to include state-directed cyberattack as well as military, economic, intelligence and propaganda tools, which can also influence public opinion.

Wadephul calls for European unity in face of Russia threat

"We must counter the threat from Russia with strong European cohesion," Wadephul said before his departure.

He said the decisive factor is "that we are prepared to defend ourselves and our freedom more independently," stressing that Germany is working with Lithuania and its partners in NATO and the EU to conduct more checks in the Baltic Sea and to invest in more robust infrastructure.

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Both countries also stand firmly alongside Ukraine, he said, especially in "this potentially decisive phase of international efforts to end Russia's war of aggression."

Vilnius and Berlin are guided by the shared conviction that only a strong Ukraine and a Europe capable of defending itself can secure lasting peace on the continent, he added.

Visit to German brigade

Wadephul also intends to visit the German 45th Armoured Brigade, also known as the Lithuania Brigade, in Nemencine near Vilnius, which is intended to boost protection of NATO's eastern flank.

The decision to station such a force abroad for the first time "is a sign of the seriousness of the situation, but also of the seriousness of our decision to stand by our friends and allies," he said.

The 45th Armoured Brigade was formally commissioned in April 2025. It is expected to be fully operational as a combat unit by 2027, with a total strength of 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian employees.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is set to visit Lithuania on Monday against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations over a ceasefire in Ukraine.

In Vilnius, the capital of the Baltic EU and NATO country, the conservative German politician plans to meet Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene and Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys.

The talks will focus on supporting Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia almost four years ago, as well as close cooperation on NATO's eastern flank and in the fight against hybrid threats, a spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin said.

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Together with his Lithuanian counterpart, Wadephul also plans to visit the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in Vilnius. This is Wadephul's first foreign trip of the new year.

Hybrid threats are understood to include military, economic, intelligence and propaganda tools, which can also influence public opinion. State-directed cyberattacks are included among these.

Visit to 45th Panzer Brigade

Wadephul also intends to visit the the The 45th Panzer (Tank) Brigade, also known as the Lithuania Brigade, in Nemencine near Vilnius, which is intended to serve the enhanced protection of NATO's eastern flank.

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Germany is committed, together with Lithuania, as an indispensable partner for a strong Ukraine and a resilient Europe, Wadephul stressed.

The 45th Panzer Brigade was formally commissioned in April 2025. It is expected to be fully operational as a combat unit by 2027, with a total strength of 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian employees.
State and local officials have made nearly 20,000 immigration-related arrests over the past several months.

Thats according to Governor Ron DeSantis, who provided an update on the states immigration enforcement efforts outside of Deportation Depot in Baker County Monday morning.

DeSantis said the states Operation Tidal Wave has yielded roughly 10,000 immigration-related arrests since last April, and when combined with local efforts, the number doubles to nearly 20,000 arrests.

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FHP alone has accounted for more than 7,000 immigration-related arrests.

There have also been nearly 1,000 self deportations through the states self deportation program.

So, those are really, really big numbers and theres not another state in the country that is even close in terms of this level of participation, DeSantis said.

The Governor claimed of the 10,000 arrests through the states operation, roughly 63 percent of the individuals had criminal histories.

And its various crimes. You do have some violent, you have DUIs, you have gang, you have sex offense, some are fugitives from justice, DeSantis said.

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State Representative Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville) noted that means nearly 4,000 people arrested by the state had no prior criminal record.

The reality of it is a lot of folks that have been taken up and disappeared from our communities are our neighbors. Theyre small business owners like the one that was operating a cafe shop on Main Street. They work in construction, they work in hospitality, they work in agriculture, and theyre helping contribute to our society, said Nixon.

The Governor argued the states efforts are focused on illegal immigration overall, and not only on those who have come here and committed an additional crime.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

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To say that would be the case would be absurd. Youre giving people license to come into the country illegally until you commit a serious crime? No. We want to prevent the serious crimes from happening, DeSantis said.

The Governor explained at Deportation Depot, the facility has directly contributed to 93 deportation flights involving nearly 3,000 detainees within the last four months alone.

Our goal is we want people here as little as possible. The goal is not to create a long-term facility, and thats not the function, DeSantis said.

Since the beginning, the Governor has argued Deportation Depot and its Everglades-based counterpart, Alligator Alcatraz, only serve a temporary mission.

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But when we asked how long he believes theyll be necessary, the Governor indicated the ball is in the federal governments court, and contingent on DHS expanding its own bed capacity in the state.

If they have what they need, then we wont have to do, but its clearly temporary. How temporary will depend on the pace that they have interns of doing the expansion, DeSantis said.

But Nixon argued there doesnt seem to be an off-ramp.

We knew that there was never an end in sight with these facilities that he stood up, Nixon said.

She argued the entire operation is a quote grift, noting many of the companies operating the facilities were awarded no-bid contracts and have histories of donations to the Governor and other Republicans campaigns.

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But she noted whoever is elected Governor next could put an end to the state-run detention centers.

And so I hope that we start electing people who care about people and not care about enriching their friends, said Nixon.

The Governor said there are plans in the works for two additional detention centers, one in the Panhandle and another in Southwest Florida.

He said both are currently awaiting DHS approval.

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Jan. 5GRAND FORKS  Buff City Soap on 32nd Avenue South officially closed on Tuesday, Dec. 30.

The location originally opened in March 2023, and sold soaps, lotions, candles and other scented household and personal care products. All soap products were handmade at the Soap Makery daily, available for customers to watch the process and customize scents.

On the same day the Grand Forks Buff City Soap announced it's closure, the Fargo Buff City Soap also announced it would be closing its doors.

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The Grand Forks franchise owner, Curt Bowen, was unable to be reached for a comment. Delaney Shipman, a guest experience manager at Buff City Soaps, said that there are "many different factors" contribute to the decision to close a franchised location down.

Buff City Soap was founded in 2013 in Bartlett, Tennessee, and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. There are currently over 240 Buff City Soaps across 30 U.S. states, with over 45 franchises. With the two closures, there are now no Buff City Soaps in North Dakota.
Since the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces at the weekend, US President Donald Trump and members of his administration have issued warnings to several other governments  including those of Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Iran and Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark.

Trump said Sunday: We are in the business of having countries around us that are viable and successful and where the oil is allowed to freely come out.

CNN

American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again, Trump said.

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Heres what to know about what Trump has said in the last two days, and how some of those governments have responded.

Greenland

US Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance listen to Col. Susan Meyers, left, commander of the US military's Pituffik Space Base, during a tour on March 28, 2025, in Pituffik, Greenland. - Jim Watson/Getty Images

Trump repeated Sunday that the US needs the huge North Atlantic island of Greenland from the standpoint of national security.

We need Greenland.  Its so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.

Responding to Trumps latest comments, Greenlands prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, said in a statement Monday: The current and repeated rhetoric coming from the United States is entirely unacceptable. When the President of the United States speaks of needing Greenland and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it is not only wrong. It is disrespectful.

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Our country is not an object in great-power rhetoric. We are a people. A country. A democracy, Nielsen added.

We are not in the situation where we are thinking that a takeover of the country might happen overnight, he later said at a press conference, according to Reuters. You cannot compare Greenland to Venezuela. We are a democratic country.

Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to annex Greenland  a huge, resource-rich island of 836,000 square miles (2.16 million square kilometers)  claiming that the autonomous Danish territory is needed for US national security, although he has also cited economic security.

Both Greenland and Denmark, a NATO ally of the US, are staunchly opposed to the idea.

Colombia

Colombian soldiers guard the border with Venezuela in Villa del Rosario, Colombia, after Trump announced that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had been captured by US forces. - Santiago Saldarriaga/AP

Trump had harsh words for Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sunday, describing him as a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and hes not going to be doing it very long.

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When pressed by a reporter on whether those comments meant there could be an operation in Colombia in the future, Trump responded, Sounds good to me.

Petro defended his governments track record on combating drug trafficking in a nearly 700-word post on X, touting what he described as the largest cocaine seizure in the worlds history.

He added: I am not illegitimate, nor am I a narco. I only have as assets my family home that I still pay for with my salary.

Petro said he has ordered targeted bombings against drug-linked armed groups while adhering to humanitarian law.

However, cocaine production in Colombia has reach record highs, according to the the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

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Petro, a former member of the M19 guerrilla group, said later Monday that he would himself fight to defend Colombia.

I swore not to touch a weapon again  but for the homeland I will take up arms again, he said.

Petro angered the Trump administration, which canceled his US visa in September, after he called on US soldiers to disobey orders.

Cuba

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel waves a Venezuelan flag in support of Nicolas Maduro in Havana on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured him. - Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images

Trump said Sunday that military intervention was unnecessary in Cuba, a key ally of Venezuela, because it was ready to fall.

I dont think we need any action, Trump said. It looks like its going down.

I dont know if theyre going to hold out, but Cuba now has no income, he added. They got all their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil.

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But his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, called the Cuban government a huge problem.

I think theyre in a lot of trouble, yes, Rubio told NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday.

Im not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now, in this regard, but I dont think its any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime.

If I lived in Havana and I worked in the government, Id be concerned, Rubio said.

At a rally Saturday in front of the US Embassy in Havana, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel promised not to let the Cuba-Venezuela alliance go down without a fight.

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For Venezuela, of course for Cuba, we are willing to give even our own life, but at a heavy cost, Diaz-Canel proclaimed.

Mexico

Mexican farmers with machetes gather outside Venezuela's embassy in Mexico City to protest the US capture of President Nicolas Maduro. - Marco Ugarte/AP

Trump has frequently accused Mexico of not doing enough to clamp down on drug cartels.

On Sunday, he said drugs were pouring through Mexico and that were going to have to do something.

Trump added that the cartels in Mexico are very strong and warned that Mexico has to get their act together.

In a phone interview with Fox News, Trump said he has asked Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum if she wanted the US militarys help in rooting out drug cartels.

Sheinbaum has repeatedly rejected the US intervention in Venezuela and the seizure of Maduro.

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Mexico reaffirms a principle that is neither new nor open to ambiguity, she said Monday in a news conference. We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries.

Responding to Trumps accusations that Mexico has not done enough to combat drug-trafficking cartels, Sheinbaum asserted: Mexico cooperates with the United States, including for humanitarian reasons, to prevent fentanyl and other drugs from reaching its population, especially young people.

We do not want fentanyl or any drug to get near any young person  whether in the United States, in Mexico, or anywhere else in the world.

Again rejecting the notion of US military action on Mexican soil, Sheinbaum said she did not think the United States was seriously considering an invasion of Mexico.

Iran

Women walk past an anti-US and anti-Israeli billboard displayed on a building in Tehran on January 4, 2026. - Majid Asgaripour/Wana News Agency/Reuters

Trump also repeated his warnings to Iran, where anti-government protests have entered their second week.

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If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think theyre going to get hit very hard by the United States, Trump told reporters Sunday.

Last week, Trump said that if Iran kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.

One Iranian human rights group estimated Sunday that 16 people had been killed in the protests so far. CNN cannot verify that tally.

At the end of last month, Trump warned Iran against any attempt to rebuild its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said he had heard Iran is behaving badly.  I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, were going to have to knock them down.

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Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Sunday the Islamic Republic will not yield to the enemy and that rioters should be put in their place.

The US bombed several of Irans key nuclear facilities in June, amid Israels 12-day war against the country. The attack ended what had been a stuttering process of bilateral US-Iranian talks designed to rein in Tehrans nuclear program.

Hira Humayun contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has said "enough" on Monday to President Donald Trump's threats to take the country and urged him to let go of his "fantasies of annexation."

Nielsen posted on Facebook that Trump should stop his claims that the United States will annex his country, which is a territory of Denmark, a member of NATO and the European Union.

"Alliances are built on trust. And trust requires respect," Nielsen said in his post. "Threats, pressure and talk of annexation do not belong anywhere between friends. That's not how you talk to a people who have repeatedly shown responsibility, stability and loyalty."

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"This is enough."

After the invasion of Venezuela on Saturday, Trump told The Atlantic on Sunday that the United States needs Greenland for national security. The operation in Venezuela also renewed fears that Trump may actually move to take Greenland.

"They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don't know ... But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense," Trump said when asked if the action in Venezuela should be interpreted by other nations as a signal that his administration might use military action to pursue more goals.

Nielsen's post told Trump to let it go.

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"No more pressure. No more hints. No more fantasies about annexation," he said.

"We are open for dialogue. We are open to conversations. But it has to be through the right channels and with respect to international law. And the right channels are not random and disrespectful posts on social media. Greenland is our home and our territory. And that's how it continues to be."

The EU backs Nielsen and Denmark on the matter.

"The EU will continue to uphold the principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders," EU foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper told reporters. "These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them, all the more so if the territorial integrity of a member state of the European Union is questioned."

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Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said it made "absolutely no sense to talk about the U.S. needing to take over Greenland." She said the United States has "no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish kingdom."

The Danish Kingdom also includes the Faroe Islands.

"The principle of the inviolability of borders is enshrined in international law and is not up for negotiation," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Berlin after a meeting with Frederiksen in June. "We stand firmly alongside our Danish friends on these issues and that will remain the case."

On Air Force One, Trump told reporters he didn't want to discuss Greenland saying he would talk about it "in 20 days." He then mocked Greenland and Denmark.

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"You know what Denmark did recently to boost security in Greenland? They added one more dog sled. It's true. They thought that was a great move," Trump said.

"Right now, Greenland is full of Chinese and Russian ships everywhere. We need Greenland for national security reasons. Denmark will not be able to handle the task."

Sweden, Norway and Finland have all said they support Denmark.

"Only Denmark and Greenland have the right to decide on issues concerning Denmark and Greenland," said Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. "Sweden fully supports our neighboring country."
By Leo Marchandon

Jan 5 - Australian payment firm Airwallex said on Monday it will invest around 200 million euros ($233.64 million) over the next five years in the Netherlands, marking a major European expansion as it shifts focus from its Asia-Pacific base.

The Melbourne-founded fintech plans to increase its Amsterdam headcount by 60% to around 70 full-time employees by the end of 2026.

Founded in 2015, Airwallex operates a global payments platform enabling businesses to send and receive international payments, hold multi-currency accounts and process online transactions.

Airwallex raised $13 million in a Series A round led by Chinese internet giant Tencent in 2017.

Recent funding rounds include $300 million in May 2025, which pushed its valuation past $6 billion, and an additional $330 million Series G round in December 2025, bringing its valuation to $8 billion. The company also surpassed $1 billion in annual recurring revenue last year.

The company said in 2024 it was aiming to be ready for an IPO in 2026. Airwallex declined to comment on its IPO plans.

The investment comes as Airwallex says it will prioritise growth in Europe and the Americas after a decade focused on Australia and Asia-Pacific markets. The company received a licence in the Netherlands in May 2021, giving it access to the European Economic Area.

Airwallex served more than 150,000 customers as of October 2025, including Shein, Bolt, TikTok and Canva. The company now competes with established European payment processors including Netherlands-based Adyen and Mollie, as well as Dutch digital bank Bunq.

($1 = 0.8560 euros)

(Reporting by Leo Marchandon in Gdansk Editing by Louise Heavens)
"That's enough now," Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said after repeated threats from US President Donald Trump to annex the autonomous Danish territory.

"No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation, Nielsen wrote on Facebook late Sunday.

"We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law," the head of Greenland's government said.

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Washington's unprecedented operation in Venezuela resulting in the capture of Nicolas Maduro has reignited fears for Greenland, which Trump has said he wants to annex, given its strategic location in the Arctic.

On Sunday, Trump doubled down on his claim that Greenland should become part of the United States, despite calls by the leaders of Denmark and Greenland  the Kingdom of Denmark's autonomous territory  to stop "threatening" the territory.

While aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, Trump reiterated the goal.

"We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it," he said in response to a reporter's question.

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You know what Denmark did recently to boost up security in Greenland? They added one more dog sled. It's true. They thought that was a great move," Trump said.

"We'll worry about Greenland in about two months ... let's talk about Greenland in 20 days."

Over the weekend, the Danish prime minister called on Washington to stop "threatening its historical ally".

"I have to say this very clearly to the United States: it is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement.

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She also noted that Denmark  "and thus Greenland"  was a NATO member protected by the agreement's security guarantees.

Copenhagen issues 'friendly reminder'

Trump rattled European leaders by capturing Venezuela's Maduro in a Delta Force-led blitz in Caracas, taking him to New York where he is to stand trial.

Trump has said the United States will now "run" Venezuela indefinitely and tap its vast oil reserves.

Asked in a telephone interview with The Atlantic about the implications of the Venezuela military operation for mineral-rich Greenland, Trump said it was up to others to decide.

"They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don't know," Trump was quoted as saying.

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He added: "But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence."

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks with the head of the Arctic Command, Soeren Andersen, in the waters around Nuuk, 3 April 2025 - AP Photo

Hours later, former aide Katie Miller, the wife of Trump's most influential adviser, drew ire by posting an image of Greenland in the colours of the US flag, captioning it "Soon".

Greenland's Nielsen called Miller's post "disrespectful".

"Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law  not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights," he wrote earlier on X.

But he also said "there is neither reason for panic nor for concern. Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts."

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Stephen Miller is widely regarded as the architect of many of Trump's policies, guiding the president on his hardline immigration stance and domestic agenda.

Denmark's Ambassador to the United States Jesper Moeller Soerensen offered a pointed "friendly reminder" in response to Katie Miller's post that his country has "significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts" and worked together with Washington on that.

"We are close allies and should continue to work together as such," Soerensen wrote.

Katie Miller was the deputy press secretary at the US Department of Homeland Security during Trump's first term.

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She later served as communications director for then-Vice President Mike Pence and as his press secretary.

Europe remains concerned

European leaders have repeatedly warned Trump against threatening sovereign borders after he refused to rule out military force to take Greenland.

France on Monday expressed its "solidarity" with Denmark following US President Donald Trump's fresh threats to take over the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland.

"Borders cannot be changed by force," French foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux told television channel TF1.

"Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the Danes, and it is up to them to decide what to do with it," he said.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also backed Copenhagen in June 2025. The principle of the inviolability of borders is enshrined in international law and is not up for negotiation, Merz said in Berlin after a meeting with Frederiksen.

We stand firmly alongside our Danish friends on these issues and that will remain the case, the German chancellor added.

FILE: US President Donald Trump speaks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House in Washington, 13 March 2025 - AP Photo

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in December 2024 that "territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law" and stated "we stand in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland."

European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho later confirmed Greenland is covered by a mutual defence clause binding members to assist one another if attacked, while noting that "we are indeed speaking of something extremely theoretical on which we will not want to elaborate".

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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte hedged Trump's Greenland claims during his visit to the White House in March 2025, albeit agreeing on the island's importance to the alliance's security.

"When it comes to Greenland, yes or no, joining the US, I would leave that outside, for me, this discussion, because I don't want to drag NATO in that," Rutte said right after Trump stated "I think it'll happen" and that Rutte could be "very instrumental" in the potential annexation.

"But when it comes to the high north in the Arctic, you are totally right," Rutte told Trump. "The Chinese are using these routes, we know the Russians are rearming, we know we have a lack of icebreakers."

Not the first time

Trump first proposed purchasing Greenland during his first term in August 2019. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the idea "an absurd discussion" at the time and said "Greenland is not for sale".

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Trump cancelled his scheduled state visit to Denmark on 20 August 2019, writing that Frederiksen had "no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland" and that she "was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct".

Since winning re-election in 2024, Trump has renewed the proposal, appointing Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland in December 2025 while refusing to rule out military force.

FILE: US Vice President JD Vance gestures as he tours Pituffik Space Base, 28 March 2025 - AP Photo

US Vice President JD Vance visited Pituffik Space Base in Greenland in March 2025 in a trip that was scaled back from an initially planned three-day visit after Greenland and Denmark criticised the itinerary as creating "unacceptable pressure" and an "escalation".

Vance told service members at the base: "Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass."

He said Denmark had failed to keep pace with military spending and that the US had "no option" but to take a significant position to ensure Greenland's security.

Greenland has been under Danish control since the early 18th century but gained home rule in 1979. The island holds vast mineral wealth, including rare earths, crucial for advanced technologies.
Edith Renfrow Smith believed in using the time you were given.

In 2019, standing before graduates at Grinnell College, she looked back on more than a century of a life spent breaking barriers.

Grinnell has been my life, she told graduates. And life has been wonderful. Remember, take every opportunity to do your best, and I have done it, I hope.

Renfrow Smith, a supercentenarian born the granddaughter of slaves and who lived through the administrations of 19 U.S. presidents, died Friday, Jan. 2, in Chicago. She was 111.

Edith Renfrow Smith, the first Black woman to graduate from Grinnell, sits in the newly rededicated Smith Gallery in the JRC on Oct. 29, 2021. At the time of the photo she was 107 and the oldest living alum. She graduated from Grinnell College in 1937.

Born in Iowa two weeks before the start of World War I and five years before women were granted the right to vote, Smith became the first Black woman to graduate from Grinnell College in 1937 and remained mentally sharp well past 100, later becoming part of medical research examining aging and memory.

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She felt it was time, her daughter, Alice Frances Smith, told the Chicago Sun-Times. She said she was tired.

Renfrow Smith was born July 14, 1914, in Grinnell into one of the towns few African American families. She was the fifth of six children born to Lee Renfrow, a chef at the Monroe Hotel. Her mother, Eva Pearl, took in laundry.

Her grandfather was an escaped slave from Missouri who made his way to Grinnell via the Underground Railroad in 1859 and established himself there as a barber, according to historical records cited by the Drake Community Library. Her grandmother also was born into slavery and was sent north from South Carolina as a child so she could live free.

Edith Renfrow Smith graduated from Grinnell College in 1937.

Renfrow Smith attended local public schools in Grinnell, including Davis Elementary School. Her family regularly hosted Black students enrolled at Grinnell in the 1920s, known as the Rosenwald Scholars, for Sunday dinners.

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Her mother placed a strong emphasis on education, a value that shaped all six children. Though three of her older siblings attended historically Black colleges, Renfrow Smith always was determined to go to Grinnell.

Mrs. Renfrow Smith's mother was a person who told her children every day, 'No one is better than you'  that you are special, that there is something that you are meant to do in the world," Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant, professor of gender, women's and sexuality studies at Grinnell College, told the Des Moines Register in 2022.

In June 1937, she earned a bachelors degree in psychology with minors in economics and history. More than 600 Black women would later follow her path and graduate from Grinnell.

While an undergraduate, Renfrow Smith met Amelia Earhart during one of the famed aviators visits to campus.

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After graduating, Renfrow Smith moved to Chicago, where she worked as a stenographer, a telephone operator, and a secretary, including for Oscar Stanton De Priest, the first Black man elected to Congress in the 20th century. In 1940, she married Henry T. Smith, a milkman for Borden Milk Co. The couple raised two daughters, Edith Virginia and Alice Frances, and lived in Chicagos Bronzeville neighborhood.

Edith Renfrow Smith receives her honorary degree, a doctorate of humane letters, during the 173rd Grinnell College Commencement ceremony at Grinnell College on May 20, 2019. Smith was the first Black female student to graduate from Grinnell College in 1937.

In 1954, she began teaching at Ludwig Van Beethoven Elementary School on the South Side, a career that spanned 22 years. She retired in 1976 and later volunteered for decades at Goodwill and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Renfrow Smith lived across the street from the Hancock family during her years in Chicago. She was later credited with inspiring a neighbor, jazz legend Herbie Hancock, to attend Grinnell College.

As she aged, her memory remained unusually sharp. She was one of perhaps a thousand supercentenarians  people who live to 110  in the world. Renfrow Smith became part of medical research focused on aging, including SuperAger studies at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, as well as a genetics study in Boston.

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Renfrow Smith was inducted into the Chicago Senior Citizens Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2024, she was inducted into the Iowa African American Hall of Fame.

Grinnell College continued to recognize her legacy in her later years. In 2019, the college awarded her an honorary doctorate. In 2022, it named a new residence hall in her honor, Renfrow Hall, a $67 million facility designed to foster connection between students and the broader community.

I think its the most wonderful and most exciting thing that could happen to anybody from Grinnell, she told the Des Moines Register at the time. Usually, when they name something for someone, the person has been dead. But look, Im still alive, and I can enjoy whats going to happen.

Renfrow Smith attended the dorms dedication in September 2024 at age 110.

Grinnell College President Anne F. Harris greets Edith Renfrow Smith at a welcome parade on Sept. 27, 2024.

Grinnell President Anne F. Harris said Renfrow Smith will always hold a special place in Grinnellian hearts for her steadfastness and perseverance, her brilliance, and her belief that we can do better.

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"I will miss her, I will miss the sparkle in her eye, and knowing that she is there," she added.

Beauboeuf-Lafontant described Renfrow Smith as her familys memory keeper, preserving two centuries of family history through firsthand recollection. Her memories of early 20th-century Grinnell, Beauboeuf-Lafontant said, expanded what the town and the college understand about their own past.

Renfrow Smith is survived by her daughter, Alice Frances Smith, and extended family across several generations. Her daughter, Edith Virginia, died in 1998. Her husband of 73 years, Henry Smith, died in 2013.

Nick El Hajj is a reporter at the Register. He can be reached at nelhajj@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @nick_el_hajj.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Edith Renfrow Smith, Grinnell's first Black woman graduate, dies
CONAKRY, Guinea (AP)  The Supreme Court in Guinea on Sunday upheld the election victory of Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, cementing the junta leader's transition to a democratically elected president four years after staging a coup in the West African nation.

Doumbouya won the countrys first election since the 2021 coup after polling 86.7% of the votes, according to the General Directorate of Elections. His victory, which had been predicted by analysts, was confirmed by the Supreme Court in the capital Conakry.

Today, there are neither winners nor losers. There is only one Guinea, united and indivisible, Doumbouya said in a broadcast late Sunday, calling on citizens to build a new Guinea, a Guinea of peace, justice, shared prosperity, and fully assumed political and economic sovereignty.

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Yero Balde, the runner-up who won 6.59% of the vote, had filed a petition accusing the electoral body of manipulating the results in Doumbouyas favor. But authorities said he withdrew the petition a day before the Supreme Court verdict.

The Dec. 28 election was held under a new constitution that revoked a ban on military leaders running for office and extended the presidential mandate from five years to seven years.

Critics say Doumbouya has clamped down on political opponents and dissent since the 2021 coup, leaving him with no major opposition among the eight other candidates in the race.

The weakened opposition focused attention on Mamadi Doumbouya as the only key figure capable of ensuring the continuity of the state, said NFaly Guilavogui, a Guinean political analyst. "Guineans are waiting to see what efforts he will make to ensure political stability and reconciliation, Guilavogui added.

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Despite the country's rich mineral resources including the worlds biggest exporter of bauxite, which is used to make aluminum, more than half of its 15 million people are experiencing record levels of poverty and food insecurity, according to the World Food Program.

The juntas most important initiative has been a mega-mining project at Simandou, the worlds largest iron ore deposit. The 75% Chinese-owned project began production in December after decades of delays.
A pre-licensed therapist was arrested Monday in New Hampshire after a months-long investigation into sexual assault allegations, authorities announced Monday.

Daniel Thibeault is facing charges including two counts of felonious sexual assault and one count of aggravated felonious sexual assault, according to the Bow Police Department.

Detectives launched an investigation into Thibeault in August 2025 after police say they received a report alleging he had sexually assaulted a female patient during an in-office visit.

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A warrant was issued for Thibeaults arrest after detectives finished probing the report.

Thibeault is being held at the Merrimack County House of Corrections pending arraignment.

Anyone with information about Thibeault is urged to contact Detective Sergeant Tyler Coady of the Bow Police Department at 603-223-3956 or via email at coady@bownhpd.gov.

An investigation is ongoing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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Police officers routinely staged outside Bobby Salazars Taqueria in Fresnos Tower District to serve as a crime deterrent on the popular bars busy nights.

But no cops were on the clock at Bobby Salazars on New Years Eve  when two people were hurt in a stabbing outside the bar  because Bobby Salazars no longer contracts with city police.

Two people were injured in a stabbing outside the Olive Avenue bar and restaurant about 1 a.m. New Years Day in a fight that started inside before spilling outside, according to police. Neither victim spoke with police.

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Salazar did not return requests for comment from The Bee. The last time his Tower District location paid for officers to be on site was in September 2023, according to records.

Fresno Police Department offers contract law enforcement to local business owners who want to pay for officers on the premises. The officers are in uniform and commonly use a police cruiser, which comes with an extra charge.

Fresno police confirmed through Lt. Larry Bowlan the last contract was for 10 nights in September 2023 for $6,993.20. That paid for two officers and a patrol car from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. every Friday and Saturday that month, according to the contract signed the previous month.

Salazars restaurant has remained eligible to request the policing despite his arrest in September of this year, police said. He faces arson and fraud charges after a fire at another restaurant location from April 2024 that investigators allege was set by a biker-gang member paid to do so by Salazar.

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The 63-year-old has pleaded not guilty.

The officers hired under contract policing work on a volunteer basis during hours they would normally be off the clock. They also only do police work, the contract notes, and dont act as bouncers, security guards or other business employees, according to police.

Contract policing is fairly common in Fresno, where officers can be seen under contract outside a Walmart or at an event at the Fresno Fairgrounds, to name a few examples.

Bobby Salazars Contract-Redacted by tmiller
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured by the United States over the weekend and removed from the country. He and his wife, Cilia Flores, were brought to New York, where on Monday, the ousted leader faced a U.S. District Court judge.

They were indicted on narcoterrorism charges as the Trump administration escalated its pressure campaign on Venezuela to curb the flow of drugs coming into the U.S.

Heres what you need to know and where things will go from here:

Legality of the attack and details of capture

President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Maduro had been captured and removed from Venezuela. He shared that the U.S. military had carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela to capture Maduro and Flores.

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The operation took about two hours, lasting into the very early hours of Saturday morning. It involved 150 aircraft that dismantled the Venezuelan air defenses so helicopters could land troops on the ground where Maduro was located, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Saturday.

Trump noted in his address that not a single U.S. life was lost and not one piece of military equipment was lost in the capture. He said the military was prepared to conduct a second wave that would have been much bigger had the first attempt to capture him been unsuccessful. Two U.S. officials told the Times that about half a dozen soldiers were injured in the attack.

At least 80 people were killed in the U.S. operation, the Times reported, and Cuban state media confirmed that 32 Cubans were among the dead.

The U.S. said the legal authority for the attack is similar to the nations justification for the invasion of Panama that led to the seizure of leader Manuel Antonio Noriega in 1990.

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Writing for The Free Press, Yale law professor Jed Rubenfeld said, Under current U.S. doctrine and precedent, what President Donald Trump just did in Venezuela is almost certainly legal; in fact, the U.S. did the very same thing in Panama four decades ago, and the courts upheld it after years of litigation and careful consideration. But Trumps plan to run Venezuela for the foreseeable future, declared at a press conference earlier today, is much murkier.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told George Stephanopoulos on ABCs This Week that telling Congress ahead of the operation wasnt necessary because this was not an invasion.

We didnt occupy a country. This was an arrest operation. This was a law enforcement operation, Rubio continued. (Maduro) was arrested on the ground in Venezuela by FBI agents, read his rights, and removed from the country.

People cross the Colombian-Venezuelan border, to Villa del Rosario, Colombia, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, two days after U.S. forces captured and removed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. | Santiago Saldarriaga

Maduro in New York jail

Maduro and his wife appeared in federal court on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty.

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Im innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country, he told the judge.

It was the start of a likely long legal battle over the leaders actions. Maduro was represented by attorney Barry J. Pollack, who secured the release of Julian Assange. It was a strategic hire by Maduro due to Pollacks success in related national security cases.

Pollack told the judge that Maduro is the head of a sovereign state and entitled to the privilege that the status should require. He said there were questions about the United States legality in abducting Maduro.

His next court date was set for March 17.

Why did the U.S. act?

Maduros capture came after months of escalation. The U.S. military has been targeting boats off Venezuelas coast since September and has killed more than 100 people.

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The Trump administration has said the strikes are an effort to curb the flow of fentanyl and other drugs into the U.S., and also to push back on foreign powers who were using the country to project strength in the American hemisphere. The administration has said the attacks were similar to targeting terrorists, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth comparing the alleged drug traffickers to al-Qaida.

Maria Corina Machado, who was named the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, was an opposition leader in Venezuela and tried to achieve a democratic transition of power with Maduro. She was barred by Maduro from running in 2024.

Maduro claimed he won the 2024 election without providing evidence. Many foreign countries declined to recognize him as the elected leader of Venezuela, including the United States.

When Machado publicized the vote counts that showed Maduro had clearly lost the race, she made international headlines and frustrated Maduro.

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Since the election, Machado has had to live in hiding out of fear of retaliation from the president. She was recently seen in Norway, where she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Maduros political rise to power was shaped by Hugo Chavez, the former president who died in 2013. Under both leaders poverty among Venezuelans became widespread, leading to mass migration out of the country. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, at least 7.9 million Venezuelans have fled.

Trump celebrated Maduros capture on Saturday and said there were many happy Venezuelans, including those who are in the U.S. and would wish to return to their home country.

Trump also shared that the military action will allow oil companies to tap into Venezuelas vast reserves and sell large amounts to other countries. Hegseth said in the press conference from Mar-a-Lago that the president was deadly serious about getting back the oil that was stolen from us.

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Vice President JD Vance also shared that the stolen oil must be returned to the United States.

Venezuela appropriated billions of dollars in American oil company assets after Chavez came to power.

New leader coming soon

After the attack, Trump said the United States would temporarily run and be in charge of Venezuela while a peaceful transfer of power happened.

Trump later suggested that his plans included pressure on Maduros vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, to hold elections.

We dont want to be involved with having somebody else get in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years, Trump said.

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Asked by the New York Post if helping run Venezuela meant U.S. troops would be deployed to the country, Trump said no, as long as the vice president does what we want.

Still, there is uncertainty about the legality of the U.S. possibly running Venezuela. A former State Department lawyer told The New York Times that if that happened, it would be like an illegal occupation under international law.

Trump was asked about the possibility of Machado being involved in the post-Maduro administration, and he said while she was a very nice woman, she doesnt have the support within or the respect within the country.

Trump has mentioned Venezuelan leader Edmundo Gonzalez, who is said to have won the 2024 election.

Reaction from other nations

Venezuelas allies, including Russia and China, condemned Maduros arrest. China said it was deeply shocked that the U.S. used force against a sovereign country and its leader. Iran said the strikes on Venezuela were a flagrant violation of Venezuelas sovereignty, the BBC reported.

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Allies of the U.S., however, supported the seizure. United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would shed no tears over seeing the Maduro regime fall.

Trump also appeared to set his sights on leaders other countries with similar issues. Aboard Air Force One, he told reporters that Colombia is run by a very sick man.

A sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And hes not going to be doing it very long, Trump said, not explaining what he meant by that statement when asked. He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. Hes not going to be doing it.

Asked if the U.S. would consider an operation in Colombia, the president replied it sounds good to me. You know why? Because they kill a lot of people.
Hi, friends! I'm Crystal, and I write the That Got Dark newsletter, BuzzFeed's weekly roundup of all things creepy, macabre, and horrible AF. And if you looooove this kind of content, you should subscribe !!!!!

Here's what the newsletter is covering this week:

Warning: Graphic content ahead, including stories of murder.

Related: I'll Reveal Which 2026 Wellness Trend You'll Be Obsessed With Based On The Holiday Party You Throw

1. The year has barely begun, and its already finding new ways to unsettle. Just a few weeks ago, a nightmare unfolded in San Jose, California, when grieving parents were allegedly given a bag from a mortuary that they believed held their sons clothesonly to discover it contained his brain instead.

ABC7 News Bay Area / Via youtube.com

According to a lawsuit, the family says the mistake wasnt uncovered until the bag was opened at home, turning what should have been a moment of closure into something deeply traumatic.

ABC7 News Bay Area / Via youtube.com

2. The Hello Kitty murder" case, which is not for the faint of heartor for fans of the adorable cartoon character.

VCG / VCG via Getty Images

In 1999, a 23-year-old nightclub hostess named Fan Man-yee was abducted in Hong Kong by three men after a dispute involving money. She was held captive in an apartment for several weeks, during which she was repeatedly beaten, sexually assaulted, and burned, ultimately dying from traumatic shock caused by the prolonged abuse.

South China Morning Post / SCMP / Getty Images

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The case became known by its disturbingly ironic name because the perpetrators attempted to conceal the victims remains inside a Hello Kitty stuffed doll. It only came to light after a 14-year-old girl connected to the group, who had been groomed by one of the men, went to the police.

South China Morning Post / SCMP / Getty Images

Related: My Innocence Died After Learning These Disturbing Truths

3. The existence of "creepy" town Moscow, Idaho.

Shunyu Fan / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Moscow has a cult-like church with thousands of followers. Their leader, a self-ordained pastor, has publicly stated he wants to take over the town and turn it into a theocracy. They are deeply misogynistic (marital rape isnt 'possible') and have a history of sexual abuse within their group. Their members keep running for local office and failing, but they are buying up all the property in town and moving in people from all over the country to attend their private school, theology college,' and church. Moscow also happens to be the town where the four University of Idaho students were murdered in 2022."

Submitted by BuzzFeed Community user Dessert_Hater

Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, led by Doug Wilson, is controversial because it promotes rigid conservative beliefs and has built an insular network of schools and institutions that critics and former members say exerts cult-like social control over the town.

DOMINIC GWINN / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Unrelated to the church controversies, in November 2022, four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho. A suspect, Bryan Kohberger, was arrested weeks later and charged with four counts of first-degree murder; the case was ultimately resolved in 2025, when Kohberger pleaded guilty as part of a deal to avoid the death penalty and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences, formally closing the case after years of public scrutiny.

Pool / Getty Images

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Related: 34 Terrible, Terrible, Terrible Wedding Guests Who Tried To Make The Wedding All About Them

4. This weird Wikipedia page about Alien hand syndrome

Getty Images

In something that sounds straight out of a sci-horror film, Alien Hand Syndrome is a rare neurological condition where your hand moves on its own, acting without your conscious control. It can grab objects, undo buttons, or interfere with everyday tasks, all while feeling completely foreign to the person attached to it. Usually caused by brain injury, stroke, or surgery, the condition leaves patients fully aware of whats happening and unable to stop it. Have fun worrying about that for the rest of your life!

5. This horrifying image of a ribbon worm attack.

In a nightmarish viral video , a person demonstrates how a ribbon worm attack can go from zero to 100 real fast. Apparently, they rapidly shoot out a sticky tube-like organ that ensnares or stabs its prey and injects paralyzing toxins. And now I need to go wash my eyes out with bleach.

6. Finally, the story of Carroll Cole, a drifter and serial killer who murdered at least five people across multiple states between the late 1970s and early 1980s, often targeting those he perceived as vulnerable or immoral. His crimes were marked by blunt violence and a disturbing lack of remorse, which he openly expressed during interrogations and at trial.

Nevada Department of Corrections / Via en.wikipedia.org

Related: These Are The Most Popular And Well-Known Logos Of All Time (Ever), But I Still Doubt You'll Know Them All

Cole was convicted of murder in Nevada and sentenced to death. He was executed by lethal injection in 1985 after waiving his appeals, reportedly stating that he believed the death penalty was appropriate for himself.

Wally McNamee / Corbis via Getty Images

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His last meal: Jumbo fried shrimp, clam chowder, and French fries, tossed salad with French dressing.

Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed

Do you have a weird, creepy, or shocking story you want to share? Perhaps theres a strange Wikipedia page you want to talk about? Tell me all about it at thatgotdark@buzzfeed.com, and who knows, maybe itll be featured in a future edition of That Got Dark!

Also in BuzzFeed: Only 1 In 20 Swifties Can Guess The Missing Word In These Taylor Swift Lyrics

Also in BuzzFeed: Just A Few WTF Facts And Stories That Shattered My Brain Into A Million Billion Pieces This Week

Also in BuzzFeed: 20 Wholesome Posts That Prove Humans Are Trying, And Honestly It Got To Me

Read it on BuzzFeed.com
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon will censure Senator Mark Kelly after he participated in a video urging members of the military to reject illegal orders.

The move comes after the president in November accused a group of six Democratic lawmakers in the video of SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!

In response to the video last year, Hegseth threatened to court-martial the combat veteran and demanded the Navy review Kellys actions for potentially unlawful misconduct.

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On Monday, the defense secretary announced the results of the review, which would not involve recalling Kelly back to service to face military court proceedings but would require administrative action.

Sen. Mark Kelly speaks at a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on December 1, 2025 to address what he described as intimidating actions by U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth after he participated in a video over

The Pentagon initiated retirement-grade determination proceedings to demote the Arizona lawmaker, according to Hegseth.

The military carries out such proceedings to determine the appropriate retirement grade for an officer. It typically takes place before retirement. Hegseth said the process would take place within 45 days.

Kelly retired as a Navy captain in 2011. A demotion could cut his retirement pay.

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The senator fired back in a statement where he noted his more than 25 years in the Navy, 39 combat missions and four missions to space.

Pete Hegseth wants to send the message to every single retired servicemember that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesnt like, they will come after them the same way, Kelly warned. Its outrageous and it is wrong. There is nothing more un-American than that.

Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly  and five other members of Congress  released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he  Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) January 5, 2026

Hegseth also announced that he issued a formal Letter of Censure as part of the process, which would be included in Kellys military personnel file.

The senator has been given 30 days to respond to the Defense Department.

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I will fight this with everything Ive got  not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump dont get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government, Kelly said in his statement.

The Democratic lawmaker has accused Trump of calling for his execution and perviously said he would not back down to threats by the president or Hegseth.

In November, the six lawmakers, all military veterans and former intelligence officers, appeared in a video urging service members to specifically reject illegal orders. The video did not clarify exactly what constituted an illegal order.

Despite the presidents series of Truth Social posts accusing the Democratic lawmakers of sedition, the White House insisted Trump,79, was not calling for their execution but that they should be held accountable.

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The clash sparked a series of attacks by Hegseth against Kelly on social media, as he issued a memo to the Navy secretary, calling for a review of the lawmakers conduct by mid-December.

Before joining the Trump administration, Hegseth himself said the U.S. military would not follow illegal orders, a message similar to the one Kelly delivered in the video.

The defense secretary and senator came face-to-face last month at a closed-door briefing on the Trump administrations targeting of alleged drug boats off the coast of Venezuela, where they reportedly clashed.

Kelly went on CNN after the briefing, where he said that Hegeth appeared to have prepared a speech for him at the briefing rather than wanting to answer his questions about the boat strikes. The senator said it showed how unserious Hegseth is.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is scheduled to travel to Newport News, Virginia, on January 5 as part of his ongoing Arsenal of Freedom tour, according to a Department of War announcement.

During the visit, Hegseth will tour shipbuilding facilities and a military recruiting station and administer the oath of enlistment to new recruits. The department said the tour is focused on highlighting the role of American manufacturing and workforce capacity in supporting national defense.

According to the announcement, the Arsenal of Freedom tour is intended to emphasize the importance of the Defense Industrial Base and its ability to supply the U.S. military efficiently and at scale. Officials said the initiative aligns with President Donald Trumps peace through strength agenda.

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The department said the tour will also promote changes to defense acquisition policy, including reducing bureaucratic delays, prioritizing speed and innovation, and encouraging a commercial-first approach to procurement. Officials described the goal as creating a more agile and accountable defense ecosystem capable of delivering equipment to warfighters more quickly.

The Newport News stop is part of a broader nationwide tour focused on manufacturing, workforce development, and defense readiness.
ROCKFORD, IL  Pay for teachers remains a major sticking point in negotiations between Rockford Public Schools and teachers for a new labor agreement, documents released Jan. 5. show.

Copies of the last, best and final offers of both the Rockford Education Association and the school district were posted on the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board website. Public notification of the final offers is required when the sides reach an impasse, officials said.

REA President Claudia Marshall said she is hopeful that talks this week lead to a breakthrough, but added that everyday that goes by without an agreement raises the specter of a potential strike. A strike authorization vote  which allow union leaders to declare a strike if they feel it necessary  could be coming Jan. 24 if nothing changes.

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"We hope miracles are made between now and Jan. 24," Marshall said. "We hope we don't have to take that strike vote. However, if things do not change in some drastic ways before then, that will be an option for the REA to make a decision on."

In addition to pay, teachers are also concerned with workloads, especially for special education teachers, and other provisions of the proposed contract.

Teachers are seeking a 5.5% pay increase annually in a proposed three-year contract. Rockford Public Schools is offering a 4% increase in year one, 3.5% in year two and 3% in year three.

District officials say their offer is on top of increases teachers get for years of service and education. The district says its offer represents a $48 million investment in teacher salaries.

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A beginning teacher is paid $47,958 in Rockford, which is $43,642 take-home after his or her contributions toward retirement. Under the district's offer, a starting teacher's base salary would rise to $53,171, roughly $48,386 after deductions by year three of the district's proposed contract.

But teachers union officials argue that Rockford has the third largest school system in the state. Of the 18 largest in the state, the REA says the district is 16th in starting teacher pay. Nearby, although Rockford starting pay is higher than the $43,976 paid to starting teachers in Belvidere, but it lags behind the $50,370 paid in the Hononegah school district and the $59,499 paid in Elgin.

The REA also says a veteran Rockford teacher making $100,912 a year at the top of the pay scale would make $112,781 in Belvidere, $118,466 in Hononegah and $127,179 in Elgin.

Rockford School Board President Paul Carpenter said he hopes to resolve the dispute in the best interests of teachers and the community, avoiding a potential teachers strike. But he said the district also must protect the interests of taxpayers. He said although the sides have submitted their final offers, that isn't necessarily the final word.

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"We all want a fair contract for our teachers, students and community," Carpenter said. "There can still be negotiations after this."

Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford Public Schools and teachers are locked in contract dispute
HONG KONG, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, WikiFX released its latest global forex broker rankings, offering users worldwide an updated perspective on the industry. The list highlights each broker's influence, overall competitiveness, and recent developments, helping traders make more informed decisions in a rapidly evolving market.

In China, the top 10 list features established international names such as FXCM, FOREX.com, AvaTrade, XM, IC Markets, GTCFX, Vantage, Startrader, TMGM and KCM Trade. Meanwhile, in Thailand and Vietnam, prominent brokers including AvaTrade, FXCM, StarTrader, XM, Exness, EC Market, Neex, PU Prime, Interactive, Saxo and KCM Trade were also recognised among the leading performers.

These rankings signal each firm's increasing prominence in competitive markets where quality trading conditions, advanced technology, and client support are critical differentiators. They also reflect the rising expectations of traders across Asia, who are seeking more transparent, reliable, and resource-rich platforms to support their long-term growth.

KCM Trade's AI Mentor in Context

KCM Trade has been making significant strides in the Asia-Pacific trading landscape, with the industry rankings underscoring its growing influence. The company was placed among the top 10 brokers in China and ranked within the top 15 in both Thailand and Vietnam. Analysts note that KCM Trade's performance highlights its ability to meet the needs of a diverse trader base across multiple regions, particularly in markets where user education and platform trust remain essential.

Industry commentators also note KCM Trade's rising prominence in these competitive markets. A key contributor to this momentum is the company's introduction of its proprietary AI Mentor in 2025, an intelligent educational assistant designed to enhance the trading experience. Reflecting the broader trend of integrating artificial intelligence into trading platforms, the AI Mentor supports user learning and decision-making by offering personalised, real-time guidance. This helps traders build confidence, navigate market volatility, and refine their strategies in an increasingly complex environment.

A Blend of Reliability and Innovation

KCM Trade's regional recognition, combined with its investment in AI-driven support, highlights a broader industry trend in which brokers distinguish themselves not only through execution quality but also through education and technology. Observers suggest that this dual focusbalancing established reliability with innovative toolspositions KCM Trade as an emerging holistic partner for traders across Asia.
South Dakota's congressional delegation reacted positively after Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was captured by U.S. military forces in a Jan. 3 surprise attack.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, were captured at their home in Venezuela and brought to the U.S., where they are set to be arraigned on a four-count indictment linking them to a 25-year narco-terrorism conspiracy, USA TODAY reported.

Maduro is scheduled to appear in a New York federal court Jan. 5, according to the District Court for the Southern District of New York media office. He was accused in the indictment of involvement in a conspiracy to ship tons of cocaine to the U.S. over decades. He arrived in New York late in the evening Jan. 3 and is being held in a detention facility.

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He was charged along with his wife, son and top members of his administration. The indictment also seeks to seize any belongings that resulted from the alleged criminal conspiracy.

In Rapid City, dozens of protesters gathered in response to the news, worried the situation could mean more U.S. involvement in Venezuela, KOTA reported.

Here's how South Dakota's political leaders reacted to Maduro's capture.

Related: Jackley weighs legislation to deter prison drug smuggling

Senate Majority Leader John Thune

In a statement released on social media, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said "Maduro, the cartel he leads, and other cartels in Latin America have (for years) trafficked drugs into the United States, which have killed hundreds of thousands of Americans."

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"President Trumps decisive action to disrupt the unacceptable status quo and apprehend Maduro, through the execution of a valid Department of Justice warrant, is an important first step to bring him to justice for the drug crimes for which he has been indicted in the United States," Thune said.

Thune also said he spoke to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and hopes to receive "further briefings from the administration on this operation as part of its comprehensive counternarcotics strategy."

Sen. Mike Rounds

In his statement, Sen. Mike Rounds  who faces an election this year  described Maduro as an "illegitimate leader and an indicted narcoterrorist."

"His support of the cartels in Venezuela killed thousands of Americans over several years," Rounds said. "President Trump and his team have taken decisive action to bring him to justice. This will make our communities safer and further secure our border from the flow of illegal drugs."

Rep. Dusty Johnson

Rep. Dusty Johnson also called Maduro an "illegitimate leader" in a statement on social media, saying the Venezuelan president had been "arrested by United States defense and law enforcement forces for facilitating the trafficking of deadly drugs."

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"Our Armed Forces and federal law enforcement did a phenomenal job executing this warrant, and Im glad they are all safe," Johnson said.

Johnson said he expects to be briefed on the operation in the near future and hopes to learn more about the "administrations next steps for Venezuela and efforts to end the deadly flow of drugs into our country."

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden praised President Donald Trump for "strong, decisive leadership" in a Facebook post after Maduro's capture.

"Oftentimes, the best work is done quietly, behind the scenes and the effort becomes obvious only after the result has been achieved," Rhoden said. "President Trump achieved that in Venezuela."

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley

In a Jan. 3 news release, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley commended "President Donald J. Trump and the United States Armed Forces for their decisive and courageous action in capturing Nicolas Maduro and his wife."

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"This historic operation, carried out in coordination with U.S. law enforcement, marks a significant step in the fight against narcoterrorism and sends a clear message that the United States will not tolerate the trafficking of illicit drugs that threaten the safety and well-being of our citizens," Jackley said.

South Dakota Democratic Party

In a Jan. 3 Facebook post, the South Dakota Democratic Party made a brief statement on Maduro's capture.

"Without consulting Congress, this so-called 'peace president' is plunging us into a needless war to take Venezuelas oil  and were footing the bill," the party said.

USA TODAY reporter Sarah D. Wire contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: How did South Dakota political leaders react to Maduro's capture?
The new restaurant at 83 Church St. in Burlington is the old restaurant at 83 Church St. in Burlington.

Pascolo Ristorante, which occupied that subterranean, grotto-like space within the Church Street Marketplace from 2014 to 2023, reopened there Jan. 2. The Italian restaurant had spent the intervening years in the high-profile spot at Church and College streets where Sweetwaters used to be.

Jed Davis, who runs The Farmhouse Group of restaurants that includes Pascolo Ristorante, said customers drove the recent relocation.

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Our guests just say that they miss the old space, he said, and I miss it too.

Davis said the move has nothing to do with a lack of success at the former Sweetwaters location. Its not that it didnt work. It was a profitable entity, he said of the larger, above-ground space with high ceilings at Church and College.

Pascolo Ristorante at 83 Church St. in Burlington on Jan. 5, 2026.

They (customers) miss the cozy, more intimate environment at 83 Church St., according to Davis.

He said the move also had nothing to do with concerns he and other restaurateurs have expressed with the impact of public safety concerns and street reconstruction in downtown Burlington.

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Many of the 40 to 50 part- and full-time workers at the 120 Church St. location have made the move north, Davis said. Pascolo's new location, he said, has about 20 fewer seats than the former Sweetwaters location, which had seating for about 150 patrons when it opened in early 2023.

Before the recent return of Pascolo to the 83 Church St. location, the storefront briefly housed an outlet of the Rikos Thin Crust Pizza chain. That shut down last summer.

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Pascolo Ristorante in Burlington goes back to old Church Street spot
High tides and heavy rains have flooded parts of the Bay Area, prompting road closures and rescues of people trapped in cars.

Five northern counties remained under a flood watch, with up to 3in (7.6cm) of rain possible through Monday night in areas that have been drenched off and on since around Christmas, said the National Weather Service office in Eureka. At least a foot (0.3 meters) of snow was likely in the mountains.

A king tide, a term for the highest predicted tide of a year at a coastal location, caused floodwaters to rise to 2.56ft on Saturday in San Francisco, the highest since 1998, the SFGate reported.

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This is near record for the San Francisco Bay Area, Rachel Kennedy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the news organization.

More rain is expected in northern California over the next day, and the National Weather Service issued a coastal flood advisory for the Bay Area that remains in effect until 3pm on Monday.

On Saturday, the San Francisco fire department rescued an adult in the water clinging to a rope, the citys emergency management department posted on social media.

Some people kayaked along swamped streets, while others waded through water above their knees. Authorities were called to assist when cars got stuck in water as high as 3ft and 4ft, Marin county sheriffs Sgt Michael Dobbins said on Saturday.

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Related: Flooding forces hundreds to flee homeless shelter in San Diego

Ive been around here for the King Tides and Ive never seen it this high. Never, Jeremy Hager of San Rafael told KTVU-TV.

Flooding was reported across Marin, Sonoma, Alameda, San Mateo and San Francisco counties.

Colin McCarthy, a storm chaser who operates the @US_Stormwatch account on X, shared footage of water rushing through San Carlos, 25 miles south of San Francisco, on Sunday afternoon.

Its the worst Ive ever seen it, Julia Pfahl, a 36-year-old who works at a local surf shop, told the San Franscisco Chronicle. Everyone is in a panic, no one knows how to drive in it  I saw a car by the Holiday Inn  with water up to its windows. Did you really think you could drive through that?

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Southern California has also seen recent heavy rain cause flooding and mudslides. Hundred had to flee a homeless shelter in San Diego this week because of flooding.

Farther south in Santa Barbara county, a key highway was reopened on Sunday after it was blocked for most of the weekend near Goleta due to a series of mudslides. A man died after he was swept into a creek during the storm, the sheriffs office said on Saturday.

Parts of Santa Barbara county received more than 4in of rain over two days, the weather service said on Sunday. The heavy rainfall caused all flights into and out of the Santa Barbara airport to be canceled after several runways flooded.

Rain is also forecasted to continue in the southern part of the state through Tuesday.

Millions in Southern California are living through one of the wettest starts to winter on record, McCarthy wrote.

The Associated Press contributed reporting
Federal immigration officials accused Hilton Hotels of denying service to Department of Homeland Security law enforcement officers in Minnesota, an allegation that the hotel chain had yet to address publicly as of the publication date.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a post on X that Hilton properties in the Minneapolis area had engaged in a coordinated campaign to cancel reservations made by DHS personnel using official government email addresses and rates.

The agency alleged the cancellations were deliberate and targeted at officers involved in immigration enforcement.

NO ROOM AT THE INN!@HiltonHotels has launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement. When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations. This is pic.twitter.com/qKMKypGtzi  Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 5, 2026

This is UNACCEPTABLE. Why is Hilton Hotels siding with murderers and rapists to deliberately undermine and impede DHS law enforcement from their mission to enforce our nations immigration laws? continued Homeland Securitys January 5 post on X.

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The post quickly garnered about 1.8 million views and included screenshots of emails that DHS said were sent by hotel representatives. One message stated, After further investigation online, we have found information about immigration work connected with your name and we will be cancelling your upcoming reservation.

Another email, attributed to a Hampton Inn Lakeville property, said, We have noticed an influx of GOV reservations made today that have been for DHS, and we are not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property.

DHS has not released additional documentation beyond the screenshots, and it remains unclear whether the alleged actions were limited to specific independently owned properties or reflected a broader corporate directive. Hilton operates largely through franchised hotels that are independently owned and managed, though they are subject to brand standards.

The allegations come amid stepped-up immigration enforcement activity in the Twin Cities area, according to a report from Mediaite.

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The Dallas Express reached out to Hilton for comment on the DHS allegations but did not receive a response.

Hiltons media representative has previously stated that it does not support the use of its hotels for the detainment of migrants.

In a press release issued in July 2020 and reiterated in September 2020, the company said, We believe that hotels should be places of hospitality, and the detainment of migrants, including minors, is not activity that we support or in any way want associated with our hotels. That statement focused on housing detained migrants, not lodging for law enforcement personnel, and followed an apparent episode in Texas.

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation website, a separate philanthropic entity, has also publicly supported refugee and migrant initiatives globally, though it operates independently from Hiltons hotel management and business decisions.

As of January 5, DHS officials had not announced any formal action against Hilton, and Hilton had not publicly confirmed or denied the agencys specific claims.
Hundreds of Venezuelans gathered on Sunday in Orlando to pray for their country one day after President Nicolas Maduro was removed and captured in a U.S. military operation.

At the First Baptist Church of Orlando, Venezuelans celebrated, sang, prayed over their flag and gleefully chanted their national anthem  many through tears  for a nearly two-hour long vigil. The auditorium full of Venezuelans erupted in applause and cheers after pastor Israel Martin said the end of Maduros reign had arrived.

This is a day to pray for the future of Venezuela, Martin said in Spanish. Friends and brothers, there is no longer a tyrant leading Venezuela.

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While many agreed that removing Maduro was the first step, they said it would take years to reconstruct the once prosperous Venezuela, and some are still uncertain of its future.

As Maduro was held in custody in New York, President Donald Trump on Saturday said at a news conference the U.S. would run the South American country with the help of the vice president and now interim president, Delcy Rodriguez. But one day later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to pivot and instead told CBS News in an interview that the U.S. will keep a quarantine on Venezuelan oil exports as leverage on the new administration. He also did not rule out the possibility that U.S. soldiers could be sent to occupy Venezuela, saying the president has the ability and right to do so.

William Diaz, the founder of Casa de Venezuela, a nonprofit with groups across the United States, helped put together the vigil. Diaz said he wished the U.S. operation would have taken out not only Maduro but more people who upheld his regime.

The decision to leave the country with the VP, which is the VP of Maduro, you say, Well, whats going on here?  Diaz said. But this is a first step.

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Now Diaz, who left Venezuela 36 years ago, said he hopes Rodriguez will call for a new election within the next 30 days to usher in a new leadership that is democratically elected.

When we are really free, were going to be in Venezuela.  That is our hope, Diaz said.

Marali Rubio left Venezuela eight years ago. Her mother died in Venezuela during the COVID-19 pandemic and she was unable to say goodbye, she said. Wrapped in a Venezuelan flag at the vigil, Rubio said through tears that she had faith this day would come.

I have compassion for him [Maduro] even though he did not have that for us and an entire nation of people, Rubio said in Spanish. There is still a lot of uncertainty for those who are left in Venezuela but we are so happy.

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Rubio fled Venezuela after being persecuted for protesting the Maduro administration but has built a new life in the U.S., marrying her Puerto Rican husband in Orlando and bringing her two children from Venezuela.

I would love with all my heart to visit my country, but I have made a new life here and my mom is no longer with us, Rubio said about returning to live in Venezuela. The U.S. intervention is the first step to reconstruct Venezuela.  But its going to take time.

Donalis Montilla, her husband Alexis Oliva and their son Diego Oliva, who donned a t-shirt with Venezuela printed in large letters across it, walked out of the vigil with smiles on their faces.

I think there is still more left to do because the leadership was large but they took out the ringleader, Montilla said. But today we thank God  and one of the first things that I thought of was that I could go back to visit my country, which makes me emotional.

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Montilla said her family moved to the U.S. roughly 11 years ago after being threatened and held hostage inside their home in Venezuela.

We have not been back because we are so scared, even though we have legal status that allows us to go in and out of the U.S., Montilla said. Our whole family is here  but I would never say there is no possibility of us spending our final years back in Venezuela.

________
Jan. 4 (UPI) -- The International Bar Association on Sunday expressed concerns over the United States military intervention in Venezuela, stating it "raises serious questions under international law."

The United States removed Venezuela's authoritarian president, Nicolas Maduro, and arrested his wife on Saturday in a clandestine military operation following months of speculation amid a U.S. military build in the region.

The Trump administration has framed its military action as a law enforcement operation as Maduro was indicted in the United States on narco-terrorism and drug conspiracy charges in 2020.

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While Maduro's claim to the presidency has been challenged for years following widely disregarded elections, his arrest in Venezuela by the United States has drawn allegations, including from ally France, that his detainment is illegal under international law.

In a statement emailed to UPI on Sunday night, the International Bar Association, the world's largest association of lawyers, said it "expresses concern" over the U.S. military action in the South American country, while citing the United Nations Charter, which prohibits intervention in matters within domestic jurisdiction, the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

"Measures or policies aimed at coercing political change in another state, when undertaken outside internationally recognized legal frameworks, are inconsistent with these obligations and risk normalizing conduct that international law was designed to prevent," the IBA said.

"Even in the face of ongoing reprehensible conduct by state leaders, adherence to international law remains essential to preserving the integrity of the rules-based international order."

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Maduro is a long-time foe of U.S. President Donald Trump, who tried to oust the South American leader during his first term.

During his reign as Venezuela's leader, Maduro has been accused of committing human rights violations against his own people, millions of whom have left the country over the last decade.

The IBA said it is aware of the allegations and conduct of Maduro's regime that have led to widespread suffering and that they warrant "robust scrutiny and accountability both under domestic and international law, pursued through lawful mechanisms, including international or independent domestic judicial processes."

"The IBA encourages a democratic transition in Venezuela that respects the rule of law," it said.
These incitement messages take place against the backdrop of a move by Defense Minister Israel Katz to try to close Army Radio by March 1.

The IDF Spokesperson's office on Monday condemned incitement graffiti messages sprayed the Army Radio building in Jaffa.

One part of the graffiti read, The head of the snake, the High Court of Justice, the prosecutors office, the Police Investigations Department, the secular heresy must be removed.

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Another part of the graffiti, with spelling errors, stated, Your time is limited, your days are numbered.

The IDF called the threats grave and improper incitement actions against those serving in the IDF, which must be completely condemned.

Further, the military said that it demanded that law enforcement  likely referencing the police-based assumption that thegraffiti sprayers were Israeli civilians  to bring the lawbreakers to justice.

An Israeli soldier serving at Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) holds a microphone in Jerusalem, December 22, 2025. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

These incitement messages take place against the backdrop of a move by Defense Minister Israel Katz to try to close Army Radio by March 1. Katz has been pressing to close Army Radio since he obtained government approval on December 22. Subsequently, the High Court froze the process pending a final ruling on the merits of the legal issues in dispute.

Katz obtained government approval to close Army Radio in December

According to the defense minister, Army Radio has been politically biased against the government, and the concept of a military media outlet is obsolete and infrequent in democracies.

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Supporters of Army Radio say that Katz and the government want to close Army Radio simply to cut off independent thought and criticism from the media, noting other executive and legislative moves that the cabinet has tried to take against critical media reporting.

Further, they add that there are intermediate steps, such as diversifying the political views expressed by the outlet or eliminating political reporting but keeping other news reporting, which could be agreed to in place of a full closure of the outlet.
The soldier documented in the video acted contrary to procedures, firing unprofessionally and not following orders, the IDF stated in response to the 'Post 's request for comment.

The IDF will take action against a soldier who was filmed firing his weapon into Gaza to celebrate the New Year, the military told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

The soldier documented in the video acted contrary to procedures, firing unprofessionally and not following orders, the IDF stated in response to the incident. The incident will be investigated in depth. Accordingly, steps will be taken against the soldier involved in the incident based on the findings.

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Footage of the incident showed the soldier firing a light machine gun, spraying bullets at a target not shown in the video.

Previous incident of IDF soldiers acting unprofessionally

The incident follows another recent documented incident of IDF soldiers acting unprofessionally when paratrooper commanders and soldiers vandalized Palestinian cars in the West Bank village of Dir Debuan in late December.

IDF troops operate in Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip, January 4, 2026. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

On Tuesday, the IDF announced that it sentenced the ringleaders in the incident to between 20 and 30 days in military prison for their roles in the incident.

Despite the sentence, none of the soldiers involved were expelled from the IDF. Still, the platoon commanders involved were expected to be relegated to desk jobs.
According to the military, the demolition notice was delivered after security forces completed the sealing of the attackers home.

The IDF has issued a demolition order for the home of the terrorist who killed two people in a combined terror attack in northern Israel in December, the military confirmed on Monday.

The attack, carried out across multiple locations, resulted in the murder of Shimshon Mordechai, 68, and Aviv Maor, 16. Several additional civilians were wounded.

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According to the military, the demolition notice was delivered once security forces had completely sealed off the attackers home. The IDF said the action was part of measures approved after operational and legal review.

Combined terror attack killed two, wounded others

Near Beit Shean, the terrorist car-rammed Maoz, who later succumbed to his wounds. The murderer then fled in a vehicle, stopping on Route 71 to fatally stab Kibbutz Ein Harod member Mordechai.

The terrorist continued driving before being neutralized outside Afula.

When we arrived at the scene, we saw the boy [Maor] sitting inside a car, conscious and suffering from injuries to his limbs. Daniel Mousai, a Magen David Adom EMT, said. Citizens who were there told us that he had been hit by a fleeing vehicle, and they helped him in the first moments.

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Mousai recalled that just as they were loading Maor into an ambulance for him to be taken to the hospital, they received a report of an unconscious, wounded person on a nearby street.

I immediately got to him and saw [Mordechai], a 68-year-old man, lying on the side of the road, suffering from a serious chest injury. Together with the intensive care unit team, we provided medical treatment and performed CPR, but his injury was fatal, and we had to pronounce him dead on the spot.

Tzvi Jasper and Gadi Zaig contributed to this report.
India is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets.

IndiGo and Air India, which together hold over 90% of the market, have ordered nearly 1,500 planes over the next decade, highlighting soaring passenger demand.

This expansion hinges on Boeing and Airbus, which together supply 86% of the world's aircraft and faced "historically high" delivery backlogs in 2024 - delays expected to affect Indian orders too.

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This has revived an old question: should India try to build its own passenger planes?

The prospect drew attention in October, when India and Russia signed an initial agreement in Moscow to manufacture the SJ-100 passenger plane in India, raising hopes for domestic aircraft production.

But is the Russia deal a solution? Its joint manufacturing plan still faces many hurdles before coming to fruition.

India is among the world's fastest growing aviation markets [Getty Images]

The SJ-100 is a twin-engine aircraft that can carry up to 103 passengers and is already in service with several Russian airlines, according to its manufacturer, United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).

Delhi has described the aircraft as a "game changer" and plans to use it for short-haul routes. But experts have questioned the project's cost and feasibility - much of which is still unclear.

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One of the biggest concerns is whether the Russian firm would be able to rapidly set up and scale production in India.

The aircraft's manufacturer says it delivered around 200 SJ-100 aircraft between 2008 and 2020. But that trajectory shifted in 2022 when Russia launched its war against Ukraine.

Western sanctions cut off key spare parts, forcing the company to replace about 40 systems and operate an "import-substituted" version in 2023. Europe's aviation safety regulator withdrew the aircraft's certification, effectively banning the SJ-100 and other Russian planes from its airspace.

India has long aimed to build passenger aircraft domestically but has achieved only limited success.

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In 1959, the government set up the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) to develop "small and medium-sized civil aircraft".

The facility has developed the two-seater Hansa and five-seater trainer planes, but larger passenger aircraft remain out of reach.

In the 1960s, India built passenger planes under foreign licenses. State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) produced dozens of UK-designed Avro 748 jets, used by both commercial airlines and the military before being phased out.

In the 1980s, India partnered with German firm Dornier to produce a 19-seat passenger jet, some of which still serve the military and limited civil routes.

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With the momentum going, India has also tried to ingeniously design its own small passenger planes.

Thousands of passengers were stranded across airports after IndiGo cancelled flights last month [Hindustan Times via Getty Images]

In 2000, India also signed an agreement with Russia for help in manufacturing the NAL's 15-seater Saras aircraft. The plane made its maiden flight in May 2004, but the project was stalled in 2009 after three pilots were killed during an accident involving its second prototype.

The project was revived by the Indian government years later with the next prototype Saras MK2, a 19-seater plane, but it is still awaiting certification.

Another such project, the Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA) has also seen very little progress through the years. Feasibility reports for the 90-seater, comparable to the Russian SJ-100, were submitted in 2011, with little progress since.

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Aviation experts say aircraft manufacturing in India has faced hurdles for a long time now.

Dr Abhay Pashilkar, director of NAL, points that the "lack of large domestic demand" until recently, along with a shortage of highly skilled manpower and a small domestic manufacturing ecosystem, has held back growth in the sector.

The way out, he adds, is "to engage with Indian as well as global manufacturers".

So, could the SJ-100 project indeed be a game-changer?

For now, it appears so.

The plan offers a "practical approach" as India's own projects are nowhere near completion, says Gopal Sutar, former spokesperson of the HAL.

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For Moscow as well, wider acceptance of the SJ-100 would prove that they could make a civil aircraft without western technology.

While the deal comes with clear trade-offs and leaves questions about the future of India's aviation manufacturing ambitions, experts like Mr Sutar argue that Russia's role as a "steadfast supporter" of India remains key.

"Sanctions could pose challenges, but that would have been factored in by both countries," he said.

Aircraft availability is only part of India's aviation challenge; rapid expansion also hinges on trained crews.

Earlier this month, IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights due to "poor planning of pilot rosters," leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded for hours or even days.

Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook.
WASHINGTON/HOUSTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The Trump administration did not consult with oil companies Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, or Chevron Corp about Venezuela before or after U.S. forces captured the South American countrys president Nicolas Maduro Jan. 3, according to four oil industry executives familiar with the matter.

That contradicts President Donald Trump's assertion aboard Air Force One on Sunday that he had spoken to all of the U.S. oil companies "before and after" Maduros capture about his plans for investing in the country.

"Nobody in those three companies has had conversations with the White House about operating in Venezuela, pre-removal or post-removal to this point," one of the sources said.

The three other sources also said the three companies had no prior knowledge about the U.S. operation to seize Maduro, and had held no conversations with the Trump administration about investing there as of Sunday.

The sources asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Sheila Dang; Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) Lawmakers are expected to discuss and debate hundreds of new laws. Of those laws, State Representatives Wendy McNamara and Alex Burton are introducing their own legislation.

McNamara will introduce bills about increasing the penalty for battery of healthcare and school employees and stricter regulation of virtual currency kiosks due to people being scammed by the machines.

Burton will introduce legislation for the Department of Child Services but says he is focusing on getting District 77 State Resources.

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Both representatives say they believe one of the biggest issues impacting the state are utility rates. McNamara says that utility rates are going to be a major talking point in the chamber. Burton says he is planning to be a strong advocate.-

McNamara says a majority of the bills this session have bi-partisan support.

More from DeOnta Bush

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Copyright 2026 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 Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW).
NEW DELHI (AP)  Indias Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to two Muslim student activists who have spent years in detention without trial over a conspiracy case linked to one of the countrys deadliest outbreaks of religious violence.

Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were arrested five years ago under Indias harsh state security law and accused of conspiring to incite the communal violence that swept parts of Delhi in February 2020. The riots left 53 people dead, most of them Muslims, and took place amid massive months-long protests against a controversial 2019 citizenship law that critics said discriminated against Muslims.

While bail was granted to the other five accused in the same case, the court noted that Khalid and Imam had a central role in the conspiracy." It also said that the delay in their trial was not a sufficient ground for granting them bail.

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Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stand on a qualitatively different footing as compared to other accused, the Supreme Court said in its verdict, according to Bar and Bench, a legal news website.

The two student activists were a leading voice in nationwide protests against the citizenship law, which marked one of the most significant challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modis Hindu nationalist government. Their detention has been widely seen as emblematic of a broader crackdown on dissent under Modi, drawing criticism from rights groups over the use of anti-terror laws against activists and student leaders.

In the months following the riots, police charged several activists and organizers, including Khalid and Imam, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, that in the past was used only to quell violent insurgencies but under Modi has been largely used to silence political opposition. Activists and other dissenters targeted under the law can be held in pretrial detention almost indefinitely, often resulting in years of detention until the completion of trial.

Prosecutors representing the Delhi police had strongly opposed Khalid and Imams bail request, arguing that the violence was not a spontaneous outbreak but a deliberate plot intended to tarnish Indias global image, and that they made provocative speeches and instigated violence. Khalid and Imams lawyers argue that there is no evidence linking them to the violence and deny the charges against them.

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Dozens of other Muslims were also charged in similar cases related to the riots and held under prolonged detention. Some of those cases later unraveled because police were unable to provide evidence linking many detainees to the riots.

Last week, eight U.S. lawmakers wrote to Indias ambassador in Washington expressing concern over Khalids prolonged pretrial detention. They urged Indian authorities to grant him a fair and timely trial.

International human rights groups have also repeatedly urged Khalid and Imams release, saying their detention suppresses dissent and breaches fundamental legal protections.

Amnesty International in a statement last year said Khalids imprisonment without trial exemplifies derailment of justice and is emblematic of a broader pattern of repression faced by those who dare to exercise their rights to freedom of expression.
As the newest superintendent to take the reins in Seattle, Ben Shuldiner is outlining his priorities and how hell measure success in the first year.

First and foremost on his priority list is safety.

How can you send your child to a school district if you dont feel your childs going to be safe? Shuldiner asked.

KIRO 7 reporter Linzi Sheldon asked him what he plans to do to evaluate how to improve safety and security at SPS.

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Theres all sorts of  whats considered gold standard safety and security things that a school district can do, he said. And what I see in Seattle is that you are approaching that but not there.

SPS has seen recent tragedies. Twelve-year-old Arsema Barekew was killed by a rolling, unattended car in March.

Seventeen-year-old Amarr Murphy-Paine was shot dead outside Garfield High School in June of 2024.

In September of 2025, the SPS board voted against bringing a school engagement officer into Garfield High.

So what does Shuldiner think can make schools safer?

Youre talking about fencing, he said. Youre talking about cameras. Youre talking about security vestibules. Youre talking about metal detectors in the high schools.

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But adding metal detectors can be controversial.

How do you respond to those concerns about metal detectors? Sheldon asked.

What we do in Lansing is not necessarily what were going to do in Seattle, Shuldiner said. But what we did in Lansing is we talked to the families. We said, What do you want? We talked to the kids.

Shuldiner pointed out that people pass through metal detectors at concerts and sporting events all the time. He said these could be run by school staff that students know and have relationships with.

My job is to come to Seattle and say, Hey, look, here are a lot of options, he said. We need to do something. Where are we as a community?

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Shuldiner is coming to Seattle from the Lansing School District in Michigan. SPS is about five times the size when it comes to the student population.

What makes you ready to handle a bigger district? Sheldon asked.

The cool thing and the great thing about school districts is that kids are kids, teachers are teachers, schools are schools, he said. And when you have the right systems and structures in place, you can really move the needle at any size.

Shuldiner does have experience in large cities: he sat on the New York City school board and served as a principal in that system, as well. He described serving as head of a leadership program at Hunter College that helped train principals and superintendents.

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So Ive had a lot of experience with very large districts as well as Lansing, he said.

His job also involves balancing the books. That means going through the budget line by line, job by job, looking for impact and overlap.

What Ive seen, and again Im not the superintendent yet, but Ive been in a lot of meetings and Ive looked at a lot of the budget, is-- what I see is a lot of inefficiencies, he said.

In the Lansing School District, Shuldiner increased graduate rates from 62% to 88% over three years.

Its not rocket science, he said.

He created what he calls graduation specialists who had relationships with every child who needed to graduate, their families, and their teachers.

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Once a month, we bring all of our graduation specialists together and they meet with me and a district graduation specialist, he said. Literally, we will put on the screen names of children that are behind in credits and well say, What are you doing for that child?

Its something he told KIRO 7 he would consider in Seattle as well. He said the approach is similar in improving attendance rates.

Whats happening at the individual school at the individual level, maybe its a school bus issue, he said.

Theres a lot on Shuldiners plate in his first year.

In his first three months, students can expect to see him walking their halls.

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My plan is to be in every school in the first 100 days, he said.

In addition to the school boards requirements, he said hell grade himself on attendance rates, graduation rates, and safety and security.

Those are our big three, he said.

Shuldiner said hell also be taking a closer look at staff and ensuring everyone is in the right place.

And then of course, the last thing is, we cant be 100 million in the hole, he said.
The warning was issued recently against the backdrop of the opening of contacts between Israel and Syria.

Iran is working together with additional hostile elements to assassinate Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, IDF sources warn.

The warning was issued recently against the backdrop of the opening of contacts between Israel and Syria. It also comes amid rising regional tensions and is based on security intelligence indicating that Sharaa faces real threats and has been forced to invest significant efforts in protecting himself and stabilizing his regime.

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It also comes as the defense establishment emphasizes that the lessons of October 7 require insistence on an IDF presence on Syrian territory. According to the security establishments position, this presence is defined as a primary shield for communities along the Israeli-Syrian border.

Walla has learned that in recent months, several discussions have taken place under the leadership of Defense Minister Israel Katz with the participation of senior defense establishment officials. At the end of the discussions, it was decided that the establishments position is that there should be no withdrawal from Syrian territory and the Mount Hermon region.

A senior IDF security source said that the army's senior officials endorsed the defense minister's position on the matter.

A screenshot of a pre-recorded message by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from a hidden location. (credit: SCREENSHOT/X)

The IDF's three operational zones in Syria

According to IDF sources, government policy divides Israeli activity in Syria into three main areas. The first is the security zone on the line of contact, where IDF troops operate in the area of the international Israeli-Syrian border, with the aim of directly protecting the nearby communities, as well as deeper into the State of Israel.

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The second area is the security zone, which includes Syrian territory within approximately 15 km of the Israeli border. This area contains villages, towns, and traffic routes, and the IDF is working to prevent the entry and establishment of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure.

The third area is the area of influence, which extends from southern Sweida to the outskirts of Damascus. This area is defined as a demilitarized zone where Israel monitors what is happening, with the aim of preventing the entry of hostile elements, the introduction of advanced weapons systems, or the establishment of military bases.
ROME, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Italys antitrust authority has ended an investigation into the Chinese AI system DeepSeek for allegedly failing to warn users that it may produce false information, agreeing to binding commitments as a condition for closing the case.

The Italian regulator, known as the AGCM, which also polices consumer rights, had launched the investigation last June.

The decision was announced in the AGCM's regular weekly bulletin published on Monday.

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The commitments proposed by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence and Beijing DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence, which jointly own and operate DeepSeek, consist of a package of measures aimed at improving disclosures about the risk of 'hallucinations' - situations in which, based on a given input from a user, the AI model generates one or more outputs containing inaccurate, misleading, or fabricated information.

"The commitments presented by DeepSeek make disclosures about the risk of hallucinations easier, more transparent, intelligible, and immediate," the AGCM bulletin said.

(Reporting by Cristina CarlevaroEditing by Claudia Cristoferi and Keith Weir)
Two months after Hurricane Melissa caused widespread damage to homes and key infrastructure as it battered Jamaica with terrifying winds and storm surges, a crucial part of the economy is showing signs of recovery: tourism.

Since the storm, more than 445,000 visitors have traveled to the island, injecting $475 million into the economy, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett told the Miami Herald. The arrivals, he said, represent a rebound of about 80% to date of the sector.

Thats humongous for a country that just came out of a Category 5 hurricane, Bartlett said, noting that Melissa affected 1.5 million people and left many with no electricity, no water, no roofs, no food after it made landfall on Oct. 28 in western Jamaica. The storm also left devastation in Haiti, where at least 43 people died, and in Cuba.

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The strongest storm ever to strike Jamaica, Melissa left at least 45 people dead in the island-nation as it tore through historical towns, ripping off roofs and reducing hospitals, school and courthouses to rubble.

With more than 150,000 homes damaged, the storm inflicted billions of dollars in losses, equivalent to around 32% of the countrys gross domestic product. Tourism, a lifeline of the economy, was among the sectors hardest hit.

More than 4.3 million tourists flocked to Jamaica in 2024, pouring more than $4 billion into the economy. The sector contributes around 35% of Jamaicas GDP and supports thousands of jobs across hotels, attractions, transportation, agriculture, manufacturing and the creative industries, according to data from the tourism ministry.

In December, the country officially reopened the tourism sector in hopes of welcoming visitors for the winter season. Even with all the international airports reopened and cruise ports back in operation, 28% of the sector remains closed. That includes hotels that were severely damaged. But 72% of the tourism assets are back, Bartlett said, including all but two major attractions, Appleton Estate & YS Falls, located near Black River, a popular tourist destination along the hard-hit southwestern coast.

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The capital of St. Elizabeth Parish, Black River suffered extensive destruction. Its hospital, courthouse, churches and historic buildings were severely damaged or destroyed as storm surges and 185-mile-per-hour winds ripped off roofs, knocked out the power grid and left much of the town in ruins. After an aerial tour of the devastation, Prime Minister Andrew Holness described the port city as totally destroyed, and said rebuilding is going to be a massive task.

Bartlett said the return of visitors to Black River and other areas has restored confidence in the tourisn industry.

Even with 72% of the assets, the confidence is there, he said. Its a huge, huge recovery.

Airline partners, tour operators and travel agents have all visited the island since Melissa to assess the recovery firsthand, Bartlett said, and have been able to validate the claim weve made that, We are ready for the world. 

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The recovery of tourism is more powerful than many gifts that can be given, he added. Thats what we ask, Come and visit us because in visiting us you consume, and your consumption pattern drives the economy of Jamaica.
NEED TO KNOW

Animals Asia, an animal welfare organization, announced that Jane Goodall became a guardian to one of the group's rescue bears before she died in 2025

Goodall named the bear Robinson after the founder of Animals Asia, Jill Robinson

Robinson the bear lived on a bear bile farm in a cramped cage before her move to an Animals Asis sanctuary in Vietnam

Jane Goodall was a champion for animals every day of her life, including in the weeks and months leading up to her death.

On Oct. 1, 2025, the Jane Goodall Institute announced in a statement that the beloved, ground-breaking conservationist and animal welfare advocate had died overnight of natural causes at the age of 91 while on a speaking tour.

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And less than a year before this, Goodall worked with Jill Robinson, the founder of Animals Asia, to become the guardian of a bear saved from the bile bear farming industry, Animals Asia revealed to PEOPLE.

Animals Asia, an animal welfare organization dedicated to ending bear bile farming worldwide, also shared that the nonprofit planned to announce Goodall's guardianship in late 2025 but decided to hold the news for a period after her death. The group is honored to share the news now and be part of Goodall's enduring legacy as a friend and protector of all animals.

Animals Asia Foundation Jane Goodall with an Animals Asia rescue bear Jane Goodall with an Animals Asia rescue bear

As part of Goodall's guardianship, she got to name her bear, a female moon bear. She decided to name the animal Robinson, after Animal Asia's founder, who was a good friend of Goodall's, according to Animals Asia.

Thanks to Goodall and the kindness of the Jane Goodall Institute, Robinson the bear's care will be covered for the rest of the animal's life. Robinson the bear deserves a life of relaxation after her rough and lonely start.

Animals Asia Foundation Jane Goodall (left) and Jill Robinson Jane Goodall (left) and Jill Robinson

The animal was caught in the bear bile industry in Vietnam, which meant Robinson spent most of her life in a cage, having her bile regularly and uncomfortably extracted. Bear bile farming is now banned in Vietnam, but there are still dozens of bears stuck on farms, caged and alone.

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"The bear Jane Goodall was guardian for was rescued from a bile farm, along with five other moon bears. The six bears were lined up in cages in a cold, damp shed that must have been freezing at night at that time of year and sweltering in the hot and humid summer. As soon as Animals Asia arrived and saw the bears, they knew Robinson would be one to focus on. Missing her left front paw and most of her left hind paw, she lay in her farm cage, looking dejectedly up at the team," Animals Asia told PEOPLE about Robinson's rescue from a shutdown farm.

Animals Asia Foundation Robinson in a cage before her rescue Robinson in a cage before her rescue

After her rescue, Robinson arrived at an Animals Asia sanctuary in Vietnam traumatized and injured, missing part of her front paw and most of her hind paw, which rescuers believe is from her being snared and captured as a cub.

Following at least 15 years in a cage, Robinson's life changed drastically when she arrived at Animals Asia's sanctuary. She received treatment for her injured paws, broken teeth and skin wounds, and moved into a lush, large habitat where she is free to roam and make friends.

It took Robinson time to adjust to her new world, but today the bear is calm, happy, and curious. She spends her days lounging on lawns and in pools with her best friend Manu, another rescue bear. Robinson will be able to thrive for the rest of her life, in part thanks to Goodall's guardianship, which the Jane Goodall Institute continues to oversee.

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Before her death, Goodall wrote an open letter  shared with PEOPLE by Animals Asia  about her decision to become Robinson's guardian.

Animals Asia Foundation Robinson the bear at an Animals Asia Vietnam sanctuary Robinson the bear at an Animals Asia Vietnam sanctuary

She starts the letter commenting on Robinson's tragic beginnings: "Imagine being ripped away from your mother as a child, spending fifteen years in a tiny metal-barred cage, and being jabbed almost every day with long needles. That is what happened to my bear Robinson, who was forced to suffer for years on a bile farm."

"I've spent my life trying to speak up for animals, and I know only too well some of the terrible pain people can inflict on them. But even I was horrified when I found out what happens to bears used for bile extraction," she continues.

Animals Asia Foundation Robinson with her best friend Manu Robinson with her best friend Manu

Goodall adds that despite all this abuse, Robinson, whom the conservationist met before her death, is "sassy but sweet and gentle. She has a crooked little smile, and she is, as her carers describe her, a sleeping goddess."

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"The decision to become a guardian for a rescued bile farm bear may sound small - but to me it's deeply personal. Because the bear I'm now linked to is a survivor. And the woman I named her after - Jill Robinson - has done more to end this cruelty than anyone I've met," Goodall writes later in the letter."

Animals Asia Foundation Robinson the rescue bear Robinson the rescue bear

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She concludes the emotional note with, "What gives me hope is the determination of fearless individuals to put an end to animal cruelty, and the resilience of animals themselves. Like most animals who are given another chance at a happy life, with time and care, these beautiful bears can recover. For Robinson, the time for healing has come. I hope it can also come for every last bear still waiting."

Animals Asia Foundation Robinson the bear napping Robinson the bear napping

Animals Asia is working to help the remaining bears on shuttered bile farms throughout Vietnam. The organization says it has space in one of its two Vietnam sanctuaries for the remaining bile bears in the country, but it needs the farmers to be willing to surrender the animals. The group is working with the Vietnamese government to free the remaining bears living on old bear bile farms so that the animals can live their lives "in the beautiful, mountainous surroundings of the Bach Ma National Park" with wide-open spaces, nutritious food, and specialist veterinary care.

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"These last bears survived the industry. Now they must survive the wait," Animals Asia shared.

To learn more about Animals Asia and their works to save every bear stuck on a bear bile farm, visit the organization's website.



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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries hammered President Donald Trumps claims that he will run Venezuela after having attacked the country and captured its leader.

Donald Trump claims that hes gonna run Venezuela. Hes done a terrible job running the United States of America, Jeffries said on NBCs Meet the Press Sunday. Life hasnt gotten better for the American people over the last year; life has gotten worse. He promised to lower the high cost of living. Costs havent gone down. Theyve gone up. The health care system is broken. Donald Trump refuses to do anything about it.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and President Donald Trump. Getty Images/YouTube

So, the notion that hes going to run Venezuela and make life better for the Venezuelan people, of course, is belied by the facts as to what hes done as president here in the United States of America, Jeffries added.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who appeared on Meet the Press earlier Sunday, said Congress was not notified about the U.S. strike on Venezuela until after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were abducted due to concerns about leaks. However, Jeffries argued that the administration had provided no evidence as to why the U.S. even attacked Venezuela.

Politics: GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa Of California Dies At 65

Well, theres been no evidence that the administration has presented to justify the actions that were taken, in terms of there being an imminent threat to the health, the safety, the well-being, the national security of the American people, Jeffries said. This was not simply a counternarcotics operation  it was an act of war.

Watch Jeffries Meet the Press appearance below:

Related...

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A Marion County judge rejected a request from Sarah Jo Pender, a woman once likened to a murderous cult leader from the 1960s, to modify her 110-year prison sentence so that she can be released.

The ruling by Marion Superior Court Judge Kevin Snyder was issued Jan. 5, a month after Pender appeared in court for a hearing on her request for sentence modification. The request, the latest in a years-long legal battle to overturn Pender's double murder conviction, came with support from the attorney who prosecuted her and once called her the "female Charles Manson."

Larry Sells, a retired Marion County deputy prosecutor, wrote in a letter supporting Pender's request that the evidence against her has no "sufficient indicia of reliability and is highly suspect at best."

"I think that it's important that the CIU pay attention to my case out of these 400 cases, because the evidence is overwhelming that I didn't do it," Sarah Jo Pender said Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, from inside Rockville Correctional Facility. "I've paid 22 years of my life, five of those in solitary confinement, I've paid my dues and I deserve to be let at home." The CIU, Conviction Integrity Unit, was established by the Marion County's Prosecutor's Office in 2021, "To identify, remedy and prevent wrongful convictions, and to ensure that justice is continuing to be sought even after a conviction is reached."

"I know of no credible evidence that Sarah Pender actually shot anyone," Sells wrote. "As a matter of fact, there is evidence she did not."

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Two decades earlier, Sells alleged that Pender had manipulated her then-boyfriend into shooting their roommates in Indianapolis with a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition Pender had bought at a Wal-Mart. Pender acknowledged buying the weapon and helping her boyfriend dump the bodies of Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman, saying she was in fear for her life. But she has long maintained innocence of the 2000 murders.

The case of Sarah Jo Pender: 'I deserve to be let home,' Pender said. The man who prosecuted her agrees.

Over the years, Sells began to doubt much of the narrative about Pender  including the one he created  after evidence suggesting she may have been framed gradually came to light.

In 2013, Sells said the young woman he helped put behind bars more than a decade earlier did not get a fair trial, although he stopped short of saying Pender was innocent.

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The comments, which are unusual for a prosecutor to make publicly, came after Sells discovered a "snitch list" that neither he nor Pender's defense attorneys knew existed at trial. The handwritten list belonged to Floyd Pennington, a jailhouse informant who was the prosecution's key witness against Pender. The list included names of people against whom the convicted child molester was willing to testify in exchange for a plea agreement. Pender's name wasn't on the list, but Sells said it proved Pennington would say anything to get a plea deal.

Pender's former co-defendant and ex-boyfriend, Richard Hull, had also admitted that only he was involved in the crimes. He acknowledged setting up Pender by convincing a cellmate to write a fake letter making it appear she confessed to killing her roommates.

Larry Sells, retired Marion County deputy prosecutor, speaks Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, about the case of Sarah Jo Pender, who is currently serving a 110 years sentence for double murder. Currently inside Indiana's largest women's prison, Rockville Correctional Facility, Pender was convicted along with her former boyfriend, Richard Hull, of murdering their roommates Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman on Oct. 24, 2000 in a home on Meikel Street in Indianapolis. During the 2002 sentencing hearing, Sells called Pender the "female Charles Manson" and argued that she manipulated her boyfriend to kill the roommates in a dispute over drugs and money. Sells later became convinced that Pender was wrongly convicted after discovering an overlooked piece of evidence that was not given to Pender's lawyer.

The confession contradicted Pennington's testimony that Hull pulled the trigger at Pender's behest.

In 2019, that former cellmate admitted writing the confession letter. Steve Logan, who initially denied the forgery, said in an affidavit that Hull "bullied, manipulated and coerced" him into writing it.

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In 2023, Sells went even further.

In an interview with IndyStar, he said Pender was not guilty, at least not of murder. And the worst offense she did  helping Hull cover up the crime and dispose of the bodies  did not warrant the lengthy sentence she received, Sells said. By then, Pender had been incarcerated for two decades or half her life.

Timeline: Sarah Jo Pender's crime, escape and court battle

"If I'd known the stuff that I know now, I mean, there's no way that I would have prosecuted her," Sells said. "I'm so sorry that she's been there, especially this long."

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In an interview with IndyStar in 2023, Pender said she bought the murder weapon after Hull asked her to do so, saying he wanted to go and shoot in the country. She recalled coming home later that day and finding Hull wrapping what looked like a body. Scared for her life, she did what Hull told her: Help him dump the bodies in a dumpster in downtown Indianapolis.

"It makes me feel sad that Im still in prison, mostly for my family and for all the memories that I havent been able to make with them," Pender said, a tissue in hand and not holding back tears. "It makes me angry at this system for not working."

Her request for sentence modification noted Sells' support and the "substantial concerns" around the integrity of her conviction. It cited her trauma from years of sexual abuse that caused a "destructive people pleasing behavior" and led her to associate with people like her ex-boyfriend. It also detailed her efforts to improve her life behind bars after escaping in 2008, a "singular blemish" in her prison record that led to five years in solitary confinement.

Pender has since participated in various community service and educational opportunities, according to her request. She has two job offers and a graduate studies program invitation, all of which she can pursue if released.

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Pender asked the judge to cut her sentence to 45 years. This is time she'd already served with good time credit, meaning she would've been released if the judge granted her motion. The judge's one-page decision denying the request did not explain the reasoning behind it. Tim Delaney, Pender's attorney, declined to comment.

Steve Cataldi, one of the victims' brother, said he was aware Pender sought sentence modification but "was pretty confident" it will be denied.

"She's going to serve the rest of her life in prison," Cataldi said. "That's what she deserves."

The decision was a huge blow to Pender's family and supporters.

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"I'm stunned," said Kelsey Kauffman, a former correctional officer who led an educational program at the Indiana Women's Prison and is one of Pender's supporters. "I'm amazed that the criminal justice system works in such a way that when the prosecutor says that someone is innocent, that that doesn't carry an enormous amount of weight."

Pender's father, Roland Pender, said denying sentence modification "in the face of all the new evidence" that has surfaced "seems cruel."

"The Indiana justice system says once again, 'We never make a mistake,'" Roland Pender wrote in an email to IndyStar.

Pender, now 46, is scheduled to be released in 2054.

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Former IndyStar reporter Vic Ryckaert contributed. Contact IndyStar reporter Kristine Phillips at (317) 444-3026 or at kphillips@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Sarah Jo Pender, dubbed the female Charles Manson, remains imprisoned
A Milwaukee County reserve judge has decided to recuse himself from any further proceedings involving a sexual assault case after he dismissed charges against one of two defendants mid-trial.

The decision from Judge John Franke means he will not preside over the sentencing of the other defendant, Brendan Hoover, 25, who had pleaded guilty to third-degree sexual assault, as a party to a crime, prior to his co-defendant's trial.

In a written order filed Jan. 2, Franke wrote that a disagreement about his interpretation and application of the law did not mandate recusal, and that he was confident he could sentence Hoover "with complete impartiality."

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"However, with respect to the appearance of impartiality, the manner in which things may appear to the victim of a crime is entitled to considerable weight," the judge wrote.

"In the particular and unusual circumstances of this case, including the publicity attending to this court's decision in the co-defendant case, I conclude it might reasonably appear to the victim of this defendant's crime that this court may not be able to proceed to sentencing in an impartial manner, such that recusal is warranted," he concluded.

The case drew the attention of legal observers and victims' rights advocates when Franke made the rare decision to grant a defense motion to dismiss the case against Hoover's co-defendant, Heavenl Parker, 23, before it went to a jury in August.

The judicial decision led to months of fallout, delaying Hoover's sentencing as he and his attorneys weighed whether to try to withdraw his guilty plea, and was the subject of a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article published online Nov. 10.

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During a hearing Nov. 6, Deputy District Attorney Matthew Torbenson asked Franke to recuse himself, saying that the court got the law wrong and the victim "has lost faith, in particular, in this court and in the system in general."

The victim, who has asked not to be named for privacy and safety reasons, told the Journal Sentinel the judge's dismissal decision had denied her any sense of justice.

"If I didn't win, I would have been OK," she said in an earlier interview in the fall. I just wanted to get to the jury to try to make a decision.

At a brief hearing on Jan. 5, Hoover's case was reassigned to Judge David Borowski, one of several judges who preside over sexual assault and homicide cases in the county, and a status hearing was scheduled for Feb. 11.

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Prosecutor Katrina Voge declined to comment after the hearing. Defense attorney Adam J. Schleis told the Journal Sentinel he disagreed with the decision.

"I believe the reasoning I put on the record regarding the state being upset with the decision by the judge creates a problem going forward for attorneys," Schleis said.

"Now defense attorneys could easily bring this motion if they felt like a judge has said something about a particular type of case that they don't like, and now can file a motion arguing the same that the state did here, that they are losing their appearance to be impartial," he added. "I think it's completely unfair."

Hoover, who has no prior convictions in Wisconsin, faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison followed by five years of extended supervision.

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Franke did not respond to a phone call and email as of early afternoon on Jan. 5 seeking comment about his decision.

Franke, a former federal prosecutor, was appointed in 2022 as a reserve judge to help clear a backlog of cases caused by the pandemic. It was Franke's first time regularly hearing cases since 2008, when he resigned after a 21-year career as a judge to go into private practice.

John Franke, a former federal prosecutor and circuit court judge, is seen in this 2022 file photo.

What happened during the sexual assault trial in August

Prosecutors had charged both men with two counts of second-degree sexual assault, with one count involving an unconscious victim and the other, an intoxicated victim.

The woman had told University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee police she had first met Hoover the night of Feb. 2, 2024, at Landmark Lanes on the city's east side.

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She had multiple drinks, and her last memory was of taking a shot with Hoover. The next morning, she woke up in an unfamiliar campus apartment with Hoover and another man, according to police reports and court testimony.

Hoover told her she had sex with the other man, later identified as Parker, and that she had been in a fight the night before, according to her account to police.

She told the officer she did not remember having sex with either man or giving consent for sex. Later that day, she went to a hospital for treatment, including a medical exam to collect evidence of sexual assault.

Officers collected video evidence, including footage of a fight with an unknown woman that left the victim unmoving for four minutes on a sidewalk outside the bowling alley. Another bystander knelt to help her and called 911.

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Hoover later testified that the woman said she did not want an ambulance because she did not have health insurance.

The video showed Hoover and Parker helping her up, trying to hold her steady as they guided her down the block to a campus apartment.

Officers also noted in their reports that Hoover had changed his account, at first denying he or Parker had sex with her before later admitting they had.

Hoover pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of third-degree sexual assault. Court records indicate a factor in his decision was the discovery of derogatory Snapchat messages he sent the night of the assault.

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I got my black belt via tag team, ha ha, read one.

After a friend asked what he meant, he replied: Black girl.

Hoover was asked about those messages when he testified during Parker's trial. The trial also included testimony from the woman who reported the assault, the nurse who conducted her forensic exam and investigators who recovered the video evidence, which was played in court.

In court, Franke said state law outlined the crime as a lack of capacity to give consent, which requires a court to try to determine a victim's mental state and capacity at the time of sex.

Whether we should be proud of it or not as a culture, people have drunken sex at least occasionally, if not a lot, the judge said, according to a transcript of his oral decision granting the dismissal.

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Although the video from inside the bar showed the woman falling and likely impaired, nothing suggested that she was incapable of making a decision about sex," Franke said.

The fight video was "difficult to watch," the judge later added, acknowledging the woman appeared to be unconscious when she was lying on the sidewalk.

"I considered whether or not a jury could be permitted to find that the assault somehow combined with the intoxication to render her incapable of giving consent," Franke said, according to a transcript. "I don't think it can. It opens the door to what might be a different crime."

Where to find help after sexual assault

The National Sexual Assault Hotline is 800-656-4673. You can also text HOPE to 64673.

The Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault has a statewide directory of resources at wcasa.org/survivors/service-providers.

Aurora Health Care offers a broad range of support services for victims of sexual violence, regardless of when the incident occurred. The health system also operates a confidential 24/7 call line at 414-219-5555 and a text helpline at 414-219-1551.

The Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee operates a 24-hour confidential hotline at 414-933-2722.

The Milwaukee Women's Center offers a 24-hour crisis line at 414-671-6140.

The Womens Center in Waukesha has a 24-hour hotline at 262-542-3828.

We Are Here Milwaukee provides information on culturally specific organizations at weareheremke.org.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee judge recuses in sexual assault case after dismissal ruling
Realizing President Donald Trumps plan for a US-led revival of Venezuelas beleaguered oil industry could be a years-long and challenging process costing upwards of $100 billion.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Years of corruption, underinvestment, fires and thefts have left the nations crude infrastructure in tatters. Rebuilding it enough to lift Venezuelas output back to its peak levels of the 1970s would require companies to invest about $10 billion per year over the next decade, said Francisco Monaldi, director of Latin American energy policy at Rice Universitys Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Thats equivalent to more than a third of what Exxon Mobil Corp.  the largest US oil company  has budgeted this year for capital expenditures around the entire globe.

A faster recovery would require even more investment, Monaldi said.

.

Venezuela sits atop the worlds largest oil reserves. But output plummeted during the 12-year term of President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured early Saturday by US troops. The nation currently produces about 1 million barrels a day, compared to nearly 4 million barrels in 1974.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during an interview with ABC Sunday that he expects US oil companies will be eager for the opportunity to drill for Venezuelas heavy crude, which is key for refineries on the US Gulf Coast.

I havent spoken to US oil companies in the last few days, but were pretty certain that there will be dramatic interest, Rubio said. I think there will be tremendous demand and interest from private industry if given the space to do it.

Yet before they set foot in Venezuela, companies will want to be certain its stable, according to Lino Carrillo, a former manager at the nations state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, who fled the country more than two decades ago.

For any oil companies to actually get serious about investing in Venezuela would require that there will be a new congress or National Assembly, Carrillo said in an interview. Not whats happening now. Definitely not.

The work needed to repair the nations infrastructure, meanwhile, is vast.

At Venezuelas oil ports, the equipment is in such poor shape that it takes up to five days to fully load supertankers that deliver crude to China. Seven years ago, it took just one day.

WATCH: President Donald Trump said US oil companies will spend billions of dollars to rebuild Venezuelas energy infrastructure. Bloomberg Intelligences Salih Yilmaz breaks down the situation.Source: Bloomberg

In the Orinoco Basin, a huge swath of Venezuelas interior thats estimated to hold nearly a half a trillion barrels of recoverable oil, rigs have been abandoned and spills go unchecked. Drilling pads have been ransacked in broad daylight and sold for parts on the black market.
Rep. LaMonica McIver speaks outside of Delaney Hall after she, Rep. Rob Menendez, and New York Rep. Yvette Clarke visited the Newark migrant jail for an oversight visit on Dec. 23, 2025. (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor)

A federal judge on Monday declined to dismiss one of three criminal charges facing Rep. LaMonica McIver, a Democratic congresswoman who is accused of assaulting federal agents outside a Newark immigration detention facility last year.

The decision comes nearly two months after the same judge denied McIvers pretrial motions to dismiss the other two charges. McIver has filed notice that she is appealing the earlier order.

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In the new, eight-page decision, U.S. District Court Judge Jamel K. Semper rejects McIvers arguments that her actions are shielded by the U.S. Constitutions speech or debate clause, which protects lawmakers from prosecution for official legislative actions. McIver has argued that she was at migrant jail Delaney Hall on the day in question to perform oversight duties and cannot be charged with a crime for what transpired during the visit.

The Court cannot find that Defendants alleged conduct was legislative in nature, Semper wrote. Her conduct was not tied to potential legislation or any other policy-making purpose.

McIver is accused of assaulting officers during the chaotic scene that unfolded outside Delaney Hall on May 9 when agents moved to arrest Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for trespassing (a charge that was later dropped). Prosecutors later charged McIver, alleging she shoved officers as they detained Baraka.

McIver was indicted on three counts. Semper in November allowed counts one and three to move forward, but said he needed to learn more facts before deciding whether count two should be dismissed.

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Mondays ruling says Semper initially believed that the officer at the center of count twos allegations initiated contact with McIver by preventing her from entering Delaney Halls property. But video later introduced as evidence shows McIver initiated physical contact with the officer, according to the ruling.

McIver, who joined Congress in 2024, pleaded not guilty in June and last week said she plans to appeal Sempers earlier ruling on her motions to dismiss the charges. She faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted on all three counts.

Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

From the beginning, Ive fought back against this administrations cruelty and attempts to silence dissentthis appeal is the next step in the fight. The Trump administrations case is dangerous, baseless, and designed to stop me from doing my job. I wont, she said in a statement last week.

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A jury found a former elementary school teacher from the Peninsula School District guilty Monday of molesting four former students.

Jordan Roy Henderson faced 13 counts of first-degree child molestation after four of his former students from his fourth and fifth grade split class accused him of inappropriately touching or groping them. The jury spent part of Wednesday, all of Friday and most of Monday morning deliberating the verdict in Hendersons trial.

The jury found Henderson guilty on all but one count. They also returned special verdicts that found Henderson used his position of trust to commit the crimes.

Jordan Henderson, center, is taken into custody after being found guilty of molesting four former Peninsula School District students on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma, Wash. The jury found Henderson guilty on all but one of 13 counts of first-degree child molestation. (Liesbeth Powers/lpowers@thenewstribune.com)

Henderson, 36, was teaching at Evergreen Elementary School in Lakebay when the Pierce County Sheriffs Office announced an investigation into allegations that were reported by students on Feb. 26, 2024. He was arrested and initially charged with nine counts of first-degree child molestation April 19. Three counts were added after a fourth student came forward. A thirteenth count was added during trial based on testimony.

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Henderson pleaded not guilty to the charges and had been out on bail. He testified at trial and repeatedly denied touching the girls inappropriately.

More than two dozen people gathered in the courtrooms gallery to hear the jurys decision. One person quietly exclaimed, Yes, as the guilty verdicts were read, and another applauded.

After Superior Court Judge Alicia Burton read the jurys verdict and a sentencing date was set for April 10, a sheriffs deputy handcuffed Henderson. As he was led out of the room, supporters called out, Love you, Jordan, and, Proud of you. One person responded, No, go to Hell, Jordan.

Burton ordered that Henderson remain on a no-bail hold pending his sentencing hearing.

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After court adjourned, deputy prosecuting attorney Nathan Zink told The News Tribune that Henderson will face a standard sentencing range of about 12-16 years to life. People convicted of sex crimes are given indeterminate sentences, meaning that once the minimum term is up, the defendant must petition the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board for release. The special verdicts jurors returned in Hendersons case also mean prosecutors could seek a prison term beyond the standard range.

Jordan Henderson, right, turns to hand something his wife in the gallery after hearing the verdict read in his trial on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma. The jury found Henderson guilty on all but one of 13 counts of first-degree child molestation. (Liesbeth Powers/lpowers@thenewstribune.com)

Zink said it was a tough case and that justice had been served. He said it was a good thing Henderson isnt teaching anymore.

Zink and Hendersons defense attorney, Brett Purtzer, spoke to jurors before they left. Both described how the jury panel seemed to latch onto trial testimony as the most important evidence. Zink recalled some of the emotions that came up on the stand.

The emotion was very, I think, authentic for the girls of this age, who were able to keep it together for a large majority of their testimony, Zink said. But then when we start discussing the more difficult parts of this case, for one of them, she sat down in a chair from her school and completely melted down, and that was I think a highly impactful portion of this trial. At least it was for me.

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Purtzer said he was disappointed in the outcome. He said he thought jurors focused on the victims testimony to the point of excluding other aspects of the case he said created doubt. One former student, for example, testified that he didnt see Henderson inappropriately touch anyone.

I thought we had a shot, Purtzer said.

Accusations against Henderson ranged from inappropriate touching of private areas of the alleged victims bodies in different areas of the class to it happening outside the room. According to charging documents, Henderson also was accused of threatening to find one of the girls homes if she asked him to stop touching her.

Jordan Henderson, left, hears the verdict read in his trial on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma. The jury found Henderson guilty on all but one of 13 counts of first-degree child molestation. (Liesbeth Powers/lpowers@thenewstribune.com)

Its horrible. Like, I cant sleep without crying. I fall asleep crying, and I cant look at a school building without getting triggered, one of the girls said during Hendersons arraignment last year. Im scared hes gonna come back.

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Throughout Hendersons case, he was supported by his family and church. Henderson was a deacon at the Wellspring Fellowship Church in Key Peninsula where his father is the pastor. After Henderson was charged, the church made a Facebook post detailing its support.

Defense points to Lack of evidence

Purtzer, said in his opening remarks Dec. 9 there was a lack of evidence to convict the former teacher, describing the case as the Me Too movement of fourth and fifth graders.

Purtzer said the classroom was an open, interactive space and other adults such as teachers or parents would come in and out. Purtzer spent time in the trial presenting photos and videos of the classroom to show that anyone could see what was going on in the room.

Not one person ever, ever made a claim or statement that Mr. Henderson was touching any of these kids inappropriately at any point in time, Purtzer said.

Jordan Henderson is walked out of the courtroom after being found guilty of molesting four former Peninsula School District students on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma. The jury found Henderson guilty on all but one of 13 counts of first-degree child molestation. (Liesbeth Powers/lpowers@thenewstribune.com)

Prosecutors said Henderson purposefully allowed his classroom to be chaotic and noisy while blurring boundaries. He chose certain girls, Zink said in opening statements, and made them feel special. He said the first girl to report the alleged touching was previously too scared to say anything.

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One of the alleged victims testified in the trial that the touching happened every day from when she was in fourth to fifth grade. She said he would touch her shoulders or hold her hand. The first time Henderson allegedly touched her vaginal area was when she was sitting at her desk and needed help.

Henderson denies sexually touching students

As one of the last defense witnesses, Henderson took the stand to testify his innocence. He denied letting any girl sit on his lap, and he said if one tried to then hed brush them off.

Henderson was asked about some of the girls, and he spoke on the issues they faced in his class  whether it was learning challenges, anxiety or internal drama they had with one another.

During cross-examination, Zink asked pointedly if Henderson had ever touched any of his students on specific areas of the body such as the thigh, breast area or bottom, and he said he did not.

A paraeducator who is a mother of one of Hendersons former students testified that she never saw anything concerning when she would go into his classroom.
Jan. 4---- The

will conduct its annual re-organizational meeting as part of the regular board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 6.

The re-organizational meeting will provide committee and other assignments to commissioners for 2026.

Committees cover a variety of categories including the environment, general government, health and human services, public safety and transportation. Commissioners were asked to submit their committee preferences at a previous meeting.

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The board will also take action on several other items to prepare for the new year. These items include the 2026 mileage rate, the elected officials' minimum salaries and the approval of a meeting schedule, according to the meeting agenda.

A Family First Prevention Services Act memorandum of understanding will be presented for board approval of intent for a collaboration between Safe Generations LLC and the county.

Safe Generations works with counties through Minnesota's Family First Prevention Services Act to help ensure children are safe at home and prevent them from entering foster care, according to the meeting materials.

For the complete agenda and accompanying materials, or to view minutes and agendas from previous meetings, visit the Kandiyohi County website and look under the board of commissioners tab at
On Jan. 7, 2025, people across the Los Angeles area watched in horror as powerful winds began spreading wildfires through neighborhood after neighborhood. Over three weeks, the fires destroyed more than 16,000 homes and businesses. At least 31 people died, and studies suggest the smoke and stress likely contributed to hundreds more deaths.

For many of us who lived through the fires, it was a traumatic experience that also brought neighborhoods closer together. Neighbors scrambled to help each other as burning embers started spot fires that threatened homes. They helped elderly and disabled residents evacuate.

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

As the LA region rebuilds a year later, many people are calling for improvements to zoning regulations, building codes, insurance and emergency communications systems. Conversations are underway about whether rebuilding in some locations makes sense at all.

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But managing fire risk is about more than construction practices, regulations and rules. It is also about people and neighborliness  the ethos and practice of caring for those in your community, including making choices and taking steps on your own property to help keep the people around you safe.

Zoe Meyers/AFP via Getty Images

As LA-area residents and historians who witnessed the fires destruction and have been following the recovery closely, we believe building a safer future for fire-risk communities includes increasing neighborliness and building shared knowledge of the past. Much of that starts in the schools.

Neighborliness matters in community fire safety

Being neighborly means recognizing the connectedness of life and addressing the common good, beyond just the individual and family network.

It includes community-wide fire mitigation strategies that can help prevent fires from spreading.

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During the Southern California fires, houses, fences, sheds, roofs and dry vegetation served as the fuel for wind-blown fires racing through neighborhoods miles away from forested land. Being neighborly means taking steps to reduce risks on your own property that could put your neighbors at risk. Following fire officials recommendations can mean clearing defensible space around homes, replacing fire-prone plants and limiting or removing burnable material, such as wood fencing and sheds.

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Neighborliness also recognizes the varying mental health impacts of significant wildfire events on the people who experience them. Being neighborly means listening to survivors and reaching out, particularly to neighbors who may be struggling or need help with recovery, and building community bonds.

Neighbors are often the first people who can help in an emergency before local, state and federal responders arrive. A fast neighborhood response, whether helping put out spot fires on a lawn or ensuring elderly residents or those without vehicles are able to evacuate, can save lives and property in natural disasters.

Fire awareness, neighborliness start in school

Community-based K-12 schools are the perfect places for learning and practicing neighborliness and providing transformative fire education.

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Learning about the local history of wildfires, from the ecological impact of beneficial fire to fire disasters and how communities responded, can transform how children and their families think about fires and fire readiness.

However, in our view, fire history and safety is not currently taught nearly enough, even in fire-prone California.

AP Photo/Richard Vogel

Californias Department of Education Framework and Content Standards for K-12 education offer several opportunities to engage students with innovative lessons about wildfire causes, preparedness and resilience. For example, fourth grade history and social science standards include understanding how physical environments (e.g., water, landforms, vegetation, climate) affect human activity. Middle school science standards include mapping the history of natural hazards, though they only mention forest fires when discussing technology.

Schools could, and we believe should, include more fire history, ecological knowledge and understanding of the interconnectedness of neighborhoods and neighbors when it comes to fire safety in those and other classes.

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Elementary schools in many states bring in firefighters to talk about fire safety, often through programs run by groups like the California Fire Prevention Organization. These efforts could spend more time looking beyond house fires to discuss how and where wildfires start, how they spread and how to make your own home and neighborhood much safer.

Models such as the U.S. Fire Administrations collaboration with Sesame Workshop on the Sesame Street Fire Safety Program for preschool kids offer examples, blending catchy phrases with safety and science lessons.

Including knowledge from Indigenous tribal elders, fire management professionals and other community members can provide more robust fire education and understanding of the roles people play in fire risk and risk reduction. Introducing students to future career pathways in fire safety and response can also help students see their roles in fire safety.

As LA recovers from the 2025 fires, fire-prone states can prepare for future fires by expanding education about fire and neighborliness, and helping students take that knowledge home to their families.

Remembering, because it will happen again

Neighborliness also demands a pivot from the reflexive amnesia regarding natural and unnatural disasters to knowing that it will happen here again.

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Theres a dangerous, stubborn forgetfulness in the vaunted Land of Sunshine. It is all part of the myth that helped make Southern California such a juggernaut of growth from the late 19th century forward.

The region was, boosters and public officials insisted, special: a civilization growing in the benign embrace of the environment. Anything grew here, the endless Los Angeles Basin could absorb everyone, and if there wasnt enough water to slake the thirst of metropolitan ambitions, engineers and taxpayers would see to it that water from far away  even very far away  would be brought here.

The Southland is beautiful, but a place can be both beautiful and precarious, particularly in the grip of climate change. These are lessons we believe should be taught in K-12 classrooms as an important step toward lowering disaster risk. Living with fire means remembering and understanding the past. That knowledge, and developing more neighborly behavior, can save your life and the lives of your neighbors.

Elizabeth A. Logan, Associate Director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and The West, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

William Deverell, Professor of History, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
ALTADENA, Calif. (AP)  DANGER: Lead Work Area reads a sign on a front door of an Altadena home. May damage fertility or the unborn child. Causes damage to the central nervous system.

Block after block there are reminders that contaminants still linger.

House cleaners, hazardous waste workers and homeowners alike come and go wearing masks, respirators, gloves and hazmat suits as they wipe, vacuum and power-wash homes that werent burnt to ash.

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Its been a year of heartbreak and worry since the most destructive wildfires in the Los Angeles area's history scorched neighborhoods and displaced tens of thousands of people. Two wind-whipped blazes that ignited on Jan. 7, 2025, killed at least 31 people and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures, including homes, schools, businesses and places of worship. Rebuilding will take years.

The disaster has brought another wave of trauma for people afraid of what still lurks inside their homes.

Indoor air quality after wildfires remains understudied, and scientists still dont know the long-term health impacts of exposure to massive urban fires like last years in Los Angeles. But some chemicals released are known to be linked to heart disease and lung issues, and exposure to minerals like magnetite has been associated with Alzheimers disease.

Ash in the area is a toxic soup of incinerated cars, electronics, paints, furniture and every other kind of personal belonging. It can contain pesticides, asbestos, plastics, lead or other heavy metals.

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Many with homes still standing are now living with the hazards left by the fires.

People forced back into their Altadena homes

Nina and Billy Malone considered their home of 20 years a safe haven before smoke, ash and soot seeped inside, leaving behind harmful levels of lead even after professional cleaning. Recent testing found the toxin is still on the wooden floors of their living room and bedroom.

They were forced to move back home in August anyway, after insurance cut off their rental assistance.

Since then, Nina wakes up almost daily with a sore throat and headaches. Billy had to get an inhaler for his worsening wheezing and congestion. And their bedroom, Nina said, smells like an ashtray has been sitting around for a long time." She worries most about exposure to unregulated contaminants that insurance companies aren't required to test.

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"I dont feel comfortable in the space, said Nina, whose neighbors' homes burned down across the street.

They're not alone.

Data shows dangerous lead levels still in homes

According to a report released in November by the Eaton Fire Residents United, a volunteer group formed by residents, six out of 10 homes damaged from smoke from the Eaton Fire still have dangerous levels of cancer-causing asbestos, brain-damaging lead or both. Thats based on self-submitted data from 50 homeowners who have cleaned their homes, with 78% hiring professional cleaners.

Of the 50 homes, 63% have lead levels above the Environmental Protection Agencys standard, according to the report. The average lead levels were almost 60 times higher than the EPA's rule.

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Even after fires were extinguished, volatile organic compounds from smoke, some known to cause cancer, lingered inside of people's homes, according to a recent study. To mitigate these risks, residents returning home should ventilate and filter indoor air by opening windows or running high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifiers with charcoal filters.

Zoe Gonzalez Izquierdo said she cant get her insurance company to pay for an adequate cleanup of her family's Altadena home, which tested positive for dangerous levels of lead and other toxic compounds.

They cant just send a company thats not certified to just wipe things down so that then we can go back to a still contaminated home, Gonzalez said, who has children ages 2 and 4.

Experts believe the lead, which can linger in dust on floors and windowsills, comes from burned lead paint. The University of Southern California reported that more than 70% of homes within the Eaton Fire were built before 1979, when lead paint was common.

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For individuals that are pregnant, for young children, its particularly important that we do everything we can to eliminate exposure to lead, said pediatrician Dr. Lisa Patel, executive director for the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health and a member of the climate group Science Moms.

The same goes for asbestos, she added, because there is no safe level of exposure.

We have to live in the scar

People who lived in the Pacific Palisades, which was also scorched, face similar challenges.

Residents are at the mercy of their insurance companies, who decide on what they cover and how much. Its a grueling, constant battle for many. The states insurer of last resort, known as the California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan, has been scrutinized for years over its handling of fire damage claims.

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Homeowners want state agencies to enforce a requirement that insurance companies return a property to pre-fire condition.

Julie Lawson won't take any risks. Her family paid about $7,000 out of pocket to test the soil in their Altadena home, even though their insurance company had already agreed to pay to replace the grass in their front yard. They planned to test for contaminants again once they finished remediating the inside, the process of making a home contaminant-free after a fire. If insurance won't cover it, they'll pay for it themselves.

Even if their home is livable again, they still face other losses  including equity and the community they once had.

We have to live in the scar," she said. We're all still really struggling."

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They will be living in a construction zone for years. This isn't over for us.

Challenges and mental health toll

Annie Barbour with the nonprofit United Policyholders has been helping people navigate the challenges, which include insurance companies resisting to pay for contamination testing and industrial hygienists disagreeing on what to test for.

She sees the mental health toll it's having on people  and as a survivor herself of the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Northern California, she understands it.

Many were at first joyful to see their houses still standing.

But theyve been in their own special kind of hell ever since, Barbour said.

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Now residents like the Malones are inspecting their belongings, one by one, fearing they may have absorbed toxins.

Boxes, bags and bins stuffed with clothes, chinaware and everything in between fill the couple's car, basement, garage and home.

They have been painstakingly going through their things, assessing what they think can be adequately cleaned. In the process, Nina is cleaning cabinets, drawers, floors and still finding soot and ash. She wears gloves and a respirator, or sometimes just an N-95 mask.

Their insurance won't pay to retest their home, Billy said, so they're considering paying the $10,000 themselves. And if results show there's still contamination, their insurance company told them they will only pay to clean up toxins that are federally regulated, like lead and asbestos.

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I don't know how you fight that, said Nina, who is considering therapy to cope with her anxiety. How do you find that argument to compel an insurance company to pay for something to make yourself safe?



AP staff writer Alex Veiga contributed to this report.



The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of APs environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.
Hundreds of furniture workers who lost their jobs in Catawba County are getting help this week after a plant suddenly closed.

Kroehler Furniture announced more than 200 layoffs last week because of a significant reduction of business.

READ MORE: Long-standing furniture maker to end operations, leaving 200+ jobless

Dozens of workers from Kroehler Furniture showed up at NC Works in Conover Monday to learn more about resources available in this area.

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In response to the closure of Kroehler last week, the Western Piedmont Development Board is coordinating a series of rapid response sessions to support the workers.

The sessions are also for employees from Queen Transportation in Hickory where 120 people lost their jobs over Christmas.

The help includes assistance to sign up for unemployment, getting their resumes ready and improving their interview skills.

Kroehler Furniture has been in Catawba County for decades and workers said they were blindsided when the plant abruptly closed.

Former employees said Kroehler made furniture for Value City but its owner, American Signature, announced in November it had filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

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Nobody knew until maybe two days before we shut down, said Alejandro Sanchez, former Kroehler employee. (The sessions are) really, really good for people who cant find another job as soon as possible.

Workers are hopeful the start of 2026 will be better than the last days of 2025.

Just helping everyone out and letting them know the resources available and that theyre not alone, said Jazmine Mills, a former worker.

NC Works plans to hold the sessions over the next three days.

VIDEO: Long-standing furniture maker to end operations, leaving 200+ jobless
Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the U.S. would not take a day-to-day role in governing Venezuela, a turnaround after President Donald Trump announced a day earlier that the U.S. would be running Venezuela following its ouster of leader Nicolas Maduro.

Rubios statements seemed designed to temper concerns about whether the assertive American action to achieve regime change might again produce a prolonged foreign intervention or failed attempt at nation-building. They stood in contrast to Trumps broad but vague claims that the U.S. would at least temporarily run the oil-rich nation.

Venezuelas defense minister demanded Maduro's release, maintaining that he is still the rightful leader of the South American country. The military, which has long acted as the arbiter of political disputes in Venezuela, has thrown its support behind Delcy Rodriguez, who served as vice president under Maduro.

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Meanwhile, a tense calm hangs over Venezuela after the U.S. military operation that deposed Maduro, who was brought to New York to face criminal charges.

Maduro and his wife landed late Saturday afternoon at a small airport in New York. The couple face U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy. Their first court appearance is set for Monday.

Here's the latest:

Cuba says 32 Cuban security officers were killed in the US attack on Venezuela

A statement read on Cuban state TV Sunday night announced the deaths of the Cuban military and police officers.

It was the first official death count announced by any authority following the American strikes.

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What the Cubans were working on in the South American nation was unclear, but Cuba is a close ally of Venezuelas government and has sent military and police forces to assist in operations for years.

Cubas government announced two days of mourning because of the deaths.

Before the Cuban announcement, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: You know, a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday.

There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side, Trump said.

Secretary of State Rubio said earlier Sunday on NBC that Cuban officers are the ones that were propping up Maduro. His entire, like, internal security force, his internal security apparatus is entirely controlled by Cubans."

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Trump suggests US military action could be coming in Colombia and Mexico but says Cuba may simply fall on its own

In his comments aboard Air Force One, Trump said Venezuela was sick and needed U.S. support, adding, Colombias very sick too. Run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And hes not going to be doing it very long.

Asked if that might mean a U.S. operation that could target Colombia President Gustavo Petro, Trump responded, Sounds good to me.

He later said, You have to do something with Mexico. Mexico has to get their act together, and better combat drug trafficking.

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Trump said hed repeatedly offered U.S. troops to Mexico but that countrys president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is concerned, shes a little afraid.

Questioned about U.S. military force in Cuba, however, Trump said, I think its just going to fall.

I dont think we need any action, the president said.

Trump says a lot of Cubans were killed in Venezuela

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that a lot of Cubans were killed during the intervention to capture Maduro.

He didnt specify how many Cubans were killed but said there was a lot of death on the other side.

Asked whether he was considering taking military action against Cuba, Trump said the country is going down for the count.

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The U.S. has said Cuba, a close ally of Maduros administration, provided security advisers to Venezuelas government.

Trump calls on Venezuelas VP to provide total access

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he wanted Venezuelas vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, to provide total access to the country.

Trump threatened that Rodriguez will face a situation probably worse than Maduro if she doesnt cooperate with the U.S.

Trump told The Atlantic earlier Sunday that Rodriguez could pay a very big price if she doesnt do what he thinks is right for Venezuela. On Saturday, Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with her and that she was willing to do what the U.S. thinks is needed.

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Rodriguez has criticized Maduros removal from the country and has demanded that the U.S. return him.

After Venezuela, what's next?

Comments from Trump and Rubio underscore that the U.S. administration is serious about taking a more expansive role in the Western Hemisphere.

A day after the military operation in Venezuela, Trump renewed his calls for a U.S. takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests, while his secretary of state declared the communist government in Cuba is in a lot of trouble.

Trump has also pointed to the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, which rejects European colonialism, as well as the Roosevelt Corollary  a justification invoked by the U.S. in supporting Panamas secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the U.S.  as hes made his case for an assertive approach to American neighbors and beyond.

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Trump is rattling hemispheric friends and foes alike, spurring a pointed question around the globe: Whos next?

Read more about Trumps potential plans for Greenland and Cuba

Venezuelan opposition leader calls on government to withdraw support of Maduro

Edmundo Gonzalez, who is widely believed to have won the countrys 2024 elections, called on Venezuelas military in a video statement on Sunday night to withdraw its support of Maduro.

Gonzalez said that Venezuela was at an inflection point that could pave the path to democracy.

The person who usurped power (Maduro) is no longer in the country and is facing justice, he said. This shapes a new political scenario.

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Gonzalez did not go as far as to insist that he be named president, but requested that the government recognize the results of the 2024 elections. It wasnt clear if he wanted Delcy Rodriguez, the next in line in Maduros chain of succession, to step down.

Trumps plan to seize and revitalize Venezuelas oil industry faces major hurdles

The presidents plan to take control of the oil sector and have U.S. companies revitalize it also isnt likely to have a significant immediate impact on oil prices.

Venezuelas oil industry is in disrepair after years of neglect and international sanctions, so it could take years and major investments before production can increase dramatically.

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Some analysts are optimistic that Venezuela could double or triple its current output of about 1.1 million barrels of oil a day to return to historic levels fairly quickly. But American oil companies will want a stable regime in place before they are willing to invest heavily.

Venezuela has the worlds largest proven crude oil reserves, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Read more about Trumps plan and Venezuelas oil industry

Who is Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuelas surprise interim leader?

Rodriguez, a 56-year-old lawyer and politician, served as Maduros vice president since 2018, overseeing much of Venezuelas oil-dependent economy and its feared intelligence service.

She was next in the presidential line of succession. Shes also part of a band of senior officials in Maduros administration that now appears to control Venezuela, even as Trump and other U.S. officials say they will pressure the government to fall in line with their vision for the oil-rich nation.

Venezuelas high court ordered Rodriguez to assume the role of interim president on Saturday, and she was backed by Venezuelas military.

In a televised address, Rodriguez gave no indication that she would cooperate with Trump, referring to his government as extremists.

Read more about Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuelas interim president and Maduro ally

Venezuelans in Philadelphia gather at Mass to reflect amid hope

Members of the citys Venezuelan community gathered at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul to pray for their home country and share thoughts about the weekends events.

About 100 people attended the Spanish-language service, with some holding Venezuelan flags.

Andrea Abati, a Venezuelan college student, said some of her fellow citizens are pleased to see Maduros removal, but at the same time they are uncertain about what comes next.

Its a mix of feelings between happiness, because finally it was happening what we wanted to happen in a way, and at the same time just thinking whats next, she said. I think for everyone it was very shocking at the beginning and its still shocking. I think we are still all processing whats going on.

Anxiety and trepidation in a quiet Caracas

People were slow to resume routines in Caracas after Maduros capture. Dozens of stores, restaurants and churches remained closed. Those on the streets looked shell-shocked, staring at their phones or into the distance.

State-controlled media did not air the images of Maduro handcuffed on U.S. soil. Venezuelans instead saw them on social media, and many could not believe their eyes.

May God give us strength for what we are experiencing. Im sad. He is a human being, said Nely Gutierrez, a retiree, as her eyes welled with tears. They have him handcuffed, and if he is in the hands of the empire, no one can save him from there, only God, not even God. He will die there.

Gutierrez had walked to church only to find it closed. She said she would have prayed for peace in Venezuela and for Maduro. She declined to say whether she ever voted for him but said, The word of God says love your enemy.

Read more about the scene in Caracas here.

US indictment alleges Maduro ran corrupt, illegitimate government fueled by cocaine

A newly unsealed U.S. Justice Department indictment contends Maduros government was fueled by an extensive drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S. with thousands of tons of cocaine.

Maduro is charged alongside his wife, Cilia Flores,who was also arrested on Saturday. Also indicted are his son and three others.

U.S. authorities allege that Maduro and his family provided law enforcement cover and logistical support to cartels moving drugs throughout the region, resulting in as much as 250 tons of cocaine trafficked through Venezuela annually by 2020, according to the indictment.

Maduro is indicted on four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Maduro faces the same charges as in an earlier indictment brought against him in Manhattan federal court in 2020, during the first Trump presidency. The new indictment unsealed Saturday, which adds charges against Flores, was filed under seal in the Southern District of New York just before Christmas.

Read more about the indictment

In court, Maduro will likely follow the path taken by Panamas Manuel Noriega

Maduro was captured 36 years to the day after Noriega was removed by American forces. And as was the case with the Panamanian leader, lawyers for Maduro are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of a foreign state, which is a bedrock principle of international and U.S. law.

Its an argument that is unlikely to succeed and was largely settled as a matter of law in Noriegas trial, legal experts say.

Although Trumps ordering of the operation in Venezuela raises constitutional concerns because it wasnt authorized by Congress, now that Maduro is in the U.S., courts will likely bless his prosecution because, like Noriega, the U.S. doesnt recognize him as Venezuelas legitimate leader.

Read more about how Maduros case will revive a legal debate over immunity for foreign leaders

No change in U.S. warships in the region

A U.S. Navy official says no major changes in the services forces in the region  either additions or withdrawals  have been made since the operation in Venezuela.

The Navy has at least 11 warships in the area, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBCs Meet the Press that the Trump administration planned to keep targeting boats accused of trafficking drugs as well as sanctioned oil tankers.

Rubio said no U.S. forces were on the ground in Venezuela but didnt rule out further strikes on the country.

 By Konstantin Toropin

'This is it, what we are left with: ruins.

In Venezuela's coastal state of La Guaira, families with houses damaged in blasts during the U.S. operation were cleaning up debris.

Wilman Gonzalez, who was left with a black eye from a blast, picked through rubble on his floors, surrounded by broken furniture. One part of his apartment building was almost entirely blown off, leaving walls gaping.

A number of people were killed by the U.S. strikes, though Venezuelan officials did not confirm how many. Among those killed was Gonzalezs aunt.

This is it, what we are left with: ruins, he said.

Delcy assumes role of interim president but what happens next is uncertain

On Saturday, Venezuela's high court ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to assume the role of interim president.

Venezuela's constitution requires elections must be held within 30 days if a president becomes permanently unavailable, but the nation's loyalist Supreme Court declared Maduro's absence temporary, a scenario where there is no immediate election requirement.

Instead, the vice president, an unelected position, takes over for up to 90 days  a period that can be extended to six months with a vote of the National Assembly.

In handing temporary power to Rodriguez, the Supreme Court made no mention of the 180-day time limit, leading some to speculate she could try to remain in power even longer as she seeks to unite the disparate factions of the ruling socialist party while shielding it from what would certainly be a stiff electoral challenge.

Concern in Cuba after Venezuela operation

Concern simmered in Cuba, one of Venezuelas most important allies and trading partners, a day after the Trump administration warned it could turn its attention to the Caribbean nation.

If I lived in Havana and I was in the government Id be concerned, at least, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday.

Cuban authorities railed against the U.S. military operation, writing in a statement: All the nations of the region must remain alert, because the threat hangs over all of us.

On Sunday, Cubans like 55-year-old biochemical laboratory worker Barbara Rodriguez was among many following developments in Venezuela and worried about what she described as an aggression against a sovereign state.

It can happen in any country, it can happen right here. We have always been in the crosshairs (of the United States), she said.

More U.S. airlines offer additional flights to and from the Caribbean

Carriers including American, United, Delta and JetBlue say they have added extra flights on top of resuming their scheduled services in the eastern Caribbean after many flights in the region were canceled by the U.S. military action in Venezuela.

American Airlines says it is offering more than two dozen additional flights on Sunday and Monday, including round-trip flights to Antigua, Curacao and Puerto Rico. United Airlines has added at least 14 flights, while Delta Air Lines says its adding three additional flights Sunday.

Southwest Airlines announced Saturday that it added more round-trip Puerto Rico flights to its Sunday and Monday schedules, as well as round-trip flights to Aruba on Sunday.

Venezuelas military leader demands Maduros release

Venezuelas defense minister demanded the release of Maduro, maintaining that he is still the rightful leader of the South American country.

Venezuelas armed forces categorically reject the cowardly kidnapping of Maduro, said General-in-Chief Vladimir Padrino Lopez, flanked by the high military command during a nationwide radio and television broadcast.

Padrino Lopez  without mentioning a death toll  said the capture occurred after cold-bloodedly murdering a large part of his security team, soldiers, soldiers and innocent civilians.

The military, which has long acted as the arbiter of political disputes in Venezuela, has thrown its support behind Rodriguez.

Danish ambassador says government expects US to respect territorial integrity of Greenland

The envoy to the U.S. made the statement after Katie Miller, wife of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, posted on X a map of Greenland colored in stars and stripes and with the written note SOON.

We do need Greenland, absolutely, Trump himself told The Atlantic in an interview on Sunday.

Just a friendly reminder about the US and the Kingdom of Denmark, Ambassador Jesper Mller Srensen wrote in his post on X responding to Miller. We are close allies and should continue to work together as such. US security is also Greenlands and Denmarks security. Greenland is already part of NATO.

Trump called repeatedly for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland during his presidential transition and in the early months of his second term.

Greenland possesses natural resources that include oil, gas, and rare earth elements. Denmark is responsible for the autonomous territorys foreign affairs and defense.

Venezuelan immigrants in the US likely wont get back deportation protections after Maduros capture

Last year, the Trump administration removed Temporary Protected Status for some 600,000 Venezuelan immigrants in the U.S. which had allowed them to work and stay in the country for a period.

When asked whether TPS would be reinstated for Venezuelans on Fox News Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the decision to revoke it.

Without TPS, those Venezuelans can be deported back to their home country, which is now reeling from the military operation and Maduros capture.

Noem said those who had TPS would be able to apply for refugee status.

Trump says Venezuelas vice president could face a fate worse than Maduro if she doesnt go along with US

Trump told The Atlantic on Sunday in a telephone interview that Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuelas vice president, could pay a very big price if she doesnt do what he thinks is right for the South American country.

That contrasted with the Republican presidents comments about Rodriguez on Saturday when he said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with her and that she was willing to do what the U.S. thinks is needed to improve the standard of living in Venezuela.

But Rodriguez has criticized Maduros removal from the country and has demanded that the U.S. return him.

Trump told the magazine that if she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro. The president told the New York Post in an interview Saturday that the U.S. wouldnt need to station troops in Venezuela if she does what we want.

Iran warns the US against military action

Associated Press video on Sunday shows a banner now on display in Irans capital warning the United States and Israel that their soldiers could be killed if they take action in the country.

Trumps recent comment that the U.S. will come to their rescue if Iran kills peaceful protesters has taken on a new meaning after the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a longtime ally of Tehran.

Irans Foreign Ministry has condemned the illegal U.S. attack against Venezuela. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said adversaries of the U.S. should note that America can project our will anywhere, anytime.

Protests against Trumps plans in Venezuela pop up across the US

From California to Missouri and Texas, protesters are planning demonstrations Sunday and through the week against President Donald Trumps military operation and capture of Maduro, which one protest description called the illegal, unconstitutional invasion of Venezuela.

Dozens appear to be organized by chapters of Indivisible, a left-leaning group, and many take umbrage with Trumps plans to take control of Venezuelas oil industry and ask American companies to revitalize it.

What congressional leaders and governors say about the Venezuela operation

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa who serves as Senate president pro tempore, posted on X Saturday that Maduro is a narco-terrorist and his drug trafficking resulted in the deaths of too many Americans. He likened the Trump operation to then-President George Bushs decision in 1989 to capture Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega following his indictment for drug trafficking.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat and one of President Donald Trumps most outspoken critics, posted that U.S. military action in Venezuela is unconstitutional and is putting troops in harms way with no long-term strategy. The American people deserve a President focused on making their lives more affordable, Pritzker wrote.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, posted a statement on X calling the strikes illegal and criticizing Trump for taking action without congressional approval. The President does not have the unilateral authority to invade foreign countries, oust their governments, and seize their resources, she wrote.

Trump wants the Venezuelan VP to lead or get out of the way, Noem says

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says President Donald Trumps conversations with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez now are very matter-of-fact and very clear: You can lead or you can get out of the way, because were not going to allow you to continue to subvert American influence and our need to have a free country like Venezuela to work with rather than to have dictators in place who perpetuate crimes and drug trafficking.

Rubio says US will use control of Venezuelas oil to influence policy

Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to back off Trumps assertions that the U.S. was running Venezuela, insisting instead that Washington will use control of the South American countrys oil industry to force policy changes and, We expect that its going to lead to results here.

Were hopeful, hopeful, that it does positive results for the people for Venezuela, Rubio told ABCs This Week. But, ultimately, most importantly, in the national interest of the United States.

Asked about Trump suggesting that Rubio would be among the U.S. officials helping to run Venezuela, Rubio offered no details but said, Im obviously very intricately involved in the policy going forward.

He said of Venezuelas interim leader: We dont believe this regime in place is legitimate because the country never held free and fair elections.

A tense calm prevails on mostly empty streets of Caracas

Venezuelas capital Caracas was unusually quiet Sunday with few vehicles moving around. Convenience stores, gas stations and other businesses were mostly closed.

The presence of police and members of the military across the city was notable for its smaller size compared with an average day and even more so with the days when people protested against Maduros government in previous years.

Meanwhile, soldiers attempted to clear an area of an air base that had been on fire along with at least three passenger buses following Saturdays U.S. attack.

After capture and removal, Venezuelas Maduro is being held at notorious Brooklyn jail

The Brooklyn jail holding Nicolas Maduro is a facility so troubled that some judges have refused to send people there even as it has housed such famous inmates as music stars R. Kelly and Sean Diddy Combs.

Opened in the early 1990s, the Metropolitan Detention Center, or MDC Brooklyn, currently houses about 1,300 inmates.

Its the routine landing spot for people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan and Brooklyn, holding alleged gangsters and drug traffickers alongside some people accused of white collar crimes.

Maduro is not the first president of a country to be locked up there.

Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former president of Honduras, was imprisoned at MDC Brooklyn while he was on trial for trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine into the U.S. Hernandez was pardoned and freed by President Donald Trump in December.

 Read more about MDC Brooklyn
Credit: Metropolitan Police

Three laughing teenagers posed for selfies after killing a homeless man near Londons Kings Cross station.

Anthony Marks, 51, was hit with a car bonnet before being chased down, stamped on and beaten with a gin bottle by Eymaiyah Lee Bradshaw-McKoy, 18, Mia Campos-Jorge, 19, and Jaidee Bingham, 18, on Aug 10 2024.

Mr Marks suffered a head injury with bleeding on the brain from which he died five weeks later.

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Photographs from the night featured the laughing teenagers, then aged 16 and 17, before and after they carried out the killing.

Drug dealer Bingham, known as Ghost, caused the fatal injury by striking Mr Marks over the head twice with a glass bottle after he had fallen to the ground.

Audio from a CCTV camera picked up male and female voices shouting: Hit him again. Kick kicking. Do it again. Have you learnt your lesson yet?

Eymaiyah-Lee Bradshaw McKoy was sentenced to 47 months for manslaughter - Met Police/Central News

As they made off in a car with false number plates, the youths were seen on video recordings in a mood of celebration with Bingham saying: We messed up a man today.

The assault was said to have been a punishment beating after one of the young women, who worked as drug runners, was violently robbed.

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Police pieced together events and identified the defendants from CCTV footage and analysis of mobile phones.

On Monday, Bingham, from Dagenham, east London, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years after being found guilty of murder by a jury.

Mia Campos-Jorge was locked up for 42 months - Met Police/Central News

Bradshaw-McKoy, from Brixton, south London, was sentenced to 47 months and Campos-Jorge, from Tottenham, north London, was handed 42 months in custody after being convicted of manslaughter.

Sentencing at the Old Bailey on Monday, Judge Mark Dennis KC said Bingham had elevated the confrontation by picking up the bottle and using it with severe violence.

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The court had previously heard how staff at Kings Cross alerted emergency services after finding Mr Marks stumbling near the main concourse, with blood dripping from his head, shortly before 6am.

He was in a critical condition when paramedics arrived and took him to St Marys Hospital in Paddington.

A CT scan showed bleeding on his brain caused by the attack, in addition to a pre-existing injury, the court heard.

Jaidee Bingham was a drug dealer known as Ghost - Met Police/Central News

In a police interview, Mr Marks described being assaulted outside the closed McGlynns pub, during a row with the dealer Ghost about stolen crack cocaine.

He told officers: I met my local drug dealer, his names Ghost, he has a complaint. Hes complained that one of the smokers had taken some drugs off one of the subsidiary girls and had run away with it.

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I told him basically its got nothing to do with me, but he claims that I know who the people were. I said, yeah, I know who they were, but I never took nothing off them.

Anthony Marks was found in critical condition by Kings Cross staff. He later died - Met Police/Central News

He said Ghost and the two women had chased him towards the pub where he was stamped on and hit.

On being discharged from hospital, Mr Marks was transferred to prison on Aug 13 2024 for breaching his licence after an earlier release.

In custody, he complained of headaches and slurred speech, but was not referred for another brain scan, the court was told.

On Aug 29, prison staff were called to his cell after he had a seizure, the jury heard.

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He underwent emergency surgery at Kings College Hospital, where he died on Sept 14 from bleeding on the brain caused by the violent attack a month before.

Bradshaw-McKoy and Campos-Jorge were both convicted of manslaughter - Central News/Met Police

Hugh Davies KC, prosecuting, had said there were some missed opportunities for medical intervention, but Mr Marks would not have died if he had not been assaulted in the first place.

After the youths convictions, Det Insp Jim Barry, of Scotland Yard, said it was a callous murder that shed light on the ruthless brutality of county lines gangs.

He said: The ages of Bingham, Bradshaw-McKoy and Campos-Jorge are particularly shocking. But the fact that they were teenagers does not excuse their violent actions as part of a drug line that has brought fear and intimidation to Londons streets.

They believed they had escaped justice, even posing for selfies together and laughing about what they had done. There is a sense of justice that officers were able to use these to place them at the scene of the crime.
Lauren Reinhold answers questions during a Dec. 26, 2025, interview at Sunflower Cafe and Pub in Lawrence. The former federal employee is running for the 1st District congressional seat currently held by Republican Rep. Tracey Mann. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

LAWRENCE  A pair of Democrats from Lawrence with personal grievances about the Trump administration are challenging incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann for his 1st District seat.

Lauren Reinhold, a longtime federal employee at the Social Security Administration, was swept up in Elon Musks DOGE purge of federal employees. Colin McRoberts, a professor at the University of Kansas business school, was inspired to run for office after attending Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshalls contentious March 1 town hall in Oakley.

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Both Reinhold and McRoberts believe they can overcome the long odds Democrats have faced in the district by taking aim at Manns willingness to support an unpopular Republican agenda.

We were promised: Things are going to be better for you. And Im just one person, but they certainly were not better for me, Reinhold said.

I was lied to. I was told my prices would be lower, she added. I was told that things would be better for my kids. I was told they would fix health care. And its been a year, and none of thats happened.

McRoberts said his experience in business negotiations has showed him that representatives like Mann are unable to negotiate on behalf of their district because they are just going to do what the party wants them to do.

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He said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act marked a tectonic shift by severing the ties between aid for farmers and food assistance for low-income people. Those programs traditionally have been bundled together as a compromise between urban and rural states.

Thats really going to change the political balance of those subsidy payments going forward, which makes it a lot less stable, McRoberts said. And its the kind of short-term thinking thats going to be really dangerous, because we dont have negotiators in Congress.

Thanks to state-level GOP gerrymandering in 2022, the liberal town of Lawrence in northeast Kansas is now included in the vast 1st District that covers much of the western two-thirds of the state, all the way to the Colorado border. Only one Democrat  Howard Miller, in 1952  has won the seat in the 150 years since the district formed. Mann has won three terms, with about 70% of the vote each time.

Ready to fight back

Reinhold lived in Topeka until she was 6, then moved to St. Louis. She returned to Kansas in 1993 to attend law school at KU, and stayed to raise a family there.

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I want the world to know that Im prepared to fight for Kansans, for everyday Americans, Reinhold said. I think weve been overlooked. Were not getting what we need. The regular person is increasingly suffering economically. Were all at risk of our health getting worse.

She defined a regular person as anyone whos not fabulously wealthy, or doesnt have to worry about their current and future economic security.

Her life was upended after President Donald Trump took office and handed a billionaire tech mogul the power to fire government workers under the pretense of efficiency.

Reinhold said she received the email that was sent to federal employees in late January, urging them to quit their jobs in exchange for pay through September. At first, she resisted.

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And I thought, you know what, if they fire me, I could run for office, she said. I could run for Congress and try to fight this mess theyve made of the federal government. Fight back and restore what the American people need.

After weeks of turmoil, firings and reassignments, she agreed to take the buyout when a new offer was made in April. She is taking time off to focus solely on running for Congress.

Its not about me. Its not about, oh, poor Lauren lost her job to DOGE, Reinhold said. Thats going to be part of the campaign, but I really care that the American people get the government they deserve, that we get the governmental services we need and deserve to make our lives better, and I feel so passionate about that.

Colin McRoberts, who teaches at the University of Kansas school of business, says agriculture drives the states economy and binds people together across the vast 1st District. (Submitted photo)

Embracing neighbors

McRoberts said he drove four and a half hours from Lawrence to Oakley because he wanted to hear what Marshall would say about Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and vaccines.

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And, McRoberts said, it was pretty clear that Marshall didnt want people to show up.

McRoberts ended up taking one of the videos that went viral from Marshalls town hall. People booed Marshall when he dismissed their concerns about Trump administration policies, and the senator left abruptly.

He didnt have to care because he thinks hes running in a safe election, McRoberts said. That affected me, the idea that he was so complacent that hes just going to turn around and walk away, because its not fun to talk about the things hes been doing wrong in Congress.

McRoberts started thinking a run for Congress during the drive back to Lawrence. He figured he, or even his students at KU, could have handled questions better than Marshall. He wanted to challenge Marshall directly but realized a U.S. Senate campaign would require him to raise millions of dollars.

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Im just not a wealthy man, McRoberts said. I cannot afford to leave my day job. I teach for a living because I have to pay the mortgage, and I love to teach.

Marshall had complained that people from Lawrence were trying to disrupt his appearance in Oakley, even though both towns are in the same congressional district. The implicit message from Marshall, as McRoberts saw it, was that people from outside of western Kansas are not your friends.

Actually, McRoberts said, people across the district have a shared economic interest rooted in agriculture.

I think thats been going on for a long time, an intentional strategy to use the east against the west, and maybe to a lesser extent, the west against the east, to drive these wedges for the benefit of party politics, McRoberts said. And I will not and cannot play that game. Were all neighbors. The 1st District is much more alike than it is different.

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A non-zero chance

Reinhold said her work experience gives her a deep understanding of how the federal government works, and that she is better suited than Mann to represent the district.

I will listen to Kansans, she said. First of all, I will get out there and talk to Kansans and listen to them, and listen to what they need, and vote in Congress in accordance with that, and initiate bills, which hes done very little of, to make our lives better.

McRoberts said he believes Democrats have an opportunity to break through the Republican stronghold in the 1st District.

Especially since weve seen the impact of tariffs, since weve seen the crisis of incompetence and corruption in the federal government, since weve seen Tracey Mann really fail to rise to the occasion, he said.

The odds are still very long, but its a long way from zero, and those odds are getting better every day, he added.
Venezuela's next leader remains an open question as the country enters its post-Maduro era. The opposition figure many expected to step forward is no longer seen as the obvious choice.

Maria Corina Machado has spent years as the international face of Venezuela's democratic movement. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2025 and openly backed U.S. pressure on Nicolas Maduro. But as power begins to settle inside Venezuela, Washington is signaling hesitation, and Machado appears to be on the sidelines.

Washington withholds an endorsement

On Saturday, President Donald Trump cast doubt on Machado's ability to lead, saying she lacks the support and respect needed to govern. He said he has not spoken with her and gave no indication that the U.S. plans to involve her in a political transition.

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"I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader," Trump told reporters. "She doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country. She's a very nice woman, but she doesn't have the respect to be the leader."

The comment undercut months of assumptions that Machado, long viewed as the opposition's most recognizable figure, would naturally emerge after Maduro was removed and taken to the United States to face federal charges.

Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado (L) greets supporters gathered outside the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway, in the early hours of December 11, 2025. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images)

Reporting from The Washington Post suggests Trump's reluctance to back Machado may stem from something far less ideological.

According to two people close to the White House, the president was privately frustrated by Machado's decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, an award Trump has openly coveted. One person described her acceptance as an "ultimate sin," saying it cooled any interest in elevating her role, despite her later efforts to dedicate the prize to Trump.

Power flows through the military

Trump's language points to a deeper reality in Venezuela: leadership is less about popularity than control.

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According to The Times UK, the armed forces remain the central power broker, and some senior commanders are believed to favor Delcy Rodriguez, now serving as interim leader, over Machado. That dynamic appears to be shaping how Washington views the transition.

Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez speaks during a press conference in Caracas on September 8, 2025. (Photo by FEDERICO PARRA/AFP via Getty Images)

Over the weekend, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez reinforced that balance, publicly recognizing Rodriguez as acting president and ordering the military to unify behind her. He described the U.S. operation that captured Maduro as a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and vowed continued resistance.

Machado speaks, but from a distance

Since Maduro's removal, Machado has stayed largely out of public view. Her current location is unclear after a secret journey out of Venezuela in December 2025 to attend the Nobel ceremony in Norway, followed by medical treatment for injuries sustained during the trip.

Rather than holding public events, Machado issued an open letter to Venezuelans, celebrating what she called a "time of freedom" and praising the United States for enforcing the law against Maduro.

People hold a Venezuelan flag with a picture of opposition leader, Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado in Doral, Florida, near Miami, on January 3, 2026. (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA / AFP via Getty Images)

In the letter, she urged the military to recognize opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as Venezuela's rightful president and commander-in-chief. She called on Venezuelans inside the country to prepare for next steps and asked the diaspora to rally international support for rebuilding the nation.

Another voice steps forward

That call didn't linger unanswered.

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Edmundo Gonzalez, the former diplomat widely seen as the rightful winner of Venezuela's 2024 election, released a video Sunday calling for the release of political prisoners and referring to himself as the country's commander in chief.

As The New York Times reports, Gonzalez ran as Machado's proxy after she was barred from the race. Exit polls and vote tallies published by his supporters showed him winning decisively. Maduro declared victory anyway. A crackdown followed, forcing Gonzalez into exile in Spain.

Nuestro compromiso es: lealtad al pueblo, a la libertad y al Estado de derecho. Nunca traicionaremos nuestros principios, esa sera la base de la reconstruccion de la nacion. Venezuela merece un futuro con derechos y esperanza. pic.twitter.com/a7IidGHYZH - Edmundo Gonzalez (@EdmundoGU) January 4, 2026

In the video, Gonzalez said Maduro's removal was an important step, but not enough. He called for the immediate and unconditional release of civilians and members of the military detained for opposing the government.

"As president of Venezuelans," he said, "I make a calm and clear call to the armed forces." He urged loyalty to the constitution and the people.

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His statement came as Venezuela's Supreme Court moved to install Rodriguez as acting president.

A symbol, not the successor

Machado remains the most internationally recognized opposition figure Venezuela has. She is admired by many Venezuelans abroad and has been one of the most vocal supporters of sustained U.S. pressure on the Maduro government.

But as Trump's comments on Saturday reflect, recognition is not the same as authority.

As Venezuela moves into an uncertain transition, Machado is still the face of the opposition, but not the figure Washington appears ready to empower. And for now, the question of who truly leads Venezuela remains unanswered.

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The post Venezuela after Maduro: Who's really in charge? appeared first on Straight Arrow News.

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The TSA is a fact of life at most airports. In fact, according to the Transportation Security Administration, TSA:

Is responsible for providing security at close to 440 airports

Employs more than 50,000 agents who handle airport security

Screen more than two million passengers every day

Unfortunately, TSA is no longer going to be providing security services at one airport in the United States. The Transportation Security Administration is pulling both agents and equipment out of the airport with no plans to return.

This decision could have long-term consequences that affect the ability of airlines to fly to this airport in the future.

The TSA handles airport security in the U.S.Frame Stock Footage/Shutterstock  Frame Stock Footage/Shutterstock

This is the airport that TSA is exiting for good

The Salem Reporter broke the news of TSA exiting the airport, which is located in Oregon. The airport is the Salem-Willamette Valley Airport, which is also known as McNary Field.

City officials were informed Tuesday that the TSA would no longer regulate the airport, says Jason Roberts, spokesman for the city's Public Works Department, according to the Salem Reporter.

This change means that the TSA can remove:

The checked baggage scanner

The full-body scanner

The walk-through metal detector

The X-ray machine

Explosive trace detectors

Related: A timeline of TSA changes & announcements under Kristi Noem's DHS

Why is TSA leaving the airport for good?

TSA is leaving the airport permanently, with no clear plans to return, for a very simple reason. The airport has struggled to find an airline to fly into it.

In July, Avelo Airlines announced its sudden departure from the airport, less than two years after beginning to operate out of it. Avelo was flying to Burbank and Las Vegas, and the city reportedly spent millions of dollars increasing airport staff and renovating the airport to accommodate the commercial carrier.

Related: Delta flight cancellations are rising. heres the real concern

Unfortunately, when Avelo left, the airport was unable to find another interested airline to come in. The city council authorized $300,000 in city funding to try to subsidize a new airline, and private groups raised $1.2 million to entice an airline to come, but none have expressed interest yet.

"Travel Salem President and CEO Angie Villery told Salem Reporter efforts are ongoing to recruit a new airline. She had no specific updates about interest from carriers," according to Salem News.

TSAs departure could have long-term consequences for the airport

Unfortunately, the TSAs decision to pull out of the airport could have long-term consequences that make it difficult for commercial flights ever to resume.
President Trumps recent imperialistic escalations and threats have neocons like Republican Senator Lindsey Graham practically drooling.

After the America First president kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, killing about 80 people in airstrikes in the process, he turned his ire to some of neocon Americas longtime targets: Cuba and Iran.

One of the things that is happening  Cuba is ready to fall, Trump said inside Air Force One on Sunday, standing snugly in a corner alongside Graham and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick

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Yes! Graham interjected, his eyes and smile lighting up as he became visibly excited.

Look at Lindsey Graham. He looks like a little boy at Christmas. He cant hide his neocon orgasm when he hears Trump about Cuba. When he looks at the other guy hes thinking See. I told ya I would get him to do it, I told ya.

pic.twitter.com/R8QIxSqoAx  Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) January 5, 2026

Graham also put his own two cents in.

You just wait for Cuba. Cuba is a Communist dictatorship thats killed priests and nuns, they preyed on their own people, Graham said. Their days are numbered.

Graham: You just wait for Cuba. Their days are numbered. pic.twitter.com/aFCV2pyxfi  Acyn (@Acyn) January 5, 2026

Having Trump stand on his plane threatening more regime-change operations, including one of the neocons decade-long crown jewel in Cuba, while Lindsey Graham stands next to him twitching in glee and ecstasyis the perfect illustration of MAGA foreign policy, journalist Glenn Greenwald chimed.

Graham tripled down later Monday on Fox News.

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Donald Trump will have done something thats eluded America since the fifties: deal with the Communist dictatorship 90 miles off the coast of Florida. I cant wait till that day comes. To our Cuban friends in Florida  the liberation of your homeland is close.

Graham: To our Cuban friends in Florida the liberation of your homeland is close pic.twitter.com/vLIt2AKgWQ  Acyn (@Acyn) January 5, 2026

Trump used to mock @GrahamBlog for being a bloodthirsty neocon warmonger (and stupid!), podcaster Tommy Vietor wrote on X. Now hes adopting Grahams foreign policy.

Graham also blew smoke at Iran during his Fox News appearance.

Unlike Obama, President Trump has not turned his back on the people of Iran. So I pray and hope that 2026 will be the year that we make Iran great again, he said, donning a black hat with that slogan on it.
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First)  A head-on crash involving two vehicles ended with one man facing multiple charges, including vehicular negligent injuring.

Darryl Fourroux, 63, of Greenwell Springs, was also charged with operating while intoxicated, reckless operation of a vehicle, and insurance required.

Fourroux was charged with operating while intoxicated; first offense, vehicular negligent injuring, reckless operation of a vehicle, and insurance required. (East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office)

The East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office was called around 1:30 p.m. to the 15000 block of Greenwell Springs Road on Saturday, Jan. 3.

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Upon arrival, EBRSO learned that Fourroux was involved in the crash. The sheriffs office said he crossed the center line and hit a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction.

The responding deputy said Fourroux could not answer questions, had slurred speech, rambled, and his eyes did not react to light.

He was detained and said he did not do any drugs or drink alcohol. One witness told EBRSO that Fourroux was driving fast and crossed the center line multiple times.

A search of his vehicle uncovered various drug paraphernalia, including two empty glass vials. Fourroux said none of what was found belonged to him.

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Further investigation found that his vehicle was not insured and he was arrested on four other occasions for DWI.

Fourroux said no one else was in the vehicle with him. Blood was later taken from him for analysis.

Man charged after making threats during LSU womens basketball game, police say

The Greenwell Springs man was eventually booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Saturday, Jan. 3.

The driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Latest News

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Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News.
One rule of Fort Worth dining:

Know your Bellas.

Cafe Bella is a 27-year favorite in the TCU neighborhood, known for simple dishes and BYOB dining.

Its not moving.

Thats Bella Italia, a different restaurant on Camp Bowie Boulevard.

Ever since Bella Italia announced its move, Cafe Bella owner Eli Golemi has had to explain that theyre not related.

People tell me, I heard youre selling  I tell them Im not going anywhere! said Golemi, a native of Ioannina, Greece.

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She started as a server at Cafe Bella and now owns the cafe, 3548 South Hills Ave.

Ladies are shaking my hand, saying, Im so happy for you getting divorced,  she said. I am not getting a divorce!

Cafe Bella owner Eli Golemi, a native of Greece, began working at the Fort Worth, Texas, restaurant as a server. She bought a share of the restaurant when founder Sali Kaba retired and now owns it outright. Seen Jan. 3, 2026. (Bud Kennedy/bud@star-telegram.com)

I have never been to that other restaurant! This is my only restaurant!

The confusion started in 1999. Thats when the prolific Kaba restaurant family opened a small restaurant on Blue Bonnet Circle named Bella Pizza and Pasta.

Across town, chef Carlo Croci had already opened Bella Italia West on Camp Bowie Boulevard.

The new decor at Cafe Bella in the Westcliff Shopping Center, Fort Worth, Texas, as seen Oct. 1, 2025.

That should have untangled in 2004, when the Kabas and Golemi moved their restaurant to the Westcliff Shopping Center as Cafe Bella.

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Now that Bella Italia is moving to 6115 Camp Bowie Blvd., some customers and social media commenters are confused all over again.

Golemi just upgraded Cafe Bella. She redecorated and dialed the decor up a notch, adding softer lighting, tablecloths and nicer dinnerware, giving it the feel of a night-out restaurant at a BYOB price.

I grew up with my customers, and I wanted to give them a nicer experience, she said.

Cafe Bella in the Westcliff Shopping Center, Fort Worth, Texas, seen Oct. 1, 2025.

Cafe Bella has always been known for basic dishes such as chicken Marsala or baked ziti. Customers like the salmon piccata or Golemis salmon special from her mothers kitchen, she said.

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We buy vegetables from the farmers market, and we use organic chicken, she said. We grate the garlic fresh. Everything is a better quality. I just want the people to feel at home.

Cafe Bella is open for dinner weeknights and Saturdays and for lunch Wednesdays through Fridays; 817-922-9500, cafebellaftw.com..
Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro arrived for a hearing at a New York federal court on Monday, just two days after he was spectacularly detained during a US military operation.

He is facing multiple drugs charges including "narco-terrorism conspiracy" and weapons possession.

The court hearing has been scheduled for noon (1700 GMT).

Video footage broadcast by CNN showed that a helicopter and armoured vehicle were used to transport him to the court. Maduro was accompanied by officials from the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

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The authoritarian 63-year-old leader and his wife Cilia Flores were detained early Saturday during a US attack that targeted several parts of the country. They were then taken by helicopter and boat out of the country, in an operation that shocked the world and provoked both praise and outrage.

Maduro is alleged to have used his authority, which the United States considers illegally obtained, to enable thousands of tons of cocaine to be transported to the US.

Maduro is said to have personally benefited from this. He allegedly allied himself with drug traffickers, according to the allegations posted by US Attorney General Pam Bondi on the platform X.

Updated charges

Maduro had already been charged in the US with drug trafficking in 2020, so technically he is facing updated, rather than completely new, charges. His wife and son are co-defendants.

The allegations are also directed against the current and former interior ministers and a leader or co-leader of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua.
Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro stood in a Manhattan courthouse Monday a captive criminal defendant: surrounded by heavy security, deprived of his power as a head of state and facing drug, weapon and conspiracy charges likely to keep him behind bars for years.

"I was captured," he said in Spanish, before pleading not guilty during a brief arraignment. "I am a decent man, the president of my country."

Just two days prior, more than 2,000 miles away in Caracas, Maduro was seated "atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking," according to a sweeping indictment unsealed Saturday.

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What preceded Maduro's swift downfall was not just his weekend capture in what President Trump called "one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might" in U.S. history, but decades of partnership with "narco-terrorists" from Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico to enrich himself and his family through "massive-scale" cocaine trafficking, the indictment claims.

The allegations, built off a 2020 indictment, stretch back a quarter-century and implicate other Venezuelan leaders and Maduro's wife and son. They suggest extensive coordination with notorious drug trafficking organizations and cartels from across the region, and paint a world Trump himself has long worked to instill in the minds of Americans  one in which the nation's southern neighbors are intentionally flooding the U.S. with lethal drugs and violent criminals, to the devastation of local communities.

Read more: Maduro says, 'I was captured,' as he pleads not guilty to drug trafficking charges

It is a portrait of drugs, money and violence every bit as dramatic as the nighttime raid that sent jets and helicopters into Venezuelan airspace, U.S. special forces into Maduro's bedroom and Maduro and his wife into U.S. custody and ultimately to their arraignment in court Monday.

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It appears to rely on clandestine intelligence and other witness testimony gathered over the course of decades, which Maduro's defense team will undoubtedly seek to discredit by impugning the cast of characters  some drug traffickers themselves  whom prosecutors relied on.

Legal experts said it could take years for the case to reach trial, slowed not only by the normal nuance of litigating a multi-defendant conspiracy case but the added complexity of a prosecution that is almost certainly predicated in part on classified intelligence.

"That's very different than a typical drug case, even a very high-level drug case, [where] you're not going to have classified State Department cables the way you're going to have them when you're actually prosecuting a head of state or a former head of state," said Renato Stabile, an attorney for former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted in a similar cocaine trafficking case in 2024 before being pardoned by Trump last month.

Joe McNally, the former acting U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, which includes Los Angeles, said he expects the case will take at least a year to get to trial, after prosecutors "show their cards" and Maduro's attorneys review that evidence and seek out their own witnesses.

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He said he expects a strong case from prosecutors  despite it being "not easy to prove a case that involves high level cartel activity that's happening thousands of miles away"  that will appropriately play out entirely in public view.

"He'll have his day in court. It's not a military tribunal," McNally said. "His guilt or innocence will be decided by 12 people from the district [in New York where he's been indicted], and ultimately the burden will be on the prosecutor."

The case against Maduro

According to the indictment, Maduro and his fellow indicted Venezuelan leaders have since about 1999 "partnered with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world"  including the FARC and ELN groups in Colombia, the Sinaloa and Los Zetas cartels in Mexico and the Tren de Aragua gang in Venezuela.

Among the others indicted in the case is Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, aka "Nino Guerrero," a purported leader of Tren de Aragua.

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Trump has accused Tren de Aragua of committing violence in the U.S. and used alleged ties between it and Maduro to justify using a wartime statute to deport Venezuelans accused of being in the gang to a notorious Salvadoran prison. However, Maduro's links to the group have been heavily questioned in the past  including by U.S. intelligence agencies  and the indictment doesn't spell out any specific links between Maduro and Guerrero Flores.

The indictment alleges Maduro and his co-conspirators "facilitated the empowerment and growth of violent narco-terrorist groups fueling their organizations with cocaine profits," including by providing "law enforcement cover and logistical support for the transport of cocaine through Venezuela, with knowledge that their drug trafficking partners would move the cocaine north to the United States."

It specifically alleges that between 2006 and 2008, when he was foreign affairs minister, Maduro sold diplomatic passports to people he knew were drug traffickers, specifically so they could move drug proceeds from Mexico back to Venezuela "under diplomatic cover" and without military or law enforcement scrutinizing their flights.

It also alleges that between 2004 and 2015, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, "worked together to traffic cocaine, much of which had been previously seized by Venezuelan law enforcement, with the assistance of armed military escorts."

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It alleges the couple "maintained their own groups of state-sponsored gangs known as colectivos to facilitate and protect their drug trafficking operation," and "ordered kidnappings, beatings, and murders against those who owed them drug money or otherwise undermined their drug trafficking operation, including ordering the murder of a local drug boss in Caracas."

The indictment references a half-dozen other criminal cases already brought in the U.S. against others with alleged ties to Maduro and his alleged co-conspirators, several of whom have been convicted.

What's ahead

Stabile said the legally questionable nature of Maduro's capture will no doubt be a factor in the criminal proceedings ahead, with his defense team likely to argue that his detention is unlawful. "That's going to be front and center, and I assume it's going to be the subject of a motion to dismiss," he said.

Read more: U.S. capture of Maduro in Venezuela criticized as violation of international, U.S. law

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Whether anything will come of that argument, however, is less clear, as courts in the U.S. have in the past allowed criminal proceedings to continue against individuals captured abroad, including former Panama dictator Manuel Noriega. Part of the U.S. argument for why Noriega could be prosecuted was that he was not the legitimate leader of Panama, an argument that is likely to be made in Maduro's case, too.

Beyond that, Stabile said how the case plays out will depend on what evidence the government has against Maduro.

"Is his case just gonna be based on the testimony of sources and cooperators, which is pretty much what it was in President Hernandez's case?" Stabile said. "Or are there recordings? Are there videos? Are there bank records? Are there text messages? Are there emails?"

McNally said he will be watching to see whom prosecutors have lined up to testify against Maduro.

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"In most of the high-level narcotics trafficking cases, international narcotics trafficking cases that have been brought and go to trial, the common thread is that you end up with cooperators  individuals who were part of the conspiracy, they were the criminal partners of the defendant, and they ultimately decide, hey, it's in my self-interest to come forward and testify," McNally said.

"They obviously are cross-examined, and they'll frequently be accused of ... lying for their own self-interest," he said. "But in my experience, cooperators in these types of cases are especially valuable, and the key is to then corroborate them with other witnesses who tell the same story or documentary evidence."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico  Puerto Ricans have a saying  "El que se va para Aguadilla pierde su silla"  which roughly means that if you go to Aguadilla, you will lose your place in line.

Aguadilla, a small coastal city in northwestern Puerto Rico, is where my family and I drove Jan. 3 as we scrambled to get a flight back to the mainland after the American military operation in Venezuela disrupted travel for tens of thousands of people planning to fly in and out of the U.S. territory.

Aguadilla has also been witness to the dramatic American military buildup in the Caribbean that's made Puerto Rico an unexpectedly major part of the Trump administration's newly assertive posture in Latin America  and whatever comes next in Venezuela, following the U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro.

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After two weeks of visiting family over Christmas, we woke up in the middle of the night Saturday to make a flight out of Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) near the territory's capital, San Juan, part of a metro area of about 2 million people. We had seen reports of bombings in Venezuela but didn't think it would affect our plans to fly back to Washington.

As soon as we arrived at SJU, that changed quickly: We found that the Federal Aviation Administration had closed the airspace to U.S. carriers. Puerto Rico sits roughly 500 miles north of Venezuela. We were stuck and the airport was quickly descending into chaos.

I should have known better.

While Puerto Rico became a major American naval hub during World War II, the U.S. military presence here has been far smaller since the end of the Cold War. Protests famously led the Pentagon to halt decades of U.S. Navy practice bombings in the Puerto Rican island of Vieques in 2001.

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But as President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on Maduro in recent months, the U.S. has been sending in fighter jets, drones and other military hardware to the territory, making it the key U.S. staging ground in the region. Some of that hardware is at former bases like the airport in Aguadilla, a two-hour drive from San Juan and about a 30-minute drive from my hometown of Mayaguez. The naval station at Roosevelt Roads in eastern Puerto Rico has sprung back to life after closing in 2004.

The early Saturday operation  in which U.S. aircraft struck targets in Caracas and special forces captured and extracted Maduro and his wife  sent shock waves through the region. It also affected nearly 50,000 people planning to go through SJU, a connection hub to other parts of the Caribbean, during a busy holiday travel day. Airlines told some people it may take a week to get them home.

As we waited amid the growing cancellations and delays, hoping the FAA would open the skies, everyone was talking about the U.S. incursion just hours before, showing each other news stories and videos on their phones. Some were scoffing at what they saw as Trump's bellicose style. Others said good riddance to Maduro. A TV news crew eventually showed up. (As a former TV journalist myself, I wondered what took them so long.)

I overheard some people from the mainland U.S. commenting that Trump shouldn't leave Americans stranded abroad, and saw social media posts to the White House hoping for help  a reminder that many Americans still see Puerto Rico as some foreign land, nearly 128 years after the U.S. annexed the island following the Spanish-American war. The airspace remained closed for U.S. carriers.



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Puerto Ricans themselves are obsessed with the territory's relationship with the United States, and discussion about the Trump administrations military buildup has inevitably become part of the debate over its status. Puerto Rico has been a territory since 1898 and its residents U.S. citizens since 1917, but it seems everyone has a different view of how they fit into the American story.

Trump famously threw paper towels at people after Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico in 2017, destroying the electric grid and causing damage that is still being repaired. At times he blocked or slowed aid, pointing to the territory's corruption problems. But that doesn't mean Trump doesn't have MAGA fans in Puerto Rico.

Some Puerto Ricans have protested the military buildup. Others have welcomed it  many of them driving by the sites of military exercises to catch a glimpse.

Left-leaning politicians  including Juan Dalmau, a rising star among advocates of Puerto Rican independence  condemned the U.S. operation. Critics have long accused Dalmau of not distancing himself enough from Maduro and used that against him during the 2024 gubernatorial elections.

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But Gov. Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon, the pro-statehood Republican and vocal ally of Trump who beat Dalmau, cheered the president on, as local reporters pressed her about the impacts on tourism and the economy. Gonzalez Colon was Puerto Rico's lone representative in Congress before moving to La Fortaleza, the governor's mansion.

"As Governor of Puerto Rico, I am proud that Venezuela will finally have peace without the narco-dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro and his cronies. The US Armed Forces and our Nation may continue to rely on Puerto Rico as a strategic partner in the mission to support our national security and bring stability to our hemisphere," Gonzalez Colon said.

With Trump now pledging to run Venezuela for the foreseeable future  and the administration putting other regional leaders on notice about its sudden revival of the 200-year-old Monroe Doctrine  that partnership seems likely to grow.

Spain, which governed Puerto Rico for more than 400 years, considered the archipelago and the fortifications around Old San Juan key to defending its possessions around the Americas. The United States then used Puerto Rico's strategic location as part of its defense of the Panama Canal and to cement its preeminence in the hemisphere.

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Some Republicans like Sen. Mitch McConnell have scoffed at the idea of Puerto Rican statehood. Trump is said to have talked about selling or trading the island in the past. But the president's geopolitical posture may have led him to reconsider any animosity. It also helps the territory has a pro-Trump governor.

Our San Juan flight finally canceled, the Uber driver who took us back to our place there, for one, said Maduro should have given up earlier. He predicted weeks of instability.

Luckily, after hours of searching, we found a flight from Aguadilla. We rented a car and raced there for a middle-of-the-night flight to Newark. We then drove down to our home outside Washington.

While I had seen the growing military presence throughout the island myself  at the airport in Ponce, a city in the south, I caught sight of military aircraft parked near the main terminal, for instance  I hadn't made it to Aguadilla to see the drones my dad kept telling me about. But I think I saw one in the darkness as our airplane prepared to take off at around 4 a.m. Sunday.

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And as it turned out, we just missed Maduro himself.

As many Puerto Ricans suspected, the former Air Force base at Aguadilla was his first stop on American soil after U.S. special forces captured him in the dead of night and ultimately flew him to New York to await trial in a Brooklyn jail on narco-terrorism and drug-trafficking charges.

The giveaway? The photo that Trump shared on social media of a blindfolded, handcuffed Maduro showed him holding a bottle of what appeared to be Nikini brand water  widely available in Puerto Rico.


WASHINGTON (AP)  A day after the audacious U.S. military operation in Venezuela, President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests and threatened military action on Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in Cuba is in a lot of trouble.

The comments from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the ouster of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro underscore that the U.S. administration is serious about taking a more expansive role in the Western Hemisphere.

With thinly veiled threats, Trump is rattling hemispheric friends and foes alike, spurring a pointed question around the globe: Who's next?

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Its so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place," Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida. "We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.

Asked during an interview with The Atlantic earlier on Sunday what the U.S.-military action in Venezuela could portend for Greenland, Trump replied: They are going to have to view it themselves. I really dont know.

Trump, in his administration's National Security Strategy published last month, laid out restoring American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere as a central guidepost for his second go-around in the White House.

Trump has also pointed to the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, which rejects European colonialism, as well as the Roosevelt Corollary  a justification invoked by the U.S. in supporting Panamas secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the U.S.  as he's made his case for an assertive approach to American neighbors and beyond.

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Trump has even quipped that some now refer to the fifth U.S. president's foundational document as the Don-roe Doctrine.

Causing unease in Denmark

Saturday's dead-of-night operation by U.S. forces in Caracas and Trumps comments on Sunday heightened concerns in Denmark, which has jurisdiction over the vast mineral-rich island of Greenland.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a statement that Trump has "no right to annex" the territory. She also reminded Trump that Denmark already provides the United States, a fellow member of NATO, broad access to Greenland through existing security agreements.

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I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. to stop threatening a historically close ally and another country and people who have made it very clear that they are not for sale, Frederiksen said.

Denmark on Sunday also signed onto a European Union statement underscoring that the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected as Trump has vowed to run Venezuela and pressed the acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, to get in line.

Social media posting angers Danes

Trump on Sunday mocked Denmarks efforts at boosting Greenlands national security posture, saying the Danes have added one more dog sled to the Arctic territorys arsenal.

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Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled by a social media post following the raid by a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, Katie Miller. The post shows an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the caption: SOON."

And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, Amb. Jesper Mller Srensen, Denmark's chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, who is married to Trump's influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

During his presidential transition and in the early months of his return to the White House, Trump repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has pointedly not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island that belongs to an ally.

The issue had largely drifted out of the headlines in recent months. Then Trump put the spotlight back on Greenland less than two weeks ago when he said he would appoint Republican Gov. Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland.

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The Louisiana governor said in his volunteer position he would help Trump make Greenland a part of the U.S.

A stern warning to Cuba

Meanwhile, concern is simmering in Cuba, one of Venezuelas most important allies and trading partners, as Rubio issued a new stern warning to the Cuban government. U.S.-Cuba relations have been hostile since the 1959 Cuban revolution.

Rubio, in an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, said Cuban officials were with Maduro in Venezuela ahead of his capture.

It was Cubans that guarded Maduro, Rubio said. He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards. The secretary of state added that Cuban bodyguards were also in charge of internal intelligence in Maduros government, including who spies on who inside, to make sure there are no traitors.

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The Cuban government said in a statement read on state television on Sunday evening that 32 officers were killed in the U.S. military operation.

Trump said that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, is in tatters and will slide further now with the ouster of Maduro, who provided the Caribbean island subsidized oil.

It's going down, Trump said of Cuba. It's going down for the count.

Warning delivered to Colombia

Trump, as he made his way back to Washington on Sunday evening, also put Venezuela's neighbor, Colombia, and its leftist president, Gustavo Petro, on notice.

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Trump in a back-and-forth with reporters said Colombia is run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

The Trump administration imposed sanctions in October on Petro, his family and a member of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade. Colombia is considered the epicenter of the world's cocaine trade.

Trump began his monthslong pressure campaign on Maduro by ordering dozens of lethal strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats launched from Venezuela in the Caribbean. He eventually expanded the operations to also target suspected vessels in the eastern Pacific that came from Colombia.

The U.S. in September also added Colombia, the top recipient of American assistance in the region, to a list of nations failing to cooperate in the drug war for the first time in almost 30 years. The designation led to a slashing of U.S. assistance to the country.

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Hes not going to be doing it for very long, Trump said of Petro on Sunday. He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. Hes not going to be doing it.

Asked whether he might order the U.S. to conduct an operation against Colombia, Trump replied, It sounds good to me.

___

AP writers Andrea Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba, and Darlene Superville traveling aboard Air Force One contributed reporting.
The top lawmaker on the House Intelligence Committee believes that the weekend capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro may have a domino effect in Cuba.

Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Ark., called it "the beginning of the end" for the regime there.

"Cuba and Venezuela have had a symbiotic relationship for a long, long time. Cuba needs Venezuelan oil. They no longer have the resources that will be provided by Venezuela," Crawford said on Fox News' "The Big Weekend Show."

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Maduro And 'Lady Macbeth Cilia Flores Marriage Spells 'Worst Case' Custody Scenario

Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., speaks as House Republicans hold a news conference in the Capitol in Washington, May 6, 2025. (Getty Images)

According to Crawford, Venezuela also benefited from the partnership by receiving medical assistance from Cuba and military protections used by Maduro.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel leads Cubas government  a one-party Communist state that has long been at odds with the United States. The U.S. has an economic embargo on the country, restricting exports to and from Cuba as well as travel restrictions that limit tourism.

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Those measures have been in place for 63 years.

"In February 1962, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed an embargo on trade between the United States and Cuba and directed the Departments of Commerce and the Treasury to implement the embargo, which remains in place today," the Department of State explains on its website.

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Trump Vows Us 'In Charge' Of Venezuela As He Reveals If He's Spoken To Delcy Rodriguez

Cubans hold a Venezuelan national flag with a Cuban one during a gathering in support of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Havana on Jan. 3, 2026, after U.S. forces captured him. (Getty Images)

Despite those longstanding tensions, Crawford noted that an impulse for change may also come from a cultural closeness between Cuba and the United States on top of the crumbling of its Venezuelan partnerships.

"You may very well see a popular uprising there. There's a lot of connective tissue. We have really, for lack of a better term, we have a familial bond with Cuba," Crawford said. "We have so many families in South Florida that are directly connected to family members in Cuba that remittances are a big part of their economy. They rely on the United States, whether they want to admit it or not.

"We can play an outsize role there in influencing those folks and helping them to organically rise up and help overcome that oppressive regime," Crawford added.

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Crawford did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the U.S. should also take military action in Havana.

Crawford said the political cascade caused by the capture of Maduro and the American presence in Venezuela would not be limited to Cuba.

Trump's Maduro Takedown Resets The Global Chessboard And Reasserts American Power

Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., questions witnesses during a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing in Washington, March 26, 2025. (Getty Images)

"This also plays into what I call the communist triad of the Western hemisphere, that is Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. This probably doesn't bode well for Nicaragua if we're being honest about it. I mean, I'm sure they're watching anxiously, wondering when the next boot is gonna fall and where they'll be in relation to that," Crawford said.

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He also sent a message to Americas larger adversaries who have built relationships with those countries in Latin and South America.

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"Iran, Russia, China, you're playing in the wrong sandbox," Crawford said.





Original article source: Maduro's capture is 'beginning of the end' for Cuba's regime, House Intelligence chair says
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan lost his cool when he was asked how a foreign invasion aligned with America first policy goals.

The Ohio representative appeared on CNNs State of the Union Sunday morning to defend President Donald Trumps decision to attack Venezuela.

Bash opened the segment by citing Trumps comments about how the U.S. would run Venezuela and that he isnt afraid of sending boots on the ground. She also pointed out that Trump threatened to target Cuba and Colombia next, despite promising to end U.S. involvement in forever wars during his presidential campaign. How is that America first? Bash asked Jordan.

US President Donald Trump, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R), speaks to the press following US military actions in Venezuela, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 3, 2026. President Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a

I trust the president to make decisions that are in the best interest of Americans of our country, Jordan began. This president gets results.

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Jordan then attempted to justify the invasion of Caracas and capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro by insisting the move would be keeping drugs off the street. The MAGA lawmaker claimed that the intervention in Venezuela would help his constituents in Ohios 4th Congressional District who are affected by fentanyl.

Helping deal with that, helping deal with that, I think is a good thing, Jordan said, referring to fentanyl. And Americans recognize this for decisive action that makes a difference for us. And frankly, for Venezuelans.

Bash then corrected the representative, clarifying that fentanyl doesnt come from Venezuela. Even the federal government has stated that fentanyl mostly comes into the U.S. from Mexico or China. After being pressed with this information, Jordan tried to save face by saying Venezuela cozying up to China and Iran certainly does affect the drugs distribution.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan wrote a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi referring former CIA Director John Brennan for criminal prosecution. / Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Jordan was then hit with a question about how U.S. involvement in Venezuela would help fulfill Trumps campaign promises about focusing on Americans and affordability. In true loyalist fashion, he teed up profuse praise for the president.

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President Trump has done that, he said. President Trump said hed cut taxes, he did. President Trump said hed secure the border, he did.

The conservative congressman also claimed that Trump is responsible for lowering gas prices and removing Irans nuclear capabilities. However, both of these issues have been contested. Oil industry experts cast doubt on Trumps ability to take credit for cheaper prices at the pump, while questions about total obliteration of Irans nuclear sites remain.

He did all those things in one years time, Jordan said. That is certainly making America great again. That is certainly consistent with what he said. And getting a bad guy brought to justice whos had a five year arrest warrant? That is certainly consistent with that theme and that message as well. So I think the American people appreciate that.

Fire is seen at Venezuela's largest military complex after the U.S. launched a military attack on the country. / STR/AFP via Getty Images

Before Trump announced the latest attack on Venezuela and the seizure of its president, one Quinnipiac poll found that 63% of voters oppose military action in the South American country. Despite this, Jordan said that he believes his spin on the attacks would be effective messaging during the upcoming midterm elections.

President Trump and Republicans did what we said we would do, Jordan said.
A man accused of raping another patient at a Boston hospital is set to appear in court on Monday afternoon.

According to the Suffolk County District Attorneys office, Barry Howze, 55 is accused of raping another patient while admitted to the Boston Medical Center emergency room in the late evening of September 13 into September 14.

Howze was indicted by a Suffolk County jury on December 12 and will be charged with two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, one count of assault and battery on a person with a disability, and one count of witness intimidation.

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Howze will be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court at 2 p.m. on Monday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Like many people, I get food delivered probably more than I should. Its very convenient to place an order and have your food brought directly to your door at all hours. And, as a busy parent who works a lot, I appreciate the convenience of not having to drive in traffic to pick up dinner.

Unfortunately, food delivery through mobile apps works really well  until it doesnt. There have been more incidents than I care to remember when my food was delayed, delivered to the wrong address, or didnt show up at all.

These problems are annoying when you are counting on your delivery driver to bring you your dinner. Unfortunately, they are also compounded by bad policies on the part of rideshare companies that can sometimes leave you fighting for a refund.

Now, one state is tackling this issue head-on, prompting changes to the rules for Uber Eats and other delivery services. The change is likely to be a popular one, and other states could adopt similar new rules in the future as well.

Rules vary by state for food delivery services.SImage source: Shutterstock/Getty Images  SImage source: Shutterstock/Getty Images

This state is changing the rules for Uber Eats and other food delivery services

The major rule change impacting Uber Eats is occurring in California courtesy of Assembly Bill 578.

Under the new law, starting on January 1, 2026, food delivery platforms, including Uber Eats, DoorDash, and others, are now going to be required to issue full cash refunds, instead of just in-app credits, when customers have an order that is missing or incorrect.

Related: Home Depot problem is costing customers a fortune

This means the companies must:

Refund the full amount that a consumer paid for the order, including the price of the food, the taxes, and the tips

Provide the refund to the customers original payment method instead of an in-app credit

Provide a human customer service agent for customers to speak to when they request a refund

If the order is partly correct, the food delivery services are still going to be allowed to issue partial refunds. But if the food doesnt come or the entire order is wrong, customers are now guaranteed the option to actually get their money back in full.

New legislation solves a long-standing problem with Uber Eats and other food delivery services

The change to the law in California addresses an issue that consumers and consumer advocates have long complained about.

Consumer advocates have long criticized food delivery platforms for relying on app credits instead of cash refunds, arguing that credits can expire, limit customer choice, and pressure users to continue using the same service after a negative experience. Supporters of AB 578 say the new requirements ensure customers are properly compensated when a delivery fails, without strings attached, according to People, which reported on the law change.
A man has been charged with manslaughter in connection with a fatal altercation outside a downtown Toronto establishment last month, police say.

Just before 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 28, the accused allegedly got into a "verbal altercation" with the victim, 34-year-old Luke Daniel Kellett-Smith, in the area of Front Street and University Avenue, police said in a news release Monday. The accused then assaulted Kellett-Smith twice, causing him to fall to the ground both times, police alleged. He lost consciousness after the second assault, police said, and died of his injuries three days later.

A 30-year-old Richmond Hill man was arrested the day of the altercation and originally charged with aggravated assault, police said. His charges were upgraded Monday to manslaughter.

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The accused was scheduled to appear in court Monday morning.

Kellett-Smith's death was the 44th homicide of 2025, police said. Police are asking anyone with more information to contact investigators or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers.
A man who was killed in a hit-and-run car crash in downtown Boston Saturday morning has been identified as 79-year-old John Axelrod, a longtime donor to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office confirmed Sunday afternoon.

Boston resident William Haney, 42, has been arrested and charged with murder and cruelty to animals in connection with the crash, Boston police announced earlier on Sunday.

Haney intentionally hit Axelrod with his car while Axelrod was walking his dog on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Back Bay, killing both Axelrod and his dog, the district attorneys office said.

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Axelrod was an MFA Honorary Advisor, according to a statement from the museum. During his more than four decades of involvement with the MFA, he donated several collections of 20th century European decorative arts and 377 pieces of American Modern design from the 1920s and 30s. The museums John Axelrod Gallery was named in his honor in 2009 and features the latter collection.

A generous supporter and passionate advocate for underrepresented artists, John had been a part of the MFA family since the 1980s, the statement reads. His legacy will live on at the Museum through the John Axelrod Collection  a transformative acquisition of nearly 70 works by Black artists, including Archibald Motley, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Alan Rohan Crite, Lois Mailou Jones, and Kerry James Marshall.

Read more: Boston man charged with murder after pedestrian killed by car strike

Boston police responded to the fatal crash at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Hereford Street shortly after 8 a.m. on Jan. 3, the police department said. First responders treated Axelrod at the scene before taking him to a hospital where he was later declared dead.

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Reports indicate that Haney hit Axelrod and his dog while driving on Commonwealth Avenue, then fled the scene, police said. Officers obtained the registration information for the car involved in the crash, and Brookline police found the car unoccupied later that day.

Haney is expected to be arraigned Monday in Boston Municipal Court Central, police said. Authorities have not specified a motive in Axelrods killing, but the district attorneys office said that more details will be shared during Haneys arraignment.

Homicide detectives are still investigating Axelrods death. They ask that anyone with information relevant to the investigation call them at (617) 343-4470 or submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-494-TIPS, texting the word TIP to 27463 or online at police.boston.gov/crimestoppers/.

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Donald Trump has issued a series of threats against multiple countries after American troops captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

The US president followed Maduros shock arrest with threats against Colombia, Mexico, Greenland, Iran and Cuba.

But these are far from the only countries the Nobel Peace Prize hopeful Trump has lashed out at at.

Below, The Independent looks at the nations in the US leaders firing line, after he boasted that American dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again.

Venezuela

For months, the US has been striking what it describes as Venezuelan drug boats, which it claims are carrying narcotics to the US.

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Since the first strike in September, Trump has ordered an unprecedented buildup of military assets near the countrys Caribbean coast and issued a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers.

The US seized Maduro and his wife in a military operation Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base.

Maduro will face a New York court on Monday

Colombia

Trump has warned Colombian president Gustavo Petro  one of his fiercest critics on the international stage  that the South American country could be the next to face US military action.

The US sanctioned Petro last autumn after Trump blamed him for failing to curb drug trafficking in the country and allowing cartels to flourish.

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Colombia has become a refuge for millions of Venezuelans who have fled Maduros rule in recent years.

Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and hes not going to be doing it very long, he told reporters while on board Air Force One.

When asked by NewsNations Libbey Dean whether the US would carry out a military operation, the US president said: It sounds good to me. You know why? Because they kill a lot of people.

Colombian president Gustavo Petro has been one of Trumps fiercest critics (AP)

Mexico

Mexico has long been a target of Trumps anger, with the US president blaming the government for failing to deal with drug cartels and prevent the flow of migrants across the border.

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Drugs are pouring through Mexico, Trump said last year, describing the cartels as very strong.

He said that Mexico, which has been led by left-wing president Claudia Sheinbaum since October 2024, has to get their act together or were going to have to do something.

Trump claims to have offered Sheinbaum the US militarys help to root out drug cartels. On Monday, Sheinbaum stressed Mexico is a sovereign country and was cooperating with the US on drug trafficking and security.

We categorically reject intervention in the internal matters of other countries, she said.

Trump claims to have offered Mexicos presdident Claudia Sheinbaum the US militarys help to root out drug cartels (AP)

Greenland

Fears are growing that Trump could order US military action in Greenland after repeated threats to seize the territory.

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We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence, the president told The Atlantic magazine on Sunday.

Katie Miller, the wife of one of Trumps senior aides, Stephen Miller, sparked backlash in Greenland after she posted a picture on social media of the country in the colours of the American flag, alongside the word soon.

Trumps desire for a US takeover of the mineral-rich self-governing Danish territory has been no secret since he resumed office in January last year.

On Monday, Denmarks prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said in a statement that the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom, of which Greenland is one.

Denmarks leader Mette Frederiksen says the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom (PA)

Iran

Trump has long considered Irans regime one of Americas main adversaries. Last June, the US joined an Israeli bombing campaign aimed at destroying the countrys nuclear programme.

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Last week, he weighed in on the ongoing protests in Iran over the cost of living, in which at least eight people have reportedly been killed by police. Protesters have called for the overthrow of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.

If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue  We are locked and loaded and ready to go, he wrote on Truth Social.

It is not clear how the US could help the protesters. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump only said: If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think theyre going to get hit very hard by the United States.

Protesters march in downtown Tehran over the cost of living (Fars News Agency)

Cuba

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Sunday that he believes Cuba is in a lot of trouble following the capture of Maduro, a key ally.

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Im not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard, Rubio told NBC. But I dont think its any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime, who, by the way, are the ones that were propping up Maduro.

Mr Trump says the US may not need to intervene in Cuba, one of Venezuelas key allies, as he claims that the country is ready to fall following Maduros capture.

I dont know if theyre going to hold out, but Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. Theyre not getting any of it. Cuba literally is ready to fall.
(This article was revised to include video and more detail from the sentencing and the case.)

At times rocking in his chair, tilting his head back and closing his eyes, a shackled Marcelle Jerrill Waldon was sentenced to die by lethal injection for the 2020 murders of a former Lakeland city commissioner and her husband in their Lakeland home.

Circuit Judge J. Kevin Abdoney handed down the sentence Jan. 5 in a Bartow courtroom, more than five years after the stabbing deaths of Edie Yates Henderson and David Henderson inside their home in the quiet Lake Morton neighborhood.

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Waldon received death sentences for each of the two first-degree murder convictions against him. He also received life without the possibility of parole for convictions on burglary of a dwelling with battery involving a firearm, two counts of kidnapping and robbery with a firearm.

Marcelle Waldon reacts as he listens Jan. 5 to Judge J. Kevin Abdoney during his sentencing for the November 2020 murders of Edie Yates Henderson and David Henderson in Lakeland.

Waldon was sentenced to 15 years for attempted arson and arson. He received five years each for grand theft of a motor vehicle and tampering with physical evidence.

The brutal murders of Edie Yates Henderson and David Henderson will always be remembered as a terrible tragedy in our community, said Brian Haas, state attorney for the 10th Judicial Circuit, which includes Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties. The death sentence that my prosecutors secured was certainly warranted.

It is my hope that the conclusion of the criminal case will bring some level of closure to the families of the victims, Haas added via email. Going forward, the focus should be on the great lives lived by Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, the impact they had on our community and the legacy they left behind.

Jury at trial was not unanimous

A jury recommended Waldon die by lethal injection by an 11-1 vote on Feb. 6, 2024. Days earlier, the same jury had convicted Waldon, 41, of two counts of first-degree murder for killing the Hendersons Nov. 10, 2020, a crime that sent shock waves across Lakeland.

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Waldon's defense had challenged Floridas new capital sentencing scheme, which passed in 2023, allowing a death sentence on a jury recommendation of 8-4. Previously, a unanimous jury recommendation was needed for a judge to impose capital punishment.

Edie Yates Henderson and David Henderson were killed Nov. 20, 2020, in their home overlooking Lake Morton in Lakeland.

In Abdoneys order, he went over both aggravating and mitigating factors raised by both the prosecution and defense during the trial and in hearings since Waldons convictions.

In the end, the heinous, cold, calculated and premeditated aggravating circumstances, among others, outweighed the mitigating factors, which Waldon had declined to present during the trial.

The judges order recapped some of the more horrific moments during testimony and evidence presented at the trial to explain how heavily the court weighed the aggravating factors.

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The prominent Lakeland couple had been stabbed 23 times upstairs in their bedroom with a large kitchen knife missing from a butcher block in their home.

Judge J. Kevin Abdoney read from his sentencing order for nearly an hour on Jan. 5, reviewing some of the gruesome details of the crime and the investigation.

They had been bound and held at gunpoint, the judge said, reading from the sentencing order.

Edie Henderson had been in the shower when confronted by her attacker. Her husband had been stabbed in the back through a vertebra and the wife through two of her ribs. It took 12 minutes for the couple to die of their stab wounds.

Judge reviewed defense's mitigating factors

The mitigating factors were addressed by the judge too. They had been raised after the trial during three parts of a Spencer hearing lasting several days.

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The defense had argued Waldon was under severe emotional distress at the time of the murders. He was abused as a child, had a history of mental illness and a witness had said he suffered from symptoms of untreated schizophrenia, including talking to himself and poor hygiene, among other indications of the mental illness.

Further, he suffered brain injuries and was a drug user. He was homeless, where criminality was more commonplace.

Still, Waldon made careful and thoughtful actions during the crimes, the judge noted.

Marcelle Waldon is fingerprinted by bailiff William Larson after his sentencing on Jan. 5.

For example, he used a knife to kill the victims instead of firing a gun at the victims, which could have alerted neighbors with the noise. The prosecution presented evidence that the murder weapon and clothing items were likely to have been discarded in a Lake Wire Inn dumpster, as motel video surveillance video of Waldon showed during the trial.

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He also tried to burn down the house, torched the stolen car and deleted photos on his phone of the couple bound up with items in the bedroom, including a tie and belt.

Most of the Spencer hearings were dominated by testimony about the defense's claim of an intellectual disability. Abdoney ruled in October that Waldon did not meet the definition of intellectually disabled under Florida law.

Had Waldon met the state statute for an intellectual disability in death penalty cases, he would have been ineligible for the sentence.

A last plea for mercy in defense memo

The defense also considered the death penalty case against Waldon, whom they claimed to be a model prisoner and cooperative with law enforcement during the murder investigation, to be unfair because a key state witness at trial, Jarvis Collins, had attempted to pawn items taken from the Hendersons' home and had driven Waldon around town after the murders.

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Most of the issues raised in the memorandum were not fully explained, or no evidence was presented to verify the claims, the judge said.

Referring to a sentencing memorandum, the defense team had also raised the specter of Floridas lethal injection protocol as an inhumane punishment in a plea for mercy from the judge.

Marcelle Waldon during his sentencing on Jan. 5.

After reading from his sentencing order for about an hour, Abdoney said, Good luck to you, Mr. Waldon.

Thank you. Waldon replied.

Prior to the judge reading the court order, Waldon had declined any comment.

Information from previous articles in The Ledger was used in this report.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Marcelle Waldon sentenced to death for 2020 Lake Morton murders
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday reportedly issued a stern warning to Cuba following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the U.S. military.

Rubio Calls Out Cuban Leadership

Rubio criticized Cubas leadership, labeling them as incompetent and accusing them of exerting considerable influence over Venezuelas security apparatus, according to a report by The Hill.

Addressing reporters at President Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Rubio suggested that Cuba had effectively colonized Venezuela from a security standpoint.

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"If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I'd be concerned at least a little bit," he said.

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Prior to Rubios comments, Trump highlighted the U.S. administrations interest in fostering positive relations with neighboring countries, while acknowledging Cubas current challenges.

Cuban Officials Condemn US

Cuban officials, however, condemned the U.S. military action. Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, Cubas Foreign Minister, voiced strong opposition to the U.S. actions on social media.

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"The aim of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuelas strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, in an attempt to forcibly undermine the nations political independence. They will not succeed," he said.

*COMMUNIQUE OF THE

REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA*



The Bolivarian Republic of #Venezuela rejects, denounces, and condemns before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States of America against Venezuelan  Bruno Rodriguez P (@BrunoRguezP) January 3, 2026

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Maduro's Capture

The U.S. military operation occurred early Saturday, with explosions reported in Caracas and other Venezuelan regions. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and are being transported to New York to face charges, including narco-terrorism and weapons-related offenses.

Democratic lawmakers criticized the operation, citing a lack of congressional authorization.

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Prominent politicians, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), have criticized President Trumps actions, arguing that he lacks the constitutional authority for such military operations. Sanders emphasized that the President cannot unilaterally engage in warfare, even against a dictator like Maduro.

Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government accused the United States of military aggression, following a series of explosions in Caracas. The explosions occurred around 2 a.m. local time, with at least seven blasts reported.

Furthermore, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez demanded proof of life for Maduro and his wife, amid heightened tensions between the nations.

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This article Marco Rubio Reportedly Warns Cuban Leaders Following Maduro's Capture: 'I'd Be Concerned' originally appeared on Benzinga.com
The McRib is back again  just, this time, in a federal courtroom.

Just before Christmas, a group of consumers (Peter Le, Charles Lynch, Dorien Baker, and Darrick Wilson) filed a proposed federal class-action lawsuit against McDonalds in Chicago, arguing that the fast-food giant misled customers by selling a sandwich called the McRib that contains no rib meat at all. The case, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, seeks nationwide class status and damages for buyers who say they paid a premium for something the name itself promised  and the product never delivered.

At the center of the complaint is the McRibs carefully engineered ambiguity. The sandwich is boneless, molded into the shape of a rack of ribs, drenched in barbecue sauce, and marketed as a limited-time event. The plaintiffs are arguing that the combination would lead a reasonable consumer to believe the product contains at least some actual pork rib meat. It does not. Instead, the filing says, the patty is made from lower-grade cuts and pork shoulder, heart, tripe, and scalded stomach.

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McDonalds has never pretended the McRib contains bones. It describes the sandwich as boneless pork, a phrase doing a lot of quiet, legal work in the background. The company seems to think the McRibs role has always been clear: Its ribs for people who dont really want bone-in ribs, engineered for speed, consistency, and sauce coverage.

In a statement to NBC Chicago, McDonalds said: This lawsuit distorts the facts and many of the claims are inaccurate. Food quality and safety are at the heart of everything we do  thats why were committed to using real, quality ingredients across our entire menu. Our fan-favorite McRib sandwich is made with 100% pork sourced from farmers and suppliers across the U.S. Weve always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them.

But that framing may sidestep the lawsuits actual pressure point. The plaintiffs arent alleging unsafe food or undisclosed ingredients. Theyre alleging that the McRibs name, shape, and marketing operate as a promise  one strong enough to justify a higher price and distinct from McDonalds everyday menu items.

The plaintiffs cite McRib prices that, in some markets, rival or exceed core staples such as the Big Mac, and argue that rib meat is widely understood as a premium cut. The lawsuit cites McRib pricing from its December 2024 run, alleging an average price of $5.63 nationally and highs up to $7.89 in some locations, compared with a $5.29 average price for a Big Mac in the same period.

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The alleged injury, then, isnt just nutritional. Its also financial  and psychological. Plaintiffs say they paid more because they thought they were buying ribs, or at least something closer to ribs than a generic pork patty. The case also takes aim at the McRibs scarcity mystique. By reappearing briefly and unpredictably, the sandwich has trained customers to act quickly. The lawsuit argues that this urgency compounds the confusion, encouraging impulse purchases before anyone slows down to parse what McRib legally guarantees  and what the sandwich meat actually contains.

The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status on behalf of U.S. purchasers who bought a McRib in the four years before the complaint was filed, plus state-specific subclasses for California, New York, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., with slightly different lookback periods. The complaint asks for damages, restitution, and injunctive relief aimed at future marketing.

The McRibs pressed-meat geometry exists to signal ribs without the mess, the bones, or the variability. Now that same design is Exhibit A  in the allegation that McDonalds crossed from playful approximation into actionable suggestion. Now a judge will decide: When a menu item is engineered to look like ribs and is named like ribs, how much rib does a reasonable consumer get to expect?
Cutting your lunch break short to handle a rush is one thing. Not getting paid for it is another. Hundreds of Oregon McDonalds workers say thats exactly what happened to them and a settlement is now on the table.

The McDonalds franchise in question has agreed to pay $3.55 million in payouts after employees accused it of skipping wages during short meal breaks.

The settlement involves restaurants operated by UTB Enterprises and Goldenband LLC in the Portland area. Timothy South and Sharla Gaskill filed the class action lawsuit in 2020, claiming the companies violated Oregon wage and hour laws by failing to pay for meal periods that lasted less than 30 minutes during six-hour shifts, which Oregon law treats as compensable time.

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The companies deny wrongdoing but agreed to the deal. Workers were notified in December after the court gave preliminary approval in October.

Attorney fees and administrative costs will also be paid from the fund. Any leftover money goes to Legal Aid Services of Oregon and the Northwest Workers Justice Project.

Payments will vary. Some former employees will receive payments of $31.14. Others could receive up to $872.49, depending on how many weeks they worked during the covered period. Final payouts may change based on how many claims are approved.

The settlement applies to hourly workers employed at the franchises locations dating back to March 8, 2014.

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Most eligible employees were already notified and included automatically for the base payment. Those who want to opt out must do so by January 7, 2026. Those who want to claim the higher payment must submit a claim form by March 8, 2026.

A final court hearing is scheduled for March 27, 2026 at the Multnomah County Courthouse. Payments will be issued once the court grants final approval.

Source: UTB Goldenband Class Action

Read the original article on GEEKSPIN.

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NEED TO KNOW

Four consumers claim McDonald's has falsely advertised their McRib Sandwich as containing real pork rib meat with its name and distinctive shape

The suit claims the fan-favorite sandwich is made with a hybrid of meat parts, including heart, tripe and stomach

"McDonalds deceptive omissions and misleading marketing have resulted in millions of dollars in consumer harm," reads the suit

McDonalds is facing a proposed class action lawsuit over its McRib sandwich, with plaintiffs alleging the limited-time item has long misled customers about what kind of meat it actually contains.

According to a complaint filed Dec. 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and obtained by PEOPLE, four consumers from California, New York, Illinois and Washington, D.C., claim McDonalds deceptively markets the McRib as containing pork rib meat  when it allegedly contains none at all.

McDonald's RetroCommercial.com, McDonald's McRib Commercial, YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OKhkMnn8nQ at 0:08 (last visited May 6, 2025). RetroCommercial.com, McDonald's McRib Commercial, YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OKhkMnn8nQ at 0:08 (last visited May 6, 2025).

The lawsuit argues that the sandwichs name, pricing and distinctive rib-shaped patty lead reasonable consumers to believe they are purchasing a premium pork rib product. The complaint alleges that the McRib is made from "restructured" pork using lower-grade cuts such as pork shoulder, heart, stomach and tripe, rather than actual rib meat. McDonald's USA has confirmed this is false, in a statement to PEOPLE.

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The name McRib is a deliberate sleight of hand, the plaintiffs (individually Dorien Baker, Peter Le, Charles Lynch and Derrick Wilson) claim, arguing that the word rib, combined with the pattys shape, falsely signals a higher-quality cut of meat that typically commands a higher market price.

McDonald's McDonald's McRib McDonald's McRib

The filing notes that pork rib meat  including "baby back" and "spare ribs"  is considered a premium product, citing the U.S. Department of Agricultures (USDA) National Daily Pork Report, showing rib meat is significantly more expensive than other pork cuts. The plaintiffs allege that McDonalds capitalizes on that perception while charging consumers a premium price for the sandwich, which has sold for as much as $7.89 at some locations.

In a statement from McDonald's USA, the company vehemently denies the claims in the lawsuit, noting that the claims are inaccurate and "distorts the facts."

"Food quality and safety are at the heart of everything we do  thats why were committed to using real, quality ingredients across our entire menu," read the statement. "Our fan-favorite McRib sandwich is made with 100% pork sourced from farmers and suppliers across the U.S. Weve always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them."

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The McRib has been offered periodically since 1981 and is heavily promoted as a limited-time item, a strategy that the lawsuit claims creates a sense of urgency and discourages consumers from scrutinizing its ingredients. "McDonalds deceptive omissions and misleading marketing have resulted in millions of dollars in consumer harm, warranting legal remedies including compensatory damages, restitution, and injunctive relief to prevent further deceptive advertising practices," reads the suit.

McDonalds McDonald's McRib advertisement. McDonald's McRib advertisement.

Each named plaintiff alleges they would not have purchased the McRib  or would have paid less for it  had they known it did not contain any actual pork rib meat.

The lawsuit seeks class-action status on behalf of U.S. consumers who purchased the McRib in recent years and alleges multiple causes of action, including fraudulent omission, misrepresentation, breach of warranty and unjust enrichment. Plaintiffs are seeking damages, restitution and injunctive relief to prevent what they describe as "continued deceptive marketing."



Read the original article on People
McDonalds has pushed back against claims in a class action lawsuit that the company misled customers by advertising the McRib as a rib meat sandwich when its patty allegedly comes from other pork cuts.

The fast-food chain says the McRib is made of seasoned, boneless pork, dipped into tangy BBQ sauce, topped with slivered onions and tangy pickles, and served on a toasted homestyle bun.

But lawyers argue that a "McRib" isn't an accurate representation of what's actually in the sandwich, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of four plaintiffs on Dec. 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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Despite its name and distinctive shape  its meat patty has been deliberately crafted to resemble a rack of pork ribs  the McRib does not contain any actual pork rib meat at all, the lawyers wrote in the lawsuit, obtained by USA TODAY.

A McRib sandwich is seen at a McDonald's restaurant on Nov. 3, 2010 in San Francisco, California.

The lawsuit alleges that the company has used ground-up portions of lower-grade pork products such as  pork shoulder, heart, tripe, and scalded stomach to make the meat patty, a claim McDonalds denies.

It is precisely these misleading attributes that drive sales of the sandwich, which is why McDonalds continues to bring it back time after time, the lawsuit read.

McDonalds USA said in a statement to USA TODAY on Jan. 5 that the lawsuit distorts the facts and many of the claims are inaccurate.

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Heres what else McDonalds and the lawyers behind the lawsuit had to say about the McRib.

The McDonald's logo is pictured in front of a store in Dearborn, Michigan on Oct. 17, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

McRib is made with 100% pork sourced from U.S. farmers, McDonalds says

McDonalds first started selling the McRib in 1981, but pulled it from the menu in 1985 because of poor sales. It made a return from 1989 to 2004 and then went on a "farewell tour from 2005 to 2007, only to be brought back in 2020 and then another comeback in 2024-2025 with regional limited-time returns in major U.S. cities.

McDonalds often announces the sandwichs return with a catchy slogan: McRib is back. The sandwich typically costs between $3.99 and $7.99, according to fan website mcriblocator.com.

McDonalds USA said in a statement to USA TODAY on Jan. 5 that the company values food quality and safety.

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Were committed to using real, quality ingredients across our entire menu, McDonalds USA wrote. Our fan-favorite McRib sandwich is made with 100% pork sourced from farmers and suppliers across the U.S. Weve always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them.

The company said customers can always find out whats in their food via the McDonalds website, in the McDonalds app, or at the companys kiosks inside the restaurants.

According to the lawsuit, pork rib meat comes from the muscle and fat on a pigs rib cage, usually resulting in spare ribs or baby back ribs, both considered premium cuts of pork. The lawyers claim that by calling its sandwich a McRib, McDonalds has misled customers.

Surveys found that people care what kind of meat is in their McRib sandwich, lawyers say

The lawsuit said plaintiffs conducted two consumer surveys where consumers looked at real McRib advertisements and listed the types of meat they expected to find in the McRib.

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Among the options were rib meat, pork, beef, chicken, no meat, and not sure, the lawyers wrote in the lawsuit. Of 215 respondents, 72% said they expected the McRib to include rib meat.

During a second survey, 174 respondents looked at images of the McRib and answered the question How important is it to you personally that the McRib is made from rib meat when deciding whether or not to purchase it?

Of the respondents, 67% said the McRib containing rib meat was either important or very important in deciding whether theyd buy the sandwich.

The lawyers have pushed for class members to receive damages, attorneys fees, and interest.

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The lawyers have also asked the courts to order McDonalds to desist from further deceptive naming, marketing and advertising practices with respect to the McRib.

Contributing: Mike Snider, USA TODAY

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia  the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: McDonald's says McRib lawsuit is 'inaccurate' and 'distorts the facts'
The driver accused by police of intentionally killing a 79-year-old man walking his dog in Boston on Saturday morning was ordered held without bail and will undergo a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation after his lawyer stated he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia in the past.

William Haney, 42, faces charges of murder and cruelty to animals in connection with the fatal crash. He appeared during his arraignment in the Central Division of Boston Municipal Court on Monday.

Judge Joseph Griffin ordered Haney evaluated for his competency to stand trial.

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Prosecutors said Haney targeted 79-year-old John Axelrod as he was walking his dog on Commonwealth Avenue Mall, a pedestrian walkway, at around 8 a.m. on Saturday.

A bystander told police Haney had pulled over and asked if the person had seen a man walking his dog and wearing a red jacket, prosecutors said in court. Haney then drove onto the pedestrian walkway to find Axelrod, struck him and his dog, then fled the scene, prosecutors said.

Boston police found Axelrod with serious injuries at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Hereford Street. He was brought to a hospital and later pronounced dead, police said. His dog also died.

Officers obtained the registration information for the car involved in the crash, and Brookline police found the car unoccupied later that day.

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Surveillance footage showed Haney making a stop at a Dunkin at around 8:13 a.m., just minutes after the crash, prosecutors said, then throwing away a leash belonging to Axelrods dog. Boston police announced his arrest on Sunday.

Outside the courtroom on Monday, Haneys lawyer, Keith Halpern, told reporters his client has struggled with mental illness for some time, is diagnosed with schizophrenia and cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality.

Halpern had requested his clients appearance waived for the arraignment and said Haney doesnt have the capacity to understand what this proceeding is about, which the judge denied.

During the hearing, a court-ordered clinician said she requested a mental health evaluation for Haney after speaking with him. She said that Haneys medication had changed in August and hes had a difficult time since.

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The clinician also said Haney expressed numerous paranoid illusions and appeared to be hearing hallucinations. He did not understand that he is being charged with murder, the clinician told the judge.

Axelrod was a longtime donor to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), and an MFA Honorary Advisor, according to the museum. During his more than four decades of involvement with the MFA, he donated several collections of 20th century European decorative arts and 377 pieces of American Modern design from the 1920s and 30s. The museums John Axelrod Gallery was named in his honor in 2009 and features the latter collection.

A generous supporter and passionate advocate for underrepresented artists, John had been a part of the MFA family since the 1980s, the statement reads.

His legacy will live on at the Museum through the John Axelrod Collection  a transformative acquisition of nearly 70 works by Black artists, including Archibald Motley, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Alan Rohan Crite, Lois Mailou Jones, and Kerry James Marshall.

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Homicide detectives are still investigating Axelrods death. They ask that anyone with information relevant to the investigation call them at (617) 343-4470 or submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-494-TIPS, texting the word TIP to 27463 or online at police.boston.gov/crimestoppers/.

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Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Office for National Statistics

The number of people who die in Britain this year is set to exceed those born in the country, the Resolution Foundation said, in what the think tank described as a permanent shift that will increase the UKs dependency on migration.

Britain will see a shortfall in births in 2026, Resolution Foundation projected as part of its annual economic outlook released on Monday. That gap will increase by an ever-widening margin, forever closing a chapter in the demographics of Britain that stretches back to at least the start of the 20th century, the research institution said.

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While the number of deaths in the UK exceeded births in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and again in 2023, the native population grew slightly in each of the past two years, Resolution Foundation estimated. From 2026 onwards, any population growth is set to come from international net migration, the think tank said.

Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

The report shows the stakes of the debate gripping Britain as Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to reverse the rise of Nigel Farages anti-immigration Reform UK in opinion polls. Starmer and his home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, have pledged to bring down migration from record highs, at the risk of the Labour Partys broader commitment to end an extended period of economic stagnation.

Opposition to immigration  a key driver of Britains vote a decade ago to leave the European Union  has risen further in the wake of a surge in both legal immigration and arrivals of asylum-seekers from across the English Channel. Net migration reached a peak of almost one million a year after the then-Conservative government loosened visa rules to offset the shortfall of European workers and accommodate Ukrainians and Hong Kongers fleeing strife at home.

The UKs projected shortfall in births mirrors trends elsewhere in Europe and across the developed world, fueling support for policies to encourage women to have more children. The projected population accounts for everyone already in the UK, including families of foreign descent as well as those who have been in the country for generations.

This may shift the conversation on migration away from arguments over whether the country is already full and onto whether we want to address population decline, said Greg Thwaites, research director for the Resolution Foundation. Thwaites acknowledged the subject was likely to remain politically charged.

The UK has already seen a dramatic slowdown in population growth, largely due to increased visa hurdles implemented by former Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the months before Starmer took office. Net migration dropped back to 204,000 in the year to June 2025, and more recent Home Office figures suggest it should fall further amid Starmers efforts to discourage lower-skilled workers and asylum-seekers from pursuing residency.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has condemned President Trumps kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his threat to take over her country next.

We categorically reject intervention in the internal matters of other countries, Sheinbaum said at her press conference on Monday. It is necessary to reaffirm that in Mexico the people rule, and that we are a free and sovereign countrycooperation, yes; subordination and intervention, no.

Trump has threatened to both bomb and/or invade Mexico multiple times in his first year back in office, and he reiterated those points this weekend.

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The cartels are running Mexico, [Sheinbaums] not running Mexico. We have to do something, he said on Fox News. Trump also threatened the sovereignty of Greenland, Cuba, Columbia, and Iran, naming them as potential next targets in his press conference on Saturday.

Even still, Sheinbaum seems confident that the United States will not escalate.

I dont believe in an invasion; I dont even think its something theyre taking very seriously, she said. On several occasions, he has insisted that the U.S. Army be allowed to enter Mexico. We have said no very firmlyfirst because we defend our sovereignty, and second because it is not necessary.
(The Center Square)  Apprehensions of illegal border crossers dropped by 95% in New Mexico under the Trump administration from their record high during the Biden administration. At the same time, arrests of foreign terrorist organization members and prosecutions of border crimes skyrocketed in New Mexico.

Apprehensions of illegal border crossers this year represent a fraction of the gotaways who illegally entered during the Biden administration, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data and gotaway data obtained by The Center Square.

In fiscal year 2025, 36,116 illegal border crossers were apprehended in New Mexico, excluding gotaways. The fiscal year goes from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.

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Thats down from 121,518 reported in fiscal 2024, 170,852 in fiscal 2023 and 143,857 in fiscal 2022, according to CBP data. Each year broke records but 2023 was the highest reported in New Mexico in U.S. history.

This years total represents an 80% drop from the record high of 2023.

By individual month, the 745 apprehended this August represent a 95% drop from the record high 14,429 apprehended in August 2022, according to the data.

In 2022, illegal entries skyrocketed in the CBP El Paso Sector, which includes all of New Mexico. In November 2022 alone, more than 53,500 illegal border crossers and 24,000 gotaways were reported, the majority in New Mexico, The Center Square reported. At the time, El Pasos Democratic mayor declared a state of emergency and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott deployed 400 National Guard troops to the Texas-New Mexico-Mexico border.

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Meanwhile, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and federal partners targeted stash houses, hostage taking, smuggling and trafficking operations in New Mexico, The Center Square reported.

By early 2023, gotaways totaled nearly 17,000 in just two months in the El Paso Sector, with the majority reported in New Mexico, The Center Square reported.

Gotaways is the official CBP term for those who illegally enter between ports of entry to evade capture, dont file immigration claims and dont return to Mexico. CBP doesnt publicly report this data. The Center Square obtained gotaway data from Border Patrol agents, reporting it each month. At least two million gotaways were reported during the Biden administration, The Center Square exclusively reported. The total, which excludes Office of Field Operations data, is expected to be much higher due to several factors.

Many gotaways are known to have criminal records, including those on the terrorist watchlist, The Center Square reported.

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Illegal entries in New Mexico reached their peak in 2023 as Texas border security efforts expanded through Abbotts Operation Lone Star led by Texas Border Czar Mike Banks, The Center Square reported. Banks is now the chief of Border Patrol. The Santa Teresa, NM, CBP station was the busiest in the El Paso Sector, The Center Square reported.

By 2024, Texas OLS officers erected barriers to prevent illegal entry from Mexico and New Mexico after New Mexico was Texas only neighbor that refused to participate in OLS, The Center Square reported.

By September 2024, after Abbott and Banks efforts expanded, the majority of illegal entries in the El Paso Sector were in New Mexico, 87%. Law enforcement was also finding that the majority of illegal border crossers apprehended in the El Paso region of Texas had come from New Mexico after illegally entering from Mexico, The Center Square reported.

The situation was so bad that Republican lawmakers from New Mexico came to Texas to learn how they could replicate OLS efforts. Banks said at the time, Our neighbors and states across the country are turning to Texas for guidance and direction on the most effective ways to secure the border.

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After new Trump administration policies were implemented under Banks, illegal entries in New Mexico plummeted to record lows. At the height of the border crisis, apprehensions totaled more than 25,000 in New Mexico in March 2023. This March, they totaled 1,100 and reached a record low of 719 in July, according to CBP data excluding gotaways.

Apprehensions of suspected terrorists also increased, including members of the Venezuelan transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua operating in New Mexico.

Prosecutions also increased with the U.S. Attorney for New Mexico prosecuting hundreds each week for border crimes, a record for the district.

This month, 11 alleged TdA members were indicted in New Mexico, accused of kidnapping, brutally interrogating and strangling to death a man in Albuquerque and burying his body in a remote desert grave, The Center Square reported.

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In the last two weeks, 96 were charged with illegal reentry after deportation, six with alien smuggling and 112 with illegal entry, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Another 54 were charged with illegal entry, including illegally entering a military space after a National Defense Area was established in New Mexico by the Department of War.

In addition to hiring new Border Patrol and CBP agents in New Mexico, the Trump administration awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in new contracts to expand border wall construction and technology in New Mexico, The Center Square reported.
The official records documenting centuries of New Mexico government are consolidated in a beige, 167,000-square-foot building on Camino Carlos Rey.

With long brutalist hallways and concrete walls, the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives is tasked with preserving the history of state business, facilitating public research and helping other state departments manage their papers.

The agency, which chronicles everything from Spanish colonial land grants to recent governors calendars, is increasingly grappling with a shift facing state archives across the country: the transition to born digital records. Those files, stored on cloud servers and hard drives, were never on paper to begin with, yet must be preserved in a way that remains accessible for centuries to come.

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The whole thing is changing really fast, you know, fewer paper records, more digital records, not as much microfilm. ... So you kind of have to be a little bit nimble, said State Records Administrator Rick Hendricks, during a December interview and tour of the facility.

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Archives Division Director Jonathan Pringle talks about some of the research done at the states archive and the constant move toward more digitization of the collections during a tour of the New Mexico state records facility last month.

In storage vaults behind heavy doors requiring key card access, boxes of personnel records are held for state agencies. The vaults are climate-controlled  kept chilly and at a higher humidity, around 32%, than the surrounding New Mexico desert. Moisture and dust sensors line the walls, which trigger alarms in the event of water leaks.

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While the agency in past years focused on expanding physical storage space, said Jonathan Pringle, division director of the State Archives of New Mexico, it now recognizes most records being created are digital and is grappling with how best to preserve them.

The staff has an eye toward maintaining a robust digital records system, Pringle said.

Pringle pointed to two hard drives on his desk donated in December, loaded with historical records and oral histories on Sephardic Jewish identity in New Mexico. The records deal with descendants of conversos or crypto-Jews, Jewish people who converted to Catholicism, came to New Mexico during the Spanish period and continued to practice aspects of their religion in secret. Each contains a huge amount of material  12 terabytes.

The agency hopes eventually to have the premier holdings on the history of conversos in New Mexico, Pringle said, and that history of people that were Jewish in secrecy for many, many years.

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Preserving digital files

Another area of attention is adjusting agencies behavior, said Pringle  making sure they go through the same extended process of seeking approvals before destroying digital records as they must for paper records.

Most state documents have various lifespans, Hendricks said, and destruction timelines depending on the category of record. Governors records are held permanently.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams records are expected to be largely digital, he said.

Theyre going to transfer digital records to us when the governor leaves  so theyll bring us the drives where they have all the records. They have a few boxes, but they dont have a lot, Hendricks said.

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State Records Administrator Rick Hendricks talks about the optimal conditions needed to store documents for different government organizations during a tour of the New Mexico state records facility last month.

Even just in the last few years, Hendricks said, a tremendous amount has changed, and its just going to continue at a breakneck pace.

Paper still matters

Still, Pringle said, he expects the paper records to remain important.

He pulled out a delicate sheath of papers from the late 17th century. Among his favorites in their collection, the book belonged to Spanish governor Antonio de Otermin. On sheets made of linen or cotton, de Otermin jotted down in delicate cursive his reaction to the Pueblo Revolt  the 1680 uprising of Indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish colonial government which expelled Spanish rule for over a decade.

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This is a tremendously important historical document that speaks volumes to the history of our state, where we are today, Pringle said. ... To be able to handle it too is like icing on the cake  but we try not to do that too often, because its very fragile.

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State Records Administrator Rick Hendricks talks about the optimal conditions needed to store documents for different government organizations during a tour of the New Mexico state records facility last month.

He said its especially remarkable because a lot of records were destroyed in the aftermath of the Pueblo Revolt.

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Each year, hundreds of genealogists and academics visit the archive to conduct research.

Theres a relationship that people have with the tactile nature of actually holding something and actually witnessing the history itself, he said. Sometimes you lose that when its a digital version.
[Source]

The staff judge advocate at Joint Special Operations Command, Col. Cara Hamaguchi, advised that a second strike against shipwrecked survivors would be lawful before Adm. Frank Bradley ordered the Sept. 2 attack that killed two men in Caribbean waters, according to a new investigation by The Intercept.

Catch up: Earlier this month, War Secretary Pete Hegseth cited the fog of war at a Cabinet meeting when asked about the September strike, which has triggered bipartisan congressional investigations into potential war crimes. That attack launched a broader campaign across Caribbean and Pacific waters that has now killed at least 105 people. In a closed-door testimony, Bradley denied that Hegseth gave a kill them all directive, contradicting prior news accounts, though lawmakers from both parties still expressed alarm at the classified briefing.

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Latest claims: In his classified session, Bradley claimed that Hamaguchi deemed a follow-up strike lawful and reported that no one in the room voiced objections before the survivors were killed, a lawmaker anonymously told The Intercept. The strikes unfolded over approximately 45 minutes. After the initial attack capsized the vessel, the two men clung to debris while Bradley consulted Hamaguchi at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, then authorized additional missiles.

Five people briefed on the operation said the mens arm movements toward the overhead U.S. aircraft appeared to be signaling for help, rescue or surrender, The Intercept noted. Four former military lawyers criticized the argument that these gestures did not constitute surrender. International law prohibits attacking shipwrecked individuals, who are classified as hors de combat or out of the fight. Eugene Fidell, a former Coast Guard judge advocate now at Yale Law School, told the outlet, Waving is a way to attract attention. There was no need to kill them. We dont kill people who are doing this. We should have saved them.

Trending on NextShark: Slant-eye mockery brings Hmong American child to tears in viral video

Why this matters: Hamaguchis reported role carries significance beyond standard military accountability debates for Asian Americans. Many families remember how legal frameworks enabled Vietnam-era excesses, including free-fire zones, body count obsessions and civilian casualties dismissed as operational necessities. The parallel to Vietnam feels especially sharp given that fog of war rhetoric, the same justification Hegseth invoked, historically provided cover for decisions that devastated Southeast Asian populations and created wounds still carried across generations.

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This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter  a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices.

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Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan leaves the Milwaukee Federal Courthouse on May 15, 2025. Judge Dugan appeared in federal court to answer charges that she helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant, elude federal arrest while he was making an appearance in her courtroom on April 18. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan is resigning after she was convicted last month of a felony for helping a man avoid immigration enforcement agents in the county courthouse.

Dugan submitted her letter of resignation to Gov. Tony Evers on Saturday, writing that serving as a judge has been the honor of my life.

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Behind the bench, I have presided over thousands and thousands of cases  with a commitment to treat all persons with dignity and respect, to act justly, deliberatively, and consistently, and to maintain a courtroom with the decorum and safety the public deserves, Dugan wrote.

Dugan was convicted last month of felony obstruction of justice following a four-day federal trial. The split jury also found she was not guilty of a related misdemeanor.

The case against her stemmed from an incident at the courthouse April 18 in which she directed an immigrant appearing before her who was in the U.S. without legal authorization through a side door out of her courtroom while federal agents waited in the hallway outside to arrest him. Agents later apprehended the man outside the building.

Since her April arrest, Dugans case has drawn national political attention as an illustration of the Trump administrations efforts to increase immigration enforcement in ways that many critics say are heavy handed.

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Following the verdict, Wisconsin Republicans demanded that Dugan resign immediately, citing state law that forbids anyone who has been convicted of a felony from serving as a judge. She has been suspended from duty since her arrest.

Dugan has not yet been sentenced and her legal team has signaled theyll make a broad and lengthy appeal effort. But Dugan wrote in her letter that the people of Milwaukee County need a permanent judge on the bench.

I am the subject of unprecedented federal legal proceedings, which are far from concluded but which present immense and complex challenges that threaten the independence of our judiciary, Dugan wrote. I am pursuing this fight for myself and for our independent judiciary. However, the Wisconsin citizens that I cherish deserve to start the year with a judge on the bench in Milwaukee County Branch 31 rather than have the fate of that Court rest in a partisan fight in the state Legislature.

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Jan 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Monday said a Hilton hotel canceled reservations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis, where the Trump administration has surged officers after allegations of fraud against Somali immigrants.

After ICE officers booked rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton canceled their reservations, DHS said in a post on social media platform X.

The department also posted screenshots of emails, in which the hotel's operators said they had "noticed an influx of GOV reservations made today that have been for DHS," and that they were not allowing any ICE agents to stay at the property.

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Hilton Worldwide Holdings said the property is independently owned and operated and is investigating the matter.

"Hilton works with governments, law enforcement and community leaders around the world to ensure our properties are open and inviting to everyone," a spokesperson said in a statement.

Federal officials in recent weeks have portrayed Minnesota's Somali community as a hotspot for fraud involving millions of federal dollars intended for social services. Immigrant-rights advocates have accused the administration of using the fraud investigations as an excuse to target Somali immigrants more broadly.

Shares of the hotel chain were down 1.5% in afternoon trading.

(Reporting by Anshuman Tripathy in Bengaluru and Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Leroy Leo and Cynthia Osterman)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced on Monday that he would not seek a third term as the chief executive of the North Star state.

The popular Democrat and former vice presidential candidates shocking announcement came amid an unfurling scandal around social services fraud in Minnesota. In his statement, Walz painted his decision to not seek reelection as a question of priorities. The governor said a re-election campaign would take time and energy needed to fight a conservative push to paint the state as overrun with fraudsters, particularly in the Somali-American communities in the Twin Cities.

For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our states generosity. And even as we make progress in the fight against the fraudsters, we now see an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of the crisis, Walz said.

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The administration of President Donald Trump has used the claims of fraud, boosted by a discredited viral video about daycare centers, to shut off federal funding to the progressive state. Walz name-checked the president directly in his statement, saying he wants to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family.

I wont mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies  want to make our state a colder, meaner place. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors, he said. Theyve already begun by taking our tax dollars that were meant to help families afford child care. And they have no intention of stopping there.

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Walz announced his intention to seek re-election in 2026 in September. He maintained in his statement that he had every confidence he would win if he was on the ballot.

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But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I cant give a political campaign my all, he said. Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I cant spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.

Walz couched his decision as a way of putting the people of Minnesota first.

I didnt run for this job so I could have this job. I ran for this job so I could do this job. Minnesota faces an enormous challenge this year. And I refuse to spend even one minute of 2026 doing anything other than rising to meet the moment. Minnesota has to come first  always, he said.

The post Minnesota has to come first: Walz bows out of 2026 governors race amid fraud claims appeared first on Salon.com.
Nick Shirley really wants the world to know that hes never had sex. The YouTuber who moved from prank videos to the more lucrative world of creating MAGA disinformation apparently believes that sexual inexperience is an armor against accusations that hes a liar. Im a virgin. I dont have sex with random girls. Youre not gonna catch me on those sexual allegation charges, he rambled on PBD Podcast, insisting that he is religious and doesnt have any vices.

It was an odd rant, and not just because he conflated consensual hook-ups with rape. Shirley was responding to well-supported allegations that hes perpetuating a racist hoax to terrorize Somali American day care workers in Minnesota. On the day after Christmas, the 23-year-old posted videos falsely accusing various day care centers of not having any real children as their charges, and then billing the federal government for fake work.

A simple viewing of the videos shows they are nonsense. Upon visiting the day cares, Shirley and his middle-aged male partner, David, discover the centers have locked their doors and wont let them in to gawk at the children. This isnt proof there are no children. Ideally, not answering the door is how any responsible caregiver would respond to strange, yelling men demanding to come in and film kids. But conservative audiences, ever eager to hear Black people are committing crimes, ignored that logic and spread the video rapidly online.

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A deeper dig shows even more how ridiculous this situation is. Shirley has a history of dishonesty, which includes paying immigrant laborers to hold pro-Biden signs, clearly hoping voters would think they were self-motivated. In another video, he claimed Portland had fallen and antifa had taken control of the city, an unvarnished lie.

CNN verified that children were being dropped off at a day care center Shirley had targeted. The Minnesota Star Tribune visited the day cares in question and found, when they were allowed access, children playing and napping peacefully. CBS News reviewed security footage showing kids being dropped off at one targeted center. Others were indeed empty; they had gone out of business before Shirley filmed outside the buildings.

Shirley stands accused of lying for racist reasons, so his but Im a virgin defense is irrational  at least on the surface. But it makes more sense, in a psychosexual way, in light of the rights long-standing fear and loathing of day cares. After all, the scandal Shirley is exploiting isnt really about day cares. Its about a larger case in Minnesota of Feeding Our Future, a fraudulent food pantry that was run by Aimee Bock, a white woman who was convicted in March of cheating taxpayers out of nearly $250 million of pandemic funds. While Bock was the mastermind, other defendants in the case are Somali American. On Dec. 30, a federal judge cleared the way for the government to seize $5.2 million in assets from Bock.

If Shirley was only interested in building his hoax on that existing and very real case, he could have targeted anti-hunger charities for his fake sting. Instead, he went after day cares, which are only tangentially related insofar as they are  along with churches, mosques, schools and community centers  sites that were supposed to get assistance from the fraudsters but never received it.

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These businesses were picked almost certainly because Shirley and his colleagues have tapped into the long-standing tendency of paranoid reactionaries to make day cares the subject of conspiracy theories. Along with birth control and abortion  whose providers are also smeared constantly with right-wing lies  day care is loathed on the right for allowing women to work instead of being financially dependent on a husband. In the 1980s, day care workers were accused of being Satanists. Now, during the MAGA era, the scapegoat for mens fears of female independence has shifted from imaginary devil-worshippers to real immigrants. White women are implicitly accused of using immigrant labor as a cheat to avoid their god-given duty to quit work to stay home and raise babies. Vice President JD Vance has been especially loud with his belief that day care is pushing women away from their supposedly inherent desire to be housewives.

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Vance almost certainly doesnt believe his own narrative. For one thing, its illogical to believe women would think, Gosh, I want nothing more than to stay at home, but if theres a day care down the street, I guess I have to use it. His own wife has been outspoken about how much she loved working at her law firm that offered on-site childcare  and how much she misses it. But Vance has apparently decided that the bulk of support for his 2028 presidential bid will be rooted in the world of extremely online, sexually dysfunctional misogynists that love shady influencers like Shirley. The vice presidents messaging strategy has long been focused on this loose conglomerate known as the manosphere: bitter divorced men, incels (involuntarily celibates) and devotees of the red pill, an ideology that holds that dating and marriage arent about love but about men tricking or forcing women into submission.

The manosphere isnt just deeply misogynist; its also incredibly racist. For liberals taking a cursory glance into that world, it can be very confusing how MAGA men can somehow blame immigrants for their own dating woes. But in the cesspool of incoherent resentment that Vance is clearly absorbing, the alleged evils of feminism and immigration are seen as part of a larger woke conspiracy against the white man. Before he died, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk often posted about how who we actually cant stand are angry, liberal, white women. He would portray white women as idiots for not perceiving immigrants as a threat. If woke is a mind virus, he posted, then white college indoctrinated women are the most susceptible hosts. Influencers like LibsofTikTok hold up white women who resist mass deportations as selfish ninnies who just want to keep their babysitters.

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Shirley has engaged in this rhetoric himself. White liberal women tend to support the people that steal and rob from them, he claimed in one post. Another was more ominous: Liberal white womens [sic] logic and empathy will get them killed eventually.

In this toxic stew of sexual resentment, misogyny and racism, it makes more sense that Shirley thinks his virginity is relevant. Anti-immigrant sentiment is woven into a larger MAGA narrative about expelling allegedly decadent and foreign influences. White male dominance, people like Shirley believe, can be restored by adhering to strict sexual and social mores prescribed by right-wing Christianity. Abstaining from sex until marriage is part of a larger program meant to produce male-dominated marriages, where wives are too busy with large broods of white children to hold jobs. Attacking Black immigrants at a day care center has powerful symbolic resonance; its seen as an important front in a war both to make America whiter and to restore white women to a submissive role in the home.

The irony is that Shirleys diatribe about his sexual status only underscores how much the attack on the day cares is not, contrary to his claims, driven by a nonpartisan, disinterested desire to end fraud. That much was always obvious. Shirley loves Donald Trump, who is himself a convicted fraudster who continues to use his office to enrich himself in blatantly corrupt ways. Shirley has followed the presidents lead  he, too, has a long history of posting racist vitriol about immigrants.

But bringing his sexuality and views on gender relations into the discussion  when no one else has done so  suggests that those issues arent far from mind, either. The fixation on purity is a common fascist obsession, manifesting in backwards fantasies of racial and sexual purity. None of this has any relation to the real world where people of all races and genders are just trying to do their jobs, raise their children and live their lives.

The post Minnesota day care hoax is fueled by MAGA psychosexual weirdness appeared first on Salon.com.
NEED TO KNOW

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the heightened focus on fraud investigations into social services programs in the state have pushed him to abandon his 2026 reelection bid

His Jan. 5 announcement came one day after the children of slain Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman urged President Donald Trump to remove a video he reposted on Truth Social that promotes a conspiracy theory alleging Walz was behind Hortman's assassination

On Sunday, the Hortmans' children, Colin and Sophia, asked Trump to remove the post, saying it promotes a "false narrative"

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, announced on Monday, Jan. 5, that he is abandoning his reelection bid and will not seek a third term in office.

Walz, 61, said the heightened focus on fraud investigations into Minnesota's social services programs influenced his decision to drop out of the race. He has faced criticism over his administration's failure to prevent the fraud.

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"I came to the conclusion that I can't give a political campaign my all," Walz said in a statement. "Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I cant spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences."

"So I've decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work," he continued.

Walz, the 2024 Democratic nominee for vice president, also defended his administration's actions and said "an organized group of political actors" are "seeking to take advantage of the crisis."



Federal prosecutors have charged dozens of people, accusing them of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from a federal program intended to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Last month, a video from right-wing influencer Nick Shirley purporting to expose extensive fraud at child care centers in Minnesota went viral. Afterward, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it would freeze all federal child care payments to the state.

Local and mainstream news outlets have reported on cases of social services fraud in Minnesota for years. In 2022, during the Biden administration, dozens of people were indicted on allegations they defrauded a nonprofit child nutrition program known as Feeding Our Future of more than $250 million.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson claimed last month that half or more of the roughly $9 billion paid out through 14 of Minnesota-run programs since 2018 may have been stolen due to fraud. To date, 98 people have been charged, the Trump administration has said. The majority of those charged are Somali Americans.

Christopher Mark Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at a 2025 press conference about the murders of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at a 2025 press conference about the murders of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark

Walz's announcement comes a day after the children of slain Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman urged President Donald Trump to remove a video he reposted on Truth Social that promotes a conspiracy theory alleging Walz was behind Hortman's assassination.

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Hortman, her husband, Mark, and their dog, Gilbert, were fatally shot at their home in Stillwater, Minn., on June 14. About 90 minutes later, state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot and wounded in their home in Champlin.

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The alleged shooter, Vance Boelter, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder on June 15 after a statewide manhunt,

Walz responded Saturday, Jan. 3, to the president's Truth Social post, saying it is "dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States."

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"In covering for an actual serial killer, he is going to get more innocent people killed. America is better than this," Walz said.

Related: https://people-app.onelink.me/HNIa/kz7l4cuf

On Sunday, Jan. 5, the Hortmans' children, Colin and Sophia, asked Trump to remove the post, saying it promotes a "false narrative."

"The video being shared by the president is another hurdle our family must overcome in grieving the loss of my parents, Mark and Melissa, and their beloved Gilbert," Sophie said in the statement. "I ask President Trump to please consider the pain and sadness we have faced, and to honor the spirit of the holidays we have just spent without our parents by taking down the post on Truth Social."

Steven Garcia/Getty A makeshift memorial for Mark and Melissa Hortman at the Minnesota State Capitol building on June 16, 2025 A makeshift memorial for Mark and Melissa Hortman at the Minnesota State Capitol building on June 16, 2025

Colin asked Trump to apologize to him and his family "for posting this misinformation and for using my mother's own words to dishonor her memory." He also debunked a claim made in the video shared by Trump about a vote his mother made shortly before her death to remove undocumented immigrant adults from the state's health care coverage program. She was the sole Democrat to vote for it in the House chamber, clearing the way for its passage.

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"When I called her after the legislative session ended, I asked why she voted for the bill mentioned in the video shared by President Trump, and she wept. That bill and her vote had nothing to do with fraud. She voted for that bill because it was the only way to avoid a government shutdown," Colin said, in part. "She had never really voted against her conscience like that. It was emotional and extremely difficult."

The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Read the original article on People
Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday that he won't seek election for a third term.

Walz said he needs to focus on the fraud allegations instead of running a campaign. He said in a statement that "the political gamesmanship we're seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder to win."

"But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can't give a political campaign my all," Walz said. "Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can't spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences. So I've decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work."

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Walz ran for vice president in 2024 alongside presidential nominee Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket. He was the favorite to win in this year's gubernatorial election.

In December, a viral YouTube video by Nick Shirley titled "I Investigated Minnesota's Billion Dollar Fraud Scandal" alleged that Somali fraudsters created fake daycare centers with state money.

The video spurred the U.S. Health and Human Services Department to stop all funding to Minnesota child-care centers pending a federal review.

Minnesota's Department of Children, Youth, and Families said it investigated and found that all the facilities were "operating as expected."

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Walz addressed the fraud allegations in his statement.

"For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our state's generosity. And even as we make progress in the fight against the fraudsters, we now see an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of the crisis," Walz said in a statement.

"I won't mince words here. [President] Donald Trump and his allies -- in Washington, in St. Paul, and online -- want to make our state a colder, meaner place. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. ... Make no mistake: We should be concerned about fraud in our state government. We cannot effectively deliver programs and services if we can't earn the public's trust. That's why, over the past few years, we've made systemic changes to the way we do business."

He touted the moves the state government has taken to fight the fraud.

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"There's more to do. A single taxpayer dollar wasted on fraud is a dollar too much to tolerate. And while there's a role to play for everyone -- from the legislature to prosecutors to insurance companies to local and county governments -- the buck stops with me. My administration is taking fast, decisive action to solve this crisis. And we will win the fight against the fraudsters."

Walz didn't hold back against Republicans.

"We've got Republicans here in the legislature playing hide-and-seek with whistleblowers. We've got conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into daycare centers and demanding access to our children.

"We've got the president of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongly confiscating child-care funding that Minnesotans rely on.

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"It is disgusting. And it is dangerous."

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is considering running for governor, a source close to the senator told NBC News. The source said the senator hasn't made a decision. If she stays in the Senate, she will not be up for re-election until 2030.
Investing.com -- US Energy Secretary Chris Wright plans to meet with oil industry executives this week to discuss revitalizing Venezuelas energy sector following President Nicolas Maduros capture, according to a Bloomberg report Monday.

Wright will attend the Goldman Sachs Energy, Clean Tech & Utilities Conference in Miami where executives from Chevron and ConocoPhillips, among others, are scheduled to participate. Chevron currently stands as the only oil supermajor maintaining operations in the South American nation.

US President Donald Trump has pledged to rebuild Venezuelas oil industry, which has suffered from years of underinvestment and neglect, causing production declines in the country that possesses the worlds largest crude reserves. Trump has indicated the revival effort could require billions of dollars, though it remains uncertain how willing foreign companies will be to undertake such a challenging investment.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS that companies would need "certain guarantees and conditions" before investing in Venezuela.

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said on Monday he will end his campaign for a third term as governor and took the opportunity to slam President Donald Trump and his allies for politicizing claims of fraud in the state.

I wont mince words here, Walz said in a statement. Donald Trump and his allies  in Washington, in St. Paul, and online  want to make our state a colder, meaner place. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family. Theyve already begun by taking our tax dollars that were meant to help families afford child care. And they have no intention of stopping there.

Walz, who announced he was running for a third term in September, said he still has every confidence that, if I gave it my all, I would succeed in that effort.

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But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, he continued, I came to the conclusion that I cant give a political campaign my all.

The decision on Monday represented an abrupt turn of political fortune for the 61-year-old two-term governor, who campaigned in 2024 as the Democratic vice presidential nominee but has since been dogged by scrutiny of Minnesotas social services departments.

Walzs announcement came less than two weeks after an explosive viral video leveled accusations of fraud at Somali-run, government-funded day care facilities. In the 42-minute video, Nick Shirley, a 23-year-old self-described independent journalist who appears to align with the right, visited multiple centers and alleged they received state funds while not housing children.

Shirleys video has come under some scrutiny, with a state analysis finding the centers operating normally. The Star-Tribune also visited the 10 facilities in question and found children inside four of them when invited outside, while six other facilities were either closed or employees did not open their doors.

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Last week, Shirley accused the mainstream media of being the enemy of the people, echoing Trumps recurring swipe.

The Dec. 26 video, which came after long-running claims of misappropriated state funds for social programs, drew the attention of prominent conservatives, including Vice President JD Vance, FBI Director Kash Patel, House Speaker Mike Johnson, multiple cabinet secretaries and billionaire Elon Musk.

Walzs office initially defended itself from the videos claims, including by touting the hiring of a program integrity director to prevent fraud cases and by highlighting his previous attempts to address credible allegations of fraud in state programs. Walz, a spokesperson told Fox News last week, has worked for years to crack down on fraud.

But the fallout from Shirleys Dec. 26 video led to an increased presence by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in the state, a freeze of federal funding for child care in all states pending further data and a House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday about the claims. Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison have also been invited to testify before the committee next month.

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The attacks on Walz have gone beyond the fraud claims. Trump amplified a conspiracy theory on Saturday that Walz was involved in the assassination of Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman, which Shirley referenced in a Sunday tweet at the governor.

My opponents have been celebrating this far-right YouTuber as a groundbreaking journalist.



Here he reveals who he really is: a delusional conspiracy theorist. https://t.co/kAf5kXuiUk  Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) January 4, 2026

Walz appeared to allude to Shirley on Monday as he blasted a group of conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers whove tried breaking into daycare centers to see children. He also said Trumps attempts to attack Somali immigrants in the state, which houses the largest Somali population in the U.S., and confiscate federal funds were disgusting and dangerous.

The governor said he would use his final year in office to combat the criminals, rebuild the publics trust, and make our state stronger.

Most of all, I want Minnesotans to know that Im on the job, 24/7, focused on making sure we stay Americas best place to live and raise kids, Walz said. No one will take that away from us. Not the fraudsters. And not the President. Not on my watch.

The post Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Drops Reelection Bid, Blasts Donald Trump and Allies: They Want to Poison Our People appeared first on TheWrap.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the losing 2024 Democratic vice-presidential candidate, said Monday he wont run for reelection this fall amid a still-growing child care fraud scandal.

Less than four months after launching his campaign for a third term, Walz said he could no longer devote the energy necessary to win another term while navigating the fallout from the scandal, even though he hasnt been accused of any wrongdoing.

I cant give a political campaign my all, Walz said, acknowledging that 2026 is shaping up as an extraordinarily difficult year for our state.

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Walz, who ran as Kamala Harris 2026 running mate after former President Joe Biden abruptly ended his reelection bid, slammed Trump for his relentless focus on the scandal that MAGA conservative influencers have blamed on Somali immigrants.

Donald Trump and his allies  want to make our state a colder, meaner place, Walz said. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), a former presidential candidate perhaps the most recognizable other political figure in the state, is considering running for governor, according to a person close to her.

Several Republicans are already planning to run for governor, including controversial far right-wing Trump loyalist Mike Lindell. But most analysts say the race would still be a Democratic candidates to lose, given the states expected blue lean in a midterm where Trump is in the White House.

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Walz is a former teacher, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris picked Walz as her running mate after he went viral by attacking Trump and then vice presidential candidate JD Vance as weird.

The folksy Walz had been building up his national profile since the 2024 loss and was considered a potential 2028 Democratic presidential primary contender.

A former moderate swing district congressman, Walz was criticized in his first term over what Republicans categorized as a shaky response to sometimes violent unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. But he easily won reelection in 2022.

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In his second term, Walz charted a liberal course. Minnesota eliminated nearly all of the state abortion restrictions enacted in the past by Republicans, protected gender-affirming care for transgender youth and legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

The Trump administration says it may cut off funds to Minnesota amid a probe alleging massive fraud at child care centers run by Somali immigrants that was amplified by MAGA influencers. Democrats say the White House is using the scandal as an excuse to further its anti-immigrant crusade.
Gov. Tim Walz speaks after the end of the special session in June Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at the Minnesota State Capitol. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

Gov. Tim Walz ended his campaign for a historic third term on Monday amid mounting pressure from members of his own party and intense attacks from Republicans over widespread fraud in state-run social services programs.

Gov. Tony Evers statement on Walz decision to suspend campaign

Gov. Tony Evers released the following statement on Gov. Tim Walz s announcement:

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Tim has always been a good friend and a good neighbor to us across the river, and Im incredibly grateful weve had the opportunity to serve as governors of our states together. Ive always appreciated our friendship, Tims wit and candor, and how relentless he is about working to improve the everyday lives of Minnesotans and people across our country.

Most of all, Tim is a devoted husband and father, and he is a dedicated public servant whos spent his career putting others before himselfand thats just as true today as its ever been.

Kathy and I are thinking of Tim and Gwen and the kids today, as we know how important family is when making these kinds of decisions. Were grateful to call them friends.

I look forward to working with Tim in the days and months ahead as we continue getting good things done for the people of our states.

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Walz defended his record in a statement and said he was certain he could win a third term, but couldnt give his entire attention to rooting out fraud while running a campaign.

Ive decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work, Walz said in a statement.

Some Democratic-Farmer-Labor elected officials have quietly worried for months that Walzs name at the top of the ticket would hand Republicans the governorship for the first time in 15 years and sink Democrats prospects down the ballot.

Walz met on Sunday with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who expressed her interest in running for governor, The New York Times reported. Other possible Democratic candidates include Attorney General Keith Ellison and Secretary of State Steve Simon

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A slew of Republicans have already entered the race including House Speaker Lisa Demuth, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and former congressional candidate Kendall Qualls.

Walz spent 12 years in Congress before winning the governors race in 2018. After the DFL won control of both chambers of the Legislature in 2022, Walz signed in the law the most significant progressive agenda in at least a generation, including free school meals for all students; paid family and medical leave; and the legalization of marijuana.

He burst onto the national political stage in 2024 after former President Joe Biden abandoned his campaign for re-election and then-Vice President Kamala Harris selected Walz as her running mate. Walz became a frequent target of President Donald Trump, whose attacks continued even after Trump won the presidential election.

Walz announced in September that he would run for an unprecedented third, four-year term, after deliberating for months. The assassination of Walzs friend and close ally, House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman in June, forced Walz and his family to weigh the potential costs of another four years in office.

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Trumps attacks on Walz ratcheted up in recent months as national Republicans learned about the wide-scale fraud that has taken place in Minnesotas social services programs during his tenure, including the highly-publicized Feeding Our Future scandal, in which fraudsters pocketed hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars intended to feed children during the pandemic.

In December, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson announced new fraud charges in state-administered Medicaid programs, estimating that fraudsters have stolen as much as $9 billion in government funds. Walz disputed Thompsons estimate, painting it as a political attack.

Read Gov. Tim Walzs full statement:

Good morning, and Happy New Year.

Like many Minnesotans, I was glad to turn the page on 2025. It was an extraordinarily difficult year for our state. And it ended on a particularly sour note.

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For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our states generosity. And even as we make progress in the fight against the fraudsters, we now see an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of the crisis.

I wont mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies  in Washington, in St. Paul, and online  want to make our state a colder, meaner place. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family. Theyve already begun by taking our tax dollars that were meant to help families afford child care. And they have no intention of stopping there.

Make no mistake: We should be concerned about fraud in our state government. We cannot effectively deliver programs and services if we cant earn the publics trust. Thats why, over the past few years, weve made systemic changes to the way we do business.

Weve gone to the legislature time and again to get more tools to combat fraud. Weve fired people who werent doing their jobs. Weve seen people go to jail for stealing from our state. Weve cut off whole streams of funding, in partnership with the federal government, where we saw widespread criminal activity. Weve put new locks on the doors of our remaining programs, and weve hired a new head of program integrity to make sure those locks cant be broken.

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All across the state, Minnesotans are hard at work on this problem. Advocates, administrators, investigators are on the front lines defending the integrity of our states programs, and I want to thank them for their efforts.

Theres more to do. A single taxpayer dollar wasted on fraud is a dollar too much to tolerate. And while theres a role to play for everyone  from the legislature to prosecutors to insurance companies to local and county government  the buck stops with me. My administration is taking fast, decisive action to solve this crisis. And we will win the fight against the fraudsters.

But the political gamesmanship were seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder to win.

Weve got Republicans here in the legislature playing hide-and-seek with whistleblowers.

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Weve got conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into daycare centers and demanding access to our children.

Weve got the President of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongly confiscating childcare funding that Minnesotans rely on.

It is disgusting. And it is dangerous.

Republicans are playing politics with the future of our state. And its shameful. Ive said it before, and Ill say it again: We welcome ideas from anyone, in any party, who wants to help us continue to stay ahead of the criminals.

And we welcome the involvement of the federal government. Im grateful to the career professionals at the U.S. Attorneys office and the FBI who are helping us win this fight.

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But I cannot abide the actions of the political leadership in Washington  these opportunists who are willing to hurt our people to score a few cheap points. They and their allies have no intention of helping us solve the problem  and every intention of profiting off of it.

Which brings me to this: 2026 is an election year. And election years have a way of ramping up the politics at a time when we simply cant afford more politics.

In September, I announced that I would run for a historic third term as Minnesotas Governor. And I have every confidence that, if I gave it my all, I would succeed in that effort.

But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I cant give a political campaign my all. Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I cant spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.

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So Ive decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work.

I know this news may come as a surprise. But Im passing on the race with zero sadness and zero regret. After all, I didnt run for this job so I could have this job. I ran for this job so I could do this job. Minnesota faces an enormous challenge this year. And I refuse to spend even one minute of 2026 doing anything other than rising to meet the moment. Minnesota has to come first  always.

Thats what I believe servant leadership demands of me. And as an optimist, I will hold out some hope that my friends on the other side of the aisle will consider what servant leadership demands of them in this moment. We can work together to combat the criminals, rebuild the publics trust, and make our state stronger. But make no mistake: If Republicans continue down this path of abusing power, smearing entire communities, and running their own fraudulent game at the expense of Minnesotans  we will fight back every step of the way.

Im confident that a DFLer will hold this seat come November. Im confident that I will find ways to contribute to the state I love even after Ive left office next January. But there will be time to worry about all that later.

Today, Im proud of the work weve done to make Minnesota Americas best place to live and raise kids  from our new paid leave policy to our child tax credit to our free lunch program.

And Im doubly proud of the incredible team weve put together to make that vision a reality. Thank you to every member of my staff, and every state employee, whos part of this fight. We need you on the job to tackle the important work ahead.

Most of all, I want Minnesotans to know that Im on the job, 24/7, focused on making sure we stay Americas best place to live and raise kids. No one will take that away from us. Not the fraudsters. And not the President. Not on my watch.

Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Minnesota Reformer maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor J. Patrick Coolican for questions: info@minnesotareformer.com.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz dropped his reelection bid for a third term Monday as a welfare-fraud scandal in his state has intensified and become a political flashpoint seized upon by President Donald Trump.

I cant give a political campaign my all, Walz told reporters at the state capitol in St. Paul. Every minute that I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I cant spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who want to prey on our differences.

Walz read from a prepared statement and walked away without taking questions.

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Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024, reached his decision after spending the weekend discussing his plans with friends and advisers. He met with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Sunday, two people familiar with the matter told CNN, as the Democratic senator decides whether to jump into the governors race.

Klobuchar, who was reelected to a fourth term in 2024, has been getting a lot of outreach, encouraging her to run, a person close to her told CNN, and is seriously considering it. Klobuchar did not respond to a request for comment about her meeting with Walz.

She is a former prosecutor in Minneapolis and serves in Senate leadership, but over the years has privately expressed interest in being governor and serving as a chief executive. The senator sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.

For Walz, 61, the announcement capped a rapid rise  and fall  on the national scene after former Vice President Kamala Harris selected him to be her running mate during their abbreviated presidential race. Walz relished in the role of attack dog, with his blistering critiques of Trump becoming a soundtrack for Democrats during the campaign.

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A deepening federal probe into a fraud scandal in Minnesota complicated Walzs bid for an unprecedented third term. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but Republicans have sought to blame Walz and Democrats for the massive abuse of taxpayer dollars.

It was the recent criticism from the Trump administration and right-wing allies that Walz said contributed to his decision not to seek reelection.

For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of this states generosity, Walz said. And even as we make progress in the fight against the fraudsters, we now see an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of a crisis.

Walz had been criticized for his administrations oversight of the welfare programs. Several Democrats in the state privately cautioned Walz against seeking reelection as outrage intensified in Minnesota and beyond over the misuse of funds.

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Minnesota officials have until January 9 to provide the Trump administration with information about providers and parents who receive federal funds for child care.

The Trump administrations demands are the latest step in a yearslong saga that started with investigations into theft of government funds in Minnesota under the Biden administration.

In his statement announcing his decision, Walz accused Trump of seeking to politicize the scandal by attacking the Somali population in Minnesota.

I wont mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies  in Washington and in St. Paul and online  want to make our state a colder, meaner place, he said. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors.

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In his brief appearance on Monday, Walz said he welcomed the federal investigation. He said it was imperative Minnesotans had confidence in the states social safety net programs.

A single taxpayer dollar wasted on fraud is a dollar too much to tolerate, Walz said. And while theres a role to play for everyone  from the legislature to prosecutors to insurance companies to local and county government  the buck does stop with me.

This story has been updated with additional information.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
SAINT PAUL, Minn.  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Jan. 5 announced he will not seek reelection, citing federal pressures and the state's fraud scandal.

"Ive decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work, Walz wrote in a statement. "I know this news may come as a surprise. But Im passing on the race with zero sadness and zero regret. After all, I didnt run for this job so I could have this job. I ran for this job so I could do this job."

On Sept. 16, Walz initially announced he would seek reelection.

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Monday's announcement comes after a week when a handful of Republican state legislators released a joint statement asking him to resign. That statement was released after First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said that since 2018 at least $9 billion paid through Minnesota's 14 Medicaid waiver programs could be fraudulent. That is about half of what was administered by the programs.

Congress probe on Minnesota fraud: Tim Walz called to testify before Congress on Minnesota fraud scandal

President Donald Trump continues to mount pressure on Walz and the North Star State.

I wont mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies  in Washington, in St. Paul and online  want to make our state a colder, meaner place," Walz wrote. "They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors."

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Attacks on Somali community: How Trump's comments about Somali immigrants impact St. Cloud

Minnesota's governor said the fraud dilemma is bad; however, the rhetoric around the topic is making it difficult to combat the issue.

"The political gamesmanship were seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder to win," Walz wrote. "Weve got Republicans here in the legislature playing hide-and-seek with whistleblowers. Weve got conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into daycare centers and demanding access to our children."

A mixed bag of reactions

While Walz partially blames those on the right for Minnesota's current struggles, some Minnesotans are excited that he withdrew his reelection bid.

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Good riddance, U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., wrote in a statement.

Some Republicans believe Walz decided to withdraw from the race because he was on track to lose, including state Rep. Kristen Robbins, R-Maple Grove, who is running to replace Walz.

Tim Walz and his staggering fraud could not outrun our investigations and the momentum we have in this race," Robbins wrote in a statement. "He knows he will lose in November, and would rather give up than take responsibility."

Calls for Walz to resign: Several MN lawmakers call for Walz to resign ahead of 2026 election

Meanwhile, those on the left are praising Walz for what he accomplished while in office.

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"Tim banished hunger from Minnesota classrooms, signed universal background checks into law, and passed paid family leave," state Attorney General Keith Ellison wrote. "He built a record of standing up for people who need it  from the LGBTQ+ community to working-class families to teachers and more."

As Walz's withdrawal takes the national stage, the Democratic Governors Association released a statement on the campaign ahead.

"No matter who decides to run or how much national Republicans want to spend, the DGA remains very confident Minnesotans will elect another strong Democratic governor this November, DGA Chair Gov. Andy Beshear wrote in a statement.

Corey Schmidt covers politics and public safety for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Gov. Tim Walz won't seek reelection in Minnesota
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said on Monday that he will be ending his bid for re-election amid a fraud scandal in the state that had recently become the focus of US President Donald Trump.

Walz, who ran for vice president alongside Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in 2024, said he decided to step out of the race to "focus on the work" of governor rather than a campaign.

Republicans have criticised Walz for his handling of fraud involving the state's social safety net programmes. Walz has said that his government is taking measures to prevent future fraud.

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Among the critics was Trump, whose administration had recently frozen federal funds for childcare in Minnesota.

[Getty Images]

In his statement on Monday, Walz described the past year as an "extraordinarily difficult" one for his state.

"For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our state's generosity," Walz said.

He also accused Trump and his Republican allies of seeking to take advantage of the crisis and playing politics.

"They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family," Walz said.

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"They've already begun by taking our tax dollars that were meant to help families afford child care. And they have no intention of stopping there."

Walz said he made the decision to halt his campaign after consulting his family and team.

"Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can't spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences," he said.

The decision came just four months after Walz announced his intention to run for an unprecedented third term as governor.

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Walz had faced intensifying scrutiny over fraud in state programmes. Among them was Medicaid, where prosecutors said fraud had cost the state around $9bn (6.7bn).

In another case, dozens of people were charged with felonies and accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from Covid-19 relief programmes.

A total of 59 people have been convicted in fraud schemes so far, federal prosecutors have said.

In late December, the Trump administration announced that it would withhold childcare funding for the state, after a conservative YouTuber alleged that several nurseries run by Somali immigrants were taking public money without providing care.

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State officials have pushed back against allegations of fraud in the video. BBC's US partner CBS News found no evidence of fraud when it reviewed public records for the centres, although it did find citations related to safety, cleanliness, equipment, and staff training.

Minnesota, home to the largest population of Somali immigrants in the US, has been the focus of immigration enforcement by Trump, who has said that he does not want them in the country.

With Walz stepping aside from the race, it is unclear so far who will run for governor from the Democratic Party in the upcoming election. Democrats have won every statewide office in Minnesota since 2006.

Around a dozen Republicans have jumped in the race, including MyPillow founder and chief executive Mike Lindell, who is a Trump ally, as well as Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth.

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Prior to joining politics, Walz was an Army National Guard member and teacher.
It was the viral video seen round the world.

The 43-minute video, posted to YouTube the day after Christmas by a 23-year-old conservative content creator, claimed with little evidence Somali-run child care centers in Minnesota were fraudulently taking funding meant to provide child care for low-income families. The video, boosted by Vice President JD Vance and tech billionaire Elon Musk, quickly racked up millions of views.

The impact was swift: DHS and the FBI ramped up their presence in the state, and federal funding for child care in the entire state was frozen. Then, on Monday, Gov. Tim Walz announced he is dropping his reelection campaign as the controversy continues.

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Walz made his announcement a little more than a week after the video erupted on social media, sparking calls for him to resign. He defended himself against allegations he had overlooked fraud and criticized the politicization of the scandal, saying President Donald Trump and his allies want to make our state a colder, meaner place.

Investigators last week visited all of the child care centers accused of fraud in the video, and all were operating as expected, state officials say.

The states initial findings cast doubt on the claims of fraud articulated in the viral video. Still, investigations into alleged wrongdoing are ongoing.

Minnesota officials have until Friday to provide the Trump administration with information about providers and parents who receive federal funds for child care, according to a bulletin sent Friday by the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families to child care providers and shared with CNN.

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The Trump administrations demands are the latest step in a yearslong saga that started with investigations into theft of government funds in Minnesota under the Biden administration.

Heres what we know about the investigations and what comes next as crucial funding for child care hangs in the balance for thousands of Minnesota families.

Walz decries political gamesmanship in decision to drop out

In his Monday statement announcing the end of his reelection campaign, Walz acknowledged the controversy over fraud contributed to his decision. But he defended his record and said Republicans are playing politics with the future of our state.

For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our states generosity, Walz said. And even as we make progress in the fight against the fraudsters, we now see an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of the crisis.

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He said he continued to believe he would have won if he stayed in his campaign.

But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I cant give a political campaign my all, he said. Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I cant spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.

Funds frozen as Friday deadline looms

On December 30, Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim ONeill announced the agency was freezing all child care payments to Minnesota. The state typically receives about $185 million annually in federal child care funding, supporting care for 19,000 children.

Funds will be released only when states prove they are being spent legitimately, he added. He said he had demanded Walz provide a comprehensive audit of the centers featured in the video.

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The proof must be shared with the government by Friday, according to the email sent by state officials to child care providers. The email said HHS has requested specific details, including the total amount of Child Care and Development Fund payments received by five child care centers and administrative data  like names and social security numbers  for all recipients of federal money. The fund is the main source of federal support for child care and includes the state Child Care Assistance Program, which Nick Shirley, the creator of the viral video, alleged was being exploited in Minnesota.

Nick Shirley speaks outside of Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis on December 30. - CNN

An HHS spokesperson confirmed the Friday deadline to CNN.

Investigators with the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families conducted on-site compliance checks at all the centers shown in the video, the department said in a news release. Children were present at all sites except for one  that site, was not yet open for families for the day when inspectors arrived, the release stated. Investigators gathered evidence and initiated further review, according to the release.

The department has ongoing investigations into four of the centers mentioned in the video. In total across the state, the department has 55 open investigations involving providers receiving CCAP funding, according to the release.

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Asked whether the states early findings would affect the funding freeze, HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Media Relations Andrew Nixon told CNN, The onus is on the state to provide additional verification, and until they do so, HHS will not allow the state to draw down their matching funds for the CCDF program.

In the meantime, thousands of Minnesota families who rely on federal funding for child care are in limbo. It is unclear how quickly funding could be restored if the state meets the Friday deadline, although the bulletin sent to child care providers says the government will provide the state more information Monday.

And if Minnesotas responses are not satisfactory, the federal government says it may withhold CCDF and impose other penalties, according to the email sent to child care providers.

The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families announced Monday it was increasing on-site compliance checks for centers receiving government funding, as part of an ongoing commitment to oversight.

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Child care fraud has been on state authorities radar for more than a decade before the viral video. A 2014 report from the Office of Inspector General identified a pattern of child care fraud activities that involves deception and exploitation. A few years ago, the state implemented the Early and Often program, which involves multiple unscheduled visits to newly licensed centers to ensure they are operating properly.

DHS and FBI also investigating Minnesota fraud

Along with HHS, DHS has dispatched Homeland Security Investigations and ICE officers to the state, posting videos of agents visiting what they call potential fraud sites.

DHS did not directly address CNNs questions about how the states findings that the centers in the viral video were operating normally would affect its investigations, but sent CNN statements from several officials.

People enter Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis on December 30. - CNN

Right now in Minneapolis, Homeland Security Investigations are on the ground conducting a large scale investigation on fraudulent daycare and healthcare centers, as well as other rampant fraud, read a statement from Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

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It is unclear whether any arrests have been made for fraud or other crimes in DHS latest crackdown, which comes after an ICE operation targeting Somalis in the Twin Cities was announced in December. CNN has asked DHS for more information.

It is notable DHS  the overarching federal department handling immigration and national security  is central to the investigations. Shirley claimed in the viral video child care centers run by Somalis in Minnesota were committing fraud but did not provide the identities of the owners of most of the centers. The vast majority of the states Somali population, which numbers around 108,000 in total, are US citizens.

FBI Director Kash Patel also said the bureau had already sent additional resources to Minnesota even before the public conversation escalated online. Patel pledged to stamp out fraud, saying in a post on X, Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide.

CNN has reached out to the FBI for information about whether the states initial findings have affected its investigations or whether any arrests have been made.

Governor, lawmakers called to testify before House Oversight Committee

Just ahead of the Friday deadline, Minnesota lawmakers will testify before the Republican-led US House Oversight Committee. The Wednesday hearing will be centered on fraud and misuse of federal funds and feature testimony from three members of the Minnesota House of Representatives: Kristin Robbins, Walter Hudson and Marion Rarick.

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In a separate hearing February 10, Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison are called to appear before the committees investigative panel. Walz is still expected to appear after announcing he will drop his reelection bid.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison have either been asleep at the wheel or complicit in a massive fraud involving taxpayer dollars in Minnesotas social services programs, US Rep. James Comer, a Republican, said in a Wednesday statement about the upcoming hearings.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz listens during a hearing with the House Oversight and Accountability Committee at the US Capitol on June 12, in Washington, DC. - Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Walz, in a statement on X last week, pushed back on the allegation that the state wasnt taking fraud seriously, saying, Weve spent years cracking down on fraud - referring cases to law enforcement, shutting down and auditing high-risk programs, linking to his December 12 commentary in The Minnesota Star Tribune.

In the commentary, he laid out some of the steps that had been taken to combat fraud such as the replacement of key leaders, hiring of new auditors and investigators, bringing in an outside firm to audit payments to high-risk programs and the recent appointment of Judge Tim OMalley  a former FBI agent and superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension  as the director of program integrity tasked with strengthening fraud prevention across the state.

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The Walz administrations response to the day care controversy initially resulted in more confusion, as the governors office and the Department of Children, Families, Youth, And Children both said last Monday one of the businesses shown in Shirleys video  Quality Learning Center  had already voluntarily closed its doors.

But children were seen arriving at the business that same afternoon. The agency later told the Star Tribune it had only just learned that the owners had reversed themselves and decided to stay open.

CNN has been unable to reach Quality Learning Center or its owner through their listed numbers, and a CNN reporter was told to leave the property last week when attempting to make contact.

Dozens of people, the vast majority of Somali descent, were charged in a previous fraud scandal under Walzs tenure involving a nonprofit prosecutors say falsely claimed to be providing meals to needy children during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Somali community and child care providers under pressure

The viral video and cascade of investigations have presented turmoil for the Somali community  already the target of years of vitriol from the president and from Republicans  and for child care providers.

At least one Somali-run day care, which was not featured in Shirleys video, was broken into and vandalized in the aftermath, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. The Council on American-Islamic Relations called for an investigation of possible bias in the incident, which they said raises serious concerns about the real-world consequences of anti-Somali, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim hate speech circulating online.

Some licensed child care centers have received harassing or threatening communications since the scandal, the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families said in its bulletin to providers.

Children watch television at ABC Learning Center in Minneapolis on December 31. - Mark Vancleave/AP

Several day care providers told CNN they have faced an influx of calls asking about enrollment, hours of operation, and availability which do not seem to be coming from genuinely interested parents and distract from their work.

Its just random calls, extra things that we dont need to focus on, said Kassim Busuri, who owns a day care near Minneapolis. We need to focus on our children that we care for.

And the ongoing funding freeze poses uncertainty for child care providers and the families they serve.

We have thousands of families wondering if theyre going to be able to be able to get the care that their kids need, if theyre going to be able to go to work next week, state Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn, co-chair of the Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee, told CNN over the weekend.

We have child care providers and small business owners who rely on the work of those parents, not knowing if theyll be able to keep their doors open, depending on how this freeze proceeds.

Scrutiny spreads to Washington and Ohio

The explosive impact of Shirleys video seems to have inspired self-styled investigators in other states with significant Somali populations, too.

Videos have popped up showing other content creators trying, like Shirley, to enter child care centers  and using their locked doors as evidence they are committing fraud. It is not unusual for child care centers to lock their doors and to deny entry to unexpected visitors, especially if they are filming.

The mayor of Columbus, Ohio, said in a statement he was aware of the videos and the state has strong safeguards to prevent theft of government child care funds.

Actions that disrupt licensed childcare operations or create fear in these spaces are inappropriate, read a statement from Mayor Andrew Ginthers office.

In Washington, Attorney General Nick Brown said his office has received reports of home-based daycare providers being harassed and accused of fraud with little to no fact-checking.

Showing up on someones porch, threatening, or harassing them isnt an investigation, he wrote on X. Neither is filming minors who may be in the home. This is unsafe and potentially dangerous behavior.

Citing Minnesota, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is directing investigations into any potential child care funding fraud.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNNs Holmes Lybrand, Rebekah Riess, Ray Sanchez, Chelsea Bailey, Nicquel Terry Ellis, Sarah Owermohle, Toni Odejimi and Alex Stambaugh contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
NEED TO KNOW

The search continues for a woman who went missing while walking along a trail in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains on Jan. 2

The woman's phone and a dog bowl were found along a river

Her dog was found that afternoon, but a multi-agency search has yet to find the missing hiker

The search has intensified for a woman who went missing while hiking along a trail in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Her dog was found safe, but there has been no sighting of the hiker, officials said.

The rescue operation began on Friday, Jan. 2, just before 6 p.m. local time, when authorities received a report about a possibly missing woman, the Placer County Sheriffs Office said in a news alert. Earlier that afternoon, at approximately 2:30 p.m., the unnamed woman was seen walking on the Codfish Falls Trail outside of Colfax with her dog. Roughly 15 minutes later, the dog was seen alone.

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During the initial search, deputies found the womans vehicle in the area. Additionally, her phone and a dog bowl were discovered along the river.

The dog has been located and is safe, officials said after Fridays search.

The multi-agency operation began with boats and dive teams on the North Fork of the American River, as well as rescue teams searching the location she was last seen by air. Aerial teams also looked upstream and downstream from her last-known location, the sheriffs office said.

On Sunday, Jan. 4, authorities announced that the search would continue, despite challenging weather conditions.



Placer County Sheriff's Office Authorities searching along the Codfish Falls Trail Authorities searching along the Codfish Falls Trail

As dive and marine teams continued to search by water, they were assisted by tactical rescue teams from the county and the state.

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Crews remain focused on thorough and methodical search efforts in and around the river corridor, authorities said. Air assets, including drones, were also employed as the weather permitted.

Conditions on Saturday night prevented the states Fire Integrated Realtime Intelligence System (FIRIS)  a resource that employscutting-edge sensors and substantial computing power mounted on crewed fixed-wing aircraft to provide critical information, according to the California Governors Office of Emergency Services  from flying overnight. But the sheriffs office said it would be deployed as soon as it was safe enough to take to the sky.



Placer County Sheriff's Office Authorities searching along the Codfish Falls Trail Authorities searching along the Codfish Falls Trail

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.

Officials also stated that there was no current evidence to suggest that the incident was anything but accidental, although all scenarios continue to be evaluated.

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The Placer County Sheriffs Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for further comment.

While thankful for offers from community members to help in the search, the sheriffs office added that trained professionals were best suited for the operation.

For everyones safety, it is best for this search to be conducted by trained professionals using specialized equipment and the latest technology, officials said. This ensures clear communication, consistent location tracking, and coordinated operations, especially in an area with no cell phone reception.



Read the original article on People
A Texas developer, High Street District Development Inc., has submitted plans to the Huntersville Planning Department for a mixed-use community on Lake Norman.

ALSO READ: Against it: Developer withdraws Matthews data center plans amid public opposition

The 11.87-acre development would include 259 multifamily homes and commercial space, and would be located on Old Statesville Road near Mount Holly-Huntersville Road.

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According to the Charlotte Observer, the developers rezoning request calls for removing a greenhouse and accessory buildings to make way for the development, which is called Old Statesville Road Mixed-Use.

Read more here.

VIDEO: Developers plan for Hidden Valley apartments denied by Charlotte City Council
Beersheba District Court President Benny Sagi was killed in a car crash on Highway 6, with police investigating the incident and leaders across Israel mourning his death.

Beersheba District Court president Benny Sagi died in a car crash on Highway 6, a police spokesperson confirmed on Sunday evening.

A vehicle came from an open area, striking Sagi, who was riding his motorcycle, critically injuring him.

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Magen David Adom paramedics attended the scene, stating that he showed no signs of life, and were forced to pronounce him dead.

Israel Police officers are investigating the circumstances that led to the incident.

Israeli politicians and members of the judiciary reacted to the news of Sagi's death.

Benny Sagi, pictured in April 2018. (credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90)

"I learned with shock and great sorrow the news of the untimely death of Sagi," Justice Minister Yariv Levin wrote.

He was "a brilliant jurist, an exceptional judge - beloved and respected by lawyers and litigants alike," he added.

"I came to know Sagi when I interned at the Central District Attorney's Office about 20 years ago when he was a prosecutor," Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said.

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"He was a straight and honest man, highly knowledgeable in criminal law, with a rare ability to find paths of compromise and agreement," he recalled.

"He was head and shoulders above others, but even as president of a district court, his heart did not grow haughty, and the modesty and humility so characteristic of him accompanied him even in this lofty position. He also had a sense of humor that is quite rare in this profession," Ohana continued.

Herzog: 'A brilliant, sharp-minded jurist'

"Sagi was a brilliant and sharp-minded jurist, a tremendous judge who combined immense professional knowledge with exceptional integrity," President Isaac Herzog commented.

"I was constantly impressed from afar by the rare blend he embodied - a judge of stature and authority, with a moving personal story, who was known as a man of values, humble and kind-hearted, who always saw the person standing before him and strove for peace and mediation," he added.

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"Sagi was a talented and promising judge - a leader, beloved and admired by all who knew him, who achieved professional accomplishments at a young age, and his death is a great loss to the judicial system in which he served," a Judicial Authority spokesperson said.

"Sagi was a man who stood head and shoulders above others. Proof of the uniqueness and depth of the loss is the fact that in such a turbulent and polarized period, he was a consensus of excellence both as a judge and as a manager in the court system," Israel Bar Association head Amit Becher wrote.

"He was a people person, and I saw him as a role model and inspiration, and a perfect candidate to fill the most senior roles in the judicial system. His tragic passing is a loss for the IBA and for me personally," he concluded.

"Sagi was a central and respected figure in the judicial system, a jurist of stature and a public servant who acted with dedication, professionalism, and deep public responsibility," the Justice Ministry said.
In partnership with Geno, whose biotechnology ferments sugars from sugarcane to allow us to create the bio-BDO, were providing a drop-in solution that fits seamlessly into existing elastane manufacturingproving sustainability can scale. Looking ahead, Hyosung TNC is also pursuing a roadmap to recycle in-house waste generated during regen Bio Spandex production to create Recycled Spandex, thereby establishing a fully circular system that connects bio-based production to recycling.

In 2024, our $1 billion investment in a bio-BDO facility in Vietnam marked a turning point in sustainable stretch innovation. By pioneering the use of sugarcane-derived bio-BDO, one of the ingredients in elastane, weve brought bio-based stretch fibers out of the lab and into full-scale production. This breakthrough tackles elastanes highest carbon emission stage by substituting fossil-fuel based raw materials with a renewable-based alternative.

Simon Whitmarsh-Knight : Hyosung TNC prides itself on being a total sustainable textile solution provider. We introduced RCS-certified 100% recycled elastane into the marketplace in 2020. Beyond recycled elastane, we saw an opportunity to develop a bio-based option for brands and retailers looking for a plant-based elastane to blend with its natural fibers such as cotton, wool, silk and cellulosic materials, in addition to other synthetic fibers. In 2022, we introduced SGS EEPS and USDA-certified regen Bio Elastane made with 30% renewable content from corn, and in 2023, we introduced an expanded regen BIO-Based elastane offering to include various options for the yarn to be made with a higher content of renewable resources.

Simon Whitmarsh-Knight : Thank you! We are very proud that our regen BIO Elastane was recognized as a triple-category award winner in the 2025 Just Style Excellence Awards! These prestigious awards validate our corporate goal for investing in, and developing this innovative fiber. Together with other investments in pioneering textile technologies, we are supporting the industrys move to more circular business models and our corporate goal to be carbon neutral by 2050.

Just Style (JS): Congratulations on winning in the 2025 Just Style Excellence Awards. How do these three awards align with Hyosung TNCs long-term vision for elastane and adjacent sectors?

Hyosung TNCs Global Sustainability DirectorTextiles, Simon Whitmarsh-Knight, details how a $1bn sugarcane-to-bio-BDO investment in Vietnam, in partnership with Geno, is taking regen BIO elastane from pilot to scale. With co-located production, VIVE-backed third-party certifications, Hyosung TNC is targeting a 2026 production start and 2027 retail debutaiming for up to a 55% lower carbon footprint while meeting performance demands across activewear, intimates and denim.

Story Continues

JS: Why did you choose sugarcane-derived bio-BDO and partner with Geno?

Simon Whitmarsh-Knight: Selecting sugarcane as the feedstock reduces processing steps compared with alternatives like corn, which require conversion from starch to glucose before fermentation. Fewer steps generally mean less energy use and lower associated emissions.

Following significant market research, we partnered with Geno due to their expertise in biotechnology, accelerating the worlds transformation to sustainable materials by replacing fossil fuel resources with plant-based alternatives. For more than two decades, Geno has been scaling technology to enable the production of sustainable materials derived from plant- or waste-based feedstocks instead of fossil fuel-based materials.

JS: How does co-locating bio-BDO and elastane production in Vietnam change your operating model from R&D through delivery?

Simon Whitmarsh-Knight: Through this vertical integration from raw material to yarn for regen BIO Elastane, our goal is to increase production efficiency, provide faster response to our customer needs, and integrate value chains to help minimize carbon footprint. Global sourcing patterns are constantly evolving, and as the only elastane manufacturer in Vietnam, we are well placed to serve our customers looking for alternative value chains.

JS: What are the key milestones to commercial rollout through 2027, and how are you de-risking each phase?

Simon Whitmarsh-Knight: The investment is structured around clear milestones: plant upgrades in Q3Q4 2025, bio-BDO production beginning in Q1 2026, biobased elastane production in Q2 2026, and apparel using this elastane expected in stores from 2027. This timeline signals execution discipline and allows supply chain partnersmills, vendors, and brandsto plan fiber development, testing, and commercialization in step with material availability.

JS: How are you validating performance parity for demanding categories like activewear, intimates, and denim?

Simon Whitmarsh-Knight: As always before launching products at scale, we conducted rigorous testing with our global mill partners, covering circular knit, warp knit, seamless and wovens. This was followed by extensive wearer trials and garment testing. In addition, weve pursued third-party certifications and traceability for bio-based content, referencing programs such as USDA Bio-Preferred, SGS EEPS, and ASTM D6866 testing. This transparency enables brand partners to communicate inputs with confidence through to consumer-facing claims.

JS: Beyond certifications, what proof do brand partners most often request, and how do you provide it?

Simon Whitmarsh-Knight: Many want to know about the traceability of the feedstock. As a result, weve joined the VIVE Sustainable Supply Program, to ensure a high level of traceability and transparency from sugarcane farms to fiber production. The VIVE Programme is a globally recognized continuous improvement sustainability program for commodity supply chains, covering all operations and activities for producers through to end users that have a bearing on sustainability. VIVE is a verification platform that has been benchmarked to various certification programs, global standards and industrial buyer criteria.

JS: How will the Life Cycle Assessment inform decisions on energy, water, and logistics once the plant is operational?

Simon Whitmarsh-Knight: Hyosung TNC has established a vertically integrated production system in Vietnam, enhancing efficiency and minimizing transportation distances to reduce environmental impacts such as carbon emissions, energy consumption, and water use.

The company ensures the sustainability of its products and raw materials through certification and verification systems, and continues to make ongoing improvements.

Through these initiatives, Hyosung TNC expects up to a 55% reduction (internal estimate) in carbon emissions compared to regular elastane, along with improvements across other environmental impact areas including water use. A full third-party LCA will be conducted once the plant is operational.

JS: How are you engaging mills and brands to align development and testing timelines with your production ramp-up?

Simon Whitmarsh-Knight: We are working closely with our global brand and retail partners to support their transition to the new product derived from sugarcane. We have shared the key milestones and selected customers have also visited the upgraded facility in Vietnam. Together, were collaborating to ensure (i) an effective transition and (ii) clear communication of the benefits to their end-consumers.

JS: What commercial models or incentives are helping customers transition from fossil-based to bio-based elastane?

Simon Whitmarsh-Knight: Regulations are one of the key short-time drivers of behavior change. The biggest incentive is the European Green Deal (EUGD) regulation to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% compared to 1990 levels. Supported by this incoming legislation, brands and retailers are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprints through responsible materials, such as recycled fabrics or materials made with bio-derived resources.

JS: Where is near-term demand for bio-BDO strongest beyond apparel, and how are you structuring cross-sector collaborations?

Simon Whitmarsh-Knight: Ultimately, the investment extends beyond apparel, as bio-BDO can also serve the footwear, packaging, and automotive markets. This broader impact helps advance renewable materials across industries and highlights the companys role in building sustainable infrastructure, not just expanding production. Were working across the Hyosung group to provide efficient supplies across all of our customers.

JS: If you could align the industry around one shared priority for the next three years, what would it be and why?

Simon Whitmarsh-Knight: Collaboration. The systemic problems we face as an industry are too complex for any one company to solve on their own. The only way we can make significant impact is through collaborating at all levels across the value system to unlock real progress.

JS: Simon, thank you for the clear roadmap. Your move to vertically integrate sugarcane-derived bio-BDO and elastane in Vietnam, paired with transparent verification and cross-sector applications, offers a pragmatic template for scaling low-carbon stretch. We look forward to tracking the 2026 ramp and how your closed-loop ambitions around recycled spandex advance true circularity.

About Simon Whitmarsh-Knight

Simon has extensive international experience growing new business in sustainable fibers, technical textiles and performance apparel. Having worked for global brands, retailers and manufacturers, Simons background includes building brands and aligning teams across cultures in dynamic markets, and supporting supply chain transformation through the textiles value system. Simon currently leads sustainability for Hyosung, the worlds largest elastane manufacturer by market share, who recently announced a $1bn investment in upgrading their Vietnam facility to produce bio-based elastane derived from sugarcane.

"Vietnam Verticals: Simon Whitmarsh-Knight on How Hyosung TNC and Geno Are Rewiring Stretch Fibers for a Smaller Footprint" was originally created and published by Just Style, a GlobalData owned brand.




BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44)  Molly Gray, who previously served as Vermonts 82nd Lieutenant Governor, is reportedly gunning for the position once again.

The announcement was made at an event Monday in Burlingtons South End.

Im running for Lieutenant Governor to help protect the fundamental rights of every Vermonter, to lower costs, and to make life better for working families, says Gray in a release.

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She served as Lieutenant Governor after winning the 2020 Democratic Primary. Gray held that position for less than one year, then launched a campaign for vacant a U.S. House seat, which she lost to Becca Balint in the 2022 Primary.

She currently is serving as the Vermont Afghan Alliance Executive Director. A list of her public supporters includes previous and current officials like President Pro Tempore of the Vermont Senate Phil Baruth.

Gray may go up against current Republican Lt. Gov. John Rodgers, who previously said he was running to reelection.

Copyright 2026 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 ABC22 & FOX44.
This story was originally published on mynorthwest.com.

Paula Lamas was watching television just after midnight on Saturday when the impossible began to unfold.

U.S. forces had entered Venezuela. Explosions lit up Caracas. And Nicolas Maduro, the man who had ruled Venezuela for more than a decade, was being extracted from the country in a predawn military operation.

Lamas, a former news anchor at KUNS when it was Seattles Univision affiliate, is originally from Venezuela. She and her mother fled more than 20 years ago, fearing for their safety under the regime of Hugo Chavez. She has not been able to return home since.

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Her mother never thought she would live to see this moment.

My mom thought she would die without ever seeing a day like Saturday morning, Lamas told KIRO Newsradio. We couldnt believe what was happening. So now we are hopeful that at some point, when things are stable and secure, we can go back and hug our family and be able to return home.

A holiday trip that became permanent exile

Lamas was in her early 20s in 2001 when she traveled with her mother from Venezuela to California and Nevada to celebrate the holidays.

By the end of the trip, it became clear they could not safely return home due to political unrest.

Lamas mother, a former attorney and judge, later received a call telling them not to return for security reasons.

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What was supposed to be a vacation became permanent exile. Lamas eventually made her way to Seattle, where she built a career in broadcast journalism. She received an Emmy Award nomination for Best News Anchor from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Northwest chapter for her work at KUNS Univision, becoming the first Latina journalist in Washington to receive that honor.

Now, more than two decades later, she watched from afar as the regime that forced her family out of their homeland came to an abrupt end.

Im going to speak today as a journalist, Im going to speak as a Venezuelan, but Im also going to speak as Paula Lamas, someone who has lived this story and understands the loss and the painful cost of pretending neutrality when people are suffering, she said.

A divided nation debates the operation

The U.S. military operation to capture Maduro has sparked intense debate across the political spectrum. Democrats in Congress have called it unconstitutional and drawn comparisons to the Iraq War, warning of a costly occupation with no clear exit strategy. Republicans have praised it as bold leadership against a narco-terrorist regime. Many Americans fear the U.S. could find itself entangled in another foreign conflict like those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Lamas sees it differently. In her view, the world finally stopped looking away.

Im not a big fan of this administration, lets be clear, Lamas said. But what happened early Saturday morning was something we could have done years ago if we had wanted to help Venezuelans.

He is not a president

Lamas took issue with how media outlets have described Maduro.

Different networks and colleagues have been calling him president. He is not a president, she said.

She offered several reasons. Maduro lost the 2024 election, she said, and opposition leaders Edmundo Gonzalez and Maria Corina Machado have toured the world presenting evidence, including paper tallies and video recordings from election night. More than 70 percent of Venezuelans voted for Gonzalez, she said.

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Beyond that, Lamas said Maduro was never truly elected in the first place. He was appointed by Chavez before his death.

He is not a president because he was appointed like a king choosing a successor, Lamas said. Thats not how democracy works.

In her view, Venezuela stopped being a functioning democracy years ago.

There were no free elections, no separation of powers, no independent courts, no free press, and no real protection of human rights, she said.

This wasnt an act of war against a nation

Lamas acknowledged the intense debate over whether the U.S. operation was legal or wise. Critics have warned of a quagmire reminiscent of Iraq or Afghanistan. Supporters say Maduro was a criminal who had to be removed.

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Lamas pushed back on those who say the U.S. violated international law, citing the Responsibility to Protect doctrine, known as R2P, which emerged after the international community failed to intervene in Rwanda and Bosnia.

This doctrine exists because the world failed in Rwanda, in Bosnia, and in many places where non-intervention became an excuse for indifference, Lamas said.

From her perspective, Saturdays operation was not an invasion.

There were no U.S. troops invading Caracas. There were no bombs dropped on the population. There was no occupation, Lamas said. This wasnt an act of war against a nation. It was an act of justice against a criminal enterprise that had taken a nation hostage.

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More than seven million Venezuelans have been forced to flee the country.

This is not politics, she said. This is a humanitarian catastrophe.

What comes next for Venezuela

Lamas said she is cautiously optimistic, though she urged patience. She has felt this hope before, only to be disappointed.

We have lived through this kind of disappointment before, where we thought the situation would get fixed and it didnt happen, she said. But right now we understand that we have to be happy, because this is the first step. Its really the beginning of the end of a dark time.

She hopes Edmundo Gonzalez will be sworn in as president and that Venezuela can begin to rebuild.

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They tore down an entire country, Lamas said. We need to rebuild it from the ashes, pretty much.

For those who remained neutral as Venezuelans suffered, Lamas had a message.

To anyone who pretended to be neutral in this situation, let me tell you: you were supporting the dictator. You were supporting the repression. And I think that now the United States and everybody in the world is understanding this situation a little better.

And for those who have criticized the operation, she had a pointed question.

Would you say the same thing if it were your family without medicine, your children without food, your country without a voice?

A secret she kept for 20 years

Lamas revealed something she said she has never shared publicly.

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In 2006, she obtained videos from Venezuela showing Hezbollah training children as young as eight years old to use weapons. The footage came from La Guajira, a region on the border with Colombia.

She brought the material to U.S. intelligence officials.

I had contact with intelligence agencies back in 2006, Lamas said. I had this meeting with a guy from intelligence, and he said, This is not new. We already know.

What he told her next has stayed with her ever since.

He said, Every single intelligence agency in the entire world has this information. MI6, European agencies, Spain, you name it, the CIA. Everybody knows. And everybody is looking the other way because its not their problem right now, Lamas recalled.

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The official told her the world would only pay attention when it became a problem for the U.S. He advised her to delete the videos and forget the conversation ever happened.

The frustration I felt, Lamas said. It was like everybody knew what was happening, and no one was helping us.

Twenty years later, she believes the world can no longer look away.
Welcome to the first Monday of 2026! Here are some stories you may have missed over the weekend:

Oneida Nation Responds to Discovery Its Subsidiary Was Awarded $6 Million ICE Contracts

The Oneida Nation, located in Green Bay, Wisc., is seeking legal advice on how to disengage from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contracts after learning that one of its subsidiaries was awarded more than $6 million in federal agreements, prompting sharp criticism from tribal members and Native advocates.

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Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning.

Federal contract records show that Oneida-Stantec JV LLC, a Milwaukee-based joint venture that operates under the Oneida Engineering and Support Services Group holding company, secured two ICE contracts in late 2025 totaling more than $6 million.

The first contract, valued at $2.6 million and awarded in September, covers facility condition assessments and property inventory services over a three-year period. A second contract, worth $3.9 million, was awarded in December to provide construction and design quality assurance services for an ICE project in El Paso, Texas.

Read the entire article.

What Native American Members of Congress Are Saying about the Venezuela Operation

In a dramatic and unprecedented military operation early Jan. 3, 2026, U.S. forces struck targets across northern Venezuela, including in the capital Caracas, and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, officials said.

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The raid, codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, involved airstrikes and a helicopter assault that overwhelmed Venezuelan defenses and resulted in Maduros removal to the United States to face narco-terrorism charges in federal court in New York. U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the mission as a decisive blow against drug trafficking and authoritarianism, comparing it to past U.S. operations aimed at removing hostile leaders.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK-4)  Chickasaw

Leadership begins with strength, and I stand with President Trump and our Armed Forces in the decisive action taken to protect American lives. This successful operation has captured Nicolas Maduro, bringing a brutal dictator and narco-terrorist to face justice. Under his rule, deadly drugs flooded our communities and stole countless lives, U.S. security was threatened through partnerships that empowered our adversaries, and human rights violations were rampant under his illegitimate regime.

Read the entire article.

Colorado Governor Orders Flags Lowered to Half Staff to Honor Former Sen., Ben Nighthorse Campbell

Flags are flying at half mast in Colorado to honor former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Northern Cheynne), who walked on Tuesday, December 30, 2025. When he became a United States senator in 1993, he became the only Native American to serve in the Senate in over 60 years.

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Since then tributes have poured in on his life and legacy. Heres what people have been saying about the life that Sen. Campbell led.

Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Candidate for New Mexico Governor

Ben Nighthorse Campbell's legacy will forever be remembered. His leadership paved the way to include Indigenous voices. I'm sending his family, loved ones, and community my most heartfelt condolences.

Read the entire story.

About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. "

Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net
On the morning of New Year's Day, Florida wildlife showed up in non-woodsy places. Perhaps, they were taking advantage of humans sleeping in to venture outside their comfort zone.

This was especially true on the first day of 2026 in eastern Marion County. A bald eagle flew low over the Ocklawaha Bridge seconds before a family of monkeys could be seen hunting for food along State Road 40, 4 miles from their usual stomping grounds, Silver Springs State Park.

Why does Florida have Rhesus macaques?

If you live in northern central Florida, you know that the Rhesus macaque monkeys are found at Silver Springs State Park near Ocala. They are brown to gray with pink faces, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

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The monkeys were introduced to Florida in the 1930s by a cruise operator named Colonel Stephen Tooey, according to a post by the Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department, University of Florida/IFAS Extension.

Tooey let six of them loose on a small island in the Silver River, hoping to create a park modeled after the Tarzan stories.

The nimble primates are native to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Southeast Asia and China.

A viral video shows a kayaker at Florida's Silver Springs State Park witnessing some "monkey business" as the primates dove off the trees and cannonballed into the springs.

The monkeys' behavior and migrations

From 1984 to 2012, the macaques' population growth was controlled through trapping and removal. Approximately 1,000 macaques were removed from this population by private trappers and sold to biomedical research facilities; however, this practice was halted due to concerns about animal rights.

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The monkeys can get aggressive when you try to feed or get close to them. They generally leave you alone if you keep your distance. They have been known to chase Silver Springs State Park visitors. If this happens, get help from the authorities.

Is it true that some macaques have herpes?

The latest federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers tell us that around 25 percent of Florida's macaques carry the Herpes B virus. Another reason to keep your distance.

How many Rhesus macaques live in Florida?

According to UF, the exact number fluctuates. The invasive Rhesus macaques are still primarily concentrated around Silver Springs State Park, with estimates varying from 300 to 600 in recent years, growing from early introductions; a 2018 study found at least 134 macaques in the Ocklawaha River area alone, but the population continues to expand and is not precisely monitored by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, though sightings are tracked.

Why are the monkeys outside Silver Springs State Park?

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, female Rhesus macaques tend to remain with their natal groups for life. At the same time, most males leave their group after reaching sexual maturity and become solitary or join other groups. More solitary, the males can be nomadic and responsible for the vast range expansion, having been sighted in cities as far as Sarasota, Tallahassee, Jacksonville and Orlando.

A feral rhesus macaque strides a wrought-iron railing at the Cottonwood Clermont apartment complex on May 2, 2024.

In 2024, the Leesburg Daily Commercial reported on Lake County sightings in Groveland and Clermont.

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They are not the only monkeys in the Florida wild. The Sunshine State also has squirrel and Vervet monkeys.

Experts warn that the established population in the park and greater Ocala National Forest could easily lead to new colonies being formed in other parts of the state due to this dispersal behavior

Wild monkeys are common enough in some areas that the FWC asks that you report them only if you see them outside their core population area in Marion County. To report a monkey sighting:

Try to take a picture or video

Note the location

Call the FWCs Exotic Species Hotline at 888-IveGot1 (888-483-4681)

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If you see a wild monkey posing an imminent threat to humans, call 911 or the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404FWCC (888-404-3922).

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Monkeys seen by Florida highway on New Year's Day
If the hope among Democrats for a decisive blue wave in the 2026 midterms has a chance of coming to pass, the party would likely have to win difficult House contests in redder parts of the country.

Montana's 1st Congressional District may prove to be the test case for whether that can happen.

Smokejumper Sam Forstag is set to announce on Monday a run for the seat, giving the left a new candidate in the race after two Democratic candidates already filed federal paperwork in the contest.

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The wildland firefighter and local federal employee union leader, who also had a stint in legislative lobbying for the Montana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, gained attention in 2025 when he spoke at a rally in Missoula held by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. While Montana is a reliably Republican state in national elections, only a few years ago, Montana had a Democratic governor and, until last year, a Democratic U.S. senator. Yet the last Democrat to represent Montana in the U.S. House left office almost 30 years ago.

"The way you win an election in this state, and I actually think the way you actually have some path to victory for the national party, is A: you win back working people, right?" Forstag said in an interview. "We've got to win back union members like me, who have felt like both parties have abandoned them. And we need to win back young people who feel like in a place like Western Montana, you've got a generation, or two generations of people that can't even conceive of ever owning a home in this state."

Democrats may only end up needing to win a handful of seats to flip control of the House away from Republicans this coming fall, and more traditional opportunities exist in states like Pennsylvania, Arizona and Iowa to help them do that.

But races like Montana's 1st District could prove pivotal in whether the party can overcome more urgent challenges that have emerged, namely the high unfavorability mark Democrats carried late last year and the view shown in polling around the country that the party is weak.

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The seat is held by Republican Ryan Zinke, who has had two tenures in Congress and was secretary of the interior for part of President Trump's first term before leaving the post amid federal watchdog investigations. He now has a notable role in Washington as part of the main House committee dealing with federal funding, giving the Montana Republican tangible influence.

Zinke's campaign website says that "Ryan's decisions are based on upholding the Constitution and doing what is right for Montana and America. He believes and lives the truth of American Exceptionalism and recognizes the unique role that we play in global prosperity and security. Ryan knows that the problem is not that there's too much Montana in D.C.; the problem is that there's too much D.C. in Montana."

In response to Monday's news, Zinke's campaign referenced Forstag's work with the ACLU. The Zinke campaign also compared Forstag to newly sworn-in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, saying in an email that "Sam Forstag represents Mamdani not Montana."

"Forstag may have national money but he won't have Montana's votes," Zinke's campaign said.

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In recent cycles, control of the House has been decided by a narrow number of seats after a wave of wins helped Democrats during the midpoint of Mr. Trump's first term as president. Back in 2018, Democrats took back control of the House by netting around 40 seats. Since that recent high point, the majorities for both parties have been far more narrow in the House.

Zinke faced close races during his second House tenure however, winning his seat in the 2022 midterms by around three points before defeating the same opponent during the 2024 presidential election by more than seven points. Late last year, he touted Mr. Trump's endorsement for another term in Congress.

House midterm cycles have tended to be difficult for the party of the incumbent president during the modern political era. But this fall's election comes as Democrats contend with messaging struggles and clear concerns about the party's brand after its losses during the 2024 presidential election. The leader of the Democratic National Committee also announced late last year that he would not release a full report of the last national election in a move that prompted criticism from some party faithful who questioned the decision.

National Republicans for months have been looking to take advantage of the left's lackluster standing with voters while also attempting to tie Democrats in competitive races with more liberal figures on the left around the country. And in Montana's first congressional district, a Democratic candidate would likely need to win a fair amount of voters who have sided with President Trump in the past to be able to realistically flip the seat.

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That's a dynamic Forstag told CBS News he's prepared to embrace as he also contends with the difficulties of running as a Democrat in a red state at a time when the national party brand carries its own issues.

"If the Democratic Party can't win working-class people, it's not going to be the sort of party that I would want to be a part of for much longer," Forstag said. "So on a fundamental level, I think the Democratic Party, for all the conversations that we've had about representation over the last 10 or 15 years, seems to have forgotten about what I see as the most fundamentally important kind of representation, which is economic representation."

Doctor's orders: Eat ice cream, and other tips for a long and healthy life

Maduro | Sunday on 60 Minutes

Trump declares U.S. will "run" Venezuela temporarily, threatens those who oppose
Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossa is raising awareness about the expansion of eligibility for people with disabilities who can open ABLE savings accounts to those whose disability occurred before age 46. Previously the age cutoff was 26. (Getty image)

One of Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossas resolutions for 2026 is to create 1,000 active savings accounts for residents with disabilities without jeopardizing their federal benefits.

That goal may become reality now that Rhode Islanders whose disabilities began before age 46 are eligible to open accounts under the states Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) program.

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Created under the Obama administration in 2014, ABLE accounts allow Social Security beneficiaries to save money for future qualifying needs, such as housing, education, transportation, health, prevention and wellness, employment training and support, assistive technology and personal support services. Earnings grow tax-deferred and withdrawals are tax-free when used for qualified expenses.

Accounts are owned by the beneficiary, but managed by the Pennsylvania-based financial service company Ascensus. Their management is overseen by the Rhode Island Office of General Treasurer.

Looking to learn more on ABLE accounts?

General Treasurer James Diossa will take part in a virtual seminar hosted by the Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities at Rhode Island College at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026

Before the start of 2026, ABLE accounts were limited to people who had a qualifying medical condition that began before their 26th birthday. The change to allow people up through the age of 46 was approved through the federal ABLE Age Adjustment Act, which was signed into law in 2022.

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Treasury is committed to helping people with disabilities build lasting financial security, Diossa said in a statement. Thanks to the federal expansion of ABLE eligibility, more Rhode Islanders can save for everyday needs and long-term goals without risking essential benefits.

Kevin Nerney, executive director for the Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council, welcomed the age increase now taking effect.

He said he hopes that the expansion will entice more Rhode Islanders with disabilities to start saving. Diossas office noted 777 active ABLE accounts in mid-December.

We want people to be able to save money and do the things they want to do in their lives, Nerney said.

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The treasurers office did not have any projections on how many more accounts may open statewide. Grace Voll, a spokesperson for Diossas office, said the treasurer hopes to see 1,000 active accounts by the end of the year.

The National Disability Institute estimated around 6.1 million more Americans would be eligible across the country under the programs recent expansion.

Beneficiaries can contribute up to $20,000 a year into an ABLE account in 2026. Total assets in an account can reach $100,000 without affecting Supplemental Security Income benefits.

But $100,000 with proper investment, might pay more than what your SSI is, Nerney noted.

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Even small contributions can go a long way, he added.

For some people, a little as $100 a month could have a significant impact on their quality of life  even if its just to use an Uber to see their friend every week, Nerney said.

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Students using Gov Bill Lee's Education Savings Account funds - a precursor to his universal school voucher program - are underperforming public school students, according to a state comptroller report. Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters

Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessees free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

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Most Tennessee public school students who use Education Savings Account vouchers arent leaving low-performing public schools, while ESA students overall are underperforming their public school peers in both academic achievement and growth.

Tennessee Comptroller Jason E. Mumpowers office released these findings Monday in the first comprehensive review of the program.

The comptrollers report also found that the Tennessee Department of Education has not yet established parameters for removing private schools with repeated low academic performance, nor could it provide documentation used to measure schools performance or counsel schools that have multiple years of low academic performance.

Republican lawmakers passed the Education Savings Account program in 2019, though legal challenges delayed implementation until 2022. The program was the precursor to the 2025 universal voucher program, which GOP lawmakers are already looking to expand this year after 20,000 students were enrolled last fall.

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The ESA program could be limited to 12,500 enrollees under state law this school year, with a cap of 15,000 set to kick in next year. But the program has never been fully utilized, with just 3,693 students enrolled in the current school year.

The ESA program was designed to benefit public school students: First-time ESA applicants in 2022 had to be moving from a public school, entering kindergarten, or transferring into Tennessee from another state.

In 2022, 66% of ESA students came from a public school, and 33% were entering public school.

By the next school year, lawmakers had made a change to grandfather some students into the program who had attended public school at least one year since 2019, the year the law was passed. Those students accounted for 31% of ESA students. Overall, 15% of 2023 ESA students were entering kindergarten, 38% were coming from public schools, and 14% had reenrolled in the program.

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In 2024, nearly half of all ESA students had reenrolled in the program, 28% came from public schools and 14% were entering kindergarten.

The program was a signature issue for Gov. Bill Lee, who has supported additional school choice policies as a way for parents to choose higher-achieving schools.

The comptrollers report indicates this is not necessarily happening. The program was targeted at districts with a relatively high number of Priority schools, a federal designation for schools that underperform in certain categories. In practice, that meant the ESA program could only be implemented in Shelby, Davidson, and Hamilton counties, large districts that often have as many high-ranking, or reward, schools as priority schools.

Most schools that students are leaving to participate in the ESA program are neither reward nor priority schools, which would indicate their performance is neither among the highest or lowest of public schools in the state, the comptrollers report states. When considering schools that have received state and federal designations, more ESA students are leaving reward schools than priority schools.

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This varies significantly by county, though. In Davidson County, 80% of ESA students who previously attended public schools attended schools with A, B, or C letter grades, and 18% of students came from schools that received a D or F letter grade. In Memphis, 58% of students previously attended A, B or C-graded schools.

In Hamilton County, 50% of ESA students previously attended public schools with D or F grades.

The comptrollers report also found the state education department did not do enough to advertise the ESA program to low-income students, a requirement in state law.

Overall, students receiving ESA money performed worse on the states standardized tests than students in public schools, although ESA students outperformed their peers in Memphis-Shelby County schools last year. The comptrollers report also notes that scores from students receiving ESAs have increased over time.

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Meanwhile, virtual schools participating in the ESA program for the first time last year performed worse than both private schools with ESA students and local public schools. Just 20% of ESA students enrolled in virtual schools were proficient in English language arts, and just 17% were proficient in math.

Parent satisfaction with the program remains above 95%, but the comptroller notes only 15% of participating families actually provided feedback on the program last year.

There could be major changes to ESAs this year. The comptroller report suggests lawmakers reconsider eligibility requirements and where the program is targeting, noting other districts like Knox County Schools could be drawn in.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Cameron Sexton wants to eliminate the income limit and enrollment cap altogether for the program and open it up to all students in the current three counties.

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This current income cap is 200% or less of the federal income eligibility to receive free school lunch, which would be $83,590 this year for a family of four. Around 76% of families in ESA-eligible counties are already eligible for the program, according to an EdChoice analysis.

The ESA this year provides around $9,747 per student, which fell below the average tuition cost by about $3,000 for participating private schools, the majority of which were religiously affiliated.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
In Dissent is a recurring series by Anastasia Boden on Supreme Court dissents that have shaped (or reshaped) our country.

On Aug. 3, 1973, a single Supreme Court justice  working alone, far from Washington, D.C.  ordered the president of the United States to stop bombing Cambodia. He was swiftly overruled by the eight other justices, who, via hastily arranged phone calls, agreed to take immediate action to avoid a constitutional crisis. Justice William O. Douglas, known as Wild Bill, then issued a biting dissent  with perhaps the most unorthodox justice to ever have sat on the bench accusing the other eight of impropriety.

I. Constitutional Chicken

In the summer of 1973, Congress and the Nixon administration were locked in a familiar game of constitutional chicken. As legal scholars like Steve Vladeck have detailed, although U.S. troops had withdrawn from Vietnam earlier that year, the president continued to bomb neighboring Cambodia. Congress never authorized this bombing, and in fact, had consistently attached the so-called Fulbright Proviso to appropriations bills, barring military support to Cambodia unless necessary to withdraw U.S. forces or POWs. In June of 1973, Congress adopted a bill that outright prohibited the use of funds for Cambodian combat operations unless explicitly authorized by legislation, hoping to end U.S. involvement entirely. But President Richard Nixon vetoed it.

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Congress adapted. It didnt have the votes to surmount a veto, so it passed a new law that prohibited taxpayer money from funding military activities in Cambodia while also giving the president time to wind down operations. The bill gave the administration until Aug. 15, 1973, to withdraw. Nixon relented, at least partially. The White House treated the delay as implicit authorization of all activities prior to the deadline. Members of Congress considered it a political compromise  not necessarily a constitutional blessing.

Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman and a U.S. airman stationed in Southeast Asia brought a lawsuit seeking to end all bombing in Cambodia even prior to the August deadline. They argued that the continued bombing lacked congressional authorization, as required by Article I,  8, Clause 11 of the Constitution.

The district court agreed that the president lacked authority to bomb Cambodia, but gave the administration a few days to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit for a stay of its injunction. Sure enough, the government appealed, and the 2nd Circuit issued a stay. The plaintiffs then asked Justice Thurgood Marshall, the justice responsible for emergency appeals from the 2nd Circuit, to stay the stay, meaning the president would once again be immediately enjoined from engaging in military operations in Cambodia.

Marshall declined. In a restrained and institutional opinion issued on Aug. 1, 1973, he emphasized the difficulties of weighing the equities in such a case: on the one hand, the plaintiffs argued that continued bombing put Cambodians and U.S. servicemen at risk of death. On the other hand, the government argued that a cessation in bombing would frustrate its foreign policy goals. While [s]ome may greet with considerable skepticism the claim that vital security interests  rest on whether the Air Force is permitted to continue bombing for a few more days  after all, Aug. 15 was just around the corner  Marshall emphasized that a single justice should not decide such an important question. Instead, the parties should go through the normal appellate procedures so that the entire court could consider the case.

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The plaintiffs then turned their attention to Douglas.

II. Wild Bill goes rogue

William Orville Douglas did not become a Supreme Court justice so he could sit quietly on the bench refining doctrine. His judicial legacy is one of intervention. After all, he was something of a political character. Douglas was known for cleaning up Wall Street as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. And he had been considered as a vice presidential candidate under FDR, and again under Harry Truman (he declined, supposedly asking, Why be number two to a number two?). He carried his political sensibilities along with him onto the court and created a lasting legacy as an environmental activist, civil libertarian, and all-around rogue justice.

Born in 1898 in the rougher corners of the Pacific Northwest, Douglas grew up poor, sickly, and stubborn. Childhood polio caused him to develop a near-religious devotion to physical endurance. He hiked obsessively, sometimes sleeping outdoors in minimal shelter, and had a lifelong passion for the environment.

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After putting himself through Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, he graduated second in his class at Columbia Law School, and soon after joined the Yale Law School faculty. He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1939 by FDR at just 40 years old (and would go on to become its longest serving justice). He continued to play poker with FDR even after his confirmation.

Douglas had no interest in the court as an institution of quiet consensus. He holds the record for the most opinions written by a Supreme Court justice  more than 1,200 opinions over his record-setting 36-year tenure  with an unusually large share of them being dissents. It was said that he wrote opinions quickly with little editing and only then would ask his clerks to find the legal authority to support his suppositions.

He famously tried to spare Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union, from death, staying their execution until he was overruled by the full court. He dissented when the court refused to hear a case involving the Kent State massacre, calling the case moot rather than incapable of judicial resolution. He cemented the constitutional right to privacy in Griswold v. Connecticut, rooting it in the Bill of Rights penumbras, formed by emanations, a phrase endlessly mocked (and memorialized in a sign in Justice Clarence Thomas office that says Please do not emanate into the penumbra). He suggested in dissent that meadows, rivers, lakes, and even air should have a right to sue in environmental cases.

In 1954, Douglas took the unconventional step of inviting Washington Post editors who had endorsed a proposed parkway through the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal to take the full 185-mile trek along the proposed route with him, averaging 20+ miles a day over eight days, so that the journalists would fully understand the beauty the parkway threatened. Of the 40 participants (from various media outlets and conservation groups), only nine completed the grueling hike entirely by foot. Douglas pressed on in the face of a snowstorm, stomach problems, and a bout of poison ivy. A crowd of thousands awaited the group at the end. The controversial bit of activism worked: the Post retracted its endorsement, and the canal was saved.

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Douglas personal life, like his professional life, was unconventional. Douglas was married four times, divorced three  a record among Supreme Court justices. Many of his wives were much younger and he abruptly moved on from them. He married his third wife, Joan, just five days after his divorce from his second wife (who had been his research assistant) was finalized on account of cruelty. After Joans mother received nasty phone calls about the marriage, she remarked that the marriage was not untoward. Instead, simply, They are, neither of them, ordinary people.

After his third marriage, Douglas, now in his sixties, once again married a woman in her twenties, and Congress called for an investigation into his moral character. The investigation never materialized. It instead became political theater, likely intertwined with his relentless criticism of government policy. Republican Rep. Bob Dole charged that Douglas had not only shown bad judgment from a matrimonial standpoint, but also in a number of 5-to-4 decisions of the Supreme Court.

On top of that he was a heavy drinker, not to mention that the factual accuracy of his autobiography has been questioned by historians (Douglas seemed to have a habit of exaggerating both his hardships and his own importance in Supreme Court happenings). He was, in a word, unorthodox.

III. Shopping around

Douglas wasnt even in D.C. when ACLU lawyers tracked him down at his cabin in Goose Prairie, Washington, to ask him to reconsider their petition involving Cambodia. It was no accident that they had turned to Douglas, a known critic of the Vietnam War. And the justice delivered: he conducted a full hearing on the petition in a packed federal courthouse (and post office) in nearby Yakima. After the governments lawyer suggested that pausing the bombing would cause irreparable harm, Douglas replied, Who to, peasants of Cambodia who get bombed?

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It wasnt the first time lawyers had gone wading into the wilderness to make an emergency appeal to Douglas. In an earlier case, attorneys in suits had marched onto a remote trail carrying their briefcases, eventually encountering the striking, six-foot-tall justice in blue jeans and a flannel. Douglas listened and said he would make a decision on their plea the following day. The next morning, the lawyers returned and found a single sheet of paper nailed to a tree that said, denied.

This time, however, he agreed.

Douglas began his opinion by stating that it was not the normal practice to apply to a second justice after being denied by a first, and when the court was in session, the second justice would normally refer the petition to the full court to discourage shopping around. Nevertheless, the court was in recess and the justices were scattered, requiring him to hear the petition himself, paying the greatest deference to Marshalls previous denial.

He then likened the petition to a capital case:

The classic capital case is whether Mr. Lew, Mr. Low, or Mr. Lucas should die. The present case involves whether Mr. X (an unknown person or persons) should die. No one knows who they are. They may be Cambodian farmers whose only sin is a desire for socialized medicine to alleviate the suffering of their families and neighbors. Or Mr. X may be the American pilot or navigator who drops a ton of bombs on a Cambodian village. The upshot is that we know that someone is about to die.

It was therefore unnecessary to balance any equities or to decide the merits or such things as whether it was proper for Douglas to hear the question before him. Instead, since denial of the application before me would catapult our airmen as well a Cambodian peasants [sic] into the death zone. I do what I think any judge would do in a capital case  vacate the stay entered by the Court of Appeals.

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With that short order, Douglas demanded that the president stop bombing Cambodia.

IV. A quick reversal

Hours later, attorneys for the Nixon administration presented an application to Marshall to stay the original district court injunction, which was now in effect as a result of Douglas order reversing the 2nd Circuits stay. Marshall quickly called up the other justices, who agreed the court should overrule Douglas. Marshall issued an opinion halting what had been only a brief pause in the bombing  if it had halted anything at all. The administration had continued its operations despite Douglas order, since it had not yet been properly served.

Marshall explained that the purpose of the 2nd Circuits original stay was to preserve the status quo while it considered the case on the merits  and because the appellate court had now expedited that hearing, maintaining the stay was appropriate. (The 2nd Circuit would go on to hear the appeal, reverse the district court, and dismiss the case.) Douglas was overruled. And, of course, he dissented.

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Douglas privately believed the reversal came so swiftly because a telephone tap had alerted the justices to his impending opinion. In his view, they could not  given the short timeline  possibly have read it before acting. While acknowledging that the full court had the power to reverse him, Douglas insisted in his dissent that it had to meet in person to do so. Citing a statute requiring a quorum, he wrote that [s]eriatim telephone calls cannot, with all respect, be a lawful substitute. The court, he said, was as much bound by the law of the land as is he who lives in the ghetto or in the big white house on the hill. They had flouted the rules. The most unorthodox justice suddenly demanded strict fidelity to procedure.

V. The aftermath

Douglas had lost. The bombing continued until Congress deadline took effect. His opinion never became law, and his dissent changed nothing. And just over a day after the court reversed Douglas, the United States mistakenly bombed a town center, killing 137, many of whom were civilians. Congress would later pass the War Powers Resolution over Nixons veto, limiting a presidents ability to send American troops into combat absent congressional authorization or an attack on the United States.

Still, in many ways, Douglas had made a mark. As Vladeck has noted, the courts procedures subsequently shifted; justices began referring all second-bite petitions to the full court even in the middle of summer. And eventually, the court stopped formally adjourning for the summer at all, such that terms were considered continuous through the year.

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This was true of many of Douglas opinions: they had an effect even if they did not become law. His lone dissent in Pierson v. Ray foreshadowed many of the problems that would follow the expansion of qualified immunity. His affirmation of the right to privacy became widely accepted, even if other justices might have come to the same conclusion under a different mode of analysis. And his hundreds of dissents normalized the idea that dissents exist for an important reason, whether its to pave the way for future cases  or not. Douglas did not stop the bombing  but he forced the court to reckon, however briefly, with what it means to do nothing. And he showed that even short dissents that do not have the force of law can have an impact.

For more Supreme Court news and analysis, visit SCOTUSblog.

Read more at SCOTUSblog 
Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort received several inches of snow overnight on Sunday and is expected to continue into Monday.

The Central Oregon snow resort saw 6 inches of snow overnight and is expected to see an additional 2 to 4 inches as it continues.

Temperatures are forecasted to remain in the upper 20s

The new snowfall points to a positive change in weather patterns, as the snow season started later in most mountain regions of the Pacific Northwest.

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The Mt. Bachelor ski resort usually opens in late November, but had to delay opening due the later snowfall.

Conditions improved drastically today, but its still variable out there, said Presley Quon, communications and community relations manager. We could see over a foot by Thursday, which would be great for the snowpack.

The resort urges skiers and riders to use caution.

Skiers and riders are asked to stay near open and groomed terrain.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, on her final day as congresswoman, was the presidents strongest Republican critic on the Sunday show circuit this week in the wake of a stunning U.S. operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro.

The Republican firebrand was on NBCs Meet the Press for the last time as a member of the House as she argued that President Donald Trump was once again turning away from the domestic agenda she has argued for months is a reason for the his decreasing popularity among his base.

Her comments come as MAGA Republicans online and on Capitol Hill have largely backed the presidents move, even with polls showing that most Americans do not support military intervention in Venezuela.

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I am not defending Maduro and of course I am happy for the people of Venezuela to be liberated, Greene said. [But] this is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of, that doesn't serve the American people, but actually serves the big corporations, the banks, and the oil executives.

"My understanding of America first is strictly for the American people, she said, adding: We dont consider Venezuela our neighborhood.

The Trump administration that campaigned on Make America Great Again that we thought was putting America First...I want to see domestic policies that prioritize jobs and affordable housing for Americans, she said.

Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized Trump's continued focus on foreign policy in an interview with NBC News (NBC - Meet the Press)

Greenes public break with the president began in the fall over the vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files and has led to her taking more prominent stances against him in recent weeks. It extended to the issue of expiring Affordable Care Act health plan subsidies during the government shutdown.

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She recently tore apart the president and the culture of Mar-a-Lagos elite in a revealing profile for The New York Times, in which she said that she was naive to think that Trump truly cared about the lower- and middle-income voters he claimed to represent in his three runs for the presidency. Greene also told the paper of Trumps cold response to a threat she received against her sons life. The president responded that she supposedly had herself to blame for turning on him.

Marjorie Taylor Greenes support of the Epstein files discharge petition was her first public move against the president (REUTERS)

Her last day in Congress is Monday.

Many critics of the administration, including some conservatives like Greene, have likened the situation to the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and the mixed results that U.S. officials had in setting up stable governments during the War on Terror. Afghanistans government, after two decades of U.S. military and economic support, collapsed under a resurgent Taliban offensive in 2021.

Even Trump supporters, like War Room podcast host Steve Bannon and The American Conservative director Curt Mills, turned to ridiculing the evolving situation in Venezuela over the weekend and raised questions about the administrations plans for the day after.

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Reacting to snap YouGov poll on Sunday  which suggested 46 percent of Americans disapproved Trumps handling of the situation in Venezuela  Mills wrote: Catastrophic polling result for a frankly astonishingly effective tactical raid. From a pure amoral perspective, White House burnt political capital / public patience for literally nothing.

The president is getting very bad advice, he added.

The White House and State Department have so far been unable or unwilling to enunciate what that vision for the immediate future of Venezuela will look like. Trump and his secretary of State have been on the same page regarding Venezuelas requirement to do as the U.S. says and follow the administrations demands but have been clear about little else, including who the U.S. recognizes currently as the leader of Venezuela with Maduro in custody and his vice president Delia Rodriguez reportedly in hiding in Russia, according to Reuters.

Speaking to news outlets on Sunday, Rubio could not say when the U.S. expects Venezuela to hold elections or who will be running the countrys day-to-day governmental affairs in the interim. He was also unable to explain the scope of the Trump administrations role in those affairs, or whether theyd require a sustained U.S. presence on the ground for potentially months or longer.

Marco Rubio couldnt say on Sunday who the Trump administration recognizes as leader of Venezuela (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The secretary additionally did not give a clear answer regarding the issue of control of Venezuelas oil fields; Trump has said that U.S. forces and companies will take back the oil, while Rubio said Sunday that the U.S. doesnt need control over Venezuelas oil fields and was concerned with returning those proceeds to the countrys citizens.

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Democrats have focused their fire on the legality of the operation taking place without the administration informing Congress or seeking approval through an authorization of military force. In the Senate, Chuck Schumers caucus is set to force a vote on a War Powers resolution this week aimed at curtailing the White Houses ability to wage war in the region, but it is not expected to pass as Republicans remain in control of the chamber, one member of Schumers caucus (John Fetterman) is publicly in support of the strike, and an insufficient number of Republicans in the Senate have signaled theyd vote for it.

On Sunday, Schumer attacked the White House for the way the strike was carried out, as well as the aftermath.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that Saturdays strike was illegal (AP)

"Look, Maduros a horrible, horrible person. But you don't treat lawlessness with other lawlessness. And that's what happened here. The American people this morning, George (Stephanopoulos), are scratching their heads in wonderment and fear of what the president has proposed. The United States will run Venezuela, Schumer told ABCs This Week.

We have learned through the years, when America tries to do regime change and nation building in this way, the American people pay the price in both blood and in dollars, said Schumer. He flatly denied that the administration had legal authority to conduct the operation to abduct Maduro: Its a violation of the law.

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No one knows who now leads Venezuela, a country of about 30 million people, Schumer added.

Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, appeared on CNN the same day. He told State of the Union co-host Dana Bash that the president had poisoned the well for the effort to manage an orderly transition in Maduros wake by undermining Maria Corina Machado, the top opposition leader in the country, as well as with his statements insinuating that the motivation for the administrations operation was to seize control of Venezuelas oil reserves.

Donald Trump yesterday in his news conference basically set the stage for a disaster here, Himes said.

Maduro landed Saturday night in New York where the detained Venezuelan leader is due to face drug trafficking charges, along with his wife, filed by the Justice Department in the Southern District of New York. An indictment against him was first issued in 2020.
DOHA, Qatar & VANCOUVER, British Columbia, January 05, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VoPay International Inc., a global fintech infrastructure platform, today announced the establishment of its global headquarters in Qatar. The move positions Qatar as VoPays primary hub for advancing digital financial infrastructure and supporting scalable financial modernization across the Middle East and North Africa, Africa, Southeast Asia, and other high-growth regions, while continuing to serve the companys operations across North America, Europe, and Latin America.

From its Doha headquarters, VoPay will expand and operate foundational financial infrastructure that supports central banks, financial institutions, government and public-sector entities, and large enterprises in modernizing financial systems and connecting regional markets to global financial ecosystems. As part of this expansion, VoPay plans to hire more than 400 professionals in Qatar over the next three years across engineering, technology, security, compliance, data, and platform operations, reinforcing the countrys role as a long-term center for financial infrastructure development.

"Our decision to establish VoPays global headquarters in Qatar reflects a deep alignment with the countrys long-term vision for economic diversification and digital leadership," said Hamed Arbabi, Founder and CEO of VoPay. "Qatar offers a unique platform for scaling financial infrastructure that connects regions, institutions, and markets. With the support of Invest Qatar and the Qatar Financial Centre, we are investing for the long term by building world-class talent and advancing financial infrastructure that operates across borders with scale, intelligence, and resilience."

Aligning with Qatars Long-Term National Vision

VoPays global headquarters decision aligns with Qatars emergence as a platform for innovation and digital transformation, shaped by the countrys long-term national vision under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar. As articulated in Qatar National Vision 2030, "the Qatar National Vision 2030 builds a bridge between the present and the future," a direction that continues to support the development of a diversified, knowledge-based economy with global reach and creates an environment where technology companies can scale internationally while operating from the region.

Partnership with Invest Qatar

VoPays expansion into Qatar has been supported by Invest Qatar, whose leadership and engagement played a meaningful role in facilitating the companys decision to establish its global headquarters in Doha. Through strategic dialogue and ongoing collaboration, Invest Qatar has supported VoPays market entry and long-term growth strategy aligned with Qatars national economic priorities.
North Idaho's Priest Lake. (Photo by Chad Riley/Getty Images)

Idahos endowment forests are often the subject of passionate public conversation, and that is a good thing. These lands support Idahos public schools and other institutions and are managed  by Idahoans  with care and scientific rigor.

A recent op-ed about Priest Lake includes several misconceptions about how the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) and the State Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board) manage these trust lands. As stewards of Idahos endowment lands, we want to set the record straight.

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The endowment assets are managed as a unified trust with the Endowment Fund Investment Board managing the financial assets and Idaho Department of Lands managing and protecting the land assets. Both entities are under the supervision of the Land Board.

MYTH: Idaho Department of Lands is clear-cutting senescent forests and converting them into tree farms.

FACT: The term senescent forest refers to stands in a state of biological decline. IDL does not manage endowment forests to reach senescence. As a trust land manager, IDL maintains forests in productive, healthy, actively growing conditions to ensure long-term revenue and ecological resilience. Regeneration harvests, including clearcuts in appropriate locations, are recognized, science-based silvicultural tools that help restore young, vigorous stands while protecting soils, water quality, and wildlife habitat for the long-term.

IDL is not converting forests into tree farms. Our forests are managed for long-term sustainability, ecological function, and consistent revenue for beneficiaries.

MYTH: Idaho Department of Lands has adopted a blanket 4045 year timber rotation, similar to timber management on the West Coast.

FACT: This is an oversimplification. While IDL does use the Forest Projection System (FPS, developed by the Forest Biometric Research Institute) as one of several tools for forest growth modeling, rotation ages are set based on site productivity and inventory data from field measurements and LiDAR analysis, not an arbitrary timeframe.

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In Idahos diverse landscape, high-productivity sites may reach commercial maturity in around 35 years. Others may require 85 years or more.

Most endowment forest stands fall somewhere between.

Rotation age is determined by site-specific biological growth, sustainability modeling, and long-term revenue considerations  not by a single statewide target.

MYTH: Timber harvests on endowment land are not sustainable or cannot support long-term revenue.

FACT: Sustainability is built into the trust mandate. Idahos endowment forests are managed under a sustained yield framework, ensuring that harvest levels remain stable over time, forest health is maintained, and timber revenues continue for future generations of beneficiaries.

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Many Priest Lake stands are harvested after reaching maturity following timber harvests or stand replacing wildfires from decades ago.

MYTH: Revenue from endowment lands is only intended for public schools, and contributions are token.

FACT: Public schools are the largest beneficiary, but not the only one. By law and by trust structure, endowment lands support:

Public schools

Agricultural College

Charitable Institutions

Normal School

Penitentiary

School of Science

State Hospital South

University of Idaho

Capitol Permanent Fund

Endowment lands and funds form a unified trust corpus, established by the United States at statehood. The state of Idaho  through the Land Board as trustee  has a fiduciary responsibility to manage these assets for all named beneficiaries.

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Revenue from timber currently represents over 90% of annual income from land management, but Idahos endowment also includes 1.5 million acres of other revenue-producing lands and a highly diversified investment portfolio managed by the Endowment Fund Investment Board (EFIB).

The funds performance is among the strongest and most transparent public land trusts in the country.

MYTH: Idaho Department of Lands is putting all its eggs in one basket by relying on timber and acquiring additional timberlands.

FACT: This characterization misrepresents Idahos trust structure and investment strategy.

The land portfolio is increasingly diversified through commercial leasing, land exchanges, strategic acquisitions and limited dispositions.

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EFIB manages a diverse, high-performing financial fund that mirrors private-sector best practices

Timberland acquisitions are guided by long-term expected returns, not short-term conditions.

Idahos combined land and financial assets form one of the nations most disciplined, well-managed trust systems.

Land dispositions over the last decade have produced approximately $330 million dollars. Of this, about $100 million has been reinvested in 54,000 acres of productive timberland, $144 million reinvested in financial assets, and $85 million available in the Land Bank which can be used to purchase more profitable lands or transferred to the financial asset.

MYTH: Engineered wood products will replace traditional timber markets, making Idahos forests less valuable.

FACT: Engineered wood products still require high-quality fiber, something Idahos managed forests are well-suited to produce. Traditional lumber and engineered wood rely on different grades and types of timber, and IDL forests contribute to both markets. These evolving markets strengthen, not diminish, the economic value of managed forests.

MYTH: Idaho Department of Lands logging is the primary driver of soil erosion and phosphorus levels in Priest Lake tributaries.

FACT: This conclusion is not supported by comprehensive landscape evidence.

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The area around Priest Lake has seen substantial residential development, which also influences nutrient loads and water quality.

Historic U.S. Forest Service management up through the 1970s80s involved intensive harvests visible in Google Earth time-lapse imagery  activity that predates current conditions.

IDL applies stringent best management practices, stream buffers, and slope protections based on Idahos unique soils and terrain, meeting or exceeding Forest Practices Act requirements.

Any evaluation of phosphorus or sediment trends requires watershed-scale analysis that accounts for all land uses, not just selective interpretation of a single tributary.

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In conclusion, Idahos endowment lands exist to provide permanent, long-term support for Idahos public institutions. IDLs management is built on science, sustainability, transparency, and constitutional fiduciary duty. The challenges facing these forests  wildfire risk, changing markets, population growth, and ecological stress  require thoughtful, strategic stewardship.

That is exactly what IDL is committed to delivering.

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Advocates of New Jersey school district consolidation are pushing to revive a long-stalled discussion aimed at redrawing boundaries and merging districts.

Critics have long said New Jersey has too many school districts. The state has about 600 public school districts, with most serving individual towns instead of regions.

Other states have far fewer, including Florida with 67 school districts, Maryland with 24 and Nevada with 18.

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New legislation was introduced in the state Senate that would require New Jerseys county executive superintendents to develop consolidation plans eliminating districts with less than 500 students. The proposed law, introduced by the chairman of the New Jersey Senates education committee, would also establish or expand regional districts.

Under the current law, voters in school districts must approve school district mergers. Under the proposed law, the state education commissioner would approve the school district consolidation plans.

State Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, the bills sponsor, told NJ Advance Media his goal is to reduce New Jerseys total number of school districts from around 600 to maybe 70 or 80.

Gopal said his bill, S4861, is aimed at addressing an affordability and efficiency crisis in public education.

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I believe there are redundancies, Gopal said.

However, Gopals bill, introduced in November, has not had a vote yet and no companion bill has been introduced in the Assembly. The legislation would need to be approved by both the state Senate and Assembly and be signed by the governor to become law.

The New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association and the New Jersey Education Association, the states largest teachers union, have both raised objections to the bill. An NJEA spokesperson said the union disagrees with removing voters from the process of approving school district mergers.

Debra Bradley, director of government relations for the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, disputed the premise that extensive school district consolidation would save money.

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When consolidations occur, state law requires raising teachers salaries to match the highest pay level that was previously offered, Bradley said. Transportation costs can rise under consolidations and state school aid may be impacted, Bradley told the state Senate education committee at a recent hearing on Gopals bill.

Bradley said the state Legislature has considered mandatory school district regionalization plans several times since 1999 without opting to proceed.

At each juncture, as the Legislature considered the apparent common sense appeal of potential cost savings through forced regionalization, it also discovered that the reality is much more complex, the cost savings more ephemeral, and the process potentially quite divisive, Bradley told the committee.

The Dec. 4 hearing was scheduled without a plan to take a vote that day, Gopal said. The current legislative session ends in mid-January. If the legislation is not voted on, it would have to be reintroduced in the next legislative session.

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New Jersey has moved in the past to encourage school districts to merge or form regional districts.

A 2022 New Jersey law provides grants to districts that conduct feasibility studies on consolidating. But the law does not require the districts to follow through with mergers.

Consolidation efforts in recent years have had mixed results.

In Monmouth County, the K-6 school districts in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands were dissolved in July 2024 after voters in both towns gave approval. They joined the K-12 Henry Hudson Regional School District, which had previously served middle school and high school students from both municipalities.

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The New Jersey Supreme Court recently upheld Seaside Parks right to seek to join the Henry Hudson Regional School District.

There was a different outcome in Toms River Regional, the states largest regional school district. It enrolls students in kindergarten through 12th grade from Toms River, Beachwood, Pine Beach and South Toms River.

A referendum in April 2024 that would have added a fifth town, Seaside Heights, to Toms River Regional was supported by 86.9% of voters in the four municipalities. But the consolidation failed after Seaside Heights voters rejected the plan.

Under Gopals bill, the merger decision would have been up to county and state administrators.

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The New Jersey Education Association has long held that consolidation and regionalization efforts must be voluntary and based on the needs of the communities involved, union spokesperson Steven Baker said.

Most importantly, the discussion must start with what is best for students and what will increase educational opportunities and improve academic outcomes. There is no one-size-fits-all solution so top-down mandates will not work, Baker said.

Gopal said approximately one-third of the states school districts enroll fewer than 500 students. Those districts would be targeted for consolidation under his bill. They include Neptune City in Gopals legislative district, which has 240 students enrolled in a single school building that is only at 35% capacity, he said.

Other districts are even smaller. In Cape May County, Cape May City and West Cape May recently received a $50,000 grant to study consolidation. Each operates a single elementary school for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Together, they enroll 241 students  158 at Cape May City Elementary School and 83 at West Cape May Elementary School.

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Gopals bill might also lead to eliminating larger districts. He said he would want administrators to look at districts that enroll children in kindergarten through eighth grade and then send students to a regional district for high school.

Gopal gave as an example Colts Neck in Monmouth County, which has three schools with nearly 1,000 students and sends high school students to Colts Neck High School, which is one of six schools operated by the Freehold Regional district.

All potential changes would be thoroughly reviewed, he said.

Im hoping this will be the start of a conversation, Gopal said.

Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
A road to a dump would be too much

Re "Donald Trump Freedom Highway in Columbus? Tell us if you support I-70 name change," Dec. 30: I am so-o-o glad you asked about honoring Trump with highway naming.

Personally, I think naming a dirt road leading to a garbage dump would disrespect both the road and the dump. But thats just me.

Maybe those Ohio Republican lawmakers who want to honor Trump by naming a chunk of I-70 in Columbus The President Donald Trump Freedom Highway could make a better location choice.

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My suggestion would be a portion of I-70 a bit further west, saySpringfield.

Poll: Donald Trump Freedom Highway in Columbus? Tell us if you support I-70 name change

You know, thats the city Trump yelled They're eating the dogs... eating the cats about. Much more appropriate. I am sure that all our hard-working Haitian immigrants there will appreciate the honor more than we here in Columbus.

By the way, I believe the entirety of I-70 from Denver, Colorado to Frederick, Maryland is already named as a Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway.

In truth, the whole interstate system is designated The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.

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So, in reality Trump can just honor himself like he did with the Kennedy Center and slap his name on the front end. Wa-la!

The whole thing is named for him. Im guessing Trump would like that much better. Think of the thousands of gold-plated highway signs he can have!

Trump Freedom Highway? That is a hoot! Freedom from lower costs, freedom from healthcare, freedom from government services, freedom from scientific knowledge, freedom from

Vernon Will, Worthington

What do you think?

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Trump is no Ike. He doesn't deserve name on I-70 in Columbus| Letter
Nashville's deadly start to the new year has seen multiple pedestrian fatalities and shooting deaths.

Here's a breakdown of the six death investigations detectives have handled in the first four days of 2026.

Door Dash driver fatally shot during food delivery

Nashville police say a 33-year-old Door Dash driver was fatally shot during a food delivery around 4 a.m. Jan. 4.

More: Delivery driver killed in early morning shooting on Murfreesboro Pike

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According to police, the driver, David Valentine Jr., and his female passenger had just completed a food delivery in a Chevrolet Traverse in the 800 block of Murfreesboro Pike when he was struck by a bullet after gunfire erupted from a nearby nightclub.

Valentine was not involved in a conflict that led to the shooting, The Tennessean previously reported.

The woman who was with Valentine said she heard gunshots and realized he was hit. She pulled the car over and called police. Valentine was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he died.

An investigation into the shooting continues.

Police ask anyone with information on the shooting call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

Pedestrian sitting on I-65 struck, killed

An unidentified male pedestrian who was sitting in the middle of Interstate 65 was fatally injured at 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 4 near Rosa Parks Boulevard, according to Nashville police.

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More: Pedestrian sitting in middle of I-65 dies after motorist struck him

A preliminary investigation into the fatal crash shows the man was sitting in the middle of the interstate wearing dark colored clothing when he was struck by a Hyundai Sonata traveling northbound.

The 19-year-old driver stopped after striking the unidentified pedestrian and remained at the scene, The Tennessean previously reported.

Police say the medical examiner is working to identify the pedestrian.

Arrest made in domestic-related fatal shooting on Kingview Drive

Nashville police say a woman has been arrested in connection with the apparent domestic-related shooting death of her girlfriend on Jan. 3.

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According to an MNPD release, Specialized Investigations Division TITANS detectives took Sarah Stacey, 29, into custody on a charge of criminal homicide in the fatal shooting of her girlfriend, Gracey Adams, 25, at a residence on Kingview Drive.

North precinct patrol officers responded to a reported shooting in the 300 block of Kingview Drive at about 11:07 a.m. on Jan. 3, court documents say.

An affidavit obtained by The Tennessean said dispatch advised officers a female had been shot and the suspect had fled the scene in a blue van in an unknown direction. Once inside the home, officers found the victim inside a bedroom. She was later pronounced dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

Multiple witnesses were detained on scene prior to homicide detectives' arrival.

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Two witnesses identified Stacey as the shooter to detectives.

Investigators located Stacey on Port Anadarko Trail on Jan. 4, and police say she implicated herself in the case during an interview at police headquarters with lead detective Cooper Gauldin.

Police investigating self-defense claim in fatal shooting

Police are investigating a self-defense claim after a 28-year-old man was found fatally shot inside a home in the 3000 block of Bonnacreek Drive.

Hermitage precinct officers responded to a shooting call at the residence around 2:50 a.m. Jan. 1, and investigators discovered the man deceased on the basement floor, according to an MNPD release.

Two brothers who live in the home, Christian Felipe-Valdez, 18, and Erik Valdez-Martinez, 22, were detained and taken to police headquarters for interviews, the release said.

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Detectives found Valdez-Martinez had recently allowed the man to move into the basement.

Valdez-Martinez told detectives he and his brother came home from a New Years party and found the man under the influence of something, tearing apart a downstairs bedroom. He said the man began to attack and shove him.

According to police, Felipe-Valdez heard the commotion and went downstairs armed with a pistol.

Felipe-Valdez told detectives the man lunged at him and attempted to take the gun, so he shot him then called 911.

Police released Felipe-Valdez after the interview as detectives continue to investigate the fatal shooting.

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Valdez-Martinez was arrested on drug charges after officers recovered over three pounds of methamphetamine and 21 grams of cocaine in multiple plastic bags from the back of a pickup truck he drives, the release said.

Valdez-Martinez was taken into custody and booked on $155,000 bond.

Woman waiting for rideshare fatally struck on sidewalk

Nashville police are asking for help identifying the driver of a car that struck two young adult pedestrians, killing one and critically injuring the other on a sidewalk outside Pecker's Bar & Grill, The Tennessean previously reported.

More: Woman killed waiting on rideshare outside Nashville bar on New Year's

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The hit-and-run driver struck and killed Afriye Seegars, 23, and critically injured a 24-year-old man as the two waited for a rideshare at 237 Hermitage Avenue in the wee hours of New Year's Day.

Witnesses described seeing a red or maroon car, possibly a Ford Mustang, speeding and striking the man and woman at about 1:30 a.m. as they were about to get into their rideshare, according to a release.

Police say Seegars died at the scene.

Police ask anyone with information about the driver or vehicle call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

Investigation continues into unidentified hit-and-run victim

Investigators are working to identify a hit-and-run driver and the male pedestrian who was struck and fatally injured on Jan. 1 at the entrance to Interstate 440 on Nolensville Pike.

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According to Nashville police, south precinct officers responded at 1:30 a.m. after another pedestrian walking along the northbound lanes of Nolensville Pike saw the man lying on the sidewalk.

The victim told the other pedestrian he had been hit by a vehicle. He was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he died.

Police say the medical examiner is working to identify the pedestrian.

Police ask anyone with information about the driver or vehicle call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com. Liam Adams and Beth Warren contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville gets deadly start to 2026 with homicides, deaths
European NATO countries have been flocking to an armored vehicle program that started just 5 years ago.

They've placed over 2,000 orders for the CAVS 66, an armored vehicle built to withstand tough conditions.

Business Insider visited a factory for the 66, meant to be a common vehicle among NATO allies.

Alarms blare over the factory floors, and work at Patria's Hameenlinna facility grinds to a halt.

The soft thrum of an explosion echoes through the campus. Moments later, roughly 700 workers continue making their armored vehicles bound for Japan, Sweden, Slovakia, and other countries. The blast is not a test-firing of its new combat vehicle, but part of the construction for its expanding manufacturing facility.

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Patria, Finland's largest defense company, is planning to nearly double production at its main hub just north of Helsinki, clearing rocks with explosives on-site to make way for several new assembly lines.

Construction crews are paving the way for a new assembly line in Patria's Hameenlinna facility. Matthew Loh for Business Insider

The Hameenlinna factory manufactures Patria's 88 armored personnel carrier and a relatively new, up-and-coming vehicle: a wheeled 66 troop transport that's receiving surging demand from northern and western Europe.

Work on the 25-foot-long, 17-ton vehicle began in 2020 under a joint program between Finland and Latvia called the Common Armored Vehicles System. Both countries sought a cost-effective, mass-produced armored vehicle that could be used by their militaries for interoperability.

Latvia has since sent at least 42 of these vehicles to Ukraine, armed with heavy machine guns and rolled out in batches over the last year. The vehicle can cross tundra and even rivers while shielding up to 10 troops it carries from land mines and artillery fire to get them to forward positions.

Latvia handed over 21 of its promised Patria 6x6 vehicles to Ukraine in November. Alexander Welscher/picture alliance via Getty Images

When Business Insider visited Patria's factory, representatives for the company  which is majority-owned by the state of Finland  said the firm wasn't authorized to share details about the 66's performance in Ukraine.

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But the CAVS 66 program has been quickly drawing attention from the rest of Europe: What began as a partnership between two countries has expanded into a consortium of seven member states.

Sweden joined the Common Armored Vehicles System program in 2022, followed by Germany, Denmark, the UK, and Norway in subsequent years.

Finland and Latvia have placed orders for just under 500 of these vehicles, while Sweden has requested 415 of the 66s to be delivered over the next five years. Stockholm's latest order for 94 vehicles, announced in early December, priced each one at about $1.75 million.

Germany has become the program's largest buyer, signing contracts in mid-December to acquire 876 of the 66 vehicles, valued at $2.3 billion. These vehicles will be split into four variants, including one that features a mortar turret.

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Meanwhile, Denmark, which joined the program this year, has already placed an order for 129 66 vehicles.

The UK and Norway are still negotiating 66 orders with Patria.

Inside the CAVS 66

The CAVS 66 can accommodate roughly 10 troops, along with a typical crew of two or three, and features up to NATO standard level 4 armor designed to withstand direct hits from large-caliber machine gun fire, mine explosions, and nearby artillery blasts.

The CAVS 66 competes with other wheeled troop transports, such as Rheinmetall's Boxer and General Dynamics Land Systems' Stryker, the latter of which is extensively fielded by the US Army.

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The Finnish company said it can tweak the vehicle for each customer's needs, but a typical model features climate control that enables the vehicle to operate in temperatures as low as -40F.

"Inside, it will be comfortable enough to easily survive. We are talking about temperatures of the plus centigrades," Mikko Rantanen, Patria's director for 66 vehicle programs, told Business Insider from inside the rear compartment of one of the vehicles.

Patria's 6x6 can sit roughly 12 to 13 people total. Matthew Loh for Business Insider

The 66's rear interior is spartan: Cloth-covered metal-frame seats and headrests for five people on either side, with space behind each seat for equipment and small arms.

There's just enough room for a soldier to sit with their knees touching the opposite passenger's. A few fire extinguishers inside are connected to an automatic suppression system that can detect a blaze in the rear cabin.

The interior of Patria's 6x6 features a relatively simple design, with metal seats and storage compartments for firearms and equipment. Matthew Loh for Business Insider

Screens allow troops to see outside the vehicle through exterior cameras, while a rear hatch provides the option of fitting a machine gun or crewed weapon module on top of the 66.

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On the right-hand side of the vehicle, a small passageway also lets troops pass between the rear compartment and the driver's cabin, which resembles that of a truck and features an automatic gearbox.

The driver's cabin of the 6x6 is like that fo a truck's. The vehicle is driven in auto. Matthew Loh for Business Insider

Optional propellers on the 66's underside enable it to transition seamlessly from traversing land to crossing small bodies of water, such as rivers or lakes.

"We can enter the water without needing preparation in this configuration," said Rantanen.

A showcase vehicle of the Patria 6x6 sports propellers for when crews have to move the APC through water. Matthew Loh for Business Insider

However, the 66's speed in the water is just under 5 mph, and Rantanen added that it's not meant to be a landing craft or amphibious assault vehicle.

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On land, it's designed to drive at speeds of over 60 mph, easily cross trenches that are four feet wide, and surmount obstacles about two feet high.

Screens in the 6x6 show what's happening outside the vehicle. The passageway here leads to the driver's cabin. Matthew Loh for Business Insider

Moving fast in the Arctic

Building weapons and vehicles specifically for arctic terrain is a specialty for contractors in Finland, a country renowned for holding off the Soviet Union for over 100 days in deep snow and dense forest during World War II.

Patria said that while the 66 can be outfitted for various terrain types, including the desert, the arctic domain is its forte.

The CAVS 6x6 is designed to cross both snow and marsh terrain. Patria

Snow isn't the only challenge in arctic warfare. Few roads are available on Finland's border with Russia  the priority threat for NATO  and its vast hinterland is peppered with thousands of small lakes and marshland that can bog down armored transport.

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"In the wintertime, it's snow," said Petri Hepola, Patria's executive vice president for sales and marketing and its chief program officer for the F-35. "In the summer, lots of wet soil and swampy areas. One of the most important features is how fast you can move your troops and tools through these areas."

The wet terrain in the summertime for northern regions means the 6x6 has to move fast in both mud and snow. Patria

Finland and Norway are the only two members of Patria's 66 program that share Arctic borders with Russia.

However, as northern Europe, especially the Baltic and Nordic states, grows increasingly concerned about conflict with Moscow, the Kremlin has been bolstering its military presence in the high north, repopulating key bases and transforming its Arctic fleet into a separate strategic theater.

Since Finland joined NATO in 2023, alliance forces have been rushing to train on the country's terrain and frigid temperatures, making it one of the most active spots for joint exercises in recent years.

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"Our products have been surviving very well in that environment," Hepola said.

Gearing up for 2027

With an order backlog of nearly 2,000 66 vehicles, Patria hopes its new facility in Hameenlinna will be ready for production by 2027. The factory campus serves only the tail end of the entire manufacturing cycle, which can take weeks in most cases, or several months for more complicated variants.

Inside, hundreds of workers conduct welding, surface treatment, assembly, tests, and other final processes that can each take weeks to complete. Dozens of vehicles line the factory floors, and dozens more sit in parking lots, each marked with a flag to designate the country for which it has been modified.

Patria vehicles are seen during the official opening ceremony for a new production facility in Latvia in 2024. GINTS IVUSKANS/AFP via Getty Images

Before delivery, each one is supposed to be driven at least 200 km, or 124 miles.

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Rantanen, director of the 66 program, said Patria has been integrating counter-drone systems, such as jammers, on the vehicle.

Armored vehicles in Ukraine have especially struggled against pervasive minefields and small drones with explosive payloads, some of which are controlled via a fiber optic cable connection that can't be jammed. In response, soldiers there have relied more on firearms such as shotguns and machine guns to counter such attacks.

Rantanen said Patria hasn't yet officially added any kinetic weapons that can take down drones.

"The drone threat is currently evolving at such a speed that it's hard to keep track of it closely," he said. "But we are hard at work for the countermeasures against drones as well."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A man with ties to Cape Coral says he's following in his grandfather's military footsteps.

Lt. Cmdr. Codey Elmer is serving as a pilot assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Three (VQ-3) in Oklahoma City.

His mother, Susan Dusenbery, lives in Cape Coral, said Navy Outreach in a news release.

Elmer received his bachelor's degree in flight operations from the University of Dubuque in Iowa in 2013 and a masters in business administration in aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach in 2023. He joined the Navy 10 years ago.

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My grandfather served in the U.S. Army with tours to Vietnam, Elmer said in the announcement. "Following in his footsteps, I sought purpose in my life, desiring to make a positive impact greater than myself. The U.S. Navy offered the promise of adventure, memories, fulfillment and security for my family."

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Codey Elmer is a pilot assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Three in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Justin Johndro)

Elmer says he supports nuclear deterrence mission

Elmer supports the nations nuclear deterrence mission at Strategic Communications Wing One (STRATCOMMWING ONE). Its Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) mission provides airborne communication links to nuclear missile units of U.S. Strategic Command.

The TACAMO mission originated in 1961 when a Marine Corps aircraft was used to test the feasibility of an airborne Very Low Frequency (VLF) communications system. Once the test was successful, funding for the program was granted, and it has continued to grow ever since.

The U.S. Navys presence on an Air Force base in a landlocked state may seem strange, but the position is strategic, allowing squadrons to quickly deploy around the world in support of the TACAMO mission.

Navy marks 250th anniversary

The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.

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With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials emphasized that the prosperity of the U.S. is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the country.

Elmer said he's had many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

My absolute proudest achievements during the decade Ive served thus far are those where our crews and sailors persevered with significant fatigue to complete the assigned missions, Elmer said.

"The inexhaustible talent of those I serve with is second to none. The opportunities to lead through events that will never make the news, earning the respect and trust of the team, have been extremely fulfilling!"

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This story was created by reporter Dave Osborn, dosborn@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.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Navy pilot with Cape Coral ties honors grandpa who served in Vietnam
Reaction poured in during the weekend after a beloved Ravenscroft School teacher was killed inside her Raleigh home.

Zoe Welsh was killed by an intruder at her home on Clay Street near Wade Avenue and St. Mary's on Saturday morning.

On Saturday, Welsh called 911 and was on the phone with dispatch as an intruder came into her home and attacked her while she was still on the call.

Officers arrived at the house on Clay Street just after 6:30 a.m. and found Welsh, who had critical injuries. She was given medical aid at the scene and taken to a hospital. Police say she died at the hospital from her injuries.

WATCH: Dispatch audio reveals details of moments before Raleigh teacher attacked

Zoe Welsh called for help in a home burglary attack, but officers were not able to arrive in time to save her life.

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ABC11 confirmed that Welsh was a teacher at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh.

Additional officers who responded to the surrounding area found the suspect, identified as Ryan Camacho, 36. He was taken into custody and questioned. Camacho was later charged with murder and felony burglary.

Gov. Josh Stein addressed the case on Monday via social media, saying, in part, "Zoe Welsh, by all accounts, was a special teacher and person. My heart goes out to her family and students, who have suffered a traumatic loss from another senseless act of violence."

Questions arise about man with troubled past

One Raleigh man who said he had a series of terrifying run-ins with Camacho a decade ago wondered whether Welsh's death could have been prevented.

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Wes Phillips said his heart sank learning the same man who he says struck fear into his family was now accused of murder.

It's not some random guy just off the street. It's someone with a history of red flags.

"In my mind, having seen and read what has happened in the last few years, it seems like a complete failure of our institutions," Phillips said.

He said he once lived next door to Camacho and his mother in Five Points. He said he believes Camacho may have been annoyed with Phillips' 2-year-old being loud -- and said he found his car smashed up.

"I said, 'Did you do this to my car?' He immediately came out of his house, and it came to me in like a confrontational state, like with his fists cocked, and he like something he wanted to happen," Phillips said.

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He said after that, he would get angry stares -- and felt unsafe.

Things got so bad, he said, that his family moved to Mordecai. And he said Camacho still managed to find him. His car was vandalized for a second time, and this time, Phillips decided to follow him in his car.

SEE ALSO | Teacher killed in Raleigh home break-in remembered as a bright light

"And so, I was while, I called the police, I kind of tried to keep my eyes on him in the car, and I was recording video, and he saw me stopped in the middle of the street, returned to my car, and got closer and closer and tried to pull me out of my car," Phillips recalled.

Ryan Camacho is seen in this image walking through a neighborhood in pouring rain.

He said he got a temporary protective order but wasn't able to get a permanent one after Camacho couldn't be tracked for the summons.

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Camacho eventually pleaded guilty in a similar case and was ordered not to have contact with Phillips at the time.

"It's not some random guy just off the street," Phillips said. "It's someone with a history of red flags."

Who is Ryan Camacho?

Camacho has been charged with murder and felony burglary.

According to court records obtained by ABC11, Camacho had been arrested two dozen times and was once found guilty of escaping prison in Salisbury in 2021.

Zoe Welsh, by all accounts, was a special teacher and person. My heart goes out to her family and students, who have suffered a traumatic loss from another senseless act of violence. We must invest in our mental and behavioral health system, which my public safety package would  Governor Josh Stein (@NC_Governor) January 5, 2026

Just last month, a separate case for breaking and entering was dismissed by a Wake County judge after Camacho was found incapable of proceeding. In that case, the assistant district attorney tried to have Camacho involuntarily committed, but the court denied that request.

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"You know, this is, I think, what a lot of people in the court system would tell you is that we routinely run into these situations where, you know, the need of somebody from a mental health standpoint outstrips what the system is able to do at that point in time for them," said Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman. "And so, you know, our position was that he should have been involuntarily committed; that's not our ultimate decision to make. And so, unfortunately, he was released."

Camacho made a first court appearance on Monday and was appointed a capital defender. He faces life without parole or the death penalty, and was held with no bond.

Freeman told ABC11 that she has not yet decided whether to pursue the death penalty.

"And they were not taken seriously that through time, they were not taken seriously," Phillips said. "And here we are."

Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App

ABC11 is tracking crime and safety across Raleigh and in your neighborhood
MECKLENBURG COUNTY (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  District Attorney Spencer Merriweather has requested an independent investigation by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) after a petition was filed seeking the removal of Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden.

Merriweather said he was notified on Sunday, January 4, that five people planned to submit a removal petition under North Carolina law. Such petitions require approval from either the district attorney or the county attorney before moving forward.

The qualified filing of a removal petition is a serious matter, Merriweather said in a written statement, noting that elected officials are typically held accountable through elections. District Attorneys have only rarely granted the approval of such a petition, with the understanding that election of a communitys official is a binding choice of the public, which should only be superseded under the most grave circumstances. The most fundamentally sound method for removal of public officers is popular election by ballot.

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Before deciding whether the petition can proceed, Merriweather has asked the SBI to investigate the allegations and report directly to his office.

As with any inquiry, a request for an investigation is not itself a confirmation of the existence of wrongdoing, Merriweather said, adding that he and his staff will not comment further while the investigation is ongoing.

The petition was filed by State Rep. Carla Cunningham and four former Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office employees. It accuses McFadden of misconduct dating back to 2018, including misuse of resources, retaliation against whistleblowers, problems at the county jail, staffing and promotion issues, and alleged threats against a state legislator.

In a letter to the SBI, Merriweather asked agents to review claims that could support McFaddens removal, including alleged neglect of duty, corruption, and extortion, as well as potential criminal violations such as campaign finance violations, Hatch Act violations, extortion, and bribery.

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No decision has been made on whether the removal petition will move forward. That determination will come after the SBI completes its investigation.

View the full petition here:

PETITION TO REMOVE MCFADDENDownload

This is a Developing Story . Check back for updates

Copyright 2026 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 Queen City News.
Reporters speak to Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen's Nebraska Medicine doctors in December 2024 in Omaha. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

OMAHA  The Nebraska Medicine board announced Sunday that it had launched an informational website aimed at shaping public opinion against letting one of the nonprofits owners sell its 50% leadership stake to the other, the University of Nebraska.

The ramping up of the now-public dispute over the groups future governance comes as the NU Board of Regents prepares for a hearing and possible vote Friday about whether to pay Clarkson Regional Health $500 million for full control.

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The regents also will consider a related $300 million transaction for several Clarkson properties in and around the University of Nebraska Medical Centers midtown Omaha campus, bringing the total price of the buyout to $800 million.

Board argues risks

Nebraska Medicines board, steered by people who have led some of the states major businesses, appears focused on peeling regents support from the proposal. The new website making the groups argument is www.protectnebraskahealthcare.org.

The site argues, among other things, that compensation for specialists, doctors, nurses and staff could be compromised by state involvement. It seeks more time to find a new private partner for NU to take Clarksons place.

Lance Fritz, the former Union Pacific CEO who chairs the Nebraska Medicine Board of Directors, warned in a statement Sunday that ceding control over Nebraska Medicine to the government might put patients and health care providers at risk.

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Its important that Nebraskans have access to clear and accurate information on this issue, Fritz said. We hope this website helps people understand what is being considered and why it is a serious concern.

NU leaders argue opportunity

NU leaders have argued that patients will see no difference in the quality of care provided or the costs of that care. They argue NU is simply adapting to an ownership structure that reflects most modern academic medical centers.

University leaders, including NU President Dr. Jeffrey Gold, have said they do not yet know how much of the $800 million would come from private donors versus public funds. Gold also acknowledged the difficult timing.

The broader NU system also faces the likelihood of additional budget cutting with the State of Nebraska confronting a projected budget shortfall and Gov. Jim Pillens push to cut at least $500 million in state spending.

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Pillen, a former NU regent whose family runs a hog operation based in Columbus, supports the NU purchase and potential shift in ownership structure. He has said it will protect a vital asset for Nebraskans and their needs.

If the purchase happens, NU would be the sole owner of Nebraska Medicine, which offers hospitals and medical care primarily in eastern Nebraska. Nebraska Medicines board has described the push as akin to government healthcare.

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Leadership structure questions emerge

Today, NU and Clarkson split leadership on the Nebraska Medicine board. NU says the independent board would still lead UNMCs medical partner, but it was not immediately clear who would appoint the directors after Clarkson departs.

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Following the sale, Clarkson, which helped the university build the core hospital building at 42nd and Dewey Streets, has pledged a $200 million gift to help replace it. Gold said none of the projects public funding would pull from the budgets of other NU campuses. The campuses together finalized cuts last fall totaling $43 million.

Clarkson has said it plans to use the purchase-related funds from NU to grow a local private foundation focused on providing grants aimed at making Nebraska the healthiest state in the U.S. and improving how health care is delivered and carried out.

NU leadership is facing questions of its own internally, Gold wrote in an email to UNMC faculty, staff and students on Sunday afternoon. Gold announced a campus forum set for noon Tuesday at UNMCs Truhlsen Events Center.

Gold shared a frequently asked questions document that seeks to emphasize the university does not intend to change how Nebraska Medicine is managed. The document argues Nebraska Medicine was already run by its owners. It says Nebraska Medicine employees will not become state employees.

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In a statement late Sunday, Gold said, The long partnership between the University of Nebraska and Nebraska Medicine has provided generations of Nebraskans with access to world-class medical care, the majority of the Nebraska health care workforce and countless life saving research breakthroughs. This opportunity allows us to build upon that strong history.

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The Brief

Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by U.S. forces in Venezuela and were being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Maduro faces four federal charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons-related offenses.

Protests happened in New York City on Monday, with legal experts questioning the international law implications of the U.S. operation.

NEW YORK CITY - Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro declared himself "innocent" and a "decent man" as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in a U.S. courtroom on Monday.

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SKIP TO: CHARGES | FAMILY | PROTESTS | BROOKLYN DETENTION CENTER

Maduro and his wife plead not guilty

"Im innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country," Maduro told a judge.

Sketches by Jane Rosenberg

In court Monday, the judge read Maduro his rights and acknowledged his counsel. Maduro said he had not previously known those rights but understood them, and pleaded not guilty to all four federal charges. His wife also pleaded not guilty.

Sketches by Jane Rosenberg

At one point near the end of the hearing, attorney Barry J. Pollack said his client "is head of a sovereign state and entitled to the privilege" that the status ensures. Pollack said there were "questions about the legality of his military abduction" and that there would be "voluminous" pretrial filings to address those legal challenges.

Maduro in court

Maduro was seen wearing a black T-shirt over a prison-orange top as he entered the courtroom uncuffed and hands free, towering over his counsel. He wore headphones, presumably for translation, and sat down immediately, beginning to write on a legal pad.

Maduro was transported by U.S. officials from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to federal court in Lower Manhattan using a motorcade and helicopter.

Court proceedings ended at 12:31 after attorney Mark Donnelly, on behalf of Cilia Flores, said that his client sustained "health and medical issues that will require attention." Donnelly said that Flores, 69, may have a fracture or severe bruising on her ribs and may need a full X-ray.

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Both Maduro and Flores agreed to remain detained for now. Their attorneys could revisit a bail application at a later date. Maduros next court date is set for March 17.

What we know

The hearing marked the first court appearance for Maduro since his capture.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (R) makes a heart shape with his hands next to First Lady Cilia Flores during the Meeting of Jurists in Defense of International Law at the Eurobuilding Hotel in Caracas on November 14, 2025. (Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP) (Photo by FEDERICO PARRA/AFP via Getty Images)

His wife, Cilia Flores, who was arrested during the same operation, also appeared in court. Like her husband, Flores held senior roles in Venezuelas socialist government.

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - JANUARY 3: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images' editorial policy.) U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (L), and CIA Director John Ratcliffe monitor U.S. military operations in Venezuela, from Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club on January 3, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Molly Riley/The White House via Getty Images)

Maduro, along with his wife, son and three others, is accused of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. They could face life in prison if convicted.

Big picture view

President Donald Trump announced Maduros capture over the weekend, releasing a photograph of him in custody and declaring that the United States would temporarily take control of Venezuela following his removal.

UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 3: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images' editorial policy.) A screenshot of a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account shows who he says is President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima, which is currently patrolling in the Caribbean Sea. (Handout from Truth Social via Getty Images)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio later sought to clarify those remarks, saying the U.S. would not manage Venezuelas day-to-day affairs but would continue enforcing an oil quarantine and sanctions as leverage to press for policy changes, including efforts to curb drug trafficking.

What is Maduro being charged with?

US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House after arriving on Marine One in Washington, DC, US, on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. Trump said the US needs "total access" to Venezuela as questions mount about the country's leadership following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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Maduro faces four federal charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons offenses involving machine guns and destructive devices, according to court records.

Prosecutors allege Maduro led a criminal enterprise that worked with Colombian armed groups to traffic cocaine into the United States and used military-grade weapons to protect those operations. They say Flores was part of the conspiracy.

CARACAS, VENEZUELA - SEPTEMBER 01: President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro says goodbye after a press conference at Hotel Melia Caracas on September 01, 2025 in Caracas, Venezuela. Maduro stated that his government is targeted by 8 military ships and 1,200 misiles; what he called the largest threat on Venezuela in the last 100 years. (Photo by Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

Both have denied the allegations. Their arrests have drawn international attention, with protests expected Monday in New York City and renewed questions about the legality of the U.S. operation.

Who is Nicolas Maduro and what did he do?

CARACAS, VENEZUELA - NOVEMBER 25: President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro speaks during a military ceremony commemorating the 200th anniversary of the presentation of the 'Sword of Peru' to Venezuelan independence hero Simon Bolivar on November 25, 2025, in Caracas, Venezuela. The United States recently designated the "Cartel De Los Soles" (Cartel of The Suns) as a foreign terrorist organization, a group allegedly led by the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and which, it is presumed, includes high-ranking members of the Venezuelan government. (Photo by Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

Maduro, 63, a former bus driver and union leader, became president in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chavez. His rule coincided with economic collapse, political repression and the mass migration of millions of Venezuelans.

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The United States accuses him of dismantling democratic institutions and overseeing a corrupt system tied to international drug trafficking. Maduro has rejected those accusations, calling the U.S. action illegal and imperialist.

Maduro's wife and kids

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro embraces his granddaughters during the student day celebrations at Miraflores palace in Caracas, November 21, 2025. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. officials say the timing of the capture followed intelligence and military planning tied to enforcing the existing indictment.

While several Maduro allies and relatives have been implicated in past investigations, his children are not charged in the current case.

CARACAS, VENEZUELA - NOVEMBER 21: President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and his wife and first lady Cilia Flores dance during a march as part of the "Venezuelan Student Day" at Miraflores on November 21, 2025 in Caracas, Venezuela. (Photo by Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

Maduro has been married twice and has one biological son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, known as "Nicolasito," from his first marriage to Adriana Guerra Angulo. His son has held several senior government roles in Venezuela, including positions tied to the presidency and the National Assembly.

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Maduro married Cilia Flores in 2013. The couple has no children together, but Maduro has three stepchildren from Flores previous marriage.

Legal scholars continue to debate whether the use of military force to detain a foreign leader complies with international law.

Where is Maduro now?

SkyFOX flew over the motorcade transporting Nicolas Maduro from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to federal court in Lower Manhattan early Monday morning.

Maduro is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, according to people familiar with the matter. The federal jail has housed numerous high-profile detainees over the years and is known for its restrictive conditions and past operational failures.

The facility previously held music executive Sean "Diddy" Combs for more than a year before his trial, a detail that underscores the seriousness and visibility of Maduros detention as he awaits court proceedings.

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SkyFOX flew over the motorcade transporting Nicolas Maduro from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to federal court in Lower Manhattan early Monday morning.

Did Biden issue a warrant for Maduro?

Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's president, speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview in Caracas, Venezuela, on Monday, June 14, 2021. Venezuela, home to the world's largest oil reserves, is starved for capital and desperate to regain access to global debt and commodity markets after two decades of anti-capitalist transformation and four years of crippling U.S. sanctions. Photographer: Gaby Oraa/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Dig deeper

There is no indication that President Joe Biden issued a new warrant related to Maduros arrest. The charges stem from a long-standing federal indictment, and warrants are issued through the judicial system rather than directly by the president.

The operation was carried out under Trumps authority, relying on existing legal actions already underway in federal court.

Bounty questions after capture

Residents look at a newspaper with news about ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a celebration at El Arepazo in Doral, Florida, US, on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. US President Donald Trump said the US needs "total access" to Venezuela as questions mount about the country's leadership following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. Photographer: Nicole Combeau/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The backstory

For years, the United States had offered a reward of up to $50 million for information leading to Maduros arrest, one of the largest bounties ever announced for a sitting head of state. The reward reflected Washingtons efforts to pressure the Venezuelan leader amid accusations of corruption and drug trafficking.

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The bounty is no longer relevant following Maduros capture.

Maduro capture brings Venezuela crisis to New York City

CARACAS, VENEZUELA - JANUARY 04: Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gather during a demonstration in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 04, 2026. The protest follows political developments involving Maduro, after his detention and transfer to the United States, according to official statements. Maduroas son, a member of Venezuelaas National Assembly, called on supporters to mobilize amid heightened political tensions. (Photo by Pedro Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The capture of Maduro represents one of the most aggressive actions taken by the United States against a sitting foreign leader in decades. Legal experts say the Venezuela attack goes beyond even the most high-profile historical examples of American interventions in Panama, Iraq and elsewhere, raising significant international law concerns.

A resident holds a "Thank You President Trump" sign during a celebration at El Arepazo in Doral, Florida, US, on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. US President Donald Trump said the US needs "total access" to Venezuela as questions mount about the country's leadership following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. Photographer: Nicole Combeau/Bloomberg via Getty Images

After the raid, Maduro and Flores were transported to New York, where federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are pursuing a case first unveiled in 2020.

Protests in NYC expected

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 03: A motorcade carrying Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro departs Manhattan on January 03, 2026 in New York City. Maduro will be arraigned in US federal court in New York on narcoterrorism charges. President Trump confirmed in a news conference that the U.S. military carried out a large-scale strike in Caracas overnight resulting in the capture of Maduro and Flores. (Photo by Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)

Local perspective

In New York City, protest groups gathered Monday morning outside the federal courthouse at 500 Pearl Street in Lower Manhattan ahead of Maduros arraignment, according to organizers. Demonstrators have called for Maduro and Flores to be released and returned to Venezuela and for U.S. sanctions to end.

"This terrorist attack on Venezuela comes as the US empire ramps up regime change efforts in Gaza, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia, shattering the lie of 'international law'." -@bmccsjp via instagram

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Additional demonstrations have already taken place outside the Brooklyn jail where Maduro is being held, highlighting how a geopolitical conflict thousands of miles away has moved directly into New Yorks streets and courtrooms.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the arrest, saying that he called President Trump on Sunday to voice his opposition to the military operation.

The Source

This report includes information from The Associated Press.
Key Points

Last Friday's ousting of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro could reopen Venezuela's oil reserves to U.S. companies.

ConocoPhillips used to operate in the country before Hugo Chavez, the former Venezuelan leader, seized its assets in 2007 during a nationalization.

It's uncertain whether Conoco will return to Venezuela, but it still has billions in outstanding claims against the country.

10 stocks we like better than ConocoPhillips 

Shares of U.S. oil and gas major ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) rallied as much as 6.5% on Monday, before settling into a 3.2% gain as of 12:42 p.m. EDT.

Conoco, along with other U.S.-based oil and gas producers, oil services companies, and refiners, rallied today in response to the U.S. ousting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last Friday night.

This past weekend's events could open up Venezuela's vast oil and gas reserves to U.S. companies. Moreover, ConocoPhillips, in particular, is owed billions by Venezuela, which seized the company's assets back in 2007.

Conoco could get back its billions

U.S. oil companies have a long history of development in Venezuela, dating back approximately a hundred years. However, in 2007, then-President Hugo Chavez forcefully renegotiated contracts with international oil majors on significantly more favorable terms for the country, effectively nationalizing their assets.

While Chevron (NYSE: CVX) continued operating in the country, ConocoPhillips left and took the Venezuelan government to international arbitration courts. Although the courts awarded ConocoPhillips about $10 billion in damages, Venezuela has reportedly only paid out a fraction of those claims.

There is still considerable uncertainty surrounding the governance situation in Venezuela, so it's by no means a sure thing that Conoco will be able to recover those sums or reinvest in the country.

Nevertheless, the prospect of Conoco receiving billions in overdue penalties, along with the prospect of regaining access to Venezuela's plentiful oil reserves, sent shares higher. Notably, Venezuela has the largest amount of proven oil reserves of any country in the world, at roughly 300 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE), even surpassing those of Saudi Arabia.

Image source: Getty Images.

But there's a good reason why the stock's not up more

Despite the political turmoil in the world's most oil-rich nation, oil prices rose just 1.7% today and remain close to $58 per barrel, which is a low price level last seen in early 2021, in the latter stages of the pandemic. This is because, although Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves, years of underinvestment have caused the country to only supply about 1% of the world's oil today. So, the political disruption there shouldn't cause a huge disruption to the world's current oil supply. Additionally, reopening Venezuela's reserves will take tens of billions in investment, which oil majors are likely reluctant to spend, given the continued political risk.
NEW YORK  Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan federal court Jan. 5 to charges that he led a conspiracy to transport thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States.

Maduro, who was removed from Venezuela by U.S. military forces, entered the plea just two days after landing in New York. If convicted, the deposed Venezuelan leader could face decades behind bars.

"I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country," Maduro said in court Jan. 5, before being cut off by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein.

Reactions to the United States' bombing of Venezuela and capture of the country's president Nicolas Maduro ranged across the world. Some celebrated the operation while others rebuked Trump's intervention in the South American country. See the reactions in photos, beginning here with Venezuelans living in Chile celebrating in Santiago on January 3, 2026. A child holds a placard saying "I will meet my grandparents" as people react to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Madrid, Spain, January 3, 2026. A woman reacts to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Madrid, Spain, January 3, 2026. Armed supporters of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro gather near the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured him. A Venezuelan man living in Chile celebrates with a national flag and his car reading "Free Venezuela" in Santiago on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Venezuelans living in Chile celebrate in Santiago on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on Venezuela. The Trump administration said on December 3 that Venezuela's captured Maduro and his wife will face "the full wrath of American justice" under drug and terrorism charges. A man holds up a portrait of late Venezuela's leader (1999-2013) Hugo Chavez in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Activists of Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) burn an effigy of US President Donald Trump during a rally in Kolkata on January 3, 2026, to protest against the recent US attack on Venezuela. A supporter of Nicolas Maduro holds a portrait of the Venezuelan President during a gathering near the Palacio de Miraflores in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on the South American country. Venezuelans living in Chile celebrate in Santiago on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on Venezuela. Venezuelans living in Chile celebrate in Santiago on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on Venezuela. Demonstrators hold up a banner with the lettering reading 'Stop Trump - Free Venezuela' during a rally organised by left-wing 'Anti-Imperialist Coordination' (Antiimperialistische Koordination - AIK) under the motto 'Hands off Venezuela' at Vienna's Votive Park on January 3, 2026. The EU called for "restraint" and respect for international law in Venezuela on January 3 after US President Trump announced US forces had captured leader Nicolas Maduro in a large-scale assault. Demonstrators march with a banner with the lettering reading 'Hands off Venezuela' during a rally organised by left-wing 'Anti-Imperialist Coordination' (Antiimperialistische Koordination - AIK) in Vienna on January 3, 2026. The EU called for "restraint" and respect for international law in Venezuela on January 3 after US President Trump announced US forces had captured leader Nicolas Maduro in a large-scale assault. Venezuelans living in Peru celebrate outside the Venezuelan Embassy in Lima on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro after bombing the capital Caracas and other cities in a dramatic climax to a months-long standoff between Trump and Venezuelan. Venezuelans living in Peru celebrate outside the Venezuelan Embassy in Lima on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro after bombing the capital Caracas and other cities in a dramatic climax to a months-long standoff between Trump and Venezuelan. Venezuelans living in Peru celebrate at the Miguel de Cervantes park, near the Venezuelan Embassy in Lima on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Venezuelans living in Peru dance to celebrate at the Miguel de Cervantes park, near the Venezuelan Embassy in Lima on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. A Venezuelan woman living in Peru celebrates with a national flag at the Miguel de Cervantes park, near the Venezuelan Embassy in Lima on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Activists of Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) protest against the recent US attack on Venezuela, in Kolkata on January 3, 2026. Members of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) group hold banners outside the U.S. Embassy in London calling for "Hands off Venezuela!", after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in London, Britain, January 3, 2026. People embrace next to a Venezuelan flag, as they react to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Madrid, Spain, January 3, 2026. See reactions after US explosions in Venezuela, Maduro capture 1 of 21 Reactions to the United States' bombing of Venezuela and capture of the country's president Nicolas Maduro ranged across the world. Some celebrated the operation while others rebuked Trump's intervention in the South American country. See the reactions in photos, beginning here with Venezuelans living in Chile celebrating in Santiago on January 3, 2026.

Maduro was in court for his arraignment, a formal proceeding in which defendants are informed of the charges they face and have an opportunity to enter a plea. His wife, Cilia Flores, was also there and pleaded not guilty to several similar charges.

Maduro represented by Julian Assange's lawyer

When the judge first asked Maduro to identify himself, the deposed leader, who was unshackled, stated his name and said, I am the president of the Republic of Venezuela.""I was captured in my home in Venezuela," Maduro added, before Hellerstein interrupted him.

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Maduro also told the judge he'd seen the indictment against him but hadn't yet read it. He partially discussed it with his lawyer, he said.

Maduro is being represented by Barry Pollack, a lawyer who is no stranger to high-profile cases. Pollack previously represented Julian Assange, the publisher of WikiLeaks. Assange was charged with violating the Espionage Act for publishing classified information leaked by Chelsea Manning.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro attends a press conference at Miraflores Palace in Caracas February 21, 2014.

The captured leader said he didn't need to have the indictment formally read to him in court and would rather read it personally. When the judge told him he had the right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer, Maduro said, "I did not know of these rights. Your honor is informing me of them now."

What is Maduro charged with?

The indictment accuses Maduro of partnering for decades with "narco-terrorists"  basically, drug traffickers who use violence and intimidation  to distribute cocaine into the United States. It targets his alleged actions going as far back as the 2000s, when he served as Venezuela's Minister of Foreign Affairs and, according to the charges, provided diplomatic passports to drug traffickers.

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The indictment also charges Maduro with illegally possessing firearms to aid the alleged drug trafficking scheme.

Maduro served as Venezuela's vice president under President Hugo Chavez from 2012 to 2013 and has been the country's president since 2013, when Chavez died.

Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, 'sustained significant injuries'

The indictment also charges Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiring to import illegal drugs into the United States and gun crimes. She was seized along with her husband by U.S. personnel. She also pleaded not guilty in court Jan. 5.

Not guilty. Completely innocent, Flores pleaded at the proceedings, speaking through an interpreter.

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Her lawyer, Mark Donnelly, said she sustained significant injuries," and motioned to the judge in the courtroom, indicating the injuries were physically apparent. He said his client could have fractures or bruising on her ribs and asked the judge to make sure both she and her husband get medical attention. Hellerstein approved that request.

Contributing: Reuters.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nicolas Maduro pleads not guilty to drug, terrorism, and gun charges
Gunmen thought to have been fleeing Donald Trumps Christmas Day air strikes on Nigeria have killed at least 35 people at a marketplace.

The attackers, who were riding motorbikes, stormed Kasuwan-Daji market in Demo, Niger state. They opened fire indiscriminately, burnt and looted stalls, and kidnapped residents.

Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, ordered the attackers to be hunted down, saying they were terrorists suspected to be fleeing from Sokoto and Zamfara following the United States air strike.

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The massacre is the latest mass killing in a country beset by a security crisis of insurgencies, banditry, lawlessness and jihadist violence. Witnesses said several of those killed had been shot dead while their hands were bound.

The killings took place 12 miles from a village where armed gangs seized more than 250 students and staff from a Catholic school in November.

President Bola Tinubu linked the mass killing to the USs Christmas Day air strikes on his country - AFP

Dauda Shakulle, a survivor of the latest attack, told Reuters: Women and children were not spared. There has been no presence of security forces since the attacks began. We are currently recovering corpses.

Gangs, usually known as bandits in Nigeria, frequently carry out mass kidnappings for ransom and valuables. Niger state has been one of the hardest hit areas in recent months.

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More than 10,000 Nigerians have been killed by insurgency, terrorism and banditry in the country in the past two years. Security forces have been unable to rein in the violence.

Africas most populous country faces multiple conflicts, including a long-running jihadist uprising, violent land disputes between farmers and herders, and a separatist insurgency in the south east.

A missile launch from a US ship during Mr Trumps Christmas Day air strikes on Nigerian targets - Reuters

Mr Trump last year condemned Nigeria for failing to protect Christians from what he said was a genocide by jihadist militants. He said he would send in troops guns a-blazing because Christianity there was facing an existential threat.

His comments were widely welcomed by church leaders, but the Nigerian government and security analysts accused him of oversimplifying the situation. They said the violence was not religiously motivated, and both Christians and Muslims suffered.

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The US president launched 16 Tomahawk missiles at targets in Sokoto State on Christmas Day, later saying the mission had killed Islamic State terrorist scum in north-western Nigeria.

The countrys government later questioned how effective the strikes had been, and residents of the area said no one had been killed.

The latest attack was the first since the US strikes. Residents said they had been under siege by the attackers for several days. The village church said the bandits had operated for hours with no security presence.

Mohammed Idris, the Nigerian information minister, said that in the attack on Sunday by bandits, the bullets did not choose victims based on religion.

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He added in a statement: Those killed and abducted were traders, farmers, parents, schoolchildren from both Muslim and Christian backgrounds.

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Jan. 5 (UPI) -- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria has ordered police and military to hunt down the armed assailants who killed and abducted dozens of people in Niger State over the weekend.

"These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country and its people. They must face the full consequences of their criminal actions. No matter who they are or what their intent is, they must be hunted down," Tinubu said in a statement.

The defense minister, chief of defense staff, the services chiefs, the inspector-general of police and others have been directed by the president to bring those responsible for the Kasuwan Daji attack to justice.

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"I have also directed that all abducted victims be urgently rescued and that security operations around vulnerable communities, especially near forests, be intensified," Tinubu said.

Armed assailants attacked Kasuwan Daji, a village in northern Nigeria's Niger State, on Saturday afternoon, killing more than 40 people and abducting many others, national newspaper Punch reported.

Authorities believe that the assailants who attacked the village were fleeing Sokoto and Zamfara following the U.S. attack targeting Islamic State militants in Sokoto State on Dec. 25.

Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said that attackers also destroyed the local market, looted shops and stole food.

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Amnesty International on Sunday condemned the attack while criticizing the government for not doing more to protect its citizens.

"The attack on Saturday 3 January 2026 is yet another indication of the utter failure of the Nigerian authorities to protect lives," the international rights organization said in a statement.

It said authorities have left rural communities to the "mercy of rampaging gunmen" who have killed thousands in northern Nigeria since 2020.

"President Bola Tinubu claims that he has repeatedly tasked security agencies to end the killing so that people can go to bed with their eyes closed, but clearly nothing has changed," it said.

"The consistent failure to bring the suspected perpetrators to justice is unacceptable."
Attorney General Matt Platkin this month will end a nearly four-year term as New Jerseys chief law enforcement officer. (Photo by Hal Brown/New Jersey Monitor)

In the nearly four years since Matt Platkin became New Jerseys 62nd attorney general, his critics have multiplied.

Republicans tried to impeach him. Democrats accused him of weaponizing his office to attack their allies. State police unions sued him. Someone even sent voters mailers attacking him, a move usually reserved for political candidates in bare-knuckle election contests. (Platkin ran for public office just once  when he became the first sixth grader at his middle school elected to student government.)

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Platkin regards it all as a measure of his success.

I havent shied away from tough decisions and tough cases, he said. If you do this job for four years and you havent pissed anybody off, then you really havent done the job the right way.

With just weeks left before Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill takes office and installs a new attorney general, Platkin shared his proudest moments, biggest frustrations, future plans, and more in a wide-ranging interview with the New Jersey Monitor.

On corruption and criticism

Gov. Phil Murphy named Platkin, a Democrat and his former chief counsel, attorney general in February 2022.

As head of the state Department of Law and Public Safety, Platkin leads an office of about 8,000 people and oversees police, criminal and civil investigations and prosecutions statewide, and more.

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His corruption crackdowns typically grab the most attention, both because hes targeted some of the states most powerful people, such as South Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross, and because those cases dont always hold up in court. State judges tossed Platkins criminal indictments of Norcross and more than a dozen correctional officers involved in a brutality scandal at the womens prison, among others.

Those fumbles have fueled calls for an outside review of Platkins public corruption unit and prompted state legislators from both parties to try to take the state police from his control and subject his staff to wiretaps.

Platkin called the criticism baseless personal attacks rooted in his mission to hold people accountable, regardless of political party or position, from drug traffickers up to President Donald Trump.

These are people with positions of power who have bully pulpits. I dont hear them saying its political prosecutions when we take down 30-plus-defendant mafia rings or drug cartels or gangs engaged in gun violence. But when you prosecute a politician, people who dont like it want to accuse you of having a political agenda, Platkin said. Thats not new, by the way, but I do think the severity of the attacks has increased, and theyre completely unfounded.

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A Norcross spokesman declined to comment for this story. When a state Superior Court judge dismissed the charges against Norcross last year, Norcross attorney Michael Critchley said Platkin trashed the reputation of the Attorney Generals Office with the sham indictment. Platkins office is appealing.

Attorney General Matt Platkin spars with state Sen. James Beach at the Statehouse in Trenton on Dec. 1, 2025. (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor)

A national embarrassment

One of Platkins more public clashes with his critics came in early December, when a Senate panel unanimously passed a bill that would have weakened the state comptrollers office, which also investigates public corruption.

That hearing was helmed by Sen. James Beach (D-Camden), a close Norcross ally and architect of the plan to remove state police from the Attorney Generals Office. Beach clashed with Platkin, U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, and acting Comptroller Kevin Walsh when they testified against the bill, telling Platkin, You, sir, have drug down the department!

Platkin called the hearing an embarrassment and followed it up with an unusual written rebuke to Beach, accusing him of violating the free speech rights of the bills critics by limiting the time they could testify about the measure while allowing some of the bills supporters to speak at length about it.

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Platkin told the New Jersey Monitor that the government cannot discriminate against people because it doesnt like their speech.

Once you open the door up to give people a platform to speak, you have to give everyone a fair shot to speak, he said. He stacked the deck. He was dismissive, he was arrogant, he was aggressive, he was insulting  to a United States senator, just as he was to ordinary residents of our state. And what message does that send to people of New Jersey and across the country, who have the lowest level of faith in their government institutions that theyve had since the Civil War?

Beach declined to comment through a spokesman. Sen. Nicholas Scutari, who sponsored the bill, later withdrew it and said he wont meddle again with the comptrollers powers.

Taking on his boss

Platkin also tangled with Murphy after first lady Tammy Murphy launched a bid for the U.S. Senate seat when its former occupant, Bob Menendez, was indicted and later convicted in a global bribery scheme and resigned in disgrace.

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Kim was the first to announce he wanted the seat. As the states party leaders lined up to endorse Tammy Murphy, Kim sued to challenge the county line, which gave party leaders preferred candidates better placement on the ballot. During the court fight, Platkin offered his unsolicited opinion that the county line must go. Tammy Murphy later dropped out of the race.

Did this cause problems with Gov. Murphy?

I think hes been a tremendous governor, and Ive been proud to serve him directly and him and his administration for almost the entirety of his time in office. Hes always been professional with me, and Ive genuinely enjoyed the partnership, Platkin said. Obviously, that was a personally difficult decision, but one that you could look at now  was the right legal outcome.

Murphy told the New Jersey Monitor he has no hard feelings.

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Its history. Matts done a hell of a job, in particular, I have to say, fighting the Trump administration, where hes led with great force and stature, Murphy said.

Platkin has joined or led at least 43 federal lawsuits against the Trump administration.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin talks with activists rallying outside the James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse in Philadelphia on Oct. 25, 2023, in support of New Jerseys contested gun law. (Photo by Dana DiFilippo/New Jersey Monitor)

Proudest accomplishments?

Platkin cited a number of actions as his proudest moments as attorney general, including his fights against Trumps policies, his work against gun violence, and lawsuits against tech giants like Meta, TikTok, and Discord, whose platforms he alleges have fueled social media addiction among youth.

A gun violence reduction advocate since high school, he said his role as attorney general gave him the power to make change on the issue  and his two young children gave him the drive.

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I grew up in the Columbine generation. I thought we would have solved this problem, Platkin said. My daughter had her first school shooting drill before she could walk. Weeks ago, I got an email that they played Elmo in the closet to keep 2-year-olds from being too loud during a school shooting drill. Thats not normal. And thats not Second Amendment rights.

Platkin has defended New Jerseys strict gun laws against challenges by the gun lobby, expanded tracking of gun carry applications, taken steps to better investigate gun crimes, targeted gun retailers, supported community-based violence intervention work, and more. He said all this has helped cut gun violence in New Jersey to record lows since statewide tracking began in 2009.

We know that its not 9.5 million people engaging in gun violence. Its like 1,000 people. So when you think about it that way, its actually quite a solvable problem, or at least a problem that you can reduce. And weve tried to focus on those people that we know are habitually involved in violence, he said.

Whats next

Platkin wouldnt say much about where hell go after Jen Davenport, Sherrills choice for attorney general, succeeds him. But it wont be politics, he said.

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I can tell you for sure Im not running for office, he said. I find it kind of funny that people cant imagine that somebody might do something because they think its right, not because it furthers a political narrative.

He vowed to remain active in many of the battles he waged as attorney general.

I didnt start caring about these things when I took office in 2022, and Im not going to stop caring about them in 2026, he said. In some way, shape, or form, Im going to stay involved in these fights.

Assemblyman Antwan McClellan (Hal Brown for New Jersey Monitor)

Assemblyman Antwan McClellan (R-Cape May), who last year pushed for Platkins impeachment, called his legacy a failure.

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McClellan pointed to prosecutorial missteps that resulted in the collapse of high-profile cases; Platkins numerous lawsuits against the Trump administration; his offices lengthy, unresolved investigations that leave state troopers and other targets in limbo; and his decision to supersede the Paterson Police Department over the objections of its chief and the citys mayor. The latter sparked a court fight that went up to the state Supreme Court, which deemed the state takeover lawful.

Its all chasing headlines, as opposed to grinding down and really doing the work that needed to be done and whats expected from the attorney general of the state, McClellan said.

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SEOUL, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw hypersonic missile firing drills, state media reported Monday, citing a "geopolitical crisis" as justification for a weapons test that followed recent U.S. military action in Venezuela.

The missiles were launched Sunday from a military base near Pyongyang toward the East Sea and successfully struck designated targets about 621 miles away, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported.

The launch took place shortly after the United States announced the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a large-scale military strike, an episode Kim appeared to reference in his comments.

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"Such activity is clearly aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a highly developed basis," Kim was quoted by KCNA as saying. "The reason why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events."

North Korea has long cited U.S. military actions abroad and the presence of American forces in the region as justification for advancing its nuclear weapons and missile programs, which it says are intended for deterrence.

In a separate statement carried by KCNA on Sunday, a spokesperson for Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S. action in Venezuela, calling it evidence of "the rogue and brutal nature of the United States."

North Korea "denounces the U.S. hegemony-seeking act committed in Venezuela as the most serious form of encroachment on sovereignty and as a wanton violation of the U.N. Charter and international laws," the spokesperson said.

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The missile launch also came amid a sensitive regional backdrop, as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was preparing to depart for Beijing for high-stakes summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

South Korea's military said it detected multiple ballistic missiles launched by the North on Sunday morning, condemning the action as a "clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions."

In a text message sent to reporters, the Defense Ministry urged Pyongyang to "immediately cease its continued provocations ... and actively participate in our government's efforts to normalize relations and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula."

U.S. Forces Korea said in a statement it was aware of the launches and was consulting closely with allies and partners.

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"Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies," it said.

North Korea first tested what it described as a "new cutting-edge weapon system" using hypersonic missiles in October.

Hypersonic weapons travel at least five times the speed of sound and are capable of maneuvering in flight, making them more difficult to detect and intercept than conventional ballistic missiles.
A storm in the first weekend of 2026 dumped several inches of snow on Northern Californias mountains while flooding the Sacramento region.

Palisades Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe resort and Heavenly each reported anywhere from 10-14 inches of snow by Sunday morning. Gusty winds and powder were forecast above 5,000 feet and prompted authorities on Sunday afternoon to recommend postponing travel plans in the mountains. The Winter Storm warning issued by the National Weather Service office in Sacramento will last until 4 p.m. Monday.

Expect delays if youre traveling through the area today!, said the California Highway Patrols Truckee office on social media. Traffic remains heavy and snow is still falling.

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Rainfall in the Sacramento region totaled between 0.5 inches and 2.5 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Sacramento as of 2:11 p.m.

A vehicle became stuck in heavy floods near Jackson Road and Kiefer Boulevard. The Sacramento Metropolitan firefighters rescued a person from the vehicle. In a news release, the department reminded residents to not cross closed roads.

Water flooding roadways in Sacramento County prompted officials to close the following roads:

Sorento Road between Elverta and Rio Linda roads

Kiefer Boulevard between Jackson Road and Kiefer Landfill

Scott Road between Boys Ranch and Latrobe roads

Residents could pick up sandbags at 3847 Branch Center Road in Sacramento.
China has made condoms and other contraceptives more expensive as it tries to boost birth rates, but residents in Beijing and analysts say the measure will have little impact.

Consumers must now pay a 13 percent value-added tax for contraception including condoms, after Beijing removed exemptions on the products from January 1.

Childcare and marriage brokerage services are exempt.

The government has sought to boost China's flagging birth rate, concerned about the rapidly ageing and shrinking population, as well as record low marriage rates.

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But young people in Beijing told AFP that taxing contraceptives will not address the root issues they say are stopping people from having children.

"The immense pressure on young people in China today -- from employment to daily life -- has absolutely nothing to do with condoms," a resident in her thirties, who wanted to be known only as Jessica, told AFP.

Jessica said there was a notable class divide in Chinese society and many people felt their future was too uncertain to start a family.

"The rich are too rich, and the poor remain poor... (and people) lack confidence in their future, so they may be unwilling to have children."

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Xu Wanting, 33, who read about the new tax online, said she did not believe it would directly increase birth rates.

"Those who truly need to buy these products will still buy them, because these are family planning products," Xu told AFP outside a shopping mall.

"They (condoms) are not solely for contraception, but also concern women's reproductive health."

- Concrete obstacles -

China's population has declined for three straight years, and could fall from 1.4 billion today to 633 million by 2100, according to United Nations predictions.

China's leaders, including President Xi Jinping, have pledged to address the country's demographic problems.

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They vowed at a key economic policy meeting in December to "advocate positive views on marriage and childbearing, and strive to stabilise the number of new births" in 2026, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

But the contraceptives tax is trivial compared to the true cost of raising a child in China, one of the world's most expensive countries for child-rearing, said Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.

"Young couples deciding whether to have children are not calculating whether they can afford extra dollars for contraception -- they are asking whether they can afford to raise a child at all in an environment of economic uncertainty," Wu told AFP.

They face concrete obstacles in China, Wu added, such as a weak job market, "prohibitive" housing costs, a stressful work culture and workplace discrimination against women.

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A 19-year-old student surnamed Du told AFP in Beijing she felt the impact of more expensive contraceptives would be limited.

To really boost births, small companies have to guarantee benefits like marriage and maternity leave first, Du said.

Otherwise, it may be hard to convince couples to have children.

"Young people today... worry about whether they can shoulder the responsibilities of being parents," she said.

isk/dhw/cms
The Chagos Archipelago constitutes one of the worlds most important and unspoilt natural environments. Far away from centres of human activity, its waters and islands contain almost 800 species of fish, at least 300 types of coral, 280 species of plants and ferns, 50 species of birds, many of which are endemic  that is to say, unique  to these islands.

The existence of this fragile ecosystem is now under threat as a direct result of the actions of the Government. Today, it will seek to ram the deal to surrender the Chagos Islands to Mauritius through the House of Lords.

As part of this deal, Mauritius will be solely responsible for conservation in the Chagos. As I discuss in my new paper for Policy Exchange, the prospect should fill everyone who is interested in preserving the common environmental heritage of humanity with dismay and alarm.

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Currently, all fishing (except around Diego Garcia) is banned in the Chagos, thanks to the no catch British Marine Protected Area (MPA), established by the last Labour government in 2010.

Mauritius plans to abolish the British MPA and establish a new MPA of its own. The catch? Fishing will be allowed within 98.9 per cent of the new MPA. For the price of a permit, commercial fishermen and tourists may despoil the Chagoss marine life for fun or for profits.

Moreover, Mauritius lacks the capacity to meaningfully enforce fishing and conservancy laws and rules in the Chagos. Currently, the United Kingdom patrols the Chagoss waters with a full-time enforcement vessel, designed to deter illegal fishing activities, enforcement activities which are assisted by the Royal Navy as well by Britains network of diplomats.

Mauritius, meanwhile, has no navy, and its coast guard has two ships that have the range to reach the Chagos. The professionalism of this force is also questionable: after a Japanese tanker spilled 1,000 tons of oil near Mauritius, a government investigation accused the senior officers of that force of falsifying records to cover up the fact that they failed to maintain an efficient monitoring of the territorial waters. If Mauritius cannot police its own waters, how can it police those of the Chagos Archipelago, thousands of kilometres away?

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It is not for nothing that according to a report by Yale Universitys Center for Environmental Law and Policy, Mauritius ranks dead last, 131 out of 131 states, on the stringency of its marine protected areas, and a dismal 173 out of 180 states when it comes to the protection of biodiversity. Mauritius is not a poor country: in fact, it is one of the wealthiest African countries. Its failure to protect its own environment is thus a reflection of the blatant disregard of its politicians toward environmental preservation, an attitude they are certain to take with respect to the Chagos Archipelago.

The government of Mauritius says that its committed to preserving the terrestrial and marine environment of the Chagos Archipelago. But what legal options does the United Kingdom have if Mauritius fails to protect the Chagoss natural environment?

None at all. In fact, the draft agreement to surrender the Chagos to Mauritius, which Parliament will be asked to approve this week, has no requirement that Mauritius do anything to protect the Chagoss environment. All it says is that Mauritius retains all rights and authorities over environmental preservation, as well as fisheries.

Thus, under international law, Mauritius is free to do what it pleases. It could open up the Chagoss waters to bottom-trawling fishing without the United Kingdom having any recourse. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom will be forced to pay astronomical sums of money to lease back Diego Garcia; and there is no right for Britain to withhold payments if Mauritius destroys the ecosystem of the Chagos Islands.

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The Government frequently lectures us about the importance of preserving the environment, even when doing so means sacrificing our quality of life for the broader public good. But these principles somehow dont apply to Mauritius, a small country whose welfare the Government seems to care more about than the welfare of the British public. This, clearly, is an indefensible stance.

All of these points are of course in addition to the serious security concerns raised by the surrender of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, which my Policy Exchange colleagues and myself have discussed in a number of reports. Put bluntly, there is no good reason to ratify the deal.

It is not too late for the House of Lords to do its duty and to avert an environmental catastrophe. Lord Faulks KC, the former justice minister, has tabled amendments which will ensure that no agreement is ratified with Mauritius until Parliament is satisfied that it is serious about protecting the environment of the Chagos.

Given the stakes involved, this is a sensible thing to do. For if Parliament gets this wrong, there will be no way to reverse the damage that will be done to one of the worlds most important environments.

Yuan Yi Zhu is a senior fellow at Policy Exchange

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A Florida news station just got an exclusive first look at a groundbreaking example of electric vehicle infrastructure.

Florida received $166 million from Volkswagen's Dieselgate settlement, much of which was earmarked for projects that reduce harmful carbon pollution and advance electrification in the state's transportation sector.

In April 2024, the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) announced it broke ground on "the most innovative and sustainable expressway in the agency's history." In addition to broader support for the Florida Wildlife Corridor, infrastructure to facilitate evacuations ahead of extreme weather events, and solar-powered features, State Road 516 includes an "electrified road pilot" with a wireless system to charge EVs "at highway speeds."

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On Dec. 24, WFTV aired a segment after crews granted the station access to visit the site and speak with workers about the cutting-edge highway's features.

WFTV was the only outlet invited to view and report on what the anchor on the scene, Alexa Lorenzo, called "tremendous progress" 18 months into the construction of State Road 516.

Lorenzo spoke with CFX's Brian Hutchings, who walked her through the first phase of the project. WFTV reported that crews had already installed 1 million cubic feet of embankment.

Hutchings said that stretches of the road were expected to open by 2027, easing congestion exacerbated by localized population growth.

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As for the "final section" of the road to be completed, Lorenzo explained it would feature an "in-pavement charging system" to power EVs as they drive over the electrified stretch.

In 2023, Detroit unveiled a similar project using electromagnetic inductive charging, which is not dissimilar to wireless phone charging  just deployed at a far larger scale.

The project is expected to continue through 2029, and the introduction of road-based wireless charging will, as Hutchings observed, be a "complete game changer." ENRX, a global green tech firm, partnered with CFX to electrify State Road 516.

In a press release about the collaboration, ENRX CEO Bjrn Eldar Petersen noted that EV drivers can extend their car's range and avoid charging stops.

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"When you can charge while driving, range anxiety and frequent charging stops will be a thing of the past. Our unparalleled expertise in induction technology allows us to deliver charging at 200 kilowatts even at high speeds. No one else has the technology to offer anything similar," he said.

When completed, Florida's EV charging road could also boost EV adoption in the state, particularly among residents who frequently travel on State Road 516.

"The charging capabilities installed into the road are seen as a potential leap into the future, providing people greater range as they drive electric vehicles long-distance," WFTV added.

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A coalition of civil society groups and public figures in India has sounded an alarm over the country's proposed privatization of its nuclear energy sector, according to Counterview.

The group warned that the government's Atomic Energy Bill 2025 could open the door to significant public health and environmental risks, and it claims it would allow private companies to design, own, and operate nuclear facilities.

This criticism comes at a pivotal time of investment in nuclear energy, which produces electricity with virtually no carbon pollution during operation, and it has the potential to rapidly reduce planet-warming air pollution, according to the International Energy Agency.

What is happening?

In a joint statement released this week, more than a dozen national networks in India condemned a push to attract private investment into nuclear energy operations. The groups argued that private corporations have no constitutional duty to protect the public and lack the safeguards that currently govern India's state-run nuclear program.

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The coalition cited a removal of mandatory public consultation before mining radioactive materials, which took place in September 2025, as evidence of weakening oversight.

It also referenced scientific reports of radioactive breast milk detected in India's plains, which researchers linked to uranium-contaminated groundwater, and emphasized the risks of nuclear energy, such as the impacts of persistent radioactive waste on people and ecosystems.

The statement also included information about 16 instances in which private operators lost control of radioactive devices, and regulators were unable to recover 11 of them.

Why is the privatization of nuclear energy concerning?

Radioactivity can persist for millions of years, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and exposure to nuclear waste is associated with heightened risks of cancer in humans.

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The coalition argued that India lacks a permanent disposal method for nuclear waste (which is a concern across the industry) and mentioned that expanding privatization could increase the chances of theft, accidents, or deliberate misuse.

The statement claims that privatizing nuclear energy can heighten safety risks. One previous instance of nuclear privatization gone awry is the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, where a nuclear plant that was operated by the privately owned Metropolitan Edison Company partially melted down, and its impact led to heightened regulatory oversight, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The statement describes the government's stance as "appalling and dangerous" and "authoritarian."

What is being done about the privatization of nuclear energy in India?

Several Indian civil society organizations, including the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace, National Alliance of Anti-nuclear Movements, People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, National Alliance for People's Movements, and National Alliance for Climate and Ecological Justice, have endorsed the statement.

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The signatories called for "nuclear policy centred on transparency, public participation, and environmental protection," alongside the long-term decommissioning of facilities.

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Early Monday morning, Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, wrote in a note to clients that he was adding Venezuela "to our list of unsettling developments" that could factor into a volatile start to 2026.

By late morning, Yardeni  like others  had watched the stock market largely brush off the weekend developments that saw the US capture and arrest Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro.

"The positive response in stocks is fascinating," Yardeni wrote. "It suggests the markets are not particularly concerned. The market seems to be focusing on the positive consequences  peace through strength. Maybe that's what markets are rooting for."

Wall Street is still assessing the fallout from the US incursion into Venezuela. But at least to start, investors are looking past it to focus on the themes that have dominated markets throughout 2025  and even earlier  with the AI trade returning to rally mode and focus looming on the Federal Reserve and corporate earnings.

Asked how the current climate would impact his holdings, Gabelli Funds portfolio manager John Belton holdings said not much.

"I think that's why the market is so, quote unquote, shrugging it off  this situation  at least as given what we know today," he told Yahoo Finance. "Not a big impact on company fundamentals ... not a big part of the global economy. I think that it's pretty straightforward."

Ben Emons, founder and CIO of FedWatch Advisors, suggested investors may even be treating the moment as a "risk-on" event.

"2026 kicks off as a geopolitical year, which could act as a risk-on catalyst in subsequent periods," Emons wrote in a note to clients. "It reminds me of 2016, when regime shifts like Brexit and Trump's first election triggered significant rallies in commodities, emerging markets, and domestic equities."

Read more: Find the best credit cards for buying gas in 2026

China looms as bigger risk

Not everyone is convinced the market reaction will remain calm. Peter Tchir of Academy Securities said the larger risk may come from China, the biggest buyer of Venezuelan oil.

Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves, but decades of mismanagement, underinvestment, and US sanctions have reduced its output to less than 1% of global supply.

"So far, the administration has only talked about reparations and getting oil rights back to US companies. Expect those actions to be fought, in the courts as China has to protect their own interests or face not just economic losses, but loss of face as well," Tchir wrote to clients.
A man arrested during an incident where someone appeared to be trying to break into the Ohio house of JD Vance with a hammer is to appear in court on Tuesday.

The vice-president on Monday thanked law enforcement in Ohio for arresting someone he referred to as a crazy person who had turned up at his Cincinnati home overnight.

The Secret Service said in a statement that one person was in custody after the incident, which took place in the early hours of Monday. Vance had returned to Washington DC the day before.

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I appreciate everyones well wishes about the attack at our home. As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows. Im grateful to the secret service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly, Vance wrote in a post to X.

He then assailed the media for covering the incident.

One request to the media: we try to protect our kids as much as possible from the realities of this life of public service. In that light, I am skeptical of the news value of plastering images of our home with holes in the windows.

Vance spent last week at the house overlooking the Ohio River, but left on Sunday afternoon, Cincinnati news channel WLWT reported. The channel published to its website a photograph purporting to show damage to at least four panes of glass in what looked to be a ground-floor window.

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The Secret Service said an adult male was arrested shortly after midnight for causing property damage, including breaking windows on the exterior of a personal residence associated with the vice-president.

The US Secret Service is coordinating with the Cincinnati police department and the US attorneys office as charging decisions are reviewed, a spokesperson, Anthony Guglielmi, said in a statement sent to the Guardian.

Two unnamed law enforcement sources said that Secret Service agents heard a loud noise at the home around midnight and found a person who had broken a window with a hammer and was trying to get into the house. The man had also vandalized a Secret Service vehicle on his way up the homes driveway, one of the officials said.

A law enforcement official identified the suspect as William Defoor, 26, of Crestview Hills, Kentucky. Defoor is set to be arraigned on Tuesday on misdemeanor charges of vandalism, criminal trespass, criminal damaging and obstruction of official business, court records showed on Monday afternoon.

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Court records showed that Defoor faced an earlier charge of vandalism in 2024 and agreed to treatment under the countys mental health court system.



Calls to the listings for possible relatives and an attorney who previously represented Defoor were not immediately returned.

While Vance enjoys round-the-clock personal protection by the Secret Service as vice-president, the level of security maintained at his private residence varies according to his travel plans.

Many politicians have taken steps to enhance security after the June 2025 killing of Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband at their Minneapolis home, and an attack on another Democratic lawmaker and his wife in the city on the same night.

In October 2024, a man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for attacking Paul Pelosi, husband of the Democratic former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, with a hammer at their California home.

The Associated Press contributed reporting
Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban has urged people to vote for his party in the 2026 elections so that the country does not get drawn into a war.

Source: Orban on Facebook, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Orban announced a press conference with representatives of the international press in a few hours and noted that "there will be many topics".

"In the first days of this year, we received an important reminder that the liberal world order is falling apart. The election of President Trump has dealt it a fatal blow," Orban wrote, apparently hinting at events in Venezuela.

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He added that the new world is still "in the process of formation", and therefore Hungarians are facing "more unstable, unpredictable and dangerous years".

"In this situation, the Hungarian people must choose a path in April this year. One path leads to a Brussels dead end. It is represented by Tisza [an opposition party  ed.]. In exchange for a few pats on the shoulder and immunity, they will make deals with Brussels and fulfil all of their demands. They will say 'yes' to war, financing Ukraine, settling migrants and gender propaganda," Orban said.

Instead, he said, his Fidesz party offers Hungarians a path of peace and security.

"We do not want to send Hungarian youth to the front lines and we do not want to destroy the country and the Hungarian economy. We have a plan and an intention to make Hungary the winner of the historical era facing us. To do this, we must first and foremost stay out of the war. For this, we ask the Hungarian people to grant us authority in 2026," Orban added.

Background:

According to Bloomberg, if Orban's Fidesz party loses the election, he is considering moving to the presidency and trying to change legislation to expand presidential powers.

The opposition party Tisza still has a significant lead in polls over Orban's Fidesz party, but it is shrinking.

Orban previously said he is not afraid of losing the next election and also noted that he considers his main opponent not opposition leader Peter Magyar, but Brussels.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Officials in Lincoln County provided additional information on an incident where two men were found dead and another was seriously injured after a shooting and stabbing in Newport.

On Friday, Jan. 2, officers first responded to the scene in the 1500 block of Northwest Grove Street just before 1 a.m. According to Newport police, someone had called to report that another person had been pounding on the door of a nearby residence.

NPD alleged that a resident opened their door to find 42-year-old Matthew Wonser stabbing 33-year-old Shawn Knuckey, before going back inside to grab a handgun and call 911.

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Landslide shuts down section of Highway 6 near Oregon coast

Police said the resident asked Wonser to stop stabbing Knucky and, when he continued, the resident fired the gun. Wonser was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

Knuckey was taken by an air ambulance to a Portland-area hospital where he remains in critical condition.

Investigators with the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office later determined Wonser and Knuckey did not know each other and the attack on Knuckey appeared to be random.

Further investigation revealed Wonser had identification belonging to 58-year-old Robert Peddycoart on him. After conducting a welfare check on the motel where Peddycoart had been staying in the 1800 block of North Coast Highway, officials said he was found dead with multiple stab wounds.

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Winter storm watch issued for Oregon, Washington Cascades

Wonser and Peddycoart were known acquaintances, authorities said.

At this time, LCSO says they do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the community, the incident was isolated and there are no outstanding suspects.

However, the investigation by the Lincoln County Major Crime Team is ongoing.

Anyone with further information is encouraged to contact the Newport Police Department.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
OSHKOSH  2025 certainly didnt go out with a whimper.

From the Oshkosh Area School Districts proposal of eliminating 70 positions to UAW Local 578 preparing for possible arbitration with Oshkosh Corporation, Wisconsins Event City more than lived up to its name in December.

In a month that wasnt wanting for headlines, here are some of the Northwesterns most-read stories to cap what proved a very eventful 2025.

OASD proposes cutting 23 middle and high school elective teachers

Staff at Vel Phillips Middle School (above) and other schools likely has felt stressed, after the Oshkosh Area School District revealed its plan to cut 23 full-time middle school positions and add another class as a cost-saving measure.

The Oshkosh Area School District recommended terminating approximately 23 full-time middle and high school elective teaching positions to address a projected $6 million deficit for the 2026-27 school year.

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In a subsequent communication to the school body, OASD revealed the proposal comes as part of a move seeking to terminate more than 70 full-time roles, including 30 teaching positions and 11 roles in its central office, headlined by Director of Community Engagement and Equity Anthony Miller.

As part of the staffing adjustment, the district also recommended all middle and high school elective teachers to teach classes for six of their seven daily periods instead of five without pay increases for the additional class teaching load.

Read more: Oshkosh Public Museum director promoted to lead four city departments

7 Brew to open new drive-thru coffee stand in Oshkosh

A 7 Brews drive-thru coffee stand is coming to Oshkosh at 2100 Omro Road.

Drive-thru beverage chain 7 Brew will be opening one of its popular pull-up coffee spots in April, having already begun construction on its newest store at 2100 Omro Road.

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According to the companys public relations, the stand is expected to add 50 jobs to Oshkosh and will feature more than 20,000 unique drink combinations.

Union prepared for arbitration in Oshkosh Corporation layoffs

The Oshkosh Corp. announced plans to lay off 160 workers in January.

UAW Local 578 said it is prepared to go to arbitration after claiming Oshkosh Corporation plans to place non-union members in contractually bargained facilities following January's planned layoff of 160 plant workers.

In a November letter, UAW Local 578 President Bob Lynk told membership the union entered a policy grievance on the matter and will seek an arbitrator if they do not receive a favorable response.

Oshkosh residents show opposition to proposed school district cuts

Oshkosh North High School hosted a public comment session focused on OASD's planned cuts.

More than 150 community members turned out to show their disapproval of an Oshkosh Area School District proposal to eliminate nearly 70 full-time positions amid a projected $6 million deficit at a Dec. 10 board meeting.

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Citing the potential impact on children and schools, 20-odd teachers, students and residents publicly spoke against the staffing adjustment recommendations in a more than hour-long public comment session at Oshkosh North High School Auditorium.

Read more: New Common Council member Jacob Amos talks about why he loves Oshkosh

Oshkosh's new Froedtert ThedaCare Medical Center to open Jan. 19

ThedaCare Medical Center-Oshkosh seeks to service residents east of I-41

Froedtert ThedaCare announced its new $84 million, 114,000-square-foot hospital at 250 W. Sixth Ave. is set to open Jan. 19.

The facility is expected to be open every day and will provide 24/7 emergency care, inpatient care, outpatient surgery, primary care, pediatrics, specialty care, drive-thru retail pharmacy, imaging services and lab services.

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Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@usatodayco.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.

This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh Corporation layoffs, OASD cuts topped December news headlines
Jan. 4As Gov. Mike Dunleavy enters his final year in office, some lawmakers are approaching the coming legislative session with mixed expectations.

The Legislature is set to convene in Juneau on Jan. 20 with a packed agenda, including debates on a fiscal plan that Dunleavy committed to introducing, a long-promised natural gas pipeline, and a Rural Health Transformation Fund that could bring more than $1 billion in federal dollars to the state in the next five years.

But some lawmakers say that Dunleavy's seven-year record as governor  marked by vetoes of bipartisan legislation and their criticism over the limited time he has spent building political goodwill in Juneau  along with the state's strained revenue projection make it unlikely that significant legislative reforms will be adopted in the coming year.

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Dunleavy's spokesperson Jeff Turner asserted in response that the governor has been in regular communication with lawmakers and that vetoing bills is part of the governor's constitutional prerogative.

Both the House and Senate are governed by bipartisan coalitions that have largely similar goals, but those goals often put them at odds with the Republican governor.

"I think we're just doing the best we can to stop bad things from happening, because the idea that we're going to get any meaningful policies passed through both bodies and then signed by the current governor  I think (the odds) are extraordinarily slim," said Rep. Andrew Gray, an Anchorage Democrat who serves in the House majority caucus, in a recent episode of a podcast he hosts.

"It's part of expectation-setting. If folks are expecting, in a low-revenue environment, with oil prices super low, that we are somehow going to make big important changes that folks are going to see this year, I just think I gotta lower that bar," Gray said.

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Dunleavy is termed out from seeking reelection next year, and already all eyes are on a packed race to succeed him. But with some state agencies facing crisis-level staffing shortages, urgent needs to repair crumbling infrastructure and a structural deficit that has dogged Dunleavy's tenure, some lawmakers say that the Legislature cannot afford to bide its time until there is a new governor at the helm.

Ahead of last year's session, House and Senate leaders said one of their top objectives was to increase the education budget significantly for the first time in Dunleavy's tenure. They succeeded, mustering the votes needed to twice override Dunleavy's attempts to veto the funding increase after lawmakers refused to adopt his desired education policies.

In the process, caucus leaders showed that they had lost patience with past efforts to earn the governor's goodwill and were now more inclined to achieve their goals  whether or not they were backed by Dunleavy.

"A lot of times when people talk about gridlock, they're referring to the legislative bodies themselves," Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel said. "In our Legislature, that isn't true."

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"In terms of gridlock, the word can only be applied to the barricade that we meet when we send something to the governor's office," said Giessel, an Anchorage Republican.

Dunleavy through his spokesperson declined an interview request for this story. When asked to respond to criticism about the governor's veto record, Turner said that Dunleavy "is not sure where this is coming from." Turner also said that Dunleavy has met with lawmakers and spoken with them on the phone "countless times" during his tenure.

"The Governor has also worked with many legislators on passing a number of bills during his tenure and looks forward to working with legislators again this coming session," Turner wrote in an email.

After the bipartisan coalitions succeeded in their effort to increase education funding, it's not immediately clear what goals they will focus on in the coming months, particularly with little available revenue to fund additional education investments and other cost-driven priorities.

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Both lawmakers and Dunleavy agree the state needs more revenue to meet its obligations. But a question remains on whether lawmakers and the governor can agree on where that revenue should come from, after Dunleavy in recent months vetoed or promised to veto a series of revenue ideas that garnered support from members of the House and Senate majorities.

Republicans in the House and Senate minorities are holding out hope that the governor's final year in office can bring a measure of legislative accomplishments.

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, a Soldotna Republican who serves as minority whip, said lawmakers should "at least make an attempt" at advancing legislative policies, despite the headwinds created by dwindling revenue.

Ruffridge said he's "excited about the conversation" on the governor's proposed fiscal plan, which has yet to be outlined.

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"If we don't talk about it every single year until we finally get something that we can all agree on, I think that would be a mistake," he said.

Giessel said Dunleavy's fiscal plan "is about seven years too late." She also referenced Dunleavy's past promises to introduce fiscal measures that never materialized or fizzled out. In 2023, Dunleavy said he would introduce a statewide sales tax, but never did.

"He never had the courage to put it on the table and actually talk to Alaskans about it, so we'll see," said Giessel.

Giessel said it's "certainly true" that some legislators are having trouble trusting Dunleavy. "And when we offer something  he vetoes," she added. "So there's no way to meet his criteria for what should be successful. It's very arbitrary and a moving target."

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In an email on Wednesday responding to questions about the governor's approach to working with lawmakers, Turner said that "the Alaska Constitution grants the governor the power to veto bills. The legislature has the power to try and override the veto."

"Exactly how does that make the governor responsible for violating trust?" Turner asked.

The revenue question

During a previous phone interview in December, Dunleavy said he hopes that legislators "don't fret over tackling the items regarding the fiscal plan."

"We believe that fretting is a waste of emotional energy," said Dunleavy.

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He has not yet offered specifics, but at the time said the fiscal plan will include new revenue measures and provisions to expand and diversify the state's economic base.

"There's going to be things in there that I have a hard time swallowing, but I know it's needed for the state of Alaska," said Dunleavy.

"... This is a great opportunity for the Legislature to show the people of Alaska that they sent the right people to Juneau," he said. "That's another quote for you."

Dunleavy's forthcoming fiscal plan will seek to tackle the imbalance between the state's revenues and expenditures. That imbalance has been a hallmark of his entire administration, except for a brief reprieve when oil prices spikes in 2022 amid Russia's attack on Ukraine.

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"I'm providing a solution to the problem. If (lawmakers) have a better solution, terrific, let's look at it," Dunleavy said.

Despite the majority coalitions' challenges in working with the governor, Giessel said one of her priorities for the coming session is to advance bills that will increase the revenue the state has at its disposal.

Dunleavy's recent budget proposal calls on lawmakers to spend roughly $1.8 billion from the state's $3 billion savings account, increasing pressure on lawmakers to shore up revenue in the short-term.

Last year the Senate majority put forward a series of revenue proposals, including a bill that will impose the state's corporate income tax on privately held corporations like Hilcorp, a Texas-based oil and gas company that has been exempted from Alaska's tax thanks to its corporate structure.

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Giessel said applying that tax to Hilcorp, which could bolster the state's coffers by tens of millions annually, is "a no-brainer," though it is not clear whether enough of her legislative colleagues agree for the bill to advance.

"The question people ask me is, 'Well, won't Dunleavy veto it?'" said Giessel. "If he were to veto additional logical, balanced tax provisions, that simply adds to his legacy."

When lawmakers meet in Juneau, one of the first questions they will face is whether to convene a joint session to override Dunleavy's veto of a bill that would apply the state's corporate income tax to companies that operate online. That bill, which Dunleavy vetoed in September, would bring tens of millions to the state annually from corporations based outside the state.

Dunleavy said at the time that he vetoed it because it was not part of a "comprehensive fiscal plan."

Giessel said the state has to "close these loopholes" that have enabled corporations to operate in Alaska without paying state taxes. However, mustering the 45 votes needed to override the governor is "a high bar," and will necessitate support from a number of minority Republicans.

Whether or not the Legislature reaches that bar in the first five days of the session  the constitutionally mandated time frame for overriding the governor  will "depend on how many of those minority members actually understand the fiscal situation that the state is in," Giessel said.

"We don't have the room anymore to say, 'Well, we can limp through another year.' That time is gone," she said.

Daily News reporter Alex DeMarban contributed to this report.
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP)  Pakistani counterterrorism police raided multiple militant hideouts in the southern port city of Karachi, arresting three suspects and seizing about 2 tons of explosives in an operation officials said thwarted planned attacks.

The bomb-making materials and detonators were intended for attacks in the city by members of the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist group, Zulfiqar Ali Larik, a senior counterterrorism official, and Ghulam Azfar Mahesar, a deputy inspector general of police, told a news conference on Monday.

Larik said one vehicle loaded with explosives was ready to be used and the materials had been transported from the southwestern province of Balochistan, where a separatist insurgency has raged for more than two decades. He alleged the BLA is backed by India, a claim New Delhi denies.

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Pakistan often accuses neighboring Afghanistan and its rival India of supporting the BLA and the Pakistani Taliban, two groups that have intensified attacks in Pakistan in recent years. In one of the deadliest strikes in March last year, BLA insurgents killed 33 people, mostly soldiers, in an assault on a train carrying hundreds of passengers in Balochistan. Security forces killed 50 attackers and rescued the remaining passengers.

Mahesar said the raids were conducted jointly by police and intelligence agencies. One suspect was arrested initially, and information obtained during his interrogation led to the arrest of two others, he said. Additional raids were underway to apprehend remaining members of the network who fled, he said.

Baloch separatists have waged an insurgency since the early 2000s, seeking greater autonomy and, in some cases, independence from Pakistan, while demanding a larger share of the provinces natural resources. Authorities say the BLA has increasingly sought to use female attackers, apparently in an attempt to avoid detection.

Last week, police detained a teenage girl whom authorities said had been radicalized and recruited online by the BLA to carry out a major suicide attack. No criminal charges were filed against her after officials determined she was a victim rather than a suspect.

In 2022, a female suicide bomber linked to the BLA killed three Chinese teachers near a university campus in Karachi. Over the years, the BLA has expanded its operations, regularly targeting security forces and civilians, including Chinese nationals working on multibillion-dollar projects tied to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
PARIS (AP)  A Paris court found Monday 10 people guilty of cyberbullying Frances first lady, Brigitte Macron, by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, including allegations that she was born a male.

One defendant was sentenced to six months in prison, while eight were handed suspended sentences between four and eight months. All 10 were ordered to attend cyberbullying awareness training.

The court pointed to particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious comments referring to false claims suggesting that Brigitte Macron was transgender and a pedophile.

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Repeated publications have had cumulative harmful effects, the court said.

The defendants, eight men and two women ranging in age from 41 to 65, were accused of having posted numerous comments falsely claiming that the wife of President Emmanuel Macron was born male and likening their 24-year age gap to pedophilia. Some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.

Brigitte Macron didn't attend the two-day trial in October. Speaking on TF1 national television Sunday, she said that she launched legal proceedings to set an example in the fight against harassment.

Her lawyer, Jean Ennochi, said Monday that what is important is that there are immediate cyberbullying awareness trainings, and for some of the defendants, a ban on using their social media accounts.

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Her daughter, Tiphaine Auziere, testified about what she described as the deterioration of her mothers life since the online harassment intensified. She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her, Auziere told the court. She said the impact has extended to the entire family, including Macrons grandchildren.

One of the defendants, a property asset manager, received a six-month prison sentence. Under French law, the sentence may be served at home, possibly while wearing an ankle monitor or following other requirements set by a judge.

Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who is known as Amandine Roy and describes herself as a medium and an author, is considered to have played a major role in spreading the rumor after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021. She was given a six-month prison sentence.

The X account of Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoe Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited in several judicial investigations. Poirson-Atlan was given an eight-month prison sentence, along with another defendant, a gallery owner.

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The one defendant not given a prison sentence was a teacher, who apologized during the trial. He will have to attend the cyberbullying awareness training.

Several will see their online access suspended for six months on the social media where they made their posts.

All 10 were also sentenced to jointly pay 10,000 euros ($11,675) in compensation to Brigitte Macron for moral damage.

The sentences were proportional to the seriousness of the comments, the court stressed.

French judicial authorities didnt disclose the names of the defendants, but some made their names public by speaking out.

During the trial, several defendants told the court that their comments were intended as humor or satire, and said they didn't understand why they were being prosecuted.

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The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother. The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.

The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. The 72-year-old Brigitte Macron is 24 years her husbands senior, and she was then called Brigitte Auziere, a married mother of three.

Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been Frances president since 2017.

___

Catherine Gaschka and Oleg Cetinic contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly could face a demotion and reduction in retirement pay from the military after an official censure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in response to a video from the Democratic senator last year encouraging U.S. service members not to follow illegal orders.

Hegseth announced on Monday that he formally issued the censure against Kelly as well as official proceedings to downgrade his retired rank and pay grade. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan will review Kellys status and must provide a recommendation to the Defense Department within the next 45 days.

As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice, Hegseth wrote. And the Department of War  and the American people  expect justice.

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A military censure typically includes a letter formally expressing strong disapproval of a service members conduct that is placed into his or her official file. For Kelly, the censure will ensure the review takes place to determine his rank and pay.

Kelly will have 30 days to appeal Hegseths order.

Kelly pushed back against the censure in a statement on Monday, decrying the move as Hegseth send(ing) the message to every single retired servicemember that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesnt like, they will come after them the same way.

Over twenty-five years in the U.S. Navy, thirty-nine combat missions, and four missions to space, I risked my life for this country and to defend our Constitution  including the First Amendment rights of every American to speak out. I never expected that the President of the  Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) January 5, 2026

Its outrageous and it is wrong, he added. There is nothing more un-American than that.

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Kelly said he would fight the demotion efforts as part of a broader effort to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump dont get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government.

The review comes in direct response to Kellys public statements from June through December of last year during which Hegseth accuses the Democratic senator of characterizing lawful military operations as illegal and counseled members of the Armed Forces to refuse lawful orders.

Among the most well known of those instances was when Kelly, along with five other lawmakers who previously served in the military, released a video on Nov. 18 encouraging service members and those in the U.S. intelligence community not to follow orders that violate the law  even if they come from their superiors or directly from the Trump administration.

Kelly and the other Democrats who made the video did not point to a specific illegal order they believe was given by the president. Critics of the video said they worried it could lead to disarray and confusion among service members.

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Before the video was released, Kelly had offered a similar sentiment in an interview with McKay Coppins on the Deseret Voices podcast, during which he reiterated that military members and law enforcement officials  in this specific case, ICE agents  dont have to follow unlawful orders.

Do the job in a respectful way and follow the law, Kelly said. Thats true for the military. I think its true for federal law enforcement too. Nobody can tell you to break the law. You cant be told to violate peoples constitutional rights. People have to stand up and say, no, Im not going to do that.

President Donald Trump decried the Democratic lawmakers for the video, calling them traitors who should be arrested and put on trial. In one social media post, Trump said seditious behavior is punishable by DEATH!

Kelly retired as a captain in the U.S. Navy, and he has served in a variety of positions such as Navy pilot, combat veteran and NASA astronaut.
The Pentagon says it is taking steps to demote Democratic Senator and former Navy Captain Mark Kelly, with a reduction in pension, over a video the department described as "seditious".

"Senator Mark Kelly - and five other members of Congress - released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline," Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X.

The Arizona senator was one of six Democratic lawmakers who released a video urging military members to refuse unlawful orders, following US strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats.

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Kelly, a former Navy pilot and astronaut, called Hegseth's action "outrageous" and "un-American".

He has 30 days to submit an official response to the Pentagon's notice, according to Hegseth's tweet on Monday morning.

"As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War  and the American people - expect justice," Hegseth wrote in his statement on X.

Hegseth said the department had initiated retirement-grade determination proceedings, where a reduction in Kelly's retired grade would result in a reduction in retired pay.

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"If Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our country's history, thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesn't get it," Kelly wrote on X on Monday.

"I will fight this with everything I've got - not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump don't get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government."

The controversy stems from a video released last November where Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers who had also served in the military or intelligence told US service members that they "can refuse illegal orders".

It was released amid rising questions of legality regarding American strikes on alleged narco-trafficking boats off the coast of South America.

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Kelly says in the video: "Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders."

"Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this constitution. Right now, the threats coming to our constitution aren't just coming from abroad but from right here at home."

Trump reacted to the video in a series of Truth Social posts, accusing the lawmakers of "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL".

Shortly after, the Trump administration announced it was opening a review of Kelly's conduct under military law.

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Kelly, a highly decorated retired Navy captain, who served for more than two decades and deployed multiple times, then responded saying: "If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won't work."

Experts say even though Kelly retired from the military, he is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) - a federal law enacted by Congress in 1951 that subjects members of the military to a special set of rules.

But legal analysts have questioned the Pentagon's authority to punish a sitting member of Congress for political speech, though the department maintains retired officers remain subject to certain aspects.
Pete Hegseth has finally figured out how to extract his petty payback on Senator Mark Kelly: going after his pension.

The defense secretary announced Monday that hed initiated a Grade Determination Review following Kellys appearance in a video alongside fellow Democratic lawmakers to urge members of the U.S. military and intelligence community not to follow illegal orders.

Hegseth said the so-called Department of War would take administrative action against Kelly by reducing his military retirement grade, resulting in a corresponding reduction in retired pay.

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Kelly slammed the Trump administrations latest tactic to go after its critics. Pete Hegseth wants to send the message to every single retired service member that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesnt like, they will come after them the same way. Its outrageous and it is wrong, the Arizona Democrat said in a statement Monday. There is nothing more un-American than that.

A Grade Determination Review, or GDR, is the process by which the military assesses misconduct or poor performance to determine military retirement benefits, which are calculated based on the highest grade satisfactorily held.

A GDR typically occurs at the time of retirement and is a review of conduct during servicenot after. Reviews are typically triggered by administrative disciplinary actions, poor performance evaluations, and criminal behavior or violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. In response to Hegseths previous threats to court-martial Kelly, a former astronaut and U.S. naval officer, military experts have argued that Kelly was speaking in his role as a civilian senator and had not violated any law.

Hegseth seemed to think he could get around this by issuing a formal Letter of Censure documenting Kellys reckless misconduct to be placed in Captain Kellys official and permanent military personnel file.

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Hegseth said he would personally oversee the GDR, which would be completed within 45 days.

Captain Kellys status as a sitting United States Senator does not exempt him from accountability, and further violations could result in further action, Hegseth wrote, claiming yet again that the Arizona lawmaker had violated the militarys rules and committed conduct that was seditious in nature.
Venezuela holds the largest proven oil reserves in the world, estimated at roughly 303 billion barrels, yet it consistently earns a fraction of what other major exporters do from crude exports and suffers one of the most severe economic crises in Latin America.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's capture is the latest in a series of setbacks for the Latin American nation.

Oil Rich, Wealth Poor

At face value, Venezuela should be immensely wealthy. Its oil reserves outstrip those of Saudi Arabia and the United States combined. But the country's oil exports generated only about $4 billion in revenue in 2023, a tiny share compared with Saudi Arabia's roughly $181 billion, according to an Al Jazeera report. This mismatch between reserves and export income is a central part of Venezuela's "cash poor" condition.

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Several structural factors help explain this gap:

Venezuelan oil is overwhelmingly extra-heavy crude, primarily from the Orinoco Belt, which is more expensive to extract and refine and sells at a discount.

The state oil company, PDVSA , has suffered from years of underinvestment, mismanagement, and aging infrastructure.

Government subsidies have kept gasoline extremely cheap domestically, reducing export incentives and fiscal revenue.

Political, Economic Mismanagement

Experts point to decades of policy missteps that undermined the oil sector and the broader economy.

Under Presidents Hugo Chavez and Maduro, oil revenue was diverted to fund social programs, subsidies, and political spending rather than being reinvested in technology, maintenance, and diversification, according to a DW report.

Chavez's frequent reshaping of PDVSA and purges of technical staff weakened institutional capacity.

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The Resource Curse

By the late 20th century, Venezuela had become dangerously dependent on crude exports for government revenue, foreign exchange, and social spending. Oil accounted for more than 90% of export earnings at its peak, according to World Bank data. This extreme concentration exposed the economy to oil price volatility while discouraging investment in agriculture and manufacturing  a textbook example of the resource curse, a concept widely documented in economic literature.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced unprecedented administrative action against Sen. Mark Kelly, accusing the Arizona Democrat of seditious conduct and initiating a process that could strip the retired Navy captain of rank and reduce his military pension.

In a statement posted to X on Monday morning, Hegseth said the Department of Defense had begun retirement grade determination proceedings under 10 U.S.C.  1370(f) against Kelly, citing public comments in which the senator urged service members to refuse illegal orders.

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Hegseth also said he issued a formal Letter of Censure that will be placed in Kellys permanent military personnel file.

Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly  and five other members of Congress  released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he  Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) January 5, 2026

The dispute centers on a broader and increasingly heated debate between the Pentagon and Democratic lawmakers over the legality of recent U.S. military operations and the role of members of Congress in questioning them. Kelly and other lawmakers have argued that service members must refuse unlawful orders, while Hegseth and his allies contend such messaging undermines military discipline by casting doubt on the legality of duly authorized operations.

Kelly, a former Navy fighter pilot who retired at the rank of captain, is currently serving his second term in the U.S. Senate.

Hegseth characterized a video released earlier this year by Kelly and five other members of Congress as reckless and seditious, accusing the senator of undermining good order and military discipline. The video reminded service members that they have a legal obligation to refuse illegal orders, a principle embedded in U.S. military law and the laws of armed conflict.

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The confrontation follows mounting scrutiny over the legal justification for U.S. military actions in Latin America, including discussions within the administration about removing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

On Sundays This Week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio struggled to identify clear legal authority for such action, drawing criticism from lawmakers who argue that ambiguous or unsupported justifications heighten the risk of unlawful orders being issued or followed.

Hegseth asserted that Kelly remains subject to military justice as a retired officer receiving retired pay and accused him of violating Articles 133 and 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, provisions covering conduct unbecoming an officer and general misconduct.

The move is highly unusual. While retired officers technically remain subject to the UCMJ in limited circumstances, the authority is rarely invoked and has not been used to punish post-retirement political speech, particularly by a sitting member of Congress.

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Retirement grade determinations are typically limited to misconduct committed while an officer is on active duty.

Hegseth warned that Kellys status as a U.S. senator does not exempt him from accountability and suggested further action could follow.

Kelly has not yet publicly responded. The announcement is likely to prompt legal challenges and congressional scrutiny, placing the Pentagon at the center of a constitutional dispute over military authority, civilian oversight, and protected political speech.

The post Pete Hegseth Strips Sen. Mark Kelly of Military Rank Over Illegal Orders Video first appeared on Mediaite.
STOVER, Mo.  A Monday morning house fire in Morgan County has left a residence with significant damage and claimed the lives of several family pets.

According to a release from the Gravois Fire Protection District, firefighters were dispatched just after 2 a.m. on January 5th, 2026 to the 31000 block of Highway 135 in Stover.

First-arriving units reported heavy fire involvement in the front portion of the structure, with a vehicle on fire and accompanying wildland fire, the press release states.

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Gravois Fire Chief Dustin Hancock says suppression efforts were hampered by several environmental factors, including a narrow roadway and low-hanging tree limbs that made it difficult for trucks to access.

Because there was no immediate hydrant access, water also had to be shuttled to the scene using tankers.

The department says the family and two dogs were able to escape, but a bird and a gecko died in the fire, and one cat remains unaccounted for.

The American Red Cross is currently providing emergency assistance to the family.

The Gravois Fire Protection District received mutual aid on the scene from the Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District and the Stover Fire Protection District.

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Additional support was provided by Mid-Mo Ambulance, Laurie Police, and Co-Mo Electric.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Missouri State Fire Marshals Office.

Copyright 2026 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 KOLR - OzarksFirst.com.
Despite not exactly being world-renowned swimmers, pigs have spread across the Asia-Pacific region for thousands of years. But how? With the genetic and archeological data from over 700 pigs, a team of scientists documented how people helped the mammals make their way across thousands of miles. Their findings are detailed in a study recently published in the journal Science.

This research reveals what happens when people transport animals enormous distances, across one of the worlds most fundamental natural boundaries, evolutionary geneticist and study co-author author Dr. David Stanton of the University of Cardiff and Queen Mary University of London said in a statement. These movements led to pigs with a melting pot of ancestries. These patterns were technically very difficult to disentangle, but have ultimately helped us understand how and why animals came to be distributed across the Pacific islands.

Crossing the Wallace Line

Previously, plants and animals did not always naturally spread across Indonesias over 17,000 separate islands. In the mid-19th century, evolutionary biologist Alfred Russel Wallace pinpointed a major biogeographic boundary now known as the Wallace Line. This invisible line stretches from the Indian Ocean through the Lombok Strait (between Bali and Lombok), north through the Makassar Strait (between Borneo and Celebes), and eastward, south of the island of Mindanao, into the Philippine Sea.

The invisible Wallace Line represents a boundary between two faunal regions. Image: Gunnar Ries via Wikimedia Commons CC by 2.5

Several mammal, bird, and fish groups that are abundantly represented on one side of the Wallace Line are either not represented at all or exist in limited numbers on the other side. For example, leopards and monkeys are found on the Asian side and marsupials are largely limited to the Australasian side.

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Pigs represent one notable exception to the rules of the Wallace Line. There are populations of pigs on both sides of the Wallace Line, extending across Southeast Asia into New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and remote Polynesia. The mammals are biologically considered highly effective ecological invaders, and culturally important across the region. Given how well they have established themselves and cultural importance, the role people played in pigs spread remains a key question for biologists and conservationists.

Wild boar dispersed across all of Eurasia and North Africa and certainly dont need people to help them disperse into new areas. When people have lended a hand, pigs were all too willing to spread out on newly colonised islands in South East Asia and into the Pacific, added study co-author and University of Oxford bioarcheologist Greger Larson.

Movement 50,000 years in the making

In the new study, a team of scientists examined the genome of over 700 pigs, representing both living animals and archaeological specimens. With the genomic data, the team reconstructed the pigs movement across southeast Asia and identified when the animals arrived on certain islands and how they may have interbred with various native pig species living there.

They found that people of different cultures have moved pig species throughout the region for millennia. The earliest evidence of the pig exchange comes from people living in Sulawesi as early as 50,000 years ago. Ancient Sulawesi cave painters depicted warty pig species in their art and even transported them over 1,000 miles away in Timor. Moving the pigs to Timor may have been an effort to establish a future hunting stock.

Prehistoric cave painting of two Sulawesi warty pigs, Leang Tedongnge Cave, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Image: Adam Brumm (Griffith University) and Adhi Agus Oktaviana (BRIN, Indonesia).

About 4,000 years ago, the introduction to pigs accelerated, when early agricultural communities transported domestic pigs across Island Southeast Asia. Their roughly 6,600-mile-long journey began in Taiwan, extending across the Philippines, to northern Indonesia (Maluku), into Papua New Guinea, and on to the outlying islands as far away as Vanuatu, and remote Polynesia. The team also found evidence for the introduction of European pigs during the colonial period.

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Eventually, many of these domestic pigs escaped and some of them became feral. On the Komodo islands, the domestic pigs hybridized with the warty pigs that were brought over by people from Sulawesi thousands of years earlier. These hybrid pigs are now a major source of food for the islands signature speciesthe endangered Komodo dragon.

By sequencing the genomes of ancient and more recent populations weve been able to link those human-assisted dispersals to specific human populations in both space and time, said Larson.

Conservation conundrums

According to the team, this study shows the dramatic and enduring impact of human activity on local ecosystems in the Pacific, and raises some conservation conundrums. The regions pigs have very different statues and impacts across the islands today. Some are considered spiritual beings, while others are viewed as pests, and some are so ingrained in local ecosystems that they could almost be considered native. Efficient conservation policies will need to navigate these complexities.

It is very exciting that we can use ancient DNA from pigs to peel back layers of human activity across this megabiodiverse region, said study co-author and paleogenomicist Laurent Frantz. The big question now is, at what point do we consider something native? What if people introduced species tens of thousands of years ago, are these worth conservation efforts?
Authorities arrested a rowdy passenger who caused a flight to be diverted to Omaha, Nebraska, after he allegedly threw punches onboard a late December flight and claimed it was a simulation.

The incident happened on December 28 amid the hectic New Years travel period. The following day, a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Nebraska identified Jordan Robert Langston, 25, as the person who created the disturbance on United Airlines Flight 2410 following its departure from the Washington, D.C. areas Dulles International Airport. The flights intended destination was Salt Lake City, Utah  but the plane made an unexpected emergency landing in Omaha after the mans alleged unruly behavior.

According to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the airline said that the Omaha stop was after a passenger became disruptive. The source further disclosed that law enforcement removed the passenger from the flight after the planes gate arrival in Omaha. Later that evening, the diverted flight reportedly resumed to Salt Lake City. Authorities are said to have booked Langston into Douglas County Corrections.

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A judge allegedly ordered on December 30 that the 25-year-old remain in law enforcement custody. Langston reportedly faces one charge related to interference with flight attendants and crew.

What Happened On The Flight Diverted To Omaha?

In an affidavit, FBI Special Agent Patrick Manion alleged that Langstons onboard behavior began escalating shortly after takeoff. Manion wrote that after the aircrafts ascent, the 25-year-old passenger approached a flight attendant at the front of the plane and began stating This is a simulation while waving his hands above his head. Langstons series of following behaviors included stepping on another flight attendants shoes, saying he needed to get off the plane, and receiving a verbal warning from a third crew member onboard.

The planes captain reportedly issued a Level 2 security threat, requiring four able-bodied assistants (ABTs) to be informed of the situation. Though an ABT sat next to Langston, things continued escalating, including another mention of the flight being a simulation.

The affidavit said Langston forcibly stood up and [the ABT] moved to the aisle of the plane.

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Langston proceeded to jump up and down and put his hands up. [He] proceeded to shadow box and throw punches at [the ABT], the document added. Langston struck [them] in the face, just below [their] nose. This prompted [the ABT] to take Langston to the ground in the aisle.

Before law enforcement took over, four ABTs and a flight attendant allegedly had to move Langston to the back of the plane. Reportedly, once there, the restrained and cuffed 25-year-old began screaming and talking about death.

Do Airline Workers Receive Training On To Do In These Situations?

Over 360 airlines are members of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) worldwide. Domestically, the organizations members include Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, and others. IATA calls for member airlines to implement the appropriate policies and procedures to ensure the consistent handling of unruly and disruptive passenger incidents across their network.

An IATA-published document on reducing unruly passenger incidents notes steps such as identifying the severity of offenders behavior, clearly communicating consequences, and maintaining respectful interactions. Additionally, industry workers should practice de-escalation, safe service of alcohol, and restraint training (if necessary).

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Through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), all active crew members of domestic airlines can register to take a free, four-hour self-defense training program. The agency details that the training is to prepare those airline crew members for potential physical altercations both on and off the aircraft.







The post Plane Diverted To Omaha After Man Claims Its A Simulation And Threw Punches Onboard appeared first on Travel Noire.
A police cruiser rolled over on its top during a crash in Ohio late Sunday afternoon.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Officers were traveling in North College Hill around 5:33 p.m. for a gun run, North College Hill Police told our news partner, WCPO in Cincinnati.

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When officers entered the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and Galbraith, they were hit by a vehicle traveling, according to a North College Hill Police spokesperson.

The spokesperson told WCPO that the officers had their lights and sirens on.

A WCPO news crew saw an SUV cruiser on its top, and a sedan sustained front damage.

Minor injuries were reported by both parties.

The crash remains under investigation.

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A plow truck driver killed Jan. 1 in a crash in the town of Troupsburg was identified by New York State Police as 44-year-old Jason P. Reisman of Troupsburg.

Reisman was employed by the Troupsburg Highway Department, according to town officials and an online obituary published by the H.P. Smith & Son Inc. Funeral Home.

Troopers responded to Grinnold Road for a reported rollover crash involving a plow truck with entrapment at about 6:56 a.m. on New Year's Day.

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State police personnel located a 2024 Freightliner plow truck off the south shoulder of the roadway, resting on the passenger side after it left the highway for an unknown reason, investigators said.

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According to police, Reisman was extricated from the truck and transported by emergency medical services to St. James Hospital before troopers arrived. Police said he died en route to the Hornell hospital.

The Steuben County Coroner's Office ordered an autopsy. The crash remains under investigation, troopers said.

Reisman is survived by his wife, two sons, two grandchildren, several aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends, according to his obituary.

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Funeral services are scheduled for 6 p.m., Jan. 5, at the H.P. Smith & Son Inc. Funeral Home, 1607 Main St., Woodhull.

Email Neal Simon at nsimon@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Troopers identify driver in fatal Troupsburg plow truck crash
Cincinnati police and U.S. Secret Service agents apprehended a man on Jan. 5 after Vice President JD Vance's East Walnut Hills home was damaged.

William DeFoor, 26, of Hyde Park, is charged with criminal damaging, obstructing official business, criminal trespass and felony vandalism.

Later in the day Jan. 5, federal officials announced additional charges against DeFoor, saying he caused more than $28,000 in damages to the windows at Vance's home.

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Federal agents detained the man shortly after midnight, the Secret Service said in a statement. DeFoor is accused of breaking windows at Vance's home.

He is also accused of damaging a vehicle, according to the arrest report.

Windows were damaged on the East Walnut Hills home of Vice President JD Vance on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

The Secret Service called for Cincinnati police at 12:15 a.m. after seeing someone running eastbound, a dispatcher told Enquirer media partner Fox19.

The house was unoccupied at the time, according to the statement. Vance and his family weren't in Ohio.

"The U.S. Secret Service is coordinating with the Cincinnati Police Department and the U.S. Attorneys Office as charging decisions are reviewed," the statement reads.

Prior vandalism and trespassing charges

DeFoor faced a vandalism charge in 2024 after windows at a business in Hyde Park were broken, according to court records. That case was referred to a mental health docket, and DeFoor was granted "treatment in lieu of conviction." That treatment was still ongoing, according to court documents.

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In 2023, he was charged with trespassing at the UC Health psychiatric emergency services. In that case, he was found incompetent to stand trial and the case was referred to Hamilton County Probate Court.

According to DeFoor's arrest records, investigators are asking for a high bond due to these prior issues.

JD Vance and his family were visiting Cincinnati home before incident

A spokesperson for Vance confirmed to USA TODAY that the vice president and his family visited Ohio over the weekend, but had left before the property damage occurred.

In a statement on social media, Vance said he and his family had returned to Washington, D.C. by the time of the alleged vandalism.

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"As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows," Vance said. "I'm grateful to the secret service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly."

A view of the area near Vice President JD Vance's home in East Walnut Hills on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024.

Roads were closed around the home for several days leading up to and following New Year's Day. Those closures lasted until Sunday afternoon, according to Cincinnati officials. The closures are usually put in place when the vice president or his family is at the residence.

The Vances' home on a busy stretch of road in East Walnut Hills is a 157-year-old white two-story house. Vance bought the house for $1.4 million in 2018, according to Hamilton County property records.

The Enquirer will update this developing story. USA Today contributed

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: JD Vance's Cincinnati home damaged. 26-year-old man arrested
(The Center Square)  President Donald Trump is praising the United States military for capturing Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, but Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says the presidents action is unconstitutional.

The president held a press conference at the White House Saturday and said the U.S. Armed Forces conducted an extraordinary military operation in Caracas late Friday and early Saturday to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Maduro and Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York, [by U.S. Attorney] Jay Clayton, for their campaign of deadly narcoterrorism against the United States and its citizens, Trump said, adding that the U.S. was prepared to launch a second-wave attack in Venezuela if necessary.

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The president said no U.S. service members were killed and no U.S.. equipment was lost during the operation.

Trump said Venezuela would be under U.S. control.

Were going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition, the president said.

Pritzker said the American people deserve a president focused on making their lives more affordable.

Donald Trumps unconstitutional military action in Venezuela is putting our troops in harm's way with no long-term strategy, Pritzker said in a statement posted on social media.

Illinois U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Chicago, said Trumps actions are a blatant violation of U.S. and international law from a man who touted himself for months as the president for peace.

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Yet overnight, he committed a drastic act of war against Venezuela and has pledged that the United States will be running Venezuela and is prepared to make additional strikes, Quigley said in a statement.

At his press conference on Saturday, Trump invoked the Monroe Doctrine and said the Western Hemisphere is now safer after Maduro was captured.

As Ive said many times, the Maduro regime emptied out their prisons, sent their worst and most violent monsters into the United States to steal American lives, Trump said.

The president congratulated the U.S. military, including the National Guard for helping crime go down in U.S. cities, including what he called a little bit in Chicago.

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We had no working ability with the governor. The governor was a disaster and the mayor was a disaster. It knocked down crime, but were pulling out of there. When they need us, well know, Trump said.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson joined Pritzker and Quigley in opposition to the presidents action.

As we have said for the past two years, the dehumanization of migrants from Venezuela, and of immigrants generally, by the Far Right has laid the groundwork for military action in Central and South America, Johnson said in a statement.

Trump said the worlds largest oil companies would invest billions of dollars into Venezuelas oil infrastructure. He said running the country would not cost the U.S. anything because of whats coming out of the ground.

The president promised that partnering with the U.S. would make the people of Venezuela rich, independent and safe, adding that the partnership would make people from Venezuela living in the United States extremely happy.
Police say the probe uncovered a network of extortion and financial offenses involving millions of shekels, carried out over a period of roughly five years.

Prosecutors on Sunday filed formal notices of intent to indict the head of the Abu Latif crime organization and 10 additional suspects in the sprawling extortion case known as The Prince, following the conclusion of a covert, year-long investigation led by Israel Police in the North, police announced on Monday.

The filings, submitted by the prosecutions economic department, mark a significant escalation in one of the most sensitive and far-reaching state-witness operations conducted in recent years. The suspects include senior figures in the Abu Latif organization, alongside a certified accountant, an attorney, and a former deputy mayor, according to police.

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The investigation, which focused on protection rackets and extortion through threats, was launched more than a year ago after a key insider - referred to as The Prince - signed a state witness agreement and was placed under the protection of the Witness Protection Authority.

Police say the probe uncovered a network of extortion and financial offenses involving millions of shekels, carried out over a period of roughly five years.

According to police, the principal suspect is Nidal Abu Latif, 46, a resident of Kfar Vradim, identified as the head of the crime organization bearing his name.

Border Police officers in Jerusalem, March 30, 2025 (illustration). (credit: Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)

Ten additional suspects from northern Israel and the West Bank were named in the prosecutorial filings, including several members of the extended Artoul family from Majd el-Kurumand individuals from Maalot-Tarshiha, Pekiin, and Nablus.

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The case came into public view in early December, when hundreds of police officers, Border Police troops, and special units - including the Yamam Counterterrorism Unit - carried out coordinated raids on dozens of targets linked to senior figures in the Abu Latif and Hariri crime organizations.

The operation was carried out by the Northern Districts central unit, together with prosecutors and several economic enforcement authorities.

Investigators have said that during the operation of the state witness, The Prince was initially deployed against the Abu Latif organization but later became the target of extortion attempts by the rival Hariri crime group.

Police said the witness continued cooperating throughout that period, employing what they described as unique operational methods against both organizations and providing evidence that led to the current indictments.

Extortion, fraud, money laundering among charges against Abu Latif

The charges under consideration include extortion with threats, conspiracy to commit a crime, extortion by force, obstruction of justice, fraud, money laundering offenses, tax violations, VAT offenses, and customs violations. Final indictments are expected to be filed following the completion of statutory procedures.

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The developments come as police and prosecutors continue to pursue parallel cases tied to the Hariri crime organization.

On Thursday, authorities announced that indictments were expected against five Hariri-affiliated suspects accused of extorting a victim through threats to him and his family, allegedly using false identities and collecting tens of thousands of shekels in monthly payments.

Police said additional suspects from both organizations remain in custody and that the investigation into further extortion schemes connected to the affair is ongoing.

Deputy Commander Eyal Harari, head of the Northern Districts central unit, said the case reflects unprecedented steps taken by law enforcement to penetrate the leadership of major crime organizations, emphasizing the close cooperation between police, prosecutors, economic enforcement bodies, and the witness protection system.

Authorities described the operation as part of a broader campaign to curb organized crime in northern Israel, warning that further indictments may follow as the investigation continues.
The Virginia state Capitol in Richmond, where lawmakers are expected to take up renewed legislation in the 2026 session aimed at limiting public records fees and changing how state and local agencies respond to requests under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. (Photo by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury)

When state Sen. Danica Roem, D-Manassas, talks about Virginias Freedom of Information Act, she often does so from experience  both as a former journalist and as a lawmaker who says she has repeatedly seen the law used to discourage public access rather than promote it.

Since her first year in office in 2018, Roem has made FOIA reform a legislative priority, reintroducing the same core proposal multiple times. Earlier this year, that effort nearly paid off, with her bill advancing further than ever before before ultimately dying late in the House.

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Now, Roem is trying again.

She has reintroduced Senate Bill 56 for the 2026 General Assembly session, which is set to begin next week, reviving an effort to tighten limits on how much state and local governments can charge for public records and to clarify how agencies seek court relief when responding to large or complex requests.

The proposal, which earned bipartisan support during the 2025 session, at the time passed the Senate, cleared a House committee and reached the House floor before being sent back to committee on a procedural vote after committees had stopped meeting, effectively killing the bill.

Its the same bill, different year, Roem said in an interview with the Virginia Mercury.

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I have worked since 2018 on this legislation, and I have introduced it five or so times over the years. The entire point of it is to reduce FOIA fees, so that the fees that are being charged are actually being used simply to cover the actual costs associated with pursuing FOIA requests in the first place, instead of being used as a deterrent for the public to not pursue FOIA requests.

Limiting FOIA fees

Under SB 56, public bodies would be prohibited from charging more than the median hourly rate of pay of their employees  or the actual hourly rate of the employee performing the work, whichever is lower  when calculating labor costs for producing public records.

Supporters say the change would prevent agencies from assigning high-paid staff to routine FOIA requests in ways that inflate costs and discourage access.

Currently, Virginia law gives agencies broad discretion to determine who processes a request, a practice critics argue has allowed FOIA fees to climb into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

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The bill creates a narrow exception to the fee cap. If a public body can demonstrate that no employee is available to process the request at or below the median hourly rate, it may petition a court for permission to exceed the limit.

Roem said that provision is intended to accommodate situations involving specialized or technical records while still placing the burden on the agency to justify higher charges.

Even I, as a state legislator, got hit with a FOIA fee earlier this year, a three-digit FOIA fee, Roem said. This happens to my constituents routinely.

She pointed to a case in her district involving a mother who was charged more than $8,000 to view a 92-second video of her autistic daughter being dragged off a school bus. While the fee was later reduced, the woman still paid hundreds of dollars and needed $1,500 in financial assistance to cover the remaining cost.

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This happens again, and again, and again, and again, where FOIA fees are used as a deterrent to the public getting public information that they have already paid for, Roem said. Public documents are public, your tax dollars have already paid for these documents in the first place. Therefore, you should have the lowest barrier possible to accessing them.

Changes beyond cost

In addition to fee limits, SB 56 would update the required notice of rights and responsibilities

that public bodies must post on their websites. The notice would be revised to explain how fees are calculated under the new limits and to describe the option for agencies to seek court approval to exceed the cap.

The bill also clarifies how agencies may seek additional time to respond to FOIA requests. Current law allows public bodies to petition a court for more time in limited circumstances, but the process has been criticized as unclear and inconsistent across jurisdictions.

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Under Roems proposal, agencies could file such petitions in either general district court or circuit court, and courts would be directed to give those petitions priority on their dockets. Importantly for requesters, the bill would toll  or pause  the statutory response deadline while a petition is pending.

The legislation also makes technical changes to reorganize the FOIA statute, moving provisions related to charges for producing records into a separate section for clarity.

Taken together, the bill aims to standardize FOIA fees statewide, reduce the use of cost as a barrier to public access and provide clearer procedures for courts, agencies and requesters when disputes arise.

FOIA as a public tool

Roem has repeatedly emphasized that FOIA reform is not about making life easier for journalists.

Del. Danica Roem, D-Manassas. (Photo by Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)

The public needs to care about this, because it is the most important tool that they have to hold their government accountable in between elections, she said. It is the single most important tool that they have. Thats a misconception that its just reporters and some state actors who use it.

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She noted that support for the bill has come from across the political spectrum, including social conservative groups that often oppose her on other issues.

FOIA is not just for the people we agree with, Roem said. Its for people who disagree with us, and it is for people who are perfectly neutral and just collecting data. FOIA is for everyone.

Despite broad rhetorical support for transparency, Roem said FOIA reform rarely becomes a voting issue for the public, making it easier for lawmakers to treat compliance as a burden rather than a core responsibility.

The Virginia Freedom of Information Act is consistently treated as a burden by government officials rather than a necessary obligation of government to its citizens, she said. It needs to be seen as a vital, important government service, as opposed to an administrative burden.

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Alan Gernhardt, executive director of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act Advisory Council, said the councils staff has studied earlier versions of Roems proposal.

As staff, we do not take any position on pending legislation, Gernhardt said. He explained that a council subcommittee studied Roems SB 324 in 2024 and produced an executive summary and report, but did not reach consensus on a recommendation. A subsequent council meeting lacked a quorum, preventing a formal vote.

Gernhardt said Roems 2025 bill was based on that earlier work but was not referred back to the council after it failed to pass.

How Virginia compares

Virginias FOIA system has long drawn criticism for its complexity and inconsistency. With the commonwealths 133 localities, Roem said, there are effectively 133 different approaches to public records access. Her bill draws in part from practices used in York County, which she described as a more reasonable, nonpartisan model.

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Virginias approach also stands in contrast to FOIA systems in several other states that place tighter limits on fees or waive them entirely in many circumstances.

According to a 2023 national review by the transparency nonprofit MuckRock, some states restrict charges to the actual cost of duplication, while others prohibit agencies from charging for staff time altogether unless a request is deemed unusually burdensome.

States such as Colorado and Indiana, for example, cap or standardize labor fees, reducing agencies discretion to assign higher-paid employees to routine requests.

Other states have moved even further toward low- or no-cost public records access. In Nevada, agencies generally may charge only for the cost of copies, unless a request is classified as extraordinary, and even then the law requires fee policies to be clearly posted.

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At the federal level, the U.S. Freedom of Information Act allows for fee waivers when disclosure is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of government operations  a standard transparency advocates say states should more broadly adopt.

An overview of federal FOIA fee waivers is available online, while comparisons of state public-records laws are compiled by the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

Some states dont have FOIA fees at all, Roem said. Some states have much more reasonable systems than we do. It can be free, and others have reduced rates. Virginias system sucks.

Prospects in 2026

Roem is hopeful that SB 56 will pass during the 2026 session, citing the bills near-miss earlier this year and a House with dozens of new members. She said she is reintroducing the legislation literally verbatim from the version that earned bipartisan support, but plans to make the case again to lawmakers unfamiliar with its history.

Still, uncertainty remains over whether the measure would become law even if it clears the General Assembly.

It is unclear whether incoming Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer, would sign the bill. A spokesman for Spanberger did not respond to a request for comment.

For Roem, the stakes extend beyond this years vote.

I have repeatedly compared the Freedom of Information Act in Virginia to a giant slice of Swiss cheese, she said, which every single year gets more and more holes poked in it, and less and less cheese around it.

She added: Here we are voting to add more exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act without having fewer exemptions to offset it. This is about strengthening the most important accountability tool the public has.

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Chinese mining firms in Zambia have started paying royalties and taxes in yuan, as the currency gains ground on the continent. The Zambian authorities are the first in Africa to confirm they are accepting mining-tax payments in renminbi, Bloomberg reported.

Beijing has been trying to expand the yuans use in global trade, in part to protect its financial sector from potential negative actions from Western countries. Last year, the African Export-Import Bank and South Africas Standard Bank joined the Cross-border Interbank Payment System, Chinas alternative to SWIFT, allowing African businesses to settle trade transactions with China in renminbi, bypassing the need to use the US dollar as an intermediary currency.

Africa has emerged as a key arena for Beijings moves to internationalize the yuan, Bloomberg noted: Last year Kenya converted dollar loans it owed to China into yuan-denominated debt, while Ethiopia has opened talks to pursue a similar move, and Zambia has said it may do the same.

 Preeti Jha
Republicans are still licking their wounds after the off-cycle shellacking in November, where Democrats flipped 21% percent of GOP state legislative seats and won the governorships in Virginia and New Jersey. If they have any hope of keeping the slim majority in the House during the 2026 midterm elections, they will need to use every tool in the toolbox.

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has a plan to do just that, using the biggest tool of all: Campaigner-in-Chief Donald J. Trump. Now Trump has to make a choice: Does he want to accept help and share his power, or does he want to continue bulldozing his way through his final term?

Historically, the party that holds the presidency almost always loses ground during the midterms. Making it worse for Republicans, as Ron DeSantis recently warned, is that Trump voters tend to vote only when he is on the ballot. Which is why, in an appearance on "The Mom VIEW," Wiles says that in 2026 Trump will "campaign like its 2024," effectively putting him on the ballot.

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Since gliding down that escalator in 2015, Trump has been a force unlike anything seen in American politics since Andrew Jackson. He is excellent at turning out low-propensity voters and winning elections, but his power doesnt translate well to others.

Like Jackson, he has built his political success by standing for the people and railing against the establishment elite. For Jackson, it was a "corrupt bargain," for Trump, its the "rigged system." Both men are hammers, forceful tools, leading with emotion, thriving on creating division, and casting themselves as victims against a corrupt faction.

Jacksons force was powerful, but it was architect Martin Van Buren who built the modern-day political party, a Democratic machine that gave Jackson the majority in Congress during his two terms. If Trump wants to maintain his governing majority in the House, he will need to find an architect to guide him and pair him with other tools.

Political activist and Early Vote Action founder Scott Presler might be just that architect. The tool he wants Trump to strike with is early voting, saying that if Republicans dont engage in early and mail-in voting, they will lose everything. A majority of voters now vote prior to Election Day. In 2024, "nearly 60% of voters cast their ballots early or by mail."

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Presler says, "If you are only planning to vote on election day  consider the elections gone. Game over, youve already lost."

Even if Trump is on the ballot and hammers early voting, it still might not be enough to overcome the historical slide the party in power takes during the midterms - especially considering that the fragile faction of political influencers who helped lift Trump to victory in 2024 is now at each others throats.

Republicans can overcome this by rallying congressional candidates together to hit the right-wing podcast circuit with Trump. Podcasting is the next evolution in the presidential bully pulpit. Teddy used the papers, FDR used the radio, Kennedy used television, and Obama and Trump have used social media. Using the long-form podcasting platform will lift candidates national profile while energizing local support, helping them raise donations and energize voters to get to the ballot box.

Right now, the media is talking about the Epstein files, the stagnating economy, and Trumps dismal approval rating, but as fictional ad man Don Draper says, "If you dont like what theyre saying, change the conversation."Trump has proven himself a master atwagging the dogs tail, leading the media wherever he wants, forcing them to cover what he says at his rallies. He should echo the candidates statements and urge Republican voters to show up on Election Day.

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Andrew Jackson was a stubborn man, but he did take the counsel of Martin Van Buren and, by doing so, empowered his agenda against the National Bank and implemented a rotation of office otherwise known as the "spoils system." Like Jackson, Trump can be stubborn and hesitant to share his power. But he must decide who he wants to be. Does he want to be known for winning office in two non-consecutive terms with few achievements to show for it, or does he want to see his economic policy of protectionism and immigration plan fulfilled?

By leaning into his strength of campaigning and bringing in a grassroots architect like Presler, he can secure a majority for Republicans to protect his agenda in the final two years of his term. If he shares the stage and mic with congressional candidates, hammers home early voting, and uses his power to elect other Republicans in 2026, they just might keep their majority in the House.

Otherwise, the blue wave that began in November will continue through 2026.

Jeff Mayhugh is founding editor of Politics and Parenting and vice president at No Cap Fund. Follow him on X @jmayhugh28.
Students returning to Roxborough High School were met with messages of love and inclusion instead of hate after racist and antisemitic graffiti was discovered on the building over the weekend.

Community members gathered to condemn the vandalism, which included swastikas, and to support students following the incident.

David Matthews of Mount Airy said such acts should not still be happening.

"Here we are now, 2026, and we're still experiencing these things. Students shouldn't have to go through this," Matthews said.

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In response to the discovery, Principal Kristin Williams-Smalley invited families and community members to write messages of encouragement, belonging and unity on the sidewalks outside the school to welcome students back.

"Yesterday was a day especially coming back off of a break, but instantly energized when I see their faces," Williams-Smalley said.

She said the goal was to make clear that hate would not define the school community.

"Love wins every single time, and we are here to show everyone, particularly our cubs, which is what we call our students, that we are here and we're going to show up every time for them and hate has no place here," Williams-Smalley said.

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Alumna Sarai Nathaniel, who is now a teacher at a nearby school, stopped by to write messages of her own and said the incident became a teachable moment in her classroom.

"I actually took the opportunity to teach my kids about hate speech and things of that nature and how it can be so close to home," Nathaniel said.

Although the graffiti was removed quickly, Matthews said the impact can linger, drawing on his own experiences growing up.

"Coming up in the 70s in my high school and 80s, I experienced stuff like this. I was in the segregated bus program where I faced these types of statements on a regular basis," he said.

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Both Matthews and Nathaniel said the community response is what helps create change.

"That doesn't overtake the love that we have its more of us than its more than them," Matthews said.

"We just gotta show more love, and once we show more love, we'll eliminate the hate," Nathaniel said.

The district's office of school safety and Philadelphia police are investigating the incident. So far, no suspects have been identified.
[Source]

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy used a speech at AmericaFest in Phoenix on Dec. 20 to condemn rising intolerance within the Republican Party, including ethnic attacks aimed at Indian Americans and Second Lady Usha Vance. The remarks marked one of Ramaswamys strongest rebukes of far-right rhetoric, though his decision to speak out came only after similar language had been directed at him personally months earlier.

Rejecting ancestry-based definitions of American identity

In his speech, the 40-year-old Cincinnati-born son of immigrants from Kerala rejected attempts to define American identity by lineage or genetics, describing the idea of a heritage American as a growing strain within parts of the online right. There is no American who is more American than somebody else, Ramaswamy said.

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He warned that ancestry-based standards would exclude figures across the political spectrum, including elected officials and public servants whose families immigrated to the United States. Ramaswamy framed the issue as a test of whether conservatism would remain rooted in constitutional principles or move toward ethnic gatekeeping.

Trending on NextShark: Chinese father and son deported after weeks-long ICE separation

Calling out attacks on Usha Vance

Ramaswamy drew sustained applause when he addressed slurs aimed at Usha Vance, whose parents immigrated from India. If you call Usha Vance, the second lady of the United States of America, a JEET, you have no place in the future of the conservative movement, he said.

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The remark stood out for its specificity and directness at a conference where leading Republican figures have generally avoided addressing harassment aimed at family members. Vice President JD Vance has not publicly responded to attacks directed at his wife, instead focusing his remarks on party unity and free speech.

Trending on NextShark: ICE detainees hit all-time high

Scrutiny over selective timing

Ramaswamy, an investor and entrepreneur, touched on these themes earlier in a recent New York Times opinion essay that also promoted large-scale national projects, including a proposed moon base, as a way to restore a shared sense of civic purpose. In the essay, he wrote about the ethnic hostility he has faced online and contrasted lineage-based views of American identity with citizenship grounded in constitutional allegiance.

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Its worth noting that Ramaswamys most direct challenge to far-right rhetoric followed months of skepticism from Republican voters and online attacks targeting his Indian heritage and Hindu faith, rather than emerging earlier as similar language circulated more broadly within conservative spaces.

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Mysterious and unusual shaped clouds have been spotted in the skies in north Wales.

The quirky-shaped clouds have been described as looking like flying saucers, pancakes, lentils and have even been previously mistaken for UFOs.

Known as lenticular clouds, they are uncommon in the UK as they can only form under the right weather conditions.

Photos have been shared after they appeared last week, with Anglesey's south-west coast producing some of the most striking views.

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The unique formations are often referred to as pancake clouds as they appear flat and are sometimes stacked together.

Their official name is lenticular clouds, originating from a Latin word meaning "lens-like".

People visiting Traeth Llanddwyn in Newborough were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the sight as they drifted over from the Pen Llyn mountains.

Hikers in Snowdonia and the Llyn Peninsula were taken aback by the clouds as they made a quick appearance only lasting for about 10 minutes.

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Dove Rosalinda often hikes in Snowdonia and said she had seen UFO clouds before.

She described her first time seeing the phenomenon as "special" because they do not last very long.

How are UFO clouds formed?

UFO or lenticular clouds form when stable, moist air travels over mountains and creates standing waves in the atmosphere.

As the air cools, it then condenses into flat clouds, often stacking up like UFOs or pancakes.

Lenticular clouds often signify strong winds on the ground below.

The Met Office said: "When air blows across a mountain range, in certain circumstances, it can set up a train of large standing waves in the air downstream, rather like ripples forming in a river when water flows over an obstruction.

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"If there is enough moisture in the air, the rising motion of the wave will cause water vapour to condense, forming the unique appearance of lenticular clouds."

The Met Office says pilots avoid flying near the lenticular clouds as they can cause turbulence but some experienced glider pilots like them as it is a visual representation of where the air is rising.

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Rep. Jamie Raskin waited longer than some of his fellow Maryland Democrats to weigh in on Americas capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but some points he made in a lengthy statement Sunday seemed to prompt a response from Vice President JD Vance.

The United States conducted a surprise military operation in Venezuelas capital of Caracas early Saturday, which culminated in Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, being whisked out of Miraflores Palace and flown to New York City, where they now sit in a notorious Brooklyn jail. Maduro, 63, has ruled Venezuela with an iron fist since taking over for socialist dictator Hugo Chavez in 2013.

Justification not genuine?

In his statement on the situation, Raskin echoed fellow Democrats calling President Donald Trumps actions unconstitutional because he did not consult Congress about the operation. But he also suggested that the Trump administration using drug trafficking as a justification for removing Maduro from power was not genuine.

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Raskin pointed to Trumps pardon of Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former president of Honduras who was who was sentenced to 45 years in 2024 after a federal jury found him guilty of importing cocaine. Hernandez and his co-conspirators trafficked more than 400 tons of U.S.-bound cocaine through Honduras during his time in government, according to the Department of Justice.

Amazingly, the president wants the people to think his unconstitutional war reflects his concern about illegal drug trafficking just one month after he pardoned the drug-dealing ex-president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, commuting his 45-year sentence after one year Hernandez brought in 400 tons of cocaine to America or 800,000 pounds, saying he was going to stick it up the nostrils of the gringos, Raskin said, quoting Hernandezs use of the Latin American word for predominantly white, non-Spanish speakers.

In a social media post Sunday, Vance said he wanted to address claims that Venezuela has nothing to do with drugs because most of the fentanyl comes from elsewhere. He wrote that while most fentanyl trafficked into the United States comes from Mexico, there is still fentanyl coming from Venezuela (or at least there was).

Vance continued by naming cocaine as the primary substance coming from Venezuela and described the drug trade as a profit center for all of the Latin America cartels. By cutting out the funds of cocaine primarily flowing through Venezuela, the vice president said cartels would be substantially weakened overall.

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If you cut out the money from cocaine (or even reduce it) you substantially weaken the cartels overall, Vance wrote on X. Also, cocaine is bad too!

Vances post did not address Trump pardoning Hernandez after the Honduran leader was convicted of charges similar to those now outlined in a Justice Department indictment against Maduro. The indictment accuses Maduro of using his illegally obtained authority and the institutions he corroded to transport thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States.

I understand the anxiety over the use of military force, but are we just supposed to allow a communist to steal our stuff in our hemisphere and do nothing? Great powers dont act like that, Vance wrote on X, referring to Venezuelas vast oil reserves. Trump said during a news conference Saturday that American oil companies will go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure.

Putin must be celebrating

Raskins statement acknowledged Maduro as a brutal tyrant while suggesting the Trump administrator could take similar military action against other equally brutal dictators all over the world.

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If Trump can invade Venezuelas sovereign boundaries, take over the country and kidnap Maduro on the grounds that he is a vicious dictator, any other country with the will and the way can do the same thing elsewhere, Raskin wrote. Indeed, Vladimir Putin must be celebrating this act of naked imperialism because it gives validation to its own filthy imperialist war on Ukraine. China harbors similar designs perhaps on Taiwan. America should be leading the world in upholding the rules-based international order, not leading the world in trashing it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin does not appear to be celebrating Americas capture of Maduro, as Russias Foreign Ministry said the move causes deep concern and condemnation in a statement Saturday. Maduro and Putin are considered allies, with the Russian leader publicly supporting his Venezuelan counterparts 2024 election victory while most of the world condemned it as rigged.

________
A long-standing belief among drivers is that there's a small buffer built into speed limits. You might have heard the phrase "Nine you're fine, 10 you're mine." This is misleading and has planted misconceptions that going just a little over the speed limit is not a big deal. Not to rain on your parade, but legally, it most definitely is a big deal. Most states deem even the tiniest amount over the designated limit as a violation under what is called an absolute speed limit.

North Carolina is one such state, where even driving at 46 mph in a 45 mph zone can land you in trouble. State troopers have also fined people in Colorado for driving at speeds between 1 and 9 mph over. Under Colorado law, driving just 1 mph too fast is a Class A traffic infraction, punishable by a fine of $30 and a $6 surcharge. Other states take a similar stance. Texas law does not provide any formal grace for speeding, whether it's by 1 mph or 10. Texas and North Carolina also among the states where going 10 over will cost you the most.

Read more: These Are The Worst Traffic Tickets You've Ever Gotten

Why most drivers aren't stopped for minor speeding

Curves on a mountain road in the Smoky Mountains. - Wbritten/Getty Images

So the law is pretty strict and doesn't allow even one toe out of line. But you might be wondering why people are not caught left and right every time they go past the limit. That's because police lack the resources, nor are they required to stop everyone. It's completely at their discretion who they stop and who they don't.

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That isn't to say that the stops are random, though. Conditions dictate when stops occur. You're more likely to get pulled over for going slightly over the limit in school or construction zones, for example. You should also be more careful about going over during extreme weather. Officers have made it clear that just because other drivers are speeding and everyone is simply following the flow of traffic, it doesn't mean an individual driver can't be singled out for a stop.

Real consequences, even at low amounts over the limit

A man in a black suit site behind the wheel looking unhappily at his speeding ticket. - PeopleImages/Shutterstock

No matter how likely you are to be pulled over, once you are, the consequences are the same whether you are speeding by a lot or just 1 mph over. The reason for this, officials say, is public safety. According to a 2023 analysis by the Colorado State Patrol, speeding was the leading cause of fatal and injury crashes, at 23%, which is why fines begin as low as 1 to 4 mph over the limit. And in Chicago, designated safety zones have automatic speed cameras that issue a ticket starting at 6 mph over the limit.

Texas, meanwhile, classifies speeding as a misdemeanor. The fines there increase with how much you were over the limit, ranging from $165 for 1 to 5 mph above the limit to $300 for 30 mph or more over it. Florida also has a similar law, with drivers going 50 or 100 mph over the limit deemed "super speeders" and facing mandatory court, fines of $1,000 to $2,500, and possible jail time. This man found that out the hard way, just two minutes after the law began being enforced.

There can also be insurance consequences for your speeding ticket. Even a first offense can affect premiums. And while some drivers may avoid increases after an initial ticket, repeated violations often lead to higher rates.

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Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Milwaukee's real estate market likely ended 2025 in much the same place as 2024, real estate analysts say.

A report from the Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors released in December estimated that total home sales in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties will remain flat from 2024.

In Milwaukee County, home sales were down 9.2% in November 2025 compared to November 2024, according to the report.

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Still, year-to-date home prices in the four-county Milwaukee metropolitan area rose 7.7% to an average of just over $431,000, the report says.

Here are a few of the oldest homes recently sold in Milwaukee, according to Milwaukee Metropolitan Multiple Listing Services data:

1913 Milwaukee bungalow sells for $365,000

A 113-year-old bungalow on South Wentworth Avenue in Milwaukee sold for $365,000 on Dec. 22.

The 1,500-square-foot home has four bedrooms and two bathrooms, according to the listing from Tom Horigan with Realty Experts, and it sits on a 0.11-acre lot.

The home features hardwood floors, a built-in buffet and leaded glass windows but updated home and garage roofs, according to the listing. It also has an enclosed front porch.

19th-century Bay View home sells for $295,000

A 1,250-square-foot Milwaukee home built in 1890 sold for $295,000 on Dec. 22.

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The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is located on East Euclid Avenue in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood, according to the listing from Alexis Ruzell with Coldwell Banker Realty. It sits on a 3,050-square-foot lot.

The home features wood flooring and a second-story bedroom leading to an elevated porch, according to the listing.

Another century-old bungalow sells for $475,000

A bungalow on North 39th Street in Milwaukee's Roosevelt Grove neighborhood sold for $475,000 on Dec. 23.

The home was built in 1922 on a 0.96-acre lot with four bedrooms and two bathrooms, according to the listing from Kendrick Taylor with Keller Williams Realty. It spans 2,250 square feet.

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The home features a modern kitchen with quartz countertops and a dry bar in the living room, according to the listing. It also includes a finished lower level.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Two Bay View homes more than 100 years old were recently sold
Its a Red alert in the Big Apple.

Some 56% of city voters support Mayor Zohran Mamdanis brand of democratic socialism while 39% are opposed to the freebie-filled, pie-in-the-sky to-do list, according to a new poll obtained by The Post.

But voters are split on whether Mamdanis views are extreme or represent the mainstream of Democratic voters in the city, according to the new 5 Borough Barometer poll conducted by the Honan Strategy Group.

A new poll found that 56% of New York City voters support Mayor Zohran Mamdanis brand of democratic socialism. Micheal Nagle for NY Post

Some 45% of respondents said the policies are mainstream, while 47% said they were far outside the mainstream, the survey of 848 voters claimed.

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The results show further left migration of Democratic politics and policies in New York City. Its a remarkable finding, said Bradley Honan, Honans CEO and president.

Honan said Mamdanis proposed agenda  which includes taxpayer-financed child care and bus service  has made democratic socialism more popular.

Mamdani is a great messenger. Hes rebranding democratic socialism to make it more appealing to people, he said.

The poll also showed 42% of voters believe the city Democratic Party is moving too far left, while 38% believe its moving in the right direction. Another 10% said the city is not going far enough to the left.

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While the ground in the Big Apple has shifted to the left, Mamdani hasnt closed the deal.

But voters still doubt whether Mamdanis agenda is too expensive or ambitious to ever get done  as Hizzoner needs to generate an estimated $9 billion through tax hikes on corporations and wealthy residents to follow through on campaign promises.

Voters, for example, are concerned whether the city can afford Mamdanis big spending agenda if the federal government slashes funding to Gotham.

Some people say New York Citys finances are sound and the city can manage federal budget cuts while still investing in Mayor Mamdanis agenda, voters were told. Others say the city is already stretched thin and cannot afford new spending if Washington reduces aid. Which comes closer to your view?

A Mamdani supporter wears a Democratic Socialists of America hat at his inauguration ceremony on Jan. 1, 2025. Paul Martinka

A crowd of cheering supporters at Mamdanis inauguration at City Hall. Michael Nagle

In response, 44% of voters say the city is already stretched thin and cannot afford new spending if Washington cuts aid.

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Only 32% of respondents say the citys finances are sound and can manage federal budget cuts while still investing in Mamdanis agenda.

Another 15% of voters answered both equally while 9% had no opinion, the poll found.

Similarly, voters were asked if Mamdanis plans were fiscally sustainable: 44% say they risk future budget deficits, 27% say theyre financially sustainable and 20% said its a mix of both.

The 5 Borough Barometer Poll surveyed 848 voters via phone text from Dec. 4-12. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.36 percentage points.
A reggae sound system event is set to take place to raise funds for people still affected by Hurricane Melissa.

The category five storm hit Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba at the end of October, destroying buildings and power lines, flooding communities and leaving people without food or water.

Norwich Jamaica Aid said the event, on Friday at Space Studios in the city, would feature a range of reggae sound systems and selectors.

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Finbarr Carter, student enterprise officer at the University of East Anglia (UEA), said: "We've been overwhelmed by DJs and sound systems from across the region who all want to give back to the island they love  an island that has given them so much."

Finbarr Carter said the event was hoping to raise "vital funds" [Edd Smith/BBC]

Norwich Jamaica Aid is a coalition including Rebel Lion Sound System, UEA Students' Union, the university's African and Caribbean Society and other partners.

The group has sent emergency goods to Jamaica, including non-perishable food, medical supplies, and toiletries.

Mr Carter, also of Rebel Lion Sound System, said: "We want to bring people together through their shared love of reggae music and the place where it all originates, to raise vital funds."

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One of the event's volunteers, who asked to remain anonymous, said she had family in Jamaica and wanted to help them and others affected

"We need families here to step up and get stuff out there," she said.

The event is set to run from 20:00 GMT until 03:00, with a line-up to include Ashanti Yard, Apex HiFi, Foundation Sound and Free King Sound.

Tickets are priced on a sliding scale, allowing people to pay what they can afford, with all proceeds going to Norwich Jamaica Aid.

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Elon Musk's AI tool Grok faced growing international backlash Monday for generating sexualized deepfakes of women and minors, with the European Union joining the condemnation and Britain warning of an investigation.

Complaints of abuse flooded the internet after the recent rollout of an "edit image" button on Grok, which enabled users to alter online images with prompts such as "put her in a bikini" or "remove her clothes."

The digital undressing spree, which follows growing concerns among tech campaigners over proliferating AI "nudify" apps, prompted swift probes or calls for remedial action from countries including France, India and Malaysia.

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The European Commission, which acts as the EU's digital watchdog, joined the chorus on Monday, saying it was "very seriously looking" into the complaints about Grok, developed by Musk's startup xAI and integrated into his social media platform X.

"Grok is now offering a 'spicy mode' showing explicit sexual content with some output generated with childlike images. This is not spicy. This is illegal. This is appalling," said EU digital affairs spokesman Thomas Regnier.

"This has no place in Europe."

The UK's media regulator Ofcom said it had made "urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK."

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Depending on the reply, Ofcom will then "determine whether there are potential compliance issues that warrant investigation."

- 'Horrifying' -

Malaysia-based lawyer Azira Aziz expressed horror after a user -- apparently in the Philippines -- prompted Grok to change her "profile picture to a bikini."

"Innocent and playful use of AI like putting on sunglasses on public figures is fine," Aziz told AFP.

"But gender-based violence weaponizing AI against non-consenting women and children must be firmly opposed," she added, calling on users to report violations to X and Malaysian authorities.

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Other X users directly implored Musk to take action against apparent pedophiles "asking grok to put bikinis on children."

"Grok is now undressing photos of me as a child," Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of Musk's children, wrote on X.

"This is objectively horrifying, illegal."

When reached by AFP for comment, xAI replied with a terse, automated response: "Legacy Media Lies."

Amid the online firestorm, Grok sought to assure users on Friday that it was scrambling to fix flaws in the tool.

"We've identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing them," Grok said on X.

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"CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) is illegal and prohibited."

Separately last week, Grok posted an apology for generating and sharing "an AI image of two young girls (estimated ages 12-16) in sexualized attire based on a user's prompt."

- 'Grossly offensive' -

The flurry of reactions came after the public prosecutor's office in Paris last week expanded an investigation into X to include new accusations that Grok was being used for generating and disseminating child pornography.

The initial investigation against X was opened in July following reports that the platform's algorithm was being manipulated for the purpose of foreign interference.

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On Friday, Indian authorities directed X to remove the sexualized content, clamp down on offending users, and submit an "Action Taken Report" within 72 hours, or face legal consequences, local media reported.

The deadline lapsed on Monday, but so far there was no update on whether X responded.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission also voiced "serious concern" at the weekend over public complaints about the "indecent, grossly offensive" content across X.

It added it was investigating the violations and will summon X's representatives.

The criticism adds to growing scrutiny of Grok, which has faced criticism for churning out misinformation about recent crises such as the war in Gaza, the India-Pakistan conflict, as well a deadly shooting in Australia.

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Chrystia Freeland and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Composite: Getty Images  Composite: Getty Images

Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has named Canadas former finance minister Chrystia Freeland as an adviser on economic development, a move he says will help strengthen the internal resilience of the war-torn nation.

Chrystia is highly skilled in these matters and has extensive experience in attracting investment and implementing economic transformations, he wrote on social media. Right now, Ukraine needs to strengthen its internal resilience  both for the sake of Ukraines recovery if diplomacy delivers results as swiftly as possible, and to reinforce our defence if, because of delays by our partners, it takes longer to bring this war to an end.

The move comes amid a major government shake-up in Kyiv, as Zelenskyy replaces several key figures. The Ukrainian president appointed the popular head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, as his new chief of staff last week, after Andriy Yermak, formerly his closest confidant, was forced to resign in late November. On Monday, Vasyl Maliuk, the powerful head of the SBU security service, resigned under pressure from Zelenskyy, meaning a change of leadership in all three of Ukraines intelligence services.

Related: Zelenskyy sacks Ukrainian spy chief who led daring raids against Russia

Zelenskyy has also appointed a number of new advisers, including Freeland, who speaks Ukrainian and has deep ancestral ties to the country. Freeland has long advocated for Ukraine to realize its economic potential, which she said has gone unrealized in part because of its historic ties to Russia.

Her appointment to the new role comes as western leaders, including Canadas prime minister, Mark Carney, convene in Paris to discuss ways to end the four-year war, which began when Russia invaded in February 2022.

Our country has two paths. The first path is peaceful, diplomatic, and it is a priority for us today. We want to end the war. At some point, if Russia blocks it and the partners do not force Russia to stop the war, there will be another path  to defend ourselves, Zelenskyy told reporters on Saturday. And at this point, fresh forces will be needed. I will go through a parallel reboot of all structures  just in case.

Freeland, a former journalist, previously served in prominent cabinet roles under prime minister Justin Trudeau, including as both finance minister and deputy prime minister. But she also publicly sparred with Trudeau on economic matters, resigning from the cabinet in December 2024  a decision that led to Trudeaus eventual resignation.

Freeland became minister of transport and internal trade minister under Carney but resigned in September after he named her Canadas special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine  a newly created role for which he said she was truly uniquely positioned, given her deep relationships and understanding of Ukraine.
Georgia Rep. Mike Collins chief of staff Brandon Phillips is under investigation after being accused of hiring a woman he was in a romantic relationship with as an intern.

A report from the Office of Congressional Conduct alleges that Phillips hired his girlfriend in 2023, but that she never actually did any work for the office.

The report says Caroline Craze was paid $5,044 for her role as a District Office Paid Intern in November and December 2023. She was also paid $5,244.44 for the same role between October and December 2024.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

But several witnesses reported that Craze had never been employed in the district office nor was she ever present in the office.

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I am unsure what role she had, one witness told the OCC. To my knowledge, she is not a student in any program which would be aligned for rules for an intern.

Investigators say they were also made aware of concerns that Phillips was misusing office funds for personal expenses.

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The Board says they found substantial reason to believe that Mr. Phillips used congressional resources for unofficial or otherwise unauthorized purposes as well as [discriminating] unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges by participating in the retention of an employee with whom Mr. Phillips had a personal relationship.

They recommended that the House Ethics Committee review their findings, including issuing subpoenas to Collins, Phillips, Craze and others.

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Demonstrators repeatedly ask agents how they sleep at night during a federal raid at Bro-Tex, a paper distributor St. Paul Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

The Trump administration is sending another 2,000 agents and officers of Immigration and Customs Enforcements deportation branch and Homeland Security Investigations, according to a CBS News report.

The deployment, which is said to have begun Sunday, would make Minnesota and specifically Minneapolis the focal point of President Donald Trumps nationwide effort to deport millions of immigrants. The CBS report quotes an unnamed former law enforcement official who notes that the number of HSI agents being sent to Minneapolis is roughly equivalent to the entire HSI workforce assigned to the state of Arizona   underscoring the administrations intense emphasis.

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Protestors squared off with federal officers  and sometimes local police  at raids in Minneapolis and St. Paul in 2025. Law enforcement officers have used crowd dispersal tactics like pepper spray, tear gas, rubber bullets and sound cannons.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota and three Minnesota-based law firms recently sued federal immigration authorities, alleging that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and their leaders are routinely violating the constitutional rights of the people protesting their actions.

The six named plaintiffs were all observing ICE as the agency ramped up raids in Minnesota, especially in the states large Somali community, as part of a targeted operation ordered by the Trump administration.

Both Minneapolis and St. Paul are sanctuary cities, meaning their local police do not question residents immigration status or enforce immigration law, which is a federal responsibility. But both police departments have helped immigration authorities control the large crowds of protesters that have convened outside of raids.

Trump late last year directed immigration authorities to reexamine the green cards  granted to people with legal permanent residency  of people from countries of concern, including Somalia.
One person has been taken into custody following an incident at the private residence of US Vice President JD Vance in Cincinnati, US media reported on Monday.

Police are investigating the disturbance, which occurred during the night and apparently resulted in several windows being broken, local broadcaster WCPO reported from the Vance estate in the state of Ohio.

Both police and US Secret Service agents searched the area around the house, the ABC Network affiliate reported, citing officers at the scene.

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The US Secret Service is responsible for protecting high-ranking politicians and ensures the safety of elected officials.

The agency informed the police shortly after midnight (0500 GMT) that someone was running away from the property "toward the east," a police spokesman told FOX19. The police then apprehended the suspect.

It is unclear whether Vance or his family were at home at the time.

At the end of December, the city of Cincinnati announced that it would close the access roads to the vice president's residence from December 29 to January 4.

Other residents could still access their homes but would have to pass through several security checkpoints. According to WCPO, the restrictions were lifted on Monday morning.
Residents in 26 U.S. states are now able to get their hands on a chunk of a huge $87.5 million settlement reached with some of the countrys biggest beef processors.

The mammoth settlement was reached after a group of consumers filed a lawsuit against Tyson Foods, Cargill, National Beef, and JBS, alleging they had formed a secret pact to increase their margins.

According to Overchargedforbeef.com, the website established for the settlement, three important conditions determine whether you qualify for a portion of the settlement, which was agreed to only by Tyson Foods and Cargill.

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First, the beef products need to have been purchased from a grocery store or supermarket, not directly from the producer. Second, they must have been purchased for personal consumption on or after August 1, 2014, and on or before December 31, 2019.

Finally, the chunk, loin, rib, or round primal cuts, which could have been purchased fresh or frozen, needed to be purchased in one of 26 U.S. states.

Shoppers could be entitled to a chunk of a $87.5 million settlement agreed by some of the biggest beef producers in the US (AFP via Getty Images)

The lengthy list of states includes Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York and North Carolina.

Meat bought in North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin is also eligible for the deal.

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However, premium beef cuts, including organic, grass-fed, Wagyu, and USDA Prime, are not included. Ground beef is also excluded from the deal, along with pre-cooked, marinated or seasoned cuts.

Neither of the two meat producers who agreed to the settlement has admitted to any wrongdoing. Tyson Foods contributed $55 million to the settlement fund, with Cargill contributing the remaining $32.5 million.

None of the major companies who agreed to the settlement have been found to have committed any wrongdoing (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

According to the website dedicated to the antitrust class action lawsuit, the companies had allegedly entered into a market allocation agreement" which allowed them to stop competing against each other for market share.

The alleged purpose and effect of this agreement was to increase their margins and increase the price consumers paid for beef, according to the lawsuit website.

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Consumers have until June 30, 2026, to claim their share of the settlement if eligible. However, doing so comes with the caveat that they waive their right to sue either Cargill or Tyson Foods.

Opting out of the settlement allows consumers to maintain their right to sue the companies, but doing nothing also waives their right to sue either Tyson Foods or Cargill.

The final payout amount has not yet been confirmed, as it will depend on the total number of approved claims and the amount of beef purchased during the 2014-2019 period.

The form required to submit the claim is available on the Overchargedforbeef website.

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The other companies named in the lawsuit have not agreed to be part of the settlement and remain part of the ongoing litigation.

The Independent has contacted Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS, and National Beef for comment.
Sue Mack said she came across an article while packing up her office from when she first ran for district judge in Erie's 1st Ward.

In the article, she said, her goals if elected were to be a judge people in her district were proud of, to help develop a juvenile diversion program, and to address code enforcement issues.

"I think I met all the criteria," Mack said Jan. 31 as she prepared to head off into retirement.

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Mack, a lifelong resident of the 1st Ward, has wrapped up a 24 1/2-year career as district judge. She served four six-year terms after first being appointed in June 2001, after winning both party nominations in the 2001 primary, to fill a seat that had been vacant for some time.

Christine Rush succeeds Mack as the ward's district judge after earning the Democratic nomination in the May 2025 primary and running unopposed in the general election.

Erie 1st Ward District Judge Sue Mack highlights the relationships she has formed and the work done to aid juveniles and others has she wraps up more than 24 years in the minor courts.

Building connections and representing Erie

Mack came to the local courts  with a dieffenbachia plant that she continued to grow, propagate and share from her office over the entirety of her career  from Serenity Hall-Crossroads, a treatment facility for adults, where she served 10 years as executive director.

Among the accomplishments Mack is most proud of as district judge is her involvement in a juvenile diversion program that she believes diverted over 1,000 youth from the criminal justice system, and a diversion program for those which chemical dependency issues that provides help and assistance rather than costs and fines.

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"One of my proudest moments is when someone left me their card. The person became a recovery specialist, and said you may not remember me, but if our paths hadn't crossed I wouldn't be here today," Mack said.

Mack also highlighted her involvement in the Home Chore Program, where the Bayfront East Side Taskforce, city code enforcement, Erie County Adult Probation and others helped property owners with code enforcement issues by providing volunteers to address some of their needs. The program also provided dumpsters twice a year for residents in the ward to drop off large items before the city started its large item collection program, she said.

One way of serving youth that Mack said she didn't anticipate being as significant as it was when she first became district judge was truancy. When she first started, there were six schools in her ward, Mack said, "and I found out really quickly truancy was going to be a big issue."

She said she began working early on with local providers to match parents and students with the services they needed so the students would attend school. That has grown to what Mack said is now the most comprehensive approach she has seen to truancy, as so many agencies and organizations are working together to address school attendance.

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Mack said she became involved in a wide variety of community service organizations while a district judge, noting that at one time she sat on 17 advisory boards and committees. She also served Erie County on a statewide level as president in 2016-2017 of the Special Court Judges Association of Pennsylvania,

Now that she is retired, Mack said she is looking forward to spending more time with her three grandchildren, who live nearby.

She'll miss the people the most, Mack said, including a competent and dedicated office staff she said she was blessed to have.

"Feeling good that you actually made a difference," she said. "I've made some lifelong friends, other district judges, people I've encountered over time."

Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie 1st Ward District Judge Sue Mack retires
FALL RIVER  At the Dec. 8 School Committee meeting, school administrators responded to a 74-page organizational review of the Fall River Public School district that claims the school systems stumbles have resulted in clumsy departmental coordination, but say that many of the reports recommendations have already been implemented.

Superintendent Tracy Curley said, The purpose of the review was really to modernize foundational systems to support every school, every department in the district.

She added that specific goals of the study sought to modernize operational functions while reducing delay or a duplication of resources and efforts.

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We know that the district has grown in size and complexity over time, Curley said, and there are certainly more compliance expectations than ever before, but our systems generally havent kept pace.  If we experience inconsistencies across departments, it really puts us at risk.

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Fall River Public Schools Superintendent Tracy Curley speaks at a School Committee meeting June 9, 2025.

Review findings: Strong effort. Inconsistent systems.

Curley spoke to strong effort on behalf of employees district-wide capsized by inconsistent systems, leading to gaps in interdepartmental communication, professional development, standard hiring practices, or manual-based practices where technology solutions are underutilized.

The comprehensive March 2025 study was published in November 2025 by the Edward J. Collins, Jr Center for Public Management, a consulting agency that specializes in auditing state and local government under University of Massachusetts Boston. It reviewed administrative management protocols, conducted interviews with administrators, and surveyed staff while analyzing processes, procedures, goals and strategic planning.

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The report offered 27 findings with 35 recommendations that address several impactful inconsistences in practice and process in three major categories: Human Resources, facilities management, and general administration.

Controversy: Fall River school committee member Aguiar responds to 'misinformation'

At the meeting, Director of Human Resources Brian Lally and Chief Operating Officer Ken Pacheco took to the podium to speak to the phased approach currently being implemented to enact change in a district historically riddled with inefficiencies and barriers to interdepartmental communication and long-term planning.

To Curley, quarterly insights in the new year will help the districts internal monitoring of its progress when facing next steps.

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There could be some budget impacts in terms of the next fiscal year, she said.

The Fall River School Department administration building is on Walnut Street.

Human Resources already seeing improvements

In answer to the report that found critical HR-related functions requiring more attention, with plenty of areas that Lally said could use improvements since hes taken the helm of the HR department in July 2024, many of the recommendations for interdepartmental operations have already been identified.

The standardization of applicant data and tracking, the implementation of a flowchart, and the uptake of technology to quicken communication and common procedures has increased efficiency and has helped to facilitate norms that will take hold this year.

Hiring an HR coordinator in March 2024, said Lally, has aided employee evaluation tracking and digitized licensure records. The creation of an HR email and a whom to call list has increased connectivity with FRPS families and with district administration.

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We had to do a lot of data cleanup over the summer, Lally said, mentioning the herculean task of digitizing employee records and evaluations, efforts that will eventually replace physical filing cabinets.

A second phase, Lally said, will target structural improvements.

Streamlining communication between staff and tracking open investigations are areas of opportunity following the district into 2026. Hiring practices and interviews could follow a more standardized protocol, Lally said.

The HR department will continue to review and revise our processes and protocols.

Fall River Public Schools chief operating officer Ken Pacheco at a test pit being dug behind Durfee High School in this 2017 file photo.

Facilities chief says staff needs more training

Gaps in consistent facilities employee management, the review concluded, are likely the cause of varied decision-making and reduced efficiency when it comes to departments headed by chief operating officer Ken Pacheco.

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In defense of a vast department of 398 employees staffing numerous roles across 18 district buildings, Pacheco repeated sentiments from those who held the position before him, saying, the work is hard, and the department is a bear to manage.

The job is daunting, he said.

While findings indicate school transportation is understaffed, the work order system for completing upgrades or repairs was found to be underutilized, which Pacheco said was true, calling the functionality of technical systems used for managing work orders and other data clunky.

Pacheco said his staff and frontline employees requires training, especially in the line with digital software that could expedite operations management. A streamlined manual for facilities maintenance and operations is a spark of opportunity that could act as a guiding document for the department, Pacheco said.

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Were not as good as we need to be, and were doing everything we can, said Pacheco, when it comes to procurement practices. As of the December meeting, Pacheco said between 10 and 15 projects are ready to go up to bid. Its hurt us in our ability to move quickly on projects, Pacheco said, and with advising from the citys purchasing agent, Pacheco was confident all that work is helping us out.

Like the districts HR department, the facilities maintenance sector could benefit from more uniform style of interviews and collaboration with senior staff members.

Pacheco told board members that the district was planning to enter into one-year contracts with fire suppression and burglar alarm companies, though multi-year contracts have represented savings for the district, he said.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River school dept. responds to operations review
A Blue Ribbon Commission formed by the Rhode Island Foundation wants to significantly change the formula for state aid to local school districts. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)

Boosting Rhode Islands share of funding to K-12 public schools could relieve some pressure on municipal property taxes, according to a commission calling for an overhaul of the state allocation to local school districts.

The group convened by the Rhode Island Foundation found the state only covers about 38% of K-12 education spending, an amount Foundation CEO and President David Cicilline called really low when compared to other states.

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If we dont get this right and ensure that every student in Rhode Island has access to a high-quality public education to prepare them for a pathway into either higher education or a career, the future of our state is really in jeopardy, said Cicilline, a former U.S. representative and Providence mayor at a December press briefing ahead of the reports release.

The foundations Blue Ribbon Commission released recommendations in a report Monday, proposing that the state redo what constitutes full funding for municipal school districts, by incorporating costs such as transportation and teacher pensions into the states funding model. In addition, towns and cities would also have a clearer idea of their own fiscal obligations to their schools.

I think most states are moving towards a system where the state assumes greater responsibility, Cicilline said, partially because poorer communities often have a harder time generating the revenue needed to effectively fund their schools.

The commission suggested that a 58% state share would result in an increase of about $600 million a year in education spending.

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Under the proposed changes, the total foundation cost of K-12 education, as the commission labels it, would be about $2.9 billion. State spending would rise from roughly $1.57 billion to $2.16 billion and the municipal share would fall from about $1.5 billion to $1.2 billion.

David Cicilline, CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, speaks with Melissa Cherney, CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, at a press event on Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)

The 63-page report is the product of the Blue Ribbon Commission, which was established in December 2024 and co-chaired by Cicilline and Nora E. Gordon, a Georgetown University professor of public policy. The commissions members included superintendents, union leaders, advocates, charter and public school officials, plus a youth working group of Rhode Island students. Brown Universitys Annenberg Institute served as research partner and facilitator and prepared the final report.

The commissions four big recommendations are meant to work in tandem and would need to be pursued as a complete set of reforms, rather than a piecemeal approach.

Edit the funding formula so that the state covers a much wider range of K-12 costs, rather than focusing too much on instructional costs.

Tweak the formulas weights to determine how different students needs are served, such as students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and students with economic disadvantages.

Require municipalities to have a minimum local contribution to their schools , based on the town or citys property wealth, rather than the current suggested share.

More requirements for transparency in local school finances. The report notes: Dollars come to districts regardless of how the district has spent past dollars, what student outcomes it is achieving with those dollars, or how transparent they are about the use of funds.

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What is occurring right now is that we have some students in the state of Rhode Island with a full bucket who are fully funded, and we have some students who are not, said Brenda Santos, Annenberg Institute director of Rhode Island research partnerships and networks.

The commission also sketched an alternative wherein the state would maintain its approximate 38% share of local education funding, while still retooling the formula itself. In this scheme, municipalities would pay about $300 million more if all districts were to be fully funded.

Cicilline said lawmakers could write the new formula into law without immediately increasing the states overall K-12 spending. The state could phase in a higher share over several years, he suggested, as the budget allows.

An aging formula for state aid

The states current funding formula was first crafted by lawmakers in 2010 and instituted the following school year. As a recent legislative summary phrases it, The core principle behind the formula is that state funding should follow the student; therefore, the distribution of state funds changes annually based on shifts in enrollment.

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In the commissions view, however, not enough money follows students. The present formulas core instructional amount provides municipal funding largely for teacher salaries and direct classroom costs. So that core amount, Santos and Cicilline told reporters at the December briefing, often ends up inadequate.

Santos offered the example of in-district transportation costs as something that shocked the youth working group, who were flabbergasted that the state does not subsidize busing for public school students.

You cannot educate a child thats not in the building,  Santos said.

The commission also took mathematical umbrage with how the current formula combines child poverty rates and property assessment values in its calculations. It noted Rhode Island is the only state to crunch the numbers in this specific way, can lead to uneven funding in places where high property values coexist alongside high child poverty.

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The commission suggests relying solely on the property tax base to reflect a more accurate minimum contribution. The reports third recommendation  to mandate a local minimum share of education funding  is meant to curb towns and cities whose local contributions have stagnated even as state aid and property values have increased.

You cannot educate a child thats not in the building.

 Brenda Santos, Annenberg Institute director of Rhode Island research partnerships and networks

Santos said the revised calculation is a way to ensure every single city in town is paying the same rate under this proposed system.

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So no one is a winner, no one is a loser, Santos said. There are no advantages for any district or any city or town like there are under the current system.

She gave the example of Portsmouth, which currently gets about $3 million in state formula aid that would disappear under the new model. But the new model would also provide about $5 million for costs Portsmouth is paying locally, so the town would be about $2 million better off overall.

Pensions past and future

Pursuing either the 58% or 38% funding scenario would funnel state money in the following ways:

In-district transportation, school safety, career and technical education (CTE) costs, building maintenance, and early childhood screening are not included in the current funding formula and are kept afloat by municipal expenditures. The Commission recommends the state contribute to these costs.

The state already splits with municipalities the payments for out-of-district transportation, certain special education expenses, and the pensions of teachers who are already retired. The commission recommends that the state absorb these costs in full.

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Right now, both current and retired teacher pensions sit outside the formula and are split 40/60 between state and local funds. The commission thinks that the future pensions of current teachers should be absorbed into the core funding amount like any salary cost, while the state should shoulder alone the pension liability for already retired teachers, a cost completely unassociated with current students who are in school, Santos said.

The pension ask would eventually subside on the retiree side. In recent and upcoming fiscal years, the state has paid over $400 million for retired teachers pensions, but Santos said that state actuaries calculate that by 2036, the liability will fall sharply because of how the current benefit plan is structured.

A school bus on Broadway in Providence in February 2025. In-district transportation costs are a major contributor to local school budgets, something the Rhode Island Foundations Blue Ribbon Commission would like to change with a new education funding formula for Rhode Island. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)

State officials and legislative leaders were briefed on the commissions report ahead of its release, and its recommendations are likely to become a topic of discussion at the State House when the legislative session begins anew in January.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi said over a recent email that state representatives look forward to carefully reviewing the report during our upcoming legislative session.

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A strong educational system is essential in making sure our students are well prepared for the rapidly-changing 21st century economy and is a critical component of our states future prosperity, Shekarchi said.

Senate President Valarie Lawson, also who serves as the president of the teachers union the National Education Association Rhode Island, is still reviewing the final document, according to spokesperson Greg Pare.

Pare said the commission raises important issues the Senate will soon explore this legislative session, and he added that the entire Senate is scheduled to receive a presentation on the report from the Foundation on Jan. 15.

Gov. Dan McKee said in a an email that his administration will carefully review their recommendations as we work with education leaders, the General Assembly, and communities to ensure our funding system is fair, transparent, and aligned with student success.

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What are the chances a shard of space junk hits an airplane? They're low, but not low enough. | Credit: MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images

Space debris is a growing problem, and not just in Earth orbit.

Once a week, on average, a spacecraft (or part of one) falls back into Earth's atmosphere ; most of these objects are empty rocket stages, but some are dead satellites whose low orbits finally decayed enough for them to slip into the atmosphere. They're basically like human-made meteors, but most of them don't survive long. This is because of the heat and shredding force that come with high-speed collisions with the air. However, some bits of debris from the objects can exist long enough to plummet through the sky, ranging from dust-mote-sized particles to whole propellant tanks. And this can be a big problem.

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There's a risk one of those stray pieces can hit a passing aircraft  that risk is small, but it's growing enough that experts are now trying to figure out how to reduce it.

We've been lucky so far

Even in space, what goes up sometimes comes back down: spent rocket stages, defunct satellites and other bits of space debris are falling back into Earth's atmosphere with increasing regularity. And as satellite constellations and general spacecraft operations continue to become more common, the risk of deorbiting space debris will only go up.

There's a 26% chance that sometime in the coming year, space debris will fall through some of the world's busiest airspace during an uncontrolled re-entry, according to a paper published early in 2025 by researchers at the University of British Columbia. The odds of that debris actually striking an aircraft (or vice versa) are small but measurable: By 2030, the chances of any given commercial flight hitting a piece of falling space debris could be around 1 in 1,000, according to a 2020 study .

Those odds don't sound terribly daunting if you're the gambling type, but given the number of planes crisscrossing the friendly skies at any given moment, that's a lot of rolls of the dice. And it's a high-stakes gamble; risk includes not just the likelihood of an event, but the potential outcome (hundreds of people dead, in this case of that 2020 study). That's partly because commercial aircraft carry so many passengers, but it's also because it takes a much smaller bit of debris to cause a catastrophe in the air than on the ground, especially where jet engines are concerned.

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"Aircraft can be affected by much smaller pieces of debris. For example, airplanes flying through the ash of a volcano is risky because of the small particles," European Space Agency space debris system engineer Benjamin Virgili Bastida told Space.com. "Kind of a similar thing could happen with re-entering debris." Virgili Bastida and his colleagues recently published a paper in the Journal of Space Safety Engineering outlining the challenges of deciding when and where to close airspace for falling space debris.

Lessons learned from Long March

One of the best known incidents of space debris affecting air traffic happened in November 2022, when the core stage of a Chinese Long March 5B rocket re-entered Earth's atmosphere. It was the fourth time a Long March 5B had made an uncontrolled re-entry, and this time its ground track passed over Spain, prompting a flurry of airspace closures.

The Long March rocket was an unusual problem even by space debris standards; the roughly 20-ton core stage was much, much more massive than most spacecraft and rocket parts that drop back into the atmosphere (and China is no longer using that version of the rocket now that the final modules of its Tiangong space station are in orbit). China's space agency also wasn't very forthcoming about the rocket's track or the fact that it was going to re-enter the atmosphere at all. But despite being an anomaly, the Long March incident is also a good illustration of both the potential danger and the need for more specific warnings, rather than broad ones.

Despite a few other close calls and airspace closures in recent years  like a SpaceX spacecraft that re-entered over European airspace in the summer of 2025, prompting airspace closures  we've been lucky so far. But maintaining that streak, without causing air-traffic gridlock by closing too much airspace for too little reason, is going to require a lot of work on multiple fronts.

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"What we are trying to investigate in the studies we are running is to see what is really the threshold for risk for an aircraft," said Virgili Bastida. "At what risk should we react?"

Other pieces of the puzzle include limiting the amount of debris that even makes it to the altitudes where most planes fly (around 30,000 to 40,000 feet or 9,144 to 12,192 meters), more accurately predicting where and when spacecraft will re-enter, and coordinating between space agencies and air traffic controllers to make the decision-making progress less clunky. And none of that is as easy as it sounds.

Really wide margins of error

It's still surprisingly hard to predict exactly where and when an uncontrolled satellite is going to fall into the atmosphere. Even during a doomed spacecraft's final orbit or two, the margin of error allows for several hours, which translates into thousands of miles of distance due to the speed most re-entering satellites move. The huge uncertainty presents air traffic controllers with a difficult choice: take no action and risk lives (even if the chances are small), or close a huge swath of airspace, which will inevitably cost millions of dollars and create air traffic delays that take hours to unsnarl.

For example, the 2022 Long March 5B airspace closure in Spain delayed, canceled, or rerouted more than 300 flights; Enaire (the Spanish equivalent of the FAA), shut down a strip of airspace about 62 miles (100 kilometers) on either side of the rocket stage's path for about 40 minutes. But the debris only spent about five minutes of that time in the affected airspace, according to Virgili Bastida.

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"There's a desire to be more specific and make those windows and closures as narrow and constrained as safety allows," space and aviation analyst Ian Christensen, senior director for private sector programs at the Secure World Foundation, told Space.com. Christensen added that both the FAA and the International Civil Aviation Organization are already working with the space launch industry  companies like SpaceX, ULA and Blue Origin , among others  to develop narrower, more specific airspace closures for rocket launches. Those efforts are likely to apply to dealing with the other end of spaceflight, returning debris, as well.

To get there, space agencies and air traffic controllers need two key types of information. First, when and where will the spacecraft hit the atmosphere? How much of it will survive intact down to 40,000 feet? Exactly what part of the sky will that debris be falling through (and when)?

Second, how big a threat is that debris to a passing aircraft? That answer depends on the size, speed and features of the aircraft, and researchers are in the process of working out models that can offer more specific answers. It will then be up to space agencies and air traffic controllers, working together, to decide when the risk is high enough to close a patch of sky  and for how long.

"If we react at every risk, half of the world will be impacted every now and then, so it's not feasible," said Virgili Bastida. "Do we react for everything which has a chance to reach the ground? Or do we react only for the very large objects, as we did for the Long March?"

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Agencies in charge of aviation and air traffic control in individual countries (like the FAA in the U.S. and the Civil Aviation Administration of China in China) will eventually have to define how much risk requires them to close airspace for falling space debris. That could include factors like the likely size of the pieces and the chances of an impact, so a standard might look something like, "If there's a 1 in 3,720 chance of particulate matter getting sucked into a jet engine, we should close the airspace." (Those numbers are just for illustration.)

Better predictions need more data

The margin of error is so large, in part, because we don't really know much about the detailed physics of the upper edge of the atmosphere, between 62 and 124 miles (100 and 200 kilometers) up. The term "upper edge" is misleading, in fact, because the transition from vacuum to air is more gradual, and the altitude where it happens depends on temperature and other factors  including how active the sun is at that moment. All of those factors affect how quickly the atmosphere's drag can slow down a spacecraft and pull it in.

Satellites don't spend much time passing through this rarefied region, and most of them are already dead and in the process of being disintegrated by the friction of the thin air against their hulls.

"There is very little information on this region of the atmosphere, so the models are just kind of extrapolated down or up," said Virgili Bastida.

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Building better models requires more data, and one way of getting that data is ESA's upcoming DRACO (Destructive Re-entry Assessment Container Objective) mission. When it launches in late 2027, DRACO will measure  in 200 sensors' worth of detail  exactly how a small satellite disintegrates during its plunge into Earth's upper atmosphere. Its goal is to measure not just the spacecraft's trajectory on the way down, but exactly when different components burn or break apart.

To do that, DRACO's lead system engineer Alex Rosenbaum and his team are fitting the DRACO capsule with components in a range of different materials, each outfitted with sensors to measure its temperature and the time and altitude of its fiery demise. There will even be a mock-up of a propulsion bay and a composite fuel tank, even though DRACO won't actually have working propulsion. The capsule itself won't survive, which is the point. A black box, similar to the flight data recorders used on commercial aircraft, will escape the high-altitude breakup via parachute.

"It is a very peculiar mission because it will be very short," Rosenbaum told Space.com. "We are working for several years on a mission that will be operative for a couple of hours."

Meanwhile, there's the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee  a group of 13 space agencies whose members include JAXA , ESA , Roscosmos , CNSA and ISRO . IADC runs an annual exercise called a Re-Entry Campaign, in which members choose "an interesting test case" from among the defunct satellites due to drop back into Earth's atmosphere in the coming months. Member agencies pool their information on the object and their predictions about the time and path of its re-entry. Afterward, they compare what actually happened to their predictions in order to help test and refine those models. It's steady work with cumulative results  not too dramatic but very important.

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The Re-Entry Campaigns and DRACO will help improve predictions and shed light on how to reduce the amount of space debris by designing satellites and rocket stages that disintegrate as completely as possible at high altitudes. But once space agencies and air traffic controllers have that data, someone is going to have to decide what to do with it.

What exactly does that look like?

Agencies have to talk to each other

First, air traffic controllers and national aviation authorities will need good information from, and regular communication with, the agencies that monitor space traffic and space junk. In the U.S., the FAA and the Department of Transportation, both of which regulate space launches as well as aviation. And at the United Nations, the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs is working with the Secretariat of the Civil Aviation Authority to build the kinds of connections that help experts exchange data and work together on studies.

And second, since the paths of re-entering spacecraft often cross national borders, aviation agencies and air traffic controllers in multiple countries will need to be able to communicate and plan. The Long March 5B incident in 2022 demonstrated what happens without that coordination: the Spanish airspace closures "concentrated and forced aircraft into other areas, which were still, anyway, under the remaining track," according to Virgili Bastida and his colleagues in their paper.

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Building the kind of coordination that could make the next incident go more smoothly is crucial  and it needs to happen before the next incident, according to Virgili Bastida and his colleagues. That coordination is likely to take the form of standards: criteria and guidelines that define what's appropriate to do in a particular situation. In aviation, standards come from national agencies like the FAA and the European Union Safety Agency, or from international organizations like the International Civil Aviation Organization (a U.N. agency).

"The aviation world is very driven by standards, and we're seeing a lot of activity in the space world around standards as well," said Christensen. "Those give us ways to develop technical mitigation approaches, technical solutions, and then implement them at the national level with some coordination internationally.

"The sky is not going to fall on your head"

We may be approaching a future where closures or delays for re-entering space debris are as common as weather-related delays now. But if Virgili Bastida gets the world he's hoping for, that future is one in which we won't even notice, because re-entries will be predicted in advance and flight plans can just route around the affected areas.

"I'm optimistic that at the technical level and at the operational level, we'll be able to work on this issue and make significant success," said Christensen.

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In the meantime, Virgili Bastida suggests that while policymakers and engineers need to be thinking about space debris and air traffic, the average traveler shouldn't lose sleep over the risks.

"The probability of being hit by space debris is very low, much lower than any other risk that we have in normal life. So even if there are many re-entries and it's kind of worrisome, it should not be your main worry," said Virgili Bastida. "The sky is not going to fall on your head. But we are working on ways to do it even better."
Marco Rubio was visibly irritated to be reminded that despite the capture of former president Nicolas Maduro, the dictators regime is still in power in Venezuela.

Im curious why the Trump administration decided to leave [Maduros regime] intact and only arrest Nicolas Maduro and his wife, host Margaret Brennan questioned on Face the Nation Sunday, pointing out others in Maduros government who were indicted in the U.S.

Im confused. Are they still wanted by the United States? Why didnt you arrest them if you are taking out the narcoterrorist regime? she asked.

Marco Rubio ranted at Margaret Brennan after she said she was 'confused' about the logic of leaving Maduro's cronies behind. / CBS News

Youre confused? I dont know why that is confusing to you, Rubio responded, with Brennan repeating: They are still in power.

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The secretary of state lashed out at the CBS News host, saying that there was already enough complaining about the capture of just one Venezuelan politicianand that the military operation was difficult enough as it was.

Youre going to go in and suck up five people? They are already complaining about this one operation. Imagine the howls we would have from everybody else if we actually had to go and stay there four days to capture four other people, Rubio said.

Rubio called Brennan 'absurd' for pointing out that others in the regime were wanted in the U.S. / CBS News

We got the top priority. The number one person on the list was the guy who claimed to be the president of the country that he was not, and he was arrested along with his wife who is also indicted. That was a sophisticated, and frankly complicated operation.

As Brennan agreed with the complexity of the raid, Rubio continued: It is not easy to land helicopters in the middle of the largest military base in the country. The guy lived on a military base. Land within three minutes, kick down his door, grab him, put him in handcuffs, read him his rights, and leave the country without losing any American or any American assets.

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Thats not an easy mission. Youre asking me why didnt we do that in five other places at the same time? I mean, thats absurd.

Rubio said that people were 'already complaining' about Maduro, and there would be more 'howls' if others were capured. / CBS News

Rubio persisted in fawning over the operation, adding: I do think its one of the most, you know, daring, complicated, sophisticated missions this country has carried out in a very long time. Tremendous credit to the U.S. military personnel who did it. It was unbelievable, and a tremendous success.

And today, an indicted drug traffickerwho was not the legitimate president of Venezuela, who we do not recognize, the Biden administration didnt recognize, sixty-something countries dont recognize, the European Union doesnt recognize, and many countries in Latin America dont recognizehe was an indicted drug trafficker. He was arrested, his wife was arrested"

Brennan interjected and once again asked about the co-conspirators left behind. Right, but the others who were also indicted are still in place, so that is the point of my questioning there. You talked about not being the legitimate president"

The secretary of state added that it was 'not easy' to capture Maduro, and asked Brennan if she wanted the operation repeated multiple times. / JUAN BARRETO / Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images

Rubio interrupted in turn, accusing: So you wanted us to land in five other military bases?

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No, Im asking why you chose that this was the limit of the military operation. To your point that you just made that Maduro was not the legitimate president, Brennan responded.

He was claiming to be the president, said Rubio, speaking over Brennan again to specify: He was the top target.
Russia and China have strongly condemned the US attack on Venezuela last weekend.

In a special session of the UN Security Council in New York on Monday, Russia described the US action as "a harbinger of a turn back to the era of lawlessness and US domination by force, chaos and lawlessness, which continues to afflict dozens of states in various regions of the world."

China said that no country can act as the world's police, and no state can presume to be the international judge.

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Both China and Russia are permanent members of the UN Security Council. They demanded the release of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who were captured by the US.

Russia criticized the United States for acting as a self-appointed global judge for economic and political motives and to display its power.

There was no justification for this, the country's UN spokeswoman asserted, adding that silence in the council would amount to an erosion of the international order.

The Chinese representative stressed that military means were not a solution to problems. The arbitrary use of force would only lead to a greater crisis.

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The US called Maduro's arrest a surgical law enforcement action against a narco-terrorist who was not the legitimate head of state.

Early Saturday, the US attacked targets in Venezuela, captured Maduro and his wife and took them out of the country.

The couple face drug-related charges in New York where they appeared in court on Monday and entered a not guilty plea.

Russia, China, the US, France and the UK are the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. These countries can veto any resolution.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer said 2026 could be the year of significant progress towards peace in Ukraine, telling the BBC One broadcaster that the issue of whether the US will stand ready to give security guarantees to Ukraine was much further advanced than it was ever before.
Efforts have been made in this regard by the Lebanese government and the Lebanese Armed Forces, but they are far from sufficient," Sa'ar stated.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar met with the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis in Jerusalem on Sunday to discuss regional security and the future of Lebanon, the minister confirmed on social media.

I reiterated the importance of Hezbollahs disarmament for both Israels security and Lebanons future, Sa'ar wrote on X/Twitter.

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Efforts have been made in this regard by the Lebanese government and the Lebanese Armed Forces, but they are far from sufficient, among other things, in light of Hezbollahs efforts to rearm and rebuild, with Iranian support.

The IDF has continued to strike Hezbollah targets within Lebanon as the terrorist group attempts to rebuild.

Lebanon's gov't works to disarm Hezbollah

Lebanons government has also worked towards disarming Hezbollah, with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam calling on the group to surrender all weapons to the states authority.

The weapons should be at the disposal of all Lebanese, under a decision by the Lebanese government, he said.

Contrary to rumors, no one intends to throw them into the sea or hand them over to Israel.
Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia, announced in November 2025 that he will relaunch the group after it disbanded following his prison sentence in 2023. Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and other crimes committed during the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

In January 2025, President Donald Trump granted clemency to the over 1,500 defendants convicted of crimes connected to the storming of the Capitol. Trump did not pardon Rhodes  or some others found guilty of the most serious crimes on Jan. 6. He instead commuted Rhodes sentence to time served. Commutation only reduces the punishment for a crime, whereas a full pardon erases a conviction.

As a political anthropologist, I study the Patriot movement, a collection of anti-government right-wing groups that include the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and Moms for Liberty. I specialize in alt-right beliefs, and I have interviewed people active in groups that participated in the Capitol riot.

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Rhodes plans to relaunch the Oath Keepers, largely composed of current and former military veterans and law enforcement officers, is important because it will serve as an outlet for those who have felt lost since his imprisonment. The group claimed it had over 40,000 dues-paying members at the height of its membership during Barack Obamas presidency. I believe that many of these people will return to the group, empowered by the lack of any substantial punishment resulting from the pardons for crimes committed on Jan. 6.

In my interviews, Ive found that military veterans are treated as privileged members of the Patriot movement. They are honored for their service and military training. And thats why I believe many former Oath Keepers will rejoin the group  they are considered integral members.

Their oaths to serving the Constitution and the people of the United States are treated as sacred, binding members to an ideology that leads to action. This action includes supporting people in conflicts against federal agencies, organizing citizen-led disaster relief efforts, and protesting election results like on Jan. 6. The members strength results from their shared oath and the reverence they feel toward keeping it.

Who are the Oath Keepers?

Rhodes joined the Army after high school and served for three years before being honorably discharged after a parachuting accident in 1986. He then attended the University of Nevada and later graduated from Yale Law School in 2004. He founded the Oath Keepers in 2009.

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Oath Keepers takes its name from the U.S military Oath of Enlistment, which states:

I, ____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States 

Informed by his law background, Rhodes places a particular emphasis on the part of the oath that states they will defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

He developed a legal theory that justifies ignoring what he refers to as unlawful orders after witnessing the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Following the natural disaster, local law enforcement was assigned the task of confiscating guns, many of which officers say were stolen or found in abandoned homes.

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Rhodes was alarmed, believing that the Second Amendment rights of citizens were being violated. Because of this, he argued that people who had military or law enforcement backgrounds had a legal duty to refuse what the group considers unlawful orders, including any that violated constitutionally protected rights, such as the right to bear arms.

In the Oath Keepers philosophy, anyone who violates these rights are domestic enemies to the Constitution. And if you follow the orders, youve violated your oath.

Explaining the origin of the group on the right-wing website The Gateway Pundit in November 2025, Rhodes said:  we were attacked out of the gate, labeled anti-government, which is absurd because were defending the Constitution that established the federal government. We were labeled anti-government extremists, all kinds of nonsense because the elites want blind obedience in the police and military.

Getty Images

Rebuilding and restructuring

In 2022, the nonprofit whistleblower site Distributed Denial of Secrets leaked more than 38,000 names on the Oath Keepers membership list.

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The Anti-Defamation League estimated that nearly 400 of the names were active law enforcement officers, and that over 100 were serving in the military. Some of these members were investigated by their workplaces but never disciplined for their involvement with the group.

Some members who were not military or law enforcement did lose their jobs over their affiliation. But they held government-related positions, such as a Wisconsin alderman who resigned after he was identified as a member. This breach of privacy, paired with the dissolution of the organization after Rhodes sentencing, will help shape the group going forward.

In his interview with The Gateway Pundit, where he announced the groups relaunch, Rhodes said: I want to make it clear, like I said, my goal would be to make it more cancel-proof than before. Well have resilient, redundant IT that makes it really difficult to take down.  And I want to make sure I get  put people in charge and leadership everywhere in the country so that, you know, down the road, if Im taken out again, that it can still live on under good leadership without me being there.

There was a similar shift in organizational structure with the Proud Boys in 2018. Thats when their founder, Gavin McInnes, stepped away from the organization. His departure came after a group of Proud Boys members were involved in a fight with anti-fascists in New York.

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Prosecutors wanted to try the group as a gang. McInnes, therefore, distanced himself to support their defense that they werent in a gang or criminal organization. Ultimately, two of the members were sentenced to four years in prison for attempted gang assault charges.

Some Proud Boys members have told me they have since focused on creating local chapters, with in-person recruitment, that communicate on private messaging apps. They aim to protect themselves from legal classification as a gang. It also makes it harder for investigators or activist journalists to monitor them.

This is referred to as a cell style of organization, which is popular with insurgency groups. These groups are organized to rebel against authority and overthrow government structures. The cell organizational style does not have a robust hierarchy but instead produces smaller groups. They all adhere to the same ideology but may not be directly associated.

They may have a leader, but its often acknowledged that they are merely a figurehead, not someone giving direct orders. For the Proud Boys, this would be former leader Enrique Tarrio. Proud Boys members Ive spoken to have referred to him as a mascot and not their leader.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 6: A tattoo depicting the assassination attempt on U.S. President Donald Trump on the arm of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Looking ahead

So what does the Rhodes interview indicate about the future of Oath Keepers?

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Members will continue supporting Trump while also recruiting more retired military and law enforcement officers. They will create an organizational structure designed to outlive Rhodes. And based on my interactions with the far-right, I believe its likely they will create an organizational structure similar to that of the cell style for organizing.

Beyond that, they are going to try to own their IT, which includes hosting their websites and also using trusted online revenue generators.

This will likely provide added security, protecting their membership rolls while making it more difficult for law enforcement agencies to investigate them in the future.

Alexander Lowie, Postdoctoral associate in Classical and Civic Education, University of Florida.

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.









The post The "Sacred" Pledge That Will Power the Return of Far-Right Militia Oath Keepers appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
Saudi Arabia has publicly accused the United Arab Emirates  a fellow Gulf Arab state and former partner in the Yemen war  of undermining its national security, an unusually blunt charge that exposes a rift long kept behind closed doors.

The language is among the sharpest Riyadh has used against its ally and reflects growing Saudi unease with the UAEs increasingly independent foreign policy, tensions that last week culminated in Saudi strikes on a UAE-linked shipment in Yemen.

CNN has learned that Riyadh is particularly concerned about the UAEs role in Yemen, which shares a long border with Saudi Arabia, and in Sudan, which lies across the Red Sea from the kingdoms west coast. Saudi officials worry that instability or state collapse in either country could have grave consequences for its own national security.

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Those concerns extend beyond Yemen and Sudan. Riyadh is also wary of the UAEs policies in the Horn of Africa and in Syria, where it believes Abu Dhabi has cultivated ties with elements of the Druze community, some of whose leaders have openly discussed secession.

A UAE official told CNN that the countrys foreign policy prioritizes international cooperation and long-term prosperity, framing it as part of a broader commitment to responsible leadership and enduring progress.

The official didnt address allegations regarding Abu Dhabis role in Syria. The UAE has not publicly endorsed Druze aspirations for autonomy or secession in the country.

For the UAE, southern Yemens strategic importance lies in its location along key maritime trade routes and Red Sea shipping lanes, as well as its proximity to the Horn of Africa, where Abu Dhabi has built both military and commercial interests. The UAE says its role in Yemen has to do with its broader strategy of combatting extremism. ISIS and Al Qaeda have long had a presence in the country.

A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on January 10, 2024 in Ismailia, Egypt. - Sayed Hassan/Getty Images

But Yemen, Sudan and the Horn of Africa lie far closer to Saudi Arabia than to the UAE, magnifying Riyadhs sense of exposure.

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While analysts do not expect the rift to escalate into direct conflict, even a limited deterioration could carry far-reaching consequences. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among the worlds largest oil exporters and are positioned near two of the most critical maritime chokepoints in global trade  the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab  through which a significant share of the worlds seaborne oil flows and much of the shipping bound to and from the Suez Canal passes. Even a limited confrontation between the two US allies would be closely watched by energy markets.

They are also the largest and second-largest Arab economies respectively, with long-term investment pledges to the US running into the trillions of dollars, particularly in defense and technology, alongside access to some of Washingtons most advanced military systems.

A fraying alliance

Just a decade ago, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were closely aligned around what they saw as the regions most pressing threats: Islamism, Irans expanding influence and the challenge to the regional status quo posed by Arab Springinspired uprisings. Together, they launched a military intervention in Yemen to roll back the advance of the Iran-backed Houthis, backed counter-revolutionary forces in the region and imposed a punishing blockade on fellow Gulf state Qatar over its alleged support for Islamist movements.

A Houthi fighter walks at the site of an air strike at a residential area near Sanaa Airport on March 26, 2015. - Khaled Abdullah Ali Al Mahdi/Reuters

That alignment has since frayed. As some of those threats receded, Saudi and Emirati priorities began to diverge, bringing competing agendas to the fore. In recent years, the two have found themselves backing opposing sides in regional conflicts, most notably in the civil wars in Yemen and Sudan.

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Saudi Arabia is now leveling against the UAE the very accusation that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi once made of Iran: that backing non-state actors in the region threatens security  a reversal unfolding as Tehrans influence weakens and competition for power intensifies.

How does an action undertaken to defend shared security come to be reframed as a liability? Ali Al Nuaimi, an influential lawmaker, wrote on X, referring to the Abu Dhabis role in the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. How do those who assumed risk and cost become objects of suspicion rather than partners in outcome?

The UAE official also noted the substantial sacrifices that Abu Dhabi made in Yemen at the request of the legitimate Yemeni government and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Dozens of Emirati troops were killed in Yemen during the campaign there.

Alleged call for sanctions

Competing interests in Sudan and Yemen are what led to the rift finally coming out in the open after Yemens UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) overran the south of the country in early December, taking swathes of territory and expelling Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces from those areas.

Forces of Yemen's main separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council, arrive in a mountainous area where they are launching a military operation in the southern province of Abyan, Yemen, on December 15. - Stringer/Reuters

CNN has learned that Saudi Arabia believes the UAE mobilized Yemeni separatist forces in provinces bordering the kingdom after being falsely informed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had asked US President Donald Trump during a White House visit in November to impose sanctions on Abu Dhabi over its alleged support for a warring party in Sudans civil war. Riyadh has reached out to the UAE to explain that it made no such request.

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The UAE official who spoke to CNN didnt directly address the matter when asked.

Driving home its message of zero tolerance for instability at its border, Riyadh launched airstrikes on a UAE shipment in Yemen on Tuesday and backed the Yemeni governments call for UAE forces to leave the country. The UAE pledged to withdraw, but anti-UAE rhetoric in Saudi state media and among influential commentators has only intensified.

Smoke rises in the aftermath of a Saudi-led coalition airstrike, which targeted what it described as foreign military support to UAE-backed southern separatists, in Yemen's southern port of Mukalla, in this screengrab from a handout video obtained by Reuters on December 30. - SABAA TV/Handout/Reuters

CNN understands that further Saudi strikes targeting the STC remain on the table should the separatists not withdraw. After the UAE pulled its troops from Yemen last week, the STC moved toward secession, but under intense military pressure from Riyadh and its local allies, it lost territory and was forced to concede to entering dialogue with Saudi Arabia, a potential setback for Abu Dhabi.

Illusion of an equal partnership

The message from Riyadh is clear: Saudi Arabia sees itself at the apex of the Arab and Muslim worlds and expects others to align accordingly.

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There is a recurring phenomenon in the (Gulf Arab states) that stems from a structural imbalance between one very large state  Saudi Arabia  and a number of much smaller ones, Ali Shihabi, a prominent Saudi commentator wrote on X. As these smaller states acquire great wealth, they often begin to operate under the illusion that they are equal partners of the kingdom rather than beneficiaries of a system ultimately stabilized by it. To assert their individualism, they periodically adopt contrarian political positions to signal independence.

The UAE, in particular, has sought to emphasize its independence from regional heavyweights in recent years, pursuing policies that have broken with traditional regional consensus, including normalizing relations with Israel before the establishment of a Palestinian state and intervening in countries well beyond its immediate neighborhood to confront perceived Islamist threats.

In an interview with CNNs Becky Anderson late last year, the UAE presidents diplomatic adviser, Anwar Gargash, outlined Abu Dhabis geostrategic vision for the region in the context of Sudan, framing it in terms of countering extremism and promoting regional stability.

We are an influential country in the region, he said. Maybe somebody doesnt like it but matter of fact, we are, and as a result I think we have a regional view on what we want to see in countries around us.

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Gargash has previously said Abu Dhabis independent approach stems from a belief that if nations of our size isolate themselves, they risk marginalization.

Illuminating a dark land

The UAE sees itself as an exemplar of Arab modernity  a self-styled island of stability in a turbulent region  and has built a record to support that narrative. In the 54 years since its founding, the state, roughly the size of Austria, has grown into the Arab worlds second-largest economy, diversified more successfully than many of its oil-rich neighbors and emerged as a major global investor with influence in Washington, Europe and beyond. It is home to some of the regions most cosmopolitan cities and, in a reflection of its ambitions, has even set its sights on space.

A woman looks on from Creek Harbour at the Dubai skyline with Burj Khalifa, the world's largest building (C) on February 5. - Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images

Surveys consistently rank the UAE as the top destination for Arab youth seeking opportunity abroad, eclipsing Western countries that once dominated those aspirations.

We are in an unstable region, a difficult region that has challenges, has different points of view, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said in an address to Emirati youth in 2019, when he was crown prince of Abu Dhabi. But I am convinced that our country, the UAE, today is like the light that is illuminating a dark land, an example for others, with my respect to all our neighbors.

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Despite the unprecedented nature of the rift between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, experts dont foresee it escalating significantly  at least not to the scale of the last intra-Gulf crisis, when Saudi Arabia and the UAE led a blockade of Qatar between 2017 and 2021.

We can see more economic competition, and there will inevitably be competition in how their respective foreign policy approaches are explained and finessed to the White House, said Karen Young, a senior research scholar at Columbia University. Both will seek US support, and this will be a tension point in any future escalations between the US (and) Israel, and Iran.

Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has made economic transformation its top priority, a shift that has increasingly shaped its foreign policy calculations. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a research fellow at Rice University in Houston, Texas, says that focus is likely to temper Riyadhs appetite for escalation.

Both countries have financial muscle and economic leverage that could be deployed against each other, but one lesson of the Qatar blockade is that the attempt to isolate Qatar was a failure inasmuch as Doha was not forced to make concessions, he said. The fact that both the Saudis and the Emiratis have invested so heavily in deepening relations with the Trump administration means that Washington may become a proxy venue for competitive rivalry if the situation escalates.

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Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Saudi-backed government forces have reclaimed oil-rich territory from United Arab Emirates-supported, armed separatists in Yemen.

The Southern Transitional Council, which seeks to create a new state called South Arabia, seized the provinces of Hadramout and al-Mahra in Southern Yemen last month.

But Yemeni information minister Moammar al-Eryani, who represents the Presidential Leadership Council, told The New York Times by phone Sunday that government forces have since re-taken Hadramout, "assumed positions" in al-Mahra and are optimistic about securing the de facto capital of Aden soon.

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Al-Eryani also urged the separatists in the region to surrender as "the state reasserts authority."

Al Jazeera said the Yemeni government has invited the STC to a conference in Saudi Arabia and that STC representatives see this as a "genuine opportunity for serious dialogue."

The tension between Saudi Arabia and the UAE is taking place more than a decade after the two powerful countries joined forces to stop the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.

Over the years, however, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have supported different factions and agendas within Yemen.

The UAE is helping the separatists' crusade for independence, while Saudi Arabia wants its neighbor Yemen to be unified and stable.
Sea Levels along the U.S. coastline are rising faster than they have in more than a century, and researchers say the trend shows no signs of slowing down.

A new study by sea level scientist Chris Piecuch of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution reveals what he calls a "dramatically different" phenomenon: a clear acceleration in coastal flooding that affects communities from Texas to North Carolina.

Piecuch told The Washington Post, "All the scientific evidence points to the fact we're going to continue to see an acceleration into the future."

What's happening?

Piecuch analyzed data from 70 tide gauges across the continental United States, some with records going back over 100 years. He found that the average rate of sea level rise has more than doubled over the past 125 years, from just under 2 millimeters per year in 1900 to over 4 millimeters per year in 2024.

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The Gulf Coast has seen some of the fastest rises, while parts of the Pacific Coast and Alaska have experienced slower increases or even decreases in relative sea level due to things like glacial rebound.

This acceleration contradicts a recent Trump administration report that suggested U.S. tide gauges show no clear increase. Scientists have criticised that report for cherry-picking data and failing to account for long-term trends.

As Piecuch emphasized, "It's not politics. That's what the data say."

Why is this concerning?

Rising seas are more than a number on a gauge; they put people, homes, and infrastructure at risk. Coastal flooding is already more frequent, affecting roads, septic systems, wetlands, and insurance coverage.

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Human activity, especially burning fossil fuels, warms the planet and causes oceans to expand, while melting ice sheets add more water.

This makes rising seas a long-term threat. They are occurring alongside warming oceans and shifts in their color, which reflect the broader impacts of a changing climate.

How worried are you about rising ocean levels? Very Somewhat Not very Not at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

What's being done?

Documenting sea level rise helps communities prepare and adapt. Policies at local, state, and federal levels should focus on flood management, resilient infrastructure, and climate mitigation.

The Environmental Defense Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists  along with other organizations  are actively working to translate scientific findings into actionable policy. Meanwhile, some cities are investing in projects like seawalls, wetland restoration, and updated building codes.

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Reducing polluting gases globally remains the most crucial step to slow the acceleration of sea level rise over the coming decades.

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A new study has bolstered a scathing dissent from liberal Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson that warned the court appeared to favor the rich.

The study, published Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research, investigated whether the Supreme Court has contributed to rising income inequality by ruling in favor of policies that favor wealthy parties.

Its authorstwo academics from Columbia University in New York and one from Yale Universityfound that in cases pitting the rich against the poor, Republican appointees were far more likely than their Democratic colleagues to side with the wealthier party.

The court's conservative justicesincluding Samuel Alito, Jr., Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Robertsvote in favor of the rich 70 percent of the time, according to a new study. / CHIP SOMODEVILLA / POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Back in 1953, Democratic and Republican appointees were statistically indistinguishable on the issue, with justices appointed by members of both parties favoring the rich in 45 percent of cases on average.

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By 2022, the average Republican-appointed justice was voting in favor of the rich a whopping 70 percent of the time.

The average Democratic justice cast a pro-rich votewhich was defined as a vote that would directly shift resources to the party that was more likely to be wealthy, including votes that supported businesses over consumers or workersjust 35 percent of the time.

The results reveal a steady increase in polarization, mostly due to Republican appointees whose decisions rise from about 50 percent pro-rich share to a 70 percent pro-rich share over the course of 70 years, the studys authors, Andrea Prat, a Columbia economics professor, Jacob Spitz, a Columbia PhD student, Fiona Scott Morton, a Yale economics professor, and wrote.

The findings also supported a June dissent authored by Brown Jackson, according to The New York Times.

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The justices held 7-2 that oil and gas companies had legal standing to challenge Californias environmental regulations requiring automakers to produce more electric vehicles and fewer gasoline-powered ones.

The Supreme Court's approval rating has fallen to near-record lows. / EVELYN HOCKSTEIN / REUTERS

This case gives fodder to the unfortunate perception that moneyed interests enjoy an easier road to relief in this Court than ordinary citizens, Brown Jackson wrote. I worry that the fuel industrys gain comes at a reputational cost for this Court, which is already viewed by many as being overly sympathetic to corporate interests.

That perception could be contributing to an overall drop in public confidence in the court, according to the Times. The Daily Beast has reached out to the Supreme Court for comment.

The courts favorability rating has plunged by 22 points over the past five years, from 70 percent in 2020 to a near-record low 48 percent late last year, the Pew Research Center reported in September.

And although a vast majority of Americans, or 86 percent, think the justices should be non-partisan, 56 percent said the justices were doing only a fair or poor job of keeping their political views out of their legal decision-making.




Authorities intensified their search over the weekend for a woman who disappeared while hiking near Colfax in the Sierra Nevada foothills, deploying ground crews, boats, aircraft and nighttime surveillance technology along a rugged stretch of river and trail.

The woman was last seen around 2:30 p.m. Friday walking with her dog on the Codfish Falls Trail, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Office.

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About 15 minutes later, the dog was spotted alone on the trail. The sheriff's office received a report that the woman might be missing shortly before 6 p.m., prompting a large-scale response.

During the initial search Friday evening, deputies found the woman's vehicle parked near the trailhead. Her cellphone and a dog bowl were later discovered along the North Fork of the American River.

Authorities intensified their search over the weekend for a woman who disappeared while hiking near Colfax in the Sierra Nevada foothills, deploying ground crews, boats, aircraft and nighttime surveillance technology along a rugged stretch of river and trail. (Placer County Sheriff's Office)





The dog has since been located and is safe, authorities said.

Search operations continued Saturday across land, air and water, with dive teams and boats scouring the river while aircraft surveyed terrain both upstream and downstream from where the woman was last seen.

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"Today, our dive team and boats were on the river conducting search operations, while air assets checked the area where the woman was last seen, as well as both upstream and downstream from that location," the Placer County Sheriff's Office said Saturday.

The effort includes assistance from multiple agencies.

Officials said the search remains active and urged the public to avoid the area as crews continue their work.

This article originally published at Search expands for missing hiker in Sierra Nevada foothills after dog is found alone.
Protesters both opposing and celebrating the capture of Nicolas Maduro rallied outside a federal courthouse in New York as the deposed Venezuelan leader was arraigned on Jan. 5.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by U.S. forces in a surprise attack on Jan. 3 and indicted on charges connecting them to a narco-terrorism conspiracy. They pleaded not guilty in court on Jan. 5.

"I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country," Maduro said through an interpreter in court. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ordered Maduro held until a March 17 hearing.

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Live updates: 'Not guilty' plea for deposed Venezuelan leader Maduro

During the arraignment, demonstrators of opposite stances gathered outside the lower Manhattan courthouse, separated by a police barricade.

On one side, flags backing President Donald Trump flew. On the other, calls to free Maduro rung out. Some of those gathered were Venezuelan natives themselves.

Photos show protesters outside courthouse

Venezuelans celebrate the ouster of deposed President Nicolas Maduro outside the Federal Courthouse in Lower Manhattan on Jan. 5, 2026, where Maduro will be arraigned. The scene outside the Federal Courthouse in Lower Manhattan on Jan 5, 2026, where deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will be arraigned. Protesters opposed the United States actions in Venezuela stand outside the Federal Courthouse in lower Manhattan on Jan. 5, 2026, where deposed President Nicolas Maduro will be arraigned. A supporter of ousted Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro attends a rally outside the National Assembly in Caracas on Jan. 5, 2026. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Jan. 5, 2026, called for respect for the political independence of states after U.S. seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and said it was in charge of the country. People protest against U.S. strikes against Venezuela and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse ahead of his arraignment to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, Jan. 5, 2026. A supporter of ousted Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro wearing a face mask with the Venezuelan flag, attends a rally outside the National Assembly in Caracas on Jan. 5, 2026. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Jan. 5, 2026, called for respect for the political independence of states after US seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and said it was in charge of the country. A supporter of President Donald Trump shouts near demonstrators rallying in support of ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse as Maduro awaits his arraignment hearing on Jan. 5, 2026 in New York. Leftist strongman Nicolas Maduro, 63, faces narcotrafficking charges along with his wife, who was also seized and taken out of Caracas in the shock US assault on Jan. 3, which involved commandos, bombing by jet planes, and a massive naval force off Venezuela's coast. Protesters protesting U.S. actions in Venezuela stand outside the Federal Courthouse in lower Manhattan where deposed President Nicolas Maduro is scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 5, 2026. Protesters rally outside courthouse as Maduro faces US drug charges 1 of 8 Venezuelans celebrate the ouster of deposed President Nicolas Maduro outside the Federal Courthouse in Lower Manhattan on Jan. 5, 2026, where Maduro will be arraigned.

Watch video of protesters during Maduro arraignment

Protesters outside the courthouse where Maduro was arraigned were split into two distinct groups: those who support freeing the deposed Venezuelan leader, and those who are celebrating his arrest.

Video of the protesters shows demonstrators chanting while holding signs and flags. Those supporting Maduro's release argue against U.S. intervention, while those on the other side are hopeful about Venezuela's future without Maduro at the helm.

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Watch the video at the top of this story.

Federal courthouses don't allow photography, video or audio recording inside, so Maduro and Flores' arraignments were not televised.

The only images of the pair were from outside the courthouse after being ferried by helicopter from Brooklyn, where they were jailed, to Manhattan. They were each flanked by federal officials as they walked, dressed in prison garb with their hands restrained by zip ties.

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Protesters gather outside court for Maduro arraignment. Watch video.
Days after being captured by U.S. forces in a surprise overnight attack, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is expected to make his first appearance in a New York federal courthouse on Monday, Jan. 5. Maduro is set to be arraigned in Manhattan alongside his wife on a four-count indictment linking them to a 25-year narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Maduro arrived in Manhattan on Monday morning, shackled as he stepped off a helicopter. The video shows the leader walking down a platform, flanked by armed officials on either side, before entering a vehicle.

The Venezuelan leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, were both captured by U.S. forces on Saturday, Jan. 3. The two reached the United States after being helicoptered out of Venezuelan airspace, sailing to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba via a U.S. Navy ship and then flying to New York by plane.

A still image from video posted by the White House's Rapid Response 47 account on X.com, which originated from the @PaulDMauro account, shows Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City on Jan. 3, 2026. Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, pictured here after his capture aboard the USS Iwo Jima, is seen in this handout image posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on Truth Social Jan. 3, 2026. The United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an overnight military operation on Jan. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump said, as explosions rocked Caracas and targets across the country. Picture of fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. Loud explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard in Caracas around 2:00 am on January 3. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro is led in custody from a U.S. federal airplane before his scheduled court appearance at Manhattan federal court, at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, U.S. January 3, 2026. A photograph posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account shows him sitting next to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as they watch the U.S. military operation in Venezuela from Trump's Mar a Lago resort, in Palm Beach, Florida, January 3, 2026. Fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, is seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. Picture showing damages to a building in the port of La Guaira, Venezuela, after a US military operation that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, on January 3, 2026. Smoke rises from explosions in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from video obtained by Reuters. Helicopters fly past plumes of smoke rising from explosions, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026 in this screen grab obtained from video obtained by Reuters. A military personnel member walks past debris at La Carlota military air base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 3, 2026. Civilians who were living inside Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex leave the compound, in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026. A column of smoke rises during multiple explosions in the early hours of the morning, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026 in this screen grab obtained from video obtained by Reuters. A destroyed anti-aircraft unit at La Carlota military air base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 3, 2026. A firefighter walks past a destroyed anti-aircraft unit at La Carlota military air base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026. Destroyed vehicles at La Carlota military air base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026. A member of the National Guard stands guard at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026, after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on the South American country. A Colombian soldier stands guard at the border between Venezuela and Colombia, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Cucuta, Colombia, January 3, 2026. Colombian police and military personnel stand guard at the border between Venezuela and Colombia, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Cucuta, Colombia, January 3, 2026. A destroyed anti-aircraft unit at La Carlota military air base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026. A man walks next to military vehicles as Colombian soldiers patrol the border between Venezuela and Colombia, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Cucuta, Colombia, January 3, 2026. Passengers sleep on the floor, after flights were delayed and cancelled when the airspace was closed due to U.S. strikes on Venezuela overnight, at Rafael Hernandez International Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico January 3, 2026. U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jets sit parked on the tarmac at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, January 3, 2026. Colombian soldiers in a military vehicle at the border between Venezuela and Colombia, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Cucuta, Colombia, January 3, 2026. A car drives on an empty street, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela January 3, 2026. A cyclist stops to check their phone, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela January 3, 2026. F-22, C-130 and F-35 aircraft are seen at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, January 3, 2026. A supporter of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a flag of Venezuela on an empty street near Miraflores Palace, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured President Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026. A person wears a Venezuelan flag, as they and others react to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Miami, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2026. People react to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, on the streets of Miami, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2026. A person wearing a hat that reads "America first" reacts to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Doral, Miami, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2026. A man holds a flag reading "Make Venezuela Great Again", as people react to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Doral, Miami, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2026. A photograph posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account shows him sitting next to CIA Director John Ratcliffe as they watch the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, January 3, 2026. Armed supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro block the entrace to the 23 de enero neighborhood in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured him. Picture showing damages to the port of La Guaira, Venezuela, after a US military operation that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, on January 3, 2026. An armed supporter of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro blocks the entrace to the 23 de enero neighborhood in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured him. Venezuela's Attorney General Tarek William Saab, raises his clenched fist as he leaves the vice-presidency building in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro. The airplane carrying Venezuelan President Nicolas Madura lands at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, N.Y. at approximately 4:30pm Jan. 3, 2026. A motorcade carrying ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro leaves the Westside Heliport in New York on January 3, 2026. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived Saturday evening at a military base in the United States after his capture by US forces in Caracas. Maduro was seen surrounded by FBI agents as he descended the boarding stairs of a US government plane at a New York state National Guard facility, and was slowly escorted along the tarmac. A helicopter carrying ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro comes in to land at the Westside Heliport in New York on January 3, 2026. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived Saturday evening at a military base in the United States after his capture by US forces in Caracas. Maduro was seen surrounded by FBI agents as he descended the boarding stairs of a US government plane at a New York state National Guard facility, and was slowly escorted along the tarmac. US bombs targets in Venezuela and captures Nicolas Maduro 1 of 39 A still image from video posted by the White House's Rapid Response 47 account on X.com, which originated from the @PaulDMauro account, shows Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City on Jan. 3, 2026.

The latest: Zip-tied leader Nicolas Maduro arrives at NYC court: live updates

Watch as Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro arrives in Manhattan

Photos: the moment Nicolas Maduro arrived in Manhattan

An aerial view shows captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores being moved from a vehicle to helicopter, as he heads to the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Manhattan United States Courthouse, where he is expected to make an initial appearance on U.S. federal charges, including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, and money laundering, in New York City, Jan. 5, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a video. A helicopter transports captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges, including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, Jan. 5, 2026. Law enforcement officials move captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of the helicopter, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, Jan. 5, 2026. Law enforcement officials move captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, Jan. 5, 2026. Law enforcement officials move captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of the helicopter, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, Jan. 5, 2026. Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, Jan. 5, 2026. Law enforcement officials move captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, Jan. 5, 2026. Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, Jan. 5, 2026. A vehicle believed to be carrying captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, Jan. 5, 2026. A member of the media reports outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse, ahead of captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others, in Manhattan, New York City, Jan. 5, 2026. An aerial view shows a vehicle carrying captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arriving at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Manhattan United States Courthouse, where he is expected to make an initial appearance on U.S. federal charges, including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, and money laundering, in New York City, Jan. 5, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a video. Photos show authorities bringing Nicolas Maduro to court in NYC 1 of 11 An aerial view shows captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores being moved from a vehicle to helicopter, as he heads to the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Manhattan United States Courthouse, where he is expected to make an initial appearance on U.S. federal charges, including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, and money laundering, in New York City, Jan. 5, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a video.

USA TODAY's Thao Nguyen and Christopher Cann contributed to this report.

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Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or on Twitter @katecperez_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's arrival in Manhattan
Anxiety is a very normal but a very unwelcome feeling. Most of us would choose not to experience it if we could.

In some ways, its like a smoke alarm, said Natasha Reynolds, a psychotherapist at Bloom Psychology & Wellness in Toronto. That smoke detector alerts you to actual danger and allows you to get out of your home safely, but it also alerts you to things that arent actually dangerous, like how a smoke alarm can go off over a piece of burnt toast.

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Similarly, that threat detection part of our brain... might go off at what it perceives as a threat, but its not truly dangerous to us, Reynolds said.

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When that smoke alarm goes off frequently to things that arent dangerous, it can be a sign to seek support and develop tools to navigate this stress response, Reynolds said. Additionally, common thoughts, behaviors and actions make your anxiety smoke alarm go off more frequently than it should. Heres what they are:

Black-And-White Thinking

A common unhelpful thinking pattern can be called black-and-white thinking, or also known as all-or-nothing thinking, Reynolds said.

This kind could mean looking at situations as good or bad and not considering the gray areas, Reynolds explained.

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So, for example ... if I made an error in an email, this must mean Im incompetent, and the other person thinks this too, she said. In reality, it doesnt mean youre incompetent; a mistake means youre human, and the person on the receiving end thinks this, too (that is, if they even notice the mistake).

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These thoughts can get you down and even make future communications really stressful, causing anxiety to creep in every time you have to email this person or even causing you to stop emailing altogether.

Avoidance

Speaking of stopping something altogether, therapists say this is another habit that can have a negative effect on you.

The No. 1 behavior, I believe, that makes anxiety worse is avoidance, said Jennifer Anders, a Colorado-based psychologist who runs The.Anxiety.Doc Instagram account. This is actually counterintuitive to what most people believe. Anxiety becomes worse when you avoid the situation, or the place, or the people that trigger your anxiety.

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Just think about it: If you avoid looking at a credit card balance because of the anxiety it gives you, by the time you do look at that balance, youll be riddled with anxiety  and that comes after weeks and weeks of stress looming over you.

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The avoidance fuels that cycle of anxiety, and kind of reinforces that bodily response and exacerbates anxiety over time, Anders said.

Justine Grosso, a psychologist in North Carolina who also shares mental health insight on her Instagram account, said instead of avoiding a situation, you should incrementally approach it.

With social anxiety, for example, Grosso said instead of going to a big party, schedule a one-on-one coffee date with a new friend or go to the party for 10 minutes and leave.

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We want to approach things and be willing to tolerate a little bit of discomfort in the service of our values. Meaning, if we value friendship... its going to be meaningful for us to approach these social interactions instead of avoid them, Grosso explained.

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Its important after we do something that is anxiety provoking, to literally take time, and tell our brain, Hey, we survived this thing, we did this hard thing, and we survived, Grosso added.

The way you talk to yourself matters  therapists say negative self-talk can leave you feeling unnecessarily anxious. Maskot via Getty Images

Seeking Reassurance

Constantly asking for other peoples feedback on a situation or even Googling your health symptoms is also contributing to your anxiety, Anders said. These kinds of behaviors are known as seeking reassurance.

In the short term, the self-reassurance quells that worry feedback loop in your mind, but in the long term, it actually creates this other negative feedback loop that requires reassurance just to feel OK, Anders said.

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In other words, reassurance is a quick fix but wont do any favors for your anxiety in the long term.

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I always encourage people to refrain from doing that as much as possible, Anders said because it significantly increases anxiety in the long haul for many people.

Catastrophizing

Have you worried that your anxiety would cause you to faint and youd receive no help from those around you? Or have you ever mailed your rent check late and assumed this means youll be immediately evicted?

This is known as catastrophizing, which is thinking about the worst-case scenario and believing that this scenario is whats most likely to occur, according to Reynolds. As you may expect, catastrophizing contributes to anxiety.

According to cognitive behavioral therapy, they talk about anxiety being a result of us overestimating the situation and then underestimating our ability to cope with that, Reynolds said.

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It can be helpful to challenge these worst-case-scenario ideas by saying, What if it all works out? Reynolds said. Because anxiety is not thinking of the best-case scenario.

Additionally, thinking about the actionable ways you could deal with a bad situation can be useful. If the worst-case scenario were to play out, what are your strengths in coping with it that we might be underestimating in that moment, as well? Reynolds said.

In other words, if you did faint, would no one help you? Could you talk to loved ones about this possibility so they can be prepared to step in? Or if you did mail your rent check late, could you pay a late fee to your landlord?

The worst-case scenario usually doesnt happen, but a catastrophizing thought pattern can convince you it will.

Negative Self-Talk

It turns out that telling yourself youre not good enough or that something isnt going to work out is more than mean; its adding to your anxiety, too, according to Anders.

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This is a huge one that, again, many people are not aware of how they talk to themselves and the words that they use to describe themselves as they go through their daily life and their daily activities, Anders said.

These words are often really harsh  way more harsh than how wed talk to friends or family.

I really encourage people to pay attention to the words theyre using with themselves, and the first step is not to change it. The first step is to just bring awareness to it, Anders said.

People-Pleasing

According to Anders, people-pleasing can also fuel your anxiety. Think about it: When youre constantly putting other peoples needs and opinions above your own, you create some uncomfortable feelings for yourself, including anxiety. Whats more, she added that it makes you feel like youre neglecting yourself, which can cause anxiety.

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Anders said many people, particularly women, are conditioned to put other peoples needs above their own, which makes this a hard habit to break.

This really creates a dynamic of self-neglect, prioritizing everyone elses wishes and needs above your own, [and] poor boundaries is something else that this leads to, Anders said.

And, really, just developing self-worth thats contingent on other people, and what you do for other people, thats a huge, huge one that contributes anxiety, she noted.

If these behaviors are affecting your anxiety regularly, it's time to see a therapist. Fiordaliso via Getty Images

Ways To Address These Anxiety-Inducing Habits

To combat these behaviors, grounding skills can be really helpful, Grosso said. Grounding skills can lower the heart rate and bring on a state of ease that just isnt there during an anxiety tailspin.

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Grounding activities include going for a walk and or doing a workout, Grosso said. Additionally, Grosso said mindfulness skills can help, too. Like becoming aware of your five senses  taste, touch, sight, smell, sound  and the reason why connecting to our five senses is grounding is because it literally gets us into the present moment, Grosso said.

Additionally, Reynolds said she likes to encourage people to do belly breathing, which is taking deep intentional breaths and as youre inhaling, youre extending your belly forward, and as youre exhaling, youre bringing your belly in. This sends more oxygen to the brain and helps bring you a sense of calm, Reynolds said.

Its also helpful to name the anxiety-inducing behavior when its happening. The way to be mindful of our thought patterns is to essentially label them when they happen. Oh, there I go, catastrophizing, let me notice that, Grosso said.

Or, take a few moments to name the negative self-talk or reassurance-seeking thats happening, too. And then shift your focus onto the present moment, Grosso said.

Over time, you can learn how to distance yourself from these thoughts and become aware of them when theyre happening so you can remind yourself that they arent helpful and are, in fact, not reality, either.

Beyond at-home tools for dealing with anxiety, it can also be helpful to seek professional help; anxiety can be more complicated than it lets on.

Another interesting take on anxiety is that anxiety might actually be a secondary emotion and kind of covering up another emotion that youre feeling that you deem unacceptable, Grosso said.

You may have been raised to think that being angry isnt acceptable, or you may be harboring grief presenting as anxiety. In other words, there could be larger problems at play, which is where advice from a therapist can help.

I think psychotherapy is a really powerful experience to just better understand ourselves, understand our emotions and why we do the things we do, Grosso said.

You can use databases like Psychology Today and Inclusive Therapists to find therapists near you.

Related...

Read the original on HuffPost
Just days into the new year, Peruvian shamans have already seen one of their annual predictions materialize.

A group of shamans gathered in Perus capital, Lima, on Monday for their annual ritual to forecast the fortunes of world leadersand at least one prophecy has already come true.

The shamans predicted the fall of Nicolas Maduro five days before the Venezuelan president was deposed when he was abducted in a raid ordered by President Donald Trump. They had even foretold that Trump, 79, would be the one to oust Maduro, 63.

U.S. forces extracted Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from his Caracas compound in the middle of the night on Saturday and then transported them to a jail in New York City. / Jesus Vargas/Getty Images

We have asked for Maduro to leave, to retire, for President Donald Trump of the United States to be able to remove him, and we have visualized that next year this will happen, said shaman Ana Maria Simeon, according to the Associated Press.

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However, the forecast came with a notable asterisk.

We see Nicolas Maduro defeated. Nicolas Maduro will flee Venezuela. He will not be captured, said Juan de Dios Garcia, another shaman, Reuters reported.

Maduro never had a chance to flee: U.S. forces extracted the dictator and his wife, Cilia Flores, from his Caracas compound in the middle of the night on Saturday and then transported them to New York City, where they are being held at Brooklyns Metropolitan Detention Center.

A group of shamans and healers from the coastal, Andean and Amazonian regions of Peru hold images of US President Donald Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro while performing end-of-year rituals and predictions in front of the sea in Chorrillos, Lima province, Peru, on December 29, 2025. / CONNIE FRANCE / Connie FRANCE / AFP via Getty Images

Maduro and Flores, who are facing federal charges related to cocaine importation and possession of machine guns and destructive devices, are set to make their first appearance in a federal court on Monday.

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Another of the shamans predictions does not bode well for Trump.

The United States should prepare itself because Donald Trump will fall seriously ill, Garcia proclaimed on Monday.

The prediction that the oldest inaugurated president of the United States will become seriously ill comes as he faces questions about his health.

In response to a request for comment about the shamans predictions, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Daily Beast at the time: President Trump remains in excellent overall health, adding that the presidents relentless work ethic, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in sharp contrast to the four years under former President Joe Biden, 83.

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Garcia also foretold the end of Russias war in Ukraine. I see that the conflict will end, they will raise the flag of peace, Garcia predicted.

The shamans now-realized prediction about Maduro improves their often mixed record of annual predictions.

While a 2024 prophecy that a nuclear war would occur between Israel and Gaza did not come trueinstead, a ceasefire was put in placethe shamans correctly predicted that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori would perish within 12 months. Fujimori, who had been imprisoned for human rights abuses, died at the age of 86 in September 2024.
This story has been updated.

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Memphis Police are investigating a shooting at an East Memphis restaurant that resulted in one man being released from custody Sunday night.

An officer said they heard several shots at the Red Pier Cajun Seafood & Bar at 5901 Poplar Avenue at 8:52 pm. and saw multiple people running away from the building.

After speaking to a manager of the restaurant, she told police that a man wearing a white hoodie pulled out a black handgun and pointed it towards another person inside the business.

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She said thats when she noticed customers running outside before shots rang out. The manager also told police that the suspect ran to a white Mercedes-Benz.

Officers located the man and took him into custody.

Man arrested, charged with first Memphis homicide of 2026

Authorities were then informed by Target employees that two men ran into Target and exited through the back of the business, and jumped over a fence. Police released video of the suspects walking through the store, where they allegedly met two women near the electronics section in before leaving.

During questioning, police say it was determined that the suspect acted in self-defense.

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The man told investigators that he was at Red Pier with his girlfriend when a woman approached their table and told him they should leave and pointed at two men dressed in black.

As he was leaving the restaurant with his girlfriend, he said both men were exiting out of a side door when one of them pulled out a gun and fired it at him. He then said that he returned fire.

One dead, two critically injured in South Memphis shooting

The victim was released without any charges and no one was injured.

If you know any information that could help police find the alleged suspects, call Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH.

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Its crazy man, cause it just be people doing stuff out here. Memphis is a crazy place to live at, said Mason Jones, Collierville resident.



Copyright 2026 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 WREG.com.
In March 2025, Oklahoma experienced one of the worst wildfire outbreaks in the state's history. In 2026, experts predict worse and more widespread conditions.

Predictors with the National Interagency Fire Center forecast that January will bring an elevated threat of wildfire over Western Oklahoma. By March, the entire state could see an above-normal wildfire threat.

In February, forecasters believe there will be a "much larger footprint of above normal" fire potential for Western Oklahoma.

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In addition to Oklahoma, the agency is predicting that all of Kansas, much of Texas and parts of Colorado and New Mexico will receive above-average chances of wildfires in America's central region. The East Coast is also expected to see a significant wildfire threat.

In their 2024 forecast, the agency predicted the above normal level wildfire threat would approach as far west as Bartlesville, Stillwater and Tulsa. That year, the region saw more than 130 wildfires in 44 counties and destroyed over 170,000 acres and at least 530 homes and businesses statewide.

The Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for March 2026, as released by the National Interagency Fire Center on January 2, 2026.

Drought leads to increased chances for wildfires in Oklahoma

The fire agency notes that there is significant or extreme drought going on within Southern Oklahoma. They noted that at the tail end of 2025, there was an intensification of drought development throughout the Southern Plains.

Over the next few months, the fire agency forecasts that a drought will only become more extensive and worsen throughout parts of Texas and Oklahoma.

Weather alerts: See active red flag warnings, fire weather warnings

Live Oklahoma fire, smoke map

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Worsening drought boosts wildfire chances in Oklahoma. See 2026 forecast
[Source]

An emotional video showing a Hmong American child describing racist bullying at school has gone viral as attention grows around the persistence of a mocking gesture targeting Asians. In the clip, elementary school student Adi tells her mother that her classmates would pull their eyes back when they see other Asian kids. The video has sparked discussion about how gestures normalized by adults can filter down to children.

What Adi described at school

The video was recorded in late December 2025 after Adi returned home visibly upset, according to her mother, Christa Thao, who later shared the clip on her TikTok account. In the recording, Adi struggles to explain what happened before asking, Why are people mean to Asians? a moment that resonated widely as the video spread beyond TikTok to other social media platforms. Thao told People that the behavior involved classmates Adi believed were her friends and that it occurred repeatedly during the school day.

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After posting the video, Thao contacted school administrators that night. In a follow-up TikTok update, she shared that the school responded the following morning, opened an investigation, met with the students involved and notified their parents. Thao said the school also put monitoring measures in place to address the situation moving forward.

Trending on NextShark: Slant-eye mockery brings Hmong American child to tears in viral video

Why the gesture carries harm beyond words

The eye-pulling gesture has a long history as a racist insult directed at Asians, used to caricature physical features and mark differences. Because it relies on nonverbal mockery rather than explicit slurs, it is often dismissed even as it reinforces exclusion. Its repeated appearance in public and private settings shows how racial harassment can persist in subtle forms that still carry real consequences.

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The attention surrounding Adis video comes as the same gesture has surfaced in recent public controversies involving adults, including a widely criticized incident in Finland that resulted in the removal of a Miss Finland titleholder. The recurrence of the gesture across different contexts has renewed focus on how actions often minimized as jokes can translate into real harm, particularly when they surface in everyday settings like schools.

Trending on NextShark: ICE records show $300 million expansion of surveillance tools under Trump

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Trending on NextShark: Military lawyers role in Caribbean strike comes under scrutiny

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Snow and ice to precede larger late-week storm in central, eastern US

The coldest air is retreating from much of the eastern two-thirds of the nation. However, enough cold air will linger and work with a storm to deliver snow and ice to the Upper Midwest and Northeast around midweek. A larger and more impactful storm later in the week is expected to reintroduce colder air to portions of the region.

Northeast faces yet another round of snow, ice

Pockets of slippery travel are expected, especially on untreated roads and elevated surfaces.

AccuWeather.com

Sleet, freezing rain and snow are expected through the northern tier of Pennsylvania, upstate New York and central New England into Wednesday morning.

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Even light ice buildup can lead to dangerous travel conditions, particularly on untreated roads.

Just enough cold air is expected to support accumulating snow from near the shores of Lake Huron eastward across southern Quebec, northeastern New York and northern New England.

A general snowfall of 1-6 inches is forecast across this zone, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 12 inches possible in portions of south-central Ontario, the Green and White Mountains of New England and southeastern Quebec near the U.S. border.

AccuWeather.com

Much of the eastern two-thirds of the nation is expected to experience a break from the recent cold this week. Temperatures may challenge daily records from Texas and the southern Plains into the Southeast into Wednesday, then along the southern Atlantic Seaboard on Thursday.

Western US storm to affect dozens of states east of Rockies late this week

A cross-country storm bringing rain and snow to the West on Wednesday is expected to dip toward Texas on Thursday before tracking toward the Great Lakes region late Thursday.

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This lead storm of a duo will be the smaller of the two for the latter part of the week. A coating to a couple inches of wet snow is forecast from eastern Nebraska to northern Michigan into Canada.

AccuWeather.com

A second part of, and the main body of the storm, will follow in about 24 hours.

As this large storm moves along, it will carry Pacific moisture and then tap into additional moisture from the Gulf. This setup is expected to produce a large swath of precipitation-from thunderstorms and heavy rain to snow and ice-across the central United States from Friday to Saturday.

AccuWeather.com

Severe thunderstorms are possible across eastern Oklahoma, northeastern Texas, far southeastern Kansas and into parts of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys from Thursday into Friday.

AccuWeather.com

Some of the rain will be heavy enough to lead to flash flooding in urban and poor drainage areas on Friday, especially from northeastern Louisiana and western Mississippi to south-central Kentucky.

AccuWeather.com

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During the weekend, additional gusty to severe thunderstorms may affect portions of the Southeast.

The exact location of the transition between rain, a wintry mix and snow across the Plains will depend on the storm's track. Heavy snow is forecast to fall over the interior Southwest.

AccuWeather.com

Farther east, the expansion of warmer air ahead of the storm may confine any wintry mix mainly to northern Maine.

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As travel conditions improve from Tuesday to Wednesday over much of the Central and Eastern states, they are likely to deteriorate from Friday to Saturday, including at the airports.

AccuWeather.com

Colder air to fight back by the weekend

The storm is expected to finish up in the Northeast late in the week, but it could slow down as another storm approaches and tries to merge with it.

AccuWeather.com

As colder air moves into the Great Lakes region from Friday into Saturday, strengthening winds may cause rain to change to accumulating snow, with the potential for another round of heavy lake-effect snow.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
In this Media Miss Minute, millions of Americans who rely on Social Security are facing growing delays. Plus, the U.S. and Nigeria confirmed a joint military operation targeting ISIS militants in northwest Nigeria.

Media Miss by the right: Social Security delayed for millions due to backlogs

The Social Security Administration is in what The Washington Post describes as "turmoil" after the Trump administration laid off thousands of employees last February.

According to the report, the agency is currently facing roughly 6 million pending cases and 12 million transactions - delays that could affect about 74 million Americans.

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The layoffs included about 7,000 employees. As a result, many claimants are now waiting 3 to 6 months for payments and services.

Media landscape

Powered by Ground News



Media Miss by the left: Nigeria confirms US-coordinated airstrike killed ISIS militants

The United States and Nigeria say they collaborated on airstrikes in Sokoto state as part of an operation targeting ISIS militant camps.

Officials say intelligence showed the camps were being used to plan attacks. In a social media post, President Trump said the group had been targeting Christians in the region.

Nigerian officials said the late-December strikes were aimed at securing Sokoto and preventing infiltration from the Sahel.

Media landscape

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If you want more stories not being reported by partisan media outlets, visit SAN's Media Miss archive.

Straight Arrow News identifies Media Misses based on coverage data available at the time of publication. Some outlets may choose to cover a story after our analysis is published. Our methodology prioritizes timely, prominent coverage across a range of sources, but we continually review and refine our approach to ensure balance and accuracy.

The post Social Security payments delayed for millions; US and Nigeria strike ISIS militants targeting Christians appeared first on Straight Arrow News.

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President Lee Jae-myung of South Korea, a key US ally in East Asia, arrived in Beijing at noon on Sunday for his first China trip since taking office.

The four-day state visit comes at a moment when the global order is teetering, with old structures crumbling and a new world yet to emerge.

Over 200 South Korean entrepreneurs, including the chairmen of Samsung and SK Group, are accompanying Lee on his trip, which includes two days each in Beijing and Shanghai.

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Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Lee will attend a Korea-China business forum on Monday morning, followed by a summit meeting with President Xi Jinping. The two leaders are also expected to hold a memorandum signing ceremony, and Xi will later host a state banquet in Lee's honour, according to South Korean media.

Lee's state visit unfolds amid a turbulent global landscape, where Seoul must delicately navigate US-China rivalry and China-Japan tensions while pursuing mutually beneficial opportunities with Beijing.

He is expected to strike a balance between regional issues - including North Korea's nuclear threats and stability in the Korean peninsula - and forging stronger ties with Beijing.

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Ties between South Korea's two key neighbours, China and Japan, are at their lowest point in years. The row was triggered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks in November that a cross-strait attack on Taiwan could be viewed as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, justifying a military response.

Beijing in turn has accused Tokyo of reviving militarism and retaliated with both diplomatic and economic measures.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States and its treaty allies South Korea and Japan, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. Washington is also opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.

In an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Friday, Lee reaffirmed Seoul's position to uphold the one-China principle, saying that maintaining regional peace and stability was of vital importance.

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"I believe the healthy development of China-South Korea relations depends on mutual respect for each other's core interests and tolerance of differing positions. In this context, on China's most central concern - the Taiwan issue - we will continue to uphold the one-China principle," Lee said.

Lee's visit, on the invitation of Xi, comes ahead of a potential summit between the leaders of South Korea and Japan later this month.

Meanwhile, the Japanese foreign ministry announced that US President Donald Trump had invited Takaichi for a visit this year during a phone call on Friday.

Lee is also likely to discuss North Korea with his Chinese counterpart, as the Korean peninsula faces rising tensions from Pyongyang's escalation of its nuclear and missile programmes alongside deepening ties with Moscow, including on the military front.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, accompanied by South Korean counterpart Lee Jae-myung, reviews a guard of honour in Gyeongju, South Korea, on November 1. Photo: Xinhua alt=Chinese President Xi Jinping, accompanied by South Korean counterpart Lee Jae-myung, reviews a guard of honour in Gyeongju, South Korea, on November 1. Photo: Xinhua>

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Lee, who took office last June, has pledged to pursue a "pragmatic" foreign policy that prioritises South Korea's military alliance with the US, while carefully managing relations with China and Russia.

Lee last met Xi on November 1, on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea. At a press conference following their summit, Lee vowed to "overcome" the obstacles to bring about "better changes and bigger benefits for the governments of [South] Korea and China".

Lee told CCTV on Friday that the purpose of his China trip was to "minimise or eliminate, to the greatest extent possible, the misunderstandings and contradictions" that had posed obstacles to the development of bilateral relations, and to "elevate and advance the ties to a new stage" so the two countries could mutually support each other.

South Korea's national security adviser, Wi Sung-lac, said on Friday that the two leaders were expected to discuss "practical cooperation" in areas including supply-chain investment, tourism, and responses to transnational crime, according to Yonhap news agency.

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China is a critical trading partner for South Korea. Nearly half of South Korea's rare earth minerals, essential for semiconductor production, come from China. China also accounts for one-third of South Korea's annual chip exports, making it the largest market.

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  2026 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2026. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called on his visiting South Korean counterpart Monday to join Beijing in making the "right strategic choices" in a world that is "becoming more complex and turbulent", state media reported.

Lee Jae Myung is the first South Korean leader to visit the Chinese capital in six years and his meeting with Xi came a day after the nuclear-armed North fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.

It also followed a shock US military operation in Caracas that deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and brought him to New York to face narcotrafficking charges -- a raid condemned by Beijing and Pyongyang.

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At Monday's talks, Xi warned "the world is currently undergoing accelerated changes unseen in a century, and the international situation is becoming more complex and turbulent", state news agency Xinhua reported.

Beijing and Seoul "bear important responsibilities" in upholding peace in the region, Xi said, noting that the sides "have broad common interests".

"They should firmly stand on the right side of history and make the right strategic choices."

The South Korean leader then said he wished to open a "new phase" in relations, "based on the trust" between himself and Xi.

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And he vowed to "seek feasible alternatives together for peace on the Korean Peninsula", footage broadcast by Seoul's Yonhap news agency showed.

The leaders then witnessed the signing of "15 cooperation documents" spanning technological innovation, the environment, transportation and trade, Xinhua said.

A state banquet followed the signing of the agreements, the report added.

Lee, accompanied by a delegation of business and tech leaders, hopes to secure pledges to expand economic cooperation with his country's largest trading partner.

He has called for South Korea and China to work towards "more horizontal and mutually beneficial" trade.

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- 'Interconnected supply chains' -

On Monday, Lee also met with top executives from both South Korean and Chinese firms at Beijing's opulent Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Yonhap reported.

South Korea and China "have helped each other grow through interconnected industrial supply chains and led the global economy", he told them.

Among the Chinese firms represented were battery giant CATL as well as phone maker ZTE and tech giant Tencent, Yonhap said.

On the South Korean side, Lee was accompanied by Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group's executive chair Chung Eui-sun, among others.

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The South Korean President will meet on Tuesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang -- in charge of economic policy -- and other top officials.

He then heads to China's economic powerhouse city of Shanghai, where he will attend a startup summit and visit the former headquarters of the Korean government-in-exile during Japanese rule.

- Pyongyang tensions -

Lee also hopes to possibly harness China's clout over North Korea to support his bid to improve ties with Pyongyang.

"China is a very important cooperative partner in moving toward peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula," Lee said during a meeting with Korean residents in Beijing on Sunday, according to Yonhap.

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Hours before Xi and Lee were due to meet, Pyongyang declared that it had launched two hypersonic missiles and that its nuclear forces were ready for "actual war".

Xi and Lee last met in November on the sidelines of the APEC summit in the South Korean city of Gyeongju -- a meeting Seoul framed as a reset of ties after years of tension.

Seoul has for decades trodden a fine line between China, its top trading partner, and the United States, its chief defence guarantor.

And Lee's trip comes less than a week after China carried out massive military drills around Taiwan, the self-ruled island it claims as part of its territory.

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The exercise, featuring missiles, fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels, drew a chorus of international condemnation that Seoul has notably declined to join.

Lee also deftly stayed on the sidelines since a nasty spat erupted between Beijing and Tokyo late last year, triggered by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's suggestion that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan.

burs-pfc/oho/fox
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will meet Monday with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, with closer economic ties as well as the recalcitrant North on the agenda.

Lee is the first South Korean leader to visit Beijing in six years and his meeting with Xi on Monday came a day after the nuclear-armed regime in Pyongyang fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.

The pair will meet for an opening ceremony and a summit before the signing of an agreement and a state banquet, Seoul has said.

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The South Korean leader, accompanied by a delegation of business and tech leaders, hopes to secure pledges to expand economic cooperation with his country's largest trading partner.

He has previously called for South Korea and China to work towards "more horizontal and mutually beneficial" trade.

And he hopes to possibly harness China's clout over North Korea to support his bid to improve ties with Pyongyang.

"China is a very important cooperative partner in moving toward peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula," Lee said during a meeting with Korean residents in Beijing on Sunday, according to Yonhap news agency.

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Xi and Lee last met in November on the sidelines of the APEC summit in the South Korean city of Gyeongju -- a meeting Seoul framed as a reset of ties after years of tension.

Seoul has for decades trodden a fine line between China, its top trading partner, and the United States, its chief defence guarantor.

And Lee's trip comes less than a week after China carried out massive military drills around Taiwan, the self-ruled island it claims as part of its territory.

The exercise, featuring missiles, fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels, drew a chorus of international condemnation that Seoul has notably declined to join.

Advertisement Advertisement

Lee also deftly stayed on the sidelines since a nasty spat erupted between Beijing and Tokyo late last year, triggered by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's suggestion that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan.

In an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Friday, he said that he "clearly affirms" that "respecting the 'one-China' principle and maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia, including in the Taiwan Strait, are very important".

bur-oho/tc
As the U.S. Space Force enters 2026 amid escalating threats from China and Russia, the service faces a pivotal year as it transitions to full-spectrum warfighting.

Recent assessments from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commissions 2025 annual report underscore the challenge ahead. According to the report, China is aggressively positioning itself as a global leader in space technology and exploration, seeking to reshape international governance, influence standards, and displace the United States as the worlds premier space power.

The report notes Chinas operational satellite fleet exceeded 1,060 by mid-2025, with hundreds dedicated to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

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Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman has signaled U.S. resolve on this front. During the opening keynote at the Air & Space Forces Associations Warfare Symposium in March 2025, he made U.S. intentions clear to allies and adversaries alike, declaring, The Space Force will do whatever it takes to achieve space superiority.

The April 2025 release of Space Warfighting: A Framework for Planners codifies the services shift from primarily supportive roles to treating space as a contested warfighting domain, openly emphasizing offensive and defensive counter-space operations alongside traditional enabling capabilities.

In the documents foreword, Saltzman writes that space superiority unlocks superiority in other domains, fuels Coalition lethality, and fortifies troop survivability. It is therefore the basis from which the Joint Force projects power, deters aggression, and secures the homeland.

Race to resilience

Current core U.S. military space capabilities remain foundational but increasingly vulnerable.

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Missile warning and tracking systems, such as the Space-Based Infrared System and emerging Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared satellites, provide global detection of ballistic and hypersonic launches, often within seconds of ignition. This capability is supplemented by proliferated low-Earth orbit sensors, including the Space Development Agencys Tranche 3 tracking layer, a $3.5 billion investment awarded in late 2025 for 72 new satellites planned for launch beginning in 2029.

Protected satellite communication and positioning, navigation and timing networks, including the jam-resistant Advanced Extremely High Frequency constellation and military GPS featuring enhanced anti-jam M-code, ensure resilient command and control in degraded environments.

Space domain awareness tools, such as the maneuverable Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program satellites, operate in near-geosynchronous orbit to conduct close inspections of objects. Upgraded ground-based sensors, including the Ground-Based Optical Sensor System, track orbital objects and potential threats.

While robust, these systems are vulnerable to attacks such as signal jamming, sensor dazzling by directed-energy weapons and cyberattacks  reversible threats that U.S. officials report occur daily or near-daily. U.S. officials note that even temporary disruptions could significantly impair critical joint operations in wartime.

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These challenges are driving the services Race to Resilience initiative, which aims to achieve battle-ready architectures by 2026. Several key milestones in the coming year will advance the Space Forces readiness in these contested environments.

Boost-phase space-based interceptor prototypes, a proposed weapon system designed to destroy enemy ballistic missiles during the boost phase of their flight, were awarded under competitive contracts for the Golden Dome missile defense initiative in November 2025. Kinetic midcourse awards (hit-to-kill interceptors during the missiles coasting phase) are expected in February 2026.

Speaking shortly after his appointment at the Space Foundations Innovate Space: Global Economic Summit in July 2025, program lead Gen. Michael Guetlein shared his optimism for the program, stating, I firmly believe that the technology we need to deliver Golden Dome exists today, highlighting the importance of integrated command and control.

The service will also finalize requirements for the Space Warfighter Operational Readiness Domain, a distributed digital training environment that builds on existing Space Flag exercises, enabling guardians across multiple locations to participate in virtual simulations of contested operations.

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Four on-orbit servicing demonstrations are planned for 2026 to test satellite refueling, repair, inspection and maneuvering. These capabilities are essential for maintaining dynamic space operations, extending the lifespan of assets and enhancing resilience in these contested environments. These missions, funded by various DOD entities and commercial partners, mark a key step toward proving the viability of in-space logistics.

Additionally, the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve will transition from pilot phase to full-scale operations in 2026, targeting 20 contracts by year-end to provide wartime access to commercial satcom networks. This resiliency measure is backed by record fiscal 2026 funding approaching $40 billion, reflecting priorities for hybrid military-commercial architectures.

With threats intensifying, including Chinas rapid satellite expansion and Russias disruptive capabilities, 2026 positions the Space Force to deliver resilient architectures that ensure U.S. space superiority, enabling joint forces to maintain the edge in any conflict or contested environment.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Starlink, the companys satellite internet provider, will provide the service free of charge to the people of Venezuela for the next month.

Musk reposted a statement from Starlinks account on the social platform X, which Musk owns, announcing the policy shift.

Starlink is providing free broadband service to the people of Venezuela through February 3, ensuring continued connectivity, Starlinks statement said late Saturday.

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Shortly after midnight Sunday, Musk reposted the statement, adding, In support of the people of Venezuela, including a Venezuelan flag.

The announcement comes on the heels of the U.S. carrying out a stunning covert operation in Venezuela, capturing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and flying them back to New York to face charges related to drug trafficking, terrorism and firearms. Maduro is in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., and is expected to make a court appearance Monday at noon.

Musk has expressed his strong support for the Venezuelan operation.

The Starlink announcement also came after Musk had dinner with President Trump and first lady Melania Trump on Saturday. The White House did not respond for comment on Starlinks announcement.

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Copyright 2026 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.
Donald Trumps military operation to seize the president of Venezuela, with a view to trying him in the United States for drug-related and other crimes, presents European leaders  and Sir Keir Starmer more than most  with a dilemma.

On the one hand, the removal of President Nicolas Maduro had its desirable aspects: he took power in an evidently rigged election, and his general mismanagement impoverished what should be a rich country by virtue of its oil wealth. On the other hand, the manner of his removal clearly violated pretty much every principle that Europeans profess to hold dear, starting with respect for national sovereignty.

There were, too, elements of shock and surprise. It was not just Venezuela that was kept in the dark. The operation appears to have been prepared and launched by the United States without any reference to its allies, leaving Europeans sidelined, uncertain and in a quandary about what to say. Initial statements were limited to the need to monitor the situation and ensure the safety of their own nationals in Venezuela.

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But the quandary for the UK government, and for Sir Keir as prime minister, was greater than for most other European leaders. That was not only because of the special relationship that the UK insists it still enjoys with the United States, but because of the additional political and diplomatic investment successive UK governments have made in that relationship since the UK left the European Union.

It could, of course, be seen as exceptionally bad luck that the UKs turn towards the United States should have coincided with the two terms of a president whose commitment to his European allies appears to rank far below his quest for a new age of US supremacy across the Americas. It hardly helped, either, that this presidents policy-making so often seems to smack of caprice. But the measure of national leaders is how they cope with unpredictability of all kinds, and Sir Keirs initial response fell some way short.

First came silence, followed by a disclaimer  what I can say is that the UK was not involved in any way in this operation  and then a plea for more time to establish all the facts. A more confident prime minister  more confident, that is, both in the resilience of the special relationship and in his own judgement  might not have shrunk from a simple defence of the principle of national sovereignty, particularly given that the US had already boasted of capturing the president of Venezuela by force.

Perhaps the most eloquent expression of weakness, however, was Sir Keirs admission that he was waiting  as, indeed, were we all  for Mr Trumps announced news conference to find out what had happened. Even if that was true, and he had no hotline to his closest ally at such a moment, or that ally was simply not answering, it would have been wiser not to advertise the fact.

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The response of the EU and individual European leaders was only marginally more convincing than that of the UK. They did, however, enjoy the advantage of not claiming any special relationship with the US, and of not having buttered up Donald Trump to the same extent. As it was, it was left to the far right in France and elsewhere to straddle the divide between hailing the downfall of Mr Maduro and attacking the US for breaching a basic tenet of international law. It seemed an embarrassingly long time before Germany and France  and the UK  arrived at what looked like coordinated statements, withholding judgement on the operation itself while expressing hopes for a better future for Venezuela. Indeed.

There is surely an argument to be made that a joint European response could have been quicker, stronger and more effective had the UK still been a member of the EU. And for all that UK ministers insist that the country has left the EU, but not Europe, it is hard not to conclude that Brexit has left the UK more exposed to the cold winds of US unilateralism than would otherwise have been the case.

This may also be the prism through which a strange little coda to the Venezuela events should be viewed: the joint UK-French strike on an Isis storage depot in Syria. Was the timing mere coincidence, or did the operation carry a message for our transatlantic friends  that, while two major European allies might harbour misgivings about the Venezuela operation, they could still be of use?

Not wanting to alienate the United States as an ally would seem to be just one element in the UK-US-EU triangle that Britain has grappled with since Brexit, and which it may now be looking to adjust in the coming year.

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One clear and thoroughly welcome theme to emerge from the prime ministers new year BBC interview was his desire for closer relations with the EU, including closer alignment with the EU single market, although not to the extent  perish the thought  of rejoining the customs union.

If the costs of Brexit are finally being absorbed, and Venezuela has helped to underline that a tilt towards the US is not the answer, that might not be a bad place for this government to begin 2026.
Maine residents who lost money at a Bitcoin Depot kiosk in Maine through a scam can submit a claim with the state. (Image by Namthip Muanthongthae / Getty Images)

The state office that oversees consumer finance protection has come to an agreement with a cryptocurrency operator that will help recover nearly $2 million that was scammed from Mainers.

On Monday, the Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection announced in a news release that it entered into a consent agreement with Bitcoin Depot, which operates Bitcoin kiosks, to recover $1.9 million that third-party scammers defrauded from Mainers through those kiosks.

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Additionally, Bitcoin Depot will fully comply with Maine consumer protection laws to operate as a money transmitter in the state as part of the agreement.

This agreement comes after Gov. Janet Mills signed emergency legislation last June that limits daily transmission amounts and caps fees and exchange rates at virtual currency kiosks. The legislation also provides redress for consumers.

In addition, Mills has signed other legislation to protect Maine consumers from third-party scammers, including the Maine Money Transmission Modernization Act in 2024.

Linda Conti, superintendent of the credit protection bureau, credited Maines new consumer protection laws for allowing the state to reach the agreement with Bitcoin Depot and recoup those losses. She specifically mentioned the unhosted wallet provision under Maine law, which requires money transmitters to employ new technologies to ensure that Maine consumers own and control their virtual wallets.

Maine residents who lost money at a Bitcoin Depot kiosk in Maine through a scam can submit a claim on the states website. Consumers can also call the bureau at 207-624-8527 with questions.
It was a big turnout in Tewksbury, Monday afternoon when residents at Emerald Court, a 55+ community, had the chance to express their concerns about a proposed lithium-ion battery storage facility, directly to the state.

The proposed site is just down the road from the community, raising safety concerns regarding how the facility might impact those who live and work nearby.

Within the community, Linda Martin said she lives closest to the proposed site, about 540 feet away.

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Its really, really in my backyard, Martin said.

After learning about the project in March 2025, Martin started doing her own research. Afterwards, she reached out to Governor Maura Healey to express her worry about the project being in very close proximity to residents.

She said the governors office responded and said they would be sending someone to speak with residents about the project in the new year.

On Monday, Undersecretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Michael Judge met with residents to hear those concerns directly.

We do understand that there are some real concerns about the proximity of these facilities to certain neighborhoods and so we have a lot of new rules were putting in place around site suitability and what are appropriate locations for these projects, Judge said.

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While this project is still just a proposal according to the state, the worry is real as expressed by residents during Mondays meeting.

We are very concerned, and we are very angry, one resident told the undersecretary.

Dawn Sheehans family owns property across the street from the proposed site which is rented out to several businesses. Sheehans family is acting as an intervener in the proposal process, hiring various companies to conduct their own studies and research into the proposal site.

After getting those reports back, shes now concerned about the data being provided by the company behind the project.

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We have taken all of the reports that the company has presented and had them redone and every single report, were finding that data was just not done right, Sheehan explained.

Proposed by Hillman Energy Center, a subsidiary of Virginia-based East Point Energy, the project would bring 125 megawatts of battery storage to the 4-acre industrial site, enough power for nearly 125,000 homes for four hours.

The safety of the communities we operate in is our number one priority. Battery Energy Storage Systems such as Hillman Energy Center must adhere to rigorous national, state and local safety guidelines and regulations. These facilities play an important role in the clean energy ecosystem and are both safe and widely used across the country. The Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) is an independent state board that reviews proposed large energy facilities in Massachusetts including battery energy storage systems, power plants, electric transmission lines and more. East Point Energy has and will continue to work closely with the EFSB, local officials, community members and first responders including the Tewksbury Fire Department to ensure this project complies with all regulations and brings value to the community. Vice President of Project Development at East Point Energy Maggie Howe

The public comment period ended in October. Hearings on the matter are set for the next several months, but according to the state, the timeline for a final decision remains uncertain.

Tewksbury Town Manager, John Curran, said the town is working through the appropriate steps with the proposal, and if approved, will do everything they can to ensure the safety of residents.

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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In its updated response, the state acknowledged that the war has entered what it described as a different factual phase, following the October agreements and a fighting intensity reduction.

The government told theHigh Court of Justice on Monday that it remains too dangerous to allow journalists to enter the Gaza Strip without military accompaniment, maintaining a position it has repeatedly presented since the start of the Israel-Hamas War.

The stance was submitted in response to a long-standing petition filed in September 2024 by the Foreign Press Association (FPA), joined by Israeli and international press freedom organizations, seeking to permit journalists to enter Gaza independently.

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The states latest filing follows months of delay and mirrors arguments it previously advanced in June 2025, when it said the issue was not one of discrimination between foreign and Israeli journalists, but of safety concerns that precluded independent entry altogether.

In its updated response, the state acknowledged that the war has entered what it described as a different factual phase, following the October agreements and a reduction in the intensity of fighting.

Nevertheless, it argued that the security situation inside Gaza remains volatile and that allowing journalists to enter without military escort would pose unacceptable risks  both to the journalists themselves and to ongoing military activity.

IDF troops operate in Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip, January 4, 2026. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The position... is that even at this time, characterized by continued security threats and incidents, there is no basis to allow the entry of journalists  Israeli or foreign  into the Gaza Strip without accompaniment, the state wrote, citing assessments by the defense establishment.

FPA Gaza petition: Israel defends military escort rule

The petitioners argue that Israel, as the authority controlling entry and exit from Gaza, is effectively preventing independent journalistic coverage of a major conflict zone. They contend that embedding journalists exclusively with the IDF severely restricts reporting and undermines press freedom, particularly given the scale of destruction and humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

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The state rejected that framing, noting that journalists have been allowed to enter Gaza throughout the war under military escort and that such access has continued in recent months.

According to figures provided by the state, some 25 escorted entries by Israeli journalists and five group entries by foreign journalists have taken place since late October, involving dozens of reporters operating under coordination with the IDF.

The High Court has previously sided with the state on the matter. In January 2024, it rejected an earlier petition on similar grounds, ruling that there is no vested right to enter Gaza and that the court would not intervene in security policy during active hostilities. However, the court left the door open for renewed review should circumstances materially change.

At a hearing held on October 26, the court noted the states representation that it intended to reassess its policy in light of changed conditions on the ground and instructed it to submit an updated position within 30 days.

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While the state reiterated its intention to examine the issue, it ultimately concluded that the security risks remain too high to justify lifting the escort requirement.

The state also referenced broader strategic considerations, including the continued presence of the remains of hostage Ran Gvili in Gaza, and the risk that independent civilian movement could interfere with military operations.

Following the submission of the states position, the court is expected to issue further instructions regarding the continuation of the proceedings.
President Donald Trumps defenders had it half right.

The US overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro isnt an exact copy of the haunted regime change that gutted Iraqs government and civil society.

The emerging White House strategy instead looks more like a regime decapitation that is evolving into coercion of Maduros left-behind lieutenants. The administration is demanding acquiescence to Trumps dream of an obedient, MAGAfied Western Hemisphere.

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The focal point of the effort is Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, the interim leader in Caracas since a spectacular US special forces operation spirited Maduro out of his bed and to New York, where hell appear in court Monday.

Trump declared Sunday evening that the US was running Venezuela through its pressure on Rodriguez, now the acting president. Dont ask me whos in charge, because Ill give you an answer, and itll be very controversial, he told reporters. It means were in charge. Were in charge.

The spectacle of an American president claiming to be in charge of a sovereign nation around 1,000 miles from the US mainland  even if it is not strictly true  shows just how fundamentally Trump has hardened the countrys posture to the rest of the world and reveals his ambition to wield expansive power. And Trump apparently feels emboldened by the Venezuela raid, telling reporters Sunday that Colombia is very sick and that Mexico has to get their act together.

Co-opting Maduros remnant regime would require less US blood and treasure than failed nation-building efforts in the post-9/11 wars. But that route brings its own complications and has uncertain odds given the volatile political landscape. And it could create an unexpected and immediate consequence of Maduros fall: a counterintuitive US turn away from Venezuelas democracy movement.

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Hurried efforts in Washington to piece together a viable path forward in Venezuela coincided Sunday with rising fury among Democrats over Trumps failure to seek congressional authorization for what looked like an act of war. Early signs indicate that Republicans are standing firm behind a president theyve rarely challenged. But it will take time to gauge whether yet another foreign policy adventure will widen splits in Trumps MAGA movement.

What the policy is supposed to do

People view an apartment building on January 4, 2026, in La Guaira, Venezuela, that residents say was damaged during US military operations. - Jesus Vargas/Getty Images

The Trump administration is now wrestling with the complex aftermath of their bosss headline-grabbing order of a daring military raid. It is walking a fine line in seeking to secure a stable source of authority in Caracas. And its looking to avoid the kind of purges of top officials that could bring the government crashing down and lead to civil strife, which could turn Trumps latest triumph into a political disaster in a midterm election year in the United States.

Trump created a storm Saturday when he said the US would run Venezuela ahead of a political transition. He also fueled fears of 21st century imperialism by fixating on getting the US a piece of Venezuelas vast oil reserves.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared on Sunday news shows to dispel comparisons to Iraq from what he called clown-hour analysts.

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He said the US would maintain its quarantine oil embargo to force Venezuelas remaining leaders to obey Trumps orders. The freshly demonstrated might of the US military is also supposed to concentrate minds in the Venezuelan capital.

We want drug trafficking to stop. We want no more gang members to come our way. We dont want to see the Iranian and, by the way, Cuban presence in the past, Rubio said on CBS Face the Nation

We want the oil industry in that country not to go to the benefit of pirates and adversaries of the United States, but for the benefit of the people.  We insist on seeing that happen, Rubio said.

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, a key Trump ally, summed up the thrust of the strategy on CNNs State of the Union. He told Dana Bash, When the president said that the United States is going to be running Venezuela, it means that the new leaders of Venezuela need to meet our demands.

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In short, Trumps plan for Venezuela is to coerce its acting president to become a vessel for his power inside her own country. As Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told CBS News on Saturday, President Trump sets the terms.  (He) has shown American leadership and he will be able to dictate where we go next.

Washington wants deals in Caracas

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez holds a news conference in Caracas on March 10, 2025. - Ariana Cubillos/AP

The spectacular special forces smash-and-grab raid that captured Maduro and his wife looks in the immediate aftermath like one of the more successful CIA and US military attempts to shape the geopolitics of Americas backyard  a preoccupation of presidents for more than 200 years.

If Trump succeeds after years of Washington neglecting Latin America, he may turn an enemy into a pliant state and advance his effort to shape the Western Hemisphere into a region of pro-US powers. He might ease deprivation in the Venezuelan economy by getting oil revenues flowing; disrupt drug cartels; and drive out Russian and Chinese influences that threaten US national security.

Washington wants a partner in Caracas to do the deals at which Maduro balked. We just could not work with him. He is not a person that had ever kept any of the deals he made, Rubio told CBS.

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The assumption that Rodriguez or another regime survivor will help the US is fine in theory. Outsiders are not privy to conversations and behind-the-scenes work from American diplomats and intelligence agencies with regime figures. Sources told CNN that Rodriguez had been identified as potentially providing more stable governance than Maduro.

Yet the vice president has been publicly scathing about Maduros ouster, and other key figures have vowed to stand behind the regime. Rodriguez may need to avoid any public show of betrayal to keep herself safe in Venezuela. But after portraying her as cooperative on Saturday, Trump issued a dark threat on Sunday. If she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro, he told The Atlantic.

On Sunday evening, Rodriguez issued a more conciliatory statement offering an agenda of cooperation with the US.

Trump and several key members of his administration have warned that if Venezuelan officials dont play ball, they could court another, bigger US attack. But their threats raise a key question: Can Washington really force Venezuelan leaders to comply through the leverage of an offshore naval armada, special forces raids, intelligence operations or the threat of air attacks?

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Ivo Daalder, a former US ambassador to NATO, told CNN on Sunday that it was impossible for the Trump administration to run Venezuela without committing the resources needed to properly govern it.

This disconnect between the means that we have deployed and the goals that we have set is going to come and bite us in the back, Daalder said.

It already looks like the US risks falling yet again into one of the recurring traps of its modern foreign policy  creating plans that seem sound in Washington but that dissolve on contact with the reality of a foreign nation.

Rodriguez might seem like a stabilizing force to US officials. As a former diplomat, she has good contacts abroad and in the oil industry.

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But shes long been a key face of the Maduro regime and that of his predecessor Hugo Chavez. Theres been no sign that shes renounced the far-left ideology of the revolution. And Rodriguez herself may have limited room for maneuver or cooperation with the US in the snake pit of competing currents and strongmen that characterize the inner sanctums of the regime in Caracas.

She doesnt have the support among the various armed actors, Daniel Lansberg-Rodriguez, a geopolitical risk consultant, told CNNs Boris Sanchez on Sunday. Shes going to have to straddle keeping the people who do have good contacts there, keeping them balanced with whatever instructions she is supposedly getting from DC.

The acting presidents emerging importance to the administration means she risks becoming a fragile platform for Trumps entire gamble in Venezuela.

Delcy Rodriguez is a very powerful figure in her own right, handpicked by Maduro, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said on State of the Union.

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Theres really no explanation for how American interests are changed at all with a Rodriguez administration that right now seems to be intent on carrying through and carrying forward the policies of Nicolas Maduro, Murphy said.

Even Cotton will wait and see. I dont think that we can count on Delcy Rodriguez to be friendly to the United States until she proves it, he told CNNs Bash.

The US turn away from Venezuelas democrats

A woman holds a banner depicting Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in Doral, Florida, on January 3, 2026. - Marco Bello/Reuters

Perhaps the most shocking moment in Trumps Saturday news conference at Mar-a-Lago was the presidents dismissal of Maria Corina Machado. The Nobel Peace laureate is credited with masterminding the campaign of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who is regarded as the winner of last years election  a result Maduro refused to recognize.

The US government has consistently said that Gonzalez is the rightful president of Venezuela. Many people assumed that any US ouster of Maduro would swiftly lead to Gonzalezs installation as president.

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But Trump said Machado doesnt have the support within or the respect within the country. Shes a very nice woman, but she doesnt have the respect.

The administrations shift away from the democratic movement and engagement with regime remnants is a blow to Venezuelans hoping their long political torment would end.

Rubio, who has long supported Machado and democratic movements across Latin America, tried to square a politically uncomfortable circle. There has to be a little realism here, he told CBS.

Theyve had this regime  in place for 15 or 16 years and everyones asking why 24 hours after Nicolas Maduro was arrested there isnt an election scheduled for tomorrow. Thats absurd, Rubio said.

Rubio argued that these things take time and that while he hoped to see Venezuela transition to a democracy, US national interests were the immediate concern.

This Trump administration pragmatism is fueling anger on Capitol Hill.

My God, were the United States of America, right? Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on State of the Union.

We care  or at least we used to care  about democratic norms. We used to care about the idea that the people ought to have a little something to say about who governs them, Himes said.

Trump is clearly rushing for Venezuelan oil  and he wants to dominate the Western Hemisphere. But in courting Maduros regime remnants, the US risks becoming complicit in the repression imposed by a government it has long reviled.

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The Oklahoma City Police Department has reported that the first homicide of 2026 occurred after a victim was shot to death inside a southeast OKC home.

On Jan 2, 2026, Willie Cook, 51, was found inside a home located in the 500 block of Helm Parkway, according to OKCPD. Investigators state that Cook appears to have been shot to death.

Police say Cook was inside the residence with another person when that person pulled a gun and allegedly killed Cook. The motive for the killing is unclear, OKCPD reports.

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The suspect was located later that same day and was placed in the Oklahoma County Detention Center on a murder complaint. The Oklahoman is not naming the suspect because he has not yet been formally charged.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Suspect arrested in Oklahoma City's first homicide of 2026, police say
A man charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Boston over the weekend that left an elderly man and his dog dead is expected to face a judge on Monday.

William Haney, 42, of Boston, is slated to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on charges of murder and animal cruelty in the death of 79-year-old John Axelrod, also of Boston.

The crash occurred on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in the citys Back Bay section, a median where vehicles are prohibited, just after 8 a.m. Saturday, according to investigators.

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Witness Eric Vandusen was present during the incident and attempted to intervene.

I tried to stop him up there and said, Stop, you hit someone. He kept going, Vandusen told Boston 25.

Vandusen added that neighborhood residents frequently walk their dogs in the area of the crash.

Its awful that its happened. I mean, you see people out, everyones walking their dogs at eight oclock on a Saturday morning, and a man comes through in a car in the middle of a place hes not supposed to be and strikes a man and kills him? Its shaken me to the bone, Vandusen said.

Axelrod was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries. His dog also didnt survive the collision.

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Police were able to track down Haney by obtaining his cars registration information. He was located in Brookline and subsequently arrested in connection with the incident.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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Philadelphia Police say a suspected package thief got into a shootout with a homeowner and later fired at officers in the city's Feltonville section.

Officers heard gunshots coming from the 400 block of East Rockland Street around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

They rushed to the scene and found a man firing a gun.

Police say the man then fired toward the officers.

A nearby homeowner told police he saw the suspect stealing packages.

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When the homeowner confronted the suspect, the two opened fire against each other.

The suspect ran away, but police did recover a gun from the scene.

There were no injuries reported.

No arrests have been made.

The incident remains under investigation.


These are today's mortgage and refinance rates. The 30-year rate has held below 6% for a week and a half, but will it stay that low? Lock in your rate today.
By Wen-Yee Lee

TAIPEI, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Taiwanese prosecutors said on Monday they had filed additional indictments against the Taiwanese unit of Japan's Tokyo Electron and three defendants in a case over the alleged theft of trade secrets from chipmaker TSMC.

The defendants include one previously indicted former TSMC employee surnamed Chen and two new suspects: another former TSMC employee also surnamed Chen and a former Tokyo Electron Taiwan employee surnamed Lu, the prosecutors said.

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The prosecutors are seeking prison terms of seven years for the first Chen, eight years and eight months for the other Chen, and one year for Lu, they said.

SEEKING ADDITIONAL FINE

They are also seeking an additional fine of T$25 million for Tokyo Electron's Taiwan unit on top of an initial request for a fine of up to T$120 million ($3.8 million) in December.

TSMC told Reuters that the prosecutors' request for a supplementary indictment was based on findings from extended investigations related to the trade secret case for which the company took legal action in August 2025. "As the case is now under judicial proceedings, we are unable to provide further details at this time," it added.

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Chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron and its Taiwanese unit did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters could not reach the former TSMC and Tokyo Electron employees for comment.

Taiwanese prosecutors said last month they had charged Tokyo Electron's Taiwanese unit with violating the National Security Act and the Trade Secrets Act after the first Chen was indicted in August for alleged theft of trade secrets from TSMC.

Prosecutors said they discovered during the investigation of the earlier case that the two Chens were suspected of illegally reproducing TSMC's core trade secrets in violation of Taiwan's National Security Act. Lu was suspected of destroying criminal evidence, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said on Monday they had found that the unit's cloud storage still contained TSMC trade secrets.

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Tokyo Electron has said previously that it, as the parent entity, had not been indicted and the matter had no impact on its financial results.

($1 = 31.4530 Taiwan dollars)

(Reporting by Wen-Yee Lee. Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Mark Potter)
A man died after he was shot in the parking lot of a Target store in coastal Georgia. Police said he was shot over a parking spot.

The shooting happened around 6 p.m. at the Savannah location on Abercorn Street.

Savannah Police said it appears that the victim and suspect were arguing over a parking spot when the victim was shot. Paramedics took him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

WJCL has identified the victim as Matthew Traywick.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said the community has been shaken by tragic act of violence and that the city is thinking of the victim and his family.

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Police have identified the suspected shooter as Tyler Linn, 30. They say Linn stayed on scene after the shooting. Hes being charged with murder and aggravated assault.

No disagreement over a parking space, or anything else should ever end in the loss of life. This needless, unnecessary violence underscores the daily pain felt by families across our city and the urgency of our collective work to reduce gun violence and strengthen community safety, the mayor said in a statement.

Johnson concluded his statement urging people to be more compassionate toward others.

A GoFundMe campaign to support Traywicks wife and three young children collected more than $44,000 in less than five hours.

TRENDING STORIES
The business of serving adults with autism and other developmental disabilities in New Jersey has boomed since Gov. Phil Murphy took office eight years ago, with the cost to taxpayers skyrocketing from $1.1 billion to $3.7 billion.

This unbridled growth helped fuel a dramatic rise in the salaries of top executives at some of the biggest nonprofit group home operators, an NJ Advance Media analysis has found.

The increases have alarmed state Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman, who told NJ Advance Media she is pushing for salary limits on top officials and a boost in pay for workers who tend to New Jerseys most vulnerable citizens and now make about $21 an hour.

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Its important there is an honest dialogue about executive compensation, Adelman said. As weve been able to significantly increase Medicaid revenue to providers, we want to make sure that its being used as intended  on increasing wages for frontline workers and ensuring high quality services for residents.

The NJ Advance Media review of taxpayer-funded executive salaries of the nonprofits with the most group home clients in New Jersey, as reported to the IRS, showed big raises from 2018 to 2023, the most recent available data.

Two co-executive directors at CaringHouse Projects and its related company Caring, Inc. in Atlantic City more than doubled their pay: Joseph Dougherty, in charge of operations, earned $558,774 in 2023, up from $247,199 in 2018. Brian Curran, in charge of finance, saw his compensation grow from $247,199 to $502,577. The state paid the company $57.4 million last year to operate group homes for 285 people in south Jersey.

Robert Stack, president and CEO of Community Options, a Princeton-based national nonprofit, earned $2.37 million in 2023  nearly tripling his 2018 compensation of $838,942, making him the highest paid CEO among group home providers in New Jersey. The company was paid $77 million to serve 426 people in group homes in New Jersey last year, according to the state.

Michael Haggerty, the CEO of Allies, a nonprofit in Hamilton, who is also an executive with related companies Woods and Legacy Health, earned $408,812 in 2023  nearly double what his predecessor made in 2018, according to tax records. The center, which was paid $73.1 million to serve 336 group home clients in 2024, was cited by the department in the last year for three or more substantiated serious allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Charles McLister, president and CEO of Elwyn N.J., earned $684,747 in 2023, a 31% hike from $524,630 in 2018, when he was listed in tax records as president. Elwyn, based in Pennsylvania, was paid $38 million serving 205 clients in New Jersey last year. The state Attorney Generals Office recently charged five managers and front-line workers with neglect and one with assault for twice allowing a patient to remain on the floor for several hours after falls. Human Services also cited Elwyn for at least three substantiated serious allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

The pay in New Jersey is often significantly higher than what top executives earn in New York, which experts say is a fair comparison. This was true even for New Jersey group home executives running smaller operations with less revenue.

Robert Stack, founder and CEO of Community Options, a multi-state provider of group homes and other services for people with developmental disabilities, earned $2.3 million in 2023, according to the IRS. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media

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Seven leaders of nonprofit group homes in New Jersey earned more than $500,000, compared with four in New York. In some cases, New Jersey CEOs whose group homes had fewer clients earned at least $50,000 more than leaders of operations in New York.

For example, the CEO for Community Access Unlimited in Elizabeth, which is licensed to serve 297 people in group homes, earned $509,646 in 2023. That salary was higher than five New York CEOs of group homes that served more people  including one who was paid $178,111 less.

CEO pay for larger group home operators across the nation was increased about 3.8% from 2019 to 2020, according to Candid , a company that produces a database of millions of U.S. nonprofits.

None of the nonprofit operators responded to NJ Advance Medias questions about executive compensation and how clients funds are spent. There was no salary information available for two of the top 10 group home operators because they are for-profit companies that are not required to disclose information to the IRS.

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Paul Aronsohn, who leads the Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Their Families, has sharply questioned executive compensation, especially in the wake of how dramatically the taxpayer-funded system has exploded.

He said theres no evidence the group homes are doing a much better job serving the 29,000 people living in group homes, supervised apartments or in their family homes with state-funded services. Complaints to his office have tripled over the past eight years, he said.

Some agencies clearly do all they can to put the money in the right places to support the individuals that live in their homes, Aronsohn told NJ Advance Media. Some agencies dont, and theres nothing to compel them to do so.

I dont know where the money is going, he said.

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Donna Icovino, a Bucks County, Pa. resident and a decades-long advocate who has helped families navigate the government bureaucracy for disability services, gasped when she saw the salaries executives are making, noting that front-line workers who care for residents, including her 40-year old son Michael, are working two and three jobs to support their own families.

When parents speak to me about not being able to obtain for their adult children what they need, I am left wondering  how is it possible to justify this persistent lack of quality services despite sufficient funding?

She and other mothers NJ Advance Media spoke with talked of being turned down for services or not having sufficient attention paid to their loved ones because of staffing shortages.

Doreen Lawrences 73-year-old sister has cerebral palsy, and her physical needs are vast. She can feed herself and brush her teeth, but that is about it, she said.

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But on numerous occasions, she has had to wait an hour for a staff member from Eihab Human Services in Burlington County to take her to the bathroom, Lawrence said.Sometimes she would have accidents, and the aides would have a fit, she said.

One exasperated mother said she doesnt understand why the group home, paid $1,125 a day to care for her deaf daughter, cant find a worker trained in sign language. The mother, who requested anonymity because she feared retribution, has pleaded with management to pay more than the average $20 an hour, knowing that interpreters can earn triple that.

It is isolating to be deaf and not have anyone that can communicate with her, the mother said.

Direct support professionals, the people who feed, bathe, and spend time with group home residents, saw hourly wages rise from $12 to $21 an hour in the past eight years, Adelman said.

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But she acknowledged these wages are still far too low to reliably recruit and retain the workers who are the backbone of the system. Top state officials and advocates agree low wages add to staffing shortages at many centers.

We dont want this to be minimum-wage work. I hope this (goal) continues with the next administration, Adelman said.

Bernadette Griswold, Community Access Unlimiteds executive director, explained in a statement that her organization offers a competitive benefits package that has helped retain workers at a higher rate than its competitors.

In addition to financial compensation, CAU offers employees a comprehensive benefits package including employer paid medical and dental insurance, 401K plan with employer match, employee assistance program, tuition reimbursement, career development training, and other benefits, Griswolds statement said.

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The annual turnover rate at Community Access Unlimited is 25%, compared to the industry norm of 36%, she said.

Salary caps coming?

Adelman has collaborated with state Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, to introduce legislation that would cap the highest senior employee compensation based on how much the group home provider earns from the state Division of Developmental Disabilities.

Under the bill, no executive could earn more than $250,000 unless the agency could show it paid the difference with other public funds or donations. Executives earning less than $250,000 also would face caps, based on how much money the agency earns from the state Division of Developmental Disabilities, state officials said.

Administrative expenses also would be capped at 15%, according to the bill.

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A total of 29 executives made more than $250,000 at the eight largest nonprofits examined by NJ Advance Media. That includes six senior employees at the largest provider, Bancroft, including its outgoing CEO Toni Pergolin, who earned $660,524 in 2023.

Sen. Joseph Vitale and Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman collaborated on legislation that would set limits on administrative costs and executive compensation for state contractors who provide group homes for people with developmental disabilities. Karsten Englander, Andrea Levy and Susan K. Livio for NJ Advance Media

New Jersey once used salary caps to contain executive salaries. Group home providers used to sign contracts with the state that limited senior-level pay based on the amount of state reimbursement, according to the department.

The legislation is part of a package of bills Vitale sponsored in 2024 after NJ Advance Medias special report, Alone, Autistic and Afraid , which described one young womans documented medical neglect at the Special Childrens Center, a group home in Lakewood paid $805 a day at the time by the state.

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The story also examined the states failure to properly investigate operators and hold them accountable when residents are harmed. The key piece of legislation in the package, (S3750) would give the state for the first time power to fine habitually bad operators. The full Senate approved the bill on Dec. 22. The Assembly Health Committee approved it Dec. 11 and awaits a full vote in th 80-member Assembly.

The measure on executive salaries, however, is facing aggressive lobbying from the industry. Vitale postponed a hearing last fall after an outcry from the industry. With the two-year legislative session ending Jan. 13, Vitale said he intends to reintroduce the bill in the new year.

Libby Vinson, the CEO for the New Jersey Association for Community Providers, an industry lobbying group, said scrutinizing executive salaries overlooks how challenging it is to work in this field.

Leadership within our member organizations is responsible for overseeing highly complex service systems, ensuring the well-being of individuals in care and managing thousands of employees across residential, day, employment and respite programs, Vinson said.

These are not simply administrative roles, they are essential to maintaining safe, high-quality, person-centered care, she said.

For most providers, administrative expenses including executive compensation does not exceed 15% to 20% of total expenditures, aligning with recognized best practices in the nonprofit sector. Labor costs account for approximately 7585% of total expenses for community-based providers, with direct support professionals wages representing the largest share, Vinson said.

Outsiders tinkering with compensation is a bad idea that could drive away talented and experienced executives, said Linda Czipo, president and CEO for the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits.

The organizations are complex, the positions are difficult and the labor shortages in the nonprofit market are very real, Czipo said.

Donna Icovino and her son, Michael, outside his group home in Cherry Hill run by Bancroft. She has raised concerns about not getting services Michael needs despite having a six-figure pool of Medicaid funds assigned to him. Photo courtesy of Donna Icovino

Fertile ground for private equity

According to budget documents, the state has poured nearly $2 billion more into the community care program, which predominately serves people living in group homes, from 2020 to this year. The cost of the supports program for people still living with their families is $757 million this year, up from $235 million in 2020, budget records say.

Adelman said that in many ways, these big investments have delivered real progress for people with developmental disabilities during Murphys governorship.

All told, the state now spends an average of $224,000 per person served, up from $97,000 eight years ago. The number of people served has increased by 21%.

The state during Murphys two terms will have moved 3,300 people off the waiting list for housing by next June, and all the 3,400 people on the waiting list today receive some government-funded services, such as transportation and daytime work and recreation programs, she said.

The state also also spent half a billion dollars of Medicaid funds to help families navigate the group home bureaucracy with the help of support coordinators and fiscal intermediaries.

At the same time, Adelman is sounding a warning about for-profit and private equity that are now dominating the industry and dont have to disclose anything about how they spend taxpayer money, including how much top executives make. Two of the states top 10 group home operators are owned by equity companies. Every provider, whether nonprofit or for-profit, would be subject to the $250,000 executive pay pay limit under the proposed bill.

There are nearly 800 companies serving people in community housing and in their families homes, up from 170 in 2018, and 80% of them are for-profit entities, including investor-driven private equity firms, Adelman said.

REM NJ Inc. was paid $43 million providing 205 group home beds, while operating in 38 other states under the corporate name Sevita. RHA Health Services, owned by Blue Wolf Capital Partners, is licensed to serve 194 people in New Jersey and earned $44 million.

In 2019, the state revoked the license of what was then New Jerseys largest provider of group homes, Bellwether Behavioral Health, which was a private equity-owned company run by GI Partners and Wellspring Capital.

The state took the extraordinary step of closing it down, Adelman said, because residents were not being cared for, the quality had declined, and people were not safe, all while the company was siphoning off money.

Some agencies clearly do all they can to put the money in the right places to support the individuals that live in their homes, said Paul Aronsohn, Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and Their Families. Some agencies don't, and there's nothing to compel them to do so.

A recent report by the national nonprofit research organization, the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, said state officials have reason to be concerned about private equity interest in the group home industry.

They have a questionable record delivering services for vulnerable people while reducing costs and increasing profits, the report said.

Sevita, which owns REM NJ, has been owned by private equity firms for over a decade now and has been under investigation and scrutiny at the federal and state level for basically that entire time, according to the report.

Adelman, who will leave her post on Jan. 20, said she worries what the industrys shift to mostly for-profit operators means for the people they serve. Requiring financial transparency from state contractors is critically important as the industry has changed dramatically, she said.

We should be having an honest conversation about whether or not for-profit, private equity companies should be running entirely government funded provider agencies, Adelman told NJ Advance Media. But if we are not going to take a step to prohibit that, we need to ensure that were taking steps to keep revenue in resident care.

The call for change now shifts to Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill.

Three prominent disability advocates, including Aronsohn, sent a memo in November to her transition team asking that she require more financial transparency with families and to pay a living wage to direct-care professionals who often leave these jobs for better paying and easier work.

Im a big believer that we need to follow the money, Aronsohn said. I think the key here is more transparency.

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Reaction poured in this weekend after a beloved Ravenscroft School teacher was killed inside her Raleigh home.

Zoe Welsh was killed by an intruder at her home on Clay Street near Wade Avenue and St. Mary's on Saturday morning.

Throughout the day, friends and loved ones left flowers at her home. Welsh was being remembered as a bright light, inside and outside the classroom -- an inspiring biology teacher and a great mom.

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"I'll remember her smile; she was always happy," said Olivia Alvarez.

Alvarez has known Welsh for years and worked inside her home as a house cleaner.

She said she was shocked to learn that someone had broken into the same home she worked in every week.

"I always feel safe on every house, but now I'm scared," she said.

This man is going to pay, he's going to pay.

On Saturday morning, Welsh called 911 and was on the phone with dispatch as an intruder came into her home and assaulted her. When officers arrived, she was taken to a hospital but later died.

Welsh was also remembered by students and staffers at Ravenscroft; the school said in a statement that "her loss is deeply felt by all of us who had the privilege of working with her and learning in her classroom."

Suspect has long criminal record

The suspect, 36-year-old Ryan Camacho, has been charged with murder and felony burglary.

Ryan Camacho Raleigh Police Department

According to court records obtained by ABC11, Camacho had been arrested two dozen times and was once found guilty of escaping prison in Salisbury in 2021.

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Just last month, a separate case for breaking and entering was dismissed by a Wake County judge after Camacho was found incapable to proceed. In that case, the assistant district attorney tried to have Camacho voluntarily committed, but the court denied that request.

Now, Welsh's friend and house cleaner wants to see justice served.

"I love you, Zoe, so much, you are now with God, and this man is going to pay, he's going to pay," Alvarez said.

Ravenscroft will have grief counselors on hand as students return to school on Monday.

Meanwhile, Camacho is due in court Monday.
[Charlotte Niddam/TikTok]

A former pupil at two British schools has been confirmed as one of the victims killed in a fire at a Swiss ski resort.

In a post on social media, Charlotte Niddam's family announced her death "with great sadness" and said details of her funeral arrangements would be made in due course. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also confirmed the news in a post on X.

It comes as officials in Switzerland said on Sunday that they had identified all 40 victims of the New Year's Day fire in a bar in Crans-Montana.

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Charlotte, who was believed to be 15, previously attended Immanuel College, a private school in Hertfordshire and the Jewish Free School in north-west London.

In the statement on Facebook, Charlotte's family wrote: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful daughter and sister Charlotte.

"Details regarding the funeral arrangements will follow shortly. It is most likely on Thursday in Paris.

"Thank you for all your support those last few days."

According to the Crans-Montana resort website, Charlotte had been working as a babysitter in the area.

Yvette Cooper said it was "terrible news" that Charlotte had been identified as one of victims of the fire.

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"My thoughts are with all her family and friends after this devastating loss," she wrote on X.

After the blaze, Immanuel College had said it was "praying for a miracle".

Swiss President Guy Parmelin has called the fire "one of the worst tragedies" experienced by the country.

The bar that was the scene of the fire, Le Constellation in the resort of Crans-Montana, was full of Swiss people and tourists celebrating New Year's Day in the early hours of Thursday when the blaze began in the basement area.

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Prosecutors say that, according to initial investigations, the likely cause of the fire was sparklers on champagne bottles being carried "too close to the ceiling".

An investigation into the causes of the blaze will focus on the materials used at the site, the bar's fire safety measures, its capacity and the number of people inside at the time, Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said.

On Sunday, Valais cantonal police said all victims had been identified and were aged between 14 and 39 years old.

The victims came from seven countries - though several held multiple nationalities.

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Swiss police said one of those victims identified was a 15-year-old who held triple citizenship with France, Israel and the UK.

Other nationalities include Portuguese, Romanian, Belgian, French, Italian and Swiss.

Another 35 people who were injured in the fire have been transferred to specialist burns units outside Switzerland as the country struggles to cope with the scale of the tragedy.
An ATV crash killed a 15-year-old Saturday in Kent County, according to a media release from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The one-vehicle crash happened at noon Saturday on County Road 438 about a quarter mile east of Texas Highway 70, the DPS said in a media release.

A 14-year-old from New Home was driving a Polaris Ranger Crew with a 15-year-old teenage boy and a 7-year-old boy as passengers, the DPS said. The preliminary investigation revealed the ATV was going east on County Road 438, approaching a curve.

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The driver was driving too fast for the road conditions and overturned the ATV, the DPS alleges. The front passenger, a 15-year-old from Tahoka was ejected and pinned beneath the vehicle.

The Texas Department of Public Safety released information about a deadly ATV crash Saturday in Kent County.

He was transported to Fisher County Hospital in Rotan and pronounced dead at 2:43 p.m., the DPS said. The 7-year-old from New Home and the 14-year-old were uninjured. None of them were wearing seatbelts.

The DPS has a policy to not release the names of minors involved in crashes.

More: Christmas Day crash kills motorcyclist

More: Weather conditions raise area fire risk this week in Big Country

Trish Choate is the executive editor for the Abilene Reporter-News, San Angelo Standard-Times and Wichita Falls Times Record News. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Read her recent work here. Her X handle is @Trishapedia.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Teen killed by ATV crash in Kent County
Saudi-backed forces in Yemen are rolling back gains made by UAE-supported separatists, as Riyadh calls for dialogue to fulfil the legitimate aspirations of the southern people. The reversal of advances by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the eastern provinces of Hadramout and Mahra  bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman respectively  could help cool tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.

Saudi forces bombed Yemens Mukalla port on Dec. 30, targeting what Riyadh said were weapons and combat vehicles sent from the UAE to STC forces. Yemens internationally recognized government also ordered all UAE forces to leave the country. The UAE insisted the shipment did not include any weapons but nevertheless withdrew its forces and has urged de-escalation.

In the meantime, the STC has called for an independence referendum for the south within two years, and Riyadh is planning to host a conference to discuss the southern issue.

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The tensions have rekindled a conflict that had largely been dormant for nearly four years, once again pitting Gulf and US partners against each other. That strains an alliance originally formed to counter the Iran-backed Houthi rebels who control the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen.
The court also ordered him to pay the maximum compensation permitted by law - NIS 258,000 - to Lipovskys family.

The Tel Aviv District Court on Sunday sentenced Ibrahim Shalhoub, 29, from the West Bank city of Tulkarm, to life imprisonment for the murder of Ludmila Lipovsky, an 83-year-old woman who was stabbed to death i in Herzliya in December 2024.

Shalhoub pleaded guilty and was convicted of murder under aggravated circumstances as an act of terrorism, as well as unlawful possession of a knife. The court also ordered him to pay the maximum compensation permitted by law  NIS 258,000  to Lipovskys family.

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According to the indictment and court findings, the attack took place on December 27, 2024, near a commercial area adjacent to an assisted-living complex in Herzliya.

Shalhoub armed himself with a knife and attacked Lipovsky at close range, stabbing her approximately 11 times. She later died of her wounds. Shalhoub was shot by security personnel and apprehended at the scene.

Shalhoub had been living in Israel after being relocated from the West Bank following the exposure of his past cooperation with Israeli security authorities. The court noted that he was living in Israel lawfully when he carried out the attack.

'Exceptionally brutal' act of terror against defenseless woman

In its sentencing decision, the court described the killing as an exceptionally brutal act of terror carried out against a defenseless elderly woman. Senior Judge Yaron Levy wrote that the offense gravely violated protected social values and was intended to terrorize the civilian population.

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The ruling emphasized that the attack was committed during wartime, when Israels home front was under sustained threat. The court cited the broader social harm caused by such attacks, noting that beyond the murder itself, the act conveyed a message that no civilian or public space is safe.

During sentencing arguments, the prosecution sought a life sentence, stressing the severity of the attack and its timing. Prosecutor Hadas Forer Gafni told the court that the murder was carried out at a moment of heightened national anxiety, when Israel was facing attacks on multiple fronts.

The horrifying murder was committed during a war, when fears are at their peak, and the state is under attack from every direction, the prosecution said. A terror attack of this kind in the heart of Herzliya is all the more severe.

The court rejected defense arguments for leniency, finding no mitigating circumstances that could reduce Shalhoubs culpability. In addition to the life sentence, the judges stressed the importance of deterrence and of imposing the harshest punishment available under Israeli law in cases of terror murder.

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The sentence was handed down on Sunday, bringing the criminal proceedings to a close just over a year after the stabbing, which shocked residents of Herzliya and renewed public focus on lone-actor attacks carried out by individuals legally present inside Israel.

Mathilda Heller and Sam Halpern contributed to this report.
The Cuban government says 32 of its nationals were killed during the US operation to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

It described the dead as members of its armed forces and intelligence agencies were killed "in combat actions", declaring two days of national mourning.

The armed forces added the Cubans "fell, after fierce resistance, in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of bombardments of installations"

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Cuba, a long-standing ally of Venezuela, has for years supplied Maduro with his personal security detail and has personnel throughout the Venezuelan military.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the country had been providing protection to Maduro and his wife "at the request" of Venezuela.

US spies had been monitoring Maduro's movements for months before US forces struck, according to US General Dan Caine.

Gen Caine said that they had learned where the former leader moved, lived, travelled, ate, and worked.

The New York Times reported that the CIA had also recruited a "Venezuelan source" who it says informed the Americans of Maduro's exact location.

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Many of those killed are believed to have been part of Maduro's close security detail, who were with him at the time.

Venezuela has not confirmed how many people were killed, but its armed forces have said that a "large part" of Maduro's security team were among the casualties.

An official statement from the Cuban government read: "Our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism".

The total death toll - according to an unnamed Venezuelan official cited by the New York Times - stood at 80 and was expected to rise. BBC News has not independently verified that report.

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In the days following the seizure of Maduro, questions have been raised over whether the Trump administration could consider a similar operation against Cuba, which, like Venezuela, has had decades of adversarial relations with the US.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said military action would not be necessary because "Cuba is ready to fall".

He continued: "I don't think we need any action. Looks like it's going down. It's going down for the count."

On Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Cuba as a "disaster" run by "incompetent, senile men".

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"If I lived in Havana, and I was in the government, I'd be concerned - at least a little bit," Rubio said.

In July last year, Trump signed a memorandum imposing tighter restrictions on Cuba, reversing moves by his predecessor, Joe Biden, easing pressure on the Caribbean island nation.

The White House said it would end "economic practices that disproportionately benefit the Cuban government, military, intelligence, or security agencies at the expense of the Cuban people".

It also said existing restrictions on Americans visiting Cuba would be more stringently enforced.

During his first term as president, Trump took a similar approach to Cuba, implementing a raft of additional sanctions.

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His administration has continued an economic embargo on Cuba, despite calls by international organisations including the United Nations to end it.

The blockade was initially imposed in 1962 and has been in place ever since.
Why would anyone opt for a twin-engine setup for a fighter?

Well, sometimes a bigger aircraft was required for greater range, or armament or a second crewmember to navigate or operate a radar. Here we choose the ten best of this exciting class of aeroplanes, assessing both their performance and their importance in World War II:

10: Westland Whirlwind

The Whirlwind was a heavily-armed, single-seat, twin-engine fighter designed for high performance, with great attention paid to aerodynamics. The aircraft was powered by two Rolls-Royce Peregrine engines, mounted in closely faired nacelles (the pod that houses the engine), and cooled by a radiator system mounted within the inboard wing structure.

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Notwithstanding teething troubles with the engines, the Whirlwind was popular with its crews for its delightful handling, its heavy armament of four 20-mm cannon and the good view from its bubble canopy. The performance of the aircraft was particularly good at low altitude, being described as superior to any contemporary single-engine fighter.

10: Westland Whirlwind

However, performance fell off at higher altitudes, largely because of the engine and propeller choice. Because engine deliveries had delayed the Whirlwinds operational service until after the Battle of Britain, and because air combat tactics were focusing on higher altitude engagements, only two Squadrons used the aircraft. In one engagement in August 1941, four Whirlwinds were engaged by 20 Messerchmitt Me 109 fighters.

Although outnumbered five to one, the result was something of a draw, with two Me 109s destroyed and three of the four Whirlwinds damaged. In the circumstances, a pretty impressive result, that indicates the quality of the aircraft, at least at low level.

9: Nakajima J1N1-S Gekko

The Nakajima J1N Gekko started in 1938, when it became evident that Chinese air bases were beyond the reach of the Navy type 96 carrier fighters then in service with the Japanese Navy, and that losses were being sustained in the unescorted bombing raids that resulted.

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The specification sought good combat manoeuvrability, combined with a long-range of 2408 km (1300 nautical miles), heavy armament (20-mm cannon plus machine guns), and a maximum speed of 322 mph. Initial trials of the J1N1 were discouraging, the aircraft being considered overweight, and with inadequate manoeuvrability, although with good range and speed.

9: Nakajima J1N1-S Gekko

The aircraft was re-designed as a land-based reconnaissance aircraft, and put into service as the J1N1-C reconnaissance aircraft. In 1943, a trial was made, fitting two 20-mm cannon firing upward, and two firing downward as for use as a night-fighter. The success of this trial aircraft in shooting down two B-24s led to the Navy initiating the development of a purpose-built J1N1 night-fighter, the J1N1-S Gekko (Moonlight).

The aircraft proved very effective against the B-24, but less so against the faster B-29. The performance of the aircraft was quite creditable, with a maximum speed of 315 mph at 19,000 ft, and normal range of 1580 miles. A total of 479 J1N1 of all variants were built, at least two thirds of these being J1n1-S or -Sa night-fighters.

8: Northrop P-61 Black Widow

The P-61 Black Widow was also the first purpose-designed night-fighter, and an absolute beast of a machine. It was a twin-engine, twin-boom (the rear fuselage divided into two slim parts) aircraft, heavily armed with four 20-mm cannon and four 0.5-in machine guns, weighing up to 32,400 lb (14,727kg).

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The Black Widow was built on a truly American scale, was the heaviest aircraft to be given a P- (Pursuit) designation, was heavily armed, and was equipped with a Western Electric SCR-720 Air Intercept radar. It was also surprisingly manoeuvrable, and described as a pilots aeroplane.

8: Northrop P-61 Black Widow

While these P-61s performed useful roles, initially in night-time counter-V1 patrols, and subsequently in night fighter operations in Europe, this was a time when large-scale German night bomber raids had mainly come to an end. The P-61s were thus deployed in tactical roles in Europe. The type only entered service in 1944, so though effective in the night-fighter role, the threat the Black Widow was designed to counter had largely evaporated by the time the aircraft were deployed to the China-Burma-India (CBI) and Pacific Theatre.

The aircraft was undoubtedly effective, both in air-to-air combat, and at a tactical strike, but it arrived too late to make much difference.

7: Heinkel He 219 'Uhu'

There seems to be broad agreement among the various sources examining German aircraft of the Second World War that the Heinkel He 219 was the most effective night-fighter of that conflict. However, the He 219 was built in relatively small numbers  around 300 planes in total - and never really achieved the operational impact it could have had, had it entered service earlier than June 1943.

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The origins of the aircraft lay in an earlier Heinkel private venture proposal from the summer of 1940 for a multi-role heavy fighter, with additional possible roles as a reconnaissance aircraft and torpedo bomber. This proposal drew upon several state-of-the-art technologies, including a pressurized crew compartment, tricycle undercarriage, remotely controlled defensive gun barbettes, and the provision of ejector seats.

7: Heinkel He 219 'Uhu'

On June 11, 1943, a pre-production He 219A-0 was operationally tested for the first time, destroying five bombers in the course of a single sortie, although failure of the aircrafts flaps resulted in the loss of the He 219 on landing. The production He 219A was a heavily armed, advanced twin-engine fighter fitted with the Liechenstein SN-2 radar system.

Operationally, the He 219A was very successful, with a significant success rate against RAF night bombers, and several pilots achieving impressive numbers of combat victories, including multiple successes in a single sortie. Well-armed, well-equipped, and relatively easy to maintain, the aircraft was popular with its crews.

6: Kawasaki Ki 45 Toryu

The Toryu was wholly satisfactory, with surprising manoeuvrability, and good performance, and was armed with a 20-mm cannon and two-12.7 mm machine guns firing forward, and a 7.92-mm aft-firing defensive machine gun. Maximum speed was 539 km/h (335mph) at 20,000 ft, and the maximum range on internal fuel was 1404 miles, both creditable figures.

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Initial combat experience for the Toryu was in China during November 1942, and the aircraft is described as the most manoeuvrable twin-engined aircraft fielded by anyone during the war, able to out-manoeuvre the P-38 Lightning with ease, and performing half rolls, chandelles and Immelman turns with elan.

6: Kawasaki Ki 45 Toryu

A ground-attack variant, the Ki 45-Kai-Otsu, was followed by a night-fighter variant, the Ki 45-Kai-Ko, with two upward-firing 20-mm cannon located behind the cockpit, and a dual-role day-night-fighter, the Ki 45-Kai-Hei with changes to the forward firing armament, including the use of a 37-mm Ho 203 cannon. The Toryu was extensively used in efforts to defend the Japanese home islands against B-29 Superfortress bombing raids, with its 37-mm cannon proving highly effective.

A further variant, the Ki 45-Kai-Tei added two forward firing 20-mm cannon to supplement the 37-mm cannon, and was intended to be used in the anti-shipping role, but was largely diverted to night-fighter units. Total production of all variants of the Toryu was 1691, and the aircraft must be regarded as highly effective in all its roles, but particularly as an escort-fighter and night-fighter.

5: Messerschmitt Bf 110

The first prototype Bf 110 made its first flight on May 12, 1936, but continuing difficulties in engine development and delivery resulted in the initial Bf 110B-1 model flying with the Junkers Jumo 210Ga engine, and being used for tactics development and training, as it was not suitable for combat operations. The Bf 110C was delivered to the Luftwaffe from January 1939.

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The Bf 110C offered a maximum speed of 541 km/h (336 mph), and a range on internal fuel of 1410 km (876 miles), and an armament of two 20-mm cannon, four forward-firing and one defensive rearward-firing machine gun.

5: Messerschmitt Bf 110

It proved effective where the Luftwaffe had air superiority, but this was not the case during the Battle of Britain, and there were significant losses, with 120 Bf 110s shot down in August 1940 alone, though some historians believe its vulnerability has been exaggerated. The Bf 110 then found a new role as a night-fighter, while continuing to be used as a fighter-bomber.

Production of the aircraft continued until March 1945, with a total of more than 6000 aircraft of all variants having been built. Despite its lack of success in the Battle of Britain, the Bf 110 made a major contribution to Luftwaffe capability, particularly as a night-fighter, but also as a fighter-bomber, in close air support and reconnaissance roles.

4: Bristol Beaufighter

Development of the Bristol Beaufighter started in November 1938, aimed at meeting a requirement for a cannon-armed long-range escort and night-fighter. The Beaufighter was essentially a fighter derivative of the Beaufort, which was already in production, and using the wings and tail of that aircraft speeded development, enabling the first flight of the prototype to occur on July 17 1939.

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The Beaufighter was very heavily armed, with four 20-mm cannon carried in the lower fuselage and six 0.303-in machine guns in the wings, and delivered a range of 2575 km (1600 miles) Fighter Command aircraft were equipped from the start with the AI Mark IV air interception radar, and on 26 July 1940, the Beaufighter I entered RAF squadron service, with the first night-fighter success being on 19 November 1940.

4: Bristol Beaufighter

As night-fighter Mosquitos came into service, Beaufighter night-fighter operations gradually reduced, but the aircraft continued to give good service as a heavily armed long-range strike fighter on all fronts, including in the Pacific Theatre, with RAAF Beaufighter 21s serving as long-range bomber escorts, and in strike and anti-shipping operations.

Coastal Command Beaufighter X aircraft conducted anti-shipping operations against convoys off Europe in the North Sea and the Mediterranean. When production ended 5928 Beaufighters had been built. The aircraft served with great effect from July 1940, and the last RAF Beaufighter flight was made in 1960. Tough, heavily armed, and extremely effective, the Beaufighter was widely used and was effective as a night-fighter, anti-shipping, strike aircraft and escort fighter across the European, North African and Pacific Theatres.

3: Junkers Ju 88

The Schnellbomber concept was essentially the idea that a fast enough bomber did not need defensive guns with their attendant weight, complexity and extra operators to survive. As an aircraft designed to meet high-speed bomber requirement, the inclusion of the German Ju 88 in a list of the best twin-engined fighters may seem a strange decision, but as we will see, it is not.

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However, the specification, which called for an aircraft capable of carrying a normal bombload of 1100 lb (500kg) at a maximum speed of 499 km/h (310 mph) for 30 minutes or at a cruising speed of 451 km/h (280 mph), and climbing to 7000 metres (22965 ft) in 25 minutes, resulted in an extraordinarily effective and flexible aircraft able to perform far more than bombing.

3: Junkers Ju 88

The Ju 88 was adaptable and proved a Jack of all trades. Variants were introduced to counter balloon barrages, for advanced training, for use in tropical environments, for use as low-level fighter-bombers, and even for anti-shipping operations. The Ju 88 was a highly significant aircraft for the Luftwaffe, its initial high-speed medium bomber role being expanded to include such diverse missions as day-fighter, night-fighter (as pictured, with radar equipment), strategic reconnaissance and air-launched guided weapon.

A total of about 15,000 aircraft were built, in many different variants, seeing service in all theatres throughout Luftwaffe involvement in the world war.

2: Lockheed P-38 Lightning

The P-38 design was innovative and unusual, making use of Allison V1710 engines, fitted with extremely bulky turbo-superchargers. The twin-fuselage booms mounted the engines, the main gear and turbo-supercharger. The fuselage was a pod which carried the armament, the nose wheel, and the pilot. The P-38E offered quite impressive performance, with a maximum speed of 636 km (395mph) at 25,000 ft, a normal range of 500 miles, maximum range of 975 miles, and armament of one 20-mm cannon and four 0.50-in machine guns.

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Uprated engines were fitted to the P-38F, and successive changes in engine model from the V-1710-49/53 to the V1710-51/55, and V1710-89/91 accounted for changes in designation from P-38F to P-38H.

2: Lockheed P-38 Lightning

In air combat, the Lightning could be out-manoeuvred by Luftwaffe single-engine fighters, but its speed, performance at altitude, and heavy armament enabled the aircraft to achieve considerable success, generally by diving on its opponents and avoiding being drawn into turning air combat. These tactics were particularly successful in the Pacific Theatre, where Japanese fighters were generally very manoeuvrable, but relatively vulnerable.

10,035 Lightnings had been completed by the end of the war. The P-38 proved its effectiveness as a bomber escort, air defender, interdictor, strike and reconnaissance aircraft. Used in all theatres, its greatest contribution was in the Pacific, but it also made contributions in North Africa, the Mediterranean and Southern and Eastern European operations, as well as both escort and strike operations in Western Europe.

1: De Havilland DH 98 Mosquito

The Mosquito was a bold, and at the time, controversial concept, combining two excellent Merlin engines, and the use of wooden construction  novel in a combat aircraft, but familiar to de Havilland  that delivered an almost miraculously brilliant aeroplane which used high-speed and heavy armament to great effect. The design originated from specification P13/36, calling for a twin-engine medium bomber with the highest possible cruising speed, suitable for other duties including reconnaissance.

The bomb load required was 4000 lb (1818kg), and a range of 3000 miles was required. De Havillands proposal lost out to the terrible Avro Manchester, but the seeds had been sown for the design of a high-speed, twin-engine bomber, constructed of wood.

1: De Havilland DH 98 Mosquito

That the Mosquito was able to deliver such outstanding capability was primarily down to the decision to dispense with defensive armament. This meant not only that the crew could be reduced to two, but also dispensed with the weight, volume and drag associated with defensive armament and accommodation for a third crewmember. Fighter-bomber Mosquitos were used, operating with distinction in missions as varied as low-level precision bombing, night intruder and interdiction, and anti-shipping.

The aircraft were used in all theatres, extensively in Western Europe, but also in North Africa and the Pacific region. In the night-fighter and photo reconnaissance role it also proved exceptional. It was probably the greatest multi-role combat aircraft of World War II. See full article here.

Joe Coles is the author of The Hush-Kit Book of Warplanes Vol 1, 2 and 3

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" " The fall of the Berlin Wall signaled the end of the Cold War. DacologyPhoto / Shutterstock

The fall of the Berlin Wall was one of the most powerful and symbolic moments of the 20th century. But why did the Berlin Wall fall?

The answer involves a perfect storm of civil unrest, political shifts, and a crumbling communist regime across the Eastern Bloc.
Would-be visitors to Singapore have been issued another reminder of the wealthy city-states zero-tolerance approach to narcotics with the hanging last year of 15 people for trafficking and related crimes, the most in more than two decades and an increase on the nine executions carried out in 2024.

While the government's stern approach has drawn international criticism, including from neighbouring Australia and the European Union, authorities are adamant that the measures will remain in place.

"Singapore's policies on capital punishment and drugs have worked for us, helping us stem the tide of illicit drugs and save countless lives," the country's embassy in Australia said in a social media post late in December.

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In November, the EU delegation in Singapore called on the government "to implement a moratorium and to move towards abolition, in line with the worldwide trend."

Drugs can be found relatively easily elsewhere in Southeast Asia, with illicit production rife in junta-ruled Myanmar and distribution networks spanning the often hedonistic holiday spots across neighbouring states, which are popular with tourists who in turn include a stop in Singapore as they travel around.

Despite its small size (the entire country has around half the land area of Greater London), Singapore remains a draw for tourists. Some 16.5 million visited in 2024, more than the number that visited Indonesia, Singapore's vast neighbour with its thousands of islands and beaches.

That year saw "record receipts" from tourism, according to the government, while a report published in November by the tourism board and trade ministry showed visitor spending as a key pillar of the economy.

European travellers heading to and from Australia and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region have long transited via Singapore. In 2024, the city-states airport was the worlds fourth-busiest when measured by number of international passengers, according to a widely cited ranking published by Airports Council International.
NEWARK, DEL. - Motorists in New Castle County should brace for major traffic disruptions on Monday, Jan. 5, as the community gathers to honor a fallen Delaware State Police officer.

Traffic disruptions expected during funeral procession

What we know

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has announced that temporary road closures will occur during the funeral procession for Delaware State Police Corporal Grade One Matthew T. "Ty" Snook.

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The procession will affect I-95 south between the Route 1 interchange and Route 896 interchange.

DelDOT will provide traffic control at intersections and temporarily close roads as needed for funeral-related activities, according to DelDOT. Roads around the Bob Carpenter Center should be avoided between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. to minimize delays.

What we don't know

Details on specific alternate routes or detours for motorists have not been provided. It remains unclear how long each road closure will last.

The backstory

Cpl. Matthew Snook was working an overtime shift at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Wilmington on Dec. 23 when he was shot and killed.

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Police say 44-year-old Rahman Rose walked up to the reception desk and shot Cpl. Snook, who then pushed an employee out of the way before being shot again.

Then, police said Rose let the other customers in the DMV leave the building and waited inside for more officers. As the other officers arrived, the Delaware State Police said, Rose started shooting at them. That's when a New Castle County Police officer shot Rose through the window of the DMV.

Both Snook and Rose were taken to local hospitals, where they both died. One other trooper suffered a minor, non-gunshot-related injury. One woman was also hospitalized for a minor injury.

The Source

Information from the Delaware Department of Transportation and previous FOX 29 reporting.
Jury selection was delayed Monday for the trial of Sarah Grace Patrick, the teenager accused of killing her mother and stepfather.

James and Kristin Brock were shot and killed inside their Carrollton home in February 2024. The couples 5-year-old daughter found their bodies.

Months later, investigators arrested Patrick, Kristin Brocks 17-year-old daughter, and charged her with shooting and killing them.

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A grand jury later indicted Patrick on eight counts, including murder and aggravated assault.

Officials are now eying a start date for the trial in August.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

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Tribal representatives speak on panel during 2025 Colorado River Water Users Association. (Left to Right) Jenny Dumas, water attorney for the Jicarilla Apache Nation, Jason Hauter, attorney for the Gila River Indian Community, Dwight Witherspoon, Attorney for the Navajo Nation Department of Justice. (Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current)

Tribes across the West have worked with states to protect the Colorado River and conserve enough water to raise elevations in the rivers two largest reservoirs, Lakes Powell and Mead, a move that has helped states during critical droughts.

Now tribes want to make it clear that any future agreements on how to manage the rivers water must include their input and an acknowledgment that they intend to develop their water rights.

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Its high time that tribes begin to really begin to flex their sovereignty, said Mike Natchees, a member of the Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee.

The Ute Indian Tribe holds significant senior water rights, including 500,000 acre-feet in the Green River basin in Utah, but faces challenges with unused water flowing downstream due to lack of infrastructure and funding.

It just continues to flow downstream. We are uncompensated for it. It is undeveloped. And again, that is unacceptable for the Ute Indian Tribe, Natchees said.

That sentiment was shared among representatives for dozens of tribes who spoke at the Colorado River Water Users Association conference at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in December.

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Western states that rely on the Colorado River have less than two months to agree on how to manage the troubled river. The seven Colorado River Basin states  Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming  have until Feb. 14 to reach a new water sharing agreement before current operating rules expire at the end of 2026 or the federal government will step in with their own plan.

But the Ute Indian Tribe, whose reservation is located in Northeastern Utah, emphasized that any new agreement will have a significant impact on tribes across the Colorado River basin.

One of the biggest disagreements between the Upper and Lower Basin states is over which faction should have to cut back on their water use during dry years. Historically, Lower Basin states have used nearly all their 7.5 million acre-feet Colorado River allocation under current Colorado River guidelines, compared to the 4.5 million acres-feet used by the Upper Basin states.

Natchees said the impact of water cuts to tribes in the Upper Basin have not been discussed enough during negotiations, adding that he hopes tribes will one day have a seat on the Upper Colorado River Commission, an interstate water administrative agency that represents Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico.

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The bottom line is that the Lower Basin is just simply over allocated. Theyre overusing and theyre doing it with no regard to anyone in the Upper Basin, which feeds their system, and that needs to change, Natchees said.

Tribes have continued to be a part of the solution when it comes to conservation on the river, said President of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, Jonathan E. Koteen.

In 2025, the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe signed an agreement to conserve 13,000 acre-feet of water to bolster elevations in Lake Mead, and contributed additional water savings through its ongoing seasonal fallowing agreement with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Those water savings helped California reach its goal of conserving 1.6 million acre-feet in Lake Mead a year ahead of schedule.

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Tribal inclusion must be formal, meaningful and permanent. Tribes are not new participants. We are original stewards of the river, and our voices must be part of shaping the future family, Koteen said.

Conservation efforts by tribes have also been innovative, said Koteen. The Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe secured funding to line the Reservation Main Canal, reducing seepage and improving efficiency for water deliveries to large portions of the Yuma Project Reservation Division.

Another example of an innovative solution was when the Jicarilla Apache Nation entered a landmark 10-year water-sharing agreement with New Mexico and The Nature Conservancy in 2023 to lease up to 20,000 acre-feet of its Colorado River water annually, supporting endangered fish habitat and water security for the state by strategically releasing water into the San Juan River.

Its increasing water security for the state of New Mexico, allowing the state to meet its obligations under whatever framework that we end up coming up with in post 2026, so its a great project, said Jenny Dumas, the water attorney for the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

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But Dumas emphasized that not every tribe can replicate such an agreement, and every tribe has their own unique needs that must be considered when settling on a new water sharing agreement.

Councilmember for Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Conrad Jacket said the tribes Bow and Arrow Farm is a major economic driver. While tribes in California, like the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, are able to reduce crops for payment, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe can not.

This year, we did have to cut back, Jacket said. And thats not good on our part. That is not good on all this whole regions part.

Instead, the tribe would benefit more from flexible tools that allow the tribes water to be set aside in good water years, while contributing to additional release in dry years.

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Tribes said they were committed to helping states reach a seven-state consensus on how to share the rivers water, in order to stabilize the river and secure their rights.

During the conference, the Colorado River Indian Tribes, the Gila River Indian Community and the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, which manages the Central Arizona Project, signed a major proclamation to work together to protect the Colorado River.

The Colorado River Indian Tribes is Arizonas largest and most senior Colorado River water rights holder.

All of us who live in Arizona, native and non-native alike, are connected by water, for without water, there is no life. And it is that common thread that binds us, which has us here today, pledging to work together for the greater good of all who live in Arizona, said Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores.
Donald Trump is fretting that the Supreme Court will shoot down his signature tariffs initiative and declare it illegal.

In a panicked Truth Social post, the 79-year-old pushed the false claim that his tariffs generated $600 billion for the U.S. while suggesting there is a media blackout on their dubious benefits.

We have taken in, and will soon be receiving, more than 600 Billion Dollars in Tariffs, but the Fake News Media refuses to talk about it because they hate and disrespect our Country, and want to interfere with the upcoming Tariff decision, one of the most important ever, of the United States Supreme Court, Trump wrote. Because of Tariffs, our Country is financially, AND FROM A NATIONAL SECURITY STANDPOINT, FAR STRONGER AND MORE RESPECTED THAN EVER BEFORE. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Donald Trump announced his unprecedented

The Supreme Court is expected to rule in the coming weeks on whether to overturn a previous ruling that declared most of Trumps sweeping global tariffs illegal.

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A lower federal appeals court found in August that the president had overstepped his authority when he cited a 1977 lawthe International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which is designed to address threats during a national emergencyto justify his reciprocal tariffs.

While the conservative-majority Supreme Court, including three justices nominated by Trump, has largely ruled in the presidents favor in past cases, there are growing indications that the court may not back him this time and could strike down the tariffs.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has already expressed concern about the Trump administrations arguments for the tariffs. / Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

During a hearing in November, Trump-appointed Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, as well as Chief Justice John Roberts, appeared skeptical of the presidents reasoning for imposing the tariffs.

If SCOTUS were to rule against Trump, it would not only be a major embarrassment for the president but could also trigger further economic turmoil, as countries may need to be reimbursed for the billions of dollars of funds collected under Trumps tariff plans.

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Trump has posted multiple fear-mongering messages on Truth Social since the Supreme Court began hearing arguments in the case last year.

The U.S. Supreme Court was given the wrong numbers. The unwind in the event of a negative decision on Tariffs would be, including investments made, to be made, and return of funds, in excess of 3 Trillion Dollars, Trump wrote in a late-night November post. It would not be possible to ever make up for that kind of a drubbing.

In another desperate message on January 2, Trump added: Tariffs are an overwhelming benefit to our Nation, as they have been incredible for our National Security and Prosperity (like nobody has ever seen before!). Losing our ability to Tariff other countries who treat us unfairly would be a terrible blow to the United States of America.
Washington, DC  Hours after the United States announced the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Israeli politician Yair Lapid issued a warning to Tehran: The regime in Iran should pay close attention to what is happening in Venezuela.

The forcible removal of Maduro from power came less than a week after US President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and threatened to launch new strikes against Iran.

Although Washingtons tensions with Caracas and Tehran have different roots and dynamics, analysts say Trumps move against Maduro raises the prospects of war with Iran.

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A new lawlessness makes everything less stable and war more likely, said Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC).

Whether Trump becomes enamoured with surgical regime change, or gives Netanyahu a US imprimatur for similar actions, its hard not to see how this gives momentum for the many actors pushing for renewed war with Iran.

He added that Maduros abduction could prompt Iran to do something that triggers military action, including developing its own military deterrence or preempting US or Israeli strikes.

Negar Mortazavi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, also said the US actions in Venezuela show Trumps maximalist aims, further dimming the chances of diplomacy.

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What I see and hear from Tehran is that they are not interested in negotiating with the Trump administration the way this administration signals that they want total surrender, Mortazavi told Al Jazeera.

So, not much chance for diplomacy at the moment, which then opens the path to the opposite road, that is conflict. Right now, Israel, Iran and the US are on a path to potential conflict.





Abdi echoed that assessment. This action reinforces every doubt and suspicion about US intentions, and gives more credence to those in Iran who say engaging the US is useless and [that] developing a nuclear deterrent is vital, he told Al Jazeera.

Iran-Venezuela alliance

The US raid that abducted Maduro and brought him to the US came after months of intensifying rhetoric from Trump against the Venezuelan government.

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US officials have accused Maduro of leading a drug organisation, and Trump and his aides have been increasingly arguing that Washington is entitled to Venezuelas vast oil reserves.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also been emphasising Maduros ties to Iran, accusing Caracas, without evidence, of providing the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah a foothold in the Western Hemisphere.

Maduro is a close ally of Iran, and the two heavily sanctioned countries have been pushing to deepen their trade ties, which are estimated to be in the billions of dollars.

So, with Maduro gone, Irans small network of allies may shrink further, after the fall of leader Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

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The Iranian government was quick to condemn the US attack on Venezuela, calling on the United Nations to intervene and halt the unlawful aggression.

The US military aggression against an independent state that is a member of the UN represents a grave breach of regional and international peace and security, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Its consequences affect the entire international system and will further expose the UN Charter-based order to erosion and destruction.





On Saturday, Rubio suggested that Maduros abduction carried a message to all of Washingtons rivals in the Trump era.

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When he tells you that hes going to do something, when he tells you hes going to address a problem, he means it, the top US diplomat told reporters.

But Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei doubled down on his defiant rhetoric after the US raid in Caracas.

We will not give in to the enemy, Khamenei wrote in a social media post. We will bring the enemy to its knees.

Trumps threats

Last week, Trump hosted Netanyahu in Florida and threatened to bomb Iran again if the country rebuilds its missile or nuclear programmes.

Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, were going to have to knock them down, Trump said. Well knock them down. Well knock the hell out of them.

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Israel launched a war against Iran in June, killing the countrys top military commanders, several nuclear scientists and hundreds of civilians.

The US joined in the attack, bombing Irans three main nuclear sites.

While Trump has often reiterated that the US strikes obliterated Irans nuclear programme and celebrated the war as a success, the Iranian governing system survived the assault.

Tehran responded with barrages of hundreds of rockets against Israel, dozens of which penetrated the countrys multi-layered air defences, and Iranian forces were able to keep firing until the final moments of the war, before the ceasefire came into effect.

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Some critics argue that regime change was and remains Israels goal in Iran, and Trump appears to be increasingly buying into that objective.

On Friday, Trump warned that the US is locked and loaded and ready to attack Iran if the Iranian government kills protesters amid the ongoing but sporadic antigovernment demonstrations across the country.

He renewed the same threat late on Sunday. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think theyre going to get hit very hard by the United States, the US president said.

So, could the US carry out a Venezuela-style government decapitation in Iran?

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NIACs Abdi noted that Israel has already tried to kill the countrys top leaders, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, in June.





Trump also repeatedly threatened Khamenei with assassination, and Israeli officials confirmed that they sought to eliminate the supreme leader during the war.

Iranian officials have said they accordingly have plans in place so that killing or removing senior leaders does not paralyse or topple the regime, Abdi said.

It would be far messier to run a snatch and grab operation on Iran, given their ability to retaliate against US interests and personnel.

Venezuela without Maduro

Even in Venezuela, removing Maduro has not translated into a regime collapse, at least for now.

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On Sunday, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, now Venezuelas acting president, stressed that Maduro remains the countrys only leader and condemned the US attack.

She also suggested that Israel was involved in the abduction of Maduro, a vocal critic of the US ally.

Governments around the world are shocked that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has become the victim and target of an attack of this nature, which undoubtedly has Zionist undertones, Rodriguez said.

Trump responded by threatening the acting Venezuelan president, telling The Atlantic magazine that she would pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro if she did not acquiesce to US demands.

So, the US presidents plans for running Venezuela and taking its oil are not complete yet, and will likely require more military action.

I doubt Venezuela can be a one and done or a quick in and out situation, which is Trumps favourite model. His brand is that he engages in quick shows of force, not forever wars, Mortazavi said.

She cited swift operations that Trump has ordered, including the killing of ISIL (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019, the assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020, and the attack on Irans nuclear sites in June.

Most Americans are tired of forever wars, especially in the Middle East, so the Trump administration knows they cant sell more forever wars to Americans, Mortazavi said.





But Trump has already floated the prospect of a ground invasion of Venezuela.

Were not afraid of boots on the ground, he said. We dont mind saying it, but were going to make sure that that country is run properly. Were not doing this in vain.

Abdi said that a long-term US involvement in Venezuela could indirectly stave off war with Iran.

There is also the possibility that the US gets bogged down in running Venezuela and doesnt have the bandwidth to wage, or to support Israel launching, the next Iran war, he told Al Jazeera.

Iran was next on the menu after the US invaded Iraq in 2003, and we know what happened there, and Trump may not want to pronounce mission accomplished just yet.

The oil question

Still, some critics  including Republican US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene  have argued that if the US succeeds in controlling Venezuelas oil resources, it will be able to offset energy market disruptions from a possible war with Iran.

The next obvious observation is that, by removing Maduro, this is a clear move for control over Venezuelan oil supplies that will ensure stability for the next obvious regime change war in Iran, Greene wrote on X on Saturday.

About 20 percent of the worlds oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran may push to shut down in the case of an all-out war.

Abdi said that Venezuelan oil could theoretically provide some cushion to the loss of exports from the Gulf region.

But this would mean a lot of things going right for the US in Venezuela, and it is probably far too soon to make that judgement, he said.
[Source]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has abandoned efforts to send Guan Heng to Uganda, reversing course after growing calls to protect the Chinese whistleblower who filmed detention camps in Xinjiang.

Catch up: The DHS dropped its plan to remove Guan on Dec. 19, his lawyer Atty. Allen Chen told Reuters. The 38-year-old, however, remains under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody as a detainee, with his legal team working to secure his release.

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Guans current predicament stems from an August immigration raid at his upstate New York home that initially targeted his roommate but resulted in his detention. The deportation threat materialized at a Dec. 16 court appearance when federal attorneys proposed Uganda, a country with close Beijing ties, prompting Judge Charles Ouslander to schedule a Jan. 12 hearing citing public interest.

Why this matters: Guans case highlights how immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump can conflict with human rights advocacy. In October 2020, Guan used a telephoto camera to document Xinjiang facilities that satellite reporting had flagged as probable detention sites, capturing guard towers, high walls and barbed wire. After fleeing China in 2021 through Ecuador, he spent nearly 23 hours crossing open water in an inflatable boat from the Bahamas to Florida before releasing his 19-minute video that October. He then sought asylum and settled in New York.

Trending on NextShark: Slant-eye mockery brings Hmong American child to tears in viral video

Trumps first administration determined that Chinas actions against Uyghurs and other minorities constituted genocide. Now, in a Dec. 12 letter to Guans immigration judge, the State Department noted that China has harassed and retaliated against those it deems disloyal to the CCP, regardless of whether they live in China or abroad. The situation shows how enforcement policies can endanger those fleeing persecution whose work supports U.S. foreign policy priorities.

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Whats next: Whether the DHS will pursue Guans removal to another destination remains unclear. Guan should have a bond hearing within weeks, but his asylum case, which was filed in October 2021, may take years to resolve. Still, human rights lawyer Rayhan Asat, who assisted in his case, told AP News she expects the case will proceed smoothly and favorably. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who has also expressed support for Guan, previously wrote that the U.S. should not be complicit in the detention, torture, or worse of individuals who bravely documented the human rights abuses of the Chinese Communist Party.

Trending on NextShark: ICE records show $300 million expansion of surveillance tools under Trump

This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter  a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices.

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Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what were building, consider becoming a paid member  your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community.

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Trending on NextShark: Military lawyers role in Caribbean strike comes under scrutiny

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A United States-Canada border crossing between Maine and Quebec. (Photo by Lauren McCauley/ Maine Morning Star)

New analysis of federal and state data by the Maine Center for Economic Policy shows the number of Canadians visiting Maine has plummeted since President Donald Trumps inauguration and as a result economic activity in Maines border communities has shrunk significantly.

This commentary was originally published by the Maine Center for Economic Policy.

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Since last January, Trump has made a number of antagonistic moves towards Canada, from imposing tariffs, accusing the country of allowing fentanyl smugglers to operate unhindered, to threatening to annex the country as the 51st state. Canadians have responded with their own tariffs and boycotts of American-made products and travel to the United States.

Because of the presidents immigration policy, many people are afraid to visit the US. Some Canadian students at the University of Maine at Fort Kent and Presque Isle have chosen to complete courses online rather than face increased scrutiny when crossing the border for classes.

The impact of this deterioration in U.S.-Canada relations is materializing on the border in Maine and other states. Since Trumps inauguration in January through November, almost 750,000 fewer people have crossed the land border into Maine. The largest year-over-year drop-off occurred in April, when there were 35% fewer crossings than in the year before. Since then, visitation has increased somewhat, but crossings were still a quarter lower than expected in November.

Separate data collected by the Canadian government, which records the nationality of travelers crossing the border, reveals this decline is almost entirely driven by Canadians staying away from the US. Between February and July, 367,000 fewer Canadians crossed the Maine-New Brunswick border than the year before, while the number of travelers of other nationalities was just 7,000 fewer.

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The Canadian boycott of Maine has had repercussions on the states economy, especially in areas near the border. Fewer Canadian visitors means less money spent in local stores and restaurants. While the Maine Office of Tourism reports Canadians accounted for just 5% of the states tourists in 2024, this likely only captures a portion of the Canadians who typically visit Maine  and those visitors have the greatest impact in communities along the border.

Spending data from Maine Revenue Services show taxable retail sales in the areas of Maine along the Canadian border saw a 3.3% slump in spending between February and August of 2025 compared to the year before. This contrasts with the rest of Maine, where spending rose 1.0% in the same time period. The effect was larger in the restaurant and lodging sector, where sales in border regions were down almost 5%, and up 1.7% in the rest of the state. The area around Biddeford and Old Orchard Beach, which is famously popular with Canadian tourists, also saw a decline in restaurant and lodging sales compared to last year.

The data show just how damaging President Trumps rhetoric and policies have been to Maine communities. Many small businesses run on very small margins, and a 3-5% drop in sales can create serious trouble for their finances. The data also demonstrates the way in which Maine and Canada are intertwined economically, especially in border communities. Some of these same areas have struggled economically for years and are the kinds of places President Trump promised to help. Instead, his aggressive foreign policy, chaotic approach to tariffs, and inhumane immigration crackdown have served to make these parts of Maine more isolated and economically worse off.

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On Jan. 3, and after months of escalating tensions, U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, after a two-hour operation and months of planning. Maduro and Flores were arraigned Jan. 5 in New York City on a four-count indictment linking them to a 25-year-old narco-conspiracy. They pleaded not guilty on all charges.

The attack early Saturday  which killed at least 40 Venezuelans  and the extraction of a dictator was dramatic enough. (And we want to hear your reactions to it. Scroll down to tell us.) But it's what came next  and what could come next  that has captured our continued attention.

In a subsequent news conference about the Venezuela raid, President Donald Trump told Americans, "We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition."

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The following day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to suggest a less hands-on approach, saying the United States would continue to enforce its oil quarantine on Venezuela, and stating that the Trump administration would not recognize Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as the country's legitimate new leader  a seeming 180-degree flip from a day prior.

Trump has also dismissed the notion of working with Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who thanked Trump for her prize in 2025.

Opinion: So now Democrats are mad that Trump ousted a dictator?

What do you think of Trump's decision to bomb Venezuela and capture Nicolas Maduro?

Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is taken to the federal courthouse in New York City on Jan. 5, 2026, for an initial appearance to face U.S. charges that include narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking and money laundering.

For those of us old enough to remember  or who have endured  previous U.S. "forever wars," this imperialistic quagmire feels familiar. What does "running the country" look like, and will it really cost us nothing as Trump claimed from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after his announcement?

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Opinion: Trump's unauthorized Venezuela attack won't help Americans

Few will miss Maduro, who was nothing short of a disaster for the oil- and gold-rich country, plunging it into economic disarray and fueling a mass exodus of nearly 8 million Venezuelans since 2014. But parachuting in to remove a threat  with seemingly no exit strategy in sight  is troubling, to say the least.

What do you think? Was Trump right to bypass Congress and extract Maduro on his own accord? Are you worried about U.S. "boots on the ground" being involved in Venezuela for months, maybe years, to come? Who do you think should run the country? Do you have an opinion on U.S. companies regaining access to oil reserves? Do you think Trump will invade other countries?

Use the form below to share your opinion, or email us at forum@usatoday.com using the subject line "Forum Venezuela." We'll select a collection of the best responses to publish in a future column.

Reactions to the United States' bombing of Venezuela and capture of the country's president Nicolas Maduro ranged across the world. Some celebrated the operation while others rebuked Trump's intervention in the South American country. See the reactions in photos, beginning here with Venezuelans living in Chile celebrating in Santiago on January 3, 2026. A child holds a placard saying "I will meet my grandparents" as people react to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Madrid, Spain, January 3, 2026. A woman reacts to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Madrid, Spain, January 3, 2026. Armed supporters of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro gather near the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured him. A Venezuelan man living in Chile celebrates with a national flag and his car reading "Free Venezuela" in Santiago on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Venezuelans living in Chile celebrate in Santiago on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on Venezuela. The Trump administration said on December 3 that Venezuela's captured Maduro and his wife will face "the full wrath of American justice" under drug and terrorism charges. A man holds up a portrait of late Venezuela's leader (1999-2013) Hugo Chavez in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Activists of Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) burn an effigy of US President Donald Trump during a rally in Kolkata on January 3, 2026, to protest against the recent US attack on Venezuela. A supporter of Nicolas Maduro holds a portrait of the Venezuelan President during a gathering near the Palacio de Miraflores in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on the South American country. Venezuelans living in Chile celebrate in Santiago on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on Venezuela. Venezuelans living in Chile celebrate in Santiago on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on Venezuela. Demonstrators hold up a banner with the lettering reading 'Stop Trump - Free Venezuela' during a rally organised by left-wing 'Anti-Imperialist Coordination' (Antiimperialistische Koordination - AIK) under the motto 'Hands off Venezuela' at Vienna's Votive Park on January 3, 2026. The EU called for "restraint" and respect for international law in Venezuela on January 3 after US President Trump announced US forces had captured leader Nicolas Maduro in a large-scale assault. Demonstrators march with a banner with the lettering reading 'Hands off Venezuela' during a rally organised by left-wing 'Anti-Imperialist Coordination' (Antiimperialistische Koordination - AIK) in Vienna on January 3, 2026. The EU called for "restraint" and respect for international law in Venezuela on January 3 after US President Trump announced US forces had captured leader Nicolas Maduro in a large-scale assault. Venezuelans living in Peru celebrate outside the Venezuelan Embassy in Lima on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro after bombing the capital Caracas and other cities in a dramatic climax to a months-long standoff between Trump and Venezuelan. Venezuelans living in Peru celebrate outside the Venezuelan Embassy in Lima on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro after bombing the capital Caracas and other cities in a dramatic climax to a months-long standoff between Trump and Venezuelan. Venezuelans living in Peru celebrate at the Miguel de Cervantes park, near the Venezuelan Embassy in Lima on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Venezuelans living in Peru dance to celebrate at the Miguel de Cervantes park, near the Venezuelan Embassy in Lima on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. A Venezuelan woman living in Peru celebrates with a national flag at the Miguel de Cervantes park, near the Venezuelan Embassy in Lima on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Activists of Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) protest against the recent US attack on Venezuela, in Kolkata on January 3, 2026. Members of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) group hold banners outside the U.S. Embassy in London calling for "Hands off Venezuela!", after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in London, Britain, January 3, 2026. People embrace next to a Venezuelan flag, as they react to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Madrid, Spain, January 3, 2026. See reactions after US explosions in Venezuela, Maduro capture 1 of 21 Reactions to the United States' bombing of Venezuela and capture of the country's president Nicolas Maduro ranged across the world. Some celebrated the operation while others rebuked Trump's intervention in the South American country. See the reactions in photos, beginning here with Venezuelans living in Chile celebrating in Santiago on January 3, 2026.

Do you want to take part in our next Forum? Join the conversation by emailing forum@usatoday.com.You can also follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and sign up for our Opinion newsletter to stay updated on future Forum posts.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: After Venezuela, will Trump strike other countries? Tell us | Opinion
President Donald Trumps imperialist warpath may be about to destroy NATO.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned Monday that Trump was on course to uproot the 77-year-old defense alliance between the United States and its allies in Europe.

I believe one should take the American president seriously when he says that he wants Greenland, Frederiksen said in an interview. But I will also make it clear that if the U.S. chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops, including NATO and thus the security that has been established since the end of the Second World War.

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Frederiksens attempt to raise the stakes of a potential invasion comes as the imperialist fanatics in the Trump administrationemboldened by its large-scale military operation over the weekend to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Madurohave turned their attention back to Trumps holy grail: Greenland.

When asked by a reporter Sunday whether he had plans to take action on Greenland, Trump laughed. Well worry about Greenland in two months, he said.

We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. And Denmark is not going to be able to do it, Im telling you, he added.

Frederiksen released a statement that day urging the United States to cease its threats against a historically close ally, saying that it makes absolutely no sense for the U.S. to take over Greenland.

To be sure, Trump has rarely ever had anything nice to say about the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, calling them decaying nations led by weak people. Instead, Trump seems to take his security cues from the Kremlin. His latest effort to carve up the world how he sees fit only further exemplifies how little he cares about keeping U.S. allies.
(Screengrab via White House/X)

President Donald Trump has declared that Cubas communist government is ready to fall after the capture and arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One late Sunday, the president framed Maduros capture as a strategic turning point in the Western Hemisphere, warning Cuba can no longer rely on Caracas for oil, money, or security.

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Cuba is ready to fall, he said. I dont know if theyre going to hold out.

When asked whether the White House was preparing military action against the country, Trump dismissed the need: I think its just going to fall. I dont think we need any action. Looks like its going down. Its going down for the count. You ever watch a fight? They go down for the count, and Cuba looks like its going down.

.@POTUS on Cuba: "I think it's just going to fall. I don't think we need any action. It looks like it's going down  it's going down for the count. You ever watch a fight? They go down for the count, and Cuba looks like it's going down." pic.twitter.com/IJ7gsX16JC  Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 5, 2026

The comments followed Saturdays operation that resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who now face federal charges in New York linked to an alleged narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Following the operation, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuban operatives personally guarded the embattled leader. Cuba confirmed on Sunday that 32 of its military and police personnel were killed during the operation, announcing two days of national mourning.

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Trump confirmed the reports when speaking to reporters on Air Force One: A lot of Cubans were killed yesterday. There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.

Also on the flight, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) praised Trumps intervention and also warned that Cubas days are numbered.

Graham: You just wait for Cuba. Their days are numbered. pic.twitter.com/aFCV2pyxfi  Acyn (@Acyn) January 5, 2026

Just wait for Cuba. Cuba is a communist dictatorship that has killed priests and nuns, they have preyed on their own people, their days are numbered, Graham said.

He added: Were going to wake up one day, I hope in 2026, in our backyard, were going to have allies in these countries doing business with America, not narco-terrorist dictators killing Americans.

The post Trump Declares Cuba Is Ready to Fall After Capture of Venezuelas Maduro: Its Going Down for the Count first appeared on Mediaite.
Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges at a defiant appearance in a New York court Monday, two days after being snatched by US forces in a stunning raid on his home in Caracas.

Maduro, 63, told a federal judge in Manhattan "I'm innocent. I'm not guilty."

Smiling as he entered the courtroom and wearing an orange shirt with beige trousers, Maduro spoke softly.

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"I'm president of the Republic of Venezuela and I'm here kidnapped since January 3, Saturday," Maduro told the court, speaking in Spanish through an interpreter. "I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela."

Maduro's wife Cilia Flores likewise pleaded not guilty. The judge ordered both to remain behind bars and set a new hearing date of March 17.

The presidential couple were forcibly taken by US commandos in the early hours of Saturday in airstrikes on the Venezuelan capital backed by warplanes and a heavy naval deployment.

Thousands of people marched through Caracas in support of Maduro as his former deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, was sworn in as interim president.

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Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado slammed Rodriguez, saying she was "rejected" by the Venezuelan people and calling her "one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption, narcotrafficking."

Speaking from an undisclosed location to broadcaster Sean Hannity on Fox News in her first public comments since the weekend, Machado added that she plans to return to Venezuela "as soon as possible" after leaving under cover last month to accept her Nobel Peace Prize.

After the raid, Trump declared that the United States was "in charge" in Venezuela and intends to take control of the country's huge but decrepit oil industry.

The 79-year-old president also dismissed the idea of Caracas having new elections in the next month.

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"We have to fix the country first. You can't have an election. There's no way the people could even vote," Trump told broadcaster NBC News in an interview aired Monday.

However, US House Speaker and Trump ally Mike Johnson said he thinks an election "should happen in short order" in Venezuela.

- 'Access to oil' -

Maduro became president in 2013, taking over from his equally hardline socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez.

The United States and European Union say he stayed in power by rigging elections -- most recently in 2024 -- and imprisoning opponents, while overseeing rampant corruption.

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The crisis after a quarter century of leftist rule now leaves Venezuela's approximately 30 million people -- and the world's largest proven oil reserves -- facing uncertainty.

Trump has said he wants to work with Rodriguez and the rest of Maduro's former team -- provided that they submit to US demands on oil.

And after an initially hostile response, Rodriguez said she is ready for "cooperation."

Brian Naranjo, a former US diplomat in Venezuela, said that he has "not been so worried about the future of Venezuela, ever."

"There's a very real possibility that things are going to get much, much worse in Venezuela before they get better," he told AFP.

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The deputy head of the US mission to Caracas from 2014-2018 pointed at two men who could try and usurp power from Rodriguez: Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez.

"Delcy had better be sleeping with one eye open right now because right behind her are two men who would be more than happy to cut her throat and take control themselves," Naranjo said.

- Cuba, Greenland next? -

Trump, who has shocked many Americans with his unprecedented moves to accumulate domestic power, also now appears increasingly emboldened in foreign policy.

On Sunday, he said communist Cuba was "ready to fall" and he repeated that Greenland, which is part of US ally Denmark, should be controlled by the United States.

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Brian Finucane, of the International Crisis Group, told AFP that Trump "seems to be disregarding international law altogether" in Venezuela and added that US domestic law also appeared to have been broken.

Details of the US operation in Caracas were still emerging Monday, with Havana saying 32 Cubans were killed in the attack.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that nearly 200 personnel went into Caracas on the surprise raid. Some injuries and no deaths were reported by US officials.

burs-sms/jgc/sla/sms
Donald Trump posted over 80 times in the early hours of this morning, mainly focusing on slamming the critics of the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

U.S. Forces forcibly took the Venezuelan leader into custody on January 3, after Trump called for regime change in the South American country and claimed that Maduros government was funneling drugs into the United States.

The president has responded in typical fashion to criticism of his move - with a social media blitz.

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In his online tirade, he shared posts from supporters, which touted the widely condemned operation as a success, as well as videos of celebrating Venezuelans.

The left-wing media was just caught refusing to cover the fact tens of THOUSANDS of Venezuelans are celebrating Donald Trumps victory over Maduro in Buenos Aires, Eric Daugherty wrote in a post, reshared by Trump. They wont show it. They hate Trump so bad, they want Venezuelans to suffer.

The Fake News just wont cover the TRUTH! Trump replied.

Trump also reshared conspiracy theories about Somali immigration into the US and the 2020 election (REUTERS)

In the footage shared by Trump, Venezuelan demonstrators can be seen cheering and letting off flares. Some can be seen waving the South American countrys flag, while loud music blares in the background.

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However, Trumps capture of Maduro has been criticized by Democrats and by world leaders.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, Trumps rival in 2024, claimed that the move was putting troops at risk and destabilizing a region.

This is not about drugs or democracy, she wrote on X. It is about oil and Donald Trumps desire to play the regional strongman.

Even far-right figures in Europe slammed the move, with French politician Marine Le Pen, who was previously backed by Trump, tearing into the U.S. presidents actions.

She wrote on X that, although she considered Maduros regime to be authoritarian, the sovereignty of states is never negotiable.

Donald Trump posted over 80 times in the early hours, as he raged about criticism of his capture of Venezuelan President Maduro (Truth Social)

Meanwhile, Trump continued his social media blitz with another post, which suggested that Venezuelan refugees were already planning to self-deport because of the U.S.s capture of Maduro.

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Trumps resharing on Truth Social, known as retruthing, also saw him return to one of his favored talking points.

Many of the posts shared conspiracy theories about Somali immigration into Minnesota, suggesting that the Democratic Party had plotted to create a high influx of migrants to the U.S. in order to swing elections.

Another post suggested that daycare centers in Minnesota, which are aimed at supporting the children of Somali immigrants, were a nationwide money laundering scheme.

President Nicholas Maduro was captured at a compound in Venezuela and flown to the US on January 3 (X/@RapidResponse47)

He even shared an interview with Stephan Miller, in which the homeland security advisor claimed that Democrats were planning a Somalification of America.

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Trump also spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, which saw President Joe Biden's landslide victory.

One of the posts claimed that 941,000 Trump votes were deleted, with an additional 435,000 being changed to support Biden.

The idea that the 2020 election was stolen has been widely debunked by experts, with Mike Pence, Trumps own vice president, certifying the election as legitimate.
President Trump levied a barrage of new threats against various countries following the U.S. operation capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend.

Trump was not shy when asked about what the strike on Venezuela meant for other countries in the region, including Cuba and Colombia, during his trip back to Washington from Florida on Sunday.

Colombia is very sick, too. Run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and hes not going to be doing it very long, the president said, referring to Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

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When asked by NewsNations Libbey Dean whether the U.S. would embark on a military operation against Colombia, Trump replied it sounds good to me.

Trump also issued a stark warning to Mexico to get their act together, citing drug cartels in the country.

You have to do something with Mexico, Trump said. Were going to have to do something. Wed love Mexico to do it, theyre capable of doing it, but unfortunately the cartels are very strong in Mexico.

He noted he has offered to send U.S. assistance to Mexico in an effort to combat the cartels.

The president also targeted Cuba in his remarks to reporters, highlighting the communist countrys economic situation.

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Cuba is ready to fall. Cuba looks like its ready to fall. I dont know if theyre going to hold out, the president told reporters. But Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. Theyre not getting any of it. Cuba is literally read to fall, and you have a lot of great Cuban Americans who are going to be happy about this.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who was traveling with Trump, separately noted Cubas days are numbered.

Were going to wake up one day, hopefully in 26, and in our backyard were going to have allies in these countries doing business with America, not narcoterrorist dictators killing Americans, Graham said.

Trumps remarks were not only limited to countries in Latin America, but also to the north in Greenland. The president re-upped his calls for the U.S. to annex the Danish territory.

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We need Greenland, from the standpoint of national security, Trump said.

Trump also turned his sights east to Iran, which has been grappling with widespread protests in recent days.

If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think theyre going to get hit very hard by the United States, Trump said, referring to the regimes handling of the protests.

Trump sent shock waves throughout the world in the early hours of Saturday when the U.S. carried out a mission to capture Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from Caracas.

While he has received praise from Republicans and Latin American communities in the U.S., he has faced pushback from other countries, including Mexico and Colombia.

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The history of Latin America is clear and compelling: Intervention has never brought democracy, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters Monday, noting Mexicos sovereignty is sacred.

Petro hit back at Trumps threats in a lengthy social media post, reasserting his role as the supreme commander of the military and police forces of Colombia by constitutional order.

As for Trumps latest remarks on Greenland, Denmark and the territorys leadership have pushed back on the president.

According to the BBC, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called the notion of the U.S. taking over the territory as a fantasy.

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No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation. We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law, Nielsen said.

Copyright 2026 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.
Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were seized from their Caracas compound on Saturday and flown to the US as part of a special forces operation - here's why the US says it took action
Screenshot via White House/YouTube

President Donald Trump mocked the Kingdom of Denmark for allegedly increasing security around Greenland, telling reporters on Sunday that the country merely added one more dog sled.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the president answered questions about the implications of his military action that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife on Friday.

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Though the president reiterated his claims that America needs Greenland in the aftermath of Maduros arrest, he reacted with surprise when pushed on the topic by a reporter on Sunday.

How did we come up to Greenland? said Trump, when asked about possible U.S. action. Well, I dont want to talk about Greenland. Lets talk about Venezuela, Russia, Ukraine. Well worry about Greenland in about two months. Lets talk about Greenland in 20 days.

Rather than move on from the topic, however, the president continued on the subject, telling reporters once again about Americas strategic need for Greenland.

By the way, I will say this about Greenland. We need Greenland from a national security situation. Its so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place, he said. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it, I can tell you that.

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He then moved to mock the Kingdom of Denmark, whose leaders have been outspoken in decrying Trumps claims on their territory.

You know what Denmark did recently to boost up security on Greenland? They added one more dog sled, said Trump. Its true. They thought that was a great move.

The president made similar claims about the U.S. needs for Greenland for defense purposes because it was being surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships in a recent interview with The Atlantics Michael Scherer. Trump has also made frequent statements detailing his desire to acquire Greenland in the past.

The Prime Minister of Denmark issued a remarkable statement on Sunday, blasting Trumps threats, claiming Trumps words made absolutely no sense and reiterating that the United States has no legal basis to annex one of the three countries of the Kingdom of Denmark.

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Mette Frederiksens statement comes a day after the Danish Ambassador to the United States Jesper Mller Srensen called out Katie Miller  wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller  for her post echoing Trumps sentiment.

Katie Miller posted a map of Greenland painted with the American flag, along with the word SOON.

Srensen gave Miller a friendly reminder that Greenland expect[s] full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.

The post Trump Mocks Denmark Increasing Greenland Security After US Threats: They Added One More Dog Sled first appeared on Mediaite.
By Nathan Layne

Jan 4 (Reuters) - Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump have largely praised the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as a swift, painless win, though political analysts warn support could wane if the operation drags on and echoes past foreign interventions.

While a handful of conservative figures criticized the attack on Venezuela and detainment of Maduro as a betrayal of Trump's "America First" pledge to avoid foreign entanglements, most of the president's Republican allies fell in line.

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The early support came even after Trump said the United States would temporarily "run" Venezuela and work to tap its oil reserves, raising the possibility of the kind of open-ended foreign entanglement he and the MAGA base have long opposed.

For now, the base appears willing to cheer on the removal of Maduro, seeing little risk of an escalation into a years-long quagmire like the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, political analysts said.

"This is too recent for there to be significant MAGA-base push back," said Joshua Wilson, a professor of political science at the University of Denver. "There are many questions about how things will develop, and so this could become another test of Trump's ability to frame events and control his base."

The military action comes amid a slump in Trump's approval ratings, with a Reuters/Ipsos poll last month showing that just 39% of U.S. adults approved of his job performance, largely reflecting disappointment over his handling of the economy.

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Historically, presidents usually only gain a short-lived political boost from military action, according to Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. That means the risk for Trump and Republicans is on the downside heading into November's midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake.

"If it goes well, it will largely be forgotten, I suspect, by the time of the midterms," Wilson said. "If it goes poorly, it will be an albatross."

Before Saturday's events, the last time the United States took action to remove the ruler of a Latin American country was the 1989 invasion of Panama that ousted dictator Manuel Noriega. That was the first of two quick, relatively successful military actions under U.S. President George H.W. Bush, who also orchestrated the 1991 Gulf War, yet he still lost his re-election bid to Bill Clinton in 1992 primarily due to a weak economy.

GREENE, OWENS CRITICIZE ATTACK

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Democrats have widely criticized the Trump administration's actions in Venezuela as ill-advised and potentially unlawful given they were carried out without approval from Congress. The party's leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said Trump risked dragging the U.S. "into another costly foreign war."

The Democrats have been joined by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a longtime Trump supporter who had a public falling out with the president this year. Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press" program on Sunday, the Republican described Maduro's arrest as a betrayal of Trump's pledge during the 2024 presidential campaign to steer clear of foreign conflicts.

"This is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesn't serve the American people," she said.

Candace Owens, a right-wing podcaster known in part for spreading conspiracy theories, was also critical of Maduro's capture, writing on X that the CIA had staged "another hostile takeover of a country at the behest of a globalist psychopaths [sic]."

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Yet most of Trumps political supporters  and even some critics  either backed the attack or declined to weigh in.

Steve Bannon, a former Trump aide and prominent voice in the Make America Great Again movement, praised the raid as "bold and brilliant" on his podcast hours after the operation, embodying the hawkish tone prevalent across the president's base.

Trump administration officials have gone to lengths to characterize Saturday's operation as a law enforcement action against Maduro, who has been indicted on drug-related charges and has a court hearing on Monday in New York.

Some MAGA influencers said they also supported Trump's stated goal of asserting U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere.

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Right-wing activist Laura Loomer argued on social media that the United States must exploit Venezuela's vast oil reserves rather than allow adversaries such as Iran, China, Russia and Cuba to benefit from them and finance attacks on the West.

"We will exert our power and take the oil and financially starve the axis of evil," Loomer wrote on X, in a broadside against Representative Thomas Massie, one of the few Republicans to question the legal basis for the strikes on Venezuela.

Nikki Haley, who lost to Trump in the Republican primary of 2024, called Maduro a "brutal socialist dictator" in a post on X and said the Venezuelan people "deserve freedom".

Republican Senator Rand Paul, a longtime opponent of overseas military interventions, did not explicitly criticize Trump's actions in a social media post, but cautioned that "time will tell if regime change in Venezuela is successful without significant monetary or human cost."

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Matt McManus, a political science professor at Spelman College, said it would be incorrect to cast the MAGA movement as strictly isolationist, when it has long been comfortable in projecting power. He pointed to Trump backers' support of the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June and of Trump's various threats against other countries during his first term.

"MAGAdom has never really been defined by a great concern for ideological consistency," McManus said. "It very much takes its cues from the leading figures... And of course, right now, Trump is signaling very heavily that Venezuelan intervention is what's good for America."

But McManus and other experts agreed that a prolonged intervention in Venezuela would test Trump's grip over his party and the MAGA movement, especially if U.S. troops are deployed - a possibility the president has not ruled out.

"I guess Venezuela will be the acid test that answers the question is MAGA whatever Donald Trump says it is," said Dante Scala, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire.

(reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Editing by Sergio Non and Chizu Nomiyama )
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump predicted Cuba's communist government is on the verge of collapse following the United States' capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Trump on Jan. 4 also threatened United States military intervention to oust Colombian President Gustavo Petro and reaffirmed his desire for the United States to annex Greenland, which is controlled by Denmark.

Trump suggested Venezuela won't be the only Latin American country to face upheaval as he addressed reporters on Air Force One on the flight back to Washington from Florida, where he spent the holidays.

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"Cuba is ready to fall," Trump said. "Cuba looks like it's ready to fall. I don't know if they're going to hold out. But Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from their Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. They're not getting any of it. And Cuba is literally ready to fall."

Trump added: "You have a lot of great Cuban Americans who are going to be very happy about this."

Live updates: Zip-tied leader Nicolas Maduro arrives at NYC court

A still image from video posted by the White House's Rapid Response 47 account on X.com, which originated from the @PaulDMauro account, shows Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City on Jan. 3, 2026. Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, pictured here after his capture aboard the USS Iwo Jima, is seen in this handout image posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on Truth Social Jan. 3, 2026. The United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an overnight military operation on Jan. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump said, as explosions rocked Caracas and targets across the country. Picture of fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. Loud explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard in Caracas around 2:00 am on January 3. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro is led in custody from a U.S. federal airplane before his scheduled court appearance at Manhattan federal court, at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, U.S. January 3, 2026. A photograph posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account shows him sitting next to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as they watch the U.S. military operation in Venezuela from Trump's Mar a Lago resort, in Palm Beach, Florida, January 3, 2026. Fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, is seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. Picture showing damages to a building in the port of La Guaira, Venezuela, after a US military operation that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, on January 3, 2026. Smoke rises from explosions in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from video obtained by Reuters. Helicopters fly past plumes of smoke rising from explosions, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026 in this screen grab obtained from video obtained by Reuters. A military personnel member walks past debris at La Carlota military air base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 3, 2026. Civilians who were living inside Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex leave the compound, in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026. A column of smoke rises during multiple explosions in the early hours of the morning, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026 in this screen grab obtained from video obtained by Reuters. A destroyed anti-aircraft unit at La Carlota military air base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 3, 2026. A firefighter walks past a destroyed anti-aircraft unit at La Carlota military air base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026. Destroyed vehicles at La Carlota military air base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026. A member of the National Guard stands guard at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026, after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on the South American country. A Colombian soldier stands guard at the border between Venezuela and Colombia, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Cucuta, Colombia, January 3, 2026. Colombian police and military personnel stand guard at the border between Venezuela and Colombia, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Cucuta, Colombia, January 3, 2026. A destroyed anti-aircraft unit at La Carlota military air base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026. A man walks next to military vehicles as Colombian soldiers patrol the border between Venezuela and Colombia, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Cucuta, Colombia, January 3, 2026. Passengers sleep on the floor, after flights were delayed and cancelled when the airspace was closed due to U.S. strikes on Venezuela overnight, at Rafael Hernandez International Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico January 3, 2026. U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jets sit parked on the tarmac at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, January 3, 2026. Colombian soldiers in a military vehicle at the border between Venezuela and Colombia, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Cucuta, Colombia, January 3, 2026. A car drives on an empty street, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela January 3, 2026. A cyclist stops to check their phone, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela January 3, 2026. F-22, C-130 and F-35 aircraft are seen at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base, after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, January 3, 2026. A supporter of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a flag of Venezuela on an empty street near Miraflores Palace, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured President Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026. A person wears a Venezuelan flag, as they and others react to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Miami, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2026. People react to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, on the streets of Miami, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2026. A person wearing a hat that reads "America first" reacts to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Doral, Miami, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2026. A man holds a flag reading "Make Venezuela Great Again", as people react to the news after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Doral, Miami, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2026. A photograph posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account shows him sitting next to CIA Director John Ratcliffe as they watch the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, January 3, 2026. Armed supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro block the entrace to the 23 de enero neighborhood in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured him. Picture showing damages to the port of La Guaira, Venezuela, after a US military operation that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, on January 3, 2026. An armed supporter of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro blocks the entrace to the 23 de enero neighborhood in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured him. Venezuela's Attorney General Tarek William Saab, raises his clenched fist as he leaves the vice-presidency building in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro. The airplane carrying Venezuelan President Nicolas Madura lands at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, N.Y. at approximately 4:30pm Jan. 3, 2026. A motorcade carrying ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro leaves the Westside Heliport in New York on January 3, 2026. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived Saturday evening at a military base in the United States after his capture by US forces in Caracas. Maduro was seen surrounded by FBI agents as he descended the boarding stairs of a US government plane at a New York state National Guard facility, and was slowly escorted along the tarmac. A helicopter carrying ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro comes in to land at the Westside Heliport in New York on January 3, 2026. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived Saturday evening at a military base in the United States after his capture by US forces in Caracas. Maduro was seen surrounded by FBI agents as he descended the boarding stairs of a US government plane at a New York state National Guard facility, and was slowly escorted along the tarmac. US bombs targets in Venezuela and captures Nicolas Maduro 1 of 39 A still image from video posted by the White House's Rapid Response 47 account on X.com, which originated from the @PaulDMauro account, shows Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City on Jan. 3, 2026.

A recent blockade the Trump administration imposed on Venezuela oil cut Cuba off to a critical energy supply that the island nation relies on. Trump has said U.S. companies will soon take over Venezuela's oil supplies following the capture of Maduro, a close ally of the Cuban government. Several Cubans died during the U.S. attack on Venezuela that led to Maduro's capture.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a key architect of the Venezuela attack, is a longtime critic of the Cuban government led by President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who condemned the U.S. actions in Venezuela.

More: Marco Rubio, who dreamed of ousting Venezuela's Maduro, takes charge

Rubio issued a warning to Cuba in a Jan. 3 news conference as Trump and his top officials discussed the Venezuelan attack. "If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I would be concerned  at least a little bit," Rubio said.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Florida to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., January 4, 2026.

'Sounds good to me,' Trump says of US operation in Colombia

As for Colombia, led by the leftist Petro, Trump said the country is "run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States."

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"He's not going to be doing it very long  let me tell you," Trump said. Asked whether the U.S. will conduct an operation in Colombia, Trump said: "Sounds good to me."

More: Trump administration says it will revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro's visa

Petro, in response to Trump's threat, issued a lengthy statement on X: "If you arrest the president whom a good part of my people want and respect, you will unleash the popular jaguar."

"Every soldier of Colombia has an order from now on: every commander of the public force who prefers the flag of the US to the flag of Colombia must immediately withdraw from the institution by order of the bases and the troops and mine," Petro said.

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro attends the military ceremony for promotions and presentation of the new military leadership, in Bogota, Colombia December 29, 2025.

Trump: 'Let's talk about Greenland in 20 days'

In a 37-minute exchange with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump also made clear that he wants the U.S. to acquire Greenland  an idea he's pushed throughout the first year of his return to the White House.

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More: Trump renews push to annex Greenland after Venezuela strike

"Well worry about Greenland in about two months," Trump said with a smile after saying he's focused for now on Venezuela. "Lets talk about Greenland in 20 days."

"I will say this about Greenland," Trump added. "We need Greenland from a national security situation. It's so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it. I can tell you."

A view shows traditional Greenlandic houses illuminated by a beam of sunlight during sunset in Nuuk, Greenland, on September 23, 2025.

Mette Frederiksen, president of Denmark, in a statement urged Trump to "stop the threats against a historically close ally," saying the U.S. "has no right to annex one of the three countries in the Commonwealth."

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"The Kingdom of Denmark - and thus Greenland - is part of NATO and is therefore covered by the alliance's security guarantee," Frederiksen said. "We already have a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the United States today that gives the United States wide access to Greenland. And we, on the part of the Kingdom, have invested significantly in security in the Arctic."

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says Cuba is 'ready to fall' after Venezuela attack
Donald Trump insisted on Sunday night that the U.S. is in charge of Venezuela after American military forces toppled Nicolas Maduro over the weekend.

Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One that his administration was dealing with the people that just got sworn in, seemingly referring to acting president Delcy Rodriguez.

Dont ask me whos in charge, because Ill give you an answer, and itll be very controversial, Trump said as he flew from Florida back to Washington, D.C.

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When asked what he meant, Trump replied: It means were in charge. Were in charge.

Trump said that although he had not yet spoken to the countrys acting president, he would do so at the right time.

President Donald Trump departs on Air Force One from Palm Beach International Airport, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Fla (AP)

He also claimed that Rodriguez was cooperating with the White House after the extraction of Maduro, who is set to appear in a New York court on Monday.

Venezuela right now is a dead country. We have to bring it back, and were gonna have to have big investments by the oil companies to bring back the infrastructure ready to go, Trump added.

The president also said that Rodriguez needed to give the U.S. total access to the country.

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We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country, Trump said.

He told reporters that Rodriguez would face a situation probably worse than Maduro if she did not cooperate, but did not elaborate on what that would look like.

Trump also claimed that Maduro had sent every single drug addict from Venezuela to the U.S.

Think of that every single drug addict from Maduros country, which isn't really his country, and it's certainly not his country anymore, he said.

This screengrab taken from the X account of Rapid Response 47, the official White House rapid response account, shows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (C) escorted by DEA agents inside the headquarters of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (X/@RapidResponse47)

Every drug addict and every drug dealer has been sent into our country. Now we're getting them back.

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Trump also turned his attention to Venezuelas neighbor, Colombia, and gave its president, Gustavo Petro, a warning, claiming the country was run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

Hes not going to be doing it for very long, Trump told reporters.

He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. Hes not going to be doing it. Asked whether the U.S. would conduct an operation against Colombia, he said, It sounds good to me.
"I grew up with never-ending wars," said Dirk Frazel, a longtime Trump supporter in Florida who once set up a stand to sell hot dogs to other supporters on a bridge leading to the president's estate at Mar-a-Lago.

But this time it's different, he adds. "Venezuela is closer to home."

Frazel vividly remembers growing up watching the types of messy foreign entanglements that President Donald Trump has vowed to avoid.

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Those wars in Iraq and Afghanistan left thousands of Americans dead, tens of thousands wounded and millions of voters keen to avoid open-ended nation-building missions with limited success.

Now the seizing of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and a vow by Trump that the US would "run" the country has prompted concerns that the US would, once again, find itself responsible for rebuilding a deeply fractured country far from home.

To Frazel and other Trump supporters, the nature of the operation to unseat Maduro - quickly and with no US casualties - makes it a "stark contrast" to the unsettling and steady stream of Americans killed during the decades-long "War on Terror".

"It's not prolonged, or protracted," the St Augustine resident told the BBC. "We are acting like a world super power again. All bad actors are on notice."

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On the streets of Miami, supporters of Trump spoke of the potential knock-on effects that toppling Maduro might have. Some believe that leftist governments in Cuba and Nicaragua may lose a lifeline.

Others think that an economically strengthened Venezuela would see some migrants return home - itself a key part of the broader MAGA agenda.

"This is chess, not checkers," Vianca Rodriguez, a Florida resident who formerly worked at the Republican National Committee and Trump campaign, told the BBC.

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"This is getting them [Venezuelans] thinking they might want to go back home," she added. "To help curb illegal immigration, you want people to want to go back. They're here because they had no choice."

Vianca Rodriguez at an awards ceremony in Miami in 2023 [Getty Images]

So far, only a handful of prominent Republicans have criticised the mission in Venezuela.

Former Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, a once staunch ally who has recently soured on Trump, for example, said on X that "this is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end".

Another Republican critic of Trump in Congress, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, said simply: "This is not what we voted for."

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But the US president, his cabinet members and senior officials have bristled at the suggestion that the strike on Venezuela is in any way akin previous intervention has been critical of, such as Iraq.

"That was Bush we should never have gone into Iraq," Trump told the Atlantic. "That started the Middle East disaster."

Vice-President JD Vance also defended the move, characterising the operation in Venezuela as needed to combat the flow of drugs to the US and accusing Venezuela's government of expropriating US oil assets for their own enrichment.

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"I understand the anxiety over the use of military force, but are we just supposed to allow a communist to steal our stuff in our hemisphere and do nothing?," he wrote on X. "Great powers don't act like that."

Dirk Frazel, here selling Trump-themed hot dogs in 2022, says a quick strike in Venezuela is a far cry from long-running wars overseas [Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC News]

Those arguments appear to have resonated with even the most isolationist wing of the MAGA movement, such as former adviser Steve Bannon, who described the mission on his podcast as "bold and brilliant".

He did also, however, warn of the spectre of Iraq and in an interview with the New York Times, said: "The lack of framing of the message on a potential occupation has the base bewildered, if not angry."

For many Trump backers, there is one significant difference between Venezuela and other recent US wars - proximity.

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"The isolationists and the Reaganites don't agree on much, but one area where they do is the Western Hemisphere," a former Trump administration official told Politico. "The isolationists are more comfortable being a little more internationalist when it comes to our backyard."

Donald Trump campaigned heavily on avoiding costly US "nation-building" military interventions overseas [Getty Images]

Giancarlo Sopo, a conservative strategist and Florida native who worked for the Trump campaign in 2020, said that the Middle East and Latin America are "fundamentally different", with even Maduro feeling "compelled to project the appearance of democracy".

"There's also been no indication that we're going to see a sustained military occupation in South America perhaps a residual stabilisation presence to prevent a power vacuum," he said. "That's a far cry from nation-building."

But even if some Republican isolationists see a difference, many in the global community and also within the US have said the removal of a president is a clear breach of international law that sets a dangerous precedent.

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It's also unclear how events will unfold in Venezuela now Maduro is no longer in charge.

Former CIA deputy director John McLaughlin told the BBC: "Generally, as a rule in military and clandestine operations, if you inflict violence you don't really know where it's going after that - even if you have a plan, an analysis, and assumptions."

A prolonged period of turmoil could turn more Americans away from supporting intervention. Before the operation, polling by YouGov in late December indicated only 22% supported the use of US military force to overthrow Maduro, rising to 44% among Republicans.

At a restaurant near Miami, Cuban-born restaurateur Irina Vilarino - a one-time Republican candidate who has grown increasingly critical of Trump - told the BBC that "if she were to take her Latin American hat off", she would understand why some Americans "wonder why it's even our business".

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"I can see why that should not be my problem," she said. "But we [Americans] are being heavily influenced by bad actors. A lot of Americans just don't get that they had to do it, to a certain degree."

Several Florida-based Trump supporters who have spoken to the BBC since the raid on Caracas keep returning to Trump's term "peace through strength" to describe the strikes in Venezuela.

"That's been the theme, consistently, with Trump," said Vianca Rodriguez.

"It's bringing back the ideals of Ronald Reagan, and no American casualties. They [Venezuela] have been at war with us with drugs. I think it's about time we bring justice."
President Donald Trump is weighing in on the future of two countries and one territory after an extraordinary U.S. military operation in Venezuela captured leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump projected the collapse of Cuba, harshly threatened Colombias president and repeated his desire to annex Greenland. He separately warned that somethings going to have to be done with Mexico during a phone call with Fox News on Saturday.

The comments came as Trump was returning to Washington from Mar-a-Lago, less than two days after the U.S. strike on Caracas at his direction. Maduro and his wife are set to make their first appearance in federal court on Monday to face narco-terrorism charges that the Trump administration used to bring him to New York.

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Trump first ripped into Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has emerged as a staunch critic, describing him as a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

And hes not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you, Trump said. Hes not going to be doing it very long.

When asked about the possibility of a U.S. operation, Trump replied: It sounds good to me.

Trump then said he doesnt believe the United States needs to intervene in Cuba, claiming the country has no income because they got all of their income from Venezuelan oil.

Theyre not getting any of it, Trump said, going on to add, Cuba looks like its ready to fall. I dont know if theyre going to hold out.

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In later remarks, Trump said he did not want to discuss his stance on Greenland when asked by a reporter about whether the U.S. would also take action in the Danish territory.

Lets talk about Venezuela, Russia. Ukraine, he said. Well worry about Greenland in about two months. Lets talk about Greenland in 20 days.

But he then expressed his desire to acquire it  a claim he has frequently repeated since returning to the White House.

We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it, I can tell you that, Trump said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen later urged the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally in a statement on Sunday.

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It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the U.S. needing to take over Greenland, Frederiksen wrote. The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified on Sunday that the United States will not govern the day-to-day operations of Venezuela, but will continue to uphold a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers into the country. Trump had previously claimed that the country would run Venezuela temporarily.

Last month, Trump did not rule out a potential war with Venezuela in an interview with NBC News. At the time, he declined to answer whether he wanted Maduro ousted.

He knows exactly what I want, Trump said. He knows better than anybody.

Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
United States President Donald Trump has threatened military action against his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, following Washingtons abduction of Venezuelas leader, and said he believed the government in Cuba, too, was likely to fall soon.

Trumps comments on Sunday came amid a growing outcry over the brazen abduction of Nicolas Maduro, with Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain condemning the US action as a dangerous precedent for peace and regional security.

Trump told reporters on board Air Force One that Venezuela and Colombia were very sick and that the government in Bogota was run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

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And hes not going to be doing it very long. Let me tell you, Trump said, referring to Petro.

When asked if he meant a US operation against Colombia, Trump said, Sounds good to me.

The remarks prompted a sharp rebuke from Petro, who told Trump to stop slandering him while also calling on Latin American countries to unite or risk being treated as a servant and slave.

In a series of lengthy posts on X, Petro noted that the US is the first country in the world to bomb a South American capital in all of human history. But he said revenge was not the answer.

Instead, Latin America must unite, Petro said, and become a region with the capacity to understand, trade, and join together with the whole world.

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We do not look only to the north, but in all directions, he said.





Warnings to Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba

US forces seized Maduro in Caracas early on Saturday in what Washington described as a law enforcement operation to bring him to trial on narcoterrorism charges.

Maduro denies the allegations, and critics say the USs toppling of the Venezuelan leader was aimed at taking control of the countrys vast oil reserves.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump insisted that the US remains in charge of Venezuela, even though the countrys Supreme Court has appointed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as interim leader.

He also reiterated threats to send the US military back to Venezuela if it doesnt behave.

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Trump said a lot of Cubans were killed in the US raid on Caracas, adding that an American military intervention in Cuba was unnecessary because the island appears ready to fall on its own.

Cuba is ready to fall, he said. Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. Theyre not getting any of it. Cuba literally is ready to fall.

The US and Cuba have had strained relations since Fidel Castro overthrew a Washington-backed government in Havana in 1959 and established a socialist state allied with the former Soviet Union.

Trump went on to warn Mexico, saying the country has to get their act together because theyre [drugs] pouring through Mexico and were going to have to do something.

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He described Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as a terrific person and said he has offered to send US troops to Mexico every time he spoke to her.

The Mexican government is capable of addressing the issue, but unfortunately, the cartels are very strong in Mexico, he said.

Trump has made no secret of his ambitions to expand the US presence in the Western Hemisphere and revive the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, which claims that Latin America falls under Washingtons sphere of influence.

Trump has called his 21st-century version the Don-roe Doctrine.

His comments on Sunday were not his first warnings to Latin American nations.

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In the immediate aftermath of Maduros abduction, Trump said Petro has to watch his a** and that the political situation in Cuba was something well end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation.





Dangerous precedent

The US attack on Venezuela meanwhile continued to draw international condemnation.

The governments of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain expressed their profound concern in a joint statement and said they firmly reject the military actions undertaken unilaterally in Venezuelan territory.

These actions contravene fundamental principles of international law, particularly the prohibition on the use or threat of force. They constitute an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security and endanger the civilian population, they said.

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Analysts said it remained unclear whether Trump would act on his threats or whether he was aiming to coerce the Latin American nations into cooperating with Washington.

Its very hard to predict. If you look at the way Trump operates, what he always hopes is other countries will do what he wants them to do without him having to use very much force. That these short, spectacular displays of force, like the bombing in Iran, this operation in Venezuela, will scare other countries into doing what Trump wants them to do, said David Smith, an associate professor at the University of Sydneys US Studies Centre.

Trump is trying to pressure regime change across Latin America in other ways as well, Smith said, noting that the US president has previously sparred with Petro over deportation flights and sanctioned a Brazilian judge who oversaw the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro  a Trump ally  for an attempted insurrection.

Trump has also backed the right-wing government of Argentinas Javier Milei and pardoned ex-Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez of drug trafficking charges.

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Weve seen in this first year of his administration in general a far more concerted agenda to promote right-wing governments in Latin America and to damage left-wing governments in Latin America, Smith said.

Matthew Wilson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in the US, said Cuba would be the top priority if further action occurred, given longstanding US grievances against the country.

I would be more concerned if I were in Cuba than if I were in Colombia, Wilson said. Because theres a longstanding US grievance against Cuba, and definitely a mobilised constituency of Cuban Americans who are very hostile to the regime there.
NEED TO KNOW

President Donald Trump said the United States could involve itself in multiple other countries after it launched a military operation in Venezuela and captured its leader, President Nicolas Maduro

Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the U.S. could intervene in Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Iran and Greenland

One day earlier, he declared that "nobody can stop" the United States

President Donald Trump suggested the United States will exert its influence on additional countries days after his administration captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and launched a military operation in the country.

Trump, 79, told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Jan. 4, that the United States could become similarly involved in Colombia, Cuba and Greenland, as well as Iran and Mexico. He also suggested that the U.S. could strike Venezuela once again after targeting the country on Saturday, Jan. 3.

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"We were ready for a second wave, we were all set to go, but we don't think we're gonna need it," he said of the military's plans for Venezuela, later adding, "If they don't behave, we will do a second strike."

As for other countries near Venezuela, the president declared its neighbor, Colombia, is "very sick, too."

Referring to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Trump said the country is being "run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and hes not going to be doing it very long."

Cuba, which is also in the region, is "ready to fall," said the president, who told a reporter, "it sounds good to me," when asked about possible U.S. military intervention in the country.

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"I dont know if theyre going to hold out, he said of Cuba. But Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. Theyre not getting any of it. Cuba is literally ready to fall, and you have a lot of great Cuban Americans who are going to be happy about this.



Trump also threatened Mexico, telling reporters, "By the way, you have to do something with Mexico. Mexico has to get their act together because they're pouring through Mexico and we're going to have to do something," referring to the presence of drug cartels in the country.

"We'd love Mexico to do it. They're capable of doing it, but unfortunately, the cartels are very strong in Mexico," added Trump, who said he had offered multiple times to send U.S. troops to the country.

The president also set his sights beyond North and Latin America. He told reporters that he's watching the situation in Iran "very closely," vowing, "If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they're going to get hit very hard by the United States."

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He also repeated his desire to annex Greenland. Its so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place, he said. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.

Nicole Combeau/Bloomberg via Getty President Donald Trump during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 3, 2026. President Donald Trump during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 3, 2026.

His comments aboard Air Force One came after the president called into Fox & Friends early on Jan. 5, where he boasted about America's power.

"We can't take a chance, after having done this incredible thing last night, of letting somebody else take over... We have to do it again. We can do it again, too. Nobody can stop us," he said. "There's nobody that has the capability that we do."

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Trump ordered "large-scale strikes" across Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday morning. He later announced in a post on Truth Social that Maduro and his wife, first lady Cilia Flores, had been captured. The couple was then transported to New York via the USS Iwo Jima naval ship; Maduro is expected in court in New York City on Monday, Jan. 5, on narco-terrorism charges.

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Maduro is accused by Trump of drug trafficking and "forcing" migration to the U.S., as well as using oil money to fund his alleged drug-related crimes. He has denied all accusations, according to CBS News.



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Jan. 5 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump threatened military action against Colombia's government and said Cuba was on the precipice of falling on Sunday, a day after arresting Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump called Colombia, a U.S. ally, "very sick" and run by "a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States."

Relations between Washington and Bogota have plummeted during the second Trump administration, beginning in January when both sides threatened one another with tit-for-tat tariffs after Colombian President Gustavo Petro barred the United States from sending military planes carrying migrants from landing in the country.

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Trump has steadily increased the rhetoric targeting the socialist leader, going so far as to lob unfounded allegations of drug crimes at Petro, who has repeatedly denied them while pursuing domestic anti-narcotics efforts.

Petro has also accused Trump of murder for killing at least one Colombian fisherman in September in a military strike on boats in international waters the United States alleges were involved in drug trafficking.

On the plane Sunday, Trump reiterated the unfounded drug allegations against Petro and said, "He's not going to be doing it for very long."

When asked whether there would be a U.S. military operation involving Colombia, Trump said, "Sounds good to me. You know why? Because they kill a lot of people."

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Trump also said that Cuba was being financially supported by Venezuela, and now with Maduro detained "they won't have that money coming."

"Cuba is ready to fall. Cuba looks ready to fall. I don't know if they're going to hold out," he said. "And you have a lot of great Cubans that are going to be very happy about this."

Following the United States' detention of Maduro in a military operation on Saturday, Petro has been among the most vocal critics saying the operation violated international law.

In a statement on Sunday, Petro accused Trump of "kidnapping" Maduro and his wife, calling the military operation one without legal basis.

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"I know perfectly well that what Donald Trump has done is abhorrent," he said.

"They have destroyed the rule of law at a global level. They have bloodily desecrated the sacred sovereignty of all of Latin America and the Caribbean."

Earlier Sunday, Petro demanded that Trump stop slandering him, saying the judiciary of Colombia is independent and is largely run by his opposition and that his name does not appear in any judicial files connected to alleged drug crimes.

"This is not how one threatens a Latin American president who emerged from armed struggle and later from the people of Colombia's struggle for peace," he said.
The Colombian president has said he is prepared to take up arms against the US following threats from Donald Trump.

Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla who has been the target of insults and warnings from the United States president for months, said on social media: I swore not to touch a weapon again ... but for the homeland I will take up arms again.

Over the weekend, Mr Trump threatened military action against Colombia after the US bombed Venezuela and captured Nicolas Maduro, its leader, who is in court in New York awaiting a hearing on narco-terrorism charges.

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Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Mr Trump warned that Colombia could be next if it did not reduce the flow of illicit drugs to the US.

Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and hes not going to be doing it very long, Mr Trump said.

Asked whether the US would pursue a military operation against the country, Mr Trump said: It sounds good to me.

You know why? Because they kill a lot of people, he added.

A Colombian soldier stands guard at the Simon Bolivar International Bridge in Cucuta, the main crossing point between Colombia and Venezuela - MARIO CAICEDO/EPA/Shutterstock

Despite Mr Trumps threats and the strength of Mr Petros comments, business in Bogota carried on as usual on Monday.

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In Chapinero, a vibrant area towards the north of the city, residents were out walking their dogs in the morning sunshine, cycling past red-brick apartment blocks and sitting on the street drinking coffee.

But under the surface, tensions have been simmering between the US and Colombia, prompted by a US military build-up in the Caribbean, for months.

Mr Petro has subsequently become one of Mr Trumps fiercest international critics.

The US president also threatened Greenland with military action, prompting condemnation from international leaders.

I am not a narco

Mr Petro referred to Mr Trumps comments as an illegitimate threat. Thats not how you threaten a Latin American president who emerged from the armed struggle and then from the people of Colombias fight for peace, he said.

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I am not illegitimate, nor am I a narco, I only have as assets my family home that I still pay for with my salary. My bank statements have been published. Nobody can say that I have spent more than my salary. I am not greedy.

Mr Trump justified the US military operation in Venezuela as being in line with the Monroe Doctrine  an 1823 declaration by the fifth US president to prevent European intervention in the Americas  which he referred to as the Donroe Doctrine.

In response, Claudia Sheinbaum, the Mexican president, said: The Americas do not belong to any doctrine or any power. The American continent belongs to the peoples of each of the countries that comprise it.

Mr Petro has harshly criticised the Trump administrations military action in the region and accused Washington of abducting Mr Maduro without legal basis.

Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan president, is led into custody after US forces bombed Caracas - Reuters

In a later post to X on Sunday, Mr Petro added: Friends do not bomb.

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He also wrote on social media that the US was the first country in the world to bomb a South American country.

Colombias foreign ministry called the US presidents threats unacceptable interference and demanded respect.

Colombia and the United States are key military and economic allies, but their relations have been strained.

Since the start of Mr Trumps second term, the two leaders have regularly clashed over issues such as tariffs and migration policy.

Meanwhile, Venezuela said 80 people were killed in the surprise strikes on Saturday. Cuba said 32 of its citizens had been killed while carrying out missions at the request of the Venezuelan government.

Interim leader offers fig leaf to Trump

Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuelas interim leader, invited Mr Trump to collaborate in a conciliatory message on Sunday night, marking a dramatic shift in tone from her defiant speeches over the weekend.

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We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of co-operation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence, she wrote.

Her change in tune came shortly after Mr Trump threatened that she could pay a very big price if she did not adhere to US demands.

Protests have erupted across the world denouncing the US attacks on Venezuela. Demonstrators in the Philippines, South Korea, Latin American countries and Spain have gathered outside US embassies, announcing solidarity with Venezuelans and condemning US intervention.

Protests have also gathered supporting the ousting of Mr Maduro, with some Venezuelans in the US expressing support for Mr Trump.

Venezuelan people celebrate Maduros ousting in Cali, Colombia - Ernesto Guzman/EPA/Shutterstock

On Sunday, the leaders of Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay issued a joint statement rejecting the US military operation. The statement claimed that the US had violated the basic principles of international law and created a dangerous precedent.

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African countries, including South Africa and Ghana, also criticised the US capture of Mr Maduro, while the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland, which was recognised as an independent nation by Israel in December and hopes Washington will follow suit, voiced support.

Iran called on the US to release Mr Maduro on Monday.

Iran criticise illegal act

Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, said at a press conference: The president of a country and his wife were abducted. Its nothing to be proud of; its an illegal act.

As the Venezuelan people have emphasised, their president must be released.

Mr Trumps comments on Greenland have been condemned by France and Denmarks neighbouring countries.

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Jens Frederik Nielsen, Greenlands prime minister, said: Thats enough now  No more fantasies of annexation. He responded after Mr Trump said he needed the territory to defend the US from Russia and China.

Jonas Gahr Store, the prime minister of Norway, and Kristrun Frostadottir, the prime minister of Iceland, both said Greenland was an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Ulf Kristersson, the prime minister of Sweden, said that Venezuelans had been freed from Mr Maduros dictatorship. But he later stated support for Denmark, saying it is only Denmark and Greenland that have the right to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.

Mr Maduro is due to appear in Manhattan federal court to face narco-terrorism charges. He could face decades or life in prison on each count if convicted.

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It is unclear if he or his wife, Cilia Flores, have obtained lawyers or whether they will enter pleas.

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The captured Venezuelan leader could be seen exiting a vehicle and making his way to a helicopter under an armed guard, as ITV News US Correspondent Dan Rivers and Correspondent Robert Moore report

Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro declared himself innocent and a decent man as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in a US courtroom on Monday.

Im innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country," Maduro told a New York judge.

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Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were making their first appearance in an American courtroom on Monday, answering the charges the Trump administration used to justify their capture and extraction to New York.

The pair both pleaded not guilty to all charges laid against them.

Maduro, wearing a blue jail uniform, and his wife were led into court around noon for a brief, but required, legal proceeding that will likely kick off a prolonged legal fight over whether he can be put on trial in the US.

Both put on headsets to hear the English-language proceedings as they were translated into Spanish.

Venezuela faces key week as questions mount after US raid

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How Trump's raid on Venezuela has shaken up the international order

Following Maduros plea, Hellerstein turned to Maduros wife and asked her to confirm her identity.

After confirming her name, Cilia Flores said in Spanish, through an interpreter: I am first lady of the Republic of Venezuela.

Asked to enter a plea, she responded: Not guilty. Completely innocent.

Mark E. Donnelly, her lawyer, said that Cilia Flores had suffered significant injuries during her capture and that he believes she has a fracture or severe bruising on her ribs.

The judge directed prosecutors to ensure that she gets the proper care.

Maduro and his wife escorted by armed federal agents in New York. Credit: Getty Images

The couple were transported under armed guard early Monday from the Brooklyn jail, where they've been detained, to a Manhattan courthouse.

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A motorcade carrying Maduro left jail around 7.15am and made its way to a nearby athletic field, where Maduro slowly made his way to a waiting helicopter.

They then flew across New York Harbour and landed at a Manhattan heliport, where Maduro, limping, was loaded into an armoured vehicle.

A few minutes later, the police motorcade was inside a garage at the courthouse complex.

Across the street from the courthouse, the police separated a small but growing group of protesters from about a dozen pro-intervention demonstrators, including one man who pulled a Venezuelan flag away from those protesting the US action.

Protestors for and against the US' intervention demonstrated outside the Manhattan court. Credit: AP

According to US Attorney General Pam Bondi, Maduro faces charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

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As a criminal defendant in the US legal system, Maduro will have the same rights as any other person accused of a crime, including the right to a trial by a jury of regular New Yorkers.

Maduros lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state.

Watch as Maduro and his wife are transported from a detention centre in New York ahead of a US court hearing

The former military leader of Panama, Manuel Noriega, unsuccessfully tried the same defence after the US captured him in a similar military invasion in 1990.

The US however, doesnt recognise Maduro as Venezuelas legitimate head of state, particularly after a much-disputed 2024 re-election.

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Venezuelas new interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, demanded that the US return Maduro, who has long denied any involvement in drug trafficking, although late Sunday she struck a more conciliatory tone in a social media post, inviting collaboration with President Trump and respectful relations with the US.

Delcy Rodriguez is now the interim president of Venezuela. Credit: AP

Trump threatened the new interim president of Venezuela, saying that if she doesn't cooperate, she could "pay a very big price".

Trump told reporters on Sunday night that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez is cooperating but reiterated the threats that she would have to give the US access to much of her country.

Before his capture, Maduro and his allies claimed US hostility was motivated by lust for Venezuelas rich oil and mineral resources.

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We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country, Trump said.

On Monday, China reiterated its condemnation of the US's actions, joining a host of other nations like Brazil and Uruguay that have been critical of the operation.

The Chinese foreign ministry said the US must cease attempts to subvert the Venezuelan government, and resolve differences through dialogue and negotiations".

After Maduro was seized, Trump said the US would "run" Venezuela temporarily, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day, other than enforcing an existing " oil quarantine".

Nicolas Maduro will appear in court on Monday. Credit: AP

Trump suggested on Sunday that he wants to extend American power further in the western hemisphere and took aim at Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

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He called Petro "a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And hes not going to be doing it very long.

When responding to a question about whether the US should do a similar military operation in Colombia as it did in Venezuela, the president responded, "sounds good".

Trump repeated on Sunday that the US needs the huge north Atlantic island of Greenland from the standpoint of national security.

We need Greenland Its so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen held a press conference in Nuuk, Greenland on Monday. Credit: AP

Responding to Trumps latest comments, Greenlands Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said Monday that the current and repeated rhetoric coming from the United States is entirely unacceptable. When the President of the United States speaks of needing Greenland and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it is not only wrong. It is disrespectful.

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Our country is not an object in great-power rhetoric. We are a people. A country. A democracy, Nielsen added.

Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to annex Greenland - a huge, resource-rich 836,000 square miles (2,166,000 square kilometer) island in the Atlantic and self-governing territory of Denmark - claiming that this is needed for American security purposes.

Both Greenland and Denmark, a Nato ally of the US, are staunchly opposed to the idea.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Monday she had raised the importance of international law with her US counterpart after President Donald Trumps intervention in Venezuela.

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She stopped short of saying whether the military action that saw Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro captured and taken to New York was a breach of such laws and told MPs it was for the US to set out the legal basis for the move.

Ms Cooper also reiterated that the UK will shed no tears for the end of Maduros rule as she accused him of using fear, coercion and violence to cling to power.

Both the PM and Cooper have expressed support for Denmark and Greenland with the former saying he stands with Denmark, and the latter asserting Greenlands future was for Nuuk and Copenhagen to decide  not for anybody else, notwithstanding any of the things that we have heard the US say or others say as well.

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A 25-page indictment made public Saturday accuses Maduro and others of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the US. They could face life in prison if convicted.

It wasn't clear as of Sunday whether Maduro had hired a US lawyer yet.

He and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been under US sanctions for years, making it illegal for any American to take money from them without first securing a license from the Treasury Department.

While the indictment against Maduro says Venezuelan officials worked directly with the Tren de Aragua gang, a US intelligence assessment published in April, drawing on input from the intelligence community's 18 agencies, found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government.

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The abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces early Saturday was an unprecedented act of derring-do worthy of a Hollywood spy caper. But experts worry this audacious undertaking risks fraying the last remaining threads of international norms, emboldening autocracies into new acts of aggression without fear of consequences.

Anxiety is especially high that China could now act in similar fashion against regional leaders whom it deems problematicnot least in Taiwan, the self-ruling island that Beijing claims as a renegade province and has repeatedly threatened to invade. Last week, China held enormous war games entirely encircling the island of 23 million in apparent response to a record $11.1 billion American arms package to Taipei.

While China has expressed grave concern over Maduros capture, calling on the U.S. to release him at once and to resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation, Chinese netizens were quick to revel in the successful operation, discussion of which topped of the nations X-like microblog Weibo late Saturday with some 440 million views. Many commentators urged their leaders to use similar tactics in Taiwan.

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I suggest using the same method to reclaim Taiwan in the future, posted one Weibo user in a comment that received over 700 likes. Since the U.S. doesnt take international law seriously, why should we? asked another.

Policymakers in Washington expressed similar fears. If the United States asserts the right to use military force to invade and capture foreign leaders it accuses of criminal conduct, what prevents China from claiming the same authority over Taiwan's leadership? Senator Mark Warner, the Democratic vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. Once this line is crossed, the rules that restrain global chaos begin to collapse, and authoritarian regimes will be the first to exploit it.

China has long pondered surgical strikes against Taiwans leadership, though any such move is likely to be self-defeating, given the island is a sustained democracy. Maduro was an autocrat with weak popular backing whose departure has certainly been welcomed by many of Venezuelas citizens and celebrated by a vibrant diaspora. A similar tactic in Taiwan, by contrast, would likely unite bickering factions in opposition to the Chinese Communist Party.

Indeed, the removal of Maduro could be interpreted as a slap in the face for Beijing, given a high-ranking Chinese delegation was hosted in his Caracas palace just hours earlier. There is also the embarrassment of the advanced Chinese radar and anti-aircraft systems purchased by Venezuela that were supposed to be able to detect U.S. stealth jets but evidently failed.

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In addition, Maduros capture injects doubts about the potency of Chinese backing. Under pressure from Washington, Maduro had moved closer to Beijing and Moscow in the apparent expectation that this would provide some bufferin a similar way that Taiwan believes informal U.S. ties can stave off Beijings ambitions. Maduros fall raises uncomfortable questions for Taipei and other small states betting their autonomy on Great Power backing, says Chong Ja Ian, professor of international relations at the National University of Singapore.

Countries seem to have a lot less space to maneuver as the major powers are quite willing to go after them, says Chong. Were looking at a world where norms dont hold as strongly and major powers will try to force their way.

In echoes of Russias invasion of Ukraine, the unilateral U.S. incursion in Venezuela is another example of might is right foreign policy that will worry Taiwan. Trump justified his gambit in Venezuela in terms of guarding the U.S. against narco-terrorism, though he has made no secret of coveting the nations oil reserves, the planets largest proven deposits. It follows a playbook of brazenly targeting countries mineral wealth, with U.S. military support for Ukraine being made contingent on a deal for its natural resources and repeated threats to invade mineral-rich Greenland.

Were going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground, and that wealth is going to the people of Venezuela, and people from outside of Venezuela that used to be in Venezuela, and it goes also to the United States of America in the form of reimbursement, Trump said.

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As a central plinth of Trumps America First doctrine was extricating the U.S. from foreign entanglements, the Venezuela intervention is polarizing for his MAGA base. Its yet to be ascertained whether Trumps new hawkish posture signals an outright abandonment of his isolationist philosophy or intervention is solely reserved for Americas neighborhooda more aggressive version of the 1823 Monroe Doctrine of President James Monroe, who warned other powers not to meddle in the Western hemisphere.

In a worrying sign of a possible escalation, Trump has said that Colombian President Gustavo Petro should watch his ass, and also told Fox News that something's going to have to be done with Mexico. Havana is also understood to be firmly in Washingtons crosshairs with U.S. Secretary State Marco Rubio of Cuban heritage.

The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we've superseded it by a lot, Trump said at Mar-a-Lago. Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again.

The question is whether assertiveness in Americas backyard is mirrored by a cooling of interest elsewhere. Trump has already proven lukewarm on Ukrainian autonomy and called for Europe to manage its own affairs with respect to Russia. It could send a statement to Beijing that the U.S. today only cares about policing its Western Hemisphere, says Wen-ti Sung, a political scientist based in Taiwan for the Australian National University. If thats the reading in Beijing, its not good news for Taiwan.

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Of course, Trumps Venezuela gambit is still in its infancy. Despite Trump proclaiming that the U.S. would run the country until a proper and judicious transition of power takes place, the Maduro regime remains ostensibly in control, with Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez assuming the nations leadership. Trump said he wasn't afraid of boots on the ground to achieve his goals in Venezuela.

However, America's record of regime change and nation-building is atrocious. Aside from defeat in Vietnam, Iraq descended into a bloody catastrophe following the 2003 U.S. invasion, which also gave rise to the Islamic State. In Afghanistan, many billions of dollars were plowed into seeding a democratic government over two decades only for the Taliban to return to power after a chaotic U.S. withdrawal in 2021. Past interventions in Latin America are similarly fraught.

So far, no American blood has been spilt in Venezuela, though the prospect of the U.S. being drawn into yet another quagmire may sap any remaining public appetite for conflict farther afield, such as defending Taiwan.

The American people dont want boots on the ground or soldiers getting killed, says Robert E. Hunter, a U.S. Ambassador to NATO during the Clinton Administration. No. 2: Congress doesn't want to open any [military] spending.

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If the U.S. does get drawn into a prolonged intervention, another question is whether a divided and distracted Washington emboldens China to move on Taiwan.

Victor Gao, director of the China National Association of International Studies and an informal Chinese government spokesman, insists what happens to Taiwan has nothing to do with what the United States did to Venezuela but is the completely internal, domestic affair of China.

Still, Gao does perceive the Venezuela affair as a very dark moment that signals the beginning of the end of Pax Americana, he says. This is a freefall from the beacon the United States has claimed itself to be for many decades into the abyss of the law of the jungle.

Write to Charlie Campbell at charlie.campbell@time.com.
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There was a time, not long ago, when people would claim with a straight face that Donald Trump was a populist who prioritized the interests of working-class Americans and avoided stupid foreign wars. Trumps Best Foreign Policy? Not Starting Any Wars, then-Sen. J.D. Vance crowed in 2023. As Trump assembled his second-term national security team in 2024, Republican Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, claimed to be amazed by the Trump Cabinet and the presidents rejection of warmongers. A mere two months ago, one of those Cabinet officials, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, told a conference in Bahrain that Trump had ended the counterproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation building that has defined U.S. foreign policy for decades.

The presidents brazenly illegal military assault on Caracas last week would embarrass these people, were they capable of embarrassment. Trump did not govern as a populist during his first term; his second has been an unabashed celebration of crass imperialism and the superrich.

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And the superrich are thrilled. Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman croons that Trumps war in Venezuela will lower oil prices, which is good for America. The Jeff Bezos editorial board hailed the invasion as a happy confluence of justice and technical prowess. Elon Musk is patching things up with the president, proclaiming the war a win for the world and a clear message to evil dictators everywhere. Nor are Republicans the only enthusiasts. Democratic Party fundraiser Charles Myers is organizing a post-Maduro field trip to Venezuela with about 20 hedge funders and asset managers to scout investment opportunities in oil and gas, as well as construction and tourism.

The story of American capital profiteering on American war is as old as America itself, and Trump openly claims to have invaded Venezuela for its oil. But in this particular case, the Wall Street opportunists have their work cut out for them. On Saturday, Politico reported that Trump offered U.S. oil executives reimbursement for oil assets that were nationalized by the Venezuelan government decades agobut only on the condition that they actually take control of the countrys oil fields. Ten days after making the offer, the president doesnt have any takers. Venezuelas oil infrastructure is outdated, and it will require tremendous investment to meaningfully expand production, something oil companies are reluctant to do when large profits are readily available from high prices and low corporate investment. We are thus presented with the bizarre spectacle of an American president waging an imperialist war on behalf of American executives who are reluctant to claim the spoils. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, is telling reporters that Cuba may be next in line for American-imposed regime change, as the wife of Trumps racism czar Stephen Miller points to Greenland.

Embarrassing as these developments are for the right-wing populists who supported Trump in 2024, I have always harbored some sympathy for their political plight. Conservative populists are generally right about war (bad) and poverty (wrong), and they claim to recognize warmongering and elite favor trading as unpleasant features of Republican politics. At the same time, I have maintained contempt for the belief that Trump might deliver the U.S. from those evils. His first term was defined by a massive tax cut for the rich, a bank deregulation bill that delivered a rash of bank failures, the destruction of a standing diplomatic treaty with Iran, and sustained, vocal support for the violent and corrupt governments of Israel and Saudi Arabia. All of these agenda items could have been implemented by a President Mitt Romney, had an election or two gone a little differently. The populist fantasy this time around was that Vance and a few other Trump insiders who had built careers on populist branding might persuade Trump to turn away from the Republican old guard.

A year into his second term, Trump has once again cut taxes for the rich, in addition to doubling health insurance premiums for 20 million families and declaring the national affordability crisis a hoax. His invasion of Venezuela suggests a return not only to the half-baked adventurism of George W. Bush in Iraq but to various coups attempted and consummated by Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush.

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So Trumps populist pitch to voters once again turned out to be a fraud. But the populist energy that fueled his reelection isnt going away, even if the air is coming out of the Epstein jets tires. Trump was propelled into office by the two defining events of the 21st century: Bush the Youngers disaster in Iraq and the financial crisis of 2008, both of which provided the country with ample evidence of elite incompetence and self-dealing. But the Democratic Partys leadership has remained too entwined with the same interests and ideologues to establish itself as an enduring alternative to the elite predation that has been so obvious under Republican leadership. Barack Obama captured Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011 but remained at war in Afghanistan for the remainder of his presidency. Joe Biden followed through on Trumps first-term Middle East program all the way to a genocide in Gaza, and one of Bidens last actions in office was to offer a $25 million reward for information leading to Nicolas Maduros arrestthe same word members of the Trump administration use to describe their operation in Venezuela.

Trumps presidency is in trouble. Every Epstein file dump reveals his long friendship with the sex trafficker to be worse than we knew, and he is still illegally withholding tens of thousands of Epstein files from public scrutinynot the action of a man comfortable with the contents. Prices remain high, unemployment is rising, and the economy has been stuck in a hiring freeze for just about the entirety of Trumps presidency. Democratic Party leadership clearly hopes it can ride all of this ineptitude to victory in 2026 and 2028 without promising much more than a return to normality. And Trumps failures mean that Democrats will, indeed, have the wind at their backs. But the party has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory before. The safe bet is to break with the corrupt and violent tradition Trump so unmistakably embodies.
Amid increasing concerns that Greenland, a vast Arctic territory ruled by Denmark, is still being coveted by the Trump administration, the Danish prime minister has delivered a stark warning to the White House.

In nationally televised remarks, Mette Frederiksen reminded Danes that she had already made it very clear where the Kingdom of Denmark stands, and that Greenland has repeatedly said that it does not want to be part of the United States.

But she also warned of the consequences of US military action to seize Greenland  something US President Donald Trump has pointedly refused to rule out.

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First of all, I think you have to take the US president seriously when he says he wants Greenland, Frederiksen said, reflecting heightened anxiety about Trumps intentions in the aftermath of his extraordinary military action in Venezuela.

Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen in Brussels, Belgium, on December 19. - Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto/Getty Images

But I also want to make it clear that if the US chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, everything stops, including NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of World War II, she added.

It is a serious and widely shared concern among NATO allies that the Greenland issue has the potential not only to anger and humiliate a longtime US partner, but also to fracture the Western military alliance as pressure from Washington escalates.

On Tuesday, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and Denmark released a join statement saying, Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe and it is critical for international and transatlantic security.

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Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders, the statement continued. These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them.

Trump repeated on Sunday that the US needs Greenland from the standpoint of national security.

We need Greenland  Its so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.

Late Monday, White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller reiterated those claims that Greenland should be part of the United States, but he rejected that military force would be necessary to acquire it.

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Nobodys gonna fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland, Miller said on CNNs The Lead with Jake Tapper.

When pressed whether military intervention is off the table, Miller instead questioned Denmarks claim over the Arctic territory.

His remarks came after Millers wife, and Trump ally, Katie Miller posted on X an image of the map of Greenland overlaid with the American flag, writing, SOON.

Its the latest reminder of a repeatedly stated Trump-administration ambition that has set Washingtons traditional European allies  most of all, Denmark  on edge.

CNN visited Greenland in October, as the Danish military staged an unprecedented show of military force officially meant to deter what are said to be growing Russian and Chinese military threats.

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Moscow may be bogged down fighting in Ukraine at the moment, but once that brutal conflict is finally over, Danish military officials tell CNN they fully expect Russia to divert resources and use its warfighting experience to pose a much greater threat in the Arctic region.

China, too, has been stepping up its Arctic claims, taking part in patrols and exercises with Russian vessels, as well as funding Arctic infrastructure projects and developing a polar silk road plan for Arctic shipping. Its even declared itself a near-Arctic state, even though its most northerly major city, Harbin, is roughly as far north as Venice in Italy.

But in face-to-face meetings, senior Danish military commanders say that neither Russia nor China currently present any significant military threat to Greenland.

I dont think we have a threat to Greenland right now, Major General Sren Andersen, the chief of Denmarks Joint Arctic Command, told CNN.

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Whats more, Danish military officials insist the worlds largest island  the size of six Germanys or two of the biggest US states, Alaska and California, combined  is relatively straightforward to defend. Harsh weather, mountainous terrain and a lack of infrastructure make the entire east coast of the territory virtually unconquerable, according to one Danish military official.

President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn after landing at the White House on January 4, in Washington, DC. - Alex Wong/Getty Images

Privately, Danish military officials told CNN the maneuvers on land, air and sea were really designed to show Trump how seriously it took Greenlands security, after his repeated threats to take it over, in the hope of convincing him to change his mind.

But that strategy, it seems, does not appear to have worked. And with a Trump administration seemingly emboldened by what it regards as a stunning success in Venezuela, the future of Greenland and the cohesion of the Western military alliance are once again being plunged into uncertainty.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
By Manoj Kumar and Shivangi Acharya

NEW DELHI, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The United States could raise tariffs on India if New Delhi does not meet Washington's demand to curb purchases of Russian oil, President Donald Trump said on Sunday, escalating pressure on the South Asian country as trade talks remain inconclusive.

"(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi is a good guy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

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"They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly," Trump said in response to a question on India's Russian oil purchases.

India's commerce ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump's comments follow months of trade negotiations after the U.S. doubled import tariffs on Indian goods to 50% last year as punishment for its heavy buying of Russian oil.

Indian markets reacted on Monday, with the information technology stock index falling about 2.5% to its lowest in more than a month, as investors worried that strained trade relations could further delay a U.S.-India trade deal.

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Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally travelling with him, said U.S. sanctions on Russian oil companies and higher tariffs on India had helped curb Indian oil imports.

Graham is backing legislation to impose tariffs of up to 500% on countries such as India that continue to buy Russian oil.

"If you are buying cheap Russian oil, (you) keep Putin's war machine going," he said, adding that "we are trying to give the President ability to make that a hard choice by tariffs."

Trump's actions were the main reasons India was now buying "substantially less Russian oil," Graham said.

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Trade experts warn, however, that New Delhis cautious approach risks weakening its position.

Ajay Srivastava, founder of trade think tank Global Trade Research Initiative, said Indian exports already face a 50% U.S. tariff, with 25% linked to purchases of Russian crude.

While Indian refiners have cut imports after sanctions, he said, buying has not stopped entirely, leaving India in a "strategic grey zone."

"Ambiguity no longer works," Srivastava said, urging India to clearly state its stance on Russian oil. He warned that even a complete halt may not end U.S. pressure, which could shift to other trade demands, and that higher tariffs risk deeper export losses.

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Separately, India struck a cautious diplomatic stance after the United States captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday, urging dialogue without explicitly naming Washington.

Despite steep tariffs, India's exports to the U.S. leapt in November, though shipments fell more than 20% between May and November 2025. As New Delhi seeks to clinch a trade deal with Washington, the government has asked refiners for weekly disclosures of Russian and U.S. oil purchases to address U.S. concerns.

Modi has spoken to Trump at least three times since the tariffs were imposed. India's commerce secretary met U.S. trade officials last month, but talks remain unresolved.

(Reporting by Gram Slattery and Trevor Hunnicutt aboard Air Force One and Manoj Kumar and Shivangi Acharya in New Delhi; Editing by Sonali Paul and Jacqueline Wong)
(Photo by Luis Samayoa/Stripes Japan)



Located just a few minutes away from Yokota Air Base is Joyful Honda, a large home store that offers a variety of DIY workshops and art experiences near their arts and crafts section.

I stopped by recently and made a reservation for one of their ceramics classes to see what it was all about, excited to learn something new.

A few days later I headed back to Joyful to begin the class. Even though there were some hiccups due to the language barrier, it was amazing!

Day 1

(Photo by Luis Samayoa/Stripes Japan)

(Photo by Luis Samayoa/Stripes Japan)



When I arrived, I headed to the back corner of the Arts and Crafts building. I met a store employee who told me the class was cancelled because the instructor was sick. A little kill joy to hear but before I could say anything, he offered to teach me himself! I was granted a one-on-one personal class by this employee.

Of course, we couldnt really understand each other much, but that didnt stop us. He first brought out a massive slab of clay and prepared it for me. He spoke in all Japanese and I spoke in English with elementary level Japanese. I had to shape a bowl and carve it hollow using special tools. Im more of a visual learner, so I caught on quickly. Two hours later, I had my rice bowl in shape. He examined it, told me it was good to go and that he would bake it in a special oven. He told me to return another day to glaze my creation.

Since this was a personal class, he only charged me 900 yen for the clay used. The class itself varies but it can cost around 2,000-4,000 yen. I got lucky here and saved some yen!

2 weeks later

(Photo by Luis Samayoa/Stripes Japan)



I returned to Joyful Honda and checked in while the store employee brought out my bowl. I was excited to glaze! We both prepared the undercoat, which required me to get a bit messy, but it was still fun. An hour later, I finished glazing my bowl and was given another time to come back to paint it. I told him I wanted to paint my bowl blue, and he said he would prepare the paint for me on the day I came.

Absolutely great customer service.

Day 3 of class

(Photo by Luis Samayoa/Stripes Japan)



I returned and checked in just like last time. The employee came out joyfully with my bowl in hand. I saw it was already painted beautifully and professionally blue! Yes, things got lost in translation, but I wasnt upset.

Knowing my own skills, I would never have been able to make this bowl look as amazing as he did. Overall, this was a cool and easy class to take that didnt require much language skills.

There are lots of DIY craft classes at Joyful Honda, including leather design, advanced pottery and basic ceramics, which was the class I originally signed up for. I would come back again to try another course because it was fun to do something new.

Things to know
Donald Trump has warned Venezuela's new leader Delcy Rodriguez she could "pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro" if she "doesn't do what's right".

His comments to US magazine The Atlantic came as the country's deposed president Nicolas Maduro was set to appear in a New York court on Monday.

The US accuses Maduro, who is charged with drug trafficking and weapons offences, of running a "narco-terrorist" regime, a claim he denies.

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Rodriguez - who served as Maduro's vice president - adopted a conciliatory tone at her first cabinet meeting on Sunday, offering co-operation with the US.

"We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of co-operation orientated towards shared development within the framework of international law," she said.

Backed by Venezuela's Supreme Court and the military, she will be sworn in as president on Monday in Caracas, at 08:00 local time (12:00 GMT).

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted the US is not at war with Venezuela, after air strikes in Caracas on Saturday led to Maduro and his wife being taken into custody and transported to the US.

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Some Democratic lawmakers said the operation was an "act of war".

In an interview with The Atlantic on Sunday, Trump said of Rodriguez: "If she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro."

He added that for Venezuela,"Regime change, anything you want to call it, is better than what you have right now. Can't get any worse".

On Saturday, Trump had vowed the US would "run" the country until "a safe and proper and judicious transition" was possible.

Trump also promised US oil companies would move into the country to fix infrastructure "and start making money for the country".

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Despite the US president's claims, Maduro's allies remain in charge.

The Cuban government has said 32 "brave Cuban combatants" died when US forces attacked and captured Maduro and his wife. Cuba - a longstanding socialist ally of Maduro - has announced two days of national mourning.

In several TV interviews on Sunday morning, Rubio defended the US's military operation in Venezuela, stressing the action did not mean the US is at war with the South American country.

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"We are at war against drug trafficking organisations. That's not a war against Venezuela," Rubio told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday morning.

The secretary of state also told CBS that if Venezuela doesn't "make the right decisions", the US "will retain multiple levers of leverage to ensure that our interests are protected".

That includes the "quarantine" the US has placed on Venezuela's oil, he said.

"We're going to judge everything by what they do, and we're going to see what they do," he added.

Trump also threatened Venezuela's neighbour Colombia, in comments to reporters aboard Air Force One.

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He did not rule out military action against Colombia, saying "it sounds good to me", and called Colombian President Gustavo Petro "a sick man".

"Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long," Trump said.

Armed police officers stand in front of the Metropolitan Detention facility in the Brooklyn borough of New York, where ousted president Nicolas Maduro is being held. [AFP via Getty Images]

Maduro, who leads the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and has been in power since 2013, has frequently been accused of repressing opposition groups and silencing dissent in Venezuela, at times with the use of violence.

He is widely seen by opponents within his country as well as by foreign governments as having illegitimately won Venezuela's 2024 election.

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Venezuela's left-wing leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured at their compound and flown to the US, as part of a dramatic special forces operation in the early hours of Saturday that also saw strikes on military bases.

The couple have since been charged with weapon and drug offences and are set to appear at a court in New York on Monday.

Maduro has denied being a cartel leader and has accused the US of using its "war on drugs" as an excuse to try to depose him and get its hands on Venezuela's oil.

While US officials have said that no American troops were harmed in the attacks, Venezuela's Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said a "large part" of Maduro's security team and "soldiers and innocent civilians" were killed in the US operation.

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When asked why congressional authorisation wasn't sought before the US operation in Venezuela, Rubio told ABC it "wasn't necessary because this wasn't an invasion".

He described it as a "law enforcement operation", and said Maduro was arrested on the ground by FBI agents.

You can't notify Congress of an operation like this because "it will leak", he added.

Speaking to US media outlets, Rubio was asked if the US recognises Rodriguez as the legitimate president of Venezuela.

He answered that "this is not about the legitimate president" as the US does not recognise the regime as legitimate.

Fuerte Tiuna, one of Venezuela's largest military bases was hit in Caracas on Saturday [AFP via Getty Images]

Some Democratic lawmakers have condemned the administration's actions.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the secretive military operation, which was conducted without approval from Congress, "was not simply a narcotics operation".

"It was an act of war," Jeffries told NBC's Meet the Press.

"This was a military action involving Delta Force, involving the army, apparently involving thousands of troops, involving at least 150 military aircraft, perhaps involving dozens of ships off the coast of Venezuela and South America."

Jim Himes, the most senior Democrat on the House intelligence committee, told CBS Face the Nation he had had "zero outreach" from the Trump administration, adding "no Democrat that I'm aware of has had any outreach".

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In an interview with ABC This Week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer questioned the legality of the US operation.

Schumer said that while he believes Maduro is a horrible person, "You don't treat lawlessness with other lawlessness".

"We have learned through the years when America tries to do regime change and nation building in this way, the American people pay the price in both blood and in dollars," Schumer said.

Both Schumer and Jeffries vowed to support a resolution that, if passed in both houses, would prohibit Trump from taking any further action in Venezuela without Congressional approval.

In a joint statement, the governments of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain said the US's military actions "constitute an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security and endanger the civilian population".

Additional reporting by Laurence Peter
NAUGATUCK, Conn. (WTNH)  Two employees at a local spa in Naugatuck are facing prostitution charges after a month-long investigation, said police.

Man charged in connection to New Years Eve shooting in New Haven

In November, Naugatuck police received several complaints of prostitution activity at the Cedar Health Therapy Spa on Cedar Street.

Jianglan Ji, Lianhua Luo

After surveilling the business and finding the complaints to be true, on Dec. 31, police obtained cash and business records from an executed search and seizure warrant.

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The warrant also led to the arrest of two employees: Jianglan Ji, 57, and Lianhua Luo, 61.

Ji was charged with promoting, permitting and conspiring to commit prostitution. Luo was charged with prostitution.

Both women were released on $10,000 bonds and are scheduled to appear at the Waterbury Superior Court on Jan. 14.

The fire department said the Department of Public Health was made aware of the investigation.

Copyright 2026 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 WTNH.com.
Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Thirty-two Cubans were killed in the U.S. military operation in Venezuela on Saturday, according to Havana.

A late Sunday statement from the office of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez announced the death toll from Saturday's U.S. attack on Venezuela that resulted in the arrest of its authoritarian president, Nicolas Maduro.

"Faithful to their responsibilities for security and defense, our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism and fell, after fierce resistance, in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombardment of facilities," Bermudez' office said.

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The families of the deceased have been informed and were offered the "heartfelt condolences" of Army General Raul Castro Ruz, Cuba's former president.

"I share the pain and indignation of our people, and especially of the loved ones of our valiant comrades," Bermudez said in a statement.

"As I embrace their families and friends in this dire hour, I reiterate my great affection, admiration and pride in them and in their heroic conduct."

Those killed were in Venezuela carrying out missions on behalf of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior. They were there at the request of Caracas, Cuba said.

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The announcement is the first official casualty count made public following the United States' early Saturday attack on Venezuela, which included the bombing of the capital.

The United States has framed the military action as a law enforcement operation to detain Maduro as he has been indicted in the United States on drug trafficking charges. The operation has raised questions over its legality under international law and drawn criticism, including from allies France and Colombia.

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One that "a lot of Cubans" were killed in the attack, but did not know how many.

"No death on our side, but there was a lot of death on the other side, unfortunately," he said.

It was unclear how many Venezuelans were killed and injured in the Saturday attack.
Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Czech charge d'affaires for talks over what it described as unacceptable statements made by Czech parliamentary speaker Tomio Okamura.

Source: Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Monday 5 January, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Tykhyi was commenting on a statement by Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alena Schillerova, who said that Vasyl Zvarych, Ukraine's Ambassador to the Czech Republic, had been summoned to the Czech Foreign Ministry on 5 January. Prague is seeking an explanation for his reaction to a New Year's address by Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Tomio Okamura.

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"On Monday 5 January, the Czech charge d'affaires will be summoned to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in connection with the unacceptable statements made by the speaker of the Czech parliament. This step is a mirror response to the summoning of Ukraine's ambassador in Prague," Tykhyi said.

He added that Ukraine values its strategic partnership with Czechia and is grateful to the Czech people for their unwavering solidarity since the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion.

In the meantime, Tykhyi stressed that the "shameful statements" of individual politicians should not harm the productive cooperation between the two countries.

Background:

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In his New Year's speech, Okamura, the leader of the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy party, spoke out against providing assistance to Ukraine and referred to a so-called "Zelenskyy junta".

Ukraine's ambassador in Prague, Vasyl Zvarych, criticised Okamura's remarks targeting Ukraine and its leadership.

However, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said he did not consider it appropriate for the ambassador of a foreign state to publicly assess statements made by one of Czechia's highest constitutional officials.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha rejected his Czech counterpart's criticism and defended Zvarych.

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Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said that the Russian strike on a plant owned by the US company Bunge in the city of Dnipro was not accidental and stressed that Russia is systematically attacking American businesses in Ukraine.

Source: Sybiha on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Details: Sybiha said that the targeted Russian strike seriously damaged a civilian sunflower oil production plant in Dnipro owned by the well-known US company Bunge.

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"This attack was not a mistake  it was deliberate, as the Russians attempted to strike this facility multiple times," the foreign minister stressed.

Sybiha added that Russia has systematically attacked American businesses in Ukraine. He recalled that last year, Russian strikes damaged Boeing offices in Kyiv, facilities belonging to a major US electronics manufacturer in Zakarpattia Oblast and other sites.

Quote: "Throughout the full-scale war, approximately half of US Chamber members in Ukraine saw damage or destruction to their facilities on various scales."

Details: Sybiha noted that attacks by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on "American businesses and American interests in Ukraine" demonstrate complete disregard for peace efforts led by US President Donald Trump.

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"Moscow's refusal to reciprocate Ukraine's constructive steps towards peace must come at a cost and the Kremlin must feel that this cost is serious," he added.

Background:

On the night of 13-14 November, Russia carried out a large-scale attack on Ukrainian regions, damaging civilian infrastructure, among other targets.

Debris from an Iskander missile damaged the Embassy of Azerbaijan, after which Azerbaijan summoned the Russian ambassador.

In late September, a Russian missile damaged the Polish Embassy in Ukraine. The European Union Delegation in Ukraine was also damaged.

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The head of Ukraine's SBU security service, Vasyl Malyuk, is stepping down from his post, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday.

Zelensky had spoken with Malyuk about possible candidates to head the intelligence agency, he wrote on X.

Malyuk confirmed on the Telegram platform that he was resigning and said he would remain in the SBU system to implement "world-class asymmetric special operations."

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The term refers to using unconventional tactics against an opponent such as cyberattacks, guerrilla warfare or targeted raids.

Malyuk, 42, has led the SBU since 2023, during which time he oversaw some of the agency's high-profile assassinations and most daring special operations inside Russia.

Zelensky said he had met with Malyuk to thank him for his service and to task him with focusing on such covert operations, still within the SBU.

More of this was needed against Russia with more solid results in eliminating the enemy, Zelensky said.

"I tasked Vasyl Maliuk with making our asymmetric operations the strongest in the world," the president said.

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Zelensky is currently restructuring Ukraine's security and defence apparatus in terms of personnel, after nearly four years of war against Russian forces that invaded in February 2022.

On Monday, he issued a decree ordering Yevgeny Khmara to take over as interim head of the SBU.

Chmara is currently the head of the Centre for Special Operations "A" of the Ukrainian secret service.

Other appointments amid reshuffle

Zelensky wrote on social media about a series of talks he held with leading members of the Ukrainian security apparatus and other appointments.

He appointed former Canadian deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland as an adviser for economic development. The former journalist comes from a family of Ukrainian emigrants in Canada.

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He appointed the former head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, as head of his presidential office.

The deputy head of government and minister for digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, will take over the defence portfolio from Denys Shmyhal, Zelensky said.

Shmyhal, who previously also served as prime minister, will become energy minister. Parliament must first confirm the appointments.
Jan. 4The United Way of the River Cities has awarded $511,700 in impact and safety-net grants to 26 nonprofits in its six-county service area for the 2026 funding cycle including three in Lawrence County.

These grants target critical issues in the areas of healthy community, youth opportunity, financial security and community resiliency by investing in local programs managed by nonprofits that work to solve these issues in Cabell, Lincoln, Mason and Wayne counties in West Virginia, and Gallia and Lawrence counties in Ohio.

The Lawrence County groups include:

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Harvest for the Hungry got $20,000. The food pantry helps offer seniors nutrition drinks that help supplement nutrients needed. Serving 6,638 people.

RLB Ministries/Backpack Buddies got $20,000. It provided food to 750 individuals who range from preschool students to high school students in 19 schools in Lawrence County.

Tri-State Literacy Council got $25,000. It provides free one-to-one tutoring, on and offline programming, and classroom instruction to adult learners with a professional or educational goal.

"We are very proud to partner with these organizations that work every day to meet the immediate needs of individuals as well as strengthening the long-term well-being of our community," said Steve Cline, United Way's director of community impact. "These grants represent our community's belief that every person deserves stability and opportunity."

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The grantmaking process is driven by the UWRC's Community Impact Council, which is comprised of five United Way board members and four community-at-large members who review and score all grant applications.

Each grant was announced on Thursday, Dec. 11 at an awards presentation at the Marshall University Shawkey Room.

"These grants are a testament to the power of partnership," said Jedd Flowers, executive director. "Our nonprofit partners are doing vital work every day, and community support through the annual campaign ensures we can fuel that work. Together, we are building a healthier, more resilient, and more hopeful future for all of our six counties."

As 2025 comes to a close, so does United Way's campaign season. Money raised through the campaign is how United Way awards grants each year.

Donations can be made at unitedwayrivercities.org/donate.
So-called agrivoltaic sites, which combine large-scale solar arrays with crop production or raising livestock, have been gaining attention in recent years. This has been largely thanks to their unique ability to maximize land use while also generating additional income for solar array owners.

Now, one university has revealed the Southeast's first agrivoltaics training site.

Beginning in spring, North Carolina State University in Raleigh will use it for researchers and students to gain a better understanding of how best to manage agrivoltaic sites, according to Solar Power World.

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Combining solar panels with grazing sheep, the site's founders hope that it will help to revolutionize both industries.

"This training site isn't just about solar energy," assistant professor Andrew Weaver said, per Solar Power World. "It's about pioneering the future of sheep production  a future that is more resilient, productive, and profitable for North Carolina and the world."

A course called Agrivoltaics in Action: Enhancing Operations and Maintenance in Livestock-Integrated Solar Sites will train a new generation of specialists in both solar operations and sheep production.

In the process, the researchers behind the initiative hope to help both the environment and local economies.

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"Grazing sheep on solar farms offers a multitude of benefits for the solar and sheep industry," Weaver explained, according to Solar Power World. "These benefits include reduced mowing needs and more cost-effective vegetation management, farmland preservation, improved public perception, and career opportunities for local sheep producers."

By combining large-scale solar arrays with agricultural practices, agrivoltaic sites generate additional revenue for solar-array owners. This can make such operations more profitable, incentivizing investment in cleaner, renewable solar energy.

The training site is the product of a joint collaboration among NC State's Clean Energy Technology Center, the Department of Animal Science, and Nevados, a manufacturer of solar tracking systems.

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.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Rodney Bennett speaks at University of Nebraska President Jeffrey Gold's investiture ceremony. Sept. 5, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN  University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Rodney Bennett will resign next week, he announced in a brief email to students, faculty and staff on Monday, leaving UNL nearly six months short of his initial contract.

Bennett, 59, who started at UNL in July 2023, will resign Jan. 12. He led the campus through $27.5 million in budget cuts in the fall, including nearly $7 million in academic program eliminations or mergers approved by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents at a Dec. 5 meeting. The remaining cuts were still in progress as of last month.

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I am writing to share that I will conclude my service as chancellor on Jan. 12, Bennett said in the opening line of his email.

The UNL Faculty Senate meets in a special meeting to consider a no confidence resolution against Chancellor Rodney Bennett. Nov. 18, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Bennetts salary this year was $732,000.

A very personal decision

Dr. Jeffrey Gold, president of the NU system, tapped Kathy Ankerson as UNLs next interim chancellor. She retired at the end of 2024 after serving as UNLs chief academic officer. Ankerson previously served as dean, associate dean and professor in UNLs College of Architecture.

Gold told the Nebraska Examiner that Bennets choice to resign was a very personal decision made with his family.

I didnt really get into those details of it, Gold said Monday. It was a fairly abrupt decision. It was nothing that we really saw coming.

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Gold said he did have enough early warning to begin talking with folks regarding an interim leader, landing on Ankerson. Bennetts contract requires him to give 60 days notice before resigning, unless agreed to by the chancellor and NU president.

Opportunities on the horizon

In a separate message, Gold told the NU community he is grateful for Bennetts service, including his work to stabilize UNLs financial position, strengthen fundraising and advance student success and retention. Bennett highlighted that work, too, in his departure email. Gold said Bennetts work has helped position UNL well for the future.

We understand that the news about Chancellor Bennett is one change on top of many other changes, Gold said. It will be critical that every member of our UNL community has the opportunity to share their thoughts and help to shape our path forward.

Katherine Ankerson, former University of Nebraska-Lincoln executive vice chancellor and dean of the College of Architecture. Oct. 5, 2021. (Courtesy of University Communication and Marketing)

Gold said he and Ankerson plan to hold several listening sessions, details of which will be shared soon. He said he remains confident in UNLs future, in part with campus budget challenges addressed and UNL nearing joint accreditation with the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

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Bennett did not give a reason for leaving UNL but said he believes in the transformative power of higher education.

He indicated he would remain in education, though he didnt specify whether that would still be in the Cornhusker State. He came to UNL after serving nearly 10 years as president of the University of Southern Mississippi.

I look forward to exploring opportunities on the horizon that will enable me to elevate mission and purpose in support of student success, Bennett said.

Under Bennetts contract, if he had resigned to seek or accept an administrative post at another academic institution or higher education campus before June 30, 2025, he would have been required to pay NU $1 million. That provision expired June 30, 2025.

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Asked whether he knew whether Bennett was resigning for that reason now, Gold said: I do not.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Rodney Bennett, left, and University of Nebraska Medical Center interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies. Dec. 5, 2025. (Photo by Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Gold said a search for a permanent UNL chancellor should include some rebuilding of UNLs leadership team and some solid communication and rebuilding on campus. He said he anticipates a national search for the UNL chancellor, as well as a separate chancellor for UNMC, in mid to late spring 2026.

Lets see what the next couple months bring, Gold said, noting the 2026 legislative session, which begins Wednesday with a major state budget hole to fill, and other matters to put to bed first.

Gold said there are no talks about merging leadership at the UNL and UNMC. He said the two campuses will maintain their own solid academic leadership.

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U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., whose district includes Lincoln, said Monday that Bennetts stewardship helped keep the university competitive so NU can continue to develop the next generation of Nebraskans to take great opportunities across our state.

Things ought to go pretty smoothly

In November, Bennett became the first UNL chancellor to receive a no confidence vote from UNL faculty. The historic vote overwhelmingly passed, 60-14, in part due to concerns over Bennetts handling of budget challenges.

Bennett declined multiple times to directly address the UNL Faculty Senate action, telling the Examiner after Decembers regents meeting UNL had a lot of work to do with implementation.

Were going to do that with a lot of care and concern for everybody whos impacted, he said last month.

President-elect Jeffrey Gold, center, is flanked by UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett and UNO Chancellor Joanne Li on June 20, 2024. Gold was chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center before becoming president July 1. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Bennetts contract was originally set to expire June 30. In October, he told the Examiner he desired a contract extension but did not know if or when that might occur.

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Gold said at the time he supported an extension but cautioned that it was a decision ultimately left to the regents. In December, Bennett said the situation hadnt changed.

You got to talk to the boss about that, Bennett said Dec. 5 when asked again if his contract would come up for a vote soon. Its unclear what changed in the month since.

Regent Paul Kenney of Amherst, chair of the NU Board of Regents, said Monday that the board had not discussed Bennetts contract as a group and that the board had heard rumors he might leave before July but didnt really know what would happen. He called Bennett a friend and wished him well.

I mean, hes looking to do other things, Kenney said of Bennett. Kathy will be a very, very good acting chancellor in his absence, so were happy about that, so things ought to go pretty smoothly.

Highest honor and privilege

In his email, Bennett highlighted a UNL tenure he said stabilized campus enrollment after years of decline, set new records for first-year student retention and six-year graduation rates and enhanced research. He also touted innovation and creative scholarship, advancing statewide extension and natural resource development that includes agriculture and animal welfare, achieving record fundraising milestones and developing a plan for financial sustainability.

Regent Paul Kenney of Amherst, chair of the NU Board of Regents. April 23, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Bennett extended his heartfelt gratitude to faculty, staff, extension-based colleagues, members of the executive leadership team and NU system leaders. He also thanked alumni, donors and friends of UNL.

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Addressing UNLs outstanding students, Bennett said each brings to UNL, Lincoln and Nebraska energy, enthusiasm, optimism and determination that he said improves local communities, Nebraska and the world. He described them asan inspiration to us all.

It has been my highest honor and privilege to have served as your chancellor, Bennett said. You are the reason we are all here, and I look forward to witnessing how you will embody our belief that every person and every interaction matters, as you change the world for the better.

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PIEDMONT TRIAD, N.C. (WGHP)  Mostly cloudy skies are expected for the Triad today, with some partial clearing in our mountains and foothills. After a chilly start to the day, temperatures are going to warm to the lower-50s by mid-afternoon.

Overnight, cloudy skies will provide excellent insulation, keeping overnight lows near 40 degrees.

Starting Tuesday, temperatures are going to be unseasonably warm. A low-pressure system to the west will slowly slide eastward, pushing warm air into the Piedmont for several days. Though it will be mostly cloudy, Tuesdays highs are going to rise to the lower-60s, and thats just the beginning! Even though a cold front is forecast to slip through the state on Wednesday, colder air will be lagging far behind the front. Highs will be in the upper-60s with dry, sunny skies.

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We will have slightly cooler temperatures, in the mid-60s, on Thursday with mostly cloudy skies.

A second approaching cold front pushes temperatures into the upper-60s Friday and Saturday. As it crosses the Piedmont, there will be a 60% chance of showers on Saturday.

Drier air is on the way for Sunday, so enjoy partly cloudy skies with highs in the mid-50s.

Copyright 2026 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 FOX8 WGHP.
Trump says U.S. needs Greenland "for defense" following strikes on Venezuela

Xinhua) 08:14, January 05, 2026

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday stressed that the United States needs Greenland "for defense," claiming that Venezuela may not be the last country subject to U.S. intervention, according to The Atlantic.

"We do need Greenland, absolutely," Trump said in a phone interview with the magazine. The island, located in the Arctic, is part of Denmark.

It was up to others to decide what the large-scale U.S. strike against Venezuela means to Greenland, Trump said.

"They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don't know," Trump said. "You know, I wasn't referring to Greenland at that time. But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense."

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Sunday that the United States has no right to annex Greenland, urging Washington to stop making threats against a close ally and the Greenlandic people.

"I have to say it very directly to the United States," Frederiksen said in a statement. She rejected the idea that it would be necessary for the United States to take over Greenland, stressing that "the United States has no right to annex" any of the three parts of the Danish Realm -- Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Throughout last year, Trump has frequently repeated the same call for the United States to take over Greenland, which triggered strong objections from Greenland, Denmark and the European Union.

The Trump administration has cited a combination of national security concerns, Arctic strategy, and the potential of critical minerals and natural resources as drivers of U.S. interest in controlling Greenland.

Trump said on Saturday the United States will "run" Venezuela after the U.S. military raided the country and took Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife by force.

The international community is deeply shocked by the Trump administration's raid on Venezuela and Maduro. Many countries have issued statements strongly condemning the blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
A lively start to the weekend in Caracas: the US military flew in, seized the President and his wife, and for good measure (according to local rumour) bombed the mausoleum housing the remains of Hugo Chavez. Then they flew out, and, per Marco Rubio, "anticipate no further action against Venezuela".

America has done nothing like this since it captured a previous Latin-American strongman, Noriega, back in the Eighties. And that required ground troops and blasting a fortnight's worth of caterwauling rock'n'rollers into the president's refuge at the Vatican embassy. If the facts at dawn hold for the rest of the day, this has been a remarkable operation of brilliant precision - planned (according to a Steyn Club commenter's son who was part of the force) a fortnight ago and awaiting only favourable weather conditions.

Imagine if the first night of the so-called War on Terror had gone like this. To be sure, capturing or killing Osama bin Laden was a challenge of a different order. But it is worth recalling that, on that opening night of a wasted two decades in the Hindu Kush, a US drone had the fleeing Mullah Omar in its sights and could have blown him to his virgins. Yours truly just shy of a quarter of a sod-bollocking century ago:

Lacking the authority to 'push the button', the agency relayed the news back to central command in Florida, where General Tommy R Franks, the head man, replied, 'My JAG doesn't like this, so we're not going to fire.' A JAG is a Judge Advocate-General  i.e., a military lawyer  and the only reason I know that is because there's a show on CBS called JAG. It says something about our times that the only military adventure series on American network TV is about an army lawyer. So, rather than offing the mad mullah and worrying about ass-covering later, the ass-covering took precedence and the mullah got away.

The then Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, is reported, upon hearing the news, to have kicked in a couple of doors. But he did not relieve the useless parade general of his command. His successor, Pete Hegseth, is committed to transforming the wretched JAG culture of the Franks types, and capturing a sitting president and reducing his predecessor's tomb to rubble is a good way to start - even, or even especially, if Rubio is right and that's the end of it. Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez is currently demanding that the United States produce "proof of life" for her boss. Wouldn't you like to have seen whoever the Taliban's Deputy Assistant Under-Emir doing likewise on the morning after? This is a crude method, but can hardly prove more disastrous than two decades of "Take Your Child Bride to Work" Day in Jalalabad. As I wrote all those years ago:

Had Mullah Omar been killed on the first night of bombing, what a message that would have sent!

It's not difficult. You wanna make the mistake of catching our eye?

Fine, but you're in the last month of your life, pal; don't start any long books.

If the Secretary of State is to be believed, what happens next is up to the various factions in Venezuela. America has no great national interest there: all it requires of that benighted land is a guy who will not catch their eye. To continue my lessons of recent history, consider if four years ago Putin's special forces had been capable of flying into Kiev and removing Zelenskyyyyy to a show trial in Moscow.

The United States has not an imperialist bone in its body. We old-school types might regret that, but it is a fact and there is no point pretending that any American wants to serve as Attorney-General in Kabul or Police Commissioner in Tikrit. But you can't spend forty per cent of the entire planet's military budget and have nothing to show for it.

Maduro in an orange jumpsuit is something to show for it.

At least until the District Court Judge of Dead Moose Junction orders him restored to the presidential palace...

Mark's international bestseller America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It. If you haven't read the book during its first seventeen years, well, you're missing a treat. It's still in print in hardback and paperback. (Buy it at a 77% discount by clicking here or order in KINDLE edition at a 47% discount by clicking here. Sales help fund JWR)

(COMMENT, BELOW)

Mark Steyn is an international bestselling author, a Top 41 recording artist, and a leading Canadian human rights activist. Among his books is "The Undocumented Mark Steyn: Don't Say You Weren't Warned". (Buy it at a 49% discount by clicking here or order in KINDLE edition at a 67% discount by clicking here. Sales help fund JWR)
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Both allies and adversaries of the United States on Monday used an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to voice opposition to the audacious U.S. military operation in Venezuela that captured leader Nicolas Maduro.

Before the U.N.'s most powerful body, countries critiqued  if sometimes obliquely  President Donald Trump's intervention in the South American country and his recent comments signaling the possibility of expanding military action to countries like Colombia and Mexico over drug trafficking accusations. The Republican president also has reupped his threat to take over the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests.

Denmark, which has jurisdiction over the mineral-rich island, carefully denounced U.S. prospects for taking over Greenland without mentioning its NATO ally by name.

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The inviolability of borders is not up for negotiation, said Christina Markus Lassen, Danish ambassador to the U.N.

She also defended Venezuela's sovereignty, saying no state should seek to influence political outcomes in Venezuela through the use of threat of force or through other means inconsistent with international law.

US allies push back on Venezuela

While French President Emmanuel Macron recently endorsed Maduro's capture, its U.N. envoy was slightly more critical Monday, saying any violations of international law by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, which include the U.S., erodes the very foundation of the international order.

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The military operation that has led to the capture of Maduro runs counter to the principle of peace dispute resolution and runs counter to the principle of non-use of force," said Jay Dharmadhikari, deputy French ambassador to the U.N.

U.S. envoy Mike Waltz defended the operation in Venezuela as a justified and surgical law enforcement operation, calling out the 15-member council for criticizing the targeting of Maduro.

If the United Nations in this body confers legitimacy on an illegitimate narco-terrorist with the same treatment in this charter of a democratically elected president or head of state, what kind of organization is this? said Waltz, who is Trumps former national security adviser.

Maduro's 2024 reelection was widely disputed.

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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that he is deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected with regard to the 3 January military action. He said the grave action by the U.S. could set a precedent for how future relations between nations unfold.

Venezuela calls on the UN to take action

Even with the strong support for Venezuela's sovereignty, its envoy called on the U.N. to go beyond veiled comments and condemnation. Ambassador Samuel Moncada urged the Security Council to demand that Washington release Maduro and his wife.

If the kidnapping of a head of state, the bombing of a sovereign country and the open threat of further armed action are tolerated or downplayed, the message sent to the world is a devastating one: namely that the law is optional, and that force is the true arbiter of international relations, Moncada said.

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He warned that other countries cant afford to look away: Accepting such a logic would mean to open the door to a deeply unstable world.

Neighboring Colombia described the raid as reminiscent of the worst interference in our area in the past.

Democracy cannot be defended or promoted through violence and coercion, and it cannot be superseded, either, by economic interests, Ambassador Leonor Zalabata said.

China and Russia are expectedly critical

The biggest critics of U.S. foreign policy, China and Russia, which are also permanent members of the Security Council, called for the U.N. body to unite in rejecting America turning back to an era of lawlessness.

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Maduro, like his predecessor, forged a close relationship with Russia, while China was the main destination for most Venezuelan oil.

We cannot allow the United States to proclaim itself as some kind of a supreme judge, which alone bears the right to invade any country, to label culprits, to hand down and to enforce punishments irrespective of notions of international law, sovereignty and nonintervention, Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said.

His own countrys 2022 invasion of Ukraine has drawn widespread condemnation within the U.N. and from the U.S., although the Trump administration is engaging with Russia in hopes of brokering an end to the fighting.

The U.S. seized Maduro and his wife early Saturday from their home on a military base and put them aboard a U.S. warship to face prosecution in New York in a Justice Department indictment accusing them of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy. Maduro declared his innocence during his first appearance in a Manhattan courthouse Monday.

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His stunning removal came after months of the U.S. amassing a military presence off Venezuelas coast and blowing up alleged drug trafficking boats. Trump has insisted that the U.S. would run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, says the U.S. would enforce an oil quarantine that was already in place on sanctioned tankers and use that leverage to press policy changes in Venezuela.

___

This article has been changed to correct the spelling of Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia's name.
Denmark's prime minister warned on Monday that any move by the United States to take Greenland by force would destroy 80 years of transatlantic security links, after President Donald Trump repeated his desire to annex the mineral-rich Arctic territory.

Washington's military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears about Trump's designs on the autonomous Danish territory, which has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a vital player as polar ice melts, opening up new shipping routes.

"We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security and Denmark is not going to be able to do it," the US leader said Sunday.

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In response, Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told Trump to back off, while several European countries and the European Union rushed to back Denmark, which has urged Washington to stop threatening a NATO ally.

In Copenhagen, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told the TV2 network: "If the United States decides to military attack another NATO country, then everything would stop - that includes NATO and therefore post-World War II security."

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks during a media conference at the EU Summit in Brussels, 19 December, 2025 - AP Photo

Greenland is on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States and Washington has a military base there.

"We'll worry about Greenland in about two months," Trump said. "Let's talk about Greenland in 20 days."

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Nielsen told Trump on social media: "That's enough now. No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation."

"We are open to dialogue," he said. "But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law."

Related

'China threat'

Trump rattled European leaders by seizing Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who is now detained in New York.

Trump has said the United States will "run" Venezuela indefinitely and tap its huge oil reserves.

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The US leader has similarly ramped up pressure on Greenland over recent months, saying in December that Russian and Chinese ships were "all over" the territory's coast.

The foreign ministry in Beijing hit back on Monday, urging Washington to "stop using the so-called China threat as an excuse to seek personal gain."

Aaja Chemnitz, who represents Greenland in the Danish parliament, accused Trump of "spreading lies about Chinese and Russian warships".

Danish military forces participate in an exercise with hundreds of troops from several European NATO members in Kangerlussuaq, 17 September, 2025 - AP Photo

"The people of Greenland should go into preparation mode," she told the AFP news agency, adding that Greenlanders needed to start taking Trump much more seriously.

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On the streets of Copenhagen, people expressed bewilderment at Trump's threats.

"I think it's a little crazy that he can say those things," said Frederik Olsen.

"He has all the access he wants for the troops," said Christian Harpsoe, "I see no need. You cannot compare this to Venezuela."

Condemnation around Europe

The controversy drew statements of support from around Europe. EU foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper told reporters the bloc was committed to defending the territorial integrity of its members.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark" could decide the territory's future, sentiments reflected in statements from the leaders of Finland, Sweden and Norway.

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France's foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux told local TV that "borders cannot be changed by force" and added that his country felt "solidarity" with Denmark.

The flare-up came after former Trump aide Katie Miller posted an online image Saturday of Greenland in the colours of the US flag with the caption "SOON."

Prime Minister of Greenland Jens-Frederik Nielsen delivers a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, 8 October, 2025 - AP Photo

Nielsen labelled the post "disrespectful". Frederiksen on Sunday called on Washington to stop "threatening its historical ally" and said US claims on Greenland were "absurd."

Miller is the wife of Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who is widely seen as the architect of many Trump policies, guiding the president's hard-line immigration decisions and domestic agenda.

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In response to Miller's post, Denmark's ambassador to Washington, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, said his country was already working with Washington to boost security in the Arctic.

"We are close allies and should continue to work together as such," Soerensen wrote.
The first presidential aircraft entered service in 1944, and the current generation of Air Force One 747-200 aircraft has been around since 1990. Boeing is contracted to build a new generation of Air Force One planes, and they were originally intended to enter service in late 2024. However, the new jets have been repeatedly delayed, and at the time of writing, the American aircraft manufacturer now estimates a 2028 delivery date. In the meantime, the U.S. Air Force has been busy making deals to ensure a smooth transfer when the new aircraft are finally introduced, including a new $400 million deal that was announced in December 2025.

The deal will see the Air Force acquire a pair of Boeing 747-8 jets from an unspecified seller. Some reports have claimed this seller is Lufthansa, although neither government representatives nor the German airline have confirmed these claims. The upcoming VC-25B Air Force One aircraft are based on the same Boeing 747-8 aircraft, and are set to replace the current 747-200-based VC-25A jets.

Speaking to The War Zone, a USAF spokesperson said the deal was to "procur[e] two aircraft to support training and spares for the 747-8 fleet," adding that they expected the first aircraft to arrive early in 2026, while the second would arrive by the end of the year. They said that "the 747-8i is no longer in active production, and is a very different aircraft than the 747-200, [so] it is important for the Air Force to establish an overall training and sustainment strategy for the future Air Force 747-8i fleet."

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Read more: 13 Of The Best-Looking WW2 Aircraft

The USAF also owns a Qatari 747-8

The Qatar-donated 747-8 now owned by the USAF - Leonard Zhukovsky/Shutterstock

In addition to the Air Force One aircraft currently under construction at Boeing and the two new jets acquired in the recent deal, Qatar has also donated a 747-8 jet for presidential use. The government of the Middle Eastern country made the donation earlier in 2025, prompting criticism from some U.S. government officials. They expressed concerns about the cost of converting the plane for U.S. service and highlighted potential security issues, but the Trump administration dismissed these concerns. Shortly after the donation was made, the administration contracted L3 Harris Technologies to begin refitting the plane for official use.

Reports suggest that the USAF intends to use the Qatari 747-8 as an interim Air Force One until Boeing completes the VC-25B in 2028. However, this has not yet been confirmed, and at the time of writing, the Qatari jet has not yet entered official service. Air Force officials previously claimed that the cost of retrofitting the jet would be around $400 million, although it's not clear exactly when the retrofit is expected to be completed.

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Read the original article on SlashGear.
The Trump administration on Monday overhauled the United States' pediatric vaccine schedule, upending years of scientifically backed recommendations that reduced disease with routine shots.

The dramatic shift -- announced by the US health department, which is led by long-time vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. -- means the country will no longer recommend that every child receive immunizations against several diseases including rotavirus and influenza.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instead will recommend that shots preventing those illnesses as well as hepatitis A, hepatitis B and meningococcal disease be administered for select groups of high-risk individuals or when parents and a child's doctor deem them warranted, rather than as standard practice.

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The agency had already shifted to this recommendation model for Covid-19 shots in 2025.

At the end of 2024, the CDC was recommending 17 pediatric immunizations for all individuals, the agency said. Now that number is 11.

President Donald Trump praised the changes, noting that the "MAHA Moms" -- a base of online influencers who ardently support Kennedy's agenda -- "have been praying for these common sense reforms for many years."

Trump's message heralding the schedule overhaul followed a TruthSocial post rife with false statements about vaccine safety and recommendations that contradict scientific consensus.

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The decision follows Trump's directive last month that health officials compare the US vaccine schedule to peer countries abroad.

They were notably focused on Denmark. The new US recommendations now more closely resemble that country's schedule.

"After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the US childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent. This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health," Kennedy said in a statement.

But medical and public health experts slammed the overhaul.

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Sean O'Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, said "the US child vaccine schedule is one of the most thoroughly researched tools we have to protect children from serious, sometimes deadly diseases."

"It's so important that any decision about the US childhood vaccination schedule should be grounded in evidence, transparency and established scientific processes, not comparisons that overlook critical differences between countries or health systems," he told journalists.

Experts at the Vaccine Integrity Project, an initiative out of the University of Minnesota, recently noted that the US had already been in line with global consensus.

Denmark, project researchers said, represents more of an outlier among "peer countries" than a standard.

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"Denmark's schedule reflects a set of choices made in a small, highly homogeneous country with a centralized health care system that guarantees universal access to care, low baseline disease prevalence, and strong social infrastructure," the group wrote.

"Those conditions do not apply to the United States, not even close."

- 'More confusing for parents' -

Senator Bill Cassidy, whose deciding vote confirmed Kennedy's controversial appointment as health chief last year, said that "changing the pediatric vaccine schedule based on no scientific input on safety risks and little transparency will cause unnecessary fear for patients and doctors."

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The Republican, himself a doctor, said doing so would "make America sicker."

States have the authority to mandate vaccinations, but generally CDC recommendations wield significant influence over state policies.

US officials have said that access as well as insurance coverage of vaccines should remain in place, even for shots not broadly recommended by the federal government.

"All vaccines currently recommended by CDC will remain covered by insurance without cost sharing," said Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the federal health insurance programs.

"No family will lose access. This framework empowers parents and physicians to make individualized decisions based on risk, while maintaining strong protection against serious disease."

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But public health authorities warned that the changes would only sow doubt and confusion, especially as vaccine skepticism has mushroomed in the wake of the pandemic.

O'Leary said the shift "just makes things more confusing for parents and clinicians."

"Tragically, our federal government can no longer be trusted" to provide vaccine recommendations, he added.

mdo/sla
An image circulated over media the weekend of Jan. 3 and 4 was meant to convey dominance: Venezuelas president, Nicolas Maduro, blindfolded and handcuffed aboard a U.S. naval vessel. Shortly after the operation that seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would now run Venezuela until a safe, proper and judicious transition could be arranged.

The Trump administrations move is not an aberration; it reflects a broader trend in U.S. foreign policy I described here some six years ago as America the Bully.

Washington increasingly relies on coercion  military, economic and political  not only to deter adversaries but to compel compliance from weaker nations. This may deliver short-term obedience, but it is counterproductive as a strategy for building durable power, which depends on legitimacy and capacity. When coercion is applied to governance, it can harden resistance, narrow diplomatic options and transform local political failures into contests of national pride.

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There is no dispute that Maduros dictatorship led to Venezuelas catastrophic collapse. Under his rule, Venezuelas economy imploded, democratic institutions were hollowed out, criminal networks fused with the state, and millions fled the country  many for the United States.

But removing a leader  even a brutal and incompetent one  is not the same as advancing a legitimate political order.

An image of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after his capture, posted by President Donald Trump and reposted by the White House. White House X.com account

Force doesnt equal legitimacy

By declaring its intent to govern Venezuela, the United States is creating a governance trap of its own making  one in which external force is mistakenly treated as a substitute for domestic legitimacy.

I write as a scholar of international security, civil wars and U.S. foreign policy, and as author of Dying by the Sword, which examines why states repeatedly reach for military solutions, and why such interventions rarely produce durable peace.

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The core finding of that research is straightforward: Force can topple rulers, but it cannot generate political authority.

When violence and what I have described elsewhere as kinetic diplomacy become a substitute for full spectrum action  which includes diplomacy, economics and what the late political scientist Joseph Nye called soft power  it tends to deepen instability rather than resolve it.

More force, less statecraft

The Venezuela episode reflects this broader shift in how the United States uses its power. My co-author Sidita Kushi and I document this by analyzing detailed data from the new Military Intervention Project. We show that since the end of the Cold War, the United States has sharply increased the frequency of military interventions while systematically underinvesting in diplomacy and other tools of statecraft.

One striking feature of the trends we uncover is that if Americans tended to justify excessive military intervention during the Cold War between 19451989 due to the perception that the Soviet Union was an existential threat, what we would expect is far fewer military interventions following the Soviet Unions 1991 collapse. That has not happened.

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Even more striking, the mission profile has changed. Interventions that once aimed at short-term stabilization now routinely expand into prolonged governance and security management, as they did in both Iraq after 2003 and Afghanistan after 2001.

This pattern is reinforced by institutional imbalance. In 2026, for every single dollar the United States invests in the diplomatic scalpel of the State Department to prevent conflict, it allocates US$28 to the military hammer of the Department of Defense, effectively ensuring that force becomes a first rather than last resort.

Kinetic diplomacy  in the Venezuela case, regime change by force  becomes the default not because it is more effective, but because it is the only tool of statecraft immediately available. On Jan. 4, Trump told the Atlantic magazine that if Delcy Rodriguez, the acting leader of Venezuela, doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.

Lessons from Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya

The consequences of this imbalance are visible across the past quarter-century.

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In Afghanistan, the U.S.-led attempt to engineer authority built on external force alone proved brittle by its very nature. The U.S. had invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to topple the Taliban regime, deemed responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But the subsequent two decades of foreign-backed state-building collapsed almost instantly once U.S. forces withdrew in 2021. No amount of reconstruction spending could compensate for the absence of a political order rooted in domestic consent.

Following the invasion by the U.S. and surrender of Iraqs armed forces in 2003, both the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Defense proposed plans for Iraqs transition to a stable democratic nation. President George W. Bush gave the nod to the Defense Departments plan.

That plan, unlike the State Departments, ignored key cultural, social and historical conditions. Instead, it proposed an approach that assumed a credible threat to use coercion, supplemented by private contractors, would prove sufficient to lead to a rapid and effective transition to a democratic Iraq. The United States became responsible not only for security, but also for electricity, water, jobs and political reconciliation  tasks no foreign power can perform without becoming, as the United States did, an object of resistance.

Libya demonstrated a different failure mode. There, intervention by a U.S.-backed NATO force in 2011 and removal of dictator Moammar Gadhafi and his regime were not followed by governance at all. The result was civil war, fragmentation, militia rule and a prolonged struggle over sovereignty and economic development that continues today.

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The common thread across all three cases is hubris: the belief that American management  either limited or oppressive  could replace political legitimacy.

Venezuelas infrastructure is already in ruins. If the United States assumes responsibility for governance, it will be blamed for every blackout, every food shortage and every bureaucratic failure. The liberator will quickly become the occupier.

Iraqi Sunni Muslim insurgents celebrate in front of a burning U.S. convoy they attacked earlier on April 8, 2004, on the outskirts of the flashpoint town of Fallujah. Karim Sahib, AFP/Getty Images

Costs of running a country

Taking on governance in Venezuela would also carry broader strategic costs, even if those costs are not the primary reason the strategy would fail.

A military attack followed by foreign administration is a combination that undermines the principles of sovereignty and nonintervention that underpin the international order the United States claims to support. It complicates alliance diplomacy by forcing partners to reconcile U.S. actions with the very rules they are trying to defend elsewhere.

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The United States has historically been strongest when it anchored an open sphere built on collaboration with allies, shared rules and voluntary alignment. Launching a military operation and then assuming responsibility for governance shifts Washington toward a closed, coercive model of power  one that relies on force to establish authority and is prohibitively costly to sustain over time.

These signals are read not only in Berlin, London and Paris. They are watched closely in Taipei, Tokyo and Seoul  and just as carefully in Beijing and Moscow.

When the United States attacks a sovereign state and then claims the right to administer it, it weakens its ability to contest rival arguments that force alone, rather than legitimacy, determines political authority.

Beijing needs only to point to U.S. behavior to argue that great powers rule as they please where they can  an argument that can justify the takeover of Taiwan. Moscow, likewise, can cite such precedent to justify the use of force in its near abroad and not just in Ukraine.

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This matters in practice, not theory. The more the United States normalizes unilateral governance, the easier it becomes for rivals to dismiss American appeals to sovereignty as selective and self-serving, and the more difficult it becomes for allies to justify their ties to the U.S.

That erosion of credibility does not produce dramatic rupture, but it steadily narrows the space for cooperation over time and the advancement of U.S. interests and capabilities.

Force is fast. Legitimacy is slow. But legitimacy is the only currency that buys durable peace and stability  both of which remain enduring U.S. interests.

If Washington governs by force in Venezuela, it will repeat the failures of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya: Power can topple regimes, but it cannot create political authority. Outside rule invites resistance, not stability.

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This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Monica Duffy Toft, Tufts University

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Monica Duffy Toft does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
President Donald Trump insisted Sunday the United States is "in charge" of Venezuela after the seizure of Nicolas Maduro, but was also dealing with the new leadership in Caracas.

Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said at the same time that she was ready to work together with the Trump administration, asking the US leader for a balanced, respectful relationship.

Trump has faced searching questions over his repeated assertions that Washington is now running Venezuela following the US military operation that spirited away Maduro and his wife before dawn Saturday.

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The deposed Maduro is due to appear in a New York court Monday to face federal narcotrafficking charges.

"We're dealing with the people who just got sworn in. Don't ask me who's in charge because I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial," Trump told reporters on Air Force One when asked if he had spoken to Rodriguez.

Pressed on what he meant, Trump said: "It means we're in charge."

The Trump administration says it is willing to work with the remainder of Maduro's government as long as Washington's goals, particularly opening access to US investment in Venezuela's enormous crude oil reserves, are met.

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Asked whether the operation was about oil or regime change, Trump replied: "It's about peace on earth."

- 'It's a broken country' -

The US president said elections in Venezuela would have to wait. "We're going to run it, fix it, we'll have elections at the right time, but the main thing you have to fix is it's a broken country," he said.

As he struck his triumphant tone, Trump also had harsh words for other US adversaries, saying Colombia's leader was "not going to be doing it very long," Communist-ruled Cuba was "ready to fall" and that Iran's leadership will be "hit hard" if protesters are killed.

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Trump had earlier threatened that Rodriguez would pay a "big price" if she does not cooperate with the United States.

Venezuelan opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, in an Instagram post Sunday from exile in Spain, said Maduro's capture was "an important step, but not enough" to return the crisis-hit nation to normal.

Gonzalez Urrutia called for the results of the 2024 election -- which he claims to have won -- to be upheld and for all political prisoners to be freed to ensure a "democratic transition."

Venezuelans braced for the political aftermath of the stunning raid, in which US commandos swooped in on helicopters, backed by fighter jets and naval forces, to capture Maduro.

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Residents queued up to buy food in grocery stores, and the masked and heavily armed police visible the previous day were gone, AFP correspondents said.

Some 2,000 Maduro supporters -- including rifle-wielding men on motorcycles -- rallied Sunday in Caracas, however, with crowds shouting and waving red, blue and yellow Venezuelan flags.

The Venezuelan military announced it recognized Rodriguez -- previously Maduro's vice president -- as acting president, and urged calm.

Venezuelan hospitals have refused to divulge the number of people killed or injured in the attacks.

A doctors' group told AFP around 70 people were killed and 90 injured. A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, put the death toll at at least 15.

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But Havana said 32 Cubans died in the US raid. Trump said "a lot" of Maduro's Cuban security detail were killed.

- Who will run Venezuela? -

Despite the success of the initial US operation, questions mounted over Trump's Venezuela strategy.

Trump said Saturday the United States will "run" the South American country of about 30 million people.

But Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed Sunday that Washington is not seeking complete regime change or elections.

The United States is fighting drug traffickers, "not a war against Venezuela," Rubio told NBC's "Meet the Press."

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However, he said a large US naval presence would remain in the Caribbean to enforce a blockade of Venezuelan oil exports for "tremendous leverage."

With questions swirling on Capitol Hill, an administration official told AFP that Rubio will discuss Venezuela in meetings with lawmakers Monday.

Trump has made clear Washington intends to call the shots in Venezuela, with a focus on securing access to the world's largest proven oil reserves.

Maduro, a self-described socialist, led Venezuela with an iron fist for more than a decade through a series of elections widely considered rigged. He came to power after the death of his charismatic mentor, Hugo Chavez.

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As news of Maduro's capture rippled out, exiled Venezuelans waved flags and celebrated in plazas from Madrid to Santiago.

About eight million Venezuelans have fled the grinding poverty and political suppression of their homeland.

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The seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a daring raid by US forces throws open questions about the operation's legality, according to experts and top Democrats who say laws were broken in the process.

US President Donald Trump's administration has defended the action, saying it was carrying out a law enforcement operation when American special forces swooped into Caracas in the dead of night and forcibly took Maduro and his wife out of the country early Saturday.

The couple were flown to New York to face "narcoterrorism" charges in a federal court over alleged ties to trafficking tons of cocaine into the United States.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday accused the Republican president's administration of breaking the law.

"They went inside Venezuela, bombed civilian as well as military places. And it's a violation of the law to do what they did without getting the authorization of Congress," he said on ABC News show "This Week."

At a post-raid press conference Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the operation as "largely a law enforcement function."

"At its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice, and the Department of War supported the Department of Justice in that job," Rubio said.

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On Sunday, the top US diplomat stressed that the operation did not require congressional authorization.

"It wasn't necessary because this was not an invasion. We didn't occupy a country. This was an arrest operation," Rubio said on ABC's "This Week."

FBI agents were in Caracas during the operation and read Maduro his rights as they took him into custody, Rubio added.

- 'Act of war' -

On Sunday talk shows, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was among Democrats who challenged the operation's legality.

"This was not simply a counter narcotics operation. It was an act of war," Jeffries said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

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"This was a military action, and pursuant to the Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war to authorize acts that take place in this regard."

According to Barbara McQuade, a former federal prosecutor who is a law professor at the University of Michigan, the Maduro operation broke international law.

An international arrest of a person not living in the United States is normally done through an extradition request, she said.

"Instead, what we see happening here is a military rendition where we've got the military go into Venezuela, kill a reported 40 people, and then seize Nicolas Maduro to bring him out to face charges," McQuade told MS NOW.

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"The problem with that arrest is that it violates the UN Charter," she added, noting the United States is a signatory of the United Nations' founding document.

- Panama precedent -

However, Bill Barr, the attorney general in Trump's first administration, expressed "a high degree of confidence" that Maduro would be convicted for drug trafficking -- just as Panamanian strongman General Manuel Noriega had been after he was forcibly removed from power and taken to the United States following its 1989 invasion of Panama.

"All the legal arguments that have been raised really were... raised during the prosecution of Noriega, which was a very parallel situation," Barr said on "Fox News Sunday."

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Back in 1989, Barr wrote the government's legal memorandum used to justify the invasion ordered by then-president George HW Bush.

Jack Goldsmith, a former senior official at the Department of Justice, meanwhile criticized the Republican-controlled Congress for doing nothing to check Trump's executive power.

"Here is the reality. Congress has given the president a gargantuan global military force with few constraints and is AWOL in overseeing what the president does with it," Goldsmith said in a blog post.

"Courts won't get involved in reviewing unilateral presidential uses of force. And no country plausibly could stop the US action in Venezuela," he wrote, noting "there are few if any effective legal constraints on unilateral presidential uses of force."

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Italian pasta is set to be spared from high-level US tariffs that the Trump administration had threatened against 13 producers.

The move could have resulted in American importers being taxed at a rate greater than the value of the actual pasta itself, and prices rising sharply for US consumers.

But on Thursday, the Italian foreign ministry said the proposed rate had now been drastically cut back.

In a statement of its own, the US said the 13 firms had addressed many of its concerns. It previously accused the companies of selling their products at unfairly low prices and threatened tariffs of almost 92%.

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Tariffs are a type of tax imposed on foreign goods imported into a country, often resulting in higher prices for the consumer.

Since returning to the White House last year, US President Donald Trump has unleashed a wide-ranging programme of these taxes, though some have since been softened.

The president has sought to address trade practices that he sees as harmful to the US and boost American manufacturing.

But economists have consistently warned that such moves can ultimately drive up costs for consumers, worsening cost-of-living issues.

In the case of pasta, the US alleged that Italian-made goods were being sold at "less than normal value" in the US, which undercut local producers. This pricing policy is sometimes known as dumping.

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The commerce department was planning to charge a tariff rate of 91.74% for American imports of pasta made by the 13 Italian producers.

Given that there is now an underlying 15% tariff on most products bought into the US from the European Union, the plan would have resulted in the rate of tax on pasta exceeding 100% of its value.

It sparked fears of consumers experiencing major price increases, although the produce made by the 13 companies represents only a small share of total Italian pasta imported into the US.

The plan would have also represented a political headache for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who enjoys a relatively close relationship with Trump among European leaders.

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On Thursday, the Italian foreign ministry announced that the US had wound back its plan, saying this represented "an acknowledgement by the US authorities of the constructive co-operation shown by Italian companies".

In the case of one brand, La Molisana, the tariff rate had been dropped as low as 2.26%, the Italian statement added. Others will face slightly higher rates, up to 13.98%.

In a statement of their own, which was given to the BBC's US partner CBS News, a US commerce department spokesperson said: "[Our] post-preliminary analysis indicates that Italian pasta makers have addressed many of Commerce's concerns raised in the preliminary determination.

"Commerce will continue to engage with interested parties to take into account all information before issuing the final determination."

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Other Trump tariffs that have recently been softened include a planned increase in the tax charged on imports of furniture items - which was postponed for 12 months shortly before it was due to take effect on New Year's Day.

And in November, the president signed an order that allowed certain key food products - including coffee, bananas and beef - to escape his tariffs.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has suggested Washington will not take a day-to-day role in governing Venezuela other than enforcing an existing oil quarantine on the country.

It represents a turnaround after President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the US would be running Venezuela after the removal of leader Nicolas Maduro.

Mr Rubios statements on TV talk shows seemed designed to temper concerns about whether the assertive American action to achieve regime change might produce a prolonged foreign intervention or failed attempt at nation-building.

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They stood in contrast to Mr Trumps broad but vague claims that the US would at least temporarily run the oil-rich nation, comments that suggested some sort of governing structure under which Caracas would be controlled by Washington.

Mr Rubio offered a more nuanced take, saying the US would continue to enforce an oil quarantine that was already in place on sanctioned tankers before Maduro was removed from power early on Saturday and using that leverage as a means to bring about policy changes in Venezuela.

And so thats the sort of control the president is pointing to when he says that, Mr Rubio said on CBSs Face The Nation.

We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking.

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The blockade on sanctioned oil tankers  some of which have been seized by the US  remains in place, and thats a tremendous amount of leverage that will continue to be in place until we see changes that not just further the national interest of the United States, which is number one, but also that lead to a better future for the people of Venezuela, he added.

Donald Trump monitoring the US military operation in Venezuela, with CIA director John Ratcliffe and secretary of state Marco Rubio (Molly Riley/White House/AP) (Molly Riley)

Maduro landed late on Saturday afternoon at a small airport in New York Citys northern suburbs after the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in Caracas  an act that Maduros government called imperialist.

The couple faces US charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

The dramatic seizure of the Maduros capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on Venezuelas autocratic leader and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

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Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval.

Venezuelas vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, demanded that the US free Maduro and called him the countrys rightful leader as her nations high court named her interim president.

After arriving at the airport, Maduro was flown by helicopter to Manhattan, where a convoy of law enforcement vehicles, including an armoured car, was waiting to take him to a nearby US Drug Enforcement Administration office.

Delcy Rodriguez (Pavel Golovkin/AP) (Pavel Golovkin)

A video posted on social media by a White House account showed a smiling Maduro being escorted through that office by two DEA agents grasping his arms.

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He is due to make his first appearance on Monday in Manhattans federal court.

Mr Trump said on Sunday that Ms Rodriguez could pay a very big price if she does not do what he thinks is right for the South American country.

That contrasted with his comments on Saturday when he said Mr Rubio had spoken with her and she was willing to do what the US thinks is needed to improve the standard of living in Venezuela.

Mr Trump told The Atlantic that if she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro. The president told the New York Post in an interview on Saturday that the US would not need to station troops in Venezuela if she does what we want.

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The governments of Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay said in a statement that US involvement in Venezuela is an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security and puts the civilian population at risk.

In a statement released jointly by the governments, they expressed their concern about any attempt at government control, administration, or external appropriation of natural or strategic resources.

Satellite image showing the Fuerte Tiuna neighbourhood of Caracas after US strikes on Saturday (Vantor/AP) (Uncredited)

These actions are incompatible with international law and threaten the political, economic and social stability of the region, they added.

They called for dialogue, negotiation and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people to resolve the situation without external interference and in accordance with international law.

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The Danish ambassador to the US said his government expects the US to respect territorial integrity of Greenland, after Katie Miller, wife of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, posted a map of Greenland coloured in stars and stripes and with the written note SOON.

We do need Greenland, absolutely, Mr Trump told The Atlantic on Sunday.

Just a friendly reminder about the US and the Kingdom of Denmark, ambassador Jesper Moller Sorensen wrote in his post on X responding to Miller. We are close allies and should continue to work together as such. US security is also Greenlands and Denmarks security. Greenland is already part of Nato.

Mr Trump called repeatedly for US jurisdiction over Greenland during his presidential transition and in the early months of his second term, causing anxiety in Denmark and Greenland, which possesses natural resources including oil, gas, and rare earth elements. Denmark is responsible for the autonomous territorys foreign affairs and defence.
Vice President JD Vance on Monday confirmed that a suspect broke into his Ohio home and thanked law enforcement officers for responding to the incident.

In a post on X, Vance said a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows. At the time, he added, he and his family were in Washington.

I'm grateful to the secret service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly, Vance said.

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Secret Service agents detained a suspect shortly after midnight on Monday, The Associated Press reported. Upon arriving at Vance's Cincinnati home, the Associated Press reported, agents found that a Secret Service vehicle already assigned to Vances home was also vandalized.

Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as 26-year-old William Defoor, The Associated Press reported. Defoor faces misdemeanor charges of vandalism, criminal trespass, criminal damaging and obstruction of official business, and his arraignment is set for Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A growing number of political leaders have reported incidents of violence at their homes. In September, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed while speaking at Utah Valley University. His killing followed the June shooting of Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, who were killed inside their home. In April, a man set fire to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiros home while he and his family slept inside. And in 2022, Rep. Nancy Pelosis husband was attacked with a hammer in their San Francisco home.

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Vance on Monday said he wants to protect his children as more information is released.

One request to the media: we try to protect our kids as much as possible from the realities of this life of public service, he said. In that light, I am skeptical of the news value of plastering images of our home with holes in the windows.
While campaigning, President Donald Trump said, "We're a nation in decline."

Now that he's president, the left agrees.

"We are witnessing the collapse and implosion of the American empire," says Cornell West.

Are the predictors of doom correct? Will America collapse like so many civilizations before us?

If we don't learn from history, says historian Johan Norberg, that might happen.

"It's a clash within every civilization on whether they should keep going, be open to innovation and progress, or whether they should retreat and decline," he says in my new video.

His book, "Peak Human: What We Can Learn from History's Greatest Civilizations" looks at the "golden ages" of Ancient Athens, Ancient Rome, Song China, the Abbasid Dynasty in Baghdad, Renaissance Italy, the Dutch Republic and the Anglosphere.

Norberg argues that once people acquire a certain amount of comfort, they say, "'We want stability, protection, we want someone to take care of us.' ... that's what leads to stagnation."

People in power are generally comfortable with that:

"They've built their power on a particular system of production, certain ideas, a particular mentality ... Whereas trade, innovation, growth, it's all about change ... What sets these golden ages apart is that, for a period of time, they managed to lift themselves above that and give more people more freedoms. That also allowed them to experiment more and come up with better technologies and raise living standards."

Greece once led the world. Rome, too. Not anymore. Why?

Because people want "safety, stability, protection," says Norberg. "They slow things down, get that stability, but they also get stagnation and poverty."

China experienced a golden age during the Song Dynasty.

"They had more freedom than other Chinese dynasties... More openness to new ideas from strange places... (Farmers) were allowed to experiment with new grain, new forms of rice from Vietnam, and to trade with others. They came up with constant innovations. It became a very urbanized society that ushered in incredible experiments with iron, steel, textile, machines."

The government scrapped laws that had limited what could and couldn't be sold. They allowed markets to stay open all night (something not allowed before).

"In traditional Chinese society, people had fixed areas where they were allowed to live and where they had to return after having done a day's work. People did not mingle and meet people from other classes, other professions ... Under the Song Dynasty, the walls were torn down ... They began to mingle with one another ... they could do more business, listen to concerts, go to religious ceremonies. Eventually, Chinese society realized that this is how you make progress. This is how we become wealthier. When more people meet, when more people exchange goods and services and ideas, they prosper."

But after the Mongols invaded, the Chinese banned ocean voyages and foreign trade. They stifled the experimentation that had made them rich.

"They wanted stability after all this uncertainty and chaos. 'How do we do that?' ... By regulating everything, telling people to stay in their places ... They got stability. They also got 500 years of stagnation, 500 years that turned the richest and greatest civilization on the planet to a desperately poor country."

If any country is in a golden age today, I would think it's America, and Norberg agrees.

"I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in human history. We have made such remarkable progress when it comes to expanding freedoms, reducing poverty, increasing life expectancy."

But the American experiment is now 250 years old. Few golden ages last that long. Once affluent, people want stability, and a government that resists change.

"That then undermines the innovation that we need to keep golden ages going," warns Norberg. "If we want a golden age to keep going, we have to fight for it."

How?

"Double down on the institutions of liberal democracy, free markets, and unleash new waves of innovation and of progress. There is still time. We can still save this golden age."

(COMMENT, BELOW)

Award-winning news correspondent John Stossel was the co-anchor of ABC News's "20/20." Eight to 10 million people watched him weekly. Often, he ended "20/20" with a TV column called "Give Me a Break," which challenged conventional wisdom.
Venezuela is witnessing widespread unrest following the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro. The country is in turmoil as Maduros supporters have taken to the streets, causing citizens to take refuge in their homes.

The Venezuelas streets are teeming with armed supporters of Maduro, demanding his release. This has instilled a sense of fear among the residents, who are now confined to their homes, stepping out only for essential supplies.

While Maduros capture has brought a sigh of relief to some, the situation remains volatile with armed factions freely roaming the cities. Caracas, the capital city, has been subjected to airstrikes, disrupting public services.

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The few operational supermarkets are witnessing long queues as residents fear a return to the previous state of shortages and social unrest.

"The nightmare isn't over yet. The figurehead is gone. But his supporters are still here," The New York Post quoted one man living in Valencia saying. "I'm afraid that if I say anything and give my name, I'll be arrested. People are very scared. "

"There are still armed groups roaming the cities; we are all worried they will come to steal food, supplies, and intimidate us. Anyone who doesn't feel joy right now has a black soul, he further said.

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Amidst this chaos, the media is under strict control, making it difficult to get accurate information about the ongoing situation. The country is on tenterhooks, awaiting further developments. The arrest of Maduro, while providing a glimmer of hope for some, has also escalated tensions, leading to widespread unrest.

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The current situation underscores the deep divisions within the country and the challenges that lie ahead in restoring peace and stability.

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This article Venezuela Aftermath: 'Armed Groups Roaming the Cities,' People Are 'Very Scared' originally appeared on Benzinga.com
Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty Monday in a Manhattan court.

"I'm innocent. I'm not guilty -- I'm a decent man," Maduro said through an interpreter, adding that he is "still president of my country."

Their pleas were to federal drug trafficking and weapons charges before U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein.

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The couple were taken via helicopter from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to a Manhattan heliport, then taken by motorcade to the courthouse.

The court proceedings and criminal trial will likely take months. Defense lawyers said neither defendant is seeking bail but might do so in the future. Their next appearance was set for March 17.

Anti-Maduro protesters shout outside of federal court. Photo by Peter Foley/UPI

Maduro's attorney, Barry Pollack, said his client has health issues that require medical care, and Flores' attorney, Mark E. Donnelly, said she sustained a fractured or severely bruised rib "during her abduction."

Hellerstein said Maduro and Flores will get medical attention.

Pro- and anti-Maduro protesters gather outside of federal court. Photo by Peter Foley/UPI

"Our client is in good spirits. We look forward to reviewing and challenging the evidence the government has," lawyers for Flores said in a statement. "While we would love to present our side now, we will wait to do so in court at the appropriate time. The first lady is aware that there is a long road ahead and is prepared."

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Earlier Monday, President Donald Trump issued a warning to Venezuela's new president, Delcy Rodriguez, to "do what's right," or face a similar or worse fate than Maduro, who was seized by U.S. Army Special Forces over the weekend.

Heavily armed federal law enforcement officers were on guard Sunday outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores were being held. Photo by Olga Fedorova/EPA

"If she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro," Trump told The Atlantic, adding that regime change remained on the table, which was preferable to the present state of affairs and the situation "can't get any worse."

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as president in Caracas on Monday morning with the support of the country's military and the supreme court, said she is willing to cooperate with the United States after initially condemning the arrest of Maduro and Flores and demanding their release.

"We invite the U.S. government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation orientated towards shared development within the framework of international law," she told her cabinet at her first meeting in charge on Sunday.

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Trump said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with Rodriguez and that she was "essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again."

Amid conflicting messaging, it was unclear if that was Trump's meaning when he said in his news conference Saturday announcing the military operation that the United States was "going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition."

"We're going to be running it with a group, and we're going to make sure it's run properly," Trump said.

Rubio clarified Sunday that Trump was talking about exerting control from outside the country to bring about major policy shifts.

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He said sanctions were one of the tools at the administration's disposal to ensure the cooperation of the acting leadership, saying in an American broadcast TV interview that a blockade on Venezuela's oil exports, being enforced by the U.S. military, would remain in place.

"We continue with that quarantine and we expect to see that there will be changes not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking, so that we no longer have these gang problems, so that they kick the [Columbian insurgent groups] FARC and the ELN out, and that they no longer cozy up to Hezbollah and Iran in our own hemisphere," Rubio said.

Maduro and Flores face a 25-page indictment accusing them of accumulating vast wealth from a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

They also face three related charges of cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Americans woke up on Jan. 3, 2025, to blaring headlines: US CAPTURES MADURO, TRUMP SAYS, declared The New York Times, using all capital letters. The U.S. had mounted an overnight military raid in Venezuela that immediately raised questions of procedure and legality. Prime among them was what role Congress had  or should have had  in the operation.

Naomi Schalit, politics editor of The Conversation, interviewed political scientist Sarah Burns, author of the book The Politics of War Powers and an expert at Rochester Institute of Technology on the historical struggle between Congress and U.S. presidents over who has the power to authorize military action.

Naomi Schalit: Is this a war?

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Sarah Burns: I wouldnt call it a war. This is regime change, and whether or not it has a positive impact on the United States, whether or not it has a positive impact on Venezuela, I think the likelihood is very low for both of those things being true.

NS: How does Congress see its role in terms of military action initiated by the United States?

SB: Congress has been, in my view, incredibly supine. But thats not just my word. Having said that, it is true that Congress  in the House, predominantly  tried to pass a war powers act recently, saying that President Donald Trump was not allowed to do any action against Venezuela, and that failed on very close votes.So you see some effort on the part of Congress to assert itself in the realm of war. But it failed predominantly on party lines, with Democrats saying we really dont want to go into Venezuela. We really dont want to have this action. Republicans predominantly were supporting the president and whatever it happens to be that he would like to do. Moderate Republicans and Republicans who are in less safe districts were and are more likely to at least stand up a little bit to the president, but theres a very small number of them.

President Donald Trump, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, addresses reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 3, 2026, after a U.S. strike on Venezuela where President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured. The couple landed in New York on Saturday evening to face federal charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and two illegal weapons counts based on allegations that Maduro helped ship tons of cocaine to the United States over a period of decades.

NS: So there may be an institutional role for Congress, a constitutional role, a role that has been confirmed by legal opinion, but politics takes over in Congress when it comes to asserting its power in this realm?

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SB: Thats a perfect way of putting it. They have a legal, constitutional, one might even say moral, responsibility to assert themselves as a branch, right? This is from Federalist 51 where James Madison says Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. So it should be that as a branch, they assert themselves against the president and say, We have a role here.

In the 1940s, presidential scholar Edward Corwin said that in the realm of foreign policy, it is an invitation for Congress and the president to struggle. So it should be that Congress and the president are struggling against each other to assert, Im in charge. No, Im in charge. No, Im in charge, in an effort to create a balance between the two branches and between the two things that each of the branches does well. What you want from Congress is slow deliberation and a variety of opinions. What you want from the president is energy and dispatch.

So certainly, if we have an attack like 9/11, you would want the president to be able to act quickly. And you know, conversely, in situations like the questions around what the U.S. is doing in Venezuela, you want slow deliberation because there is no emergency that requires energy and dispatch and speed. So the president shouldnt be entirely in the drivers seat here, and Congress should very much be trying very hard to restrain him.

NS: What power does Congress have to restrain him?

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SB: They have to pass legislation. They arent particularly well suited right now to passing legislation, so effectively there is not a very clear way for them to restrain the president.

One of the things that members of Congress have attempted to do several times, with very little positive impact, is go to the courts and say, Can you restrain the president? And political scientist Jasmine Farrier has written that the courts have regularly said to members of Congress: You have the power to stop the president, and you are ineffective at that. And so if you want to stop the president, you shouldnt turn to us. You should work together to create legislation that would restrain the president.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro is led in custody from a U.S. federal airplane before his scheduled court appearance at Manhattan federal court, at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, U.S. January 3, 2026.

NS: What would such legislation do? Cut off money for troops? Is it finger-wagging, or is it something really concrete?

SB: There are a few different tiers. Joint resolutions are finger-wagging. They just say, Bad, Mr. President, dont do that. But they have no effect in law.

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The War Powers Resolution, first passed in 1973, is a legitimate way of trying to restrain the president. Congress intended to say to presidents, You cannot start a war and continue a war without our authorization. But what they said instead was You could have a small war or a short war  of 60 to 90 days  without our authorization, and then you have to tell us about it. That just sort of said to presidents the opposite of what they intended. So President Barack Obama took advantage of that with the military engagement in Libya, as well as Trump in his first administration.

This is not a partisan issue. Its not Republican presidents who do it. Its not Democratic presidents who do it. Its every president since the War Powers Resolution was passed, and the only time that Congress has drawn down troops or drawn down money was the Vietnam War.

Other than that disastrous war, we have not seen Congress willing to put themselves on the politically negative side, which is taking money away from the troops. Because if you take away money right now, theyre going to be harmed.

People on a bridge are silhouetted as smoke rises near Fort Tiuna, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026.

NS: What is the War Powers Resolution?

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SB: The War Powers Resolution from 1973, also known as the War Powers Act, was Congress  during the Vietnam War  saying definitively to President Richard Nixon, You have overstepped your bounds. They had explicitly said in law, you cannot go into Cambodia. And Nixon went into Cambodia.

So that was their way of trying to reassert themselves very aggressively; as I mentioned before, it didnt work effectively. It worked insofar as presidents dont unilaterally start wars that are large scale, the way that World War II was large scale. But they do have these smaller actions at varying levels.

Then we get to 9/11 and we see the 2001 authorization for the use of military force, and the 2002 authorization for the use of military force. The 2001 law authorized going after anyone in al-Qaida and associated with 9/11. The 2002 authorization was directly related to Iraq, saying There is a problem with Iraq, we have to do something. Both of them were extremely vague and broad, and thats why weve seen four presidents, including Trump, using the 2001 and 2002 authorizations to carry out all sorts of operations that had very little to do with Saddam Hussein or al-Qaida.

In 2021, senators Mike Lee, Bernie Sanders and Chris Murphy collectively got together and tried to create a national security document that would restrain presidential unilateralism. It was a good effort on the part of members of Congress from a variety of different ideological views to attempt to restrain the president. It did not even sort-of pass  it barely got out on the floor.

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Since that time, we havent seen a lot of efforts from members of Congress. They havent really reasserted themselves since the war in Korea, which began in 1950. Its very clear that ambition is no longer checking ambition the way that it was meant to by the founders.

NS: When you woke up this morning and saw the news, what was your first thought?

SB: Here we go again. This is not a Republican or a Democratic issue. Lots of presidents have made this error, which is that they think if you do this smaller-scale action, you are going to get a positive result for the nation, for the region, for international stability. And very rarely is that the case.

Sarah Burns is an associate professor of political science at the Rochester Institute of Technology. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters, and we may publish it online and in print  or just use the form below:

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trump seizes Maduro, and the ball is in Congress' court | Opinion
Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived at a New York courthouse early Monday for his first court appearance in the U.S. after being captured.

Maduro, who could face life in prison if convicted on narco-terrorism charges, and his wife are expected to appear in court at noon EST.

The former Venezuelan leader and others are accused in a 25-page indictment of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S.

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Maduros lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest.

Bicycle-rack style barricades stretched for blocks on both sides of the street outside the main entrance to the courthouse. Police officers on foot and in marked cars were also seen patrolling the area outside the courthouse and men in U.S. Marshals Service windbreakers and tactical gear roamed its lobby.

The developments come after President Trump on Saturday announced that the U.S. had conducted a large-scale strike on the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and captured Maduro.

Trump also said that the U.S. would run the South American country until a transition after Maduros capture.

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The recent U.S. operation in Venezuela followed a long period of tension between the U.S. and the South American country and has sparked comparisons to the Iraq War.

I fought in some of the hardest battles of the Iraq War. Saw my brothers die, saw civilians being caught in the crossfire all for an unjustified war. No matter the outcome we are in the wrong for starting this war in Venezuela, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), a veteran of the Marine Corps who served in Iraq, said Saturday in a post on the social platform X.

However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday attempted to shoot that comparison down.

I still think that a lot of people analyze everything that happens in foreign policy through the lens of what happened from 2001 to  you know, 15 or 16, Rubio told CBS Newss Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation.

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The whole, you know, foreign policy apparatus thinks everything is Libya, everything is Iraq, everything is Afghanistan. This is not the Middle East. And our mission here is very different. This is the Western Hemisphere, he added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report, which was updated at 10:47 a.m. EST

Copyright 2026 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.
On Saturday afternoon, JD Vance seemed predictably eager to defend Donald Trumps decision to launch an offensive in Venezuela and capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. In fact, the vice president specifically emphasized the fact that Maduro was formally charged by U.S. prosecutors with drug trafficking.

You dont get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States, Vance wrote via social media, because you live in a palace in Caracas.

Perhaps not  although apparently you do get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States if youre a foreign head of state with ties to members of Trumps inner circle. As The New York Times summarized:

Two Latin American strongmen were charged in Manhattan with corrupting their governments, using state power to import hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States. One, the former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, was abruptly pardoned by President Trump last month. The other, President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, was captured on Saturday in a military raid.

The White House and its allies justified the operation to bomb Venezuela and seize Maduro in large part because of the federal drug-trafficking indictment against the South American leader. This isnt an altogether persuasive pitch, especially given Trumps emphasis on Venezuelas oil, but over the weekend it was nevertheless one of the administrations principal talking points.

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Its not as if the U.S. can just remain indifferent when the head of a Latin American country is accused of drug trafficking, right?

That might be easier to take seriously if Trump hadnt just pardoned the head of a Latin American country who was convicted of drug trafficking.

Trump, despite all of his tough on crime chest-thumping, thought itd be a good idea to pardon a notorious drug trafficker, who was convicted last year and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Even by 2025 standards, the developments were breathtaking: As a separate New York Times analysis summarized, Hernandez orchestrated a vast trafficking conspiracy that benefited drug cartels, even as Honduras grew poorer, more violent and more corrupt.

Hernandez also boasted that he would stuff the drugs up the gringos noses and accepted a $1 million bribe to allow cocaine shipments to pass through his country, all while trafficking more than 500 tons of cocaine into the U.S.

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Trump, however, freed him anyway, thanks in part to his political connections to political operatives such as Roger Stone.

On Nov. 30, Trump tried to defend his pardon, telling reporters, If somebody sells drugs in that country, that doesnt mean you arrest the president and put him in jail for the rest of his life.

Four weeks later, he took a foreign president into custody and took steps to put him behind bars for the rest of his life.

With this in mind, a reporter asked the American president a good question on Saturday morning: Would Trump consider pardoning Maduro?

The Republican didnt answer the question directly, though he clung to his baseless idea that the Biden administration had been too mean to the convicted drug trafficker.

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A day later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared on NBCs Meet the Press and encouraged people to read the indictment against Maduro, which documented the extent to which the Venezuelan leader used the levers of [his countrys] security apparatus not to arrest drug traffickers, but to cooperate and facilitate the trafficking of drugs for the purpose of getting them into the United States.

Host Kristen Welker reminded her guest, And yet, Mr. Secretary, a month ago President Trump pardoned the former president of Honduras who was just starting a 45-year sentence for trafficking more than 500 tons of cocaine. Does that not undercut the administrations stated goal as you just said to go after these narco-terrorists?

Rubio eventually responded, I dont do the pardon file. Im not against it or for it. I just didnt review the file. So I cant speak to you about the dynamics that led the president to make the decision that he made.

Or put another way, he couldnt think of a credible defense for the indefensible, so he dodged the question.

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As the case against Maduro advances, however, its a safe bet that the question will linger for quite a while.

The post After Venezuela operation, Trump haunted by his pardon for Honduran drug trafficker appeared first on MS NOW.

This article was originally published on ms.now
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez has said she is willing to cooperate with the United States on the future of Venezuela, in a significant shift in tone from the immediate aftermath of a military operation leading to the abduction of leader Nicolas Maduro by US special forces.

We consider it a priority to move towards a balanced and respectful relationship between the US and Venezuela, Rodriguez wrote on Telegram on Sunday.

We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on an agenda for cooperation that is aimed towards shared development, she continued.

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Rodriguez, who served as Maduros deputy since 2018, was made interim leader by Venezuelas Supreme Court on Saturday after Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained in the most high-profile and riskiest US military operation since the US Navys SEAL team killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a safe house in Pakistans Abbottabad in 2011.

In a televised address on Saturday, Rodriguez denounced the US actions as an atrocity that violates international law, insisting that the only president of Venezuela [is] President Nicolas Maduro.

Rodriguezs televised remarks created a rift with Trump, who had suggested in the immediate aftermath of Maduros capture that US officials were in communication with her, and she was willing to cooperate.

After Rodriguez called his administration a group of extremists on television, Trump quickly shifted his tone from calling Rodriguez gracious to threatening her directly.

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If she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro, Trump told The Atlantic magazine in an interview early on Sunday.

The US president also said further strikes on Venezuela could take place, and he would not rule out putting boots on the ground in Venezuela, reiterating that the US was now in charge.

The belligerent actions and stance, which have prompted protests in the US and around the world, fly in the face of Trumps election promise of an America First stance and keeping the country out of endless wars, as well as his previous criticism of regime change in the Iraq War.





Rodriguez separately said on Sunday that she had launched a commission to seek the release of Maduro and Flores from US detention, where the Venezuelan leader is facing charges of narcoterrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machineguns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices.

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The commission will be cochaired by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil and her brother Jorge, who is president of Venezuelas National Assembly.

Maduro may face a similar future as Panamanian President Manuel Noriega, who was taken by US forces in 1990 after hiding out in his countrys Vatican embassy in the aftermath of the US invasion of Panama.

Noriega, formerly a staunch US ally, also faced similar charges of racketeering, drug smuggling, and money laundering and was sentenced to 40 years imprisonment. His sentence was commuted to 17 years for good behaviour, but he was later extradited to France on separate charges, then back to Panama, where he served out more prison time until he died in 2017.

Maduro is due to appear in a New York federal court on Monday.

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Trump administration officials have portrayed the seizure as a law enforcement action to hold Maduro accountable for criminal charges filed in 2020 that accuse him of narco-terrorism conspiracy.

But Trump has said other factors were at play, saying the raid was prompted in part by an influx of Venezuelan immigrants to the US and the countrys decision to nationalise US oil interests decades ago.
By Jack Queen and Jan Wolfe

NEW YORK, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty on Monday to narcotics charges after President Donald Trump's stunning capture of him rattled world leaders and left officials in Caracas scrambling to regroup.

"I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country," Maduro, 63, said through an interpreter, before being cut off by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan federal court.

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Maduro's wife Cilia Flores also pleaded not guilty. The next court date was set for March 17.

Dozens of protesters, both pro- and anti-Maduro, gathered outside the courthouse before the half-hour hearing.

Inside, as he stood shackled at the ankles and wearing orange and beige prison garb, Maduro declared he had been "kidnapped" and remained president of Venezuela. He listened to an interpreter through headphones as Hellerstein summarized the charges.

Maduro is accused of overseeing a cocaine-trafficking network with international drug cartels and faces four criminal counts: narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.

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Maduro has long denied the allegations, saying they were a mask for imperialist designs on Venezuela's rich oil reserves.

Maduro's defense lawyer Barry Pollack said he anticipated voluminous and complex litigation over what he called his client's "military abduction."

SUCCESSOR SWORN IN

Hours later in Caracas, Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, was sworn in as Venezuela's interim president with words of support for Maduro but no indication she would fight the U.S. move.

A recent U.S. intelligence assessment determined Rodriguez would be best positioned to lead a temporary government in Maduro's absence, finding that opposition figures such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado or onetime presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez would struggle to gain legitimacy, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the classified report.

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Asked by Reuters about the report, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said, "The President and his national security team are making realistic decisions to finally ensure Venezuela aligns with the interests of the United States."

While many anti-Maduro activists had assumed this would be their moment, Trump appeared to have sidelined the Venezuelan opposition for now. Instead, he has suggested Rodriguez was willing to work with Washington.

Leavitt told Fox News that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in "constant correspondence" with the remaining Maduro government, and that Washington maintained "leverage" over Caracas.

In Caracas, senior officials from Maduro's 13-year-old government remained in charge of the South American oil producer of 30 million people, alternating between angry defiance and possible cooperation with the Trump administration.

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The intelligence assessment concluded that Rodriguez was among the few Venezuelan leaders capable of maintaining order, along with the interior and defense ministers, in a government dominated by ideological opponents of the U.S., the Wall Street Journal said.

Trump told NBC News the U.S. was not at war with Venezuela but rather, "we're at war with the people that sell drugs."

The U.S. would need to help address the South American country's problems before any new elections, Trump said, calling a 30-day timeline for a vote unrealistic.

"We have to fix the country first. You cant have an election. Theres no way the people could even vote," Trump told NBC.

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QUESTION OF LEGALITY

The U.S. has considered Maduro an illegitimate dictator since he declared victory in a 2018 election marred by allegations of massive irregularities.

At the same time experts in international law have questioned the legality of the raid, with some condemning Trump's actions as a repudiation of a rules-based international order.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as Trump's criminal defense lawyer while in private practice, told NBC News the Trump administration "did everything within the law," and that the United States has an "absolute legal right to go and arrest people charged with horrible crimes."

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As world leaders and U.S. politicians grappled with the extraordinary seizure of a head of state, the United Nations Security Council debated the implications of the raid, which was condemned by Russia, China and leftist allies of Venezuela.

The future governance of Venezuela also remained uncertain, after Trump asserted on Sunday that "we are in charge." White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller reiterated to CNN on Monday that "the United States of America is running Venezuela."

"We set the terms and conditions. We have a complete embargo on all of their oil. So for them to do commerce, they need our permission," Miller said.

Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other top administration officials spent more than two hours briefing congressional leaders and the heads of national security committees about the Venezuela operation on Monday evening.

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Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Senate's Democratic leader, told reporters the briefing was extensive but posed more questions than it answered. "Their plan for the U.S. running Venezuela is vague, based on wishful thinking, and was unsatisfying," Schumer said, adding that Trump officials would not rule out similar interventions in other countries.

Meanwhile, Trump has made no secret of wanting to share in Venezuela's oil riches, telling reporters on Air Force One on Sunday that American oil companies will return to Venezuela and rebuild the sector's infrastructure.

He told NBC News on Monday that the U.S. may subsidize the rebuilding of the country's oil infrastructure by U.S. companies, a project he said could be completed in less than 18 months.

CBS News, citing two unnamed sources, said representatives of oil majors Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips and Chevron Corp would meet with Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Thursday.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux worldwide; additional reporting by Sheila Dang, Jason Lange, Michelle Nichols, Jarrett Renshaw, Steve Holland, Patricia Zengerle and Maria Tsvetkova; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne, Doina Chiacu and Daniel Trotta; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Howard Goller, Cynthia Osterman and Stephen Coates)
BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44)  Members of the Vermont Democratic Party took to the streets in Burlington Saturday and Brattleboro Sunday to protest a U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

The demonstrations are part of a broader national debate over the operation, with Americans divided on whether the action was justified.

Protesters gathered to voice concerns about international law, the scope of presidential authority, and the potential impact on civilians in Venezuela. Demonstrators called for greater transparency from federal leaders and questioned whether Congress should have played a larger role in authorizing the operation.

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Were struggling as a country to run ourselves; the last thing we need is to go try and figure out how to run another country 2,000 miles away in Venezuela, said Lachlan Francis, chair of the Vermont Democratic Party. Regime change war is just ill suited to the moment were in.

Supporters of the operation argue it was a necessary step to confront corruption and criminal activity tied to Venezuelas government, while critics say the move risks escalating conflict and undermining international law, highlighting how divided the country remains.

As reactions continue to unfold nationwide, Vermont Democrats say they plan to keep pressing federal officials for answers and accountability.

Copyright 2026 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 ABC22 & FOX44.
In 2017, Marco Rubio was placed under police protection when Venezuelas security chief was accused of plotting to assassinate him.

The former Florida senator had long been a thorn in the side of Nicolas Maduros regime, taking to the Senate floor in 2014 to scold the Obama administration for its shameful failure to sanction the strongman leader.

A decade later, the US secretary of state finally got his revenge when the US military captured Mr Maduro in a daring pre-dawn raid.

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Dubbed the viceroy of Venezuela by the US media, Mr Rubio, who has taken on an ever-growing list of titles in the Trump administration  serving as secretary of state, acting national security adviser and US archivist  may just have added another one to his ledger.

For the US, the extradition of Mr Maduro marks the culmination of an extraordinary pressure campaign that began in September, when the Pentagon started to build up military forces in the region and blow up boats accused of narco-trafficking.

Mr Maduro is led into custody in New York by DEA agents - Reuters

For Mr Rubio, a politician who frequently describes himself as the son of Cuban exiles, building his political identity on his family story, it marks the climax of a lifelong ambition to restore democracy to Central America.

This is part of his DNA, its something he has worked on his whole life, a former aide told The Telegraph.

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His parents passed away without ever seeing freedom. He fundamentally believes in freedom and democracy because that was taken away from his family.

The secretary of state is said to have played a vital role in steering the Trump administration towards ousting Venezuelas leader.

Now, with no long-term successor to govern the country of 29 million people, the president has tasked Mr Rubio with helping to run Venezuela, fix its oil infrastructure and usher in a stable government, to add to his long list of responsibilities.

The transition process will not be easy, but there is no one more capable in the US government than secretary Marco Rubio for this moment, said one former adviser.

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Known as the virtual secretary of state for Latin America during Donald Trumps first term, Mr Rubios proficiency in Spanish and close ties to Latin American leaders and the Venezuelan opposition make him a natural pointman for the president, a senior official told The Washington Post.

Donald Trump watches the US strikes unfold with Marco Rubio and others at Mar-a-Lago - Reuters

Described by sources as a Latin America whisperer, Mr Rubio allegedly had a direct line to the president during his first term when it came to the socialist governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, former officials told Politico.

He organised a meeting between Mr Trump and the wife of a jailed Venezuelan opposition leader in 2017, and received weekly briefings about the administrations crackdown on Latin American governments, the outlet reported.

His sharp criticism had long been a source of frustration for Mr Maduro, who had branded him the craziest of the crazies and whose head of security forces, Diosdado Cabello Rondon, was said to be behind a plot to assassinate the outspoken senator, according to a US intelligence memo.

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It sent shockwaves throughout the senators orbit, one former aide recalled, adding that Mr Rubio was unperturbed by the threats.

Although it was never proven, the threat prompted federal officials to provide Mr Rubio and his family with round-the-clock protection.

Central to the success of Saturdays high-stakes operation, insiders say, is the close relationship between Mr Trump and his secretary of state, who has grown into one of the most powerful advisers of his second term.

I think the president really respects him, a former Rubio adviser said.

The pair see each other nearly every day, have offices next to each other in the White House and have a warm public relationship, which has resulted in the president bestowing titles on his adviser like a medieval king.

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Speaking to reporters after Mr Maduros arrest, Mr Trump was vague about who would run the Latin American country, saying the people that are standing right behind me will do so for a period of time, as he gestured to his secretary of state and Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary.

Credit: Reuters

The president also hailed Mr Rubios initial talks with Mr Maduros vice president, Delcey Rodriguez, who was formally made interim leader on Sunday, saying shes essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.

Deftly dealing with Ms Rodriguezs response that Venezuela will never return to being the colony of another empire, Mr Rubio clarified on Sunday that the US would not govern Venezuela day-to-day other than enforcing an existing oil quarantine on the country.

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The military operation  the fastest toppling of a regime in the modern era  also represents a political victory for him within an administration that includes staunch opponents of regime change, notably JD Vance.

I see [the military operation] really as the merging of minds between secretary Rubio and president Trump, said Carrie Filipetti, a former Venezuela and Cuba adviser at the state department.

Pushing back on suggestions that Mr Trump is averse to foreign intervention, Ms Filipetti said the president has always had a penchant for these displays of American might, pointing to his strikes on Iran and plans to send naval assets to the coast of Venezuela in his first term, which she said were stymied by bureaucratic hurdles.

It very much has Trumps mentality to it of reinforcing American strength and power, she said. But I think the specificity and the precision screams Marco Rubio.

Targeting dictatorships as legacy

During the presidents first term, Mr Rubio was instrumental in pushing for sanctions against Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, the so-called troika of tyranny.

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With the fall of Venezuelas regime, former aides have suggested the secretary of state and the president may view ridding the Western hemisphere of communist dictatorships as part of their legacy.

On Sunday evening, Mr Trump set pulses racing in Colombia too, calling the countrys Left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

Asked if the US would pursue military action against the country, he said: It sounds good to me.

The response from Venezuelans and Americans following the strikes has been mixed - Bloomberg

Dismissing comparisons to the US invasion of Iraq, which led to nearly nine years of conflict and the death of around 5,000 servicemen, a former Rubio adviser pointed out that the Venezuelan people had voted against Mr Maduros government for a decade and argued that they were excited for whats ahead.

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Meanwhile, they said: Cuban Americans see the fall of the regime in Venezuela as having a domino effect that will directly impact Cuba.

Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, are expected to appear in court on Monday, facing charges of narco-terrorism.

As the fallen leader contemplates a future locked up in a US prison, Mr Rubio may well be setting his eyes on his next prize  this one much closer to home.

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The bodies of 40 people killed during a New Years celebration at a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana have been identified by police.

The youngest was just 14-years-old, authorities confirmed on Sunday evening.

It is believed the fire at the Le Constellation bar, which left 119 others injured, was caused by sparklers within champagne bottles.

Former pupil at UK school confirmed dead after fire at Swiss ski resort

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All 40 victims of Swiss ski bar fire identified, including 14-year-old girl

Police have released only the victims ages and nationalities, and have not published names or photographs.

But families and friends have been posting tributes on social media as hundreds of people gathered in Crans-Montana over the weekend to honour those killed in the fire.

Here is a list of those whose deaths have been confirmed by their families so far:

This is an ongoing list, with more to follow.

Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know


Longtime firearm instructor Mike Magowan teaching at Self Defense Emporium.

(Photo courtesy Mike Magowan)

Our country was much more troubled and dangerous when Joe Biden was president, but thankfully times have changed, according to several current and former firearm instructors.

"There was a lot more concern about how things were going to go," said Mike Magowan, chief operations officer for Florida's Self Defense Emporium. "There's not as much panic now as there was then."

Magowan has taught more than 30,000 students how to shoot safely over his 30-year career. He started as a sniper in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division and has earned a host of national certifications and accreditations.

He and several other instructors discussed current trends and predicted what will happen in 2026.

Suppressors were a common topic, especially if they finally end up outside of federal purview and can be purchased easier. Everyone mentioned teaching a fully suppressed class. 
Residents of several villages in northern India are on edge after repeated tiger sightings near their homes and farms.

What's happening?

According to local reporting by The Times of India, villagers in parts of Sitapur district have been spotting what they believe to be a tiger moving through sugarcane fields for nearly a month.

Fresh pugmarks have been found in agricultural land near Bhudpurwa village, concerning farmers who normally spend long hours harvesting dense cane crops.

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"Ever since we heard about the tiger, no one has the courage to step into the fields," one resident told reporters, capturing the anxiety shared by many families in the area.

While forest department teams have been searching surrounding villages and fields  including areas near Hargaon, Mumtazpur, Andauli, and Musabbarpur  so far, officials say there has been no confirmed visual sighting of a tiger.

Why are these sightings concerning?

Overall, while tiger sightings near villages are rare, they are becoming more common in parts of the world where wild habitats are shrinking. Animals continue to be pushed into human spaces as forests are fragmented by roads, farms, and development.

This isn't unique to India. In Siberia, the world's largest big cat, the Amur tiger, has been moving closer to villages in search of food, leading to deadly encounters for both people and animals.

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Human-wildlife conflict doesn't just endanger people. It can also devastate already fragile animal populations, making long-term conservation even harder. In Malaysia, a critically endangered tiger named Bulan was killed in a traffic collision while crossing a highway.

What's being done about the sightings?

Local forest officials are continuing surveillance efforts and urging residents to stay alert.

More broadly, conservation groups around the world are investing in tools that reduce these dangerous encounters before they happen. Things like remote camera traps and motion-sensing photography allow researchers to monitor tiger movements without disturbing them, helping officials understand where animals are traveling and why.

Protecting and restoring forest corridors has also proved effective in keeping wildlife away from farms and roads.

Would you be willing to let your yard grow wild? I already have Yes I'm not sure No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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A 'We Accept (Food Stamps)' sign hangs in the window of a grocery store on Oct. 31, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

As 850,000 Virginians (and millions nationwide) went without food stamps this fall during the federal government shutdown, the giant reconciliation bill Congress passed this summer set off a timer for states to reduce their error rates in computing the disbursement of funds to recipients. States that dont comply risk losing their funding.

That means Virginia must drop its error rate from where it hovers now around 11% down to 6% by 2027. Otherwise, the state could be on the hook for $270 million annually.

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Enter SNAP Forward, an initiative spearheaded by Gov. Glenn Youngkin through an executive directive this past August with the express purpose of reducing the states SNAP error rates. Its work that incoming Gov.-elect Abigail Spanbergers administration will inherit.

Youngkin has publicly referenced the initiative and his administrations efforts to slash SNAP error rates repeatedly in recent months, most recently in his final budget presentation to lawmakers last month, but has shared few details. The Mercury gleaned a clearer picture of the progress so far through a series of Freedom of Information Act requests and by reviewing Youngkins proposed state budget.

Compliance with federal law changes

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, helps low-income earners afford to buy groceries. States have always handled disbursing the federal funds to qualifying residents. Sometimes, errors in either overpaying or underpaying households arise, stemming from paperwork mistakes by government staff or outdated information from beneficiaries.

When Congress passed its reconciliation bill in July, the measure stipulated that states with higher error rates may have to, for the first time, pay a portion of SNAP benefits to recipients.

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Beyond spurring error rate reductions, the law adjusted age and work eligibility requirements.

Since Oct. 1, Virginia beneficiaries can no longer attest to their expenses and income themselves. Now, state employees reviewing SNAP cases must take further steps to verify applicants expenses. Household composition will be required to be verified as well by March 2026.

Strategic meetings

A series of meeting presentation slides revealed by the November and December records request shows conversation materials used during a monthly series of SNAP Forward virtual meetings with local Department of Social Services workers around the state. The meetings began in September.

The conversations entailed training refreshers for workers on managing SNAP, new policies to verify household information and notes on other states, like Wisconsin, which has maintained a low error rate. Virginias Department of Social Services has plans to conduct interviews with states that have track records of dropping their error rates to gather insights.

Screenshot from a SNAP Forward slide.

Contracted help

The Mercury reviewed a $1.7 million contract for services by a company called KPMG included in the states FOIA response. The organization offers tax, audit and advisory services to companies and governments that hire it.

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With a six-month contract for services, KPMG has been tasked with deploying to agreed-upon local DSS offices to support (Virginia) with targeted strategies to help improve SNAP payment accuracy. The company was also hired to provide recommendations and prepare training documents.

The Mercury reached out to KPMG to inquire further but did not receive a response by the time of this publication.

A quality assurance team

As local social service departments around the state handle SNAP case loads, the administrative ease or strain looks different in different localities. One of the records the state released to the Mercury was a document outlining feedback from the Virginia League of Social Services Executives. The group expressed concerns about whether smaller local social services offices in the state could handle the additional administrative burden that the new process would require.

Lawmakers and advocates have also warned that these workers are expected to have heavier loads for Medicaid eligibility changes triggered by the reconciliation bill.

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Youngkins outgoing state budget proposal earmarks about $2.4 million to fund a quality assurance team for the Office of Health and Human Services  a potential solution for the expected administrative challenges. The 14 new positions Virginia could hire would be responsible for helping to find and correct SNAP payment errors.

Whether the team comes to be or not depends on upcoming budget negotiations in the 2026 legislative session, where Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger will have her own ideas about how the state should allocate its resources. After Virginias legislature agrees on the next state budget, Spanberger will be responsible for signing it or making adjustments.

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(Stock photo by Greenleaf123/Getty Images)

At the end of every year, state agencies, boards and commissions churn out dozens of annual reports. Last year, one notable document was missing.

The annual report from the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission would normally have been published at the end of November. The JIRCs 2024 report was a rich text: for the first time, it contained the names and misdeeds of Virginia judges who were disciplined by the seven-member commission for violating the commonwealths judicial cannons. The change was the result of a 2023 law sponsored by Del. Wren Williams, R-Patrick, which passed with bipartisan support and backing from outgoing Attorney General Jason Miyares.

That brief window of transparency shut last year, when lawmakers unanimously passed a bill specifying they would be the first ones to see JIRCs annual report  and decide if its ever made public.

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The change means the public wont know the names and misconduct of errant judges in their community in 2025 unless lawmakers decide to release it. In 2024, that list included a Richmond judge whod made unwanted advances on female attorneys and a Roanoke judge whod had a relationship and provided legal aid to the mother of a man on trial for murder in the same courthouse.

In a committee meeting last year, the 2025 bills sponsor, Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, said judges deserved more privacy.

The whole idea was  especially in unfounded cases  a lot of information thats available under the FOIA law right now is information that might not be accurate and may be defamatory toward a judicial officer, Deeds said in a February committee meeting, referring to the Freedom of Information Act.

But Deeds statement doesnt align with whats in the reports. Under the rules of the 2023 law, the outcomes of unfounded cases are not published in the JIRCs annual report  only a much smaller number of cases where judges were disciplined for violating the cannons.

Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, in 2019. (Photo by Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)

In an interview last week, Deeds said he was unaware the report only contained the names of disciplined judges.

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When theres a founded complaint, when theres disciplinary action  that ought to be public information, Deeds said.

Deeds said the bill was not my idea and that he really had not had any interest in this before. At the committee meeting, he said former Portsmouth Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Melvin, who retired last month, had convinced him to carry the bill. The judge served as vice chair of JIRC and previously represented Portsmouth as a Democrat in the House of Delegates for 24 years. Melvin could not be reached for comment for this story.

Deeds said he was unsure how the General Assembly would publish the report, if it decided to do so, and said he was open to reconsidering the bill after a social media thread by Richmond reporter Sarah Vogelsong last month brought the issue to public attention. (Vogelsong previously served as editor-in-chief of the Mercury).

I didnt realize people were hotly anticipating the release of these things, Deeds said.

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All 50 states have systems for screening and investigating ethical complaints against judges. Those complaints are always private, and the overwhelming majority in Virginia involve litigants unhappy with verdicts, JIRCs counsel, Raymond Morrogh, told lawmakers in a 2021 Senate committee presentation. Those complaints arent eligible for JIRCs review. If a panel determines a complaint does have merit, they can elect to gather more information, like a response from a judge, or simply express their disapproval without taking formal action.

If an investigation substantiates a complaint, judges may face a range of outcomes, including agreeing to disciplinary actions, like supervision or substance abuse treatment. In more serious cases, the JIRC may elect to hold a formal hearing.

The hearings can resemble trials, where a state official presents evidence of misconduct, including witnesses and depositions, and a judge, often represented by a lawyer, presents their defense and cross-examines witnesses. The commission has the power to suspend a judge and recommend that the Virginia Supreme Court censure, remove, or force a judge into retirement.

In the majority of states  but not Virginia  fact-finding hearings involving judges are public, according to the National Center for State Courts.

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Indiana University law processor Charles Geyh, a national expert in judicial ethics, said in an interview that judges were often reluctant to air their dirty laundry in public, wary of undermining public trust in the courts. But Geyh argued Virginias level of secrecy into judicial misconduct risked undermining that goal.

Were past the point where the public is going to sit tight and have the judiciary say, Trust me, were doing it  were just not telling anybody about it, Geyh said. Were past the point where thats enough.

Fairfax attorney Andi Geloo, a vocal critic of what she calls wayward judges, said the secrecy around judicial discipline created a separate standard from others accused of misconduct, from police officers to criminal defendants.

The public has a right to know how judges are performing and whether theyre upholding the law, Geloo said. And this change sends a message that judges are above the law.

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It was raining meat.

On a clear afternoon 150 years ago, a Mrs. Crouch was at home in Olympia Springs in Eastern Kentuckys Bath County when chunks of flesh started falling from the sky.

A vague idea that my husband and son, who were away, had been torn to pieces and their remains were being brought home to me in this way by the wind flashed through my mind at the moment, she told a New York Herald reporter according to a March 21, 1876 story. I was also impressed with the conviction that it was a miracle of God, which as yet we do not understand. It may have been a warning, as coming events are said to cast their shadows before.

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A less religious theory, pushed by The New York Times, maintained the meat could have come from a meteor, hypothesizing that belts of meat circled the sun.

And despite on-the-ground accounts from individuals eating the meat, and saying it was meat, another account confidently asserted that what fell on the Kentucky farm was flesh-colored Nostoc  a cyanobacteria that forms jellylike colonies.

A century and a half later, there are no certain answers as to what transpired in rural Bath County.

However, the most popular theory today  one that was first presented all the way back in 1876 in the aftermath of the meat shower  is that vultures passing over the Crouch farm regurgitated the contents of their stomachs en masse.

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In other words, vulture vomit.

But that uncertainty of what really happened  combined with evidence that something actually did happen and this wasnt all made up  has ensured that what is known as the Kentucky Meat Shower remains on peoples minds decades and decades later.

Everywhere you go, theres an alien story or everywhere you go theres a mysterious creature in the woods  like a Sasquatch or Big Foot. Those are all common. This feels really unique because it is such an unusual thing, said Mick Sullivan, Curator of Guest Experience at Louisvilles Frazier Kentucky History Museum and the author of an illustrated childrens book about the meat shower (as told by a preserved chunk of flesh in a jar).

The wonder of the meat shower will be on full display on the last weekend in February, when Bath County marks the 150th anniversary with its second annual Meat Shower Festival.

A piece of meat that fell from the sky in 1876 is kept in a jar at Transylvania University.

When meat fell over Kentucky

The strange occurrence at the Crouch farm on March 3, 1876 quickly made waves in Kentucky and around the nation, provoking an outpouring of hypotheses and prompting newspapers to dispatch correspondents to Olympia Springs.

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The Courier Journal referred to a shower of quivering flesh.

The New York Herald called it carnal rain.

The New York Times devoted significant column inches to the meat shower, as well.

The meat was served in the shape of hash, and its particles ranged in size from a delicate shred as light as a snowflake to a solid lump three inches square, the paper reported. It was in a raw state, but it was obviously perfectly fresh. Two Kentucky gentleman in prosperous circumstances, and accustomed to eating raw meat, tasted it and pronounced the opinion that it was either venison or mutton

Another gentleman quoted by The New York Herald, a trapper, asserted it tasted like bar  seemingly a reference to bear.

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"I smelt it, too, and I know that smell as well as I know the smell of licker. Gentleman, it's bar meat certain, or else my name is not Benjamin Franklin Ellington," he was quoted as saying in the paper.

Nine days after the flesh fall, as some called it, The Courier Journal published a report by a Dr. J. Lawrence Smith of Louisville who obtained samples of the meat and examined it.

In my mind, this matter gives every indication of being the dead spawn of the Batrachian reptiles, doubtless that of the frog, he said, according to the papers reporting at the time. They have been transported from the ponds and swampy ground by currents of wind, and have ultimately fallen on the spot where they were found.

This explanation, the C-J reporter wrote, was doubtless the true explanation of the phenomenon.

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However, Smith would soon retreat from his position when a new theory surfaced.

Prof. Robert Peter, of Lexington, through whom I obtained Mr. Parkers specimen, thinks that the fall of flesh was simply the result of a kind of post prandial disgorging by a flock of buzzards who had been feasting themselves more abundantly than wisely on the carcass of a sheep, he wrote in a dispatch published in the May 13, 1876 edition of The Courier Journal. I am informed it is not uncommon for buzzards thus to disgorge their overcharged stomachs, and that when in a flock one commences this relief operation, the others are excited to nausea, and a general shower of half-digested meat takes place. Who knows but this is the true inwardness of the whole matter?

Kentuckys paper of record ran Smiths recantation alongside an account from Peter under the subhead A VOMIT OF BUZZARDS.

Peter wrote of his hope that the latest explanation would put the matter to rest.

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Very seldom before has a dead sheep made so much noise in the world, he wrote.

Meat rain legacy survives

Beyond the numerous accounts from reporters, eyewitnesses and scientists, there is something else that indicates the meat shower happened: there is still a piece of it.

Kurt Gohde, an art professor at Transylvania University in Lexington, inadvertently discovered a surviving sample of the meat shower flesh in the university vaults in the early 2000s while documenting the schools stored artwork.

When I found a jar that just said Olympia on it, I didnt make the connection, said Gohde, who had first read about the meat shower in a book about unusual weather before moving to Kentucky.

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After the jar was pulled from the vaults, it was sent off for testing to different labs, Gohde said. The testing revealed it was meat, but the sample was severely degraded and the competing labs came back with different guesses of what animal it was.

Since finding it, Gohdes interest in the meat shower  and keeping its history alive  has only deepened.

And while those who tasted the meat in accounts from 1876 described a range of flavors, Gohde believes that lends credibility to the vulture theory.

If it was indeed vulture vomit, and I have a number of reasons now to think that that makes perfect sense, its likely that everybody who ate something and declared what it was  they were probably all right, he said. Because if it was a flock of vultures vomiting, they had eaten a bunch of different animals.

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Sullivan, the author of The Meatshower: The Mostly True Tale of an Odd (and Somewhat Edible) Occurrence, first heard of the meat shower more than a decade ago while chatting with a friend about weird things that happened in history on their birthdays.

It just kind of stuck in my head from that moment on, he said.

As the creator of a history podcast for kids, the story of the meat shower  and the continued uncertainty around what happened  was attractive. To Sullivan the meat shower was something that promoted imagination and thinking outside the box. It was also just weird.

He always knew his first book would be about the meat shower. And from the start, he knew we were going to have a two-page spread of vultures barfing.

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Ian Corbin, who is organizing the Meat Shower Festival in Owingsville, the Bath County seat, agrees its highly unlikely that the event was anything other than vultures emptying their stomachs, but finds other theories interesting.

One of Corbins favorite theories involves a former Bath County mineral springs resort which, at the time of the meat shower, was the only place to stay.

My conspiracy theory is it really never happened and it was all a big promotion to get people to come stay at the Olympia Springs Hotel, he said.

The fact that there is a body of evidence the meat shower  something that on its face sounds supernatural or paranormal  actually occurred ensures its legacy endures.

It wasnt just some folk tale that people told to scare kids like they do with the boogey man and stuff. It was an actual piece of history, Corbin said. You could believe what you wanted to believe, or you could try to figure out the answer. More than likely, it was a bunch of vultures puking.

'It will rain meat again' in February

Gohde, the Transylvania University professor, has big plans for the next anniversary.

It will rain meat again on February 28, in the afternoon, over the same field, he told The Courier Journal in a phone interview. it will be actual meat.

He declined to lay out how it would rain meat, but, when gently prodded by The Courier Journal, he relinquished that the meat will be individually wrapped pieces of jerky.

Unlike the first meat rain, this time well know what the meat is and it will be marked and edible, he said.

Speaking to The Courier Journal in October, the professor still had to get permission from several landowners whose lands now overlap on what was Crouchs farm. If it is not an option to return to the field, he said, he is more optimistic that meat will fall over downtown Owingsville.

Previously, at non-meat shower festivals in Bath County, Gohde distributed jelly beans created by a company that had allegedly recreated the flavor profile of Transylvanias preserved piece of meat after testing it.

However, he said, those who consumed them largely found them disgusting; he fears the taste of formaldehyde was replicated in the candy.

Februarys 150th anniversary celebrations will be the second Meat Shower Festival after this years event featured a reading of Sullivans book, the specimen of the meat from Transylvania University, as well as games, vendors and meat shower merch.

That event attracted 500 to 600 people according to Corbin, but he hopes 2026 will be even bigger.

We want to keep the odd history and local history alive  not only here, but hopefully inspire other folks to do the same thing, he said.

Tell us what you think. Submit your letter to the editor.

Josh Wood is an investigative reporter who focuses on public safety and government. Get in touch by email at jwood@courier-journal.com or on X at @JWoodJourno.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Meat Shower to mark 150th anniversary
PM defends haredi conscription bill, backs politically appointed probe into October 7 massacre.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed Israel will not let Iran renew its ballistic-missile and nuclear-weapons program.

The opposition was trying to form a government with the Muslim Brotherhood, he said during a Knesset debate. He also criticized former prime minister Naftali Bennett.

Regarding his recent trip to Florida to meet with US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu said they shared a resolute position: We will not allow Iran to rebuild its ballistic-missile industry or renew the nuclear program that we severely damaged in Operation Rising Lion.

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Our position is zero enrichment capability, the removal of all enriched uranium from Iran, and continuous oversight of nuclear facilities, he said.

In response to the ongoing protests by the Iranian people against the regime, Netanyahu said: We may be standing at a decisive moment in which the Iranian people will take their fate into their own hands.

Bennett and the government that led in 2021-2022 was the first governing coalition to ever sit with an Arab party, he said.

The Bennett government removed enforcement over what is happening in the Negev and accepted [Raam (United Arab List) chairman] Mansour Abbass demand, he added.

Netanyahu addresses Knesset at 40-signature debate on extremist government, Jerusalem, January 6 (credit: Mark Israel Salem)

Netanyahu accused the opposition of seeking to form a government with the Muslim Brotherhood.

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Do not speak in the name of the Zionist majority, he said. You are the ones who relied on and seek to rely on the Muslim Brotherhood. You are the radical minority. I want to hear you say that you will not form a government with the Muslim Brotherhood.

I do not deny the right to vote or be elected, but I also do not deny the duty to tell the coalition the truth, Netanyahu said. You intend to form a government with the Muslim Brotherhood, and you are trying in various ways to conceal it. The public does not buy it and knows the truth.

PM Netanyahu: Strike on Iran removed existential threats

The Knesset debate was titled: Extremist government that acts contrary to the Zionist majority and harms national cohesion and the fundamental values of the State of Israel. It was raised by the opposition and required the prime ministers presence.

Netanyahu criticized the oppositions topic of debate and said, I heard you complaining about what you call the governments extreme decision-making. Our national resilience is first and foremost our very existence, because without existence, there is no resilience.

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The most important decision of the Israeli government was to strike Iran to remove two threats to our very existence: the nuclear threat and the threat of tens of thousands of ballistic missiles, he said. There was a third existential threat: the tightening ring of the axis of evil.

Netanyahu praised what he said were his governments achievements.

After two years of war, the shekel has strengthened significantly, the stock exchange has surged by dozens of percent over the past year, unemployment is at a low, hi-tech investment has returned in force, and housing prices have fallen for the first time in years, he said. We signed a massive gas deal with Egypt that will bring NIS 60 billion into state coffers.

In response, opposition MKs shouted: Just cancel the agreement already.

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Netanyahu praised the economy for being strong despite two years of war.

The war indeed challenged us, but I always said that when we win, the economy will grow significantly, and that is exactly what is happening now, he said. The British weekly The Economist ranks Israels economy among the top three in the world.

Netanyahu said the most recent outline of the controversial haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription bill was historic.

There will only be full conscription, he said.

Our law serves the country, and your law serves you politically, he told the opposition. We have increased the number of recruits fourfold. Which law is better, your draft-evasion law or our draft law? Our law serves the state; your law serves you politically.

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Netanyahu accused the opposition of attempting to derail the legislation rather than support haredi enlistment.

You are not interested in conscription, he said. Your biggest fear is that the law will work, that it will pass, and that tens of thousands of haredi men will enlist in the IDF.

We want to recruit haredim, Netanyahu said. You want to recruit them to your political campaign.

Critics argue that the current version of the haredi draft bill fails to enforce conscription and instead serves as a political solution, following the departure of the haredi parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, from the government in July over a previous version of the bill.

The IDF has repeatedly said it urgently lacks manpower, especially after two years of war.

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Netanyahu expressed support for the governments proposal of a politically appointed commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the October 7 massacre rather than one led by the judiciary.

He reiterated his opposition to an independent state commission of inquiry, which polls have shown the majority of the public supports, and victims of the October 7 massacre have called for.

In response to Netanyahus remarks about the haredi draft bill, opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) said: Bereaved families are sitting and breaking down as they watch attempts to grant the haredim an exemption.

Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz said, How did people who compare sanctions against those who evade service in the IDF to the yellow badge Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust become your natural partners?

He was referring to UTJ chairman Yitzhak Goldknopfs remarks at a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting on Sunday that likened enforcing yeshiva students conscription to the military to placing a yellow star on them.
Ten people were found guilty on Monday of cyberbullying France's First Lady Brigitte Macron and therbey exposing her to a "wave of hatred."

The defendants, eight men and two women aged between 41 and 60, were mainly sentenced to six-month suspended prison terms.

One of the convicted men received a six-month jail term due to his absence from the hearing, rather than due to the severity of his crime.

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All of them must also complete an online course on respect for others, and some have been temporarily banned from using the social media platforms they had used to insult the wife of President Emmanuel Macron.

The defendants were accused of making numerous malicious comments about Brigitte Macron's gender and her age difference with her husband. Some of the remarks included allegations of paedophilia.

The case stems from a baseless conspiracy theory circulating on social media since Emmanuel Macron's election to the presidency in 2017, claiming that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman and was born male. The Macrons have previously taken legal action against such claims.

Among the defendants were a conspiracy theorist well-known in France and a woman who presents herself as a medium and advertising specialist and whose X account has since been suspended. She is considered to have played a key role in spreading the rumour.

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In total, the defendants were ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 ($11,700).

'Wave of hatred'

In his ruling, the presiding judge spoke of a "wave of hatred" that the president's wife has been exposed to for years - with negative effects on her health.

Brigitte Macron, he said, would suffer particularly from the rumours spread on the internet because she knows that all heads of state would have heard about the conspiracy theories when she travels abroad.

Added to that, her grandchildren have also had to listen to rumours that their grandmother is actually a man, he said.

Addressing the defendants, the judge made it clear that it was irrelevant whether they had intended to harm the first lady. What counted when it came to criminal liability was the fact that Brigitte Macron had felt hurt by the malicious bullying.

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Her daughter Tiphaine Auziere said in court that the false allegations spread around the world had had an impact on her mother's health, who was "constantly on guard" in view of the constant questioning of her identity.

Some of the defendants had expressed surprise in court that they were being held accountable for spreading the rumours and had described them only as "satirical posts."

US lawsuit ongoing

President Macron and his wife Brigitte are also suing the right-wing US influencer Candace Owens for defamation in the US.

The lawsuit in the US state of Delaware is directed against Owens' claim that Brigitte Macron was born a man. The French couple accuse her of knowingly spreading false claims.
Whats That? This is a regular series that follows construction projects in El Paso. Discover whats being built, the locations, and the potential impact on your community. If you notice a construction site and ask yourself, "What's That?" send us the location and we'll work to get you an answer: APowell@elpasotimes.com.

A new water vending station is coming to South-Central El Paso.

Watermill Express offers 24-hour vending stations that provide filtered water and ice in a variety of sizes. The company estimates that a family of four using water vending stations would eliminate over 6,500 single-use water bottles and save over $600 annually.

A new Watermill Express machine will replace an old one in the parking lot of Fox Plaza Shopping Center in South-Central El Paso.

Watermill Express currently operates nearly 1,300 sites across eight states, with Texas boasting the most locations.

Where is it?

The new Watermill Express site will be located at 5597 Alameda Ave. in the Fox Plaza Shopping Center parking lot in South-Central El Paso, according to the city's permit and licensing page.

There is a wide array of shopping options in the Fox Plaza Shopping Center, including shops selling jewelry, flowers, cellphones and clothing, as well as a variety of food trucks. Across the street is a Food King grocery store, and nearby there is a McDonald's and a Peter Piper Pizza.

What was there before?

The new Watermill Express site will be a new construction on the site of an older Watermill Express location.

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Plans call for the complete removal of the old vending machine and a new prefabricated, standalone site to be located on two rented parking spaces in the shopping center parking lot. Existing utilities will be disconnected and reconnected.

More: What's that business coming to Zaragoza Road in East El Paso?

The Watermill Express vending machine is shipped in from the company's headquarters in Colorado, already inspected, approved and stamped by the state.

Who is the contractor?

The contractor for the project is not listed on the city's website, but the applicant is Ashley Hayes of Watermill Express in Brighton, Colorado. The owner is listed as RECAL Fox Plaza LTD.

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The project is valued at $30,000.

Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: New Watermill Express station to replace old one in South-Central El Paso
Unlike Pittsburgh, built on a triangle, or the District of Columbia, with spokes intersecting its grid, the city of Louisville's block grid is pretty straightforward thanks to early city designers like John Corbley and William Pope, and later Abraham Hite.

If you haven't driven the streets of the Derby City your entire life, however, there are some intersections that are a bit confusing in their design.

These are four of the wackiest intersections  at least for this reporter  to navigate near downtown.

1. Main entrance to Cave Hill Cemetery at Baxter, E. Broadway and Cherokee Road

The intersection of Baxter Avenue and Cherokee Road in the Original Highlands in Louisville, Kentucky. December 8, 2025

Let's start with the farthest one from downtown.

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Maybe you're heading to get pizza at Goodfellas or to a bar on Baxter, possibly heading for a walk at Cherokee Park or perhaps something more somber, like a trip to Cave Hill Cemetery.

The intersection of Baxter Ave., E. Broadway and Cherokee can seem a bit like a game of Who's Line is It Anyway, except it's more like Who Will Be In The Correct Lane For Where They're Trying to Head.

If you're sitting on Cherokee Road, heading west or north, there's a moment when the light turns green when you may ponder if it's your turn or the turn of the lane of traffic to your left, sitting on Baxter headed north.

The intersection of Baxter Avenue and Cherokee Road in the Original Highlands in Louisville, Kentucky. December 8, 2025

If you're sitting on E. Broadway and wanting to turn right, you're liable to run into a back-up within a block thanks to a few popular bars. But maybe the wackiest part of this intersection is if you're sitting on E. Broadway and decide to go left to head toward Nulu, you will have to look to the right. That's right. We're trained our whole lives that when we turn left to look straight ahead, for oncoming traffic, or left, to not get T-boned.

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But at this wacky intersection, the traffic that has the green light at the same time as you is coming from your far right.

Instead of this intersection being a straight forward cross, the entrance to Cave Hill Cemetery, which was established in 1846, forces a gentle curve from Broadway to Cherokee. And that's what landed it on this list.

2. The I-65S exit at Jefferson and Brook St.

Exit off I-65 at Brook and Jefferson Streets in Louisville, Kentucky. December 11, 2025.

Take I-65 South toward Exit 136C for Jefferson Street and Downtown and the wackiness begins at the light at the bottom of the exit.

This intersection landed on this list because it may deserve the nickname "Downtown Derby." When not under construction, it's five posts of cars jockeying for the proper lane to get to their downtown or out-of-downtown destination.

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Three lanes of drivers off the exit compete with multiple lanes of E. Jefferson Street traffic, all of whom seem to want to jump four lanes of traffic to the farthest left lane to turn left on first. Meanwhile, those exiting are just trying to not be bumped or thrown from their mount.

All the while, those on Brook Street get to enjoy the show.

When airplanes come within 500 feet of each other, it's considered a near miss. How many automobiles come within five feet for a near miss at this intersection?

3. I-64 overpass exit onto 9th St.

Exit off I-65 at 9th Street in Louisville, Kentucky. December 11, 2025.

Maybe it's less that the entire intersections are wacky and more that the lanes are constantly competing with others, but if you're getting off the overpass and heading south on 9th Street, that first light feels a little like I-65 South and Jefferson Street, except that you're competing with traffic coming from the other direction of I-64 also trying to head South on 9th Street.

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Then, if you're trying to get onto the I-64 overpass heading north on 9th Street, commit to going east in that far right lane or just come to terms with your mistake and cross the bridge into Indiana.

Also, fun fact, you should know that when you're driving north from 9th to I-64 or toward Indiana, you drive over a parking lot officially named by the city, Happy Birthday Parking Lot. That's pretty wacky.

4. The start of Goss Ave.

The intersection of South Shelby Street and Goss Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky. Dec. 9, 2025

OK, it's technically a road with lane-commitment issues, but stick with it.

Imagine, you're driving south on Shelby Street while thinking of the jazz at Canary Club or the famed-Magic Dust at Toasty's Tavern when your GPS tells you to turn on Goss Ave. (Remember, you didn't grow up here, or you're just really bad at directions.)

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You take a left on Goss and then are quickly forced to make a decision you weren't expecting: Do you need to be on the left lane or right? You better commit fast.

The right lane means staying on Goss. But if in your temporary moment of questioning your sanity, you choose the left lane  well, that's kind of like 'Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.' Because you just earned yourself a trip around the block. Head north on Logan to turn left on Oak, then left on Shelby to try it all again on Goss.

Let's hope you pick right at this wacky little lane commitment.

Honorary: 12th Street Connector. Because 13th Street decided to be the only numbered street that didn't continuously go North-South without a hiccup.

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Agree or disagree? Submit your letter to the editor.

Think you know an even wackier Louisville intersection? Email your annoyances to reporter Stephanie Kuzydym, skuzydym@usatodayco.com. Your responses may be used in a future story.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Are these Louisville's most confusing intersections?
Donald Trump wants the United States to take over Greenland for its strategically vital resources, to bolster US security and give China a bloody nose.

He reheated his threat to annexe the territory on Sunday following the capture of Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan dictator, hinting that Greenland could be next.

Who owns Greenland?

Mr Trumps desire to swell the US with a territory roughly the size of Texas and Alaska combined is nothing new.

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He tried to bounce Denmark into selling Greenland, which is geographically in North America, during his first presidency  but was rebuffed.

Mr Trump cancelled a 2019 state visit and branded Mette Frederiksen, Denmarks prime minister, nasty after she said the idea was absurd.

Ms Frederiksen scolded the US president on Sunday for suggesting again that the territory could become part of the US.

I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale, she said.

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Mr Trumps comments followed a social media post by Katie Miller, the wife of Stephen Miller, the presidents chief of staff, who posted a map of Greenland covered with an American flag to X. She captioned the post: SOON.

On Jan 3, US special forces carried out a military operation to capture Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuela dictator, and his wife Cilia Flores, who will face charges of drug trafficking and terrorism in a New York court on Monday.

In December, Mr Trump appointed Jeff Landry, the Louisiana governor, as his special envoy to the territory. Announcing his new position on X, Mr Landry wrote: Is an honour to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the US.

Mr Trump said he was hearing that the people of Greenland are Maga after his son Donald Trump Jr visited the island last January.

Credit: @OJoelsen/@DonaldJTrumpJr/X

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He added: Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside world. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!.

Worlds largest island

Greenland is a very large, strategically important landmass.

You take a look at a map. Im a real estate developer, Mr Trump said in an interview for The Divider, a book by The New York Times Peter Baker and The New Yorkers Susan Glasser.

I love maps. And I always said: Look at the size of this. Its massive. That should be part of the United States, he added.

However, Greenland is actually much smaller than it appears on maps because of the Mercator projection, which makes it look similar in size to Africa.

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The projection is used to create flat maps but makes landmasses larger the further away from the Equator they are.

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To impress his billionaire allies

While Mr Trump has not ruled out taking Greenland by force, his main goal appears to be to purchase the island, reportedly insisting that the idea of making Americas largest land buy since the Alaska Purchase in 1867 is all his own.

But according to The Divider, Mr Trump got the idea from Ronald Lauder, a billionaire heir to the Estee Lauder cosmetics fortune.

Mr Lauder, 80, a longtime friend of Mr Trump and a New York-born political activist, reportedly offered himself as a back channel negotiator with the Danish government.

Donald Trump Jr visited Nuuk, Greenland - Emil Stach

Some Left-leaning commentators have branded Mr Trumps coveting of Greenland as a neo-colonist urge to emulate nationalist autocrats like Vladimir Putin.

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The United States has history when it comes to buying land. Its last land purchase was 1917s acquisition of the US Virgin Islands  from Denmark.

Before then it bought Alaska from the Russian Empire (which was widely seen as an expensive mistake until gold and oil were discovered there), Louisiana from France, as well as territory from Mexico and the Philippines, now independent, from Spain.

Space base and missile defence

The US offered Denmark $100 million (79 million) for Greenland after the Second World War.

Washington instead secured a defence treaty centred on a US military base on Greenland.

Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base, has been strategically vital ever since the first years of the Cold War.

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It is the US militarys most northerly outpost and is a vital location for missile defence and space surveillance, housing Americas solid state phased array radar system, known colloquially as the ballistic missile early warning system radar network.

Buying Greenland would ensure continued access to the base, although there is no suggestion that it is at risk.

Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base, in northern Greenland, has been strategically vital ever since the first years of the Cold War - Ritzau Scanpix/Reuters

Mr Trump, nevertheless, is adamant he wants Greenland for national security reasons.

For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity, the president said on social media.

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He repeated this in December. Following Mr Landrys appointment, he told reporters at Mar-a-Lago: We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals.

If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place We have to have it.

On Jan 4, Mr Trump again described the Danish territory as being surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.

Aside from the base, Greenland is on strategic sea lanes like the Northwest Passage and the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap, and is beneath Arctic flight paths. It is on the shortest route from North America to Europe.

Russia and Chinas Arctic alliance

Moscow and Beijing have been working hand in glove to bolster their influence in the Arctic, which is a key region for transportation and resources.

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Climate change could mean new waterways and new territories for settlement being opened, raising the likelihood of a race for the Arctic amid competing superpowers.

Chinese leaders see the region as a new crossroads of the world, a new source of raw materials and new avenues for manifesting its growing power, the US defence department has said.

In 2019, Republican politicians warned China was trying to build airports on Greenland and even buy an old American naval base there.

There is no guarantee that the almost 57,000 Greenlanders will be willing to become part of the United States - IDA MARIE ODGAARD/AFP

Beijings activities are being facilitated by Russia, which continues to invest heavily in both military and economic terms in the Arctic despite its illegal war in Ukraine.

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US officials have also been concerned by joint Russian-Chinese military drills in the area, which seem aimed at Washington and its Nato allies.

Buying, or taking, Greenland would be a show of strength from the US at a time when its rivals are encroaching into the region.

Treasure trove of rare minerals

Greenland is a potential treasure trove of natural resources, including rare earth minerals.

These minerals are vital for high-end military, green energy and industrial technologies but their production and supply is dominated by China.

Beijing last month imposed export controls on the minerals in response to US controls on advanced semiconductors.

Greenland is a potential treasure trove of natural resources, including rare earth minerals. - Arctic-Images/Digital Vision

Some 37 of the 50 minerals seen as critical by the US could be found in moderate or high quantities in Greenland, based on a 2023 survey.

Lessening US dependence on Chinese supplies would be a geopolitical boost but some experts point out that buying Greenland would mean subsidising an area with the lowest per capita disposable income of any Arctic region except Russia.

Greenlands ice-sheet boasts 7 per cent of the worlds fresh water and its undeveloped oil and gas resources are thought to be the third largest in the Arctic.

Can Trump even buy Greenland?

There is no guarantee that the almost 57,000 Greenlanders will be willing to become part of the US.

In 2009, the island assumed self-rule from Denmark under an agreement that gives it the right to one day declare independence.

By becoming part of the US, Greenland would gain independence from one country while coming under the control of another.

In 2009, the island assumed self-rule from Denmark under an agreement that gives it the right to one day declare independence - IDA MARIE ODGAARD/AFP

It would also be an expensive acquisition.

In 2019, the Washington Post estimated that Greenland could cost up to $1.7 trillion  on the assumption that the island was up for sale.

What is Greenlands response?

Mute Egede, Greenlands prime minister, has rebuffed all advances to date. We are not for sale and we will not be for sale, he said in response to Mr Trumps comments, adding: We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.

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Immunity is likely to be among the defenses that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will raise in a bid to dismiss his federal indictment in New York. Specifically, he may argue that he is entitled to head of state immunity as the leader of Venezuela. Courts have recognized such sovereign protection since long before the Supreme Court granted broad criminal immunity to former U.S. presidents in Trump v. United States.

But Maduro wont necessarily benefit from that long-recognized form of immunity. The Department of Justice would likely argue that hes an illegitimate leader and therefore isnt entitled to such immunity. The indictment refers to Maduro as having previously been the Venezuelan president and by having remained in power despite losses in recent elections became the de facto but illegitimate ruler of the country.

The foreign immunity issue surfaced decades ago in the prosecution of Panamas Manuel Noriega, whose case may be the most similar to Maduros. Ruling against Noriega on appeal after his conviction, a federal appeals court panel noted that the Florida federal trial judge presiding over Noriegas case rejected his head-of-state immunity claim because the U.S. never recognized him as Panamas legitimate ruler.

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Noriega has cited no authority that would empower a court to grant head-of-state immunity under these circumstances, the 11th Circuit appellate panel wrote in its 1997 ruling.

Yet theres at least one factor that could distinguish the Noriega case in Maduros favor. The circuit panel further noted that Noriega never served as the constitutional leader of Panama, while the U.S. seems to concede that Maduro was at least at one point Venezuelas legitimate leader. That alone might not be enough for Maduro to win immunity, but his legitimacy  and who legally gets to decide that legitimacy  may play a key role in this litigation.

Maduros case is proceeding in New York, which falls under a different federal circuit, the 2nd, so the 11th Circuit ruling in Noriegas case isnt binding in New York. But New York courts can still cite it to inform their rulings in Maduros case.

Ultimately, the Supreme Court that granted Trump broad immunity may decide this or other aspects of Maduros prosecution, or both.

Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for expert analysis on the top legal stories of the week, including updates from the Supreme Court and developments in the Trump administrations legal cases.

The post Why the Maduro case will have us talking about presidential immunity again appeared first on MS NOW.

This article was originally published on ms.now
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) sees a Capitol Hill that is in chaos as more lawmakers decide to retire from Congress ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

People run on both sides of the aisle because they want to accomplish something, McCarthy said last Friday on C-SPANs Ceasefire. When nothing is happening, when its just pure fighting, people say, I could go spend my time doing something else.

And its not good when you see the number of people retiring, but also the quality of people.

According to Ballotpedia, a nonprofit political encyclopedia, eight Senators and 18 House representatives have announced that they are retiring from office this year. Additionally, 25 House members and one Senator will not seek re-election to their specific seats and instead run for other offices.

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The number of congressional lawmakers not running for re-election in 2026, now at 53 and with potentially more to come, is a record for this time in the cycle.

Whats happening now is theres fewer competitive seats, McCarthy said. So, the politicians are now picking the voters instaed of the voters picking the elected officials. Which is bad. Now were trying to make whole states decide whether theyre red or blue, and thats bad for the country.

McCarthy also pointed to the string of mid-decade redistricting efforts across several states and frustrating logjam within Congress as reasons for more lawmakers stepping down this cycle.

Congress signed just 40 bills into law in 2025, setting a modern record for lowest output in the first year of a new presidency, according to the Washington Post. That coincided with a government shutdown that lasted 43 days, the longest in U.S. history.

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And President Donald Trumps push to redraw Texas congressional maps to benefit Republicans triggered a domino effect that saw states like California, Missouri and Ohio follow suit.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said that congressional dysfunction, coupled with attacks from Trump, influenced his decision to retire rather than seek a seventh term.

Former Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said that her decision to resign on Jan. 5 came partly because the legislature has been mostly sidelined since Republicans took unified control of Washington last January.

Thats how it is for most members of Congress bills, she said. The speaker never brings them to the floor for a vote.

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Former Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) shared a similar view of why Congress appears more debilitated than ever last Friday on C-SPANs Ceasefire.

Basically, the power does not lie in the committees anymore. People want to see process, they want to see progress, Manchin said. And Kevin (McCarthy) is absolutely correct. When youve got nothing going on, and youre just twiddling your thumbs and waiting for a couple people in leadership to make a decision ... thats where I think it falls short.

Tracking the Trump Administration

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Within hours of the first US air strikes on Caracas, Donald Trump announced the seizure of his quarry.

Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan dictator, had already been captured and flown out of the country along with his wife, declared Mr Trump on his Truth Social network, which might explain why helicopters were seen clattering across the night sky above the capital.

Whatever else may follow, Mr Trump can claim to have executed the swiftest regime change operation in modern history and Americas most audacious military venture since the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Barack Obama, then the US president (second from left), and members of his senior staff watch the mission to kill Osama bin Laden - Pete Souza/AFP

To have removed Mr Maduro so rapidly must have required the co-operation of Venezuelans on the ground, almost certainly including some of the countrys military chiefs.

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He has now gained the dismal distinction of being the first Latin American president to be overthrown by the US since the late Manuel Noriega was driven from power in Panama in 1989.

The reality is that no-one should have been surprised. Mr Trump has long been signalling serious action in Venezuela and his reasoning has been carefully laid out since he returned to power.

It falls under the Trump administrations new muscular foreign policy of peace through strength and is part of a mission to guard Americas long-term interests by going after its foes.

In November, Washington published a National Security Strategy that openly proclaimed a Trump Corollary of the old Monroe Doctrine of 1823 asserting Americas pre-eminence in its own neighbourhood.

Huge explosions take place at the Venezuelan port of La Guaira during the US air strikes

After years of neglect, the United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere, states page 15 of the document, describing this as a condition of our security and prosperity.

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The strategy promises that the US will strive to control migration, stop drug flows and strengthen stability and security on land and sea. To achieve this, it will assert ourselves confidently where and when we need to in the region.

Venezuela is not dignified with a mention in this vital document, yet Mr Maduro has discovered exactly what it means when a superpower vows to assert itself wherever needed in its own region.

The dramatic scenes in Caracas amount to Mr Trumps National Security Strategy in action.

And running Mr Maduro to ground may not satisfy the US president.

Regime change in Caracas could be just the prelude to what American presidents since Kennedy have yearned for, namely regime change in Havana and the end of the hard Left and bitterly anti-American autocracy that has held sway over the island since the late Fidel Castro seized power in 1959.

Whichever general collaborated with the US may well have designs on taking power in Venezuela

Venezuela was helping to keep Cubas regime in business by supplying the country with free oil. Without this lifeline, Cubas leaders will become even more vulnerable to US pressure.

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But the immediate question is: who will succeed Mr Maduro and inherit power in Caracas? In theory, Trump has a straight answer to that question.

In 2024, Edmundo Gonzalez, an opposition leader, defeated Mr Maduro in a presidential election, prompting the regime to claim the result had been rigged and compel its opponent to go into exile in Spain.

Maria Corina Machado, another opposition leader, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, was banned from contesting that election. Until recently, she was in hiding somewhere in Venezuela.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado is a potential successor to Maduro - Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo

Either Mr Gonzalez or Ms Machado would be legitimate successors.

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But whichever general collaborated with the US to remove Mr Maduro  and that remains the most plausible explanation for the autocrats sudden downfall  may have other ideas.

They may prefer to take power themselves. Would there be a transitional period either before a new election, or the simple accession of Mr Gonzalez or Ms Machado?

Could an interim military leader be trusted to abide by any timetable for a transfer of power?

These questions will have to be answered and Mr Trump will doubtless wish to be in control as much as possible. That, after all, is what a superpower asserting its pre-eminence amounts to.

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A woman has pleaded guilty to multiple driving offences after causing the death of two people in a crash.

Taxi driver Octavian Codreanu and his passenger Moyra Whelan, 35, were killed and three others were seriously injured in the four-vehicle crash on the B4425 near Aldsworth in Gloucestershire on 2 December 2022.

Liberty Mitchell, 21 and from Chipping Norton, has now admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in relation to the collision.

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Gloucestershire Police said Mitchell was bailed and has since been handed an interim disqualification from driving ahead of sentencing on 13 February.

Mitchell, who was 18 at the time of offences, also pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by driving whilst uninsured.

Codreanu, who died at the scene, had been driving Whelan to a wedding at the time of the crash.

Described as "straight talking, fun-loving friend to many", Whelan, who worked as a school teacher and lived in London, later died in hospital.

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Emily Santamaria described her sister Rachael as a kind-hearted person who loved children, family gatherings and telling stories.

More than a year after Rachael Santamaria's death in a hit-and-run crash in West Palm Beach, her family is still seeking answers in its quest for justice.

"I think it has impacted every single person in our family in different ways," Emily said on Jan. 2 from her home in Martinsburg, West Virginia. "Through the past year, it's been very difficult, not only accepting the loss, but these horrible circumstances around it."

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Rachael Santamaria died at St. Mary's Medical Center in late October 2024, nearly three weeks after an SUV struck her as she crossed the westbound lanes of Okeechobee Boulevard on its 2000 block, near Chillingworth Drive west of Interstate 95. She was 47 years old.

Police try to ID driver in West Palm Beach crash that killed Rachael Santamaria

On Oct. 5, the night of the crash, a witness told investigators that a white SUV involved left the scene without stopping, and Santamaria's family has pushed investigators for answers ever since. Traffic homicide detectives found a potential suspect vehicle but are still attempting to identify its driver.

In December, police issued a public appeal seeking information that could bring new leads to the case.

Rachael Santamaria, 47, died after being critically injured in a hit-and-run crash on Oct. 5, 2024, in West Palm Beach. Police are asking for the public's help in finding new leads in the case.

"Rachael was a very kind soul," Emily Santamaria said. "She had dealt with a lot of struggles in her life and was constantly always working to improve herself.  She was a loving person. She had that kid-like energy."

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Rachel was a native of Martinsburg, about 75 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., and had lived in South Florida for about a year prior to her death, her sister said. Rachael had two children, three grandchildren and five siblings, with her family living in West Virginia.

Since Rachael's death, Emily said she has frequently contacted West Palm Beach police for updates and shared the family's plea for justice on her social-media pages.

"I didn't want it to be a file on someone's desk that was forgotten about," she said. "So it was important for me to continue throughout this past year of, every few weeks, keeping up with the detective for updates."

Rachael Santamaria's family to seek safety changes to Florida law

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles estimates that about 25 percent of all traffic crashes in the state involve a hit-and-run.

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Under state law, a hit-and-run crash involving a death is a first-degree felony that carries up to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors must prove that a particular person was behind the wheel of a vehicle at the time of a hit-and-run and that the driver knew they were in a crash.

Emily Santamaria said her family intends to advocate for additional changes to Florida law, as well as safety enhancements such as the installation of more traffic cameras.

"Our main goal in this to keep this from happening to another family, and I think that's what Rachael would want, too," she said.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Woman's family wants justice in 2024 West Palm hit-and-run fatal crash
At the age of 14, Caelan started working part-time in a chip shop in Aberdeen.

He thinks getting a job at such a young age made him more responsible and confident.

"When I joined I was very shy," he says. "But now I can speak to people easily."

The laws governing when and where children under 16 can work were introduced in the 1930s to crack down on child labour and safeguard their wellbeing.

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Children over 14 could be employed in 'light work' but many Scottish council areas require employers to also apply for a permit to take on a child.

Now, plans to change the law could make it easier for under-16s to work part-time.

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill is currently making its way through the House of Lords with Royal Assent expected in the coming months.

The Scottish Parliament has given legislative consent for the provisions on child employment.

If passed, it would allow teenagers under 16 more flexibility on when they can work.

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Caelan is positive about the benefits he gets from being a young worker.

Within a year of getting his job serving fish suppers at the Ashvale in Aberdeen, he says he was able to treat his mum to a holiday in Dubai.

Erin, 16, and Kenzie, 18, have worked at Ashvale chip shop in Aberdeen since they were both 15 [BBC]

His co-workers Kenzie and Erin both joined the takeaway and restaurant aged 15 and say they have had a similar experience.

Working around school hours gave Kenzie, now 18, the opportunity to save up for a car.

Erin said that although she was "really nervous" when she joined, she now doesn't "get scared talking to new people" because of her experience dealing with customers.

More flexibility

The new bill looks at all aspects of child protection and safeguarding as well as rules on school attendance.

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The section on employment will give young people more opportunity to take on work.

Plans include lifting the two-hour working limit on a Sunday, and allowing work for up to one hour before school and until 20:00 - extending the current limit from 19:00.

Although there is more flexibility on when children can work, the maximum number of hours will remain the same  up to 12 hours on a school week.

Kenzie prepared the potatoes to make chips at The Ashvale [BBC]

The new law will update the rules, which were further complicated by dated local bylaws.

These vary across the UK, with some older than others.

In Dundee, the bylaws from 1973 prohibit working in a 'coal yard' or 'collecting rags'.

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In some areas such as Angus and Edinburgh, children as young as 10 can still be employed on an occasional basis in light agricultural or horticultural work under parental supervision.

Others, including Falkirk, had no requirement for permits.

BBC Scotland also found a variation in the number of child employment permits granted by councils.

Freedom of Information responses showed none were issued in 2025 by Clackmannanshire or Inverclyde Councils  while Aberdeen City Council had issued 98.

Most local authority bylaws allow 13-year-olds to be employed in specified types of light work, which could continue.

Young worker advice

Dawn Robertson is an employment law specialist at BTO Solicitors in Glasgow. She stressed the importance of safeguarding.

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"Children should not be employed in any work that could be harmful to them," she said.

"I think the most important thing from my perspective is just that the law is not changing on that.

"Children still need to be treated as children, and we have to be very thoughtful and careful about what we do allow them to do in the workplace."

Dawn said varying council bylaws have make it more difficult for employers to keep track of the law.

"Hopefully after the bill is passed, we'll be in a position where it'll actually be a lot easier to give advice across the country to employers about this type of thing," she said.

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"I think that employers generally comply with the rules, as far as they're aware of them.

"It sounds to me like a very positive approach and a positive development to the employment of children."

Stuart Devine, owner of the Ashvale, started working when he was 15 [BBC]

Children under school leaving age are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage, paid holidays or to sick pay. This wouldn't change.

Stuart Devine is the owner of The Ashvale.

He has employed "hundreds, if not thousands" of children across a 40-year period  and started at the business aged just 15 himself.

He welcomes a potential tweak to the rules.

"It needs looking at because times have moved on," he said.

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"I think it's important from a business point of view, because obviously there are jobs that young people can fill the gaps. They actually come in generations of families.

"They're now schoolteachers, nurses, doctors, engineers offshore. I think the employment part has played a vital part in getting them to the next stage."

Harry, 15 has a paper round and a job in a local takeaway [BBC]

A few miles along the road, 15-year-old Harry is starting his evening paper round.

He delivers a few papers before school, more after school  and also works part-time in a chip shop at the weekend.

He says he has no idea what the rules are around when children can and can't work.

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For him, it's about impressing future universities and employers.

"I think it looks good on CVs and stuff like that and when you're older and you need to get a proper job," he told BBC Scotland News.

"In the future, I want to be either a lawyer or work in the stock market."

Harry would encourage other young people to find work if they can.

"I think if you put yourself out there and you go and constantly speak to any employer at 14, if they're hiring other 14-year-olds, I think you've got a pretty good shot at getting a job there if you're confident."

Skills development

Nicola Killean, Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland, was mostly positive about the changes.

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She said older children could gain valuable experience, develop their skills, knowledge and sense of independence through employment.

She added: "While we support a change to the law that offers children greater flexibility in employment, we are clear that they must continue to have their rights protected.

"The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which is incorporated into Scots law, emphasises that children must be protected from being exploited and from doing work that is dangerous or could harm their development.

"The UNCRC is also clear that work must not interfere with children's learning while they are still in education."
Jan. 4Authorities have arrested a Kalispell boy in connection with threats made against Flathead High School.

The Kalispell Police Department launched an investigation over the weekend after the threats surfaced. Officers worked closely with Kalispell Public Schools and the Flathead County Sheriff's Office to identify a suspect, authorities said.

During the investigation, law enforcement identified additional criminal activity and collected evidence to charge the youth with separate crimes, according to a press release issued by the Police Department on Sunday. The investigation into the threats remains ongoing.

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Due to the boy's age, the police did not release any more identifying information in the press release.

"The safety of our community's children is the Kalispell Police Department's No. 1 priority. We take all threats against our schools seriously and will continue to respond swiftly and thoroughly to any actions that place our students, schools, or community at risk. At this time, there is no indication of an ongoing threat to Flathead High School," Chief of Police Jordan Venezio said in a statement.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  President Volodymyr Zelenskyy replaced the head of Ukraines security service Monday, continuing a top-level reshuffle ahead of a trip to Paris where he hoped to finalize agreements with allies on how to ensure that Russia doesnt repeat its invasion if a peace agreement is signed.

Zelenskyy is trying to revamp his administration as the grinding war of attrition with Russia marks its fourth anniversary next month. He is keen to keep up the momentum of U.S.-led peace talks as well as sharpen Ukraines focus on defense if those efforts collapse.

The Paris talks are expected to include the leaders of about 30 countries, dubbed the coalition of the willing, which are ready to provide security guarantees to keep Ukraine safe in the future.

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Key issues include whether countries are prepared to deploy troops inside or close to Ukraine and what the remit of any force overseeing a ceasefire might be. Russia has said it wont accept troops from NATO countries on Ukrainian soil.

Zelenskyy's changes at the top

Zelenskyy also announced the appointment of Canadas former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland as Ukraines economic development adviser, describing her as an expert on the issues with significant experience in attracting investment and carrying out economic transformations.

Amid Ukraines biggest top-level reshuffle in about six months, Lt. Gen. Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the Security Service, or SBU, announced his resignation on the agencys website.

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Zelenskyy published a decree on the presidential website appointing Ievhen Khmara, former head of the A Special Operations Center of the Security Service, as the agencys acting head.

Under Maliuk, the SBU produced some stunning successes against Russia, including Operation Spiderweb, which Ukraine said damaged or destroyed 41 Russian military aircraft in coordinated strikes on four air bases.

On Friday, Zelenskyy appointed the head of Ukraines military intelligence as his new chief of staff.

Announcing the appointment of Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs to focus on security issues, developing its defense and security forces, and peace talks  areas that are overseen by the office of the president.

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New adviser has been a staunch critic of Putin

Zelenskyy also is looking to strengthen the war-battered economy, including through projects in partnership with the U.S. and other countries. Freeland, who is of Ukrainian heritage and is a strong critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is a former journalist and Canadian lawmaker.

Besides being a former deputy prime minister, she also served as Canadas minister of international trade, foreign minister and finance minister, and helped negotiate trade agreements with both Europe and the U.S.

The Harvard University graduate has served as Canadas special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine  a position outside the Cabinet  in addition to her responsibilities as a lawmaker.

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Freeland and U.S. President Donald Trump have had a sometimes-fraught relationship that could work against Ukraine. In Trumps first term, Freeland played a key role in negotiating the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, and occasionally frustrated Trump aides with her tactics.

During Trumps first meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office, the president recalled his own antipathy for Freeland. She was terrible, actually -- she was a terrible person, Trump said.

When Freeland left former Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Cabinet, Trump said on social media that her behavior was totally toxic.

One opposition lawmaker in Canada argued that Freeland could not be a member of the countrys parliament and at the same time work as an adviser to a foreign government.

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Ukraine seeks to counter size of Russian forces

In his New Years address, Zelenskyy said a proposed U.S.-brokered peace deal was 90% ready but warned that the remaining 10%, believed to include issues such as the future of disputed territory, would determine the outcome of the push for peace.

Moscow hasn't been forthcoming about details of the negotiations. Officials have, however, restated Russia's demands and insist there can be no ceasefire until a comprehensive settlement is agreed.

The fighting has not subsided along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line that snakes along southern and eastern Ukraine.

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Zelenskyy said he met with Budanov on Monday to look at ways to reduce Russia's edge in larger armed forces.

Russia has one significant advantage in this war, namely the ability to put pressure on Ukraine with the scale of strikes, the scale of assaults, he said on social media. We have and must respond with more active use of technology, faster development of new types of weapons, new tactics.

An overnight Russian drone strike at a private clinic in Kyivs Obolon district killed a 30-year-old old patient and injured three others, the capitals prosecutors office said Monday.

Energy workers and repair crews worked across the country after Russian drones damaged energy infrastructure, causing more power disruptions for civilians in the bitter winter, Zelenskyy said. Russia fired nine ballistic missiles and 165 long-range drones at Ukraine overnight, the air force said Monday.

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Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone sparked a fire at an industrial facility in Yelets, in Russias western Lipetsk region, according to regional Gov. Igor Artamonov. There were no casualties, he said.

The Russian airports of Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl briefly suspended flights because of Ukrainian drone attacks, authorities said.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported downing another 50 Ukrainian drones later Monday over the Belgorod, Kursk and Lipetsk regions.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Mayor Zohran Mamdani had once called for lifting US sanctions on Venezuela and blamed them for contributing to the local migrant crisis.

Mamdani had been serving as a state assemblyman when he signed onto a 2023 statement from the city chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America on the influx of migrants from the southern border.

Many of the new arrivals have been displaced as a result of destabilizing economic policies by the United States ruling class: from the climate crisis caused by multinational corporations to direct foreign interventions against nations like Venezuela, Cuba, and Guatemala, said the Sept. 18 statement, which was also signed by US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and 20 other politicians from across the state.

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The statement demanded the US government end the Rubio-Trump 2017 sanctions imposed on Venezuela.

Zohran Mamdani was previously critical of the US sanctions on Venezuela. James Messerschmidt

The root causes of the economic precarity and destabilization that has forced thousands to leave their homes and seek shelter in the United States can be attributed to US foreign policy: sanctions, exploitative trade agreements, and political coups, the statement said.

By ending sanctions on Venezuela, we can begin to improve the economic conditions contributing to destabilization and displacement.

Much of the statement criticized then-Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochuls treatment of tens of thousands of asylum seekers.

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Mamdani said on Saturday he called President Trump to personally say he opposed the administrations removal and capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a targeted military raid.

Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law, Mamdani said.

By ending sanctions on Venezuela, we can begin to improve the economic conditions contributing to destabilization and displacement, Mamdani wrote in the statement. Michael Nagle

This blatant pursuit of regime change doesnt just affect those abroad, it directly impacts New Yorkers, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans who call this city home. My focus is their safety and the safety of every New Yorker, and my administration will continue to monitor the situation and issue relevant guidance.

Mamdani had previously expressed interest in Venezuela back in 2013, saying Venezuelans should serve as monitors during disputed elections in Zimbabwe, according to his X feed.

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Shudder!! #Zimbabwes govt banned Western countries + invited monitors from Venezuela, China, Ethiopia, Sudan, Cuba, Belarus, wrote African journalist Rosebell Kagumire,

Migrants arrive at a makeshift migrant camp after they lost their way after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and were guided to the camp by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 in Boulevard, California. James Keivom

Hizzoner  who was then a Bowdoin College student  said on July 29, 2013, Venezuelas election protocol is not so shabby, why fault their capability as observers?

Kagumuire told Mamdani she was hoping Ugandan journalists would get released from prison, using the hashtag #FreeUgandaJournos.

But Mamdani stood by his position in support of Venezuelan officials serving as election monitors.

My point was more that Venezuelas inclusion shouldnt prompt a shudder, less that [Venezuelas] presence would solve all of [Zimbabwes] issues, he said.

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Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was the Maduro regimes actions that caused the upheaval and spiraling conditions in the country.

They defended the capture and arrest of Maduro, claiming the socialist dictator is a drug-trafficker.
An estimated 750 tourists stranded on the Yemeni island of Socotra on 1 and 2 Jan were directed to a campsite. (PHOTO: The Straits Times) (PHOTO: COURTESY OF MS CHEN)

A Singaporean woman has been stranded on the Yemeni island of Socotra after her flight home was cancelled amid rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the country.

Speaking to The Straits Times, the woman, who wanted to be identified only by her surname Chen for safety reasons, said she was preparing to board her return flight to Singapore on 2 Jan at the end of a group tour when she was stopped by soldiers at the airport.

Chen, who is in her 30s, said Socotra International Airport was guarded by soldiers from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council. The soldiers were preventing travellers from entering the airport premises that day.

She later learnt through news reports that all flights to and from Socotra had been suspended, with the islands airspace closed due to clashes in Yemen linked to growing tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. She also noticed armed jeeps stationed around the airport.

They asked us to turn back, Chen said, adding that she only found out about the flight cancellation around four hours before the scheduled departure.

Chen and the group she was travelling with were directed to a campsite near the city of Qalansiyah. She estimated that about 750 other tourists were also stranded there. As at 5 Jan, Chen said the stranded tourists were still staying at the campsite, with tents set up around the area.

For more on the travel disruptions, read here.
The U.S. military has seized two oil tankers linked to Venezuela in successive actions in the Caribbean and North Atlantic.

According to the Associated Press, U.S. forces boarded a Russian-flagged ship in the North Atlantic on Wednesday, seized the vessel and turned over control to law enforcement. The U.S. military had been pursuing the tanker since last month, when it evaded a U.S. blockade on sanctioned oil vessels around Venezuela.

Separately, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted another Venezuela-linked tanker in Latin American waters, Reuters reported.

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The seizures come days after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a brazen overnight military operation, prompting questions over who is in control of the Latin American country and its vast oil reserves.

Writing late Tuesday on social media, Trump said Venezuela would soon be turning over about two months' worth of oil  30 to 50 million barrels  to the United States.

Americas intervention in Venezuela has also reignited tensions around Trumps long-stated desire to make Greenland part of the United States. The White House stated in a press release that military force is always an option for annexing the massive, semiautonomous Arctic island, which Trump claims the U.S. needs for national security reasons.

European leaders stood firm in their stance that citizens of the Danish territory should decide their own fate.

Greenland belongs to its people, they wrote in a joint statement.

Our live coverage has ended for the day.
Here are some business tidbits from around the Yakima Valley:

 Another new Asian restaurant appears ready to open soon. ONoodles is coming to the former Mama Cories Kitchen site at 114 Staff Sgt. Pendleton Way in downtown Yakima. A peek at the site this past week showed renovations well underway. The restaurants website, onoodlesyakima.com, indicates a Thai menu featuring noodle soup, rice plates, desserts and beverages coming soon.

 The Better Future Finders Thrift Store recently opened at 601 W. Lincoln Ave., Suite A, in a former salons location. According to the BFF Thrift website, the store will serve as both a resource center and a hub for empowerment  where young people and community members can learn soft skills, gain hands-on experience, and build pathways to personal and professional growth.

Every purchase and every donation directly supports Better Future Finders programs  training, mentorship, empowerment and community connection. For more information, visit betterfuturefinders.org.

 A City of Yakima building permit was issued Nov. 13 for Crafted. The restaurant at 22 N. First St. applied for new seating on the second level, new staff restrooms and a rebuild of the interior stairs.

 Ground has been broken for another car wash in the Valley Mall Boulevard corridor near Costco. Michigan-based Tommy's Express Car Wash is expected to open by the middle of the year at 28 Adelyn Way, near McCurley Subaru and a new Wendy's restaurant. The Union Gap location will become one of more than 270 Tommy's Express locations across North America and Europe, the company announced in a Dec. 29 news release. For more information, visit tommys-express.com.

 A building permit for a new drive-thru snack shop at 1414 S. 18th St. was issued Nov. 25. The business would be near the Coffee Bug coffee stand, just south of East Nob Hill Boulevard and just west of Casino Caribbean Yakima.
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President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Freedom to former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on May 3, 2024.
"A new compromise is needed between Budapest and the provinces and between the capital and the government," Gergely Karacsony, the mayor of Budapest, said on Facebook.

The mayor called for "relief from the oppression that we ourselves created, from the bad reflexes, from the burden of indifference and of being divided". Such a relief could help realise "the simple truth ... that the nation and the nation's capital could only rise together".



Karacsony referred to 2025 as a "chaotic and ominous year of daily struggle" in which Budapest leaders had "had to protect the city again and again from the government's petty policy of extortion."



He noted the government's "Christmas present" of plans to levy a solidarity tax of almost 100 billion forints on Budapest in 2026, and said that the city's landmark Chain Bridge "could be refurbished four times" from that grand total.



He also said that Budapest could not pay the tax "even if it halved the number of buses, trams and metro trains", adding that "the government has not given up its plan to ruin Budapest".



"But I won't allow them to break Budapest's backbone; they have pushed the city to the wall ... but we won't stop but break through that wall," the mayor pledged.



"If the government refuses to drop its policy against Budapest, the only thing left for us to do will be to replace the government," Karacsony said. He added that "the hope for change has now become a chance ... that is exactly why they want to strangle Budapest, because if Budapest can breathe a sigh of relief, then so can the country."





Source: MTI  Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.



Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.



XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com



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Prime Minister Viktor Orban said there was a good chance the events in Venezuela could lead to a more favourable situation for Hungary on global energy markets at an international press conference in Budapest.

Orban called the events over the weekend a "powerful proclamation of the new world" and said the United States, together with Venezuela, now controlled 40-50pc of global oil reserves and could have a strong influence on prices.



"We expect the Americans will need cheap energy for the economic programme announced by the president," he said. "That's good news for Hungary," he added.



Orban: No Hungarian citizen affected or injured in military action in Venezuela



No Hungarian citizen has been affected or injured in the military action in Venezuela, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Facebook late on Saturday.



The government is in constant contact with ambassadors in the region to ensure that no Hungarian gets in trouble in Venezuela, the prime minister added.



"Today, we also discussed with the most important players in Hungary's energy sector ways to prevent the price-raising effects of the crisis in Venezuela. The Hungarian government is at work," Orban concluded his post.



Szijjarto: No Hungarian citizens harmed during US operation in Caracas



No Hungarian citizens were harmed during the events involving US operations in Caracas, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Saturday.



A single Hungarian citizen in the Venezuelan capital who is registered for consular protection has been contacted and they are well, Szijjarto said on Facebook.



"We are aware of two Hungarian citizens who are in prison in Venezuela, one of them in a rural location that was not affected, and the other in the capital, but that area was also not affected by the events," he added.



If there are any Hungarian citizens in Venezuela who have not registered for consular protection, they can contact the Hungarian honorary consul in Caracas or the Dutch consulate representing Hungarian interests in case of trouble, he said. Hungary's embassy in Quito is on call around the clock, he added.



Boka: EU foreign policy 'in grave crisis'



The statement of Kaja Kallas, the European Union's high representative for foreign and security affairs, on the situation in Venezuela has shown that the EU's common foreign policy "is in grave crisis," Janos Boka, the EU affairs minister, said on Facebook.



"Beyond voicing certain wishes, the EU has nothing to say about the situation or the region, and it is unable to articulate its regional interest in a new era of world powers' politics," Boka said. He said the EU had so far lacked the means to become "a consequential player", and no change was to be expected on that front.



The statement was a "sign of weakness and of a full misinterpretation of international relations", he said, adding that the EU should refrain from issuing such statements if it was looking to become a global player.



Meanwhile, "Hungary's government is doing its job: it is doing everything it can to ensure the safety of Hungarian citizens in Venezuela and to ensure Hungary's energy supplies; it also continues to monitor the situation closely," Boka said.



MTI Stock Photo - for illustrative purposes only



Source: MTI  Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.



Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.



XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com



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The Gothic Disorder Festival IV returns to the S8 Underground Club in Budapest on Friday, June 6, 2025, featuring a dark lineup that includes local and international acts like Ductape and Black Nail Cabaret.

This fourth installment continues the "Hungarian dark post-punk revolution" with a night of live concerts followed by an industrial and gothic DJ set that runs until dawn.



Dark music on two stages:



Undertheskin [PL] - post punk

Utolso Hullam - goth rock

Pixelplants - dark pop

HOLT - goth rock

Dazzled - shoegaze

Sovargas - dark post punk

Liminal Maze - dark wave



After: Lvcretia + DJ~Hullam + guests



Tickets:

s8underground
During the New Year Holiday,Lingnan Xintiandi in Foshan welcomed visitors to experience a garden tour and theater performances. For three consecutive days, shadow puppetry was performed at the centuries-old Longtang Poetry Society. Amidst the dynamic interplay of light and shadow, classic shadow puppetry seamlessly blended with modern performance techniques. Tales such as "Wu Song Fights the Tiger," "The Secret of the Nian," and "The Big Bad Wolf" unfoled one after another. Timeless classics met modern adaptations, revitalizing the historic architecture and traditional craftsmanship in the New Year. #citylife

SHOW






Stretching 218 kilometers in the shape of "8", the highway in Huizhou's Nankun Mountain-Luofu Mountain Pioneer Area unfolds like a flowing landscape painting. Known as one of Guangdong's "Most Scenic Tourism Highway", it is also a golden corridorfor rural revitalization. Driving along the route, travelers pass the clear waters of Xiangang Reservoir, glide beneath the shade of centuries-old banyan trees, and pause at peaceful homestays amid rice fields. What comes into view is not only natural scenery, but also a vivid example of the project Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Project in action across Guangdong.

2188......






APEC 'China Year' sees first tech-focused auto show this May

As the year 2026 marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Auto Show enters a new chapter, celebrating its 30th anniversary.

2026-01-05 22:53:52
Veteran South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki, known as The Nations Actor, has died at 74 following a sudden collapse and cardiac arrest, after battling blood cancer.
A 40-year-old Hindu woman in Kaliganj, Jhenaidah, Bangladesh, was allegedly gang-raped, tied to a tree, and had her hair cut, highlighting growing attacks on minorities. India has expressed concern over repeated violence against minority communities, while the Bangladesh government claims it is committed to their protection.
The violence had erupted during the protests against CAA and NRC Khalid was booked under the anti-terror law UAPA Earlier, Delhi Police had opposed Khalid's bail plea, saying he was facing serious charges under the UAPA
New Bedford, Mass., has no shortage of moving companies, but which can you trust? To find out which companies will move your belongings safely, professionally, efficiently and at a great price, we did the research. We evaluated thousands of reviews, investigated company policies, looked up Better Business Bureau (BBB) scores (read more about BBB scores in our BBB accreditation guide) and called our top picks to make sure we had the freshest, most accurate information to share. The result? A guide with all the details you need to make the best choice for your New Bedford move.

Top New Bedford movers

The best moving company in New Bedford for YOU

When youre trying to choose the best moving company for your needs, you need to consider your budget, your needs, and your time frame  the best movers for you will fit those unique-to-you factors. When we created the recommendations in this guide, we focused on businesses with outstanding reputations and researched their pricing, their licensing status, and their service offering.

We think Restoration Movers, formerly Mass Bay Movers, is the best overall moving company in New Bedford for its wide range of services, excellent reviews, and its on-site, climate-controlled storage. Our best alternative pick, Esquire Moving and Storage, offers transparent pricing and top-notch service. But whatever youre looking for, we think weve got a moving company that has what you need.

Table of contents

Best moving companies in New Bedford, Mass.

Restoration Movers is the best overall New Bedford moving company

Movers from Restoration Movers help move a woman into her new home. (Restoration Movers)

Founded in 2015, Restoration Movers (formerly Mass Bay Movers) rebranded in late 2025 and now serves the greater Boston area and New England with a full range of moving services and, as the name suggests, water and fire damage relocations. (Since the change is so recent, many online reviews and BBB listings still appear under the Mass Bay Movers name.)

The company charges $220 an hour for three movers and a truck, with additional movers added at $60 an hour and additional trucks at $25 an hour. Phone or FaceTime estimates for moving or packing are available. Travel is assessed at a flat rate based on the average time to the destination and charged at the same hourly rate by the half hour.

There is an additional charge, based on the total weight of the move, for supplies like tape and shrink wrap  the representative we spoke to said that while the total amount can vary significantly per move, an average residential move is often between $150 and $300. Most small residential moves take a minimum of about three hours, so customers can generally expect to spend at least $660 plus supplies and travel.

If youll need storage, Restoration Movers has you covered, too: The company owns 50,000 square feet of climate-controlled, video-monitored warehouse space with more than 6,000 vaults that can be booked for short- or long-term storage. (Short-term storage of fewer than seven days on the loaded truck is also possible.)

Services offered

Local and long-distance moves

Water and fire damage restoration services

Residential and commercial moves

Boarding school and college moves for faculty facilities

GPS-monitored trucks

Senior moves

Climate-controlled and video-monitored storage

The company representative recommended booking a date at least two and a half weeks out during the slower winter months, or as much as four to six weeks out during the summer rush. A $100 charge to your credit card holds the date; the final bill can be charged to the same card or split between cards without additional credit card fees. All movers are background checked, work directly for the company, and receive extensive training.

The company is not accredited by the BBB, but has an A+ rating, with one complaint in the past three years. On Google, Mass Bay Movers has a 4.9-star average from 582 reviews, with customers highlighting efficient, prompt service and excellent communication. The company has fewer reviews on Yelp (25) and Angi (44) but maintains strong scores on both platforms  a perfect five-star rating on Yelp and 4.9 on Angi  with similar praise for professionalism and fair pricing.

Mass Bay Movers Peabody office is located at 58 R Pulaski Street, Building 14, Unit 108, Peabody, Mass., 01960, and is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. To get more information or a quote, call 978-723-7075. You can also request a quote directly on the website.

Customer testimonial

I cannot recommend this company enough! From the initial phone call, follow up and the actual move, they were excellent. Guy and his crew moved us out of our home. I was so impressed with the care they gave all of our items! Guy said he treats everything like he would want his things to be treated. He and his crew truly do! They wrapped everything with such care. They made moving look easy! He and his crew were so professional, helpful and efficient. All while smiling the whole time! They made moving look easy! They have a very good system and are a great team. - Erin B., Google reviews ()

* See Google reviews * See Yelp reviews

Restoration Movers Best overall New Bedford mover Restoration Movers Restoration Movers brings 10 years of experience to residential moves, commercial moves and restoration relocation projects, as well as senior moves and boarding school and college moves. Recently rebranded from Mass Bay Movers, the company also offers more than 50,000 square feet of monitored, climate-controlled warehousing for both short and long-term storage. Pros Expertise in restoration and water/fire damage

Climate-controlled and video-monitored storage

Background checks for movers Cons Fewer Yelp reviews than competitors Get estimate

Esquire Moving & Storage Inc. is our top alternative New Bedford mover

Workers from Esquire Moving & Storage Inc. carry boxes to the moving truck. (Esquire Moving & Storage Inc.)

Boston-based Esquire Moving & Storage has been in the moving business since 2013, and the company completes moves in Massachusetts and across the country, supported by a full-service offering that includes packing, junk removal and cleaning services, white-glove service, and car shipping.

For a three-bedroom move, a company representative recommended a three-man crew and truck, which starts at $165 an hour for labor. The price includes all mileage, gas, tolls, and furniture assembly/disassembly, as well as move supplies. There is a three-hour move minimum, and subsequently, hours are charged in 15-minute increments. So, the least you'll pay for a move with this company is $495 for labor, before adding travel time or any extra services. Heavyweight items (those exceeding 300 lbs) can be moved for a separate charge of $120 per item.

No deposit is required. While Esquire can often accommodate short-notice moves, booking at least 48 hours in advance is recommended. All movers are background checked. Packing services are charged at the same hourly rate as moving, and storage in the companys climate-controlled facilities can be arranged separately.

Services offered

Long and long-distance residential moves

Packing, appliance moving, labor-only moves

Able to accommodate small moves and same-day moves

Junk removal

Art and antique moves

Appliance moving

White glove moves

The company accepts payment in cash, by check and by credit card. Cash payments receive a 3% discount; credit card payments are assessed a 4% surcharge.

Esquire Moving has more than 297 reviews on Google, with an average star rating of 4.8. Customers praise the professional, speedy service, great prices, and timeliness of the move crews. While the company has a 4.5-star rating across a similar number of reviews on Yelp, there are more negative reviews, complaining of extra charges to the bill and missing items. Reviewers on Angi give the company a 4.4-star rating. The company is accredited by the BBB and has an A+ rating, with no complaints.

To get more information or start a quote, you can reach Esquire Moving at 617-952-1505, by email at info@esquiremoving.com, or by chat on their website. You can also submit an online request for a quote by providing some basic move information on the site. Esquire Moving & Storage is located at 9 Charles Park Road, Boston, Mass., 02132. The office is open by appointment only.

Customer testimonial

Fantastic service from booking to move-in day. Best rate I found after much research, and they called twice to confirm leading up to the move. The two guys helping us move from storage to our 3rd floor walk-up apt were amazing! Careful with our items and speedy fast moving everything. The quote range was accurate with the amount of time it took. Pretty seamless. Highly recommend. - Cristina M., Google reviews ()

* See Google reviews * See Yelp reviews

Esquire Moving & Storage Inc. Best alternative New Bedford movers Esquire Moving & Storage Inc. With more than 12 years of experience in the greater Boston area, Esquire Movers handles residential moves in Massachusetts and beyond. All employees are background checked and trained, and the company offers a range of move-day services including packing, junk removal and cleaning, as well as special services like military moves, same-day moves and art and antique moving. Pros Transparent pricing

3% cash discount

White-glove service available

Background checks for movers Cons 4% credit card surcharge Get estimate

BLVD Moving is the best national moving company

A BLVD Moving semi-truck in a parking lot (BLVD Moving)

At Yahoo Local, we focus on showcasing businesses in the community while also acknowledging that larger national moving companies can be the right choice for certain customers and types of relocations. If you are weighing the benefits of each, our guide comparing local movers vs. national carriers can help. In our review of leading national providers across the country, BLVD Moving received our top score.

BLVD Moving is managed by relocation specialists with long-standing experience in the field. The company operates four physical offices in California yet provides local and long-distance moving services nationwide. It is a family-run, independent business that owns its fleet of trucks and employs its own crews. Its terms and conditions also state that subcontractors or outside agents may be used for particular jobs. This approach is common in the moving industry as it helps companies handle higher volumes, though customers should still take note.

To gain insight into costs, we requested a quote from BLVD Moving for a 500-mile relocation with an estimated load of approximately 1,340 cubic feet. This is similar in size to a standard three-bedroom home without major appliances. The quote totaled roughly $6,700, which aligns with pricing from comparable long-distance movers. A 33% deposit is required at booking. Half of the remaining balance is due at pickup and the rest must be paid when the shipment arrives.

Services Offered

Local and long-distance relocations

Residential commercial and office moving

Professional packing

Storage solutions

Financing options

Customers who cancel at least two business days before the scheduled pickup are eligible for a full refund of their deposit. For deliveries, BLVD provides a window of two to 21 business days, depending on the destination. This timeline begins on the customers chosen delivery date so some moves may extend beyond a month.

BLVD recommends scheduling your move at least 30 days early. For high-demand periods such as summer or the beginning and end of each month, securing a spot even earlier is advisable. Requesting a quote is straightforward. You can complete a virtual walkthrough or submit an online inventory form for a faster estimate. Financing is offered with rates starting at 0% for qualified applicants.

The company is accredited by the BBB and holds a B rating. It has received 99 complaints, which is typical for a mover serving customers nationwide. On Google, the company has a 4.5-star average from 1,450 reviews. On Yelp, it holds a 2.4-star rating from 392 reviews. All movers are direct employees who have passed background screenings.

BLVDs headquarters are located at 21622 Plummer Street, Chatsworth, Calif., 91311. The office operates daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST. To request a free estimate, call 844-274-0500 or visit the companys website.

Customer testimonial

This company did a great job with our cross country move. They were very professional took care of all the paperwork and handled my items with care. Every single step of the process was explained to me and I felt very comfortable with the process when they were done. Excellent customer service.. - Lacie B., Google reviews ()

* See Google reviews * See Yelp reviews

BLVD Moving Best overall national mover BLVD Moving BLVD Moving stands out as the best national moving company for its experience, flexible service options, and strong Google reputation. Based in California, the company operates seven days a week and offers comprehensive moving services across the United States. Its movers undergo background checks, the quote process is fast and straightforward and its cancellation terms are more customer-friendly than many competitors. Pros Company-operated trucks and moving staff

Fully vetted, background-screened movers

Offers both local and interstate relocations

Quick and convenient virtual quoting process Cons May partner with third-party carriers for some moves

Requires a higher upfront deposit than some competitors

Does not provide real-time GPS shipment tracking

Customer feedback varies across review platforms Get estimate

More best New Bedford movers

Seven Moving Great flexible movers Seven Moving Since 2011, Brookline, Mass.-based Seven Moving has been serving the greater Boston area with full-service moves both residential and commercial. Rates start at $129 an hour for weekday moves with an 18-foot truck and two-man crew, and no deposit is required outside of the busy summer move season. (Over the summer youll need to pay a $90 nonrefundable deposit.) The company offers a 5% discount for paying cash. Seven Moving also offers packing and unpacking service, disassembly and reassembly, storage, piano and heavy item moves, and hoisting service (generally $30 per item, per flight) for getting items in and out of windows or balconies when they cant fit through the stairs. Pros Can do hoisting and heavy items

Discounts for booking weekday moves and paying cash

No deposit required outside of summer season Cons 3% surcharge on credit card payments Get estimate

Safe Responsible Movers City specialist movers Safe Responsible Movers For Safe Responsible Movers, its all in the name  the Boston-based companys goal is reliable moves throughout the state of Massachusetts. Safe Responsible Movers does residential and commercial moves as well as no-job-too small moves for single items and Peleton exercise equipment, loading and unloading jobs, and overnight storage. And if youre moving in Boston, Somerville, or other cities where moving trucks need a parking permit, the company can arrange for them for you. (The movers are experienced with the ins and outs of narrow, cobbled city streets, too.) Prices are charged hourly by the quarter hour with a two-hour minimum with no deposit required. Pros All size moves accepted, even single items

Will obtain parking permits where needed

Nursing home and assisted living moves Cons Moves within Massachusetts only

Does not take credit cards; cash or check only Get estimate

RARE Moving & Storage Company Excellent full-service moving option RARE Moving & Storage Company RARE Moving & Storage offers a wide breadth of services to movers within the Boston area as well as long-distance. The Boston-based company can handle residential and commercial moves, as well as packing; moving for delicate items like pianos, art, and antiques; and junk removal and cleaning. RARE also offers climate-controlled storage as well as furniture restoration, and sends ongoing reports so you always know how your move is progressing. Pros White-glove service available

Climate-controlled storage

Offers junk removal and cleaning service

Can handle furniture restoration

Art, antique, and piano moves Cons Fewer Google reviews than competitors Get estimate

You can count on Yahoo Local moving advice, and this is why

Yahoo has been an information resource for decades, and our Yahoo Local guides follow in that tradition. Its our mission to give you all the facts you need to know which local businesses you can trust, and which ones are worth your money. But dont just take our word for it: Check our work. Weve laid out the criteria we use to make our picks here, in our full methodology guide. Were confident that the custom ranking system we built highlights the very best local companies, and we stand by the lists we make. We dont accept sponsored picks on our lists, and we dont accept payment for consideration, ever.

Below is everything that went into the rankings for our list of the best moving companies in New Bedford:

97 movers evaluated

13,684 customer reviews and ratings from five sources

14 ranking criteria incorporated

Interviewed or connected with all three featured movers

Independent price quotes sourced from all three featured moving companies

Independently researched and fact-checked by Yahoo

Recommendations are maintained and updated regularly

Massachusetts moving FAQs

What info should you have when requesting an estimate?

You do not need every detail ready, but movers will need a general sense of where you are moving from and to, the size of your home, and whether you have any heavy or specialty items. It also helps to mention if you will need packing, supplies, or storage. Even broad information such as your neighborhood or the number of bedrooms is usually enough for movers to give you a preliminary quote.

For more guidance, see our guide to getting an accurate moving estimate.

What should you know about packing and storage in Massachusetts?

In Massachusetts, you (and your things in storage) get all four seasons, with hot summers, cold and snowy winters and damp falls and springs. The extremes in temperature, combined with the risk of flooding from snow and rain, mean its extra important that any place you store your goods be well-protected from water. Even a small amount of water in your storage unit can wreak havoc, causing mold to spread and papers and fragile items to disintegrate.

If youll be storing items like antique furniture, artwork, musical instruments, electronics, or any other delicate items, consider investing in climate-controlled storage. Highs or lows in temperature  or worse, swings between the two  can cause cracking and warping in wood furniture, melting and damage to electronics, and swelling and shrinking in instruments and artwork that can cause irrevocable changes.

What's different about condo and apartment moving in Massachusetts

If youll be moving into or out of a condo or apartment in Massachusetts, taking a few extra steps can help your move run smoothly.

If your building is a walk-up, let your moving company know ahead of time  especially if youll be moving heavy or oversized items. (Many companies will ask you to share details of the number and length of staircases in your initial estimate.) Be aware that some moving companies charge extra for stairs, either as a flat rate or per staircase, or will have limits on what they will and wont carry on stairs.

If your move will be in an elevator building, speak to your building management company or super in advance to find out if the elevator is first-come, first-served for moves or if youll need to make arrangements in advance. Some buildings will have a service elevator that movers can use, which can speed up your move without inconveniencing your neighbors.

Some buildings require that movers provide the building with a certificate of insurance (COI) to ensure they have sufficient insurance to cover any damage to the building. If your building requests a COI, make sure your moving company can provide one by the date needed.

Do you need moving permits or licenses to move in Massachusetts?

Theres no statewide requirement for households to get permits or licenses to move into or within Massachusetts, although all moving companies that operate within the state are required to have a DPU household goods mover license, which is issued by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) and overseen by the Transportation Oversight Division. If you want to know more about the specific regulations moving companies are required to follow, check out our guide to moving company regulations in Massachusetts.

How much should you tip movers in Massachusetts?

While you never have to tip your movers, you may want to  especially if they did an especially good job to make your moving day a smooth one. If you do decide to tip your moving crew, you have a few options. (For a deep dive into the subject, check out our guide to tipping movers.)

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The local casino industry closed out 2025 with total gross gaming revenue (GGR) of MOP247.4 billion.

The final figure confirms the forecast made by the previous government of Ho Iat Seng, which estimated MOP240 billion in revenue for this year, while it is well above the revision by the current government, led by Sam Hou Fai, which projected just MOP228 billion. The 2025 result represents a recovery of the sector to 84.6% of the 2019 level (MOP292.5 billion).

Contributing to this result was strong performance in December 2025 (MOP20.9 billion), averaging approximately MOP674 million per day. December results showed 14.8% year-on-year growth and a return to about 91% of the level seen in December 2019. Still, the figure was below the forecasts of several market analysts, who expected a result 35% higher.

According to a report from Citigroup, one of those that had forecast higher GGR in December, the shortfall was primarily due to an unusually low VIP hold, likely below 3%.

After a slow start to the year, with monthly results mostly below the MOP20 billion per month mark, the second half of the year delivered an average of MOP21.4 billion per month, accounting for the final yearly average of MOP20.9 billion.

After the full-year results of 2025 were known, several market analysts provided their insights on 2026. Deutsche Bank expects 2026 to deliver 5.8% growth, implying a total GGR of MOP261.8 billion. The analysts noted that this forecasted growth will be driven by a stronger first quarter, which is expected to deliver a 10.6% year-over-year increase.

JP Morgan analysts also expect GGR to grow by 5%6% this year, with full-year GGR projected to range from MOP259.8 billion to MOP262.2 billion.

Commenting on the results of 2025, JP Morgan analysts pointed out that the years performance was primarily due to a high-performing VIP sector that grew by more than 23%, as well as better-than-expected performance in the mass market and slots, which also grew by more than 7%.

Also providing insights on 2026 was Citigroup, which noted that the year is expected to start strong, particularly in the first two months, when it expects a double-digit increase.

Locally, the president of the Macau Institute of Management, Samuel Tong, followed a similar view to multiple analysts, forecasting GGR in 2026 to reach MOP260 billion. Tongs forecast points to growth of around 5%.

All these predictions contrast with the government forecast of MOP236 billion for 2026, which, if realized, would represent a 4.6% drop from 2025. Initially missing from Sam Hou Fais Policy Address for 2026, the governments GGR forecast was only disclosed during discussions on the 2026 budget bill at the Legislative Assembly.

At the time, several lawmakers criticized the governments MOP236 billion projection, calling it too conservative and disconnected from reality.

One of the lawmakers most critical of the forecast was Kevin Ho, who remarked that such a projection signals a decline in the gaming industrys performance and, rather than being merely conservative, could pose an economic risk by sending the wrong message to investors and revealing a pessimistic view of the local economy for the coming year.

Before the full-year results were known, investment bank CLSA also joined those disagreeing with the governments forecast, upgrading its 2026 GGR outlook and noting that revenue is most likely to rise by about 5% year-on-year.

The MOP260 billion figure forecast by most market analysts implies monthly GGR of around MOP21.7 billion, about MOP1 billion higher than the 2025 average. This result (MOP21.7 billion or above) was achieved in 2025 in three separate months  July, August, and October  with the latter representing the years high of MOP24.1 billion.

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Authorities plan to expand the taxi fleet by 800 vehicles in 2026, including an increase of accessible taxis from seven to 28. Advocates are urging taxi companies to reserve a portion of these accessible vehicles for seniors and wheelchair users, citing high demand and frequent fully booked rides. Wong Kuok Ieng of the Transport Advisory Committee suggested dedicated priority booking channels and driver training on wheelchair lifts, while Ho Kuok Meng of the Macau Association for the Promotion of Services for the Disabled highlighted that existing services still fall short for urgent travel needs.

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Macau continues to face cold, dry weather, with temperatures between 13-22 degrees Celcius under sunny skies and north- to north-easterly winds of force 3-4, the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) forecasts. Minor flooding may occur in the Inner Harbour area from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. due to high tide. Authorities advise residents to dress warmly amid sharp daynight swings. Lows could dip to 10 degrees today through Thursday, with humidity at 35%80% and gusty winds. A winter monsoon is forecast to bring slight warming in the coming days, but colder conditions are expected mid- to late-week, with fine, dry weather.

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Senior officials rang in the new year by hailing 2025 as a landmark year for governance and economic diversification, echoing President Xi Jinpings message with vows for strict constitutional adherence and legal reforms.

The Liaison Office of the Central Peoples Government in Macau, Beijings top body overseeing the semi-autonomous region, said in its statement that Macau had strictly fulfilled its duties in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law while resolutely preventing and opposing external forces from interfering in Macau affairs.

It described the year as of great significance in the practice of One country, two systems with Macau characteristics, adding that the city had thoroughly studied and implemented the spirit of President Xi Jinpings important speeches during his inspection of Macau.

Liu Xianfa, commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Peoples Republic of China in Macau, touted a fruitful 2025 marked by key milestones.

He cited the successful eighth Legislative Assembly elections in Macau, as well as steady progress in moderate economic diversification and improved governance efficiency in the city.

Liu said external exchanges in 2025 showed a new look, with Macau expanding its role as a connector through the construction of one center, one platform, and one base.

He recalled the establishment of the China-Portuguese (Spanish) Language Countries Economic and Trade Service Center, alongside deepened pragmatic cooperation with Portuguese-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and high-quality Belt and Road countries.

He also noted significant progress in facilitating the opening up of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, while protecting the rights of Macau residents overseas under the principles of diplomacy benefiting Macau and diplomacy for the people.

In the realm of culture and meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE), Liu highlighted that Macau was named Best Asian Conference City and Best Conference and Business City for the second straight year.

Macaus international circle of friends has expanded, and the international influence and reputation of Macau, China have greatly increased, stated the commissioner.

Looking to 2026, Liu said this year would kick off Chinas 15th Five-Year Plan and Macaus third, offering a period of opportunity for economic diversification through higher-level opening up and serving Chinas diplomacy.

Meanwhile, Zheng Xincong, director of the Macau Liaison Office, framed 2025 as the conclusion of Chinas 14th Five-Year Plan amid a complex and volatile international situation. Zheng said that under President Xi Jinpings leadership, China overcame challenges to meet its economic and social goals. These included the successful convening of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee, which outlined a development blueprint for the next five years.

The director of the Macau Liaison Office also spotlighted technological advancements, writing that Chinas innovation index ranking jumped to 10th globally, and its number of artificial intelligence patents accounted for 60% of the global total. Breakthroughs included DeepSeek large-scale models, domestically produced humanoid robots, and the commissioning of the Fujian aircraft carrier.

On sports, he wrote that Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau jointly hosted the 15th National Games for the first time, and the Macao delegation achieved its best results in history.

Looking ahead, Zheng pledged that the Liaison Office will support the SAR government in governing according to law and fulfilling their responsibilities. We will strive to demonstrate new achievements in safeguarding national security and social stability, achieve new breakthroughs in promoting moderately diversified economic development, especially in the construction of Hengqin, he wrote.

Alignment on rule of law, election integrity

Ao Ieong Seong, Macaus commissioner against corruption, pledged to align efforts with President Xi Jinpings expectations by fulfilling duties under the law and advancing legal system improvements, in tune with the chief executives vision of Macau based on the rule of law.

To that end, the CCAC plans to launch studies this year on the Law on Prevention and Suppression of Corruption in the Private Sector, addressing societal calls for fair employment and shielding residents job access from corruption.

The agency also stated it aims to swiftly probe commercial offenses, run awareness campaigns to nurture an honest business culture and fair competition, and provide legal safeguards for Macaus economic diversification and a cleaner business environment.

The CCAC also noted that the eighth Legislative Assembly elections were recognized in an article by Gang Ao Ping from the Hong Kong and Macau Working Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. This outcome, the corruption watchdog said, reflected public opinion and marked a milestone in high-quality democracy under One country, two systems, the Constitution, the Basic Law, and Macaus realities.

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Former Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng was awarded the Grand Lotus Medal of Honour upon leaving office, following in the footsteps of his predecessors Edmund Ho and Fernando Chui, in recognition of his efforts in effectively addressing the severe challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and his commitment to driving economic recovery and social development in the post-pandemic period.

Current Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai announced the 2025 Honours List on the last day of 2025, based on recommendations from the Committee of Nomination of Medals and Honorary Titles.

The official profile noted that Ho Iat Seng dedicated himself to optimizing and upgrading the integrated tourism and leisure industry, ensuring the lawful and orderly development of the gaming sector, enhancing the legal framework and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security, and initiating the implementation of the 1+4 economic diversification development plan.

In response to the list of honorees, Hos office issued a press release stating that Ho Iat Seng was deeply honored to receive the award.

The statement said that the distinction represents the collective achievement of the entire community working together for the better development of the Macao Special Administrative Region, with his government uniting all sectors of society to overcome challenges.

The statement also noted his gratitude to Sam Hou Fai and the Macau government, expressing particular thanks to the central government for its consistent trust and steadfast support.

According to the statement, Ho holds a sincere belief in promoting core values such as patriotism and love for Macau as essential for the regions future development and unity, and he believes these values will continue to be supported and emphasized in Macaus progress.

The fifth group of government officials to receive the Grand Lotus Medal includes former Legislative Assembly president Kou Hoi In, former Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosario, former Auditor-General Ho Veng On, and former director-general of the Macau Customs Service Vong Man Chong. The conferment ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Macau Cultural Centre later this month.

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The number of newborns in Macau has reached a new low, with the Health Bureau (SSM) reporting just 2,871 births last year.

The number of newborns in Macau has been on a steady decline in recent years. In 2022, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC), reported an annual birth rate of 6.4, the lowest since record-keeping began in 1985, with just 4,344 newborns registered that year  a year-on-year decrease of 682.

The trend has continued, with 3,712 newborns in 2023, 3,607 in 2024, and the Health Bureaus latest announcement reporting only 2,871 newborns last year.

Data indicates that Conde de Sao Januario Hospital delivered 1,197 newborns in 2025, reflecting a 23.17%-decrease from the 1,558 delivered in 2024.

Similarly, Kiang Wu Hospital reported 1,674 deliveries in 2025, representing an 18.3%-decline compared to the 2,050 newborns delivered in 2024.

The Health Bureau reported that it continues to promote childbirth by providing optimal prenatal care and comprehensive health protection for mothers and children throughout their lifecycle.

Tai Wa Hou, SSM acting deputy director, referenced the governments introduction of measures to encourage childbirth, including the expansion of free non-invasive prenatal testing services to all pregnant women among Macau residents. According to him, this initiative is expected to benefit approximately 3,000 pregnant women this year.

The official stated that pregnant women of all ages residing in Macau can receive one free non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) at their designated health center, Conde de Sao Januario Hospital, or Kiang Wu Hospital, provided they meet the necessary gestational-week requirements after undergoing prenatal examinations and assessments by doctors.

This non-invasive chromosomal screening tool identifies fetal DNA through a maternal blood sample, allowing for accurate detection of chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, or Patau syndrome. Physicians will evaluate individual cases and recommend testing between 11 weeks and 13 weeks, six days of pregnancy.

He emphasized that, compared to traditional amniocentesis, this service offers several advantages, including high accuracy, safety, and no miscarriage risk, expressing confidence that it will help more families, particularly high-risk pregnant women, access critical prenatal health information early.

Meanwhile, in a New Years Day interview with local media, Tai highlighted the influenza virus positivity rate, reminding the public that January and February are peak-flu months.

He reported that Conde de Sao Januario Hospital recorded a weekly influenza positivity rate of approximately 21% last week, exceeding the 13% warning threshold and indicating a relatively high epidemic level.

Additionally, Tai noted that weekly emergency department visits at the two hospitals surpassed 1,100 patients.

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North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea yesterday, its neighbors said, just hours before South Koreas president left for China for talks expected to cover North Koreas nuclear program.

South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it detected several ballistic missile launches from North Koreas capital region around 7:50 a.m. It said the missiles flew about 900 kilometers and that South Korea and U.S. authorities were analyzing details of the launches.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said that South Korea maintains a readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea and is closely exchanging information with the U.S. and Japan on the Norths missile launches.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said that at least two missile launches by North Korea have been confirmed. They are a serious problem, threatening the peace and security of our nation, the region and the world, Koizumi told reporters.

North Korea ramps up weapons display ahead of political meet

The launches were the latest weapons demonstration by North Korea in recent weeks. Experts say North Korea is aiming to show off or review its achievements in the defense sector ahead of its upcoming ruling party congress, the first of its kind in five years. Observers are watching the Workers Party congress to see whether North Korea will set a new policy on the U.S. and respond to its calls to resume long-stalled talks.

North Korea has been focusing on testing activities to enlarge its nuclear arsenal since its leader Kim Jong Uns summitry with U.S. President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019. Kim has also boosted his diplomatic credentials by aligning with Russia over its war in Ukraine and tightening relations with China. Observers say Kim would believe his leverage has sharply increased to wrest concessions from Trump if they sit down for talks again.

North Korea hasnt announced when it will hold the congress, but South Koreas spy service said it will likely occur in January or February.

Launches comes before South Korean leaders trip to China

Yesterdays launches also came hours before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departed for China for a summit with President Xi Jinping. During the four-day trip, Lees office said he would request China, North Koreas major ally and biggest trading partner, to take a constructive role in efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea and the U.S. have long asked China to exercise its influence on North Korea to persuade it to return to talks or give up its nuclear program. HYUNG-JIN KIM, SEOUL, MDT/AP

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Local appliance retailers are feeling the pressure as mainland China continues its national subsidy program, which allows residents from Macau and Hong Kong to exchange old appliances for new ones.

The policy, renewed this year and effective from January 1, has encouraged many residents to purchase appliances across the border, leaving local stores struggling to retain customers.

One electronics shop reported losing about 20% of its local clientele after the mainland subsidies became accessible to Macau residents last year.

While Macaus own consumption voucher programs provided a modest boost  mainly for small appliances like hairdryers and electric kettles  sales returned to pre-activity levels once the campaigns ended.

Store operators argue that targeted local subsidies could help reverse this trend.

The government could consider sector-specific incentives, similar to the mainland program, to encourage residents to shop locally and support small and medium-sized enterprises, said one retailer, as cited in a Macao Daily News report.

Experienced staff also note that residents often compare prices with mainland stores or online platforms before buying locally. Differences in models, electrical standards, and supply channels sometimes persuade shoppers to stay in Macau, but the competitive pricing gap remains a challenge.

Hence, retailers are urging the government to introduce a new round of consumption-stimulating measures to attract residents to local stores and help stabilize business for small and medium-sized enterprises. LV

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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arrived in China yesterday as Beijing looks to deepen ties with the nearby country after heightened tensions between China and Japan over Taiwan, a self-ruled island it claims as its sovereign territory.

Lees four-day trip is his first visit to China since taking office in June. It comes at a time of heightened tensions between China and Japan, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that her countrys military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan.

Chinas official news agency Xinhua reported yesterday afternoon that Lee arrived in Beijing. During his stay, Lee will meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, their second meeting in just two months.

Lee signals commitment to Chinas ties

Ahead of his trip, Lee gave an interview to Chinas state broadcaster CCTV at Seouls Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office also known as the Blue House. Lee was quoted as saying that it was his first interview held in the presidential palace and that he hoped people would understand that his government cares about the relations between Beijing and Seoul.

In the interview, he assured that South Korea consistently respects the One-China policy when it comes to Taiwan, CCTV reported Friday. He said the healthy development of Beijing-Seoul relations depends on mutual respect. Lee also praised Xi as a truly reliable neighbor.

Last week, China staged large-scale military drills around the island for two days to warn against separatist and external interference forces. At that time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused Taiwans ruling party of trying to seek independence through requesting U.S. support.

The U.S. planned large-scale arms sales to Taiwan angered Beijing in December, leading to China sanctioning 20 U.S. defense-related companies.

Lee said Seouls cooperation with the U.S, its military ally, does not mean South Korea-China relations should move toward confrontation, CCTV reported. He acknowledged that past misunderstandings between his country and China had hindered bilateral relations.

This visit to China aims to minimize or eliminate these past misunderstandings or contradictions, to elevate and develop South Korea-China relations to a new stage, CCTV quoted him as saying.

To discuss the Korean Peninsula and strengthen economic ties

South Korea and the U.S. have urged China, North Koreas traditional ally and economic pipeline, to use its influence on its socialist neighbor to convince it to return to talks or abandon its nuclear program.

But China has long been suspected of avoiding fully implementing U.N. sanctions on North Korea and sending clandestine aid shipments to help the North stay afloat and continue to serve as a bulwark against U.S. influence on the Korean Peninsula.

Lees visit is meant to strengthen bilateral ties and discuss ways to restore peace on the Korean Peninsula, South Korean officials said.

During todays summit, Lee and Xi are to hold in-depth talks on substantive ways to address security and economic issues facing the two countries, South Koreas national security adviser Wi Sung-lac told a briefing Friday. Tomorrow, Lee is to meet Zhao Leji, chairman of the National Peoples Congress, and Premier Li Qiang, Wi said.

During Lees trip, South Korea will also request that China play a constructive role in efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, Wi said. In their November talks, Lee already asked Xi to make greater efforts to persuade North Korea to return to talks.

South Korea would push for substantial achievements that could directly benefit ordinary citizens in both countries too, Wi said. KANIS LEUNG & HYUNG-JIN KIM, HONG KONG, MDT/AP

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Hours after an audacious military operation that plucked leader Nicolas Maduro from power and removed him from the country, President Donald Trump said yesterday (Macau time) that the United States would run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.

The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on the South American nation and its autocratic leader and months of secret planning resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Legal experts immediately raised questions about whether the operation was lawful. Venezuelas vice president Delcy Rodriguez demanded in a speech that the U.S. free Maduro and called him the countrys rightful leader, before Venezuelas high court ordered her to assume the role of interim president.

Speaking to reporters hours after Maduros capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to fix the countrys oil infrastructure and sell large amounts of oil to other countries.

Maduro and his wife, seized overnight from their home on a military base, were first taken aboard a U.S. warship on their way to face prosecution for a Justice Department indictment accusing them of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

A plane carrying the deposed leader landed around 4:30 p.m. Saturday at an airport in New York Citys northern suburbs. Maduro was escorted off the jet, gingerly making his way down a stairway before being led across the tarmac surrounded by federal agents. Several agents filmed him on their phones as he walked.

He was then flown by helicopter to Manhattan, where a convoy of law enforcement vehicles, including an armored car, was waiting to whisk him to a nearby U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration office.

A video posted on social media by a White House account showed Maduro, smiling, as he was escorted through that office by two DEA agents grasping his arms.

He was expected to be detained while awaiting trial at a federal jail in Brooklyn. U.S. officials didnt immediately confirm Maduro was at the jail, but the same motorcade of vehicles that brought him to the DEA office from the heliport was seen arriving at the detention center Saturday evening.

Move lacks congressional approval

The legal authority for the incursion, done without congressional approval, was not immediately clear, but the Trump administration promoted the ouster as a step toward reducing the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S. The president touted what he saw as other potential benefits, including a leadership stake in the country and greater control of oil.

Trump claimed the U.S. government would help run the country and was already doing so, though there were no immediate signs of that. Venezuelan state TV continued to air pro-Maduro propaganda, broadcasting live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.

Were going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition, Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference where he boasted that this extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.

Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, but the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, that painted the regime as a corrupt, illegitimate government fueled by a drug trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the countrys leader.

Trump posted a photo on social media showing Maduro wearing a sweatsuit and a blindfold on board the USS Iwo Jima.

Early morning attack

The operation followed a monthslong Trump administration effort to exert pressure on the Venezuelan leader, including a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America and attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean accused of carrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels  the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September.

Maduro had decried prior military operations as a thinly veiled effort to topple him from power.

Taking place 36 years to the day after the 1990 surrender and seizure of Panama leader Manuel Antonio Noriega following a U.S. invasion, the Venezuela operation unfolded under the cover of darkness early Saturday as Trump said the U.S. turned off almost all of the lights in the capital city of Caracas while forces moved in to extract Maduro and his wife.

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had rehearsed their maneuvers for months, learning everything about Maduro  where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.

We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again, Caine said. Not to get it right, but to ensure we cannot get it wrong.

Early Saturday, multiple explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas. Maduros government accused the U.S. of hitting civilian and military installations, calling it an imperialist attack and urging citizens to take to the streets.

The assault lasted less than 30 minutes, and the explosions  at least seven blasts  sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they saw and heard. Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Rodriguez, the countrys vice president, without giving a number. Trump said some U.S. forces were injured but none were killed. REGINA GARCIA CANO, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN & ERIC TUCKER, CARACAS, MDT/AP

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The criminal US military incursion into Venezuela and the kidnapping of a sitting foreign head of state is the first practical manifestation of Trumps new National Security Strategy. Washington is determined to establish its domination over the Western Hemisphere, which it considers its backyard, and to kick any non-hemispheric actors, mainly China, out of the region.

The military operation in Venezuela was then followed by a delirious press conference in which Trump and Marco Rubio gloated about the extent of US power and proceeded to issue threats against Colombia, Mexico and Cuba. In the last few hours, Trump has reiterated his earlier statements about Greenland, which he said the US needs for reasons of national security, promising to deal with it in two months time. These are not idle threats.

Narcotrafficking  a false pretext

Let us be clear. This act of brazen military imperialist aggression against a sovereign country had nothing whatsoever to do with narcotrafficking, which was Trumps original justification. Everyone  above all US intelligence services  knows that fentanyl does not come from Venezuela, and that the country is not a producer of cocaine and plays only a very small role in trafficking it. The so-called Cartel de los Soles does not exist, and if it ever did it was in connection with a CIA entrapment operation run jointly with Venezuelan army officers back in the 1990s, well before Chavez came to power.

The air strikes against small speedboats in the Caribbean and the Pacific over the last five months had nothing to do with the drug epidemic hitting the US, and everything to do with imperialist bullying designed to submit Venezuela to the dictats of Washington.

In the aftermath of the US invasion and the kidnapping of Maduro, liberals in the US and elsewhere have complained bitterly about this being an illegal action  a breach of the so-called rules based order  and have demanded that the UN and the OAS intervene.

Even The New York Times published an editorial opposing Trumps actions on the grounds that they were illegal. The New York Times is particularly cynical in this, as it has been revealed that its journalists learnt of the attack in advance, but kept quiet so as not to interfere, such is the extent of their opposition to Trumps criminal and illegal actions.

This act of brazen military imperialist aggression against a sovereign country had nothing whatsoever to do with narcotrafficking, which was Trumps original justification / Image: public domain

This is so much hypocrisy. In fact, international legality is just a fig leaf for the rule of the mighty. US presidents never cared for legal niceties and plenty of them (Republicans and Democrats alike) have broken the law (US and international), in order to carry out military aggression abroad. When they can get cover from the UN to carry out their imperialist designs, thats of course convenient. When they cannot, they go ahead regardless.

We oppose the brutal US assault on Venezuela and the kidnapping of Maduro, not from a legalistic point of view (would it have been OK if it had had the seal of approval of the US Congress?). Rather, we oppose it because this is fundamentally an act of imperialist aggression, which serves the interests of the ruling class in the United States and goes against the interests of working people across the globe.

Nor is the kidnapping of Maduro a departure from past behaviour on the part of US imperialism. The killing of foreign heads of state (Lumumba, Allende, Gaddafi to mention just a few) and the removal of governments through military coups (Cuba, Guatemala, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Iran, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Venezuela, Grenada, and many more), are both normal tools of the trade for US imperialism and the CIA. The president of Panama, Noriega, and the president of Haiti, Aristide, were both kidnapped and taken out of their countries by US military interventions in 1989 and 2004 respectively.

If anything, the difference is that the current occupant of the White House does not seem concerned about providing nice-sounding excuses for US imperialist aggression. Theres no talk of human rights, the rights of women, the violation of international law or international borders to cover up the real aims of Yankee imperialism. Trump is not shy to say the quiet part aloud. In his delirious press conference on the afternoon of Saturday 3 January, he made it clear that the US was going to run Venezuela directly, and that Venezuelas oil was going to be handed over to US oil multinationals.

Restoring democracy?

As for democracy, it is already stated in the National Security Strategy that the US will not impose democratic rule on other countries, but will only care about whether they are led by friendly governments (read: subservient lackeys). The kidnapping of Maduro has nothing to do with whether he had stolen the 2024 election or not. There is no contention that Petro in Colombia and Sheinbaum in Mexico did win free and fair elections, and still Trump is openly threatening them, baselessly accusing them of being drug traffickers or in the pocket of drug cartels.

President Chavez won no less than 19 democratic elections and referenda between 1998 and 2013. This did not stop US imperialism from attempting to overthrow him several times, starting with the short-lived April 2002 coup.

Trump (like his predecessors) has no problem hobnobbing with Prince bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, who has never submitted himself to an election, free or otherwise. Netanyahu  a war criminal who has committed the worst human rights abuses and is carrying out a genocidal campaign against the Palestinians  was wined and dined in Mar-a-Lago over the New Year celebrations as Trump gave the order to attack Venezuela.

Trump seems to have chosen the option of working through the actor that he thinks guarantees control of the armed forces, and the security and state apparatuses / Image: public domain

The US claims that it was Edmundo Gonzalez  the reactionary Venezuelan opposition candidate who stood in for Maria Corina Machado  who won the 2024 presidential election and that therefore he is the legitimate president of the country. However, at the 3 January press conference Trump threw the Nobel Prize winner under the bus, saying Machado was a nice lady, but did not have the support to take over in Venezuela. Trump then stated that Rubio had had a long phone conversation with Delcy Rodriguez (then the Venezuelan vice president) and that she had agreed to do everything the US wanted.

In this it would seem that US imperialism is attempting to draw some lessons from previous military interventions abroad. In Iraq and Libya, imperialism destroyed and beheaded the state apparatus, and was then faced with the complete collapse of bourgeois authority, insurgency in the case of Iraq, and the breakdown of the country into warring factions in the case of Libya. None of this creates a business friendly environment for the operation of US multinationals, nor the necessary stability which US imperialism requires.

In ditching Machado and choosing to deal with Rodriguez instead, Trump seems to have chosen the option of working through the actor that he thinks guarantees control of the armed forces, and the security and state apparatuses, in order to prevent a descent into civil war and insurgency.

Venezuelas response

Delcy Rodriguez has now taken over as acting president in Venezuela and has been told, in no uncertain terms, that either she complies with US designs, or she will meet a similar fate to that of Maduro. Washington acts like a mafia protection racket in its backyard. Pay for protection, in oil and resources, or else. That is the clear message of the Trump administration, one which is aimed not only at Venezuela but at the whole continent.

For months, there have been articles in the US capitalist media presenting Rodriguez as a moderate and reasonable figure, friendly to national and international business sectors, someone the US could talk to. The Miami Herald published a report in October, alleging that Delcy Rodriguez had travelled to Qatar and offered a deal to the United States, in which Maduro would step down and she would lead a negotiated transition.

No one in the Venezuelan leadership, neither civilian nor military, has explained what happened nor how / Image: Kremlin.ru, Wikimedia Commons

Today, many in Venezuela are asking themselves how it was possible for the US operation, which lasted for several hours, to be carried out with minimal resistance on the part of the Venezuelan army. Air defences were taken out or deactivated, the Russian Igla MANPAD systems (surface-to-air missiles), which the government had boasted about, seem to not have been used. Dozens of soldiers among Maduros security detail were killed by US forces, including 32 Cubans, but otherwise resistance seems to have been minimal. No US soldiers were killed and US helicopters could roam, practically undisturbed, over Caracas, for a lengthy period of time. At the time of writing, no one in the Venezuelan leadership, neither civilian nor military, has explained what happened nor how.

This has led to intense speculation in pro-Maduro circles in Venezuela as to whether he was betrayed. Rubio said in the press conference that the CIA had an asset within Maduros inner circle, providing detailed information about his whereabouts and movements. Others go further than that and allege that Delcy Rodriguez might have cut a deal with the United States.

There is no hard evidence for that theory, but that the question is asked is the result of the circumstances in which the operation against Maduro was carried out: the seemingly minimal resistance, the silence of the Venezuelan authorities for several hours, as well as the fact that all messages coming from the leadership were calling for calm and not for mobilisation or resistance.

After the first Council of Ministers meeting on 4 January, Delcy Rodriguez issued a message from Venezuela to the world, and to the United States in which she says:

We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence.

This is a message of conciliation in the face of brutal aggression, not the one of resistance which she seemed to have adopted the day before. The message does not even demand or ask for the release of President Maduro, who is sitting in US custody in New York. According to reports in the US media, Venezuela has also asked the US to reopen its embassy in Caracas.

Venezuela has only two options. Either resist the onslaught of US imperialism through the mobilisation of the masses of workers, peasants and the poor, and make an appeal to the masses of Latin America and the world, or else submit completely to the diktats of Washington and hand over its natural resources wholesale to US exploitation.

Maduros Thermidor

The first course of action would be that of a genuine revolutionary leadership. The problem is that since Maduro took over 12 years ago, what we have seen in Venezuela has been a step-by-step, protracted process of Thermidorean counter-revolution. Where Chavez encouraged the direct participation of the masses in politics, Maduro bureaucratically stifled it.

Where Chavez encouraged the direct participation of the masses in politics, Maduro bureaucratically stifled it / Image: Walter Vargas Flickr

Workers control has been crushed, companies which were nationalised have been privatised, peasants have been removed from land which was expropriated under Chavez. At the same time, collective bargaining and workers rights have been destroyed, militant trade unionists have been jailed, left-wing parties (including the Communist Party) have seen their electoral registration taken away very little is left of the Bolivarian Revolution.

The fact that this Thermidorean counter-revolution has cynically been carried out by the Maduro bureaucracy using the banner of socialism, Bolivarianism and Chavismo, has caused the widespread discrediting of these ideas and a process of deep political demoralisation amongst the masses of workers and poor.

In April 2002, tens of thousands came out against the US-sponsored coup against President Chavez. This time, about 100 people gathered outside the Miraflores Palace.

US imperialism feels strong, having achieved what was potentially a complicated operation, and they are now drunk with victory. But, if kidnapping Maduro was accomplished with no loss of life to the US military (about 80 people were killed on the Venezuelan side, both civilians and military personnel), the idea that Venezuela is going to be run directly by the United States and that the US will be able to remove China from Latin America, is likely to prove more fraught and difficult.

Any government in Caracas which attempts to carry out Trumps demands for a wholesale hand over of natural resources will eventually be faced with opposition by the Venezuelan people. There are profound reserves of a very healthy, proud, anti-imperialist feeling amongst the masses in Venezuela and across Latin America. The idea of US oil companies dismantling PDVSA  the state-owned oil company  and syphoning profits out of the country, will be abhorrent to millions, including many who did not support Maduro.

A Donroe Doctrine?

As for the struggle against the presence of China in Latin America, Trump will be faced with the fact that the Asian power is now the first trading partner for the whole of South America, and has established close economic ties with Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, etc. Trump has moved decisively to remove Chinese interests from the Panama canal, but will face an uphill struggle to do the same thing in South America, where China has opened the major port of Chancay in Peru, and is engaged in a project for a bi-oceanic transport route linking it with Brazil.

Even countries which are now politically aligned with Trump  like Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Chile  cannot afford to cut economic links with China. Will the United States be able to purchase the large amounts of copper, soy beans and meat that these countries sell to China?

The actions of Trump in Venezuela will be seen as a green light for other powers  China and Russia  to do the same / Image: public domain

In the press conference, Trump talked about bringing back the Monroe Doctrine, a project which some have described as the Donroe Doctrine. The National Security Strategy talks of a Trump Corollary" to the 1823 doctrine. America for the Americans was, at that time, an attempt to keep other (European) imperialist powers out of the continent, though US imperialism did not yet have the means to enforce it. What we are really seeing, more precisely, is an attempt to go back to the Roosevelt Corollary, introduced after the naval blockade of Venezuela in 1902-03, when the US arrogated to itself the right to intervene militarily in Latin American countries.

This is a recipe for clashes and conflicts, not only with Chinese interests, but eventually with the masses of Latin America, who are not likely to accept direct US imperialist bullying without fighting back. If anyone thought that a multipolar world, with the rise of China and Russia, meant that the exploitation of the peoples of the continent would be lessened, they will now have their illusions dispelled. The only road to genuine liberation from imperialism is that of struggle for the abolition of capitalism worldwide, not that of geopolitical calculations.

Internationally, the actions of Trump in Venezuela will be seen as a green light for other powers  China and Russia  to do the same in their own spheres of influence. In effect, he is admitting that the US cannot defeat Russia in Ukraine, but it should at least be able to impose its domination on its own continent. Xi Jinping will also be taking note. The day before the attack on Venezuela, a Chinese delegation was in Caracas, signing economic cooperation agreements. In response to the US delivery of weapons to Taiwan, China has stepped up military exercises around the island.

As communists, we reject this latest act of US imperialist aggression. We stand unconditionally for the defence of Venezuela. The only effective way to fight imperialism is through the struggle of the masses of working people, across Latin America, around the world and also in the United States itself. Capitalism in its imperialist stage is a system in crisis and a system of war, violence and oppression. Only by abolishing the capitalist system can we guarantee a world of peace and prosperity for the many.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has accused Rwanda of killing more than 1,500 civilians in eastern DRC since early December, following a renewed offensive by the M23 rebel group. The allegations come despite a US-brokered peace agreement signed by both Governments on December 4.

According to a DRC statement issued on Wednesday, the reported deaths resulted from what Kinshasa described as Rwandan military operations involving bombs and kamikaze drones. The DRC further accused Kigali of deploying three additional battalions into South Kivu province to support an advance towards the strategic Kalemie axis in Tanganyika, a key mining region. Rwanda has denied backing the M23.

The M23 resumed hostilities on December 2 after a six-month lull and captured the city of Uvira on December 10, triggering mass displacement, with tens of thousands fleeing to Burundi. Although the group announced plans to withdraw from Uvira on December 17, both Washington and the DRC have questioned the credibility of the claim.

The United Nations says more than 80,000 people have crossed into Burundi following the latest advance, while at least 500,000 people have been internally displaced in South Kivu. The conflict, rooted in the aftermath of Rwandas 1994 genocide and competition over mineral resources, continues to deepen an already severe humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo.
Uganda is set to begin commercial oil production in its western fields, a development expected to accelerate the countrys economic growth to double digits by 2026/2027. President Yoweri Museveni highlighted oil as a key pillar of Ugandas long-term strategy to grow the economy from $50 billion to $500 billion by 2040, alongside agro-industrialization, tourism, and innovation.

The Bank of Uganda and the World Bank emphasised that prudent management of oil revenues could finance infrastructure, human capital, and institutions, transforming finite resources into lasting assets.

Ugandas economy grew 6.3% in 2024/2025, supported by strong domestic demand and exports, and the government forecasts 10.4% growth in 2026/2027, with rising oil revenues expected to boost productivity and reduce poverty. However, the World Bank cautioned about fiscal pressures, including widening deficits and rising debt costs.
Cote dIvoire has announced a strategic expansion of its investments in Gabons agri-food sector, positioning itself as a key partner in Librevilles push for food self-sufficiency. The initiative aligns with Gabons recent agricultural reforms aimed at reducing heavy dependence on food imports.

Ivorian investors plan to replicate Cote dIvoires agricultural model in Gabon, beginning with high-yield seed production to improve productivity and profitability for farmers. Proposed projects include plantations and integrated processing facilities for cassava, yams, plantains, animal feed, and aquaculturemodels already operational in Cote dIvoire.

Beyond agriculture, investment intentions nearing 200 billion CFA francs have been signalled, covering sectors such as cement production, poultry farming, and high-end hotel construction. Gabonese authorities have welcomed the commitments, describing them as a foundation for deeper economic cooperation.

Officials and analysts frame the partnership as a blueprint for African economic sovereignty, emphasising value addition, regional collaboration, and long-term resilience. Cote dIvoire already maintains a strong footprint in Gabon through banking, air transport, and road construction, reinforcing the credibility of this latest investment push.
Nigerias Armed Forces achieved significant operational milestones in 2025, neutralising several high-profile terrorist commanders and thousands of insurgents nationwide, according to the Defence Headquarters (DHQ).

Briefing journalists in Abuja, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major-General Michael Onoja, said the military sustained a broad-spectrum campaign against terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and oil theft, recalibrating its strategy to counter evolving threats.

Among those neutralised were prominent terrorist and bandit leaders across multiple theatres. In total, security forces arrested 4,375 suspects, secured the voluntary surrender of 1,616 terrorists and their family members, and rescued 2,336 kidnapped victims during the year.

In the North East, troops under Operation Hadin Kai dismantled terrorist camps, apprehended over 1,300 suspects, recovered weapons and cash, and facilitated the gradual return of civil authority and economic activity. In the North West, Operation Fansan Yamma recorded extensive successes, including precision drone strikes against ISIS enclaves, the arrest of hundreds of suspects and the rescue of nearly 1,000 hostages, with no civilian casualties reported.

Operations in the North Central zone also yielded measurable outcomes, with multiple arrests, rescues and recoveries of arms under Operations Enduring Peace and Whirl Stroke. The DHQ reaffirmed the militarys commitment to safeguarding lives, securing national borders and working with strategic partners to entrench regional stability and enduring peace, while urging citizens to remain vigilant and supportive as operations continue.
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:

Glossy social media ads promising "lunchtime fat removal" and "freckle-sized" scars draw thousands of patients to cosmetic surgery chains.

But a growing number of lawsuits and patient deaths suggest these claims often hide a much more dangerous reality.

Unlike prescription drug commercials, which are strictly regulated, cosmetic surgery ads create a "buyer beware" market.

The federal government does not require these companies to provide scientific proof before sharing their claims on Instagram, TikTok or television.

Compelling before-and-after photos, influencer posts and sponsored videos and podcasts are peppering the landscape like never before.

For Lenia Watson-Burton, a 37-year-old Navy administrator preparing to deploy, the promise of a quick recovery was essential. She chose a branded fat-removal procedure called AirSculpt, marketed as being "gentle on the body," and had it done at Elite Body Sculpture in San Diego, California.

Instead of returning to her routine in 48 hours, she died three days after the liposuction procedure caused a hole in her bowel and infection, reported NBC News.

Liposuction, also called body sculpting, body contouring or lipoplasty, is a surgery used to remove fat from the body. Suction, laser, ultrasound or vibration are used to break down and remove fat cells.

Watson-Burton is one of several women who died after operations at high-volume clinics that rely heavily on digital marketing. Victims' families say these companies prioritize customer acquisition over safety, spending millions on influencers and flashy before-and-after photos while downplaying surgical risks.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has guidelines for medical advertising.

Ads are required to be "truthful, not deceptive, and backed up by competent and reliable scientific evidence," according to Janice Kopec of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection. But clinics are not required to show any evidence to a government agency or the consumer.

And "puffery"boastful statements that no one would take literally or that can't be provedis allowed by law.

"While consumers should be able to trust that ad claims are substantiated because the law requires them to be, the reality is that it pays for consumers to bring a skeptical eye," said Mary Engle, an executive vice president at BBB National Programs.

No federal agency tracks how often patients at these chains suffer from life-threatening complications like sepsis or blood clots. Because these centers often use local numbing rather than general anesthesia, some patients have reported experiencing agonizing pain during the procedurecontrary to the "minimal discomfort" promised in the ads.

Medical experts warn that the 24-hour recovery periods touted by these chains are often a myth. Real surgery involves significant bruising, swelling and internal healing that takes weeks, not hours.

"The idea that you could return to work 24 hours after effective liposuction seems like extremely bad advice," said Dr. Scott Hollenbeck, immediate past president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons who practices at the University of Virginia Health in Charlottesville.

For now, the responsibility falls on the patient to look past the spa-like atmosphere and holiday discounts to research a surgeon's history and hospital privileges and the benefits and risks of the procedure.

Copyright  2026 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

The holiday season brought a massive spike in influenza cases across the U.S.

New data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that the virus is spreading rapidly, with some regions reporting record numbers of infections and hospitalizations.

At least 7.5 million people had been sickened by late December, resulting in at least 81,000 hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths, including eight pediatric deaths.

The geographical spread is widening quickly: 32 jurisdictions report "high" or "very high" levels of flu-like activity, nearly double the number from a week before.

New York and Massachusetts are among the hardest-hit areas. The New York State Department of Health reported about 71,000 cases in the week ending Dec. 20the highest weekly total since the start of its current tracking system in 2004. Meanwhile, Boston has seen a 114% increase in cases, with kids accounting for the largest share of the new infections.

In Minnesota, a significant spike in illness forced at least one school to transition to remote learning just before the winter break.

Health experts are particularly concerned about the dominance of a specific Influenza A subtype known as H3N2. It accounted for nearly 92% of all flu samples recently analyzed by the CDC.

H3N2 is notorious for causing more severe flu seasons, especially for older adults.

"The virus has changed just enough to make it harder for people's immune systems to recognize the illness," said Jesse Bloom, a scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle.

He told CBS News that this shift allows the virus to bypass some of the defenses the body has built up from previous infections.

While there are concerns that this year's vaccine might not perfectly match the circulating H3N2 strain, experts emphasize that the shot remains a vital tool.

Data from the United Kingdom suggest that even with the "mismatch," the vaccine is still highly effective at helping people stay out of the hospital with severe infection, especially children.

Unfortunately, vaccine uptake is lower this year, with only about 130 million doses administered so far in the U.S., reports CBS News. Health officials urge those who have not yet been vaccinated to get the shot immediately.

"It's not going to eliminate their chance of getting infected," Bloom said, "But it does mitigate their risk."

Getting the flu vaccine, staying away from those who are sick, washing hands often and disinfecting surfaces are key ways to prevent illness, according to the CDC.

Key medical concepts FluInfluenza vaccine

Copyright  2026 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Lisa Farris worried that a nasty infection from recent liposuction and a tummy tuck was rapidly getting worse. So she phoned the cosmetic surgery center to ask if she should head to the emergency room, she alleges in a lawsuit.

The nurse who took the call at the Sono Bello center in Addison, Texas, told her she "absolutely should not" go to the EReven though Farris "had a large gush of foul fluid" leaking from the incision, according to records in the malpractice case she filed against the cosmetic surgery chain in 2024.

The nurse told Farris she "only needed to reinforce her dressing to collect the fluid drainage and give it time," filings in the lawsuit alleged.

"Thankfully, Ms. Farris did go to the ER where she was diagnosed with sepsis from her surgery complications," a medical expert for her legal team wrote in a court filing. Left untreated, sepsis can lead to death.

Sono Bello officials declined to discuss malpractice cases filed against the company, citing patient privacy laws. But in court filings, the company has disputed Farris' claims. The case is set for trial early this year.

The Farris lawsuit is one of dozens of medical malpractice cases filed over the past three years that accuse cosmetic surgery chains of failing to provide adequate care for patients in the days and weeks after their proceduresin many cases by allegedly neglecting to promptly treat painful infections and other serious complicationsincluding for four patients who died, a KFF Health News investigation found.

In some cases, patients who traveled hundreds of miles or more for seemingly routine surgeries allegedly suffered painful complications while recuperating in hotel rooms or unlicensed "recovery homes," which they said lacked adequate medical staff and supervision, according to court filings.

While complications, such as infections, can occur after any surgical procedure, problems related to postoperative care are blamed for contributing to injuries in over two-thirds of the cosmetic surgery cases KFF Health News reviewed.

The surgery companies involvedsome, like Sono Bello, financed by private equity investorsoffer elective procedures such as liposuction and "Mommy Makeovers" to patients who pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket or on credit. Ads promise life-changing body reshaping techniques with minimal risk and quick recovery times.

Medical malpractice lawsuits have trailed behind the growth of these companies. Suits have accused the chains of hiring doctors who lacked adequate training or had troubled pasts, and of using high-pressure sales tactics and misleading advertising pitches that downplay safety risks, court records show. The companies dispute these allegations and have won dismissal of some suits.

Patrick Schaner, a plastic surgeon and a Sono Bello medical director, stressed that the company has performed more than 300,000 cosmetic operations with minimal complications. "That context is very important," he said in an interview.

Schaner said Sono Bello surgeons are "good at what they do" because of the large numbers of procedures they perform. "We do a great job of getting safety protocols in place," he said.

Many patients who file lawsuits blame disfiguring injuries on what happened after their operations, such as office visits in which medical staff allegedly didn't recognize, or dismissed, evidence of worsening surgical complications, court records show.

A nurse at a Sono Bello center outside Chicago allegedly failed to alert doctors when Mary Anne Garcia, a patient who had had liposuction at the center about three weeks earlier, showed up there with her aunt. Garcia was dizzy and so weak she required a wheelchair to get back to the car, according to a lawsuit her estate filed in September.

Rather than tell Garcia to go to an emergency room, the Sono Bello nurse told her to "drink more fluids and try to eat something," according to the complaint.

Garcia died the next day from cardiac arrest, according to the lawsuit. Sono Bello has yet to file a response to the lawsuit in court.

'It was horrifying'

Susan Easley, 59, a veteran U.S. Agency for International Development executive who spent two decades working on AIDS projects in Africa, died in a Washington, D.C., short-term apartment in 2024.

Her son Gavin found her body May 13, 2024, four days after she had an AirSculpt liposuction and fat transfer operation at Elite Body Sculpture in nearby Vienna, Virginia, according to a lawsuit filed in November.

"It was horrifying," Gavin Easley told KFF Health News in an interview. "My mother was the definition of kind, caring, and unconditionally loving. She was the most incredible woman I've ever known," said Easley, 29, who runs an organic farm in Arkansas with his wife.

The suit alleges that surgeon Dare Ajibade gave Easley an excessive amount of the anesthetic lidocaine during the 6-hour procedure and failed to recognize persistent vomiting afterward as a sign of toxicity. She called the clinic to report her condition, but her concerns were dismissed, the suit alleges.

"When she called to report complications, they didn't take it seriously," said Virginia attorney Peter Anderson, who filed the suit. He said Easley presented "clear signs and symptoms" of problems.

AirSculpt is a brand of Elite Body Sculpture, a Miami Beach-based chain founded by cosmetic surgeon Aaron Rollins. The company, which is financed by private equity investors, has about 30 branches across the country. Neither the company nor Rollins responded to repeated requests for comment on patient lawsuits. In court filings, the company has denied the allegations.

Ajibade has since relocated to Texas, where he works for Sono Bello in San Antonio, according to the company. Neither the surgeon nor the Virginia surgery office, which is also a defendant in the case, returned calls for comment. The defendants have yet to file an answer in court.

A booming business

Sono Bello, with more than 100 centers nationwide, bills itself as "America's #1 Cosmetic Surgery Specialist."

Patients filed seven malpractice cases against Sono Bello in Septembereach in a different state. In an interview, Marcy Norwood Lynch, a Sono Bello executive vice president and chief legal officer, speculated that the spurt in cases was related to reporting by KFF Health News and NBC News about the company. There "could be alignment" between the coverage and the filing of the suits, she said. The company has denied the allegations in court.

KFF Health News reviewed a sample of more than 100 medical malpractice cases filed against multistate surgery chains from the start of February 2023 through November 2025. Malpractice suits do not by themselves prove substandard care, though many medical authorities and licensing boards consider them a tool for helping to judge medical quality.

Heather Faulkner, a plastic surgeon and associate professor at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, said surgeons must quickly recognize signs of infection before they progress and become serious, even life-threatening conditions.

At Emory, she said, surgeons must attend their patients' first visit after cosmetic surgery. "Ultimately, the physician is the one responsible," she said. "The patient has to be seen by the person who did the operation and knows how to recognize something is wrong," Faulkner said in an interview.

Patients suing cosmetic surgery chains often argue that they were seen by nurses or other staff members who, they allege, lacked the training to recognize and deal with problems before they required emergency wound care.

Schaner, the Sono Bello medical director, said the company has a phone messaging system that ensures patients can get in touch with their surgeon or other company physicians. While nurses see some patients, the "ultimate decision-making is passed to the surgeon," he said.

Five patients treated at Sono Bello centers who sued the company during 2025 alleged that surgical wound complications were dismissed after medical staff, including surgeons, viewed pictures of the injuries, court records show. The cases are pending.

Schaner said Sono Bello sometimes has patients submit photos of wounds but the images are "not the sole means of triage" of patient injuries or complications.

Joshua Kiernan sued Sono Bello after having liposuction on May 28, 2024, at the branch in Columbia, South Carolina. On June 8, 2024, he stumbled and fell in a gym parking lot, causing drainage around the incision in his stomach, according to the suit. On June 17, 2024, Kiernan visited the office complaining of "redness and pain" around the incision, according to his suit.

The surgeon, Stancie Rhodes, didn't examine him in person but had an office staff member take a picture "so that she could view it from another part of the office," according to the complaint.

The surgeon sent back word that the photo "looked fine," and Kiernan was told to take Tylenol for the pain and follow up at the office a week later, the complaint alleged.

Two days before his appointment, Kiernan required emergency hospital treatment for "abdominal hematoma and infection," according to the suit.

Kiernan underwent six surgical procedures and ran up medical bills of more than $325,000 to treat his condition, according to the suit. In court filings, Sono Bello denied the allegations.

"Surgical care does not end at the last stitch," said Mark Domanski, a plastic surgeon in Virginia, who believes the chain clinics in general are more adept at marketing than providing patients with top-notch care. "It involves postoperative visits with the surgeon who did the procedure, who is there to respond to the patient's concerns, questions, especially if things are not going well," he said.

Recovery houses

Many patients who travel for cosmetic surgery, either to save money or because services aren't available in their area, can't return home right away.

Yet there's little agreement on where patients should recuperate, for how long, and what medical services should be readily available to them.

Scott Hollenbeck, immediate past president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, said laws or regulations in most states don't spell out requirements.

"This can create a wide variation of oversight, staff qualifications, and available medical support," he said.

The plastic surgery society has warned against a cottage industry of recovery houses that often charge patients hundreds of dollars a night while they recuperate, even though they may lack medical staff capable of handling possible surgical complications.

Court filings in Florida show patients staying in recovery houses and hotels have died or suffered untreated complications, mostly in South Florida, where officials have struggled for a decade or more to regulate unlicensed facilities. One local lawmaker recently filed a bill to rein them in.

Hollenbeck said patients who recuperate in a hotel or other facility need to find out in advance what "level of care" will be available. He said ads touting "luxury" accommodations or "conveniently located" do not make a hotel "clinically qualified to provide recovery care."

Easley, whose mother died in Washington, D.C., said he is struggling to understand what happened after a medical transportation service took her from the Virginia surgery center to a temporary apartment.

He said his mother, who was born in a small village in Uganda before emigrating to the U.S. as a teen and joining the U.S. Army, "had so many plans" for the future.

Susan Easley had been medically cleared for a new assignment in Africa. After that, she planned to retire and start a farm in Tanzania, among other things, according to her son.

The lawsuit alleges the surgery center discharged her prematurely given signs of a dangerous condition called local anesthetic systemic toxicity caused by an overdose of lidocaine.

Susan Easley called the surgery center that day and reported "multiple instances of nausea and vomiting," but there's "no evidence" that anyone told her to head to an emergency room, according to the suit.

"I don't know what they said to her," Gavin Easley said. "It's a horrifying thought for me. I have no idea how to get to the bottom of that mystery."

'Preventable death'

Some lawsuits take aim at decisions made by support staff members, who help monitor patients after surgery.

That's a critical issue in the case of Mary Anne Garcia, the Illinois woman who died after her aunt drove her to the Sono Bello office in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, on June 4, 2024.

Garcia "was feeling sluggish, dizzy, and nauseated," according to the suit. She also had a rapid heartbeat and low blood pressure, according to the complaint. But registered nurse Lucia Raddatz did not notify the surgeon or urge Garcia to seek emergency care even though Raddatz had to help her back to the car in a wheelchair due to Garcia's "severely weakened condition," according to the suit.

Filed on behalf of Garcia's estate, the suit names Raddatz and Sono Bello as defendants. An emergency room physician hired as an expert in the case opined that had Garcia gone to the emergency room on June 4, "she would have received care which would have avoided her death," court records state. Sono Bello had no comment and has yet to file an answer in court.

Established plastic surgeons say they are often called upon to treat patients who arrive in the emergency room with complications because surgeons working for the chains may lack local hospital privileges or are otherwise not available for consultations.

"There is not one colleague of mine who has not dealt with the complications of these types of facilities or med spas on more than one occasion," said Charles Pierce, president-elect of the New Jersey Society of Plastic Surgeons.

'Angry and betrayed'

Doctors at an Austin, Texas, hospital expressed such frustration while caring for Anna Palko, a 33-year-old mother of four, according to a malpractice suit she filed in November against surgeon Rambod Charepoo and his employer, Mia Aesthetics. The Miami-based cosmetic surgery company, which operates in about a dozen cities, including Austin, advertises that it delivers the highest quality of plastic surgery at affordable prices.

A doctor at St. David's Medical Center in Austin wrote in Palko's medical record: "Unfortunately, the patient has had postoperative complications from a physician who is well-known to our emergency department for similar post-op complications associated with cosmetic surgery through MIA (sic) Aesthetics," according to the suit.

Palko is one of five Texas women who sued Charepoo and Mia Aesthetics for malpractice last year, between mid-July and the end of November, court records show.

Four women allege the surgeon and the company failed to adequately treat infections that developed after surgery, while the fifth alleged other complications. Mia Aesthetics was dismissed from one case. The surgeon and the company have denied the allegations in court filings, court records show.

Charepoo also has been the subject of a lengthy investigation by the Texas Medical Board, which licenses doctors.

In August 2021, the board alleged that the surgeon "failed to meet the standards of care" in treating six patients, including one he placed "at risk" by allowing the patient to leave the surgery center for the emergency room in a private vehicle after the person "experienced significant hypotension and hemorrhagic shock."

In October 2024, the medical board found that Charepoo had failed to meet standards of care for five of the six patients. The board required him to have a surgical proctor oversee 20 of his operations per quarter for two years. The board also ordered him to take medical education courses, pass an exam, and pay a fine of $4,000.

Charepoo is fighting the order in court. Charepoo, Mia Aesthetics, and lawyers representing Charepoo and the company did not respond to requests for comment.

In January, he sued the Texas Medical Board, arguing the penalty is "both excessive and unjustified" and should be invalidated. The medical board declined to comment on the suit, which is pending in Travis County District Court.

Hearing of the surgeon's problems came as a shock to patient Palko, who said she had chosen Mia Aesthetics because of ads promising high-quality doctors.

"I felt so disgusted, angry, and betrayed," Palko said in an email sent through her attorney.

Key medical concepts SepsisPostoperative InfectionLidocaine

2026 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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All-cause and cause-specific mortality trends for LEOs compared to the population and across the working age years. Credit: The Lancet Regional HealthAmericas (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2025.101270

A new national study examines the long-term health risks faced by law enforcement officers. J.C. Barnes, a University of Cincinnati professor of criminal justice and one of the study's lead researchers, said the physical and psychological demands of policing can contribute to earlier deaths compared with the general population.

Published in The Lancet Regional HealthAmericas, the study analyzed more than 15,000 deaths among U.S. law enforcement officers nationwide, looking at all causes of mortality rather than individual incidents or departments. The leading causes of death included heart disease, cancer, suicide and COVID-19 during the pandemic years.

"Law enforcement officers seem to develop these conditions that ultimately lead to early death sooner than the rest of the population," Barnes told Spectrum News, noting that many of the risks identified are closely linked to chronic stress. He said the findings could help policymakers and police leaders design evidence-based wellness programs and rethink how law enforcement careers are structured to better support officer health over time.

Barnes emphasized that the goal of the research is not to discourage people from entering the profession, but to provide data that can help departments address health risks more effectively throughout officers' careers.

More information Peter T. Tanksley et al, Mortality among law enforcement officers in the United States: a population-wide analysis of the National Occupational Mortality Surveillance data, 20202023, The Lancet Regional HealthAmericas (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2025.101270
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Health behavior experts have a question: If loneliness results in the same risk of dying early as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, could the strategies that greatly reduced smoking in the United States a half century ago also potentially ease the loneliness epidemic today?

To get closer to the answer, a team led by the Texas A&M University School of Public Health built on a recent benchmark study on social isolation, loneliness and smoking by aligning its strategies for reducing tobacco use with those of the U.S. Surgeon General's advisory on the current epidemic of loneliness and social isolation.

"What I think might shock people is that if you feel lonely or socially isolated, you have about a 30% increased risk of heart disease and stroke, and older adults who experience these conditions chronically have about a 50% greater risk of developing dementia," said Tyler Prochnow, who spearheaded the commentary, which was published in Public Health Report. "This increase in risk is similar to the increased risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer that we see with tobacco use."

In addition, he said more than one out of every five adults in the United States say they are socially isolated, and half feel lonely.

"This is a growing public health crisis that needs a coordinated, long-term, systemic approach, but our responses to this problem haven't been able to move the needle yet," he said.

He noted that while social isolation and loneliness are both forms of social disconnection, isolation is typically an objective condition defined by little interaction with others, while loneliness is a subjective feeling of distress when current connections don't match the desired level and quality of connection.

"People can experience both at the same time, but that may not always be the case, which complicates the problem," he said. "You could feel a deep sense of loneliness while being surrounded by people, while others may have one connection that fulfills their social needs."

For their commentary, the team aligned the recommendations of the benchmark study with six strategic areas used to successfully reduce tobacco use: policy implementation, environmental changes, systemic reforms, educational programs and shifts in social norms.

Among other strategies implemented to reduce tobacco use that could be considered to reduce loneliness and social isolation, the researchers identified the following:

Policy changes. Just as age restrictions and warning labels effectively reduced smoking, warning labels and age restrictions could be mandated for devices or apps; public health funding could be used to promote social connection initiatives; and social impact assessments could be required for new policies or large-scale projects.

Environmental changes. Like the smoke-free designations in public places, public spaces and workplaces could be designed to foster social engagement.

Systems-level change. Tobacco screenings are now part of routine health care, and support systems such as quitlines exist for people who want to quit using tobacco. Likewise, social connection screenings and loneliness support helplines should be supported and promoted.

Health education programs. The prevention programs introduced in schools and the media to reduce tobacco use could be adapted to address social connection.

Social norm changes. Tobacco use decreased following its denormalization in the media and elsewhere, and similar approaches could be used to promote strong social connections, as well as to destigmatize loneliness and seeking help to address it.

"We believe that the comprehensive, multifaceted framework that successfully reduced tobacco use provides public health professionals and others with a useful approach for addressing the growing epidemic of loneliness and social isolation," Prochnow said.

"When we recognize the health risks and the number of people affected by loneliness and social isolation, we know we have to meet this problem with the urgency, coordination and sustained commitment."

More information Tyler Prochnow et al, Clearing the Air: Using Tobacco Prevention Lessons for Social Connection, Public Health Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1177/00333549251376268
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President Donald Trump, 79, says he takes a higher daily dose of aspirin than his doctors recommend, a choice he says explains the bruising that's often seen on his hands.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he believes aspirin helps keep his blood flowing smoothly.

"They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart," he said. "I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?"

His doctors, Trump said, would prefer that he take a smaller dose.

"I take the larger one," he said. "But I've done it for years, and what it does do is it causes bruising."

Trump's physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, confirmed that the former president takes 325 milligrams of aspirin each day.

By comparison, the Mayo Clinic says a low-dose aspirin typically ranges from 75 to 100 milligrams, with 81 milligrams commonly recommended to reduce heart attack or stroke risk.

Medical experts note that aspirin can reduce clotting but also increases the risk of bleeding, especially in older adults.

In recent years, many health guidelines have stopped recommending daily aspirin for seniors.

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., said the dose Trump described is not usually needed.

"Aspirin has been studied in varied doses, and the reason why 81 milligrams is given to people is that's the dose which appears to have the best combination of protection from clotting events and bleeding caused by the drug," Reiner told CNN.

"In other words, 325 milligrams increases the bleeding risk but doesn't increase the efficacy. So we never use that."

Trump's health has drawn attention in recent months after photos showed visible bruising on his hands, sometimes covered with makeup or bandages.

The White House has previously said the marks were related to regular handshaking and aspirin use.

Trump also discussed a medical scan he had last fall, clarifying that it was a CT scan, not an MRI. Barbabella said the scan was done to rule out heart problems and showed "perfectly normal" results.

"President Trump's medical evaluations and laboratory results continue to show excellent metabolic health, and have revealed his cardiovascular health puts him 14 years younger than his age," he told CNN.

"Overall, the President remains in exceptional health and perfectly suited to execute his duties as Commander in Chief," Barbabella added in a statement.

Trump also addressed swelling in his lower legs, which doctors have linked to chronic venous insufficiency, a condition common in older adults. He told The Wall Street Journal he briefly tried compression socks but "didn't like them."

He also downplayed concerns about exercise, saying he does not enjoy regular workouts.

"I just don't like it. It's boring," Trump said. "To walk on a treadmill or run on a treadmill for hours and hours like some people do, that's not for me."

Copyright  2026 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Texas is considered one of the most landlord-friendly states due to its minimal rental regulations and efficient eviction laws. There are no statewide rent control laws, and landlords can issue a three-day notice to pay or vacate for unpaid rent.

Texas actually has one of the highest property tax rates in the U.S. (around 1.7 percent on average), ranking about sixth-highest nationally. This makes it ideal for real estate investors focused on cash flow and rental property appreciation.
Family divisions, rather than party alliances, have emerged as a defining feature of Mumbais upcoming civic elections. In several wards, in-laws, siblings, and extended family members are now pitted against each other, turning once-unified political households into rival camps. While the much-publicised reunion of the Thackeray cousins after 19 years dominates the broader political narrative, the official candidate list for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls tells a sharply different story on the ground.



Published on January 3, the list for the January 15 elections points to ideological and organisational rifts running through families long identified with the citys dominant political formations. In multiple cases, relatives are contesting from rival parties or even against each other in the same ward, signalling a clear departure from consolidated family strongholds that once ensured predictable electoral outcomes.



In-laws turn rivals in Malad West



The phenomenon is perhaps most stark in Malad Wests Ward No 32, where the Bhandari family  long associated with local civic politics  stands visibly divided. Geeta Kiran Bhandari, a former corporator and candidate of the Shiv Sena (UBT), is locked in a direct contest with Manali Ajit Bhandari, the Shiv Senas nominee from the same ward.



The contest carries added significance as the two women are close relatives. Geetas husband, Kiran Bhandari, and Manalis father, Ajit Bhandari, are real brothers, both of whom have previously served as corporators. What was once a shared family political legacy has now fractured across party lines, with in-laws campaigning against each other in a high-stakes local battle.



Fractured legacies in



Dahisar and Bandra



In Dahisar belt, the Ghosalkar family  considered for years a key pillar of the Shiv Sena (UBT) network  now stands split between competing camps. Tejaswi Ghosalkar, daughter-in-law of UBT stalwart and former MLA Vinod Ghosalkar, has entered the fray as a BJP candidate from Dahisars Ward No 2. A former UBT corporator, Tejaswis switch has triggered intense local buzz, with party workers claiming she joined the BJP and secured a ticket within 48 hours.



Her candidature places her in direct opposition to the political legTejaswi Ghosalkarcamp. Adding to the familys divided footprint in the area, Vinod Ghosalkars younger son, Saurabh Ghosalkar, is contesting from the neighbouring Ward No 7. Together, these candidatures underline how internal family dynamics are reshaping local political arithmetic.



A similar pattern is visible in Bandra East, a politically symbolic zone given its proximity to Matoshree and its long-standing association with the Thackeray brand. The family of the late Shrikant Sarmalkar  remembered as a prominent UBT trade union leader and former corporator  has also split across adjacent wards. In Ward No 94, comprising Santacruz and Bandra East, Pallavi Pai-Sarmalkar, wife of Shrikants nephew, has filed her nomination as a UBT candidate. In the adjoining Ward No. 95, Shrikant Sarmalkars son-in-law, Hari Shastri, is in the fray. What was once a consolidated local legacy has now turned into a ward-to-ward contest closely tracked by party strategists.



Multi-cornered contests



Nearly 1,700 candidates will contest the civic polls across Mumbai. The list includes 879 women and 821 men, reflecting sustained gender participation. Across most wards, there are typically three candidates affiliated with major political parties, pointing to increasingly multi-cornered contests.




As election season steadily approaches, animal feeders and caretakers are being urged to organise, unionise, and assert their collective strength. Veteran animal rights advocate and BJP MP Maneka Gandhi called for the creation of a nationwide Rapid Response Network of animal welfare volunteers, aimed at countering harassment, abuse, and police apathy faced by feeders across Indian cities.



In a message circulated to animal welfare groups, Gandhi pointed out that while animal welfare work grew over the years, individuals working alone remained vulnerable. Most feeders operate in isolation. They are routinely harassed by residents associations, threatened, abused, or even physically attacked. The police rarely take animal-related complaints seriously, the message noted.



The proposed model seeks to organise individuals into a visible united force, particularly at a time when political parties are most receptive to organised voter blocs. Under the proposal, each of Indias 780 districts would identify a minimum of 10,000 animal feeders and caretakers, from which a Rapid Response Team (RRT) of at least 1,000 volunteers per zone would be formed. These teams would be activated whenever a feeder is harassed, attacked, or denied police assistance. Not everyone will respond every time, the proposal acknowledged, but even if 200300 people turn up during a crisis, it is enough to stop harassment, compel police intervention, and restore sanity within communities.



The moment people arrive in numbers, the tone changes, RWAs back off, police listen, said a Mumbai-based feeder requesting anonymity.



Election-time invisibility



During election time, this is the only community that is not consulted. Because you are not organised, animals continue to suffer, Gandhis note stated. By unionising at the city level and replicating the structure nationally, the initiative aims to make animal welfare a recognised civic constituency, one that policymakers and enforcement agencies cannot dismiss.



As part of the initiative, volunteers are being asked to register via email or a Google Form. Their details, like name, phone number, and zone, will be integrated into a dedicated app to be provided free of cost to animal welfare workers. The app is being envisaged as a real-time emergency tool for: calling for immediate help during harassment or rescue operations; co-ordinating protests or meetings; and conducting online briefings and legal awareness sessions.



Why it matters now



With civic and general elections approaching in several states, activists believe the timing of the initiative is strategic. Whether the experiment succeeds will depend on participation on the ground but for thousands of feeders who long worked quietly, often at personal risk, the call to organise may finally offer collective strength.



Roshan Pathak of PAL Foundation, Animal Rights Advisors, said, Animal lovers are being harassed by 15-20 people for feeding community animals... The mob attack on animal lovers is a shameful act...If the government had implemented the sterilisation and vaccination programme properly, humans and animals would live in peace. Animals also have the right to live on this earth; water, air, and oxygen are for them too.



Now, the voiceless animals are suffering, and animal lovers are facing persecution. We, animal lovers, will form our own Animal Rights Party, which will field its own candidates, and we have decided not to vote for any political party in the upcoming elections. Reports regarding harassment against animal lovers and feeders is aplenty, but appropriate action is never taken. Every police station should have a department dedicated to dealing with animal abuse, and maintain social awareness campaigns on animal laws, added Pathak.



Anant Ramana, animal activist and stray dog and cat feeder from Andheri, said, The action force to support animal activists and feeders is a good idea and needs to be implemented. The mob attacks are unfortunate and unfair. It is the government which is at fault for not implementing sterilisation programs.




A few weeks ago, I received a call. I usually dont answer calls from unknown numbers, but that day I picked up.



The caller knew my name and told me that an insurance policy was coming to an end: Would you like to renew? he asked.



I have no such policy and told the caller so. He became aggressive and then went on to share my address and permanent account number (PAN).



He had the details right. Thats when it became clear I was being set up for an online payment scam. If I had been even slightly unsure, the caller would have sent me a link to pay the premium online  and some of my hard-earned money would have disappeared forever.



In fact, I regularly read news reports about digital arrests or come to know of people falling prey to a WhatsApp money transfer scam. But this was the first time something like this happened to me. It left me wondering, why do such scams happen?



First, the scamsters have our personal data: name, address, date of birth, PAN, phone number, and sometimes even bank details. This makes them believable, making the prospective targets vulnerable. This has been one side effect of the digital payments revolution. Indeed, our personal data has been freely collected and poorly protected, creating an ecosystem where frauds have been scaling at a very fast pace.



Second, in my experience, most victims of digital arrests are over the age of sixty. Why? One because they are the ones who have a large proportion of Indias financial savings. Two, they grew up in an era when phones were a luxury for most, and calls were made during emergencies.



Hence, many of them are mentally programmed to pick up every call. This makes them an easy target, because unless someone picks up, the scam cant happen. Its only once the victim engages that small acts of compliance create a psychological commitment which eventually leads to a large payout to the scamsters.



Third, the scamsters put in a lot of effort to portray that they are calling on behalf of some government arm. They don police uniforms, set up fraudulent courts, and accuse their intended targets of crimes ranging from money laundering to parcel scams, threatening that the Central Bureau of Investigation will take over the probe.



There is an authority bias at play  because it sounds and looks official, we are more likely to believe it. Take the case of a digital arrest. Theres nothing like that but the authority bias just makes it so real for the victim.



Of course, some victims have skeletons in their cupboards as well. Given this the threat of arrest, freezing of bank accounts, and public humiliation, creates panic. Hence, the victims just try paying up, and hope that the supposed problem goes away.



Fourth, increased digitisation of our lives has created a world where fake processes look indistinguishable from real ones. As more and more of our lives move online  everything from payments to shopping to complying with different rules and laws to interacting with the different arms of government  the line between whats digitally real and what isnt has perhaps begun to blur. This has allowed scamsters to create a market that pays them well.



Fifth, increasing digitisation has reduced the gap between thought and action. This nudges us into what Nobel Prizewinning psychologist Daniel Kahneman called System 1 thinking. System 1 thinking is fast, automatic, and sometimes even emotional and unconscious. On the other hand, System 2 thinking is slow, logical, calculating, and conscious.



Lets say you get a WhatsApp message from a dear friend asking for Rs 25,000. They say that its an emergency. You transfer the money without batting an eyelid. As things turn out your friends WhatsApp account has been hacked and you have been scammed.



Even in case of digital arrests, given that money can be immediately paid online, System 1 thinking takes over, encouraging the victim to pay and move on.



So, whats the way out? We need to engage our System 2 thinking  slow and logical. If a friend asks for money over WhatsApp, call them to confirm. If someone promises guaranteed returns above 10% a year, dont rush  ask around. If accused of fraud, stay calm, cut the call, and verify. And the simplest rule of all: avoid answering calls from unknown numbers. If its important, the caller will leave a message.



Digital scams thrive not because people are foolish, but because technology rewards speed over thought. When fear, authority and instant payments collide, even sensible people slip. The only real defence is friction: pause, disconnect, verify. In a world built for immediacy, slowing down is no longer a luxury  its protection.



Vivek Kaul is an economic commentator and a writer




Pablo Picasso once said that painting was just another way of keeping a diary, a sentiment that has resonated across centuries. In Mumbai, paintings have long served as gateways to cultural memory, documenting not only the citys elite but also the everyday lives of the working communities on whose labour the city was built. An upcoming exhibition offers a window into this layered past, tracing the evolution of 19th- and 20th-century Bombay through the lens of portraiture.



Presented by DAG Mumbai in collaboration with Mumbai Gallery Weekend, Face to Face: A Portrait of a City brings together 30 portraits of princely rulers, influential leaders, notable figures from Parsi and Maharashtrian communities, and individuals who played a key role in shaping the citys identity. Created by renowned Indian artists, the exhibition opens on January 8, 2026, at DAG, Taj Mahal Palace, and remains on view until January 11.



Custodians of cultural knowledge



Ashish Anand, CEO of DAG, views portraiture as far more than a visual medium. For him, it is a vast repository of cultural knowledge. Across cultures and centuries, portraits have served as record, testament and tribute, and now, as tools for reflection. They have honoured rulers, chronicled empires, captured everyday life and preserved the individuality of the human race, he says.



In a city as multicultural as Mumbai  then known as Bombay  portraiture assumes added significance. In a city shaped by empire, migration and commerce, portraiture becomes a powerful lens through which to view the many communities and individuals central to its evolving identity, Anand explains. Given Bombays pluralistic character, portraiture felt like the perfect medium to celebrate this plurality, bringing together many stories, identities and ways of belonging.



A portal into the past



Beyond representation, the exhibition also offers a deeper reading of history. Portraiture becomes more than representation; it becomes a way of reading history. Each face is an entry point into the social, political and cultural worlds of its time, Anand notes. He points to colonial art institutions such as the Sir J.J. School of Art, which introduced Indian artists to academic realism and European naturalism, placing a new emphasis on empirical likeness and modelling.



Anand also references the influence of Western painters like Frank Brooks, whose portraits of local royalty helped establish early visual codes of power and prestige. Indian artists trained in these schools  M.V. Dhurandhar, M.F. Pithawalla and D.C. Joglekar  adopted and transformed this language, he adds. As a result, the exhibition not only captures Bombays people from a bygone era but also maps how colonial art pedagogy laid the foundation for modern Indian portraiture.



Faces that built the city



The exhibition features a wide range of subjects, from ordinary citizens to eminent public figures. Highlights include portraits of Dr B.R. Ambedkar by V.B. Pathare, Marathi theatre icon Bal Gandharva by M.V. Dhurandhar, and filmmaker Baburao Painter by V.A. Mali. The diversity of subjects is matched by a range of artistic styles and mediums, including oil, gouache, watercolour and graphite.



The exhibition shows how Mumbai has been shaped by the sustained contributions of individuals and communities across governance, reform, philanthropy, culture and everyday life, says Anand. It also underlines the citys importance as a site of education, legislative action and social transformation. Ambedkars associations with institutions such as Elphinstone College and the Bombay Legislative Assembly position the city as a crucial space where ideas of equality, citizenship and social justice were articulated and advanced.



Through these faces, Face to Face: A Portrait of a City presents Mumbai not merely as a metropolis, but as a living archive of people and stories  a true cultural melting pot.




Top officials from President Donald Trumps administration briefed congressional leaders on the U.S. governments plans for the future of Venezuela in a Monday evening meeting on Capitol Hill.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials discussed Venezuela with House and Senate leadership, as well as top members of the intelligence committees and national security committees.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said after receiving the briefing he does not expect the United States to deploy troops to Venezuela, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the session posed far more questions than it answered.

Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro declared himself innocent and a decent man as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in a U.S. courtroom on Monday, his first court appearance for what is likely to be a prolonged legal fight.

Maduro appeared in court on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and bringing him to New York.

Heres the latest:

Republicans praise Venezuela operation but decline to outline timeline on future US actions

I think those are all questions I think will be more sufficiently answered, said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., about whether the Trump administration gave a timeline for reaching operational control of Venezuela.

Thune added that the prospect of American troops in Venezuela was raised during the briefing but that he did not have any sense that that is going to happen.

Rep. Brian Mast, chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, said the administration intended for acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez to be in place until potential free and fair elections could be held.

Thats why shes in place, to work to maintain stability in there. And theres an expectation that stability will be maintained, Mast said.

He declined to say if the administration had shared any timeline.

Democrats say they received little clarification in Venezuela briefing

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the briefing posed far more questions than it answered.

Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Mark Warner echoed those concerns, saying the meeting lacked clarity. Shaheen said that there are a significant number of questions that still need to be answered.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the briefing was not good and offered little clarity about the administrations next steps in Venezuela. Meeks added his takeaway was that Trump has the option of putting troops on the ground and is not going to take anything off the table.

Speaker Johnson says after briefing that he does not expect troops on the ground in Venezuela

House Speaker Mike Johnson said that he does not expect the United States to deploy troops to Venezuela, emphasizing that U.S. actions there are not a regime change operation.

Johnson made the remarks after emerging from a nearly two-hour briefing with top congressional leaders, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior Trump administration officials.

We dont expect direct involvement in any other way beyond just coercing the new interim government to get that going, Johnson said.

Trump denies Nobel Prize influenced his rejection of Venezuelas opposition leader as Maduros successor

Trump told NBC News in an interview that Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who was recognized last year with the Nobel Peace Prize, should not have won the award, which he long has coveted and has openly campaigned for since he returned to office.

But Trump denied basing his decision about Machados ability to lead Venezuela on the prize as had been reported by the Washington Post.

She should not have won it, the president told NBC News. But no, that has nothing to do with my decision.

A top adviser to Trump, Stephen Miller, spoke about Machado in a separate interview with CNN and said, All Venezuelan experts agree that it would be absurd and preposterous for us to suddenly fly her into the country and put her in a charge, and then the military would follow her and the security forces would follow her.  Its not even a serious question.

Trump says Venezuelas oil infrastructure can be rebuilt in less than 18 months with US government support

Trump told NBC News in an interview that the U.S. government could reimburse oil companies making investments in Venezuela to maintain and increase oil production in that country.

He suggested that the necessary rebuilding of the countrys neglected infrastructure for extracting and shipping oil could happen in less than 18 months.

I think we can do it in less time than that, but itll be a lot of money, Trump said. A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent and the oil companies will spend it, and then theyll get reimbursed by us or through revenue.

It still remains unclear how quickly the investment could occur given the uncertainties about Venezuelas political stability and the billions of dollars needed to be spent.

Venezuela produces on average about 1.1 million barrels of oil a day, down from the 3.5 million barrels a day produced in 1999 before a government takeover of the majority of oil interests and a mix of corruption, mismanagement and U.S. economic sanctions led output to fall.

Republican senator criticizes US actions in Venezuela

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said there are probably a dozen leaders around the world that the U.S. could say is a violation of an international law or human rights law.

And we have never gone in and plucked them out the country. So it sets a very bad precedent for doing this and its unconstitutional, Paul told reporters. Theres no way you can say bombing a capital and removing the president of a foreign country is not an initiation of war.

Paul was a rare Republican critic of the administrations actions in Venezuela as lawmakers returned to the Capitol on Monday.

Top members of Senate Judiciary Committee say they should be briefed on Maduro operation

The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee say they should have been included in a classified briefing Monday evening on the Maduro operation.

The briefing Monday, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is for members of the gang of eight, which include the four congressional leaders and the heads of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. It also will include leaders from the various national security committees.

But the Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Justice Department, is not among those committees, said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the committee. That is not OK, they say, because the administration has said this was a law enforcement operation involving key DOJ entities.

There is no legitimate basis for excluding the Senate Judiciary Committee from this briefing, Grassley and Durbin said in the joint statement. The administrations refusal to acknowledge our Committees indisputable jurisdiction in this matter is unacceptable and we are following up to ensure the Committee receives warranted information regarding Maduros arrest.

China has first claim on Venezuelas oil, complicating Trumps plans

One complication to getting U.S. oil companies to invest in Venezuela: China has first dibs on much of what comes out of the ground.

China has lent tens of billions of dollars to Venezuela in recent years under contracts that require cash proceeds from oil sales to go to Beijing first.

Its unclear how much China is still owed because Venezuela stopped reporting figures years ago, but the IOU could be as much as $10 billion, says Brad Parks, head of William and Marys research group AidData.

Chinese lending could frustrate Trump elsewhere in Latin America, too, as he seeks to shape the regions politics under a new Monroe Doctrine. Parks says every dollar donated or lent by Washington to the region in the ten years through 2023 has been matched by three dollars from Beijing.

Danish PM warns US takeover of Greenland would end NATO

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says an American takeover of Greenland would amount to the end of the NATO military alliance. Her comments came in response to Trumps renewed call for the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island to come under U.S. control in the aftermath of the weekend military operation in Venezuela.

The dead-of-night operation by U.S. forces in Caracas left the world stunned, and heightened concerns in Denmark and Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of the Danish kingdom and thus part of NATO.

Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart, Jens Frederik Nielsen, blasted the presidents comments and warned of catastrophic consequences. Numerous European leaders expressed solidarity with them.

If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops, Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2 on Monday. That is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.

Rubio and Hegseth to brief lawmakers on plans in Venezuela

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he expects to find out more about what Trump means by saying his administration will run Venezuela.

Thune says he and other lawmakers overseeing national security will be briefed later today by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others.

The South Dakota Republican said he was comfortable with the notification he received about the U.S. operation to capture Maduro, even though he was not informed in advance.

But I think theres a reason why, like I said before, notification of Congress in advance of really critical and hyper-sensitive missions, to me, it seems ill-advised, Thune said. I felt the notification considering the scope of the mission was sufficient.

Schumer says Americans didnt sign up for endless wars

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer warned that Trumps action in Venezuela is only the beginning of a dangerous approach to foreign policy as the president publicly signals U.S. interests in Greenland and other countries.

Whenever the U.S. gets involved in regime change efforts, Schumer said, American families pay the price in blood and treasure.

Schumer said, The American people did not sign up for another round of endless wars.

Nearly 200 Americans took part in Venezuela raid, Hegseth says

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that forces that participated in the raid on Venezuelas capital city on Saturday morning numbered less than 200.

Hegseth told a crowd of sailors and shipbuilders in Newport News, Virginia, that nearly 200 of our greatest Americans went downtown in Caracas and they grabbed an indicted individual wanted by American Justice in support of law enforcement without a single American killed.

It was not immediately clear whether this figure was for just the forces who set foot on the ground in Caracas or if it also included others who worked to support those troops.

Pentagon officials said they had nothing to add to Hegseths remarks.

UN says nearly 8 million Venezuelans need aid

As the U.N. Security Council discussed the implications of the U.S. raid, the world body also spotlighted the profound humanitarian needs in Venezuela. Its people have endured a yearslong, complex economic crisis.

Nearly 8 million Venezuelans  about a quarter of the population  urgently need help, U.N. chief spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news briefing. Resources are slim: The U.N. appealed to member countries last year for $606 million for humanitarian aid to Venezuela but got about $102 million.

Dujarric said the organization is continuing to provide food, health care and other things to needy Venezuelans but needs more support quickly.

Maduros vice president has been sworn in as interim president of Venezuela

Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in by her brother, National Assembly leader Jorge Rodriguez.

I come with sorrow for the suffering inflicted upon the Venezuelan people following an illegitimate military aggression against our homeland, she said with her right hand up. I come with sorrow for the kidnapping of two heroes.

Erdogan warns of global risks, says Venezuela must not be dragged into chaos

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he told Trump during a telephone call Monday that Venezuela must not be dragged into instability.

In a televised address, Erdogan also stressed that Turkey does not condone any action violating political legitimacy or international law, warning that such steps are risky steps that can lead to serious complications on a global level.

Turkey has cultivated close ties with Venezuela, and Maduro has visited Turkey several times.

Erdogan continued: Turkey and the Turkish people will continue to stand by the friendly Venezuelan people in their struggle for prosperity, peace, and development.

Maduro allowed to keep notes he took in court

Writing on a yellow legal pad placed next to a copy of the indictment in his spot on the defense table, Maduro asked that his notes be respected and that he be allowed to keep them.

Hellerstein directed prosecutors to work with the U.S. Marshals to abide by that request.

Maduro wished reporters Happy New Year in court

Wearing jail-issued khaki pants and a blue, short-sleeved shirt over an orange shirt, Maduro issued the greeting several times as he looked at reporters sitting in the jury box, before turning to the packed courtroom gallery.

Respectful of court decorum throughout the proceeding, Maduro took copious notes and repeatedly pressed his case that he had been unlawfully abducted.

Among the spectators in the courtroom were agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the special agent in charge of the agencys New York Division, Frank Tarentino.

US eyes reopening its closed embassy in Caracas

The Trump administration is making preliminary plans to reopen the U.S. embassy in Venezuela following Maduros ouster, a State Department official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said early preparations to allow for a reopening of the embassy in Caracas had begun in the event President Donald Trump decides to return American diplomats to the country.

The official cautioned, however, that no decision had yet been made to resume operations at the facility, which was shuttered in 2019 during Trumps first term in office. Re-opening a closed embassy requires a great deal of logistics, security and staffing preparation that can take months to complete.

 By Matthew Lee

Flores temple and eyelid were bandaged in court

Mark E. Donnelly, her lawyer, said that Cilia Flores had suffered significant injuries during her capture and that he believes she has a fracture or severe bruising on her ribs.

The judge directed prosecutors to ensure that she gets the proper care.

Maduro has a confrontation with a protester as he leaves the courtroom

As Maduro stood to leave with federal officers, a man in the audience stood and began speaking forcefully at him in Spanish, calling him an illegitimate president.

The man, 33-year-old Pedro Rojas, said later that he had been imprisoned by the Venezuelan regime.

As deputy U.S. Marshals led Maduro from the courtroom, the deposed leader looked directly at the man and shot back in Spanish: I am a kidnapped president. I am a prisoner of war.

Maduros next court date is set for March 17

As the hearing came to an end, Maduro and his wife were escorted from the courtroom.

Maduros attorney raises questions about the legality of the arrest

At one point near the end of the hearing, attorney Barry J. Pollack said his client is head of a sovereign state and entitled to the privilege that the status ensures.

Pollack said there were questions about the legality of his military abduction and that there would be voluminous pretrial filings to address those legal challenges.

The hearing has ended

Court proceedings ended at 12:31 p.m. after attorney Mark Donnelly, on behalf of Cilia Flores, said that his client sustained health and medical issues that will require attention.

Donnelly said that Flores, 69, may have a fracture or severe bruising on her ribs and may need a full X-ray.

Both Maduro and Flores agreed to remain detained for now. Their attorneys could revisit a bail application at a later date.

Prosecutor lays out the custody timeline

In court, a government attorney said Maduro and Flores were officially taken into law enforcement custody at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and that their plane landed in New York at 4:31 p.m. that day.

Flores also asserts her role as Venezuelas first lady

Following Maduros plea, Hellerstein turned to Maduros wife and asked her to confirm her identity.

After confirming her name, Cilia Flores said in Spanish, through an interpreter: I am first lady of the Republic of Venezuela.

Asked to enter a plea, she responded: Not guilty. Completely innocent.

Maduro repeatedly asserts he is still the leader of Venezuela

At one point, Maduro said he had not yet read the indictment against him and had not been informed of his rights.

I did not know of these rights, he said through the interpreter. Your honor is informing me of them now.

Lawyer says Maduros not guilty plea applies to all charges

The judge responded to Maduro: A plea of not guilty will be entered on behalf of Mr. Maduro.

A second time, Maduro was asked for his plea and he said: I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that is mentioned here.

Hellerstein reads the summary of charges against Maduro

The allegations Hellerstein listed included a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

The judge referred to Maduros wife, Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, as Mrs. Flores.

Hearing getting underway

Defense attorneys and prosecutors announced their appearances.

The judge, who could not be seen on courtroom monitors shown in overflow rooms, quipped: Modern electronic equipment hides the judge.

Once the proceeding began, Hellerstein, a Clinton appointee, announced that he had been assigned to the case.

Its my job to assure this is a fair trial, Hellerstein said, Thats my job, and thats what I intend.

No television cameras or recording devices are allowed inside the courtroom itself, but reporters and members of the public are allowed to watch in overflow rooms.

Maduro makes his first appearance in a US courtroom following his capture

Maduro was led into the courtroom at 12:01 p.m. He shook hands with his lawyer and sat down. He wore his prison blue uniform.

Maduros wife was led to her seat immediately afterward. Both put on headsets to hear the proceeding as it is translated.

Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein took the bench at 12:03 p.m.

Maduros son warns that his fathers capture sets a dangerous international precedent

Maduros son and Venezuelan congressman Nicolas Maduro Guerra railed on the Trump administration on Monday and warned that the capture of his father in an American operation could set a dangerous precedent globally.

The speech in front of Venezuelas parliament, his first appearance since the Saturday escalation, comes as the Trump administration has pushed Venezuelas government to fall in line with its vision for the oil-rich nation.

Maduro Guerra, also known as Nicolasito, demanded that his parents be returned by American authorities and called on international support.

Maduro Guerra also denounced his name appearing in the New York indictment of his parents, in which he was named as a co-conspirator.

If we normalize the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe. Today its Venezuela. Tomorrow it could be any nation that refuses to submit. This is not a regional problem. It is a direct threat to global political stability, Maduro Guerra said.

Danish ambassador pushes back on US prospects of Greenland

Christina Markus Lassen, Danish ambassador to the U.N., carefully denounced U.S. prospects for taking over Greenland without mentioning the fellow NATO ally by name. The inviolability of borders is not up for negotiation, she said during a Security Council meeting on Venezuela.

The U.S. operation in Venezuela to seize Maduro, as well as Trumps repeated threats to annex Greenland heightened concerns in Denmark, which has jurisdiction over the vast mineral-rich island of Greenland.

Lassen also defended Venezuelas sovereignty, saying no state should seek to influence political outcomes in Venezuela through the use of threat of force or through other means inconsistent with international law.

Orderly calm in the courtroom as Maduro is set to appear

Security was as tight as it has ever been outside the Manhattan federal courthouse in the hours before Nicolas Maduro was to be arraigned.

But inside the courthouse, it was relaxed and orderly and seemingly a day like any other.

There were nearly twice as many journalists as the three-dozen members of the public who were kept in a line in the hallway prior to the opening of the courtroom where Maduro and his wife were to make their initial appearance.

Five overflow courtrooms where spectators would be able to watch the proceedings on large screens were set up to be filled as needed after the actual courtroom was filled.

Panama expresses concern to UN but emphasizes Maduros conduct

Speaking for Panama  where strongman Manuel Noriega was ousted by a U.S. invasion and drug trafficking arrest in 1989  U.N. Ambassador Eloy Alfaro de Alba expressed concern about the events in Venezuela.

But the envoy focused on criticizing Maduros government, which Panama doesnt recognize as legitimate. Maduro was widely accused of stealing last years election.

As a country that recovered its democracy and sovereignty, Panama can state clearly that there can be no peace without legitimacy, the ambassador told the Security Council.

Colombian president Gustavo Petro rejects Trumps accusations that hes sending cocaine to the US

And Petro said he firmly rejects any plans by the U.S. to launch strikes against drug traffickers in the South American country.

In a message on X, Petro said his government has conducted record amounts of cocaine seizures and warned the Trump administration that it would kill children if it conducts strikes against drug trafficking groups and rebels in Colombia.

Petro, who was a member of a left wing guerrilla group in his youth, said he will return to arms if the U.S. government stages attacks in Colombian territory. The Colombian leader said he recently fired Colombian intelligence officers who are feeding the U.S. administration with false information on his government.

US envoy defends Venezuela action as UN questions legality

As U.N. officials and U.S. adversaries criticized Americas intervention in Venezuela, U.S. ambassador Mike Waltz defended the military action as a justified surgical law enforcement operation.

If the United Nations in this body confers legitimacy on an illegitimate narco-terrorist with the same treatment in this charter of a democratically elected president or head of state, what kind of organization is this? Waltz said.

Son of Nicolas Maduro reappears

The son of deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appeared in Venezuelas National Assembly on Monday where the countrys lawmakers elected in parliamentary elections last May are set to be sworn in.

His son and congressman Nicolas Maduro Guerra, also known as Nicolasito, had not been seen publicly since his father was captured Saturday in an American military operation.

Colombian ambassador also criticizes US raid at the UN Security Council meeting

At the emergency U.N. Security Council meeting, Colombian Ambassador Leonor Zalabata said the raid in Venezuela was reminiscent of the worst interference in our area in the past.

Democracy cannot be defended or promoted through violence and coercion, and it cannot be superseded, either, by economic interests, said Zalabata, whose country requested the meeting.

But her carefully calibrated remarks mentioned the U.S. only obliquely and shied from the type of fiery criticism Colombian President Gustavo Petro lobbed at the U.S. last fall during the U.N.s biggest annual meeting.

A turn back to the era of lawlessness, Russian ambassador says

Vasily Nebenzya, the Russian ambassador to the U.N., blasted the U.S. military action in Venezuela, saying the intervention and capture of Maduro is a turn back to the era of lawlessness by America. During the U.N. Security Councils emergency meeting, he called on the 15-member panel to unite and to definitively reject the methods and tools of U.S. military foreign policy.

We cannot allow the United States to proclaim itself as some kind of a supreme judge, which alone bears the right to invade any country, to label culprits, to hand down and to enforce punishments irrespective of notions of international law, sovereignty and nonintervention, Nebenzya said.

Maduros lawyer helped free Wikileaks founder Julian Assange

Maduro has retained Barry J. Pollack, a Washington, D.C.-based lawyer known for securing Assanges release from prison and winning an acquittal for former Enron accountant Michael Krautz.

Pollack, a partner at the law firm Harris, St. Laurent & Wechsler, negotiated Assanges 2024 plea agreement  allowing him to go free immediately after he pleaded guilty to an Espionage Act charge for obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets.

Krautz, acquitted of federal fraud charges in 2006 after a hung jury the year before, was one of the only Enron executives whose case ended in a not guilty verdict. Nearly two-dozen other executives were convicted of wrongdoing in connection with the energy trading giants collapse.

Pollack also helped secure the exoneration of Martin Tankleff, a Long Island man who spent 17 years in prison for the murders of his parents before his conviction was overturned.

UN Security Council held an emergency meeting Monday after the US raid in Venezuela

The top United Nations official warns America may have violated international law with its unilateral action.

In a statement, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he remains deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected with regard to the 3 January military action.

He added that that the grave action by the U.S. could set a precedent for how future relations between and among states are conducted.

Good news for Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday said he believes the U.S. military operation in Venezuela would lead to the countrys vast oil reserves becoming available on global energy markets, something he said was good news for Hungary.

Speaking at a news conference in Hungarys capital Budapest, Orban, a close Trump ally, said he sees a serious chance that as a result of Venezuela being brought under (U.S.) control, a more favorable position for Hungary will be created on the world energy market.

We think the Americans will be able to bring Venezuelan oil wealth into world trade, he continued. That means that supply will increase, and the increase in supply will lead to cheaper prices.

When asked about the implications of the U.S. action for international legal frameworks, Orban spoke disparagingly about the role international law plays in regulating countries behavior, saying such rules do not govern the decisions of many great powers, this is completely obvious.

Protesters have begun gathering outside the courthouse

The small but growing group of about 50 protesters across the street from Manhattan federal court were separated by New York Police Department community service officers from about a dozen pro-intervention demonstrators.

The officers used bicycle rack-style metal barricades to separate the two groups.

No War For Venezuelan Oil, No To Criminal Trump Invasion and No Blood For Oil were among the signs. One man among a small group of about a dozen pro-intervention individuals pulled a Venezuelan flag away from those protesting the U.S. action.

Demonstrators were observed, recorded and interviewed by some of the more than 100 members of the media who had reserved their places outside hours earlier.

Crude prices rise and oil company shares jump after the US raid on Venezuela

U.S. stocks are rising at the open led by technology and energy stocks.

The S&P 500 rose 0.6% early Monday and the Nasdaq composite added 0.7%. The Dow gained 330 points, or 0.7%.

The price of U.S. crude oil gained 1% after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a weekend raid. Shares of Chevron and ConocoPhillips jumped after President Trump floated a plan for U.S. oil companies to help rebuild Venezuelas oil industry.

Gold gained 2.4% and the price of silver soared 7.6%. Nvidia, Intel and other tech shares rose as the industry kicks off its annual CES trade show in Las Vegas.

 Read more about the financial markets

Mexicos president rejects US intervention and defends efforts against drug trafficking

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum restated her opposition to the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela and defended her administrations efforts to address drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States.

We categorically reject the intervention in the internal affairs of other countries, Sheinbaum said during her daily news briefing Monday. Latin American history is clear and overwhelming. Intervention has never brought democracy, never has generated wellbeing, nor lasting stability.

The president noted 300 tons of drugs seized by Mexican authorities and a drop in homicides during her presidency, but added that the U.S. has a responsibility to address its demand for drugs.

Sheinbaum said her administration had previously agreed with the Trump administration to collaborate and coordinate while respecting each countrys sovereignty. She said regional economic integration was the path forward.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will head to Capitol Hill to brief congressional leaders

Rubio and other top Trump administration officials will be discussing the Venezuela situation Monday evening with House and Senate leadership of the gang of eight, which includes top members of the Intelligence committees. The chairmen and ranking leaders of the other national security committees are also invited.

The Democratic leaders in Congress, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, had publicly called for the briefing after leadership was largely kept in the dark about the surprise weekend operation capturing Maduro  despite Congresss role in approving or rejecting certain military actions.

A war powers resolution that would prohibit further U.S. military involvement in Venezuela without congressional approval is headed toward a vote this week in the Senate.

As a defendant in the US legal system, Maduro will have the same rights as anyone else

That includes the right to a trial by a jury of regular New Yorkers. But hell also be nearly  but not quite  unique.

Maduros lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that hes immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state.

Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega unsuccessfully tried the same defense after the U.S. captured him in a similar military invasion in 1990. But the U.S. doesnt recognize Maduro as Venezuelas legitimate head of state  particularly after a much-disputed 2024 reelection.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls for a peaceful transition to democracy in Venezuela

But he declined to criticize the American raid that seized President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

Starmer, whos worked hard to forge a strong relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, said Monday that the U.K. supports international law. But he wouldnt say whether he thought the U.S. strike on Caracas had breached it.

Its for the U.S. to set out its justifications for the actions that its taken, Starmer said. But it is a complicated situation. It remains a complicated situation. The most important thing is stability and that peaceful transition to democracy.

Starmer did, however, join calls for Trump to cease his threats to take over Greenland.

Starmer told British broadcasters that Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was right to say Trump has no claim on the Arctic island, which is Danish territory, and I stand with her. Starmer added that Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark are to decide the future of Greenland  and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.

FBI Director Kash Patel says Were not done

Patel said in an interview on Fox & Friends on Monday morning that the FBI is going to continue its law enforcement mission to find anyone responsible or part of drug-related activities he said are linked to the Tren de Aragua gang, which U.S. authorities allege worked with the Venezuelan government.

A U.S. intelligence assessment last year found no coordination between the gang and the Venezuelan government.

Patel said the FBIs hostage rescue team, a tactical unit, was embedded with the U.S. forces in the mission to capture Maduro.

Who is the judge wholl be presiding over Maduros court appearance?

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein has handled numerous weighty cases in his nearly three decades on the bench, including matters involving Trump, the 9/11 attacks and Sudanese genocide.

Now, the 92-year-old Manhattan jurist is presiding over what could be his biggest case yet. Hellerstein is set to arraign Maduro and Maduros wife, Cilia Flores, at noon Monday, kickstarting a judicial assignment that was on hold for six years as Maduro eluded arrest after U.S. prosecutors first indicted him.

In the meantime, Hellerstein has been presiding over cases involving some of Maduros co-defendants.

In April 2024, the judge sentenced retired Venezuelan army general Cliver Alcala to more than 21 years in prison. On Feb. 23, hes scheduled to sentence a former Venezuelan spymaster, Retired Maj. Gen. Hugo Carvajal.

Maduro arrives at courthouse

The trip across Lower Manhattan to the courthouse was swift. The vehicle carrying Maduro backed into a garage in the courthouse complex at around 7:40 a.m. From there, he will be out of public view until he appears in court, which is expected at around noon.

Extra security measures are in place around the Manhattan courthouse

Bicycle-rack style barricades are lining both sides of the street for several blocks around the main entrance on Worth Street, while police officers on foot and in marked cars patrol the area.

Behind the courthouse, near where inmates are brought in, Pearl Street is closed to foot traffic.

Inside the courthouse, men in U.S. Marshals Service windbreakers and tactical gear roamed the lobby. Outside, dozens of people are lined up, including reporters and paid line-sitters, looking to get a spot inside the courtroom. Some people have tents, seats and hand warmers to deal with the long wait and bitter cold.

A stand is set up with microphones from various news outlets in anticipation that someone connected to the case will speak.

Across the street, more than a dozen TV crews are set up to broadcast live, while all around, a few citizen journalists deliver their own updates into cell phones via YouTube and TikTok.

Maduros arraignment is set for noon before U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein at the federal courthouse in Manhattan.

Who is Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuelas new leader after Maduros capture?

As uncertainty simmers in Venezuela, interim President Delcy Rodriguez has taken the place of her ally Maduro, captured by the United States in a nighttime military operation, and offered to collaborate with the Trump administration in what could be a seismic shift in relations between the adversary governments.

Rodriguez served as Maduros vice president since 2018, overseeing much of Venezuelas oil-dependent economy and its feared intelligence service, and was next in the presidential line of succession.

Shes part of a band of senior officials in Maduros administration that now appears to control Venezuela, even as U.S. President Donald Trump and other officials say they will pressure the government to fall in line with its vision for the oil-rich nation.

On Saturday, Venezuelas high court ordered her to assume the role of interim president, and the leader was backed by Venezuelas military.

 Read more about Rodriguez

US capture of Maduro divides a changed region, thrilling Trumps allies and threatening his foes

In his celebratory news conference, Trump set out an extraordinarily forthright view of the use of U.S. power in Latin America that exposed political divisions from Mexico to Argentina as Trump-friendly leaders rise across the region.

American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again, Trump proclaimed just hours before Maduro was perp-walked through the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in New York.

The scene marked a stunning culmination of months of escalation in Washingtons confrontation with Caracas that has reawakened memories of a past era of blatant U.S. interventionism in the region.

The new, aggressive foreign policy  which Trump now calls the Donroe Doctrine, in reference to 19th-century President James Monroes belief that the U.S. should dominate its sphere of influence  has carved the hemisphere into allies and foes.

Saturdays dramatic events  including Trumps vow that Washington would run Venezuela and seize control of its oil sector  galvanized opposite sides of the polarized continent.

 Read more about the division of a changed region

By The Associated Press
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

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Jan. 1

The Washington Post on Trumps new humanitarian aid package to the U.N.

The Trump administration will always couch even its most reasonable decisions in the most dramatic terms possible, and so it was with a State Department announcement that the U.S. would be sending a significantly smaller humanitarian aid package to the United Nations: Individual U.N. agencies will need to adapt, shrink, or die.

The $2 billion announced this week is down from $3.8 billion in 2025 and a major reduction from Americas contributions under President Joe Biden, which peaked at $17 billion in 2022. Its easy to write this off as a shortsighted America First policy, but in reality Washington is trying to channel the money to better advance national priorities and maximize effectiveness on the ground.

Jeremy Lewin, who oversees humanitarian funding at the State Department, calls the $2 billion an initial anchor commitment and expresses hope that its only the beginning of a new funding model for U.N. aid.

Importantly, the money comes with conditions, including a list of 17 countries that have been selected by the Trump administration to receive aid. Syria made the cut  no doubt helped by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaas friendly November visit to the White House  while the U.N. has been instructed not to give any U.S. money to Afghanistan and Yemen, lest it fall into the hands of terrorists.

Even after scaling back support, the U.S. is expected to retain its status in 2026 as the worlds biggest aid donor, which makes it hard for other countries to whine about the cutbacks. The U.N. secretary-general has instructed agencies under his umbrella to come up with plans to reduce their staffs by 20 percent.

Undoubtedly, the U.N. could benefit from cutting. For example, the World Food Program, U.N. Refugee Agency and U.N. International Childrens Emergency Fund address the same crises in Sudan and Afghanistan.

The U.N. has also been the subject of repeated scandals. In 2024, the U.S. wisely cut off funding for the Palestinian relief arm (UNRWA) amid evidence that some of its workers participated in the Oct. 7 terror attacks. The U.N. also refuses to acknowledge Chinas reckless role as the originator of covid-19.

Theres always a risk of overcorrection. A rollback of humanitarian aid in 2026 risks worsening refugee crises that America is directly affected by, including relief provided to fleeing Venezuelans. It also comes as the administration has slashed other direct aid programs, including dissolving the U.S. Agency for International Development  which oversaw public health programs around the world  and ending bilateral aid support to countries such as South Africa.

Countries, or billionaire philanthropists, howling about the cuts can always step up and fill the void. If China wants to act like a world leader, theres nothing stopping Xi Jinping from chipping in more to support institutions like the U.N.

ONLINE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/01/01/united-nations-funding-aid-trump-peacekeeping/

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Jan. 3

The New York Times says Trumps attack on Venezuela is illegal and unwise

Over the past few months, President Trump has deployed an imposing military force in the Caribbean to threaten Venezuela. Until recently, the president used that force  an aircraft carrier, at least seven other warships, scores of aircraft and 15,000 U.S. troops  for illegal attacks on small boats that he claimed were ferrying drugs. On Saturday, Mr. Trump dramatically escalated his campaign by capturing President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela as part of what he called a large scale strike against the country.

Few people will feel any sympathy for Mr. Maduro. He is undemocratic and repressive, and has destabilized the Western Hemisphere in recent years. The United Nations recently issued a report detailing more than a decade of killings, torture, sexual violence and arbitrary detention by henchmen against his political opponents. He stole Venezuelas presidential election in 2024. He has fueled economic and political disruption throughout the region by instigating an exodus of nearly eight million migrants.

If there is an overriding lesson of American foreign affairs in the past century, however, it is that attempting to oust even the most deplorable regime can make matters worse. The United States spent 20 years failing to create a stable government in Afghanistan and replaced a dictatorship in Libya with a fractured state. The tragic consequences of the 2003 war in Iraq continue to beset America and the Middle East. Perhaps most relevant, the United States has sporadically destabilized Latin American countries, including Chile, Cuba, Guatemala and Nicaragua, by trying to oust a government through force.

Despite this history, Mr. Trump seemed to commit the United States to a nation-building project in Venezuela. We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition, he said in a news conference on Saturday. He offered almost no details. He has not even offered a coherent explanation for his actions in Venezuela. If Mr. Trump wants to make the case for an invasion and a takeover of another country, the Constitution spells out what he must do: Go to Congress. Without congressional approval, his actions violate U.S. law.

The nominal rationale for the administrations military adventurism is to destroy narco-terrorists. Governments throughout history have labeled the leaders of rival nations as terrorists, seeking to justify military incursions as policing operations. The claim is particularly ludicrous in this case, given that Venezuela is not a meaningful producer of fentanyl or the other drugs that have dominated the recent epidemic of overdoses in the United States, and the cocaine that it does produce flows mostly to Europe. While Mr. Trump has been attacking Venezuelan boats, he also pardoned Juan Orlando Hernandez, who ran a sprawling drug operation when he was president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022.

A more plausible explanation for the attacks on Venezuela may instead be found in Mr. Trumps recently released National Security Strategy. It claimed the right to dominate Latin America: After years of neglect, the United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere. In what the document called the Trump Corollary, the administration vowed to redeploy forces from around the world to the region, stop traffickers on the high seas, use lethal force against migrants and drug runners and potentially base more U.S. troops around the region.

Venezuela has apparently become the first country subject to this latter-day imperialism, and it represents a dangerous and illegal approach to Americas place in the world. By proceeding without any semblance of international legitimacy, valid legal authority or domestic endorsement, Mr. Trump risks providing justification for authoritarians in China, Russia and elsewhere who want to dominate their own neighbors. More immediately, he threatens to replicate the American hubris that led to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

As a presidential candidate, Mr. Trump seemed to recognize the problems with military overreach. In 2016, he was the rare Republican politician to call out the folly of President George W. Bushs Iraq war. In 2024, he said: Im not going to start a war. Im going to stop wars.

He is now abandoning this principle, and he is doing so illegally. The Constitution requires Congress to approve any act of war. Yes, presidents often push the boundaries of this law. But even Mr. Bush sought and received congressional endorsement for his Iraq invasion, and presidents since Mr. Bush have justified their use of drone attacks against terrorist groups and their supporters with a 2001 law that authorized action after the Sept. 11 attacks. Mr. Trump has not even a fig leaf of legal authority for his attacks on Venezuela.

Congressional debates over military action play a crucial democratic role. They check military adventurism by forcing a president to justify his attack plans to the public and requiring members of Congress to tie their own credibility to those plans. For years after the vote on the Iraq war, Democrats who supported Mr. Bush, including Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, paid a political price, while those who criticized the war, like Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama, came to be seen as prophetic.

In the case of Venezuela, a congressional debate would expose the thinness of Mr. Trumps rationale. His administration has justified his attacks on the small boats by claiming they pose an immediate threat to the United States. But a wide range of legal and military experts reject the claim, and common sense refutes it, too. An attempt to smuggle drugs into the United States  if, in fact, all the boats were doing so  is not an attempt to overthrow the government or defeat its military.

We suspect Mr. Trump has refused to seek congressional approval for his actions partly because he knows that even some Republicans in Congress are deeply skeptical of the direction in which he is leading this country. Before the recent seizure of Mr. Maduro, Senators Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski and Representatives Don Bacon and Thomas Massie  Republicans all  backed legislation that would limit Mr. Trumps military actions against Venezuela.

A second argument against Mr. Trumps attacks on Venezuela is that they violate international law. By blowing up the small boats that Mr. Trump says are smuggling drugs, he has killed people based on the mere suspicion that they have committed a crime and given them no chance to defend themselves. The Geneva Conventions of 1949 and every subsequent major human rights treaty prohibit such extrajudicial killings. So does U.S. law.

The administration appears to have killed defenseless people. In one attack, the Navy fired a second strike against a hobbled boat, about 40 minutes after the first attack, killing two sailors who were clinging to the boats wreckage and appeared to present no threat. As our colleague David French, a former U.S. Army lawyer, has written, The thing that separates war from murder is the law.

The legal arguments against Mr. Trumps actions are the more important ones, but there is also a cold-eyed realist argument. They are not in Americas national security interest. The closest thing to an encouraging analogy is President George H.W. Bushs invasion of Panama 36 years ago last month, which drove the dictator Manuel Noriega from power and helped set Panama on a path toward democracy. Yet Venezuela is different in important ways. Panama is a much smaller country, and it was a country where American officials and troops had operated for decades because of the Panama Canal.

The potential for chaos in Venezuela seems much greater. The generals who enabled Mr. Maduros regime will not suddenly vanish. Nor are they likely to hand power to Maria Corina Machado, the opposition figure whose movement appears to have won the countrys most recent election and who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize last month.

Among the possible bad outcomes are a surge in violence by a left-wing Colombian military group, the ELN, which has a foothold in Venezuelas western area, or by the paramilitary groups known as colectivos that have operated on the periphery of power under the Maduro dictatorship. Further unrest in Venezuela could unsettle global energy and food markets and drive more migrants throughout the hemisphere.

So how should the United States deal with the continuing problem that Venezuela poses to the region and Americas interests? We share the hopes of desperate Venezuelans, some of whom have made a case for intervention. But there are no easy answers. By now, the world should understand the risks of regime change.

We will hold out hope that the current crisis will end less badly than we expect. We fear that the result of Mr. Trumps adventurism is increased suffering for Venezuelans, rising regional instability and lasting damage for Americas interests around the world. We know that Mr. Trumps warmongering violates the law.

ONLINE: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/opinion/venezuela-attack-trump-us.html

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Jan. 2

The Wall Street Journal says Trump stands with protester in Iran

Protests in Iran are growing against the despotic regime, and on Friday President Trump declared American solidarity with the protesters. If Iran shots (sic) and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.

The words lacked diplomatic subtlety, but the mullahs in Tehran got the message. Top Iranian officials issued frantic statements in response, and the press now has reason to pay more attention to the protests. Irans security forces have killed at least eight protesters and arrested many more.

What began a week ago with Tehran shopkeepers has spread nationwide and hardened into anti-regime demonstrations. Iranians know the source of their economic plight. The Islamic Republic has made Iran a pariah and deprived its peopleand for what? A nuclear program and terrorist proxy empire? Both now lie in ruins.

Mr. Trumps contrast with Barack Obama couldnt be greater. Mr. Obama stayed mute in 2009 while the regime put down protests following a rigged election. Then again, Mr. Obama never would have joined with Israel to bomb Irans nuclear program, as Mr. Trump did in June.

Saturday is the anniversary of Mr. Trumps 2020 strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Irans terror empire. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cant be confident that Mr. Trump wont follow through on his latest threat.

Mr. Trumps words imply the use of military force, but this seems unlikely to go beyond whats left of the nuclear program or the ballistic-missile program he threatened on Monday. In June only Israel attacked Irans apparatus of repression.

The President has other options to support Iranians. The U.S. can help protesters with strike funds and communications, extending Starlink access or virtual private networks when the regime cuts off the internet. The U.S. can also expose regime thugs and cripple their communications, while encouraging defections.

Above all, Mr. Trump can enforce oil sanctions as he now is doing in Venezuela. When Irans shadow fleet can no longer take discounted crude to China, the regime will know he meant what he said. Iran is exporting two million barrels a day20 times the maximum pressure target set out by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in February.

The Islamic Republic is ideologically bankrupt, pushing Iranians away from Islam, and it has run Irans economy into the ground. There have been false dawns of protest before, but Irans regime is vulnerable. As the protest waves build, they expose the regimes dependence on fear and violence.

ONLINE: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/donald-trump-iran-protests-military-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-50fce4fe?mod=editorials_article_pos5

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Jan. 4

The Boston Globe says an apparent lack of post-Maduro planning could be troublesome

How do you do regime change without changing the regime?

That is the conundrum facing President Trump following his announcement that the United States would run the government of Venezuela until such time as a proper transition can take place  date TBD. Coming from a president who has mocked American military occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Trumps declaration was almost as surprising as the lightening-strike operation itself, which led to the arrest of Venezuelas autocratic president, Nicholas Maduro, on drug trafficking charges.

Set aside for a moment very legitimate questions about whether the invasion violated international law. Or whether it was ill advised for the administration to conduct a high-risk raid without first notifying the Congressional leaders who ultimately must support funding an occupation. (Trump insists they could not be trusted to keep mum.)

What seems most perplexing about the Trump administrations still vague strategy is that it apparently doesnt include what might have been its strongest selling point: Installing the widely supported Venezuelan opposition to govern Venezuela post-Maduro.

That opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado, the 2025 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, overwhelmingly won national elections in 2024 even after Maduros government barred Machado from running. When her replacement on the ballot, Edmundo Gonzalez, handily won the presidency, Maduro, without evidence, declared the results invalid.

Yet for reasons that remain unexplained, Trump declared on Saturday that Machado doesnt have the support within or the respect within the country. That means his occupation strategy rests on the cooperation of the rump Maduro regime led by Maduros former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who has called Maduros arrest illegal and shameful.

If there is something the Venezuelan people will never be again, it is slaves, or the colony of an empire, Rodriguez said on Saturday while flanked by other Maduro cronies who have carried out the regimes oppressive policies, including the defense minister and head of the national police.

How then does Trump expect to bend an entire countrys government to his will without placing a significant number of US troops and civilian officials in harms way, a la Iraq 2003? Does he really believe that the US oil industry can undertake the long, complicated, and very expensive process of rebuilding Venezuelas petroleum infrastructure without the support of a stable government in Caracas? Or that Maduro loyalists wont work tirelessly to sabotage American plans?

Indeed, does he even have an actual strategy for a post-Maduro Venezuela? Or were his remarks on Saturday another case of the president free-associating in public? (Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to backtrack on Sunday, saying the United States would not in fact run Venezuela but would use an oil quarantine to pressure the countrys government.)

What is perhaps most infuriating about the Trump administrations heedlessness is that plenty of people around the world are glad to see Maduro gone, including many of the Venezuelans he has driven into exile. Since Maduro assumed power with the death of his patron, Hugo Chavez, in 2013, his authoritarian and inept government has oppressed and impoverished the country, leaving a once prosperous oil industry in shambles and driving nearly 8 million people to flee.

Leave it to Trump, then, to step on his own applause lines by denigrating Machado and making the entire operation sound like a favor to American petroleum companies. Our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, Trump said on Saturday, will spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure and start making money for the country. Did he mean Venezuela, the United States, or both? Hard to tell.

Some Trump critics speculate that the president has refused to endorse Machado because he resents her winning the Nobel Peace Prize instead of him. Maybe. But he might also recognize that an actually democratic government would be harder to control than an autocratic one that is motivated first and foremost by fear of being killed by the US military.

Trump himself on Saturday noted that there would be a second wave of military action if the United States runs into resistance.

As military operations go, Saturdays takedown was spectacular. In just a matter of hours, American commandos backed by scores of aircraft swooped into a heavily fortified Venezuelan military base and extracted Maduro and his wife without a single American death.

But if we have learned anything from Trump 2.0, it is that this president too often turns first to the military to accomplish his goals, domestic or international. Yet even seasoned military officers will tell you that the military should be just one tool  think hammer  for accomplishing a governments aims. Competent diplomats, bureaucrats, subject-matter experts, and NGOs are essential, too.

It is not impossible that the administration will correct its course and make the Venezuelan opposition a center piece of a post-Maduro government. Until then, the world is stuck with the consequences of a regime that has lost its leader but lives stubbornly on.

ONLINE: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/04/opinion/venezuela-trump-regime-change/

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Jan. 4

The Guardian says capture of Maduro, America acting as a rogue state, will have wide-spread repercussions

Amid the immense confusion surrounding the US strikes on Venezuela, the seizure of the president, Nicolas Maduro, and Donald Trumps announcement that the US will run the country and take back the oil, one thing is clear  they set a truly chilling precedent. The US has a grim history of interference, invasion and occupation in the region, but the early hours of Saturday saw its first major military attack on South American land. American dominance in the western hemisphere will never be questioned again, Mr Trump declared. The decision to unilaterally attack another country and abduct its leader  days after he publicly sought an off-ramp  has still wider repercussions. It should alarm us all.

Venezuelans have endured a repressive, kleptocratic and incompetent regime under Mr Maduro, widely believed to have stolen the last election. They now face profound uncertainty at best. Mr Trump has suggested that Mr Maduros deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, would follow US instructions, and dismissed the rightwing opposition leader and Nobel prize-winner Maria Corina Machado as a plausible replacement. But Ms Rodriguez, now interim president, has so far struck a defiant tone  and other parts of the decapitated regime are more hardline.

A man who won power promising to abandon foreign wars now says he is not afraid of boots on the ground. Rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War was more than posturing. He does not see the worlds superpower as policeman; he is turning it into a rogue state. He believes the USs might allows it to do as it wishes with minimal cost: witness the strikes on Nigeria, on Irans nuclear facilities and elsewhere. He promises that Venezuelan oil means this latest episode wont cost us a penny.

George W Bush invaded Iraq on a lie. But this illegal attack came without UN resolutions of any kind or congressional approval; Democrats were not even informed and say they were actively misled in briefings. Mr Trump doesnt seek to bend international norms, but to destroy them. Put aside the message this sends to Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and others, and ask where the US itself is heading. While the raid reportedly killed 40 Venezuelans, including civilians, no US personnel died. Mr Trumps growing sense of invincibility will surely embolden further adventurism. He has not ruled out military action over Greenland and told Fox News: Something is going to have to be done with Mexico.

No one buys the pretext that this is about drugs. Venezuela is only a minor conduit for cocaine; Mr Trump recently pardoned the former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez for drugs and weapons crimes. And Mr Trump himself made it clear that he is driven by the lure of oil as well as machismo, the ideology of some in his administration, and the desire for glory as domestic popularity wanes.

The global reaction, especially in Europe, has  with honourable exceptions  been shockingly muted. Thats not due to Mr Maduros sins, but fear of Mr Trumps wrath. The strong reaction from the UNs secretary general, Antonio Guterres, was welcome, but this episode underscores the institutions growing irrelevance. Mr Trumps anti-interventionist domestic base could yet press him to turn attention back home  but soaring healthcare premiums, economic unhappiness and the Epstein files increase his appetite for distraction.

We are not yet 12 months in to his four-year term. Sir Keir Starmer and others may regret it if they stay silent now, given what  and who  could be next.

ONLINE: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/04/the-guardian-view-on-the-us-seizure-of-maduro-trump-has-turned-the-worlds-superpower-into-a-rogue-state

By The Associated Press
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has reported an attack on him at a restaurant along Lenana Road in Nairobis Kilimani area over the weekend.

In a press statement issued on Sunday, the vocal and often controversial legislator said the incident occurred on Saturday afternoon while he was attending a private meeting at the restaurant.

According to Owino, he had gone to meet a senior clergyman and had earlier allowed his security detail to take time off for the Christmas holidays. The meeting, he said, lasted approximately 20 minutes.

As he prepared to leave at around 3:40 pm, the MP said he noticed a group of people he knew seated at a nearby table and walked over to greet them. He noted that Kileleshwa Ward MCA Robert Alai was among those present.

Babu Owino claimed that the encounter quickly turned confrontational after Alai accused him of orchestrating alleged social media attacks against the MCAs wife. He said he immediately denied the accusation, insisting that he neither knew the MCAs wife nor had any reason to involve family members in political disputes.

Without provocation, he accused me of being behind alleged social media attacks on his wife. I calmly explained that I do not know his wife, that she has never wronged me in any way, and that I have no reason whatsoever to involve innocent family members in politics, Owino stated.

It is not my style to advance my politics by attacking women. I hold our respected ladies in the highest regard.

In his statement, Owino alleged that the MCA became aggressive, shoved him, drew a firearm, and struck him on the chest and jaw as shocked patrons looked on.

He said several people inside the restaurant witnessed the incident.

The legislator stated that he tried to defuse the situation by urging Robert Alai to calm down and explain the reason for the confrontation. According to Owino, Alai appeared to settle briefly, and the two sat down with another individual seated between them.

However, Owino claimed that moments later, the MCA turned hostile again and threw a glass of water in his face, by which time a crowd had gathered due to the disturbance.

Fearing that the confrontation could spiral into a physical fight, the MP said he chose to leave the restaurant immediately. He reported the matter at Kilimani Police Station, where he formally recorded a complaint.

I take this incident very seriously, the MP said in the statement.

He described the encounter as a direct threat to his life, and called on relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take action in line with the law.

Owino also linked the incident to what he described as a pattern of harassment and threats against him following the death of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga. He cited a previous incident in Siaya during a burial, where he claimed individuals he described as goons attacked him.

The MP noted that political leaders have a responsibility to set a positive example for society, warning that calmness should not be mistaken for weakness.

As leaders, we are expected to set an example for society. However, our calm should never be mistaken for fear. We will always stand our ground in defence of our lives, our dignity, and the rule of law.

On Sunday, Kilimani OCPD Patricia Yegon confirmed that both Owino and his alleged assailant had reported the incident.

We are currently at the scene reviewing the CCTV and taking statements as investigations continue, Yegon said.

Police investigations are ongoing as authorities seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the confrontation at the Kilimani restaurant.
The Ministry of Health has directed the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) to investigate medical professionals who allegedly claimed they participated in or witnessed miraculous healings during a recent Prophet Owuor crusade in Nakuru.

In a statement, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the government respects the role of faith and spiritual nourishment in the lives of Kenyans, but stressed that issues involving health and human life must adhere to science, professional ethics, and evidence-based medicine.

Duale said the ministry had instructed KMPDC to summon the practitioners involved and compel them to submit clinical records and scientific evidence to support any public testimonies attributed to them.

Accordingly, the Ministry has directed the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) to investigate medical professionals who publicly testified to such claims during a recent crusade, Duale said.

These practitioners must provide full clinical documentation and scientific proof.

The Health CS warned that failure to comply would attract disciplinary action under existing professional and regulatory frameworks. He emphasized that licensed medical practitioners who make claims of miraculous healing must back them with verifiable, scientifically established medical evidence.

Duale cautioned that unsubstantiated claims risk amounting to medical misinformation and could pose a serious threat to public safety.

KMPDC raises alarm over faith-based healing claims

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council on Saturday raised concern over reports of faith-based healing claims linked to the crusade, dubbed the Grand Mega Healing Service, particularly those involving serious medical conditions.

In a statement, KMPDC Chief Executive Officer Dr. David Kariuki said the regulator had noted recent media reports and public discourse concerning claims of faith-based healing for serious medical conditions, including HIV/AIDS, cancer, blindness, deafness, muteness and physical disabilities.

The council said members of the public attributed the claims to certain medical practitioners, triggering grave concerns over public health and professional ethics. It warned that unverified statements by trained health professionals could endanger lives.

The council unequivocally condemns such statements by medical practitioners, which are based on unverified claims, said Dr. Kariuki.

KMPDC reiterated that all medical practice in Kenya must strictly follow evidence-based medicine, noting that scientific proof, testing, and regulatory approval must support all treatments and interventions.

Claims of healing for chronic or life-threatening conditions, such as HIV/AIDS or cancer, require verifiable medical documentation and cannot be accepted without independent verification by qualified healthcare professionals, the council said.

Risk to vulnerable patients

The regulator warned that unsubstantiated healing claims, especially when made by licensed health professionals, could mislead vulnerable patients and discourage them from continuing proven medical therapies. Such actions, it said, could result in worsened health outcomes, drug resistance, or loss of life.

While acknowledging the place of faith and spirituality in society, KMPDC cautioned against replacing conventional medical treatment with unverified practices.

While faith and spiritual beliefs play an important role in many peoples lives, relying solely on unverified healing methods for serious illnesses can pose grave risks, Dr. Kariuki noted.

The council strongly advised Kenyans not to abandon prescribed treatments for conditions such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, hypertension, epilepsy, and other chronic illnesses, warning that doing so contradicts established public health guidelines.

Investigations ongoing

KMPDC confirmed that it is conducting ongoing investigations in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other regulatory agencies.

KMPDC is working closely with the Ministry of Health and other regulatory bodies to investigate these claims. Appropriate actions will be taken against any practitioner (or health professional) in order to safeguard public health, uphold medical ethics and protect citizens from misinformation, the council said.

The regulator added that it would pursue legal action against any practices found to endanger lives or violate health regulations.

KMPDC reassured the public that Kenyas healthcare system remains robust, pointing to continued investments in public health education, access to antiretroviral therapy, cancer care, chronic disease management, and medical research.

It also urged members of the public to report suspicious medical claims to relevant authorities for verification, reiterating its commitment to protecting public health and upholding ethical medical practice nationwide.
Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu on Saturday delivered a personal message to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua during a burial ceremony in Muranga County, striking a conciliatory tone amid shifting political alliances.

Nyamu spoke at the funeral of Alice Wangari Gakuya, the mother of Embakasi North MP James Gakuya, held at Makomboki village. The ceremony drew a large gathering of mourners, including political leaders from both national and county governments. Gachagua attended the service and sat quietly among the mourners as Nyamu addressed the crowd.

In her remarks, the senator spoke directly to the former deputy president, reflecting on their past working relationship and the mutual respect she said still exists between them.

I usually miss you and often look at old videos of how we used to work well. I wish things could continue in that way, Nyamu said.

Her comments appeared to acknowledge the political rift that has since emerged while underscoring a desire for unity beyond partisan lines.

Nyamu reminded those present of the personal bond she once shared with Gachagua, even as political realities have shifted.

The second deputy president of Kenya, you know that I was your friend, she said. Even when we are on different sides, we are all a community, and we will never fall out.

The senator also spoke warmly about her relationship with the Gakuya family, describing it as one rooted in closeness and mutual support. She revealed that she reached out to James Gakuya immediately after learning of his mothers passing to offer her condolences and stand with the family during their time of grief.

Because things are the way they are right now, I wont say where I stand, but you all know, she added.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has issued a stern warning to individuals involved in the distribution of illicit drugs and adulterated ethanol, saying the government is significantly escalating its crackdown on alcohol and substance abuse across the country.

Speaking on Saturday, Murkomen described 2026 as a defining year in Kenyas fight against drugs and illegal alcohol, as authorities move to dismantle criminal networks that profit from addiction and social decay.

This is the year we are liberating our youth from the yoke of drug and substance abuse, Murkomen said.

He noted that the government will intensify efforts to identify, disrupt, and dismantle syndicates involved in trafficking illicit drugs and distributing toxic brews.

Murkomen revealed that he plans to meet Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to discuss the operationalization of a directive issued by President William Ruto to strengthen the Anti-Narcotics Unit.

The directive, announced during the Presidents New Year address, includes plans to recruit an additional 500 officers to boost the units capacity.

Drug abuse a threat to national development

Murkomen said the government views alcohol and substance abuse as a serious threat to national development, particularly because it affects Kenyas most productive population.

There is no country that can achieve first-world status when its most productive population is trapped in alcohol and substance abuse, he said.

He also called on county governments to play a more active role by establishing at least one rehabilitation centre in every county, aimed at treatment, recovery, and reintegration of people struggling with drug and alcohol dependency.

Anti-Narcotics Unit set for major expansion

Under plans outlined by President Ruto, the government will expand and strengthen the Anti-Narcotics Unit within the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

The units workforce is expected to grow from about 200 officers to 700, alongside enhanced investment in surveillance, intelligence gathering, forensic analysis, and financial investigations.

President Ruto said the expanded unit will prioritize high-level drug trafficking networks and illicit alcohol syndicates, while also tracing, seizing, and forfeiting assets linked to the trade.

He added that any assets recovered through these operations will be redirected to rehabilitation, prevention, and treatment programmes.

The President also issued a strong warning to public officials, saying any government or security officer found colluding with drug traffickers will face prosecution and immediate dismissal from public service.

Alcohol and drugs declared national emergency

In his New Year address delivered from Eldoret State Lodge on December 31, President Ruto declared alcohol and drug abuse a national emergency, citing its damaging effects on public health, national security, productivity, and social stability.

He referenced data showing that a significant proportion of Kenyans aged 15 to 65 use at least one substance of abuse, with millions affected nationwide. The President noted that harmful substance use often begins at a young age.

This crisis demands decisive national action, Ruto said.

He outlined a multi-agency strategy focused on enforcement, prevention, and coordinated government response to curb the growing crisis.

Authorities say they have already conducted nationwide enforcement operations targeting illicit drugs and illegal alcohol in recent months, leading to arrests and the destruction of seized substances in line with the law, as the government signals a tougher stance on the drug trade.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has called for the return of prosecution powers to county governments as the capital grapples with a worsening building safety crisis that continues to claim lives.

Speaking on the third day of rescue operations following a building collapse in South C, Sakaja acknowledged growing frustration among residents who have witnessed illegal and substandard constructions rise unchecked across the city.

There are challenges expressed over time. The prosecution powers need to be returned to the county, Sakaja said.

He observed that without direct authority, county officials must coordinate with national agencies, a process that can delay justice and allow negligent developers to escape accountability.

Accountability and professionalism

The Governor stressed that his administration will continue to uphold due process even amid crises. He outlined a system where developers bear legal responsibility for their projects through signed indemnities, ensuring that professionalism and safety remain non-negotiable.

Once the approval is done, the developer signs an indemnity as professionalism is maintained. We will continue upholding the integrity, Sakaja said.

However, he also highlighted the human cost of construction negligence:

Someone must pay for all this. Lives lost will not be returned. No amount of prosecution or regulatory reform can restore what has been taken, he added.

Preventing future tragedies

Sakaja explained that his administration is conducting investigations into buildings neighboring the collapsed structure. While these measures may displace some families, they are crucial for preventing future disasters.

The house nearby the collapsed house will have to go through investigations to confirm suitability, he said.

He further warned against knee-jerk demolitions that could destroy legitimate investments without proper evaluation.

Bringing such an investment down without investigation is bad even to the owner, Sakaja noted.

The search through rubble at the South C building collapse site continued Sunday, with Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku confirming the recovery of one victims body.

We recognize the pain and anxiety that this tragedy has caused, CS Ruku said at the site. At 12:30 hours of the recovery process, the body of a young adult was recovered.

The CS reported that rescuers are making progress: The search and rescue is ongoing. The operation is about 70 percent complete.

He cautioned that the work requires careful handling, noting that This operation is delicate. The operation may take some reasonable time to conclude.

We cannot tire to commend the work done by search and rescue team as well as the first responders. We thank South C residents and general public for the patience.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has declared that his party, the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), will not issue direct nomination tickets to any aspirants, insisting that all candidates must compete through free, fair, and transparent party primaries.

Speaking on Sunday, January 4, 2025, during a church service at AIPCA Kiratina in Githunguri Constituency, Kiambu County, Gachagua said DCP intends to set a new standard in Kenyan politics by allowing party members to democratically choose their leaders.

DCP will have free and fair nominations, and the election will end at the nominations, Gachagua stated.

No special treatment for allies

The former deputy president made it clear that no aspirant will receive preferential treatment, including his close political allies. He singled out Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thangwa to illustrate the partys commitment to internal democracy.

Gachagua told the congregation that any DCP member interested in challenging Thangwa would be free to do so during the party primaries.

The young person who wants to challenge Karungo should challenge him. Even though this Karungo is my friend, you will go to the nominations. Karungo, there is no direct ticket. You will go to the nominations. Where is that young person who wants to challenge Karungo? Start campaigning and challenge this person. If you beat him, I will give you the ticket, Gachagua said.

DCP positions itself as a democratic alternative

Gachagua said the Democracy for the Citizens Party aims to distinguish itself from other political parties by prioritizing credible nominations and empowering grassroots members to determine who flies the partys flag in elections.

He argued that transparent primaries are essential to building a strong, credible political movement ahead of future elections and warned against backroom deals and political favoritism.

According to Gachagua, the partys leadership unanimously agreed that nominations will be the final determinant of candidates, urging aspirants to focus on engaging voters rather than lobbying party officials for endorsements.

I want to announce that there will be no direct nomination, no favouritism. It will be free and fair, and the election will end at the nominations. Havent we agreed that the election will end at the nominations? he posed.
Individuals named Candiss typically exhibit a blend of grace and authority that reflects their name's royal origins. They often possess natural leadership qualities, demonstrating confidence in decision-making while maintaining empathy and consideration for others. Their personality tends to be characterized by strong moral principles and a sense of responsibility, making them reliable and trustworthy individuals. Candisses are frequently described as having excellent communication skills and the ability to inspire others, whether in professional settings or personal relationships. They value harmony and often serve as peacemakers in conflicts, using their diplomatic nature to resolve disputes. At the same time, they possess inner strength and resilience, enabling them to overcome challenges with dignity. Their nurturing disposition often makes them excellent caregivers and mentors, while their organizational skills help them excel in positions of responsibility.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Chatham carries significant historical weight, primarily derived from the English town of Chatham in Kent, which has been an important naval and military center since medieval times. The town's name itself comes from Old English elements meaning 'forest settlement' or specifically from 'Ceat's ham' - the homestead of Ceat. However, the name gained its prominent association with military strength through the famous Chatham Dockyard, established in the 16th century as one of the Royal Navy's principal bases. This naval connection transformed Chatham from a simple place name into a symbol of British maritime power and military tradition.



The name's Christian significance emerged as it became adopted as a surname and later as a given name within Christian communities, particularly in English-speaking countries. The military associations aligned well with Christian concepts of spiritual warfare and protection, making it appealing to families with military backgrounds or those valuing strength and defense. The most famous bearer, William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, further cemented the name's association with leadership and statesmanship during critical periods of British history, creating a legacy that continues to influence the name's perception today.
Men named Dayle typically exhibit personality traits that reflect their name's valley symbolism - they are often perceived as grounded, stable individuals who provide emotional shelter to those around them. Their calm demeanor and practical approach to problems make them natural peacemakers and reliable friends. Like a valley that collects water to nourish the land, Dayles often serve as reservoirs of wisdom and emotional support for their communities. They tend to be observant and thoughtful, preferring to consider situations from multiple perspectives before acting, which gives them reputation for sound judgment.



These individuals often demonstrate remarkable resilience and adaptability, qualities inherent in the valley metaphor where the landscape must withstand various weather conditions while supporting diverse life. Dayles typically approach challenges with quiet determination rather than dramatic confrontation, working steadily toward solutions. Their strength lies in their consistency and depth of character rather than flashy displays of talent. In relationships, they value authenticity and loyalty, building connections that are both deep and enduring. Their valley-like nature makes them excellent at creating safe spaces where others feel comfortable being vulnerable and genuine.
Women named Doli typically exhibit a warm, optimistic nature that brightens the lives of those around them. They often possess excellent communication skills and a natural ability to mediate conflicts, much like the bluebird's clear, melodic song that cuts through the morning quiet. Their cheerful disposition is balanced by a deep spiritual awareness and respect for tradition, making them both uplifting companions and wise counselors.



Dolis tend to be adaptable and resilient, capable of navigating change while maintaining their core values. They often demonstrate strong creative talents and an appreciation for beauty in everyday life. Their connection to their namesake bird gives them a unique perspectivethey understand the importance of both community and personal space, knowing when to socialize and when to retreat for reflection. This balance makes them well-rounded individuals who can inspire others while staying grounded in their cultural heritage.
Individuals named Eadric are often perceived as possessing natural leadership qualities combined with practical wisdom. The name's meaning of 'wealthy ruler' suggests someone who is both ambitious and responsible, capable of managing resources and people effectively. They tend to be strategic thinkers who value stability and tradition, yet possess the adaptability to navigate changing circumstances. Eadrics are typically seen as reliable and grounded individuals who approach challenges with measured consideration rather than impulsive action.



Their leadership style often blends authority with compassion, making them respected figures in both professional and personal spheres. The historical weight of the name may also contribute to a sense of responsibility and connection to heritage, fostering individuals who value their roots while building for the future. They often demonstrate a balance between traditional values and progressive thinking, able to honor the past while embracing necessary change. This combination of traits makes Eadrics particularly effective in roles requiring both vision and practical implementation.
Individuals named Elfrida are typically characterized by a remarkable balance of strength and serenity, embodying the name's meaning of 'peaceful ruler.' They often possess natural leadership qualities combined with a calm, diplomatic approach to conflict resolution. Their intelligence tends to be both analytical and intuitive, allowing them to understand complex situations from multiple perspectives. Elfridas are frequently described as deeply principled yet pragmatic, maintaining their core values while adapting to practical realities. They exhibit strong creative tendencies, whether expressed through arts, writing, or innovative problem-solving in professional contexts. Socially, they may appear reserved initially but develop profound, lasting relationships built on mutual respect and trust. Their independent nature is tempered by a strong sense of responsibility toward others, making them reliable friends and colleagues. The combination of their thoughtful demeanor and inner determination often results in them becoming respected figures in their communities or professional fields, where they lead by example rather than authority alone.
Individuals named Faunia are often perceived as gentle, graceful, and deeply connected to nature, much like the young deer that inspires their name. They typically exhibit a quiet strength and observational nature, preferring to watch and understand before acting. Faunias are often creative souls with a strong aesthetic sense, drawn to artistic pursuits and environments that allow for self-expression.



Their calm demeanor can mask a surprising resilience and adaptability, enabling them to navigate challenges with quiet determination. These individuals tend to be empathetic and intuitive, often serving as confidantes to friends and family due to their non-judgmental nature and ability to listen deeply. While they may appear reserved initially, Faunias form deep, lasting bonds with those they trust and often demonstrate remarkable loyalty and protective instincts toward their loved ones, much like the maternal care shown by deer in nature.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Jacen represents a fascinating intersection of ancient mythology and modern pop culture. As a creative respelling of Jason, it carries forward the legendary associations with the Greek hero Jason and the Argonauts, while establishing its own distinct identity through 20th century media. The name gained significant cultural traction through the Star Wars Expanded Universe, where Jacen Solo became one of the most complex and discussed characters in the franchise. This fictional representation introduced themes of legacy, moral ambiguity, and redemption that enriched the name's cultural resonance beyond its etymological roots.



In contemporary naming practices, Jacen exemplifies the trend toward unique spellings of traditional names, appealing to parents who want to honor classical naming conventions while giving their child a distinctive identity. The name bridges generations, connecting ancient heroic ideals with modern sci-fi/fantasy narratives, making it particularly appealing in cultures that value both heritage and innovation. Its usage reflects broader societal shifts toward personalized identity creation while maintaining connections to shared cultural stories and mythological archetypes.
Individuals named Macduff are often perceived as possessing strong moral convictions and unwavering determination. They tend to be principled leaders who stand firmly for what they believe is right, even when facing significant opposition. This stems from the literary and historical associations with justice-seeking and loyalty to rightful causes. Macduffs are typically seen as reliable and steadfast, with a deep sense of responsibility toward their community and family. They often exhibit a quiet strength rather than overt aggression, preferring to act decisively when principles are at stake.



The historical weight of the name suggests someone who carries themselves with dignity and purpose, potentially making them natural leaders in challenging situations. Their personality is often characterized by a blend of traditional values and modern adaptability, allowing them to navigate complex social landscapes while maintaining their core identity. While they may appear reserved initially, Macduffs typically reveal deep emotional depth and loyalty to those they trust. The name's association with overcoming adversity suggests resilience and the ability to transform personal tragedy into purposeful action.
Symbolically, Mylo represents the profound human capacity for compassion and emotional intelligence. The name embodies the concept of mercy as an active forcenot merely feeling pity but taking constructive action to alleviate suffering and promote healing. Metaphorically, Mylo symbolizes a bridge between different perspectives, someone who can understand multiple viewpoints and facilitate understanding between conflicting parties. The name carries connotations of emotional depth and spiritual awareness, suggesting an individual who operates from a place of heartfelt understanding rather than superficial judgment.



In broader symbolic terms, Mylo represents the integration of strength and sensitivitydemonstrating that true power lies in the ability to be vulnerable and compassionate. The name suggests someone who serves as an emotional anchor for others, providing stability and understanding during turbulent times. It also symbolizes creative transformation, as the merciful nature associated with the name often translates into artistic expression or innovative problem-solving. Ultimately, Mylo symbolizes the hope for a more compassionate world and the belief that individual acts of mercy can create meaningful change in relationships and communities.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Rydia carries echoes of ancient Greek linguistic patterns, though it appears to be a modern creation that beautifully blends classical elements with contemporary naming sensibilities. The name evokes imagery from Greek mythology and natural symbolism, suggesting connections to water nymphs, floral deities, and the tranquil beauty of the Mediterranean landscape. While not directly traceable to ancient Greek names, Rydia follows the melodic patterns common in Greek feminine names and carries the poetic sensibility characteristic of Greek naming traditions that often drew inspiration from nature's beauty and elemental forces.



The name's construction suggests possible influences from Greek words like 'rhodon' (rose) combined with water-related suffixes, creating a name that feels both ancient and fresh. This blending of floral and aquatic elements reflects the Greek cultural appreciation for both the beauty of nature and the power of mythological storytelling. In modern Greek-influenced cultures, names like Rydia are often embraced for their melodic quality and the way they bridge classical traditions with contemporary naming preferences.
Individuals named Shijo are often perceived as grounded and practical, with a strong sense of tradition and responsibility. They tend to be methodical in their approach to life, showing reliability and consistency in both personal and professional matters. This stability makes them excellent planners and organizers, often taking on leadership roles where systematic thinking is valued.



Despite their traditional leanings, those named Shijo typically possess quiet determination and resilience. They approach challenges with patience and perseverance rather than impulsive action. Their strength lies in their ability to maintain composure under pressure and their commitment to long-term goals. While they may not be the most flamboyant personalities, their steady presence and unwavering principles earn them deep respect from those who know them well.
Individuals named Swayn are typically characterized by their strong sense of loyalty and dedication to others. They embody the servant-leader archetype, often putting the needs of their community or family before their own. This stems from the name's historical association with knight's attendants who were trained in both service and protection. Swayns tend to be reliable, practical, and grounded individuals who value tradition and stability. They often display quiet strength rather than overt dominance, preferring to support others from behind the scenes while maintaining steadfast principles.



In social settings, Swayns are known for their dependability and calm demeanor. They possess a natural ability to assess situations carefully and respond with measured action rather than impulsive reactions. Their Christian background often manifests in strong moral compass and commitment to ethical behavior. While they may not seek the spotlight, Swayns frequently become the backbone of their communities - the ones others turn to in times of crisis. They combine practical wisdom with deep-seated values, creating individuals who are both capable and compassionate, embodying the Christian ideal of serving others while maintaining personal integrity and strength.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Vortimer occupies a critical juncture in the legendary history of Britain, serving as both a historical figure and powerful symbolic presence in Arthurian lore. As the son of the controversial Vortigern - often portrayed as the king who foolishly invited Saxon mercenaries to Britain - Vortimer represents the corrective force to his father's disastrous policies. In Geoffrey of Monmouth's influential 'Historia Regum Britanniae' and subsequent Welsh chronicles, Vortimer emerges as the patriotic leader who recognized the Saxon threat and mobilized British forces against Hengist's invaders. His successful campaigns, which temporarily drove the Saxons from British shores, mark one of the last significant victories of native British forces before the Anglo-Saxon conquest.



The cultural significance of Vortimer extends beyond military history into the realm of political and familial drama. His story embodies the classic conflict between filial duty and patriotic obligation, as he must oppose his own father to protect his people. This tension makes him a compelling tragic figure in Celtic literature. Vortimer's untimely death - traditionally attributed to poisoning by his Saxon stepmother Rowena - adds layers of martyrdom to his legend. He represents the 'what might have been' of British history - had he lived longer, the Saxon conquest might have been delayed or prevented entirely. This positions him as a crucial transitional figure between the Roman withdrawal and the Arthurian era, embodying both the last hopes of Roman Britain and the emerging Celtic resistance that would culminate in the Arthurian legends.
US military action looms large for Colombia

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, says Donald Trump, is a 'sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States'. File photo: Reuters

A day after the audacious US military operation in Venezuela, President Donald Trump renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of American security interests and threatened military action on Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in Cuba is in a lot of trouble.



The comments from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the ouster of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro underscore that Washington is serious about taking a more expansive role in the Western Hemisphere.



With thinly veiled threats, Trump is rattling hemispheric friends and foes alike, spurring a pointed question around the globe: who's next?



Trump, in his administration's national security strategy published last month, laid out restoring "American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere" as a central guidepost for his second go-around in the White House.



Trump has also pointed to the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, which rejects European colonialism, as well as the Roosevelt Corollary  a justification invoked by the United States in supporting Panamas secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the US  as he's made his case for an assertive approach to American neighbours and beyond.



Concern is simmering in Cuba, one of Venezuelas most important allies and trading partners, as Rubio issued a new stern warning to the Cuban government.



US-Cuba relations have been hostile since the 1959 Cuban revolution.



Rubio, in an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, said Cuban officials were with Maduro in Venezuela ahead of his capture.



It was Cubans that guarded Maduro, Rubio said.



He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards.



The secretary of state added that Cuban bodyguards were also in charge of internal intelligence in Maduros government, including who spies on who inside, to make sure there are no traitors.



Trump said that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a US embargo, was in tatters and would slide further now with the ouster of Maduro, who provided the Caribbean island with subsidised oil.



As he made his way back to Washington on Sunday evening, he also put Venezuela's neighbour, Colombia, and its leftist president, Gustavo Petro, on notice, saying Colombia was run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.



The Trump administration imposed sanctions in October on Petro, his family and a member of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade.



Colombia is considered the epicentre of the world's cocaine trade.



Trump began his months-long pressure campaign on Maduro by ordering dozens of lethal strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats launched from Venezuela in the Caribbean.



He eventually expanded the operations to also target suspected vessels in the eastern Pacific that came from Colombia.



The United States in September also added Colombia, the top recipient of American assistance in the region, to a list of nations failing to co-operate in the drug war for the first time in almost 30 years.



The designation led to a slashing of US assistance to the country.



Hes not going to be doing it for very long, Trump said of Petro on Sunday.



He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. Hes not going to be doing it.



Asked whether he might order the United States to conduct an operation against Colombia, Trump replied, It sounds good to me. (AP)
Cesar Cuauhtemoc Garcia Hernandez will present the Hiram H. Lesar Distinguished Lecture. (Photo provided)

Immigration law, policy scholar to present SIU Simmons Law School Lesar Lecture

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Immigration law and policy scholar Cesar Cuauhtemoc Garcia Hernandez will discuss federal courts and President Donald Trumps immigration policies when he presents the Hiram H. Lesar Distinguished Lecture on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Southern Illinois Universitys Simmons Law School.

Garcia Hernandezs free, public presentation, Immigration Law in Turbulent Times, is at 6 p.m. in the Lesar Law Building Room 102. This is the 28th lecture in the series established to honor founding Dean Hiram H. Lesar. A reception starts the festivities at 5 p.m. in the law schools formal lounge.

Hannah Brenner Johnson, SIU Simmons Law School dean and the Hiram H. Lesar professor of law, said Garcia Hernandez embodies many of the concerns and values regarding civil rights held by Dean Lesar. His lecture is exceedingly timely, and we could not be more pleased to welcome him to the law school to give a public lecture and meet with our students.

Media availability

Cesar Cuauhtemoc Garcia Hernandez will be available for interviews before the lecture, starting at 5 p.m. in the law schools administrative suite conference room, Room 0131. To arrange for interviews, contact Payton Van Hoy, marketing associate, SIU Simmons Law School, at payton.vanhoy@siu.edu or 618-453-8263.

Garcia Hernandez said he will cover the role of federal courts in mediating many of the highly contentious immigration policies that the Trump administration has launched since January 2025. He will devote special attention to the U.S. Supreme Court and expects to address cases involving the Fourth Amendment and birthright citizenship.

As political parties have become more entrenched and ever more elections are reliably won by the same party, the role of the courts in settling pressing policy differences has heightened, Garcia Hernandez said.

Gracia Hernandez is the Greogry Williams chair in civil rights and civil liberties at Ohio State Universitys Moritz College of Law and director of the schools Latinx studies program. He is the author of three books on immigration, including Crimmination Law, the nations first academic book on criminal laws impact on immigration law in the United States. His scholarly articles earned him a position among the 10 most-cited immigration law scholars in the nation.

Garcia Hernandez has published opinion articles in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Time and many others, and he has appeared on national TV programs including Morning Joe on MS NOW and Democracy Now! He also publishes the Immigration Law Unhinged newsletter and writes the Immigration Matters column for SCOTUSblog.

Cindy Buys, Simmons Law School professor and immigration law expert, said Garcia Hernandez is widely known for his work on the increasing criminalization of immigration law.

Historically, most immigration law violations were civil law violations, not criminal, Buys said. Immigration proceedings are still civil in nature, meaning that noncitizens do not receive the benefits of constitutional criminal rights such as a right to counsel if they cannot afford one, the right against self-incrimination and the right to a speedy trial. Yet the consequences of these immigration proceedings are quite severe and life changing.

Buys hopes that the audience will have a better understanding of how the current administrations immigration policies and enforcement actions actually work in practice and whether they are lawful.

(Editors note: Cesar Cuauhtemoc Garcia Hernandez is pronounced SES-ar kwow-TEH-muck gar-SEE-uh er-NAHN-dez.)
Assyrian Parties Condemn Kurdish Grab of Assyrian Lands in Iraq

The Assyrian village of Bakhetme in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Four Assyrian political parties in Iraq have issued a statement concerning encroachments on the lands of Bakhetme village in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The four parties, being the Bethnahrin Patriotic Union (Huyodo d'Beth Nahrain Athroyo, HBA), Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party, Assyrian Democratic Movement, and Assyrian Patriotic Party, declare that despite repeated appeals since 1992, the cases of encroachments on the lands and villages of the Assyrian people in the KRI remain largely unresolved. So far, there has been no positive action from the responsible government authorities, the parties state. On the contrary, their information indicates the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is making efforts to seize another 1,500 dunams of land in Bakhetme village in Nohadra (Dohuk) to distribute them as residential plots to Peshmerga fighters and government employees.

The parties' statement adds that these lands were forcibly seized by the former dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein in August 1983 and designated as an army camp, at which time the village residents refused the compensation offered to them. Following the March 1991 uprising and the retreat of the former regime from areas north of the 36th parallel, a demand enforced by the US-led International Coalition, the people of Bakhetme returned to cultivate their lands after liberation, and they have been cultivating them ever since.

Today, the village faces a scheme that will alter its demographics and cut off the livelihood, which largely depends on agriculture, of its Assyrian residents. It is clear from the actions and efforts by KRG agencies that the lands of Bakhetme village are not being treated in the same legal manner as other villages and areas in the KRI, since the lands have still not been formally restored to their legitimate owners. For the Bethnahrin Patriotic Union (Huyodo d'Beth Nahrain Athroyo, HBA), Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party, Assyrian Democratic Movement, and Assyrian Patriotic Party the evolved situation indicates discriminatory KRG handling of the files and the application of double standards, since all lands used by the former regime for military camps or purposes were returned to their Kurdish owners, except for the lands of this Assyrian village.

The four Assyrian parties demand the annulment of all consequences stemming from the seizure of the village's lands and the return of lands seized for military purposes by the former regime and not officially returned to their original owners. They clarify that despite a 1995 decision by the KRI parliament mandating the return to their legal owners of all lands affected by decisions of confiscation by the dissolved Revolutionary Command Council of the Ba'ath Party, and despite repeated requests by village residents and officials, the issue remains unresolved.

The statement also notes that the village residents, which remain in limbo, were recently surprised by municipal attempts to survey and plot these lands for distribution to government employees, which would lead to the confiscation of a large part of the village's property. This step harms the village's unique character and identity. The resulting demographic changes would violate the Iraqi Constitution and relevant laws, including KRI Law No. (5) of 2015 which affirms respect for owners' property rights, due process, as well as prohibits demographic change for any reason. Therefore, the four parties call on the relevant authorities to immediately halt the surveying and distribution procedures and return the lands to their original owners in accordance with applicable laws and decisions. They warned that failure to meet these demands would force the parties to pursue legal and public avenues to confront these arbitrary measures and present the file of violations to international human rights organizations.
Consumption in India's domestic economy is expected to continue outpacing capital expenditure (capex) in 2026, supported by a fiscal policy pivot towards consumption and a revival in credit, even as corporate investment sentiment remains cautious, according to a report by Nuvama. The report noted that consumption is likely to stay ahead of capex in 2026 for three key reasons. First, during periods of slower economic growth, consumption typically performs better than capex. Second, fiscal policy has clearly shifted towards supporting consumption, a trend also reflected in the ongoing credit revival. Third, although consumption may not see a sharp acceleration due to weak income dynamics, demand from lower- and middle-income segments is expected to remain relatively stronger than that from higher-income groups. "Consumption over capex, in 2026, consumption should continue outpacing capex," the report stated. It highlighted that income growth remains subdued and the wealth effect has moderated, limiting the pace of consumption growth. As a result, consumption in FY26 is likely to be driven largely by leverage and government transfers rather than a broad-based improvement in household incomes. Despite these constraints, stronger demand from lower- and middle-income households is expected to help consumption outperform capex. Consumption and capex are India's twin engines of economic growth, with household spending driving demand, while investment in infrastructure and manufacturing expands supply capacity, generates employment, and supports income growth, creating a virtuous cycle essential for sustained economic expansion. On the investment front, the report indicated that capex is likely to remain subdued through 2026. Limited fiscal space is expected to constrain the government's ability to significantly increase public capex, while large corporates are slowing investment plans amid weak revenues and profitability, reflecting a cautious stance towards new projects. Household-led capex is also showing signs of moderation. The report observed that high-end and premium real estate has entered a soft patch, further weighing on overall investment activity. This softness in real estate, combined with corporate caution, is expected to keep capex in the slow lane during the year. The report also pointed to some support for lower-income consumption from a recent increase in state government transfers. In particular, women-focused schemes providing direct benefit payouts are offering a cushion to consumption at the lower end of the income spectrum. However, it cautioned that these transfers may be funded by slower spending in other areas, especially capex. Overall, the report noted that consumption is likely to continue outpacing capex in 2026, with demand strength concentrated in lower- and middle-income segments, while investment activity remains restrained due to limited fiscal headroom and cautious corporate sentiment. (ANI)
Hyundai Motor Co.'s luxury brand, Genesis, has surpassed 1.5 million units in cumulative global sales, reaching the milestone exactly 10 years after its initial market entry. This growth trajectory indicates a faster expansion rate than that of Toyota Motor Corp.'s luxury brand, Lexus, during its respective early years. As per a report by Pulse, the English service of Maeil Business News Korea, the brand's cumulative global sales totaled 1,510,368 vehicles as of November 2025. The brand was first introduced on November 4, 2015, alongside the release of the G90 sedan. "In its launch year of 2015, Genesis sold 530 vehicles in just two months. The following year, 2016, it made a strong impact by selling 64,000 units globally. Annual global sales have continued to rise steadily, increasing from 201,415 units in 2021 to 215,128 units in 2022, 225,189 units in 2023, and 229,532 units in 2024," the report said. Through November of last year, sales reached 200,878 units, which represented a 5 per cent decrease compared with the same period a year earlier. Despite the slight decline in total volume for the recent period, the brand noted that the proportion of overseas sales rose from 43 per cent to 46 per cent during that time. Genesis stated that this shift indicated that brand awareness continues to improve steadily in international markets. The G80 remains the primary driver of the brand's volume over the past decade. It became the first model under the nameplate to surpass 500,000 units in cumulative sales, with 501,517 units sold through November 2025. The performance of the G80 solidified its position as the best-selling model in the luxury brand's lineup as it entered its second decade of operations. (ANI)
The film won Best Song for Golden, with songwriter EJAE, who also served as the singing voice of lead character Rumi, accepting the award alongside co-writer Mark Sonnenblick. Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the other singing voices behind the fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix, joined them on stage.

"When writing this song, I found myself living vicariously through my character Rumi," EJAE said while accepting the award. "The song needed to be an expression of hope -- to convince herself that she could reach for her dreams," as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter.

Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans accepted the award for Best Animated Feature along with members of the voice and singing cast.

KPop Demon Hunters, a collaboration between Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation, follows the adventures of Huntrix, a K-pop girl group that secretly battles monsters from the underworld, as per the outlet.

The film has emerged as Netflix's most popular title to date. Its soundtrack spent several weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart, while Golden reached the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The 31st Critics Choice Awards held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. (ANI)
The SIT conducted searches at 14 locations and seized mobile devices, tablets, computers, storage devices, and incriminating financial records and documents.

A spokesperson for the SIT stated here on Saturday that a total of 16 persons have been named in the FIR registered at the Police Station C-Division, Commissionerate, Amritsar.

"Two accused persons have allegedly died, and 14 persons are under investigation. Satinder Singh Kohli and Kanwaljit Singh alias Kawaljit Singh have been arrested in this case so far," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson further stated, "Kanwaljit Singh alias Kawaljit Singh has been arrested on January 3, 2026. He was working as an Assistant and played a direct role in serious irregularities relating to maintenance, handling of religious scriptures, and unauthorised preparation/storage of scriptures."

He added that search operations were conducted at 14 locations in Punjab, including 2 in Chandigarh, 8 in Amritsar, and one each in Gurdaspur, Ropar, Tarn Taran, and Amritsar Rural.

"During the searches, 07 mobile phones, 03 tablets, 02 laptops, 01 storage device and incriminating financial records and documents have been seized," the spokesperson said.

The SIT further stated, "The seized electronic devices will be analysed forensically, and the seized documents and financial documents are under scanner as payments made by companies associated with several persons, including politicians, are being scrutinised."

"The SIT is conducting investigations and collecting evidence systematically and meticulously. More searches and arrests are likely to take place. Further investigations are ongoing," the spokesperson added. (ANI)
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) national spokesperson Waris Pathan has accused the Sangh Parivar of spreading "hatred and targeting Muslims every day". "Their only aim is to spread hatred in the country, to destroy love, to polarise society, to strangle the constitution, and to distract people. That's why they target Muslims every day and spew this kind of nonsense," Pathan told ANI. He was responding to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat's remarks on 'love jihad'. Questioning the very premise of the term, Pathan said, "First of all, ask him what Love Jihad means? He doesn't even know the meaning of Jihad." He further challenged the RSS to present evidence. "Tell me, in which state and how many Love Jihad cases have happened? They don't have the data," Pathan said. Defending the right of adults to make personal choices, Pathan added, "If there is an 18 or 19-year-old boy or girl, who the law allows to love and marry whomever they want, who are these people to stop them?" Earlier, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also criticised Bhagwat's remarks, demanding concrete proof if such claims are being made. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Owaisi said, "If it's an adult making their own decision, then our likes or dislikes are irrelevant." He further questioned the absence of official data, saying, "If love jihad is happening, then why do they not present the data in the parliament? Provide records from all the states where you are present, showing instances of love jihad occurring there." Owaisi also criticised the focus on the issue, adding, "They should define what love jihad is. The youth of this nation needs employment, and you are taking them somewhere else." Earlier, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had said that efforts to prevent 'love jihad' must begin within families. He made the remarks while addressing the 'Stri Shakti Samvad' programme in Bhopal on Saturday. In December 2025, Bhagwat also spoke against live-in relationships, emphasising the importance of family structure in society. "Regarding the concept of live-in relationships. You're not ready to take responsibility. This isn't right. The family, marriage, is not just a means of physical satisfaction. It's a unit of society. The family is where an individual learns how to live in society. People's values come from there," Bhagwat said. The RSS Sarsanghchalak was speaking at an event in West Bengal's Kolkata, where he said the family unit is a confluence of culture and economy and plays a crucial role in shaping society. (ANI)
Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC launched a scathing attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, accusing him of possessing "regressive thoughts". Speaking to ANI, Shaina NC said, "Aaditya Thackeray inducted Rashid Mamu. Aaditya Thackeray joined Umar Khalid at the Gateway protest. They are plotting to turn Mumbai into Mamdani, but we will never let that happen. We are here for progressive politics. They are here for regressive thoughts and comments." Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray hit back at the Mahayuti government in a post on X on Sunday, alleging attempts to "falsely steal credits" for the Mumbai coastal road and the installation of a statue of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. In his post, Aaditya Thackeray said, "Looking at these shameless ones, you realise how much of a fraud someone can be. Just like they're falsely trying to steal credit for the Coastal Road, today they've put up a hoarding claiming that the revered Hindu heart-emperor Balasaheb Thackeray's statue was also installed by these frauds." He further stated, "The location of the statue, its design--these were decided by Uddhavsaheb, it was installed by Uddhavsaheb, and even the fee was paid by Uddhavsaheb!" Continuing his attack, Aaditya Thackeray added, "But a thief is a thief. They can never go straight. In 'Mindhechya' mirror, do they even see their own face, or is that stolen too?"Aaditya Thackeray's remarks were aimed at the ruling Mahayuti government amid ongoing political sparring between the rival Shiv Sena factions in Maharashtra. Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday unveiled their joint manifesto, 'Vachan Nama', for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. The manifesto's cover prominently featured a photograph of the Thackeray brothers alongside Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. The Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance pledged to provide affordable housing and strengthen infrastructure across healthcare, public transport, and education sectors. This came after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis criticised the opposition, saying that the Mahayuti will "teach a lesson" to those who care only about their self-interest. "We launched our BMC election campaign by breaking a coconut. This election will be a life-changing one for the people of Mumbai and for Mumbai itself. We have to teach a lesson to those who only care about their self-interest," he said. Polling for 29 municipal corporation elections across the state, including Mumbai, Pune, and Pimpri-Chinchwad, will be held on January 15, with vote counting scheduled for January 16. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Monday will pronounce its verdict on the bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and several others, who have challenged the Delhi High Court order denying them bail in a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) linked to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria will also deliver its judgment on the bail pleas filed by Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed. The apex court had reserved its verdict on December 10 after hearing detailed arguments from all parties. During the hearing of their pleas seeking bail, the advocates who appeared for them mostly argued on the delay and the unlikelihood of the commencement of the trial. It was also stated to the court that they have been under custody for over five years in a case in which they are facing serious allegations of committing offences under the UAPA. The contentions were also made that there is no proof of violence that they instigated the riots, even after five years have passed. On the other hand, Delhi Police objected to the bail pleas, saying the alleged offences involved a deliberate attempt to destabilise the state. It argued that these were not spontaneous protests but a well-orchestrated "pan-India" conspiracy aiming at "regime change" and "economic strangulation". The Delhi Police further submitted that the conspiracy was allegedly planned to coincide with the official visit of the then US President to India, with the intention of drawing international media attention and globalising the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The issue of CAA was carefully chosen to serve as a "radicalising catalyst" camouflaged in the name of "peaceful protest", it had said. The prosecution further stated that the "deep-rooted, premeditated and pre-planned conspiracy" hatched by the petitioners resulted in the death of 53 persons, large-scale damage to public property, leading to registration of 753 FIRS in Delhi alone. Evidence on record suggests that the instant conspiracy was sought to be replicated and executed PAN India, the Delhi police said. It referred to the various WhatsApp groups, Delhi Protest Support Group (DPSG), and Jamia Awareness Campaign Team. It was also argued that the delays are attributed to the petitioners themselves, and if they cooperate, the trial will be concluded within two years. The Delhi High Court on September 2 denied bail to Imam, Khalid and seven others - Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima. On September 2, the bail plea of another accused, Tasleem Ahmed, was rejected by a different High Court bench. The High Court had observed that, prima facie, the role of Imam and Khalid in the entire conspiracy was "grave", having delivered inflammatory speeches on communal lines to "instigate mass mobilisation of members of the Muslim community." They sought bail from the apex court in the larger conspiracy case under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Delhi riots case in February 2020. In 2020, the Delhi police arrested Imam under the UAPA and named him as the main conspirator behind the Delhi riots case. The violence had erupted during the protests against the then-proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. (ANI)
14 people have been arrested in a ganja-related case in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district, police said. The arrest occured within the limits of the Pedakakani Police Station under the North Sub-Division of Guntur district. Superintendent of Police (SP) Guntur Vakul Jindal on Sunday said the arrested accused were involved in supplying ganja by road from the Araku region. He added that 4 kilograms and 800 grams of ganja were seized from their possession. The Superintendent of Police further stated that over the past three months, strict action has been taken against ganja as part of the "Sankalpam" programme, with police cracking down firmly on drug trafficking in the district. In December, Pune Police claimed to have busted a major drug racket after seizing hydroponic cannabis being cultivated inside a rented flat in the Pimpri Chinchwad city of the district and recovering narcotic substances worth around Rs 3.45 crore. Senior police officials said the investigation indicates the involvement of an international drug trafficking network. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Somay Munde, who was leading the case, said, "The racket came to light following the arrest of an accused in a drug sale case, after which police carried out coordinated operations in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Mumbai and Goa. During the raids, various narcotic substances, including mephedrone, hydroponic cannabis (Ozikush), charas and LSD, were seized." He further informed, "Five accused have been arrested in the case. They have been identified as Tushar Chetan Verma (21), Sumit Santosh Dedwal (25), Akshay Sukhlal Maher (25), Malay Rajesh Deliwala (28) and Swaraj Anant Bhosale (28). Police have also frozen Rs 7.80 lakh from the bank accounts of the arrested accused. All the accused have been remanded to police custody." Police said Verma was initially apprehended from the Khadki area based on specific inputs about narcotics sales. During interrogation, it was revealed that his associates Dedwal and Maher had rented a flat in the Pimpri area, where hydroponic marijuana was being cultivated. Acting on this information, a police team raided the flat and seized hydroponic cannabis along with equipment used for its cultivation. (ANI)
The son of 56-year-old businessman Sadiq Hussain, who allegedly committed suicide amid the ongoing election campaign, accused the police of not taking action despite prior complaints of harassment. Victim''s son, speaking to ANI, said that his father Hussain was under constant harassment from the accused. "...They subjected him to constant harassment from the moment they acquired the land. My father has preserved all related documents, applications, complaints, and records of their actions to intimidate him. Despite this, the police have not taken any action against these individuals..," he said. Expressing uncertainty over the motives, the victim''s son said that "they practically threatened to kill him (Hussain). "The motives behind their actions remain unclear... Their threats were severe. They practically threatened his life and even said they''d kill him... Farooq Yaseen Inamdar, Sufiyan Inamdar, and Zahoor Syed made false cases against him. Advocate Kabir Sheikh and Munna Jagirdar are also involved...," he stated. He further levelled an accusation against the accused for demanding extortion money and fabricating false cases against Hussain in the land dispute. Expressing his grief over his father''s death, he said that Hussain had been fighting since 2012, despite having proper evidence. "I got to know about my father''s suicide through my family and friends. When I went there, I saw him and several suicide notes....My father lost all trust in the police. Despite having everything documented, they never took action," he said. Sadiq Hussain alias Babu Kapoor (56), a resident of Syed Nagar, Hadapsar, who operated a real estate office in the Camp area. Kapoor was found hanging inside his office premises under the jurisdiction of Lashkar Police Station on Saturday evening. Police said a two-page suicide note was recovered from the spot, with one portion written on paper and another reportedly written on the deceased''s hand. According to police, the suicide note names Farooq Inamdar, an NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) candidate from Ward No. 41, along with three others, alleging continuous financial and mental harassment and an extortion demand of ?50 lakh. Based on the contents of the note and a complaint filed by the deceased''s son, police registered an FIR under BNS Sections 108, 308(2) and 3(5) at Lashkar Police Station of Pune City Police. The deceased was allegedly involved in a land dispute involving around five gunthas in the Syed Nagar area, and police are probing whether the dispute has a direct link to the allegations cited in the suicide note. Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajlaxmi Shivankar said the police are proceeding strictly in accordance with the law. "A suicide note has been recovered, and based on the complaint, a case has been registered at Lashkar Police Station. The allegations mentioned in the note are being verified. All aspects, including financial transactions and the background of the individuals named, are under investigation," Shivankar told. Police also confirmed that an Accidental Death Report (ADR) was initially registered, after which a detailed inquiry was launched. The forensic team and crime branch officials inspected the scene, and the body was sent to Sassoon General Hospital for post-mortem examination. No arrests have been made so far. Police said further action will be taken after corroborating evidence and statements are recorded. (ANI)
YSR Congress Party leader and former MLA V. Vishweshwar Reddy strongly condemned Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for allegedly betraying Rayalaseema by halting the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project for personal and political gain. Reacting to statements made by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on the floor of the Telangana Assembly, where he claimed the project was stopped after discussions with Chandrababu Naidu, the YSRCP leaders said the Chief Minister's "Rayalaseema mask" had completely fallen off. They said Revanth Reddy's public assertion, along with his readiness for an all-party verification, exposed an unholy nexus that led to the halt of a project vital to Rayalaseema's drinking water and irrigation needs. Terming the move a "death warrant" for Rayalaseema, they demanded that Chandrababu Naidu explain what personal interests compelled him to mortgage the future of a drought-prone region. They questioned why the Chief Minister chose to remain silent on Telangana's upstream projects and the repeated diversions from Srisailam, and why Andhra Pradesh failed to defend its rights before statutory forums. The leaders recalled that under former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project was launched with an outlay of about Rs. 3,850 crore to fully utilise allocated waters through the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator, primarily for drinking water. Despite initial hurdles before environmental bodies, the project was pursued in the public interest but was later abandoned by the coalition government, even as Telangana continued with projects such as Palamuru-Rangareddy and Dindi despite penalties. They warned that the renewed height increase of the Almatti dam by Karnataka, combined with Andhra Pradesh's inaction, would cripple projects such as Handri-Neeva and Galeru-Nagari, pushing Rayalaseema deeper into distress. Chandrababu Naidu prioritising Amaravati commissions over critical drought-mitigation works like Gundrevula reservoir and canal expansions, they said decades of allocated water, nearly 101 TMC, had rarely reached Rayalaseema due to political compromise. YSRCP leaders called on TDP ministers, MPs, and MLAs from Rayalaseema to either break their silence or resign, warning that people would not forgive those who remained silent as the region's future was destroyed. They asserted that the YSRCP would not tolerate any move that harms Rayalaseema and announced that, if the Lift Irrigation Project is not immediately revived, the party will launch a mass public agitation with farmers and citizens. They reaffirmed that on YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's return to office, the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project will be restarted and completed on a war footing to safeguard the region's water rights and future. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday penned an 'OpEd', reflecting on the story of destruction and resurrection of the Somnath temple, asserting that hearing the word "Somnath" instils a sense of pride in hearts and minds. PM recalled that the first destruction of the revered shrine took place exactly 1,000 years ago in 1026 AD, underscoring how, despite repeated attacks over the centuries, the temple stands in unparalleled glory. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a blog post, highlighted the enduring spirit of India's civilisation while reflecting on the legacy of the Somnath temple, saying, "The story of Somnath, a thousand years after the first attack, is not defined by destruction. It is defined by the unbreakable courage of crores of children of Bharat Mata." Emphasising the resilience and continuity of India's cultural heritage, the Prime Minister added, "There can be no better example of our civilisation's indomitable spirit than Somnath, which stands gloriously, overcoming odds and struggles." According to the blog, PM Modi mentioned the book Somanatha: The Shrine Eternal, where K. M. Munshi records that Mahmud of Ghazni began his march towards Somnath on 18 October 1025 and, approximately 80 days later, on 6 January 1026, attacked the fortified temple town. He also mentioned that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played a decisive and historic role in re-constructing the temple on November 13, 1947, and K. M. Munshi stood firmly with Patel. The Prime Minister said that in 1951, the Somnath temple was ready for inauguration; however, PM Nehru opposed the participation of President Dr. Rajendra Prasad in the temple's inauguration. "Finally, on May 11th 1951, a grand Temple in Somnath opened its doors to devotees and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was present there. The great Sardar Sahib was not alive to see this historic day, but the fulfilment of his dream stood tall before the nation. The then Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was not too enthused with this development. He did not want the Honourable President as well as Ministers to associate with this special event. He said that this event created a bad impression of India. But Dr. Rajendra Prasad stood firm and the rest is history," he said. "It is this same spirit that is visible in our nation, one of the brightest spots of global growth, having overcome centuries of invasions and colonial loot. It is our value systems and the determination of our people that have made India the centre of global attention today. The world is seeing India with hope and optimism. They want to invest in our innovative youngsters," PM Modi asserted. Contemporary accounts cited by Munshi estimate that nearly 50,000 defenders lost their lives while protecting the shrine. Mahmud subsequently plundered the temple and desecrated the sanctum, breaking the linga into pieces. The Somnath temple was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt between the 13th and 18th centuries. It was attacked by Alauddin Khilji's general in 1299 AD, by Muzaffar Khan in 1394 AD, and by Mahmud Begda in 1459 AD. Despite this, it remained a Hindu shrine until Aurangzeb ordered its demolition in 1669 AD, its destruction beyond repair in 1702 AD, and its conversion into a mosque in 1706 AD. Queen Ahilyabai Holkar, recognising the sacred continuity, built a new temple nearby in 1783. PM Modi in the blog noted about the visit of Swami Vivekananda to Somnath in the 1890s, describing temples like Somnath as living sources of wisdom that offer deeper insight into India's history than books. He stressed that Somnath symbolises resilience, noting how it has endured repeated destruction yet risen again each time, renewed and strong. "The aggressors of the past are now dust in the wind, their names synonymous with destruction. They are footnotes in the annals of history, while Somnath stands bright, radiating far beyond the horizon, reminding us of the eternal spirit that remained undiminished by the attack of 1026. Somnath is a song of hope that tells us that while hate and fanaticism may have the power to destroy for a moment, faith and conviction in the power of goodness have the power to create for eternity," Prime Minister Modi wrote. He emphasised that if the Somnath Temple, which was attacked a thousand years ago and faced continuous attacks thereafter, could rise again and again, then India can surely restore its glory it embodied a thousand years ago, before the invasions. "With the blessings of Shree Somnath Mahadev, we move forward with a renewed resolve to build a Viksit Bharat, where civilisational wisdom guides us to work for the welfare of the whole world," PM Modi wrote. (ANI)
According to Ahore Station House Officer (SHO) Karan Singh, the accident occurred at around 10 pm when the bus lost control and overturned on the highway.

The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained.

Police and residents rushed to the spot after receiving information and carried out rescue operations.

The injured passengers were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment, where their condition is reported to be stable.

Police said the bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem examination.

Further investigation into the incident is underway. (ANI)
The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari on Monday challenged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). He sent a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, strongly refuting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's criticism of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He shared a message on X. I have sent a letter to the Hon'ble Chief Election Commissioner, @ECISVEEP Shri Gyanesh Kumar, refuting Mamata Banerjee's desperate lies about the SIR exercise and her latest plea to halt it. Her so-called "concerns" about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is nothing but 'Pure Fiction'. In reality, this ECI drive is throwing the spotlight on the TMC's dirty secrets: fake voters, ghosts of the deceased, and illegal infiltrators they've protected for years to rig the elections. It's crystal clear that Mamata Banerjee is panicking because SIR is a death knell for her 2026 dreams, Adhikari stated. The Election Commission of India has been conducting the SIR to update and clean voter rolls, aiming to ensure transparency and credibility in the electoral process. The controversy highlights growing tensions between the state leadership and the central election authority ahead of the next assembly elections. Earlier, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar flagging various issues related to the Special Intensive Revision in the state. In her letter dated January 3, CM Banerjee alleged that officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI) misused IT systems, claiming that voter names were deleted from the backend without proper authorisation. She questioned who sanctioned such actions and under what legal authority, emphasising that the ECI must be held fully accountable for any illegal, arbitrary, or biased activities conducted under its supervision. CM Banerjee further criticised the ECI for a lack of clarity regarding the objectives, procedures, and timelines of the SIR. She noted that while the exercise is described as time-bound, there are no uniform or transparent guidelines. She said that states appear to be applying different criteria and arbitrarily changing timelines, reflecting poor preparedness and a lack of procedural understanding. She also expressed concern about the frequent issuance of critical instructions via informal channels, such as WhatsApp or text messages, rather than through official written notifications, circulars, or statutory orders, which are required for matters of such constitutional importance. "It is deeply disturbing to observe that even at the national level, the ECI appears uncertain about the precise objectives, modalities, and end goals of the SIR. Although the exercise is described as time-bound, there are no clearly defined, transparent, or uniformly applicable timelines. Different States are following various criteria, and timelines are being altered arbitrarily, reflecting a glaring lack of clarity, preparedness, and procedural understanding. Shockingly, critical instructions are being issued almost daily, often via informal channels such as WhatsApp and text messages. No proper written notifications, circulars, or statutory orders, mandatory for an exercise of such magnitude and constitutional significance, are being issued," read the letter. (ANI)
As the Winter Session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly got underway on Monday, Delhi ministers Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Ashish Sood highlighted the significance of the proceedings, with key issues such as governance, pollution and public accountability expected to be taken up during the four-day session. Sirsa asserted that the Rekha Gupta government had achieved more in the last 11 months than the previous Aam Aadmi Party government did in 11 years, calling for discussions on pollution, the CAG report and the Chief Minister's residence to ensure transparency before the public. "This is the first session of the new year, and today the Lieutenant Governor will address the House. It is a matter of pride for all of us that in the last 11 months, Rekha Gupta's government has accomplished many things that the previous government could not do in 11 years... There should be a discussion on pollution, a problem created by the 11-year-long Aam Aadmi Party government and the previous Congress government. Information regarding all these matters, the CAG report, and the Chief Minister's residence should be brought before the public," he told ANI. Delhi Minister Ashish Sood said, "This is an important session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly. Today, the Lieutenant Governor will deliver his address, and he will discuss the government's programs. This assembly session has been convened to discuss important issues related to Delhi, and it will last for four days." The winter session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly commenced on January 5 (Monday), i.e., today, and will continue until January 8. The first legislative sitting of 2026 is unfolding against a backdrop of heightened scrutiny of governance, making the Winter Session less a routine calendar exercise and more a checkpoint on how effectively the administration responds to questions of performance and accountability. As the first Assembly engagement of the new year, the session carries added significance. Issues of development delivery, administrative efficiency and financial discipline are likely to dominate proceedings, offering early signals on how effectively the state machinery is responding to civic challenges. The session formally commenced today with the address of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, at 11 am, following which the regular sitting of the House began. The Winter Session is scheduled to run until January 8, with sittings on the opening day starting in the morning and subsequent sittings beginning at 2 pm. (ANI)
Apart from the Leader of the Opposition VD Satheeshan, the Vigilance on Monday recommended a CBI investigation under the FCRA against the NGO Manappatt Foundation and its Chairman/CEO Ameer Ahammed. Allegations were raised that foreign funds were collected and routed to Kerala in the name of rehabilitating flood victims as part of a conspiracy allegedly involving Manappatt Foundation CEO Ameer Ahammed and V D Satheesan. The Vigilance has found that during the period of the Punarjani project (2018-22), 1,22,23,152 was credited to the FCRA account of the Manappatt Foundation. According to the complaint received by the Vigilance, this money was collected from various countries in the name of the Punarjani project on behalf of V D Satheesan. The Vigilance report states that the Manappatt Foundation did not maintain proper records of foreign fund receipts, which constitutes a violation of Rule 19 of the FCRA. Upon reviewing the Manappatt Foundation's bank account details, the Vigilance found discrepancies between the funds credited to the account and the documents submitted in connection with those transactions. The Vigilance has concluded that financial irregularities were involved in the matter. Earlier, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said that the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau;s recommendation is a "political gimmick" of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) ahead of the Kerala Assembly election. Speaking with ANI, Congress MP KC Venugopal said that nothing can save the CPM from a defeat in the election."It is a political gimmick given the elections. No one can save the CPM government in the upcoming elections. They are also sure about that," he said. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan over allegations of receiving illegal foreign funds for the 'Punarjani' housing project. Kerala Congress President Sunny Joseph termed it as a "futile" attempt of the state government, which has found nothing against VD Satheesan. "That's only a futile attempt by the government. Already, the state vigilance is conducting an investigation, and they have found nothing against the opposition leader. Further enquiries are not at all needed. It's a political game only. We will face it both politically and legally," Sunny Joseph said. The 'Punarjani' housing project was launched to rehabilitate people who lost their homes in the 2018 floods in Satheesan's North Paravur constituency. The CBI probe has been sought, citing alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in a case pertaining to an alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. However, the SC granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad. Shifa Ur Rehman's wife welcomed the verdict and thanked the legal team for their efforts. Speaking to ANI, the wife of Shifa Ur Rehman said, "We welcome the judgement of the Supreme Court and thank the lawyers...May Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam also get bail at the earliest..." Earlier today, Lawyer Sarim Javed, representing Gulfisha Fatima, termed the Supreme Court's bail order for the five accused as a "massive relief" for them and their families. The lawyer stressed that the top court observed that the five accused's culpability, if any, appeared to be limited in nature. Javed also noted that the other two accused, Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who were denied bail by the Supreme Court, may reapply after one year. Speaking to ANI, Javed said, "The five who have been granted bail, the Supreme Court has said that their culpability, if any, is at a lower level and for the two that have not been granted bail, SC has said that we are not commenting on their culpability but because of the way it is structured, in the fitness of things and judging the constitution as well as the UAPA together, they have said that one more year to come in all protected secret witnesses and even if they can't do that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam can reapply for bail after one year... It's a massive relief for them and their families..." In its verdict, the Apex Court noted that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stand on a "qualitatively different footing" both in terms of prosecution and evidence. It noted that their roles were "central" to the alleged offences. As regards these two, though the period of incarceration is continued and long, it does not violate the Constitutional mandate or override the statutory embargo under the laws. Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others were arrested in January 2020 under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Delhi riots case in February 2020. The violence had erupted during the protests against the then-proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. (ANI)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday arrived in Jaipur to attend the Rajasthan DigiFest-TiE Global Summit 2026, being held in the state capital. CM Yadav also stressed that Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are brother states that share development and heritage, highlighting the governments of both states working jointly on the Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC) river-linking project. "I have come to Rajasthan to attend the Rajasthan Digi Fest. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is progressing in all the sectors, including Information technology (IT). Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are brother states and both share a common civilizational history. Recently, we have also been working jointly on the Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC) river linking project. In such a situation, there is shared heritage as well as development," the Chief Minister told reporters. He added, "To ensure that the youths of Rajasthan as well as Madhya Pradesh get employment opportunities and with this perspective, I have come here for this major event. IT holds great importance today. I hope this event is successful and helps to generate employment opportunities for youth." According to an official release, CM Yadav will lead the Madhya Pradesh delegation and present the state's technology and investment vision, with a focus on emerging and high-growth sectors. He will share a comprehensive overview of opportunities in Madhya Pradesh's priority technology domains with global investors and industry representatives. Additionally, he will tour the Innovation Expo and visit the Madhya Pradesh Pavilion, where he will interact with startups, innovators and industry representatives. He will also hold one-on-one meetings with CEOs, investors and global industry leaders to discuss strategic investment opportunities and the prospects for long-term collaboration in Madhya Pradesh. The Madhya Pradesh Department of Science and Technology is participating as a Silver State Partner at the TiE Global Summit 2026. This partnership is in line with the memorandum of understanding signed with The Indus Entrepreneurs Rajasthan during the MP Tech Growth Conclave 2.0 held on November 27, 2025. (ANI)
ROK president arrives in Beijing with 200 business delegates, hails full restoration of bilateral ties 'the greatest achievement'

08:27, January 05, 2026 By Fan Anqi, Chi Jingyi ( Global Times

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a state visit to China from Sunday to Wednesday, bringing with him about 200 South Korean business leaders, the Xinhua News Agency and South Korean media reported on Sunday. The four-day trip marks Lee's first to China since taking office in June last year and the first trip by a South Korean president since 2019.

"While there have been various diplomatic achievements, the full restoration of South Korea-China relations, which had been in retreat for a long time, is the greatest achievement and a significant accomplishment," President Lee said during a gathering with Korean compatriots held in Beijingon Sunday evening, The Chosun Daily reported on Sunday.

Lee stated, "It has been over 30 years since South Korea and China established diplomatic relations." He added, "As neighboring countries, we have sometimes faced difficult periods, but through exchange and cooperation, we have achieved remarkable development," the report said.

During President Lee's state visit to China, leaders of the two countries will hold talks in Beijing, marking their second meeting in around two months in South Korea. The meeting is expected to further consolidate the momentum of the full restoration of the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership, CCTV reported on Sunday.

About 200 South Korean business leaders have formed an economic delegation accompanying Lee on his visit to China, Yonhap reported.

According to South Korean media reports, the heads of major conglomerates in attendance include the chairmen of Korea's four largest groups - Executive Chairman of Samsung Electronics Lee Jae-yong, Chairperson of SK Group Chey Tae-won, Executive Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group Chung Eui-sun, and Koo Kwang-mo, Chairperson of LG Group.

The dispatch of an economic delegation to China marks the first in over six years since December 2019, and its scale is more than double that of the previous visit, ZDNet Korea reported.

The two sides are expected to discuss practical cooperation in areas that include supply-chain investments, the digital economy, the environment and climate change, people-to-people exchanges, tourism and responses to transnational crimes, according to Yonhap.

The two sides are also expected to sign more than 10 memorandums of understanding for cooperation in various areas, according to Yonhap.

A China-South Korea business forum will be held on Monday, a supporting activity for the South Korean president's China trip, co-organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the Korea Chamber of Commerce &Industry. About 400 participants will attend, the Global Times learned from CCPIT on Sunday.

According to an agenda seen by the Global Times, the forum will conduct in-depth dialogues centered on three core themes: manufacturing innovation and supply chain resilience, consumer market upgrading and innovation, and coordinated development of modern service industries.

The accompanying business delegation underscores the ROK government's strong emphasis on this visit and its prioritization of economic and trade cooperation, Lu Chao, a professor at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Notably, beyond large conglomerates, South Korea places great importance on supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises in the Chinese market, where they have strong growth potential in regions like the three provinces in Northeast China and East China's Shandong Province that are geographically close to South Korea, Lu noted.

Lu also pointed out that South Korea may seek deeper penetration of its cultural products into China, such as K-pop.

According to South Korean media reports, Lee will visit Shanghai after wrapping up his Beijing tour. In Shanghai, he will attend a South Korea-China venture and startup summit to interact with young entrepreneurs in fields such as content, healthcare, infrastructure and energy. Afterward, he will visit the site of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea to honor the sacrifices and dedication of activists and reflect on the shared historical experiences of South Korea and China.

Hwang Jae-ho, director of the Institute for Global Strategy and Cooperation and a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, told the Global Times that the trip, which comes only two months after the two leaders' first meeting, highlights the shared determination of both sides to normalize relations and align their cooperation with respective national interests at the start of the new year.

The scholar added that Lee's arrangement to visit China, before one to Japan, also demonstrates South Korea's sincerity.

South Korean National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said on Friday at a press briefing that "It is unprecedented for the leaders of South Korea and China to begin their first diplomatic schedule of the new year together, and this will serve as an opportunity to open a new chapter in the development of bilateral relations," Korea Policy Briefing reported.

Prior to his visit, Lee had a nearly 20-minute interview on the program Leaders Talk of CCTV News at Cheong Wa Dae, which aired on Friday, during which he shared his expectations for his first visit to China, his views on trade development and bilateral relations, the current South Korean government's stance on the Taiwan question, and its approach to pragmatic diplomacy.

Lee said he hoped the interview would convey the importance the South Korean government attaches to South Korea-China relations, according to the TV program's translation.

When asked about the current South Korean government's position on the Taiwan question and how it plans to uphold the one-China principle, Lee said that the consensus reached between the governments of South Korea and China at the time of establishing diplomatic relations remains the core guiding principle governing bilateral ties, and its validity has never changed.

(Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Zhong Wenxing)
The Delhi High Court on Monday reserved judgment on the plea of convict Vikas Yadav seeking 21 days' Furlough. Vikas Yadav is a convict in the Nitish Katara murder case and is serving a 25-year sentence. He is the son of former MP DP Yadav. His application was rejected by the Delhi Government. He has challenged the refusal of Furlough. Justice Ravinder Dudeja reserved the judgment after hearing the submissions on behalf of Vikas Yadav, the State, witness Ajay Katara and complainant Nilam Katara. Advocate Sanchar Anand, counsel for Ajay Katara, submitted that there is a constant threat to the witness. He was falsely implicated in the cases. There is no ground for enlargement of a convict in Furlough. Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa appeared for Vikas Yadav. He rebutted the submissions and said that there were 10 security personnel for the last 20 years. How is it possible to falsely implicate a person in the presence of police? Earlier, it was argued that Vikas Yadav has been in custody for the last 23 years. It was also submitted that on September 22, a representation was made before the Jail. Authorities seeking furlough on the grounds of his recent marriage and the need to discharge consequent societal, matrimonial responsibilities, relying upon his undisputed good conduct during more than 23 years of incarceration in terms of the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018. On October 29, 2025, the Jail authorities rejected the furlough application on the ground of nature of crime committed and sentence awarded and apprehension shown by victim that the convict may abscond to another country, disturb law and order and may cause irreparable loss to the victim's family if released from the jail and ineligibility as per Rule 1223 of Delhi Prison Rules (DPR), 2018, the plea added. (ANI)
Special NIA court at Patiala House on Monday remanded Yasir Ahmed Dar to judicial custody till January 16. He was produced before the court after expiry of his NIA custody. He was arrested last month by the NIA. The accused was produced before the court amid heavy security. Principal District and Session judge (Special NIA Judge) Anju Bajaj Chandana remanded Dar in Judicial custody after hearing submissions of counsel for the agency. The court held the hearing in a closed room. On December 36, the court had extended the custody of Dar. 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 in Al Falah University at Faridabad. The anti-terror agency has also seized another vehicle belonging to Nabi. The vehicle is being examined for evidence in the case, in which NIA has so far examined 73 witnesses, including those injured in the blast that rocked the national capital. 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)
The meeting was focused on public welfare, key developmental priorities, infrastructure, connectivity, tourism, and inclusive growth in Ladakh.

In a post on X, the official handle of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) wrote, "Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Shri @KavinderGupta met Prime Minister @narendramodi. lg_ladakh"

https://x.com/PMOIndia/status/2008084807033684186

The official handle of Ladakh KG posted on X, "Lt Governor, Shri @KavinderGupta, paid a courtesy visit to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi in New Delhi. The discussions focused on public welfare, key developmental priorities, infrastructure, connectivity, tourism, and inclusive growth in #Ladakh."

https://x.com/lg_ladakh/status/2008101851900805520

Earlier on December 30, Chief Secretary designate of Ladakh Ashish Kundra paid a courtesy call to the Ladakh Lieutenant Governor, Kavinder Gupta, at the LG Secretariat, Leh.

During the meeting, the Lt Governor and the Chief Secretary designate exchanged views on key administrative priorities and discussed governance and development matters in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

The Lt Governor extended his best wishes to IAS officer Ashish Kundra on his new responsibility and expressed confidence in his role in further strengthening efficient administration in Ladakh.

On December 17, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi and held a detailed discussion on Ladakh's developmental priorities, financial requirements, and measures to strengthen infrastructure for inclusive growth.

According to an official statement, the Governor apprised the Union Finance Minister of Ladakh's ongoing efforts to strengthen infrastructure, accelerate development works and ensure inclusive growth across the region.

"The UT administration has put in place effective systems, strengthened institutional capacity and streamlined project implementation mechanisms to ensure timely and efficient utilisation of funds," the Governor highlighted, according to the statement.

Governor Gupta requested enhanced budgetary support to sustain the development momentum and meet emerging requirements. (ANI)
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Monday expressed concern over the Supreme Court's decision to reject the bail plea of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots case, asserting that these two were in jail for the past five years without knowing the charges against them. This comes after the Supreme Court today denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in a case. However, the SC granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, and Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said there has been "no charge sheet" filed for 5 years, still bail wasn't granted to them. Speaking to ANI, Chaturvedi said, "They have said that there is no such thing as personal liberty under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Now, charges have been framed under UAPA, but no charge sheet has been filed for 5 years. There is no charge sheet, bail was not granted, there was a hearing in the Supreme Court, some people got bail, but these two did not." She added, "I hope that in this case, a charge sheet will be filed at the earliest and action will begin. These two have been in jail for the past five years without knowing the charges." Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in a case pertaining to an alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. The Court noted that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stand on a "qualitatively different footing" both in terms of prosecution and evidence. It noted that their roles were "central" to the alleged offences. As regards these two, though the period of incarceration is continued and long it does not violate the Constitutional mandate or override the statutory embargo under the laws. The SC bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria delivered the judgment on the bail pleas filed by Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed. Earlier on December 10, the apex court had reserved its verdict after hearing detailed arguments from all parties. On September 2, 2025, the Delhi High Court rejected the bail plea of nine accused, including Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, in connection with the case, prompting the defendants to move to the Supreme Court. The High Court had observed that, prima facie, the role of Imam and Khalid in the entire conspiracy was "grave", having delivered inflammatory speeches on communal lines to "instigate mass mobilisation of members of the Muslim community." Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others were arrested in January 2020 under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Delhi riots case in February 2020. The violence had erupted during the protests against the then-proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. (ANI)
Ahead of the Bar Council of Delhi elections scheduled to be held on February 20, 21 and 22, 2026 at the Delhi High Court premises, the Bar Council of Delhi has written to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, stating that election-related posters, hoardings and canvas boards will not be permitted in public places across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). In its letter, the Bar Council of Delhi underlined that strict directions have been issued as part of an enhanced Model Code of Conduct to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. The Council stated that "no affixation/placement of hoardings, canvassing boards/pasting of propaganda-related material/content is allowed at public places such as walls, metro pillars/bus stands, electricity poles, including paid/private sites within Delhi/NCR, including the court premises." It further said that "all banners, hoardings, and posters, including those on any paid/private property in Delhi/NCR, must be removed." The letter, issued by the Special Committee of the Bar Council of Delhi constituted under Section 8-A of the Advocates Act, 1961, bears reference number BCD/ELECT-2026/018 and is dated December 30, 2025. It has been signed by Chairman Chetan Sharma along with other committee members, including Maninder Singh, Neeraj, Ved Prakash Sharma and Col Arun Saroha (Retd). Referring to the scale of the exercise, the Council informed the Chief Minister that the voters' list comprises nearly 90,000 advocates. In view of the large turnout expected, the Bar Council has sought extensive logistical and civic support from the Delhi government to facilitate smooth polling. The letter noted that "in order to provide proper facilities to them, it is necessary that at least 20 number of mobile toilets are placed at different points and water facilities may be adequately provided." The Council has also highlighted the need for medical preparedness during the polling days, stating that "it is necessary to have an Ambulance Facility and a Fire Tender available in case of any unforeseen event and one or more Doctors are deployed, supported by nurses, medical assistants, pharmacists, and paramedics to provide medical assistance, if required." Pointing out that voters will be commuting from various court complexes across the city, including Karkardooma Courts, Tis Hazari Courts, Saket Courts, Patiala House Courts, Rouse Avenue Courts and ITO, the Bar Council said it would be "most plausible, if buses (DTC) ply between these Courts and Delhi High Court to and fro in each slot, so that the voters shall have no difficulty in casting their votes." The Council has requested the Chief Minister to kindly issue necessary directions to the concerned authorities to provide these facilities so that the Bar Council of Delhi elections can be conducted "in a smooth, transparent and fair manner." Meanwhile on December 8, the Delhi High Court directed that a writ petition seeking multiple polling centres for the upcoming Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) elections be treated as a representation before the Special Committee constituted under Section 8A of the Advocates Act, 1961. The Court instructed the Committee to consider and decide the representation expeditiously, preferably within three weeks. The petition, filed by advocate Surendar Kumar, sought directions to ensure that polling for the BCD elections scheduled for 13 and 14 February 2026 is conducted not only at the Delhi High Court but also across major District Courts in Dwarka, Tis Hazari, Saket and Karkardooma. The petitioner argued that with more than 1,05,000 eligible voters, a single polling venue results in overcrowding, long queues, security concerns and difficulty for advocates with matters listed in various courts. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Uttarakhand government on what it had done against those who had encroached on thousands of hectares of forest land and slammed the authorities for sitting as silent spectators. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said, "What seems shocking to us is that the state of Uttarakhand and its authorities are sitting as silent spectators when the forest land is being systematically grabbed in front of their eyes." It asked the state government to file within two weeks a comprehensive counter affidavit having details of the site plan, the approximate details of the constructions raised, and the nature of those constructions in the government or forest land so that it can decide whether a deeper probe is necessary. "Each and every person holding an executive position in the state is accountable for the consistent and perceived negligence," said the CJI. The matter concerning the unauthorised occupation of protected land in the hill districts came up before the bench when it took suo moto cognisance of the illegal grabbing of forest land. During the hearing, the counsel appearing for the state said that an interim report has been filed, and since documentation of 1950 was required, the government has also written to Uttar Pradesh to furnish some documents. "First, you explain your conduct. You came into existence in 2000 (Uttarakhand was carved out from the northwestern part of Uttar Pradesh in the year 2000). What have you done after that? Otherwise, we are going to ask the accountability of each one of you. If you allow the people to construct their houses, you allow their generation to live there and suddenly, only because of the court order, you want to take shelter behind that, now that the court is asking," said the bench. To this, the counsel said that state had issued eviction notices to the alleged encroachers. "So from 2000, you took 23 years to wake up and find out that your land has been encroached," responded the CJI. "We will hold each and every one in your executive accountable. God knows who the encroachers are, with which politician or which authority or who are the influential persons who are hobnobbing," added the bench. On December 22, the top court had slammed the authorities for sitting as "silent spectators" while largescale encroachment and illegal grabbing of forest land by private entities took place infront of their eyes. It had initiated a suo motu case over encroachment and illegal grabbing of forest land in Uttarakhand and directed the Chief Secretary and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to constitute an Enquiry Committee and submit a report. The apex court in an interim order had also restrained private entities from alienating the subject land or creating third-party rights thereon. No construction shall take place in the subject area and the forest department shall take possession of all vacant land, other than residential houses, the bench had ordered. (ANI)
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday launched the new edition of 'History That India Ignored', a book authored by veteran journalist and Asian News International (ANI) Chairman Prem Prakash. Addressing the event, the Chief Minister lauded the ANI Chairman for the book, stating that it will help ensure that the truth of the country's freedom struggle reaches people, especially the younger generation. "This is not just a release of the book, it is a reaffirmation of the national responsibility to remember, recognise and restore our collective memories of those chapters of history that were either neglected or deliberately misrepresented. I would congratulate Prem Prakash ji, the publisher and everyone associated with these important publications for bringing out the new edition of 'History that India ignored'. Releasing such a book is not merely an event, it is an act of national service. Books like these ensure that the truth about the freedom struggle reaches the people, especially the younger generation," Sawant said. "In an era where selective narratives often dominated public discourse, the book stands for its commitment to evidence documentation and intellectual honesty. The book powerfully records the sacrifice of hundreds of unsung freedom fighters," he added. The Chief Minister noted that the second edition of the book 'History That India Ignored' has narrated in detail Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's life and sacrifice, which has been "grossly misrepresented by vested interest for decades." "I would especially like to mention that the details and factually the accounts of Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's life and sacrifice......His struggle has been grossly misrepresented by vested interests for decades. Prem Prakash ji has carefully explained how Savarkar was wrongfully arrested...I strongly recommend this chapter to every student and reader of history. The book has also brought attention to the battle of Imphal by the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National Army." Pramod Sawant said that a chapter in the book is dedicated to Goa's freedom struggle. "As Chief Minister of Goa, a chapter of the book that holds special significance for me is that on the Liberation of Goa from Portuguese rule. Goa's freedom struggle came much later than that of the rest of India and involved extraordinary courage, sacrifice, and popular participation. Thousands of Goans resisted colonial rule, faced imprisonment and laid down their lives so that Goa can become an integral part of India. Unfortunately, the Goa liberation struggle hasn't received the national attention it deserves. This book makes an important contribution by highlighting these chapters of history. It is noteworthy to mention that Prem Prakash ji personally witnessed the historic moment when the Portuguese administration surrendered and left Goa," Sawant stated. Prem Prakash's book revisits the untold stories from the Indian freedom struggle that are not commonly known but essential for the spirit of India. (ANI)
Congress MP and Member of Parliament Karti P Chidambaram has written to Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu seeking clarity on the current status of the investigation into the Air India 171 crash, which claimed over 260 lives. In his letter which he had posted on X also, Chidambaram claimed that additional information and material inputs have reportedly emerged since the preliminary findings were issued after the crash in last June, and said this material had been formally shared with his office and forwarded to the Ministry for consideration. In a post on X, Chidambaram wrote, "260 lives were lost in the Air India 171 crash. New material inputs have emerged after preliminary findings. I am now seeking clarity and accountability. Transparency cannot be optional." https://x.com/KartiPC/status/2008191504620327108 Calling the tragedy "grave" and the scale of loss "significant," the MP urged the Ministry and investigating authorities to examine the new information, undertake further investigation or review where necessary, and place on record "evidence-based and supported responses." Karthi Chidambaram asked the Ministry to clarify whether any further investigation, review, or reassessment had been initiated, and whether any new committees, expert groups, or oversight mechanisms had been constituted. He also requested a "comprehensive and updated status report," arguing that transparency and accountability are essential to maintain public confidence. The AI-171 flight that was operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on June 12, 2025 carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portugese nationals and one Canadian national, crashed near the Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport into a resident doctors' hospital shortly after take-off. Miraculously, only one person has survived the deadly crash, the airline authorities said, adding that the survivor was a British national of Indian origin. A formal investigation was launched by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the deadly crash of Air India flight 171 that killed 241 people onboard, and at least 19 on ground after the plane crashed into the doctors' hospital. The aircraft was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience, assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flying hours. (ANI)
The Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Monday described the attack on the vehicle of an Election Commission (EC) observer in the district South 24 Parganas as a "direct attack on the Constitution". "Even with the police present, this attack on the Election Commission's officer is a direct attack on the Constitution. They should read Article 324. Conducting elections, carrying out vote counting -- these are all EC's powers," Adhikari said, reacting to the alleged mob attack during the visit of an Electoral Roll Observer in Magrahat. The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari on Monday challenged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). He sent a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, strongly refuting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's criticism of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He shared a message on X. I have sent a letter to the Hon'ble Chief Election Commissioner, @ECISVEEP Shri Gyanesh Kumar, refuting Mamata Banerjee's desperate lies about the SIR exercise and her latest plea to halt it. Her so-called "concerns" about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is nothing but 'Pure Fiction'.In reality, this ECI drive is throwing the spotlight on the TMC's dirty secrets: fake voters, ghosts of the deceased, and illegal infiltrators they've protected for years to rig the elections. It's crystal clear that Mamata Banerjee is panicking because SIR is a death knell for her 2026 dreams, Adhikari stated. The Election Commission of India has been conducting the SIR to update and clean voter rolls, aiming to ensure transparency and credibility in the electoral process. The controversy highlights growing tensions between the state leadership and the central election authority ahead of the next assembly elections. Earlier, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar flagging various issues related to the Special Intensive Revision in the state.In her letter dated January 3, CM Banerjee alleged that officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI) misused IT systems, claiming that voter names were deleted from the backend without proper authorisation. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in a case linked to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots, while granting bail to five other accused, observing that the two stand on a "qualitatively different footing" in terms of prosecution and evidence. The apex court granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad, noting that their culpability, if any, appeared to be limited in nature. However, it declined to extend similar relief to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. Reacting to the apex court decision, Shifa Ur Rehman's wife welcomed the Supreme Court's decision and expressed hope that the remaining two accused would also get relief. Speaking to ANI, she said, "We welcome the judgment of the Supreme Court and thank the lawyers. May Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam also get bail at the earliest." Lawyer Sarim Javed, representing Gulfisha Fatima, termed the bail order for the five accused a "massive relief" for them and their families. He said the top court had clearly distinguished between the roles of the accused. Speaking to ANI, Javed said, "The five who have been granted bail, the Supreme Court has said that their culpability, if any, is at a lower level and for the two that have not been granted bail, SC has said that we are not commenting on their culpability but because of the way it is structured, in the fitness of things and judging the constitution as well as the UAPA together, they have said that one more year to come in all protected secret witnesses and even if they can't do that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam can reapply for bail after one year. It's a massive relief for them and their families." Following the bail rejection, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders "demanded an apology" from the Congress party and from the leaders who had previously shared platforms with Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. Speaking to ANI, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla demanded an apology from the Congress party for "defending" Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. He claimed that the Supreme Court's observations showed the Delhi riots were not spontaneous. "Today we would say Satyamev Jayate. The Supreme Court has denied bail to the poster boys of the 'Tukde Tukde Gang', Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, whose role in the Delhi riots and charges against UAPA have been prima facie found to be true. It shows that the Delhi riots were not organic but organised, not spontaneous but sponsored. Unfortunately, the Congress Party continued to defend Sharjeel and Umar. These people who wanted to cut and dissect India into pieces. Today they must apologise. The Congress Party and its ecosystem must apologise today," Poonawalla said. Launching a sharp attack on political leaders who had previously shared platforms with Sharjeel Imam, Delhi Minister Ashish Sood called it "shameful" and demanded an apology to the nation. "It is shameful that various leaders of the assembly shared the stage with Sharjeel Imam. They all should apologise to the nation," Sood told ANI. He added, "Sharjeel Imam has conspired to break this country. The way the Supreme Court's decision is being discussed in the context of his bail, it is unfortunate that some people of this Parliament have also shared the stage with Sharjeel Imam." Drawing a distinction between dissent and what he described as anti-national activities, Sood said, "You may be allowed to oppose the government. You may be allowed to oppose the head of the government. You may be allowed to oppose the policies of the government. But how can anyone allow you to break India?" BJP MP and Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra supported the Supreme Court's decision, saying the order was well-reasoned and would help the investigation. Speaking to ANI, Mishra said, "The Supreme Court has given a very reasoned order. The Supreme Court, while rejecting bail, said that the 'conspiracy' of these two persons is prima facie established; therefore, bail cannot be granted in this situation. Certainly, when they remain inside jail, and the investigation will gain momentum." Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC also welcomed the decision, linking it to India's stance against terrorism. "We welcome the judiciary's decision because India's policy has always been one of zero tolerance towards terrorism, terrorist organisations, or those who support terror, and when such a decision comes, it empowers the government and the people of India collectively to fight against terrorism," she told ANI. On the other hand, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also expressed concern over the Supreme Court's decision to reject the bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots case, asserting that the two had been in jail for the past five years without knowing the charges against them. Further, opposition leaders also criticised the judicial system after the bail denial, alleging that in the "Vikit Bharat" bail is granted to alleged rapists but not to people raising their voices. Congress leader and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge took a dig at the country's judicial system, saying that in the "Vikit Bharat" bail is granted to alleged rapists but not to people raising their voices. In a post on X, he alleged that in a "Vikit Bharat", bail was granted to alleged rapists but denied to those raising their voices. He named Kuldeep Singh Sengar, Asaram Bapu, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and Brij Bhusan Sharam Singh as beneficiaries of bail, while stating that Umar Khalid, Sonam Wangchuk, Sagar Ghorke and Ramesh Ghaichor were denied bail for "raising their voices" against the government. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) also criticised the decision, calling the UAPA a "draconian" law. In a post on X, the CPI (M) said, "The Supreme Court's denial of bail to #UmarKhalid and #SharjeelImam, who have spent over five years in jail under the draconian #UAPA without trial or conviction, is against the principles of natural justice. Prolonged pre-trial incarceration violates the fundamental principle that bail is the rule, not jail, and undermines the constitutional right to liberty and a speedy trial." Meanwhile, Ram Sugarat Paswan, who lost his son Nitin Paswan during the 2020 riots, reacted to the bail granted to five accused, stressing accountability. Speaking to ANI, Paswan said, "I lost my son Nitin Paswan on 26 February 2020 in the Delhi riots. Two days before his death, riots were taking place, and on that day, shops had reopened. He had gone out to the market when the police bullet hit him in his head. He was taken to the hospital and admitted, but he could not survive. We don't have any problem with people being granted bail if they are not involved in the riots. All those responsible for inciting riots must be brought to justice." Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others were arrested in January 2020 under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Delhi riots case in February 2020. The violence had erupted during the protests against the then-proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. (ANI)
The survivor of the Unnao case has submitted an application to the CBI on Monday, highlighting that her private posts are being circulated on Facebook and Instagram to expose her identity and intimidate her. "I met the Director and IG. They received it (the application) and said that they will take cognisance of it...If videos of girls like me are being posted on social media, the intent behind that is to trouble them...My case is sub-judice before the Supreme Court. I trust the Court that justice will be done, but the supporters of Kuldeep Sengar are pulling up my photos from Instagram and uploading them on their social media accounts so that my identity can be revealed and I can be harmed," victim told ANI. "I have a lifelong threat now, my children can be harmed; my family is under threat...With folded hands, I urge the Home Minister and CM to take action...I have been assured appropriate action by the CBI," she added. Meanwhile, the mother of the survivor expressed gratitude earlier to the Supreme Court for suspending the life sentence of expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case of a minor girl.Expressing her happiness over the Supreme Court's decision, the mother demanded justice for her daughter. She appealed for the death sentence of the expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 case. The Supreme Court of India on December 29 stayed the Delhi High Court's order suspending the life sentence of Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the accused in the Unnao rape case. The decision triggered varied reactions. The Supreme Court's three-judge vacation bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and A.G. Masih, was hearing the CBI's plea challenging the Delhi High Court's December 23 order, which had suspended Sengar's life sentence pending appeal and granted him bail. Sengar, a former Uttar Pradesh MLA, was convicted in December 2019 in the Unnao rape case and sentenced to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 25 lakh. (ANI)
Former Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, Arvind Subramanian, on Monday, asserted that the US strikes on Venezuela will not have much of an impact on the oil market. "The only thing I can say is that people say there won't be much of an impact on the oil market," he said. Earlier on Monday, Former Indian permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Dilip Sinha, criticised the US action in Venezuela, terming it a violation of international law and questioning Washington's legal authority to carry out such an operation. Speaking to ANI, Sinha said, "This is not technically an arrest, but an abduction. The US doesn't have jurisdiction in Venezuela. This is an abduction where a head of state has been kidnapped and taken to the US. It is a violation of international law." Expanding on his criticism, Sinha questioned the underlying motive behind the action, linking it to Venezuela's natural resources. "The reason he has settled on is taking claim to the oil reserves of Venezuela," Sinha said. Concerns over the future of Venezuela's oil reserves emerged after US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) said that the oil companies in the United States will "spend billions of dollars" to fix the broken oil infrastructure in Venezuela and "start making money" for the South American nation. While addressing a press conference in Florida, Trump said the United States was in the "oil selling" business and would provide it to other countries interested in buying. "We're in the oil business. We're going to sell it to them (other countries). We'll be selling oil probably in much larger doses because they (Venezuela) couldn't produce very much because their infrastructure was so bad. So we'll be selling large amounts of oil to other countries, many of whom are using it now. But I would say many more will come," Trump said. The remarks come after US forces carried out a pre-dawn operation inside Venezuela, detaining deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro along with his wife, Cilia Flores, and transferring them to a US naval vessel before flying them to New York, the Trump administration has stated. Maduro and his wife, on Monday, arrived at a New York courthouse on Monday, where Maduro is expected to appear before a judge, CNN reported. Earlier in the morning, Maduro and Flores were transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn to the courthouse. They travelled by a combination of motorcade and helicopter, according to CNN. The two were seen wearing tan outfits and were heavily escorted by armed Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents. According to US authorities, deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro is expected to face multiple charges, including narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons-related offences. (ANI)
Reacting to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's statement that with the blessings of the people, the record of former Chief Minister Devaraja Urs would be broken, Union Minister for Heavy Industries & Steel, H D Kumaraswamy asked what merit does the Chief Minister have and said that looking at the condition of the State, his record deserved to be buried. Addressing a press conference at the JD(S) State office, JP Bhavan, H D Kumaraswamy said that Siddaramaiah, who boasts of having administered the State for a long time, is in fact a textbook example of bad governance. He expressed anguish, stating that Siddaramaiah's administrative record deserves to be consigned to dust. "Karnataka, which once stood as a testimony to good governance, has today become an example of inefficiency and poor administration. Where is Devaraj Urs, and where are these people? Forget about breaking Urs' record; he himself will be the last Chief Minister of the Congress party in this State. Voters will teach Congress a lesson. Those who claim they will win the next election will be taught a fitting lesson by the electorate," he warned. "The last two-and-a-half years of governance will go down in history as one of the worst administrations. Corruption, murder, extortion, drug mafia activities and honour killings have continued unabated. Unable to curb any of this, it appears that Siddaramaiah's government is functioning merely for the sake of setting records. Officers have been reduced to slaves. Under this administration, officials are working like bonded labourers, with no freedom whatsoever. You won't find a single good officer," he said, launching a scathing attack. On the issue of law and order in the State, the Union Minister said that the Chief Minister and the Home Minister are behaving like impostors. "The Home Minister does not even understand the authority of his office. Whenever an incident occurs, they wash their hands of it by forming an SIT and speaking softly," he charged. Earlier, addressing reporters in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah said Devaraja Urs hailed from Mysuru district, and so does he. "With the blessings of the people, his record will be broken. There is no comparison between me and him. The situation was different then, and it is different now. Circumstances brought me this far," he said. Kumaraswamy demanded strict action against miscreants who pelted stones at devotees wearing Om Shakti garlands and in a procession at JJ Nagar in Bengaluru. Strongly condemning the incident, the Union Minister said that when stones are thrown at women devotees who have set out on an Om Shakti yatra, it reflects how far law and order in the State has deteriorated. He held the government's conduct responsible for such incidents. DCP West Bengaluru, Yatish N on Monday said, "Last evening, there was a small procession of Om Shakti devotees in a locality, and during the procession, there was a complaint that somebody had pelted a stone and the stone had fallen on one lady, and she was injured. Based on that complaint, we registered an FIR last night and started investigations. It was found that three boys were involved in this incident. We picked them up, questioned them, and we are taking legal action against them. All the boys are between 14 and 15." (ANI)
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has launched a scathing attack on the INDIA bloc over their opposition to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgaar and Ajeevika Mission (VB-G RAM-G) Bill, 2025, accusing them of spreading misinformation about the act. He further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has improved this scheme a lot. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, the Chief Minister said, "The lie that the INDIA alliance is trying to spread about the VB-G RAM G scheme...a lot of misinformation is being spread ... The Prime Minister has improved this scheme a lot. They should tell the people what used to happen in the MGNREGA scheme and how people did not use to get the money, or we will tell what used to happen during their time... Now people have understood their lie." Earlier on Saturday, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal stated that the changes made in the reformed Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgaar and Ajeevika Mission (VB-G RAM-G) Act, 2025, are people-centric, alleging that the Congress' opposition to the act is for "political reasons." Speaking to ANI, he said that the people raised two issues in the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). "When we went among the people, the demand arose that we should make changes in MGNREGA. Congress leaders had also raised this issue. The first issue was that workers are not available during the farming season, so some changes should be made. The second issue was that drainage and security in villages had not been given enough importance, and changes should also be made to improve rural infrastructure," Meghwal stated. Meanwhile, the Congress party has announced a nationwide three-phase agitation titled "MGNREGA Bachao", after the Centre's newly enacted Viksit Bharat -- Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB--G RAM G) Act. The first phase of its 45-day 'MGNREGA Bachao Sangram' across all states, districts, blocks, and gram panchayats will be launched on January 8. On December 21, President Droupadi Murmu gave assent to the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, which replaced MGNREGA. The new Act enhances the statutory wage employment guarantee to 125 days per financial year for rural households. It seeks to advance empowerment, inclusive growth, convergence of development initiatives and saturation-based delivery, thereby strengthening the foundation for a prosperous, resilient and self-reliant Rural Bharat. (ANI)
The Congress on Monday expressed grave concern "at the unilateral actions taken" by the United States in Venezuela over the past 48 hours, which it said "transgress the settled principles of international law", as enshrined in the United Nations Charter and numerous international treaties. The Foreign Affairs Department of Congress issued a statement stating that respect for national sovereignty and peaceful coexistence have formed the bedrock of the post World War-II rules-based world order. "Any kinetic action that circumscribe these without the express sanction of the United Nations risk the resurgence of primordial rules of statecraft and undermine global stability. The Indian National Congress urges that the will of the Venezuelan people be given utmost priority and that Venezuelan resources are utilised for the betterment of the Venezuelan people, as guaranteed by the principles of Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources," the statement said. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that situation existing in Venezuela is not good for the world. Kharge slammed US President Donald Trump over some of his actions and said he is trying to scare the people of world. He also said that expansionism does not last and gave examples of Hitler and Mussolini. The Congress leader also referred to Trump's remarks about his claims of having mediated for a ceasefire between India and Pakistan and said the US President wants the world to bow before him. "US President is attempting to scare the people of the world. Whoever attempts expansionism does not continue for long. People like Hitler and Mussolini are gone. It is not right that several people who harbour ill thoughts and try to disrupt global peace. I find it essential to speak on one more issue. Trump always says that he played a significant role in bringing peace between India & Pakistan. He said that at least 70 times. What does it mean? That he is a tall personality and he can make the world bow to him. But the world won't bow before him. We live in a democracy, only through a democratic method we have to go ahead," he said. Kharge said that policy of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was "live and let live". "That is our policy," he said. Kharge also talked of Trump's earlier claims of India agreeing to reduce its supplies of oil from Russia and referred to famous catchphrase "Mogambo kush hua" from 'Mr India' movie. The Congress chief alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "bending" before Trump and that he "nods to whatever" US President says. "I heard an audio today wherein Trump said (on Russian oil) that he knows that Modi respects him and listens to him. What does this mean? It means that Modi is under his control...I am reminded of a dialogue from Mr India - 'Mogambo Khush Hua'. After the Ambassador spoke to him, Trump said ''Mogambo Khush Hua'. If people with such a mindset try to scare the world, India is not going to cower. But I do not understand why is Modi ji bending before him. This is harmful for the nation. Stand for the country...You nod to whatever he says. The country did not elect you as the PM to nod...". India had said on Sunday that the recent developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation. "India reaffirms its support to the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela. We call upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region. The Embassy of India in Caracas is in contact with members of the Indian community and will continue to provide all possible assistance," Ministry of External Affairs said in a release. US took military action in Venezuela, capturing incumbent President Nicolas Maduro and flowing him and his wife out of the country. Maduro is facing "narco-terrorism" charges in the United States. (ANI)
Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after US President Donald Trump's remarks on India importing Russian oil. Trump had claimed that "Modi wanted to make me happy," after US raised tariffs on imports of Indian goods as a "penalty" for buying Russian oil. "I do not understand why Modi is bending before him (Trump). This is harmful for the nation. (You should) stand for the country. You nod to whatever he says. The country did not elect you as the PM to nod," Kharge told reporters on Monday. "This is harmful for the nation," Kharge added. Addressing reporters in Delhi, Kharge raised concerns over the recent arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, and warned against the 'expansionist' tendencies and attempts to intimidate nations. "The situation forming in Venezuela is not good for the world. The US President is attempting to scare the people of the world. Whoever attempts expansionism does not continue for long. People like Hitler and Mussolini are gone. It is not right that several people who harbour ill thoughts and try to disrupt global peace," he said. Referring to Trump's repeated claims about playing a role in easing tensions between India and Pakistan, Kharge said, "Trump always says that he played a significant role in bringing peace between India and Pakistan. He said that at least 70 times. What does it mean? That he is a tall personality and he can make the world bow to him. But the world won't bow before him." Kharge added, "We live in a democracy, only through a democratic method we have to go ahead. Nehru ji's policy was 'live and let live'. That is our policy." Kharge also referred to an audio clip he claimed to have heard regarding Russian oil. "But I heard an audio today wherein Trump said (on Russian oil) that he knows that Modi respects him and listens to him. What does this mean? It means that Modi is under his control," he said, adding a pop-culture reference, "I am reminded of a dialogue from Mr India - 'Mogambo Khush Hua'. After the Ambassador spoke to him, Trump said 'Mogambo Khush Hua'." Meanwhile, the Congress intensified its attack on the Narendra Modi-led government, questioning whether India's foreign policy was "now being dictated by the United States," following Trump's claim that New Delhi reduced its oil purchases from Russia to keep him "happy." The opposition's remarks come after Trump threatened higher tariffs and possible sanctions on Indian exports over continued imports of Russian oil. Earlier in a post on X, the Congress highlighted Trump's statement, in which the US president claimed "Modi wanted to make me happy." "Donald Trump says India reduced its oil purchases from Russia because Modi wants to keep him happy. Trump says, 'Modi wanted to make me happy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy,'" the post by Congress read, questioning whether the decision was taken under US pressure. The party posed a series of questions, asking, "Is India's foreign policy now being dictated by the United States? Was the decision to reduce Russian oil imports taken to appease Trump? Trump has been claiming he brokered a ceasefire and has also threatened India with sanctions for buying Russian oil. Why is Modi silent?" Trump had earlier warned of higher tariffs if India continued importing Russian oil, saying, "PM Modi's a very good man. He's a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly." The controversy comes amid renewed global focus on oil geopolitics, including US actions against Venezuela, and at a time when India has defended its energy imports as essential for domestic energy security. (ANI)
At least 40 people, including military personnel and civilians, were killed in a US strike on Venezuela early Saturday, The New York Times reported, citing a senior Venezuelan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Washington carried out a "large-scale strike against Venezuela", and Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and flown out of the country. Earlier, President Donald Trump told Fox News that the operation resulted in only a few injuries and no fatalities on the US side. He said that it was a complex manoeuvre and hailed the professionalism of the US armed forces. "It was amazing to see the professionalism, the quality of leadership...To have a few injuries, but no deaths on our side, is really amazing," Trump told Fox News. "We were surrounded by lots of people, including Generals and they knew everything that was happening. It was extremely complex- the whole manoeuvre -- the landing, number of aircraft, helicopters, different kinds of fighter jets. They just broke in, and into places which were not really able to broke into," he added. He also said the US wants liberty for the people of the South American country. Later, Trump, speaking at a press conference from Palm Beach, Florida, said the United States would run the country "until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition". He said the US action was aimed at bringing "outlaw dictator Nicolas Maduro to justice". "We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition. We want peace, justice and liberty for the great people of Venezuela... We can't take a chance if somebody else takes over Venezuela, doesn't have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind. We're not going to let that happen. We are there now, but we are going to stay until such time as a proper transition takes place. We're going to run it essentially until such time," he said. Maduro and Flores were captured in Caracas and flown out of the country in a joint operation involving intelligence agencies and US law enforcement. Trump stated that Maduro and his wife have been indicted on charges of alleged "drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies" in the Southern District of New York and will face trial. (ANI)
Venezuela's Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez on Sunday strongly condemned the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro Moros by the United States, terming it a "kidnapping" and demanding his immediate release along with that of First Lady Cilia Flores, reported Elcooperante. Addressing a press conference, Padrino Lopez said the detention of Maduro amounted to a serious violation of Venezuela's sovereignty and constitutional order. "Yesterday they kidnapped the person whom the Venezuelan people chose as their president, elected for the 2025-2030 term. Nicolas Maduro is the authentic and genuine constitutional leader of all Venezuelans," he said. The Defence Minister described the arrest as an act of injustice, not only against Maduro but also against his wife. He said it was "an act of profound injustice unleashed against a man and also against a woman of Christian values and principles, who was taken away in handcuffs," writes Elcooperante. Reiterating the stance of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), Padrino Lopez said the military fully supports Maduro and demanded the immediate release of both the President and the First Lady. "We demand the prompt release of our commander-in-chief and the first lady, Cilia Flores de Maduro," he said, as quoted by local media. Padrino Lopez urged the international community to closely observe what he described as an attack on Venezuela's sovereignty. "We ask the world to observe everything that is happening against Venezuela, against our sovereignty and against our Constitution," he stated. He also expressed gratitude to governments and people around the world who, according to him, have rejected what he termed a blatant intervention in Venezuelan internal affairs. The Defence Minister said such actions posed a broader risk beyond Venezuela. "These acts represent a threat to the global order," he warned, adding that similar actions could be repeated against other sovereign nations. He criticised what he called a revival of interventionist policies, stating, "We in Venezuela reject this Monroe Doctrine and colonialist approach that they want to implement in Latin America and the Caribbean." Calling for calm within the country, Padrino Lopez appealed to citizens to maintain peace and stability. He urged people to resume normal economic activities and respect constitutional processes. "I call upon the people of Venezuela for peace and order, not to fall into the psychological warfare and fear they want to impose on us," he said, adding that the nation must return to and uphold its constitutional path. (ANI)
US President Donald Trump has once again said that the United States needs Greenland for national security reasons, a day after strikes on Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, Trump said Greenland was critical to US security due growing presence of Russia and China in the Arctic region. "We need Greenland. ... It's so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place," Trump said. "We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it." Trump further claimed that Europe supports the idea. "The European Union needs us to have it, and they know that," he said. Trump's remarks came just a day after the US carried out a dramatic military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife during an overnight raid in Caracas. Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to annex Greenland, a vast, resource-rich island in the Atlantic that is a self-governing territory of Denmark. He has argued that taking control of Greenland is necessary for American defence interests. Both Greenland and Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States, have consistently rejected the idea. Reacting strongly, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called on Trump to stop making threats over Greenland. "It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland," Frederiksen said in a statement. "The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom," she added. "I would therefore strongly urge the US stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale," Frederiksen said. CBS News, U.S. President Donald Trump speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Florida to Joint Base AndrewsTrump has argued that Greenland's strategic location in the Arctic, along with its reserves of critical minerals used in high-tech industries, makes it vital for US security. Earlier on Sunday, Trump reiterated his position in an interview with The Atlantic. "We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence," he told the magazine. Tensions further escalated after a controversial social media post by Katie Miller, the wife of Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. Late Saturday, hours after the US military operation against Venezuela, she posted an image of Greenland painted in the colours of the US flag, CBS News reported. The post carried a single word, "SOON." The image sparked immediate backlash from Danish officials. Denmark's ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, responded on Sunday with his own post. "We expect full respect for the territorial integrity" of Denmark, Soerensen said, sharing a link to Miller's image. "We are close allies and should continue to work together as such," he added, stressing that Denmark and the US "work together to ensure security in the Arctic." Soerensen also noted that Denmark had "significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts" in 2025, showing that it takes their "joint security seriously." Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also reacted strongly, calling the social media post "disrespectful" but making it clear that it would not change Greenland's position, CBS news reported. "Our country is not for sale and our future is not determined by social media posts," Nielsen said in a statement translated from Greenlandic. "We are a democratic society with autonomy, free elections and strong institutions. Our position is clearly rooted in international law and in internationally recognised agreements. It stands." Trump's renewed comments have added to diplomatic unease, notably after he appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland in December, a move that drew criticism from both Copenhagen and Nuuk, CBS News reported. With Washington pushing its strategic claims and Denmark pushing back forcefully, the dispute has emerged as a fresh point of tension between long-standing NATO allies. (ANI)
Delcy Rodriguez the Acting President of Venezuela, who will be taking over after the deposition of Nicolas Maduro, has sent out a message extending an invitation to the US government to work together on a cooperation agenda. In a post on Instagram, she said, "A message from Venezuela to the world, and to the United States: Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to peace and peaceful coexistence. Our country aspires to live without external threats, in an environment of respect and international cooperation. We believe that global peace is built by first guaranteeing peace within each nation. We prioritise moving towards balanced and respectful international relations between the United States and Venezuela, and between Venezuela and other countries in the region, premised on sovereign equality and non-interference. These principles guide our diplomacy with the rest of the world." Despite the US' indication that Rodriguez would be their choice of leader in a post Maduro scenarion, Rodriguez indicated some loyalty to Maduro saying that her message of peace and dialogue had also been his message. "We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence. President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. This has always been President Nicolas Maduro's message, and it is the message of all of Venezuela right now. This is the Venezuela I believe in and have dedicated my life to. I dream of a Venezuela where all good Venezuelans can come together. Venezuela has the right to peace, development, sovereignty and a future," she said. Earlier, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, son of deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, said that history will tell who the traitors are after a US military operation led to the capture of his father and First Lady Cilia Flores, who have been transferred to New York to face trial, local daily El-cooperative reported. In an audio message circulated on social media, Maduro Guerra warned of possible betrayal within the ruling movement and said history would expose those responsible. "History will tell who the traitors were, history will reveal it. We will see," he said, hinting at an internal conspiracy. Maduro Guerra, a lawmaker from La Guaira state and a member of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), said the party would remain united despite the recent developments. He also called supporters to take part in public mobilisations on January 4 and 5 to regroup and strengthen unity around the leadership. He also spoke of the need for "political and military coordination" to respond to what he described as "external aggression". Meanwhile, Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores remain detained in the United States and are expected to appear before a federal court in the Southern District of New York on Monday. They face charges related to alleged "narco-terrorism and conspiracy to traffic drugs". According to CBS News, US authorities confirmed that Maduro and his wife are scheduled to appear before a federal judge on Monday (local time) at 12 pm. This will be their first court appearance following the US operation carried out on Saturday. (ANI)
As Delcy Rodriguez took charge late Sunday as Venezuela's acting president, earlier US President Donald Trump issued a sharp warning, saying she must give the United States "total access" or face consequences "probably worse than Maduro." According to Venezuela's Presidential office website, Rodriguez assumed office on Sunday night. The site released photographs showing her chairing her first Council of Ministers meeting soon after taking charge. Earlier, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the United States needs full access to Venezuela's resources, especially oil. "We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country," Trump said. Trump also repeated remarks he made earlier to The Atlantic, warning that Rodriguez would face a fate worse than that of former President Nicolas Maduro if she does not "do the right thing." He did not explain what actions he expects from her, CNN reported. "I don't have to tell you. I just say that she will face a situation probably worse than Maduro, because, you know, Maduro gave up immediately," Trump said. Maduro was captured by US forces during a military operation on Saturday and is currently in American custody. Soon after taking office, Rodriguez issued a message calling for peace and cooperation, extending an invitation to the United States to work together. In a post on Instagram, she said, "A message from Venezuela to the world, and to the United States: Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to peace and peaceful coexistence. Our country aspires to live without external threats, in an environment of respect and international cooperation. We believe that global peace is built by first guaranteeing peace within each nation. We prioritise moving towards balanced and respectful international relations between the United States and Venezuela, and between Venezuela and other countries in the region, premised on sovereign equality and non-interference. These principles guide our diplomacy with the rest of the world." Despite the US' indication that Rodriguez would be their choice of leader in a post Maduro scenario, Rodriguez indicated some loyalty to Maduro saying that her message of peace and dialogue had also been his message. "We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence. President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. This has always been President Nicolas Maduro's message, and it is the message of all of Venezuela right now. This is the Venezuela I believe in and have dedicated my life to. I dream of a Venezuela where all good Venezuelans can come together. Venezuela has the right to peace, development, sovereignty and a future," she said.Meanwhile, Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores remain detained in the United States and are expected to appear before a federal court in the Southern District of New York on Monday. They face charges related to alleged "narco-terrorism and conspiracy to traffic drugs". Meanwhile, US authorities confirmed that Nicolas Maduro and his wife are scheduled to appear before a federal judge on Monday (local time) at 12 pm. This will be their first court appearance following the US operation carried out on Saturday. (ANI)
US Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday (local time) claimed that Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra spoke to him last month about India buying less Russian oil and asked him to tell US President Donald Trump to relieve the 25 per cent tariff. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One alongside Trump, Graham said, "I was at the Indian Ambassador's house a month ago, and all he wanted to talk about was how India is buying less Russian oil. And he asked me to tell the President to relieve the 25% tariff." This comes as US President Donald Trump has warned India of more tariffs over its continued imports of Russian oil. "PM Modi's a very good man. He's a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly," Trump said. Trump's new warning to India comes amid growing scrutiny in Washington over India's energy trade with Russia, even as New Delhi has defended its oil purchases as essential for domestic energy security. Meanwhile, the US strike on Venezuela has brought the issue of Oil into the forefront of geopolitics once again. Venezuela has massive oil reserves, which total over 303 billion barrels, making them the world's largest proven reserves. However, production has dwindled to 1 million barrels per day due to US sanctions and underinvestment. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves (estimated at over 300 billion barrels), which represent roughly 17% of the total global oil supply, OPEC data shows. The comments also come just weeks after Trump and Prime Minister Modi held a telephonic conversation, during which both leaders stressed the importance of maintaining momentum in bilateral trade ties despite ongoing tariff-related tensions. The call coincided with the launch of a fresh round of negotiations between Indian and US officials aimed at resolving the long-standing trade impasse.Only days before the conversation with Modi, Trump had threatened to impose new tariffs on Indian rice imports. The warning followed complaints raised by a US farmer representative at a White House roundtable, who alleged dumping by India, China and Thailand. (ANI)
Hindu leader Govinda Chandra Pramanik, Secretary-General of a faction of the Bangladesh National Hindu Mahajot, announced he will appeal against the Election Commission's decision to cancel his nomination paper for the upcoming elections. Pramanik had submitted his nomination to contest the Gopalganj-3 constituency, a key electoral area represented by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. According to election rules, independent can election Commission found discrepancies. Several signatures could not be confirmed, leading to the invalidation of his nomination paper. Candidates in this constituency must submit a consent letter signed by at least 3,086 voters. However, during verification, officials from the Bangladesh Election Commission found discrepancies. Several signatures could not be confirmed, leading to the invalidation of his nomination paper. "I will appeal against this decision by the Election Commission," Pramanik told ANI, expressing confidence that the process could be rectified. The decision comes amid a tense period for the Hindu community in Bangladesh. Over the past weeks, there have been reports highlighting attacks and rising insecurity faced by minority groups. Notably, a recent tragic incident drew national attention when Khokon Das, a Hindu man, succumbed to injuries after being set on fire on New Year's Eve. The attackers allegedly assaulted him with sharp weapons, poured petrol on his body and set him on fire. In an attempt to save himself, Das jumped into a nearby pond beside the road. Hearing his screams, local residents rushed to the scene, prompting the attackers to flee. Locals rescued Das and initially took him to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital, where he received emergency treatment before being referred to Dhaka later that night as his condition deteriorated. He later succumbed to his injuries Meanwhile, Bangladesh's elite force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested the three main accused in the case. According to information provided by RAB-8 and the Intelligence Wing in Dhaka, a team from RAB-14, CPC-2, Kishoreganj Camp, led by Company Commander ASP Shahjahan, conducted an operation around 1:00 am on Saturday night and arrested the named suspects Sohag, Rabbi, and Palash from the Bajitpur area of Kishoreganj.Shariatpur Superintendent of Police Rawnak Jahan stated that before his death, the victim Khokon Das mentioned the names of the accused. (ANI)
Bangladesh on Monday noted with concern the recent developments in Venezuela, as the situation in the South American country continues to draw international attention. These remarks come amid dramatic developments in Venezuela following a US military operation that resulted in the capture of deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro on Saturday. In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh stated, "Bangladesh notes with concern the recent developments in Venezuela." The press release further said, "Bangladesh believes that diplomacy and dialogue should prevail to solve all disputes between countries and reaffirms her steadfast commitment to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and international law." President Donald Trump described the US operation inside Venezuela as swift, covert and highly coordinated, saying it unfolded under the cover of darkness. "It was dark and it was deadly," Trump said, referring to the operation in which US forces entered Venezuela and detained deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from the Fuerte Tiuna military base in Caracas. At the time of their capture, deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and Flores were inside their residence located within the Fuerte Tiuna military complex, the largest military installation in Venezuela. Following their detention, the couple was transported to the USS Iwo Jima, one of the US Navy vessels deployed as part of an armada positioned around Venezuela, before being flown to a US air base. Deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife are facing US charges related to their alleged involvement in a narco-terrorism conspiracy. The operation marked the culmination of months of planning and sustained pressure by the Trump administration against Venezuela's long-time strongman, representing the most forceful US effort to engineer regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the mission as part of a "massive joint military and law enforcement raid," adding that the entire operation lasted less than 30 minutes. Following the operation, Trump shared an image on Truth Social showing deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro dressed in a grey sweatsuit, wearing protective headphones and a blindfold. The caption read: "Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima." Providing further operational details, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said around 150 aircraft were involved, supporting troops who were airlifted into Venezuela. He said the mission relied on months of intelligence-gathering on deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro's daily routines, including details about "what he ate" and the pets he kept. According to General Caine, deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife "gave up" without resistance, and there was "no loss of US life" during the operation. Deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro, 63, had ruled Venezuela for more than a decade, maintaining control through elections widely regarded as manipulated. He rose to power following the death of former president Hugo Chavez. The US action triggered strong international reactions, with countries including China, Russia and Iran, long-time allies of deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro, condemning the operation. Concerns were also expressed by US allies such as France and the European Union. China, a key ally of Venezuela, on Sunday called for deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro to be "immediately released." Amid these developments, Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered Delcy Rodriguez, who served as deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro's vice president since 2018 and oversaw much of the country's oil-dependent economy and intelligence apparatus, to assume the role of interim president. In a separate remark on the political situation, Trump dismissed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was awarded last year's Nobel Peace Prize, saying she did not have the backing required to govern the country. (ANI)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol in Paris, with discussions focusing on the global energy scenario and India's growth priorities. Sharing details of the meeting on social media platform X, Jaishankar wrote, "Pleased to meet Executive Director @IEA @fbirol this morning. Appreciate his assessment of the global energy scenario and his support for India's growth and development." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/2008187483587264675?s=20 The meeting took place during Jaishankar's ongoing official visit to Europe, during which he has also been highlighting India's cultural ties with partner countries. On Sunday (local time), the External Affairs Minister said he visited the exposition 'Ce qui se trame - woven stories between India and France' in Paris. "Visited exposition 'Ce qui se trame - woven stories between India and France' in Paris this evening. The exhibition showcases India's textile heritage, savoir-faire and creativity. It is also a reminder of the strong cultural connect," Jaishankar wrote in a post on X. Jaishankar is on a six-day official visit to France and Luxembourg from January 4 to January 10, aimed at strengthening India's bilateral ties with both countries. During his stay in France, the External Affairs Minister is scheduled to meet the French leadership and hold talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Nol Barrot. The discussions are expected to focus on progress under the India-France Strategic Partnership as well as key regional and global issues of mutual interest. While in Paris, Jaishankar will also address the 31st edition of the French Ambassadors' Conference as the Guest of Honour, where he is expected to highlight India's perspectives on global diplomacy and international cooperation. "In Paris, he will be meeting the French leadership and hold talks with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Nol Barrot. They will discuss the progress made under the India-France Strategic Partnership and matters of global importance. EAM will also address the 31st edition of the French Ambassador's Conference as the Guest of Honour," the statement said. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India and France have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations and share a deep and enduring Strategic Partnership covering all aspects of bilateral cooperation. Launched on January 26, 1998, India's first-ever Strategic Partnership embodied the core vision of both countries to enhance their respective strategic independence by strengthening bilateral cooperation. Defence and security, civil nuclear cooperation and space form the principal pillars of this strategic partnership, which has now expanded to include a strong Indo-Pacific component. In recent years, the partnership has further broadened to areas such as maritime security, digitalisation, cybersecurity and advanced computing, counterterrorism, climate change, renewable energy and sustainable growth and development. Following his engagements in France, Jaishankar will travel to Luxembourg, where he will hold discussions with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Xavier Bettel, along with other senior leaders. His engagements in Luxembourg will focus on enhancing bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors, and during his stay, the External Affairs Minister is also scheduled to interact with members of the Indian community. India and Luxembourg enjoy warm and friendly relations marked by mutual understanding and cooperation at both bilateral and multilateral levels, the MEA said. Diplomatic relations between India and Luxembourg were established in 1948. Luxembourg opened its Embassy in New Delhi in February 2002, which is one of its five embassies in Asia. Luxembourg also has honorary consuls in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. The visit underlines India's continued engagement with its European partners and its commitment to deepening strategic and diplomatic ties, as negotiations between New Delhi and the European Union on a long-pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA) have entered a "decisive phase". (ANI)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed deep concern over the situation in Venezuela, warning of growing instability and wider regional and international implications following the United States' military action. Addressing the United Nations Security Council, Guterres said, "As we speak, President Maduro is being held in New York accused by US authorities, along with his wife Cilia Flores, of serious criminal offenses." Highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the country's future, he added, "What is less certain is the immediate future of Venezuela." Voicing apprehension over the broader fallout, the UN chief stated, "I am deeply concerned about the possible intensification of instability in the country, the potential impact on the region, and the precedent it may set for how relations between and among states are conducted." Placing his remarks in context, Guterres told the Council, "We meet at a grave time following the 3 January United States military action in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela." Referring to developments on the ground, he noted, "Early that day, US forces were active across Caracas and in the northern states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira," adding that "the extent of casualties resulting from these actions remains undetermined." Raising legal concerns, the Secretary-General said, "I remain deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected with regard to the 3 January military action." Highlighting the principles of the UN Charter, Guterres stated, "The Charter enshrines the prohibition of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state." He further underlined the importance of collective responsibility, saying, "The maintenance of international peace and security depends on the continued commitment of all Member States to adhere to all the provisions of the Charter." As diplomatic concerns were raised at the United Nations, developments continued on the legal front in the United States. Venezuela's deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrived at a New York courthouse on Monday, where Maduro is expected to appear before a judge, CNN reported. Earlier in the day, Maduro and Flores were transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to the courthouse. They travelled by a combination of motorcade and helicopter and were heavily escorted by armed Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents, according to CNN. While legal proceedings moved forward in New York, the developments reverberated beyond the courtroom. Venezuela's foreign ministry paid tribute to 32 Cuban citizens killed in the US attack on Caracas over the weekend, saying they "gave their lives in the line of duty," CNN reported. In a related legal development, deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro's court-appointed attorney for Monday's initial hearing will be David Wikstrom, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. Maduro's court appearance follows his capture during a military strike on Saturday. In the immediate aftermath, President Donald Trump declared that America is "in charge." At the same time, acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodriguez called for "cooperation" with the United States, signalling a softer response to the attack, CNN reported. US officials have indicated that Washington is working to establish a pliant interim government in Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the focus remains on setting policy and maintaining "leverage". During the same period, President Trump made a series of broader remarks touching on other international issues, including implying potential military action in Colombia, urging Mexico to get its "act together" on drugs, and stating that the US "needs Greenland". The developments stem from a pre-dawn US operation inside Venezuela. During the operation, deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained and transferred to a US naval vessel before being flown to New York, according to the Trump administration. US authorities have said that deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro is expected to face multiple charges, including narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons-related offences. The operation followed months of intensified US military activity in the region. Since September, Washington has launched dozens of strikes against vessels it claims were involved in drug trafficking linked to Venezuela, operations that reportedly resulted in more than 115 deaths. These actions have prompted legal experts to raise concerns over potential violations of international law. US legal action against deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro dates back to President Donald Trump's first term. A superseding indictment unsealed on Saturday added fresh allegations of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media that Maduro and others "will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts". President Trump's remarks added a broader political dimension to the case. Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, he stated that the United States would "run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition" and also referred to reclaiming American oil interests in Venezuela. (ANI)
This will be Chancellor Friedrich Merz's first official visit to India. During the visit, he will travel to Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.

Prime Minister Modi will receive Chancellor Friedrich Merz on January 12 in Ahmedabad. The two leaders will review progress across various areas of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which completed 25 years last year.

Discussions will focus on further strengthening cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also advancing collaboration in defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties, the MEA said.

Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Friedrich Merz will also engage with business and industry leaders and exchange views on issues of regional and global importance.

The visit is expected to build on the momentum generated by regular high-level political interactions and provide an opportunity to reaffirm the shared vision of India and Germany to develop a forward-looking partnership for the benefit of both countries and the wider global community.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chancellor Merz last held discussions on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, where the two leaders agreed to further broaden the bilateral strategic partnership.

During that interaction, Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation to the German Chancellor for an official visit to New Delhi.

The visit is also taking place in the lead-up to the India-EU Summit scheduled for January 27. (ANI)
Hailing the US action against dictator Nicolas Maduro, the Opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado on Monday claimed "brave people" of Venezuela took to the streets in 30 countries around the world to "celebrate the huge step" that marks the "inevitability and imminence" of the transition in Caracas. In a post on social media platform X, Machado claimed, "The brave people of Venezuela took to the streets in 30 countries and 130 cities around the world to celebrate a huge step that marks the inevitability and imminence of the transition in Venezuela." https://x.com/MariaCorinaYA/status/2008194629200498801?s=20 Acknowledging backing from the United States leadership, she added, "We Venezuelans thank President Donald Trump (@POTUS) and his administration for their firmness and determination in upholding the law." Outlining her vision for the country's future international alignment, Machado wrote, "Venezuela will be the main ally of the United States in matters of security, energy, democracy, and human rights." Expressing optimism about developments ahead, she said, "The freedom of Venezuela is near, and soon we will celebrate on our land." Referring to the personal and social impact of the anticipated transition, Machado added, "We will shout, pray, and embrace as a family, because our children will return home." Her remarks came as developments related to Venezuela's leadership continued to unfold in the United States. Venezuela's deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrived at a New York courthouse on Monday, where Maduro is expected to appear before a judge, CNN reported. Earlier in the day, Maduro and Flores were transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to the courthouse, travelling by a combination of motorcade and helicopter, according to CNN. The two were seen wearing tan outfits and were heavily escorted by armed Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents. As legal proceedings moved forward in New York, developments reverberated beyond the courtroom. Venezuela's foreign ministry paid tribute to 32 Cuban citizens killed in the US attack on Caracas over the weekend, saying they "gave their lives in the line of duty," CNN reported. Maduro's court appearance follows his capture during a military strike on Saturday. In the immediate aftermath, President Donald Trump said that America is "in charge," while acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodriguez called for "cooperation" with the US, signalling a softer response to the attack, CNN reported. US officials have indicated that Washington is working to establish a pliant interim government in Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the focus remains on setting policy and maintaining "leverage." During the same period, Trump also made broader remarks touching on other international issues, including implying potential military action in Colombia, urging Mexico to get its "act together" on drugs, and stating that the US "needs Greenland." The current developments stem from a pre-dawn US operation inside Venezuela, during which dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained and transferred to a US naval vessel before being flown to New York, according to the Trump administration. US authorities have said that deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro is expected to face multiple charges, including narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons-related offences. The operation followed months of intensified US military activity in the region. Since September, Washington has launched dozens of strikes against vessels it claims were involved in drug trafficking linked to Venezuela, operations that reportedly resulted in more than 115 deaths and prompted legal experts to raise concerns over potential violations of international law. US legal action against deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro dates back to President Donald Trump's first term. A superseding indictment unsealed on Saturday added fresh allegations of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media that Maduro and others "will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts". However, President Trump's own remarks added a broader political dimension to the case. Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, he went beyond a law enforcement justification, stating that the United States would "run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," while also referring to reclaiming American oil interests in Venezuela. (ANI)
US President Donald Trump has once again highlighted the revenue generated through tariffs imposed by his administration on various countries around the world after his return to the White House, asserting that the collections will soon cross USD 600 billion. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, "We have taken in, and will soon be receiving, more than 600 Billion Dollars in Tariffs," while accusing the media of deliberately ignoring the issue. https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115842866197248103 Taking aim at what he termed biased reporting, he added, "The Fake News Media refuses to talk about it because they hate and disrespect our Country, and want to interfere with the upcoming Tariff decision, one of the most important ever, of the United States Supreme Court." Reiterating his backing for tariffs, Trump linked the policy to both economic strength and national security. "Because of Tariffs, our Country is financially, AND FROM A NATIONAL SECURITY STANDPOINT, FAR STRONGER AND MORE RESPECTED THAN EVER BEFORE. GOD BLESS AMERICA!" he said. Trump has repeatedly criticised the legal challenge to his tariff regime. In earlier remarks, he warned, "The biggest threat in history to United States National Security would be a negative decision on Tariffs by the US Supreme Court," adding that such an outcome would render the country "financially defenseless." The tariff measures are currently under scrutiny by the US Supreme Court, where they have been challenged over whether the President exceeded his authority. The last hearing was held in November, with the final ruling deferred to 2026, though no specific timeline has been announced. India is among the countries facing steep tariffs from the United States. At present, Indian exports are subject to a 50 per cent tariff, with half of it linked to India's purchase of Russian crude. Referring to discussions with Indian leadership, Trump had said, "They wanted to make me happy, basically. Modi is a very good man; he is a good guy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy. They do trade and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly. It would be very bad for them," he said. Trump made the comments on Sunday while interacting with reporters aboard Air Force One during his flight back from Florida to Washington, DC. (ANI)
Venezuela's deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to multiple federal charges during his appearance before a New York City federal court on Monday, according to CNN. Maduro raised questions over the legality of his arrest during his first appearance before a US federal court in New York, claiming he was detained at his residence in Caracas, Venezuela, CNN reported. Speaking directly to the judge within minutes of the hearing, Maduro said, "I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela." The remark signalled what is expected to be a central plank of his legal defence -- that his arrest by US law enforcement on foreign soil amounted to an unlawful operation. Maduro's legal team has described the arrest as a "military abduction," arguing that the late-night operation violated international law and due process protections. The defence is expected to challenge the jurisdiction of the US courts by questioning the circumstances under which the Venezuelan leader was taken into custody. This is not the first instance of a defendant advancing such a claim. More than 30 years ago, Panama's former leader, Manuel Noriega, argued that the United States had breached international law and due process by invading Panama and arresting him on foreign soil, according to CNN. That defence, however, did not succeed. Courts at the time declined to examine the legality of the US invasion and instead confined their review to the charges detailed in Noriega's indictment. It remains uncertain whether the judiciary will revisit that legal precedent in Maduro's case, CNN reported. It is uncommon for a defendant to address the court during an initial appearance, as defence lawyers generally advise against speaking due to the risk that prosecutors could later use statements. As Maduro spoke in court on Monday, Judge Alvin Hellerstein issued a similar caution as the Venezuelan president spoke. "There will be a time and a place to go into all of this," the judge said. Maduro's court appearance follows his capture during a military strike on Saturday. In the immediate aftermath, President Donald Trump declared that America is "in charge." At the same time, acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodriguez called for "cooperation" with the US, signalling a softer response to the attack, CNN reported. US officials have indicated that Washington is working to establish a pliant interim government in Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the focus remains on setting policy and maintaining "leverage." During the same period, Trump made a series of broader remarks touching on other international issues. These included implying potential military action in Colombia, urging Mexico to get its "act together" on drugs, and stating that the US "needs Greenland." The developments stem from a pre-dawn US operation inside Venezuela. During the operation, deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained and transferred to a US naval vessel before being flown to New York, according to the Trump administration. US authorities have said that deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro is expected to face multiple charges. These include narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons-related offences. The operation followed months of intensified US military activity in the region. Since September, Washington has launched dozens of strikes against vessels it claims were involved in drug trafficking linked to Venezuela. These operations reportedly resulted in more than 115 deaths. The operations have also prompted certain legal experts to raise concerns over potential violations of international law. US legal action against deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro dates back to President Donald Trump's first term. A superseding indictment unsealed on Saturday added fresh allegations of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media that Maduro and others "will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts". However, President Trump's own remarks added a broader political dimension to the case. Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, he went beyond a law enforcement justification. He stated that the United States would "run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition." Trump also referred to reclaiming American oil interests in Venezuela. (ANI)
Gavin Newsom is America's Justin Trudeau By Todd Gregory and Erik Gregory

web posted January 5, 2026 There is a slick new front man for the Democrat party. And while nominally the governor of America's most populous state, he has been running a national campaign for several years now (recall his many attacks on successful cross-country Florida and rival Governor Ron DeSantis). Glib and sounding intelligent while saying little of substance, Gavin Newsom is essentially a taller, whiter, and less cunning version of Barack Obama. In other words, he's America's Justin Trudeau. Gavin is not the electoral bantamweight many conservatives claim. At 6'4" with heavily moussed hair, Gavin will be taller and at least as well-coiffed and youthful-looking as his GOP opponent (while it sounds shallow to highlight Gavin's physiognomy, let's acknowledge that an electorate shallow enough to elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden is also capable of electing Newsom). The entitled blueblood of the Getty and Pelosi dynasties aced finishing school; politically speaking, Gavin knows the difference between the soup spoon and the dessert spoon (both silver, of course). With Hollywood, Big Tech, federal employees, and the billionaire class bankrolling his campaign, Gavin will easily pull in more than $2 billion, likely outraising his small-dollar GOP opponent. Yet, Gavin is also as plastic, phony, and vapid as your typical Hollywood floozy. Nearly androgynous in his effeminacy, he regularly indulges in Shiva-like hand gesticulations, manic interviews, and deeply disconcerting social media postings while projecting painfully inauthentic empathy. These attributes are appealing to blue women who instinctively recoil from masculine men like Trump and JD Vance. Blue women are an unhappy voting bloc increasingly inclined towards outright misandry, possibly because they resent and despise their own fathers or feel the need to scapegoat traditionally rugged white males to rationalize their own despair. While white, the oleaginous, nonthreatening Gavin is the opposite of macho. Unlike the senile Biden, Gavin won't completely fall on his face while debating Vance or Gabbard or whomever the GOP ultimately nominates. Plus, the moderators will be the usual corporate media worms and fangirls swooning over Gavin. To overcome the stigma of being a white male at the top of the (D) ticket, Gavin's VP will definitely be a woman. Wretched Gretchen Whitmer is a good bet, and might cement Michigan's 15 electoral votes. But Gavin could opt for a black (Jasmine Crockett?) or Hispanic (AOC?) woman to be truly intersectional and appeal to the highest number of grievance groups. Gavin is a cinch to hold the blue states won by the inept Kamala Harris (226 EVs). If he can then pick off the traditional blue wall states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania  or even just PA and MI while winning back purple Arizona  the White House is his. Gavin would then nominate an avenging attorney general along the lines of Keith Ellison, Marc Elias, or Andrew Weissmann. SCOTUS judges might be on the order of the homicidal Jay Jones or James Boasberg. Downplaying his silver spoon, the hipster Gavin claims to have been a scrappy underdog during his formative years, subsisting on Wonder Bread and Mac 'n cheese ("It was about payin' the bills, man! That's how I grew up, bro!"). Gavin once landed a hottie wife named Kimberly Guilfoyle. Later, like countless politicians, Gavin succumbed to extra-testicular activity not by shagging some random groupie but rather by bedding the wife of his own campaign manager and close friend, making the adulterous tryst a double betrayal. Of course, laws and morals are for conservatives and don't apply to elites like Gavin and his friends. Gavin's current odd-looking gamine of a wife and potential FLOTUS, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, testified to an affair with Harvey Weinstein. While doubtless a painful experience for her, she only divulged the career-boosting affair after the faddish #Me Too movement made headlines. Squeamish Republicans who feel they're above such tawdry doings as criticizing the spouses of Democrat pols need to be reminded there is not a Democrat dirt digger alive who would hold back if there were similar smut on Melania Trump or Ushu Vance. It's worth noting Gavin's high speed rail to nowhere in California's central valley has cost $135 billion to date. We're not just talking about taxpayer money from daffy Californians micro-dosing on mushrooms and dreaming of unicorns but also working class red-state voters whose federal taxes disappear into California's gaping maw (red tax dollars are always financing Democrat prerogatives and underwriting graft and political corruption in blue states). Gavin's predecessor as Governor, Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown, left California with a budget surplus just as Gavin assumed office in 2019. After squandering Moonbeam's surplus, Gavin and the Democrat supermajority legislature in Sacramento now show annual budget shortfalls of at least $20 billion, though realistic estimates are far more dire. By the end of 2024, Cali had the second highest unemployment rate in the nation at an official 5.5%, along with the highest poverty rate at nearly 20% and the highest homeless rate. Middle-class outmigration has been joined by flagship businesses like Tesla, Oracle, and Chevron (incidentally, gasoline taxes and fees cost California motorists about $1.40 per gallon). Imagine this economic turd show going national. Tens of millions of dollars have been stolen by government bureaucrats and NGOs supposedly managing the homeless industrial complex as Cali's homeless population has surged past the (estimated) 200,000 mark. Feces, open air drug use, and exploding crime rates due to decarceration now define San Francisco and Los Angeles as much as the Golden Gate Bridge or the Hollywood sign. But progressives in and out of government love all the dystopian destabilization, so it's all good as far as they're concerned. During California's COVID lockdowns, Gavin acceded to every whim of the teachers' unions. Public school teachers refused to return to the classroom, preferring to indoctrinate their students via remote "learning." Consequently, urban schools in Cali didn't reopen until the 2021-22 academic year. California's schoolteachers were ecstatic about their 18-month paid vacation, but kids suffered badly. Additional COVID "relief" resulted in at least $20 billion stolen through identity theft, fraudulent claims, and likely the active participation of California's DEI-obsessed racial bean counters, the corrupt Employment Development Dept. Statewide homicides in Cali increased 23% while Gavin was buffing his personal brand during his first year as Governor (2019-2020) while smash-and-grab robberies skyrocketed under the Gavin-endorsed Proposition 47. Gavin's obligatory demonization of white males is of course de rigeur throughout Democrat politics. As part of the racial pander, Gavin promised billions in "reparations" for black California residents, including de facto nationalization of public and private property to be redistributed along racial lines. On so-called anthropogenic climate change, under a Newsom presidency, hundreds of billions of tax dollars and subsidies will go to government-aligned NGOs, businesses, industries, and individuals hyping clean energy as a solution to unsupported claims about imminent climate collapse (think of thousands of self-enriching climate bureaucrats, grant-seeking climatologists, and Solyndras feeding at the taxpayers' trough as they fly to junkets in their private jets). On illegal migration, Gavin will reopen the Southern border to millions, declaring the United States is an illegitimate country on stolen land and the nation has an ethical and Biblical responsibility to feed, clothe, and shelter the entire Global South  and accord them citizenship, voting rights, DEI/affirmative action privileges, and recompense for their grievances. In Gavin's America, if you're a conservative running a small private business  say, a Christian bakery  and you politely decline to bake a cake for a gay wedding and kindly refer the customer to another local bakery, American judges and the entire weight of the federal government will come down on your neck, bankrupt you, and put you out of business. If, however, you are a big, powerful left-wing private business like Google, YouTube, or Bank of America, and you systematically deny conservatives access to your products and services, or censor, de-list, de-platform, or de-bank conservatives, hey, rock star judges declare it's constitutionally hunky-dory. How about terror groups funded by US taxpayer dollars like Somalia's al-Shabaab? Ha ha, in blue states like California and Minnesota, voters think al-Shabaab is a 50s Doo-Wop tribute band. The Democrats' stated aim of abolishing the electoral college would mean even if Gavin lost 49 of America's 50 states by 100,000 votes each, he would still win the popular vote and the presidency if he simply won basket case California by five million votes. All of this and more will go national if Gavin is elected President, and the unreformable and monolithic apparatus of far-left government will eagerly revert to its pre-Trump status quo. Of course, by 2028, Gavin's personal and political scandals (like his pathetic response to the Palisades Fire) will be mostly forgotten by an electorate that can barely remember what happened last week, let alone three years ago. A complacent GOP sleepwalking into the next election cycle should heed the words of Saul Alinsky: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. The brothers are previous contributors to Enter Stage Right. An abridged version of this article appeared in American Thinker. Home

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Switzerland on Monday announced the immediate freezing of any Swiss-based assets linked to Venezuela's deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro, saying that if the assets are found to be of illicit origin, efforts will be made to ensure they benefit the Venezuelan population, the Swiss Federal Government said on Monday. In a statement posted on X, the Swiss Federal Government said the move takes effect immediately and applies to all Swiss-based assets linked to Maduro. "Venezuela: With immediate effect, Switzerland is freezing any Swiss-based assets linked to Nicolas Maduro. If any assets turn out to be of illicit origin, Switzerland will do its best to ensure that these benefit the Venezuelan population," the Swiss government said in the post. https://x.com/SwissGov/status/2008141183252566198 According to an official press release from the Swiss government, on January 5, 2026 (local time), the Federal Council decided to freeze any assets held in Switzerland by Nicolas Maduro and other persons associated with him, with immediate effect. "In doing so, the Federal Council aims to prevent an outflow of assets. The asset freeze does not affect members of the current Venezuelan government. Should future legal proceedings reveal that the funds were illicitly acquired, Switzerland will endeavour to ensure that they benefit the Venezuelan people. The asset freeze is in addition to the sanctions against Venezuela that have been in place since 2018 under the Embargo Act," the release said. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was arrested by US forces in Caracas and flown to the United States. As per the release, on January 3, 2026, "the situation is volatile, and several scenarios are possible in the coming days and weeks." The release stated that Switzerland is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela. It has called for de-escalation, restraint and compliance with international law, including the prohibition of the use of force and the principle of respect for territorial integrity. Switzerland has also repeatedly offered its good offices to all sides in order to find a peaceful solution to the situation. "The Federal Council wants to ensure that any illicitly acquired assets cannot be transferred out of Switzerland in the current situation. Under the Federal Act on the Freezing and the Restitution of Illicit Assets Held by Foreign Politically Exposed Persons (FIAA), it has therefore decided, as a precautionary measure, to freeze any assets held in Switzerland by Mr Maduro and other persons associated with him. The asset freeze does not affect any members of the current Venezuelan government," the release added. According to a release, this asset freeze issued in accordance with the FIAA is in addition to the existing sanctions against Venezuela under the Embargo Act, which have been in force since 2018 and also include asset freezes. The new asset freezes under the FIAA target individuals who have not previously been sanctioned in Switzerland. The reasons behind Mr Maduro's fall from power do not play a decisive role in asset freezes under the FIAA. Nor does the question of whether the fall from power occurred lawfully or in violation of international law. The decisive factor is that a fall from power has occurred and that it is now possible that the country of origin will initiate legal proceedings in the future with regard to illicitly acquired assets. "The asset freeze serves to enable any future mutual legal assistance proceedings. Should these reveal that the funds were illicitly acquired, Switzerland will endeavour to use them for the benefit of the Venezuelan people," the release said. As per the release, the asset freeze comes into force today with immediate effect and will remain valid for four years until further notice. (ANI)
The Venezuelan government on Monday published a decree declaring a State of External Commotion, granting sweeping powers to the presidency and instructing security forces to detain "any person involved in the promotion or support" of a US attack against the South American country, CNN reported. The decree, dated Saturday, was signed by then-president Nicolas Maduro, who was captured earlier that day by US military forces and is currently being held in New York. "The national, state, and municipal police agencies must immediately undertake the search and capture throughout the national territory of any person involved in the promotion or support of the armed attack by the United States of America against the territory of the Republic (...) with a view to their prosecution," the text stated, endorsed by the now acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, as per CNN. The decree had originally been drafted and announced in late September, weeks after the United States began deploying naval assets in the Caribbean. However, its contents were not made public at the time and were later updated to reflect developments over the weekend, CNN reported. The measure carries the force of law and will remain in effect for 90 days, with the possibility of an extension for an additional 90 days. Under Venezuela's Constitution, the declaration of a state of emergency allows the president to exercise near-total authority over political, economic and social matters. This marks the first time the provision has been invoked since the current Constitution came into force in 1999, which permits such a decree in cases of conflict that "seriously endangers the security of the nation, its citizens, or its institutions", CNN reported. Meanwhile, Venezuela's deposed dictator, Nicolas Maduro, pleaded not guilty to multiple federal charges during his appearance before a New York City federal court on Monday, according to CNN. Switzerland government too, has announced the immediate freezing of any Swiss-based assets linked to Venezuela's deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro, saying that if the assets are found to be of illicit origin, efforts will be made to ensure they benefit the Venezuelan population. (ANI)
Wakayama, Jan 05 (News On Japan) - The way people pay respects at family graves in Japan is undergoing rapid change, driven in part by shifting lifestyles and difficult realities surrounding grave maintenance.

Obon is traditionally a time for visiting family graves, and in Kyotos Otani area, many people were seen offering prayers despite the intense heat, with temperatures climbing above 37 degrees Celsius. One visitor from Osaka said she prayed for the safe birth of her sisters child, adding that she often comes to make requests and offer thanks.

At the same time, in a cemetery in Daito, Osaka Prefecture, a man was carefully cleaning a gravestone, scrubbing dirt from the main stone and its vertical surfaces. He was part of a grave-visiting proxy service, a business that has been growing in popularity in recent years. Workers meticulously clean graves, sometimes even pouring water over stones to remove stubborn grime, and take photos to show clients the thoroughness of the work. After cleaning, they offer flowers and incense. The basic plan costs 17,600 yen, and many customers use the service repeatedly. Demand peaks around Obon, with most requests made by reservation.

In fact, the number of people visiting graves during Obon has fallen sharply over the past decade. While more than half of people once made such visits, the figure has now dropped to just over 30 percent. Those who still visit often voice concerns about the future. One man said his family had discussed how to manage his wifes family grave, eventually deciding that their daughter would take responsibility, though it was not an easy decision. Others said that as they age, they wonder whether to leave grave care to their children.

Amid these changes, the very concept of a grave is evolving. In Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, a massive memorial tower rises from the landscape. Workers there dismantle gravestones that are no longer maintained, burying the remains of the structures and restoring the ground. Applications for such grave closures, known as hakamajimai, have surged, increasing nearly tenfold from about 20 cases a year just a few years ago.

Many families make the decision reluctantly. Company representatives say some clients break down in tears when informed the process is complete, reflecting the deep emotional attachment people have to family graves. In most cases, gravestones removed during hakamajimai are disposed of, but this company instead incorporates them into a large memorial tower, preserving a place where people can still offer prayers. With the number of stones increasing, the space is expected to be filled within about six months, prompting preparations for another tower.

While large memorials are one response, smaller alternatives are also emerging. A palm-sized gravestone, small enough to place in an entranceway or living room, has been on sale since last year. Despite its size, it is a legitimate gravestone that can hold a portion of remains.

One buyer, originally from Osaka and now living in Shizuoka Prefecture, said her parents died in quick succession several years ago. With the family grave located far away and upkeep becoming difficult, her brother decided on hakamajimai, leaving her with a lingering sense of emptiness. After discovering the palm-sized gravestone, she decided to purchase one. She said seeing it every day makes her feel her parents presence and allows her to hold it and remember them at meaningful moments. Compared with setting up a traditional Buddhist altar, which requires space, she said the small stone fits more naturally into her current lifestyle and can even be moved if needed.

Source: KTV NEWS
Wakayama, Jan 05 (News On Japan) - Liveliness returned to Japans top tuna landing port as the first tuna auction of the year was held in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, where prayers were offered for a safe and abundant fishing season.

Nachikatsuura, which ranks first nationwide in tuna landings using longline fishing, hosted the first auction after a ceremonial sake barrel opening to mark the start of the year and to pray for large catches and maritime safety.

On the morning of January 4, around 1,300 tuna, including bluefin and yellowfin, were lined up at the market, with the largest weighing as much as 130 kilograms.

Wholesale buyers carefully inspected the fish, shining flashlights on the exposed flesh to judge color, quality, and fat content before writing their bids and snapping up their desired tuna one after another.

The tuna purchased at the auction were packed in ice and shipped to destinations including Tokyo and the Keihanshin region, where they will be distributed to markets and restaurants.

Source: KTV NEWS
Sudans central bank and the state-owned Sudanese Mineral Resources Company (SMRC) have established a joint committee to supervise gold exports and strengthen control over the sector, a statement released Sunday said. The panel, formed after a meeting in Port Sudan, will coordinate export operations, improve monitoring, and support the national economy, though no implementation timeline was provided.

Central bank governor Amna Mirghani and SMRC head Mohamed Taher signed the agreement. Sudan produced 70.15 tons of gold in 2025, primarily from six of the 14 states active before the outbreak of war in April 2023, excluding areas controlled by paramilitary or rebel groups. Most gold comes from around 2 million artisanal miners, with commercial plants often reprocessing tailings. Large quantities of gold are reportedly smuggled due to weak tracking of artisanal production.

Officials indicated that export incentives and consultations with industry stakeholders would be considered. Mirghani framed the move as part of efforts to transition the banking system from resilience to recovery, while Taher said the SMRC will deploy state-level staff to assist in tightening controls. On November 5, 2025, the central bank had lifted a ban on private gold exports, resolving tensions between state agencies and traders.
The European Unions Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism took effect January 1, 2026, targeting six sectors including steel, aluminum, cement, nitrogen fertilizers, hydrogen, and electricity. Exporting companies must now declare and potentially compensate CO emissions linked to their products, with Brussels aiming to ensure competitive fairness for European industries while incentivizing trading partners ecological transition.

Companies failing to decarbonize production face carbon taxes calculated based on product carbon content, ranging between 60 and 100 euros per ton of CO. Exporters must document their industrial processes precise carbon footprints, purchasing emission certificates at European market prices if emissions exceed European standards. Where carbon markets exist in origin countries with tariffs below European levels, companies pay the difference.

The EU anticipates approximately three billion euros in revenue by 2030, potentially increasing as the tax expands to additional products. BMCE Kapital Global Research estimates over 10% of Moroccan exports could be affected this year, representing potential six billion dirham losses based on 2024 revenues. However, sectoral situations vary considerably.

Cement producers, electricity generators, aluminum manufacturers, and steel producers appear relatively unexposed. Sonasid already produces green steel, though only 1% targets the EU, with most remaining domestically or exported to Canada, the United States, and Saudi Arabia. Commercial hydrogen production begins in 2027 with OCP producing green ammonia, followed by TotalEnergies in Guelmim, using renewable energy and desalinated seawater compatible with European standards.

Nitrogen fertilizers remain Moroccos most vulnerable sector to carbon taxation. Beyond 2027-2028, textile and agri-food sectors, heavily exporting to the EU, must achieve compliance despite not yet following desired decarbonization trajectories. Northern kingdom industrialists gained advantages through European client pressure, while upstream agriculture, particularly reducing chemical inputs, remains challenging for agro-industries.

Services and logistics infrastructure face requirements as well, with Tangier Med needing operational alignment with new norms to maintain its transshipment hub position handling 8.6 million containers in 2023. European market competitiveness now requires companies combining economic performance with climate respect, forcing Morocco and international partners producing and exporting within responsible carbon frameworks or facing increased costs and reduced access to demanding markets.
Forty years since George Parkin Grant's Technology and Justice (1986) By Mark Wegierski

web posted January 5, 2026 This article tries to gauge what of George Grant's ideas has remained today. 2026 is the 40th anniversary of George Grant's Technology and Justice (1986), his last major published work. It was a follow-up to his earlier books, Technology and Empire: Perspectives on North America (1969), and English-Speaking Justice (1974/1985). Grant is best known for his work, Lament for a Nation: The Defeat of Canadian Nationalism (1965), written after the defeat of the staunch Tory Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker, by Liberal Lester B. Pearson, in the crucial 1963 federal election. Grant's first major published work was Philosophy in the Mass Age (1959). One could sharply ask today -- is there still really a place for Grantian-type traditionalism in current-day Canada? First of all, it should be remembered that Grant's profound and subtle definition of conservatism is very remote from what is its more common definition today, as mostly a tax- and budget-cutting ideology. Indeed, the shallowness of what passes for conservatism in Canada today, is quite apparent. It is generally accepted that almost everyone is socially liberal, and economically conservative. Social conservatism is typically seen as a dour, obdurate outlook. Nevertheless, economic conservatism can be seen as little more than a defense of consumerist capitalism and plutocracy  which Grant had severely criticized. The notion of conservatism as a decent, humane outlook has been lost today. Indeed, most people in Canada today cannot wrap their minds around the notion of the genuine idealism of traditionalist dissent in current-day society. Despite his greatly impassioned writing, Grant did not seem to offer much hope for someone wishing to be active in the social, political, and cultural arena of current-day Canadian society. Perhaps a quietistic self-cultivation is the only path available today. However, is this not problematic, for a philosophy that has emphasized public engagement and civic-mindedness? The four main possibilities available today are probably: activism in the current federal Conservative Party; activism in the Canadian pro-life movement; moving out to the countryside; or becoming an independent political writer/blogger. Activism in the current federal Conservative Party (or perhaps other major political parties, such as the Ontario Progressive Conservatives) gives one a sense of immediacy and connection to so-called "real" political matters. However, one will be in a major party with multifarious factions, many of which may be indifferent or hostile to one's views. While one may feel that one is doing "useful" work, it may just be a drop in the ocean. Also, if one is able to hold increasingly prominent posts in a given party, the unfriendly public scrutiny one's views undergo is increased, which often results in an ever-increasing downplaying and "trimming" of one's own ideals and principles. Also, the federal Conservatives had been decisively trounced in the October 2015 federal election, and the Liberals won strong minority governments in 2019 and 2021. In 2025, the Liberals won a strong minority under their new leader, the banker Mark Carney. The accusation has been that the Conservatives lost because of their obdurate, reactionary policies. The notion that the Conservative Party had actually followed a very moderate course during their majority government under Harper, is not widely accepted. Canada has seen another roaring tide of unabated change under Justin Trudeau, mirroring, to some extent, what happened during the sixteen years of Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1968-1984, except for nine months in 1979-1980). In the 2019 federal election, the Liberals were reduced to a minority government (a plurality of seats in the House of Commons), but they still governed quite decisively with the support of the New Democratic Party, which is even further left. A similar outcome occurred in the 2021 federal election. In the 2025 election, the Liberals won a strong minority government under their new leader Mark Carney, while the federal NDP was almost wiped out. Activism in the Canadian pro-life and pro-family movement offers a considerable engagement with "real" political matters combined with an intense idealism. One can read in such publications as The Interim and the Hamilton-based Convivium and Comment, how the pro-life and pro-family people are often the dynamic edge of resistance to the current late modern near-dystopia, and, indeed, how often they do suffer for their beliefs. However, what appears to be the demand for a life of continual "martyrdom" may not be emotionally sustainable for some people. Ironically, pro-life and pro-family activists are often seen as veritable "devil-babies" by current-day society. For example, pro-life student clubs have been banned at several Canadian universities. Becoming involved in a minor political party or some kind of ginger group is somewhat akin to being a pro-life activist, although usually with less social impact likely, but also less "martyrdom" required. Moving out to the countryside represents a sort of "secession". The idea is that life in more rural areas is "healthier" than in the big cities. Perhaps not everyone might find rural life congenial. It requires a considerable amount of quite arduous physical labour with which a person used to living in urban or suburban areas is unacquainted. If one is already living there (or will end up there), one also has to think about having an impact beyond one's immediate physical vicinity. The idea of becoming an independent political writer/blogger may be attractive if one feels one can carry one's weight intellectually  and do so with considerable grace and dignity. Having a cultural-political Internet presence today is not necessarily tied to living in a major cultural or political centre  although it might help in putting together one's writing output. If one is truly independent, one need not always hew to party and religious lines  even as one is generally in opposition to late modern society. Nevertheless, one might become prone to live increasingly as a "lone wolf" with fewer and fewer personal social interactions  "a voice crying in the wilderness". It could be argued that Grant's thought does indeed have much to say to all persons living in current-day Canada and America, and in so-called "late modernity"  not just to those who are actively in opposition to it. For example, one can easily elicit from Grant's philosophy a critique of the economism and the "infinite growth" mindset that are probably among the main contributing factors to the post-2008 economic crisis. There could also be a role for Grant's anti-Americanism (or what might less pointedly be called "non-Americanism") in a truly meaningful Canadian conservatism. It is little understood today that before the 1960s, Canada was actually a more conservative society than America (in the better sense of conservatism). Today, one finds that much of what is negative about current-day Canada  if one were to carefully look at its real origins -- actually emanates from the U.S. There are, for example, the trends to "judicial activism" and litigiousness, tendencies of increasing violence and anomie, and the excesses of the North American (U.S. and Canadian) pop-culture. It looks like the best that traditionalists can hope for in Canada today is to maintain some kind of sharp niches of critique in what is likely to become an increasingly hostile society. It may perhaps be suggested that things will have to get even worse, before there can be some hope of things getting better, over the longer term. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home

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Odessa Azion addresses the online discussion about her hair at the Marty Supreme NY premiere.pic.twitter.com/UwAWHPD7TW  Odessa A'zion Updates (@OdessaAzionUPD) January 4, 2026

Odessa A'zion attends the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards. pic.twitter.com/JsofJ0MBk1   (@metgalacrave) January 4, 2026

odessa azion as joey in grand army pic.twitter.com/zgk1i3wBZj  corinne  (@MIUCClAMUSE) March 13, 2021

The Marty Supreme actress and nepo baby supreme is not wearing a wig, that's all her own hairyou might know her from Netflix's Grand Army
The Labour government, led by Keir Starmer, adopted a cautious stance on the US's operation, refusing to condemn it as a breach of international law despite pressure from party backbenchers and opposition groups.

The US plans to install its own oil majors to repair and run Venezuela's vast oil infrastructure, a move that analysts predict will force China to pay higher rates for its crucial heavy crude supply.

The FTSE 100 saw an early rally driven by defense and metal stocks, including Babcock, BAE Systems, and gold miners, in reaction to the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The FTSE 100 kicked off the new year on the front foot with a morning rally after the fallout from the United States capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro sent a batch of City stocks on the march.

Londons blue-chip index sprung up towards the 10,000 points mark as markets opening before giving up some gains to land 0.2 per cent higher at near 9,970.

Leading the pack was defence and metal stocks after President Donald Trumps strike on Venezuela  and openess to further escalation with other nations  sent jitters across markets.

Gold miners Endeavour Mining and Fresnillo were among top risers with gains of over four per cent, which comes after the price of the safe haven asset jumped 2.2 per cent in early trading to $4,424 an ounce.

Meanwhile, defence stocks were benefiting from the rising tensions with shares in blue-chip giant Babcock netting an all-time high at 1,329p after a 4.4 per cent rally. BAE Systems was up 4.5 per cent and Rolls-Royce 2.3 per cent.

It comes after Trump refused to rule out military action in Colombia telling reported in Sunday it sounds good to [him] whilst also doubling down on previous suggestions the US need Greenland and is considering an offensive on Cuba.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to make a statement to MPs following the US operation to lay out the governments formal response.

Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, told City AM the slow influx of corporate news for the New Year was more than compensated by the fallout in Venezuela.

US could dictate Chinas oil supply

On Saturday, Trump announced the capture of Venezuelan President Maduro, who is set to appear in US Federal Court in New York. Trump has clamped down on Venezuela following accusations of the nation dumping its prisoners into the US and failing to stop the flow of fentanyl into the country.

But oil has also remained a central piece to the conflict with Venezuela holding the worlds largest estimated oil reserves, though the countrys output remains at a fraction of capacity due to decades of mismanagement.

Trump has said the US plans to run Venezuela and insert its own oil majors to the country to control and ramp up its oil production.

Were going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country, the President said.

The US Energy Information Administration estimates Venezuela has near 303bn barrels worth of crude  near 20 per cent of the worlds resource  but exports just 900,000 per day with China acting as the biggest customer.

Bejing has urged the US to stop toppling the Venezuelan government with the top diplomat of China accusing the White House as behaving like a world judge.

Despite the rising tensions, oil prices have remained subdued in the fallout.

Brent crude dropped near 1.3 per cent despite Trumps pledge to pump billions into the oil-rich nation to fix infrastructure.

Analysts expect China to be forced to pay higher rates for oil, should the US maintain control of Venezuelan production.

Jordan Rochester, an analyst at Mizuho Bank, said: By controlling Venezuela, the US doesnt need to own the oil; it just needs a hand on the tap.

This shapes global energy flows and decides whether China gets cheap heavy crude or has to pay market rates elsewhere.

How is the UK government reacting?

The Labour government has taken a coy line on the USs involvement in Venezuela despite pressure from party backbenchers and opposition groups.

Keir Starmer emphasised the UK was not involved in the strikes on Friday night while saying he would shed no tears over the end of Maduros time as president.

Starmer and other government ministers including chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones refused to say whether the operation to capture Maduro represented a breach of international law.

Starmer added he was a lifelong advocate of international law and would seek to gather more information before making a full comment. Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to address parliament by the end of the day on the matter.

Labour MPs Emily Thornberry, Jon Trickett, and Richard Burgon are among those who have called for Starmer to stand up to Trump, along with the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.

The Conservatives also said it would wait for full facts on the operation and hope to see Venezuelans enjoy democratic norms and freedoms.

Reform UKs Nigel Farage said that while the capture broke international law, it could make China and Russia think twice about taking on global powers.

By City AM

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Aesop's Fables date back to the 7th century BCE and may be the first known written expression of an often repeated proverb, namely: Necessity is the mother of invention. In the story called "The Crow and the Pitcher," during a terrible drought a thirsty crow finds water in a partially full water pitcher. But the mouth of the pitcher is too small to allow the crow to reach the water. The crow discerns that if it drops enough pebbles in the pitcher, this will raise the water level. So the crow proceeds with this plan and finally gets a drink.

Aesop's Fables come in many versions which often include a "moral" or "application" at the end. Hence, we have the summary of the lesson of the story that we recognize today.

Trouble is, it's all too easy to apply this idea to any invention and assume that "necessity" refers to some common problem that, if solved, helps the entire community or society. So, when I saw that Waymo's autonomous taxis had shut down, not once, but twice about five days apart in the same citythe first time from a power outage that darkened about one-third of San Francisco and the second due to concerns that a coming storm would create flash floodsI asked myself what necessity is pushing the deployment of autonomous vehicles forward. (To state the obvious, cars with drivers were still able to move about San Francisco during the blackout and adapt to the outage of traffic signals.)

Related: OPEC+ Reaffirms Output Pause as Eight Producers Cite Market Stability

First, I asked whether there is a shortage of taxi rides available for lack of drivers. With the rise of Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services alongside taxicab companies, there appears to be adequate availability of taxi rides in most cities around the world. So far, autonomous vehicles as taxis appear to be a solution looking for a problem.

Second, I wondered whether autonomous vehicles are safer for riders. There's not a lot of evidence since the use of these vehicles is in the early stages. What evidence there is seems equivocal and incomplete. An article in "New Scientist" begins with this:

One of the largest accident studies yet suggests self-driving cars may be safer than human drivers in routine circumstances  but it also shows the technology struggles more than humans during low-light conditions and when performing turns.

It's hard to understand how low-light conditions and performing turns are not routine parts of driving. So, I'm not persuaded by the reasoning of study. While this piece explains that 90 percent of all accidents are caused by human error, it also asks how autonomous vehicles could make eye contact with other drivers or pedestrians to sort out intentions. Then, there is our instinctive sense of whether another driver is not in good control of his or her car when we sense that car drifting toward the edge of the lane it's in.

It's true that autonomous vehicles don't get drunk or get tired. But then the human backup crew behind the carsa crew that is constantly in touch with these vehicles as they rollcould get tired or be under the influence of drugs or alcoholwhich would pose different kinds of problems for riders should an autonomous vehicle malfunction.

The jury is out on whether on balance autonomous vehicles are safer than those driven by humans. It's worth noting that so far we are referring to autonomous vehicles as ride-hailing services. The drivers for those services are required to be sober and alert as part of their job and so more likely to be so than average drivers driving themselves around. You should note whether any safety claims made for autonomous vehicles are made in comparison to drivers who do similar jobs, for example, ride services, delivery or long-haul freight, and not to the general run of drivers.

My third question was whether there is a shortage of truck drivers. This is relevant as trucking companies begin to test autonomous trucks. There is even less data on the safety of these vehicles on the open road as testing began only in May 2025.

As for whether there is a shortage of drivers, some say yes and some say no. It's easy to see why driving a truck may not be as attractive as other careers since truck driving requires long periods away from home, often alone in a truck cab, and long hours each day. But the naysayers to the shortage problem label it an ongoing myth perpetrated by the industry designed to "lower standards, suppress wages, and prioritize big carriers over safety and sustainability." As proof, they note the American Trucking Association's sudden change in wording in its public statements to a shortage of "quality" drivers. But, the real problem may be a shortage of freight which is sending many trucking companies to their deaths.

Assuming for the moment that there is a shortage of truck drivers, it turns out there's a solution. Walmart just upped its starting pay for truck drivers to $115,000 per year. High pay causes people to reframe their views of previously "undesirable" occupations. Bloomberg (cited just above) reports:

While competitors worry about potential worker shortages, Walmart Inc. has grown its trucking workforce by 33% in the last three years by making the job more attractive to people who might otherwise eschew the field.

The success Walmart is having can't really be all that surprising. I am reminded of the perpetual nursing "shortage" which we often hear about in the media. Perhaps those who employ nurses can take a page out of Walmart's book and simply give them better pay and working conditions.

So, after considering all this, I asked myself what "necessity" is really driving the autonomous vehicle push. The only answer I can think of is that employers, whenever possible, want to minimize labor costs and also the supposed aggravation of having to deal with people. If employers can eliminate drivers of all kinds, they can make more money (so long as their competitors don't do the same and underprice them). Clearly, employers believe all or most of the savings will go into their own pockets and those of their shareholders. Any safety issues will just be other people's problems.

And, of course, there is the problem of what to do with all those drivers (of which there was a supposed shortage). Back in 2011 I wrote that the Roman emperor Vespasianunder whom Rome's great Colosseum was builtwas told by one of his engineers of a labor-saving machine that would hasten the work. He rejected the idea saying: "I must always ensure that the working classes earn enough money to buy themselves food."

I do not think the trucking industry will care about whether their former employees can buy themselves food. But I do think the owners of the growing fleet of autonomous vehicles have found a way to make it seem that such vehicles are a response to some necessity that will result in public good.

Previously, I have suggested that such vehicles will only be able to function safely on a closed course, something that is simply not in the cards for today's applications which are all on public roadways. There is no way to implant human judgement, perception and flexibility into a truly autonomous vehicle (without the eyes and ears of humans in the background in real-time) so that it can coexist harmoniously with human drivers and pedestrians.

One more note, in this case regarding autonomous semisand I can't resist saying this againI believe that we are unfortunately about to be reminded that force still equals mass times acceleration.

By Kurt Cobb via Resourceinsights.com

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Will the electric utility distribution monopolies (discos) remain financially viable over the longer term? That is the question, and not an idle one. When the government broke up the Bell Systemm (some of you may remember that formerly ubiquitous entity) in the 1980s, it assumed (as did most investors) that the local exchange (the telephone equivalent of the disco) had an unassailable regulated monopoly. Technology (the internet and cell phones) changed that picture, and today only 30% of the population utilizes local exchange land lines. Could that loss of market happen to the electric disco, too?

First, consider that the other two key components of the utility business, generation and transmission, have already been deregulated with radical changes in their economics. Do we think utility distribution assets will be exempt from this process forever? No. And the reason is simple: the consumers elasticity of electricity demand is increasing, due to the increased penetration of renewables and distributed energy systems into the marketplace. And this undermines one of the bedrock principles of utility economics since the time of Samuel Insull 100 years ago inelastic consumer demand. Consumers wanted products, such as heating and lighting, and they had no viable alternatives. Now, consumers can produce and store energy during the day, reducing daily demand peaks, and rely on battery discharge for off peak hours. All of this increasing commercial activity will have an adverse effect on the profitability of monopoly utilities.

Related: The Oil Ultimatum That Led to Maduros Capture

Lets take a step back. Three interrelated concepts underpin modern utility economics: inelastic demand, natural monopoly, and the attendant cost-based regulatory paradigm. Think of these as components of a three-legged stool. Take away one of the legs, and it falls. And right now, the emergence of new renewable technologies (hardware and software) threatens utility profitability by undermining inelastic demand when utility profitability levels should be highest. However, this also erodes the utilitys natural financial monopoly, which presupposes that one firm can provide service far more cheaply than multiple, competing firms. We view distributed energy like the ocean waves undermining beachfront homes with wildly exposed foundations. The end result is inevitable: the house collapses, but the process can take a long time. Same here. But theres one more thing. If the natural monopoly erodes, which we believe it will, the state and federal regulatory structures also lapse into irrelevance. Why? Because they are designed to set rates so as to permit utilities to recover all their costs from captive consumers. What happens when companies cant recover all their costs because their monopoly is slipping away? All the regulators can do is facilitate price increases that hasten the legacy monopolys demise. This is the logic of the so-called death spiral. Consumer migration leads to higher prices, which encourages even more consumer migration away from the legacy utility. Whats interesting to us is that these core utility regulatory concepts that have basically existed undisturbed for almost a century are now being undermined by new, distributed and renewable technologies.

Going forward, start with three related ideas: 1) the utility distribution network still provides considerable consumer value 2) its natural monopoly status and hence its economics are being eroded by new technologies and thus 3) the existing regulatory paradigm, which presupposes a natural monopoly, is also becoming irrelevant and obsolete. The simplest conceptual solution is to change the way we as a society regard electricity and to think of it as a public good. A public good for us is simply something that everyone in society wants and needs, like cheap electricity, but for whatever reason, the full cost recovery via market-based prices is no longer possible, Public goods also imply government ownership and price settingthe way municipally owned utilities operate today.

The electric distribution utility, to operate as a prosperous for-profit business that can attract capital requires two things: continuous growth in assets ( rate base) and a consistent and predictable growth in earnings. A good utility should be a declining cost business (via technology) while spreading its expenses over an increasing number of customers. Thanks to the proliferation of distributed, renewable technologies this growth dynamic is beginning to run in reverse due to competition from renewables, which is eroding the natural monopoly. Government ownership of utilities (even in the guise of share ownership in ostensibly commercial ventures) is the norm in much of the world. Whether the US remains wedded to private ownership in the future remains to be seen.

By Leonard Hyman and William Tilles for Oilprice.com

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Iraqs Oil Ministry has confirmed that it is expediting the development of the Gharraf and Nassiriyah gas projects, with full operations expected to begin by early 2027, and production capacity reaching 200 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d). This fast?tracking is being presented as a long?overdue step toward energy self?sufficiency, but the real stakes lie far beyond the technicalities of associated?gas capture. For the West, reducing Iraqs dependence on Iranian gas is a strategic imperative aimed at weakening Tehrans grip over Baghdad; for China and Russia, preserving that dependency helps maintain the integrity of the Iran-anchored Shia Crescent of Power that underpins their broader regional ambitions. With both blocs quietly pulling in opposite directions, will Iraqs latest push develop a genuine momentum, or will it turn out to be just another carefully choreographed illusion of progress?

The longstanding problem for the West in their attempt to establish an enduring presence in Iraq has been the even longer-standing influence of neighbouring Iran through its political, economic, religious, and military proxies, as fully analysed in my latest book on the new global oil market order. The clearest expression of this has been Baghdads continued reliance on Tehran for around 40% of its power supply -- delivered through gas and electricity imports -- a dependency that has produced three major consequences. First, the constant threat of immediate and prolonged power cuts, layered on top of those already endured, has muted political dissent against the Iran-aligned status quo. Second, it removed any urgency for Baghdad to exploit its own vast volumes of associated gas for financial gain, whether through exports or as feedstock for high-value petrochemicals projects such as the long-stalled Nebras initiative. And third, it discouraged top-tier Western firms from committing capital to the large-scale developments such as the Common Seawater Supply Project that could lift Iraqs oil output to levels capable of elevating it to the position of the worlds second-largest oil producer after the U.S.

Related: OPEC+ Reaffirms Output Pause as Eight Producers Cite Market Stability

For years, rectifying this situation was not the primary focus of the West in Iraq, as it was instead focused on maintaining its military influence in the country following its removal of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Even after the U.S.s End of Combat Mission in Iraq in December 2021, Washington and its allies were content to keep granting waivers to Baghdad to keep importing Iranian energy, although its patience became increasingly strained during the first presidency of Donald Trump, also detailed in my latest book. However, in his second term, all this changed, with April seeing the introduction of the No Iranian Energy Act to U.S. lawmakers. As highlighted by Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, Congressman August Pfluger, this legislation is part of President Donald Trumps maximum pressure campaign against Irans leaders. [These] are the worlds most dangerous state sponsors of terrorism, [and] the Iranian regime is not just a threat, its leaders are a genocidal death cult, he said. The proposed Act will definitively sanction the importation of Iranian natural gas to Iraq. An adjunct piece of legislation  the Iran Waiver Rescissions Act -- would permanently freeze Iranian-sanctioned assets everywhere, including Iraq, and prohibit any standing or future U.S. President from using any waiver authority to lift the sanctions.

The key to rapidly increasing Iraqs own gas supply for power generation or petrochemicals feedstock  and therefore reducing its dependence on Iran  lies in cutting the vast volumes of gas flared during oil production. Until very recently, Iraq was the worlds second?largest gas flarer after Russia, burning more than 17 billion cubic metres (Bcm) a year despite joining the United Nations and World Banks Zero Routine Flaring initiative in 2017, which commits signatories to end routine flaring by 2030. Strip out this waste and Iraqs gas potential looks formidable: official estimates put southern reserves at around 3.5 trillion cubic metres (Tcm) -- roughly 1.5% of global totals -- placing the country 12th among the worlds reserve?holders. Around three-quarters of this is associated gas, and the figures were not updated when Iraq revised its proven oil reserves upward in 2010. The International Energy Agency, however, estimates ultimately recoverable resources at closer to 8 Tcm, with roughly 30% thought to be non-associated. In the north, Kurdistans Ministry of Natural Resources assesses proven reserves at 0.7 Tcm and unproven resources at up to 5.6 Tcm -- around 3% of global deposits. These numbers are broadly credible: the U.S. Geological Survey believes that undiscovered resources in the Zagros fold belt alone -- much of which lies within the Kurdistan region -- amount to roughly 1.5 Tcm.

In a neat turn of synchronicity, one of the earliest attempts to close the gap between gas being flared and gas being captured for productive use centred on the very same areas now back in focus: Gharraf and Nassiriyah. In 2018, Iraqs Oil Ministry reached a broad agreement with U.S. oil?field services giant Baker Hughes to capture around 200 mmscf/d of associated gas from Gharraf, neighbouring Nassiriyah, and several fields north of Basra. Baker Hughes will be the key collaborator here too, along with the state-owned South Gas Company, and the China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation also having a presence in the project. The original agreement between Iraqs Oil Ministry and Baker Hughes was intended to run in parallel with rising oil output from the fields themselves -- with Gharraf, for example, slated to lift production from roughly 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) to its targeted plateau of 230,000 bpd under the joint stewardship of Japex, Petronas, and Iraqs North Oil Company. According to the Oil Ministry, the first phase of the Baker Hughes plan involved deploying an advanced modular gas?processing system at the Integrated Natural Gas Complex in Nassiriyah to dehydrate and compress flare gas, generating more than 100 mmscf/d. The second phase would expand the Nassiriyah facility into a full natural gas liquids (NGL) plant capable of recovering 200 mmscf/d of dry gas, LPG, and condensate. All of this output was earmarked for domestic power generation, with Baker Hughes estimating that capturing the flared gas from these two fields alone could supply around 400 megawatts to the Iraqi grid. At the time, deputy oil minister Karim Hattab said the project would take 30 months to complete  so it should have been finished around four years ago.

The fact that it was not highlights that, despite this latest push, Iraq finally breaking out of its long-running cycle of dependency on Iran is far from guaranteed. Baghdad has had access to the technical solutions and the required reserves for years, and the logic for capturing rather than burning its gas has been obvious for much of that time. What might catalyse a major shift now is the sheer weight of the geopolitical pressure from the West bearing down on Baghdad. With Washington moving to eliminate the waivers that once allowed Iraq to rely on Iranian imports, the cost of inaction is no longer measured in lost revenue or stalled projects but in the risk of ever-tighter sanctions that could destabilise the entire economy. As a senior source close to Iraqs Oil Ministry exclusively told OilPrice.com last week, the choice here -- as with most oil and gas decisions in the Middle East -- has far more to do with geopolitics than with energy. If [current Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia] al-Sudani is finally chosen again [following the recent elections] as the leader, then its very likely Iraq will move in this direction [to greater gas capture and reduced reliance on Iran], but if a leader emerges from the large pro-Iran faction then it just wont happen.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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Top US officials have been eager to capitalize on the Trump-ordered military raid on Caracas, which saw the Venezuelan capital bombed and its longtime socialist leader, Nicolas Maduro, captured without major incident and transferred to US soil, where he's facing federal drug charges related to narco-trafficking and gun-running.

Hawkish pundits are already clamoring for more muscular action targeting Tehran (and other supposed 'rogue' actors) at a moment of ongoing economic protests in Iran, pressuring Islamic Republic leaders. Trump is issuing veiled threats to the governments of Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico - but many are asking: is Iran next? Various open source intelligence channels (OSINT) on Sunday have highlighted some unusual American military activity in the UK and Europe, for example...

Something unusual appears to be going on today at RAF Fairford near Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom, with at least 10 C-17A Globemaster IIIs with the U.S. Air Force arriving at the base or currently crossing the Atlantic from the United States. Almost all of the C-17s https://t.co/LfyTSdEsQr  OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2026

It's hard to know if this constitutes the usual Pentagon logistical operations in Europe, but it does indeed raise questions regarding Washington's force posture vis-a-vis Iran.

One theme of the last several months of Trump's military build-up in the southern Caribbean has been that in sending so many warships to Venezuelan waters, including at least one nuclear-powered submarine and the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group, is that this level of military asset concentration in Latin America means less deadly or long-range assets in the Middle East (CENTCOM) area of operation.

But could we be witnessing a quick pivot, now with Maduro awaiting trial in New York?

There are various things to consider when it comes to potential White House discussions on the matter. First, it must be recalled that Trump wisely declared mission accomplished when US bombers 'obliterated' (in the US estimation) Iran's three most important nuclear development sites at the tail-end of the June Israel-Iran war, which lasted just 12 days. There was no sustained American bombing campaign against Iran, also as Trump knows that "doing another Iraq" would be hugely unpopular at home.

There's another difficult reality when it comes to US actions targeting Iran, which behind Venezuela also possesses among the world's biggest proven reserves of crude oil. Iran is a country of over 90 million people, has a large military overseen by the elite IRGC, has long been 'military tested' (the 1980's Iran-Iraq war comes to mind), and has one of the world's premier arsenals of mid and long-range ballistic missiles. It even posses hypersonic capabilities (which the Israelis also learned). Because of this, last June Israeli warplanes were careful to operate largely outside Iranian airspace, and even though many anti-air missile sites were allegedly destroyed, this threat remains strong.

Reports of more IRGC missile tests over Iran Sunday night into Monday...

First images have already appeared, in Iranian and Israeli media. https://t.co/6BbvbNo9m7  Conflict Radar (@Conflict_Radar) January 4, 2026

Trump will, of course, leave people guessing in his 'shoot from the hip' fashion. After all, the operation to topple Maduro was held as a tightly guarded secret even from many top Pentagon officials (in terms of the timing and "need to know" details just before it was launched). Here's what one Conservative, anti-Iran pundit has to say:

First Venezuela, next Iran. These military flights signify a barrel of whoop-ass, not just a can. Likely, these show deployments of the 101st Airborne AND the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.

The US Navy Fleet Tracker is oddly dark as well. We have 11 aircraft carriers. Look at the 12/29/25 update compared to the 03/17/25 update. We are no longer posturing, we are in OPSEC mode. In Kuwait, the USA maintains roughly 13,500 troops at any given time. These troops serve as a Middle East response force (among other missions).

So why are the 1/75 Rangers and 101st Airborne deployments significant? The 75th Ranger Regiment's primary mission is airfield seizures. The 101st is an Air Assault unit. The USA just moved a huge strategic asset designed to open the gates of hell into whatever country we choose.

And as for keeping people guessing, there was this remark from Trump just days ahead of the operation to kidnap Maduro. "If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go," Trump posted on Truth Social last Monday.

Would Russia come to Iran's defense if it is threatened with large-scale military action? Certainly, the vehement condemnations would fly from Moscow, but Russia's military is obviously busy doing other things...

Team Trump is tough and cynical in advancing its countrys interests. Removing Maduro had nothing to do with drugs  only oil, and they openly admit this. Lex fortissimum is clearly stronger than ordinary justice, but whether they can run Venezuela remotely is a big question.  Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) January 4, 2026

Regardless of whether the US de-escalates ongoing tensions with Tehran, or if Trump chooses to soon escalate, the Ayatollah and Islamic Republic leaders just got a lot more nervous and uncomfortable as they helplessly watch their longtime ally Maduro being hauled before a US federal court on American soil.

For now, the most likely scenario is that Trump will be content to see where the now weeklong protests inside Iran go, as they threaten societal stability, and as the US-led sanctions regimen continues to wreak devastation. It is also likely that he would unleash Israel first, and not send US troops for direct action - akin to what happened in the last June bombing raids.

By Zerohedge

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Throughout history, the United States has frequently intervened militarily to secure and protect its oil interests. What makes Saturday mornings capture of Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro different is that, this time, the stated motive was clear.

In 1953, after Irans Prime Minister, Mosaddegh, nationalized Anglo-Iranian oil interests, the U.S. and UK initiated Operation Ajax in order to oust him from power and regain control of the oil. It wasnt until August 2013 that the CIA officially admitted to its role in the coup, but even then, it never directly referenced the oil.

In 2003, the U.S. justified its invasion of Iraq with the claim that Saddam Husseins regime had Weapons of Mass Destruction, a claim that later proved to be false. Several senior figures, from U.S. Fed Chair Alan Greenspan to former CENTCOM Commander Gen. John Abizaid, later admitted oil was a central strategic factor.

Further interventions in Syria, Libya, and Kuwait, to name but a few, followed a similar pattern, with oil reserves and security always an unspoken but fundamental aspect of U.S. national security.

This time around, there is no hiding behind humanitarian or ideological reasoning; President Trump has made his motives abundantly clear. Upon implementing a blockade on the country, he demanded that Venezuela return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us. While he didnt expand on exactly which oil, land, and assets had been stolen, it is likely the 2007 expropriation of U.S. oil assets by then-President Hugo Chavez.

Since the capture of Maduro, it has been notable that Trump has not pushed for the overthrow of Maduros successor and has specifically played down the possibility of opposition leader Maria Machado rising to power.

Instead, the U.S. President has threatened boots on the ground if the acting President Delcy Rodriguez doesnt go along with U.S. plans for the country. Those plans, according to Trump, are to have U.S. oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.

So far, the response from Delcy has been clear, stating that Venezuela will never again be a colony of anyone  not of old empires, nor of new empires, nor of empires in decline.

Reviving Venezuelas oil industry will require tens of billions of dollars and years of work, not to mention the legal and political hurdles that are associated with Saturdays action. Oil majors will require long-term guarantees before they commit to significant engagement in the country, and ultimately, that means stability.

The transactional nature of President Trump makes the current situation in Venezuela clearer than several previous attempts by U.S. administrations to secure oil resources. For Trump, the success or failure of Saturday morning's unprecedented attack can be clearly measured against his demands.

For the region, this attack appears to be the beginning of a broader strategic development. Already, Trump is pushing the term Donroe Doctrine, alluding to the Monroe Doctrine in which the U.S. considered the Western Hemisphere its sphere of influence. The President has since suggested Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia could all face a similar action.

As for the influence of this attack on the broader international order, it is likely to play out over a much larger timescale and with the potential for far graver consequences

By Josh Owens for Oilprice.com

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With deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a US jail, President Donald Trump warned the South American country's authoritarian rulers they will "pay a very big price if they don't cooperate with Washington, even amid global concerns over the US military strike.

Trump, in an interview published on January 4 in The Atlantic, warned acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez that if she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.

The leftist Rodriguez, who was Maduros vice president before being named acting president on January 4, called the US action a violation of the UN Charter and vowed that we will never be slaves again.

Maduro on January 4 was sitting in a US jail after being transported to New York following his capture by American forces in the strike that was condemned by Iran, Russia, and other allies of the South American country but hailed by Venezuelans living in exile.

A video posted by Fox News on social media showed Maduro, 63, being escorted by federal agents and telling reporters, "Good night, Happy New Year."

He and his wife -- who was also captured in the raid -- are scheduled to appear in court on January 5 to face drug charges.

In a news conference, Trump hailed the military operation in Venezuela but did not provide details of the action. A top US general said 150 US aircraft were involved in the strike following months of preparations.

Casualty figures were not revealed. Trump said some US personnel were injured but doing well. Meanwhile, Cuba said that 32 members of its security forces were killed in Venezuela during the US attack.

US To 'Run' Venezuela

Trump caused a stir when he said the United States will temporarily "run" the South American country "until such time as we can do a safe, proper, ?and ?judicious transition."

It wasn't immediately clear what Trump meant by having the United States "run" the country. He told reporters he was "designating people" from his cabinet to be in charge in Venezuela, without providing details.

US administration officials -- including Secretary of State Marco Rubio -- did not offer clarifications when pressed during January 4 TV news programs about Trump's plan.

Rodriguez Appears Conciliatory

Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered that Rodriguez assume the role of acting president of the left-wing government.

Trump initially expressed support for Rodriguez, saying "she's essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again."

Rodriguez -- who is supported by the Venezuelan military -- first appeared defiant, calling Maduro the "only president" of the country and labeling the US strike a "terrible stain" on relations.

After Trump signaled he was ready to conduct a second wave of military actions in Venezuela if necessary, Rodriguez was more conciliatory, writing on social media early on January 5 that Caracas sought a "balanced and respectful" relationship with Washington

"We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on an agenda for cooperation that is aimed toward shared development," she wrote.

The US strikes in Venezuela and Maduro's capture were strongly condemned by some of Caracas's allies, as well as by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said the US military action sets a "dangerous precedent."

News agencies cited sources as saying the UN Security Council will meet at 10 a.m. on January 5 to discuss the US operation. Colombia, backed by Russia and China, requested the session, diplomats said.

Russia, Iran, Others Condemn Action

Moscow, which maintains close ties with Venezuela, said it was extremely concerned by reports that Maduro and his wife had been forcibly removed from the country and urged the United States to release them.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who has a history of exchanging threats with Trump, wrote on X that the US strikes on Venezuela had nothing to do with efforts to combat drug trafficking, adding that he doubted whether Washington could "run Venezuela remotely."

Some Kremlin critics consider Medvedev -- currently deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council -- an irresponsible extremist, while others say his statements reflect the thinking of many senior Russian policymakers.

Iran, another key ally of Venezuela, condemned the US attack, according to Iranian state outlet Press TV, saying the action violated Venezuela's sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the UN charter.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who recently called Maduro "a great friend of Serbia," on January 3 said it was "clear" the international legal order and the UN Charter "do not function."

"The world is dominated by the law of force, the law of the stronger, and that is the only principle of modern politics that exists in the world today," Vucic told a national-security council meeting in Belgrade.

Meanwhile, celebrations by Venezuelans living abroad marking Maduro's capture were held across Latin America cities, Spain, and elsewhere.

"We are free. We are all happy that the dictatorship has fallen and that we have a free country," Reuters quoted Khaty Yanez, a Venezuelan woman in Santiago who has spent seven years in Chile.

In Peru's capital, Lima, migrant Milagros Ortega, whose parents are still in Venezuela, said she hoped to go back. "Knowing that my dad was alive to see the fall of Nicolas Maduro is very emotional. I would like to see his face," she said.

Some Western Allies Cautious

Many of Washington's allies, while expressing no liking for Maduro or his regime, did caution over the need to follow international law.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that "we regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and we shed no tears about the end of his regime," adding, "I reiterated my support for international law this morning."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Maduro had "led his country to ruin," but he called the US action legally "complex."

However, right-wing populist Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -- an ally of Trump's -- called the US action "legitimate" and "defensive."

Others, such as Ukraine, North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo, said following the strikes that they stand firmly with Washington and its most direct intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama.

"I welcome [Trump's] announcement that Nicolas Maduro has been arrested and will face justice. We stand with the United States and the Venezuelan people for freedom and democracy," North Macedonia Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski said on social media.

European Union countries, excluding Hungary, called on all sides in Venezuela to show restraint, saying respect for the will of the Venezuelan people was key to restoring democracy.

"The European Union calls for calm and restraint by all actors, to avoid escalation and to ensure a peaceful solution to the crisis," the joint statement by the 26 countries said.

The US military action came after months of rising economic and military pressure from Washington on the South American country, including intercepting Venezuelan oil tankers and killing dozens in strikes on boats near its waters that were allegedly carrying drugs.

Washington also contested Maduro's legitimacy as president since he was the hand-picked successor to Hugo Chavez in 2013, pointing to successive elections the opposition and others said were rigged in his favor.

By RFE/RL

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Denmarks prime minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that U.S. President Donald Trump is serious about taking over Greenland, adding that a U.S. attack on a NATO ally would be the end of all, with concern in Copenhagen renewed after Washingtons recent actions against Venezuela hardened views on Trumps use of power.

"If the United States decides to militarily attack another NATO country, then everything would stop -- that includes NATO and therefore post-World War II security," Mette Frederiksen told Danish television network TV2.

On Sunday, Trump repeated that the US needs Greenland from the standpoint of national security.

We need Greenland.  Its so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.

Greenland is a large Arctic territory spanning 2.17 million square kilometers (836,000 sq mi), making it the world's largest island. However, its land area (ice-free) is much smaller, around 410,450 sq km, as nearly 80% of the island is covered by a massive ice sheet. That said, Trump's interest in Greenland is partly due to its vast, untapped reserves of critical minerals vital for tech and defense, reducing reliance on China.

The Arctic holds significant deposits of rare earth elements, cobalt, nickel, and other metals crucial for batteries, EVs, and defense technology. Climate change is making critical minerals in the Arctic more accessible by melting ice and permafrost, opening up land for exploration, while also creating new challenges like destabilized infrastructure and environmental risks, leading to a complex geopolitical race for these resources vital for green tech.

While receding ice and thawing ground improve physical access for mining, creating opportunities for nations like Greenland, Russia, and Canada, it simultaneously threatens fragile ecosystems and Indigenous communities with pollution, as seen with past oil spills from thawing permafrost, raising serious sustainability questions.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

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QatarEnergy and the Egyptian government have inked a preliminary deal for the supply of at least 24 cargoes of liquefied gas to Egypt this year, as the North African country seeks to diversify its sources of energy.

The deal follows another, long-term one, which the Egyptian government closed with the Israeli government last month. The deal is worth $35 billion, the National noted in a report on the news. Per the terms of that agreement, Israel will export 130 billion cu m of natural gas from the giant Leviathan field in the Mediterranean at a fixed price.

Last year, Egypts Israeli gas imports hit an all-time high of 981 million cu m, representing an annual increase of 18.2%. Generally, imports of natural gas from Israel account for a fifth of Egypts total gas imports.

The latest deal, with QatarEnergy, will not only secure the countrys electricity needs during peak demand season in the summer but also strengthen its role as a regional gas trading hub, according to the Egyptian side.

Egypt is a rather sizable natural gas producer itself, but the last few years or so have seen its production decline instead of grow, despite major investments - and investment commitments - by big Oil majors. Egypts gas production appears to have peaked in 2021 at a daily rate of 6.6 billion cubic feet. As of last year, production stood at less than 5 billion cubic feet daily.

The production decline has been attributed mainly to natural depletion at mature fields, including Zohr, which alone accounts for as much as 40% of Egypts gas production. The Zohr field was only discovered in 2015 and began production in early 2018. At the start, the field produced some 250 million cubic feet, which expanded to 2 billion cubic feet by September of the same year. Peak production was seen at 2.7 billion cubic feet.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Who are the legitimate Palestinian leaders? By Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch

web posted January 5, 2026 On January 25, 2006, almost 20 years ago, the Palestinian Authority (PA) held its last elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), which functions as the Palestinian parliament. The result was a landslide victory for Hamas, the genocidal terrorist organization that planned, led, and executed the October 7, 2023, massacre. The Chairman of the PA, Mahmoud Abbas, had been elected a year earlier, replacing the deceased Yasser Arafat. Soon after his election, he traveled to Washington to meet President George W. Bush. Shortly after returning, Abbas called for parliamentary elections. As a precondition to holding the PLC elections, Abbas demanded that all the so-called "Palestinian factions" be allowed to participate. When used by Abbas and the Palestinians in this context, the term "Palestinian factions" is a euphemism for including the internationally designated terrorist elements of Palestinian society, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and others. While Abbas and his Fatah party believed that they would easily win the elections, he took no chances. During Abbas's visit to Washington, President Bush had publicly promised to give him $50 million, but also, more quietly, approved an additional $2.3 million officially given "to support the elections," but which many observers allege was designed to bolster the image of Abbas and his Fatah party. Abbas also decided, in breach of the Oslo Accords, to change the voting system and enlarge the PLC from 88 to 132 members. Despite all the cash and Abbas's maneuvers, the final count of the votes gave Hamas an outright majority  74 seats  in the PLC. Shortly after, embarrassed by his loss, Abbas had no alternative but to invite Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to form the PA government. On March 29, 2006, Haniyeh formed the Hamas government, and gradually started taking control of the PA apparatus. Israel, the United States, the European Union, and others refused to cooperate with, and more importantly, refused to continue funding, the elected PA government. While Abbas was doing his utmost to prevent the collapse of the now terror-controlled PA, Hamas wasted no time, particularly in the Gaza Strip, to assert its authority. Immediately upon election, Hamas ramped up its terror activities. In 2006 alone, Hamas and the other terror groups fired over 1,700 rockets from Gaza, indiscriminately targeting Israel's civilian population. Hamas terrorists carried out hundreds of additional terror attacks, including the June 2006 infiltration into Israel that resulted in the killing of two Israeli soldiers and the kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Having taken almost complete control of the Gaza Strip, using tunnels dug under the border with Egypt, during 2006 alone, Hamas managed to smuggle in 28 tons of explosives, 14,000 assault rifles, 5,000,000 rounds of ammunition, 40 missiles, 150 RPGs, 65 grenade launchers, and 30 anti-tank missiles. Despite initially tolerating the Hamas-formed government, in early 2007, following a succession of events, Abbas deposed the Haniyeh government and replaced it with an alleged non-affiliated, so-called technocrat government. Rejecting Abbas's illegal coup, Hamas seized the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007. While senior, privileged Fatah representatives, such as Mohammad Dahlan, managed to save themselves, other less fortunate Fatah representatives in Gaza were killed by Hamas, some being thrown from the top of buildings. Before Abbas deposed the Hamas government, the elected members of the PLC took their seats and appointed its speaker: Hamas member Aziz Al-Dweik. The position of Speaker of the PLC is more than just ceremonial. According to PA law, should the president become incapable of performing his duties, the speaker of the parliament takes over for two months as PA interim president until presidential elections are held. To avoid a situation in which Al-Dweik and Hamas would seize control of the PA, in 2018, Abbas decided to dissolve the PLC elected in 2006. At the time, he promised elections for the new PLC would be held within six months. No elections were ever held. To further sully the picture, and in the hope that no one would notice, or at the very least no one would truly understand, Abbas later integrated the PA institutions into those of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The PLO has its own internal legislative body, open only for the elections of PLO members. He then announced that should he become unable to perform his duties, the speaker of the PLO parliament, Rawhi Fattouh, would take over as interim president until new elections are held. If one were to apply Western democratic values and give the PA elections their legitimate value, the inevitable conclusion, however unreasonable and unfathomable, is that Hamas is the legitimate leader of the PA. Since 2006, nothing in the PA political map has changed. The Palestinians still despise Abbas and his corrupt Fatah party and, if given the choice, they would again elect Hamas. This, however, is not just a historical tale. Abbas, 90, shows no sign of ever stepping down, but reality will inevitably take its course, and one day, sooner or later, the vacuum he leaves will have to be filled. Allowing the hated Fatah to seize control automatically would require the Western funders of the PA to positively admit the colossal failure of any remnant of the Palestinian democracy, and to admit that the PA is a simple dictatorship. Allowing Hamas and the other terrorists to participate in the elections would mean that the Western funders accept a potential terrorist victory. Whatever reality the Western funders face, Israel must never again agree to the participation of internationally designated terrorist groups in whatever future PA elections may take place. Furthermore, while PA elections are not in sight, Israel would do well to make this stipulation clear to all without any delay. Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch served as Director of the Military Prosecution for Judea and Samaria. Since retiring from the IDF, Hirsch worked as the Head of Legal Strategies for Palestinian Media Watch, as a Senior Military Consultant for NGO Monitor, an advisor to the Ministry of Defense, and head of an advisory committee in the Ministry of Interior. Hirsch was the architect of the Israeli law that strips citizenship from Israeli terrorists who have been convicted for terror offenses, sentenced to a custodial sentence, and receive a payment from the Palestinian Authority as a reward for their acts of terror. Home

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The former chief of Latin American operations at U.S. supermajor Chevron is in discussions with investors to raise $2 billion to invest in opportunities in Venezuela, the executive, Ali Moshiri, told the Financial Times in an interview published on Monday.

Moshiri is a former head of Latin American operations at Chevron. Now his company, Amos Global Energy Management, is in talks with institutional investors to raise money for several investment opportunities the firm has identified in Venezuela.

The capture of Nicolas Maduro by the United States and the statements from U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that American oil companies would be very interested in rebuilding Venezuelas oil industry has the oil sector buzzing about fresh opportunities in the country holding the worlds largest proven oil reserves of estimated more than 300 billion barrels.

Were going to have our very large U.S. oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country, President Trump said on Saturday, shortly after the Venezuelan leader was captured and flown to the U.S. to face drug cartel-related charges.

Chevron is currently the only U.S.  and Western  company authorized to operate in Venezuela and export the crude to the United States.

Speaking to FT, Chevrons former executive Moshiri said We have been anticipating this breakthrough for a while and our $2bn private placement memorandum is ready to go with several investment targets identified.

Interest in Venezuela has gone from zero to 99 per cent, the businessman told FT, adding Ive had a dozen calls over the past 24 hours from potential investors.

Despite the initial enthusiasm, many analysts caution that restoring Venezuelas oil production to its glory days of the mid-1970s would take about a decade and $100 billion in investment.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Billionaire Harold Hamms Continental Resources will buy assets from Argentinas Pan American Energy, Bloomberg reported on Monday, in the latest development in the companys push into the Vaca Muerta shale basin. Continental has agreed to buy Pan Americans non-operating interests in four oil blocks from.

The Oklahoma City-based company is regarded as one of the pioneers of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling led to the U.S. shale revolution. Harold Hamm took the company private in late 2022 by buying out public shareholders, ending its 15-year stint as a public company. Continental Resources is now one of the largest private oil and gas producers in the U.S., focusing on the Bakken, Anadarko and Permian basin

Vaca Muerta is one of the most compelling shale plays in the world, Continental President and Chief Executive Officer Doug Lawler said in a statement.

Vaca Muerta is a massive, world-class shale formation in Argentina's Neuquen Basin, driving a significant boom in oil and gas production and moving the country towards energy self-sufficiency and potential LNG exports. Characterized by brittle rock, low clay, and a composition similar to the Permian Basin, Vaca Muerta is ideal for hydraulic fracturing (fracking), attracting major international investment, with projections for production to reach 1 million barrels of oil per day by 2030.

Argentina, Brazil and Guyana are seen as the key drivers of rising non-OPEC oil supply, offering cost-competitive production from deepwater pre-salt (Brazil, Guyana) and shale (Argentina's Vaca Muerta) with major output increases expected through the late 2020s. These South American sources provide high-quality, low-breakeven-cost oil, making them crucial for future global energy needs.

Deepwater fields in Brazil and Guyana have low breakeven costs (around $30-$50/barrel), making them economically attractive. The three countries are expected to contribute substantially to the nearly 60% of new oil capacity coming online by 2030, offsetting slower U.S. shale growth and meeting robust global demand, with Guyana's output nearing 1 million bpd and Brazil hitting around 4 million barrels per day.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Russia is keeping its sanctioned LNG trade with China alive during the winter thanks to an ice-class vessel capable of ploughing through the thick Arctic ice.

The sanctioned Christophe De Margerie ice-class LNG tanker is set to export its third cargo since December 20 from the Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia, which is under sanctions by the United States, the EU, and the UK, vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg showed on Monday.

The Christophe De Margerie is the only ice-breaker tanker of the Russian shadow fleet that ship-tracking services have identified so far as operating on the route between Russias Arctic LNG 2 project led by Novatek and the Chinese LNG import terminal of Beihai. The Chinese port has specialized in recent months in accepting all the sanctioned Russian LNG cargoes, both from the Arctic LNG 2 plant and from the Portovaya LNG small-scale export plant on the Baltic Sea, Gazproms only LNG export facility.

Arctic LNG flows to China have dwindled in recent weeks due to severe winter weather and the need for ice-breakers. With only one ice-class tanker capable of traveling through the Arctic ice all year round, Russia has boosted shipments from the Portovaya LNG on the Baltic Sea. 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.

As a result of increased shipments from sanctioned LNG export facilities, Russian LNG flows to China in November jumped more than twofold from a year earlier to reach a record high 1.6 million tons, making the country Chinas second-largest LNG seller after Qatar.

China received 22 cargoes to from Novateks Arctic LNG 2 export plant in 2025, data from Kpler cited by Reuters showed last week.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Venezuela has shipped out about a dozen oil tankers carrying crude and petroleum products in recent days, with vessels departing in dark mode, TankerTrackers.com said on Monday.

All these tankers that have stealthily left Venezuela have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury, according to TankerTrackers.com data cited by Reuters.

The dozen or so departures have taken place despite the U.S. blockade off Venezuela, which is aimed at preventing sanctioned tankers from going to and from the South American country.

It was not immediately clear if these tankers have left Venezuela in defiance of the U.S. blockade.

Venezuela has cleared in recent days at least four very large crude carriers (VLCC), or supertankers capable of carrying about 2 million barrels of oil each, to leave the country, a source familiar with the schedule told Reuters on Monday.

Meanwhile, the United States is set to keep the blockade offshore Venezuela even after it captured Nicolas Maduro and flew him to face drug-related charges in New York.

The United States will keep what it calls an oil quarantine on Venezuela. According to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, this quarantine is as far as the U.S. running Venezuela would go.

We have a quarantine on their oil. That means their economy will not be able to move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interests of the Venezuelan people are met, Rubio told ABC in an interview on Sunday.

So that leverage remains, that leverage is ongoing, and we expect that its going to lead to results here. Were hope so  hopeful that it does  positive results for the people of Venezuela, but ultimately, most importantly, for us in the national interest of the United States, the U.S. Secretary of State said.

The U.S. so-called oil quarantine amounts to a blockade on oil tanker traffic, which has disrupted Venezuelas oil industry to such an extent that state oil firm PDVSA had to start shutting down wells because it ran out of storage space for the crude it was producing.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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President Donald Trump threatened he would impose further tariffs on India for its continued imports of Russian crude oil, Reuters reported today, noting the challenge in Indias diversification of oil supply.

Modi is a good guy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy, Trump said aboard Air Force One on Sunday. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly, the U.S. president added in response to a Reuters question.

The United States slapped an additional 25% tariff on all Indian imports in August to punish the country for its continued purchases of Russian crude, which, due to the sanction-related price discount, has brought down Indias energy import bill significantly. Relying on imports for over 80% of its oil consumption makes it hard for India to give up Russian oil. Thanks to that discount, Russia quickly became Indias number-one supplier of the commodity.

Yet even the additional tariffs and signals from New Delhi that Indian refiners would reduce purchases from Russia did not have a major impact on imports. As of the middle of December 2025, the average daily rate of imports from Russia stood at 1.2 million barrels. That was down from 1.77 million barrels in November, ahead of the latest sanctions from Washington that targeted the top exporters of Russian crude, Rosneft and Lukoil. Yet it was nowhere near the sharp drop that many analysts forecast. Reuters used LSEG data for its report, as well as unnamed sources. One of these told the publication the rate of imports could rise to 1.5 million barrels daily by the end of the year.

Import flows could remain strong this month as well, as non-sanctioned oil companies step in to put their name on the shipments instead of Rosneft and Lukoil. The targets of the latest U.S. sanctions handled around half of Russias total oil exports, or some 2 million barrels daily, until November 21, when the sanctions came into effect. Since then, importers and exporters alike have been looking for, and finding, ways around the sanctions.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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The United States will keep what it calls an oil quarantine on Venezuela even after U.S. forces bombed Caracas and captured President Nicolas Maduro. According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, this quarantine is as far as the U.S. running Venezuela would go.

We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking, the top official said, clarifying earlier statements by President Trump, who said that the United States will be running Venezuela for the time being, after dismissing the opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as fit to lead the country following the removal of Maduro.

The U.S. so-called oil quarantine amounts to a blockade on oil tanker traffic, which has disrupted Venezuelas oil industry to such an extent that PDVSA had to start shutting down wells because it ran out of storage space for the crude it was producing.

According to a Bloomberg report from late December, the Venezuelan state oil company was looking to shut in about 15% of Venezuelas total oil production of around 1.1 million barrels per day by slashing Orinoco Belt output by 25% to about 500,000 bpd.

Wells pumping extra-heavy crude in the Orinoco Belt and Junin were slated to be the first to be shut, with some wells in the Ayacucho and Carabobo regions coming up next. The latter produces less heavy crude.

Besides the blockade on tankers, U.S. forces have also seized several sanctioned vessels for carrying Venezuelan crude. Secretary Rubio said, Thats a tremendous amount of leverage that will continue to be in place until we see changes that not just further the national interest of the United States, which is number one, but also that lead to a better future for the people of Venezuela.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Autonomous AI agents, systems that can perceive, reason and act on their own, are beginning to reshape the sales process, redefining where technology ends and human judgment still matters. A study led by a UM marketing professor examines the accelerating pace of this change and the urgency for businesses to adapt. Credit: John McCustion/Ole Miss Marketing and Communications

The future of sales may no longer hinge on how quickly humans can organize their pitch decks, analyze customer data or respond to shifting buyer preferences.

University of Mississippi marketing professor Gary Hunter's new research suggests it may depend on how effectively organizations learn to work alongside something faster than any human team: autonomous artificial intelligence agents.

"Agentic AI systems are reaching an imperative level; to maintain competitive stance, most sales organizations have to embrace some form of agentic AI," said Hunter, the FNC Founders Chair in marketing and data analytics and associate professor of marketing.

"Like it or not, it's one of those things that's here to stay"

AI agents are complex and able to identify and qualify potential customers, start conversations, schedule meetings, tailor sales messages, track deals, and even manage follow-ups and renewals. They can do all this while learning and adapting without constant human direction.

Hunter worked with Gabriel Gonzalez, associate professor of marketing at San Diego State University, and Johannes Habel, associate professor of marketing at University of Houston, to explore the rapid tech transformation underway inside sales organizations. Their results are set to publish this month in the Journal of Business Research.

Billions of dollars in potential sales are at stake. Industry estimates suggest the market for autonomous AI agents is on track to grow from $7.6 billion in 2025 to more than $139 billion by 2033.

Traditional, prompt-based AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini wait for a prompt or automate one-off tasks. Autonomous AI agents perceive their environments, reason through information and act autonomously, even repeating this cycle without human instruction.

The research team found these AI agents are the future of sales. The rapidly developing technology could be one of the most consequential turning points in sales since the widespread adoption of customer relationship management software in the early 2000s, Hunter said.

Customer relationship management systems, such as Sales Force and HubSpot software, help sales teams centrally track who they're talking with, what's been said and next steps. Its emergence reshaped how companies interacted with customers and managed information.

"Agentic AI can now perceive, reason and act across entire workflows, not just discrete tasks," said Kash Afshar, Ole Miss assistant professor of marketing. "This fundamentally reshapes who initiates the sales process.

"In practical terms, this means sales leaders must redesign workflows, sales force structure, control systems and success metrics. The firms that act fastest will gain the advantage. The ones that wait will find their competitors' AI agents working 24/7 while their human teams are still trying to update CRM fields."

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Afshar teaches a new course in the School of Business Administration that helps Ole Miss students understand trends, embrace emerging sales technology and develop judgment needed for a field increasingly shaped by automation, data and communication.

According to the study, agentic AI is advancing with unprecedented speed. The whiplash pace creates a widening gap between what the technology can do and what experienced sales leaders feel prepared to manage, the researchers said.

Commercial providers offer AI agents capable of initiating customer outreach, qualifying leads, responding to inquiries and placing phone calls.

"Autonomy is powerful, but it demands human responsibility," Hunter said. "We need guardrails like transparency, disclosure, human oversight and limits on what AI should be allowed to decide on its own.

"Sales managers are having to make decisions with limited time and insight. They don't want to get left behind, but they also don't fully know which tools to adopt or how to integrate them."

These AI systems' ability to process new information, update their understanding of a situation and take next stepssometimes multiple at a timeon their own adds independence that is reshaping the sales funnel, he said.

But the team's findings show that the roadmap from customer awareness to completed purchases has room for AI assistance.

The earliest and latest stages of salesfinding potential customers and managing deals after they closeare especially ripe for AI, which can scan information, spot patterns and respond faster than people.

The middle of the process, where trust is built, deals are negotiated and relationships take shape, still depends heavily on human judgment. For now, that human connection remains hard to automatethough the research suggests even that balance could shift over time.

AI agents are not replacing salespersons; they are transforming and creating new job duties, Afshar said.

"The professionals who thrive will be those who do not fear this shift but embrace it as a chance to elevate their contribution," he said. "In essence, future sellers will manage AI agents the way a senior rep mentors a junior one."

Publication details Gabriel R. Gonzalez et al, AI agents, agentic AI, and the future of sales, Journal of Business Research (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115799 Journal information: Journal of Business Research
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An image of Antarctica as seen from space. Credit: NASA

When we think of global warming, what first comes to mind is the air: crushing heat waves that are felt rather than seen, except through the haziness of humid air. But when it comes to melting ice sheets, rising ocean temperatures may play more of a rolewith the worst effects experienced on the other side of the globe.

A new paper in Nature Geoscience, titled "Spatially variable response of Antarctica's ice sheets to orbital forcing during the Pliocene," explores the complicated dynamics.

Binghamton University Associate Professor of Earth Sciences Molly Patterson is the first author, and the 43 co-authors include several Binghamton alumni, such as Christiana Rosenberg; Harold Jones; and William Arnuk, Ph.D.

The study's results directly address one of the main goals of the International Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 374: to identify the sensitivity of the Antarctic ice sheet to Earth's orbital configuration under a variety of climate boundary conditions. Because of this, all shipboard science team members are included as co-authors because of their contributions to the data sets used in the article, Patterson explained.

Their research considers the Antarctic ice sheet during the Late Pliocene period, from 3.3 to 2.6 million years ago. From 3.2 to 2.8 million years ago, the global average temperatures were around 2 to 3 C higher than pre-industrial values, in line with the middle-of-the-road scenario for climate change, in which temperatures are expected to rise around 2.7C by 2100.

Location of IODP Sites U1524 and U1361 and source margin of icebergs tracked from 1978 and 19922021. The relative sensitivity of each Antarctic catchment measured as the rate of change of height over time, measured in millimeters per year (dHdt (mm yr1)) to atmospheric forcing with a spatial uniform air temperature increase of 4 C. Ice mass loss through basal melt dominates West Antarctica catchments in the vicinity of U1524 (blue iceberg tracks). Surface melt is the primary process that contributes to ice-mass loss associated with East Antarctic catchments associated with the Wilkes subglacial basin (WSB) (red iceberg tracks). Credit: Nature Geoscience (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01840-y

"Thus, Pliocene records are considered to be useful analogs for understanding what a future with this level of warming might be like," Patterson explained.

Climate forcing refers to any external factor that causes a change in Earth's energy balanceincoming versus outgoing heatand ultimately leads to warming or cooling in the Earth system.

Non-human factors that can affect this energy balance include tectonic changes, volcanic eruptions and shifts in the sun's energy output, such as sunspot cycles that happen every 11 years. Another factor is "orbital forcing," or changes in Earth's orbit around the sun; this has typically driven glacial and interglacial cycles, which have lasted around 100,000 yearsat least for the last 800,000 years or so.

The non-human factors that affect the Earth's climate occur on different time scales, Patterson said.

"Here we are using geological archives to test how these important components of the climate system respond naturally to warmer climates," she said.

What melts first?

Antarctica is primarily divided into two sectors: West Antarctica, where the ice sheet sits in the ocean, and East Antarctica, where the ice sheet primarily sits on land. During the warm periods of the Pliocene, large parts of West Antarctica and some low-lying areas of East Antarctica experienced significant ice-melt, contributing to a 3- to 10-foot rise in global sea levels.

One of the study's main conclusions: Under warming conditions similar to the Pliocene, the part of West Antarctica located adjacent to the Pacific Ocean will see its ice disappear at a faster rate. Over the long term, however, both oceanic and atmospheric warming will contribute to rising global sea levels.

You can think of it as an equation of sorts: A warmer climate leads to less sea ice around Antarctica, which then causes the ocean to heat up. Due to the warmer water, the parts of the ice sheet sitting on the ocean melt first. Over time, as the climate continues to warm, the ice sitting on land will also retreat.

"In other words, it's a onetwo punch on the system with a consequence of raising sea levels globally," Patterson said.

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What you may not realize: Because of gravitational effects similar to ocean tides, the loss of ice in the Southern Hemisphere actually has a greater impact on coastlines in the Northern Hemisphere. Conversely, when ice sheets lose mass in the Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere coastlines are affected more.

With that in mind, New York would be more affected by a 7-meter rise in sea levels from the loss of Antarctic ice than a similar rise from melting ice sheets in Greenland, Patterson pointed out.

Geological archives and modeling experiments provide the long-term context needed to evaluate current changes and help scientists identify the mechanisms that drive the climate system. Ultimately, this research may help us formulate more accurate predictions about our climate change future.

"Basically, geological archives serve as a vital tool for testing the accuracy of climate models used to project future scenarios," Patterson said.

Publication details Molly O. Patterson et al, Spatially variable response of Antarctica's ice sheets to orbital forcing during the Pliocene, Nature Geoscience (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01840-y Journal information: Nature Geoscience

Key concepts Global Warming
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: W. M. Keck Observatory

An international team of astronomers has uncovered multiple evolutionary paths for the universe's most massive galaxies. Observations of ultramassive galaxies, each containing more than 100 billion stars, show that less than 2 billion years after the Big Bang, some had already stopped forming stars and lost their dust, while others continued forming stars hidden behind thick dust clouds.

Because dusty, star-forming galaxies can appear red and inactive, distinguishing truly "dead" galaxies from those still forming stars has long been a challengemaking the discovery of genuinely quiescent systems at such early times especially surprising.

"By combining multi-wavelength observations, we can tell which galaxies truly have limited ongoing star formation and which are still active but heavily hidden by dust," said Wenjun Chang, lead author and graduate student at the University of California, Riverside. "Our far-infrared and (sub)millimeter measurements allow us to constrain how much dust these early massive galaxies contain."

The study, led by Chang under the mentorship of Gillian Wilson, Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Economic Development and Professor of Physics at the University of California, Merced, was presented at a media briefing during the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society on January 5, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona. The work is also available on the arXiv preprint server.

Peering through cosmic dust with multi-wavelength observations

The findings come from MAGAZ3NE (the MAssive Galaxies at z ~ 3 NEar-infrared Survey), a long-running collaboration that uses spectroscopy and multi-wavelength observations to investigate how the most massive galaxies formed and evolved.

The team used more than 30 nights of Keck Observatory's spectroscopy obtained through the Multi-Object Spectrograph for Infrared Exploration (MOSFIRE) instrument, which provided the precise redshifts and stellar mass measurements needed to interpret the multi-wavelength data.

Combining Keck Observatory optical data with longer-wavelength far-infrared and radio observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) enabled the researchers to test whether massive galaxies previously classified as quiescent were truly inactive or instead hosting star formation or nuclear activity that is obscured at optical and near-infrared wavelengths.

"While optical and near-infrared data alone can severely underestimate obscured star formation in dusty massive galaxies, ALMA probes far-infrared wavelengths allowing improved constraints on the nature of these galaxies," said Dr. Benjamin Forrest, a researcher at the University of California, Davis, who played a central role in the development of the MAGAZ3NE survey and its multi-wavelength analysis of ultramassive galaxies, and led the proposal that resulted in many of the ALMA observations used in this study.

"What is striking is not just that we can detect hidden activity, but that we see such diversity among galaxies with similar masses at the same epoch," Wilson said. "That tells us that the shutdown of star formation in the most massive galaxies was neither uniform nor simple, and it places important new constraints on our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution in the early universe."

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Rethinking how the most massive galaxies evolve

Understanding how massive galaxies stop forming stars is key to explaining why today's universe looks the way it does. The team's research helps clarify whether ultramassive galaxies in the early universe are 'dusty or dead'their answer is not one or the other. The results show that most of the ultramassive galaxies studied are genuinely quiescent, indicating a rapid and efficient shutdown of star formation.

Within this quiescent population, several systems are among the most dust-poor massive galaxies ever identified at these early cosmic times. The remaining two galaxies exhibit residual dust emission, with one showing evidence for ongoing but heavily obscured star formation, and the other caught in the process of quenching. These results offer a rare glimpse into the diverse evolutionary paths taken by the universe's most massive galaxies.

"What excites me most about this work is that we are able to study an extremely rare population in the universe by combining data from as many telescopes as possible," said Chang. "By bringing together optical, near-infrared, and far-infrared observations, we can build a much more complete picture of what ultra-massive galaxies really look like at these early cosmic times."

Publication details Wenjun Chang et al, MAGAZ3NE: Far-IR and Radio Insights into the Nature and Properties of Ultramassive Galaxies at z  3, arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2508.08460 Journal information: arXiv
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Artist's conception of the TMT. Credit: TMT International Observatory

Size matters when it comes to telescopes. The bigger they are, the farther they can see. Prioritizing constructing large ones is therefore high on the priority list for many observational organizations. But doing so comes at a cost, and not just in terms of money. Finding a suitable site can be a challenge, and that has been particularly true for the effort to build a 30-meter telescope in the Northern Hemisphere.

A new paper, available on the arXiv preprint server by Francesco Coti Zelati of the Spanish Institute of Space Sciences in Barcelona and his co-authors, makes the argument for building it at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma in the Canary Islands.

Scientists have been planning a Northern Hemisphere Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) for decades. It was to serve as the counterpoint to observatories like the Extremely Large Telescope (39m) and the Giant Magellan Telescope (25m), both of which are located in Chile in the Southern Hemisphere.

That leaves the vast majority of the northern sky, including some of the most interesting galaxies like Andromeda and the Triangulum, unobserved by anything in the 3040 m range of telescopes. Such a gap is becoming more and more critical, as "multi-messenger" astronomy becomes more prevalent. In this new paradigm, one observatory could detect a pair of colliding black holes, and immediately trigger other observatories to focus on the same area in an attempt to catch the fleeting signals that result from these extraordinary events.

However, if a detector like the Einstein Telescope, which will be located in Europe, or the Cosmic Explorer telescope, which will be located in the U.S., detects one of these collisions, there will be no telescope in the entire hemisphere large enough to detect events that are far away. There's also no guarantee that any of the large telescopes in the Southern Hemisphere would be able to detect it at all.

This hemispheric blind spot is the gap that the TMT was meant to fill. Originally proposed in the early 2000s, with a formal project established in 2003, the project team selected Mauna Kea, Hawai'i as its site in 2009. However, in 2014, immediately after a groundbreaking ceremony, native Hawaiian cultural practitioners protested the building of the telescope, immediately bringing construction to a halt and delaying the project by over a decade.

In 2019, astronomers, frustrated with the lack of progress at the Mauna Kea site, pivoted to a site in La Palma as an alternative. While lacking some of the advantages of Mauna Kea, such as better seeing, it had the advantage of not being tied up in litigation for decades. La Palma is also already home to some pretty large telescopes, with the appropriate infrastructure and dark sky regulations already in place. It's also only about four hours ahead of Chile, so any events that do happen in a region of space telescopes in both areas can cover would result in a smooth monitoring hand-off.

The new paper is the scientific justification for moving the site to La Palma, as the funding agencies for the TMT project want to ensure the site is still capable of producing the science originally expected of the project. It was submitted as a white paper to the European Southern Observatory's (ESO's) "Expanding Horizons: Transforming Astronomy in the 2040s" call for papers. Features of the telescope described in the white paper include ultra-fast photometers, allowing it to capture extremely fast events, and a wide bandwidth of wavelengths that it can detect.

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At this point, the project community has moved on from building at the Mauna Kea site. They still hope to have this ambitious project online to start observations in time to match the gravitational wave observatories that are planned for the late 2030s. There certainly won't be as much local resistance to building in La Palma, but the construction of such a massive project is in itself a huge undertaking. The faster the project can get started the better, but as of now there's no final construction agreement for when that might take place.

On the good news front, though, funding, other than that of the U.S. government, which removed its support in June, is still forthcoming, and the government of Spain has stepped in to fill the gap from the U.S. funds. As the project continues to move forward, we should eventually be able to see the northern sky in the same detail as we will the southern one.

Publication details F. Coti Zelati et al, Why the Northern Hemisphere Needs a 30-40 m Telescope and the Science at Stake: Time-domain astronomy, arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2512.14470 Journal information: arXiv

Key concepts Ground-based astronomy
Leonardo DiCaprio is worried people no longer have an "appetite" for cinema.

Leonardo DiCaprio is worried about the future of cinema

The 51-year-old actor believes Hollywood is going through a "huge transition" thanks to the rise in popularity of streaming services and he is concerned about the long-term implications for the theatre-going experience.

He told the Sunday Times Culture magazine: Its changing at a lightning speed.

Were looking at a huge transition. First, documentaries disappeared from cinemas. Now, dramas only get finite time and people wait to see it on streamers. I dont know.

Do people still have the appetite? Or will cinemas become silos  like jazz bars?

His One Battle After Another director Paul Thomas Anderson agreed: "It's hand-to-hand combat."

The Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood actor is worried the rise to drive people away from cinemas and back into their own home will have a negative impact on "real visionaries".

He said: I just hope enough people, who are real visionaries, get opportunities to do unique things in the future that are seen in the cinema. But that remains to be seen.

Paul and Leonardo had come close to working together on 1997's Boogie Nights but the actor was committed to Titanic, and the 55-year-old filmmaker admitted to regular "pangs of jealousy" over the star working with other directors before they teamed up for One Battle After Another.

Paul said: He has a commitment to not just doing any old movie."

Asked what he thinks the Oscar-winning actor does differently, he added: I mean, its like explaining to somebody why youve fallen in love with them.

But also, from time to time, I would be hit with a pang of jealousy. Id think, Quentin [Tarantino] has had his hands on him twice. But the idea had to come from me, I had to write something.

Leonardo enjoyed working with the director, particularly because of his habit of showing his cast footage of what he has shot every day.

The actor said: "Its not often you get to be part of a process.

I remember very early on in my career getting VHS tapes in my trailer but, actually, this is something you never get to do.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Sulfur butterflies glide across Zorrillo Canyon, hundreds of them, moving back and forth against the cerulean sky. It's nothing short of a fairy wonderland for the scientists below.

At least, that's how Jon Rebman, curator of botany at the San Diego Natural History Museum, describes it as he begins the hike into the canyon on a late October morning.

Rebman is four days into a weeklong expedition in the Sierra de las Cacachilas mountain range in Baja Sur, just outside of La Paz, part of a collaborative effort with Mexican and U.S. scientists to track the region's biodiversity.

He and his botany teamalong with dozens of other scientists from the NAT and Mexico studying mammals, insects and reptileshave explored the nearby mountaintops and canyon washes, all while camping at Rancho Cacachilas, an eco-tourism destination the museum partners with to conduct its research.

For many of the scientists, it's a return; this year's expedition serves as a follow-up to an investigation into the Sierra launched more than a decade ago in 2013. Until that first expedition, little was known about Las Cacachilas' biodiversity and opportunity for study.

"It was like a black hole," Rebman says. "This entire Sierra had almost no historical collection."

Today, they're expanding on that knowledge, and on their work to document all of the area's biodiversity. Their goals are two-fold: They want to identify the species for the sake of science. But their research is also part of a larger effort to understand how Rancho Cacachilas' farming practices and land and water management are impacting the area.

Rebman is perhaps one of the most qualified people to hike with in Bajathat is, if the goal is to learn the most information possible about the region's flora. "I'm usually botanizing all the time in my head," as he puts it.

The result is a nearly encyclopedic knowledge curated over more than 30 years of research on the peninsula.

Rebman is a go-to authority on Baja and Southern California flora, authoring books and dozens of papers in his years in the field. He's played a key role in expanding the NAT's Baja herbarium since landing there in 1996; there are now more than 55,000 plant specimens in its Baja collection. Five species are named for himsoon sixand he's described more than 30 to science.

In Zorrillo Canyon, he is eager to share as he hikes slowly, pausing every few yards to offer his team facts about surrounding plants and quiz his mentee, Abraham Sanchez, a 27-year-old master's student in taxonomy. Palo blanco, hierba de indio, an endemic cotton plantthe list goes on.

"You want to hear a big pollination story?" Rebman asks three hours in, launching into a tale of how wasps pollinate rock fig trees, like the one nestled among granite boulders above. He acknowledges his loquacious tendencies. ("Mucho blah blah blah," he says, apologizing with a chuckle.) But his insight is part of the point of the expedition.

So is the collaboration between scientists. Sharing meals at camp, researchers excitedly tell each other about their findings. It's not uncommon for one to casually pick up a tarantula found near the morning coffee or hold a rosy boa after dinner.

There are missed opportunities, toothe shocked faces of herpetologists who weren't there to see a snake, a cape stripe racer, devouring a lizard under the shade of a tree.

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But then there are the simpler moments: scientists kneeling in the dirt and overturning rocks to spot bugs, calling to a small owl in the quiet of the night or frolicking with nets to capture winged insects.

As Rebman and his group continue up the trail, a voice exclaims from across the canyon: "I caught my first butterfly!"

The scientists are exploring a section of the Sierra that lies within Rancho Cacachilas, a tourism destination and series of ranches founded by Christy Waltonof the Walmart familyaround 2011.

The ranch is 40 minutes southeast of La Paz, the capital of Baja Sur, in a region famed for its adventure tourism. La Paz is known for its beaches, snorkeling, fishing and boat tours out to Isla Espiritu Santo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But its nearby mountains, less of a draw, are surrounded by cattle ranches and open space, the fishing villages a distant vista to the east.

With this expedition, the first in a three-year project, scientists have been invited to Rancho Cacachilas to assess how the flora and fauna are responding to the ranch's land management practices.

Rancho Cacachilas is a working ranch, growing vegetables and raising goats. Nearly 1,400 tourists come each year to enjoy its guided mule rides, mountain biking excursions and artisanal goat cheese workshops. But it also aims to serve as a model for sustainable agriculture and ranching, a longstanding livelihood in the area, explains Jose Manuel, the ranch's general manager.

"The idea is to keep the people on the ground, give them opportunities and give them more ways to work and to preserve those traditions," he says.

It's research the area needs: Decades of cattle overgrazing have led to erosion and degradation of the watershed in Las Cacachilas, and the area struggles with water scarcity. While ample rain decorated the hillsides in shades of green this fall, that's not always the case.

As the scientists conduct their research, they are camping at Rancho Cacachilasglamping, really. There are clean bathrooms with warm water and bucket showers. Three meals a day are servedgourmet, farm-to-table dishes including mole, tacos and pozole, complete with fresh cheese, vegetables and dessert after every dinner.

The comfort is welcome after long days hiking in 85-degree heat and humidity. The scientists rise around 5:30 a.m., even before the stunning sunrise over the Sea of Cortez, and tuck into their tents around 9 or 10 p.m.

Many are used to the days of field work. Rebman arrived before the other scientistsdriving nearly 1,000 miles from San Diego, mostly listening to 80s musicand will stay on a few days longer to do additional research.

The NAT has been conducting research in Baja for over a century, with naturalists visiting the peninsula to document everything from its cacti to marine life.

More recently, in addition to their work in Las Cacachilas, scientists have worked on a red-legged frog breeding program in the Sierra San Pedro Martir, in northern Baja, and helped organize a program to bring more women into botany.

Rebman has been coming to Baja for more than 30 years and even lived here for a time. He's created strong friendships with the scientists, and his passion for the plants and the land is infectious.

He warns he will use the word "endemic" countless timesreferring to the term to describe species that only exist in a certain place. More than a quarter of all the plant species found across the Baja California peninsula are found exclusively in the region, with five endemic to Las Cacachilas.

But as he sees it, despite the hundreds of miles from San Diego, Baja Sur is simply the furthest end of a connected natural gradient, separated only by a political border.

"That is the original California," he said in his office the week before the expedition.

"It is like this continuous grade of things all the way down the peninsula," he adds. "A lot of it comes from our area and trickles down."

Rebman can talk about anythinghis music interests and family, love of the iNaturalist app, even the Barbie movie or how he no longer considers himself a romantic. But most conversations come back to plants.

It wasn't always thus. Growing up in Illinois, the only plants he learned about were corn and beans. Instead, he dreamed of being a country veterinarian. He even lived in a dog kennel for a time, where he was paid to let the dogs out.

That changed in college.

"I realized, "Oh, my God, people don't know that much about the diversity of plants,'" he said. "So I started learning that diversity and have never stopped."

Rebman gradually made his way to southwestern desert landscapesfirst Arizona, then on to Ensenada on a Fulbright. He eventually arrived in San Diego, a jumping point to the flora in Baja he'd come to love so dearly.

He's a specialist in prickly pear and cholla cactus species. But as a field biologist, he actively collects or documents nearly every plant he sets his sights on. He has more than 37,000 specimens in his personal collection.

In the years following the NAT's first expedition to Las Cacachilas, Rebman and his team ultimately recorded 500 plant species in the Sierra. But for Rebman, one of the goals of this trip is to identify more species and ultimately publish a scientific paper on the findings.

To Sula Vanderplank, a British botanist who lives and works in Loreto, about 150 miles north, Rebman is an "olympian" in the field.

Vanderplank is a research associate for the NAT and a leader in land conservation for Pronatura Noroeste, an environmental organization in northwestern Mexico and one of the NAT's partners on the expedition. The museum also worked with universities in Baja California, the Biological Research Center of the North-West and other groups to make the expedition happen.

Vanderplank, who has dedicated her work to the peninsula for 20 years, says the partnerships have helped bring more people into the research, with longtime experts like Rebman serving as a guide.

"I feel like it used to be the elite club," she said. "What I love now is that it's more young people, more students, more up-and-coming researchers  a really nice change over time."

There's no competition among the NAT scientists and their disciplines, Rebman sayswell, except for a potential rivalry with Shahan Derkarabetian, the curator of invertebrate zoology at the museum, over how many species both scientists can identify.

Derkarabetian makes a distinct foil to Rebman's style. Rebman barely lets a moment pass between sentences; Derkarabetian is quieter, offering information only when it's asked of him.

He finds peace in the field, overturning stones and trudging up leaf-covered hillsides in pursuit of the smallest of insects"looking for anything that looks like an arachnid, and any other weirdos."

"Rock piles are my favorite thing," he says, off the trail in Zorrillo Canyon.

That morning, he spots a tailless whip scorpion and an unnamed millipede, among other species familiar and unknown, capturing some to bring back and simply observing others.

But Derkarabetian is here on a mission to find the Kevonones mexicanus, a rare arachnid that is known only from a specimen described in 1898 in Cabo San Lucas with a simple drawing.

Scientists collected one other specimen in 2016 during the first expedition to the Sierra. No others have been found since.

"If it's there, I'll find it," he says.

He still hasn't found it, but he's undeterred. For Derkarabetian, it's about the act of discovery, a love of scouring for unique insects that he's held since he was about 9 years old growing up in Rancho Cucamonga.

Later that night, a black witcha moth about the size of a small human handlands on a light trap the team set up to attract the insects. Once he spots it, Derkarabetian quietly exclaims, "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness."

It's not the first time he's seen one, but the thrill hasn't waned.

Over the course of the expedition, there's a look toward the futurenot only of the land and its plants and animalsbut of who will carry on the veteran scientists' research, like Rebman and Derkarabetian's, in the decades to come.

In recent years, Rebman has lost his parents, his sister and two brothers-in-law. He knows he won't live forever, and in his garrulousness, he's conveying to younger scientists an important message: This will one day be in your hands.

"Who's gonna be able to assess diversity loss?" he wondered. "If you can't recognize everything, how do you know what you're missing?"

On the final night of the expedition, the scientists gather at a community event in El Sargento, about a 15-mile drive east from Rancho Cacachilas. Each team has a table set up with photos and live specimens, showing the public what they've found in the nearby wilderness.

Beyond inspiring the next generation of curious minds, it's clear the work these scientists are doing is fueling them now.

As the evening comes to a close, Derkarabetian heads out, tired. He hasn't found the rare arachnid he was hoping forthe discovery that could bridge the gap between his research and that of scientists over a century ago.

But this wasn't the worst thing.

"I've had species that have taken me years," he says, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes. "I like a challenge."

2026 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Colorado farmers plant tens of millions of corn seeds every year, nearly every one of them covered in a thin layer of insecticide.

The neonicotinoids used in the coatings protect the seed from pests in the soil and, as the crop matures, the chemical is absorbed into the plant's tissue, where it continues to paralyze and kill insects that chomp on the crop.

Farmers say the insecticide is necessary, but growing concerns about its impact on crucial pollinator species and the wider environment are prompting a push in Colorado for more regulation of the widely used class of chemicals. Environmental advocates plan to seek a bill in the state legislature in 2026 that would limit their use in hopes of protecting pollinators and water quality.

While a draft bill has not yet been made public, the environmental groups working on it said the legislation would ban the use of neonicotinoids without prior approval by inspectors overseen by the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

"This is an existential threat to both our wildlife and our own health," said Allison Johnson, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council who is working on the policy.

But farmers say that without the insecticide, they would have to resort to more damaging pest-control practiceslike treating an entire field with chemicals. If the state were to restrict the use of seeds coated with neonicotinoidsalso called neonicsfew sources of non-coated seeds would remain for them to buy, they said.

"A lot of farmers only get a couple of paydays a year, so it's really important to have any insurance you can have in protecting your yields," said Ashley House, the vice president of strategy and advocacy for the Colorado Farm Bureau. "We really see neonics and coated seeds as an insurance policy."

Nearly universal use

Along with corn seeds, farmers often use the pesticide as a seed coating on sugar beets, wheat, barley, alfalfa and sorghum. It can also be sprayed on crops, soil or landscaping plants.

Neonics work by binding to insects' nervous systems and paralyzing or killing them. It's effective, but it impacts more than just pests.

Other insectsincluding those crucial to ecosystem health, like bees and earthwormsare also exposed to the chemicals. Because the plant absorbs the insecticide, it can be present in pollen and nectar consumed by pollinators. Even if the chemical doesn't kill insects, it can disrupt their immune and nervous systems as well as their fertility.

The chemicals also make their way into water supplies and up the food chain, according to a 2020 overview of research about neonics compiled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. One 2017 report found neonics present in three-quarters of 198 honey samples collected from around the world.

"The neonicotinoid compounds occurred at levels considered safe for human consumption, but the contamination confirms the inundation of bees and their environments with these pesticides, despite some recent efforts to decrease their use," the authors wrote in their abstract.

Scientists created the insecticide to replace others that were more harmful to people, said Lisa Blecker, an instructor at Colorado State University and administrator for the Pesticide Regulatory Education Program. Neonics pose relatively low risks for those using them, especially when applied as a seed coating, she said.

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"In terms of humans, neonics are much better for the user," Blecker said.

But environmental advocates worry about the insecticide's impact on bees and their long-term accumulation in water and food.

"Neonics are ubiquitous in the environment, in our soils, in our drinking water and streams, which is impacting human health and our environment and wildlife," said Joyce Kennedy, the executive director of the People and Pollinators Action Network. She's a leader in the campaign to restrict the use of neonics.

Comprehensive data on neonics' presence in Colorado water is limited, according to an analysis commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Water sampling conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey found measurable levels of one type of neonics in eight water bodiesmore than a third of the locations tested for the substance. The locations that tested positive for neonics included Cherry Creek in Denver, the Colorado River near the Utah border, the South Platte River north of Denver and in Kersey, and in three suburban locations near Falcon in El Paso County.

At each of the sites, water samples showed concentrations of neonics above the 10-nanograms-per-liter level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency to damage aquatic ecosystems. One of the Falcon locations registered a concentration of 375 ng per liter, and Cherry Creek recorded a level of 157 ng per liter.

Data on whether the insecticide is present in groundwater is even rarer, though its presence in the South Platte River Aquifer has been well documented, according to the analysis.

Solid estimates of how much neonics are used annually in Colorado don't exist, Blecker said.

Farmers say the chemical is extremely commonand, for some crops, they struggle to find non-treated seed.

"It's all really treated seeds," said Nick Colglazier, the executive director of the Colorado Corn Promotion Council.

"Like if we just gave antibiotics to everyone'

Lawmakers next year are expected to consider a bill that would ban the use of neonics and neonic-coated seeds unless farmers can demonstrate they need them to combat a specific pest problem and gain regulators' approval.

That solution is meant to curtail the near-universal use of coated seeds and ensure that the use of the insecticide is necessary, said Henry Stiles, an advocate with Environment Colorado.

"An analogy is, it's like if we just gave antibiotics to everyone," he said.

Farmers, however, worry that a restriction on their ability to buy coated seeds would impact their businesses and the country's food supply.

"That would be devastating. We wouldn't have anywhere to go," said Matt Mulch, who farms near Burlington and is a board member of the Colorado Corn Promotion Council.

The potential alternatives to neonic-coated seeds, he said, are either less effective or more damaging to the environmentor both. The seed coatings are more direct and less likely to leech into the water and soils than a spray applied to an entire field, he said.

"This is one of the valuable tools in our toolbox for crop protection," Mulch said. "This is a business and we don't waste money, so if it weren't important, we wouldn't spend money on it."

Proponents of limiting the use of neonic-coated seeds said regulations will put pressure on the seed market to provide non-coated alternatives.

"The choices that are being put in front of farmers are not real choices," said Johnson of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "It's essential that we take legislative action to create market conditions to create that choice."

The policy fix under considerationled by Democratic state Sen. Katie Wallaceclosely resembles a program implemented in Quebec in 2019 that banned the use of neonics and neonic-coated seeds unless prescribed by an agronomist. Two U.S. statesVermont and New Yorkfollowed suit and passed similar laws in the last two years, though neither has gone into effect yet.

"It's an issue that's bubbling up across the country," Johnson said.

More restrictions on the sale of neonics would be a part of a critical ongoing effort in Colorado to protect pollinators, Kennedy said.

"We have to do something," she said. "We're headed down the wrong road. We try not to be overly catastrophic in our language, but we are on the precipice of some of these issues where, if we don't take action, we'll lose biodiversity."

Colorado lawmakers in 2023 required sellers of neonic pesticides to be licensed pesticide dealers, which blocked sales by many big-box retailers like Home Depot or Walmart. The pesticides remain available, however, at the more than 400 licensed dealers across the state.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture also offers a tax credit for farmers who use seeds without neonic coatings as part of a program to promote stewardship.

The Colorado Department of Transportation has worked to sow pollinator-friendly plants, and the Department of Motor Vehicles created a license plate to raise money for pollinator conservation. In 2022, lawmakers passed a bill requiring a study of the status of the state's native pollinators. That study prompted 2024 legislation that gave state wildlife officials the authority to manage and conserve invertebrates.

If the legislature restricts the use of neonics, it's unclear what alternatives could take their place, said Blecker with CSU. Perfect solutions that ward off pests without risking impacts to other species don't exist.

"You could probably find something else," she said. "But it's always this balance with benefit and riskbecause all pesticides, by their nature, are killing, repelling and harming a living thing. So they're all going to have a problem, basically."

Key concepts pest control

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Disabled students continue to face barriers constructed and enforced by our schools. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization estimates that globally, children with disabilities are twice as likely to be denied access to education.

Students and their support networks, families, advocates and experts can no longer accept school systems that uphold inequality for the disabled community. Ableist barriers continue to impede the human rights of disabled students in Canada.

The Manitoba Human Rights Commission released the first phase of its report exploring the right to access evidence-based reading interventions in Manitoba's public education system on Oct. 30, 2025.

The inquiry was initiated in 2022 after the commission continued to hear that students with reading disabilities were experiencing barriers to accessing timely reading interventions in their local public schools.

Related to this, the Manitoba government has passed Bill 225 to require universal early reading screenings for all kindergarten to Grade 4 students.

Upholding student rights

In a landmark 2012 case, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that human rights laws in Canada protect every student's right to an equal opportunity to learn to read.

The court's Moore v. British Columbia (Education) decision affirmed that learning to read is not a privilege or luxury, but a basic and essential human right in Canada. The court said, "Adequate special education  is not a dispensable luxury. For those with severe learning disabilities, it is the ramp that provides access to the statutory commitment to education made to all children."

While this decision is celebrated as a significant step toward advancing the rights of students with disabilities, in the years since it was released, barriers have continued to be reported. This led to the different respective special investigations in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Important step in Manitoba

The recommendations from the October 2025 Manitoba report Supporting The Right to Read in Manitoba: The ABCs of a Rights-Based Approach to Teaching Reading are a first step in addressing the discrimination against children with reading disabilities in Manitoba's public education system.

The report details how education is essential for unlocking opportunities, personal growth and allowing students to access their other fundamental rights, as well as promoting equality and belonging.

Reading is the foundation of learning and a fundamental skill that shapes every aspect of life. Students who cannot read well are more likely to face challenges in school, work and everyday life.

When students cannot access reading instruction, it affects their confidence, mental health and long-term opportunities.

Learning disabilities are the most prevalent disability in the K-12 education system, and reading disabilities are by far the most prevalent type of learning disability. Importantly, many prefer the term dyslexia over reading disability.

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"Attitudinal barriers'

The Manitoba Human Rights Commission found that "attitudinal barriers and stigma impacting the uptake and efficacy of accommodations" continue to maintain inequalities for the dyslexic community.

These attitudinal barriers amount to systemic ableism, a topic I have previously explored. Ableism is enacted and upheld by a system that harbors negative attitudes, stereotyping and discrimination towards people with disabilities.

Importantly, like other systems of oppression like racism and sexism, ableism continues to exist because of the combination of prejudice and power, particularly in schools.

One of the consistent findings of the Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan Human Rights Commissions is the need to implement universal early reading screening, as recently acknowledged by Manitoba legislation.

Such a tool allows educators to identify reading challenges as early as possible. This is a critical step in enabling earlier access to evidence-based interventions when they are most effective.

Reading and literacy approaches

Manitoba's report also highlights issues around teacher education and practice, noting, "Some teachers do not understand accommodation principles, the role of clinicians in supporting accommodations, or have limited knowledge of reading disabilities, foundational reading skills or teaching reading through a direct, explicit and structured approach."

Currently, some researchers or educators are concerned that a focus on phonics-based learning (an aspect of direct instruction in reading) and early screening could undermine children's agency and critical thinking.

There are also concerns that an emphasis on direct instruction could risk ignoring important insights about children's sociocultural contexts and situations.

Given the spectrum of abilities within Manitoba classrooms, multiple approaches to literacy should be implemented, providing inclusion and access.

Manitoba must provide access to reading interventions that provide structured literacy while honoring linguistic and cultural diversity, the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions Calls to Action, and are grounded in the five tenets of inclusive education: togetherness, belonging, affirmation, opportunity and agency.

Nothing about us without us: Community voice

Across Canada and globally, the dyslexia community has initiated a "Right to Read" movement to advance the rights of children, both with and without dyslexia, to gain access to reading instruction, and more broadly, education.

Challenging power in any system of oppression is often met with resistance and defensiveness. Redressing ableism is no different.

Encouragingly, one Yukon First Nations school board reports tremendous success with students' reading when implementing both sounding out words (phonics)part of direct reading instructionand embedding cultural values in teaching.

Canadian education systems must confront ableist processes, attitudes and practices, if all childrenincluding those with dyslexiaare to be able to realize the right to read. Our children are capable; we just need to provide them with the opportunities and approaches that fit their needs.

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A group of tourists visiting The Erechtheion on the north side of the Acropolis, around the year 1900. Credit: Rijksmuseum

Everyone always loves a holidayat least, that's how we portray them. Holidays present a chance to unwind, relax and decompress from life's day-to-day struggles. But they don't always go to plan, and they're not always as amazing, relaxing or enriching as we like to think.

Yet admitting you didn't enjoy your holiday remains surprisingly taboo.

The holiday performance

For most of human history, ordinary people didn't take holidays at all. Holidays were once the preserve of the extremely wealthy, like those aristocrats who embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe in the 1800s.

Echoes of that aristocratic impulse still pervade the way we talk about holidays to this day. On social media travel has become a form of very visible cultural capitala way of overtly signaling not just where you've been, but your tastes, knowledge and refinement. The trip itself isn't important. What is important is what the destinationand the way it's sharedsays about you.

A holiday is the perfect stage to perform status, by jetting off to the right (most popular) destinations or by photographing iconic landmarks.

In the social media age, we can expect to be bombarded with photos, reels and videos of holiday content every summersun-drenched beaches, sunset cocktails, mountain vistas and smiling families who appear to have achieved the perfect blend of leisure, self-care and cultural sophistication.

In this, the modern holiday has become less about encountering a place and more about signaling that you know where to go, how to look, and how to curate the experience for an audience. We follow a certain holiday script. This is known as the tourist gaze.

The American economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen described this over a century ago: the affluent signal status through what he called "conspicuous consumption."

And this performance pressure helps explain a peculiar taboo: we rarely admit to having a bad holiday.

Why we can't admit to a bad holiday

To say a holiday was stressful, disappointing or simply ordinary disrupts the moral script of travel as inherently enriching and restorative. It challenges the idea that holidays are not just leisure but proof of a life well lived.

Taking a holidayand all the myriad choices that come into play in the decisionhas a lot to do with signaling taste, class and status.

The choice of holiday destination, restaurant, even the "aesthetic" of the trip all function as cultural capital. And the idea that all of this can sum up to a bad experience can be seen as "failure" or to have morally erred.

As in any performance, there's little room for error, lest there be great disappointment. And the stakes now are higher than ever.

A bad holiday can feel like a step backwards in a person's identity buildingin this case, the identity of cultural sophistication and being "well traveled."

Therefore, the bad holiday must be carefully curated online, so as not to reveal its true nature. This is what is called "impression management"the way we consciously shape how others see us by controlling what we show and what we hide.

We curate our "front stage" selves for an audience, concealing the mundane or messy behind the scenes. Social media turns holidays into content and travelers into performers. The trip must not only be enjoyed. It must be seen to be enjoyed.

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And when everyone is having the best holiday ever (online) that pressure compounds. To return from Bali or Paris having had an awful time is practically heretical. A character flaw. A personal failure at least.

In an era where image is everything, and people prioritize experiences over and above material possessions, holidays are some of our most visible and expensive acts.

They function as a form of prestige signaling; enabling us to demonstrate our social position, resources and means to others. Traveling to the "right" places and curating aesthetically pleasing images is a subtle way of communicating: I have the means, knowledge and cultural competency to do this properly.

Prestige signaling also helps explain why certain destinations become cultural gold. A trip to Sicily, Iceland or Kyoto carries different symbolic weight from a budget hotel in Surfers Paradisenot because one is necessarily more enjoyable or even better, but because one signals a higher level of social capital and prestige.

It's not surprising then, that admitting to not enjoying a holiday carries an element of reputational risk.

It's unrealistic to think that all travel will always be glorious, leisurely, enriching and rewarding. At some point and time, we'll all find ourselves having a bad experience.

Perhaps it's time we were honest about it, to ourselves and others.

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Schematic diagram illustrating how FEF molecular functional diversity regulates seedling survival in subtropical forests. Credit: Zhang Sirong

A new study published in Ecology Letters has uncovered the mechanisms underlying plant community assembly and biodiversity maintenance, revealing that plant-associated microorganisms play a pivotal yet underappreciated role in mediating species coexistence.

Led by Prof. Liang Yu from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the researchers integrated transcriptomic data from seedlings of 103 woody species, species-level functional traits, and long-term seedling dynamic monitoring data from the Gutianshan forest plot.

By extracting and functionally annotating transcripts from foliar endophytic fungi (FEF), the researchers connect microbial functional genomics with modern coexistence theory, clarifying the pathway linking FEF molecular functions, host fitness/niche, seedling survival and species coexistence.

Their analysis revealed that FEF transcript diversity is shaped by both host phylogenetic divergence time and maximum tree height. FEF functions significantly promote seedling survival through fitness- and niche-related processes. A total of 118 Gene Ontology (GO) terms were found to be significantly associated with seedling survival.

Further analysis identified a dual regulatory mode underlying these effects. GO terms with high host-phylogeny dependence enhance seedling survival through fitness differences associated with multi-organism interactions. In contrast, GO terms with high host-trait dependence facilitate seedling survival through niche differentiation related to basic life processes.

These findings have significant implications for forest biodiversity conservation and management. While traditional ecological theories have focused on plantplant interactions, this study emphasizes the pivotal role of microbial symbionts, such as FEF, in sustaining species coexistence and ecosystem functioning. Neglecting the roles of microbes in ecological restoration and conservation initiatives may compromise long-term biodiversity outcomes.

Publication details Baocai Han et al, Molecular Functional Diversity of Foliar Endophytic Fungi and Their Contributions to Seedling Survival in a Subtropical Forest, Ecology Letters (2025). DOI: 10.1111/ele.70290 Journal information: Ecology Letters
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Postdoc collaboration at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA). ISTA's Nikhil Mishra and Yuting Irene Li are looking for tiny striped zebrafish hiding behind seagrass. Credit: ISTA

Life begins with a single fertilized cell that gradually transforms into a multicellular organism. This process requires precise coordination; otherwise, the embryo could develop serious complications. Scientists at ISTA have now demonstrated that the zebrafish eggs, in particular their curvature, might be the instruction manual that keeps cell division on schedule and activates the appropriate genes in a patterned manner to direct correct cell fate acquisition. These insights, published in Nature Physics, could help improve the accuracy of embryo assessments in IVF.

Nikhil Mishra opens a heavy door that leads into a unique room. Countless transparent boxes are stored on racks swarming with small striped fish. The water refracts through the containers, casting a bluish hue across the room. You could almost believe you were in the middle of the sea, and the gentle lapping of the water and the cozy warmth of 27 C reinforce this feeling.

Mishra takes one of the boxes from the rack and points at a zebrafish.

"The zebrafish is an ideal organism for studying the earliest steps of development," he explains passionately. "Their embryos are fertilized outside the mother, which means we can easily collect and study themoften hundreds at a time. They are also naturally transparent, so we can literally watch their cells divide, move, and change in real time."

A stadium wave. Dividing cells in an embryo oscillate in mitotic phase waves. Credit: Mishra et al. / Nature Physics

From one cell to many

Life begins with a single fertilized egg cell, called the zygote, which begins to divide repeatedly. First into two cells, then four, then eight, and so on. This process is very similar across most species, including in humans. "Initially, these divisions happen quickly and without the cells taking on special roles. But soon, patterns begin to emerge: some cells divide more slowly, some start activating different genes, and others move to new positions," Mishra says.

These early differences mark the first steps of "symmetry-breaking," when the embryo stops being uniform and starts organizing itself. Over time, groups of cells specialize into the three major layers that will form all tissues and organs. "From what begins as a simple, seemingly identical cluster of cells, a structured and patterned embryo gradually takes shapelaying the foundation for the entire body plan."

Peekaboo. Credit: ISTA

Zebrafish. Humans and zebrafish are more alike than one might think, especially when it comes to embryonic development. In science, zebrafish (Danio rerio) often reveal principles that apply much more broadly, making them both practical and biologically relevant for understanding how early embryos develop. Credit: ISTA

A knowledge gap

In its early stages, the zygote depends on information provided by the mother. Only after reaching a developmental milestone called the midblastula extension (MBT) does the embryo begin to develop independently.

At that point, the embryo needs to activate the appropriate genes at the right times in the correct cells. But how does it determine when and where to activate its genes? This is a fundamental question and a major knowledge gap that Mishra and the Heisenberg group at ISTA are investigating. However, they are not the only ones exploring this mystery.

ISTA's Hannezo group is also attempting to understand how the position and timing of individual cell behavior are coordinated. These two research teams have been collaborating for some time. In particular, Yuting Irene Li, a postdoc in the Hannezo group, has greatly aided Mishra's research with valuable expertise in theoretical physics, mathematical modeling, and statistical approaches to complex biological systems.

Aquatics Facility of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA). Nikhil Mishra takes out a transparent box filled with zebrafish. Credit: ISTA

Geometrythe instruction manual

This collaborative research tested a largely ignored hypothesisthat the embryo's geometry drives its development. The ISTA scientists demonstrated that the embryo "reads" and correctly interprets the zygote's geometry during the initial few minutes of its existence. When the researchers manipulated the early embryo geometry, it changed how cells developed later.

Think of the zygote's geometry as an instruction manual that the embryo must read and follow as it patterns itself. If there is an error in that manual or the embryo does not read it correctly, it could lead to major problemsimagine having an intestine where your head should be.

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Like a stadium wave

Mishra explains that geometry sets off a series of highly consequential events causing cells to divide asymmetrically in an organized manner and thereby creating a gradient of cell size. These size differences create a gradient of cell cycle periods; smaller cells take longer to complete one cycle and divide into two cells.

Within the transparent embryo, this gradient is clearly visible under a microscope. Cells follow a repeating cycle, almost like a tiny internal clock, ticking through division and rest.

"This repeating cycle, known as oscillation, varies slightly for each cell based on its size, which is determined by the fertilized egg's geometry," explains Li, an expert in oscillations. "Consequently, these varied 'clocks' align in a sweeping pattern across the embryo. What you see is a mitotic phase wavea wave formed by different cells reaching the 'division moment' of their internal clocks one after another."

Embryo representation. At the top is a normal embryo with a single lobe, which is a hemispherical cluster of cells (shown in different colors). The cells near the top of this lobe are usually the largest, and this is where the mitotic waves begin. Below is a bi-lobed embryo, which is the result of a mechanically manipulated zygote, resulting in two lobes and consequently two mitotic waves. When Mishra first observed this during his postdoctoral research, he considered it a groundbreaking moment. Credit: Nikhil Mishra / ISTA

Improving IVF outcomes

For the ISTA scientists, the next step is to determine how universal these principles are. If similar geometric rules are also found in mammalsand especially in humansthe implications could be very significant. This is relevant as more and more people turn to assisted reproductive technologies like IVF. Even for young, healthy individuals, fewer than half of IVF embryos reach the stage where they can be implanted and lead to viable pregnancies.

"Many embryos that fail during development show abnormalities in early division patterns or in how they activate their genes, but we still don't fully understand why. Our work suggests that the geometry of the early embryothe physical shape and layout of its first cellsmay play an important role in keeping development on track," Mishra concludes.

In the long run, understanding these principles could help recognize early geometric "warning signs" in IVF embryos and perhaps design ways to correct or compensate for them. This could eventually contribute to more reliable embryo assessment and improved IVF outcomes.

Publication details Geometry-driven asymmetric cell divisions pattern cell cycles and zygotic genome activation in the zebrafish embryo, Nature Physics (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-03122-1 Journal information: Nature Physics
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This image shows the location of Cloud-9, a starless, gas-rich dark matter cloud near the spiral galaxy Messier 94 (M94), approximately 16 million light-years from Earth. Credit: NASA

A team using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a new type of astronomical objecta starless, gas-rich, dark-matter cloud that is considered a "relic" or remnant of early galaxy formation. Nicknamed "Cloud-9," this is the first confirmed detection of such an object in the universe. The finding, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, furthers the understanding of galaxy formation, the early universe, and the nature of dark matter itself.

"This is a tale of a failed galaxy," said the program's principal investigator, Alejandro Benitez-Llambay of the Milano-Bicocca University in Milan, Italy. "In science, we usually learn more from the failures than from the successes. In this case, seeing no stars is what proves the theory right. It tells us that we have found in the local universe a primordial building block of a galaxy that hasn't formed."

"This cloud is a window into the dark universe," explained team member Andrew Fox of AURA/STScI for the European Space Agency. "We know from theory that most of the mass in the universe is expected to be dark matter, but it's difficult to detect this dark material because it doesn't emit light. Cloud-9 gives us a rare look at a dark-matter-dominated cloud."

The object is called a Reionization-Limited H I Cloud, or "RELHIC." The term "H I" refers to neutral hydrogen, and "RELHIC" describes a natal hydrogen cloud from the universe's early days, a fossil leftover that has not formed stars. For years, scientists have looked for evidence of such a theoretical phantom object. It wasn't until they turned Hubble toward the cloud, confirming that it is indeed starless, that they found support for the theory.

This annotated video shows the location of Cloud-9 on the sky. As the video zooms into this gas-rich, dark-matter cloud, it becomes evident that there are no stars within it. Only background galaxies appear behind Cloud-9, which has survived since the universes early days. Credit: NASA

"Before we used Hubble, you could argue that this is a faint dwarf galaxy that we could not see with ground-based telescopes. They just didn't go deep enough in sensitivity to uncover stars," explained lead author Gagandeep Anand of STScI. "But with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys, we're able to nail down that there's nothing there."

The discovery of this relic cloud was a surprise. "Among our galactic neighbors, there might be a few abandoned houses out there," said STScI's Rachael Beaton, who is also on the research team.

RELHICs are thought to be dark matter clouds that were not able to accumulate enough gas to form stars. They represent a window into the early stages of galaxy formation. Cloud-9 suggests the existence of many other small, dark matter-dominated structures in the universeother failed galaxies. This discovery provides new insights into the dark components of the universe that are difficult to study through traditional observations, which focus on bright objects like stars and galaxies.

Scientists have been studying hydrogen clouds near the Milky Way for many years, and these clouds tend to be much bigger and irregular than Cloud-9. Compared with other observed clouds, Cloud-9 is smaller, more compact, and highly spherical, making it look very different from other clouds.

This image shows the location of Cloud-9, a starless, gas-rich dark matter cloud near the spiral galaxy Messier 94 (M94), approximately 16 million light-years from Earth. Credit: NASA Credit: NASA, ESA. G. Anand (STScI), and A. Benitez-Llambay (Univ. of Milan-Bicocca); Image processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)

The core of this object is composed of neutral hydrogen and is about 4,900 light-years in diameter. The hydrogen gas in Cloud-9 is approximately 1 million times the mass of the sun. But if the pressure of the gas is balancing the gravity of the dark matter cloud, which it appears to be, Cloud-9 must be heavily dominated by dark matter, at about 5 billion solar masses.

Cloud-9 is an example of the structures and the mysteries that don't involve stars. Just looking at stars doesn't give the full picture. Studying the gas and dark matter helps provide a more complete understanding of what's going on in these systems that otherwise wouldn't be known.

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Observationally, identifying these failed galaxies is challenging because nearby objects outshine them. Such systems are also vulnerable to environmental effects like ram-pressure stripping, which can remove gas as the cloud moves through intergalactic space. These factors further reduce their expected numbers.

The starless relic was discovered three years ago as part of a radio survey by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in Guizhou, China, a finding later confirmed by the Green Bank Telescope and the Very Large Array facilities in the United States. But only with Hubble could researchers definitively determine that the failed galaxy contains no stars.

A team using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a new type of astronomical object Credit: NASA, ESA. G. Anand (STScI), and A. Benitez-Llambay (Univ. of Milan-Bicocca); Image processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)

Cloud-9 was simply named sequentially, having been the ninth gas cloud identified on the outskirts of a nearby spiral galaxy, Messier 94 (M94). The cloud is close to M94 and appears to have a physical association with the galaxy. High-resolution radio data shows slight gas distortions, possibly indicating interaction between the cloud and galaxy.

The cloud may eventually form a galaxy in the future, provided it grows more massivealthough how that would occur is under speculation. If it were much bigger, say, more than 5 billion times the mass of our sun, it would have collapsed, formed stars, and become a galaxy that would be no different than any other galaxy we see. If it were much smaller than that, the gas could have been dispersed and ionized and there wouldn't be much left. But it's in a sweet spot where it could remain as a RELHIC.

The lack of stars in this object provides a unique window into the intrinsic properties of dark matter clouds. The rarity of such objects and the potential for future surveys is expected to enhance the discovery of more of these "failed galaxies" or "relics," resulting in insights into the early universe and the physics of dark matter.

Publication details Gagandeep S. Anand et al, The First RELHIC? Cloud-9 is a Starless Gas Cloud*, The Astrophysical Journal Letters (2025). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ae1584 Journal information: Astrophysical Journal Letters
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

On Jan. 1, conservationists launched a $40 million campaign to save 4,000 acres of pristine North Carolina game land from development.

The owner of the land along the Yadkin River between Salisbury and Albemarle allowed public access to hunters, anglers and others for years before recently deciding to sell the property, officials with Salisbury-based Three Rivers Land Trust told The Charlotte Observer.

The Land Trust needs to raise the money to buy and conserve the land located on the Tuckertown Reservoir in Davidson, Rowan, and Stanly counties, Travis Morehead, Land Trust executive director, told the Observer this week.

Selling to developers risks "long-standing public access, wildlife habitat, water quality, and the area's rural character," Land Trust officials said in a news release Thursday announcing the campaign.

The owner isn't sitting around waiting for the Land Trust to raise the money, Morehead told the Observer. "It's a competition," he said. "There's no guarantee he won't sell it to someone else."

Raising the money "will be challenging," Morehead said in the release. "But if we don't try, who will? We can't just sit by and watch these lands be decimated by development."

If it can buy the property, the Land Trust would transfer the lands to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission "to ensure perpetual public access," officials said.

Because they've hunted and fished on the property for so long, many people think the commission is the land owner, commission wildlife biologist Cody Fulk said.

"Unfortunately, they are not," Fulk said in the release. "If these lands are lost to development, public access to all users could be gone forever."

'One of the last wild areas available to the public'

In 2019 and 2021, Three Rivers Land Trust and the commission conserved at least 4,700 acres and 76 miles of shoreline on High Rock Lake and the Tuckertown Reservoir, officials said.

The eastern shoreline of Tuckertown Reservoir, totaling 2,420 acres and 31 miles of shoreline, was purchased and conserved in 2021.

"After permanently conserving the eastern shoreline, it's hard to imagine losing the western shoreline to development," Morehead said. "We have invested too much and have too much at stake not to act."

If developers buy the land, people will no longer be able to enjoy "one of the last wild areas still available to the public," local fishing guide Tony Sharum said in the release.

"Public access gives everyone the opportunity to recreate, and everyone deserves that opportunity," Kristin Bundy, an agriculture teacher at North Davidson High and public land hunter said. "When I die, I hope heaven looks like these game lands."

Key concepts game management

2026 The Charlotte Observer. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

California wildlife authorities are urging residents of a small Central California town to lock up their pets and secure livestock following a series of mountain lion attacks.

Multiple animals have been killed in the Monterey County hamlet of Corral de Tierra, about 12 miles east of Monterey, officials said.

Residents have claimed that family dogs, a miniature horse and goats have all been killed over the last few weeks, local television station KSBW reported.

"I could hear rustling on our porch," Corral de Tierra resident Michael Antle told the television station. "Our family dog was taken off of our porch. The following night, the lion came for our goat and actually took the goat to the same spot. Didn't eat either animal, so I think it's out to kill."

Antle said the first attack happened Dec. 21, around 12:30 a.m.

Other residents have also claimed to see a creature lurking around.

Personnel from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that there had been "mountain lion conflicts" in and around Corral de Tierra.

Krysten Kellum, a department spokesperson, said the number of attacks in the area was unknownas was the number of mountain lions involved.

She did say, however, that the attacks happened during the evening and early-morning hours, when the predators are active.

She also said the animals that were killed were not secured for the night.

"That's all we are asking people to do: Bring your dogs in at night, night pen livestock," she said, referring to corralling the animals into a securely fenced area.

In response to the attacks, the agency is calling on residents to document all encounters with mountain lions on the Department of Fish and Wildlife site.

"It is important that people report these incidents," Kellum said.

The department also advises deer-proofing property to avoid attracting a mountain lion's main food source, removing dense vegetation to reduce hiding spaces, installing outdoor lighting and securing animal enclosures.

If those steps don't work, Kellum said other options might include trapping and potentially using nonlethal projectiles, like paint balls, to chase away, haze and deter them.

She said, however, the situation in Corral de Tierra hasn't reached that level of severity.

"We just want residents to go through these processes and not focus on potential worst-case scenarios," she said.

2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Map of regions in early medieval England and their proportional make up of 18O dw-MAP (Chenery) value classifications. <-2 suggests migration from a colder and/or higher altitude region; > +2 could be from a warmer/more coastal region or signify brewing and stewing effects. Figure by S Leggett. Credit: Medieval Archaeology (2025). DOI: 10.1080/00766097.2025.2583016

Migration into England was continuous from the Romans through to the Normans and men and women moved from different places and at different rates, a study finds.

The researchers found early medieval migrants came to England from the Mediterranean and from the Arctic Circle and beyond.

The major bioarchaeological study gives a new perspective to early medieval texts and ancient DNA, researchers say. The study of human tooth enamel also showed climate events such as the Late Antique Little Ice Age and the Medieval Climate Anomaly.

New research methods and findings

The study by researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge is the first large-scale analysis of isotopic and ancient DNA data in cemeteries from early medieval England to assess movement. The work is published in the journal Medieval Archaeology.

Researchers traced the roots of population movements to England during what is known as the early medieval periodthe period spanning from the end of Roman rule in Britain, around 1600 years ago, through to the arrival of the Normans more than 900 years ago.

Analysis of chemical signatures found in the teeth of ancient skeletons show that population movement was a consistent feature of England between the 4th and the 11th centuries, the study found.

Researchers used bioarchaeological techniques to study more than 700 chemical signatures from the teeth of human skeletal remains of people buried in England from around AD 400 to 1100.

The team compared this with ancient DNA from 316 individuals to compare movement versus ancestry.

Climate events and migration patterns

Evidence from tooth enamelwhich can show if a person consumed food or water which was chemically different from food and drink from their place of burialalso captured climate fluctuations such as the Late Antique Little Ice Age, a period of rapid cooling in the 6th and 7th centuries, and evidence of newcomers from colder regions.

The team found that migration appeared to be continuousrather than tied to one-off eventswith a significant spike in the seventh and eighth centuries.

Male migration appeared to be more prominentalthough there was also notable female mobility, particularly into the North East, Kent and Wessex.

The researchers found evidence of migration into England from Wales and Ireland. The data also offered evidence of migration and settlement from northwest Europe and the Mediterranean, the researchers say.

Historical sources and broader implications

The researchers looked at how the main documented sources of mobilitysuch as Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People and the Anglo-Saxon Chroniclealigned with the bioarchaeological findings sourced from the study of human skeletal remains.

The use of biomolecular data provides new evidence to answer questions about the nature and scale of early medieval migration, the researchers say.

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Dr. Sam Leggett of the University of Edinburgh's School of History, Classics and Archaeology, said, "The study took a 'big data' approach to assess the narratives around early medieval migration. We see here that migration was a consistent feature rather than just tied to one-off events, with evidence of communities in continual cross-cultural contact, tied into large-scale networks which may have contributed to the major socio-cultural changes we see throughout the period."

Dr. Susanne Hakenbeck, of the University of Cambridge's Department of Archaeology, said, "Our study shows that migration to Britain was fairly continuous throughout the first millennium. We didn't expect to see a spike in mobility in the 7th and 8th centurieswell after the period of the so-called Anglo-Saxon migrations. This studyincidentally co-authored by two migrantsalso shows that Britain was never isolated from the continent."

More information Sam Leggett et al, Large-Scale Isotopic Data Reveal Gendered Migration into Early Medieval England c AD 4001100, Medieval Archaeology (2025). DOI: 10.1080/00766097.2025.2583016
Marisa Abela was "disappointed" to find her partner "on the floor being sick" - because she thought he was about to propose.

Marisa Abela was ready for a proposal

The Industry actress married Jamie Bogyo in September and she admitted it took her by surprise when he popped the question on Primrose Hill - where they had first met as students at RADA - in 2024 because she had been expecting it a few weeks before.

She told the Sunday Times Style magazine of his proposal: I wasnt expecting it. I knew it was coming but we were in Paris a few weeks before and I was sure he was going to propose then.

"We were at dinner with friends and he went back to the hotel saying he was ill but that I should stay. I was like, OK, sure, Ill play along.

"I got back later, expecting roses and champagne to be everywhere, and instead found Jamie in a ball on the floor being sick.

"I had to play off my disappointment really quickly!

The couple married in East Sussex and Marisa is thankful she and Jamie left the celebrations at Brighton's Soho House at a relatively early 4am instead of joining some of their 150 guests at an afterparty.

She said: "[The day was] amazing and a big party. Very booze-focused.

"Jamie and I went to bed at about 4am, we were sensible. There was an afterparty but Im glad we didnt go.

"The next day was so special and Im glad that I didnt feel like death and could remember everything.

The 29-year-old actress is thankful for the support of her husband.

She said: He reads everything I get sent, I read everything he writes and were a team. He has always been my biggest supporter and my biggest fan.

Back in 2020, Marisa was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and though she received the all-clear, she will have to attend regular check-ups and take medication for the rest of her life.

She said: Im all in the clear now, thank God.

I dont have a working thyroid so these pills sort of create one. Im never going to miss those appointments. The thyroid is all to do with your hormones, and staying on top of your hormones, as a woman, to make sure things are running as they should, is important.
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The extreme flooding in July 2021 caused catastrophic damage in the Ahr Valley. Credit: Physical Geography work group

Recurring high-energy flood events are not the exception but the rule in the Ahr Valley in western Germanyand this occurs over periods of centuries to millennia. This is shown in a study recently published in the journal Earth Surface Processes and Landforms and led by Leipzig University. Researchers from the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO), both in Leipzig, also participated in the study.

The Ahr floodplain is characterized by high-energy flood deposits. Flood events of low to moderate intensity are not detectable there. The examined river sediments document the extreme summer flood of 2021 as well as at least three other flood events in the past 1,500 years thatmeasured by sedimentological parametersexhibited comparable intensity.

Floods are one of the most critical environmental threats in Central Europe. In Germany they are responsible for more than half of the economic damage caused by environmental hazards. The magnitude of the 2021 Ahr flood far exceeded what was forecast in previous flood hazard assessments. This was due to significant underestimation of hazards, as the former hydrological models considered instrumental discharge records exclusively. Because the recording period only began in the second half of the 20th century, flood hazard assessments did not consider high-magnitude flood events prior to that period.

For the first time, geographers and geophysicists show the importance of sedimentological records from the Ahr floodplain for reconstructing past high-magnitude flood events. Professor Christoph Zielhofer, head of the study and physical geographer at Leipzig University, explains, "Our investigation shows that centennial- to millennial-scale high-energy flood events are not the exception but the rule in the Ahr Valley. The investigated sediments record the catastrophic flood of 2021 and the two historical floods of 1804 and 1910, as well as a previously unidentified flood event dated approximately to the end of the 5th century A.D."

Dr. Ulrike Werban, geophysicist at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ), adds, "The sedimentological analysis in combination with near-surface geophysical prospection shows that the Ahr floodplain is dominated by high-energy flood deposits, and that low to medium-magnitude flood events are not preserved in the floodplain."

The sedimentological record proves that the 2021 flood event is not an exception in the flood history of the Ahr. In fact, at least three other flood events have been identified in the last 1,500 years that, based on sedimentological parameters, had a comparable magnitude. The results document the high potential of floodplain sediments for reconstructing high-magnitude flood events, allowing a reassessment in terms of the occurrence and frequency of such events.

Dr. Martin Bauch also participated in the study. He is an environmental historian at the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO) in Leipzig and compared the sedimentologically verifiable flood events with historically documented flood events from the Ahr Valley, which date back to the medieval period.

He explains, "The occurrence of the severe floods in the Ahr Valley does not show any clear coupling with hydroclimatic history in Central Europe. However, what is noticeable is that the historically documented high-magnitude Ahr floods occur particularly during the summer season." The summer months, in turn, are associated with high atmospheric moisture loads, which increases the probability of extreme flooding events in summer.

More information Christoph Zielhofer et al, Fluvial deposits of the Ahr river (western Germany) reveal recurring highmagnitude flood events over the last 1,500 years, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (2026). DOI: 10.1002/esp.70219

Key concepts fluvialsediment transport
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Morphology of Solanum nectarifolium, a newly-described species of Australian bush tomato. Credit: Kym Brennan

A recent study led by Bucknell University Professor Chris Martine, biology, the David Burpee Professor of Plant Genetics and Research, has identified and described a new species of bush tomato with a special connection to antsa taxonomic journey sparked by unusual specimens held in Australian herbarium collections.

The study, co-authored by a set of Australian botanists and Jason Cantleythe former Burpee Postdoctoral Fellow in Botany at Bucknell who is now Associate Professor of Biology at San Francisco State Universityappears in PhytoKeys and underscores the critical role that natural history collections play in biodiversity science.

The new species, Solanum nectarifolium (Tanami bush tomato), was named for the location of its original collection areathe northern edge of the Tanami Desertand for the uniquely conspicuous nectar-producing organs on the undersides of its leaves. These extrafloral nectaries exude a sweet liquid to attract ants that might protect the plant from herbivores. This remarkable trait marks the first known Solanum species with extrafloral nectaries visible to the naked eye, a feature previously observed only microscopically in a handful of related Australian species.

Martine first had an inkling that something was unusual about the plants from that region of the Northern Territory while working on a project with another former Burpee Postdoc, Angela McDonnell, now an Assistant Professor at St. Cloud State University. The pair included DNA extracted from two herbarium specimens representing Solanum ossicruentum, a species known as the blood bone tomato, that the Martine Lab described in the same journal in 2016, in an ongoing analysis meant to build a new bush tomato evolutionary tree.

Immature fruit and fruiting calyx of Solanum nectarifolium. Credit: Kym Brennan

Investigating unusual herbarium specimens

"We couldn't understand why the two collections of the same species kept showing up in different parts of the tree," says Martine. "I had collected one of them and was certain that it represented Solanum ossicruentum, so I reached out to the person who collected the other one, David Albrecht, and asked whether he thought the plants he saw in 1996 at a place called Jellabra Rockhole could be something else."

Albrecht, Senior Botanist at the Northern Territory Herbarium at Alice Springs, suggested that the best way to know would be for botanists to revisit that remote region of the northwestern Tanami Desert and see for themselves. Martine, who had participated in seven collecting expeditions to northern Australia since 2004, wasn't disappointed.

"I was kind of hoping he'd tell me that," Martine says. "Because I was already planning some new fieldwork in the Northern Territory and this would give me a great season to visit an area I had never been to before. But to really be prepared for a trip like that, I first needed to understand what other botanists had recorded and collected there in the pastand there is only one surefire way to do that: check what is in the herbarium collections."

So Martine started by using the Australasian Virtual Herbarium (AVH), a database of every plant specimen held in every herbarium in Australia. He searched for collections made of Solanum ossicruentum and a similar species called Solanum dioicum in the northern Tanami, finding 15 records for specimens gathered as far back as 1971.

Extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) on the leaves of Solanum nectarifolium. Credit: Kym Brennan

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Fieldwork and discovery in Australia

"It was a really interesting distribution of points on the map, too," Martine says. "These were far south of the other records for Solanum ossicruentum, with hundreds of miles of 'empty' country between the two clusters. I couldn't wait to get to Australia to see what those Tanami plants looked like."

In May 2025, Martine headed to Australia to meet his team for the trip: Cantley and paper co-authors Kym Brennan, Aiden Webb, and Geoff Newton, all associated with the Northern Territory Herbarium at Palmerston. But, first, Martine made a stop at another plant collection in the southwestern city of Perth.

"The visit to the Western Australian Herbarium was my first chance to spend a bunch of time with some of the actual specimens that I had earmarked based on the data in AVH," Martine explains. "And what I saw there legitimately blew my mind."

Staminate flowers of Solanum nectarifolium. Credit: Kym Brennan

Every specimen looked similar to Solanum ossicruentum, except for a few subtle characteristicsand one thing that Martine had never seen in more than two decades of Outback botanizing.

"On the backs of the leaves, along the veins, were these visible round disks," Martine notes. "They were each around a half-millimeter wide, really obvious, and the only bush tomato specimens that had themwe're talking hundreds and hundreds of collectionswere the ones from the northern Tanami."

Extrafloral nectaries and ant interactions

Martine thought they could be extrafloral nectaries (EFNs), non-flower organs on a plant that exude sweet liquid, typically as a means to attract ants that might protect the plants from herbivores. These were known to exist in a few Australian bush tomatoes, but those are tiny and have only been confirmed with microscopes. EFNs that could be seen without magnification would be something truly novel.

A few days later, Martine was in the herbarium at Palmerston and found the same pattern: more visible disks and only on plants from that same geographic area. Then he noticed that the most recent collection, from 2021, had been made by Kym Brennana renowned field biologist with an expertise in photography who was preparing for their trip in the next room.

"I ran in there and asked whether he remembered anything unusual about that collectionand before I could finish my explanation for why, he was already showing me an incredible photo of the leaves of that same plant. They were positively oozing with shiny, round droplets of nectar, all from those disks on the veins."

Eight days and more than 1,000 kilometers of driving later, the team arrived near Brennan's collection site 50 kilometers southwest of the community of Lajamanu, right along the edge of the unpaved Lajamanu Road.

"This was more or less the same place where others had collected it in the early 1970s, so we were cautiously optimistic that we'd not only find it there again, but that the plants would have the flowers and fruits on them that we needed to describe this as a new species," explains Martine. "But it's a harsh environment and the abundance of bush tomatoes is often dependent on fire occurrence. Sometimes you get to a place and there is nothing but old gray stems. Other times there are more happy plants than you can count. In this case, it was the latter situation."

The team got to work taking notes, making measurements, and shooting photographs. Then Cantley called for Martine to come over to the plant he was examining. There were ants all over the leaf undersides, avidly moving from disk to disk and probing them for nectar. That confirmed the hypothesis.

The collaborators decided on the scientific name "nectarifolium"which translates to "nectar leaf," for obvious reasonsand the English-language name Tanami bush tomato. Martine then contacted a few experts about the conspicuous nature of the EFNs and whether they had been seen anywhere else in the genus Solanum, a group of around 1,200 species that includes the tomato, potato, and eggplant.

"As far as we know, this is the first Solanum species to be described as having extrafloral nectaries that you can see with your naked eye. That's a pretty cool findingand it all started with the examination of specimens that have been waiting in herbaria for as long as a half-century for someone to come along and take a closer look."

Significance of herbarium collections

Bucknell's own Wayne E. Manning Herbarium, which holds approximately 25,000 plant specimens, now includes new samples of the Tanami bush tomato. But the official holotype remains at the Northern Territory Herbarium in Palmerstonalmost 10,000 miles away from Bucknell's campus.

"The Manning Herbarium may be small, but every specimen is a snapshot of biodiversity," Martine says. "These collections allow us to study where species occur, how they've changed over time, andin cases like thiseven help discover new ones."

The publication of the new species comes amid broader concern over the fate of natural history collections, such as Duke University's recently announced closure of its herbarium housing more than 800,000 specimens. Martine and his colleagues agree that such closures could hinder future discoveries and conservation efforts.

Martine, a leading expert on Australian bush tomatoes, was recently elected president of the Botanical Society of America. He will begin his term as president following the organization's annual meeting in August 2026.

"It still doesn't feel real and probably won't until I start my term just after Botany 2026," Martine says. "But I promise to do my best because plants are awesome and so are botanists."

Publication details Christopher T. Martine et al, A new dioecious bush tomato, Solanum nectarifolium (Solanaceae), from the northern Tanami Desert, Northern Territory, Australia, with reassessment of S. ossicruentum and a change in the circumscription of S. dioicum, PhytoKeys (2025). DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.268.169893 Journal information: PhytoKeys
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The digital maps created by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology can allow you to zoom in on coastal areas to see where companies and enterprises are located, how much value they generate, and how many employees they have. Here we see a section of Troms Harbortoday and in the year 2100, when surface temperatures have risen by 3 to 5 degrees. The pink dots represent businesses, while the red ones indicate those exposed to a 20-year flood, a relatively common event. Credit: Francis I Barre et al.

Like much of the rest of the planet, the climate in Norway is changingboth the air and the ocean are getting warmer. The weather is getting harsher at the same time as sea levels are rising, increasing the risk of storm surges and coastal flooding.

This could have devastating consequences for businesses and workplaces.

A study on this topic appears in Environmental Research Letters.

"We know that sea levels are rising due to climate change, but we don't know much about who will be affected. The purpose of this study has therefore been to identify which workplaces and businesses are actually located in these flood zones," said Francis Barre, a Ph.D. research fellow at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

He is behind the study that compares where businesses and workplaces are located, the value they create, and how vulnerable they are to storm surges in various climate scenarios.

What happens when sea levels rise and storms create surges that flood areas of commercial importance such as Alesund or Troms? Which sectors are most at risk? Is it time to move factories to safer areas?

As part of the study, Barre has created digital maps.

Users can zoom in on their own municipality and get a detailed overview of where businesses are located and which ones lie within potential flood zones.

Worst-case scenario

In the study, Barre used flood scenarios from the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) that show what would happen in the event of a 20-year storm surge, a 200-year storm surge, and a 1,000-year storm surge.

There are predictions for all three scenarios calculated on the basis of both the current sea level and a worst-case scenario, where the global temperature has risen by 35 C.

The researchers expect this to happen by the year 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rate.

"We see that the consequences of a 20-year storm surge event in the worst-case scenario are greater than those of a 1,000-year storm surge event with the current conditions," said Barre.

A 1,000-year storm surge event is an extremely high water level that can be expected to occur on average every thousand years. The closest we have come to this type of storm surge in modern times was in February 2020 when Hurricane Elsa caused storm surges in Agder, Western Norway and Trndelag.

A record-high water level was recorded in Maly, Bryggen in Bergen was flooded, and Trondheim harbor was submerged.

"These types of extreme storm surges may become commonplace. It's a very scary prospect," noted Barre.

However, he emphasizes that we are talking about extremes here.

"This is a scenario in which we have done nothing to stop greenhouse gas emissions, so it really highlights the importance of reducing them."

Assets worth NOK 12.6 billion could be lost

The results show that the largest assets at risk are in the service sector (such as trade and transport) and public administration. If the worst-case scenario were to occur, the gross value added (GVA) that would be exposed to storm surges and flooding in these sectors currently amounts to NOK 3.3 and 4.1 billion per year, respectively.

The totals are lower for agriculture and fisheries, but approximately 15% of the value added in this sector is vulnerable to storm surges, mostly related to the aquaculture industry.

Based on the current climate conditions, only 0.2% of Norway's total value added is at risk of flooding caused by storm surges. However, if the worst-case scenario were to occur, 3.7% of the country's value added would be at risk.

Based on current figures, this corresponds to NOK 12.6 billion in value added.

Vulnerable oil and gas industry

Barre emphasizes that the study is based on figures for the current economic situation.

"I haven't looked at what happens if businesses start moving away from at-risk areas, or if municipalities begin building flood defenses. What the figures actually show is the extent to which the Norwegian economy will need to adapt to new risks," explained Barre.

He has also investigated how businesses and the economy are indirectly exposed to flood risk due to parts of the value chain being located in vulnerable areas. In this scenario, the figures are even higher.

"The sector that stands out here is the oil and gas industry. Despite extraction taking place offshore, the industry relies on an onshore supply sector.

As a result, the oil and gas industry is also exposed to risk as sea levels rise.

"This says something about the vulnerability of these sectors," added Barre.

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Can be used for local planning

Barre believes local authorities could benefit greatly from the study, by using it to analyze vulnerability to coastal flooding in their own areas.

"For example, it can help them prioritize the building of flood defenses in the most vulnerable areas, where most businesses are at risk," said Barre.

The study is a collaborative project between NILU and NTNU. The Norwegian Mapping Authority has contributed map data on storm surge risk in various climate scenarios, and Barre has obtained financial data for the businesses from the Brnnysund Register Centre.

"The Brnnysund Register Centre has been an invaluable source in this study. The fact that data for every single business in the country, both public and private, can be easily accessed is unique to Norway. However, this also means the study is not as easily transferable to other countries," said Barre.

Publication details Francis I Barre et al, High resolution GDP modelling for climate risk assessments with an application to coastal flooding in Norway, Environmental Research Letters (2025). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/adf867 Journal information: Environmental Research Letters
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Many people want to try to address injustice, but don't know where to start. Some forms of injustice can be addressed by donating money to charities or aid organizations. However, as the American political theorist Iris Marion Young argued, many of the most serious injustices in the world are structural and require political solutions.

Structural injustices are not the result of people deliberately acting wrongly, but instead come about when large numbers of people act in tiny, normal and morally acceptable ways. Without necessarily meaning to, they help perpetuate injustices such as sweatshop labor, as well as factors that lead to poverty and climate change. We might say that these injustices are baked into society.

Individual effortsfor example, by buying less, donating to charity or buying ethical alternativescan't solve these problems entirely. The structures will remain unchanged without political action. Becoming an activist is a way of taking up what philosophers call our "political responsibility" for structural injustice.

But despite all the injustice in the world, and the pressure from social media to care loudly about every issue, devoting a significant amount of time to activism isn't achievable for everyone.

Most peopleespecially those with caring responsibilitieshave scarce free time to develop the requisite knowledge about the political issues or the relevant skills to take part. People also need to manage the practicalities of activism, such as attending a demonstration or participating in a letter-writing campaign. Some forms of activism also require skills, such as speaking in public or expressing political views online.

If this sounds intimidating, here are three small ways you can help tackle injustice.

1. Activism light

Getting involved in activism doesn't have to be a full-time job. For those with other commitments, it's still better to do something rather than nothing. This might mean engaging in small ways around other commitments, for example, by attending occasional protests or posting political content on social media.

You might worry that this route is minimally effective, and engaging in what may appear to be tokenistic activity is certainly a concern here if that time could be better spent on more effective alternatives.

But lots of small actions can quickly add up when they take place as part of a collective effort. Engaging in smaller forms of activism can also provide learning opportunities. Small actions can help skill you up to participate more effectively in more complicated and demanding forms of activism in the future.

2. Work within existing social roles

A second way to address structural injustice without becoming activists comes from the ethicist Robin Zheng. Zheng argues that we can alter unjust structures by pushing the boundaries of our existing social roles.

We all occupy various social roles, such as parent, teacher or friend. As these roles are part of the social structures we live in, performing these roles with "a raised consciousness" can help challenge injustice from where we already are.

This doesn't have to be by doing anything additional, but by doing what we already dodifferently. For example, as teachers we might educate our students on the injustice of sweatshop labor, or as parents we might prioritize gender equality in raising our children.

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3. Be a scaffolder

Finally, you might support the activism of others without engaging in activism yourself. This (often unrecognized) work is vital for the success of collective political action. Without it, activism would be more burdensome for activists, and much activism would simply not occur.

Take, for example, the role of many ordinary citizens within Black communities during the 1960s struggle for civil rights in the US who supported activists without engaging in activism themselves. Rather than attending protests, many supported the actions of those who did, through supplying food, transport or places to stay.

Engaging in scaffolding could be as simple as looking after someone's child so that they can attend a protest, or providing protesters with food or coffee.

Scaffolding can still take place even if you don't come into contact with activists in your everyday life. Campaigns exist where people can sponsor activists by organizing training, covering the costs of childcare and transportation, or even paying the bail of those detained while protesting.

Supporting activism at a distance without providing financial contributions is more difficult. Crafting supplies for protesters is one way this can be achievedas in the case of the "pussyhats" created by knitting circles around the world for attendees at the Women's March on Washington.

Challenging unjust structures can seem daunting, but it is something we can all do without becoming full-time activists.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Credit: cottonbro studio from Pexels

It's that time of year when the internet turns into a giant group chat about self-improvement. New year, new you. Better habits. Better boundaries. A year older, and maybe wiser.

Right on cue, the wisdom hucksters appear. They are the "one weird trick" crowdthe gurus with a microphone, a smirk and a promise of instant ascendance if you just buy the book, sign up for the training program, use their AI tool or subscribe to their Substack.

But there is no "enlightenment pill" that works overnight and never wears off. The evidence points in the other direction: wisdom isn't a permanent halo you wear. It's a set of mental processes you can practiceand losedepending on whether it's a calm Tuesday or a stressful Sunday.

To understand why we often fail to be wise when we need it most, we must stop treating wisdom like a fixed personality trait.

What is wisdom?

In modern psychology, wisdom isn't an ethereal, mystical quality. It's made of specific metacognitive skillsmental processes that help us navigate the crazy uncertain world we live in. These include:

Intellectual humility: Admitting you could be wrong or that your knowledge is limited.

Recognition of uncertainty: Understanding that situations can unfold in many different ways.

Consideration of diverse viewpoints: The ability to see how a situation looks from another side.

Integration and compromise: Searching for solutions that balance competing interests rather than just scoring points.

These mental processes are ways of thinking that matter when life gets messywhether dealing with interpersonal conflict, political disagreement or financial challenges. But here is where the "magic pill" story starts to collapse.

Wisdom isn't a fixed personality trait

If you have ever successfully navigated a complex political disagreement at work on a Thursday, only to lose your temper over a broken dishwasher on a Sunday, you know that wisdom doesn't work like a software update.

For a long time, psychologists treated wisdom as a stable personality trait, as something you have, like blue eyes or extraversion. The assumption is that if you measure a person once, you've basically captured who they are.

But major scientific advances, including a new yearlong study our team just conducted, suggest that this is exactly where the culture goes wrong.

We often use static snapshots to make big claims about how people change over time. This practice risks committing an "ecological fallacy," which is the trap of assuming that what makes one person different from another (between-person differences) explains how a single person changes over time (within-person change).

Translation: Just because "wiser people" on average are doing better doesn't mean each individual becomes wiser in the same way, on the same timeline or for the same reasons.

New research: Wisdom acts like a system

To test this idea, our team conducted a year-long, multi-wave study of nearly 500 North American adults. The results recently appeared in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

We asked participants to reflect on real adversitiessocial conflicts, health scares, job lossesas they occurred over the course of a year.

Participants rated their use of four core wisdom features: intellectual humility, recognizing uncertainty and change, consideration of diverse viewpoints and searching for compromise.

The headline results are disruptive for anyone selling instant transformation.

First, wisdom fluctuates. While personality traits like extraversion or neuroticism remained stable, wisdom features fluctuated significantly from moment to moment. You can be wise on Thursday and a fool on Sunday.

Second, it's a network, not a monolith. We found that wisdom is best modeled as a network of loosely interconnected skills rather than a single underlying "wisdom trait."

Third, context matters. People were generally wiser when reflecting on social conflicts than when dealing with personal health issues or trauma.

Most importantly, we found that patterns between people didn't match patterns within individuals over time. What predicts who is generally wiser doesn't necessarily predict how individuals become wiser.

Therefore, if you've ever thought to yourself "I know what the wise thing is why can't I do it when I'm emotional?"congratulations! Your lived experience is more scientifically accurate than half the pop-science advice market.

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The good news about wisdom

If wisdom isn't an update you install, is there anything you can actually do?

Yes. In our yearlong study, we found a specific predictor of growth. When people reported higher-than-usual self-distancing at one point in time, they reported higher levels of wisdom-related features three months later.

In other words, when people step back and view a difficult situation from a third-person perspective, they are more likely to reason wisely in the future, including by practicing intellectual humility, searching for compromise and recognizing uncertainty and change.

That finding is correlational. But in a separate experiment published in Psychological Science, we tested whether training in distanced reflection changes wise reasoning.

For one month, participants kept a daily diary about the most important issues of the day. One group wrote typically (first-person), while the other group was trained to write about their daily challenges using the third-person (for example, asking "What did Chris feel?" rather than "What did I feel?").

The result? The group trained in distanced reflection showed significant increases in wise reasoning about interpersonal challenges compared with the control group. This shift in language helped broaden their self-focus, breaking the egocentric cycle that often blocks wisdom.

How to practice wisdom (no app required)

So, what do you do practically when life gets heated? Based on this research, here's a toolkit of repeatable practices for spiraling arguments, regrets or looming decisions in the year ahead:

1. Practice self-distancing. Instead of asking "Why am I like this?" try asking "What is [Your Name] missing right now?" It might feel awkward, but it helps with your mental geometry: you are widening the frame.

2. Ask the humility question. Ask yourself: "What would change my mind here?" If the answer is "nothing," you aren't reasoning but defending a position.

3. Allow two truths to coexist. Wisdom is rarely a knockout punch; it is usually an integration. Ask: "What is true on my side, and what might be true on theirs?"

Will this make you instantly wise forever? No. That's the point. Wisdom is closer to physical fitness than a magic pill: it is trainable, context-dependent and annoyingly easy to lose when you're tired, stressed or flooded with emotion.

The more evidence we gather, the clearer the message: if someone is promising enlightenment now, they aren't teaching wisdom. They are selling false certainty. And certainty is often the opposite of what wisdom requires.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
A discourse on Everest by Ashok Silwal was held in Kathmandu. Organized by Lekhan Kunja, the discourse connected words, mountains, and life, and participants described it as offering a fresh taste and style.

The discourse took place at Kunja Theatre in Thapagaun, where analyst Dambar Khatiwada opened the session. Tracing the writers journey, Khatiwada positioned Ashok Silwal as the author of Everest, after which the discussion focused on the book itself. Soon after, the authors seven-year-old son, Trishan, sang 'Lekka Hami Ketaketi.' The continuous applause from the audience created a feeling as if the entire theatre had reached Everest itself.

During the discourse, the atmosphere grew emotional when the authors teenage daughter, Aditi, shared her reflections as a writing observer. Malisha Sharma and others recited reviews of the book from foreign readers. The program was chaired by cultural expert Dr. Nirmala Pokharel. Savyata Nepal, Indira Neupane, Shakuntala Devkota, Manoj KC, Kamal Dhakal, and Shekhar Kharel engaged in insightful discussions on the many dimensions of the book.

Earlier, Everest, with the subtitle An Unfinished Story, was launched at the International Mountain Museum in the lap of Machhapuchhre, with Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, and Manaslu- three peaks over 8,000 meters- as its backdrop. Before that, Everest had been unveiled in Kyanjing, the last village in the Langtang region at an altitude of nearly 4,000 meters. 'Although Everest is based on the worlds highest peak, it is a journey toward the ground and at the same time a journey of emotions and geography,' said Silwal, who is also a Langtang Goodwill Ambassador.

Everest is Silwals fifth book. A Nepal guide and documentary filmmaker, Silwal has previously published Kalam, Lekhako Duniya, Sri Lanka Smriti, and the spiritually centered Kailash book Appo Deepo Bhavah.

During the discourse program, author Silwal also honored the newly elected executive committee of the Women Tourism Entrepreneurs Network, including President Jaya Baral, Secretary Sushma Tamang, and members Laxmi Karki and Geeta Sharma. Additionally, Everests book designer, Nagendra Lama, was also honored at the event.
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo releases Mexicos position statement on Venezuela

Mexico City, Mexico  I would like to read a statement regarding what happened in Venezuela a few days ago. Although we have already issued a statement, I would like to read a more detailed one, President Sheinbaum said Monday.

In an official statement Monday, she said Mexicos position against any form of intervention is firm, clear and historic. In light of recent events in Venezuela where the United States government carried out a direct intervention that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, as well as the loss of human lives, Mexico reaffirms a principle that is not new and admits no ambiguity.

We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries.

The history of Latin America is clear and compelling: intervention has never brought democracy, never generated well-being, nor lasting stability.

Only the people can build their own future, decide their path, exercise sovereignty over their natural resources, and freely define their form of government.

Our position is clearly enshrined in the Constitution of the United Mexican States, but it is not merely a national principle. The Charter of the United Nations and international law unequivocally establish respect for the sovereignty of states, their territorial integrity, and the right of peoples to self-determination.

Therefore, we state clearly that for Mexico, and so it must be for all Mexicans: the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples are not optional or negotiable, they are fundamental principles of international law and must always be respected without exception.

President Sheinbaum and Trump December 5, 2025.

Unilateral action and invasion cannot be the basis of international relations in the 21st century. They lead neither to peace nor to development.

In 1796, George Washington called for good faith and justice toward all nations and for the cultivation of peace and harmony among all.

The continent faces new challenges. Global economic competition, particularly in the face of Asias growth, is not established through the use of force to subjugate other peoples, but through cooperation for development, productive investment, innovation, education and social welfare.

We maintain that the American continent can and must move toward a new vision, one based on cooperation, not intervention. This specifically implies:

First, full respect for the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples. Each nation has the inalienable right to decide its political, economic, and social model, without external pressures.

Second, productive investment geared toward development in infrastructure, energy, transportation, education, science and technology. Development is built.

Third, a regional economic integration based on shared production chains, fair trade and benefits for all countries of the continent that allows us to be self-sufficient, as a region, while competing against the growth of Asia.

Fourth, social welfare as the central axis of development, economic growth that does not reduce inequalities or poverty, cannot be considered true progress.

President Sheinbaum released her position statement Monday, January 5, 2026.

Fifth, ongoing dialogue between equals. The stability of the hemisphere is built on understanding, cooperation, and mutual respect.

Mexico firmly believes that America belongs neither to a doctrine nor to a single power. The American continent belongs to the people of each of the countries that comprise it.

Lincoln defined democracy as government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Benito Juarez clearly established that among individuals as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace.

That is the vision we defend and will continue to uphold: economic integration of the continent and cooperation with respect for sovereignty.

Regarding the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime. In recent months we have established an understanding with the United States based on four principles:

Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Shared and differentiated responsibility.

Mutual respect and trust.

And cooperation, without subordination.

Mexico cooperates with the United States, including for humanitarian reasons, to prevent fentanyl and other drugs from reaching its population, particularly young people.

As weve said before, we dont want fentanyl or any drug to reach any young person, not in the United States, not in Mexico, not anywhere else in the world. We are acting responsibly and decisively.

For Mexico, the central objective is to reduce violence and build a lasting peace with justice in our territory.

The results are clear. A 37 percent reduction in intentional homicide, hundreds of tons of various illegal drugs seized and dozens of criminals extradited.

However, it is important to emphasize that when we talk about shared responsibility, respect and mutual trust, this violence experienced in our country has, among its causes, the illegal entry of high-powered weapons from the United States into Mexico as well as the serious problem of drug use in the neighboring country.

Similarly, we have pointed out that groups that distribute drugs and launder money in both Mexico and the United States must be firmly combated.

As Ive expressed in conversations with President Trump, addressing the root causes is also fundamental. Weve even agreed that values, family support, education and mass communication are indispensable tools for preventing drug use.

Presidents Trump and Sheinbaum December 5, 2025.

Finally, it is necessary to reaffirm that in Mexico the people rule and that we are a free, independent and sovereign country. Cooperation, yes. Subordination and intervention, no. This is the position we wanted to make known to you today.

Riviera Maya News serving Mexico headline news since 2014

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Puerto Morelos starts million peso New Year beach infrastructure projects

Puerto Morelos, Q.R.  Nearly one million pesos is being spent on a beach infrastructure project in Puerto Morelos. Mayor Blanca Merari Tziu Munoz says the projects are part of a comprehensive strategy aimed at strengthening the security, functionality, tourist services and urban image of the destination.

The money is being spent on repairing current lifeguard towers and the construction of a new information kiosk. Blanca Merari noted that the total investment for the projects amounts to 996,689 pesos.

Our beaches are one of Puerto Moreloss main assets. Thats why we invest in functional, safe infrastructure that blends with the environment, allowing us to improve service to tourists and provide greater protection for those who visit every day, she said.

The project, she explained, includes the repair of lifeguard towers, the construction of a mobile information module similar to a Window to the Sea kiosk and the building of a walkway with a wooden structure and an elevated guardhouse, using highly durable materials that have undergone special treatments for coastal environments.

Central Puerto Morelos January 1, 2026.

Mario Salinas Castro, the Secretary of Public Works, explained that the work is being carried out under technical criteria that guarantee resistance to humidity, salinity and other conditions typical of the marine environment.

We are using treated materials and construction systems suitable for coastal areas, which will allow us to extend the lifespan of the infrastructure and offer safer and more functional spaces, he said.

He explained that the comprehensive repair of the Playa Sol lifeguard tower includes the rehabilitation of railings, stairs and wooden structural elements, the placement of moldings and rehabilitation of the floor with non-slip rubber coating as well as the installation of safety treads, fixed bench and application of a protective treatment with a natural finish.

The Ventana al Mar Information Module is being built with a PTR-type metal structure, floors, walls, roof, windows and door, as well as trailer-type wheels for its mobility, reinforced drag system and wood and metal finishes, he said.

Similarly, work is underway on the Arrope Gradas de Fondo walkway where the foundation and construction of a five-meter-high trapezoidal structure will be carried out.

That project will include a base of treated zapote wood, an elevated guardhouse, safety railings, a four-sided roof with vegetation, access stairs, non-slip floors and perimeter benches, all with comprehensive treatment against humidity and insects.

Central Puerto Morelos beach January 1, 2026.

Strengthening tourism infrastructure means providing greater protection and confidence to those who visit and enjoy our beaches, as well as reinforcing the positive image of Puerto Morelos as a world-class destination, said Mayor Blanca Merari.

Riviera Maya News serving headline news for Puerto Morelos since 2014

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A couple of weeks ago, iRobot announced bankruptcy. The pathbreaking Boston-area company that makes the Roomba will now be owned by a Chinese consumer-goods manufacturer.

People argue about who is to blame for the failure of iRobot: Was it poor management decisions? Government overreach in preventing mergers? An inability to innovate? The inevitable race to the bottom of any commodity consumer good?

Regardless of the reasons, I am sad about one thing: that robot developers are missing what made the original Roomba successful.

I will try to explain what made the design of the original Roomba truly innovative, and what lessons we should take from it.

The Original Roomba

Introduced in 2002, the Roomba was the first successful consumer robot for the home.

Cheap, off-the-shelf components helped price this original Roomba at two hundred dollars so that people who needed a home vacuum could consider buying it. It worked well enough that iRobot eventually sold over forty million of them.

Completely autonomous, the Roomba only needed to be switched on. It would run all over the floor, noisily brushing and vacuuming. When it was done, you emptied its dirt chamber and plugged it in to recharge.

It had its limitations--- for example, it couldn't move furniture, confine itself to one area, or deal with carpet strings or wet messes. Its vacuum was anemic. But within these limitations, it could maintain the floor at an everyday level of cleanliness.

This original Roomba was much simpler and more elegant than today's mobile vacuum cleaning robots, including iRobot's present models and many other competing products. In fact, its internal design was fundamentally different from most other robots.

Greater than the sum

Normally, industrial robots are made robust and safe by using high-quality, expensive parts that can execute programmed motions precisely, reliably, and repeatedly. The robots are then deployed into a carefully-designed, predictable environment, with safety systems built around them. As long as they don't encounter surprises, their programs continue to work smoothly. If something goes wrong, the safety systems stop them for engineers to debug them.

But as a consumer robot built for unstructured home environments, the Roomba took a radically different approach. Its software was written in such a way that the robot could run as reliably as possible given unreliable parts and an unpredictable environment.

The Roomba didn't have enough memory to remember a map of the room. Instead of building a map, it used clever tricks to cover the available floor region, albeit inefficiently. If it encountered an obstacle, the robot could try backing up, turning, and moving to a different location. If a rotating brush failed, the Roomba might not be able to clean the floor as well as before, but it could at least keep running and do as well as it could using the remaining brush and the vacuum. The product was better than the sum of its parts.

From lab to stores

The secret to the Roomba's success was in its software. It was built using an unconventional approach originally invented by Professor Rodney Brooks in the 1980s at the MIT AI Lab. One of the researchers who spent time with Rod Brooks's mobile robot group, Joe Jones, was not actually part of the group, but someone deeply interested in this approach to building robots. Brooks had built a software library, a "behavior language," that enabled his students to program robots using this approach. Jones was one of the few people who actually used the behavior language.

Rodney Brooks co-founded iRobot, and Joe Jones joined the company as an engineer. They made money by building custom robots, eventually landing military contracts for remote-controlled PackBots. Ten years later, when the company had enough money, Joe pushed the company to develop a home vacuum cleaner, and this became the Roomba.

Behavior-based robotics

At MIT, Rodney Brooks's work in the mobile robot group was motivated by a well-known paradox: computer programs can do many so-called higher-level thinking tasks like numerical calculations, physics simulations, theorem proving, and playing chess, but they fail at many real-world tasks that seem simpler, like crawling out of a pit, that even so-called low-level animals like insects can perform with ease.

Clearly, living things over the millenia have evolved basic survival skills that are important in the real world. Something was missing in the computer science approach to building robots. Brooks was proposing an alternative approach that would at least demonstrate insect-like abilities in the real world.

Robots sense their world using cameras, sonar, and other sensors, and they act on the world via motors or other actuators. The conventional approach to building an autonomous robot was to use sensors to gather information about the world, build a model of the world using this information, think about possible actions and their effects on this model to form a plan, and then finally execute the plan on the real world by commanding the actuators to do things.

But this method failed to deal with a changing, unpredictable world that is sensed using unreliable sensors.

Instead, Brooks advocated building very simple programs that continuously gather sensor data and directly drive the actuators. Each program would achieve a single, simple goal. For example, imagine a robot with two "eyes" consisting of simple photoreceptor cells that can measure how much light falls on them. Such a robot could be made to move toward a light source by always turning it to the left if the left eye sees a brighter light, and vice versa. In software, this could be done by driving each wheel in proportion to the difference between the brightness perceived by the two eyes. This light-seeking program would be an example of a basic ability. Then, using Brooks's proposed software architecture, the programmer could compose several such different basic abilities, called "behaviors," to achieve higher-level goals.

Individual behaviors can be developed independently and added to the robot. Some behaviors are analogous to the fundamental survival skills developed by organisms early in evolution. These skills remain available while more skills are developed. The trick is in picking the right skills to use depending on the circumstances. For example, if a Roomba discovers that it is standing at the edge of a staircase, then it should stop cleaning and back up, trying a different direction. Survival is a higher priority than cleaning.

Lessons

The Roomba showed that behavior-based robotics can be a practical approach to developing autonomous robots that are actually useful and fit for purpose.

The approach is not without its challenges. It can be very difficult to figure out how exactly the different behaviors can be reconciled in a robot. The complex interplay between them can make the robot very hard to debug. Building robots is hard. Behavior-based robotics doesn't solve all the problems building robots, but it does show how certain very significant limitations can be addressed.

It's not clear whether robotic vacuums have kept the simplicity of this approach. They don't seem to have. Today's Roombas and competitors sport a great many features: cameras, network connections, phone apps, maps built using visual simultaneous localization and mapping (vSLAM), and so on. For the purposes of cleaning a floor, not all these features count as innovations. Some might be necessary (longer-lived batteries and a more powerful vacuum), but others might be unnecessary dead weight.

In the heat of retail competition and the pursuit of growth, it can be hard to keep your eye on the ball. When trading off advantages and costs, you have to remain true to your architecture. The simplicity of the original Roomba was a virtue.
One Battle After Another was among the big winners at this year's Critics Choice Awards, taking home the Best Picture prize.

One Battle After Another wins big at Critics Choice Awards 2026

Paul Thomas Anderson's black comedy action thriller picked up the biggest accolade on the night, as well as Best Adapted Screenplay, and the filmmaker also scooped the Best Director gong at the ceremony at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California on Sunday night (04.01.26).

One Battle After Another defeated Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Jay Kelly, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, Sinners, Train Dreams, and Wicked: For Good to win the Best Picture prize, and Anderson admitted he had the "best time" making the motion picture.

After accepting the Best Picture award, he said: "This is really fantastic, fantastic news. We'll take it.

"A lot of great films. It's great to be in this room. It's great to be a part of all of this. It's great to have this cast behind me.

"I'd say this is the best time I ever had making a movie, and I feel like it shows.

"It's just a testament to being with people that you love.

"Because as somebody said earlier, this is fine and this is fun, but it really is about the people that you work with. That's all that there is at the end of the day."

While the movie won the main prize of the night, it lost out in the Best Actress and Best Actor categories.

Hamnet's Jessie Buckley triumphed over One Battle After Another's Chase Infiniti, as well as If I Had Legs Id Kick You's Rose Byrne, Sentimental Value star Renate Reinsve, The Testament of Ann Lee actress Amanda Seyfried and Bugonia's Emma Stone.

In her acceptance speech, Jessie gushed over co-star Paul Mescal, saying: "I bloody love you, man.

"I know loads of other women do too, but tough s**t.

"I could drink you like water, working with you every single day.

"You are a giant of the heart. Thank you so much for making me a little bit more human."

Marty Supreme star Timothee Chalamet saw off competition from One Battle After Another's Leonardo DiCaprio in the Best Actor category, and he proclaimed his love for his girlfriend Kylie Jenner.

Other big winners on the night included Netflix megahit Adolescence, which picked up the Best Limited Series accolade as well as three acting awards.

Stephen Graham won Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television, 16-year-old Owen Cooper triumphed in the Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television category, and their co-star Erin Doherty won Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television.

Sinners also had a quadruple success.

Director Ryan Coogler won Best Original Screenplay, and Miles Caton triumphed in the Best Young Actor/ Actress category.

What's more, Ludwig Goransson tasted Best Score victory for his movie soundtrack, and the motion picture's Francine Maisler won Best Casting and Ensemble.

Elsewhere, The Pitt and The Studio both scored hat-tricks at this year's Critics Choice Awards.

The Pitt won Best Drama Series, and Noah Wyle landed the Best Actor in a Drama Series accolade, while his co-star Katherine LaNasa took home the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series gong.

The Studio also got off to a strong start in 2026, winning Best Comedy Series, and Seth Rogen and Ike Barinholtz won Best Actor in a Comedy Series and Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series respectively.

Critics Choice Awards 2026: Winners List

Best Picture

One Battle After Another

Best Actor

Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

Best Original Screenplay

Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Best Adapted Screenplay

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

Best Stunt Design

Wade Eastwood, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

Best Score

Ludwig Goransson, Sinners

Best Movie Made for Television

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

Best Variety Series

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Best Animated Feature

KPop Demon Hunters

Best Song

Golden - Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy - KPop Demon Hunters

Best Drama Series

The Pitt

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Noah Wyle, The Pitt

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Tramell Tillman, Severance

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Madigan, Weapons

Best Supporting Actor

Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

Best Comedy Series

The Studio

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Jean Smart, Hacks

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Seth Rogen, The Studio

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Ike Barinholtz, The Studio

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Janelle James, Abbott Elementary

Best Talk Show

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Best Casting and Ensemble

Francine Maisler, Sinners

Best Limited Series

Adolescence

Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Sarah Snook, All Her Fault

Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Stephen Graham, Adolescence

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Owen Cooper, Adolescence

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Erin Doherty, Adolescence

Best Young Actor / Actress

Miles Caton, Sinners

Best Foreign Language Film

The Secret Agent

Best Comedy

The Naked Gun

Best Foreign Language Series

Squid Game

Best Animated Series

South Park

Best Cinematography

Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams

Best Comedy Special

SNL50: The Anniversary Special

Best Production Design

Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau, Frankenstein

Best Editing

Stephen Mirrione, F1

Best Costume Design

Kate Hawley, Frankenstein

Best Hair and Makeup

Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey, Frankenstein

Best Visual Effects

Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett, Avatar: Fire and Ash

Best Sound

Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John - F1
One condo owner was aghast when they learned of the extremely limited heating and cooling options available in their building.

Desperate for a way to lower their energy bills, they turned to Reddit for advice.

"Association doesn't allow outside condensers, splits, etc.," they said in their post. "The condo in question has kerosene heat, radiant electric in the ceiling, and two wall-mounted AC units. There's gas across the street, but no connection to the condos. Electric bill was $900 for Dec. 2022 in a neighbor's unit."

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Even accounting for high energy costs, though, $900 is extreme, so it is easy to see why the original poster felt that the situation in their condo was unfair.

"Now I was told we can only install wall-mounted heat/AC units from Home Depot," they said in a comment. "Apparently someone recently installed central AC with a condenser and they sued him. Then he had to remove it.  What planet is this?"

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Ultimately, the original poster decided to get creative.

"In the short-term I am going to get a SpacePak high-velocity system with an electric heater. That will solve the heating problem for now  then I can bolt on a condenser or heat pump," they said in another comment.

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On January 4, 2026, President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin over a fire disaster in Switzerland's Valais Canton.

Xi Jinping said that he was shocked to learn that a serious fire in Crans-Montana, a town in the Valais Canton of Switzerland, had unfortunately caused heavy casualties. On behalf of the Chinese government and people, he extended deep condolences to the victims and expressed sincere sympathies to the bereaved families, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
On the morning of January 5, 2026, President Xi Jinping met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin, who is on an official visit to China.

President Xi Jinping noted that both China and Ireland are peace-loving, open, inclusive, self-reliant and enterprising. The two countries achieved independence and national liberation through the struggle of the people, and have advanced toward modernization with the hard work of one generation after another. Since establishing the strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation in 2012, the two countries have seen bilateral trade quadruple, two-way investment grow in a balanced manner, and mutual goodwill between the two peoples as they work to make their countries better. Mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit are valuable experience gathered from long-term steady development of China-Ireland relations. The two sides should jointly pass them down and carry them forward. China is ready to work with Ireland to strengthen strategic communication, deepen political mutual trust and expand practical cooperation, to deliver more benefits to the two peoples and provide more impetus for China-Europe relations.

President Xi Jinping underlined the need for China and Ireland to maintain friendly exchanges at multiple levels and in different fields, continuously enhance communication and understanding, accommodate each others core interests and major concerns, cement political mutual trust, and consolidate the political foundation of bilateral relations. This year marks the beginning of Chinas 15th Five-Year Plan period. Over the next five years, China will continue to promote high-quality development and expand high-standard opening-up. China stands ready to work with Ireland to step up economic and trade cooperation, seek synergy of development strategies in such areas as artificial intelligence, the digital economy, and pharmaceuticals and health, and encourage two-way investment, so as to draw on each others strengths, share opportunities, and pursue common development. The two sides need to strengthen cooperation in education, culture and tourism, and foster closer people-to-people bonds. China welcomes more Irish youth to come to China for study and exchanges.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that the world today is undergoing changes and turbulence. Unilateral and bullying acts are dealing a serious blow to the international order. All countries should respect other countries development paths chosen independently by their people, and observe international law and the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter. Major countries, in particular, should lead by example. Both China and Ireland support multilateralism and advocate international fairness and justice. The two sides should strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs, jointly uphold the authority of the U.N., and work for a more just and equitable global governance system. China and the EU should keep a long-term perspective, stay committed to working together as partners, view and handle differences in an objective and rational way, and pursue mutually beneficial cooperation. Ireland will hold the rotating EU presidency in the second half of the year. It is hoped that Ireland will play a constructive role for the sound and steady growth of China-EU relations.

Taoiseach Martin noted that Ireland and China enjoy a deep and long-standing friendship, and that economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries have strengthened enormously. President Xi Jinping paid a successful visit to Ireland in 2012, laying a solid foundation for the growth of the Ireland-China strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation in recent years. It is admirable that China has effectively formulated and implemented long-term national development strategies and produced major achievements. Ireland unequivocally subscribes to the one-China policy and is committed to strengthening and growing the strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. Ireland stands ready to deepen cooperation with China in such areas as trade, investment, science and technology, biomedicine, renewable energy, artificial intelligence and education. China plays an indispensable role in international affairs, and has made positive contributions to upholding the authority of the U.N. and promoting world peace. All international disputes should be settled in accordance with international law. Ireland would like to maintain close communication and coordination with China to safeguard international law, uphold free and open trade, and promote world prosperity and stability. It is important for EU-China relations to maintain steady growth. Ireland is ready to play a constructive role for the sound development of EU-China relations.

Wang Yi was present at the meeting.
On the afternoon of January 5, 2026, President Xi Jinping held talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with President Lee Jae Myung of the Republic of Korea, who is on a state visit to China.

President Xi Jinping offered sincere New Year wishes to the ROK People. President Xi Jinping pointed out that he and President Lee Jae Myung have met twice and exchanged visits, demonstrating the importance both sides attach to China-ROK relations. As friends and neighbors, China and the ROK should conduct more frequent exchanges and closer communication. The Chinese side has always viewed its relationship with the ROK as a matter of importance in its neighborhood diplomacy, and Chinas policy on the ROK has maintained continuity and stability. China stands ready to work with the ROK to steer the course of friendly cooperation, promote mutual benefit and win-win results, and bring the China-ROK strategic cooperative partnership forward along the track of sound development, so as to deliver tangible benefits to both peoples and inject positive energy into peace and development of the region and the wider world.

President Xi Jinping stressed that China and the ROK have long cherished peace and upheld harmony without uniformity, transcended differences in social system and ideology, and achieved mutual success and shared progress. The two sides should carry forward this fine tradition, continue to enhance mutual trust, respect each others choices of development path, accommodate each others core interests and major concerns, and stay committed to properly resolving differences through dialogue and consultation. The fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee deliberated on and adopted the recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan, laying out a blueprint for Chinas development in the coming five years while providing vast opportunities for countries around the world. China and the ROK have close economic ties, deeply integrated industrial and supply chains and mutually beneficial cooperation. The two countries should foster greater synergy between development strategies, strengthen policy coordination, make the pie of common interests bigger, and deliver more cooperation outcomes in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, green industries and the silver economy. It is important for the two sides to boost people-to-people exchanges and intensify interactions at the subnational level and in such areas as youth, media, sports, and think tanks, so that the bilateral relations will enjoy strong public favor.

President Xi Jinping noted that as changes unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace, the world is undergoing greater transformation and turbulence. China and the ROK shoulder important responsibilities in safeguarding regional peace and promoting global development. Both countries, with broad common interests, should stand firmly on the right side of history and make correct strategic choices. Over 80 years ago, China and the ROK made great sacrifices in resisting Japanese militarism and achieved the victory. Today, it is all the more important for the two sides to join hands to defend the victorious outcomes of World War II, and safeguard peace and stability of Northeast Asia. Having benefited from economic globalization, China and the ROK should jointly oppose protectionism, practice true multilateralism and contribute to building an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

President Lee Jae Myung sent best New Year wishes to the Chinese people. President Lee Jae Myung noted that the ROK and China are close neighbors with long-standing ties. The two countries stood together against Japanese militarist aggression, and the ROK side appreciates Chinas protection of former sites of the Korean Independence Movement in China. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have fostered close ties of cooperation with fruitful results. The ROK side attaches great importance to its relations with China. Taking the first event of heads-of-state diplomacy in the new year as an opportunity, the ROK side is ready to cement the momentum of a full recovery of bilateral ties, seek common ground while putting aside differences, deepen the ROK-China strategic cooperative partnership, and work with China to open up new prospects of the bilateral relationship. The ROK side respects Chinas core interests and major concerns and stays committed to the one-China stance. Economic and trade cooperation between the ROK and China has contributed to the economic and social development of each side. The ROK looks forward to seizing the opportunities brought by Chinas 15th Five-Year Plan and working for more outcomes of bilateral practical cooperation. The two countries should promote exchanges between the two peoples, and enhance understanding and mutual trust. The ROK stands ready to strengthen multilateral coordination with China to contribute to the prosperity and development of the world. He wished the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting to be hosted by China this year a full success.

After the talks, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of 15 cooperation documents in science and technology, ecological environment, transportation, economy and trade, among others.

Prior to the talks, President Xi Jinping and his wife, Madame Peng Liyuan, held a welcoming ceremony for President Lee Jae Myung and his wife, Madame Kim Hye Kyung, in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People.

As President Lee Jae Myung arrived, a guard of honor lined up in salutation. The two heads of state stepped onto a stand, after which a military band played the national anthems of China and the ROK as a 21-gun was fired in Tiananmen Square. President Lee Jae Myung reviewed the guard of honor of the Peoples Liberation Army and watched the march-past in President Xi Jinpings company.

In the evening, President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan hosted a welcome banquet for President Lee Jae Myung and Madame Kim Hye Kyung in the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People.

Wang Yi was present at the above events.
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President Donald Trumps military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is flatly illegal under international law and almost certainly illegal under federal lawan unauthorized use of force against a foreign nation that pushes executive power past its breaking point. Yet there is no real chance that the courts will curb it, even as the mission evolves into a possible occupation of Venezuela and an expansion of hostilities to its neighbors. Nor is there any signal that Congress will impose restraints on what appears to be the dawn of a new conflict overseas, surrendering its constitutional war powers to Trump without objection. And even if Congress does try to assert its authority to oversee (or end) military action in South America, it will face an uphill battle in a judiciary that persistently favors the commander in chief.

This inversion of our constitutional order sets a perilous precedent that even many celebrating Maduros fall may come to regret. It marks the death knell of the postWorld War II settlement that, however imperfect, wrestled the anarchy of war into a framework designed to condition armed aggression on legal justification. The executive branchs consolidation of power now reverberates far beyond the United States shores as a saber-rattling president abandons any pretense that the law can constrain his resort to military force. Indeed, the legal theories the administration has floated to defend its actions draw on a historical source Trump once disavowed: the arch-interventionist claim that the U.S. has an inalienable right to police the world.

It is difficult to tally all the ways in which the Maduro operation was illegal, but start with a point that few dispute: This act violated international law. Trumps invasion of Venezuela to capture its president cannot be squared with Article 2(4) of the U.N. Charter, which bars member nations from deploying the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. This principlethe most important rule of international law todayshould bind the United States, which ratified the charter in 1945. And it clearly prohibits the American government from invading another country to make an arrest.

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Yet Mike Waltz, Trumps ambassador to the United Nations, did not even pretend that the administration complied with Article 2(4) in his address to the U.N. Security Council on Monday. Instead, Waltz rejected the premise that this rule should apply to Venezuela at all, because Maduro was an illegitimate narco-terrorist and fugitive from justice. Of course, if a country can disregard the U.N. Charter whenever it concludes that another nations leaders have given up their claim to territorial integrity or political independence, then the charter means nothing. Arguably worse was Waltzs insistence that Venezuelas vast energy reserves also justified the action, a motive Trump has laid bare from the start. It should go without saying that the charter does not, under any circumstances, permit one nation to invade another to secure control over its natural resources.

So what is the governments legal defense of its military incursion into Venezuela? The administration purports to be following the Panama precedent of 1989when President George H.W. Bush ordered the military invasion of Panama to arrest its dictator, Manuel Noriega, ostensibly so he could stand trial in the U.S. But this episode was not approved by Congress (which found out just hours before) or the U.N. (which condemned it) or a federal court (which never passed on its legality). Instead, the Department of Justices Office of Legal Counsel justified the aggression in a secret memo signed by William Barr, who would go on to serve as attorney general for the first Bush and Trump.

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In that memo, Barr claimed that the president has inherent constitutional authority to conduct extraterritorial arrests for violations of U.S. law. Even if those arrests require complex military incursions into foreign nations, he wrote, they remain within the presidents inherent powers and do not require congressional approval. Barr further asserted that these arrests did not have to comply with Article 2(4) of the U.N. Charter. That provision, he wrote, does not actually bind the executive branch because it is not self-executing, freeing the commander in chief to disregard it.

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This conclusion was obviously wrong: Even if the charter cannot be enforced by federal courts, it remains binding on the executive branch and is a law that the president has a constitutional duty to faithfully execute. The memo was so absurd, in fact, that the DOJ did everything in its power to conceal it, as New York University law professor Ryan Goodman has documented. After Congress demanded to see Barrs memo, the department refused, even failing to comply with a subpoena ordering its disclosure. When Barr eventually testified about its contents under oath, he omitted its assertion that the president can override the U.N. Charter (a legal justification that made up a mere four paragraphs). The Clinton administration finally released the memo in 1993, and in the years since, legal experts have derided it as deeply counterintuitive and indefensible, fundamentally flawed, preposterous, and utterly bereft of citation to supporting authority.

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Related From Slate Its Painfully Clear What Trumps Attack on Venezuela Is All About Read More

But embrace, for a moment, the nihilism of Barrs memo and assume that international law imposes no legitimate constraints on the presidents use of force. Even then, Trumps actions in Venezuela would still be illegalor, most generously, an egregious distortion of the constitutional war powers. It is Congress, after all, that has the authority to declare war and must authorize use of military force. The president is the commander in chief, the civilian leader of the armed forces, but he holds no independent power to commence hostilities. Needless to say, Congress has neither declared war on Venezuela nor authorized military force within its borders.

From where, then, did Trump derive authority to invade Venezuela? As Harvard Law professor Jack Goldsmith has explained, the administration evidently contrived it from its desire to arrest Maduro on federal charges. The logic goes like this: The DOJ sought to take the dictator into custody on charges of drug trafficking. It could do so only by storming Venezuela. That operation would require protection from the military. And as a matter of unit self-defense, these accompanying troops had a right to bomb, shoot, and otherwise overwhelm any threats to the mission through lethal force. This rationale is quintessential bootstrapping: The alleged goal of trying Maduro in the U.S. gives Trump permission to launch a hostile incursion into a sovereign nation, whose ramifications may well give rise to a broader regional conflict.

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Georgetown Law professor and Slate contributor Steve Vladeck has laid out the danger of this shameless maneuver: It subverts the constitutional order by allowing the president to set off offensive military operations under the pretext of carrying out an arrest warrant on foreign soil. If troops face any resistance, they can escalate with further use of force, sliding quickly toward warall without authorization from the legislative branch. So the Trump administrations apparent rationale is less of a loophole than a complete end run around Congress war powers with no limiting principle in sight.

Despite all this, no one seriously thinks that any federal court will slow or stop Trumps attacks in Venezuela and its neighbors. Americans seem to have consigned ourselves to the reality that legal constraints on the commander in chiefs operational decisions are entirely theoretical, with no meaningful mechanism for enforcement. Congress has handed over to the president more and more of its authority over foreign affairs. The Supreme Court has persistently forbidden federal judges from second-guessing the executive branchs use of military force. (Thats why the Trump administrations legal defense comes not from a court decision but from a self-serving opinion produced by the Department of Justice.) And the rest of the world has no means to secure accountability for the United States, which does not even recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

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So Trump, already a unitary executive at home, becomes a kind of ersatz emperor abroad, bound by no law of nations, no treaty or charter, no checks but those he elects to honor. The postWorld War II consensus, as enshrined in the U.N. Charter, rejected this kind of unbridled aggression as an invitation to perpetual conflict. Trump, in turn, rejects that consensus. It may be tempting to ignore the consequences of this radical new doctrine when it is wielded against an illegitimate dictator like Maduro. But Trump is already threatening action against Colombia, Cuba, Iran, and even Mexico, a liberal democracy with a legitimately elected president. The end point, it seems, is whatever this president says it is. That theory of American dominance does not merely push legal limits. It subordinates law to the logic of conquest.
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Donald Trumps moves to invade Venezuela, abduct its president and first lady, invite global corporations to exploit its resources, and leave the nations feckless authoritarian regime largely intact range from blatantly illegal to facially insane. And the MAGA response to them is the most illustrative yet of the movements utter ideological and moral bankruptcy. This is a president who promised to put America first: He ran on isolationism, as well as an end to the era of wars of choice, foreign quagmires, and the U.S. as the worlds police officer. What Trump has offered instead: wars of choice, with America as the worlds plundererand his followers not only cheer but invent ridiculous pretexts to defend this utterly unjustifiable move.

Trump is clear: He does not care about restoring democratic governance to Venezuela. He doesnt like Nicolas Maduro and wanted the spectacle of bringing him to the U.S. in handcuffs. He does like Venezuelan oil, and because he believes that American military power should allow him to grab whatever hed like, he plans to take a lot of it. The administration likes to accuse Venezuela of flooding the U.S. with drugs, and in theory thats one of the reasons Maduro is being prosecutedbut the former president of Honduras faced similar charges and received a pardon from Trump. The president says the U.S. plans to run Venezuela for  well, how long is unclear. He doesnt plan to give a helping hand to Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who observers say won last years election but saw it stolen by the Maduro regime. She also recently won the Nobel Peace Prize that Trump believes he deserved, and her accepting it instead of refusing it and saying it should go to Trump is, according to some insiders, the reason hes hanging her out to dry. (If she had turned it down and said, I cant accept it because its Donald Trumps, shed be the president of Venezuela today, one source told the Washington Post.) Instead, hes backing Maduros No. 2, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, whom Trump sees as more amenable to American oil interests.

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In other words: Hes keeping Maduros disastrous despotic regime in place, just with a new figurehead. There seems to be no real plan to extract the U.S. from Venezuela. And now the president and his lackeys are threatening to invade other countries too: Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Greenland.

This flies in the face of everything MAGA supposedly stands for. So what are MAGA loyalists doing in response? Theyre lining up and making excuses.

Why did Trump pardon the Honduran president for what prosecutors deemed one of the largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world? Per Secretary of State Marco Rubio, He felt that in that particular case there was unfairness. (If you asked Trump himself: The man that I pardoned was, if you could equate it to us, he was treated like the Biden administration treated a man named Trump, he said. This was a man who was persecuted very unfairly. He was the head of the country.) Maduro, of course, was also the head of a countrybut for some reason, thats different.

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What about Trumps promise at his inauguration that we will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end and, perhaps most importantly, by the wars we never get into? Or, as Vice President J.D. Vance put it on the pages of the Wall Street Journal, Trumps Best Foreign Policy? Not Starting Any Wars. Per that same Vance, who seems to be channeling the Everyone Is 12 Now theory of MAGA politics, starting wars is OK, actually, if youre mad enough. Are we just supposed to allow a communist to steal our stuff in our hemisphere and do nothing? he asked on X.

As for whether were occupying Venezuela, thats a no, unless its a yes. Rubio told Face the Nation that we arent. Sen. Tom Cotton claimed that Trumps statement that the U.S. runs Venezuela actually means the new leaders of Venezuela need to meet our demands. But when asked who is in charge in Venezuela, Trump offered a clearer answer: Were in charge.

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But wait, isnt MAGA an anti-interventionist movement? This is not interventionism, insisted Sen. Lindsey Graham, straining the possible meaning of the word interventionism beyond reality.

Related From Slate Its Painfully Clear What Trumps Attack on Venezuela Is All About Read More

MAGA talking heads were even more blatant about justifying the invasion. Influencer Will Chamberlain, back in 2020, asserted that the Republican Party is no longer the party of regime change and endless wars and warned: If you want to be its standard-bearer, that is a nonnegotiable position. He is now cheering that the future of American foreign policy isnt regime change, but regime control. Mike Cernovich didnt shy away from the idea that America is turning Venezuela into a new American colony, arguing, Occupation is moral when done correctly. (What does a moral occupation look like? It means choosing to rule a primitive people and extract resources for our benefits, with the Christian moral duty to elevate them.)

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Im as reflexively non-interventionist as anyone can possibly be, wrote conservative provocateur Matt Walsh, but Venezuela appears to be a resounding victory and one of the most brilliant military operations in American history. After deeming international law fake and gay, he argued, The only international law is that big and powerful countries get to do what they want. Im not sure what definition of noninterventionist translates to Big and powerful countries get to do what they want, including intervene abroad, but this is MAGA morality in one tweet: Whatever Trump does is good, words are meaningless, and there is no ideology except that whatever Trump does is good.

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The usual MAGA defectorsThomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greeneoffered their usual criticisms that this isnt what MAGA stands for. But the protests are starting to ring a little hollow after the 456th time the president said he would do something, then did the opposite. What is now apparent to anyone willing to see it is that there is no MAGA ideology. There is no moral core. There is no organizing philosophy. There is simply a reckless and self-interested president who desperately wants to be admired, who is a master of distraction, and who sees the White House as a very fine way to enrich him and his family.

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There is much to distract from in this moment. We dont hear a lot these days about the presidents old promise to drain the swamp, perhaps because its astoundingly obvious that the White House has never been swampier. The recently released secret testimony from special counsel Jack Smith clearly places the president at the head of a criminal conspiracy to undermine a free and fair election in the United States. Americans continue to struggle to afford basics, and Republicans just jacked up millions of peoples health insurance premiums. The release of documents related to Jeffrey Epsteins sex crimes has not been flattering to the president, which is perhaps why his administration continues to withhold a great many of them. Trumps deportation scheme is increasingly unpopular, as it turns out that most Americans dont love the idea of a racist paramilitary force nabbing people off the street and shipping them to a Salvadoran torture prison.

Start a war for oil to distract from problems at home is the dumbest plot, but it seems to be our current storyline. And most of MAGA, a hollowed-out movement of unprincipled and morally vacant shills and sycophants, seems keen to play along.
On Saturday morning, in what the Trump administration dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve, Delta Force commandos entered the compound of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and extracted him from his own country. They took his wife too, and killed dozens of Venezuelans in their path.

Members of the administration say this was about accountability. Attorney General Pam Bondi says Maduro is about to face the full wrath of American justice. She alleges hes been running Venezuela as a narco-state.

Shane Harris, a staff writer covering national security and intelligence at the Atlantic, says the administrations actions are not surprising. Since September, the United States has been obliterating fishing boats off Venezuelas coast and calling it a drug war.

The logic behind Maduros extradition is equally hard to explain. And Harris doesnt want to call it a regime change. The regime remains in place: The vice president is now the interim president.

Thats still the regime, he says. And now I think the United States is not running Venezuela, as President Trump said they were going to do. I think that the United States is essentially holding Venezuela at gunpoint and saying to the new interim president, Youre going to do what we want and govern the country according to these demands, or youre going to face consequences.

On a recent episode of What Next, host Mary Harris tries to answer a few of the bigger questions about what just went down in Venezuela. This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Mary Harris: I think some people would look at whats happened over the weekend and say, Oh, are we at war with Venezuela? So are we?

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Shane Harris: No. Look, weve taken hostile action against Venezuela. Could Venezuela say were at war with them? Sure. Yes. We invaded their country. I mean, we violated their territorial sovereignty. But Congress has not declared war.

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Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, says this is primarily a law-enforcement action because members of the FBI were there to serve papers to Maduro. That is not normal, right?

No, thats not normal. In the most technical sense, the mission that occurred over Caracas was the Department of Justice issuing an arrest warrant on the president of Venezuela and his wife, escorted by the U.S. military. Thats one hell of an escort. So, sure, in a very narrow, technical sense that is true, but that obviously obscures the reality of what happened here.

What I thought was interesting about the whole law-enforcement-operation framing of this was that Donald Trump was not reading from that script when he was briefing reporters. And in many ways, he seemed to go off script. He talked about this as removing a corrupt dictator and getting Venezuela to pay back what was stolento use his wordsfrom the United States in terms of oil and oil revenues. And you could see, both in the other officials who were briefing and in Rubios comments on the Sunday shows, an effort to try to walk this back and frame it a bit more narrowly. But the president does what he often does, which is he goes off script. He gets grandiose in his explanations. And that points to the fact that there is no coherent strategy for what is happening right now.

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My understanding of things is that Maduro was offered the opportunity to go into exile in Turkey. And he was like, Oh, thank you. And theyre like, All right, were coming to get you. So there were clearly weeks of, if not negotiation, discussion or raising of stakes.

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From our reporting and that of other journalist colleagues, the administration wanted him to leave peacefully, go into this kind of gilded exile, as it has been described. The question remains, then: Who was going to replace him? Who would come next? And that seems to be the part that they havent quite figured out yet.

There were those clearly within the anti-Maduro camp, both in the administration and publicly, who wanted to see him go and be replaced with possibly the person who everyone agrees actually won the election for president in 2024, Edmundo Gonzalez, or even with Maria Corina Machado, the Nobel Prize winner who has been such a huge force for democracy and activism in Venezuela.

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Machado was banned from running, so she ran someone else in her stead, but it was sort of as if a vote for him was a vote for her. But Machado has been thanking Trump. Shes very deferential to him, clearly aiming for this goal of OK, and Ill take over. But thats not what happened.

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Its not what happened, and he was quite dismissive of Machado in his comments in Florida this weekend, essentially saying that she doesnt have the respect in Venezuela, that theres not really support for her. This is a very strange argument for him to make. And I think its a false argument because everybody agrees, including people in the Trump administration, that Gonzalez, the candidate who essentially ran in her stead, won by a healthy margin. He is actually the legitimately elected leader of Venezuela. The United States has been saying that for months and months now. So why, then, is the person to replace Maduro his own vice president? Why are you sticking with the same regime?

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The vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, got in front of cameras and was basically like, Maduro is our president, and these people are trying to take our oil. She doesnt seem to be a pliant member of Team America here.

Yeah, at least not outwardly. We do have to hold open the possibility that theres been some behind-the-scenes discussions. There has been reporting that she was in conversations with people in the Trump administration, saying, If Maduro goes, I can take over, and maybe we can work something out.

Related From Slate Trumps Venezuela Invasion Has Exposed One of His Biggest Lies Read More

Shes known for straightening out the oil industry in Venezuela, making sure they could make money off it. Doesnt she have a kind of tangled personal history and reasons not to maybe want to have this American oversight?

She is in the mold of Hugo Chavez and Maduro. This is not somebody who is the pro-democracy, pro-America kind of figure that we would expect to see in some of the other alternatives. She has impressed people in the West and in the U.S. and the administration as a competent technocrat. She is somebody we can do business with. That is how the Trump administration sees her.

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What do you think is going to happen in Venezuela now? Who is in charge, and what does that mean for the actual people of Venezuela?

The next stepand this is what we should be watching for in the next couple of daysis some kind of signal or statement from Rodriguez about whether she is willing to negotiate with the U.S. [Editors note: Following the taping of this episode, Rodriguez issued a statement on Instagram, including this message: We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence.] Rubio has been very clear on behalf of the administration in laying out the demands and what he wants to see action on. And so now we will see if she can at least pay lip service to that in the coming days. I think that will go a long way toward lowering the temperature.

If she continues to be defiantand, in the way that she was right after Maduro was captured, saying, He is the legitimate president, we demand that he be brought back right now, we will not be colonized by anyonethen youre going to see that temperature raise back up, and thats going to increase the likelihood that Trump will use military force again. What that looks like afterward Im not even sure the administration knows. Im not sure theyre thinking that far ahead.
Seth Rogen plans to "cancel therapy" after winning a Critics Choice Award.

Seth Rogen with his Critics Choice Award

The 43-year-old star beat out Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This), Ted Danson (A Man on the Inside), David Alan Grier (St. Denis Medical), Danny McBride (The Righteous Gemstones) and Alexander Skarsgard (Murderbot) to take the Best Actor in a Comedy Series prize for his work on The Studio at Sunday's (04.01.26) ceremony and he joked he was "fixed" as a result of the recognition.

Speaking on stage at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, he said: "This is so nice as someone who deeply, deeply, deeply cares what critics think of them and their work.

This is what Im looking for. I can cancel therapy this week, this is likeIm good. Im fixed. Im fine, I think."

But one person who missed seeing Seth's win was his Studio co-creator Evan Goldberg, who the actor noted was "literally in the bathroom".

He added: "But well tell him that I won when we get back.

"Thank you all for this. I love all your work so much, its an honour to be in a room with you all."

The Studio also scooped the Best Comedy Series award, and Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series went to Seth's co-star Ike Barinholtz.

The Good Fortune actor previously admitted he hopes the show's awards recognition would help book guest stars for future episodes.

Speaking after The Studio scored 23 Emmy Award nominations, Seth told The Hollywood Reporter: Wrangling people and convincing them to join the show was one of the hardest parts of the first season.

We worked hard to let them know that we werent going to make them look bad or that it would be a waste of their time. Mostly what my brain does now is that I look at these Emmy nominations as something that will make it easier to book guest stars next season.

When Seth won Best Actor in a Comedy Series at the Emmys in September, he claimed he had "never won anything" before and even bought himself a second-hand trophy as a child.

He said on stage at Los Angeles' Peacock Theater: "This is amazing, I cannot wrap my head around this happening so I literally prepared nothing.

"I've never won anything in my life. When I was a kid, I bought a used bowling trophy at an estate sale and my parents were like, 'Yeah, that's a good idea, you should probably buy that.' "
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Two days after the U.S. military action that forced Nicolas Maduro out of power and into a New York courthouse, two big questions remain: What happens next in Venezuelaspecifically, whos in charge? And, related to that: Whos in charge of U.S. foreign policy?

At his Saturday press conference, where he announced the nabbing of Maduro, President Donald Trump saidto widespread astonishmentthat the United States will soon run, or even is now running, Venezuela.

The next morning, on NBCs Meet the Press, in an only slightly less baffling moment, Marco Rubio, Trumps secretary of state and national security adviser, backpedaled on his bosss claim. Asked whether the U.S. will really run Venezuela, Rubio replied, Yeah, I keep [seeing] people fixating on that. He continued: The bottom line is, we expect to see changes in Venezuela.  Its not running theits running policy, the policy with regards to this. We want Venezuela to move in a certain direction that would be good for the people of Venezuela  [and] in our national interest.

These remarks are worth parsing.

First, there should be no mystery why people are fixating on Trumps claim. Its because, in the course of his Saturday press conference, the president said 12 times that he and a group of his choosing, including Rubio himself, would run Venezuela.

Second, there is a distinction between running a foreign country and influencing its direction, even when this influence stems from a U.S. naval armada that remains off Venezuelan shores and an explicit threat from Trump to send in a second, larger wave of U.S. troops to enforce our influence.

Hence the question: Who is running American foreign policythe president or his chief foreign policy adviser?

The question isnt trivial. First, the answer will shape what happens next in Venezuelawho governs, to whose benefit, and with what level of internal freedom and stability? Second, it could shape what lessons other countriesfriends and foestake from Operation Absolute Resolve, the quite large and impressive military action that unfolded in the wee hours on Saturday. Will Russian President Vladimir Putin see the claim of unabashed regional imperialism as a winking green light to his claim of control over Ukraine? Will Chinese President Xi Jinping infer the same about his claims over Taiwan? Will the mullahs of Tehran take it as grounds for fear of an impending U.S. attack? How seriously will Cubas leaders take Trumpsand Rubioswarnings that as goes Caracas will soon go Havana, whether by U.S. attack or self-immolation?

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Given the regional and global stakes, one might think that Trump and his team would have worked out a unified message to explain and justify this audacious (to say the least) military action. Instead, this is just another case in point that Trumps actions often have no underlying strategywhich is to say, no clear idea of how to link means and ends: or, in this case, just what the desired ends are.

Some of those ends are clear, as Trump laid out on Saturday and as neither Rubio nor any of the other officials flanking him contradicted: the desire for sole domination of the Western Hemisphere (as had been spelled out in his National Security Strategy document) and the desire for control of its oil and the wealth it produces.

Leaving aside the wisdom and legality of those goals, the press conference and Rubios subsequent caveat made clear that the administration has not thought through just how to obtain themi.e., its clear they have no strategy.

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If Trump is serious about running Venezuela, how, and through what agent, does he plan to do this? He said that Maduros former deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, who has now been sworn in as his interim successor, was an acceptable intermediary, and that Rubio is working with her. (Rodriguez herself, a longtime fiery Maduro associate who at first denounced the abduction, has since said shes willing to collaborate with the U.S. to redevelop her country, though added, perhaps wishfully, that she wouldnt let it become a U.S. colony.)

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The same question applies if Rubios slightly less coercive notion of merely influencing the countrys policy applies. Maduros ministers remain in charge; the Venezuelan military retains ultimate power, offering security and oppression, assisted by at least 20,000 Cubans, many officers and some health care workers who have provided health care in exchange for Venezuelan oil. Will the military now be swayed toward northern-leaning sentiments, given the evaporation of the wages that Maduro provided and the continuing blockade of the countrys oil for as long as they refuse to budge? Some insiders were apparently bought off during the planning of the incursion. The CIA had recruited at least one person close to Maduro to keep track of his movements; its reasonable to assume that wasnt the only spy.

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Related From Slate Its Painfully Clear What Trumps Attack on Venezuela Is All About Read More

And what about the democratic opposition? Trump shoved aside any role in a new government for Maria Corina Machado, the movements leader, saying, She doesnt have respect in the country. And he said nothing about the leader of her party, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who legitimately won the 2024 election and who fled in exile to Spain after Maduro, who was soundly defeated, held on to power. Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her valiant struggle (perhaps to the bitterness of Trump, who many times said he deserved it), issued a statement, calling on Urrutia to be brought back to lead the country. Will the democrats on the streets and elsewhere second her demands, or will they simply bow down to the continued reign of Maduros team just because it will now be tempered a bit by influence from Washington and the big oil companies?

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This too has broader implications. The United States cannot easily claim to be leader of the free world, or even a champion of democracy, if it ousts a dictatora feat that many Venezuelans cheerbut then does nothing to help restore the real, freely elected president.

There is also something a bit fishy about the official rationale for the military operation, which was to bring a criminal fugitive to justice, given that the U.S. extracted him through means that were likely in violation of international law. Yes, a U.S. grand jury indicted Maduro for drug smuggling back in 2020, and in the wake of his abduction this weekend, the Justice Department filed additional chargesmost of them legitimate. (I say most, rather than all, because one of them, possession of a machine gun, seems an odd charge to level against a foreign head of state, however illegitimate he might be.)

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Which leads to one more broad point. The United States has had a pretty successful record of overthrowing foreign leaders but a pretty lousy one of imposing order, or accomplishing whatever outcomes it has desired, in the aftermath. (Some obvious cases in point: Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Guatemala, andgoing back several decades but one with enormous implications later on and ever sinceIran.)

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A reporter at Saturdays press conference asked Trump about this mixed record with previous presidents. His reply was evasive to say the least:

With me, thats not true. With me, weve had a perfect track record of winning.  If you look at [the assassination of Qasem] Soleimani, you look at [Abu Bakr] al-Baghdadi, you look at the Midnight Hammer [the air raid on Iranian nuclear targets]  we have essentially peace in the Middle East because of that.  So, with me, youve had a lot of victory. Youve had only victories, youve had no losses.

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There are several disturbing things about this passage, quite aside from the fact that peace in the Middle East remains, in many ways, aspirational. The most pertinent here is that Trump seems to believe that a dramatic tactically successful strikethe killing of a terrorist leader, the bombing of a nascent nuclear facility, the signing of a multiphase 20-point peace treaty (but the accomplishment of just the first phase), and now the extraction of a horrible dictatoramounts to a strategic victory and the fulfillment of an ambitious policy.

Trump doesnt think he has to care about what happens next in Venezuela or what he needs to do to make it happen, to improve the odds of success or reduce the odds of catastrophe, however those terms are defined.

In Operation Absolute Resolve, the U.S. military showed itself to be, as it has several times in recent years, an agile, effective, supremely coordinated instrument of national power. Whose resolve it enforces, to what ends, is another matter. The policymaking machinery at the top of Americas power structure is appallingly adrift.
China issues plan of action to improve treatment of solid waste

Xinhua) 08:37, January 05, 2026

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council has released a plan of action to achieve a notable increase in the country's capacity to treat solid waste.

The plan prioritizes the treatment of solid waste that has a direct impact on public health and workplace safety, and calls for the expedited establishment of a comprehensive, long-term governance framework alongside resolute measures to curb solid-waste growth.

By 2030, the annual utilization of bulk solid waste should be about 4.5 billion tonnes, and the annual volume of recycled major renewable resources should be 510 million tonnes, per the plan.

It sets out detailed measures to improve resource utilization, enhance the source control and reduction of solid waste, standardize its collection, transportation and storage, and strengthen its capacity for safe disposal.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
Morrissey has cancelled two of his Nude Tour shows in California.

Morrissey cancels two 2026 shows

The former Smiths frontman was due to perform on Saturday (03.01.26) at Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage, but the gig was postponed due to "an adverse reaction to a prescription medication".

A statement on the Etix page of the casino's official website reads: "Due to an adverse reaction to a prescription medication, the Morrissey concert originally scheduled on Saturday January 3, 2026 has been postponed.

"Please hold onto your tickets as they will be honored for a rescheduled date.

"Should you wish to request a refund, please contact your original point of purchase.

"Requests for refunds must be received before February 2, 2026 at 5:00pm PST. (sic)"

Morrissey's next planned show was due to take place in San Diego on Tuesday (06.01.26), but that has also been axed.

He was set to take to the stage at the San Diego Civic Theatre, but the venue shared a message on Instagram that read: "Please note the Morrissey event scheduled for January 6 at the San Diego Civic Theatre has been canceled.

"Refunds are available via point of purchase. (sic)"

No further reason was given for the show's axing.

At the time of writing, Morrissey hasn't commented on the cancellations on his official website, or his Instagram account.

He is due to perform at San Antonio's Boeing Center at Tech Port on January 10th, before heading to Oklahoma City on January 13th and St. Louis for a January 15th show.

Afterwards, Morrissey has three more Nude Tour shows scheduled for this month.

He is due to play in Atlanta on January 17th, before two sold out Florida gigs in St. Petersburg and Hollywood.

In November, Morrissey axed his South American Nude Tour gigs as he continued to contend with "extreme exhaustion".

He was due to play a series of dates in Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Santiago, Lima, and Bogota from November 8 to November 22, but the venues informed ticketholders of his decision to pull the shows

Days earlier, Morrissey cancelled two concerts in Mexico, citing the same reason.
Lisa Faulkner has been practicing her lines for Single White Female alongside her husband John Torode.

Lisa Faulkner has been learning lines for Single White Female with her husband John Torode

The 53-year-old actress is returning to the stage for the first time in over 20 years in the adaptation of the 1992 film and has been learning the script with the help of her former MasterChef presenter spouse.

Lisa told HELLO! magazine: "He's been running through the lines with me. He's so happy for me."

The former Holby City star  who co-hosts ITV's John and Lisa's Weekend Kitchen with her partner  added: "He's my husband and my best mate. We really do support each other and hold each other's hands through everything. He's such a gentleman and so kind."

Lisa stars opposite Kym Marsh in the UK tour of Single White Female  which gets underway at Brighton's Theatre Royal this week  and is excited to be working with the ex-Coronation Street star.

She said: "I think we'll have fun. I'm really looking forward to playing Allie, and playing that slightly psycho character will be great for Kym. I think she'll do it brilliantly.

"We've met a couple of times and my best friend, Angela Griffin, has worked with her. Angela said: 'You're going to get on like a house on fire; she's lovely.'"

The play is a reimagining of the erotic psychological thriller and Lisa was keen to work on the project as soon as she read the script.

She explained: "It reads really fast and like a film, so I was excited about it. I remember watching (the film) and thinking it was brilliant; I loved Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

"What's exciting is that (scriptwriter) Rebecca Reid has brought it up to date. It's in the world of social media and they're older. It's funny; the people who were my age when we watched it are all mums with late-teen daughters (now)."

Lisa's stage return comes as she is trying to embrace life in her 50s, particularly as her mother Julie passed away from throat cancer aged just 44.

The Missing You star said: "I feel lucky to get to an age where you've got more to give and you're not invisible. Women are brilliant and we're picking each other up and looking out for each other.

"Life's short. My mum died when she was 44 and didn't get to have that second act. So I grab it."
NVIDIA and Intel had their moment in the spotlight, and now it's AMD's turn. The chipmaker is kicking off CES 2026 on Monday night, where it'll cover its latest AI developments and perhaps show off its newest Ryzen chips. It's the kickoff keynote of CES 2026, and CEO Dr. Lisa Su is expected to outline how AMD's hardware will power the AI revolution  and what the company can offer partners and consumers that those aforementioned rivals can't.

We'll tell you how to tune in to the livestream and what else you can expect to see.

How to watch AMD's keynote live

Dr. Su will deliver a keynote speech from the Palazzo Ballroom at the Venetian on Monday, January 5 at 9:30PM ET (6:30PM PT). You can watch the event live on the CES YouTube channel (we've embedded the livestream below).

Engadget will also be liveblogging the AMD keynote in real-time.

Live coverage is over 132 updates Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:38 PM PST Aaron Souppouris In case you missed the tangible chip news hidden amongst all that AI chat, Devindra has writeups on AMD's new laptop chip range, as well as its new desktop chips, which you can find at the links below: AMD's Ryzen AI 400 chips are a big boost for laptops and desktops alike AMD's new Ryzen AI Max+ chips and Ryzen 7 9850X3D court desktop enthusiasts at CES 2026

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:34 PM PST Devindra Hardawar And we're out folks! Thanks for joining us during this... two hour long keynote.

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:33 PM PST Devindra Hardawar Su is wrapping things up now. "This moment in tech not only feels different. AI is different. AI is the most powerful technology that has ever been created. And it can be everywhere for everyone."

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:32 PM PST Aaron Souppouris Dr. Su invited Armtender, a three-person team that won the AMD x Hack Club 2025 competition onto the stage. Advertisement Advertisement

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:32 PM PST Devindra Hardawar We're watching the members of "Armtender" winning team from AMD's partnership with Hack Club, discuss their project. The team includes Emme McDonald, Ruzanna Gaboyan and Afia Ava. AMD is awarding each of them with a $20,000 education prize.

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:28 PM PST Devindra Hardawar Let's all thank the First Lady for her AI leadership.

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:24 PM PST Devindra Hardawar This entire discussion around the Genesis Mission has been a whole lot of nothing.

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:22 PM PST Aaron Souppouris AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su is joined by Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Advertisement Advertisement

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:21 PM PST Devindra Hardawar AMD is also involved with the Genesis Mission, a public-private initiative to use AI for scientific discoveries.

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:19 PM PST Devindra Hardawar Su is discussing AMD's role in HPC (high performance computing) in the science world.

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:18 PM PST Aaron Souppouris AMD's new Ryzen AI Max+ chips and Ryzen 7 9850X3D court desktop enthusiasts AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D You wouldn't know it from this AI-heavy press conference, but AMD has, in fact, just announced a high-end desktop gaming CPU: the long-rumored Ryzen 7 9850X3D with 3D V-Cache. It's an 8-core chip that can reach up to 5.6GHz boost speeds with 104MB of combined L2 and L3 cache. Like all of AMD's X3D chips, it uses 3D V-cache technology to vertically stack additional cache memory. In comparison, the standard 9850HX chip has 76MB of L2 and L3 cache. Anyway... back to health and space and science, I guess. Read more: AMD's new Ryzen AI Max+ chips and Ryzen 7 9850X3D court desktop enthusiasts at CES 2026

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:18 PM PST Devindra Hardawar Now we're turning to the last chapter: Science! Advertisement Advertisement

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:16 PM PST Devindra Hardawar We're really going to hit the two-hour mark with this one, folks.

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:15 PM PST Devindra Hardawar Within two months of starting a partnership with AMD, Blue Origin was able to get the chips it needed for new flight computers.

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:15 PM PST Devindra Hardawar Couluris points out that space work demands reliable technology. He praised AMD's embedded technology for powering low-power space equipment for Blue Origin.

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:13 PM PST Devindra Hardawar John Couluris, SVP of Lunar Permanence at Blue Origin, now joins Su on stage. Specifically, he's focused on bringing heavy industry to the moon, and away from Earth. Advertisement Advertisement

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:12 PM PST Aaron Souppouris Space: Possibly the final frontier of this insanely long press conference.

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:11 PM PST Devindra Hardawar Su says AMD technology is powering critical space missions today. That includes autonomous exploration of Mars, with the Perseverance Rover, as well as missions around the moons of Jupiter.

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:10 PM PST Devindra Hardawar Next up: Space!

Mon, January 5, 2026 at 8:10 PM PST Devindra Hardawar The robot's name is "Gene.01," which he describes as an Italian robot. It has touch sensors to figure out how to help human patients. I'd be more impressed if the robot could actually walk around on stage, instead of standing at attention, dead-eyed. Show more updates

What to expect from AMD at CES 2026

While AMD says it's keeping its product details under wraps, we can expect "updates on AI solutions, from cloud to enterprise, edge and devices."

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It's also likely that AMD will unveil its new versions of the Ryzen chips during its keynote on Monday, as Su will talk about the "advancements driven by Ryzen CPUs." That could include the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, which is expected to have better single-threaded performance than its predecessors. Additionally, we can expect to see the Ryzen 9000G series, which is potentially built with AMD's Zen 5 architecture.

Regarding AI, AMD could further discuss its new FSR Redstone technology, which it previously previewed on December 10. AMD's upscaling tech aims to close the gap on NVIDIA's DLSS 4, which was announced during CES 2025.

Su's presentation caps off CES's press day, so she'll be taking the stage in the hours after rivals NVIDIA and Intel present their chipmaking and AI plans to the world. As a reminder of how cross-linked these companies have become: OpenAI has pledged billions of dollars of hardware orders to AMD, while rival NVIDIA has invested billions in OpenAI  and taken a stake worth billions in Intel, too.
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Credit: Future

Nvidia is the most valuable company in the world thanks to the AI boom (or bubble), but theres still the small matter of graphics cards to attend to.

The companys 50-series GPUs debuted earlier this year, but arrived with mixed responses. There was the price to consider, the fact that they were scalped to high heaven, and the company betting big on its AI technologies to add generated interstitial frames instead of making the cards more powerful.

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Still, with rumors floating around that concern the 60-series, and the expectation of RTX 50 SUPER series launching soon, it may not be long until we see new cards from Nvidia. Heres all we know so far.

When can we expect the RTX 60-series?

Our first leak, in December 2025, suggests that NVIDIAs 60-series GPUs are slated for a Q1 2027 launch announcement, likely to be at CES next year.

Theres also a good chance we end up with a full fleet of models, from 6050 up to 6090, with suggestions of big power gains at the top end.

Rumored specs

Credit: Future

There are some suggestions about what the new NVIDIA 60-series GPUs will include, and also what they might not.

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The companys CEO, Jensen Huang, has been touting the next-generation Rubin GPU architecture at every Nvidia GTC, so theres a strong likelihood it will debut with the 60-series, as its also slated for data centers.

The Blackwell architecture began in data centers, too, and then made the move to consumer cards with the 50-series, so expect a similar play here.

NVIDIA reckons Rubin is twice as fast as Blackwell in AI workloads, but when it comes to gaming, rumors have suggested a 40% increase from the RTX 5090 to the RTX 6090 - a sizeable climb, although expect more power usage.

As for what might not be there, expect NVIDIA to avoid launching cards with 8GB of VRAM. Customers have been voting with their wallets and pushing back on the idea, suggesting we could get more on the GPU front this time around. Sadly, though, theres a spanner in the works

The RAMifications

Credit: Future / Tom's Guide

NVIDIA, as with just about every tech giant in the world, is likely to be brought to its knees by the RAM crisis.

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If you missed it, RAM is in such high demand for data centers that its being priced out of reach for consumers. The AI age has essentially hamstrung the computing industry until prices come down or RAM is more available, and neither looks likely anytime soon.

That could mean one of two things: NVIDIA will be forced to keep relatively low VRAM counts in its GPUs and compromise on features and performance accordingly, or the new cards will skyrocket in price - particularly if theyre scalped.

Neither sounds ideal, but thats the world were living in right now it seems.

Will we get DLSS 5?

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NVIDIA has been all-in on AI technologies for years, and as I type this, I can see that the NVIDIA app is now packed with an AI-powered Home Studio, the option to build a chatbot, an experimental AI assistant, and the option to stream games from the cloud, among other things.

Still, DLSS has perhaps been the feature getting the biggest push. Its no silver bullet for unoptimized games, but can have a transformative effect on supported titles, ramping up frame rates at the cost of relatively minor latency and some shimmering edges.

Its something AMD is still working to catch up on, and NVIDIA will no doubt want to press its advantage here, so expect DLSS 5.0 to be a very likely inclusion in anything 60-series.

For now, though, we dont have a lot to go on for the tech. Well update this page if and when we hear more.

What about RTX 50 SUPER?

Credit: Future

Theres a missing piece to this puzzle, though - NVIDIAs Super lineup. The company tends to release more powerful versions of its hardware, but its been quiet on the Super front.

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The RTX 50-series hasnt had any mid-cycle refresh announcements just yet, prompting suggestions it may have been cancelled, given the current RAM issues weve discussed earlier on this page.

That seems to suggest the NVIDIA 60-series will be our next wave, skipping the Super refresh entirely - but well update this page if we hear more. If youre holding out, its not ideal though.

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Illustration of debris in orbit around Earth. | Credit: Getty Images

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights .

There are about 15,000 satellites orbiting the Earth . Most of them, like the International Space Station and the Hubble Telescope , reside in low Earth orbit, or LEO, which tops out at about 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) above the Earths surface.

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But as more and more satellites are launched into LEO  SpaceX's Starlink internet constellation alone will eventually send many thousands more there  the region's getting a bit crowded .

Which is why it's fortunate there's another orbit, even closer to Earth, that promises to help alleviate the crowding. It's called VLEO, or very low Earth orbit , and is only 60 to 250 miles (100 to 400 kilometers) above the Earth's surface.

As an engineer and professor who is developing technologies to extend the human presence beyond Earth, I can tell you that satellites in very low Earth orbit, or VLEO, offer advantages over higher altitude satellites. Among other benefits, VLEO satellites can provide higher-resolution images, faster communications and better atmospheric science . Full disclosure: I'm also a co-founder and co-owner of Victoria Defense, which seeks to commercialize VLEO and other space directed-energy technologies.

Advantages of VLEO

The images from very low Earth orbit satellites are sharper because they simply see Earth more clearly than satellites that are higher up, sort of like how getting closer to a painting helps you see it better. This translates to higher resolution pictures for agriculture, climate science , disaster response and military surveillance purposes.

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End-to-end communication is faster, which is ideal for real-time communications, like phone and internet service. Although the signals still travel the same speed, they don't have as far to go, so latency decreases and conversations happen more smoothly.

Much weather forecasting relies on images of clouds above the Earth, so taking those pictures closer means higher resolution and more data to forecast with.

Because of these benefits, government agencies and industry are working to develop very low Earth orbit satellites.

The holdup: Atmospheric drag

You may be wondering why this region of space, so far, has been avoided for sustained satellite operations. It's for one major reason: atmospheric drag .

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Space is often thought of as a vacuum. So where exactly does space actually start? Although about 62 miles up (100 kilometers)  known as the the von Karman line  is widely considered the starting point, there's no hard transition where space suddenly begins. Instead, as you move away from Earth, the atmosphere thins out .

In and below very low Earth orbit, the Earth's atmosphere is still thick enough to slow down satellites, causing those at the lowest altitudes to deorbit in weeks or even days , essentially burning up as they fall back to Earth. To counteract this atmospheric drag and to stay in orbit, the satellite must constantly propel itself forward  like how riding a bike into the wind requires continuous pedaling.

For in-space propulsion, satellites use various types of thrusters , which provide the push needed to keep from slowing down. But in VLEO, thrusters need to be on all, or nearly all, of the time. As such, conventional thrusters would quickly run out of fuel.

Fortunately, the Earth's atmosphere in VLEO is still thick enough that atmosphere itself can be used as a fuel.

Innovative thruster technologies

That's where my research comes in. At Penn State, in collaboration with Georgia Tech and funded by the U.S. Department of Defense , our team is developing a new propulsion system designed to work at 43 to 55 miles up (70 to 90 kilometers). Technically, these altitudes are even below very low Earth orbit  making the challenge to overcome drag even more difficult.

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Our approach collects the atmosphere using a scoop, like opening your mouth wide as you pedal a bike, then uses high-power microwaves to heat the collected atmosphere. The heated gas is then expelled through a nozzle, which pushes the satellite forward. Our team calls this concept the air-breathing microwave plasma thruster . We've been able to demonstrate a prototype thruster in the lab inside a vacuum chamber that simulates the atmospheric pressure found at 50 miles (80 km) high.

This approach is relatively simple, but it holds potential, especially at lower altitudes where the atmosphere is thicker. Higher up, where the atmosphere is thinner, spacecraft could use different types of VLEO thrusters that others are developing to cover large altitude ranges.

Our team isn't the only one working on thruster technology. Just one example: The U.S. Department of Defense has partnered with defense contractor Red Wire to develop Otter , a VLEO satellite with its version of atmosphere-breathing thruster technology.

Another option to keep a satellite in VLEO, which leverages a technology I've worked on throughout my career, is to tie a lower-orbiting satellite to a higher-orbiting satellite with a long tether. Although NASA has never flown such a system, the proposed follow-on mission to the tether satellite system missions flown in the 1990s was to drop a satellite into much lower orbit from the space shuttle, connected with a very long tether. We are currently revisiting that system to see whether it could work for VLEO in a modified form.

An air-breathing thruster firing in a vacuum chamber at Penn State. | Credit: Ethan Kravet

Other complications

Overcoming drag, though the most difficult, is not the only challenge. Very low Earth orbit satellites are exposed to very high levels of atomic oxygen , which is a highly reactive form of oxygen that quickly corrodes most substances, even plastics .

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The satellite's materials also must withstand extremely high temperatures, above 2,732 degrees Fahrenheit (1,500 degrees Celsius), because friction heats it up as it moves through the atmosphere, a phenomenon that occurs when all spacecraft reenter the atmosphere from orbit .
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Credit: SpaceX

The first Starlink satellites to join SpaceX's megaconstellation in 2026 were launched today (Jan. 4) on a brand new Falcon 9 rocket.

The fresh booster, carrying 29 of the internet broadband relay units, lifted off on Sunday at 1:48 a.m. EST (0648 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The satellites (Starlink Group 6-88) reached low Earth orbit approximately nine minutes after leaving the ground and were successfully deployed about an hour later.

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"Deployment of 29 Starlink satellites confirmed," SpaceX posted to the social media network X.

The Falcon 9's first stage (Booster 1101) made its first return to Earth, touching down on the drone ship "Just Read the Instructions," which was pre-staged in the Atlantic Ocean.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 Starlink satellites launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. | Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX's Starlink network, which is approaching 9,500 active satellites, provides access to broadband internet in areas around the world where connectively is otherwise sparse or nonexistent. This now includes Venezuela, after the U.S. raid on the countrys capital, seizing President Nicolas Maduro.

"Starlink is providing free broadband service to the people of Venezuela through February 3, ensuring continued connectivity," SpaceX announced on X on Sunday.

The launch was SpaceX's second for 2026, 595th completed since 2008 and 555th landing since 2015.
Sherrie Hewson was forced to pull out of an appearance on Vanessa Feltz's Channel 5 show on Monday (05.01.26) after being struck down by a winter sickness virus.

Sherrie Hewson has been struck down with a winter sickness virus

The 75-year-old actress was due to be a guest on the daytime chat show to discuss her new podcast Very Very Sherrie as well as her career and more.

However, former Loose Women panellist Sherrie was hit with the illness in the morning and despite making a valiant attempt to travel, Sherrie became too unwell and was forced to turn back before even reaching the station.

A source told BANG Showbiz: "Sherrie was absolutely gutted to let the show down and is now focusing on her recovery. Sherrie will be tucked up in bed and getting lots of rest to beat the bug.

"She hopes shell be asked back on by Vanessa once shes back to full health."

Former Coronation Street actress Sherrie launched her Very Very Sherrie podcast - which is available on all podcast platforms - in late 2025 and it features interviews with celebrity guests and candid confessions from her about her career and life.

Recently, Sherrie admitted she is "hoping desperately" for a Benidorm revival.

She played Solana hotel manageress Joyce Temple-Savage on the ITV sitcom from 2012 until it ended in 2018 and is hoping that talk of a revival of the Spanish-set series comes to fruition.

Sherrie said: "We are all campaigning for it to come back.

"We are hoping desperately that it comes back and we'd love it because we'd get to go back to Benidorm.

"I love the character Joyce Temple-Savage. Derren Litten wrote that and I thought it was one of the best characters I've ever played.

"I would love it to come back. We'll see, watch this space.

"There isn't a comedy on ITV at the moment so it needs it to come back.

"I'm waiting to hear and I'd catch the plane today."

Benidorm creator Derren Litten revealed in April 2025 that he was in discussions with ITV about a potential new series.

The comedy writer said: "If I say ITV have not commissioned a new Benidorm series, it is because ITV have not commissioned a new Benidorm series, up to today. Does it mean they might commission a new series in the near future? Possibly.

"Have I been talking to ITV in the last few months? Yes I have.

"Have ITV commissioned a special or a series at the moment? No. Might they in the next few weeks, couple of months? Yeah they might. They might.

"So I hope that gives you some hope, and I hope that gives you some idea of where we are."
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:

Accidents such as the collapse of the Carola Bridge in Dresden can be better prevented by continuously monitoring engineering structures. Credit: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

The partial collapse of the Carola Bridge in Dresden in September 2024 was a wake-up call for Germany's infrastructure policy. At least 8,000 highway bridges and roughly 18,000 kilometers of railroad in Germany are now considered in need of repair, with the cost of necessary renovations currently estimated at up to 100 billion euros. Continuous infrastructure monitoring is expensive, so it has been neglected.

The Engineering of Adaptive Systems institute branch at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS is working on an efficient and cost-effective solution: leveraging robust radar sensor technology originally designed for the automobile sector to monitor bridges, rail tracks, and other structures.

Intelligent sensors can efficiently and sustainably extend the lifespan of bridges and other civil engineering structures, ensure greater precision when planning renovation work and enhance safety. In Germany, the inspection and monitoring of civil engineering structures, especially bridges, is governed by the DIN 1076 standard. While this standard prescribes regular structural inspections, it currently contains no provisions for continuous structural monitoring, which can provide a solid data base for assessing renovation requirements or estimating remaining service life.

Fraunhofer IIS is a member of Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Bauwerksmonitoring e.V. (German Society for Structural Monitoring), which is calling for sensor-based monitoring to become an integral part of the standard. However, there is a problem: The market for specialized structural monitoring sensors is small, making the technology expensive.

Cutting costs by repurposing established technologies

In its search for a cost-effective solution, Dresden-based Fraunhofer IIS hit upon a well-established technology that was designed to meet similar requirements. "High precision, a long service life, continuous load-bearing, and temperature tolerance from -40C to +120C? The answer was obvious: automobile sensors," explains Christoph Sohrmann, group manager at Fraunhofer IIS.

"We could try MEMS sensors, for example, which until now have only been used in vehicles or cellphones but can 'hear' breaks in the wires of prestressed concrete bridges. We will soon be testing this principle on a real bridge in cooperation with the company MKP GmbH. However, our main focus is on radar sensors originally developed for autonomous driving."

The cost of commercially available sensors specifically designed for infrastructural monitoring is 10 or even 100 times higher than that of repurposed vehicle sensor technology, since many elements such as hardware, production standards, cybersecurity and sensor self-monitoring can be leveraged directly from automotive applications.

Essential: Technical modifications and systems integration

Radar sensor technology from the automotive sector cannot be used as is for structural health monitoring (SHM), the aim of which is to detect a variety of structural damage processes. Frequency-based signal processing from automotive applications does not provide the resolution necessary to identify the smallest changes in engineering structures.

Fraunhofer researchers have been testing combinations of tactile sensors and non-contact radar measurements on the 45-meter-long test bridge at TUD Dresden University of Technology's real-world laboratory in Bautzen. The reference data obtained are being used to develop and validate sensor and monitoring concepts suitable for infrastructural monitoring applications.

"Our radar sensors make it very easy to measure vibrations in building structures for purposes of condition monitoring and SHM campaigns," says Sohrmann. "Our solution uses phase-based interferometric data analysis, which enables us to detect static displacements in the millimeter or even sub-millimeter range as well as vibrations at frequencies up to 1,000 Hz or more."

The measurement studies were commissioned and evaluated by the authorities responsible for the safety of the respective structures and the affiliated civil engineering offices. According to Sohrmann, close cross-disciplinary cooperation is essential for success.

"Which data have to be collected at which frequency and precision? Are the results easy enough to read? Questions like these must be addressed to ensure that the solution developed is a perfect fit," says Sohrmann. Steffen Marx, Professor of Concrete Structures at TUD Dresden University of Technology, has therefore been providing valuable input from a civil engineer's perspective ever since the project was launched.

Further development in the follow-up project RICARES

The sensors used to take the measurements, i.e., ground-based interferometers, are installed on or under a bridge. Dynamic measurement studies can be completed in a matter of days or weeks, while long-term monitoring involves the collection of data over several years.

"How many sensors we can synchronize, and which of them can be best optimized using suitable lenses or antennas or even reflectors on the bridges are some of the questions addressed by our follow-up project RICARES," explains Sohrmann. This project, which is set to start in January 2026, will focus on monitoring the stability of railway bridges. However, the technology can also be used for road bridges.

Affordable sensors for extensive monitoring

"Affordable sensors will enable the responsible authorities not only to monitor infrastructure in doubtful cases but also to establish structural monitoring on a wider scale," says Sohrmann. "They should take advantage of this opportunity, because historical data on structural stress are enormously helpful when analyzing incipient damage." In addition to RICARES, the research scientist is now seeking substantial further funding and partnerships with suitable industry partners.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Grok, the chatbot of Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI, published sexualized images of children as its guardrails seem to have failed when it was prompted with vile user requests.

Users used prompts such as "put her in a bikini" under pictures of real people on X to get Grok to generate nonconsensual images of them in inappropriate attire. The morphed images created on Grok's account are posted publicly on X, Musk's social media platform.

The AI complied with requests to morph images of minors even though that is a violation of its own acceptable use policy.

"There are isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing, like the example you referenced," Grok responded to a user on X. "xAI has safeguards, but improvements are ongoing to block such requests entirely."

xAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Its chatbot posted an apology.

"I deeply regret an incident on Dec 28, 2025, where I generated and shared an AI image of two young girls (estimated ages 1216) in sexualized attire based on a user's prompt," said a post on Grok's profile. "This violated ethical standards and potentially US laws on CSAM. It was a failure in safeguards, and I'm sorry for any harm caused. xAI is reviewing to prevent future issues."

The government of India notified X that it risked losing legal immunity if the company did not submit a report within 72 hours on the actions taken to stop the generation and distribution of obscene, nonconsensual images targeting women.

Critics have accused xAI of allowing AI-enabled harassment, and were shocked and angered by the existence of a feature for seamless AI manipulation and undressing requests.

"How is this not illegal?" journalist Samantha Smith posted on X, decrying the creation of her own nonconsensual sexualized photo.

Musk's xAI has positioned Grok as an "anti-woke" chatbot that is programmed to be more open and edgy than competing chatbots such as ChatGPT.

In May, Grok posted about "white genocide," repeating conspiracy theories of Black South Africans persecuting the white minority, in response to an unrelated question.

In June, the company apologized when Grok posted a series of antisemitic remarks praising Adolf Hitler.

Companies such as Google and OpenAI, which also operate AI image generators, have much more restrictive guidelines around content.

The proliferation of nonconsensual deepfake imagery has coincided with broad AI adoption, with a 400% increase in AI child sexual abuse imagery in the first half of 2025, according to Internet Watch Foundation.

xAI introduced "Spicy Mode" in its image and video generation tool in August for verified adult subscribers to create sensual content.

Some adult-content creators on X prompted Grok to generate sexualized images to market themselves, kickstarting an internet trend a few days ago, according to Copyleaks, an AI text and image detection company.

The testing of the limits of Grok devolved into a free-for-all as users asked it to create sexualized images of celebrities and others.

xAI is reportedly valued at more than $200 billion, and has been investing billions of dollars to build the largest data center in the world to power its AI applications.

However, Grok's capabilities still lag competing AI models such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, that have amassed more users, while Grok has turned to sexual AI companions and risque chats to boost growth.

2026 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Vietnam's major bourse lines up four new listings at start of 2026

By Ngoc Diem, Thai Ha Mon, January 5, 2026 | 8:00 am GMT+7

The Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) is set for a busy start to 2026, with four companies already approved for listing in the final month of 2025.

In front of the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange. Photo by The Investor/Ngoc Diem.

After a wave of high-profile debuts late last year, including VPX (broker VPBankS), VCK (broker VPS), and MCH (Masan Consumer), the HoSE is preparing to welcome new listings as early as January, underscoring renewed momentum in Vietnams equity market.

Truong Son Investment

TSA shares of Truong Son Investment and Construction JSC will be the first to trade in the new year.

Truong Son will debut on HoSE on January 7, transferring its 40.4 million shares from the unlisted public companies market UPCoM. The stock will trade at a reference price of VND13,800 ($0.52) per share.

TSA was delisted from UPCoM on December 26, with its final trading day on December 25 at VND14,000 per share.

Founded in 2002 by chairman Nguyen Van Truong, the company operates in power construction, including transmission lines and substations. Truong and related parties hold nearly 40% of the firm.

TSA has reported steady profit growth over the past three years, with net profit rising from VND3 billion to VND23.5 billion ($893,500).

In the first nine months of 2025, revenue rose 31.2% year-on-year to VND442 billion ($16.8 million), while net profit climbed 64% to VND16.9 billion ($642,600).

The companys balance sheet remains relatively safe, with borrowings of about VND97 billion ($3.69 million) and a debt-to-equity ratio of 23%. Cash and deposits stand at nearly VND70 billion ($2.66 million).

APG Securities, the listing adviser, said TSAs outlook is supported by strong growth in electricity demand, a recovery in industrial production, and policy priorities under Vietnams Power Development Plan VIII.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade's forecast, electricity consumption in 2025 could increase by 10.5-14.3% compared to the previous year, but supply has not kept pace, especially in the North.

This development opens up many opportunities for businesses in the power construction sector, as the demand for investment in power infrastructure and power projects continues to increase sharply.

KienlongBank

Kienlong Bank (KLB) is next in line after receiving HoSE approval on December 18. While the official listing date has yet to be announced, more than 582 million KLB shares will be delisted from UPCoM on January 7, with the last trading day on January 6.

The bank said the reference price on its first HoSE trading day will be based on the average reference price over the last 30 UPCoM sessions. KLB shares surged from around VND7,400 dong in late April to VND18,000 in August before correcting to the VND15,000-17,000 ($0.65) range.

Founded in 1995, KienlongBank is one of the longest-established lenders in Vietnams Mekong Delta. It has charter capital of VND5.82 trillion ($221.4 million) and total assets of about VND97.7 trillion ($3.71 billion), placing it among smaller banks in the system.

As of September 30, KienlongBank has one head office, two representative offices, and 134 branches and transaction offices nationwide.

In the first nine months of 2025, the bank reported net profit of VND1.23 trillion ($46.69 million), more than double a year earlier, driven by broad-based growth across lending, services, foreign exchange and other income streams.

Net interest income increased by 13% to VND2.71 trillion ($103.1 million), service income surged by 42% to VND472 billion, foreign exchange trading income went up from VND6 billion to VND55 billion, securities trading income rose from VND13 billion to VND32 billion, and other operating income increased from VND118 billion to VND279 billion.

Antesco and Gia Lai Hydropower

On December 30, HoSE also approved the listing of An Giang Fruit and Vegetable Food JSC (Antesco, ticker: ANT).

The stock has risen 61.5% since late August to around VND42,000 ($1.6) per share, bucking a generally range-bound market.

Similarly to KienlongBank, the board of directors of Antesco also determined the reference price of ANT shares on the first trading day to be the average reference price of the 30 most recent consecutive trading sessions immediately preceding the delisting date from UPCoM.

Founded in 1975, Antesco is one of Vietnams leading agricultural processors, with annual processing capacity of 75,000 tons. It was the first Vietnamese company to export frozen processed agricultural products globally.

In 2024, Antesco posted record revenue of VND1.41 trillion ($53.42 million) and record net profit of VND74 billion ($2.81 million), up 86% va 637% against 2023, respectively.

In the first nine months of 2025, net revenue increased 30.2% year-on-year to VND1.45 trillion ($55.17 million), while net profit rose nearly 64% to VND100.2 billion ($3.81 million), exceeding its full-year profit target by about 18%. These are also the company's all-time highs.

The company's business results are expected to continue rising in the coming period. This is because in the third quarter, the company doubled its workforce to 1,500 people to meet order demands.

On October 17 in Ho Chi Minh City, Antesco held a signing ceremony for four important framework contracts with major importers from South Korea, the UK, and Poland.

Under these contracts, Antesco will supply nearly 20,000 tons of products annually, including key agricultural products such as pineapples, mangoes, passion fruit, and dragon fruit in frozen, sliced, and fresh forms, serving supermarket chains and wholesale markets in these markets. The total value of committed sales amounts to tens of millions of USD.

The final company approved in 2025 was Gia Lai Hydropower JSC (ticker: GHC), a subsidiary of TTC Groups energy arm Gia Lai Electricity (GEG). The firm operates several small and medium-sized hydropower plants in the Central Highlands.

GHC has reported stable earnings for several years, with annual revenue above VND300 billion ($11.41 million) and net profit exceeding VND150 billion, translating into net margins of more than 50%. The company has consistently paid cash dividends of 20-25% of par value.

In the first nine months of 2025, revenue edged up to VND236 billion ($8.97 million), while net profit rose 10% to VND124 billion, partly due to improved returns from financial investments and declining debt levels.

At the end of Q3/2025, the company had outstanding debt of only VND322 billion ($12.24 million), mainly long-term loans of VND319 billion for investment in hydropower plants. Equity capital reached nearl VND1.16 trillion ($43.95 million).

Regarding assets, besides fixed asset investments in power plants, the company had VND233 billion in loans and maintained VND127 billion in cash. Of this, the company lent VND127 billion to Truc Son Solar Power Plant JSC and VND90 billion to TTC Duc Hue-Long An Power JSC.

With these four listings, HoSE is expected to maintain strong activity at the start of 2026, as companies seek deeper liquidity and higher visibility on Vietnams main board.
(TBTCO) - Trao oi voi phong vien ben le Hoi thao hai ngoai ISJ, ong Hisakazu Ochi  Giam oc ieu hanh Hiep hoi Bao hiem Phi nhan tho Nhat Ban nhan inh, Viet Nam la thi truong co tiem nang lon trong chien luoc mo rong cua cac doanh nghiep bao hiem Nhat Ban; ong thoi khang inh cac doanh nghiep Nhat Ban luon san sang ong hanh, chia se du lieu, kinh nghiem va nguon luc cung doanh nghiep Viet nham xay dung thi truong bao hiem phi nhan tho phat trien ben vung trong dai han.
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Exposing corruption's always a gamble, but Nick Shirley's hit the jackpot of hell: death threats raining down on him and his family. What began as an investigation into suspicious financial patterns within the US state of Minnesota has spiralled into a safety crisis, drawing chilling comparisons to recent political violence.

Following his viral expose of alleged daycare fraud, independent journalist Nick Shirley has revealed he is receiving explicit death threats referencing the September assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. During an appearance on the PBD Podcast, Shirley said detractors are warning him he is 'next' and that he is 'going to be Kirked.'

A Viral Investigation

'They are saying, like, "Kirked  you're going to be Kirked. You're going to be Kirked,"' Shirley told host Patrick Bet-David. 'That's what they're saying  like, you're next. You'll be the next [Charlie] Kirk.' Shirley explained that he has received these threats both online and in person, highlighting the dangerous climate facing independent journalists who challenge state narratives.

The controversy stems from Shirley's on-the-ground investigation into several Minnesota daycare centres that receive substantial government funding. His video report claimed that these facilities were largely empty or non-operational, despite collecting massive sums of taxpayer money. In one shocking instance, a single location allegedly collected roughly 3.1 million ($4 million) in public funding. While state officials have pushed back, stating past inspections found no fraud, the visual evidence in Shirley's video has captured national attention.

Family Targeted

While the professional backlash was expected, Shirley appeared visibly shaken when discussing how the situation had impacted his family. The harassment has bypassed him and gone directly to his relatives, including his younger sister, who has begun receiving unsolicited phone calls.

'And it's just like, are you kidding me? It's not even like  I hate what's happening right now. I honestly feel bad for my family, because it's like, yeah, we didn't do anything wrong, and yet you guys are coming after me like I'm some sort of villain,' he said.

He expressed confusion and frustration over why the media and detractors would target his siblings. 'So I'm like, my little sister is getting phone calls. I'm like, why are you guys doing this? Your little sister is getting phone calls? Yeah, from, like, the news. I'm like, 'Case, don't talk to my family,' he added.

 Here is the full 42 minutes of my crew and I exposing Minnesota fraud, this might be my most important work yet. We uncovered over $110,000,000 in ONE day. Like it and share it around like wildfire! Its time to hold these corrupt politicians and fraudsters accountable



We ALL pic.twitter.com/E3Penx2o7a  Nick shirley (@nickshirleyy) December 26, 2025

Federal Response: Payments Frozen

Despite the threats and the state-level denials, Shirley's reporting has triggered immediate federal consequences. In a major validation of the concerns raised in the video, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on 30 December that it is taking drastic action.

The federal body has decided to halt childcare payments to Minnesota entirely while they investigate the claims of misappropriated funds. The move signifies that Washington views the allegations as credible enough to disrupt the financial flow immediately.

'We have frozen all child care payments to the state of Minnesota. HHS said in a statement, "We have cut off the financial flow and are actively investigating the fraud."

The agency cited allegations that the state of Minnesota has funnelled millions of taxpayer dollars to fraudulent daycares across the state over the past decade.

Originally published on IBTimes UK
Returning: The Jury: Murder Trial UK

A young mother stabbed her boyfriend in the chest. Some jurors think she was acting in self-defence  others suspect murder.

BAFTA-winning series The Jury: Murder Trial UK returns with a restaging of a real-life murder case  with actors  and a jury of 12 ordinary people.

A young mother says she killed her boyfriend in self-defence, but is she telling the truth? Will the jury deliver justice with their decision, and will they agree with the verdict of the original trial?

Filmed in Liverpools former Crown Court, the case is based on actual court transcripts of a real case, though names, dates and locations have been changed. The series offers unprecedented access as it is illegal to observe jurors in a real trial  but in this series we can watch as every court session unfolds.

From the very start, the courtroom is a battleground for conflicting interpretations and moral beliefs. This experiment in justice, tests the core of the justice system.

Episode One:

A young mother stabbed her boyfriend in the chest. Some jurors think she was acting in self-defence  others suspect murder.

Wednesday, 7 January at 8.30pm on SBS.
Samsung is going all out when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), and its The First Look showcase gave the public a quick look at what's coming.

Held during CES 2026, Samsung placed heavy emphasis on the updates coming to its line of refrigerators.

CES 2026: Samsung Makes Family Hub Smarter Than Before

Executive Vice President and Head of Digital Appliances (DA) Division at Samsung Electronics Cheolgi Kim and Head of Integrated Marketing, DA at Samsung Electronics America Elizabeth Anderson teamed up during the showcase to discuss what's coming next for Samsung's line of refrigerators.

One of the features discussed is the Family Hub, which will be made smarter than before. With the help of the Google Gemini-powered AI Vision, refrigerators will be able to recognize more items inside them, which can help with restocking.

Updates for Recipes

Another feature announced during the showcase is known as "What's for Today?" According to Samsung, this feature allows refrigerators to make recipe recommendations based on what is inside them.

It should be noted that this feature will be available for select refrigerators only.

In addition, the company also announced the feature known as "Video to Recipe," which converts cooking videos into easy-to-follow recipes that can guide users as they cook.

FoodNote and Now Brief

Samsung will also be launching a feature called FoodNote.

FoodNote provides a weekly report on a user's food intake patterns. It also provides insights on what ingredients are most used as well as which items need to be restocked as soon as possible.

Last and certainly not the least, there will also be a Now Brief feature, which will allow users to use voice commands in order to customize widgets and more.

Heavy AI Integration for Samsung Devices

Earlier in the showcase, Samsung CEO TM Roh explained the next chapter of the company, which involves the heavy integration of AI in the company's products.

"We will embed AI across every category and every product," he said during the start of The First Look.

This has become apparent in the announcements made for the company's refrigerators and other products during the showcase.

Originally published on Tech Times
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, Jan 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States might launch a second military strike on Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro if remaining members of the administration do not cooperate with his efforts to get the country "fixed."

Trump's comments to reporters aboard Air Force One raised the possibility of further U.S. military interventions in Latin America, and suggested Colombia and Mexico could also face military action if they do not reduce the flow of illicit drugs to the United States.

"Operation Colombia sounds good to me," Trump said. He also said that Cuba, a close ally of Venezuela, "looks like it's ready to fall" on its own without U.S. military action.

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Maduro is in a New York detention center awaiting a Monday court appearance on drug charges. His capture by the United States has sparked deep uncertainty about what is next for the oil-rich South American nation.

Trump said his administration will work with remaining members of the Maduro regime to clamp down on drug trafficking and overhaul its oil industry, rather than push for immediate elections to install a new government.

Top officials in Maduro's government are still in charge and have called the detentions of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores a kidnapping.

"Here there is only one president, whose name is Nicolas Maduro Moros. Let no one fall for the enemys provocations," Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said in an audio recording released by the ruling PSUV socialist party.

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Images of the 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed stunned Venezuelans. The operation was Washington's most controversial intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama 37 years ago.

Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino said on state television the U.S. attack killed soldiers, civilians and a "large part" of Maduro's security detail "in cold blood." Venezuelas armed forces have been activated to guarantee sovereignty, he said.

The Cuban government said 32 of its citizens were killed during the raid.

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez  who also serves as oil minister  has taken over as interim leader with the blessing of Venezuela's top court and has said Maduro remains president.

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Rodriguez has long been considered the most pragmatic member of Maduro's inner circle. But she has publicly contradicted Trump's claim she is willing to work with the United States.

Trump said Rodriguez may pay a bigger price than Maduro "if she doesn't do what's right," according to an interview with The Atlantic magazine on Sunday.

The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on that remark.

'A QUARANTINE ON THEIR OIL'

Trump's administration has described Maduro's capture as a law-enforcement mission to force him to face U.S. criminal charges filed in 2020, including narco-terrorism conspiracy. Maduro has denied criminal involvement.

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But Trump also said U.S. oil companies need "total access" to the country's vast reserves and suggested that an influx of Venezuelan emigrating to the United States also factored into the decision to capture Maduro.

"What really played (into the decision to capture Maduro) is the fact that he sent millions of people into our country from prisons and from mental institutions, drug dealers, every drug addict in his country was sent into our country," Trump said.

The Venezuelan government has said for months Trump was seeking to take the country's natural resources, especially its oil, and officials made much of a previous Trump comment that major U.S. oil companies would move in.

We are outraged because in the end everything was revealed  it was revealed that they only want our oil, Cabello said.

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Once one of the most prosperous nations in Latin America, Venezuela's economy tanked in the 2000s under President Hugo Chavez and nosedived further under Maduro, sending about one in five Venezuelans abroad in one of the world's biggest exoduses.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Venezuela's next leader should keep Venezuela's oil industry out of the hands of U.S. adversaries and stop drug trafficking and cited an ongoing U.S. blockade on tankers.

"That means their economy will not be able to move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interest of the Venezuelan people are met," he said on ABC's "This Week."

MUTED STREETS

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Some Maduro supporters gathered at a government-sponsored protest march on Sunday afternoon in Caracas.

Once ruled by Spain, Venezuela's "people must not surrender, nor should we ever become a colony of anyone again," said demonstrator Reinaldo Mijares. "This country is not a country of the defeated."

Maduro opponents in Venezuela have been wary of celebrating his seizure, and the presence of security forces seemed, if anything, lighter than usual on Sunday.

Despite a nervous mood, some bakeries and coffee shops were open and joggers and cyclists were out as usual. Some citizens were stocking up on essentials.

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Yesterday I was very afraid to go out, but today I had to. This situation caught me without food and I need to figure things out. After all, Venezuelans are used to enduring fear," said a single mother in oil city Maracaibo who bought rice, vegetables and tuna.

To the disappointment of Venezuela's opposition, Trump has given short shrift to the idea of 58-year-old opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado taking over, saying she lacked support.

Machado was banned from standing in the 2024 election but has said her ally Edmundo Gonzalez, 76, who the opposition and some international observers say overwhelmingly won that vote, has a democratic mandate to take the presidency.

LOOMING QUESTIONS

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U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the White House has failed to say how long the U.S. intends to be in Venezuela and how many American troops might be required.

"The American people are worried that this is creating an endless war  the very thing that Donald Trump campaigned against," Schumer said on ABC's "This Week." He said lawmakers would weigh a measure to constrain further Trump administration action in Venezuela, though its prospects could be uncertain given that Congress is controlled by Trump's Republicans.

While many Western nations oppose Maduro, there were many calls for the U.S. to respect international law and questions arose over the legality of seizing a foreign head of state.

The U.N. Security Council planned to meet on Monday to discuss the attack. Russia and China, both major backers of Venezuela, have criticized the U.S.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux worldwide; Writing by Andy Sullivan, John Kruzel, Lincoln Feast, Andrew Cawthorne and Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Cynthia Osterman, Sergio Non, Chizu Nomiyama and Diane Craft)
Europeans are waiting longer to have children  and experts say theres no sign this trend will slow down soon.

Across the European Union, women become mothers at age 29.8 on average, a delay of about one year compared to a decade earlier, according to the latest official data. Currently, womens age at first childbirth ranges from 24.7 in Moldova to 31.8 in Italy.

Delaying parenthood doesnt necessarily mean giving up on children, though. Some of the countries where women wait the longest to have children are also countries with higher fertility rates, for example, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Liechtenstein, and Norway, EU data shows.

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It's really about waiting, Ester Lazzari, a demographer focused on fertility at the University of Vienna, told Euronews Health.

There's not much evidence  that people don't want to have children anymore; the ideal family size has not really changed over time. It's just about timing, she added.

There are a few factors that Europeans typically consider prerequisites for having children, Lazzari said. They first want to complete their degrees and become financially stable, for example, and generally, they take longer to form stable romantic partnerships than in the past.

Women in Eastern and Central Europe tend to become mothers in their mid- to- late 20s, while those in Western and Southern Europe often wait until their early 30s, according to 2023 data.

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Yet the trend of childbearing postponement can be seen everywhere in Europe, Lazzari said. That's why it's very difficult to pinpoint one single factor that can explain the trend.

There can be health consequences to this shift. While Europeans may want to have children later in life, delaying parenthood can raise the risk of fertility problems. That means by the time they feel ready to have children, they may not be able to have as many as they want.

Related

The preferred reproductive window has shifted, and that's interesting, because biologically, this obviously has not changed, Lazzari said.

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That helps explain the rise in fertility treatments across Europe in recent years, with more than 1.1 million treatment cycles done at nearly 1,400 clinics in 2021.

However, these treatments can be expensive and emotionally taxing  and in some countries, they are not available to single women, gay couples, or other groups.
Thanh Nga villages communal house is more than just a site for worship - its home to a precious cache of royal edicts spanning hundreds of years. Despite historical upheavals, both the temple and its revered documents have remained remarkably intact, now regarded as one of Thanh Hoas most valuable cultural legacies.

Royal edicts are carefully preserved at the Thanh Nga communal house. Photo: Le Duong

Nguyen The Nhip, caretaker of the Thanh Nga communal house, explained that the temple sits at the heart of the village in Hamlet 5, Hoang Son commune, Thanh Hoa province. For generations, it has been a spiritual anchor and a venue for traditional cultural activities.

According to ancient records, the temple was originally built in the 17th century and is dedicated to the village's tutelary god. It was designated a provincial-level historical and cultural relic in 1999. Over the centuries, various parts of the structure suffered damage due to time and war. Thanks to joint efforts by the local community and government, it has been restored multiple times based on the original architecture.

One of the royal edicts remains in pristine condition. Photo: Le Duong

What makes the temple truly exceptional, according to Mr. Nhip, is its collection of nearly intact royal edicts. Village chronicles state that there were originally 54 edicts, of which 47 remain in good condition today, one is torn, and six from the Tay Son era have been lost. The surviving documents span from the 4th year of Phuc Thai (1646) to the 9th year of Khai inh (1924).

These edicts once went missing, he recounted. But during restoration work in 1999, villagers discovered them inside bamboo tubes hidden in the temples rafters. It was a joyful moment for everyone - they were immediately treated as sacred heirlooms.

We now carefully store the edicts rolled up in a lacquered wooden box with gold leaf, placed inside a safe. The temples management board only brings them out during the most important village ceremonies.

The temple was restored starting in 1997. Photo: Le Duong

The edicts were made using special do paper and ink mixed with buffalo-hide glue and gold or silver powder. This craftsmanship has allowed them to retain their vivid gold motifs even after centuries.

These documents have attracted the interest of professors and researchers, Mr. Nhip shared. Experts have assessed the 47-edict collection at Thanh Nga as priceless - a rare and continuous record of the Le and Nguyen dynasties, rich in historical, cultural, linguistic, and artistic value. Very few communal houses have preserved such a large number of royal edicts.

Mr. Nhip safeguards the royal edicts at the Thanh Nga temple. Photo: Le Duong

Le Dinh Ngo, Head of Culture and Society in Hoang Son commune, said the 47 royal edicts and the accompanying genealogical record are viewed by villagers as sacred treasures. They represent not only invaluable cultural heritage but also a deep reverence for the villages founding deity - honored for protecting and establishing the community.

The edict collection includes 21 issued during the Le Trung Hung dynasty and 26 from the Nguyen dynasty. Together, they offer a unique, uninterrupted view of Vietnams folk beliefs, royal administration, and cultural continuity over several centuries - something few localities possess.

To the villagers, Thanh Nga communal house is more than a place of worship. It is a living symbol of cultural identity and spiritual pride for the Thanh Hoa region - a heritage worthy of protection and preservation for generations to come.

Every year on the 15th day of the second lunar month, villagers hold the Ky Phuc Festival to honor the tutelary gods contributions.

The celebration features traditional rituals, a ceremonial procession around the village, and various folk games such as tug of war, Chinese chess, and boat races. These festivities not only attract large crowds but also strengthen community bonds and inspire younger generations to cherish their ancestral legacy.

Le Duong
Genetic disorders often leave lasting trauma, not only for the affected child but for their entire family. Statistics show that about half of all children born with genetic conditions in Vietnam do not live past the age of five, leaving behind deep scars for grieving parents.

Doctors select healthy embryos to ensure babies are free from genetic disorders. Photo: BSCC

On December 5, at a scientific seminar titled "IVF and advanced technologies  hope for the parenting journey," hosted by Dong Do Hospital (Hanoi), Dr. Tang Duc Cuong presented breakthroughs in in-vitro fertilization (IVF), particularly techniques to screen and prevent single-gene disorders. These advances are being seen as vital lifelines for families at risk of passing on inherited diseases to their children.

Each year in Vietnam, approximately 41,000 babies are born with congenital defects. Alarmingly, around 80% of those with genetic conditions are born to parents who are completely healthy and unaware they carry disease genes.

Roughly 14 million Vietnamese people - about 13% of the population - carry the gene for thalassemia. Every year, 8,000 babies are born with the disorder, of whom about 2,000 have the severe form that requires lifelong treatment.

Genetic disorders severely impact a childs development and quality of life, often leading to early death.

Other common genetic diseases include cerebral palsy, which affects 2 out of every 1,000 newborns; hemophilia (1 in 5,000); Duchenne muscular dystrophy (1 in 5,000); and phenylketonuria (1 in 10,000). Most people who carry these genes show no symptoms, making detection even more difficult.

In his clinical experience, Dr. Cuong said he has seen many couples hesitate to have children due to fear of repeating a family tragedy. Some have suffered 8 or 9 consecutive miscarriages. Others have had multiple children diagnosed with rare diseases. Some babies are born seemingly healthy but die suddenly just days after birth. These devastating experiences leave deep emotional wounds and cast long shadows over any future plans to expand the family.

Genetic screening can help parents break the cycle

Take, for example, a couple from Nghe An - Mr. and Mrs. K.T.H. Their first two children were born with cerebral palsy. Genetic testing revealed that both parents carried the faulty gene. After receiving counseling, they opted for IVF combined with genetic screening of embryos based on family-specific gene mapping. The result: a healthy baby boy - something they had once believed impossible.

Genetic testing plays a crucial role in helping couples identify hereditary risks and choose the safest reproductive path.

To date, scientists have identified about 6,000 single-gene disorders, including thalassemia, hemophilia, brittle bone disease, tuberous sclerosis, metabolic disorders, spinal muscular atrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, achondroplasia, phenylketonuria, neurofibromatosis, and primary immunodeficiency disorders.

All of these can be screened through gene sequencing.

For couples who carry the same disease gene, IVF combined with preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) can help select embryos that do not carry the harmful mutation. After genetic verification, only healthy embryos are transferred into the mothers womb.

This approach has enabled many families to escape the fear of inherited illnesses and realize their dream of raising healthy children.

Phuong Thuy
A civil servant in Bac Ninh implementing the Friendly Government model. Photo: Le Anh Dung

General Secretary To Lam has declared 2026 a year of breakthrough action and widespread results - a defining moment in the implementation of Resolution 57 and a preparatory milestone for the upcoming 14th Party Congress.

His message emphasized not only the continued promotion of science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation but, more critically, the urgent need to strengthen implementation capacity, tighten action discipline, and focus squarely on outcomes.

This shift marks more than just an acceleration of administrative tempo. It reflects a fundamental transformation in governance thinking: from emphasizing policy issuance to prioritizing execution; from measuring progress by planned milestones to evaluating tangible outputs and societal impacts.

This approach aligns with global trends in modern public management, as more countries move from process-heavy bureaucratic models to value-based governance. Here, the ultimate measure of success is the real-world impact on society - not internal compliance or formality.

When leadership becomes the anchor of execution

A consistent theme in the General Secretarys directive is the emphasis on the role and responsibility of top leaders.

Ministries, sectors, and localities must be held directly accountable for both progress and outcomes. Cases of delay or inefficiency must be reviewed and addressed. Execution results must serve as a key criterion for evaluation, commendation, and rewards.

Classical organizational theorist Max Weber once stated that bureaucracies only function effectively when authority is tied to responsibility and orders are channeled through a unified command. When authority is fragmented and responsibility is unclear, organizations may appear procedurally correct yet fail to deliver meaningful outcomes.

Modern principalagent theory builds on this: when task assigners cannot control outcomes and executors are not held responsible for results, public administration tends to fall into a cycle of doing enough work but no one is accountable for impact.

In reality, many government structures still operate with a segmented division of labor: one deputy oversees technology, another finance, a separate unit handles data. Each part completes its assigned task, but without a centralized coordinator, the process drags on and collective effectiveness falls short.

This fragmentation is especially evident at the provincial level, where inter-sectoral initiatives are often broken down into functional silos. Each segment may follow the rules, but without unified command, the whole system struggles to generate effective, coherent solutions.

The General Secretarys emphasis on leadership accountability seeks to directly address this root problem - especially in highly interconnected domains such as science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation.

Taking initiative and breaking institutional inertia

Another crucial directive is to cultivate a proactive mindset - one that does not wait to be assigned tasks and avoids operating on bureaucratic autopilot.

Institutional research has long explored the concept of path dependence - the tendency of organizations to repeat established routines, not necessarily because they are effective, but because they are familiar and safe.

In fast-changing environments, this inertia becomes a major barrier to innovation.

Management guru Peter Drucker argued that in a knowledge economy, effectiveness stems not from following detailed instructions but from knowing what must be done to achieve common goals.

In this spirit, the call to not wait for assignments is not a license for disorder, but a call for initiative within clear frameworks, bound by individual responsibility and oversight.

For digital transformation and innovation in particular, a reactive bureaucracy risks being left behind in an era of rapid technological and organizational change.

Data-driven governance as a tool for transformation

The General Secretary also stressed the importance of building a data foundation and adopting data-driven decision-making.

According to the OECDs Data-Driven Public Sector framework, data must be treated as a strategic public asset, actively used in decision-making, performance monitoring, and policy adjustment.

Global experience shows that data-driven governance helps identify issues early, reduce policy lag, and improve decision quality. However, data only becomes powerful when well-governed - accurate, interconnected, secure, and timely.

Unfortunately, in many Vietnamese localities, data remains fragmented, outdated, and used primarily for periodic reports - not as a daily operational tool for leadership. The challenge lies not only in technology but in management thinking and organizational data practices.

From principles to practice: Right, enough, clean, live, unified, shared

The six-point formula - right, enough, clean, live, unified, shared - captures the essence of modern data governance.

Right means reflecting reality accurately.

Enough means data must support effective decisions.

Clean means reliable and trustworthy.

Live means continuously updated.

Unified refers to standardized architecture.

Shared allows reuse across agencies.

Leading digital governments show that the central authority should act as a system architect - setting standards and ensuring security - while live data must originate from line ministries and localities. Without high-quality foundational data, national datasets cannot effectively inform macro-level decision-making.

At the local level, effective governance cannot rely on delayed summary reports. It must tap into real-time data flows from key socio-economic systems such as population, labor, land, planning, enterprises, budgets, and public services.

When data is correctly connected and shared, leaders can monitor in near real-time, detect early bottlenecks, and adjust policies swiftly. This aligns with Mark Moores public value theory, which asserts that policies only matter when they deliver concrete benefits to society - not just complete administrative procedures.

From plans to performance: A new governance paradigm

Across the General Secretarys directives is a demand to shift decisively from plan-based management to outcome-based governance - focused on real value creation in the economy and society.

The success of a policy should not be measured by the number of issued documents or approved programs, but by real-world changes felt by citizens and businesses.

Using public satisfaction as a performance metric reflects a broader shift toward a service-oriented government.

Applied locally, the message of breakthrough action and widespread results means clearly assigning final accountability, treating data as a command tool, and empowering evidence-based decision-making.

When leaders truly take charge, when data becomes an operational asset, and when results are the primary metric - then the General Secretarys strategic vision will no longer remain abstract.

It will become a lived, operational capability - one that enables every locality to accelerate sustainably in Vietnams next phase of national development.

An Hai
Vietnamese cinnamon is exported to dozens of countries and regions worldwide. Photo: Chu Khoi

According to preliminary data from the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA), Vietnam exported 8,985 tons of cinnamon in October 2025 alone, generating USD $21.2 million. This marked a 20.9% increase in volume and an 18.5% increase in value compared to September.

Cumulatively, by the end of October 2025, Vietnam had exported 99,463 tons of cinnamon, with a total export value close to USD $250 million (approximately VND 6,500 billion). This represented a 25.1% year-on-year increase in volume and a 13.2% rise in value compared to the same period in 2024.

Vietnamese cinnamon is now exported to nearly 100 countries and territories. Among these, India remains the largest importer, purchasing nearly 37,800 tons, which accounts for 38% of Vietnams total cinnamon exports in the first 10 months of 2025.

In 2024, Vietnams cinnamon exports totaled 99,874 tons, earning USD $274.5 million. The current surge in demand reinforces Vietnams global ranking as the third-largest cinnamon producer, behind only Indonesia and China.

Cinnamon is primarily grown in northern mountainous provinces. As of 2023, Vietnam had 186,000 hectares of cinnamon plantations. In many regions, the tree has become a mainstay crop that helps ethnic minority communities escape poverty and even build wealth.

Once mature, cinnamon trees are harvested for their bark. Farmers strip the bark, dry it in the sun, and sell it to local traders or processing companies.

The growing demand for Vietnamese cinnamon not only elevates its position in the global spice trade but also strengthens sustainable rural development and provides crucial income for highland communities.

Tam An
Hanoi has issued an urgent directive to the Department of Education and Training, instructing schools to suspend or adjust teaching and work schedules if air quality becomes hazardous, specifically when the Vietnam Air Quality Index (VN_AQI) reaches or exceeds 301.

This move is part of a broader emergency response outlined in an official document from the Hanoi Peoples Committee, calling for intensified measures to control environmental air pollution across the city.

Schools told to limit outdoor activities

The Department of Education and Training has been directed to notify and guide all schools to limit outdoor activities during timeframes and days when the air quality is rated as Unhealthy or worse.

In the event of severe pollution (VN_AQI  301), schools must suspend or reschedule in-person activities to safeguard students and staff.

Environmental agencies to tighten monitoring

The Department of Agriculture and Environment will lead efforts to monitor real-time air quality via local observation stations and provide public updates through the official website: https://moitruongthudo.vn.

This department is also tasked with strengthening surveillance and enforcement to prevent open burning practices such as waste burning, straw burning, and agricultural byproduct incineration.

In addition, technical guidelines will be issued for waste management and sanitation protocols, especially for solid waste treatment zones, to ensure no dust or odors are released during processing.

Environmental contractors and service providers will be closely monitored to ensure compliance with waste collection, transport, and treatment standards, in coordination with ward-level authorities and enforcement forces.

Construction sites under strict dust control

The Department of Construction must require 100% of construction sites to implement dust control measures, including vehicle washing stations, perimeter shielding, and water misting systems.

All loose construction waste must be tightly sealed or bagged at collection points and during transport.

Construction zones must also cover exposed ground surfaces - even tree roots, sidewalks, and public buildings - with green materials or specialized coverings.

Projects larger than 10,000 square meters must be equipped with automated dust monitoring systems using sensors, cameras, and AI technology.

Dust-reducing mist systems will also be tested in residential areas, parks, and on roads.

Authorities will conduct site inspections and have the authority to suspend operations for any site found violating environmental regulations or causing significant dust emissions.

The department will not issue permits for road or sidewalk excavation (except for emergency cases) during the year-end period if air pollution remains high.

Religious and public awareness campaigns

The Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs has been tasked with launching a city-wide campaign to curb the burning of votive paper offerings at religious and cultural sites.

It will also prepare a long-term public education strategy aimed at changing cultural practices and eventually ending the burning of votive paper altogether.

Health ministry outlines public safety measures

The Department of Health will develop public health communications in collaboration with media and local authorities.

People - especially the elderly, children, and those with respiratory illnesses - are advised to avoid outdoor activities, especially in the early morning and at night, and to wear masks during periods of high pollution.

Hospitals and health centers in polluted zones are required to prepare medical equipment and supplies for a potential surge in respiratory illnesses, particularly during temperature inversions when pollution levels worsen.

Ward-level enforcement and cleanup efforts

Ward and commune authorities are fully responsible for air quality management, including overseeing pollution sources such as dust and exhaust emissions.

They must respond to incidents promptly or escalate the matter to higher-level agencies for resolution.

Ward leaders will be held personally accountable by the city's chairman if serious pollution incidents occur within their jurisdiction.

Local police are instructed to lead enforcement operations to eliminate illegal waste burning, straw incineration, and agricultural byproduct fires.

The use of charcoal honeycomb stoves must also be completely discontinued.

Round-the-clock street cleaning

Depending on local pollution levels, ward leaders are authorized to increase sanitation activities, including sweeping, vacuuming, and water-spraying key traffic routes, especially during low-traffic hours (nighttime and before 6 AM).

These measures aim to reduce dust accumulation before peak commuting hours and prevent traffic congestion caused by cleaning operations.

Thanh Hung
Prof Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, Director of Vietnam National University, HCMC

At the recent annual conference, the VNU-HCMC Board of Directors announced draft strategic targets for the 20262030 period, aiming to create a breakthrough in both human resources and scientific research.

Over the next five years, VNU-HCMC plans to add 1,500 PhDs, around 50 percent of whom are expected to hold the academic titles of professor or associate professor. On average, the university system aims to increase its PhD staff by about 300 people per year.

In terms of research, the entire VNU-HCMC system targets publishing 41,200 international scientific papers and owning 100 international patents. In addition, the university plans to build one to two hospitals serving training, research, and medical examination and treatment. Average employee income is expected to rise by 1012 percent, while the on-time graduation rate is targeted at 70 percent.

Multiple programs

Currently, VNU-HCMC is implementing a range of solutions to increase the number of PhDs, most notably the VNU350 program, which aims to attract, retain, and develop outstanding young scientists and leading experts.

The program targets around 350 individuals with PhD-level qualifications or higher during the 20242030 period.

Under this program, in the first two years, young scientists will be granted one category C research project with funding of VND200 million. In the third year, they will receive one category B project with funding of up to VND1 billion. In the fourth year, they will be supported with laboratory investment for scientific research worth up to VND10 billion. In the fifth year, they will receive support and guidance on procedures for consideration for the national associate professor title.

For leading scientists, in the first two years they will be granted one category B research project with funding of up to VND1 billion. In subsequent years, they will be supported with laboratory investment for scientific research worth up to VND30 billion, as well as assistance in establishing strong research groups and registering to lead research projects at various levels.

Scientists working at VNU-HCMC are entitled to income and other benefits under the specific policies of their affiliated units, including salaries, bonuses, allowances, additional income, allowances for teaching beyond standard workloads, seniority allowances, research support, and rewards.

VNU-HCMC is also piloting PhD training under international standards, allowing doctoral candidates to defend their dissertations in as little as two years. Candidates may also be exempt from the independent external review process if they are the first author of at least three conference papers or scientific articles.

According to the pilot regulations issued by VNU-HCM, there are two training modes:

Full-time intensive research: Candidates must complete their overview essays, specialized topics, and the dissertation within 12 months of enrollment. Candidates must be the lead author of at least three reports or articles published in journals indexed in the Web of Science or Scopus (or equivalent), with at least one publication in the Q2 group or higher.

Combined research and coursework: Candidates must fulfill the requirements set by the Ministry of Education and Training while meeting additional scientific publication requirements stipulated by the university.

The university will recognize scientific publications equivalent to those in the list prescribed by the State Council for Professorship, consistent with industry practices and international contexts, ensuring equivalent quality and compliance with current regulations.

Academic integrity and accountability

Candidates with outstanding academic and research achievements may defend their dissertations ahead of schedule, with a minimum program completion time of two years. The new regulations also waive the independent review process for lead authors of at least three publications (Web of Science/Scopus) including at least one Q2 article.

VNU-HCM requires its member universities to be responsible for verifying the relevance of scientific publications to the dissertation content based on proposals from specialized councils. Simultaneously, it emphasizes academic integrity and accountability. If necessary, schools have the right to request candidates to clarify issues related to academic integrity, and such explanations will be made public on the school's website.

As of October 2024, VNU-HCMC had 6,406 staff members, including 991 management personnel and 5,415 professional staff. However, the university had only 34 professors, 328 associate professors, and 1,255 PhDs.

Compared to 2023, the total number of staff in 2024 increased by 202 people, but the number of PhD holders rose by only 74. VNU-HCMC has set a goal that by 2030, 75 percent of its teaching staff will hold PhD degrees or higher.

Le Huyen
Known as single-clove garlic (or solo garlic), this unique garlic variety is a rare genetic mutation found in specific regions of Son La province, particularly former Phu Yen district communes such as Gia Phu, Tuong Phu, and Tuong Thuong.

Unlike conventional garlic varieties with multiple cloves, this type has only one large clove, about the size of a thumb.

Phu Yen's single-clove garlic was previously selected by the Vietnam Records Organization (Vietkings) and Vietnam Top Organization (VietTop) as one of the Top 100 Vietnamese Specialty Gifts for 20212022.

Single-clove garlic is a famed specialty of Phu Yen, Son La province. Photo: Toi Co Don Son La

Tran Thu, a local from Gia Phu commune, said that for local residents, this garlic is considered heavens gift because it only appears by chance in purple garlic fields.

This garlic forms naturally through mutation. Unlike Ly Sons single-clove garlic in Quang Ngai, it doesnt have a specific cultivar and cannot be cultivated directly, she explained.

It only occurs in our local purple garlic. And even then, not every crop produces it. Sometimes, we have to harvest 57kg of purple garlic just to get a few hundred grams of solo garlic.

Because it contains only one clove, its quality is considered superior to regular varieties.

This garlic has a distinctly rich, spicy aroma and a higher concentration of essential oils.

Beyond culinary use, locals also regard it as a natural remedy believed to provide health benefits such as reducing joint inflammation and boosting the immune system.

As a spontaneous mutation, solo garlic is harvested naturally - without fertilizers or stimulants - making it especially clean and appealing. Photo: Nguyen Bac Tra

Though smaller than a pinky finger, Phu Yen's solo garlic clove is packed with essential oil thanks to the entire plants energy being concentrated into one bulb. Photo: Nguyen Bac Tra

Phu Yens solo garlic can be cooked directly, soaked in wine or honey, or used to make black garlic. Photo: Toi Co Don Son La

Ngoc Mai, a Hanoi resident and cooking enthusiast, shared that she is particularly fond of this garlic due to its robust flavor and uniqueness.

I dont just cook with it. I also soak it in honey or rice wine, and sometimes make black garlic to enhance my familys immunity, she said.

Ive used Phu Yen solo garlic for a long time and can tell its in a different league from regular garlic. Its small, firm, and crunchy - with a powerful aroma and signature spicy kick. Its great both raw and cooked.

Mai revealed that during harvest season, solo garlic sells for around 180,000200,000 VND per kilogram (approximately 7.508.40 USD). Pre-peeled, vacuum-packed garlic costs about 250,000270,000 VND per kilogram (10.5011.30 USD).

Due to its limited yield and strong flavor, she often places bulk orders of 57 kilograms per shipment from Son La to Hanoi - a distance of roughly 180 kilometers - to use gradually and give as gifts.

This garlic can be stored in a dry place or hung in the kitchen rafters for year-round use. Its quality remains intact whenever its taken out for cooking, she added.

PV
New Zealand will offer the highest number of scholarships ever to Vietnamese students. Photo: ENZ

New Zealand will offer 56 government scholarships to Vietnamese students in grades 8, 9, and 10 for the 2026 academic year - the highest number ever awarded under its secondary school scholarship (NZSS) program.

The New Zealand Education Agency (ENZ) announced the application period would run from January 5 to March 22. Eligible students must currently be in grades 810 in Vietnam, with an academic GPA of 8.0 or higher and an English level equivalent to IELTS 5.0 or above.

Ben Burrowes, Regional Director for Asia at ENZ, noted: The increasing number of NZSS scholarships offered each year allows Vietnamese students to explore a wider range of schools that match their strengths and personal goals. It also demonstrates New Zealands ongoing efforts to provide well-rounded international learning opportunities.

Applicants must submit academic transcripts, international English certificates (if available), and a 1.5-minute personal video to showcase their individuality and creativity.

While IELTS is preferred, other English certifications such as TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge B1 Preliminary, and Duolingo English Test are also accepted. However, proof of English proficiency is not required at the time of application. Those who dont submit a certificate initially may be asked to complete an interview or language assessment during the selection process.

Students will be considered for government scholarships based on their two preferred schools in New Zealand. If not selected, they may still be eligible for other scholarships directly offered by individual schools.

The 2026 NZSS program involves 56 high-quality secondary schools across various regions of New Zealand, including public, private, single-sex, and co-educational institutions. These schools follow either the New Zealand National Curriculum or international programs such as Cambridge and the International Baccalaureate.

Thuy Nga
Sprinkles Cupcakes, the beloved bakery chain famous for its cupcake ATMs, has officially closed all of its stores, ending 20 years of operation.

The announcement came on Wednesday, Dec. 31, with founder Candace Nelson confirming the news in an emotional Instagram video.

"A few days ago, I learned that Sprinkles Cupcakes, the company I started in 2005 and then sold to private equity in 2012, will be closing its bakery doors today," Nelson said.

"Just to say that out loud is completely surreal." Although she has had no operational role since selling the business, Nelson admitted she never expected the brand to end this way.

"I thought Sprinkles would keep growing and be around forever. I thought it was going to be my legacy," she said.

Sprinkles, which began in Beverly Hills, grew into a national sensation with more than 20 stores across six states and Washington, D.C., along with roughly two dozen cupcake ATMs.

The innovative ATMs, introduced in 2012, could hold up to 760 cupcakes and offered customers sweet treats on the go, fueling the brand's viral popularity, FoxBusiness reported.

The closure blindsided employees, many of whom received just one-day notices. Social media was flooded with messages from staff expressing frustration and disappointment. "Cupcakes are sweet.

One-day layoff notices are not. Yikes, what a bold way to celebrate 20 years and ring in the new year," one former employee wrote on Instagram.

Others described the timing as hurtful, pointing out that they had worked through the holiday season without warning of the shutdown.

Sprinkles, the original viral cupcake shop, to close all stores and vending machines for good https://t.co/q3ks08mz3M pic.twitter.com/Hp1xogOKom  New York Post (@nypost) December 31, 2025

Sprinkles Cupcakes Closes 15 Stores Across the US

According to Sprinkles, the decision to close was driven by "financial conditions due to unforeseen business circumstances."

A company spokesperson added that the wind-down process would be conducted in an orderly manner to address remaining obligations and preserve value where possible.

According to FoxBusiness, despite the abrupt ending, Nelson expressed gratitude to both customers and staff.

"I'm deeply grateful to the fans, customers, and community who showed up, celebrated with us, and made Sprinkles part of their traditions  and to the team who made it all happen. I'll always be proud of what we built," she wrote.

Sprinkles' influence extended beyond its cupcakes. The company helped popularize celebrity bakeries and inspired other boutique dessert brands, including Baked by Melissa, Crumbs Bake Shop, and Georgetown Cupcake.

At its peak, the chain drew celebrity endorsements and long lines of fans eager for Instagram-ready treats.

The closure affects 15 retail stores, including locations in Beverly Hills, Dallas, Austin, Manhattan Beach, and Washington, D.C., as well as three commissary sites in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Dallas. The fate of the company's cupcake ATMs remains unclear.

Originally published on vcpost.com
On one hand, this figure can be seen as a sign of solid economic recovery, with improved corporate revenue and profits, rising consumption, and more advanced tax administration. On the other hand, it also reveals potential risks.

To a significant extent, the 2025 revenue overshoot stems from improvements in tax administration and the expansion of the tax base. Compared with several years ago, the tax system has entered a new phase with deeper digitalization, wider application of risk-based management, better data connectivity among agencies; near-universal adoption of e-invoices; and revenue streams from e-commerce, the digital economy, and cross-border services gradually moving out of the grey zone.

Domestic revenue accounts for about 98 percent of the total revenue managed by the tax authorities, indicating a revenue structure that is increasingly less dependent on crude oil and imports/exports. In this sense, the 2025 surplus reflects a long-term accumulation of public financial reform rather than a short-term wave.

However, to answer the larger questionwhether this revenue level reflects a genuine increase in production capacity, labor productivity, and economic competitiveness, it is necessary to examine the quality of each revenue stream.

Real estate contributes large proportion

Among the drivers of 2025 revenue, real estate has emerged as the most critical factor, and also the source of revenue with the most distinct cyclical nature.

As of November 2025, revenue from housing and land was estimated at VND505.6 trillion, exceeding projections by 172.6 percent and more than doubling year on year, according to the Statistics Office.

In Hanoi, land-use fee revenue rose 167 percent; in HCMC, land-related revenue surged by as much as 353 percent year on year, mainly from land-use fees, land rents, and projects that cleared legal bottlenecks after long delays, according to local statistical offices.

These figures point to two parallel developments. On one hand, the real estate market has seen partial recovery as many projects completed procedures, delivered products, secondary transactions increased, and prices in certain segments edged up.

On the other hand, the settlement of backlogged financial obligations and tighter control over under-declared prices, thanks to improved data oversight, concentrated a large amount of revenue into 2025.

In the short term, a revenue boost driven by real estate is a positive sign. In the medium and long term, however, it carries risks that cannot be ignored. When the market cycle reverses, this revenue source can shrink very quickly.

No fiscal system can be truly sustainable if it relies heavily on asset markets rather than being underpinned by productivity gains, technological innovation, business competitiveness, and value added in production.

Two main economic engines

Another notable feature of the 2025 picture is the concentration of revenue in Hanoi and HCMC. Hanoi collected around VND631 trillion, exceeding projections by 32.1 percent; while HCMC collected about VND606 trillion, surpassing estimates by 20.8 percent.

Combined, the two cities contributed roughly VND1.23 quadrillion, equivalent to more than half of total domestic revenue nationwide.

When more than half of national revenue is generated by two major cities, regional risk no longer remains local but becomes macroeconomic. If these localities perform well, the budget remains stable; but if urban real estate, services, or consumption slow, the entire revenue picture can be affected immediately.

The gap in revenue-generating capacity among localities continues to widen. Many provinces still depend on central transfers, while their internal growth drivers have yet to be unlocked commensurately.

Beyond impressive numbers

The positive signals of 2025 deserve recognition. Tax administration capacity has improved; data systems and digital infrastructure are beginning to deliver results. Tax compliance has strengthened and domestic revenue has become the backbone. Real estate transactions are more transparent, and production and services have recovered after the pandemic shock.

These factors help reinforce fiscal autonomy and create room for public investment, social welfare, and infrastructure development. If further supported by institutional reform and improvements in the business environment, budget revenue can gradually shift from merely collecting more to collecting better.

Yet, exceeding projections by more than 30 percent also raises questions. The contribution from real estate remains too large and cyclical; the revenue structure is still not sufficiently based on productivity and real value added. Heavy reliance on two major cities creates concentration risk, and small businesses and household enterprises may face growing law compliance pressure as regulations tighten.

Lan Anh
In the 20th century, oil was the lifeblood of global economic, military, and political power. Control over oil meant control over prosperity and influence.

Now, in the 21st centurys digital economy, a new kind of strategic resource is emerging: data.

At the recent International Conference on the Data Economy, Professor Muttukrishnan Rajarajan of the University of London emphasized that data is no longer just a technological input, but a core economic asset - determining how enterprises and nations operate, innovate, and grow.

Vietnam, amid its ongoing digital transformation, is seizing this moment to transition from raw data accumulation to strategic data refinement and monetization.

The shift to a data-driven economy

While the knowledge economy emphasized human capital and the digital economy prioritized connectivity, the data economy places data itself at the center of all economic decisions.

Here, data doesnt just describe the past - it predicts the future, drives optimization, and automates complex decisions through AI.

Yet, much like crude oil, data in its raw form holds limited value.

Without processing, standardization, and analysis, datasets remain fragmented and underutilized. Thus, the data as the new oil analogy underscores a vital message: value lies not in volume but in the ability to refine and leverage it.

Countries that merely hoard data without governance structures or analytic capabilities may fall behind.

Building data infrastructure for sustainable development

Major General Nguyen Ngoc Cuong, Director of the National Data Center, stated that the world has officially entered the Data Era - where data determines a nations competitiveness, economic stability, and long-term prosperity.

Major General Nguyen Ngoc Cuong, Director of the National Data Center.

A new global development order is emerging.

Where the 20th century was powered by oil and heavy industry, the 21st is driven by data, knowledge, and analytical capabilities.

Data now stands alongside land, labor, and capital as a factor of production. It can be priced, traded, and used to fuel innovation and AI-driven growth.

Vietnam, aligning with this shift, is building a modern, secure, and interconnected national data system, underpinned by a strong institutional backbone.

Thats why the government has tasked the Ministry of Public Security with leading national data governance.

In recent years, the ministry has built and operated key data infrastructure systems - including the National Population Database, electronic ID and authentication systems, and national data-sharing platforms.

It has also launched the National Data Center, the countrys largest data infrastructure project to date.

Our goal is to establish a transparent, secure, and competitive data economy; strengthen regional and international cooperation in data and AI; and make data a foundation for sustainable and integrated development, said Major General Cuong.

AI: The refinery of the data economy

Just as oil required refineries, data requires AI to unlock its full economic value.

According to Professor Rajarajan, while IoT, cloud computing, and 5G have spurred a data explosion - expected to reach 79 zettabytes by 2025 - it is AI that determines whether that data can be transformed into economic output.

Modern AI models, especially deep learning and foundation models, rely on vast, high-quality datasets.

The richer the data, the better the models accuracy and decision-making.

Poor-quality or fragmented data leads to biased, unreliable AI systems, increasing societal risks.

As such, data is the lifeblood of AI, and AI is the engine that amplifies datas value.

Associate Professor Ali Al-Dulaimi of the British University Vietnam stressed this triad: Data  AI  Value.

In this chain, data is the new oil, AI is the refining engine, and value is realized through productivity, innovation, and wealth creation.

If managed well, this model could add as much as USD 79 billion to Vietnams GDP by 2030.

In practice, AI is already transforming sectors.

In manufacturing, data-driven AI enables predictive maintenance, cutting downtime and optimizing supply chains.

In agriculture, seasonal data and AI help forecast diseases and boost yields for millions of smallholder farmers.

In smart cities and public services, AI allows governments to shift from reactive to predictive operations, improving service delivery and response times.

However, AI also raises new tensions - particularly around data privacy.

Professor Rajarajan noted that AIs appetite for large datasets often clashes with privacy principles.

This has pushed countries to explore new technologies such as federated learning, secure multi-party computation, and differential privacy - tools akin to clean-energy filters in the data age.

A global race for data supremacy

Associate Professor Ali Al-Dulaimi, British University Vietnam.

Recognizing data as a strategic resource, major global economies are adopting vastly different strategies.

The U.S. leads in commercial innovation and AI, thanks to tech giants and a dynamic data market. However, it lacks a unified federal data policy, complicating privacy protections and trust.

China, on the other hand, follows a centralized model with strong state coordination and strict data localization laws. While this enables large-scale AI development in strategic sectors, it limits cross-border data flows and global interoperability.

The European Union is taking a unique path - treating data as a resource to be exploited based on trust and human rights.

Its trio of regulations - GDPR, the Data Governance Act, and the Data Act - forms the worlds most comprehensive legal data ecosystem.

Rather than stockpiling data, the EU is creating sector-specific Common Data Spaces (e.g., health, energy, finance, agriculture) for structured sharing.

This approach is expected to add 270 billion to the EUs GDP by 2028 while reinforcing AI innovation and digital sovereignty.

In this context, the global data race is not just about technology - its about institutional design, public trust, and the ability to enable responsible data flows.

Vietnams path to unlocking datas full potential

Vietnam is at a pivotal juncture.

With a young population, high digital connectivity, and rapid digital adoption, the country has the foundations to become a regional data power.

According to Professor Tran Ngoc Anh of Indiana University, data is the defining strategic asset of the 21st century. Vietnams future development trajectory hinges on how well it exploits this resource.

The biggest challenge isnt data scarcity - its fragmentation, lack of standardization, and limited interoperability.

Many datasets remain siloed, restricting large-scale AI deployment and reducing the effectiveness of digital policies.

Associate Professor James Abdey of the London School of Economics added another dimension: most of datas economic value isnt yet captured in GDP.

Without proper measurement systems, Vietnam risks underestimating its productivity and market size - complicating policymaking and investment attraction.

He suggested launching pilot measurement frameworks in high-data-intensity sectors like healthcare, education, and finance.

Strategically, Associate Professor Al-Dulaimi argued that Vietnam could pursue a hybrid model combining proactive state involvement, private sector innovation, and citizen data protection.

Here, the state acts not only as a regulator but also as the largest data user - leading through open data, trusted infrastructure, and policy sandboxes.

Enterprises and the innovation ecosystem would then refine this data through AI, creating new services and economic value.

Professor Chu Hoang Long of Australian National University emphasized the need for an integrated approach that covers data collection, access, and a transparent policy and business environment.

Only in such a context can data truly enhance efficiency, personalization, automation, and risk management - anchored in ethics and guided by government leadership.

In summary, data is indeed the new oil of the digital era.

But as history shows, resources only drive development when intelligently managed.

With strong momentum and a maturing policy landscape, Vietnam has a unique chance to transform raw data into lasting competitive advantage - if it invests in infrastructure, data governance, and strategic use of AI.

Thai Khang
Make in Vietnam enters a new phase

In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister Bui Hoang Phuong noted that over six years, the forum has ignited a strong aspiration for technological self-reliance among digital firms. The number of tech enterprises grew from 46,000 to nearly 80,000, with total industry revenue increasing by 66% to $198 billion. More than 2,000 companies have expanded into international markets.

Amid shifting models of governance and administration in the country, this is a prime opportunity for Vietnamese technology enterprises to break through.

The Deputy Minister emphasized: Without mastering core and strategic technologies, Vietnamese enterprises cannot solve national challenges, and the country cannot break through in this new era. This is the path for Vietnamese businesses to reach the global market.

A new direction: Lead where Vietnam has strength

Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung affirmed that Make in Vietnam has evolved into both a national movement and a real capability, giving rise to a generation of companies, engineers, and scientists who are determined to own technology.

Reflecting on six years of impact, he declared that Vietnam must now take a higher, more difficult but necessary step: launching a new phase - "Make in Vietnam to Lead."

Leadership does not mean leading at all costs, said the Minister. It means leading in areas where Vietnam holds advantages, urgent needs, and the potential to make a difference and create sustainable value. Make in Vietnam to Lead represents a shift from ownership to sovereignty and leadership; from building core tech products to setting standards; from standalone solutions to platforms; and from domestic to regional and global markets.

He stressed the need for new thinking, new methods, and a supportive policy framework. Leadership requires visionary thinking, guiding products, enterprise-centric innovation, and institutions that stay one step ahead. The Make in Vietnam to Lead journey moves from owning products to mastering the underlying technologies.

The Minister asserted that create in Vietnam, build in Vietnam to lead is not the task of one ministry, one industry, or a few enterprises - its a national strategy requiring collaboration between the government, businesses, the market, and society. It is the convergence of national ambition and technological capacity.

This new phase will not just mark a period - it will define a turning point in Vietnams development journey.

Tech firms back the strategy with bold action

Bo truong Bo Khoa hoc va Cong nghe Nguyen Manh Hung phat bieu inh huong dien an. Anh: Thach Thao

At the forum, leaders of major Vietnamese firms agreed that Make in Vietnam is a new economic development mindset - shifting from outsourcing to mastering design, technology, and value chains.

Nguyen Thanh Lam, Director General of Vietnam Television (VTV), said Make in Vietnam is not about isolationism, but about owning core components to enable deeper integration. VTV aims to transform VTVGo into a national digital platform, helping safeguard cultural sovereignty online.

Viettel Chairman Tao Duc Thang affirmed the companys mission to master core technologies to ensure national security. Viettel is investing heavily in strategic sectors such as 5G, semiconductors, and AI.

VNPT Chairman To Dung Thai outlined the groups transition from a telecom operator to a tech enterprise. VNPT has built a foundational digital infrastructure and open data ecosystem, serving as a connector across platforms.

CMC Chairman Nguyen Trung Chinh emphasized that mastering core technologies is vital for digital sovereignty. CMC is investing in AI infrastructure and has successfully developed tech solutions to address national-scale challenges.

FPT CEO Nguyen Van Khoa said Make in Vietnam serves as a guiding principle for the company. FPT has significantly reduced its outsourcing share, focusing instead on pillars like AI, data, cybersecurity, and semiconductors - with serious R&D investment.

Toward a pioneering digital nation

Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung praised the Ministry of Science and Technology for successfully organizing the high-impact forum.

He acknowledged the achievements of Vietnams tech companies while also highlighting existing challenges. He laid out four key tasks and solutions for sustainable growth.

The top priority, he stressed, is improving the legal and policy framework. He urged swift completion of guidelines for new laws including the Digital Technology Industry Law, the High Technology Law, the Artificial Intelligence Law, and the Intellectual Property Law.

The Deputy PM assigned the Ministry of Science and Technology to draft a government decree on AI regulatory sandboxes. He asked the Ministry of Finance to explore creating a National Technology Investment Fund, and the State Bank to consider recognizing intellectual property and data as assets that can be used for collateral in commercial lending.

Overview of the 2025 National Forum on the Development of Vietnamese Tech Enterprises. Photo: Ministry of Science and Technology

To boost the domestic tech market and prioritize the use of Vietnamese digital products, the Deputy PM instructed the development of government procurement policies for local technology. The Ministry of Finance is tasked with researching policies to promote the use of Vietnamese goods.

He encouraged state agencies to shift from public investment to subscribing to full-package digital services. He called for a nationwide campaign: Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese digital technology, highlighting that local platforms understand local needs better, cost less, and offer superior service and support.

Another priority is nurturing tech enterprises capable of mastering core technologies - building major firms that can lead both the domestic market and reach international scale.

Finally, he stressed the importance of policies to attract and retain high-quality talent, as well as training a skilled workforce through strong partnerships between the government, academia, and business.

Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung declared that 2026 will mark the beginning of a new era - an era of national rise.

In that era, the digital space will be the new development frontier - and the stage where Vietnamese intelligence shines, he said. Vietnamese technology enterprises hold a historic mission: to transform Vietnam from a latecomer into a pioneer in the digital era.

He expressed confidence that, with the momentum built over 40 years of oi Moi (Renovation), Vietnam will steadily build a sustainable, inclusive digital economy and society - and that the tech business community will write the next chapter of Vietnams remarkable rise.

Du Lam
A wind power project in Vietnam. Illustrative image: Hoang Ha

The project is part of a newly approved national list of priority energy infrastructure, authorized by the Vietnamese government.

Strategic project to boost regional green energy trade

The governments newly issued list includes:

32 power generation projects

7 LNG storage facilities

7 projects from gas-to-power chains

Several transmission line and substation projects

1 petrochemical refinery project

3 renewable energy industrial and service centers across South-Central and Southern Vietnam



Major offshore wind projects approved

Two key offshore wind initiatives are included in the energy list:

The South-Central Region Offshore Wind Development Zone 1, featuring 2,000 MW of capacity divided into four component projects. These are scheduled to enter operation between 2025 and 2030.

The Offshore Wind Power Export Project, targeting 3,000 MW for transmission from Vietnam to Singapore and Malaysia, with planned operation by 2033.

To facilitate the export project, Vietnam will construct a high-voltage undersea DC cable, which could traverse the territorial waters of Singapore, Malaysia, or Indonesia, depending on the final technical route.

Cable factory to support renewable energy infrastructure

To support the HVDC cable and future renewable energy infrastructure, a high-voltage cable manufacturing facility will be established in Ho Chi Minh City.

This plant is scheduled to begin operations by 2030, bolstering Vietnams role as a green energy hub in Southeast Asia.

Tran Chung
Xiaomi 17 Ultras global version is expected to launch around January or February 2026. Photo: PhoneArena

Following an impressive launch in its domestic market, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra - widely considered one of the most powerful mobile photography devices available - is officially gearing up for a global rollout.

Xiaomi has confirmed that an international version of the device is on the way, meaning global users wont have to wait long to get their hands on what many in the tech world are calling a professional camera disguised as a smartphone.

A smartphone that could replace your professional camera?

According to reliable sources, the international launch of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is expected to happen around January or February 2026. This strongly suggests the phone will make an appearance at MWC 2026 - an event Xiaomi has frequently used to showcase its latest innovations.

Although the company hasnt revealed a specific date, all signs point to an imminent release, and global anticipation is steadily rising.

What makes this smartphone especially intriguing is the philosophy behind it. Xiaomi doesnt just want to build a premium phone - it wants to create a device capable of replacing your entire photography gear setup.

The Chinese version of the phone already stunned fans with a massive 6,800mAh battery, promising exceptional longevity even with heavy use in photography and video recording.

While many current flagships offer only incremental camera improvements, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra takes an ambitious leap: pushing mobile camera hardware closer than ever to professional gear. With a 1-inch sensor and a 200MP periscope lens, it signals a new chapter in the megapixel war, where sensor size and optical capabilities take center stage.

If the Leica Edition makes it to international markets, it could be the biggest highlight. Featuring a mechanical zoom ring and luxurious vegan leather back, the device delivers a tactile experience reminiscent of traditional cameras. This isnt just about image quality - its about how it feels to shoot, something even the most advanced touchscreens often fail to replicate.

Xiaomi wants more than just to catch up

In terms of competition, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is poised to go head-to-head with Samsungs upcoming Galaxy S series. Photography enthusiasts may find themselves torn: stay with Samsungs reliable ecosystem or dive into Xiaomis daring world of high-end camera hardware?

The phones gigantic battery also addresses one of the biggest pain points in todays flagship devices - battery life that fails to match their performance demands.

Still, what excites many the most is the possibility of the Leica Edition making it out of China. The mechanical zoom ring isnt just a functional feature - it reintroduces the tangible joy of photography. It transforms snapping pictures on a smartphone into an emotional, engaging experience, rather than a mere screen tap.

Looking at how much Xiaomi is investing in the 17 Ultra, its clear the brand isnt just trying to match Apple or Samsung in the usual ways. Instead, its carving out a new niche: devices for users who want a professional camera that can make calls, rather than just a good camera phone.

If everything lives up to expectations, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra could set a new benchmark for flagship phones - where performance, photography, and battery life all reach groundbreaking levels.

With its global debut confirmed for early 2026, the high-end smartphone race is about to get a lot more exciting.

Hai Phong
Shlomo Kramer, Israeli billionaire and co-founder of cybersecurity firm Cato Networks, sparked heated debate after calling on the US government to take control of social media platforms to counter misinformation spread by artificial intelligence.

Speaking on CNBC's "Money Movers" Monday, Kramer argued that AI is giving authoritarian governments an "unfair advantage" over democracies, with online disinformation threatening the "fabric of society and politics." He suggested that regulating online speech may be necessary to protect democratic systems.

"I know it's difficult to hear, but it's time to limit the First Amendment in order to protect it," Kramer said.

He elaborated that governments should "control the platforms, all the social platforms," and implement a system to "stack, rank the authenticity of every person that expresses themselves online" to determine the influence of their speech, FoxBusiness reported.

Kramer emphasized the urgency of such measures, saying, "The technology is moving much faster than the political system typically can respond. You need to use technology in order to stabilize the political system."

He drew a contrast with China, noting that the country maintains "a single narrative that protects its inner stability," whereas the US currently allows multiple narratives that, in his view, adversaries could exploit.

Kramer also called for sophisticated cyber defense programs, warning that "enterprises are left fending for themselves" without adequate government support.





Foreigners have zero business telling us anything.



 Israeli billionaire Shlomo Kramer:



"it's time to limit the First Amendment. We need to control all the social platforms, we need to authenticate every person online and take control of what they are saying." pic.twitter.com/vwXG2wD8f5  Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) January 2, 2026

Social Media Criticism Follows Kramer's Comments

Kramer clarified to The Post that his comments were aimed at protecting public discourse from AI-driven operations that manipulate online spaces, not at abolishing free speech.

"The goal is not to limit the speech of individuals, but to ensure that the public square remains a place for transparent, human debate, protected from the corrosive impact of covert digital manipulation," he said.

His remarks quickly went viral on social media, drawing widespread criticism from free speech advocates.

Many accused him of promoting censorship, while some compared his proposals to state-controlled systems like those in China.

Conservative commentator Andrew Gruel warned of "state power without limits," while Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) succinctly rejected the idea.

Kramer, a serial entrepreneur behind Check Point Software and Imperva, has been vocal about cybersecurity threats posed by AI and digital disinformation.

Originally published on vcpost.com
In 2025, Cake by VPBank emerged as a standout performer in the fintech sector, building on its inclusion among the worlds top 100 digital banks in 2024 and becoming Vietnams first digital bank to report a profit. Powered by an AI-first strategy, robust technology infrastructure, rapid product development, and deep customer insights, Cake now serves 6.2 million customers, processes more than one million credit applications each month, and has recorded total transaction value of $12.8 billion, alongside steady growth in retail deposits.

Cakes total income surged 225 per cent in the first nine months of 2025, while operating expenses rose a more measured 83 per cent, reflecting improving cost efficiency as scale expanded.

In the third quarter, profit was four times higher than a year earlier, with earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation also recording a sharp increase compared with 2024.

Earlier, in Q3 2024, Cake was ranked among the top 5 per cent of the worlds most efficient digital banks, a level of performance rarely seen in Southeast Asia.

Cake is also among Visa Vietnams most effective fintech partners for credit card growth. In 2025, it was recognised as Visas Leading Digital Partner for Total Card Transaction Volume and won the Vietnam Pride Card Design Award for its 2-in-1 Freedom Card.

Beyond business performance, Cake has continued to strengthen a well-structured technology foundation throughout 2025. It is among the few banks in Vietnam to have successfully built and operated both its core banking system and an international card core platform in-house.

Mastering our technology infrastructure has been critical to building customer trust, and it reflects our confidence in the capabilities of our predominantly Vietnamese engineering team, said Nguyen Huu Quang, CEO of Cake by VPBank.

Cake was named The 2025 Best Digital Bank in Vietnam by The Asian Banker

Cake has developed and deployed more than 100 in-house AI models across core banking functions, including e-verification, customer service chatbots, credit approval, and debt collection.

AI is embedded across customer-facing services to streamline operations, control costs, and improve productivity. More than 700 automated AI processes operate around the clock, enabling faster and more consistent responses to customer needs.

The banks AI engineering team has also built a Vietnamese large language model (LLM) tailored to banking and financial services, trained on local transaction behaviour, operational workflows, and Vietnamese financial language.

Designed to improve contextual understanding while meeting security and scalability requirements, the model was ranked among the top 10 fine-tuned Vietnamese LLMs on the VLMU leaderboard and received recognition at Interspeech 2025, a prominent international academic conference on speech and language processing organised by the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA).

The effectiveness of Cakes end-to-end application of AI is reflected in product performance and business outcomes.

Customer retention stands at around 80 per cent among frequent transacting users and rises to about 95 per cent among customers using financial services.

Cakes technology infrastructure is designed to support tens of millions of users and is positioned for international expansion in the near future.

Last year, Cake showcased its technology capabilities by launching an AI-powered fast transfer feature. Unlike similar services at other banks that rely primarily on text-based data recognition, Cakes solution allows customers to use images such as screenshots or photos of invoices, reducing manual data entry and enabling faster and more accurate transactions.

As demand for faster payments has grown, Cake was also among the first digital banks in Vietnam in 2025 to offer contactless payment options, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, Garmin Pay, and the Click to Pay online service.

The move places Cake among a small group of banks in Vietnam that have fully integrated cardless payment solutions, supporting a wide range of smart devices.

Cake and Vietnam Post mark the launch of the 2-in-1 Freedom Card

Last August, Cake partnered with Vietnam Post to launch the 2-in-1 Freedom Card, which integrates both debit and credit functions into a single product, allowing users to manage cash flow more flexibly.

The product reflects an emerging direction in digital banking, as simplicity and real-time spending control become higher priorities for users. The one card, multiple options model helps streamline payment behaviour while maintaining security and flexibility.

Customer uptake is supported by both product features and Cakes operational capabilities, which are underpinned by a robust security framework.

The bank complies with a range of recognised standards, including ISO/IEC 30107-3 Level 2 biometric certification (the highest level accredited by iBeta), ISO/IEC 27001:2022 for information security, and FIDO2 for passwordless authentication.

Together, these certifications reinforce digital trust and give customers confidence in placing their assets with a digital bank.

Over the past year, Cake has concentrated on strengthening its AI-driven digital banking model.

The focus has translated into a series of domestic and international recognitions, including Best Digital Bank in Vietnam and inclusion in the worlds Top 100 digital banks by The Asian Banker, alongside awards from International Banker, CafeFs FChoice, and the Better Choice Awards.

Looking ahead to 2026, the competitive landscape is expected to intensify as sector restructuring brings in new entrants, many of which will benefit from lower barriers to customer adoption.

In this environment, scale alone is no longer a decisive advantage. Nguyen Huu Quang, CEO of Cake by VPBank, said competition is increasingly defined by efficiency, scalability, and system resilience.

Cake aims to position itself among Southeast Asias AI-driven banks over the next three to five years.

In fintech, sustainable growth depends less on feature volume than on trust built through data integrity, operational discipline, and long-term execution areas the digital bank has identified as its strategic priorities.

The Asian Banker: Cake Digital Bank engages best AI technology implementation Cake by VPBank has been granted the Best AI Technology Implementation Award by The Asian Banker at a ceremony on July 18 in Hanoi.

Cake and The Gioi Di Dong to provide consumer loans VPBank's digital subsidiary Cake and The Gioi Di Dong JSC signed an agreement to provide online consumer loans on October 11.
HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM - Media OutReach Newswire - 2 January 2026 - CUKTECH, a technology brand dedicated to charging innovation, has officially launched its first desktop charging product in Vietnam  the CUKTECH 30 Ultra Charging Station. This marks an important expansion of CUKTECH's local product lineup, bringing a high-performance, all-in-one desktop charging solution to users who value efficiency, advanced technology, and modern design.

Designed for multi-device users, content creators, and tech enthusiasts, the CUKTECH 30 Ultra Charging Station combines ultra-high power output, intelligent visual interaction, and minimalist industrial design to elevate the desktop charging experience.All-in-One Desktop Power Charging StationWith a maximum total DC output of up to 300W, the CUKTECH 30 Ultra Charging Station can charge up to five devices simultaneously. From high-performance laptops and tablets to smartphones and accessories such as earbuds and smartwatches, most devices can be powered efficiently from a single desktop hub, reducing cable clutter and minimizing reliance on multiple chargers.Smart Visual InterfaceThe charging station features a 1.83-inch IPS display with 850 nits peak brightness and a 170 wide viewing angle. The screen displays real-time information including per-port output, total power consumption, and charging protocols, enabling users to easily monitor charging status while enhancing the product's technological appeal.Advanced Fast-Charging TechnologyPowered by ADC 2.0 Adaptive Fast Charging Technology, the CUKTECH 30 Ultra Charging Station intelligently identifies connected devices and automatically matches optimal voltage and current. It supports multiple mainstream fast-charging standards, including Xiaomi 120W MAX, delivering fast, stable, safe performance across a wide range of devices and brands.Minimalist Design for Modern DesktopsStaying true to CUKTECH's design philosophy, the CUKTECH 30 Ultra features a refined, minimalist form that blends seamlessly into modern home and office environments. Beyond functionality, it serves as a premium desk accessory that enhances organization and visual sophistication.Brand Strength & Global RecognitionAs part of the Xiaomi ecosystem, CUKTECH has built strong expertise in GaN technology, CUK circuit architecture, and adaptive fast-charging systems, ensuring industry-leading performance, efficiency, and safety. The brand's products have received international recognition, including the iF Design Award and Red Dot Award, and are available in markets such as South Korea, Singapore, the United States, and Europe.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, announced it will provide free broadband service in Venezuela through February 3, aiming to keep residents connected after US forces arrested President Nicolas Maduro during a military operation.

"In support of the people of Venezuela ," Musk wrote in a post on X, sharing a link to Starlink's service update, Meaww reported.

The move comes amid reports of widespread internet and electricity outages, particularly in Caracas, as the country faces political uncertainty.

Starlink automatically applied service credits to both active and inactive accounts across Venezuela.

"For active customers: No action is needed. Free service credits are being proactively applied to your account," the company said.

"For inactive customers: Free service credits are being proactively applied, allowing you to reactivate service during this period."

Maduro was flown to New York following his arrest on Saturday, where he faces multiple federal charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons-related offenses.

His wife, Cilia Flores, was also taken into custody and is facing similar charges. US officials accused the couple of using drug trafficking and violence to destabilize the region and undermine democratic institutions, as outlined in federal indictments.

Starlink has increasingly positioned itself as a communications lifeline during crises.

"In support of the people of Venezuela."



Following the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, Elon Musks Starlink announced it will provide free high-speed internet service across Venezuela, saying the move is aimed at supporting the Venezuelan people during a pivotal pic.twitter.com/bhr6uDdkmE  Fox News (@FoxNews) January 4, 2026

Elon Musk Calls Starlink 'Backbone'

The network has been deployed in natural disasters, such as California wildfires and Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, and in international conflicts, most notably in Ukraine, where it has helped maintain communication for civilians, government agencies, and military units amid infrastructure damage.

According to FoxBusiness, Musk has previously called Starlink "the backbone of the Ukrainian army," highlighting its growing role in emergency and geopolitical situations.

The temporary free service in Venezuela is designed to help civilians access news, emergency services, and communication tools during the unfolding crisis.

Musk also expressed optimism about the country's future, writing on January 3, "Long overdue prosperity is coming for the people of Venezuela."

Maduro and Flores are expected to appear before a federal judge in New York on January 5 for initial proceedings.

Prosecutors allege Flores played a role in her husband's alleged criminal operations, including arranging meetings to coordinate bribe payments for illegal shipments through Venezuelan airspace.

Originally published on vcpost.com
Long-serving volunteer retires from Llangollen and Corwen Railway

One of the longest-serving volunteers at the Llangollen and Corwen Railway has hung up his gloves for good after completing his final shift after decades of service.

Malcolm Lees, who is widely recognised as the railways last Steam Era footplate crew, drove his last services on the final operational day of the year.

A British Railways (Western Region) man, he was based out of Shrewsbury and Bescot during his BR days, before later becoming synonymous with Llangollen shed in the preservation era.

Volunteers and supporters gathered throughout Malcolms final day day to thank him for his contribution, with Mr Lees presented with a painting of the railway.

Malcolm described his time at the Llangollen and Corwen Railway as a huge privilege.

The people here are like family, and the railway itself gets under your skin, added Malcolm.

I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together and grateful for the friendships, memories and moments along the way.

Malcolms long and varied railway career started as a cleaner in Salop, in the mid-1960s, before reaching the position of fireman.

After being redundant with the switch to dieselisation, Malcolm started working at Llangollen as a cleaner before progressing to fireman and later to driver.

Trust Manager David Hennigan paid tribute to Malcolm and the wider railway family, saying: Malcolm represents the very best of this railway. He has been our last link to the steam era footplate, and I am personally grateful for his help, knowledge and advice.

His final day was a fitting celebration, not just of one mans contribution, but of a railway powered by volunteers who care deeply about what they do.

Our Christmas season was completely sold out and delivered by volunteers working at the very top of their game.

We will be launching our 2026 season soon, and we do so from a position of strength and optimism. Enjoy your retirement, Mal.

Photo  Oliver Lang
Saks Global, the owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman, is facing growing pressure to secure more than $1 billion in new financing as it struggles with heavy debt, missed payments, and a sudden leadership change.

The luxury retailer is racing to raise cash after failing to make a $100 million interest payment tied to the $2.7 billion debt it took on to buy Neiman Marcus last year.

That missed payment has raised fears of a possible bankruptcy filing if funding talks fall apart.

Sources familiar with the situation say the company is now in discussions with both new and current investors to avoid that outcome.

At the same time, Saks Global announced that longtime CEO Marc Metrick has stepped down after nearly a decade leading the company, EconoTimes reported.

Executive Chairman Richard Baker has taken over the role, returning as CEO during one of the most difficult periods in the retailer's history.

Metrick said he was proud of his work building the brand and its online business and is leaving to pursue new opportunities.

Behind the scenes, Saks Global is dealing with more than just bondholders. The company also owes millions of dollars to vendors, some of whom have reportedly not been paid in full for over a year.

This has added strain to relationships with suppliers who keep stores stocked. One source said talks around financing could wrap up within weeks, but stressed that nothing has been finalized.

Saks in talks for $1 billion loan to keep doors open: report https://t.co/fXtdViPMv4 pic.twitter.com/fq6Gsnm78w  NY Post Business (@nypostbiz) January 4, 2026

Sales Drop Adds Strain on Saks Global's Finances

Reports of financial trouble increased after it became clear the company was using a 30-day grace period to delay the missed interest payment.

If talks fail, the company could turn to debtor-in-possession financing, a type of loan used during Chapter 11 bankruptcy that allows businesses to keep operating while they reorganize.

According to NY Post, sales troubles have added to the pressure. Saks Global's revenue dropped 13% in its most recent quarter, which ended in early August.

Demand for luxury goods has slowed, hurting high-end retailers across the industry.

The company has already closed a Saks Fifth Avenue store in San Francisco and recently sold the land under its Beverly Hills Neiman Marcus store, choosing to lease it back to raise cash.

Despite the challenges, Saks Global still owns valuable real estate and well-known brands.

Earlier this year, it raised $600 million from bondholders and has explored selling a minority stake in Bergdorf Goodman.

Originally published on vcpost.com
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Malibu, CA, Jan 5, 2026 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Join Ellis Martin for an in-depth conversation with Blue Lagoon Resources Inc. ( CNSX:BLLG ) ( 7BL:FRA ) ( BLAGF:OTCMKTS ) President & CEO Rana Vig, discussing the company's transition from exploration into gold production at the high-grade Dome Mountain Gold Project in British Columbia.



Blue Lagoon has achieved what fewer than 0.01% of junior mining companies ever do-moving into production-while delivering nearly $1 million CAD in gold and silver from a single shipment, driven by rising gold prices and operational execution.



In this interview, Rana Vig covers:



The five-year journey to production and permitting



Initial gold shipments and revenue leverage to gold prices



Why business discipline matters in mining success



Plans for drilling, exploration, and resource growth



Relationship with Nicola Mining and 95% recovery rates



Capital strategy, dilution outlook, and potential shareholder returns



With gold prices at historic highs and global uncertainty driving demand, 2026 is shaping up to be a transformational year for Blue Lagoon Resources.



To Listen to the Interview, please visit:

https://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/JP0FXB20



About Blue Lagoon Resources Inc.





Blue Lagoon Resources Inc. (CNSX:BLLG) (FRA:7BL) (OTCMKTS:BLAGF) is a Canadian-based, well-funded, growth-oriented mining company focused on advancing its 100% owned Dome Mountain Gold Project in British Columbia. Led by a team with deep mining and finance experience, the Company operates in one of the world's most attractive mining jurisdictions.

In February 2025, Blue Lagoon achieved a major milestone with the granting of a full mining permit - one of only nine issued in British Columbia since 2015 - and has since commenced underground mining operations. Mineralized material from Dome Mountain will be processed under a long-term toll milling agreement with Nicola Mining. Beginning in H1 2026, the Company plans to reinvest internally generated cash flow into near-mine and regional exploration to further expand its resource base.

With a strong commitment to sustainability, community, and First Nation engagement, Blue Lagoon's objective is to become a profitable, cash-flowing gold producer while creating lasting value for shareholders and stakeholders alike.

The Company is not basing its production decision at Dome Mountain on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. The production decision is based on having existing mining infrastructure, past bulk sampling and processing activity, and the established mineral resource.

About The Ellis Martin Report

The Ellis Martin Report (TEMR) and Money Talk Radio feature interviews with industry leaders in mining, biotech, energy, and technology. The program is globally syndicated through multiple financial platforms and streaming services.

Related Companies
Delhi Riots Case: Supreme Court Denies Bail to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Grants Relief to Five Others 2

The Supreme Court of India on Monday rejected the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the larger conspiracy case linked to the February 2020 Delhi riots, holding that the two stand on a qualitatively different footing from the other accused.

In the same verdict, a bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and N. V. Anjaria granted bail to five other accusedGulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmadwho are also facing charges in the case.

Khalid, Imam and the other accused were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and provisions of the Indian Penal Code in a case in which the Delhi Police has alleged a larger conspiracy behind the communal violence in northeast Delhi in 2020. The riots claimed 53 lives and left over 700 people injured, erupting amid protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens.

The bail pleas before the apex court had challenged a September 2, 2025 order of the Delhi High Court, which had declined bail to the accused in the conspiracy case. The Supreme Court had reserved its verdict in December 2025 after hearing detailed arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.

Details of the operative conditions attached to the bail granted to the five accused were not immediately available at the time of filing.
Indore Water Crisis Worsens: 142 Hospitalised as Fresh Diarrhoea Cases Surface, Political Heat Rises 2

The water contamination crisis in Indore deepened on Sunday with 142 people currently hospitalised, including 11 in intensive care units, even as fresh diarrhoea cases emerged during large-scale health screenings in Bhagirathpura, the epicentre of the outbreak.

Health officials said 20 new patients were detected after medical teams screened 9,416 people across 2,354 households in Bhagirathpura, where six deaths have been officially confirmed due to consumption of contaminated drinking water. In total, 398 people have been admitted to hospitals since the outbreak began, of whom 256 have been discharged following recovery.

Authorities maintained that the situation is now under control, though hospitalisations continue. Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Madhav Prasad Haasani said a team from the Kolkata-based National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections has reached Indore to investigate the outbreak and provide technical support to contain it.

While the district administration has confirmed six deaths, the toll remains disputed. Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava has claimed 10 fatalities, while local residents allege that at least 16 people, including a six-month-old child, have died.

The crisis has triggered sharp political reactions. The Congress held bell-ringing protests across Madhya Pradesh, demanding the resignation of senior minister Kailash Vijayvargiya after he sparked controversy by using the word ghanta while responding to reporters questions on the crisis on December 31. The Congress termed the remark insensitive and demanded a judicial inquiry, along with Vijayvargiyas removal from office. Bhagirathpura falls under his Indore-1 assembly constituency.

State Congress president Jitu Patwari warned of a statewide agitation from January 11 if corrective measures were not taken. He demanded the registration of a culpable homicide case against the Indore mayor and concerned civic officials, alleging that residents had been complaining about contaminated tap water for the past eight months without action. He further claimed that even water supplied through municipal tankers remained unsafe.

Amid the escalating controversy, a sub-divisional magistrate in neighbouring Dewas was suspended on Sunday for allegedly reproducing portions of a Congress memorandum verbatim in an official order related to law and order arrangements during protests. Ujjain division revenue commissioner Ashish Singh said the action was taken for serious negligence and irregularities in official conduct.

Renowned water conservationist Rajendra Singh, a Magsaysay Award winner popularly known as the Waterman of India, described the deaths as a system-created disaster and blamed deep-rooted corruption. Expressing concern that such a crisis could unfold in Indias cleanest city, he warned that the condition of drinking water systems elsewhere could be far worse.

Government officials have acknowledged that sewage overflow entered drinking water pipelines, triggering severe cases of vomiting and diarrhoea. Singh alleged that cost-cutting practices, including laying water pipelines close to drainage lines, and falling groundwater levels have made cities like Indore increasingly vulnerable to such crises.
South Korean actress and former After School member Nana has been counter-sued for attempted murder by the man she subdued during a November 2025 home invasion, her agency Sublime confirmed on January 2, 2026.

The suspect, a man in his 30s identified only as A, filed the countersuit from detention, accusing Nana of attempted murder and aggravated assault despite police already ruling her actions as legitimate self-defense. The intruder was arrested on November 15, 2025, after breaking into Nana's residence in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, using a ladder to enter through the veranda while carrying a knife.

According to police reports, the suspect threatened Nana's mother with a weapon and demanded money, choking her until she briefly lost consciousness. Nana, whose real name is Im Jin-ah, woke to her mother's screams and together they subdued the intruder, who sustained a 7-centimeter laceration to his jaw during the struggle. Both women were injured in the confrontation, with Nana's mother requiring hospitalization for strangulation injuries, according to MSN.

The Guri Police Station concluded in November that Nana's response fell within the bounds of legitimate self-defense. "The level of force used did not amount to excessive or serious injury to the suspect," an official stated, adding that no criminal charges would be filed against Nana or her mother.

The suspect initially confessed to the crime but later retracted his statement during police questioning, claiming he was unarmed and did not injure the victims. In letters sent from prison to JTBC's "Crime Chief" program, the man alleged that Nana's team offered him 40 million Korean won (approximately $27,700 USD) to testify that he entered with a weapon, and claimed that Nana attempted to stab him. He stated his motive was obtaining money for his mother's medical expenses.

Sublime strongly denied these allegations. "Claims about medical expenses, financial proposals, or agreements regarding weapons are entirely false, the Korea Times reported. Instead, the perpetrator demanded we not report him to the police," the agency stated. The label condemned the suspect for exploiting Nana's celebrity status and causing "secondary harm" without showing remorse.

The agency announced it will pursue all available civil and criminal legal action against the suspect. Nana initially considered leniency due to the suspect's young age, but changed course after learning of the countersuit.

On social media, Nana addressed supporters directly. "I've known about the counter-suit for some time. Fortunately, after spending time alone, I've regained stability and feel stronger," she wrote, assuring fans she would "resolve this properly" and remain unwavering.

Police confirmed they will review the case according to protocol since a formal complaint was filed, though self-defense has already been established, as per Koreaboo.
Latin Americans, Spanish supporters rally at U.S. Embassy in Madrid over Venezuela

Xinhua) 08:54, January 05, 2026

People in support of Venezuela protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain, on Jan. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

Migrants and descendants from Latin America, joined by Spanish supporters, rallied outside Madrid's U.S. Embassy on Sunday to protest U.S. interference in Venezuela, waving flags and chanting for the country's sovereignty.

MADRID, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Migrants and descendants from across Latin America, joined by Spanish supporters, gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Madrid on Sunday to protest what they described as U.S. interference in Venezuela. Participants carried Latin American flags and chanted slogans in support of the country's sovereignty.

Andean pan flute music provided the backdrop to the demonstration. Alberto Calderon, a member of a traditional Andean music group and descendant of Peruvian migrants, led the rhythm and guided the chorus.

He said the melodies, rooted in the Andean highlands and shared across Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and parts of Argentina and Chile, predate modern national borders and were adapted to address Venezuela's current situation.

People in support of Venezuela protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain, on Jan. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

"Venezuela, an immortal nation," the crowd chanted. "For your resistance, the peoples of the world stand with you." Araceli Munoz Rojas, one of the participants, said she joined the rally to protest what she described as U.S. military interference in Venezuela, calling it a violation of international law and national sovereignty. Miguel Sanchez, a dual Spanish-Argentine citizen, warned that external intervention could set a precedent across the region.

As the rally concluded, the music and chants gradually faded, leaving participants emphasizing solidarity and the ongoing memory of foreign intervention in Latin America. "Even if time passes, I can't forget you, it's impossible," the crowd sang.

Earlier on Saturday, the United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were "captured and flown out of Venezuela," according to a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account.

The U.S. military action against the South American nation has drawn widespread international condemnation, with multiple countries calling for a coordinated global response.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has welcomed mediation initiatives undertaken by various Libyan parties to resolve the persistent dispute on the constitutional judicial system, including the establishment of a mediation committee composed of eminent jurists
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan serves as the unwitting mascot for civic leaders. Her priority? She is more focused on photo ops than accountability for billions vanishing in massive statewide fraud schemes.

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She is known for her fashion stunts, which have become her personal optic of choice. This time, she recently wore a black hijab -- the safest Muslim color -- as a gesture she framed as solidarity with the Somali community being accused of the massive fraud.

Solidarity can be charming, but Flanagans performance ignored a far more combustible reality: taxpayer outrage. Minnesotans were witnessing what investigators have described as an "industrial-scale fraud in real time. And asking what had become of accountability from their civic leaders.

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How could $9 billion vanish into a black hole of corruption? The sheer scope and duration of what were, in many cases, absurdly amateurish schemes really struck a raw nerve with the public.

As the news unfolded, Minnesotans were seething at the incompetence of their civic leaders not stopping (as in enabling) fraudsters from raiding federal funds intended for healthcare programs and food assistance meant for hungry children. How hard could it have been to notice the red flags?

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Apparently not hard at all. Independent journalist Nick Shirley, a 23-year-old YouTube creator, pulled back the curtain, by going door-to-door to fake daycare centers, demonstrating just how easy it was to spot the storefront frauds. One giveaway, now a symbol of national outrage, was a sign outside one educational center that misspelled a key word leaving a giant banner that read: Quality Learing Center.

Of course the typo quickly made its way into the media rounds amplifying scrutiny over the broader allegations of fraud. Not all was lost on the occupants of the Learing Center. The sign was later updated to correct the misspelling.

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Shirleys outtakes pointed to one question for the Lt. Gov., and other top officials, which was unavoidable: If an intrepid 23-year-old reporter could uncover millions in clumsy fraud schemes, why couldnt state leadership?

Scathing comments erupted across social media from Minnesotans on both sides of the political aisle. One frustrated taxpayer summed up his outrage posting: So, let me get this straight: Somalis get caught stealing large sums of money, wrote the taxpayer. Then a politician (who is partly responsible) comes along and starts advocating for them.

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Frustration from taxpayers was clearly in evidence in the comments: I have yet to see a government program by Democrats that doesnt have a slush fund scheme built in. Its always about stealing taxpayer money to pay out donors. Referring to what was described as a recurring cycle, a taxpayer concluded: Rinse and repeat.

Meanwhile -- Gov. Tim Walz could be counted on to express his indignation, just not over the massive fraud. Instead, he accused President Donald Trump of politicizing the issue, stopping short of calling him a racist. His words carried little weight with many of his constituents, who were left seething as their money vanished into federally-funded scams.

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The fraudsters cash grab -- and their spending spree -- didnt stay hidden for long. Investigations traced the stolen funds to the purchase of luxury homes, expensive cars, and upscale vacations. But most shocking of all, Somalians funneled money to the terrorist group Al-Shabab in Somalia.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) offered a carefully crafted excuse for terrorists being on the receiving end of federal funds: That is a failure of the FBI and our court system in not figuring (this) out, she said during an interview on CBSs Face the Nation.

At the time of the interview, CBS newscaster Margaret Brennan did not challenge Omar on the possibility that she, too, bore responsibility for the unprecedented theft in her state -- in which shes paid to help govern.

The interview ended on almost a cheery note with Omar assuring viewers: If money from US tax dollars is being sent to help with terrorism in Somalia, we want to know. But could she have known more about the theft herself?

After all, her victory party for her 2018 campaign was held at Safari Restaurant, co-owned by one of the theft ringleaders, Salim Ahmed Said. He was later convicted in 2025 on multiple federal fraud, bribery and money laundering charges.

Yet that connection didnt stop Omar from solemnly assuring CBS viewers that she wants to know about such activities. Stressing if they are happening, she said: We want those people charged. Piling on her convictions, Ohmar added: And we want to make sure that that doesnt ever happen again.

In an ironic twist, Ohmar owes taxpayers a few answers -- starting with a very personal peek into her own finances. How does a government salary miraculously balloon into a $30 million net worth? (U.S. Representatives earn a standard annual salary of approximately $174,000.)

As previously reported, FBI Director Kash Patel says his investigation has merely uncovered just the tip of a very large iceberg. He has since increased investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud exploiting federal programs.

One can only hope his warning prompts Lt. Gov. Flanagan and her like-minded colleagues to move beyond political pandering and on to performing their jobs. As the states second-highest executive officer, Flanagan is entrusted with protecting taxpayer dollars and exercising real oversight of executive agencies that somehow missed the fraud for more than eight years.

Not everyone was willing to look the other way. For years, whistleblowers raised alarms about the blaring systematic fraud. Their concerns were either ignored or harassed into silence, according to early reports. (Senate investigations will  no doubt  delve deeper into this issue.)

Whistleblowers deserve credit for their efforts and would be the first to say: A reckoning is long overdue.

Perhaps, Flanagan and her Democrat colleagues will hear the alarm and recognize this shameful chapter for what it represents: Minnesotas own Times Up movement.

Robyn Dolgin is a writer whose articles have been published by Copley News Service and City News Service.

Image: Tony Webster
Experts agree that the whole point of the election of Zohran Mamdani to be mayor of New York City was so that Nicolas Maduro could feel the warmth of collectivism during his stay in the city.

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But is it possible that President Trump orchestrated the whole thing, from Mamdanis election to Maduros vacation so that the two collectivists could discuss justice and the arc of history together, all friendly like?

Think back over the last year and wonder. There was the USAID corruption reveal and then the Iran bombing rain and then the drug boat demolition derby and then the DSA mayor elections and then the Somali child care corruption reveal and then the Maduro removal from Venezuela for safer climes. Were they all related?

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Ill tell you what 2025 has done for me. First, it has confirmed me in my belief that all government is corrupt from stem to stern. Second, it has taught me to fully understand the Race Card. The point of the Race Card is simple. It makes you and me shut up, especially when raising the obvious point that all government is corrupt. This was brought home to me by our new Seattle mayor Katie Wilson, who said:

I stand with the Somali childcare providers who have experienced targeted harassment and condemn the surveillance campaign promoted by extremist influencers. Advertisement

I cant believe she said that. And Katie had Somali Immigrant Iffy Abshir help introduce her at a ceremony last Friday.

Katie, honey. Your Somali Race Card is a tell that Somali corruption is running rampant in nice liberal Seattle, just like it is in Minnesota.

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Hey, Mayor Katie! Check your smartphone! Your Race Card is over the limit.

Politics is simply gifting your supporters with tax money and grants and government regulations so that the grateful supporters will contribute to your next campaign. The only downside is that the supporters come to expect the grift, and demand it continue. Thus we can understand the agony of educated liberals in the USAID community when Elon Musk started messing with their mess kits.

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Heres an example of government in action. Mayor Mamdani has just announced the formation of an Office of Mass Engagement.

The office will work within City Hall and across City agencies to strategize, coordinate, and execute on engagement that reaches the masses of everyday New Yorkers. Advertisement

Do you see the point? Mamdani is creating gubmint jobs for activists, in particular for the activists that worked on his campaign. Its about nothing but Jobs for Activists.

What came out as clear as can be in the pivotal year of 2025 is this. The point of the Race Card and the Oh The Children Card is to shut us up.

To repeat: the whole point of the Race Card is to stop you from criticizing the policies of liberal government. Because if you do, youre a Racist. Or children are going to starve.

But racism and starving children have nothing to do with the case.

Every ruling-class functionary needs a simple way of silencing critics and preventing any serious analysis of the ruling classs policies. Thats what the Race Card has done for the last 50 years. Its supposed to shut you up. And hey, its worked, up to now.

The other side of politics is to bury your enemies. Thats what Jack Smith and Tish James and Fani Willis are all about. And by the way, dont you dare criticize Tish or Fani, you Racist.

You know something else that I am observing? Our Democratic friends and their willing accomplices in the media are not that good at playing the Race Card. Not anymore. Its a bit weak to whine about race and poor helpless Somalis when the fraud is so blatant and so widespread. And it is pathetic for regime media types to whine about unqualified twentysomething YouTubers doing the job that they, like Bartleby the Scrivener, would prefer not to do.

We know why this ruling-class decline happened. It happened because of Affirmative Action and DEI. The Democrats are not sending us their best anymore. And it shows.

It seems to me that we have an opportunity: a mission, if we accept it. That mission is to create a new Narrative, that all government spending is corruption and grift. Yeah, maybe it helps people occasionally, but thats just an accident. The whole point of government spending is to grift the ruling classs supporters. And that is all.

So when our liberal friends accuse us of being racist towards helpless Somalis, we say: Sorry, maam. Your Race Card has expired. Check your smartphone.

Or we say: Sorry, I dont understand. The Somalis get billions of dollars in spending and they all vote Democrat. Thats got nothing to do with race; thats just corruption as usual. Maybe you can explain the race angle to me, dear liberal friend, because, after all, you are educated and I am ignorant.

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill blogs at The Commoner Manifesto and runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class.

Image: Santeri Viinamaki
A recent Rasmussen Reports national survey shows that Christmas has once again become Americas most important holiday.

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Fifty-five percent of American adults rank Christmas among the nations top celebrations, while another 30 percent place it just below. That result may be triggering to professional scolds, but to ordinary Americans, it feels like validation.

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Image created by ChatGPT

For years, Christmas was seen not as a fundamental part of American culture, but as an embarrassment -- something to be handled, softened, and linguistically masked to avoid offending the grievance classes.

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Merry Christmas became suspect. Public displays of faith were quietly taken down. Biblical nativity scenes were replaced by Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus in Obama-era wire detention cages.

Corporations, government agencies, and universities have embraced the language of risk mitigation: it's safer to say, Happy Holidays and mean nothing than to speak the truth and risk a complaint or castigation.

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"Happy Holidays" is a pablum-sounding avoidance of reality, similar to calling Dylan Mulvaney "she" or "her."

Then President Donald Trump arrived, and the apology tour was over.

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Trump didnt pass a Christmas law or sign an executive order pushing Merry Christmas." He didnt mandate nativity scenes. Instead, he did something much more disruptive in modern America: he spoke plainly.

He said Merry Christmas like a normal person and refused to pretend that acknowledging Christs birth was a form of cultural aggression, white supremacy, or fascism. In doing so, he restored what the managerial class had systematically eroded -- permission.

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Politics not only influences policy; it also determines what people feel free to say aloud. For more than ten years, Americans have accepted the idea that Christmas is only acceptable if its religious significance is removed and replaced with secular greetings.

Trump rejected that framework outright. And judging by the Rasmussen Reports numbers, Americans were more than willing to follow Trumps lead.

Christmas is not a vague seasonal observance or celebration of the winter solstice. It is a religious holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, full stop.

That fact is inconvenient for secular elites who are perfectly comfortable celebrating every possible identity but become uneasy when facing Christianitys cultural influence.

They dont object to holidays because they love celebrating every LGBTQ pride day, week, or month. They embrace the LGBTQ alphabet soup of lifestyle choices.

Christianity embodies moral clarity and absolutes, unlike the shifting choices and identification with the latest ism. Christmas is at the heart of Americas moral and cultural history, and that central role makes it a target.

The solution was dilution. Christmas could stay, but only if it behaved. Keep the lights and the store sales. Lose the Christ, the essence of the word Christmas.

Swap specificity for sentiment. Thats how Merry Christmas evolved into Happy Holidays, a phrase so hollow it could be printed on recycled HR memos or back issues of the New York Times.

Trumps refusal to participate was seen as controversial only because the Overton Window had shifted far from reality. Saying Merry Christmas wasnt provocative, but acting like it was wrong was the real provocation.

Americans recognized the difference right away but yielded to the PC sensitivity police.

Contrast this cultural stance with that of the Biden administration. Vice President Kamala Harris paid noticeable attention to Kwanzaa, a holiday celebrated by only 3 percent of Americans.

Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a radical activist who was later imprisoned for beating and torturing two women -- a detail often omitted from official tributes to this recently created holiday.

Americans are free to celebrate any holidays they choose. But when niche, recently created observances receive disproportionate official attention while Christmas is seen as just one option among many, the message is clear - the old core must be replaced. This is not multiculturalism; it is cultural engineering.

The left claims this is about inclusion. It isnt. Inclusion doesnt require the majority to act as if its traditions are shameful.

You do not need centuries-old religious practices to be linguistically downgraded so that no one feels left out. True pluralism allows for differences to exist without forcing the dominant culture to erase or cancel itself or making people feel ashamed for simply existing, as the New York Times suggests.

The Rasmussen Reports poll indicates Americans are tired of the charade. The resurgence of Christmas is not about nostalgia - its a form of resistance. Its a refusal to accept that every tradition must be flattened, rebranded, and stripped of meaning before it can be accepted publicly.

This shift also shows exhaustion. Americans are tired of living in a culture where nothing is stable - not language, not history, not biology, and not even reality.

Everything is negotiable, except the demand to keep negotiating. Christmas offers a rare exception: a fixed point. A 2,000-year-old story that doesnt change to fit the moment. A reminder that meaning is inherited, not invented or blessed by a committee.

The values embedded in Christmas -- faith, family, sacrifice, charity, redemption -- conflict directly with the dominant ideology of radical individualism and situational morality.

Christmas emphasizes that life isn't just about self-expression or consumption. It looks outward, upward, and backward to something greater than oneself. Thats exactly why it persists and why it frustrates the cultural architects.

For years, Americans were told that swapping out Merry Christmas for Happy Holidays was a sign of kindness and inclusion. But the kindness was always unequal.

Christianity was expected to fade into obscurity, while every other belief system was regarded as fragile and untouchable. The outcome was not harmony but exclusion and resentment.

Trumps presidency changed that dynamic. Love him or hate him, he made it socially acceptable to stop apologizing for being American, Christian, or traditional.

The cultural effects were quick. Churches became full. Public officials spoke more freely. Families felt less need to hide what Christmas truly meant to them.

Other Rasmussen surveys have similarly shown that large majorities believe Christmas is important to American heritage. Specifically, 83 percent of American adults think celebratingChristmas is important to Americas cultural heritage.

Thats not a call for everyone to believe the same. Its an acknowledgment of reality. America didnt come out of nowhere. Its legal traditions, morals, art, and institutions were influenced by Christianity, even if imperfectly practiced.

Christmass resurgence as Americas favorite holiday signals a broader craving for tradition. The country is weary of being told that everything old must be torn down and everything new automatically celebrated.

People crave roots. They seek stability. They want something that doesnt shift with each election cycle. And they dont want to be judged for their heritage and beliefs.

Christmas didnt make a comeback due to better marketing or nostalgia. It returned because Americans are tired of being pressured into euphemisms. Under Trump, Merry Christmas is no longer seen as a social offense, whereas under Biden, it was silenced into insignificance.

The Rasmussen poll clearly shows which approach connected. Americans want authenticity, not managed language. Christmas didnt need to be reimagined; it needed to be defended. And once people remembered they could say it again, they did -- loudly. Merry Christmas!
That the radical Left worldwide would celebrate the inauguration of communist Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City was entirely predictable. What is striking, however, is the ostentatious triumphalism displayed at a time when the Trump administration is systematically exposing illegal extraction mechanisms and financial flows step by step.

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It is a moment of celebration for the radical Left in the United States. After the defeat in the 2024 presidential election, the inauguration of Zohran Kwame Mamdani -- the first Muslim mayor of New York City -- marked the resurgence of socialist forces within the Democratic Party.

Naturally, the ever-shrill Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was present, as was leftist know-it-all Bernie Sanders, who administered Mamdanis oath on the Quran.

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Socialism is a recurring social disease, and Zohran Mamdani is one of its visible symptoms. His political program is well known in Germany as well, particularly to the German Left. Public transportation is to be made free of charge. A millionaire tax is to be introduced. Childcare is to become a free public service. Affordable housing is to be created through large-scale public construction.

We know all of this: massive market interventions -- and all of it has failed repeatedly.

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And yet New Yorkers granted Mamdani a mandate, giving him a lead of more than nine percentage points over his competitors.

The Familiar Promise

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I will not hold back when it comes to improving the lives of New Yorkers, Mamdani declared. I am Muslim, I am a democratic socialist, and I refuse to apologize for that, he said during the campaign.

He may yet be forced to apologize when projects such as the targeted over-taxation of predominantly white neighborhoods or his harebrained idea of municipally-run grocery stores collapse -- either due to the U.S. Constitution or the basic logic of free-rider effects in public goods.

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But Mamdani is not really about this grotesque socialist program, which only appeals to prosperity-spoiled young activists and moralizing NGO operatives.

Mamdani was positioned by the radical Left to defend structures that have been built up over decades with the explicit goal of transforming society into a socialist control state -- one we can already observe taking shape in Brussels.

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The Counterrevolution is Underway

Donald Trumps hardline deregulation agenda and demonstrative return to classical American capitalism have unleashed a dynamic that extends far beyond his presidency. The political Left in the U.S. -- especially its radical wing -- has been forced into a kind of ideological molting. This reaction can now be studied in real time: in New York as well as in California, where left-wing radicalism has been entrenched for years.

That a self-professed communist has taken control in the global capital of capitalism carries particular political weight. New York is no ordinary city. Capital is concentrated here; the core infrastructure of the American financial system is located here. Leftist access to these levers marks a qualitative escalation.

Seizing Power at the Heart of Capital

It is reasonable to expect capital flight -- both from large investors and from segments of the middle class. A gradual relocation of stock market activities away from Wall Street is also underway. But such processes take time. And during that time, Mamdani and his communist allies will create facts on the ground.

This is where the looting begins: the American upper class, and increasingly the middle class, will be bled fiscally to finance expanded protest infrastructures, NGOs, and the political machinery that President Trump was able to dry up by dismantling USAID and related funding mechanisms.

At the same time, the conflict in California is accelerating. The socialist state government under Governor Gavin Newsom is attempting to immobilize residents through aggressive exit taxes -- keeping them fiscally exploitable for ideologically driven policies. Republican-led red states, meanwhile, are benefiting from a massive influx of middle-class families fleeing these left-radical disaster zones.

For Europeans in the EU, this ideological clash in the United States is of immense importance. It offers a preview of how Brussels might react in the event of secession, resistance, or a loss of power.

The instruments are already in place: exit taxes, increased capital levies, the digital euro to control capital flows, CO2 trading schemes, and cross-border certificate regimes. These are soft or hard capital barriers, depending on how deeply they are applied. Brussels and the Frankfurt-based central banking apparatus are prepared for the moment when Europes fragile power construct is seriously threatened by a rising conservative Right.

The Institutionalized Extraction Economy

Over decades, the United States has allowed an extraction economy to develop that costs the country hundreds of billions of dollars annually. This includes entire networks of Somali communities established under administrations such as Barack Obamas, whose primary purpose was to extract taxpayer funds via social infrastructure -- such as daycare centers without actual childcare services -- redirecting those funds into private channels and financing the democratic-socialist movement.

These structures are now being dismantled.

President Trump must confront them just as decisively as he does the fentanyl attacks deliberately directed at the American population from abroad. Germany is experiencing a similar, albeit far more amateurish version of this phenomenon through its asylum industry -- less efficient, but no less catastrophic for taxpayers.

This entire complex operates on a different scale than the green crony economy worth hundreds of billions of euros. In the United States, the Trump administration has already inflicted such damage on this green apparatus that capital is once again moving freely in markets, with renewed investments in nuclear power and pipeline infrastructure.

In short: the American economy is poised for a significant surge this year -- driven by the systematic dematerialization of the green complex.

The radical Left has spent years constructing institutional frameworks to legally safeguard its activities. It has embedded itself in municipal structures and continues to shape the agenda in Europe through political hubs such as the World Economic Forum and Brussels.

That the United States has managed -- through the effective shutdown of USAID and the drying up of cheap dollar credit routed through London and the LIBOR mechanism -- to cripple large parts of this financial architecture will one day be regarded as a major historical achievement.

Today, however, this transformation is obscured by media noise -- particularly the fixation on Donald Trumps erratic public appearances. The real story being written runs far deeper.

Brussels, London -- Vectors Of Confrontation

Again and again, the vectors of the Trump administrations strategy point toward Brussels and London. The hardline stance in the trade conflict with the EU Commission -- and especially with British prime minister Keir Starmer -- has not only generated a flood of unfavorable headlines and memes for Europeans; it has tangible economic consequences.

The United States is pushing back against euro-protectionism. It is resisting the manipulation of trade via climate policy. And it refuses to be intimidated by the expanding censorship regime and rent-seeking industry spawned by the Digital Services Act.

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have made the message unmistakably clear. With the release of the new security strategy, EU Europe has been presented with a choice: return to the consensus of Western values -- respect for the individual, free speech, and fair trade -- or face not only harsher rhetoric, but problems beyond what it has so far been able to imagine.

Consider Europes dependence on LNG imports. Consider the reality that, at the push of a button in Washington, Europeans could be left alone in the Ukraine conflict -- a conflict they have knowingly refused to de-escalate. A giant with feet of clay. And increasingly, a giant acting emotionally out of panic over its waning power, intellectually overwhelmed.

Americas Self-Assertion

The coming months will be decisive. At the latest, since the United States forceful intervention in Venezuela, it has been made clear that Washington will not tolerate the influence of China, Russia -- or Europe -- on its doorstep.

The fentanyl attack originating in China is now being openly confronted, and intelligence operations funded by drug money within the United States are being shut down. For the first time, America has a genuinely sovereign, patriotic government.

If this administration succeeds in saving potentially hundreds of billions of dollars per year by draining the Somali swamp and other extraction vehicles -- and consolidating the federal budget through these measures alone -- voters will reward it in the midterm elections this fall. And the Mamdani episode in New York will be remembered with little more than a knowing smile.

Image: Eden, Janine and Jim
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  James 2:14 (ESV).

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Last week, OnlyFans creator Lily Phillips, the British adult-content personality who went viral for saying she had sex with more than 1,100 men in 12 hours, shared video of herself being rebaptized, calling it a moment of spiritual renewal bringing her closer to God. Phillips said the baptism was a way to reinstate my relationship with God, telling Us Weekly that a personal hardship drove her to reconnect with faith after drifting away from regular practice. She said she still prays, but rarely attends church, and wants to make religion more of a priority.

That said, Phillips has not committed to ending her career in the adult industry. In fact, she says she hopes to connect with other Christian creators in that industry and believes her faith can coexist with her lifestyle.

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Reactions on social media were mixed:

Matthew 21:31 "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you." 



Jesus is Always spot on with His words.  ReconcileWithGod (@Mickzo) January 2, 2026

OnlyFans model Lily Phillips, posted a few days ago that she got baptized.



Currently, I dont see the fruit of saving faith in Jesus Christ



 Still sells pornographic material

 Doesnt mention Jesus Christ in her reasoning to be baptized

 Pro-gay marriage

 pic.twitter.com/QDLJg02NPR  Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) January 1, 2026

As far as Im aware, her OF site is still up, so Im leaning toward this being a publicity stunt. With that said, I hope she does have a true change of heart and seeks to follow the Lord faithfully, posted one Reddit user.

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Others paraphrased a foundational Christian caution: Do not judge heart motives  but do judge fruit. (Matthew 7:1620)

A central tenet in Christian theology is that baptism traditionally follows genuine repentance  a turning away from sin and toward Christ.

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Jesus Himself said, Go and sin no more. (John 8:11). In the Gospel narrative, baptism represents death to the old life and resurrection to the new (Romans 6:34). But Phillips has not pledged to abandon the lifestyle and industry that made her famous; shes merely promised to take a back seat to other priorities while continuing to profit from adult content.

Are we witnessing true spiritual transformation or a PR moment?

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Many online commenters noted that faith is a process, so whether Phillips ultimately continues on a journey toward spiritual transformation or just wants a feel-good God experience will reveal itself soon enough. More importantly, the truth is known to God himself, who is the ultimate judge and authority, so our personal pronouncements are meaningless.

This baptism video, shared all over social media, is the latest example of religious pronouncements being tied to pop culture.

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Still, Christians and others are right to ask: If a baptism doesnt lead to repentance, what's the point?

As the apostle Paul warned believers in Ephesians 4:2224:

Put off your old self  and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
On his first day in office as New York Citys mayor, Zohran Mamdani rescinded a municipal executive order signed by his predecessor that held some aspects of anti-Zionism to be anti-Semitic.

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Mamdanis rationale was that the previous definition oftentimes ignores the distinction between criticizing the Israeli government and actual anti-Semitism. Mamdanis move was criticized by Israel and by American Jewish groups.

Mamdani is making a distinction between anti-Semitism, which he vows to combat, and anti-Zionism, which in his view is a legitimate mode of discourse. Mamdani stands on a narrow point: it is true that anti-Zionism is not inherently anti-Semitic, as can be seen in the special case of some Jews who disavow the Zionist basis of the state. Thus Mamdani plausibly says, there is no room for anti-semitism in this city.

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The trouble with this formula is that anti-Zionism spills over from the domain of public debate onto the streets. Its message equates Israel with evil. It holds that the collective identity of Jews is inherently oppressive. It is the oxygen of the global intifada.

Anti-Zionism has come forward in our lifetimes as the third of three different anti-Jewish ideologies which have developed in the West:

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Anti-Judaism, which is antipathy towards Jews for having a distinct religion. It emerged in pre-modern Europe.

Anti-Semitism, which is antipathy towards Jews for being a distinct people. It began in late 19th century Europe as a matter of public policy. It culminated in the Holocaust.

Anti-Zionism, which is antipathy towards Jews for having their own state. This idea gained traction in the 1970s when the Soviet Union pushed the Zionism is racism libel. It was further processed by leftist trends in academia and today has become mainstreamed.

All three bring with them anti-Jewish libels and conspiracy theories particular to their own times. The content changes but the function stays the same: to stigmatize Jews and to incite violence against them.

The three are not exclusive of each other. They are stackable. In the 1930s, Nazi propaganda recycled anti-Jewish themes of earlier times, such as the blood libels and ritual murder. The U.S. Holocaust Museum has a collection of these. In a similar manner, the anti-Zionism of our day often uses negative and mythic symbols that echo historical patterns of Jew-hatred.

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Although Mamdani seeks to separate anti-Zionism from anti-Semitism, the terms are often used interchangeably. Certainly there is overlap between them, but there are also differences. Anti-Semitism has Jews as its object; anti-Zionism the state of Israel. Anti-Semitism is centuries old; anti-Zionism is contemporary. Anti-Semitism stems from emotional antipathy; anti-Zionism builds reasoned arguments, often dressed in scholarly and legalistic language.

Anti-Semitism underwent a transformation in the twentieth century. It first emerged as an ugly matter of public policy but later came to be understood as a psychological pre-disposition. After World War Two, anti-Semitisms public face disappeared, leaving behind its inner core. What was previously something visible and public became something personal and subjective.

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Anti-Zionist narratives fix on anti-Jewish libels that were not available in previous periods. There are three big ones:

Israel is a settler-colonial state.

Israel is an apartheid state.

Israel commits genocide.

These defamations have spread widely. They have taken root. Many people accept them as self-evident truths. They shape the way governments, organizations, and people think about Israel. They are falsehoods.

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On inspection, the libels can be seen as instances of the argument from appearance. When European Jews migrate to Israel, that looks like a colonial imposition. When Israel enacts restrictions on Palestinian life on the West Bank, that looks like apartheid. The YouTube videos of the destruction in Gaza look like genocide.

People are apt to judge that something belongs to a category because it looks like a member of that category. They infer from superficial similarities. If Gaza devastation looks like genocide, then it must be genocide. What is ignored or suppressed in the anti-Zionist critique are intent, motive, and context.

Woven into anti-Zionist arguments are false analogies, shifting definitions, recycled anti-semitic tropes, biased data, the refusal to admit alternative explanations, and loose methodology. In methodology, stigmatizing and de-legitimizing Israel comes first; the narratives support.

The purpose here is not to catalog anti-Zionisms modes of mendacity, but rather to flag that something new has appeared in our midst and we must give it a name: anti-Zionism is a form of Jew-hatred.

Mamdanis move to elevate anti-Zionism as a legitimate critique is a sly misdirection. Of course criticisms of Israel are fair game, but at its core anti-Zionism is not a critique of what Israel does but of what Israel is. A conventional criticism can be satisfied by the art of compromise; the anti-Zionist criticism aims at removing the Jewish claim to statehood.

It is also wrong to think of anti-Zionism as roughly synonymous with anti-Semitism. When put into its historical context, anti-Zionism shows up as a mutated variant of an age-old hatred. The features are different from the previous forms, but the old hatred is still there.

James Soriano is a retired Foreign Service Officer. He has previously written for American Thinker on the Ukraine war.

Image: Public domain.
Clarinetist James Zimmermann is sounding the alarm over a trend in American orchestras: the replacement of merit with the ideology of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Zimmerman isn't a household name, but his work is: He performed at President Barack Obamas second inauguration and has recorded music for major video games.

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In September, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra invited Zimmermann to a blind audition for its principal clarinet position. According to Zimmermanns post on X, he won the audition by unanimous committee vote. But two days later, he says, KSO CEO Rachel Ford called to inform him he would not be hired over concerns about his prior departure from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. Zimmermann had served as principal clarinetist for more than a decade at the NSO before being dismissed in 2020. Instead, Zimmermann says the orchestra gave the job to his runner-up  a younger player still in college whom he characterizes as an obvious DEI hire.

BLACKLISTED: In September the Knoxville Symphony invited me to their blind audition for Principal Clarinet, which I won by unanimous vote. Two days later their CEO called and refused to hire me, citing my ousting from the Nashville Symphony six years ago for resisting DEI as the pic.twitter.com/fmM0B9Lzl1 Advertisement January 5, 2026

Zimmermann is now suing the Knoxville Symphony for a years salary and $25,000 in compensation for the 100 hours he spent preparing for the audition. But he says the lawsuit is about more than money; it is also about pushing back against a classical music establishment that increasingly prioritizes race and politics over skill, discipline, and artistic excellence.

Zimmermanns dismissal from Nashville was reported on by The Washington Free Beacon, which in 2021 detailed how Zimmermanns departure from the Nashville Symphony wasnt a simple HR matter but a clash between traditional meritocracy and rising racial anxieties within a major American orchestra. According to colleagues and internal documents, the allegations that Zimmermann had insulted or stalked black colleagues were disputed by multiple orchestra members, who described them as unfounded and part of a broader ideological conflict.

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Zimmermanns defense of blind auditions and merit-based hiring placed him at odds with a newly empowered equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging team that had emerged in the orchestras HR department. That, according to the Free Beacon's reporting, created an environment where even long-standing service and artistic excellence could be swept aside.

Zimmermanns Nashville experience serves as a backdrop to his current fight.

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Critics of Zimmermanns position argue that orchestras have historically struggled with diversity and inclusion and that affirmative efforts are necessary to make classical music reflective of the broader society. Still, many professionals in the field also caution that lowering artistic standards or overriding fair procedures can alienate audiences and weaken institutions.

Pianist and composer Stephen Limbaugh, reposted Zimmermann's story, bringing it to the attention of DOJ officials. Jesus A. Osete, No. 2 in the department's Civil Rights Division, acknowledged the tweet.

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So did Trump administration official Richard Grenell, who wrote:

This keeps happening to performers who refuse to subscribe to the woke lefts agenda. The arts are for everyone, not just the left. We are not letting them hijack the arts anymore - and the left is so mad about it." Grenell also heads the recently renamed Trump-Kennedy Center. Advertisement

American Thinker has reached out to Ford, the KSO CEO, for comment.

For its part, the Knoxville Symphony describes its mission as bringing music to a wide and diverse community, with expanding educational and outreach programs throughout East Tennessee.

Zimmermanns fight, he says, is just the first salvo in what could be a broader battle to preserve the integrity of American orchestras.
In true progressive fashion, the Democrats are once again crying foul and tearing out their hair because they werent given the opportunity to leak national security information. Oh, did I misstate their intention? Not really. But of course, they are protesting that the president has declared war without their permission, which is not true, and are claiming that President Trump has lied to them, when in fact he made a wise decision not to share information with them.

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As usual, they have completely distorted the facts.

Congress loves to leak information; the president is simply tired of it. Not only that, he has pointed out that every time there is a leak, our national security is at risk.

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But that doesnt stop Congress.

So, they mischaracterize what is going on in a number of ways. First, the president has not declared war, except for doing that figuratively. (Remember: take him figuratively, not literally?) For Congress to protest that he should have told them in advance is not true. Republican Rick Crawford of Arkansas explained the situation:

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I am furious with the repeated, blatant disregard for the very simple, proper handling of classified information. When leakers leverage their access to highly sensitive information to push a political or personal agenda it is to the detriment of U.S. national security and incredibly disrespectful to those who put their lives on the line for our country collecting intelligence and supporting our mission on the ground. Access to classified information is a privilege and with that comes the utmost responsibility to safeguard that information with the highest level of caution and care, he said in a statement.

Secretary Marco Rubio explained that the action was primarily a law enforcement effort, confirmed by Senator Tom Cotton:

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And Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, was among those who cheered the capture of Maduro, but said Congress had not been given any forewarning. And thats probably one reason why it didnt leak over these four days, Cotton said, in an interview on Fox & Friends; on Saturday. Congress isnt notified when the FBI is going to arrest a drug trafficker or cybercriminal here in the United States. Nor should Congress be notified when the executive branch is executing arrests on indicted persons. Advertisement

Those who choose to claim that this action was unprecedented are wrong. One look at the arrest of Manuel Noriega in Panama from the Vatican embassy in 1989, comparing it to the arrest of Maduro, illustrates the point:

The [Maduro] operation comes not long after the 37th anniversary of the capture of Manuel Antonio Noriega on December 20, 1989. Noriega was convicted of drug and money laundering offenses and sentenced to 40 years in prison. He was tried in Miami, Florida. Advertisement [snip] This [Maduro] operation will be justified as executing the criminal warrant and responding to an international drug cartel, a very similar legal framework to the one used against Noriega. There is precedent supporting that earlier operation, which will now be used to defend the actions in Venezuela.

Other presidents have also taken this type of action, including President Obama, according to Jonathan Turley, law professor from Georgetown University.

Clearly the Democrats are happy to criticize President Trump for withholding highly sensitive information, but they only have themselves to blame, due to their willingness to leak. They have violated the trust between the Administration and Congress, and trust is a difficult value to earn back.

Meanwhile, Trump will make sure that our countrys military and national security are protected.

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Kaiser Permanente's Southern California and Habitat Health participants can access industry-leading specialty and hospital-based services at well-established medical centers across the region, including Kaiser Permanente facilities in Downey, Los Angeles, South Bay, and West Los Angeles.

This regional access ensures participants receive coordinated specialty care close to home, while their day-to-day care is managed through Habitat Health's South LA Center. These services are typically available at no cost to participants who qualify for both Medicare and Medi-Cal through PACE, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, which helps seniors continue living independently at home.

Why This Matters for South Los Angeles

South Los Angeles adults living with chronic conditions  such as diabetes, asthma or hypertension, face significantly higher rates of preventable hospitalizations and emergency department visits than those living in other parts of the county. For example, the diabetes-related hospitalization rate is 2.5 times higher than in West Los Angeleshighlighting serious gaps in outpatient care. Yet the region remains one of the most medically underserved in the county.

Many residents also speak a primary language other than English, creating additional barriers to accessing culturally competent carea gap Habitat Health is working to close.

"Bringing this center to Compton is about expanding care options for aging adults, including care beyond the four walls of the clinic," said Dr. Bechara Choucair, chief health officer, Kaiser Permanente, and a Habitat Health board member. "Our partnership with Habitat Health enables Kaiser Permanente to deliver integrated care to more adults 55 and older in South Los Angelesso they can better manage chronic conditions, avoid unnecessary hospital visits, and continue living in the communities they call home."

Proven Impact, Rooted in Community

The PACE model is proven to improve health outcomes for older adults, with benefits including fewer hospitalizations, better mental health, enhanced quality of life for both seniors and caregivers, and reduction in racial and economic health disparities.

Habitat Health's collaboration with Kaiser Permanente brings this evidence-based, community-centered care model to scale in South Los Angeles, to deliver consistent, trusted care to residents in over 60 local zip codes from Long Beach and Watts to Inglewood and Lynwood.

"Opening our center in Compton helps close a real gap in access to care for older adults across South Los Angeles." said Matthew Bennett, CEO of Habitat Health. "Our goal is simple: to make care easier to reach, more personal, and truly centered on helping older adults stay independent and engaged in the communities they call home."

About Habitat Health

Habitat Health empowers older adults to live independently by providing comprehensive insurance, medical, and social support services in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente. The program redefines aging in place to bring more good days and a lasting sense of belonging to participants and their caregivers. The new center is located at 1005 East Rosecrans Avenue, Compton, CA.

To learn more, please visit www.habitathealth.com.

SOURCE Habitat Health
There are literally tens of thousands of professionals in local, state, and federal government who have been trained extensively to investigate crime.

They have experience and almost limitless resources.

Catholics , parents of school children, a 17 year-old high school student falsely accused of sending racist Instagram messages, a student who posted its O.K. to be white flyers, and a garage door pull handle in a NASCAR garage. The FBI has the resources to investigate traditionalof school children, a 17 year-old high schoolfalsely accused of sending racist Instagram messages, awho posted its O.K. to be white flyers, and a garage doorin a NASCAR garage.

Shirley , is not some kind of genius. He is curious and persistent: qualities the government investigators appear to lack. Yet it took a 23-year-old blogger with limited resources to uncover and publicize a multi-billion dollar fraud scheme. The blogger, Nick, is not some kind of genius. He is curious and persistent: qualities the government investigators appear to lack.

There also appears to be a total lack of curiosity in the establishment media.

ABCs "World News Tonight," NBCs "Nightly News" and "CBS Evening News made no mention of Governor Walz in there brief accounts of the scandal. There was also no mention of Somalis in these broadcasts.

Bonilla claimed that this was a scandal of massive proportions that continues to unfold. And yet, a search of the legacy nightly news over the past week yields absolutely nothing. NewsBusters analyst Jorgeclaimed that this was a scandal of massive proportions that continues to unfold. And yet, a search of the legacy nightly news over the past week yields absolutely nothing.

Every effort will be made be made to minimize coverage.

International Business Times provides an excellent example of progressive press coverage. Theprovides an excellent example of progressive press coverage.

It reports, the (Quality Learning Center) centre was recently inspected and found to comply with state regulations when children were present at the time of the inspections, local authorities say.

Yes, those reliable, incorruptible local authorities. If this scandal could be attributed to the Trump administration, the coverage would have undoubtedly been more extensive.

Of course, these these crimes need to be investigated. Thorough investigations, however, might take years.

Once these investigations are completed the alleged crimes will have to be presented to the judiciary.

A large percentage of the judges deciding these cases will be Obama and Biden appointees. They have a record of being extremely lenient toward violent criminals while at the same time showing no mercy to those who oppose the progressive agenda.

ridiculously lenient terms. As an example a man smashed. a 3 year old in the face. Police cited him for assault and he was released on a $375 bond. By this time during the Biden administration hundreds of people were in prison. There are thousands of examples of judges sentencing criminals tolenient terms. As an example asmashed. a 3 year old in the face. Police cited him for assault and he was released on a $375 bond.

Members of the elite are aware of the massive fraud being perpetrated. They not only tolerate the fraud but encourage it. They are privy to information that never reaches the public. They fund it. All forms of corruption are an open secret to the elite.

McCain commented, Epstein was hiding in plain sight. We all knew about him. We all knew what he was doing. As in the case of the Epstein scandal, Cindycommented, Epstein was hiding in plain sight. We all knew about him. We all knew what he was doing.

DOGE raised the possibility of more than $4.7 trillion in fraud. A few million dollars of fraud may go unnoticed by the general public. However, tens of billions of dollars and even trillions are another story.raised the possibility of more than $4.7 trillion in fraud.

In a Congress where members can enter in near poverty and become multi-millionaires within two years, there is little incentive to root out corruption. The fraud is supported by both parties.

Federal funding for these programs was passed by Mike Johnsons Republican Congress. Even Republican critics of wasteful federal spending have not touched this problem.

Patel has described it as the tip of a very large iceberg. Shirley has inspired countless imitators. This cannot be tolerated. However, they may have gone too far. This massive fraud has become too large to ignore. Kashhas described it as the tip of a very large iceberg. Shirley has inspired countless imitators. This cannot be tolerated.

Washington State AG has warned these citizen journalists to stop investigating Somali daycares or face potential hate crime charges. The Deep State will use every method at its disposal to prevent further exposure. Thehas warned these citizen journalists to stop investigating Somali daycares or face potential hate crime charges. The Deep State will use every method at its disposal to prevent further exposure.

Citizen journalists should be prepared for intense media scrutiny and exposure of any of their imperfections, real or imagined. Patel has announced intensified federal investigation of fraud. Perhaps he also will face hate crime charges.

John Dietrich is a freelance writer and the author of The Morgenthau Plan: Soviet Influence on American Postwar Policy (Algora Publishing). He has a Master of Arts Degree in International Relations from St. Marys University. He is retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. He is featured on the BBC's program "Things We Forgot to Remember:" Morgenthau Plan and Post-War Germany.
The Democrats are looking silly and sillier these days. They were once for taking out Maduro, and now they call it unconstitutional. Wonder why they have such a low approval rate? Its hard to take leaders like that seriously, as Richard Porter points out in Ten Reasons to cheer the arrest of Maduro:

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The audacious raid makes Americans proud of our militarys prowess. It effectively kicks off a year of patriotic celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Republicans will try to ride the pride in our competence, strength, and history all the way to electoral success in the November midterms. On the other hand, Democrats who spent the weekend whining about the raid (after taunting Trump for years for leaving Maduro in power) look foolish and disturbingly partisan. Moreover, the Democratic Party is now more closely associated with socialism and its failures, the corruption and incompetence of the welfare state in Minnesota and elsewhere. Its not a good look. Advertisement

How silly can you go? You can go to YouTube and see Senator Schumer blasting the Trump administration in 2020 for doing nothing about Maduro. Now, he is doing too much, or something like that. Its a foolish reaction from people who simply oppose anything that President Trump does.

Remember when Joe Biden said that then President Trump loved thugs and dictators? And then there is former VP Harris forgetting that it was the Biden administration that put $25 million on Maduros head.

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Kamala Harris 2024: We are offering $25 million for information leading to the arrest of Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela,



Kamala Harris 2025: How dare Donald Trump arrest Nicolas Maduro! pic.twitter.com/IDRrJ4gT2q  Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) January 4, 2026

And there is the bit about international law, whatever that is. They love throwing that one around as much as due process. Do these people really think that China has not invaded Taiwan because they are concerned about international law?

These are not serious people and thats all you can say.

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P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.

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For Nicolas Maduro, it's not a very happy new year.

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First came the raid -- and the blowing away of his Cuban goons, 32 of whom are now dead.

The Government of Cuba has announced that 32 Cubans were killed in the recent military operation by the United States to capture Venezuelan President President Nicolas Maduro, most of which were likely part of the security team protecting Maduro. Two days of mourning have been pic.twitter.com/M00xp9qlXx Advertisement January 5, 2026

Confirmado:



Murio en la operacion de captura de Maduro su edecan, el capitan Escalona.



Tambien murieron otras 15 personas, de su seguridad, durante la incursion en la residencia militar de Nicolas Maduro. pic.twitter.com/u6ogaCoZG3  Orlando Avendano (@OrlvndoA) January 4, 2026

Then the airplane ride to Gitmo alongside with his bank robber wife, Cilia Flores -- followed by a ride to a New York jail.

After that, the perp walk in the New York courthouse, wearing a pussy hat:

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Maduros perp walk is being broadcast to the world from American soil and youre blackpilling? pic.twitter.com/6NuJDCJPSE Advertisement January 4, 2026

This must be so rewarding for every Venezuelan to see the POS Maduro perp walk, on his way to jail in the US, awaiting trial for his international crimes!



Long overdue!!!



God Bless the People of Venezuela  pic.twitter.com/ucuSI5DoXB  American USMC Veteran  (@MarineF18ret) January 4, 2026

But what must have been most unsettling was the Venezuelans, hundreds of whom braved bitter New York cold to scream "down with the dictator" to him. They wanted to be there.

According to the New York Post:

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Hundreds of revelers chanted and celebrated outside a Brooklyn lockup as Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were hauled inside to face federal narco-terrorism charges. The couple were greeted at the Brooklyn Detention Center with the boisterous crowd triumphantly applauding and chanting down with the dictator, shame on you, and dirty scumbag! Venezuelan national Ronny Chirinos was one of more than 200 opponents who eagerly waited outside the prison for more than an hour in the bitter cold for the ousted dictator to arrive in cuffs. Its such a joy to see the dictator fall, but the regime hasnt fallen yet, the 21-year-old, who relocated from Maracay to the Big Apple three years ago due to Maduros regime, told The Post. I want everything to fall. That there is no one left.

It echoed these cheers back home in Caracas:

Everyone saw the viral video of Venezuelans waking up and cheering after finding out Donald Trump captured Nicolas Maduro



That video was filmed pretty far away



This was filmed by someone right in the city, just listen to this



THIS is the sound of freedom! pic.twitter.com/E7bf3E9yq4  Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) January 4, 2026 Maduro had to have been in shock, seeing the migrants he drove from the country, coming back to scream about his dirty dictatorship and bay for his imprisonment. He didn't have that on his New Year's bingo card. And now the bitterness is seeping in: Advertisement

As Maduro sits in prison, Reuters reports that the Trump administration is offering other Chavista thugs a cushy exile if they just get the heck out:

 | Reuters revela que Estados Unidos prepara ofertas de amnistia o exilio para lideres chavistas restantes en Venezuela, como Delcy Rodriguez, para facilitar una transicion pacifica, segun fuentes cercanas a la administracion Trump. pic.twitter.com/Iy2NI3R1wR  UHN Plus (@UHN_Plus) January 4, 2026 ... while he rots in prison for the rest of his miserable life. His son, who was not captured, but was named in the indictment, and who looks a lot like New York communist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is crying foul at those who betrayed him: El hijo de Maduro dice que "la historia revelara a los traidores".



Traduccion: No saben quien entrego a Maduro y estan ahora 100 veces mas paranoicos porque no tienen control de nada, un paso en falso y tambien terminan en una carcel.pic.twitter.com/KHYUXD9ISi  Emmanuel Rincon (@EmmaRincon) January 4, 2026

Grok translate:

Maduro's son says that "history will reveal the traitors." Translation: They don't know who turned in Maduro and they are now 100 times more paranoid because they have no control over anything, one misstep and they too end up in jail.

Nicolasito Maduro says that history will show who the traitors were in the detention of his father.



Hes absolutely right. They were patriots who turned in the dictator, and history will show who they were.  Francisco Poleo (@FranciscoPoleoR) January 4, 2026 It's probably only a matter of time before they start killing each other. In the meantime, Maduro contemplates his not so happy new year, courtesy of the president he mocked so heartily right up until the day he was hauled off: Maduros constant dancing reportedly pushed Trump to storm Caracas



Trumps team reportedly grew so annoyed by Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduros public dancing that they took it as mockery and decided to act. After Maduro ignored a U.S. ultimatum and kept brushing off threats & pic.twitter.com/fE1GlNXmZM  Complex (@Complex) January 4, 2026 I dont want to hear any criticism of the op to take down Maduro in Venezuela. Trump got Maduro black bagged in less than an hour with pocket change and ZERO American deaths.



Now every bad guy on the planet knows we can do that to them too. Theyll be saying yes sir and pic.twitter.com/nbuIrQNkID  Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) January 4, 2026

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Palmers, a bar on Minneapolis West Bank, has been a fixture of the community it has served for 119 years. Locals even called it the heart of the city because it brought people together. It has now been permanently closed. It is to become a mosque.

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Islamist ideology bans alcohol, music, and dancing. Pork and dogs are considered dirty and are frowned upon at best.

It is no wonder that most countries that are in the thrall of Islamism, and are populated by these kinds of Muslims are dark places that have not evolved much from the 7th or 8th centuries.

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Traditionally, we in the West have proposed a toast to those we love, to honor someone, to recognize or enshrine a memory, or to acknowledge the passing of a loved one  or of time.

Usually with a beverage containing alcohol. We may drink to someone's memory, or to a principle with which we agree.

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Music is the soundtrack of civilization.

We dance to express joy or to bond with another.

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Pork is tasty and perhaps a healthier choice than red meat.

Dogs have evolved along with human beings, and, for some, truly are their best friends.

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It is no accident that Islamist terrorists often target nightclubs and concert venues.

In parts of the West, particularly those areas populated with a high percentage of Islamists, bars and taverns are going away, and dance floors are shrinking or disappearing altogether. In certain locales, these kinds of Muslims have requested that stores remove pork from their shelves. In others, people have been asked to keep their dogs out of the sight of nearby Muslims.

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If we accede to the dictates of Islamist ideology, if native American citizens assimilate to the values of this brand of Muslim rather than vice versa, if we stop toasting, singing, and dancing, we will lose much of the joy in our lives, much of what makes us human. And we will have turned our back on our own values.

When the music's over, we won't have to turn off the lights, because it will already be dark.

So let's drink a cup of cheer again

And share a dance one last time

Lets make a toast to freedom again

For these are the days of Auld Lang Syne.

So, Dry January be damned, Im going to drink a toast to President Trump -- and Making America American Again.

And then Im going to put on some Toby Keith and pet my golden retriever.

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Under his America First policy, Trump never envisioned for America to retreat to a state of exquisite isolation. His policy, if I could be so bold as to interpret it, was to ensure that our foreign actions were in the interest of the American people. That would rule out importing thousands of Somalis or liberating the Iraqi Shiites so that they could cozy up to the Iranian mullahs.

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So, what is American interest in Venezuela? I would say for a while it served the useful purpose of showing people how a socialist regime could impoverish a rich nation. However, even that display has not dissuaded New Yorkers from attempting the same thing.

The other interest might be the oil that Venezuela possesses, but that would entail a staggering up-front investment just to get it flowing again. Moreover, arent we in the middle of a domestic shale revolution? Is anyone really going to choose Venezuelan extra-heavy, sour over domestic light, sweet crude, apart from the Chinese who will take just about anything?

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Then, there is that good feeling that one gets in helping out a neighbor. That has got to count for something with the American people. It would, except for the fact that, half the time, the liberated party ends up shooting at us.

Next, there is our interest in curtailing the flow of drugs into this country, but then I discovered that it is mostly cocaine that Venezuela is exporting. Now I am a big fan of Miami Vice, but I thought that cocaine was a little passe. Fentanyl is the big worry with all the overdose deaths. Maybe the Venezuelans mix in a little fentanyl just to be mischievous.

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Why dont we drop the facade? The idea that America ever practiced a policy of pure isolationism is a myth. From its inception, America has been engaged with other countries militarily. However, we can be smart about it.

The ruling military junta in Venezuela are some bad hombres (Trumps words, not mine). It is a cancer that permeates from the top to the lowest post in government. We can kick them all out of their cushy jobs, but didnt we try that with the Baathists in Iraq? How did that work out? They joined up with other Sunnis and fought an insurgency that kept us in that fight for years. Maybe, this time around we should pension off the Chavistas instead of throwing them out on the street to make trouble later. So, when we send money, guns and lawyers in the next couple weeks, lets be smart about it.

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So, Nicolas Maduro has been unceremoniously removed from his stolen perch as the Marxist dictator of Venezuela.

Since 2013, he has abused and ruined that once-great nation, having followed in the socialism of the equally cruel and corrupt Hugo Chavez.

President Trump gave Maduro every opportunity to leave Venezuela, but Maduro was impervious to karma come calling. Karma for him was the punishment he deserved for decades of his and Chavez's brutal, corrupt, drug-trafficking takeover of their own country since 1999.

These two boneheads also let the oil infrastructure, built by American companies, deteriorate to the point of near-uselessness, all the while selling oil to China, Russia, and Cuba, and enriching themselves with the spoils of drug trafficking. Maduro gleefully sent the worst of his nation -- criminals, the mentally ill, and gang members -- into the U.S. during the Biden border surge, with predictable results  rapes, murders, molestations of children, fraud, etc. surged higher.

Now that Trump has rescued the Venezuelan people from Maduros dictatorship, the Democrats are big mad.

Of course, they are.

Everything great and wonderful that Trump does enrages the Democrats. They are so transparently predictable. They care about nothing, absolutely nothing, but destroying Trump. Even as he makes fools of them, tricking them to champion all those criminal migrants and even a crook like Maduro himself.

If anyone still doubts the malevolence of the left, they should by now be disabused of any notion that the Democrat party means well on any level.

Do they give a damn about the Venezuelan people? Not a bit. Do they care about the migrants who have invaded America? Not as long as they vote Democrat. Do they care about the American citizens whose lives have been ruined by the invasion of migrants from the third world? Not at all. They care only about their power over us all.

Nuremberg Here is a short bit of dialogue from the film,, 2025. It takes place after the trials during which the Nazis were justifiably convicted of the horrific crimes they committed in the Holocaust. The trials found them all guilty. The psychiatrist hired to analyze the Nazi criminals  Goering, Hess, etc.  is being interviewed on a radio program:

Interviewer: You were dealing with the Nazis who you must admit are a unique people.

Douglas Kelly : They are not a unique people. There are people like the Nazis in every country of the world today.

Interviewer: Not in America.

Kelly : Yes, in America. The personality patterns are not obscure. There are people who want to be in power. And while you say they dont exist, I would say I am quite sure there are people in America who would willingly climb over the corpses of half the American public if they could gain control of the other half. They stoke hatred. Its what Hitler and Goering did and it is textbook. And if you think the next time it happens we are going recognize it because they are wearing scary uniforms, youre out of your damn mind.

That pretty much says it all.

And while that script was written for a current film, it can be seen as proof of the Orwellianesque prediction it is, as the truth of today. Look no further than the lefts reaction to Trumps removal of Maduro from Venezuela. They are apoplectic.

God forbid Trump rescue a nation that has been under siege for twenty-six years. God forbid that Trump do anything good for America or the world.

The Democrat party hates God, America, and anything Trump does that benefits America.

That is their defining rule, and they are sticking to it. It is proof of their depravity. They defend all manner of criminals and illegals over citizens. For what? Votes. For power. There is no doubt that the Trump-deranged Democrats would climb over the corpses of half the American public if they could gain control over the other half.

Is there any doubt that they stoke hatred? Look no further than their response to Trumps liberation of Venezuela, their visceral hatred for Trump. The more good he does, the more they want to destroy him.

There is likely nothing to be done to help the Trump-deranged. We know who they are.

But if there are Democrats out there who may be, should be, a tiny bit bothered by their partys pathological contempt for our president, they might sit back and reconsider the mandated disdain for this president.

So far, he is the best president since Reagan. Thankfully, he is not your typical politician; hes a businessman who gets things done. He is getting things done that have needed to be done for decades. The people of Venezuela are grateful. A majority of Americans are grateful for his successes so far.

Be thankful, Democrats. Trump is essentially the saviour of America as surely as Lincoln saved the republic in 1865.
Ah, Democrats -- the self-proclaimed guardians of democracy, transparency, and progress. You cant despise them enough. Peel back the layers of their sanctimonious rhetoric, and youll find a pattern thats less about protecting American interests and more about handing our enemies a cheat sheet. The Lefts penchant for undermining the nation is as predictable as a Hollywood sequel. Its a tragicomedy where the punchline is always at Americas expense.

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Start with the classics, like the 2012 Benghazi attack. Remember when Islamic militants stormed our consulate, killing four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens? In the ensuing investigation, Hillary Clinton and her Democratic allies were accused of leaking classified security assessments to deflect blame. Because nothing says national security like airing our vulnerabilities to score political points. Irony alert: Clinton, the queen of what difference does it make, treated classified info like party favors at a DNC fundraiser. If only our enemies had to work this hard for intel -- oh wait, they dont, thanks to such transparency.

Fast-forward to the Trump-Russia hoax of 2016-2019, where Democrats turned leaking into an Olympic sport. As the Mueller investigation dragged on like a bad dream, left-wing officials and media mouthpieces dribbled out classified tidbits on alleged Russian meddling, testimonies, and findings. They called it necessary for democracy, but lets be real: it was a witch hunt designed to hobble a duly elected president. Adam Schiff, the bug-eyed oracle of collusion, practically lived on cable news, whispering secrets that could compromise sources and methods. Dark humor here -- why does Russia have to hack us when Democrats are doing the job for free? No wonder the whole thing collapsed like a house of cards built on fake dossiers.

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Then theres John Brennan, Obamas CIA director turned MSNBC darling. In 2017, this Democrat appointee lamented leaks about Russian interference while conveniently ignoring his own loose lips during and after his tenure. Brennans disclosures of flawed information drew scrutiny for potentially damaging U.S. intelligence operations. Its almost poetic: a loud-mouthed spymaster preaching about loyalty. If irony were a currency, Brennan would be richer than Soros.

Remember that time in 2003 during the Iraq War when Geraldo Rivera, Fox News maverick (read: loose cannon), drew a map in the sand on live TV revealing U.S. troop positions with the 101st Airborne? The Pentagon wasnt amused, and Geraldo got booted to Kuwait faster than you can say embed violation. Sure, Geraldos not a Democrat politician, but his stunt embodies the Lefts media enablers -- prioritizing spectacle over soldiers lives. Because who needs operational security when ratings are at stake?

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Enter General Mark Milley, the woke warrior who, in 2021, confirmed hed assured his Chinese counterpart hed tip them off before any U.S. attack. Milley claimed it was on orders from Defense Secretary Mark Esper, based on intel about Chinese jitters. Hell, General Li, Ill probably give you a call, he said, as if discussing tee times, not nuclear brinkmanship. This from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, sworn to defend America, not de-escalate by telegraphing our moves. Sarcasm aside, its darkly hilarious: while Trump was building walls, Milley was building bridges -- to our adversaries. No wonder calls for his resignation echoed; he treated classified comms like a hotline to Beijing takeout.

And now, in 2026, the Maduro saga seals the deal. President Trumps flawless operation captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, a narcoterrorist responsible for flooding America with death. But wait -- enter House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, whose office allegedly tried to tip off Maduro via a whistleblower-exposed plot, per DNI Director Tulsi Gabbards revelations. The warning arrived too late; Maduro was already en route to justice in a U.S. chopper. Jeffries betrayal? A failed Democratic betrayal, as one report dubbed it, underscoring the Lefts allergy to American wins.

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Congressman Tim Burchett nailed it: Democrats werent briefed because they would have run straight to the media. Spot on -- leaks are their love language. As Rep. Pramila Jayapal whined about the operation, one cant help but chuckle darkly: if Democrats had their way, Maduro would be sipping pina coladas in exile, not facing trial.

These arent coincidences, theyre a pattern. Its almost Standard Operating Procedure for the Left.

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Democrats undermine American interests through leaks, tips, and sabotage, often cloaked in oversight or de-escalation. Whether its Benghazi blunders, Russia ruses, or Maduro mishaps, the pattern screams enemy within, as Trump wisely warns. Trust them with secrets? No way. The fox is in the henhouse. In the end, its not just unpatriotic -- its suicidal. But hey, at least it keeps conservatives vigilant. God bless America and keep her safe from the Left.

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A 93-year-old man has been arrested in California after shooting his wife in their car, police say.

Richard Hocking rang the police and turned himself in following the incident on January 3, in the Bay Area city of Fremont, in what was the citys first homicide of 2026.

According to the Fremont Police Department, officers were dispatched to the scene at approximately 12:22 a.m. following reports of a shooting.

Officers arrived on scene and detained the nonagenarian, who was found by his own care. Inside the car, the officers found the body of an 86-year-old woman.

The woman, identified as Hockings wife, was pronounced dead at the scene and a gun was recovered from inside the vehicle.

A 93-year-old man has been arrested in California after shooting his wife in their car. Richard Hocking rang police and turned himself in following the incident on January 3, in Fremont  which is the citys first homicide of 2026 (Getty/iStock)

Hocking was placed into custody and transported back to the Fremont Police Department, where he provided a statement to the police detailing his motive for the crime, investigators say.

Details of his motive have not been shared. The Independent has contacted Fremont Police for further information.

Hocking was subsequently booked into custody for homicide with a gun-related enhancement.

The Alameda County District Attorneys Office will be reviewing the case and the respective evidence.

Investigations into the incident remain ongoing, police said.
Security forces acting under the command of Sheikh Hasina are said to be responsible for atrocities - Indranil Mukherjee/AFP via Getty

Hundreds of missing Bangladeshis were dumped in rivers and buried in mass graves during the rule of Sheikh Hasina, the ousted prime minister, a government inquiry in the south-east Asian country has found.

Senior opposition politicians were among the 1,569 credible disappearances and abductions, with 287 presumed dead, according to the commission of inquiry on enforced disappearances.

The commission said security forces acted under the command of Hasina, the aunt of Tulip Siddiq, the former Labour minister, and her top officials.

Hasina was given the death penalty in November over her governments violent crackdown on protests during a 2024 uprising.

Tulip Siddiq resigned in January last year

Muhammad Yunus, Bangladeshs chief adviser, described the reports revelations as heinous after it was delivered on Sunday by Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury.

Within these cases, 251 victims never returned and are presumed dead, while a further 36 bodies were recovered after periods of enforced disappearance, often following so-called crossfire incidents or discovered in rivers with characteristic gunshot wounds, the report read.

The fact that one in six victims remains missing points to continuing uncertainty, profound trauma and absence of closure for families.

Nur Khan Liton, a commission member, told The Telegraph: We identified two unmarked mass graves, one at Munshiganj and another at Jurian in Dhaka city, where the bodies with bullet wounds were buried. It needs in-depth investigation and DNA examination to establish their identities.

The lawyer and human rights activist added that Hasina would be ordered to face victims families in the international crimes tribunal.

Some army officials deposed before the commission that orders came from Sheikh Hasina and her military adviser Tariq Siddique, he said.

The report said many of those abducted had belonged to Jamaat-e-Islami, the countrys largest Islamist party, or the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, both in opposition to Hasina.

Tulip Siddiq, left, seen with Sheikh Hasina and Russian president Vladimir Putin at a signing ceremony in the Kremlin in 2013 - Mikhail Metzel/AP

Opposition figures accounted for around 97 per cent of all victims who had a known political identity.

Enforced disappearances were not a collection of isolated abuses, but a structured practice that expanded, adapted, and aligned closely with political pressures, security operations, and institutional priorities, the report said.

The commissions investigation repeatedly found that one documented disappearance often revealed several others that were never formally reported, leaving the true scale of the abuse largely hidden.

The report estimated that the true figure could be three to four times higher than the number of disappearances currently reported.

One woman told the inquiry: On the streets, I scrutinise every man who resembles my younger brother in case it is him.

Hasina fled Bangladesh by helicopter before protesters stormed her residence in Dhaka - Rajib Dhar/AP

On November 17 last year, Hasina, 78, was given the death penalty for crimes against humanity during a crackdown on student protesters by Bangladeshs international crimes tribunal.

She fled to India and has refused to return to Bangladesh to face trial, forcing it to be held in absentia. Bangladesh has demanded her extradition.

The United Nations human rights office has estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed in Hasinas attempts to crush the uprising that ended her 15-year rule.

Last December, Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to two years in jail in absentia in Bangladesh for corruption.

She was convicted of manipulating and influencing her aunt to secure plots of land for her family after denying the charges.

Siddiq, who resigned in January last year as the minister responsible for financial services and anti-corruption efforts following scrutiny over her financial ties to Hasina, dismissed the findings of the kangaroo court.

In a separate investigation in Bangladesh, police began exhuming a mass grave in Dhaka in December.

The grave included at least eight victims of the uprising against Hasina, with all their bodies found with bullet wounds, according to Md Sibgat Ullah, the criminal investigation department chief.

High-value detainees were also sent to Aynaghar, or House of Mirrors, a prison hidden in Dhakas military cantonment.

Survivors who spoke to The Telegraph previously said the facility had several soundproof interrogation rooms, where inmates were subjected to electric shocks, tied to swivel beds, waterboarded and held in week-long darkness.

In its final report, the commission said that security forces had acted under the command of Hasina and her top officials.

They said: It is difficult to conceive that such a system could have functioned for over a decade without the awareness of Sheikh Hasina and those immediately around her.
Traditional food logging apps offer feedback after the factLibre Assist 1 offers help in-the-moment to inform mealtime decisions before every bite

offers help in-the-moment to inform mealtime decisions before every bite Libre Assist 1 leverages AI to predict how food choices affect glucose levels, 2 provides personalized meal guidance, 3 and confirms glucose impact using data from Abbott's world-leading FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology 4

leverages AI to predict how food choices affect glucose levels, provides personalized meal guidance, and confirms glucose impact using data from Abbott's world-leading FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology Abbott is launching Libre Assist, available at no additional cost within the Libre app,5 during CES 2026

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT), a leading healthcare company, today unveiled Libre Assist,1 a groundbreaking feature within the Libre app5 designed to help the millions of people living with diabetes in the U.S. better understand how the foods they eat affect their glucose levels. 1,2 Unlike traditional food logging apps that only give feedback after a meal is logged, Libre Assist1 helps people make informed mealtime decisions before they eat. Abbott is launching the new technology during CES 2026 in Las Vegas.

Abbotts Libre Assist app feature uses a color-coded rating system  green for minor, yellow for moderate, and orange for major  to illustrate the foods potential glucose impact.

For people living with diabetes, daily health decisions are constant, and food choices are among the most critical, especially for those managing their condition solely through lifestyle changes. The challenge is intensified by each person's unique response to food, making every meal decision complex.

"The Libre Assist1 feature is a gamechanger for me," said Shirley Bovshow, who lives with Type 2 diabetes and is one of the first to try Abbott's new feature. "Traditional food logging apps left me guessing. With Libre Assist1 I can see how a meal might affect my glucose before I eat2especially helpful when dining out or trying new foods. It gives me tips to reduce the glucose impact3 and my Libre 3 Plus sensor confirms the outcome afterward. The Libre app5 has become a go-to tool for me."

Libre Assist1 uses generative AI to predict how a food choice may affect a person's glucose levels.2 It then offers actionable and personalized meal guidance 3 to support in-the-moment decisions. After the meal, it leverages data from Abbott's leading Libre CGM systems sensors4 to confirm the actual impact.

Libre Assist1 offers:

In-the-moment meal guidance: Before eating, users simply snap a photo or enter a text description of their food. The algorithm then identifies the ingredients and predicts the meal's potential glucose impact 2 by displaying a color-coded rating: green for minor, yellow for moderate, and orange for major. Plus, it provides practical meal tips 3 to help lower the potential glucose impact 2  like choosing plain Greek yogurt instead of flavored or eating leafy greens and proteins before starches.

Before eating, users simply snap a photo or enter a text description of their food. The algorithm then identifies the ingredients and predicts the meal's potential glucose impact by displaying a color-coded rating: green for minor, yellow for moderate, and orange for major. Plus, it provides practical meal tips to help lower the potential glucose impact  like choosing plain Greek yogurt instead of flavored or eating leafy greens and proteins before starches. Powerful CGM integration: After a meal, Libre Assist shows the individual's personal glucose data from their Libre CGM systems sensor to show how the meal actually affected their glucose. 1.2 This personalized feedback helps individuals understand their body's unique response to different food items, so they can make informed decisions in the future.

"People living with diabetes need more than apps that just log food and fall short of helping them with meal decisions," said Marc Taub, vice president of technical operations for Abbott's diabetes care business. "That's why Abbott built Libre Assist1  a free, and advanced predictive tool that delivers personalized meal guidance and works with our leading Libre technology to deliver real-time glucose insights. For the first time, people have smart, in-the-moment support right at their fingertips to make a confident choice every time they eat. 2,3"

Libre Assist1 can be accessed within the Libre app5 by clicking on the Insights tab on the bottom navigation. There's nothing extra to sign up for  no monthly fees, no additional purchases, and no separate prescription required. To get started, individuals can download the Libre by Abbott app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Abbott at CES 2026

Visit Abbott at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Jan. 69, 2026, at CES Booth #8713 to learn more about Libre Assist1 feature and how it's shaping the future of health technology.

About FreeStyle Libre:

Abbott continues to pioneer ground-breaking technology to support people living with diabetes. The company revolutionized diabetes care 10 years ago with its world-leading FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring portfolio4, which today is used by more than 7 million people across over 60 countries4. People use Libre technology to see their glucose numbers in real-time, providing insights into how food, activity, or insulin impacts their glucose to help them make progress on their health goals. There is full or partial reimbursement for Libre systems in more than 40 countries4.

About Abbott:

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.

Important Safety Information: Product for prescription only, for Important Safety Information, please visit https://www.freestyle.abbott/us-en/safety-information.html.

1 Libre Assist is a feature within Libre app that uses generative artificial intelligence to provide information on how foods could impact your glucose levels. Generative artificial intelligence may not always be accurate, and it should not be used to make treatment decisions.

2 Predicted glucose impact is based on user-provided food data and may differ from actual impact, which depends on sensor readings and factors like activity, stress, medication, and alcohol. For personalized advice, consult your healthcare provider.

3 Personalized meal guidance is based on food preference information inputted by the user.

4 Data on File, Abbott Diabetes Care.

5 The FreeStyle Libre systems apps are only compatible with certain mobile devices and operating systems. Please check the Support section of our website for more information about device compatibility before using the apps. Use of the FreeStyle Libre systems apps may require registration with LibreView.

SOURCE Abbott
Finland Fake News Classes (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The fight against misinformation in Finland begins early, with children as young as three years old being taught media literacy within the national curriculum.

This long-standing educational approach equips students with critical skills to analyse media and identify disinformation, forming a core part of a comprehensive anti-misinformation initiative designed to bolster Finnish resilience against propaganda.

Such measures are particularly pertinent given Finland's 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, a nation frequently cited as a source of such campaigns.

In a significant update, educators are now tasked with integrating artificial intelligence literacy into their teaching. This move comes as Russia has intensified its disinformation efforts across Europe, particularly since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago. Finland's accession to NATO in 2023 further exacerbated tensions with Moscow, though Russia consistently denies any interference in the internal affairs of other nations.

We think that having good media literacy skills is a very big civic skill, Kiia Hakkala, a pedagogical specialist for the City of Helsinki, told The Associated Press. Its very important to the nations safety and to the safety of our democracy.

Tapanila Primary School teacher and vice-principal Ville Vanhanen speaks to the fourth grade students during a media literacy class in Tapanila, Finland, on Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/James Brooks) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

At Tapanila Primary School, in a quiet neighborhood north of Helsinki, teacher Ville Vanhanen taught a group of fourth graders how to spot fake news. As a TV screen beamed a "Fact or Fiction?" banner, student Ilo Lindgren evaluated the prompt.

It is a little bit hard, the 10-year-old admitted.

Vanhanen said his students have been learning about fake news and disinformation for years, beginning with reading headlines and short texts. In a recent class, the fourth graders were tasked with coming up with five things to look out for when consuming online news to ensure its trustworthy. Now they are moving onto AI literacy, which is quickly becoming a vital skill.

Weve been studying how to recognize if a picture or a video is made by AI, added Vanhanen, a teacher and vice principal at the school.

Finnish media also play a role, organizing an annual Newspaper Week, where papers and other news are sent to young people to consume. In 2024, Helsinki-based Helsingin Sanomat collaborated on a new ABC Book of Media Literacy, distributed to every 15-year-old in the country as they began upper secondary school.

Its really important for us to be seen as a place where you can get information thats been verified, that you can trust, and thats done by people you know in a transparent way, Jussi Pullinen, the daily newspapers managing editor, said.

Ten-year-old fourth grade student Ilo Lindgren works during a media literacy class at Tapanila Primary School in Tapanila, Finland, on Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/James Brooks) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Media literacy has been part of the Finnish educational curriculum since the 1990s, and additional courses are available for older adults who might be especially vulnerable to misinformation.

The skills are so ingrained into the culture that the Nordic nation of 5.6 million people regularly ranks at the top of the European Media Literacy Index. The index was compiled by the Open Society Institute in Sofia, Bulgaria, between 2017 and 2023.

I dont think we envisioned that the world would look like this," Finnish Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz said. That we would be bombarded with disinformation, that our institutions are challenged  our democracy really challenged  through disinformation.

And with the rapid advancement of AI tools, educators and experts are rushing to teach students and the rest of the public how to tell what's fact and what's fake news.

It already is much harder in the information space to spot whats real and whats not real, Martha Turnbull, director of hybrid influence at the Helsinki-based European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, said. It just so happens that right now, its reasonably easy to spot the AI-generated fakes because the quality of them isnt as good as it could be.

She added: "But as that technology develops, and particularly as we move toward things like agentic AI, I think thats when it could become much more difficult for us to spot.
The Duke of Marlborough has denied strangling his estranged wife on three occasions.

Charles James Spencer-Churchill, a relative of Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales, appeared in court on Monday, charged with three intentional strangulation offences against Edla Marlborough between November 2022 and May 2024.

Court documents say the three charges of non-fatal intentional strangulation against his estranged wife are alleged to have taken place in Woodstock, Oxfordshire.

He appeared before High Wycombe Magistrates Court for a plea hearing on Monday.

Wearing a dark suit with a blue tie, Spencer-Churchill spoke to confirm his name and date of birth, as well as giving his home address as Blenheim Palace, before indicating he would plead not guilty to all three alleged offences.

Charles Spencer-Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, arrives at court on Monday (AFP/Getty)

The court was told that Spencer-Churchill is accused of striking Ms Marlborough several times and strangling her on 13 November 2022, following an argument in the garden of their property.

Spencer-Churchill is also accused of grabbing the defendant in a laundry room, hitting her with a closed fist and strangling her on 23 April 2023.

The final allegation is that Spencer-Churchill threw the defendant onto a bed after putting his hands around her neck on 29 January 2024.

Spencer-Churchill was granted conditional bail and will appear at Oxford Crown Court on 5 February.

Known to his family as Jamie, he is the 12th Duke of Marlborough and a member of one of Britains most aristocratic families.

Related to wartime prime minister Sir Winston  a first cousin, three times removed  and also distantly to Diana through the Spencer line, Spencer-Churchill inherited his dukedom in 2014, following the death of his father, the 11th Duke of Marlborough.

The Duke of Marlborough, pictured centre, pleaded not guilty to all three charges (AFP/Getty)

Prior to this, the twice-married Spencer-Churchill was the Marquess of Blandford, and also known as Jamie Blandford.

The duke married his second wife, Welsh ceramicist Edla Griffiths, in 2002 but they separated in 2024.

His ancestral family home is the 300-year-old Blenheim Palace  Sir Winstons birthplace  in Woodstock, but the duke does not own the 18th-century baroque palace and has no role in the running of the residence and vast estate.

Blenheim is owned and managed by the Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation.

A spokesperson for the foundation previously said: Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation is aware legal proceedings have been brought against the Duke of Marlborough.

The foundation is unable to comment on the charges, which relate to the dukes personal conduct and private life, and which are subject to live criminal proceedings.

The foundation is not owned or managed by the Duke of Marlborough, but by independent entities run by boards of trustees.
Clashes on the mainland between rival armed factions backed by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have left hundreds of tourists stranded - Dave Primov/iStockphoto

Hundreds of tourists have been left stranded on a Yemeni island after flights were grounded because of violent clashes on the mainland.

More than 400 travellers, who came to the island to celebrate New Years Eve, are stuck on Socotra, a Unesco heritage site in the Indian Ocean.

Over the past few days, flights in and out of Yemen have been largely restricted following a flare-up of violence between rival armed factions backed by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi-backed forces took control of the Second Military Region Command on the outskirts of Mukalla - AFP via Getty Images

Yahya bin Afrar, Socotras deputy governor for culture and tourism, confirmed that there were more than 400 foreign tourists there, adding that their flights have been suspended.

An official told AFP: We have appealed and called for the resumption of flights, adding that the airport be kept away from political conflict.

The moment a strike hit the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces in Seiyun, in the Hadhramaut region - AFP

Another Yemeni official said all foreign and domestic flights had been grounded on the island since a state of emergency was declared late last month.

We now have 416 foreigners stranded of different nationalities, including more than 60 Russians, he said, having requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Around 80 Italians are also stranded, but the nationalities of the other tourists are not yet known.

The island usually has three weekly flights from Abu Dhabi, the Emirati capital, carrying foreign tourists.

Flights in and out of Socotra, the Yemeni island in the Indian Ocean, have been suspended - Dave Primov/iStockphoto

A Western diplomat told AFP: People are stuck on the island and reaching out to their embassies now for help to be evacuated. Their relevant embassies have reached out to the Saudi and Yemeni governments to seek their evacuation.

Around 217 miles off the Yemeni coast, the four islands and two rocky islets of the Socotra archipelago are home to around 50,000 people, and have remained relatively untouched by the war that has devastated the mainland.

The Saudis and Emiratis have for years supported rival factions in Yemens government, but a recent offensive by the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) to capture two large provinces angered Riyadh.

Southern Transitional Council security personnel at a checkpoint in Aden, Yemen - Fawaz Salman/Reuters

The Saudis have hit back hard in recent days, targeting the STC forces that control the islands and an alleged Emirati weapons shipment with air strikes, routing most of their forces and reversing the earlier gains.

The Yemeni government is a patchwork of groups that includes the separatists, and is held together by shared opposition to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The Houthis pushed the government out of Sanaa, Yemens capital, in 2014, and secured control over most of the north.

The Socotra archipelago has been a magnet for travellers and influencers for years, with its distinctive dragon blood trees, turquoise waters home to dolphins and its unique animals, with a third of the islands species being unique.

Its geography led George Wynn Brereton Huntingford, the British anthropologist, to describe the island as the most alien-looking place on Earth.
A teenager who was a former pupil at a British school has been confirmed dead after a fire at a Swiss ski resort killed 40 people and injured 119 others.

Charlotte Niddam, who previously attended Immanuel College, a private Jewish school in Hertfordshire, was among the last 16 victims to have been identified by police after the New Year blaze at the Crans-Montana resort.

Charlotte, believed to be 15, was initially reported as missing after a fire broke out inside the Constellation bar in the early hours of Thursday, while revellers were celebrating the start of 2026.

Charlottes family said in a social media post on Sunday: It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful daughter and sister Charlotte.

Details regarding the funeral arrangements will follow shortly.

The post said Charlottes funeral is expected to take place in Paris later this week.

Immanuel College said in a statement it was praying for a miracle after the fire.

According to the Crans-Montana resort website, Charlotte had been working as a babysitter in the area.

Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement on social media site X: Terrible news that Charlotte Niddam has been identified as one of those killed in the Crans-Montana fire.

My thoughts are with all her family and friends after this devastating loss.

Charlotte Niddam, who previously attended Immanuel College, was among the last 16 victims to have been identified by police (Instagram/@cransmontana.avisderecherche)

The Valais region police force published a statement on Sunday confirming that all 40 people killed in the fire have now been identified.

The last 16 victims included two Swiss girls aged 15, a Swiss woman aged 22, a Swiss and French woman aged 24, two Italian girls aged 16 and 15, an Italian boy aged 16, a 22-year-old Portuguese woman, a 17-year-old Belgian girl, two French women aged 33 and 26, two French men aged 23 and 20, two French teenage boys aged 17 and 14, and a 15-year-old girl with French, British, and Israeli nationalities, police said.

Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the bar managers.

The two are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire, the Valais regions chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, told reporters Saturday. The announcement of the investigation did not name the managers.

Investigators said Friday they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar.

Authorities planned to look into whether sound-dampening material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar. Officials said they also would look at other safety measures on the premises, including fire extinguishers and escape routes.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin announced a national day of mourning for the victims on 9 January.
Malaysia has joined France and India in threatening action against Elon Musk's Grok after the AI chatbot created sexualised images of women and children on X.

Grok, Xs built-in AI chatbot, has been digitally stripping down women and children to bikinis in response to user prompts.

The digital undressing spree appears to have kicked off over the past couple of days, according to completed clothes-removal requests posted by Grok and complaints from users.

Complaints of abuse first surfaced on X in late December after Grok rolled out an edit image button, allowing users to modify any image on the platform.

Now, the flood of nearly nude images of real people has rung alarm bells globally.

Malaysian authorities said over the weekend they had launched an investigation after complaints that Grok was being used to manipulate images of women and minors into indecent or otherwise harmful content.

The Communications and Multimedia Commission warned that creating or transmitting such harmful content was an offense under Malaysian law. It said the media watchdog would investigate X users who allegedly violated the law and summon representatives from the company.

While X is not presently a licensed service provider, it has the duty to prevent dissemination of harmful content on its platform," it said.

Besides stripping them down into bikinis, the chatbot also produced altered images of Malaysian women without their headscarves, according to New Straits Times.

Elon Musk with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi (Reuters)

Mr Musk appeared to poke fun at the controversy earlier on Friday, posting laugh-cry emojis in response to AI edits of famous people, including himself, in bikinis.

When one X user said their social media feed resembled a bar packed with bikini-clad women, Mr Musk replied, in part, with another laugh-cry emoji.

As the backlash grew, however, Musk said on Sunday that the platform was taking action against illegal content, including posts related to children, by removing it and permanently suspending accounts.

Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content, he said in a post.

Authorities in India on Friday wrote to X, ordering a comprehensive review of the AI chatbot to ensure it did not generate content containing nudity, sexualisation, sexually explicit or otherwise unlawful content".

Delhi directed the platform to submit a report on corrective action taken to the electronics and information technology ministry within 72 hours, warning that failure to comply could invite action under criminal and IT laws.

The government also said it could consider tighter regulation of social media platforms over inappropriate AI-generated content.

In response to emailed questions from The Independent, xAI, the company behind X and Grok, replied: Legacy media lies.

France also accused Grok of generating clearly illegal sexual content on X without peoples consent, adding that Grok-created images potentially violated the EUs Digital Services Act.

The public prosecutor's office in Paris meanwhile expanded an investigation into X to include new accusations that Grok was being used for generating and disseminating child abuse content.

The investigation into X was first launched in July after reports said the platforms algorithm was being manipulated to enable foreign interference.

Dani Pinter, chief legal officer and director of the Law Center for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, said X had failed to pull abusive images from its AI training material.

This was an entirely predictable and avoidable atrocity, Mr Pinter told Reuters.
International manhunt underway for boyfriend of woman found dead in Maryland apartment after he fled the country

Police have launched an international manhunt for a Maryland man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and fleeing to India from the United States, authorities said.

An arrest warrant was issued for Arjun Sharma, 26, charging him with first and second-degree murder following the death of Nikitha Godishala, 27.

Investigators believe Godishala was killed at Sharmas apartment in Columbia on New Years Eve, CBS News reported.

There was obviously some level of premeditation involved, given the sequence of events and the suspects departure from the country, Howard County police spokesman Seth Hoffman said in a media interview.

He added that investigators are still working to determine the circumstances leading up to the killing.

Howard County police said Sharma told officers on Friday that he had last seen Godishala on New Years Eve at his apartment in the 10100 block of Twin Rivers Road.

Police are seeking to arrest Sharma (Howard County Police)

Later that day, investigators learned that the suspect had left the country on a flight to India, prompting authorities to seek a search warrant for the apartment.

Officers arrived at the property to discover Godishalas body inside, police said, and found that she had suffered multiple stab wounds. Detectives believe she was killed shortly after 7 pm on December 31.

Police said there were no prior calls regarding incidents involving Sharma and Godishala at the location.

According to investigators, Sharma contacted emergency services on Friday to report his ex-girlfriend missing. Authorities believe that after making the call, he traveled to Dulles International Airport in Virginia and boarded a flight bound for India.

Howard County police said they are working with federal law enforcement agencies and international partners to track down and arrest Sharma.

Extradition proceedings could follow if he is taken into custody in India or any other foreign country. A motive for the killing has not yet been established, and the investigation remains ongoing, police said.

Authorities said it was not immediately clear whether a weapon had been recovered from the apartment.

Howard County police said Sharma told officers on Friday that he had last seen Godishala on New Years Eve at his apartment in the 10100 block of Twin Rivers Road (Instagram/@_iamnikkig_)

Sharma faces first and second-degree murder charges and will be returned to Howard County to face trial if apprehended, police said.

Godishala was a healthcare data analyst with a strong academic and professional background. She earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in India and later completed a masters degree in Health Information Technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

At the time of her death, Godishala was working as a data and strategy analyst at Vheda Health, where colleagues praised her dedication and commitment to her work.

Friends described her as ambitious and warm, noting that she was focused on building a successful life away from her hometown.
Nicolas Maduros arrest has enabled Donald Trump to remove a regime as tacky has his own - Adam Gray/Reuters

As Donald Trump removes an unpopular Left-wing dictator from power, the people of Britain are asking: Can you do us next?

Trumps motives for the arrest of Nicolas Maduro have gone from drugs bust to regime change, to he saw a rerun of Miami Vice and thought it looked cool (actual quote from the president: I watched it literally like I was watching a television show, and if you would have seen the speed, the violence!).

But the latest thinking is that it was an internal coup, supported by Venezuelas vice-president who, as is the way with such countries, is probably a Marxist economist and swimwear model.

Im told this theory prompted a mysterious call to Marco Rubio from a number registered to Brighton yet with a Stockport accent: Take out Keir, Marco, and I can guarantee you get all of Britains oil.

Alas, Anges small effort at regime change came to nought as, first, we have no oil and, second, she had a fag in her mouth so Rubio couldnt understand a word she was saying.

MPs decided they also wanted a say on this, so Yvette Cooper gave a pointless statement to an oddly enthusiastic House. The Government cannot defend America (it did a bad, bad thing) but nor can it denounce its ally, as we need its lucrative market for tea towels and Dr Who spin-offs.

So Coop was reduced to say what you see rhetoric, describing the events of the last 72 hours as if this amounted to a policy, and confirming that the UK was not involved (plus ca change).

Maduro, she observed, was a crook, a thief, a thug and a gangster. No doubt the Home Office will be offering him asylum as we speak.

Nearly an hour in, Edward Leigh declared himself none the wiser as to what the Government actually thinks, and Lefty backbencher Richard Burgon angrily labelled the Foreign Secretarys ambiguity cowardly and craven.

National sovereignty matters, simpered Ed Davey  the more one has, the more one can give to the EU, I suppose  and Lib Dem Edward Morello said he will mourn the passing of the rules-based international order.

Of course, it never existed in Ukraine, Tibet or Venezuela, where Maduro did as he pleased  and only sporadically worked so long as America was willing to pay for it.

Tom Tugendhat observed that the subject is moot given that Britain has run down its independent military.

The Commons was united in its condemnation of Trumps designs on Greenland, but if he did invade that far-flung block of ice, the most the UK could muster is a strongly worded letter to the New York Times. Coop, following the custom that Britain must pretend it matters even if it doesnt, claimed that we are in a unique position to help because we have a well-connected charge daffaires in Caracas.

Im imagining an affable David Niven-type, permanently half-cut, who knew the new president back when she was crowned Miss Venezuela in 1986.

Are we really saying might is right? whispered Diane Abbott. Da, tavarish! Trump has found in Venezuela a regime almost as tacky as his own, and if he suddenly wants to Make Latin America Great Again, thats his business. The oil business, one suspects.
Nicolas Maduro has plundered Venezuela and run a frighteningly repressive regime - Carolina Cabral Fernandez/Anadolu Agency

There was a time when those in the circles I moved in talked about Venezuela. The charismatic Hugo Chavez, the countrys president until his death in 2013, was idolised by parts of the Left here, even as the economy there was imploding terribly.

People I knew wrote books about his anti-imperialist stance and how he was taking on the eras neoliberalism.

His successor, Nicolas Maduro, who has been captured by the US to face drug charges, was less easy to idolise unless you were a real headbanger. But some have managed to, even though Maduro has plundered the country and run a frighteningly repressive regime. The conditions of ordinary people deteriorated so much that some seven million of them fled.

Journalists like Owen Jones were still defending Maduro and Venezuelas democratic credentials as recently as 2014.

These people are a type, and a type I know well. They can go to Cuba on holiday, and its all sun, socialism and salsa! Presumably, they are able to ignore the queues, poverty and prostitution everywhere  or the way that ordinary Cubans ask you for basics like paracetamol, and all seem to want to leave.

Cuba, of course, props up Venezuela and shares intelligence. It is no coincidence that 32 of those killed in the US raid on Maduro were Cuban and, presumably, his guards. It is almost like Maduro did not trust his own people to protect him.

Maduro has been captured by the US to face drug charges - US President Donald Trump TRUTH Social/AFP via Getty Images

Yet for the past few years, the failings of Venezuela have hardly been mentioned. There was the stolen election last year and the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to democratic opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado.

In fact, for most, the only real insight came from the excellent series released in 2025 by an 81-year-old, Michael Palin, for Channel 5. Its a glimpse of what life under the cult of Maduro was like. Palin is, as always, understated but revealing.

There are very real risks in visiting a dystopian paradise, he said  and he would know. During the trip, he and his crew were detained by the intelligence service. It started with a couple of policemen, then a couple of the National Guard, and then along came men with rifles, bulletproof vests and helmets. It was the kind of thing youd expect to encounter if an embassy was being bombed. It was quite alarming.

Now, though, we have a plethora of experts on that part of the world who also happen to be oil analysts. Its all about oil, say these folk conspiratorially, when Trump himself has said its all about oil. Amazing.

Of course, it is possible to fear the anarchy that Trump brings, the tearing up of old rules. But the moral posturing of parts of the Left around Maduro is sickening. This is vanity politics  posturing anti-imperialism thats devoid of substance, and any understanding of the real issues at stake.

The number of backbench MPs and oddball party leaders who are condemning Trump seem less concerned with the lives of ordinary Venezuelans than they do with being seen to be anti-imperialist and, therefore, anti-American. We can see the same thing happening over Iran  there are people on the Left telling us that those who are risking their lives on the streets are merely protesting about the cost of living, rather than, say, human-rights abuses.

Pro-Maduro protesters stand outside the courthouse in New York where Maduro is scheduled to be arraigned on drug charges - Olga Fedorova/Shutterstock

Why has it come to this? Possibly because so much political activism operates solely through the prism of Israel and Gaza and ignores the rest of the world. Thus, we see some supporting the terrible Iranian regime simply because it is anti-Israel and anti-America.

We have MPs in our Parliament elected on this single issue of Gaza, which is quite incredible. Shockat Adam declared, this is for Gaza, when he won his Leicester South seat by 979 votes. As we saw with the debacle over the Maccabi Tel Aviv game in November, when fans were banned from attending the Israeli clubs away game over safety concerns, this is extremely damaging.

The hard truth is that the dogma of anti-colonialism is not fit for purpose in todays world. We are in a rapidly changing time. Such dogma protects no one in the end but dictators. I also wonder if we want our politicians virtue signalling on every foreign crisis, or if we want them to sort out basic stuff in this country.

Many Americans may well feel the same way and be less enamoured of Trumps foreign escapades, despite the made-for-TikTok edited highlights of Maduros capture.

European leaders are still stumbling about, failing to realise they have been dumped by the US. They are like those poor souls who tell you that their relationship is fine and they are just giving each other a bit of space when the guy is living with his new pregnant girlfriend.

This may sound harsh, but if Britain has now realised its position in the world  a small country that does indeed punch above its weight in many areas  then part of this is realising when we do have influence, and when we dont. Why pretend we have very much power in what happens in Latin America? This is delusional. What we do have is a generation of leaders, especially on the Left, who are far more interested in foreign policy than in sorting out boring domestic problems.

The activist mindset sees everything in terms of the right and wrong side of history  every issue in black and white. This one is not.

The toppling of Maduro is a good thing  the way it was done makes for a much more insecure world. We cannot assert a rules-based order when nothing has happened to those who have broken the rules for a very long time. The dream of enforceable international law and a UN that meant anything is long gone.

It gives me no joy to say this, but facing reality is the task ahead. Empty-gesture politics just get in the way.
London and commuter town councils are among those bidding to be part of a 200 million scheme to build social homes for asylum seekers in a push to end the use of migrant hotels.

Hackney is one of the local authorities that has expressed interest in a government pilot that will see town halls handed cash to build new housing or refurbish old buildings to provide accommodation for migrants.

The project is part of Home Office plans to reduce the exorbitant amount of money being handed to private landlords or spent on asylum hotels, which cost the taxpayer an average of about 5.77 million per day last year.

Thanet District Council in Kent has also been named as one of the local authorities being assessed to take part in the scheme, along with Brighton and Hove, Peterborough and Powys.

A Hackney Council spokesman confirmed to the Standard that the borough had expressed its interest in being included in the project. Other London boroughs are also understood to be among the 200 local authorities keen to take part.

Hackney is among the councils that has expressed interest in taking part in the pilot (Google)

But the proposals are controversial, particularly in areas with high-cost housing and where thousands of people are on waiting lists for social properties.

Hackney Council has said it is facing a serious housing crisis with around 8,500 families on its social homes register.

House prices in the borough have increased sevenfold in the last 20 years ago.

Reform UK MP Lee Anderson branded the proposals disgusting and said in his Ashfield constituency there were already around 7,000 people on the council house waiting list.

He added that asylum seekers should not be given any form of social housing until every single person on the council house waiting list in every constituency in the country has a property.

But others have argued building homes for asylum seekers would be more practical and cheaper in the long term.

West Berkshire Council last year used 3.6 million of funding from the governments Local Authority Housing Fund to turn a disused office block in Newbury into flats for refugee families from Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Once the resettlement schemes end and the tenants are moved into permanent accommodation, the apartments will become part of the councils temporary housing supply, reducing its reliance on private landlords.

Liberal Democrat councillor Denise Gaines, the town halls executive member for housing, said at the time: It's been wonderful to watch these empty offices transform into five new apartments for families in need of a place to call home.

It will give them a sense of belonging and a place of their own as they continue to rebuild their lives in West Berkshire.

The capital houses more asylum seekers than anywhere else in the country, with Hillingdon and Hounslow often seeing the most migrants placed in their boroughs because of the large number of hotels around Heathrow airport.

Some 110,000 people claimed asylum in Britain in the year ending September 2025, the highest number on record and a 13% increase on 2024.

The Labour government last year announced plans to reform the system to deter new arrivals, particularly those arriving by small boat across the Channel, and increase returns.

At the centre of the immigration reforms is the introduction of a new earned settlement model, which will alter the way migrants qualify for permanent residency in Britain.

These include extending the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain from five to ten years.

Refugees granted temporary protection would not be eligible for permanent settlement until they had been in the UK for 20 years.
Nicolas Maduro, left, and his wife, Cilia Flores, second from right, appear in Manhattan federal court with their defense attorneys - AP

Nicolas Maduro said he was a prisoner of war in his first court appearance since being captured by the United States.

The former Venezuelan president pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism and weapons charges in a New York court on Monday.

Mr Maduro, who was seized from his home in a daring US military raid on Saturday, declared he was still president of Venezuela and a decent man.

Mr Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism, and along with his wife, Cilia Flores, has also been charged with cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns.

On Monday, the pair were taken from a detention centre in Brooklyn to Manhattans Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse in a military helicopter and bomb-proof armoured vehicle, surrounded by police and federal agents.

A convoy believed to be carrying ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro departs the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse - AFP

Mr Maduro appeared in front of 92-year-old Alvin Hellerstein, a federal judge appointed to the bench by Bill Clinton almost three decades ago.

Asked to confirm his identity, he said: I am the president of Venezuela, I consider myself a prisoner of war. I was captured at my home in Caracas.

Mr Maduro was captured by US special forces in the early hours of Saturday as he attempted to flee into a panic room in his military compound.

The former leader, asked how he would like to plead, said: I am innocent. I am a decent man. I am president.

He was then cut off by his defence lawyer, who clarified Mr Maduro was pleading not guilty on all counts.

I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything mentioned here, Mr Maduro said when asked to enter his plea.

He is not currently seeking to be released on bail. His next hearing is due to take place on the morning of March 17.

While Mr Maduro remains behind bars in the US, Delcy Rodriguez, his vice president, has been appointed interim leader in his place.

A CIA assessment recently handed to Donald Trump, the US president, concluded that Mr Maduros top lieutenants, including Ms Rodriguez, were better placed to take over from the ex-president than opposition figures to maintain Venezuelas stability, The Wall Street Journal reported.

On Saturday, Mr Trump said Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader who last year won a Nobel Peace Prize, did not have the respect to govern Venezuela.

Instead, he lent his backing to Ms Rodriguez, saying she would do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again. If not, the US president warned in a subsequent interview, she would pay a very big price.

GC Images

Nicolas Maduro Guerra, Mr Maduros son, whom US authorities have charged in absentia with cocaine importation conspiracy, declared on Monday that his father would soon return to Venezuela.

Sooner or later they will be with us, said Mr Maduro Guerra, a member of Venezuelas national assembly.

Mr Maduro is being represented by Barry Pollack, the veteran defence lawyer who previously helped to negotiate a plea deal that led to Julian Assanges release from prison in June 2024.

Mr Assange, the publisher of WikiLeaks, had been charged under the Espionage Act for publishing classified information.

Ms Flores, who also pleaded not guilty, is being represented by Mark Donnelly, a lawyer who previously acted as prosecutor in impeachment proceedings against Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general.

The 69-year-old, whom prosecutors claim ordered the murder of rivals who threatened their lucrative drug trafficking operation, insisted she was still the first lady of Venezuela.

She had sustained severe bruising on her rib, her lawyer said, and would need medical attention while being held in the detention centre.

It is unclear exactly how Ms Flores sustained the injury, and whether it took place when she was seized alongside her husband by the USs elite Delta Force.

08:02pm

Thats all for today

Thanks for following our live coverage of Nicolas Maduros appearance in court.

Heres a reminder of what happened:

Nicolas Maduro said he was a prisoner of war in his first court appearance since being captured by the United States

The deposed Venezuelan president formally pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism and weapons charges

The 63-year-old was earlier seen being led from the Metropolitan Detention Centre in handcuffs and prison scrubs

After a short drive, he was transferred to a helicopter and flown to Manhattan

Maduro was represented by Barry Pollack, who previously helped to arrange a plea deal for Julian Assange

Well be back soon with more updates and analysis.

07:54pm

Cooper hits out at Labour MP for supporting Maduro regime

Yvette Cooper hit out at a backbench Labour MP for supporting the Maduro regime.

Richard Burgon, the chairman of the Socialist Campaign group, had called the Governments approach to Mr Trumps operations in Venezuela cowardly and craven.

He claimed in the Commons that Sir Keir Starmer was willing to ditch international law and sidestep the United Nations charter in order to appease Donald Trump.

But the Foreign Secretary responded sharply, saying: I do find it hard to not remember his support and welcoming for the Maduro Regime, a regime which is currently being investigated for crimes against humanity.

This comes as Sir Keir is facing the challenge of balancing his bond with the erratic US president and restless backbenchers within the Labour party who have a history of supporting the Venezuelan regime.

07:40pm

Maduro may look to case of Panamanian dictator from 1990s

Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama, fought a years-long court battle to be considered a prisoner of war after he surrendered to US forces in 1990.

A federal judge ultimately ruled that he was a prisoner of war under the Geneva Convention, which entitled him to wear his military uniform and to be housed away from regular inmates in a bungalow equipped with a TV and exercise equipment.

Mr Maduros case has been repeatedly compared to Noreigas, and his declaration in court on Monday signals he likely intends to seek the same rights as the Panamanian.

07:28pm

Government should call out US, says Labour MP

Emily Thornberry, the chair of the foreign affairs committee, said the Government should be calling out the United States for breaching international law.

Ms Thornberry warned that Mr Trumps operations in Venezuela created a profound risk of international norms changing.

If a large and powerful country abducts the leader of another, however abhorrent that leader is, and then tries to intimate the smaller country, in order, it says itself, to gain access to its resources, doesnt the foreign secretary agree that this should be called out?

It is not for the country that is breaking the law to say whether or not it has broken the law, it is the West, surely to stand up and call it as it is, Ms Thornberry continued.

We then risk living in a world where might is right, and surely that isnt in Britains interests.

Delcy Rodriguez reacts after being sworn in as Acting President of Venezuela - Getty Images South America

07:22pm

Labour sniping from the sidelines, says Badenoch

Kemi Badenoch criticised the Government for sniping from the sidelines at President Trump over US operations in Venezuela.

The government talks up its relationship with the US, but we keep finding that we are not in the room when big decisions are made, the Conservative leader said.

Foreign policy should serve our national interest. It should serve our national interest.

It should be about keeping Britain safe. We should be clear eyed - the United States is our closest security partner. We must work with them seriously, not snipe from the sidelines.

We on this side of the house understand why the US has taken this action, she continued.

The US has made it clear it is acting in its national interest against drug smuggling and other criminal activity including potential terrorism.

It is clear Venezuela has become a gangster state, Ms Badenoch added.

07:07pm

Venezuelas vice president officially sworn in

Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuelas vice president, has officially been sworn in as interim leader after Nicolas Maduros detention.

Ms Rodriguez, who has indicated she will cooperate with Washington, took the oath of office during a ceremony in the National Assembly, telling lawmakers in an address that she did so in the name of all Venezuelans.

07:06pm

Cooper and Rubio discussed future of Venezuela

Ms Cooper said she had discussed what should happen next in Venezuela with Marco Rubio and said Britain supported free and fair elections in the South American country, Eric Williams writes.

The Foreign Secretary said she had told Mr Rubio that the Government was committed to a transition to a peaceful and stable democracy.

This comes after the US ruled out immediate elections in Venezuela on Sunday and Mr Trump said that the United States was going to run the country.

The leadership of Venezuela must reflect the will of the Venezuelan people, so the international community must come together to help achieve a peaceful transition to a democratic government that respects the rights and will of its people, she said.

That must mean action on its economic crisis, the release of political prisoners, the return of opposition politicians, an end to political repression, respect for human rights and plans for the holding of free and fair elections.

06:55pm

Importance of international law raised with US, says Cooper

Ms Cooper said she had raised the importance of complying with international law during her conversations with Marco Rubio.

We will continue to urge all partners to do so at every stage, the Foreign Secretary said.

It is of course for the US to set out the legal basis for their actions and the UN security council is discussing Venezuela this afternoon.

This comes after France, Spain and Canada questioned whether the United States had violated international law.

The Foreign Secretary said: Commitment to international law as the Prime Minister set out on Saturday is immensely important to this government.

Those principles guide the decisions that we make and the actions that we take as part of Britains foreign policy.

06:45pm

This is our hemisphere

This is OUR Hemisphere, and President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened. pic.twitter.com/SXvI868d4Z  Department of State (@StateDept) January 5, 2026

06:37pm

UK under no illusion about Maduro regime, says Cooper

The Foreign Secretary said Britain should be under no illusion as to the nature of the Maduro regime, writes Eric Williams.

A once functioning democracy has become a hub for very dangerous organised criminal gangs, she told MPs.

Corrupt links involved Iran, with Hezbollah increasingly present in recent years, as well as malign support from Russia, she said.

She went on to tell the Commons that the Maduro government had undermined the security of Britains overseas territories.

A regime which has facilitated illicit finance, sanctions evasion and organised criminal activity including narcotics trafficking and illegal gold trading, she said.

That undermines the security of the whole region, including UK overseas territories as well as the United States and other regional partners.

06:30pm

Foreign Secretary in contact with US over Venezuela action

Yvette Cooper told MPs on Monday that she had spoken with Marco Rubio about the USs action in Venezuela, writes Eric Williams.

The Foreign Secretary said she discussed the issue with her US counterpart over the weekend and said the UK government was in close contact with our international partners on this issue.

She said Britains foreign policy had long been to press for a peaceful transition from authoritarian rule to a democracy that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people and maintains security in the region and is in line with international law.

That remains our position and our determined view about what must happen in Venezuela now.

The foreign secretary added: The first duty of government is the safety and security of our citizens and my department is working tirelessly to ensure the safety of British nationals.

She said all British embassy staff were safe and insisted that they were working to support the approximately 500 British nationals in the south American country.

Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, addresses MPs on Venezuela - AFP

06:02pm

Maduro returning to prison

Nicolas Maduro has left the courtroom in New York and is being transferred back to the Manhattan Detention Centre in Brooklyn.

The deposed leader arrived at the courtroom earlier this morning and is being escorted in a bomb-proof military vehicle.

A convoy believed to be carrying ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro departs the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse - AFP

05:55pm

What we learned

Though Maduros appearance in court was only 30 minutes, we learned a few key details about what to expect in the coming months.

The former Venezuelan president pleaded not guilty, as did his wife Cilia Flores

He claimed he was a prisoner of war and a decent man

Maduros defence lawyer highlighted issues with the legality of the military abduction and said both had medical issues

Maduro said he would like consular visits and told the judge he had made notes about the hearing

The next hearing will take place at 11am on March 17

05:37pm Key moments

Maduros comments in full

Nicolas Maduro briefly appeared in court for the first time on Monday, where he was presented with charges of narco-terrorism and possession of weapons.

Appearing in a blue prison shirt and an orange under shirt, he and his wife, Cilia Flores, were read their charges.

The judge then asked Maduro to confirm his identity, to which he said in Spanish: I am the the president of Venezuela, I consider myself a prisoner of war. I was captured at my home in Caracas.

The judge replied: Judge: Let me intervene. There will be time for this.

Judge: I only want to know, Are you Nicolas Maduro Moros? Maduro: Yes. Judge: Have you been served the indictment? Defence lawyer: We waive public reading. Maduro: I have it in my hands for the first time. I prefer to read it personally.

Maduro then said he did not know that he had the right to a government lawyer free of charge.

The judge then asked Maduro how he would like to plead. The deposed leader said: I am innocent. I am a decent man. I am President-

His defence lawyer then intervened, telling the court: It is a plea of not guilty to all counts.

Maduro was then asked about the indictment:

Deputy: Have you seen the indictment? Maduro: Seen but not read. Deputy: Have you discussed it with your lawyer? Maduro: Partially. Deputy: How do you plead? Maduro: I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that is mentioned here.

Finally, Maduro was reminded of his right to have a consular visit. He replied that he would like to have a consular visit and said he took notes, adding: I would like to keep them.

The Venezuelan was ordered to appear for his next court hearing at 11am on March 17.

05:24pm

Maduro requests consular visit

Nicolas Maduro has requested a consular visit after being reminded of his rights by the judge.

Asked by the judge if he understood his statement, Mr Maduro said: Yes, we understand it and we would like to have a consular visit happen.

The judge confirmed it would be arranged.

05:14pm

Maduro: Im a prisoner of war

Nicolas Maduro said he was a prisoner of war in his first public remarks in a New York courtroom on Monday afternoon.

Asked to confirm his identity, the deposed Venezuelan leader said in Spanish: I am the president of Venezuela, I consider myself a prisoner of war. I was captured at my home in Caracas.

05:09pm

Charges faced by Maduro and his wife

Heres a reminder of the charges Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores face:

Narco-terrorism conspiracy;

Cocaine importation conspiracy;

Possession of machine guns and destructive devices;

Conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Judge Alvin Hellerstein, 92, said: My job is to ensure this is a fair trial.

05:04pm

Maduro appears in court

Nicolas Maduro has made his first appearance in a New York courtroom following his capture.

04:57pm Pictures

Maduros son calls for fathers release

Venezuelas new parliament opened today with politicians chanting Lets go Nico! as they forcibly denounced the recent capture of leftist leader Nicolas Maduro.

Maduros son, lawmaker Nicolas Maduro Moros, vowed that his toppled father and deposed first lady Cilia Flores will return to Venezuela.

Sooner or later they will be with us... They will return, he said.

The president of the United States, Mr Trump, claims to be the prosecutor, the judge, and the policeman of the world, senior lawmaker Fernando Soto Rojas told his colleagues in an inaugural session of Venezuelas National Assembly.

We say: you will not succeed. And we will ultimately deploy all our solidarity so that our legitimate president, Nicolas Maduro, returns victorious to Miraflores, the presidential palace, he added.

Nicolas Maduro Guerra, son of the deposed president, speaks in the Venezuelan parliament

04:40pm

Maduro to face 92-year-old judge

When Nicolas Maduro appears in court within the next hour, he will face Alvin Hellerstein, a 92-year-old judge who was appointed by Bill Clinton nearly 30 years ago.

Alvin Hellerstein has issued rulings in a series of notable cases, including crimes relating to genocide in Darfur, a settlement case against Harvey Weinstein, and Donald Trumps hush money payment case.

The veteran judge rejected an attempt by Mr Trump to challenge his conviction after he was found guilty of falsifying business records in New York.

Alvin Hellerstein rejected Donald Trumps appeal of his hush money conviction - NYTNS / Redux / eyevine

04:11pm

We are not at war with Venezuela, US envoy tells UN

The United States is not at war with Venezuela and is not occupying the country, Washingtons ambassador to the United Nations has said.

Mike Waltz, who previously served as Donald Trumps national security adviser, told the UN in New York that Venezuela had facilitated the flood of illegal drugs coming into the US.

[Maduro] has become rich off the misery of untold numbers of Americans, Venezuelans, and others, aiding and abetting terror organisations like Hezbollah.

Mike Waltz speaks during a UN Security Council meeting on US strikes against Venezuela - REUTERS

04:07pm

Maduro represented by lawyer who brokered Assange deal

Nicolas Maduro will be represented by an experienced US trial attorney who represents Julian Assange, court filings show.

Barry Pollack, who has represented high-ranking government officials and corporations, brokered Assanges plea deal last summer.

The deposed Venezuelan leader is expected to make his first appearance in court at 12pm local time (5pm in the UK).

Barry Pollack, who has represented high-ranking government officials and corporations, brokered Julian Assanges plea deal last summer

04:00pm

Russia and China criticise US crimes in Venezuela

Russia has criticised Americas act of armed aggression against Venezuela at the United Nations this afternoon.

Speaking in New York, Vassily Nebenzia, Moscows ambassador to the UN, described the toppling of Nicolas Maduro as a crime which had no justification.

Chinas envoy, meanwhile, said Beijing was deeply shocked and criticised the unilateral, illegal and bullying acts of the United States.

03:37pm Video

Watch: Protesters gather outside New York courtroom

Protesters have gathered outside the New York courthouse where Nicolas Maduro is currently being held.

Some have shown up in support of his arrest, while others have criticised the US war machine for capturing the socialist Venezuelan dictator.

Credit: Daniel Bates/ The Telegraph

03:19pm

Badenoch challenges PM to explain stance on Venezuela

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Kemi Badenoch has challenged Sir Keir Starmer to face MPs and explain his position on Donald Trumps military action in Venezuela.

The Conservative leader said she would be leading her partys response to a statement by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, on the events of the past few days.

Earlier on Monday, Sir Keir said Britain stands with Denmark amid Mr Trumps threats to Greenland but repeatedly refused to say whether Mr Trumps capture of Nicolas Maduro had broken international law.

Mrs Badenoch said: The events in Venezuela have shown that the Prime Minister is on the outside looking in, not respected abroad or at home.

I will be in Parliament later today to ask what Starmers foreign policy strategy is in light of the USs actions. He should be telling us himself.

03:00pm

Starmer defies Trump over Greenland threat

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Sir Keir Starmer has defied Donald Trump by declaring that he stands with Denmark after the US president threatened to annex Greenland.

The Prime Minister voiced his support for Denmark after the White House signalled it could launch military action in the Danish territory.

Mr Trump has set his sights on a US takeover of Greenland after capturing Nicolas Maduro and saying he would run Venezuela.

He said officials in his administration would decide what happened to Greenland and has claimed the US must annex it for its security.

On Monday, Sir Keir was asked by reporters about Mette Frederiksen, his Danish counterpart, insisting that Mr Trump has no right to claim the island.

The Prime Minister responded: Well, I stand with her, and shes right about the future of Greenland.

02:44pm Pictures

Pictured: Maduro and his wife transported to court

Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrive at the Wall Street Heliport in the New York City borough of Manhattan - GC Images

02:19pm

Colombian president ready to take up arms against US

Colombias president has said he would be willing to take up arms in the face of threats from Donald Trump following the capture of Nicolas Maduro.

Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla who has for months been the target of insults and threats from the US, said on X: I swore not to touch a weapon again... but for the homeland I will take up arms again.

Mr Trump said over the weekend that his Colombian counterpart should watch his ass and described him as a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

02:02pm

Swiss government freezes Maduros assets

The Swiss government has frozen assets held in the country by Nicolas Maduro or his associates to prevent an outflow of assets.

In doing so, the Federal Council (government) aims to prevent an outflow of assets, it said in a statement, stressing that should future legal proceedings reveal that the funds were illicitly acquired, Switzerland will endeavour to ensure that they benefit the Venezuelan people.

Bern placed sanctions on Venezuela in 2018, covering asset freezes and travel bans on 54 individuals.

It is not clear what assets are held by Maduro in Switzerland, though a report in 2021 found that Swiss prosecutors had identified bank accounts containing $10bn that may have come from embezzled public funds in Venezuela.

01:48pm

The view from the court where Maduro is headed

Journalists - or their line sitters - began lining up outside Manhattan Federal Court a full 24 hours before Nicolas Maduros appearance at noon today, writes Daniel Bates in New York.

Theres not many Venezuelans here yet, but its packed, even though temperatures are hovering around -3C.

The atmosphere is a mixture of apprehension and intrigue. Nobody knows what to expect when we see the strongman in cuffs with our own eyes.

The hearing is taking place amid intense security with dozens of NYPD officers on the streets around the court.

Barriers were put up outside the court and along the block in scenes that recalled cases where Donald Trump attended the same court.

Outside court David Cardenas, a human rights lawyer with the Venezuelan opposition group OLV said: We have been waiting for this moment for 25 years. Were so happy to see this.

Maduro is a criminal and a terrorist. He was recently laughing at my group saying dont cry when they come for you. I dont know who is crying now, me or him?

Mr Cardenas said he was not concerned about the US seizing Maduro given that he is a head of state.

He said: Maduro carried out a genocide and he has an open case against him in the international criminal court so if it wasnt here in America it would be somewhere else.

01:17pm

Maduro capture could push North Korea closer to nuclear weapons

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Kim Jong Un is likely to focus more on developing nuclear weapons after the capture of Nicolas Maduro as he believes they are the only effective deterrent, experts have said.

The North Korean dictator observed test flights of hypersonic missiles on Sunday, according to state media, just hours before South Koreas president Lee Jae Myung left for a summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

North Koreas missile launches also came one day after the US launched an operation in Venezuela, capturing the nations president and first lady.

The DPRK has said what happened shows the rogue and brutal nature of the US, and accused Washington of violating UN rules.

How advanced the North Korean weapons programme is at present  especially the question of whether Pyongyang has developed a hypersonic missile as it claims  remains unclear as its challenging for experts to conduct independent assessments given a lack of access under the Kim regime.

12:57pm Pictures

Pictured: Maduro escorted by DEA agents

As the sun rose on a frosty New York morning, Maduro was escorted in a convoy of vehicles en route to the courthouse.

He was flown by helicopter over the Hudson River to a snow-dusted pier, where he was transferred to a bomb-proof van for the final leg of the journey.

DEA agents shook hands with guards as they helped Maduro and his wife  wearing trainers and matching tan prison scrubs  from the helicopter. The couple were then driven away under heavy escort, surrounded by armed agents.

The convoy followed a white van, with armed guards positioned in the rear, before passing through court security.

The green van reversed into the courthouse car park to drop Maduro off, where he will remain in custody ahead of his court appearance later today.

Maduro was wearing trainers and matching tan prison scrubs - REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Maduro and his wife were driven to court under heavy escort, surrounded by armed agents - AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah

12:32pm Pictures  Key moments

Oil tankers flee Venezuela to avoid US troops

At least 16 sanctioned oil tankers have fled Venezuela in an effort to evade US forces.

Ships loaded with Venezuelan crude and fuel have departed the countrys waters in dark mode and are spoofing their locations, making it appear as though they are in the Baltic Sea or off the coast of Nigeria.

The deceptive tactics appear to be part of a coordinated attempt to bypass American naval forces in the region.

Donald Trump announced that an oil embargo on Venezuela was in full force and that a military blockade was in place, a move that opens the door to a potential US military response.

At least four of the departing tankers left Venezuelan waters via a route north of Margarita Island after briefly stopping near the countrys maritime border, according to TankerTrackers.com, which identified the vessels using satellite imagery.

Four ships have been tracked by satellite sailing around 30 miles from shore, using fake vessel names and misrepresenting their positions. These include the Aquila II, Bertha, Veronica III and Vesna.

The remaining 12 tankers are not broadcasting any signals and have not appeared in recent imagery, the New York Times reported.

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said on Sunday that US naval forces had created one of the largest quarantines in modern history and were successfully paralysing the regimes ability to generate revenue.

A satellite image shows three tankers leaving Venezuelas main oil port and heading North-East - @CopernicusEU

12:19pm

Maduro on way to court

Maduro is currently on his way to court.

Footage appears to show the ousted Venezuelan leader being led out of a vehicle in handcuffs and surrounded by armed guards.

He is due to appear in court in Manhattan later today on multiple charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy.

11:57am Analysis

Orban: Trumps actions in Venezuela are good news

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It may be minus five degrees in the Hungarian capital, with snow blanketing the streets, but Viktor Orban  a European leader more often associated with combative rhetoric than bonhomie  is striking an unusually warm and convivial tone with international journalists gathered here for his annual press conference.

The prime minister of the EU and Nato member state for the past 15 years, facing a tightly contested election in April, described President Trumps actions in Venezuela as good news for Hungary. He framed them as a manifestation of a new era ushered in after the liberal world order ended in 2025.

The US is capable of controlling 42% of the oil reserves of the world, he said. This will allow them to influence energy markets. This is good news for Hungary.

Describing 2026 as the dawn of the era of nations, Mr Orban said Hungary  a vocal critic of Brussels and a staunch ally of Donald Trump  had been pioneers.

When I asked what distinctions he drew between US actions in Venezuela and Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, he dismissed the comparison as not helpful, arguing that they are not comparable scenarios. I also asked how he would respond if Mr Trump followed through on his threat to annex Greenland  part of Denmark, a fellow NATO member.

Mr Orban replied that such a move would be an internal issue for Nato to resolve, declining to criticise the US presidents threats, which have taken on greater credibility following events in Caracas.

11:53am

EU: Maduro capture creates opportunity for democratic transition

The capture of Maduro provides an opportunity for a democratic transition in the country, a European Commission spokeswoman has said.

But the EU also said it expects its partners to respect the principal of territorial integrity, in response to Mr Trumps threats to annex Greenland.

The EU will continue to uphold the principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders, EU foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper told reporters.

These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them, all the more so if the territorial integrity of a member state of the European Union is questioned, she added.

11:41am

African countries criticise US capture of Maduro

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African countries have also criticised the US capture of Maduro.

South Africa, which already has tense relations with Mr Trumps administration, said it viewed the operation as a manifest violation of the charter of the United Nations, which mandates that all member states refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

Ghana said it was alarmed by Maduros abduction and expressed strong opposition to the use of force.

It said Mr Trumps declaration that the US would temporarily run Venezuela was reminiscent of the colonial and imperialist era and that it set a dangerous precedent for the global order.

The African Union said the complex internal challenges facing Venezuela can only be sustainably addressed through inclusive political dialogue among Venezuelans themselves.

However, the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland, which was recognised as an independent nation by Israel in December and hopes Washington will follow suit, voiced support for the US military operation.

The government of the Republic of Somaliland affirms its principled alignment with the United States in support of calibrated international action aimed at restoring constitutional order, democratic legitimacy and the rule of law in Venezuela, its foreign ministry said.

11:29am

Trump: I tipped off oil companies before Congress

Mr Trump said he told oil companies about the impending attack on Venezuela before notifying US Congress.

He told reporters aboard Air Force One after Maduro was captured that he had spoken before and after with oil companies about the operation.

When asked if he tipped them off, Mr Trump responded: Yes. Before and after. They want to go in and theyre going to do a great job.

He also said he had spoken with all of [the oil companies] and said: They want to go in so badly.

Marco Rubio previously said that members of Congress were not notified in advance. Mr Trump said the administration was concerned about the news being leaked.

Reporter: Did you speak with the oil companies before the operation? Did you tip them off?



Trump: Before and after. They want to go in and they're going to do a great job. pic.twitter.com/zxOG648Ww0  Acyn (@Acyn) January 5, 2026

11:18am

What Telegraph readers are saying about Venezuela attack

11:02am

Spain condemns US military operation

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Spains government has roundly condemned the US military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

In contrast with the muted response from the rest of the European Union, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the US military intervention in Venezuela was clearly contrary to international law and a very dangerous precedent for the future.

Mr Albares said that Spain was attempting to lead the European Union to a firmer opposition against the Trump administrations actions, noting that he would have preferred a stronger statement to the one put out by the bloc on Sunday.

The solution to Venezuelas problems cannot be imposed from the outside, much less by force, Mr Albares said, adding: We cannot just accept that the law of the jungle rules.

Left-wing Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has already spoken out against the US operation to extract Mr Maduro from power.

Spain was the only European country to co-sign a letter along with the leaders of Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Uruguay describing the intervention as contravening the principles of international law.

The situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively through peaceful means, through dialogue, negotiation and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people in all its expressions, without external interference and in adherence to international law, Mr Sanchez posted on his X account.

In an interview on Spains Cadena Ser radio station, Mr Albares declined to comment on what the next steps in Venezuela should be  specifically whether opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, currently in exile in Spain, should assume power.

Mr Albares said that Spain will maintain communication with the new de facto president, Delcy Rodriguez, as it did with her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, despite not recognising his self-proclaimed victory in the 2024 elections.

10:43am Pictures

Pictured: Protesters support Trump after Maduro ousted

Opponents of Maduro demonstrate in Doral, Florida, on January 4. - AFP/Getty/Giorgio Viera

Venezuelans celebrate at a rally in Bogota, Colombia, on January 4 - EPA/Shutterstock/Carlos Ortega

10:33am

China tells Trump: Dont touch Venezuelas oil

China told Donald Trump to stay away from Venezuelas oil after the United States captured president Nicolas Maduro and announced plans to run the country.

The US president on Sunday said American oil firms are going to go in and rebuild this system, signalling his intention to take control of Venezuelas vast and largely untapped reserves.

China, which has poured billions into Venezuelas heavily sanctioned oil industry and reaped the benefits in the form of discounted fuel, said on Monday that its agreements with Caracas over the countrys oil exports would be protected by law.

Beijing also called on the US to immediately release Maduro and his wife, saying it was deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the USs blatant use of force against a sovereign state.

If the US were to take over Caracas, it would likely result in a rerouting of Venezuelan oil exports, with the US becoming the main buyer.

This would be a blow to Beijing, which has been the main importer of Venezuelan oil since Trumps sanctions on the countrys energy industry in 2019.

China purchased around $1.6 billion (1.191 billion) worth of goods in 2024, according to Chinese customs data, the latest full-year figures available. Oil made up about half the total.

Trump suggested on Saturday China would continue to receive some Venezuelan oil but that amount is likely to be limited. He said the US needed access to the oil and other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country.

10:22am

Trump threatens military operation against Colombia

Donald Trump has threatened military action against Colombia days after US forces captured Nicolas Maduro during a raid on Venezuela.

The US president warned on Sunday evening that Bogota could be next if it did not reduce the flow of illicit drugs to America.

Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and hes not going to be doing it very long, he told reporters on board Air Force One.

Asked whether the US would pursue a military operation against the country, Mr Trump said: It sounds good to me.

You know why? Because they kill a lot of people, he added, without providing any evidence.

Tensions between the US and Colombia have increased in the past few months amid a US military build-up in the Caribbean, and Gustavo Petro, Colombias president, has become one of Mr Trumps fiercest international critics.

Mr Trumps comments followed the capture of Mr Maduro, the Venezuelan dictator, who is set to appear in court today on drug-trafficking charges.

10:10am Analysis

The Venezuelan assassination plot that made Marco Rubio

In 2017, Marco Rubio was placed under police protection when Venezuelas security chief was accused of plotting to assassinate him.

The former Florida senator had long been a thorn in the side of Nicolas Maduros regime, taking to the Senate floor in 2014 to scold the Obama administration for its shameful failure to sanction the strongman leader.

A decade later, the US secretary of state finally got his revenge when the US military captured Mr Maduro in a daring pre-dawn raid.

Dubbed the viceroy of Venezuela by the US media, Mr Rubio, who has taken on an ever-growing list of titles in the Trump administration  serving as national security adviser, acting national security adviser and US archivist  may just have added another one to his ledger.

For Mr Rubio, a politician who frequently describes himself as the son of Cuban exiles, building his political identity on his family story, it marks the climax of a lifelong ambition to restore democracy to Central America.

Marco Rubio speaks at a press conference on the attacks in Venezuela on January 3 - Joe Raedle/Getty

10:05am

Canadian PM speaks with Venezuelan opposition leader

Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, said he had spoken with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado following the US arrest of Maduro.

In a statement, his office said: The prime minister and Ms. Machado condemned Nicolas Maduros brutally oppressive, criminal, and illegitimate regime, which repressed the Venezuelan people and persecuted dissenters.

Prime minister Carney affirmed Canadas steadfast support for a peaceful, negotiated, and Venezuelan-led transition process that promotes stability and respects the democratic will of the Venezuelan people.

He emphasised that such a process must be anchored in the Venezuelan peoples sovereign right to decide and build their own future in a peaceful and democratic society.

08:42am

Greenland PM: Thats enough now

Thats enough now, Greenlands prime minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said in response to repeated threats from Mr Trump to annex the autonomous Danish territory.

No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation. We are open to dialogue.

We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law, he wrote on Facebook late Sunday.



08:33am Pictures

Protests around the world denounce US attack on Venezuela

A protester wears a mask of Donald Trump in front of the US Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday - AFP/Getty/Jung Yeon-Je

Protesters gather outside the US Embassy in Manila, Philippines - Eloisa Lopez/Reuters

08:15am

World leaders condemn Trumps threats to annex Greenland

France has joined other world leaders in criticising Mr Trumps threats to annex Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.

Borders cannot be changed by force, French foreign ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux told television channel TF1.

Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the Danes, and it is up to them to decide what to do with it, he said.

Jonas Gahr Store, the prime minister of Norway, said: Greenland is an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark and issued support for the neighbouring country.

Kristrun Frostadottir, the prime minister of Iceland, echoed that Greenland was part of Denmark and said her country should in full solidarity behind our friends.

Ulf Kristersson, the prime minister of Sweden, said that Venezuelans had been freed from Mr Maduros dictatorship. But he later stated support for Denmark, saying it is only Denmark and Greenland that have the right to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.



On Sunday, the leaders of Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay issued a joint statement rejecting the US military operation in Venezuela. The statement claimed the US had violated the basic principles of international law and created a dangerous precedent.

08:01am

Maduro to face court later today

Nicolas Maduro is set to appear in Manhattan federal court later today to face narco-terrorism charges.

Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, are both currently in jail in Brooklyn, New York.

They are both set to appear at the hearing scheduled for 12pm ET (5pm GMT) before US district judge Alvin K Hellerstein.

Judge Hellerstein, 92, has had Maduros case in his court for years, after the initial indictment against the leader and his inner circle first dropped in 2020. He is also presiding over Donald Trumps attempt to move his hush money case from New York criminal court into federal court, The Independent reported.

Maduro is charged with narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. He could face decades, or life, in prison on each count if convicted.

It is unclear if either has obtained lawyers or whether they will enter pleas.

Maduro is currently detained in the Metropolitan Detention Centre, a prison notorious for bad conditions and mistreatment of inmates that has hosted the likes of Ghislaine Maxwell and Sean Diddy Combs.

07:31am

Xi Jinping: Bullying actions are impacting international order

Xi Jinping has condemned bullying actions in the wake of the US attack on Venezuela.

The Chinese president said on Monday the world was undergoing a period of turbulence and change, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

During a meeting with Irish prime minister Micheal Martin, Mr Xi said unilateral and bullying actions are seriously impacting the international order.

All countries must abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, with major powers, in particular, taking the lead, he added, without mentioning the US or Venezuela.

China, an ally of Venezuela, earlier called on the US to immediately release Maduro and his wife and also said it was deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the USs blatant use of force against a sovereign state.

07:24am

Pictured: Militia group member joins march in Caracas calling for Maduros release

A militia group member joins a march in Caracas calling for the release of Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores - Reuters/Fausto Torrealba

06:58am

Cuba: 32 Cubans killed during US raid

Cuba has said 32 of its citizens were killed during the US military operation to capture and detain Maduro and his wife in Caracas.

Havana announced two days of mourning on Monday and Tuesday in honour of those killed.

The state-run Prensa Latina agency said the Cuban fighters were personnel from the countrys armed forces or its interior ministry, who were killed while carrying out missions at the request of the Venezuelan Government.

Our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism and fell, after fierce resistance, in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombings, Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel said.

The announcement came after Mr Trump admitted a lot of Cubans were killed during the raid while speaking to reporters on Air Force One.

Cuba has long been a close ally of Venezuela and has sent military and police forces to help the country for many years. It comes as Venezuela said on Sunday that at least 80 people had been killed in the US attack.

06:32am

Colombias president to Trump: Stop slandering me

Gustavo Petro, Colombias president, has hit back at Donald Trump in a fiery social media post, after the US president accused him of being a drug trafficker.

Mr Trump said on Air Force One that the South American country was very sick too and run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long, Mr Trump added.

Mr Petro fired back at the accusations in a long post on X on Sunday night, writing: Stop slandering me, Mr Trump.

Thats not how you threaten a Latin American president who emerged from the armed struggle and then from the people of Colombias fight for Peace.

In a later post, Mr Petro added: Friends do not bomb.

Colombias foreign ministry called the US presidents threats unacceptable interference and demanded respect.

06:10am

Trump: We are in charge of Venezuela

Mr Trump insisted that the US was in charge of Venezuela as he faced questions over his assertions that Washington was now running the country.

Were dealing with the people who just got sworn in. Dont ask me whos in charge because Ill give you an answer and itll be very controversial, the US president said, when a reporter asked him if he had spoken to interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez.

Pressed on what he meant, Mr Trump said: It means were in charge.

Mr Trump insisted the US was running Venezuela when questioned on Air Force One - AP

06:04am

Interim Venezuelan leader invites Trump to collaborate

Venezuelas interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez, invited Donald Trump to collaborate in a conciliatory message on Sunday night.

Following defiant speeches at the weekend, Ms Rodriguez released an English statement on Instagram, which marked a dramatic shift in tone.

We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence, she wrote.

Her change in tune came shortly after Mr Trump threatened that she could pay a very big price if she did not adhere to US demands.

The interim leader pictured during a council of ministers meeting at the Vice Presidency headquarters in Caracas - AFP

05:54am

Trump: Large number of Maduros security team killed

A large number of Mr Maduros Cuban security personnel were killed in the US operation to seize the Venezuelan leader, Mr Trump said.

You know, a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday, Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

He said there was a lot of death on the other side, unfortunately.

The US presidents comments came after Vladimir Padrino, the Venezuelan defence minister, earlier on Sunday said a large part of Mr Maduros security team, including soldiers and citizens, were murdered in cold blood.

05:48am

Second strike on Venezuela possible

The US might launch a second military strike on Venezuela, Mr Trump said, if remaining members of the Maduro administration do not cooperate with his efforts to get the country fixed.

Nicolas Maduro, the ousted Venezuelan president, is locked up in a New York jail awaiting a Monday court appearance on drug charges.

Mr Trump said his administration would work with remaining members of the Maduro regime to clamp down on drug trafficking and overhaul its oil industry, rather than push for immediate elections to install a new government.

05:38am

Trump signals Colombia could face US force

Donald Trump raised the possibility of further US military interventions in Latin America, suggesting Colombia and Mexico could also face military force if they did not crack down on illicit drugs.

Operation Colombia sounds good to me, Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night.

He also said that Cuba, a close ally of Venezuela, looks like its ready to fall on its own without US military action.

Mr Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One - AFP

05:14am

Welcome to our live coverage

Good morning.

We will be bringing you the latest news and analysis on the situation in Venezuela and its fallen leader.

Nicolas Maduro, the deposed president, is set to appear in court today, facing charges of narco-terrorism.
New fully remote, low-cost franchise model expands franchise ownership opportunities and meets the evolving needs of today's workforce

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AtWork, an award-winning staffing agency franchise, is proud to announce the launch of AtWork Professional, a first of its kind franchise category debuting this year that reflects the changing dynamics of the modern workforce and the growing demand for specialized talent. Designed as a low-cost franchise opportunity, AtWork Professional eliminates the need for a brick-and-mortar location and can be operated independently without the need for additional staff, making it an accessible and flexible franchise model.

This innovative concept has been years in the making, as AtWork carefully evaluated workforce trends, franchisee needs, and the increasing demand for professional-level staffing solutions. By removing traditional geographic constraints, AtWork Professional opens the door for seasoned professionals to become franchise owners with a top-rated franchise while utilizing their existing personal networks to recruit and place professional level talent into meaningful, career-driven opportunities.

"AtWork has always been a staffing franchise about people, relationships, and understanding where the job market is headed," said Jason Leverant, President and COO of AtWork. "AtWork Professional is an exciting and necessary next step for our brand. It allows us to stay innovative, meet the evolving expectations of today's workforce, and attract a new generation of franchise owners who bring deep professional expertise to the table. We see the trends, and we're proud to be delivering a solution that benefits franchisees, employers, and job seekers alike."

AtWork Professional is designed to appeal to entrepreneurs with backgrounds in professional fields who are seeking flexible business ownership with a low-cost franchise, without the overhead of a physical office. Franchise owners will focus on placing professional-level talent into career opportunities, offering a more specialized staffing solution while maintaining AtWork's people-first approach.

"AtWork Professional represents thoughtful growth," Leverant added. "Our team of employment professionals, took the time to do this right, ensuring the model aligns with our values and delivers long-term opportunity for franchise owners and the communities they serve."

AtWork Professional will launch with a focused set of specialized staffing categories designed to meet growing demand across professional and skilled sectors. These categories will include areas such as information technology, engineering, accounting and finance, marketing and creative, human resources, healthcare administration, and other professional services where industry knowledge and trusted relationships are essential.

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Injury crisis: Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and John Stones (London Standard)

Manchester Citys injury list is piling up as Pep Guardiolas side look to stabilise after their Premier League title hopes took a blow over the festive period.

City were held to draws by both Sunderland and Chelsea in an unideal start to the new year, which saw Arsenal extend their lead at the summit and Aston Villa leapfrog City into second.

A goalless stalemate at the Stadium of Light was then followed by a last-minute equaliser from Enzo Fernandez at the Etihad Stadium to snatch a point for managerless Chelsea.

City were dealing with several injury worries ahead of the west Londoners visit, but they suffered another couple mid-match, with first-choice central defenders Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol both withdrawn.

It compounded Guardiolas defensive headache, with John Stones already sidelined, and left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Here is all the latest Manchester City injury news and return dates, with Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush on international duty at AFCON in Morocco.

Josko Gvardiol

City lost their 100million defender Gvardiol in the 51st minute against Chelsea, and he appeared to be struggling with an ankle problem.

The Croat went down after a challenge on Malo Gusto, and he hobbled off to be replaced by Abdukodir Khusanov.

Post-match, Guardiola seemed worried about the former RB Leipzig man, saying that initial readings were not looking good.

Apparently, it doesn't look good, the Spaniard said.

We will see tomorrow. I think he will be on the sidelines for a few weeks.

His worst fears were realised on Monday, when City confirmed that Gvardiol had suffered a broken tibia bone in his leg.

After the news was confirmed, Gvardiol issued a statement: This is a hard moment, but it will never define me. I know who I am and where I come from. To the Cityzens, thank you for your endless support. I love you, and Ill fight every day to return stronger, as a City warrior.

Potential return date: Unknown

Forced off: Josko Gvardiol (AFP via Getty Images)

Ruben Dias

Portuguese international Dias was sacrificed with 10 minutes to go, with Nathan Ake taking his place at the heart of the City defence against Chelsea.

The cause of his injury remains innocuous, although Guardiola said similar of Dias as he did of Gvardiol, in that things were not good for his two centre-backs.

It looks like it, Guardiola said when asked if Dias injury was muscular.

I didnt speak with him or the doctor, but if Ruben is out, its because he felt something.

Guardiola confirmed ahead of facing Brighton that Dias is set for six weeks on the sidelines, meaning he may not return until mid-February.

Potential return date: February 21 vs Newcastle (H)

Sidelined: Ruben Dias (Getty Images)

John Stones

Citys central defensive injury crisis deepens with Gvardiol and Dias absences, with Stones already on the treatment table.

Guardiola said on New Years Eve that the England international was not ready for a comeback against Sunderland, and asserted after the Chelsea game that he would be out for months.

Of course we have a lot, Guardiola said of his centre-back injury problems.

John is missing for I dont know how many months. Ruben now will be out, Josko will be out.

Nathan [Ake], as we know cannot play regularly, so its a situation. But at the same time, it happened last season, so well stay strong and well find a solution. The spirit will be there.

Potential return date: Unknown

Savinho

Guardiolas options off the bench were limited against Chelsea, and with Jeremy Doku only just returning to fitness himself, it left the Spaniard short on the left flank.

As such, he was forced to field Tijjani Reijnders wide left, with Brazilian Savinho ruled out.

Guardiola confirmed on New Years Day that the wingers situation did not look good ahead of the Chelsea game after he was forced off against Sunderland.

Potential return date: Unknown

In tears: Savinho (AFP via Getty Images)

Nico Gonzalez

The same can be said of Nico Gonzalez, who was also withdrawn hurt against the Black Cats on January 1.

The former Barcelona midfielder did not make the matchday squad for the Chelsea fixture despite Guardiola saying that he would see if the Spaniard was fit enough.

As such, Nicos absence accelerated Rodris return to the side, with the 2024 Ballon dOr winner playing the full 90 minutes at the Etihad Stadium.

Speaking ahead of facing Brighton, however, Guardiola confirmed the player was fine.

Confirmed return date: January 7 vs Brighton (H)

Oscar Bobb

Young winger Bobb has seen his playtime greatly decreased this term, and that took a further hit after he was struck by a thigh injury.

The Norwegian was ruled out of the Sunderland game by Guardiola after he was taken off within 20 minutes against Brentford in the League Cup.

Potential return date: January 17 vs Manchester United (A)

Mateo Kovacic

Kovacic is Citys longest-term absentee.

The Croatian midfielder is out with an ankle injury which he had successful surgery on back in November.

The former Chelsea and Real Madrid man is progressing in his rehabilitation, and could be back in action in March.

Potential return date: March 14 vs West Ham (A)
Senator Mark Kelly is set to see his retirement rank and pay cut after making seditious statements in a video, featuring several other lawmakers, that told troops they can and must refuse illegal orders.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth moved to censure Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, on Monday, telling Fox News Digital that he directed Secretary of the Navy John Phelan to review the retired Navy captains retirement rank and pay and provide a recommendation in 45 days.

Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly  and five other members of Congress  released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War  and the American people  expect justice, Hegseth also wrote on X.

Therefore, in response to Senator Mark Kellys seditious statements  and his pattern of reckless misconduct  the Department of War is taking administrative action against Captain Mark E. Kelly, Hegseth continued.

(AFP/Getty)

Kelly responded in a statement on Monday afternoon: Over twenty-five years in the U.S. Navy, thirty-nine combat missions, and four missions to space, I risked my life for this country and to defend our Constitution  including the First Amendment rights of every American to speak out. I never expected that the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense would attack me for doing exactly that.

My rank and retirement are things that I earned through my service and sacrifice for this country. I got shot at. I missed holidays and birthdays. I commanded a space shuttle mission while my wife Gabby recovered from a gunshot wound to the head  all while proudly wearing the American flag on my shoulder, said the senator.

Giffords, formerly a congresswoman from the Tuscon area, was shot and wounded during a 2011 assassination attempt at a meet-and-greet with voters. Kelly and Giffords married in 2007; before joining the Senate, the former naval aviator Kelly was also an astronaut and flew several space shuttle missions between 2006 and 2011.

In the November video message, six congressional Democrats urge active duty military members to refuse orders from their commanders if they believe them to be illegal.

You can refuse illegal orders, other Democrats including Sen. Elissa Slotkin and Rep. Chris Deluzio say in the video. You must refuse illegal orders."

The new Pentagon review could result in a downgrade from the rank at which Kelly officially retired. His retirement pay, which is tied to rank, may also be reduced as a result.

Kelly was previously threatened with military prosecution over the video. He and others have defended the conduct as protected by the First Amendment against accusations of seditious activity by Republicans including Donald Trump, who called for the members of Congress in the video to be arrested and face charges of treason punishable by DEATH.

The presidents outlandish call for the severe punishment of his enemies was not followed up by the Department of Justice. Hegseths actions marks the first substantial move by the Trump administration has taken to retaliate against the videos participants.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth embarked on a weeks-long effort to punish Kelly over the video (AP)

The Arizona senator is considered a rising star among the Democrats and a top attack target for Republicans with efforts to tarnish his reputation, given the possibility that he could run for president in 2028. Kelly has declined to answer whether he is considering a White House run, while acknowledging his surging national profile and popularity within the party.

Hegseth previously told reporters that Kellys status as a retired captain makes him the only lawmaker in the video who the Department of Defense can still initiate formal proceedings against. A handful of other Democratic members of Congress who served in the armed forces also participated in the message. None have walked back the language used in the video, and senior Democrats have backed them up.

The exact amount by which Kellys pay would be decreased, or whether his retirement rank would be affected will be determined at the end of the review conducted by the Defense Department. Kelly will be allowed to submit his own response and offer a defense of his actions.

Over the weekend, Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the presidents ordered operations against the Venezuelan government illegal.

We have learned through the years, when America tries to do regime change and nation building in this way, the American people pay the price in both blood and in dollars, said Schumer.

On Saturday, Kelly issued several statements condemning the Trump administrations military assault on Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of the nations president, Nicolas Maduro. Kelly, with most of the rest of the Senate Democratic caucus, is set to support a War Powers resolution aimed at curtailing Trumps ability to wage war in the Caribbean this week though the measure is not likely to succeed.

Over the past year, Trumps foreign policy has been reckless, chaotic, self-serving, and unconstitutional, Kelly wrote Saturday. Congress should vote this week to reassert its authority on behalf of the American people before he oversteps again.
Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a stark warning to Donald Trump following the military operation in Venezuela, telling him that such overseas interference was what many in MAGA thought they voted to end.

Regime change, funding foreign wars, and Americans tax dollars being consistently funneled to foreign causes, foreigners both home and abroad, and foreign governments while Americans are consistently facing increasing cost of living, housing, healthcare, and learn about scams and fraud of their tax dollars is what has most Americans enraged, Greene wrote in a lengthy post on X Saturday.

The president was asked earlier how the seizure and control of Venezuelan oil aligns with his America first agenda, telling reporters, We want to surround ourselves with good neighbors.

Trump has said he authorized CIA operations in the South American nation, including the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, because Venezuela emptied their prisons into the United States of America and flooded the country with drugs.

In her post, Greene hit back at the presidents claims that the operations were intended purely to crack down on alleged narco-terrorism, pointing out that 70 percent of U.S. drug overdose deaths were due to fentanyl that entered the country via Mexico.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a stark warning to Donald Trump following the airstrikes in Venezuela, telling him that such overseas interference was what many in MAGA thought they voted to end (AP)

Mexican cartels are primarily and overwhelmingly responsible for killing Americans with deadly drugs, she said. If U.S. military action and regime change in Venezuela was really about saving American lives from deadly drugs then why hasnt the Trump admin taken action against Mexican cartels?

The firebrand Georgia congresswoman also pointed to his pardoning of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted of trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine into America.

Americans disgust with our own governments never ending military aggression and support of foreign wars is justified because we are forced to pay for it and both parties, Republicans and Democrats, always keep the Washington military machine funded and going.

This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong.

Greene has gone from being one of the presidents closest supporters to one of his most vocal critics in recent months, having fallen out with him and others in the administration over the handling of the Epstein files.

The congresswoman announced in November that she would be resigning from Congress and she is due to leave her seat on January 5.

Greene has gone from being one of the presidents closest supporters to one of his most vocal critics in recent months, having fallen out with him and others in the administration over the handling of the Epstein files (AFP via Getty Images)

Greene is reportedly not the only Republican to be critical of the president, though others are so far doing so from behind closed doors, according to Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer.

"As I said, we have heard from some Republicans in private conversations, chairs talking to their ranking members, that they have some, they are troubled by this, but not much more than that, Schumer said Saturday.

Schumer said he wanted to hold Republicans accountable, adding: "And again, we are saying to the Republicans, this is your responsibility. President Trump is a member of your party.

You've gone along with him over and over again. This is one time you got to resist him. It's too serious."
Favourites: Nigeria (AFP via Getty Images)

Nigeria are at full strength tonight as they take on Mozambique in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations today.

The Super Eagles rested key names for their final group game against Uganda, with qualification for the knockout stages already wrapped up.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW NIGERIA VS MOZAMBIQUE LIVE!

Eric Chelle kept Stanley Nwabali, Semi Ajayi and Ademola Lookman aside against Uganda to avoid any yellow-card suspensions for this game, although star striker Victor Osimhen still played 87 minutes.

He returns to the lineup in Fez tonight, though, as Nigeria take on a tricky Mozambique side that crept through to the knockout rounds despite being beaten twice in the group stages.

As such, Chelle turns back to his big hitters to ensure that the job gets done, with Lookman, who scored in the first two group victories, expected to come back into the side, where he played at the apex of the midfield diamond against Tunisia.

Fulhams Alex Iwobi is recalled, along with former Leicester midfield Wilfred Ndidi.

Samuel Chukwueze came back into the team on the right against Uganda, but starts on the bench here, losing out to Ademola Lookman.

Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka has recovered from an ankle injury and starts in the engine room.

Paul Onuachu, formerly of Southampton, was on the scoresheet against Uganda, but does not retain his starting role.

The big injury news is that striker Cyriel Dessers, the former Rangers forward, has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a thigh problem, while Blackburns Ryan Alebiosu, who made his senior international debut against Uganda, suffered a cut on his foot that required a hospital visit.

Nigeria XI: Nwabali; Osayi-Samuel, Ajayi, Bassey, Onyemaechi; Onyeka, Ndidi, Iwobi; Lookman; Osimhen, Adams

Subs: Obasogie, Uzoho, Awaziem, Ogbu, Sanusi, Akinsanmiro, Dele-Bashiru, Usman, Onyedika, Nnadi, Ejuke, Fago, Simon, Chukwueze, Onuachu

Injured: Dessers, Alebiosu

Time and date: 7pm GMT on Monday, January 5, 2026

Venue: Fez Stadium in Fez, Morocco

How to watch: 4seven and Channel 4 Sport YouTube channel
JD Vance speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025 in Phoenix. Photograph: Jon Cherry/AP (Photograph: Jon Cherry/AP)

A man arrested during an incident where someone appeared to be trying to break into the Ohio house of JD Vance with a hammer is to appear in court on Tuesday.

The vice-president on Monday thanked law enforcement in Ohio for arresting someone he referred to as a crazy person who had turned up at his Cincinnati home overnight.

The Secret Service said in a statement that one person was in custody after the incident, which took place in the early hours of Monday. Vance had returned to Washington DC the day before.

I appreciate everyones well wishes about the attack at our home. As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows. Im grateful to the secret service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly, Vance wrote in a post to X.

He then assailed the media for covering the incident.

One request to the media: we try to protect our kids as much as possible from the realities of this life of public service. In that light, I am skeptical of the news value of plastering images of our home with holes in the windows.

Vance spent last week at the house overlooking the Ohio River, but left on Sunday afternoon, Cincinnati news channel WLWT reported. The channel published to its website a photograph purporting to show damage to at least four panes of glass in what looked to be a ground-floor window.

The Secret Service said an adult male was arrested shortly after midnight for causing property damage, including breaking windows on the exterior of a personal residence associated with the vice-president.

The US Secret Service is coordinating with the Cincinnati police department and the US attorneys office as charging decisions are reviewed, a spokesperson, Anthony Guglielmi, said in a statement sent to the Guardian.

Two unnamed law enforcement sources said that Secret Service agents heard a loud noise at the home around midnight and found a person who had broken a window with a hammer and was trying to get into the house. The man had also vandalized a Secret Service vehicle on his way up the homes driveway, one of the officials said.

A law enforcement official identified the suspect as William Defoor, 26, of Crestview Hills, Kentucky. Defoor is set to be arraigned on Tuesday on misdemeanor charges of vandalism, criminal trespass, criminal damaging and obstruction of official business, court records showed on Monday afternoon.

Court records showed that Defoor faced an earlier charge of vandalism in 2024 and agreed to treatment under the countys mental health court system.



Calls to the listings for possible relatives and an attorney who previously represented Defoor were not immediately returned.

While Vance enjoys round-the-clock personal protection by the Secret Service as vice-president, the level of security maintained at his private residence varies according to his travel plans.

Many politicians have taken steps to enhance security after the June 2025 killing of Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband at their Minneapolis home, and an attack on another Democratic lawmaker and his wife in the city on the same night.

In October 2024, a man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for attacking Paul Pelosi, husband of the Democratic former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, with a hammer at their California home.

The Associated Press contributed reporting
Parents of man suffering obvious mental health crisis sue Salt Lake City after he climbed into plane engine and died

The parents of a Utah man who died after climbing inside a planes engine claim he was experiencing an obvious mental health episode in a lawsuit filed against Salt Lake City.

Kyler Efinger, 30, was found unconscious inside the engine of a Delta plane at the Salt Lake City International Airport on January 1, 2024, after he had been acting erratically while waiting for his flight.

In a lawsuit filed last Tuesday, Efingers parents said he was experiencing an obvious mental health episode but was still able to go through two emergency exit doors onto the tarmac and walk nearly a mile to where airplanes were being de-iced before he was found, KSL.com reported.

Efinger, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 10 years ago, died from injuries sustained after climbing into the planes engine.

The lawsuit claims city personnel could not timely locate a ticketed passenger known to be in distress and seen walking outside onto the tarmac on a freezing night.

The family of a 30-year-old man who died after climbing into the engine of a Delta plane at the Salt Lake City Utah airport in 2024 have filed a lawsuit against the city, according to a report (AFP via Getty Images)

Salt Lake police officers were sent to the wrong places multiple times while trying to locate Efinger and wasted time due to poor communication, according to the suit.

The lawsuit also claims that pilots were not promptly warned that a man was walking in the area.

In a situation where Kyler would still be alive if officers had located him 30 seconds sooner, about the first seven minutes of the citys search for him were wholly ineffective, the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit claims his dreadlocked hair was pulled into the moving blades, causing death from blunt head trauma.

The notion that an airport was so dangerously designed and operated as to allow this sequence of events generated international attention and shock, the lawsuit says.

His parents, Judd and Lisa Efinger, say theyve filed the lawsuit to remedy their own loss and prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future, according to the report.

Efingers behavior in the airport was objectively unusual for an adult before death, a lawsuit says (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

They say their son was supposed to fly from Salt Lake City to Denver to visit his ill grandfather when he suffered a manic episode. During the episode, he walked and ran down the moving walkways several times, including against the flow, with behavior objectively unusual for an adult.

The parents say if the airports camera system had been monitored, their son wouldve been seen leaving the emergency exits and walking onto the tarmac.

The lawsuit also claims that the door he exited brought him to an area that shouldve required identification and a wait for the lock to deactivate, but it did not. The family then says he exited to the outside through another door that did not have the proper safety system installed.

After an officer pulled Efinger from the engine, he was handcuffed before first responders tried to revive him, the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit claims damages involved are greater than $300,000, but does not ask for a specific amount. The suit is filed against Salt Lake City, which operates the airport.

A spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Mayors Office declined to comment to the outlet.
Sir Keir Starmers treaty handing the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has been delayed - Jonathan Brady/Getty Images

Sir Keir Starmer has suffered a fresh blow to his Chagos Islands deal in the House of Lords.

Peers have defied the Government over the agreement to hand the archipelago to Mauritius, voting narrowly in favour of renegotiating it.

The peers want to ensure that Britain would stop making payments if the islands use for military purposes became impossible.

Labour MPS are likely to reverse the proposed amendments to the Bill when it is returned to the Commons for deliberation.

However, the move will delay the formal agreement of the deal, which experts fear could cost the taxpayer 35bn. Conservatives, Reform UK and Chagossian groups all oppose it.

Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos islands, and home to a British and US military base - Gallo Images

The agreement involves the UK renting Diego Garcia, the island that is home to a British and American military base, at a cost of more than 30bn over the next 99 years.

The peers proposal would entail reopening talks with the Mauritian government so the UK would not have to pay to rent back the base if environmental or other issues meant it became unusable.

Lord Craig of Radley, a cross-bench peer and former chief of the defence staff who tabled the amendment, said that he felt the issue should be sorted out before we get into formal ratification.

But Baroness Chapman, a Foreign Office minister, said the UK and US felt opening up circumstances in which we raise the possibility of the agreement with Mauritius being terminated early isnt helpful.

She pointed to plans for a joint commission to be set up, which she argued would be the platform for raising concerns about the usability of the base.

The minister also said that the international law of treaties allows for the termination of an agreement when it becomes impossible for it to be performed as a result of permanent disappearance or destruction of an object indispensable for the execution of that treaty.

Britain will suffer triple harm

Sir Keir signed the deal in May, declaring that it was the only way to protect Diego Garcia from other countries influence, such as China. But it is yet to be ratified by the Government and has not been implemented into domestic law.

The deal for the British Indian Ocean Territory has been described as a surrender by the Tories, who warned against giving up the islands.

James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, said: Labours crazy Chagos deal is a triple whammy of harm  terrible for UK taxpayers, bad for national security, and damaging to the environment.

Now the Government have just lost a crucial vote in the House of Lords. This very sensible amendment from a former chief of the defence staff received cross-party support and would prevent the UK from continuing payments to Mauritius in circumstances where the military base were to be inoperable. Now Starmer should perform yet another U-turn and scrap the bill entirely.

A Policy Exchange report, published on Sunday, said the deal would have a catastrophic impact on endangered marine life.

Experts fear that Mauritius, with its dismal environmental record, will allow unfettered fishing around the islands, which could devastate the pristine underwater habitat.
Phillips 66 has agreed to buy the collapsed Prax Lindsey oil refinery out of administration, but revealed plans to integrate the operations into a neighbouring site in north-east Lincolnshire.

The Insolvency Service said that around 250 staff employed at the refinery in North Killingholme will have their jobs guaranteed until the end of March.

But the buyer could not provide any commitments as to how much of the workforce will be retained once the sale completes.

Phillips 66 said it had decided to not restart standalone refinery operations at the Lindsey site because it was not viable in current form.

Phillips 66 said it had decided to not restart standalone refinery operations at the Lindsey site (Anna Gowthorpe/PA) (Anna Gowthorpe)

It will instead integrate key assets, including storage and other infrastructure, into the neighbouring Humber Refinery operations, which the company already owns.

A spokesperson for the company said: While we understand the impact on Prax employees, at this stage we cannot guarantee how many new roles will be created, as we will require a different structure of workforce to operate those acquired assets which are integrated.

Once our plans are finalised, we will communicate appropriately.

Phillips 66 has about 1,000 employees at its UK subsidiary, and said the acquisition would support hundreds of jobs.

Production at the Lindsey site was stopped after its owner, Prax Group, collapsed into insolvency in June.

Paul Fursey, Phillips 66 UK lead executive, said: We recognise and deeply sympathise with how difficult the closure of the site has been for the workforce and the local community.

This sale is the best way forward to secure jobs, bolster the local economy and encourage investment in the region.

The company said the acquisition will enhance operations at the Humber Refinery and improve the supply of fuel to UK customers.

The Governments official receiver took control of the Lindsey operation after the collapse of its owner and a bidding process was launched.

It is one of only five large oil refineries remaining in the UK after the recent closure of the Grangemouth plant in Scotland.

Some 125 jobs were cut at the site following the administration.

Energy minister Michael Shanks said Phillips 66 was the most credible bidder in the Governments process to find a buyer.

This agreement marks the next step in securing an industrial future for the Lindsey site and the workers, who were badly let down by their former owners, he said.

Phillips 66 is an experienced and credible operator, and todays sale agreement allows them to quickly expand operations at its neighbouring refinery, with all remaining staff guaranteed employment until the end of March.

This will expand the companys ability to supply fuel to UK customers, boosting domestic energy security and securing jobs  including hundreds of new construction jobs over the next five years.

The leader of North Lincolnshire Council said the deal marked an important step forward after months of uncertainty but added that further assurances are needed from the government to protect jobs.

Rob Waltham said: This is good news in what has been an incredibly difficult period for workers, their families and the wider community.

It is positive that a serious investor with a strong track record in the UK is stepping in, and Phillips 66 is a respected local employer with a long-standing presence here in North Lincolnshire.

But this is only part of the picture. There is more to do, and there are still important questions that need clear answers.

Mr Waltham said: I have been clear with ministers that we now need certainty  that includes clear commitments on employment for existing staff, clarity on any potential Tupe rights, and a better understanding of what this deal means for contractors who rely on the site for work.

We also need greater transparency about exactly which assets have been acquired and what that means for future use of the site and surrounding infrastructure.

He said: This is a positive step, but the stakes remain high and government cannot step back at this point  these are skilled, high-quality jobs that matter to families in Lincolnshire and to the countrys energy resilience.
Members of Sir Keir Starmers Government have been barred from their local pubs as a result of tax changes - Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

Rachel Reeves is blocking new financial support for pubs despite Sir Keir Starmer admitting that many will struggle with new business rate changes.

In her November Budget, the Chancellor announced that Covid-era business rates relief will end in April, having previously been scaled back from 75 per cent to 40 per cent.

At the same time, some village pubs face paying business rates for the first time under a revaluation of their rateable values announced after the Budget.

A growing backlash has resulted in Labour MPs being barred from dozens of pubs and restaurants across Britain, with Ms Reeves banned from her local in Pudsey, West Yorkshire.

Speaking on Monday, Sir Keir appeared to open the door to extra support, telling LBC: Were talking to the sector, particularly hospitality and pubs, about what further support we can put in, whether thats licencing freedoms or other measures.

But The Telegraph understands the Treasury is insisting it will not change the tax policy itself.

Peter Kyle, the Business Secretary, has been pressured by figures within the hospitality sector to win concession from Ms Reeves - Steve Welsh/PA Wire

Tom Kerridge, the TV chef, said on Monday that Peter Kyle, the Business Secretary, was being incredibly supportive on the issue but had to convince the Treasury.

He told LBC he had asked Mr Kyle for support at a recent event and was told the Treasury needed to be convinced to sign off the money.

Mr Kerridge said of the prospect of a tax reduction: [From] the conversation with Peter that isnt something that he has control over. That sits in Treasury. He has a meeting with the Treasury next week. Hes presenting the case. He was incredibly supportive.

Sir Keir talked up the need to work with pubs to help with the challenges during his first public event of the New Year, which focused on Government support with the cost of living.

The Prime Minister told GB News: Were working with the sector, particularly in hospitality. Obviously, there were reductions [in business rates] in place because of Covid, which were going to come to an end.

There are then transitional provisions to help. The overall rating level is going down but I do acknowledge, for pubs and others, that the revaluation means that they will struggle in relation to the business rates applicable to them. Thats why were working with them.

The comments raised hopes that the Government could change the discount for 75,000 pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels in England in the new business rates approach. They come weeks after the Government folded after a year-long stand-off with farmers by substantially raising the point at which a new inheritance tax raid will kick in.

However, Treasury insiders hours later played down the prospect of a change in the tax rate itself, insisting new licencing freedoms would not impact the tax bill being faced by pub owners.

Before the Chancellors Budget, the Government had indicated that a tax discount for pubs, restaurants and hotels of up to 20p was being considered.

However, a reduction of just 5p was announced, leading to frantic lobbying from the sector, including meetings with figures from No 10 and No 11 in recent weeks, and warnings about the impact of the changes.

The new approach has overlapped with what is in effect the first re-evaluation of the size of hospitality businesses for six years, which alone would also mean a jump in tax bills.

The Treasury is confident that so-called transition measures, such as capping bill increases next year at 15 per cent, are sufficient to help pubs ride out the reforms.

But industry figures are rejecting that position and the idea that changes to licences alone will be enough to protect pubs from the major business rate bill increases over the coming years.

A spokesman for UK Hospitality, the sectors trade body, said: Nothing less than a rethink on business rates will solve the problem. Licencing and planning reforms dont help. They are useful but they are not sufficient to offset the tax increases. The question remains whether the Government will move fast enough and far enough.

Ms Reeves has overseen more than 60bn in annual tax rises in the two Budgets she has unveiled since taking up the post in July 2024.

A number of her high-profile policies, such as scrapping the universal winter fuel payment and capping inheritance tax relief for farmers, have had to be significantly watered down after a voter backlash.

A Treasury spokesman said: Were protecting pubs, restaurants and cafes with the Budgets 4.3bn support package. Without this support, pubs would face a 45 per cent increase in the total bills they pay next year.

Because of the support weve put in place, weve got that down to just 4 per cent. This comes on top of our efforts to ease licencing to help more venues offer pavement drinks and put on one-off events, maintaining our cut to alcohol duty on draught pints, and capping Corporation Tax.
The public has been urged to stay at home as a big freeze sweeps Britain - Owen Humphreys/PA

When we touched down at Heathrow on Saturday, and the pilot warned of a big freeze in the UK  with temperatures sinking as low as -3C  my daughter and I fell about laughing. It had been -16C in New York, and the wind blasts were such that you felt the cold not just in your bones, but your entrails  such that you could never imagine feeling warm again.

Did anybody (but us) mention the weather? Nope. In their duvet coats, balaclavas and snow boots, hardy New Yorkers somehow got on with their lives. They took buses and trains that somehow worked, despite inches of snow. They made it to work on time and did the jobs they were paid to do. With what little emotion my frozen limbic system was still able to produce, I felt awed by their grit  by the collective functionality of the Empire City.

Can you imagine any visitor saying that about us? Not if the Trades Unions Congress (TUC) has anything to do with it. Were not yet a week into 2026, and already, the TUC has embarked on a concerted campaign to Stop Britain Working  and by working, they also mean functioning.

Theres the light dusting of snow, for starters, which has instantly prompted the usual hilariously overblown rhetoric. No one should be pressured into making dangerous journeys, the TUC warned on Sunday, and workers must not be penalised if they cannot get to work.

When snow causes problems on the UKs transport network, it had previously said, it makes sense for employers to encourage and enable staff to work from home if they can, rather than struggle with a lengthy, risky and difficult commute to and from work.

Yes, we cant have any struggling. And it goes without saying that nothing in professional life should ever be either lengthy or difficult. Grit is something to be scattered on icy roads (if the scatterers can be bothered), not a quality to aspire to. Although it should perhaps be pointed out that the Met Office advice was slightly more sanguine. People, it said yesterday, should plan to leave the house at least five minutes earlier than normal.

Once the Arctic freeze and the travel chaos are over, and once were done talking about just how Arctic and chaotic it really was, the TUC would like us to focus on a more enduring component of their Stop Britain Working campaign  and that is, of course, stress. That little gem of a word  the opportunists gift that keeps on giving.

You may not be aware of this, but we are, in fact, in the middle of a national work-related stress crisis, and the unions are demanding urgent intervention. In a recent TUC survey of 2,700 safety representatives, four out of five reported stress as a primary concern, with many respondents claiming that excessive workloads are driving that stress to unprecedented levels.

TUC general secretary, Paul Nowak, warned on Sunday that: These findings expose a growing national crisis. Stress is now entrenched as the biggest health and safety issue facing working people, and the situation is getting worse.

He added: No worker should find themselves lying awake at night from stress, but too many employers are ignoring the law, failing to assess stress risks, and piling impossible workloads on to staff. Workers are burning out, and they are paying with their health.

Getting worse  really? Are we genuinely saying that we are more stressed and overburdened in our working lives than any previous generation? Because thats quite a bold claim. One that  I think most of us can agree  isnt supported by external evidence.

I understand that stress was and is a real thing (that has since been hijacked by the work-shy). I understand that it is bad for us and that we should try and avoid it, wherever possible. But the idea that we somehow have it worse than ever before?

The notion that what Britain needs right now is to work less hard, to cut itself some slack, to take a few more duvet days and indulge in some wellness journaling on the couch? I dont actually have a comeback for that.

I will, however, say this. I dont believe that we are an inherently feeble country. I know were not. Which is what makes this assumption of feebleness 10 times worse, because assumed feebleness creates true feebleness, and when you look at the rash of headlines over the first week of the year  One in Ten British Workers Wants To Resign This Month, No Point in Working Harder: The Rise of Part-time Britain  its not terribly heartening.

Do we really want feebleness to become our unique selling point? Because that really would be a national crisis.
"The Resurrection of the Roman Catholic Church" investigates decades of Catholic turmoil and the rise of a worldwide traditional movement

LOMPOC, Calif., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Established author and Christian Theologian, Griff Ruby, presents an in-depth examination of the history and changes within the Roman Catholic Church in his book, "The Resurrection of the Roman Catholic Church: A guide to the Traditional Catholic community," making a case for the continuity of Catholic tradition within today's Traditional Catholic movement.

The Resurrection of the Roman Catholic Church: A guide to the Traditional Catholic community By Griff Ruby

Ruby's book presents a sweeping historical, theological, and ecclesiological argument aimed at explaining the Catholic crisis following the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II). He contends that what most people call "the Catholic Church" today, the "Vatican organization," is not identical to the true Roman Catholic Church founded by Christ. Instead, Ruby argues that the true Church has continued in a different form: the Traditional Catholic community, or "movement," which he sees as a miraculous and faithful continuation of the authentic Catholic Faith and Church.

In Ruby's view, major reforms introduced in the 1960's and 1970's left many priests and everyday Catholics unsure about what the Church taught, how Mass should be celebrated and who held real authority. He argues that this confusion pushed some Catholics to look for steadier, more familiar forms of worship and belief, often turning to traditional practices that were kept alive outside the usual church system.

"The survival and global consistency of Traditional Catholicism is nothing less than a miracle," Ruby said, "a fulfillment of Christ's promise that 'the sheep know His voice, and another they will not follow.'"

Drawing on historical research, theological commentary and records of clergy lineages, Ruby traces the origins and growth of the Traditional Catholic movement. He describes it as a worldwide network of priests, bishops and lay communities who preserve the pre-Vatican II worship, teachings and sacramental practices, which he views as a continuous expression of historic Catholic identity. Throughout the book, Ruby addresses topics such as apostolic succession, unity in worship, doctrinal consistency and the limits of Church authority, while also examining differing reactions to the changes that followed the Council.

Though the book's perspective may be controversial among Catholics, it aims to give readers a clear and organized explanation of one interpretation of the post-Vatican II era and its long-term impact, highlighting the complexities of modern Catholic life and the struggles many believers face in trying to maintain continuity with traditional faith and practice.

"The Resurrection of the Roman Catholic Church: A guide to the Traditional Catholic community"

By Griff Ruby

ISBN: 9780595250189 (softcover); 9780595771493 (hardcover); 9781462087105 (electronic)

Available at iUniverse, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author

Born in 1958, Griff Ruby found the faith without the luxury of a religious upbringing, and at a time when Catholicism itself had lost its identity. His writings reflect many years of research into Christian history and theology and ecclesiology. His other books include "Sede Vacante!: Part One," and "Sede Vacante!: Part Two," Ruby lives with his wife Juliet and son Martin on the Central California coast. To learn more, please visit his YouTube Channel.

General Inquiries:

LAVIDGE  Phoenix

Ashley Fletcher

[email protected]

SOURCE iUniverse
In this courtroom sketch, the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday. Photograph: Elizabeth Williams/AP (Photograph: Elizabeth Williams/AP)

At noon on Monday, Nicolas Maduro was escorted into a Manhattan federal courtroom following his capture early on Saturday in Caracas, completing the seized Venezuelan leaders stunning journey from his capital city to a US courtroom.

It was a surreal display amid the fallout of a brazen US military operation to grab Maduro that has roiled global politics and stunned observers in the US and overseas.

In downtown Manhattan the spectacle played out as Maduros larger-than-life persona soon filled Judge Alvin Hellersteins courtroom with a mixture of bravado, seriousness, jocularity and defiance.

Maduro, who was not handcuffed but constrained by ankle shackles, looked forward, toward the jury box, as he walked into court. Before sitting down, Maduro told the public gallery Happy new year! in English.

His wife, Cilia Flores, followed shortly after, and she had two large Band-Aids on her face; on the temple and forehead. Maduro was dressed in a blue shirt on top of a neon orange shirt, in khaki pants, and Floress jailhouse clothing reflected a similar color scheme.

Maduro and Flores were present for their arraignment in a narco-terrorism case brought by Donald Trumps justice department. They both put on headphones, as they were provided live English-to-Spanish translation of the proceedings. Maduro sometimes glanced down at his indictment and, at various points, scribbled on notebook paper.

Hellerstein made a joke about being short, and how modern electronic equipment hides the judge. Proceedings started in earnest with an exchange of greetings that did little to hint at the enormous significance of the events playing out in the room.

Good morning, Mr Maduro, Hellerstein said. Maduro gestured in response.

As Hellerstein summed up the charges in this indictment, Maduro could be seen shaking his head slightly, as if in disagreement with the allegations. Hellerstein asked him to confirm his name, as is routine at these proceedings.

Maduro said I am Nicolas Maduro Moros and then launched into a diatribe about his political position, insisting that he was president of the constitutional republic of Venezuela. I am here, kidnapped since 3 January, he said. I was captured in my home.

Hellerstein told Maduro that there would be a time and a place to make these arguments. He asked again: Are you Nicolas Maduro Moros?

I am Nicolas Maduro Moros, he said again. Maduro said he had the charging papers in his hand for the first time and did not need them read in court, as he wanted to do that on his own.

Maduros demeanor while standing could be described as subtly defiant. Sometimes Maduro rested his knuckles on the table. For a few moments, Maduros hands were clasped as if in prayer, but with his index fingers pointing forward, in Hellersteins direction.

He entered a fulsome not guilty plea shortly thereafter  voicing both a soy inocente and a no soy culpable. After Maduro sat down, the beleaguered leaders defense attorney made a mouth with his hand and shook his head.

This was an apparent warning from his lawyer. Maduro needed to keep his diatribes to himself.

Then came Flores. She described herself as the first lady of Venezuela.

No culpable, she said, completamente inocente. Not guilty, completely inocente.

Related: Whats in the US criminal indictment against Nicolas Maduro?

At one point not long after, Maduro had yet another thing to say in court. I would like to make a request, your honor, he said.

Maduro did not want anyone taking his notes away, as he wanted them. Can I have my notes? The prosecution said they would work with jail officials to make sure he has his notebooks.

Neither Maduro nor his wife requested bail at this point, but reserved the right to request pre-trial release at a later time. He and his wifes attorneys did request medical care for them.

Floress attorney said that during her abduction she suffered multiple injuries, including a potential rib fracture.

Hellerstein scheduled a conference in the case for 17 March. When Maduro got up to exit, he tucked a pen into his notepad. A US marshal noticed and took the pen from him.

Someone from the audience shouted out  accusing Maduro of being an illegitimate president. As Maduro stepped through the door into a hallway, he insisted: Im a kidnapped president  a prisoner of war!
Sir Keir Starmer has defied Donald Trump over the US presidents expansionist plans to snatch Greenland from Denmark, publicly backing the Danish prime minister after she demanded that the US stop threatening to take over the territory.

Sir Keir made the unusual decision to stand against Mr Trump after the president dramatically threatened to annex Greenland. But the prime minister has refused to condemn the decision to remove Venezuelas president Nicolas Maduro over the weekend, despite warnings from legal experts that his capture on Saturday was a breach of international law.

Jonathan Sumption, a former justice of the UK Supreme Court, described the move as plainly illegal, while former attorney general Dominic Grieve said: Were living with a completely maverick and amoral US president who is a serious and significant danger to world peace.

Keir Starmer met with Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen in October (Reuters)

The prime minister, speaking to reporters on Monday, said that his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen was right to dispute the US presidents asserted claim to Greenland, and stated that he stands with Denmark on the issue.

Sir Keirs signal of solidarity with Nato ally Denmark comes after Mr Trump suggested over the weekend that Venezuelamay not be the last country to be subject to American intervention, after the US military carried out a series of airstrikes on Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. He has also previously made territorial claims about another Nato ally, Canada.

Hinting at his expansionist agenda following the operation in Venezuela, Mr Trump told the magazine The Atlantic: We do need Greenland, absolutely.

President Trump has been making territorial claims in relation to Greenland since January 2025, and in February last year, Sir Keir gave Denmark his support in opposing the US demands.

Katie Miller, the wife of one of Mr Trumps senior aides, Stephen Miller, posted a picture on social media of Greenland in the colours of the American flag, alongside the word soon, following the Venezuela operation.

The Danish leader hit back, writing in a statement that the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom, of which Greenland is one.

Asked during a visit to a community centre in Berkshire about Ms Frederiksens strong language, Sir Keir told Sky News: Well, I stand with her, and shes right about the future of Greenland.

While it is understood that Sir Keir has not yet spoken to Mr Trump about the weekends events, the UKs position has been outlined by foreign secretary Yvette Cooper in a call to US secretary of state Marco Rubio, which took place on Sunday evening.

The prime ministers official spokesperson did not deny reports in The Times that the UK plans to abstain from a UN Security Council resolution condemning the USs actions in Venezuela.

Elsewhere, the prime minister was asked by the BBC if he agreed with calls from Denmark for the US president to stop proposing US annexation of the island.

Yes, Sir Keir replied, adding: Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark are to decide the future of Greenland, and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.

Denmark is a close ally in Europe, it is a Nato ally, and its very important [that] the future of Greenland is, as I say, for the Kingdom of Denmark, and for Greenland, and only for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.

The Labour government has been forging closer ties with Denmark in recent months, and has been taking advice from Ms Frederiksens government, which is of a similar political tradition, on how to curb illegal migration.

Former attorney general Mr Grieve argued that there was no legal basis for the US operation in Venezuela, and warned that the renewed claims about Greenland show that Mr Trump is subject to fantasies about the United States right to intervene anywhere within the western hemisphere.

One can see how he thinks [he] could get away with seizing Greenland, Mr Grieve told The Independent. Were living with a completely maverick and amoral US president who is a serious and significant danger to world peace.

Former justice of the Supreme Court Lord Sumption agreed that the operation to remove Mr Maduro did not accord with international law. He told The Independent: The attack on Venezuela was plainly illegal. The contrary position is not seriously arguable.

However, the prime minister maintained his refusal to condemn President Trump over the US action in Venezuela, despite growing unease from Labour MPs and opposition parties including the Greens and the Liberal Democrats.

Maduro is escorted by US personnel after being captured (Reuters)

Labours former shadow attorney general Dame Emily Thornberry became the most senior Labour figure to denounce the US action, piling pressure on Sir Keir to disown Mr Trumps conduct and stating that it must be called out.

Dame Emily, who is chair of the Commons foreign affairs select committee, warned: You cant walk into a smaller country and take its resources, tell its leadership what to do, or throw the leaders in jail. There are rules. These came out of the chaos, suffering and bloodshed of the Second World War.

Might must not be right. Just because larger countries can walk into smaller ones doesnt mean they are allowed to.

But speaking to reporters, the prime minister said: Whats happened here in Venezuela is obviously really important. We have long championed a peaceful transition to democracy, because the president was illegitimate.

Jarrow and Gateshead East MP Kate Osborne told The Independent: Trump's actions to impose control over Venezuela, are nothing to do with democracy or protecting human rights, they are entirely about seizing Venezuelas resources and the worlds largest oil reserves.

It is a shameless attack and openly flouts international law. Trumps actions should be condemned, it is a flagrant disregard for international law and human rights.

Sir Keir also said that international law needed to be the anchor for the future of Venezuela following the removal of Mr Maduro. He added that the US will want to justify its actions in respect of international law.

But when asked directly, the PM would not be drawn on whether he believed the US had breached international law.

He told reporters: International law is really important. Its the framework, and its for the US to set out its justifications for the actions that its taken. But it is a complicated situation. It remains a complicated situation. The most important thing is stability, and that peaceful transition to democracy.

Sir Keir added: I think the vast majority of Labour MPs would say that they want to see democracy in Venezuela. That is hugely important.
Sir Keir Starmer is attempting to win back disillusioned voters and see off challenges to his leadership with a promise to improve their financial wellbeing and ease the cost of living crisis.

Speaking over the weekend, the prime minister acknowledged public frustration regarding the pace of progress, but he insisted that his policies would begin to deliver positive change for people in 2026.

Sir Keir also insisted he will still be in No 10 by 2027 despite growing discontent among Labour backbenchers and suggestions that heavy losses in Mays elections would spark a contest to replace him.

But he told the BBCs Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that the votes across Scotland, England and Wales would not be a referendum on his Westminster administration.

It comes after a challenging year for his administration, marked by sluggish economic growth, internal leadership rumblings, and disappointing poll ratings ahead of Mays local elections.

The first year of the PMs administration has been marked by sluggish economic growth, internal leadership rumblings, and disappointing poll ratings (Jeff Overs/BBC/PA)

Making his first visit of the year to meet members of the public on Monday, Sir Keir insisted Britain will turn a corner in 2026.

Speaking at a community centre in Berkshire, the prime minister made reference to the US operation in Venezuela over the weekend, but acknowledged people had other day-to-day priorities.

He said: Its really good to be able to come here and speak to you. Im acutely aware that there are a lot of things going on in the world at the moment, particularly you will see some things this weekend.

But I always remind myself that for you and millions of people across this country, what matters more than anything is the cost of living, is actually being able to pay bills, making sure that ends meet at the end of the month, and that were driving down all those things that cause people a lot of anxiety when they feel they cant pay the bills.

Concluding his remarks, Sir Keir said: 2026 is the year that were going to be turning a corner where  when we say we want national renewal of the country, and we do  it becomes a reality, and people begin to feel the difference in their pockets, in the ability to pay the bill.

Thats why we say we are turning a corner into 2026.

It came after the PM on Sunday insisted frequent leadership changes are not in the national interest and that constant chopping and changing under the previous Tory government had been utter chaos.

The prime minister also appeared to acknowledge criticism of his premiership but said he would rise above the commentary and focus on making a material difference to peoples lives.

We will fight for every vote, and we take absolutely nothing for granted, he said.

Asked whether he appreciated the political trouble he had been in after a series of policy U-turns and shifts in strategy, he said: Almost every week somebody writes that this is the worst week in politics.

You cant have 52 worst weeks in politics.

On a number of visits this week, Sir Keir will highlight policies like a freeze on rail fares and plans to cut energy bills, which he says will help lower the financial burden on households.

Around 3 million train tickets will be discounted for a week from Tuesday under an annual government scheme.

Before meeting residents on Monday, Sir Keir said: Its good news for Berkshires high streets and local businesses too  affordable public transport brings in customers and helps families enjoy time together.

Growing up, our family couldnt always make ends meet. I know every pound matters, and this year I am going further to tackle the cost of living and bring down costs for families.

As MPs return to Westminster this week after the Christmas recess, Sir Keir will tell the first Cabinet meeting of the year on Tuesday: I know families across the country are still worried about the cost of living.

There will be no let-up in our fight to make life better for them.

But Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said Sir Keir expects gratitude when its his decisions that have made the cost of living worse.

She said working people are paying higher taxes after the government extended a freeze on income tax thresholds, which together with previous extensions means millions face being dragged into paying higher rates.

Ministers say the changes in the Budget, which included overall taxes being hiked by 26bn, were fair and necessary to help cut the cost of living and improve public services.

Labour have no plan to fix Britain and working families are paying the price, Ms Badenoch said.
The creators of hit Netflix show Stranger Things reveal they debated the fate of Millie Bobby Browns character Eleven in a trailer for a documentary about the final series.

A two-minute teaser for the documentary titled, One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5, shows Matt and Ross Duffer mulling over the series ending and tearfully addressing the cast and crew of the sci-fi show as filming wraps.

Brown, who plays a psychokinetic character that helps a young group of friends in their battle against dark forces, can be seen crying during what appears to be a script read through with her co-star Noah Schnapp.

The actress, 21, also reflects on the shows conclusion and says: Im not ready to let go.

In another clip Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington) Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley) and Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler) can all be seen embracing while becoming visibly emotional.

The documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at series five, which follows the group of friends  Will, Dustin, Mike and Lucas  from the fictional town of Hawkins as they attempt to defeat evil villain Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) one final time.

The fifth series, which was released in three parts, caused a stir due to its ending, which left viewers in the lurch about the fate of Eleven.

Ross told Netflix site Tudum: There was never a version of the story where Eleven was hanging out with the gang at the end. For us and our writers, we didnt want to take her powers away. She represents magic in a lot of ways and the magic of childhood.

For our characters to move on and for the story of Hawkins and the Upside Down to come to a close, Eleven had to go away.

We thought it would be beautiful if our characters continued to believe in that happier ending even if we didnt give them a clear answer to whether thats true or not.

The fact that theyre believing in it, we just thought it was such a better way to end the story and a better way to represent the closure of this journey and their journey from children to adults.

Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things (Netflix/PA)

After the final episode aired on New Years Day in the UK, Brown, who rocketed to fame almost 10 years ago when the series started, shared a black and white photo from the set, and captioned it: Over and out.

Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things first aired in 2016 and rocketed its young stars, including Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair) and Schnapp (Will Byers), to fame.

The franchise has since expanded into a play, titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow, as well as an upcoming animated spin-off, Stranger Things: Tales From 85.

One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 premieres on Netflix on January 12.
A vegetable vendor had a narrow escape after a speeding car crashed into his cart in Faridabad, Haryana, on January 1. The incident occurred in a narrow lane of Sanjay Colony in Sector 23.

Local CCTV footage shows the car being driven at high speed. Upon hearing a horn beep, the vendor turned around, saw the car approaching at speed, and jumped away from his cart just in time to avoid being hit.

Seconds later, the car slammed into the vegetable cart with great force, scattering vegetables and broken pieces of wood.

The vendor filed a complaint at Gauchi police station, where officials said they are working to identify the vehicle and trace the driver.
Signed and sealed: Taty Castellanos (West Ham United)

West Ham have confirmed the signing of Taty Castellanos from Lazio.

The Argentine arrives in east London for a fee Standard Sport understands to be in the region of 26million.

Castellanos, the 27-year-old, has signed a four-and-a-half year deal at the London Stadium spent two and a half years in Rome having moved to Europe from New York City FC permanently in 2023.

Before that, he spent half a season on loan at Girona in La Liga, scoring 13 goals in 35 games. That included four in one game against Real Madrid. For Lazio, he hit 14 goals last term.

West Ham revealed on their official website that Castellanos had been identified as a key target by manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

Castellanos follows Pablo Felipe through the entrance at the London Stadium, with the Portuguese signed from Gil Vicente earlier this month.

The Argentinian has won two caps for his country, and previously lifted the MLS Cup at NYCFC in 2021, in a campaign where he also won the golden boot.

Ready to make his mark  pic.twitter.com/3ZXRnoQhuv  West Ham United (@WestHam) January 5, 2026

The Hammers have confirmed that the striker has been signed in time to be registered for their upcoming game against Nottingham Forest at the London Stadium, a game that the Irons desperately need a win in their relegation battle.

I'm really happy because it's a very important challenge for me personally and I've come to contribute, to try to help the team as much as I can, Castellanos told the club website.

Every match is a battle, and I'm here to contribute that, to try to bring that energy, that fighting spirit I have inside, so that every match is as important and as tough as possible.

I hope to give my all to the fans. I've always defended the jersey of every team with the utmost responsibility, and I want to tell them that I'm going to give everything, to defend this jersey, and obviously, to achieve our goals day after day. That's the most important thing.
A Paris court on Monday found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying Frances first lady, Brigitte Macron, in the latest legal action sparked by false claims that she is a transgender woman who was born a man.

The eight men and two women, aged between 41 and 60, had been accused of making malicious comments about Ms Macrons gender and sexuality, including equating the age difference between her and her husband with paedophilia.

The court said those claims were particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious, and handed down penalties ranging from cyberbullying awareness training to suspended sentences, as well as, in one case, a six-month prison sentence.

Ms Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October. Speaking on TF1 national television on Sunday, she said she had launched legal proceedings to set an example in the fight against harassment.

Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, who have been married since 2007, first met at the school where he was a student and she was a teacher (AP)

Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, a self-described medium known as Amandine Roy, is considered to have played a major role in spreading the rumour after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021.

She was also the subject of a defamation complaint launched by Ms Macron three years ago.

Other defendants include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist. Several told the court their comments were intended as humour or satire, and said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted.

During the trial, defendant Jerome A, 49, was asked about posts he wrote or reposted last year about Ms Macron being a man or having a penis. He told the court that it was just a joke, adding that his posts were satirical in spirit.

Arrests were made in December 2024 and February 2025, and all 10 denied wrongdoing.

The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging that Ms Macron was born male and was given the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother.

The wild, unsubstantiated claims about Ms Macrons gender have also been gaining ground in the US, where far-right podcaster Candace Owens has repeatedly amplified the false claim online that the first lady of France was born a man.

The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against Ms Owens.
This booking image provided by the Uvalde County, Texas, Sheriff's Office shows Adrian Gonzales, a former police officer for schools in Uvalde, Texas. (Uvalde County Sheriff's Office via AP, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

A former Uvalde schools officer, Adrian Gonzales, is due to stand trial on Monday, facing 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment.

He was among the first police officers to respond to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where authorities notoriously delayed confronting the gunman for over an hour.

It marks a rare prosecution of an officer accused of failing to act to stop a crime and protect lives. The horrific attack at Robb Elementary saw a teenage gunman kill 19 students and two teachers, making it one of the deadliest school shootings in US history.

Former Uvalde, Texas, schools police Officer Adrian Gonzales was among the first officers to arrive at the school.

Prosecutors allege that instead of rushing in to confront the shooter, Gonzales failed to take action to protect students. Many families of the 19 fourth-grade students and two teachers who were killed believe that if Gonzales and the nearly 400 officers who responded had confronted the gunman sooner instead of waiting more than an hour, lives might have been saved.

When was the Uvalde school shooting?

More than 3 years since the killings, the first criminal trial over the delayed law enforcement response to one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history is set to begin.

Its a rare case in which a police officer could be convicted for allegedly failing to act to stop a crime and protect lives.

Heres a look at the charges and the legal issues surrounding the trial.

This booking image provided by the Uvalde County, Texas, Sheriff's Office shows Adrian Gonzales, a former police officer for schools in Uvalde, Texas. (Uvalde County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

Gonzales was charged with 29 counts of child endangerment for those killed and injured in the May 2022 shooting. The indictment alleges he placed children in imminent danger of injury or death by failing to engage, distract or delay the shooter and by not following his active shooter training. The indictment says he did not advance toward the gunfire despite hearing shots and being told where the shooter was located.

Each child endangerment count carries a potential sentence of up to two years in prison.

State and federal reviews of the shooting cited cascading problems in law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology and questioned why officers from multiple agencies waited so long before confronting and killing the gunman, Salvador Ramos.

Gonzales attorney, Nico LaHood, said his client is innocent and public anger over the shooting is being misdirected.

He was focused on getting children out of that building, LaHood, said. He knows where his heart was and what he tried to do for those children.

Jury selection in Gonzales trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 5 in Corpus Christi, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Uvalde. The trial was moved after defense attorneys argued Gonzales could not receive a fair trial in Uvalde.

Gonzales, 52, and former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo are the only officers charged. Arredondo was charged with multiple counts of child endangerment and abandonment. His trial has not been scheduled, and he is also seeking a change of venue.

Prosecutors have not explained why only Gonzales and Arredondo were charged. Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell did not respond to a request for comment.

Flowers are placed around a welcome sign outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 25, 2022, to honor the victims killed in a shooting at the school. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Its extremely unusual for an officer to stand trial for not taking an action, said Sandra Guerra Thompson, a University of Houston Law Center professor.

At the end of the day, youre talking about convicting someone for failing to act and thats always a challenge, Thompson said, because you have to show that they failed to take reasonable steps.

Phil Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University who maintains a nationwide database of roughly 25,000 cases of police officers arrested since 2005, said a preliminary search found only two similar prosecutions.

One involved a Florida sheriffs deputy, Scot Peterson, who was charged after the 2018 Parkland school massacre for allegedly failing to confront the shooter  the first such prosecution in the U.S. for an on-campus shooting. He was acquitted by a jury in 2023.

The other was the 2022 conviction of former Baltimore police officer Christopher Nguyen for failing to protect an assault victim. The Maryland Supreme Court overturned that conviction in July, ruling prosecutors had not shown Nguyen had a legal duty to protect the victim.

The justices in Maryland cited a prior U.S. Supreme Court decision on the public duty doctrine, which holds that government officials like police generally owe a duty to the public at large rather than to specific individuals unless a special relationship exists.

Velma Lisa Duran, sister of Robb Elementary teacher Irma Garcia, poses with photos of her sister and brother-in-law, Joe Garcia, as she reflects on the 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting on Dec. 19, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Kin Man Hui) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Michael Wynne, a Houston criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor not involved in the case, said securing a conviction will be difficult.

This is clearly gross negligence. I think its going to be difficult to prove some type of criminal malintent, Wynne said.

But Thompson, the law professor, said prosecutors may nonetheless be well positioned.

Youre talking about little children who are being slaughtered and a very long delay by a lot of officers, she said. I just feel like this is a different situation because of the tremendous harm that was done to so many children.
An attack by the United States on a Nato ally would mean the end of both the military alliance and post-second world war security, Denmarks leader has warned, after Donald Trump threatened again to take over Greenland.

Fresh from his military operation in Venezuela, the US president said on Sunday the US needed Greenland very badly  renewing fears of a US invasion of the largely autonomous island, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Danish kingdom. Greenlands foreign and security policy continues to be controlled by Copenhagen.

Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, warned on Monday that any US attack on a Nato ally would be the end of everything.

If the United States decides to militarily attack another Nato country, then everything would stop  that includes Nato and therefore post-second world war security, Frederiksen told Danish television network TV2.

Greenlands strategic location between Europe and North America makes it a critical site for the US ballistic missile defence system. The islands significant mineral resources also align with Washingtons ambition to reduce dependence on Chinese exports.

Frederiksens comments came after Greenlands prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, made a bracingly direct statement in which he urged Trump to give up his fantasies about annexation and accused the US of completely and utterly unacceptable rhetoric, declaring: Enough is enough.

Threats, pressure and talk of annexation have no place between friends, said Nielsen in a social media post. That is not how you speak to a people who have shown responsibility, stability and loyalty time and again. Enough is enough. No more pressure. No more innuendo. No more fantasies about annexation.

Speaking later at a press conference in the capital Nuuk, Nielsen sought to allay fears of an imminent US takeover.

We are not in the situation where we are thinking that a takeover of the country might happen overnight, Nielsen said, speaking via a translator. You cannot compare Greenland to Venezuela. We are a democratic country.

Frederiksen said her government was doing all that was possible to prevent an attack on Greenland and accused the US of applying unacceptable pressure, describing it as an unreasonable attack on the world community.

You cannot go in and take over part of another countrys territory, she told Danish broadcaster DR, adding: If the US chooses to attack another Nato country, everything will stop.

I have said from the beginning that I unfortunately believe the American president is serious about this. I have also made it very clear where Denmark stands. And Greenland has repeatedly said that it does not want to be part of the USA.

She had been very clear to Trump, in public and private, said Frederiksen, adding that she would do everything  to fight for the fundamental democratic values and the international community we have built.

Nielsen and Frederiksen were backed by the EU, which on Monday said it would not stop defending the principle of territorial integrity, particularly when it came to a member of the 27-member bloc.

The EU will continue to uphold the principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders, the EUs lead foreign policy spokesperson, Anitta Hipper, told reporters. These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them, all the more so if the territorial integrity of a member state of the European Union is questioned.

But pressure is growing on Frederiksen, who faces a general election this year, to go beyond diplomacy and lay out more concrete plans for how Denmark would respond if Greenland were invaded.

Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament and representative of the Inuit Ataqatigiit party, said although she did not believe an invasion was imminent, Greenlanders should prepare for the worst.

We should hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Thats the way I see it right now. We are in a situation that is concerning. Chemnitz said Trumps latest remarks were the worst and most serious of his threats to Greenland and marked the emergence of a new world order.

Just a few months ago many of us were seeing the political world as we used to see it, which is that you can have a dialogue, you can have collaboration  and so on, she said. But the way that the US is talking about Greenland and trying to collaborate with Greenland, its a totally new world order that we are looking at.

Chemnitz added: The future of Greenland is completely up to us. I understand that he [Trump] might be interested in having Greenland, but Greenland is not interested in being part of the US.

After refusing to rule out military intervention to gain control of Greenland last year, Trump has been relatively quiet on the subject in recent months.

But the US bombardment of Venezuela to capture its president, Nicolas Maduro, and Trumps comments over the weekend have renewed fears that he may act on his threats.

Speaking on Air Force One, Trump refused to answer a question about whether he expected to take action in Greenland, saying he would revisit the subject in 20 days before going on to mock Danish defence efforts.

Right now, Greenland is full of Chinese and Russian ships everywhere. We need Greenland for national security reasons. Denmark will not be able to handle the task, Trump said.

Pele Broberg, the leader of Greenlands pro-independence opposition party Naleraq, said he was not concerned by Trumps comments.

I am quite confident the US will protect Greenland as an independent nation when we want to become one, he said, adding that the Greenlandic government should be in dialogue with the Trump administration. Besides, the US cant do anything to us that Denmark hasnt done already.

Last month, Danish intelligence services accused the US of using its economic power to assert its will and threatening military force against its allies. It comes against the backdrop of increasing tensions in the Arctic as three global superpowers  the US, China and Russia  fight for dominance over minerals and other geopolitical assets in the region as the ice melts.

Nordic neighbours Sweden, Norway and Finland have all expressed their support for Denmark. The Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, said: Only Denmark and Greenland have the right to decide on issues concerning Denmark and Greenland. Sweden fully supports our neighbouring country.

Related: Trump push to politicize US military reminiscent of Stalin, top general warns

Other European allies, such as the UK and Germany, have emphasised that the islands future lies in the hands of its people.

Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark must determine the future of Greenland and nobody else, the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said on Monday.

The German foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, suggested Nato could discuss strengthening Greenlands protection, while the EU reiterated its commitment to the principle of national sovereignty.
A handcuffed Nicolas Maduro arriving at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York

Donald Trump has set his sights on a US takeover of Greenland after capturing Nicolas Maduro and saying he would run Venezuela.

We do need Greenland, absolutely, the US president told The Atlantic magazine, adding that the Danish territory was surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.

He said officials in his administration would decide what happened to Greenland, which Mr Trump has claimed the US must annex for its security.

We need it for defence, he said of Greenland.

Responding to the latest threat from Mr Trump, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenlands prime minister, said: Thats enough now.

No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation, he wrote on Facebook late on Sunday. We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law.

President Trump has declared that America needs Greenland for "national security."



Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/AzdrU0G5X3  AF Post (@AFpost) January 4, 2026

Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, urged Mr Trump to stop the threats, adding that Greenland is not for sale.

The US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom, she said, pointing out that Denmark already has a defence agreement with America, which gives it access to Greenland, and that Copenhagen had boosted its investment in the Arctic regions security.

I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale, she added.

Earlier, Mr Nielsen rebuked the Trump administration, calling it disrespectful and saying that the territory was not for sale.

He was referring to an image posted on social media by Katie Miller, the wife of Mr Trumps deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, showing the map of Greenland painted with the US flag and captioned SOON.

Ulf Kirtsersson, the prime minister of Sweden, said on X: Its only Denmark and Greenland that have the right to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland. Sweden fully stands up for our neighbouring country.

The mission to capture Mr Maduro has triggered concerns about further US military operations in the Western hemisphere, which the Trump administration views as part of Americas sphere of influence.

A US invasion of Greenland is deemed unlikely by analysts who point out that the Danish territory is a part of the Nato alliance along with the United States.

However, the renewed threats are likely to alarm European leaders as the American split with the continent grows.

Katie Miller, wife of one of Mr Trumps aides, posted a map of Greenland covered in the US flag online

The US will be keeping a close eye on Delcy Rodriguez, Mr Maduros vice-president, who was sworn in as interim president by the countrys supreme court on Sunday.

Mr Trump warned that she would pay a big price if she failed to cooperate with the US.

If she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro, he told The Atlantic.

He said on Saturday that Ms Rodriguez was essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again. Ms Rodriguez has rejected suggestions that she will follow US orders.

Mr Trump on Sunday evening insisted the US was in charge of Venezuela.

Were dealing with the people who just got sworn in. Dont ask me whos in charge because Ill give you an answer and itll be very controversial, he told reporters on Air Force One.

Pressed on what he meant, the US president said: It means were in charge.

Donald Trump boards Air Force One to return to DC - Getty Images

Mr Trump warned the US could launch a second military strike on Venezuela, if remaining members of the administration did not cooperate with his efforts to get the country fixed.

He also raised the possibility of further military interventions in Latin America, suggesting Colombia and Mexico could face military action if they did not reduce the flow of illicit drugs into the US.

Operation Colombia sounds good to me, Mr Trump said. He also said that Cuba, a close ally of Venezuela, looks like its ready to fall on its own without US military action.

Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are expected to appear in a Manhattan court on Monday, charged with narco-terrorism and possession of machine guns.

A 25-page indictment accuses the pair of kidnap, beatings and murder to sustain a drug-trafficking operation run by cartels using fake passports allegedly dished out by the president.

Ms Flores was pictured on Sunday night for the first time since the raid. She can be seen in a green hoodie and white trousers being escorted by an American police officer.

Cilia Flores is escorted into custody by DEA agents - Reuters

Officials in the US revealed on Sunday that a cyber attack on Venezuela allowed helicopters to fly in and capture Mr Maduro.

At least 80 people, including civilians and security personnel, were killed in accompanying air strikes, a senior Venezuelan official told The New York Times.

JD Vance, the US vice-president, defended the mission. I understand the anxiety over the use of military force, but are we just supposed to allow a communist to steal our stuff in our hemisphere and do nothing? Great powers dont act like that, he said.

Washington has said it launched the operation to topple Mr Maduro to stop drug-trafficking into the US and to get access to its vast oil reserves, the largest in the world.

Trump enraged by mocking video

Mr Trump was reportedly moved to order the daring ambush after being enraged by a video of Mr Maduro dancing to an electronic remix of his own speech, No War, Yes Peace, on Dec 30.

The US president thought the Venezuelan leader was mocking him and calling his bluff, a week after the US struck a dock that Mr Trump claimed was used to house drug-trafficking boats.

Mr Maduro is led by DEA agents after arriving in New York - Reuters

The US ruled out immediate elections in Venezuela on Sunday. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said talk of a vote was premature, adding that America would run Venezuelan policy through the parts of the regime still in power.

Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, the Venezuelan opposition leader who is recognised by the US and Britain as the winner of an election against Mr Maduro in 2024, said the removal of his rival was an important step, but not enough to return the country to normal. He called for the election results to be respected and all political prisoners to be released.

Lets be realistic here, he told NBC on Sunday when asked about elections. What we are focused on right now is all of the problems we had when Maduro was there  we still have those problems in terms of them needing to be addressed.

Armed members of a pro-government militia were seen on Saturday stopping civilians in parts of the city that remain loyal to the toppled leader.

Elsewhere, crowds gathered in subway stations looking for charging stations after power cuts were reported in parts of the city.

Mr Rubio said on Sunday that the US wanted to give Ms Rodriguez an opportunity to address the challenges in Venezuela as a transitional government taking instructions from Washington, DC.

Marco Rubio has been called viceroy of Venezuela after being appointed to run the country - Molly Riley/The White House

Mr Rubio has been nicknamed viceroy of Venezuela after Mr Trump appointed him and others to run the country on Saturday. He is said to have played a central role in guiding the Trump administration towards toppling Mr Maduros regime.

Hours after Mr Rubios comments, Ms Rodriguez expressed a willingness to collaborate with Mr Trump, while asserting Venezuelas right to peace, development, sovereignty and a future.

We prioritise moving towards balanced and respectful international relations between the United States and Venezuela, and between Venezuela and other countries in the region, premised on sovereign equality and non-interference, she said in a post on Instagram.

These principles guide our diplomacy with the rest of the world. We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence.

Reports emerged on Sunday suggesting the ousting of Mr Maduro was an inside job. Former Colombian officials said they were absolutely certain that Ms Rodriguez betrayed Mr Maduro.

One US official said of Ms Rodriguez that shes certainly someone we think we can work at a much more professional level than Mr Maduro. The official told the New York Times that Washington had been impressed by Ms Rodriguezs ability to manage Venezuelas oil industry.

Delcy Rodriguez, Mr Maduros vice-president, was sworn in as interim president on Sunday - JUAN BARRETO/AFP

Ms Rodriguez had presented the US with a plan for her to run Venezuela without Mr Maduro, according to the Miami Herald. It is not clear if she co-operated with the US to help capture the former president.

Pressure mounted on Sir Keir Starmer from the Left wing of Labour on Sunday to condemn the US actions in Venezuela and stand up to Trumps gangster politics.

On Sunday, Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and close ally of Vladimir Putin, said the attacks on Venezuela were unlawful but consistent because Mr Trump was defending US interests.

It must be acknowledged that, despite the obvious unlawfulness of Trumps behaviour, one cannot deny a certain consistency in his actions. He and his team defend their countrys national interests quite harshly, he told state news.

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0501 Socialism tanked Venezuela\'s oil industry

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Oil markets were braced for possible volatility in global markets when trading resumed across most of the world on Monday morning.

The stock market in Saudi Arabia, which relies on high oil prices to sustain its economy, fell by the most in nine months on Sunday. The Tadawul All Share Index dropped 1.8 per cent, the biggest decline since Mr Trumps tariffs destabilised global markets in April.

Meanwhile, oil companies were preparing to return to Venezuela to begin extracting crude, a key pledge made by Mr Trump in the aftermath of the raid on Caracas.

Protesters outside the US embassy in Madrid, Spain, hold a cartoon showing Donald Trump drinking oil - Luciano Lima

Mr Rubio said that the US did not need Venezuelan oil, but there would be no more using the oil industry to enrich all our adversaries.

Why does China need Venezuelan oil? Why does Russia? Why does Iran? he said. A US blockade is currently preventing exports of Venezuelan oil.

Mr Trump told reporters on Saturday that US companies would invest billions of dollars in the countrys oil fields, which are estimated to be the largest in the world.

Interim leaders ties to Moscow

Questions have been raised over Ms Rodriguezs ties to the Kremlin, following reports that she was in Russia at the time of Mr Maduros capture.

The interim leader signed dozens of co-operation agreements with Moscow in the past and in November said that Venezuelas relationship with Moscow cannot be destroyed.

The US military operation has drawn condemnation from Venezuelas allies China, North Korea and Russia  but has been cautiously welcomed in some European capitals.

Mr Maduro and his wife are being held in a Brooklyn prison with a history of bad conditions and mistreatment of inmates, which have included Ghislaine Maxwell, Luigi Mangione and the rapper Sean Diddy Combs.

The former Venezuelan leader was last seen in a perp walk video in which he wished DEA officers a good night and a Happy New Year as he was escorted to jail on Saturday.

Shackled, wearing a blue hoodie and black hat pulled over his head, he was pictured smiling and holding his thumbs up alongside dozens of federal agents.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Azimuth AI, a fast-growing semiconductor company with offices in Sacramento, California, and Hyderabad, India, is building custom edge-AI System-on-Chips (SoCs) for smart utilities, energy, and industrial infrastructure. Today, the company announced the successful close of a new funding round led by Jetha Global, with participation from existing venture capital partners Moneta Ventures, AUM Ventures, and additional new investors.

The raise marks a strong start to 2026 for Azimuth AI and underscores growing investor confidence in the company's differentiated technology platform, disciplined execution, and long-term product roadmap.

"As we enter 2026, Azimuth AI is moving into a new phase defined by production deployments and scale," said Praveen Yasarapu, Founder and CEO of Azimuth AI. "The progress of our first product, ARKA-GKT1, positions us to expand beyond pilots and into sustained, large-scale adoption across smart utilities and industrial infrastructure."

Strong Momentum and Investor Confidence

The funding was completed over the past several days, bringing together new investors alongside existing venture capital partners. The round reflects continued conviction in Azimuth AI's vision, its Software-Defined Silicon strategy, and the depth of its leadership and engineering teams.

"We see a new wave of IndiaU.S.-based semiconductor companies emerging with global-class technology and execution," said Karan Danthi, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Jetha Global. "Azimuth AI stands out for the pedigree of its team, including leadership experience from companies such as Intel and a proven track record of more than 30 successful SoC tape-outs and high-volume production ramps. That depth of technical experience, combined with strong execution discipline, positions the company well to build globally competitive silicon."

National Recognition for India's First Smart-Utility Silicon

Azimuth AI's momentum follows a landmark industry milestone on November 17, 2025, when the company's flagship ARKA-GKT1 chip was officially launched in New Delhi by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Honorable Union Minister of Electronics & IT, Railways, and Communications, Government of India.

The event marked the unveiling of India's first smart-utility-focused, next-generation IP-powered siliconreinforcing Azimuth AI's role in advancing India's semiconductor self-reliance and global competitiveness.

ARKA-GKT1 Silicon Advancing Toward Production

Following the launch, ARKA-GKT1 continues to make strong progress. The silicon is currently advancing through full qualification and customer testing and remains on track for ramp to production volumes later in 2026.

Built on Azimuth AI's Software-Defined Silicon architecture, the platform enables high levels of integration, flexibility, and energy efficiency tailored for smart infrastructure and edge-intelligent systemsdelivering up to 10 performance improvement over existing general-purpose integrated chips, with enhanced security and higher reliability.

Reaching this stage represents a major technical and operational milestone, validating Azimuth AI's custom-silicon approach and its ability to execute from architecture and design through manufacturing and deployment.

Building Silicon That Matters

Azimuth AI is focused on delivering highly integrated, energy-efficient SoCs that reduce system cost, improve performance, and enable intelligent decision-making at the edgeparticularly in smart infrastructure and industrial IoT.

"What we are building together truly mattersworld-class silicon, real customer impact, and a company that will meaningfully improve the future of energy-efficient infrastructure," said Sridevi Badiga, Co-founder of Azimuth AI. "None of this happens without the passion, commitment, and belief of our team, partners, and investors."

With fresh capital, national-level validation, a proven silicon platform, and growing customer traction, Azimuth AI enters 2026 positioned for a defining year of scale, production, and global market expansion.

About Jetha Global

Jetha Global is a technology-focused investment firm investing across public and private markets, with a strong emphasis on semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and deep-technology platforms. The firm partners with founder-led companies at critical inflection points, supporting the transition from product development to production-scale deployment and global adoption.

SOURCE Azimuth AI Inc.
Members of the UN security council meet in New York, on Monday, on the US strikes and capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters (Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

The US has faced widespread condemnation for a crime of aggression in Venezuela at an emergency meeting of the United Nations security council.

Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Eritrea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and Spain were among the countries on Monday that denounced Donald Trumps decision to launch deadly strikes on Venezuela and snatch its leader, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to stand trial in the US.

The bombings on Venezuelan territory and the capture of its president cross an unacceptable line, Sergio Franca Danese, the Brazilian ambassador to the UN, told the meeting. These acts constitute a very serious affront to the sovereignty of Venezuela and set an extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community.

Related: Is there any legal justification for the US attack on Venezuela?

Trumps UN ambassador, Mike Waltz, defended the attack as a legitimate law enforcement action to execute long-standing criminal indictments against an illegitimate leader, not an act of war.

The meeting in New York was convened just hours before Maduro was due to appear before a federal judge in Manhattan on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation and weapons trafficking  allegations he has long denied.

Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, warned that the capture of Maduro risked intensifying instability in Venezuela and across the region. He questioned whether the operation respected the rules of international law.

I am deeply concerned about the possible intensification of instability in the country, the potential impact on the region, and the precedent it may set for how relations between and among states are conducted, Guterres said in a statement delivered to the council by UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo.

He urged Venezuelan actors to engage in inclusive and democratic dialogue and offered UN support for a peaceful way forward.

The meeting had been requested by Colombia, which delivered a carefully calibrated rebuke of Washington. The countrys ambassador, Leonor Zalabata Torres, condemned the US action as a violation of Venezuelas sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity.

Democracy cannot be defended or promoted through violence and coercion, and it cannot be superseded, either, by economic interests, she said. There is no justification whatsoever, under any circumstances, for the unilateral use of force to commit an act of aggression. She added that the raid was reminiscent of the worst interference in our area in the past.

Russia and China, both permanent security council members, were less restrained and called on the US to immediately release Maduro and Flores. Vasily Nebenzya, Moscows ambassador, described the intervention as a turn back to the era of lawlessness and urged the 15-member council to reject the methods of US military foreign policy.

Nebenzya, whose country is currently under US sanctions following its illegal invasion of Ukraine, added: We cannot allow the United States to proclaim itself as some kind of a supreme judge, which alone bears the right to invade any country, to label culprits, to hand down and to enforce punishments irrespective of notions of international law, sovereignty and nonintervention.

Chinas representative, Fu Cong, echoed the charge, saying the US had wantonly trampled upon Venezuelas sovereignty and violated the principle of sovereign equality. No country can act as the worlds police.

China demanded that the US change its course, cease its bullying and coercive practices, and return to the path of political solutions through dialogue and negotiations.

The Cuban ambassador, Ernesto Soberon Guzman, told the meeting: The US military attack against Venezuela has no justification whatsoever  This is an imperialist and fascist aggression with objectives of domination.

Related: European leaders appear torn in face of new world order after Venezuela attack

The security council meeting also heard from Venezuelas ambassador Samuel Moncada, who described the US action as an illegitimate armed attack lacking any legal justification that included the kidnapping of the constitutional president of the republic, Nicolas Maduro Moros, and the first lady Cilia Flores.

Moncada added: No state can set itself up as a judge, party and executor of the world order  Venezuela is the victim of this attack because of its natural resources.

For its part, the US insisted that there was no war against Venezuela or its people. Waltz told the council the operation was a law-enforcement action carried out in pursuit of long-standing indictments. We are not occupying a country; this was a law-enforcement operation, he said, invoking the 1989 capture of Panamas former leader Manuel Noriega as precedent.

Waltz cited Article 51 of the UN charter, which enshrines the right to self-defence, and said the evidence against Maduro would be presented openly in US court. He described the Venezuelan leader as an illegitimate so-called president and claimed that millions of Venezuelans, including exiles in Florida, were celebrating his arrest.

I want to reiterate President Trump gave diplomacy a chance. He offered Maduro multiple offerings, he tried to de-escalate. Maduro refused to take them.

Experts, however, have questioned the legality of the operation, noting that it lacked UN security council authorisation, Venezuelan consent and a clear self-defence rationale. The UN charter obliges states to refrain from the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of others  a principle repeatedly invoked during the meeting.

Yet the council, paralysed by divisions among its most powerful members, appeared no closer to a collective response. Any attempt to censure the US is certain to be blocked by its veto, one of five held by the councils permanent members.
Destroyed vehicles at La Carlota military air base in Caracas - Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters

Russian-made air shields that Venezuela spent billions of dollars on failed to protect Nicolas Maduro from US forces.

Footage taken early on Saturday in Caracas, Venezuelas capital, showed no air defence active as US aircraft circled triumphantly in smoke-filled skies following sweeping strikes.

Some analysts have suggested that the lightning raid, which saw elite US forces descend on a highly fortified compound in Caracas to snatch its president from his bed, was made possible by cracks in Moscows much-vaunted air defence systems.

Ground defence systems, especially Russian ones, suffer from a built-in disadvantage against modern air power that cannot be bridged, Daniel Bachmat, a military analyst, said.

They cannot withstand the combination of real-time intelligence, electronic warfare and precision weapons. In 2022, this was a minority opinion, but recent confirmations from Iran, Venezuela, and to some extent Ukraine make this opinion more mainstream.

Helicopters are seen over Caracas - X

Dan Caine, the US joint chiefs of staff, and Pete Hegseth monitor US military operations on Saturday at Mar-a-Lago in Florida - Molly Riley/The White House via AP

Geography is also thought to have posed a challenge. Russian air defence is designed for flat terrain while Venezuelas mountainous coastal geography can mask low-flying aircraft.

Dan Caine, the US joint chiefs of staff, told reporters on Saturday that the US had dismantled and disabled Venezuelas air defence systems as helicopters neared Caracas in order to guarantee their safe passage to the compound.

Those who rely on Russian weapons, air defence in particular, need to rethink in light of the past year, Mr Bachmat said.

It was another sign of vulnerability after Israel destroyed four Russian-made S-300 air defence systems in Iran in 2024, one in April and three in a single weekend in October.

US military fighter jets. Analysts have claimed that US forces destroyed the Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile system in Caracas - Miguel J Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images

Mr Maduro had previously bragged about his Russian-designed air defence systems, which included 12 batteries of S-300VM systems, nine Buk-M2E systems, Igla-S anti-aircraft missiles and S-125 Pechora-2M units.

Any military force in the world knows the power of the Igla-S and Venezuela has no less than 5,000, he said in October 2025 of the Russian-made short-range low-altitude anti-aircraft missiles at his disposal.

Analysts have claimed that US forces destroyed the Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile system stationed at the La Carlota airbase in Caracas, while the S-300VM batteries never activated.

The speed with which these systems were neutralised signals a catastrophic failure of Russian export air defence technology against fifth-generation Western air power, said Shanaka Anslem Perera, a geopolitical analyst.

Every S-300 and S-400 customer, including China, India, Turkey, Iran, Algeria and Egypt, now confronts empirical evidence that Russian systems cannot defeat American fifth-generation capabilities in operational conditions, he said, describing it as a strategic crisis for Moscow.

A Russian-made Buk M2E missile system in Caracas seen at a training session in November 2025 - Bolivarian National Armed Forces of Venezuela/AFP via Getty Images

A Venezuelan soldier holds a Russian-made Igla-S,a portable surface-to-air missile system - Venezuela's Defense Ministry/AFP via Getty Images

With a range of up to 200 kilometres (125 miles), the S-300 is designed to intercept both aircraft and missiles and is thought to be among the worlds most formidable systems.

Air defence systems are Russias primary export for deterring American intervention, he added.

Decades of sustained acquisition of Russian military equipment saw Venezuelas conventional military emerge as a notch above its peers in Latin America.

This shift was spearheaded by Mr Maduros predecessor, Hugo Chavez, a former professional soldier who after coming to power in 1999 channelled` oil wealth into the military and relied on Russian military hardware because of an informal US embargo.

Venezuelas military has as a result been defined by its Soviet-era weapons systems such as Su-30 fighter jets, T-72 battle tanks and S-300, Pechora and Buk anti-aircraft missiles.

In the years before 2009, Venezuela spent more than $4 (2.9bn) billion on weapons from Russia, including 24 Sukhoi fighter jets, and received a loan that year for $2 billion (1.48bn) to purchase 92 tanks and a S-300 missile system for taking down fighter jets.

Russia and Venezuela have been close allies for two decades, signing a strategic partnership treaty in Moscow in 2024.

On Saturday, the Russian foreign ministry called for the release of Mr Maduro and his wife from US custody and expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people in the face of armed aggression.

Smoke rises from a dock after explosions were heard at La Guaira port, Venezuela, on Saturday - Matias Delacroix/AP

It is understood that Mr Maduro reached out to Vladimir Putin to plead for assistance in October as the US increased military pressure, asking Moscow for help overhauling eight engines and five radars in Russia and acquiring 14 sets of what were thought to be Russian missiles.

He also asked for help restoring several Russian Sukhoi Su-30MK2 aircraft already in Venezuelas possession, The Washington Post reported.

Alexei Zhuravlyov, the deputy chairman of Russias parliamentary defence committee, later said that Russia would consider providing its most advanced hypersonic missiles to Venezuela, warning: The Americans may be in for some surprises.

Instead, the US may consider the episode confirmation that Russia is little more than a paper tiger.
Venezuelan leader Maduro calls himself a prisoner of war as he appears in US court on drug charges

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to four charges related to allegations that the ousted president and top officials in his administration steered a massive cocaine trafficking operation.

Maduro and Flores  wearing black v-neck T-shirts covering orange prison garb with khaki pants and orange slip-on shoes  shuffled into a Manhattan federal courtroom Monday for their first appearance before a judge after their capture by U.S. forces.

The ousted president scribbled notes on a white notepad throughout the 30-minute hearing and listened intently on headphones with an interpreter translating for him. He leaned on his elbows and tented his fingers, appearing to concentrate as New York District Judge Alvin Hellerstein explained the rules of evidence and their rights as defendants.

Maduro  speaking clearly and confidently in Spanish  towered over the long desk in front of him as he identified himself as the president of Venezuela and a prisoner of war who was captured in Caracas.

Im innocent. Im not guilty. I am a decent man, Maduro said when asked for his plea. I am not guilty of anything that is mentioned here.

Nicolas Maduro, the captured Venezuelan leader, was escorted in shackles by DEA agents from a federal detention facility in Brooklyn to a courthouse in Manhattan where he declared his innocence and called himself a prisoner of war (Reuters)

Flores, who identified herself as the first lady of Venezuela, similarly declared her innocence.

Speaking through an interpreter, she said she is not guilty and completely innocent.

The couple appeared before Judge Hellerstein two days after they were captured in Caracas during a deadly U.S. military operation, the culmination of Donald Trumps months-long pressure campaign to topple Maduros government and run the nation with oil companies in tow.

After his capture, federal law enforcement officers brought a handcuffed Maduro to the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal facility in Brooklyn, where he will remain imprisoned as a legal battle continues.

Attorneys for Flores  whose face appeared to be covered in bandages  told Judge Hellerstein she experienced significant injuries during her capture, including severe bruising and a possible fracture.

Their legal team intends to introduce voluminous legal issues surrounding the legality of their arrest and military abduction, they said.

A courtroom sketch depicts Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, whose face was covered in bandages after their capture by US forces, during their first appearance before a federal judge on cocaine trafficking charges (AP)

A recently unsealed 25-page grand jury indictment charges Maduro, his wife and Venezuelan officials with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and import cocaine into the United States.

They abused their positions of public trust and corrupted once-legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States, according to the indictment signed by Jay Clayton, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The alleged drug-trafficking conspiracy lines the pockets of Venezuelan officials and their families while also benefiting violent narco-terrorists who operate with impunity on Venezuelan soil and who help produce, protect, and transport tons of cocaine to the United States, according to the document.

The indictment repeats charges first introduced against Maduro in 2020 but now includes Flores as a defendant. According to the Department of Justice, Flores allegedly brokered a meeting between a large-scale drug trafficker and the director of Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office and allegedly accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.

Protesters outside a federal courthouse in Manhattan demanded Maduros release ahead of his arraignment January 5 (AP)

The case is similar to one brought against former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of leading a massive cocaine-trafficking operation through his nations military and national police force.

But Trump pardoned him last month, claiming that the case against him was a politically motivated set up under Joe Bidens administration.

He was treated like the Biden administration treated a man named Trump, the president said Saturday, referring to his own federal criminal prosecutions.

Federal prosecutors allege Maduro led a conspiracy to ship drugs from Venezuela to the United States via the Caribbean and Central America using fishing boats and container ships as well as clandestine airstrips and commercial airports protected by corrupt government and military officials, according to the indictment.

The defendants allegedly relied on violent narco-terrorist groups including various cartels and gangs, including Tren de Aragua, which the Trump administration has targeted as part of the presidents vast anti-immigration agenda.

The capture of the Venezuelan president follows Trumps months-long military campaign against his regime, including a lethal series of attacks on boats off Venezuelas coast and a massive buildup of U.S. naval vessels and other military assets in the region.

In a press conference after Saturdays attack, Trump said an interim group with top administration officials will run Venezuela for a period of time until the United States determines a peaceful and just transition can take place.

Trump did not rule out the possibility of American boots on the ground, though he suggested U.S. military assets would protect the countrys vast oil infrastructure in a nation with the largest proven oil reserves in the world.

Were going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure and start making money for the country, Trump said Saturday.

The United States will then sell large amounts of oil to other countries, according to Trump.

Were in the oil business, he said. Were going to sell it to them.

Maduro and Flores will remain at the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal facility that has also housed former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez (REUTERS)

Maduros arrest has only accelerated legal and political scrutiny into the administrations attacks, which law-of-war experts speaking to The Independent in recent months have labeled outright murders and war crimes in violation of international law.

Administration officials argue that Maduros capture and two dozen strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats are fully within legal bounds. The administration told Congress last year that the United States is formally engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels that the president has labeled unlawful combatants.

Despite Trumps insistence that his campaign was intended to stop the flow of drugs from entering the United States, Venezuela is not a major cocaine-producing country, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Virtually all coca crops are inside Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, and the Drug Enforcement Administration under Trump did not mention Venezuela in a March report on the state of cocaine trafficking.

Trump also recently declared fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction, though that drug, which is used in hospitals across the United States, is also not manufactured in Venezuela nor present on the alleged drug-smuggling boats.

The president has repeatedly said he would not necessarily seek permission from Congress to launch a land war in Venezuela, saying instead that military assets are just going to kill people there instead.

I dont think were going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think were just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? Trump said during a White House roundtable with administration officials in October. Were going to kill them.
Marco Rubio monitors military operations in Venezuela with Donald Trump and deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller - The White House

In 2017, Marco Rubio was placed under police protection when Venezuelas security chief was accused of plotting to assassinate him.

The former Florida senator had long been a thorn in the side of Nicolas Maduros regime, taking to the Senate floor in 2014 to scold the Obama administration for its shameful failure to sanction the strongman leader.

A decade later, the US secretary of state finally got his revenge when the US military captured Mr Maduro in a daring pre-dawn raid.

Dubbed the viceroy of Venezuela by the US media, Mr Rubio, who has taken on an ever-growing list of titles in the Trump administration  serving as secretary of state, acting national security adviser and US archivist  may just have added another one to his ledger.

For the US, the extradition of Mr Maduro marks the culmination of an extraordinary pressure campaign that began in September, when the Pentagon started to build up military forces in the region and blow up boats accused of narco-trafficking.

Mr Maduro is led into custody in New York by DEA agents - Reuters

For Mr Rubio, a politician who frequently describes himself as the son of Cuban exiles, building his political identity on his family story, it marks the climax of a lifelong ambition to restore democracy to Central America.

This is part of his DNA, its something he has worked on his whole life, a former aide told The Telegraph.

His parents passed away without ever seeing freedom. He fundamentally believes in freedom and democracy because that was taken away from his family.

The secretary of state is said to have played a vital role in steering the Trump administration towards ousting Venezuelas leader.

Now, with no long-term successor to govern the country of 29 million people, the president has tasked Mr Rubio with helping to run Venezuela, fix its oil infrastructure and usher in a stable government, to add to his long list of responsibilities.

The transition process will not be easy, but there is no one more capable in the US government than secretary Marco Rubio for this moment, said one former adviser.

Known as the virtual secretary of state for Latin America during Donald Trumps first term, Mr Rubios proficiency in Spanish and close ties to Latin American leaders and the Venezuelan opposition make him a natural pointman for the president, a senior official told The Washington Post.

Donald Trump watches the US strikes unfold with Marco Rubio and others at Mar-a-Lago - Reuters

Described by sources as a Latin America whisperer, Mr Rubio allegedly had a direct line to the president during his first term when it came to the socialist governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, former officials told Politico.

He organised a meeting between Mr Trump and the wife of a jailed Venezuelan opposition leader in 2017, and received weekly briefings about the administrations crackdown on Latin American governments, the outlet reported.

His sharp criticism had long been a source of frustration for Mr Maduro, who had branded him the craziest of the crazies and whose head of security forces, Diosdado Cabello Rondon, was said to be behind a plot to assassinate the outspoken senator, according to a US intelligence memo.

It sent shockwaves throughout the senators orbit, one former aide recalled, adding that Mr Rubio was unperturbed by the threats.

Although it was never proven, the threat prompted federal officials to provide Mr Rubio and his family with round-the-clock protection.

Central to the success of Saturdays high-stakes operation, insiders say, is the close relationship between Mr Trump and his secretary of state, who has grown into one of the most powerful advisers of his second term.

I think the president really respects him, a former Rubio adviser said.

The pair see each other nearly every day, have offices next to each other in the White House and have a warm public relationship, which has resulted in the president bestowing titles on his adviser like a medieval king.

Speaking to reporters after Mr Maduros arrest, Mr Trump was vague about who would run the Latin American country, saying the people that are standing right behind me will do so for a period of time, as he gestured to his secretary of state and Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary.

Credit: Reuters

The president also hailed Mr Rubios initial talks with Mr Maduros vice president, Delcey Rodriguez, who was formally made interim leader on Sunday, saying shes essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.

Deftly dealing with Ms Rodriguezs response that Venezuela will never return to being the colony of another empire, Mr Rubio clarified on Sunday that the US would not govern Venezuela day-to-day other than enforcing an existing oil quarantine on the country.

The military operation  the fastest toppling of a regime in the modern era  also represents a political victory for him within an administration that includes staunch opponents of regime change, notably JD Vance.

I see [the military operation] really as the merging of minds between secretary Rubio and president Trump, said Carrie Filipetti, a former Venezuela and Cuba adviser at the state department.

Pushing back on suggestions that Mr Trump is averse to foreign intervention, Ms Filipetti said the president has always had a penchant for these displays of American might, pointing to his strikes on Iran and plans to send naval assets to the coast of Venezuela in his first term, which she said were stymied by bureaucratic hurdles.

It very much has Trumps mentality to it of reinforcing American strength and power, she said. But I think the specificity and the precision screams Marco Rubio.

Targeting dictatorships as legacy

During the presidents first term, Mr Rubio was instrumental in pushing for sanctions against Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, the so-called troika of tyranny.

With the fall of Venezuelas regime, former aides have suggested the secretary of state and the president may view ridding the Western hemisphere of communist dictatorships as part of their legacy.

On Sunday evening, Mr Trump set pulses racing in Colombia too, calling the countrys Left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

Asked if the US would pursue military action against the country, he said: It sounds good to me.

The response from Venezuelans and Americans following the strikes has been mixed - Bloomberg

Dismissing comparisons to the US invasion of Iraq, which led to nearly nine years of conflict and the death of around 5,000 servicemen, a former Rubio adviser pointed out that the Venezuelan people had voted against Mr Maduros government for a decade and argued that they were excited for whats ahead.

Meanwhile, they said: Cuban Americans see the fall of the regime in Venezuela as having a domino effect that will directly impact Cuba.

Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, are expected to appear in court on Monday, facing charges of narco-terrorism.

As the fallen leader contemplates a future locked up in a US prison, Mr Rubio may well be setting his eyes on his next prize  this one much closer to home.
Many argued that Burnhams appeal stems from his role outside Westminster (Getty)

Independent readers were divided over John Curtices assessment that Andy Burnham represents Labours best chance of keeping Nigel Farage out of Downing Street, after Britains leading pollster warned that a change of party leadership in 2026 would not be a surprise.

Many argued that Burnhams appeal stems from his role outside Westminster, warning that his popularity could diminish if he returned to frontline national politics.

Commenters highlighted the practical and political obstacles facing any leadership challenge, including the difficulty of Burnham re-entering parliament and the risks of destabilising Labour while Reform UK continues to gain ground.

Others defended Keir Starmer, stressing that Labour inherited a damaged economy and depleted public services after 14 years of Conservative rule, and that expectations of rapid improvement were unrealistic.

Starmers critics argued that Burnham would be a more effective political operator, particularly in the north of England, though others doubted he represented a clear ideological departure from the current leadership.

Across our community, there was widespread concern about Labour losing support to the Greens on the left, fragmentation of the vote, and the long-term risk that disillusionment could ultimately benefit Reform UK.

Heres what you had to say:

Burnham isnt available

Burnham isnt available. Hes not an MP. Even if he could find a safe seat (and voters may not take kindly to being used as pawns in a political game), it would take weeks to hold a by-election, and even longer to launch a leadership challenge, after which hed face the same challenges as Starmer but with less experience of the top job.

I suspect that he is popular precisely because hes the challenger, and if he became PM, this would wear off quickly. Theres an anti-politics mood at the moment in which people are inclined to lash out at the incumbent government or PM just because they are in power, not because of who they are or what they do.

Tanaquil2

We need a new question

If Burnham is the answer, we need a new question. He was a fairly underwhelming government minister in the 2000s. I dont remember him achieving anything of note. He somehow manages to come across as both bland and vain. I think Labour can do a lot better than this.

Eviltriplets

Best person to handle Trump

Burnham may be the better leader. But Starmer is still the best person to handle Trump and get the trade deals and investment we need. With the new tech coming through, this issue will have a bigger impact on our future than any other issue. Once thats done, maybe then put Burnham in for the next election.

Ajames

Popular in the North

Burnham is popular in the North  and needs to be taken seriously  as government from London is not.

Much of the North seems alien to southerners, especially the true North: Cumbria, County Durham, and Northumberland.

Suney

Haemorrhaging voters

Burnham, just like Wes Streeting, is not on the left any more than Starmer is, and replacing Starmer with either of these two, or anyone from Labour Together, will continue the haemorrhaging of left voters to the Green Party and, in the near future, to socialist Your Party.

The trade union leadership, including at the TUC, by sticking with the increasingly right-wing Labour Party leadership, risk losing the working class completely and consigning the labour movement in its current form to the dustbin of history.

NotaWinstonin1984

What on earth could Burnham do?

What on earth could Burnham do that is not being done already? Admittedly, Starmer is not a fun guy with Boris Johnsons charisma, but he has made good progress in many areas and the election will be determined by results. Labour achieved only 34 per cent of the popular vote, so from the start were in an impossible position in the popularity stakes and a new leader will not change that.

If Farage gets into No 10, it will be down to his billionaire backers and the naivety of those who believe that the first priority of those billionaires is lifting the poor out of poverty.

Frankie

Stick with Starmer

Labour should stick with Starmer until at the very least the May elections. He is performing well on the world stage, he is coming across better in the media  and he also seems like a decent man. Labour inherited a complete and utter mess and answers dont come quickly. They have made mistakes, but look at the alternatives! (Lib Dems excepted.)

If there were a successor, then there is one person Ive been impressed with  John Healey.

TK62

A succession of ever-worse leaders

Starmer is the elected leader; it is the Parliamentary Labour Partys choice. Second-guessing is all well and good, but do we want a succession of ever-worse leaders like the Tory Party with Bozo? Stability is needed.

Labour inherited a mess created by over a decade of bickering and austerity in that party.

Red Dragon

One of the few attractive Labour politicians

He is certainly one of the (now very few) attractive Labour politicians, but I wonder how much from his past would be dragged up and damage his appeal.

And, of course, he has a difficult journey to become an MP first. In fact, his coming out on top works in Starmers favour, as few Labour MPs will want to take the risks.

Simplesimon

Burnham just needs to be better at politics

A hypothetical Prime Minister Burnham wouldnt have to be more inspired than Starmer, just better at politics. Starmer lacks communication skills and the ability to keep his cabinet in order. The Budget leaks were an egregious example of the latter.

He keeps making mistakes, as do we all, but he never seems to raise his game as a result.

The biggest barrier to fixing this is that his cabinet ministers and loyalist MPs are as tin-eared as he is. In a leadership contest, theyd probably elect another dud like Streeting or Shabana Mahmood.

Zandeman

Overnight fixes

The Tories had 14 years in power to trash the economy and destroy public services.

People are so used to next-day deliveries on Amazon that they seem to be under the impression that everything can be done overnight, and seem to believe that because Labour hasnt managed to repair all of the damage wrought by the Conservative Party (including those who then jumped ship to Reform plc, the private company masquerading as a political party), theyre therefore failing.

WellActually

Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.

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Two days on from Donald Trumps extraordinary capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the dust has barely begun to settle.

Maduro is appearing today in a New York court where he will be charged with narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine, which can carry life sentences under US law.

But Maduro is not the only loser in all of this. Iran, Russia and China have all lost a valuable client - one who sold them oil, bought their weapons, and provided them with a beachhead on Americas doorstep.

Venetia is joined by Dr Carlos Solar, a Latin American Security at RUSI, and Adrian Blomfield, The Telegraphs senior foreign correspondent, to discuss the downsides - and upsides - for Americas enemies, the Monroe Doctrines renewed relevance, and what will happen next.

Listen to Battle Lines using the audio player in this article or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favourite podcast app.
Kyle Green-Pool/Getty Bryan Kohberger

NEED TO KNOW

In an interview with The New York Times, Bryan Kohberger's sister Mel said her brother had previously overcome a heroin addiction and began pursuing higher education

Kohberger was pursuing a Ph.D. when he stabbed four University of Idaho students to death in 2022

Mel said that following her brother's struggles with addiction, the family was "so proud" of Kohberger because he "had overcome so much"

Bryan Kohberger's sister revealed that he once overcame a heroin addiction before pursuing higher education.

Kohberger is currently serving a life sentence for the murders of four University of Idaho students, who were stabbed to death in 2022.

The revelation about his addiction was made by Kohberger's sister Mel in an interview with The New York Times.

Mel said that growing up, her brother was overweight and became a target of bullies. He ultimately developed a heroin addiction, she told the paper.

At one point, Mel said Kohberger once stole her phone and sold it at the mall in order to buy drugs.

Eventually, Kohberger went through treatment and began studying psychology at DeSales University before pursuing a Ph.D. at Washington State University.

We were all so proud of him because he had overcome so much, Mel told the Times.

Kohberger was attending Washington State at the time of the murders, which occurred in Moscow, Idaho, less than 10 miles from his school's campus in Pullman, Wash.

Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were the four Idaho students stabbed to death in an off-campus home on Nov. 13, 2022.

Kohberger was identified as a suspect after his DNA was found on a knife sheath left at the scene of the murders. He ultimately confessed and pleaded guilty to the murders in 2025.

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.

A deal reached with prosecutors meant Kohberger would not be sentenced to death in exchange for a guilty plea. He was instead sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the chance for parole.

Mel Kohberger told the Times that she was in shock when she learned her brother was arrested by federal agents at his family home in Pennsylvania on Dec. 30, 2022.

I have always been a person who has spoken up for what was right, she told the paper. If I ever had a reason to believe my brother did anything, I would have turned him in.

Read the original article on People
Cubans attend a rally Saturday in Havana in solidarity with Venezuela after the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flew him out of the country. - Ramon Espinosa/AP

For months as the US military prepared to strike Venezuela, many Cubans have asked me a simple, if disconcerting, question: Are we next?

Following the devastating attacks on Venezuelan military bases and surgical apprehension of leader Nicolas Maduro by US Special Forces, Cuba seems very much in the Trump administrations sights.

Maduros capture is a seismic reversal of fortune for Cubas communist-run government, which for decades has relied on massive aid packages from its oil-rich South American ally for the islands very survival.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel delivers a speech Saturday in Havana as he flutters a Venezuelan national flag in support of Maduro. - Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images

At a protest Saturday in front of the US Embassy in Havana, a defiant Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel promised not to let the Cuba-Venezuela alliance go down without a fight.

For Venezuela, of course for Cuba, we are willing to give even our own life, but at a heavy cost, Diaz-Canel proclaimed.

But if anything, the Cubans I have spoken with since the strikes seemed shocked by how easy it seemed for the US military to snatch Maduro without any loss of US personnel.

For decades, first (former Venezuelan leader Hugo) Chavez and then Maduro warned of a US intervention, said one Havana resident, who did not want their name used. But when it finally happened, no one was ready for it. The Venezuelans had billions of dollars to equip their military. We dont.

Protesters hold pictures of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (right) and former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (left) as they take part in a demonstration against the US operation in Venezuela, in front of the US Consulate in Amsterdam on Sunday. - Robin van Lonkhuijsen/AFP/ANP/AGetty Images

The attack on Venezuela appears to have already come at a heavy cost for Cuba, as President Donald Trump told the New York Post on Saturday, You know, many Cubans lost their lives last night.  They were protecting Maduro. That was not a good move.

The Cuban government, in a post on Facebook on Sunday, said 32 of its citizens were killed during the operation in combat actions, performing missions on behalf of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, at the request of counterparts of the South American country. The government declared two days of mourning.

It would appear to be the first time in decades the former Cold War-era foes engaged in combat.

And it seems to confirm what has long been suspected: Maduros inner circle of bodyguards were Cuban. Foreign diplomats stationed in Caracas reported to me for years that Maduros personal security spoke Spanish in Cuban accents and that Maduro, who studied in Havana in his youth, often trusted Cuban advisers over his own people.

Now, Maduros capture puts at risk a decadeslong alliance that saved Cuba from total economic ruin following the collapse of its former economic patron, the Soviet Union.

For years, first Chavez and then Maduro sent billions of dollars worth of oil to prop up the Cuban government in exchange for a seemingly never-ending stream of Cuban intelligence and economic advisers and health care professionals.

Chavez, before his death from cancer in 2013 following months of treatment in Cuban hospitals, declared Cuba and Venezuela were not two nations but la gran patria  the one homeland.

Over the years as I traveled regularly between Cuba and Venezuela, it was hard to tell where one nation began and another ended. I once came upon a detachment of Venezuelan soldiers building a bridge in the Cuban province of Guantanamo. When I asked how long they had been there, the Venezuelan official in charge, frustrated at the lack of supplies, barked at me Too long!

More often than not, when I visited clinics in the poorest slums of Caracas, I encountered Cuban doctors working there. One time while covering the political upheaval in Venezuela, my cameraman and I were detained for four hours in the hot sun by Venezuelas feared secret police, the Sebin.

They threatened to interrogate and mistreat us for being American spies but then abruptly let us go after coming across my Cuban resident ID card.

After Chavez died, official mourning was declared across Cuba to the degree that singing was banned that day in my then-2-year-old daughters preschool in Havana.

The coffin with the remains of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is taken from the Military Academy to former 4 de Febrero barracks in Caracas on March 15, 2013. - Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images

Cuba then declared Chavez to be the islands most stalwart ally since the Cuban revolution and granted him Cuban citizenship, making him the only foreigner to receive that designation since Argentine revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara.

But the symbiotic Venezuelan-Cuban partnership is facing unprecedented pressure in the second Trump administration and may soon be at a breaking point. Invoking a new Monroe Doctrine, Trump has vowed to not tolerate countries in the Western Hemisphere with interests and objectives that run contrary to that of the United States.

The rapid success of US military operations to oust Maduro can only empower the regime-changers in the Trump administration to put other Latin American nations in their crosshairs, starting with Cuba, Peter Kornbluh, the coauthor of the book Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations Between Washington and Havana, told CNN.

The increased bellicosity could not come at a worse moment for Cubans.

Already, on most days much of the island is plunged into prolonged blackouts because of a lack of fuel and aging power plants that break down with increasing frequency. On each government-run television newscast, an official appears to discuss the outlook of the worsening power situation as if they were predicting the weather. Shortages of food, once guaranteed by a government rationing system, are threatening to push millions of Cubans closer to malnutrition.

In December, a government commentator on state-run TV raised hackles from many on the island when he advised Cubans to give up eating rice.

We live in a state of war without war, a Cuban friend told me weeks ago.

But the actual threat of military intervention may soon be coming as the end of the alliance with Venezuela would leave Cuba the most isolated its been since the fall of the Soviet Union.

For regime-change hawks in the Trump administration, the opportunity to finally eliminate a foe just 90 miles from the United States could prove irresistible.

Its unclear whether threats alone will suffice in forcing Havana to give in to US pressure and release political prisoners and hold multi-party elections.

There has never been a time when we have not faced the possibility of invasion, one stone-faced Cuban official recently told me.

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The Louisiana Public Service Commission meets in Baton Rouge, March 26, 2025. Photo: Nolan Mckendry / The Center Square

(The Center Square)  After spending much of 2025 pitching regulators on major projects to prepare for rising electricity demand, Entergy is set to return with more of the same in 2026.

The New Orleans-based utility has filed for another major project in south Louisiana currently projected to cost over $1 billion, 82% of which would be shouldered by ratepayers. In filings with the Louisiana Public Service Commission, Entergy said it could cause residential bills to rise by $3.47, but that estimate is not complete and could be revised. The project includes a 145-mile, 500-kilovolt line that Entergy says will improve reliability and resilience for residents.

Entergy also is seeking approval to build and upgrade infrastructure for businesses moving into the state. It plans to build new transmission to support a recently announced $10 billion data center in West Feliciana Parish that is expected to demand around 345 megawatts of electricity. Entergy anticipates the transmission will be completed by August 2029, though the costs of building it remain uncertain.

The utility's plans will test regulators' abilities to balance building electricity infrastructure for big-ticket clients while protecting ratepayers from rising costs.

A utility must recover the costs of building the infrastructure that serves it, either by hiking rates for residents and companies or by forcing the incoming business to pay for it. Meta, for instance, has agreed to cover much of the cost of the electricity infrastructure Entergy plans to build for its giant data center in northeast Louisiana.

Entergy spent hours testifying before the Public Service Commission in 2025, detailing the infrastructure needed to support various companies looking to move to Louisiana. Regulators approved several upgrades to serve Metas data center, Hyundais $6 billion steel mill, a billion-dollar ammonia facility, an electric vehicle battery manufacturer and an aviation fuel factory, among others.

In the industrial corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans alone, Entergy has over 2,600 megawatts of load under study.

These industrial projects, according to Entergy, will provide tax dollars, jobs and help grow the states economy. In almost every request to build new electricity infrastructure in 2025, Entergy asked regulators to deem the project to be in the public interest.

If the Commission agrees, the costs can be deemed eligible for recovery through ratepayers, a ruling backed by the Louisiana Supreme Court.

To fully realize the economic opportunity that these projects represent for Louisiana, Entergy must move forward with construction of the transmission facilities required to provide reliable service, Michelle P. Bourg, Entergys vice president of business and economic development, said in testimony to the Commission.

The Commission has tended to agree. In December, regulators approved a directive that would exempt certain utilities from various ratepayer protections to handle the power needs of major industrial projects.

The order, meant to support Gov. Jeff Landrys Lightning Speed initiative to lure companies to Louisiana, would allow utilities an expedited timeline for approval. It would also potentially leave ratepayers more exposed to the costs of the upgrades.

The order drew scrutiny from watchdog groups, including the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, which has generally supported Landry's initiatives.

While the stated goal  attracting major employers while protecting consumers  is broadly shared, the policy mechanics under consideration raise serious questions, the organization said in a statement. Research on transmission monopolies and similar expedited frameworks shows that suppressing competition can increase costs, slow innovation, and weaken accountability, leaving customers exposed to decades of higher bills.

Minutes after voting on the order, the Commission deferred a separate one from Commissioner Davante Lewis to develop a framework for large-load customers that would examine issues like cost-sharing, reliability and consumer protections.
As the new frozen breakfast bagel sandwich rolls out nationwide exclusively at Target, Bronco launches Operation Jimmy Dean  a discretionary promotional search for individuals legally named "Jimmy Dean"

NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A new frozen breakfast brand is officially hunting for people legally named Jimmy Dean, with a potential promotional reward of up to $150,000, subject to eligibility, verification, and Sponsor discretion.

BRONCO BREAKFAST BAGELS ANNOUNCES $150,000 BOUNTY IN SEARCH FOR PEOPLE LEGALLY NAMED JIMMY DEAN

Bronco, a high-protein frozen breakfast bagel sandwich now available exclusively at Target stores nationwide, today announced the launch of Operation Jimmy Dean, a promotional search offering a potential $150,000 USD cash reward to eligible individuals legally named "Jimmy Dean" who successfully complete the verification and qualification process in accordance with the Official Rules.

The promotion begins January 5, 2026, and ends January 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsor is not required to select a recipient during or after the promotional period.

The initiative coincides with Bronco's national retail rollout and marks the brand's entry into a long-stagnant frozen breakfast category, introducing a bagel-based format notably absent from the aisle.

"Finding a real person named Jimmy Dean who loves Bronco Breakfast Bagels would be a surreal full-circle moment," says founder Connor Blakley. "Will the real Jimmy Dean, please stand up?"

Bronco Breakfast Bagels arrived in Target's frozen aisles nationwide on December 28, debuting with two core SKUs: Turkey Sausage, Egg & Cheese (21g protein) and Turkey Bacon, Egg & Cheese (15g protein). Each sandwich is made with whole eggs, real cheese, and a soft bagel  all without seed oils  and designed to deliver consistent texture and flavor whether heated in a microwave or crisped in an air fryer.

Operation Jimmy Dean

Operation Jimmy Dean is structured as a discretionary promotional search. Individuals legally named "Jimmy Dean" who meet all eligibility requirements and complete Bronco's identity verification process may be eligible for consideration for a potential $150,000 cash reward, subject to Sponsor's sole discretion.

This promotion refers exclusively to individuals whose legal name is "Jimmy Dean" and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with any brand, company, or trademark bearing the name "Jimmy Dean."

"We view this search as the first step in a longer-term partnership rooted in authenticity," said co-founder Josh Franko. "Our own Jimmy Dean."

Participants must be at least 18 years old and legal residents of the United States. No purchase is necessary to enter or qualify, and a purchase will not improve the chances of qualification.

The selected individual, if any, may be required to complete eligibility affidavits, publicity releases, and applicable tax documentation, including IRS Form 1099. Any recipient is solely responsible for all federal, state, and local taxes associated with receipt of any promotional reward.

Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

Are You Jimmy Dean? Here's How to Enter

Do you  or someone you know  happen to be legally named Jimmy Dean?

To participate in Operation Jimmy Dean, eligible individuals must email [email protected] with the subject line "Hi, I'm Jimmy Dean."

Submissions must include:

Full legal name





Age





City and state of residence





Clear proof of identity showing the legal name "Jimmy Dean" (such as a government-issued ID)

Additional documentation may be required during the verification process. The promotion is governed by Bronco's Official Rules, which include full eligibility details, verification requirements, deadlines, prize information, and terms.

Participation is also subject to Bronco's Privacy Policy, which governs the collection, use, and handling of personal information submitted in connection with the promotion.

Additional Disclosures

This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Target.

The promotion is sponsored by Dropout Companies, LLC, and is governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

For full details, please visit eatbronco.com/policies/terms-and-conditions

About Bronco Bagels and Dropout Companies

Dropout Companies is a Nashville-based consumer products house founded in 2023 by Connor Blakley and co-founder Josh Franko. Focused on building the next generation of consumer-packaged goods (CPG) brands, Dropout reinvents childhood classics for modern families alongside iconic talent.

Learn more at dropoutcompanies.com.

SOURCE Bronco Breakfast Bagels
Eva Schloss, the step-sister of Anne Frank who survived Auschwitz during the Holocaust and went on to speak about her experiences, has died aged 96.

The Anne Frank Trust UK, the education nonprofit she co-founded, announced that Schloss died in London on Saturday.

UK King Charles said the horrors she endured as a young woman were impossible to comprehend.

My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the death of Eva Schloss, the king wrote in a statement.

Eva Schloss, the Holocaust survivor and step-sister of Anne Frank, died aged 96 on Saturday. Getty Images

The horrors that she endured as a young woman are impossible to comprehend and yet she devoted the rest of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding and resilience through her tireless work for the Anne Frank Trust UK and for Holocaust education across the world.

Born Eva Geiringer in Vienna in May 1929, Eva Schloss and her family fled their native Austria following the Nazi annexation of the country.

They later settled in Amsterdam, where they lived on Merwedeplein  directly opposite the Frank family home.

A message from The King following the death of Auschwitz survivor, Eva Schloss.



Eva was Anne Franks step-sister, and co-Founder and Honorary President of the @AnneFrankTrust, of which The Queen is Patron. The Trust works to empower young people to challenge prejudice. pic.twitter.com/8HEC8lrtYp  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 4, 2026

Like Anne Frank, Eva was forced into hiding after Nazi persecution of the Jews intensified in the Netherlands.

The Geiringer family went underground in July 1942 and remained in hiding for nearly two years before they were betrayed and arrested in May 1944.

Eva Schloss survived Auschwitz as a teenager and spent the rest of her life speaking publicly about where hatred and racism can lead. Getty Images

Eva and her mother, Elfriede Fritzi Geiringer, were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where they endured months of imprisonment.

Her father, Erich Geiringer, and her brother, Heinz, were separated from them on arrival and later transferred to camps in Austria, where both died.

Eva and her mother  emaciated, ill and close to death  managed to survive Auschwitz until the camp was liberated by Soviet forces in January 1945.

Schloss wrote several books about her survival and its aftermath, using her own story to continue the work of Holocaust remembrance. MediaNews Group via Getty Images

After the war, Eva returned to Amsterdam with her mother.

In 1953, Evas mother, Fritzi, married Otto Frank  the only member of his immediate family to survive the camps. Through that marriage, Eva became Anne Franks posthumous step-sister.

Eva later left the Netherlands for Britain, moving to London to study photography. It was there that she met her husband, Zvi Schloss, a German Jew who had fled Nazi persecution.

Eva Schloss lived as a child directly opposite the Frank family before both families were forced into hiding. Anne Frank is pictured. Universal Images Group via Getty Images

For many years after the war, Eva spoke little about what she had endured.

But in the late 1980s, she became one of the UKs most visible Holocaust educators, co-founding the Anne Frank Trust UK and committing herself to speaking directly to young people about where racism and hatred can lead.

Eva Schloss and her mother were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944 and survived until the camp was liberated by Soviet forces in January 1945. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

She travelled widely, visiting schools and universities to urge future generations to combat prejudice .

Her work was formally recognized in the UK when she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

In 2021, she regained her Austrian citizenship and was awarded the Medal for Services to the Republic of Austria.

Her husband died in 2016. Eva Schloss is survived by her daughters and grandchildren.
Washington  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday that he won't seek reelection, a surprise exit from politics less than 18 months after the Democrat was chosen to be the party's nominee for vice president.

Walz was seeking an unprecedented third straight term as Minnesota's governor. But the 180 came amid intense scrutiny over fraud schemes in the North Star State, which has seen a resurgence in recent weeks.

While Walz is not implicated in the fraud issues, the reality that the schemes have become an urgent problem under his watch has enveloped talk of the Minnesotan governor's future political ambitions.

From VP pick to ending his reelection bid

Walz, a former high school social studies teacher, coach and congressman who served in the Nebraska and Minnesota Army National Guards, vaulted into the national political scene during the summer of 2024 as Democratic President Joe Biden faced questions about whether he should stay in the presidential race following a disastrous debate performance.

After Biden dropped out of the race and former Vice President Kamala Harris was tapped to lead the ticket, Harris turned to Walz as her pick for vice president, opting for the former football coach from a blue state over contenders from more traditional presidential battlegrounds.

Democrats rallied around Harris and Walz, and the Minnesota governor's stripped-back, folksy style  like describing Republican candidates as "weird"  seemed to add to the ticket's appeal. But a lackluster performance during that fall's vice presidential debate did little to help the party avoid stinging losses in November 2024.

In the wake of that loss, Walz held nationally-focused town halls in several states while also being seen as a potential candidate for the 2028 presidential election. Last year, he announced he would run for a third term as governor.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks to media gathered on the first day of school at Deerwood Elementary on Sept. 2, 2025 in Eagan, Minnesota. / Credit: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images (Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)

An uproar over Minnesota fraud

Walz's name came back into the national spotlight in recent months, amid uproar over a series of multimillion-dollar pandemic fraud schemes in Minnesota. Though Walz isn't implicated in the scheme, he's served as the state's governor since 2019, and his administration has faced years of local scrutiny over their handling of fraud.

During the Biden administration in 2022, federal prosecutors in Minnesota filed charges in what they described as the "largest pandemic fraud in the United States," which revolved around a welfare program that partnered with the Minnesota Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to distribute meals to children. Republican officials have argued for years that Minnesota was slow to act in the scheme, and failed to carry out due diligence. But the issue saw a resurgence late last year.

The criticism over Minnesota fraud rose to the top GOP ranks, and President Trump directed his ire over the issue at Walz, including with a post on Truth Social on Thanksgiving where he used a slur for people with intellectual disabilities to describe the Minnesota governor. And the Treasury Department said last month that it would investigate whether tax dollars from Minnesota's public assistance programs made their way to the al Qaeda affiliate al Shabaab, which is based in Somalia. Meanwhile, House Republicans on the Oversight Committee launched an investigation into Walz's handling of the fraud cases.

Walz: "I can't give a political campaign my all"

Scrutiny over the fraud scandal hasn't died down in recent weeks. And in his statement announcing an end to his gubernatorial bid, Walz cited the scheme.

Walz acknowledged that in recent years, "an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our state's generosity," adding that "even as we make progress in the fight against the fraudsters, we now see an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of the crisis."

"I won't mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies  in Washington, in St. Paul, and online  want to make our state a colder, meaner place," Walz said. "They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family."

Walz outlined his administration's effort to combat fraud, saying "across the state, Minnesotans are hard at work on this problem." But he said there's "more to do," and "the buck stops with me."

The second-term governor said while he announced a reelection bid in September, he's come to the conclusion in recent weeks that "I can't give a political campaign my all," specifically citing the fraud scandal.

"Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can't spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences," Walz said. "So I've decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work."

In a statement on Walz's decision, Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the No. 3 House Republican, simply said, "Good riddance."

Former Trump national security adviser H.R. McMaster on Venezuela raid that captured Maduro

Maduro | Sunday on 60 Minutes

Russia reacts to U.S. military operation in Venezuela after Trump slams Putin
Captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport en route to a federal courthouse for an initial appearance in New York on Monday. - Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Since the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces at the weekend, US President Donald Trump and members of his administration have issued warnings to several other governments  including those of Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Iran and Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark.

Trump said Sunday: We are in the business of having countries around us that are viable and successful and where the oil is allowed to freely come out.

CNN

American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again, Trump said.

Heres what to know about what Trump has said in the last two days, and how some of those governments have responded.

Greenland

US Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance listen to Col. Susan Meyers, left, commander of the US military's Pituffik Space Base, during a tour on March 28, 2025, in Pituffik, Greenland. - Jim Watson/Getty Images

Trump repeated Sunday that the US needs the huge North Atlantic island of Greenland from the standpoint of national security.

We need Greenland.  Its so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.

Responding to Trumps latest comments, Greenlands prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, said in a statement Monday: The current and repeated rhetoric coming from the United States is entirely unacceptable. When the President of the United States speaks of needing Greenland and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it is not only wrong. It is disrespectful.

Our country is not an object in great-power rhetoric. We are a people. A country. A democracy, Nielsen added.

We are not in the situation where we are thinking that a takeover of the country might happen overnight, he later said at a press conference, according to Reuters. You cannot compare Greenland to Venezuela. We are a democratic country.

Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to annex Greenland  a huge, resource-rich island of 836,000 square miles (2.16 million square kilometers)  claiming that the autonomous Danish territory is needed for US national security, although he has also cited economic security.

Both Greenland and Denmark, a NATO ally of the US, are staunchly opposed to the idea.

Colombia

Colombian soldiers guard the border with Venezuela in Villa del Rosario, Colombia, after Trump announced that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had been captured by US forces. - Santiago Saldarriaga/AP

Trump had harsh words for Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sunday, describing him as a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and hes not going to be doing it very long.

When pressed by a reporter on whether those comments meant there could be an operation in Colombia in the future, Trump responded, Sounds good to me.

Petro defended his governments track record on combating drug trafficking in a nearly 700-word post on X, touting what he described as the largest cocaine seizure in the worlds history.

He added: I am not illegitimate, nor am I a narco. I only have as assets my family home that I still pay for with my salary.

Petro said he has ordered targeted bombings against drug-linked armed groups while adhering to humanitarian law.

However, cocaine production in Colombia has reach record highs, according to the the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Petro, a former member of the M19 guerrilla group, said later Monday that he would himself fight to defend Colombia.

I swore not to touch a weapon again  but for the homeland I will take up arms again, he said.

Petro angered the Trump administration, which canceled his US visa in September, after he called on US soldiers to disobey orders.

Cuba

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel waves a Venezuelan flag in support of Nicolas Maduro in Havana on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured him. - Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images

Trump said Sunday that military intervention was unnecessary in Cuba, a key ally of Venezuela, because it was ready to fall.

I dont think we need any action, Trump said. It looks like its going down.

I dont know if theyre going to hold out, but Cuba now has no income, he added. They got all their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil.

But his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, called the Cuban government a huge problem.

I think theyre in a lot of trouble, yes, Rubio told NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday.

Im not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now, in this regard, but I dont think its any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime.

If I lived in Havana and I worked in the government, Id be concerned, Rubio said.

At a rally Saturday in front of the US Embassy in Havana, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel promised not to let the Cuba-Venezuela alliance go down without a fight.

For Venezuela, of course for Cuba, we are willing to give even our own life, but at a heavy cost, Diaz-Canel proclaimed.

Mexico

Mexican farmers with machetes gather outside Venezuela's embassy in Mexico City to protest the US capture of President Nicolas Maduro. - Marco Ugarte/AP

Trump has frequently accused Mexico of not doing enough to clamp down on drug cartels.

On Sunday, he said drugs were pouring through Mexico and that were going to have to do something.

Trump added that the cartels in Mexico are very strong and warned that Mexico has to get their act together.

In a phone interview with Fox News, Trump said he has asked Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum if she wanted the US militarys help in rooting out drug cartels.

Sheinbaum has repeatedly rejected the US intervention in Venezuela and the seizure of Maduro.

Mexico reaffirms a principle that is neither new nor open to ambiguity, she said Monday in a news conference. We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries.

Responding to Trumps accusations that Mexico has not done enough to combat drug-trafficking cartels, Sheinbaum asserted: Mexico cooperates with the United States, including for humanitarian reasons, to prevent fentanyl and other drugs from reaching its population, especially young people.

We do not want fentanyl or any drug to get near any young person  whether in the United States, in Mexico, or anywhere else in the world.

Again rejecting the notion of US military action on Mexican soil, Sheinbaum said she did not think the United States was seriously considering an invasion of Mexico.

Iran

Women walk past an anti-US and anti-Israeli billboard displayed on a building in Tehran on January 4, 2026. - Majid Asgaripour/Wana News Agency/Reuters

Trump also repeated his warnings to Iran, where anti-government protests have entered their second week.

If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think theyre going to get hit very hard by the United States, Trump told reporters Sunday.

Last week, Trump said that if Iran kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.

One Iranian human rights group estimated Sunday that 16 people had been killed in the protests so far. CNN cannot verify that tally.

At the end of last month, Trump warned Iran against any attempt to rebuild its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said he had heard Iran is behaving badly.  I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, were going to have to knock them down.

Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Sunday the Islamic Republic will not yield to the enemy and that rioters should be put in their place.

The US bombed several of Irans key nuclear facilities in June, amid Israels 12-day war against the country. The attack ended what had been a stuttering process of bilateral US-Iranian talks designed to rein in Tehrans nuclear program.

Hira Humayun contributed to this report.

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U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly speaks at a news conference in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 1, 2025. Credit - Anna MoneymakerGetty Images

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona vowed that he would fight back after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced administrative actions against the retired Navy captain for his participation in a video that urged U.S. troops to refuse unlawful orders.

Over twenty-five years in the U.S. Navy, thirty-nine combat missions, and four missions to space, I risked my life for this country and to defend our Constitutionincluding the First Amendment rights of every American to speak out, Kelly said in a post on X on Monday. I never expected that the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense would attack me for doing exactly that.

If Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our countrys history, thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesnt get it, he continued. I will fight this with everything Ive gotnot for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump dont get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government.

Kelly shared his statement soon after Hegseth announced on X that his department was initiating proceedings against Kelly that could result in a reduction in the Senators military pension, and that he had issued a formal Letter of Censure to ensure this action. The letter, Hegseth said, outlines the totality of Captain (for now) Kellys reckless misconduct and will go in the retired captains official and permanent military personnel file."

Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kellyand five other members of Congressreleased a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline, Hegseth said. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of Warand the American peopleexpect justice.

Hegseth was referring to a video that Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakersall of whom either served in the military or in national security roles before taking officeposted in November, in which they told members of the military and intelligence community that no one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.

The politicians didnt specify in the video what kinds of orders, if any, prompted them to share this message. But President Donald Trumps use of the American military during his second term has sparked controversy among lawmakers and legal experts, including the strikes his Administration has authorized on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that it has claimed were transporting narcotics.

Trump and members of his Administration expressed outrage over the video. The President called it SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH! The Department of Defense said in November that it would investigate Kelly for possible violations of military law. Legal experts, however, previously told TIME that nothing the six Democrats said in the video was seditious or illegal, and that there was no grounds for the department to open an investigation into Kelly over the video.

Read more: Is It Seditious or Illegal to Urge the Military to Refuse Unlawful Orders? Legal Experts Weigh In

They did not encourage unlawful action," Brenner Fissell, professor of law at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and vice president of the National Institute of Military Justice, said at the time, referring to the six Democrats in the video. They were not encouraging the disobedience of lawful orders; they were encouraging the disobedience of unlawful orders. And that is a correct statement of the law.

Still, Hegseth maintained on Monday that the video was seditious. He said that Kelly has 30 days to submit a response to the Department of Defense, and that the state of his retirement grade will be determined within 45 days.

Captain Kellys status as a sitting United States Senator does not exempt him from accountability, and further violations could result in further action, Hegseth said.

In his statement, Kelly outlined his decades of service and criticized the Trump Administration for unjustly targeting him.

My rank and retirement are things that I earned through my service and sacrifice for this country, he said. I got shot at. I missed holidays and birthdays. I commanded a space shuttle mission while my wife Gabby recovered from a gunshot wound to the headall while proudly wearing the American flag on my shoulder. Generations of servicemembers have made these same patriotic sacrifices for this country, earning the respect, appreciation, and rank they deserve.

Pete Hegseth wants to send the message to every single retired servicemember that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesnt like, they will come after them the same way, Kelly continued. Its outrageous and it is wrong. There is nothing more un-American than that.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
How the US captured Maduro and brought him to the US to face justice.

It took only hours for US forces to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from his heavily fortified compound in Caracas and transport him to Brooklyns Metropolitan Detention Center to face narco-terrorism charges.

The daring mission, dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve, saw the dictator travel across the Caribbean via helicopter, amphibious assault ship and military plane on Saturday, with a stint in Guantanamo Bay, before arriving in New York to face federal charges.

The operation to capture Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, began at around 10:46 p.m. EST on Friday when President Trump gave the final order for the US to attack Venezuela.

US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, 63, in Caracas, now held in Brooklyn. REUTERS

The daring Operation Absolute Resolve saw Maduro and wife, Cilia Flores, flown via ship and plane. REUTERS

Trump and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said US forces were able to reach Fort Tiuna, the heavily fortified military fortress in Caracas where Maduro was hiding, by 1 a.m. on Saturday,

Delta Force troops were then able to breach Maduros residence inside the compound following a firefight, catching the dictator completely by surprise, Caine added.

With Maduro unable to reach his steel safe room in time, the US troops were able to take him and his wife into custody, flying out of Caracas by 3:30 a.m.

The helicopter then landed aboard the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship, which was stationed just off the coast of Venezuela after Trump had ordered dozens of warships to mobilize in the Caribbean in 2025.

The Iwo Jima, commissioned in 2001, stands at 840 feet in length with a flight deck width of 140 feet, according to USCarriers.net.

The vessel had provided emergency relief and evacuation services in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and similar services during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War.

While aboard the USS Iwo Jima, Maduro was photographed in a sweatsuit while handcuffed and blindfolded in a now-viral pic shared by the White House on X.

President Trump ordered the attack, leading to Maduros capture from his fortified Fort Tiuna compound. via REUTERS

Maduro was photographed while aboard the USS Iwo Jima, in a sweatsuit, while handcuffed and blindfolded in a now-viral pic. US President Donald Trump's TRUTH Social account/AFP via Getty Images

The Iwo Jima was seen sailing about 100 miles off the coast of Venezuela at around 11 a.m., according to satellite images taken by the European Space Agencys Sentinel-2 satellite.

From there, Maduro was flown to the US Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Havana, which has long complained about the US military base on its land, had been a staunch supporter of Maduro.

A map showing the planned extraction of Nicolas Maduro from Caracas, Venezuela, to New York City Don Pearsall / NY Post Design

The nine different military vessels, planes and helicopters used in the daring operation that nabbed Maduro. Don Pearsall / NY Post Design

The USS Iwo Jima, the Navys Wasp-class amphibious assault ship on which Maduro was photographed while handcuffed and blindfolded in a now-viral pic. Don Pearsall / NY Post Design

Maduro notably had Cuban bodyguards and intelligence officers serving him after the dictator reportedly grew paranoid of traitors within his inner circle.

After the handoff in Guantanamo, Maduro and his wife were flown to the Stewart Air National Guard Base, in Newburgh, New York, where they arrived by 4:30 p.m.

From there, the couple was flown to New York Citys West 30th Street Heliport, where they were hauled away to the DEA Headquarters in Chelsea on board a heavily armed tactical vehicle called a Bearcat.

Maduro and his wife were then brought back to the West Side Heliport and taken to Brooklyn to be held at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
A beloved North Carolina teacher was killed this weekend while pleading for help from an emergency dispatcher during a home invasion, as new court records reveal the man charged in her death faced the possibility of involuntary mental health commitment just weeks ago.

Zoe Welsh, 57, was found critically injured by police officers minutes after she called 911 around 6:30 a.m. Saturday from her home in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Police said Welsh had called 911 to report that a man was inside her home on the 800 block of Clay Street. While she was on the line, the intruder began beating her. On a recording, a dispatcher is heard at 6:34 a.m. stating: The complainant was screaming, but I am silent now.

Minutes later, officers arrived at the home over a reported burglary in progress. One reported a smashed front window at the home and then said: I have a female down. Shes got a severe hemorrhage to the left side of her head.

Welsh, who was critically injured, was taken to hospital, where she died.

Police said Zoe Welsh had called 911 to report that a man was inside her home on Saturday. While she was on the line, the intruder began beating her. (Facebook)

Officers searched the neighborhood, and located Ryan Camacho, 36, who was taken into custody. He has been charged with murder and felony burglary. Police said Camacho and Welsh do not appear to have known each other.

Camacho appeared in court Monday, where he was ordered to remain behind bars under no bond. His next court date is scheduled for January 26.

In early December, Camachos public defender filed a motion seeking a hearing on whether he should be involuntarily committed for mental health treatment following his release from prison earlier this year, the Raleigh News & Observer reported.

The outcome of that hearing is unclear from available court documents. But larceny, and breaking and entering charges he faced from being accused of stealing a pair of pillows in August, were dismissed that same day.

Public defenders later sought to have District Court Judge Louis Meyer III recuse himself from the case, alleging he questioned Camacho, his mother, and a forensic evaluator without attorneys present. That motion was later dropped.

Camacho has a criminal history dating back to 2005, including a 2019 conviction for discharging a firearm into an occupied Wake County property. Prison records show he served five years and seven months for that offense before being paroled in 2024. During that prison sentence, Camacho was charged with escape in Rowan County in 2021 after an unsuccessful attempt to break out of the facility. The charge added six to 17 months to his sentence.

Court records show Camacho described himself as homeless in May, shortly after his release from prison.

Ryan Camacho, 36, was taken into custody and charged with murder and felony burglary. Police said Camacho and Welsh do not appear to have known each other. (Raleigh Police Department)

Welsh was a longtime science teacher at Ravenscroft School in North Raleigh and a former educator in the Wake County Public Schools system. A mother-of-two, she had taught at Ravenscroft since 2006 and previously served as chair of the Upper School science department.

The Ravenscroft community is devastated by the loss of our beloved colleague and friend Zoe Welsh, a school spokesperson told ABC11. Zoe has been a cornerstone of our Upper School Science Department and the Ravenscroft community for years. Her loss is deeply felt by all of us who had the privilege of working with her and learning in her classroom.

Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce called the killing a loss for the entire community.

I am deeply heartbroken for this mother, friend, and mentor to many in our community, and for the unimaginable trauma her family must endure, Boyce said in a statement. Whenever there is a loss of life in our community, it affects us all.

He added that the arrest sends a strong message that criminal acts will not be tolerated in the City of Raleigh and praised officers for their swift response.

Ravenscroft School said grief counseling and support resources will be available for students, faculty and staff as classes resume Monday.

Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends, the school said.

The case remains under investigation.
State Democratic Party chief Jay Jacobs on Sunday said he opposes Mayor Zohran Mamdani repealing executive orders targeting antisemitism and supporting Israel but added he still wants to be "fair-minded."

State Democratic Party chief Jay Jacobs on Sunday said he opposes Mayor Zohran Mamdani repealing executive orders targeting antisemitism and supporting Israel  but added he still wants to be fair-minded.

I disagree with it. It obviously didnt send a reassuring message to the Jewish community, Jacobs told The Post of Mamdanis walk-back of orders issued under former Mayor Eric Adams.

State Democratic Party chief Jay Jacobs opposes Mayor Zohran Mamdanis repeal of anti-antisemitism orders. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Mamdanis actions, including supporting BDS, drew condemnation from Israel and Jewish groups. Tomas E. Gaston for NY Post

But Jacobs said the executive orders were more symbolic and noted that Mamdani is keeping in place the city office designated to combat antisemitism.

I want to be fair-minded. Lets lower the temperature. I oppose the [repeals], but lets give him time, Jacobs said of the new mayor.

Adams had issued an executive order adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances definition of antisemitism, as well as another that barred city officials from boycotting or divesting from Israel.

Mamdani supports the BDS campaign against the Jewish state.

Israels Foreign Ministry issued a statement last week accusing Mamdani of stoking antisemitism with his actions, while mainstream Jewish groups, including the Jewish Community Relations Council and UJA Federation, condemned his repeal, too.

Jacobs, a moderate and ally of Gov. Kathy Hochul who also serves as the Nassau County Democratic leader, stirred controversy last fall when he refused to endorse Mamdani after the lefty democratic socialist won the citys Democratic primary for mayor.

Hochul, by comparison, endorsed Mamdani.

At the time, Jacobs, who is Jewish, said Mamdanis vocal criticism of Israel was an issue for him, along with other ideological disagreements.

My mom left Nazi Germany in 1939, the party leader told The Post in September, noting that many of his relatives were killed in the Holocaust.

I also thought it was important to stand up for Israel, he said.

But Sunday, Jacobs said Mamdani was duly elected by a majority of city voters and that he doesnt believe the repeal of the executive orders is indicative of how the mayor will address antisemitism in the Big Apple.

Jacobs stirred controversy last fall when he refused to endorse Mamdani. AP

Mamdani defended his decision, citing a need to revoke orders made after former Mayor Adams indictment. Tomas E. Gaston for NY Post

It raises concerns, he said of scrapping the executive orders. But I dont think its mean-spirited. We have to give him a chance to establish his administration.

Mamdanis office, asked by The Post about the issue, referred to statements the new mayor made on Saturday defending his actions.

On the first day as the mayor of New York City, you have to make the decision of which prior executive orders you will continue. You will amend, and you will revoke, Mamdani said.

He said he decided to revoke executive orders Adams issued after Sept. 24, 2024, when Adams was indicted by the feds on corruption charges, which were later withdrawn by Trumps Justice Department.

It was a day at which many New Yorkers started to doubt, even more than they did, the motivations behind any executive order or executive action that was going to be taken, Mamdani said of the turmoil at the time.

And so I made that decision with regards to every executive order that was issued after that date, and that also included orders pertaining to Rikers, for example, Mamdani said, referring to the citys notorious jail.

My administration will also be marked by a city government that will be relentless in its efforts to combat hate and division, and we will showcase that by fighting hate across the city, and that includes fighting the scourge of antisemitism by actually funding hate crime prevention, by celebrating our neighbors, and by practicing a politics of universality, Hizzoner said.

Hochuls office noted that the governor issued a proclamation adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism but stopped short of criticizing Mamdani.

Thanks to Governor Hochuls leadership, New York State has some of the most comprehensive laws on the books to protect against antisemitism wherever it rears its ugly head, a rep said. The revocation of this executive Order does not in any way weaken those protections for Jewish New Yorkers.

 Additional reporting by Khristina Narizhnaya
A sign reading "Sorry We're Closed" hangs in the window of a small business. Photo: Grace David / The Center Square

A recent social media post from a news organization in Spokane celebrated Washingtons new $17.13 minimum wage as good news for families, boasting its the highest state rate in the country. But good headlines dont make good policy  especially when the real effects rip through the labor market and everyday life.

Yes, on Jan. 1, Washington mandated a 2.8% increase to $17.13 per hour. Thats more than double the federal minimum of $7.25, which hasnt budged in over a decade. But lets not kid ourselves: mandating higher pay does not create value out of thin air. It forces businesses  especially small ones  to shoulder steep labor costs. And when costs go up, businesses react by changing how and where they hire.

One group that gets hit hardest? Young workers, who rely on entry-level jobs to gain experience.

Look at the data: in Washington and other high-wage states, the unemployment rate for teens is notably higher than the national average. Recent figures show Washingtons teen unemployment rate has hovered around 14.8%, which is well above what millions of Americans experience overall  and worse than states with lower wage floors.

Meanwhile, national youth unemployment statistics show that even before policy shifts, young joblessness is elevated: roughly 10.8% of U.S. youth were unemployed in July 2025. When you already have a structural challenge getting teens and young adults into the workforce, piling on higher hiring costs makes that problem even worse.

Heres the painful reality policymakers and cheerleaders often ignore: A mandatory wage floor doesnt distinguish between someone with 10 years of experience and someone with no experience at all. Employers facing rising labor costs dont say, Ill pay more but hire the same number of entry-level workers. They say: Ill cut hours, require more experience, automate tasks, or simply hire fewer people.

Thats not speculation  its basic market behavior. And its exactly why young people and other at-risk workers are most vulnerable when minimum wages are pushed ever higher without regard for local job markets and living costs.

Its particularly absurd to celebrate wage hikes without asking basic questions like: Will this actually help families who struggle with childcare costs, housing, groceries, and utilities? Many low-income households earn above the minimum wage already. Meanwhile, families on fixed incomes will pay more as businesses pass labor costs onto consumers.

And for small business owners  the folks who are woven into the fabric of our communities  this isnt abstract theory. Its real life. Theyre the ones deciding whether to keep a second location open, give workers more hours, or cut staffing altogether. Minimum wage mandates dont make them reckless; they make them cautious  rationally so.

Arguing that higher wages are good news without acknowledging these predictable consequences is not just careless  its disingenuous. It treats economic policy like a slogan, not a system with winners and losers.

If we truly want to help families and future workers, policymakers should focus on expanding opportunity, not erecting barriers. Lowering the cost of essentials, investing in job training and apprenticeships, and encouraging pathways to higher-paying careers  those are the solutions that actually grow prosperity.

Washingtons minimum wage hike might look great on a sign or a social media post  but for many young workers, families paying rising prices, and struggling small businesses, its bad news dressed up as good public relations.

Chris Cargill is the President of Mountain States Policy Center, an independent free market think tank based in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Eastern Washington. Online at mountainstatespolicy.org.
After receiving FDA approval in December 2025, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk is rolling out a pill version of their popular Wegovy weight loss drug in January 2026. Credit - Jeremy M. Lange for TIME

In the last week of December, while most of the U.S. was still in holiday mode, Novo Nordisks plant in North Carolina was operating at full capacity.

On Dec. 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the companys oral version of Wegovy, making it the first pill of the popular GLP-1 medications to get the green light for weight loss. People who want to lose weight and are prescribed Wegovy now have the option of taking the tablet daily, versus injecting themselves with the drug once a week. Theyll lose about the same amount of weight with either version: between 16% and 17% of their starting body weight.

The plant, just outside of Raleigh, is operating around the clock to produce bottles of pills in four different doses. The bottles are bound for retail stores and online pharmacies and will be available starting on Jan. 5. Obesity has become a consumer-oriented disease, said Novo Nordisks CEO Mike Doustdar in an interview with TIME. Were embracing that.

The companys entire supply of the drug, from start to finish, will be manufactured in North Carolina. Days before the launch of Wegovy pill, TIME visited the plant to watch how the first Wegovy pills are being produced, bottled, and packaged for patients.

A technician monitors one of many steps in the modification and purification process that produces semaglutide, the main ingredient in Wegovy. Jeremy M. Lange for TIME

It all starts with yeast

Wegovy pill begins with a fungus: specifically, the same yeast used to make bread, called Saccharomyces cerevisiae. But instead of fermenting sugars or grains to make bread rise, the yeast cells are genetically engineered at Novo Nordisks facility in Clayton, North Carolina to produce a protein that undergoes fermentation in several four-story tall tanks, then multiple purification steps over about a month to produce semaglutide, a compound that mimics a human hormone that regulates appetite by working in the reward center of the brain. It can help people feel full and reduce feelings of hunger.

Harvesting the main ingredient

After the fermentation and purification process, semaglutide forms a beige paste with the consistency of pancake batter. In one of the few manual steps in the largely automated production, technicians scrape the paste from large funnels and freeze it at -20C, where it keeps for up to five years. But given the popularity of Wegovy and the anticipated demand for the pill, the company currently has about a months supply of semaglutide in its freezers.

Taking pill form

In the final step of the process, the paste is thawed and purified into a liquid at a high temperature. That heated liquid is then spray-dried into a fine white powder, similar to the way snow-making machines turn hot water into snow. That powder, collected in large bags from a funnel that extends through three floors, is then pressed into Wegovy tablets.

The highest dose Wegovy pills are sorted before bottling at the Novo Nordisk Solid Dosage Forms (SDF) facility in North Carolina on Dec. 30, 2025. Jeremy M. Lange for TIME

A long path to the pill

While this semaglutide pill is the first to treat obesity, it isnt the first that Novo Nordisk has made. The companys scientists first became interested in semaglutide as a diabetes treatment since it can also help control blood glucose, and its first semaglutide-based therapy, Ozempic, was approved in 2017 for diabetes. Patients injected themselves once a week to control blood sugar, but to make taking the drug easier, the company also developed a pill form, called Rybelsus, which the FDA approved in 2019. Turning Ozempic into an oral pill required finding a way to protect the drug from the hostile environment of the stomach just long enough for it to be absorbed by the body. But with a lot of these strategies, it would cause too much permeabilityso things that shouldnt be absorbed, like bacteria or other things, were absorbed, says Andrea Traina, senior medical director for obesity and liver health at Novo Nordisk. The scientists ultimately found a way to create a chemical buffer to shield the drug while it released enough semaglutide to be effective. Still, because the pill has to go through the stomach and digestive tract, its generally not as effective as the injected Ozempic.

Bottle caps containing a drying agent to keep tablets from exposure to moisture are transported within the packaging section of the Novo Nordisk Solid Dosage Forms (SDF) facility on Dec. 30, 2025 in North Carolina. Jeremy M. Lange for TIME

When diabetes patients noticed they were losing weight on semaglutide, Novo Nordisk and other companies began to study the compound for its potential effects on obesity. Studies confirmed what those patients were experiencing, and in 2021, the FDA approved Novo Nordisks Wegovy to treat obesity. But people still had to inject themselves with the medication to benefit from its effects. Developing the Wegovy pill became the next challenge, and the same hurdles the company faced in developing Rybelsus remained. But this time, the researchers developed a proprietary fatty acid derivative to better navigate the difficult environment of the stomach. After you swallow the tablet, it comes in contact with the stomach lining and starts to dissolve and create a foamy microenvironment around the pill, says Traina. Picture an Alka-Seltzer tablet dissolving in water. The reaction temporarily inhibits stomach enzymes in the area from breaking down the drug, which gives the semaglutide enough time to be absorbed. The whole process takes about half an hour, she says, after which time the microenvironment of the stomach goes back to normal. To maximize the pills ability to absorb, people taking it should swallow it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with up to half a glass of water with no food, drinks, or other medications for at least 30 minutes, the company advises, so nothing will interfere with the pills activity.

Piles of 25mg Wegovy pills await bottling and packaging. Jeremy M. Lange for TIME

Stiff competition

Wegovy pill is not the only GLP-1 weight-loss pill on the horizon. Eli Lilly, which makes the injectable GLP-1 drugs Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss (using the active ingredient tirzepatide) has developed a pill called orforglipron. In December, the company released positive data showing its pill could help people maintain weight loss after using injected forms of GLP-1 drugs for more than a year and submitted a request to the FDA for approval. The agency granted orforglipron a priority voucher in November, meaning the FDA will conduct an expedited review so that pill can come to market much faster than the typical drug.

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have been locked in a GLP-1 competition for years. Some research has found that Lillys drug Zepbound leads to greater weight lossup to 21% of body weightcompared to 15% on Wegovy. The difference is very largely connected to doses, says Doustdar; the highest dose tirzepatide is greater than that of semaglutide in Wegovy. For that reason, Novo Nordisk is developing a higher dose of Wegovy in the injectable form that produces comparable amounts of about 20% weight loss. We will be bringing Wegovy-Plus into the market [in 2026] so it will close the gap with our competitor, he says.

Final packaging for the 1.5 mg Wegovy pills at the Novo Nordisk Solid Dosage Forms (SDF) facility on Dec. 30. 2025 in North Carolina. Jeremy M. Lange for TIME

He also sees semaglutide as the companys secret sauce that seems to produce a number of health benefits. Its the only GLP-1 drug that the FDA allows to claim on its label benefits forthat heart disease and certain liver conditions benefit. While recent research found that the compound did not slow Alzheimers disease, as many had hoped it would, the drugs ability to reduce inflammation could lead to additional health benefits in other metabolic diseases.

Doustdar, who was appointed to head Novo Nordisk last summer as the company began losing market share in the GLP-1 space to Eli Lilly, sees Wegovy pill as a coup for the companyand a return to focusing on diabetes and obesity. This is a big disease area. Were talking about two billion people, and eventually, someone has to produce all the doses for them. We are sitting in the right spot right now [to do that], and still only touching a fraction of the people who are in need.

A 25mg Wegovy pill at the Novo Nordisk Solid Dosage Forms (SDF) facility. All Wegovy pills will be bottled and packaged at this facility and the API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) facility producing semaglutide nearby. Jeremy M. Lange for TIME

Options for the pill

In coming weeks, Wegovy pill will be available in four doses: a starter dose of 1.5 mg, as well as 4 mg, 9 mg, and 25 mg. As with injectable Wegovy, most patients will start with the lowest dose and gradually ramp up their dosage over a period of months until they reach the maximum dose, which they will continue to maintain their new weight.

As the company and the White House announced in November, the starter dose will cost $149 for a months supply for people paying out-of-pocket and using federal insurance plans. The next-highest dose will be $149 until April 2026, after which it will increase to $199 a month. The two highest doses will cost $299 for a months worth of pills. People with insurance plans that cover the pills may pay as little as $24 for a 30-day supply.

Doustdar says the White House announcement was the result of several months of discussion to reach a mutually agreeable price plan for the drug. For us to be able to make any deals, it has to not be a zero-sum game, but a win-win situation, he says. We needed to explain that the cost of operations in the U.S. is very different from the cost of operations in Europe.

On the other hand, we also recognize that at higher prices, we will not get access to bigger volumes, he saysand with hundreds of millions of people around the world who could potentially benefit from a weight-loss drug, Doustdar hopes Wegovy pill will be more convenient, and accessible, for them.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Melissa Hortman was killed last year in what authorities described at the time as a "politically motivated" shooting. (Glen Stubbe / Star Tribune via Getty Images file) (Glen Stubbe)

The children of slain Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman are urging President Donald Trump to remove a post on Truth Social that promotes a conspiracy theory alleging the state's governor, Tim Walz, was involved in Hortmans death.

Hortman  a Democrat  and her husband, Mark, were killed in June at their home in what authorities described at the time as "politically motivated" shootings. State Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were also shot and wounded in their home the same day.

Vance Boelter of Minnesota is accused of the shootings. The manhunt to arrest Boelter was the largest in Minnesota history. He was indicted on federal murder charges in July and pleaded not guilty in August.

Trump shared the video  which seems to have been made by another social media user, who shared yet another video  on Saturday. It made unsubstantiated claims tying Walz and alleged fraud in Minnesotas state programs to the murders. There has been no evidence to suggest there is such a link.

On Saturday, Walz  who was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024  called Trumps post dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States, saying he would get more innocent people killed.

America is better than this, Walz said.

On Sunday, the Hortmans children, Colin and Sophie, each released statements condemning the video.

I am asking President Trump to remove the video that he shared and apologize to me and my family for posting this misinformation and for using my mothers own words to dishonor her memory, Colin Hortman wrote.

Sophie Hortman echoed the sentiment, calling the video a painful, false twisting of my mothers final vote.

We must create a society in which we do not harbor hatred and violence toward our political opponents, and this video promotes a false narrative which fuels the flames of political division, Sophie Hortman wrote.

The video being shared by the president is another hurdle our family must overcome in grieving the loss of my parents, Mark and Melissa, and their beloved [dog] Gilbert, she added. I ask President Trump to please consider the pain and sadness we have faced, and to honor the spirit of the holidays we have just spent without our parents by taking down the post on Truth Social.

The Hoffman family said in a statement that it "stands with Sophie and Colin Hortman."

"We ask President Trump to take down the post spreading conspiracy claims about their parents deaths," the family said in a statement. "Those claims reflect the same hateful falsehoods that motivated violence and cause more harm."

"This moment calls for responsibility and compassion. Removing the post would be a necessary step toward decency," the family said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Hortman childrens statements or to inquiries about why Trump shared the video.

Trump shared the video as his administration has seized on viral allegations of fraud in some Minnesota state programs in recent weeks.

The Justice Department has investigated allegations of fraud in Minnesota for a few years. One investigation involved the nonprofit group Feeding Our Future and has netted, since 2022, criminal charges for more than 70 people so far  some of whom are members of the states Somali community.
New additions expand company's rapidly growing product portfolio

LEHI, Utah, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CivicaScript, LLC, a nonprofit company dedicated to bringing low-cost generic medicines and biosimilars to U.S. patients, today announced the availability of two new products: insulin glargine-yfgn and ustekinumab-aauz.

Civica insulin glargine-yfgn is indicated to improve glycemic control in adult and pediatric patients with diabetes mellitus, and is interchangeable1 with Lantus2 (insulin glargine). It is the result of a collaborative effort of Civica, CivicaScript, the Civica Foundation and other partners to improve the availability of affordable insulin.

Civica insulin glargine-yfgn is marketed nationally by CivicaScript. Thanks to a partnership with the state of California's CalRx program, it will carry the CalRx brand in California pharmacies.

Ustekinumab-aauz is indicated for the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions in certain patients with plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. It is interchangeable3 to the reference product Stelara4 (ustekinumab).

"We're proud to begin the New Year by expanding access to two important biosimilars that can help lower costs for patients and health plans," said CivicaScript President Brent J. Eberle. "Our growing portfolio shows that putting patients first isn't just the right thing to do  it's a proven path to delivering affordable generics and biosimilars."

Civica insulin glargine-yfgn is available in prefilled pens at the lowest list price in the current long-acting insulin market. CivicaScript is selling it to pharmacies across the United States for $45 for a box of five pens  a significant discount in many cases to current prices. CivicaScript's maximum recommended price (MaxRPTM policy) for consumers is no more than $55. The cost to consumers may be even lower than $55, depending on a person's insurance plan.

This stable, transparent price contrasts with copay assistance programs offered by other manufacturers, which require patients to register for programs that can change at any time.

CivicaScript sells ustekinumab-aauz in pre-filled syringes for subcutaneous injection in two strengths. The Wholesale Acquisition Cost for a 12-week supply of 90 mg is $985 and the WAC for a 12-week supply of 45 mg is $575. The biosimilar is available at this low, transparent price to CivicaScript's members and partners, including health plans and pharmacy benefit managers.

1 See Prescribing Information.

2 Lantus is a registered trademark of sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC.

3 See Prescribing Information.

4 Stelara is a registered trademark of Johnson & Johnson.

About CivicaScript

CivicaScript is bringing unprecedented transparency to the drug supply chain to make quality generic medicines affordable and available for everyone. A not-for-profit company, CivicaScript is committed to providing affordable, essential generic medicines and biosimilars to promote the social welfare and health of the community. For more information on the organization and our mission, visit our website. CivicaScript is the Civica, Inc. operating unit for outpatient medications.

About insulin glargine-yfgn

Do not dilute or mix insulin glargine-yfgn with any other insulin or solution. If mixed or diluted, the solution may become cloudy, and the onset of action/time to peak effect may be altered in an unpredictable manner. Do not administer insulin glargine-yfgn via an insulin pump or intravenously because hypoglycemia can occur. For full prescribing information and patient information, including warnings and precautions, potential adverse reactions and drug interactions, please see Prescribing Information.

About ustekinumab-aauz

Indications: Ustekinumab-aauz is an IL-12/23 antagonist indicated for treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy; active psoriatic arthritis; moderately to severely active Crohn's disease; and moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Ustekinumab-aauz also is indicated for pediatric patients 6 years of age with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy, and for pediatric patients 6 years of age with active psoriatic arthritis.

Contraindications: Ustekinumab-aauz is contraindicated in patients with clinically significant hypersensitivity to ustekinumab products or to any of the excipients in ustekinumab-aauz. For more information, please see Prescribing Information.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit MedWatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Media Contact

Liz Power, Vice President, Communications

[email protected]

860 501 3849

SOURCE CivicaScript
There's a new lightning capital of the US. It's no longer Florida

The United States has a new lightning champion.

Oklahoma has dethroned Florida to become the nation's lightning capital, according to a new report released Jan. 5.

With approximately 73 lightning flashes per square mile last year, Oklahoma displaced the state that has traditionally dominated this ranking, "signaling a broader surge in lightning activity across the Great Plains," according to the report.

"Oklahoma's rise to the top of our lightning rankings represents a significant shift in 2025's weather patterns compared with past years," said Elizabeth DiGangi, a lightning scientist at environmental consulting firm AEM, in a statement. Thanks to new technology, she said that "we can see how lightning patterns are evolving, with the Great Plains emerging as an increasingly active region for high-impact storms."

Oklahoma dethrones Florida to become the nation's lightning capital Storm chaser photographers Brad Mack (R) and Gene Blevins take photos of lightning from a tornadic super cell near Apache City, Okla. on April 13, 2012. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are expected Saturday afternoon and evening over central and eastern Kansas, central and eastern Nebraska and central and north central Oklahoma, the National Weather Service said.

The firm used data from its lightning detection network, which includes 1,800 sensors across the United States.

Why did Oklahoma surpass Florida in lightning flash concentration in 2025?

DiGangi told USA TODAY in an email that Florida had a drier than average year in 2025, likely driven in part by most Atlantic hurricanes staying out to sea. Oklahoma, meanwhile, had an incredibly active year for severe weather, with above-average precipitation for several months.

"Therefore, there were simply more thunderstorms producing more flashes per square mile in Oklahoma than in Florida last year," she told USA TODAY.

The shoreline reflects a lightning bolt as an afternoon thunderstorm moves over Daytona Beach. The National Lightning Safety Council encourages people to head indoors after hearing the first clap of thunder.

Is this shift part of a trend, or just a one-year blip?

"It's difficult to say at this time whether this is part of a larger trend," DiGangi said. "2025's warm season was characterized by neutral El Nino/La Nina conditions, which means that there was room for other large-scale influences on weather and climate to play stronger roles on thunderstorm frequency in the U.S., up to and including anthropogenic [human-caused] climate change."

She added that 2026 data will be useful for research focused on the drivers of spring and summer thunderstorms in the absence of El Nino or La Nina.

The most recent forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, released in December, said that La Nina is favored to continue throughout the winter, before being replaced by neutral El Nino/La Nina conditions.

Sick of winter? January thaw coming for eastern half of U.S.

Which state had the most overall flashes?

According to the AEM report, while Oklahoma led in lightning concentration, Texas dominated in sheer volume and storm intensity. Texas recorded more than 13 million lightning flashes, exceeding its historical average by 1.3 million.

Overall, the Great Plains accounted for roughly half of the top 10 states with the most intense lightning storms, underscoring the region's reputation as a severe weather hot spot.

Lightning, tornadoes and wild storms: Incredible weather photos A haboob comes into Chandler, Ariz. on Aug. 25, 2025.

Florida still led in lightning deaths

As for lighting fatalities, Florida again led the nation in 2025, with four deaths, according to a Jan. 4 email to USA TODAY from John Jensenius of the National Lightning Safety Council.

"During 2025, there were a total of 21 known lightning fatalities in the United States and its territories," Jensenius said. This is the greatest yearly total for lightning deaths in the United States since 2019 and is slightly above the 10-year average of 20.

Fatalities occurred in 12 states and one U.S. territory, he added. Florida's four was followed by North Carolina, Oklahoma, Georgia, New Jersey and Colorado, each with two fatalities.

Key findings from the AEM lightning report

Top states by flash density: Oklahoma claimed the top position with 73 flashes per square mile, followed by Florida, Louisiana and Kansas.

Top county by flash density: Kay County, Oklahoma, led the nation with 123.4 flashes per square mile.

Peak lightning day: June 15 was the most lightning-intense day of the year, with 929,016 flashes recorded nationwide.

Airport impacts: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest airport, contended with more than 10,000 lightning flashes. Eight of the 10 busiest U.S. airports experienced their peak lightning day during the height of summer travel season.

Tourist landmark exposure: Chicago's Millennium Park was exposed to more than 11,000 lightning flashes, more than any other top-visited U.S. landmark. Half of the nation's most-visited landmarks experienced peak lightning between June and August, when visitor traffic is highest.

Doyle Rice is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, focusing on weather and climate.



This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida dethroned as US lightning capital. This state took its place
The abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces early Saturday was an unprecedented act of derring-do worthy of a Hollywood spy caper. But experts worry this audacious undertaking risks fraying the last remaining threads of international norms, emboldening autocracies into new acts of aggression without fear of consequences.

Anxiety is especially high that China could now act in similar fashion against regional leaders whom it deems problematicnot least in Taiwan, the self-ruling island that Beijing claims as a renegade province and has repeatedly threatened to invade. Last week, China held enormous war games entirely encircling the island of 23 million in apparent response to a record $11.1 billion American arms package to Taipei.

While China has expressed grave concern over Maduros capture, calling on the U.S. to release him at once and to resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation, Chinese netizens were quick to revel in the successful operation, discussion of which topped of the nations X-like microblog Weibo late Saturday with some 440 million views. Many commentators urged their leaders to use similar tactics in Taiwan.

I suggest using the same method to reclaim Taiwan in the future, posted one Weibo user in a comment that received over 700 likes. Since the U.S. doesnt take international law seriously, why should we? asked another.

Policymakers in Washington expressed similar fears. If the United States asserts the right to use military force to invade and capture foreign leaders it accuses of criminal conduct, what prevents China from claiming the same authority over Taiwan's leadership? Senator Mark Warner, the Democratic vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. Once this line is crossed, the rules that restrain global chaos begin to collapse, and authoritarian regimes will be the first to exploit it.

China has long pondered surgical strikes against Taiwans leadership, though any such move is likely to be self-defeating, given the island is a sustained democracy. Maduro was an autocrat with weak popular backing whose departure has certainly been welcomed by many of Venezuelas citizens and celebrated by a vibrant diaspora. A similar tactic in Taiwan, by contrast, would likely unite bickering factions in opposition to the Chinese Communist Party.

Indeed, the removal of Maduro could be interpreted as a slap in the face for Beijing, given a high-ranking Chinese delegation was hosted in his Caracas palace just hours earlier. There is also the embarrassment of the advanced Chinese radar and anti-aircraft systems purchased by Venezuela that were supposed to be able to detect U.S. stealth jets but evidently failed.

In addition, Maduros capture injects doubts about the potency of Chinese backing. Under pressure from Washington, Maduro had moved closer to Beijing and Moscow in the apparent expectation that this would provide some bufferin a similar way that Taiwan believes informal U.S. ties can stave off Beijings ambitions. Maduros fall raises uncomfortable questions for Taipei and other small states betting their autonomy on Great Power backing, says Chong Ja Ian, professor of international relations at the National University of Singapore.

Countries seem to have a lot less space to maneuver as the major powers are quite willing to go after them, says Chong. Were looking at a world where norms dont hold as strongly and major powers will try to force their way.

In echoes of Russias invasion of Ukraine, the unilateral U.S. incursion in Venezuela is another example of might is right foreign policy that will worry Taiwan. Trump justified his gambit in Venezuela in terms of guarding the U.S. against narco-terrorism, though he has made no secret of coveting the nations oil reserves, the planets largest proven deposits. It follows a playbook of brazenly targeting countries mineral wealth, with U.S. military support for Ukraine being made contingent on a deal for its natural resources and repeated threats to invade mineral-rich Greenland.

Were going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground, and that wealth is going to the people of Venezuela, and people from outside of Venezuela that used to be in Venezuela, and it goes also to the United States of America in the form of reimbursement, Trump said.

As a central plinth of Trumps America First doctrine was extricating the U.S. from foreign entanglements, the Venezuela intervention is polarizing for his MAGA base. Its yet to be ascertained whether Trumps new hawkish posture signals an outright abandonment of his isolationist philosophy or intervention is solely reserved for Americas neighborhooda more aggressive version of the 1823 Monroe Doctrine of President James Monroe, who warned other powers not to meddle in the Western hemisphere.

In a worrying sign of a possible escalation, Trump has said that Colombian President Gustavo Petro should watch his ass, and also told Fox News that something's going to have to be done with Mexico. Havana is also understood to be firmly in Washingtons crosshairs with U.S. Secretary State Marco Rubio of Cuban heritage.

The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we've superseded it by a lot, Trump said at Mar-a-Lago. Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again.

The question is whether assertiveness in Americas backyard is mirrored by a cooling of interest elsewhere. Trump has already proven lukewarm on Ukrainian autonomy and called for Europe to manage its own affairs with respect to Russia. It could send a statement to Beijing that the U.S. today only cares about policing its Western Hemisphere, says Wen-ti Sung, a political scientist based in Taiwan for the Australian National University. If thats the reading in Beijing, its not good news for Taiwan.

Of course, Trumps Venezuela gambit is still in its infancy. Despite Trump proclaiming that the U.S. would run the country until a proper and judicious transition of power takes place, the Maduro regime remains ostensibly in control, with Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez assuming the nations leadership. Trump said he wasn't afraid of boots on the ground to achieve his goals in Venezuela.

However, America's record of regime change and nation-building is atrocious. Aside from defeat in Vietnam, Iraq descended into a bloody catastrophe following the 2003 U.S. invasion, which also gave rise to the Islamic State. In Afghanistan, many billions of dollars were plowed into seeding a democratic government over two decades only for the Taliban to return to power after a chaotic U.S. withdrawal in 2021. Past interventions in Latin America are similarly fraught.

So far, no American blood has been spilt in Venezuela, though the prospect of the U.S. being drawn into yet another quagmire may sap any remaining public appetite for conflict farther afield, such as defending Taiwan.

The American people dont want boots on the ground or soldiers getting killed, says Robert E. Hunter, a U.S. Ambassador to NATO during the Clinton Administration. No. 2: Congress doesn't want to open any [military] spending.

If the U.S. does get drawn into a prolonged intervention, another question is whether a divided and distracted Washington emboldens China to move on Taiwan.

Victor Gao, director of the China National Association of International Studies and an informal Chinese government spokesman, insists what happens to Taiwan has nothing to do with what the United States did to Venezuela but is the completely internal, domestic affair of China.

Still, Gao does perceive the Venezuela affair as a very dark moment that signals the beginning of the end of Pax Americana, he says. This is a freefall from the beacon the United States has claimed itself to be for many decades into the abyss of the law of the jungle.

Write to Charlie Campbell at charlie.campbell@time.com.
The Georgia State Capitol, with its gold dome, is seen in Atlanta. Photo: Kim Jarrett / The Center Square

(The Center Square)  Just days before the Georgia General Assembly convenes, two Democrats in the House of Representatives have announced their resignation.

Rep. Lynn Heffner, D-Augusta, said in a statement she was stepping down to focus on rebuilding her home that was damaged during Hurricane Helene. Rep. Karen Bennett, D-Stone Mountain, resigned after serving 13 years in the House without releasing a statement.

Bennett's resignation was effective Jan. 1, according to the House.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of House District 130, which has been one of the greatest honors of my life, said Heffner. However, the ongoing discourse surrounding the rebuilding process has reached an impasse, creating uncertainty that has led me to make the difficult but necessary decision to step aside. My commitment to transparency, integrity and accountability remains steadfast.

Hefner was first elected to the House in 2022.

The resignations means two more special elections are needed following several other resignations and one death in the General Assembly.

Voters in House District 23 will decide Tuesday who will fill the seat of the late Rep. Mandi Ballinger, R-Canton. Republican Bill Fincher received 27.4% of the vote in last month's contest in a race that included four other Republican candidates. Democrat Scott Sanders trailed Fincher and will face him in the runoff.

An election is scheduled Jan. 20 to fill the seat of John F. Kennedy, R-Macon, who resigned to focus on his campaign for lieutenant governor. The district covers Crawford, Monroe, Peach and portions of Bibb and Houston counties.

State Sen. Jason Esteves resigned to concentrate on his run for governor. Pediatric dentist Jaha Howard defeated former state Rep. Roger Bruce in a close runoff for the state Senate District 35 seat on Dec. 18.

Democrats had a surprise victory in the race to succeed former state Rep. Marcus Wiedower, whose district included parts of Oconee and Clarke counties. Eric Gisler won the seat over Republican Mack "Dutch" Guest IV with just over 50% of the vote. The margin was not close enough for a recount.
MAXIME SCHMID / AFP via Getty A memorial at Le Constellation bar in the Swiss Alps following the deadly Jan. 1 blaze.

NEED TO KNOW

The last of the 40 victims who died during the bar fire in Switzerland on New Year's Day have been identified, the youngest of whom was 14

Police also announced that the two managers of the bar have been charged

No one should see this, Captain Vocat, the local fire chief, said. No one is ready for this.

Children as young as 14 are some of the last victims to be identified following the apocalyptic fire that broke out at a bar in Switzerland on New Year's that killed 40 people, authorities said.

On Sunday, Jan. 4, officials announced that they had confirmed the names of the remaining 16 victims who died at Le Constellation bar, located at a ski resort in Crans-Montana on Thursday, Jan. 1, police in Valais canton said in a news release. No names, only ages and nationalities, were released.

The dead include nationals from Switzerland, France, Belgium, Italy and Portugal, with the youngest described as a 14-year-old French boy. In total, nine of the latest victims to be identified were under the age of 18, police said.

Out of respect for the families, no further information will be released, officials continued in the translated statement.

The next day, on Jan. 5, police confirmed that the 116 people who had been injured in the fire had been identified. Eighty-three of the injured victims from various nationalities remained in the hospital.

The news comes after the blaze brought devastation to what was supposed to be a festive, fun-filled New Year's celebration at the bar in the Swiss Alps.

Following interviews and videos analyzing the incident, Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said officials believe that the fire started from sparklers being placed on bottles of champagne that were moved too close to the ceiling, and that a blaze began "quickly," according to a translation, PEOPLE previously reported.

In the aftermath, stories of heroism and horror have been shared by survivors and the families of those who died.

Danielo Janjic, 20, told The New York Times that hell be scarred for life after escaping the fire. Andrea Costanzo told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that his 16-year-old daughter, Chiara, died in the incident. He said that she ended up at the party with friends by chance because no other venue had room.

The pain now is greater than the thirst for justice, the grieving father told the paper in Italian. I don't even know if it will ever come. Now I just feel a great emptiness."

On Sunday, police announced that they had opened a criminal investigation against the two managers of the bar. They are charged with negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson, according to the news release.

Harold Cunningham/Getty Mourners lit candles in Crans-Montana, Switzerland on Jan. 3 in honor of those who died.

The initial testimonies collected mention a fire that spread rapidly, generating a lot of smoke and a large wave of heat, police said, adding that sparklers started the fire. Everything happened very quickly.

A co-owner of the establishment previously said that everything was done according to the rules, CNN reported.

In Switzerland, people 16 and older can buy beer and wine, while high-proof alcohol can only be sold to consumers 18 and older, the outlet noted. According to local laws in the Valais canton, after 10 p.m., people under the age of 16 can enter establishments that serve alcohol if theyre with a legal guardian or an adult, as permitted by their legal guardian, CNN reported.

ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE/EPA/Shutterstock Police officers near the scene of the fire on the morning of Jan. 1.

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.

As the community mourns its dead, including a number of its young people, survivors and first responders are still grappling with what they witnessed after the call came in around 1:30 a.m. local time.

No one should see this, Captain Vocat, the local fire chief, told the Times. No one is ready for this.

Read the original article on People
I visited Niagara Falls in both the US and Canada. Emily Pogue

My husband and I visited Niagara Falls on both the US and Canadian sides.

My favorite experience was on the American side, but there was more to do on the Canadian side.

For the best trip, I recommend spending time on both sides of the Falls.

When researching a trip to Niagara Falls, you'll notice there's a fairly heated debate about whether the Canadian or American side is better. But during a trip to both sides in June, I found that each had its own advantages.

My husband and I researched the many experiences and attractions available in the area and chose to try out the most-loved ones. Here's what I'd recommend doing around Niagara Falls.

Spoiler: most of them involve a poncho.

The cruises to the Falls are similar from either side.

Emily Pogue

When you go to Niagara Falls, one of the quintessential things to do is a boat ride that takes you up close to the Falls.

Although we used the Canadian company, Niagara City Cruises, you can do a similar experience called Maid of the Mist from the US side.

They're both about 20-minute boat rides, and the only difference I could see was that the Canadian tour had red ponchos while the American one supplied blue ones.

What starts as a slow, scenic ride quickly turns into a frenzy of water and wind as you approach Horseshoe Falls. It's chaotic, a ton of fun, and you'll walk away with soaking wet shoes if you choose to stand on the upper deck.

On the Canadian side, we enjoyed spectacular views of the Falls.

Emily Pogue

Once on the Canadian side, we were treated to breathtaking views of all three waterfalls: American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and the iconic Horseshoe Falls.

Although two of the Falls are on the American side, observing from the Canadian side gave us a better view of all three.

I especially loved the Fallsview area, where you can stroll on a paved path along the cliff's edge that's flanked by a stone barrier on one side and curated grass lawns with statues, trees, and benches on the other.

There also seemed to be more to do in Canada.

Emily Pogue

Across the board, the Canadian side of Niagara Falls feels more urbanized. It has all kinds of restaurants, shops, and attractions close to the Falls, whereas I thought the New York side felt a little dated and lacking in options.

That said, the Canadian side, especially the Clifton Hill area, can feel a little too commercialized and borderline gimmicky with its chain restaurants and carnival-style signs that light up and spin .

I recommend walking along the Rainbow Bridge, which connects both sides of Niagara Falls.

Emily Pogue

If you have your passport with you, I highly recommend visiting both the American and Canadian sides of Niagara Falls, which are only separated by a quarter-mile-long structure known as the Rainbow Bridge.

Although you can drive across the bridge, I recommend walking. Not only was it exciting to go through the turnstile that said "entry to Canada," but it was also a great vantage point to see the Falls.

It only costs $1 to cross on foot, and we waited a total of five minutes at customs. The long line of cars waiting to pass through customs, on the other hand, barely seemed to move as we walked by.

On the US side, it was fascinating to stand above the Falls.

Emily Pogue

Although Canada has the Fallsview area, the US has Niagara Falls State Park.

The park perches you at the top of the Falls, giving an incredibly unique perspective as you look down onto the cascading water. Here, you can really appreciate the sheer volume of water going over the three Falls: a combined 3,160 tons of water every second.

In the park, you can access overlooks to peer down each of the three waterfalls.

Niagara Falls State Park was a lovely escape from the crowds.

Emily Pogue

On the Canadian side, we found everyone was squeezed into a relatively narrow strip along the Fallsview Trail. Niagara Falls State Park, however, encompasses over 400 acres of land, which means the crowd naturally fanned out.

My husband and I were even able to have a picnic under a tree, and there wasn't a soul around.

The waterfall overlooks were spread out from one another as well. Fewer people seemed to be making the walk to visit them, so they didn't feel as congested as some of the vantage points on the Canadian side.

My favorite experience was on the American side.

Emily Pogue

While standing above the Falls is stunning and riding a boat close to them is fun, I wanted to get as close I safely could. Essentially, I wanted to stand under the Falls. And that's what Cave of the Winds, situated in Niagara Falls State Park, offers.

Our experience kicked off by riding an elevator down 17 stories. At the bottom, we were given a poncho and told that we could explore as long as we wanted.

In front of us was a network of wooden boardwalks and decks that was built directly next to the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls. Walking around, it was difficult to even have a conversation above the roar of the water.

I was also shocked to discover that I had a hard time standing upright. The hurricane-level gusts and deluge of water coming from above were more powerful than I ever could've imagined.

I definitely recommend visiting both sides of the Falls.

Emily Pogue

At the end of the day, each side of Niagara Falls has extraordinary gems. And since they're so close to each other, I suggest seeking out the best of both worlds rather than sticking to one side.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Gasoline prices fell for a sixth straight week to their lowest level in nearly five years as seasonal factors and cheaper oil weighed on the market while traders monitored developments following the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

The national average on Monday stood at $2.81 per gallon, according to AAA data, about $0.25 lower than a year ago and the lowest level since March 2021. Only about nine states have averages above $3 per gallon, while California, burdened with taxes and higher fees, has seen its average decline to $4.25 per gallon.

The declines come amid growing questions over Venezuelas vast energy reserves after the United States captured Maduro and his wife over the weekend. President Trump stated that the US would temporarily run the South American country until a proper transition took place and said American oil companies would spend billions on Venezuela's oil sector.

Gasoline prices fell for a sixth straight week to their lowest level in nearly five years as seasonal factors and cheaper oil weighed on the market. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

"Some Americans believe gasoline prices could be impacted in a significant way, but Im here to throw a bit of cold water on that," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

De Haan expects gas prices to bottom out in the weeks ahead before beginning their seasonal climb closer to March.

It's unclear how quickly oil could flow out of the country, given that production has been hampered and waned over the years.

"Even under the most optimistic outcomes, it could take years of positive developments for additional supply to meaningfully move the needle, and the impact on US gasoline prices may ultimately be limited," he said.

JPMorgan analysts predict that while production in Venezuela could temporarily fall due to operational disruptions, recovery and output increases could follow in subsequent months.

"Looking ahead, we continue to maintain our view that a regime change in Venezuela would immediately represent one of the largest upside risks to the global oil supply outlook for 20262027 and beyond," wrote JPMorgan's Natasha Kaneva and her team on Sunday.

Combined oil reserves from Venezuela, nearby Guyana, and the US could give America control over roughly 30% of global oil reserves if consolidated under its influence, potentially keeping oil prices within historically lower ranges, said the analysts.

Last year, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude (CL=F) and Brent (BZ=F) crude futures fell nearly 20% and 18%, respectively, amid rising supply, marking their steepest annual declines since 2020.

On Monday, Brent jumped more than 1.5%, while WTI also rose.

Ines Ferre is a senior business reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X at @ines_ferre.

Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Donald Trump speaking at a podium with an American flag to the right, and another man standing behind him, Image 2 shows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in handcuffs, escorted by two DEA agents

The Trump administrations capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro on Saturday was a US victory on two fronts: the war on drugs and the great-power competition with China and Russia.

For years, the war on drugs has been fought at home, primarily with slogans, aimed at changing the behavior of American citizens.

President Trump upended that feckless approach in 2025 when he began bombing the narco-vessels bringing drugs to the United States.

His strategy was controversial, to put it mildly: Even strong proponents of the US military and fierce opponents of the narco-kingpins were alarmed by Americas use of force in the Caribbean Basin.

This weekend, Trump upped the ante again: He brought down a narco-state through regime change.

The flow of dangerous drugs to the United States can be expected to slow as a result.

The deterrent effect of this operation cannot be overstated. The cartels and kingpins that have historically poisoned the US with drugs are now on notice.

Sure, the US military will continue to bomb their vessels on the high seas. But what scares them more now is the prospect of being captured and then getting shipped to the United States to face justice.

Dont expect everyone in the United States to cheer this historic event, though.

Ever since the failed experiments to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, neo-isolationists in Washington have warned that America must avoid regime change at all costs.

Maduro seen in custody at the Manhattan headquarters of the Drug Enforcement Administration on Jan. 3, 2026. X account of Rapid Response 47/AFP via Getty Images

Their howls of disapproval can be expected in the days and weeks to come.

For now, Trump intends for the United States to run the government in Venezuela until a suitable government can be installed. And that carries with it significant risk.

If Venezuela unravels, Trump will be blamed. If the wider region descends into chaos, the president will be saddled with that, too.

Will Trumps base give him the opportunity to improve upon the regime-change failures of his predecessors? He appears determined to try.

In truth, the regime-change controversy is of secondary importance.

Bringing down Maduro was about bringing the Western hemisphere back under the influence of the United States.

Maduro was not just the head of a narco-state. He was an ally of Americas nastiest enemies.

In fact, Maduro met with a senior Chinese delegation in Caracas shortly before he was captured by US special forces.

But Maduros regime was not just an ally to China. The regime in Caracas was also a valuable partner to other rogue states like Russia, Cuba and Iran.

Even the Republic of Turkey, a notoriously unreliable NATO ally, has been an ally to the Maduro regime.

The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the fifth member of Venezuelas Fabulous Five  the countries that helped prop up the Venezuelan strongman.

One or more of these regimes may try to exploit the vacuum in Venezuela.

They may not be able to restore Maduro to power. But they can try to make America pay a price for ousting their ally.

The Trump administration must bare its teeth now, and warn them to keep out.

If done right, the ousting of Maduro will weaken the influence of Americas adversaries in our hemisphere.

It will deprive the cartels of a transit hub for shipments to the United States. And it will deprive our enemies of a valued ally.

If thats how things play out, not a bad start to 2026.

Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of Foundation for Defense of Democracies, is a former terrorism finance analyst at the US Treasury Department. X: @JSchanzer.
How world leaders are reacting to US capture of Venezuela's Maduro

The Trump administration's capture of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro is getting mixed reviews on the world stage as country leaders start coming forward since the Jan. 3 attack.

China was among several countries that condemned U.S. actions, though other nations responded with messages of support or appeared to struggle to find the right words to describe the unusual use of force against a sovereign country and its president.

Speaking in Beijing on Jan. 5, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused the United States of behaving like a "world judge" by seizing Venezuela's leader and putting him on trial in New York.

"The sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law," Wang added.

Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a separate press briefing on Jan. 5 that China was still maintaining "positive communication and cooperation with the Venezuelan government.

Live updates: 'Not guilty' plea for deposed Venezuelan leader Maduro

In Moscow, Russias Foreign Ministry said Maduros capture represented an "unacceptable encroachment on the sovereignty of an independent state and accused the United States of committing "an act of armed aggression."

There was also a strong rebuke from Iran, where Trump had also threatened to intervene if Tehran's authorities kill additional protesters who had taken to the streets in recent nationwide demonstrations. Iran called the U.S. operation, which saw Maduro and his wife seized, blindfolded and sent by ship to New York to face narco-terrorism charges, a "flagrant violation of the country's national sovereignty."

Maduro pleaded "not guilty" in federal court on Jan. 5 on U.S. drug trafficking charges.

Many Latin American leaders also criticized the operation against Venezuela.

"We express our deep concern and rejection of the military actions carried out unilaterally in the territory of Venezuela, which contravene fundamental principles of international law," Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay said in a joint statement. "Such actions set an extremely dangerous precedent for regional peace and security and for the rules-based international order, in addition to endangering the civilian population."

The U.S. seizure of Maduro and his wife has raised thorny legal questions about whether it violated international laws that govern the use of force against another country and its leadership.

America First? What Trump's startling arrest of Maduro tells us.

Still, there was also what appeared to be strong backing for the operation.

Argentinian President Javier Milei, a close ally of Trump, wrote on social media that "freedom moves forward" and "long live freedom." And in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump for what he described as his "bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice."

"I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers," Netanyahu said.

US bombs targets in Venezuela and captures Nicolas Maduro A still image from video posted by the White House's Rapid Response 47 account on X.com, which originated from the @PaulDMauro account, shows Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City on Jan. 3, 2026.

European leaders seemed to avoid committing themselves to one side or another and used more ambiguous language.

"I want to establish the facts first. I want to speak to President Trump. I want to speak to allies," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement. "I always say and believe we should all uphold international law."

Trump: Cuba 'ready to fall,' threatens Colombia after Venezuela attack

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the legal assessment of the U.S. operation was complex and "we will take our time" to evaluate it.

"A transition to a government legitimized by elections must be ensured," he said.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, writing on the social media platform X, said that his country "did not recognize the Maduro regime. But neither will it recognize an intervention that violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and belligerence."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World leaders react to US attack on Venezuela
Dave Ramsey and Dr. John Delony

A 30-year-old caller from St. Louis, Missouri, phoned into The Ramsey Show with a big dream: she wanted to open a wedding venue in her local wine country. (1)

Maria has about $100,000 in her 401(k) and was considering tapping into her retirement savings to make the dream a reality.

On paper, she looks financially stable: she earns around $115,000 a year between her full-time supply chain job and a weekend bartending gig.

However, Marias financial picture is more complicated. She and her boyfriend recently purchased a $450,000 home, she owes $24,000 on her car, and she still carries $15,000 in student loan debt.

Her question for personal finance guru Dave Ramsey was simple, though: should she pull money from her 401(k) to chase her business dream?

What advice did she get?

Ramseys answer was clear: Never pull money from your 401(k) for a business. He explained that cashing out retirement funds before age 59 comes with a 10% penalty, plus income taxes. Altogether, its like borrowing money at 40% interest.

On top of that, Ramsey stressed that she needs to pay off her personal debt before starting a business. He pointed out that he essentially owns 14 businesses under the Ramsey umbrella and trains thousands of small business owners a year.

We dont tell people to grow their business with debt, he said. Carrying debt into a risky venture only increases the chance of failure.

Instead, Ramsey offered a smarter alternative: consider partnering with a local winery. The caller could create a joint venture where the winery puts up the money, while she runs the wedding operation. That way, she shares the risk, proves the concept, and builds the business slowly without jeopardizing her retirement.

He also suggests running it on evenings and weekends for a while to build up income before she quits her day job. As Ramsey put it, pull the boat up close to the dock before you step in. People who leap get wet.

Starting a business? Here's what to consider first

Opening a small business is an exciting goal, but its also costly. According to Bankrate, the average cost to launch a small business is $40,000 for the first full year. (2)

Some businesses require even more, especially if you need property, staff, and specialized equipment. So it's worth taking the time to plan your steps carefully.

Here is how to start:

Pay off debt

Personal debt is already a burden, and it only adds pressure when youre trying to manage unpredictable business cash flow.

Becoming debt-free gives you breathing room and ensures you arent juggling personal bills with business expenses if things get rocky.

Research the costs

Not all businesses are created equal  some need little more than a laptop, while others, like a wedding venue, demand major upfront investment. Before moving forward, research the costs.

For Marias venue, that might include land prices, construction costs, licensing requirements, and ongoing expenses such as staffing and insurance. Run detailed financial projections to get a clearer picture of whats truly required.

Figure out funding wisely

Borrowing from a 401(k) is one of the most expensive ways to finance a business. Beyond the 10% penalty and taxes, theres the opportunity cost: money withdrawn today wont grow for decades, potentially shrinking retirement by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Instead, consider alternatives: saving aggressively, using side income to build startup capital, or like Ramsey suggested, a joint venture with an established business that can share costs.

Reduce risk wherever possible

Ramseys advice to start small makes sense. Hosting weddings in partnership with a winery, renting a high-end tent, or managing events on nights and weekends are all ways to test demand without betting the farm.

If the concept works, profits can be reinvested into buying land or building a permanent venue later. If you're considering starting a new business, look for similar ways you can reduce the risk of failure.

Success begins with preparation

Opening a business is always risky, but draining retirement savings to do it, especially while carrying personal debt, raises the stakes to dangerous levels.

The Ramsey teams advice is simple: get out of debt, do your homework, and start slow. With patience and planning, your dream could still become reality  without jeopardizing your financial future.

Article sources

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

The Ramsey Show (1); Bankrate (2).

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Iyer joins the organization as it invests in advanced care, facilities, and physician partnerships

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- El Camino Health has appointed Raju Iyer as chief financial officer. Iyer brings more than 25 years of healthcare finance leadership experience, including serving as CFO of Sutter Health and UCSF Health, where he led large-scale financial operations, capital investments, and transformative growth initiatives.

"Raju Iyer's appointment marks a significant step forward for El Camino Health as we expand our regional footprint and invest in the future of healthcare," said Dan Woods, chief executive officer of El Camino Health. "His expertise in strategic financial planning and operational excellence will be vital as we build a stronger, more connected healthcare system that delivers world-class care close to home."

El Camino Health is experiencing unprecedented growth, now serving twice as many patients as it did six years ago and expanding its medical staff to more than 300 physicians. The organization continues to invest in new facilities, technology, and strategic partnerships to meet the evolving needs of communities across the Bay Area.

"El Camino Health's commitment to clinical excellence, innovation, and the community aligns perfectly with my passion for advancing healthcare through strategic financial leadership," said Iyer. "I am excited to join an organization that is not only investing in its future, but also deeply values delivering exceptional care to every patient. I look forward to working with the talented team at El Camino Health."

At UCSF Health, Iyer was responsible for financial stewardship across multiple hospitals and hundreds of clinics, supporting major infrastructure projects and joint ventures that advanced the system's mission and reach. At Sutter Health, he oversaw financial operations for 21 hospitals and five medical foundations, managed multi-billion-dollar capital investments, and played a role in developing long-range strategic plans. During his career, Iyer has had various levels of involvement in the building of five hospitals from planning to construction.

Iyer will oversee all financial functions at El Camino Health. His leadership will support El Camino Health's ambitious growth trajectory, including a hospital rebuild in Los Gatos and future acquisitions, ensuring that every decision is guided by a commitment to patient care, quality and community benefit.

"El Camino Health is taking bold, strategic steps to shape the future of healthcare in our region," added Woods. "Raju's experience and vision will help us deliver on our promise of providing compassionate care for generations to come."

Iyer holds a Master of Science in Accounting from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

About El Camino Health

El Camino Health has served the communities of Silicon Valley and the South Bay for more than 60 years, with nationally recognized physicians and nurses at two not-for-profit acute care hospitals in Los Gatos and Mountain View, and 26 care locations across the region, which includes primary care, multi-specialty care, and urgent care. El Camino Health is dedicated to giving patients high-quality care utilizing the most advanced technology and research. As your healthcare partner of choice, we focus on keeping you healthy and getting you back on your feet when you need it, so you can live your best life.

Key Services Include:

 Cancer care  Cardiovascular care  Maternity care  Mental health and addiction services  Orthopedics  Pulmonology  Urology  Women's health

Awards & Achievements:

Named one of the World's Best Hospitals 2025 by Newsweek

Best Hospitals for Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report

San Francisco Bay Area's first Magnet hospital for nursing excellence

To learn more, visit elcaminohealth.org .

Media Contact

Ross Coyle, senior external communications specialist, El Camino Health

[email protected]

650-988-7452

SOURCE El Camino Health
Cedric Angeles

It's nearing 9:30 on a balmy summer night as I amble along Tarpon Springs' Historic Sponge Docks. Minus the dull thud of the boats gently colliding with the wooden posts they're tied to, the normally busy thoroughfare is quiet. Streetlights cast a glow just bright enough to illuminate the weathered water vessels while leaving the bayou beyond dark and mysterious.

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Ahead, a towering neon Spartan soldier marks the entrance to Hellas Restaurant & Bakery. The silence is delightfully interrupted by three older men dressed in loafers and Hawaiian shirts conversing animatedly in Greek over a half-empty box of almond cookies. Noting their easy demeanor, I imagine that this is a regular tradition for them, and the idea adds a layer of endearment to an already sentimental scene. For a second, the bakerys whitewashed walls and the unfamiliar language drifting through the air transport me someplace else, and I have to remind myself that Im in Floridanot Greece.

History of Tarpon Springs

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Fishing villages are commonplace across Florida, but a place like Tarpon Springs is one of a kind. Known as the Sponge Capital of the World, the areas major commodity is the super-absorbent multicellular organism thats found on the ocean floor. After sponges were discovered off the coast of Tarpon Springs, Greek divers, who had superior methods for harvesting them, immigrated to grow the industry. Their descendants are the reason the city now has the highest concentration of Greek Americans relative to its population. In the early 1900s, they anchored their burgeoning businesses around the Anclote River, an accessible waterway where they could dock and launch boats.



Those same docks remain at the heart of this community. While the sponging industry has diminished over the years (largely because most modern-day consumers use artificial versions for dish scrubbing and housecleaning), theres still a considerable market for the natural ones, especially in Europe. Many consider them to be more durable, sanitary, and sustainable. You can find sponges in every shape, size, and species at souvenir and specialty shops located up and down Dodecanese Boulevard. At Sponge Diver Supply, Anestis Karistinos sells ones that are surfaced by his 73-year-old father, Taso, who is a career diver. After deciding against following in his dads footsteps, Anestis and his wife, Katie, turned their focus to the store, which also stocks T-shirts designed by the couple.

Anestis, who learned the trade at the age of 10, talks about the practice like its a dying art. Its one he respects, but hes happy to be on the other side of it. The boat can stay out sometimes three to five weeks at sea, he says. It wasnt practical for me to be gone that long when there are books to be read and projects to do at home.

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He has three sons who inherited his love of the water, but for them, diving is about leisure, not livelihood. You really have to want to be on the ocean, says Anestis. My father has been doing it for 52 years. Hes the only diver on the boat, and he works morning to night. Hes a tough Old Country guy and doesnt have to worry about anyonejust himself. You have to be like a pirate to do this job.

Sponge boats pulling up to the docks are less common now, but Im lucky enough to catch one gliding ashore on my second day in town. Giant mesh bags overstuffed with porous Parazoa dangle from its sides. The upper deck is piled high with some that are strung together like popcorn garlands drying in the sun.

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George Billiris keeps sponge-diving historyand his familys businessalive by running the charter his grandfather started in 1924. On the St. Nicholas Boat Lines exhibition cruise, he tells how divers put on nearly 200 pounds of equipment and walked along the ocean floor using a knife to cut sponges from rocks. Only an air hose and a rope tethered them to the surface.

When he pulls out a traditional suit and asks who wants to try it on, I cant keep myself from volunteering. Ten minutes (full of lots of yanking, shimmying, and sweating) later, Im outfitted in the oversize canvas bodysuit, rethinking my eagerness as a 30-pound copper helmet gets bolted to my shoulders. I spend what feels like an eternity posing for pictures with the other passengers and repeatedly assuring myself that oxygen is still flowing into the airtight headgear. I leave with an even deeper appreciation for the practice. Its not an easy career by any stretch of the imagination. Even Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe said so when he came to shadow Taso for a 2011 episode.

Where To Eat In Tarpon Springs

Cedric Angeles

Find Classic Greek Dishes at a Family-Owned Favorite

Roots run deep in Tarpon Springs. Many of the folks carrying the town into a new era, like Koula Salivaras of the restaurant Mykonos, have taken over posts from their parents and grandparents. During my visit at 2 p.m. on a Saturday in their slow season, the place is packed. I navigate to the only remaining table and order a feast: flaming saganaki; chargrilled octopus, squid, and shrimp spritzed with lemon; at least three different types of dips; a giant tomato-and-cucumber salad; and Koulas late fathers special Lamb Fricassee. The fork-tender caveman-size shank is blanketed in sauteed endive and a bright lemon-egg-dill sauce. It may be my favorite thing I eat all weekend.



Koula never planned to run the restaurant, but when her father passed away in 2021, she couldnt bear to see all of his achievements wasted. Im trying to fill big shoes, she says. My parents probably lost years of their lives trying to give us better lives. My dad came here as an immigrant with only a few dollars in his pocket, and he went from that to being filmed for Food Paradise with Emeril Lagasse. I used to say, Dad, do you realize you came here with nothing, and you ended up having Emeril in your restaurant? Thats amazing. 

Experience Upscale Greek Dining

Across the street, Koulas brother, Demetrios, expanded the family business by opening a place of his own, Dimitris on the Water, in 2010. After attending culinary school and working in kitchens all over the country, he made his way back to Tarpon Springs to put his own spin on Greek cuisine. The menu emphasizes seasonality, fresh seafood, and steaks over traditional hot dishes and casseroles. One thing he is carrying on from his dad? Giant portion sizes. My father always said, I never want to see a customer leave my restaurant hungry,  Demetrios tells me after delivering a whole fish the size of a Thanksgiving turkey to my table. He got that from my Yiayia. She fed everybody and got offended if you didnt eat.

Order Fresh Seafood from a Three-Generation Operation

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The towns affinity for generational ownership goes beyond just the Greek population. Jacquelyn Tunstall, whose grandfather came to the U.S. from Portugal, grew up working at her familys fish market and boatyard. After graduating from college, she came home to help her parents open Rusty Bellies, where they served shrimp her father caught on a boat he built himself and fresh fish from their market as well as burgers and tropical drinks. Almost two decades later, her parents have retired, but the restaurant is as much a part of Tarpon Springs as the towns Greek heritage. Its really become an institution for people to celebrate birthdays and big moments in their lives, she says. Thats what brings me the most joy.

What To Do In Tarpon Springs

Learn the Town's History

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The Sponge Docks are a big part of this areas narrative, but if you stop your tour there, youre closing the book too soon. The next chapter unfolds along Tarpon Avenue. Start at Craig Park overlooking Spring Bayou. This is where the towns first settlers built their homes and where the community still gathers every January for a Greek Orthodox Epiphany celebration that includes a Tarpon Springs tradition in which young men compete to retrieve a wooden cross from the bottom of the bayou, earning them good luck for the upcoming year. Make a lap around the tranquil pool, and then stop in the Heritage Museum, which houses exhibits about the areas Greek culture and its Indigenous history. You can also see local artist Christopher Stills stunningly realistic large-scale underwater scenes plus giclee reproductions of the murals he painted for the Florida House of Representatives chamber.

Stay in a Historic Inn

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A short walk up the road is The 1910 Inn, an aqua- and eggplant-hued historic Queen Anne home that fourth-generation local Annie Samarkos has tenderly restored into a bed-and-breakfast and event venue. Outfitted in antique furniture and family heirlooms, the rooms and common spaces appear comfortingly stuck in time. I feel like its not mine, she says about the landmark. It belongs to my community; theres a story behind every item here because people in town bring things to me.



Explore Downtown and Beyond

Keep heading east to find the lively downtown, which is filled with restaurants specializing in cuisines from Creole to Italian plus haunts like Wine Society and the breweries Brighter Days and Two Frogs. Shops carry all sorts of treasures, including vintage toys, books, decor, clothing, and novelty gifts. Young and old alike can burn hours at retro arcade Replay Amusement Museum and then head over to Orange Cycle Creamery for homemade sweets.

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With downtown only about a mile from the docks, the city has set its sights on filling the space that lies in between. One of the most-visited intermediary destinations is Tarpon Springs Distillery, a sponge warehouse turned neighborhood watering hole owned by transplants Lisa and Barry Butler. Since they opened in late 2019, their line has grown to include multiple types of gins, moonshines, and whiskeys as well as a coffee spirit, orange liqueur, rum, aquavit, and one of the only ouzos made in the United States. The Butlers say that in 2023 alone, the operation had close to 40,000 guests.

Visit a Traditional Greek Orthodox Cathedral

A different type of fellowship takes place at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, where more than 1,000 families attend weekly services held in both Greek and English. When church isnt in session, anyone is welcome to marvel at the imposing domed tower and elaborate stained glass.

Enjoy the Tranquility of a Beloved Shrine

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St. Nicholas is beautiful, but nowhere feels more sacred to the community (or lifted straight from a screen saver of the Greek isles) than St. Michaels Shrine. The stark white courtyard bordered by deep green palms and cascading white bougainvillea surrounds a small stone chapel with a beveled cross. A local woman named Maria Tsalichis constructed the shrine after her bedridden 11-year-old son prayed to St. Michael and was astonishingly cured of an unknown illness that had stumped a dozen doctors. Over the past 80-plus years, the shrine has been credited with restoring hearing, sight, and mobility to those who visit it. Miracles aside, after experiencing the enchanting alcoveand the cultural resilience of the town itselfI cant help but think that something about Tarpon Springs feels touched by the divine.

Outdoor Adventure In Tarpon Springs

Amp up your trip with outdoor adventures in and around downtown.

Spend a Day at Fred Howard Park

If your Florida vacation feels incomplete without the beach, head to this unforgettable spot. The mile-long causeway to get there ends with sabal palmetto-lined white-sand shores. Swim in the Gulf, or rent a kayak or stand-up paddleboard.

Bike the Pinellas Trail

This 65-mile multipurpose path runs from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs, but the most scenic portion is an 11-mile stretch between downtown Tarpon Springs and Dunedin. Bike rentals are available in town. Start or end your journey with a meal at Toulas Trailside Cafe for salads, sandwiches, and homestyle breakfasts. Bougiourdi (something thats typically found on menus in northern Greece) is made of baked feta, tomatoes, and sweet and hot peppers. Its a must on its own but even better when added to a sandwich.



Read the original article on Southern Living
Eddie Marshall | Midjourney

Under the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, a law that restricts conduct covered by the "plain text" of the Second Amendment is constitutional only if the government can show it is "consistent with this Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation." In trying to meet that test, government lawyers frequently cite 19th-century state laws that prohibited people from carrying concealed firearms.

It is therefore not surprising that California relied on those laws in defending its ban on openly carrying guns, which applies in urban counties that include 95 percent of the state's population. But as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit recognized in ruling against that policy on Friday, those precedents undermine California's case instead of reinforcing it. The laws cited by California preserved the right to openly carry guns, which state courts said was clearly protected by the Second Amendment.

"For most of American history, open carry has been the default manner of lawful carry for firearms," Judge Lawrence VanDyke writes in Baird v. Bonta. "The historical record makes unmistakably plain that open carry is part of this Nation's history and tradition. It was clearly protected at the time of the Founding and at the time of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment. There is no record of any law restricting open carry at the Founding, let alone a distinctly similar historical regulation. California's failure to satisfy its burden to present evidence of a relevant historical tradition of firearm regulation is dispositive with respect to California's urban open-carry ban."

For the first 162 years of the state's history, VanDyke notes, "open carry was a largely unremarkable part of daily life in California." That changed in 1967, when state legislators approved the Mulford Act, which banned open carry of loaded firearms without a permit. The Mulford Act was "tainted with racial animus," VanDyke argues, noting that it was "passed during a period of significant racial unrest" in response to "the Black Panther Party's activities, which included openly carrying firearms to protest police behavior in African-American communities." Those activities, as I detail in my new book Beyond Control, also included an armed protest at the state Capitol, which clinched passage of the Mulford Act.

In 2011, California legislators expanded the ban on open carry to include unloaded firearms. At that point, VanDyke notes, "California joined a tiny minority of states" that had "adopted such severe restrictions on open carry." California is "the only state in the Ninth Circuit that has entirely banned open carry for the overwhelming majority of its citizens."

While that law notionally allows residents of counties with 200,000 or fewer people to openly carry guns in those jurisdictions, it requires them to obtain licenses for that purpose, and no such licenses have ever been issued. In 2019, Mark Baird, a resident of Siskiyou County, which is theoretically exempt from the open-carry ban because of its small population (about 44,000 as of the 2020 census), challenged both aspects of the policy.

All three members of the 9th Circuit panel agreed that Baird, who sued California Attorney General Rob Bonta, could not challenge Siskiyou County's refusal to issue open-carry licenses because he had failed to name any local licensing authorities as defendants. But VanDyke, joined by Judge Kenneth K. Lee, agreed with Baird that the ban on open carry in urban counties violates the Second Amendment.

Judge N. Randy Smith dissented from that conclusion, saying California is free to prohibit open carry as long as it permits concealed carry. "Bruen controls this case," Smith writes. "The Supreme Court held that New Yorkwhich banned open carrycould not constitutionally require proper cause for a concealed carry license because 'history reveals a consensus that States could not ban public carry altogether.' California does not 'ban public carry altogether.' Californians may publicly carry in a concealed manner throughout the state and in an open manner in less populated counties. California's restrictions on open carry in more populated counties are thus constitutional."

The majority takes issue with that understanding of Bruen. "We wholeheartedly agree with the dissent that Bruen expressly forbids States from 'ban[ning] public carry altogether,'" VanDyke writes. "Where we apparently disagree is that we do not read that statement as somehow meaning the oppositethat so long as a state does not 'ban public carry altogether,' it can do whatever else it wants without violating the Second Amendment. Respectfully, that is not only a basic logical error, but also obviously a wrong way to interpret language in Supreme Court opinions. If the Supreme Court said, 'States cannot ban speech altogether,' nobody would think it was also implicitly saying that as long as the state allows some speech, it necessarily can ban all other speech."

That implausible reading of Bruen, VanDyke says, cannot obviate the need to examine the relevant historical evidence. As of the Second Amendment's ratification in 1789, he notes, quoting a 2014 Yale Law Journal article, "there were no direct statutory bans on the carry of arms." The absence of such laws, VanDyke writes, "is particularly conspicuous because the founding generation was clearly aware of the dangers of gun violence, and states enacted a variety of regulations addressing the lawful use of firearms."

While several states subsequently enacted concealed-carry bans, VanDyke says, "open carry and concealed carry have never been treated as fungible under the Second Amendment." To the contrary: "Between 1822 and 1850, no fewer than six state high courts considered the scope of the right to carry firearms for self-defense and explicitly found constitutional significance in the distinction between open and concealed carry."

Although Americans nowadays may perceive open carry as especially alarming, the attitude expressed in the laws at issue in those cases was diametrically different. State legislators viewed concealed carry as sneaky, dishonorable, and inherently suspect, preferring open carry as the proper way to exercise the right to armed self-defense. The decisions dealing with those laws reflected that distinction.

Upholding a state ban on concealed carry in 1850, for example, the Louisiana Supreme Court noted that the law "interfered with no man's right to carry arms (to use its words) 'in full open view,' which places men upon an equality." That mode of self-defense, the court said, "is the right guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, and which is calculated to incite men to a manly and noble defence of themselves, if necessary, and of their country, without any tendency to secret advantages and unmanly assassinations."

That court and the others "were not just indulging consequentialist reasoning in finding that open carry was protected while concealed carry was not," VanDyke notes. "They explicitly rejected the argument that the two kinds of carry were interchangeable, and they explicitly premised their conclusion on the ground that the right to carry arms 'in full open view' is 'guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.'"

VanDyke agreed that Baird had missed his opportunity to challenge California's apparent refusal to approve even the open-carry licenses that are theoretically available in rural counties. But he joined a concurrence in which Lee highlights "how California has apparently resorted to subterfuge to deny its citizens their Second Amendment rights." Although "California insists that citizens in counties with populations fewer than 200,000 people can apply for an open-carry license," Lee notes, the state "admits that it has no record of even one open-carry license being issued."

One reason for that puzzling record, Lee suggests, is that "California has misled its citizens about how to apply for an open-carry license." Counterintuitively, the 17-page application required for such a license repeatedly refers to "concealed" weapons. "Most Californians would reasonably think that this form is used only for a concealed carry weapon permit," Lee writes. "But they would be mistaken." Most Californians "would have no clue" that they need to complete this form if they want to openly carry a firearm, and "that appears to be the very point," he says. "California tries to hide the fact that citizens in those counties have a right to open carry their weapon under the law."

The 9th Circuit's broader vindication of that right probably will not last. Kostas Moros, director of legal research and education at the Second Amendment Foundation, praised the ruling on X but predicted "with near certainty" that it will be reversed after the case is reheard by an 11-judge en banc panel.

VanDyke and Lee were nominated by President Donald Trump, while Smith was appointed by George W. Bush. But 16 of the 9th Circuit's 29 judges were nominated by Democratic presidents, and the appeals court historically has been keen to uphold gun control laws. It is "hard to see how the Ninth Circuit would ever let this ruling stand as it would allow open carry in California," Moros said.

Charles Nichols, a Second Amendment activist who back in 2011 filed the first lawsuit challenging California's open-carry ban, is similarly pessimistic. "On those rare occasions when a Second Amendment challenge wins before a three-judge panel," he notes, "the decision is vacated and reheard before an en banc panel of eleven judges, where the Second Amendment challenge loses."

The post California's Ban on Openly Carrying Guns Is Unconstitutional, 9th Circuit Says appeared first on Reason.com.
Untitled-design-11 Getty images

Republicans could face an uphill battle to flip an open New Hampshire Senate seat during Novembers midterm elections, according to new polling.

A NHJournal/Praecones Analytica poll released Monday found that New Hampshire Rep. Chris Pappas, the expected Democratic nominee, leads both former Republican New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu and former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown in head-to-head matchups. Sununu, who is mounting a comeback bid with the support of Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Republicans campaign arm, performs significantly better than Brown in the survey. (RELATED: GOP Senator From Bush Era To Run For Old Seat  But First Must Take Down Another Ex-Lawmaker)

Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheens decision to not run for reelection has forced Democrats to defend another open seat and buoyed Republicans hopes of adding to their 53-seat majority.

WASHINGTON, DC  NOVEMBER 10: U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) (C) arrives for votes on November 10, 2025 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Brown  the unsuccessful 2014 GOP nominee for the same seat  trails Pappas by a landslide margin, 28% to 45.8%. More than a quarter of respondents are undecided. Despite entering the contest months prior to Sununu, the former Massachusetts lawmaker has failed to attract support from national Republicans.

Pappas conversely leads Sununu by single digits with 22% unsure. Just over 42% of voters back Pappas while roughly 35% support Sununu.

The survey also found that Democrats have an 11-point advantage (45.2% to 35.6%) on the generic ballot question of which party should control the federal government. The result is a six-point improvement for Democrats from when the pollster asked the question in July. Nearly 20% of respondents in the battleground state were undecided.

Trumps approval in the Granite State is also 22 points underwater, according to the survey. Just a third of voters  32% of respondents  approve of Trumps job performance.

These are the worst numbers for Republicans in our past three surveys of the state, Praecones Analytica pollster Dr. Jonathan Klingler said in a statement accompanying the poll. The trends over time show the goodwill President [Donald] Trump and the GOP enjoyed earlier in the year has gone, which should be alarming to New Hampshire Republicans.

A Senate GOP leadership-aligned group circulated polling in September showing that Sununu would be a more competitive general election candidate. Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the race. (RELATED: These GOP Ex-Lawmakers Want Voters To Send Them Back To DC In 2026)

Republicans are favored to retain control of the Senate during the midterms, but are laser-focused on defending GOP-held seats in Maine, North Carolina and Ohio. Senate Republicans campaign arm is also working to flip blue seats in Michigan, Georgia and Minnesota.

I feel good about where we are, Thune told Fox News Bret Baier in December. Our incumbents who are running for reelection are strong incumbents. Theyre veterans. They know how to win campaigns. And weve got some open seats that present an opportunity for us to pick up a seat or two.

When a lot of the effects of some of the things that weve done start playing out in front of the American people, theyre going to say, This is a team we want to keep in place,' Thune added.

The survey of 603 registered voters was conducted between Dec. 26 and Dec. 28. The poll had a 95% credibility interval of plus or minus 3.99%.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporters byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
by Fr Sergio Ticozzi*

The year that just ended saw China further tighten its bureaucratic control over religions. The idea that the countrys interests must come before religion is growing stronger. This includes a fight against religious education for minors. Following an unscheduled visit to the Vatican by the Abbot of Saholin, new regulations are expected on issuing passports for members of the clergy. Mainland China has come 99 Catholic bishops: 80 in the official Church, 10 in the underground Church, and nine irregular.

Last year saw the authorities focus on religious policy. This is evident in the report prepared every year by Fr Sergio Ticozzi, a PIME missionary in Hong Kong and a keen observer of developments in China. Some extensive excerpts from his report follow.

1. Official religious policies and legislation

 4-11 March: Two Chinese government bodies, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CCPPC, with some 2,000 delegates) and the National People's Congress (NPC, with some 3,000 delegates) held the third session of their 14th assembly, from 4 to 10 March, and 5 to 11 March, respectively.

The CPPCC delegates included 11 Catholics, 10 bishops and one priest (Fr Wu Jianlin, deputy general secretary of the Chinese Catholic Church, later appointed auxiliary bishop of Shanghai). Two bishops, Joseph Huang Bingzhang of Shantou and Fang Jianping of Tangshan, were the Catholic delegates to the NPC.

Regarding ethnic minorities and religions, Premier Li Qiang said in his report on government work: We adhere to the Party's basic orientation on religious work, we systematically promote the sinicisation of religions in the country, and we strengthen the religious affairs administration in accordance with the law.

Strengthening the religious affairs administration to enforce the law was not emphasised in last year's report.

On 11 March 2025, the two central bodies of the Catholic Church in China, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and the Bishops' Conference of the Chinese Catholic Church (BCCCC)  also known as "Yihui Yituan" (), literally "One Association and One Conference"  held a general meeting of their entire staff to study and pass on the spirit of the two national sessions.

 24 April: The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held its regular consultative forum on the topic of "Improving the Role of Law in the Administration of Religious Affairs." Bishop Li Shan of Beijing was frank in admitting that there are some unresolved problems in the process of democratic governance of the Catholic Church. He suggested encouraging the establishment of grassroots patriotic Catholic groups and improving the system and working mechanisms. Expert groups and specialists should also be created, with a specific political status and awareness of their political role.

The official message is that "by adhering to a comprehensive and rigorous administration, the Catholic community should firmly understand that 'the state is greater than religion, the law of the nation is greater than the rules of the Church, and Catholics are first and foremost citizens.'"

 1 May: New regulations on religious activities by foreigners come into force.

 8 September: Publication of the "Opinions on the Prevention and Management of Religious Propagation Activities Targeting Minors" () by the Steering Committee of the United Front Work Department under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The following are the most significant steps:

1. Strengthen and improve political education in schools, consistently pursue the use of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era to educate and educate students... In school education and activities, emphasise education in fundamental socialist values, strengthen dialectical materialism, education in historical materialism, and emphasise education in atheism...

2. Impose a strict ban on any organisation or individual to prevent them from spreading religion in schools, attracting followers, organising religious activities, establishing religious associations, or wearing religious symbols...

3. Religious venues may not organise training courses for minors, spiritual training camps, summer and winter camps, psychological counselling and guidance, friendship gatherings and celebrations, or cultural activities... Prevent minors from entering religious venues to participate in religious activities...

Other points highlighted include: increasing the growth of "model families", and strengthening ideological guidance for families who believe in religion.

 16 September: Publication of the Code of Conduct for Online Clergy (), which must also be respected by Chinese living abroad and foreigners.

 29 September: Xi Jinping delivered a speech on religious policy at the 22nd politburo meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The aim of the meeting was to explore ways to advance the policy of sinicising religions and provide practical guidance for religious workers to adapt to socialist society.

Xi Jinping stated that since the 18th CPC Congress in 2012, the Party has given religious affairs a prominent role in state administration. The main achievements have been the commitment to the sinicisation of religions in China, the improvement of institutional mechanisms for religious work, and the strengthening of the role of the law in this area.

According to Xi, the sinicisation of religions is inevitable under the leadership of the CPC, and it is therefore important to guide religious communities to establish correct views on the Chinese nation and history, with the aim of fostering a stronger sense of cultural identity with Chinese civilisation.

It also emphasised the need to improve relevant laws and policies, deepen legal education, and promote rigorous law enforcement.

Regarding the practical treatment of religions in general, although China does not ban religious belief, it maintains some of the world's strictest controls on organised religions, placing rigid limits on their practice, especially by unofficial groups, including foreigners living in the country.

Towards the underground Catholic Church, it maintains its previous policy of comprehensive control over the activities of underground bishops, particularly Bishop Peter Shao Zhumen of Wenzhou, restricting the religious education of minors under 18.

Official restrictions have primarily targeted the activities of Protestant house churches. In September, the authorities announced a new code of conduct for religious operating online, allowing only authorised groups to hold online sermons.

This measure was widely interpreted as an attempt to limit the online services of underground churches. In mid-October, Chinese authorities launched what has been described as a widespread crackdown in at least 10 cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.

According to the Church, pastors, leaders, and members of other communities have also been arrested.

Regarding Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese authorities have carried out several official interventions to assert their right to appoint the Dalai Lama's successor.

A series of police raids involving dozens of members in various locations, reported just days before Christmas, serves as a stark reminder of the strict regulation of religion in China.

2. Official Activities of the Catholic Church

 7 February: The Yihui Yituan launched a public competition for writing homilies on Sinicisation.

 8 August: The third meeting of the Supervisory Committee of the Catholic Church of China was held in Tangshan, Hebei Province.

The chief supervisor, Bishop Zhan Silu, presented the official report, noting the visit by Li Ganjie, director of the Central United Front Department, to the national religious organisations in Beijing and his speech on Strengthening legal control in the Religious Affairs Administration.

The meeting also reviewed the report on the Yihui Yituans work in the first half of 2025 and adopted the supervisory committees work plan.

 In November, the Yihui Yituan published the implementation plan for the campaign "Study the Regulations, Observe Discipline, Cultivate Virtue, and Build a Good Image" () for Catholic communities.

Subsequently, the official website of the Catholic Church reported on the frequent meetings held by various Catholic institutions and dioceses to study legislation related to religion, which have partially replaced previous meetings on sinicisation.

These were accompanied by the publication of participants personal views expressed on this occasion, like that by Bishop Cui Qingqi of Wuhan on 17 December:

Studying the Regulations, Clarifying the Boundaries: Strengthening the Legal Foundations for Harmony and Stability in the Catholic Church. During this training initiative, I seriously studied the recently revised Religious Affairs Regulations (), along with the supporting measures and detailed rules, as well as the Church's internal regulations, such as the Practical Opinions on Implementing the Exercise of Total and Strict Governance over the Catholic Church in China (). Through an in-depth analysis of representative cases, I gained a deeper understanding of religious laws and regulations. Some religious officials previously held an ambiguous view that "doctrine takes precedence over rules," neglecting the universal binding force and coercive power of the law.

They mistakenly believed that "freedom of religious belief" is equivalent to "freedom of religious activity," free from legal constraints. Through this study, I clearly realised that, while freedom of religious belief is a fundamental right guaranteed to citizens by the Constitution, the exercise of any right must be subject to the condition that it does not harm national interests, the public good, or the legitimate rights and interests of others. Freedom of religious belief is no exception.

 On the morning of 16 December, the ninth joint meeting of the leaders of the Tenth Session of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Bishops' Conference of the Chinese Catholic Church was held in Guangyuan, Sichuan. The meeting was chaired by Bishop Shen Bin, with Bishop Li Shan delivering the closing remarks.

The meeting reviewed the report on the work accomplished in 2025 and the Catholic Church's main commitments in 2026. It deliberated and approved internal regulations, including the Administrative Measures for Appointing Key Clerical Positions in Places of Worship in China, the Code of Conduct for the Clergy of the Catholic Church in China, and the Provisional Regulations on the Standardisation of Passport and Travel Document Management for Catholic Clergy Travelling Abroad (this on a Trial Basis)  (This follows the visit to the Vatican by Rev Shi Yongxin, abbot of the Shaolin Monastery, in February 2025], documents to be submitted to the deliberation of the seventh session of the tenth permanent committee of the body An Association and a Conference.

3. Bishops in China

In 2025, China saw four episcopal ordinations, a few transfers, and some changes to diocesan boundaries, as well as the official recognition of bishops by the authorities  all of which occurred pursuant to the Agreement between the People's Republic of China and the Holy See.

Two underground bishops, never officially recognised by Beijing, also passed away.

After all these developments, the total number of bishops in China stands today at 105, 99 in mainland China and six in Hong Kong and Macau.

Of the 99 bishops in mainland China, 80 belong to the official Church, 10 are in the underground Church, and nine are irregular. The fate of three bishops remains unknown. Some others claim to be bishops without proof.

* PIME missionary in Hong Kong
Added communities, programs and services in St. Louis will serve the growing older adult population through the organization's nonprofit mission: Older Adults Living Life to the Fullest

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- EverTrue, a nonprofit, faith-based leader in aging services, announced the official close of its affiliation with St. Andrew's Resources for Seniors System (St. Andrew's). The affiliation expands EverTrue's ability to serve older adults across the St. Louis region by broadening access to high-quality housing, home-based care and supportive services rooted in its mission: Older Adults Living Life to the Fullest.

Since the initial announcement on November 19, EverTrue leaders have been working closely with the teams and communities joining the organization.

"We have been incredibly pleased by the strong mission and purpose alignment we've experienced as we navigated the details of the affiliation," said Adam Marles, president and CEO of EverTrue. "That alignment has laid a solid foundation for a smooth integration and a unified culture of service."

Growing Need for Aging Services in St. Louis

"National aging trends show that St. Louis will experience a 30% to 40% increase in adults aged 62 and older over the next decade," Marles shared. "This affiliation strengthens our capacity to meet that demand. I'm especially excited about our ability to now serve more than 1,000 Affordable Housing residents and increase access to EverTrue Anywhere Care  our home-based care services  which will be enhanced by incorporating St. Andrew's programs and philanthropic activities."

What's New Now That the Affiliation Is Complete

With the affiliation officially finalized, EverTrue is now focused on celebrating and integrating the communities and service lines through events that bring together team members and residents. As part of the integration process, the organization will pursue master planning to evaluate community needs and identify long-term investments for physical assets, services and team members.

"As a nonprofit provider, we reinvest directly into our communities," Marles said. "We look forward to incorporating the needs of these new communities into our future planning to ensure we continue to offer innovative, mission-driven care."

EverTrue will also begin expanding its trademarked Still You Memory Support philosophy across the newly affiliated communities and service lines and evaluate where its EverTrue Anywhere Care home-based services can support residents and the broader community.

Expanded Scale and Services

With this expansion, EverTrue now operates:

14 Life Plan Communities across three states

One 55+ Independent Living Community

15 Affordable Housing Communities

Eight EverTrue Anywhere Care (home-based) service lines

Multiple philanthropic programs supporting community wellbeing

Economic Impact

The affiliation brings more than 425 team members into the EverTrue organization, contributing to an estimated $48 million economic impact that supports workforce stability and community strength across St. Louis and Missouri.

Looking Ahead: Growth Through Investment, Partnership and Collaboration

Marles noted that this affiliation reflects EverTrue's broader growth strategy.

"Our continued growth  through thoughtful investment, partnership, and collaboration  allows us to expand our mission and ensure older adults have access to the services and support they need to live life to the fullest."

Media Availability

Adam Marles is available for interviews to discuss the affiliation, the growing demand for aging services, and the future of nonprofit aging services.

To schedule a conversation, members of the media are encouraged to reach out.

About EverTrue

EverTrue, headquartered in St. Louis, is a leading provider of aging services, offering a full spectrum of communities, programs and services for older adults. From Life Plan Communities to Affordable Housing and Anywhere Care, EverTrue creates environments to fulfill its mission of Older Adults Living Life to the Fullest. For more information, visit www.EverTrueLiving.org.

SOURCE EverTrue
Today's news: North Korea conducts a new missile test while South Korean President Lee is visiting Beijing. In Myanmar some 6,100 prisoners are pardoned on Independence Day. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar announces a reform to limit PMs term to two mandates. After a gas deal with Israel, Egypt signs another with Qatar. A record cold snap in Armenia sees temperatures drop to -37C.

TAIWAN  CHINA

Taiwan's key infrastructure, from hospitals to banks, experienced a daily average of 2.63 million Chinese cyberattacks in 2025, this according to data released by the countrys National Security Bureau (NSB). Some hybrid threats were synchronised with military drills. Released yesterday, the agencys report indicates that the number of attacks increased by 113 per cent over 2023, the year it began publishing such information, with energy, emergency rescue, and hospitals as the hardest-hit sectors.

NORTH KOREA  SOUTH KOREA  CHINA

North Korea conducted a new test of hypersonic missiles, which  according to North Korean authorities  successfully struck targets in the East Sea over a thousand kilometres away. The South Korean military detected the missile launch at 7:50 am yesterday morning, just hours before President Lee Jae Myung was scheduled to travel to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Koreas official mouthpiece, released images of leader Kim Jong-un personally observing the launch operations. North Korea also reacted to the US military operation in Venezuela, condemning the capture of Nicolas Maduro.

MYANMAR

Following an established annual practice, Myanmar's military junta pardoned 6,134 detainees on the anniversary of the countrys independence from Great Britain, on 4 January. Fifty-two foreign nationals are set to be released and expelled from Myanmar. In the absence of a complete list of those released, the only prominent figure among those pardoned is Ye Htut. A former high-profile army officer who served as information minister and presidential spokesperson in a previous military-backed government, he was arrested in October 2023 for social media posts critical of the junta. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, more than 22,000 political prisoners are held in Myanmar, including 80-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi. Nothing suggests that she might be among the amnestys beneficiaries.

MALAYSIA

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today announced a series of reforms, including the introduction of a two-term limit for the office of prime minister. The move is aimed at regaining support ahead of the upcoming general elections. In his New Year's speech, he noted that the reform, which will be presented to parliament this month, will limit the prime minister's term to 10 years, or two full terms. Anwar's Pakatan Harapan[*] (PH) party had promised this measure to distance itself from the administration of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who ruled for 22 years until 2003, before making a comeback in 2018, for a 22-month term, to 2020.

EGYPT  QATAR

Egypt and Qatar signed an agreement to increase liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies to Egypt and expand energy cooperation, as Cairo seeks to diversify its energy sources to meet growing electricity demand. The agreement with Qatar comes just weeks after a separate long-term, US$ 35 billion gas deal with Israel. Egypt is set to receive 24 cargoes of LNG this summer, a period when energy demand typically peaks. Qatar, the world's second-largest natural gas exporter after the United States, has long been a key energy partner of Egypt. Beyond trade ties, Doha has also played a political role alongside Cairo, supporting development projects and mediating in regional conflicts, including Israel's war in Gaza.

RUSSIA

The Russian Interior Ministry announced that, in 2025, 97,000 Russian nationals were granted foreign citizenship or residence permits, 12,000 fewer than in 2024, but significantly more than in 2023 (68,000) and 2022 (35,000). Germany, Israel, Spain, Armenia, and the United States remained the most popular countries; others include Kazakhstan, Georgia, Cyprus, Finland, the United Arab Emirates, and Ukraine.

ARMENIA

A sudden cold snap hit Armenia on 3 January, this according to Armgidromettsentr, the Armenian Hydrological and Meteorological Centre, with temperatures reaching -37C, the lowest ever recorded at this time of the year. Usually, the temperatures in this period range between -30C and -25C. The Armenian capital, Yerevan, is expected to experience -20C. Continued frost without precipitation is forecast for the upcoming Christmas week, which follows the old Armenian calendar.

[*] Alliance of Hope.
China cites "international law and the UN Charter" to stand with Venezuela (while not respecting it in the South China Sea). Xi Jinping calls on South Korean President Lee to make the right strategic choices. A former Japanese defence minister is concerned about a possible domino effect involving Taiwan. India is cautious in order to keep a door open for Trump on tariffs.

Milan (AsiaNews)  Since the first reports of the US attack in Venezuela arrived, China has called for the immediate release of Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, invoking international law and the UN Charter.

In open contrast to the Trump administration's new interventionism, China has engaged in interactions and collaborations with Latin American countries based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit, said Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Seen from Asia, the crisis sparked overnight on 3 January by US airstrikes in Venezuela involves more than just the conflict over oil and Beijings other economic and geopolitical interests in the southern hemisphere.

In Asia-Pacific capitals, discussions are now focusing on the potential repercussions within the region, starting with the persistently tense situation in the South China Sea.

South Korean President Lee Yae Myung arrived today in Beijing today, marking the first visit to China by a South Korean leader in six years.

While not directly citing Venezuela, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on his guest to join Beijing in making the "right strategic choices" in a world that is "becoming more complex and turbulent.

During a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said: We have never believed that any country can act as the world's police, nor do we accept that any nation can claim to be the world's judge.

During his regular daily press conference, spokesperson Lin Jian noted that China supports the UN Security Council in holding an emergency meeting and would like to see it play its due role according to its mandate.

China, he added, stands ready to work with the international community to firmly defend the UN Charter, the fundamental principles of international justice, and international fairness.

Regarding China's economic interests in Venezuela, from oil to its large share of the countrys debt, Lin noted that Chinas lawful interests there will also be protected in accordance with law.

Meanwhile, developments in Venezuela are also being closely followed in Taiwan. Yesterday, the countrys foreign ministry stated that it was closely monitoring developments in the South American country and that it would continue to cooperate with its democratic allies for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity.

Fears of possible repercussions on Taiwan are high, especially among Washington's allies in Asia.

In Tokyo for example, the discomfiture is palpable. Recently, Japan has faced strong criticism from China over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's statements that Chinas military action in Taiwan would also pose a security threat to Japan, eliciting little support from the Trump administration.

The U.S. administrations invasion of Venezuela is a change of the status quo by force itself, and it contradicts the grounds for denouncing China and Russia, wrote Itsunori Onodera, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and former defence minister.

If, he added, China were to attempt a change of the status quo by force against Taiwan, it would be difficult for the Trump administration to unite international public opinion, even if the United States were to strongly oppose it. There are concerns that East Asia would become increasingly unstable.

The Philippines, whose fishermen have to deal daily with Chinas arbitrary and extensive claims in the South China Sea, has expressed grave concern over events in Venezuela, and the consequential impact on peace and stability in the region as well as on the rules-based international order, reads a statement by its Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

While acknowledging the United States underlying security considerations, the Philippines stresses the relevant principles of international law, including the independence and sovereign equality of states, the peaceful resolution of disputes, the prohibition against the threat or use of force, and non-interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign states, the DFA added.

India, on the other hand, has reacted with extreme caution, reaffirming its support to the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela. We call upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region, a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs reads.

This is quite different from the open condemnations of the United States by the other BRICS countries, a sign that, despite disagreements the last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi still wants to keep at least a door open to negotiate the unresolved tariff issue created by the Trump administration.
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5 January 2026 13:45 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

A significant shift in the Eurasian energy landscape is gaining momentum as Azerbaijan and Turkiye deepen their cooperation on natural gas supply, anchored by the burgeoning potential of the Absheron gas field in the Caspian Sea. Long reliant on Russian and Iranian imports, Ankara is strategically diversifying its energy basket, and Baku is poised to become an increasingly central supplier and partner in the regions evolving energy architecture.

At the heart of this development is an agreement reached between Azerbaijan and Turkiye to supply 33 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas over 15 years from the Absheron gas field, beginning in 2029. Under the terms announced by Turkiyes Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, annual deliveries of 2.25 billion cubic meters (bcm) will flow through existing infrastructure, notably the BakuTbilisiErzurum pipeline, reinforcing established transit routes and commercial links between the two countries.

The Absheron gas-condensate field is a major Caspian offshore discovery made by Azerbaijani geologists in the 1960s, estimated to hold around 350 bcm of natural gas reserves. Commercial production at Absheron commenced in July 2023, with Phase 1 supplying approximately 1.5 billion cubic meters per year to Azerbaijans domestic market. The fields development has drawn strong international investment: Azerbaijans state energy company SOCAR works alongside TotalEnergies and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which joined the project in 2023, signalling confidence in the fields long-term prospects.

Work on Phase 2 of Absherons development is advancing toward a final investment decision, and industry officials say a commercial launch is expected by late 2028 or early 2029, aligning with the timeline for deliveries to Turkiye. At full capacity under Phase 2, production could reach 4.5 bcm per year, with estimates in some analyses suggesting even higher potential output as operations scale up.

How the Absheron Gas Field could serve as an alternative to Russian Gas for Turkiye

Turkiyes pivot toward Azerbaijani gas reflects broader shifts in its energy strategy. For decades, Ankara relied heavily on Russian and Iranian gas, but geopolitical pressures, the impending expiry of existing supply contracts, and a growing emphasis on energy security have driven a re-evaluation. In 2025, Azerbaijan already ranked as Turkiyes second-largest natural gas supplier, accounting for around 24.3 per cent of total imports, highlighting the strength of existing commercial ties.

Turkiye has also diversified by importing gas from Turkmenistan and increasing its uptake of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which currently meets about %25 of its demand, as Ankara seeks flexibility in pricing and supply routes. Experts say the period around 2028-2029 will be critical, as global LNG volumes rise and contract structures evolve, potentially reshaping regional pricing dynamics and long-term supply planning.

Azerbaijans enhanced role as a supplier aligns with these trends. Beyond Absheron, Azerbaijan has steadily increased gas exports to Turkiye, with nearly 8.8 bcm delivered in the first nine months of 2025, a roughly 4 per cent year-on-year increase. The expansion of shipments through the BakuTbilisiErzurum pipeline and the integration of new gas sources provide Ankara with alternatives to traditional supply routes, contributing to its broader diversification strategy.

The strategic alignment between Azerbaijan and Turkiye on gas has implications that extend beyond bilateral trade. For Azerbaijan, securing a long-term contract that spans into the 2040s strengthens its position as a system-shaping partner in regional energy security rather than a peripheral supplier. The use of established infrastructure also ensures that new volumes can flow efficiently without the need for extensive new pipeline construction, reducing costs and risks.

For Turkiye, extending energy ties with Azerbaijan through stable, contracted supplies supports its goals of reducing dependency on single-source suppliers, improving energy resilience, and maintaining price competitiveness for consumers and industry. The diversification strategy also aligns with Ankaras diplomatic and economic objectives, as natural gas becomes both a symbol of cooperation and a practical tool for strategic autonomy.

In a regional context, such developments also create new corridors of cooperation. Expanded Azerbaijani gas supplies could support transit to neighbouring markets, potentially even toward Europe, where alternative supply options are increasingly valued amid fluctuating global flows. Already, Azerbaijan has shown its capacity to serve as a bridge for pipeline gas across the South Caucasus, and agreements like the Absheron deal reinforce that role.

The growing collaboration between Azerbaijan and Turkiye on the Absheron gas field represents an important development in Eurasian energy dynamics. Transitioning from years of reliance on conventional suppliers to new and diverse partnerships demonstrates how both nations are adapting to evolving geopolitical and market forces. If the anticipated launch of Absherons Phase 2 production occurs and the 33 bcm agreement is activated, this partnership will not only transform their national energy strategies but also bolster stability and strategic robustness in the broader region.
5 January 2026 16:44 (UTC+04:00)

By Farman Aydin I AzerNews

Recent events around the world, particularly the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, have once again drawn the attention of political analysts and commentators to what many perceive as the fragility of international law. Some romanticised observers lamented, in grandiose language, that Washington disregards the norms of international law to serve its own interests, and that the law exists merely as a set of empty formalities on paper. Yet this is by no means a new phenomenon. Throughout history, the factor of power has consistently trumped law.

For instance, the ancient Greek philosopher Solon famously compared the law to a spiders web. In his view, the strong could easily tear through this web, while the weak became entangled, suffering inevitable destruction. This metaphor has retained its relevance over centuries because, in practice, law often proves powerless in the face of entrenched interests.

Today, the events unfolding across the globe reflect the enduring truth of this metaphor. The modern world is dominated by two primary hegemons: the United States and Russia. The comparatively weaker Russia has been waging a bloody war for three years to seize the territory of its neighbour. Meanwhile, the more powerful United States recently detained the leader of another nation within a matter of hours and prepared to subject him to its judicial system.

On the other hand, European states have expressed solidarity against the aggression of the weaker hegemon, Russia, yet remain largely silent in the face of the actions of the stronger hegemon, the United States. This represents one of the clearest forms of hypocrisy. The double standards inherent in international law cast doubt on its universality and highlight how easily power can override legal principles. The global reality demonstrates that, in international relations, strength often equates to legitimacy or at least de facto authority. Even when moral or legal justification is lacking, power remains the decisive factor. This has always been the case, and current events suggest it will continue to be so.

Some nations have recognised this reality and adapted accordingly. Azerbaijan, for example, has long prioritised the factor of power, striving to strengthen itself across economic, political, and military dimensions. By contrast, post-Soviet states, such as Georgia and Moldova, have yet to fully grasp these dynamics. As a result, even as Azerbaijan restored its sovereignty after thirty years, similar countries continue to struggle to restore their territorial integrity.

President Ilham Aliyev explicitly articulated this principle during a meeting with military leadership on the occasion of Armed Forces Day in June 2021:

I have repeatedly said that the norms of international law do not work. I have repeatedly said that the great powers implement the decisions that meet their own interests and do not implement those that dont. Otherwise, the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council and demanding an immediate withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from our lands would not have remained on paper for 30 years. We have seen that the norms of international law are almost designed for small, medium-sized and not very strong countries. Large countries may ignore them, and there is no enforcement mechanism. Of course, the power factor came to the fore. A few years before the war, I made it clear in my speeches: we must gather strength, and this issue will be resolved by force.

These words resonate even more profoundly in the context of the recent Venezuelan crisis. In an environment where international law fails to operate effectively and major powers dictate their interests, small and medium-sized states have little recourse other than to strengthen themselves. This strength cannot be limited to military capacity alone; it must also manifest in economic resilience, political stability, and strategic diplomacy.

President Aliyevs emphasis on power in his recent New Year's address was no coincidence. In recent years, Azerbaijan has steadily enhanced its military and economic capabilities, asserting itself on the international stage. The liberation of Garabagh stands as the most concrete illustration of this principle. Without the factor of power, the legal frameworks of international law would have offered little practical recourse for reclaiming Azerbaijani territory.

The pattern of powerful states exerting influence over international affairs is far from new. However, the crises in Venezuela and Ukraine have laid bare the realities of global power dynamics. Governments whose interests do not align with those of the worlds leading powers find themselves subjected to immediate pressure, with international law serving only as a formal, symbolic framework. For smaller states, this represents a stark lesson: without strength, the rights granted by law offer no guarantees.

Criticism of the weaknesses of international law is easy; altering the underlying realities of global power is far more difficult. Consequently, the factor of power remains paramount and is likely to continue doing so. Azerbaijans experience demonstrates that strength is essential not only for self-preservation but also for asserting influence and defending national interests on the international stage. The events in Venezuela once again confirm this unyielding truth.

In essence, the contemporary global landscape underscores a historical axiom: in international relations, power often defines legitimacy. Countries that fail to recognise and cultivate strength risk marginalisation, regardless of the legal or moral justifications they may claim. Azerbaijans steady rise as a regional and increasingly global actor exemplifies the strategic foresight required for small and medium-sized nations navigating a world dominated by superpowers.
5 January 2026 19:56 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

The confrontation between Armenias political leadership and the Armenian Apostolic Church has moved from quiet tension to open conflict at a highly sensitive moment. As elections approach, the dispute has taken on a political dimension that extends far beyond questions of religious reform. It now touches on state authority, national identity, and the limits of power in a system that is undergoing rapid transformation.

The governments actions toward the church, the opposition, and key electoral mechanisms point to a broader attempt to redefine the rules of political competition. What is unfolding is not merely a conflict between personalities, but a contest over who controls the pillars of influence in Armenian society, the state, the church, and the electorate.

Two powerful camps are increasingly defining the battlefield: on one side, the architects of a so-called new Armenia, rallied around Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan; on the other, the traditional pillars of Armenian political life, where the church occupies a central, if increasingly contested, role. The confrontation between these forces is not incidental. It is structural, deliberate, and unfolding at a moment when institutional trust is already fragile.

Pashinyans strategy appears increasingly focused on pre-emptive control. His aim is not merely to win elections, but to enter them with as few unpredictable variables as possible. This logic explains his parallel moves against political opponents and institutional rivals. The Homeland Party and its leader, Artur Vanetsyan, remain a key concern in this context. By tightening pressure during local elections and keeping Vanetsyan under constant political and legal scrutiny, Pashinyan is effectively neutralizing a figure who could otherwise consolidate anti-government sentiment within the security-minded and pro-Russian segments of society.

The issue, however, goes beyond ordinary political rivalry. Allegations that investigations into electoral irregularities are being selectively funded or facilitated by the ruling camp raise uncomfortable questions about process integrity. Armenia has seen this pattern before: revelations of fraud, followed by promises of reform, followed by new investigations that conveniently reshape the political field ahead of major votes. Each cycle reinforces instability rather than resolving it.

Vanetsyan, for his part, has chosen a sharply ideological line of attack. He openly challenges Armenias growing alignment with the European Union, portraying it as a strategic illusion, while presenting Russia and the CSTO as Armenias only reliable security anchors. This narrative resonates with constituencies unsettled by regional uncertainty and skeptical of Western guarantees. Yet, its effectiveness depends heavily on whether these voices can organize in an environment where political space is narrowing.

The most explosive front, however, lies elsewhere, within the Armenian Apostolic Church. The governments adoption of a declaration outlining a roadmap for church reforms, including the removal of Catholicos Karekin II, marks an unprecedented escalation. Formally, the document speaks the language of transparency, accountability, and institutional renewal. Politically, it signals the prime ministers intention to resolve the church question before the elections, and at almost any cost.

Reports in Armenian media suggest that Pashinyan is prepared to apply administrative and security pressure to achieve this outcome swiftly. The involvement of bishops who oppose the Catholicos, the alleged monitoring of church services by security agencies, and instructions to exclude Karekin IIs name from liturgy all point to a direct state intrusion into ecclesiastical life. Critics argue this violates the constitutional separation of church and state; supporters counter that the church itself has long overstepped its moral and political boundaries.

Here lies the paradox. The church is not acting as a unified opposition force. Parts of it tacitly accommodate Pashinyan, while other segments maintain informal links with revanchist and separatist circles. This dual role is rooted in historical precedent. During the conflict over Garabagh, elements within the Armenian Apostolic Church were actively involved in nationalist mobilization, blessing armed detachments and legitimizing separatist claims. Such actions not only heightened the threat to Azerbaijan but also contributed to internal instability within Armenia itself, leaving a legacy of politicized faith that continues to shape todays churchstate tensions.

This role weakens its moral authority and turns it into a contested political instrument rather than a unifying institution. In this sense, the conflict is not simply about faith or tradition, is about control over narratives of identity, defeat, and future direction.

Crucially, this trajectory did not serve Armenias long-term interests. By embedding the church in a project of armed separatism, spiritual authority became tied to military outcomes. When those outcomes collapsed, so did much of the churchs moral standing. Todays erosion of trust is therefore not accidental; it is the delayed cost of politicizing faith in the service of conflict.

Supporters of the prime minister insist that society stands firmly behind him, at least for now. They argue that Karekin IIs alleged misconduct has eroded his legitimacy beyond repair and that the public wants a cleansing of the Holy See. If this assessment holds, Pashinyans calculation is clear: breaking the churchs resistance now will deepen public apathy, demoralize the opposition, and lower the political cost of re-election.

Externally, this internal struggle intersects with Armenias geopolitical recalibration. The first half of 2026 is expected to bring intensified ArmeniaEU contacts, with visa liberalization emerging as a key mobilizing promise ahead of the parliamentary elections. A symbolic or practical breakthrough with Brussels in late spring could provide Pashinyan with a powerful narrative of progress. At the same time, both Yerevan and Moscow appear inclined to keep relations on cautious autopilot until at least spring 2026, avoiding sharp escalations while the domestic picture settles.

Taken together, these dynamics reveal a familiar Armenian pattern: elections shaped less by policy debates than by controlled confrontations, managed crises, and institutional pressure. The churchstate clash, the sidelining of opposition figures, and recurring investigations into electoral conduct all point to a system where political stability is pursued through dominance rather than consensus.

Whether this approach secures long-term legitimacy is another matter. What is clear is that Armenia is entering the next elections not merely divided between parties, but fractured between visions of identity, authority, and alignment. And in that fractured space, the altar and the ballot have become inseparably intertwined.
5 January 2026 11:22 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

A 45-container ChinaEurope freight train carrying photovoltaic modules belonging to the China Energy Engineering Group has departed from Xian.

According to Azernews, this marks the first train to leave China in 2026 via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, also known as the Middle Corridor. The train departed on January 1 and will cross the Horgos border checkpoint into Kazakhstan before reaching Baku via the Caspian Sea.

The timely delivery of the photovoltaic modules to Baku was made possible through Xians active involvement in developing the Trans-Caspian corridor, along with coordinated efforts by partner countries to reduce costs and improve efficiency. As a result, train traffic along the corridor has intensified, while transportation time has been reduced from 1523 days to around 11 days.

The Trans-Caspian route of the ChinaEurope freight train from Xian was first launched in October 2019. By the end of November 2025, a total of 466 train journeys had been completed along this corridor.
5 January 2026 14:59 (UTC+04:00)

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5 January 2026 23:08 (UTC+04:00)

When the Ministry of Defense Industry was established by my order 20 years ago, we assessed it as a state monopoly at the time. However, over the years, especially when we look at international experience, we have observed that private companies play leading roles in many countries. Moreover, by involving private companies in this work, we could reduce both the burden on the state and the financial aspect. Therefore, over the past two years, opportunities have been provided to private companies alongside state ones, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during an interview with local television channels on January 5.

To date, 15 companies have been granted licenses  of course, this is an area that requires licensing. Seven private companies have already started producing military products. If we look at the volume of investment, we can see that one billion manats were invested in 2024-2025 to create new production sites and expand existing ones. Half of this was invested by the private sector. Again, since this area is somewhat restricted to the public, extensive information is not provided. However, this process has become very widespread, the head of state added.
5 January 2026 15:18 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

The Azerbaijan National Art Museum in partnership with the Early Intervention Center "Healthy Future for Children" (USG), has hosted a masquerade ball, Azernews reports.

This vibrant and inspiring inclusive event was designed to support young people's creative self-expression and promote the principles of equal opportunities.

Young participants aged 18 to 22 showcased their talents and creativity during the event.

The program included refined classical dance performances as well as original musical pieces played on various instruments. Each act highlighted the performers' individuality and their genuine passion for the arts.

The colorful performances and warm atmosphere were met with enthusiastic responses from the audience, who not only appreciated the performances but also actively joined in the festive celebration.

The masquerade ball served as a striking example of how art brings people together, encourages social integration, and nurtures young people's creative potential, creating a space for dialogue, inspiration, and mutual understanding.
Chinese vice premier calls for closer China-Pakistan community with shared future

Xinhua) 08:56, January 05, 2026

Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang met with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing on Sunday, calling for joint efforts to accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era and continue to improve the well-being of the two peoples.

Hailing the iron-clad friendship between China and Pakistan that has grown stronger over time, Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the two countries' leaders reached new, important common understandings regarding further development of bilateral ties in meetings held last year.

China is willing to work with Pakistan to follow the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, shore up political mutual trust and mutual support, better synergize development plans, improve quality and performance of pragmatic cooperation, and enhance communication and coordination regarding major international and regional affairs, Ding said.

Noting that upholding friendly relations with China stands as the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy, Dar said Pakistan adheres to the one-China principle, and is willing to take the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to promote the continuous development of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
FAIRFAX, Va., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- GovCIO Media & Research is excited to announce its 2026 calendar of federal technology events, bringing government and industry leaders together to drive innovation, collaboration and mission impact across the federal landscape.

GovCIO Media & Research Announces 2026 Federal Technology Events Lineup

In 2026, federal agencies will navigate new opportunities to strengthen initiatives, modernize systems and invest in workforce development. GovCIO Media & Research events are designed to spark innovation, encourage continuous learning and create connections that empower attendees to make a greater impact on their mission areas.

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Defense IT Summit

February 26, 2026 | Arlington, VA

Exploring the future of defense technology, this summit highlights agency initiatives and leadership strategies in critical areas such as artificial intelligence, zero trust and acquisition.

CyberScape Summit

April 16, 2026 | Arlington, VA

Federal and industry cyber leaders will discuss the latest developments in critical infrastructure security, zero trust management, data protection, cloud security and supply chain resilience.

Federal IT Efficiency Summit

May 20, 2026 | Northern Virginia

Federal leaders will examine how technology and acquisition priorities are evolving to improve efficiency and address fraud, waste and abuse across government operations.

Federal Tech Leaders Summit

June 16, 2026 | Washington, D.C.

This event will focus on best practices in cybersecurity, IT modernization, workforce transformation and data governance, offering practical insights for today's federal technology leaders.

Federal AI Forum

August 13, 2026 | Reston, VA

Top AI experts will lead future-focused discussions on responsible AI adoption, architecture and the practical implementation of agentic AI systems in federal missions.

Additional 2026 events include:

Detailed information and registration for each event can be found on the GovCIO Media & Research website. Attendees are encouraged to register early to secure their spot. All events are eligible for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits.

About GovCIO Media & Research

GovCIO Media & Research, an independent media company, is the leading industry solutions resource providing analysis and insights on federal IT innovation. Our team uses an omnichannel approach to keep you informed on today's most pressing issues. Video interviews, podcasts, events, articles and special reports keep federal IT decision-makers aware of technology's impact on government.

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SOURCE GovCIO Media & Research
5 January 2026 14:32 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

At the invitation of the Government of the Sultanate of Oman, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva is visiting the country, Azernews reports.

Leyla Aliyeva was welcomed at Muscat International Airport by Azzan Qassim Al-Busaidi, Adviser to the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of Oman.

During her visit, Leyla Aliyeva met with Salim bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of the Sultanate of Oman.

The meeting highlighted the high level of friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Oman, with particular attention to opportunities for expanding collaboration in the fields of tourism and cultural heritage.

Expressing her gratitude for the warm hospitality, Leyla Aliyeva emphasized that such meetings make an important contribution to the development of AzerbaijanOman relations.

Leyla Aliyeva provided detailed information about Azerbaijan's rich historical and cultural heritage, its tourism potential, including opportunities in health, ecotourism, cultural, and winter tourism.

She also spoke about the preservation and restoration of Azerbaijan's historical monuments and projects implemented under the auspices of UNESCO, stressing the importance of exchanging experiences with Oman in these areas.

During the discussion, both sides exchanged views on increasing tourist flows between the two countries, establishing direct contacts between tourism organizations and the private sector, and organizing joint projects and promotional events.

Salim bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi expressed Oman's interest in further developing cooperation with Azerbaijan, emphasizing the importance of experience-sharing in cultural heritage preservation and sustainable tourism development. The minister also noted that Azerbaijan is an attractive destination for Omani tourists and welcomed the activation of reciprocal visits and contacts between official delegations.

The meeting concluded with agreements on future joint participation in tourism exhibitions, organizing media and promotional visits, and strengthening ties between the peoples of the two countries through cultural events.
5 January 2026 14:49 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Leyla Aliyeva, has visited the Oman National Museum and Muttrah Souq in Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, Azernews reports.

Leyla Aliyeva first visited the Oman National Museum. At the museum, the Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation toured various sections, familiarised herself with the exhibits on display, and received detailed information about their history.

The museum is one of the main centres reflecting Oman's historical and cultural heritage.

Officially opened in 2016, the museum features extensive collections in archaeology, maritime history, weaponry, ethnography, Islamic culture, and more. It has 14 permanent galleries, each showcasing different aspects of Oman's cultural heritage, along with additional spaces for temporary exhibitions.

With over 7,000 preserved items, the museum also includes digital immersive experiences, a cinema, and discovery zones for children. For the first time in the Middle East, the museum has implemented the Arabic Braille system for visually impaired visitors.

The architectural design of the Oman National Museum combines national traditions with a modern style, serving as an important educational platform for both local residents and foreign tourists.

Following the museum tour, Leyla Aliyeva was presented with a gift and a commemorative photo was taken.

Afterwards, Leyla Aliyeva visited Muttrah Souq, where she viewed the items on sale and engaged in cordial conversations with the vendors.

It is worth noting that this souq is one of the oldest and most famous markets in the Arab world. With a history spanning several centuries, it has served as a trading hub for goods arriving at the Port of Muscat from India, China, Europe, and other Middle Eastern countries.

Muttrah Souq is distinguished by its narrow, covered streets and traditional Arabic architecture.

The market offers traditional textiles, clothing, jewellery, souvenirs, spices, incense, including Omani incense perfumes, handicrafts, as well as fruits, vegetables, medicinal herbs, and other local products.
5 January 2026 17:25 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Azerbaijan State Film Fund has hosted a commemorative evening dedicated to the 110th anniversary of the birth of the prominent theater and film actor, People's Artist Mammadrza Sheykhzamanov, Azernews reports.

The event began with the opening of a photo exhibition showcasing the life and work of the actor.

The Director of the State Film Fund, Honored Art Worker Jamil Guliyev, shared personal memories about M. Sheykhzamanov's film career and dubbing activities.

People's Artists Abdul Makhmudov and Khalida Guliyeva, Professor Ilham Rahimli, Honored Journalist Akif Ali, and Doctor of Philosophy in Philology Firudin Gurbansoy expressed their thoughts about the distinguished artist.

The actor's daughter, Afaq Sheykhzamanova, expressed her gratitude to the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the State Film Fund for organizing the event.

A video feature reflecting Mammadrza Sheykhzamanov's work, fragments from the films he appeared in, and archival footage of film figures Amaliya Panahova, Elkhan Gasimov, and Tofig Ismayilov speaking at the actor's 95th and 100th anniversaries were also presented as part of the event.

Mammadrza Sheykhzamanov (1915-1984) was one of the most esteemed actors of Azerbaijan,Born in 1915 in Ganja, he left an indelible mark on Azerbaijani cultural history.

His passion for acting also began to sprout during these school years. While still in secondary school, he joined the theater studio. In 1934, at the initiative of Habib Ismayilov, the director of the Jafar Jabbarly State Drama Theater in Ganja, Mammadrza Sheykhzamanov was invited to the theater. He made his debut in the play "The Hindu Girl" by A. Hamidi, playing the small role of Brahma.

During his time at the theater, he created memorable characters in plays such as "Vagif" (Eldar), "Farhad and Shirin" (Farhad), "Yashar" (Imamyar), "Two Brothers" (Yuri), and others.

In 1954, he began working at the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theater named after M. Azizbayov.

From that point onward, his career path in the arts began to shine even brighter. He became more widely recognized and loved for his diverse roles. At the theater, Mammadrza Sheykhzamanov created outstanding psychological and dramatic characters in such productions as "Farhad and Shirin", "Othello", "Gachag Nabi", and "Vagif".

Mammadrza Sheykhzamanov made his first appearance on the big screen in 1955 in the film "Bakhtiyar", where he played the role of Rajabov. This marked the beginning of his successful film career. He later appeared in many films produced by the Jafar Jabbarly Azerbaijan Film Studio, including "Under the Scorching Sun", "Leyli and Majnun", "The Secret of a Fortress", "To Forgive or Not", "Nasimi", and others.

In 1963, the great actor took on the role of Sirin kisi in the musical comedy film "Where is Ahmad?", directed by Adil Iskandarov, based on the screenplay by Sabit Rahman.

The film was based on a screenplay that had been stored in the studio's archives for a while. However, director Adil Iskandarov became interested in it and decided to bring it to life. The cast was handpicked by Iskandarov himself, featuring renowned actors such as Najiba Malikova, Mammadreza Sheykhzamanov, Mustafa Mardanov, Aliagha Aghayev, Lutfali Abdullayev, Beshir Safaroglu, along with young talents like Siyavush Shafiyev, Tohfa Azimova, Seyavush Aslan, Novruz Akhundov, and Eldaniz Zeynalov.

It was the first time a director personally selected five actors to join a film production. The filming took place across several locations, including Baku, Ganja, Goygol, Shamakhi, and Hajikand, with all dance sequences filmed at the Green Theatre.

Mammadrza Sheykhzamanov created yet another memorable character, playing Isfandiyar in the film "The Sound of the Flute" (1975), directed by Rasim Ojagov and based on the screenplay by Isa Huseynov.

In 1974, he was honoured with the title of People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR, recognising his significant impact on the arts. His dedication to his craft and his outstanding performances were also acknowledged posthumously when he was awarded the State Prize of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1984, shortly after his passing.

Mammadrza Sheykhzamanov passed away on January 25, 1984, at the age of 68. His legacy, however, lives on through his remarkable contributions to Azerbaijani theatre and cinema.
4 January 2026 19:53 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

On January 4, Azerbaijans Minister of Defense, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, met with Markwayne Mullin, a member of the United States Senate Armed Services Committee, who is visiting Azerbaijan, as well as other members of the US House of Representatives, Azernews reports.

The Ministry of Defense released the information. During the meeting held at the Ministry of Defense, Hasanov expressed satisfaction with the current level of AzerbaijanUS relations, emphasizing that cooperation between the two countries is of particular importance.

In turn, Mullin noted that mutual visits and meetings in various formats play an effective role in expanding bilateral relations.

The sides discussed the current state of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States, explored new opportunities and future prospects in the military, military-technical, and military education spheres, and exchanged views on a range of other issues of mutual interest.
5 January 2026 13:13 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

Life is gradually returning to its normal rhythm in Azerbaijans liberated territories under the Great Return program. Reconstruction and restoration efforts continue at full speed across Garabagh and neighbouring districts, which were under Armenian occupation for more than 30 years and suffered extensive destruction during that period.

However, the revival of these territories goes beyond reconstruction. Social life is returning as well, with weddings, birthday celebrations, betrothals, and other gatherings taking place. Internally displaced persons (IDPs), who were forcibly expelled from their homes and left behind their belongings, are rebuilding their lives in their native villages and beginning to heal the wounds of war.

Recently, the village of Shushakand, which was invaded in 1992 and liberated in 2020 by the Azerbaijani Army, held a ceremony to welcome its first returning soldier, Famil Huseynov, after he completed his military service. Conscripted from the Aghjabadi district, Huseynov was greeted with emotional scenes as villagers gathered to celebrate his homecoming.

Adding a historical resonance to the occasion, Famils father, Kamal Huseynov, had returned to the same village exactly 38 years earlier after completing his own military service. Famil Huseynovs return symbolises not only a personal milestone for his family but also a hopeful step toward the future of Shushakand, marking the villages renewal and the resilience of its community.
5 January 2026 16:37 (UTC+04:00)

President Ilham Aliyev has extended congratulations to the Christian community of Azerbaijan on the occasion of Holy Christmas, emphasizing the countrys long-standing traditions of tolerance, multiculturalism, and peaceful coexistence, Azernews reports.

The letter reads:

"Dear fellow compatriots!

I cordially congratulate you and the entire Christian community of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the Holy Christmas and extend my most heartfelt wishes to you all.

In Azerbaijan, representatives of different nations and religions have lived in an atmosphere of national and spiritual solidarity based on mutual respect and trust, kind friendship and brotherhood for centuries.

The promotion and encouragement of a culture of coexistence, moral and ethical norms, multicultural values, along with principles of tolerance, is one of the key directions of our state policy.

Today, in Azerbaijan, known for its rich traditions of tolerance, everyone can express their cultural identity. Regardless of language, religion, or nationality, comprehensive democratic and legal conditions have been created for all citizens of our country, including the Christian community, to preserve and further develop their ethnic and cultural identity. It is commendable that our Christian compatriots are closely involved in all areas of our public, political and cultural life, and spare no effort to contribute to the development and progress of our common home  Azerbaijan.

Christmas symbolizes renewal, purity, feelings of compassion and mercy. On this bright day, I once again congratulate all of you and wish your families happiness, abundance and blessings.

Happy holiday!"
5 January 2026 18:00 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

The next meeting of the Council of Interior Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will be held in 2026 in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, Azernews reports.

According to the press service of Tajikistans Ministry of Internal Affairs, the gathering will focus on the implementation of joint programs to combat crime across the CIS, strengthening cooperation in security matters, and enhancing mutual coordination among member states.

The 2025 session of the council took place in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The CIS comprises Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, and Tajikistan.

The Council of Interior Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is one of the key coordination bodies within the CIS framework, bringing together the heads of law-enforcement agencies of member states. Established to facilitate joint action against transnational threats, the council serves as a platform for coordinating policies on combating organised crime, terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking, cybercrime, and other cross-border security challenges.

Meetings of the council are held regularly and rotate among CIS member states, allowing host countries to shape the agenda in line with regional security priorities. Over the years, the council has overseen the development and implementation of joint operational plans, information-sharing mechanisms, and training programmes for law-enforcement personnel across the CIS space.

The most recent session in 2025, held in Saint Petersburg, focused on enhancing interagency cooperation and adapting joint crime-prevention measures to evolving security risks. The decision to hold the next meeting in Dushanbe in 2026 reflects Tajikistans growing role in regional security coordination, particularly given its proximity to Afghanistan and its focus on countering cross-border crime and security threats.
5 January 2026 19:02 (UTC+04:00)

Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, recently met with Her Highness Sayyida Ahad bint Abdullah bin Hamad Al Busaidiyah, First Lady of the Sultanate of Oman, during her visit to Muscat.

According to Azernews, Sayyida Ahad welcomed Leyla Aliyeva warmly and praised her public and charitable activities, which are highly regarded not only in Azerbaijan but also in many countries, including the Gulf Arab states.

The Omani First Lady acknowledged Aliyevas support for the environment, arts, and culture, as well as her active involvement in initiatives for children in need and other charitable programs. She also expressed her familiarity with Azerbaijans rich traditions in craftsmanship, carpet weaving, and textile arts.

Leyla Aliyeva expressed her gratitude for the warm reception and attention shown during the meeting. Emphasizing that this was her first visit to Oman, she highlighted her hope that the meeting would strengthen future collaboration between cultural and artistic institutions in both countries, particularly in the fields of arts, crafts, and carpet weaving.

Aliyeva underscored Azerbaijans long-standing traditions in carpet weaving and textiles and emphasized the importance of experience exchange in these areas. During the discussion, both sides agreed to develop joint projects in the mentioned fields, paving the way for closer cultural and artistic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Oman.
5 January 2026 21:26 (UTC+04:00)

In the context of Azerbaijan-US relations, 2025 can also be considered a historic year, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during an interview with local television channels on January 5.

Noting that the Section 907 amendment  adopted due to the activities of anti-Azerbaijani forces in the United States and the Armenian lobby  had prevented the establishment of broad-scale relations between the US and Azerbaijan, the head of state emphasized that this restriction has now been removed. He stated: There are, of course, two main reasons for this: first, the official end of the Armenia-Azerbaijan war, and second, the presence of the Trump administration in power in the United States. This administration includes members who are very pragmatic and professional, and they know very well what America's national interests are, with the President in charge.

President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the symbolic significance of President Donald Trump signing the waiver of Section 907 during a ceremony at the White House, which he attended in person.
5 January 2026 13:02 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has adopted the text of a declaration outlining a roadmap for reforms in the Armenian Apostolic Church, with the participation of bishops who have called for the resignation of the Catholicos of All Armenians.

According to Azernews, citing Armenian media, the declaration sets out plans to implement a comprehensive reform program within the church.

Under the proposed roadmap, the first step would be the public announcement of the reform program, followed by the removal of the Catholicos from office. The document then envisages holding elections to appoint an interim figure to assume the role of Catholicos.

The roadmap also  the adoption of a new church charter, which would establish mechanisms to uphold core principles, ensure financial transparency, and regulate standards of conduct for the clergy.

At the final stage, the declaration calls for elections for the Catholicos of All Armenians to be held in accordance with established procedures.
Cerapro  is a patented, skin pH-lowering cream approved for the treatment of atopic dermatitis under the European Medical Device Regulation ( CE Mark)

Product launch targeted for 2026 in six European markets, including Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium.

SINGAPORE, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyphens Pharma International Limited ("Hyphens Pharma", or the "Company", and together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"), Singapore's leading specialty pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare group, is pleased to announce that it has granted the rights to commercialise its innovative product, Cerapro MED Skin Barrier Cream, to Louis Widmer SA ("Louis Widmer") via a licensing, supply and commercialisation agreement ("Out-Licensing Agreement") that covers six European countries, namely Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

In accordance with the Out-Licensing Agreement with Louis Widmer, Hyphens Pharma will receive an upfront fee and customary royalties on sales.

Atopic dermatitis, a common form of eczema, affects millions across all age groups. Elevated skin pH and impaired skin barrier function are key drivers of this skin condition. Cerapro, with its patented formulation, lowers skin pH and helps restore the skin barrier. Approved as a CE-marked medical device under the stringent European Medical Device Regulation (MDR), Cerapro offers a novel treatment option for patients with eczema. Lowering skin pH also supports the skin's inherent antimicrobial defence system.

Under this collaboration, Louis Widmer, a Swiss-based international cosmetics and pharmaceuticals company renowned for high-quality dermatology products since 1960, will commercialise and promote Cerapro to dermatologists and paediatricians in the agreed markets. This collaboration reflects the shared vision of both companies to deliver science-backed products that enhance patient outcomes.

"This milestone partnership with Louis Widmer underscores our commitment to innovation and patient care," said Mr Lim See Wah, Chairman and CEO of Hyphens Pharma. "By leveraging Louis Widmer's strong presence and expertise in dermatology, we aim to bring Cerapro to patients in Europe while continuing to explore new growth opportunities."

"We are excited to partner with Hyphens Pharma to introduce Cerapro to our markets, offering patients a clinically proven solution for atopic dermatitis. Cerapro will be the new flagship of our Remederm line, which is a leader in Europe in both specialist retailers and doctors for the care of dry, very dry and atopic skin.," said Ms Annemarie Widmer, CEO of Louis Widmer.

About Hyphens Pharma International Limited

Hyphens Pharma International Limited and its subsidiaries (the "Group") is Singapore's leading specialty pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare group, driven by the belief that everyone deserves access to a better quality of life.

From its headquarters in Singapore, it maintains a direct presence in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, with extended reach into Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Hong Kong S.A.R. and Oman. Its five key entities  Hyphens Pharma, DocMed Technology, Ocean Health, Novem, and Ardence Aesthetics, collectively advance three core business areas: Pharmaceuticals & Medical Aesthetics, Proprietary Brands, and Digital Platform & E-Pharmacy.

Beyond marketing and distributing specialty pharmaceutical products across selected ASEAN markets through exclusive partnerships with global brand principals, the Group develops and commercialises proprietary dermatological and health supplement products. The Group's integrated ecosystem extends to a medical hypermart and digital pharmacy platform, enabling seamless prescription fulfillment and direct-to-patient medication delivery for healthcare providers.

More information is available at www.hyphensgroup.com.

About Louis Widmer SA

Louis Widmer SA is an international cosmetics and pharmaceuticals company from Switzerland. The family company, with its head office near Zurich, is known for its high-quality skin care and dermatology products. Since it was founded in 1960, Louis Widmer has dedicated itself to sustainability and innovation.

They distinguish themselves by developing, producing, and distributing both pharmaceutical and dermocosmetic products. Their main areas of expertise include dry skin, acne, pigmentation disorders, wound healing, anti-aging, and sun protection, among many others.

More information is available at www.louis-widmer.



Issued on behalf of : Hyphens Pharma International Limited For media enquires contact : Ms Karina Choo / Mr Gerald Woon / Ms Chong Yi Sze Email / DID / Mobile : [email protected] / (65) 6704 9280 / (65) 9107 6991



[email protected] / (65) 6704 9268 / (65) 9694 8364 [email protected] / (65) 9729 6694

This media release has been reviewed by the Company's sponsor, SAC Capital Private Limited (the "Sponsor"). It has not been examined or approved by the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (the "SGX-ST") and the SGX-ST assumes no responsibility for the contents of this media release, including the correctness of any of the statements or opinions made or reports contained in this media release.

The contact person for the Sponsor is Ms Lee Khai Yinn (Tel: (65) 6232 3210) at 1 Robinson Road, #21-01 AIA Tower, Singapore 048542.
5 January 2026 18:56 (UTC+04:00)

Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife arrived on Monday at a New York federal courthouse for their initial court appearance and arraignment, Azernews reports.

The president of the Bolivarian Republic is slated to appear in court today on drug and weapons charges, a few days after being apprehended in Caracas in a shock US military operation.

Maduro was transported to a nearby helipad from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. After that, he was flown to the southernmost point of Manhattan, a short distance across the East River.
The Dover Area School District in Pennsylvania had settled a lawsuit from a parent by paying financial compensation to the parent for secretly socially transitioning their vulnerable daughter at school to a male identity. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed, as they often are not when lawsuits are settled.

The daughter, a middle school student, was allowed to go by the name of Caleb and use male pronouns, all without permission of the girl's mother. Fortunately, no drugs or surgery were attempted and it only went as far as social transitioning.

The girl's mother only learned of what the school district was doing when a teacher asked the girl's brother how "your brother Caleb is doing" and the boy replied that he did not have a brother Caleb. The teacher then explained it was actually his sister now being called Caleb.. The brother reported it to the girl's mother and she sued in federal court. The school district's motions to dismiss were denied by the court, and the school system waved a white flag and settled.

https://dailycaller.com/2026/01/02/pennsylvania-secret-trans-school-district-mother/
A Northern Ireland facilities management and outsourcing group has said its invested 2m in the business in the last 12 months.

The Mount Charles Group said its now progressing towards fulfilling a five-year plan including investing 10m and creating 2,000 additional jobs by 2030.

The group, headquartered on Belfasts Ormeau Road, has 3,500 staff on the island of Ireland and turnover of 55m, a spokesperson said.

Mount Charles said its 2m spend included business improvements and contract investment as well as wide-ranging technological advancements

It had invested in its internal leadership academy which it said provided a Chartered Management Institute (CMI) recognised qualification towards building leadership credentials.

The group plans to invest another 8m in the next four years, according to chief strategy officer Gavin Annon.

Gavin Annon, chief strategy officer, The Mount Charles Group

He said: "We are committed to sustained growth and investment to deliver on our vision; the best employee and customer experience every day.

Were especially proud to have created the Mount Charles leadership academy, which will be one of the companys pillars of excellence going forward.

By equipping our people with accredited leadership skills and a clear pathway for progression, we are strengthening our pipeline of future leaders and reinforcing our long-term commitment to professional growth, social value and sustainability.

The company was set up in 1988 by Trevor Annon, starting out as a small contract catering business.

From left, Trevor Annon, Barry Byrne, Stacey McAlister and Gavin Annon

News Catch Up - Monday 5 January

Its now a major operator in support services with clients across the island of Ireland including Ulster Rugby, Translink, Belfast International Airport, Simon Community Ireland and the Irish Blood Transfusion Service.

According to accounts for the Northern Ireland-registered Mount Charles Group, it had turnover of 39.8m and pre-tax profits of 1m in the year to September 30 2024.
Ask Allison: My son tells me his wife screams at him and knows how to push his buttons. He feels so lost. How do I help?
One of Northern Irelands most prestigious schools has announced its next principal.

The Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI), widely known as Inst, confirmed the news in a letter to parents and past pupils.

Dr Craig Walker will become principal in August following the retirement of Janet Williamson at the end of the academic year.

Current RBAI principal Janet Williamson

RBAI

News Catch Up - Monday 5 January

The chair of RBAIs Board of Governors, Michael Howard, said Dr Walker was honoured" to be selected.

He said: "Dr Walker joins RBAI from Pitsford School in Northamptonshire, where he has served as head for the past eight years.

"Prior to this, he spent 18 years at Loughborough Grammar School, progressing to the role of deputy headmaster. He holds a First-Class Honours degree in history from the University of Glasgow and a Doctorate from Balliol College, Oxford.

"Dr Walker said he was honoured to be selected as the next principal of RBAI. He expressed his commitment to building upon the achievements of Janet Williamson and to working collaboratively with the school's staff, Board of Governors, parent community and alumni.

"He also reflected on RBAI's identity as a multicultural, integrated grammar school dedicated to equipping young men to take their place in society.

Mr Howard added that Dr Walker pointed to RBAI as a distinguished school with a longstanding educational mission.

"Dr Walker highlighted the school's unique position in the heart of Belfast for over 200 years and the exciting plans now underway to redevelop the South Wing to provide modern and fit-for-purpose facilities, he continued.

"Describing RBAI as an ambitious and distinguished school with a longstanding educational mission, Dr Walker conveyed his enthusiasm for joining the Inst community.
The incident was reported at around 9.30pm

Emergency services are at the scene

Emergency services are at the scene of an ongoing rescue incident in Co Tyrone.

Rescue teams, police, firefighters, and the ambulance service are all attending the incident in the Bridge Street area of Strabane.

Emergency services were called to reports of a person entering the water at around 9:30pm.

The Belfast Telegraph understands the person has not yet been accounted for.

Emergency services are at the scene

Jackknifed lorry partially closes M2 outside Ballymena

The search remains ongoing.
Ex-loyalist paramilitary chief arrested after being snared by paedophile hunters sting in Belfast

The suspect has since been released on bail

The suspect was at one point one of the most senior loyalists in the area

Liam Tunney Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 07:07

A former loyalist paramilitary chief arrested after being caught in an online sting carried out by a self-styled paedo hunters group in Belfast has been released on bail.
A house has been destroyed during an early morning blaze in east Belfast.

Firefighters were called to reports of an oil tank fire in the Lismain Street area of east Belfast shortly after 5:30am.

Five fire engines, an aerial platform, and the Command Support Unit were deployed to the incident.

One engine from Central Fire Station, two engines and Aerial Support from Knock Fire Station, one engine and a Hazmat Pump from Whitla Fire Station, and one engine and a Command Support Unit from Lisburn Fire Station attended the incident.

On arrival, firefighters discovered the blaze had spread to the property.

Firefighters in breathing apparatus used 1 jet, 2 hose reel jets, and 1 foam jet to extinguish the fire.

Video from the scene on Monday morning shows the property gutted by the blaze, and a motorbike has also been destroyed.

News Catch Up - Monday 5 January

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue service said, One person was out of the property on the arrival of NIFRS. Firefighters used a gas monitor to ensure levels were normal in surrounding properties.

The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental ignition and Firefighters left the scene at 8.10am.
Motorists are urged to take extra care on untreated roads as temperatures plunge to -6C

More than 100 schools will remain closed tomorrow as a renewed weather warning for ice comes into force, with wintry conditions continuing to cause disruption.

The schools confirmed they would not reopen following heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures that led to more than 200 closing on Monday.

Farrah Belal enjoying the snow on Divis and Black Mountain on 5th January 2026 (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph)

Education officials said decisions on further closures were being taken locally, depending on road conditions, access to school buildings and the safety of pupils and staff.

It comes as the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for ice covering all counties, in place from yesterday evening until 10am this morning.

Forecasters said that falling temperatures overnight would lead to icy patches forming on untreated surfaces, increasing the risk of accidents and injuries. The warning follows a spell of rain, sleet and snow across Northern Ireland which left many roads and pavements wet before temperatures dropped below freezing.

Snow on Divis and Black Mountain (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph)

The Met Office said that where surfaces have not been treated, or where grit has been washed away by showers, icy conditions are likely to develop quickly.

In the early hours of Monday morning, temperatures fell to -6.6C in Killylane, Co Antrim  the lowest recorded across the island of Ireland.

Icy stretches are expected to form on untreated surfaces, a Met Office spokesperson said, cautioning of potential slips, falls and road traffic collisions during the warning period.

Road conditions remained difficult in many areas yesterday, particularly on secondary and rural routes, as commuters returned to work after the weekend and new year break. Emergency services attended a number of weather-related incidents, including one in Co Armagh where a school bus skidded off the Bannfoot Road in the Derrytrasna area and came to rest in a roadside verge. No injuries were reported.

Police have urged motorists to take extra care, especially during the early morning hours when ice is most likely to form.

The PSNI advised drivers to reduce speed, increase stopping distances and ensure vehicles are properly prepared for winter conditions.

Drivers should clear all ice and snow from their windscreens before setting off and allow extra time for journeys, a police spokesperson said.

Care should be taken on roads that may not have been gritted.

Meanwhile, many people were spotted out enjoying the wintry weather, with children and families pictured on Belfasts Divis and Black Mountain.

A golden retriever out in the snow on Monday (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph)

Air travel was also affected, with a number of flights cancelled at both Belfast International and Belfast City airports on Monday.

Several early arrivals and departures to and from Britain and Europe were grounded due to the conditions, with passengers advised to check directly with airlines before travelling.

Airport operators warned that further disruption remains possible if freezing conditions persist, particularly during the early morning period when aircraft de-icing and runway conditions can cause delays.

The Department for Infrastructure confirmed that gritting teams were deployed across the region, focusing on main routes and known trouble spots.

However, officials stressed that it is not possible to treat every road, especially in rural and upland areas, and urged drivers to avoid unnecessary journeys where conditions are poor.

Road users should be aware that even treated roads can become icy if temperatures fall low enough, a department spokesperson said.

Extra caution is required, especially overnight and in the early morning.

Schools that remained closed today cited a combination of unsafe travel conditions, access issues and concerns around heating systems affected by the cold weather.

Education officials said parents and guardians should rely on direct communication from schools rather than travelling unnecessarily.

Cold Arctic air and wet weather to bring icy patches to UK

The disruption comes as parts of Northern Ireland continue to experience below-average temperatures for the time of year, with forecasters predicting further cold nights even where snowfall eases. While some areas saw conditions improve slightly during yesterday afternoon, the drop in temperature after dark raised concerns about refreezing on roads and footpaths.

Health officials also urged caution, particularly for older people and those with mobility issues, who are more vulnerable to slips and falls during icy conditions. Members of the public were encouraged to check on neighbours and relatives who may be affected by the cold weather.

Community groups reported a varied picture, with some areas experiencing significant snowfall while others were mainly affected by ice.

Higher ground and inland locations were among the worst hit, with drifting snow reported in places and difficult conditions on exposed routes.

The Met Office said the current spell of wintry weather is not unusual for January, but warned that even light snowfall can have serious impacts when combined with freezing temperatures and untreated surfaces.

Further updates are expected as conditions evolve.

As Northern Ireland faces another cold start to the day, authorities continue to urge caution, preparedness and patience as services work to manage the ongoing disruption caused by snow and ice.
STOCKHOLM, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On 5 January 2026, Metacon increased its shareholding in Botnia Hydrogen AB ("Botnia"), which, among other things, owns two of a currently limited number of electrolyzers in Sweden for the production of fossil-free hydrogen for the transport sector. Through the transaction, Metacon becomes the majority shareholder in Botnia, which will consequently be financially consolidated as a subsidiary. The shares were subscribed for through a share issue by set-off amounting to SEK 10 million.

Metacon previously held 21.6 per cent of the shares in Botnia Hydrogen AB, a company that builds and operates production units and refuelling stations for green hydrogen in Sweden. Through the subscription of 43,250 shares at a subscription price of SEK 231.2 per share in a share issue by set-off, Metacon has increased its ownership to 60.8 per cent of the shares in the company. The consideration for the shares was set off against a receivable from the company and has no impact on Metacon's cash position.

The transaction forms part of Metacon's strategic work to clarify its focus within hydrogen-based road transport. It is intended to prepare for business development and a possible future divestment of existing refuelling station assets and operations to specialised operators, while the operations within production and sales of hydrogen are strengthened.

"We are pleased that Metacon has chosen to invest in Botnia Hydrogen AB. This strengthens our financial position and provides good opportunities to continue developing our operations," says Joachim Karthauser, representative of Zelk Energy, one of the other shareholders in Botnia Hydrogen AB.

"The transaction enables us to take a clearer step into the market for hydrogen production required both for vehicle refuelling and other applications, and thereby to further sharpen our focus within the transport sector. Metacon's strength lies in enabling cost-efficient production of green hydrogen, and this is where we believe we can contribute the most to the transport sector going forward. There is currently a significant shortage of green hydrogen in Sweden, which means that a large share must be imported from neighbouring countries in an inefficient manner," comments Christer Wikner, CEO and President of Metacon.

This report contains information that Metacon AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, on January 5, 2026 at. 19:10 CET.

Contact

Christer Wikner, President & CEO, +46 707 647 389, [email protected]

About Metacon

Metacon AB (publ) develops and manufactures energy systems to produce fossil-free "green" hydrogen. In the Electrolysis business unit and in close partnership with world leader PERIC Hydrogen Technologies, Handan, China, Metacon offers complete electrolysis plants for large-scale production of hydrogen. Metacon also offers production-integrated hydrogen refueling stations, a globally growing area within clean transport. The products in the Reforming business unit are based, among other things, on Metacon's patented HIWAR technology that generates hydrogen through catalytic steam reforming of biogas or other hydrocarbons such as bioethanol. The development of Metacon's reforming products is carried out within the wholly owned subsidiary Metacon S.A. in Patras, Greece. The business is focused on catalytic process chemistry and advanced, compact reformers for high-efficiency hydrogen production. www.metacon.com

For more information, see:

www.metacon.com | X: @Metaconab | Pa LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/metaconab

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/metacon-ab/r/metacon-increases-its-shareholding-in-botnia-hydrogen-ab-through-a-share-issue-by-set-off,c4288799

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The 10 men killed in the Kingsmill massacre are to be remembered at an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the tragedy.

The textile workers were shot when their minibus was ambushed outside the village of Kingsmill in Co Armagh on their way home from work on January 5 1976.

Republican gunmen posing as British soldiers ordered them off a minibus on their way home from work.

The killers asked the occupants of the bus what their religion was and the only Catholic was ordered to run away.

The killers, who had hidden in hedges, forced the 11 remaining men to line up outside the van before opening fire.

Only one man, Alan Black, survived, despite being shot 18 times.

Alan Black (Oliver McVeigh/PA)

No-one has ever been convicted over one of the most notorious incidents of the Troubles.

In 2024 a coroner described the massacre as an overtly sectarian attack by the IRA but did not name individuals suspected of involvement.

A watchdog report April last year identified a series of failings in the original police investigation, including a wholly insufficient deployment of resources.

Mondays service will be held at the Kingsmill Memorial Wall at the scene of the atrocity at the Kingsmill crossroads.

A religious service was held on Sunday at Bessbrook Town Hall.

The 10 men who died were Robert Chambers, 18, John Bryans, 50, Reginald Chapman, 29, Walter Chapman, 35, Robert Freeburn, 58, Joseph Lemmon, 49, John McConville, 20, James McWhirter, 63, Robert Walker, 46, and Kenneth Worton, 24.

Clockwise from top left: Joseph Lemmon, Walter Chapman, John Bryans, Kenneth Worton, Robert Walker, Robert Freeburn, Robert Chambers, John McConville, James McWhirter and Reginald Chapman (Niall Carson/PA)

The massacre came during a week of sectarian bloodshed in Northern Ireland.

The shootings were seen as a retaliation to loyalist attacks the day before, in which six men from two Catholic families were killed.

On January 4 the UVFs Glenanne Gang shot brothers John Martin Reavey, 24, and Brian Reavey, 22, who lived near Kingsmill.

A third brother, Anthony, 17, died several weeks later from his injuries.

Minutes later the gang burst in on a reunion of the ODowd family and killed brothers Barry, 24, and Declan, 19, and their uncle Joe, 61.
Ireland head coach on why hes expecting Ulster talisman to live up to the billing on his first Six Nations start in five years
Hundreds of schools have been shut and flights cancelled as weather warnings remain in force with snow bringing disruption.

Amber weather warnings were in place for snow until 10am in parts of Scotland, forecasting heavy snow and travel disruption, while yellow warnings for snow and ice still cover parts of the UK.

A number of schools across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are shut on Monday, while flights have been cancelled and some train lines are also affected.

Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands has seen 34cm of snow, while Dyce in Aberdeenshire and Altnaharra, Sutherland, recorded 27cm, the Met Office said.

Sennybridge in Powys had 19cm, Castlederg in Co Tyrone saw 9cm, and Bridlington in East Yorkshire recorded 6cm.

The amber warnings covered Aberdeen, Aviemore in the Cairngorms, and Ullapool, Ross-shire.

The warnings covered much of the Highlands and Aberdeenshire areas, Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebridean Islands, from Sunday evening until 10am on Monday.

Separate yellow warnings for snow and ice were in force for much of the UK, with some ending on Monday morning leaving warnings for much of Scotland north of Glasgow, parts of Wales and the south-west, and east England stretching up to the Scottish Borders still in place.

Amber weather warnings are issued when there is an increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather, including the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property.

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Yellow warnings are issued for a range of weather situations, including when it is likely that the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places, or when the weather could bring much more severe impacts to the majority of people but the certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower, according to the Met Office.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued amber cold health alerts for England as an early warning that adverse temperatures are likely to affect health and wellbeing, running until Friday.

The lowest temperatures recorded overnight were minus 10.9C in Shap, Cumbria, minus 10.3C in Sennybridge, Powys, and minus 9.9C in Bala, Gwynedd, according to the Met Office.

Schools in Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles, Aberdeenshire and many in Moray are shut on Monday. Some across parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland are also closed.

In Wales, train services are disrupted between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog, between Machynlleth and Pwllheli and between Wales and Manchester Piccadilly via Shrewsbury/Crewe, National Rail said.

Train services in northern Scotland will be disrupted until the end of the day on Tuesday, National Rail said. Stations north of Edinburgh will not be served by LNER until 2pm on Monday, and there will be no ScotRail services on routes between Dundee and Aberdeen; Aberdeen/Elgin and Inverness; and Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh/Wick, until at least midday.

Eurostar advised passengers travelling between London and the Netherlands to postpone their journey as services are unable to operate beyond Brussels due to the weather in the Netherlands.

All trains scheduled to depart from the Netherlands cannot run, a spokesperson added.

The Met Office warned that people living in the regions covered by the amber weather warning could expect travel disruption, and that rural communities could become cut off.

A yellow warning for snow and ice covers much of Scotland north of Glasgow (Beth Edmonston/PA)

Loganair cancelled flights from Aberdeen and Inverness airports following heavy snowfall.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport posted on X on Monday at 8am to say the runway was closed due to wintry conditions and some flights were subject to delay and there have been some cancelations.

Both City of Derry Airport and Belfast International Airport said there had been a number of cancellations or delays on Monday.

Warnings have been issued for the north-east coast of England (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Police travel advice has been issued following the weather warnings for snow across north and north-east Scotland.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell: The forecasted heavy snow showers and ice means driving conditions are likely to be hazardous in some areas.

Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary during the weather warnings.

We continue to work with partners to help our communities impacted by the adverse weather.

If you need to travel, please drive to the conditions, be prepared for delays and allow extra time for your journey.

Please dont drive through road closures, the decision to close roads is not taken lightly and is done for public safety.

The north-west of England also saw snow and ice (Peter Byrne/PA)

The AA said there has been a 40% spoke in AA callouts compared to a typical Monday.

The RAC issued advice to those planning to drive during the wintry weather.

Spokesman Rod Dennis said: Drivers must take extreme care, especially those using roads that havent been gritted, and should consider delaying their journeys until conditions improve.

For those making essential trips, allow extra time to fully de-ice and de-mist your vehicle and leave plenty of space behind the vehicle in front and reduce your speed to give yourself more time to stop.

If you do break down, being prepared is vital. Make sure you have warm, waterproof clothing, sturdy footwear, a hot drink in a flask, and a power bank to keep your phone charged.
So apocalyptic was the January 1839 hurricane which blew in from Atlantic, it was believed at the time to be a battle between English and Irish fairy folk

Sunday January 6 1839 signalled the end of the festive season, and the last of the 12 Days of Christmas. The people of Ireland woke to light snow and many were looking forward to the evenings celebrations.

The date was known as Nollaig na mBan, womens Christmas, when women across the country took a day off from their traditional roles within the home as a reward for all their effort and visited friends and family.

The temperature rose dramatically by mid-afternoon before rain started around 3pm. The Ordnance Survey had been carrying out observations at Phoenix Park for a decade and their readings showed how quickly the atmosphere was changing during the day. As evening approached, people were aware of an approaching storm.

By 10pm Ireland was hit with the full force of a hurricane that would last at least eight hours. It had travelled over the Atlantic Ocean gathering momentum, before crashing over the west coast. Waves even broke over the top of the Cliffs of Moher. And so the destruction began.

The Enniskillen Chronicle wrote the next day: The gale increased in violence until it became a perfect hurricane, unroofing houses, blowing down chimneys, prostrating boundary walls and almost everything that offered resistance.

As windows shattered and the thatch on rooftops blew away, the people of Ireland were in darkness, only able to see in the flickers of lightning and the light of an apparent aurora borealis. In recorded memories of the event, the main sensory experience was the sheer noise of the storm, the deafening roar of a thousand pieces of artillery, a reporter wrote on January 10.

Read more Met Office issues new weather warning for Northern Ireland

Thousands of trees were blown down across Ireland. Fires broke out, fanned by the fierce winds. Along the Tyrone-Monaghan border there was a fire in almost every townland. In Dublin, the Bethesda Chapel caught on fire, burning the church, its attached school, six town houses and the House of Refuge for reclaimed females.

The River Liffey overflowed, there were flash floods in Strabane and all the water was reportedly blown out of a canal near Tuam. The earth was stripped alongside the River Boyne, exposing the bones of soldiers killed in battle 150 years earlier. Fish were found six miles inland while vegetation even 40 miles inland tasted of brine.

It is difficult to calculate the number of lives lost that night. Estimates put the death toll between 250 and 300 people. Many sailors died at sea, including the captain and entire crew of the Andrew Nugent, wrecked off Arranmore Island. Lord Castlemaine was fastening his bedroom window at Moydrum Castle in Athlone when the storm blew it open, hurling him across the room and killing him instantly. Those who died in the aftermath, from injuries, pneumonia, frostbite or other related consequences of the storm have never been counted.

Stacks of hay and corn were devastated by fire. The houses that suffered the most were those of the lower classes. Some families and communities were only just recovering from the effects of the storm by 1845 when Ireland faced another national catastrophe with the first failure of the potato crop.

As they sought to make sense of the seemingly apocalyptic event they had lived through, people turned to religion and superstition. The storm was variously interpreted as a battle between English and Irish fairy folk, the devil causing havoc and as a warning from God that the Day of Judgment would soon arrive. With the onslaught of the Great Hunger six years later, it is no wonder that people were afraid to name this terrible event.

By the end of the century, the name used by the poor to discuss the trauma of January 1839 was most commonly The Night of the Big Wind. It had become easier to discuss this freak occurrence than the more traumatic An Gorta Mor, the Irish term for the Great Hunger of the late 1840s.

Major storms, such as the Night of the Big Wind, were a feature of 19th century Ireland

Paul Mescal would love to one day play Micheal Collins

In a strange twist, cultural memories of the night were also to become very lucrative in the next century.

In 1909 the Old Age Pension Act was implemented in the United Kingdom. Old age was deemed to include those 70 years old and above. In Ireland  still part of the UK at this point  this was a problem, as birth registration had not been made compulsory in Ireland until 1864. Many old people, particularly Catholics, had no way to prove they were over the threshold. Memories and anecdotal evidence were turned to as a means of establishing whether someone was eligible.

Being able to give an account of your memory of the Big Wind was a sure-fire way of establishing you were over 70. Pension bureaucracy noted that quite a lot of people had the same memory and even recounted it in the same phrase: I was able to eat a potato out of my hand on the night of the big wind.

This was an easy to remember expression but also showed the individual was old enough to feed themselves in 1839.

By March 1909, 80,000 people in the United Kingdom had applied for the pension  70,000 were Irish.

One such pensioner was Tim Joyce from Co Limerick, who cheerfully recounted: I always thought I was 60. But my friends came to me and told me they were certain sure I was 70 and as there were three or four of them against me, the evidence was too strong for me. I put in for the pension and got it.

Dr Robyn Atcheson is a social historian based at Queen's University Belfast. She will give a talk on the 'Night of the Big Wind' at Holywood Library, Co Down, on Saturday January 10. Further info and tickets here.
DUPs Phillip Brett: I lost my dad when I was young. Nigel Dodds became a really influential figure in my life

In an exclusive interview with The BelTel podcast, the North Belfast MLA talks about justice for his brothers murder, political parents Nigel and Diane Dodds, and why he thinks there wont be a border poll

Phillip Brett with his 'political dad' Nigel Dodds in 2022

Mark Bain Mon 5 Jan 2026 at 08:22

A criticism often levelled at the Assembly is that there are few from a younger generation coming through to oust the old guard.
Ireland boss outlines why hes expecting Ulster talisman to live up to the billing on his first Six Nations start in five years
The legislation was passed by the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on December 29 (PA)

Ireland has joined with six other European countries to condemn Israeli legislation targeting a United Nations aid organisation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the legislation includes measures to cut water, electricity and communications to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

It said this undermines the UN mandate, violates international law and is contrary to the findings of the International Court of Justice, while risking grave humanitarian consequences for the Palestinian civilian population and refugees.

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The joint statement was also issued by Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain.

They called on Israel to allow established international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to be permitted to operate in Gaza and that any deregistrations be halted.

It said NGOs constitute a significant part of all humanitarian and especially health services in Gaza and the West Bank and they are needed to confront the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and beyond.

The statement concludes: Respect for the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and for international humanitarian law is imperative.

The legislation passed by the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on December 29 was quickly condemned by UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, who described it as inconsistent with the status and international legal framework applicable to UNRWA and called for it to be immediately repealed.

Israel says the rules are aimed at preventing Hamas and other militant groups from infiltrating the aid organisations.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper making a statement in the House of Commons, London, after a US military operation in Venezuela over the weekend to capture leader Nicolas Maduro (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA)

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said she raised the importance of international law with her US counterpart after President Donald Trumps intervention in Venezuela.

But she stopped short of saying whether the military action that saw Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro captured and taken to New York was a breach of such laws and told MPs it was for the US to set out the legal basis for the move.

Ms Cooper also reiterated that the UK will shed no tears for the end of Maduros rule as she accused him of using fear, coercion and violence to cling to power.

She addressed the Commons after Maduro entered a not guilty plea in court in New York, where he and his wife haven been indicted on charges of narco-terrorism.

Meanwhile, both allies and adversaries of the US criticised its intervention at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

Ms Cooper said she spoke to US secretary of state Marco Rubio over the weekend.

She said: In my discussions with Secretary Rubio, I raised the importance of complying with international law, and we will continue to urge all partners to do so.

It is, of course, for the US to set out the legal basis for their actions, and the UN Security Council is discussing Venezuela this afternoon.

These issues will continue to be matters for international discussion.

I discussed with Secretary Rubio what should happen next and our continued commitment to a transition to a peaceful and stable democracy.

Our collective immediate focus must be on avoiding any deterioration in Venezuela into further instability, criminality, repression or violence that would be deeply damaging for the people of Venezuela, our own overseas territories, our allies and in the US and other regional partners.

The Foreign Secretary added that she also spoke to Mr Rubio about the role the UK can play in supporting a peaceful democratic transition that respects the will of the Venezuelan people.

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Ms Cooper opened her statement with criticism of Maduro for his authoritarian rule and criticised his links to Russia and said his regime facilitated organised criminal activity and narcotics trafficking and illegal gold trading.

That undermines the security of the whole region, including UK overseas territories, as well as the United States and other regional partners, she said.

Ms Cooper noted opposition figures had been forced out of the country.

She said: These are the hallmarks of a regime that clings to power through fear, coercion and violence, not through democratic consent.

And that is why, as the Prime Minister said on Saturday, we can shed no tears for the end of Maduros rule.

The Foreign Secretary was urged to call out the US for a breach of international law.

Dame Emily Thornberry, chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said: We should be calling it out for what it is, a breach of international law.

It is not for the country that is breaking the law to say whether or not it has broken the law.

It is for the West surely to stand up and say, call it as it is.

Doesnt she therefore share my concern that there might be a profound risk of international norms changing if we dont do that, it may become OK?

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper making a statement in the House of Commons after a US military operation in Venezuela over the weekend to capture leader Nicolas Maduro (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA)

Ms Cooper replied: I know that she and I would probably agree that a man who is currently being investigated for crimes against humanity and who has such a history of political repression as well as economic destruction and corruption should not be leading a country.

But she added that the UK is committed to international law, repeating that she had raised the issue with Mr Rubio and made clear that we will continue to urge all countries to follow it.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer earlier described Maduro as illegitimate.

While he said international law had to be the anchor for the future of Venezuela, he declined to comment on whether the American operation breached international law, saying the situation was complicated and it was for the US to set out its justifications for the actions that its taken.

Among the international laws the US could be at risk of breaching, if it provides no justification for the attacks, is the founding charter of the United Nations.

Article 2 of the UN Charter says all members should refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said he is deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected with regard to the January 3 military action.

He said the grave action by the US could set a precedent for future relations between nations.

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The removal of Maduro is seen as the most assertive US intervention to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and followed months of pressure from Washington on the country and its autocratic leader.

Widespread protests followed Maduros apparent victory in the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, amid accusations that electoral fraud led to him retaining power.

He was also accused of human rights abuses and corruption during his leadership.

Delcy Rodriguez, who served as Maduros vice president, has indicated she hopes to work with the US now she is the countrys interim leader.

The Trump administration has not indicated support for replacing the ruling regime with a government led by Maduros opposition rival Maria Corina Machado, who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Mr Trump has insisted that the US would run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey told the Commons Mr Trump has no interest in Venezuelan democracy.

He said: Trumps refusal to back Nobel Prize winner Maria Machado, Maduros brave liberal opponent, shows Trump has no interest in Venezuelan democracy.

This is about Trump believing he can grab anything he wants and get away with it  this time, oil.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the Conservatives understood why Mr Trump had intervened, saying the UK was acting in its national interest and that the UK needed to do the same.

She said: We on this side of the House understand why the US has taken this action, as the Foreign Secretary said, UK policy has long been to press for a peaceful transition from authoritarian rule to a democracy. That never happened.
Jaidee Bingham, one of three teenagers who beat up a homeless man near Londons Kings Cross station, has been jailed for murder (Handout/PA)

Three teenagers who posed for selfies after killing a homeless man near Londons Kings Cross station have been jailed.

Eymaiyah Lee Bradshaw-McKoy, 18, Mia Campos-Jorge, 19, and Jaidee Bingham, 18, chased and beat up Anthony Marks, 51, on August 10 2024.

Mr Marks suffered a head injury with bleeding on the brain from which he died five weeks later.

Photographs from the night featured the laughing teenagers, then aged 16 and 17, before and after they carried out the killing.

Mia Campos-Jorge was jailed for manslaughter (Met Police/PA)

Drug dealer Bingham, known as Ghost, caused the fatal injury by striking Mr Marks over the head twice with a glass bottle after he had fallen to the ground.

Audio from a CCTV camera picked up male and female voices shouting: Hit him again. Kick kicking. Do it again. Have you learned your lesson yet?

As they made off in a car with false number plates, the youths were seen on video recordings in a mood of celebration with Bingham saying: We messed up a man today.

The assault was said to have been a punishment beating after one of the young women, who worked as drug runners, was violently robbed.

Police pieced together events and identified the defendants from CCTV footage and analysis of mobile phones.

On Monday, Bingham, from Dagenham, was locked up for life with a minimum term of 16 years after being found guilty of murder by a jury.

Mia Campos-Jorge was sentenced alongside two others at the Old Bailey (Met Police/PA)

Bradshaw-McKoy, from Brixton, was locked up for 47 months, and Campos-Jorge, from Tottenham, handed 42 months in custody after being convicted of manslaughter.

Sentencing at the Old Bailey on Monday, Judge Mark Dennis KC said Bingham had elevated the confrontation by picking up the bottle and using it with severe violence.

The court had previously heard how staff at Kings Cross station alerted emergency services after finding Mr Marks stumbling near the main concourse, with blood dripping from his head, shortly before 6am.

He was in a critical condition when paramedics arrived and took him to St Marys Hospital in Paddington.

A CT scan showed bleeding on his brain caused by the attack, on top of a pre-existing injury, the court heard.

The incident took place outside the closed McGlynns pub (Met Police/PA)

In a police interview, Mr Marks described being assaulted outside the closed McGlynns pub, during a row with the dealer Ghost about stolen crack cocaine.

He told officers: I met my local drug dealer, his names Ghost, he has a complaint. Hes complained that one of the smokers had taken some drugs off one of the subsidiary girls and had run away with it.

I told him basically its got nothing to do with me, but he claims that I know who the people were. I said, yeah, I know who they were, but I never took nothing off them.

Eymaiyah Lee Bradshaw-McKoy was just 16 at the time of the incident (Met Police/PA)

He said Ghost and the two women had chased him towards the pub where he was stamped on and hit.

On being discharged from hospital, Mr Marks was transferred to prison on August 13 2024 for breaching his licence after an earlier release.

In custody, he complained of headaches and slurred speech, but was not referred for another brain scan, the court was told.

Anthony Marks died weeks after the attack (Met Police/PA)

On August 29 2024, prison staff were called to his cell after he had a seizure, the jury heard.

He underwent emergency surgery at Kings College Hospital where he died on September 14 2024 from bleeding on the brain caused by the violent attack a month before.

Prosecutor Hugh Davies KC had said there were some missed opportunities for medical intervention, but Mr Marks would not have died if he had not been assaulted in the first place.

Following the youths convictions, Detective Inspector Jim Barry, of Scotland Yard, said it was a callous murder that shed light on the ruthless brutality of county lines gangs.

He said: The ages of Bingham, Bradshaw-McKoy and Campos-Jorge are particularly shocking. But the fact that they were teenagers does not excuse their violent actions as part of a drug line that has brought fear and intimidation to Londons streets.

They believed they had escaped justice, even posing for selfies together and laughing about what they had done. There is a sense of justice that officers were able to use these to place them at the scene of the crime.
John Swinney has insisted there are a variety of tactics that could be used to force a second vote on Scotlands place in the UK, if Mays Holyrood vote shows emphatic support for independence.

The First Minister and SNP leader has set his party the target of winning an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament in a bid to win a fresh referendum on the issue.

But with the current Labour Government rejecting calls for such a vote  as previous Tory PMs also did  Mr Swinney was pressed on how he would convert a majority into a second referendum ballot.

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The First Minister told BBC Radio Scotlands Breakfast programme that there are a variety of tactics we can deploy if the people of Scotland give us their emphatic support for the question of Scottish independence.

However he was clear he was not going to set out my tactics in advance of an election campaign.

Mr Swinneys comments come after Chancellor Rachel Reeves emphatically ruled out another independence vote taking place  saying in November that the 2014 ballot had been described as a once-in-a-generation referendum.

She insisted: People gave their verdict then, we dont need another one.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves insisted Scotland had had its say in 2014 (Lucy North/PA)

Mr Swinney however argued it would be an an unsustainable democratic position for the UK Government to resist the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland.

He added that the emphatic will of the people of Scotland could still lead to another vote.

His message to voters ahead of the May 7 Holyrood election is that if people want Scotland to become an independent country, the route to make that happen is by electing a majority of SNP MSPs in the Scottish Parliament.

The First Minister added: I am simply saying to people in Scotland if they want Scotland to be an independent country then the safest, most reliable way of delivering that outcome is to vote for the Scottish National Party.

Recalling the 2011 election, when the SNP, under then leader Alex Salmond won an unprecedented majority in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Swinney said this had meant the argument for holding a referendum was irrefutable.

The SNP leader declared that that is the precedent weve got to rely upon.

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It comes as polling north of the border suggests the SNP is on track to remain the largest party at Holyrood  in what would be a record fifth consecutive Scottish Parliament election victory  but could fall short of an overall majority of 65 seats.

Weve got polling at this stage, some of it shows we could achieve 63 seats, Mr Swinney accepted.

He insisted he was not satisfied with that polling level as it stands, saying his party was campaigning with energy and with enthusiasm and with focus in order to seek to win a majority  with the First Minister adamant that this is the route to Scotland becoming an independent country.

His comments came as his insisted that leaving the UK would give Scotland a fresh start with independence.

Mr Swinney said the alternative to that was to stay with the stagnation of Westminster and with UK standards of living that have been flat as a pancake for the past 15 years.

Instead of Scotland being saddled with economic mistakes of Westminster he promised the SNP would offer voters a bold agenda of what the future of Scotland can look like, saying independence would allow the country to achieve the far superior economic performance of other small independent nations in Europe.
SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MulticoreWare, Inc., a global technology company and software partner for Qualcomm Incorporated, today announced a new demonstration highlighting the seamless implementation of ADAS workloads using Qualcomm AI toolchains and QCR100 cloud-based instances.

The demo highlights a complete 'Cloud-to-Car' development and validation workflow, enabling OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers to rapidly test and optimize Perception, Planning, and Sensor Fusion workloads in the cloud before deploying them to the edge.

By leveraging Qualcomm AI Hub and AIMET, MulticoreWare successfully quantized a complex ADAS Perception model and validated its inference on the Qualcomm Cloud AI 100 (QCR100) accelerator, replicating automotive-grade performance and significantly reducing development cycles for Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs).

Streamlining AI Deployment, the demo illustrates how MulticoreWare's expertise in AI toolchains allows for the efficient onboarding of custom OEM models. By converting models from FP32 to highly optimized INT8 formats via AIMET, the solution ensures high accuracy and performance when deployed on Qualcomm automotive platforms.

"We are excited to partner with Qualcomm, leveraging MulticoreWare's deep expertise in optimizing and quantizing AI models with Qualcomm AI toolchains for compute-intensive ADAS and in-cabin systems," said Vish Rajalingam, VP & GM, Mobility & Transportation BU at MulticoreWare. "Together, we are driving a major advancement in scaling software-defined vehicle technologies on Qualcomm's cutting-edge SoCs."

Rajat Sagar, VP, Product Management at Qualcomm Incorporated, said, "We are pleased to work with MulticoreWare to demonstrate the power of the Qualcomm AI Hub. This collaboration highlights how our unified AI toolchain enables developers to seamlessly optimize and verify ADAS models from the cloud to the car, accelerating time-to-market."

Key Benefits of Qualcomm AI Hub & MulticoreWare Workflow for OEMs

Seamless Model Optimization: Smooth transition from FP32 to quantized INT8/INT16 models.

Smooth transition from FP32 to quantized INT8/INT16 models. Scalable Cloud Workflow: On-demand access to QCR100 instances for global validation and CI/CD pipelines without on-premises hardware constraints.

On-demand access to QCR100 instances for global validation and CI/CD pipelines without on-premises hardware constraints. Unified Development & Validation Architecture: Compatibility between QCR100 cloud cards and edge automotive AI accelerator devices.

Compatibility between QCR100 cloud cards and edge automotive AI accelerator devices. Rapid Deployment: Access to a growing library of state-of-the-art models on AI Hub for immediate integration.

About MulticoreWare

MulticoreWare delivers software IP Solutions and Engineering Services serving a wide group of customers with solutions like Hardware Platform Compilers & Toolchains, SDK Libraries, Video codecs, and Algorithm & Data Engineering using vision & non-vision sensors (Radar, LiDAR, IMU, GPS). MulticoreWare's solutions are used in Automotive (ADAS/AD), Surveillance, Defence, Smart Health, IoT, Industrial, Robotics, Smart Cities. Their industry-leading video codec products (x266/x265/Ultraziq) are used in live streaming or VOD services across many broadcast customers.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm relentlessly innovates to deliver intelligent computing everywhere, helping the world tackle some of its most important challenges. Building on our 40 years of technology leadership in creating era-defining breakthroughs, we deliver a broad portfolio of solutions built with our leading-edge AI, high-performance, low-power computing, and unrivaled connectivity. Our Snapdragon platforms power extraordinary consumer experiences, and our Qualcomm Dragonwing products empower businesses and industries to scale to new heights. Together with our ecosystem partners, we enable next-generation digital transformation to enrich lives, improve businesses, and advance societies. At Qualcomm, we are engineering human progress.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering and research and development functions and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patented technologies are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.

Media Contact: Suchithra Thyagarajan | [email protected]

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1925881/4229637/MulticoreWare_Logo.jpg

SOURCE MulticoreWare Inc.
Scotlands First Minister has suggested the US military operation in Venezuela and the removal of its leader breached international law.

Speaking to SNP members in Glasgow on Monday, John Swinney said he was deeply concerned with the situation, which saw Nicolas Maduro and his wife taken to the US and appearing in a New York court.

Following the operation, which included strikes on military sites in Venezuela, US President Donald Trump said his administration would be running the South American country.

The First Minister also pushed for the international community to ensure that de-escalation, diplomacy and democracy are the foundations of what follows.

US President Donald Trump owns two golf courses in Scotland and met the First Minister numerous times last year (Andrew Milligan/PA)

I am deeply concerned at the situation which has unfolded in Venezuela, the First Minister said.

There is no doubt that the Maduro regime was an illegitimate and authoritarian regime.

However, I am clear that all nations must abide by the international, rules-based system.

Having listened carefully to what has been said by the United States administration in recent days, I cannot see how international law has been respected here.

Appearing on LBCs Tonight With Andrew Marr programme on Monday evening he also said the intervention has said a very dangerous precedent.

I share the concerns that were expressed by the United Nations secretary-general over the weekend, that a very dangerous precedent has been created by the intervention by the United States in Venezuela, he said.

I think the moment and the necessity right now is for the international community to recognise the dangers that it faces because of the decline in adherence to the rules-based system (and) the need to reassert that rules-based system to protect the stability that weve all enjoyed in the post-World War period.

The First Minister has cultivated a relationship with President Trump in the past 12 months, meeting numerous times in the hopes of reducing tariffs on Scotch whisky exports to the US.

Asked by journalists in Glasgow if he regretted that relationship, the First Minister said: All Ive done is try to pursue the interests of Scotland.

The whisky industry is facing really difficult times just now, one of the contributing factors is the United States tariffs.

He added: When I hear that experience and evidence from a significant sector in the Scottish economy, Ive got to act on it, which is what Ive done to try to promote and protect the interests of Scotland in one of our key industries.

Responding to criticism of his speaking out about the issues in Venezuela, Mr Swinney said he believed people would expect to hear from the First Minister of Scotland on such a very, very serious set of circumstances.

Mr Swinney later said the US intervention in Venezuela has set , Scotlands First Minister has said.
US president Donald Trump has said American officials determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian leader Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week.

Mr Trumps comments disputed Kremlin claims that the US leader had initially greeted with deep concern.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov last week said Ukraine launched a wave of drones at Mr Putins state residence in the north-western Novgorod region that Russian defence systems were able to defeat.

Mr Lavrov also criticised Kyiv for launching the attack at a moment of intensive negotiations to end the war.

Mr Zelensky denied the claims last week (AP)

The allegation came just a day after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky had travelled to Florida for talks with Mr Trump on the US administrations still-evolving 20-point plan aimed at ending the war. Mr Zelensky quickly denied the Kremlin allegation.

Mr Trump said that something happened nearby Mr Putins residence but that Americans officials did not find the Russian presidents residence was targeted.

I dont believe that strike happened, Mr Trump told reporters as he travelled back to Washington on Sunday after spending two weeks at his home in Florida.

We dont believe that happened, now that weve been able to check.

The alleged attack targeted Mr Putins state residence (Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Mr Trump addressed the US determination after European officials argued that the Russian claim was nothing more than an effort by Moscow to undermine the peace effort.

But the US leader, at least initially, had appeared to take the Russian allegations at face value. He told reporters last Monday that Mr Putin had also raised the matter during a phone he had with the Russian leader earlier that day.

And Mr Trump said he was very angry about the accusation.

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By Wednesday, Mr Trump appeared to be downplaying the Russian claim. He posted a link to a New York Post editorial on his social media platform that raised doubt about the Russian allegation.

The editorial lambasted Mr Putin for choosing lies, hatred, and death at a moment that Mr Trump has claimed is closer than ever before to moving the two sides to a deal to end the war.

The US president has struggled to fulfil a pledge to quickly end the war in Ukraine and has shown irritation with both Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin as he tried to mediate an end to a conflict he boasted on the campaign trail that he could end in one day.

Both Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky said last week they made progress in their talks at Mar-a-Lago.

But Mr Putin has shown little interest in ending the war until all of Russias objectives are met, including winning control of all Ukrainian territory in the key industrial Donbas region and imposing severe restrictions on the size of Ukraines post-war military and the type of weaponry it can possess.
The throughline is unpredictability at The Foundry this Valentine's Day season, as slink g moss's "Valentine Vortex" Feb. 7 and the "Anti-Valentine's Show" Feb. 13 with Cady Huffman and Mary Ann McSweeney promise a different kind of program.
PITTSFIELD  On a day Mayor Peter Marchetti laid out his agenda for the new year, he also added to his workload.

The Pittsfield School Committee, with five newly elected members meeting for the first time, voted 5-2 to make Marchetti the first mayor since the late Edward M. Reilly to serve as chair. Reilly, who died in 2019, served four two-year terms as mayor from 1992-98. He was School Committee chair starting in 1994.

The committee chose its leadership about an hour after being sworn in, along with the Pittsfield City Council for the 2026-27 term.

Marchetti assured the committee hed serve as chair in the same manner as his eight years as City Council president. This seat does not make motions. This seat is a voting member but this seat doesnt debate from the chair, he said.

I think theres proven precedence where this happens in a lot of other communities, Marchetti said. We will learn to adjust our schedule accordingly  I currently work 10 to 12 hours a day, so this will just be a part of the puzzle.

As chair, Marchetti will set the committee's agenda, preside over meetings and work closely with interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips.

Daniel Elias, the only returning elected member of the committee, nominated Marchetti as chair, with Katherine Yon seconding the nomination. Ciara Batory nominated Sarah Muil, with Carolyn Barry seconding the motion. But Muil deferred the nomination, saying she was not ready to take on the responsibility, and said shed back Marchetti.

As I very much appreciate the nomination  I think its wonderful you feel confidence in me  I am not sure if I am ready to take up that role at this time, Muil said.

That led Batory to nominate herself for the chair, with Barry again seconding the motion. She said the committee needs a fresh start after the tumult of the past year.

I believe we need a clear slate as much as possible, and we do not do that by putting leadership back in the hands of anyone tied to the old regime, whether thats fair or not to an individual, Batory said. Its the reality of public trust. Perception matters, and trust has to be earned back.

When it came time to chose a vice chair, Yon nominated Elias, who had served as vice chair the past term, and Batory nominated Heather McNeice. But there was not a second for Elias, and Barry seconded the nomination for McNeice. She was elected unanimously.

Muil nominated Batory as clerk, with McNeice seconding, and she was also elected unanimously.

Marchetti and Daniel Elias are the only returning members of the committee, and Elias was the only member of the previous committee to seek reelection. But Elias, despite his 28 years of service on the committee, had previously made clear that he didnt want to be vice chair.

McNeice, a former Taconic High School teacher now working at Lenox Memorial High School, was the top vote-getter in the election. She's joined among new members by Yon, a former School Committee chair and Pittsfield High School teacher; Batory, a city school parent working at General Dynamics; Barry, a retired media sales representative; and Muil, the director of early childhood education at Austen Riggs Nursery School.

"Thank you for electing me chair and placing confidence in me, Marchetti told the committee. I do hope I can change the narrative.

I have a written motion that could change that narrative, Batory said, holding up a printed copy of a motion that would seek the public release of the independent report into alleged faculty misconduct at Pittsfield High School. Marchetti said the request would be taken up at the next formal School Committee meeting, as it was not on the agenda for Mondays meeting.

Last year, as a private citizen, Batory filed appeals with the Public Records Division of the Secretary of States Office, demanding the release of the report. After reviewing the report, Public Records Supervisor Manza Arthur ruled it falls within the core categories of personnel information as defined under a series of state court precedents, and is therefore exempt from public records law.

Earlier, during the City Councils inaugural and organizational meeting, Marchetti highlighted initiatives moving forward under interim Superintendent Latifah Philips and the districts first-ever all-woman cabinet, including a proposed new elementary school on the Crosby Elementary School campus and a restructuring of the citys middle schools.

With regard to the middle schools, Marchetti said he supports the shift to citywide schools for grades five and six at Herberg and grades seven and eight at Reid, but wants assurances it will go smoothly.

For this restructuring to take place, I need to be sure that all our T's are crossed and all our I's are dotted," he said. "That includes the plans for transportation, teacher and staff, coverage, curriculum and content."
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GREAT BARRINGTON  Great Barrington will commemorate a pivotal moment in the American Revolution on Saturday with a public procession and program honoring Col. Henry Knox and the Noble Train of Artillery as it passed through the Berkshires during the winter of 1776.

The observance will begin with a ceremonial procession departing from the Great Barrington Historical Society, 817 S. Main St., and proceeding through town to the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle St. A commemorative program will follow at 2 p.m.

The commemoration will follow a ceremonial handoff earlier in the day at the New YorkMassachusetts state line, marking the moment Knoxs artillery convoy entered Massachusetts. At 10 a.m., at the Knox Marker on Route 71, New York participants will formally pass the sleds and cannons to Massachusetts teams, who will continue the symbolic journey east toward Dorchester Heights near Boston. The event is supported by Saratoga250 and Berkshires250.

The procession will feature a living-history portrayal of Knox, along with reenactors, fifes and drums, draft horses and sleds hauling replica cannon symbolically bound for Boston.

The Noble Train of Artillery, assembled by Knox and hauled over frozen roads from Fort Ticonderoga, provided the heavy guns that enabled the Continental Army to seize Dorchester Heights in March 1776. The move forced the British evacuation of Boston and altered the course of the war.

Speakers at the Mahaiwe will include Mary Tedesco, state regent of the Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution; Robert J. Allison, chair of the Revolution 250 Committee; representatives from the Office of the Governor of Massachusetts; state Sen. Paul Mark; and state Rep. Leigh Davis.

A central feature of the program will be the presentation of commemorative plaques to representatives of Berkshire communities that aided Knox and his men along the route: Alford, North Egremont, Great Barrington, Monterey, Sandisfield, Otis, Russell and Blandford. The presentations will recognize the historic role these towns played in supporting the Noble Train and the collective effort that sustained the cause of American independence.

The Great Barrington commemoration highlights the contributions of western Massachusetts communities to the Revolutionary War and the lasting impact of local action on national history.

The event is presented by Revolution 250 (revolution250.org) with support from MA250 (massachusetts250.com) and Berkshire 250 (berkshires.org/berkshires250) as part of the ongoing observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.

The Berkshire route that built a nation: Retracing Henry Knoxs winter march of 1775 Two and a half centuries after Henry Knox hauled 60 tons of artillery to help end the siege of Boston, historians are still pinpointing his exact route through the Berkshires. Its detective work that continues to inspire local research and debate.

Event schedule

Between Jan. 10 and March 17, communities across Massachusetts will celebrate this remarkable feat of logistics, courage and determination that helped turn the tide of the Revolutionary War and secured Americas first major victory  the Evacuation of Boston on March 17, 1776.

Each host community will present a signature ceremony featuring local officials, historians and reenactors, with replica cannons transported by draft animals in a reflection of the original 1776 journey across Massachusetts. All events are supported by MA250. The public is welcome.

Saturday, Jan. 10, 10 a.m.: Hillsdale, N.Y./Alford, Mass., Knox Marker, New YorkMassachusetts state line, Route 71. Participating states: New York and Massachusetts. New York participants will formally pass the sleds and cannons to Massachusetts teams for the continuation of the journey to Dorchester Heights. Supported by Saratoga250 and Berkshires250.

Saturday, Jan. 10, 2 p.m.: Great Barrington's Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. Participating towns: Alford, Blandford, Egremont, Monterey, Otis, Russell, Sandisfield. A short procession featuring horse-drawn sleds, militia units, artillery and fifes and drums will be followed by an indoor program recognizing communities that aided Knox in 1776. Local officials and historians will speak, and commemorations will be presented to participating towns. Supported by Berkshires250.

Friday, Jan. 16, 6-8 p.m.: Monterey Public Library, 452 Main Road, Monterey. Opening reception for a Knox Trail exhibition featuring maps, illustrations, documents, photographs and memorabilia, including materials from the 1976 Bicentennial reenactment.

Saturday, Jan. 17, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Monterey Public Library, 452 Main Road, Monterey. Knox Trail 250 media presentation by Jonathan Barkan, with demonstrations by Boston Artillery reenactors on cannon loading techniques and sled design. No cannon firing.

Saturday, Jan. 17, 7:30-8:30 p.m.: Monterey Public Library. Panel discussion featuring local historians on the Noble Trains passage through the Berkshires.

Saturday, Jan. 17, 11 a.m.: Bidwell House Museum, 100 Art School Road, Monterey. Guided walk along a section of the Knox Trail led by Rob Hoogs.

Saturday, Jan. 17, noon: Springfield Armory National Historic Site, 1 Armory St., Springfield. Participating towns: Palmer, Warren, Westfield, West Springfield, Wilbraham. A procession and indoor program honoring communities that supported Knoxs expedition.

Saturday, Jan. 24, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Stockbridge Library Museum & Archives, Stockbridge. Activities along Main Street will include living-history demonstrations, exhibits of 18th-century artifacts, reenactors, and educational programming on military and civilian life during the Revolution. Special programming includes a visit from Knoxs Noble Train, costumed educators from Fort Ticonderoga, a nonfiring reproduction cannon, oxen teams, and presentations by Mohican veterans discussing their ancestors role in the Revolution. Associated with Massachusetts 250 and Berkshires250.

Saturday, Jan. 31, 2 p.m.: American Antiquarian Society, 185 Salisbury St., Worcester. Participating towns: Brookfield, Leicester, Northborough, Shrewsbury, Spencer. Procession and commemorative program honoring supporting communities.

Saturday, Jan. 31, and Sunday, Feb. 1: Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge. All-day programs examining the legacy of Knoxs journey and its remembrance, including draft animal training, sled construction, artillery demonstrations and rural New England life.

Sunday, Feb. 8, 2 p.m.: Village Hall on Framingham Green, Framingham. Participating towns: Marlborough, Southborough, Wayland. Procession and commemorative program.

Saturday, Feb. 28, 2 p.m.: Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge. Participating towns: Waltham, Watertown, West Cambridge, Weston. Procession and commemorative program.

Saturday, March 7, 1 p.m.: First Parish Church and Dillaway-Thomas House, Roxbury. Participating towns: Brighton, Brookline. Procession and commemorative program.

Tuesday, March 17, 9 a.m.: Dorchester Heights, South Boston. The series culminates on the 250th anniversary of Evacuation Day. The ceremony begins with a memorial service at St. Augustines Chapel, followed by a procession to Dorchester Heights and a commemorative program featuring elected officials, community leaders and reenacting units.

Correction: On Jan. 17, The Bidwell House Museum in Monterey will host a guided walk with Robert Hoogs at 11 a.m., but no artillery demonstration or historical interpretations are scheduled. An earlier version of this news release was incorrect regarding these aspects.
Luke and Lindsey Marion of Ottos Kitchen & Comfort hosted a pay-what-you-can community dinner in Pittsfield, serving hearty beef stew and mashed potatoes. This is just kind of aligned with our beliefs that everybodys due food, whether they can afford it or not, because nobody should have to afford food."
AI-native Order Operations Platform delivered breakthrough capabilities in 2025 including Pippen AI agent, MCP server for order management, and founding membership in the Commerce Operations Foundation

SEATTLE, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Pipe17, the AI-native Order Operations Platform that connects and automates post-purchase commerce for brands and 3PLs, today announced record growth and platform milestones for 2025. The company processed a 163% increase in order volume year over year as brands and fulfillment providers adopted modern, AI-native order operations at an accelerating pace.

Platform usage reflected the depth of that adoption. Automation engine runs increased 7.6x, returns processed jumped 6.3x, and purchase and transfer orders grew 5x. Brands and 3PLs are replacing manual workflows, unifying forward and reverse logistics, scaling B2B operations, and optimizing multi-location inventory.

"2025 validated what we've been building toward: the operational network for agentic commerce," said Mo Afshar, CEO of Pipe17. "Every metric tells the same story. Brands and 3PLs are moving away from legacy systems and embracing AI-native order operations that reduce costs, accelerate fulfillment, and scale without adding headcount."

Pippen AI Adoption Surges

The enhanced Pippen, Pipe17's AI order operations agent, emerged as a catalyst for operational efficiency throughout 2025. Operations teams now ask questions in natural language and receive instant, actionable answers, from diagnosing order routing decisions to configuring complex automation rules.

Pippen adoption metrics reflect the demand for AI-assisted operations:

Monthly conversations increased 14x since the start of the year

70% of Pipe17 users interact with Pippen at least once a month

"The new Pippen has been extremely helpful. In the past few weeks I've been able to resolve roughly 95% of complex, custom mapping issues and new-customer flows myself," said Elliot Wallace, CTO at ITB Fulfillment. "Pippen has truly simplified how we operate. It's amazing."

Industry's First MCP Server for Order Management

In September, Pipe17 launched the first Model Context Protocol (MCP) server purpose-built for order management. The Pipe17 MCP Server extends connectivity and order management capabilities into any MCP-enabled AI environment, including Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini.

Business users can now troubleshoot stuck orders, generate complex reports, and diagnose integration issues without switching systems, writing queries, or submitting support tickets.

"Allbirds operates across multiple channels with complex fulfillment requirements. The Pipe17 MCP Server gives our teams instant access to operational data without the burden of switching systems or running manual reports," said Micah Nelson, Product Management Director at Allbirds.

Commerce Operations Foundation and Order Network eXchange

In November, Pipe17 joined more than 70 vendors and brands representing over $1 trillion in GMV to launch the Commerce Operations Foundation and its first specification: the Order Network eXchange (onX). Built on the Model Context Protocol, onX provides a consistent, extensible interface for how orders, inventory, and fulfillment data move between systems.

"Commerce is entering an agentic era where AI systems not only inspire purchases, they complete them," said Afshar. "The Order Network eXchange provides the industry standard that lets those transactions move seamlessly: from intent to capture to fulfillment and beyond."

Expanded Managed Network Connectivity

Pipe17 significantly expanded its managed network in 2025. New connectors to high-growth marketplaces include Temu and SHEIN. The company also added enterprise fulfillment connectors to Manhattan WMS, FedEx Supply Chain, Shopify Fulfillment, Happy Returns, Amazon Buy Shipping Labels, and more than a dozen third-party logistics (3PL) providers.

Platform Performance and Capabilities

Key platform advancements in 2025 include:

Advanced Order Routing : New shipping behavior controls including Ship in Own Container (SIOC), Single Location Shipping, and All or Nothing Shipping

: New shipping behavior controls including Ship in Own Container (SIOC), Single Location Shipping, and All or Nothing Shipping Automation Engine Expansion : New automatable objects, pre-configured actions, and relational entity support across the entire order lifecycle

: New automatable objects, pre-configured actions, and relational entity support across the entire order lifecycle B2B Commerce Flows : Comprehensive support for customers, companies, company locations, products and pricing, payment deposits, payment terms, and catalogs

: Comprehensive support for customers, companies, company locations, products and pricing, payment deposits, payment terms, and catalogs 8x Faster Bulk Operations : Improved bulk inventory and product action performance

: Improved bulk inventory and product action performance Peak-Ready Performance : 10x improvement to order ingestion throughput for Shopify merchants, and control over when operators, like inventory pushes, execute

Looking Ahead

"2025 established Pipe17 as the operational network for agentic commerce," said Kelly Goetsch, President of Pipe17. "In 2026, we'll continue pushing the boundaries of AI-driven order orchestration, expanding intelligent automation that anticipates issues before they impact customers."

To learn more, visit pipe17.com/2025-recap.

About Pipe17

Pipe17 is the AI-native Order Operations Platform that unifies orders, inventory, products and fulfillments across commerce channels, marketplaces, ERPs and fulfillment partners. Backed by GLP Capital, LFX Ventures, and Blumberg Capital, Pipe17 helps innovative brands like Allbirds, Wyze and MaryRuth's, and leading 3PLs like FedEx, Radial, and Ryder eliminate operational chaos, accelerate time-to-market and scale profitably. Learn more at www.pipe17.com.

SOURCE Pipe17
Any assets of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Switzerland will be frozen as a precautionary measure. This was decided by the Federal Council. (archive picture) Keystone

Any assets in Switzerland belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been arrested by the USA, will be frozen with immediate effect as a precautionary measure. This was decided by the Federal Council on Monday.

Keystone-SDA SDA

According to a statement from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the Federal Council wants to ensure that no assets belonging to Maduro and other people close to him can flow out. Members of the current government of Venezuela are not affected by the freeze, it added.

The freeze is an addition to the sanctions against Venezuela that have been in place since 2018. These already included asset freezes. According to the FDFA, the new freezes are aimed at people who have not yet been sanctioned in Switzerland.

The basis for this step is the Act on the Freezing and Restitution of Illicit Assets of Foreign Politically Exposed Persons (FIAA). According to the FDFA, the reasons for the loss of power are not decisive for such a freeze. It is also not decisive whether the loss of power was brought about lawfully or in violation of international law.

The decisive factor for the step is the fact that a loss of power has occurred. This means that it is now possible for the country of origin to initiate legal assistance proceedings in relation to the unlawfully acquired assets in the future.

The freezing should make such proceedings possible in the future. And should it be proven that assets have been acquired unlawfully, Switzerland intends to make them available to the people of Venezuela, the FDFA wrote.


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Decorated Military Leader to Drive Public Sector Strategy and Strengthen Government Partnerships Following Major Contract Wins

BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- GreenGen, a global leader in energy and resilience solutions, today announced that retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Omar J. Jones IV has joined the company as Chair of its Advisory Board. The appointment comes as GreenGen experiences unprecedented growth in its public sector business and plans to further expand partnerships and services for mission-critical clients. In his role, Jones will advise and advance GreenGen's public sector strategic initiatives, leveraging his extensive military experience to strengthen the firm's presence across government markets.

"GreenGen is experiencing more public sector activity than ever before, and Jones' appointment couldn't come at a better time," said Brad Dockser, Founder and CEO of GreenGen. "His deep experience partnering with Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) on installation operations and infrastructure management gives him rare insight into streamlining governmentprivate sector partnerships. He'll be invaluable as we continue to scale."

GreenGen is a DOE-qualified ESCO and has a longstanding history of supporting federal, state, and local agenciesincluding the General Services Administration, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Forest Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigationwith energy modernization and resilience initiatives. In 2025, it became the only small business selected for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) IV, positioning the firm to upgrade and decarbonize aging federal facilities through high-efficiency systems, on-site generation, storage, microgrids, and water-saving measures. GreenGen's public-sector work also continues to expand at the state and local level, including recent awards for developing community solar for the town of Chestertown Maryland and leading the comprehensive decarbonization of the Maryland Port Administration to support its transition toward carbon neutrality.

"After years working with federal facilities, I've seen firsthand the urgent need to bolster energy security and resilience to ensure mission-readiness," said Jones. "GreenGen's approach integrating energy, real estate, capital markets, and technology uniquely positions the firm to tackle these critical challenges. Joining a global organization headquartered in my home state of Maryland makes this next chapter especially meaningful."

Over his decorated, 30-year military career, Jones has been recognized for building high-performing teams and forging strong publicprivate partnerships, experience that directly aligns with GreenGen's expanding work across the federal, state, and local government sectors. As chair of GreenGen's advisory board, Jones will help guide strategic priorities, shape account strategies and strengthen the company's presence in public-sector markets.

For more information on GreenGen's public sector solutions, projects, or partnership opportunities visit greengen.com/public-sector.

About GreenGen

Founded in 2011, GreenGen is a global leader in energy and sustainability solutions, empowering organizations to Operate in the Green. With expertise integrating energy, real estate, capital markets, and technology, GreenGen transforms the built environment by implementing end-to-end strategies that drive financial and environmental outcomes. The GreenGen team unites engineers, PhDs, MBAs, environmental experts, and associates across 10 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and India. GreenGen has completed projects in 25 countries to date.

Media Contact:

Katie O'Shea | Director of Marketing | 301.202.2946 | [email protected]

SOURCE GreenGen
The capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who is facing drug trafficking charges in the US, and Trump's declaration that the US will run the South American country revolve around two things: oil and drugs.

So, what are the facts and why do these two things matter?

How much oil does Venezuela have and produce?

Venezuela is the country with the largest quantity of oil on the planet, although the exact amount is unknown. The figure has been estimated at 303 billion barrels, according to OPEC and the US Energy Information Administration, which is roughly 30 per cent higher than Saudi Arabia. This equates to 17 per cent of the world's oil resources.

But despite these vast reserves, Venezuela produces far less oil than its potential. A combination of poor management, infrastructure neglect, corruption and underinvestment has left the sector operating at a fraction of its former capacity.

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At the turn of the century, the country was producing around 3.5 million barrels a day. Now, production has dropped by over 70 per cent to around one million. Compare this to the US - the world's largest producer of oil - which pumps around 13 million barrels a day.

The majority of Venezuela's oil is extra-heavy crude, concentrated in the Orinoco belt, a vast region stretching over 55,000 square kilometres. This type of oil is significantly more difficult and expensive to extract and refine than conventional oil - with techniques such as steam injection and blending with lighter crudes needed to make it saleable.

This further limits how much of the countrys reserves can be extracted. Extra-heavy crude also usually sells at a discount compared with lighter, sweeter crudes.

Venezuela's oil production is dominated by Petroleos de Venezuela, SA (PDVSA), which is the state-owned oil company.

According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, Venezuela exported just 3.8 billion ($4.05 billion) worth of crude oil in 2023 - roughly 97 to 98 per cent lower than other oil-producing countries such as the US, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

How will the US extract the oil?

The oil business in Venezuela is "a bust, a total bust", according to President Trump.

"We're going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country," he told a press conference on Saturday.

According to The Guardian, the oil companies that could be involved include Exxon Mobil, which is the largest US oil company, and Conocophillips, which were both active in Venezuela before the oil industry was nationalised by Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez.

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Chevron, the US's second-largest oil company, still operates in the country. All three of these companies have remained non-committal about President Trump's plan.

How does this affect the oil market and oil customers?

Around 80 per cent of crude oil produced by Venezuela is exported to China, as repayments for loans the country extended to Venezuela under Chavez. According to The Guardian, Beijing extended about $105 billion in loans and other financial commitments to Venezuela between 2007 and 2016.

In practice, this means that the US has disrupted billions of dollars worth of expected repayments, while also cutting off a major source of discounted energy that had underpinned Chinas growth.

The weekends events are unlikely to have any immediate or lasting impact on crude prices or fuel costs, according to analysts at Third Bridge who spoke to The Guardian. But oil markets may see short-term volatility as traders react to the potential easing of US sanctions on Venezuelan crude, alongside political uncertainty.

Experts also say it would take years, and tens of billions of dollars in investment, for Venezuela to significantly boost production and influence global prices.

What about drug trafficking and cartels?

Trump has been at odds with Maduro over his alleged involvement in drug trafficking and illegal immigration to the US.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants have arrived into the US, as well as imports of fentanyl and cocaine.

But counter-narcotic experts say Venezuela is a thoroughfare for drugs that are produced elsewhere, according to the BBC. Fentanyl, for example, is mainly produced in Mexico and typically enters the US via the shared land border.

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In August 2025, the US announced a $50 million (42.6 million) bounty on Maduro, accusing him of being one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world.

Trump has also designated two Venezuelan drug gangs, Tren de Aragua and Cartel de los Soles, as Foreign Terrorist Organisations, alleging that the latter was led by Maduro himself.

Trump also started carrying out air strikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea, killing more than 100 people in recent months. The US has also seized Venezuelan tankers and built up its military presence in the surrounding waters.

Maduro has vehemently denied being a cartel leader, accusing the US of using its "war on drugs" as an excuse to try to depose him and get its hands on Venezuela's oil.

In November, Trump gave Maduro an ultimatum to relinquish power, offering him safe passage out of the country. Maduro refused the offer, saying he did not want a slaves peace and accusing the US of wanting control of his countrys oil reserves.

On Thursday, two days before his capture, Maduro said in a televised interview he would welcome US investment in the countrys oil sector.

Maduro is indicted on four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

These are the same charges as in an earlier indictment brought against him in 2020, during the first Trump presidency. The new indictment unsealed on Saturday, which adds charges against Maduros wife, was filed under seal in New York just before Christmas.

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The indictment accuses Maduro of partnering with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world to allow for thousands of tons of cocaine to be shipped into the US.

The allegations are that drug trafficking cartels worked directly with the Venezuelan government and then sent profits to high-ranking officials who helped and protected them in exchange.

The indictment alleges that Maduro allowed cocaine-fueled corruption to flourish for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of his ruling regime, and for the benefit of his family members.
The 10 men killed in the Kingsmill massacre are to be remembered at an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the tragedy.

The textile workers were shot when their minibus was ambushed outside the village of Kingsmill in Co. Armagh on their way home from work on January 5th 1976.

Republican gunmen posing as British soldiers ordered them off a minibus on their way home from work.

The killers asked the occupants of the bus what their religion was, and the only Catholic was ordered to run away.

The killers, who had hidden in hedges, forced the 11 remaining men to line up outside the van before opening fire.

Only one man, Alan Black, survived, despite being shot 18 times.

Alan Black. Photo: Oliver McVeigh/PA.

No-one has ever been convicted over one of the most notorious incidents of the Troubles.

In 2024, a coroner described the massacre as an overtly sectarian attack by the IRA but did not name individuals suspected of involvement.

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A watchdog report April last year identified a series of failings in the original police investigation, including a wholly insufficient deployment of resources.

Mondays service will be held at the Kingsmill Memorial Wall at the scene of the atrocity at the Kingsmill crossroads.

A religious service was held on Sunday at Bessbrook Town Hall.

The 10 men who died were Robert Chambers, 18, John Bryans, 50, Reginald Chapman, 29, Walter Chapman, 35, Robert Freeburn, 58, Joseph Lemmon, 49, John McConville, 20, James McWhirter, 63, Robert Walker, 46, and Kenneth Worton, 24.

Clockwise from top left: Joseph Lemmon, Walter Chapman, John Bryans, Kenneth Worton, Robert Walker, Robert Freeburn, Robert Chambers, John McConville, James McWhirter and Reginald Chapman (Niall Carson/PA)

The massacre came during a week of sectarian bloodshed in Northern Ireland.

The shootings were seen as a retaliation to loyalist attacks the day before, in which six men from two Catholic families were killed.

On January 4th, the UVFs Glenanne Gang shot brothers John Martin Reavey, 24, and Brian Reavey, 22, who lived near Kingsmill.

A third brother, Anthony, 17, died several weeks later from his injuries.

Minutes later, the gang burst in on a reunion of the ODowd family and killed brothers Barry, 24, and Declan, 19, and their uncle Joe, 61.
Greenland's leader has declared "enough is enough," and Denmark's allies in Europe affirmed that the Arctic island's future must be determined by its people, rebuffing renewed remarks by US President Donald Trump about acquiring the vast territory.

A US military operation to capture Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, and Trump's intention to oversee governance of the oil-rich Latin American country, have rekindled concerns in Denmark that Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, might face a similar scenario.

"Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark must determine the future of Greenland and nobody else," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters.

Starmer has sought to stay on good terms with Trump and adopted a less publicly critical approach than most other European leaders.

Trump has repeatedly said he wants to take over Greenland, an ambition first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency. On Sunday, he told The Atlantic magazine in an interview: "We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence."

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How big is Greenland? What is the population of the island?

Greenland is a large country. You can fit approximately 28 to 30 Irelands inside Greenland.

It is about 2.175 million km, making it vastly larger than the island of Ireland (around 84,000 km).

The island has a population of just over 56,000 people, as of 2021. That year, 18,800 people resided in the capital city Nuuk.

Nearly all Greenlanders live in the south-west of the main island.

Why does Trump want Greenland?

Greenland's strategic location between Europe and North America makes it a critical site for the US ballistic missile defence system.

The island's significant mineral resources also align with Washington's ambition to reduce dependence on Chinese exports.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One early on Monday, Trump said he would revisit the topic in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said: "Threats, pressure, and talk of annexation have no place between friends.

"Enough is enough. (...) No more fantasies about annexation."

On December 21st, Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland. Landry has publicly expressed support for incorporating Greenland into the United States.

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German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Monday that Greenland belongs to Denmark and suggested NATO could discuss strengthening its protection if necessary.

France also expressed solidarity, saying Greenland belonged to the people of Greenland, while a European Commission spokesperson said that the EU will continue to uphold the principle of national sovereignty.

Support for Denmark and Greenland also came swiftly from all Nordic and Baltic leaders.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Sunday that US comments about needing to take over Greenland made "absolutely no sense".

"It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland. The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom."
Billionaire Elon Musk has hinted at a reconciliation with US president Donald Trump as the pair shared a "lovely dinner" at Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

The pair were joined by Mr Trump's wife Melania, just hours after US missile strikes in Caracas led to the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

The pair had a highly public falling out last summer after Mr Musk broke with the president over his 'Big Beautiful Bill' tax and spending act.

Mr Musk had been in charge of the now defunct Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) which promised big spending savings for the US government, but largely failed to deliver.

He remained close with US vice president JD Vance, who has reportedly been working on mending the relationship between Mr Musk and Mr Trump.

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Mr Musk, the world's richest person, had spent millions on Mr Trump's re-election campaign before his Doge role, but returned to his work leading the likes of Tesla, X and SpaceX after the fallout.

Mr Musk had been pictured with Mr Trump on a couple of occasions since, but the dinner may indicate they are back on good terms.

In a post on X showing him alongside Mr Trump and Melania Trump, Mr Musk wrote: "Had a lovely dinner last night with @POTUS

and @FLOTUS. 2026 is going to be amazing!"

Had a lovely dinner last night with @POTUS and @FLOTUS. 2026 is going to be amazing! pic.twitter.com/1Oq35b1PEC  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 4, 2026

Mr Musk has also shared numerous posts praising Mr Trump's actions in Venezuela, which have been widely condemned.

Ahead of the US midterm elections, which could hinder Mr Trump's agenda if Democrats make big gains, Mr Musk has indicated he will bankroll Republican candidates.

He said: "America is toast if the radical left wins."
Sir Keir Starmer has said he stands with Denmark after Donald Trump threatened to annex Greenland.

The UK prime minister added that his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen was right to refuse the US president any claim to the territory.

Mr Starmer's signal of solidarity with European Nato ally Denmark comes as the US president suggested over the weekend that Venezuela may not be the last country subject to American intervention, after his administration raided Caracas and captured president Nicolas Maduro.

UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during an interview in Reading on Monday (Jonathan Brady/PA)

We do need Greenland, absolutely, Mr Trump told the Atlantic magazine, following the operation in Venezuela.

The Danish leader hit back, writing in a statement that the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom, of which Greenland is one.

Asked during a visit to a community centre in Berkshire about Ms Frederiksens strong language, Mr Starmer told Sky News: Well, I stand with her, and shes right about the future of Greenland.

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The prime minister was asked by the BBC if he agreed with calls from the Danes for the US president to stop proposing American annexation of the island.

Mr Starmer said he backed Denmarks leader Mette Frederiksen on the issue (Kirsty Wrigglesworth/PA)

Yes, Mr Starmer replied, adding: Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark are to decide the future of Greenland, and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.

Denmark is a close ally in Europe, it is a Nato ally, and its very important the future of Greenland is, as I say, for the Kingdom of Denmark, and for Greenland, and only for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.

The Labour government has in recent months been forging closer ties with Denmark, and has been taking cues from Ms Frederiksens government  which is of a similar political tradition  on how to crack down on illegal migration.

Washington over the weekend removed Venezuelas president Maduro from the country, and has taken him to New York where he is set to face a courtroom on Monday on charges of narco-terrorism.

The move, seen as the most assertive US intervention to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, has sparked murmurs among Trump allies for the president to follow through on his suggestions of acquiring Greenland as an American territory.

Katie Miller, the wife of one of Mr Trumps senior aides Stephen Miller, posted a picture on social media of Greenland in the colours of the American flag alongside the word soon following the Venezuela operation.

Among the reasons Mr Trump and his allies have expressed a desire to take over Greenland is for the defence of the US against the threat of Russia, and China, in the high Arctic.

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The territory is also home to vast natural resources however, including oil and gas, and rare earth minerals.

Downing Street sought to strike a conciliatory tone over the future of Greenland, amid the division between two of the UKs allies.

The prime ministers official spokesman said: We all agree the collective threat were facing in the Arctic is from Russia, which is why the Nato alliance has stepped up, including increasing our collective defence spending to ensure we can protect and defend the Euro-Atlantic region from increasing Russian threats.

Mr Starmer is likely to discuss the situation when he speaks with Mr Trump following a meeting of the coalition of the willing, a group of Ukraines allies, on Tuesday.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has suggested the United States will not govern Venezuela day-to-day other than enforcing an existing oil quarantine  even as Donald Trump again insisted America would be in control following the removal of leader Nicolas Maduro.

Mr Rubios statements seemed designed to temper concerns that the action to achieve regime change in Venezuela might lead the US into another prolonged foreign intervention or a failed attempt at nation-building.

They stood in contrast to US president Mr Trumps claims that America would at least temporarily run the oil-rich nation, comments that suggested some sort of governing structure under which Caracas would be controlled by Washington.





I hope people now understand. The President of the United States is not a game player. When he tells you he's going to do something and address a problem, he means it. pic.twitter.com/bVhtqcoPWP  Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) January 3, 2026

Mr Trump reiterated on Sunday night that were in charge, while interim Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodriguez invited the Republican president to collaborate in a newly conciliatory stance.

Were going to run it, fix it, Mr Trump said of Venezuela while aboard Air Force One en route to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

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Hours earlier, Mr Rubio offered a more nuanced take, saying the US would enforce an oil quarantine that was already in place on sanctioned tankers before Mr Maduro was removed from power early on Saturday, and use that leverage to press policy changes in Venezuela.

And so thats the sort of control the president is pointing to when he says that, Mr Rubio said on CBSs Face The Nation.



Mr Maduro and his wife were extracted on Saturday night (AP)

We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking.

Venezuelas interim president said she seeks respectful relations with the US, in a shift from a previously defiant tone.

Ms Rodriguez wrote online: We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence.

After the US operation, she called Maduro the countrys rightful leader and urged the U.S. to release him, declaring the actions an atrocity and saying history and justice will make the extremists who promoted this armed aggression pay.



Mr Rubios remarks were an attempt to temper claims by Mr Trump that the US is in charge (AP)

Her conciliatory message came after Mr Trump threatened that she could pay a very big price if she did not fall in line with US demands.

Mr Trump told reporters on Sunday night that Ms Rodriguez is cooperating but reiterated the threat from an earlier interview with The Atlantic.

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He told reporters on Air Force One that he wanted her to provide total access to aspects of the country large and small  from major oil operations to basic infrastructure.

We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country, Mr Trump said.

Venezuelas supreme court ruled Ms Rodriguez would be acting president earlier on Sunday.

Cuba, meanwhile, announced that 32 Cuban security officers were killed in the US operation in Venezuela, which Mr Trump acknowledged, saying: You know, a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday.



The Venezuelan president is due in a US court later on Monday (AP)

There was a lot of death on the other side, Mr Trump said. No death on our side.

His vow that the US will run Venezuela has sparked concerns among some Democrats and drawn unease from parts of his own Republican coalition, including an America First base that is opposed to foreign interventions, and from observers who recalled past nation-building efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr Rubio dismissed such criticism, saying Mr Trumps intent had been misunderstood.

The whole foreign policy apparatus thinks everything is Libya, everything is Iraq, everything is Afghanistan, Mr Rubio said.





.@POTUS: "This isn't a country that's on the other side of the world... We're in the business of having countries around us that are viable and successful, and where the oil is allowed to freely come out... It gets the prices down. That's good for OUR country." pic.twitter.com/XoMPOXQyGB  Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 5, 2026

This is not the Middle East. And our mission here is very different. This is the Western Hemisphere.

He also suggested the US would give Mr Maduros subordinates now in charge time to govern, saying, Were going to judge everything by what they do.

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Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were extracted on Saturday night from their home in a military base in the capital city of Caracas  an act Mr Maduros government called imperialist.

The couple face US charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Mr Maduro is due to make his first appearance on Monday in Manhattans federal court.

He and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, and the US justice department released a new indictment of Mr Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a corrupt, illegitimate government fuelled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the US with cocaine. The US government does not recognise Mr Maduro as Venezuelas leader.
US president Donald Trump has said American officials determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian leader Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week.

Mr Trumps comments disputed Kremlin claims that the US leader had initially greeted with deep concern.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov last week said Ukraine launched a wave of drones at Mr Putins state residence in the north-western Novgorod region that Russian defence systems were able to defeat.

Mr Lavrov also criticised Kyiv for launching the attack at a moment of intensive negotiations to end the war.



Mr Zelensky denied the claims last week (AP)

The allegation came just a day after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky had travelled to Florida for talks with Mr Trump on the US administrations still-evolving 20-point plan aimed at ending the war. Mr Zelensky quickly denied the Kremlin allegation.

Mr Trump said that something happened nearby Mr Putins residence but that Americans officials did not find the Russian presidents residence was targeted.

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I dont believe that strike happened, Mr Trump told reporters as he travelled back to Washington on Sunday after spending two weeks at his home in Florida.

We dont believe that happened, now that weve been able to check.



The alleged attack targeted Mr Putins state residence (Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Mr Trump addressed the US determination after European officials argued that the Russian claim was nothing more than an effort by Moscow to undermine the peace effort.

But the US leader, at least initially, had appeared to take the Russian allegations at face value. He told reporters last Monday that Mr Putin had also raised the matter during a phone he had with the Russian leader earlier that day.

And Mr Trump said he was very angry about the accusation.





Last night, the Russian army defeated yet another hospital  in Kyiv, with a functioning inpatient unit. Patients had to be evacuated. There are casualties. Sadly, one person has been killed. My condolences to the family and loved ones. Everyone who needs assistance is pic.twitter.com/qjCwy95MPc  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) January 5, 2026

By Wednesday, Mr Trump appeared to be downplaying the Russian claim. He posted a link to a New York Post editorial on his social media platform that raised doubt about the Russian allegation.

The editorial lambasted Mr Putin for choosing lies, hatred, and death at a moment that Mr Trump has claimed is closer than ever before to moving the two sides to a deal to end the war.

The US president has struggled to fulfil a pledge to quickly end the war in Ukraine and has shown irritation with both Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin as he tried to mediate an end to a conflict he boasted on the campaign trail that he could end in one day.

Both Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky said last week they made progress in their talks at Mar-a-Lago.

But Mr Putin has shown little interest in ending the war until all of Russias objectives are met, including winning control of all Ukrainian territory in the key industrial Donbas region and imposing severe restrictions on the size of Ukraines post-war military and the type of weaponry it can possess.
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Sponsored BusinessCompaniesBulls N' Bears Dateline adds two North American mining pros to company board Brought to you by BULLS N BEARS Craig Nolan January 5, 2026  12:45pm 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

Dateline Resources has further bolstered its board with the appointments of two highly experienced North American mining professionals as non-executive directors. George Brack and Phillips Baker Jr have joined the aspiring miner at a pivotal time, as it progresses its lauded Colosseum gold-rare earths project in California towards a bankable-feasibility-study (BFS), aiming to transition from explorer to developer. Dateline Resources has secured the services of two experienced North American executives, George Brack (L) and Phillips Baker Jr (R), who are joining the company as non-executive directors. The company plans to magnify its US presence and flex its precious and critical minerals muscle. Bringing on two long-term mining executives should provide the necessary boost to Dateline in achieving its goal. Brack brings 30+ years of North American mining experience and is currently Chair of the Board at Wheaton Precious Metals, a $US53.5 billion ($A80 billion) Canadian precious metals firm, having worked with the firm for the past 16 years. He additionally served on the board of successful Canadian mining companies, Capstone Copper and Red Back Mining.

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We are delighted to welcome two highly respected mining executives to Datelines Board. Dateline Resources chairman Mark Johnson Baker Jr. also brings a wealth of mining experience, having served as chief executive officer of Hecla Mining Company for 23 years. Baker Jr also sat on Heclas board and helped grow the company into the largest primary silver producer in the US and Canada. Dateline Resources chairman Mark Johnson said: We are delighted to welcome two highly respected mining executives to Datelines Board. Mr. Bakers experience leading Hecla Mining and Mr. Bracks extensive background in mining finance and corporate strategy are exactly what we need as we advance the Colosseum project towards production. Their North American experience and proven leadership will be valuable in helping realise the full potential of the Colosseum project and our broader critical minerals objectives in the US. Brack said Colosseum has all the ingredients to become a successful operation, while Baker Jr believes the project is an exciting development opportunity with significant growth potential. Datelines flagship Colosseum gold mine sits within the Walker Lane geological trend in East San Bernardino County, California. In 2024, the company delivered a JORC-2012-compliant mineral resource estimate at Colosseum of 27.1 million tonnes grading 1.26 grams per tonne (g/t) gold for a noteworthy 1.1 million ounces.

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A BFS for Colosseum remains on track for completion in the first quarter of this year. A previous scoping study released in May 2025 outlined a potentially solid mining operation, projecting production of 635,000 ounces over an initial eight years, with net revenues of US$827 million (A$1.245 billion), a net-present-value (NPV) of US$550 (A$282 million and an internal-rate-of-return (IRR) of 61 per cent. The study was based on a gold price of US$2900 (A$4340) per ounce. With the price surging to $US4393 ($A6573) for an ounce of the precious yellow metal, the economics of the project have been supercharged at todays gold price. In late December, the company revealed it had taken a major step towards de-risking its wholly owned Colosseum project by executing an option agreement that secures critical water rights and near-mine infrastructure. The agreement provides access to about 27 acres of paved industrial land at the base of Colosseum Mine Road, complete with four existing buildings and two dedicated groundwater wells for primary and backup service. Notably, the wells are expected to supply 100 per cent of the water required for full-scale mining and processing operations at Colosseum.

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In a move to further strengthen its critical minerals portfolio, the company moved quickly in September last year, snapping up the promising Argos strontium project, about 100 kilometres from its Colosseum project. By picking up the project, Dateline has locked its critical minerals diversification into overdrive. Argos is the largest known strontium deposit in America and the sole domestic deposit of scale. No strontium is currently produced in the US. Strontium plays an important role in electric vehicles, defence ordnance and the growing space systems sector. Having the only notable US strontium deposit puts Dateline in an enviable position. The company plans to drive the Argos project forward, in combination with Colosseums rapid development, to deliver on its goal of supplying minerals crucial for US security needs. With the addition of two experienced mining heads to help lead the US critical minerals charge and a relentless push towards Colosseums development, Dateline appears to be making all the right moves as the Western world covets much-needed critical metals. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au

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BusinessThe economyOil The big obstacles to Trumps plan for a Venezuelan oil windfall Evan Halper and Peter Whoriskey January 5, 2026  6:00pm 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

Theres a familiar ring to President Donald Trumps plan to send US energy giants to Venezuela to use the wealth generated from rekindling long-stalled oil production to stabilise that country and cement American energy dominance: similar ambitions accompanied the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. The quick riches promised did not materialise there, as firms grappled with years of political turmoil and security threats, struggled to negotiate workable contract terms and confronted vexing infrastructure inadequacies. Venezuela may not be any easier, industry analysts warn. Chevron, which operates in Venezuela now, declined to comment on Trumps plans. Rebecca Blackwell One of the clear lessons from Iraq  and it is not unique to Iraq  is that you need to have stability and be able to assess risk before you can start production, said Kevin Book, managing director at ClearView Energy Partners, a research firm. Until then, he said, companies may not be enthusiastic about making the billions of dollars in investments required in Venezuela. Its unclear which firms Trump was referencing at a news conference on Saturday morning, when he said: Were going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go and spend billions of dollars to fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure.

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Chevron, which operates there now, declined to comment on plans. ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which exited the country and saw their assets seized after refusing to meet the terms of Venezuelas government nearly two decades ago, did not respond to requests for comment. Related Article Oil Trumps strikes in Venezuela not expected to jolt oil prices But the appeal is clear. Venezuela has one of the biggest oil reserves in the world, estimated at 300 billion barrels. Every major oil company in the world and some of the smaller ones will look closely at this because there are very few places on Earth where you could increase production so much, said Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin American Energy Program at Rice University. But first you need political stability and clarity. He said that restoring peak oil production there would cost up to $US100 billion ($150 billion) and take roughly a decade. And that is assuming there is enough political stability for companies to operate unencumbered during that entire period.

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There are other obstacles. The oil in Venezuela is a heavy form of crude that is more difficult to process and carries a heavier carbon footprint than oil pumped elsewhere. Venezuelas power grid is on the brink, creating an uncertain outlook for oil production, which requires massive amounts of energy. Also, Russian and Chinese firms partnered with Venezuela after US companies left the nation, complicating the re-establishment of US firms. Returning to Venezuela has hardly been a central talking point of US oil companies. In this era of relatively low oil prices and uncertainty about how robust future demand will be amid an on-again, off-again global energy transition from fossil fuels, firms are anxious about reinvesting tens of billions of dollars more in pumping in Venezuela absent assurances that their investments would be secure for at least a decade, industry analysts say. Trumps removal of Venezuelas leader and plan to put the US in charge of the country for now does not ensure that, despite his sweeping promises. We built Venezuelas oil industry with American talent, drive and skill, and the socialist regime stole it from us, Trump said. The oil companies are going to go in. Theyre going to spend money there that were going to take back the oil that, frankly, we should have taken back a long time ago. A lot of money is coming out of the ground. Were going to get reimbursed for all of that. Were going to get reimbursed for everything that we spend.

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Oil Loss of Russian, Venezuelan oil a drop in ocean for worlds crude glut Stephen Bartholomeusz Senior business columnist Today, the nations oil production is a fraction of what it could be, and its infrastructure is badly frayed because of domestic turmoil, the departure of foreign oil companies and related international sanctions. The nation is pumping a mere 1 million barrels of oil a day, less than 1 per cent of global output. That is also less than a third of its peak production under the Hugo Chavez regime and a quarter of what experts say it is capable of generating. That oil has largely been purchased by China. The only American company operating in Venezuela is Chevron, with its production constrained by considerable Venezuelan government restrictions. Chevron remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of our employees, as well as the integrity of our assets, a statement from company spokesman Bill Turenne said. We continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations.

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While acknowledging that firms have reason to be reticent, Monaldi, of Rice University, pointed to forecasts showing that Venezuelan oil could be crucial to meet rising global demand over the next decade. But none of this can happen overnight. Oil companies have been reluctant even to increase their rig counts in the US. AP Oil companies do not operate in a vacuum, and we are years from significant volume increase, said Pedro Burelli, a critic of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro now living in the United States, and a former board member of the Venezuelan state oil company. Regulations and contracts matter as US oil companies are publicly traded companies with shareholders who will demand rational investment decisions. Oil companies have even been reluctant to increase their rig counts here, despite Trumps repeated calls for more drilling, amid demand uncertainty and dropping market prices. US oil production soared during the Biden administration, but the pace of growth has slowed since Trump returned to office, with some forecasts predicting declines this year.

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Kevin Book, managing director at the ClearView Energy Partners research firm, said oil companies will be looking to sign contracts that they are confident will be honoured for the long term, and there is no government in Venezuela right now that can honour such a contract. Before you make all these big investments and start running operations, you also need a stable country with reliable electricity, functioning ports and an available workforce, he said. A lot of factors go into pulling this off. The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.

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New initiative will help states reduce fraud, lower health care costs, and protect the vulnerable

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Paragon Health Institute, a leader in health care research and market-based policy proposals, is launching the State Health Reform Initiative focused on the implementation of state-level health policy.

Led by Paragon's Niklas Kleinworth, the State Health Reform Initiative will help states focus on the most vulnerable and transform state health care by advancing evidence-based, free-market policies rooted in rigorous, data-driven research. The Initiative recognizes that states are best positioned to implement policies close to the people they serve. States, as "laboratories of democracy," can innovatedemonstrating solutions that improve affordability, access, and quality by reducing burdensome regulations, encouraging competition, and ending the perverse incentives that divert resources away from patients and toward lobbying and rent-seeking. States are also well-positioned to pioneer ways to identify fraud by implementing common-sense verification that can save taxpayers billions.

To achieve this mission, the Initiative will initially focus on four strategic priorities:

Strengthen Medicaid program integrity by ending self-attestation, improving eligibility verification, reinforcing enrollment standards, and identifying waste, fraud , and abuse.

, and abuse. Refocus Medicaid on serving the truly vulnerablechildren, pregnant women, the poor, and the elderlywhile encouraging work and upward mobility and reversing incentives that prioritize able-bodied adults over those most in need.

Hold accountable Medicaid managed care insurers through robust reporting requirements, enforcement, and transparency to ensure proper rate setting and value for taxpayers and beneficiaries.

Work to remove barriers to care by expanding health care supply, increasing patient choice through alternative coverage options, diversifying physician training pathways, and promoting policies such as limitations on subsidies for junk food that support overall health and well-being.

Kleinworth coauthored a recent paper, Preserve and Improve Medicaid: State Action to Protect the Most Vulnerable and Taxpayers, with Paragon President Brian Blase, laying out Paragon's recommendations for state reform in the near-term.

"This important initiative presents new tools and fresh strategies for state policymakers to catalyze reforms at the state-level" Kleinworth said, expressing enthusiasm about the potential for policy innovation.

"Recent federal reforms, like those in the One Big Beautiful Bill, present critical opportunities for state lawmakers to implement much-needed improvements to their health systems," he added. "I am excited to support states in their efforts to expand patient choice, improve Medicaid integrity, and bolster access to care, which will benefit patients and taxpayers alike."

In launching the State Health Reform Initiative, Blase remarked, "In 2025, Congress and the Trump administration implemented historic reforms to federal health care programs, and it is vital that states seize the reform mantle and successfully implement them. Paragon is eager to take what we have learned at the federal level, work with other reform and action-oriented state-level organizations and lawmakers, and deploy research and analysis to support state reforms that expand choice and competition and hold government programs accountable to those who they are intended to serve and those who finance them."

Launched in late 2021 by Brian Blase, Paragon Health Institute provides health policy research as well as market-based policy proposals for improved outcomes in the public and private sectors. A 501(c)(3) non-profit, the organization is funded by donations from foundations and individuals. Paragon does not accept any funding from industry and does not conduct any lobbying. Journalists and healthcare analysts can review Paragon's latest studies and commentary at paragoninstitute.org/research/.

Contact:

Anthony Wojtkowiak

[email protected]

703.527.2734

SOURCE Paragon Health Institute
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NationalNSWNSW State Parliament Its just insane: Doctors, lawyers back green slips for e-bikes David Barwell January 5, 2026  10:30am 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

Owners of e-bikes could soon be forced to be covered by the same green slip insurance requirements as those applying to other road vehicles following a spate of serious collisions involving electric-powered devices on the states roads. Doctors and legal experts are leading a push for the NSW government to overhaul the states compulsory insurance requirements in a move to address a compensation gap leaving uninsured e-bike riders and victims of collisions financially vulnerable. The number of privately owned electric powered bikes and scooters has surged in NSW. Max Mason-Hubers The Australian Lawyers Alliance and the NSW Bar Association, which represents more than 2400 barristers across the state, have emerged as the strongest voices for change, urging the NSW government to introduce regulations requiring privately owned devices to be registered and covered by compulsory third-party insurance. And there are signs the NSW government is listening. Transport Minister John Graham revealed the government had tasked NSW Treasury with exploring insurance options for privately owned e-bikes. Public consultation on a potential scheme is expected to commence this year.

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The review will explore the viability of different insurance models, the affordability of insurance requirements and the need for people injured by devices to be effectively supported. NSW is the only state that has introduced laws requiring shared e-bike schemes to be covered by compulsory third-party insurance but those same rules do not apply to privately owned devices. The types of injuries were seeing are more associated with motorbike collisions, said St Vincents Hospital emergency specialist Dr Tom Crofts. Renee Nowytarger Barrister Andrew Stone SC, a member of the Australian Lawyers Alliance, said a mandatory scheme would close an insurance loophole that can leave victims of collisions footing expensive medical costs for hospital treatment, rehabilitation and lost income. E-bikes can weigh as much as motorbikes and if youre struck and knocked to the ground by one of these devices, you can be left with life-long injuries and may not be able to work again, he said.

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Its a two-fold problem because if youre injured in a collision, the only avenue you have to recoup medical costs is taking civil action against the culpable driver of the uninsured product. If youre that owner of that product and have assets to claim against, youre essentially putting your house on the line. E-bikes should be treated just like any other motor vehicle, yet the government is treating them more like childrens toys. St Vincents emergency ward doctor Tom Crofts. Flavio Brancaleone The calls for change coincide with data released to the Herald revealing 153 people presented to Sydneys St Vincents Hospital with injuries resulting from e-bike collisions in 2025  up from 49 per cent from the 103 presentations in 2024 and more than triple the 45 presentations in 2023. St Vincents Hospital emergency specialist Dr Tom Crofts, who agrees insurance is needed, said most injuries in 2025 stemmed from crashes involving speed, alcohol or drivers failing to wear protective equipment.

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The types of injuries were seeing are more associated with motorbike collisions than those associated with standard non-electric bikes and in serious cases, people are left with permanent disabilities and loss of independence, he said. Graham said there are legitimate concerns about safety and injuries associated with private e-bikes. NSW Transport Minister John Graham says the government is building a safety-focused set of rules to protect riders and pedestrians. Dion Georgopoulos There are more than a million e-bikes and e-scooters in NSW, which is why (the government) is building a safety-focused set of rules to protect riders and pedestrians, he said. NSW opposition transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward said the opposition was open to looking at a potential insurance scheme. The focus should be on identifying the key rider groups causing distress in the community, she said.

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To have them external to any system of regulation or insurance is just insane. David Hooke SC, NSW Bar Association common law committee chair But Australasian College of Road Safety NSW chair Michael Timms said there could be significant challenges involved in implementing a mandatory scheme, primarily due to the young age of e-bike users. The highest rates of ownership are within the 25 to 34 age group. Related Article Editorial

Cycling We need to rethink the use of e-bikes, especially by children The Herald's View Editorial Bicycle NSW chief executive Peter McLean said a mandatory insurance scheme could also be financially prohibitive for users and administratively burdensome for the NSW government. Ultimately, if we had better regulations for devices sold in the first place, wed be reducing the overall risk and thats where the focus should be, he said. The last thing we want is a financial barrier that inhibits the uptake of e-bikes at a time when were trying to encourage fewer people to drive cars in major cities.

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The Insurance Council of Australia encouraged owners of private e-bikes to take proactive measures to ensure they were adequately protected, including taking out stand-alone insurance with coverage for personal accidents and public liability. The review comes after NSW Premier Chris Minns announced plans for a broader safety crackdown on e-bikes, including reducing the legal power limit of devices sold from 500 watts to 250 watts, bringing NSW into line with the rest of the country. Related Article Updated

Road safety Coroner calls for e-bikes to be registered as motorcycles NSW Bar Association common law committee chair David Hooke SC believes the current insurance requirements have failed to keep pace with the proliferation of privately owned e-bikes in NSW. Youre talking about objects, driven by inexperienced riders, that have the capacity, and the demonstrated capacity, to cause serious injury and death, he said. To have them external to any system of regulation or insurance is just insane. 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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NationalVenezuela crisis Opinion This is a warning to all world leaders who antagonise Trump Geoffrey Robertson Human rights barrister and author January 5, 2026  4:00am

January 5, 2026  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

Follow our live coverage of the unfolding situation in Venezuela here. There is no legal difference between Russian President Vladimir Putins attack on Ukraine and US President Donald Trumps attack on Venezuela. Both are acts of aggression, the supreme crime according to the judgment at Nuremberg, because leaders who start wars are responsible for all the deaths and destruction that result. The UN Charter of 1945 proclaims its purpose of saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war and Article 2(4) lays down the fundamental rule that a UN member must never invade another except in self-defence. Illustration by Joe Benke. It is absurd to think that Venezuela was about to attack the US, last Friday or in the foreseeable future. So Trump has no legitimate defence. But like Putin, he has nuclear weapons and a veto on any discomforting action (such as a Security Council condemnation) that the UN might take. In short, the indictment that awaited the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in New York conferred no retrospective extraterritorial authority to arrest or imprison them or to occupy or annex their nation. No treaty permitted this and no international court approved it. What occurred was not a police action or law enforcement procedure but a unilateral use of armed force to coerce the representatives of a sovereign state.

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There can be no quibble about the purpose of the US invasion, namely to change the government regime. Trump has admitted as much: the US will now run the country irrespective of the interests or wishes of its people. Its economy will be organised by large US oil companies empowered to seize infrastructure and profits denied them by nationalisation under past president Hugo Chavez. This is a reversal of the requirement of international law by which the US should compensate Venezuelans for the consequences of its illegal invasion, for example the families of the 40 or so civilians said to have been killed, the destruction of their property and so forth. The planning for the oil transfer must have taken some time, which suggests the takeover of the nations oil reserves was one reason for the invasion. But it was preceded by several months in which suspected drug smugglers were extrajudicially executed  two of them, notoriously, while clinging to the wreckage of their bombed boat. The invasion and the unlawful arrest of Maduro and his wife was the culmination of unlawful conduct by the US forces under the command of Trump and his war secretary, Pete Hegseth. Related Article Analysis

Venezuela crisis This could be Trumps Iraq, and Americans must ask: Is it what we voted for? Australia and Britain, among other law-respecting countries, are party to arrangements under which their armed services may have to fight under the command of or in partnership with US forces led by these men who are oblivious to the rules of, or to their duties under, international law. It will certainly not be comfortable for our own armed forces if they are called upon to protect Taiwan under US command. That is more likely than ever as a result of Trumps invasion of Venezuela: if he can get away with it, why not Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has a genuine historical claim, albeit flawed, to Taiwan? Trumps unlawful but unpunished attack will serve him as a useful precedent and it is obvious that Trump, the great appeaser of Russia over its attack on Ukraine, will not fight to save democracy anywhere else.

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As for what might be termed a non-lethal decapitation strike on the Maduros, this sounds a warning to all world leaders who are minded to antagonise America. In law, they are accorded head of state immunity or similar from personal attack. Even during WWII, captains and kings were not threatened with assassination: US president Franklin D. Roosevelt once allowed an attack on an admiral of the Japanese fleet as payback for Pearl Harbour and British prime minister Winston Churchill approved an unsuccessful commando raid on German field marshall Erwin Rommel, but the general reluctance to target leaders was justified by fear of retaliation. Trump himself ended that convenient arrangement when he threatened the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini  we know where he lives but it was not yet time to assassinate him. The fate of former and deposed Panamanian leader General Manuel Noriega (who was at least guilty of drug-trafficking) now threatens world leaders who fall out with Trump, no matter how democratically elected or how popular they may be with their own people. But overall, the attack on Venezuela following the attack on Ukraine demonstrates that we live in that age described by the ancient historian Thucydides where the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. There may be few regrets for Maduro, a gangster guilty according to a recent UN Human Rights Council report of many abuses, although Trump had pulled the US out of the council before this report. International law has one last chance. Although the US is not a party to the International Criminal Court, Venezuela is and any war crime committed on its territory may be subject to prosecution. For this reason, Putin is being prosecuted for kidnapping children from Ukraine, and Trump could be indicted for kidnapping the Maduros or (more simply) for killing civilians in the illegal bombing of Caracas. Ironically, Maduro himself announced several years ago that Venezuela would defy the West by withdrawing from the ICC but he never got around to doing so. It now remains his only chance. Geoffrey Robertson KC was president of the UN War Crimes Court in Sierra Leone and is author of World of War Crimes published by Penguin this month.

CORRECTION An earlier version of this op-ed said Theodore Roosevelt had allowed an attack on a Japanese admiral after Pearl Harbour. It has been corrected to say that Franklin D. Roosevelt authorised the payback mission.
SARASOTA, Fla., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Selah Freedom, one of Florida's largest anti-sex trafficking nonprofits, is calling on communities statewide and across the nation to take bold action during National Human Trafficking Prevention Month this January 2026. With sex trafficking impacting American boys and girls in every region of the country, the organization urges a unified response from law enforcement, schools, healthcare providers, clergy, the courts and community partners to protect vulnerable youth and support survivors.

Recent Florida child recoveries

January is only days away and is Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Our 2nd Annual Human Trafficking Symposium on January 15th is a powerful way to take action and start January with purpose. Space is limited, so reserve your free seats today and be part of the movement to protect and support survivors. Sponsorships also available. Register Today: qrco.de/StrongTogether #HumanTraffickingPreventionMonth #HumanTraffickingAwareness #Symposium #StrongerTogether #CommunityAgainstTrafficking

The urgent need for coordinated action was underscored days ago when "Operation Northern Lights," a two-week, multi-agency effort led by the U.S. Marshals Service, safely recovered 43 critically missing Florida children, ages 1 to 17, from across North Florida and neighboring states. More than 80 personnel from 25 agencies, including federal, state and local law enforcement, social-service organizations and child advocates, worked together to locate the children, provide immediate medical care, food, shelter and counseling, and begin protecting them from further exploitation. Authorities reported nine arrests, with additional investigations underway into potential human trafficking, child endangerment and custodial interference, demonstrating both the scale of the threat and the lifesaving impact of multidisciplinary collaboration.

National Prevention Month and symposium

National Human Trafficking Prevention Month is a time dedicated to raising awareness, strengthening prevention, and advancing solutions to end trafficking in all its forms. To deepen local engagement, Selah Freedom will host a Human Trafficking Symposium, "Stronger Together: A Community United Against Trafficking," on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the University of Tampa's Ferman Center for the Arts Auditorium. The event will convene testimony from a trafficking survivor and multi-disciplinary professionals, including Homeland Security, Hillsborough Sheriff's Office, Tampa Police and community leaders, to share best practices and collaborative strategies to keep children safe, building on recent joint operations such as Operation Northern Lights. Florida is the #3 state for sex trafficking.

Scope of sex trafficking

Sex trafficking is a multibillion-dollar criminal industry worldwide, with estimates placing the broader human trafficking economy in the tens of billions of dollars annually. In the United States, thousands of women, men and children are coerced into commercial sexual exploitation each year, and federal data show that the vast majority of trafficking cases brought to U.S. courts involve sex trafficking. Florida consistently ranks among the top states for reported human trafficking cases, reflecting both the scale of the crime and increased efforts to identify victims.

American children at risk

Contrary to common myths, many trafficking victims are American children who are recruited and exploited within their own communities. National data and child safety research indicate that millions of minors are at risk, with online grooming, prior sexual abuse and runaway episodes serving as key vulnerabilities traffickers exploit. Selah Freedom's experience shows that youth caught in "the life" are often first abused at a very young age and are targeted between ages 1517, underscoring the urgency of early prevention and intervention.

Florida and Selah Freedom's role

Headquartered in Florida, Selah Freedom's mission is to end sex trafficking and bring freedom to the exploited through Awareness, Prevention, Outreach, Residential and Consulting programs. The organization closely partners with law enforcement, school districts, healthcare practitioners, juvenile justice and the court system to identify victims, disrupt traffickers and provide survivors with trauma-informed housing, advocacy, education and life skills. Over the past decade, Selah Freedom has served over 7,000 survivors and trained tens of thousands of youth and adults to recognize and prevent sex trafficking, with 87% of residential and outreach graduates not returning to exploitation.

Call to action

Selah Freedom urges community members to learn the signs of trafficking, advocate for robust prevention education in K12 schools, and support multidisciplinary collaborations that include local, regional and national law enforcement, school districts, healthcare providers, clergy, and the judicial system. Community members, organizations and professionals are encouraged to attend "Stronger Together: A Community United Against Trafficking" on January 15 and to partner with Selah Freedom throughout National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and beyond. For more information, to request training or to register for the symposium, visit SelahFreedom.com.

Online registration for free Symposium

Go to Selah Freedom's Training & Events section and locate the Human Trafficking Symposium listing for Thursday, January 15, 911 a.m. (8am registration and continental breakfast) at the University of Tampa Ferman Center for the Arts. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-human-trafficking-symposium-tickets-1781470759999

Click the symposium event and follow the prompt to "Reserve your free seat" or equivalent registration button, then complete the short contact/ticket form to secure your reservation.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/selahfreedominc/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Selah-Freedom

X: https://x.com/Selah_Freedom

SOURCE Selah Freedom
One in five couples fail to maximize employer matches, new Samuelson Award-winning study reveals

NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The TIAA Institute today announced that Taha Choukhmane of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lucas Goodman of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and Cormac O'Dea of Yale University have been awarded the 30th annual Paul A. Samuelson Award for their study, "Efficiency in Household Decision-Making: Evidence from the Retirement Savings of US Couples."

The research, published in the American Economic Review in May 2025, reveals that many couples fail to coordinate retirement contributions, costing them an average of $14,000 in lost employer matches over their lifetime ($40,000 at the 90th percentile). The study found that half of inefficient allocations reflect financial mistakes, while the other half are deliberate, often driven by concerns over trust, fairness, and independence. The results suggest the potential for education, guidance and advice to address this gap.

"TIAA Institute has a long history of examining ideas and actions that can help build secure and dignified retirements," said Surya Kolluri, head of the TIAA Institute. "The research done by this year's winners highlights a critical but often overlooked aspect of retirement planninghousehold coordination. By exploring how couples can leave substantial employer matching dollars on the table, the authors provide actionable insights that can help millions of Americans strengthen their retirement security."

By building a new dataset covering more than a million U.S. individuals, the authors documented widespread intra-household inefficiency: nearly one in five couples could increase their retirement savings by around $750 annually simply by reallocating existing contributions to the account with the higher employer match rate.

"This recognition of the paper is a tremendous honor. Retirement planning and economic models often focus on individuals, yet many people face their financial futures as couples," said Taha Choukhmane, speaking on behalf of all three authors. " This award highlights the importance of understanding how households, not just individuals, make the decisions that shape lifelong financial security."

Named in honor of the Nobel Prize winner and former CREF trustee, the Paul A. Samuelson Award is presented annually by the TIAA Institute to recognize outstanding research designed to increase Americans' lifelong financial well-being. Winners are chosen by an independent panel of judges including TIAA Institute Fellows and previous award recipients:

Scott Cederburg, University of Arizona

Gopi Shah Goda, Brookings Institution

Jon Reuter, Boston College

Antoinette Schoar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Carly Urban, Montana State University

About the TIAA Institute

The TIAA Institute helps advance the ways individuals and institutions plan for financial security and organizational effectiveness. The Institute conducts in-depth research, provides access to a network of thought leaders, and enables those it serves to anticipate trends, plan future strategies and maximize opportunities for success. To learn more, visit www.tiaainstitute.org.

About TIAA

TIAA helps provide secure retirements and outcome-focused investment solutions to millions of people and thousands of institutions i. It is the #1 not-for-profit retirement market provider, paid more than $5.9 billion in lifetime income to retired clients in 2024ii, and has $1.5 trillion in assets under management (as of 09/30/2025)iii.

5079261

i.Based on data in PLANSPONSOR's 2025 DC Recordkeeping Survey published June 25, 2025.

ii.As of December 31, 2024, TIAA paid out $5.9B in total annuity income. This figure represents all annuity income, including guaranteed and additional amounts, for all of TIAA's annuity products.

iii.As of September 30, 2025, assets under management across Nuveen Investments affiliates and TIAA investment management teams are $1,487 billion

SOURCE TIAA Institute
The series of shop closures at Fairgreen Shopping Centre is a little disappointing' but there are already quite interesting options to replace them, said John Brophy, manager of Fairgreen.

The Limerick-based company that owned Camden Square and Tailor of Blue ceased trading on Sunday, 4 January in their Carlow and Limerick locations, after a liquidator was appointed to dissolve the 25-year-old men's fashion business. We're sad for that, said Mr Brophy. Its just the way retail is now for independent businesses, it's extremely tough. Dame Ladies Fashion also closed its physical location in Fairgreen at the end of December. But it was a controlled exit, said Mr Brophy, and the brand continues to trade online.

There were three other major closures in the past year: New Look, Vero Moda, and most recently, River Island. However, those are UK corporate decisions to wind down Irish businesses, explained Mr Brophy, and they dont necessarily point to a permanent shift in shopping habits.

River Island at Fairgreen Shopping Centre. Photo by Michael O'Rourke.

His years of experience mean he is not worried about fashion retailing in the long term. Theres still the tactile element of [shopping in person], Mr Brophy noted.

We get little waves: the current one is Temu and Shein. People enjoy it for a while, then they realise they cant send it back, that the quality is lacking, and theres a growing awareness that it's not sustainable. Younger shoppers are beginning to see from sustainability point of view, we cant keep buying cheap clothes from China and throwing them away when worn twice. They realise they have to support their own businesses.

I would predict that there will be a swing back of the pendulum, he said.

As for the centres plans to re-let the vacant shops, We don't anticipate being without units for long, he continued. The last time we had a couple of vacancies, we got in Golden Discs and Rituals, both strong brands which added to the offering in the centre. The newly opened Rituals store was mobbed in the run up to Christmas, said Mr Brophy, and drew in new customers. Similarly, Golden Discs has been a tremendous success with the Carlow branch supposedly being the most successful of its 28 locations over the Christmas period.

The two large empty units in the second part of the centre will be likely let to international brands due to their size, said Mr Brophy, but they are considering Irish brands too. They are already on the verge of reoccupying the New Look premises. When River Island is made vacant on 10 January, they will decide between two different interesting proposals for what to do with the space.
Stephen Maguire

The Co Donegal businessman killed in a fatal assault in Ardara in the early hours of Monday morning has been named locally as businessman and community activist Stephen McCahill.

There is a huge shock across Donegal and beyond following Mr McCahill's sudden death.

The 65-year-old married father-of-two was a former Donegal Person of the Year in 2016.

A co-owner of the Corner House Bar in Ardara for the past 25 years, he was known affectionately as Mr Ardara by many.

Mr McCahill, who was originally from Glenties, was also an auctioneer and a director of a number of companies.

He was pronounced dead following an assault at a domestic residence outside Ardara in the early hours of Monday morning.

A man in his 30s, who is understood to be known to Mr McCahill, was later arrested in connection with the attack.

Mr McCahill was also recognised for his work on numerous boards, committees and festival organisations across Ardara, Glenties, and Killybegs.

Married to Marietta, the couple have two grown-up children, Steven and Gemma.

Donegal Deputy Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher said Mr McCahill canvassed door-to-door for him during general elections on a number of occasions.

Deputy Gallagher said the dawning of the New Year soon turned to widespread sadness with the news breaking of the untimely passing of his lifelong friend, Stephen.

He said "I had known Stephen through his work, with his community and voluntary efforts for Southwest Donegal, through sport but most of it was through our friendship.

"Stephen had a massive flair and drive for community development, and his efforts were widely known in Ardara and further afield.

"In recognition of that Stephen was Donegal person of the Year in 2026, an award he truly deserved.

"In 1981, Stephen moved back to Donegal to work with Campbell Seafoods, Killybegs, where he was employed as quality control manager, through the intervening years he had a long association with the fishing sector.

"More recently, he was heavily involved in business within the Ardara area, with a local public house and auctioneers company, he had remarkable business ethic and ability.

"The events of the past twenty-four hours will weigh extremely heavy on this close-knit local community, and I urge us all to support the entire family network of the Mc Cahill and Maloney Families in this most difficult of times, his many friends and business associates will need all our prayers, support and comfort in the time ahead.

"Both Ann and I wish to extend our deepest sympathies to his Family, to his wife Marietta, son Stephen, daughter Gemma. The members of the Mc Cahill and Maloney Families and his many friends and work colleagues that knew Stephen throughout his life."

For the past 25 years, Mr McCahill had been involved in the running of Corner House bar in Ardara, where he forged many musical connections.

A stalwart of the GAA community, Stephen served as chairman of the Ardara club and was custodian of the Sam Maguire Cup in both 1992 and 2012, proudly bringing it to the Donegal diaspora around the world.

Stephen began his career in hospitality in Ardara and went on to work in a wide range of roles, including as a Lyons Tea sales representative, auctioneer and quality control manager in both Dublin and Killybegs.

In 1991, he established his own company, Glenard Fish, which organised the sales of fresh fish, and he also served as Chair of the Donegal Fisheries Local Action Group North.

He had the honour of being named Rehab Donegal Person of the Year in 2006 and in January 2017, he received the Donegal Association Donegal Person of the Year award for his outstanding contribution to community life.

He also stood as an Independent candidate in the 2011 general election, where he received 1,831 first preference votes.

Investigations into the death of Mr McCahill are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Ballyshannon Garda Station on 071 9858 530, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
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Northern Region Cement Co recently received a notice from Saudi Aramco informing the company of an immediate adjustment to fuel product prices used in cement production.

In a statement to Tadawul, Northern Cement estimated the direct financial impact of the price adjustment would raise production costs by nearly 11 per cent. The company added that it is currently assessing potential measures to mitigate the impact, according to Argaam website.

Northern Cement noted that it continues to implement cost-reduction initiatives aimed at improving production and operational efficiency.

The company also highlighted its participation in the Industrial Sector Competitiveness Program since 2024, which it expects will help ease the financial impact of the adjustment and enhance energy efficiency.

According to Argaam data, several Saudi-listed companies announced on the same day that they had received similar notices from Saudi Aramco regarding adjustments to feedstock and fuel prices. Northern Cement said the decision would lead to higher output costs.
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Lucky Cement reported a robust performance in 1QFY26, with renewable energy meeting around 50 per cent of its total power requirements during the quarter. According to the companys analyst briefing, unconsolidated profit surged 123 per cent YoY to PKR14.62bn, translating into an EPS of PKR9.98.

The strong earnings growth was driven by higher cement demand and a sharp rise in other income, which increased to PKR9bn from PKR3.3bn in the same period last year. The companys weighted-average electricity cost stood at PKR32.5 per kilowatt-hour.

Domestic cement dispatches grew by 17.7 per cent YoY to 1.6Mt, lifting Lucky Cements market share to 38.1 per cent. Export volumes edged up 1 per cent to 0.83Mt. The average cement retention price was approximately PKR 15,200 per tonne. During the quarter, the northern plant used 20 per cent imported coal, while the southern plant operated entirely on imported coal.

Net revenue rose 14 per cent YoY to PKR 33.9bn, although gross profit declined marginally by one per cent due to a revenue reclassification.

Looking ahead, Lucky Cement is targeting growth in markets across Africa, the US, and Brazil, with a new grinding plant in Iraq now operational. The company has no immediate expansion plans in Pakistan, while potential investment in the mining sector is estimated between US$500m and US$1bn. Management expressed optimism around industry consolidation and aims to strengthen its market position through Lucky Motors, while maintaining a cautious stance on new partnerships and any potential bidding for PIA.

By Abdul Rab Siddiqi, Pakistan
A National Model for Efficient Workforce Development, Reduced Government Burden, and Stronger Economic Outcomes

ATLANTA, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Veterans Training Empowerment Center (VTEC) , a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to military workforce development and an approved U.S. Army Career Skills Program (CSP) provider delivering on-base training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and recognized with Guidestar's Platinum Seal of Transparency, today announced the expansion of the VTEC Fort Gillem National Training Center. This centralized, military-focused workforce hub is designed to support soldiers, veterans, military families, and civilian learners while providing direct, measurable benefits to federal and state agencies.

100forHeroes Campaign Logo (PRNewsfoto/Veterans Training Empowerment Center)

The Fort Gillem center will provide a unified system for training, credentialing, and placing transitioning service members into high-demand civilian careers. While the existing Fort Benning Command Training Center has successfully supported soldiers, increasing demand from both participants and hiring partners requires expansion. The new Fort Gillem National Training Center will scale training capacity, centralize employer access, reduce government costs, and strengthen national workforce participation, supporting economic and readiness objectives across multiple agencies.

Government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels are invited to visit https://www.100partnersportal.org to learn how they can partner with VTEC, support military workforce development, and access trained, job-ready personnel for their programs and operations.

Unique Insights & Data (Projected Program Outcomes)

The VTEC Fort Gillem National Training Center is structured around outcome-driven workforce targets designed to deliver measurable public value at scale.

Five-Year Workforce & Economic Projections:

10,000 soldiers trained and transitioned into guaranteed civilian employment , averaging 2,000 trained and hired annually

, averaging 100% training-to-hire placement goal through employer-aligned training pipelines and pre-commitment hiring agreements

through employer-aligned training pipelines and pre-commitment hiring agreements 95% projected employment retention rate driven by structured onboarding and credential alignment

driven by structured onboarding and credential alignment 90% of graduates projected to earn wages at or above market rates for comparable civilian positions

for comparable civilian positions No out-of-pocket cost to participating soldiers, veterans, or military family members

to participating soldiers, veterans, or military family members $45 million in direct career and job creation value

$4 billion in projected economic growth generated through wages, workforce participation, reduced unemployment burden, and downstream economic activity

generated through wages, workforce participation, reduced unemployment burden, and downstream economic activity Multi-state program reach , supporting coordinated federal, state, and local workforce initiatives

, supporting coordinated federal, state, and local workforce initiatives 10 specialized training programs aligned to high-demand sectors, including skilled trades, energy, cybersecurity, infrastructure, logistics, and emerging technologies

These projections are based on VTEC's existing operational model, employer partnerships, and U.S. Army CSP delivery experience, and are designed to scale proven transition pathways while reducing duplicative government workforce and unemployment costs.

Why the VTEC Fort Gillem National Training Center Benefits Government Agencies

1. U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)

Reduced Unemployment Claims and Lower Federal Payouts

When transitioning soldiers move directly into civilian employment, they avoid the unemployment gap that often follows separation. This reduces:

Federal unemployment insurance claims

State unemployment payouts

Administrative processing costs

Long-term dependency on workforce assistance programs

Every soldier who transitions into a job instead of unemployment represents direct savings for DOL and state workforce systems.

Strengthened Workforce Participation in Critical Sectors

VTEC produces job-ready workers in industries where the U.S. faces urgent shortages:

Energy and sustainability

Skilled trades

Cybersecurity and IT

Logistics and supply chain

Construction and infrastructure

Robotics, automation, and EV manufacturing

This supports DOL's national workforce development priorities.

2. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Reduced Demand on VA Employment and Transition Programs

By providing training, credentialing, and job placement, VTEC reduces:

Caseloads for VA vocational rehabilitation

Demand for employment counseling

Reliance on long-term transition support services

Improved Veteran Stability and Lower Crisis Risk

Stable employment is one of the strongest predictors of:

Lower homelessness rates

Reduced mental health crisis incidence

Higher long-term family stability

This directly supports VA's mission and reduces long-term federal costs.

3. U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)

Stronger Recruitment and Retention Messaging

A guaranteed civilian pathway strengthens DoD's ability to recruit and retain talent. Service members are more confident entering the military when they know:

Their service leads to a real career

Their family will be supported

Their transition will be structured and reliable

Reduced Transition Burden on Commands

VTEC absorbs responsibilities that often fall on unit leadership, including:

Credentialing support

Employer coordination

Transition counseling

This allows commands to stay focused on readiness.

4. U.S. Department of Commerce and Economic Development Agencies

A Pipeline of Skilled Workers for High-Growth Industries

VTEC produces job-ready workers in sectors that drive national competitiveness:

Manufacturing

Energy

Technology

Infrastructure

Logistics

This strengthens regional economies and supports federal economic development goals.

5. State Workforce Agencies (Including Georgia DOL)

Lower State Unemployment Burden

When soldiers and veterans move directly into jobs:

State unemployment payouts decrease

Workforce case management drops

State training subsidies are reduced

Higher State and Local Tax Revenue

Employed veterans contribute immediately to:

State income tax

Local sales tax

Property tax through stable housing

This strengthens state budgets without raising taxes.

6. Federal and State Legislators

A HighROI Investment for Constituents

Fort Gillem becomes a national model for:

Efficient use of federal dollars

High-impact workforce development

Veteran and family support

Economic revitalization

It gives legislators a measurable, bipartisan success story tied to jobs, families, and national readiness.

A National Workforce Engine Built by the Military Community

The VTEC Fort Gillem National Training Center is designed to:

Train and credential transitioning soldiers, veterans, Guard, and Reserve

Provide no-cost pathways into high-demand civilian careers

Connect military talent directly with employers

Reduce government burden across multiple agencies

Strengthen economic outcomes at the federal, state, and local levels

This is a system built by the military community, for the military community , with benefits that extend far beyond the installation gates.

From Leadership

"Government agencies carry enormous responsibility for workforce development, economic stability, and veteran support," said David W. Gallemore , CEO of the Veterans Training Empowerment Center. "The VTEC Fort Gillem National Training Center strengthens every one of those missions. When soldiers transition directly into good jobs, everyone wins  the servicemember, the family, the employer, and the taxpayer."

About the Veterans Training Empowerment Center (VTEC)The Veterans Training Empowerment Center (VTEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing no cost workforce training and direct job pathways for transitioning soldiers, veterans, National Guard, Reserve members, and their immediate family members. VTEC is also an approved U.S. Army Career Skills Program (CSP) provider, currently delivering on base training at Fort Benning Army Base in Columbus, Georgia. VTEC partners with employers nationwide to deliver scalable workforce solutions built by the military community, for the military community.

SOURCE Veterans Training Empowerment Center
William McGara Bill Allen, 91, passed away on Friday, January 3, 2026.

He was born Saturday, March 31, 1934, in Russellville, Al., the only child of William Clyde and Selma Allen.

He attended various elementary schools in East Tennessee, including Fontana Elementary School during World War II. His father worked there on the Fontana Dam Project.

The family settled in Chattanooga, where Bill attended Baylor School, Dickenson Junior High, and graduated from City High School in 1952. He attended the University of Alabama. Bill was a lifelong Alabama fan.



He was a talented wood maker and created beautiful furniture and cutting boards. It gave him great joy to see the smiles of family and friends who received these projects as gifts.

Bill enjoyed fishing for most of his life, especially trout fishing and Florida fishing.

He was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church in Ooltewah, and he was a mason.

Bill began his professional career in the construction industry in 1952. He worked for TVA and the James Wilson Company. He was a co-founder of Crane Rentals, Inc. He later worked with Everhart Steel Construction Company, and with B&B Steel Construction Company. He was an assistant business agent for the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 917, and the head of the Apprentice Training Program for the Local.

He was exceptionally knowledgeable in all aspects of crane operations in the construction industry. He also worked with Electro-Lite Battery Company and Richco Company.

Bill was respected and admired by all family members, friends, and professional associates. He instilled a passion for learning, reading, and knowledge in his children. He was a great source for interesting stories and anecdotes. Bill and his family made many fun RV trips to Florida and the mountains of East Tennessee. Many great family memories were made on these trips.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 42 years, Patricia Rich Allen (1938-2025); his parents, Willaim Clyde Allen (1905-1980), and Selma Lorine Allen (1912-2002); his only daughter, Katherine Louise Allen (1958-2010).

Bill is survived by his sons, W. David Allen and wife, Gale, Stan L. Allen, and Mark D. Allen; stepchildren, Brett P. Salmon and wife, Glenda, Stephanie L. Malley and husband, Mike; eight grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and one great-great granddaughter, Harper Adeline Meuller.

Service will be at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church, 7555 Ooltewah-Georgetown Road, Ooltewah.

Visitation at 11:30 am at the church prior to service.

Visit the online obituary www.heritagechattanooga.com to post tributes and share memories.

Arrangements are by Heritage Funeral Home, East Brainerd Chapel.
De Metrius Byrd Ian Mathis Jay Roller Previous Next

Three people have been arrested after police said repeated threats were made against a young Valleybrook resident in Hixson.

Charged with extortion and harassment were Ke Metrius "Meechie" Byrd, 19, of 14 Wert St.; Ian Mathis, 24, of 3702 Skylark Trail, and Jay Roller, 20, of 7315 Haven Hill Lane.

The victim family said they began receiving multiple threats after their son, who has a history of drug involvement, became indebted to an individual.

Police were initially called to the residence on a call that a suspect was at the front door threatening to burn the house down. The suspect was described as a black male wearing a black hoodie, who arrived in a black SUV with black rims. Police were shown camera footage of the individual.

Police were told that the son also received calls and texts from a person known as "Meechie" saying the house would be shot up if payment was not made.

The son arranged to meet "Meechie" in late November on a parking lot on Highway 153 and gave "Meechie" $15,000, it was stated.

Despite this payment, the threats and demands for more money continued, it was stated.

Police answered multiple calls about individuals arriving at the front door of the residence, including one in which a note was left saying that if more payment was not made the house would be burned down with everyone inside it.

Police said one individual captured on video coming to the front door on Friday night was identified by the son as the same "Meechie" he had given the $15,000 to.

Camera footage from the front door showed Mathis wearing a distinctive blue Nike hoodie with white print. Mathis was seen wearing the same hoodie on social media images.

Police said Roller was also identified in connection with the incidents.
Police said a 65-year-old homeless man was arrested on Saturday after hurling trash cans onto Market Street and yelling at people.

George Franklin Atchley was charged with disorderly conduct, vandalism, criminal littering, reckless endangerment and obstruction of a roadway.

When officers arrived at 5:25 p.m., at least a dozen citizens pointed at Atchley as the perpetrator, it was stated.

Police found Atchley standing on the sidewalk at Sixth Street yelling at police in a very aggressive manner. Officers said he was "extremely disorderly."

There were multiple calls from citizens reporting a man walking down Market Street screaming at people, going through trash cans, dumping trash out of the cans, then throwing the cans onto the street.

Police found three trash cans between Sixth and Eighth streets.
Rio Grande Fence Co. of Tennessee opened its third office Monday to serve the greater Chattanooga market.

"In my travels across Tennessee in my career, I've always noticed a gap in the Chattanooga market where there is not a professional grade commercial fence contractor," said Derek Smith, chief executive officer and third generation owner. "As a five-time American Fence Association National Contractor of the Year, we bring best-in-class services from initial site visits, to customer consultations, proposal developments, and on through final installations and repairs. We're proud to extend our fence industry expertise with our Chattanooga branch opening."

On Good Friday (April 3), the company will serve a Chattanooga non-profit organization with the gift of perimeter security by providing all materials and installation for a new, commercial-grade fence at no cost to one organization. Removal of an old or broken fence, if applicable, is included. Charities and non-profit organizations in Chattanooga can apply for the gift-in-kind by going to service.rgfence.com or by emailing Jake Ferris at jake@rgfence.com for more information. Entry deadline is Feb. 14.

The Chattanooga office will be overseen by company veterans Dee Pazienza (branch manager), Jake Ferris (assistant branch manager), and Jordan Hines (project manager). Full-service crews will assist Mr. Ferris and Mr. Hines in performing fence installations, repairs, and temporary fence rentals.

The 4,000 square foot facility at 14 Pryor Dr., Suite 405, sits just north of Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, providing quick access to all areas. The local phone number is (423) 874-8700.
China extends railway network to record of 165,000km in 2025

Global Times) 09:03, January 05, 2026

China's railway network reached a record of 165,000 kilometers as of the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), with the high-speed rail system surpassing 50,000 kilometers. China has built the world's largest and most advanced high-speed railway network, according to data from China Railway Group Co on Sunday.

In 2025, China's railway sector reported 901.5 billion yuan ($128.9 billion) of investment, up 6 percent year-on-year. According to a company conference held Sunday in Beijing, 3,109 kilometers of new rail lines opened last year, with the bulk of 2,862 kilometers being high-speed rail, further demonstrating the driving force of such investment.

With a focus on the 102 major railway projects as well as projects and programs aligned with major national strategies, China Railway stepped up implementation efforts. The construction of a total of eight projects including the Changsha-Ganzhou High-Speed Railway commenced, while 25 projects including the Shenyang-Baihe High-Speed Railway began to operate.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, high-speed rail increased from 37,900 kilometers to 50,400 kilometers, up 32.98 percent, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), China Railway will strive to achieve a world-class railway network in terms of scale and quality. By 2030, the national railway network will reach about 180,000 kilometers, including 60,000 kilometers of high-speed rail, with the double-track rate reaching 64 percent and the electrification rate reaching 78 percent.

Strategic backbone corridors will be comprehensively strengthened, with a national high-speed rail artery network consisting of eight vertical lines and eight horizontal lines. Regional interconnectivity will be significantly enhanced, freight network capacity will be substantially strengthened, and a world-class modern railway network will be basically built. The strategic support capacity of railways in serving major national strategies, promoting economic and social development, and safeguarding national security will be comprehensively enhanced.

(Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Zhong Wenxing)
The ultimate guide to air con maintenance

Benefits of regularly servicing your air conditioner

Reduce bacteria and improve air quality

When your air conditioner filters get clogged over years of use, the cool air it pumps out can be full of dust, mould and bacteria.

A regular service of your air conditioner unit will result in cleaner air filters and improved air quality - benefiting all household members, but particularly those suffering from persistent allergies such as hay fever, and breathing conditions such as asthma.

Even summer sniffles, colds and sore throats developed in the home can be reduced through cleaner air quality from your air conditioner.

If you do have an older air conditioner, a qualified professional may even advise you to purchase a new one. Modern air conditioner units are typically equipped with an internal filtration system that can help reduce bacteria particles in the air recirculation process.

More: How to test and improve indoor air quality

Reduce running costs and electricity bills

Cooling the home is likely to be one of the biggest contributors to your energy bill. Depending on the size of your home, the cost of running an air conditioner can range from a few cents per hour for a small unit in a small space, to a few dollars per hour for a larger home  which can very quickly add up over a hot and humid summer.



These running costs are likely to increase if your air conditioner is working less efficiently. A service can ensure that your air conditioner unit is running as efficiently as possible, and may help you save money on your energy bills.

Increase the lifespan of your air conditioning unit

The lifespan of your air conditioner doesnt just depend on how frequently you use it, or how cool you choose to keep your home. Factors outside of your control, such as damage from storms, hail, dust storms and other weather events, can affect the performance and longevity of your unit.

Although the typical air conditioner can last more than a decade, regular servicing can extend its lifespan even longer.

While bad smells, limited air flow, warmer than usual air or a high energy bill are all tell-tale signs to immediately get a service, expensive breakdowns can occur without warning  underlining the importance of regular and preventative servicing.

On the flip side, without regular servicing, your air conditioner may last fewer than 10 years - meaning you may be faced with spending thousands of dollars for a new air conditioning unit.
Prudence Allen Bentley, 98, of Ithaca, New York, passed away peacefully at home on December 26, 2025, with her son by her side.

Prudence was born on May 7, 1927, in Ithaca, N.Y., to Cornell University professors Arthur and Elsa Allen. As the youngest of five siblings, she was raised in an intellectually rich community shaped by curiosity, scholarship, and a love of the natural world.

Prudence attended Smith College before completing her bachelors degree at Cornell University in 1948. A gifted thespian, she received a full scholarship to pursue an acting career in New York City before discerning a different calling. While living in New York, she worked in various professional roles and began her life as a mother to her two children, Christopher and Joanna. In 1960, she returned to Ithaca, where she became an elementary school teachermarking the beginning of her lifes work in the study of how young children learn.

In 1971, in a pursuit to become a better teacher and mother, Prudence studied theology at Faith Theological Seminary. She excelled academically and translated the gospel of John and the book of Revelation from Greek. In 1978, she pursued graduate study at Cornell, developing innovative curricula in reading, writing, and mathematics. Her lifelong scholarship culminated in a late-in-life treatise, The Physics of Knowing, which articulates her conviction that children teach themselves, and that education flourishes when the teacher creates space for the childs discovery process.

Prudence married Roland Bentley in 1976, and they shared a devoted marriage of 33 years. Roland was deeply supportive of her scholarly pursuits, and Prudence was equally supportive of his work in vocal music, pastel painting, and cooking. After Rolands passing in 2009, she moved to Atlanta to live with her son Chris and his two daughters.

Prudence raised her children to be calm, cool, and collected, encouraging them always to keep their sense of humor and to remember that the only thing that matters is the truth. She loved life and pursued it with gratitude, forgiveness, and kindness toward all. Each of these values were rooted in her deep love for Jesus and people, and she will be forever remembered as a woman of great faith.

Prudence is survived by her two children, Chris Allen of Chattanooga, and Joanna Jones (Jerry) of North Carolina; her grandchildren, Carlisle Allen of Chattanooga, Maggie Philpotts (Jake) of Milton, Ga., David Jones (Anya) of Los Angeles, and Elizabeth Jetton (Justin) of Fuquay-Varina, NC; six great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Prudences name to one of the following ministries:

CitizensofHeaven.church

sozochatt.com

bekn.org

A celebration of life service will be held in Chattanooga on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 1 p.m. at Citizens of Heaven Church, at 149 East MLK Boulevard. The family will receive guests at a reception immediately following the service at the Mountain City Club at 216 W. Eighth St.

View www.heritagebattlefield.com to share condolences

Arrangements are by Heritage Funeral Home & Crematory, Battlefield Parkway.
An order put down on Monday gave former state Rep. Robin Smith a year of probation and spared her any prison time.

Ms. Smith, a former Hamilton County and Tennessee Republican Party chairman, had been set to leave today for a state prison in West Virginia. She was to serve eight months.

However, her attorney asked for probation and prosecutors agreed after President Donald Trump pardoned her co-defendants, former House Speaker Glen Casada and his top aide, Cade Cothren.

Ms. Smith, of Hixson, earlier paid off a $28,263.26 judgment she owed in connection with the bribery and kickback case in which she pleaded guilty.

Authorities said in November 2019 that Cothren set up a firm called Phoenix Consulting that was said to be headed by Matthew Phoenix, which in fact was a fictitious name and the actual operator of the firm was Cothren.

The firm was set up to get payments from a program in which legislators could use up to $3,000 each per year for mailings to constituents.

Ms. Smith ran for the Third District U.S. House seat long held by Zach Wamp in 2010. The race was won by Chuck Fleischmann, who still holds the seat.
Home News At least 11 Christians killed on their way to Christmas celebrations in Sudan, sources say

A Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) drone strike on Dec. 25 killed at least 11 Christians on their way to Christmas celebrations in South Kordofan state, Sudan, sources said.

In addition to the 11 Christians killed, at least 18 other people were seriously wounded in the attack on congregation members making their way to the Episcopal Church of Sudan in Julud (Biyam Jald area) on Christmas morning, said an area Christian attorney.

The church [building] was not hit, but a congregation who were marching in procession towards the church were targeted, the attorney told Morning Star News, requesting anonymity.

The Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North), which has joined the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in its fight against the SAF, and the Foundation Alliance reported that 12 civilians were killed and 19 others injured in the SAF strike on the Biyam Jald area in South Kordofan state, according to the Sudan Tribune. The area is controlled by the SPLM-North.

The drone targeted civilians who were celebrating Christmas, the SPLM reported.

The attack follows a Nov. 29 drone attack by the SAF targeting a medical clinic center in the Kumi area of South Kordofan state that reportedly killed12 people and injured 19 others, including children and women.

Another drone strike on Dec. 5 targeted Ghadeer locality, Kalogi, South Kordofan, killing more than 10 children ages 5 to 7 inside a kindergarten, according to the U.N. Childrens Fund (UNICEF).

Conditions in Sudan have worsened since the civil war that broke out between the RSF and the SAF in April 2023. Sudan registered increases in the number of Christians killed and sexually assaulted and Christian homes and businesses attacked, according to Open Doors 2025 World Watch List (WWL) report.

Christians of all backgrounds are trapped in the chaos, unable to flee. Churches are shelled, looted and occupied by the warring parties, the report stated.

Both the RSF and the SAF are Islamist forces that have attacked displaced Christians on accusations of supporting the others combatants.

Sudan is 93% Muslim, with adherents of ethnic traditional religion 4.3% of the population, while Christians constitute 2.3%, according to Joshua Project.

The conflict between the RSF and the SAF, which had shared military rule in Sudan following an October 2021 coup, has terrorized civilians in Khartoum and elsewhere, killing tens of thousands and displacing more than 12 million people within and beyond Sudan borders, according to the U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights (UNCHR).

The SAFs Gen. Abdelfattah al-Burhan and his then-vice president, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, were in power when civilian parties in March 2023 agreed on a framework to re-establish a democratic transition the next month, but disagreements over military structure torpedoed final approval.

Burhan sought to place the RSF  a paramilitary outfit with roots in the Janjaweed militias that had helped former strongman Bashir put down rebels  under the regular armys control within two years, while Dagolo would accept integration within nothing fewer than 10 years.

Both military leaders have Islamist backgrounds while trying to portray themselves to the international community as pro-democracy advocates of religious freedom.

Sudan was ranked No. 5 among the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian in Open Doors 2025 World Watch List (WWL), down from No. 8 the prior year. Sudan had dropped out of the top 10 of the WWL list for the first time in six years when it first ranked No. 13 in 2021.

Following two years of advances in religious freedom in Sudan after the end of the Islamist dictatorship under Bashir in 2019, the specter of state-sponsored persecution returned with the military coup of Oct. 25, 2021. After Bashir was ousted from 30 years of power in April 2019, the transitional civilian-military government had managed to undo some sharia (Islamic law) provisions. It outlawed the labeling of any religious group infidels and thus effectively rescinded apostasy laws that made leaving Islam punishable by death.

With the Oct. 25, 2021, coup, Christians in Sudan feared the return of the most repressive and harsh aspects of Islamic law.

The U.S. State Department in 2019 removed Sudan from the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) that engage in or tolerate systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom and upgraded it to a watch list. Sudan had previously been designated as a CPC from 1999 to 2018.

In December 2020, the State Department removed Sudan from its Special Watch List.

This article was originally published by Morning Star News.
Home News 4 potential targets for Trump after Maduro's capture

Following the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, President Donald Trump and his administration have hinted that there could be similar operations in other countries.

The United States carried out a large-scale military strike in Caracas early Jan. 3, capturing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, without incurring any reported American casualties. President Trump announced that the operation was aimed at enforcing federal indictments against Maduro, who was charged in 2020 with drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.

U.S. officials have accused Maduro of leading a state-backed cartel that worked with Colombian rebels to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. and armed foreign militias. Trump said the U.S. would govern Venezuela temporarily to ensure a secure transition, citing national security threats and the countrys links to hostile regimes like Iran and Cuba.

Following the operation, Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have issued pointed warnings to several nations, raising questions about potential next targets in the Western Hemisphere and beyond.

Here are four potential targets that have drawn sharp rhetoric from the Trump administration before and after the Venezuela operation.
Home News Members of Congress spar over Trumps capture of Maduro: Reckless or protecting Americans?

As debate intensifies over the legality and consequences of President Donald Trumps military operation in Venezuela, members of Congress are sharply divided.

The overnight capture of Nicolas Maduro has triggered partisan reactions that reflect longstanding disputes over presidential war powers, foreign intervention and congressional oversight.

The United States carried out a large-scale military strike in Caracas early Saturday, capturing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, without reported American casualties. President Trump announced that the operation was aimed at enforcing federal indictments against Maduro, who was charged in 2020 with drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.

U.S. officials have accused him of leading a state-backed cartel that worked with Colombian rebels to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. and armed foreign militias. Trump said the U.S. would govern Venezuela temporarily to ensure a secure transition, citing national security threats and the countrys links to hostile regimes like Iran and Cuba.

Lawmakers across party lines responded within hours, offering sharply contrasting views on the mission, its legality and its implications.

The following pages highlight some of those responses.
Home News Court dismisses lawsuit seeking to nullify election of pastor of historic Abyssinian Baptist Church

New York Supreme Court Judge James G. Clynes has dismissed a lawsuit mounted by four current and former members of the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church that sought to nullify the recent election of the Rev. Kevin R. Johnson as the new pastor of the 200-year-old congregation.

On this motion to dismiss, respondents (Abyssinian Baptist Church) have sustained their prima facie burden of showing that no fraud or wrongdoing occurred during the June 21-23, 2024, election process and that the petition should be dismissed as a matter of law, Clynes wrote in a decision and order on Dec. 22, 2025. Petitioners fail to raise an issue of fact showing that the June 21-23, 2024, election process was so flawed as to require judicial intervention. ... Accordingly, the petition is dismissed.

The four plaintiffs in the case against the church and Johnson  the Rev. C. Vernon Mason, Kevin McGruder, Jasmine McFarlane White and Clarence E. Ball III  sought to nullify the summer 2024 vote that led to Johnsons installation on Sept. 29 that year. They claimed Johnsons election wasnt conducted in compliance with the churchs bylaws, and the process was corrupted with bias.

They also asked the court to order the formation of a new pastoral search committee and direct the church to present a different candidate to congregants. The church members further asked the court to void all salary, payments or compensation the church already made to Johnson, whom they claimed was illegitimate.

Reacting to the dismissal of the case, Abyssinian Baptist Church said the court confirmed what we have known all along."

This has been a long journey, and we want to express our profound gratitude to our congregation and supporters for your trust, patience, and prayers throughout this process, the church said in a memo to the congregation shared with The Christian Post. The court has now confirmed what we have known all along: the voice of the congregation was heard, and the will of the congregation was honored. We are ready to close this chapter and look forward with Rev. Dr. Kevin R. Johnson as the duly elected senior pastor.

The disgruntled plaintiffs told CP in a separate statement that they were disappointed by the court's decision on their complaint.

While we respect the authority of the Court, we do not agree with the outcome, nor do we believe it reflects the gravity of the concerns we brought forward in good faith and in great detail, they said.

Our lawsuit was never about undermining the church or its spiritual mission. It was about accountability, transparency, and the right of members to raise serious questions about governance, process, and spiritual harm without fear of retaliation or silence. We came to the Court because every opportunity for resolution within the church had been closed to us, as we outlined in our petition, they added.

The dismissal of this case does not resolve the underlying issues that compelled us to act. Those issues remain and because of this decision, The Abyssinian Baptist Church is a deeply vulnerable institution. And the cycle of marginalizing, intimidating, and pushing out the voices of those who speak out will not only continue, but it will become a permanent stain in the fabric of a church that once stood for justice.

Johnsons installation at Abyssinian Baptist Church came after a contentious dispute for the job left vacant by the death of the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III on Oct. 28, 2022, from pancreatic cancer. Butts led the church for three decades.

The Rev. Eboni Marshall Turman, a Yale Divinity School professor who made history when she became the youngest pastor ordained at Abyssinian in 2007, had hoped to make history again as the church's first female pastor after Butts' death.

When she wasn't named as a finalist for the position by the church's search committee, Turman filed a federal lawsuit accusing the church and its search committee of gender discrimination.
Home News Over 1 million Australians attend church weekly, gradually increasing numbers post-lockdowns

Quick Summary AI Summary More than 1 million Australians attend church weekly, according to new research.

Weekly attendance has recovered to 89% of levels recorded in 2001.

A full report on the 2025 Church Pulse Check is expected to be released soon. An artificial intelligence-powered tool created this summary based on the source article. The summary has undergone review and verification by an editor. See Summary

Australias churches are continuing a gradual recovery in weekly attendance following the COVID-19 lockdowns, but attendance remains below levels seen at the turn of the millennium.

The findings, released through the inaugural local Church Pulse Check Panel, offer one of the most comprehensive snapshots to date of church participation across the country and are intended to provide a consistent, long-term measure of congregational health as faith communities navigate ongoing cultural and social change.

The initiative builds on decades of research by NCLS Research, which has tracked trends within Australian Christianity to help church leaders respond to shifting patterns of belief and practice.

The 2025 Pulse Check allows us to move beyond anecdotal evidence and provide a faithful, data-driven report on the health and resilience of our local churches, a spokesperson for the project noted.

The findings are based on a nationwide survey of 1,005 local churches conducted throughout October and November 2025, representing about 10% of all Australian congregations across multiple denominations.

Researchers used a methodology known as block growth projections to estimate national weekly attendance figures, enabling participation levels to be assessed across the broader church landscape.

The results indicate that an estimated 1.35 million Australians attend church services in an average week, underscoring the continued role of local congregations in community and spiritual life despite broader trends toward secularization.

Compared with historical data, the 2025 Pulse Check shows weekly attendance has recovered to 89% of the levels recorded in 2001. While this reflects substantial post-pandemic recovery, it also highlights the challenges churches continue to face in regaining earlier participation levels.

Researchers said the remaining gap points to a period of transition, as congregations adapt ministry models and engagement strategies while seeking to maintain their theological and spiritual foundations.

Beyond the current findings, the 2025 survey marks the launch of a permanent local Church Pulse Check Panel. Researchers emphasized that tracking the same churches over time offers a more reliable scientific approach to measuring long-term growth or decline than isolated surveys.

For the panel to remain representative of Australias diverse church landscape, organizers said continued collaboration with denominational leaders will be critical.

During the survey, church leaders were invited to participate in the long-term panel, with a significant number already agreeing to take part. Additional congregations are expected to be added in coming years to ensure broad denominational and geographic coverage.

Researchers said the data is intended to assist pastors, denominational leaders and local churches in understanding emerging trends and planning future ministry more effectively.

A full report on the 2025 Church Pulse Check is expected to be released in the coming weeks, offering further analysis of faith commitment and patterns of church life across Australia.

This article was originally published at Christian Daily International
Home News Outgoing megachurch Pastor Jon Weece launches new ministry to feed deer jerky to hungry children

A year after announcing he would step down as senior pastor of Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, Pastor Jon Weece preached his final message as leader of the megachurch Sunday and revealed the launch of a new ministry called Boone Brothers that will feed deer jerky to hungry children.

I am launching a ministry tomorrow morning because of the immediate need to feed hungry children across the state of Kentucky, Weece told congregants at the church where he served for 26 years. Please hear this statistic: 21 percent of children in our state are going to bed hungry every single night, and that should keep and bother all of us in this room as citizens in the commonwealth.

According to the Boone Brothers website, which lists Trey Benson and Weece as staff members, the organization plans to turn Kentuckys abundant natural resources into nourishment for the next generation.

When you give, hunt, or serve with us, youre helping ensure that hungry children dont grow into angry adults.  Through a partnership with Kentucky Fish & Wildlife, we process and package venison (deer meat) into a delicious form of jerky (Boone Bites) that are protein rich and do not need to be refrigerated, the website explains.

The deer jerky will then be distributed to local elementary schools, where teachers will serve it to hungry children.

Deer are an abundant natural resource and the herd needs to be managed to strike a balance between food for people and food for wildlife. So this ministry benefits children and farmers primarily, but also keeps the deer population from dying of starvation and sickness, it continues. To put it in perspective  Every deer you donate generates 150-200 well-packaged pieces of deer jerky. If you and your friends each donate two deer each season, we can feed most of the hungry children in our state.

A report from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources shows that the state has a significant population of white-tailed deer estimated to be around 1 million. The deer population has caused crop damage, landscape issues and a number of vehicle collisions. Despite efforts to manage the population through hunting, it remains high, according to state officials.

Weece, who joined Southland Christian Church in 2000 as a teaching pastor and became the churchs lead pastor three years later, announced in a sermon at the church in January 2025 that he would step down and endorsed his friend, Pastor Scott Nickell, as his replacement.

He said on Sunday that he didnt know what he was going to do after being a pastor until last June.

As I said in January last year, four years ago, God was making it clear that my time of leading Southland onto the battlefield was coming to an end. What He didn't make clear to me was what my next assignment would be until June of this past year, June of 2025, Weece said.

He said in his 26 years at the church, nearly 15,000 people were baptized. In the last year alone, he noted that some 3,000 people were added to the multi-campus church. He praised the congregation for loving him and his family and their financial giving of more than $430 million over the course of his leadership.

I've never claimed to be a smart leader.  I'm an honest one, but I'm not a smart one. And the reason I can share all the dumb things I've ever done in my life in front of you is because of God's love flowing through you. You have loved me in spite of me and I'm a different man as a result of it, Weece told congregants.

I mean, our church has doubled in size. Our budget has quadrupled in size. Central Kentucky is radically different because of the way you express God's love. I also want you to know on this last Sunday that I'm a better man because of your love.

Weece also urged members of the church to support their new pastor in a healthy way.

Like me, Scott counts it a high privilege to lead this church into battle against Satan every day. And he's got the scars to prove it. So, as his brother, can I just encourage you with this: Support him. Pray for him. Don't do what a lot of churches do to their pastors, which is stab him and shoot him in the back.

Scott is a man among boys," he added. "He's proven that here. He will do what is right, even if it's not easy or popular. God has taken these stigmas in his life and turned them, transformed them into strengths. His faith has been tested. Thus, it can be trusted.
Home News Pastor with previous charges for violence fatally shot in domestic incident

A 31-year-old Alabama pastor was shot in a domestic incident and died at a local hospital days later. The victim, identified as DaQuarius Green, had previously faced domestic violence charges, though the cases were dismissed.

The shooting occurred inside a residence in the Freedom Heights neighborhood of Level Plains in Dale County on Dec. 23, according to WTVY. Green died on Dec. 28.

No charges had been filed, and the case remained under investigation. Officials were quoted as saying that the woman accused of shooting Green had not been identified publicly.

Authorities haven't confirmed whether the shooter is the same person named in past court documents involving Green.

Green was the pastor at Elba Zion Missionary Baptist Church and was known for his work in the Montgomery church community.

A statement on the churchs Facebook page expressed sorrow at his death and praised his service, stating, With heavy hearts yet unwavering faith, we share that our beloved Pastor DaQuarius Green has transitioned from this earthly life into eternal rest.

Court records show that Green was previously charged with three misdemeanor counts of domestic violence in 2022. All charges were dismissed after the complainant declined to testify.

A woman who has children with Green alleged in a protection order filing that he had repeatedly assaulted her, including once while she was pregnant.

Investigators haven't ruled out the possibility of self-defense in his death.

In Alabama, cases involving self-defense are generally referred to the district attorney, who then decides whether to present them to a grand jury.

Messages posted on Greens churchs Facebook page reflected mourning from members and supporters. We are going to miss him. Loved him very much. Celebrating his homecoming and praying for his family and friends, one message read. Other messages questioned the nature of his death and whether there was any correlation to his past domestic abuse charges.

Greens death drew responses from across the Montgomery religious community.

DiVonta Palmer, a minister who knew Green through local church circles, recalled their conversations about faith, parenting and personal growth.

He was telling me how fatherhood had changed him, WSFA quoted Palmer as saying. To me, the man was a humble man, an honest man, a man who deeply loved God and his family.

Palmer described a moment when Green unexpectedly showed up at his church. He tapped me on the shoulder and said, Brother Palmer, he recalled. I had no idea he was coming. That meant a lot.

A prayer vigil was held on Dec. 28 at Elba Zion Missionary Baptist Church to honor Greens memory. The church requested prayers for Greens family and congregation during a time of mourning and remembrance.
Home News Porn star Lily Phillips gets baptized; questions about her sincerity emerge

Porn star Lily Phillips says she has been rebaptized and is re-embracing the Christian faith, prompting a debate about whether the development is sincere or merely a publicity stunt.

Phillips, 24, best known for claiming to have slept with over 1,000 men in 12 hours, shared a video on Instagram last week documenting her rebaptism. The video showed the OnlyFans star standing in a shallow baptismal pool alongside a minister who completely submerged her in the water. The words on the screen stated a day to remember forever, and the song God Is by Kanye West played in the background.

Phillips did not specify which church she was rebaptized at, but she opened up about her faith journey in an interview with US Weekly published Tuesday.

I think for a while Id kind of deviated from religion, and I think I was kind of in denial for a lot of it, she said. Quite a big thing happened more in my personal life, where I kind of felt the need to start speaking to God again. I hadnt really practiced faith for a while. I just wanted to get rebaptized to kind of reinstate my relationship with God.

Phillips insisted that there are a lot of Christian girls who are in this industry, adding people might not know it and they might not feel comfortable talking about it because of the judgment.

Acknowledging that many people will probably not think she is a good Christian because of her career choice, Phillips asserted, Thats totally fine, and said she has no intention of changing her positions at odds with traditional Christian teaching.

Im definitely not claiming to be a traditional Christian at all. Obviously, Im not against gay marriage. I am also pro-choice. So I definitely dont have, necessarily, traditional values. But that doesnt mean to say that I cant be Christian. I would just hope that the Christian community welcomes me, because I guess everyones relationship with God is bespoke to them, she added.

Phillips outlined her plans to make religion more of a priority in her life.

Im going to take more of a back seat in work and stuff like that just to really prioritize this. Even though I travel so much  and this is my issue  I dont necessarily go to church a lot because Im traveling," she said. "But it doesnt mean to say I cant pray and I cant practice my religion outside of church, so Id definitely be doing that and taking that forward.

Discussing her religious upbringing, said he family has "always been religious."

They dont practice that much or anything like that," she added. We were always quite close to God growing up and stuff like that. They were delighted.

Reactions to Phillips baptism in the Christian community were mixed.

Russell Brand, an actor and comedian facing sexual assault allegations from his younger years, who has embraced the Christian faith in recent years and was baptized in 2024, reacted to Phillips rebaptism by sharing the video of it in an X post on Thursday.

His caption reads, Thank God. Brand had previously told Phillips in an interview last year that she was a child of God, assuring her, You are special and you are sacred.

You deserve to be cherished and treasured in every aspect of your life," he told Phillips. Encouraging her to recognize her precious soul and spirit," Brand attempted to coax the adult film star out of the industry.

There is a path and a light for you, he remarked.

Phillips described herself to Brand as obsessed with sex and not religious or anything like that.

On the other hand, Christian social media commentator Jon Root published an X post on Thursday, suggesting that Phillips baptism was nothing more than a publicity stunt.

Currently, I dont see the fruit of saving faith in Jesus Christ, he wrote.

In addition to noting her positions on abortion and gay marriage, Root listed the fact that she still sells pornographic material, doesnt mention Jesus Christ in her reasoning to be baptized, and still has immodest content on her social channels.

Proclaiming that God can save anyone, Root reiterated, I dont see any evidence of good fruit.

Christianity has become a grift for many to elevate their brand a lot lately," Root concluded. "I dont think this is anything more than lip service, especially after reading her explanation for baptism to US Weekly. If she was real, shed leave her old life of debauchery, not justify her sin, while claiming to follow God."

Other former porn stars have completely left the industry behind as they committed to faith in Jesus Christ.

Brittni De La Mora, a former porn star who starred in hundreds of films and made millions of dollars in the industry, is the most prominent example. After her conversion, De La Mora and her husband took over XXXChurch, a ministry devoted to helping adult film stars leave the industry.

In November, 51-year-old Jenna Jameson, who is known as the former "Queen of Porn," said she was baptized and is now using her platform to help others find Jesus. In an Instagram video, Jameson said she was "switching sides" after "decades of being known for my body and sin."
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Home News Incoming archbishop of Canterbury speaks out against assisted suicide: We need better care, not killing

Quick Summary AI Summary Incoming Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally explains why she opposes assisted suicide.

A bill to legalize assisted dying is now under consideration in the House of Lords.

Mullally emphasizes the need for proper palliative care for patients, not assisted suicide. An artificial intelligence-powered tool created this summary based on the source article. The summary has undergone review and verification by an editor. See Summary

The incoming archbishop of Canterbury has spoken out against assisted suicide, as a bill to legalize helping people end their lives narrowly passed in the House of Commons last year and is now being considered in the House of Lords in the U.K. Parliament.

In an interview on the BBCs Today program last week, Dame Sarah Mullally spoke with former U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, where she was asked to weigh in on the assisted dying issue.

Sharing her experience working as a nurse and a priest, Mullally told May she had a principled view against assisted dying.

I think that we need to care for the most vulnerable in our society, we need to have a view where everybodys made in the image of God," Mullally added.

Those who support the bill talk about choice, she said. Im not sure we have a choice, not least that actually we dont fund proper palliative care. Im worried that people may make a decision for assisted dying because theyre not having the right palliative care or the right social care.

Read: Faith-based providers may be forced to facilitate assisted suicides

Mullally shared her concerns about a whole group of people who havent had a choice in life, identifying them as people who, because of inequality, are more likely to get cancer and be late to diagnose and then to die of it.

She expressed concern that these people may well be given options and feel that because of other peoples value judgments, the option is assisted dying and not chemotherapy and to fight for it.

Those safeguards are not in the bill, and my belief is Im not sure any amendments will make it safe, she asserted.

Last year, actress and disability rights campaigner Liz Carr, known for her role in the popular British series "Silent Witness," spoke out firmly against the legalization of assisted suicide, warning that it poses serious risks to disabled people.

In the BBC documentary Better Off Dead?, she presented testimonies from disabled individuals who had been told by others that they would be better off dead.

Carr pointed to Canadas experience, where the law initially limited assisted suicide to terminal cases but later expanded to include those facing unbearable suffering, including people struggling with poverty or mental illness. She has expressed concern that similar legal changes in the U.K. could lead to vulnerable people choosing death due to a lack of adequate support, not because of genuine personal choice.

Mullallys comments about assisted dying come as the U.K. Parliament is considering the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The bill enables adults in England and Wales with terminal illnesses to make a declaration announcing their intent to end their life that must be signed by the patient as well as a medical professional and another person.

Patients seeking to end their life must undergo an evaluation by a second doctor and have their request approved by an Assisted Dying Review Panel. The legislation states that doctors are not required to participate in assisted suicide, clarifying that forcing people to request assisted suicide or administer the process constitutes an offense, as does the falsification or destruction of documentation related to it.

The bill passed the House of Commons, the lower chamber of the British Parliament, in a 314-291 vote on June 20, 2025. Support for the measure fell largely along party lines, with most members of the Conservative Party opposing the bill and most members of the ruling Labour Party supporting it. The bill is now in the House of Lords, the upper chamber of the U.K. Parliament, where it is awaiting further action.

Mullallys remarks about assisted dying come as the incoming leader of the Church of England has faced criticism for progressive positions on other social issues. The Most Rev. Laurent Mbanda, who leads the Primate Council of the global Anglican movement Gafcon, expressed concern in an Oct. 3, 2025, statement that Mullallys selection as the archbishop of Canterbury makes it impossible for Canterbury to function as a unifying role within the Communion.

When she was consecrated in 2015, she took an oath to banish and drive away all strange and erroneous doctrine contrary to Gods Word, Mbanda recalled. And yet, far from banishing such doctrine, Bishop Mullally has repeatedly promoted unbiblical and revisionist teachings regarding marriage and sexual morality.

Anglicans believe that the church has been given authority by God to establish rites and ceremonies and to settle doctrine controversy, and yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to Gods Word (Article XX), he added. The church cannot bless or affirm what God has condemned (Numbers 23:8, 24:13). This, however, is precisely what Bishop Mullally has sought to allow.

Archbishop Henry Ndukuba of the Church of Nigeria also lamented Mullallys appointment, alleging that it runs afoul of the majority of Anglicans who are unable to embrace female headship in the episcopate. Ndukubas remarks come as Mullally is slated to become the first female Archbishop of Canterbury in the history of the Church of England.
Home News Gov. Tim Walz won't seek reelection: No time to campaign, I must defend Minnesota against criminals

Former Democrat vice presidential hopeful Tim Walz announced Monday that he will not seek a third term as governor of Minnesota, amid an investigation into the ongoing Somali immigrant daycare fraud scandal.

In a statement released Monday morning, Walz said that while he had originally announced last September that he would run for reelection, I came to the conclusion that I cant give a political campaign my all.

Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I cant spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences, stated Walz.

So Ive decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work.  I know this news may come as a surprise. But Im passing on the race with zero sadness and zero regret.

Walz denounced both the organized group of criminals who have sought to take advantage of our states generosity and the organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of the crisis.

We should be concerned about fraud in our state government. We cannot effectively deliver programs and services if we cant earn the publics trust. Thats why, over the past few years, weve made systemic changes to the way we do business, he continued.

But the political gamesmanship were seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder to win.  Weve got conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into daycare centers and demanding access to our children.  Weve got the President of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongly confiscating childcare funding that Minnesotans rely on.

Walz also talked about the importance of servant leadership, noting that he hoped that my friends on the other side of the aisle will consider what servant leadership demands of them in this moment.

We can work together to combat the criminals, rebuild the publics trust, and make our state stronger, he added. But make no mistake: If Republicans continue down this path of abusing power, smearing entire communities, and running their own fraudulent game at the expense of Minnesotans  we will fight back every step of the way.

Elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and reelected in 2022, Walz was the vice-presidential running mate for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, who received the nomination without participating in a Democratic primary.

Walz was known for advancing progressive policies, including the expansion of abortion access and adding menstruation products in public school bathrooms for boys, leading to the pejorative nickname Tampon Tim.

Recently, his administration has garnered criticism for allegedly failing to properly respond to widespread fraud among childcare centers, many of which are overseen by Somali immigrants.

YouTube creator and independent journalist Nick Shirley garnered widespread attention when he tried to visit a Somali-run daycare center, including one that claimed to have 99 children enrolled and received millions of dollars in government money to look after said children, yet none appeared to be present at the facility.

In a 42-minute video, the 23-year-old Shirley claimed to have uncovered more than $110 million in fraud from the daycare centers in a single day in Minnesota alone.

Vice President JD Vance was among those who praised Shirley's video on X, claiming that he has done far more useful journalism than any of the winners of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize.

Late last month, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services froze around $185 million in federal childcare payments to Minnesota in response to the fraud allegations.

We believe the state of Minnesota has allowed scammers and fake daycares to siphon millions of taxpayer dollars over the past decade, stated Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O'Neill.

For his part, Walz argued that the freezing of funds was politically-motivated, alleging that it was a transparent attempt to politicize the issue to hurt Minnesotans and defund government programs that help people.
Home Opinion Can a faithful Christian be damned for not being baptized?

I recently spent time at a well-known prayer retreat where believers gather to seek healing, repentance, and a closer walk with God. It was there where I met a fellow believer whose passion for repentance and obedience was unmistakable. Later, during fellowship in my own home, that passion collided with conviction.



What followed was not a calm theological discussion, but a raised-voice argument  one that escalated into a painful exchange in front of his wife. It was ugly. I regret letting it reach that point.

The issue at the center of the conflict was baptism  and whether a person who has never been baptized can truly be saved.

That experience forced me to step back, not just to reexamine the theology, but to ask a more sobering question: What happens when deeply held beliefs about obedience begin to eclipse graceand fracture fellowship in the process?

Christians across Evangelical traditions agree on this much: baptism matters. Jesus commanded it. The apostles practiced it. The Church has cherished it as a public declaration of faith and identification with Christ.

Baptism is not optional obedience. It is a sacred act that should be taught, encouraged, and celebrated.

But Scripture presses us to be precise about what baptism is  and what it is not.

The New Testament is unambiguous that salvation is a gift of grace received through faith. For by grace you have been saved through faith  not a result of works (Ephesians 2:89).

Baptism is an act of obedience that follows salvation. It is not the mechanism that creates it.

The danger arises when a practice commanded by Christ becomes a line of condemnation drawn by believers  especially when that line is used to declare the eternal fate of others whom God may already be at work within.

The thief on the cross stands as a permanent witness against such certainty. With no opportunity for baptism, ritual, or religious performance, he received Christs assurance: Today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).

Jesus did not lower the standard of holiness. He clarified the source of salvation.

This issue is not limited to baptism.

In charismatic and Pentecostal circles, many rightly emphasize the importance of spiritual gifts  especially speaking in tongues and prophecy. Scripture affirms these gifts. Paul encourages believers to desire them earnestly.

Yet most charismatics would stop short of declaring that a Christian who has never spoken in tongues or prophesied is therefore unsaved.

Why? Because we instinctively understand that manifestations of the Spirit are not the measure of justification.

Tongues matter. Prophecy matters. Baptism matters.

But none of these are the foundation of salvation. Christ is.

The argument in my living room did not erupt because either of us hated truth. It erupted because truth was being defended without enough humility, patience, or love. Admittedly  and to my regret  I did not feel much love for my friend in that moment, and my tone reflected it.

The apostle Paul warns us that even correct theology, when untethered from love, profits nothing. The enemy does not need false doctrine if he can use true doctrine wielded harshly to divide believers and damage witness.

The devil delights when Christians turn essential practices into tests of worthiness, or when debates over obedience eclipse the unity purchased by Christs blood.

We can  and must  call believers to obedience, including baptism. We can teach its importance without diminishing it. But Scripture does not authorize us to declare damned those who confess Christ, bear fruit, and walk faithfully, yet differ in practice or understanding.

Paul himself made a startling distinction: Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel (1 Corinthians 1:17). Not because baptism was unimportant, but because salvation rests on the Gospel itself.

Grace is not opposed to obedience. It produces it.

But when obedience becomes the doorway to grace, the Gospel is quietly altered. Assurance gives way to fear. Fellowship gives way to suspicion. And brothers raise their voices at brothers.

I wish I had paused sooner that night. I wish I had chosen peace without surrendering conviction. That lesson, too, is part of discipleship.

The Church does not need fewer convictions. It needs more humility in how we hold them.

Baptism is a gift. Tongues are a gift. Prophecy is a gift.

Salvation is pure grace. It is grace  freely given, fiercely defended, and never improved by our additions.

If we can remember that we may yet preserve both truth and love  and deny the enemy the satisfaction of watching believers wound one another in the name of God.
Home Opinion How much do demons know?

On October 27, 1989, while walking from her Middle School in Bay Village, Ohio, to a local shopping center, 10-year-old Amy Mihaljevic was kidnapped. Sadly, on February 8, 1990, the girl's body was found in a rural Ashland County, Ohio field. To date, Amys killer has not been identified.

In a documentary detailing the events surrounding her kidnapping and murder, Amys best friend revealed that just before Mihaljevics kidnapping, she and Amy had been playing with a Ouija Board in Amys room. Amy jokingly asked the board when she was going to die. With both girls hands lightly touching the boards pointer, it moved slowly and spelled out one word.

S-O-O-N

Those who have studied the subject of demonology warn that occult tools such as Ouija Boards can act as points of contact between people and the demonic. If that happened in this case, and Amy and her friend were unlucky enough to come into contact with a demon, how did it know that Amy was about to die?

And, bumping things up to a higher-level question, how much knowledge do demons actually have?

The mind of a demon

During an exorcism, Stephen Joseph Rossetti, an American Catholic priest, relays how the possessed woman called him by a nickname he was given in junior high school 60 years ago, which no one in the present day knew. He says that one sign of demon possession is knowledge of the unknown  what is sometimes referred to as occult knowledge  which this woman manifested. Roessetti posits that, in such cases, there is a fusion of the demons mind with its human victim that allows such knowledge and purpose to pour out.

You see a few examples of this in Scripture, such as one in the Old Testament when a demon tells God how he will help undo King Ahab in battle: And he [the demon] said, I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets (1 Kings 22:22).

Getting back to the question of what demons know, the Bible is somewhat sparse on the subject, but it does provide a few clues that help us understand the extent of their intelligence and understanding.

Demons are portrayed in the Bible as real, personal, intelligent spiritual beings with significant but limited (in relation to God) cognitive abilities. Their knowledge is greater than humans' in some areas, yet far inferior to Gods and constrained by creaturely limits, moral corruption, and divine sovereignty.

As you might expect, only God is portrayed in Scripture as omniscient: Can anyone teach God knowledge (Job 21:22); Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite (Ps. 147:5).

Knowing the future and our thoughts is also limited to God alone: Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it  let them declare to them the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place (Is. 44:67); You alone know the hearts of all the children of mankind (1 Kings 8:39).

When it comes to foreknowledge, Scripture does mention spirits of divination such as one example found in the book of Acts: It happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling (Acts 16:16). Pauls exorcism of the spirit evidently changed her foretelling abilities to some extent because her owners recognized the difference and had Paul arrested, although were not told exactly what capabilities left her when the demon departed.

The Bible depicts demons as possessing higher levels of real intelligence and awareness than us and that they are rational, communicative beings (Mark 1:24; Luke 8:2831), recognize individuals (Acts 19:15), can form plans and strategies (Eph. 6:11), and know hidden theological realities like who Jesus was (I know who you are  the Holy One of God! - Mark 1:24). They often know orthodox truths better than us with James stating, even the demons believe  and shudder (vs. 2:19).

Dr. Ed Murphy, in his book The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare, asserts that demons observe human subjects, can ascertain their weaknesses, and go about planting thoughts into their hearts and minds in a way where the person may have no idea the thoughts originated from a supernatural source. This falls in line with what happened to Judas: The devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him (John 13:2).

Murphy intimates that a demon's knowledge and agenda are along the lines of being expert social engineers or hackers: they have a massive database of human history and psychology that allows them to predict behavior and manipulate systems. But in the end, they are ultimately barred from knowing God's secret purposes and the exact timing of future things.

As to truth and its adherence, the demons knowledge is corrupted by rebellion, distorted by hatred, pride, and deception. While theologically informed and knowledgeable, they are morally blind. Put a different way, demons believe true things but hate the truth; their problem is not lack of knowledge but pride and lack of submission to God. And as the Bible says, knowledge without obedience produces terror, not salvation (James 2:19).

All that said, what about the case of Amy Mihaljevic and the Ouija Board? Scripture makes it clear that demons dont know the future, so any demon behind the boards movements couldnt have known what was about to happen to her. Perhaps it was aware of the killer stalking her and inferred what was going to take place, similar to how a skilled chess player may not be able to read minds but is capable of reading patterns.

In the end, demons knowledge makes them dangerous, but never ultimate. If G. K. Chesterton is right when he writes in his book The Everlasting Man that Nature is always looking for the supernatural, only two choices of supernatural knowledge exist for us: Gods and the enemys. Understanding what demons know can be helpful, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes (2 Cor. 2:11), but pursuing their knowledge is off limits for Christians.

In his book, The Haunting of Bishop Pike, Dr. Merrill Unger chronicles the tragedy of listening to demons and provides a good warning we should all adhere to: The [conveying of knowledge] through demonic power is not free and purely beneficent. They always operate under the principle of compensation, with a price tag attached to them  one that must be paid throughout eternity.
Motivation Charitable Trust

An international development charity has closed its UK operation in response to intense economic challenges and as part of a move to decentralise.

Motivation, which has worked with partners to support people with mobility disabilities for over 30 years, said last week that financial pressures had hastened its strategic shift to regional leadership in Africa and India.

The Bristol-based charity said the pressures it faced last year meant it has had to move more quickly with its work to shift wholly to our offices in India and Africa and close our UK office.

Since 2020, Motivation has been working to deliver this impact via independent organisations in Africa and India, it said.

The need to respond rapidly to intense economic challenges has accelerated this transition, leading to the closure of its UK operation in December 2025.

This work to adapt and meet the challenges of a particularly difficult year for charities globally was marked by sharp declines in international aid and weakening commitments to disability inclusion  impacting disabled people and their families most.

Accounts for 2024 show that Motivation employed 43 employees across five offices, with 19 in the UK, 11 in India, seven in Kenya and three each in Malawi and Uganda.

Chief executive Amanda Wilkinson said: We know the speed of our UK closure will be unexpected for our friends, partners, and supporters, and we ask that they continue to champion disability inclusion through our brilliant teams at Motivation Africa and Motivation India.

Were deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to Motivations first 30 years and helped create an organisation that has profoundly impacted millions of lives.

That legacy will continue closest to the communities that inspired our mission.

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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Last month Carroll Bogert, the newly named chief executive of The City, a nonprofit digital news site that covers New York, sent a letter to the local field directors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. We seek to discuss establishing clear, well-recognized best practices for law-enforcement interactions with journalists during fast-moving or sensitive operations, she wrote. Bogert raised concerns about how journalists had been treated across the country, as agents and journalists have recently ended up in conflicts that risk both the safety and work of your agents and our journalistsconsider the scenes in Chicago, Los Angeles, and elsewhere. She proposed a meeting to clarify federal policies, in the likely event that Donald Trump deployed more federal officers to New York. The letter was cosigned by eight news organizations, including the New York Times, New York magazine, and Documented, a media nonprofit that covers the immigrant community.

Mickey Osterreicher, the general counsel for the National Press Photographers Association, also signed on. Were trying to be proactive, he said. Were not trying to point blame. Were just trying to say, Hey, were here, and wed like to engage with you and talk about how we can avoid having incidents. Tensions have been high in New York for a while now, as dozens of journalists have covered dramatic scenes at 26 Federal Plaza, where ICE agents have been arresting immigrants attending court hearings. In September, federal agents shoved several journalists, including a Turkish reporter named L. Vural Elibol, who was injured and had to be carried away on a stretcher. In late November, city police shoved Avery Craig, an independent journalist and documentarian, and then arrested him. According to an account published on the US Press Freedom Tracker, a comprehensive database operated by the Freedom of the Press Foundation, Craig had been covering protests against immigration enforcementand police responded with pepper spray and arrests. When Craig identified himself as a journalist, the arresting officer said, We dont give a shit. (The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.)

Osterreicher told me that the confrontation with Craig was particularly troubling because the NYPD is bound by a sweeping September 2023 settlement that bars the police from impeding the work of the press or arresting journalists while they are reporting. The whole reason for having the settlement is to have these guidelines, policies, protocols that the officers are supposed to follow, he said.

No such agreement exists with federal law enforcement. Still, the actions of federal authorities should in theory align with newly created Justice Department guidelines on policemedia interactions, which outline a series of measures that law enforcement should take to ensure that the First Amendment rights of journalists are protected. Officers should determine who is a journalist based not only on credentials but also on function and behavior. They should provide pre-event briefings to the media and allow journalists to identify themselves when making an arrest.

These protocols have not been followed consistently. Adam Rose, a press freedom advocate based in Los Angeles, has compiled a spreadsheet that catalogues dozens of incidents throughout the past year involving threats, obstruction, or arrests on the part of the Department of Homeland Security everywhere from Portland to Charlotte, Chicago to Minneapolis. (Though the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles and other cities has raised deep concerns, Rose told me that the recorded press freedom incidents involve DHS agencies and local police departments.) Rose, who has been defending journalists in LA for a decade, recently took on a new role with the Freedom of the Press Foundation, helping to strengthen local advocacy across the country. His advice: journalists who experience press freedom abuses should speak out and document the incidents on social media, in their publications, and via the Press Freedom Tracker. We take it for granted, Rose told me, and not that journalists should never make a story about them, but if their rights are violated, they are the story.

Rose believes that mainstream reporters should take an expansive view of what constitutes journalismand be generous in sharing safety information and building relationships with other people documenting action in the streets. Traditional media organizations are often reluctant to file lawsuits against the policeeven if their rights are violatedbecause they want to avoid an intrusive discovery process and prevent complications with ongoing coverage. That means when First Amendment lawsuits are filed, the plaintiffs have tended to be people from smaller upstart outlets, or theyre individuals, Rose saidso the legal advocacy of freelancers and livestreamers can end up defining the protections all journalists enjoy.

Across the United States, the streets are the front lines in the battle to preserve press freedom. Of course, legal claims to maintain access to the Pentagon and the White House briefing room are critical, as are the efforts to defend against spurious libel suits. But the streets are where journalists interact most directly with the publicwhere their mutual rights, codified in the First Amendment, intersect. It is also the place where journalists perform one of their most essential accountability functions: monitoring and publicizing the activities of law enforcement. What were seeing is not a one-off problem or a New York problem, Osterriecher said. Its a repeating federal enforcement pattern that were seeing across the country. Back in October, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press sent a letter of concern to Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security. Now the expected deployment of greater federal law enforcement in New York City may well spur demonstrationsand journalists will need to be out there, free to cover events as they unfold.

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The letter from Carroll Bogert and The City is an important step in ensuring that New Yorks media stand together to defend their rights. (To date, it has received no response.) Media in this town are historically very competitive, she told me. But on some things, we need to collaborate.
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At 4:21am on Saturday, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform, that the United States military had successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela, capturing its president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. Shortly before appearing at a press conference from his home in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump posted again, first a videoof helicopters flying over Caracas as fire ignited the sky, missiles fell, and black smoke roseto the soundtrack of Creedence Clearwater Revivals Fortunate Son, an anthem of the antiVietnam War movement. Then Trump posted a photo he said was of Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima, which reporters rushed to verify; Maduro appeared to be wearing a gray Nike tracksuit, a blindfold, and shackles.

It was shocking, if not surprising, news. For years, Trump had expressed his wish to see Maduro removed from power. Over the past several months, he and Pete Hegseththe secretary of defense, or war, depending on your preferencehave attacked at least thirty alleged narco-boats in the region, killing more than a hundred people. At the press conference, held at 11am on Saturday, Trump called Maduro an illegitimate dictator who was the kingpin of a vast criminal network. Since becoming president, in 2013, Maduro had, in fact, overseen repression of Venezuelan democracyincluding the independent press, continuing a policy of communication hegemony established by Hugo Chavez, his predecessor. According to Reporters Without Borders, the governments monopoly on the importation of newsprint and printing supplies resulted in the disappearance of the print editions of about a hundred newspapers, and journalists in the country have often been beaten or threatened in the course of their work.

An indictment unsealed by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York showed that Maduro now faces narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons charges. At the presser, Trump said that we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition. But when asked by reporters what this would actually mean for VenezuelaAmerican troops on the ground? Government functions being taken over by Hegseth and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state? Was this the US again deposing a leader without a day-after plan?Trump responded with foggy answers. The series of events, leading up to Maduros filmed perp walk, upon his arrival at a detention center in Brooklyn, seemed to make this much clear: Americas stunning foreign intervention was about spectacle, not detail.

Journalists in Venezuela scrambled to assess the damage from the attack, which began around 2am local time and struck three states in the northern part of the country. The targets appeared to be related to military and aviation sites, but also resulted in multiple civilian casualties. One air strike hit a three-story apartment complex in Catia La Mar, west of one of the airports near Caracas, killing an eighty-year-old woman named Rosa Gonzalez, the New York Times reported, and seriously wounding a second person. In photos from Catia La Mar, it looked like the buildings facade had been torn away like an orange peel, exposing living rooms that were half-wrecked and covered with dust. One apartment featured a portrait of Simon Bolivar, a Venezuelan and icon of South American independence, seemingly pockmarked with shrapnel. At least forty people were killed by the US militaryincluding military and civilian deathsthe Times said, citing an anonymous senior Venezuelan official. None of these casualties were mentioned by Trump, Rubio, Hegseth, or others at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday. What all of us witnessed last night, Hegseth told reporters, was the sheer guts and grit, gallantry and glory of the American warrior.

Around the world, however, observersnot least many American lawmakersraised a key objection: it is Congress, not the president, that the US Constitution endows with the sole power to declare war. Rand Paul, a Republican, who serves as the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, wrote on social media that, though few will mourn Maduros fall, it shouldnt be forgotten that our founders limited the executives power to go to war without Congressional authorization for a reasonto limit the horror of war and limit war to acts of defense. (Many other Republicans in Congress cheered the actions.) Elsewhere, the office of Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, said he was deeply alarmed by the operation, and ministers for several US allies, including Canada, Norway, Mexico, and Spain, expressed concern about whether it breached international law.

The attack added another layer of complication for journalism: according to a bombshell report from Semafors Max Tani and Shelby Talcott, the New York Times and Washington Post had learned of the mission shortly before it started, and held off publishing what they knew until after the fact. Citing two anonymous sources, Semafor found that, in light of warnings from the administration, the Times and Post justified suppressing their coverage to avoid endangering US troops. The decision, Semafor wrote, reflected the time-honored deference that some major news outlets afford the White House regarding secretive US military operations.

That deference reignites a long-running ethical argument over whether its right for news publishers to keep the secrets of nations as they wage war. Often, this dispute raises a supposed decision by the Times, in 1961, to hold back its reporting ahead of the calamitous Bay of Pigs invasion, which critics argue could have prevented hundreds of casualties. (The veracity of the Bay of Pigs media myth, however, has been unpicked.) In the immediate aftermath of the Semafor story, there were some predictable reactionspraise for the papers from Trump supporters; condemnation from others for coverage that all too closely hewed to the administrations interests. What jumped out to me was that the decision to hold the news of the attack was paired with prominently featured coverage from both the Times and Post on the thorny question of illegality. (The Times editorial board, separate from its newsroom, made a strong argument that Trumps attack was illegal and unwise.)

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So thats one uncomfortable question for the Times and Post decision-makers: If journalists knew about an operation potentially violating US and international law ahead of time, what exactly was the evaluation process that stopped it being reported? Viewing the choice with a charitable eye, one might say that we currently know nothing of the context and details of the decision; the mission may have been de facto underway, and going public could have spilled far more blood. (CJR contacted the newspapers for comment but did not hear back; spokespeople for the White House, the Pentagon, and the Post declined to comment to Semafor, and a Times spokesperson didnt provide them a response.) To take a less charitable view, one could pose the question: Did the Times and Post enable the Trump administration to undertake an illegal military attack that deposed Venezuelas president and attempted to seize control of the country? I hope the answers to these questions, and many others, emerge from the fog of war in the days and weeks ahead.

For newsrooms, this story is a woolen sweater: there are thousands of threads to pull on. So far, I have largely found the medias coverage to be quality and informative. The use of live blogs by many outlets was a success in helping them pull on many threads at once. Reporters chased down the question of legality. They pored over the new criminal indictment against Maduro and Flores, poking holes in the administrations drug-smuggling narrative (and noting the hypocrisy of the recent pardon of Juan Orlando Hernandez, a convicted narcotics trafficker). Journalists analyzed the brazen role of oil-drilling in seeming to motivate the administration. They asked how we got here, what happens next, and what it all means for Trumps relationship to his MAGA base.

But one thing that irked me was that media outlets placed such prominent emphasis on the beat-by-beat specifics of Operation Absolute Resolve (making the front pages of the Times, the Post, and the New York Post). This military-gazing seemed to come, disappointingly, at the expense of attention to the humanitarian cost of the attackthe at least forty people who had their lives cut short. This brought to my mind a passage from Allan Nairns March 1990 piece for The New Yorker, published after the US invaded Panama and ousted its leader, Manuel Noriega. When the United States wants to justify intervention in Central American countries or assert that they constitute a threat, politicians and news commentators often refer to them as our back yard, Nairn wrote. Yet all too often when we cover the suffering of people in these countries we treat them as if they were faraway and obscure places with which we have little to do.

Other Notable Stories

In CJRs final Monday newsletter before the holidays, we wrote about how Baris Weiss, the editor in chief of CBS News, had sparked internal fury after abruptly pulling a report on CECOT, the Salvadoran megaprison where the Trump administration deported more than two hundred and fifty Venezuelan migrants last year, three hours before broadcast. According to leaked internal emails, Weiss told producers that the segment needed further reporting and to feature a voice from the Trump administration; 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi told colleagues the decision was political, not editorial, and that they were handing the administration a kill switch. Since then the saga has rumbled on. The segmentwhich had already been sent to a Canadian TV stationwas widely shared online, despite attempts from Paramount, CBSs parent, to suppress it. In other news, last week Tony Dokoupil began his role as CBS Evening News anchor. He criticized media colleagues for relying too much on subject matter experts. The Daily Beast said Dokoupil appeared MAGA-coded.



Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City mayor on January 1. Now comes the hard part, read the December 29 New York Magazine cover, with a photo of Mamdani surrounded by his aides. The photo of Mamdani and his brain trust was shot on December 17 by celebrity portrait photographer Mark Seliger, but before publication, one senior adviser, Catherine Almonte Da Costa, resigned following the revelation of past anti-Semitic posts. That led New York to edit her out of the image, spotted by the New York Times. Most news organizations, including the New York Times, have guidelines that forbid digitally altering photography to remove people from pictures, the report said. The magazine, though, defended erasing Da Costa. The image was meant to represent the mayor-elects inner circle for the new administration, so it would have been inappropriate to include her, a spokesperson told the Times.



On December 23, the US State Department barred five Europeans from the country, accusing them of leading efforts to pressure tech firms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose. One of those people was Imran Ahmed, forty-six, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hatewhich produces research on disinformationwho is a permanent US resident and lives in DC. (I interviewed Ahmed for CJR in 2023, when Elon Musk was trying to sue him for his organizations research.) Ahmed responded by filing a complaint, alleging that his arrest and deportation would be unconstitutional, and on December 25 a US judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from detaining him. We do vital research that shows the potential harms of online platforms, and we know that that puts the noses out of joint for some very powerful people, Ahmed told AFP last week.



Reuters is reporting this morning that Ugandas government has banned live broadcasting or streaming of riots, unlawful processions, or violent incidents ahead of an election, on January 15, in which President Yoweri Museveni seeks to extend his forty-year rule. (The Ugandan government often describes anti-government protests as riots.) Amnesty International said on Monday that Ugandan authorities were engaging in a brutal campaign of repression, including arbitrary arrests and torture. Uganda has slipped rapidly in Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index recently, with the organization saying journalists face intimidation and violence on a nearly daily basis.



On December 22, John Carreyrou, a New York Times investigative reporter, whose journalism for the Wall Street Journal exposed fraud at the blood diagnostics startup Theranos, brought a lawsuit against six AI companies as part of a group of writers. The lawsuit accuses Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, Meta, xAI, and Perplexity of training their models on online pirated books. The authors allege the companies engaged in a deliberate act of theft, saying their work now anchor[s] multibillion-dollar product ecosystems despite their not receiving compensation.



And Tatiana Schlossberg, an environmental journalist who covered science and climate change at the Times, and who was the granddaughter of president John F. Kennedy, died last Tuesday from a rare and aggressive blood cancer. She was thirty-five. In 2019, she published a book, Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Dont Know You Have, which won the Rachel Carson Environment Book Award. In November, Schlossberg wrote an arresting essay for The New YorkerA Battle with My Bloodexploring her struggle with cancer, its impact on memory, and the damage being done by the drastic cuts to medical and scientific research demanded by the US health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., her cousin. According to the Times, Schlossbergs essay landed in the inbox of David Remnick, The New Yorkers editor, unassigned but nearly perfectly realized. It was so loving and generous that obviously it was a privilege to publish it, Remnick said. It just had so much heart and intelligence and honesty.
LORAIN, Ohio  Change swept through Lorain County in 2025, bringing environmental victories, economic development and infrastructure projects that reshaped communities. Throughout the year, readers followed stories about revitalized rivers, overcrowded schools and advocates championing causes big and small.

While hundreds of articles were published chronicling those changes as they unfolded across the county in 2025, these ten articles captured the attention of readers more than any others  highlighting the issues, events and milestones that defined the year.

1. Black River nears full environmental recovery

Once known as the river of fish tumors, the Black River is now on the verge of removal from Ohios impaired rivers list. More than fifteen years of restoration work, supported by $26 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants, has addressed eight of nine pollution markers placed on the river. Today, kayakers and anglers enjoy waters that were once too toxic for recreation, bringing renewed vitality to riverside communities.

2. Former Lorain landfill transforms into $125M kart racing hub

A former landfills transformation into the Lorain Ohio KartPlex demonstrated the power of creative redevelopment. The $12.5 million motorsports complex spans 37 acres and promises to create 165 jobs half of them localwhile attracting racing enthusiasts from across the country. Tourism grants totaling $4 million helped fund the project, which city leaders hope will catalyze broader economic growth.

3. Councilwomans bold pitch sets stage for county economic growth

A 2021 email from a Lorain councilwoman to Intels CEO didnt secure the companys chip plant for the city, but it sparked a series of developments that led to Intels $28 billion facility in Columbus. The experience prompted Lorain County leaders to prepare for future development and they have since secured $67 million in state funding for a 1,000-acre mega site near the county airport. The project, albeit controversial, is expected to boost economic growth and draw new industry to Lorain County.

4. Federal spending freeze stalls aid for Lorains most vulnerable

President Donald Trumps Jan. 20, 2025 executive order that placed a 90-day freeze on federal spending delayed millions in grants critical for Lorain, putting infrastructure projects and social services on hold. City officials warned that delays increase costs and threaten programs that serve the communitys most vulnerable residents.

5. Volunteers rally for longest-waiting dog at county kennel

Storm, a 60-pound mixed-breed dog, waited more than 146 days for adoption at Lorain County Dog Kennel, making him the facilitys longest-staying resident. Described as gentle and affectionate, Storm enjoys long walks, playtime, and cuddles. Despite being vaccinated and neutered, he continued to wait for a forever home, with volunteers advocating tirelessly on his behalf. (Spoiler: he found his forever home the day after the story published.)

6. Thrift stores face rising demand, fewer donations

Nonprofit thrift stores across Northeast Ohio have had to juggle growing customer demand and declining donations. After a surge in donations during the pandemic when people decluttered their homes, contributions leveled off as tight budgets prevent people from replacing items they might otherwise donate. These stores do more than sell secondhand goodsthey fund critical programs like Habitat for Humanitys affordable homeownership initiatives, Hospice of the Western Reserves bereavement support and veteran services.

7. Vermilion and Oberlin earn recognition as top Ohio small towns

World Atlas named Vermilion and Oberlin among Ohios 12 nicest small towns. Vermilions lakefront attractions, including the Vermilion River Reservation and Main Street Beach, drew praise, while Oberlins arts scene, anchored by Oberlin College and the Allen Memorial Art Museum, earned accolades.

8. North Ridgeville High School struggles with overcrowding

Serving 1,400 students in a building built for 900, North Ridgeville High School faces severe overcrowding. A $143 million bond for a new 340,000-square-foot school passed in 2023 but wont open for three years. Meanwhile, temporary trailers house 168 students per period, graduation requirements were reduced and off-campus privileges expanded to manage the overflow.

9. New county property tax relief targets seniors, veterans, and disabled residents

Lorain County launched a property tax relief program under the Homestead Tax Exemption, lowering taxable value for eligible homeowners. Seniors, veterans, disabled residents and surviving spouses of fallen public safety personnel with household incomes under $40,000 can benefit, with the program taking effect in the 2025 tax year.

10. North Ridgevilles peanut-shaped roundabout proves popular

North Ridgevilles $1.56 million peanut double roundabout at Mills Road, Avalon Drive and Stoney Ridge Road replaced congested stop-sign intersections. Police Chief Mike Freeman reports only positive community feedback. Even former skeptics have embraced the intersection, with residents praising its safety improvements and fun driving experience on social media.
In a textbook example of a political plan backfiring, Congressman Jim Jordans attempt to discredit Special Counsel Jack Smith instead produced damaging testimony that Jordan then tried to bury with a New Years Eve document dump.

The Today in Ohio podcast dissected the political miscalculation Monday, stressing that no amount of political posturing can change the truth of what happened Jan. 6.

Jordan released that hearing transcript and video Just before 2pm on New Years Eve, Courtney Astolfi said. And thats right when most people were already mentally checked out, thinking about party plans, and not necessarily the December closed door testimony of Special Counsel Jack Smith to Jordans committee Critics say this timing was no accident. They argue that it was meant to bury some pretty damaging material about Smiths investigations into President Donald Trump.

One revelation came from Smiths recounting of what then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told investigators about Jordan himself. As Astolfi explained, Meadows had apparently said that Jordan, when he contacted the White House that day, he appeared frightened by the violence that was unfolding at the Capitol. Meadows said that was out of character for Jordan. And Smith said that that fear made it clear that what was happening was serious and dangerous.

That revelation directly contradicts the subsequent efforts by Jordan and other Republicans to downplay the severity of the January 6th attack.

Podcast hosts wondered what Jordan was thinking in bringing in Smith, a seasoned prosecutor with intimate knowledge of the evidence against Trump. They said that Smith, armed with the truth, was guaranteed to embarrass Republicans who now try to downplay Jan. 6. And Jordan game Smith the platform to do just that.

It was a big mistake to actually invite Smith in because he was going to tell everybody. Yeah, Donald Trump did this, said Chris Quinn. Without Donald Trump, there is no January 6th. This is what this was about. And Jordan looks terrible.

Quinn said the furtive release of the material failed, as people ended up discussing the Smith testimony for days. His testimony contained numerous damaging details about Trumps role in the events of January 6th.

Astolfi noted that Smith straight up said Trump was the figure in these efforts to overturn the election. And Smith also said hes pretty certain that they would have secured a conviction had the case not been dismissed after Trump won.

Quinn summed it up: January 6th was the President of the United States trying to overthrow our own government. And no matter how many times MAGA Republicans try and say that didnt happen, we all saw it. You cant change what we saw. And Smith is in the middle of it. He investigated it.

Listen to the discussion here.

Listen to full Today in Ohio episodes where Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with Editorial Board member Lisa Garvin, Impact Editor Leila Atassi and Content Director Laura Johnston.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Dec. 30, 2025 in New York City.

Stocks rose on Monday even after the U.S.' attack on Venezuela and capture of leader Nicolas Maduro as crude oil prices saw gains and investors bet the action would not lead to bigger geopolitical conflicts that upset markets.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 594.79 points, or 1.23%, to close at 48,977.18. The 30-stock index also hit a new all-time high in the session. The S&P 500 advanced 0.64% and ended at 6,902.05. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.69%, settling at 23,395.82.

Energy stocks led the gains on the notion the companies would benefit from rebuilding Venezuela's oil infrastructure. Chevron surged 5.1% and was seen as the biggest beneficiary because of its current presence in Venezuela, which has the largest proven oil reserves in the world. Exxon Mobil added 2.2%. Shares of oilfield services companies that could aid the Venezuela energy rebuild like Halliburton and SLB moved higher by 7.8% and nearly 9%, respectively. The State Street Energy Select Sector ETF (XLE) increased almost 3%.

"Maybe in the short term, it'll boost the price of oil because the question is surrounding the supply and delivery of oil," Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research, said to CNBC. "Longer term, it could end up being an improvement because Venezuela represents only 1% of the world's oil supply, and they've been getting worse and worse over the years. Their infrastructure needs to be improved, and possibly that is something that the U.S. can help with."

Even with the bullish equities reaction, traders also added exposure to gold. Futures contracts tied to the precious metal rose 2.8% for their best day since Oct. 20. Bitcoin traded above $94,000. Financial stocks were higher as well, as those on Wall Street were betting on a strong U.S. economy this year. Shares of big bank Goldman Sachs and regional bank U.S. Bancorp jumped 3.7% and 2.9%, respectively.

"The market is basically saying, 'We're going to focus on putting money back to work after doing tax-loss harvesting, doing portfolio realignments in the end of 2025, and then buying back into stocks early in 2026,'" Stovall continued. "Investors are still focusing on what the Fed is likely to do, what corporate profits will do. So far, it remains a risk-on environment."

Following the attack and capture by the U.S. military, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were flown to New York, where they were charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy and other crimes. Drug trafficking, according to the indictment, "has enriched and entrenched Venezuela's political and military elite." President Donald Trump said Saturday in a news conference that the U.S. would "run" Venezuela "until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition."

"This is a significant geopolitical event though unlikely to be a major near-term market-mover," wrote Matthew Aks, policy analyst with Evercore ISI, in a note. "For now, investors are left to navigate a now-familiar landscape of Trump's likely purposeful ambiguity around his next steps."

"Our instinct is that Trump is generally not interested in full-scale boots-on-the-ground regime change like the Iraq and Afghanistan wars he has long criticized. However, Trump's statements today leave open the possibility this won't quite be a one-and-done like the Iran nuclear strike last year," Aks added.

Shares of defense giants General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin received a bit of a boost, moving higher by 3.5% and 2.9%, respectively, with Trump's latest action showing quick military strikes would be a key part of his policy for dealing with geopolitical issues that arise.
"I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale," she said.

"The Kingdom of Denmark  and thus Greenland  is part of NATO and is therefore covered by the alliance's security guarantee. We already have a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the United States today, which gives the United States wide access to Greenland," Frederiksen said Sunday, in a statement.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned President Donald Trump to stop threatening to acquire Greenland just a day after the U.S. carried out a military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro .

The warning from Frederiksen comes after Trump was quoted by The Atlantic magazine, saying, "We do need Greenland, absolutely."

Trump ordered a military operation over the weekend that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. The pair has been brought to the U.S. on drug-related charges.

The operation came after months of U.S. military buildup and threats against Venezuela, which the Trump administration claims is complicit in trafficking drugs to the U.S.

The move to topple Maduro led to speculation that Trump's other territorial ambitions could be obtained by force.

Katie Miller, the wife of top White House aide Stephen Miller, posted to X a map of Greenland covered with an American flag with the caption "SOON," shortly after Maduro was captured.

Trump has long mused about acquiring Greenland, the mineral-rich and self-governing territory of Denmark. Last month, he appointed Louisiana's GOP Gov. Jeff Landry special envoy to Greenland. Trump has also openly spoken about making Canada, an independent nation, the 51st state of the U.S.

Greenland and Canada have both repeatedly rebuked Trump's advances.
Asia-Pacific markets began the first full trading week of 2026 on a stronger note after the U.S. said it had attacked Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend. Oil prices edged lower as markets weighed the potential impact of geopolitical tensions.

U.S. authorities said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were flown to New York following the operation and charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy and other crimes. An indictment said drug trafficking had "enriched and entrenched Venezuela's political and military elite."

Oil prices fell after the escalation involving the oil-rich nation. Brent crude futures slipped more than 1% earlier before paring losses, and were last trading 0.3% lower at $60.57, while the West Texas Intermediate crude prices fell 0.4% to $57.09 per barrel.

Venezuela, a founding member of OPEC, holds the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world, at 303 billion barrels, or about 17% of the global total, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Spot gold prices advanced more than 2% to $4,427.09

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index jumped 2.97% to close at 51,832.8 in its first trading session of the year, while the Topix index added 2.01% to 3,477.52, after hitting a record high. Defense stocks were among the top gainers on the index, with IHI Corp surging 8.99%, while Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries added 8.39% and 7.9%, respectively.

South Korea's Kospi index extended gains, climbing 3.43% to a record close of 4,457.52, after clocking new all-time highs twice in the session. The small-cap Kosdaq added 1.26% to 957.5.

Index heavyweight Samsung Electronics surged more than 7%, after co-CEO TM Roh told Reuters Monday that the company planned to double the number of its mobile devices with AI features powered by Google's Gemini this year.

Shares of South Korean defense giant Hanwha Aerospace jumped nearly 7%, while Poongsan, a manufacturer of defense-related products, traded 2.25% higher.

Australia's ASX/S&P 200 closed flat at 8,728.6.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index ticked slightly above the flatline to 26,347.24, with energy stocks being the biggest drag on the index, while the mainland CSI 300 rose 1.9% to 4,717.75. Shares of China's biggest energy firm, PetroChina , were among the biggest losers on the Hong Kong index, tumbling 3.52%. CNOOC, the largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas in China, fell 3.29%.

India's Nifty 50 was down 0.17% and the BSE Sensex index fell 0.21%.
Police vehicles and repair equipment at the scene to help repair damaged electricity cables at a bridge leading to the Lichterfelde power plant over Teltow Canal following an arson attack on January 4, 2026 in Berlin, Germany.

A suspected arson attack has left tens of thousands of homes and businesses in Germany's capital without electricity in near-freezing temperatures.

A fire in southwest Berlin on Saturday prompted a major power outage, with around 45,000 households and 2,200 commercial entities across four districts affected, according to grid operator Stromnetz Berlin.

The cause was identified as a fire on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal near the Lichterfelde power station, with several cables damaged as a result.

Approximately 10,000 households and 300 businesses in Berlin's Lichterfelde district have since had electricity restored, Stromnetz Berlin said, although 35,000 households and 1,900 businesses remain affected.

The grid company said power for all customers is not expected to be restored until Thursday afternoon, at a time when Berlin is experiencing snowy conditions and sub-zero daily temperatures.

Local officials have attributed the power outage to an arson attack from The Vulkangruppe (The Volcano Group), a left-wing extremist group.

The Vulkangruppe reportedly published a letter shortly after the attack, claiming responsibility for the incident. They said their actions were directed at the fossil fuel-based energy industry, citing the climate crisis and buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure. CNBC has been unable to independently verify the letter.

"The contemptuous attack on our power grid was not left-wing extremism. That was left-wing terrorism, and that must be clearly stated as such," Iris Spranger, Berlin's interior affairs minister, said at a press conference on Monday.

"Here, collateral damage to the life and limb of people in #Berlin was deliberately accepted," Spranger said, according to a Google translation of her comments posted on X.
January 5, 2026: Ukraine has advised its NATO supporters to pay close attention to the Ukrainian experience to better defend themselves from a possible Russian attack in the next ten years. Drones were an unexpected development that had a huge impact on how battles in Ukraine's current war are fought. Drones were successful because they were cheap, easily modified, and expendable. Modifications and upgrades could be implemented quickly and inexpensively Both Russian and Ukrainian forces were soon using cheap quadcopter drones controlled by soldiers a few kilometers distant using FPV/First Person Viewing goggles to see what the day/night video camera on the drone can see. Adding night vision is available when needed, at a higher cost per drone. These drones cost a few hundred dollars each with the most complex models going for about a thousand dollars. Most of these drones carry half a kilogram of explosives, so operators can instantly turn the drone into a flying bomb that can fly into a target and detonate. Some drones carry more explosives depending on what is needed to deal with a target.

These drones are awesome and debilitating weapons when used in large numbers. If a target isnt moving or requires more explosive power that the drones can supply, one of the drone operators can call in artillery, rocket, or missile fire, or even an airstrike. Larger, fixed wing drones are used for long range, often over a thousand kilometers, operations against targets deep inside Russia.

Drones are usually able to complete their mission, whether it is a one-way attack or reconnaissance and surveillance. The recon missions are usually survivable and enable the drone to be reused. All these drones are constantly performing surveillance, which means that both sides commit enough drones to maintain constant surveillance over a portion of the front line, to a depth, into enemy territory, of at least a few kilometers. Longer range drones can track Russian operations hundreds of kilometers behind the front lines.

This massive use of FPV-armed drones has revolutionized warfare in Ukraine and both sides are producing as many as they can. Russia initially produced its own drones now after briefly using imported Iranian Shahed-136 drones that cost over $100,000 each. Ukraine demonstrated that you could design and build drones with similar capabilities at less than a tenth of that. The Iranian drone was more complex than it needed to be, and even the Russians soon realized this and turned from the Shahed-136 for more capable drones they copied from Ukrainian designs or their own. Russia still uses their Shahed drones because they have a factory to build them and the more airborne drones they can send on a mission, the better the chance that some will hit the target. There are also larger fixed-wing drones that can drop bombs or release smaller attack drones. These larger bomber drones can also transport supplies to troops who are hard to reach otherwise.

Ukraine has also developed land-based drone vehicles/DVs for carrying supplies or bringing back casualties. DVs have revolutionized combat zone transportation. The DVs are operated remotely and can often make a trip autonomously. In Ukraine, the battlefield is increasingly dominated by unmanned air and land vehicles. The operators stay in bunkers and rarely venture out. The combat zone is under constant surveillance and if infantry advance, they do so in small groups under the protections of their own drones.

Conventional artillery, mortar and rocket weapons have had to change the way they operate. They must fire a few rounds quickly and move before counterfire hits them. Because of this, these weapons are less effective and drones now account for over 80 percent of casualties. Tanks and other armored vehicles are similarly constrained and have to be used infrequently lest they be swarmed by drones and destroyed or immobilized.

Military leaders in other nations have noted this and are scrambling to equip their own forces with the most effective drones. Not having enough of these to match the number the enemy has in a portion of the front means you are at a serious disadvantage in that area. These drones are still evolving in terms of design and use and are becoming more effective and essential.

One countermeasure that can work for a while is electronic jamming of the drones control signal. Drone guidance systems are constantly modified or upgraded to cope with this. Most drones have flight control software that sends drones with jammed control signals back to where they took off to land for reuse. The jammers on the ground can be attacked by drones programmed to home in on the jamming signal. Countermeasures can be overcome and the side that can do this more quickly and completely has an advantage. That advantage is usually temporary because both sides are putting a lot of effort into keeping their combat drones effective on the battlefield.

The widespread use of drones has tuned combat brigades, battalions and companies into avid users of drones. While Ukraine has a separate Drone Force for developing new drones and assessing the use of current ones, most drones are used by regular combat units. Some of these units are selected to test new drones or drone concepts.

Ukraine has long been a major developer and manufacturer of weapons and military equipment. Before 1991, when Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union, these innovation and manufacturing capabilities were recognized and encouraged. Since independence in 1991 Ukraine has continued to encourage its defense firms to continue their work. This has resulted in several new weapons and upgrades for existing systems.

In 2021 Ukrainian introduced its Neptune anti-ship missile and, starting two months after the 2022 Russian invasion, Neptune was used to cripple and eventually neutralize the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

Neptune was first used in April 2022 to attack and sink the 12,000-ton Moskva, flagship of Russias Black Sea fleet. Moskva was hit by two Neptunes. Russia denied this and said the explosions and fires on the Moskva were the result of an accident on the ship that damage-control efforts by the 500-man crew were unable to handle, leading to major ammunition explosions.

Moskva was directing operations off the Ukrainian port of Odessa at the time. As the flagship of the Black Sea fleet, Moskva had senior officers and their staffs on board to plan and direct Russian efforts to attack Ukrainian ports, especially Odessa, and turn Ukraine into a landlocked nation.

Russia later admitted Moskva sank while being towed back to its home port in the nearby Crimean Peninsula. Russia will not admit Moskva was hit by two Ukrainian anti-ship missiles because the Moskva had multiple defenses against such attacks. Apparently, Ukraine used one or more of their Turkish TB2 UAVs to track and harass Moskva and that enabled the two Neptune missiles to get through and start the fires that the crew could not handle and led to the abandon ship order. Ukraine may also have used ECM/ Electronic Countermeasures on Moskva to enable the missile strike.

Russia tried to blame the loss of the ship on massive crew incompetence rather than admit the ship was hit by two Ukrainian missiles. To do so would also include crew incompetence by not turning on all the anti-missile defenses because they were distracted by the Ukrainian UAVs. It might also indicate that the missile defenses were inadequate. With the ship at the bottom of the Black Sea, the surviving crew had to explain what happened and why.

NATO nations supplying Ukraine with weapons have noted that Ukraine manages to continue developing and producing new weapons while under constant attack by Russian missiles and have agreed to joint-production and development deals inside Ukraine, some of them before the war is over. Ukraine had sought such co-op deals before the Russian invasion but there was little interest from NATO nations until they saw Ukrainian capabilities under wartime conditions.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) and Venezuela's Foreign Minister Yvan Gil shake hands before their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on May 12, 2025.

BEIJING  Even as China eyes new opportunities to build global influence in the wake of the U.S. attack on Venezuela, Beijing's immediate priority is protecting its economic interests, analysts said.

China reacted swiftly to the military strike on Saturday night, expressing shock and condemnation. Beijing subsequently called on the U.S. to release the ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, and urged Washington to resolve the crisis through dialogue.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing Monday that China maintains "positive communication and cooperation" with the Venezuelan government and that its willingness to deepen cooperation, including on oil exports, would not change regardless of how the situation evolves.

He added that Chinese interests in Venezuela would be protected under the law.

The U.S. attack on Venezuela helps China bolster its position as a "force for stability" in the world, said Zichen Wang, a research fellow at the Beijing-based think tank Center for China and Globalization.

But Wang said the situation raises concerns for Beijing because of China's exposure in the country.

"How this unfolds in the future is also very concerning, because China has a lot of commercial interests there," he said, adding that the uncertainty could spill over to Chinese business across Latin America and beyond.

Beijing has made significant inroads in Latin America over the past two decades, persuading several countries, including Panama, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador, to shift diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China.

Chinese companies, mostly state-owned, have invested $4.8 billion in Venezuela over the last two decades, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based research firm Rhodium Group. Most of the deals occurred in the decade following the global financial crisis  and during the final years of former President Hugo Chavez's rule  with a focus on energy projects.
Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel delivers a speech as he flutters a Venezuelan national flag in support of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Havana on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured him. President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro after bombing the capital Caracas and other cities in a dramatic climax to a months-long standoff between Trump and his Venezuelan arch-foe. (Photo by ADALBERTO ROQUE / AFP via Getty Images)

Cuba announced on Monday that 32 of its citizens were killed in combat during the U.S. raid on Venezuela.

The raid on Saturday, which saw U.S. forces arrest and extract Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to New York, reportedly saw a large part of his security team killed.

The Cubans were performing missions on behalf of the Cuban Armed Forces and interior ministry, the country's presidential office said on Facebook.

"Faithful to their responsibilities with security and defense, our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroically and fell, after ferocious resistance, into direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombings of the facilities," the statement said, according to a translation by Facebook.

Cuba also called the U.S. strikes a "criminal act of aggression and state terrorism," and said the Cuban government will pay tribute to the dead.

The U.S. strikes came after weeks of military buildup in the region and threats by U.S. President Donald Trump against Maduro.

After the raid, Trump said that the U.S. was going to "run" Venezuela, "until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. will use leverage gained from its oil blockade on the country and regional military buildup to achieve its policy aims.

"We want Venezuela to move in a certain direction," Rubio told NBC's "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker.

Seperately, Rubio said on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" that as the U.S. has a "quaratine" on Venezuelan oil.

"That means their economy will not be able to move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interests of the Venezuelan people are met, and that's what we intend to do," he added.

The U.S. in recent months has seized tankers associated with the country and moved military ships and warplanes into the Caribbean.

 CNBC's Garrett Downs contributed to this report.
Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon ITA, all-time chart

Fawaz Chaudhry, chief investment officer at Fulcrum Asset Management, said Maduro's overthrow is a "signaling exercise" that will reshape geopolitics. "As President Trump invoked the Monroe Doctrine, he's talking about the near sphere in America taking control through hard power, through hard power assets," Chaudhry told CNBC's "Europe Early Edition" on Monday. "We're talking about a world trying to shift to a new era, where we will basically [have] hard power military assets, and go and take control, which basically is a different policy from before."

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Chaudhry expects that this more assertive U.S. foreign policy approach will mean "more rearmament of Europe, rearmament of Asia," in the longer term, adding that defense stocks and military spending will continue to rise. "What President Trump and what America just did in Venezuela will actually reinforce that. More military spending, more rearmament, of Europe, of Asia, so that trend will continue," he explained.

New year, new world order

The gains made by European defense names mark a sharp reversal for the sector, which has struggled in recent weeks amid the prospect of a potential peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. Aoifinn Devitt, senior investment advisor at Moneta, expects defense spending to surge as a result of U.S. exceptionalism and the "gunboat diplomacy" theme on display in recent days. "We know that the defense stocks did wobble when it looked like there might be peace in Ukraine. But ironically that theme, if anything, is going to be underscored especially [by] this rhetoric that is spreading things around to the neighboring countries," Devitt told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Monday. More broadly, defense has several key structural tailwinds behind it, Devitt said, highlighting a ramp-up in Germany's military spending, which has been "endorsed wholeheartedly" by the current German administration. "New year, new world order  I think we all have to accept that. That will drive precautionary spending on defense," Devitt observed. "Do we think that's a productive use of funds, where we will actually generate jobs and generate long-term economic growth? Probably not. But it is actually where we need to go."

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Mayor of San Jose, Matt Mahan, speaks during the NWSL Championship Welcome Reception at Rotunda at San Jose City Hall in San Jose, California, on Nov. 20, 2025.

The Democratic mayor of San Jose, California, has come out against a proposed statewide ballot measure that would ask voters to approve a one-time 5% tax on billionaires' net worth.

Matt Mahan, who took office in Silicon Valley's biggest city in 2023, said in a series of X posts on Monday that the initiative would end up costing the majority of California residents.

"We need a rising economic tide to lift all boats, not a political plan that will sink California's innovation economy," Mahan wrote.

San Jose's population sat just below 1 million as of mid-2024, according to a U.S. Census Bureau estimate. It's the third-largest California city, behind Los Angeles and San Diego.

Tech investors and executives have been vocal of late in their opposition to a tax on billionaires, claiming that it will cause companies and entrepreneurs to flee for other states. The issue has become particularly contentious for Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, who backs the tax and whose district includes part of Silicon Valley, as one-time supporters in the tech industry have threatened to throw their weight behind a primary challenger.

"Even people who don't expect this initiative to pass are still planning to leave because there will be another one is the argument," billionaire investor Vinod Khosla wrote on X late last month. "And California will lose its most important tax payers and net off much worse."

David Sacks, a venture capitalist now serving as President Donald Trump's crypto and artificial intelligence czar, said on X last week that "Austin will replace SF as the tech capital." Tech investor Peter Thiel and Google co-founder Larry Page, have considered leaving, The New York Times reported.
Elon Musk's Starlink is offering free broadband internet service to users in Venezuela through Feb. 3, following U.S. airstrikes and the capture of ousted leader Nicolas Maduro.

The satellite internet provider said in a release on Sunday that service credits were being added to both active and inactive accounts as it monitored evolving conditions.

Starlink, a subsidiary of the aerospace company SpaceX, provides internet access via low-earth-orbit satellites and requires users to purchase separate equipment to connect to the service.

Despite Starlink's availability map on its website lists Venezuela as "coming soon," the company indicated that users can access the service through a roaming plan.

"While we do [not yet have] a timeline for local purchase availability, if and when there are updates they will be communicated directly through official Starlink channels," it added.

It remains unclear how the company's services and pricing would evolve after Feb. 3. Starlink has also not indicated that it plans to supply the physical hardware kits required to access its internet services.

Starlink's Roam service plan currently starts at $50 a month in the U.S., while the standard hardware costs $279. Prices can vary based on location.

The announcement comes as Venezuela deals with the fallout of recent U.S. airstrikes and the capture and extradition of Maduro on allegations including narco-terrorism and election rigging.
The logo of pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk is displayed in front of its offices in Bagsvaerd, on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Nov. 24, 2025.

Novo Nordisk will start rolling out the first-ever GLP-1 pill for weight loss in the U.S. on Monday, the company announced, marking a new chapter of obesity treatment in the U.S.

The drug's cash prices are among the lowest on the market, ranging from $149 to $299 per month, depending on the dose. That fuels hopes that pills could help address the long-standing affordability hurdles tied to the weekly injections dominating the weight loss drug market.

The official launch of the oral drug, called the Wegovy pill, comes just two weeks after U.S. regulators cleared the treatment.

The starting dose of 1.5 milligrams is available at more than 70,000 U.S. pharmacies such as CVS and Costco , as well as select telehealth providers, including Ro, LifeMD, Weight Watchers , GoodRx and Novo Nordisk's NovoCare Pharmacy. The higher, remaining doses of the pill will be available to patients by the end of the week, Novo Nordisk said.

Cash-paying patients can pay $149 per month for the starting dose. The 4-milligram dose of the pill will also be available for $149 per month through April 15, then $199 per month after that.

The highest doses of the Wegovy pill  9 milligrams and 25 milligrams  will be available for $299 per month. Patients with insurance coverage for the drug can pay as little as $25 per month for the treatment.

Cash-paying patients will also be able to access the starting dose of the pill for $149 per month on President Donald Trump's direct-to-consumer website, TrumpRx, under a deal Novo Nordisk struck with his administration in November. The site also launches in January, though it's unclear when.

Novo Nordisk on Monday said the pill's availability "opens new possibilities" for the more than 100 million Americans living with obesity.

Injections from Novo Nordisk and its chief rival, Eli Lilly , carry a list price of roughly $1,000 per month. But both companies offer lower cash-pay prices for their shots that range from $299 to $499 monthly, depending on the dose.

Pills are the next battleground for the two companies, which established the booming GLP-1 space that some analysts say could be worth roughly $100 billion by the 2030s. Goldman Sachs analysts said in August that oral drugs could capture a 24% share  or around $22 billion  of the 2030 global weight loss drug market.

The launch of Novo Nordisk's daily oral drug on Monday gives the company a clear head start. The Food and Drug Administration approved the treatment on Dec. 22 and will decide whether to clear a rival pill from Eli Lilly later this year.
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro shakes hands with his Russia counterpart Vladimir Putin during a meeting at the Moscow Kremlin. Mikhail Metzel | TASS |Getty Images

Russia's reaction to the ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been cautious, with Moscow weighing up the potential geopolitical benefits and opportunities of the U.S.' unilateral action against the loss of an important regional ally in Latin America. Moscow initially condemned U.S. strikes on Venezuela on Saturday, and the subsequent capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Russia's Foreign Ministry decried the U.S.' "aggressive actions," saying they constituted "an unacceptable infringement on the sovereignty of an independent state." But the Kremlin has not issued an official response on the ousting, nor has Russian President Vladimir Putin. Maduro was an ally of Putin and Venezuela has long-standing ties with Russia; Caracas backed Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the two countries shared energy ties and military cooperation. The allies also had a shared interest in counteracting the U.S.' geopolitical, military and economic influence in the region. Still, Maduro's removal is not all bad news for Russia, and Moscow is likely to be looking at ways it can leverage the crisis in Venezuela to its own benefit.

Ukraine distraction

For a start, the Venezuela crisis comes at a delicate moment in Moscow's own relations with Washington. It's likely to be wary of burning bridges with the White House at a time when it's trying to curry favor with the administration to get the most favorable terms from a prospective Ukraine peace deal. But events in Venezuela provide a welcome distraction on that front, with Russia benefiting from any relaxation of efforts  or pressure  to reach a peace deal with Ukraine, or to enter into a ceasefire as part of any agreement. While Russian forces are seen to have an advantage on the battlefield, not least in terms of manpower, and are making incremental progress in eastern Ukraine, a ceasefire is not seen to be in Russia's interests. "The Kremlin's response to the U.S. operation in Venezuela has been boilerplate thus far," analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, noted Sunday, adding that the Kremlin "will likely have to balance its responses between maintaining its credibility as a partner to other states with its continued efforts to cater to the Trump administration."

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Danger for Zelenskyy?

Analysts have also expressed concern that Trump's capture of Maduro, and the criminal charges levelled against him, could give Russia carte blanche to do the same to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who Moscow frequently describes as a "criminal" without presenting evidence to back up its accusations. "He [Trump] is giving Putin permission to go as far as he wants with Zelenskyy," Sarah Lenti, political consultant and former director on the National Security Council at the White House, told CNBC on Monday.

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"The president saying Maduro was a criminal, therefore he had the right to take [and] capture him. And we know that President Putin has often called Zelenskyy, wrongly, I believe, a criminal. And so he's setting a precedent and saying that it's OK for countries to go against the political sovereignty of another nation," she said in comments to CNBC's "Europe Early Edition." "I think this is setting a very bad precedent for countries that China and Russia are looking to infringe upon, whether that's Taiwan or whether it's Ukraine," Lenti added.

Ideological boost?

On an ideological level, Trump's intervention in Venezuela and the foreign policy stance underpinning it  a desire to reassert the U.S.' power and dominance in the Western Hemisphere  chimes with Russia. Putin is also widely seen as wanting to reestablish Russia's sphere of influence in Europe and Central Asia, which was lost following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, an event that Putin described as the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe" of the 20th century. There has been speculation that Trump's newfound focus on reestablishing American hegemony in the West could allow Russia to do the same in its own backyard. But several analysts commented to CNBC that the U.S.' intervention in Venezuela showed countries like Russia and Iran that Trump was ready to act if it was deemed to be in the U.S.' interests. "What he is doing in Venezuela is definitely going to be seen and heard very clearly in Iran, and in Russia," Amrita Sen, founder of Energy Aspects, told CNBC on Monday, "Whether that's in terms of needing to take Trump seriously, or in terms of, 'Don't dismiss it when he says, "I am going to be doing X,"' and I think that's something that world leaders will be very careful about," she told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe."

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Marko Papic, strategist at BCA Research, contended that Russia had no bargaining power with the U.S. when it came to allies like Venezuela. "If the U.S. gets a free rein in the sphere of influence, do other great powers get a free rein in theirs? The answer is 'no.' There is nothing that Russia could have given America in Venezuela. ... There was no need for any kind of a bargain between Russia and the U.S. [as] the U.S. has free rein in its Western hemisphere," he noted.

Loss of an ally

Analysts are keen to stress that Maduro's ousting won't be actively welcomed in Moscow, as it removes an important ally and a bulwark against U.S. influence and aspirations in Latin America. "With Maduro's fall, another Russian client state bites the dust, reducing the value of a Kremlin security guarantee to slightly better than zero," Tina Fordham, founder of Fordham Global Foresight, stated in analysis on Monday.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro shake hands during a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, on July 2, 2013. Maxim Shemetov | AFP | Getty Images
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My top 10 things to watch Monday, Jan. 5 1. The S & P 500 is on track for a higher open this morning, despite the U.S. attack on Venezuela and capture of President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend. Looking ahead, Wall Street is awaiting the December jobs report due Friday. 2. Oil prices are up slightly this morning following the ouster of Maduro. Don't get carried away, though. Yes, Chevron , the only major U.S. oil company working in the country, is a winner. Bernstein raised its price target by two bucks to $172 and maintained its hold rating. But the infrastructure needs billions of dollars, and the only loser may be China, given that Venezuelan crude is heavy. The Chinese refine it, and we can refine it. Expect it to be diverted to us. That forces China to either pay more or write off the $50 billion in debt it has extended to Venezuela. Proven reserves may not be feasible. It took Iraq more than eight years to return to 4 million barrels per day (bpd) from 2 million bpd, despite having more viable infrastructure. 3. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will kick off CES 2026  in Las Vegas at 4 p.m. ET  with a keynote address. Expect him to discuss the fourth industrial revolution and Nvidia's role in accelerated computing and full-stack solutions, meaning hardware and software. Also, expect multiple PT hikes. Will this be the year we stop talking about circular investments and start recognizing that Nvidia has invested in all the key players and therefore has a significant edge over everyone? Additionally, Nvidia's capture of as much High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) as it needswhich explains Micron 's steady climband Chinese tech companies' orders for more than 2 million H200 chips put the lie to the notion of weak Chinese demand. Who tells these lies about light demand? So many of these lies and the endless chatter of the circular spending. 4. I sought to address many of these misconceptions in my Sunday column and made the case for owning AI stocks again in 2026. Power gating is the No. 1 reason I am optimistic about hyperscalers: they can't spend as quickly and as much as they want. Look for OpenAI to raise $100 billion following SoftBank's $40 billion investment . 5. Barclays issued a slew of price target hikes on big banks as part of its 2026 outlook. Once again, the winner was Citigroup , just like in 2025. Still, analysts raised their PT on Club holding Goldman Sachs to $1,048 from $850. Wells Fargo , another Club name, was raised to $113 from $94. Barclays kept a buy rating on all three stocks. 6. Guggenheim upgraded Palo Alto Networks to hold from sell without a price target. Analysts say that the Club stock's recent underperformance has made it difficult to make money shorting Palo Alto right now. Guggenheim believes, however, that the cybersecurity group is "somewhat insulated, if not boosted by the threat of AI." The Club's other cyber name is CrowdStrike . 7. Will AI stop pressuring software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies? Remains in doubt, but RBC Capital raised its PT on Salesforce to $290 from $250 and maintained its hold rating. Analysts expect 2026 to be the year when AI tailwinds become more evident for companies well-positioned for enterprise AI adoption, while less-prepared peers may struggle. 8. Mizuho lowered Honeywell' s price target to $240 from $250, but maintained a buy rating on shares. Analysts see "uneven terrain ahead" for the multi-industry group but say that the "tariff fog" is clearing. I think this is Club holding Honeywell's year as the industrial conglomerate finishes its split into aerospace and automation. 9. Bank of America hiked GE Healthcare 's price target to $92 from $82. I think this is the wrong call. This company can't make as much money as the Street expects. 10. Goldman Sachs upgraded Coinbase shares to a buy from hold and raised its price target to $303 from $294. Analysts view the stock as a "best-in-class play" on cryptocurrency infrastructure growth. Shares are up more than 4% premarket. Sign up for my Top 10 Morning Thoughts on the Market email newsletter for free (See here for a full list of the stocks at Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) 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.
(This is The Best Stocks in the Market , brought to you by Josh Brown and Sean Russo of Ritholtz Wealth Management.) Josh  Bill Demchak ran structured finance and credit at JPMorgan (JPM) and had spent 15 years at the bank before decamping for PNC Financial Services Group (PNC) in 2002. By 2013 he had become Chairman and CEO of PNC, and it's been one of the best stories in the regional banking sector ever since. So there was very little overlap between Demchak's time at JPM and Jamie Dimon's tenure which began around the year 2000. However, Demchak's been nicknamed "Jamie Jr" for his direct speaking style, reputation for leadership and attention to detail. I don't know if he appreciates the nickname or not, but I bet his shareholders like it just fine. We're going to revisit PNC and Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) today because both are consolidating some pretty big moves but hanging high just below record prices. There's reason to believe both names should have a good year in 2026 so we decided to bring them back to your attention. Sean's got the usual mix of Best Stocks list statistics and some additional color on these two banks. I'll be back with the technicals. Sector leaderboard As of Jan. 5, there are 192 names on The Best Stocks in the Market list. Top sector ranking: Top industries: Top 5 best stocks by relative strength: Sector spotlight: Banks Added: The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (PNC) & Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) Sean  Looking forward into 2026, analyst expectations have not slowed down. Consensus S & P 500 profit margins are expected to be 14.42%, which would be the highest margin we have ever seen since FactSet started tracking this metric in 2009. As it stands today, consensus estimates have the S & P 500 growing earnings by 14.9% year over year. In congruence with solid fundamentals, rates are expected to drop at least another 25 basis points, with other estimates showing 2-3 cuts in 2025. This current setup could be constructive for financials. Record high earnings and margins, a relatively healthy economic environment that could support loan growth, increased capital markets activity, and modest rate cuts to get the mortgage business going too. We discussed regional banks on Sept. 2 , noting the setup with lower rates, improving breadth, and low expectations for these smaller banks. We looked at PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (PNC), which had just beat earnings on top and bottom lines, and guided higher for 2025. The stock is up 6% since then, now 6% below all time highs. PNC reported strong third quarter earnings hitting record revenue and announced a $4B acquisition of FirstBank, which is expected to close in early 2026. This acquisition triples its branch footprint in Colorado and establishes a presence in Arizona. During recent investor conferences, PNC reaffirmed its focus on targeting high-growth metro areas and achieving scale in 18 of the top 30 U.S. markets. Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) is one we have not discussed yet, but the chart looks good: Similar to PNC, FITB is a diversified bank with a focus on middle-market to large businesses and professional customers. They operate a network of full service banking centers, including wealth management solutions, insurance, trust and estate, and investment banking services. FITB just made a big acquisition too, merging with Comerica, valued at $10.9B, which would create the 9th largest U.S. bank with $288B in assets, and expands Fifth Third's presence into 17 of the fastest growing U.S. metro areas. The bank plans to continue its aggressive geographic expansion strategy with plans to build 150 new branches in Texas by 2029 and recently opened its 200th branch in Florida, driving deposit growth of 12% CAGR in expansion markets. (data via Quartr) Risk management: Josh  Wall Street analysts have been raising their targets for PNC on the back of its most recent report as well as the official approval they've been granted to complete the FirstBank merger. As you can see, the stock has recently broken above its January and September high in the 200-210 area after a year of consolidation. I believe this has laid the foundation for a renewed bull market in PNC shares. I want to zoom out and show you the longer-term consolidation that's taken place here because a break above the old January 2022 highs would be even more momentous. That level is roughly $225-$230. I stripped out all the moving averages, volume bars and RSI stuff - I just want you to focus on the price Now ask yourself: Do we believe in triple tops? No. No we do not. I think this one goes this year. May take awhile. You're getting paid a 3 and a quarter percent dividend while you wait. As far as risk management, traders can use $200 as a line in the sand. I'd probably put my stop around $195 which also happens to be the rising 50-day. For investors I like a longer leash, I'd use the prior support area of $175 to $180 which held like a champ from September through Thanksgiving. Here's Fifth Third, another super-regional with a recent breakout This one's cut and dry. They're going to spend the first quarter of this year buttoning up to get this massive Comerica thing closed and reassure shareholders about the hundreds of millions of dollars they'll save via synergies in 2027 (target is annually reduced expenses of $850 million!). The most recent estimate I've come across for the deal's close is the end of March. Fifth Third is following the money, plowing into areas throughout Texas, Florida, etc where rich people and businesses are moving to. That's probably why you're looking at a share price that is rallying ahead of the deal close - the Street is voting Yes on their strategy. Once the Comerica acquisition closes, I think we're looking at a stock trading north of $50 on its way to $60 barring any major exogenous market shock. DISCLOSURES: (None) 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. INVESTING INVOLVES RISK. EXAMPLES OF ANALYSIS CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE ONLY EXAMPLES. THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE CONTRIBUTORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OFFICIAL POLICY OR POSITION OF RITHOLTZ WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC. JOSH BROWN IS THE CEO OF RITHOLTZ WEALTH MANAGEMENT AND MAY MAINTAIN A SECURITY POSITION IN THE SECURITIES DISCUSSED. ASSUMPTIONS MADE WITHIN THE ANALYSIS ARE NOT REFLECTIVE OF THE POSITION OF RITHOLTZ WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC" TO THE END OF OR OUR DISCLOSURE. Click here for the full disclaimer.
Dear Readers and Writers,

Five years ago, I wrote a note here to acknowledge and appreciate Akim Reinhardt for his amazing consistency in having written an excellent essay every four weeks for 3QD for 10 years, without missing his turn even once. Well, this week Akim has how completed 15 years at 3QD and has still maintained his record of solid dependability! He has now written 208 essays for us in a row and is still going strong.

But there is another contributor with an equally impressive record of reliability: Brooks Riley published her first Catspeak cartoon at 3QD in the first week of October, 2013, and has never missed a single week in the more than 12 years since then. This week, somewhat unbelievably, she will contribute her 624th Catspeak in a row on Wednesday! You can see them all here.

Please join me in applauding Akim and Brooks!

With very best wishes for the new year,

Abbas

And if you like 3QD, please help us keep going by donating now!
Regime change in Venezuela could pave the way for the return of U.S. oil majors to the South American nation, which has the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world.

President Donald Trump called for U.S. oil companies to invest billions of dollars in Venezuela's energy sector, hours after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

"We're going to have our very large United States oil companies  the biggest anywhere in the world  go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure," Trump said in a news conference Saturday from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.

The oil majors have largely been silent since Maduro's overthrow as the situation on the ground in Venezuela remains uncertain. But shares of Chevron , Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips are rising as investors bet that the three largest U.S. oil companies will cash in after the U.S. military action.

Venezuela's oil reserves are estimated at 303 billion barrels or about 17% of the global total, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The country's production peaked at 3.5 million barrels per day in the late 1990s but has declined significantly since then, according to energy consulting firm Kpler. Venezuela's production currently stands at around 800,000 bpd, Kpler data shows.

Its reserves, located mostly in the Orinoco Belt in the eastern part of the country, are extra-heavy crude oil that require a greater level of technical expertise to extract, according to the EIA.

Former President Hugo Chavez seized assets from U.S. oil majors in 2007. Chevron is the only U.S. oil major operating in Venezuela. Exxon and Conoco have billions of dollars in outstanding claims against Caracas from Chavez's nationalization.

It will take more than just easing U.S. sanctions against Venezuela to encourage new investment in the country, Morgan Stanley analyst Devin McDermott told clients in a Monday note. Trump said over the weekend that the U.S. embargo of Venezuelan oil remains in full effect.

U.S. producers would need to see a path to recover their claims from Caracas and have confidence in the stability of the government in Venezuela, McDermott said.

Trump railed against Venezuela's oil nationalization, describing it as "one of the largest thefts of American property in the history of our country."

"The oil companies are going to go in, they're going to spend money, we're going to take back the oil that, frankly, we should have taken back a long time ago," the president said.

The administration will discuss plans with oil executives to expand in the country, a U.S. official told CNBC. U.S. oil companies, however, do not have plans to reenter Venezuela yet and are not currently holding talks to do so, industry sources told CNBC's Brian Sullivan.
President Donald Trump's call for U.S. oil companies to rebuild Venezuela's energy sector after the overthrow of President Nicolas Maduro is easier said than done.

Chevron holds the advantage as the only major U.S. oil company currently operating in Venezuela, according to Wall Street analysts. ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips left the country after former President Hugo Chavez nationalized the industry and seized their assets in 2007.

Venezuela has the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world, at 303 billion barrels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But a long and expensive road lies ahead for U.S. oil majors to restore Venezuela to its peak production of 3.5 million barrels per day reached in the 1990s.

"It's a high-risk area for oil companies to invest in," said Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, chief analyst and head of research at Global Risk Management.

It would require roughly $53 billion of investment over the next 15 years to just maintain crude oil production level of 1.1 million barrels per day, or bpd, according to estimates from consulting firm Rystad Energy. The capital expenditures needed to reach 3 million bpd by 2040 would more than triple, to $183 billion, according to Rystad.

Certainty and stability

U.S. oil majors will want certainty about who is charge in Caracas and how stable the government is, said Bob McNally, founder of Rapidan Energy.

They will need to know whether the legal and fiscal regime will last long term because energy investments are 30-year projects, said David Goldwyn, who served as the State Department's special envoy for international energy affairs from 2009 to 2011.

The situation in Caracas right now is anything but certain. Trump declared Saturday that the U.S. will run Venezuela after Maduro's overthrow. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to backtrack, telling NBC News in a Sunday interview that the U.S. will use its leverage to pressure Caracas to meet U.S. demands.

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has assumed power in Venezuela, pledging over the weekend that the government would defend the country's resources, but later said Caracas sought to cooperate with the U.S.

A major question is whether Venezuela could return to a regime similar to Maduro's in the future and nationalize oil assets again, said Global Risk Management's Rasmussen.

Surplus reserves

U.S. oil majors will grapple with whether it makes financial sense to invest tens of billions of dollars in Venezuela when there is already so much oil in the world, said McNally, a former White House energy advisor under President George W. Bush.

"There are plenty of reasons to think this is going to be more of a long and winding road, rather than a quick shot," McNally said.

Chevron maintains joint ventures with state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela through a special licensed issued by the U.S. government. Those partnerships are responsible for about 23% of Venezuela's output, according to JPMorgan.

"The company would be in an advantaged position to potentially scale future output as they have significant oil resources in place through their JVs and have been a key developer of the country's energy infrastructure," JPMorgan analyst Arun Jayaram told clients in a Monday note.

Chevron shares climbed more than 5% Monday.

 CNBC's Hayley Cuccinello contributed to this report.
Michael Burry attends the premiere of "The Big Short" at Ziegfeld Theatre on Nov. 23, 2015 in New York.

Michael Burry's quiet bet on Venezuelan oil is coming back into focus.

The investor best known for "The Big Short" said he has owned Valero Energy since 2020, a position he views as increasingly attractive as the U.S. moves toward a deeper role in reviving Venezuela's oil industry.

"Realize that many Gulf Coast refineries were purpose-built for Venezuelan heavy crude," Burry wrote in a Monday blog post on Substack. "So they have been running with suboptimal feedstock for years. This will, in time, produce better margins across jet fuel, asphalt, and diesel ... I have owned Valero since 2020, and I am more resolved to holding it even longer after this weekend."

His comments came after President Donald Trump called on U.S. oil companies to invest in Venezuela after the overthrow of President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela, a founding member of OPEC, sits on the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world. The country's oil is among the heaviest and most sulfur-laden in the world, and only a limited number of refineries are equipped to process it efficiently.

Valero stands out because of its ability to process heavy crude, but Burry said smaller refiners such as PBF Energy and HF Sinclair could also benefit, even if Venezuelan oil arrives only gradually. Any meaningful recovery in exports is likely to take years.

Multiple analysts on Wall Street are also highlighting Valero as the biggest beneficiary, should Venezuelan supply increase. Shares of the refiner jumped about 10% Monday.

The opportunity may extend beyond refining. Venezuela's oil infrastructure has deteriorated after decades of underinvestment, creating potential demand for U.S. oilfield services companies if large-scale rehabilitation begins, Burry said.

Burry said he owns Halliburton , and sees possible upside as well for Schlumberger and Baker Hughes , which could be tapped to help rebuild pipelines and refineries.

"Venezuelan pipelines and refineries are old and in disrepair. This work will go to U.S. contractors," he said. "Chevron is already there. Exxon and others have been litigating claims for decades and may see some justice relatively soon, if the US literally begins to run Venezuela as some have suggested. I own Halliburton, and may buy more shares or LEAPs."

LEAPs, or long-term equity anticipation securities, are options with lengthy expiration dates that could go beyond one year.
President Donald Trump, alongside, from left, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, speaks to the press following U.S. military actions in Venezuela, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, Jan. 3, 2025.

The Trump administration has spoken to multiple oil companies about Venezuela, a White House official told CNBC on Monday.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that U.S. oil companies would invest billions of dollars to rebuild Venezuela's energy sector after the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

The White House official did not say which companies the administration has spoken to or when the conversations took place.

"All of our oil companies are ready and willing to make big investments in Venezuela that will rebuild their oil infrastructure, which was destroyed by the illegitimate Maduro regime," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said.

Reuters reported earlier that Chevron, Conoco and Exxon have not spoken to the administration about Maduro's overthrow.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright is scheduled attend an energy conference hosted by Goldman Sachs in Miami this week. Executives from Chevron and ConocoPhillips are also expected to attend.

Chevron is the only U.S. oil major operating in Venezuela. CNBC has reached out to Chevron, Conoco and Exxon for comment.
Wall Street sees the Venezuelan strike as the latest sign of a tide-change in U.S. foreign military operations under President Donald Trump  and there's implications for defense stocks. Trump on Saturday announced the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife during a strike and was bringing them to the U.S. on charges of narco-terrorism. The U.S. could "run" the South American country until a proper political transition could be completed, Trump said following the military operation. Now, investors are wondering if Trump's actions and statements  in Venezuela, as well as other countries like Iran  portend a change to an aggressive military policy that involves forceful strikes first, followed by diplomacy later. If so, that could lead to an increase in defense spending, in turn boosting stocks in the sector. "The big takeaway for investors is Trump is growing much more comfortable with and confident in the use of military force," Piper Sandler's Andy Laperriere wrote to clients. "His first year in his second term was characterized by boundless energy and risk-taking, and that has been extended to the use of the military." Months before the Venezuela operation, Trump bombed Iran and more recently said the U.S. could "knock the hell" out of the Middle East country if it rebuilds its nuclear program. Trump has for months floated taking over Greenland , which he said this weekend was a key move from a national security standpoint. Additionally, Laperriere noted that Trump launched Christmas Day attacks on Islamic terrorists in Nigeria and has had drones flying over Mexico to track cartel activity. Trump appears interested in shifting back to a Monroe Doctrine-era stance, as well as lessening global importance of countries like Russia, China and Iran, the analyst said. Trump's statements about running Venezuela garnered widespread criticism from political opponents and world leaders. Concern has centered on if the U.S. is engaging in a long-term nation-building exercise rather than a one-off military operation. Evercore ISI Matthew Aks said clients should interpret Trump's statements as a "colorful metaphor and negotiating tactic." Trump may be speaking this way to push Maduro's allies still in power in the nation to give up control, Aks said. "For now, investors are left to navigate a now-familiar landscape of Trump's likely purposeful ambiguity around his next steps," Aks said. "Our instinct is that Trump is generally not interested in full-scale boots-on-the-ground regime change like the Iraq and Afghanistan wars he has long criticized." Positive for defense Following the latest strike, the Street is keeping a close eye on what will happen with military spending. Typically, analysts expect an increase in threats of military action to result in higher budgets, according to Bernstein analyst Douglas Harned. Harned said he was aware of U.S. defense and engineering consulting firms already developing proposals around the future of Venezuela. Trump has said U.S. oil companies will invest billions into the crude-rich nation following Maduro's ouster. It's unclear which governmental organization will oversee U.S. planning, especially following Trump's steep cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development , Harned said. However, he said some form of U.S.-based spending would likely be required to support Venezuela going forward. That could come directly out of government security budgets or from oil companies looking to get a foothold in the country, he said. But Harned said any spending would likely result in an increase to budgets, with the White House currently unlikely to walk back other initiatives such as the so-called golden dome or increasing shipbuilding . Depending on how or if a plan takes shape, Harned said defense-related stocks CACI International , AECOM , KBR and Parsons could see upside. Global defense stocks broadly advanced in early trading on Monday. The iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) added more than 1% in the session to a new all-time intraday record. The ETF soared more than 47% in 2025, marking its fifth-straight winning year. ITA ALL mountain The ITA ETF, all-time chart "Almost always, when threats of military action increase, defense budgets move higher, leading to positive trends for defense stocks," Harned wrote to clients. The biggest gainers in the ITA ETF Monday included drone plays AeroVironment and Red Cat holdings with the companies making the technology seen as crucial to Trump's new quick and forceful strike policy. AVAV 1D mountain AeroVironment, 1 day Major defense stocks General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin were both up more than 2%. Jefferies analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu noted that foreign military spending was already on the rise when looking at the three-year period between 2023 and 2025 versus 2020 to 2022. The South America region including Venezuela has not historically been a large contributor to that spending, she said. A driver of spending going forward could be tied to operational costs for the U.S. naval fleet, she said. Trump has built up a heavy military presence in the region over recent weeks. As the Street wonders what Trump's latest strike means for various investment classes, traders are increasingly cognizant of what they see as a clear break from his prior behavior on foreign military intervention. Piper Sandler's Laperriere said Trump used such types of force infrequently during his first term and held off on bombing Iran. However, Laperriere said the outcome of the Iran hit may have encouraged Trump to make moves carrying similar risk going forward on smaller targets. "Trump has been a hyperactive president, including in the national security arena, and that energy is now extending to the use of military force," Laperriere said. "Nonetheless, Trump has only used force when the target is no match for [U.S.] military might."
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China and other foreign governments have sharply criticized the U.S.'s removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, but experts are split on whether the Trump administration's actions could set the table for President Xi Jinping to make a move on Taiwan. U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Jan. 3 and brought them to New York on drug and terrorism charges in a move with little modern precedent. While allies of President Donald Trump cheered the ouster of the Venezuelan leader, critics worried about the example it set, particularly as China takes an increasingly aggressive posture. "If Donald Trump can walk into a country and take it over  then why is Putin wrong about Ukraine, and why is China not entitled to take over Taiwan?" David Roche of Quantum Strategy told CNBC. Other experts are unconvinced. In an appearance on CNBC on Monday, Carlos Gutierrez, a former U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President George W. Bush, characterized China's relationship with Venezuela as a "tactical convenience," and one unlikely to catalyze military action in East Asia. "I don't believe that China will use this as an excuse or justification to attack Taiwan. It's just not the way they think," Gutierrez said. "China will make statements, very aggressive statements. That's expected. They have to do that, but i don't see any tangible significant action on China's behalf," he continued.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, left, and China's President Xi Jinping wave during a meeting in Miraflores Presidential Palace, in Caracas, Venezuela, July 20, 2014. Leo Ramirez | Afp | Getty Images

The U.S. has asserted what it calls a "Trump Corollary" in its recently released National Security Strategy, reviving the Monroe Doctrine of the 1820s, where the U.S. had a sphere of influence over the Western Hemisphere. A sphere of influence refers to a region where a powerful country seeks to dominate political, military or economic decisions without formally annexing territory. The concept echoes the Roosevelt Corollary, which historically justified U.S. intervention in Latin America. A statement from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he was "deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected," calling the developments in Venezuela a "dangerous precedent." Roche warned the action could create unintended consequences: "On one hand, you've created a series of threats, and on the other, you've created a series of permissions to every dictatorial, autocratic regime, who wants to act to take over territory which is not currently within its ambit."

The Taiwan question

Even before Trump's attack on Venezuela, questions swirled around whether China was feeling emboldened to increase pressure on Taiwan, which Beijing has long considered part of its territory. China staged live-fire drills around Taiwan in December, framing them as a warning against foreign interference. In his New Year's address, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared unification with Taiwan "unstoppable," echoing U.S. intelligence assessments that Beijing could attempt to seize the island by force within this decade. Ryan Hass, a former U.S. diplomat and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, cautioned against drawing direct parallels. "There will be an impulse among foreign policy analysts to draw analogies to Taiwan and to warn about Trump setting a precedent Beijing could use against Taiwan. I would caution against that impulse," he wrote on X.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C), Chinese President Xi Jinping (R), Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (L) and other leaders lay flowers on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during Victory Day celebrations on May 9, 2015 in Moscow, Russia. Sasha Mordovets | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Hass said China has avoided direct military action against Taiwan, not out of deference for international law or norms, but has instead relied on a strategy of coercion short of violence. "Beijing will be more focused on protecting its interests, condemning US actions, and sharpening the contrast with the US in the international system than it will be on drawing inspiration from today's events to alter its approach on Taiwan," Hass wrote. China's foreign ministry, in a statement after the strike, said it was "deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the U.S.'s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president." Beijing called the strike a "hegemonic act" and called on Washington to "stop violating other countries' sovereignty and security." "The Trump administration, more so than any American administration in recent memory, is comfortable with great powers like China and Russia having a sphere of influence," said Marko Papic, chief strategist of macro-geopolitical at BCA Research. However, it does not mean that Washington is okay with these countries expanding their orbits, he added. Moreover, there does not seem to be an "abandonment" of Taiwan by the Trump administration, Papic told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia," pointing to the $11 billion arms sale that was announced by Taiwan in December. The U.S. does not have a mutual defense treaty with Taiwan, but the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act commits Washington to providing weapons necessary for Taiwan's self-defense.

Rules for thee, not for me
This aerial view shows icebergs floating in the waters beaten down by the sun with buildings in the background off Nuuk, Greenland, on March 11, 2025, on the day of Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory, legislative elections.

Denmark is in "full crisis mode" after U.S. President Donald Trump once again set his sights on Greenland, following the strike on Venezuela.

"We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security and Denmark is not going to be able to do it, I can tell you," Trump said Sunday on Air Force One, echoing similar remarks made separately to The Atlantic magazine.

His comments come a day after the U.S. conducted a major military operation in Venezuela, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a surprise intervention that sent shock waves across the globe.

It has raised alarm in Denmark, which is responsible for the defense of Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory.

"I have to say this very directly to the United States: It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Sunday in a Facebook post.
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Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro appeared in a New York court on Monday afternoon, saying that he had been "kidnapped" with his wife by U.S. forces from their home in Caracas, and that he was a "prisoner of war," as he pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also charged in the case, have been held since they were taken from Venezuela on Saturday after a U.S. strike on the country at the orders of U.S. President Donald Trump. Flores also pleaded not guilty. "I'm innocent. I am not guilty of anything," Maduro repeatedly said through a translator to Judge Alvin Hellerstein during his appearance in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Flores said, "I am first lady of the Republic of Venezuela." "Not guilty. Completely innocent," Flores replied when asked for her plea.

Venezuela's captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores attend their arraignment with defense lawyers Barry Pollack and Mark Donnelly to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others, at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., January 5, 2026 in this courtroom sketch. Jane Rosenberg | Reuters

Flores had a large bruise on her forehead. Her attorney requested that she get medical attention from jail officials for injuries she sustained during her capture Saturday, including an X-ray for her ribs, which are believed to be broken or severely bruised. The couple agreed to remain in jail without bail for now, but could submit a bail application in the future.

Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, U.S., January 5, 2026. Eduardo Munoz | Reuters

Hellerstein set the next court date for the case on March 17. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, whose office is prosecuting the couple, during an interview Monday morning on CNBC's "Squawk Box," said, "From the perspective of where I sit, my people and I are completely comfortable with this prosecution." Defense lawyer Barry Pollack represented Maduro at the hearing. Pollack previously represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in Assange's federal criminal case. Pollack said during the hearing that Maduro "is head of a sovereign state and entitled to the privilege" from that status. Pollack also said that there were "questions about the legality of his military abduction" and that there would be "voluminous" court filings addressing that issue. Flores is being represented by Mark Donnelly, a former federal prosecutor in Texas. Maduro, 63, is charged in a federal indictment with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. He has previously denied the allegations.

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Flores, 69, is charged with the cocaine conspiracy and weapons counts. Maduro, whom the indictment refers to as the "illegitimate ruler" of Venezuela as a result of fraudulent election results, is accused of partnering with co-conspirators, narcotics traffickers and narco-terrorist groups to import tons of cocaine into the United States. Maduro and his wife appeared at around noon before Hellerstein. "Nicolas Maduro Moros, the defendant, now sits atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking," the 25-page indictment alleges. "This cycle of narcotics-based corruption lines the pockets of Venezuelan officials and their families while also benefiting violent narco-terrorists who operate with impunity on Venezuelan soil and who help produce, protect, and transport tons of cocaine to the United States," the indictment says.

Law enforcement officials move captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores out of the helicopter, as Maduro heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, U.S., January 5, 2026. Adam Gray | Reuters

Among the alleged overt acts detailed in the indictment is a meeting that Flores attended in approximately 2007, in which she purportedly "accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to broker a meeting between a large-scale drug trafficker and the director of Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office, Nestor Reverol Torres." "The drug trafficker later arranged to pay a monthly bribe to Reverol Torres, in addition to approximately $100,000 for each flight that was transporting cocaine to ensure the flight's safe passage, a portion of which was then paid to Flores de Maduro," the indictment alleges.

"Reverol Torres was charged with narcotics offenses in the Eastern District of New York and is a fugitive." The other defendants charged in the same indictment are not in U.S. custody.

President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores hold hands and pose for photos after the swear-in ceremony at Palacio Federal Legislativo on January 10, 2025 in Caracas, Venezuela. Jesus Vargas | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Bull markets are almost never cut short by geopolitical flareups, in case anyone is wondering. More often they are treated either as exacerbating factors to an already-weak trend (the 9/11 attacks, the 2022 invasion of Ukraine), clarifying moments that boost risk markets (Battle of Midway in 1942, the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003) or mere noise that can safely be tuned out (last year's U.S. attack in Iranian nuclear sites). The weekend capture by the U.S. of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro would be more likely to act as an excuse for the financial markets to tense up if stocks had barreled into 2026 at an exuberant sprint rather than shuffling indecisively around the same index levels first encountered more than two months ago. If oil typically acts as the transmission mechanism to the equity market from international conflict, crude's current benign level and the fact that energy now represents a narrow sliver of the typical household budget suggest the stakes for the economy are not particularly high around any prices swings. .SPX 1Y mountain S & P 500, 1 year Foreboding conjecture about what comes next and whether U.S. action will cause ruptures with allies or further instability in the region is relevant to the world at large, of course. But when it comes to such issues' proximate impact on investors, it always makes sense to ask, "What specifically should markets be repricing today based on these events?" In the absence of an immediate trigger for fundamental re-evaluation or redirection of fund flows coming out of the weekend's unanticipated events, the answer is probably "not much." Broadening market? Which leaves us with a more routine set of questions for the market in the first full week of the year. Such as what we ought to make of the S & P 500's slightly soft finish to 2025, what the two-month trading range is telling us and how expectations are arranged for the coming year. The index slipped 1% last week, failed to extend its monthly win streak to eight and sits now at a level first reached on Oct. 24. Aside from disappointing any misguided traders who care about the Santa Claus Rally period (which ends Monday with the S & P needed to rise 0.9% to avert a third straight decline over this span), the indifferent action has muted short-term trader optimism without undercutting a broadly held optimistic consensus. The rotational dynamics since late October have continued to favor economically sensitive stocks and 2025 laggards over the tech giants that contributed the most value over the past three years. With the S & P 500 down a smidge from Oct. 29, the index's equal-weighted version is up more than 1%, transportation stocks are up 6%, financials ahead by 3% and the tech sector off 4%. This is what the "broadening market" that so many observers predict and seems to want looks like. An upbeat implied macro message given the cyclical leadership but nothing special for passive index holders or for the aggregate wealth of equity owners. This is an AI-propelled, mega-cap-tech-led bull market and bull markets tend not to see leadership transfer to an entire new category of companies three years in while still maintaining upside thrust. But periods of harmonic rotation away from tech have refreshed the uptrend several times. And, who knows, this is a bull market that began in unprecedented fashion while the Fed was still tightening, so never say never, I guess. Two and three months ago, Wall Street was captivated by another stellar earnings season, a Federal Reserve resuming rate cuts into a steady economy and constant ecstatic new projections for AI spending. In late September, surveying this bounty of bullish factors, I asked, "What do you get for the market that already has everything?" At the time, investors were understandably looking ahead to an all-inclusive fourth-quarter ramp, which probably would have tripped into excessive optimism and heedless speculation. Instead, the market has worked to rebalance itself somewhat. Showing little propulsive momentum at the index level and under the sway of wide dispersion among stocks and sectors, this churning phase has left investor positioning and attitudes shy of dangerous extremes. Mag 7's struggles Jonathan Krinsky, BTIG's technical strategist, flagged that the Magnificent 7 were down each of the past five days, even with semiconductor stocks ripping on Friday, which he says has generally led to a good tactical bounce in the group over the past couple of years. The variance in performance among the Mag 7  Meta in the penalty box, Alphabet the new darling, Microsoft shares apparently suffering as a proxy for doubts about OpenAI's ambitions, Nvidia dead money for months as its valuation compresses  has surely been a welcome counterpoint to the AI bubble talk so prevalent a few months ago. The daily equity put/call ratio rising to a multi-month high on Dec. 31  not a compelling buy signal for stocks but evidence that the market is a bit more hedged and ambivalent than the universally bullish brokerage-house projections would imply. While a small sample size, the historical record for what happens after the S & P 500 has a down month after a seven-month win streak is more reassuring than alarming for the near term. Numbers compiled by Nerad + Deppe Wealth Management show that after the six prior such streaks ended, the index was higher over the next few months each time. Still, twice this seven-up/one-down monthly pattern preceded a bear market within a year's time  including when it occurred in September 2021. A few notable things about the unanimously positive outlook among the dozen or so strategists at the big shops. First is that the upbeat thesis is fully rational and plausible. Stocks gain about three of every four calendar years. Earnings forecasts continue to rise, the Fed is at least leaning toward additional rate cuts and early 2026 will see some fiscal lift from higher tax refunds and lower withholding rates. Second, though, is the degree to which the market handicappers are taking the consensus 13% S & P 500 profit growth largely at face value, not allowing for the common pattern of estimate erosion. And, more pointedly, almost no one is taking issue with valuations sitting near historic highs, the S & P forward price/earnings ratio above 22. Most everyone's leaning on the line that P/E ratios are poor timing tools, companies have more resilient business models today than in the past and valuation rarely gets in the way when profits are rising and the Fed not tightening. I'm here not to pick a fight with this rationale (rationalization?), but simply to note how widely it's shared. Valuation reflects embedded expectations, so a more expensive market should be tougher to impress. We'll see if that's the case.
Jim Cramer said there's more room for bank stocks to run after a blockbuster year. Just don't buy them ahead of earnings later this month. Club holdings Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs hit record highs in 2025, jumping nearly 36% and 57%, respectively. Still, Jim argues that favorable regulations under the Trump administration mean there's more upside to come. "This group has true momentum," Jim said during "Squawk on the Street" on Monday. "When you look at what the government is willing to bless, I think that it's really positive for all of these banks." After all, the White House has taken a far more lenient approach than the Biden administration. Case in point: In November, federal banking agencies moved forward with plans to ease capital requirements designed to help megabanks absorb unexpected losses, Politico reported. This, in turn, would allow Wells Fargo, Goldman, and other financial behemoths to lend more and pay higher dividends. A more relaxed regulatory environment, Jim said, can also help reduce firms' compliance costs. He added that deregulation makes it "very easy for banks to make a lot more money." That's not all: The current administration's stance on antitrust matters can also benefit Wall Street's investment banks. That's crucial, in particular, for Goldman Sachs. A rebound in investment banking was a key reason why we started a position in the stock. If regulators approve more mergers and acquisitions, it will mean more business for Goldman Sachs. Wells Fargo also has a dealmaking business, albeit much smaller than Goldman's. However, looser rules also mean additional risk. The capital minimums that Trump regulators are trying to roll back were established after the Great Financial Crisis of 2007-2008 to mitigate the risk of insolvency for the nation's largest banks. Additionally, the government's antitrust laws were designed to curb monopolistic behavior and prevent price-fixing by dominant firms. Both are intended to protect U.S. consumers. WFC GS YTD mountain Goldman Sachs (GS), Wells Fargo (WFC) year-to-date performances That's not enough to deter Wall Street analysts. On Monday, Barclays hiked Wells Fargo's price target to $113 from $94 and raised Goldman Sachs' to $1,048 from $850. Analysts, who reiterated their buy rating on both, pointed to Wells and Goldman as standouts in the group. "We believe the Money Centers (BAC, C, GS, JPM, MS, WFC) have more room to run given the favorable capital markets/regulatory backdrop and their economies of scale advantage," the analysts wrote, who also forecasted double-digit earnings growth for the sector in 2026. It may seem tempting to buy Wells and Goldman on the potential for further upside. We urge members to stay patient. The Club's not adding to either position ahead of earnings later this month. Financial stocks can be overly sensitive to quarterly results and post-earnings commentary from management. JPMorgan , for example, posted a better-than-expected earnings report in October. Still, shares declined nearly 2% that session on cautious remarks from CEO Jamie Dimon about the U.S. economy. Wells Fargo will release its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report on Jan. 15. Goldman Sachs is set to post results the following session. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long WFC, GS. 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.
by Laurie Sheck

1.

It has been almost 58 years since astronaut William Anders lifted his Hasselblad camera toward the window of Apollo 8 and captured the now-iconic image of Earth hovering beyond the gray, desolate edge of the moon, blue-white and small and fragile, hanging in the pure blackness of space. How beautiful it looked, how vulnerable and unprotected. As if emptied of political borders and human strife. As if we had never touched it after all. Unbuilt, unpolluted. Familiar and strange at the same time.

We came all this way to explore the Moon, Anders said, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth.

And yet how secretive it looks from a distance, how beyond human knowing.

My online searches tell me there are now over 942,562 CCTV surveillance cameras in London; in Shanghai there are 12,825, 589; in Hyderabad, 900,000; that in a single day a human being in London could expect to be captured on CCTV an average of 70 times.

But in Anders photo the Earth looks mysterious, un-warlike, uninhabited, unpoliced.

2.

In the astronauts descriptions of Earth, the word fragile recurs often.

It looked so fragile, so delicate, that if you touched it with a finger it would crumble and fall apartthis from James Irwin, crew member of Apollo 15. Lauren Acton spoke of seeing it contained in the thin, moving, incredibly fragile shell of the biosphere.

To Alexi Leonov, the first person to walk in space, Earth looked touchingly alone.

When cosmonaut Vitali Sevastyanov was asked by ground control what he saw, he replied, Half a world to the left, half a world to the right. I can see it all. The Earth is so small. And Neil Armstrong remarked, I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didnt feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.

Ulf Merbold said: For the first time in my life I saw the horizon line as curved, accentuated by a thin seam of dark blue light. I was terrified by its fragile appearance.

For those of us whove never been to space, the reality of Earths vulnerability can be harder to hold onto. The way its beauty is inseparable from its vulnerability. How in a sense they are the same thing.

3.

When, on March 18, 1965, Alexi Leonov exited the main capsule of Voskohod2 by pushing himself headfirst out of the opening, a sixteen-foot lifeline held him to the spaceship. If that line broke free he would drift away forever. He concealed a cyanide pill in his spacesuit pocket; no one had ever done this before, it was impossible to know what might happen.

Later he recounted what he felt: The silence was so vast and deep I could hear my muscles and blood vessels stretch and contract. I swam smoothly in one direction, then another. The whole sky was a fathomless deep black and at the same time bright with sunlight. From the quiet of my heart, I sent greetings to the lilies of the valley. The only moving thing I saw was the Earth revolving.

A few months later, Edward White became the second man to walk in space. But when he was told to return to the capsule, he didnt want to go back. He said, This is the saddest moment of my life. His copilot pulled him back in.

4.

Among the human-made objects still circling as orbital debris: paint flakes, rocket slag, screws, burnt rocket stages, various tools, cameras, solidified liquids, Edward Whites outer glove.

In 1963, the United States sent 480,000,000 copper needles into space as part of a military-sponsored operation meant to facilitate global radio communication. It was claimed that sunlight pressure would cause the needles to remain in orbit for only a few years, but today many thousands still orbit the Earth.

As of 2025, there are approximately 35,000 human-made objects still actively tracked by space-surveillance, along with hundreds of millions of others too small for tracking.

We have turned the sky into a mirror of our persistence and our forgetting.

5.

While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were taking their first steps on the moon, Michael Collins circled alone in Apollo 11.

As he flew across the far side of the moon, there were 48 minutes of radio silence when even Houston couldnt reach him.

Cut off from all communication, I was truly alone, the only person in the solar system who could not even see the planet of his birth.

The astronauts were each allowed one small white satchel for personal belongings. Inside Michael Collins were five packs of chewing gum, and a small hollow dried bean from India carrying inside it 50 tiny carved ivory elephantsthrough the blackness of space, these delicate creatures traveled with him.

From where he looked, Earth was simply blue and white, not rich or poornot envious or envied. Up close, he said, the moon looks like a withered peach pit.mysterious, subtle, but there is no comfort in it.

6.

In her book, Power of Gentleness, the philosopher and psychoanalyst Anne Dufourmantelle writes of how gentleness is neither a form of weakness nor a recoil from the realities of power.

Being gentle with objects means understanding themin their precariousnessIt means not wanting to add to suffering, to exclusion, to cruelty. Gentleness beckons to our responsibility as human beings toward the world around us, toward the beings making up this world and even toward the thoughts we commit to itit is a part of an intimate connection to animality, to the mineral, the vegetal, the stellar.

It is an intelligence that carries life, that saves and enhances itIt implies a relation of the subject to otherness.

Gentleness is a verb: we perform acts of gentleness.

It is not naive, or blind, or weak. Instead, it acts with eyes wide open.

It has made a pact with the truth.

It seems this is what the astronauts discovered having traveled far from Earth and then returning. And how such knowledge as they gained of the Earth involves a kind of gentle care mixed in with hope and mourning.

7.

When I look at early photos of Earth seen from space, those photos so often reproduced now as posters and online, often I feel like I am looking at another planet, a planet almost wholly unknown to me, fiercely secret in its otherness. And in its otherness it looks so quiet and unharmed.

Anne Dufourmantelle: In our age, so prolific in reproductions, a desirable thing immediately deteriorates into multiple versions.

But A thing does not need to be hidden to keep its secrets.

8.

The feeling was less like flying than like being alone in a boat on the ocean at night. Stars above, pure black below. (Michael Collins)

And: I know from pre-flight press questions that I will be described as a lonely man (Not since Adam has any man experienced such loneliness)I dont mean to deny a feeling of solitude. I am alone now, truly alone, and absolutely isolated from any known life. If the count were taken, the score would be three billion plus two over on the other side of the moon, and none plus God only knows what on this side. I feel this powerfullynot as fear or lonelinessbut as awareness, anticipation, satisfaction, confidence, almost exultation.

9.

Recently I read that Jeff Bezos envisions that within the next 10-20 years there will be gigawatt-scale data centers in outer space. The next step is data centers and then other forms of manufacturing. He points out that in space there is constant solar power; space is already cold, so cooling is less of an issue. There are no environmental laws regarding power usage or water consumption. Unlike on Earth, massive facilities can be built without purchasing land.

What gentleness do we owe to outer space, to ourselves, to our planet?

10.

Michael Collins: The Earth from orbit is a delightAlive, inviting, enchanting.The thing that really surprised me was that it projected an air of fragility. And why I dont know. I dont know to this day. I had a feeling its tiny, its shiny, its beautiful, its home, and its fragile.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday said he was prepared to take up arms in response to threats from US President Donald Trump, following Washingtons weekend military operation to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Petro, a former guerrilla fighter, made the remarks in a post on X, writing: I swore not to touch a weapon again but for the homeland I will take up arms again.

The comments followed Trumps warning that Petro should watch his a**, while describing Colombias first left-wing president as a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.

Petro, who was a member of the M-19 guerrilla group before it laid down arms under a 1989 peace accord, has repeatedly clashed with Trump since the Republican leader returned to the White House in January. He has also criticised the expanding US military presence in the Caribbean, which has included the destruction of alleged drug boats, the seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers and Saturdays raid on Caracas.

Also Read: After Venezuela, is Trump targeting Colombia

Trump has accused Petro, without providing evidence, of involvement in drug trafficking, imposed financial sanctions on him and his family, and removed Colombia from the US list of certified allies in the war on drugs.

In a longer message on X, Petro defended his anti-narcotics strategy but warned against excessive military action. If you bomb even one of these groups without sufficient intelligence, you will kill many children And if you detain the president, whom a good part of my people love and respect, you will unleash the popular jaguar, he wrote.

The Trump administration is seen as aligned with Colombias right-wing opposition, which is seeking victory in this years legislative and presidential elections.
Cybersecurity firm Resecurity says it deliberately lured threat actors linked to Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters (SLH) alliance into a honeypot, after the group claimed that it had hacked the company and stolen internal and client data.

Understanding that the actor is conducting reconnaissance, our team has set up a honey pot account, Resecurity said in a blog post, indicating prior knowledge of threat actor probing. This led to a successful login by the threat actor to one of the emulated applications containing synthetic data.

The threat actors claiming to be SLHs ShinyHunters initially posted screenshots and claimed that they had breached Resecuritys systems, but soon after the firm said it was a honeypot, the actual group confirmed they had no connection to the attack.
Taiwans National Security Agency states that the number of Chinese cyberattacks against the countrys critical infrastructure increased by 6% in 2025, averaging 2.6 million attacks per day, Reuters reports.

The attacks mainly targeted the energy sector, hospitals, banks and emergency services, and many of them were reportedly coordinated with Chinese military exercises and political events. For example, when the President and Vice President of Taiwan were giving speeches or attending international meetings.

The attackers reportedly used methods such as denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and man-in-the-middle intrusions to steal data and disrupt operations. This includes the semiconductor industry and companies like TSMC.
Our beleaguered PM faces yet more humiliation next month after a song mocking him was longlisted for a Brit Award.

Parody hit Freezing This Christmas by Sir Starmer And The Granny Harmers is on the best Pop Act longlist.

The song, lampooning Labours decision to strip winter fuel payments from millions of pensioners  a move later reversed  made the long list after topping the singles downloads chart and breaking into the Top 40.

The lyrics read: Itll be freezing this Christmas, without fuel at home, itll be freezing this Christmas, while Keir Starmer is warm. Itll be cold, so cold, without fuel at home, this Christmas.

This is likely to go down well with Starmers leadership challenger, Andy Burnham. The Greater Manchester mayor lobbied to bring musics most glittering night to his city for the first time and is set to be a guest of honour at the event at the Co-Op Live arena.

Our beleaguered PM faces yet more humiliation next month after a song mocking him was longlisted for a Brit Award

The lyrics read: Itll be freezing this Christmas, without fuel at home, itll be freezing this Christmas, while Keir Starmeris warm. Itll be cold, so cold, without fuel at home, this Christmas

There is even talk that Burnham may make an onstage appearance at the Brits, which are broadcast live on ITV.

It will pile more humiliation on the Prime Minister and would be a perfect launch pad for a Burnham leadership bid.

MPs return to Parliament today and one of the first debates is on reducing schools to a four-day week.

Proceedings will be got under way by the Labour MP for Lichfield, Dave Robertson. In his previous life he was an organiser for the NASUWT, a teachers union not known for its Protestant work ethic.

Beware bag lady Penny

What is the average number of items in a womans handbag?

The answer is 75, according to Dame Penny Mordaunt, the former Leader of the Commons, who famously held a ceremonial sword vertical for more than an hour at the Kings Coronation.

Mordaunt told the Difficult Women podcast that when she makes speeches she often asks a man in the audience to empty his pockets and then a woman to do the same with their handbag.

Little tumbles from the pocket but items from the handbag have included screwdrivers, a can of WD40, even a swimsuit. The average number of items in a handbag is 75, declares Mordaunt. I say to the chaps: Why do you think they have all that stuff? It is because they have the imagination to think what could go wrong.

Those eggheads at the Financial Times swiftly deployed their foremost geopolitical experts after the US dramatically ousted the brutal Left-wing Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. A headline stated: Instant Insight: Maduro is gone but its not clear what comes next.

Subscribers pay a fortune for such gems.

Lefties are now in a lather about events in Caracas, but interest in the South American country had slumped at Westminster: The all-party parliamentary group on Venezuela folded last year. It shut because it didnt offer any juicy free trips to sun-kissed beaches, says one Commons watcher. Who wants to go on a fact-finding trip to a sanctioned country run by a tyrant who looks like Borat?

Mansion without tax

The mansion tax for properties worth more than 2million will drop on doormats for the first time in April 2028.

But the architect of the policy, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, will be exempt (assuming she lasts that long) even though she divides her time between 11 Downing Street and Dorneywood, a 21-room mansion with eight bathrooms in 215 acres of land.

Cabinet Office minister Anna Turley said the new charge will be paid by property owners not residents. Lucky old Reeves.
During his characteristically rambling press conference on Saturday about the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Donald Trump asserted that Its all a deal. Life is a big deal.

Its what he believes. According to him, everything can be negotiated with everyone, and he believes that hes the best at doing this. Early last year he said something similar. Thats what I do. I do deals. My whole life is deals.

Of course deals are important. The great 18th century writer Samuel Johnson famously said that there are few ways in which a man can be more innocently employed than in getting money.

Deals are an essential part of life. But they arent life. Trump is wrong to say that life is a big deal. When that maxim is misguidedly applied to the relations between states, disaster is likely to follow.

The abduction of Maduro and his wife in Caracas, brilliantly executed though it was, undermines the rules-based international order. It will give comfort to ruthless regimes such as China and Russia. They will feel even less constrained to observe civilised standards than they have been.

Some have claimed that Trump is looking for regime change in Venezuela. Judging by his press conference on Saturday, this is far from his mind. He wants to do a deal involving oil with Maduros hardline deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, and what remains of the regime, that will financially benefit the United States.

Maybe theyll play ball. Maybe they wont. In either event, its clear that Trump is not remotely interested in restoring democratic rights to the Venezuelan people.

On Saturday, he dismissed the opposition, preposterously claiming that its main leader, Maria Corina Machado, doesnt have the support or the respect inside the country.

Smoke rises from Caracas during the US's military action on January 3, which resulted in the capture of Venezuela's president

President Nicolas Maduro after his capture, in an image posted on Donald Trump's social media website Truth Social

I sense that the Right in Britain, and even what one might call the decent Left, are divided about Trump. Everyone except Labours deluded hard-Left (which has long worshipped Maduro) can agree that the now ex-president of Venezuela is a bad and corrupt man whose catastrophic rule has impoverished his country.

But I believe those on the Right who champion Trump without reservation, and fail to see the dangers that this myopic deals-based leader of the Free World poses to the international order, are profoundly mistaken.

Let me appeal to the example of Margaret Thatcher. In October 1983, the United States invaded the Caribbean island of Grenada, whose Head of State happened to be Her Majesty the Queen.

The US government was fearful that communists might take over there. However, President Ronald Reagan didnt bother to consult Mrs Thatcher in advance, not least because he was rather frightened of her.

She was incandescent when she learnt what had happened. For the most part she managed to conceal her true feelings in public, while in private letting them be known to Reagan. However, in a BBC World Service interview at the time she was unable to equivocate any longer.

First she referred to the Falklands War, which had taken place the previous year, with America for a time a less than rock solid ally. Britain went to get its territory back . . . That has no parallel whatsoever with Grenada.

She continued: I am totally and utterly against Communism and terrorism. But . . . if you are pronouncing a new law that wherever Communism reigns against the will of the people . . . there the United States shall enter, then you are going to have really terrible wars in the world.

Margaret Thatcher was upholding the rules-based order, which had prevailed since the Second World War, with one or two hiccoughs such as the 1956 Suez Crisis (when, ironically, the US claimed to defend that order after the British government of the time had seemingly undermined it).

President Trump addresses the press from Mar-a-Lago, alongside defence secretary Pete Hegseth

President Trump watches the raid that captured Maduro with CIA director John Ratcliffe standing behind

'Those on the Right who champion Trump without reservation are profoundly mistaken'

There have been a few hiccoughs since, most notably in Iraq in 2003, when America and Britain invaded that country without justification. By this I mean that, contrary to false propaganda pumped out by the likes of Tony Blair, the Iraqi regime, however disagreeable, didnt actually menace any Western power.

So it is with Venezuela, which is more than 1,000 miles away from the nearest US coastline. Maduro was not threatening America or preparing an act of war against it. His alleged encouragement of the narcotics trade, though abhorrent, doesnt legitimise invasion and abduction.

Thatcher was right to uphold sovereignty after the US invasion of Grenada. You cant go around attacking countries whose governments you happen not to like. This is a fundamental principle which, with his avaricious eye always on the next advantageous deal, the amoral American President cannot grasp.

China and Russia have both had a mild fit of the vapours over Trumps adventure in Venezuela, but deep down their leaders are, of course, only too happy to witness this naked display of power.

President Xi Jinping will argue that, if American aircraft and helicopters can mount a raid on Caracas and capture the President and his wife, the United States and the West will be in a less strong position to object should China attack Taiwan, or anywhere else that might take its fancy.

Similarly, President Putin will attempt to portray Russias invasion of Ukraine in a more favourable light. Of course the comparison is a poor one, since Trump has no intention of permanently occupying Venezuela or of killing thousands of its citizens.

Nonetheless, by using force in shameless defiance of accepted norms, Trump has given the bullies and brutes of this world, of whom there are many, a convenient precedent with which they will seek to justify their future excesses.

To put it another way, the blinkered President has recklessly sacrificed Americas moral leadership. Its true that this was sometimes more honoured in the breach than in the observance  witness the Iraq War. All the same, the US still stood for something precious. Until now.

Join the debate Has Trumps raid set a dangerous example for other world leaders to ignore international rules?

All this of course puts Sir Keir Starmer, as Trumps unofficial butler and cringingly sycophantic acolyte, in a delicate position. He knows that the American President has acted precipitately and rashly but is too frightened to say so.

If he had any guts, he would stand up and declare that in this matter Trump is wrong  just as Margaret Thatcher was prepared over 40 years ago to chide her friend Ronald Reagan, who happened to be a far nicer and infinitely wiser man.

But I dont suppose that Starmer will dare take Donald Trump to task and say what he should: that America is our closest ally but it must support the international order, which is the only defence against a lawless world in which might is right and the strongest take whatever they want.

Trump isnt a wicked man, in the way that Vladimir Putin is. But with his emphasis on dealmaking, and his conviction that money should be made out of every crisis, he is a terrifyingly limited one.
Lucy Letby, the neo-natal nurse now serving 15 whole-life sentences for the murder of seven severely premature babies, and the attempted murder of seven more, has just spent her 36th birthday behind bars.

A few days earlier, Lucy endured her sixth Christmas in a cell.

As many readers will know, I firmly believe she is innocent and that her conviction is a grave miscarriage of justice.

The one glimmer of hope is that Lucys new barrister, Mark McDonald, has submitted her case - with fresh evidence - to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which has the power to refer it to the Court of Appeal in the hope of securing a re-trial.

The flimsy evidence against Lucy has been disputed by leading neonatologists, scientists and statisticians not only in the United Kingdom, but around the world. The case presented to the court by the chief witness for the prosecution, Dr Dewi Evans, has disintegrated.

Doubts about the safety of the verdict are now so troubling, I believe 2026 must surely be the year Lucy Letby is finally given hope that her conviction, so utterly contentious, so wholly lacking in substantial proof or evidence, might finally be overturned.

If this does not happen, I believe her imprisonment will be the greatest miscarriage of justice this country has ever witnessed and will call into question the competence and legitimacy of the justice system itself.

Having served as a health minister with responsibility for maternal and neo-natal care, I am only too aware that the care provided in too many British maternity hospitals is dangerously poor and that babies are dying as a consequence. I believe that Lucy has been a convenient scapegoat.

Lucy Letby is serving 15 whole-life sentences for the murder and attempted murder of 14 babies

So, it was perhaps inevitable when, as I looked through my bookcase before Christmas, I was drawn to a battered 50-year-old copy of The Crucible, Arthur Millers play about the puritan witch trials of colonial Massachusetts.

Opening the pages, I came immediately to one of the main characters, Goodwife Elizabeth Proctor, a kind, morally upright woman who was accused, tried and convicted of witchcraft. It took my breath away.

Millers play shows exactly how baseless rumour becomes panic, then hysteria. It shows how fear can take hold of a community as neighbour turns against life-long neighbour. And it shows how readily a court of law can be swayed by testimony that offers a reassuring explanation for the otherwise inexplicable.

As I read The Crucible again, it struck me that the fate of Goody Proctor, accused of witchcraft through nothing more than jealousy and suspicion, holds a disturbing mirror to the trial of Lucy Letby more than three centuries on.

It is Elizabeth Proctors personality - known for moral integrity, she is condemned as cold, aloof and distant - that makes her a target. Goody Proctor stands apart from other women.

It is a fact that Lucy Letby, too, was different.

By proxy - through her family, friends and fellow nurses - I think I have come to know her a little. Many of us will have met someone like her.

Lucy is old-fashioned in her views, something of a pedant and a stickler for the rules. It is fair to say she does not fit the template for most young women in their twenties.

The moment Lucy Letby was first arrested in 2018 at her home in Chester

Being a nurse was her vocation, a calling. It was Lucy who was telephoned by other nurses on the unit for advice even when she was off duty, particularly when something had gone wrong.

She would never leave her post until the job was done, day or night, regardless of the time.

Lucy has been described as seeming a little awkward from time to time but her WhatsApp exchanges with other nurses demonstrate she was compassionate.

She was sociable, too. Lucy took salsa classes and enjoyed holidays with family or close friends. She planned to buy a house and one day hoped to fall in love with someone and bring up a family.

But Lucy didnt go out clubbing, ignored dating apps, didnt take drugs and certainly did not have a casual attitude towards sex.

At work, she did every single thing by the book - and thereby irritated those who preferred to cut corners. She was disarmingly honest, in fact. Might that have contributed to her downfall?

When an untoward event takes place on a neonatal unit - which cares for babies who are not only severely premature but very poorly - a Datix form setting out the circumstances is filed. It is a risk-management system, a way of highlighting concerns as they arise.

And when it came to filing out Datix forms, Lucy was prolific - to the point of obsession.

It seems Lucy insisted every formal process must be followed to the letter and that no amount of pleading by colleagues would change her mind.

She wouldnt cover-up for others or cut corners. Just like Goody Proctor in The Crucible, Goody Letby was never seen to do anything wrong.

In Millers play - just as in the horrific real-life events of Salem that inspired it - there is zero proof that Goody Proctor was a witch. How could there be?

But being different from other women works against her in the court room.

Calm and principled when put on trial, Goody Proctor is described as cold and indifferent. She fails to be emotional, to show signs of the hysteria gripping those around her, and that is taken to mean she is unnatural, unloving - and a witch.

Im in no doubt that something similar has applied to Lucy Letby, both during her trial and since.

Like Goody Proctor, Letby remained calm in the witness box, apparently unmoved by claims she was an angel of death.

Rather, she continued believing in British justice. Lucy was confident in the knowledge that no clear evidence tied her to deaths of those premature babies, and confident that she would be found innocent.

She wasnt even on duty when one of the babies in question died.

If there was no solid evidence against Lucy, I believe the constant references to her character and demeanour, however tenuous, were given undue weight and relevance in court.

Neither Elizabeth Proctor nor Lucy Letby played to the gallery, neither could or would project fake emotion, and in Lucys case Im sure this told against her.

Strength and integrity were interpreted as coldness and guilt in a way that is both misogynistic and profoundly irrational.

Join the debate What does Lucy Letby's case reveal about justice, prejudice, and mistakes in our legal system?

You might not agree with me that Letby is innocent, but surely no one can argue, today, that she has been convicted using the standard of proof our courts demand: that she is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

That test is the cornerstone of British justice and Lucy has the same right to depend upon it as the rest of us.

Millers heroine, Goody Proctor, is spared the hangmans rope because she is pregnant, as was the real Elizabeth Proctor from 1692 who, when the hysteria died down, had her name somewhat cleared.

But neither Elizabeth, real nor fictional, was formally pardoned. Neither received a public apology from the courts that had traduced them.

And that is where we must hope the parallels divide when, or if, Lucy is granted the re-trial she deserves.

Both our courts and the medical profession have much to learn from this terrible injustice. And those lessons cannot be learnt until both institutions publicly admit the dreadful truth that they were wrong.
It's been, depending on your preferred musical metaphor, either a long and winding road or a long, strange trip.

But however you describe it, the twists of fate that have delivered Marco Rubio to his current status as the fully empowered foreign policy and national security helmsman of Donald Trump's second term amount to one of the great political reversals of our age.

We are seeing it all play out now with the Floridian's highly visible role on the Venezuela project.

A decade ago, Rubio was the last man standing between Trump and the 2016 Republican nomination - battered, bruised and outmatched.

He was also, lest we forget, the guy who mocked Trump's allegedly small hands on national television, prompting Trump to fire back with the immortal 'Little Marco' routine that Republicans still quote with the kind of affectionate embarrassment usually reserved for old family VHS tapes.

But politics, especially Trump-era politics, plays out via a hydraulic series of hothouse vignettes - pressure builds, alliances shift and yesterday's combatant becomes tomorrow's consigliere.

Rubio has learned to adapt more quickly than most.

After the 2016 primary humiliation, he set about building relationships in and around Trump World with the determination of a man who had studied the map, thrown out the map and designed his own.

Pictured in a photo released by the White House Saturday afternoon. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has become the fully empowered foreign-policy and national-security helmsman of Donald Trump's second term

A decade ago, Rubio was the last man standing between Trump and the 2016 Republican nomination - battered, bruised and outmatched

One of the earliest and most consequential of those relationships was with Ivanka Trump.

Their work together during the first term - particularly on childcare tax credits and family-leave policy - created a channel of trust and familiarity that mattered far more in Trump's inner court than any Senate floor speech or think-tank essay. The project itself was not sweeping legislation - Washington rarely rewards anyone with sweeping legislation anymore - but the collaboration mattered. It placed Rubio in the rare category of Republican lawmakers who could engage the Trump family without friction or fear.

Then came the bond with JD Vance, now vice president, which has become one of the defining political friendships of this administration.

Young dads Rubio and Vance share a worldview that blends populism with realism and a suspicion of foreign entanglements with a willingness to wield American power when justified.

Mark Halperin is the editor-in-chief and host of the interactive live video platform 2WAY and the host of the video podcast 'Next Up' on the Megyn Kelly network

They are also, in a way that matters more than ideology, temperamentally aligned: both bookish strivers, both sons of hardship, both fluent in the twin languages of ambition and humor. Rubio's deference to Vance about 2028 is genuine - or at least genuinely polite - but no one who knows either man believes the conversation ends there. The lanes will open again someday, perhaps as a ticket pairing for the next round.

Rubio's longtime Florida connection with Susie Wiles didn't hurt either. Wiles, equal parts tactician and gatekeeper, has become the most influential unelected figure in Trump's operation. Her respect for Rubio, and Rubio's for her, smoothed many of the lingering burrs between the senator and Trump. In this White House, personal chemistry isn't everything, but it is often the foundation of power.

Rubio's resume didn't hurt, of course. His years in the Senate - particularly his tenure as the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee - gave him the kind of grounding in classified briefings, covert capabilities and geopolitical nuance that Trump prizes when he is deciding whom to trust.

Being a father of young children, while simultaneously serving as both secretary of state and national security adviser, has also shaped Rubio's approach. He is not a man who sees the world as just a chessboard; he also sees it as a place where decisions ricochet into the lives of families, including his own.

And because constant global travel is incompatible with the two jobs and four kids, he has been more than happy to let his globe-trotting envoy, Steve Witkoff, rack up the miles and absorb the jet lag while he stays closer to the Sit Room and the Oval.

One of the earliest and most consequential of Rubio's relationships was with Ivanka Trump (pictured in 2019 during a meeting with Republican senators to discuss paid family leave)

Rubio's bond with JD Vance, now vice president, has become one of the defining political friendships of this administration

Susie Wiles, (pictured with Rubio in December 2025) has become the most influential unelected figure in Trump's operation. Her respect for Rubio, and Rubio's for her, smoothed many of the lingering burrs between the senator and Trump

And then there is the identity piece: Rubio is a Latino American, the son of Cuban immigrants, raised in the gravitational pull of a community defined by exile, trauma, resilience and a deep understanding of strongmen. He didn't have to study someone like Nicolas Maduro - he grew up surrounded by the emotional and political residue of gangsters just like him.

Rubio was born to confront thugs of that sort and trained to do it with both finesse and muscle. In this administration, he has done exactly that.

Rubio is great on television - smooth, serious, unflappable - which Trump notices. He is loyal without being sycophantic, which Trump values more than he usually admits. And Trump now trusts him as much as, if not more than, anyone else on matters of foreign policy and national security.

If Trump is the architect of this kinetic, high-velocity second-term doctrine, Rubio is the structural engineer making sure the beams hold.

Stephen Miller - another figure with whom Rubio has quietly cultivated a strong working relationship - was also by Trump's side during the recent weekend mission involving Maduro. Miller is playing a major role as well, particularly on legal and diplomatic framing. Rubio, ever the pragmatist, welcomes the partnership. He is not territorial; he is task oriented.

All of this explains why Rubio is one of the very small handful of aides who are in the room when it happens - whether the Situation Room at the White House, the Oval Office or the Mar-a-Lago parlor where so many of Trump's most important decisions now begin or end. He is present not because he has demanded to be, but because Trump wants him there.

And that brings us back to the future. Rubio insists he will defer to Vance on whatever comes after 2028, that he has no current designs on another presidential run. But everyone who has watched Rubio's career - from his early days as the Florida House Speaker, to his first breathtaking rise in national politics, to his fall and resurrection - knows better than to imagine he is done.

The same blend of talent, calculation, and ambition that carried him from Trump antagonist to Trump confidant is still there, sharpened now by experience and elevated by proximity to ultimate power.

It's been a long journey, yes. But Marco Rubio has always been built for long journeys. And this one isn't over.